Adventure 4 “The Goblin Cannibalism Problem”
Goblins have a reputation for cannibalism. Much of this is due to the fact that they are primarily carnivores, with sharp, pointed teeth. So, purely from a visual standpoint, they look like they could eat people. But it goes deeper than that, because in the past, they actually did eat people. Millennia ago, it was common. They used to eat everybody. This later got refined (a bit) to a more ritualistic form where they ate their own relatives (who had died…they weren’t killed to be eaten). This was a form of ancestor worship, where they would eat their dead as a way to keep a part of them within themselves. There are tribes of Goblins that still practice this, although they don’t do this in the Tondene Empire. At least, that is the way it is supposed to be.
Many Goblins still practice a form of ancestor worship, although eating their dead is no longer a part of the rituals. Modern, Tondene Goblins simply have shrines set up in their houses for their dead family members, often taking the form of a cloth-draped table with candles, and effigies of their dead relatives (this could be sculpture, paintings, drawings, or even just an item that had belonged to the dead person). The effigy acts as a proxy; a link, a focus.
There is a cult of Goblins, worshipping their god of Food and Drink, Kalshebba. Kalshebba has taken the form of a female Ogre. She lives in a cave, along with many of her Goblin followers.
Kalshebba (real name Gr’gruh’kshoht): ST 20 (thr 2d-1, sw 3d+2), DX 10. IQ 9, HT 14, FT 14, HP 22, Per 12, DR 3 (tough skin), Darkvision, Spd/MV 6/9 (+3 from Enhanced MV 1/2 (Ground)), Bad Smell (musky, filthy, meaty smell). SM+1, 550 lbs. Axe/Mace-14, Brawling 11, Wrestling 11. She speaks Gruntish (Ogre) and accented Mekiitagi. She is illiterate, but clever. Artist (painting)-12, Acting 11 (specialized to her role as Kalshebba). She wears decorated robes that are a combination of brigandine and heavy gambeson. It gives her an additional DR 8 for torso, groin, arms, and legs. She has a colorful feathered headress, looking something like an Aztec headress (DR 1). The headdress has Continual Light cast on it (Torchlight level), giving her a “halo” of light. Colors has also been cast upon it, changing the light from white to a warm yellow (although sometimes Jakkora will modify the colors to show a difference in Kalshebba’s mood). On her feet are ruby jeweled shoes (actually, they are colored crystal, but she thinks they are pretty). She wears fingerless lacy gloves. She values these clothes, as they make her feel pretty (and they are very nice…Jakkora did a good job in outfitting her to appeal to her ego). She is armed with a knife (which she uses to eat with, mostly), a large cleaver (treat as a large falchion, 4d+1 cut, 2d-2 imp), and a large club with a Reach of 2 (4d+2 cr).
Her “high priest” is Jakkora Tongue-biter, who is the true brains of the operation. ST 10, DX 12, IQ 14, HT 11. Magery 2. It was he who taught the ogress how to speak Mekiitagi, and also the one who hatched the scheme to impersonate a god. He is a mage, mostly Illusion and Creation spells, along with some Light and Sound spells. He uses those when necessary to aid in Kalshebba’s acting. Spell skills: Primary-16, Secondary-15, Tertiary-15. Knife-14, Bow-14. Likes to use poisons, primarily Cantharides (LT129) (Contact poison, no delay, HT to resist, 2d damage, irritates the skin, causing blistering and moderate pain (B428), a victim reaching 0 HP suffers convulsions.) He also uses Lime Powder in a small bellows, which he tries to aim at eyes/face. If it hits the eyes, 1 hp of toxic damage, each second, for 10 seconds (it does get HT resistance rolls). Causes severe pain (B428) if it hits anywhere, and blindness if in the eyes. Both conditions last until flushed with water for several minutes. If inhaled (HT roll to resist) it causes coughing and sneezing (B428). If not resisted, it causes 1 hp of toxic damage each turn for 10 seconds. Tactics: He will often make Illusion walls, to hide behind as he casts, and to use as ambush points, letting his minions hide behind them. These are usually Simple Illusions, as they aren’t audial or tactile in nature. He also uses Phantom quite a bit, for things that require tactile components. A lot of the cavern spaces are lit via Continual Light, usually cast on the tip of a stalactite. Often several in the same room, which can make the shadows interesting. A lot of his illusions will involve food items doing things food items usually don’t do. Like attacking, flying around, being distracting, etc, all in the theme of Kalshebba, the goddess of food and drink.
Spell List: See character sheet.
Potential tactics: Create Animal to make Bloodvines and/or Puffweed, likely both. Simple Illusion to make an illusion of a pit (usually to slow pursuit), or a combination of an illusion of a pit, with an illusion of an empty tunnel, when in reality the Goblins have moved a mobile rack of spikes to where someone jumping over the “pit” will land on them (Damage = (2xHPx10)/100 imp; usually around 2d imp). Simple Illusion (and occasionally Perfect Illusion+touch) to Wile E Coyote them (make the side of the tunnel look like the tunnel, making them bump into the wall). Create Animal to make wolves, bears, flicker bugs, hydrae (common jungle hydra), stun lizards, terror birds, giant scorpions, giant spiders. Also, he can make the images of Kalshebba on the walls move the eyes, or say things, or point, or whatever he wants the image of Kalshebba to do. Simple Illusion to put a fake floor one inch above the actual floor…except that the illusory floor looks smooth, without the trip hazards that are in the actual floor, but now are hidden. And he might also toss some marbles down as well to trip up enemies. Throwing a flask down and making flames shoot up (illusory, of course).
: ST 9, DX 12, IQ 10, HT 10, knife 13, spear 14, shortsword 12, shield 14. Wear light Gambeson (DR 2), pot helms (DR 4), and are armed with spears and shields, knives, and some have short swords. There are 16 mooks. (8 are dead)
Goblin warriors: ST 11, DX 12, IQ 10, HT 11, knife 14, spear 15, shortsword 13, shield 15. Wear hvy gambeson (DR 3), chain shirts, chain coifs, and pot helms. (DR 7 torso/groin, neck, face; DR 10 head/skull) There are 8 warriors. They are usually leading groups of mooks. 1 is dead
When fighting in groups, they will have 2-3 Mooks in the front rank, using spear and shield, and 2-3 Mooks in the rear rank, shields on their backs, using spears 2 handed.
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Introduction
Bokirr Zaagi
How to get the party involved? A disenchanted Goblin (Bokirr Zaagi) who had been approached to join the cannibals but backed out after he discovered what they were actually doing, and is afraid for his life. He is a cousin of Rabid Dabid, an enforcer for the New Town Skulls, and went to them for protection, seeking out a Goblin to talk to specifically. He goes to a his cousin, because as a Goblin, he would understand the implications of cannibalism, and what it can do to someone’s reputation. Especially this kind of cannibalism; it’s not ritualized, it’s not family members “keeping their dead’s memories/souls.” When Jakkit is told (as he will be), he will foist the problem off on Eykit with the words “You seem to be getting good at this kind of thing. You take care of it, before it gets out of hand, and makes us all look bad.”
Location of their caves: South of Rhades, in the jungle. The rumor about there being a town of Ogres in the forest is likely due to someone either spotting Kalshebba or loose lips from the goblin cannibals in town. They are living in a large, cavern complex, accessed through a rift nearly completely obscured by vegetation. There is also a hidden bolt hole (the Ogress can use it, but she has to crawl).
The cavern complex is under a rocky hill, which is covered by the jungle. The rift opening is hard to spot (-3 to Perception rolls). The tunnel slopes sharply downward, leveling out just before it widens into Room 1. The Rift opening is defined as 0’ high.
Missile fire inside the caves will be at very short range, for the most part. Lines of sight are pretty short, and the ceilings and stalactites act to make arrows and bolts less effective. Crossbows would likely be only usable once, as melee will soon follow the first shot.
The rooms and corridors are lit by the glowing tips of stalactites, using Continual Light. Since Goblins have great night vision, they are set a Moonlight level, which gives a -5 to Vision. Goblins have Night Vision 5, so they can see “normally”. Elitheris has Night Vison 5, Eykit has Night Vision 5, and Taid has Night Vision 9. So no one will be blind or at any penalties for vision. Well, except for Mr. Wiggles. But he works by scent more than vision anyway.
Also, sound doesn’t travel too far in twisty caverns like this one, since the sound waves get attenuated from being bounced around so much. It also causes reverb, instead of echoes in many cases, muddling what sounds are made, so even if a sound can be heard, it may not be intelligible enough to parse any meaning.
As a result of this, the Goblins living here have developed a whistle code, made up of simple patterns of long and short whistles. This mitigates the muddling to a certain extent. If a code is heard, it is quickly repeated, carrying the message farther, like a relay system.
Codes:
“Enemy intruders”
the numbers 0-9
“Intruding animal”
“Hunters returning”
“Hunters leaving” (note that “hunter” in this case could mean someone actually hunting, or someone going out to collect a more sentient meal)
“Emergency”
“Fire”
“Flood”
“Dinner time”
“Gather”
“Kalshebba summons”
“Retreat”
“Defend”
“Barracks”
“Training Room”
“Studio”
“Cathedral”
Room 1 (Entry Chamber): Sort of a Foyer. The floor (at -20 feet) of this space is rough and uneven; the ceiling ranges from 8-10 feet high. A Perception roll will allow someone to note that there appeared to be stalactites and stalagmites here, but they have since been broken off and removed. There are three openings (besides the one the party came in on). One slopes up, towards Room 2. One slopes down to Room 6, curling around like a spiral staircase. The third also slopes downward, to Rooms 8 and 9. This room acts as an entryway/guard room. There are a pair of chairs and a low table, situated such that whomever is in the chairs can see the main opening and pretty much the entire room. There is a tapestry hung on the west wall: it shows a figure on a rocky promontory, with a dead tree nearby. There is something odd about the landscape. If someone examines it, they may see things hidden in it. This tapestry was designed to keep the sentries alert by giving them something to do while just waiting around.
Under most circumstances, there is a single guard here. Their job is not to stop intruders, but to alert the rest of the folks in the area that intruders are there. Then they are supposed to run away, deeper into the cavern system, to meet up with others and provide an actual defense. The whistle code sent will most likely be “Enemy Intruders”, followed by the number of intruders. If they have time (and Mr. Wiggles is there) those will be followed by “Intruding Animal” and “One”. Shortly after they whistle, several other whistles, repeating the code, will be heard faintly (PER+1 to hear).
Room 2 (Lounge): After climbing the sloped tunnel (20’ rise over a 30’ run, or about a 40 degree slope, if you don’t count the natural steps), the party reaches Room 2. It has a domelike ceiling some 12 to 15’ high, with a rough and uneven floor, which is at 0’ high. Here, it is obvious that many of the stalactites and stalagmites have been cleared; there are still some remaining at the far end of the room, at the other exit. This room has several mismatched chairs, tables, a sofa, and several end tables and cabinets. The furniture looks scavenged from various places (because it was). They are arranged in groups in the room, to facilitate various recreational activities, including cards, board games, darts, and what seems to be a ring-toss game using some natural stalagmites. Basically, this is where the inhabitants chill. One of the cabinets is a liquor cabinet, and there are a pair of barrels on it (one holding water, one holding a passable golden ale).
It’s possible that if there are defenders here, they will have tipped over a lot of the furniture and moved it to delay anyone trying to get into the room, and to provide cover from missiles. Navigating past/over the pile of furniture will require some DX checks and time.
Room 3 (Access Shaft to Cathedral): Due to the angle of the opening, and the stalactites/mites that arc past the opening, this is hard to spot (-4 to Perception, unless coming from the other direction). This is less a room, and more of an upward sloping tunnel leading to a shaft that drops down 50 feet into a tunnel that leads to the Cathedral of Kalshebba (Room 12). There is a wooden beam above the hole that has a rope looped over it. This rope is used to go up or down the shaft, when that is required. Usually, the shaft is used to toss meat (that is, dead people) down to the feasting area in the Cathedral. It’s easier than going around the long way. If any Goblins are being chased through here, the last one will pull one side of the rope so that it pulls off of the beam. The Goblins know how to climb the shaft without the rope, and they will deny the party the use of it if at all possible.
Room 4 (Drafting Studio): The floor of this room is at -20 feet, is rough and uneven, and there are stalactites/mites all around the periphery. The center space has been cleared. The ceiling is about 12 feet high, sloping down to 6’ high to the north. There are tables and chairs in here, and looks to be a study/den/office. In the center of the room is a large round table, with three chairs and an oversized, solidly built stool. There is a drafting table off to one side, a drawing of a griffon halfway done, with several body part detailed out in smaller drawings around the page. Looks like an anatomical study. There are notes in Mekiitagi about feather colors, beak coloration, eye pupil details, etc; all of the things a charcoal drawing can’t show. The papers on the desks are also mostly drawings, about various things: people (of all races), animals (mostly domesticated), a couple of different wagons/coaches, buildings, trees (various species). Many are done in earth tone conte crayons (only an Artist roll will determine this, however; otherwise the drawings will just be done in earth toned “pencil”). This is Jakkora’s work space, where he doodles and preps his illusions. There is a cabinet with a small bookcase on it off to the side; in it are several books on illustration, a couple about painting (oils), and one about light and shadow (basically essays about how light, shadow, and tone are used in illustration). There are also several sketchbooks, all but one completely filled with drawings (city scenes, buildings, the wharfs of Port Karn, Featherstone Manor, several recognizable buildings (courthouse, hall of records, several shrines, etc; pastoral scenes of workers in the fields, herds of sheep, cows, antelope; a whole bunch of nature studies of plants and animals, several portraits of various people. There are several sections in the sketchbooks that are pages upon pages of words in Mekiitagi. These are scripting codes for use with the Independence spell; mostly of the “if/then” sort).
Room 5 (Jakkora’s Bedroom): The rough, uneven floor is at -30’. The ceiling ranges from 7’ to 13’ high. There is a dresser, and a bed, and a chest at the foot of the bed (filled with his gear). There is a round table, with eight chairs around it. There are cards and poker chips on the table. Hidden behind a cleverly-painted screen (which looks like the wall behind it, PER-2 to detect it), is a tunnel that runs some fifty yards to a hidden opening. It’s Jakkora’s bolt hole. It actually meets up with the bolt hole leading out of Kalshebba’s room before leading out of the hillside.
Room 6 (Training Room): Reaching this room requires climbing down a steep, twisting corridor. There are small footholds carved into the sloping, uneven floor to make it a bit easier going up and down. Anyone unfamiliar with the tunnel (which is everyone except the Goblins that use it) needs to make a DX-1 check or slip and tumble down, potentially hurting themselves. The room itself has a sloping, uneven floor that rises slightly to the NW, where a tunnel leads to Room 7. Stalactites/mites have been cleared from this room. There are practice weapons in here; it would appear that this is some kind of training room. The floor is at an altitude of -30 feet, and the ceiling is 9’ high in the SE, and 7’ in the NW, at the tunnel mouth. The room’s low ceiling makes the whole area feel very claustrophobic.
Room 7 (Training Room): A series of 2-3’ steps (shelves, or terraces, really) lead up a height increase of 20’ to Room 7. This room has a floor at the -10’ level, and a ceiling of 12’ at the periphery, and 20’ in the center. It’s fairly large, and the floor, while uneven like all of the other chambers, is at least relatively flat. There are racks along the walls, with blunt spears in them. Hanging on the wall are quivers full of target blunts. Apparently, this is a room used as a weapon training room. There are also archery targets in the NW part of the room.
Room 8 (Stores): More of an alcove, than a room, the ceiling is only 7’ tall. It’s a storage area that doubles as a guard post. There is a chair, but little else besides a pile of crates with weapons, armor, and household goods in them. It’s at the -25’ level.
Room 9 (Small Barracks): A slightly larger room than Room 8, but not by much. It has a ceiling height of 9’, and is at the -30’ level. It too might be a guard room. There are 3 sets of bunk beds in here, sleeping 6.
Room 10 (Main Barracks): There are two parts to this room, one at the -40’ level, and an upper section at the -30’ level. A sloped section of the floor connects the two. There are several sets of bunk beds in here. There are 6 sets of bunk beds in the upper section, sleeping 12. There are eight sets in the lower section, sleeping 16.
Room 11 (Privy): A small, claustrophobic room, with a ceiling 7’ high; the slightly concave floor is at the -20’ level. There are several chamber pots in here, in various stages of use. (They get dumped into the outflow section of the river that flows through the cathedral, via a small tunnel.) There is a tattered drapery (mostly blue in color, but it’s so stained and worn that it’s hard to figure out what the pattern is) that separates it from the rest of the caverns. It’s not really there for privacy; it’s there to reduce air flow from this stinky room.
Room 12 (The Cathedral of Kalshebba): The floor slopes towards the subterranean river that flows through it. The water collects into a pool before flowing out. There is a twisting corridor with elevation changes that leads from the Main Barracks. There is a carved tunnel that goes about thirty feet, with a hole in the floor at the end. Water can be heard flowing about 10’ down. This is where the chamber pots get emptied, down stream of the pool and the cathedral. The hole is maybe eight inches across. The walls of the cathedral are covered in painted murals, looking something like prehistoric caves but with a slightly more sophisticated look. There are backgrounds as well of stylized animals and Goblins. The largest figure, repeated around various areas in the room, is Kalshebba herself, always with a yellow/golden halo about her.
The Cathedral’s ceiling arcs high above in a great dome, rising to 40’ at the apex. As the room is only about 30’ by 40’ or so, the tall ceiling makes the room feel a lot larger than it really is. There are still some stalactites/mites/columns around the periphery of the room, but the center is clear of them. This is where Kalshebba spends most of her time. It is also where everyone feasts, and where food is cooked. There are some tables and benches in the SW section of the room, and a great big throne chair with wide, flat arms at the NE section, overlooking the pool. The Throne of the Goddess is made of wood and bones, lashed together with rawhide. The bones are human sized, for the most part. A Naturalist roll will allow someone to determine that there are bones of Orcs, Humans, Hobbits, and even Goblins. A careful Search will also find the skull of an Elf (Elf skulls have ear holes in a slightly different place than humans, and the eye sockets are slightly different, but otherwise they look very similar to Humans. It will take a Naturalist roll to determine that it’s an Elf skull, rather than a Human one). There are also three steel cages, each about 4’ on a side and 5’ high. These are the “larders”. They have sturdy locks on them (-4 to pick). In one cage is the form of a young man, stripped naked, and bruised quite badly. Perhaps he was being tenderized? If the characters get captured, they will be placed in here. Anyone suspected of being a mage will be gagged, and their hands bound in such a way as to not let them make finger gestures (basically, their fingers will be bound together).
Room 13 (Kalshebba’s Anteroom): Small, circular room, about 15’ in diameter, with a 12’ ceiling. There is a lever on the far wall, which, when pulled (takes ST 18 to pull, so unless a couple of people combine their ST, only Kalshebba can pull it) will cause the ceiling to fall in, burying whomever may be in the room and blocking the tunnel. This is Kalshebba’s getaway strategy. If things go pear shaped, she bolts through Room 13, pulling the lever on her way out, cutting off any pursuit.
Room 14 (Kalshebba’s Bedroom): Coming up the sloping, curving corridor from Room 13, Room 14 is Kalshebba’s personal space…her bedroom. The floor, at the -50’ level, is rough and uneven, but fairly flat. The ceiling is 16’ tall. She sleeps on a mat of straw, with some furs for comfort (as befits a goddess). Decorating the room are a lot of bone sculptures and hanging skins (from various animals, including what would seem to be a stun lizard). Painted on the walls are murals, done with crude but skilled hands (hers, actually). They depict nature scenes with animals (deer, antelope, predators), pastoral scenes (pastures filled with cows, goats, sheep) and what must be self portraits of an immense, strong ogre female lording over all of it. There is an ogre sized table against one wall, it holds painting supplies. There is a large barrel of water; stirring it will make the settled paint pigments swirl up, clouding the water. That’s her wash basin. In the SE section of the room is a wooden bench, built into the wall. It has a seat cover that lifts and acts as her privy. Below it is the outflow section of the river. Water can be heard flowing, even with the lid closed. Hidden behind a hanging fur is her bolt hole, which is a twisting tunnel 4’ in diameter (she has to crawl through it). It leads to a hidden opening on the other side of the rocky hill. Before it reaches the opening, however, it connects to the other bolt hole, from Jakkora’s room.
A note about the stream: most of the stream flows through cracks and spaces measured in inches, rather than feet. It is not really possible to go up or down stream from the Cathedral very far. Upstream, a Human could go about ten feet before getting stuck and drowning. Downstream, a Human might get 20 feet (almost up to the falls) before finding the way blocked by rocks. These rocks, by the way, are likely to have trapped some Ogre or Goblin waste as well….
Tactics and What Ifs
So what happens if the party gets captured? Anyone who looks like a mage will get their own cage, to prevent friends from being able to remove their gags. Getting out of the bonds requires the Escape skill. It will take several successful rolls to do so. Add up the MoS. Once the MoS reaches 12, one hand is free. Even Escape at default will work, eventually. Once one hand is free, it’s only a matter of 2d seconds to free the other hand, and 1d seconds to pull the gag out.
If only a few people get captured, the others might be able to free them. Or, it’s possible to pick the locks, or wait until dinner time when the Goblins get their meat. The Goblins will drag the victim to the roasting spit, cut off their clothing, tie them to it, and begin the roasting process (ouch). They will only cook one at a time.
If everyone gets captured (all 4…bad news!) then it comes down to getting out of bondage, picking the lock, and fighting back when the Goblins come to cook their victims.
If they decide to find out some of the myths about Kalshebba:
The Shrine of Seshat will have tomes of Goblin myths. While the other races have gods of feasting and food and such, it’s the Goblin aspect that is important here, and is the only one at routinely features cannibalism.
Myth 1: In the deep past, before there were people, Kalshebba plucked a branch off of the Primordial Tree. She tasted it, and found it good. She crushed it, and ground it beneath her heel, pulverizing it. Then she took the pulp, and, mixing it with water, and gave it to Gabrook, and he took it up into the sky and spread it over the world as rain, which in turn caused all of the other plants to spring up, giving animals food to eat.
Myth 2: Once there was an abandoned baby. Kalshebba found him while walking through the forest on a beautiful spring morning. The baby, whom she named “Jessek”, meaning “foundling” in Mekiitagi, began crying in hunger. Kalshebba suckled him, and he grew strong. She fed him meat, and he grew powerful. Even as he grew older, she continued to suckle him, for one breast held milk, and the other beer, and her milk and beer stirred a Power in Jessek. When he reached manhood, he strode out into the world, led armies, and conquered the tribes in the land, and made a mighty nation that stretched from sea to sea.
Myth 3: Kalshebba possesses a great pot or cauldron, which never runs dry, and from which no one leaves unsatisfied. It always has a meaty stew bubbling, and no matter how many servings are ladled out, the level of stew never drops.
Myth 4: One day, long ago, Kalshebba desired Jeli’noor, the god of Light. She made him a great feast, cooking all manner of meats, including the dead soldiers of her enemies. Jeli’noor was so smitten by Kalshebba’s delicious food that Kalshebba had no trouble at all getting him into her bed, where they spent two full cycles of Jypra, the faster moon. (Editor’s note: in most pantheons, Jypra is often referred to as “the lesser moon”. It is interesting to note that in Goblish texts and stories, this term is never used, instead using variations of “the faster moon”.) They left the lovemaking bed only to eat more of Kalshebba’s food and drink of her wines, only to immediately go back to it. From this union, Kalshebba had a daughter, named Ley’marel Sidabi, who is later called the Supreme Mother, and is regarded as an ever resourceful lady whose place is at the hearth, and is a regulator of good conduct.
Myth 5: One of the earliest myths regarding Kalshebba described her as wearing the flayed skins of those she ate. This myth is also the one that describes Kalshebba as being “The Unrelenting Hunger” and “The Thirst of the Parched”, alternating between the two names in the story. This seems to symbolize Kalshebba’s sphere of influence, that is, food and drink, and the desire and need for both. Even if you eat to bursting, you will later become hungry again. Kalshebba understands this, and embodies it.
Myth 6: The tales tell of a great battle between tribes. One tribe had a powerful shaman, who was able to ask Kalshebba for a favor. The implication is that he gave her a series of extravagant sacrifices, and thus she came to him to grant her favor. He told her of the other tribe, and how it was ravaging their lands, and without her help, that other tribe would destroy his tribe. She smiled, her teeth pointed, her lips red as blood. “I will grant you this favor, mortal,” she intoned, “for a price.” “Name it,” the shaman said, bowing low to Her Magnificence. “All of your enemy dead are mine. That is not up for debate. But I also want your blood.” The shaman hesitated, fear filling his belly with acid snakes. “Yes, my Lady,” he replied, with a shaking voice that was an octave higher than he intended. Kalshebba then disappeared, the shaman unsure of exactly when she would drink his blood. Across the land, where the enemy tribe was encamped, hunger struck the camp. They had food stores, but no matter how much they ate, the hunger never went away. They could see themselves getting thinner, their ribs showing, although they stuffed themselves with anything they could eat, including many of the plants growing about the camps. It didn’t help, and within two days had run out of food. Yet still, they hungered. It gnawed at them, burning in their bellies, inflaming their minds with senseless pain that wracked their bodies. Then Kalshebba visited them. She took on a monstrous form, a giant the height of four Goblins, towing above them with a distended belly and massive limbs. And she grabbed the tribes’ thin, bony bodies, and ate them, one by one, chasing them down with inhuman speed, so that none survived. She ate them all, their bones crunching between her teeth. She slurped down their blood, and what she didn’t swallow ran down her chin in a red mockery of a beard. When they were all dead, she went back to the shaman. She was still in her monstrously huge form, now even larger, as the bodies of the dead filled her stomach. The shaman thought he could see the outlines of them through her flesh, as if they were still whole in there. He shuddered, knowing that he was going to join them. But he was resolved, and would pay her price. She had saved his tribe. In a way, she was gentle. She only drank his blood, her sharp teeth piercing his skin, her tongue lapping up the flowing blood until, exsanguinated, he expired. She laid his body gently upon the ground, and left.
Common Ritual practices:
On feast days, it is common to set a place at the table for Kalshebba. Small amounts of food are placed on the plate, but are never eaten by mortals (although if the family has pets, it is often given to them after the meal is over).
Before any meal, it is right and proper to give thanks to the blessings of Kalshebba.
Her name is often associated with food, flavors, scents, or drinks, often as epithets or swears. “Blessed by Kalshebba’s lips”, “Kalshebba’s leaking tits”, “By the belly of Kalshebba”, and “Not even Kalshebba would eat this!” are all common swears. “Kalshebba’s Milk” is a local ale brewed in Port Karn, at the Rakiig Alehouse, on Fishwife Street in the Merchant’s Heath district.
In the past, sacrifices to Kalshebba would often be animals, killed on altars, although not always. Sometimes, the sacrifices would be prisoners of war, or criminals, or “emissaries” (volunteers willing to die to be with their goddess). Modern Goblins no longer sacrifice people or animals to Kalshebba (at least in the Tondene Empire). Nowadays, all that is required is a bit of blood.
After the results of the first few encounters:
The Goblins have realized that if they are going to beat the invaders, they will need to work together better as a team. Their groups of four didn’t function very well. Simply attacking isn’t enough; the raiders seem to have really good defenses.
Step 1: trip up or knock down the opponents. Hook their legs, pull them down. Attack their legs, if no hook is available. Gang up on opponents to overwhelm their defenses. Have the priest do some of his magicking. Snipe them with missile weapons. Hide behind a darkness strip at the end of a tunnel, shoot the bastards. Have an illusion of a pit so they won’t cross.
After the second session in the caves….
The cult is scattered, and mostly dead. Jakkora is still alive, along with a warrior. A small group of fifteen civilians being led by a warrior is escaping into the jungle; since the crew is going back after Jakkora, they are likely to get away. They are minor players, however, and likely won’t start any more trouble.
Jakkora and friend have doubled back to the caves, so Jakkora can retrieve his sketchbooks and other reference materials. The warrior is standing guard, and will alert Jakkora that enemies are coming before falling back to where Jakkora is. Then they will grab what they can and try to escape.
Jakkora will use every mana point he has to ensure his escape. He has 35 pts of mana over 3 stones (15, 10, 10). He has no problem using them to save his life.
On upslopes, he will lay a Simple Illusion over the floor, about 1/2” (13 mm) above it, hiding the marbles he placed there. When someone steps in that area, they will have the effect of an Ice Slick spell, falling down. Cost: 1 for an area 3m wide. Free for an area only 1m wide.
He will also use Shape Earth to make the 4’ diameter escape tunnel only 2’ diameter. Goblins can get through pretty easily; others cannot. Or he can plug it with Create Earth (cost: 2 per cubic meter; it would take 2-4 cubic meters to plug the average tunnel, or 1 cubic meter for the escape tunnel). This would force the crew to dig through it before following.
He could also use Perfect Illusion + Illusion Shell (or Illusion Disguise?) to make him and his warrior look like stalagmites (cost: 4 each). Crew walks past, and the two of them sneak out the other way. Or just Simple Illusion again, while hiding behind the stalagmites (cost: 1).
He could also cast Complex Illusion of the two of them running away up the tunnel. Crew gives chase, and he and warrior sneak out the other way. Cost: 1.
He could also use Create Animal again, and make a Cave Hydra (cost: 2). Lives in caves. Its flesh is considered a delicacy by the Dwarves, but no one else shares their views. Follow-up poison with a 1 minute delay and a HT roll to resist. Inflicts 1d+2 toxic damage, repeating at one hour intervals for 6 cycles. A victim who loses 1/3, 1/2, or 2/3 HP has -1, -2, or -3 DX, respectively. ST 14, DX 13, IQ 6, HT 15/20, MV/Dodge 7/6, DR 2, Damage: 1d per bite (x4-6), plus poison, Reach C, Size: 8 feet long (considered 1 hex), weight 40 lbs. Albino, and visually blind to boot, but they have IR vision. He might cast the spell multiple times, so everyone gets a hydra! As a bonus for this one, he could use Darkness giving everyone a penalty of 10-Night Vision level. The hydra can see just fine using its IR) Cost: 9 for an area 11m across. Darkness works by hex; in order to see out you have to be on an edge hex. Otherwise, a dark hex blocks your vision. (Otherwise, Darkness strips wouldn’t work).
Sneaky mean GM time: Around a corner in the escape tunnel, he creates a plug of earth, blocking the exit (cost 2). It would take several minutes to dig through it. He lures the crew into the escape tunnel using an illusionary sound of him and the warrior running away down it (cost 1). Meanwhile, he is waiting elsewhere for the crew to go down the tunnel (cost 0 if hiding behind a Simple Illusion). When they do, he follows, and when they get to the end, he makes another plug of earth, sealing them in the tunnel (cost 2). Not wanting to wait for them to suffocate, he uses Create Fire just beyond the plug, to use up the oxygen and maybe burn them (cost 6 for an area 5m long. Almë has Shape Earth, so he will be able to get the plug out of the way fairly quickly, but if he tries to cast it on the one past the fire, he’s at -5 to cast due to range. The flames will last for a minute, but the O2 will be gone by then. They have maybe 30 seconds of air (plus however long they can hold their breath). There isn’t anything for the fire to burn, so when he stops maintaining it, it goes out. This would force the crew out the bolt hole, meaning that it would take them a while to get back to the main entrance (10 min or so, now that they know the relationship between the two entrances). Total cost for Jakkora: 11 mana.
Sneaky mean GM Time 2: Jakkora casts Create Fire between himself and the crew. Large size, say 9m across (cost: 9). Being in the flames less than a second does 1d-3 burning damage; DR is averaged: Torso and lowest DR area (likely 0 for the face). Being in the flames for longer does 1d-1 burning each second. See Flame Effects doc for more details. So he casts the spell to create the fire. Then he casts an illusion spell, that makes the flames appear to go out, leaving a “safe” pathway to him (Cost 4 for Simple Illusion). He looks shocked, followed by panic as he yells “What the…oh Shit!” and starts backing up, as if afraid that his protection has just been nerfed. Maybe someone will fall for it, run through the “safe zone” and get flamed up a bit. If they don’t, he still has the fire for protection. He will pop smoke to prevent Elitheris from shooting him easily.
He has a composite bow, and a bunch of arrows. And poison (Cantharides, HT roll to resist, 2d toxic damage and irritates the skin, causing blistering and moderate pain. Convulsions at 0 HP), applied to the arrowheads. All he needs to do is get through DR. His skill is Bow-15. He’ll go for limbs. Damage is 1d+1 imp (broadhead 1d+1 imp (2) (bodkin, 4 for rigid armors, 8 for flexible). Pain: You have a penalty to all DX, IQ, skill, and self-control rolls. This is -2 for Moderate Pain, -4 for Severe Pain, and -6 for Terrible Pain. Those hit by his arrows are at -2 to DX, IQ, skills, and CR. He’ll likely pop smoke, using it to hide, going back and forth randomly shooting around the cloud.
The warrior, meanwhile, will be sticking close to Jakkora, doing his best to defend him. He has a shield, spear, short sword, and knife. He has also picked up two crossbows (ST 13, 6 rounds to reload and fire), although his skill is only 13. Damage 2d+1 imp, using needle bodkin points for AP(2). He will go for Taid’s legs in an attempt to slow that Dwarf down. His bolts do NOT have poison on them; Jakkora doesn’t share.
During the fight, Jakkora will complain at the crew about how they “ruined everything!”, “screwed up my plans”, “you killed off my believers!”, “now, I’m going to kill you all!” And such like.
Note that the 15pt powerstone can make an area of Create Fire that is 7m radius, or about 15m across (Cost: 14). That should be enough to discourage people coming through it. Even for the faster movers, that’s at least 3 turns at 1d-1 each turn, with a DR avg of around 3 or less. And a good chance of catching on fire.
Catching Fire
A single hit that inflicts at least 3 points of basic burning damage ignites part of the victim’s clothing. (The Ignite Fire spell does this at its third level of effect; see p. 246). This does 1d-4 burning damage per second and is distracting (-2 to DX, unless the damage simply cannot harm the target). To put out the fire, the victim must beat it with his hands. This requires a DX roll, and each attempt takes a Ready maneuver.
A single hit that inflicts 10 or more points of basic burning damage ignites all of the victim’s clothes. This does 1d-1 burning damage per second and is very distracting (-3 to DX, except when rolling to put out the fire). To put out the fire, the victim must roll on the ground. This requires a DX roll, and each attempt takes three Ready maneuvers. Jumping into water takes only one second, and automatically extinguishes the fire.
If a wooden shield takes 10 or more points of burning damage in one second, the bearer is at -2 to DX, and takes 1d-5 burning damage per second until he gets rid of it.
Intense Pain
Burns are painful. Make a HT roll at -1 for every point of flame damage or be effectively stunned as per p. B127. High Pain Threshold gives +5 to this roll; Low Pain Threshold doubles the penalties. In addition to the normal Shock (p. B126) burns are so painful that they reduce your IQ and DX by -1 for every 4 points of flame damage. This can only be canceled by pain killing drugs (fast) or recovery (slow). Anyone stunned by pain will also involuntarily try to retreat from the flames as the perceived source of the pain. If this will bring him into danger, e.g. of falling from something or loosing control of a vehicle, then roll against his (reduced) IQ to see if he can avoid that reaction.
Blow Through
There is no "blow through" with flame damage. All damage is applied to the body and reduces hit points. If hit locations (p. B203, p. B248, p. COII52) are used a location that takes HT damage from burns can be considered not only to be crippled (if possible by the standard rules) but also having received 3rd-degree burns. Toughness helps.
Eye Damage
The eyes may take damage from flame hits even if not the main target of the attack. You may use the following table to determine if the eyes are collaterally damaged or not.
| Flame weapon hit at |
Probability of collateral eye damage |
| head, brain, nose, neck or jaw (areas 3-5) |
5 or less on a roll of 1d |
| arm, middle and upper torso, vitals (areas 6, 8-10, 17-18) |
4 or less on a roll of 1d |
| hand, lower torso (areas 7, 11) |
3 or less on a roll of 1d |
| body (center of mass; not using hit locations) |
4 or less on a roll of 1d |
If one eye is affected by flame damage, it is very likely that both are. Roll 1d. On a 5 or less both eyes are damaged. More than 2 hits of damage blinds the eye. Closing the eye does not help. Any blinded eye counts as crippled for purposes of recovery. Having your eyes burned is extremely painful. You are at -4 to IQ to think clearly for 1d minutes, in addition to all other IQ modifiers. In some cases the pain never stops.
Notes on the Trip Back To Town:
Almë was bitten by the Dwarf Hydra twice, once in each leg. For the next 5 hours, those two envenomed bites will do 1d+2 each, each hour. It will manifest as burning, stinging pain moving up his legs, into his hips, up his abdomen, into his chest, shoulders, down his arms/into his face and head.
The action picks up about an hour after the fight and the poisoning. This is due to the looting of Jakkora, and swapping armor and such.
Hour 1: The pain has travelled up to Almë’s hips. 6 HP damage. He is still able to walk, although his legs give out at random times and he falls.
Hour 2: Pain has expanded up to his abdomen, and intestinal cramping has begun, along with a bit of nausea. Both of the latter effects aren’t really bad enough to be a problem (except for roleplaying purposes). 7 HP damage. If he hasn’t been put on Wilbur or a litter yet, he’ll need to be. Walking for short distances in flat unobstructed terrain is fine for short distances, but they are in a jungle, and Almë just keeps tripping on stuff because he’s having trouble with controlling/feeling where his legs are.
Hour 3: The pain has crept up to his chest. The nausea is worse, the intestinal cramping is about the same. He is starting to have shortness of breath as the venom starts working on his diaphragm. 5 HP damage.
Hour 4: The pain has gotten up to the shoulders, so only his arms and head don’t bother him. Breathing is increasingly difficult as the lungs and heart are now involved. The feeling of pain could be described as someone shoving a cactus through his entire body. 4 HP damage.
Hour 5: Pain is creeping down his arms, and he can also feel it in his face and scalp. He’s not sure if his ears itch, or are in pain. Any movement hurts, and staying still hurts almost as bad. Breathing is difficult, labored, and painful with each inhale. 8 HP damage.
He’ll lose the ability to walk after the first hour. They will probably have him ride Wilbur, assuming they get some of the gear off first and redistribute it to give him some space to ride. Things go downhill from there. The damage can be healed, but not the effects, until antivenin is used (if it’s used). If he can survive past the next 6 or so hours, he’ll likely survive it. Healing spells or potions will allow this, although it’s not going to be pleasant for him. At the least, it will cause the group to use their FT to keep healing him (also remember that each extra time they cast a healing spell on him they are at -3 per extra attempt, per healer). So they may be limited in this.
Getting out of the jungle will take 6 hours (if Elitheris makes a Navigation-Land roll, it only takes 3 hours to reach the edge of the jungle/farmland interface, rolling a 6- on her Nav roll will make it only take 2 hours).
Along the way, they come across a skeleton, nestled in some tree roots, wearing tattered but originally fine-quality clothing. Searching the skeleton (Search roll) will discover a fine quality eating dagger set (small dagger with a pricker in a paired scabbard) hidden in the folds of his clothing at his back, apparently missed by whoever killed and robbed him. (The eating dagger is about the same size as a steak knife, and the set is worth about $50 due to the quality and embellishments).
They will emerge from the jungle almost due south of Meke Larnis, about a half hour’s travel away (2-3 miles). There is a small Alchemist’s shop in Meke Larnis, if they would like to take advantage of it. It is run by a sole proprietor, Bokrug the Wizened, an old Orc. He imports a lot of his stock from Port Karn; he doesn’t know all of those recipes, and can’t make most of the stuff in his shop. Due to his location and clientele, however, he stocks a full range of poison antidotes for those times when the Rural Watch isn’t fast enough to prevent a venomous attack from hitting the local population.
If Almë gets an antidote (2 doses, actually) before all 5 cycles are done, he can ignore the cycles following the doses. Otherwise, the antidotes will at least get rid of the symptoms within about 15 minutes. Otherwise, the physical symptoms will continue for another 3 hours after the 5th (technically, the 6th) cycle, even if no more damage is called for.
Meke Larnis is about 5 miles away from Port Karn (well, the New Square area, anyway). Due to the decent roads, it will take only about an hour to get back to the city.
Stuff that can happen in the city
They will get word that some guy was inquiring about them at the hotel they have made their “residence”. Goatee, nicely dressed, seemed of the wealthy class. No, he didn’t leave a name.
The Head of the Servitor has been analyzed. When they go to the mage guild, they will be shown to a room with a table and several chairs, much like a small conference room.
Two mages, one an old man (clean shaven, looks like he could be played by Peter Cushing) hobbles in using his staff for support, then sits a chair. The other is a severe looking woman in her thirties who looks like she just lost her favorite grandmother. The man is Master Jorick Fields, one of the high mucky mucks of the guild. The woman is Lyta Brenner, the current head of Esoteric Studies.
“We have analyzed the head you submitted to us,” Lyta said. “Where, again, did you find it?”
The group (hopefully) will tell the two wizards about the old Orc temple in the jungle, and maybe where it is.
“Are there any more of these things? Any eggs? Anything that might indicate that there was more than one of these things?”
The party should answer in the negative. If there is any indication that they don’t know, or indicate that there might be more the two wizards will glance at each other with worried looks.
The two wizards will then interrogate the party, asking about what exactly happened, what did the ritual used consist of, what was the chant used, how long did it take, how many sacrifices did it consume and how? How long had it been going on?
The information that the party has is pretty minimal. A pattern of disappearances had been noticed, so at least a week or two before they got involved. Likely longer. Much longer. The pile of wet bones in the pit seems to indicate hundreds of sacrifices, relatively recently.
They can relate (either by actually telling the mages in dialogue, or just saying “we tell the mages what happened when we were there”) what happened during that incident and how they dealt with it. The ritual consisted of a lot of people, several priests, chanting, drums, and melting the sacrifices to melt away the crystal the critter was imbedded in. And six other sacrifices tied to pillars, used for some sort of blood ritual.
The cultists had an old Orcish book that they thought had a summoning spell in it. They weren’t totally wrong, although it’s in an older dialect so they didn’t translate the meaning of the words quite right. No, it won’t summon something, but it will free something. It will free something called a Servitor.
The “summoning” ceremony: takes , requires six sacrifices (one each symbolizing body, mind, spirit, will, senses, and mana). The summoning room is dominated by a large reddish crystal altar. Inside the crystal is a dark shape, indistinct due to the cloudiness of the crystal, but fairly large in size. The top of the crystal looks pitted, worn, and almost melted. Around the crystal in the center are six columns of basalt, hexagonal in cross section, and about 7-10 feet in height. They are about 12” to 18” in diameter. Manacles are attached at the top and bottom, for wrists and ankles. The six sacrifices listed above are chained to these pillars. At the time the PCs see the main chamber and the altar, parts of the trapped thing are visible, as dark, ropy loops, bathed in pinkish liquid (the remains of the acidified sacrifices). Other sacrifices will be brought out, one by one, to the central altar, chained to it, and sacrificed. This is done by a spell known only to the High Priest; it might as well be called “Transmute Blood to Acid”. Which is what it does. The victim starts screaming and writhing as their bloods turns to acid, starts to flow out of their mucus membranes, then the rest of their body as it gets eaten away. It then flows over the crystal, eating away a small portion of it. Considering the proportions of the crystal, it seems as if this has been going on for a while. Prior to each sacrifice, a priest will make a cut on the 6 manacled victims. It’s part of the necromantic ritual that feeds power to the High Priest, allowing him to make more sacrifices, because the Blood to Acid spell isn’t cheap, and it needs to be done a lot to wear the crystal down far enough to allow the Servitor to escape.
Elitheris had spent some time in the temple looking at the bas reliefs on the main sacrifice chamber wall.
“There were three parts to the bas reliefs. The outside parts seemed to be much older than the center section, which was inset about six inches and carved in a different style, as if by a different artist. Those outer parts showed scenes of everyday life in Gijak Balorat, people working, farming, smithing, dancing, going to war, and sacrificing war prisoners. There were several scenes of blood sacrifice, all appeasing Kruge, the Earth Warden. There seemed to be a very good reason that Gijak Balorat translated to “Blood Green”. According to the carvings, Kruge appreciated the sacrifices, and favored the inhabitants of Gijak Balorat.
The center section described what could only be the Thing in the Crystal. The Servitor, as the cult called it.
The carvings described how the Entity attacked neighboring Orc nations, slaughtering hundreds. Refugees flooded into neighboring towns and nations, including Gijak Balorat, fleeing the creature. The Entity was systematically destroying Orc town after Orc town. The citizens of Gijak Balorat prayed to Kruge, their patron deity, to protect them. He did, by giving the priests a method to trap the creature. However, the only way to do that was to use the blood of sacrifices to form a lattice that would entice and trap the marauding creature.
The creature soon got to Gijak Balorat, and started killing the townsfolk. The streets ran with blood, like a tide or flood. The entrapment ceremony began, as did the bloodletting of the sacrifices. This also attracted the creature, and it made its way to the temple, killing anyone within reach on the way. It came to the lower chamber, where the ceremony encased it in the blood lattice crystal. What is apparently the last scene was either a large feast, or a mass funeral. It was hard to tell.”
When asked what the head is, they will be told the following story:
“We think it may be a Younger Thing. Or maybe it’s an extension or appendage of a Child of Chaos. Let me explain….”
“First there was nothing. Then something happened, and there was chaos. The chaos had always been there. Out of the chaos Things formed, formless, ever changing, and mindless, the Children of Chaos, also called the Progenitors. They needed no food or drink or air, for they lived on the chaos that surrounded them and that was ever present like a mist of morning fog. Sometimes two or more beings of chaos met in the infinite mist and intermingled, and the Younger Things were born.
These Children of the Children were greater than their parents, and although they were less formless, they had more order, focus and drive. They had the beginnings of Mind. Not all Younger Things developed Mind; there were countless creatures that were beget by both the Younger Things and the Formless Ones, mindless and ravening, that existed in the spaces between the Children of the Children and the Children of Chaos. These creatures are analogous to the wild animals that live in the forests, mountains, and seas of the world.
These Younger Things sought others of their kind, and mingled, and had their own children, who became more and more ordered with each generation, until most of the chaos had been bred out of them, leaving Order and Mind. They were like islands of solidity in a wild Sea of Variance. These were the First Gods, and while they were less powerful than their progenitors in terms of raw strength, they were able to use their powers focused by Will and Volition.
But having Mind and Will also meant that they had Motives and Drive. Thus began the carving of Spheres of Influence, with the gods fighting over areas of control…zones of authority, if you will. Alliances were made, and broken, as the participants of the conflict warred. The War of the Gods went on for untold ages, and wasn’t only limited to the First Gods. The Formless Ones and the Younger Things also felt the effects of the War, and many were killed along with the Fallen Gods, which is what the First Gods that fell in combat are called.
In the end, few of the Gods were left. Most had been killed in the constant fighting, leaving only the relative few that are currently known. These gods each have many names, for they are worshiped by many peoples in different lands, although they themselves seem to not have need of such nomenclature.
In the Aftermath, they formed Lands Like Islands that were expressions of their Minds. These Planes of the Gods are islands of stability surrounded by the Primal Chaos like a sea of mist, organized and made stable by the Wills of their creators. They exist, but not in the sense of being a real place, for no map can be made of them because Space and Time have no meaning in these places. They are expressions of the god’s Will, and thus while stable, also are as changing as the god’s mood. Between and amongst these Lands Like Islands live the Formless Ones, the Children of Chaos, and the Younger Things. The Living Gods prevent them from entering their Lands Like Islands.
Our world is akin to one of these Lands Like Islands.
These Lands Like Islands are both shadows of and shadows projected onto the Universe. In a way, they mirror what mortals call reality, and form it. They are both a part of the Universe, and separate from it, simultaneously. In their orgy of creation, the gods populated the Universe with the rocks, and seas, and land, and Life. In a sense, the Lands Like Islands and the Primal Chaos is coterminous with the Universe, and it is the Gods who uphold the boundaries not only for their Lands, but for the Universe as well. But they are not perfect, and not ever-watchful, and every so often one of the Formless Ones and their ilk manage to sneak past them, invading the Lands Like Islands or the Universe.
Four Younger Things are known to have made it past the Gods: They were given the names Ghebbiloth, Nurghleth, Kharneth, and Nemain.
We think the head you gave us is related to Ghebbiloth. What we don’t know is if it was a separate entity, or part of Ghebbiloth itself. From the description of the Book of Summoning you gave us along with the head, we suspect it must have been one of Ghebbiloth’s ‘fingers’, so to speak. If it had been Ghebbiloth itself, you likely wouldn’t be here right now, and most of use would be dead as well.”
“All we can do is hope that there aren’t more of these things out there. Ghebbiloth isn’t known as the Chaos God of Destruction for no reason. And if it can manifest one of these Servitors, it could likely manifest another.”
Elitheris might want to study the Book of Major Healing. Or perhaps start building arrows or a new, stronger bow. She could always buy a new bow, but she would lose the Weapon Bond, and the +1 skill it gives her.
Taid might want to do some Jewelry or Smithing work.
Eykit might want to do a quick thieving run to get some money for his guild dues.
There might be some buying of gear (possibly some alchemy).
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