Forgotten Knowledge - Plan - Printable Version +- Chronicles of Eternia (https://chronicles-of-eternia.com/forum) +-- Forum: In-Game (https://chronicles-of-eternia.com/forum/forum-9.html) +--- Forum: Dungeon Master (https://chronicles-of-eternia.com/forum/forum-30.html) +---- Forum: Event Plan Archive (https://chronicles-of-eternia.com/forum/forum-52.html) +---- Thread: Forgotten Knowledge - Plan (/thread-16274.html)

Forgotten Knowledge - Plan - CrystikRage - 10-02-2023 (this is my first one and there is literally no format so I'm gonna need you to be patient) Background There probably was some elaborate name attached to what is now simply referred to as 'The Mausoleum', one of the bastions of necromancy built during the so-called Golden Age of Necromancy. Headed by an ambitious noble, Tyyran, the experiments and research that occurred within the Mausoleum held one advantage over that within the cities that was stamped out with the eventual crusade against the lich. The place had been built in an isolated location and, through a mixture of luck and intentionally burned records, managed to survive the purges that stamped out the art within the country proper. Tyyran had but a single objective within his head, though. Always envious of the power of Ozmandius, he had decided to become a lich himself, to overthrow the great being and take over what the Tal had created. A foolish quest, one that would have seen him destroyed, or reduced to an ever-suffering puppet, had the world and Martzel not slain the lich and dashed his creations first. With necromancers the country over reeling, Tyyran pushed for a ritual he was not ready for, attempting to ascend to become a lich himself with a faulty outcome. He'd emerged immortal, though could what remained of his life be called something worth living? His phylactery had not become a sanctum for his soul, but a prison that he was bound to. The being required sacrifices of life to sustain his own unnatural existence, to live in something approximating life. It is this uneven balance that Tyyran has been left in, drifting through periods of listless suffering only to be revived by the lifeforce of some group of intrepid adventurers. When he is able to stir, bodies are risen to serve him and Caius, to kidnap those they can before he inevitably droops back into edge of distant death. Thus is the condition that Gale and those whom are assisting her will find Tyyran in, a broken creature tormented by a prison of his own creation. Plan The crew will arrive to their location, discovered in Gale's dives into Meranthean history matched to disappearances of adventurers. The fortress is somewhat well-hidden, as it was never truly intended to be sieged, but rather be more of a bastion for research and creation. A fact that makes their jobs easier, without the need to break fortifications, even if ancient. A place of decay and rot, of bodies old, those unfit to be used in experimentation. Their first trial comes near immediately, a gate barred by sigils and a simple passage inscribed on the stone above. 'Let flow the blood of the honored dead flow, to once more serve.' Any with experience dealing with runes can easily identify those sigils upon the door, which have a simple purpose. To unlock when provided with blood, and though the inscription might imply the need to use the blood of an undead, it actually refers to the blood of a corpse, of which there are plenty in abundance. They won't be told this, naturally, and if any of them decide to bleed themselves for the sigil, it will open, though they'll take an injury. Their first fight properly comes in the form of the Huntsmen. Those undead shackled to Tyyran, whom venture out into the world to kidnap and bring back life to feed to their eternally suffering master. A legion of wraiths, semi-solid beings more spirit than corpse, they're happy to claim those whom enter the fortress on their own, and by far are responsible for the deaths of those adventurers venturing into the place. From here, there are three primary 'wings' to explore. The Research wing, containing notes on necromancy dating all the way back to the Golden Age, the Experiment wing, which houses Tyyran's latest attempt to salvage his unlife, and the Sanctum, where his phylactery lays and imprisons him. They're free to enter the wings in any order, and might completely skip Research and Experiments (and a fair chunk of potential risk/reward in the process). Research holds no obvious threats, for those living necromancers that the Mausoleum once housed have long been killed and consumed by Tyyran. Only bones fill this ancient, rotting archive. Most of it will be of little use to the group - beyond a singular tome locked behind a simple yet insidious barrier. Tyyran did not trust others with the research that led to his failed attempt at lichdom, and thus locked it behind sacrifice of magic. He could easily order one of those champions of his undeath to retrieve it for him at cost to their own mindless being - it is unlikely Gale wishes to attempt such a costly measure. There is a way to retrieve it without cost, though it is not obvious. The traps and wards of the Mausoleum are bound to the Sanctum, to the failed Phylactery, and thus with its destruction would become inert. Otherwise, one must brave the barrier and suffer the sting of magical vampirism draining their own mana. Undead are particularly susceptible, taking a -1 to their injury roll. The Experiment wing, as mentioned prior, houses Tyyran's latest attempts. In a bid to release himself from suffering, he has been attempting summoning and bargaining with beings of Hel, for Caius has long ignored his own prayers. Though, bargaining is not quite the proper term, for the being he has bound is a Nethradin, shackled until it can provide what he wishes. Naturally, what he wants is impossible, it cannot simply fix his botched ritual, nor can it tear his soul from his phylactery to return it to his form - this does not matter to Tyyran, whom believes the creature is deceiving him. There are actually a number of ways this could go - naturally the group could simply kill the bound creature to harvest its essence for themselves. There is a potentially large amount of exposition the creature can offer them about Tyyran's situation and his potential weaknesses (making the boss fight with him simpler). They could even bargain with it, potentially gaining a boon of some kind in exchange for its freedom (provided they can convince it to keep its word). Many potential outcomes. Which leads, at last, to the Sanctum where Tyyran awaits. He has been aware of their presence in his Mausoleum, but assumed the Huntsmen or the defenses of his fortress would best them. Proven wrong, there is only one outcome left - to harvest them for his own extended life, and transform them into his new Huntsmen. While he cannot die, he can be bested, his body broken, Phylactery left vulnerable. In its botched state, it proves useless as-is to Gale, though the remains could presumably be studied alongside his personal tome to further her own mastery. Which leaves the Mausoleum conquered, its secrets ripe for plundering. Rewards Tyyran's Tome of Necromancy [Dev Mat] "Dearest Caius, to you I pledge my life and unlife." The culmination of more than a lifetime's worth of necromantic study and knowledge, this tome is deceptively thin at first glance. Bound in purpled leather harvested from a shadowlands creature, each page is made of human vellum, inscribed in blood from the victim whom donated the skin. The tome has a certain hunger to it, predatory in nature. Fingers have a nasty habit of being cut on the vellum, occasional wisps of necromantic mana attempt to draw upon the reader. It's as if the book is sentient, attempting to kill any who hold it. Countless details involving necromancy are detailed within, the preparation of a corpse for raising, how best to use multiple bodies for some abomination, how to preserve for later. Later on, vague attempts are made at true resurrection, though none seem to have succeeded. By far, the largest portion of the tome is dedicated to Tyyran's own attempted ritual for lichdom, and though the results were seen firsthand, it would still be an invaluable tool to any aspiring necromancer whom might wish to follow that goal while avoiding his fate. [FORGOTTEN KNOWLEDGE] One 'Bargain' from the Nethradin. This is difficult to quantify as an item, given how vague such a thing can be. In essence, provided the group is not actively hostile and has some manner of ensuring the helspawn keeps its word, it will offer a bargain in exchange for release from Tyyran's binding circle. This can be a number of things, and it is capable of much. It can offer its own essence, which will manifest as an item detailed shortly (the same essence gained if the group simply kills it), though more interesting is the knowledge it can offer. Essentially acting as a tutor, it can offer insight into various dark arts, such as Riftmancy or the opening steps to Death Magic, psionically transmitting information directly into the mind of the recipient. As well, there are assorted notes on how Tyyran was capable of summoning and binding the creature, though he wasn't able to make it complicit. This bargain does come with a cost, though, as it harvests the life of the recipient in one form or another. [Essence of the Nethradin] This dark essence swirls and churns within what appears to be a worryingly fragile gemstone, the color of onyx. While not hot to the touch, it carries a certain malice that seems to burn whatever is nearby. Fingers blister while attempting to lift it without gloves, wood beneath rots, metal rusts and so on. The solidified essence of a Nethradin, it carries notes of the occult, though could be used for more. [FORGOTTEN KNOWLEDGE] [Notes on Conjuring from Hel] Notes devised by Tyyran, they detail his attempts to summon and bind the denizens of Hel to his command. Clearly incomplete, or incorrect, given that he'd failed to force the creature to obey his commands, they nevertheless explain the process of tearing open the veil between Hel and the physical world in a 'safe' manner, allowing such a being to come through. Further detailed is the information on how to bind a being, often with the use of sacrifice and blood. [FORGOTTEN KNOWLEDGE] [Fragment of Control]x2 Gemstones found within the skulls of the Huntsmen, they served to both empower the undead Wraiths and to allow Tyyran to project his will to them even at distance. Despite being as powerful as any undead champion, these shards denied them any and all free will. As Tyyran would have put it; 'The dead exist to serve, not to speak'. Even with their death, this shard pulses with malevolent influence and raw power. Something that could be wielded, utilized in proper hands. [FORGOTTEN KNOWLEDGE] Two people both requested basically 'artificing material' without any further elaboration, which is why I'm just giving them two of these fragments. If they don't have cool thoughts, they don't get a cool reward! Naturally, I have icons for all the rewards. RE: Forgotten Knowledge - Plan - CrystikRage - 10-07-2023 Aha... So, could I get a response on this sometime soon? The group is kinda waiting in limbo for it. RE: Forgotten Knowledge - Plan - Chance - 10-09-2023 Event approved, go on ahead!