The Gallery of Ser Aedh III: The Mausoleum

You enter the pitch mausoleum, the door creaking once more as you push it open.  The air is dry, though it smells stale.  A slight breeze blows from a dark corner, providing mildewy whiffs as you enter.

Before you lies a sarcophagus illuminated by the seeping light of the Blood Moon, cracked and ruined; it seems as worn as the marble archway under which you had just passed.

The Sarcophagus

Gallery of Ser Aedh II: The Courtyard

As the gate closes behind you, you turn to face the Gallery.  It is a ruined chateau, long fallen into disrepair.  In spite of its dilapidation, the Gallery was obviously a work of art itself.  Bronze spires have long since oxidized, leaving an eery green trim bordering the main entrance and windows as well.

In its spires, you can see lights in the windows, as if moving from room to room.

The Gallery of Ser Aedh

The Regent of Thrall and Descendent of Heroes, Ser Aedh, has all but disappeared, leaving no clue hinting at the reasoning behind his mysteriously sudden sabbatical.  That he is adored by the citizens of Thrall generates many murmurings, but the rumors relayed by Tatiana the Red indicate strange creatures, dubbed by the peasants to be Spawn, skulking around the countryside surrounding his personal gallery to the East.  The Regent Knight was loved by all; are superstitious peasants to be trusted?

Onward!

In your search of clues indicating the fate of those you have lost, you have uncovered many routes.  All seem equally enigmatic, but the will of the All-Father is cunning indeed.

Where will you begin your quest?

Place your vote in the comments section by Wednesday!

City of Thrall

 

Vengeful, proceed...

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Out for Vengeance: Amberdin

Out for Vengeance: Lagormeth

WRATH:  Character Creation

Here are some tools to help with character creation.

WRATH: An AD&D Play-by-Blog

WRATH

The Ancient Father has reawakened. In ages lost, man waged war with the Ancients Ones. Once the pinnacle of divinity, the Ancient Ones became vain and petty in their endless waking dreams, seeking to consolidate their pleasure at the depravity of their creations. Their children bore the brunt of their vanity.

 Seeking to break the hold of their forefathers, man declared war upon their sires, their youthful strength and will ultimately prevailing over the mindless hedonism adopted by their forefathers. In a coupe that rent the very earth asunder, man expunged the Ancient Gods, their great carcasses plummeting to earth. The mountains mark the furrows of their fall, timeless headstones marking their graves.

All were not slain, however.  The All-Father, the most terrible of the Old, was imprisoned within the moon, the First Men expending their lives and their remaining divinity to create his prison. His defeat was hallowed in plain sight, to remind all of the might of Men for all time, and to shame the last of the old ones, as his defeat would be known to all.

Until now. The moon has begin to bleed, and his spawn have abducted the descendents of those who imprisoned him.

They are your loved ones. 


About the Game

WRATH is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons play-by-blog. In it, you take on the role of the VENGEFUL : your loved ones have been taken by the forces of the Old Ones. As the children of the gods, you are blessed with a divine heritage. WRATH emphasizes dark, deadly dungeon delving, player participation in storytelling and world-building.  

Character Creation Rules

Character creation in Wrath is subject to the following special rules. All player characters in Wrath are referred to as the Vengeful. System and Level: The Vengeful should be 3rd level and built using the rules described in the OSRIC roleplaying game. The OSRIC rules can be downloaded for free at http://www.knights-n-knaves.com/osric.

You will level up as normal, gaining a bonus level for each Spawn of the Ancients your Vengeful slays.

Be sure to include a picture of your vengeful in your character sheet.

 Ability Score Generation:

Arrange one of the two arrays any way you choose: 18, 13, 11, 9, 8, 6 or 15, 15, 11, 10, 10, 8.

Class and Race Restrictions: All classes are available. You may begin the adventures as humans only, though other races will be unlocked as achievements, available if a Vengeful should die. You may not multi-class. You begin with a single Action Point.

Paladins and Clerics channel divine power through their Ancestor, not the Gods.  Include this is your write up. 

Hit Points: You begin the game with the maximum amount of hit points possible for your hit dice, plus Constitution adjustment. For example, if you hit die is 1d6, you begin the game with 18 hit points, plus Constitution adjustment.

Starting Wealth and Treasure: You begin the game with 3d6 x 200 gold pieces, which you may spend on any of the equipment listed on pages 28-30. You may also select one of the following: 1) a +1 weapon, 2) a +1 suit of armor, or 3) one common miscellaneous magic item from the table on page 313.

I will roll random Magic Items for you as well, as per the AD&D DM Guide.

Spells:

Clerics, Druids, Illusionists and magic-users begin the game with five 1st-level spells and one 2nd-level spell of their choice.

Experience Points:

You will gain experience points as normal. You will also be awarded extra levels of experience for slaying Spawn of the Ancients.

Character Creation Rules:

Character creation in Wrath is subject to the following special rules. All player characters in Wrath are referred to as the Vengeful.

Ability Checks:

While ability checks are permitted, I reserve and will frequently exercise the right to rule that an ability check is not possible in certain circumstances. As a general principle, rely on your knowledge and skill as a player and resist the temptation to make an ability check each time you are faced with a problem.

Action Points:

Each level you gain one action point. The effects are described below. Such points are cumulative; however, if you die, your new Vengeful only starts with one. You start the campaign with one point.

(Fighter, Ranger, Paladin): You may spend an action point to perform a feat of strength beyond the ability of mortals (my discretion). You may also spend an action point to automatically hit an enemy you’ve just attacked, deal 5 extra damage per level to an enemy you’ve just hit, or automatically succeed on a saving throw you just failed.

 (Thief, Assassin): You may spend an action point and declare the presence of a secret door, cache, or other fortunate dungeon feature within line of sight (my discretion). Alternatively, you may spend an action point to automatically succeed on a thief skill test or saving throw you just failed.

(Magic-User, Illusionist, Cleric, Druid): You may spend an action point and make up a thematic or historical detail about the dungeon (my discretion). That detail becomes true. Alternatively, you may spend an action point to ask one yes-or-no question about the dungeon and receive a truthful answer. Finally, you may spend an action point to automatically succeed on a saving throw you just failed. Action points may be spent at any time and may be used to interrupt enemy actions. Divine

Descendent:

You are the descendents of the first Men, the slayers of the Ancients. When healed magically, you always regain the maximum number of hit points possible given the effect.

You also gain:

Upon slaying Spawn of the Ancients, you begin to feel the power of your ancestors swelling within you.  You gain the mythic traits and powers of your First Ancestor, the one to whom you claim blood.  This manifests physically and provides a +2 bonus to an ability score of your choice.

Background:

You must complete the following five statements and include them in your writeup:

I claim ancestry from the First Hero/Heroine _____, who _____.
I seek to avenge ______, who is my ______.
I lust for _____ above all things.
My hatred for _____ knows no bounds.
I trust my travelling companions with my life, despite _____.

Finished Vengeful should be sent to my email. Format is not particularly important, only that all the details and relevant stats/equipment/abilities are covered. After approval, they’ll appear in the Coterie post.

Adventure:

Wrath is a not continuous campaign requiring a lengthy commitment. Rather, it is at this point a single stand-alone adventure lasting about 3 months in real time. I may choose to add more adventures, your vengeful keeping all of the experience, treasure, and manifestations they’ve gained.

What to Expect:

Wrath is first and foremost a dark dungeon delving game. You will spend your time exploring the crumbled strongholds of lost gods, battling powerful guardians, evading deadly traps, and solving puzzles. There will also be a number of opportunities to roleplay and participate in shared storytelling and world-building while exploring.

You have three goals in the dungeon:

 Unearth and wield the relics left behind by the Ancients and the First Men. Find and slay Spawn of the Ancients – the physical manifestation of divine power. Use the power gained by relics and spawn to establish and grow your stronghold

Relics:

Relics are the powerful magic artifacts left behind by the Ancients and their faithful. Well-guarded and hidden away behind snare and secret, a vengeful who discovers a relic will find themselves in possession of untold power. All vengeful recognize any relics they find.

Spawn of the Ancients:

After the Great War, the First Men imprisoned the Ancient King, the All-Father of the Gods, within the very Moon itself, an act requiring the sacrifice of the first heroes. He remains, however, incredibly powerful and his divinity influences his children. They seek to enact his dark will and release him from imprisonment.

These spawn are what you seek; by slaying them, you gain the raw divine power wielded by the First, and your very body changes in response to his power. Be warned, however – the Spawn are the most powerful individuals in the realm, and their defeat will be no easy task.

 They require the blood of the First in order to complete their Dark Ritual, and your loved one's are the only ones who can claim direct ancestry.  It is your job to rescue them for whatever reason.

 Posting Format and Rolling

I will start by posting an article describing the situation in which you find yourself. Images may accompany the text, to help you imagine the scene. After I post, you can then respond using the comments. Tell me what you’re doing, what your vengeful is saying, and even feel free to delve into their thoughts. Be creative and expressive. You’re responsible for keeping track of your health!  I will respond to your post with a comment of my own, giving you feedback. At a certain point, I will post a fresh new main article. You then post your comment to the current article, NEVER to the old ones.

Writing Style

Write from a third-person perspective, present tense, underneath your Vengeful's name:

[Salah]

 Salah says, “Asps. Very Dangerous. You go first,” and he nudges Indy to proceed into the chamber.

 I may break this format in my own posts by referring to “you”. Private questions can be sent to my email address, or to Facebook.

For “out of character” (OOC) chatter, write a comment labeling it [OOC].

Actions, Dice Rolling and Battle Initiative:

There isn’t a strict initiative order during combat. You go when you post your action, and I process actions in the order I see them in the comments section. If you wish to delay your post until after another character acts, that’s up to you. However, if you delay too long and I post the antagonists’ actions before you do, you may lose your turn. Such is the price of delaying! I usually give fair warning, such as, “I’ll give until Wednesday to post, and then I will post for the villains.”

Tech Sections: When you post your character doing an action, add a “Tech” section at the end describing the raw mechanics of your action(s) and all math involved:

[Ordeal]

 Ordeal looks over the section of hallway ahead of him, trying to see if there are any pit traps.

 [Tech] Find/remove traps 50% (40% base + 10% for nimbus of clarity).

 Contingencies are permitted in your actions, but be reasonable – I’m not in the business of untangling a half-dozen flowcharts. Rolling Dice: I make all rolls for you.

PLAYER LACK OF POSTING:

Players who fail to post in a timely way will have their characters extinguished. I might give you a warning beforehand.

Hey dudes! I am going to get a play by post going sometime this week! Spread the word, I will be using the AD&D rules. You can download OSRIC here.

Here Comes a New Challenger!

Welcome to Sundae!

This will be the ongoing play-by-post adventures of the Sundae Gang!  Assemble!