7RED7
2012-06-02, 10:16 PM
I'm hoping to get enough players together after finals (depending on who stays in town) to start running some playtest games for 5e. After coming home today, I was browsing reddit (Imaginary Landscapes to be more precise) and found a lot of good thematic backgrounds that I thought would make for a great setting (I think most of them were all from the same deviantart page). Inspiration hit me like a lightning bolt and I had the entire plotline written up in about 10 mins.
I thought I would post it for anyone interested. This is based loosely on Caves of Chaos from the 5e playtest with the exception that I've set it on a larger scale of canyons carved not by water, but by ancient battles between primal dragons at the beginning of the epoch. The cave networks in the area were bored by subterranean denizens agitated by the thunderous apocalypse happening on the surface.
I will not spoil anything, post exact (or even approximate) copies of material in the playtest (this means I'm not posting any of the specific details, and will be keeping it rather general), and will keep with the spirit of the playtest agreement... however, this is written with the 5e playtest in mind, and those who are participating will probably be able to see where I'm coming from in terms of setting development, and monster selection.
Caves of Chaos: Into the Wyrmswept Canyons
The players find themselves emerging from a dark and disorienting mist into a forested valley.
http://th01.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2010/267/3/2/ancient_bridge_by_blinck-d2ze4gk.jpg Strangely, they realize that they have no memory of how they came to be here, or for what reason they are traveling together through the wood. Several of them realize they are carrying weather worn leaflets or advertisements that appear to have been torn from a posting board which tell of goblin raiding parties coming out of the nearby canyons to pillage hamlets and farms at the behest of their hobgoblin overlords. Inspection of the parchments reveals that a sizable reward is offered for anyone who can stop the raids by diplomacy with, or slaying of, the hobgoblin leadership. A picture of a serious looking man is sketched in the bottom left corner with the words " {30,000 Electrum posted as reward by Lord Kensaris and his trade commission for the return of stability and peace to the region ~ 100 copper for any information that proves useful in concluding the current crisis} ".
Any attempt to turn back through the mist takes a half-day of travel (including the relevant amount of rations), and the party ends up right back where it started. As the players progress through the canyons they occasionally come under attack from goblin raiders, and wild animals, with the odd sidetrack to explore a small cave or tunnel. As the terrain starts to become more dry and rocky the goblin ambushes give way to full on skirmishes with hobgoblin patrols, before the valley dead-ends into a small hobgoblin arms monastery. http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/337/0/a/sand_and_ruins_by_blinck-d4i1ama.jpg
The inhabitants, while more ascetic than the patrols, can possibly be persuaded to let the party pass without incident. They are initially hostile however, and it would be a great feat of diplomacy to convince them to let intruders go so they can return to their routine of martial practice. If they fight the hobgoblins then there may be some amount of loot in the monastery stores, and if a peaceful resolution can be found then one of the hobgoblins may reluctantly trade for various goods. Passing through the monastery, the party exits into a snow covered canyon with signs of hobgoblin patrols and military activity in the area (signal towers and outposts can be seen in the distance). http://th05.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2010/307/6/8/winter_is_coming_by_blinck-d3238d1.jpg http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/180/e/b/cold__warm__and_snowy_by_blinck-d3kfict.jpg They make their way through this area as they choose, either by engaging/evading the hobgoblin patrols and outposts, or trying to sneak under them through monster filled caves. They are eventually caught between two small hobgoblin armies practicing wargames in the area, and are subsequently taken prisoner and transported to the nearest Fortress Cathedral for interrogation by the local Dictatus General (Military commander/ governor). http://th06.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/083/b/d/farthest_land_by_blinck-d4trfkp.jpg He decrees that they be sent to the capitol to be tried for their crimes (real or imagined) against the goblin people. The party may have an opportunity to escape and run amok in the complex before being rounded up and sent to the capital, or they may decide to play nice and hurry along with the journey ahead. During the trip they may be assaulted by packs of wild animals or other bandits, and while the guards and escorts can manage the fight, they can potentially earn some favor and influence by assisting in the defense of the caravan and the Dictus General who is traveling with the group to conduct business in the capital. They arrive at the capital city, built on one of the highest mountains in the land, and are immediately rushed into a trial before the bugbear nobility. http://th08.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2011/307/5/a/on_the_edge_by_blinck-d4ey55r.jpg The nobles accuse them of trespassing and genocide of goblinkin (even if they managed to avoid causing harm, they are still accused of lethal misfortunes besetting goblins in the valley where they were first spotted). The trial takes a strange turn when the bugbear king asks why they have been inciting rebellions amongst the wild goblin tribes, and driving them out of the canyons to scavenge and pillage instead of working the fields of the feudal lords. The players eventually find out that the goblin hierarchy did not orchestrate the attacks mentioned in the advertisement and that they in fact know very little about the recent change in behavior of their lesser kin. The trial is interrupted when several of the guards and the noble's attendants turn into shadowy figures, and slay the bugbear king as well as much of the nobility before anyone can blink. The larger and more ferocious figures disappear into thin air and the more human sized figures set themselves ablaze (which explains the previous court mutterings about the faint sent of exposed lamp oil in the hall) and commit suicide by poisoned ampule or bloody blade.
The remaining nobles declare the general to be their Dictus Primaris (temporary dictator and absolute overseer of martial law in times of emergency), before hurriedly rushing off to gather the rest of their bodyguards. The general, now dictator of the realm, manages to put the pieces together (with help from the party if they are active in trying to make sense of the situation), and finds evidence that the party was played from the beginning and that they were likely being tricked into trying to do some damage the the hierarchy. He offers them pay, some equipment, and revenge against those who would tried to exploit the party, to help his men track down the source of the attack before more damage can be done to their civilization (and what little there was of the good name of goblinkind). They make their way to the central military stronghold in the Valley of Blood and Ember to consolidate the military strength of the outlying Dictus Generals. http://th02.deviantart.net/fs51/PRE/f/2009/309/c/2/Old_Fortress_by_Blinck.jpg http://th05.deviantart.net/fs25/PRE/f/2009/250/4/5/Hidden_land___speed_paint_by_Blinck.jpg
On their way to the Valley of Blood and Ember, the legion with whom the party is traveling is attacked by a small orc invasion force as they cross the Glowing Fields (a delta of temporary bridges obviously built in a hurry and carrying the trade markings of siege-crafters, crossing rivers of lava streaming from the nearby mountain of perpetual flame and smoke). The hobgoblin's training and the party's courage manage to pull out a hard fought victory. Interrogation of the surviving orcs shows that while they know little, dark visitors calling themselves "Harbinjurs of Kayos" appear without warning from underground and offer tribes of creatures, oppressed by the goblin hierarchy, the choice to serve them or face utter destruction. Apparently after the first few villages turned to ash, and their counterattacking forces were slaughtered in their camps, the orcs, gnolls, and wild goblin tribes resentfully surrendered their forces to the "Harbinjurs", and were recently set against the hobgoblins military infrastructure. The only orders they were given were "Don't hurt da krops". Faced with this new information, the legion continues to the stronghold and the general lays out a plan for hunting down this dark cult which the orcs described before they can finish their foul machinations against the tentative peace that the region usually enjoys. [Optionally] The party is sent out as escorts for the couriers carrying the call-to-arms to the various Dictus Generals in their keeps. http://th06.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2011/189/d/8/the_colossal_hills_by_blinck-d3lewdk.jpg
The Dictus Primaris sends out the armies to restore order and pinpoint origins of the incursions, while assembling a band of elite soldiers from the surrounding realms to strike when the head of the snake is found. These soldiers are more than happy to spar with the martial savvy members of the party, but show some amount of distrust towards wizards and rogues, who can occupy themselves by perusing the stronghold's ancient libraries, or sneaking into supply stores beneath the city. The players will also have several opportunities to participate in hunts or wargames with this band over the course of several weeks before any word comes back from the scouts.
One of the scouting armies reported an unusually high number of incidents in the Deadfall Plain (an improbably flat tract of land that has a history of large sinkholes, being used as cemeteries after terrible wars, and even mass executions in open pits during civil turmoils), and the Primaris' warband, now including the players, marches off to venture into the unstable caves beneath the plain. After much searching and losing small groups of soldiers to the tangle of caverns, the players pick up signs of activity in an area the goblin horde has yet to pass through, and the group starts closing in on the cultists as a few soldiers disappear every night. The rocks formations and soil eventually give way to ancient stone corridors covered in strange symbols (the wizard may actually be able to learn some spells here, although having the wisdom to know whether or not they should be used is another matter entirely). Frequent attacks by cultists are now the norm as the band descends into the dizzying depths of the earth and pass through ancient fortresses built over even more ancient fortresses built over things no mortal would have the thought to warp into stone. Steady reinforcements come in from the hobgoblin bands above (as well as several of the great bugbears not turned soft by nobility), but these are often missing the majority of their number and he remaining soldiers have thousand yard stares that speak of fatigue, undernourishment, and already having been to hell and back. Finally, after many close calls, the party and the Primaris' elite warband (along with the remains of a few general's determined forces) break through the temple gates (more a small city with obsidian walls and a large hill at the center with a dais encrowned by a large fiery orb that can be seen from the cavern hillsides a quarter mile away) at the bottom of a massive cavern and begin putting cultists and dark priests to the sword. [Optional] The party may encourage the warband to set up a siege instead of breaking through immediately as this will allow a few more reinforcements to gather and result in having more allies survive to the final conflict.
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/119/9/9/the_portal_by_blinck-d3f64c5.jpg
As the party approaches the dais the fighting becomes thicker, and as they reach the summit the chants of the cultists become deafening until they reach a crescendo. Time slows down to a crawl. The orb rises into the air of the cavern as the dais telescopes ceilingward, and the blood of fallen soldiers and cultists begins to drip upwards and eventually turns into a torrent as even unattended weapons fall upwards and clatter to rest in the ceiling. The party and hobgoblin soldiers begin to feel sickeningly aware that neither they, nor the cultists, nor even the temple city itself were ever truly on the floor of the cavern to begin with. They can only watch in horror as the blood of hundreds of soldiers and cultists drain upwards and coalesce into a chaotic abomination that defies all logic, function, and illusion of courage. Time sluggishly seems to return to the cavern, but is only half welcome as the party realizes that there is no longer anything keeping them attached to the floor of the temple, and that floor seems to be getting further away every second. The previous cries and grunts of battle are replaced by the shrieks of falling goblins and cultists, with the occasional thud of a body hitting an especially low hanging stalactite. No impact is felt as the players black out.
The party comes to as they are shaken awake by the Primaris. He and some of the hardier soldiers and bugbears managed to survive the fall (mostly by being lucky enough to hit the same slopes as the party on the way up, but partially because they are "rough sons of hags" as they often made a point to mention and prove often and loudly in the adventures prior to the Deadfall sinkholes). A short while after getting their bearings on the ceiling (or was it the floor now?) the party realizes that the crimson light shining down is getting brighter is the orb glows brighter through the sanguine cloud above. Suddenly the light disappears and the cavern instantly turns pitch black as a shockwave rocks the cavern and offers the survivors a second coat of blood for their armor. A few moments later a colossal thud is heard as a massive object drops from the sky a few hundred yards away. The ground trembles as the group feels the footsteps approaching. If they had ever heard mystical constructs referred to as freight trains or fog horns, then they would have known how to describe the bellows that ripped forth from the beast. The goblins scatter the last of their torches around the environment in order to provide some fleeting illumination to aid in applying every strategy and tactical rule of engagement that may still be relevant in combat with the horror crushing towards them. The battle becomes a titanic thing with a life of its own as the party and goblins burn all their resources in taking it down, until only the surviving party members, the Primaris and the two hardest bugbear warrior princes remain. As the terror succumbs to defeat, instead of fighting to its last inch of life, it limps over and kneels in front of the party, speaking its first and last words "We have followed your command. The warriors of the world scar have been drawn into the depths and are destroyed. Your foothold on the prime is secure. This one asks the honor of being slain by the Lords of Entropy themselves as a sacrifice to their victory. Gateword... Chrysalis"
As the abomination ceases speaking and bares its neck before them, the mist at the sides of the party's consciousness starts to clear, and they begin to remember... A business proposal. A possession of 5 lost souls. A sentence for the goblin leaders who have been led so deep into the darkness, for transgressions of ages past. A new home.
Are they the Lords of Entropy? Have they been duped? What will they do now that the remaining Primaris and nearly indestructible bugbears have seen the beast that slaughtered their brothers address the players as superiors? :smalleek:
If the leaflets are reviewed at this point, an observant eye may notice that the picture of Lord Kensaris has cracked the faintest hint of a smile.
They'll just have to find out next time in level 4! :smallcool:
Source for the awesome pictures. http://blinck.deviantart.com/gallery/
found through
http://www.reddit.com/r/ImaginaryLandscapes/
Post a picture of what you imagine the final abomination to look like if you're up or a little contest. :smallwink:
It took me 10 minutes to fill a notebook page, but somehow I spent a few hours typing it all out here (I really should have been studying for numerical methods). :smallsigh:
I also just realized that this may take more than a couple play sessions to get through. :smallconfused:
edit: launch day bug fix. :smallbiggrin: pic links work now.
edit2: follow the bouncing dot for a special surprise :smalltongue: *hint: d/=i*
I thought I would post it for anyone interested. This is based loosely on Caves of Chaos from the 5e playtest with the exception that I've set it on a larger scale of canyons carved not by water, but by ancient battles between primal dragons at the beginning of the epoch. The cave networks in the area were bored by subterranean denizens agitated by the thunderous apocalypse happening on the surface.
I will not spoil anything, post exact (or even approximate) copies of material in the playtest (this means I'm not posting any of the specific details, and will be keeping it rather general), and will keep with the spirit of the playtest agreement... however, this is written with the 5e playtest in mind, and those who are participating will probably be able to see where I'm coming from in terms of setting development, and monster selection.
Caves of Chaos: Into the Wyrmswept Canyons
The players find themselves emerging from a dark and disorienting mist into a forested valley.
http://th01.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2010/267/3/2/ancient_bridge_by_blinck-d2ze4gk.jpg Strangely, they realize that they have no memory of how they came to be here, or for what reason they are traveling together through the wood. Several of them realize they are carrying weather worn leaflets or advertisements that appear to have been torn from a posting board which tell of goblin raiding parties coming out of the nearby canyons to pillage hamlets and farms at the behest of their hobgoblin overlords. Inspection of the parchments reveals that a sizable reward is offered for anyone who can stop the raids by diplomacy with, or slaying of, the hobgoblin leadership. A picture of a serious looking man is sketched in the bottom left corner with the words " {30,000 Electrum posted as reward by Lord Kensaris and his trade commission for the return of stability and peace to the region ~ 100 copper for any information that proves useful in concluding the current crisis} ".
Any attempt to turn back through the mist takes a half-day of travel (including the relevant amount of rations), and the party ends up right back where it started. As the players progress through the canyons they occasionally come under attack from goblin raiders, and wild animals, with the odd sidetrack to explore a small cave or tunnel. As the terrain starts to become more dry and rocky the goblin ambushes give way to full on skirmishes with hobgoblin patrols, before the valley dead-ends into a small hobgoblin arms monastery. http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/337/0/a/sand_and_ruins_by_blinck-d4i1ama.jpg
The inhabitants, while more ascetic than the patrols, can possibly be persuaded to let the party pass without incident. They are initially hostile however, and it would be a great feat of diplomacy to convince them to let intruders go so they can return to their routine of martial practice. If they fight the hobgoblins then there may be some amount of loot in the monastery stores, and if a peaceful resolution can be found then one of the hobgoblins may reluctantly trade for various goods. Passing through the monastery, the party exits into a snow covered canyon with signs of hobgoblin patrols and military activity in the area (signal towers and outposts can be seen in the distance). http://th05.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2010/307/6/8/winter_is_coming_by_blinck-d3238d1.jpg http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/180/e/b/cold__warm__and_snowy_by_blinck-d3kfict.jpg They make their way through this area as they choose, either by engaging/evading the hobgoblin patrols and outposts, or trying to sneak under them through monster filled caves. They are eventually caught between two small hobgoblin armies practicing wargames in the area, and are subsequently taken prisoner and transported to the nearest Fortress Cathedral for interrogation by the local Dictatus General (Military commander/ governor). http://th06.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/083/b/d/farthest_land_by_blinck-d4trfkp.jpg He decrees that they be sent to the capitol to be tried for their crimes (real or imagined) against the goblin people. The party may have an opportunity to escape and run amok in the complex before being rounded up and sent to the capital, or they may decide to play nice and hurry along with the journey ahead. During the trip they may be assaulted by packs of wild animals or other bandits, and while the guards and escorts can manage the fight, they can potentially earn some favor and influence by assisting in the defense of the caravan and the Dictus General who is traveling with the group to conduct business in the capital. They arrive at the capital city, built on one of the highest mountains in the land, and are immediately rushed into a trial before the bugbear nobility. http://th08.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2011/307/5/a/on_the_edge_by_blinck-d4ey55r.jpg The nobles accuse them of trespassing and genocide of goblinkin (even if they managed to avoid causing harm, they are still accused of lethal misfortunes besetting goblins in the valley where they were first spotted). The trial takes a strange turn when the bugbear king asks why they have been inciting rebellions amongst the wild goblin tribes, and driving them out of the canyons to scavenge and pillage instead of working the fields of the feudal lords. The players eventually find out that the goblin hierarchy did not orchestrate the attacks mentioned in the advertisement and that they in fact know very little about the recent change in behavior of their lesser kin. The trial is interrupted when several of the guards and the noble's attendants turn into shadowy figures, and slay the bugbear king as well as much of the nobility before anyone can blink. The larger and more ferocious figures disappear into thin air and the more human sized figures set themselves ablaze (which explains the previous court mutterings about the faint sent of exposed lamp oil in the hall) and commit suicide by poisoned ampule or bloody blade.
The remaining nobles declare the general to be their Dictus Primaris (temporary dictator and absolute overseer of martial law in times of emergency), before hurriedly rushing off to gather the rest of their bodyguards. The general, now dictator of the realm, manages to put the pieces together (with help from the party if they are active in trying to make sense of the situation), and finds evidence that the party was played from the beginning and that they were likely being tricked into trying to do some damage the the hierarchy. He offers them pay, some equipment, and revenge against those who would tried to exploit the party, to help his men track down the source of the attack before more damage can be done to their civilization (and what little there was of the good name of goblinkind). They make their way to the central military stronghold in the Valley of Blood and Ember to consolidate the military strength of the outlying Dictus Generals. http://th02.deviantart.net/fs51/PRE/f/2009/309/c/2/Old_Fortress_by_Blinck.jpg http://th05.deviantart.net/fs25/PRE/f/2009/250/4/5/Hidden_land___speed_paint_by_Blinck.jpg
On their way to the Valley of Blood and Ember, the legion with whom the party is traveling is attacked by a small orc invasion force as they cross the Glowing Fields (a delta of temporary bridges obviously built in a hurry and carrying the trade markings of siege-crafters, crossing rivers of lava streaming from the nearby mountain of perpetual flame and smoke). The hobgoblin's training and the party's courage manage to pull out a hard fought victory. Interrogation of the surviving orcs shows that while they know little, dark visitors calling themselves "Harbinjurs of Kayos" appear without warning from underground and offer tribes of creatures, oppressed by the goblin hierarchy, the choice to serve them or face utter destruction. Apparently after the first few villages turned to ash, and their counterattacking forces were slaughtered in their camps, the orcs, gnolls, and wild goblin tribes resentfully surrendered their forces to the "Harbinjurs", and were recently set against the hobgoblins military infrastructure. The only orders they were given were "Don't hurt da krops". Faced with this new information, the legion continues to the stronghold and the general lays out a plan for hunting down this dark cult which the orcs described before they can finish their foul machinations against the tentative peace that the region usually enjoys. [Optionally] The party is sent out as escorts for the couriers carrying the call-to-arms to the various Dictus Generals in their keeps. http://th06.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2011/189/d/8/the_colossal_hills_by_blinck-d3lewdk.jpg
The Dictus Primaris sends out the armies to restore order and pinpoint origins of the incursions, while assembling a band of elite soldiers from the surrounding realms to strike when the head of the snake is found. These soldiers are more than happy to spar with the martial savvy members of the party, but show some amount of distrust towards wizards and rogues, who can occupy themselves by perusing the stronghold's ancient libraries, or sneaking into supply stores beneath the city. The players will also have several opportunities to participate in hunts or wargames with this band over the course of several weeks before any word comes back from the scouts.
One of the scouting armies reported an unusually high number of incidents in the Deadfall Plain (an improbably flat tract of land that has a history of large sinkholes, being used as cemeteries after terrible wars, and even mass executions in open pits during civil turmoils), and the Primaris' warband, now including the players, marches off to venture into the unstable caves beneath the plain. After much searching and losing small groups of soldiers to the tangle of caverns, the players pick up signs of activity in an area the goblin horde has yet to pass through, and the group starts closing in on the cultists as a few soldiers disappear every night. The rocks formations and soil eventually give way to ancient stone corridors covered in strange symbols (the wizard may actually be able to learn some spells here, although having the wisdom to know whether or not they should be used is another matter entirely). Frequent attacks by cultists are now the norm as the band descends into the dizzying depths of the earth and pass through ancient fortresses built over even more ancient fortresses built over things no mortal would have the thought to warp into stone. Steady reinforcements come in from the hobgoblin bands above (as well as several of the great bugbears not turned soft by nobility), but these are often missing the majority of their number and he remaining soldiers have thousand yard stares that speak of fatigue, undernourishment, and already having been to hell and back. Finally, after many close calls, the party and the Primaris' elite warband (along with the remains of a few general's determined forces) break through the temple gates (more a small city with obsidian walls and a large hill at the center with a dais encrowned by a large fiery orb that can be seen from the cavern hillsides a quarter mile away) at the bottom of a massive cavern and begin putting cultists and dark priests to the sword. [Optional] The party may encourage the warband to set up a siege instead of breaking through immediately as this will allow a few more reinforcements to gather and result in having more allies survive to the final conflict.
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/119/9/9/the_portal_by_blinck-d3f64c5.jpg
As the party approaches the dais the fighting becomes thicker, and as they reach the summit the chants of the cultists become deafening until they reach a crescendo. Time slows down to a crawl. The orb rises into the air of the cavern as the dais telescopes ceilingward, and the blood of fallen soldiers and cultists begins to drip upwards and eventually turns into a torrent as even unattended weapons fall upwards and clatter to rest in the ceiling. The party and hobgoblin soldiers begin to feel sickeningly aware that neither they, nor the cultists, nor even the temple city itself were ever truly on the floor of the cavern to begin with. They can only watch in horror as the blood of hundreds of soldiers and cultists drain upwards and coalesce into a chaotic abomination that defies all logic, function, and illusion of courage. Time sluggishly seems to return to the cavern, but is only half welcome as the party realizes that there is no longer anything keeping them attached to the floor of the temple, and that floor seems to be getting further away every second. The previous cries and grunts of battle are replaced by the shrieks of falling goblins and cultists, with the occasional thud of a body hitting an especially low hanging stalactite. No impact is felt as the players black out.
The party comes to as they are shaken awake by the Primaris. He and some of the hardier soldiers and bugbears managed to survive the fall (mostly by being lucky enough to hit the same slopes as the party on the way up, but partially because they are "rough sons of hags" as they often made a point to mention and prove often and loudly in the adventures prior to the Deadfall sinkholes). A short while after getting their bearings on the ceiling (or was it the floor now?) the party realizes that the crimson light shining down is getting brighter is the orb glows brighter through the sanguine cloud above. Suddenly the light disappears and the cavern instantly turns pitch black as a shockwave rocks the cavern and offers the survivors a second coat of blood for their armor. A few moments later a colossal thud is heard as a massive object drops from the sky a few hundred yards away. The ground trembles as the group feels the footsteps approaching. If they had ever heard mystical constructs referred to as freight trains or fog horns, then they would have known how to describe the bellows that ripped forth from the beast. The goblins scatter the last of their torches around the environment in order to provide some fleeting illumination to aid in applying every strategy and tactical rule of engagement that may still be relevant in combat with the horror crushing towards them. The battle becomes a titanic thing with a life of its own as the party and goblins burn all their resources in taking it down, until only the surviving party members, the Primaris and the two hardest bugbear warrior princes remain. As the terror succumbs to defeat, instead of fighting to its last inch of life, it limps over and kneels in front of the party, speaking its first and last words "We have followed your command. The warriors of the world scar have been drawn into the depths and are destroyed. Your foothold on the prime is secure. This one asks the honor of being slain by the Lords of Entropy themselves as a sacrifice to their victory. Gateword... Chrysalis"
As the abomination ceases speaking and bares its neck before them, the mist at the sides of the party's consciousness starts to clear, and they begin to remember... A business proposal. A possession of 5 lost souls. A sentence for the goblin leaders who have been led so deep into the darkness, for transgressions of ages past. A new home.
Are they the Lords of Entropy? Have they been duped? What will they do now that the remaining Primaris and nearly indestructible bugbears have seen the beast that slaughtered their brothers address the players as superiors? :smalleek:
If the leaflets are reviewed at this point, an observant eye may notice that the picture of Lord Kensaris has cracked the faintest hint of a smile.
They'll just have to find out next time in level 4! :smallcool:
Source for the awesome pictures. http://blinck.deviantart.com/gallery/
found through
http://www.reddit.com/r/ImaginaryLandscapes/
Post a picture of what you imagine the final abomination to look like if you're up or a little contest. :smallwink:
It took me 10 minutes to fill a notebook page, but somehow I spent a few hours typing it all out here (I really should have been studying for numerical methods). :smallsigh:
I also just realized that this may take more than a couple play sessions to get through. :smallconfused:
edit: launch day bug fix. :smallbiggrin: pic links work now.
edit2: follow the bouncing dot for a special surprise :smalltongue: *hint: d/=i*