Facets of Fire PDF 16-11-2020.Indd

Facets of Fire A Chivalry & Sorcery 5th Edition Historical Adventure

2 Dedicated To: Foreword Members of the Black Country Role Playing Society and Dudley Bug Ball Delegates, Past, Present and This adventure began life as a tournament for our Future games convention Dudley Bug Ball some 24 years ago. With the support of our Patreon we have been able to breath new life into it and update it to Chivalry & Table of Contents Sorcery 5th Edition. Page 4 - Part One GM Background and Should you ever get to visit Dudley please take a Synopsis few hours to visit the Zoo and Castle and wonder the ruins, reliving the adventures your players had Page 6 - Adventure Area Map in its rooms. Page 7 - Part One Stephen Turner November 2020 Page 19 - Part Two GM Background and Synopsis Line Manager: Stephen A Turner Page 22 - GMs maps of Dudley Castle Authored By: S.A.Turner & S.Parsons Page 27 - Part Two Artwork & Cover: Andrew J Hepworth coloured by Gordon Napier copyright 2020 Page 35 - Appendix One - Non Player Characters Maps and Interior Designs: A.R.Cowley Page 38 - Appendix Two - New Monster Art by Kevin Rolfe coloured by Andrew Cowley except Ankdekker by Gilian Pearce. Page 40 - Appendix Three - Player Handouts Editor: Stephen Turner Permission given to photocopy Layout Concept by: - A.R.Cowley Director of Player Handouts Anderian Designs Ltd.

E-mail: [email protected] Or visit the Website at http://www.britgamedesigns.com All of the characters and places described in this book are “Chivalry & Sorcery” is copyright Brittannia Game fictitious and any resemblance Designs Ltd 2011. to actual persons, living or dead, is purely co-incidental. The authors assert the moral right to be identified as All rights reserved. No part the authors of this work. of this publication may be re- “Chivalry & Sorcery” and “C&S” are registered produced, stored in a retrieval trademarks of Brittannia Game Designs Ltd. system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic All rights reserved under UK and international or otherwise without the prior copyright conventions. permission of the publishers and the copyright owner except for the purpose of review. A catalogue record is available Samplefrom the British Library: file ISBN 978-1-902500-32-4

3 opening to the Severn Sisters caverns, the start of GM Background their journey through a forgotten path into the castle without alerting the Lord of the Manor and his many guards. The year is 1321, the place is the county of Staffordshire. The good Abbot of Wenlock Abbey Synopsis had requested the use of the “Holy Diamond Mace of Healing” which was kept at Dudley Priory. This Part One has been duly loaned and upon its return, disaster struck when it was stolen by the henchmen of Sir 1. Entrace into the Seven Sisters Caverns – John de Somery, along with the capture of the Abbot encounter with a corpse an colony of Stirges of Wenlock Priory. 2. PC’s have to solve puzzle (Fire) to enable This same Sir John bases himself in the immense them to reach cavern floor. stronghold of Dudley Castle and over the years, has established himself as“more than a King” in the 3. Encounter with Kestrin (Female Dwarf NPs) country of Staffordshire, swearing fealty to none. 4. Encounter in cavern with Troglodytes (cavern The “Holy Diamond Mace of Healing” is an ancient inhabitants) relic, it is a small iron rod topped with a large 5. Encounter with Duggley – the Dudley Bug, diamond. The mace has the power to heal of (unique creature NPC) damage once per day per person, if administer by a Ordained Priest. It also has the power to cast a 6. PC’s have to solve puzzle (Water) to enable “Lighting Bolt” (Core Rule Book page 324) for the them to cross the underground river (the expense of one charge. It currently has 15 charges, puzzle is also trapped) and the command word of operation is “Illuminati”. 7. Encounter with Wraith in small cavern When the command word is spoken a 1ighting bolt which also contains poison gas discharges from the diamond at the end of the mace as if cast at ML 8. 8. PC’s have to solve puzzle (Earth) to enable them to open a secret door made of stone Sir John, whilst searching through the castle library (dart traps either side of the doorway) came across an ancient scroll describing the made casting lighting bolts upon its enemies. He covets 9. Encounter with Eli the Giant Troll (unique the mace greatly and would stop at nothing to creature NPC) possess it. This will assist him in his plans to overthrow the King. He plans to kill the King and 10. PC’s have to solve puzzle (Air) in Eli’s put a Doppelganger (who is in his employ), in the treasure house, to leave the cavern and get King’s place and so control the throne. into the castle’s dungeons Now that he has the mace within his grasp, he 11. Entry to the lowest level of Dudley Castle, has begun to question the Abbot to try to learn its encounter with Mimic (NB optional secrets. depending on time remaining) Dudley Priory has obtained the services of a group 12. Meeting with the Abbot and a fellow of adventurers to seek the rescue of the Abbot and prisoner. recover the Mace from this evil tyrant. The Monks will tell the characters that they know of caverns that lead under the castle and that there is a way in from below. They should look for a Rune that displays a flame once in the caves as this leads the way. TheSample adventure begins with the adventurers at the file

4 Legends and Lore – The Baggeridge miners have struck a rich vein of coal which some folk say leads to further deposits These are a list of local legends associated with the of coal and a motherlode of diamonds in the Seven Seven Sisters. These can be given out in any order Sisters Caverns. (False) should any character make successful Local History and Legend Lore rolls. A Succesful Crit die result Folks as far away as Chenet and Worcester are of 1-6 will give one legend, 7-9 two legends and a talking about the men being hired by Sir John de 10 three legends. A Failed Crit Die of 1-3 will give 1 Somery. Some folks are fearing a civil war and the legend, 4 - 8 none and 9-10 a Legend in reverse. word “treason” is being whispered by a brave few. Around Dudley and the local area nothing is being The greatest horde of gems lies buried beneath said as people live in fear of his wrath. He is said to your feet in the deepest recesses of the Seven Sisters have a long arm and filthy temper if crossed. (True) caverns. One of the gems is said to the fabled Philosophers Stone. (Partially True - See Ayli) In Halesowen, men are being gathered and trained in the art of war. Lord de Somery even visited a few The Seven Sisters were the offspring of great months ago in order to see the new trainees and put wizards, who made the caverns their home. Here them through their paces. Whilst there though he they practised their magic and are rumoured to still showed his true colours when he struck down a man be there. (False) who whispered “traitor” as Lord de Somery passed The caverns were the first home of the Kinver by. (True) Troglodytes before they were driven out by some At Halesowen Abbey the monks fear the worst after ferocious beast that now resides below. (True) the disappearance of the “Mace of Dudley Priory”. The caves are the workshop of Ayli the Terrible, The The rumour that this was taken by Lord de Somery Chainmaker and Lord of the Forge. (True) have made them exceedingly anxious since they too have a Holy relic and the men of Lord de Somery No one goes in the caves any more because they have been roaming ever nearer. (True) have a terrible guardian who hates surface dwellers. (True) You have heard of the great Lord de Somery some say he is the pretender to the throne whilst others The caverns were once the meeting place of a say he is a born traitor. You know that those who chapter of the Knights of the Hospital. They all met have spoken against him have very quickly and their doom within the caves and so was lost one of quietly disappeared never to be seen or heard of the Orders most treasured relics. (True) again. (True) You have heard that Ayli the mainstay of Aynoch Beneath Dudley is rumoured to be the greatest Industries, the world’s greatest iron monger is gemstone in living history, stories say it is as big as supposed to live in the caverns of Dudley. But a cow and glows with some strange and mystical Ayli is just a legend, everyone knows Aynock uses light. (False) magick to produce his wares. (True) The caverns under Dudley were once the source The Lord de Somery, the new owner of Dudley of lime during the time of the Romans. They also Castle, has offered to hire the Cradley Heathens, a became the site the of the local Roman soldiers’ band of professional tournament knights to join his temple to the Roman God, Mitra, until they retinue. Everyone is talking about the increase in mysteriously vanished during one of their rituals. the size of his army, but you cannot see what good (True) the Heathens will be, they are so few in number. (True) It is rumoured the ghosts of the legionaries still haunt the caverns along their passage of initiation. Just lately you have heard about an employee of (False - or is it) Aynock Industries who disappeared almost a week ago. Nothing has been said but he was said to have One of the prized possessions of Mitra, was a a huge bag of gems with him, at least according to short sword reputed to have been blessed by Mitra your sources at Aynock Industries. (True) himself. This sword is still rumoured to be buried in Samplethe caverns. (False) file

5 Sample file

6 The Elemental Path Striges (10) Height 18” BAP 18 Weight 13 lbs BOD 20 The adventure begins after the PC’s have travelled Length 36” wingspan FAT 20 from the Priory to the mouth of the Seven Sisters DT 20(f) caves. Various legends are associated with the BMR 10 SPRINT 40(f) cave system – refer to DM Notes – Legend Lore

for this information should the PC’s request any Relevant Skills Dmg PSF% TSC% information. However, successful Local History M Beak 4S 18% 58% and Legend Lore checks are required by a character M Claws 6S 28% 68% before any information can be revealed. Dodge - 15% 55%

Read or paraphrase the following: Stamina - 9% 46% Honour: 14 Each Will - 6% 6% After an exhausting climb through the dense Armour - Dense Plumage ( 1 / 2 / 1 / 1 / 2 ) forest, you finally reach the mouth of the caves you seek. Looming before you are the three Description: gargantuan openings of the Seven Sisters caves. The Striges appear as a large headed bird with piercing You estimate that their height is the same as amber eyes, a falcon like beak with grey white wings and ten men and their width the same as four men. wicked hooked claws. It hangs upside down in caves like a Rough scree slopes lead down from each of the bat and feeds primarily on blood. They often prey on infants cave mouths into the gloom below. using it’s claws to disembowel them before dining on it’s victims blood. As the PC’s begin their scramble down the slope, Special Ability have them make AGIL AR checks to retain their feet. If a successful attack draws blood (BOD damage) they will Any that fail, fall and roll the 30 feet to the bottom of drain blood at 1 BOD / Turn which also heals their FAT on a the scree. No damage is sustained. 1:1 basis Once the party has reached the bottom of the scree slope, read or paraphrase the following:

The bats themselves will make no attempt to attack In the dim glow from your lights you can make the party, they simply wish to leave the cavern. out that all three slopes join together to form However, the Stirges will attack. a large cavern. Its grey walls seem charged with sepulchral tables and pictorial epitaphs of The Stirges have only recently made this cave their creatures caught in stone. home and the corpse in the cave was their first victim. He was an employee of Aynock Industries As your eyes grow accustomed to the shadows Ltd and was sent here to pay for their last shipment cast by your lamps and torches, you notice a of nails from Ayli, an inhabitant of the cave systems. body of a man lying at the foot of the scree, his (See later encounter). Upon his body is a note of leg twisted beneath him. You begin to hear a complaint about the last batch of nails (see Handout rustling from above. One), 300 feet of twine and a large bag of gems Then suddenly … which total 1,000 pennies.

A colony of bats explodes from the roof of the cave, and bursts past the PC’s on their way out of the cavern. Amongst the bats are ten Stirges. Have the party make an Alertness Sign skill roll with a binus Sampleto TSC% of +35%. A Failed roll treats the Crit Die file roll as a negative modifier to the BAP for the first round.