In the mud and sweat of Blackmoor,
All look away, refusing to push the door.
Behind which wade whore, rogue and poor,
Except the one who follow the Prios spoor.
All but one, faithful to the Unique, the Lawgiver,
Call these Ambrians: stop to quiver!
Embark and grow on the milk river,
With, at your side, the caregiver.
(All this excerpts come from Blackhawk’s song Blight Spoor)
Event
For the last three nights, abominations have risen in Blackmoor, one to three each night.
Quest givers
GM is free to choose from the proposed sponsors or to choose another of its choice. He could also throw a D6 and watch the result:
1-3: Baillif Keroldo Erebus: «I offer a reward of 50 Thalers to whoever will rid us of this epidemic. Before the mayor of ThistleHold is involved and I become the laughing stock of the local Barons.»
4: First Father Elfeno: «I request that you discover whoever is behind these abominations. Whether it’s a cult or the heretics of Sarvola, someone is responsible.».
5: Father Sarvola: «Although we have only our humble abode and soup to repay you, I beseech you, by the light of Prios, please lift the veil of mystery on these events before rumours bring the wrath of the people down on our holy mission»
6: Lasifor Nightpitch: «I wish to know the cause of these circumstances in Blackmoor. You will find that I can be most generous if you return with information that is of use to me»
Note: To make it more difficult for PCs, GM can imagine that another quest givers have also hired investigators.
Abominations
Some of the bodies of the abominations have been identified. All of the victims came from poor Alberetor families and arrived in Ambria as children, and they all have lived in Blackmoor over the last few weeks or months, either in Thistle Scold or the Garbage Heap. Inquiring around these areas [Persuasive] will present them in a good light, honest and pious workers who ate at the Missionary’s and the Army of Exaltation’s soup kitchens in the eastern district.
Further investigation [Persuasive -5] will reveal a more turbulent past that may explain their reasons for coming to Blackmoor. These are false trails though, and are unrelated to the current affair:
- Mogmelio was a treasure hunter and a former cultist of Erok the Dark seeking to forget his past in Blackmoor.
- Venokles worked at Lindworm’s Nest and was appreciated by many treasure hunters because he was not afraid of burns, amputations or stigmas.
- Mallinda trailed a reputation of having once been an illustrious thief in Ravenia.
The missionaries of Father Sarvola
Hours darken
The white sheep become scapegoat
New crew of a boat flowing under the sun
Ready to gloat
These faithful followers of Father Sarvola have found themselves at the centre of rumours connecting them in one way or another to the events in Blackmoor, some of which are being spread by the volunteers of the Army of Exaltation. The missionaries are starting to fear for their safety, despite being completely innocent of the accusations.
The Army of Exaltation
Who give regards and attention,
Food, care and pension,
Promises of wealth and ascension,
Army of Exaltation
Composed of missionaries
Against the heretics, they have parries
Thanks to the manna of the dairies
Army of the Voluntaries
Young and zealous former Theurg, self-proclaimed Commissar Feon founded the Army of Exaltation with the aid of laic volunteers in order to counter the influence of the Reformists and heretics such as Father Sarvola. He chose Blackmoor as a symbol of the establishment of his first mission.
He has nothing to hide and will fully cooperate with the PCs. He has no knowledge of the victims and will invite the party to investigate the Exaltation’s camp, if they so desire, but that is pointless to do so as they won’t find anything.
Observing the preparation of soup in the kitchen will allow PCs to notice [Vigilance] a strange milky substance being used as one of the ingredients. When asked about the milk, Feon will reveal that it is a tonic called Twilight Milk, made by Father Ynmilo in Thistle Hold.
Time that the PCs do not find the source of the corruption, every evening at the time of the distribution of the soup kitchen, [PC] humans will turn into abomination. If the fight turns to the advantage of abominations, GM can involve a team of Blood Robes.
The recipe of Twillight Milk is secret. Upon a successful Will test [Persuasive -3] he will agree to have the milk analysed, jointly, by Ynmilo and a master alchemist chosen by PCs. The analysis will indicate that the potion has been contaminated with a corruptive essence. Destroying the contents of the soup may trigger a protest riot but will prevent [PC] victims from being transformed by it.
Commissar Feon will want to keep the affair quiet to avoid a scandal that would tarnish the reputation of the Army of Exaltation and the church.
Twilight Milk
When consumed as part of the soup, a [Resolute] test bestows one point of Endurance and increases the character’s Pain Threshold by one for a day.
Altered Twilight Milk
The actual stock of Milk used in the kitchen is contaminated with a corruptive essence. Once swallowed, a test of [Resolute – 5] is required. On failure, and in addition to the normal effects of Twilight Milk, the character’s Corruption Threshold decreases by 1 for a day. If a 20 is rolled, the character receives an additional 1D2 points of Permanent Corruption.
The Laboratory of Father Ynmilo
In the heart of the Sun Church so godly
Hiding the survivor of terrible murders
Brought up by his enemies, the child of Earthmother
Did not forget the badly
Sinister Knight who decapitated his mother
Waiting patiently
The day of her revenge
If the PCs decide to push their inquiries to the source of the Milk, they will have to return to Thistle Hold and investigate the Sun Temple. The church authorities will not take kindly to the PCs accusations and it will be difficult to obtain an interview with Ynmilo [Persuasive – 5]. Alternatively, if the PCs have his description they can can intercept him between the Temple and his apartments each morning and evening.
Father Ynmilo himself is a wrinkled-faced alchemist who practised in Kandoria before joining the Prios Church during the Great War. He will deny using even the slightest corruptive essence in his preparations and certainly not in Twilight Milk, whose recipe requires a drop of Tear of Twilight, and will ask to examine a sample of the altered Twilight Milk.
His assistant, Disciple Omando, is innocent. But of the two novices, Hasgio and Esinthia, the latter has a considerable amount of responsibility in the affair.
Novice Esinthia will not confess easily under pressure [Persuasive – 5], but if the PCs succeed she will tell them her story. She lived a happy childhood up to the age of six on Earthmoor’s colony, until the death of her family during the massacre perpetrated by the Templars. She was rescued by the Church and raised at the Convent School of the Last Light in Yndaros before arriving in the service of Father Ynmilo. Although she is satisfied with her position, she still has a strong desire for vengeance against the Knights.
The idea of altering the tonic potion came from a discussion she had a few months ago with a construction worker named Garodar, who assiduously attended the Sun Temple at the time. Unbeknownst to her, he is an agent of Sovereign’s Oath, and gave her the essence to add to the potions of Twilight Milk promising that it had no other effects than cancelling any potion it was mixed with.
Esinthia seems genuinely sorry when she learns that it has led to the abomination of Blackmoor’s inhabitants, but surprised as the contaminated batch was originally intended for the Templars of Templewall.
The error comes from the Novice Hasgio, who delivered the wrong case to Blackmoor by mistake.
Epilogue
To denounce Esinthia to the Church will allow the PCs to gain favour with the Curia (Scheming: Sun Church +1). On the other hand, To say nothing will enable them to become allies with the Reformists with whom Esinthia has connections, their vision of Prios being more in tune to what her parents, followers of the Young Gods, taught her (Reformists +1).
In the shadow and blight
Of the Eternal Night
Patiently planning their growth
Is hiding the Sovereign’s Oath
Esinthia is also able to describe Garodar in detail, and draw a decent portrait of him. But it will not be easy to find him. He is still in Thistle Hold, no longer under the guise of a construction worker, but as a town guard and using the name Saresoro. The only information linking him to Sovereign’s Oath is the tattooed symbol on his shoulder.
Statistics
Abomination
(see Blight Born Human in Core Rulebook p226)
Blood Robes
(see Pikeman in Monster Codex p135)
Commissar Feon
(see Liturg in Monster Codex p123)
Garodar/Saresoro
Race Human (Barbarian)
Resistance Challenging (160 PX)
Traits Bushcraft, Contact (Sovereign’s Oath)
Accurate 5 (+5) Cunning 11 (-1) Discreet 13 (-3)
Persuasive 15 (-5) Quick 6 (+4) Resolute 10 (0)
Strong 10 (0) Vigilant 10 (0)
Abilities Alchemy (novice), Dominate (adept), Loremaster (novice), Man-at-arms (adept), Tactician (adept), Twin Attack (adept)
Boons/Burdens False Identity, Manipulator (+2), Telltale (+2)
Weapons Sword and Dagger 4, 2 attacks on the same target
Armor Leather Armor 3 (Flexible)
Defense -2 (with two weapons in his hands)
Toughness 10 Pain Threshold 5
Equipment 1D10 schillings, 1D4 Herbal Cure.
Shadow Red like the blood (corruption : 0)
Tactics Garodar will use his Domination in situations when he feels threatened, and will seek to flee in order to preserve his secrets rather than attack. If he is forced to defend himself, he will fight using a weapon in each hand.