Terrors of the Dark Coast

Before the dawn of man, strange and terrible creatures roamed the world, lords of air, land and sea. These beasts have long since been driven away, into extinction and oblivion. Yet now some of these races have been brought back from the depths of myth. The Queen of Stars has called these terrors back into Creation and set them loose upon her realms. Some prowl the skies, swooping down to prey upon any who stray away from cover, others lurk in the wilderness, while yet others have been bound or warped by eldritch magic and nigromancy. These are a few of them.

Pax Corax

The Duchy of Diemed used to be a prosperous area, rich on overland trade between Western Eria and the Skythian Empire. The many villages and farms that lay liberally strewn throughout the fertile, shallow river-valleys were by many seen as the rural ideal, and the cities and towns were wealthy and peaceful. The mines in the southern mountains, though not rich enough to attract the envy of the greater princes, still provided a healthy financial bedrock for the House of Diem. The silversmiths of Zalburg and Woll-am-Möwe were also widely renowned for the quality, if not beauty, of their work. Likewise, the University of Zalburg was acknowledged for it's achievements in the fields of natural philosophy and the liberal arts, and it had a Chair in the Cabal of Pure Thought for more than three hundred years.

Then, during the summer of YE 1022, the Red Death swept away all semblance of civilization, and tore asunder the Hegemony of Man over these lands. Mekelrad, the Lord of the Red Death, the terrible demon that brought the plague to Eria, was lured to Zalburg by the Thulist plague-herders. Here the Outsiders trapped the demon inside a blasphemous machine, using it's struggles to fuel a heinous experiment designed to burn a hole in Creation. While the demon was slain, and the Thulists driven out, the damage wrought on reality was so great that now a different law rules the region.

The deluge-like onslaught of the zombie plague was halted when Mekelrad was destroyed, but within what has become known as the Redlands, the restless dead still prowl hungrily. The Northern Alliance have built fortifications around the borders, and cavalry and cabals of magicians patrol them. Some of villages and towns that were deserted have been reclaimed, but in these walled communities, the living live in fear of the dead. Marauding packs of zombies roam across the once peaceful countryside, and many who have tried to return to their homes have vanished.

There are also other tales beginning to be told about the Redlands. Trolls, hobgoblins and other creatures from the dark depths of myth are said to have returned to the mortal world. The ravens are everywhere, and rumour has it that a great and ancient raven-king holds court somewhere in the deserted region. Where mortal nobles and rational thought once ruled, wizards, dark beasts, ghosts, zombies, and entities from the other side now do as they please. The Hegemony of Man does not extend to these lands.


Rumours:

1. The Raven King has a mighty magician as his servant.
2. Gypsies are seen travelling into the Redlands.
3. There are vast treasures hidden in the ruins inside the Redlands.
4. The zombies are controlled by a nigromancer.
5. If a corpse is lain outside for a hour after dawn, it's eyes will be eaten by ravens, and it's soul will not haunt the living.
6. A great troll has been seen in the hills.
7. A child born with a red birth-mark has been tainted by evil.
8. A terrible darkness lies buried in the ruins of Zalburg.

Nobilitas Adumbrae I

The city of Fork lies where the river Mist meets the Traen. It was amongst the first Diemedan cities to fall to the Red Death. Its population had little warning before the zombies were among them, and few who did not flee survived. In its heyday it was a prosperous centre of trade on the region's rivers. Over the last few months, Fork has been plundered and burned at least twice. As with the rest of the Redlands, the Hegemony of Man has been torn asunder, and here no mortal lord rules the land.

Today it has fallen under the Dominion of the Raven King, mostly due to Schensal, now Count of the Fork -- a crafty Hobgoblin of a certain renown. In local folklore, Schensal is known as a rude and greedy, but ultimately kind-hearted figure, often as not meeting out some sort of justice to the deserving. As far as anyone knows, this entity physically stepped onto Argos in the early Autumn of YE 1022, and he now holds a court involving both spirits, geists and other supernaturals. While he does not directly influence the city's slowly returning mortal society, he makes sure that those who dwell in his fiefdom pay him respect, and that he receives his cut of the profits being made.

Schensal
Rank 3 Preternatural

Attributes
Power 7
Finesse 6
Resistance 8

Willpower 15
Speed 28 (+5 species factor)
Defence 7
Size 6

Essence 20 (maximum)
Corpus 14

Influences
Misfortune 3, Fright 1


Numina*
Fearstruck, Greater Influence, Harrow, Hibernate, Materialize, Regenerate, Treshold

*(Power + Finesse vs. Presence + Composure + supernatural tolerance)

Ban
Unknown


[Picture source: Omar Rayyan]

OUT Corpse Soldiers

The Ordo Ultima Thule has had an interest in the Red Death almost since it arrived on the Erian shores, and the order's scientists have been working on ways to weaponize zombies for just as long. Dr. Hildebrun Möttelgrab, one of the leading inventors in the field of goethic medicine, was appointed as scientific commander of Operation Auferstehung's Tactical Developments Section, and her reports have so far been very uplifting. Despite several failed experiments, at least two types of Sonderkampfleiche (SdKpfLce), lit. Special Combat Corpse, have been developed to a state of combat deployment readiness. What follows are excerpts from Dr. Möttelgrab's reports to Deep Command.

SdKpfLce I-c (Leichensoldat)
"By injecting the subjects with Abytombtredyxaltid (ATT), a serum refined from extracts from the spinal fluids of the more potent of the natural specimens ("prowlers"), and infusing them with Ketholabyssalditraxid (KAD) throughout the incubation period, while exposing them to continuous enforced impressional therapy, the result is a vicious soldier who will attack without regard for personal safety. The advantageous secondary and tertiary effects are, respectively, short term collapse of enemy morale, and possible long term undermining of the enemy's civilization. They will not target friendly personnel."


Stat-block:
Intelligence 1, Wits 3, Resolve 1
Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 1
Presence 1, Manipulation 0, Composure 3


Brawl 2 (bite dice-pool 5)
Firearms 2 (rifle dice-pool 8)


Health 6
Size 5
Initiative 5
Defence 2
Speed 9

SdKpfLce III-b (Sturmleiche)
"Type III is constructed using the same serum as with Type I (ATT), but instead of thaumaceutical treatment, a psychoscoptic device (Obermas's neuro-syncophant Type 23) has been implanted in the subject's cranium, and wired to the cortex. Further enhancements include an optical implant connected to the weapon (machine-gun/grenade-launcher/flame-thrower) a short range vox-caster connected to the OT-23, as well as constant exposure to XT-107 (delivered through a standard V-XIV gas-mask). The subject is mounted on a modified Waldmeier 47 bipod. The result is a semi-autonomous weapon system -- an officer can issue simple orders (fire, cease fire, advance, retreat, right, left, etc.) via the vox-caster."


Stat-block:

Intelligence 1, Wits 2, Resolve 1

Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3

Presence 1, Manipulation 0, Composure 3

Firearms 3 (dice-pools MG 12 + auto; GT 8 + dmg 8/8; FT 10 + burn)

Health 8

Size 5

Initiative 5

Defence 2

Armour 4

Speed 19 (+10 equipment factor)

[Picture source: 1 Dead Snow; 2 Keith Thompson]

Plague Demons

Mekelrad

In the dawn of time, Mekelrad was a Bane Lord, a powerful spirit of the nether regions of the Umbra. After the Sundering, his realm was swallowed by the Abyss, and Mekelrad was drowned. Since then, he has appeared in legends a few times as the Lord of the Red Death.

Rank: 5
Attributes: Power 15, Finesse 12, Resistance 15
Willpower: 30
Essence: 36 (max 50)
Initiative: 27
Defence: 15
Speed: 37 (species factor 10)
Size:  12
Corpus: 27


Influence: Red Death 5
Numina: Blast (dice-pool 27 + Essence points, range 150 yds - Lethal); Consume the Tainted Soul (dice-pool 27, each success gives one Essence - destroys one zombie); Create Nerguldamoth (dice-pool 27, cost 5 Essence); Underworld Gate (dice-pool 27, opens portal to the Underworld for one scene, can be kept open by Essence).
Ban: Cannot actively harm a true believer.

Nerguldamoths
These spirits are conjured from the mass-graves of those who die nameless deaths during a plague. They appear as large humanoids composed of countless decaying corpses covered in lye, and will normally attack any living on sight. The attacks of a Nerguldamoth carries the infection of the plague that killed its corpses.

Rank: 3

Attributes: Power 8, Finesse 7, Resistance 9

Willpower: 17

Essence: 20 (max 20)

Initiative: 16

Defence: 8

Speed: 17 (species factor 2)

Size:  9

Corpus: 18

Influence: Plague 2

Numina: Abhorrent Stench (dice-pool 15, -Resolve, scene, target takes penalties on all actions); Puterfy (dice-pool 15 vs. hardness - all organic matter rots).

Ban: May not pass the Gauntlet unless through a portal.

[Picture source: 1 unknown; 2 LordNetsua]

Zombies!

The Red Death plagues Eria, spreading like wildfire across the western parts of the Enlightened Skythian Empire. It is a disease that attacks both the body and soul of its victims; the body will die, but the sick soul will not be able to leave the decaying corpse. The result is a walking corpse, all resemblance of its former self eaten away by the terrible plague. The victims are driven by a mad hunger for human flesh, and each bite carries the infection to another host. Those who succumb to the Red Death are called zombies. No known cure exists.


The Enlightened Alliance has kept an eye on the plague, and has so far managed to stop it from spreading into their lands. Most of the Syndicate's forecasters predict that unless the Red Death can somehow be stopped, it is only a matter of time before it gets out of control. In this case, they believe the Erian civilization will end within a year.


What follows are the two types of zombies identified and recorded by the Enlightened Alliance's doctors.


Shamblers
The majority of the infected become shamblers. These walking dead are devoid of all semblance of intelligence. They behave almost like a swarm of netherfish, converging in great numbers where there is food (i.e. living humans). It is not believed that they are capable of communication in any understandable fashion, rather that their infected souls have some way of sensing when another zombie has found a prey.


Stat-block
Intelligence 0, Wits 1, Resolve 1
Strength 2, Dexterity 1, Stamina 1
Presence 1, Manipulation 0, Composure 1


Brawl 1
Health 6
Size 5
Defence 1
Initiative 2


Prowlers
A few of the diseased turn into prowlers. As with their lesser kin, these undead have lost their personalities, but somehow (it is believed that these were particularly resourceful humans in life) they are more cunning than the lesser zombies. They seem to share the same connection as the shamblers, but they have been known to use more sophisticated techniques to get to their prey, e.g. chasing them into a dead-end or opening doors. One report also describes a particular prowler who seemed to lead a pack of shamblers from farm to farm.


Stat-block
Intelligence 1, Wits 2, Resolve 1
Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 1
Presence 1, Manipulation 0, Composure 2

Brawl 2

Health 6

Size 5
Defence 2

Initiative 4

The Red Death

Infection: Bite

Resistance: Damage - Stamina

If the target fails the resistance-roll, it will lose 1 Willpower point each (hour x Willpower). Once the Willpower is reduced to zero, the target dies, and becomes a zombie.

The following three posts also discuss the topic:

The Red Death
The Redlands

Historical References: Plague

[Picture source: Troll in the Corner]

Creature: Wyvern

In the Mythic Age, bronze bulls, trolls and other fantastic creatures lived in the hills and forests of Argos. As that age came to an end, and the Hegemony of Man bound the world in chains of reason, these beings died out, or were driven to the far reaches of the world. The wyvern is one such creature.


While magic still shaped the lives of man and beast, the dragon-like wyverns were feared by peasants and herdsmen. Swooping out of the sky to snatch sheep, and sometimes lone wanderers, they were featured in legends and tales. Many are the stories of brave heroes seeking out the wyvern's lair to slay the beast, often in revenge or to free the area of the monster's fearsome shadow. The last recorded Erian wyvern was slain by St. Eremis in YE 277.


Two centuries ago, a cabal of Hermetic wizards under Master Voartrix Aretmedes bani Flambeu, journeyed into the Wild and returned to the Order State with a precious cargo. Deep in the savage lands of the North, they had come across a hunt of wyverns. After they had killed the adults, they managed to locate the nest-cavern, and retrieved a number of eggs. Upon coming home, Master Aretmedes was able to secure the Towers funding for a project intended to hatch and domesticate the fledglings. This was to be a smashing success, and today the Ordo has a healthy stock of these flying creatures.


Large, ferocious and surprisingly loyal to its rider, the domesticated wyverns proved to be well suited as steeds, and there are currently several cabals of wyvern-riders in the service of the Ordo Hermetica. One of these, the Draconis Azuris, or Blue Dragons, operate from the fortress-ship Katedral, the flagship of Battlefleet Hermetica.

Sentinel, aka Guardian Angel

From The Saints of Eria, Unknown origin, YE 901

Thus writes Martlegar of Sternwall:


"In the days of King Othelgar, a terrible enemy came in great numbers across the sea. They slew many of the people who lived along the shores, and many more they carried away to slavery and doom. None could stand against these fiends, and a great number of knights were killed.


Thus it was that the noble king sent his finest knight, the Blessed Osberth, to deliver his people from their scourge. Many and great were his deeds already; his spurs he had won after having defended a village from an elvish attack.


Once the Blessed Osberth came to the shorelands he sought out the fiercest of the foes and challenged him to single combat. For a full day they fought before the enemy fell before the steel-clad knight. So awed were the enemies that they departed the lands and vanished into myth.


The Blessed Osberth himself suffered terrible wounds in the combat, and once the last of the fiends had left, he succumbed to his injuries. Such was the valour of the saintly knight that even in death he watches over the watches over the righteous."

There are three known reliquaries dedicated to St Osberth, these contain his sword, his left arm, and his head. The two former are in the possession of the Order of the Black Friars, the latter in the Scholae of Treviaro.


I have myself visited all these three and more. They are what Armatrix calls Fetters, or artefacts serving as a metaphysical anchor for outerworldy entities. There are presently one hundred and seven and fourty alleged angelic reliquaries in Western Eria.


The term angel is subject to some confusion and controversy amongst the learned, but the guardian angels of the saintly relics have been declared pure by the High Collegium of the Cabal of Pure Thought. Still, there are many who hold them to be akin to any Outsider, and thus that prayers offered to a saint are blasphemous in nature.


In my studies I have come to conclude that the angels of the saints are indeed from beyond the Veil, but that there is nothing corrupt or foul about them. These entities are aspects of the saints, and thus pure in nature and intent. In fact, of the five angels I have encountered, only one, the Angel of the Sword of St Osberth, was capable of communicating in any constructive manner outside the sentinel's simple challenge.


There is an established theory, as described by Theophrastus, that says that the saintly angels were once benign spirits, bound by the saint in life. Another common theory holds that the angels are the souls of the saints, protecting the living even after death. This theory can easily be refuted as an unabridged truth by the fact that no man has more than one soul, and thus no saint would have more than one angelic relic. Another theory again states that the angels are spirits drawn to the earthly remains of saints by the worship of believers.


I myself believe that all these theories are in part true. It is known that certain humans have such a great soul that they may remain attached to the mortal world even after their death. One such example is St Anivia. According to Iacomo de Cortona, the angelic form of the saint herself protected the Monastery of St Anivia of Mantellavia until its destruction in YE 266.


The angels of St Osberth are examples of the other two theories. The Angel of the Sword was in all likelihood bound by the saint in life, and continues to serve even after the death of the binder. The other two angels appear to be simpler in nature, and I believe them to be lesser spirits drawn to the reliquaries by the prayers of the believers.


It is a curious paradox that even Macharius condones the worship of saints and their angels, exempting these from the ban on all communion with Outsiders.
 

[picture source: Karen's Whimsy]