TIlt GAUNT MAN ReTURNSBy John Terra

This Evil Reborn

Roleplaying the Possibility Wars '"

The Gaunt Man Returns

john Ten.JDesign

Greg FushteyDevelopment and Editing

Clthleen HunterGraphics

P.Jul j.Jqu.JysCover U1ustr.Joon

jaime Lomb.JrdoiRon HillInterior Illustrations

Eric Luari.Jr\, Ellen Terr.J, Colleen Wnz.el,O.Jve Wetzel, Dry.Jn Villve.J1

Playtesting and Advice

Published by

RR 3 Box 2345Honesdale, PA 18431

20581

Publisher: OAniel Scott P.11ft' • AsscKiale PublisherITreasurer. Denise P.JI.ter • Associate PublisherISales Manager. RichMd H.JWRnEditors: Grtg Fushtey, Bill Smith, Ed St.Jrk • Art Director. Stephen Crane· Graphic Artists: C.Jthleen Hunter, john P.Ju) Lon.J

Sales Assistant: Bill Olmesdahl • Licensing Manager: Ron Seiden· Warehouse Manager: Ed Hill

""fIr IJttlonon. "'1*. hnIk KNh. Core E.uth. ee.n. COIftl~. Cyt-p.pKy.~~. Dr MobIus, c.unl MoIn,. Gcl5:po&. tiN" 01 t1w~. High Lord.Infini~. Ka...WfI. LJvingund. Maftftrom.~ Bridg... Nilor Emp',.... Nippon TedI. Occulted\. Onvrsh, r..n.. Ard'...y. ro.ibibty R,oiden. P<.ibility Storm.PoNibility W..",. R.lI"'.gon.. SCirSpner.-. Stonners. Storm Knights, TlIlIrl<old. Torg..nd tM Torg 'ogo ..,...tr;td......rbofWest End c.mes. ill. no and C 1992 West End c.mes.A1IRJghts~

...·..·""'2---------------------..

IntroductionIntroduction

IIreotionl destructionl ere·ationldestrudionlcreationldestruction ...

, The cycle continuedunfailingly, as it had for

the past two years, the maelstromhowling its fury in the Gaunt Man'slaboratory beneath lIlmound Keep.

The Gaunt Man himself struggledto hold his substance together despitethe force of the stonn. But no soonerdid he succeed in regaining his formthan a roar from the maelstrom torehim apart again. Just when it looked asif he was doomed to destnJction, hisbody would slowly reform until hewas wholeagain. Then the entirecyclewould begin anew.

Occasionally, the High Lord ofOrrorsh glared at the small red andbluesliverofeternity shard thatoneofthose damnable Storm Knights hadused to initiate the maelstrom. If hecould but outlast it, he would be free- free to resume his rightful place onthe throne of bones, free to lead hisrealm to new levels of power.

High Lord and shard both hungsuspended in the maelstrom, each at·tempting to subdue the other. TheCaunt Man furrowed his brow andhissed his fury at the shard. He felt anew determination not to let someoverglorified piece of rock get the bet·ter of him.

In yet another bid for aid, his mindsought out Heketon in its special ref·uge. The Darkness Device's thoughtsand emotionscame to the Caunt Man,but rather than offering help or ad­vice, the Device merely "sat back" likesome cruel father watching his sondrowning, curious to see if the childwould save himself or be overcome.Such was the only reaction Heketonhad evergiven the trapped High Lord.

His Device'sindifferenceand mali·cious curiosity drained the last of theGaunt Man's patience and fueled hisfury anew. With an awesome displayof willpower, he reached out for theshard, which hung but a few tantaliz·ing centimeters from his grasp. To the

High Lord's amazement, he found hecould actuaUy move his hand in thedirectionof the offendingobject, some­thing he had been unable to managefor two years. Could it be that theshard was ... weakening?

Bolstered by this modest success,the Gaunt Man tried again. Slowly,slowly his fingers closed theshortdis­tance, though to the Gaunt Man itseemed the void between cosms.Closer ... closer ... closer ...

A loud shriek of painful triumphelectrified the air as the Gaunt Mangrasped the sliverof the Heart ofCoy·ote. The shard immediately foughtback, releasing all of its Apeiros·granted energy into its enemy.

The Gaunt Man felt the shard'spower attempting to injure him fromwithin. Ignoring the pain, the Highlord began to literally choke the lifeout of thesliver. Possibilitiesbled fromthe stone at an even faster rate andwere hungrily devowed by theGauntMan, who grew stronger with each bitofenergyconsumed. As hegrew stron­ger, he drained more and more possi­bilities, while the shard grew weakerand weaker stiU.

FinaUy, the shard was defeated. Ina blinding flash of red and blue light,the maelstrom vanished, dropping theGaunt Man to the stone floor. He tooksomesatisfaetion from the fact that hehad landed on his feet, seeing it as agood omen for the future.

The sliver, now fully drained ofpossibilities, hit the floor with a dullthud. Now, it wasonlya useJesschunkofred and blueveined rock. TheGauntMan drew back his booted foot andkicked the offendingstone. It skitteredacross the lab floor and came to rest inthe ruins of the Gaunt Man's possibil·ity-sorting device.

Regaining his composure, hebrushed himselfoff, picked up hiscaneand surveyed his surroundings. Thechamber was littered with the debrisof his machine - much good that haddone him! Turning away from the ru·ins, the Gaunt Man's eye alighted on

his enchanted mirror, Wicked, hang·ing on the wall

Inhalingand relishing a deep breathof the fear-tainted air of Orrorsh, theGaunt Man walked around the cham·ber, taking inevery detail. Hestruggledto sort out the images and memorieshe had experienced during hisstrugglein the maelstrom. There was Kurst'sbetrayal, Kane's failwe, and thosedamnedStonn Knightsthathad lockedhim in that humiliating state for ...how long?

While in the maelstrom, time hadlost all meaning for the Gaunt Man.AU he could remember was whateverhis barely functioning five senses hadbeen able to tell him. The image ofThratchen gloating over his predica­ment was the most prominentmemory.

The Gaunt Man strode to Wicked,rasping "Show me the present,"" in avoice likedead leaves skitteringacrossthe floor of a crypt. Wicked shiftedand blurred and revealed Jakarta, In­donesia to its master. Using the powerderived from theshard, theGaunt Manextended his senses and looked aboutthe city. Focusing inon a newstand, heexamined the date on a paper's mast·head.

"Two years," hemuttered. "A blinkof an eye when compared to mylifespan, buta long time when one hasplans for this cosm." He turned hisback on Wicked and began to pace,letting the implications of his longabsence from the war sink in. Then hespun on his heel and shouted at themirror. "Show me Thratchen. thatdamned, pathetic, armor-plated gar·goyle!""

Obediently, the mirror presented apicture of Thratchen. The techno-de­mon was consorting with others of hiskind in a large city in North America.

'1'harkoldu? How can this be?" theGaunt Man wondered aloud. Then hisskeletal face grew dark with growingrealization and fury. 'Wicked! Showme the realms on Earth! NOW!"

For the next hour. a collage of im-

••3

Tors: The C<1\lnl M<1n Returns

ages played across the surface of theoccult artifact. Events and personali­ties flashed across the silver pane. TheGaunt Man hissed as he saw Uthorionrouted byStorm Knightsand the forcesof the Light and forced to take refugein the form of a dragon.

"My trusted lieutenant!" the GauntMan said. infusing the words withpoisonous contempt. "My incompetentlieutenant is more appropriate!"

The scene shifted again to show astunningly beautiful woman clad inebon armor leading a charge against

•• 4

Ardinay's armies. The Gaunt Manwatched closely, but said nothing.

Again, the mirror shimmered andthe Gaunt Man found himself eaves~dropping on a meeting of theCyberpapal College of Cardinals. Hecould hear their fearful whispers, theirworries that Malraux was losing sup­port both here and in Magna Verila.They were silenced when theCyberpope walked in, his flesh nowmixed with steel implants. The GauntMan smiled thinly, wondering if per·haps Malraux had been influenced by

Thratchen's "look."~ that pompous cleric begun to

emulate the techno-demons?" he saidaloud.

Assuming the question begged ananswer, Wicked obediently showedMalraux descending the maelstrombridge to Earth. The Gaunt Man sawhis ally being attacked by Dr. HaemMara~Two and becoming somethingentirely new - a Cyberpope.

IIAnd even with this incredible tech~

nology, he struggles to expand hisboundaries!" the Gaunt Man said,shaking his head.

The High Lord's frustration grewas he beheld hundreds of edemos ac~

tivelybattling Barok Kaat\.whilenatu~ral disasters of all sorts rocked theEastern Land. "Scaled idiot;' he mut~

tered in disgust. "Hecannot even con­trol his own pleasure-seeking reptilescum!"

Perhaps fearing to show the GauntMan any more failures, Wicked pre­sented an image of 3327 plotting fur­ther expansions in America. Inter­spersed with this were images of

ippon agents battling Orrorshanhorrors.

'Wealth-seeking, materialistic, un­cultured barbarian," the Gaunt Mansaid, dismissively. "I should haveknown better than to recuita glorifiedmerchant. II He added a silent promisethat the ippon High Lord would payfor daring to challenge the horrorrealm.

'Thratchen, Kanawa, Kaah. I amcraftingquitea list of people who mustneeds be ... disciplined."

Seemingly oblivious to the GauntMan's comment, Wicked continuedthe spectacle, showing Dr. Mobius'tremendous progress. Finally. theGaunt Man allowed himself to be im~

pressed. He even let out a ghoulishcackle as he reflected on the fact thatthe most successful High Lord wasalso arguably the most insane. Theirony was delicious.

Pressing Wicked for more informa­tion, he was treated to a display of theNile High Lord's major victories anddefeats. At one point, he cried, 'Wu·Han has reformed?lbat isaseachangethat shan't last long!"

Still, Wicked was not finished. Heshowed the Gaunt Mananother realm,one populated by handsome people

and odd beasts, all bea ring technologymore advanced than even Malraux's.TheGaunt Man'ssmile was a cold one- he knew of these AJcashans, but hadnot expected to see them on Earth.

"So Manwaring failed me," hesaid,making a mental note to punish thevampyre. "Very well, then. We shallsee how long these beings can standbefore the most powerful emotion inthe cosmverse: fear. And if their ma­chines live as weU, then they too canknow terror. To me, all fear tastes thesal1le."

Wicked moved on to show techno­demons wandering through a largecity. TheGaunt Man was perhaps mostsurprised by this sight - theTharkokdu had failed in their attemptto invade Earth. Or had they?

"Show me Kranod!" he com­manded. The High Lord of Orrorshdetested mysteries, unless he was theone who crafted them.

Wicked gave its master a briefglimpse of the rotting corpse of atechno-demon. Then it showed a hu­man woman, one adorned with thesame sort of equipment as Mara-Two,and she stood beside Malgest.

The Gaunt Man bellowed in evilmirth. "So that is what has happened!The fool failed in his invasion and losthis Darkness Device to that woman!Splendid! She will be far easier to con­trol - new to the power she nowwields. An alliance may be in order."

He eyed the image of Jezrael moreclosely. "Yes, and perhaps it is time Itook a mateonce more. One whois notso ... fragile."

In quick succession, Wickedshowed the current whereabouts ofthe Hellion Court members and theNightmares, fonowed by some of themore prominent Storm Knights whohad arisen in the past two years. Whenit was done, the Gaunt Man sat downon his throne, rested his head on hissteepled fingers and began to ponder.

Ahera few moments, he whispered,"Render Heketon unto me."

In the mirror's heart, there appeareda gaping maw lined with razor·sharpteeth. The Gaunt Man arose, reachedinto the mouth and emerged with theglowing black heart which was hisDarkness Device.

"So you saw fit to withhold youraid from me?"

The heart pulsed as if in answer."Yes, I realize that you could have

aUowed Thratchen to find you, but Iknow you too well, 'old friend.' De­spite his strength and his talent fortreachery, he is still not the stuff ofwhich a High Lord is made. In thefuture, you would do well to remem­ber who is your rightful master!"

The heart pulsed again in his hands."Changing the subject, are we? A

traitor? In my court?" The Gaunt Manappeared genuinely surprised."Wicked! Show me my false-heartedservant!"

The mirror obeyed, revealing animage of General Avery Wellingtonporing over some occult texts. "'n­deed. My 'honorable' courtier has de­cided to take advantage of my ... ab­sence in order to seize power for him·self? Wellington - gone from soldierto scholar? I would never have sus­pected! And here I thought that thecombination of the rigid, unimagina­tive Victorian mind and the repressiverestrictionsofmilitary life would keephim loyal to me. Thissituation mustbecorrected."

The Gaunt Man left the room, deepin thought. With his disappearance,much of what had dwelled in the Keephad wandered away. Many of therooms were ruined, courtesy ofThratchen's fruitless search forHeketon.

"This will not do," the Gaunt Mansaid to Heketon, gesturing all abouthim. "Repair. Replenish. Redesign."

Immediately, furniture began toreassemble itself, walls "healed" oftheir cracks and scars and floors be:­camelevelonce more. FormilesaroundlIImound, the dead rose from theirgraves and burial pits as numerousWaiting Village spirits entered theirbodies, altered them, and began toshuffle toward the Keep.

Reflecting on his setback at thehands of Kurst and Mara, the GauntMan wondered if perhaps IJImoundwas too easy to breach. At his mentalcommand, rooms shifted position andwalls appeared where none had beenbefore until he was well and truJysatisfied.

The one chamber which did notchange was that of Basjas, thearachnidan member of the HellionCourt. Entering. the Gaunt Man no-

Introduction

ticed dozens of human·shapedbundles of spider silk hanging fromthe ceiling. The High Lord was pleasedto see that Basjas, at least, was doingher part to spread fear.

"All hail the power of the Torg!"said a statuesque, beautiful woman asshe approached the High Lord. "Hewho has defeated the powerof Apeiresand now walks again to reclaim histhrone!"

"Eloquent as always, Basjas," theGaunt Man said with pleasure. "Dur­ing my ... inconvenience, 1was awareof your secret visits. I saw how youwished to help and your frustration atyour powerlessness. Your loyalty willbe rewarded, my dear."

'The only reward 1seek isthechanceto spill Thratchen's blood," she hissed.

"Once my plans have been com­pleLed, 1will allow you to begin yoursagainst that traitorous techno-demon:'he replied. "As well as have you payvisits to some of the more restlessNightmares, if only to remind themwhere true power in Orrorsh lies."

"Sconce and Maletretius have beenplotting toseizea largershareof powerin Orrorsh!" the woman said.

"Yes, yes, so Wicked has told me,"the Gaunt Man answered smoothly."Hence your visits. If they do not re­ceiveyou well, you may help them ontheir way to the Waiting Village."

Basjas' eyes gleamed with wickedanticipation. "I am ready to serve you,master ... inany way you desire," shewhispered, her fingers toying with thelaces on her flimsy gown.

"So I see," the High Lord replied."Prepare your plans of vengeance,Basjas. I shall inform you when to setthe wheels in motion." And he wasgone.

As he walked back to his labora­tory, the Lord of IIlmound Keepshookhis head. Why did his female allies,beings such as Sabathina and Basjas,feel compelled tomake romanticover­tures toward him?

"When have I ever shown any in­terest in such things?" he mutteredaloud as his footsteps echoed downthe halls of the Keep. "Even my wifenever felt my touch ... save for when Ikilled her," he added hastily.

After moving Wicked to his tearoom, he used it to make contact withParok, his ravagon lieutenant. His in·

~-------------------~5"'·-·

Tors: TM c.u"t M.." Returns

structions were simple: come tolllmound with a dozen of the DarkHunters, and tell no one.

While he awaited their arrival, an­other potential problem occurred to theGauntMan.StormKnightshadcheckedhimoncewithanetemityshard-some­thing must be done to prevent such athing from happening again. He walkedto his libraryand began paging throughponderous volurnesofoccult lore, seek·ing an answer.

'1 wish a defense against eternityshards," he intoned, reading from alarge book bound with human nesh.1 will create an occult talisman thatwill protect me from eternity shards. 1will use a piece of a shard tocreate thetalisman. J will research a ritual toenchant the shard which will createthe talisman. Thetalisman will protectme from shards for as long as I amwithin IlImound Keep."

The Gaunt Man paused in his re­search as Parok, warlord of theravagons, entered the library, bowinglow. Behind him, a dozen ravagonsknelt before the man they believed tobe the Sixth Prophet of their religion.

"My lord!" Parok hissed. "Wethought you were lost! This is indeeda joyous day! If you now desire that Idestroy Thratchen -"

'11u'atchen can wait," the HighLord answered. "Arise, faithful one,you and your kin. I knew your loyaltywould never waver."

"We live to serve, lord.""As it should be," the Gaunt Man

said, nodding withsatisfaction. "Now,Parok, heed me: I require stormersand Ords, dead oralive, it matters not.I require perhaps two dozen of each.

"Surely, many of my so-called al·lies havE;sent their agents to my realmto see if I had met with my demise.Seekout and fetch thesestormers.Takeyour victims from all areas ofOrrorsh.Tell J;l0 one who sent you, lest I con­sigryyou 10 eternal damnation, for Ishalldiscovera ny treachery. Now go!"

As the creatures bowed and de­parted, the Gaunt Man returned to hiswork, taking no nourishment save forthe possibilities that Heketon fed tohim.

The moon had passed through allof its phases when the Gaunt Manfinally emerged from the library.Clutching the scroll with its occult

ritual written in Stormer blood, thetriumphant High Lord strode into hislaboratory and began creating the tal­isman, using a small pieceof the HeartofCoyote as the main component. TheGaunt Man cackled with delight. Theobject which had made his life miser­able for the past two years would nowbecome his defenseagainst sucha thingever happening again!

A week later, the ravagons returned&omtheUgrisIy_bearingtwentydead Ords, twenty deadStorm Knights,and six liveones. TheGaunt Man neverleft his work, but instead ordered Parokto imprison thesix liveStorm Knights inthe dungeons, and to stack the deadbodies in the laboratory.

The remaining ravagons were or·dered to guard the Keep, fortheCauntMan did not require them to seek outmore Storm Knights. Many of therealms were sending groups of StormKnights into the Orrorshan realm toascertain the Gaunt Man's condition.Many of those Knights wound up atIllmound. No, the ravagons did notneed to ny anymore. Stormers, goodand evil,entered lUmound in searchofanswers. None ever left.

Finally, the talisman was complete.The neck chain was made of the fingerbones of dead Storm Knights. Theamulet which held the eternity shardwasa portion ofa human skull,carvedinto the shape of the Carredon's head,with the shard mounted in its mouth.With a nod of satisfaction, the GauntMan put on the necldace and placedhis cloak over it, so that it would behidden from the casual observer.

Leaving his lab, the Gaunt Man metParole. who bowed and said, "'Lord,how can we serve you now?"

The Gaunt Man raised his head andstared al the ceiling in thought. "Forthe nonce, nothing. I must name somenew ightmares to the Hellion Court,plus a staff for the Keep. However, Ineed one of your strongest people, atrue warrior, who you feel can obeyprecise orders and is not afraid to dieserving me. Someone whose strengthlies in his sinews, not his mental facul­ties:'

"lknowtheonetoserveyou,Lord!"Parok replied, grinning evilly as hethought of a particular ravagon whowished to supplant him but was beingrather circumspect in his plans. "May

I ask what he is to do?"The Gaunt Man grinned wide,

stretching thin the skinacross hisskel­etal face, his eyes glowing red withmalice. "I wish him to deliver an invi~

tation to a group of Storm Knights inJakarta. But he must do it in a particu­lar manner."

"An invitation to Storm Knights?"Parok's expression betrayed his sur·prise.

"Why, yes, Parok!" the Gaunt Mananswered sarcastically. "After all,those accursed stormers seem to haveso much success these days, I feel thatI should recruit some myself. Nowhearken, for here is what 1want yourravagon warrior to do ... "

As the Gaunt Man explained hisplan, the hallsof Illmound shook withthe evil laughter of both beings.

A High LordResurrected

The Caunt Mnn Returns isan adven­ture for Torg: Roleplaying TM Possibil­ity Wars. You must have the boxedgame to play this adventure, as well asthe Orrorsh sourcebook.

Adventures for Torg occur in theNear Now, where seven different re­alities and their High Lords have in·vaded Earth.The mightiestof the HighLords, and the instigator of the Possi­bility Warson Earth, is theGauntMan,ruler of a realm built on fear. Trappedin a maelstrom by Storm Knights (seethe Torg novel trilogy), the Gaunt Manis about to return to the fray.

WARNING:Thisadventurethruststhe Storm Knights into an extremelyperilous situation in perhaps the mostdangerous of realms. It is recom­mended for experienced players.

AdventureBackground

For most of the first two years of thePossibility Wars, the Gaunt Man hasbeen trapped in a maelstrom with aneternity shard, the Heart or Coyote.During that period, his body has beencontinually torn apart and reas­sembled by the power of the realitystorm. In his place, Thratchen, a

....·..·..,6---------------------~

Tharkold techrnxlemon, ruled thehorror realm, claiming that the GauntMan had business elsewhere and hadnamed him regent.

With the Gaunt Man gone and hisDarkness Device, Heketon,. missing.there were no further stelae created,thus the borders of the Orrorsh realmhave remained unchanged since theonset of the war.

SomemembersoftheHellionCourt,the Gaunt Man's inner circle of advi­sors and lieutenants, chafed at thislack of progress. One Court memberin particular was outraged at the per­ceived lack of an offensive plan: Gen­eral Avery Wellington, supreme rom­manderofall Victorian military forcesand, unbeknownst to his people, asecret ally of the Gaunl Man.

Being a military man, Wellingtonfelt thai it was imperative that Iherealm expand. He began questioningThratchen'sright toruleand, unawareof the Gaunt Man's true fate, the HighLord's wisdom in appointing the11larkokJdu regent.

In order to keep himself busy,Wellington organized military expe­ditions to map oul the Land Below,and also volunteered his men for vari­ous "extra-realm" duties such asguarding Victorianarchaeologicaldigsin the ile Empire. During one suchdig. a subordinate of Wellington'sfound an evil book, the Archivesof theDamned, and senl it to his general.Wellington read the book and foundanoccult ritual within its pages. Wheninvoked, the rite would kill thousandsand use their life energy 10 transformthe caster into a being oC great power.

Believing that he would be far moreadept at conquering this cosm thaneither the Gaunl Man or Thratchen,General Wellington began making thenecessary preparations to use theritual. The Nightmare Skutharka,along with his assistant, Mr.Ho, qui­etly backed Wellington's plans fordomination. Thus far, Skutharka isWellington's only aUy.

In the meantime, the Gaunt ManfinaUydefeated lheeternityshardand

Introduction

emerged from the maelstrom, turningto his cursed mirror to view eventsthat had transpired in his absence.When he learned of Wellington'S am·bitions, he summoned Parok, warlordof the ravagons and fanatic follower ofthe Gaunt Man. The High LDrd ofOrrorsh beganfonnulatinga planthalwouJd stop Wellington without re­vealing to all that he had returned.

The plan is simplicity itself: theGaunt Man "softened up'" the city ofJakarta with supernatural manifesta·lions and a series oC ravagon-eommit·ted kidnappings and murders, thenbegan reaching out to a likely groupoCStorm Knights through their dreams.

With the Knights on the trail of theravagon, the Gaunt Man then engi­neered events so that they would be­lieve he was slill trapped in the mael­strom. Presented with the means to"keep" him there, the Knightsare luredto LUmound Keep and a confrontationwith ultimate evil ...

I.

7

Torg; Tht' G..unt M..n Rdums

AdventureSynopsis

Act One begins with the StannKnights resting in a hotel in Jakarta.They have all had a series of baddreams. The morning paper details astring of brutal crimes that seem tohavesomeconnection with thedreams.

The Knights spend most of the restof the act chasing down leads, many ofwhich turn out to be red herrings. Theact ends with the Knights in a position

••8

to stop the next murder, and findingan unlikely ally in a ravagon. Thiscreature claims to be an enemy of theGaunt Man who wishes to see himstay in the maelstrom. He presents theKnights with an eternity shard andwarns them that they have only daysto get to IIImound and prevent theHigh Lord from emerging.

IIImound Keep is covered in ActTwo. The Knights wander through thegrounds and all of the levels ofIllmound, until they finally come faceto face with the Gaunt Man. The High

Lord explains that General Wellingtonhas turned traitor, and if the Knightsdo not stop him, thousands will die.He himself couldn't care less - hemerely wishes to see the Knights'mettle tested and Wellington de­stroyed. Should they refuse to help,the blood ofall the Indonesians will beon their hands. The Gaunt Man givesthe heroesa lead to Wellington's weak­nesS,a Victorian professor who is cur­rently involved in an archaeologicaldig in the Nile Empire.

In Act Three, the heroes go to theVictorian dig. They get embroiled in amurder mystery, then help in explor­ing an underground ruined temple,where a small eternity shard Lies. TheAct climaxes with an attack by pulpvillains.

The final act, Act Four, has theKnights returning to Orrorsh, and go­ing to New London to find more clues.After a trek through the jungle, theheroes pass the Fortress of the Deadon their way to Singapore to stop theritual.

The climax occurs in the labyrin­thian maze of the Bukit Timah NatureReserve, where Avery Wellingtonmust be chaUenged to a duel at sun­rise.

GamemasterPreparation

It is important to preserve the at­mosphere of Orrorsh in this adven­ture in order to keep it suspenseful.Each act has its own characteristicswhichshould beemphasized. The firstact is typical Torg, with lotsof peoplefrom other cosms, combat potential,and scattered clues.

ActTwoisa "dungeoncrawl" withsuspense building up as the party'sPerseverance is tom down, culminat­ing in the face to face meeting with theGaunt Man himself.

ActThreestartsoff in theOnorshanmystery style, and ends up in frenetic:Nile pulp action. The final act dropsbackintogloomyOrrorsh,endingwiththe ultimate showdown withWellington.

Gamemasters must remember thatthe Power of Fear permeates this en·tireadventure. Oneof the best ways tospread fear is to fosler ignorance, and

the best way to foster ignorance is bynever giving the players a completelystraight answer. Beevasive. Usetennslike "it seems," "it appears,""a num·ber ofthing9could have done this" or"it could be, or perhaps not."

Even an Idea card should not sim­ply blow the lid off a mystery. Let theIdea card give the players a minimalamount of information,enough to keepthem going.

As a rule, the players (and in tumtheir characters) will fear the thingsthey do not know about, more thanthey would a known menace. Build upparanoia. Everyone they meet, unlessthey have absolute proof that the per­son is a "good guy," should be por­trayed asa potential sourceofdanger.

Beforeplay, the gamemaster shouJdask the players to relate the followingthings about their characters: theirgreatest desire, their greatest fear, theirmost important goal ,and what makesthem angriest. Thegamemastershouldwrite these things down and file mostof the stuff away for future reference;the only thing you really need to knowabout is what their greatest fears are.The other questions are just a smokescreen. The fears come into play later.

A strong attempt has been made tocreate a non-linear adventure. Don't

herd theplayers intoa scene, but rathertantalize them with what might befound. This holds true especially forActsOneand Two. If the playersdon'twant to check out Soto Investments,for instance, don't force them.

Also, if the gamemaster feels thatit's in the players' best interests,scenessuch as the street~omercyberpriestor Soto Investments can be run in adifferent sequence than the one p~sented.Give the players their free will.

Above all, don't RUSH things. Theadventure is not meant to be run inone night's worth of gaming, withStonn Knights barrelling intoencoun­ters, weapons a·blazing. This is anOrrorshan adventure: patience, plan­ning, and information-gathering arethe orders of the day. Take time toroleplay and have fun. After all, evenStorm Knights need to take time tosleep, eat, and train in new skills.

This adventure is also a good wayfor a gamemaster to get rid of anypesky etemity shards the party mayhave accumulated in thecourseoftheiradventures. Drop subtle hints aboutthe storiesof how theGaunt Man cameto be trapped (or two years in a mael­strom caused by touching him with anetemity shard.

Introduction

Adventure TImingThere is no way to predict what

Storm Knights and the players whoportray them will do. There are justtoo many choices for the players tomake, too many options available tothem. Thus, it is almost impossible toset a time limit on this adventure,s~dfically: when will Avery Wellingtoninvoke the ritual?

Keep the idea of a time limit incheck until Act Four. Once the partyhas arrived in New London, or evenbetter, met the gypsies,drop hints thatthe ritual will be invoked "very soon."

A good. rule of thumb is, when theyreach the Fortress of the Dead (arrivalshould be slated as early evening),they have 36 hours to stop Avery.

A Word AboutCybernetics

All cybemetically-enhanced char·acters encountered do not have theirskill values modified by theircyberware. Skill values listed are basenumbers.

••9

Torg: 111" GfllInt Min Rriums

Act One

Messages in BloodThe Major Beat

The Storm Knights are at the HotelIndonesia in Jakarta for some rest andrelaxation after a mission (note thatJakarta is a Core Earth hard point).Their bad dreams and the morningpaper lead them intoa new adventure.They visit the police department, runinto some red herrings, try to stop amurder, and face down the murderer.AU of this puts them on the path tolIlmound Keep.

NOTE: Acts One and Two of thisadventure have a Perseverance diffi·culty of 27. The Knights begin with aPerseverance of eight. Acts One andTwoareinfluenced by the Gaunt Man,thus they are subject to his Persever­anceDN.

See Act Three for the PerseveranceON of the rest of the adventure.

Keep an eye on the Stonn Knight'sattitudes while they are inJakarta.Thegovernment has done a passable jobkeeping peaceand order.The last thingthe Indonesians will want is a groupofWesterners swaggering into the city,shootingupeverything.and announc­ing that they know best.

Remind the Knights that this is acivilized city, where the authoritiesdonot appreciate big shoot-outs andpropertydamage. Knights whoopenlyflash their weapons. bully the locals,and pick fights will be jailed overnightand pay a $1,000 fine.

SCENE ONE:Up on the WrongSide of the Bed

The SituationSt~dHd.. The Storm Knights are

meeting for breakfast in one of their

roomsin the Hote1Indonesia.Thenightbefore, each personhad thesamenight·mare. This was the fourth straightevening marred by this dream.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

It has been a long time since youembarked on a mission that could beaccurately described as "routine."This last one, running supplies andtop secret dispatches into the indo­nesian city of Jakarta, was relativelyfree from incident,. however.

The Indonesian government,brimming with gratitude but low onmoney, has pul you up for severaldays in the luxurious Hotel Indone­sia. This little break has given yourgroup the chance to rest,. relax, take abath,. and be waited on hand and footfor a while. In fad, yOUTstay could becalled Hparadise" ... if not for thedreams.

For the last four nights. iI has beenthe same dream, ~d all of you haveexperienced iI. It begins with yourgroup weaving through a labyrinthat night. A brillianl canopy of starshangs above you and mist and fogswirl everywht>re.Yourgroup reachesthe end of the maze, wht>re stands ahuge mountain of skulls. Atop thebones resls a huge, black manorhouse. Suddenly, you find that youcan see into the basement of thehouse, where people much like your­selves are imprisoned.

You enlerthe manor house to finda skeletal figure trapped in a red andblue whirlwind. In the blink of aneye, you and yow group are turnedinto the Hnks of an iron chain, bind­ing the skeletal figure, preventing itfrom breaking out of the storm. Theskeletal figure strains at the hero­bonds, his efforts 10 get oul causingthe manor to crumble all around you,exposing your battle 10 the slars.

The slars shift their positions.forming faces in the night sky, whichbegin weeping blood. A huge hour-

_.~.:-:------------------ ,...10 ....

Act One

glass manifests itself in the sky, butinste<ld of~d, it is filled with souls,trickling, scruming, into the lowerhall of the gb:ss. Eerie organ music,deep, ponderous and mournful, fillsthe night air. The final constellationpattern you notice is an open book.

At last, the emaciated skeletal fig­ure shatters the chain, sending yourgroup flying in all directions. Thefigure stands and raises ils arms intriumph. The celestial hourglass ex­plodes and a horde of winged crea­tures emerge and begin covering theEarth, feedingon itsinhabiimts. Thescreamsofa nce beingdevoured aliveintermingle with the organ music.

Six skeletons <lppear and bow be­fore the skelelal figure. Oneskeletoncarries a small m<lchine, perhaps acomputer, made from some dark sub­stance. Another wears a hood andcape. The third is not human, butedeinos. The fourth wields a swordand shield. The fifth isc1ad in leather,andhascybemeticenhancementsandlong h<lu like a wom<ln's. The sixth

is dressed as a clergyman, but sportscybernetic enhancements.

At last. Earth's dead rise and beginto adv<lnce on yourgroup. The weep­ing constellations save you fromthem, sweeping you up in their stel­lararms and lifting you into the heav·ens. As you rise, you notice onceagain the hourglass pattern in thesky.

Your rescue is short-lived, for theconstellations attempt to consumeyou. But as they have no true form,you pass through them and begin tofall to Earth.

As the ground rushes up to meetyou, a deep voice intones, -rhe nextblood will be shed where the firstblood fell. The hourglass will tell.Will you write an entry into the Ar­chives of the Damned?" Before yourimpact, you awaken, screaming, in acold sweat.

Exhaustion from your active past,as well as individual plans and agen­das have prevented your group fromall sitting down and discussing these

dreams <lnd what to do about them.This morning, you all agree to meetfor breakfastand talkthisover. Whenroom servicebrings breakfastup, theyalso bring the first newspaper youhave seen in a week.

After finishing the read-aloud, givethe players handout 1, the Jakarta FreePress.

As thecharaetersdiscuss thedream,have them generate a Perseverancetotal

The ActionOnce the Knights have read the

paper and have had a chance to dis­cuss the dream, they can go whereverthey wish. The time is IO:OOa.m.,localtime.

Areas of the hotel include: bar, res­taurant, health club, pool, front deskand lobby, and a mini-mall to pur­chasedothes, toiletries, luggage, smallelectronic appliances, liquor. The ho-

6~--------------------·_·~. 11

• JAKARTA FREE PRESS.December 7, 1992 Toduy's WeQthtT: Sunny, muggy, 80's. PM fog

FOURTH MURDER SHOCKS OFFICIALSJAKARTA - The mutilated body of a longshoreman was discovered in an alleyway by police last night, bringingto four the number of murder victims in as many days.

The body of Persis Romesh, 38, was found near the docks. Although police have refused to release details on themurder, sources close to the investigation have hinted that aU four murders are the work of the same killer.

Jakarta Police Chief Rashil Malaraya dismisses this speculation as unwarranted at this time, pointing out thatthere is no common thread linking the four victims. All were natives of the city, but there is no other apparentconnection. "Obviously, these murders are the work of very disturbed individuals, and at present, we are not rulingout the possibility that one man is responsible for these deaths," Malaraya said this morning. "Anyone who hasinformation on these murders is encouraged to come forward."

Malaraya denied that there was any link between these murders and the disappearance last month of six peoplefrom the rice fields northwest of the airport. Two of those missing were Jakartans, and the others foreigners. 'Thereisa great deal of difference between mutilated corpses and missing Storm Knights," he said. 'They may have beencalled away on a mission. We cannot compel them to keep us apprised of aU their movements."

"Storm Knight," of courSe, is the term applied to those individuals who seem most adept at dealing with thestrange events of the Possibility Wars. Malaraya refused to release any details on what the Knights were workingon when they vanished.

Sources confirmed that the bodies of all four murder victims are currently being stored at the police morgue,pending further investigation of the circumstances relating to their deaths.

Victorian Battleship Visits Jakarta

SOTO INVESTMENTS OPENS FOR BUSINESSJAKARTA - The latest skyscraper on the beautiful Jakartan skyline belongsto Soto Investments, a Japanese-based corporation.

'We are here to bring prosperity and recovery to the beleaguered, em­battled, but proud people of Jakarta," lsumo Mastumori. president of Sato'sIndonesia Division, announced at a press conference yesterday. "The free andhonorable people of Japan stand beside their Indonesian bretheren in theirstruggles against an outmoded form of other-world Western imperialism."

Soto InvesbTlents has pledged to help rebuild shattered companies that lostholdings to the Victorians, as well as searching out likely prospects for newinvestment ventures. 'We wish to show the world that Indonesia is makingevery attempt to rebuild, and that Japan stands behind her and every othernation that seeks economic recovery," Matsumori explained. "Also, we wishto bring back a senseof notmalcy to the livesof the people, hence ourefforts tokeep a flow of currency and trade coming into the city."

ONE MONTHANNIVERSARY OFDISAPPEARANCESSTILL YIELDS NO

CLUESJAKARTA - Despite public outcryand police efforts, there are still noclues in the disappearances of sixStorm Knights one month ago. Pub­lic officials have dismissed the caseas one more instance of "undisci·plined Vigilantes" acting withoutconsulting local government, anddo not suspect foul play.

However, eyewitnesses havecome forward claiming that"winged creatures" armed withswords swept down from the skiesand seized the victims. Police ChiefRashif Malaraya has rejected theseaccounts as "superstitious non·sense."

Police files in cities throughoutJava and Sumatra confirm that anumber of other kidnappings of asimilar nature occurred within twodaysof the ones in Jakarta. Noclueshave yet been found to explain theseevents.

Society NewsLady Ellenby's Charity Ball ­

see page 5

JAKARTA - Her Majesty's ShipThunder Child, the first Victoriandreadnaught to be built on Earth,docked at Jakarta Harbor yesterdaymoming, on the first legof a goodwilllour.

Captain Anton Salisbury, masterof the HMS Thunder Child, kept hisvaunted Victorian manners as hestated, 'Weareheretoshowthegoodpeopleoflndonesia that we have theirbestinterestsat heart. Wesimply wishto share the benefits of our Victorianculture, work ethic, and morality."

"Thereis little 'goodwill' betweenthe Victorians and the oppressed

peopleofIndonesia," stated Muham·med AI-Asil,spokesman for the Indo­nesian Uberation Movement, a politi·cal/military group that is activelyhostile to the Victorians. "And look atwhat that so-atlIed superior race con·siders to be state of the art! Why, asingle Indonesian guided missile de­stroyer could sink an entire squadronof their dreadnaughts before thoseold ships could lumber into gunneryrange!"

The vessel will bedockedatJakartafor five days, and is open to limitedtours.

tel has 16 floors, with the first twofloors taken upby theabovementionedareas. Floors 3·15 contain normalrooms (for a total of 195 rooms), the16th floor contains a luxurious suite.

The hotel front desk has a guestregister. Finding names and roomnumbers of guests who checked inbefore the Stann Knights requires a{iJ1d total of8. Looking up names with­out the desk clerk noticing requires astealth total of 10.

The following are the more inter·esting people stayingat the hotel, plustheir room numbers:

Usagi Hayakawa (16th fJoorsuite):Usagi is an executive of Soto Invest·ments, staying at the hotel until betterquarters can be secured. For body·guards, Usagi has four corporate ninja,which stay in room 1515 until needed.

Usagi HayakawaDEXTERITY 9Dodge 12, fire combat 11, meleeweapons 12, running 11, unarmedcombat 10STRENGTH 8TOUGHNESS 8PERCEPTION 9Evidence analysis 11, land vehicles11, language 11, trick 10MIND 10Business t4CHARISMA 10Persuasion 11SPIRIT 9Reality (Nippon Tech) 10Possibilities: 4Equipment: 13mm Chunyokai,

damage value 18, ammo 9, range 3­10/40/5O;MisakiXElaptopcomputer;Sony Talkman Scrambler; bank cardwith 10,000,000 yen balance.

Usagi is famWar with the layout ofthe Soto Investments building.

Corporate Ninja (8)DEXTERITY 16Acrobatics 14, fire combat 14, ma­neuver 14, martial arts (ninjutsu)18, melee weapons 14, missileweap­ons 15, stealth 18, unarmed combat

I'STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTIO 9Find 13, tracking 11, trick 11MIND9Test 12

CHARISMA 9Taunt 12SPIRlT 10Intimidation 14, reality (NipponTech) 12Possibilities: 10Note: Ninja know all maneuvers in

their disciplineEquipment: 13mm Chunyokai,

damage value 18, ammo 9, range 3­10/40/50; Niyoki camouflage suit;Sorubu dimbinggloves;shimsisword,damage value STR+5/14

Izumi Tarahachi (1212): Actually,just a normal Japanese SlJrarimlln, whois unawareof the existence of Kanawaor Rauru. He has cheated on his taxes,so he acts rather guilty.

Michelle Martin (1215): Michelle isan executive of God's Word Indus­tries, and a loyal member of theCyberchurch. The room adjacent tohers, 1213, contains two Hospitallerbodyguards.

Michelle Martin (Cyberpapacy)DEXTERITY 10Dodge 12, energy weapons 11. firecombat 12, maneuver 13, running13, unarmed combat 14STRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTION 9Find 11, language 12, scholar(Cyberpapal realm lore) 13, trick 12MIND 10Business 13, cybertech 13, psychol·ogy13CHARISMA 12Charm 15, persuasion 14, taunt 14SPIRIT 10Faith (Cyberpapal) 13, reality(Cyberpapacy) 12Possibilities: 6Equipment:Cyberware: NeuraCal,

EpiphaNeur, BelleMicroView, MBMindBoost, slicers, damage valueSTR+2/12; Cyber value: 12; GodMeeter, damage value 20, ammo 30,range 3-12/30/50; bug hunter,find+3for detecting electronic bugs; snappylooking blazer with HallowMesh wo­ven inside it, armor value TOU+5/15;notebook computer; bank. card with95.000 franc account;

Description: Michelle looks like aperfectly normal, well-dressed, at­tractive businesswoman. Shedoes noteven have a French accent.

Act One

Hospitallers (2)DEXTERITY 10Beast riding 12,dooge 12, fire com·bat 13, energy weapons 13, maneu·ver 12, melee weapons 13,unarmedcombat 13STRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTION 9Find 10, first aid 11, tracking 12MIND 9Test 11, willpower 12CHARISMA 9Persuasion 10, taunt 12SPIRIT 12Faith (Cyberpapacy) 17, focus 13(14 with crucifix), intimidation 15,reality (Cyberpapacy) 15Possibilities: 2 per Storm KnightEquipment: Cyberware: NeuraCal,

EpiphaNeur, CSI EyeKiIl MkTV, CSIHotShot ifind+2 bonus in poorly iiiconditions),CyberHam Receiver, TSELeMotion (find+3 when detectingmovement), Throat Mike, Homer, MBCharger 2 (DEX+l for 3 minutes), MBBlocker (ignore Kresults, reduce eachshock damage hit by three). Compte'sStabliza (+2 to defensive skills), Cybervalue: 19; GWI Armor of God, armorvalue TOU+8/17; God Meeter, dam·age value 20, ammo 30, range 3-12/30/50; MAS StonnCun w ICST SmartGun,damagevalue22,ammo 12, range3-16/50/70, +6 to hit; power broad­sword, damage value STR+8/18

Allen Morgan (704): A Spartanposing as a business executive, he ishere to study the current condition ofJakarta, plus rumors of the GauntMan's impending return.

Allen MorganDEXTERITY 10Acrobatics 11, dooge 12, fire com­bat 14, maneuver 12, melee weap­ons 13, running 13, stealth 14, un­armed combat 15STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 9PERCEPTION 10Evidence analysis 14, find 14, landvehicles 13, languages 14, scholar(US history) 15, tracking 14, trick 15M1ND9Test 13, willpower 14CHARISMA 9Charm 10, persuasion 13SPIRIT 9Intimidation 14, reality (Core Earth)

6....----------------~1_.~. 13

Torg: The C&\lnt Man RdumI

12Possibilities: 6Equipment: MAC 10, damage value

18, ammo 10, range 3-15/25/50; .45Colt Auto, damage value 16, ammo 7,range 3-10/15/40; Kevlar woven intoleather ;acket, armor value TOU+5/14; tourist paraphenaJia.

Sandra Goldstein (707); Sandra isamemberof Israel's Mossad. She is hereto shadow Morgan.

Sandra GoldsteinDEXTERITY 11Dodge 14, fire combat 14, maneu­ver 13, running 12, stealth 15, un­armed combat 15STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTION 10Evidence analysis 14, find 15, firstaid 12, land vehicles 13, language13, scholar (intelligence/ counter­intelligence methods) 15, tracking12, trick 13MIND 10Test 14, willpower 14CHARISMA 11Charm 14, persuasion 14, taunt 14SPIRIT 11Faith Qudaism) 14, intimidation 15,reality (Core Earth) 13Possibilities; 2Equipment: Uzi, damage value 17,

ammo 11, range 3-15/40/100; 9mmBeretta, damage value 15, ammo 9,range3-10/25/40; knife, damage valueSTR+3/12; bugs (6); bug receiver.

Description: Sandra is a beautifulwoman who also happens to be anexcellent spy. She is just as capable ofbeing a good friend and loyal ally asshe is of snapping someone's neck.Those who befriend her and help aregiven the former treatment.Thosewhostand in her way get the latter.

Anwar EI Hassan (802): Anwar isan officialof Mobius'government, hereona fact-finding tour. In the room nextto his, BOO, four veteran shockrrooperbodyguards stay.

Anwar EI HassanDEXTERITY 8Dodge 11, fire combat, lock picking12, maneuver 9, melee weapons 9,prestidigitation 12, running 12STRENGTH 8TOUGHNESS 8PERCEPTION 9

Egyptian religion 11, find 10, hiero­glyphics 11, language12,mathemat­ics 11,scholar(bureaucracy)11, trick12MIND 8Hypnotism 12CHARISMA 7Persuasion 10, taunt 11SPIRIT 8Faith (Egyptian) 12, reality (NileEmpire) 9Possibilities: 4Inclination: EvilEquipment: 9mm Luger, damage

value 15, ammo 8, range 3-10/25/40;camera, lockpick tools

Description: Anwar wears a whitesuit and a fez. He perspires heavily.

Veteran Shocktroopers (4)DEXTERITY 9Beast riding 11, fire combat 12,heavy weapons 12, unarmed com­ba.12STRENGTH 9Climbing 10TOUGHNESS 9PERCEPTION 7Find 9, first aid 9, tracking 9, trick 9MIND 7Survival 9, test 9, willpower 12CHARISMA 7Taunt 10SPIRIT 9Faith (Egyptian) 12, intimidation12, reality (Nile Empire) 10Possibilities: 1Indination: EvilEquipment: KK81, damage value

19, ammo 24, range 3-40/400/1k; twogrenades, damage value 19, explosiveburst radius0-3/8/15; bayonet,dam-'age value STR+4/13; field kit

JakartaMap 1 features Jakarta and all per­

tinent locations. In addition, there area number of locations not listed on themap which may be of some use to theKnights. The city can be portrayed asan excellent "rest stop" for SiormKnights who are adventuring in thePacific area, especially Orrorsh.

Jakarta hasseveral hospitals, whereaStorm Knightcan easily find a doctorto aid him. Consider a random doctorto have a met/iane skill value of 14.

There is a Hachiman Arms fran­chise store. Always guarded by four

heavily armed MarSee agents, thisstore has every weapon found in theTorg Rufebook,Nippon Techsourcebook,and Kanawa Personal Weappns Guide.Thestorealsocarriesammunitionandgrenades.

Mingling with the populace andgenerating a streetwist total of at least12 will get Ihe Knights connected tothe black market. Through the blackmarket, characters can purchase stan­dard items along with exotic thingslike spell components, armor, explo­sives, and other items found in thevarioussourcebooks(NOTE:Noitemsabove Tech 24 may be purchased).Prices are subject 10 a 20 percentmarkup.

There is a French cyberleggernamed Doctor DeVeaux who can re­pair and install cybernetic systems.He also sells data chips, cyberdecks,and other electronic equipment Hesells no weapons or armor. As a goodrule of thumb, DeVeaux has only sixchips at anyone time, and onecyberdeck. All of his items are sold ala 30 percent markup. His fee for in­stallingcybemetics is an additional 10percent of the systems' costs.

DeVeaux's operation is located inan abandoned warehouse adjacent toa Jakarta railyard. His base attitudetowards the Knights is neutral.

Dr.DeVeauxDEXTERITYUDodge 15, energy weapons 14, firecombat 14, stealth 15STRENGTH 8TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTION 12Cyberdeck operation IS, first aid14, forgery 15, land vehicles 14MIND 13Cybertech 16, medicine 16, psychol­ogy 16, science (computers) 15,streetwise 17CHARISMA 8Persuasion 12SPIRIT 11Intimidation 13, reality (Cyber­papacy) 15Possibilities: 4Equipment: Cyberware: J-Jack,

NeuraCal, Belle MicroView, BelleView 20-20, OATAS Snooper, PLPHypertouch,MBBlocker,FNJammer,damage value 23, ammo 7, range 3­40/100/150; ChipHolder 3. Cyber

_._.~-------------------........14W1W

Act One

FlagsIf a True Identity card is played,

Anwar EI Hassan recognizes a StormKnight as the perpetratorofsome pastheroic accomplishment. He will sendthe shocktroopers after the Knight inorder to capture or kill him at somepoint during this ad.

Key1. Bank of lndonesia2. Cathedral3. Central Post Office4. Central Telephone Office5. City HaJJ6. City Theater7. High Court8. Istigial Mosque9. Ministry of Agriculture

10. Ministry of Finance11. Ministry of Health12. Ministry of Internal

Affairs13. Ministry of Justice14. Ministry of Religious

Affairs15. Museum of Indonesian

Culture16. Office of the First Minister11. Parliament18. Pasar Senen (Monday

Market)19. Police Headquarters20. Presidential Palace21. Radio RepubJik Indonesia22. State Electricity Company23. State Palace24. Cyberpapal Embassy25. Soto Investments26. Thunder Child21. CemeteryA. First murder8. Second murderC. Third murderD. Fourth murder

A Mistaken Identity card will makeSandra Goldstein believe that the herois here to contact theSpartans. She willshadow the Knight in order to learnmore about him.

A Suspicion card played will makeMichelle Martin suspect that one ofthe Knights is a wanted heretic, andshe will send the Hospitallers afterhim, as well as notifying the Cyber­papal embassy in the city.

If the characters are trying to figureout the dream, an Idea card will revealthe following facts: the hourglass is arecurring theme, and symbolizes timerunning out.

ANTJOl

AIRPORT l,::::::::::::J

;: '....... ,,.;.~

-8

(II] The Gaunt Miln Returns: Map 1

~ Jakarta

value: 21; first aid kit; MediCo SlapPa tches; Neuralnc Bioscanner; MedicoLaser Scalpel; bug hunter; JriMeshjacket, armor value TOU+3/13; powerdagger,damagevalueSTR+5/13;darkglasses

Description: DeVeaux is a bald·headed man is his early 405. He fledFrance as a criminal, wanted for hisillegal storefront cyberlittingoperation.

••15

VariablesIf theStorm Knightsappearunwill­

ing to look into the murders, PoliceChief Malaraya will call them and askfor their help. He will ask that theycome to the station at once.

If the Storm Knights visit the Thun.­der Child, they will get a lour, and along-winded speech about the impor­tance of Victorian values from Cap­tain Salisbury. Despite his surname,he is not related to Lord BryonSalisbury. nor is he allied with theGaunt Man.

PerseveranceAwards

Award the Knights one Persever­ance point for discussing the dreams.

Cut To ...If theStorm Knights go to the police

station, cut to SceneTwo, "Verified byAutopsy." If they wish to wander thestreets of Jakarta for a time, cut toScenesThreeand / or Four. If theStormKnights wish to investigate the StormKnight disappearances, cut to "Vari­ables" on page 17. If they wish to in­vestigateSoto Industries, cut to SceneFour, "Unsound Investments."

SCENE TWO:Verified by

Autopsy

The SituationStandud. The Storm Knights go to

police headquarters to investigate thedeaths, and find some gruesome evi·dence.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

The witlk to police headquarters isbrief but hot. The streets Me crowdedwith ~ple,trying to keep life goingas normally as possible. Many facesbetray a feeling of unspoken dread.The humidity makes your clothes

•• 16

stick to your skin. The skin on theback of your neck crawls, but youdon't know if it's from the heat or afeeling that you are being watched.

At headquarters, the police areoverworked and harried, but theyappear to be trying their best to keepeveryone calm and orderly. It takesahout 20 minutes ofwaitingand talk·ing to various officers, but finallyyou manage to work your waythrough the crowds and to the deskofficer. Heushers you intoMalaraya'soffice.

Police Chief Rashif Mabraya is anoverweight, balding, sweating manwhose eyes show a keen intellect, anobservant eye, and a streak of com­passion.

The ActionAs police chief in Jakarta since the

Wars began, Malaraya has seen andheard it all. He has had countlesspeople, manyofthem foreigners, someof them allegedly Storm Knights, tellhim all mannerofstories. Somestorieshave been accurate, others have beenwild rumor.

He is somewhat jealous of theKnights' freedom to act, but realizesthat capturing the murderer stalkinghis city is more important than hispride. If he called the Knights, he willbe willing to help them - but if theKnights came to police headquartersof their own accord, they will have topersuade him to get to seethe bodies orany significant information. A yes re­sult is necessary to gain access to themorgue.

If Malaraya agrees to speak to theKnights, he tells them the follOWing:

• The murders have been committedover the last four nights. Each victimwas found several hours after the act.None of the four victims had anythingin common. Each murder was com­mitted between the hours of one andthree in the morning. There were nowitnesses. If the Knights wish to seethe bodies, they may.

• Malaraya does not believe there isany connection between these killingsand the disappearance of six StormKnights from a rice field northwest ofthe airport one month ago. However,

if the Knights are dead set on investi­gating this, he will haveoneof his menshow them the site.

Malaraya has a city map showingthe locations of the bodies. The mur­der locations are:

First murder - in an alley nearKota Station.

Second murder- next to the Uni­versity of Indonesia.

Third murder- between the PressClub and the Hotellndonesia.

Fourth murder- in the fields nearthe north end of the longest airportrunway.

An evidence QlUllysis or Puceptiontotal of 10 reveals that the murder sitesform the shape of an hourglass.

A Mind total of 11 will reveal thatthe dream line, "'Next blood shedwhere first blood fell," refers to thefact that tonighYs murder will occuratthe same site as the first one, KotaStation. Malaraya will refuse to be­lieve evidence based on a dream.

Rashif Malaraya - JakartaPolice Chief

DEXTERITY 10Dodge 12, fire combat 14, land ve­hicles 13, melee weapons 12, un­armed combat 14STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 9PERCEPTION 10Evidence analysis 12, find 11, lan­guage 12, scholar (Indonesian law),.MIND12Test 15, willpower 16CHARISMA 9Persuasion 12, taunt 12SPIRIT 8Faith (Islam) 9, intimidation 12,Possibilities: noneEquipment: 9mm Beretta, damage

value IS, ammo 9, range 3--10/25/40;handcuffs

Description: Rashif is a normally ajovial fellow. These days, he's a bitgrim, for he can't stand to see his fel­low countrymen suffer. He's a dedi­cated, loyal, honest cop.

The MorgueThe police station morgue is chilly

and reeks of death. The bodies lie onconcrete slabs. They range in age from

Act One

early 205 to early 405. Three are men,one a woman.

When the Knights view the bodies,subtracta Perseverance point and havethem make a Perseverance check.

Afind or Perception total 0(90n anyoneof the bodies will reveal what lookto be scratches. An evidence analysistotal of 10 will ,eveal that all of the~oundswere made by talons. A Supe­nor success on this check reveals thatthe wounds were most likely causedby a ravagon.

The coroner's reports for aU fourvictims are identical. All suffered thesame wounds, and in the same order:

Gall bladder removedAbdomen slashedUlna fracturedNose brokenTrachea laceratedMandible fracturedAorta puncturedNeck broken

A Perception total of 11 reveals thatthe list of wounds spells out "Gaunt

Man." If the Knights figure this out,subtract a Perseverance pointand havethem make another Perseverancecheck.

Personal Effects~ly~nevictimhadanythingworth

mentlonmg. One of the men, AntonioPerez, a man in his early 40's, had acrucifix inscribed with circuitry, nowtwisted intoscrapmetal. Anyone fromthe Cyberpa.pacy will recognize it assuch. An evIdence analysis total of 10will show that the crucifix was bent bya single clawed hand.

If the Knights ask Malaraya aboutthis, he will mention that there hasbeen a great deal of street preachingby ~ Cyberpapist of late. Although hedlshkescyberpriests, the man has bro­ken no laws and socannot bearrested.It's possible that Perez wasoneof theirconverts.

FlagsA Connection card means Malaraya

knows one of the Knights and will beas ~perativeas the Knights require,s~oppmgshort at breaking the law orgIVing the Knights policemen as extramuscle.

A Personal Stake card played meansthe hero knew one of the victims, andis now intent on finding the killer.

A Suspicion card played indicatesthat Malaraya considers a Knight to besomehow involved with the murders.This person will be treated coolly,asked probing questions, and eventu­ally will be tailed by three policemen.

An Idea card will reveal that thedream line, II ext blcwxl shed wherefirst blcwxl feU" refers to the fact thattonight's murder will occur in thesameplace as the first one, Kota Station.

.,. n

17

: .,~ The Gaunt Man Retu 2

Cyberpapal Embas~.Key

1. Chapel2. Security stations3. Atrium

, 4. Meeting rooms. Chief priest's office

~ r- 6. Cafeteria ,...,@ 7. Computer room

IJI 8. Hospitaller rooms.. (DA 9. Inquisitor rooms~ 10. Cyberpreist rooms

• I' 11. Jazuit rooms

® ® 0 12. Cybemun rooms

I IC!)!C!)13. Motor pool

• .. Camera

" ~ (DB 1"- .., • Hardpoint

• (Dc<D @ /& @- 0@ ~@@ (D-- ..::..

/@@ @

'", 1# ~

"- .',

VariablesIf the Knights wish to investigate

the rice fields. siteoE the Storm Knightdisappearances. a policeman willguide them there. A find or Perapliontotal of 12 will reveal a piece of cardhalf·buried in the ground. It reads."1 :OOa.m., Dec.S, Kota, Zyl w / shard.'"

PerseveranceAwards

AwardtheKrughlslwO~

points for seeing the bodies, two forfiguring out the Gaunt Man acrostic,and one for determining that a ravagoncommitted the murders.

Cut To ...If the Knights wish to investigate

the connection between the victimsand thecyberpriest,rut to SceneThree.If they wish to investigate Solo Invest·ments, cut to Scene Four. If they wishto wait until evening and travel toKota Railway Station to wait for themurderer, cut to Scene Five.

SCENE THREE:The Sermon on the

Street

The SituationStandard. The Knights come upon

a crowd listening to a cyberpriestpreaching about how faith in theCyberpope is the only way to defendoneself against the sunounding hor­rors. A pair of HospitalJers is the way

the priest defends himself from un­rulycity folkand trigger·happyStormKnights.

Read aloud or paraphrase:As you walk back out into the hot

muggy city, you areonce again 108t inthe throng of humanity. Eventually,you come upon a group of peoplelistening with interest to a streetpreacher. Thehenily-accented voiceis speaks fint in French. then in van·OU8 loc.a.l tongues, then again in En­glish. Youannotseethespeuerfromyour cu.rrent vanuge point,. thoughhis voice seems louder than (h,d of anormal man. He is standing in frontof the Cyberpapal Embassy.

Wait for the Knights to dose in, ifthey wish to. If they do, continue read­ing:

Pushing your W<1y through thecrowd as politely as possible, you seethe center of everyone's attention. Aman dres5ed in clerin.1 vestments butwith an obvious cybernetic eye and acybernetic arm, is preaching to the

......=--------------------........18 .,..,

crowd.Flanking him, arms folded across

their chests, clad in full armor, are apair of guards, both women. Theyhave huge swords strapped to theirbacks. A huge red cross emblazonseach chest plate. The guards surveythe crowd with care, ever vigilant forsigns of trouble. The man talks on.

"Brothers and sisters, this is thetime for increased vigilance! Thepowers of darkness surround you,aye, the very forces of Hell are at ourgates! And what can protectyou1TheSaceHum1 A white man's religionbuilt on the broken backs of the ex­ploited non·white races1 Never! Theold, crumbling, dusty religions of thepast? Never!

"All of those religions are builtaround human beings, and since hu·mans are imperfect, so are their reB·gionl We who follow the true Shep­herd, Jean Malraux I, the Cyberpope,follow one who has purged his bodyof weak, imperfect, sinful flesh, andhas submitted to the pure metalliccommunion of God!

"A cyber-enhanced faith is a faithpurge'Yclean of human weakness,for with the cybernetic gift of God,ow sinful natwes are controlled, andwe become purel And the forces ofHell cannot prevail against purityl

"Join with the CyberChurchl Feelourwarmth, our Jove, our protection,our unconditional acceptance! We area large family, and we wish for you tojoin us!"

It does appear that some in thecrowd are being swayed by thepreacher's words.

The ActionThe Knights need not to do any·

thing here. But there is some informa·tion to be gained from the cyberpriestand theCodNet terminal inside, and itis quite likely that the Knights willwant to intervene here just on generalprinciples. Letthemlingerin this sceneto their heart's content - they willeventually get back to the main ad­venture.

The rally will continue for anotherhalfhour, as the preachergets wannedup and begins to go into a detailedaccount of the tenets of the cyberfaith.

A persuasion value should be madefor the cyberpriest's speech. A nega­tive or Minimal result means no oneconverts. Beyond that, one fourth ofthe crowd converts for every level ofsuccess achieved. Thus, a Spectacularsuccess converts everyone. There are100 people in the crowd, not countingthe Storm Knights. The difficulty ofthe persuasion attempt is 12. Thecrowd's base attitude is neutral.

The Storm Knights may attempt tomuscle their way to the front and givea counter·speech, using persuasion. Ifthe storyteller insults either thecyberpriest or religions in general, thedifficulty of their persuasion attempton the crowd increases to 15.

A Good level of success will negatethe cyberpriest's speech - the crowdwill walk away from the cyberpriestand he and his guards will slink offangrily.

A Superior success makes the crowdhiss at thecyberpreacher, then quicklydisperse. The Cyberpapists are nowenraged at the Storm Knights, andbefore this act is over, they will attackthem in force.

A Spectacular success will cause thecrowd to laugh thecyberpriest and hiscohorts out of this part of town, andgive the cyberpriest such a crisis offaith that he will be unable to preachfor a week.

The Knights only get one chance tomake a speech.

If the Knights simply wish to talk tothe cyberpriest about the crushed cru­cifix, they can wait until the sermon isover and approach the Hospitallerswith it. They will convey the messageto the priest, who will invite them intothe chapel to discuss it. He will con­firm that Perez was a new member ofthe church, and vow that the Cyber­church will pay all the costs of hisburial. He cannot provide any infor­mation regarding the murders.

The ChurchMap 2 details the Cyberpapal em­

bassy/ chapel in Jakarta. All externaldoors have electronic locks - a sdenc£(electronics> total of 15 is needed. to pickthese locks. Failing to unlock a door onthe first try sets off a silent alarm at thesecurity station.

Act One

All computer terminals have retinascanners to prevent unauthorized. us­age.

Total complement of the building isfour cyberpriests, two cybernuns, tenHospitallers, two Jazuits, and two In­quisitors.

1. Chapel: Seats 100 people. Thechapel contains an altar and a cyber­netic crucifix. There are six cyber slaveterminals for VX worship and confes­sion. Onecyberpriest is always on dutyhere. TheChapel isopen between6a.m.and 10 p.m.

2. Security stations: Each is manned.by two HospitaUers. 2A watches themotorpool, 2B watches the chapel andbedrooms, and 2C watches the rest ofthe complex. There isa computertermi­nal in each station, video screens for thecameras, plus alarm switches

3. Atrium: This is a nicely appointed,airy place with beautiful trees and flow­ers growing in planters. HoloVids ofBiblical locations and stories show onthe southern wall.

4. Meeting Room: Contains a longtable, a dozen chairs, and a computerterminal.

S. Fra Daniel's Office: A huge steeland chromedeskdominatesFra Daniel'sroom. He hasa Wrath I cyberdeck,com­puter terminal, an alarm button, and aGodLight stored in the desk (locked,lock picking difficulty 13).

6. Cafeteria7. Computer Room: A huge cyber­

netic crucifix dominates the upper leftcarnerof the room. This is a Cyberpapalhardpoint ITQU 10). It has a weightvalue of5 and a Spirit value of 6, thus itprojects a Cyberpapal pure zone of sixmeters, and a dominant zone an addi­tional34 meters.

The rest of the room contains threeWrath Icyberdecks, thecomputermain~frame, and four terminals.

Fetching information from the com­putermainframeisa four step DramaticSkill Resolution using the science (com­puters) skill. StepA is breaking the initialpasscodes. Step Bis getting to the rightmenu. StepC is breaking into the carrectfiles. Step 0 is the retrieval of the infor­mation. Difficulty for each step is 16

Failureat any point activates a build­ing-wide alarm and increases furthercomputer difficulties to 20. If the alarmis left on for 30 seconds, the computerautomatically purges all data.

••19

Tors: The Gaunt Man Return.

Data includes the exactcomplementof the installation.. a list of known her­etics in thearea, anorder from Malrauxhimself for the staff to report any ru­mors of the Gaunt Man's return di­rectly to rum, plus a roster of converts.Antonio Perez is on this list. There isalso some mention of plans for anexpansion of the realm into New En­gland.

Fra Daniel VemuilleDEXTERITY 9Dodge 11, fire combat 11, meleeweapons 12STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 9PERCEPTION 11Cyberdeck ops 14, find 13, scholar(Avignon Doctrine) 11, trick 12MINDIOScience (computers) 12, test 12CHARlSMA 11Charm 15, persuasion 14, taunt 14SPIRIT 12Faith (Cyberpapacy) 17, focus 14

(16 with crucifix), intimidation 14,reality (Cybe'l"paey) 15Possibilities: 15EquipmentCyberware:NeuraCat

EpiphaNeur, BelleView 20-20 (+2 toPercqJtion skills based on sight), CSILEOs, Cyber-Ham Receiver, TSELeMotion (find+3 for detecting move-­ment), Throat Mike, Homer, DATASBoomer, MB Charger 2 (DEX+1 for 3mins), ChipHolder 3 Cyber value: 16.HaUoMesh, armor TOU+5/14; GodMeeter, damage value 20, ammo 30,range3-12/30/50;powerdagger,dam·age value STR+5/14; crucifix.

Hospitallers (10)DEXTERITY 10Beast riding 12, dodge 12, fire com­bat 13, energy weapons 13, maneu­ver 12, melee weapons 13, unarmedcombat 13STRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTION 9Find 10, first aid 11, track 12

MIND9Test 11, wiUpower 12CHARISMA 9Persuasion 10, taunt 12SPIRIT 12Faith (Cyberpapacy) 17, focus 13(14 with crucifix), intimidation 15,Possibility Potential: some (18)Equipment:Cyberware: NeuraCal,

EpiphaNeur, CSI EyeKill MkIV, CSIHotShot <find+2 in poorly lit condi­tions), CyberHam Receiver, TSELeMotion (find+3 for detecting move­ment), Throat Mike, Homer, MBCharger 2 (DEX+l for 3 mins), MBBlocker (ignore Kresults, reduce eachshock damage hit by three), Compte'sStabliza (+2 to defensive skills), Cybervalue: 19; GWI Armor of God, armorvalue TOU+8/17; Cod Meeter, dam­age value 20, ammo 30, range 3-12/30/50; MASStonnCun w ICSI SmartGun,damagevalue22,ammo 12, range3-16/50/70, +6 to hit). power broad­sword, damage value STR+8/18

J acking In

The embassy construct has a TOUGHNESS IS MIND 13Good security level. Its VX image PERCEPTION 16 Test 14, willpower 14is a glowing monastery. MIND 14 CHARISMA 11

Thecomputer also has a satel- CHARISMA 13 Persuasion 12, taunt 15lite uplink to the GodNet. Any· SPIRIT 16 SPIRIT 13one jacking in gets the VX sensa- Net Values: net attack (me- Faith 15, focus 14, intimida-tion of rising up into the clouds, lee) 13, net defense 13, net find tion 14seeing a glowing city of gold in 16, net stealth 16, net manipula- Net Values: net attack (me-the sky. This is the VX imafe of tion 16, net track 1 lee) 16, net defense 16, net findFirmament, the Cyberpapa sat- ResponselProcessorlStorage: 14, net stealth 16, net manipula-ellite. 0/12115 tion 14, net track 15

Cell 1: Welcomes the decker Programs:Onslaught5(4), Ar- ResponselProcessorlStorage:to the Jakarta Embassy of the mor 4(3), Scramble 3(2), Trace 2/5/7Cybe'l"paey. 2(2), C"b 2(2), Deck Wipe 1(2) Programs: Attack 2(2), De-

Cell 2: Resembles a great ca- Cell 4: This room appears to fense 2(2),Scoo 1(1),Shroud 1(1),thedral. This is where the faith- be done up like the Roman cata- Evade HI}ful deckers can conduct VX wor- combs. A wall of crossed bones Cell 5: The cote.ship. is a seal for the door to the Core Cell 6: This contains aU the

Cell 3: This room appears to Cell. data for the embassy. It containsbe the interior of a stone watch The guardian (G2) is: the same information as can betower. Each wall hasa cross, three Demon found by just trying to crack theof which are seals concealing DEXTERITY 13 computer codes in the computerdoors. Dodge 14, melee 14,stealth 14 room.

The guardian (Gl) is: STRENGTH IS Once at Firmament, the

Knight of God TOUGHNESS 16 decker is re--routed Earthward

DEXTERITY 13 PERCEPTION U to Avignon.

STRENGTH l' Tracking 13, trick 13

_.~.:::------------------........20 'w-'

Inquisitors (2)DEXTERITY 8Dodge 10, energy weapons 10, me­lee weapons 10, stealth 12,unarmedcombat 10STRENGTH 8TDUGHNESS9PERCEPTION 11Cyberdeck operation 12, evidenceanalysis 15, find 12, scholar(Avignon Doctrine) 14, trick 12MIND toTest 12, willpower 14CHARISMA 8Charm 11, persuasion 11, taunt 11SPIRIT 12FaHh (Cybe'l"pa<y> 15, focus "(16 with crucifix), intimidation 16Possibility Potential: some (21)Equipment:Cybernrare: NeuraCal,

EpiphaNeur, BelleView 20-20 (+2 toPerception skills based on sight), CSILEOs, CSI LtFilta (flash protection),FFOColEnhanz (find+2 in weU·litoon·ditions), DATAS Snooper (+2 bonusfor normal frequency hearing),CyberHam Receiver, 1'5E LeMotion

(find+3 for detecting movement),Throat Mike, Homer. Cybervalue: 15;GWI HalloMesh, armor valueroU+5/14; GWI GodLight housed in staff,damage value 24, ammo SO, range J.­10/25/40; electroprod in staff, dam·age value 16

Any Knights captured by theCyberpapists will be interrogated bythe Inquisitors.

JazuitsDEXTERITY 10Dodge 12, fire combat 12, unarmedcombat 13STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 8PERCEPTION 10Evidence analysis 12, find 12, Ian·guage 12, scholar (religion) 12, trick12MINUtOTest 12, will power 13CHARISMA 9Charm 10, persuasion 16, taunt IISPIRIT 13Faith (Cyberpapaey) 17, focus 14,

Act One

reality (Cybe.-papa<y> "Possibilities: 5Equipment:Cyberware: NeuraCa1,

EpiphaNeur, slashers, damage valueSTR+6/15, Kreelar tendons, Cybervalue: 10; HalloMesh, armor valueTOU+5/13; God Meeter, damagevalue 20, ammo 30, range 3-12/30/50

FlagsAn Alertness card played while in

the crowd will enable the Knight tooverhear several people talking aboutthe wisdom of getting extra holy pro­tection, considering the odd shadowsseen in the Portuguese Cemetery sev·eral nights ago.

If the Knights ask the people fordetails, they are told that there havebeen odd winged shadows flittingabout the graveyard at night, some­times accompanied by tiny pinpointsof red or white light.

Ifthe cyberpriest survives this sceneand is upstaged by a Storm Knight

The Gaunt Man Returns: Map 3Cyberpapal Embassy Construct

o

ToFirm.llmenl

oSa_

I.

21

The Situation

Variables

SCENE FOUR:Unsound

Investments

Standard. A new office bUildingowned by Solo investments is openfor business. The Storm Knights passit either on their way toor from policeheadquarters.

Storm Knights investigating thebuilding discover that it is a red her·ring, though there is a Rauru Block

Second Floor

9. Walkway.10. Cafeteria.11. Kitchen.12. Security:Therearealways eight

MarSeeagents posted here. This roomhas computer terminals, alarm, door,and elevator controls and overrides,plus a locked (difficulty 15) cabinetwith ammunition.

13. Computer Room: Containsmainframe, modems (for connectionwith Japan), terminals, printers.

Characters who generate a science(computers) total of 22 can crack thepasswords and codes in order to getinformation from the mainframe. Ifthe Knight fails to break in, an alarmwill sound.

Available data includes:- 3327's directive that information

on the Gaunt Man's return is a highpriority. A huge cash bonus ($500,000US dollars) is being offered;

- the full personnel roster of thebuilding;

- a directive from 3327 that ordersSoto investments to handle stock forKarkthusa, Inc., Singapore;

or manning the ticket booth at theentrancelexit.

Finl Floor

1. Atrium: A beautiful, airy place,with lots ofsunlight pouring in. Thereare curving stairways heading up.

Near the front doors is a securitydesk. always manned by two MarSeeagents.

2. Restrooms3. Maintenance4. Elentor Maintenance: Has cit·

cuit breakers and controls for eleva·tors and telephones. Characters withsdence(eltctronics)canoverrideorshutdown any elevator or phone systemby generating a total of 16.lt takes 10minutes per attempt.

5. Supplies6. Gallery: Walk·through areas with

Japanese art.7. Phones, etc.: Contains banks of

pay phones, FAX machines, and cour­tesy phones.

8. Elevators and Stam: Note thatthese elevators and stairs only go tothe 19th floor. They also give access tothe underground garage.

member here that can become an allyin the future. See Map *4 for thelayout of the building.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

Walking down the hot streets ofJakarta, making your way throUghthe crowds, you see a beautiful new2ktoryoffice buildingmadeofglassand steel. Workmen are putting thefinishing touches on the logo sign,"Soto Investments:' An attractivefountain done in a distinctive Japa·nese motif, with chrysanthemumsand lotus blossoms, sets up a sprayofcool, refreshing water.

A business total of 6, or a scholar(Nippon rtQlm 'em) of 8 infonns theKnights that Soto Investments is aKanawa subsidiary.

The ActionThe Knights are free to ignore this

place- again, it is a red herring - orthey may attempt entry. Concealedexternal security cameras (find total of15 to spot them) will show buildingsecurity if anyone is staking out thebuilding.

The BuildingExternal locks have a lock picking

difficulty of 16. Internal door lockshave a difficulty of 15. MarSee agentsprovide security, patrolling in stan­dard security guard blazers dUringnormaIbusiness hours, and in full gearafter hours. Normal business hoursare 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Alldoorshavealarms, whichsoundif the lock picking attempt fails, or if tHedoor is forced open. Detecting thealann requires a find total of 15. Deac­tivating it requires a science (eudron­ics) of15.

A huge, beautiful steel sculpture(TOU 25) stands in the middle of theground floor. It is a hardpoint with aweight value of 14 and a Spirit Valueof5, which bathes the first and secondfloors in a Nippon Tech pure zone andthe rest of the building in a Nippondominant zone.

There is a parking garage locatedunder the building, open from 8:00a.m. to 9:00p.m. TherearealwaysfourMarSee agents patrolling the garage

•••Cut ToWhen the Knights have finished

dealing with (or ignoring) theCyberpapists, they may wish to inves­tigate the cemetery. See the descrip­tion in Scene Six, but nothing will goon there until after Scene Five hastaken place.

If the Knights wish to go to therailway station and wait, cut to SceneFive.

If the Knights wish to investigateSoto Investments, cut to Scene Four.

The Stonn Knights may attack thecyberpriest and his guards as hepreaches. Not only will the triodefendthemselves, but !lOme of the faithfulwill summon the police. The Cyber·papists have a pennit to speak Cap­tured Knights will be thrown in jailovernight, or pay a 51,000 fine peroffender.

speech, a Nemesis card will make thepriest an enemy of the card player,even if thecard player did not give thespeech.

A True Identity card played by aCyberpapal Knight means that thecyberpriest recognizes her as some­one wanted for questioning. Beforethe act is over, the priest will make anattempt to arrest the character is qUe8'"tion, using a number of Hospitallersequal to the party's strength.

........~22:--------------------~

- if any of the player's Stor~

Knights are wanted by Kanawa, theirdossiers are in here, too.

Third-Eighteenth Floors

These floors are filled with officesand conference rooms that are utterlymeaningless to the Knights.

Nineteenth Floor

14. Secretary's Office.15. Vice-Presideni's Office: Thereare four vice-presidents.16. Samurai Station: This room con­

tains the eight corporate samurai hiredby 5043. A secret two-way mirror al­lows the samurai to watch the corridorleading from the elevators.

17. Training Room: There is a pri·vate elevator that leads to the20th floor.The rest of the room contains trainingmats and sleeping cots.

18. Suki Kitakame's Office: This isthe office of 5043's secretary. There is adesk, computer terminal, typewriter,and various bits of Japanese art. Insideher locked (lock picking difficulty 12)desk is a 13mm Chunyokai (damagevalue 18, ammo 9, range 3-10/40/50).

19.5043'5 Office: This is a beautifuloffice equipped with an the latest tech­nology. Theofficehasa largedesk,a wetbar,CD player, Zamftech Monolith per­sonal computer (hooked into the Sotomainframe in room 13),cordless phone,and alann button. A private elevatorleads to 5043's bedroom on the 20thfloor.

Twentieth Floor

20. Outer Security: This room con·tains a team of four corporate ninjas,who act as 5043's bodyguards. A se­cret panel (find total of 20 to notice it)leads to 5043's penthouse. The roomcontains an alann panel which canalert the entire building to a threat.

21. Inner Security: This room fea­tures four more ninja and severalfutons.

22. Bath lockers.23. Baths: Vice presidentsand other

important people are invited up hereby 5043 for relaxation. The watefishot.

24. Geisha: There are eight women(sevenstandard geishas, plusTamara)living here, company geishas on call.

There are rice paper privacy screensset up for their sleeping mats. ~eroom isdecorated with teasels, Haikubanners, origami, bonsai trees, chry­santhemums, and painted rice paperpanels.

Geishas (7)DEXTERITY 10Dodge 14, melee weapons14STRENGTH 8TOUGHNESS 8PERCEPTION 10Language 14, scholar (Geisha) 15,scholar (Nippon realm lore) 14,scholar (origami) 13MIND 11Artist (singing) 13,artist (flute play­ing) 13, artist (dancing) 13, will­power 13CHARISMA 12Charm 15, persuasion 14, taunt 13SPIRIT 11Possibilities: NoneEquipment: dagger, damage value

STR+3/11; kimono; fluteDescription:Geishasare hostesses,

singers, dancers, artists, here to bringtranquility and relaxation. Their pri­mary role is NOT that of a concubine.

These women pose no threat to theKnights. Tamara Ondo, however, mayattempt to contact the Storm Knightsand fool them into thinking that she isan ally.

25. 5043's Penthouse Dwelling:This is another luxurious room. It fea­turesabigdesk,ahigh-reswide-~n

TV with built in VCR and satelhtedish, a massive collection of movieson video, a CD player, exercise equip­ment, a huge bed, and the private el­evator.

Thedesk (locked,difficulty 22), con­tains documents which indicate thatKarkthusa is run by an Orrorshan ri­val of the Gaunt Man who seeks to dobusiness with Nippon. Other reportsindicate that Karkthusa, Inc is consid·ering a rather sudden move to HongKong.

5043 hasa secret stairway <find totalof 15 to spot it) that leads through aone-way door out to the main stair­way near the elevators. The stairwayalso goes up to the roof.

Thedoor leading to the roof is lockedfrom the inside (difficulty 20 to pick,and alanned (science (electronics) diffi·culty of 16 to disable). Out on the roof

is an Oda Butterfly helicopter, 5043'spersonal transportation.

Oda Butterfly: Tech 23; speed 150/90/13; pass 8; TOU 17

Personnel

5043DEXTERITY 8Fire combat 10, running 10, un­armed. combat 12STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTION 11Air vehicles 13, land vehicles 12,language 14, scholar (finance) 14,trick 13M1NDI0Business 16, science (computers) 12CHARISMA 11Chann 14, persuasion 14, taunt 15SPIRIT 8Intimidation 10, reality (NipponTech) 16Possibilities: 5Equipment: Komatsu Wakizashi,

damage value 14, ammo 6, range 3-5/15/25; Misaki XE Laptop computer;Sony Talkman; sport jacket withlriMesh woven into it, armor valueTOU+3/13

Description: Aggressive and moti­vated solely by greed, 5043 is in hislate 205, a bit young for a companypresident. The handsome 5043 10~es

to surround himself with expensiveitems and beautiful women. 5043 isfiercely competitive, and used to hav·ing things his own way.

TamaraOndoDEXTERITY 12Dodge 15, fire combat 15, lock pick­ing 13, maneuver 15, martial arts(Atemi-Waza) 15, stealth 16, un·armed combat 14STRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 11PERCEPTION 12Disguise 15, evidence analysis 14,find 15, land vehicles 14, language14, scholar (Geisha) 16, tracking 12,trick 15MIND 11Artist (singer) 14,business 12, medi­tation 12, science (computers) 13,test 13, willpower 12CHARISMA 12Charm 15, persuasion 15, taunt 14SPIRIT 10

••23

Torg: The G,unt Man Retums

(JtI] The Gaunt Man Returns: Map 4~ Soto Investments

-~ Finl Floor Pen!h'luse8)< 0 r'~"'i'@ <!)

®111I11111 1111I111 ® @

~ • '" @M

@ CD @w @:, '" '"I' " = , ,@

<2> 0 0 <2> @~

'" '"Second Floor

I'~'" M

@ @ Key

WJ ill 1. Atrium2. Restroom3. Maintenance,

I"@ 4. Elevator maintenance

I'" 5. Supply

@ 6. GaUery

II'"

7. Phones8. Elevators and stairs

@ r,@ 9. Walkway

W 10. Cafeteria11. Kitchen

Nineteenth Floor 12. Security

@~13. Computer room

@ @ @14. Secretary15. Vice President's office

" .....16. Samurai station17. Training room

@ M 18. Executive secretary@ @ @ 19. 5043's office

@ W 20. Outer security

@ 21. Inner security22. Bath lockers, -, ® @ 23. Baths24. Geishas

@ @ 25. 5043's penthouse

• Hardpoint_ Camera

- Hidden door

••24

Intimidation 13, reality (NipponTech)J3Possibiliti6: 2 per Storm KnightSkill Note: Tamara knows all ma-

neuvers in the Atemi-Waza d iscipline.Equipment:Chiang 67 pistol,dam­

age value 16, ammo 8, range 3-10/25/50; electronic lockpick; Allied cam­corder; 6 smoke screen pellets; smokescreen lenses

Description: The beautiful Tamaraworks as a corporate spy/trouble­shooter for the executives of KorrukiInvestments,who feel that theyshouldbe the ones in Jakarta, not Soto invest­ments.

Tamara is posing asa corporate gei­sha in order to find evidence of 5043'5incompetence. She is fiercely loyal toKanawa. She will approach StormKnights with hints that "my loyalty isnot withSoto," hoping that any Knightswould falsely assume she is with theRauru Block.

In her role as a geisha, she acts veryhumble and subservient. She is an ex­cellent singer.

Suki KitakameDEXTERITY 10Dodge 11, fire combat 12, lock pick­ing 12, maneuver 11, melee weap­ons 12.. stealth 11, unanned combat13STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 8PERCEPTION 10Evidence analysis 13, find 14, firstaid 12, land vehicles 12, language14,scholar(NipponTech realm lore)14, trick 13MIND 9Artist (actress) 13, science (comput­ers) 12, willpower 11SPIRIT 8Intimidation 9, reality (NipponTech) 9Possibilities: 5Equipment ZIlP'77z, damage value

16,ammo12.""'SO3-20/30150; lriMeshwovenintojacket,annorvalueTOU+3/11; electronic lockpick; Omi signalscrambler; 35mm microcamera; Alliedcamcorder; Allied micro-transmitter;Misaki XE Laptop computer

Description: Dressed in short skirt,heels, and wearing lOIS of flashy jewelryand makeup, SuId poses as a secretary.In fact, due to her stunning looks, 5043has made her his corporate secretary.

This is exactly what Suki hoped for,

.".

since she is a Rauru Block agent sent toinfiltrate the high levels of the companyand determine what its goals are.

5043 has not yet madeany overturestoSuJd. Heisbidinghistime, waiting forthe business tosettleintoa good routinefirst.

In "reallife," Suki is a warm, won­derful person who longs to see the tnJeJapanese spirit restored..

SuJd knows thai a new electronicsfirm called Karkthusa has opened up inSingapore. She will mention this to anyStorm Knight who wins herconfidence.

Mmec Security (36)DEXTERITY 9Dodge 10, fire combat 11, maneu­ver 10, melee weapons 10, stealth10, unarmed combat 10STRENGTH 8TOUGHNESS 8PERCEPTION 8Find 9, tracking 10, trick 9MIND 8Test 9CHARISMA 8Charm 10, persuasion 9SPIRIT 7Intimidation 9Possibility Potential: some (55)Equipment: (during business hours)

Kanawa KM II,damagevalue18,ammo12, range 3-10/25/40; IriMesh woveninto jacket, armor value TOU+3/11;nunchaka, damage value STR+5/13;walkie-talkie; (dUring night hours oremergency) Kyoto Police RKD armorvalue TOU+7/15; Impala chain gun,da~ge value 23, ammo 600, range 3­40/150/400;, nunchaka, damage valueSTR+5/13; walkie-talkie

Description: Pairs of MarSee agentspatrol the building, and a pair man thelobby area.

Corporale Samurai (8)DEXTERITY 9Ftrecombat 10, maneuver10. martialarts (Seda Chen) 11, melee weap:ms12, unarmed combat 10STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 9PERCEPTION 8Evidence analysis 9, find 9, tracking9, trick 9MIND 7Test 8OlARlSMA7Persuasion 8SPIRIT 7

ActOn<

IntinUdation9, reality (NipponTech)9Possibilities: 2Note: Corporate samwai know the

maneuversstonejist,UI6lknessprobe,Iight.ning fist, serprnt's coils, sacrifice kick

EquipmentKyotoRKDannor,valueTOU+7/16; 13mmChunyokai,darnagevalue 18, ammo 9, range 3-10/40/50;katana, damage value STR+7/16;walkie-talkie

Description: These samurai are abackup for MaJ5ec, and are personallyresponsible for guarding 5043.

Corporate Ninja (8)DEXTERITY 13Acrobatics 14, fire combat 14, ma­neuver 14, martial arts (ninjutsu) 18,melee weapons 14, missile weapons15, stealth 18, unarmed combat 14STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTIO 9Fmd 13, tracking 11, trick 11MIND 9Test of will 12CHARISMA 9Taunt 12SPIRIT 10Intimidation 14, reality (NipponTech) 12Possibilities: 10Note: Ninja know all maneuvers in

the ninjutsu disciplineEquipmentI3mmChunyokai,dam-­

age value 18, ammo 9, range~1O/4O/50; Niyoki camouflage suit; Sorubuclimbing gloves; shimsi sword damagevalue STR+5/14; 3 H-S stars, damagevalue STR+3/12

Description: These ninja are fanat­ics,and will sacrifice themselves to keep5043 safe.

FlagsA Connection card played by a Core

Earth or ippon Tech Knight meansthat Suki is an ally, and will aid theKnights so long as it doesn't endangerher or her cover.

If a RoltUlnce card is played, a Knightmay fall in love with Suki or Tamara.

5043 or Tamara can easily become aNemesis if that card is played.

If a Mistaken Identity card is played,Suki believes the hero is a spy for Kana­wa, and will actually act against thatperson.

••25

Torg: The c.unt Man Rmun.

VariablesIf theStann Knights choose to ignore

this encounter, no problem. It is, afteraU, a red herring meant to instill a feel­ing 01 parolOOia and uncertainty in theKnights.

TIle heroesmay attempta break-in atnight. 5043 lives in his penthouseon thetop tloor. Suki works long hours andleaves around 9:00 pm. Tamara lives inthe building.

Cut To ...U the Knights have still not figured

out that the next murder will take placeat the Kota Train Station, they can re­ceive an annonymous tip leading themthere. If they have figured it out, or aresimply going there to meet Zyl, cut toScene Five.

SCENE FIVE:CodaatKota

The SituationStandardlDramatic. At 1:OOa.m., the

huge ravagon sent by the Gaunt Manand Parok is about to commit the fifthmurder. The victim is an AJcashanbioen.gineer, just arrived in Jakarta

Read aloud or paraphrase:

The late hour brings few visitors tothe Kota railroad station. You hear themournful whistle of a train as it pullsout of the station.

The last train from Jakarta has justpulled away. A man who looks like aSouth American Indian stands aloneon the platform, wearing a businesssuit, in which he seems uncomfort­able.

The ActionThe stranger is Camoran Zyl, an

Akashan Storm Knight who was su~posed to rendezvous with a party hereand deliver an eternity shard into theirhands. Unfortunately, the Knights hewassupposed to meetare theones whowere kklnapped from the rice field byravagons some weeks ago. He is un-

•• 26

awareofthis-iftheKnightsapproac:h,he will mistake them for the people hewas supposed to meet.

Once he is sure that the party mem­bers are Knights - even if they are notthe ones he was informed would bemeeting him - he will leU them that heomies on his person a key to a trainlocker. Inside the locker is an eternityshard, a small statue made of gold. Hisinstructionsare to turn the shard over toa Knight party, and then make his wayto Australia to meet with a representa·tive 01 Pella Ardinay's governmenl

Zyl will lead the Knights down thetrain platlmm. Just before they pass analleyway between two warehouses,have the Knightsgeneratefind or Percep­tion totals. On a 14, they spot a wingedshadow out of the comers of their eyes.Immediately thereafter, the ravagonlaunches himseU out 01 the alley andattacks ZyL He claws the Akashan'sshoulder, narrowly missing his throat.

At this point, thescene becomes Ora·matico Have the Knights make a Perse­verance check.

Chosen RavagonDEXTERITY 10Right 17, maneuver 20, stealth 18,unarmed combat 21STRENGTH 16TOUGHNESS IS (21)PERCEPTION 10FInd 16, first aid 13,language 12,tracking 16,lrick 15MIND 8Test 15 (18), willpower 18CHARISMA 8Persuasion 12, taunt 15 (18)SPIRIT 10Faith (lrishantisrn) 16, intimidation17, reality (Orro"hl 20Possibilities: 18Natural Tools: OccuJHreated ar­

mored skin, valueTOU+6/annorvalue21; talons, damage value STR+2/value18; wings, speed value 13

CamoranZylDEXTERITY 8Biotech weap:ms 9, dodge 10, run­ning 9, unarmed combat 9STRENGTH 8TOUGHNESS 8PE)l.CEPTtON UFInd 14, first aid 13 (+3), language15, psionic manipulation 14M!NDUMedicine 14 (+3), mindsense 14 (+3),

ps;on;ereOstance13,science(b;oIech)16, willpower 13OfAR1SMAIOCharm 14, persuasion 11 (+3)SPIRIT 8Reality(Akashan) 9Possibilities: 4Alignment: ZinattPsionic Powen: telepathy group:

beuren, empathy, send thoughts, thoughtsam, clairvoyance, sense past

EquipmentStungun,damagevalue20, ammo 25, range 3-10/25/50 (stundamage only); amninatral. (+2 to firstaid); biotech repair kit, transtech(biotech), vitamin/minernl packs (5).

Description: Zyl is a thoughtfulyoung man and a competent bie­engineer, though he tends to be ratherabsentminded at times.

When Ravagons OashAllow the battle to proceed as nor­

mal for a while. At some point, beforethe ravagon is defeated, a secondravagon-namedSakreI-willappearand attack his fellow hunter. TIle tworavagons will lode. in a bitter struggle(Note that SakreI has the same Slats asthe ravagon listed above).

The Knights may choose to aid SakreIand kill off the offending ravagon, orthey may use the diversion to spirit Zylaway and try to retrieve the shard.

With or without the Knights' help,Sahel will defeat the murderousravagon. He will then approach theKnights, taking care to make no hostilemoves.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

The ravagon looks at you for a longtime before speaking.

"'You fought well ... for humans,"he intones. "'You will need every bit ofthat courage in the days ahead.

"I have shed the blood of a darkhunter on your behalf. I have markedmyseU as an enemy of the powers ofOnorsh. I ask only that you listen tome in retum....

U the Knights agree, the ravagon ex·plains that he is a Denyer, oneof a smallgroup of his species opposed to theGaunt Man and his teachings. He hasinformation about the Gaunt Man'simminent return, as well as the missingSlonnKnightsand thedealhsinJakarta.All of this he wishes to share with the

Krugh.. - but not here. He ;g beU>gsta1J<edbysomething,and needs time tolose hi! pursuers. He offers to meetthemat a cemetery a short distance eastof the train station in hall an hour.

TheKnightsmayuseanymeanstheywish to test the ravagon's veradty. Hegenuinely ;g • DenY"'. and genuinelybelievesall that hehas told, and will tell,the Krughts.lI the Krugh" are WM)' ofmeeting with him. he will say simplythat they have the opportunity tostop a

lhorrorfrom....·~;n·toth;sworldgrea ._._.-.. •but time is growing short. U they havenot the courage to meet this challenge,then perhaps this cosm is rightlydoomed.

The ravagon will then fly off dueeast. No matter how long the Knightswait and watch, they will not see any­oneor anything following the ravagon.

The Eternity Shan!

If he survived, Zyl will give theKnights the eternity shard.. If he waskilled. the Krugh.. may get it 1m them­seIves.lftheyseem uninterested in it-orsimply do not know it's there, Sakrelwill give it to them.

Theshard isagoldenstatue,with redand blue streaks. depkting the legend­ary "first lncan." It is a small sculpture,no more than 35 centimeters in height.The statue~ the group power'ifi"hmuf.

Aya,...Manco StatueCosm: Core EarthPossibiUties: 200Tapping Di.fficulty: 15Purpose: To preserve the sparkoClifewithin mankindPowers: Those possessing the Ayar­Manco statue receive a +3 to first aidor medicine totalsGroup Power: Ute threadRestrictions:Thepossibilities withinthe statuemay notbe used for actionsintended to bring physical hann toothers

FlagsAn Almness card will reveal the

murderous ravagon's presence, as itstalksand hovers, looking for a victim.

A Connection card meansoneoftheKnights has encountered Sakrel be-

fore, and knows him to be a Oenyerand an opponent of the Gaunt Man.

VariablesIf the Knights waited too long to go

to the tram station, Zyl will be deadwhen they arrive and Sakrel and theother ravagon wiD be battling. Sakrelwill still win and wi)) take the Knightsto the eternity shard.

If the Knights refuse to believeSabel, theravagon will state that ifhehad wished them dead, he would have

Act One

let his fellow hunter slay them. A trueravagon does not believe in deceptionand complicated stratagems-he faceshis foe and defeats him fairly. The dayhe tumed away from the false prophet,the Gaunt Man, he became a trueravagon once again.

PerseveranceAwards

Award the Knights two Persever­ance point if the death-deaLing ravagonhas been defeated.

.e27

Tors: The Gaunl Man Rtlum.

Cut To ...Once the Knights head for the cem­

etery, cut to Scene Six.

SCENE SIX:A Matter of Grave

Importance

The SituationDramatic. Sakrel the ravagon has

been using this cemetery as a refugewhile hunting the murderous mem­ber of his species. Unfortunately, apair ofTharkoldu techno-demonsarehunting for him, and have trailed himback here.

The techno-demons were sent byJezrael, High Lord of Orrorsh. Shesuspects that something peculiar isgoing on within Orrorsh, particularlysinceThratchen has taken up residence

I he Nature of theCemetery Fog

The fog is a product ofOrrorshan occult. It limits vis­ibility of the naked eye to twometers. From two to six meters,objects can be made out, but nodetails can be discerned.

The fog diffuses light, so thatfight spellsand other light sourcesmerely illuminate the fog aroundone into a cloud of glare.

Binoculars or other means ofsight enhancement will revealnothing but fog. nor will the Liv­ing Land miracle see through misthave any effect here. For Knightswith infrared, pulp powers, orother means of enhanced sight,all uses suffera +10 to theirdiffi­cully.

Efforts to use the Ayslish dis­pel magic rite to eliminate the fogsuffer a +to to their difficulty.

Have the Knights make a Per­severance check when they firstencounter the fog.

•• 28

in Los Angeles and has been makingan effort to ingratiate himselfwith her.She had sent two dozen technodemonsto scour Orrorsh for information onthe possible return of the Gaunt Man.

However, of the 24 demons sentout, 22 wound up at Ulmound Keepand were subsequently slaughtered.The two in Jakarta are the only onesleft, unbeknownst to them.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

The cemetery is dese,rted at thistime of night. The fog setUes overyou like a living thing - and inOrrorsh, who can say it's not alive?All is quiet except for the dim back·ground noise of Jalcartan night life,the excesses of people whoare oblivi·ous tothe horrors around them. Thesesounds do little to comfort you. Thearea enclosed by the wrought ironfence of the graveyard might as wellbe on another world.

Give the characters a couple ofrounds to look around, then springsome of the following incidents onthem:

1. A shriek of an iron dooropeningechoes around you. The exact sourceis uncertain. ITharkoldu techno-de-­mon looked into a crypt to find theravagon.)

2. The loud boom of an iron doorslamming shut fills the air. Exacllo­cation unknown. (As above, but doorhas been closed in disgust.)

3. A dull thud, like somethingheavy has been overturned. (A tomb-­stone has been overturned. Do thisone several times, mixed in with theother incidents.)

4. Have thecharactersgeneratefilldor Perception totals. On a 10, read thefollOWing:

The mist parts enough so that youcan dimly make out two winged fig·ures ahead of you, and one to yourright. They seem lensed in expecla·tion, the one on the right has its armsraised above its head.

(An evidence analysis total of 15 willreveal these to be three angel statues.However, be mean by flipping a cardon the Drama Deck and asking forintentions.See ifthey blow awaystatu­ary.)

5. A flash of red light pierces Ihefog for a second, then winks out.

(Tharkoldu laser sighting.Canbedoneseveral times.)

6. WhiiirTITT....clik! Whirrrrr clik!(Tharkoldu servo-motors, weaponssystems being engaged. A Tharkolduor Race Stann Knight will recognizethis for what it is - all others mustmake a Mind total of 16 to place thesound.)

7. When all is quiet and the playersare tense, scream "Roowwarrr!" andread the following:

A small, four-legged thing lungesout of the fog and lands on the shoul·der of one of your number. (A fright­ened cat panicked and is now attack­ing a Storm Knight.)

The ActionSakrel is waiting, as promised, for

the Stann Knights within the cem­etery. Give them some time to try andfind him, and then he will find them.

If the Storm Knights have had thepresenceof mind to try tracking, thingswill be much easier. A tracking total of12 reveals clawed foot prints leadingdeepintothecemetery.lf a Supuiororbetter success was earned, the trackercan tell that there are threedistinctselsof footprints, with two sets appearingsimilar.

Finally, when itseems that the play­ers have had enough, read the follow­ing:

The fog swirls around a hugewinged figure, which remains com·pletely still.

The fog parts to reveal a hugeraVilgon, eyes locked on you, redblood dripping from its claws. Aftera moment, it bows, lifts a clawedhand and addresses you in a deep,guttural voice that seems to massacrethe very words it speaks:

"Stormers! I am grateful you havecome, for I have news ofgreat importto you and your kind. I bring word ofthe Gaunt Man. Come forth, and ac·cept my word as a true follower ofRavok that I will not harm you."

A scholar (Orrorsh realm lore), scholar(Tz'Ravok lord or Perception total of 10reminds the Knight that ravagons fol­Iowa strict code of honor.

If the Knights hesitate, the ravagonsays:

"Come forth, I say! I do not needdeceit to overrome the likes of you.But I am not here to shed your blood- no, I am here to save your miser­able lives."

Pause for a moment, allowing theparty to react. Then continue:

"'The tale I have to tell is graveindeed. I am, as I have said, a Denyer,one who believes Ihe Gaunt Man hasdeceived the ravagons into follow·ing his lead. Now we have learnedthat he will soon emerge from themaelstrom and further corrupt ourpeople. The murders in this citycom­mitted by my lale brelhen were partof a ritual glorifying his return.

"My elders have sent me to askyou, who seem so successful in han­dling such matters, to go 10 IUmoundKeep, on the island you call Borneo,and stop the Gaunt Man's return!

"'It may also interest you to knowthat the disappearances of stormersfrom this place a month ago was theact of ravagons loyal to the GauntMan. They have imprisoned the

stormers in the dark under--dungeonsof lllmound as a gift for the GaunlMan when he comesout of the storm'"

Allow the Knights to react. If theyseem uncertain of their ability to stopthe Gaunt Man, have Sakrel point outthat he knows the story of how theHigh Lord was trapped in the mael­strom. As the Knights havean eternityshard (the statue), they have merely touse it on him as he emerges to thrusthim back into the storm, at least for ashort time.

If the Knights wanl Sakrel to comewith them, he will agree. (See the boxbelow, "Gamemaster Characters andthe Gaunt Man.") If the Knights sim­ply want the ravagons to handle thesituation, Sakrel will explain thatravagons are skilled in combat, butnot stealth and deceit. And both ofthose things will be needed to piercethe stronghold of the Gaunt Man.

Once: something ofa consensus hasbeen reached, have the Knights gener­ate Perception or filld totals. On a 10,they hear two figures approaching.

Act One

Read the folloWing:

"You are going nowhere, lizard!,"a harsh metallic voice crackles. "Ourlady Junel would have words withyou about the Gaunt Man and hisreturn!"

Through the mists, you see twohuge, winged hulks advancing onyour group. Small chains and otheradornments dangle and glisten ontheir dark skin, as small points ofyellow, red, and white light, no doubtfrom cyberneticenhancements, sh inecoldly.

Oneof the two turns to your group."Stay where you are, meat! Once weneutralized our friend here, we havequestions for you!"

With a mechanical hiss, the twotechno-demons advance on theravagon, whogirds himself for battle.

The Knights have a few optionshere. They can fight alongside theravagon against the Tharkokdu; theycan stand around and wait their tum;or they can run, in which case one ofthe techno-demons will pursue them.

G amemaster Characters and the Gaunt Man

Tors: The C.lunl M.ln Rdumt

Left to themselves, the techno-de­mons will beat the ravagon uncon­scious in three rounds. The Tharkolduwill then attempt to interrogate theStorm Knights to find out what theyknow, then kill hall their number. Theother hall will be rendered uncon­scious and taken, along with theravagon, back to Los Angeles.

If the Knights defeat the techno­demons and successfully interrogateone, it will reveal that Jezrael sent adozen pairs of techno-demons toOrrorsh to find out about the GauntMan's return. It does not know the fateof any of the other teams.

Techno-Demons (2)DEXTERITY 10Dodge 14, energy weapons 14, firecombat 12, flight 15, melee weap­ons 12, missile weapons 12, painweapons 13, stealth 11, unarmedcombat 15STRENGTHt6Ufting IgTOUGHNESS 16 (21)PERCEPTION 10Alteration magic 13, divinationmagic 13, find 14, first aid 11, landvehicles 12, tracking 14, trick 12M1ND11Apportation magic 14, conjurationmagic 14, test 15, willpower 15CHARISMA 9Persuasion 11, taunt 13SPIRIT 11Faith CTharkoldu Evil) 16, intimi­dation 16. reality (Tharkold) 16Possibilities: 15Arc.ane Knowledge8: folk 3,entity3,

inanimate forces 2, liVing forces 2Spells: pop, monkey form, prismatic

alteration, teldcintsis, silence. wtQknessN.atural Tools: teeth. damage value

STR+2/18; non-<yber talons, damagevalueSTR+3/19; wingstrike, unlJrmedcombat to hit, damage value STR+7/23; win~s, speed value 10.

EqUIpment: Nanocord; handmount with agonizer; Killseeker,+l toranged attacks, +2 to ranged weapons;interdermal plate, armor valueTOU+5/21; cyberwings, +3 to pushwith flight and lifting value when fly­ing; life cyber. cyber value: 17; Res-14laser,damagevaJue25,ammo50,range3-50/100/200

When your Knights find outwhat it is they are supposed to doin this adventure, they may wellwant to go hide under the beduntil it's over. Or, at least, theymight want to find some help.

This is perreetly all right. Feelfree It>bringoldgamemasterchar­actersyou'vegenerated,newones,or some of the entries from theTorg Character Collection book.Maybe your characters will wantto call on Mystery Men they'vemet, ~ contact the Guildmasterforaid.Keepitwithinreason(don'tlet them borrow a reality bombfrom Dr. Mobius, for example),

VariablesII the Storm Knights flee the battle

scene, one Tharkoldu will go afterthem. If the Knights elude him, theTItarkoldu will reappear later in theadventure (at the most inopportunetime) and attack the Knights.

FlagsA Nemesis card means one of the

Tharkoldu will become a blood en­emy of one of the Knights and vow toslay him at some point in the futur~.

PerseveranceAwards

Award the Knights three Persever­ance points for surviving this scene.

AwardsStorm Knights that survived the

Actgain four Possibilities. If they savedCamoran Zyl, they earn an extra twoPossibilities. If both techno-demonswere slain, add an extra three Possi­bilities to the award.

but let them get help Uthey wantsome.

Why are we being so mag­nanimous? Well, many horriblethings happen in thisadventure,particu!.dy at Illmound Keep. Uthere are gamernastercharactersalong, some of these things canhappen to them, effectivelyscar­ing the pantsoff the player char­acters. This savessome wear andtear on your Knights, lets youspring some of the nastier trapsjust for fun, and sees to it that theplayers sweat (as they should inthis adventure).

Cut To ...When the Knightsare ready to head

for lIlmound Keep, cut to "Interlude"and then begin Act Two.

INTERLUDE:Getting There Isn't

Half the FunIn order to participate in Act Two,

the Knights must travel from Jakartaon the island ofJava to Olmound Keepin Bomeo. This requires the heroes totravel across the Java Sea.

The Knights may choose to eitherfly or take a boat. Note that the Keep isin an Orrorshan pure zone, so thatplanes will cease to operate above it.

Camemasters should feel free tothrow an Orrorshan monster at theparty while they are in transit. Thisbeast is sent by the Gaunt Man inorderto "sohen up" the heroes.

Note that if the players go by boat,they will have to travel overland toreach IIlrnound. The trek through thejungle should be filled with tensionand the hints of lurking danger.

As far as knowing where nLmoundKeep is, once the characters have re­solved to go there, they will know theway instinctively.

_.~.:;:0--------------.......30 'SV

Act Two

Act Two

Invitation toIllmound

The Major BeatThis entire act takes place in

lIImound Keep and its environs. EachStandard scene deals with a differentarea of Illmound, culminating with adramatic tea party hosted by noneother than the Gaunt Man himself.

.Please keep in min~when runningthis act that the Knights are in anOrrorshan pure zone. They cannotcause contradictions unless they firstraise a reality bubble around them­selves.

The Knights will be called upon tomake many Perseverance checks dur­ing this act. Any Martyr cards will betaken the first time the Knights fail acheck.

Note that Illmound Keep is situ­ated ona high rocky promontory, withonly one path giving access.

The Keep's walls have a Toughnessof 25, ignoring all results except forwounds, and wiD regenerateat the rateof one wound level per round. Whenwounded, the walls scream and oozereddish-black ichor, which intimidatesthe viewers with a value of 15. Thefirst time the Knights see this, droptheir Perseverance by one point andhave them make a check.

The entire Keep radiates occultmag~c. Attempts at detection will getreadmgs of equal intensity every­where.

Occasionally, with especially trig­ger-happy visitors, other phenomenawill manifest themselves to visitors.Gamemasters should select from thefollowing list:

1. A fanged mouth appears on awall, and takes a bite out of a StormKnight. The mouth has an unarmedcombat value of 12, a Toughness of 20,and its teeth do damage value 15. The

mouth is not possibility-rated.2. A door slams shut further down

the hallway.3. The floor under one Knight he­

gins to melt, requiring her to generatea maneutlfr or Dexterity total of 10 toavoid it. Failuremeans the Knight fallsinto the ooze. A Strength total of 12 isrequired to pull oneself out again. AStrength total of 10 is needed to pullsomeone elseout. The ooze does dam­age value 15 per round.

4. A doomed, wailing soul fliesscreaming past the Knights. The spec­tre has an intimidation value of 15.

Doorscan vanishand appear,corri­dors and walls can be rearranged, allat the Gaunt Man's will. He alwaysknows the locations of any living he­ings in his Keep. Locked doors cur­rently have a difficulty of 11 to pick(after all, the Gaunt Man wants tomake it easy for the Knights to getaround).

TheGauntManhasagroupofStormKnight zuvembies working atIllmound as a staff. They will not ini­tiatecombat, but will fight to the deathif attacked.

ZuvembieDEXTERITY 8Dodge 9, melee weapons 9, stealth10, unarmed combat 10STRENGTH 20Climbing 22, lifting 23TOUGHNESS 20PERCEPTION 1Trick (25)MIND 1Test (25)CHARISMA 3SPIRIT 10Faith (Orrorshan evil) 13, intimida­tion 11 (15)Possibility Potential: nonePowers: up condition (inside

••31

Torg: The Glunt Min Return,

Illmourtd), attack form resistance (fire­arms).

Corruption Value: lSFear Rating: 1Perseverance ON: 12Weakness: fire (stymie)True Death: beheading

If there are truly obnoxious StormKnights who enjoy going from roomto room, destroying the contents, dothe following:

When a room is destroyed and theKnights are about to leave it, thosewho aided in its destruction feel oddand sick. They are being attacked byan occult ward in the room, with aneffect value of 18 directed at theirToughness. They may actively resistusing their Toughness attribute. If thespell issuccessful, they take two pointsof shock damage. This physical en­ergy is then used to reconstruct theroom. Repair takes place in fast mo­tion before the amazed viewers' eyes,until it is in the exact same condition itwas when the party first entered il.

SCENE ONE:Grounds for

Insanity

The SituationStandard. This scene covers the

entry to lllmound Keep, featuring aglimpse of the maelstrom bridge, atopiary, and an evil garden.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

The path you are travelling on ismade of cobblestone. An occasionaliron pole juts out of the earth on theside of the road, some of the poleshaving skulls or other body partsmounted atop them. The path is anupward incline, and you see that youare travelling in a rather rough. moun­tainous area.

The air is thick and heavy, almostsuffocatingly so. There is no sun~

shine, no moonlight. The sky aboveyou appears to be a perpetual storm,with red and blue lightning arcing inimpossible paths across the sky. Thevery clouds seem to roil and shapethemselves into grimacing faces.

At long last, the path ends, andyou find younelves at a four meterhigh stone wall with a rusted irongate. Beyond the wall, rising like anancient monolith of unfathomablewickedness, is an old crumbling edi­fice.

Behind the structure, a huge bridgearcs towards the stormy, restless heav­ens. The bridge appears to be madeofscreuning, writhing bodiesof men,women, and children, mortared to­gether with a sickly red paste.

To your left,. great craggy moun­tains rise up. By the looks of them,they are impossible to climb, espe­cially in this weather. To your right,the ground eventually stops at acliffside, with a drop of hundreds offeet.

The wind whips and howls as ablack rain soaks you. The demonwind carries the screams to yourean,making it seem that the sources anmuch closer to you.

In the windows of the Keep, fig­ures occasionally flit by, silhouettedby either blood red or sickly greenillumination.

A loud shriek fills the air as therusted front gate swings away fromyou, bidding you "enter freely, andof your own will."

There is an occult ward set up tomake Storm Knights from differentrosInS have different perceptions ofwhat Illmound looks like. The occultvalue is 20, and is used as an "attack"on each Knight's Perception.

Use the following list and giveeachplayer whose Knight was successfully"attacked" a note with how they viewthe Keep.

Orrorshan/Core Earth: A hugestone Victorian manor house (this isalso the way it really looks).

Ayslish: An ancient castle made ofblack stone.

Ni.le Empire: An Egyptian-styletemple with great columns and statu­ary, all made of obsidian.

Nippon: A huge Japanese-style pa­goda, all in white Oapanese color ormourning).

Cyberpapacy: A huge black cathe­dral with gargoyles flitting around thebattlements.

Akashan:AnAztecternplecoveredwith vines and tentacles.

Living LandlLand Below: A huge

castle made of bleached bones andvines.

Tharkoldu: A two-storyblack houseof modem design, with flashing Lightsin the windows, and winged shapesflitting around the roof.

As these perceptions are illusions,they can be disbelieved with a Mindtotal of 21.

Scaling the wall requires a climbingtotal of 8. Scaling the cliffs requires aclimbing total of 12, with a failurecaus­ing the Knight to fall 30 meters on tojagged rocks. (Use the falling rules onpage 52 of the Torg Rulebook to deter­mine damage.) A Dexferity total of 9allows the Knight to catch himself be­fore he falls.

If the Knight fails to catch himselfand does fall, an acrobatics total of 15will halve the damage suffered.

The TopiaryOnce the party has gone through

the gate (see Map 5), the first area ofinterest is the topiary. This consists ofa huge lawn with various large bushessculpted to resemble ghouls, mis­shapen animals, gargoyles, and theCartedon.

The bushes will animate andshamble towards the party, attackingthem once they are in range. Have theparty make a Perseverance check.

Topiary Terrors (two per Knight>DEXTERITY 8Sreatth 11. unarmed combat 10S'\'RENGTH 12To,UGHNESS 12PERCE\U"ION 8Find 12, track 12, trick (15)MIND6Test of will (20)CHARISMA 5Taunt (20)SPIRIT 10Intimidation 14Possibility Potential: NoneNaturalTools: claws,damage value

STR+4/16; blood-draining thorns,damage value 18

Powers: regeneration, attack form re-sistarta (fire and ia).

Corruption Value: 18Fear Rating: 1Perseverance ON: 12Weakness: Pure water (severe)True Death: Bright light sunlight

........=--------------------....'"32..,

Act Two

••33

Tors: The G;aunt M.t.n Returns

/

.J r-ift] TI,e Gaunt Man RehlrtJs: Map 5~ IlImound Environs

Key1. Maelstrom

bridge2. lllmound Keep3. Gospog field4. Topiary area5. Main gate6. Wall

, i.I®

-----,1NORTH

~ +-(

Description:Topiaryterrorscangraban opponent in a bear hug. then usetheirthoms to drain the victim's blood.The terror must make a successful utl­Qrmni combDt attack to grab its oppo­nent,causingat leasta wound.Thethomsthencomeintoplay,doingdamagevalue18 per round. A Stretlgth total of 12 isrequired to free oneself from a topiaryterror.

Once the victim is emptied of blood,he is rooted to thespot, transformed intoa bush version of his former self, dead.

Splashing one of these horrors withpure water causes damage equal to theSpirit or the frlith of theattacker.lnorderto truly kill a topiary terror, it must beexJXlSOO to sunlight or bright light onthe same round its wound level indj·cates death.

Gospog GardenThis hugegardenofgospog encircles

the Keep. Gospogaregrown here, not asguards. but as terrors to be released onlndonesia.1t is possible for the Knights

•• 34

to skulk by without being seen, if theycan generate three successful stealth to­tals against the gospog's find values.

Whendescribingthehordeofgospog.gamemasters should imply that thereseem to be hundreds of gospog. This isa trickoftheshadowsaround mmound,as weU as just a general feeling. sur­rounded as the Knightsareby thegospogfield~

Gospog of the Firs' Planting (24)See page 90 of the Torx Ruleboo/<.

Gospogof the Second Planting (10)See page 102 of the Orrorsh s0urce­

book.

The Gardener

An edeinos zuvembie, missing onearm, staggers around thegarden,goingthrough the motions of a gardener (seezuvembie Slats). It wieldsa sickle. dam­age value SfR+4/24.

Scavenger HuntAnyone generating a find or Percep­

tio1l total of 12 wiU discover a severedtechno-demonhead. Thereare 14suchheads scattered in the underbrush ofthe courtyard, as well as a few limbs.

A Knight who generates a eybertechtotal of 18 can salvage a Tharkolducyberneticsystem from the head. Thereshould be no more than ten salvage­able cybernetic systems. no two alike.The most common wiU be cyberneticeyes and ears, chipholders, andSpeUChips.

PerseveranceAwards

Award the Knights three Persever­ance points for making it through thisscene.

ActTwQ

Cut To ...Once the Knights have cleared the

garden and made it to lllmound'sfrontdoor, cut to Scene Two, "Playing forKeeps."

SCENE TWO:Playing for Keeps

The SituationStandard. The Knights enter

Illmound Keep and get the chance toexplore the ground floor.

Keep in mind that, at any time, thecharacten may decide to move fromonefloor to another without exploringthoroughly. Be prepared to shift to theappropriateaceneshould this happen.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

Finally, you stand at the front doorof IIlmound Keep. It is made of ma­hogany with verdigriS-(overed fit-

lings. Thedoorswings open silently,as if welcoming you.

When the party enters, the doordoes not slam shut. It simply disap­pears, only to be replaced by a stonewall. Uany of the Knights should tumaround, they will see no evidence thata door ever existed.

Subtractone Perseverance point andhave the Knights make a check.

Should the Knightsattempt to blasttheir way out, see the notes on theKeep's walls under "The Major Beat,"above.

The ActionTheStorm Knights now find them­

selves alone on the ground floor oflIImound Keep. Consult Map 6 whilethey explore this area.

Tower Rooms

Each of these eight rooms is ex­actlyalike.ltconsistsofasquarecham-

ber with two windows and a door thatcan be deadboited.

The rooms each contain four cha irs,flowers, and an empty casket. Therooms are decorated in black bunting.(Ifa Storm Knight dies in lllmound, hewill appear in one of these coffins,ready for burial.)

Dining Room

This room contains an oak tableand 24 chairs. Expensive china andsilver settings stand in large cabinets.Two hugesilvercandelabra, each withsix candles, stand upon the table. Arhythmic thud comes from the north­ern door (in the kitchen).

Kitchen

The kitchen has the strong smell ofdead bodies. There are various cook­ing utensils, a huge cast iron stove(coal-fired), and a sink with a waterpump.

A ninja zuvembie, with half of hisface destroyed, is hitting a dwarven

.e35

corpsewithadeaver.Someoftheninja'sown entrails are also getting chopped.Lower Pen;everance by one and havethe Krugh" make a check.

The far end of the kitchen containsa walk·in meat locker, kept magicallycold. Hanging from hooks aredressedtorsos of humans, dwarves, andedeinos, plusa fewunidentifiablecrea·lu.....

Chessroom

The noor of this room is laid out inblack and white marble blocks, resem­bling a huge chess board. tined up,

ready to play, are chess pieces. Thepieces range from 1.25 to two metersin height, and are moved by verbalcommand.

Room of Hanging Heads

This room is pitch dark and verychilly. Suspended from the ceiling area series of severed heads, formerlybelonging to those who crossed theGaunt Man in the past. Have theKnights make a Perseverance check.

When the party reaches the tum inthe room, the doors disappear and theheads begin a hideous keening (in·

timidation attack, damage value 20).Anyone approaching a head gets bit·ten by it. The heads will keen until theparty isdead orall headsaredestroyed.

Keening Heads (U)DEXTERJTYlUnarmed combat 8STRENGTH 6TOUGHNESS 4PERCEPTION 4MIND 2CHARISMA 1SPIRIT 7Intimidation 14Possibility Potential: NonePower ROlIting: 0Corruption VOlIlue: 10Fear bting: 2Perseverance ON: 12Weakness: Religious hymns sungloudlyTrueDeath: Any miracle that causesdamage.NaturalTools: fangs, damage value

STR+3/9Description: The heads are from

recent victims of the Gaunt Man'ssweeps. They will even speak topeople, using rudimentary memoriesof the deceased. Nasty gamemastersmay make one or two heads "late"friends of a Stonn Knight.

Art Gallery

A total of 23 portraits hang on thewalls of these corridors. Each portraitdepicts a different horror of Orrorsh,attacking and dismembering helplessvictims. The horrors depicted comefrom the Orrorsh sourcebook.

a= amphid, b= bone golem,c=chthon, d=disembodied hand (4),e=faceless one, f=gospog first plant­ing, g=gospog second planting,h=gospog third planting.. i=gospogfourth planting.. j=gospog fifth plant·ing, k=ghoul, I=other, m=ravagon,n=ravagon veteran, o=chosenravagon, p=shaden, q=shadow,r=skarth, s=succubus, t=incubus,u=vampire, v=werewolf, w=zombie,x= zuvembie

The paintings are immune to allforms of attack. Each painting has anoccult ward cleverly worked into thedetail of the frames. The first attack onany given painting elicits no reaction.A second attack results in an intimida­tion attack (value20)against the would·

........~------------------- ........36 ~

Act Two

[nl The Gaunt Man Returns: Map 6~ Illmound Keep

1. Tower room2. Dining room3. Kitchen4. Chessroom5. Hanging heads6. Art gallery7. Fear exhibit

(stairs up only)8. Library9. Greenhouse

10. Meeting Hall11. Stairs

(stairs downonly)

• Statue• Hanging head• Killer vine

• b , d m " " p q ,CD @ @

• b i i k I • , •• W •

CD ••• • •• •••0 •

@ ~:

@

Upper Floor CD1. Guest rooms

@2. Observatory3. HaD of Mirrors4. Gaunt Man's (i) 0bedchamber5. Personal study6. Situation room7. Gate room8. Heketon A B C 0 @ • F C H9. Basjas CD OW CD CD10. Tea roomo Mirror over

doorway0

@

G)

0

••37

Torw: 'The Glunt Min Rdums

be vandal(s). A setback result or betterputs the vandal(s) in the painting..where he is attacked by the creature.

lithe Knight wins, he is free, unlesshe strikes the picture (or another one)again, whereupon the process repeatsitself. If he loses, he is part of thepicture forever, experiencing the eter­nal pain of the death blow.

A Knight in a portrait cannot behelped by those outside. Further at­tades on the painting by those outsidehave no effect. No one else is drawninto the portrait; only the one whoinitialed thedamage. All portraitcrea­tures are possibility-rated.

The first instanceofaStonn Knightentering the painting makes thegrouplose a Perseverance point. Have thegroup generate a Perseverance total.

Fear Exhibit

This marble circular chamber hasa big spiral stairway leading up to lhesecond floor. The ceiling is 20 metershigh, and is a dome shOWing a starrynight sky, with an angel of death andan hourglass as constellations.

There are twelve statues in thechamber. Eachonerepresentsadiffer­ent fear. Anyone who touches a statueis attacked by a madness spell (effectvalue 15) and suffers from the fearrepresented by thestatue for the dura­tion of the spell (one hour).

1. A woman covered in spiders:arachnophobia

2. A child drowning: hydrophobia3. A man crouched inside a very

small cage: claustrophobia4. A man with a lantern:

nyctophobia (fear of night)5. A woman being grabbed by a

pair of arms coming out of a grave:necrophobia (fear of death)

6. A man impaled on a tree:dendrophobia (fear of trees)

7. A falling child: acrophobia (fearof heights)

8. A man getting his eyes clawedout by a cat ailurophobia (fear ofcats)

9. A woman being attacked by anaxe--wielding male: androphobia (fearof male strangers)

10. A man beingattacked by a knife-­wielding female: gynephobia (fear offemale strangers)

11. A man bleeding profusely frommultipleslash wounds: hematophobia

••38

(fear of blood)12. A woman being devoured by a

man-eating plant botanophobia (fearof plants)

Once the victim has been given thefear, whenever he encounters the 0b­ject of fear, he suffers an intimidationattadc. (value 15) per round until theobject is removed.

The statues have a Toughness of 30.

Library

This huge room has bookshelvesfrom floor to ceilingon the north, south,and west walls. Thereareseveral desksand stuffed chairs.

The research skill may be used hereto answer any occultquestion, exclud­ing the weaknesses and True Deathsof Orrorshan horrors, members ofHellion Court, Nightmares, and IheGaunt Man himself. A research total of12 must be rolled to look up one entry,and each attempt takes 20 minutes.

The shelves also contain copies ofall spells from Pixaud's PracticalGrimoire (obtained some time ago fromthe Gaunt Man's lieutenant, AngarUthorion). plusaU Orrorshanspells. Aresearch total of 6 or a find total of 12 isneeded to find anyone spell. Eachattempt takes 10 minutes.

Greenhouse

Visibility in this large room is lim­ited to five meters, due to heavy mist.Theairis hot and humid. Things rustleominously. There are huge glass win­dows in the northern bay area. Themist issimilar to the mist in theJakartangraveyard (Act One, Scene Six).

Plants of all varieties grow here,including a species of vine growing asmarked on the map with a tintedsquare. These vines wiJIsnakeoutandattack Storm Knights, always takingthe last one in line so as not to alert theothers. The vines always attempt avital blow to the mouth, in hopes ofmuffling any screams from the victim.Once the vinescores a woundor better,it wiD hold the victim fast and con­strict,all the whiled ragging the victimback to its trough. A Strength total of12 is required to break free of the vine.

Killer VineDEXTERITY 12Stealth 20, unarmed combat 16

STRENGTH 12TOUGHNESS 12PERCEPTION 10Find 14MINDSCHARISMA 4Taunt (12)SPIRIT 6Possibility Potential: nonePower Rating: 0Corruption Value: 10Feu Rating: 1/2Perseverance ON: 8Weakness: Any form of darkness

(stymie)True Death: NoneDescription:The vines sharea form

of telepathy. Their sensory organs areon their flesh.

Meeting Hall

This gorgeous room is lit by a hugechandelier. It is dominated by a largeoak table, carved and polished to per­fection. There are seven seats aroundit: a huge bone throne at the head; areplica of the papal throne of St.Peter;an ultramodern steel and fiberglasschair; a wooden throne carved in theshape ofa dragon head; a marble chaircarved with Egyptian hieroglyphs; achair of bones intertwined with vinesand thistles;a metal thronein the shapeof a demonic head.

This is the room the High Lordswere meant to use for discussion of theprogress of the invasion of Earth. Ithas not been used yet, at least not withall High Lords present.

Going Down?

Thedoor to the northeastern towerroom (area II) is locked (lock pickingtotal of 11). Within are stairs leadingdown to the dungeon.

FlagsAn Alerlntss card played in the

greenhouse will tip off the Knightsabout the deadly vines, and allow thecharacters to take the initiative.

An Idesz card played in the meetingroom will reveal that chamber's pur­pose.

VariablesThe Knights may attempt to climb

the walls of the Keep in order to enterthrough a window. All the windows arebarred, requring a Strength total of 20 toopen.

The roof of Dlmound is a gabled,shingled affair with no means of entry.

PerseveranceAwards

The Knights are awarded one Per­severance point for making it into theKeep. Dealing with the kitchen, roomof the hanging heads, art gallery, andthe greenhouse results in two addi­tional Perseverance points for each.

Cut To ...If the party decides to go to the

second floor, cut to Scene Four,

"Mounting Fear." If they make theirway down to the dungeons, cut toSceneThree, "Descent Into Madness."

SCENE THREE:Descent into

Madness

The SituationStandard. This is the catacombs

level of IIlmound Keep (see Map 7).There is nothing crucial to the plot,though there are prisoners to rescue.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

A set of marble stairs leads down­ward into the gloom. Moans andscreams of anguish drift from below.

Guard Room

The floor is covered in what seemsto be a knee-high layer of bones and

Act Two

body parts of all types. The walls arecovered with goo, the remains of hu­mans ripped apart and hurled at thewalls with great force. Every once in awhile, the layer of bones shifts, as ifthings were moving underneath it.

There are several disembodiedhands crawling under the bones (bonesprovideIJig!lcollcetllmenf forthe hands).The pit is actually four meters deep.There is a stone walkway, coveredwith a meter-deep layer of bones andviscera. The walkway cannot be seen;it must be probed for.

Finding the walkway requires a findor Perception total of 16 every twometers. If the Knights are using anobject such as a sword, staff,or rifle toprod and poke, the find total requiredis 12. Do not prompt the players! Letthem declare that they are searching.

Disembodied Hands (15)DEXTERITY 12Dodge 15,stealth16, unarmed com­bat 16STRENGTH 14

I.39

Climbing ISTOUGHNESS 13PERCEPTION 9Tracking 13MIND8CHARISMA 6SPIRIT 8Faith (Orrorshan evil) 12Additional Skills: one at +2 addsPossibility Potential: some (40)Powe.r: blur formCorruption Villue: 12Fur Rating: 1Persevennce: ON: toWukness: NoneTrue Oeilth: Reattached to body

where the hand came from.

Note that if the party finds the path,the hands will still try to attack, spe­cifically grabbing the Knights by theheels and dragging them off the path.Drop the Knights' Perseverance byoneand have them make a check.

Knights in the pit suffer a +2 to thedifficulty ofall physical attacks due tothe shifting bones.

Climbing totals of 12 are required toclimb out of the pit.

Corridor of Darkness

This corridor is shrouded in occult­generated darkness and the air bearsan unnatural chill. Only Orrorshanhorrors are capable of seeing throughthis blackness.

A Pnaption or find total of 9 indi­cates that thescreamsareroming fromsomewhere down the corridor.

Non-magical mundane forms of il­lumination (torches, flashlights) do notwork. Spells or miracles that producelight have their difficulty increased by+12. Only cybernetics and other suchdevices that use infrared will be ableto cut through the darkness (bear inmind that since this is an Orrorshanpure zone, a reality bubble will beneeded for such devices to work).

Cells

Each cell has an iron door with alock picking difficulty IS lock. The cellshave no fumitu re, onlya heapofstraw.

The following cells are occupied:A: Unjay Arit, a female Akashan

Monitor. All of her equipment has"died." She does not have the

Comaghaz virus. She came to Orrorsh10 attempt 10 verify rumors of theGaunt Man's return.

Unjay AritOEXTERlTY toBiotech weapons 14, dodge 11, en­ergy weapons 14, maneuver 14,melee weapons 14, unarmed corn­ballSSTRENGTH toTOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTION 9Find 13, language 10, psionic ma­nipulation 10, track 13, trick 10MINDSPsionic resistance 9, survival 9, test12CHARISMA 7Persuasion 8, taunt 11SPIRIT 9Faith (Akashan) 10, intimidation 11,reality (Star Sphere) 11Possibilities: 1Psionics: Mind probe, psi scram-

bler.Alignment: CoarEquipment: noneDescription: Unjay is very head­

strong, and irritated that the HighCouncil has not acted swiftly in deaJ­ing with the Gaunt Man.

B: Private Oscar Sampson, of HerMajesty's 7th Regiment.

Pvt. Oscar SampsonDEXTERITY 9Dodge 11, firerombat II, maneuver10,meleeweapons10,unarmedcom­bal10STRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 9PERCEPTION 9MIND 8Willpower 10CHARISMA 7SPIRIT 8Faith (Sacellum) 9, reality (Orrorsh)10Possibilities: 2Equipment: noneDescription: Sampson is a loyal Vic­

torian, trying to keep a stiff upper lipthrough all of this terror.

C: Tara, a pretty human female. Ac­tually, a tedtno-<Iemon using the mon­key form spell. This demon was one ofthe ones sent by Jezrael to scout out

Orrorsh. Occu1t runes on the door keepthe demon in the ceiL

Once the door is opened, the ritual isbroken. Tara will maintain her monkeyform until it becomes absolutely neces­sary to transform. Once free oflllmound's environs, she will rewardher rescuers by ripping them open. Hercover story (as Tara) is that she is fromLos Angeles, and was here to spy onOrrorsh for the Race, as well as to moru­tor a large flight of techno-demons thatentered Orrorsh just before her.

Tarek Bor of the Hezerah-ThevPride

DEXTERITY 10Dodge 14, energy weapons 14, firecombat 12, flight 15, melee weapons12, missile weapons 12, pain weap­ons 13, stealth 11, unarmed combat15STRENGTH 16Lilting 18TOUGHNESS 16(21)PERCEPTION 10Alteration magic13,divination magic13, find 14, first aid 11, land vehicles12, tracking 14, trick 12MIND 11Apportation magic 14, conjurationmagic 14, test 15, willpower ISCHARlSMA9Persuasion II, taunt 13SPIRIT 11Faith (Cult of the Dominant) 16, in­timidation 16, reality CTharkold) 16Possibilities: 3Arcane Knowledges: folk 3, entity 3,

ilumitnQte forces 2, living forcesSpells: Monkey form, pop, prismatic

alteration, telekillesis, silence, weaknessNatural Tools: teeth, damage value

SfR+2/18; non-cyber talons, damagevalue STR+3/19; wing strike, unarmedcombat to hit, damage value STR+7/23;wings, speed value 1

Equipment: anorord; hand mountwith agoniz.er, Killseeker, +1 to rangedattacks, +2 to smart weapons; inter­dermal plate, armor value roU+S/21;eyberwings, +3 to push with flig1lt andlifting value when flying, life cyber,Cyber value: 17

D. Izumi Nakaharu, a Nippon ex­ecutive. His mind has snapped sincehis arrival at lllmound and he is com­pletelyparanoid. Hewill makea breakfor it the minute the Knights release

----:-:------------------....'"40 ...,

Act Two

Torg: The C&unl M&n Rehuns

him, and probably meet some hideousfate somewhere in the Keep.

Izumi NakaharuDEXTERITY 9DOOge 11, fire combat 10, maneu­ver 10, unanned combat 10STRENGTH 8TOUGHNESS 8PERCEPTION 11Disguise 12, evidence analysis 14,find 13, language (English) 15, trick

I'MlNDI2Business 16. test 13CHARISMA 10P~uasion 11, taunt 11SPIRIT 10Intimidation 12, reality (NipponTech) I'Possibilities: 2Equipment: none

E: Mike Brick,a Spartan from Texas.Mike was sent by the Delphi Councilto get information on theCaunt Man'simpending return.

Mike BrickDEXTERITY 10Fire combat 13, melee weapons 12,missile weapons 11, stealth II, un­armed combat 14STRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 11PERCEPTION 9Air vehicles 11, find 12, land ve- .hides 12, language 12, scholar(American sports legends) 15,scholar (American action-adven­ture movies) 14, trick 12, water ve­hicles 11MlND9Survival 12, test of will 12, will­power 12CHARISMA 9Persuasion 11, taunt 12SPIRJT 8Intimidation 14, reality (Core Earth)9Possibilities: 1Equipment: Dark glasses

With the exception of "'Tara:' theprisoners are all broken in spirit. Per-

suasion attempts will have to be madeon each to rouse them from their stu­por.

ThefoUowmgcanbefound out fromthe prisoners (except Tara);

• They do not know how long theyhave been here.

• They do remember when they weretaken, and the dates correspond tobetween a month and five weeks ago.

• Ravagons captured them.

• They have been subjected to brutalexperiments by a tall, thin fellow in ablack mask and a white lab coat.

Asa reward for rescuing them,someof the prisoners may teach the StannKnights theirskills. Note that they willhave to be somewhere safe to do this(Le., away from Illmound Keep).

Torture Chamber

In here is every torture deviceknown to man; whipping posts, ironmaidens, racks, cages, iron masks, the

___, :':""""----------------....~42 ...,

iron boot, a brazier filled with red hotbranding irons, and a pendulumscythe.

Theequipment looks recently used,with reddish brown and greenish yel­low stains.

Operating Room

Thereare twooperating tables,com­plete with straps, plus numerous old­fashioned surgical tools, bone saws,skull drills. Anatomical charts for hu­mans, edeinos, ravagons, elves, andOthers decorate the walls.

One table sports a dead, dissectedtechno-demon. On one wall are glassjars with heads, organs, bodily fluids,and blood. specimensofhumans,elves,dwarves, edeinos, and mummies.

Have the Knights make a Persever­ance check.

Trophy Room

Two of Kurst's fonnercompatriotsfrom his cosm stand near the door, inwolf-man shape. They are stuffed.

Other trophies include:The mummified body of the real

Lord Bryon Salisbury, done up in fullVictorian military regalia;

A crossed pair of unloaded Victtrrian dueling pistols;

A well-preserved first edition ofthe Book of Power;

An antique globe of Gaea;A three-dimensional illusion di­

orama shOWing Kurst surrendering tothe Gaunt Man;

A non-powered Orrorshan stelae;A silver sacrificial dagger;A lock of black hair;A replica of Heketon, sculpted from

obsidian.

EventWhile the Knights are in the trophy

room, a Core Earth human malezuvembie ina waiter's uniform wheelsin several large covered platters on acart, as if serving dinner.

Under the covers are cooked hu­man heads, garnished with entrails.Drop Perseverance by one and havethe Knights make a check.

Main Occult Lab

This huge room reeks ofchemicals.Atop two long stone tables are bea­kers, flasks, alembics, tubes, all withstrange,exotic liquids.Thework tablescontain other implements common toalchemical labs: mortar and pestle,scales, an hourglass, specimen jars,bunsen burners.

There is a full range of acids storedand labeUed in here. Assumethat thereare 20 different containers filled withacid. There are six containers of vari­ous poisons, including arsenic andcyanide.

A small bookcase lies against thesouth wall, between the doors. Thebooks contain various occult rituals(see the Appendix on page 91). Onevolume also contains the weaknessesof the horrors within IILmound Keep- a research total of 15 is necessary tofind the proper information, and ittakes five minutes to read each entry.Feel free to tossa horror at the Knightsif they are spending too much timeperusing the texts.

Against thewestem wailliesa largebankofsmashed machinery. A scholar(Orrorshan mllm lort) or Perception to­tal of 15 shows that this machine wasthe Gaunt Man's infamous possibil­ity-sorting device, now ruined.

An evidence analysis or Perceptiontotal of 14 directed at the bookcasewill reveal that one has been used,although how recently is unclear. It isa notebook, apparently kept by theGaunt Man, that makes reference toattempting to find protection againsteternity shards. There are no dates toindicate when the entry was written.The rest of the pages are blank.

FlagsA Romance card means that a male

Storm Knight faUs in love with UnjayorTara.lf the Knight falls in love withTara, the techno-demon will keep upher disguise for a while longer, out ofsheer cruelty.

A Personal StQ~ played by a Knightmeans that one of the prisoners is afriend, and their safe escape wiD be amajor goal.

An Idea card played will remind theKnights that, based on what they'd

Act Two

heard, the maelstrom holding theGaunt Man should have been in thisroom.

An Alertness card (or a find or Per­ception total of 20) will reveal a secretdoor in the north wall that leads to ahidden stairway. The stairway leadsto the Gaunt Man's chambers on thesecond floor of IIImound.

PerseveranceAwards

The Knights receive one Persever­ance point for surviving the torturechamber, the operating room and thetrophy room, respectively. They re­ceive an additional two points formaking it through the pile of bones atthe beginning of the scene.

Cut To ...If the party decides to explore the

ground floor, cut to SceneTwo, "Play­ing for Keeps." If the party decides toexplore the second floor, cut to SceneFour, "Mounting Fear."

If the party decides to run out of theKeepscreaming, remind them that thefront door is gone.

SCENE FOUR:Mounting Fear

The SituationStandard. This is the top floor of

lIImound Keep (see Map 6).ltcontainsrooms of more personal value to theGaunt Man, plus the chance to meetthe High Lord of Orrorsh himself.

Guest Rooms

Each of these rooms are the same:a four-post bed, a dresser, kerosenelantern, a washbasin, and a chamberpot. These rooms are for when guestsdrop by.

If the Knights visit a guest room, afemale elf zuvembie, dad in a maid'sunifonn, staggers into the room andbegins to tum down the bed. Then, in

••43

Torg: The Caunt Min Return'

a disgusting parody of the stereotypi­cal amorous chambermaid, thezuvembie begins to attempt to seducea male Storm Knight.

Observatory

Thischambercontainsa huge brasstelescope and a domed ceiling. Theceiling cannot beopened - rather, thetelescope has the occult ability to seethrough solid objects. The dome's in­terior is painted black, with smallpoints of light and lines, representingconstellations of an hourglass, an an­gelofdeath. a heart, a book.a werewolf,and a ravagon.

The mirror marked "W," if lookedat, triggers an occult ward (value 25)that transports the viewer to mirror"A" in the Hall of Mirrors. The "X"mirror does nothing unusual.

Aitting around the top of the tele­scope are a trio of gargoyles, loudlyscreeching, "Lift your voices and singpraises to the Nameless One, for theLord of the Keep has risen again!"

The gargoyles then power-dive atthe Knights and attack.

Gargoyles (3)DEXTERITY 12Acrobatics 14, dodge 17, flight 15,maneuver 15, unarmed combat 16STRENGTH 14Lifting 16TOUGHNESS 20PERCEPTION 11Find IS, tTacking 15. trick 16MIND 10Test 12CHARISMA 8Taunt 17SPIRIT 12Faith (Onorshanevil) 14, intimida­tion16Possibility Potential: noneNatural Tools: fangs, damage value

STR+4/18; claws, damage valueSTR+6/20

Power: allack form mistana' (me-lee/missile weapons)

Corruption Value: 15Fear Rating: 1Weakness: Magic spells that cause

physical damage (stymie)True Death: Slain with stones or

stone weapons

••44

Hall of Mirrors

Theceilingsand wallsaremirroredhere, and a special set of mirrors existon one set of walls. Even though thehall is cut in half by the observatory,an occult spell allows one to walk allthe way from one end to the otherwithout passing through that room.One must beactively thinking ofreach­ing the observatory to find it again.

Mirrors A-H shows each viewer ata different life stage, as follows:

A. InfancyB. Young adultC. Whatever thatStorm Knight fears

the most appears to take shape andlungeout of the mirror. It's an illusion,which attacks the Knight using an in­timidation of 20. A willpower or Mindtotal of 14 allows the Knight to disbe­lieve the illusion and be unaffected bythe intimidation attack. Knights mayalso choose to actively resist the in­timidation attack.

No one else sees anything attack­ing the Knight, though if they too lookin the mirror, they are similarly at­tacked by their own unique fear.

"Player'scaD" is that the victim goesmad. This need not mean he is inca­pacitated - he can still remain a he­roic Storm Knight, just one who talksto imaginary people on occasion, orbelieves that aU of the High Lords areactually Dr. Mobius in disguise.Gamemasters are encouraged to havesome fun with this.

If any Knight is affected by themirror's attack, subtract one from theparty's Perseverance and have themgenerate a check.

D. The dream each Storm Knight.had at the beginning of the adventure.

E. The Storm Knight having a cupof tea, surrounded by corpses.

F. The Storm Knight in an Egyptiantomb, fighting mummies.

G. The Storm Knight having a duelat sunrise with a Victorian officer whilein the background, a city falls to theground.

H. The viewer is teleported via oc­cult ward (value 25) to mirror "X" inthe observatory.

The mirrors have a Toughness of40.

The Gaunt Man's Chambers

This room is decorated in the OldWorld style, with tapestries, black

bunting, and thick carpets.The room is the Gaunt Man's

bedchambers, and contains a largefow-post bed,a wardrobeand mirror,a grandfather's clock, an hourglass,and several marble statues of peoplein various poses of fear.

Asecretdoor in the north wall leadsto the dungeon occult lab. A find orPerception total of 20 is needed to findthe secret door.

While the Knights are in the room,the drapes and bed curtains begin tomove, and a mournful wail fills the air.Thesource isa banshee, who was oncethe Gaunt Man's mate, and who nowhaunts the room. She is not in a talk­ative mood.

Have the Knights make a Persever­ance check..

U the Knights do not attack the ban­shee, she will not attack them. Whileshe has no interest in helping them,she does recognize them as the GauntMan's enemies and has no interest inharming them, either.

If they should attack, she will con­centrate more on making them fleethan slaying them.

BansheeDEXTERITY 11Dodge14,maneuver14,unannedcombat 15STRENGTH 12TOUGHNESS 12PERCEPTION 10Find 12, track 14, trick 13MINOSWillpower 10CHARISMA 9Taunt 14SPIRIT 12Faith (Onorshan evil) 15, intimida­tion 20, reality (Orrorsh) 14Possibilities: 30NaturaITools:claws,damagevalue

STR+4/16; shriek, acts as an intimida­tion attack against anyone within rangeof her voice. Characters suffers theeffects of the wail for a number ofrounds equal to the number of resultpoints achieved by the attack. On asetback result, the target suffers a -3penalty to all actions. On a break resuJt,the character feels compeUed to flee inpanic from thesourceof the sound. Ona player's call, the target character isparalyzed with fear and cannot takean action for the duration of the effect.Characters can shake off the wail's

Ad Two

effects by generating a Mind or will­powu total of 23 or by slaying thebanshee.

Powers: cold Qura, poralyzing touchCorruption V~Jue: 22Feu R~ting:3Wealmess:Asingersinginga happy

song.True Death: Slain with a weapon

made of bone

Personal Study/Occult Lab

The only entrance to this room isthrough the tea room where theGauntMan waits, so the Storm Knights mayhave trouble getting in here.

This is a study, filled with morebooks and a fully stocked occult lab.The texts give the True Deaths of ev·ery horror in the vicinity of ew Lon­don. The books are protected byoccultwards, so if they are opened, the etherwill be disturbed and the Gaunt Manwill be aware that someone is lookingat his books.

An occult total of 20 is necessary tobe able to make out the writing in thebooks. It takes ten minutes to read

each entry.

Core Earth Situation Room

There are only two things in thisroom. The first is a six·foot diameterglobe, a topographical replica of Earth.It shows the extent ofeach realm, eachina different color, induding the loca­tion of each maelstrom bridge andeach stelae. It is a beautiful renditionof the planet. Clouds pass over areas,the globe revolves, showing night aodday, and even where the moon is.Unfortunately, the scaleof the globe issuch that one cannot pinpoint precisestelae locations.

The second item is a stone statuewith a huge black diamond in place ofa face. The statue's hands are out·stretched, as if to receive someone'shands.

If someone puts their hands on thestatue's hands, a voice asks him if hewishes to lose a possibility. If theKnight agrees, he loses a point and aswirling black Ught forms in the dia­mond. The Knight is then able to com­municatedirectly, two-way, with any

High Lord except the Gaunt Man.If the Knight refuses to lose the

possibility, he is instructed to removehis hands immediately. Uthe Knight'shands are not removed in one round,a powerful }olt (damage value 20)courses through the Knight. Ignorearmor for pu rposesof calculatingdam·age. Any Knight withcybemetics mustmake an immediate cyberpsychosischeck.

Gate Room

This room features a series of eightstone arches, each obscured by a dif·ferent-eolored mist. They are gates todifferent cosms.

A. The Waiting VillageB. AysleC. Magna VeritaD. MarketplaceE. GaeaF. Takta KerG. TerraH. Tharkold

It costs two Possibilities to use agate (the Knights will be apprised of

M....-----------------·-·~. 45

Torg: The Gaunt~n Returns

same if Ihey try to pass through one).After 24 hours, an occult spell with avalue of 34 draws Ihe Knights back 10the basement of lUmound.

Heketon's Chamber

This chamber has a thick iron door(Toughness 25) and a padlock (lockpick­ing difficulty of 18). If opened, read orparaphrase the following:

The door opens, and a blast ofcoldair sharp with the tangy iron taste ofblood slams into your faces, causing

you to take a step backwards.Inside, a large black heart of ob·

sidian rests on the hands of a statuedepicting a tortured souL The heartbeats with a rhythm of wickednessthat pounds in your heads. A sinisterblack-green light crackles in an aurasurrounding the evil thing.

This is not, of course, Heketon. Thereal Darkness Device is back in itspocket dimensionat the moment. Thisis another obsidian sculpture like theone downstairs, treated with occultspells to resemble the Darkness De-

vice. A successful detect magic rite willpick up strong traces of occult magicaround Ihe object. An evidenceanalysisor Peraption lotal of 20 will indicatethai this is not the real Heketon.

Let the Knights do whatever theyfeel like. Try to talk to it (it won'trespond); try to smash it (it's got aToughness of 15); try to invokea realitystorm on it (it's a piece of rock - itdoesn't have any retllity skill).

You can besuretheGaunt Man willbe getting a good laugh out of thewhole affair ...

•• 46

Basjas' Chamber

This bedchamber is covered inspider webs. From the ceiling hanghuman figures, long dead, covered inweb cocoons. Subtract one Persever­ance point and have the Knights makea check.

Bas}as need not be home. If theKnight have not been going on a de­structive rampage, culting down andruining everything they see, let theroom be deserted.

If, on the other hand, things havebeen far too easy for the Knights thusfar, let Bas}as be home ... and not in agood mood..lnordertobetrulysneaky,Basjas can assume her beautiful hu­man female shape and be wanderingthe corridors near her lair, posing as aVictorian prisoner. She may attemptto lead the Knights to her chambers tosnag them in her web. The Gaunt Manwill act to prevent her from killing theKnights, however, as he has some useforthem (he will let her have Ihe fun ofhumbling them, though).

BasjasSee pages 26-27 of the Orrorsh

sourcebook.

The Tea Room

When the Knights reach the TeaRoom, cut to Scene Five.

PerseveranceAwards

Award the Knights three Persever­ance points for this scene.

Cut To ...Once the Knights reach the tea room

and encounter the Gaunt Man, cut toScene Five, "A Blot of Tea,"

SCENE FIVE:A Blot of Tea

The SituationDramatic.The partyencounter!i the

Gaunt Man, sitting at a table in the tearoom and surrounded by dead StannKnights. He is pouring tea.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

A huge, airy room stands beforeyou. On the far waU, ornate suinedgl~s b..y windows offer little light.Thestainedglass imagesdepid StormKnights meeting their deaths at thehands of various horrors of IlimoundKeep.

An organ plays it dirge of its ownaccord. A gilded mirror over the or­gan dispb.ys ;II series of swirlingshades of darkness.

A long tilble dominates the room.There Me numerous settings as if forafternoon tea. Seated at the table arean edeinos, it cyberpriest, it Hospi·t~ler,aninja, adwarf, anelf, it techno­demon, it priest of Sebek. a Sister ofthe Serpent,. ~ Oraygaak,. a humMlmale, and a humMl female. They areall dead, ~s is evidenced by the v~ri­

ous gaping wounds, open chests, andmissing limbs. A few place settingsare stained by bodily fluids and en­trails whkh have spilled onto thet~ble.

Hanging from the ceiling;are evenmore bodies, m;any holding litc;andles as if they were grotesquechandeliers.

Sitting at the head of the t~ble is askelet;al man in dark clothing and awide brimmed hat with ~ buckle. Heis pale, with dry cracldy skin remi­niscent of parchment His d;ark eyesbum with sheer evil.

With his bony fingers, he pourstea and gestures to some open chairs."'Banish from your mindsany thoughtof attack," the figure addresses youin a raspy voice that sends shiversdown your spines. "Sit, MId join me..

for some Oharjeeling tea. So gl;adyou could accept my invit;ation. Helpyourselves to some... I~dy fingers."

The ActionHave the Knights generate a Perse­

verance check. Then aUow them toreact (give them a chance to scream,shoot, whatever). U they attack, theGaunt Man will demonstrate the futil­ity of their actions (removing bulletsfrom his chest, holding his hand outand letting a laser ricochet against iU,only retaliatingagainst those who werefoolish enough to initiate hostilities.

If the Knights attempt to attack himwith an eternity shard, the Gaunt Manwill wrest it from their graspand thankthem for the gift. Theamulet(which iscompletely concealed by his cloak)protects him from the shard, but hewill under no circumstances reveal tothe Knights why theshard is not work­ingon him.

The tea and snacks are completelysafe. (Yes, the "lady fingers" are reallypastries.)

The Knights can, ofcourse, attemptescape. The Gaunt Man will let themrun through the Keep for a while, thenuse his occult skill to draw them backto the tea room.

The Knights may also want to tryjumping through the stained glasswindows. Let them-they'rejust nor­mal windows. But Knights who gothrough them, including those withthe power of flight, will find them­selves falling and falling, only to landin a seat in the tea room. The windowthey went through is whole again.

Whether or not the Knights sitdown, the Gaunt Man will resume hisspeech:

"I have summoned you here on ~

matter of singular importance. Dur­ing my ... sabbatical, a member ofmy Hellion Court grew ambitious.Believing himself to be worthy of thethrone of Orrorsh, he is planning anoccult ritual th;at will give him nstnew powers.

"The being in question is noneotherthan General AveI}' Wellington,the Supreme Commander of the Vic­torian military. I know not what thesource of his newfound courage is,but he has decided to try and become

AC'lTwo

a threat to my carefuUy-crafted ecol­ogy of fear ... and to one of yourcities.

"'You see, for his ritual to work,many thousands must die. I have nouse for such bloodletting - I preferpeople to remain ~live, but in terror.But for reasons of my own, I prefernot to intervene in Wellington's af·fairs at present. I know th;at StonnKnights such as yourselves are insuf­ferably heroic, and 1know of some ofyour past deeds....

At this point, the Gaunt Man refersto three of the Knights by name andmentions some of their past accom­plishments.

If the Knights press the Gaunt Manfor the reasons he will not confrontWellington himseU, he says:

"'The completion ofhis ritu~1 is farless of a threat to me than it is to yourprecious cosmo The deaths of mil­lions are ;an ... inconvenience, I willgrant, but not worthy of my atten­tion. I can eventually restore the bal­ance, and meanwhile use the deadfor my gospog fields.

"Also, I wish to retain my ano­nymity for;a while longer. I have keptmy victory over the Heart of Coyotesecret for six months now, while Igauged the strength of lTlf fellowHigh Lords. Now I wish to gauge thestrength of my enemies- you StormKnights. How you fare againstWellington will show me how strongyou have become in my ;absence."

As a show of good faith, the GauntMan will tell them tha~Wellington'sTrue Death is to be slain in a duel atsunrise with an encha~ted sword. Hewill not reveal his w'eakness. saying"its nature escapes me." He will saythat a Victorian professor, AlisterScope,iscurrentlyonanarchaeoloigcalexpedition in the Nile Empire, in thearea where Egypt, Sudan, and the RedSea meet. The site is about five milesinland. Scope has researched Well­ington and knows the details of theritual as well as Wellington's weak­ness. It is possible that Scope may alsoknow where the Knights might obtainthe weapon they need.

Knowledge of the weakness is es­sential - Wellington will never agreeto a duel unless he is cowed into it.

Beyond this, the Gaunt Man will

I'47

Torg: Th~ C ..unt M..n Returns

•• 48

offer no help. He wishes to see howwell the Knights will manage on theirown (it should prove an amusing en­tertainment).

The Gaunt ManDEXTERI1Y 17Dodge 22, maneuver 18, meleeweapons 20, prestidigitation 20,unarmed combat 18STRENGrnnTOUGHNESS 28PERCEPTION 29Evidence Analysis 31, find 30,language 32, scholar (eternityshards) 32, scholar (Orrorsh realmlore)35,scholadthe NamelessOne)33, trick 31MIND 28Test 32, occult 34, willpower 34CHARISMA 22Charm 26, persuasion 27, taunt 23SPIRIT 28Faith (Orrorshan evil) 37, intimida·tion 38, reality 35Possibilities: 300Equ ipment: Occult amulet protect­

ing him from eternity shards; canewith small living head, causes fear ina3O-meterradiusaround theGaunt Man(spell functions in a similar manner tothefrstrspell detailed on page 860f theOm"sh sourcebook).

Powers:attackform resistance(physj·CIlI, mental, and spiritual damage frommagical attacks), regeneration, resistanceto normal weapons, silence

Corruption Value: 61Fear Rating: 5Pusevennce DN: 27WeUness: Eternityshards, though

this is nullified while the Gaunt Manremains inside lllmound and wearshis amulet.

True Death: None known.

Decisions, Decisions,Decisions ...

Well, ourStonn Knights arecertainlyin an interesting situation, aren't they?They no doubt have other questions toask the Gaunt Man - his answers areprovided in the sidebar below.

The Knights now have to decidewhether they want to take the hint,stop Wellington, and save the city ornot. The gamemaster should advisethem that knowing a city is about to bedestroyed and not doing anything tostop it is a Wicktd act and will result inmassiveamountsofConuptionpoints.1f they absolutely, positively refuse totake action to stop the ritual from tak·ing place, levy 13 Conuption points

Ad Two

on each Knight and have them make aConuptioncheck. Let'shopethey lookgocKl with horns and running sores ...

If they decide among themselves totake on Wellington, secretly generatean occult totaloftheGaunt Man againstthe Knights' Spirit. OONQTLETTHEPLAYERSKNOWWHATYOU'REUPTO. Essentially, the Gaunt Man iscast­ing a speU that will simulate theeffectsof eight Corruption points beingawarded to each Knight. The charac­ters need not generate Corruptionchecks in this instance, but do receivethe automatic up condition.

This "artificial corruption" will beperceived by those with true sight asreal. The Gaunt Man is hoping to thusstart the Knights on the road to wick·edness.

Once the heroes have accepted thetask, cut to "Aftermath."

AftermathIf the heroes accept the task, the

Gaunt Man willcureanyphysicaldam·age or insanity the Storm Knights ac·quired while exploring lllmound. Anydead Knights, however, remain dead,and their corpses become the GauntMan's property.

A nswers to Storm Knight Questions

Q: Why us? Why not some of fear among the masses! A: Iallowed Avery the luxuryyour own lackeys?

Q: What's to stop us from tell·of choosing his own weakness

A: As I havesaid, Iwish to test when he became my ally, and tothe strength of Storm Knights. ing other High Lords or Iieuten- tell me what that weakness wasYou have already proven your ants about your return? in due time. He never told me,mettle by surviving my Keep- A: Beware. My associates of- and I believed I had little to fearnow I would see just how pow- ten slay the bearers of bad news. from that stodgy, unimaginative,erful you are. Q: How do we know this isn't two-dimensional thinker. It

Q: If you're so strong, why an elaborate trap? seems that I underestimated theA: To what end? If I wanted extent of his ambitions. Ah, well.

not just fry Avery from a dis-- you dead, I would have killed One error in a miUenium is to belance?

A: If you fail, I may well do you the moment you blundered expected.

that ... eventually. Not before J into Illmound. I am not Dr. Mo-- Q: What's to stop YOU fromsee the outcome of his rite. how· bius-Jneed notengage inetabe>- getting a hold of the ritual andever. Iprefersubtlety at thistirne. rate scheming to slay my en· using it yourself?

emies. A: lamalreadythemostpow·Q: What'stostopus from tell·

Q: Why don't you know erful of High Lords, soon to being people about your return?

A: Ifullyexpectyouwill. And Avery's weakness? Don't you the Torg. What care I for some

this news will spread glorious know everything? paltry ritual?

6~-----------------·_·~. 49

He then summons a zuvembie but­ler to escort the Knights out ofIIlmound. A huge black hansom cabawaits, pulled by skeleton horses anddriven by an unidentifiable being cladin a long robe and cowl.

Thecreature isgospog of the fourthplanting, though it will not make anyattacks or other overt moves unless itis attacked or its cowl is lifted up. Inthat case, it attacks the offender, killshim, then resumes his duties as driver.

The cab flies through the air anddeposits the party at the Jakarta citylimits. The time is sunset. Once theKnights leave the cab, it disappears.

If the gospog is killed, the coachlandssoftlyand disappears, effectivelyleaving the Knights stranded. Ii thishappens over the ocean, they are indeep trouble.

VariablesIf any Stann Knight tries to use

spirit medium to talk to the dead andattempt to ascertain Avery's weak­ness or even the full extent of h.is plot,the attempt fails. Whatever's going onhas cowed even the spirits.

An organized attack on the GauntMan will bring a half dozen ravagonveterans immediately into the battle,interposing themselves between theGaunt Man and the Knights.

•• 50

PerseveranceAwards

Give each surviving Knight threePerseverance points for meeting theGaunt Man and living to teU about it.

Act AwardsGive each Knight seven Possibili­

ties for surviving the Ad. If they man­aged to rescue the prisoners,givethemanother two. If they somehow man­aged to slay Basjas, add three more.

Cut To ...Once the party is ready to head off

to Egypt, cut to"Interlude," then moveon to Ad Three.

InterludeTheStorm Knights need to get from

Jakarta to the dig. There is a Vidoriansteamship, the 55 Celestitl, departingJakarta harbor at noon the day afterthe party returns from visitingIIlmound. The ship one-day stops atColombo, Ceylon; Bombay, India;

Aden, Yemen; Port Sudan. Sudan; andends up in Cairo. Egypt.

To sail from Jakarta to Port Sudantakes two weeks. Fare is 100 sterlingsper person one way.

There are 40 other passengers, amixtureofVictoria.Jt., Nile,and Nippon.Gamemasters may place charaders oftheir own creation on board. Option­ally. the characters from the Hotel In­donesia, if not used in Act One, may beplaced on board ship.

The Knights' best bet is to take theship to Port Sudan and hire trucks asto get to the site. It is a fOUT hour drive.

The Knights can use the timeon theship to relax and/or learn skills.

Ifone or both of the techno-demonsfrom Act One survived, it could tailthe Knights to the ship and kill severalrandom passengers, in hopes of un­nerving the heroes. Each night, thedemon kills one innocent passengerand places the severed head outside aStorm Knight's door. Once each herohas a head, the demon begins killingthe Storm Knights, one per night.

There simply are NO aircraft to behired inJakarta. All aircraft have beencommandeered by the governmentand pressed into service. If a StormKnight has his own aircraft, the jour­ney takes 18 hours on the average,counting stops to refuel.

Act Threoe

Act Three

Die Likean Egyptian

The Major BeatThe Storm Knightsarriveatthedig

in the Nile Empire and meet a bunchof interesting Victorians, includingsecret aJlies ofGeneral WellingtonandDr. Mobius.

After becoming embroiled in amurder investigation, the Knightshelp explore a newly discoveredtemple, find an eternity shard, andfend off a sneak attack by Mobius'forces.

NOTE: The Perseverance diffi·culty number for the remainder ofthis adventure is 23. This reflects thefact that the Knights are no longerunder the direct influenceoftheGauntMan, but are now wandering intoWellington's sphere of power.

SCENE ONE:Them Bones, Them

Bones, ThemBuried Bones

The Situationsl.mdnd. The Stonn Knights ar­

rive at the Victorian dig site. Due tothe presence of a hard point in thearea, most ofthe camp isan Orrorshandominant zone.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

At last, your long journey is at anend. The hour is half past four in theafternoon. Stretched before you is alarge campsite and dig. with greatsand dunes rising in the background.In the precise center of the camp, astatue of a queen sitting on a throne

holds up a nagpole, from which theVictorian's nag snaps smartly in thedesert breeze.

Surrounding the nagpole are manylarge lenis, with khaki and pith hel­met-dad figures entering and leav­ing. On one side of the camp, Victo­rian soldiers drill. A few arlillerypieces stand at the ready.

The fn end of the camp has sev­eral large trenches, with dozelUl ofnative workmen laboring under thehot sun. Many small tents, no doubtfor the workers, stand pilched nearthe digs.

A Victorian sentry catches sight ofyou, and advances, demanding iden­tification.

The ActionThe purpose of this scene is for the

Knights to get acquainted with thepersonnel working at the dig. It can beas long or as short a scene as thegamemaster wishes -let the Knightswander around and interact with thedifferent charactershere to their hea rt'scontent, if they're having run.

The following are the statistics forthe dig staff, including the militarypresence.

Professor Ambrose Garred­Dig Leader

Reality: OrrorshDEXTERITY?Beast riding 9, fire combat 8, un·anned combat 8STRENGTHSTOUGHNESS 9PERCEPTION 11Egyptian religion 13, evidenceanalysis 13, find 15, hieroglyphics17, language 15, research 16,scholar(Victorian history) 17

••51

Torg; The Gaunt Man RetutnJ

MIND 12Science (archaeology) 18, survivalIS, willpower 15CHAR1SMA9Persuasion 12SPIRIT 10Faith (SaceUum) 14Possibilities: noneEquipment: Cross heavy revolver,

damage value 16, ammo 6, range 3-5/15/25;archaeology kit (brushes, twee­zers, magnifying glass, vials, files,small hammer, chisel. large notebook,pens and ink); letter of authorizationfrom Overgovernor Neteru allowingthe dig to take place.

Description: An average-lookingman in his late thirties, Garreck is abookish scholarly type, rather awk­ward among people, women in par.ticular. He tends to beabsent· minded,and gets totally absorbed in his work.

Professor Alister ScopeDEXTERITY 9Beast riding 12, fire combat 12, me­lee weapons 12STRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTION 12Evidence analysis 14, find 15, lan­guage 16, research 16, scholar(Orrorsh realm lore) 16,scholar(Vie-­torian history) IS, trick 14MINDUOccult 18, sci.ence (archaeology) 15,survival 14, test of wiU 15CHARISMA 10Chann 13, taunt 14SPIRIT 12Faith (Sacellum) 15, reality(Orrorsh) 14Possibilities: 6Equipment: Cross heavy revolver,

damage value 16, ammo 6, range 3-5/15/25; archaeology kit; lantern;occultkit; occult books (adds +2 to any at·tempts at researching occult or at·tempting occult rituals); woodenstakes; mallet; 6 vials of holy water;silver dagger, damage value STR+2/12; necklace of garlic; Sacellum crosson neck chain; private journal; en­chanted rapier,damagevalueSTR+7/22.

Desaiption: AlisterScope is a mem­berof theSign ofSix, a Victorian secretsociety. A powerful, handsome, in­tense man in his early 405, he has dedi­cated his life to fighting the horrors ofOrrorsh wherever they appear.

Unfortunately, ProfessorScope is abit unhinged from hisdabblings in theoccult. His discovery of the extent ofcorruption among the Victorians, aswell as Wellington's duplicity, hasshaken him badly.

What Scope Knows: Avery Well­ington has stumbled upon theArchivesof the Damned, and found a ritual togainhimgreatpower. WeJlingtonmustgo to the highest spot in a' city, andinvoke the ritual at dawn, when thestars are right. Scope believes the cityto be sacrificed is Singapore.

Wellington is resistant to normalweaponry. In preparation for this 0b­stacle, Scope has fashioned an occult­forged foil. If the Knights convinceScope that they are going to confrontAvery, he will give it to them.

Wellington's wealcness is a Gaeanrose, the Peace Rose, whose petals arean electric blue and blood crimson.These roses grow in two locations: asmall garden at the house where theSign ofSix usually meets, in New Lon­don (Padang), and inside the Fortressof the Dead.

Professor Scope starts out as neutraltoward the Knights. In order to winover his trust, his attitude must bemade loyal. (Note that the group has tomention that they areout to stop AveryWellington!) If this is done, a success­ful persuQsion will make Alister adntithe's a member of the Sign of Six, andhe will tell the group the Sign's ad­dress in New London, as well as whathe learned about Avery. He also givesthe Knights his journal to read (hand­out 2).

Scope also mentions that the Belland Whistle is a great pub in New.London, and a source of great news,rumor, and gossip.

Reverend Charlton White ­Dig Chaplain

DEXTERlTY8Melee weapons 12STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTION 11Evidence analysis 12, find 13, firstaid 14, languages 13, research 13,scholar (Core Earth Christian reli­gions and sects) 15MIND 10Test 14, willpower 14CHARISMA 10Charm 13, persuasion 16

SPIRIT 13Faith (Sacellum) 17, focus 17, real­ity 10000rsh) I'Possibilities: 7Equipment: Cross heavy revolver

withblEssedsiJverbullets,damagevaluevalue 16, ammo 6, range 3-5/15/25;SaceUu.m BookofPower;Sacellu.m Cross;four vials of holy water

Description: Rotund, balding. witha cherubic face, Reverend White re­minds one of Friar Tuck more than aSacellum priest. In the eyes of his su­periors, the Reverend is extremely lib­eral, hence his assignment out hereHamong the rest of the heathens.H

Brigadier Ashton Auchenford ­Victorian Army GarrisonCommander

DEXTERITY 9Beast riding 12, dodge 12, fire com­bat 13, melee combat 14, unarmedcombat 15STRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 12PERCEPTION 9Find 10, tracking 12, trick 12MINDSSurvival 12, test 14, willpower 13CHARISMASPersuasion 12, taunt 12SPIRIT 9Faith (Sacellum) 10, intimidation12, reality (Orrorsh) 11Possibilities: 5Equipment: Cross heavy revolver,

damage value 16, ammo 6, range 3-5/15/25; sabre, damage value STR+4/

I'Description: BrigadierAuchenford

is a handlebar-moustached man in hislate40s, who carries himself with typi­cal military discipline. He is a spit andpolish type, always quoting regula­tions and slogans to his men.

Typical Victorian Officer of theValiant 13th Regiment

See page 43 of the Orrorsh source­boole

Description: There are two lef­tenants in the Valiant 13th. One isNicholas Rowefield, the second isWinston Welles,

Rowefield is a dashing. gallant of­ficer. Charming. polite, well-liked byall, Leftenant Rowefield knows noth­ing at all out of the ordinary,

Welles is a scoundrel, a drinker,gambler, and all around mean com-

--"'":':':""""----------------....'->52 -.:g

mander. Still, he is not Corrupt.Winstonsuspects that "there'smore

to Victoria Sigurd than meets theeye.N

Beinga devotee of the wild life, heseesin her that same look. Hesuspects thather demure Victorian demeanor is asham. He has no idea how right he is.

Incidentally, Welles will not sharehis opinion of the Victorian womenunless he is alone with male StormKnights.

Both officers share the same tent. Itis very easy to tell whose cot is whose,one being very neat and well madeup,the other looking like a pig sty.

Typical Victorian Soldier of theValiant 13th Regiment

See page 43 of the Orrorsh source­book.

Description: There are 40 soldiersin the camp. This includes four ser­geant-majors and eight lance carpo­,.Is.

The four sergeant-majors share atent, the eight lance corporals sharetwo tents, and the remaining 28 menshare seven tents.

The men have no idea anythinguntoward is going on, except for themysterious murders of several work­er.;.

Victorian Ladies (3)DEXTERITY 9Beast riding 10, dodge 11, running12STRENGTH 7TOUGHNESS 7PERCEPTION 9Egyptian religion 10, hieroglyphics10, scholar (domestic work) 14,scholar (secretarial work) 14MINDSCHARISMA 11Charm 13SPIRIT 10Faith (Sacellum) 11Possibilities: noneEquipment: Archaeology kits, para­

sols, typewriters.Description: These single women

in their mid-20s are along as secretar­ies, assistants, clerks, and domestics.Their names are: Allison Mastill, Sa­rah Wellington, and Lenore Garreck..

ActTh~

Allison and Sarah are normal Vic­torian women, modest, prim andproper. Despite the name, Sarah isNOT related to General Wellington.Allison is a blonde, Sarah a brunette.

AllisonandSarah both like LehmantRowefield. Theyalsobothdislike LenoreGarreck,considering hera troublemakerand unfeminine. The women will notshare these opinions with male StonnKnights; only with a female StormKnight, over tea.

Lenore is the younger sister ofAmbrose. She is a firebrand,champion­ing the cause of women's rights andanxious to get he< hands dirty. She hasred hair. Lenoreis hiendswith Victoria.

The three women share a tent with afourth, outlined below.

Victoria SigurdDEXTERITY ]1Dodge 14, maneuver 12, unarmedcombat 14STRENGTH 14TOUGHNESS 11PERCEPTION 12Trick 13

I.53

MIND]]WiUpower 12CHARISMA 1.Charm 16, persuasion 16, taunt 16SPIRITSFaith (Orrorshan evil) 15, intimida­tion 13, reality (Orrorsh) 12Possibilities: 10Powers: fire attack. regenerationCorruption V.a.J.ue: 22Fear Rating: 1Weakness: Sacellum Book of Power

(severe)True Death: Disfigurement of faceNatural Tools: claws, damage value

STR+1/15Description: Victoria is a succubu:5­

allied with Wellington,ana. wassentbyhim to eliminateScope. On the outside,Victoria is a shy, pretty brunette whoworksasa typist and ''knows her place."

Atnight,sheoccasionallyhuntsdownmen in order to spread. some fear. ThusfaT, three workers have died, thougheveryone thinks that either wild ani­mals did it or that the workers ran off.

Usomehowinterrogated successfully(she is h¥/ to Avery), she knows thatAvery will perform the ritual inSingapore, and that the NightmareSkutharka is quietly backing him up.

Snee the MoleDEXTERITY 11Dodge 14, fire combat 14, lock pick­ing 16, melee weapons IS, prestidigi­tation 17, stealth 18STRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 9PERCEPTION 9Disguise 10, find 10, fo.-gery 11, landvehicles 12, scholar (electronics) 11,trick 12MINOSStreetwise 12, survival 12, test 10,weird science 10CHARISMA 7Taunt 12SPIRIT 8Faith (Egyptian) 9, reality <Nile Em­pire) 10Possibilities: 6Inclination: EvilEquipment: 9mm Luger, damage

value IS, ammo 8, range 3-10/25/40;stiletto, damage value STR+3/13; NileEmpire talisman; weird science radio(stashed in tent); weird sciencelisteningdevices (.)

Description: Snee is a slimy, bug­eyed hoocl from Cairo, who has taken to

hanging around pulp villains. He iscur­rently disguised as a laborer, and issupposed to report to Dr. Tottenand theScarlet Asp by secret rndio onre theexpedition finds something of worth.Snee talks in a wheezy, whiny voice,and loves to openly leer at beautifulwomen.

He has four listening devices, whichhe will attempt to plant in some of theStorm Knights tents. A Storm Knightattempting to locate one will have tomake a find or Perception total of 20.

Common Laborer (89)DEXTERITY 8Meleecombat 9, unarmed combat 10STRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTION 7Fmd9MIND 7CHARlSMA7Taunt 10SPIRIT 8Intimidation 9Additional Skills: one at +1 addsPossibility Potential: some (75)Equipment: picksand shovels,dam·

age value STR+4/14Description:These laborers sleepsix

to a tent. They are sullen and surly,working for a mere pittance under thehot sun. The effect of working in anOrrorshan hardpoint ismakingsomeofthem begin to accept the Victorian rub­bish about superior races and economicclasses.

The laborersaresuperstitious, possi­bly another result of being in the Victo­ri..l0 reality for too long. They feel thatsomesupernatural beast has cursed thesite and is killing off their feUows.

The CampThe central feature of the Victorian

campisa bronzestatueofQueen Victoriaholding a eight-meter high flagpole,which was made into a Victorianhardpoint by the original founders ofthecampbymeansofthecrmtehardpointgroup power from a Victorian eternityshard. See Map 8, "Victorian Encamp­ment"

The hardpoint weighs 100kilogramsand has a Spirit value of 5. It projectsdominant Orrorshan reality in a 100meter radius, with an Orrorshan purezone created in a l~meter radius. The

hardpoint has a Toughness of 25.

Artillery Batteries

These are two Lee-Hollings 15poundercannons, with a damage valueof 25. Heavy wttlpcms skill is needed toload and fire them. Oosetothecannoruiistheammunitionstorage,coruiistingof100shells.The ammunition storagealsocontains locked strongboxes full of sil­ver bullets, blessed bullets, and stan­dard bullets. There is always onesentrygua.-ding the batteries/ammo dump.

Army Tents (Soldie..and NCOs)

Each lenl sleeps Iow-, and has low­cots, a lantern, and a 5acellum Cf05S.

Leftenants'Tent

Nicholas Rowefield's halfofthe tentis clean, neat, militarily precise. Win­ston Welles' half is messy and un­kempt. There are two cots, a lantern, afolding table, and two chairs in thistent. In Welles' army chest, there is adeck of cards, dice. some erotic (byVictorian standards: ladies inbloomers, etc.) illustrations,and a largebottle of brandy.

Brigadier's Tenl

The Brigadier's tent has a rot, desk,four chairs, lantern. victrola with re­cordings of hymns, BookofPower, and aSacellum Cf05S. On the Brigadier's deskis a letter from an associate, who hap­pens to mention in passing thatCeneralAvery Wellington is undertaking somesort of mission in Singapore.

11lere are also reports on the perfor­mancesofbothleftenants. Despitecom­ments about Welles' slovenly appear·ance, both officers are judged well.

Reverend's Tent

The good Reverend has a cot, desk,two chairs, lantern, several Sacellumcrosses and Books of Power, 20 extrasilver bullets, and six extra vials ofholy water.

The Reverend can always be foundin his tent. He uses it to do his work,counsel the troubled, and any otherduties.

...·..·",,54.,.---------------------~

Act Ttlret'

The Gaunt Man Returns: Map 8Victorian Encampment

~.:' "

:....

. '.

Key1. Artillery batteries2. Soldier/NCO

tents3. Leftenants' tent4, Brigadier's tent5. Reverend's

tent6. Ladies' tent7. Work tent8. Mess tent9. Guest tents

10. Laborer's tents11. Snee's tent12. Digs13. Garreck's tent14. Scope's tent15. Other archeolo­

gists' tents16. Well• Hardpoint

(Statue of QueenVictoria)

. AMMO;0. '.'.

', ..

"'•.'. ~.

.... ,"".."."",

'.".

,.'·'Y.

5

,,

.. ~ .

."

... ~ ...'.'

The Ladies' Tent

Kept tidy as a good ladies' dormi­tory should be, it has fow cots, twosewing kits, a lantern, a Sacellumcross,and a Book of Power.

It is considered a scandal for a manto enter the ladies' tent without aproper chaperone (namely, anotherwoman).

Work Tent

This large tent is where the majorityof the paper work and lab work isdone. There are four typewriters, afiling cabinet, two lanterns, a longworktable, a map of the camp site(including the digs), and office andarchaeological supplies.

The filing cabinet is locked (lockpicking difficulty 8). A find or Percep-­tion totalof80rmoreisneeded to findeach of these items:

• A full roster of camp personnel.Victoria Sigurd was a last minute ad­dition, in the wake of the sudden andmysterious death of the woman whowas supposed to go.

• A copy of the letter of authorizationfromOvergovernor Neteru forthedig.

• Reports on the three workmen'sdeaths. Two bodies were found, onewas not. The dead were buried in anearby ditch. It appeared that a wildanimal had ripped them apart. Thedeaths happened every other night(which means one is due tonight>.

• A record of what has been foundthus far, which is precious little. Thesite has been in place here for the lastfive weeks.

Mess Tent

Another large tent, with a partitioncutting off a fifth of it. The smallersection has the camp stove and foodpreparation tools. The women are incharge of food preparation.

Guest Tents

Used for any visiting scholars, etc,each tent has four rots, a lantern, aBook of Power, and a Sacellum cross.

I.55

Laborer Tents

Ftlthyand substandard, each has sixcots and lots of sand. lice.

Snee's Tent

An ordinary laborer tent, it only hasfour occupants (two of the victims hadused this tenO, including Snee. Snee'stent matesare unawareofhis duplicity.

Under Snee'5 cot is a concealed hole(findor Peruption total of12>.lnsideisanoodmachinewithamioophone.Aweirdscience total of 10 will reveal that it's apowerful radio and eavesdropper ~ceiver.Thereisalsoa bagrontainingSOONileRoyalsand four..""dipsofammo.

Digs

These are the four main dig sites.Workeno labor in two seven-hour shifts(4 a.m.-It a.m., 0000-7 p.m.). Each digsite has fifteen workers at any giventime on one shift.

Garreck's Tent

Contains a cot, desk. two chairs,lan­tern, private stock of liquor, and manybooks on archaeology and other sub­jects. His desk has copies of all papersfound in the Work Tent.

Scope's Tenl

Contains a rot, desk. two chairs, lan­tern. SacelIum cross, and several bookson theoccuJl. A find or Prn:rption total of150n his desk reveals a secretcompart­ment with his diary. If the Knights findit, give them handout 2, "Journal ofProfessor Alister Scope."

Scope's enchanted sword is hiddenunder his bed. Find or Pm:qJtion total of10 tospol

Other Archaeologists

These two tents each contain twojunior Victorian archaeologists. Theirnames are: Reginald Dwight, PhillipHoward Craft, Artemis Conrad, and B.G. Shore.

Each tent has two rots and a lantern.1nese men have no bearing on the ad­venture. They knowofnothing unusual,and., being men of science, they scoff atthe occult, magic, and miracles.

Well

This is the Victorians' water supply.There is always a sentry on duty here.

EventOnce the party has _b(;shed its

credentials,Garreckwill ask the Knightsto stay for dinner.

Held in the mess tent at 6 p.rn. sharp,the occasion is attended by Garreck,Scope, the four junior archaeologists,the four women, BrigadierAuchenford,Reverend Charlton, and LeftenantsRowefield and Welles.

For a desert expedition. mealtime ismost magnificent. Thedishesarechina,the utensils are silver. There are cande-­labra for light. and a victrola for music(organ music, playing thunderoushymns).

Fare includes rare roast beef, York­shire pudding. roasted potatoes, honeyglazed carrots, dinner roUs, and a finebwgundywme,foUowedbystrawbenytarts and tea, ending with brandy andcigars (for the males, while the~including the female Storm. Knights,dean up the dishes). Female Storm.Knights who refuse to help out in thecleanup will be unable to do any infor·mation gathering among the Victorianmales.

Manners are to be minded duringdinner. If a Storm Knight shows badmanners, the Victorians take offense,which lowers their base attitude onelevel on any attempts at dum" or pnsuo·swn by the rude Knight.

Dinner lasts until 10 p.m.

EventThe Knights may decide to tum in

for the evening. or they may arrange anoctumaJ meeting with Scope. Regan:I­less, a desert storm howls into camp,bringing thunder, lightning. rain, andwind.

When theclock strikes midnight, cutto "Midnight Murder."

FlagsA Romana card causes one of the

three ladies to fall in love with a maleStorm Knight. If the Storm Knight is

female, either leftenant or one of thefour minor archaeologists fall in lovewith her.

A Suspicion cardcauses the Brigadierto suspect that a Stonn Knight is some-­how behind the murders. A pair of sol­diers will always follow the Knight. try­ing to be stealthy.

Scope will think a Storm Knight tsactually an ally of Wellington's sent tokill him ;f the Knigh. plays a MistakenIdentity card. Alister, in his unbalancedmental state, will shy away from theKnight (and any obvious friends of theKnight), then attempt to kill the Knightin his sleep.

VariablesAn Akrlnes5 card played while 0b­

serving Snee shows that he has a pistolhidden in his robe. Alertness may alsoreveal any ofthe concealed things in theappropriate tents, if previously over­looked.

If the Knights try to get Alister aloneto talk about Wellington. he will tellthem tovisit him in his tent after-dinner.

TIle Knights may attempt to dig upthe bodies of the murdered workers, tofind what killed them. When they seethe bodies, subtract one Perseverancepoint and have them generate a check..

Aneuidenaanalysisor Peraption totalof130nthebodiesshows that they wereripped apart by wha.looks like humanfingemails.Afind 0< Pt=ption _I of16revea1sseveraJ longstrandsofbrownhair on both bodies.

The bodies are buried 20 meters duewest ofdig site13A.The Knights canaskProfessor Garreck for pennission to ex­hume the bodies, requiring any level ofpersuasion success. Otherwise, the Vic­torians will be horrified. if they discoverthe Knights in the act of I9"vedigging-

Midnight MurderAs the storm reaches its peak, the

succubus calling herseU "VictoriaSigurd" strikes again, killing one ofthe sentries.

A Pm:eption total of B allows theKnights to hear a loud wailof pain thatrises above the howling of the wind.

A find or Perception total of9 allowsthe Knights to determine the directionfrom which the scream came. Once

_.,~---------""'e\56 .,..,

Hiind0Ul2 -Journal of Professor Alister Scope

Act Three

NOfJmrbn 8 - As I stand here on the deck of the steamer and ponder my situation, my mind keeps turning backto that devil, Wellington. How could that man have betrayed God, Queen, and country?

Iam convinced that Wellington, aside from his involvement with the powersofDarkness. is now a corrupt monsterofgreat power. Using the books Ihave broughtalong and the books I managed tosteal from Wellington himself, I hopeto ascertain his weakness.

Dig; DQY] - Even across this Earth's Indian Ocean, I feel the gaze of Wellington, and it weighs heavy on my soul.Due to the academic nature of many in our group. the books were the first things unpacked. t shall start my researchon the morrow.

Dig. Day 5 - My duties as an archaeologist consume my time and energy, but I still manage to save some for mystudies of Wellington. Since he is a man of war, I suspect that his weakness involves peace. But in what fonn? Whatmanifestation?

Dig, Day 10-Thanks be to the Saviour, success at last! The monster Wellington can be slain at sunrise in a duelwith a singleopponent. The sole way ofgetting him toagree to such a duel is to confront him with a Gaean Peace Rose,a rare species of rose which grows in few places on this strange world.

One of these places is the Rhodesland Street manor of Dr. Stormfield, which serves as the New Londonheadquarters of the Sign of the Six, my feDow occult students! The irony is delicious!

I shaD have to notify Dr. Stonnfield that the means of stopping Wellington lies in his own garden!A second location is the Fortress of the Dead, a foul place on Majestic's northeast coast.

Dig. Day 15 - My mind is almost unable to comprehend the enormity of the corruption of General Wellington.Thanks to my reading of his books, I have discovered his plans. The man has found a ritual that will grant him great

power, though at the cost of many lives. This ritual lies in a book cal1ed the Archives oflhe Damned, a foul volume withcountless blasphemies between its worm-eaten rovers. Unfortunately, I was unable to purloin that specific volume.

This ritual, which must be perfonned at the highest point in a large city in the Southern hemisphere, will drain thelife force of many of the city's inhabitants and give this energy to the General.

I am not certain of the time or location; perhaps my fellow society members can aid me there. I must leave the campas soon as 1am able, but securing permission wiD be difficult, since I dare not confide in any, lest they be an agent ofWellington's!

Dig, Day1r-.Work came to a halt today when laborers discovered one of their fellows, dead. He had been missingfor two nights. His insides had been tomout by claws, presumably belonging to some wild animal. The whole incidentmakes my spine shrivel.

Dig, Day17-Another laborer has been found dead, his throat tom out. It seemscertain that we have a wild animalhunting in the area, or so Garreck says. I fear that it is something far more sinister, and that it walks among us in theguise: of a human.

Dig. Day 18 - I have burned WeDington's books and invoked my rituals to gain as much knowledge as I can. Allof my forays into the corrupt world of the occult are beginning to fray my nerves.

During the last days of my research, I discovered that Wellington is resistant to mundane weaponry. This presentsyet another obstacle, though my special foil wiD most likely neutralize this advantage.

My dreams of late have shown a great city under a night sky, a city now filled with walking dead. I dream of anhourglass in the sky, and a withered corpse emerging from a storm.

I feel as if I am prisoner in this camp. I dare not trust any of the soldiers.Later-Another laborer is lost, presumed dead. His body has not been found. What manner of madness has seized us?

Dig, Day 20 - I lay awake tonight, and I hear the sounds of the insects in the desert. They tell me that a group ofpeople come to our camp tomorrow afternoon. These people, though they may mean well, are already tainted byCorruption. The insects know. They sing their knowledge to each other and mock me.

But their mocking is in vain, for I have understood their speech, and I believe I know the name of the city whichAvery intends to destroy: it is called Singapore.

••57

Torg: The Caunt Man Ret\lJm

Variables

PerseveranceAwards

Once the evening's excitement isover with, cut to Scene Two, "Underthe Sand." The Knights will haveplenty to occupy them in the day be­fore having to deal with Victoria againin the evening.

•••Cut To

The Knights receive one Persever­ance point for each of the following:obtaining information from Scope orhis sword; observing the nail marksofstrands of hairon the workers' bodies;observing same on the sentry's body.They receive two Perseverance pointsfor viewing the corpses and two forviewing the sentry.

If the Knights should defeatVictoria, give them two additionalPerseverance points.

If the Knights were in Scope's tentand managed to react immediately,they will seea blurry figure fleeing themurder site and heading in the direc­tion of the women's tent. Rememberthat barging into that tent would be abreach ofetiquette, and the Victorianswill no doubt react with indignationto any accusation of one of the ladies.

If the Knights had deeded to donight time guard duty outside, allowone find or Perception roll, trying tobeat a difficulty of 16. Success indi·cates that the Knight sees, through thestorm, two figures struggling. TheStorm Knights will be able to arrive intime to save the soldier's life and con­front Victoria.

If Victoria escapes, she will try thenext night to kill one of the maleKnights. She will continue to makesuch attempts until she is destroyed.When she appears, have the Knightsmake a Perseverance check.

of 8 reveals that the marks on thethroat are identica.l to those on thecorpses.

The truth behind this gruesome in­cident is that Victoria wanted to killScope, but the sentry showed up un­expectedly. She killed the man, andwith her flair for drama, set up thecorpse as it is found, but then had notime to continue to Scope's tent andfinish the job. She is now back at thewomen's tent, having slipped out andback. The other women noticed noth·ing.

There are no tracks. The howlingwind, driving rain, and shifting sandsees to that.

Three rounds after the cry, ten sol­diers, Leftenant Welles, BrigadierAucbenford, Garreck, Alister Scope,and the Reverend arrive at the scene.

FlagsA Suspicion card played will make

the Brigadier suspect a Storm Knightof the murder.

the direction has been ascertained,finding the body is easy. The murdersite is a mere five meters from Scope'stent.

Once the Knights arrive at the loca­tion, read the following:

The lightning flashes, briefly illu· .minating the area. In the quick buntof light. thesevered yet still helmetedhad of a Victorian Regimental sol­dier stares at you, eyes wide, mouthhanging open in a silent scream..

The hud is propped atop thedeceased's rifle, the latter driventhrough the headless corpse withgreat force. Dangling from the mouthis the soldier's Sacellum cross, hang­ing upside down.

Drop the party's Perseverance byone and have the make a check.

An tvidence annlysis or Perceptiontotal of 12 on the body shows thatthere are what look like the marks offingernails on the remains of the throat,as if the head was tom off by humanhands. A find or Perception total of 18reveals several long strands of brownhair on the body. If the Knights haveviewed the other bodies, a Mind total

••58

AetTh~

Mathemati~ns casting this spellutter a confusmg babble of equationsand such, rendering opponents con·fused and stupefied.

The spellcaster compares his spelltota.l with the target'~Mind.For everylevel of success achieved, the victimsuffers one round of being unable tocast a spell, invoke a miracle, or usepsionics due to an inability to concen­trate. All other Perception or Mind·based actions suffer a +2 to their diffi·<ulty.

A section of the north wall is plas·ter, concealing a set ofdouble doors. Afind or Perception total of 14 is requiredto discover the doors. An Alertnesscard will also reveal the doors' pres­ence.

Should the Knights decide to gothrough the new doors, Carreck andt~e ot~erswill stay, but the archaeolO"gISt will lend the Knights two workers(one of them is Snee).. The Victorians are interested onlyI~ themurnmy. Theybelievethatwhathes beyond the secret doors is nothingmore than workers' tunnels and main·~enance shafts. They have no interestIn accompanying the Knights.

Corridor of Mummies

This twO"meter·wide coll"ldor hasrecesses every four meters. In eachrecess is a sarcophagus containing amummy. Each sarcophagus lid iscoated with a dangerous contact poi­son (damage value 15, suffered everyround until poison is washed off withwater-rubbingone'shandson cloth­ing or against a wall has no effect). Anevidence analysis or Perception total of13 will reveal a strange sheen on thelids, as if some substance has beenbrushed on lheoutside. Ascholar(rerdmlore) total of 11 will reveal that ancientE~oftencoveredmummycases

With polSOns to protect their contentsfrom thieves.. WhentheAnkhofRaeternityshardIS ~ken, the trap in this hallway isactivated. Each mummy fires a poisondart at each Knight that steps on apressure plate (Storm Knights mustmake a maneuver or Dexterity total of15 to a~oid each pressure plate). Themumnues "attack" witha missifeweap­ons of 14, and the darts do damagevalue 12. If the darts score a wound or

The Tomb

Confusion

Skill: conjurationDifficulty: 15Number of Planets: 1Influence: Isis, Nepthys, Ptah

Main Chamber

This room contains a beautiful sar·cophagus flanked by four hieroglyph·inscribed pillars. In the far comersstand large day jars.

Reading the hieroglyphs requires ahieroglyphics total of 12. If none of theKnights can read it, one of the archae­ologists will They say '"Prince Ahun­Tet, exiled from the court of Pharaoh.A curse on any who defile his tomb,for they shall suffer the same fate ashe, exile from those he loves." (Thecurse is a bluff.)

One jar contains the Prince's or­gans, carefully preserved. The othercontai.ns a selection of two dozen jew·elry Piece:>, ea~h worth 1,~ sterling.

The Prince s mummy IS a typicalcorpse, well preserved and stuffedwith flowers, spices, onions, andgarlics.

Inside his chest cavity is a scroll(hieroglyphics total of 12 to read it). Itreads, '1'h.e earthen vessels that holdthe Prince's treasure also mark theway to greater things. Seek what Liesbetween them."

The scroll also contains a math·ematical spell:

ConsultMap9. 'The UndergroundTemple," while the Knights movethrough the Egyptian tomb. This areacontainsan eternityshard. Uthe shardis removed from its resting place, anumber of traps will be triggered.These are explained under individuallocation entries.

away sand and other debris from thedoo...

The fow workmen begin work atremoving the seals from the stonedoub~e dO<!~ ~ere. is a feeling ofelectric antiCipation 1ft the air.

At last,. the doors are pulled open,and a blast of millennia-old stale airassails the group as fresh air lUshesin.

The Action

The Situation

SCENE TWO:Under the Sand

Garreck, Scope, Victoria (if she'sstill alive), Lenore Garreck, the Briga­dier, and three workers (one of themSnce), will descend into the tomb. As amatter ofcourtesy, the Knights will beinvited along.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

Your group clambers down the 40feet into the large pit, where the restof the explorers are already clearing

. Standard..The following day, at tenm the mommg, workers discover atomb entrance in dig site C.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

Come morning, the storm has~nded. The tents held up surpri&­~glywell. Yowgroup issittingaJone1ft the mess tent,. having a light break­fast of tea and scones.

Let the party have a chance to talk.perhapsdiscussing events of the nightbefore. They have complete privacy.After a few minutes, continue readingaloud:

A cry goes up from some workersin one of the digsites. Archaeologistsand other workers dash over, and acheer goes up.

The workers have found an ancienttomb. It will take them a while to cleara decent passageway. Exploration ofthe tomb is set for one o'clock, rightafter lunch.

Keep in mind that the tomb is in theOrrorsh dominant zone, due to thepresence of the hardpoint.

Snee will dash of( to his tent toreport the find. If none of the charac·ters are paying attention to the labor­ers' reactions, then noonenoticesSneeleave. If the characters are watchingthe workers, a find or Perception total of11 will reveal that Snee has wanderedof(. If the Knights follow, he will have~ished ?roadcastin.g his message tohis supenors by the tune they arrive athis tent.

..----------_..59

better result. the poison with whichthey are coated works its way into thebloodstream, doing damage value 13per round. A first aid total of 10 isrequired to drain the tainted bloodand prevent the poison from killingthe victim.

Chamber of Knowledge

In this hieroglyph-decorated cham­her are five day tablets with glyphsinscribed upon them. Each has a dif·ferent inscription: one features theEgyptian miracle mummify, anotherportent. another the engineering spellfind tht path, a fourth the mathematicalspell dmth shout. The fifth has beenaffected by the Orrorshan hardpointand now lists the rt:Surm:tion ritual(see Appendix: This Evil Rebom).

When the eternity shard is taken.thetrapinthisroomisactivated. Whenexplorers step on the northern hall·way pressure plate, the floor opens upto reveal a huge pit (three metersdeep),filled with asps, scorpions, poisonous

spiders, and centipedes. Thecreaturescome from underground, and haveused small cracks in the pit walls togain entry.

If the party was running down thedarkened hallway, the first rank ofKnights must generate acrobatics orDexterity totals of 12 to avoid fallingin. Each subsequent rank of Knightsneed only generate totals of 10, as theyknow the pit is there.

If the Knights were walking downthe hallway. they can easily seethe pitopening before them. Long jumping orDexterity can he used to try to leapover the pit to the Corridor of Mum·mies. TheStorm Knight must makeanacrobatics, maneuver or Dexterity totalof 16 to avoid tumbling onto the pre;.sure plate. The mouth of the hole has alength value of 3.

Anyone falling into the pit suffersa damage value equal to their weightvalue plus 5.

Once in the pit, a Knight suffersdamage value 16 per round from as·sorted snake bites. A Strength total of

10 is needed for someone to pull theKnight out. Getting out of the pit un­aided requires a climbing or Strengthtotal of 12.

Help from the Victorians will prob­ably not he forthcoming. They are fartoo absorbed in their mummy, andwon't be coming this way for hours atleast.

Large Han

This hall is decorated with morehieroglyphs. The northern section,where the hall turns east, is made offlimsy plaster.

When the trapissprung, thedoubledoors beyond itburstopen.Thiscausesa huge amountofcausticslime to comesmashing through the weak plasterwall and flooding the corridor. Theslime has a damage value of 18 perround of exposure. It not only affectsliving tissue, it eats through armor. Allannormustbe"attacked"bytheslime.Thearmor'sToughness equals theaddsit confers to the user'sToughness. Thus,

_..~---------------- ....'-'60..,

Akashan kineticarmor resists the caus­tic slime with a Toughness of 10.

A hiffllg/yphics total of 13 is neces­sary to read the walls. but they havenothing of import to say.

Flimsy Bridge

This cavernous chamber has a nar­row stone bridge spanning a chasm.Within the chasm are hundreds ofhungry rats, chatteringand squealing.The chasm is 25 meters deep.

The bridge can only support MOhumans at a time. For purposes ofweight determination, one humanequals MO dwarves. one giant equalsMO humans.

Any greater amount of weightcauses the bridge to collapse into therat chasm. Anyone falling into thechasm suffers damage value 12 perround from all of the rat bites. The ratscrawl into armor and such, so vestsand annor provide no protection. Ba­sically, the victim is covered in rats.(On the other hand, landing on nice,sofl rats eliminales the problem of fall-

ing damage.)egotiating the bridge requires an

acrobatics or Dexterity total of 10. Fail­ure indicates a fall inlo the rats. If theKnight fails, he gets toattempt to catchhimself-a Dextmtytotalof12 meanshe has fallen, bul is holding on to thestonework with one hand. A StrOigthlotal of 10 is needed 10 get back on tothe bridge. A Strength lotal of 8 isrequired to pull someone else back onto the bridge.

The rats have gained access to thechasm by means of the concealed tun­nel (see following Event).

EventA concealed tunnel at the bottom of

the chasm is home to a group ofOrrorshan wights that have come upfrom the Land Below. When the lastStorm Knight is halfway across thebridge, the wights attack him and tryto drag him into the chasm.

Thechasm tunnel isone meter wideand slopes downward into the earth at

Act Three

a very steep angle. The tunnel leads 10the Abominari Temple in the LandBelow.

Have the Knights generate a Perse­verance total when they first see thewights.

Wights (6)Reality: OrTorshDEXTERITY 11Dodge 14, maneuver 13. stealth 13,unarmed combat 14STRENGTH 15Climbing 16TOUGHNESS 16PERCEPTION 13Tracking 14, trick 15MINDSCHARISMA 3SPIRIT 16Intimidation 18Possibility Potential: noneNaturaITools:c1aws,damagevalue

STR+3/18 plus life drain; teeth, dam­age value STR+2I17 plus life drain

Powers: animal control, life drainCorruption Value: 14Fear Rating: 1/2

••61

Torg: 11M C.lIunt M.lIn Ril'tutns

Weakness: sunlight (severe)True Death: a flaming weapon

whichcompletely destroys the wighrsbody (at least six wounds).

Description: Wights appear asghastly white, bloated corpses stilldressed in the remains of their burialclothing. Their teeth are pointed andtheir fingers are unnaturally long andwickedly curved.

Mummy Chamber

This chamber has fow sarcophagistanding upright. Each contains amummy,rransfonnedbytheClrnmhanaxX>ms. They will attack the Knights ;Ethe Knights attempt to enter the ShardChamber, or if the Knights open thesarcophagi and begin attacking them.

Mummies (4)Reality: OrrorshDEXTERITY 6Unarmed combat 12STRENGTH ISTOUGHNESS 20PERCEPTION 3Trick (13)MINDSTest (14)

Mechanics of the Trap

Removal of the Ankh fromAnubis' ned puts all traps inmotion. Until the Ankh is re­moved, the pressure plates, etc.are inert. Things happen in thefollOWing order. Note that somethingsaretime-dependent, whileothers are action-dependent.

• Round after Ankh is taken:Walking god erupts from floor,attacks Knights.

• The round Anubis is de­feated: Walls and ceiling begintoshake,stoneworkbeginscrum­bling, iron ball emerges.

• Second round: Granite blockbegins to slide out of recess, toseal off corridor.

• Fourthround,Bloddnplare.Poison gas begins filling sealedoff area (damage value 15).

• Fifth round: Shard Cham­ber caves in.

CHARISMA 3Taunt (13)SPIRIT 15Intimidation 20Possibility Potential: nonePowers: rtsistan~to nDn7UJ1 weaponsCorruption Value: 16Fear Rating: 1Weakness: fire (severe)True Death: Destruction of their

sarcophagi (TOU 20).

Shard Chamber

The most unusual thing about thischamber is that it is lit bright as day.An orb that represents Ra the sun godhovers near the middle of the ceiling,giving light to the chamber.

This room is seven meters in width.The room is bare save for a four­

meter-high statue of Anubis, with anankh on a chain around his neck. Thegolden ankh has veins of red and bluerunning through it, for it is an eternityshard.

The Ankh of R.Cosm: Core EarthPossibilities: 40Tapping Difficulty: 15Purpose:To illuminateothersand to

• Sixth round: MummyChamber caves in.

• Seventh round: Flimsybridge caves in.

• Eighth round: Large hallcaves in.

• inth round: Chamber ofKnowledge caves in.

• Tenth round: Corridor ofMummies caves in.

- Pressure plate to the left ofstone block is pressed: the caus­tic ooze rushes out. The oozemoves at a speed value of 8.

- Pressure plate in northerncorridor next to Chamber ofKnowledge is pressed: floorswings open, revealing the ver·min.

- Pressure plate in easterncorridor next to Chamber ofKnowledge is is pressed: mum-

reveal that which is hidden.Powers: Adds +3 to find and evidenreanalysis totals. Three times a day, theAnkh can be commanded to shed apowerful light in a 20 meter radius,which nullifies all darkness, regard­less of whether irs caused by magic,miracles, pulp power, or otherwise.The light lasts for one hourGroup Power: Stelae SenseRestrictions: Possibilities tappedfrom theAnkhcanonlybeused whenseekingknowledge(resenrch,find,evi­denee analysis, schoiIlr, sdenre) or re­vealing it to others (languagt, perslllJ·sion).

EventOnce the Ankh is found, the two

laborers, if present, give a cry of dreadand runout ofthechamber. Snee'scry isan act - he's heading for his tent to alerthis Nite masters.

When the Ankh is taken, it springsthe temple's elaborate trap. An AnubisWalking God smashes through thefloor's stone blocks (marked "X" on themap) and attacks the Knights. If theyrun, it will pursue.

mies in area Corridor of Mum­mies fire their eye darts as vic·tims walk by.

Anyone in a room when itcaves in automatically sufferscave-in damage. Damage valuefor room cave-ins is 25, ignoringvictims' armor. The victims arealso trapped under rubble, re­quiring a lifting or Strmglh totalof 18 to extricate oneself. AStrength total of 15 is necessaryfor someone else to pull one outof the rubble

lf the room before a Knighthas caved in, aclimbing total of 14is required to make their wayover the rubble. Failure meansthey haveslid back into theorigi­031 chamber. Ifa setback occurs, aKnight might twist her ankleamong the rocks.

___,:-:------------------ ........62 'WOV

Act Three

Anubis Walking GodDEXTERITY 8Dodge 12, maneuver 12, meleeweapons 10, unarmed combat 11STRENGTH 16Lilting 18TOUGHNESS 19PERCEPTION 14Find 15, trick OS)MIND 12Test (6)CHARISMA 9Taunt 06}SPIRIT 13Intimidation 18, reality (Nile Em­p;re) 14Possibilities: 20Inclination: EvilNatural Tools: eye beams, find to

hit, damage value akin to slow spellwith value 24

Equipment: two-handed sword,damage value STR+9/25

Granite Block

Once the trap isactiva ted, this hugegranite block begins to slide out of its

recess, sealing off the corridor. It takesthree rounds to do so completely.Block's Toughness is 30.

EventOnce the Anubis Walking God is

defeated, a low rumble sounds, andthe walls begin to develop cracks. Thefloor shakes.

Fromoutof the wall behind the otherstatue of Anubis (the one that had beenwearing the ankh) comes a spiked ballofiron, three meters in diameter, rollingat a speed value of 10, courtesy of engi­neering magic. It rolls through theShardChamber and the Mummy Chamberand on to the flimsy stone bridge. Thebridge collapses once the ball gets half­way across it.

Iron BallToughness: 30, damage value: 25,

speed value: 10If a victim suffers a hetroy wound or

better from a hit, he is stuck to a spikeand isnow rolling with the ball,suHer-

ing an additional damage value of 15for each stuck round. The ball has nomulti-arnon penalty for running overmore than one Knight.

Dividing the SpoilsThe Victorians wish to keep the

Ankh, great archaeological find thatis. Hefty persuasion will be required toget them to give it up, and on thissubject, they are hostile.

IfScope has not yet shared his infor­mationon Wellington with the Knights,he will do so now, as they have showntheir resourcefulness by obtaining thisartifact. When they return to the camp,he will tell them what he knows, givethem his journal (handout 2), and thesword.

If the Knights have not obtained theshard, they will have to rely on persua­s;on to get Scope to talk.

6~--------------------·_·~. 63

Torg: The Clunt Man Return.

A Dark and StormyNight ...

A violent sandstonn will spring upthat night, effectively postponing anyplans the Knights had to leave untilthe next day. This gives them thechance to steal the shard if they havenot been able to obtain it any otherway (there will bea numberof sentriesequal to the numberof Knights postedas guards).

UsheisstiUalive, Victoria will makean attempt to seduce and then kill oneofthe male Knights dwing theevening..giving the Knights a c.hance to defeat......

VariablesIf the Knights turn down the

archaeologist's offer to explore thetomb, or do not explore the secret ar­eas, one of the laborers will find theAnkh and set off the traps. He willstumble into the Main Chamber, onthe verge of death, shard in his hands.The Nile attack will still take place atdawn of the next day.

If the Knights neutralized Snee 1Je..fore the expedition went down intothe tomb, Scene Four will still occur,since 5nee is supposed to check inthree times a day: sunrise, noon, sun­down. The attack will come at dawn.

PerseveranceAwards

Award the Knights one Persever­ance point for this scene. If they suc­ceeded in obtaining Scope's journaland sword, award them two morepoints.

Cut To ...As the sun rises over the desert the

next moming.. cut to Scene Four 'ThePulp Raid:'

SCENE FOUR:The Pulp Raid

The SituationDramatic. The secret Nile contin­

gent. alerted by Snee, swoops downon the camp, intent on getting theeternity shard.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

You are awakened from a soundsleep by the sound of a tremendousexplosion that rocks the camp.This isfollowed by harrowing screams, riflefire and the distinctive noise of mo­torized vehicles coming nearer andnearer.

If the Knights look out their tentflap to see what the trouble is, read:

The first thing you see is the statuethat had stood in the middle of thecamp, now blown to rubble. In thedistance, laborers explode intoflames, apparentlycaught in an axiomwash.

But what is most stunning is thesight of a horde of machinegun­wielding shocktroopers, many onfoot, some in jeeps, roaring down onthe Victorian camp. A pair of Niletanks are also closing in, while II thirdtank explodes, a victim of Victorianartillery batteries. A pair of recon­naissance vehicles roar past the tanks,machine guns blazing.

The Regimenters are lined up inskirmish formation, firing at the Nileshocktroopers and being cut down inhails of lead for their troubles.

Even in the confusion of baUle,.you cannot miss the sight of two cos­tumed figures hovering ten meters inthe air above the battle, shouting or­ders and laughing insanely.

The ActionTheencampment is under attack by

Nileshocktroopers led by two villains,Dr. Totten and the Scarlet Asp. Usinga Victorian field piece purchased onthe black market, the Asp had theOrrorshan hardpoint blown up. Domi­nant Nile is now nooding back intothis area, causing Ord laborers to per­ish as they transform a second time.

Veteran Shocktroopers (SO)DEXTERITY 9Beast riding 11, fire combat 12,heavy weapons 12, unarmed com­bat 12STRENGTH 9Climbing 10TOUGHNESS 9PERCEPTION 7Find 9, first aid 9, tracking 9, trick 9MIND 7Survival 9, test 9, willpower 12CHARISMA 7Taunt 10SPIRIT 9Faith (Egyptian) 12, intimidation12Possibility Potential: some (55)Equipment: KK81, damage value

19, ammo 24, range 3-40/400/1k; gre­nades (2). damage value 19, explosiveburstradius,D-3/8/15; bayonet,dam­age value STR+4/13; field kit

Mk 13-Khepera Tanks (2)TOU 27; speed value 60/40/11;

crew 4; annament: 75mm gun, dam­age value 27, ammo 1, range lD0-600/lk/2.5k; two 30mm Khaifus, damagevalue 25, ammo 11, range J..250/1k/2k

MC2 Serseru (2)TOU 26; speed value 100/60/12;

crew3;armament: Kocha machinegun,damage value 22, ammo 5, range 3­IOO/600/1k

Senehem Jeeps (6)TOU 15; speed value 150/100/13;

crew 4

Scarlet AspDEXTERITY 12Acrobatics 13, dodge 16, meleeweapons 14, running 13, stealth 15,unanned combat 15STRENGTH 10Climbing 12TOUGHNESS 10PERCEYtlON 13Find 14, first aid 15, hieroglyphics14, land vehicles 15, scholar (TerranMystery Men and villains) 14,scholar (master criminal) 16, trick16MIND 12Test 14, weird science 16, willpower15CHARISMA 14Charm 19, persuasion 18, taunt 18

...·...·"""64.,.---------------------~

Act I hree

I.

65

SPI.RITUlntimidation 14., reality (,Nile Em-­pire) t6Possibilities.'28Indlnali"", EvilEquipment Asp headband TOU

12, powers: disptrslJ/20, electro--ray 20;asp staff: TOU 15, powers; force field20, Oight 15. mind control 17; skimpycostume, lots of gold jewelry, scarletIUgh heels

Description: The Soulet Asp is thetypical pulp villa.iness: she mixes herevil in with a healthy dose of sex ap-

peal She will use hercharmson maleswhenever she stands to gainby doingso. She has a malicious sense of hu­mor,and loves to injure women whomshe perceivesasbeing mor:eattractivethanh....lf.

Doctor TottenDEXTERITY 10Dodge", firecombal14, flight U,heavy weapons 13, maneuver 13,meleerornbat 14, unannedrombat11STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 10

PERCEPTION 11Air vehicles 16, Egyptian religion12. evidence analysis 13. find 12,land vehicles 12, language 12.scholar (burial customs) 17, scholar(Nile reaJm.lore) 15, scholar (mas­ter criminal) 13, trick 16MlNDUArtist (organist) 15, hypnotism 14,medicine 15, test 14, weird science15, willpower 14CHARISMA 11Charm 15. persuasion 15, taunt 17SPlRIT 10Faith (Egyptian) 13, intimidation16, reality (Nile Empire) 13Possibilities: 13Inclination: EvilPulp Powers: Brainbuster, value 17;

withering touch, value 20Equlpment: Skull suit. armor value

TOU+5/ 15;9mm Luger,damagevalue15, ammo 8, range 3-10/25/4

Description: Young Otto VonTotten was an accomplished Germanace during Terra's Creat War. Afterthe war, he went into medicine, withan emphasis on developing weird. sci­ence powers in humans.

One day, Totten experimented onhimself, and received the touch ofdeath. Still chafing from the outcomeof the Great War, he now is obsessedwith death in all its forms.

Totten is subject to mood. swings; atone moment heisaristocratic, cultured,and droll; another moment, he is filledwith thoughts of death and dest:ru~

lion.

Running the BattleThe shocktroopers have orders to

target Storm Knights first, since theyconstitute the greatest threat. If Sneegot any messages out, the attackersknow exactly who the Knights are.

The Knights, before they get achance to splitup into pairsorsolo, areattacked by two Senehems (each withfour troopers) and two dozenshocktroopers on foot. Three roundslater, a Serseru joins in the fray. Threerounds after that, a Khepera tank en­ters the battle.

After the Knights have had a totalof ten rounds ofcombat, gamemastersshouJd gauge theoverall battle by howsuccessful the heroes have been. If theKnights have dealt with all of the Nile

.......""'66".....--------------------~

forces thrown at them, they face ashowdown with thepulp villains.Scat­tered pockets of Nile resistance willkeep the Victorians out of this show­down.

If the Knights were overwhelmedby the Nile (orces to the point of re­treating or sustaining over 50 percentcasualties (dead, KO'd or uncon­llCious), the Nile forces rout the Victo­rians, who flee IOUth. The pulp vil­lains' focus now becomes the StannKnights, whom theybelievemust havethe shard (whether they actuaUy doornot is another story).

Note that the villains will try toincapacitate the Stonn Knights ratherthan kill them outright. The Knightsare to be taken alive. flowever, ifsomeKnights seem to be rather successful atinflictingwoundson the villai"" thoseoffenders will be slain, probably by avery enthusiastic Dr. Totten.

The goals of the villains are to getthe eternity shard, get any death-re­tated rituals, and capture some StonnKnights.

EventIf(somehow) Victoria Sigurd is still

alive at this point, she will use theconfusion to try to kill Scope. The pr0­fessor, meanwhile, will have his frag­ile mind SlUllp at the sight of the car­nage of battle.

Unless a Stonn Knight was specifi­cally assigned to watch Scope, theKnights requireafindor Perception rollof 15 to notice his state. One roD ismade per group of Stonn Knights perround.

Ending the Battleuthe Nile lon.'OS are losing the battle,

the Scarlet Asp and Dr. Totten willbeat a hasty retreat using their flightpowers. ll\ey will disappear over thenorthern dunes.

Defeated shoc:ktroopers will laydown theiranns and surrender. Inter-­rogation of theshoc:ktroopersor trad­ing (difficulty3) themback tothesourceof the attack will reveal that on theother skle of the north dunes, a cam­ouflaged base exists.

The NileEncampment

Refer to Map 10, "The Nile Base,"while running this .section.

This secret: basewasbuilt 18monthsago. The entrances are concealed by acamouflage net (find or Pm:qnion totalof 18 to uncover the door). The basehas a total complement of 100shocktroopers.

Barracks and Me•• Hall

There are two barracks, each hold­ing SO shoc.ktroopers.

Temple

The air is filled with the smell ofincense. Dominating the room isa solidgold statueofSebek, thecroc.od ilegoo.Faith and focus attempts when invok·ing Egyptian miracles receive a +2bonus in this shrine, whileattempts toinvokeother miracles suffera +2to thedifficulty numbers.

Prie.t.' Quarters

Each room contains a priest ofSebek. a simple cot, a holy symbol ofSebek, a lamp, and a miniature altarfor personal worship.

Priest of SebekDEXTERITY 9Dodge 12, maneuever 11, meleeweapons 12, stealth 12, unannedcombat 10STRENGTH 9TOUGHNESS 9 (11 with mask)PERCEPTION 11Egyptian religion 14, find 12, firstaid 13, hierogyphics 14, language13. mathematics 12, scholar (as­tronomy) 13, trick 13MIND 9Test 12, willpower 11SPIRIT 11Faith (Egyptian religion) 14, focus13, intimidation 12, reality (NileEmpire) 14Possibilities; 2Indination: EvilEquipm~nt:Khopesh sword. dam­

age value STR+5/14; Sebek holy sym­bol, golden crocodile mask: increasesToughness by two, electro-rays shoot

Ad Thm

from the mask's eyes (value 16) usableevery other round.

Scarlet Asp'. Room

Plushscarlet furniture, rug, pillows.and bunting decorates this room. Theair smells of music. incense.

Themusk incense isa weird sciencecreation which works on male StannKnights. Forevery round spent insidethe room, each maJe Stann Knight is"attacked" by the scent (value 18).Thescent's total is compared to the StonnKnight's Mind or willpower. The resultis read on the General Results Table:

Minimal/Average: No effect.Good: Victim's Mind temporarily

drops by ·1. If the victim is removedfrom the incense, he will return tonormal in one hour.

Superior: The victim will be unableto muster the will to fight the ScarletAsp.

Spectacular: Thevictim will notonlybe unable to fight the Asp, he will feelcompelled to protect her from thosewho would cause her hann.

A secret panel (find or Peraption of18 to spot) leads to a corridor thaitakes the user to the submarine pens.

Doctor Totten's Room

Painted black, this room is filledwith statues and symbols of death. Asecret panel (find or Puception of 18tospot) leads toa corridor that takes theuser to the submarine pens.

Major Teth-Ra'. Room

This man is the leader of the Nilegarrison. The room has a bed, desk.and a few chairs. Asecretpanel (find orPm:eption of 18 to spot) leads to acorridor thai' talc.es the user to the sub­marine pens.

Inside the Major's desk (which isunlocked) are his orders:

Wait for word from Snee the Moleregarding significant finds at the Vic­torian dig. If one is found, strike thedig, take the artifact, and lc.ill all theVictorians.

Also, use the submarine to wreakhavoc on Red Sea shipping. Victorianvessels are fair game.

The orders are signed by Over­governor Neteru.

I.

67

Tors: The ClIunl Mlln Returns

The Gaunt Man Returns: Map 10e Nile Base

@

@

Major Telh-RaDEXTERITY 10Dodge 12, fire combat 16, maneu­ver 14, melee combat 12, running14, stealth 14, unarmed combat 13STRENGTH 11TOUGHNESS 11PERCEPTIO 9Find 11, hieroglyphics 12, land ve­hicles 13, scholar(militarystrategy)15MIND 10Willpower 12CHARISMA 10Persuasion 14, taunt 12

•• 68

SPIRIT 8Faith (Egyptian religion) 9, intimi­dation 14, reality (Nile Empire) 10Possibilities: 6Inclination: EvilEquipment: 9mm Luger, damage

value IS, ammo 8, range 3-10/25/40;khopeshsword,damagevalueSTR+5/16)

Description: Teth-Ra is an ambi­tious man who wishes to rise in favorwith Overgovemor Neteru. A mili­tary genius, he employs strategy andvalues patience.

Dr. Weinermeyer's Room

Filled with clutter, dirty clothes, andstacks of books, this is the room of aweird scientist.

Among the debris is: four housings,eightboosters,sevencompensators, fourpossibility capacitors, three powerplants, 17 adaptors, and 25 caps. Thereare also numerous tools for use in theconstruction of weird science gadgets.

Doctor Hans WeinermeyerDEXTERITY 1Fire combat 9, running 9

Act Three

STRENGTH 8TOUGHNESS 8PERCEYTION 13Evidence analysis 16, find IS, lan­guage 14, mathematics 14, scholar(electronics) 15, scholar(Nile realmlore) 16MIND 13Hypnotism 16, weird science 19CHARISMA 7SPIRIT 10Possibilities: noneInclination: EvilEquipment: 9mm Luger, damage

value 15, ammo 8, range 3-10/25/40;weUdscience toolkit, lolsofpens,pocketprotector, monocle

Description: Doctor Weinerrneyer isfrom Terra's Germany. He is 60 yearsold and hasa huge rnopof white haironhis head. A bit absent-minded, he is stiUa brilliant weird scientist.

Cells

GreatforimprisoningcapturedStormKnights. Locks on the steel doors re­quire lock pidring totals of 20 to open.

Ammo Dump

Boxesandcratesfilled withammuni·tion for tanks, planes, and small armslrifles of the i1e Empire. U the dumpblows up, it will take the complex (andhalf the hillside) with it.

Molar Pool

This area contains repair/refuellingfacilities for the motor vehicles. The ve­hicle inventory includes:

Mk 13-Khepera Tanks (3)TOU27;speed value60/4O/11;crew

4; armament 75mmgun,damagevalueV,ammo 1, range 100-600/1k/25k; twoJOnunKhaifus,damagevaJue25,ammo11, range 3-250/l k/2k

MO 5erseru (3)TOU26;speedvaluel00/60/12;crew

3; armament: 30mm Kocha, damagevalue 22, ammo 5, range 3-100/600/1k

Senehem Jeeps (10)TOU 15; speed value 150/100/13;

crew'

Troop Trucks (6)TOU20;speed value 100/60/1~ pass

16

Weird Science Lab

This huge room glows with the lightof dozens of electronic tubes and wires.Ughtning crackles between electrodes,and the smell of ozone fills the air.

This is the lab where Doctor Weiner­meyer practices his scientific experi­ments. The evil doctor can be found inthe lab from 8 a.m. to midnight.

Hisprideand joy is the Enneadotron.The Ennead is the term for the mostpowerful gcds of the Egyptian religion.The gizmo is a weapon which has foursettings, each one producing a powersimilar to that of an Egyptian god. Thesettings are:

Set: droth ray (value 25)Ra: flash (value 20, stundaITh"lgeonly,

victims have +6 added to the difficultynumbers of all skill attempts requiringsight for three rounds following attack).

Isis: mind control (value 25)Anubis; [eor (value 20)

I.

69

In order to use the device, a weirdsciena total of 12 must be generated.Unskilled individuals may attempt touse it. generating a Mind total of 17.Failure results in a setback for the user.

Hangar

Housed In here are:

PM 1 Pakel Fighters (6)TOU 27; speed value 600/380/16;

crew 1, armament: two .30 Khaifumachineguns,damagevalue25,ammo11, range 3-250/1k/2k

MHonu·CugoTr~port

TOU 22; speed value 400/250/15;pass. 24; armament: one turret with.55Onslaught,damagevalue26,ammo8, range 3- 25O/1k/2k

This plane can be used to get theStonn Knights back to Orrorsh. Thenearest landing place within that realmis New London (Padang),

Motorcycles (U)TOU 12; speed value 150/100/13;

pass 3These motorbikes are stored here to

enable troops to move quickly to thesecret underground submarine pentwo kilometers to the east.

The bikes each have a sidecar, andthere is enough room for someone toride behind the driver.

The Sub Pen

This pen houses one of Mobius'submarines, which patrols the Red Sea

•• 70

and western Indian Ocean. Access tothe sub pen comes from the tunnelthat leads to the underground Nilebase. Note that 10 of the base'sshocktroopersarealwa150n duty here.

Nile SubmilrineTOU 25; speed value 25/15/9; crew

40; armament: four torpedo tubes,damage value 34, ammo 1, range-/lk-20k/40k;one75mmdeckgun,dam­age value 28, ammo 10, range 400-1k/6k/15k

VariablesIf the Knights have not gotten the

needed information from Scope be­fore he goes in!laI\e, they will be un­able to get anything coherent fromhim. However, they can still look athis journal and recover his sword.

If, by some mischance, the Knightshave not obtained the sword, they'regoing to have to get an enchantedblade from somewhere. Maybe it'stime for a side trip to Aysle ...

If the Nile forces win the big battle,Asp and Totten will fly the survivingKnights to the secret base. There, themale hero with the highest CiuJriSmJlbecomes the piaything ofthe Asp whilehis comrades are tortured by Totten.

Once both villains have had theirfun, the heroes are flown to Thebesand turned over to Mobius for interro­gation and more fun.

Should the Knightsnot find the hid·den Nile cargo plane, they can easily

head back to Port Sudan and hire aplane to get them back to Orrorsh.

FlagsA Nemesis card played here will

make either Asp or Totten an arch·enemy. If the Knight is female, the Aspbecomes the Nnnni,.

A male Storm KniKht finds himselfin love with Asp if Jle plays the Rq­mJlnce card, or, the Asp decides thatthe Knight may be good for a brieffling.

Act AwardsDefeating the Nile forces and gain­

ing the information on Wellington'sweaknesseams each Storm KnightslxPossibilities.

If the Victorians were Wiped out,award the Knights only four Possibill·ties.

Gaining the eternity shard, or cap­turing either of the pulp villains areactions worth one PossibiJlty each.

Cut To ...Once the Knights lea ve the Nileand

head back to Orrorsh, cut to Act Four.

Act Four

Act Four

Recurring FearsThe Major Beat

The Storm Knights land in NewLondon (Padang), and have a chanceto explore the city and hopefully makecontact with the Sign of Six.

After trekking through the jungle,encountering obstacles and meetinggypsies, the Knights arrive at the For­tress of the Dead and deal with theAyslish menaces therein.

Crossing the channel into Sing­apore, the heroes have the option ofencou~teringSkutharka before facingoff against General Avery Wellingtonand his bodyguards.

SCENE ONE:Merry Olde

New London

The"'SituationStandard. The Storm Knights have

a chance to explore New London a bit,and perhaps rest up before they pro-­cet'd any further. While in the city.they can find theSign ofSix headquar­ters and try to obtain the Pea~ Rosethey need to stop Wellington.

When the Storm Knights arrive inNew london (see Map 13), read aloudor paraphrase the follOWing:

The former Core Earth city ofPadang, now called New london,sprawls before you. Gone are thepower lines, street lights, televisionantennae, and othersigns of the mod­em age. In their place, old chimneysand smokestacks dot the cityscape. Itis as if you have stepped into aSherlock Holmes story.

In New london harbor, steam­ships and warships of a bygone eradock orset sail, with burly longshore-

men loading and unloading, cargo.On the streets, people eitherwalk,

ride horses, or use horse-<lrawn wag­ons orblack hansom cabs. Instead ofelectric street lights, gaslight lampsdot the major thoroughfares.

Even modem clothing has beenchanged. Women wear long dresses,shawls, and floppy hats or bonnets,while men wear suits·and top hats orderbies. The native Indonesians yousee are dressed in either rags or ser­vants' clothing.

One more manifestation of Victo­rian reality is immediately obvious:the 'air is chilly and damp; rain andfog abound.

The ActionThe Knights can wander around

the city for a while, if they wish. Thefollowing are descriptions of some ofthe points of interest in New london.The city may be a good place to stocku.p on arms, equipment and / or provi­sions. Note that the only equipmentavailable is of Victorian vintage.

The Ben and Whistle Pub

One of the mosl popular pubs inNew London. it is a prime SOurce ofru~ors and. gos~ip. Many off-dutysaIlorsand Victonansoldiers frequentit.

Among the latest bits of gossip:

• Lord Bryon Salisbury will be return­ing to Victorian society very soon.

• General Avery Wellington has goneoff to Singapore. He set sail on theHMS Vixen several days ago. andought to arrive in Singaporeby tomor­row.

• The Japanese have been doing ex­tensive trade with the Victorians.

• For quite some time now, GeneralWellington has been ordering expedi-I.

71

Torg: n.~ Gaunt Man R~lums

tions to the underground caverns un­dcrOrrorsh. He seemsespecially keenon finding any books on magic, for thepurpose of his personally destroyingthem, no doubt.

The gamemaster should feel free toinsert his own campaign rumors, orthose from Illfilliverse. The Bell andWhistle is also a good place to insertinteresting gamemaster charactersfrom other realms.

New London Public Library

The best source of infonnation inthe city, and prime location to use theresetlrch skill. Most Core Earth booksdealing with geogra phy, history, mys­ticism, and religion are intact. The li­brary is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Police Headquarters

The primary place of incarcerationfor criminals and unruly StormKnights. It is always manned by atleast 30 constables and a platoon of

Victorian military. They are openlysuspicious of non-Victorian StormKnights snooping around on privateproperty.

Chief Inspector Oliver Lessarde isthe officer who deals with most non­Victorian Stann Knights.

Regimental Headquarters,Queen's Own 17th Lancers

Colonel Percival Livingston, com­manding. Colonel Uvingston isa hard­nosed, narrow-minded disciplinarianwho gives long lectures about Victo­rian values, and dislikes anyone notVictorian.

7th Regiment, VictorianRoyal Order

Colonel Harry Baker,commanding.Colonel Baker is a reasonable man,and a bit more open minded than theaverage Victorian military officer.

St. Christopher's Cathedral

A SaceUum cathedral which hasgrown from a small church, run byFather Brian Shaw and the corruptDeacon Ishmael Crawford. Both menlive in a parsonage bUilding attachedto the church.

Father Brian ShawSee page 51 of the Orrorsh source­

book.

Deacon CrawfordSee page 51 of the Orrorsh source­

book.

Sign of Six Secret MeetingPlace

Themanorhouseat221 RhodeslandStreet is the headquarters of the Signof Six. The manor is owned by Dr.Angus Stormfield. Angus lives herewith his butler, cook, maid, and twoworkmen, the latter acting as body­guards.

••72

Act Four

73••

Key1. Bell and Whistle Pub2. New London Public

Library3. New Scotland Yardl

police office4. Regimental headquarters,

17th Lancers5. Regimental headquarters,

7th Regulars6. Saint Christopher's

Cathedral7. Sign of Six meeting house8. ew London graveyard• Government buildings• Hotelsra Public buildings

-- Railroad

While theStorm Knightsaretravel­ling in ew London, unsettling thingshappen around due to the artificialcorruption given them by the GauntMan.

Gamemasters should feel free toinclude as many manifestations as aredeemed appropriate. A good rule ofthumb is, the longer they stay in NewLondon, the more phenomena occur.Any temporary phenomena last for afew minutes, usually ending whenmore than one Knight notices it.

Nighttime in New London isa grimaffair. Thecobblestone streets are onlydimly lit by gaslight, and a chilling fogbrings a feel of mystery and danger. Ifthe Knights are still being followed bytechno-demons, one attacks at night.

The Taint ofCorruption

Event

New London Graveyard

There is nothing here ofsignificance,but the characters don't know that. Itis merely a scary little place that properVictorians avoid.

Cruel gamemasters can alwaysplant a few ghouls or second-plantinggospog in the various crypts.

mention that a lighthouse exists nearthe Fortressofthe Dead, located acrossthe Strait of Malacca from Singapore.Artemis Bunn, the lighthouse-keeper,is a fellow member of the Sign of Six.Bunn can lend them boats to cross thesea to Singapore, but first they willhave to travel overland to reach thelighthouse.

Angus will also teU them he hasheard that Karkthusa, Inc. inSingaporeis allied with Wellington, and its of­fices might have valuable information.

(!j(J The Gaunt Man Returns: Map 11~ New London (Padang)

\~==j~~=;;,-~,~9~,~,~ CJJ?oD

,"oe-O D~!~~o~n~,13, - .\ ;-"

Angus StormfieldSee page 45 of the Orrorsh source­

book.Angus has grown the Peace Roses

on the grounds himself, and will notpart with them unless persuaded.Angus starts out as neutral toward theStorm Knights, though if they have asigned letter by Professor Scope, hisattitude isfr~rully.Any positive resultwill net the Knights one rose each.

U the Knights manage to convinceStormfield of their intentions, he will

Tors: The Caunt Man Return.

The Situation

The Knights gain one Perseverancepoint if they obtain at least 'One GaeaoPeace Rose.

PerseveranceAwards

SCENE TWO:Jungle Fever

• ••Cut To

The Action (OJ;, "Let'sUnnerve The

Players'')Gamemasters should inflictacouple

of the following tricks on the StormKnights as they travel through thejungle.

Standw. While traveUing over­land on the island of Majestic, theKnights encounter jungle difficultiesand a gypsy camp.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

You leave the hustle. bustle- andrelative safety - of New London be­hind you as the surrounding junglee.gerly sw.illows you up.

The oobblestone highw.1y le.1vingthedtyeventu.a.Uy becomes.1dirtroad.whidl in tumeventuallybecomes littlemore tlwt a beatat ~th.

AU around you are the sounds ofomimals, birds.,. omd insects. You fer­vently pray th.1t these CI'e.1tures Me

nonnal and not twisted in some wayby Onorshan rulity. Every once in awhile, you hur om odd rustling. as ifsomethingw.asko.ping p;I<O w;!h you.

All the while, the humiditydings toyour skin and the dense jungle closesin on you.

If the Knightsdecide to travel over­land tatlle Fortressofthe Dead.rot toScene Two.

If they are able to travel directly toSingapore. rot to Scene Four.

Variables

FlagsA Tru~ Identity card played means

the Knight is rerognized by a CO<TUptVictorian soldier as a threat to Well­ington. At some point dUring theKnight's stay in New London., Vfd&.rian infantrymen will arrive to arresther and her companions.

A Corrnocfiorr card played meansone of the Knights knows Angus. Hewill be willing to cooperate and noptrSWlsion rolls are necessary.

A Conntdio" card played by a Vic-­tortan soldier Storm KniAht wiUallowhim to leam that General We~tondeparted for Singapore several daysago on urgent business.

A Mistaken Iderrtity card makes An­gus believe that the Knights are work­ing for Wellington. During their stayin New London. a group o(ten Sign ofSix members attacks the party usingoccult rituals.

London. and has even fewer transpor-­Iation facilities. Trains leaveevety fourhours,. fare is twosterlings per passen­ger one way.

There are roads from New Londonand Sibolga which connect each oth~r,

as well as leading to the Fortress of theDead. It lake! three days to reach theFortress from New London-. ft takesone day to walk from Sibolga to theFortress.

Should the Knights fail to swayStormfiel<L he will snarl that if theKnights really want Peace Roses, theyshould '"seek them out in the bloodyFortress of the Dead on the easterncoast!"

If Victoria Sigurd did not perish inthe Nile dig, she will have warnedGovernor Robert Ashton about theStann Knights. The Knights will bearrested at the first opportunity. espe­dally if they visit any governmentbuilding or the library.

If a Storm Knight happens to be amember of the Sign of Six. he will beable to secure Angus' help withoutdifficulty.

There are no scheduled ship depar­tures for Singapore until next week.There are no flights, as all planes havetransformed.

If the Knights brought an aircraftand left it unattended. it has either: a)transfonned intoa hot air balloonand,unattended, drifted off, now flyingsomewhere over New Guinea. or b)Victorian troops stumbled upon it,didn't understand what it was. and soused it as a target for artillery practice.It is now in smoldering ruins.

The New Londondocksdonot haveyachts for hire. Chartering a boat willtake at least a week.

The Knights can take a train toSibolga, further up the coast. How­ever, Sibolga iseven smaller than New

Getting Out ofNew London

• When the Knights walk by a smallSacellum church., the steeple and belltower rollapse with a loud crash andbong (this happens only once).

• The Knights cast noshadow{tempo­rary).

• A Sacellum priest walks by. M soonas the Knights look at him, the priest'scross cracks in two and falls off itschain.

• Animals (dogs, cats. horses. mostly)howl, hiss, and panic In the presenceof the Storm Knights (temporary).

• The knights' footprints are shapedlike those of a clawed beast (tempo­rary).

• A rain of blood faUt on the KnIghts.following them around. and stops af­ter one minute (temporary).

• Talking toa citizen of New London.one Knight sees the person's facechange into a demon's visage (tempo­rary).

• As the Knights' shadows fall upon ablind beAAar. the man opens his eyesand joytUlly announces that he cansee. He takes one look at the Knights,screams "Devils!", gouges his owneyes out, and collapses of a heart at­tack. his mouth locked wide open In asilent screamof fear (this happens onlyonce).

........=:--------------------.......74 . "Wo'lV

Act Four

• The Knights see a shadow out of thecomerof their eyes. When they tum toface it, it is gone.

• Something grabs at their clothing... it's a branch.

• Something seems to grab a Knight'sankle. The Knight has stepped into atangle of gnarled vines.

• All jungle noises stop for one minute.

• A loud crash booms through thejungle, like80meone just felled a hugetree,

• (At night) Things land on the headsof several Storm Knights, and beginpulling at their hair and screeching.Bats have gotten tangled up in severalKnights' hair.

Monkey See,Monkey Slay

Halfway between where they camefrom and where they're going. theKnights encounter monkeys.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

Your jungle trek is taking its toll onyou. Exhaustion and fear are the over­ridingemotionsinyourheart.Theheat,the claustrophobia of the jungle, andthe persistent presence of insects ismaking this a miserable trip.

The despair subsides as you hearsome loud chattering, and you see agroup of a hill dozen monkeys play·ing in the high grass and the trees.They make delightful acrobatic rna·neuvers and toss somdhing back andforth, possibly a gourd or coconut

Wait for the Knights to react, thencontinue reading:

The monkeys see you and begin tochatter louder, jumping up and downas if for joy at haVing an audience.

Several monkeys shyly approach

you and hand you bananas and otherdelicious fruits.

Wait for the Knights to react. U theyask, the monkeys are eating the fruit,too. U the Knights accept the fruit, ron­tinue reading:

Delighted that their gifts were ae-­cepted, the monkeys scamper back totheir original positions, then stare atyou and chatter noisily. They begin togo deeper into the jungle, but stop andlook at you again. their speech grow·ing louder.

AnevidenceQlUlfysisorPerapl ion totalof 8 win reveal that the monkeys wantthe Knights to foUow them, If they do,read the fonowing aloud:

After a few minutes, the monkeysslop their scampering. You find your­selves in a great clearing, with dozensof monkeys leaping about and play·ing.

In the middle of the clearing is aheap ofsiones, with a headless humancorpse lashed upright on a pole. Themonkeys who were playing with the

••75

Torg: The Gaunl Man Relurn.

gourd place it on the corpse, and yousee thai it is in fact a decomposed hu­tIUn head

At once, ;ill the monkeys surroundthe figure and begin worshipping ilThey no longerchatter, but rathertheymakea moaningsound that resemblesspeech of some sort.

Have the Knights make a Persever­ance check.

A Perception total of 15 reveals thatthe noises are a chant of "Gaunt Man,Gaunt Man, Gaunt Man." Should theKnights either disrupt the ceremonyor try to run away, the monkeys, en­raged, attack.

Monkey-Things (36)DEXTERITY 12Acrobatics 18, dodge 19, meleeweapons 14, unarmed combat 15STRENGTH 11Oimbing 15TQUGHNEss8PERCEYTION 9Find 11, track 12, trick 16MIND7CHARISMA 8Taunt 12SPIRJT 8Intimidation 12Possibility Potential: noneN aturaJ Tool.s: fangs, damage value

STR+3/14Equipment: Human femur clubs ,

damage value STR+4/15Power Rating: 0Corruption Value: 12Fear Rating: 1/2Weakness: NoneTrue Death: Any

The monkey-things will take anydead Storm Knights, cut them open,stuff them with fruit, bamboo, andleaves, and prop them in a circlearound the altar.

Thebodyon the pole wasan Ayslishmage. In his pouch lies a carved pieceof wood (an arcane knowledge object,plant 2), spell components, a seal (ascholar (Aysle rftllm lord total of 8 re­veals that it signifies that the beareracts on orders of Lady Pella Ardinay),and a parchment fTagment that reads" ... word has it that W,O.'s force islaired at the F. of D, mayhap changedto the laws of this land ..."

The mage has a backpack with apurse inside, containing 100 Ayslishtrades, and a spell book with the fol-

lOWingspells: LL"{rieu's spell staff, plantshackles, sun flower, tret! ward, clumge tofalcon, detect tndh, disguise self, silence,telepathy.

Wagons EastOn the night before they arrive at

the Fortress of the Dead, the Knightsstumble upon a gypsy camp.

Read aloud or paraphrase the fol­lowing:

From beyond the jungle growth,theslrainsofmusic-accordion, tam­bourine, and flute-are heard, min­gling with the sounds of laughingand clapping.

If the Knightsdecide to investigate,continue reading:

You part the underbrush to see acamp with eight brightly coloredwagons in a d.rc.le. In the center, ahuge bonfire roars. Beautiful womenin long skirts and colorful scarvesdance provocatively,while the seatedmenfolk play their instruments andclap their hands.

The gypsies have a neutral attitudetowards the Storm Knights. The he-

roes may attempt to persuadethegyp­sies of their good intentions. If thegypsies are made frirnd1y, they willoffer the Knights a place tosleep and ahot meal and good drink.

Fortwo sterlings, Anna, a beautifulgypsy woman, will read anyoneKnight's fortune with a Tarot deck.Gamemasters should improvise anappropriate fortune, hinting of thingsto come without giving away the end­ing of the adventure.

For five sterlings, Anna will contactthe spirits to answer questions.

If Anna uses true sight on any partymembers, she will recoil, scream, andinsist that the group leave the campimmediately. She has seen the taint ofcorruption on the Knights.

The gypsies will sell or trade thefollowing things: bottle of holy water,2 sterlings (fake); healing balm, 4sterlings, (fake); silver knife, 10 ster·lings, (real); wolfsbane,1 sterling (real);poison antidote, 5 sterlings {fake},

Anna VostovichDEXTERITY 12Acrobatics 14, beast riding 14,dodge14, lock picking 14, maneuver 13,melee weapons 13, prestidigitation

_.~.~----------------........76 -.:v

15, stealth 16, unarmed combat 14STRENGTHSTOUGHNESS 9PERCEPTION 12Find 14, first aid 13, languages 14MIND 10Artist (dancing) 14, occult 12, will­power 12CHARISMA 11Chann 14, persuasion 14, taunt 13SPiRIT 11Reality (Orrorsh) 12,spirit mediumIS, true Sight 14Possibilities: 8Equipment: Colt Peacemaker, dam­

age value 15, ammo 6, range3-5/15/40;boot knife, damage value STR+3/11;Tarot deck.. crystal ball, colored pow­ders, silver jewelry, wolfsbane

Description: Anna is very much afree spirit. An expert dancer and spiritmedium, she is headstrong and inde­pendent. She loves flirting with non­gypsy men, and especially enjoys flirt­ing with several at a time in order to seethem fight over her.

FlagsA Romanacaro makes Anna fall for

a male Storm Knight, or vice versa.A Suspicion orMistaken Idmtitysub­

plot makes Anna do a true sight read­ing on the party.

VariablesIf the characters are stuck, the

gamemaster may arrange to have theKnights encounter the gypsies withinNew London itself. Anna can givethem the clues they need, specificallythat Avery Wellington is now inSingapore.

PerseveranceAwards

The Knights receive one Persever­ance point for defeating the monkey­things.

Cut To ...Once the Knights reach the Fortress

of the Dead, rut to Scene Three.

SCENE THREE:Lighthouse of

Darkness

The SituationStandard. The Fortress of the Dead

lies on the coast of Majestic, garri­soned by dead men and an AylishDraconis Teutonica which has trans­formed to Orrorsh. Beyond the for­tress lies a Victorian lighthouse and asmall dock with several boats (see Map12). The time is 5:00 p.m.

Read aloud or paraphrase:

The fog parts enough for you tomake oul the imposing sh.Jpe of theFortress of the De.Jd. The pl.Jce isquiet, with no sign of habitation

The sun has aLre.Jdy begun to set,and twilight is creeping in. You hearthe roar of the W.Jves as they crash.Jg.Jinst the rocks. Every half minute,a brilliant beam of light swings by,shining from a tall slructure beyondthe Fortress.

Once theparty closes in to within20meters, continue reading:

The ground all around you eruptsas dozens of anned skeletons emergefrom the earth.

When the Portuguese built this for­tress centuries ago, they used theMuslim gravestones as raw malerial.These skeletons are the corpses of therestless dead whose graves were vio­lated.

Skelelons (36)Reality: OrrorshDEXTERITY 10Melee weapons 13, unanned com­bat 13STRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS1'PERCEPTION 9Find 11, track 12MINDSWillpower 10CHARISMA 5

Act Four

Taunt (14)SPIRIT 9Intimidation 15Possibility Potential: nonePowe.rs: attJJa form resistJJnce (fire-

arms)Corruption Value: 10Fear Rating: 1/2We..Jkness: Muslim holy symbols

(severe)True De.Jth: Disassembling the For­

tressand placing the stones back wherethey belong.

The Elder WyrmOnce inside the Fortress proper, the

Knights havean even biggersurprisc:a Draconis Teutonica, converted toOrrorshan reality, resides in the open­air fortress.

Trankh, the Elder WynnDEXTERITY 9Flight 12, unarmed combat 12STRENGTH 27TOUGHNESS 23/35PERCEPTION 19Find 23, track 20, trick 23MIND 14Occult 15, test 21, willpower 20CHARISMA 7Chann 10, persuasion 11, taunt 12SPIRIT SIntimidation 15, reality (Orrorsh)10Possibilities: 20Natural Tools: scales, armor value

TOU+12/35; wings, speed value 11;claws, damage value STR+3/30

Powers:Iire attack (value 42);elemell-tal alteratiOll (mist, vallie 24); blur fonn

Corruption Value: 20Fear Rating: 2Weakness: magic attack (stymie)True Death: Pierced in the heart by

a blessed sword wielded by one whois pure of heart.

Description: Trankh enjoys thisnew reality, since she can now inducefear into her victims, something shehasalways wanted todo. Ifthe Knightstalk to her, she will explain that shehad come to Orrorsh with a party ofAyslish folk in search of evidence ofthe Gaunt Man's return.

When the Ayslish ran afoul of light­house-keeper Bunn, the man invokeda reality storm against the dragon.

••77

[II] The Gaunt Man Returns: Map 12~ Fortress Environs/Lighthouse

•• 78

Key1. Fortress of the Dead2. Lighthouse3. Dock4. WyrmS. Peace roses6. Kitchen7. Bathroom8. Bedroom

9. Storeroom10. Guest room11. Coal bin12. Furnace room13. Cenerator room14. Suppy room15. Stairs

The Lighthouse

@.........__,#'... CHlTTE

•Now tra.nsformed into a horror,Trankh h,as jet-black scales. fiery redeyes, and a mo~demonkaspect, I\kesomething out of the Victorian &ok of.Power.

Within the Fortress; grounds aredozens of Pe<;tce Roses growing in a~tch. If they need thel;I\, the Knightsnught be able to bargain with thedragon. Trankhsp«ifkally seeks@:ny­thing that might be proof againstmagic.

The LighthouseThe casHTOn lighthouse was run

by Artemis Bun(\, a secret member oftheSign ofSix. Thegroundaround the·lighthouse is inscribed with ocl;ultrunes that keep away any horrors (asanyone generating an occult total of 10will know).

Unfortunately, Bunn was attackedby the Ayslish who wished the placeas a base of operations while theysought out news of the Gaunt Man. Il'\a pitched battle, which resulted in thedestruction of several Ayslish, Bunnwent mad. tie is locked up in a roominside the lighthouse by AnakronisMagus (see below).

Artemis BunnDEXTERITY 8Fi(e cqmbat 9, melee weapons 9,stealth 14, unarmed combat 1QSTRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 10PERCEPTION 10Find 12, first akl 11, tracking 12,trick 11MIND 10Occult 16, test 13, willpower 12CHARISMA 8Charm 10, taunt 10SPIRIT 10Faith (Orrorshan evil) 11,,intimida­lion 11, rea,hty (Orrorsh} 12Possibilities: 2Corruption Valu~; 10Equipment: no~e.Description: Atonetifl\ea stalwart

fighter ofCOITUption, Artemis has nowjoined its ranks. He is. WOJ1\. out fromhis capHvity, though he seems so.undenough. If he is rescv.ed aod allowedt~ p~ay host for th~ Storm Knig,hts inhis lighthouse, see Vatiables," belqw,

The Iighthou~is run, on electricity,

•with a.n oil-lamp backup. TheexteriQrdoor is locked, with a lock picking diffi·culty of 18, Interior doors. have a lockpicking difficulty of 12.

Bunn's lledroomNow taken over- by AnakrQnis.

Magus, it is filled w~th Ana~ni8'

possess.i01\S. plusfour~1tvQ1Ym~.The room also col\tail\S Bunn's not~detailing a. suspected CCU\Pectioo be­tween, 1«\r·kthusa, 'fie. in Singapowwith Gene~alWelUngtop'$, pl('ns ..

A statue of Corba~al \s ('n Ayslishtalisman, ma.king the lighthQuse liv­ing ('reas. (rooms6-9) an Ayslishdombnal\t zone,

StQt~l"QQ1\l

Contains. various bits o.f equipme-l\~such as ro~, kerosene lanterns, lots ofkeroselle, e,.;;tra ammunitiQn, andwarm blankets,

Cill.st RQom~

Makeshift guest l"OOms, eacl\ with ilbunk, oil lamp, a.nq chaif". Currentlyeach ~s QC<'Upied by one dwarf (thereare \l,\witlys two dwarves. \lP a.ndarouod. on guard ~J;\d maintenan~d.\y).

Co~l Storage Bin

Half-full, ~t f~tures a. coal chuteJ,eading to. the outside,

Fll11\~CeRoomLined, with extra thick w~ns, this

c<>al·IireQ fU~l;'e prov1des: heat andhot ""ateI'.

C:>'lItr~to)' RoomThis room oontaips the elect~kal

relays, back-uf! kerosene generator,and other· electric things r~lated to thelighthol,lsebearon ~t'\d interim iUumi­J;\Cltio.f\. Dueto its ptimit\vesimplicity,~ttemrtsat sabotage, usingsciellce h~ifc-.

tricityJ, have a. di(ficulty of 9.

!lIIpply RQo.m

Jiilled with electnc parts and thelik~, ~t is also w~e the q\ilq 6uoo. isbei~g ~ep\.

Act Four

Winding Stairs

These cashiron stairs wind theirway up 26 meters to the light.

The AyslishOne of the Warrior- of the Dark's

first acts after becoming High Lord ofAysle was to dispatch an Ayslish teamto Orl"OfSh to check up on rumors ofthe Caunt Man's return,

Now. a month later. the remnantsof the Aysle team are holed \lp in thelighthouse, making forays intoOrro.rsh. trying to figure oqt what'sgoing O{l. Due to the effects ofOrfOrshlln lawsand atmosphere, how·ever4 the Aysle team h{ls lost much ofits desiN to ~cromp1is.h its goal, ands~nds i\ gret't deal of time broodingin the lighthouse.

Ao<tlugnis MagusDEXTERITY 10Beast riding 13, dodge 18, lock pick·iflg 12, maneuver 12, melee combat11, running 15. stealth 14STRENGTH.TOUGHNESS 9 (18 with ~mulet)

PERCEPTION 14Altera.tion magic 18, divinationrp.agic 16, evidenceanalysis 16, la.n­guage l5, trick 18MINIl1~

Ap~rta.tiof\ magic 18, conjurationmagic 17, test 15, willpower 15CHARI~MA 11Charm 14, peJ'suasion 15, taunt 16SPIRITl1Corruption 17, faitll (Corba'aD 14,intimidatio.n 18, reality (Aysle) 15Poss.ibiliUei: 16Corn,lpUoI\ Abilities (Ayale):

Cause one opponent to become fa·tigued once per {lct; ability to defercorrupt~QnintQsurro.unding land;gainhann miracle. Note that skill bonusesh,wealready been factpred in.

Arcane Knowledges: "ir +3, WQter+3, (larkness +3, elltity +4, magic +2

51'611s: conceal evil, create fear, lowspirits, mQge dQrk, withering touch, castlasher, detect magJc, dispel magic, impris­ollment, mystic shifld, Qnimate skeletQIWQrrior, ball ish dem(lll, senseundead, armof air, fightillg ~hirtwilld, pooler, frigidair, Corgaill's gills, fog, i~e· bolt, waterspray

~--'---~-,"-----"'""_ll-_£_----£",x---7-~"'!·"'·"

M Returns. The Gaunt anTorg.

•• 80

AetFour

The Action

The Situation

Once the Knights land inSingapore,cut to Scene Four.

SCENE FOUR:Who Put the "Sin"in "Singapore?"

•••Cut To

StandardlDramatic. The Knights ar·rive in SingaJX>re. They can take sometime to rest and resupply, or they canhead right to Karkthusa, Inc.

ThisscenechangestoDramaticwhenthe Knights encounter Skutharka.

Highatop the Royal CrownColonyskyscraper, occupying the top twofloors, is Karkthusa, Inc., firm of theNightmare Skutharka.

Access to the Royal Crown ColonySkyscraper is available from 7:00 a.m.to 6:00 p.m.

A business total of 15 will reveal thatKarkthusa is listed as being owned bya Mr. Ho. A scholar (Orrorsha/l realmlore) total of 11 reveals that Ho is theaide to the Nightmare Skutharka.

having an easy time of it, Trankh, ifstill alive, may fly up and attempt todestroy the boats when they are half·way across the strait.

The journey across the straits takessix hours by boat.

In this case, Bunn's notes should in­clude an entry which mentions thatWellington is going to attempt someunknown action. The action will ocruron the date of the next dawn.

U the Storm Knights bypass the for­tress, the dragon will spot them, butignore them unless there are obviousAyslish Storm Knights in the group. Inthat case, the dragon will attack.

AnAlertnesscard will tell the Knightsthatthereissomethingdefinirelywrongwith Bunn, probably a mental condi·tion.

An Idea card tells the Knights thatsleeping in the lighthouse is NOT agood thing to do.

UBunn is freed, he will offer to putthe Krughts up in IUs lighthouse. In themiddle of the night, Bunn, using theobjects the Krughts too<:hed as occultprops,will invokean occult ritual on theocrupants of one room (no more thanfow people). This ritual causes mag­gots, worms, and spiders tocome burst·ing out of the victims. Victims suffer adamage value of 18 (ignore armor) eachround. The ritual lasts as long as thecaster is uninterrupted or30 minutes goby, whichever comes first.

The ritual takes ten minutes to ini­tiate. During thefirst fiveminutes,noth­ing happens. In the latter five minutes,the victims feel horrendous pains intheir bcxlies and are completely hel~

less, unable to do anything but scream.It will be up to the victims' compan·

ions in the other rooms to help them.Have the Knights make a Perseverancecheck when they see the horriblecondi·tion of their friend.

PerseveranceAwards

Dwarves (6)DEXTERITY 8Dodge9, firecombat10. maneuver9,melee weapons 10. missileweaJX>ns10, stealth 10, unarmed combat IISTRENGTH 10TOUGHNESS 9PERCEPTION 9Alteration magic 13, find 10, trick 12MINDSTest 10CHARISMA 8Taunt 12SPIRIT 8Corruption 10, intimidation 11,reality (A}"le) 10Possibilities: 2Arc.tne Knowledge: etlrth +3Spells mrlh shidd, pathfinder, stone

tunnel, Thorvald's trru:kerEquipment: Spell book, wheellock

dag,damage value 13,anutlO I, range 3­5/10/25; dwarven bombs (2), damagevalue 19), battleaxe, damage valueSTR+S/15; dwarfmail, armor valueTOU+4/13; Tancred torch

Description: 1be dwarves are eviland greedy, and serve the Dark HighLord as well as they can. They havesome fascination for the light mecha·nism in the lighthouse, whichstill works.

Equipment: Spell books; staff, dam­agevalueSfR+2/11;comJX>nents;amu­let of increased toughness, valueTOU+9/18;maxTOU 20; fourbottiesofhealing draught (removes damageas ifone Possibility was spent>

Description: Anakronis is a smooth·tallcing, quietly rompetent wWml. Ifuevil is not the maniacal, loud type; he isa calculating sneak.

Anakronis is slowly being seducedby the Power of Corruption. He beganreading Bunn's books, and is now fasci­nated with ocrult rituals.

The Dock

This sma.ll dock has two Victorianvintage coal·fired motor launches tiedto it.

Launches: Tech 19; TOU 17; pass. S;speed value 100/30/8/10

VariablesTo add an element of tension, the

gamemaster can decide that Well·ington's ritual will take placeat dawn.

The Knights receive one Persever­ance JX>int for finding the notes,anotherfor defeating the wynn, and a third fordefeating Bunn, if necessary.

Travelling Acrossthe Straits

Once the group has secured trans·portation across the straits toSingapore, the boat ride should beuneventful. If the players have been

Elevator/Stairs

Theelevatorand stairways (marked"1 on the map) end at the first flooroccupied by Karkthusa.ln order to getto the upper floor. one must cross tothe other side of the building and usethe stairs or elevator marked "4.

Office Cubicles

Each hostsa corrupted employeeofSkutharka, plus a desk, phone, com­puter terminal, and coffee cup. Tht>computer screens are filled with gib-

••81

M

Tors: The Caunt M,n Rmuns

The Gaunt Man Returns: Map 13Karkthusa, Inc.

Lower Floor

KeyLower floor

1. Elevator/stairs2. Office cubicles3. Restrooms4. Elevator/stairs to

upper floor only

Upper floor1. Elevator/stairs2. Mr. Ho's room3. Hidden door4. WorkroomS. Skutharka's room

o Perceived Mr. Ho

• Real Mr. Ho

Uppe< Roo, ,-_

berish. and the coffee cups a", filledwith blood (have the Knights make aPerseverance check if they spot this).

Six of the corrupted employees arewomen. All of the employees aredressed like white-collar YUPPles andapp""peri«tlynonnal. A surossIultrwsight total against a difficulty of 10reveals their bodiesasbeing a hideousshade of green, black and crimson.with strips of flesh hanging off them.Dropone Perseverancepolntand havethe Knights make a check.

Corrupt Employees (12)DEXTERITY 9Dodge 11, melee combat 12, un­armedcombat 12STRENGTH ,.TOUGHNESS 11PERCEPTION 11FInd 12. trick 14

MIND ,.Business 13, test of wi1112,willpower 12CHARISMA 8Taunt 12SPIRIT 10Faith (Orrorshanevil) 12. intimida·lion 14Possibility Potential: nonePowers: atta<:k fonn resistance (nuJgj·

cal damage)NaturalTools: claws,damage value

STR+2/12Corruption Value: 14Fear Rating; 1Weakness: Any holy symbol (se­

vere)True Death: Destruction of their

computer terminals.Equipment: briefcase, damage

value SfR+1/11; computer terminals00012)

DesaiptioreThesepeoplewereCore

Earth yuppies who saw the chance tosell theU souls in exchange "" po_and elema1life.

They are dressed in normal CoreEarthclothingand <any briefcases. The",""pted souls will a!tad< only ;t theKrughts make same oIMous reIe<enceto theU true appearnnce (screoming.vomiting, etc.)

Meanwhile. they spend the holm;chattering into phones, watching stockquotations flash across their computerscreens, and typing gibberish In re­sponse.

Rest Rooms

The men's room contains the deadbody of a janitor, ripped to shreds bylherorrupted employees. He hasbeendead for three weeks. Subtract onePerseverance point and have theKnights make a check.

.........,..,.--------------------....'"82 ·WOV

Upper Floor

Mr. Ho's Room

If the Knights enter this room, readthe foUowing aloud:

This huge room is painted starkwhite, from the ceiling to the floor.Thecolormakes the room seem huge,with a fu"'Offborizon. Recessed lightpanels give the room a soft,. silveryglow.

Seated in the middle of the room,aoss--legged in a Lotus position, is anOrientalmaninawhite business suitUpon your entry, he looks up al youand says, "'Yes? What can I do foryou?""

l1tis man is Mr. Ho, Skutharka'sassistant. He is currently meditatingupon new ways to inflict horror uponthe people of Singapore.

The entire room is protected by thepower of the occult. The stark white­ness of the room disorients all butSkutharka and Ho; time, distance, per-

spective, all become meaningless.In practical terms, whenever any­

one in the room attempts any action,even walking. he must generate a will­pe1Wt!T of Mind total of 12. (This effec­tively makes any action taken in thisroom a multi-action.) Failure meansthe Knight is stymied for that round.

The distortion effect is alreadyworking: Ho is NOT in the center ofthe room, he is in the comer markedon the map.

Mr. Ho will engage disorientedKnights, making hit and run attacks. Ifhe is wounded, he will retreat throughthis secret panel <find or Perception dif·ficulty 18 to spot).

Mister Ho's Workroom

Thisantiseptic smelling room is Mr.Ho's workroom, with various modernmedical tools such as forceps, pins,needles, and scalpels, plus a stainlesssteel table. The table has restraints,and a small channel to collect blood.Four steel cages complete the room'sdecor.

Act Four

Another secret panel (find total of18 to spot) leads from this workroomto Skutharka's office.

Mr. HoSee page 32 of the Orrorsh source-­

book.

Skulharka

If the Knights enter Skutharka's of­fice, the scene shifts to Dramatic.

Read the following aloud:

This huge office is dominated by alarge modern desk. with huge win~

dows behind it, offering a splendidviewof Singapore. The walls are cov­ered with maps of the city, anatomi­cal charts of the various humanoidraces, and electronics schematics.

A huge woU·like creature sits atthe desk, wearing a business suit Ihatclearly does not fit, as the beast'smuscles pop many of the seams.

The creature grabs at the half­dozen telephones on the desk. seem­ingly at random,. since the devices arenol ringing, barking phrases such as

••83

Torg: The Gaunl Man Rnurns

Variables

The Situation

Flags

When the group decides to head tothe Bukit Timah Nature Preserve, cutto Scene Five.

The Sentries

The Action

Random Noises

While the Knights are walkingthrough the maze in the dead of night,have them generate Perception totalsperiodically and give them some ofthese noises to unnerve them:

- Rustling in the bushes.

- Hoofbeats going at a trot.

-The sound of a rifle being cocked.

- The sound of a sabre being drawnfrom its scabbard.

• A hideous gurgling sound (the in­fernal steeds' way of neighing).

The maze walls are three metershigh and are madeof bushesand flow­ers growing over solid rock, thus theKnights cannot pass through the bar­riers effortlessly.

Avery Wellington's location is flatin relation to the rest of the maze, thusclimbingatop the hedgewaU (climbingdifficulty 12) will not give the viewer agood idea of where he is.

any intruders.Read aloud or paraphrase:

The beautiful gardensof the BulcilTimah Nature Preserve hold no at­Iraction for you al this moment. Youhave a duty to the peopleof Singaporeto stop Avery Wellinglon's madschemes before they reach fruition.

The occasional rumble of thunderand flash of light erupl over the dty,bullhe nighl sky is clear, the stars sobrillianllhal even the city lights can­not fully obscure them.

Various flowerscenls waft throughthe night air, and you see an amazingvariety of trees and flowers: roses,chrysanthemums, tulips, daisies, andcherry and apple trees covered withblossoms.

And yel, aU this beauty is marredby the knowledge that somewhere inthis maze stands General AveryWell ington, setting in motion his planto deslroy Singapore.

-----The Wellington Reds, GeneralAvery Wellington's personal body-

• ••Cut To

Dramatic. The Knights must maketheir way through the maze of theBuldt Timah Nature Preserve. Unfor­tunately, Avery's personal body­guards, the Wellington Reds, are sta­tioned here in pairs, ready to deal with

SCENE FIVE:A Beef WithWellington

PerseveranceAwards

Finding the information inSkutharka's office gives the party twoPerseverance points. Defeating HoandSkutharka gives the party one Perse­verance point for each. Finding thejanitor's body gives the Knights twoPerseverance points.

An Idea card tells the Knight thatKarkthusa is an anagram for Sku­tharka.

An Alertness card will find one ofMr. Ho's concealed panels.

If the Knights capture and success­fully interrogate Mr. Ho, he can pro­vide them with the same informationthey will find in Skutharka's desk.

If the Knights should escapeSkutharka, they will need to get theinformation on Wellington from someother source. Perhaps the Sign of Sixhasa base here, or the Rauru Block hasheard rumors of strange doings at thenature preserve. Feel fTee to impro­vise to keep the adventure moving.

The Knights have a couple of op­tions here. Theycan fight; they can run(Skutharka will,ofcourse, pursue, butif they should escape, see "Variables,"below); or they can try to talk theirway out of this.

Yes, talk. Skutharka is a bestialNightmare, but he's not an idiot. If theKnights can convince him the GauntMan is back and knows who's beennaughty and who's been nice,Skutharka might decide to give themthe infonnationon Wellington's planswhich they need. He will explain thathe was spying on Wellington all thetime, and ask that the Knights put ina word for him with the High Lord.

Of course, should the latter takeplace, Skutharka wiD develop a deepand undying hatred for the Knightsfor forcing him to shame himself. Hecan be expected to become a frequentfoe of the party.

SkutharkaSee page 32 of the Orrorsh source­

book.

The Evidence

InSkutharka'sdesk are pa pers fromAvery Wellington, announcing hisintention to invoke the ritual at thehighest point in Singapore, the BukitTimah ature Preserve, at dawn. Theoverall tone of the documents indi­cates that Skutharka is shOWing sup­port for Avery's power play.

A badly scrawled memo fromSkutharka himself mentions that his"company" will move to Hong Kongright before the ritual is invoked.

The schematics on the wall are forvarious electronic devices OVs, ste­reos,CDplayers, Walkmans)and waysfor them to be infused with the powerof the occult.

"'Buy!'" "'SeIU'" ...Let'sdo lunch'" "Hos­lite bkeover!"

At last. it puts the phones downand looks at you with yellow canineeyes. The beast appears to be salivat­ing. The smell of blood washes overyou as the beast leans forward andsays:

"'You don't look like the kind ofexecutive material I need! Consideryourselves terminated! Lunch break'"

_'~I84~----------------~

Act Four

guards, have been transformed intocorrupt horrors, even though they stillappear tobe normal Victorian soldiers.

The Reds are set up in pairs at fivedifferent locations in the labyrinth.They are mounted on infernal steeds.The Reds'orders are dear: do not letanyone pass.

When the Reds firstsee the Knights,they will demand that the Knightstum around and go back, telling theintruders that the gardens are off·lim·its. If the Knights refuse togo back, theReds become more insistent, until fi­nally they start attacking the Knights.

WeUington Red (to)DEXTERITY 12Beast riding 14, dodge 14, fire com­bat 15, melee combat 14, maneuver14, running 13, stealth 13, swim­ming 13, unarmed combat 15STRENGTH 1.TOUGHNESS 15PERCEPTION 11Find 15, scholar (military tactics)13, tracking 12, trick 13

MIND9Test 11. willpower (l 1)CHARISMA 9Taunt 12SPlR!T9Intimidation 14, faith (Orrorshevil)13, reality (Orrorsh) 12Possibilities: 6Powers: blur form, dark visionEquipment: Weston bolt-action car~

bine, damage value 17, ammo 8, range3-50/90/200; occult-charged cavalrysabres, damage value STR+6/20. Thesabres ignorearmor adds. Anyonecanuse one, but it is considered a Wickedact. Eachsabreisjet black, witha handlemade of human bones, and inscribedwith sinister runes. Whenever the sa­bre hitsa victim, the bladeglowssicklyred, and shrieks. The swords have aToughness of 30

Corruption Value: 12Fear Rating: 1/2Perseverance DN: 8Weakness: Holy SymbolsTrue Oeath:Once killed, the Knight

must place a Peace Rose in the Red'shands.

Infernal Steed (Orrorshan)DEXTERITY 13Dodge 15, Oight 14, running 16STRENGTH 15TOUGHNESS 15PERCEPTION 10Find 12, tracking 12, trick 14MIND 8Test 12, willpower 12CHARM 7SPIRIT 9Intimidation 14Possibility Potential: noneNatural Tools: hooves, damage

valueSTR+3/18Powers: attack form resistance ([irt-

arms), darknessCorruption Value: 15Fear Rating: IPerseverance ON: 18Weakness: magical damageTrue Death: Placing sugar in thedead steed's mouth

6~----------:"------------·_·~. 85

Torg: The Glunt Min Returns

VariablesI! tJ.te Knights somehow bypass the

maJOnty of the labyrinth and go rightto Wellington, each patrol must gen­erate a find or Pn-ctplion total of 22 tonotice that something is a.miss.lf theybeat the difficulty number, the Redswill enter the final battle only if asdbllck occurs against the StormKnights, unless otherwise stated.

Knights who are flying over themaze will be the target of fire from theWellington Reds.

The Knights may attempt to blufftheir way past the Reds, claiming thatthey too serve Wellington. Avery hasalready told the Reds that no one isexpected, and that no one but Redshaveany business in the garden. Thus,any Storm Knight attempting to per­suade the Reds that they belong herehas a difficulty of 25.

Wellington's location is accessibleonly by the maze or by air. BehindWeUington's area are rocky cliffs thatare completely impassable.

If the Knights decide to blast theirway through the waDs of the maze,they will be attacked by aU ten Redsafter the second wall is demolished.

And Death DoesCome ...

When the Knights reach the end ofthe maze, they will find AveryWellin~tonin the middle of doing hisoccu.lt rl.tual. Three vampyre ninja arelurkmg m the bushes, keeping a watch­ful eye on their new master.

Read aloud or p."lraphrase:

. As the sky in the east begins tolighten and tum red, you seea distin·guished Victorian officer on hisknees, facing the dawn, reading froma luge book in his hnd. There arehuman skulls on the ground, ar·ranged around the General in a circu­l.u pattern. A horse grues nearby,obviously Avery's mount.

He turns and looks at you, his eyesblningwith insanityand new· foundpower. He smiles, stands ramrodstraight and in a c1ur, strong voice,addresses you.

"So, you have come to me at last.We have not yet been formally intro-

•• 86

duced. I am General A veryWellington,SupremeCommanderofHer Holy Majesty Queen Victoria'sExpeditiorwy Armies.to Avery bowsto you.

"As you are no doubt aware, Iserved a higher, greater power. Now,however, the time has come forme toseize control of my destiny and takemy place as the rightful ruler of thiss.trange land. Quite frankly, there ishttle you can do about it. 50 if youwould please be 50 kind as to takeyour leave?

"Oh, yes. You had best leave thecity with all alacrity. Once the ritualis invoked, the lifeforce of many, ifnot all, of the city's populace will bedrained and placed into my ownbody. You have been warned. Thankyou for your kind attention."

Have the Knights make a Persever­ancecheck.

The ~nly way to permanently killAvery 15 to have one Storm Knightchallenge him toa dueL Unfortunately,the only way to make him accept thechallenge is to confront him with thePeace Rose and use it in an intimida·tion, taunt, or test attack. This attemptcan be made by any member of theparty, and each member can try once.Any level of success will make Averyacquiesce. The Knight who success-­fully forced him into the duel does nothave to be the one to fight him.

When the duel isofficiallyaccepted,the sky turns dark and great stormc1oud~ begin flashing lightning andrumbhng thunder. Astrong wind kicksup and rain begins to fall.

The Duel'Though Avery has occult powers at

his command, he will fight the duelfairly; his Victorian honor as well as hisown sense of superiority will keep himhonest.

.The SIorm Knight must fight himusmg a melee weapon, specifically, asword of some type. Since Wellingtonhas resistance to normal weapons, thatweapon better be magic.

The duel is to the death, and no oneelse can intervene for either combatant.Thed uelling Knight cannot recieve helpofanykind from hisrompanions, thoughhe can benefit if a companion plays one

Timing in the Maze

GamemastersshouJd feel freeto play with their players' headsin this scene. Go in with theknowledge that, by the time theKrughtsreach Wellington.hewillhave just about completed theritual. But don't teU the playersthat - instead, flip cards, talkabout that glow they see over·head, and generally make themfeel like they need to be thereyesterday.

If they get defeated by theReds, obviously WeUington wiDget to finish his ritual. But if at allpossible, let them reach him be­fore he's finished, so the duel canproceed.

of the following l:llnk supprmer, RAlly,Uadership, SDu lnitiltiot. U the StormKnight does recieve additional aid,Wellington won't meet his True Death,and upon reincarnation.. will huntdownthe Krughls.

When fighting. Wellington banterswith his opponent, remarking calmlyabout the ritual and the plans he haswhen he becomes a High Lord. He at­tempts vital blows to disarm his oppo­nent and fancy maneuvers meant todistract the hero.

The heroes only get one chance toduel with Avery, for by the time oneduel is done, the sun is up and Averycannot be killed with his True Death.

Lest the rest of the party feel left out,consult "Killing Time," below.

General Avery WellingtonDEXTERITYUBeast riding14,dodge16,firecombat17, maneuver 17, melee combat 21,nmning 14,stea1th Is,swUnming 14,unanned combat 15STRENGTIi 13TOUGHNESS 14PERCEYI10N 14Find 17, language 14, 'Cholar (mili­tal)' tactics) 20, trncking 15, trick 16M1NDUOccult 18, test 17, willpower 15CHAR!SMA13Taunt 15

Act Four

The Gaunt Man Returns: Map 14Bukit Timah Labyrinth

• Wellington Red Guards

SPIRIT 12Faith (Sacellum) 18, intimidation16, reality (Orro.-sh) 20Possibilities: 5 per Stonn KnightPowers: resistance to normal weapons,

regeneration annor defeating attack (a11Ymelee weapon)

Corruption Value: 22Fear Rating: 2Perseverance ON: 23Weakness: Gaean Peace Rose (se­

vere)True Death: Slain at sunrise in a duel

against a single opponent.Equipment: Tawning .38, damage

value value 13, ammo 6, range3-S/15125; sabre, damage value SfR+S/18

Killing TImeThe three vampyric ninja lunge from

their hiding placesand attempt to makea surprise attack on the non-duellingKnights,alongwithWellington'smount.

Vampyre NinjaDEXTERITY 13Acrobatics 14, fire combat 14, lockpicking 14, maneuver 14, martial arts

(ninjutsu) 16,meleeweapons14, mis-­sile weapons 14, prestidigitation 14,stealth 15, unanned combat 14STRENGTH 16Climbing 19TOUGHNESS 18PERCEPTION 11Fmd 13, language 13, scholar (poi­sons) 14, tracking 14, trick 16MIND 14Meditation 15, test 23, willpower 23CHARISMA 14Chann 26, persuasion 21, taunt 18SPIRIT 9Faith (Orrorsh evil) 18, intimidation

6'"----------------"'":'::-"-.~. 87

17. reality (Orrorsh) 12Possibilities: 10Martial Arts: Ninjutsu: block/strike,

lightning fist. stun attack, missile dodge.felling the oa

Powers: life drain (Dexterity) (mustuse martial arts successfully and causea wound or better), elemental alteration(mist), resistance to nOrnull weapons. in­frction

atum Tools: fangs, damage valueSTR+2/18

Equipment: 13mm Chunyokai,damage value 18, ammo 9, range 3­10/40/50; shimsi sword, damagevalue STR+S/19; four throwing stars,damagevalueSTR+3/17;Niyokicam­ouflage suit (+1 lostealth)

Corruption Valur: 18Fen Rating: 1Weakness: chrysanthemums (se­

vere)True Death: Head decapitated and

mouth filled with cherry blossoms.

Bloodmane the HorseDEXTERJTY 15Dodge 18, flight 17, maneuver 16.stealth 16, unarmed combat 19STRENGTH 20TOUGHNESS 22PERCEPTION 14Find 16, tracking 18, trick 17MIND 10Test 15. wilipoweT 14CHARISMA'Charm (20), taunt (20)SPIRIT 14Faith (Orrorshan evil) IS, intimida­tion 18, reality (Orrorsh) 16Possibilities: 5Natural Tools: razor-sharp hooves

damage valueSTR+5/25; fangs, dam­age value STR+2/2

Powers: magicnf resistance, blurform,darkness, silence

Conuption Value: 17Fear Rating: 2Weakness: weapons made of solid

woodTrue Death: iron spike driven

through its foreheadDescription: Wellington's steed

looks Iikea huge whitestallion, unlessseen with tnle sight. Its true form is ahuge black horse-like thing with sixmassive legs, batwings, and eyes andmane that glow a phosphoresecentgreen.

The beast is intelligent, and under-

standsspoken languages. It isdevotedto Wellington.

Victory!If theStorm Knight manages to beat

WeHington's in the duel to the death,the General's body shrivels, dying ascreaming. slow death, and turns todust.

Once Avery has been dispatched.an image appears in the air. It is theGaunt Man, speaking to the partythrough Wicked:

"'I sense the departure of the soulof A very Wellington, on its way to itsreward of eternal damnation. Mythanks, stormers, you have servedme well.

"'In gratitude, I have decided thatwhen I have taken this planet, yourown deaths shall be swift and pain­less, and your souls shall go to theireternal resting place, free and unmo­lested by my powers.

"'Furthermore,' now offer each ofyou one of three choices: sever ,J.1J tieswith me, and become my enemy;swear undying loyally to me and gaingreat power; or lake some more timeto ponder my offer and inform me ofyour decision in one year's time.

"Choose - now!'"

The Gaunt Man is trying to seducethe Knights with promisesof power. Ifany Knight accepts the offer 10 allywith him, he will be transformed intoa horror and become a gamemastercharacter.

If a Knight refuses the offer, theGaunt Man removes the artificial Cor­ruption he had inflicled upon theKnight and his soul is his own again.

The most insidious choice is thethird one. [f the Knight chooses to takea year to decide, the artificial Conup­tion becomes real. Every Wicked actcommitted thereafter has a chance toincreasing the Knight's Corruptionvalue, until at last the Knight is a hor·ror, under the control of the GauntMan.

Defeat!If the Knight loses the duel,

Wellington continues reading the oc-

OOt ritual to invest himself with power.He needs to read it forsix more roundsafter the duel. The surviving ninja andWellington Reds will see 10 it that theKnights cannot get to the General, byinterposing themselves in such a waythat they form a wall betweenWellington and the Knights.

If the Knights reach Wellington be­fore he finishes reading the ritual, theymay attempt to kill him (temporarily)or destroy the book. The book has aToughness of 35.

IfAvery manages to finish the ritual,he must generate an OCCll1t total of 20.Success indicates that the ritualworked. Each level of success brings agreater level ofdevastation to the city,detailed as follows:

Minimal: Several dozen citizensdie.Average: 25 percent of the citizens

die.Good:.50 percent of the citizens die.Superior: 75 percent of the citizens

die. Numerous fires spring up fromcar and plane crashes.

Spectacular: Everyone in Singaporeis dead. The fires rage for days.

All who die in Singapore tum intoshrivelled corpses which take a longtime to rot.H everyone in the city dies,it will become a popular feedingground fordemons, gargoyles, ghouls,and other horrific flesh eaters.

If the ritual works at any suc:resslevel, read the following aloud:

Despite the dawn hour, the skydarkens and thunder rumbles fromall comers. The very ground shakes,and a great wind kicks up from out ofnowhere. Red and blue lightningflashes from the cloudless sky, strik­ing different areas of Singapore.

General Avery Wellington raiseshis arms heavenward and gives ashriek of triumph. Red and bluesparks of power play over his body.

SlowIy, his body begins to change.However, it does not seem to be theresull Wellington desired.

NWhat's happening 10 me?'" heshrieks as his limbs shrivel up andhis skin becomes bloated and black­rned. His eyeballs dry up and col­lapse into their sockels, and hislongue withers away.

When the transformation is com­plele, it is no longer a dashing Victo­rian general who stands before you.

...._.-=-------------------- .....,.,88 -w-v

Instead, it is a huge, glistening blackblob 20 meters wide, with what re­mains of Wellington's head perchedatop it. Yes, Wellington has gottenhis wish. He is no longer a simplemortali he is now a creature of greatpower.

The head screams with rage. Youget the idea that this is not whatWellington had in mind. Slowly, thehead turns to you, and a look of mur­derous rage fills his eyes.

Avery Wellington has indeed beenchanged by the occult rituaL He isnow a horror of great power. But thegruesome change has driven allthoughts of becoming a High Lordfrom his mind - now he wishes onlyto destroy.

The Wellington CreatureDEXTERITY 14Maneuver 17, stealth 15, swimming17, unarmed combat 20STRENGTH 22TOUGHNESS 25PERCEPTION 8Find 11, language 12, tTick 13MIND 10Occult 15, test 18, willpower 16CHARISMA 8Taunt 10SPIRIT 15Intimidation 22, reality (Orrorsh)22Possibilities: 40Powers: resistance to /lormal weap-

OIlS, regenerationCorruption Value: 24Fear Rating: 3Perseverance ON: 25Weakness: salt (severe)True Death: The ritual which cre­

ated him must be read backwards.

If Avery turns into a blob, he willattempt to crush the Storm Knights,then ru~ rampant through Singapore,destroying whatever's left of the city.

If the Knights manage to destroythe book, it will have no effect on theWellington Creature, save to make itmuch harder to kill him with his TrueDeath. The Knights will have to findanother copy of the ritual ... some­where.

VariablesIt is possible that the Knights some­

how get to the ritual spot some timebefore Avery does, and attempt to setupan ambush. Asa precaution, Averyfhes over the spot on his horse andscouts the area, making sure it is safe.If he does find Knights in a position toa?1bush, .he will attack them, leadinghiS Welhngton Reds and the ninjavampyres in a horrific charge from theskies.

!f,during the duel, the Knights seemto be beating the ninja, Avery willmentally summon any remainingWellington Reds to come and help.They arrive in two rounds.

If the pair of techno-demons fromAct One.are still alive, they enter thefray agamst everyone, starting withthe Storm Knights first, then Averyand company next.

Killing Wellington without usingthe True Death will result in his returnon~month later in a different body, ina different role.

A resurrected Wellington will nolonger be a Hellion Court member,

Act Four

and will be completely out of favorwith the Gaunt Man.ln fact, the GauntMan will seek him out and have himkilled once and for all with his TrueDeath.

Adventure AwardsIf. the Knights destroyed Avery

Welhngton forever and foiled his plan,award them 15 Possibilities

If the Knights were unable to killhim wit~ his True Death but managedtoslay hIm and thus postpone his plot,award them 10 Possibilities.

If Singapore lost even a single per­son to the occult ritual, the Knights getno Possibility reward.

Killing Skutharka and Mister Hoincreases each Knight's award by twoPossibilities per death.

EpilogueRead aloud only if the Knights suc­

ceeded in their tasks and have rejectedthe Gaunt Man's offer of an alliance:

II

89

Tors: The G<rounl Man Rlttvrns

No sooner do you finish your dis-­cussion with th~High Lord and man·age to catch your breath high iltopTin Hill, when iI greilt drowsinesswashes over you. Everyone slumpsto the ground, exhilusted from thebattle.

You awaken in your rooms at theHotel Indonesia. You have come fullcircle. Your physical injuries have all

been healed, and you are washed anddressed in your normal bedtime man·neroTh~ houris midnight. Somethingjingles at your side.

Lifting your arm, you see a coppercharm bracelet around your wrist.The charms include an hourglass, abook, a Victorian Army helmet, andlastly, a chess pawnwith your face onthe head.

Most of the discomfort over thismysterious pie« of j~welry (yes, itcan be removed) is replaced by thesatisfaction of your having won thebattle. SHIl.. you are unsettled by thefact that you don't know what thefuture has in store for you, especiallywith the Gaunt Man now free. Butyou have a feeling the worst of thePossibility Wars is still yet to come.

The Gaunt Man ReturnsResponse Form

1. Was the Ayar-Manco statue recovered? _

2. Was Basjas slain? _

3. Was the Ankh of Ra recovered? _

4. Was Dr. Totten slain? _

5. Was the Scarlet Asp slain? _

6. Was Skutharka slain? _

7. Were citizens of Singapore killed by the ritual? How many? _

8. What happened to Wellington (check one)?

___ 1. He was slain by his True Death.

___ 2. He was slain, but not by his True Death.

___ 3. He transformed into a horror, and is now wandering free.

__ 4. Other (explain) _

9. Did the Storm Knights say "Yes," "No" or "Maybe" to the Gaunt Man's offer of analliance at the end of the adventure? _

Mail your response to: West End Games, RR 3 Box 2345, Honesdale, PA, 18431Dept.: Gaunt Man Returns

•• 90

Appendix: This Evil Reborn

•

hefollowingisasummaryof how the other HighLords are reacting to theGaunt Man's returnand/or their attitudes toward

him in general:

3327 (Ryuchi KanawalThe High Lord of Nippon Tech no

longer acknowledges any sort of alIi·anre with the Gaunt Man. As far as3327 is concerned, their partnership isdissolved. But 3327 realizes that herisks much in setting himself up inopposition to the most powerful ofHigh Lords, and so will maintain hisefforts to subvert members of the Hel·lion Court and defend his gains inAsia. Expect Kanawa to foster closerties with the Victorians.

The Gaunt Man is enraged by theextentof3327'sbetrayaland his myriadassaults on Orrorsh. The High Lord isalready hatching plans to seizecontrolof southeast Asia and provide aid tothe Tharkoldu in their war againstNippon.

Jean Malraux IThe Cyberpope is aware that he has

not been able to expand the realm tothe extent that the Gaunt Man prob­ably would have liked. He is thereforecasting about for someone other thanhimself to blame. Malraux's report tothe Gaunt Man will cite problems withMobius, the Tharkoldu, and theAkashans as reasons for his recent set­backs.

Malraux is hoping that Uthorionwill argue his case for him with theGaunt Man, at the same time callingfor the destruction of the Warrior ofthe Dark. who has made no secret ofher distaste for the Cyberpope.

The Gaunt Man is unwilling. at thistime, to cut off either Uthorion orMalraux. However, he has criticizedtheCyberpopefortakingactionagainst

the Nile Empire and intends to letMalraux stand or fall on his own.

BarukKaahStruggling to hold his realm to­

gether in the face of Storm Knightvictories, natural disasters in the East·em Land, and the Akashanairlift, Kaahwill putaside his distrust fortheGauntMan and proposean alliance with himagainst 3327.

Were the conquest of Earth goingmore smoothly, the Gaunt Man wouldno doubt dispose of Baruk Kaah aspunishment for his repeated failures.But the Western Land still serves assomething of a check to 3327's ambi·tions, and so the Gaunt Man will letKaah live ... for now.

Dr.MobiusDr. Mobiuscan point to huge terri­

torial gains in the past two years, thushis alliance with the Gaunt Man re­mains firm, at least on the surface. Intruth, Mobius has long suspected thatthe Gaunt Man's "disappearing act"was part of a plan to trick him intomaking a mistake. For his part, theGaunt Man considers Mobius a pos­turing fool- but a successful pastur·ing fool. The Gaunt Man believes hewill be able to manipulate Mobiuswhen the time comes and eliminatehim as any potential threat.

Warrior of the DarkThe Warrior's predecessor,

Vthorion, was a long-time lieutenantof the Gaunt Man. Unfortunately forhim, he failed miserably in hisaUemptto conquerScandinavia and Great Brit­ain, and was forced to take refuge inthe bodyofa dragon to escapedeath atthe hands of Storm Knights.

The Warrior is lessconcemed abouthow the Gaunt Man will react to her

replacing Vthorion than she is aboutpleasing Drakacanus.She has correctlyguessed that the Gaunt Man will beimpressed by results, and will not actagainst her as long as she does notopenly rebel against him. She is alsoworking at firming up her alliancewith ]ezrael, in the event that Orrorshdoes tum against Dark Aysle.

In fact, the Gaunt Manisamused bythe Warrior's efforts in Aysle, and re­gards so untested a High Lord as nothreat to his rule. The new Aysleshe iscreating is more in keeping with hisown dark desires, so he will leave herto her work for the nonce.

JezraelThough Malgest, the Tharkoldu

Darkness Device, has informed ]ezraelthat Kranod was a former lieutenantof the Gaunt Man, she does not fearthe Gaunt Man as much as would beexpected. She remains, at this point,unaware of just how powerful he is.and feels certain she could stay hishand if the need arose. She is not,however, seeking to provoke a con­frontation with him.

TheGaunt Man finds the anger andviolence within ]ezrael a fascinatingstudy and appreciates that she savedhim the trouble ofeliminating Kranod.He will. when the opportunity pre­sents itself, offer her an alliance.

SarilaThough nota High Lord perse,Sarila

is by far the most powerful Akashanthreat to Core Earth. She knows littleabout the Gaunt Man (as Orrorsh hasnot affected South America inany grea tmanned, but she is confident thai herComaghaz virus and her mastery oftechology will prove more than amatch for a being who thrives of fearand superstition.

Though he was not surprised bythe Akashans' arrival, the Gaunt Man

.-91

Tors: The G,unt Man Returns

•• 92

was not expecting something on theorder of the Comaghaz virus. He isadopting a "wait and see" attitudewhilecrafting long-range plans for thedestruction of the "Space Gods."

Through a GlassDarkly ...

With the aid of his mirror, Wicked,the Gaunt Man has learned much ofwhat has passed during the years hespent in the maelstrom. Now he islooking ahead, planningan expansionof his realm.

His most likely target is Australia,whose people are in some ways simi­lar to segments of Victorian society.He is also eyeing China and India,both areas rich in fearsome lore thatcould be used to crush their societies.

The Gaunt Man is also overseeingthe transport of Orrorshan talismansto such diverse sites as Rumania andNew Orleans, Louisiana, traditionalseats of occult power.

New ItemsA number of new objects have come

to the fore since the Gaunt Manemerged from the maelstrom and be­gan to plan his conquest anew. Whatfollows are some of the more signifi­cant:

Wicked

TheGaunt Man's mirror, Wicked isa sentient occult artifact. Though inca­pable of speech, it can understandmany languages. It communicates byprojecting images on its surface and alimited fonn of telepathy.

Themirrortocan beused forscryingon anyone who has come into contactwith it in the past, or any of the HighLords. This scrying enables the user tosee and hear what is taking place. Theuser cannot communicate with theperson being scryed, unless the per­son is serving the Gaunt Man in somecapacity.

Wicked can also focus in on ran­dom scenes within the cosm in whichit resides upon command. If the usergenerates an occult total of 25, he may

see the past in Wicked up to threetimes that day.

Besides scrying, Wicked can alsoproject illusions on to its surface. Illu­sion is the way Wicked charms, intimi­dates, and taunts. The Gaunt Man canalso use Wicked to see if someone istelling the truth. The person being in­terrogated must be looking into themirror. If he is lying, his image willhideously distorted in the glass.

Wicked is devoted to the GauntMan. Anyone who attempts to take itoff the wall will be attacked by a hugefanged mouth which materializes onthe mirror face. This fanged mouthalsoservesas an extradimensional gateinto a pocket cosm which the GauntMan uses as a hiding place for certainvaluable items. It is here that Heketonwas hidden while the Gaunt Man waslocked in the Maelstrom.

WickedOEXTERITYOSTRENGTH 20TOUGHNESS 20PERCEPTION 20Language 25, scholar (realm lore)28, trick 24MIN020Occult 27, test 25, willpower 25CHARISMA 15Charm 26, taunt 25SPIRIT 22Faith (Orrorsh evil) 25, intimida­tion 30, reality (Orrorsh) 25, truesight 24Possibilities: 90Natural Tools: fangs, damage value

STR+5/2SPowers:Cold au ra, magicnl resistance,

regeneration, resistance to nonnal weap­ons

Corruption Value: 22Fear Rating: 1Perseverance ON: NoneWeakness: Severeweakness to sun·

light on its surface.True Oeath:Shattered withagolden

spike.

The Archives of the Damned

The Archivesofthe Damned isa huge,leatherbound book sealed with ironclasps. Millennia old, the book is morelike a journal, with entries written bycorrupted scholars, madmen, anddemons. The book is a collection of

poems, essays, and prose concerningthe nature of evil, corruption, and theoccult. The Archives also contains nu­merous spells and occult rituals.

The book is so inherently foul thaianyone claiming it as their own addsfour points to their Corruption value.Another Corruption point will beadded (or every six months in whichthe book is in one's possession.

The volume grants bonuses to theoccult total for certain occult events:deathllaullt (+2), madness (+3), and markof the hunted (+3).

The spells boiling blood, death hallnt,eye spy, madness, and slow death can befound within the pages ofthe Archives.

The book has a Toughness of 26.

Holy Water

Price (Value): $10 (5)Spiritual Rating: 9This blessed water causes spiritual

damage equal to the user's faith whenhurled atanopponent (treattheattackas a missile weapon skill use). Armor isignored. Note that holy water onlydamages certain creatures, usuallythose that are known enemies of thefaith.

Holy water can only be used bythose with at least one add in the faithwith which the blessed liquid is con­nected.

Use of holy water is a contradictionin realms whose Spiritual axiom is lessthan 9. Holy water can be created us­ing the miracle below.

Bless Holy Water

Spiritual Rating: 7Community Rating: 9Difficulty: 11Range: touchDuration: permanentEffect: Turns regular water intoholy water

This miracle turns fresh, clean wa­ter into holy water. The miracle mustbe invoked in a church or other hal·lowed ground.

The water must be pure (eitherboiled or from the tap). One cannotmake holy water out of puddles,ponds, or a glass of water from whichsomeone has drunk a portion.

The miracle creates enough holywater for four vials, and cannot be

••93

Torg: The Glunt Min Returns

invoked more than once per week.This miracle is available to Core EarthChristian, Cyberpapal, and SaceUumpriests.

Occult Rituals

Identify Murderer

Effect Value: 18Bonus Number to: effectRange: TouchDuration: SpecialCast Time: 9 (one minute)

This ritual enables thecaster to iden·tify a murderer. The caster must havea skin sample from the victim and ahandful of dirt from a murderer'sgrave.

When cast, the effect value is com­pared to the murderer's Spirit. Thelevel ofsuccess determines how muchinformation is gleaned:

Minimal: Whether the murdererwas a living being or undead

Average: A general idea of themurderer's nature (human, horror,animal. etc.)

Good: The murderer's gender, ifapplicable

Superior. A detailed physical de­scription of the murderer

Spectacular. The name of the mur­d""".

For this ritual to be successful, thecorpsecannot be more than threedaysold.

Barrier of Force

Effed Value: 20Bonus Number to: effectRange: Four meter diameter circle

around casterDuration: SpecialCast Time: 18 (one hour)

Similar to wardenemy, barrierofforaenables an occultist to cast a secondritual in safety. While the barrier is inplace, the caster is protected frommagical. spiritual. physicaland psionicattacks, though he may still be tricked,tllunttd, intimidDttd and testtd.

The ritual requires that the casterset the skulls of four adult murdervictims at the four cardinal points ofthe compass before beginning. Thebarrier (which is invisible) will remain

in effect for as long as it takes to cast asecond ritual; for the barrier to be up,a second ritual must be cast immedi·ately (a caster may not raise the barrierand wait around for several hours be­fore casting a second ritual). Once asecond rite has been performed, thebarrier collapses and must be re­formed.

The barrier will also fall if the castershould be interrupted in his casting ofa second rite, or if the caster hi.mseUdecides to tear it down.

Beings who wish to smash throu~~

the protection must generate a SPirittotal exceeding the effect total of thebarrier. Failure to break the protectionresults in spiritual backlash againstthe attacker.

To determine spiritual damage,subtract the attacker's Spirit total fromthe spell's effect value and consult theCombat Results Table on page 40 ofthe Torg Rulebook. Spiritual damageeffects are detailed on page 125 of theRulebook.

Dark Research

Effect Value: 15Bonus Number to: effectRange: Subject must be in same

cosm/realm as casterDuration: SpecialCast Time: 20 (two hours)

This ritual enables the occultist tolearn a great deal about a specific indi­vidual.l1leoccuJtcomponentsneededare: an item owned by the subject or apiece of his nesh; a book filled withblank white pages; a quill pen madefrom the wood of a tree growing in aswamp; a vial of ink made from theiebor of an Orrorshan gospog of theThird Planting.

The ritual must be cast in a libraryor study dUring the new moon. Theeffect valueiscompared tothetarget'sMind or willpcrwer with the results de­pendent on the level of success:

Minimal: The target's nameAverage: The target's occupationl

role in lifeGood: The targers current resi·

denceSuperior:The target's skills, talents,

powers, weaknesses.Spertacular:Thetarget'ssignificant

actions over the past year.If the ritual fails, the target is aware

that he ;s beffig resean:hed, and willknow who is doing it and where theyare located. At a Mini1tUlllevel of suc­cess, the target aware only that he isbeing researched.

Resurrection

Difficulty,25Cast Time: 27 (two days)

This occult ritual brings life back toa corpse. Unfortunately, the lifeforceis provided by a spirit from the Wait·ing Village.

The reqUired occult componentsare: thedead body to berevived (itcaneven be justa fragment of theremains,no smaller than a thigh bone); someblood from the creature that slew thevictim; an unused coffin; and some ofthe caster's blood.

The caster places the deceased inthe coffin, spills the murderer's andhis own blood onto the corpse's chest,then invokes the ritual.

Performing this ritual corrupts boththe casterand the resurrected being. Uthey did not previously have any cor­ruption points, they immediately re­ceive eight. U they were already cor­rupt, they receive four additionalpoints.

Thedeceased revives, with all dam­age healed, including the regenera­tion of any missing body parts. Allpersonality traits, memoriesand skillsare restored.

Unfortunately, the recipient nowhas a Wicked spirit residing in him.Every week, the recipient gains an­other point of corruption, until thespirit finally takes full control. Ofcourse, only the gamemaster knowsthat the resurrection ritual is a sham.

Death From Within

Difficultr-18Effect Value: 18Range: 605 meters)Duration: SpecialCast Time: 1400 minutes)

This ritual causes maggots, worms,and spiders to come bursting out ofthe victims. Victims suffer damagevalue of 18 (ignore armor) per round.

In order to cast the ritual, the castermust speak the names of the victims,and have the following occultcom~nents: an item touched by the victim(s)_..~------------~

94

in the past 24 hours; a dead insect; a pintof salt water taken from an Orrorshanzone;a note, written in theeaster'sbklod,which gives a physical description ofthe victim(,).

Notethatthevictim(s)mustbenamedat the beginning: 01 the ritual New yj,c.

ti.ms cannot be added on once the userhasbegun speoIcing the ritual MultipletargetsbriJ18SaboultheappropriateOneon Many penalties.

TIle ritual takes ten minutes to ini­tiate. During the first five minutes, n0th­ing happens. In the latter five minutes,the victims feel horrendous pains intheir bodies and are completely help­less, unable to do nothing but scream.

Thereafter, the vermin erupt fromthe victim in a never-ending stream.until the ritual is no longer spoken or30minutes has e1ap6ed, whichever comeslUst.

This occult ritual is a Wicked act.

The Hellion CourtReborn

FoUowing the disaster with AveryWemngton and the questionable be­havior of some other Hellion Courtmembef's, theGaunt Mansawthe needto replenish the ranks of his top lieu­tenants. "The following are the newmembers, to be introduced eitherall atonceorgraduaUy into your campaign.

Hatha

Hatha was the high priestess of theworship of nature spirits .in the cosmof Kantovia, Kurst's former domain.After his victory over Kurst and hisDarkness Device, the Gaunt Man re­cruited some of the more promisingentities from Kantovia for his plannedconquestofthecosmver.;e. Hatha, whorelished the idea of greater power,willingly jomed him.

Halba personifiesthe fearthat mor­tals feel in the face of natural phenom­ena. such as earthquakes, floods, tor­nadoes, vok.anic eruptions, etc. It isrumored that she can summon suchforces of nature, as weU as causecropsto fail or flourish, through the use ofher spiritual powers..

Like Nature itself, Hatha can becruel, harsh, indifferent, or helpful,

depending on her mood. In fact. dueto her corruption. she is prone to sud­den, violent mood swings. The GauntManrealizesthat Hatha isanextremelypowerful being, but remainsconfidentthat he can control her.

In appearance. Hatha is a honily­ingly beautiful woman with longbrown hair and sparkling green eyes.Her skin resembles leaves and barkknitted together and her fingernailsare rose thorns. She looks every bit thedark embcxliment of Nature's power.

HathaDEXTERITY 12Beast riding 14, dodge 14, meleeweapons 15, running 15,stealth 16,swimming 15, unarmed combat 14STRENGTH ISClimbing 18TOUGHNESS 11PERCEPTION ISFind 18, language 19, scholar(Kantovian lore) 23, tracking 22,trick 19MIND18Occult 22, test 23CHARISMA 19

••95

Tors: The C"unt M"n Returns

Charm 25, persuasion 23, taunt 22SPIRIT 17Faith (Kantovian nature spirits) 20,focus 22, intimidation 23, reality(Orro",h) 2.Possibilities: at least 10 per StormKnightN;atunl Tools: fingernails (STR+4!

19)Powers: Hypnosis, life drain (Tough­

ness), magiCQI resistanu, animal control,plllnt control, shape change, blur form,silence.

Mir;acles: All Core Earth miracles.Animal speech, fertility, inferno, plague,plant protection, and storm from Aysle.

Corruption Value: 25Fear Rating: 2Persever;ance ON: 2SWeakness:SevereweaknesstoaddTrue Death: Steel spike blessed by

a Kantovian shaman and driventhrough her head

Goals: To serve the Gaunt Man tothe best of her abilities.

Power Notes: Hatha does life drainby attacking a victim with her finger·nails. She can control any animal withanimolcontrol. Plant control issimiJar toanil1Ull control. Hatha can shope cluJngeinto any known animal or bird.

•• 96

Thanys

Thanys claims to be the Jiving em·bcxliment of all cosms' ideas of death.He claims total control over death inaU its forms.

The Gaunt Man is convinced thatThanys is an insane, delusional indj·vidual who somehow acquired greatpower. Making SO unknown a quan·tity a Hellion Court member is a bit ofa risk, but the Gaunt Man enjoys thefear that Thanys creates even amongthe other Court members. The GauntMan's only concern is that he mustrein in Thanys' desire to spread deathtoo quickly.

Thanys wearsa black robe and cowland a pair of oily black raven's wingsthat sprout from his back. The wingshavea total span of 10 feet. Noone hasseen what Thanys looks like under hiscowl. His voice is a dry crackly hiss,and his presence is heralded. by thecold of the grave.

Hathas and Thanys have a naturalantipathy toward each other.

ThanysDEXTERITY 13Dodge IS, flight 16, melee weapons

16, stealth 15, unarmed combat 15STRENGTH 13TOUGHNESS 14PERCEPTION 15Find 18, scholar (Death lore) 20,track 22, trick 19M1NOI7Test 21CHARISMA 19Taunt 27SPIRIT 17Intimidation 25, reality (Orrorsh)20Possibilities: at least four perStormKnightPowers: Cold aura, paralyzing touch,

resistance to normal weapons, shapeciumge (raven), darkness, dark vision

Corruption V;alue: 24Fear Rating: 4Persever;ance ON: 25Weakness: The leaves of the tele­

graph vineTrue De..th: Must be bound with

plant tendrils and impaled. with a Iiv­ingtree

Equipment: Obsidian sickle, dam·age value STR+I0/23

Go;als: Tospread death throughoutthe cosmverse.

RR 3 Box 2345Honesdale, PA 18431

20581

A Super-Adventure for

., TM.. <It 0 1992 West End Garnes. All Rights~.

THE GAUNT MANRETURNS

by John Terra

The Gaunt Man has returned in time to learn that a renegadeHellion Court member is planning to destroy a major city in abid for supreme occult power. But the Lord of Fear knows theperfect people to stop his rebellious servant - Storm Knights.Thus is hatched a diabolical scheme to test the powers of hisgreatest foes, with the stakes of three million human lives. TheKnights must survive a fear-fraught journey through IllmoundKeep and solve a terrifying mystery in the Nile Empire, beforeconfronting a maddened Nightmare in final battle.

Also included in this super-adventure is new source materialon the realm of Orrorsh, including maps of Illmound Keep, spells,occult items, miracles and stats on Hellion Court members.

The Near Now.N

Two years ago, a band of intrepidStorm Knights trapped the Gaunt Man within a powerfulreality storm. Now the master of the horror realm ofOrrorsh, the most powerful High Lord of all, is back!

Roleplaying the Possibility Wars'"

Fantasy/Games