Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Westgate Campaign Chronicles - serial
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Carlo-One" data-source="post: 8628446" data-attributes="member: 7015827"><p>Apparently on edge from the arrival of The Vulture, Thessar got up and made sure his front door was locked, afterwards returning to his central chair. However, he then chose to remain standing, his hands resting in a loose grip on the back of the chair while he kept one eye on the door. Aerikoth stared at him for a few moments, with a contemplative expression, until The Vulture began speaking.</p><p></p><p>He stated he had been with the Night Masks for some time and acknowledged having acquired a certain reputation, even if tales sometimes grew in the telling, an observation echoed by Njord. Lady Sunrise glared at The Vulture as he continued, observing that only a very few of his closest colleagues knew his face and that he had come to the gathering unmasked as a gesture of trust. His words grew more pointed, as he stated they faced a much more deadly and common foe; their otherwise petty squabbles in the city, as he put it, paled by comparison.</p><p></p><p>Njord again supported The Vulture’s point of view, but Lady Tylanna challenged him, asking if he were not part and parcel of the Masks and therefore benefitting from the new order. The Vulture replied that he had been with the Masks for longer than the 'new order' had existed and was not loyal to it. He explained that the organization had always been ruled by the fittest, to the benefit of its members. Now, however, unless one wished to become a vampire there was no way to advance. And, he continued, one could see what was happening to the city. Those intelligent enough to see this, and to have survived so far, were very few among the Masks. He concluded by stating that he wished to survive longer and so had sought out allies. (<em>The Night Mask leader's logic is ruthless, much like himself. Having chosen not to follow the path of the vampire coven, he has few other good options. Common threats make strange bedfellows. --R</em>)</p><p></p><p>Lady Tylanna observed that the Night Masks had been beaten before, but it took a mighty paladin of Lathander and his companions to defeat the last Night King, Orlak. The Vulture asserted, however, that with cunning and those present at the meeting, they could prevail. Dermot guessed that they could not fight this like a paladin, so would do it like a thief, a sentiment echoed by Njord. The Vulture said they had grasped the essence of his plan, which he then shared.</p><p></p><p>He related how there were several senior vampire "dukes" under Orlak II. If the allies were able to cause enough confusion and conflict among his "Court" as he called it, the vampires would be greatly weakened. Specifically, the Vulture proposed going after the symbols of Orlak II’s power, two artifacts said to have been passed down from the original Night King over a milennium ago. Njord piped up and said that was a chalice and something else, drawing some surprised interest in the dwarven priest from the Night Mask enforcer. The Vulture confirmed that they were a chalice and a two-bladed dagger: the Argraal of Orlak and the Flying Fangs.</p><p></p><p>The Vulture expressed his hope that the theft of the items would wreak havoc and cause suspicion among the vampire leadership. After Aerikoth questioned whether the “dukes” had been created by the Night King, however – The Vulture confirmed this – the wizard noted that they would be enslaved to him, with or without the artifacts. He believed that the artifacts should be taken nonetheless, but perhaps the internal bloodbath would not be as great as hoped for.</p><p></p><p>The Vulture acknowledged this, then continued with explaining his plan. The trick would be first to acquire the means of getting into the Night King’s sanctum and away, without being detected. The Vulture revealed that the top lieutenant of the Night King was the Darklady Dahlia Vhammos, a senior member of House Vhammos and a powerful priestess of Shar. Dermot commented that he knew who he would have put on the job, but she had disappeared; this earned a half-smile from the Vulture and a dismissive comment from Njord. The Vulture continued, saying that Dahlia Vhammos had been building a secret sect of Shar in the catacombs beneath her family's estate. As part of one of their rituals, they planned on creating a Cloak of the Dark Goddess, which was to aid their ability to assassinate their enemies. One who used this cloak could not be detected by any normal means, when in shadow.</p><p></p><p>In response to a question from Njord, The Vulture confirmed that Dahlia was one of the vampire dukes and that her elimination during a raid to get the cloak would be of great help to the cause. He also supported Njord’s idea of leaving some type of mark or note at the site of the raid, to distract attention. Aerikoth asked how many other members of the Night King’s Court existed and the Vulture indicated there were three others, besides the Darklady, who was counted as the Night King’s greatest ally.</p><p></p><p>Thessar, who continued glancing at the door, warned The Vulture that his time grew short, as he would eventually be missed. The Night Mask enforcer acknowledged this and then explained that the ceremony to create the cloak was scheduled to take place that night, at midnight. If the adventurers agreed to assist, then he...or someone...would return to Thessar’s, to provide a guide through the sewers, from which the Vhammos crypt could be accessed. The Vulture noted that this left little time for preparation, but Darrow said that it was overrated.</p><p></p><p>There was general agreement with The Vulture’s plan and Lady Tylanna said that she would send someone to assist. Njord was enthusiastic about the idea of sending word to the Gondians and Tymorians to assist, but The Vulture cautioned that the Night Masks had agents in each temple, for that reason advising the dwarven priest not to involve any others. Thessar, looking increasingly agitated, told the Vulture that he needed to be going. The Night Mask enforcer acknowledged this and recommended that the adventurers return to the house two hours before midnight, at which time he would ensure that the necessary information reached Thessar.</p><p></p><p>The Ascetic One – who had said little, but maintained his calm demeanor – and Lady Tylanna departed soon after The Vulture, leaving the party with Thessar. They agreed that it would be best to see to whatever business they could before returning later that night. Njord and Dermot – the ranger having been nominated to keep the dwarven priest out of trouble – departed to see what they could do with the leadership of some of the other Westgate temples, while Aerikoth, Darrow and Rosten separated to make their own preparations.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Carlo-One, post: 8628446, member: 7015827"] Apparently on edge from the arrival of The Vulture, Thessar got up and made sure his front door was locked, afterwards returning to his central chair. However, he then chose to remain standing, his hands resting in a loose grip on the back of the chair while he kept one eye on the door. Aerikoth stared at him for a few moments, with a contemplative expression, until The Vulture began speaking. He stated he had been with the Night Masks for some time and acknowledged having acquired a certain reputation, even if tales sometimes grew in the telling, an observation echoed by Njord. Lady Sunrise glared at The Vulture as he continued, observing that only a very few of his closest colleagues knew his face and that he had come to the gathering unmasked as a gesture of trust. His words grew more pointed, as he stated they faced a much more deadly and common foe; their otherwise petty squabbles in the city, as he put it, paled by comparison. Njord again supported The Vulture’s point of view, but Lady Tylanna challenged him, asking if he were not part and parcel of the Masks and therefore benefitting from the new order. The Vulture replied that he had been with the Masks for longer than the 'new order' had existed and was not loyal to it. He explained that the organization had always been ruled by the fittest, to the benefit of its members. Now, however, unless one wished to become a vampire there was no way to advance. And, he continued, one could see what was happening to the city. Those intelligent enough to see this, and to have survived so far, were very few among the Masks. He concluded by stating that he wished to survive longer and so had sought out allies. ([I]The Night Mask leader's logic is ruthless, much like himself. Having chosen not to follow the path of the vampire coven, he has few other good options. Common threats make strange bedfellows. --R[/I]) Lady Tylanna observed that the Night Masks had been beaten before, but it took a mighty paladin of Lathander and his companions to defeat the last Night King, Orlak. The Vulture asserted, however, that with cunning and those present at the meeting, they could prevail. Dermot guessed that they could not fight this like a paladin, so would do it like a thief, a sentiment echoed by Njord. The Vulture said they had grasped the essence of his plan, which he then shared. He related how there were several senior vampire "dukes" under Orlak II. If the allies were able to cause enough confusion and conflict among his "Court" as he called it, the vampires would be greatly weakened. Specifically, the Vulture proposed going after the symbols of Orlak II’s power, two artifacts said to have been passed down from the original Night King over a milennium ago. Njord piped up and said that was a chalice and something else, drawing some surprised interest in the dwarven priest from the Night Mask enforcer. The Vulture confirmed that they were a chalice and a two-bladed dagger: the Argraal of Orlak and the Flying Fangs. The Vulture expressed his hope that the theft of the items would wreak havoc and cause suspicion among the vampire leadership. After Aerikoth questioned whether the “dukes” had been created by the Night King, however – The Vulture confirmed this – the wizard noted that they would be enslaved to him, with or without the artifacts. He believed that the artifacts should be taken nonetheless, but perhaps the internal bloodbath would not be as great as hoped for. The Vulture acknowledged this, then continued with explaining his plan. The trick would be first to acquire the means of getting into the Night King’s sanctum and away, without being detected. The Vulture revealed that the top lieutenant of the Night King was the Darklady Dahlia Vhammos, a senior member of House Vhammos and a powerful priestess of Shar. Dermot commented that he knew who he would have put on the job, but she had disappeared; this earned a half-smile from the Vulture and a dismissive comment from Njord. The Vulture continued, saying that Dahlia Vhammos had been building a secret sect of Shar in the catacombs beneath her family's estate. As part of one of their rituals, they planned on creating a Cloak of the Dark Goddess, which was to aid their ability to assassinate their enemies. One who used this cloak could not be detected by any normal means, when in shadow. In response to a question from Njord, The Vulture confirmed that Dahlia was one of the vampire dukes and that her elimination during a raid to get the cloak would be of great help to the cause. He also supported Njord’s idea of leaving some type of mark or note at the site of the raid, to distract attention. Aerikoth asked how many other members of the Night King’s Court existed and the Vulture indicated there were three others, besides the Darklady, who was counted as the Night King’s greatest ally. Thessar, who continued glancing at the door, warned The Vulture that his time grew short, as he would eventually be missed. The Night Mask enforcer acknowledged this and then explained that the ceremony to create the cloak was scheduled to take place that night, at midnight. If the adventurers agreed to assist, then he...or someone...would return to Thessar’s, to provide a guide through the sewers, from which the Vhammos crypt could be accessed. The Vulture noted that this left little time for preparation, but Darrow said that it was overrated. There was general agreement with The Vulture’s plan and Lady Tylanna said that she would send someone to assist. Njord was enthusiastic about the idea of sending word to the Gondians and Tymorians to assist, but The Vulture cautioned that the Night Masks had agents in each temple, for that reason advising the dwarven priest not to involve any others. Thessar, looking increasingly agitated, told the Vulture that he needed to be going. The Night Mask enforcer acknowledged this and recommended that the adventurers return to the house two hours before midnight, at which time he would ensure that the necessary information reached Thessar. The Ascetic One – who had said little, but maintained his calm demeanor – and Lady Tylanna departed soon after The Vulture, leaving the party with Thessar. They agreed that it would be best to see to whatever business they could before returning later that night. Njord and Dermot – the ranger having been nominated to keep the dwarven priest out of trouble – departed to see what they could do with the leadership of some of the other Westgate temples, while Aerikoth, Darrow and Rosten separated to make their own preparations. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Westgate Campaign Chronicles - serial
Top