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
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
EN Publishing
[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
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="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 7459108" data-attributes="member: 79141"><p><strong>Session 60, Part Two - "Call Me Roland"</strong></p><p></p><p>The outer government district had been evacuated and stood silent and still. The force-field blocked out all noise from outside, so there was a strange, echoey ‘indoor’ quality to the small amount of noise they made as they pressed forward. Ahead, they could see that a second, smaller dome of energy covered the upper portion and roof of the central keep. Within, several beams of light could be seen focused on a lighthouse-like structure.</p><p></p><p>Korrigan regretted that his team had been split. Here were Rumdoom, Quratulain, Andrei, Gale and Korrigan himself (plus Kai, of course, and Rumdoom’s deep faen retinue). Gupta, Uru and Leon remained outside, and they had lost Asrabey at the last minute. If Quratulain could keep up her current form that went some way to make up for the loss. Korrigan complimented Quratulain to bolster her resolve. Would that be enough to defeat Stanfield? </p><p></p><p>He cast his mind back to what Amielle had told him of the Governor of Flint: “He is idealistic in Nicodemus’ mould, but even more determined to make things just so. My oath still binds me, but I can tell you, since you were there at the convocation, that Stanfield was the architect of Watchmaker design and very disappointed he couldn’t represent the faction himself. Leone was his second, but we decided his manner was too abrasive. Nicodemus could only console Stanfield by persuading me to do it! Stanfield and I have a long history, and I have a soft spot for him, I must confess. But my heart wasn’t really in it as you may have guessed. Still, I thought you might like to know what you’re up against. Stanfield believes what he is doing is right.” Amielle’s good opinion of Stanfield didn’t do much to soften Korrigan’s.</p><p></p><p>As if he had been summoned by Korrigan’s thoughts, a version of Roland Stanfield now emerged onto the pathway before them, waving a white handkerchief, but this Stanfield had a normal skin tone, and normal eyes, unlike a deva. He wore plain grey clothes and a silver fishhook necklace, but there was a soft glow about him. He greeted them and explained that he was the first Roland Stanfield, a warrior-poet who fought in the Second Victory and witnessed Srasama’s fall. Possessed of more swagger and less serene detachment than the current Stanfield, he described himself as ‘the conscientious objector,’ the only one of Stanfield’s past lives who objected to the Obscurati’s plan.</p><p></p><p>He told him that current Stanfield had manifested a dozen past lives into physical form, but in a desire to be honest to himself, he had allowed this incarnation to speak against him. This Stanfield entreated the unit to stop his newer self. “It was the hubris of man that led to the Great Malice, and hubris will spell disaster for this great design as well.”</p><p></p><p>Korrigan studied his words intently with the aid of the Humble Hook and found that he believed him. With that in mind, he asked what help he could offer. ‘Call me Roland’ said that he had sworn off violence altogether and in any case was not permitted to harm his other incarnations. But he would accompany them and keep out of harm’s way and offer advice where he could; to wit: destroying the lighthouse would reverse the Obscurati’s changes; Stanfield would be weakened if you destroyed his other incarnations in order from earliest to most recent; and Nicodemus would himself soon be arriving with the colossus to make Flint the capital of his new world. Duly hastened, they thanked Roland and pressed on with him in tow. </p><p></p><p>Andrei scouted ahead and as they neared the keep, was the first to come under rifle fire from arrow slits above the entrance. He ducked and weaved and warned the others. They approached more cautiously. The keep was surrounded by a moat, the drawbridge was raised and the portcullis and wooden doors were closed. Once again, this was an ideal job for Uru, but Korrigan now took the task upon himself. Channelling the lightness of Vona, he leapt into the air, dodging more rifle fire, and flew as close to the arrow slits as he dared. Then he transformed into a bolt of Avilona, and appeared in the midst of a cluster of riflemen.</p><p></p><p>These were loyal Risuri soldiers, who were only doing their duty, but Korrigan could not afford to go too easy on them under the circumstances. When they refused his initial demand to surrender, he responded with Urimshock before they could attack him and sent them all reeling. Others, down below, shot at him from behind barricades, led by a swordsman incarnation of Stanfield. With a voice magically bolstered to be audible throughout the keep, it began to monologue:</p><p></p><p> “I know you’ve recently dealt with Catherine Romana and Lya Jierre, so you might be tired of speeches, but we intelligentsia like to explain ourselves. Constables, I hope you’ve considered whether the cause you fight for is worthy.”</p><p></p><p>The others had run towards the keep behind Korrigan. Quratulain leapt the moat and used her Icon of Nem to jump straight through the doorway. Bullets bounced off her. She wanted to head up to help Korrigan but thought better of it and decided to try to lower the drawbridge for the others. She told the guards behind the barricades, “When I’m finished opening this, you men are in trouble. I’m starting a count down!”</p><p></p><p>On the rooftops throughout the lower level of the keep were other squads of soldiers led by different versions of Stanfield. They opened fire too, while each version of Stanfield intoned another passage of his lecture:</p><p></p><p>“Consider Risur,” said a sorcerer, while hurling magical blasts. “It has been at near-constant war for the past five hundred years. It has been justified as self defense, but except from this latest conflict we were always the superior force. Ber’s armies were savage and untrained. Danor lacked magic. In Elfaivar we removed unwanted survivors to claim our colonies.”</p><p></p><p>Korrigan demanded their surrender even more loudly, declaring himself to be the new king of Risur. Imbedded in one of the squads was ‘Stover Delft’. “These are the traitors you were warned about,” he shouted. “And now one of them masquerades as the new king.” They fired again with renewed vigour (though some of them hesitated and began to question what was happening).</p><p></p><p>An unassuming, robed Stanfield on the roof of a large building at the rear of the complex went on, “Here in Flint, among the government who else but I expressed concern for the plight of the workers? People died to protest the injustice they suffered, but did the king ever speak out in their favor? No, he remained silent so that the industry necessary for his war machines would flourish.” Next to this incarnation, a beam of light arose from the roof of the building and passed through the ceiling about thirty feet above them. It looked similar to, and must have had something to do with, the impenetrable forcefield.</p><p></p><p>Gale fey-stepped through the arrow-slits in the same way as Korrigan. She planted a whirling vortex on the rooftop nearest the sorcerer and used it to flip him off the roof. He landed prone and writhed in agony.</p><p></p><p>More soldiers and another swordsman emerged to reinforce the gate guards. “So then we come to you, brave constables,” said this new swordsman. “How wonderfully strong you are. By our last census, about fifty thousand people work in the factories of Parity Lake. Their per capita annual income is about 700 silver. Right now you’re casually wearing enchanted items that cost more than the entire district earns in a year. Of course, that’s ignoring the fabulous prosperity of the owners.”</p><p></p><p>By now, Quratulain had got the drawbridge down and the portcullis up. Rumdoom and Andrei surged across, and Rumdoom smashed the door in. Quratulain turned to the men who had been firing at her and said, “Zero!” before coming, ready or not. She, Rumdoom and Andrei ploughed into the defenders while Korrigan gave orders from above: “Go for the incarnations of Stanfield, leave the soldiers to me!”</p><p></p><p>With that he declared loudly that he would ‘prove’ he was the rightful King of Risur and used the powers bestowed on him by the rites of rulership to raise a tower of earth in the entranceway. Many of the men stopped fighting at this point. Each unit was supported by a druid; one was angered by Korrigan’s demonstration. “This is a hoax!” she cried. “He has already used earth magic!” And she hurled a lightning bolt at Korrigan before defending her men from return fire with a cloud of fog.</p><p></p><p>Andrei impatiently demanded to know which incarnation they should kill first. Roland had by now crossed the drawbridge and said the first incarnation was in the back of the complex. Andrei shrugged and attacked the swordsman in front of him. “Not that one!” cried Roland.</p><p></p><p>The swordsman resumed Stanfields’ speech, even as Andrei beat him to the ground, “You were present during Aodhan’s announcement that he intended to seek peace with Danor, a speech given from the deck of the most powerful weapon in the world. The hypocrisy was astounding, but what unsettled me most was that he seemed blind to it. This nation is a source of greater misery than any other in five centuries, and you are the hand that wields the scourge. Set it down, constables, before the world changes and discovers what villains you truly are.”</p><p></p><p>Gale began throwing the closest incarnations around like rag dolls. Quratulain leapt up onto a rooftop and calculated the range and trajectory to each of the incarnations she could see. After a split second pause she fired a shot at all four of them, plus the imposter Delft. She killed all but the ‘harmless’ looking incarnation at the back. That one turned out to be an illusion that hurled a bolt of psychic energy back at Quratulain in response. Doing so revealed the real incarnation, and Gale duly hurled that one off the rooftop towards them. Again, it writhed in agony when it landed. Andrei ran up to it a kicked it firmly in the groin.</p><p></p><p>Two more Stanfield incarnations who had been hiding out behind some pillars near the stairs broke and ran for the large, rear building and ducked inside.</p><p></p><p>The Delft imposter clung on for a moment, wheezing around the bullet lodged in its chest. In that moment it took on its true form and was revealed as Grimalkin, Stanfield’s subtle, soft-spoken aide. He was wearing Malthusius' shoes. ... Now many more of the Risuri soldiers stopped fighting. </p><p></p><p>“As Marshal of the RHC,” Korrigan declared, hovering above the battlefield, “I have sought to oppose our enemies for many years. I have fought alongside many of you…” he went on, using the power of the Humble Hook to name specific individuals he recognised (and even some who he didn’t). The Risuri squads ceased fire, and gathered round to listen to him. Knowing they would be a liability in the conflict ahead, Korrigan urged them to defend the fortress if the Danorans tried to retake it. Then he and the unit went after the two Stanfields that had escaped. Korrigan’s <em>defender longsword </em>– or perhaps it was his crown – now told him that one of his allies – or one of his subjects – the <em>real </em>Stover Delft – was in trouble.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gideonpepys, post: 7459108, member: 79141"] [b]Session 60, Part Two - "Call Me Roland"[/b] The outer government district had been evacuated and stood silent and still. The force-field blocked out all noise from outside, so there was a strange, echoey ‘indoor’ quality to the small amount of noise they made as they pressed forward. Ahead, they could see that a second, smaller dome of energy covered the upper portion and roof of the central keep. Within, several beams of light could be seen focused on a lighthouse-like structure. Korrigan regretted that his team had been split. Here were Rumdoom, Quratulain, Andrei, Gale and Korrigan himself (plus Kai, of course, and Rumdoom’s deep faen retinue). Gupta, Uru and Leon remained outside, and they had lost Asrabey at the last minute. If Quratulain could keep up her current form that went some way to make up for the loss. Korrigan complimented Quratulain to bolster her resolve. Would that be enough to defeat Stanfield? He cast his mind back to what Amielle had told him of the Governor of Flint: “He is idealistic in Nicodemus’ mould, but even more determined to make things just so. My oath still binds me, but I can tell you, since you were there at the convocation, that Stanfield was the architect of Watchmaker design and very disappointed he couldn’t represent the faction himself. Leone was his second, but we decided his manner was too abrasive. Nicodemus could only console Stanfield by persuading me to do it! Stanfield and I have a long history, and I have a soft spot for him, I must confess. But my heart wasn’t really in it as you may have guessed. Still, I thought you might like to know what you’re up against. Stanfield believes what he is doing is right.” Amielle’s good opinion of Stanfield didn’t do much to soften Korrigan’s. As if he had been summoned by Korrigan’s thoughts, a version of Roland Stanfield now emerged onto the pathway before them, waving a white handkerchief, but this Stanfield had a normal skin tone, and normal eyes, unlike a deva. He wore plain grey clothes and a silver fishhook necklace, but there was a soft glow about him. He greeted them and explained that he was the first Roland Stanfield, a warrior-poet who fought in the Second Victory and witnessed Srasama’s fall. Possessed of more swagger and less serene detachment than the current Stanfield, he described himself as ‘the conscientious objector,’ the only one of Stanfield’s past lives who objected to the Obscurati’s plan. He told him that current Stanfield had manifested a dozen past lives into physical form, but in a desire to be honest to himself, he had allowed this incarnation to speak against him. This Stanfield entreated the unit to stop his newer self. “It was the hubris of man that led to the Great Malice, and hubris will spell disaster for this great design as well.” Korrigan studied his words intently with the aid of the Humble Hook and found that he believed him. With that in mind, he asked what help he could offer. ‘Call me Roland’ said that he had sworn off violence altogether and in any case was not permitted to harm his other incarnations. But he would accompany them and keep out of harm’s way and offer advice where he could; to wit: destroying the lighthouse would reverse the Obscurati’s changes; Stanfield would be weakened if you destroyed his other incarnations in order from earliest to most recent; and Nicodemus would himself soon be arriving with the colossus to make Flint the capital of his new world. Duly hastened, they thanked Roland and pressed on with him in tow. Andrei scouted ahead and as they neared the keep, was the first to come under rifle fire from arrow slits above the entrance. He ducked and weaved and warned the others. They approached more cautiously. The keep was surrounded by a moat, the drawbridge was raised and the portcullis and wooden doors were closed. Once again, this was an ideal job for Uru, but Korrigan now took the task upon himself. Channelling the lightness of Vona, he leapt into the air, dodging more rifle fire, and flew as close to the arrow slits as he dared. Then he transformed into a bolt of Avilona, and appeared in the midst of a cluster of riflemen. These were loyal Risuri soldiers, who were only doing their duty, but Korrigan could not afford to go too easy on them under the circumstances. When they refused his initial demand to surrender, he responded with Urimshock before they could attack him and sent them all reeling. Others, down below, shot at him from behind barricades, led by a swordsman incarnation of Stanfield. With a voice magically bolstered to be audible throughout the keep, it began to monologue: “I know you’ve recently dealt with Catherine Romana and Lya Jierre, so you might be tired of speeches, but we intelligentsia like to explain ourselves. Constables, I hope you’ve considered whether the cause you fight for is worthy.” The others had run towards the keep behind Korrigan. Quratulain leapt the moat and used her Icon of Nem to jump straight through the doorway. Bullets bounced off her. She wanted to head up to help Korrigan but thought better of it and decided to try to lower the drawbridge for the others. She told the guards behind the barricades, “When I’m finished opening this, you men are in trouble. I’m starting a count down!” On the rooftops throughout the lower level of the keep were other squads of soldiers led by different versions of Stanfield. They opened fire too, while each version of Stanfield intoned another passage of his lecture: “Consider Risur,” said a sorcerer, while hurling magical blasts. “It has been at near-constant war for the past five hundred years. It has been justified as self defense, but except from this latest conflict we were always the superior force. Ber’s armies were savage and untrained. Danor lacked magic. In Elfaivar we removed unwanted survivors to claim our colonies.” Korrigan demanded their surrender even more loudly, declaring himself to be the new king of Risur. Imbedded in one of the squads was ‘Stover Delft’. “These are the traitors you were warned about,” he shouted. “And now one of them masquerades as the new king.” They fired again with renewed vigour (though some of them hesitated and began to question what was happening). An unassuming, robed Stanfield on the roof of a large building at the rear of the complex went on, “Here in Flint, among the government who else but I expressed concern for the plight of the workers? People died to protest the injustice they suffered, but did the king ever speak out in their favor? No, he remained silent so that the industry necessary for his war machines would flourish.” Next to this incarnation, a beam of light arose from the roof of the building and passed through the ceiling about thirty feet above them. It looked similar to, and must have had something to do with, the impenetrable forcefield. Gale fey-stepped through the arrow-slits in the same way as Korrigan. She planted a whirling vortex on the rooftop nearest the sorcerer and used it to flip him off the roof. He landed prone and writhed in agony. More soldiers and another swordsman emerged to reinforce the gate guards. “So then we come to you, brave constables,” said this new swordsman. “How wonderfully strong you are. By our last census, about fifty thousand people work in the factories of Parity Lake. Their per capita annual income is about 700 silver. Right now you’re casually wearing enchanted items that cost more than the entire district earns in a year. Of course, that’s ignoring the fabulous prosperity of the owners.” By now, Quratulain had got the drawbridge down and the portcullis up. Rumdoom and Andrei surged across, and Rumdoom smashed the door in. Quratulain turned to the men who had been firing at her and said, “Zero!” before coming, ready or not. She, Rumdoom and Andrei ploughed into the defenders while Korrigan gave orders from above: “Go for the incarnations of Stanfield, leave the soldiers to me!” With that he declared loudly that he would ‘prove’ he was the rightful King of Risur and used the powers bestowed on him by the rites of rulership to raise a tower of earth in the entranceway. Many of the men stopped fighting at this point. Each unit was supported by a druid; one was angered by Korrigan’s demonstration. “This is a hoax!” she cried. “He has already used earth magic!” And she hurled a lightning bolt at Korrigan before defending her men from return fire with a cloud of fog. Andrei impatiently demanded to know which incarnation they should kill first. Roland had by now crossed the drawbridge and said the first incarnation was in the back of the complex. Andrei shrugged and attacked the swordsman in front of him. “Not that one!” cried Roland. The swordsman resumed Stanfields’ speech, even as Andrei beat him to the ground, “You were present during Aodhan’s announcement that he intended to seek peace with Danor, a speech given from the deck of the most powerful weapon in the world. The hypocrisy was astounding, but what unsettled me most was that he seemed blind to it. This nation is a source of greater misery than any other in five centuries, and you are the hand that wields the scourge. Set it down, constables, before the world changes and discovers what villains you truly are.” Gale began throwing the closest incarnations around like rag dolls. Quratulain leapt up onto a rooftop and calculated the range and trajectory to each of the incarnations she could see. After a split second pause she fired a shot at all four of them, plus the imposter Delft. She killed all but the ‘harmless’ looking incarnation at the back. That one turned out to be an illusion that hurled a bolt of psychic energy back at Quratulain in response. Doing so revealed the real incarnation, and Gale duly hurled that one off the rooftop towards them. Again, it writhed in agony when it landed. Andrei ran up to it a kicked it firmly in the groin. Two more Stanfield incarnations who had been hiding out behind some pillars near the stairs broke and ran for the large, rear building and ducked inside. The Delft imposter clung on for a moment, wheezing around the bullet lodged in its chest. In that moment it took on its true form and was revealed as Grimalkin, Stanfield’s subtle, soft-spoken aide. He was wearing Malthusius' shoes. ... Now many more of the Risuri soldiers stopped fighting. “As Marshal of the RHC,” Korrigan declared, hovering above the battlefield, “I have sought to oppose our enemies for many years. I have fought alongside many of you…” he went on, using the power of the Humble Hook to name specific individuals he recognised (and even some who he didn’t). The Risuri squads ceased fire, and gathered round to listen to him. Knowing they would be a liability in the conflict ahead, Korrigan urged them to defend the fortress if the Danorans tried to retake it. Then he and the unit went after the two Stanfields that had escaped. Korrigan’s [I]defender longsword [/I]– or perhaps it was his crown – now told him that one of his allies – or one of his subjects – the [I]real [/I]Stover Delft – was in trouble. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
EN Publishing
[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
Top