[DND 4e] Castlevania IC

Tiernan_Shadowtoungue · December 2009

The year is 1094. The country-side is overrun with undead, led by an unknown source. Leon Belmont rises from a small village in the Hungarian mountains. After slaying an army of undead, he comes face to face with a vampire, Dracula. Finding defeat at first, his wife Sara, sacrifices herself to imbue his weapon, a whip, with enough wholesome power to slay the beast. He returns home, to his village of Summerset Cove, retires as a hero, and raises his only son. Peace follows.

The year is 1665. Kellin Belmont, leader of the local militia, and founder of the local church, is about to become the father of his second son, Isaac. Hours before, birth, the town of Summerset Cove is attacked by a pack of obfayo, a vampire spawn that preys on children. His mother, Mya, is killed, but the doctors are able to save Isaac, though Kellin shows great disdain for the obvious birth deformities to his second son. None the less, he is trained in the ways of war.

The year is 1691. Isaac has become head of his own squad, second only to his older brother, Simon. Simon is a leader of his own squad, the best of the soldiers the 2000 some odd residents of Summerset Cove. Isaac’s squad is more piecemeal. his right hand, Shady, has helped him recruit some of her friends of the nearby forest, Minron, a minotaur with a serious temper, and Lament, a shifter who was passing through, and got caught up in an investigation of another shifter who had been raiding the town. She was on a mission, but upon meeting Isaac, felt he had a great destiny before him, and that she should be at his side. The last member of his squad was the investigator finding the other shifter, Rev. Prof. Abram Von Hexing, Esq. A close friend and mentor, Abram has always helped Isaac with his extra needs, helping to find other sources that he could safely feed on.

The night is September 30th, Squad A is manning the outer patrol of the city. Squad B is in charge of manning the church. 2 watching the front door, 1 watching the back, and 2 on the watch towers, one north, and one south.

The Cast:

Kelors Human paladin, Isaac Kendeall
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Horseshoes Human Artificer, Rev. Prof. Abram Von Hexing, Esq.
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Tiamatz's Shifter invoker, Lament
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StaptheJester's Minotaur barbarian minron
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DaniAnt's Elf hybridf Cleric/Rogue Shady
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Where is everyone?
also

this gives you an idea of the town layout and size.

The Church:

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I will lay out combat format when we get there. right now, lets ease into it

Horseshoe · December 2009

Professor Von Hexing struck a match on his boot and lit a french cigarette. He thought to himself that it was perhaps simultaneously the most satisfying product of both France and the Americas. He rested his repeating crossbow upon his shoulder, idly tapping his finger on the trigger-guard.

Obfayo. He'd never seen one himself, but had heard of them when he had encountered a well-traveled hunter named Selous in the mountains of the Caucasus. Child-eaters, apparently. A very despicable way of feeding, and a species of vampyr he had not previously encountered in the local area.

He looked down upon Isaac, who appeared to be making some idle banter with the Elf. He hoped that Isaac wasn't doing anything like showing his fangs (which he had often advised strongly against). It was little wonder Simon had asked him to be a member of Isaac's squad. It consisted of not only himself and Isaac, whom he had classified as a Dhampyr, but also an Elf (a species he'd researched on his studies in the realm of fey creatures around Prague), another peculiar hybrid descended from Lycanthropes that somewhat defied classification (but were commonly referred to as 'Shifters'), and then... Minron. A barbaric creature that had a resemblance to a legendary beast of Crete, but whose presence in Transylvania defied conventional reasoning... he'd have to study that a bit further. But at any rate, it seemed that Simon considered him up to the job of keeping villagers from forming an angry mob with torches, pitchforks, and the like.

He went back to the more pleasant hobby of examining the architecture. The gargoyles that lined the church's battlements were particularly impressive, reminding him of Prague and Vienna. Though it was a commonly misheld belief that demons and devils were frightened of the sight of their own image, (misinterpreted from the fact that they were rendered helpless by the knowledge of their True Names) they did add to the appearance of a church that would have ordinarily been quite drab.

The professor puffed at his cigarette, idly thinking upon his time hunting witches among the Slavic people on the other side of the Carpathians... and of the unfortunate many books he had lost in the fire at Jova University.

StaptheJester · December 2009

As Minron stood guard, he wondered how he ended up on this squad, as his track record as a bounty hunter was not good. But perhaps someone accidentally falling from a window rather than having they're face bashed in was just as good. At any rate, Minron hoped he didn't screw up now, just the thought of it made him angry.

Minron peered into the night in hopes of finding something to take his rage out on.

Edit: I was crunched for time last night so here is a little more at least.

I am not sure about the professor, his curiosity of me is a bit strange. However his inteligence impresses me. The others seem more "normal" to me, that is, they are more like me in they're oddity. I cannot dislike the strange features of others. I of coarse knew of Isaac, as one of the more promenent people in town, Shady I have met in the forest on several occasions and like her well. Lament I know the least about, but felt reassured knowing he wasn't entirely alone with her up above in the watch tower.

daniant · December 2009

Shady looked back at the dark figures shadowed in the doorway. She still wasn't sure how she had gotten roped into working with these wierdos, when she could at home, robbing for the convent. Isaac, bless his twisted soul, seemed a little crazed, and the minotaur...well, perhaps the nicest word for him was smelly. The professor, although a little pretentious, seemed to know a lot. Shady appreciated studious people. She was studious people. You didn't become a lockpick, 4th class, without a lot of late nights up examining tumblers. Lament, the peacekeeper, was exactly the kind of person Shady knew she needed, and resented her own weakness for needing her. Shady had a very low tolerance for most people's views of law, justice, and order.

However, she understood why Isaac and the professor needed the blood-crazed minotaur and the justice-crazed shifter. Those friends were the perfect foils: blood, guts, and victory versus cold, intellectual calculation. Shady, a laws-flouting, curse-shouting black sheep, needed an angry law enforcement officer and a dogged lawer/bail bondswoman to keep her on the straight and narrow.

Maybe. Or maybe she would end up teaching them a thing or two about justice.

I can be in the front or the back, but I don't have any ranged, so don't put me up top, guys

Kelor · December 2009

From his position at the base of the stairs in front of the church Isaac spots Abram looking down at he and Shady and waves back in reassurance. The coolness of the evening doesn't phase the paladin greatly, one of the minor benefits of the vampiric traits he had received from the attack on his mother. Guard duty has been quiet thus far, exchanging words with Shady to kill time and keep alert.

Isaac's thoughts turned to his brother and his squad. A popular man amongst the folk of the town, Simon had always been his father's favourite, their father Kellin never encouraged his younger son as he had his sibling. Trained him as warrior, certainly, but grudgingly and because it would have seemed strange for him not to. Simon on the other hand had never treated Isaac as anything but a brother, though jealous perhaps, of the attention given to him by Ashala.

Ashala.....It had been almost a half a year now since she had been recalled back the celestial court. Leaning back against the wall once more, Isaac absentmindedly began to run his thumb against the point of one of his slightly elongated teeth while surveying the street.

TiamatZ · December 2009

Lament sighs as she takes one more look of her surroundings up in the watchtower. Not much has changed in the last half-hour: The burly Minotaur was still standing in the exact same spot, and she could see the Professor standing in the other tower, only now he was enjoying what appeared to her to be a cigar of some shape.

Honestly, she had little experience on battling powerful undead creatures like vampires (and Obfayo as a matter of fact). Some Slayer parties would return to the church with some living (well, functioning would be a preferred term) undead, so that acolytes and initiates could train themselves on destroying these creatures. And vampires, well... they were too great a threat to be kept alive for the trainees, and were usually slain on sight. This would be her first time in slaying such a monster. But she took heart knowing that the powers Kelemvor granted to her allowed the invoker to slay these abominations, not requiring such objects like garlic or the Holy Symbol of Amaunthor to finish them off.

She reflected on how things have changed in the last few weeks for the young aspiring Shifter.

Lament lived a life of solitude from the outside world, only learning from it from returning Slayer parties and from the clergy themselves. She wasn't completely left in the dark. The clergy warned her of the discrimination and persecution she would face (since she was a Shifter, and Shifters were considered to be halfbreeds of Lycanthropes) once she left the church. But she was simply not prepared by the sheer volume of hate many people showed her. Even with her gift of invocation, she was chased away by most towns (the least tolerant were more than likely ready to burn her at the stake). She even heard rumours of a Shifter raiding a town not far from the mountains of her vision. Once she reached the town (which she would later learn the town's name as Summerset Cove), however, things started looking up. The townspeople here were more tolerant than the others she'd met (though they still refrain from shaking hands with her).

But most important of all were the people she had met on her arrival here in Summerset Cove. Though the invoker's dream vision never revealed to her if these people would help her in her divine quest, the Shifter was actually glad to have some aid, as well as having some... associates with the same goal in mind. She pulled her hood up once more before looking out towards the distance... towards the mountains...

I'm just gonna post these in Spoilers, so as to reduce the amount of text to read in this post. These are merely my initial IC thoughts regarding the group, as well as some extra terminology...

Shady:

She was pretty much the first Elf Lament has seen on her travels. Though the clergy had taught the secluded Shifter that fey creatures tended to be tricksters at best and sadistical torturers at worst, Lament actually liked the young elven cleric of Sehanine. And although the Elf has her heart in the right place, her only drawback (and perhaps her undoing) was perhaps her insatiable love for all things riches.

Minron:

There was very little the Shifter could discern from this surly Minotaur, except he seemed to seek approval on something; as though he wanted to prove to the world on something. What said something was, however, would perhaps remain a mystery, as Minron remains silent when anyone asks about it.

Isaac:

Lament could sense Isaac’s vampiric heritage (after all, she was trained to sense and hunt down all beings of undead) the moment she met the man. But like Lament, he too shared the same trait: they were both had the blood of the most dangerous (and most despised) creatures in the world. But he had a destiny before him, and she would likely be there to witness it. For now, her mission was paramount, and nothing must stop her if she needed to complete it.

Von Hexing:

The Professor was perhaps the only one that Lament truly had developed a 'cold shoulder' for as the townsfolk called it. Her initial meeting with Von Hexing in the forests on the outskirts of Summerset Cove didn't go well as she had expected. The Professor confused her as the Shifter who was raiding the town, and promptly attacked her. Had she not defended herself with her divine powers, Von Hexing would have perhaps killed her. It was only once she revealed Kelemvor's Symbol that made the Professor stop in his tracks, for he later revealed that he was a fellow Keeper of the Divine Secrets (An order dedicated to protecting the ancient secrets of the Gods themselves). Since then she hasn't forgiven the human monster hunter for that event.

But she respected the human's vast repertoire of monster knowledge and battle tactics. And as far as she was concerened, Kelemvor's vision overrules her own resentments, and she needed allies in this time of need. So for now she would grudgingly work with him... for now.

Some terminology (AKA som extra fluff for a DM to use):

Slayers: A group of specially trained Avengers and Paladins, whose goals in life are the eradication of all things undead, as well as seek and contain (or seek and destroy, depending on the target's overall power) selected undead. These are considered to be the Elite of Kelemvor's servants, with Invokers a close second.

Horseshoe · December 2009

Von Hexing returned Isaac's wave, hoping that his body language conveyed his sense of caution.

Thank the Lord that I went into academia and not the military. This squad business is turning out to be more tedious than grading exams. I'd thought we were going to get out of town, especially considering the members of our squad. The villagers are a bit rattled and I'm sure they'd welcome us getting a chance to stretch our legs as much as we would.

Continuing to puff at his cigarette, the Professor passed the time by double-checking the mechanisms of his crossbow, and making sure that his spare cartridge was loaded. There was nothing like obscure and rare German engineering to put one's mind at ease.

Tiernan_Shadowtoungue · December 2009

Looking out over your surroundings, Lament notices in the darkness beyond, Squad A patrolling the edges of town. As often with them, they were also running drills, and sparing lightly with one another. As you watch their shadowing silhouettes, something seems off. One of the pair seemed to be unarmed, and his partner seemed to be making no attempt to pull his blows. The unarmed combatant jumped, 2 feet in the air, landed on his partner, and they went down. The rest of the squad did not even seem to notice. Before you can call out or react, you see a second silhouette spring from the shadows, and another member of the squad is pulled to the ground.

TiamatZ · December 2009

Lament's ears twitch at the strange sights.

"Looks like trouble. Better to warn the others, just for in case..."

Lament tries to alert Von Hexing at the other watchtower waving with her one hand as well as pointing to the spectacle with her other hand, shouting "Professor! There's something going on there! Warn the others!".
As an afterthought, she whistles to the minotaur below her. As the minotaur looks up, she points to the squad's last location, and tries to give an indication that something was amiss.

While the group organize themselves, Lament looks to the distance, trying to gather information of the (hopefully) coming battle ahead...

Perception check to see if I can properly spot the ambushers : (1d20+4) = 11
As well as a religion check to identify said enemies (but only if they are undead) : (1d20+8) = 14

Tiernan_Shadowtoungue · December 2009

Unfortunately, you see very little in the darkness. it was only in the reflection of starlight you could see the silouhettes.

Horseshoe · December 2009

The professor squinted into the distance, seeing nothing but darkness. Could be something... could be nothing. They couldn't just abandon their posts at the church, but somebody would need to investigate. Preferably somebody large and intimidating who could handle their own for a few moments in case things got rough.

Lament could see the lit end of his cigarette bobbing up and down as he replied.

"Well, I don't see anything from here. Lament, hold your position. I'm coming down. Minron, go take a look for us."

When things to bump in the night, it seemed best to send the one who can bump back the hardest. Von Hexing ground out his cigarette and began to descend the ladder out of the tower.

StaptheJester · December 2009

After seeing the signal from Lament, and hearing Von Hexing's orders, Minron readied his weapon and started in the direction of the trouble, trying to discern an exact location (Perception: 1d20+6 7).

"Me Kill!" he grunted at the others.

Horseshoe · December 2009

The Professor sighed. He should have anticipated such a reaction. The shaggy savage still had some difficulty with direction. He'd have to take it upon himself to make sure Minron knew the difference between preventing a disturbance and causing one.

"Blast it," he muttered as he got to the bottom of the tower. "Hold on a moment, Minron... I'll go with you."

daniant · December 2009

Shady heard Lament yelling, and peered into the darkness again. What was going on, she wondered. Perhaps the young lady had imagined something. She was inexperienced, probably.

And then she saw the professor moving down the tower, his cig glowing in the dark. She nudged Isaac and pointed. Then she edged out of the doorway, hoping to get a better view of whatever was going on out there.

Perception: 1d20+7 11

Tiernan_Shadowtoungue · December 2009

While Lament continues to try to find shapes in the far off shadows, Isaac and Shady Strain to hear anything in the night. Their only response is the jingling noise of the Professor climbing down the ladder. Minron, hearing the professors second request waits impatiently tapping his foot about a block behind the church, looking into the dimly lit street before him at the houses across the way.

daniant · December 2009

Shady looked over at Isaac. "What would you like me to do, sir? Should I take off after that big lunk, or stay here with you?"

Kelor · December 2009

Perception check, 1d20+3=13 for any unusual noise, since I can't see anything from here.

"Stay here for the moment, Abram and Minron can hold their own if somethings goes astray. Hopefully it's just a few bar patrons who have had too much to drink, if it's something more they'll let us know."

Still, Isaac had an unsettling feeling that it wasn't two laborer's who'd had more to drink than they could hold.

daniant · December 2009

Shady nodded. She shifted nervously from foot to foot. She didn't like to be this far away from the action. Either way, she thought, I'm going to get shady. I don't like this one bit.

"I'll be over here," she whispered to Isaac and sank back into the shadows of the doorway.

Stealth: 1d20+8 23

Horseshoe · December 2009

As he caught up to the... well, whatever sort of creature that Minron was, Professor Von Hexing patted his pockets, belt, and bandlolier, and made a quick assessment of his gear.

Crusafix, Rosary from the Basilica, Camel Bone Buddhist Prayer Beads, Iron Horseshoe, Garlic, Talismans of St. Michael, St. Heironeous, St. Kord and St. Mary, Iron Spikes, Silver Dust, Widow's Tears, Iron Tongs, Image of St. George, African Salt, Hemock, Wolfsbane, Mistletoe, Virgin's Hair, Oak Leaves, Consecrated Soil... hmm... a bit short-handed but should be enough.

StaptheJester · December 2009

As Minron waited for Von Hexing to check what he could best describe as jewlery he said, "We go now?!" with excitement.

Horseshoe · December 2009

"Yes. You first, I'll be back, and keep you covered with my crossbow. We walk slowly, Minron... and for God's sake don't hit anything with a hammer until I say so. If you accidentally brained one of the night watchmen they'd run us out with torches and pitchforks."

StaptheJester · December 2009

"OK Perfessor." as he walked ahead.

TiamatZ · December 2009

Lament watches as the minotaur and human run off towards the disturbances in the distance. Once they run off, she closes her eyes and offers a silent prayer to her chosen patron, the Final Judge, Kelemvor, to guide their steps. Afterwards, she tries once more in spotting any more strange occurences happening in the town.

She perches up her ears as well, using her half-lycanthrope enchanced sense of hearing, intent on hearing any sound out of the ordinary. She has no obligations on failing this town. Kelemvor has given her a trial, and she intends to see it done all the way through...

Perception check to see any other occurences, as well as hearing for any sounds out of the ordinary (like footsteps that aren't my allies etc.): (1d20+4) = 15

Tiernan_Shadowtoungue · December 2009

Lament strains to see into the darkness, while watching the Professor and Minron move swftly through the street. Minron and Abram move forward cautiously, when without warning 4 figures move out of the darkness. With blinding speed they move forward to rend Minron limb from limb.

Lets get a full initiative. Lament you can see them, but they are around 300 ft away (60 squares). Shady and Isaac have no idea, but they will be able to hear (and they are a total of 400 ft (80 sqaures) away, to the top edge of the map below)
Surprise round has been spent with the Vampire Fleshrippers running out of hiding towards Minron.

daniant · December 2009

Shady heard a loud bellow and slunk further back into the shadows to wait for Isaac to tell her what to do.

Initiative: Initiative: 1d20+3 14

TiamatZ · December 2009

The shifter invoker watches as five bizarre humanoid shapes surround the Minotaur on all sides. Whatever they were, they were not human or even... natural.

"I better warn the others!" was all Lament could think of when seeing the abominations appearing around the minotaur, surrounding the scouting party. If action isn't taken, they might get overwhelmed under all those numbers.

She turns towards Isaac and Shady's general direction, and warns them of the other's predicament, shouting as loudly as she can. "The professor and minotaur are fighting some strange creatures in the streets north of here! I surmise they are at least 300 feet from our position! Should we help them, Captain Isaac?"

Initiative: (1d20+1) = 2
Also I don't know Isaac's exact station in the militia, but since he's the leader of the squad, I'll take a stab and say he's a captain. I also took the directions from compass on the one given on the map of the town.

Horseshoe · December 2009

Faintly, in the distance, Von Hexing's voice could be heard.

"Don't worry about it, we've got it sorted!"

However, were Lament, Shady and Isaac a bit closer, they would have seen him grasping at various vials and talismans while slightly tangled in the strap of his crossbow.

"Blast it, where is that... damn! Minron! Hammer! Now!"

As the creatures advanced, the Professor regained his composure. His eyes narrowed and a slight snarl curled one side of his mouth, a silver-inlaid white oak crucifix in one hand, and an alchemical vial in the other.

Kelor · December 2009

"Abram knows what he's doing. We'll continue to hold our post here."

Looking up and Lament in the tower Isaac shouts up to her. "Keep an eye on Von Hexing and Minron, they should be fine against numbers like that and the other eye out for anything else that may be lurking around here."

Initiative: 1d20+1 = 14.