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[Dungeon World] Glamjin’s Tower of Glory
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Fire on them if you wish, but a roll of 6- will bring a third pack of undead on your butts!
Standby for more intel in an hour!
You’ve made it to the Cathedral!
The Midnight Cathedral
As you reach the towering oak doors of the Midnight Cathedral you see that the wood has been smashed in, what might once have been barricaded is shattered and the ominous chamber within is laid bare.
Rain lashes in through shattered stained glass, and finely dressed corpses lay with stakes through their chests and scorch marks where their heads should be. Thorough work, you think.
Lightning strikes! Thunder rolls! The wind howls and the bells ring with abandon!
There’s an altar up ahead with an basin, or font—you doubt holy water is in it. Either side of it are staircases leading up to the next floor.
Pomme, your back is against the outer wall of the cathedral, rifle aimed, but the undead are very slow and stupid indeed. Your companions rush in as you guard their flank.
Each of you: What do you do?
The liquid contained within is blood. Vampires, you think, have both poor and obvious taste in decor. Half submerged in the blood is an amulet, necklace, or something on a thin silver chain at least.
You can’t tell if it’s supposed to be there, or if it was stashed there recently.
Above you the ceiling creaks.
Satisfied that they have done A job if not a good one (considering the sodden materials and splintered door), Pomme turns to look around the Cathedral and to look for whatever did such... thorough work. Pomme and Fleur carefully make their way through aisles and pews looking for signs that they might follow.
Geth, roll 2d6+4 for Hunt&Track
—
There are many weapons scattered around Bran, but only two aren’t bent and broken. Which two are in good condition?
- Moon Sickle. A silver curved blade on a chain. Burns shapeshifters and some demons. Close, reach, precise, silver, 1 weight.
- Ivory Longbow. Carved from a single bone of some large creature. Disrupts the presence of ghosts. Near, far, ghostbane, 2 weight.
- Sweet Eleanor. A masterwork rapier with a racy lass of the night painted on the pommel. Deals lasting harm to creatures of the heavens. Close, precise, holybane, 1 piercing, 1 weight.
- Wolf Howl. A regular crossbow shaped like the head of a snarling werewolf. Near, +1 damage, reload, 2 weight.
- Genteel Cane. A cane which conceals a mechanical whip. Choose either set of tags before you Hack and Slash: 1.) Close, precise, quick. 2.) Reach, precise, messy. 1 weight in both forms.
- Vampiric Dagger. A jet black crystal blade. You gain +1 forward when you kill a helpless creature. Hand, thrown, murderous, 0 weight.
Now take two of your choices.
Edit: Let’s say you can scavenge 2 ammo if you pick a ranged weapon.
Pomme, Fleur informs you in her usual way that there is something above you all, moving slowly and as lightly as it is able. It knows you are here.
The corpses were lesser vampires, hangers on, decadently evil and believed themselves to be far more powerful than they evidently were.
Chances are Glamjin killed them all, by himself or with allies you’ve yet to encounter. If it wasn’t obvious already he’s not all jolly quips and puffs of smoke. The stakes through their hearts are of a wood brought from elsewhere, designed for the job, and the sheer blaze that must have took each head off is either of a weapon you’ve never heard about or many, many spells cast.
That said, you can’t be certain of their killer, or killers.
Scouting around the cathedral you are certain there are no lurking foes on this level. Those vampires are very dead, too.
Gisard, fortunately nothing hangs from the ceiling. Oh, erm, well a bit of a vampire does.
The amulet is a burnished gold, shaped like a dragon, with a splendid diamond heart. As you turn it in your hand it appears clear, or red, or black.
Looking at the back you see a phrase engraved on it in a language you cannot decipher—yet! You’re sure you could given time and space.
...But then it fades away, and a new phrase appears. Equally foreign, equally intriguing.
Dragon Amulet
Qualities unknown, 0 weight.
Do you put it on, or pocket it for further study?
"Something above. It knows we are here." Pomme takes some cover behind a pew only somewhat slick with gore where they can watch both stair cases with their rifle casually at the ready. After a quiet trill from Pomme, Fleur lands upside down on the ceiling, tasting the vibrations and ready to alert if the thing comes closer.
Moth Scan: Activate
You begin to hear a few laboured steps and mindless moans outside.
He also grabs a former vampire's cloak, and is now on the hunt for a fancy top hat to complete his Victorian ensemble.
Your cane is literally the threaded cane from the game Bloodborne, if you’re wondering how that works.
Geth, roll 2d6+1 for Throw Down The Gauntlet
They must choose one of these if they do not face me:
-You take +1 ongoing against them until they defeat you
-They lose the respect of their peers and underlings
-They retreat
They wave frantically but quietly hoping to get group's attention. Once Pomme does (if they do), they point to Holly, Gisard and themselves and point at the left stairs, and then points at Bran and then at the right stairs and then upwards. Then a silent look of 'Sound good?'
To get things moving, Pomme quietly pads over to the left stairs
The last embers from your wet torches go out. The only light in the cathedral is the occasional flash of lightning.
Gisard, you’ll need to cast Light again, your staff is dimming.
ooc: Hes the thief!!! Im not trying to send him to his death!! (Poor Bran...)
With that signed Bran moves to the left staircase, waving Holly beside him. He points to Pomme and Gisard, motioning to them to stay a few steps back as they all move forward.
Brandishing the Genteel Cane, the thief gives it a quick twirl in one hand, and then slowly begins to creep up the left staircase, eyeing for obvious traps or ambushes.
The creaky wooden floor is sodden with paint and clay. Hundreds of statues ranging from life size to miniature take up almost all available space. Most are worse for wear. Portraits are hung along every wall, and more are piled up and rotten. Every single one is of a woman—no one you’ve met.
There’s a story here to be sure, but you’ve not the time to hear it.
The rain is leaking in with every passing moment. Several of the statues appear to be crying due to this.
There are numerous artisan’s tools, paintbrushes, ink pots and quills etc. should you wish to pocket something (any mundane thing you can think of).
Geth, roll 2d6+3 for Cast a Spell (int with +1 forward).
Something small scuttles under a pile of portraits and broken marble chunks, fearing the light.
Geth, roll 2d6+2 for Spout Lore: Vampires
It dawns on you that vampires can bring things back from the dead, usually for the worse. Those zombies didn’t raise themselves. Whatever Fleur heard it’s bound to be something like that.
There are questions in need of answering:
How did the gramophone turn on?
What’s that little thing gone to hiding?
Why can’t we see our enemy yet?
Bran looks nearby for a bucket of paint, and finding something suitably full, throws the paint in an arcing spray in the direction of the opposite wall where the noises they heard earlier were coming from.
A chisel is thrown across the room, barely missing your head Bran!
It’s a g-g-ghost! The ghost wipes the paint from her face and takes an unsteady step forwards. With a flick of her wrist a bench is pushed out of her way.
She points across the room, then wails in frustration, her face contorting beyond the possible, into a vile visage of death and torment. If there were things here that would aid her, they’re dormant, or fled.
A voice pierces your minds, “Body. He said I’d have a body. A body! Now he is gone and I am ALONE!!”
Her gaze locks with yours Gisard.
Gisard! Roll +Int to fight off possession!
On a 10+, you’re safe. State one weakness the ghost has that you can take advantage of.
On a 7-9, choose one, or face possession.
- Flee.
- Cower.
- Lash out wildly with your most damaging spell.
e: excellent
You find yourself floating just above your body. You still feel connected to it though, and you’re sure you’re not dead yet!
You can’t cast spells right now, but you can Hack and Slash the old fashioned way against this mad ghost!
—
For the rest of you, the ghost you saw for no more than a moment has faded away.
“A trick of the light perhaps,” says Gisard, “or a illusion spell gone wrong. Let’s just get out of here, I want to keep my body safe, don’t you?”
- You can’t be seen or heard, but you can move light objects (paintbrush, small portrait, dagger...).
- You can pass through walls and floors.
- You can only be harmed by spirits and demons.
- You always know where your body is and can get to it.
Only the destruction or exorcism of the ghost will get you your body back.