Know, oh
thou assembled! In the third reign of the Childlike Empress, but before the
sacking of golden Jhadur was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms
stretched across the world like bright gems in a cloth of emerald and sapphire,
cinnabar and gold. Hither came Zellsa the rogue, of greedy eye and hungry
hands, to plunder the wealth of the earth with soft tread of his sandaled feet…
As mentionedelsewhere, I’ll be starting fresh with my Scarlet Heroes solo campaign. And if,
gentle readers, you will forgive an occasional lapse into Howardian prose, I
will regale you with the (mis)adventures of Zellsa the rogue. Tales of his
attempts to deface a tomb and purloin a bow holy to Navra, goddess of Archery.
Belly full
of wine and mind full of visions of glory, Zellsa skulked the necropolis. He
kept to the shadowy thoroughfares, for in the still heart of great Jhadur,
unquiet are the dead. Stealing his way to the wall at the rear of the tomb and
pilgrimage site, Zellsa attempted to scale the wall and descend, evading the
attention of the mortal guardians.
Trait check
(DC9): 17!
Stealthy
like the majestic squirrel, Zellsa scaled the wall, dropping down on the other
side and eluding the guard. Soft earth pressed underfoot, and the smell of
manure and growing things met Zellsa’s senses. He had entered the garden! Now
in the “dungeon” proper, Zellsa picked his way along.
Encounter
Check: 9— Ghoul!
But does it
get surprise? As it’s likely, considering it’s dark and the creature preceded
Zellsa, we’ll roll on the oracle, getting…
8: No, but… To determine the but, we’ll roll on the
Encounter modifier…
1: Out on an
errand of shady business. Oh dear…
Unlucky
Zellsa stumbled upon a pale, stinking creature, like a man with too-wide a
mouth and too-long fingers, digging in the garden. At Zellsa’s approach, the
thing’s head lifted, and for a moment it stared with glazed eyes at Zellsa
before fleeing towards the wall. Was that a skeletal forearm it clutched in one
hand? Trying not to think too deeply on the subject, Zellsa turned his
attention to the tomb-shrine proper. Hard jungle-wood and pale stone comprised
the single-storied structure, from certain small windows of which shone the
light of torches. Fearing detection, Zellsa opted for a more discreet entry,
instead skulking around the building’s side. Lo and behold, there was a door! A
locked door! Certainly no great challenge for such a grand thief of Zellsa, he
who had scaled the wall, had frightened even a Ghoul! Producing his picks, he
set to work while Dan rolled some dice…
7: Zellsa failed. The lock remained locked.
Had he
slipped? Had he jarred his touch? Or perhaps this lock was superior to even
Zellsa’s skill! Surely not, for he was Zellsa the deft! No lock held under his
touch. He would try again!
8: No lock
save this one. (I should note here, check
DCs are against a DC 9)
Cursing
those gods that would care to listen, Zellsa drew back. This was a lock that
only a sharp kick could solve. But in Zellsa’s attempts to open the door, had
he drawn something’s attention?
10: Yes.
Rolling to find out what…
8: 1d4+Threat
(a 2) for 4 foes!
Fortunate
indeed for Zellsa to so cunningly step away, for the door swung open, and from
it shone lantern-light, the lantern held by a great brute wielding a cudgel.
Zellsa had awoken the slumbering kitchen-master, and from the young men arming
themselves behind him, the entire staff was at arms. It was a battle surely
met! But, gentle readers, will Zellsa succeed? Let’s find out!
Initiative:
Zellsa
Acolyte 1
Master
Acolyte 2
Acolute 3
“Turn aside,
fat one!” Zellsa commanded, rather sure of his own renown. “Zellsa the bold has
come to render you paupers!”. Zellsa the foolish wasted his initiative.
The first
acolyte was unable to attack, the door blocked by his master’s girth.
The kitchen
master grunted, stepping out into the night and swinging his cudgel!
Attack Roll:
16 Swing and a miss!
Ducking the
swing, Zellsa turned with it, stepping to the side… And into the path of
Acolyte 2.
Attack Roll:
28
Damage roll:
6 (two points of damage)
Outraged at
Zellsa’s audacity, the second acolyte rushed out of the kitchen, swinging a
sturdy chopping knife. Fortune favored
the bold, and the blade bit deep, taking a chunk of Zellsa with it, and leaving
the rogue bleeding freely. Staggering,
Zellsa turned to flee, only to face the third acolyte. This one, mercifully
equipped with a handy stool, took a swing of his own.
Attack Roll:
21
Damage Roll:
3 (1 point of damage)
Nigh
senseless, Zellsa staggered. Curse the gods and all their worshippers! Turning,
he headed for the wall, hoping to clear it and limp to safety. Unfortunately,
this passed him within the Kitchen Master’s reach.
Attack Roll:
14
Fortunately,
fools also fell under fortune’s favor, and Zellsa ducked a heavy swing of the
cudgel. Monks in hot pursuit, he took to
the wall, trying to scrabble up in his weakened state.
Trait Check
at a -2 penalty: 13
Finding it
within himself, Zellsa cleared the wall, doing the squirrels proud. Dropping
heavily to the other side, he paused a moment to track the rising cries from
beyond the wall before staggering off deeper into the necropolis to nurse his
wounds. Battered but not defeated,
Zellsa swore vengeance upon the house of Navra and her faithful. The bow would
be his.
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