From: Steve Maurer (steve@tfs.COM)
Date: Sat 11 Jul 1992 - 09:56:33 EEST
Cult of The Sky River Titan
The heritage of the Sky River Titan is largely unknown. He is
thought to be a child of Rain, god of Sweet Water, and Subere goddess
of dark magic. Whatever his lineage, he was the greatest of the water
gods ever seen above the seas.
Like many of his brothers, in his youth Sky River had wanderlust. He
left his home in the Seas, and went in search of new places and things.
Sky River met Argan Argar, and learned from his uncle of the war between
the gods, and the method of Argan Argar's victory over fire. He met
Hykim, god of all animals, and learned to love them well. Sky River then
met a true Dragon, He Who Sees What Cannot Be Seen, and for him sheltered
dragonnewts wounded by other gods into undraconic form, the ancestors of
the dinasaurs and newtlings. And the Sky River fought in the I Fought
We Won battle against all Chaos, destroying many Chaos gods.
Finally, the Sky River looked to the stars, and said to them: "Why
do you not aid in the war against Chaos?". But the hosts of heaven were
silent. So Sky River said: "If you will not willingly aid those who fight
for all, then I shall plunder you to give them the aid they need". He
climbed the tallest mountain, and leaped into heaven, doing battle with all
the star gods. Everywhere he went, he took the treasures of Heaven and cast
them down, so that they could be used in the war against Chaos. His
treasures fell at random though, so no one who asked him for aid, could
specify exactly what they would get.
Finally, when the spike exploded, and Magasta called all Water Gods
to return to the sea to hurl themselves into the void that was created,
the Sky River followed the call of his grandfather. His river was formed
from the path he took, and flows even today.
In Time
Sky River Titan is the river cult of Dragon Pass, which starts in
heaven, falls through Sky Fall Lake, and makes its way to the sea. His
is the greatest river cult on the face of Genertela. The Sky River Titan's
runes are Water, Magic, and Luck.
The cult of the Sky River Titan is small. All powerful within its
limited domain, it has become the cult who shelters and defends all water
creatures who are unable to do so themselves. The cult protects ducks,
newtlings, dinasaurs, trolls, trollkin, and humans who are unjustly persecuted
by the surface folk. The Sky River grants gifts to those dedicated to fight
Chaos. Within the cult, no prejudice or fighting between races (even
trolls and trollkin) is tolerated.
The mortal enemy of this cult is Delecti, an undead horror which
fouled the path the Sky River Titan left. The cult actively fights the
power of Delecti, though has not the means to challenge it directly.
While Delecti's curse remains on the river, no special spells or cult
skills work in the swamp the thing created.
The sacred place of the Sky River Titan is the lake from which he
leaped into heaven: Sky Fall Lake. It is here that huge treasures,
victims, monsters, magic, iceburgs and pieces of stone up to the size of
small islands still fall into the lake. It is a most holy and exceedingly
deadly place to visit. The lake is also believed to be bottomless, and
is thought to go directly into hell. Duck and troll cultists whose greed
outmatch their fear, boat and swim these waters hoping to net treasures
from the Titan. Non cultists are not allowed onto the lake, though
they may eat of the plentiful fish of the lake from the edge.
Laymember
Enrollent: Non-chaotic; able to swim; above animal INT
Tithe: 1sp or Good Fish a week
Benefits: Fishing rights; fish for those to feeble to feed themselves.
Spells: 1/2 Price: Detect Magic, Mobility, Extinguish
Full: Befuddle, Speeddart, Dispell Magic, Counter Magic
Restricted: Firearrow, Fireblade
Skills: Swimming, Fishing, Camouflauge, Swim Quietly, Net, Trident,
Boating
Leaving: Cultists are free to leave
Swimming - Ability to swim and not drown. Also how to best combat when
in water A chartacter's weapon attacks cannot exceed his or her skill
in Swimming, or half weapon skill (whichever higher). Swimming is -10%
for each ENC over "light" (STR+CON/4).
Fishing - Ability to fish. Skill allows identification of areas where
fish are likely to congregate, which lures are best for the conditions,
and skill with various fishing implements. Making the roll nearly
guarantees success if full day is spent.
Boating - Ability to handle small boats, rafts, and (river) barges.
Roll whenever any challenging boating situation comes up.
Initiate
Enrollent: Lay member one year, or defending the river; 1 POW acceptance.
Tithe: 20% of income; must defend the river with life
Spells: Free: Mobility
1/2 Price: Spirit Binding (other as laymember)
Full: Disruption, Spirit Binding, Bladesharp
Special: Hold Breath
Skills: Taste Sense, Parry Net, Laymember skills are at 1/2 price
Reprisal: Rejection of the Waters
Hold Breath Focused/Passive/Variable
This spell extends the time targets may hold their
breath. Each point of this variable spell increases the
normal breath holding time by one minute. It is only
effective if the target is above water when the spell is
cast.
Taste Sense - This is the underwater "smell" skill. Successful
use allows the user to know the presence of things that are
upstream of him.
Parry Net - This special net acts like small "shield", most useful for
parrying small weapons; it has 6 Armor Points, and 12 hit points. The
net can only be damaged by bladed weapons, but all damage above 6 points
is passed through to the wielder. A parry of a missed attack, a special
of a normal attack, or a critical parry of any but a critical, gives the
parrier the option to entangle the attacker's weapon. Neither weapon nor
Parry Net can be used until the round after the weapon is disentangled;
the attacker must roll STR vs STR to free his weapon, the parrier may
let go at any time.
Rune Priest
Enrollent: Initial 18 POW/(INT+CHA) as % + 1/100 Sp
Tithe: 90% of all income
Runespells: All standard; summon Undine (any size)
Special: Fish Eye, Breathe, Control Water, True Net, Ice Prison,
Water Leap
Reprisal: Rejection of the Waters
Breathe Cost -- 1 POW Point
Range - 180 meters Duration - 15 minutes
Nonstackable Reusable
This spell causes the target to be able to breathe where
ever he or she is (air or water). This spell may be made
permanent with a reletively minor heroquest (only 20% death
rate).
Fish Eye Cost -- 1 POW Point
Range - 180 meters Duration - 15 minutes
Nonstackable Reusable
This spell allows a non-water creature to see underwater
as well as a fish, or the reverse for a water being on land.
It does not give the user to see better than a creatures who
are in their natural environment.
Control Water Cost -- 1 POW Point
Range - 180 meters Duration - 15 minutes
Stackable Reusable
This spell changes or increases the speed of water by 20
kph (12 mph) per point, equivalent to 10 STR of water. The
water can be made to flow uphill, and onto land if that is
desired. It will also do 1d3 crushing damage per point to
anyone pinned against the water.
True Net Cost -- 2 POW Points
Range - Touch Duration - Permenent
Nonstackable Nonreusable
This spell consecrates a net to the Titan, and makes it
totally unbreakable when in the water (it's still vulnerable
on land). If such a net catches a treasure too big, it must
be cut free of the boat, or the boat will sink.
Ice Prison Cost -- 2 POW Points
Range - 180 meters Duration - 15 minutes
Stackable Reusable
Any target in water is instantly frozen in ice with Hit
Points equivalent to the POW of the caster, any extra points
stacked add POW hitpoints to the prison, or add one target.
Those trapped in ice can't move, breathe, speak, cast spirit
magic spells, or otherwise free themselves unless they roll
STR vs Hit pts of the ice. Rerolls after are allowed only
when the hitpoints of the ice have been otherwise reduced.
Striking an ice bound victim damages the ice only up to its
hits; any extra are applied to the victim (vs armor). This
spell has no effect against non-immersed targets.
Command Monster Cost -- 3 POW Points
Range - 180 meters Duration - Instant
Nonstackable Reusable
This spell only works on monsters which live in water of
the Sky River Titan. The monster must obey a single command
from the caster, which must be something the monster can do;
"die" is not an appropriate command. Unintelligent monsters
gain an understanding of the emotional intent of the caster,
though can't follow complex instructions. This spell cannot
be resisted, even by chaos monsters from Snake Pipe Hollow.
Water Leap Cost -- 3 POW Points
Range - 180 meters Duration - Instant
Nonstackable Reusable
When cast, this spell lets the recipient make a single
leap from Sky River to any place he has water to propel him;
the range is 100 times the width of the Sky River from which
the spell is cast. The caster is followed and surrounded by
a fountain of water visible in a wide area, also providing
substance for numerous Undines. The river must refill to be
able to recast this spell (usually one full turn).
Water Sprites
Allied spirits of Sky River Titan are called Water Sprites.
They come in any of a hundred forms. They can be awakened from
any unintelligence animal species the Titan pledged to protect (all
river dwellers), they can be bound into a trident or net, or they
can be free spirits of the waters (unbound). A special heroquest
can be done to bind an unbound water sprite into a small undine.
Sky River Titan DI
Sky River Titan gives easy "runelord type" D.I. to all of his
priests. This power extends past the rivers, and need not be water
based, since he Titan took many great treasures of heaven, and can
use them to his purposes. However, unlike the D.I. of other cults,
no specific favor can be asked for. Rather, the benifit, like all
the Titan gifts, come at random.
The only exception to the above, is that with a successful D.I.
a cultist who pledges to fight a specific chaos menace, may ask for
a gift from the river without having to brave Sky Fall Lake. This
"chaos menace" need not be a combat foe; pledging to clean the disease
out of a lake would also qualify. The gift arrives in the river, and
is proportioned accordingly to the danger the cultist has pledged to
undertake. The gift is guaranteed to be useful, but not neccessarily
against the specific chaos he has pledged against. The cultist must
then leave to fight this menace, or he is a reprobate and subject to
the Titan's spirit of reprisal.
Spirit of Reprisal
Those who betray the Sky River Titan are rejected by all the
waters which owe allegience to him. The reprobate floats to the
surface, and cannot go into the river, it forms a skin to prevent
him. For water breathers, this is a death sentence. But even
for air breathers, there is another aspect of the curse. Even
potable water in glasses and cups will not flow into the mouth of
he who betrayed the Titan, it flows around instead. Only water which
has been polluted with disease, urine, dung, or offal acts normally,
and can be drunk by the violator.
Fishing the Lake
To fish Sky Fall lake the following equipment must be obtained:
one boat (mininum cost 5,000L, 25% survivability; each +100L adds +1%
survivability - to 75%), true net, crew of 4 to 8. Guests are allowed,
but must be outnumbered by Sky River Titan cultists, and may never receive
more than half the share of the lowest ranked Titan initiate.
Fishing for magic on Sky Fall lake is an adventure in itself. This
chart is not meant to substitute for a game session. However, for an
idea on events which happen on the lake, use the following rules.
Each day there is both a chance for disaster, and a chance to gain
treasure. As the lake is incredibly choppy, a Boating roll must be made
each day to avoid sinking. However, other events depend more upon luck.
Each day roll two 1d10. On a "0" for the first die, roll on the disasters
table; on a "0" for the second die, roll on the treasures table. A disaster
usually negates treasure aquisition for that day.
ROLL DISASTER
01 Slight scare; no problem.
02-05 Large wave: swamp boat; roll Boating or boat lost
06-10 Small stone: boat nicked (d100L damage)
11-15 Medium stone: boat damaged (2d100L; roll survivability or boat sinks)
16-20 Large stone: boat sunk (all must make swim roll or die)
21-25 Cultist overboard (make swim, be rescued by others, or die)
26-30 Cultist hit by debris; 1d10 damage
31-35 Cultist smashed by debris; 3d10 damage
36-40 Net fouled on boat (roll Boating-30 or loose net)
41-45 Net overburdened; roll survive; if made get treasure, missed loose net
46-50 Net greatly overburdened; loose net
51-55 Net greatly overburdened; loose net, swamp boat (as 02-05)
56-60 Net overburdened couldn't cut in time; loose net; boat sunk (as 16-20)
61-65 Monster in net (make Boating and Survivability or loose net)
66-70 Cultist caught under net (1d20 minutes)
71-75 Small whirlpool; roll survivability or boat lost
76-80 Huge whirlpool; Special boating or boat lost; special swim to escape
81-85 Monster attacks crew (4d6/60% bite 40 HP/4 Armor - can be bigger)
86-90 Large monster attacks boat (roll 1/2 survivablity + boating)
91-95 Island near miss; boat lost; cultists scattered; roll POWx5 or dead
96-00 Island hit; everything lost; POWx2 to avoid death (per crew)
ROLL TREASURE
01 Heroquest item (30 pt armor, 6d10 trident, 50 pt crystal, etc)
02-05 Maxed Crystal (roll d15+5; crystal is max power)
06-10 Storage Crystal
11-15 Powered Crystal
16-20 Flawed Crystal
21-25 Iron (2d20 Enc)
26-30 Marble Tablet (skill scroll)
31-35 Wand (special offensive magic bonus)
36-40 Magic Weapon (min twice damage; often special offensive power)
41-45 Shield (unbreakable; often special defensive power)
46-50 Armor (runic metal enchanted to iron thoughness; usually incomplete)
51-55 Sky Titan Cult holy item (usually conferrs "permananent" runespell)
56-60 Other cult holy item (usually sky cult related; value: 5d1000)
61-65 Spirit bound in Item (will work for food - {POW})
66-70 Spirit Magic Matrix (random)
71-75 Bizarre Magic Item (magical curiosity)
76-80 Hunks of Gold (d20 * d100 L)
81-85 Statuary/Artwork ((d20-5) * d100 L; less than 0 is 0)
86-90 Curiosity, non-magical (combination lock, wierd eating implements)
91-95 True Net (usable True Net found)
96-00 Junk
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