Exalted 2E - Disease of an Evil Conscience [WW80907].pdf

(4968 KB) Pobierz
Morality is contraband in war.
- Gandhi
An adventure for Exalted
using the Storytelling Adventure System
Written by David Nurenberg Developed by Eddy Webb Edited by Genevieve Podleski Layout by Jessica Mullins
Art: Eric Canete, Shane Coppage, Franchesco!, Andrew Hepworth, Imaginary Friends, Josh Spinell, Chris Stevens,
Andie Tong, UDON and Emily Warren
StorytElling AdvEnturE SyStEm
White Wolf Publishing, Inc.
2075 West Park Place Blvd
Suite G
Stone Mountain, GA 30087
mEntAl
PhySicAl
SociAl
ooooo
ooooo
ooooo
Morality is contraband in war.
- Gandhi
An adventure for Exalted
using the Storytelling Adventure System
Written by David Nurenberg
Developed by Eddy Webb
Edited by Genevieve Podleski
Layout by Jessica Mullins
Art: Eric Canete, Shane Coppage, Franchesco!, Andrew
Hepworth, Imaginary Friends, Josh Spinell, Chris Stevens,
Andie Tong, UDON and Emily Warren
StorytElling AdvEnturE SyStEm
ScEnES
13
mEntAl
PhySicAl
SociAl
ooooo
ooooo
ooooo
XP lEvEl
o-34
White Wolf Publishing, Inc.
2075 West Park Place Blvd
Suite G
Stone Mountain, GA 30087
© 2009 CCP hf. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and one printed copy which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire and World of Darkness
are registered trademarks of CCP hf. All rights reserved. Vampire the Requiem, Werewolf the Forsaken, Mage the Awakening, Promethean the Created, Changeling the Lost, Hunter the Vigil, Exalted, Storytelling System and Disease of an Evil Conscience are trademarks
of CCP hf. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by CCP hf. CCP North America Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CCP hf. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the
trademark or copyright concerned. This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.
Check out White Wolf online at
http://www.white-wolf.com
Introduction
disease of an Evil conscience
Out in the Scavenger Lands life is difficult, and compassion can seem like a
dangerously unaffordable luxury. But despite the propaganda you might hear
in the Realm about the savagery of those beyond the Threshold, most of the
folk who call the Confederation of Rivers their home consider themselves
good people. How could they have survived so close to the Shadowlands
and the Fair Folk without a will not only for individual survival, but also for
survival of the community? But what happens when the imperative to survive
challenges one’s moral commitment to one’s fellows? Sacrifices have to be
made, but when do the needs of the many justify the losses of a few?
Disease of an Evil Conscience
gives you everything you need to run a full
Exalted
story, which can stand alone as one (or a few) day’s entertainment,
or serve as merely a chapter in a much longer saga. We have built the story
as a generally linear path with a few twists, turns and complications; you
can keep it that way or you can modify it, adding characters, locations and
all sorts of embellishments to challenge the most ambitious players.
We made this Storyteller Adventure System (SAS) product to be an excit-
ing, ready-made story for relatively inexperienced characters in
Exalted.
You
won’t find many new rules, Charms or items here, but instead we knit the
existing rules into a tightly woven story. This way, we hope to help novice
Storytellers and players find their footing while remaining flexible enough
to allow modifications and add-ons for more experienced groups.
What’s Inside
introduction
If this is your first Storytelling Adventure System (SAS) product, you’re in
luck – you can start here with little to no experience. To keep this product
trim and concise, however, we haven’t chosen to bundle in the many of
the core premises and Storyteller suggestions that are at the heart of the
SAS. All Storytellers, fresh or veteran, are encouraged to read the
free
SAS
Guide,
found at the SAS website:
www.white-wolf.com/sas
Here are some of the features available in
Disease of an Evil Conscience:
•
Interactive links.
Clicking on anything in red will take you directly to
the section referenced, or to an appropriate character sheet or prop. It
may also take you to an external website that could be useful.
•
Scenes.
Clicking on a scene name in the scene flowchart or the page
number in the scene card will take you to the full write-up of the scene.
•
Bookmarks.
This PDF is fully bookmarked, so you can jump to major
sections at any time when the file is open.
A
bout the
S
torytelling
A
dventure
S
yStem
1
Treatment
disease of an Evil conscience
The small city of Haven is dying, its people succumbing to a plague
many fear to be the second coming of the Great Contagion. Abandoned
by its neighbors, idiosyncratic Haven places its faith in a circle of Solars
who must set out on a quest to find a cure. Their travels bring them
to Celeren, seat of the Marukan Alliance, which is under siege by a
Deathlord’s armies. The circle soon learns that the key to Celeren’s
protection and Haven’s salvation are one and the same. Will the circle
condemn one city to death to save another? Even if they make such a
choice, do they have the power to carry out that decision? How will
they deal with the other powers from the Abyss and the Wyld who
have a stake in this matter? How will the circle be remembered in the
stories of each of these lands, and will anyone be left to sing tales of
their adventures?
Act One begins with the circle learning of Haven’s crisis. They
uncover a prophecy on which Haven’s elders have pinned their
hopes, which draws clues as to where to proceed next. After several
days of journeying, the circle finds a slaughtered village (Unferth)
that has fallen to the undead, who have left a small detachment
of undead soldiers behind as a rear guard. The circle must fight for
their lives.
Just as they defeat the Shadowland forces, a squad of Marukani
soldiers arrives under commission from Celeren. Unferth was a Maru-
kani village, and these troops are quick to avenge the deaths of their
clansmen. The weary circle finds another fight on their hands. Fortu-
nately, if the circle can survive to meet Zara Swiftsteed, captain of the
Celeren guard and powerful Dragon-Blood, they may be surprised to
find someone willing to hear their side of the story. Surprisingly, she
wears a crest on her armor that is strikingly similar to the blood-red
rose from the prophet’s drawing.
Celeren’s people are proud, despite the siege they are facing
from the armies of Tain Without Reflection, a powerful Abyssal
Exalted detached from Mask of Winters’ fortress at Thorns. The
Marukani leader, Kyurtin Stallion-Breaker, is convinced that the
key to defeating Tain’s menace lies in hunting down the magical
Rock Ram in the forests to the south. The circle joins Kyurtin on
the hunt and, braving the perils of woods tainted by the Wyld,
manages to trap the elusive beast over the protests of its shepherd.
Kyurtin explains that the Ram will be used to save the lives of
hundreds, and offers the Shepherd a princely amount of jade as
2
compensation, which he refuses in outrage. Then a swift circuit
rider from Celeren bursts into the woods with news that Tain’s
armies are attacking their city.
The second act throws the circle into a pitched battle between
the forces of Celeren and Tain. The circle discovers that the Ram
has been crying since its abduction from its home wood, and its
tears possess powerful magic that can imbue ordinary weapons
with legendary force, not to mention heal any wound – includ-
ing Haven’s plague! The circle has a new dilemma: As grateful
as he is for their help, Kyurtin won’t to let the circle walk away
with the Ram to go cure Haven. While the healing effects of
the Ram seem permanent, the improved weapon abilities wear
off after a few hours, and thus the Ram’s continued presence
is needed against the Tain and his undead forces. Meanwhile,
the Ram itself looks as if it is suffering. It clearly loathes be-
ing captive in a city, and pines day and night for its old home.
The circle doesn’t initially realize that the Lady Goldenrain, a
powerful forest spirit, has answered the Shepherd’s complaints,
and sent the Emerald Bull, an ancient behemoth, to punish the
Ram’s abductors.
At this point, the circle has several options and the story can branch
in several directions:
•
They can remain with Kyurtin and help him defeat Tain
decisively, after which he claims he will give them the Ram.
Kyurtin, of course, has no intention of parting with the Ram
– he will never feel safe if it leaves his hands.
•
They can try to just take the Ram, but all of Celeren will
fight them to keep it. A fighting flight from the city will
claim many innocent lives, and even should they make it
out (perhaps through clever thievery), they will be leaving
Celeren defenseless.
•
Kyurtin is convinced the Ram is Celeren’s best and only
hope, but Zara Swiftsteed distrusts this “fix” and dislikes
how Kyurtin has been relishing his autocratic powers. She
makes it known to the circle that, if they can find another
way besides this Ram to keep Celeren safe from Tain,
she will give them the Ram, and lead a rebellion against
Kyurtin if necessary.
introduction
disease of an Evil conscience
•
The circle can visit Tain’s army’s camp. Stymied and a
little fearful of the Marukani’s new weapon, the Abyssal
is willing to accept emissaries rather than attack them
on sight. The circle can try to bluff their way into get-
ting Tain to stand down. Alternatively, they could try to
work a skillful sabotage of Tain’s army, something that
would, if not deal a permanent defeat, at least set them
back a bit.
•
The circle can go back into the woods to find the Shep-
herd and explain the situation. They can do it of their
own initiative, or, once the Emerald Bull arrives, they
will have little other choice. Once there, they will find
Lady Goldenrain willing to call off the beast, assuming
the circle can get her back the Ram. But if Tain has not
been defeated by now, the circle still has the moral issue
of leaving Celeren vulnerable.
Sooner or later, at Celeren or on the road back to Haven, the Emer-
ald Bull will attack, starting off Act Three. The primordial monster is
essentially unstoppable – not that the circle can’t try its best. Nothing
short of returning the Ram to the Shepherd will quiet its rage.
When the characters bring the Ram back, the Shepherd will bring
them before the Forest Court, where the Lady Goldenrain reveals she
is responsible for the plague that ravages Haven. They must convince
her to deliver the cure, but to do so they must endure a gauntlet of
her mental, physical and moral tests. When her curiosity is satisfied,
she will produce the cure.
With cure in hand, the circle returns to find that the wandering
prophet they met in an early scene, Thercite, has set himself up as
something of a local evangelist. He is a recently-Exalted Lunar who
knows a few tricks, and has produced enough (temporary) effects to
feed people’s hope that he can cure them. In their desperation, many
of the sick and fearful of Haven have become his followers. The circle
must expose and depose this false messiah without hurting the innocent
people who desperation has driven to follow him.
As grateful as the elders are for the cure, they have their duty to their
city god of justice, Anjos. They cross-examine the circle, demanding the
Exalted make a moral accounting for themselves. The elders, and maybe
even the city god himself, will reward or penalize the circle accordingly.
3
Theme: Complex Morality
Making choices is easy when there are clear rights and wrongs.
Disease of an Evil Conscience
is a story about the choices we make
when no option seems ideal, when every path seems to lead to a bad
end for
someone.
Throughout the story, the circle’s choices can lead
to the salvation of one party at the cost of another’s destruction or
suffering. Will they take it upon themselves to decide which ends
justify which means? The circle can’t just hand off the job to someone
else: Resting on their shoulders are the fates of thousands throughout
the Scavenger Lands.
A series of undeniable threats loom over the land. Options are
few, situations look bleak and time is waning. Solutions have to be
found
now,
and even terrible actions may seem more palatable in the
face of worse alternatives. The Exalted have great power, but that
means the consequences of using that power are also great. These
consequences can in turn make the situation even more desperate,
thus forcing even more extreme choices.
Mood: Desperation
introduction
An Episode in Your Series
Disease of an Evil Conscience
is written to be an early adven-
ture in your series, perhaps even the first story. What happens in
this tale can create friends and enemies for your circle right from
the beginning, recurring allies for later adventures and long-term
foes who will plot continually throughout the next dozen tales
you create.
We recommend
The Compass of Terrestrial Directions, Vol.
I–The Scavenger Lands
as an aid for Storytellers running tales in
the Confederacy of Rivers. Although this SAS contains all you
need,
The Scavenger Lands
will give you a wealth of information
about Celeren, Thorns and the neighboring cities with their rich
history, all of which can help you set a captivating and compelling
backdrop to this and future tales.
If this session begins a series, spend some time with your players
establishing why their characters are in Haven and how they react to
the plight of the people there. A confrontation with suffering beggars
or family members, for example, can give a player a chance to show
off her character’s personality.

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika:

Zgłoś jeśli naruszono regulamin