Legendary Lives Ghost of a Chance.pdf

Ghost of a Chance

An Adventure for Legendary Lives

By Joe Williams & Kathleen Williams

Email me at: freeRPGs@comcast.net

Ghost of a Chance

Background

journey to the sacred glade to be wed. Tomorrow,

when he reaches the sacred glade, the generation

old feud between us and the Longbow tribe will be

over!”

As the crowd cheers, Delrien toasts Quill, a

Longbow diplomat who sits at his side. Many toasts

follow, and it is quite late by the time you return to

your inn and collapse in your bed. The festival

takes its toll, and its late the next afternoon when

you are awoken by a commotion in the street

below your window.

(The referee should provide this information

to the players.)

For two weeks, the elven village of Alderlan

has been celebrating the betrothal of the baron’s

son. Word of the lavish festival has spread across

the land, and like many others, you have traveled

to Alderlan to partake in the revelry. The

graciousness of your hosts has impressed you, and

you’ve made quite a few friends among the Alder

tribe.

The night before the wedding, you attended a

spectacular banquet. After hours of incredible

entertainment and savory food, Delrien Alder rose

from his place at the head of the table and spoke

these words:

“This is a time of joy for the Alder tribe, and

we gladly share our happiness with our visitors.

But we were not always as merry as this.

“Sixteen years ago, we were engaged in such

terrible disputes with the Longbow clan that war

seemed inevitable. As we prepared for battle, a

sidhe seer stepped between us, saying, “Peace and

prosperity will be yours, Delrien Alder, and yours

too, Alexi Longbow if you hark my words. A child

will be born in both your houses. If the babes are

both boys or both girls, then the goddess Dana will

sanction your warring, and count it just. But if the

children are a boy and a girl, then let them be wed.

It is a sign from Dana that the clans should join as

one, and be strong.”

“Heeding the wisdom of the ancient one, we

laid down our arms and waited. First, my mate was

delivered of a son, whom we named Conrad. A few

months later, the Longbow tribe saw the birth of a

lovely girl, Marli. The goddess Dana had shown her

will. A truce was called between our clans, and the

wedding set for the day of Conrad’s sixteenth

birthday.

“Conrad has grown into a handsome,

strapping young elf. This morning, he left us to

Beginning the Game

The player characters start in their rooms at

the local inn. Looking out their windows, they will

see a group of elves surrounding a dust-encrusted

priest slumped astride a weary mount. The priest

is helped off his horse and into the inn.

Downstairs, the players find the priest sitting

at a table, gulping from a flagon of water, as a maid

wipes the grime from his face. A crowd stands

around him, the fear and dismay clear in their

voices. “It’s Javel Alder,” one of the onlookers

murmurs, “the priest who left yesterday with

Conrad’s wedding party.”

Delrien Alder bursts through the front door.

“What has happened!” he demands. At his heels,

Quill the Longbow diplomat follows.

Javel explains what happened. “The wedding

party left yesterday as planned. Conrad, in his

eagerness to reach the sacred glade, rode until

dusk. We were riding over Highfall Crest, when

dozens of shadowy men darted forward. They were

quick, deadly and silent. Although I can’t be sure, I

think they wielded daggers. The horses went wild

during the fight, making defense almost

impossible. My bolting horse threw me into the

undergrowth, and I was knocked unconscious.”

(Referee’s Note: A Good Empathy roll will

indicate to a player who checks that Javel is lying.

He’s too proud to confess that he was actually

frozen by an all encompassing terror.)

Ghost of a Chance

“When I recovered, the fighting was over. The

attackers were digging shallow graves for the

bodies. I was so frightened by the silent marauders

that I fled into the night. I found my horse and

spurred it into a froth until I reached home.”

If asked, Javel will admit that he did not see

the bodies clearly, and he does not know if Conrad

was among them.

Longbow families. With this ring, he would wed

Marli.

Darris Alder, Conrad’s friend and best man,

who was known to be almost as handsome as

Conrad himself.

Nedri Alder, Conrad’s uncle, who favored fine

tobacco.

Javel Alder, the priest who escaped the

carnage.

Three men at arms. Like the others in the

wedding party, they wore the green and gold

raiment of the Alder family.

The Brink of War

The Alder clan is incensed. Who but the

Longbows would wish to harm their ruler’s heir?

Quill pleads that they had nothing to do with the

affair. He argues that if Conrad could be found and

wed to Marli, the two clans could still live in peace.

If the players suggest that someone go look for

Conrad, Delrien will gruffly dismiss the idea. “My

warriors must stay in Alderlan to prepare for war

with the Longbow tribe. If Conrad is dead, he

cannot be brought back to life. And if the Longbows

have taken him hostage, the only way to restore his

freedom is by force. Clearly, the Longbows do not

want peace. So we shall have war instead.” He

gestures at Quill. “Soldiers, take this Longbow spy

prisoner!”

Highfall Crest

The most obvious place to start the search for

Conrad Alder is Highfall Crest. The cliff is nearly a

day’s journey away. It is a dark and gloomy place. A

Great Legends roll will bring to mind the story of a

forgotten cemetery in the vicinity, where an

ancient civilization of men once buried their dead.

But of course, that’s just a rumor.

A character who examines the trail along the

cliff and rolls Passable or better on Track can

locate the scene of a battle. One set of hoof prints

leads over the edge of the cliff, and at the foot of

the cliff 100 feet below is the carcass of a white

steed with the green and gold livery of the Alder

family. This is Conrad’s horse, but his body is

nowhere to be found. A vast quantity of blood on

the saddle bodes ill for Conrad’s safety. It only

takes a Poor Nature roll to realize that horses don’t

normally charge off cliffs unless terribly frightened.

Also on Conrad’s horse is his saddlebags, which

contain items perfect for use with a firbolg’s Far

Sight power. Using Far Sight to see Conrad’s

surroundings will give the firbolg the impression of

floating serenely in warm, bubbling water,

shrouded in a silent darkness.

Involving the Players

Here is a situation ripe with heroic

opportunities! Optimally, the players will volunteer

to find Conrad to prevent the war. If they are

reluctant, Quill can ask them to find out what really

happened to save his own skin. Or, Delrien might

send the players to seek revenge for Conrad’s

murder. If the players refuse to get involved, tell

them they’re a sorry bunch of heroes and maybe

they should play something less daring, like

checkers. Legendary Lives is only for the bold.

The Wedding Party

Five Graves

If the players ask, they will be provided with a

description of the wedding party, which consisted

of:

Searching the area, the players find a clearing

which contains five shallow, recently opened

graves. In one grave is a small tobacco pouch

embroidered with elven runes. A Passable Literacy

roll enables a character to read the initials N.A.

(The pouch belonged to Nedri Alder, a member of

Conrad Alder, a strapping, handsome elf. He

carried a splendid ring of betrothal, a circlet of

silver bearing the entwined crests of the Alder and

Ghost of a Chance

the wedding party.) Otherwise, the graves are

empty.

As the players search the area, the person with

the highest Listen roll hears someone coming

through the brush. A moment later, an elf wearing

green and gold stumbles from the woods. He

appears badly wounded. It isn’t until he comes

closer that the players are hit by an aura of fear.

Each player must make a Sanity check.

The elf is a true zombie who will attack the

nearest player. He does Poor damage and has a

Defense of Passable, Good, Great, Superior.

Altogether, there are five zombies in the area, all

members of the wedding party. One zombie

appears every other turn. The zombies are drawn

to the scent of blood, and will always attack the

most wounded character.

After the battle, the players are left with five

dead elves. With guesswork, the players can

account for everyone in the wedding party except

Conrad and his best man, Darris.

northwest side of the clearing, where the tracks of

several creatures can be found leading away.

Following the tracks is easy, especially since the

leaves are punctuated by drops of dried blood. The

trail takes the characters three miles to the

northwest where they come upon an ancient,

hidden graveyard.

If the players enter the cemetery at night, they

will be beset by a horde of forty rogue zombies that

will force them to flee. During the daylight hours,

the zombies remain in their tombs, so entering the

cemetery then is relatively safe.

In the center of the boneyard is a large rock

that has been carved into the shape of a clenched

fist. A plaque on the pedestal reads, “In memory of

Ean, beloved son of Rogoro. May you live again.”

Footsteps lead onto the podium, and a careful

examination (along with a Passable Search roll)

reveals a smear of dried blood trailing from the

fingers of the fist. Pressing on the thumbnail

releases a trigger that causes the fist to open,

exposing a spiral stairway leading down. The

trigger can be located by a Passable Unlock roll.

Five Graves & a Fist

ve Graves & a Fist

A Passable Search roll turns up a bit of green

and gold cloth caught on a broken branch on the

RogoroÔs Lair

FFi

Ghost of a Chance

Vampire Bats

Agility roll is needed or else the character will fall

into the cold stream. If this happens, the character

must roll Passable on Swim or else be swept back

to the pool. Cave leeches lurk in the dark waters,

and (Fate vs Great) leeches will attach themselves

to any character who enters the water. The leeches

wiggle under clothing and armor where they

cannot be seen. It takes 10 minutes for the leeches

to drink their fill and drop off. After having his

blood drained, a leech’s victim will suffer a skill

penalty equal to the number of leeches attached to

him. For instance, a character with three leeches

would be at -3 on all skills for one day. The bloated

leeches can be easily removed once discovered.

Upon entering the fist, the party finds

themselves standing on a spiral staircase in total

darkness. Around them echoes the sound of

flapping wings. As the party climbs down the forty

foot staircase, they are attacked by four giant

vampire bats. These awful creatures have Poor

Damage and a Defense of Good, Great, Superior.

Anyone hit by a bat must roll Passable on Agility or

else fall from the staircase.

After finishing with the bats, the party

descends into a dismal cavern with two exits.

Firelight dances on the walls of the passage to the

south.

Chamber of the Dead

Barghests

A low humming sound comes from this

chamber, which is piled high with strangely

twisted crystals. There is a dark pit in the middle of

the floor, and on the opposite wall hangs a

beautiful silver-tipped staff. The marble rack that

holds the staff is engraved with the words “Speak

to Me.”

It is very cold here, and a spiritualist will be

bombarded with a variety of thoughts and

sensations, as the dead try to channel through him.

Each crystal is actually the life essence of a person,

magically converted into crystalline form. They are

fragile, and characters must make Good Dexterity

rolls to handle them correctly. If not, they will

break, releasing a ghost. The ghosts, while not

malignant, are so frightening that a character

seeing one must roll Good on Sanity or else flee

mindlessly. A frightened character must also make

a Passable Agility roll or else plunge into the

central pit.

The silver staff is magical. If the possessor

points it at a dead body and commands “Speak to

Me,” the staff allows the spirit of the corpse to

speak aloud for (Passable vs user’s Knowledge) x 2

minutes. The ghost can be clearly heard by

everyone in the local area. It is usable three times

per day, and is worth about 10 gold pieces. If the

staff is used on the crystals, the spirits will babble

forlornly about freedom, suffering, and how cold it

is.

A small fire burns in the center of this

chamber, and the sweet smell of incense hangs in

the air. Spiritualists feel uneasy and afraid in this

room, and they will soon see why as three

barghests advance threateningly from the

shadows. They will attack anybody who tries to

enter the Chamber of the Dead. They attack with

their bite (Passable damage) and horns (passable

damage). They each have a Defense of Good, Good,

Great, Superior, Awesome.

The heavy, double doors to the Chamber of the

Dead are surrounded by a carved arch. The stone is

sculptured into the form of a hundred twisted,

suffering figures. The small figures are posed in

attitudes of anguish, their limbs stretched as

though climbing towards the top of the arch, where

a larger statue of a lean faced man sits upon a

throne, a staff across his legs.

Underground Pool

A narrow path leads to a pool that is fed by an

underground stream. There is enough space

between the river and the cave walls to walk one

abreast, but this passage is slippery and a Great

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