Invasion

Story Three: Illigor

What is the story about? The players are given lands on the high ground to the south of Adgefrin hill, but not all their new tenants are what they seem. While most are normal, some worship a bane called Illigor. The bane is currently trying to get the people to channel enough power for it to materialise in this world.

From here onwards, anything italicised is to be read to the players, everything else is for the storyteller only.

Scene One: Good news ... and Bad news

About a fortnight after your rescue of Kendra you are summoned to meet with Aelfric one evening. Entering his hall you see him sitting at his chair, he motions for you to enter and be seated. “Welcome Friends, I have good news for you. Word of your recent actions have carried quite a bit further than our own settlement. Tales of what you have done are being passed around all the nearby towns and villages.” He leans forward in his chair and looks solemnly at your group. “A few days ago a dear friend of mine, a Thegn from Ewewic named Waltheof, died. He was very old and has been fighting for Northumbria for many years. However, he also had heard stories of what you did and decided that you need rewarding. He knew he was dying and so when you set out who would gain his lands, he included you all in the counting. I received word of this only today and as the lands he has given you are close by, I have taken the liberty of sending Eadberht to personally check out the lands and tenants for you.” A troubled look passes over his face, and he leans closer to you “I do not know how he gained his information, but the messenger told me that Waltheof thought you deserved this land because of the way you dealt with that pair of werewolves. As far as I knew, no one other than Aethelfrith, myself and all of you knew about them.”

Here any local players i.e. from Adgefrin can roll Intelligence + Hearth Wisdom (diff 8) to try and remember the tale of the Water Horse any getting two or more success’s can remember as much of the tale as Aethelfrith describes below. 

Pausing for another refill, Aelfric lifts his glass to you all, “Congratulations, you are making quite a name for yourselves, may your good works and rewards continue!” As Aelfric finishes his toast, the door opens and Eadberht enters. “Greetings my Lord” he nods to Aelfric and then turns to you all “I presume that you have heard the news then? I have just returned from surveying the lands and while most of the information I have is good, I unfortunately also have a few problems to tell you.”

Eadberht pulls a bench out from the wall and sits facing you all. “As I am sure Aelfric has told you, your lands lie about 6 miles south of here at he base of the largest peak of these hills. What Waltheof has actually granted you is a small valley and the land surrounding it. There is no true settlement, though there are a number of farmsteads. The people are mainly hunters and fishermen as the land is not very good for farming. I spoke to them about Waltheof and apparently neither him nor any of his men have been up there for at least five or six years. Overall the lands are not worth much, but a small income from them is possible from the products of the hunters such as pelts, meat and other goods.”

“Now unfortunately to the problems. Most of the men and women up there are good folk and are quite happy with the change of ownership. However, on the south side of the lake there is a single farmstead, the others are on the north side. Everyone else on the land welcomed me openly and I was offered food and drink. They were all willing to talk and pass the day. Once I got in a boat and began to cross the water a figure on the farside shouted at me to turn around and go back. I shouted back why I was crossing and the reply was that the land south of the lake was that of Eadred son of Edmund and of no other man. The figure loosed an arrow into the water and again told me to leave. Returning to the other farmsteads I asked about this Eadred and was told nothing good about him. Apparently his family have owned the farmstead for many generations and all of them have been nasty creatures. Next to the farmstead is a ruined watch tower, the other locals said it contains much gold and that is why Eadred and his family act as they do. The church has also been taking an interest in them as rumour also has it that they are indulging in pagan worship. A young priest was sent from Lindisfarne before christmas to investigate these claims and has not yet returned. There was no good to be said of the family by anyone.”

Eadberht walks over to the fire and warms his hands, “After learning this I thought it best to get back here and tell you what I have discovered, you can then decide yourselves what to do about this Eadred and his family.”

Aelfric looks to your group, “As these are your own lands, I give you leave to go and sort out this business if you wish.”

As usual the players have several options open to them (if they decide to ignore the problem, Aelfric will pint out that as new landowners it is their duty to the other tenants to resolve this problem)

• Ask Aethelfrith for guidance
• Find out more information about the missing priest
• Leave straight for the area to investigate

Ask Aethelfrith

If the players seek out Aethelfrith he warmly welcomes them and asks what they require. If they ask him for information he can help in the following areas;

Geography of their new lands

The area is about 3 x 2 miles and is mostly hilly moorland. Most of the valley bottom is a long lake, the lake is about a 2 miles long by about half a mile wide. There is a small wooded island in the centre. On the slopes to the north are about a dozen farmsteads, each supporting itself with basic farming and hunting. To the south side is a single farmstead run by a man called Eadred. On the south side is also a large ruined tower from when the Romans were here. It is a burnt out shell that is barely standing.

Information about Eadred

Eadred’s family have owned the lands there for many years, and until recently have been as any other self-supporting family. However, both Eadred’s father and himself have turned out to be violent and belligerent bullies threatening any that come on their lands. Local rumour says this is because Edmund (Eadred’s Father) discovered hidden Roman gold in the tower and doesn’t want anyone else to have any, and certainly both Eadred and his Father appear to have gained some wealth from somewhere.

Rumours about Eadred

The Monastery at Lindinsfarne has sent over a young welsh priest called Griffrith ap Huw to investigate reports of pagan worship by Eadred and his family. Shepherds from Ewewic were out late one night and saw a glow from the old tower, they didn’t investigate any closer but said they could hear some weird chanting, but not in English or Latin. It is presumed that as Eadred lets nobody onto his lands, that whoever was chanting in the tower must be at least associated with Eadred. Candlemas is only a couple of days away, and the church wanted this business resolved before now (Candlemas is the Catholic celebration of the purification of the Virgin Mary).

The Tale of the Water Horse

Until quite recently a popular local tale was of the Water Horse. The Water Horse was a giant serpent like creature that lived in the lake on the moors. At night it would sometimes come ashore and ravage the crops and animals before going back to its watery lair. Many brave warriors tried to find and kill the beast, but all were either killed or never found anything. The last time it was seen was over 150 years ago and now many people have forgotten about it. 

Aethelfrith will be unable to really help the characters with any other information, he either cannot find it in his library, or cannot remember anything.

Finding out about the priest

The players can approach this in two ways. They can either ask Aethelfrith who will tell them as above (a young welsh priest named Griffrith ap Huw was sent to investigate the possibility of Eadred being involved in pagan worship) or they can attempt to question the Monastery on Lindisfarne. However, if they mention this anyone (e.g. Aelfric to ask his permission to travel to Lindisfarne or Aethelfrith to ask where it is) they will be told that it isn’t worth the trouble as the Abbot will not tell them anything (they are basically common men and do not need to know the affairs of the church).

Investigating the area

Key;
1: Wiglaf's House 2: Watch Tower 3: Eadred's Farm 4: Focus

On foot it will take a day to travel over the moor to the farmsteads. The going is tough, snow still covers a lot of the land and the dead grass’s and heathers tangle feet and legs. Once at the top of the hill, it is possible to see the various farmsteads dotted along the hillside and valley bottom. Small plots of land are attached to them and generally they are about half a mile apart. They are all roughly the type of building, a simple two room building with a thatched (or turfed roof). Smoke rises from most. The shore on this side of the lake is just visible, but the far side and the island are totally obscured by mist and fog. The sun is getting low, and it is getting colder.

Here the players will need to sort out some kind of shelter. They can either make one (Each player rolls Intelligence + Woodcraft, diff 7, 5+ success’s are needed between the players to make something suitable) or they can call at one of the farms. Anyone they ask will suggest that they go and see Wiglaf and his wife, they live on the valley bottom at the western end of the lake, they have quite a large set of buildings and should have spare room.

Should the players end up staying with Wiglaf, the following information is obtainable through the course of talking.

• Eadred and his family have been a lot more suspicious and violent over the last few weeks. It is possible that someone is somehow stealing his gold.
• Anyone out late at night as seen a greenish glow over the ruined tower or the wooded island.
• None of Waltheof’s men have been up here for at least five years.
• That young priest was around asking questions and things, but no one has seen him for a few weeks. He was staying with Wiglaf and Deira and before he was last seen was getting quite excited about something. He claimed to know what Eadred was doing, but needed more proof.

If they ask, the players will be shown the little hut where Griffith was staying. A good search (perception + investigation, 2+ success’s) will reveal that Griffith hid a journal under the bed. It is written it Latin. In it Griffith starts by talking about how he is going to discover what godless acts the heathen Northumbrian is conducting. After a few days, he mentions that he has now seen the glow as well. It is like a greenish mist rising from the tower, but he cannot think what it may be. Eadred threatened him when he went over to see him, and Griffith had to leave quite quickly to preserve his life. Griffith explored the island and found nothing but a large standing stone, he also noted that on the north side of the lake were two more near to the island. However, because of Eadred he cannot explore the far side of the lake to see if there are any more. The last entry simply says “I have had enough crawling around in the dark, tonight I will slip across the lake in a boat and see for myself what is happening over there.” The room holds nothing else of interest.

During the night the mist clears slightly and an unusual glow can be seen moving around on the far side of the lake.

The following morning the mist has cleared and it is possible to see all the way across the water. A large collection of houses is visible (Eadred’s farmstead) as is the ruined tower. The island in the lake is visible. The standing stones on this side of the lake are about half a mile apart and are quite easy to find. They stand about 15’ tall and are about 6’ across. They are positioned on either side of the island. Should the players wish to view the island or cross the lake, it is easy enough to borrow a boat.

The Lake

The water of the lake is black from the hilly peat deposits. Around the shore are reeds and other aquatic plant life. Occasionally a fish will break the surface. The water is fresh, but only just as the water flow is very slow.

The Island

The island is only a couple of hundred yards across and has thick tree cover. As the players come close to the island they should make a perception roll (diff 7, diff 5 if they noted they were watching for things). Two or more success’s reveals something bobbing in the water on the south side of the island. Closely inspection reveals that it is a half rotten corpse. The upper half of the body appears to have been bitten off around the shoulders, and the remains of a coarse brown woollen robe cling to the body. They have found Griffith. A rough path leads through the tree cover to the centre of the island. In a small bare patch of earth there is another standing stone. This one is around 20’ tall and about 10’ around. The word “Spirit” is carved on it in a crude form of latin (Intelligence + Academics, diff 8, to read)

The Ruined Tower

The tower itself is a standard Roman ‘D-Shaped’ tower. The walls stand about 10’ high, and are blackened as if burnt. The ground floor is stone flagged, but the wooden first floor has rotted away. In the corner opposite the entrance a flight of stairs leads down to the dungeons. The stairs go down about 50 feet before coming a long passageway. There are unlit torches in the walls, and except for a small area at the base of the stairs, there is no other light source.

Rooms 1 - 2; These are empty, rotten chests and boxes are strewn around and everything is covered in dust.

Room 3; In the corner of this room is a large sheet of polished bronze. Around the edge a strange script is carved. The script is a very primitive and crude version of latin. A successful Intelligence + Academics, diff 9 is required to read it. It is a spell to summon the Water Horse. The player reading the script will see the image in the mirror change to that of Room 10, and will see a large serpent rise up out of the well.

Rooms 4-8; These are old cells, rusting iron shackles are riveted into the walls. In some lie mouldering skeletons, searching these bodies will reveal nothing. Any players who suggest giving them a proper burial will regain 2 willpower once they are buried.

Room 9; This appears to be a study of some kind. An unlit oil lamp is on a small table, and various papers are strewn around. Anyone reading the papers will discover that Eadred is attempting to summon the Water Horse and bind it to him. One of the papers appears to be a spell to do this. Another paper seems to be a chant of some form and describes how Eadred’s father raised the stones, and how Eadred keeps them raised for him Below the Water.

Room 10; This was once a torture chamber, and from the rusting implements adorning the wall it is possible to see this. Careful examination of the tools will show that what appears to be rust on some is actually freshly dried blood. In the centre of the room is a large (8’ diameter) well that rises about 3’ from the floor. The water in it is black and scummy. This is a underground tunnel that leads out into the lake beneath the waterline. If the players have summoned the Water Horse (see Room 3) then it will burst out of the well if the players spend more than few minutes in the room.

Room 11; Strewn around the inside of this room are gnawed and charred bones. Some are quite fresh; others crumble to dust as soon as they are touched. Anyone searching the pile notices that there are very few skulls.

Room 12; There are several dessicated human bodies to here in agonised and twists positions.

Room 13; This is a cell that appears to have been recently occupied, fresh blood is on the floor and the shackles have been oiled. Searching reveals a broken rosary.

The Southern Standing Stones

These appear to be in everyway the same as those to the north, except a close look will show that a primitive form of Latin is carved into the stones. The word “Fire” is carved on the one closet to the tower, and “Earth” is carved on the other (Intelligence + Academics, diff 8, to read each).

Eadred and his men

After a few minutes at either of the stones, a quite stocky man and powerfully built man walks over to the group from the direction of the farm. He immediately tells the players leave before something happens to them. They will be threatened, and if they haven’t left another group of about a dozen men comes up from the farmstead, they are various armed with sickles, spears, bows etc. Eadred will cut short any player claiming to own the land and will repeat his threat.  They will be asked once more to leave or they will be driven off. Four bowmen already have arrows nocked and aimed at the characters. If the players do not leave, or they attack, the bowmen will loose theirs arrows at the strongest looking members of the group (Attack pool 5, Damage pool 5, no soak for mail, Initiative pool 4) and the other men will attack with their weapons (Attack pool 5, Damage pool 6, Initiative pool 4). If the players try and run or leave they will be allowed to do.

The Rites of Eadred’s Clan

The second night that the players are there is the 2^nd of February (Candlemas). The Family will gather in the tower at midnight. Chanting can be heard and a green tinged glow hovers above the tower. After about an hour, the glow dies down and the clan go into the torture room to continue their rites. One clan member is selected to be a sacrifice and they wait next to the well. They indulge in hypnotic dances and reels, twisted pipe playing and incestuous orgies. During the ritual the Water Horse rises out of the well and takes the sacrifice. The dancing etc carries on for another hour or so before dispersing back to the farmstead.

The Water Horse

The Water Horse is an ancient bane called Illigor. Trapped centuries ago in this lake by a pack of werewolves, it has been attempting to draw in enough power to itself so it can materialise and seek out the werewolves. It knows that the ley lines running around the land can ‘recharge’ its power, but that the power needs to flow through the stones. Thus it has been intent on getting anyone worshipping it to rebuild the standing stones around its lake, as they are currently toppled and do not channel any energy. Eadred and his father have managed to re-erect the stones, and the bane has been drawing power from them. They have carved the words of a summoning spell on three of the stones, but not the other two yet so the bane cannot yet fully materialise except in the well and the lake. Any night that the players watch the lake, there is a 1 in 10 chance that it will appear, a 2 in 10 chance if there are on the lake in a boat and a 4 in chance if they are near to the focus of the power.

Whether in the water or in the well, the only part of the bane ever visible is its upper neck and head. The neck is thick and covered in shiny green and silver scales, tendrils of weeds and plants hang from them. The creature’s head is broad and flat with two large round eyes. Fleshy whiskers like those of a catfish dangle from beneath its mouth. Large spines run down the centre of it’s head and neck. It’s teeth are large and curved back into the mouth, bits of flesh and bone hang from them.

The stats are for the materialised bane in the lake or the well.

Strength 6; Dexterity 2; Stamina 6; Wits 4; Intelligence 5; Perception 4;

Alertness 4; Brawl 4; Dodge 1;

Armour; 4

Willpower 10

Bite; 10 dice

Health; OK, OK, OK, Ok, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -2, -2, -2, -2, -3, -3, -3, -5, -5, Dead

If ‘killed’ the bane spirit will move straight back to the focus and regain its power before materialising again and inciting its agents (Eadred and family) to attack the players.

Endings

The players can end this in a number of ways, partial success’s are;

• Topple the stones, this will reduce the power of the focus and set back the plans of the bane until; it can raise them again. If the players try and topple any stones there is a 2 in 10 chance that Illigor will rise out of the lake and attack, and an 8 in 10 chance that it will summon D10 men instead to see off the players.
• Eliminate Eadred and his family. Again this will set back the plans of the bane until it can control another to aid it. The players will need to kill everyone, burn out the farmstead or find some other way of disposing of them (e.g. get them arrested by the Church/Earl etc)
• Destroy the stones, this will destroy the field and the bane will need the stones built again before it can start. If the players try and destroy any stones there is a 2 in 10 chance that Illigor will rise out of the lake and attack, and an 8 in 10 chance that it will summon D10 men instead to see off the players.

A complete success consists of both eliminating the family AND destroying the stones.

Xp is awarded as follows

1 for toppling the stones,

1 for eliminating the family

3 for destroying the stones

3 for a complete success (in addition to the 4 above)