Bloody Roots
The Chaos Crier #1 · p.8
Open source p.8adventure
Bloody
Roots
leading to the bowels of the earth. That's the main conversation
topic in taverns everywhere right now. As the characters go to
sleep at the local inn, the whole town collapses into the depths of
the Chthonian Empire. Soldiers show up, and the characters soon
understand that they have but two choices: surrender and be
enslaved or fight their way up and warn the world above!
THE ATTACK
The characters wake up as their
inn is falling down the hole
created by Chthonian Empire
worms. After they crash, they get a
few moments to get their bea-
rings (and find their gear among
the ruins): the remnants of the
town now lie at the bottom of a
100-meter-deep chasm. At a dis-
tance, they can see soldiers, some
of them mounted on huge worms,
taking prisoners and killing those
who resist. It's time for the ques-
tion: “What do you do?”.
H What's around us?
Half-destroyed houses all
around, creating an uneven,
difficult terrain.
H What's beyond the town
ruins?
Triangle-shaped tunnels, illu-
minated by a greenish glow.
H What do the troops look like?
See the Chthonian Empire, p.11.
None of the soldiers seem to have
ranged weapons. The big worms
don't like that they are slowed
down by the uneven terrain. The
soldiers aim to take the charac-
ters prisoners, not to kill them.
08
By Kobayashi
Art:Rackham le Roux
Two villages have
disappeared. In their places
are huge, dark holes
THE UNDERGROUND
Now the characters are free to run, fight, or come
up with some elaborate plan. The map and locations
are here to help you as a GM, but you'll still have to
be ready to improvise (or prep some ready situations
in advance).
EPILOGUE
The characters will either find a
way back to the surface or die wi-
thout ever seeing the sun again.
How will the surface react to
the existence of the Chthonian
Empire? Will the characters bring
any useful information besides
“Woot! Worms!”?
Loocraim Threene can introduce
the characters to other exiles and
provide information about the
Chthonian Empire and even allies
to fight the regime from within.
If the characters are made prisoners
Imperial soldiers only kill as a last resort, or if ordered to. Any characters who become
helpless are taken captive. They wake up in a cell in Arghilia, and the choice is pretty clear:
escape or die in the mines of the Chthonian Empire!
10
Maps (2)
Rooms (4)
Prisoners p.8
1. Prisoners
From a distance: triangular archway, blueish glow, the
sound of chained feet shuffling.
As they reach this long tunnel, the characters
stumble upon a long line of prisoners escorted by a
dozen soldiers.
If the characters flee, four soldiers and an officer
riding a worm go after them to take them prisoners.
(See sidebar p.11.)
If the characters wish to engage the captors and
spark a rebellion among the prisoners, let them
have two rounds of blood-spilling fun, then roll a
, (two if the characters' actions are helpful to
the prisoners, like they target an officer or a worm
rider; keep the best result):
1
All prisoners are wiped out.
2 The prisoners lose and are captured again.
3 The prisoners lose, but some manage to escape.
4 The prisoners barely win, but some
Chthonian soldiers escape.
5 The prisoners win, eliminating all the soldiers.
6 The prisoners win, eliminate the soldiers,
and take a few prisoners.
River p.9
2. River
From a distance: fresh air circulating, the sound of
rushing water.
An underground river flows in the dark, occupying
the whole tunnel.
If the characters jump into it, they must succeed at a
Strength test to stay afloat. (If they fail, they can
sacrifice a sizeable piece of equipment to get a new
roll.)
Survivors end up at Arghilia. (See #4 below.) Roll a
(two if the characters make obvious efforts to
remain hidden, like keeping underwater; keep the
best result):
1
The characters are immediately spotted by
town guards. (Use the soldier's stats, p.11.)
2 The characters are immediately spotted by one
of the town's inhabitants, who raises the
alarm.
3 The characters are immediately spotted by a
kid, who doesn't know how to react.
4 The characters arrive unnoticed as a patrol of
soldiers is approaching.
5 The characters arrive unnoticed.
6 The characters arrive unnoticed near two
unsuspecting soldiers having an argument in
their language.
Mushroom forest p.9
3. Mushroom forest
From a distance: musky smells, eerie light
and floating spores.
These thick mushroom woods are the
refuge of one of the Empire's exiles.
Loocraim Threene is a noble who lost
her status because she was a bit too vocal
in her opposition to the plan to conquer
the surface world. She now lives here as
a hermit and can often be found picking
mushrooms. Of course, she doesn't speak
any languages from the surface. (The
Diplomat background could be helpful
here.) The characters might nonetheless
learn the following:
H Exits to the surface can be found in
the nearby town of Arghilia. (See #4
below.)
H What locations are around: Loocraim
can make a map of their surroundings
(basically the one to the left).
09
Arghilia p.10
4. Arghilia
From a distance: This small town
is one of many settlements dotting
the Chthonian Empire's territory.
The first thing that characters notice
are the triangle-shaped buildings,
arranged in groups of three.
Everything seems to be built in
threes and in triangular shapes,
from the doors to the windows to
the glasses used by the locals.
Soldiers are posted everywhere,
and it is pretty obvious that the
population lives under martial
law. Characters who take the time
to observe their surroundings
notice three tall buildings rising
up to the cavern's ceiling. These
chimneys are the easiest way to
reach the surface. The buildings
are heavily guarded (nine soldiers
and three officers), but patient
characters can observe that
everyone entering the buildings
is wearing clothes matching the
population above (whatever fits
your current campaign), and
is saluted by the guards. These
are spies sent to scout out new
targets, but it's for the characters
to guess that!