GLoGtober '21 Day 2 - Stygia, A Land of Ash

The northwest, a land of ash and folly

     In a past age, the Stygian kingdoms ruled the northwest of the world. Their land was not like verdant and magical Arcadia; it was barren and mountainous, and the humans there fought unendingly for resources. They, like all human tribes, were ruled by Kings.

    But the Arcadian Kings and the Stygian Kings were not the same. The Stygian Kings were a hard-pressed lot, as, unlike their Arcadian neighbors, their kingdoms were far less abundant in resources and people. The Stygian Kings still revered the Titans while the more advanced Arcadians worshipped the six sacred metals.

    Everything remained this way for hundreds of years, until, as always, one individual changed the course of history. Her true name has been forgotten and now she is referred to as the Flamescar Worm. The Worm used to be a female King and artist of the Witch-in-the-woods. She came up with the brilliant idea to start consuming magical energy, including the souls of her fellow artists. She started to consume the sacred metals, especially gold. Then, she found the original Knight of Eyes, a great stone card engraved with a divine rune.

    And consumed it.

    Her skin blackened and became scaly, her tongue and fangs serpentine. Her eyes, reflecting her diet, became spheres the color of molten gold. Wings sprouted from her back and her breath became that of scarlet flame.

Anato Finnstark

   It was midnight when the Flamescar Worm burst from her blazing palace, letting out a screech that alerted all the Kings in Stygia that a new power was on the rise. In perhaps the only time in the long history of Stygia, the mountain Kings united. The goal of the combined kings? Kill their vermicular foe. The Kings traveled to the lair of the Flamescar Worm and fought her there. In their hubris, they thought they could defeat her.

    An innumerable number of Kings died that day. The ashy detritus of their bodies still blows from Worm’s Peak. A few wandering families of artists settled down near the Flamescar Worm’s lair and have become her devout acolytes. Most of the Stygians, King-less, decided to migrate to the mountains of the world, becoming the dwarfs.

The Guilty Will Not Judge Themselves (Class: Seraph)

    This post is intended for Vayra's Cannibal Kings setting. Thanks for the inspiration.

Seraph

The High King rules over all, even the Petty Kings. He lets the other Kings war amongst each other as long as they follow two simple rules: 1) recognize him as the ultimate Kingly authority and 2) prevent the spread of Kinghood to those unworthy to have it (also known as peasants). The High King mostly leaves his vassals alone, trusting them to follow his mandates. Except, for, y’know, maintaining an organization of secret operatives that keep watch on the Kings and prevent the spread of Kinghood through assassination.

The seraphs of the High King are his agents within the Arcadian kingdoms, rooting out potential Kings and killing them before they start to cause unrest. They operate completely alone, receiving dream-messages* from the High King whenever they are needed. The process of selecting a seraph is unknown, as is whoever is making the decisions involving their training; what is known is that all who know the seraph disappear or die, leaving no one aware of their past identity.

Seraphs also bypass the Petty Kings' authority, and, in one rare case, were allowed to kill one. Obviously, this means the seraphs aren’t popular with the lesser Kings, and if they are found they will be tortured and consumed by the Petty Kings.

Jongmin Ahn
One of these people is a seraph. But who?

Starting Equipment: 2 disguises [decided below]. 1 medium melee weapon. Bow and 20 arrows.

Starting Skill [d4]: Deception, Persuasion, Intimidation, Stealth,

Level 1: Identify, Hidden Ways, +1 HP,

Level 2: Answer To No One, Advantageous,

Level 3: Observant, +1 HP,

Level 4: Schemer, +1 AB,

Identify

You are trained in the ways of recognizing cannibals, ghouls, and potential Kings. A seraph can do this by looking at a person’s teeth, which grow sharp and durable after eating human flesh. As a premier King-hunter, you have a [templates]-in-6 chance of instantly identifying a potential King upon meeting them. You also have Advantage on every roll related to finding out if someone is a potential King.

Hidden Ways

You have [templates] hidden Inventory Slots. Items in these hidden Inventory Slots can’t be discovered unless you want them too.

Answer To No One

You aren’t affected by Kings’ Majesty Dice, although it might be in your best interest to act like you are. You can still be commanded by the High King.

Advantageous

You always seek an advantage over your opponents. Whenever you have Advantage, you roll three times and take the higher number.

Observant

Seraphs are patient. They gather information, wait, and strike their target with deadly efficiency. The number of facts you gather about a target is written as [facts]. You can’t have more than 3 facts, and they must be something you couldn’t find out from looking at a snapshot of the target. When you try to hit the target, subtract [facts] from their armor class; this is their new armor class, which only applies to your attacks.

Schemer

Seraphs rely on elaborate traps and schemes to ensnare their (possibly quite powerful) opponent. Once per rest, you may declare that you have laid a trap for your opponents. The trap can have two of the following characteristics:

• Lasts for 1d6+1 rounds.

• Causes 2d8 damage.

• Begin an effect (poisoned, stunned, incapacitated, etcetera)

Mike Chan
A Seraph

d6 Disguises

1. The Criminal. You have rough clothing and a dagger.

2. The Merchant. You have fine clothing and a log of mundane transactions.

3. The Servant. You have fine clothing and a bottle of wine.

4. The Soldier. You have a military uniform of your choice and a shield.

5. The Traveler. You have traveler’s clothing and a walking stick.

6. The Villager. You have rough clothing and a farming implement.

*No one knows how the High King does this, but in every single dream, crows appear. Whatever the hell that means.