Sunday, February 4, 2024

A demonic stone summoning the corrupting powers of chaos to form a gateway to the Pit...

Black Keystone (#5/29, #36/365) [EA:V2] (Artefact)

"My name is Horace Wolff. I am a stonemason. I live in a small hamlet north of Anvil. One day months ago, I returned home after delivering a gargoyle to a customer in Stonebridge to find two Spirit Stalkers waiting. The undead messengers of evil wore black hooded cloaks, and were sitting motionless on huge steeds - black stallions with fiery red eyes, with my wife standing beside them in chains! In hissing voices they warned that unless I did their bidding, I would never see Luannah again. They took her away that day, and ever since I have been carving this block of granite. This morning the Spirit Stalkers returned and summoned a Warhawk to fly me to Yaztromo's Tower. My task was to put this keystone in place there, but as we flew southwest I realized that Allansia would be doomed if I did!"

Horace Wolff, Stonemason

The Black Keystone is a huge rectangular block of ominous-looking black granite, which has been carved on one side with a scene of an advancing army of Undead warriors being urged on by the depiction of one of the Demon Princes. The Black Keystone is used to summon the depicted Demon Prince to Titan, a lengthy ritual that takes up to a week to achieve.

First, a place of power, such as a tower or castle or other important building needs to be identified and then desecrated with the appropriate demonic rituals. These rituals will cause the outside of the structure to slowly turn black, from the ground upwards, as well as negating any rituals or wards already present, and providing protection against new rituals being cast.

When the Black Keystone is placed at the top-most point of the pre-corrupted structure, the following effects will occur:

1 It will begin to summon all Undead within 10 kilometres towards the stone (treat as 100-600 Skeleton Warriors).

2 The area surrounding the structure will turn black and sprout weird plants due to Chaos-contamination (roll for plant type: 1 Chaos Plant, 2 Acid Vines, 3 Vampyric Slime Mould, 4 Lavender Dream-Shrooms, 5 Carnivorous Plant, 6 Mantrap Flower)

3 It will summon a random Demon to the stone (Roll: 1 Quag-Shugguth, 2 Maijem-Nosoth, 3 Spike Demon, 4 Skurasha, 5 Hell Demon, 6 Netherworld Demon)

4 After seven days it will summon the selected Demon Prince for whom it was inscribed from the Pit to take control of the structure and its various amassed forces.

If the summoned Demon Prince is slain, the Black Keystone loses its power and can be destroyed simply by pushing it off, of wherever it had been secured to. The agents of Lord Azzur placed a Black Keystone atop the tower of Yaztromo, using it to summon the second incarnation of the now-Demon Prince Zanbar Bone, and turning the tower completely black. These plans were thwarted however, by Yaztromo himself, his wizardly friend Nicodemus, and several heroic adventurers including Hakasan Za the ninja tracker.

Not available to buy


6 comments:

  1. Is "undead" as in "undead Warriors" in the second paragraph meant to capitlised? Also, I think "Azzur" has only one "r" at the back.

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    1. Cheers, it's probably supposed to be Undead warriors

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  2. Oh, and several of the demons in the seventh paragraph should apparently have commas after them. Just let me know if I'm appearing obnoxious or pointing out things you'd notice when doing a final once-over, and I'll stop.

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    1. Also good, and no problem, keep pointing stuff out - at least I know someone is reading this! :-)

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