Lifeforms · Ethereal · City/ Ruin
The Few
The first sign of one of the Few is the glow that surrounds it.Most of the survivors of such encounters only saw the glow, for few can fight face to face with the Few and survive to tell the tale.
Full Description
In the hidden Valley of the Last Sleep, and in a few other areas where Royal Tombs can be found, are the Few. Few by name, and few in number. In the Old Times, back when even the Dragons and the oldest Elves were eggs and unborn babies, the Kings and Queens were buried with all manner of treasure, even people. Servants and soldiers were sacraficed in those distant days to serve their rulers in the afterlife for eternity.
Most who suffered such a fate were dragged screaming or bound and gagged into the tomb, but if the ruler had been popular, one or more people would voluntarily choose to sacrafice themselves, taking poison and lying down beside the ruler's body of their own free will, and it was they who became the Few.
Often grave robbers would attempt to rob the tomb within a matter of a few years or decades, but in breaking the seals they summoned the Few from their heavenly afterlives to defend their ruler in death as they had done in life.
One of the Few appears as a glowing spirit of what he or she looked like in life. Unlike the majority of Undead they are not shambling rotting bodies encrusted with maggots, or clattering skelitons. They glow red with anger at being called to fight, and they wear the antique armour and carry the swords and spears of the old times.
A blow landed on one of them by all but a powerful enchanted weapon will pass straight through unless it hits one of the blades, which it will parry. The phantom blades, on the other hand, are solid and able to do some very real damage. Enchanted weapons, if powerful enough, may wound or even kill the Few, in which case they vanish, weapons and all.
Magic cast on them will normally fail and may well bounce back three times harder on the spellcaster.
Should the PC's retreat from the tomb, the Few will not pursue them beyond the entrance and will vanish back to where they came from.
Additional Information
Should the blades be smashed beyond using, perhaps by a Notcher or by someone with a heavy Warhammer and the strength and skill to use it, the Few will be helpless and unable to do more then swear in their long-lost tongue at the intruders.
If the intruders are not robbers and have disturbed the tomb by mistake, and one of them can speak in the tongue of the Few, he or she may have a chance of persuading them to stop their attack. The color will turn from red to a deep blue, and the spirit or spirits may be spoken to, and will be interested up to a point in what has happened in the world outside. Whilst the no longer angry spirit or spirits will let the intruders leave, they will offer no help beyond advice. The exception to that is that if a weapon is given to an unarmed Few, he or she will bless the person who did it. (What the blessing does should be up to the GM.)Under no circumstances will the Few leave their tombs.
There have been a few necromancers and deeply vile rulers who have attempted to create new Few, but not only do they need the right spells and rituals, they need somebody who is truely willing to die.So far all their attempts have therefore failed.
Scrolls
Twists, chapters, and details meant to stream with the submission — not general discussion.
No scrolls yet — leave one if you have a twist worth keeping.
Sign in to plant an idea scroll.
Enjoyed this? Sign in and cross blades for Cheka Man — five clashes, up to 25 XP.
Sign in to cross the blades.
Discussion
Reader talk, questions, and feedback — not scrolls.
No comments yet — be the first voice in the hall.
Sign in to join the discussion.
Bonds
Curated bonds across the Citadel — sign in to bind a bond. Kindred Favors are another thread in the same weave.
Links to this article 1
- Upshi Rises Cheka Man linked by Cheka Man
Use alongside
Submissions that pair well with this one at the table.
-
Sorcery Springs Geyser Basin
The Sorcery Springs Geyser Basin is a place of bubbling magical water, as every individual spring or pool has it's own magical power. It is a place of great won…
-
The Staff of Silence
This beautiful golden staff has caused many a man or woman to become lost for words...
-
The Black Spear
Lacking in ornamentation, the Black Spear is a relic more than 8000 years old
-
The Crown of the Storm
The Crown of the Storm brings great power to it's wearers, but at a great cost...this can chage the weather but it also has a nasty habit of changing it's weare…
-
The Color-Wraiths Of Gor-Kashesh
Malignant entities, these beings have existed in unlife for so long that they have forgotten what it means to be mortal.
-
Glacier Fins
The shark is the most efficient hunters in the realms. This has empowered the Shark Spirit, to become the Beast Hunting Spirit. This powerful spirit has bound e…
Spectoral tomb guards.
Though, if one is prepared to fight ghosts (with appropriate spells/ items/ etc) they are 'removable'. Unless of course they are divinely powered or something.
I didn't want them to be too uber-powerful. If the PC's have the right magical items, or are doing it as part of a Lawful mission with the permission of the ruler, their magic will work. Even if they have no weapons, they can win if they can work out a way to break the Few's weapons, without which the immaterial ghosts cannot harm them.
The additional comments add a lot. I like the idea of players needing something from a tomb - and finding few guarding it. Then maybe they need to get permission of living heirs (thought to be dead by all, but the few tell pc's this is not so). So now the pc's go to trek for the heirs (if good they might not want to fight few even if they could win and raid the tomb) and then get permission (perhaps for going on a fools errand or joining the heir in an underground movement to recpature his wealth or whatever)... eventually the pcs come back to the place and the few let them by. Maybe someone else has already dearmed the few and stolen what the pcs wanted... so the pcs could rearm them, and be told where to find the thieves....
I like them.
Interesting. Ghosts with firmly limited powers. I would think that if they can bear weapons, and be struck by regular weapons without harm, that they could simply attempt to seize the weapons of the intruders and struggle for possession should their own be broken.