Toys for the Sandbox 122 the Creshe of the Storm Elves

P r e s e n t s

I s s u e # 1 2 2 C r c h e o f t h e S t o r m E l v e s

Wr i t i n g b y

Q u i n n C o n k l i n

Ryan Burpee (order #5896523)

ContentsL i f e a n d D e a t h

H i s t o r y 3D i s c r i p t i o n 4

Pe o p l eN i o m i a g h o f P r e c i p i t a t e A c c r e t i a t e ,

G o v e r n e s s o f t h e C r c h e o f T h u n d e r 5

V i s t i l i a n o f t h e D i s t a n t A c c r e t i a t e , H a r v e s t e r 6

E s m e r i e l a L a u g i n g s t o n e , E s c a p e e F r o m t h e C r c h e 7

R o c o t h e S h e p h e r d , N e c r o m a n c e r o f t h e O r d e r o f S l e e p 8

Po s s i b i l i t i e sL i g h t i n g t h e F u r n a c e 1 0

B r i n g B a c k M y G r e a t e s t W o r k 1 0T h e R e s c u e M i s s i o n 1 1

L e t t h e L i t t l e C h i l d r e n S l e e p 1 1R a i d i n g t h e C r c h e 1 2

I t s A b o u t t o g o B o o m 1 2

I t e mW o o l e n a r m o r 1 4

S u b t u m B a a r a q u 1 4

Ta b l e sE n c o u n t e r s 1 5

R u m o r s 1 5

Ba r eB o n e s Fa n t a s y S t a t

B l o c kN i o m i a g h o f P r e c i p i t a t e

A c c r e t i a t e 1 7V i s t i l i a n o f t h e D i s t a n t

A c c r e t i a t e 1 7C a d a v e r o u s C r a w l e r s 1 7

E s m e r i e l a L a u g i n g s t o n e 1 7R o c o t h e S h e p a r d 1 8

W o o l e n A r m o r 1 8S u b t u m B a a r a q u 1 8

Fa t e S t a t B l o c kN i o m i a g h o f P r e c i p i t a t e

A c c r e t i a t e 1 9V i s t i l i a n o f t h e D i s t a n t

A c c r e t i a t e 1 9E s m e r i e l a L a u g i n g s t o n e 1 9

R o c o t h e S h e p a r d 2 0W o o l e n A r m o r 2 0

S u b t u m B a a r a q u 2 0

R e f e r e n c e s

Copyright 2014 by Occult Moon. Map 2014 Shane Knysh. BareBones FantasyTM and Keranak KingdomsTM are trademarkes of DwD Studios. This work is based on Fate Core System and Fate Accelerated Edition (found at http://www.faterpg.com/), products of Evil Hat Productions, LLC, developed, authored, and edited by Leonard Balsera, Brian Engard, Jeremy Keller, Ryan Macklin, Mike Olson, Clark Valentine, Amanda Valentine, Fred Hicks, and Rob Donoghue, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://cre-ativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Dungeon World by Sage LaTorra, and Adam Koebe and licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license


3No t e s

Life and DeathH i s t o r y

The storm elves are not like other races. They never have been. While other races from orcs to giants reproduce like humans, storm elves do not. On the plus side, any elf will do if they prove worthy, but finding worthy elves willing to give up a lot of who they are in order to join the Empire of Storms is hard. It is much easier to make new storm elves than recruit them.

To this end the first of the great crches were constructed. These great structures where designed to be places where the young storm elves could be conceived, transformed and educated before they were sorted into the castes. The process starts in the holding chamber. Young elves taken from the Commonwealth or the Disputed Territories are brought to be judged. Each one is tested and graded and rated for several different traits the empire breeds for.

Once the captives have been graded, they are held until the qualities they have are deemed necessary. Then they are taken to the harvesting room where they are killed and their reproductive organs removed. These organs are placed into special tanks where the male and female gametes are combined and allowed to develop.

These special chambers will serve as artificial wombs for the developing elves for their entire gestation period. The walls of the chambers are clear so that the brood keepers of the crche can observe their development. Any

that show the slightest abnormality are immediately culled and used to feed the slaves that work in the crche.

Once the young elves are born, they are allowed to live normally for the next two weeks. At the end of that time they are invested as storm elves. They are taken to the great furnace at the center of the crche and a ritual is performed where parts of their souls are removed and replaced with living black fire. When they emerge from the great furnace, they have been transformed into storm elves.

From there they return to a special nursery. Here the new storm elves will be raised and given the education they need in the years leading up to the time they will be sorted into castes. Once the time comes for the sorting, they will leave the crche for good, unless they are chosen to return as crche workers of the Accretiate Caste.

Each of the crches is named for one of the great castes. Among them is the Crche of Thunder. It is unique in a few ways. Among all the crches it is the only one to ever have an escape and it is the only one that has ever had problems with its dark fire furnace starting to fail. This is troubling, for the Crche of Thunder is the oldest of the great crches and, if its furnace is dying, it could mean all the furnaces could die soon.

D i s c r i p t i o n


4No t e s

The crche is a large structure, a great dome constructed of a magical black, glass-like substance. The dome covers an area of nearly a square mile, though it is shaped more like a tear drop with a long, sharp point. Each crche is built the same way with its pointed end lining up with the old bridge that leads to the storm elves land of the dead.

At the round end of the structure is a great gate where slaves are brought into the building. The gate leads directly to the holding and sorting area of the crche. Near the great gate are the entrances used by the storm elves who have business with the crche. These passages lead to the kitchens, the living quarters of the workers and receiving rooms and administrative wings of the building.

The middle of the crche is completely given over to the breeding of storm elves with many levels given over to housing the artificial wombs. These birthing chambers are interconnected by twisting hallways

and are always filled with workers bringing supplies to help sustain the gestating elves. Past these rooms is the first nursery, a chamber that can hold nearly a thousand infant elves. At the back of this chamber is a large door of black glass and beyond that is the furnace room.

The majority of the rest of the crche is given over to living space for the young storm elves who have survived their trip through the furnace. There are places to play, class rooms and living quarters. Intermixed with these are living quarters for the caregivers who work in the crche.

When the young elves are ready to leave they will file out the gates at the pointed end of the crche. This will be the first time they leave the crche and the first time they see the sky. Once outside they will have divinations cast upon them to sort them into their proper castes. Once this is done they will leave the crche behind and travel to a school designed to teach the young elves the duty of their caste.


5No t e s

PeopleN i o m i a g h o f P r e c i p i t a t e A c c r e t i a t e ,

G o v e r n e s s o f t h e C r c h e o f

T h u n d e r

H i s t o r y

Niomiagh was born like the majority of storm elves in one of the seven great crches that have been built throughout the Empire of Storms. From there her life followed the normal pattern - gaining a caste, then a clan, but, unlike most of those she grew up with, when she became an adult she returned to the crche and began to learn the duties of governess. Since that day she has rarely left the crche for any reason.

Normally Niomiaghs days are filled with quiet administrative duties. She oversees the lessons that teachers are giving and makes sure the mess hall has enough food to feed all the young, hungry mouths as well as all the staff. She also makes sure the harvesters have enough brood stock to keep the gestation tanks full and she manages the culling of the useless and the weak.

Other days are less routine. Wyld storm elves often bring their children to the crche for the ceremony of investiture. These are some of Niomiaghs favorite times. Part of her has always envied the looser life of the Wyld ones and wondered what it might be like to have had parents rather than a crche mother and

master to look after her. But these thoughts are most often quickly silenced as her eyes scan her desk and see the piles of paper she needs to sign, the list of appointments of people coming to ask her one thing or another and the sputtering black candle that sits under a bell jar on her desk.

It is the black candle that worries her the most. It has sat on the desk of every matron of the crche since its founding at the beginning of the empire. In all that time the flame never guttered once. The wax of the candle did not melt and the wick was never even singed. The candles flame is the Black Flame, or at least a small piece of it and it is tied to the great furnace used during the ceremony of investiture, the rite that makes a newborn elf a storm elf. Today on her desk the candle sputters and gutters as if a strong wind were blowing against it and the fires of the great furnace itself are burning low. Should the dark fire be snuffed out, her crche will be dead and the empire will be unable to grow.

Niomiagh has called for scholars and priests to help her find the cause, but as yet she has no clue what could be causing the great furnace to die. She has come to one horrible conclusion that someone will have to enter the furnace and examine the spells and powers that maintain the Black Fire

De s c r i p t i o n

Standing nearly seven feet tall, Niomiagh would be an imposing figure


6No t e s

if she were not thin to the point of gauntness. Her skin seems to be stretched and much too taut over her bones. Her tendons move like serpents below her skin with even the most causal of movements. She dresses in long, light robes made of loosely woven cloth. The back of her robe is open, revealing a complex caste tattoo of three raindrops colliding on her back.

S t a t s a n d S k i l l s

Niomiagh is a good administrator and a patient person. She takes a long time to ponder a problem, but rarely does she come to the wrong conclusions when she is given time to make a decision. She is protective of the crche and those who work there. Though she does not have the skills or the strength to protect them personally, she has plenty of armed storm elves at her disposal should she see something as a threat.

Vi s t i l i a n o f t h e D i s t a n t A c c r e t i a t e , H a r v e s t e r

H i s t o r y

The hall that leads to the harvesting chamber has three large, thick doors made of wood covering a lead core. Vistilian likes the walk down that hall. The area before the first door is filled with the sounds of the crche, the cries and giggles of children, the clack of feet on the hard stone floors, the chatter of people meeting in the hallways. Then, after the first door is passed through and sealed behind

him, all those sounds go away. The world grows quiet, except for a soft, undulating noise coming from a far distance.

This hallway is lined with tapestries and the floor is covered with thick, black carpets. Here the walk is silent and, if someone intrudes on the solitude of this part of the passage, Vistilian always feels as if he must shout to be heard. Next comes the passage through the second door. Here there are more carpets, more tapestries, often depicting the great heroes and leaders who were born here, showing them in their moments of greatest glory. Here the faint sound from the next hall coalesces into an identifiable thing. It is screaming, not just one voice, but many, mounting a great chorus. This is the song that sings in Vistilians heart.

Vistilian always pauses for a moment before nodding to the two guards who stand before the last door. He savors the song, he lets his anticipation for his workday grow and, when he can wait no longer, he nods, the doors open and the sounds of the harvest hit him like a wall. He enters the cold, stone room with its steel tables and begins his morning ritual. He opens the soft leather case that sits on the small table near his work station and carefully arranges the knives, clamps, retractors and siphons. He does not look at his first subject of the day yet, he waits. He feels his or her eyes upon him while he works. He tests the edge of the scalpels, usually by making a few unnecessary cuts on his subjects foot. They are never sharp enough, so he spends a few more minutes sharpening his tools. Then he turns to the subject and smiles. Then


7No t e s

he begins to cut and another voice is added to the song.

Vistilian loves his work harvesting the reproductive organs of captured elves so that they may be used to create the next generation of storm elves. Even so, he does have one regret. His subjects never last long enough. They all pass out and die before he is done with them and it is a great sorrow for Vistilian that the voice he adds to the great song of the harvesting chamber dies out so soon. He longs to find ways to prolong their pain and their lives. He has even begun studying the magical arts even though this is strictly forbidden to people of his caste. But how can the governess get mad? He is doing it for the greater good of the empire and for the great song.


Vistilian is a short and wiry storm elf with deep crimson hair and bone-white skin. His eyes are set wide apart and his nose is long with a slight upturn. He is always cheerful, genuinely so, and it is contagious to those around him. He dresses in leathers and black cloth.


A master of elven anatomy, Vistilian knows how to end life and how to keep it going even while causing horrible agony to his victims. He is not strong, but he is dexterous, especially where hand-eye coordination are important. He has a rudimentary knowledge of magic and is particularly interested in spells that heal or help to hold death at bay.

Esm e r i e l a L a u g i n g s t o n e , E s c a p e e F r o m

t h e C r c h e

H i s t o r y

Esmeriela thought it would be fun to go traveling with her friends to see the Disputed Territories and to have a few adventures. Within days of her party leaving the safety of the enclaves and leaving the lands of the Commonwealth, they were attacked by raiders. She saw her best friend die and her secret crush gutted like a stag at the end of a hunt. Her own fate was worse. The raiders threw her in chains and tossed her in a cage pulled by a fearsome, eight-legged horse.

As they began the rough journey across the Disputed Territories, more prisoners were added. Some were injured, some that got shoved in the cart beside her were dead. As they rolled on, more of her traveling companions died, until finally, in the distance two vast towers began to loom. Eventually the cart of living, dead and sick captives reached its destination and passed through the gate and Esmeriela was brought to a great slave market.

An elf with angular features, wearing a flowing robe of white and silver with a long black veil covering his face and hanging to his knees, walked the line of about-to-be slaves just before the auction began. When he selected Esmeriela, she thought she was being saved, but, in fact, her nightmare was just beginning. They took her to the public baths, cleaned her and fed her the first good meal she


8No t e s

had eaten in weeks. She was treated for the diseases she had contracted from the festering corpses of her traveling companions.

Then Esmeriela was thrown back in the same cart, or one very much like it, and another long journey began. Eventually she and her companions - all of whom survived this time - arrived at a large, ovoid structure made of a black glass-like substance and etched with complex lightning bolt symbols. She had arrived at the Thunder Crche. She was taken to the cells outside the harvesting room.

Esmeriela spent months in the cells waiting for a harvester to select her. She made friends and, day by day, saw them taken into the room at the far end of the chamber - the room where the screams came from day and night. She never saw any of them return. None of the other captives were sure what went on there or what the purpose of the place was, but all were sure that those who went through the great doors died.

Eventually, Esmerielas turn came. She was ready. She had secreted a small strip of loose metal from the cage she was kept in and managed to sharpen it on the stone floor. Before she could be taken through the door she opened a guards throat, stole his weapon and made a break for it. She managed to escape and, though wounded, fight her way out of the land of the storm elves and into the Disputed Territories. She was taken in by a family of farmers who fed her and tended to her wounds.

From there Esmeriela began to work on a plan for revenge. The horrors of the crche needed to be ended and she would be the one to do

it. She has devoted herself to learning how to fight and done anything and everything necessary to raise money in order to have a magical explosive device created - a device powerful enough to level the crche and all who were in it. Now she is ready to head back to the awful place she fled from, though she has no intention of ever passing through the doors.


Esmeriela has long dark hair that is usually unkempt because she runs her fingers through it constantly. Her body bears the scars of her capture , but the scars flow over toned muscles and tough tendons that her training has given her. She dresses in simple, functional clothing and refuses to go anywhere she cannot take her sword. Even when she sleeps, her sword is drawn and her hand is on the hilt.


A warrior with much potential and training but little practical experience, Esmeriela is a terror in a fight, particularly when she faces off against a storm elf. In these fights she shows no regard for her own safety and will do anything to end the life of her opponent.

R o c o t h e S h e p h e r d ,

N e c r o m a n c e r o f t h e O r d e r o f

S l e e p

H i s t o r y

Roco is a man of odd humors and contradictions. He is a magician


9No t e s

well versed in the arts that most would consider to be dark, but he sees himself as a servant of the natural order of life and death. He is powerful, yet he travels with a flock of sheep for company rather than with friends. If asked, not that anyone ever has, he would explain sheep share their warmth on a cold night without judgment - unlike men, elves and every other thing that is so afraid of its own mortality.

Roco is not out to change the way people think about necromancers, though he is saddened by the way a few megalomaniacs with their hoards of skeletons and zombies have distorted peoples views of an entire branch of magical study. If he thought people might actually listen to him, Roco would remind them that the art of necromancy was a gift and a sacred direction given by the Great Dragons. Indeed it is the sacred duty for the necromancer who sticks to the true path and heritage of the art to be ever striving to find a way to resurrect a dead god. Roco sometimes wonders how one would do that, but then he shrugs and moves on to other matters, important matters like whether he should have mutton for dinner again. In the end, resurrecting gods is not his problem, for he does not follow that path. He is not interested in the true heritage of necromancy. His job is simpler. He cleans up after the ones who get it wrong. He comes through and leads the unquiet dead to their final slumber and sooths their spirits.

Roco has come to the Crche of Thunder, for he has long heard the ghostly moans and screams, the tortured whimpers and the throaty bellows of the angry souls that circle

the place. These crches are a factory for spiritual undead of all sorts. Most do not manifest directly, but they are starting to reach a critical mass of restless souls and soon their very weight will transform this part of the world. The weight of their rage and anger will tear a hole into the very land of the dead and then those who hunger for life, revenge and the satisfaction of all sorts of other passions will flood back into the world.

These spirits need to rest and as a servant in the Order of Sleep, Roco and his sheep will do their best to help them find it. The question Roco worries about is, who will help him?


Roco is a man of indeterminate age, somewhere past young, but not yet old. He is tall with a strong back and good posture. His hair is a curly, sandy blond that is nearly as tangled as his sheeps wool. He dresses in rough-spun, woolen garments he makes himself and often these are dyed with a pattern of stains from the daily life of a shepherd with mud, blood and sweat.


Roco is a well trained necromancer who specializes in laying wayward spirits to rest. Despite this specialization, he can raise the dead with the best of them and communicate with those who have passed on. He is competent in the use of a staff and a sling for his own defense and the defense of his flock and is more comfortable in the wilderness watching the sheep graze then sitting in a tavern surrounded by people.


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No t e s

PossibilitiesL i g h t i n g t h e

F u r n a c eThe party has been captured

by the storm elves of the Crche of Thunder and the matron has use for them. She will let them live if they can figure out why the flame of the great furnace is dying out. Of course, there is a chance that going into the furnace could be deadly for the party or change them into something else entirely, but the alternative is a quick but painful execution.

Tw i s t sThe Black Fire in the furnace

comes from another world and somewhere along that connection there is blockage caused by a powerful but unintelligent beast feeding off the fire. The party will have to defeat the beast to earn their freedom.

R R RThe party enters the furnace

and each is confronted by a test. Each test tries to tempt the party member with something. If they give in to the temptation they will be given a small bit of power by the black flame, but will then be forever beholden to their new master. Party members can appear as advisers in each others test, but must take a different form in each test.

R R RThe magic of the furnace makes

it much larger on the inside than it is on the outside. On entering the furnace the party finds themselves in a dungeon-like environment filled with thousands of fast-moving, small,

undead humanoids. These are the souls of the babies that have been displaced by their transformation into storm elves. They have been driven to madness and their abundance is clogging the furnace. Though the party does not need to destroy them to complete the job and earn their freedom, they may need to destroy some of them just to get out alive.

B r i n g B a c k My G r e a t e s t Wo r kWhile the party is busy staging

a rescue, they come upon a young elf hidden in a storage chamber, partially dissected, but still alive. If the party can get him out, they will be able to get him healed. However, Vistilian, the Harvester, has been using this subject for his special projects and he will want him back. He will come looking for him.

Tw i s t s Vistilian has created and

animated several pets for himself out of unused parts leftover from the harvest. All of these he has augmented with bits of broken scalpel blade and broken glass. He will send these creatures after the party to help secure his prize.

R R RThe subject the party has

rescued is completely mad at this point and is nearly impossible to kill. He has tremendous strength and as soon as the party wakes him he will lash out at anything and everything in the vicinity. He will only rest when


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No t e s

everyone around him is dead or unconscious. The only way to subdue him will be with magical sleep.

R R RThe elf was a spy sent by the

Commonwealth to learn the secrets of the crche. He has important information to bring back to the capital about the allegiance between the storm elves and the forces of darkness. He will not live long enough to deliver it, so he entrusts his report to the party.

Th e R e s c u e M i s s i o n

The party has been hired by a powerful family living in Iron Wall. This family wants the party to recover their son from the Thunder Crche. They have provided the party with directions to the crche, but getting in and getting out again will be up to them.

Tw i s t sThe party has been given a

guide, a young lady who managed to escape from the crche while she was being taken to be killed. She is scared about going back in, but willing to do so in order to save the lives of future captives. Once inside, however, her need for personal vengeance kicks in. She has a powerful magical explosive with her that she intends to use to completely destroy the crche. She does not care if no one gets out alive.

R R ROnce inside the crche the party

is immediately surrounded and the elf they were sent to rescue is handed over to one of the hirelings their employers family sent along with

them. The storm elves need hero blood to use as an ingredient in the amniotic fluid that fills the gestation tanks of the crche. The partys employers have traded the party to the storm elves in exchange for their son.

R R RAs the party bursts into the

holding cells, they see their quarry being led out to be harvested. They will need to make it across the holding cells to the far side and into the harvesting chamber quickly to save him.

Le t t h e L i t t l e C h i l d r e n S l e e pThe storm elves have been

ripping the souls of children from their still living bodies and replacing them with something else for far too long. The weight of these souls gathered around the crches is starting to damage the very fabric of reality. A lone necromancer from the Order of Sleep has decided to do something about it. He will need the partys protection.

Tw i s t sAs the party moves in and the

shepherd begins the ritual to send the souls to their rest, the dam that is the barrier between the land of the dead and the land of the living collapses. The party will have to fight their way into a crche now overrun with undead creatures and close the gateway before Roco finishes his spell, or it will not succeed and he will die in the attempt to cast it.

R R RThe guards of the crche think

the mage and the party are attacking


12

No t e s

and as Roco begins the spell the guards attack. The party will need to protect the necromancer. To make matters worse, any of the elves that the party kills will be reanimated by the angry spirits and will attack anyone they are close to.

The necromancer is lying to the party about his intentions. He has no plans to send the spirits at the crche to their rest. What he wants to do instead is trap their souls inside his sheep to fuel his magic and realize the grand plan of the Order of Sleep which is ending all life in the world.

R a i d i n g t h e C r c h e

The party has been hired as part of a large force sent by a coalition of the people of the Disputed Territories. Their job is to enter the crche and open the gates so the rest of the force may enter. Before doing this, however, they are required to make sure the elves captured to be used as breeding stock are safe.

Tw i s t s

The raid has really been organized by the emperor as a test of the defenses of the crche. The headmistress knows the party is coming, but has not told anyone else in the crche. The army the party is helping are actually mercenaries that have been hired by the storm elves to kill the party after the test is over should they manage to get the gates open.

R R RThe primary target of the raid

is a particular elven child that has

just recently been brought within the crche. The raid must happen before his soul is given over to the black fire. He is destined for greatness and the party has been given a magical charm to help locate this infant. They must get out with the child alive and return him to Iron Wall to get their pay.

R R RDuring the attack, the great

furnace is damaged and powerful black fire elementals are released into the crche. Each elemental looks for a host body to posses as elementals are weak in the Land of Fallen Gods without mortal flesh to keep them strong. These black flame elementals will try to take over the party as they are some of the most powerful people in the crche at the moment.

I t s A b o u t t o g o B o o m

The Subtum Baaraqu has been activated. The party only has a short time to disarm the weapon before it detonates.

Tw i s t sThere is no way to deactivate

the Subtum Baaraqu before it goes off. Instead the party will have to open a portal to somewhere else and send it through. However, the place the portal opens to is inhabited whether the party knows it or not and they have just started a war.

R R RDeactivating the weapon will

require the party to shrink down to small size and enter the device. Inside it will appear to them as a large series of chambers. Each chamber will have a magical guardian that is


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No t e s

a manifestation of the magic of the item. Defeating these guardians will defuse the device.

R R RThe party will need to race

through the crche with the device and throw it in the lake outside the crche. They will have 15 in game minutes to complete this task before the device activates.


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No t e s

ItemWo o l e n A r m o rThis suit of magical armor looks

like a simple, homespun woolen garment. Even to the trained eye, it will not appear to be any type of protective armor. If a magic user examines it, they will notice it carries a strong necromantic aura. When someone dons the armor, they will be approached by a large flock of sheep. The garment is woven with wool from these sheep and the sheep are bound to follow anyone who wears the armor. If the wearer of the armor is ever more than five-hundred feet from the sheep, the enchantments on the armor will cease to function.

While wearing the armor all damage taken by the wearer will be transferred to one of the sheep rather then taken by the wearer. The armor will continue to direct damage taken to the same sheep until it dies. Then it will transfer the damage to the next sheep in line. Once the sheep that make up the flock tied to the armor are all killed, the armor will lose its enchantment permanently.

S u b t u m B a a r a q u

In the old language of the dwarves, Subtum Baaraqu roughly translates to the House of Striking Lightening. These cubes were a powerful weapon used by the dwarves in desperate situations and against their most powerful foes. Most scholars believe that the last of these weapons were used during the dwarven civil war after the fall of the

dwarf king. After the war there is no record of the use or creation of these device.

However, the art of making Subtum Baaraqu was not completely lost. The technique has been handed down among the dwarves that make their home in the city of Iron Wall. The materials needed to construct one of these are quite rare and expensive but recently rumors have surfaced that a motivated buyer has gathered the materials and paid for the construction of a new Subtum Baaraqu.

While Subtum Baaraqu may look like ordinarily carved cubes covered with half spheres, their internal construction is actually much more complex. They are a collection of spheres, each one containing multiple layers of spells. When it is activated the spears separate and spread over a large area - approximately half a mile and then release multiple lighting strikes on all targets living and non-living in the area they cover.


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No t e s

TablesEn c o u n t e r s

1 - 1 4 A group of guards on patrol.

1 5 -2 8 A slave wagon approaching the gates of the crche.

29 -42 A group of guards who surprise the party.43 -57 The Governess of the crche approaches the party.5 8 -7 1 Very young children and their caregivers suddenly fill the

corridor. 72 - 8 5 Guards come running when the party trips an alarm.8 6 - 00 A group of skeletons approach the party appearing to want to

parley.

Rum o r s1 - 1 4 The Thunder Crche is having problems. A few years ago they

had an escapee and now their furnace is failing.1 5 -2 8 The crches of the storm elves are where all storm elves are

born. 29 -42 The crches of the storm elves go through more slaves than

any other place in the empire. Some believe that slaves are killed to make more storm elves.

43 -57 The Order of Sleep is a group of necromancers that claim to be dedicated to helping undead souls find rest.

5 8 -7 1 Storm elf raiders always try to take the younger elves in the groups they capture.

72 - 8 5 The crches of the storm elves are laid out so that they symbolize birth and death.

8 6 - 00 Each of the crches of the storm elves are heavily guarded independent cities.


16Ryan Burpee (order #5896523)

17

BareBones Fantasy Stat BlockN i o m i a g h o f P r e c i p i t a t e A c c r e t i a t e

Str: 54Dex: 62Log: 86Wil: 94Bp: 27Init: 2Dr: 0Mov: 9Rank: 2Primary: Leader Secondary: Scholar Descriptors: Dedicated Administrator /

Longs for freedomSkills: Leader 87 (level 2), Scholar 63

(level 1), Thief 31, Scout 43, Warrior M 27 / R 31

Spells: NoneEquipment: Robes, Dagger 1dNotes: Speaks Imperial Elven,

Tradespeak; +10 to resist charm; Dark vision 12 spaces

Vi s t i l i a n o f t h e D i s t a n t A c c r e t i a t eStr: 61Dex: 85Log: 78Wil: 76Bp: 31Init: 3Dr: 2Mov: 9Rank: 1Primary: ScholarSecondary: SpellcasterDescriptors: Happy in my work / Sadistic

surgeon

Skills: Scholar 79 (level 2), Spellcaster 58 (level 1), Thief 43, Scout 37, Warrior M 31/ R 43

Spells: HealEquipment: Scalpels, Leather ArmorNotes: Speaks Imperial Elven,

Tradespeak, +10 Resist Charm, Night Vision, 12 spaces

C a d a v e r o u s C r a w l e r s

Str: 52Dex: 107Log: 5Wil: 10Bp: 31Init: 3Dr: 2Mov:12Melee: 76Damage: 1d

Esm e r i e l a L a u g i n g s t o n e

Str: 98Dex: 87Log: 52Wil: 88Bp: 49Init: 2Dr: 5Mov: 9Rank: 2Primary: WarriorSecondary: ScoutDescriptors: Scared survivor / Murder in

my heartSkills: Warrior M 89/ R 84 (level 2),

Scout 46 (Level 1), Thief 54 (level 1)Spells: None


18

Equipment: Longsword, Chain mail, Subtum Baaraqu

2 spaces.

R o c o t h e S h e p h e r dBare Bones Fantasy StatsStr: 65Dex: 76Log: 98Wil: 124Bp: 33Init: 3Dr: 5Mov: 8Rank: 4Primary: SpellcasterSecondary: ScoutDescriptors: Jolly servant of death /

A bit too fond of his own jokes / Country bumpkin with a spell book

Skills: Spellcaster +20 (level 4), Scout +10 (level 2), Warrior M / R (level 1), Thief

Spells: Summon, Cleanse, Offensive

strike, Protection, Dispel, Charm, Hinder, Repel

Equipment: Sling, Staff, Woolen armorNotes: +10 to all resistance checks,

speaks Tradespeak

Wo o l e n A r m o rAll damage is transferred to the nearby

sheep. The dr of the sheep applies to the damage. Most of these suits of woolen armor will be accompanied by 2d sheep . Area effect attacks that hit the user and the sheep will damage the user, as the armor cannot transfer the damage to a sheep that is already taking damage. In this situation the armor has a dr of 1.

S u b t u m B a a r a q uThe Subtum Baaraqu will release 1d

offensive strike spells against each target in a half mile radius. Each of these strikes will function as if cast by a 5th level spell caster.


19

Fate Stat BlockN i o m i a g h o f P r e c i p i t a t e A c c r e t i a t e

A s p e c t s

ConceptHigh Matron of the Thunder Crche.

TroubleThe Black Fire will not die on my watch.Freedom is not my privilege or burden.

I run a tight ship.The empire is greater than me and this is my

strength.

S k i l l s

Great (+4) ResourcesGood (+3) Lore, Contacts

Fair (+2) Investigate, Will, ProvokeAverages (+1)Notice, Fight, Ride, Rapport

S t r e s s

Physical stress bb Mental stress bb,

S t u n t s

Check the stores: +2 to declare an item is on hand using available resources as the crche has a lot of old stuff lying around in storage

rooms.

Ex t r a s

Unsettling appearance: Due to her somewhat odd appearance, Niomiagh gains a +2 to

provoke rolls to cause fear or intimidation.

Call out the guards: there are always guards handy to fight for Niomiagh. (Crche Guard:

aspects - Protect the children. Always give my all for the empire. Fighting +2, Notice +1)

Vi s t i l i a n o f t h e D i s t a n t A c c r e t i a t e

A s p e c t s

ConceptSadistic Harvester of the Thunder Crche.

TroubleMy Toys dont last long enough.

Their pain is like a song and I love to dance.

S k i l l s

Good (+3) Healer Fair (+2) Lore, Will

Averages (+1) Athletics, Rapport, Spell CastingStress

Physical stress bbb Mental stress bbb

Ex t r a s

Magical Student: This stunt allows basic magical spells to be cast.

Cadaverous Crawlers (my little pets:) these creatures are animated bits of dead bodies

stitched together and equipped with scalpel blades, broken glass and other sharp bits to

make them more dangerous. Aspects: All dead flesh and pointy bits

Skills: Fighting Stress: 1

Esm e r i e l a L a u g i n g s t o n e

A s p e c t s

Concept:Lone survivor of the Thunder Crche.

TroubleI will have my revenge at any cost.

Without vengeance my life has no meaning. I will never be a slave again.


20

Death is a form of freedom.

S k i l l s

Great (+4) FightingGood (+3) Will, Athletics

Fair (+2) Deceive, Shoot, NoticeAverages (+1) Contacts, Ride, Stealth,

Burglary,

S t r e s s

Physical Stress bbbb Mental Stressbbbb

S t u n t s

I will end your kind: When fighting a storm elf Esmeriela can gain a free boost if she chooses to place an advantage for her opponent on

herself. I have my purpose: When someone tries to

convince Esmeriela not to destroy the crche and everyone inside it, she gains +2 to all

social combat checks.

R o c o t h e S h e p h e r d

A s p e c t s

ConceptWell meaning necromancer.

TroubleMisunderstood by everyone.

Sheep are better than people for most things.I guess it is time to save the world again.

You should sleep now.

S k i l l s

Great (+4) NecromancyGood (+3) Lore, Will

Fair (+2) Shoot, Survival, EmpathyAverages (+1) Ride, Fight, Athletics, Physique

S t r e s s

Physical stress bbbMental stress bbbb

S t u n t s

Order of sleep: +2 to all necromancy checks to lay a troubled spirit to rest;

Indomitable.

Ex t r a s

Woolen armor (see items)

Wo o l e n A r m o rFor the purpose of this armor each sheep is

an npc with 1 stress box and is taken out if it takes more than two stresses. This armor will not protect against social or mental attacks.

S u b t u m B a a r a q uThe Subtum Baaraqu will make a series of

attack actions against all targets within the zone. Each strike is a great shooting check with a +4 weapon. Every target in the zone

will be hit continuously until they are missed three times by these strikes.


21

ReferencesThere is a lot going on in the world of Toys for the Sandbox and some people, places and

things mentioned in this issue connect to what has come before. If you want to know more about something mentioned in this issue, here is a handy list of where you can get a bit more information. For the first appearance/best reference, the issue number and title are listed. For other mentions, just the issue number is used.

Black Flame, #115 The Old Bridge, Referenced in #116, #118

Bridge, #115 The Black Flame Bridge, Referenced in #116, #118, #119, #121

The Commonwealth/Elven Commonwealth, #105 The Lair of the Iron Dragon, Referenced in #106, #107, #108, #109, #111, #112, #114, #115, #118, #119, #121

Crche, #108 The Little Thunders

Dead God/God That Never Was, #60 The Temple of the Dead God, Referenced in #66, #77, #81, #86, #87, #89, #92, #95, #100, #102, #107, #109, #112, #113, #114, #117, #118, #119

Disputed Territories, #105 The Lair of the Iron Dragon, Referenced in #107, #108, #109, #110, #111, #112, #113, #114, #115, #116, #117, #119

Empire of Storms, #105 The Lair of the Iron Dragon, Referenced in #108, #109, #110, #112, #114, #115, #116, #117, #119, #121

Great Dragons, #81 The Ziggurat of the Dragons, Referenced in #80, #88, #89, #91, #92, #95, #99, #100, #104, #106, #108, #111, #112, #113, #114, #115, #117, #118, #119, #121

Iron Wall, #114 Iron Wall, Referenced in #115, #116, #117, #118, #119, #121

Vast Towers/Little Thunders, #108 The Little Thunders, Referenced in #111, #112, #114


Documents

Toys for the Sandbox 122 the Creshe of the Storm Elves