Soulblight Gravelords Quests
Source: White Dwarf #489 (out of print)
Baroque Relics
Many of the artefacts borne by the Soulblight Gravelords are ancient heirlooms and relics of ages past. Some are torn from the grasp of enemy and allies alike, while others are unearthed from sinister barrows by undead minions.
Pick 1 artefact of power from the Baroque Relics table (see below) and note it in your quest log. You cannot pick an artefact of power already borne by a fighter in your warband.
While embarked upon this quest, you must keep track of the progress your warband has taken, represented by a progress score.
Each time an enemy fighter is taken down by a friendly leader's attack action or ability, add 1 to your progress score. In addition, add 1 to your progress score for each friendly fighter that ends a battle within 1" of a terrain feature that has no other fighters within 1" of that terrain feature.
Add 1 to your progress score at the end of a battle if you won that battle.
You can complete this quest once your progress score is 5 or more. When you complete this quest, you obtain the artefact of power that was noted in your quest log.
Baroque Relics Table
| Relics |
|---|
| Amulet of Sanguine Might This amulet stores a thimbleful of an ancient vampire's blood, which can fuel powerful necromantic abilities. The value of abilities used by this fighter is 6. |
| Totem of Rattling Bones This skull-topped totem can mend even the most ruinous damage to undead flesh. Once per battle, the bearer can use this artefact as a bonus action. If they do so, remove 6 damage points allocated to each friendly fighter within 6" of this fighter. |
| Sword of Screaming Souls The bearer of this Gothic sabre is surrounded by howling spirits, whose screeches drive nearby enemies mad. Subtract 6, to a minimum of 1, from the value of abilities used by enemy fighters within 6" of the bearer. |
| Cloak of Dread This rich red cloak bears an intensely jealous sentience and will squeeze the life from any who threaten its wearer - or indeed the wearer itself, should the cloak sense that its owner has tired of it. If the bearer ends an activation within 3" of another friendly fighter with the Hero () runemark, allocate D6 damage points to the bearer. Once per battle round, the bearer can use this artefact as a bonus action. If they do so, pick an enemy fighter within 3" of the bearer. Allocate D3 damage points to that fighter, and that fighter cannot use abilities or make disengage actions this battle round. |
| Boots of Tortured Earth The very earth around the bearer of these heavy plate boots screams in pain and writhes in agony at their touch. Add 1 to the Move characteristic of the bearer. Each time the bearer finishes a move action, visible enemy fighters within l" of the bearer suffer impact damage. |
| Crown of Broken Oaths Once upon a time, this crown was borne by a mortal king who has since passed into undeath. Their oaths of protection, honour and courage have been broken so many times since their deathly apotheosis that now the air around their crown vibrates with treachery. Enemy fighters within 6" of the bearer cannot be affected by abilities used by other enemy fighters (for example, Inspiring Presence). |
Rulers of Death
No matter the provenance of a Soulblight Gravelords hero, all share one trait: a lust for power and control that transcends even death itself. Soulblight Gravelords will take every opportunity to prove their power, either through cunning, mystical prowess or sheer physical might.
Pick a fighter with the Hero () runemark in your warband that can gain a heroic trait and note them in your quest log.
While embarked upon this quest, you must keep track of your hero's ascending power, represented by a dominance score. Add 1 to your dominance score each time:
- An enemy fighter is taken down by a friendly leader's attack action or ability. Add a further 1 to your dominance score if that enemy fighter had the Hero () runemark.
- Each time a friendly leader uses the Summon Undead Minions ability.
- Each time a friendly leader uses the Vanhel's Danse Macabre ability.
You can complete this quest once your dominance score is 8 or more. When you complete this quest, you can give the fighter you picked one of the heroic traits from the Soulblight Gravelords Heroic Traits below.
Soulblight Gravelords Heroic Traits
| Soulblight Gravelords Heroic Traits |
|---|
| Skin Like Marble Undead flesh, empowered by necromantic energies, yields for nothing. Subtract 1 from the damage points allocated by each hit and critical hit (to a minimum of 1) from attack actions that target this fighter. |
| Undead Commander There can be no doubt of this creature's imposing power, as the deathly energy ofShyish surges through them and their allies. Once per battle, this fighter can use the 'Inspiring Presence' ability without spending a [triple]. If they do so, they can pick up to 2 fighters instead of 1 to activate immediately after this fighter's activation ends. If they do so, those fighters are activated immediately one after the other, in an order chosen by the player controlling this fighter. |
| Font of Power Immense magical might empowers nearby minions, as their weapons are enveloped in amethyst flame. Add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of melee attack actions made by friendly fighters with the Minion (+) runemark within 3" of this fighter. |
| Blood-crazed This warrior demands blood in immense quantities and does whatever they can to drench themselves in it whenever possible. Add 3 to the damage points allocated by each critical hit from melee attack actions made by the bearer. |
| Aura of Shyish Life drains in ever greater quantities from those in the presence of this vile creature. Allocate X damage points to each enemy fighter within l" of this fighter at the end of each battle round, where X is the battle round number. |
| Ancient Warrior Time is on the side of every undead lord, allowing them to perfect whatever martial art they choose. Add 1 to the Toughness characteristic of this fighter, and add 1 to the Strength characteristics of melee attack actions made by the bearer. |
Building a Castle
No great power of Shyish scrabbles in the dirt for protection or falls prey to something so pedestrian as a carnivorous tree. No, only a grand castle can sufficiently contain the dark majesty of an undead lord, and it is by the will of a powerful master that undead minions now scuttle forwards to complete the demands of their unliving liege.
While embarked upon this quest, you must keep track of a materials score, and friendly fighters can use the following Tear it Down ability:
[Double] Tear It Down: A friendly fighter can use this ability if it is the only fighter within 1" of a barricade, ribcage, shattered post or palisade terrain feature that is not more than 4" across in any dimension. That terrain feature is torn down - remove that terrain feature then add the value of this ability to your materials score. If the torn-down terrain feature is connected to a rope bridge, that rope bridge is destroyed first, then the torn-down terrain feature is removed from the battlefield.
While your materials score totals 16 or more, you can fight battles using the ‘From Rubble to Redoubt quest battleplan. If you do so and you win the battle, in step 4 of the aftermath sequence, you can complete this quest. If you do so, in step 5 of the aftermath sequence, you can relocate your warband's encampment to a ‘Grand Edifice of Death' (see below) and do not need to spend any glory to do so.
Quest Battleplan: From Rubble to Redoubt
Dedicated servants scrabble over each other to assemble a prefecture worthy of a grand undead throne. In the distance, malcontents rush towards this great construction, eager to prevent the foundations of such a fiendish manse from being laid. The undead must look to the defence of this settlement before the second brick is even placed upon the first!
Attacker and Defender
In this battle, the questing player is the defender, and the adversary player is the attacker.
Terrain
Set up terrain using the alternative terrain rules.
The defender must set up each terrain feature, and there must be 1 or more of each of the following terrain features in each table quarter: barricade, ribcage, shattered post or palisade terrain feature that is not more than 4" across in any dimension. These terrain features are referred to as 'foundations' in this battleplan. Foundations cannot be set up within 6" of the centre of the battlefield.
Deployment
Use the deployment map below. The defender is blue and the attacker is red.
The battlefield is divided into quarters as shown on the map.
Victory
At the end of each battle round, if there are more defenders within 1" of a foundation than there are attackers, then that foundation is laid. If more foundations in a quare are laid than are not, that quarter is secure.
The battle ends after 4 battle rounds. At the end of the battle, if three or more quarters are secure, the defender wins. Otherwise the attacker wins.
Twist
Determine a twist as normal.
The Aftermath Sequence
The adversary player receives the following bonus in the aftermath sequence:
Renown to be Earned: The adversary player adds 1 to each renown roll they make in this aftermath sequence.
Encampment Location: Grand Edifice of Death
| Location | Location Bonus | Points Limit | Reputation Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Edifice of Death This mighty castle is everything a great undead power could want. Gothic architecture, looming spiked walls, bats in the belfry and stone skulls carved into every available surface. | Add 1 to renown rolls you make for fighters from your warband with the Hero () runemark. When adding fighters to your roster, subtract 1 from the glory cost to add fighters, to a minimum of 1. | 1150 | +3 |