Befallen: The Ballad of Luigi Solare part 4
Day 3
Peril: Plot is active. +1 to all challenge rolls.
Luigi and Yan went to the Temple of Resurrection, but couldn’t find Narra. Yan, however, pointed him to a couple of Speakers, members of the council. Learning more information about Aman-det could shed some light on where to follow up next. Maybe they had new information about the corruption, too.
I’ll persuade the Speakers into telling me news they had about the corruption and giving me detailed information about the city. Narra’s challenge die is a d12, so I’ll use a d12 for the Speakers.
Challenge, d12 + 1 = 7
Roll Persuasion, 2d10 = 9, 2
Success!
Luigi learned about the Speakers first—each one oversaw an aspect of the city. Zhamira and Karesh, the two talking to them, managed water and rebirth.
They shared their knowledge slow at first, but then settled into it. Yan yawned, and at one point groaned, at the torrent of facts and reports on the city: Aman-det’s origin 200 years ago, its sandstone foundations, the concentric rings of buildings that surrounded the step well, the foot traffic, flash floodings, upkeep, the eighty percent of undead population, and on it went.
At this point, I decided to add Aman-det to Luigi’s knowledge list.
Knowledge: Music, Gentians, Aman-det
Something came up to Luigi. He followed up on the salt mines cut into the walls of the valley. “Have all the infected undead been to the mines recently?”
“No,” Zhamira said. “A few had never left the city.”
Luigi crossed his arms and pondered. “What do all the victims have in common? There has to be something.”
Karesh went pale, which was something to behold on an undead. “Follow me, please.”
He rushed to the step well, flying down steps and platforms, to a balcony with rows of plants on fired-clay pots.
They find Narra there, examining and collecting bunches from the planters. Even though the resurrection rite is guarded, Luigi knew it used certain herbs. He put her abreast of the conversations and voiced his suspicions.
“It makes sense to look here, especially since it is only affecting the undead. I will help you.”
I will investigate the planters for anything strange. Narra has the Investigation skill, so I can reroll one die if I fail.
Challenge, d10 + 2 (peril + involves a corrupting power) = 7
I use 1 stamina (4/5)
Roll Investigation, 2d10 = 2, 10
+1 Fate (7)
Success!
Yan waited, looking bored, as Luigi checked the planters, but he didn’t know enough about the process to confidently tell if something seemed out of the ordinary.
He peeked inside the walls and recoiled. “The acrid smell of this seasoned water is not easy to stomach. And I’ve been to Lower Neraine during the high tide.”
Narra shot him a questioning look. “Seasoned water? What smell?”
“Isn’t that why there’s all this foam?”
Narra and Karesh inspected the inside wall and grimaced. “This is scum,” Narra said. “It’s supposed to be clean and clear.”
“Where does it come from?” Luigi asked.
“A spring in the caverns beneath the city feeds into the step well.”
Yan wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I don’t like this.”
“It is concerning, indeed.”
“Dirty water does not sound very glorious,” Yan said, looking at Luigi accusingly.
Narra furrowed her brow for a moment, then continued. “The caves haven’t been tended to in a while, have they, Speaker Karesh?”
“That is correct.”
“Leave it to us,” Luigi said. “We will
“Take care, both of you,” Narra warned them. “Do not underestimate the corruption. Something dangerous lurks down there.”
That at least changed Yan’s face into an almost smile.
——
They crossed the city into the Smoke Market. Luigi said he had to prepare for the caverns and asked if Yan knew any reliable—and affordable—equipment shops. She showed him around.
I bought a lantern for the caves and a light armor. In Befallen, armor can be light or heavy. Light armor grants 1 defensive die (a d6, and rolling 4-6 reduces 1 damage).
-1 Resources (5) = Lantern
-2 Resources (3) = Leather armor
They left the rich blend of aromas behind and went to the caverns. Carved into the earth, they stretched beneath Aman-det, vast corridors marked by salt, stone, and the dark roots of desert plants.
Whenever we enter a ‘dungeon’ or any kind of dangerous location, we roll on a d10 navigating table. For most locations, it is recommended to roll 3 times, but it’s only a suggestion.
1st roll, 1d10 = 3
An area that must be navigated around or through.
Luigi raised the lantern, and they navigated the cracked walls and dark tunnels of the place. The path narrowed and twisted until it ended in a wall of rubble.
Luigi approached the debris and kicked it. “We might be able to shift some of it. Give me a hand.”
Attempt to move the rocks and clear a way.
Challenge, d10 + 1 = 8
Roll Strong, d10 = 7
Fail
They grunted and pried it, scraping their hands, but it didn’t budge.
“Damn it,” Luigi’s frustration echoed around. “We need more duelists and fewer musicians to move this pile.”
Yan coughed in the dusty air. “If I ever find my way out, I promise to bring your body for resurrection, bard.”
“That’s nice of—”
“So I can beat you for bringing me here.”
Luigi groaned. “My spirit is bound for the Conservatory, anyway.” He walked back a few steps and closed his eyes, concentrating. A faint breeze brushed his cheeks.
I’ll look for a way around the cave in.
Challenge, d10 + 1 = 7
Roll Survival, d10 = 10
+1 Fate (8)
Success!
“Do you feel that?”
“What?”
“The air is moving. Let’s go.”
They backtracked checking for passages that might have gone by unnoticed, fingers tracing the walls, eyes bouncing up and down.
Luigi felt the breeze a little colder, a little steadier. His arm went through a broken wall hidden by coiled roots and brambles. He squeezed through the hole, scratching his still sore and scraped cheek, lantern shaking and squeaking, until he came out on the other side, followed by Yan.
They crossed the cramped way until it widened and curved in the direction of the cave in, with plenty of space and open corridors going in different directions.
“Happy now?” Luigi asked, moving carefully with the lantern.
Only their footsteps resonated, until Yan answered. “It gives me some satisfaction, but not to a state of happiness. What of you? Did this bring you fulfillment?”
“Ugh, sweet melody…”
They advanced through the cave.
Roll d10 on the navigating table = 8
A large group of weak enemies
A faint moan drifted through the corridor ahead with an insistent rustling, like leaves brushing on stone. Luigi led with short steps and wide eyes until the lantern allowed him to see four figures wandering aimlessly in the gloom.
Dressed in tattered clothes, roots and foliage burst from their backs like wings. Cords of vine ran through their mouths, eyes, and limbs.
Luigi swallowed hard. “Root servants.”
“What’s that?” Yan asked. “Are they undead?”
“Taken by the Verdant Growth. They’re basically walking seedbeds. We have to take them, otherwise they will keep spreading the corruption. They might even evolve into a bigger problem. I’ll try to sneak…”
Yan was already running toward them, brandishing her scimitars. Luigi stringed his shortbow and took aim.
BATTLE
4 root servants
Challenge: d8 + 1 (I added the +1 to increase the difficulty)
Fortitude: 4 + 6 (the recommended mechanic when dealing with multiple enemies is to increase Fortitude by 50% per extra enemy, so 3 extra enemies = 6)
Roll Strike, 4d10 (2d10 from Luigi for having the Strike skill. When an NPC helps us, we get one more die. As Yan also has the Strike skill, I added another. It’s a way to represent Yan’s ability. I’m not sure if it’s the right call, but it made sense to me.)
7 | 9, 9, 1, 2 = 2 damage dealt, complication
Yan, overeager to fight, got into a bad angle for Luigi, jumping and moving too much for a sure shot. Luigi had to reposition to avoid hitting her.
Complication: -1d10 next roll
3 | 1, 2, 2
Welp. I use 1 Fate (7) to rerroll one die: 9 = 1 damage dealt. I still get a complication.
As Luigi repositioned, the root servants turned their heads toward him, groaning and advancing. “Shit.” He shot arrow after arrow, and Yan bellowed to maintain their attention.
Complication: +1 challenge next roll (d8 + 2)
6 | 9, 6, 10, 4 = 3 damage dealt, +1 Fate (8)
6 | 10, 9, 3, 2 = 2 damage dealt, +1 Fate (9)
8 | 6, 5, 1, 5 = Fail, complication. Roll defense die from armor: 3. 1 damage taken.
REGROWTH: root servant gains 1 Fortitude (currently 3). Complication: they recover another Fortitude (4).
PROTECTIVE BLOOM: rolling 8 or higher on the challenge makes seedlings burst through their skin. They lose 1 Fortitude (3 now) and add +1 to the challenge.
Luigi nocked and shot arrows with ease, his fingers moving with a dexterity that came with years of practice. Yan spun and slashed like a dancer, swift and gracious.
Two servants fell. The remaining ones jerked forward, shrieking and twitching as if in pain. Then a tangle of stalks and thorns bloomed from their decayed flesh. Roots coiled around their limbs as they moved with grim intent.
“Time to end this, bard.”
“I’m trying, if you haven’t noticed.”
Challenge, d8 + 2
7 | 10, 8, 1, 2 = 2 damage dealt, +1 Fate (10), complication.
Complication: their regrowth ability kicks in again, recovering another Fortitude (3)
I’ll use 2 Fate (8) to add 2 damage to this roll and end the combat.
COMBAT OVER
SEED BED: When the root servant dies it releases a shower of spores and seeds. Take 1 damage and gain 1 corruption with Verdant Growth. If protective bloom was activated, 2 corruption instead of 1.
1 damage taken (4/7)
+2 corruption: Verdant Growth (3/9)
Corruption ability acquired: Regrowth
The servants crumpled and convulsed on the ground. Fissures appeared on them, growing larger as they spasmed, then their bodies burst. Tendrils and vines wriggled from flesh to root into the ground, pulsing, excreting blood and sap around them. A sweet scent of spores and rot clung to the throat.
Yan dodged back in quick steps. Luigi kept his distance, but his vision blurred as his skin felt wet, as if covered in moss. Something stirred inside him as a million voices demanded the rule of nature over mankind.
Veins twisted in his neck and face, spreading like roots, darkened with a greenish hue.
Touch the Bloom and sing of our Roots. Let them Wither as We Grow Eternal.
“I… I don’t want it.”
There are no Lies with Us. We are One. You are We. We were Made to Flourish, My Petal.
“What did you say?” Yan brought him back, and the whispers in his mind quieted, but didn’t go away, stalking in the back of his conscience.
His vision returned. Colors bloomed before him, casting the darkness of the cave away. Mushrooms, leaves, and even the dirt flared with outlines of bright tones and pigments.
“Nothing,” Luigi said. “We have to be more careful with these things, Yan.”
“Do not fret, bard. I shall hold them at bay.”
A laugh rustled inside him.
Roll d10 on navigating table = 7
A single or small group of weak enemies on patrol
They continued through the cave. Luigi grew increasingly depressed in the underground, craving sunlight and vegetation.
Following a curved passage, they sighted a man crouching in the distance, dressed in loose, dark green robes. Vines and thorns erupted from his head, crowned in a wreath of dead flowers and dried blood. He tended a seedbed, whispering to it.
“By Vitra, what are you doing down here?” Yan asked, baffled.
The man turned his head with a wide smile and eyes frozen in a pool of insanity. “It takes root and grows eager. This is all Its soil. Come. Help fertilize It.” He drew a knife from his braided twine belt and rushed them.
Yan flourished her scimitars to meet the cultist. Luigi nocked an arrow, but a burning desire weakened his will.
Let Us Grow Together, My Petal.
He groaned and trembled, breaking out in sweat. His greenish veins pulsed, but he curbed the Growth and attacked.
BATTLE
Cultist
Fortitude: 3
Challenge: d8
Roll Strike, 4d10
4 | 5, 6, 8, 3 = 3 damage dealt
BATTLE OVER
An arrow in his ankle pinned the cultist in place, and Yan lunged to easily finish him off.
“These people praise the corruption?” she asked.
“They are the corruption. The power overcame him, and he was its agent.”
Yan scoffed. “Such weakness is beyond me.”
Luigi walked in silence, doing his best to ignore the beautiful voice in his mind.
Notes
The corruption increases as Luigi dives deeper into the heart of the disease. Let’s hope it doesn’t overcome him.
I liked having Yan around. She provides a nice balance to our cheeky bard, and I thought they gelled well together.
Even though Befallen is a dark fantasy with body horror and other horror elements, I settled on a more lighthearted theme that I’m enjoying. I think that the corruption offers a shift in tone that doesn’t come off as displaced. This is mostly because Luigi—and a few others—is a cheerful character on a mostly bleak setting.
If you have any feedback regarding that, or the story in general, I’d love to read it.
Next part is a wrap for Aman-det. Hope you’ve been enjoying his adventure!
Befallen is available on Itch.io and DriveThruRPG.
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