Rhodes to Glory: Council of the Necrosages

This campaign is designed to be played with the Rhodes to Glory game system.

Prelude:

The guards approach you and order you to your feet while kicking you in the leg.

You become aware of the other slaves around you as you rub the sleep out of your dirty eyes. The harsh light of the morning reflects off of the white hills into your eyes causing you to squint.

The smell of salt and sweat fill your nostrils as the men who have you enslaved kick and prod the other people chained to you to stand up. The heavy metal chain is connected to almost 30 other slaves similarly forced from their homelands and clacks loudly as people stand.

Once everyone is standing in line, the head guard comes out and walks up and down the line. He stops several times to questions or prods the slave before him. The ones that impress him are made to stand in a different group. That group gets chained together as well and stood across the path from the others.

The Head Guard reaches you and looks you up and down. His nose flickers into a sneer for a brief moment before he looks you right in the eyes. The intense aura of death in his eyes chills you to the core. His eyes glint with the cold calculation of someone who does not see you as a person but as a thing to be used and discarded when done.

He calls out his lieutenant, a powerful warrior with shining armor and diverts his attention to the slave next to you. "My friend here just got a new toy. Help him test it out." The guard says before sending the struggling prisoner to his swift and bloody dismemberment. The bloody gashes inflicted by the man on the prisoners body were inflicted so as to provide the greatest amount of pain.

The prisoners cries of agony quieted and died quickly as he bled out. The lieutenant continued cutting on them long after the slaves were no longer able to fight back. The only signs of life in the victims were the spasms of pain the bloody messes of dismembered flesh contorted into when his weapon dug in for another piece.

After sending three more slaves to be slaughtered at the hands of his subordinate, the Head Guard tires of his game and declares, "If any one of you slaves can offer me an entertaining time, I will take you with me to die in the glorious arena instead of this shithole." before taking a seat on a boulder above the remaining slaves.

All of the prisoners restraints drop off of them as a spell cast by the Head Guard unlocks their clasps. The Head Guard looks on as the prisoners are effectively fed as a group to his subordinate with gleeful delight.

As you stand over the finally still form of the lieutenant, the Head Guards laughter finally subsides. A low rumble rises to a crashing roar as the Head Guard started an avalanche raining stones. All of the slaves in the original group get crushed under the mountain of stone that cascaded onto them. The dust and falling boulders and choking dust make escape impossible.

As the dust clears and everyone regains awareness, the restraints that had been removed earlier reattach themselves to the surviving slaves and draws them to a single spot as the links magically increase and decrease to clamp onto and then drag everyone to the heaviest of the survivors. Once everyone is collected, the Head Guard says, "Congratulations, I haven’t seen maggots like you all in a while. Most squish at the slightest touch." as he gestures towards the mutilated corpses of the other prisoners.

"I think I will make you my newest batch of recruits for the arena." The Head Guard howls before he begins cackling like a raving maniac. Powerless to resist commands under the enchanted restraints, you are marched out of the mine and towards the nearby city.

Just inside the city gates is a massive walled complex. As you approach, a guard dressed the same as the man leading you catches sight of the group and signals someone below. A massive portcullis with the main bars thicker than a man is tall slowly rose and great stone slabs slid out of place to reveal a glowing portal.

Unable to resist the magic that compels you to march onward, you follow the rest of the slaves through the eerily glowing portal. As you get closer you notice small wisps of coalescing dark energy that dissipate only moments later surrounding the portal. By the time it is your turn to go through, you can see that the wisps are tortured and contorted faces of lost spirits.

An overwhelming feeling of dread wells up inside of you as you helplessly watch yourself march through the sacrificial portal. When you enter the portal, you find yourself enveloped in scorching and inky blackness. With no light, you are totally blind and can feel nothing but the searing pain of having your flesh melted off of your bones.

The pain and darkness wash away in the icy cold of frigid water and the blinding blue hue of a light beyond the waters surface. Still chained to the other slaves, you are drawn up out of the water into a tall and wide but shallow chamber lined with granite flagstones.

As you watched, the people walked up to a ledge at the edge of a shallow pool and right off. The angled bottom of the pool makes walking out easy. The restraints on you move and shift as the distance between people changed due to the drop. You are marched into a side chamber and down a long hallway. The whole hall is lined with cells. Some are large enough to house dozens of people while others were built for a single occupant.

The final cell is the one you get moved to. The guards moved the all the new slaves on the same chain into the room and shackled everyone to the wall. The magical restraints adjusted to your body size yet still managed to bite into your skin. The cold surface made your skin prickle but the magic controlling you up to this point remained in effect for several seconds after the door was locked. The afterimage of a void barrier flashed the moment the lock was thrown, showing that the door was warded against attacks on top of being locked.

The overcrowded cell you get shoved into at the end of your long march is dark and reeks of human sweat and waste. The light from outside is completely blocked out and the only light left is a flickering torch near the guards station down the hall. Several sentries stood at regular intervals down the hall, each with a single cell to monitor. If trouble were to erupt, reinforcements would begin flooding the room almost instantly.

Campaign:

Act 1

Compelled by magic, you are prevented from leaving the complex unless ordered to by a master of the school. This magic is able to be transferred to new masters if desired. Only by transferring control back to the person compelled, can the effects of the enchantment be nullified.

Gladiators that earn great glory for their school have been known to be rewarded with their freedom and the master has promised to free any fighter that is able to go 20 arena matches undefeated.

The other slaves have a pre-established pecking order and all of the slaves are encouraged by the guards to haze new recruits. Several of the lower ranked fighters attempt to haze you by serving urine instead of water/beer during meals while others threaten violence.

During the first night at the school, a guard escorts you out of the communal pit, through the training yard and locks you inside a cell and chains you to the floor, facing the wall. Moments later three gladiators are let into the room. The lead gladiator begins beating you. As he does so, one of your restraints comes loose.

When the guard returns to the room, he surveys the scene. If he feels that anything is out of place or that the three gladiators are acting strangely, he will call for reinforcements and beat each person down to within an inch of their life and destroy any equipment you have collected so far. After the encounter, the guard returns you to your cell and leaves.

You have to earn the respect or fear of the other fighters. Only after dominating the other slaves and establishing yourself as the undisputed champion of the school will the sadistic Head Guard allow you to compete in the arena.

Until you receive the winnings from your first match, any money or equipment you obtain is considered contraband. If the guards find out you have it, they will punish you severely.

As dawn breaks, the school begins to wake and move. The guards on duty were replaced with fresh ones and the new guards began rousing the slaves. A guard approaches your cell and throws the latch on the door. The clink of steel slamming into another chunk of steel as the lock released was loud enough to wake even the deepest sleeper. As the door unlocked, the restraints holding you and every other slave in place released in unison.

"To your feet slaves!" Said the guard that opened the door as two other guards move through the doorway and begin beating people who were not moving fast enough for them. One slave failed to react as a guard stomped their exposed ankle with his steel-shod boots. The guard inspected the still form and declared to his commander "This one’s dead.". A short incantation later and the body burst into flames and incinerated into dust in the flash of an eye.

The guards corral the slaves into a line in the main training yard once they clear them out of the cells. A few of the new slaves resist but the veteran slaves have long since stopped fighting the guards. One of the resisting slaves backed into another veteran slave during his struggles. The slave he bumped into spun around in a flash. The guards working on moving the slaves took a step back as the older slave spun to face the new one. The guards hesitance caused the struggling slave to turn and look at who he had run into.

In a move so fast that you couldn’t see the transition between points, the older slave grabbed the new slave by the neck and ripped the man’s throat out. The spray of blood from the act covered all within a fifteen foot span in crimson mist. The slave slumps to the ground, the sound of his knees impacting the hard stone reverberating through the courtyard in a sickening thud to go with the sound of the slave choking on his own blood as it poured down his now exposed esophagus and filled his lungs.

"Wolfgang! Get back in line!" the Head Guard called from his perch overlooking the courtyard. The savaged slave collapses in a fit of sputtering and blood as the killer drops the quivering flesh he had in his hand before slowly turning to take his place back in line. One of the guards casts the same spell as earlier and the mutilated slaves corpse is vaporized in an instant. The left over ashes blow away quickly in the slight breeze.

Once all the slaves are in line, the head Guard begins a speech. As he speaks, he paces back and forth across the large covered balcony he uses to oversee the training yard. His words carry to every ear clearly yet he never had to strain his voice to be heard. If any slave attempts to interrupt his speech, the guards silence them instantly with a paralyzing strike.

"You are all vermin fit only for death. You are only here because you were too weak to protect yourselves. You will fight and die for the amusement of your captors because the weak deserve nothing. The strong make the rules and the weak die by them.

"The rules here are simple. Obey the master of this fine school and those he has put in authority utterly. No killing other slaves outside of the arena, it cost’s the master money. Anyone who is found to have destroyed the masters property will be punished accordingly." The Head Guard pauses for a moment to look directly at the slave who had killed the man who bumped into him.

The slaves face went pale as he stood frozen under the Head Guards withering gaze. The Head Guard finally broke his death gaze after a few moments before continuing "Only arena fighters are allowed to possess property or prepare spells. If any other slave is found with such, the consequences will be dire.

The guard in the courtyard grabs the slave on the end of the line and throws them through the cracked open courtyard gates. As the slave rolls through the massive doors, he is enveloped by black flames that reduce him to ash in the blink of an eye. The flames were so dark that when you look away you still see the silhouette of his missing form for a few seconds like an afterimage.

"Oh and don’t even bother trying to escape, the wards cast on this place are older than the most ancient bones and prevent you from escaping. Test their limits and you will learn the meaning of suffering as you are consumed by the void." The head Guard finished his speech before nodding to the guard that threw the slave to his doom.

Slaves get paired up and instructed to fight. The Guards watch the different fights and after someone is incapacitated, the winner is paired up with another still conscious slave.

Act 2

Now that you are able to compete in the arena, you are given a starting spell or piece of equipment and expected to earn the rest of what you get. Other fighters within the school that are ranked higher in the arena than you treat you like a child while the fighters ranked lower than you covet your belongings and will steal them if given the chance.

During lunch one day, you find a message in your food. The small scrap of cloth had three words scrawled on it; Three will come. Moments after reading the message, one of the other fighters at the table behind you stands up and begins walking past you.

The glint of metal is all the warning you get before the man attempts to kill you. His weapon is coated in poison and a single touch with it is all he needs to deliver a fatal strike. As a fight breaks out, the rest of the slaves present form a circle and watch the ensuing fight. Hooting and cat calls abound as you face off against the would-be assassin.

Before you can finish off the man, another slave calls the guards. As you struggle with the assassin, guards begin pouring into the area and forcefully subdue everyone present. The hooting becomes bellows of pain and shouts as the guards restrain everyone. In the struggle to subdue the assassin, the guards end up beating the man to death while others beat you to within an inch of your life.

Fighters from competing schools try to ensure their own victory through a variety of means, most of which would be considered underhanded by anyone. Things like poisonings, death by hidden vipers and sudden violent beatings from bribed guards are common in the days leading up to scheduled fights.

The light from the guards torch coming into the overcrowded cell roused few. The clack of the cell lock being thrown open and the grinding wail as the steel door slid across the steel threshold was enough to make a few more ears twitch but no heads dare move without being commanded.

Three guards stride into the cell and two grab your arms while the third places new restraints and a blindfold on you before releasing the wall shackles. The new manacles make your body numb and your mind swim. You find it impossible to focus enough to tap mana or resist in general. The guards move you to a vacant store room and attach your restraints to a ring set in the floor.

"You know what you need to do tomorrow to survive. Let your opponent knock you out on the fifth turn or you won’t live to see the sun set. We can reach you anywhere." A voice clearly reading a script says monotonously in your ear. Another voice says "You sound retarded. Do we really need to read that shit?" The first voice responds quickly, "They paid us a fortune to hurt this guy and read this to him so that’s what I’m doing."

After earning a place in the arena, you find out that an important emissary has come to the city in search of fighters for arena events at the imperial capital. As the center of wealth and trade, competing in the Capital is the best way to earn your freedom. Your informant gives you a hint of advice by telling you that the envoy is not impressed by mere violence, they are looking for a show.

The armory at the school has been picked clean of any rare or uncommon spells/equipment by the fighters before you. All arena level fighters are allowed to train and hunt in an enchanted forest accessed through a vortex in a crypt below the school. The monsters they defeat within the forest can be turned in to the trader for money, equipment or spells.

"I have these to offer you pipsqueak. Take ’em or leave ’em, see if I care." The burly Minotaur that runs the equipment shop says to you while waving you over to a large steel bin. Inside the bin are all kinds of weapons and armor but most are rusty or otherwise show heavy wear. As though to make the case for how cheap or in need of repairs the equipment was, the first item you pull from the chest breaks as you try to pull it free from the rest of the tangle.

Battles in the enchanted forest are unpredictable and can draw the attention of high level monsters that can overwhelm the unprepared. Many species ambush or otherwise attack anything they think might be prey which makes having someone there to watch your back sound a lot nicer.

Many of the slaves that entered the forest to get stronger have become denizens of the forest themselves, destined to help others overcome the trials and tribulations they were unable to overcome themselves. Coming across a defeated hunter usually results in deadly or otherwise difficult encounter with a rare or legendary monster.

You can happen across the remains of defeated hunters and from time to time their equipment or spell books will be in good enough repair to use. Many times the hunters are used by the creatures that defeated them as pawns to fight would-be trespassers in their territory or as a skin to lure prey into a false sense of security before striking their unsuspecting victims with deadly force.

After learning that the Master has decided to throw a banquet in honor of the Emperor, and it is up to you to provide the nights best entertainment. It begins with a banquet where all the fighters compete for the attention of patrons willing to sponsor an event. While there are many sponsors present, the imperial emissary is the hardest to impress and the most elusive.

The Head Guard challenges you to a hunting competition within an enchanted forest. You are sent into a vortex alone and with only your arena gear. The goal of the challenge is to bring the rarest and strongest prey back within an hour. Gloating about his past victories, the Head Guard makes it clear that you are not supposed to win.

If you manage to find stronger or rarer prey than the Head Guard, he will become enraged and order you to bring back a legendary beast. If on the other hand you find smaller and weaker prey, he will curse you for being weak and refuse to let you out of the crypt until you have defeated the undead he raises within.

Whatever the beast caught for the feast, it must be at or above the rarity of the emissary or he will be displeased and leave the feast.

You have to find a way to convince the emissary to choose you as one of the fighters he wants to take back to the city. The Head Guard goes out of his way to try and sabotage any attempts you make to make direct contact with the emissary. Because of the feast, he cannot kill you there but he is allowed to cast spells and incapacitate any slave for disrupting the celebrations.

Under the watchful eye of the Master, the Head Guard works to keep the emissary far from you. If you attempt to approach the emissary uninvited, his bodyguards will show themselves and fight you as he flees and then disappears. The Master and the Head Guard each extract a heavy toll out of you for the insult that the emissary would experience.

Act 3

Before you can leave to the imperial city, an army begins battering down the gates of the city you are in. The local militia is outmanned so it calls on the arena fighters to fill the ranks. Powerful enchantments are cast on the slaves to make them follow the soldiers orders.

The Guard Captain of the militia is determined to save as many citizens as possible, even if it means sacrificing every single slave to make it happen. He is cold and unwilling to listen to others. If anyone issues anything that resembles an order or resistance to his will, he reacts violently.

As the Guard Captain inspects the slaves assembled before him the scowl on his face deepens. He points to the largest slave present and orders him forward. The slave obeys and stands at attention where indicated. The Guard Captain scans the slaves to ensure they are paying attention before proceeding. He speaks directly to the big slave, "Hold out your hands." The slave slowly complies although the look on his face is one of growing fear.

"Good, keep them just like that no matter what." The Guard Captain says to the slave before pacing up and down the line of slaves. "I don’t expect you savages to understand this but I love this city. It has been my home since birth and no one is going to take it from me. You are all slaves and criminals and I don’t care what you think. I only care about obedience. If you obey me, we will get along..." He paused speaking as he put two gold coins on each of the slaves hands.

"I reward my allies greatly. Those who faithfully execute my orders will be legends." The Guard paused to put another set of coins on the now sweating slaves hands. "Don’t move for any reason." He told the slave in a low voice that carried to every ear present.

The slave was beginning to struggle with keeping his arms steady and it was showing on his face. The Guard Captain paced in front of the assembled slaves a little longer before continuing. "If on the other hand, I find that you doing anything but what I ask you to..." The Guard Captain paused as he turned his head to look at the large slave with the coins on his hand.

The slave flinched under his gaze. "I told you not to move." The guard scolded the slave before, in a single fluid movement, the guard drew his sword and removed both of the slaves hands just above the wrist. A flick of the wrist and the tip of the blade was at the mans throat. The slave stood there for a moment as the blood flowed from his body. Moments passed before the blood draining from his body made his legs lose strength and he slowly sank onto the blade of the Guard Captain.

"I will show no mercy. You are the tools I was given to save my home. Once you are all dead, I have been promised a real army. I will use you to stop this foe, even if it takes every one of your lives. Fail me in any way and I will take your lives myself." The Guard Captain finished as the slave bled his last onto the guards blade.

An attack by the invading army that breaks through the walls gives the Head Guard an opportunity to seize control of the school. As long as the Head Guard remains in control of the school, you are not allowed to rest more than a few hours before being sent back out to the battlements. The school prices also double and will not buy back anything for as long as the Head Guard remains in control.

After the battle, in honor of your efforts on behalf of the Head Guard, he is appointed as the leader of a school in the capital. You remain a slave but are deeded the school in the city you defended. You are allowed to use it to store any additional equipment and spells that you come to possess but do not wish to carry with you.

Act 4

You are purchased by the emissary and taken to the capital of the empire to fight. On the way, the emissary conscripts other fighters and sets up events in every city he passes through. You have to win enough money in the fights he sets up to survive and outfit yourself before getting to the capital.

Once in the capital, you find that dozens of schools vie for the top spot in the games. Intrigue and backstabbing outside of the ring determine the ease and rewards available inside the ring. Your main rival school always seems to be able to shift any loss to their advantage. A small and strangely powerful school wants your school burned to the ground and every person in it too.

Trying to stop the small school is complicated by the fact that your rival school is the arbiter of justice as appointed by the emperor so no official law enforcement resources can be levied against your enemies without the direct consent of the emperor.