Friday 25 October 2013

The Night of the Living Lead.

Here is the background fluff for the Night of the Living Lead which is a coordinated series of fantasy games happening across the UK. Let me know if any of our continental or Stateside cousins join in too! It is all taking place as near to Halloween as possible.

‘Cabal of the Necromancers’ AKA ‘Night of the Living Lead’.

In every corner of every land of men, Dwarves and Elves there is always to be found a peculiar breed of fellow who feels his work is just too important to be left unfinished. Some are great Kings, others are lowly Scholars, but most have some link to the world of magic. When their time comes and their memory starts to fade and their hands shake with palsy and their eyes cloud they all face the same choice; fail quietly and die unmourned or try to cheat Death of his due. Life is full of temptation and never more so than at the very end, for who could resist the lure of youthful vigour restored? What could a man achieve with his powers if at the height of his wisdom and knowledge he also had the strength of his prime returned to him? Here, at the end of the journey a man may face his greatest tests, and his greatest peril. The Dark Gods watch him, their Daemons shadow him and perhaps worst of all his own nightmares may drive him towards the forbidden tomes of one whose name is forever cursed.

Nagash!

Nagash, the very name conjures an image of lamentation and despair. He was the first, the one who broke the covenant with his Gods and sacrificed all in his pursuit of power and eternal life. All those who follow his path come to be known by the same cursed epithet he bore: Necromancer.

By their nature, Necromancers are selfish creatures and self-absorbed. They cannot bear slavery to the pantheon of Chaos even though it may mean an easy route to the power and immortality they crave so bitterly. They are men and women who set themselves apart from all others, they take what they desire and manufacture it out of the raw stuff of magic where it does not lie awaiting to be possessed already. They rely on no-one because they trust no-one.

And yet, there are tales. There are stories, mere rumours, whispers even, of a secret society of Necromancers. An underground brotherhood of the twisted and evil. An order of the night, an axis of vile intent. This ‘Cabal’ welcomes only a select few, those who are not only able bear sharing their hard-won secrets but whose terrible genius can serve the nefarious purposes of the collective.

Not only is the Cabal all too real, but it stands upon the brink of completing a great work. As the stars, moons and planets align and the spirits walk the earth of their own accord and the restless dead stir uneasily in their graves a mighty spell will be unleashed on the lands of the living. It relies upon the perfect concert of effort by Necromancers in all parts of the world, only combined can they approach the might of Nagash, and in that one moment of perfect union they will re-enact the terrible Doom of Nehekara itself! Such a spell would kill every living creature for thousands of square miles and turn them into unthinking Zombie slaves. The worlds of Men, Dwarves and Elves would be at an end!

Only a select few know this secret, a pitiful few. All who do know this awful truth are enemies of the Necromancers this night, for what is Chaos without mortals to corrupt? What is a Vampire without cattle to feed upon? Those who understand must gather their forces and seek out those of the Cabal that can be uncovered in time in the hope that by killing enough of them the mighty spell will unravel and fail.


Now YOU know this horrible secret too, will YOU have the courage to lead your army against the Cabal of the Necromancers? Only time will reveal our destiny!

Thanks for stopping by!

11 comments:

  1. OMG OMG, somebody stop them !
    Paul, you're sure these guys can't be talked into sense? Maybe telling them it's bad for their image + undead are very poor cooks, friends and lovers...

    If no word will reach their depraved heads, maybe a good sword will !
    Very nice intro and waiting for the multiple batreps coming soon...

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  2. Glad you like it, batreps coming next month! Maybe there is time to convince these old troublemakers to put down the Necronomicon and take up their pipe and slippers but somehow I doubt it!

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    1. not to mention we'd waste good gaming opportunities and the chance to see Harry's 50 dire wolves in action ;)

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  3. Wooow, what a great idea! Wanna see those reports!!

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    1. Indeed, it is a good idea, I think it was Erny who first suggested linking the games in some way and I decided to come up with some narrative. I'm hoping the games go well and we get some great photos to drool over, I've certainly had some fantastic support from some friends here in Yorkshire so I think ours will be lots of fun. Good luck to the rest of you who are able to join in!

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  4. Sounds awesome! Too bad there's that stupid ocean thing between me and England.

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    1. It's a pretty big obstacle, but there is no reason why you can't run a little something to join in. Something on the same scale as those Lost World books you've been gaming with. Who says one of the Necromancers isn't a lonely old duffer with only a handful of Skeletons to defend his home against a couple of adventurers!

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  5. Sounds great Paul - I reckon Baron Kraust and his growing band of Lost Souls will want a piece of this action!

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