The Curse of Azrai`s blood

[cbalow@cannet.co]

>As long as I am causing problems with the whole blood thing, I
>thought I would throw this out there as well....
>
>In the adventure entitled "Droene's Horn" (or something to that
>effect, I don't have the book in front of me) from the Legends of the
>Hero Kings, the awnsheghlien in the adventure has a chance of
>contaminating the bloodline of the scion who kills him -- assuming
>that he isn't already of Azrai's derivation (in which case it is
>irrelevant).
>
>Has anyone else noted this rule?
>
>Have you extracted it out to its logical conclusions?
>
>A. If killing an awnsheghlien has the chance to corrupt the
>bloodline of the noble blooded hero, isn't there less incentive to
>hunt down and kill the abominations? Why destroy an evil if you are
>likely doomed to replace it?
>
>B. Is this a one-way process? Can a scion restore their corrupted
>bloodline?
>
>C. If this isn't the case, why hasn't "open season" been declared on
>anyone found to bear Azrai's bloodline. Wouldn't there be a crusade
>to wipe out the evil bloodlines once and for all? After all, there
>is no risk in doing so, and it would seem to me that the Priests of
>the good religions would encourage such an act....even those with
>only a tainted bloodline are abominations waiting to happen.
>
>D. Why hasn't Azrai's bloodline taken over most of the others? None
>of the others have any way of increasing the number of scions with
>their derivation.
>
>E. Why shouldn't this apply to the other derivations as well? If a
>scion of Anduiras persists in killing scions of Basaia, and
>eventually they have more blood taken from scions of Basaia than
>their original bloodline of Anduiras, shouldn't their derivation also
>stand a chance of being altered?
>
>I kind of like the idea of the blood of Azrai having a corrupting
>influence, but I think it needs to be fleshed out more.
>
>Suggestions?
>

I think the rule given in the LoHK adventure was only meant to apply toward
that particular awnshegh. It is a cool ability, and maybe it should be
another bloodpower of Azrai?

[verruchter@menagerie.ne]

IM>A. If killing an awnsheghlien has the chance to corrupt the
>bloodline of the noble blooded hero, isn't there less incentive to
>hunt down and kill the abominations? Why destroy an evil if you are
>likely doomed to replace it?

I think you would actually have to strike said Awnsheghlien in the
heart.

Verruchter

* 1st 2.00 #9097 * Dijon Vu: The feeling you've tasted this mustard before

[Cec Stacey]

>
> In the adventure entitled "Droene's Horn" (or something to that
> effect, I don't have the book in front of me) from the Legends of the
> Hero Kings, the awnsheghlien in the adventure has a chance of
> contaminating the bloodline of the scion who kills him -- assuming
> that he isn't already of Azrai's derivation (in which case it is
> irrelevant).
>
> Has anyone else noted this rule?
>
They mentioned it in the Sourcebook of Baruk-Azhik as well. The dwarves
have an awnsheighlin trapped in a cave, and they can't decide what to do
with it. No one wants to kill it and risk being contaminated by the blood
of Azrai. Strictly by the rules, everyone is safe if you don't stab it
through the heart for the killing blow - pretty easy to avoid if you use a
mace or something.

Maybe it's just a flavor thing the authors thought was neat. Who knows? I
certainly haven't heard of any rules that change bloodlines.

[Tim Nutting]

In my games I keep track of just how many of Azrai's bloodpoints have been
usurped by my PCs. They know this, but most of them haven't really
considered the options there. When the "evil" blood exceeds their own
bloodline, the taint of Azrai overcomes their own blood and they become
awnsheighlen.

[802967876@RUMAC.UPR.CLU.]

You become an abominatio when you inheret the blood power BLOODFORM.
If you notice every abomination has this power, be it at minor, major, or
great.

Luis

[Jason Michael]

With any blood line, if you "blood theft" someone don't you have
to roll to see if you gain the new line or keep your old one? A taint
may just mean that a ruler with Vorynn has a few Azrai points floating
around but not enough to over power his original line.
As for not wanting to kill a scion of Azrai, like the dwarves in
Baruk-Azik, in combat (realistically) who knows if you'll kill someone
with a heart strike on purpose or by accident? Why risk getting the
blood line when there may be another way to remove the threat.


Jason Michael

-

[Jan P. M. Arnoldus]

On Thu, 8 May 1997, Jaime T. Matthew wrote:

> As long as I am causing problems with the whole blood thing, I
> thought I would throw this out there as well....
>
> In the adventure entitled "Droene's Horn" (or something to that
> effect, I don't have the book in front of me) from the Legends of the
> Hero Kings, the awnsheghlien in the adventure has a chance of
> contaminating the bloodline of the scion who kills him -- assuming
> that he isn't already of Azrai's derivation (in which case it is
> irrelevant).
>
> Has anyone else noted this rule?
>
> Have you extracted it out to its logical conclusions?
>
> A. If killing an awnsheghlien has the chance to corrupt the
> bloodline of the noble blooded hero, isn't there less incentive to
> hunt down and kill the abominations? Why destroy an evil if you are
> likely doomed to replace it?

Quite Right. Have you seen how many volunteers there are to go Awnsheg
hunting, only a complete monomanic like Roele volunteered.

> B. Is this a one-way process? Can a scion restore their corrupted
> bloodline?

No he can't (see answer to E)

> C. If this isn't the case, why hasn't "open season" been declared on
> anyone found to bear Azrai's bloodline. Wouldn't there be a crusade
> to wipe out the evil bloodlines once and for all? After all, there
> is no risk in doing so, and it would seem to me that the Priests of
> the good religions would encourage such an act....even those with
> only a tainted bloodline are abominations waiting to happen.

They might very well be very happy but the problem of volunteers
remains, considering the risks there should be a very big reward for
kills. The priesthoods who tried to sponsor such a crusade would
probably bankrupt themselves very quickly or have nobody working for
them.

> D. Why hasn't Azrai's bloodline taken over most of the others? None
> of the others have any way of increasing the number of scions with
> their derivation.

The killing has to be through the hart and remember you don't increase
the number of scions. One is dead and another one goes on. The rule
compensates for the fact that the "good"derivations just breed and have
no problem with their offspring. While the azrai bloodline often is
afraid of producing offspring since they may pose a threat to the power
of the parent. (Another reason why the bad awnshegs don't breed
themselves for increasing their own bloodstrength)

> E. Why shouldn't
this apply to the other derivations as
well? If a > scion of Anduiras persists in killing scions of Basaia, and
> eventually they have more blood taken from scions of Basaia than
> their original bloodline of Anduiras, shouldn't their derivation also
> stand a chance of being altered?

The other bloolines derive from gods which where cooperative only Azrai
had the need for dominance over everything. This facet of Azrai
expresses itselve in the struggle for the control of the bloodline in
these situations.

> > I kind of like the idea of the blood of Azrai
having
a corrupting > influence, but I think it needs to be fleshed out more.
>
> Suggestions?
>
> Jaime
> __________________________________________________ ____
> Jaime T. Matthew
> mrjamela@writeme.com
> http://www.geocities.com/~mrjamela
> ************************************************** *************************
> > 'unsubscribe birthright' as the body of the message.
>


Just my two cp worth. I'm a dwarf and thus a bit stingy.
By the way we also killed the Azrai-scion we had captured in Baruk Azhik.
We just pushed it down a shaft of 500 meters and the dropped ten tonnes
of rock on it.

Jan Arnoldus 080768ja@student.eur.nl

[Robert Harper]

At 06:23 AM 5/9/97 -0300, you wrote:
>
>The dwarves
>have an awnsheighlin trapped in a cave, and they can't decide what to do
>with it. No one wants to kill it and risk being contaminated by the blood
>of Azrai. Strictly by the rules, everyone is safe if you don't stab it
>through the heart for the killing blow - pretty easy to avoid if you use a
>mace or something.
>
>Maybe it's just a flavor thing the authors thought was neat. Who knows? I
>certainly haven't heard of any rules that change bloodlines.
>

Maybe it has a major regeneration power that can only be halted, thus truly
killing it, if it is slain by a stroke to the heart! (Smiling the evil grin
of a perverse DM).

__________________________________________________ _________________
| |
| We ask ourselves if there is a God, how can this happen? |
| Better to ask, if there is a God, must it be sane? |
| |
| Lucien LaCroix |
|_________________________________________________ __________________|

[Seb Berendse]

Jaime T. Matthew wrote:
> If a scion kills a blooded character with Azrai's bloodline, there is
> a small chance that they will be tainted. They have a good chance
> (based on their bloodline strength) to resist the corrupting effect.

How do the game-mechanic handle this idea? Rolling dice, I suspect,
but what rule's would you give it?

> This works under the presumption that committing Blood Theft is evil.
> The very act opens up the player to the evil god's energies. At the
> very least, killing is required....

I disagree, bloodtheft for the sake of bloodpoints is indeed an evil
act, bloodtheft by chance is not. Let me explain: on one adventure
some time ago we encountered an evil wizard who could regenerate and
had green blood, could transform himself into a golden cat. As we
tried to kill the dude, he only scoffed at our 'insignificant' tries
to harm him (even chopped of his arm, which he picked up an attached
it right away as if it had never come off), so my PC had the idea
(since we were all on the losing side and hopes of winning were low):
why not try to strike his heart, he ought to have one. And by freak
accident I immedeately rolled a 20 on the attack die, so I struck him
in the heart. Aye he was blooded and I got some points.

Question, is this an evil act? Would, if he was Azrai blooded (I
don't know) this increase the chances of being affected (I only had
11 bloodpoints)?

Base

************************************************** ***************
Sebastiaan G.P. Berendse
148530@student.fbk.eur.nl

There is a world just around the corner of your mind
where reality is an intruder and dreams come true.
You may escape into it at will, you need no secret password,
magic wand or Alladins Lamp, all you need is your own imagination...
************************************************** *******************

[Gandalf]

>How do the game-mechanic handle this idea? Rolling dice, I suspect,
>but what rule's would you give it?

I think what we do is this:
For every 4pts of blood each guy has (the usurper and the late blooded
guy), each rolls 1d6. If the usurper rolls up a greater sum, he keeps his
bloodline. If the DM rolls best for the dead guy, then the usurper's line
is tainted.

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