The Stone Corpses

[Ampers&nd]

I mentioned them in another comment and it occurred to me that I actually had most of this small group of antagonists written up already, so I thought I'd share. 

The Stone Corpses

The Ten Thunders are not the only criminal syndicate in the Three Kingdoms, although they are by far and away the largest and most successful. Smaller crime families are spread across the kingdoms, waging a dual war against the oppression of the guild and absorption by the Thunders. These clans are slowly being eradicated, but enough survive in the corners of the map that it will be some time yet before they are wiped out forever.

The Stone Corpses are one such clan. Formed initially from the gravediggers, butchers and corpse-carriers of the kingdoms underclass they grew into a sizable institution before attracting the wrath of the Thunders Oyabun. The underground war between the two mismatched clans was going unsurprisingly badly for the Corpses until the guild’s deepening involvement in the Kingdoms began drawing the Ten Thunders resources away. This interruption allowed the smaller clan to retreat and lick its wounds in the Burakumin hovels and graveyards that spawned it.

Such defeat would have wiped most clans from history but the Corpses managed to eke out their existence in the underclass for years, avoiding direct conflict and proving to be a thorn in the side of the Guild and Thunders both. This resilience and ability to work from the shadows paid off in a way that none could have imagined as a new patron has emerged for the hidden clan- The previous Governor General.  

Unable to successfully infiltrate or even conclusively prove the existence of the Ten Thunders in Malifaux, agents of the Guild had been frustrated at every turn by the crime syndicate. The Governor General sought to bring a new perspective to the hunt, and in an attempt to ‘fight fire with fire’ he sent emissaries to the corpses with an offer; he would transport many of their people to Malifaux, away from their sullen existence in the kingdoms, and they in turn would help him destroy the spreading plague of the Thunders.

This suited the elders of the Stone Corpses as they believed the Thunders grasp on Malifaux could surely not match the stranglehold they had in the kingdoms, and with the guild backing them they could possibly even take the war on the thunders back home in time. The first months of this project gave more intelligence on the thunders movements than the last few years of Guild investigation which pleased the governor, as did knowing that should the Corpses go too far (or even eventually succeed) then the Governor could disavow all knowledge of prior agreements, and hunt them down with his own resources.

Of course this agreement being so secretive meant that few aside from the Governor knew of it, and now he has passed on it falls to Secretary Matheson to decide whether the new Governor needs to know about this hidden resource at all?

 

Organisation.

Formed from Burakumin and other underclasses, the Stone Corpses shun the titles of the noble families of the east, with no samurai or Oyabun these criminals tend to use plain words to describe themselves.

Brothers and Sisters- These make up the vast majority of the clan. Often hidden in plain sight as butchers, gravediggers and other menial workers in the three kingdoms and little kingdom. Although not as accomplished at warfare as their Ten Thunder Counterparts, they are nonetheless adept spies and sometimes even assassins.

Stone Hands- The warriors of the clan, these bear enchanted tattoos on their torso which gives them enhanced resilience, and are martially as gifted as any Ten Thunder Warrior. In smaller towns they will wear their colours and tattoos openly, hoping to cow the civilian population into subservience.

Stone Fists- The elite Guardsmen of the inner circle, these are usually ronin and other highly skilled warriors, who have been cast from their own clans in shame and dishonour. With multiple tattoos across their skin they are hugely resilient, and can strike with inhuman strength when needed.

Stone Shapers- These are minor spellcasters with little real knowledge of what they do or why it works, following instructions that have been in the clan for centuries they daub the warriors of the clan with sacred tattoos that are supposed to give them supernatural benefits. Since coming to Malifaux these simple enchantments have become much more powerful.

Stone Carvers- The heads of the Clan, Stone Carvers were unconvincing mages back on earth, and rarely had the resources to challenge the Thunders. On Malifaux however the pervasive magic (and influence of crossing the Breach) has given new life to their previously theoretical abilities. Most of the time is spent dealing with matters of importance and planning for the future, though they are also responsible for developing new Tattoos for the Stone Shapers to apply to the clan members. A new branch of the Carvers has recently begun investigating the potential of Necromancy, the brothers and sisters position as gravediggers and corpse handlers providing a steady flow of material, and the whisper itself has begun changing the way this offshoot of the Carvers think about spirits and their place in the world.

 

Stone Corpse tattoos

What began as simply ways to mark the clan in its infancy soon became charged with the power of tradition and ritual, powerful forces in the 3 kingdoms.  The tattoos provided a small measure of protection and guidance for the brothers and sisters that wore them , and this small magic soon elevated the Stone Shapers and Carvers to positions of power, where they have stayed since. Since crossing the breach the tattoos abilities have become almost as powerful as they were supposed to be on earth, and the Carvers have been adding new tattoos with the ingredients native to Malifaux.

Any character with the ‘painted man (x)’ talent may have a number of tattoos applied to it equal to the value of the talent (x). These tattoos must be applied following the rituals designed by the Stone Corpse Carvers, and require different ingredients to function. Once applied they usually last for at least a day before they need replenishing. 

 

 

Stone Corpse Tattoos
Name	Ability/talent	Trigger	Appearance	Requirements	Time taken/ duration
Stone hand	Hard to Wound	Df(r) toughened hide: after resolving this character gains Armour +1 until its next activation.	A grey stone hand print on the torso, chalky and coarse in texture.	Cremation Ash (human), Necrotic Fluid, chalk. alchemistry 2, enchanting 2.	15 mins/24 hours
Hatsuon	Manipulative (12)	Wp(m) inconsequential: after succeeding this character seems unimportant and may not be questioned again on the same subject.	A labyrinth across the face, subtly done so only visible to mystical eyes.	Sanctified oil, Cremation ash, (Neverborn). Black blood Ink. alchemistry 2, enchanting 2.	1 hour/24 hours
Zhi Ren	Bad Karma: (Ml, Ca and Sh triggers may not be declared against this character)	Df(r) Good Karma: after succeeding this character may make a 0/1/2 healing flip	A smeared black handprint across the back, with a similar white handprint beneath it.	Cremation ash (human, both male and female), chalk, Sanctified Oil, alchemistry 2, enchanting 2.	30 mins/24 hours
Wanyudo	unceasing	Df/Wp(c) The cycle is complete: after resolving If this character dies in the next 5 minutes, it returns as a stitched.	A blue wheel on either shoulder with a grey face in the wheels centre.	Cremation ash (Undead), necrotic fluid, blue dye, grave dirt, alchemistry 3, enchanting 2. Necromancy 2.	1 hour /48 hours
Jian	Threading the Needle	Sh(m): Perfectionist: After failing this character gains the focus+1 condition.	A winged red eye on the forehead or cheek.	Cremation ash (Neverborn), fresh blood, red dye, small feathers, alchemistry 2, enchanting 3.	15 mins/12 hours
Yuan Gui	Counterspell	Df/Wp(c) Spirits vengeance: After failing this model  may push 2” towards the attacking model.	A series of white angular patterns stretching across the shoulders and back.	Ashes of a funeral shroud. Chalk. Salt. Necrotic fluid. alchemistry 2, enchanting 2. Necromancy 2	1 hour  mins/24 hours
Suea Saming	Flurry	Ml(r) Frenzied strike: After damaging this character must declare this trigger if able. make a 1Ml attack against another character in range. This attack cannot declare triggers.	Black tiger pattern stripes on the arms and legs.	Cremation ash (beast, preferably a predator) Necrotic Fluid,  black ink. alchemistry 2, enchanting 2.	30 mins/24 hours
Di Fu Ling	Sure Footed	Sp(m) Shifting ground: After failing this character may discard twist card or suffer a wound to immediately take the test again.	The legs from the knees down are covered in intricate dark patterns of black and brown. The character must be barefoot.	Grave dirt, Cremation ash (any), Sanctified oil, black or brown ink. alchemistry 1, enchanting 2.	1 hour/2 weeks

 

Stone Corpse Profiles: 

Stone Brother/Sister Minion(5), living, Burakumin
Might 2	Grace 2	Speed 2	Resilience 1
Charm 0	Intellect 1	Cunning 3	Tenacity 1
Defense 5 (10)	Walk 5	Height 2	Initiative 5(10)
Willpower 3(8)	Charge 6	Wounds 5 OOOOO
Skills:, Evade 3, Navigation 2, Notice 3, Melee 2, Stealth  4, Scrutiny 2
Face in the Crowd: Sh attack actions against this character suffer [-] if it is within 3 yards of other characters it does not consider enemies. Disguised: This character may not be the target of a charge action. Painted Man: This character may have a single Stone Hands tattoo applied to it.
(1) Tools of the trade (Melee) AV: 4 (9) Rg: y2///  Resist: Df Target suffers 1/1/2 damage. (m) Honour means nothing: after failing push this character its Wk in any direction. (c) Not just for digging: after damaging the target character gains the stunned condition.   (1) Scatter! (Evade) AV: 5 (10) Rg: y2  Resist: Sp This character and up to 2 target Burakumin within 3 yards push up to their Cg value in any direction- this move must not end them within engagement range of an enemy character.   (0) Marked Man (Stealth) AV: 7 (12)  Rg: LoS Resist: Notice/Cunning Target character gains the condition ‘Person of Interest’ until this characters next activation: Any Burakumin character with LoS to this character may take a walk action every time this character takes a walk action.

 

Stone Hand Minion(5), living, Burakumin
Might 1	Grace 2	Speed 2	Resilience 1
Charm 0	Intellect 1	Cunning 2	Tenacity 1
Defense 5 (10)	Walk 5	Height 2	Initiative 4(9)
Willpower 3(8)	Charge 6	Wounds 5 OOOOO
Skills:, Evade 3, Navigation 2, Notice 3, Melee 2, Stealth  2, Archery 3.
Hidden plates: This character has Armour +1   Organised Crime: This character does not flip a card to randomise for Burakumin when using the Long Bow attack against a character engaged in Melee Painted Man: This character may have a single Stone Hands tattoo applied to it.
(1) Scavenged Tanto(Melee) AV: 4 (9) Rg: y1///  Resist: Df Target suffers 1/2/3 damage. (m) Honour means nothing: after failing push this character its Wk in any direction. (c) Filth of the grave: after damaging the target character gains the poison+1  condition.   (1) Hunters Bow (Archery) AV: 5m (10) Rg: y12~  Resist: Df Target suffers 2/3/5 damage. (c) Filth of the grave: after damaging the target character gains the poison+1  condition. (m) Honour means nothing: after failing push this character its Wk in any direction.   (0) Marked Man (Stealth) AV: 5 (12)  Rg: LoS Resist: Notice/Cunning Target character gains the condition ‘Person of Interest’ until this characters next activation: Any Burakumin character with LoS to this character may take a walk action every time this character takes a walk action.

 

Stone Fist Enforcer(7), living, Burakumin
Might 3	Grace 2	Speed 2	Resilience 1
Charm 0	Intellect 1	Cunning 2	Tenacity 1
Defense 5 (12)	Walk 5	Height 2	Initiative 5(12)
Willpower 4(11)	Charge 6	Wounds 7 OOOOOOO
Skills:, Toughness 2,  Evade 3, Thrown weapons 3m, Notice 2, Melee 3, Stealth  2, Intimidation 2, martial arts 3.
Hidden plates: This character has Armour +1   Organised Crime: This character does not flip a card to randomise for Burakumin when using the Hurled Dagger attack against a character engaged in Melee Painted Man: This character may have up to two Stone Hands tattoos applied to it.
(1) Scavenged Daito (melee) AV: 6 (13) Rg: y2///  Resist: Df Target suffers 2/3/5 damage. (r) Jagged edge: the damage flip gains [+]. (c) Filth of the grave: after damaging the target character gains the poison+1  condition.   (2) Run Through (melee) Push this character up to 4 yards in any directoon, then perform a (1)ML attack, afte resolving the attack and triggers, push this character up to 3 yards in any direction.   (1) Hurled Dagger (Thrown weapons) AV: 5m (12) Rg: y8~  Resist: Df Target suffers 2/3/4 damage. (m) Finish the weak: after damaging push this model it’s Wk toward the target  character. (m) Honour means nothing: after failing push this character its Wk in any direction.

 

Stone Shaper Enforcer(7), living, Burakumin
Might 0	Grace 1	Speed 2	Resilience 1
Charm 1	Intellect 2	Cunning 3	Tenacity 3
Defense 4m (11m)	Walk 5	Height 2	Initiative 5(12)
Willpower 5(12)	Charge 6	Wounds 6 OOOOOO
Skills:,  Art 4, Alchemistry 3, Centering 3, Evade 2, Enchanting 3t, History 2, Literacy 2, Notice 3, Stealth  4, Scrutiny 2, Teach2, Toughness 1 ,  martial arts 3.
DF (M): Chemical concoction: after resolving this character may gain the Poison +1 condition, if it does so it then gives  all  other characters within 3 yards the condition Poison+1   Face in the Crowd: Sh attack actions against this character suffer [-] if it is within 3 yards of other characters it does not consider enemies. Painted Man: This character may have up to two Stone Hands tattoos applied to it.
(1) Leg Sweep (martial arts) AV: 5 (12) Rg: y2///  Resist: Df Target suffers 1/2/4 damage and gains the prone condition. (m) Roll Clear:  after resolving push this character its Wk in any direction.   (1) Hasty additions (Enchanting) AV: 6t (13t) Rg: y2  Resist: Wp Target model gains one additional Stone hands tattoo for one minute. (t) Now go!: target character may push it’s Wk in any direction. (m) Serve the cause: Target character takes 2 wounds and gains the condition Fast.   (2) Elemental weapon (Enchanting) AV: 6t (13t) Rg: y1///  Resist: Wp Target character gains the following condition for one minute: Spirit Strikes- this characters attacks ignore armour and hard to wound.

[Sunspotter]

This is the kind of stuff I like to see.