Spoiler - House of Dust and Ash

Hi. I am going into the second part of this adventure and wondered what people thought the quantity of scion blood is required to appease the Widow? Logically as the plan is to have the scion killed, it would require enough blood to guarantee the scions death. However, the adventure is not specific about it. I can see my group potentially being ok about giving some blood. However, if death is required I can see the group attempting to fight off the other villans who have no qualms about killing the scion to save their own skins.

Also, who did you make the scion? I am leaning towards Lanus (the out of his depth adept). However, does it make more sense that the scion knows he carries Haarlock blood? It suits Ermasus's plan better if this is the case. I suppose Lanus could have an inkling that he may be distantly related to the Haarlocks and that is part of the reason he is attending.

Cheers, Ant

The adventure is in no point clear about this, so you play as you please...

...but frankly, I am a supporter of the "death by blood drain"-scenario. After all, the traveller wanted the members of his bloodline DEAD. Not hurt, not chased, not harmed or humiliated or put to trial but DEAD!

So, the amount of blood need to appeace the gilded widow should be enough make sure the person will die of blood loss.

I voted all of it, especially with one of my Acolytes being the Scion.

They escaped before the big boom...

In a setting like DH, which takes many of its cues from Lovecraft and similar horror writers I would have to agree that "all" would be the only likely answer here. Given a choice cults should never choose to stint on the blood sacrifices - a popular outlook might well be "If it screams, torment it; if it weeps, savage it; if it bleeds, drain it."

I would be forced to chastise any evil cult who captured me and was satisfied with a mere pint of my blood. I've had lovers spill more than that on accident!

Jack of Tears said:

And thats more than I want to hear about your personal life...

But I agree entirely with the rest, drain the scion dry.

When I run this scenario for my group, I'm going to be sure to allude to dark forces at work, noting "although the chalice appears large enough to be able to hold a pint at most, it is filling extremely slowly," and I'd give the players a couple chances to stop bleeding the Scion. Maybe they would, though that wouldn't be any guarantee that they could save him after so much blood loss...

I had one of my players as a scion and an additional noble I made up for the adventure. I hinted at it looked like it may kill someone to fill it but the players figured later they could maybe just drain some from both scions thus keeping both alive. I'd planned that it would be fine and perhaps inflicting a level of fatigue but in the end it was a back up plan as they used the key instead.

"My blood cries out for the vengeance of my people's blood, which can only be repaid with at least twice as much blood! Or maybe three times as much blood! Like if you went to hell, and it was full of blood, and that blood was on fire, and it was raining blood, then maybe that would be enough blood! Eh… but probably not." - Blood mage, Warcraft III

I think we have the answer.