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Dictionary Of Elric

A Sorcerer mini-supplement. Incomplete ashcan version 5.3b. John S. Willson, January 2011.
John Willson can be contacted as "Paiku" on The Forge, or at bionicbuddha@hotmail.com.

Contents
Introduction
Part I: Things You Need To Know
Overview of the game world.

Part II: The Dictionary


Elements of the setting, alphabetically.

PART III: Rules


Particular Rules. Discussion of Humanity. Advice to players.

A Word on Copyright
This work makes extensive use of characters, locations and other fictional elements that belong to
Michael Moorcock, and makes extensive use of and reference to elements of the game Sorcerer
authored by Ron Edwards, and a few references to the Dictionary of Mu by Judd Karlman. Those parts
of this work that should belong to those esteemed authors, do. Anything that may remain is copyright
John S. Willson, Ontario, Canada, 2010 and 2011.
Images herein also belong to other creators and are used without permission.

Thanks to:
Tricia, for turning a photo of a statue of Herakles into an image of Arioch's jade-man incarnation, very
cool; Ry, for early feedback and suggestions; and Ry, Mike and Peter, the Gamers-On-The-Hill, for
willingness to playtest.

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Introduction
Three Perspectives
The world is changing.
Melnibon, The Dragon Isle, once the centre of an empire that spanned the known world, grows
decadent and senile like a doddering old senator. Her emperor, mourning these last ten years, no
longer leaves his apartments. Her people, the oldest mortal race, assured of their continuing dominance
and wealth, occupy themselves with orgies and luxuries and casual cruelties while the world slips from
their grasp. The emperor neglects the prescribed rituals and pacts, blaming the demon-gods for the
death of his wife and child, and compounding The Dragon Isle's woes.
The Young Kingdoms of Man openly defy imperial decrees. Without a strong emperor on the Ruby
Throne, no Melnibonan noble dares send his navy abroad for fear of weakening his position at home.
A few recognize their empire's decline and counsel remedies a new and bloody age of conquest, a
return to the old rituals but the emperor does nothing. There is talk of regicide, a change of
leadership. The emperor has no heir, and mutual mistrust prevents any consensus as to who should
take the throne. The noble families of Melnibon are sharpening their knives. The emperor's ban on
bound demons is increasingly ignored.

* * *

Tvar, a rare pleasure to see you here, cousin. What brings you to one of our little parties?
Little? Domar, half of Melnibon's nobility must be here! Well, my mother insisted I come. She says my
mind is too much on weighty matters these days. She says I need to relax.
Then you have come to the right tower, cousin! My brother's ship has just returned from the West, we
have fresh dreamfruit, fresh liquor of the lotus and fresh slave girls. May I offer you the use of a pair I
was saving for myself? Twin girls, they're just-No thank-you, Domar. I'll stick to Jharkorian wine tonight. I find it sharpens my mind even as it numbs
my legs.
And where is your mother? I thought I saw her earlier.
No doubt already sharing terror-leaf visions with that friend of your father's
What 'weighty matters' occupy your thoughts, cousin? Did you not receive your officer's commission?
That's not it, Domar. T'is the empire. I have learned much of late. Much that bodes ill. The situation
troubles me.
Situation?
Oh don't play dumb, Domar! The Young Kingdoms pay the tithe less and less these days. Some have
their own trading fleets now, leaving less for our own ships to carry---and tax, and steal...

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Which is our right! And now the barbarian attack on our harbour. Outrageous! And the Emperor does
nothing!
Careful Tvar! Careful what you say of the emperor. Even here, cousin.
The world slips from our grasp while we throw parties, Domar. Our territories no longer fear us. The
emperor neglects the rituals and angers the gods, which now forsake us. This does not bode well for
Melnibon.
The Lords of Chaos do not forsake us-It no longer seems they favour us!
So cousin, what is to be done about it?
What is to be done? This is hardly the place to speak of plans.
Who speaks of plans? Plans are dangerous. No, let us only speak of rumours, like old women. For
example, I have heard a rumour that someone is seeking the Runeswords.
Who??
It's only a rumour, cousin.
On behalf of the emperor? No? Then it is someone who seeks the throne for himself!
There are many who seek the throne for themselves, these days. So the rumours say. I have also heard
that someone has recently imported certain herbs which are vital to performing those neglected rituals.
Your father my uncle, it is said he is a powerful sorcerer.
Yes, another rumour, eh?
If I were emperor-A-ah, cousin, let us plan carefully before starting rumours of our own.
But not here, eh cousin?
Indeed Tvar, not here.

* * *

My children don't know Melnibonans are real. They're older now, growing up, and they've never even
seen a dragon prince. It used to be, one o' their golden ships would come into the harbour, you'd see
those strange men (but they aren't men), unnaturally tall, in their gold-chased armours and their flashy
silks carrying their lord up Palace Street to visit our king, everybody scuttling to get out of their sight. Or
you'd hear of a lone dragon prince staying at the inn, and that he'd paid in gold or he slew five men or
he bedded six whores who can't remember any of what he did to them, and then he turned to smoke by
morning or some such thing. Not anymore, not for years now.
All I know is, them priests of Law taught us farming lore from the gods, my crops grew bigger and it was
easier to pay the tithe. Then they taught us finer weaving, and now we make cloth to trade to the
Lormyrians for better steel, the making of it they learned from the gods of Law as well. We didn't pay
the Melnibonans their tithe at all last year, not us and not the Lormyrians either, but no dragon riders
darkened the skies, no golden ships delivered an army of Melnibonan soldiers to teach us a lesson.
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Maybe it's true, those demon conjurers have forgotten about us. They say Filkhar is building ships like
you've never seen, raising a navy to sack Melnibon itself. My sons battle each other every day with
their wooden swords, say they can't wait to kill a dragon prince and ride his dragon.
All I know is, we don't figure on paying the tithe this year either.

Elric's World
Melnibonans are a race older than Man. Their island nation rules an empire that has endured for ten
thousand years and spans the known world. Melnibon has dominated since Men were but savages,
though it has been centuries now since she has enforced her dominance. Ever cruel, the nation and the
people of Melnibon have now turned inward and grown decadent. The finest armour and weapons in
the world adorn the walls of their harems, the art of their making now lost. Mighty war-dragons sleep
away the centuries undisturbed in their caves. Golden battle barges, once the conquering scourge of
every coastal nation, wallow unused in the harbour.
Theirs is a society of nobles and slaves there are no Melnibonan commoners. The island empire
maintains an inflow of wealth solely by virtue of being an historic centre of sea trade. The chief concern
of the Melnibonan nobles is now pleasure in all its forms, whether beautiful or horrible. Imrryr, the
capital city, boasts the finest choir in the world: each slave-singer's vocal cords have been surgically
altered to emit just one note, perfectly. The slave choir is driven to perform inhumanly beautiful chorals
and arias by the sadistic efforts of the torturer-conductor.
The mere sight of a Melnibonan inspires the strongest emotions in Men: fear, awe, loathing. Crouched
behind shuttered windows, they will call him "demon" or "dragon rider" in hushed voices. The bravest,
seeing opportunity, will approach carefully and offer their service, hoping to avoid death and earn some
gold, and always addressing the alien stranger as "Prince." But Melnibonans are rarely seen abroad
these days.
Now all but ignored by their masters, the once benighted Men of the Young Kingdoms are developing
trade and seacraft and martial power and wealth. It is widely believed that Man will soon wrest his
freedom from The Dragon Isle. The question remains whether Melnibon will rouse to defend her
dominance, or slide deeper into her drugged and satiated slumber, and irrelevance.
Sorcery, an elegant and dangerous art, is the sole province of the elder race (although the Men of the
island nation of Pan Tang have lately developed their own reckless form of sorcery). The oldest
surviving mortal race, the Melnibonans long ago forged pacts with the demon-gods and elemental
lords. It is the traditional duty of the Emperor of Melnibon to maintain the pacts with the Chaos Lords,
the nation's patron gods.
The Lords of Law and The Lords of Chaos are godlike, but they are demons. They war with each other
across the infinite planes for ultimate control of the multiverse. In some dimensions, their battles
sunder worlds; in others, they play at intrigues through their mortal pawns. This is the Cosmic Struggle.
In this world, the rules of the Cosmic Struggle (negotiated long ago by the gods themselves) forbid the
Lords of The Higher Worlds from warring openly on this plane, and from meddling in the affairs of
mortals unless summoned. Demons of Law prefer orderly worship (more like religion than true
sorcery), and so empower priests and kings that impose structure on society. In contrast, demons of
Chaos delight in aiding the solitary practitioner, feeding his greed and lust for power, looking forward to
his success or his downfall with equal glee. Implicit in every sorcerous pact is the mortal's promise to
fight for that demon's side, Law or Chaos, when the gods stage their final battle for this world.
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More Cool Shit From The Elric Books:


We will base our game at the time just before the events of the Elric novels. In fact, this game posits
that Elric died in childbirth along with his mother, thus leaving Emperor Sadric devastated and without
an heir.
In short: Elric himself will not appear in our game.
The following morsels are offered to further illustrate some of the flavour of this setting and the sorts of
stories that would play well here.

Stormbringer (object demon: sword) imparts its strength to Elric, allowing him to live without his
sustaining drugs for the first time in his life. But that strength ultimately comes from the souls
which Stormbringer consumes. The demonic sword seems to have a penchant for slaying those
whom Elric loves most.
While tracking down an enemy, Elric and his companions are attacked by a giant butterfly. It seems like
it will be no match for the sorcerer and his demonic sword, but the creature's sticky wings
quickly entangle Elric and his weapon. The crippled butterfly nearly succeeds in killing Elric even
as it dies. When the fight is over, Elric identifies the creature as having recently been the human
servant of his foe, transformed by Chaos for this attempt on his life.
Elric travels to the lost city where his ancient race was born. There he finds real evidence of his people's
oldest myths, and meets The One Doomed To Live, an ancient Melnibonan who offended the
gods and was cursed to live forever, alone in the abandoned city. Elric takes pity on his
ancestor, Summons Arioch and demands that he end the curse. The Duke Of Hell refuses, and
Elric burns up much good will in his relationship with the Demon Lord in order to win the
contest of wills. "At last, I can die!" exclaims the One Doomed To Live, whereupon Stormbringer
leaps from Elric's scabbard, slays the ancient wretch and consumes his soul. Elric despairs that
his intentions will ever be twisted by the demonic company he keeps.
Elric is captured and blackmailed into promising to steal a fabulous treasure from his captor's enemies.
While carrying out this mission, he finds that these enemies are a peaceful and philosophical
people, and that this treasure exists only in the dreams of their princess who is locked in a
sorcerous slumber. Elric enters the comatose princess's dreams and must navigate a volatile
landscape where his own inner demons take material form. He does not yet know if retrieving
the treasure at the heart of her dreams will lift the enchantment, or end her life.
There is an ocean that straddles more than one world, and people who get lost on that sea sometimes
end up on other planes.
The gods of both Chaos and Law violate their truce with increasing regularity as both factions sense that
the time of divine war is approaching. Elric tires of being their pawn, but Demon Lords on both
sides insist that he has an important role to play in the evolving conflict.

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Part 1: Things You Need To Know


In a logical order, I hope, rather than an alphabetical one.
Terms defined elsewhere in the Dictionary are sometimes in boldface italic type.
Most of the high-level content in this work, and much of the details, are based on the novels of the Elric
Saga by Michael Moorcock, which have been in print continuously since the 1970s.

Cosmic Struggle
All Demons belong to one of two factions: Law and Chaos.
These opposing forces have struggled for domination , plane by plane across the Multiverse, since the
beginning of time. On many planes, the battle has already been decided.
Millennia ago when mortals first appeared in Elric's world, the Lords of The Higher Worlds held a
summit here. They agreed not to meddle directly in the destiny of mortals, not to appear or act on this
plane unless summoned. Here, the Cosmic Struggle is a cold war between demonic superpowers. The
truce has held (though it is violated regularly by both sides), and has allowed mortal civilizations to
flourish.
Melnibonans, with their focus on personal power, are traditionally allied with Chaos, as are the Men of
Pan Tang. Most nations of Men, tasting the benefits of organized society, worship Law.
Don't confuse Law with "good" nor Chaos with "evil." In the noir flavour of the Elric literature, both
sides war and scheme for control of the worlds with little regard for the lives of mortals. Lawful demons
and Chaotic demons are equally dangerous and equally focused on their own agendas.

Multiverse
The set of all universes, planes, half-planes, dimensions, and The Higher Worlds, from the beginning of
time to the end of time. In great cycles, the multiverse comes to an end and is remade.
Many adventures in the Elric Saga involve extra-planar travel and visits to different worlds; some
familiar, some crazy-making.
By the way, Moorcock is credited with coining the term "multiverse," which is now common within the
SF&F genre.

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Chaos
Chaos is mutability, unpredictability, unending change. Lands touched
by Chaos are maleable and fluctuating, as irrational as dreams.
Chaos is one faction of the Cosmic Struggle. All gods and demons
belong to either Chaos or Law. The symbol of Chaos is eight diverging
arrows, representing the unpredictability of Chaos. It appears
extensively in flags and coats-of-arms, as well as in sorcerous diagrams.
Sorcerers of Melnibon and Pan Tang, and rogue sorcerers the world
over, prefer to pact with demons of Chaos because of the faction's
emphasis on personal power and actuation at the expense of others.

Law
Law represents unchanging order, uniformity, perfection. Lands ruled by Law
are homogeneous and predictable.
All gods and demons belong to either Chaos or Law. The symbol of Law is
one upward-pointing arrow, representing Law's one perfect way forward.
Sorcerers who pact with Law are usually called "priests." Since demons of
Law desire uniformity, they tend to require sorcerers to form rigidly
structured religions and societies. Most human nations favour Law. Priests
of Law use their abilities to empower their tribe, cult or nation as uniformly
as possible; while demons of Law use structured religions and societies to
further their own agendas.
The individual sorcerer empowered by demons of Law is exceedingly rare; such a Champion of Law only
emerges to directly oppose the schemes of Chaos.

The Balance
Certain agents serve neither Law nor Chaos (Elemental Lords and Beast Lords, for example), but will
sometimes involve themselves in the Cosmic Struggle to maintain a balance between the two factions.
Some mortals too have renounced the gods of both sides and claim to serve The Balance instead. There
are no gods of The Balance.
Only mortals who serve The Balance have discovered the benefits of logical debate, experimental
inquiry, and the true knowledge they bring. It is the source of their technology (seacraft and navigation,
water-powered mills, glassblowing, etc).

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Demons
An infinite multitude of demons clambers and jabbers in the dark spaces between the worlds. All
demons belong to either Law or Chaos, and
participate in the Cosmic Struggle.
All demon types from the Sorcerer rulebook can
appear in this game. All demon types will Pact, but
only Object demons and Demon Lords will Bind.
All demon subtypes from the Sorcery & Sword
rulebook (pg50-) are present or may appear in this
setting: True demons, Demon Lords, Immanents
(including dragons), Beasts, Pagan Things (ancient
or extraplanar races) and Undead.
All demons, in addition to their own particular
Desires, always desire to harm the opposite faction
(Law or Chaos) or advance their own.
Other supernatural agents that follow the "Demon"
rules of the Sorcerer game include Elemental Lords
and elementals, Beast Lords and Plant Lords. These
agents are rarely called "demons" and belong to
neither Law nor Chaos.

Demon Lords (a.k.a. Lords Of The Higher Worlds)


The "gods" of the Multiverse are really just
the most powerful demons, the Demon
Lords.
These are not benevolent creator-gods;
they more closely resemble the fallible
child-like gods of ancient Greece. There
are sixteen Demon Lords: eight in each of
the pantheons of Law and Chaos. Their
names are known to mortals. For a
complete list, see Lords of Chaos and Lords
of Law.
It is possible to Bind or Pact with a Demon
Lord, though who is the servant and who is
the master is always in question. Demon
Lords are all of the Inconspicuous type.
Even when bound to a sorcerer, Demon
Lords are rarely present. They spend the majority of their time on other planes, occupied with the
Cosmic Struggle. In terms of the rules, we equate a Demon Lord's absence with the Inconspicuous state.
A sorcerer may call on his Demon Lord to manifest. Whether it will do so depends very much on the
state of their relationship, Need, and whatever else might be demanding the Demon Lord's attention at

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that moment. Demon Lords are most pleased to respond to their sorcerers in matters which concern
the Cosmic Struggle. Demon Lords will sometimes ask their sorcerers to undertake tasks for them.
See also the rules for Sorcery elsewhere in this book. See Arioch for an example of a Demon Lord.
Demon Lords may have abilities beyond those laid out in the Sorcerer rules.
Desire: Demon Lords are always concerned with their own schemes to advance their power and
influence on this plane, and to injure the opposite faction in the Cosmic Struggle.

Melnibon
(at the end of this section is a map of the known world.)
Melnibonans are a mortal race older than Man. The island nation of Melnibon (Mel'-ni-bo-nay') rules
an empire that has endured for ten thousand years and spans the known world (the Young Kingdoms).
It has ruled since men were living in mud huts, though it has been centuries now since she has enforced
her dominance. Ever cruel, the people of Melnibon have turned inward and grown decadent. Their
graceful towers are filled with wonders of incredible craftsmanship, the secrets of whose making are
now lost to time. Most concern themselves chiefly with pleasure-seeking. Melnibonans believe in
their natural superiority over Men. Theirs is a nation of noble families and human slaves; there are no
Melnibonan peasants.
The oldest surviving mortal race, the Melnibonans long ago forged treaties with the Lords of Chaos,
Beast Lords and Elemental Lords. The Emperor is always a powerful sorcerer. When the heir to the
throne fails to show aptitude, the usual outcome is a coup and a bad spate of assassinations until
another noble family, headed by a gifted sorcerer this time, ascends the throne. It is the traditional duty
of the emperor to maintain Pacts with the Lords of Chaos for the benefit of Melnibon.
Emperors tend to keep a close eye on all other sorcerers, and tight control over possession of bound
demons.
Each noble family is headed by a Duke or Duchess, who is usually the only active sorcerer in the family.
One or two potential heirs in each generation are also schooled in sorcery but are restricted in their use
of the art. Each family has it's object demons of legend: swords, rings, helms, brooches, even paintings.
Insecure Emperors have rounded them up in the past; a coup was always the result. Power is a delicate
balance.
The rest of Melnibonans have a superstitious regard for their emperor and their "gods" the Lords of
Chaos, but most know nothing of actual sorcery. Melnibonans expect that after death their souls go to
the Forest of Souls, an afterlife that will endure as long as their city does.
Melnibon is also known as The Dragon Isle. Its capital (and only) city is Imrryr.
See also: Imrryr, Dragons, Sadric (current Emperor), Young Kingdoms.
Melnibonan Society and Economics
The Dragon Isle is a top-heavy society, with many nobles and no commoners.
Slaves are the most populous group , every Melnibonan family has some. All are captives from the
Young Kingdoms. They're generally well fed and clothed, but routinely abused or used as play-things.

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There are no Melnibonan peasants. None of the Dragon Isle is farmed, and hunting is only a sport
here. The members of the lowest social tier are knights, sailors, merchants, court pages, artisans and
craftspeople, etc. All Melnibonans are as princes when they travel abroad.
Most noble families derive their power and riches through shipping trade and private navies. Regular
pillaging used to form an important part of the economic input to the Dragon Isle, but few can be
bothered these days. Melnibon's undisputed dominance and superior sailing craft are enough to
maintain a steady flow of income from the territories.
Some nobles are active in court politics, some are master merchants or military men, and many are
simply idle hedonists. Since luxury and pleasure are the birthright of every Melnibonan, lay-abouts are
tolerated, in fact seen as a cultural necessity. Rigid adherence to baroque traditions keeps their selfcentered ways held in check. The society is devoted to elaborate rituals that few Imrryrians have the
courage to ignore.

Young Kingdoms
The nations of Men that are ruled by Melnibon are patronizingly called The Young Kingdoms. All of the
Young Kingdoms are islands or coastal nations sharing a sea with Melnibon.
The map of the world of Elric is by no means complete, and free nations do exist beyond the Young
Kingdoms. The range of both commerce and communication is limited in this world, so little is generally
known about any nations except one's immediate neighbours.
Human Societies and Economics
Men are just now emerging from a long dark age imposed by Melnibonan rule. Most nations of the
Young Kingdoms have mastered rudimentary agriculture, irrigation, bronzesmithing, animal husbandry,
brewing, milling, tanning, weaving, boat building and coastal navigation. Some nations that are
outgrowing demon worshipping have embraced logical debate, experimental inquiry, and the true
knowledge they bring. These nations have made their first advances in architecture, metallurgy,
seacraft and navigation, crop and animal breeding, military engineering, coin minting and trade.
Until very recently, Melnibon controlled (and heavily taxed) all international trade, and in fact most
finished goods were brought to Imrryr for trade. Now, some Men openly defy the Dragon Isle, shipping
and trading the fruits of their labours amongst themselves. Human nobles and merchants are growing
wealthy for the first time in history, and the lot of the common man is improving as well. But not all
nations are benefitting from this renaissance.
Geography
See the map that follows. A few of the Young Kingdoms will be given a bit of detail in the Dictionary, but
for the most part they are undefined, ready to take on detail and serve the needs of the game as it
unfolds. Feel free to get creative and make the Young Kingdoms your own.

Sorcery
Melnibon is known as a nation of sorcerers, although in truth only a few dozen high-ranking people are
trained. The emperor is always a powerful sorcerer. It is the traditional duty of the emperor to maintain
Pacts with the Lords of Chaos for the benefit of the nation. Melnibon's most powerful nobles also
possess sorcerous lore.
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In each noble family, one or two members of each generation are trained. However, emperors tend to
keep a close eye on all other sorcerers, and tight control over personal demons.
The rest of the population reveres its leaders as "sorcerers" but has no idea what that entails.
Melnibonan history is full of magic, demons and gods walking the earth, but very few alive today have
seen such things happen. Sorcery is still used a bit in military operations: rituals to wake the dragons, air
elementals to fill the sails of the war galleys, etc. Melnibonan sorcery is Chaotic in nature.
The island nation of Pan Tang, although a human nation, is also ruled by sorcerers of Chaos. Pan
Tangians revere insanity and worship Chaos as a religion. They are small but ambitious and reckless.
Outside of Melnibon and Pan Tang, Chaos sorcery is extremely rare. Some Young-Kingdoms monarchs
keep court sorcerers who are ex-pat Pan Tangians or (rarely) Melnibonans.
Amongst Men, worship of the Lords of Law is rife throughout the Young Kingdoms, but few equate that
with sorcery. Some priests of Law are sorcerers. Demons and gods of Law tend to demand organized
religions and societies. The individual sorcerer empowered by demons of Law is exceedingly rare; such a
Champion of Law only emerges to directly oppose the schemes of Chaos. There are also remnants of old
cults that worship Elemental Lords or Beast Lords.
Sorcery is done using the High Speech of Melnibon that formal, ancient language which the first
mortals learned from the supernatural beings they had summoned. Knowledge of the High Speech is
necessary in order to do sorcery and to communicate with gods and demons. The High Speech is also
used ceremoniously in the Melnibonan imperial court.
Melnibonans are instantly suspicious and hostile towards any human that understands the High Speech
as any sorcerer must.

Sorcery is going to be significantly different in this game. Most supernaturals will Pact but will not Bind.
The rules are set up to allow sorcerers to summon aid on the spot. See the additional rules for Sorcery in
the rules section of this document.

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Part II: Everything Else


Arioch
A Demon Lord of Chaos. A.k.a. Duke Of Hell, Lord Of The
Seven Darks.
Arioch is first amongst the Demon Lords of Chaos. He is the
traditional patron god of Melnibon. Each new emperor
traditionally binds himself to Arioch, to ensure the prosperity
of Melnibon for another generation.
Appearance: He usually appears as a beautiful youth, nude,
sometimes of jade or marble, usually 8'-15' tall; though
sometimes takes on grotesque manifestations according to his
mood.
Type: Inconspicuous, Demon Lord, Chaos
Stamina 10, Will 12, Lore 10, Power 12
Abilities: lots
Desire: Develop and execute schemes to increase the
influence of Chaos on this plane, and decrease the influence of
Law.

Arioch

Need: Blood and souls (human sacrifice or deadly battle).

Beast Lords (and Plant Lords)


The Beast Lords are supernatural beings that each represent a particular order of the animal kingdom.
Examples include Haaashaastaak Lord of Lizards, Fileet Lady of Birds, Meerclar Lord of the Cats,
Roofdrak Lord of the Dogs, Nuru-ah Lord of the Cattle. Beast Lords are the master-types of their worldly
flock. They exist in half-worlds which are archetypes of their ideal environments. The half-worlds are
not real enough for mortals to visit or survive there. Unlike demons and Demon Lords, Beast Lords are
particular to this plane.

Beast Lords serve The Balance. In ancient times, Melnibonans maintained treaties with all of the Beast
Lords, living in harmony with their earthly children. These treaties have been neglected in recent
centuries.
Beast Lords can be Contacted, Summoned and Pacted with (not Bound) by mortal sorcerers. They do
not usually participate in the affairs of mortals unless their worldly children are threatened or their
natural enemies are directly involved or, in extreme situations, to preserve The Balance.
Plant Lords are much the same, but are concerned with the plant kingdom.
Beast Lords tend to have:
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Needs
eat their natural food; kill their natural predators.
Desires
protect their natural habitat; protect their earthly flock.
See also the additional rules concerning Entities of The Balance in the rules section.

Chaos Beast
In The Elric Saga, the bearer of the demon-blade Stormbringer is almost invincible, but one of Elric's
enemies nearly succeeded in killing him. A powerful sorcerer changed a human prisoner into a giant
butterfly and sent it to attack Elric. The wings were sticky and fibrous, making them useful for
entangling the weapon of its quarry. Even as Elric shredded the sticky wings, he was trapped in them
and drawn towards the beast's sharp horns.
In theory, chaos beasts of any design can be created.
A man is transformed by demonic magic into a form resembling a natural creature or combination of
creatures. The transformation is irreversible, and very little of the original mortal mind remains. Such a
creature is only useful as a dumb attack beast.
To change a mortal into a chaos beast is a Chaotic act, requiring a Humanity check (sorcerer's Humanity
vs. the Humanity of the victim). The aid of a demon with Special Damage (Polymorph) is required.
Chaos beasts are short-lived. Each day, subtract 1 point of Stamina until dead.
See Polymorph Ability in the Rules section.

Dragons
Magnificent winged lizards with iridescent scales, long snake-like necks and tails, heads covered in bony
ridges, and wings as big as sails.
Melnibonans formed a kinship with these noble, magical creatures long ago. Wild dragons have long
ago passed from this world, but a hundred old drakes yet sleep in the dragon caves above Imrryr. They
all belong to the emperor. Dragons, unlike their cousins of legend, do not breathe fire, but their
dripping venom will ignite any material.
Dragon Knights
The proudest and most feared warriors in history are the Dragon Knights who, along with their
winged beasts, once controlled the known world from the skies. The Dragon Knights themselves
wear highly stylized armour and helmets and wield long lances. The emperor is a trained
Dragon Knight.
Dragons must sleep for a century after being used in battle. Most of the steeds in the dragon caves have
been used recently and cannot now be woken.

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Type: Immanent, Chaos


Stamina 6, Will 7, Lore 6, Power 7
Abilities: Travel(Fly), Transport,
Special Damage:
incendiary venom (ranged,
lethal), Link, Armor,
Protection (fire).
Desire: Aerobatics and combat
while bearing their Dragon
Knight.
Needs: Loving attention from their
Dragon Knight, and to
sleep once the Pact is
complete.
Dragons are demons of the
Immanent sub-type (S&S pg.50).
A dragon can only be woken by a
Contact ritual (must be performed
in its presence), and only if it has
slept for at least 100 years since it
last completed a Pact. It must be
Pacted before it will take a rider.
+3 bonus dice if the sorcerer
offering the Pact is a trained
Dragon Knight. +1 die if wearing
Dragon Knight armour. Once the
Pact is executed, the dragon must
return to the caves and sleep for
another century.

Elemental Lords

Melnibonan Dragons and Dragon Knights.


(artist:Rodney Matthews)

There are four Elemental Lords:


Straasha Sea-King, Lassa Queen Of
The Winds, Kakatal Lord Of Fire, and Grome Lord of the Earth. Unlike demons and Demon Lords, the
elementals and Elemental Lords are particular to this plane.
The Elemental Lords are worshipped by certain groups (sailors, blacksmiths, miners, etc) and their
names are well known. See the entry for Elementals which follows. Elemental Lords are typically
reluctant to get involved in the affairs of mortals unless the Pact offered aligns with their Desires.
See also the additional rules concerning Entities of The Balance in the rules section.

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Elementals
Gnomes (Earth), Sylphs (Air), Salamanders (Fire), Undines (Water). They will Pact but will not Bind.
Elementals can be any Power up to 9. I haven't spec'ed out what abilities are available to elementals,
possibly all, but always thematically related to their sphere. Feel free to get creative.
Needs
Air: Inscribed flags, balloons, kites. Sacrifice: snakes.
Fire: Something big to burn (house, ship, totem). Sacrifice: something/someone burned alive.
Earth: Proper burial of bodies. Sacrifice: extraplanar creature (besides an elemental).
Water: Ceremonial boats set adrift. Sacrifice: feed the fish; or something/someone drowned.
Desires
Protect their domain and its natural inhabitants (e.g. birds, fish, forests) from major threat.
Restore The Balance between Law and Chaos on this plane.
Playful (Air); Destructive (Fire); Possessive (Earth); Vain (Water).
See also the additional rules concerning Entities of The Balance in the rules section.
Example elementals:
Type: Salamander (fire elemental). Inconspicuous demon
Stamina 5, Will 6, Lore 5, Power 6
Abilities: Travel (fly), Protection (Fire), Special Damage (Fire, lethal), Spawn, Warp (metal).
Melnibonans sometimes use air elementals to motivate ships during naval battles:
Type: Sylph (air elemental). Inconspicuous demon
Stamina 5, Will 6, Lore 4, Power 6
Abilities: Travel (fly), Boost (Stamina), Armor (Incorporeal), Confuse.

Golden Battle Barges


Imrryr
The capital (and only) city of Melnibon. Imrryr is a city of alien beauty. The Dragon Isle's greatest
sorcerous achievements lie in her past, and the most legendary of these is the creation of Imrryr: her
Imperial Palace, as big as a city itself; her thousand towers, linked by curving causeways like ribbons; all
constructed of iridescent stone and metals of myriad soft hues by sorcerous means now lost to history.
The city grew up around a protected harbor, an inland lagoon reached via sea-caves leading through a
cliff which formed a natural seawall. Behind the cliff, the ancient Melnibonans constructed a sea-maze.
Five paths lead through the enormous labyrinth, each accessible by a different entrance set in the cliff.
The routes are a closely guarded state secret. Melnibonan pilots, each trained for a single route, guide
the blindfolded crews of visiting ships through the maze. Niches in the maze walls provide hiding places
for the legendary Melnibonan battle-barges to ambush invading ships.
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Also known as The Dreaming City, for its inhabitants' penchant for drugged slumber.
Outside of the city of Imrryr, the island of Melnibon is an uninhabited wilderness. Many plants with
pharmaceutical or magical properties grow here, having been transplanted from their native habitats.
Some footpaths through the fields and forests lead to other planes of existence.

Lords of Chaos
The Lords of Chaos are the Demon Lords who make up the side of Chaos in the Cosmic Struggle. They
are unpredictable and arbitrary by nature.
Sorcery: The Lords of Chaos are pleased to be Bound by ambitious mortal sorcerers and to offer them
aid, asking little more in return than a promise to serve when called upon. Many an uncareful sorcerer
has become a mindless soldier of Chaos.
1. Arioch, Duke Of Hell, Lord Of The Seven Darks (traditional patron god of the Melnibonan
imperial family; keeper of the runeswords)
2. Pyaray, Tentacled Whisperer Of Impossible Secrets (domain is the ocean depths; sailors who
drown at sea become the damned crew of Pyaray's fleet of ghost ships; it is said that, at the end
of the world, Pyaray's fleet will rise and fight for Chaos in the final battle)
3. Xiombarg, Sword Queen (cunning, subtlety, revenge served cold)
4. Slortar The Old (hedonism, decadence)
5. Mabelode The Faceless (The Sword King, god of warriors)
6. Chardros The Reaper (death)
7. Hionhurn The Executioner (guilt, bloody justice, assassination)
8. Balaan The Grim (pain and torture)

Lords of Law
The Lords of Law are the Demon Lords who make up the side of Law in the Cosmic Struggle. They
fetishize order, organization, uniformity, static perfection.
Sorcery: The Lords of Law prefer to be Bound to sorcerers (or "priests") who promise them masses of
worshippers and a rigidly organized religion. Foot-soldiers for the End Times!
1. Donblas The Justice Maker (a.k.a. Lord of the Law of Righteous Vengeance)
2. Arkyn The Meticulous, Lord of Natural Law (clockwork universe)
3. Goldar The Profiteer, Lord of Progress and Wealth (trade)
4. Mirath Of The White Hands, Lord of Mortality (death and time)
5. Tovik The Relentless, Lord of Violence (survival of the fittest)
6. Salik The Potent, Lord of Fertility
7. Theril of the Guiding Hands, Lord of Inspiration (creativity)
8. Elgis The Gentle, Lord of Harmony (peace and civilization)
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Men
See: Young Kingdoms

Pan Tang
The small island nation of Pan Tang is the only human kingdom with a strong (though recent) base of
sorcerous lore. Ruled by a sorcerer Priest-King, the entire nation worships Chaos and reveres insanity.
Powerful and ambitious, but isolationist.
More detail coming on Pan Tang.

Sadric (current Emperor)


Sadric LXXXVI is the 427th emperor of Melnibon. He is a graying but powerful man whose habit it is to
speak in a dry whisper. He is a powerful sorcerer, like all emperors before him.
Sadric was grief-stricken when his wife and infant son died in childbirth, ten years ago. Since then he
has grown increasingly withdrawn. Now he rarely leaves his own apartments, rarely makes any
decisions or decrees regarding the administration of the empire. Without his strong leadership, the
court is paralyzed by bickering, back-stabbing and petty power plays.
Sadric, like all emperors of recent history, seeks to limit the sorcerous power of others. The Emperor
has the right to confiscate and/or Banish any demon on the Dragon Isle. In practice, the Emperor tends
to tolerate his Dukes and Duchesses possessing heirloom object demons of middling power.
[Stat block required.]

make Sadric a powerful sorcerer (stats sum to >10).


also create some demons for him.

The Ship That Sails Over Both Land and Sea


Stormbringer
The enigmatic object-Demon of the Elric saga, also called the demon-blade, the runesword.
Stormbringer devours the soul of any creature it slays (if it has one). The sword then feeds the soul's
energy to its wielder in the form of strength or healing. Stormbringer can also self-animate to increase
the effectiveness of its wielder's attacks, or to fight independently if required (and properly motivated).
The demon-blade's wielder is thus nearly invincible.
Stormbringer is also a powerful necromantic Token (see Sorcerer & Sword). It is the traditional blade of
emperors of Melnibon, although at present its whereabouts are unknown.
Stormbringer's twin runesword, Mourneblade, has similar powers and is also currently lost.

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Type: Object Demon, Chaos


Stamina 6, Will 7, Lore 6, Power 7
Abilities: Special Damage (life drain, lethal), Travel, Vitality (confers to sorcerer), Armor (for itself), Boost
Lore, Taint
Desire: Ruin, Need: Love
Token: details

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Part III: The Game


Sorcerer & Sword
The Dictionary of Elric makes use of the Sorcerer & Sword supplement. All rules presented in that
supplement apply to a Dictionary of Elric game unless otherwise stated here.

Players May Define


Anything. Any type of location, either existing or new (nation, wild space, plane, mystic otherworld), its
citizens, denizens, their culture, economy, technology, relationships with other races and nations. Any
type of creature: immanent, beast, demon, beast lord, pagan thing, undead; worldly or extraplanar. Any
NPC. Any enchanted object.
Most demons have been around a long time, and have been Summoned before. When PCs create
demons, especially object demons, they should give them some history. One can usually learn the
details and history of almost any demon, if one has access to the right grimoires.

The Setting

Melnibone.
The Young Kingdoms.
Some areas of the Young Kingdoms map are uninhabited. In these wild spaces, races and
creatures thought to be extinct may still dwell (Immanents, Beasts, Old Ones, Pagan Things,
forgotten gods). Unbound demons can exist in these areas without evaporating. Doorways to
other planes of existence can sometimes be found here.
There is more to the world beyond the Young Kingdoms.
There are other worlds, other planes of existence. Some will seem familiar, some queer, some
totally alien. The rules for Mystic Otherworlds (S&S pg.32) may apply in some of these.

Creative Agenda
Decay and Decline: These are strong themes in the noir Elric stories. Every victory seems tainted with
the attendant destruction of something unique and beautiful. Empires, cultures, morals, everything
seems to be in decline except the rising fortunes of the Young Kingdoms. Man finally seems about to
inherit the earth from the more magical races that came before (if the Cosmic Struggle doesn't destroy it
first). Therefore, I think it is more appropriate for the PCs to be Melnibonan, than Human.
Sorcery: Sorcerers don't tend to walk around with a posse of demons at their backs. With the exception
of an enchanted item or two (object demon or token), they tend to summon aid as they need it. And
supernaturals aren't limited to demons: there are elementals, beast lords, ancient monsters, creatures
from other dimensions, pleas for divine intervention, etc.!
Example: In Elric Of Melnibon, Yrkoon covers his escape from the palace by summoning a thick
demonic fog that afflicts any who enter it with horrifying hallucinations.

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Exotic Locales: Travel to exotic destinations is a big part of many stories in the Elric saga. This means
far-off nations, and the dark corners of the map where non-human races and nightmare creatures still
roam, and of course other worlds altogether. Brownie points for anyone who can work in a connection
with an exotic locale to their back-story or kicker!

Humanity
The stories of The Elric Saga suggest at least three different definitions of Humanity. The group should
discuss and select one or develop their own.
Option 1 - Humanity is Self-Determination
"I have a feeling in my bones that we are puppets in some struggle between the gods.
For all our blood and flesh and will, we can see none of the bigger conflict save for a few
details."
-Dyvim Slorm, Stormbringer
All demons are locked in the Cosmic Struggle between Law and Chaos. Sorcery involves promising to
serve your Demon's side of the Struggle, now and in the future. You know, every demon is the
Godfather saying "and maybe one day you can do me a favour."
Zero Humanity means the Lords Of The Higher Worlds are calling in the favours you owe them and you
can no longer say 'no.' You become a Champion of Law or Chaos, powerful and totally focused on
fighting for your faction.
With this definition of Humanity, we would introduce another stat on the PC character sheet:
"Allegiance." The Allegiance stat will track whether the sorcerer has promised more to Chaos or to Law.
Play Option: At zero Humanity, the character does not become an NPC. Rather, a Lord Of The Higher
Worlds appears and orders the character into service for its side in the Cosmic Struggle. If he refuses,
drags his feet or whatever, the Demon Lord can Punish the PC per the sorcery ritual. The player can
continue to play the PC but is pretty strongly obliged to take up the quest. Still, he has a hope of
creating a Humanity gain roll situation for himself and regaining control of his character, and/or
completing his quest along the way.
A sorcerer who dies with zero Humanity, his soul belongs to the Lords Of The Higher Worlds forever
after.
Thematic conflict: the Cosmic Struggle between Law and Chaos might heat up, and the PCs' actions could
bear on whether divine war breaks out on this plane.
Option 2 Humanity is Compassion
In the Elric Saga, Melnibonan morality does not extend beyond the obligation felt to honour history
and tradition (including their own superiority over Mankind). Elric is the only Melnibonan with a sense
of compassion, and he hardly understands these feelings himself. At the end of the first novel, he leaves
Melnibon to travel the Young Kingdoms to discover the meaning of this thing called a "conscience." He
feels it may be the key to saving the Dragon Isle and its relationship with its imperial territories.
Humanity = Compassion is pretty standard Sorcerer fare.
Zero Humanity would mean that the character seeks power and pleasure with total disregard for others
(like most Melnibonans do).
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Thematic conflict: the PCs might be involved in determining the future direction or "foreign policy" of
Melnibon, i.e. whether it is benevolent or aggressive.
Option 3 Humanity is Love
Ron Edwards promotes this interpretation pretty enthusiastically and pretty convincingly. Here are
some quotes directly from The Forge:
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
That's Humanity in the Elric stories. It's even nastier because Stormbringer's Need,
in my reading, is for Love - which means that it's a horrible Humanity-vampire,
worse than most demons; it gets testy when Elric acts on loving someone else.
The better Elric stories, as I see them, all center around love-triangles.
Elric Cymoril [his betrothed] Yyrkoon [evil cousin]
Elric Cymoril [his betrothed] Stormbringer
Elric Arioch Stormbringer
etc ...

If you think in terms of Elric and Stormbringer, and consider that its Need is for
Love, then when Elric uses its Special Damage a ton of times, it works best when the
fight excludes relationships with other people, or even better, damages those
relationships. Open assassination of a friend or lover is clearly the best possible, so a
fight which looks like it might get there is worth Stormbringer's time. So is a fight
which isolates Elric from any sort of community.
But if it's a plain old fight, then the sword gets fractious - sometimes it just stops
working ("I'm full!") and sometimes worse. And if Elric is prioritizing another person
over it, then boy, look out - it has all sorts of things to do then.

Thematic Conflict: Very personal stories about the PCs and their close relationships with other mortals.
Mix n' Match
We're certainly free to brew up any definition of Humanity we want. Dual definitions are possible too.
Last time we talked about this as a group, we cooked up a dual definition that included both Empathy
and Self-Determination. Because the Self-Determination definition by itself doesn't give much to work
with in defining the sorts of actions (besides sorcery) that trigger Humanity gain and loss checks.

Back-Stories, Kickers & NPCs


We should talk about how closely we want the PCs to be related. I would like it if all the PCs are able to
cross paths semi-regularly. If they don't end up "teaming up," at least their actions will naturally be
affecting each other. This is open to discussion, though.
The PCs are not expected to take up the cause of either Law or Chaos in their kickers. The Cosmic
Struggle is the cold war, the divine backdrop, against which mortals live out their own concerns. What
do YOU want, and how far are you willing to go? What do you want so badly that you have turned to
sorcery, risking your free will and your soul, to get it?
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I've provided some interesting NPCs in the Dictionary. Feel free to set yourself up in alliance or in
opposition to one or two of them. Alternately, you could replace one of them, e.g. "Duke Slatvor isn't
the head of House Slakrena and controller of Melnibon's largest private navy. I AM." Feel free to set
yourself up in any role in society, there's nothing saying you have to be a noob. Be a Duke, an admiral, a
Dragon Knight, a naval sorcerer (someone marshalls air elementals to drive the golden battle barges), an
explorer, raider or merchant with a fleet of his own. Or be a rising star: an heir apparent, an heir denied,
a promising young captain, the bodyguard who is in love with the duchess he protects, or maybe just a
middle son with no expectations upon him, who is about to surprise everybody.
Similarly for the NPCs that you create, who tie into your background, Lore, Price, Cover/Past and Kicker.
Use the list of suggestions as inspiration for their role in things.
I want travel to be a significant part of the stories we tell. Brownie points if you tie another land or
another plane of existence into your background/kicker. If not, no big deal, I'll do what I can with the
bangs.

Roles for Melnibonans


admiral of a family navy (incl: ships, soldiers and slave-rowers), or captain of a naval ship, or
naval officer (there are no roles below officers, except slaves)
actively involved at court (ie. a combination politician/lobbyist)
o may have a prior relationship with the emperor, or have met him at some point
involved in sea trade (ship owner/ merchant/ captain/ "security"/ sea-mage/ slaver)
involved in exploring or raiding BEYOND the Young Kingdoms (ie. beyond the Melnibonan
empire) viewed as an eccentric.
Dragon Knight (this is like the air force, not a hobby all the dragons belong to the emperor)
Other vocations of Imrryr: Imperial choirmaster, torture master, harbourmaster, harbour pilot,
Commodore of the Imperial navy, dragon groom, harem mistress (ie. she's in charge), various
imperial masters-at-arms, apothecarist (druggist and potion maker), chef/larder master, slave
master, treasurer/quartermaster, captain in the palace guard, palace guardsman, etc.
Etc.
How did you come to learn sorcery, who taught you? Who else in your family is a trained
sorcerer? The noble families typically train one or two members in each generation.
you have friends and associates in other noble families.
all your life you have had slaves (all are humans from other nations); are any of them
interesting? Are you close with any of them?
you have lots of relatives, friends and acquaintances who are concerned about nothing but
parties, orgies, luxuries, fashion, blood sports, rumours, etc. and with observing the many
traditions of Melnibon.
Roles for Humans
Ruler: King/Queen, Chairman, Councilman, Prime Minister, Arch Bishop, Shaman-Chief, Warlord.
Other roles near the seat of power: royal sorcerer, judge, inquisitor, chief scribe and archivist,
treasurer, master-at-arms,
Other bronze-age and medieval roles: shaman, champion, knight, warrior, captain, innkeeper,
merchant/trader, caravanist, breeder, farmer, hunter, potter, cooper, blacksmith, herbalist, etc.
Etc.

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Demons
Also see the Dictionary entries for Demons and Demon Lords.
Object Demons: when not Bound, sorcerers tend to store them in Contains so they don't walk away or
evaporate. In certain other realms, Object Demons can exist unbound without evaporating; however,
they always prefer to be Bound.
Only Demon Lords and Object Demons can Bind. All other demon types will only Pact.
Demon Lords
Demon Lords can not act on this plane unless Summoned, according to the terms that were negotiated
at R'len Krin A'a, a hundred centuries ago. This is why Demon Lords strive to be Bound to a mortal.
When a sorcerer deals with a Demon Lord: if he fails any Humanity check for Contacting, Summoning or
Binding, he immediately increases his Lore by 1. This only happens once in a sorcerer's life.
Banishing or destroying a Demon Lord never ends its existence; it merely prevents it from manifesting
again on this plane until re-Summoned.
Pagan Things
Minor-magical races that exist on other planes. They can be Contacted, Summoned and Pacted
individually or in groups.
For example: in The Vanishing Tower, Elric's enemy Theleb K'aarna Pacts with The Elenoin, an
extraplanar race of barbaric women with needle-like teeth who feast on the flesh of their foes.
When Theleb K'aarna and a force of Elenoin attack Elric's party, he summons an equal number of
Grahluk, the Elenoin's sworn enemies. The two eternal foes fall upon each other, leaving Elric
and his friends unharassed.
Immanents, Beasts, Old Ones, Undead
These are all certainly possible per the Sorcerer & Sword rulebook. They lurk in the darker corners of
the map, and on other planes.
Enchanted Objects
These are well represented in the literature. The Ship That Sails Over Land And Sea, The Mirror Of
Memory, that stone that can wake anyone from a sorcerous sleep, The Pearl At The Heart Of The World,
etc. These are either object demons or Tokens (or both).
Pacting and Binding
Certain entities will only either Pact or Bind. See the types of demons, above.
Example of a Pact: In The Vanishing Tower, Theleb K'aarna forged a Pact with a demon to sit on
king Urish's throne and guard the treasure until his return. The price of this task was agreed
upon when the Pact was forged. If and when the sorcerer returned, the Pact would be at an end
and the demon would vanish.

Polymorph Ability
Special Damage (Polymorph). This form of special damage causes the target to mutate or morph
towards a new form: growing or losing limbs, eyes, wings; reshaping the spine, etc.. Polymorph damage
is very painful, resulting from the rearrangement of the victim's frame and organs. Points of lasting

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damage from Special Damage (Polymorph) should be tallied separately, but DO count towards the
character's total damage.
If a creature sustains lasting Polymorph damage greater than its Stamina, and has sustained 2xStamina
total lasting damage, then that creature has wholely become the new form:

all damage is immediately reduced to zero.


the creature's intelligence is permanently reduced, making it susceptible to the Command
ability.
the user rolls the Demon's Power vs. the affected creature's original Stamina; modify the
creature's Stamina by the victories.
such creatures are unnatural and short-lived. Each day, Stamina drops by 1 until dead.

Canon reference: Thoth Amon changes a human into a chaos butterfly and sends it to assassinate
Elric. The change is permanent, the man is now a mindless beast under the wizard's control.
See: Chaos Beast.

Sorcery Additional Rules


Allegiance
The Cosmic Struggle between Chaos and Law is a significant aspect of this setting. "Allegiance" is a new
stat on the PC character sheet. It tracks whether the sorcerer has promised more to Chaos or to Law.
Allegiance is never zero. The starting value is 1, in favour of one side or the other. Every time a point of
Humanity is gained or lost, Allegiance is incremented appropriately according to the type of
supernatural entity involved or whether the relevant action serves Chaos or Law.
Examples:
Kazam has Allegiance: 1 (chaos). He Summons a demon of Chaos and fails the Humanity check.
He now has Allegiance: 2 (chaos).
Farsath has Allegiance: 1 (chaos). He slays a Champion of Chaos, and succeeds on the Humanity
gain roll. Since Allegiance can never be zero, he now has Allegiance: 1 (law).
If/when a character reaches zero Humanity, the Allegiance score indicates whether Law or Chaos owns
his soul.

In-Combat Summoning
In the Elric stories, sorcerers don't tend to have a lot of bound demons, but instead summon supernatural
aid as needed. To reflect this, most demon types will Pact but not Bind. There are many instances in the
literature in which a sorcerer summons aid during a battle.
All types of Demons, Beast Lords, Elementals, Pagan Things, Undead and others can be called on for aid
in this way. Bonus dice for originality. Normally, 1-die rituals are pretty risky, so the following rules
changes are proposed to encourage that kind of action.
The Contact+
Instead of Contact, then Summon, then Bind/Pact, sorcerers have the option to do a combined
Contact+Pact ritual. If the Contact is successful, the sorcerer can negotiate the Pact during the Contact.
Once the Pact is forged, the entity will materialize as required by the terms of the Pact.
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Advantages:

More likely to succeed: only 1 successful sorcery roll (Contact) is required, to successfully
summon supernatural aid (a Pact is forged regardless of the outcome of the Pacting roll).
One less Humanity roll is required (two instead of three).

Bonuses for Aligning with Need or Desire


If the favour asked of the supernatural entity aligns with its Need or Desire, then a substantial bonus is
available for the ritual.
Example: In The Weird Of The White Wolf, Elric and his companions were attacked by a chaos
butterfly (don't laugh, its wingspan was 50 feet). Badly injured and facing certain defeat, Elric
took cover and Contacted the Beast Lord Haaashaastaak. The Lord of Lizards was reluctant to
appear until Elric offered Haaashaastaak the giant butterfly. The Lord of Lizards appeared,
lashed out its tongue, swallowed the chaos butterfly, and returned to its own realm, the Pact
completed.
The sorcerer can take the bonus whenever he specifies the task, either during the Contact or Pact ritual.
The magnitude of the bonus is at the GM's discretion.
For an additional bonus, begin providing the Need before beginning the ritual! For example, if a
demon's Need is mayhem, then perform the ritual while in bloody melee.
Lore Check
A Sorcerer may make a Lore check to see if he knows something useful about a supernatural entity,
location or item. If successful, the player can invent on the spot an entity that should just LOVE to get
involved. He can roll victories from the Lore check into a Contact ritual.
Example: In The Vanishing Tower, A supply caravan with which Elric was travelling was attacked
by a force of naked women with needle-like teeth. The soldiers hesitated to strike at the naked
women, which slashed them to pieces with inhuman strength. Elric (Lore check) recognized their
assailants for what they really were: the Elenoin, carnivorous creatures from the Eighth Plane.
His forces were sorely outmatched. He dragged the corpse of a slain Elenoin behind the
caravans and performed his sorcery. Ape-like creatures with nets and shields appeared, equal in
strength and number to the Elenoin, and leapt into battle. These were the Grahluk, ancient
enemies of the Elenoin who will accept any opportunity to slay their historic foes.
Entities of The Balance
Some supernatural entities, such as Elemental Lords and Beast Lords, offer certain advantages for incombat summonings:

One less Humanity roll: Pacting with an agent of The Balance does not require a Humanity check
(but the Contact still does).
Situations that don't meet the Needs or Desires of other demons might meet the Need or Desire
of a Beast Lord or Elemental Lord.
The sorcerer may take a 1-die bonus by requesting that a Beast Lord's earthly children perform
the task, instead of the Beast Lord itself. For example, Fileet Lady of Birds did not appear herself
but sent a flock of giant eagles to attack Elric's enemies. (An Elemental Lord will appear itself or
send its children according to its own whim).

Another Hint for Avoiding Humanity Rolls


Many object demons are detailed in the Dictionary. Finding one avoids the Contact and Summon rituals.
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Dictionary Rules
In-game, there are no revered dictionaries or dictionarists. However, I do like some of the dictionary
rules from the Dictionary Of Mu, and they will apply in this game.
Bonus Dice for Referring To Other Dictionary Entries
This rule encourages players to get deeply involved in the setting, incorporate it into their play and build
on it. 1-3 bonus dice are available.
Creating Dictionary Entries
Any new demon, enchanted item, nation, world or significant NPC should become a new dictionary
entry, written by the player who created it.
It is necessary to write a new dictionary entry before making an advancement roll.

Magic
Characters do not normally have access to any magical effects outside of sorcery. But magic-like effects
can be achieved through demons.
Demon Lords have abilities beyond those defined in the Sorcerer rules. Here's a freebee: The Lords Of
The Higher Worlds can open portals to other dimensions. Are you ready to find out what else they can
do?
A sorcerer of Chaos can turn a mortal prisoner (or unfortunate servant) into a Chaos Beast, with a little
demonic help. See the new demon ability Polymorph.
Teleport with the help of a demon that has Travel and Transport.

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