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Saturday, February 28, 2009

Ten D&D Monsters

OK, I give in. Here are my favorites:

10. Wererats (MM) - What dank sewer system doesn't feature these sneaky, clever creatures? Part of my love for this creature is a fragmentary memory of an old horror comic book that featured wererats as the primary foes. Creepy!

9. Meazels (FF) - Secretive, sneaky predators suitable for any dungeon. Meazels were one of my favorite 'smart' dungeon dwellers. While the rest of the monsters were getting slaughtered the Meazels hung out in the background, picking off strays and feasting on the fallen.

8. Zombie (MM) - Sure they're slow and weak, but adventurers tend to provide the fodder for creating more, so what's not to love?

7. Kobolds (MM) - I always played kobolds as smart trappers and tricksters, taking advantage of their diminutive size to lead adventurers into dangerous traps and confining locations. Parties quickly learned that following a fleeing kobold was always a bad idea.

6. Lizardmen (MM) - A favorite jungle foe, lizardmen plagued many an expedition traveling by boat. Smart enough to use good tactics, tough enough to threaten even a prepared group, lizardmen are the ideal jungle foe.

5. Wights (MM) - I admit I never used 'real' level-draining wights. Draining undead drained stats instead. Still the wight was a personal favorite, mostly because of the excellent illustration in the original Monster Manual.

4. Dopplegangers (MM) - Dopplegangers are a tough creature to run well, especially with paranoid players. I always liked using them against friends and allies instead. When the village smith is actually a doppleganger all sorts of fun ensues.

3. Orcs (MM) - Sure orcs are fodder, but they're great fodder. Tough, organized, smart, willing to work for coppers, what evil overlord wouldn't love to have them in their employ?

2. Trolls (MM) - Original D&D trolls were just plain mean. Multiple attacks, regeneration and lots of hit dice. A great heavy hitter, and useful in most any environment.

1. Yuan-ti (MM2) - Genius serpent-men. Magic abilities. Psionics. Multiple forms. Why not use corrupt and tainted snake-men? Yuan-ti are a great addition to any tropical setting as inhabitants of an evil temple, the driving force behind a cult, or the secret powers behind the throne.

Totals: FF - 1, MM - 8, MM2 - 1

Friday, February 27, 2009

Circlet of Mental Mastery

I found this collection of items tucked away in an old folder during my RPG scanning project. Originally these items were used by Borgyl, an evil cleric pursuing lichdom, to maintain contact and control of his extensive demi-human army. Borgyl had established himself in a rift valley bordering a desert wasteland and had quite the army, including hundreds of trolls and ogres and thousands of orcs. No, I don't really know how he fed them all. I know he turned the fallen into an army of thousands of undead skeletons and zombies.

Circlet of Mental Mastery - This plain gold headpiece is the controlling element of this array of magic items. It is imbued with Superb enchantment / charm magic, allowing its wearer to communicate with and influence the actions of anyone using one of the lesser items. The wearer of the circlet gains the following powers and abilities:
  • Telepathic communication - The wearer can contact and send messages to anyone wearing one of the lesser items in the collection. This communication is one way, though each type of lesser item allows a differing amount of feedback when contacted. This power can be used at will.
  • Suggestion - The wearer can cast a magical suggestion upon anyone they contact (Good test of will to ignore). Suggestions that directly cause harm to the target will be ignored, but other suggestions will be treated as if they were the target's own very good idea. This power can be used five times per day. Suggestions last until completed.
  • Attunement - The wearer can attune any of the lesser devices to a specific wearer, allowing them to make use of the device's powers with no further instruction. This power can be used five times per day.
  • Detection - The wearer is instantly alerted when any non-attuned user attempts to activate a lesser device. Detection will reveal the general location and general intent of the device's user. This power is passive and continuous.
All powers of the circlet have a near infinite range. The item bears an intrinsic curse, causing the user to seek out and make use of all the lesser devices to expand and enhance their personal influence and domination.

Black Medallions - Simple black disks carved with a star-burst pattern and fitted with a silver chain, these are the least of the lesser devices connected with the Circlet of Mastery. Wearing an attuned Medallion enables the Circlet's owner to communicate with the wearer. A Medallion wearer can send a general sense of status (all is well, danger, etc.) along with a location, either when contacted or at will, up to three times per day. There are 144 Black Medallions.

Silver Bands - These items are plain silver rings engraved with the same star-burst pattern as the Black Medallions. Wearing an attuned Band enables the Circlet's owner to communicate with the wearer. A Band wearer can send a brief message (a dozen words) along with a general sense of status, either when contacted or at will, up to three times per day. The wearer of a Silver Band can also share any received Suggestion with up to three others, just as if the wearer of the Circlet had issued it. Communication with the Circlet's owner can be made three times per day. Suggestion can be passed on once per day. There are 12 Silver Bands.

Silver Scepters - These Scepters are the most powerful of the lesser devices. They allow full communication between the attuned user and the Circlet's wearer up to three times per day. In addition the Scepter's user can contact the wearer of any lesser device and communicate with them directly up to three times per day. A Scepter user can share any received Suggestion with up to three others, just as if the Circlet's wearer had issued it. Suggestions can be shared up to three times per day. There are three Silver Scepters.

Each of the lesser devices radiates Good enchantment / charm magic. If the Circlet is in use when any lesser item is tested the Circlet's owner will be aware of the location and general intent of the item's user.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Creeper's Cloak

This item is a finely made, full-length cloak with a deep hood and silver clasp. The cloak and hood are black, light-weight wool lined with dark gray silk. The clasp is worked in the shape of a cat's head, set with onyx cabochon-cut eyes.

Attempts to discover the magical nature of the cloak will reveal Great alteration, illusion, and protection magic. The powers of the cloak are activated by tracing a simple patterns across the face of its clasp. The cloak functions as a normal cloak until the unlocking gesture is discovered.

Physical Protection - The cloak provides Good protection from missile weapons of any kind, turning aside blades, arrows and darts with ease. This power is passive once the cloak has been unlocked.

Cat's Eye - When this power is invoked, the wearer gains improved night vision. A moonless night provides enough light to read by, while a candle's flame provides enough light to brilliantly light a room. This power lasts one hour and can be invoked two times per day. Direct exposure to sunlight or other very bright light instantly ends this power and blinds the user for one round.

Living Shadow - Invoking this power grants the wearer a Great bonus to hide skill tests in any poorly lit location. The cloak shifts and changes to match nearby surfaces and features in color and texture. This power lasts one hour and can be invoked two times per day.

Shadow Step - This power allows the wearer to transport themselves from one shadow to another instantly. While standing in a shadowed location the user activates the power and chooses a destination within 100', which must also be shadowed. They are instantly transported to the new location, leaving behind a shadowy illusion of themselves that persists for three rounds. This power can be invoked three times per day.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Curses

Today's article is all about curses. Each of the curses described below can be used against a character directly or attached to an item of interest. Curses used against a character can be removed with a Good test of protection magic. Item curses are a bit trickier. A curse applied to an item can be permanently removed with a Great test of protection magic. An intrinsic curse (a flaw in its creation or an intentionally designed effect) cannot be removed. A Superb test of protection magic can temporarily negate the effects of an intrinsic curse, but they will reappear after one month. Curses can be detected by magical means, generally a Great test of divination magic.

Eye for an Eye - This curse is usually pronounced upon a specific character or a powerful weapon. When the target of the curse is engaged in combat all damage they inflict is also reflected back upon themselves. The victim suffers the effects of any damage (feeling pain, suffering condition effects, etc.) and receives half the damage they inflict as temporary damage. Temporary damage and curse effects last until the end of combat. A character slain by temporary damage falls into a coma for 8 hours.

Like Dust - This curse is most often directed at a person. All food and drink consumed by the victim has the flavor and consistency of dust. Though retaining its nutritional value, the victim will find it harder and harder to eat and drink. For each week this curse is in effect the victim must make a Good test of will to eat and drink sufficiently. Each time they fail the test their vitality is reduced one rank. This penalty is cumulative until the curse is removed.

Pathless Wandering - This subtle curse is often placed on items as a security precaution. Anyone transporting the cursed item has a greatly increased chance of taking wrong turns, misreading directional signs and following directions incorrectly. The cumulative effect of this curse is to direct the victim back to where the item was obtained. The curse affects the victim's fellow travelers, so its effects are very difficult to detect.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Inscribing Quill

This magical item appears to be nothing more than a high quality writing quill. A careful examination will reveal a line of magical symbols incised into the shaft of the feather. Usually a bundle of four or five Quills are found together, often in a bundle with ink, paper and mundane writing implements. A Good test of divination magic will reveal the Quill's nature. Another such test will reveal the command word required to operate the item.

Once activated with a command word and primed with ink the Quill can be used to perfectly copy written or drawn works. It will guide the owner's hand as it flawlessly duplicates whatever material is placed next to a blank page, altering ink color and pen stroke to exactly match the source. Such is the magic of the Quill that the material of and irregularities in the source page will be imitated as well. A copy made with the pen will be mistaken for the original under casual scrutiny. Someone familiar with the document must make a Good test of perception to notice the difference.

The Quill remains active for one hour, copying one tome-sized page every ten minutes before disintegrating in the wielder's hand.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Sigil of Death Defied

This magic item takes the form of a small silver pin or medallion, shaped into the form of a necromantic sigil. A Good test of divination magic will reveal the item is enchanted with Superb necromantic and protection magics. A Great test of divination magic will reveal the process of attunement required to activate the item's protective magic.

To attune the item the owner must procure a flawless ruby of Great value, place it within a crystal container, then drench it in their own blood (at least one pint). The container is then sealed and placed in a secure location. The owner then keeps the sigil on their person at all times.

Should the owner be slain, the sigil will transfer the owner's life essence to the sealed vessel. The contained ruby and blood will burst forth and begin to form a new body for the transferred life essence. It will take one week for the new body to take shape. Once complete the new body is identical to the original in all regards, save any diseases, curses or poisons affecting the original will no longer be in effect.

The process of transference destroys the sigil.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Practical Magic

Many magic items focus on supporting combat and adventure. Here are a few items with a more practical, day to day feel. After all, what wizard wants to spend his days cleaning up after himself? Each of these items is activated by a command word which can be discovered with a Good test of divination magic.
Cloth of Cleansing
This magical fabric is a 12 inch square piece of bleached silk embroidered with magical symbols along the edges. It radiates a Fair aura of alteration magic. Thrice per day this item can be used to clean an object, removing all dirt, tarnish, rust or grime. Any object so treated will appear to be of better quality than they are (treat as a Fair bonus to any appraisal tests).
Ever-full Plate
This fragile porcelain plate decorated with a simple pattern radiates Fair conjuration magic. Thrice per day it can be used to conjure a Fair quality meal. The meal created will be suitable to the time of day, but the exact nature of the food summoned varies.
The Librarian's Hand
This granite statue of a human hand radiates Fair alteration and enchantment magic. Thrice per day it can be commanded to life. Once activated it will sort and organize the contents of a room, shelving books, sorting papers, organizing tools and components, and so forth. The Hand can lift small objects (up to 5 pounds), and moves at a walking pace. The Hand will stay active for no more than one hour per activation.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Magical Charms

Today's article features a trio of single use magical charms. Charms are usually prepared for a special situation and usable but once. In campaigns with rigorous magical item creation rules, the cost of creating these items should be on par with potions, scrolls, or similar one-shot items. Once activated the effects of each item last one hour.
Righteous Favor
These small charms bear the blessing of a god. They are given to those pursuing worthy goals in the eyes of the appropriate church. They usually take the form of a small metal or ceramic holy symbol, which can be fastened to the hilts of a weapon with a bit of silken cord. Once so attached the bearer can offer a suitable prayer and receive the charm's blessing for the duration of a single battle. The Favor grants a Fair bonus to accuracy and damage. If foes are directly opposed to the blessing god's goals, these bonuses become Good.
Cat's Paw
This charm is carved from soapstone, set with claws of copper or bronze. To activate the Paw the bearer speaks a command word, then fastens it to their boot or shoe. Once activated the Cat's Paw grants a Good bonus to all stealth movement and climbing attempts, and halves all falling damage.
Silvery Speech
This charm is a small silver disc inscribed with magical symbols. It is activated by placing it beneath the user's tongue and speaking a command word. Once activated it grants a Good bonus to all language skill tests and a Fair bonus to all diplomatic or social skill tests.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Blood Signet

The Blood Signet is a heavy gold signet ring shaped and inscribed for use as a personal seal. The emblem inscribed is a spread-winged bat. Though simple in design the ring is well-crafted. Attempting to discern the ring's magical properties will reveal Great necromantic magic. A Great test of divination magic will reveal the ring's true nature. The Signet can be used to store and use the life force of freshly slain creatures for the benefit of the bearer.

Pressing the face of the ring against the forehead of a freshly slain creature (human-sized at least) and speaking a command word will cause the ring to drain the remnants of the creature's life force into the ring. This process leaves a permanent impression of the ring's seal seared into the remains. Any creature so drained cannot be restored to life by mundane or magical means (there's dead, and mostly dead, this is dead).

Speaking a second command word while the ring is being worn will cause the stored life energies to flow into the wearer, restoring health and healing wounds. Each 'charge' restores approximately ten percent of the wearer's total health (i.e. ten charges will fully heal from near death status). The ring will expend as many charges as required to fully heal the wearer. The ring may store up to ten charges total.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Gunja

The Gunja are the spirits of humans slain by violence who have not been given proper funeral rites. Their violent death combined with lack of interment has left them trapped in the material realm. Gunja appear to be shadowy humanoids that are nearly invisible in low light, so they may be mistaken for other forms of ghostly undead. Gunja haunt the area near their remains, seeking final rest.

Gunja have the following characteristics:
  • Chilling aura. Anyone within 30' of a Gunja will be affected by their unearthly chill, suffering a Fair penalty to all physical actions (Good difficulty to resist).
  • Immaterial form. Gunja are naturally insubstantial, making them immune to most physical and magical attacks. Immaterial Gunja can pass through solid objects without hindrance. Gunja can become fully material, and must do so to carry out physical attacks. Becoming material takes three full rounds, with attacks by and against them having an effect in proportion to their level of materialization (i.e. one-third effect in the first round, two-thirds effect in the second). Transitioning from physical to immaterial form also takes three rounds.
  • Controlled visibility. While immaterial Gunja can become invisible, appear as a ghostly shadow, or become fully visible at will. When fully visible Gunja appear as they did when they died. Each change of form takes one round.
  • Gunja can magically project negative emotion reflecting the cause of their death (fear, rage, despair being typical). The target of this projection must resist (Great difficulty) or be afflicted with the projected emotion for 4-8 rounds.
  • A materialized Gunja can make physical attacks (Good skill, two clawing attacks)
  • Materialized Gunja can also attempt to haunt their victim. The target of a haunting attack must resist (Superb difficulty) or be haunted by the Gunja. They physical form of the Gunja vanishes if a haunting is successful (see below for effect).
A haunted victim will experience visions of the death of the haunting Gunja, along with mental suggestions to seek out the Gunja's remains and grant them a proper interment. The visions and suggestions will reoccur on a daily basis until the victim complies with the suggestion. Exorcising a Gunja is a Superb test of divine magic.

If the physical form of a Gunja is destroyed or a Gunja is exorcised it vanishes, only to rise again from its remains at midnight on the next new moon.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Mishta's Venemous Stalker

Mishta created this deadly device as means of disposing of difficult to approach foes. When not in use the Stalker appears to be an intricately carved statue of a tiny winged serpent coiled on a branch. The serpent itself is carved from a piece of red coral, set with black onyx eyes, mother of pearl wings, and ivory fangs. It rests upon a branch of petrified wood, carefully polished to reveal the details of grain and bark.

If tested for magical properties the Stalker will radiate Good illusion and Great animation, alteration, and evocation magic. Once its command word is discovered (a Great test of divination magic) the Stalker can be commanded by its owner. It can be activated once per day and given one of the following commands. The maximum duration for any command is 24 hours. At the end of a command's duration the Stalker will return to its resting place at best possible speed.
  • Guard - The Stalker will patrol a specific area (one room or contiguous space up to 100' x 100'). Anyone entering the patrolled area will be subject to attack. When commanded up to five people (including the owner) can be granted access to the guarded area.
  • Hunt - The Stalker can be commanded to hunt for a specific person. Once found the Stalker will relay a vision of the target's exact location to its owner.
  • Attack - The Stalker will hunt a specific person just as if a hunt command was given, except when it finds the target it will attack, relaying a vision of the attack to its owner.

The Stalker has Good sneak and hide ability, and can become invisible thrice per activation. It has Good toughness and flies at Great speed. The Stalker attacks using a Great poisonous bite. It can bite up to five times before its poison is exhausted. Regenerating poison takes one full day of inactivity per bite.

If the Stalker is damaged or destroyed while active, a new serpent will appear on the branch, taking one month to fully form.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Warping Door

The Warping Door is a perfectly carved, miniature doorway. The Door itself is carved from Dark Wood and fitted with mithril hinges and hardware. Its frame is fashioned from the finest marble. The Door is packed in a sturdy oak case with locking bronze clasps.

Identifying the magical properties of the Warping Door will reveal Superb alteration magic. Discovering the command words used to activate the door requires succeeding a Great test of divination magic for each word. Once discovered the powers of the Door become available to the owner (the Door must be held to invoke its powers):

Create - When this command word is spoken, a normal-sized doorway, about three feet wide and seven feet tall, will form in a nearby wall. It takes three rounds for a doorway to fully form. The created doorway will be closed and locked with a Superb magical ward until the Open command word is used. This command word can be used once per day. A doorway created with this command word lasts a maximum of seven days. No more than two such doorways can exist at one time. The oldest doorway is automatically destroyed when a new doorway is created if this limit is exceeded.

Open - When this command word is spoken, any created doorways open and a link forms between them, allowing passage between the two locations just as if a normal doorway was available. Fully opening the doorways takes two rounds. This command word has no effect if there are not two doorways in existence. The link between doorways remains open until the Close command word is spoken or one of the doorways expires. This command word can be used once per day.

Close - When this command word is spoken the link between two open doorways is severed, causing the magical ward on each Doorway to reappear. Closure is instantaneous. This command word can be used once per day.

Destroy - This command word destroys the nearest doorway, breaking any link that may have been established and reestablishing the magical ward on any linked doorway. Destruction is instantaneous. This command word can be used once per day.

If the magical ward sealing the doorways is forced then a link is established just as if the Open command word had been spoken. If the ward is forced and there is no other doorway available, the link will be established to a random location.

Doorways are subject to mundane attack (Epic toughness). If physically destroyed treat as if the Destroy command word was spoken.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

I played!

This is an actual play write up done by one of the players in a newly started campaign I'm running using (modified) Fate 2.0 rules. Sorry, no pictures available. The actual game happened the weekend of January 23-25. We played Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning. Aside from the 20+ hours of driving required it was a great time.

The Legend of the Five of Ji'an

Written by: Joshua Caulfield (Shiko Bi)

It was dark in the Cave of Bats and the flames of the great fire licked upwards towards the natural flues in the rock. The shadows danced along the walls of the cave behind the old storyteller. With creaking bones and the grunts that accompany movement at such an advanced age the rest of the clan made ready to hear a favorite tale, spun with such vigor that many almost thought they saw the shadows form on the walls in pantomime of the story being unfolded.

"Shall I speak of the Five of Ji'an, and how they sought to free our valley from the oppression of the Srin-ga and their minions?"

The children cheered and giggled, while the hunters sighed as the game of goading the story began. "Yes please." The leader of the Clan asked.

"Shall I speak of their humble beginnings and how they were born as slaves to the very oppressors they would one day attempt to overthrow?"

Slightly impatient herself, the headmistress of the clan tapped her foot, "I have been saying nothing else for the last 15 minutes."

With a chuckle the storyteller settled in and began her tale.

"I was but a girl when I first met the Five Rings. I did not think much on it then, but in the passing of years I see now that just as there are five elements that draw together so too were these five heroes brought forth and combined in the alchemy of fate to produce the beginnings of The Revolution!"

When Dao, a wanderer and trader amongst our people spoke to my grandfather of the arrival of strangers he got a wild look in his eye, and I new that there would be nothing for it but to bring him down to see them and hear their tale to add to his own. I loved my grandfather, but at the time I could not understand why he was so stubborn and determined to meet with these strangers here and now. I wonder sometimes if he had dreamt of them or see them in a vision. Yet he spoke not a word of it, and after dressing more warmly, we began the halting walk down to the great entryway and those who sought an audience with the people of the Cave of Bats.

I can still see them now, as though for the first time. They were so young then, proud and determined. I admit I was a bit taken with them as I looked them over.

The First was their leader. Solid, patient and practical as stone he was. They called him Tao So. He was a warrior born, and handled his spear like it was an extension of his own body. He spoke little, and quietly, but the others deferred to his decisions... mostly.

He was fighting barehanded with their other warrior, Si Tang. The two were cousins, though they seemed more like brothers. Si Tang was like the water flowing from one thing to the next and leaving little lasting impression. He simply adapted to the situation. His loyalty to his brother was as unquestioning as the path of the river through the mountain.

The third was a funny one, who almost looked like a tree with his wild hair and clothes. The others called him Yax, and he like the wood ensured the health of the group. In many ways it was his words that brought them together when they began to drift.

He was close to the bald one with the bright tattoos. Shiko Bi was their fire, the spirit of the group that pushed them into action. I sometimes wondered if he and Grandfather were related, mainly because Shiko seemed to never stop talking. He was a powerful Dragon Blooded sorcerer, and he gained the favor of the blacksmith and others by using his magic to make our home better.

Finally there was Bodi. It was he that I was drawn to. Like the wind he was there and yet above the common discussions. When he needed to express himself he blew in and as quickly returned to his quiet observation. He too bore a power inside himself, a power I would come to know in the days ahead.

It was often said that there was a sixth member of the legendary heroes. I am no scholar to debate the existence of the sixth, but let me simply say that if he did exist and he was as stealthy as the shadows he is compared to, he must have been so good that it seemed like he was not even there.

When my grandfather sat with them many stories were told, what follows is what they shared with us.

They had all grown up together in the village of Ji'an. I would learn many of their personal stories later, when I took up grandfather's mantle and became a wandering lore keeper myself. But they did not delve into those aspects at this time. Instead they spoke of spending a year in the woods preparing, and that now they would begin to stand against the Srin-ga and the oppression of the human race.

They had already begun. In the days prior to their arrival, they had tracked the patrols of the Mefun and Taken, and they had then ambushed the patrol.

They had lain in wait at a point where the road neared the river, and a great stone outcropping drew near, providing them a hiding spot and place to lay in wait. They were excited, yet fearful, for they had never truly stood up to their captors before.

Bodi hid them from the sight of men with his powers and they watched the patrol pass by. Shiko drew forth a great wall of stone from the side of the rock face that was beside them on the river, splitting the patrol in half. The Yang cousins leapt forward using their martial arts to assault the rear four. While Bodi drew the forward group off with visions of other opponents, and Yax used his powers of adjusting mind and body to keep his allies safe.

The fight was over in moments. The Yangs cut through them as the sickle harvests the tender shoots of rice, and when they came around to the front, Shiko had impulsively ripped the others apart with his magic.

Bodi altered his hands so as to make the wounds appear to be the results of a great pride of lions, and Shiko called down the rains to cover their tracks. And thus did they execute their first act of rebellion and fade back into the woods.

They came to the Cave of Bats, to trade and learn of our ways. We were distrustful at first, but in time we came to know them as honorable allies, and for some of us and them, something more.

It was late and the children's eyes were drooping. The storyteller waved her hand over the fire. Perhaps tomorrow I will tell you of how our own Dao led them to the Tombs of the Captains and how they accepted defeat to gain victory.

Part The Second

There was some fine Saki being passed about the caverns tonight. The Merchant Fisal of Chang Chang's Guild of Traders had brought some as a gift from their Headmistress for old friends.

"You know" the storyteller said, "Chang Chang was here when the Five first arrived at the Cave of Bats. A smirk crossed her chapped old lips, and I think she would admit to not being entirely oblivious to one warriors good looks and prowess."

The group quickly quieted as it was clear that the storyteller was about to launch into the second part of her tale.

The Five were bold and mighty it is true, but in those days they were also somewhat humble, unsure in their power it was as if this was all new to them. Certainly they had defeated a Mefun Patrol, no small feat to be sure, but they were not yet aware of their abilities. They also seemed to lack a direction. They spoke of overthrowing the Srin-ga, at which many of the hunters and elders chuckled, though mostly out of sight of the young warriors. Yet they lacked a plan, or any real direction.

As they spoke with my grandfather they asked him many questions about the Captains of the Di-Hon, what were they like? What had happened to them? Where were they buried? What were the legends surrounding the tombs?

Naturally my grandfather, Zian, passed along the tales he knew, and in return their young leader gave he and I a share of the food the Five carried with them for trading. It would be enough to see us through several weeks.

When the tale telling was done, I helped grandfather back into the cave. And in so doing I looked back. At the time I thought the one known as Shiko, so flamboyant in his power could assist me with my own talent, but now I realize it was not really to him that I looked, but to the giant behind him, the weird one, Bodi.

"Bodi came to me in the nights ahead." The storyteller waved off the snickering form the young males who had not heard the story before. "Not in that way you fools. Not yet at any rate. But come to me he did, and he explained that I bore power within me, and that properly harnessed it would benefit me greatly, but allowed to grow like a weed unchecked, it would bring me only pain and despair. He described my power as 'leaking' forth when my grandfather told tales. He was bound off to the tombs with his friends, but he invited me to learn from him and possibly others should I so desire. The offer, and the man intrigued me.

Next they met with the smith, Fu Li, he offered them steel weapons crafted by his son, Fo Bo Jing (sometimes called Bo Jangles for the bells he crafted in his spare time). Much of the prosperity of the Cave of Bats was founded on the skill of the smith's son, and it was unfortunate that the father did not allow the son the glory of his skill. For as Fu Li held the reigns of the family business, resentment crept into the heart of Bo Jing. But that is another tale.

In the end, the Five traded a years supply of rice and much linen for 3 steel daggers and a new spear for their leader. As the trading was being completed, Shiko approached the smith and asked him of the tools of his trade. Wary, the smith confirmed some of Shiko's guesses, and then Shiko offered to restore Fu Li's grinding wheel and anvil to their original condition. The smith looked at the thin bald boy with the odd tattoos and smirked, "How would you be able to do that?" He asked.

"The same way in which I do this." Shiko answered. And with a gesture at the ground a massive stone pedestal rose up from the rock lifting shiko high into the air. Much of the clan was hidden in the caves watching, and there were many gasps around me as my clan-mates saw this. Of us all, perhaps only grandfather had actually seen magic before. "The earth dragon blesses me, and I may use that blessing to assist you. If you so desire."

The smith was a bit taken aback by this. "I will speak to Hui Fen." Then he turned with his things and went back into the Cave of Bats.

The group met with Hui Fen, may she rest peacefully. She interrogated them. For though Dao and my grandfather thought they were honorable, the weight of leadership rested on her shoulders. They were direct with her, and she with them, but in the end it may have been the way young Shiko and she glanced at each other when the other was not looking that made the difference. Finally she allowed them into the cave.

They stayed for two days, and in that time Shiko aided the smith, and as I mentioned Bodi sought me out. Yax sought herbs for his own brewed magics, and the warriors demonstrated their skills to the young boys of the village. Si Tang met and spoke at length with Cheng Cheng at that time, and some might say it was in that early exchange the foundation of their relationship was laid.

Dao had agreed top guide them to the entrance of the Valley of Death wherein lay the Tomb of the Captains. Though he informed them that he would not enter. There was a communal meal shared the night before they left. Shiko left for a time before the meal saying something about getting clean and being unable to do so in the presence of stone. When he returned he spoke privately to Hui Fen. Though she said he had simply offered to aid in developing the defenses of the cave, I noticed that she carried a small stone flower carved by no mean chisel, but perhaps born of Shiko's magic.

The next morning the Five and Dao prepared to leave. Shiko met them at the entrance to the cave where he was studying the great arch that leads into our cave. They gathered their equipment and began the journey to the valley.

The trek would normally take 5 days. They took seven, spending two days at the direction of Tao So to hunt and replenish their stores. Tao So was a mighty hunter, as good as our own men, and it was his efforts that put meat into their larder. For besides Yax, the others were not nearly as at home in the woods. Yax, brought forth many herbs and berries and edible mushrooms and tubers. And Shiko prepared the whole in a fair manner such that much of the leftovers were able to be stored and brought along.

In the end they arrived at the Valley. The mountains shot forth from the ground as mighty teeth, and between them a gap appeared. Filled with mist and the chill of death the valley was aptly named. It was difficult to see, and there was something wholly unnatural about the place, yet the Five were determined.

They chose to enter in the morning, both Dao and my grandfather warning them that the shadows and unholy things within came out at night... mostly. Dao told the Five he would wait for a few days, and hunt in the area. And with a hug for his friend Tao So, the Five broke with his company and entered the valley.

Part the Third

Wherein our heroes enter the valley of the dead and encounter, as one might suspect from the name, things which should not be.

The cave drew still as the storyteller took her seat. For this night she would spin one of the most exciting parts of her tale. The journey through the vallety of the dead, and the receipt of the treasures of Di-Hon.

"The night passed restlessly for our group of young heroes. Dao fell to sleeping quickly, but the Five stayed awake restless in anticipation of the challenges they might face on the morrow. Shiko, brash and overconfident in his magic played with the fire. While Yax worked on the final touches for some of the herbal magic he had been developing. Bodi was lost in communion with his ancestors from whom he drew direction and power. And the Yangs prepared their new weapons for battle.

With the coming of the dawn they entered the valley and slogged through the rough terrain and mists. Periodically Shiko and Bodi would call a halt. Shiko to test the essence of the area and Bodi to reach out with his mind. Though he kept it from his friends, Bodi later shared with me that he felt a dark presence throughout the valley, and in reaching forth to divine more of it's intent and specificity, he felt it drawn to him. He would only describe it as anger and hunger, and some despair.

It was a difficult trek through the valley, and finally they were hiking up a steep mountain path that had been washed away by rock-slides in several places. Tao So was in the lead, and missed a step. They fell, with only the quick actions of Si Tang who was in the rear grabbing the cliff wall preventing a horrible end from closing so soon on their young lives. For a moment they all hung there, then Tang let go of Yax to get a better grip. Yax grabbed Tang's leg and held on, as Tao so also grabbed for the mountain and began to attempt to climb up.

Shiko, ever overconfident simply allowed himself to fall, right into a massive stone hand he had called forth with his power. The hand scooped them all up and cast them forward onto the safety of the ledge, where they caught their breath.

The entrance to the tomb was roughly carved with a lintel and a warning of some sort. At least that is what the group decided the runes on the outside of the tomb meant. Shiko called upon the power of fire to cause his staff to glow in the manner of a glowworm in the spring. Yax lit the groups oil lamp, and with the others interspersed between them they entered the gloomy cave.

The first thing they noticed was the chill. Bodi mentioned that there was a dark presence within, but he could not source where. It was difficult for him to maintain concentration on it. Si Tangs bear also began to object, but for the time he followed his master.

They came upon a small shrine, ancient and worn. There were some tracks of animals in the dust on the stone flooring. They gently searched the area, but could determine nothing of what the purpose of this shrine was, not was there anything of interest in the room itself, save for a passage leading further into the mountain.

Passing into the passage they rose and walked deeper into the darkness and cold of the mountainside. They came upon a larger room, clearly used at one point as a living space for a group of men. Though the equipment was in tatters, there was much evidence that long ago this had been an important living space. It was then that the chill grew deeper, and the shadows parted to reveal a spectral figure reaching out for Bodi's heart.

Si Tang's bear fled the scene, as one would expect from a natural beast, even as five more shadows appeared about them. Si Tang and Tao So found that their physical attacks did not SEEM to be doing much against the apparitions, Shiko called forth a swarm of fireflies made of real fire and sent them out, but they had little effect on these beings either. Bodi was turning them against each other, even Yax applied his natural magics to try and turn the tide. Then Si Tang followed his bear, leaving the battle, and ended up hanging off the side of the ledge when he failed to successfully cross the rockslide, but more on that later.

Back inside the tomb, One of the beings reached inside of Tao So and seemed to grab his heart. Yet instead of drawing it out the wraith-like being instead seemed to flow into Tao So, who was left gasping for breath. Shiko was channeling pure essence into the creatures which seemed to be working more effectively than constructs, and then Yax let loose with a mighty essence flare which drove the remaining ones into dust, even as Bodi held them off with his mental powers.

Tao So began wandering off toward the valley floor, and the group followed him outside. Bodi reached into his mind and found a dark spirit nested within. Yax began an incantation to remove the possession, but Tao So began moving away from the group. Shiko bound his feet in stone. Seeing this, Si Tang came over and leaned heavily on Shiko's shoulder and told him to release his cousin. Shiko told Si Tang to get off, even as Bodi and Yax attempted to explain that Tao So was possessed, but Si Tang was not listening, and so Shiko threw him off and cast a spell at Si Tang. Drained of mana from the battle, Shiko drew forth a powerful spell of earth to hold Si Tang at bay, but Si Tang flipped out of the way of the spell and came up in a fighting stance.

By then, Bodi and Yax had broken the possession and stepped between the combatants. All was explained to Si Tang, yet it was clear that the two were not reconciled. It is unfortunate that this grudge would remain between them, and one day lead to, well, that would be telling.

The sun was setting, and none of the group wished to be in the valley come nightfall, so after resting a time to regain their power, Shiko cleared the rock-slides from the path and reshaped a part of the mountain to allow the path to easily accommodate travel again. They left the mountain and passed as quickly as possible back out to their campsite. Dao was surprised to see them, and sat in anticipation as they told their tale.

On the following morning they reentered the valley and made their way to the tombs.

It was lightly raining, and they were actually glad to enter the tomb and get out of the rain. All except Si Tangs bear who would not even re-enter the valley with the group. They moved with purpose into the second area, and were not surprised when the apparitions came again.

Si Tang leapt up and over the first one and kicked it in the head, but to little effect. Tao So learned to invoke essence into his kicks and seemed to have more effect than previously. Yet even as the others brought their magic into play the battle seemed to be against them. Si Tang fled from the tomb again, and as he did, Bodi allowed one of the entities to possess him. Whether this was some grand strategy or simply an aspect of Bodi being kind of weird and marked for death, one may never know. It affected Shiko, who fell to overwhelming supernatural fear and despair. Another of the apparitions entered him and now two had fallen.

In the end all four of the remaining heroes were possessed and walked out towards the valley. They passed by Si Tang who was waiting outside. When Si Tang saw they were not acting normally he ran down the path and towards the campsite, planning to tell the Cave of Bats folk that all of them had been lost.

Tao So, who had been possessed by the traitor, and the two rebel leaders who had left to fight headed towards the west, while Shiko, possessed by Ho Ching, the commander of all the rebel forces after the fall of the Captains drew on his magic to create a mighty whirlwind that bore him into the air and towards the south.

Each of the heroes found the remains of their possessing spirit and knew they must lay their spirits to rest. The three to the west made clay tablets and burned the remains, bring the tablets to the shrine at the tomb for proper prayers and rites.

Shiko, being Shiko, blasted a massive epitaph into the mountainside and cremated the remains of the commander with a mighty blast of fire.

Returning to the tomb, all four found themselves returned to their proper frames of mind, and yet they heard the ghostly howling from the depths of the tomb.

Shiko stepped forward and opened himself to the spirit. He did not resist as the apparition plunged into his heart, and led him again to the south of the valley. There he would find that Li Ti, the rebels final Dragon Blooded sorcerer had gone down in a mighty battle himself. And so Shiko learned the lesson of how numbers of lesser enemies could outweigh the might of even the strongest sorcerer.

Shiko laid the elementalist's spirit to rest, and found that Tao So had also made the journey again to escort a spirit into their final rest. In so doing, they felt a great darkness lifted from the vale, and made their way back to the campsite, just in time to stop Si Tang from his run back to the Cave of Bats.

Tao So explained things to his brother, Yax and Shiko seeming not to care so much what the fifth member of their party learned, and Bodi simply wandering off to commune with his ancestors again.

They ate and slept and for a third day entered the valley at dawn.

They passed deeper into the tombs this day, and came upon more natural caverns where the ground was deep rich earth with strange trails leading through it like that of giant worms. There were also signs of animals killed and eaten, and the memory from their possessions that the "tomb was defended."

But by what will remain a mystery until tomorrow night, said the storyteller, even as the fire began to die down into ashes.

Part the Fourth

In which our heroes face their greatest danger yet, and reap the rewards of destiny in the process.

The storyteller settled in her seat, her grandson gathering a warm blanket for her. He was a weird one, her child's eldest, it made her think of... well, that was best left for other times.

"So," She began. "Shall I carry on with the tales of our heroes? Or perhaps you would prefer the tale of the swamp demon..."

The children erupted before her seeking the furthering of the tale of the Five.

Gathered as they were in the Tomb of the Captains, led by the light of Shiko's staff and their oil lamp, the Five moved deeper into the tomb. They had noticed that the tomb seemed unfinished. In fact later, Shiko would come to the conclusion that it was really only just started when the rebels met their fate.

The storyteller had gotten much of the story wrong. Certainly it was not grandfather's fault, for he was only repeating the tales as they had been passed on to him. But Zian had recalled to the heroes that it was the captains who had been betrayed by one of their own, when in fact it was the rebels. The captains had fallen in some other way in battle, and their remaining followers had removed their crucified bodies and their panoply and built for them a tomb. The very tomb our heroes now entered. But one of the rebels had succumbed to fear and despair, and had sold out his companions to the Mefun, in return for a quiet life and gold. The traitor had led the others into ambush, and as his reward he had been slain by the Mefun and his remains cast into a pit of excrement. Even his erstwhile allies thought little of someone who would betray his own people.

Passing through the large room Tao So in the lead moved down a passageway, when, over Shiko's incessant chatter, he heard a click, and felt the stone beneath him move. He leapt backwards tucking his feet up into an astonishing flip that nearly bowled Shiko over, even as a massive section of the tomb ceiling collapsed into the hallway.

"Well, that was fortunate." Said Yax. "Nicely done finding that trap there Tao."

The Five entered a section of the tombs that was either naturally formed or hollowed out by magic. The floor of the tomb ended and simple mud about a foot deep covered the floor of the cavern moving forward. Trails like those of a snake or large worm wound through the mud, and the skeletons of animals littered the floor, ancient and dessicated.

The group moved through the chamber and down another passage, wary of more traps, when before them rose a great wall of foggy mist. Dense, like a cloud on earth, and warm like steam, it did not block their way, yet it offered an ominous portent.

Shiko was bored, and as usual he acted rashly, calling forth his power his dragon tattoos rolling across his flesh and glowing in their vibrant hues, a mighty wind ripped through the caverns and drew all of the mist past them and out of the tomb.

"So much for subtlety" Yax chuckled.

Shiko shrugged, even as they all looked into the great cavern revealed beyond. It was a massive area that spread beyond the source of their light, and within were great piles of mold laying around the outskirts of several huge crater lakes of bubbling and steaming water. The entire place reeked of ancient, decaying plant life.

The group pressed on, Tao So in the lead. When suddenly a great tendril vine rose form the mud, a mighty pincer of thorn dripping black mud to the floor. It slashed forward even as a companion tendril rose up as well. Piercing the warrior's torso, Tao wrestled to get himself away, even as Yax and Si Tang moved forward to help him. Bodi, meanwhile was facing off against another tendril, which rose and revealed itself to be coming from the watery pools.

Shiko saw more coming from the pool to their left and realized that shortly they would be surrounded. So as the other fought the tendril, he drew upon his powers and caused massive icicles to form and drop into the pool piercing the tendrils and seeking to end their assault from the flank.

The flanking tendrils whipped backwards dragged by their main body to avoid the dropping spears of ice. Tao So had been freed, and the tendrils the others fought were slowly being driven back.

Shiko moved closer so as to summon more of the great ice spears onto this pool, when they all saw that deeper into the cave was an even greater pool of roughly twice the size of these lesser ones, and a series of massive vines with their dual tendrils were erupting from its depths.

The ice spell was launched into the main pool, and a retreat sounded. Naturally, Si Tang was the first away from the room.

The group retreated out nearly to the entrance of the tomb, pausing at the re-sanctified altar to catch their breath. Yax began the effort of healing their wounds as Shiko and Bodi reached out with their powers to determine the nature of the being(s) they faced.

Shiko learned it was a single opponent, a mighty elemental of vast power and great hunger. It seemed to have been compelled here, most likely by Li Ti in an effort to guard the tomb from robbers.

They rested for a time and discussed a plan. In fact they discussed about a dozen plans and finally agreed upon one.

One of their concerns was light, and so, calling upon the illuminating power of fire, Shiko caused all of their weapons to glow. While no longer capable of stealth, they need not fear being trapped in the dark.

So too was Bodi seeking a means to use his power against it. When Tao So sat upon a stack of ancient flagstones a smile crossed the weird one's face. Speaking softly to Shiko, the two were shortly laughing like children. Shiko shaped the great flagstones into razor sharp stone stars of death, and Bodi drew them up with his power and set them to spinning about his head.

They reentered the cavern of mists, and Si Tang moved up towards the great pool, planting a glowing spear about 30' from it. Shiko grew bored waiting for results and closed on the main pool, calling the others to pass through the cavern if the beast failed to show itself. Secretly thinking of leaping into the water and seeking out the vine kraken he did not have long to wait when a half dozen great vines burst from the central pool and planting themselves drew forth the main body, a great dense knot of wood and bark and leaves with a maw not unlike that of a shark, filled with calcified bark in the form of mighty razor sharp teeth.

The battle began and long it was. Bodi used the stones as mighty cutting tools into the wood of the monstrosity before them. Si Tang was constantly in motion keeping the vines from Shiko, Yax and Bodi. Tao so took the other flank and did likewise. While Shiko hammered the elemental with bolts of lightning from his fists. It was through Yax's good efforts that none were slaughtered outright, even as the mighty elemental leapt forward and attempted to swallow both he and Shiko in its great maw.

In the end our heroes emerged bloody and beaten, but victorious. Their foe falling back into the watery hole from which it came.

Shiko and Yax looked at each other and knew that it would regrow in their and that they should not dally in their further exploration.

As Yax sealed their wounds, Tao So led them past the misty chamber and into the true tomb of the captains.

Therein lay six great flat stones covering what was undoubtedly the resting spot of each of the Captains. Upon each of the stones lay an item. There were two ancient braziers which Shiko ignited with magical fire to burn and provide additional light.

Each of the Heroes was called to an item of power, and when he touched it the item seemed to come to life.

They did not delay, and understanding that these items were bound to them in some way they took their rewards, made homage to the Captains, and removed themselves from the tomb.

At the entrance to the tomb, in the fading light of the setting sun, Shiko sealed the tomb behind them.

Passing through the valley they returned to Dao, who was astonished at their appearance, and possession of the artifacts of the captains. He listened to their tale and was thrilled by the story of their battle. He suggested they return to the Cave of Bats without delay. They others packed and prepared to walk home, when Shiko called them.

Raising his hand together, he drew forth an archway of stone from the ground, and calling upon the magic of water he pushed his essence to the limit, and formed a magical passage. The others went through it quickly, and they emerged from the other side, just over there.

The storyteller pointed to where the grand entryway to the Cave of Bats was.

They waited politely to be invited in, and prepared to relay their story again.

The storyteller sipped at her tea, even as her audience was looking at where, so long ago the young heros had stepped forth from thin air to reveal that the first challenge had been settled and their path to destiny had been laid out before them.

Part the Fifth

In which the fellowship is broken and the Heroes go their seperate ways in search of their next destination.

Lu Ci was sporting quite a nice little leather mantle she had recently purchased at the Wolf's Vale trade moot. The old storyteller noticed and commented favorably upon it which made the young maiden preen with pleasure. The storyteller shook her head just a bit, "Of course it was nothing compared to the Mantle of Tang Shan, which was brought back to this very spot by Si Tang." Sensing she was on the verge of continuing the tale of the Five of Ji'an the children nearby hushed and gathered at her feet.

Sighing, the storyteller feigned an exaggerated frustration as she settled on a stump. "Will you pester me until my old bones can stand it no more? Chao Kensai, get down form there this instant. Shelves are for holding supplies, not precocious young children. Well, I suppose that it cannot be helped now. You will pester me to no end until I assuage your need for fantastic tales...

...yet this part of the tale is sad, as the first fractures among the Five begin to show themselves. Because although they were bound together by their common youth, their drive to free the valley, and their recent experiences, still enough they were five individuals. Each of them had a role to play and a desire for things unique to their own mind. Yax, the unkempt wild man, truly sought the eradication of the invaders. Never mind their presence here had been going on for centuries, never mind that there were women and children among the Mefun and possibly the Srin-ga. He sought only their deaths and in this regard he was as without compassion as the Wesh.

Bodi... well, few really knew what the Bender wanted. His mind was on a different place from that of his peers. Many a time it would seem as though the consciousness driving him was asleep at the table, while the body made its way through the motions of life. One person pierced that veil of loneliness and weirdness, and she speaks not of the man she fell in love with inside the odd exterior.

Si Tang was changed by the encounter with the spirits. He had a hardness about him ever after that came, perhaps, from seeing his friends possessed by the restless dead and used for the will of the ghostly beings. Perhaps it was founded on the hard time his friends gave him for running during the battle. Perhaps it was there all along and it took the hard lessons of the Time of Trials to pull it forth. Had she been about he might have sought solace in the arms of Chang Chang, yet she too wandered a path different form his own.

Tao So was suffering the burden of leadership. He knew that the others looked to him for guidance and thought, and trusted him with their lives in his decisions. Yet he feared to make mistakes. They were on the leading edge of fighting a war for the love of the ancestors, and it didn't help that Shiko's rash overconfidence and lack of self discipline would drive them forward as often as Tao So's careful planning.

Which leaves us with Shiko Bi. Here was a soul in conflict. On the surface he was brash and flagrant in his power, hidden inside him was a desire to use his power to establish himself above the people around him. So long had he been pushed about as a child. His clan destroyed while others thrived, the bullies in the village given privilege while he was mocked, even in seeking training with Yax, it had always been clear that the wild dreadlocked student was the true protege. He sought to prove himself a power in his own right, and that began to separate him from the group. Yet too it was clear that Fu Hui Fen had caught his eye. Her beauty and quiet confidence, and the way the others in the cave of bats sought her council drew him to her. For her part, she had made clear to Shiko it was not his power she found interesting about him, but that he would use it to better the lives of all in the valley. And thus did Shiko wonder if his deeds were pure or simply show to win the heart of this woman? And would he set his own lust for power aside to be with her?

Yet that is not the tale for today.

When they simply appeared outside the Cave of Bats, it made for quite a stir. While tales of Shiko's magic were fresh in the gossip circles none had dreamed that he could cause the entire band to magically appear before their cave. Dao was astounded that the five day journey could be reduced to a simple walk. For some this would be worrisome, and might create complications for our heroes later.

They waited, but Dao invited them in directly, and though it was late, they were well received. Hui Fen was pleased to see them, and her eyes grew wide at the implements of power they now bore. Though curious she told them to hold their story until the morning, and share it with the entire clan at once. They were ushered into the guest cave, and quickly fell to sleep.

In the morning at the breaking of the fast they were welcomed, and began to relate their story. The spoke of the valley and the darkness that lay dormant within. They told of waking the spirits of the rebels, soldiers who, though not the captains, had waged a valiant effort to remain free and bring the struggle of humanity to the doors of the Srin-ga. In some ways they were to be admired more than their previous leaders. For they did not have the powerful artifacts or mastery of powerful magics, yet still they fought, and succeeded for a time.

The Five corrected Zian's assumption that the Captains had been betrayed, and also described the end battles where the Mefun died yet succeeded in ending the resistance... until now. They spoke of the doom vines that slithered forth from the bubbling waters of the tomb, and came back again and again despite the heroes brave efforts at cutting them down. They told the the great stump lord who's teeth were as razors and in who's maw both Shiko and Yax had disappeared, each getting away only just, and Yax having a mighty scar from nearly being bitten in half. Tao So spoke of the mighty bark of the wood elemental that turned aside his spears, and how Bodi had driven massive flagstones sharpened to razor points into the elemental over and over, and how the elemental had seemed to heal itself after each attack, renewing the battle.

They showed the people the wounds where the mighty pincers had ripped into their bodies, threatening to drag them beneath the bubbling waters to their doom. They spoke of Si Tang's mighty kicks freeing his cousin, and Bodi's razor shards, and Shiko, much to the amusement of the children, showed how his dragon tattoos had actually moved through his flesh to bite through the vine piercing him.

In the end they told of the death of the Stump Lord and how it had retreated deep beneath the earth. They warned the clan to be wary of the valley still.

Then they spoke of the tomb, and of honoring the Captains, and how each was drawn to one of the captains as though to inherit a great token. Tao So had been called to their Leader Tang Chong Lin, eldest son of Bo Qin and Dai Yu, and had been given a spear of great power. It was crafted of steel and runed with jade and jet and bearing the five elemental symbols. In some way he knew it to be unbreakable by mortal means and when commanded to by Tao So it would change from a short spear to a long weapon over 12' in length. Bodi would later call forth the memories of the spear and learn that when properly powered, it could be cast forth and create a mighty wall of flames behind it as it circled out and returned to it's wielder's hand.

Si Tang had been drawn to the beir of Tang Shan, middle son of Bo Qin and Dai Yu, and had taken up a mantle of bone and jade and leather. It provided him with great protection. If he knew what other powers it would bear neither he nor Bodi spoke of it.

Bodi had come to the resting place of Qin Lang, known as "the one called", the son of Jun Jie and Shu, he had taken a pair of jade and jet bracers. The symbols of the elements were dark now, but when he assessed their power, he saw Lang lifting massive boulders and casting them against the walls of a great and terrible city, unlike any Bodi had ever known.

Yax had been presented with a jade helm with eye lenses that dropped forth when worn. It had been the token of Mang Shou Shan, the outcast, and allowed him to be the candle amidst the torches or the torch amidst the candles. He had declined to learn the former powers of the helm, saying that destiny would reveal what it would in it's own time.

Finally Shiko had a gold and jade chain link belt. It had been worn by Han Ye, son of Xin and Mei, who had been the last of the Elemental Masters and in Service to Ne-Long the Dragon of the Heavens and Guardian of Holy Places. It gave him understanding of the flows of essence about him, which none there knew what that meant, and it allowed him to fly.

After their tale, the group ate and rested for the day, each seeking out their friends amid the clan. On the morrow they packed their things and headed out to the north to seek the Clan of Wolf's Vale.

Here they ran into strife. For Shiko grew defiant and tired of being told what to do, even as Tao So tried to determine if they should head along the river, or the mountains or straight through the forest. Shiko headed off along the river, and this encouraged Si Tang to head out on his own in the direction he though was most obvious. Yax, seeing trouble, went with Shiko, and Bodi with a shrug followed as well. Tao So headed out after his cousin and the bear.

What bear you say? Si Tang had tamed a bear and it followed him about. Were there more to that story i would tell it.

The two groups made their way north for three days not knowing of the progress of the others. Being competitive, the Yangs used their powers to go without food or sleep, and Shiko called upon the winds to carry the other three along the rivers bank.

They missed the Vale, and ran into each other instead, Bodi using his powers to reach out and seek the minds of people. When reunited not a word was said, and instead they simply backtracked and using magic to aid them closed in on the Wolf Clan.

A dark shadow flashed by overhead. None could see what it was, but Bodi assured them it had seen them and was sentient. Still they moved on, wary for an attack, when suddenly the shadow flashed overhead again, and a voice called out, "Hoi there stand and be counted."

They held, and in a moment, "YAX, by the seven, what are you doing here?" And a great bear of a man who's face and featured seemed somehow alien to the others rose form the brush and closed to hug Yax."

Yax introduced them to Ban Fu, the "half man" who's ancestry was both local and of the people in the north beyond the wall. The shadow landed, and the group was introduced to the glowing eyed Dragon Child known as Thistleheart. Thistleheart sniffed the air and said, "Mmm... Pretty metals."

The group was taken to the clan, and found that the clan was nomadic. They had a number of Yurts that they resided in and raised small horses, traveling in the region to remain undetected and for hunting.

The Five told their story that night, and Shiko caused the fire to shape and dance in images supporting Yax's telling of the tale.

They were invited to stay the night, and in the Morning, Ban Fu had agreed to take them to the entrance of the cave where the dragon might lay.

That night the Five learned of the ways of the Clan and Shiko stepped out to find a rocky outcropping. Laying his hand upon the stone he communed with it and in time drew forth a chuck of copper ore. Returning, he sought out Thistleheart, the dragonborn ally of the clan, and presented it to the birdman as a token of friendship. Thistleheart accepted and cheerfully munched on the metal ore.

In the morn they set off for the Dragon's cave. Ban Fu explained that the cave itself was the result of a natural spring and one of the sources of the river. If indeed it held the dragon, it was likely the Srin-ga had found him there at rest and surprised him. The Dragon, Ji'an-lung was said to have held the length of the river from the control of the Srin-ga nearly alone.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the cave. Camping for the night, they prepared to enter in the morning. Ban Fu said he would wait for them for three days. Shiko chuckled, "If we haven't emerged in one, you may return home with news of our destruction. We won't be journeying deep into the earth for days ata time."

They spoke of the items of power they wore, and what would happen to them if indeed they fell to whatever guardians were within. In the end they decided that whatever could defeat them combined was a strong enough guardian to ward the items until the next incarnation of the captains arose.

This led Yax to speculate, "Perhaps our destiny was not to free the valley, but simply to transfer the items of power to a more powerful guardian..." It was not a pleasant thought to go to sleep upon.

The storyteller allowed a great and dramatic pause, and began to rise. The children clamored about her. "Off with ye, ye have chores and learning to see to, now be about it. She waved her staff at them and shooed them away. There will be more anon.

Part the Sixth

In which both stone and fire block the path of the river, and Bodi is caught with his hand in the jar.

The moon rose round and full outside of the Cave of Bats. It was a warm spring night, made for lovers. Of course being an old woman who had difficulty with the necessary athletics, Wei Ci was more than content to indulge the gaggle of prepubescent offspring with more tales of the mighty warriors (and smelly old YAX) who had sworn to free the valley of Ji'an from the shadow of the Srin-ga.

They rose in the morning, and after a breakfast of sushi and rice, they made their way up towards the mouth of the cave from which this tributary to the mighty Ji'an river came.

Before going in, Shiko cast his arms over the water, and all looked down into the small eddy before him that showed them there at the entrance to the cave. The view changed as Shiko's spell flew forward into the cave to see what lay in store for them. Darkness, darkness and more darkness was all for a time. Then a flicker of light which grew into a pale glow and then into more. They passed over the remains of a torch from long ago.

The scene revealed to them of the cave was of a great opening in the rock, where not water, but rather Lava flowed. In the foreground a small lump of what might be a child's skeleton, and towards the back the glowing form of a mighty river dragon.

To one side was an odd Jar with white light blasting forth, and then... the spell shattered.

"So, shall we go rescue a dragon?" Bodi quipped.

The cave mouth was dark, and Shiko laid his palm upon their weapons, again providing light for the band as they entered a place of darkness and gloom.

Carefully they crept forward along the ledge that ran beside the river's runoff.

Deeper and deeper they traveled into the mountain, leaving the lands of light behind them and finding the walls of stone closing in on them. No sound could be heard over the rushing water, so it was with their eyes alone that they sought out the dangers that must assuredly lay within.

In time they came to a section of the cave where the glow of light was before them. Further on they passed the discarded torch upon the floor, from where Cheng Ru had tossed it in the children's flight from danger.

They came then to the entrance to the chamber of fire. The rivers source had long since moved away into the depths of the mountain.

Before them was a river of lava, and several large jars casting forth powerful essence. In entering they examined the jars, and Shiko and Bodi determined they were warding vessels of some sort. A powerful magic laid down long ago. The large jars at the edge of the cavern were sources of air essence, and deeper in the cave, surrounding the Dragon's form, which could be seen form the entrance, were smaller jars, that Shiko determined were earth foci.

They also determined that the wards on the cave stopped magic from entering or leaving.

Of course their little perusal of the cave woke the guardian, and as the other called out in warning, they saw a mighty beast of fiery lava emerge from the field of lava before them. So, not being of a mind to be cripsed upon their initial foray, they retreated out to the entrance of the cave to plan their attack.

Shiko assessed the lava being to determining if it was elemental in nature. It was, but to their surprise it was a twisted earth elemental, which led them to alter their strategy.

In discussing the assault they commented on the possibility of simply destroying the outer ward, which was likely restraining the guardian. They quickly discarded that thought, as they did not want to loose a deranged elemental upon the people of the valley, despit the value of damage to the Mefun and Wesh it might achieve.

They also discarded the thought of trying to have Shiko compel the creature. It was clearly beyond his current ability. Thus they decided to go in and attack it head on. Which they did. Shiko bestowed upon everyone a barrier of ice shard to defend them from the lava, and they entered the cavern.

Si Tang and Tao So, led the charge like true warriors, even as three great worms of lava rose up and met their challenge. Bodi was distracted by the great jars which the group was not supposed to be dealing with, and Yax was remaining nearby to support and heal his teammates.

Inside the warriors engaged the beast, and Shiko cause mighty bolts of lightning to begin striking the lava from which it reared. He believed that when in contact with the lava the elemental might regenerate, and having seen the wood elemental retreat, he caused his lighting to remain in place for a time to force the elemental to move away from it's protective environment.

The elemental was not worried, and spat forth a mighty glob of lava at both Shiko and Bodi, while also attacking with its third head to the two warriors flanking it.

Tao So and Si Tang struck forth with their weapons and chips of stone and lava flew from the beast.

Again Shiko called forth the power of air, this time a spinning tornado of deadly force, to force the creature to move and defend itself, while Bodi used his mental powers to wipe off the lava burning him. Yax healed Bodi, and closed to support the warriors who were leaping and striking from all about the third head.

Then the elemental puffed up and seemed to explode, casting forth a horrific spray of obsidian that speared through nearly everything in the room. The warriors dodged, and fortunately the ice shards of protection Shiko had formed protected the group form the worst of it, though the intense heat melted the spell to nothing.

Bodi used his mental powers like a hammer upon the elemental, and Shiko, nearly drained of power cast forth more lightning.

But it was Tao So, who slipped beneath the creature and using the power of his magic spear to expand and contract perforated the wounded elemental and caused it to crack and shatter, nearly burying himself in the process.

Upon freeing Tao So, the group approached the entrapped dragon. Bodi had learned from examining the larger jars how the warding magic worked, and so he showed Shiko, and the two set about attempting to break the earth ward.

They were distraught though, when they saw that there was a second ward, a great seal that protected the earth jars from being tampered with, and the pair first spent their efforts in breaking the mighty seal. The power of the seal was great however, and nearly broke Shiko to defeat.

Bodi, then removed the earth wards after many minutes of great magical strain.

Yet the dragon lay there. Shiko tried to energize it with pure water essence, but with no result. Yax attempted to heal the dragon, which was dessicated and nearly about to perish. Then Tao So came forward, having been gone for some time back out of the cave. In his hands he held his dinner bowl, full of the waters of the river, and he poured it upon the dragon.

The dragon raised its head and seemed to smile. With great effort it struggled forward out of the cave and into the river itself. The waters sparkled about the dragon as it seemed to expand and become more vibrant and glossy.

After a short time the great head of the dragon rose, "Thank you, mortals. You have released me in the nick of time. I am yet to be fully restored, but I know what you have done this day. Return here in one week's time and I shall reward you."

With that the dragon slipped ino the waters of the river and vanished from sight.

The heroes smiled as Ban Fu looked on in near awe at the events he had only just witnessed.

"Well," said Yax, "Looks like we have a week to kill."

Shiko picked up a stone and skipped it on the water, "Dammit, I hate waiting!"

The children cheered, for this was their favorite part of the tale.

"I'm the dragon!" called out Wu Hu as he jumped from his seat and ran about the fire.

"I'm Tao So," Called forth Ti Chu La, who picked up a stick and stabbed at Ting Len, "You're the elemental."

"Why do I always have to be the elemental," Ting Len whined. "I want to be Yax!" He reached down to put mud in his hair.

"Don't you dare!" Commanded Wei Ci. "You can be Yax without the dirt."

And thus beneath the moonlight in the cave of bats, new tales of the Five were told that had no root in reality, but were merely the stuff of imagination drawn from the mouths of children.

The dirty old being who had watched the tale be told chuckled. "You can't do a good Yax without the dirt."

Friday, February 13, 2009

Paquin's Deceiving Circle

The name Paquin is a dark stain on history. Few mages achieved such heights or fell so low as Paquin did. Once advisor to the Emperor on all things magical, Paquin ended his life a hunted man after unleashing several demons in the city of Lyme during treaty talks between the Empire and the Mondarian invaders.

Paquin's Deceiving Circle was one of his earlier works, untouched by the demonic forces that would later dominate his life. The Circle is a heavy gold ring inscribed with mystic sigils on its outer surface. A single clear crystal cut flush with the band's surface adorns it. Identifying the magical properties of the ring will reveal Superb obscurement and illusion magic.

The ring has the following powers and abilities:
  • The bearer gains Great ability to sense illusion and obscurement magic within 30' at will, requiring a round of concentration to activate.
  • Good control of light level in a 30' radius at will, making it as bright as daylight or as dark as a moonless night, three times per day.
  • Create a Great quality illusion with visible and audible elements in a 10' x 10' area. The created illusion can move at a walking pace and lasts so long as concentration is maintained. Once concentration ceases the illusion will continue for thee rounds. This power can be used once per day.
  • Project a Great illusion of the bearer, including both visible and audible elements up to 120'. The projection can be maintained just as the illusion above. This power can be used once per day.
  • The wielder can become invisible (Superb) twice per day.
Discovering how to use the Circle requires a Great test of divination magic for each power. When any of the powers of the ring are used the clear crystal glitters and sparkles with multi-color lights.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Old School Dungeon Map


As I mentioned here I'm engaged in a big scanning and cleanup project on my gaming archives. I came across this map a few days ago and thought I'd share it. Unlike most of my maps, this one actually has the map key written on the map itself. I don't recall the exact story behind this dungeon. I suspect it was part of a mega-dungeon project that never got used. The entrance is on the far right, the very narrow corridor above the "3rd" notation. Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Deadly Maladies

I found these nasty things in an old dungeon description buried in my files. The Anamab Caverns were deep in a tropical jungle and inhabited by a degenerate race of reptilian humanoids. Enjoy (well maybe not enjoy...)

From the original dungeon description: Characters staying in the complex have a base chance of 3% to be infected with a disease and a base chance of 10% to be infested with a parasite. These base chances increase by 1% per day the character stays in the complex.

Diseases

Creeping Sleep - This disease is spread by insect bites or direct contact with others already infected. The victim experiences increasing tiredness for five days requiring an extra two hours sleep each day. After five days the victims continue to require additional sleep and must make a successful resistance check vs. Fair difficulty or fall into a coma-like sleep for 10 to 15 days. The victim will experience recurring bouts of sleepiness every three months until cured. The disease can be cured with a Fair test of healing during the initial five days, after which the difficulty increases to Great.

Liquid Lung - This disease is caused by an airborne fungus that growns on decaying vegetable matter. The lungs of a victim infected with this disease slowly fill with fluid, causing them to cough and choke almost continuously. Over the course of 15 days the infected victim will suffer a decline in their vitality, eventually choking to death on their own bodily fluids. Curing this disease is a Fair test of healing.

Plum Plague - This disease is spread by biting insects or surface contact with tainted surfaces. It is quick spreading and deadly. Within hours of exposure a purple blotch will appear on the skin of the victim. This blotch spreads quickly, tinting the entire body purple within four or five days. The purple patches cause extreme itching and victims are often tear at their own flesh as the disease takes hold. Curing this disease is a Good test of healing.

Parasites

Nail Worms - These small creatures crawl beneath finger and toe nails and eat away at the tender flesh beneath, causing searing pain after a day's infestation. The pain is so severe that the infested limb is all but useless. Removal of these pests is a Good test of healing. Nail worms are commonly found in stagnant pools of water in warm environments.

Hair Ticks - These pests lurk on branches and low hanging vines. They exude a silky thread which dangles beneath their resting place. Any passing creature that brushes against the thread will pull the tick free and onto itself. Once on a victim the tick will find a nice patch of skin and dig in for a meal of blood. Hair ticks carry both Creeping Sleep and Plum Plague. They can be removed as an Average test of healing.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Ahtep's Blade

Ahtep was a well known explorer and adventurer with a broad streak of paranoia. He commissioned this blade to give him an edge against secretive or hidden foes.

Ahtep's Blade is a long, narrow-bladed sword with a practical straight guard and one-handed hilt. The blade and guard are a dull silver color, while the hilt is black leather wrapped with silver wire. The pommel is a plain, round knob of the same silvery metal. The blade's scabbard is a plain thing of black leather, the only ornamentation being a circular cutout edged with silver trim near the hilt end of the scabbard allowing the blade to show through. Clearly Ahtep was not out to impress anyone with appearances.

Both the blade and scabbard are magical. Identifying the magical properties of the blade will reveal Good damage and accuracy enhancement, Great divination magic, and Good illusion magic. Identifying the magical properties of the scabbard will reveal Good preservation magic.

The sword has the following powers and abilities:
  • Good damage and accuracy bonus.
  • The wielder can cause the blade to act as a Good light source at will.
  • Once per day the wielder can cause the blade to pulse and flare with multicolor lights. Any foe must make a Good resistance check vs. this effect or be confused and dazed for 2-8 rounds.
  • Great enemy detection ability (60 foot radius). Any foe with hostile intent within the area of effect will cause the blade to glow with a pure white light. The glow grows more intense if more powerful or greater numbers of foes are detected.
The scabbard's magic protects the contained blade against wear, damage and theft, sounding a piercing howl if anyone but the scabbard's owner attempts to draw the blade.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Guards and Wards

These small magical objects are found in sets of four, five, or six. The exact form the items take varies, depending on the maker. Typically they are cubes of Dark Wood inlaid with silver or mithril symbols of power. If examined for magical properties they will radiate Good protection magic. If an incomplete set of Guards and Wards is found, the general direction and distance of the missing pieces can be discovered from those in hand with a Good test of divination magic. A complete set is required to allow the item to function.

To use Guards and Wards they must be laid out on the edges of the area the owner wishes to protect. Once placed their command word is spoken and the warding magic is activated, enclosing a spherical area up to the maximum size supported by the wards. Wards last until they expire or a second command word is spoken from within the warded area. All wards have the following characteristics so long as their magic is active:
  • The area warded radiates Good protection magic and glows with a faint light (equivalent to moonlight in brightness).
  • Each set of wards is attuned to a specific category of creature (undead, demons, mundane beasts, etc.). Any such creature attempting to enter the warded area must make a Great resistance check or be repelled.
  • Individual wards cannot be moved while active. Attempts to do so will inflict a Good magical attack of a type most repellent to the attuned creature type.
Each type of Guards and Wards has additional powers.

Minor - four wards
  • Each warding lasts up to eight hours, usable once per day
  • Protects an area up to 20 feet in diameter
  • Emit a loud gonging sound when an attuned creature approaches within 60 feet of the warded area.
Major - five wards
  • Each warding lasts up to 24 hours, usable once per day
  • Protects an area up to 30 feet in diameter
  • Emit a loud gonging sound when an attuned creature approaches within 60 feet of the warded area.
  • Absorbs / dispels up to Fair harmful magic effects entering the warded area.
  • Provides Fair defense against missile weapons fired into the warded area.
Supreme - six wards
  • Each warding lasts until commanded to cease.
  • Protects an area up to 40 feet in diameter
  • Emit a loud gonging sound when an attuned creature approaches within 60 feet of the warded area.
  • Absorbs / dispels up to Great harmful magic effects entering the warded area.
  • Provides Good defense against missile weapons fired into the warded area.
  • Serves as a Good physical barrier to entry.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Found



Found: One Magic User / Fighter half-elf
Origins unknown. Answers to the name of Beaufort. Plays well with others but does like small children or puppies. Wears a brass nose ring and carries a magical sword. Has some experience in dungeon delving.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Scanning and scanning

I've restarted a project I began about a year ago, scanning all my paper-only game writings into digital form. Some of the paper I have in files is 30 years old. That means it's A) falling apart, B) fading with age and C) really interesting to read (though probably only to me).

Strange things you discover when looking at old campaign material:
  • Naming conventions change over time. Everything from Latin-like to unpronounceable to common is fair game.
  • A city with a standing army of 169,000
  • Every inn and tavern is still run by the thieves guild.
  • A single page in the back of the city map key with the word 'NINJA' on it. Must have been important.
  • 75 pages of computer generated text blocks detailing sunrise, sunset and the phases and rising and settings times of three separate moons. High and low tides too.
  • 400 pages of 2nd edition D&D NPCs, complete with stats.
  • The number of magic items found in a single tavern's list of NPCs is staggering.
  • A garden plan for a house I owned in 1988. Uh... what?

Initially I was going to integrate this all into a wiki so I could reference and link it all together in a way that made sense. I've given up that idea, mostly because half of this stuff isn't connected and doesn't makes sense. Instead I'm just scanning everything to digital format, disposing of some of the really unreadable stuff, and reorganizing the rest into more compact and organized notebooks.

I'm using a flatbed scanner to digitize everything into 150 DPI jpegs. I'm applying a broad naming scheme to the files (right now I'm on Bestiary070.jpg). Once I have this all captured I'll try to figure out what to do with it. Some of it is fit only for filing away for nostalgia. Some of it I may transcribe to an editable digital format. I'd like to OCR it, but I suspect my handwriting will prevent that.

Has anyone else undertaken a project like this? Any suggestions on organizing a bunch of document scans into coherence? Any recommedations for Windows-based (free) OCR software?

Friday, February 6, 2009

A Brother's Revenge: Wrapup

I'm just posting a final summary of the entire adventure arc for ease of reference. I hope this proves useful to someone!

The protagonists:
The articles:

A Brother's Revenge - Final Conflict

This is the final part of a series of encounters and events featuring the Bandits of Lope as the primary antagonists. The previous articles in this series are:
By now the party should have a good idea who is responsible for the strange infections and creatures showing up around town. Hopefully they've decided to take action against the source of the infection, Renis and his followers. These two encounters assume the party is headed towards the suspected location of the bandit's base of operations.

A Meeting in the Woods

As the party nears the bandit's area of operations, they should encounter Timon and his followers, mounted and moving at a good pace in a well ordered formation. Timon and his followers have broken with Renis and his fanatics and are headed out of the area. They left the bandit's camp over a week ago and have been camping in the woods nearby while they figure out their next move.

Timon and his men will not start conflict with the party, but if threatened they will fight. Timon is a solid leader with a good understanding of battle tactics and his men include most of the ex-military members of the bandit group. If the party chooses to parlay, Timon can provide them quite a bit of useful information:
  • The location and layout of the bandit camp
  • Rough numbers on the remaining bandits
  • Information about the Yullic plague creatures in the camp
It is unlikely Timon will want to return to the bandit's camp, but the party might convince him to assist in cleaning up the mess. His followers will be even harder to convince. They have no desire to be infected with the Plague of Yullic and succumb to the fate of some of their former friends. Timon's group includes:
  • Timon: Great swordsman, Good bowman, Fair group tactics, negotiation, Average woodcraft
  • 12 rank and file bandits: Average swordsman, woodcraft or military tactics
  • 6 camp followers (including Timon's woman Karla): Mediocre brawling, Average survival
Timon and his followers are planning on heading out of the general area towards a less populated region. As a group they are the least troublesome of the bandits. Unless the party is bent on following the letter of the law they should find a way to avoid conflict with the group. The information Timon can provide will be very helpful in planning an attack on the bandit complex.
What Timon knows:
  • Renis has at least a dozen of the rank and file and a half-dozen camp followers loyal to him
  • Those that attempted to escape the compound were imprisoned in the lower levels of the cave complex and infected with the Plague of Yullic
  • At least three of Renis' followers are showing signs of infection
  • Renis seems to be immune to the effects of the Plague
  • Renis can control the Fungal Zombies
The Bandit Camp

The final confrontation in the bandit camp is a straight up fight. Renis, always a fanatic, is clearly sinking into madness. He's been infecting camp followers with the Plague. Aside from his core of hard-liner believers, the remaining bandits are afraid of him. Timon's information on Renis' forces is pretty accurate, though morale throughout the mundane forces is sinking. It's clear to the remaining followers than anyone caught trying to leave is going to end up as a Fungal Zombie. The actual forces remaining in the camp are:
  • Renis: Great healing / disease magic, Good diplomacy, Fair swordsman, intimidation
  • 8 hard-line followers: Average swordsman, woodcraft or military tactics
  • 6 rank and file bandits: Average swordsman, woodcraft or military tactics, three infected with the Plague of Yullic
  • 4 camp followers: Mediocre brawling, Average survival, two infected with the Plague of Yullic
  • 6 Fungal Zombies
  • 1 Fungal Brain
See A Brother's Revenge: Horrid Minions for stats on Zombies and Brains.

Outer Camp

The outer camp has been abandoned in favor of the caves. The huts are still there, but clearly haven't been used in a few weeks. The group maintains a spotty watch in the outer camp (Fair alertness), but discipline has fallen off since Timon's departure. If the alarm is raised the bandits in the caves will rush forth in a haphazard series of attacks.

Upper Caves

Renis and the majority of the bandits are now encamped here. Their reduced numbers easily fit within the caves. The entry cave houses a small stable of horses (much reduced by the departure of Timon and his followers).

The bandits here will give battle under the direction of Renis. The hard-line followers will fight fiercely, the others less so. Renis himself is fanatical, giving no quarter and fighting to the death. He will use his ability to contact the Fungal Zombies to draw them into the conflict. Given the chance members of the rank and file and the camp followers will break past the conflict and use the fight as cover for their escape. This includes those infected with the Plague.

Tucked away at the back of the upper caves is Renis' personal shrine to Yullic. The area is filthy, with an overpowering stench of rotten meat and stale smoke. The altar itself is a small stone platform featuring a crudely carved hand of Yullic. The burned remains of past sacrifices are scattered around the altar, including the decaying remains of the human sacrifice Renis offered to receive his current powers from Yullic. Once the fight is over cleansing the altar will require a Great test of religious ritual.

Lower Caves

The entry to this section of the cave has been barricaded with a rough wall of wood and brambles. The wall won't stop a determined group but does prevent easy escape by the prisoners kept in the lower portion of the cave.

The former prison of the lower cave is now home to a Fungal Brain and its minion Zombies. The area is filthy and littered with the bones of past victims, mostly former camp followers who didn't succumb to the Plague. There are three fresh victims in the prison area, tied up and under the influence of the Brain's spore cloud. They have all been infected with the Plague, though they are not showing any symptoms.

Renis can influence three of the six Zombies in this area, calling them to assist in any conflict in the upper caves. The Brain and remaining Zombies will all cooperate in any fight, attempting to draw the party into the spore cloud of the Brain.

Overall Reactions

Renis and his hard-line followers will fight with the ferocity of true fanatics. The remaining rank and file and camp followers will break and run if the opportunity presents itself. Zombies and Brains will fight cooperatively, seeking to draw opponents into the Brain's spore cloud. The Brain will happily infect any of the bandits (other than Renis) that come within reach.

Rewards

Renis and his followers have a small amount of hard currency, mostly scattered and hidden in their personal gear. They have a good supply of food and drink and a number of average quality weapons. The stable contains a half-dozen horses along with tack and harness.

Fallout


This is technically the end of the line for Renis and his quest for revenge. It doesn't have to be though. Here are some possible plot-lines that might arise from this series of adventures:
  • Renis escapes, fleeing the area and finding a new base of operations for his vengeance.
  • Fungal Zombies and / or Brains are still at large, leaving the party with a major cleanup operation.
  • Renis was a pawn, he was working for someone else who used his brother's death to leverage him into beginning Yullic's work.
  • One of Renis' victims was someone of importance. Relatives or friends want information.
  • Timon wasn't such a nice guy. The party let a known criminal escape, now they must deal with the fallout.

Final Note & History

I hope this series of encounters proved useful to someone. This adventure grew organically out of a D&D campaign I ran a few years back. The initial bandit encounter caught the player's interest, so I ran with it. The revenge cycle included a direct attack on a party member's family while the group was off exploring a nearby ruin. The party's leader shared a common past with Timon (both former members of the same military organization) and Timon cleverly leveraged that to avoid an open fight with the group when they met (a fight the bandits would have lost but would have hurt the party). The group steam-rolled Renis and his followers, but clues quickly indicated he was only a pawn of a more powerful foe (one the party eventually faced down and defeated).