Prelude - Simar: Pawlosz
GM: okay, you're 16 when you father goes to Pawlosz
Simar: k
GM: yeah... where were you born?
Simar: on the slopes of the cauldron
GM: on the slopes of the cauldron it tends towards the cold. And Pawlosz is icy in the
winter. there's a gorgeous waterfall nearby that freezes solid every year.
GM: Your father pretended to still side with the Tambran church. So, I'd say for a year or
two you haven't seen him. He's had to stay in Pawlosz, a 4 day journey in the summer.
GM: when's your birthday.
Simar: the 8th of Diandir
GM: anyway, you'll get your knighthood while he's still away. you're 16 at the time, which
is a year behind. Your mother tells you of your father's honorable station while he's
gone. Your father only guards the Tambran temple there because his brother is a priest
there.
Simar: OK
GM: Then you hear that a new priest will be taking men to Pawlosz - They plan to remove
the tyrant's temple and raise one to praise Charatt. Your mother and father are both
members of the Dragon's temple. Since you're a knight now, you can join the men and see
your father, at least over the winter. I bet you have a brother and or sister who can take
care of your mother while you're gone.
GM: Your mother doesn't want you to go. it will only undermine your schooling.
GM: dude, your character must be a big dude, even at 16. stamina 4 and tough. str 3
Simar: right on
GM: what kind of armor you want?
GM: your parents are comfortable, and the post your father takes makes taxes easy
Simar: leather armor
OØ - Sunday, Galici 6th -:- Grand Parade - Imperial Year 208 • Myth •
GM: You will get to train when you first get there, and when you first meet your father
it's a total surprise to him.
GM: His name is Anton. When you meet your father he is very surprised, as I said. You can
see he's not wearing the Cybari crest anymore. Your camp has the dragon sigil on the
flags, and the priest says he is preparing to free the town from tyranny. The priest's
name is Molo Naur.
GM: Your father is keen to catch Naur's sermons. He says there will be a sign from the
gods.
GM: Your father wants to take you to see the statue. It's an icy night, early in Galici.
The sky is very dark, dominated by the nega moon. He says to you "They waste their
money trying to appease the god of the river."
GM: It will take nearly until dawn to get to the waterfall. It's a dark and forbidding
place. You've heard tales of dwarven folk here, which means there may be trolls in the
mountains here. The waterfall is still flowing, the sliver of moon throwing pale haloes
from the spray. There is a huge statue of Deimuu the river god. It's beautiful, and must
have been expensive to make, and difficult to ship and place here.
GM: Pawlosz is a small town.
Simar: k
GM: Even though their armor is new and their swords are fine steel, the men here have
ragged cloaks. The winter has been hard, and these people can barely feed the men
barracked now.
GM: Your father points at the statue. "The Holy Emperor only placed this place the
god on his side in the war. He does not pay a proper tribute."
GM: Anton is a big man himself. Tall, very dark black hair cut short for battle. You
remember when you were younger, when he kept his hair longer and your mother had the
parties.
GM: You know that Tambran messengers have already alerted the Emperor's army.
GM: Are you going with your father to the next sermon?
Simar: yeah you know it
GM: There is a bright purple ring around the negamoon. it is briefly pierced by a shooting
star, making a yellow line across it. like the eye of a dragon.
GM: In any case, it's late now and will be later when you get back to the barracks. Anton
is seeing about getting you one of the new swords. He'll loan you his if you like. And you
can write home in the morning. A messenger is being sent.
GM: Unfortunately it won't be after breakfast. There isn't any breakfast the next day.
Naur is up and raving at the first ray of dawn.
Simar: heh OK
OØ - Moonday, Galici 7th - Imperial Year 208 • Myth •
GM: The dark sky still in the west is shot with meteors. Just when Molo Naur tells people
to gather, some of the scouts return with news. All of the watch had fallen asleep.
Everyone's bowstrings were cut.
Simar: what
GM: Molo Naur says that Deimuu will not bless the battle for the Imperial men. Today is a
feast day for Galaik, and the river god takes offense to the timing, says Naur. It is a
feast for the wealthy, I might add. They throw small gifts out to the poor in a grand
parade. Your father snorts at that. "Disgusting. They give them sugar and ribbons
instead of food."
GM: Most of that money came from near here. A rich silver vein.
GM: the next day you'll have your own sword - one of the few remaining steel swords from
the old Cybaria guard.
GM: By now most of the town of Pawlosz is barricaded. the small camp just beyond the falls
has grown with Ibarite resistance fighters, many of them stamping the ground with
impatience. They want to go to battle, but Molo Naur remains firm. A few more scouts are
sent out, but this time they avoid going anywhere near the falls for fear of disturbing
the faeries there.
GM: There are reports of strangers from the West who have come to Pawlosz, a small band of
warriors.
GM: How eager are you to go into battle?
Simar: I would love to prove myself especially to pops
GM: You can tell he's anxious - you even see him reach to twirl at his now close-cropped
hair a couple of times - but he maintains his cool.
Anton: "Naur will know when the time is right."
Simar: I still will go by his words so I will wait for when he says go
GM: Naur maintains an erratic schedule - several hours of deep meditation, then a brief
sermon on the Virtues of the Dragon, then he goes among the gathered warriors offering
blessings. You never see him eat.
Simar: never ?........how close are him and pops ?
GM: Not exactly close - your father seems to idolize Molo Naur. Which isn't terribly
unusual, most of the men who were here when you arrived were enamored of the man.
Simar: OK
GM: And those you came with are near fanatical. It's only the newest arrivals who aren't
as taken with him. They are tired of waiting for some temple sweeper to give them the go
ahead.
GM: By the time it starts to get dark the camp has broken up into several small sparring
circles and training areas. The men are nervous, and they expect a large Tambran force to
arrive in Pawlosz
Simar: and we plan to do what ?
GM: According to Naur, he intends to go to the temple complex at the base of the falls and
destroy it. It's a large area by the riverside with a sizable temple and the newly placed
gigantic statue of Deimuu.
Simar: OK I remember now
GM: Your father is unwavering in his belief that Naur will shatter the statue and temple
with no interference, but if the Tambrans arrive the army is here to defend the priests.
GM: As the dual moon rises you see Naur and a small circle of his acolytes come from their
tent with a dazed and almost glowing look on their faces. Every person he passes goes
silent with awe. Naur is fairly crackling with energy by the time he gets to the center of
the camp.
GM: Your father is busy with his own prayers when Naur comes out, and he rushes to get
dressed and ready.
Anton: "Has he seen the sign yet?"
Simar: "it would appear so.........."
GM: He hands you a small vial of Dragon's Oil to anoint yourself. "We should be
ready. Tambrect's tyranny will be struck a blow soon."
Simar: if he has anointed himself then I will do so too. I will ready
myself......
GM: You both follow the crowd, and soon the camp is half trampled in excited men. The
whisperings and mutterings become a sea of cacophony.
* Naur raises his arms, as do his acolytes, making a circle around him. "Raise your
eyes to the heavens, brothers of the Great Dragon!"
Acolytes: "The Eye and the Claw of Charatt are upon us."
GM: The air is saturated in the bitter smell of Dragon's Oil.
Naur: "The lost son of our Master's Wife has withheld his blessing from the
undeserving tyrants."
Acolytes: "The Eye and the Claw of Charatt are upon us."
GM: Everyone kneels, and you see your father run his thumb on his blade's edge as a battle
blessing. This is the act of a suicide mission.
Naur: "Charatt calls to our hearts, he cries out..."
* Naur and his acolytes cry out in unison - "VENGEANCE!"
GM: At that moment the earth starts to shake just slightly, but picking up rapidly. You
can hear the rumblings of the Cauldron becoming deeper.
GM: The two moons are evenly balanced now, waxing towards the Bright moon. But its light
is obscured by a dark purple-black cloud erupting from the mouth of the Cauldron. Before
the sky is completely obscured, a huge red streak shines across the sky, leaving a burnt
orange trail. A dragon star!
GM: Everyone erupts into a gigantic battle roar. Then they start marching towards the
river. Your father holds back a bit, taking the time to organize his men somewhat. You see
a two small groups of Storm Knights protecting other circles of Priests. There are also
several packs of slave-warriors, controlled by a High Priest.
Simar: whoa this is the shit!!!!
GM: When you get to the battle site you see that Molo Naur is directing all his energies
to the temple. There is a small force of Tambran Templars there, but you see a larger army
is approaching.
GM: [I told you it would be a big event...]
GM: Before the Tambran defenders can get there, Naur calls down fire from the sky, and it
starts to rain down ash and hot pebbles. The statue rises slightly from it's pedestal,
then shatters into sharp pieces, which themselves shatter, until it's nothing but dust
shimmering in the night air.
GM: Your father calls a charge, and you and the men he's picked run to pick off the
Templars holding the temple. You are unhesitating in your charge, beheading one Templar,
then plunging the blade straightaway into the next one's heart. The dying man claws at
your face feebly, then dies as you try to push him off your weapon with your foot.
GM: Once you've freed it you see the Tambran army is advancing faster than you expected.
They're setting up pikes and sharpened sticks just behind their men - there will be no
retreat. And you can see that they appear to have some Dwarven friends among them, tho'
none charge into battle.
GM: what will you do next?
Simar: I will keep up with my fathers company .....and go where we are going
GM: They're just holding their place now. Most of the Templars here have fled back to the
larger army. Molo Naur and his priest are finishing up the temple's destruction. When they
finally turn their attention to the battle the Tambrans will be doomed. If Deimuu had
blessed them they would have a chance, but offending him seems to have sealed their fate.
GM: Your company hold off the charging Tambrans, but eventually you have to fall back to
the river's edge. You lose almost half your men to archers in the trees. You know it's not
likely that the Tambrans are such good marksmen. The shots loosed from the woods are far
too accurate for men - they must have some sort of Faerie help.
GM: The ground rumbles and the air is filled with smoke, soot and ash. Everywhere you turn
you see stumps of columns and ragged pieces of fallen walls.
GM: You, your father, and a handful of men take cover behind a sturdy section of wall.
There are steady plunks of arrows against it, and you can see many of the gathered
Ibarites fall.
Simar: I stay with pops
Anton: "I think they may have set up an ambush for us." he grins, his teeth
bloody from a blow to the face. "But I doubt a few tricky Elves can turn the
tide."
GM: At that moment you hear a loud cry from above. "Mohr'Kaidann!" A bright blue
flash comes from the source of the waterfall, and you see 4 forms freefall to the ground.
When they land you see it's 4 elven warriors with longswords drawn. They land in the
center of the priests, sending them scattering.
GM: Your father goes pale
GM: Two more quartets of flying Elven warriors come down, taking the resistance fighters
by surprise.
Simar: oh shit!!!
GM: Three of your father's men run - although one of them redeems himself by running
towards the new threat. You see Molo Naur in the center of the fray, holding a wounded
arm, but you can see he's still chanting. He wades through the attacking Elves, tossing
them around with a wave
of his good arm. Every one of them that tries to touch him is crisped instantly.
GM: Anton calms himself and gives a quick blessing. Your group is now just you and him,
plus a veteran named Olahg and his retainer Meir
Olahg: "With Naur our victory is assured."
Simar: whoa shit "OK"
Anton: "We should make our way around..." he points to the smoking remains of a
garden. "If we come out on the other side we can surprise that last group of
elves."
GM: You hear another battle cry - the Dwarves have joined the fight.
GM: The temple is now just a pile of rubble, and the priests are starting to regroup. When
you get into the smoke of the garden you're very close to the lake at the base of the
waterfall. There's a warship on the lake, just now coming out of hiding - a Tambran
vessel. But your father and Olahg don't notice it. They make their way through the choking
smoke and crouch behind the remains of a decorative bench, waiting for the Elves to turn
their backs.
GM: There are 3 elves left in the group, fending off 5 Storm Knights and a pair of slave-
warriors. The Elves are moving as if in a dance - twirling and slashing in what seems a
random pattern.
GM: A ballista bolt swooshes through the smoke and impales an acolyte just as his circle
begins to call down another strike. It startles Meir and he cries out. Your father and
Olahg just charge, with Meir right behind. You can hear another vessel taking to the water
far behind you.
GM: what's your plan, charge or see what's up with the ships?
Simar: tactically I gotta know what's up with the ships .....like how many there are
how close etc
GM: Okay, you hold back and look around. You can now see two ballista crews on the Tambran
ship, one of which is about to fire. The other ship is a wreck, thrown together with no
rhyme or reason - a Goblin ship, and it's charging the Tambrans.
GM: You hear Olagh give a battle cry, but it's cut short.
Simar: I gotta see what happened to him
GM: The ballista fires, the bolt whooshing just a few feet to your left.
GM: Olahg is on the ground wrestling with an Elf and a Dwarf, with Meir at the edge of the
fray looking like he's spanking them with his staff.
GM: Your father has a second Elf at his feet, scrabbling the last of his life out, and
he's spinning to strike at the third. There are now dozens of Dwarves and Goblins on the
battlefield.
Simar: can I get to him to help ?
GM: help what?
Simar: pops
GM: It's funny - this is probably the first time in your life that you're glad to see
goblins.
Simar: I bet
Simar: wait who's in more trouble ? pops or Olahg ?
GM: He's doing fine actually. With two of the Elves dead their amazing battle-dance is
much less effective, and he has the Elf backed up to the mountainside.
GM: Olahg takes a blow to the head and Meir manages to beat the Dwarf away from him. The
Elf rights himself and turns to take care of Meir. Beyond them you can see someone lurking
in the shadows.
Simar: I take the shadow one if possible
Simar: no wait. I'll help Meir. he doesn't seem to capable
GM: Alright, he smacks the Dwarf a couple of times, knocking him to the ground and
oblivious to the danger behind him. When the Elf raises his sword to strike he hesitates
and turns to face you.
Elf: "You will not desecrate this place."
Simar: I'm on the elf
GM: You leap at him, hoping to catch him off guard, but he parries the blow easily,
turning you around. He takes a step back, assessing you. The shadow looms up from behind
him.
Simar: I wanna know what this shadow thing is I'll hold my attack
and see if it's gonna do anything
GM: The Elf seems oblivious to it and he steps forward gracefully, lacing the air with
feints and strikes. You parry the first few easily, but soon he's blooded your arm and
nearly cut your face - he's clearly playing with you.
Simar: oh shit. I got trouble then
GM: Then, just as you back up from a vicious riposte, you trip over a bit of rubble and
fall under his blade. He falls on top of you, and your arm is bathed in warm blood.
Simar: roll this guy off of me
GM: The shadow chuckles, a deep basso rumble.
Simar: if the elf guy isn't moving anymore I'll look at the shadow and see how bad my arm
is also
GM: The elf is gasping his last breath. You're okay, but a little shaken, and your wrist
is sore from being twisted. You'll have to wrench your blade from the Elf's gut.
GM: The darkness floats away like smoke, and you see a thin man wearing the white and blue
robes of a High Moon Priest. His smile is bookended by long white fangs. "Yes, you
will do nicely in my brood."
Simar: WTF
GM: He seems to float just above the ground, and he hovers towards you slowly.
Simar: I'll stand up
GM: You see your father dispatch the Elf, then he turns to you with a victorious grin,
which falters quickly when he sees what's happening.
GM: You feel your head turning to mush, and soon your vision centers so all you can see
are the piercing eyes of the fanged monster. "Yyyyeeesssss... aaa ffffiiiiinnnee
wwwaaarrrrriiiooorrrr....."
GM: Your heart pounds fiercely, and you try to escape, but your feet ignore you, taking
you one step closer to the fiend. Then the eyes widen and your vision clears. The monster
falls to the ground, and you see your father behind him.
Anton: "That is no Dragon Priest."
Simar: "what was that!!!"
Anton: "Some sort of... monster. Posing as one of our holiest men."
GM: Then a group of Tambran warriors, led by two Templars crash their way through a
barrier. "Get them!" they shout, and charge. Your father only has a short
dagger, but he draws it just the same. He yells for you to run. Unfortunately he has
little chance, and he's overwhelmed in little time. You manage to keep them at a distance,
then, just as you are about to give up hope, you hear a strange loud chant from 2 men.
GM: Behind the Tambran men you see the monster in priests robes start to rise, his eyes
gleaming silver-blue in the night. Then a shadow covers the moons like an eclipse. You
look up and you see something huge falling down the waterfall - a gigantic chunk of ice
the size of a glacier. The Tambran men pay no mind to it, grinning at the shocked look on
your face.
Simar: wtf
GM: You're no fool - you run like hell with the Tambran dogs at your heels. There is a
huge crash as the ice smashes into the lake, sending up a gigantic wave of icy water over
you and the Tambran men. You're washed into the lake and have to swim for your life. Once
you're safe you can see that the battle is done except for the scavengers.
GM: Goblins and Dwarves scatter across the fields of rubble, and you watch as both of the
warships sink beneath the churning waves. It's hard to say who won the battle
Simar: shit OK. do I know where pops is ?
GM: He was killed by the Tambrans, but now he's buried under the ice.
Simar: oh shit
GM: You can see that in the confusion of the fight you've grabbed your father's sword.
It's covered in blood, some of which is a thick black ichor.
Simar: I hold onto it big time
GM: The blood doesn't drip though - in fact, it seems to evaporate, or maybe seep into the
sword itself.
Simar: trippy
GM: After the battle you're mainly lost. Pawlosz falls to martial law, and all the
Ibarites are executed or forced to flee. When you finally make your way back home you see
your house has been razed and your family name has been stricken as heretics. With little
else for you to do you end up as a mercenary for a while, until you get a place with the
cult as a guard.
GM: During your stint as a mercenary you notice that there are a lot of caravans with
Elven merchandise. You manage to pick up a smattering of Aelfar, though you know it's only
barely passable. You probably still hold a bit of resentment towards the Elves, heavily
mixed with awe.
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