Dancing with Dharzi
Bomilcar's narrative
There are no incidents during our voyage to Raschil, the coastal capital of Filkhar. This is something of a relief after all of the recent excitement, and I am looking forward to this - I've never been to the southern continent before. On arrival, Jorthan takes us to his family's townhouse and sorts out various bits of business with his steward. He and Sir Blanque then go off to deal with bureaucrats and forms so that Sir Blanque 's title to his inheritance can rightfully be transferred. The last time he was here was when he was a baby; apparently after the death of his father, Sir Blanque became the last of his line, a reasonably distinguished family of nobles and diplomats. Orphaned (his mother died in childbirth), he was passed onto Jorthan's father, who became his legal guardian. He was a longstanding friend of the family, and was in Filkhar doing business at the time.
Meanwhile, I take in the sights a little. Raschil seems like a nice place - quite cosmopolitan without being too overbearing. The people are friendly, and overall it reminds me of Ilmar. Local flavour is provided by food. Lots and lots of food. The place is crammed with eateries, with local produce taking the form of fine seafoods. This is supplemented by brisk trade with overseas, especially the Isle of the Purple Towns, and also with neighbouring Argimiliar. The result is a culture that prides itself on culinary excellence, and they have a real thing for what they call 'fusion' - experimental, sometimes gorgeous, melds of tastes from various lands mashed together.
On their return from the ministries, Jorthan and Sir Blanque are a bit tired but reasonably happy. It took them a while, of course, but Sir Blanque's title has now been registered and confirmed. We go off to take possession of his family holdings, comprising a very nice townhouse of his own. This has been managed in his absence via the Nikorn estate by Jorthan's steward, and they agree to keep the arrangement who we are off on our travels. While there, a messenger arrives from the Temple of Peace, specifically the Chapel of Straasha.
Apparently the High Priest of Straasha has been keeping something for Sir Blanque all these years; a family heirloom of some sort. Our interest piqued, we all head off to see what is going on there. My initial impression of Raschil's openness is confirmed when we arrive at the temple. It consists of a major hall with five major side chapels: one for Law, and one dedicated to each of the Elemental Rulers. The people of Filkhar seem to have the same healthy attitude to religion as they do to food, and I have to say that I approve: if the main religions work together at least a little, then it must help ease any possible tensions. Not that the locals seem minded to get into doctrinal fights, though - they seem far too sensible for that. Being an ostensibly Lawful nation, there are no signs of Chaos.
We are all ushered into the presence of the High Priest of Straasha, and he presents Sir Blanque with a smooth box. It seems quite small, a little bit larger than the size of a human fist, but there are no signs of any hinges, locks or even slits that would show how it fits together. There is just an impression of a human palm on what I presume is the top of the box. Sir Blanque places his hand on it, and the box somehow opens for him, revealing a rather fetching amulet of Straasha that bears his runic inscription of three waves. He places it around his neck and it glows slightly, then subsides. The High Priest is very pleased; "You obviously have the favour of the Lord of the Waters" he begins, "because the amulet contains a gift of a water elemental for you. It reminds me of your birth here in this very temple". He sniffs and a little tear forms at his eye. It looks as though Sir Blanque is indeed affiliated with the Elemental Lord.
There is something of a commotion taking place in there main hall, a Lawful ceremony of sorts. We all troop out to have a look, and find the High Priest of Law blessing a rather rugged looking individual, whom he affirms as "Duke Avan Astran of Old Hrolmar, now that your father is deceased." The newly announced Duke is accompanied by his bodyguard, a rather dangerous looking woman from Pan Tang. She looks as though she can easily take care of herself, but then as an independent woman from that island nation, she probably has had to do so:
We have heard tales of this guy; apparently he is unlike the usual Lawful aristocrats of grim Vilmir, being something of a rogue and rascal, with a penchant for adventure and travel. When the throng dies down, the Duke beckons us over. He is delighted to make the acquaintance such a beautiful Lady of Melnibone, as well as the son of the famous Nikorn of Ilmiora - he and Jorthan commiserate with each other on the deaths of their fathers. Avan Astran also recognises Sir Blanque - "I believe I have a copy of your volume of verse in my library in Old Hrolmar" he says. He even notices me, greeting me as "Bomilcar of the Pure Horse Tribe." This guy is very well informed, at least in terms of politics and strategy. He introduces his companion as "Nadjana from Pan Tang; she doesn't say much, but when she does, you really should listen." Nadjana nods at us all in turn, and then appraises Marion in particular. The Duke invites us all to dinner that evening at the Scales of Goldar, one of the best restaurants in Raschil - his treat.
We troop off to get ready, and then a few hours later we go off to our dinner engagement. We take the various weapons we are allowed in this civilised place; I exchange my lovely plate armour for my old wooden set. Our choice is affirmed when we arrive - the Duke and Nadjana are dressed similarly to ourselves. He is not taking any chances, and this reinforces my opinion that we are dealing with no fool. The Scales of Goldar is a renowned restaurant, mainly basing its reputation not just on the food, but its particular attraction. Set right on the seafront, its basement has a crystal wall of Melnibonean manufacture, dating back to the times of the Bright Empire when Raschil was a major deepwater port. This allows diners to see into the beautiful waters of the Bay of Raschil as they eat.
Avan Astran fills us in on why he wanted to talk with us. "As well as the delight of your conversation, of course," he says. "Now that I am Duke, I need to return home to sort out my patrimony. I must admit, however, to some trepidation. King Naclon of Vilmir tends towards the harsher extremes of Law, and I am aware that he is building up for a military assault on the less controlled provinces that border the southern edge of the Weeping Waste. I cannot say that I approve of this, and it would be...politic...for me to be elsewhere when he launches this attack. I do not see how the provinces could survive his onslaught, but I do not want to be a party to it."
There is a murmur of assent from around the table. The Duke is obviously a broad-minded and highly cultured man, the quintessentially good Lawful aristocrat - a bit similar to Sir Blanque, one might say. Avan Astran continues. "I have a rather convenient excuse not to be present when this all happens. After all, if I'm not there I can't be involved. And it just so happens that I have come into possession of some information about the fabled East. I propose, therefore, to draw up a formal set of Articles of Convention between myself and the Consortium of Ilmar to explore the East and set up a trade route from which we all my benefit." Jorthan and I exchange glances; Merut of Old Chaos did previously grant him some knowledge of the cartography of the East, and I was gifted with a working understanding of their main language. She was right to describe herself as a seer.
The Duke sighs and sips from his glass. "I'll need around a year to set things to rights in Old Hrolmar. I have a vision of my city becoming a beacon of law in grey Vilmir, a vibrant place where artists and intellectuals are welcome. I believe that Law can be a force for good, not just exploitation. I propose, therefore, that we meet again in the town of Gorjhan in southern Ilmiora near the Weeping Waste with an expedition in a full year's time." We all agree; this sounds rather exciting. "And in the meantime..."
Destiny and Sir Blanque shout out a warning to everyone in the restaurant. They have noticed that the sea life swimming past our table on the other side of the wall of crystal has vanished, to be replaced by a rather menacing shape heading towards us through the waters at full speed. As everyone jumps back (well, all except me - I'm too busy munching some really nice seafood spaghetti), a large froglike creature smacks into the crystal, breaking it and then pulling itself through. The Melnibonean crystal is a marvel of architecture, because even though it has been broken, it does not simply shatter completely. Water is coming in, of course, but not at such a rate as to be immediately life threatening. The demonic creature, though, is not alone. Coming down the stairs from the floor above us is another Chaos thing, this time a large blubbery mouth with feet and two very long arms. It sports a rather nasty looking array of teeth.
There is a frenzied melee as the others fight off the frog thing, which has grabbed Nadjana and is trying to throw her out into the sea. Sir Blanque in particular engages the great big mouth coming down the stairs, and between them they manage to kill both demon fighters; Marion comes out in triumph with one of the frog thing's eyeballs on the tip of her dagger. Jorthan does a great job of shepherding the rest of the diners up the stairs and out to safety. All of this happens with rather impressive swiftness, and I join the others as we make our way out, with water already getting up to our knees. It's a real shame; I was enjoying that meal.
Once outside, Duke Avan Astran turns to us rather grimly. "It never ceases to amaze me the lengths my Lawful enemies will go to," he says,"in order to stop me becoming Duke. It does seem rather ironic that they will contradict themselves by enlisting the help of the very Chaos they say they despise." He doesn't seem in the least shaken by this assassination attempt, and invites us all back to the expensive hotel he is staying in for some nice wine and more chat. Nadjana just nods in approval at the display of our combat skills.
The Duke says that he is minded to have one final short adventure before going home to his duties. He shows us a journal that has come into his possession, the rather dull diary of one Huegot the Particular. It's about one hundred years old, and details his doings as a caravan merchant trading between Raschil when it was still the capital of a Lormyrrian province, and Chalal in Pikarayd. This was well before the days of their alliance with Pan Tang. Avan Astran shows us what is probably the only interesting passage in the thing, a description of some rather odd ruins on the coast to the northeast of Raschil, at a point known as Doom Point. Rather a suggestive name, that, although nobody is sure how it got that reputation. Anyway, the journal says that Huegot saw a red glow emanating from a cave on the cliffs below Doom Point, and that he was fully intending to go back to explore it, but the journal ends a few weeks later. It has piqued the Duke's curiosity, and he asks if we would like to investigate the place with him. There are some clues in the text that suggest the ruins may have been of Melnibonean origin. We decide to join him on his journey and set off the next morning.
After a week's travel, we arrive at Doom Point. There are indeed the tumbled ruins of what probably was once a Melnibonean structure, a mixture of white dressed stone and some rather fine pink marble. Wildlife is noticeably lacking in the area, and we have to spend some time keeping the horses calm; even the plants look black and sickly, especially in a large darkened oval area about two hundred yards long. Destiny thinks this is evidence of dragon fire venom from long ago. Between this area and the cliff edge we find a grassy hollow with what remains of some sort of arch, mostly now collapsed on the ground. We reckon there is something in there, and start to dig, uncovering a flight of stairs going down into the earth, covered in rubble and debris. Whatever happened here must have occurred a very long time ago, since the whole lot has been covered by earth and grass. This area was abandoned at least four hundred years ago at the time of the great revolt that saw the emergence of the Young Kingdoms.
That night from the cliffs below we see the red glow described by the old merchant, and then resume our digging. Destiny in particular seems energised, and we clear the stairs in half a day, much sooner than we had thought. Nadjana stays with the horses, and to protect our backs, while we descend. We have found the tombs of old servants of the Melniboneans who once lived in this area, because the various sarcophagi bear inscriptions in Low Melnibonean describing their favourite humans. Strangely, though, the crypt contains a central slab on which is the unbreathing but undecayed body of a half-Melnibonean man, clutching a gigantic glowing ruby - one of the fabled gems of Imrryr?
On the floor next to the slab are the remains of a skeleton, along with a badly rusted dagger that was presumably the cause of death. Destiny identifies the remains as female. The Duke volunteers to be the one to retrieve the ruby, and just as he touches it we are all engulfed by what can only be described as some sort of vortex.
As things calm down, we have a good look around. We are standing on firm turf and it is now night, with a fine drizzle and mist; there is no sign of the Duke, but the rest of us are still together. Off in the distance is a red glow that seems like that given off by the ruby, but which appears to be high in the air. Marion and Sir Blanque hear a voice from close by, speaking in a language none of recognises, not even Destiny. It sounds like someone trying to calm a mount. They ask who is there, and then a very large thing jumps right into the middle of our group. It looks to be some sort of horse-sized spider monkey, a fusion of two natural creatures; riding it is a relatively short man dressed in articulated armour that looks somehow like that of an insect. He has an alien cast to his features, and lashes out with a wickedly barbed spear, catching Jorthan across the chest and drawing some blood. Destiny gasps. "Dharzi!" she shouts.
This catches the attention of the spider thing, which promptly grabs her and bites great chunks out of her demon armour. We regroup and draw weapons, and start to batter into both beast and rider, but Destiny is in real trouble. The spider monkey seems to be taking it personally, but then the Dharzi were known to be great enemies of Melnibone. The fight isn't going fast enough, so in a final act of desperation I grab the net I took from the dead Sahaugin leader from its resting place folded at my side. It opens up and my aim is true, catching the rider unawares and knocking him from his mount, which then drops Destiny and leaps off into the night.
That was close. Jorthan delivers the coup de grace to the Dharzi, and as he dies Destiny uses his spirit to summon a new set of demon armour for herself. Strangely enough, it simply manifests without any seeming effort on her part - maybe the prize of a Dharzi soul was worth a great deal? Marion notices that Destiny's old armour was further discoloured by the attack of the spider thingy; "It must have been venomous," she shudders.
As we recover, dawn breaks, and we see that we are standing in the area that led to the stairs into the ground, before we were taken by whatever that vortex was. In front of us is a very graceful and fully intact arch, which reads, in Low Melnibonean, "Here lie remains of the trusted servants of the Dragon Princes of Melnibone." We have a good look around the place, and now that it is daytime and the mist has dissipated, we see in the distance behind us a tall, graceful Melnibonean tower of pink marble surrounded by a white wall; in turn, this is surrounded by a large thorn hedge, within which is a crude village; a red glow emanates from the very top of the tower.
We decide to have a good look around our immediate location, noting that the tomb, which seems intact, is at some distance from the cliffs. Sir Blanque is convinced that we are in another weird bubble of reality; Destiny thinks that we have been transported back to the times of the great war between Melnibone and the Dharzi. That puts us a good thousand years into the past.
The tomb is different inside. There is no body on the slab, but instead we find a beautiful half-Melnibonean woman clutching at a great wound in her abdomen, caused by a suspiciously familiar-looking dagger. Destiny manages to keep her alive just long enough to gasp at us in Low Melnibonean. The upshot is that the ruby has enacted a curse; the thief we first saw on the slab back in our own time has stabbed her and is now going to steal the gem at the top of the tower. If he succeeds, we will all be caught up in a recurring nightmare which has been happening for the last millennium. As she dies, she whispers, "You must deface the gem. Only that way will the curse be lifted. Do it at night." We are still wondering what happened to Duke Avan Astran; presumably he is here too, but in a different location, because he is the one who touched the gem in the first instance.
Time to go to the village and the tower, then. As we arrive at what passes for a gateway to the village, we get a good view of the people. They are humans, but seem rather primitive and downtrodden. They regard us with wonder, presumably never having seen fellow humans with our kinds of equipment and bearing, and they are fawningly polite to Destiny. Sir Blanque quickly realises that the people are speaking a very archaic form of what will later become the Common Tongue. Destiny seems very uncomfortable with all the attention, and Sir Blanque reckons this surprises the humans. Suddenly both he and Destiny whirl around; they hear some sort of approaching cavalry from all around the village, and a particularly loud rumbling heading towards the main entrance to the hedge of thorns.
The men of the village scatter to defend the perimeter against an attack by a good dozen Dharzi cavalry on more weird beats, leaving us to deal with a lumbering monstrosity that is heading straight towards the gateway. This looks like a combination of rhinoceros and ape, and is easily three times the size of a man. Basically, it's a walking battering ram. The advance warning provided by Destiny and Sir Blanque fortunately gives us time to prepare, so I and Destiny both string our bows. The others ready themselves and then attack, led by Jorthan. His initial swing almost takes off one of the thing's forelegs, and it dies rather quickly under a flurry of blows. It's just as well; if it had managed to land a hit someone would have been flattened.
A great cheer goes up from the villagers and the Dharzi retreat at full speed; the swiftness of our assault and the demise of their big creature seems to have disheartened them. The locals start to celebrate while we decide what to do next. They tell us that if the glow isn't fed a sacrifice, the dragons will come and destroy the place on the assumption the Dharzi have taken it; they call the tower Tormesh. Destiny recognises the name as a favourite holiday home of the old Melnibonean elite that was destroyed by dragon fire when it fell to the Dharzi; at least, that's what the history books say.
Destiny leads the way to the main gateway into the central Melnibonean garden. It is obviously of demonic origin, but simply opens to let her pass, followed by ourselves. There is a couple of large skeletal figures patrolling the ground, but they just ignore us as we enter the tower itself via another door that again opens for us. We ignore the various chambers leading off the central stairwell and head straight up to the very top of the tower. Nobody even bothers to come and and see what is going on as we step out into a shrine to Arioch. A large statue of the god looking malevolent is clutching the ruby. Still undisturbed, we settle down to wait until night.
As night falls, we hear footfalls coming up the main staircase, and we get ready to confront whoever it is. We surprise a Melnibonean priest dragging a captive Dharzi with him, and then spin around to see Avan Astran and the half-Melnibonean thief coming in through a window, after using some sort of magical grapple to climb the tower from the outside. Instead of striking at anyone present, Destiny quickly imbues Sir Blanque's Virtuous sword with elemental flame and he strikes the ruby, marring its perfect surface. The familiar vortex sucks us back to our own time.
"Aaah!" screams Nadjana, the first thing she has said to any of us, as we take her aback by appearing behind her and our horses after disappearing down the stairs. It looks as though we took her by surprise, as we seem to have teleported in a matter of seconds, at least from her perspective.
That was all rather...interesting...
Umpire's notes
This is a scenario entitled Stolen Moments from an old scenario book called Perils of the Young Kingdoms. I transposed it from Vilmir to Filkhar, but basically ran it as is. The players didn't come across every element, but there was definitely enough to keep them going. The fight with the Dharzi trooper was especially dangerous, mainly because they were taken by surprise. One minute they were standing in a tomb, the next they were outside at night with a nutjob charging them on a great big venomous spider monkey. Destiny was the right target for the creature given her Melnibonean heritage, but fortunately for the characters she was also the one most able to survive. It worked out well in the end as she critically succeeded in her summoning and binding; she gained a point of Power and the demon is happy to be with her for free, so it won't count as bound as such. She has now gained enough experience with demon armour to specify her new one as capable of regeneration, which will really help.
Sir Blanque has also done well out of his time in Raschil; he now has affiliation with Straasha, and has gained a water elemental of his own as well as a point of permanent Power - he rolled a critical on opening the heirloom box.
There are no incidents during our voyage to Raschil, the coastal capital of Filkhar. This is something of a relief after all of the recent excitement, and I am looking forward to this - I've never been to the southern continent before. On arrival, Jorthan takes us to his family's townhouse and sorts out various bits of business with his steward. He and Sir Blanque then go off to deal with bureaucrats and forms so that Sir Blanque 's title to his inheritance can rightfully be transferred. The last time he was here was when he was a baby; apparently after the death of his father, Sir Blanque became the last of his line, a reasonably distinguished family of nobles and diplomats. Orphaned (his mother died in childbirth), he was passed onto Jorthan's father, who became his legal guardian. He was a longstanding friend of the family, and was in Filkhar doing business at the time.
Meanwhile, I take in the sights a little. Raschil seems like a nice place - quite cosmopolitan without being too overbearing. The people are friendly, and overall it reminds me of Ilmar. Local flavour is provided by food. Lots and lots of food. The place is crammed with eateries, with local produce taking the form of fine seafoods. This is supplemented by brisk trade with overseas, especially the Isle of the Purple Towns, and also with neighbouring Argimiliar. The result is a culture that prides itself on culinary excellence, and they have a real thing for what they call 'fusion' - experimental, sometimes gorgeous, melds of tastes from various lands mashed together.
On their return from the ministries, Jorthan and Sir Blanque are a bit tired but reasonably happy. It took them a while, of course, but Sir Blanque's title has now been registered and confirmed. We go off to take possession of his family holdings, comprising a very nice townhouse of his own. This has been managed in his absence via the Nikorn estate by Jorthan's steward, and they agree to keep the arrangement who we are off on our travels. While there, a messenger arrives from the Temple of Peace, specifically the Chapel of Straasha.
Apparently the High Priest of Straasha has been keeping something for Sir Blanque all these years; a family heirloom of some sort. Our interest piqued, we all head off to see what is going on there. My initial impression of Raschil's openness is confirmed when we arrive at the temple. It consists of a major hall with five major side chapels: one for Law, and one dedicated to each of the Elemental Rulers. The people of Filkhar seem to have the same healthy attitude to religion as they do to food, and I have to say that I approve: if the main religions work together at least a little, then it must help ease any possible tensions. Not that the locals seem minded to get into doctrinal fights, though - they seem far too sensible for that. Being an ostensibly Lawful nation, there are no signs of Chaos.
We are all ushered into the presence of the High Priest of Straasha, and he presents Sir Blanque with a smooth box. It seems quite small, a little bit larger than the size of a human fist, but there are no signs of any hinges, locks or even slits that would show how it fits together. There is just an impression of a human palm on what I presume is the top of the box. Sir Blanque places his hand on it, and the box somehow opens for him, revealing a rather fetching amulet of Straasha that bears his runic inscription of three waves. He places it around his neck and it glows slightly, then subsides. The High Priest is very pleased; "You obviously have the favour of the Lord of the Waters" he begins, "because the amulet contains a gift of a water elemental for you. It reminds me of your birth here in this very temple". He sniffs and a little tear forms at his eye. It looks as though Sir Blanque is indeed affiliated with the Elemental Lord.
There is something of a commotion taking place in there main hall, a Lawful ceremony of sorts. We all troop out to have a look, and find the High Priest of Law blessing a rather rugged looking individual, whom he affirms as "Duke Avan Astran of Old Hrolmar, now that your father is deceased." The newly announced Duke is accompanied by his bodyguard, a rather dangerous looking woman from Pan Tang. She looks as though she can easily take care of herself, but then as an independent woman from that island nation, she probably has had to do so:
We have heard tales of this guy; apparently he is unlike the usual Lawful aristocrats of grim Vilmir, being something of a rogue and rascal, with a penchant for adventure and travel. When the throng dies down, the Duke beckons us over. He is delighted to make the acquaintance such a beautiful Lady of Melnibone, as well as the son of the famous Nikorn of Ilmiora - he and Jorthan commiserate with each other on the deaths of their fathers. Avan Astran also recognises Sir Blanque - "I believe I have a copy of your volume of verse in my library in Old Hrolmar" he says. He even notices me, greeting me as "Bomilcar of the Pure Horse Tribe." This guy is very well informed, at least in terms of politics and strategy. He introduces his companion as "Nadjana from Pan Tang; she doesn't say much, but when she does, you really should listen." Nadjana nods at us all in turn, and then appraises Marion in particular. The Duke invites us all to dinner that evening at the Scales of Goldar, one of the best restaurants in Raschil - his treat.
We troop off to get ready, and then a few hours later we go off to our dinner engagement. We take the various weapons we are allowed in this civilised place; I exchange my lovely plate armour for my old wooden set. Our choice is affirmed when we arrive - the Duke and Nadjana are dressed similarly to ourselves. He is not taking any chances, and this reinforces my opinion that we are dealing with no fool. The Scales of Goldar is a renowned restaurant, mainly basing its reputation not just on the food, but its particular attraction. Set right on the seafront, its basement has a crystal wall of Melnibonean manufacture, dating back to the times of the Bright Empire when Raschil was a major deepwater port. This allows diners to see into the beautiful waters of the Bay of Raschil as they eat.
Avan Astran fills us in on why he wanted to talk with us. "As well as the delight of your conversation, of course," he says. "Now that I am Duke, I need to return home to sort out my patrimony. I must admit, however, to some trepidation. King Naclon of Vilmir tends towards the harsher extremes of Law, and I am aware that he is building up for a military assault on the less controlled provinces that border the southern edge of the Weeping Waste. I cannot say that I approve of this, and it would be...politic...for me to be elsewhere when he launches this attack. I do not see how the provinces could survive his onslaught, but I do not want to be a party to it."
There is a murmur of assent from around the table. The Duke is obviously a broad-minded and highly cultured man, the quintessentially good Lawful aristocrat - a bit similar to Sir Blanque, one might say. Avan Astran continues. "I have a rather convenient excuse not to be present when this all happens. After all, if I'm not there I can't be involved. And it just so happens that I have come into possession of some information about the fabled East. I propose, therefore, to draw up a formal set of Articles of Convention between myself and the Consortium of Ilmar to explore the East and set up a trade route from which we all my benefit." Jorthan and I exchange glances; Merut of Old Chaos did previously grant him some knowledge of the cartography of the East, and I was gifted with a working understanding of their main language. She was right to describe herself as a seer.
The Duke sighs and sips from his glass. "I'll need around a year to set things to rights in Old Hrolmar. I have a vision of my city becoming a beacon of law in grey Vilmir, a vibrant place where artists and intellectuals are welcome. I believe that Law can be a force for good, not just exploitation. I propose, therefore, that we meet again in the town of Gorjhan in southern Ilmiora near the Weeping Waste with an expedition in a full year's time." We all agree; this sounds rather exciting. "And in the meantime..."
Destiny and Sir Blanque shout out a warning to everyone in the restaurant. They have noticed that the sea life swimming past our table on the other side of the wall of crystal has vanished, to be replaced by a rather menacing shape heading towards us through the waters at full speed. As everyone jumps back (well, all except me - I'm too busy munching some really nice seafood spaghetti), a large froglike creature smacks into the crystal, breaking it and then pulling itself through. The Melnibonean crystal is a marvel of architecture, because even though it has been broken, it does not simply shatter completely. Water is coming in, of course, but not at such a rate as to be immediately life threatening. The demonic creature, though, is not alone. Coming down the stairs from the floor above us is another Chaos thing, this time a large blubbery mouth with feet and two very long arms. It sports a rather nasty looking array of teeth.
There is a frenzied melee as the others fight off the frog thing, which has grabbed Nadjana and is trying to throw her out into the sea. Sir Blanque in particular engages the great big mouth coming down the stairs, and between them they manage to kill both demon fighters; Marion comes out in triumph with one of the frog thing's eyeballs on the tip of her dagger. Jorthan does a great job of shepherding the rest of the diners up the stairs and out to safety. All of this happens with rather impressive swiftness, and I join the others as we make our way out, with water already getting up to our knees. It's a real shame; I was enjoying that meal.
Once outside, Duke Avan Astran turns to us rather grimly. "It never ceases to amaze me the lengths my Lawful enemies will go to," he says,"in order to stop me becoming Duke. It does seem rather ironic that they will contradict themselves by enlisting the help of the very Chaos they say they despise." He doesn't seem in the least shaken by this assassination attempt, and invites us all back to the expensive hotel he is staying in for some nice wine and more chat. Nadjana just nods in approval at the display of our combat skills.
The Duke says that he is minded to have one final short adventure before going home to his duties. He shows us a journal that has come into his possession, the rather dull diary of one Huegot the Particular. It's about one hundred years old, and details his doings as a caravan merchant trading between Raschil when it was still the capital of a Lormyrrian province, and Chalal in Pikarayd. This was well before the days of their alliance with Pan Tang. Avan Astran shows us what is probably the only interesting passage in the thing, a description of some rather odd ruins on the coast to the northeast of Raschil, at a point known as Doom Point. Rather a suggestive name, that, although nobody is sure how it got that reputation. Anyway, the journal says that Huegot saw a red glow emanating from a cave on the cliffs below Doom Point, and that he was fully intending to go back to explore it, but the journal ends a few weeks later. It has piqued the Duke's curiosity, and he asks if we would like to investigate the place with him. There are some clues in the text that suggest the ruins may have been of Melnibonean origin. We decide to join him on his journey and set off the next morning.
After a week's travel, we arrive at Doom Point. There are indeed the tumbled ruins of what probably was once a Melnibonean structure, a mixture of white dressed stone and some rather fine pink marble. Wildlife is noticeably lacking in the area, and we have to spend some time keeping the horses calm; even the plants look black and sickly, especially in a large darkened oval area about two hundred yards long. Destiny thinks this is evidence of dragon fire venom from long ago. Between this area and the cliff edge we find a grassy hollow with what remains of some sort of arch, mostly now collapsed on the ground. We reckon there is something in there, and start to dig, uncovering a flight of stairs going down into the earth, covered in rubble and debris. Whatever happened here must have occurred a very long time ago, since the whole lot has been covered by earth and grass. This area was abandoned at least four hundred years ago at the time of the great revolt that saw the emergence of the Young Kingdoms.
That night from the cliffs below we see the red glow described by the old merchant, and then resume our digging. Destiny in particular seems energised, and we clear the stairs in half a day, much sooner than we had thought. Nadjana stays with the horses, and to protect our backs, while we descend. We have found the tombs of old servants of the Melniboneans who once lived in this area, because the various sarcophagi bear inscriptions in Low Melnibonean describing their favourite humans. Strangely, though, the crypt contains a central slab on which is the unbreathing but undecayed body of a half-Melnibonean man, clutching a gigantic glowing ruby - one of the fabled gems of Imrryr?
On the floor next to the slab are the remains of a skeleton, along with a badly rusted dagger that was presumably the cause of death. Destiny identifies the remains as female. The Duke volunteers to be the one to retrieve the ruby, and just as he touches it we are all engulfed by what can only be described as some sort of vortex.
As things calm down, we have a good look around. We are standing on firm turf and it is now night, with a fine drizzle and mist; there is no sign of the Duke, but the rest of us are still together. Off in the distance is a red glow that seems like that given off by the ruby, but which appears to be high in the air. Marion and Sir Blanque hear a voice from close by, speaking in a language none of recognises, not even Destiny. It sounds like someone trying to calm a mount. They ask who is there, and then a very large thing jumps right into the middle of our group. It looks to be some sort of horse-sized spider monkey, a fusion of two natural creatures; riding it is a relatively short man dressed in articulated armour that looks somehow like that of an insect. He has an alien cast to his features, and lashes out with a wickedly barbed spear, catching Jorthan across the chest and drawing some blood. Destiny gasps. "Dharzi!" she shouts.
This catches the attention of the spider thing, which promptly grabs her and bites great chunks out of her demon armour. We regroup and draw weapons, and start to batter into both beast and rider, but Destiny is in real trouble. The spider monkey seems to be taking it personally, but then the Dharzi were known to be great enemies of Melnibone. The fight isn't going fast enough, so in a final act of desperation I grab the net I took from the dead Sahaugin leader from its resting place folded at my side. It opens up and my aim is true, catching the rider unawares and knocking him from his mount, which then drops Destiny and leaps off into the night.
That was close. Jorthan delivers the coup de grace to the Dharzi, and as he dies Destiny uses his spirit to summon a new set of demon armour for herself. Strangely enough, it simply manifests without any seeming effort on her part - maybe the prize of a Dharzi soul was worth a great deal? Marion notices that Destiny's old armour was further discoloured by the attack of the spider thingy; "It must have been venomous," she shudders.
As we recover, dawn breaks, and we see that we are standing in the area that led to the stairs into the ground, before we were taken by whatever that vortex was. In front of us is a very graceful and fully intact arch, which reads, in Low Melnibonean, "Here lie remains of the trusted servants of the Dragon Princes of Melnibone." We have a good look around the place, and now that it is daytime and the mist has dissipated, we see in the distance behind us a tall, graceful Melnibonean tower of pink marble surrounded by a white wall; in turn, this is surrounded by a large thorn hedge, within which is a crude village; a red glow emanates from the very top of the tower.
We decide to have a good look around our immediate location, noting that the tomb, which seems intact, is at some distance from the cliffs. Sir Blanque is convinced that we are in another weird bubble of reality; Destiny thinks that we have been transported back to the times of the great war between Melnibone and the Dharzi. That puts us a good thousand years into the past.
The tomb is different inside. There is no body on the slab, but instead we find a beautiful half-Melnibonean woman clutching at a great wound in her abdomen, caused by a suspiciously familiar-looking dagger. Destiny manages to keep her alive just long enough to gasp at us in Low Melnibonean. The upshot is that the ruby has enacted a curse; the thief we first saw on the slab back in our own time has stabbed her and is now going to steal the gem at the top of the tower. If he succeeds, we will all be caught up in a recurring nightmare which has been happening for the last millennium. As she dies, she whispers, "You must deface the gem. Only that way will the curse be lifted. Do it at night." We are still wondering what happened to Duke Avan Astran; presumably he is here too, but in a different location, because he is the one who touched the gem in the first instance.
Time to go to the village and the tower, then. As we arrive at what passes for a gateway to the village, we get a good view of the people. They are humans, but seem rather primitive and downtrodden. They regard us with wonder, presumably never having seen fellow humans with our kinds of equipment and bearing, and they are fawningly polite to Destiny. Sir Blanque quickly realises that the people are speaking a very archaic form of what will later become the Common Tongue. Destiny seems very uncomfortable with all the attention, and Sir Blanque reckons this surprises the humans. Suddenly both he and Destiny whirl around; they hear some sort of approaching cavalry from all around the village, and a particularly loud rumbling heading towards the main entrance to the hedge of thorns.
The men of the village scatter to defend the perimeter against an attack by a good dozen Dharzi cavalry on more weird beats, leaving us to deal with a lumbering monstrosity that is heading straight towards the gateway. This looks like a combination of rhinoceros and ape, and is easily three times the size of a man. Basically, it's a walking battering ram. The advance warning provided by Destiny and Sir Blanque fortunately gives us time to prepare, so I and Destiny both string our bows. The others ready themselves and then attack, led by Jorthan. His initial swing almost takes off one of the thing's forelegs, and it dies rather quickly under a flurry of blows. It's just as well; if it had managed to land a hit someone would have been flattened.
A great cheer goes up from the villagers and the Dharzi retreat at full speed; the swiftness of our assault and the demise of their big creature seems to have disheartened them. The locals start to celebrate while we decide what to do next. They tell us that if the glow isn't fed a sacrifice, the dragons will come and destroy the place on the assumption the Dharzi have taken it; they call the tower Tormesh. Destiny recognises the name as a favourite holiday home of the old Melnibonean elite that was destroyed by dragon fire when it fell to the Dharzi; at least, that's what the history books say.
Destiny leads the way to the main gateway into the central Melnibonean garden. It is obviously of demonic origin, but simply opens to let her pass, followed by ourselves. There is a couple of large skeletal figures patrolling the ground, but they just ignore us as we enter the tower itself via another door that again opens for us. We ignore the various chambers leading off the central stairwell and head straight up to the very top of the tower. Nobody even bothers to come and and see what is going on as we step out into a shrine to Arioch. A large statue of the god looking malevolent is clutching the ruby. Still undisturbed, we settle down to wait until night.
As night falls, we hear footfalls coming up the main staircase, and we get ready to confront whoever it is. We surprise a Melnibonean priest dragging a captive Dharzi with him, and then spin around to see Avan Astran and the half-Melnibonean thief coming in through a window, after using some sort of magical grapple to climb the tower from the outside. Instead of striking at anyone present, Destiny quickly imbues Sir Blanque's Virtuous sword with elemental flame and he strikes the ruby, marring its perfect surface. The familiar vortex sucks us back to our own time.
"Aaah!" screams Nadjana, the first thing she has said to any of us, as we take her aback by appearing behind her and our horses after disappearing down the stairs. It looks as though we took her by surprise, as we seem to have teleported in a matter of seconds, at least from her perspective.
That was all rather...interesting...
Umpire's notes
This is a scenario entitled Stolen Moments from an old scenario book called Perils of the Young Kingdoms. I transposed it from Vilmir to Filkhar, but basically ran it as is. The players didn't come across every element, but there was definitely enough to keep them going. The fight with the Dharzi trooper was especially dangerous, mainly because they were taken by surprise. One minute they were standing in a tomb, the next they were outside at night with a nutjob charging them on a great big venomous spider monkey. Destiny was the right target for the creature given her Melnibonean heritage, but fortunately for the characters she was also the one most able to survive. It worked out well in the end as she critically succeeded in her summoning and binding; she gained a point of Power and the demon is happy to be with her for free, so it won't count as bound as such. She has now gained enough experience with demon armour to specify her new one as capable of regeneration, which will really help.
Sir Blanque has also done well out of his time in Raschil; he now has affiliation with Straasha, and has gained a water elemental of his own as well as a point of permanent Power - he rolled a critical on opening the heirloom box.
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