Foreverfolio1

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This eZine is, more or less, a brazen method for us to promote our latest titles and share with the RPG community some of the cool stuff we're excited to be working on right now and some of the projects our friends and friends of friends have going on. We don't anticipate shattering any boundaries or promise anything particularly ground breaking in these pages, what we do hope to do is give our fans and the folks who play our stuff some heads up on future projects, some insights into the things we already offer and, of course, coupons and discounts on our titles (and possibly titles from our friends as well). All for free and maybe more will emerge as we get comfortable with the ezine format.

In the meantime, many thanks for downloading and I hope you enjoy this first issue!

- DS Forever Folio Issue 1, May 2015 Š Forever People Digital Press, all rights reserved 2015 Graphic Design: David Sharrock Written and produced by: David Sharrock, Wyn F Dawkins, Sue Llewelyn.

Cover Art: Yarnia, world map from the Wyrd title Age of Thaw, by David Sharrock Art Credits: David Sharrock, Mark Hultgren Thanks to: Dan Davenport and the chatters at #RPGNet www.foreverpeople.co.uk foreverfolio@foreverpeople.co.uk If you redistribute or share this electronic product please ensure you do so for non-profit purposes and that no part of this PDF is in any way altered from its original format and that all contents in their entirety are included.

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New reduced price of just $4.98, available to download now at Drive Thru RPG

The Unsung Weave is a complete campaign for your Wyrd game, serialised from start to finish only in Forever Folio.

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Mazes, Maps & Monsters is a serialised roleplaying game for a younger audience. Humour, high adventure and Lego. Introduce your kids to the tabletop hobby!

Begins on page #

Focus on FP's epic fantasy/horror system and setting and an interview with the author.

An awesome Kickstarter project. FP looks into Chris Raney and Zachary Amundson's motion picture proposal THE DWARVES OF DEMREL

Forever People's chilling new RPG ' a horror experience unlike anything you've tried before'

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Dan: So tell me about the system, what is it like, is it skill based?

DS: The system is skill based but uses a method of multi-dice rolls which I don‟t think many gamers will be used to. I‟ve tried to create something unique.

Janus: What sort of multi-dice system?

Forever People's flagship roleplaying system and setting, Wyrd is a genre-busting epic RPG, four years in the making and, we believe, one of the most unique roleplaying experiences available to the modern gamer community.

The following annotated transcript is from the #RPGNet Q&A session with author David Sharrock.

The full log can be found here Dan: What would be the easiest way to break down the setting a bit?

DS: The setting: this is going to be hard to explain in a sentence because it‟s pretty vast. I suppose I‟ve taken the classic method by starting with a mythology then building from there, up to the present day, which is when the Age of Thaw setting is based and where the game takes place.

Xyphoid: what do PCs do in this game? what‟s a „standard adventure‟ look like?

DS: Well, to begin with PCs are not human. There are no humans. The principle race are the wyrmen, humanoid but born of a mixture of divine seed and oak.

Silverlion: Why do they not have noses in the cover art?

DS: the sensory organs of the wyrman are vision and most of the rest of his interaction with his environment comes through his „gia‟, a kind of fleshy hood that frames his head. The eyes are literally windows into his soul, which is why they glow with a divine light.

Silverlion: That‟s very different. I don‟t see a hood in the art?

DS: It looks different depending on the race. There are several offshoots of the wyrman, including the Elkenwyr who are probably more like Ents than anything else. Wyr-women are more humanoid than the males. The image on the front of the System/Setting book is of a Vanyirborn, which is an immortal daughter of the gods, so she also looks a little different. Elkenwyr are tall (12ft) powerful with bark-like flesh and long thin limbs.

Their faces are more elk like than anything and their gia extend outward as antlers. They have the ability to generate plasma between the antlers, which they can fire as a ranged weapon.

DS: Rather than rolling dice aiming for a value, there‟s a kind of binary system. So you might roll a bunch of dice and you‟re aiming to roll instances of (1) in order to succeed. The more 1's you roll, the more you succeed. All other numbers are fails.

Janus: On how many sided die? d6? d10? d4?

DS: all the polygons. The number of sides on the dice indicate the probability of success. So if you possess high skill levels in a certain attribute, you‟ll roll low polygons, d4 or d6, Janus: so, if I had a 10 skill level, I would likely rill 10d6 looking for as many 1‟s as I can get, right?

DS: Right. The attributes are broken down into Core Characteristics to give a base value (number of dice in the roll) and then individual skill sets belong to the parent Core Characteristics (I called them Active Abilities because they‟re actively used). The number of dice is informed by the basic ability then increased by focused skills. If a task is difficult the GM can increase the polygons. If it‟s easy, decrease them. The aim is to get as many instances of (1) on any given roll. This allows players to roll sometimes stupidly large handfuls of dice without requiring a calculator.

Dan: So attribute = number of dice, skill = size of dice?

DS: No, the number of dice is informed by the value of the Core Characteristic + Active Ability, then the polygons are increased or decreased depending on certain factors.

Dan: Oh! Okay. And what die type is the default?

DS: So the base dice are d6. There are four levels of difficulty called Difficulty Dice (DD for short) and the number is either 1,2,3 or 4 depending on how hard the task is. So DD1 changes the dice to d8, DD2 changes them to d10, DD3 to d12 and DD4 to d20. Evident Ease reduces difficulty. Difficulty Dice swaps all the dice but Evident Ease swaps only a number of dice with d4.

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Dan (examining the character sheets): Interesting breakdown of the Core Characteristics. Now, I see you have a detailed breakdown of where equipment is carried. Wow… Right down to the rings on individual fingers, no less! What was your thinking there?

DS: Equipment plays a major role. I‟ve tried to embrace some of the more modern aspects of MMORPGs as well as the old school tabletop classics.

Gear and the acquisition of shiny stuff is a large part of the game and a large part of what turns a character into an epic hero. There‟s no real levelling up system, other than improvements in skill sets and combat abilities. This was a risk because I know a lot of gamers don‟t like the idea of mixing computer or online RPG with tabletop.

Dan: Speaking of equipment, can you say a bit about the tech level of the setting? What‟s the steampunk aspect?

DS: The tech level differs depending on the location.

There are several civilisations, interspersed with „badlands‟. There‟s steampunk, medieval, classic fantasy, Victoriana, something akin to ancient Rome – tech ranges from swords/sorcery to missiles and firearms.

Gunpowder has been invented/discovered. The use of tech depends largely on the religious belief of the nation in question. In the north where steampunk is the theme, there‟s a monotheistic cult akin to Christianity who abhor all forms of magic (in fact magic is outlawed), giving rise to tech in its place.

Meduselah, an immortal Elgan daemon

Maxmahem: what is the magnitude of the typical die pool?

DS: The number of dice can get crazy. In playtests I think the most rolled were thirty at one go.

Xyphoid: what do PCs do in this game? what‟s a „standard adventure‟ look like?

DS: I‟ve tried to produce enough detail that a group can pretty much take on the setting as they like, exploring freely or focusing on rumours. The choice of character class (Creeds) will decide what the group do for the most part. Whether they act as mercenaries or explorers, travelling gentry or diplomats. The options are pretty much endless Dan: What prevents the higher-tech civilizations from running over the lower-tech ones? Is magic a sufficient check on technology, and do any civilizations use both?

DS: Yes, magic prevents technological supremacy. The polytheistic cults have outlawed technology. Firearms are considered an affront to the naturalistic ideologies of those civilisations. The monotheists consider magic in the same way. So there‟s a real schism between old world and new world.

Dan: So how advanced is the tech in the high-tech civilizations? Is it equivalent to stereotypical Victorian steampunk, with zeppelins, ironclad ships, cartridge ammo, etc.?

The Irgin Crone, a Fell construct made by Gungin, the spirit of Chaos and lord of the Gungin Gap.

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DS: I‟ve tried to avoid stereotypes. The steampunk is very much mixed up with the fantasy. Steamtech and electratech (electricity – very much frowned upon by magic users) is born in a sort of hotbed vertical high rise city called Stratum. The entire city is like a giant steam based power generator. There are no zeppelins but there are giant tortoises which carry village-sized gondoliers on their backs. It‟s the main form of transport after the railway.

Dan: Slow and steady?

DS: Given their size, what they lack in speed they make up for in stride. And if your transport is attacked it just hides in its shell until the peril is passed.

Dan: I‟m afraid to ask what would attack a town-sized tortoise.

DS: A perfect opportunity to introduce the Wyrd Pandemonium (the setting bestiary). [A link is provided to the Wyrd Pandemonium and pictures of some of the monsters therein].

Dan: Those are some seriously freaky beasties. Fantastic artwork, by the way. The only drawback is that there is no way I could describe those things to my players. “You see a… Well, it looks like a… Oh, dammit, HERE.” *shows picture* DS: Each entry in the bestiary comes with a picture and a description to read aloud too.

BlasterKyubey210: Yea, though honestly, showing your players a picture feels like a minor irritation so it‟s nice that each entry has a picture and a description.

Dan: I see the words “Fell” and “Fae” there. Can you explain what they mean in this context?

DS: Sure. The Fell are the spawn of Gungin, the spirit of chaos. As a result of events that are a bit long winded to cover in one sentence, Gungin has broken into the corporeal world through a rift called the Gungin Gap. The Fell are what come crawling out of that. They have their own city, which kind of festers on the edges of the gap. The fae are the indigenous (but no less bizarre) lifeforms of the setting world, Yarnia.

DS: Yes. The previous question about adventures is addressed more in the books I haven‟t released yet (the Overmaster's Companion), which tackles this more.

Players acquire more of a structured method of play with a list of rumours to investigate, each rumour a plot hook to a one session adventure which provides some linear structure. The wyrmen are also a lot more humanoid than alien in feel once you start playing them.

Players tend to forget the unusual visual aspects and adopt regular character personalities.

Willows: From the art it seems like wyrmen are basically just people without noses. Why make them not-people at all?

DS: I‟ve tried to create something a little different.

There are a lot of games where humans take the central role. I wanted to try something where humans were actually unusual, if not omitted altogether, without presenting something overtly alien that players couldn‟t relate to.

Dan: A city of chaos-spawn? I suspect poor urban planning.

Dan: But does it help with what looks like a steep learning curve regarding the setting as a whole?

DS: Very poor, though it has a weird symbiotic relationship with the neighbouring wyrman civilisation who have done their best to introduce some municiple aspects. Luckily Fell don‟t generate sewage.

DS: A fair question. I‟ve tried to present the setting as something that most gamers will find familiar to some extent but with unusual aspects. I‟ve marketed the game as something for experienced players who fancy trying something outside their comfort zone for this reason.

Dan: So, I have a bit of a general question… It seems like Wyrd would have a similar issue to that with other strange, detailed settings, such as Mechanical Dream and Talislanta: namely, having players feeling lost and GMs unsure of what to do. Any thoughts on the subject?

Dan: To be clear, I‟m certainly not criticising the game for being strange. That‟s a big part of the appeal, as I see it. It just seems like strange, unique settings are a bit of a double-edged sword.

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DS: I‟m happy to field any viewpoints, critical or non critical and I agree very much with that. However, I also feel there‟s a lot of material out there and as a game designer I feel a certain responsibility to keep what I do fresh and interesting. RPG has a tendency to get stuck in the mud sometimes. I get what you mean though, expecting players to take on something completely new.

It can be daunting.

Dan: So in terms of the bestiary, for example, can you give a rough percentage of the familiar to the unfamiliar, assuming there‟s any of the former at all? Are there dragons, goblins, etc., for example?

DS: For traditionalist gamers there‟s certainly the familiar. You might say orcs are there, and goblins, in different guises and sub-races. The type of creature is less important than the way they behave. Some of the behaviour patterns of the creatures, particularly those that come from other planes, can be very bizarre. The Naderfell are similar to dragons, in that there‟s a limited amount of them, they‟re all named and extremely powerful. They resemble dragons in some ways, and have the seem feel about them. There‟s also certain familiarities with MMORPGs. Fell, for example, revert to the raw stuff of chaos when they‟re killed. These chaos stones are then routinely traded and can be used to create magical effects or energy.

Dan: Heh. That‟s rather clever.

DS: Players can spend their entire game, if they like, grinding through Fell, then use what they collect to generate wealth and gear.

Dan: Speaking of magic, what form(s) does it take, and how powerful is it?

DS: Magic is a major aspect after equipment. Sorcery vs technology is an important dynamic. There are numerous schools of magic but all of them are based in the use of runes. All characters can cast magic, but only trained magic users can specify schools and get access to the longest lists of spells. Geomancers, for example, work with runestones, drawing magical energy from an enormous mystical stone that stands at the heart of their school (literally a school of magic). Wytches cast elemental magic and Wythians use druidic magic, standing stone portals and magic more familiar to the D&D style.

Dan: What (if any) limiters are on magic? Is this a magic point system, for example?

DS: The magic casting system is based on the same multi-dice method. Dice, in this instance, represent runes. Runestrings are determined using a set system, or a reference given in the spell description, then players roll a bunch of dice and attempt to match the string. Nudges are awarded based on magical ability, allowing the rolled dice to be changed so they can be „forced‟ to match the runestring. There are also magic points in the form of magical energy. A typical manna system which prevents magic users from becoming all powerful. Magical energy is either gained through religion or, more easily, by converting chaos stones collected from dead Fell.

Dan: Hmm. So all secular magic is dependent upon slaying Fell creatures?

DS: Yes. Which, as you can imagine, puts the Fell in a rather tenuous position. Luckily, when they die, they merely „respawn‟ from the Gungin Gap. Over harvesting is a problem though and as the chaos stones tend to be a major form of currency in the setting the wyrmen have lots of checks in place to prevent over harvesting.

Warcabbit: That really doesn‟t sound like a system that can have any potential drawbacks, ethically.

DS: Fell aren‟t considered equal by the wyrmen so ethics don‟t matter. The Fell probably have their own opinion Warcabbit: Wait, do they respawn as themselves or as new people?

BlasterKyubey210: Yea, how do Fell Souls work?

DS: Fell don‟t have their own souls. They are small chips of the soul of Gungin, the spirit of chaos, and represent a kind of blasphemy against nature by their very existence in the universe, especially on Yarnia which is considered the „cradle of creation‟ and divine by right...

Jeffszusz: can you play as the Fell?

Dan: Only if there‟s not a secular wizard in the party, apparently! “I need some more juice for this spell. Sorry, Hank…”

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DS: You could, but you wouldn‟t last long unless all players were Fell. As Dan said, Fell are an endangered species, despite being (in real terms) immortal.

Warcabbit: Right, but do they respawn, or re-spawn?

As in, do they come back to life, or are you actually offing the Fell and a new Fell is born?

DS: Some respawn as themselves. If Gungin decides the Fell creature didn‟t work the first time around he might produce something a bit different. There is the infamous case in Gungingeth (city of the Fell) where a Shabble warlord purposely recaptures the same Orflin every time it respawns, then tortures and kills it for the entertainment of the masses.

BlasterKyubey210: Ah but beyond that, anything can happen when a Fell gets offed (temporary) DS: Yes. If Gungin decides to create something new and hellish for the mere fun of it he will. This makes for a very flexible bestiary, potentially.

Dan: Gungin sounds a bit like Abhoth.

BlasterKyubey210: Yea… thus there are several “Unidentified Fell” species running around thanks to that in the mix. At least theorectically.

DS: Fell stones are also varied in their power. If you slay a major Fell, like a Naderfell (equivalent of most campaign dragons) you‟re looking at a lifetime of wealth and magical energy. But then again, everyone is trying to kill the big ones and few succeed. It‟s a form of Darwin‟s Law. Dan: heh BlasterKyubey210: So on the matter of the Unidentified Fell, any examples in the lore/stories assosiated iwth the UFs? DS: Unidentified Fell lore exists, certainly. There are examples in the existing bestiary. Some pretty horrific stuff wanders about on the northern banks of the Gungin Gap. The city on the southern side tends to monitor carefully what crawls out and if it‟s too hideous they send it north. Even a city of pure chaos has to have some standards.

Dan: *Chuckles* that's funny. “Okay, I don‟t like to judge, but… that‟s just too many damn pseudopods.”

How would you describe the morality of the setting?

Black and white? Shades of gray?

DS: Morality is.. unique. Actually, theology is a massive theme and one that led to plenty of discussion in play tests (to my delight). I should also add that there‟s a morality system, which rewards characters who play to type.

BlasterKyubey210: Essentially, the answer of Morality is “Good question”. or alternately “Covers the full spectrum, including Blue and Orange”.

The Gungin Gap and the chaotic city of Gungingeth festering on the southern (left of the picture) edge of the chasm.

From this rift in the reality of the corporeal plane crawl forth the Fell horrors of Gungin's imagination. Central to the Gap, rising into the stratosphere of Yarnia's sky is the shaft of Yrmynsyl, all that now remains of the fabled World Tree.

Dan: How about the level of action in the game? Would you describe it as gritty? Cinematic?

DS: Action depends on the player group. I played with two groups in playtests. One chose to play as Soul Reapers, essentially mercenaries who spend their lives hunting Fell and trading fell stones. That game was crazy. The other group delved more into the cults, magic and travelled a lot.

They saw a lot more of the world and killed a lot less of it.

Dan: Well, I was thinking more in terms of what the system supports rather than playstyle. Like, by default, how deadly is combat?

DS: It doesn‟t really support any specific style, was my point. Combat, for example, is reliant on the players choosing their foes carefully. If they head out to the north side of Gungingeth they‟re „gonna have a bad time‟ but 9

if they take their time to establish how the world works and what foes are within their capabilities they can survive.

Dan: Ah, I see. So in what remains of “regular” time, is there anything we haven‟t covered that you‟d like to bring up?

DS: Sure. My website is: www.foreverpeople.co.uk and if anyone wants to find out more about Wyrd and about the things I have planned for Forever People this year they are most welcome there. And a reminder that the free system/setting for Wyrd is here [see links to the right]. And just want to say thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk about my favourite subject (as in RPGs) and to meet some new folks.

Dan: Absolutely, David! And please know that you are always welcome to do so here.

EXPLORE WYRD The official product page on Forever People website Free 'Wyrd Lite', System & Setting PDF. Download it now. Everything you need to run a basic game.

Wyrd System & Setting full version Wyrd Pandemonium (the Wyrd bestiary) Chronicles of Yarnia 1 - The Age of Thaw (setting) Visit the Forever People website and sign up for our newsletter for details on future Wyrd releases including an extensive campaign The Unsung Weave and the GM's essential guide, The Overmaster's Companion.

#RPGNet, once the official chat room for www.RPG.net, is now registered with Dan Davenport who runs regular Q&A sessions covering new releases and also moderates general chat. The chatroom is here and a schedule of upcoming Q&As with game developers can be found here.

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a serialised adventure campaign for the wyrd setting and elderune multi-dice roleplaying system.

AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION Four years ago I began writing Wyrd, starting with a mythology and following (with all due humility) in the footsteps of Tolkien by constructing a language from which the mythology would evolve. From language and mythology came the Wyrd setting, the epic world of Yarnia and the continents of Ereth, the wyrmen and their rich civilisations. The result was Chronicles of Yarnia 1 - The Age of Thaw and the work you may already have seen me discussing elsewhere in this issue of Forever Folio.

One year after putting pen to paper on Wyrd, I also began working out the framework for a fully realised adventure campaign which I intended to publish as part of a gamesmaster's guide covering the setting. However, the title in question (the Overmaster's Companion) has since ballooned beyond my original plans and is unable to sensibly support the campaign, which itself is sizeable and no longer fits as a mere addendum to another title.

People website as a short PDF. This full background is provided as a separate file in order to ensure players don't discover any major spoilers by leafing through copies of Forever Folio. The GM Background is priced at $1.98 in order to fund the continued release of Forever Folio and to dissuade casual acquisition of the file. Visit www.foreverpeople.co.uk

For a while I considered collecting The Unsung Weave into a separate title for sale in the usual outlets, but then decided instead to give those gamers who have gone out on a limb to give Wyrd a try the break I think they deserve and which I am only too happy to give them by offering the campaign here, in the free pages of Folio.

Here it will be serialised over the coming issues into a complete and unabridged volume.

In order to run this campaign successfully the GM will also need the essential Wyrd rulebooks including System & Setting, The Wyrd Pandemonium and the first of the Wyrd gazeteers: Chronicles of Yarnia 1 - Ereth in the Age of Thaw.

Here, in issue #1, is an introduction to the campaign along with a list of rumours which relate directly to the adventures Forever Folio will run over the course of the next ten issues. Also included in this issue are a list of supplemental rumours (idle gossip) and incidents to beef up the main adventures. Full background disclosure, for the benefit of the GM, can be acquired from the Forever

The player group are assumed to be new to the Wyrd setting and are also assumed to be playing newly rolled characters, fresh from their respective places of origin and seeking an itinerant lifestyle and the mutual help of similar individuals.

PLAYER INTRODUCTION

At some point on the road the group have met and

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agreed to travel together for mutual safety. This meeting occurs on the country roads of The Angle.

Characters from Santun Morvagh or Skytor are assumed to have arrived in The Angle after a few days travel aboard a Gigaerack. Characters from Listholm came to the Angle on the Hyns-Horn.

The group assemble in Verdandi, capital city of the Anglian counties, on the first day of Apryl at the start of Merrydew, a series of spring festivities celebrating the coming of summer.

The GM may choose to establish this initial gathering in one of the city's many inns or taverns (The Ducal Rose is a likely spot, the group entering Verdandi from the Southern Gate) or may merely open the game with a general description of the city and a vague suggestion of where in the city the group are currently to be found.

Alternatively the GM may read the following aloud, the campaign subsequently starting in parkland within the southern gates.

You arrive in the capital city of the Angle, Verdandi - whose white walls of Gorzonite stone and grand architecture loom and glisten in the midday sun. Getting past the ostiary guard at the main gate was difficult and you were forced to watch as the guards rummaged through your gear. But now you are inside and the city is yours to explore.

You find yourself now on a large semi-circular courtyard of white stone, a wide road dividing segments of open parkland to north and south.

A tremendous fountain ornamented with hulking stone figures of the various gods of old stands centrally. Soil beds around the edges of the parkland display the first flowers of the season and on the grass beyond or between copses of trees citizens and tourists bask in the sunshine and stroll through the park.

Tents and stalls here and there offer food and drink while street performers entertain small crowds, marking the celebrations of Merrydew the coming of summer.

To the east the courtyard opens onto a main thoroughfare crossing north to south, rows of tall houses facing onto the parkland. Carts and wagons rattle along the cobbles and people bustle to and fro, all shapes and sizes, all creeds and genders.

Never have you seen so many people or so much activity in one place.

Using the city plan in the Age of Thaw (page 106 in the PDF version) the GM can give a succinct description of the city should the player group wish to explore in a linear fashion, or players can engage in zoomed out play and give the GM some idea of what they'd like to achieve while in the city.

If players seem uncertain how to proceed the GM should offer the following bait: Several things catch your eye. To the south, crushed between stately buildings and looking homely by comparison, is a thatched tavern by the name of the Ducal Rose. A figure in heavy black robes emerges from the front door, his features hidden by a cowl. He pauses at the door then glides away, melting into the crowd and is soon lost behind a large group of high spirited wyrmen dressed in the colourful robes of the Mistonian University.

Players won't find the sinister looking character if they search for him but he is known to the barman of the Ducal Rose as an unwholesome character who typically drinks alone but occassionally meets with others dressed in a similar fashion.

The students are on a 'bar crawl' to celebrate Merrydew and intend to take in every bar in Verdandi, starting with the Ducal Rose. They might be a fun crowd to fall in with.

At some point the player group will come across a torn note which seems, at some point, to have been scribbled down in haste by someone then ripped from a notebook or perhaps the page of a book. If the GM wishes, the barman of the Ducal Rose will present the note if player characters enquire whether he has any information pertaining to local work. Or the note might be found pinned to the door of the tavern, an open invitation to any mercenaries passing through.

It is assumed that the GM is playing this campaign in a linear fashion rather than as a completed campaign. If this is not the case then all rumours associated with all adventures detailed in the campaign may be presented to the player group at once, giving players the choice of rumour to investigate.

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SETTING The campaign begins in the central location of The Angle, a largely civilized nation whose people live under the benign rule of the Wythian cult and the somewhat more austere and authoritarian rule of the noble houses.

As players investigate rumours they will likely travel beyond The Angle and experience the perils and wonders of other lands.

The Angle is not a kingdom but a kingdom in waiting, its capital city home to the steward of the unified Anglian households, the melancholy Grand Duke Triton Gwelenbryal and his ailing consort the Duchess Coriola Eaglewood, adopted orphan of a wealthy Skyssan Patrician.

The thriving and aristocratic cityport of Verdandi, where the campaign begins, is a common draw to aspiring and youthful travellers who, fresh from apprenticeship or newly released from the bosom of a protective family or community, come seeking excitement and independence.

Such itinerants will invariably be daunted by the overwhelming sights and sounds of the city, with its glistening walls of white Gorzonite stone, golden university spires and crystal towers. They may linger nervously near the taverns and inns by the city wall, finding solace in the more earthy patrons of the outer wards and the anonymous nature of those passing through on their way to somewhere more important.

Such characters usually find one another as a matter of course, banding into groups on the understanding that numbers equal strength and allies make for a more profitable existence. Once grouped, these characters may then flock slowly inward toward the city centre, the harbour and the promise of mercenary work.

This is how the newly formed player characters come to be where they are and how they come now to share their company amidst the dizzying bustle and confusion of Verdandi in this, the year of 1963 - the Age of Thaw.

FIRST SESSION At the start of the first game session, players should be presented either with the printed visual aid showing a brief outline of rumours their characters have picked up or heard and noted down during their travels prior to the formation of the group (if the GM is playing this as a completed work with the fully serialised campaign already collected and all rumours available to the player group) or should

give players only the Idle Gossip rumours listed below, along with the note from the previous page.

The visual aid featuring all rumours will be included with the concluding part of the campaign.

Players should be given some time to study the rumour sheet (or the torn note and city rumours as applicable), which will give them some ideas for exploration and investigation. Between scenarios triggered by the following of rumours (or during) the player group will also be able to freely explore the setting and develop their characters.

At times events may arise that are not instigated by a rumour and such encounters or scenarios will require the GM think on her feet and use either the gazeteer volume Chronicles of Yarnia 1 - Ereth in the Age of Thaw, the Wyrd Pandemonium, the System & Setting volume or The Overmaster's Companion to moderate their game on the fly. The GM should not shy away from inventing events as they come to her, or embellishing details of the setting without reference to a gazeteer.

Ereth is both highly detailed and highly adaptable, allowing the imaginative GM to insert most spur-ofthe-moment inventions into the general melee of background information.

Where reference to a gazeteer is preferred, the Age of Thaw in particular contains a vast quantity of essential information the GM will be able to use in order to describe locations and introduce consistent details, with all of the major cities of Ereth and the various wilderness locations mapped and described in exquisite detail.

During the initial session the GM should give players free rein to explore Verdandi or the outerlying land, study and follow rumours or merely wander and establish themselves. Some characters will be wealthier than others at the start of the game and some players may wish to visit a store or similar provisioner in order to equip themselves.

Others may wish to jump in with both feet and seek out institutions, guilds and cultic temples in order to explore the Allegiance aspects of their game.

The GM should give advice and information where necessary but should avoid prompting players to take any one course over another.

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CAMPAIGN RUMOURS

THE NIGHT WATCH

The origin of rumours is assumed to be irrelevant, gathered together by the various player characters during their travel to Verdandi and shared as possible leads for mercenary work. The GM can either present rumours as scrawled notes in her own hand, or she may wait for the concluding part of this serialised campaign in which the rumours will be presented as a visual handout, all rumours collected onto a single A4/Letter sized page for the GM to print and give to players.

Verdandi's museum is at the centre of controversy after a series of gruesome murders which mystify local authorities. The library has been locked down and managers refuse to disclose any information about why or when the building will reopen. Students and teachers at the Mistonian University are said to be particularly affected by the closure. Some say the Dean of Mistonia is actively looking for and willing to pay anyone who can shed light on the mystery.

Note: if the GM chooses to offer players all rumours immediately she will only be able to offer scenarios related to those rumours for which she has published adventures. The number of adventures the GM has at her disposal will, obviously, be dependent upon the number of Forever Folio issues available at the time.

SLEEPER AGENTS

THE BEARING PIT A break-in at the house of the noble Lord Gonville Bromhead resulted in the theft of several red Soul Stones which had been in the Bromhead family for generations. A reward is offered for the capture of the thief and the safe return of the stones.

Interested parties should attend the Ducal Order of Abbraxists and ask for an audience with Lord Bromhead.

Forever Folio #2 THE AURA OF CORIOLA The Grand Duke's wife, Coriola, has not been seen in Verdandi for many months. Some say she has lost her mind and languishes now in the Salver's Asylum of Listholm.

Forever Folio #3

Forever Folio #6

The authorities of Tunturthis and Verdandi have finally decided to make long needed repairs to the ailing Hyns-Horn railway. Guards willing to face the perils of Sanas Morcorm are called for and should apply to Excubist's Order in the Ward of Orders.

Those who take this work face a difficult, terrifying and tremendously perilous journey through Sanas Morcorm's wastelands, deserts and forests. Repairs will require regular stops in some of the most dangerous places in Ereth, with trouble guaranteed at almost every turn.

Forever Folio #7 BEASTS OF THE FIELD Inhabitants of Elowen have been losing livestock to a strange humanoid creature that emerges from the treeline of W천doak at nightfall. Mutilated carcasses are found outside the woods the following morning, their bodies savaged in unspeakable ways. The creature seems not to feed but only to brutalize. It has been seen lurking on the outskirts of Elowen and even as far south as the town of Drawn, though so far it has made no attack against any wyrmen in the region.

Forever Folio #8

THE GEOTANEUM MOLD Something odd afflicts the Geotaneum of Gor, otherwise known as the Quarry Master's Society.

The nature of the problem is vague, but rumours seem to suggest some kind of fungal infestation in the building itself.

Forever Folio #4 THE WOLVES OF ULYAN Wolves are rumoured to have become exceptionally bold in the south of the Angle, even venturing into the cities of Pelgallo and Carnuntun in search of prey. City masters seek mercenaries to cull the packs and make safe the land once more.

Forever Folio #5

MERCENARIES OF MENHIRNAR Mercenary fighters and those undaunted by the prospect of coming face to face with Fell horrors are always needed to support Grenadier units stationed in Menhirnar, the Anglian front line against the perils of the Gungin Gap and the city dwellers of Gungingeth. Applicants should attend the Order of Excubists in the Verdandian Ward of Orders where they will be given further instruction.

Forever Folio #9 THE RAVEN STEPS Couriers are required to travel to Skyssa to collect some items of considerable value and return them to Verdandi. A handsome price is offered to the winning applicant and travel expenses will be 15

covered. Those interested in accepting the contract should ask at the bar of the Blade & Lion in Verdandi for the address of Lady Grame Orl. Forever Folio #10 THE DUN WYTCH HORROR Something sinister is said to lurk in the Sailing Hills.

Travellers in the area have reported sightings of hideous creatures wandering in the hills at night.

Fires have been seen burning on certain hilltops and an entire patrol of Grenadier from Dunkunom have disappeared along with several people from the city who were walking in the hills. Mercenaries have been camping in the hills, searching for signs of Fell enemies in the hope of earning a reward for their capture and acquiring their Soul Stone, but thus far there have been no confirmed reports to substantiate the rumour.

Forever Folio #11

should know better than most.

GM's Eyes Only: this is true, in part. The Albion Wall was originally commissioned by Lornir Gwelenbryal, grand-daughter of Kenwythi who lies in state on Ylyntor Hill. The wall was originally built because Lornir feared the Morvanians and anticipated an invasion from Santun Morvagh, at that time a relatively new city whose people had every reason to seek revenge on the Anglians. Later the wall served to keep out the Fell threat and has remained ever since as a barrier against the horrors of Mortun Pandi.

~

Gossip: you should visit the Halig Plough in Breetun. The barman has an interesting skull and a story to tell about its origins.

GM's Eyes Only: see page 143 of Age of Thaw.

The skull is that of an Irgin Crone and hangs on the wall behind the bar. The owner of the bar will probably defer anyone enquiring about the skull to one of the old gents who drink at the pub on a regular basis and who will be only too happy to recount the tale.

~

Gossip: if you travel in the Sailing Hills be certain to stick to the Carnvale road. The land there may look benign enough, but there are many old mineshafts, abandoned and filled in. Few know where these pits are but many a wanderer has stepped on the wrong spot and plunged into the dark, never to be seen again.

GM's Eyes Only: the mines of the Sailing Hills are not the only peril; natural potholes, caves and sinkholes where underground spaces have caved in are also common, swallowing up the unwary and leaving no trace of their fate.

IDLE GOSSIP The following idle gossip is specific to the cities of Ereth and can be introduced by the GM in any way she sees fit. Most will likely be offered as part of general conversation with NPCs, but the GM may prefer to simply give players one or two items of idle gossip per session, representing things the group have heard during their travel or picked up by listening in to the conversations of other people.

Gossip: the Albion wall of the Angle wasn't built to keep out the Fell of Gungin. It was built to keep out the strange folk of Santun Morvagh. Who knows what dabbling with elemental magicks does to a wyrman over a long period of time. Certainly the Morvanians are a freakish people, so they

~

Gossip: the people of Elowen in the northeast of the Angle have never been what you might call 'regular Anglians'. They practise strange religions and they have a troubling history. A place of elemental wytches and unwholesome types.

Especially in the town of Drawn. Best to avoid the place altogether.

GM's Eyes Only: the people of Elowen are considered an enclave of elementalists, more sympathetic to the folk of Santun Morvagh and their way of life than to the common wyrmen of the Angle. Queen Morvagh Elowen, founder of the city of Santun Morvagh, and her brother Loren Elowen, founder of Lorel, both came from this region, chased out of the Angle during the civil war of 185AD. 16

Gossip: be cautious of the woodland known as W천doak where animals walk and talk like wyrmen and the trees are alive with daemons. They say the place is full of strange twists and turns. If you don't stick to the path you never know where you might end up. Some say those who lose themselves in W천doak walk right off the edge of the world itself, or so I've heard.

GM's Eyes Only: W천doak is indeed a strange place. See page 101 of Age of Thaw for further details.

~

Gossip: there's a lighthouse down on the southwestern headlands of The Angle, by Gondaras.

They call it Dunrevy. They say the place is haunted and the lamp that lights the way to ships crossing Fynereth lights and turns itself.

GM's Eyes Only: this gossip is false, born of suspicious rumours. See also page 145 of Age of Thaw.

~

Gossip: have you visited Jesterton? Sounds like a jolly place, eh? There's a field there where the grass is burned. Burned by the feet of a living daemon.

They say anyone who stands on the burned patch of ground will hear the voices of Barrowomb and will see the skull of old Kenwythi floating in the air.

GM's Eyes Only: the area where Barrowomb manifested in 185AD and where Kenwythi Gwelenbryal was slain stands in a fenced off field in Jesterton, a strange hamlet which still seems to bear the scars of that terrible event even after all these years (see page 145 of Age of Thaw).

~ Gossip: beneath Ylyntor hill you'll find what remains of Yseldyr, the house of Mot Elyeth, made by him when he first came to Yarnia before even the wyrmen were made. Only the Weavers are allowed inside the hill.

GM's Eyes Only: Ylyntor will be of great interest to any Wythians in the player group (see page 148 of Age of Thaw).

Gossip: The wreck of Ereth's most famous ship the Argos - a vessel that purportedly circumnavigated the world, lies wrecked on the east coast of Listholm. Local folklore speaks of a terrible creature dwelling in caves close to the wreck, a great worm-like leviathan of vile proportions. Few have seen this great beast, which locals refer to as The Mere Wyrm (Worm of the Sea) yet rumour of its presence is enough to have rendered the eastern coast a barren place. Nobody lives or ventures there unless to hunt the Mere Wyrm.

GM's Eyes Only: The Merewyrm is one of the Naderfell, details found on page 84 of the Wyrd Pandemonium. The Naderfell are an enemy beyond the capabilities of most player groups, but the Merewyrm is rarely in residence in its caves and the rumour may prompt an interesting investigation of the wreck of the Argos.

~

Gossip: Of the city of Tunturthis, people seem often to speak about the mansion of Jugo Dracks, heir to the estate of Captain Strongburg Dracks, captain of the Argos, whose family would become almost as powerful and wealthy as that of the Lairds themselves. Jugo, last of his lineage, is strange and isolated and many believe he has constructed a bizarre underwater city whose bubble-like domes contain him and those who serve him under the waters of Tunturthis harbour.

GM's Eyes Only: though these rumours persist and are even supposedly confirmed by the oyster divers of Tunturthis, they are not true. Jugo Dracks has excavated cellar levels under his mansion and is shy of public exposure, but does not inhabit an underwater city. He may be an interesting NPC to bring into the game, having powerful contacts in the aristocracy of Listholm. He may also be a way for the GM to introduce her own plot hook for some deed Dracks may require of the group at a future point in the game.

~

Gossip: whatever you need, whatever you want, the place to go to acquire services or goods is the Ward of Orders in Verdandi.

Gossip: it is said that the Lairds of Listholm give the gift of the White Elephant to those foreign dignitaries they despise the most. The elephants are as noble and beautiful a steed as any could wish for, but so great is the cost of their keep that they invariably bankrupt those upon whom they are bestowed and are invariably returned after a time.

GM's Eyes Only: the Ward of Orders is a place to find representatives of most of the main industries, professions and services offered in the city. See page 115 of Age of Thaw.

GM's Eyes Only: this is a true rumour, though how such a snippet of information may become useful to the player group remains to be seen. At the least they may be intrigued enough by the idea

~

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of the White Elephants to visit the Bargen Eboria where the creatures are stabled and bred, or they may simply file the information away as interesting but ultimately trivial.

~

Gossip: The giant god of the northlands, Fingal the Great, is no more, but his heart is said to prevail beneath Blaedart Tower in Listholm. At night the sound of the heart beating may be heard and anyone who walks along the ridge line beneath the tower can look down and see the giant's blood pouring from the cliffs and down into the river Nova.

GM's Eyes Only: such fables are an intrinsic part of Listholm's mythological heritage. Full details can be found on pages 59/60 of The Age of Thaw.

of ghouls and heathen cults. Nobody knows what killed old Jarl Megalamon, but they say his headless corpse was found by the southern Weavers hanging from a gibbet, the blood drained out. Strange magic surrounds that place. I have heard there is a temple dedicated to daemons and the dead of Tansys wander there, seeking the blood of the living.

GM's Eyes Only: details to whet the appetite of players who may be unaware of the nature of Drood-Cynncarn and the role it played in creating the wastes of Sanas Morcorm. For further information see page 66 of The Age of Thaw (PDF version).

~

GM's Eyes Only: see page 63 of the Age of Thaw (PDF version) for further details.

Gossip: You have heard, no doubt, of the Anglian Mariner's Shrine in the city of Arvortun. The Shrine was once a cult in and of itself. The Weavers disliked the cult's worship of the sea and Chersyan conspirators worked with the Grand Duke at the time to force the Shrine to take the status of a guild. That's the origins of The Guild of Crewmen.

Those who live and die by the sea know her wrath can be terrible. This so-called guild is the only way those who fear the Elvia can show their respect.

Gossip: have you heard of the city of DroodCynncarn? The empire of the Cornovish once called that city its capital, but the people who lived there have all perished and the city is now a place

GM's Eyes Only: a hint at the origins of the Guild of Crewmen and the strange history of Arvortun.

Further information can be found on page 116 of The Age of Thaw (PDF version).

~

Gossip: the legendary Megdart of Mot can be found on the summit of Mount Medrina in Listholm, somewhere beneath the weeping rock.

~

Mikelbreg, the bane of Arvortun, from whose diabolical arse the local brew, Inksquit, is said to be derived.

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Gossip: the castle on Garwan Tor, overlooking the city of Arvortun, used to be the home of the Chersyas but they moved to Dunkunom long ago.

The people still hold a grudge against that noble family. The old castle is a prison now. A dark place, best avoided.

GM's Eyes Only: referring to Tornyth Castle on the summit of Garwan Tor outside of Arvortun.

~

Gossip: if you want an experience head to the Merry Mikelbreg in Arvortun and ask for a flaggon of Inksquit. Rinan knows You'll not find the stuff anywhere else. Careful though, all Inksquit is old and tar-like. Comes straight from Mikelbreg's arse.

GM's Eyes Only: Inksquit is a thick stout brewed locally and served in The Merry Mikelbreg tavern.

Despite the urban myth, the stuff is brewed from hops in the usual way but has a thick tarry consistency and is rich to those unused to drinking it. One flaggon (one pint) is equal to 8 units of alcohol (see The Overmaster's Companion, Effects of Inebriation).

~

Gossip: steer clear of Ragworm Docks in Arvortun if you know what's good for you. That part of the city belongs to the Redshields. A bad lot, in with dark cults and wicked types. Anyone you ask from that old city will tell you the same.

GM's Eyes Only: referring to the Mansion of the Redshields. See page 120 and 124 of Age of Thaw.

The Redshields have fingers in most of the criminal activity within Arvortun but are a powerful family and a dangerous enemy to make.

~

Gossip: the City of the Dead is a Wythian cemetary south of Arvortun in The Angle. The dead lie there, but many are restless and might be seen drifting in the moonlight. That place is the domain of Gloose, spirit of the cairn. The living have no right to be there.

GM's Eyes Only: referring to the great Wythian cemetary outside Arvortun (see page 122 of The Age of Thaw).

~

Gossip: on the top of Stourbrick Tower is a sundial forged by the hand of Mot Elyeth himself. The Weavers live there. That's why they call themselves the Dial Keepers of the West.

GM's Eyes Only: referring to the tower detailed on page 122 of the Age of Thaw (PDF version).

Gossip: you'll not find a more grand place of worship than Arvor Cathedral in the city of Arvortun, but they say the great foundation slab on which the cathedral is built once supported a temple from before the winter of discontent. Mot Elyeth made the stone and the temple was his, back when all these lands were covered by the skyreaching Wythywyr trees. Who knows what wonders lie hidden beneath that old building.

GM's Eyes Only: this information is true, but covenants and laws forbid anyone from tampering with the foundation stone in an effort to find a way into the cellar chambers rumoured to exist below.

See page 122 of the Age of Thaw (PDF version).

~

Gossip: they're a strange lot in Verdandi. The cats of Cormislew are said to emerge hours before the Gigaerack arrives. They stand in rows along the landing ground and greet it as it comes in.

GM's Eyes Only: the locals of Cormislew insist the cats are merely curious. In fact the cats think of the Gigaerack as an enormous mouse they can never catch, thus Cormislew has earned the affectionate title of The Mousehole.

~

Gossip: if the tales of old interest you, head up to Chippingstone Mine. There's a story there that should grab your attention, though it might take you a while to read it.

GM's Eyes Only: referring to the Chamber of Secrets Underground wherein it is said the entire story of creation is written on the walls of the mine adit. Those who read the story in full will earn the respect of the people of Carnuntun but the reading can take many years. See page 127 of the Age of Thaw (PDF version).

~

Gossip: visit the Stella Rotunda and look up. The rafters of the open tower roof criss cross the sky.

They say each beam marks the route of a ship of the Agg - the lights of the ships you see sparkling in the sky when night comes. They say when the ships cross the beams at a certain time and in a certain way a prophecy will be fulfilled.

GM's Eyes Only: though the Stella Rotunda is an observatory for measuring the movements of the stars, all rumours of a prophecy are exagerated if not fabricated. Any Stellamancer will know that the tower is merely a method for measuring the passage of stars, though the reason this measurement might have been required by those who built the tower is today unknown.

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Gossip: the Banquet Halls of Dunbragh stands on the western side of the city of Carnuntun, a city built by the first wyrmen to walk the world. The Halls used to house the hunting dogs of the gods the Black Brach. Mot Elyeth himself had such a dog.

They say the Ulyan Wolf is a direct descendant.

GM's Eyes Only: this is a well known piece of local folklore, oft repeated but never proven.

~

Gossip: The Chersyas own a castle in the South of Sanas Morcorm, but the place has supposedly become a burden. Lord Edgar has found a use for that old ruin though. He's sent his useless son Conteth Cherubyn there to lord it over the quarry workers at Trestun Mill. Cherubyn is a lazy swine who cares nothing for the soldiers under his command. You hear terrible stories.

GM's Eyes Only: see the section on Trestun Mill on page 72 of the Age of Thaw. The Chersyan family purchased Trestun Mill, Darras Castle and Gorstone Quarry from the Gwelenbryals in 746AD but shortly thereafter business at the quarry and mill declined and the Chersyas lost a great deal of their wealth. Many believe the Gwelenbryals knew the deal would hurt the Chersyans but in those days the Chersyans were direct competition for the rule of the Angle, thus Darras is a bone of contention even for the current Lord, Edgar Chersya and a source of gossip for the common Dunkunian citizen.

~

Gossip: Go to Dunkunom, the city of smoke stacks. You can get whatever you want in the Newtun district much cheaper than elsewhere, but be careful of those migrant folk. They're thieves and reavers to a man.

GM's Eyes Only: many are the suspicions and prejudices the common people of Dunkunom harbour against the impoverished of Newtun.

Nevertheless, it is true that the Newtun folk can acquire most items for a greatly reduced price if given time enough to 'find' the item.

~

Gossip: that great swirling thing on Fossil Hill in Dunkunom is more than just some old rock. It comes alive sometimes, climbing down off the hill, uncurling like a millipede, and walking through the streets. If you hear the sound of its many feet then they say your dreams that night will be terrible and in them you'll vanish into the Nether Dymension, never to be seen again.

GM's Eyes Only: folklore surrounding the fossil on Fossil Hill varies, but tends to run along similar

themes. The fossil is said to come alive and wander through the city. The folklore is entirely unsubstantiated and false, but entertaining to impart and to hear.

~

Gossip: go to the tavern called the Pickled Egg and when you go in shout out as loud as you can 'The Gaffers Rule!'. The Pickled is a folkball pub the Gaffers like to patronize. You'll get a free drink and probably more from the good folk there.

GM's Eyes Only: a common trick played on strangers to Dunkunom, a city obsessed with the sport of folkball. This particular version of the trick will be played by citizens from Norsia. The Pickled Egg is a Dunkunom City supporters pub and anyone announcing their love for the Gaffers (Norsia Folkball Club supporters) or Rovers Folkball Club will be greeted with a stoney, if not violent reception.

The same trick is played by citizens of Sergon (the South Ward) by directing strangers to visit Brume's Closet (a Norsian tavern) encouraging the player group to enter the tavern and announce their love for Dunkunom City FC, The trick has become so common, however, that the effect is greatly diluted.

Player characters who fall for the trap should make a Spirit roll, and if successful their announcement will be greeted by sneers and derogatory remarks but nothing worse.

The citizens of Underlith are a more reserved and kindly people and no such trick will be played on strangers in their midst.

~

Gossip: the waters of Lake Sulis in the south of The Angle have healing properties, but taking the waters away is forbidden.

GM's Eyes Only: anyone drinking from the lake heals one Life-Force point per day for every day they take a drink. Removing the water in flasks or bottles is forbidden, however, and anyone caught doing so risks arrest by the city watch.

~

Gossip: the Pellodrome is a good way to make fast wealth, but perilous and not for the weak of heart.

Make sure you know what you're signing up for before you enter.

GM's Eyes Only: both a true statement and wise advice. See page 139 of the Age of Thaw.

~

Gossip: the Catamite Falls of Carnuntun in The Angle go down, but anyone who goes into the cave where the river originates will see the water comes 20

up from below. Some kind of ancient magick is at work, whether for good or for ill.

GM's Eyes Only: see Cattamite Falls, page 144 in the Age of Thaw. This refers to the famous Middle Mist cavern wherein the source of the river Carnun can be found, a strange and enormous inverse waterfall that thunders upward from the depths of the earth and into the cavern to create a great turbulent lake.

~

Gossip: the mountains surrounding the city of Santun Morvagh are not a natural formation. They were made when the Hammer of Merrlith was thrown down by the All Father, Seth Elgan and his son, the dark god Uselyorn. The great weapon of the stars, Merrlith was used to destroy Mot Elyeth and the world of the wyrmen. Santun Morvagh is the core of that great detonation where the world of old suffered its final days.

Gossip: let me tell you of the Citadel of Levenbrand in Santun Morvagh. A tower sealed so that none may gain entry. Within stands a large stone chest and within the chest is something so terrible that none are allowed inside the Citadel, or even upon the land near the tower. Whatever lurks inside is too hideous to speak of and remains a secret known only to conspirators at high level of office in the city guilds, institutes and church.

GM's Eyes Only: Whatever is held in the Citadel of Levenbrand, it may be as terrible as the rumours suggest, or nothing so disturbing as a particularly valuable treasure the owners wish to keep safe from thieves.

~

Gossip: Gallo House in Santun Morvagh isn't just a

GM's Eyes Only: This is true, so far as scholars can ascertain, though there are certain schools of thought that believe the precise location of the detonation was somewhere closer to the Hammer Dwale.

~

Gossip: If you're a Soul Reaper take a gift to the gate-keepers of Tollboreth Tunnel in Santun Morvagh and they'll let you watch the wastes of Mortun Pandi for Fell from the safety of their barbican.

GM's Eyes Only: competition is stiff for the favour of the gate-keepers who portion out time at Tollboreth to those Soul Reapers who give the best gifts. Alcohol, good food and trinkets the gate keepers can take home to their wives will generally win them over.

~

Gossip: Visit the Temple of Senses, the shrines they call Alkoremmi in Santun Morvagh. There you can indulge yourself. It is an experience no visitor to the Morvanian city should miss.

GM's Eyes Only: information on the Temple of Senses can be found on page 163 of Age of Thaw.

~

Gossip: be careful in the Ward of Golems, a northern district in Santun Morvagh. Not all the golems are tame.

GM's Eyes Only: true, and helpful information.

More on the Ward of Golems can be found on page 166 of the Age of Thaw.

The Anglian city of Dunkunom, home of the Folkball phenomenon

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stately house or another guild but the Statehouse of the Assassin's Guild. You'll not see the assassins going in and out, but that's what it is. Just read the inscription on the statue that stands in the front courtyard. You'll see.

GM's Eyes Only: this is true, though most Morvanians know better than to spread this idle gossip unless they are either mad, drunk or extraordinarily sure of themselves.

~

Gossip: Arnun Mened is an old fortress in the southern mountains of Mortun Pandi. You can see it by ship if you sail along the Fynereth Canal, but most sailors avert their eyes. Evil festers there.

Spirits of the dead and the cursed dwell in that dark place. Be wary if you go that way.

GM's Eyes Only: see page 171 of Age of Thaw for details.

~

Gossip: do a good deed and visit the hapless soldiers of Arn Merrtor in the mountains of southern Mortun Pandi. Be sure to take food and alcohol for them. They live a lonely, cold existence, but the work they do keeping Santun Morvagh safe is commendable.

GM's Notes: see page 171 of Age of Thaw.

~

Gossip: Lorel Elowen was the brother of the queen of Santun Morvagh of old, Queen Morvagh herself.

Lorel's people lived in the south of Mortun Pandi, but the dire folk of Gungin destroyed them. Some still live, but you rarely see them. They call themselves The Loremasters and can be dark in their ways. If you cross their path it is best to be wary. Some are better than others but they live a desperate life and are known for banditry.

GM's Notes: all true and helpful information for the itinerant intending to travel the southern lands of Mortun Pandi. See also System & Setting, Creeds.

~

Gossip: they say Yrmynsyl was once a mighty tree, grown from the acorn that fell as a tear from Womad's eye when that ancient elemental spirit sank to the earth and died. Look there, to the highest point in the sky, where Yrmynsyl's tapering end seems to vanish and you will see Karrekith, the floating mountain. Upon the mountain summit, they say, can be found Haligvalt, city of the gods. Some say Seth, the All-Father, lives there still. But if that's true he is silent and watchful. I would prefer to think his kind are long gone.

GM's Eyes Only: Yrmynsyl's immense shaft looms above Santun Morvagh and is visible from every part of Ereth as a vertical sliver dividing the sky.

~

Gossip: It is said that nobody walks in Skyssa if they can punt by boat or better still travel in style by sky-tram.

GM's Eyes Only: see page 195 of the Age of Thaw for details of the sky-tram.

~

Gossip: the government of the city of Stratum in Skytor is labyrinthine. The Haligentsia and the Temple of Forallum both know the real authority in that city remains hidden and protected on the highest levels where nobody can touch them. They would storm the city if they could, and destroy those who dwell in the upper reaches, but Skyssa is too reliant upon the genius of the wyrlung to take such reckless action. They won't unseat the evil that hides upon the roof of Stratum so easily.

GM's Eyes Only: such gossip is idle indeed in the city of Skyssa, where the words of citizens must be carefully measured. Most would never dare to utter such rumours (though almost every Skyssan citizen has heard them) except within the safety of their own home or somewhere equally secure.

~

Gossip: the vast city of Skyssa has its fair share of secrets. The Mordran Hall is one. Not the only one, but perhaps the most interesting for anyone who hails from the south or the west.

GM's Eyes Only: see page 197 of the Age of Thaw for details on the nature of the secret of Mordran Hall.

~

Gossip: Leonid Stromm is a well known character in the land of Skytor - a steamsmyth genius. But some say he belongs to a secret underground organisation of intellectuals, and I don't doubt it, though I doubt I could ever join myself. In order to become a member you must find the organisation's headquarters by locating and solving a number of puzzles Leonid has hidden in and around Skyssa, each puzzle leading to the next, the last leading to the headquarters of the group. I have never even found the first of these puzzles, nor would I know where to begin looking.

GM's Eyes Only: Idle gossip that might lead to adventure. The puzzle of Leonid is detailed in greater depth in the scenario entitled The Raven Steps (issue 10 of Forever Folio).

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Gossip: Maus Tower is probably the most unusual location in the north of Annarr. A stranger place I doubt exists in this part of Ereth, the land they call Skytor. They say the island is ruled by rats and the ghosts of the dead. I say stuff and nonsense, but to my shame I would not set foot there. Nor should I even speak of the place.

GM's Eyes Only: for more information on Maus Tower see page 199 of Age of Thaw.

INCIDENTS Incidents are spontaneous events designed to provide a moment of action and intrigue during the game.

Players will not experience incidents as a result of following any specific rumour. The GM should instead introduce Incidents as roleplay events as and when she feels the need, though the use of incidents to fill quiet moments in-game should be avoided if the player group are making good use of their down time.

If players are already bogged down with the amount of rumours they've chosen to investigate (and especially where they have embarked on more than one rumour at a time) the GM should keep incidents to a minimum or omit them altogether, reserving them for times when the group are less busy or moments when she needs something simple to fill a half hour or so of game time.

In some cases incidents support campaign rumours and will either be related to or will move forward the background campaign story. Others will just present moments of interest and enhance player immersion.

A FESTER IN VERDANDI Somewhere in the city of Verdandi the Craven runespell Abominable Guardian is cast. A Plague Golem (known less commonly as a Fester) is summoned and unleashed upon the city. The summoner is a Warlock called Duetonom Damcrosser, a member of an underground Elgan cult known as the Temple of the Black Dyad.

Shortly after this incident, Duetonom's body turns up in the city, floating in one of Verdandi's harbours. Pinned to Duetonom's body is an apparent suicide note, apologising for the 'accidental summoning' of the Fester. If the character of Duetonom is investigated by the player group they will discover he was a clerk at a local bank. His colleagues remember him as a mean spirited man with a creepy demeanour. Many examples of his

hand writing will be available in the form of his administrative work and it will therefore be a simple matter for players to determine that the suicide note was written by somebody else.

Before any of this occurs, the Fester glides out of the house of Duetonom and into the city, spreading a diabolical terror throughout Verdandi.

This incident should occur when the player group are present in Verdandi and will give them an opportunity to face a challenging foe, thus the incident may be worth introducing when the group have had a chance to investigate one or two rumours.

The location of the Fester's first appearance is left to the GM's discretion but need not be within immediate range of the player group. Instead, news of its presence may reach them as the streets empty of citizens and city guards rush to the scene.

THE FESTER Festers are created by Craven rune casters using the corpse of a victim slain and marked with the appropriate runes. They cannot be controlled and cannot be dismissed, remaining in the Entopic plain until killed.

The Fester will not attack the summoner but nor will it obey their demands, attacking anyone else within range before gliding away in search of fresh victims.

The golem's sole desire is to spread the plague that festers in its core, its presence in the Entopic serving no other purpose.

In appearance the golem is vaguely feminine, dark and slender and seemingly enshrouded by tattered black robes, though this leathery garb is in fact a form of flesh and covers the creature from end to end. Only the diseased whiteness of the withered arms and clawed hands appear bare of the dark skin which seems to ripple and flow with a life all of its own.

The monster's head is a dark, oily shell, similar to a leathery cowl, with a gaping hole in place of a face.

From this hole drools a steady stream of viscous black ooze which slimes the front of the golem's body and collects on the floor where it seethes and bubbles like boiling pitch.

The creature hovers a foot or so above the ground, the lower half of its strange upright body graduating into a vile tail of prodigious length whose snake-like form is covered in the same leathery black flesh along with protruding thorns, spikes and pustules.

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A smell so foul surrounds the Fester that anyone within 10ft must make a successful AA Endurance dice check or vomit, losing one Life-Force if they fail.

The Fester is a deeply disturbing monstrosity whose mere touch is capable of inflicting death and pestilence. In combat she will either try to touch her victims with her crone-like claws or with her lashing tail.

The claws inflict Life-Force damage while the tail is capable of dealing both damage and disease, inflicting the plague on those grievously wounded by its multi-barbed edge.

the summoner nor another Craven spell-caster and is immune to the effects of counterspells or spells that would normally dismiss the effects of Craven magick. It will remain indefinitely until killed, though if it remains undetected it is unlikely to remain in Verdandi and will drift out of the city to spread its sickness as far afield as it can, a trail of sick and dying victims in its wake.

At the GM's discretion the player group will either encounter the Fester after local soldiers have arrived to deal with it or before. If before, soldiers will turn up 1d6 skirmish rounds after fighting begins. The first to arrive will be 1d6+2 Grenadier, followed by 1d6+2 White Thorn Guards.

Once a victim contracts the plague from a wound inflicted by a Fester they are then carriers and can potentially pass the disease on to others in range.

The illness will cause them to lose d20 Life-Force every in-game day they have the plague and anyone who comes within 10 feet of them (or whom the GM deems has touched items or surfaces the diseased character has touched or used) will need to make a successful AA Immune to Disease dice check (one per in-game day) or contract the plague themselves.

After a total of 2d20+5 skirmish rounds have been completed (from start of combat to end) the Fester will be overwhelmed by a veritable army of White Thorn guards and will be destroyed.

The plague causes loss of weight, ugly blisters and pustules and ultimately death unless healed or treated.

1d6+2 White Thorn Guards will arrive or will already be on the scene and engaging the Fester at the GM's discretion. The White Thorn are an elite unit and stronger than the Grenadier. Once the White Thorn arrive the Grenadier will start taking orders from them.

All claw based attacks are made using AA Brawl and are opposed by AA Dodge in every instance. Tail attacks may only be made using the Lash Combo.

The golem is slow and languid in her movements, thus her touch can usually be avoided without too much effort, while the tail will prove the most dangerous of her natural weapons.

The ooze that streams constantly from the golem's gaping skull also carries the plague and should be avoided. Anyone touching the stuff with bare skin will immediately contract the disease.

The ooze will remain even after the golem has been slain, though it will gradually vapourize over the course of 1d6+4 in-game days, becoming safe thereafter but leaving an ominous stain.

1d6+2 Grenadier will either already be battling the Fester or will arrive 1d6 skirmish rounds after the player group engage the creature. The GM should treat them as NPCs who will ignore any commands given them by the player group, though they will fight bravely.

White Thorn Guards will either carry a polearm or two swords, one in each hand. For a randomized guard GM rolls 1d4 and on a 1,2 or 3 the guard carries swords, on a roll of 4 a polearm.

The GM may wish to allow players to make dice rolls for the NPC fighters in order to include players in the process of battle between the Fester and the guards. The GM may also wish to allow players to decide which Combos the White Thorn use at what time. The GM alone should determine how the White Thorn and Grenadier behave and how they direct their attacks in general.

The Fester cannot be dismissed, by either 24

FESTER

GRENADIER

Type: Metazoid (Magick) Common Names: Plague Golem Class: Single Entity Allegiance: none Temperament: sinister, slow but grim to behold and surrounded by a reek of death and decay Language: none Challenge: medium to high Rune School: none Size Bonus: 9 Spirit: NA

Size Bonus: 4 Spirit: 10

Art & Expertise: 4 Brawl [+4], Sneak [+10]

Mind & Memory: 8 Allure [+2], General Knowledge [+4], Immune to Charm [+1], Intellectual Intimidate [+1], Learn [+2], Meditation [+1], Orphic Knowledge [+3], Place in the Cosmos [+2], Read Person [+2], Speak/Read/ Write Language [+2]

Force & Form: 18 Physical Intimidation [+6] Mind & Memory: 1 Sense & Sympathy: 1 Hear a Pin Drop [+3], Orphic Effect [+12], Spot Secrets [+3] Fate & Fortune: NA Storm & Stamina: 5 STRENGTH Life-Force: 84 Max Psychic Wounds: NA Max Severe Wounds: 3 (all Severe Wounds convert into double damage with no need to roll on the Severe Wounds table) COMBAT Skirmish Smarts: 1 Weapons: Claws of the Diseased Touch (natural touch, magickal melee weapon (AA Brawl, opposed

by AA Dodge in every instance) b+5); Tail of Festering Doom (natural tail, melee weapon (Lash Combo only) b+6, see description for plague damage) Armour: none Common Gear: none COMBOS: Lash (3 Attacks)

Art & Expertise: 7 Acrobatics [+2], Archery [+1], Bladed Weapons [+2], Brawl [+3], Climb [+2], Combat Talent [+3], Craft [+3], Dodge [+1], Engineer [+1], Firecraft [+3], Hit Bullseye [+2], Leap [+2], Polearm [+1], Rune Scribing [+2], Sling [+3], Sneak [+2], Swift [+3], Swim [+4], Two Weapon Combat [+1] Force & Form: 8

Sense & Sympathy: 8 Kinship [+3], Orphic Effect [+2], Sense Motive [+2], Spot Secrets [+2], Taste & Smell [+3], Zone Out Noise [+2] Fate & Fortune: 10 Aesthete [+2], Courage [+3], Opacity [+1], Orphic Talent [+3], Resistance to Evil [+2] Storm & Stamina: 8 Endurance [+1], Hold Breath [+1], Immunity to Disease [+1], Recover [+2], Skirmish Strength [+2] MAGICK (Anarchaic only) Nudge Bank: 13 Orphic Plasm: 24 STRENGTH Life-Force: 80 Max Psychic Wounds: 5 Max Severe Wounds: 4 COMBAT Skirmish Smarts: 20 Weapons: Pikestaff of the Forward Ranks (large polearm, weapon (AA Polearm): b+2, 112w/75k); Sweord of the Reserve Guard (large sword, weapon (AA Bladed Weapon): b+1, 85w/28k).

Armour: Anglian Chain Hauberk b+6; Anglian Grenadier’s Tabard b+2; Bronze Great Helm of the Anglian Reserves b+6 (Ee5 to Granite Skull dice checks); Kite Shield of the Anglian Reserves b+8; Total Armour Bonus +22 Common Gear: see Grenadier Creed in System & Setting (only applicable where the body of a fallen Grenadier is robbed of spoils).

COMBOS: none

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WHITE THORN GUARDS Size Bonus: 4 Spirit: 12 Art & Expertise: 9 Acrobatics [+4], Archery [+2], Bladed Weapons [+6], Brawl [+5], Climb [+2], Combat Talent [+8], Craft [+3], Dodge [+5], Engineer [+1], Firecraft [+4], Hit Bullseye [+3], Leap [+2], Polearm [+6], Rune Scribing [+2], Sling [+4], Sneak [+2], Swift [+4], Swim [+4], Two Weapon Combat [+6] Force & Form: 8 Bludgeon [+2], Might [+2], Pitch [+2], Sturdy on the Feet [+2] Mind & Memory: 8 Allure [+5], General Knowledge [+4], Immune to Charm [+4], Intellectual Intimidate [+1], Learn [+3], Meditation [+1], Orphic Knowledge [+3], Place in the Cosmos [+2], Read Person [+2], Speak/Read/Write Language [+2] Sense & Sympathy: 8 Hear a Pin Drop [+2], Kinship [+3], Orphic Effect [+2], Sense Motive [+2], Spot Secrets [+3], Taste & Smell [+3], Zone Out Noise [+4] Fate & Fortune: 12 Aesthete [+2], Courage [+6], Opacity [+4], Orphic Talent [+3], Resistance to Evil [+10] Storm & Stamina: 10 Endurance [+6], Hold Breath [+1], Immunity to Disease [+1], Recover [+4], Skirmish Strength [+5] MAGICK (Anarchaic only) Nudge Bank: 13 Orphic Plasm: 24 STRENGTH Life-Force: 95 Max Psychic Wounds: 5 Max Severe Wounds: 5 COMBAT Skirmish Smarts: 32 Weapons: Ferrule Mace of Reaching (2 handed polearm, large melee weapon (AA Polearm) b+1 [Reach: 6, A long wooden staff of unexotic wood furnished at the end with a detachable ferrule of lead connected by a short length of chain] 23w/35k); or 2x Thelion Blade (1 handed divine sword, large melee weapon (AA Bladed Weapons) b+2 [Thin-bladed sword with an ornate silver hilt, wide cross-guard and pommel fashioned to resemble the symbol of Wythia, the Cosmic Tree Yggdruskyl] 43w/18k).

Armour: x2 Ailette of Adamantine Steel b+36; Gorget of Tempered Steel b+3; Habergeon Shirt of Light Chain b+3; White Satin Great Helm of the Chivalrous b+12 (EE5 to Granite Skull dice checks); White Satin Plate of the Chivalrous b+12; White Satin Plate Solarets of the Chivalrous b+4; White Satin Gauntlets of the Chivalrous b+4; Total Armour Bonus +74 Common Gear: White Thorn guard carry only their weapons and armour, weight considerations preventing them from carrying much else.

COMBOS: Backslash (2 Attacks, requires guard is armed with a sword, not polearm), Barbed Lunge (4 Attacks, requires guard is armed with two swords, not polearm), Polearm Cyclone (3 Attacks, requires guard is armed with polearm, not swords).

THE BANE OF WYRDORPH If the player group investigate The Bearing Pit, The Aura of Coriola or The Raven Steps rumours, or if they are seen investigating Duetonom (see A Fester in Verdandi) they come to the attention of an agent working for the Temple of the Black Dyad, a dark Elgan cult operating in the city of Verdandi.

The agent will present himself as a simple peddler selling various items at reduced prices. The peddler will describe himself as desperate, which is why most of his wares are cheaper than usual. Most of his things will be of little interest, broken and/or of poor quality, but he will have two weapons in his keeping, both of which he will seem to have no idea of their true value.

Both weapons are fetishes marked with the Bane of Wyrdorph Anarchaic rune.

If any player character purchases one or both Fetishes he will notice his Orphic Plasm and any magickal items he owns losing power and points. The Fetish drains all magickal energy possessed by the owner, either from his own Orphic Plasm or from items imbued with magick, and then transfers them directly to the creator of the hex - in this instance the high priestess of the Black Dyad, Grame Orl (a character players won't encounter as a significant enemy until they investigate the rumour, The Dun Wytch Horror).

The rate of the magickal drain is left entirely to the discretion of the GM. As a rule of thumb 1xd10 points of Orphic Plasm per ingame day and an equivalent from any magickal items should prove adequate. In addition, all Orphic Plasm costs for spell effects are doubled while the Fetish remains in the casterâ€&#x;s possession. One half of this will be drained by the Fetish itself and transferred directly to the Fetish creator.

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Grame stores all transferred Orphic Plasm in a variety of orphic sinks which she keeps in her lair in the Sailing Hills (see Forever Folio issue 11).

The only indicator that the owner is in possession of a cursed fetish will be apparent when casting spells as all orphic investments will remain at double the cost, interpreted in-character as an exhausting effort when casting usually standard spells. In the meantime the GM should ask to see the player's character sheet and note down in secret the player's Orphic Plasm and any Orphic Plasm associated with carried gear, deducting from these values as necessary but making no alterations to the character sheet. If the player tries to spend Orphic Plasm he doesn't have, only then should the GM make the adjustments to the player's sheet and announce that his Plasm has somehow been drastically reduced.

The Fetish cannot be destroyed and can only be passed on to a new owner. See page 231 (Hex of the Fetish) in System & Setting for further details.

The weapon fetishes offered by the peddler include: Quadric Blade of the Assassin (large sabre, 1 handed melee weapon (AA Bladed Weapons) b+3 [curved, razor-sharp sabre with a rectangular vamplate. The hilt is encrusted with gems and the blade is etched with runeforms, those of the Hex of the Fetish hidden among them - successful passive AA Orphic Knowledge dice check with Dd1 to spot the Anarchaic runes] 38k/normal Wealth value 423w but the peddler will sell the sword for just 120w).

Flanged Mace of the Titan-Slayer (large mace, 2 handed melee weapon (AA Bludgeon) b+10 [sturdy uber-mace furnished with four dull-edged flanges surrounding a thick head of solid brass. A brass knob on the end of the hilt unscrews if the owner makes a successful passive AA Spot Secrets dice check with Dd2 when handling the weapon. The Hex of the Fetish runes are etched into the end of this knob, hidden when screwed into the hilt] 68k/normal Wealth value 525w but the peddler will sell for 180w).

A LOOSE ARROW This incident should include the player group and occurs, in a similar fashion to the Fester incident, as the group are exploring or staying in the city of Verdandi.

The group hear sounds of turmoil on the road ahead and are suddenly greeted with citizens dashing toward them, some screaming, others yelling incoherent warnings as they hurtle past.

If the player group investigate they will come face to face with a Sandlew Tiger prowling down the middle of the now deserted road.

The tiger belongs to Trevana the One-Armed Tamer, a Beast Master who specializes in training and showing his three Sandlew Tigers on a nightly basis at the Blade & Lion inn, one of Verdandi's most popular drinking holes and one of the largest inns in the city. This particular tiger, whose name is Arrow, has somehow gotten loose and is now abroad in the city.

The tiger is exceptionally tame, having been raised from a cub by Trevena and accustomed to the crowds of the Blade & Lion, but will attack if cornered or if she feels threatened. She is also hungry and may seem agitated as a result. If the tiger is called by name, or coaxed with some raw meat she will happily allow a collar or chain to be placed around her head and will then wait to be led back to Trevena.

Trevena himself is unaware of Arrow's break for freedom. His assistant, a somewhat incompetent young wyrman called Ophus, left the door to the tigers' pen unlatched then fell asleep on the job.

Trevena will be infinitely grateful to the player group if they manage to capture Arrow without bringing harm to the tiger. He will give the group free tickets to nightly shows at the Blade & Lion, along with instructions for bar staff to charge any drinks the player character's order to Trevena's own expansive tab, an offer that will remain open for so long as they remain in Verdandi.

Trevena also knows some of the most interesting characters in the city personally. These include the beautiful Ethenan siren-songstress Xanadu Nucissus (another performer at the Blade & Lion) and the celebrated Bard of Avalon, Hamnet Chamberlain, frequent patron of the B&L and a potential doorway into celebrity circles if the player group can befriend him.

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If the player group slay or harm Arrow, Trevena's wrath will know no bounds. He will expend all his energy on a campaign of vengeance, seeking the help of the Assassin's Guild and his powerful friends in Verdandi's celebrity and aristocratic societies.

Whatever the reaction of the player group, 1d12 skirmish rounds after they encounter Arrow prowling through Verdandi's streets the city watch and a unit of White Thorn guards will turn up.

These will recognise Arrow and send a runner for Trevena who will subsequently arrive to round up the tiger. If the player group are deemed to be responsible for containing Arrow prior to this point Trevena will be grateful, as detailed above.

UNDER THE WEATHER A bitter storm front rolls in over the Angle. The sky blackens and over the course of 24 hours the land is assailed by ferocious winds, heavy rains, hailstones and monstrous waves that batter the coast.

Perils facing the player group might include waves crashing over sea defences, trees falling in their path, tiles flying off rooftops, debris blown along roads, exposure to cold and flash floods or tidal bores along the Angle's rivers, The city of Verdandi will also be particularly prone to flooding.

FREE THE GIGAERACK This incident occurs somewhere either in the Angle, in Skyssa or in the city of Santun Morvagh. It will not occur in Listholm. It can be played in one of two ways. Either the player group stumble across a strange object which turns out to be a bomb. Or the player group witness the bomb exploding. This latter option is most likely to occur at a distance, the player characters hearing the sound of a distant report, the ground underfoot shaking momentarily followed by a rising mushroom cloud of smoke on the far side of the city. The GM should not impose the explosion on the player group within their proximity, thus injuring them, or even killing them without giving them fair warning and fair time to get clear.

The bomb, if found, is an iron sphere with a strange device on top consisting of various magnifying lenses over a series of taut cotton threads and metallic clamps. At a certain time of day the light of the sun will fall on the lens, the focused rays burning the taut cotton which will, in turn, cause a small bowl of kindling to ignite. This will then light a fuse of gun-powder which will subsequently cause

ARROW (SANDLEW TIGER) Size Bonus: 8 Art & Expertise: 8 Acrobatics [+4], Brawl [+6], Climb [+6], Combat Talent [+2], Dodge [+5], Leap [+7], Sneak [+9], Swift [+9], Swim [+4] Force & Form: 16 Bludgeon [+3], Granite Skull [+2], Might [+3], Physical Intimidation [+2], Sturdy on the Feet [+6] Mind & Memory: 3 Allure [+8], Immune to Charm [+2], Learn [+3], Place in the Cosmos [+4], Read Person [+2] Sense & Sympathy: 2 Hear a Pin Drop [+9], Spot Secrets [+4], Taste & Smell [+12], Zone Out Noise [+6] Fate & Fortune: 5 Courage [+2] Storm & Stamina: 6 Endurance [+10], Immunity to Disease [+12], Recover [+6], Skirmish Strength [+5] STRENGTH Life-Force: 80 Max Severe Wounds: 3 COMBAT Skirmish Smarts: 11 Weapons: Slashing Claws of the Big Cat (natural claws, melee weapon (AA Brawl or AA Bludgeon) brawl b+6, bludgeon b+0); Fearsome Bite of the Saber Toothed Cat (natural bite, melee weapon (AA Brawl) b+16 [one use per skirmish round only] Armour: pelt b+1 (doesn't deplete when reducing damage); Total Armour Bonus: +1 COMBOS: Maul (2 Attacks, target Size Bonus cannot exceed 6). the bomb to explode. On the side of the bomb are scrawled the words

and beneath this

The device is planted by a Gigamyrwen agent of the terrorist organisation known as the Togaedere (see page 281 of System & Setting, PDF version).

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The bomb will most likely be planted somewhere significant to the gigaerack's relationship with Verdandi. It is large and extremely destructive, with a Splash value of 60 and causing 6d20+120 LifeForce damage at ground zero. If the bomb is inside a building anyone in the same building will incur an additional 3d20+30 Life-Force damage as a result of the structure collapsing around and upon them.

They may also be buried alive under rubble and debris, requiring rescue.

Anyone outside the Splash range must make a Spirit roll and where the roll fails they are hit by shrapnel, incurring 1d20+20 Life-Force damage.

The same level of damage can also be applied to structures where the GM requires a specific evaluation of how much damage occurs. Otherwise damage should be assumed to be violent and extensive, any building within which the bomb is situated being largely destroyed, with additional structural damage to nearby objects and buildings.

If the bomb detonates in a public location the GM should determine NPC deaths as equal to 1d10 for an out of the way or quiet part of the city, 2d20+10 for a relatively well travelled part of the city and 4d20+80 for a popular part of the city.

Next Issue...

THE BEARING PIT Introducing players to Dunkunom and the industrial culture of that city. The Bearing Pit focuses on magickal rules and is a particularly useful scenario for player groups with numerous rune-casters. This scenario also introduces buy and sell methods typical of Wyrd, giving players the opportunity to garner wealth by procuring and selling apparently mundane materials.

A break-in at the house of the noble Lord Gonville Bromhead resulted in the theft of several red Soul Stones which had been in the Bromhead family for generations. A reward is offered for the capture of the thief and the safe return of the stones. Interested parties should attend the Ducal Order of Abbraxists and ask for an audience with Lord Bromhead.

The bomb's ignition system requires the sun is high in the sky and the detonation is therefore most likely to occur at midday. The bomb will probably be situated on a flat roof, or somewhere it won't be found, as the lens assembly is extremely delicate and easily defused. The gunpowder inside is very stable and the bomb is highly unlikely to explode without applying fire to the fuse.

If the GM wishes, the player group might be roped into hunting down those responsible, though no set scenario is provided for such an adventure.

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character and his cellphone, underground, in a 7 X 3 ft. casket.

trapped

"We thought - 'How entertaining would it be to take some of these same filmmaking principles into the fantasy genre?'...And hence "The Dwarves of Demrel" was born.

"The coolest part is... this is only the first film we have planned for the 'universe' we've created. You're not just investing in one film, but a new fantasy franchise. The script is written.

The characters and their costumes are set. The equipment needed to shoot is already assembled. We have the time. We've found the perfect mine to shoot in. All we need, is your help in bringing the mine to life."

YEAR OF THE DWARF With the last of the Hobbit trilogy now available on DVD and Blu-Ray, 2015 truly does look set to be the year of the dwarf. Zachary gives other reasons for the timing of their movie release.

It's a simple premise: bring some of the most popular tropes of the steampunk and fantasy genres to the big screen. Simple, but costly.

Thankfully, we live in the age of the crowdfund when projects which, ten years ago would be tossed aside by studio execs, can today appeal directly to the end-user for funds. Ultimately, its future audience will decide if the Dwarves of Demrel find gold on the silver screen.

"There aren't many fantasy films being made, and we plan on this being the first of many films to remedy that. We'll do it by telling smaller-inscale stories, that are equally as gripping to watch as a summer blockbuster.

In this steampunk fantasy adventure, a collapse imprisons three dwarven miners who must now work collectively to combat starvation, despair, and a mysterious creature. Further complications arise when one of the dwarves learns of their shared, morbid fate, and must decide whether to tell the truth, or keep it a secret and preserve their hope.

ORIGINS OF AN IDEA While finishing up at Ohio State in 2012, Chris Raney (Director/ Writer/Producer) and Zachary Amundson (Writer/Producer) saw the first of three Hobbit films, attending a 3:30am screening which would galvanize them to emerge blinking into the dawn light with the nugget of an idea forged and shining in their minds.

Zachary explains: "Walking out of that theatre, there was this epiphany moment - we would concentrate our filmmaking efforts toward making a studio-quality fantasy film... but we weren't going to wait until we had millions. We started referencing different one-location films as inspiration to tell a gripping story in a singular setting. This would enable us to keep production costs down.

Muscular, tattooed, and rugged, Brenn has been a miner all of his life and a pretty good one at that.

Think of him as your veteran factory worker. Relying on alcohol and tobacco to deal with life's problems.

"Rodrigo CortĂŠs "Buried" (2010) was particularly inspiring because of the intense, fast-paced drama the creators were able [to] achieve with just one

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Because the film takes place in one setting (the mine), we have this great opportunity to tell an engaging, beautiful fantasy story without it costing an exorbitant amount.

"Fantasy films are very difficult to produce because of the many expenditures involved in creating a completely immersive world e.g. costumes, make up, set(s) design, etc. We believe the most important element in the fantasy genre is escapism. The mine can give the film an epic, authentic space for our story to take place in. But it needs your help.

WHERE YOU CAN HELP The team behind this project still need your support to finish the work already started. Set designs, additional armour, weapon designs and labour costs all need funding, along with the transformation of a real mine into an epic underground dwarven kingdom.

Zachary explains: "We've self-financed everything to date and with only four main actors, we've been able to afford top-of-line costumes for each character. We've taken great strides in ensuring that everything is authentic to the world so that the audience will remain completely immersed. We can't suspend disbelief unless the mine looks convincingly dwarven. [The crowdfunding] help is the last piece we need in order to do just that.

If there was a black sheep within the mining company, Calcas is it. As an ex-accountant with a questionable past and questionable loyalties; he is an enigmatic, cryptic figure.

"The script calls for some key set pieces that are essential to the film's plot.

These include pillars, frames, stone tables, a giant steampunk electric generator, circuit breakers, dwarven inscriptions, a 'creature's lair', The Pit (the capital's garbage site in the mine) and styrofoam rocks (for rock collapse). There are also the less exciting, but equally as important expenditures, such as airfare and labour costs the pledge money will help us pay for."

Married early with five kids, Odryd is a "family dwarf" by default. Although he floats from job to job. Odryd is also probably the most charming due to his natural optimism.

A styrofoam core, just itching to be carved into something Dwarven

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Zachary goes on to talk about preshoot tests. "As with any film, there are a number of things that can happen to hinder a project. The good thing for us is, we've ironed out most of the foreseeable delays because we've already shot in the mine for the teaser!"

OBSTACLES "As with any film, there are a number of things that can happen to hinder a project. The good thing for us is, we've ironed out most of the foreseeable delays because we've already shot in the mine for the teaser!

"Time - The mine is not an easy place to shoot in. Travel within takes a long while and safety is always a concern. Fortunately we've worked there before and have a strong sense of what we can accomplish in a days shoot!

"Weather - As you can imagine, snowfall in the Michigan's Upper Peninsula is brutal. This is why we have decided to shoot in the fall. It allows us enough time to prepare properly for the production, while also keeping us out of the UP's harsher winter months.

"Lighting - As with any mine, there is no light. We will be utilizing excellent low-light cameras, fast glass, natural flames and portable battery powered LED's to cost effectively strike our sets!

A byproduct of nepotism, Drusso is a human from the "Capital" -- the largest metropolis in Rye. She came into a position of power when her uncle bought the mining company.

If you would like to read more about this project and see more images of set pieces, costumes, cast, crew and location, or if you would like to pledge your help, visit the official Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/257801402/the-dwarves-of-demrel

A collection of costume pieces already ready to be used on set

Circuit Breaker design

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Each month Forever People will be releasing a new 'Haunt', a free investigation site for your EVP game, giving GMs (Overseer) the opportunity to run a monthly session with options to play a different location every month.

In-game progress is reliant upon the gathering of compelling evidence, first and foremost, but later might also encompass the acquisition of an internet based audience and then even a television show, the efforts of players switching from the gathering of evidence to the generation of ratings and viewer interest.

Horror is the underlining theme throughout, with each Haunt presenting a new and different mystery to solve, thrilling new locations to explore and bone chilling new phenomenon to experience.

Introducing Forever People's latest release. EVP is a subtle modern horror RPG which puts players in the shoes of a ghost hunting team investigating some of the world's most notoriously haunted locations.

Chilling to the core and with a brooding atmosphere and mounting sense of anticipation, EVP sessions will have players on the edge of their seat as they use all the means at their disposal to record evidence of the paranormal.

Complete with an easy to learn and easy to implement game system, EVP follows the exploits of a group of paranormal investigators gathering evidence for a college degree in parascientific theory. Scenarios are limited entirely to on-site investigations where players will need to use equipment, wiles and courage to capture the data they need.

The player edition comes with everything players need to embark on a game, while the Overseer edition includes a free player edition plus a license to print and distribute up to eight copies of the player edition to players in the same gaming group, saving all players in the group the expense of a separate reference file.

Included with both editions is an extensive and essential equipment catalogue listing state of the art ghost hunting gear, from EVP recorders to antiqe spirit boxes, from Ovilus and God Helmets to Ouija boards and tipping tables.

Emphasis is firmly on the mechanics and logistics of paranormal investigation, drawing on the author's personal experiences as well as a wealth of media sources, from mainstream television shows like Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters International to YouTube favourites like Live SciFi.

As the efforts of players are inevitably rewarded by the acquisition of kudos and funds, they will be able to delve into the huge index of ghost hunting gear to purchase ever more technical and ever more impressive items for recording and revealing ever more profound aspects of the spirit realm.

But equipment is also supplemented by the skill sets of the hunters themselves which can be both technical and spiritual, the game allowing for either approach with plenty to keep skeptics and debunkers happy while those players who wish to explore the psychic, empathic and spiritualist possibilities will find enormous scope for entertainment.

Visit the Forever People publisher page at Drive Thru RPG, or the Forever People website to get your copy of EVP. We recommend the Overseer Edition is acquired by your gamesmaster and the cost of the PDF is then spread between GM and players, who will subsequently have access to the accompanying free player editions.

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You know... for kids. Want something that will tear them away from the iPad, the app store and the TV? Want to spend some quality play time with them but feel stupid dressing up as a Power Ranger?

Want to give them something that will test their brain-power, their imagination and their creativity?

Mazes, Maps & Monsters is a serialised fantasy roleplaying game for you and your minions.

Designed with an old school structure but using new-school methods to engage a younger audience, MM&M will introduce them gently to the roleplay hobby while simultaneously giving them something substantial to cut their teeth on.

The Shortling is a small, shy characters. The Shortling's speciality is climbing, tumbling and hiding. The Shortling can also hover using their wings and can turn invisible if they need to.

The system is designed to appeal to, and to be understood by, players between the ages of 6 and 14. This is a considerably broad brushstroke, but the system has been thoroughly playtested, with successful sessions including players belonging to the full spectrum of suggested age groups.

The GM should read out these Character descriptions, giving players a chance to choose one character each. Characters can either be taken at the start of the first session then used for subsequent sessions, or players can try a different Character each session. Where some players wish to change their Character but others wish to keep theirs, the GM should be flexible and allow this, though any equipment collected by previous Characters in previous sessions should not be carried over to the new Character.

CHOOSING CHARACTERS

ROLLING ABILITIES

Your players will need a pencil, a copy of the character sheet (see below), an eraser and the following dice: 1d4, 2d6, 1d12, 1d20.

To begin with players choose a 'Character' and may choose from The Wizard or The Sorceress, The Virtuoso, The Champion or Heroine, the Gnome or the Fairy.

The Enchanter or Enchantress is a talented magician who can use magic. Players who choose to play as this character will get to cast plenty of spells.

The Virtuoso is an expert in the use of mystical objects, including rings, talismans, amulets, wands and any other kind of magical item. This character will get to collect lots of special and interesting items of equipment.

The Brave is a mighty warrior or warrioress whose skill lies in the ability to use a sword, or any other kind of weapon. These characters can expect to be involved in lots of fighting and will be able to use their strength and bravery to protect the other characters in their team.

Each player rolls dice to generate the following abilities:

Agility =1d6+6

Representing the character's skill and natural ability.

When using Agility the player rolls 1d12 and aims to roll a value which is the same as, or lower than, his Agility value. If the roll is successful the player gains a Character Point. Agility might be used where the character is climbing a stone wall, fighting an enemy, dodging out of the path of a rolling boulder or swinging across a pit on a rope.

If the Agility roll is made and fails (the roll is higher than the value of Agility) the player may spend Character Points to change the result. The dice roll value may be reduced by one for every Character Point spent until the value is equal to or less than Agility.

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Life Points =2d6+12

CHARACTER DETAILS

Representing the character's health. If the character is hurt or becomes sick they might lose Life Points and if Life Points are reduced to zero the character has been killed. Life Points are replenished by eating food, resting and sleeping, by drinking healing potions or by using magical items.

Each Character type has its own special abilities and strengths. Players should be encouraged to try different styles of Character if they don't enjoy playing with their initial choice.

Fate =1d6+6

The Enchanter/Enchantress gains the following special abilities.

Representing the character's luck and good fortune.

When using Fate the player rolls 1d12 aiming to roll the same as, or less than, his Fate value. Whenever Fate is used and the roll is unsuccessful the value is reduced by one point. Fate cannot be reduced to less than 1 and is replenished by spending character points, resting, eating food or using magical items.

Character Bonus =1d4+2

The Character Bonus determines the value of abilities associated with different Characters. These are: Enchanter/Enchantress: Luck, Blessing, Spell Casting, Speak to Animals and Knowledge of Monsters.

Virtuoso: Power Bonus, Ring Lore, Wand Lore, Problem Solving, Detect the Presence of a Trap and Identify Magic Item.

Brave: Acrobatics, Use Magical Weapon, Dodge Attack, Resurrect Other Character, Defence Bonus, Damage Bonus.

Shortling: Hide From View, Spot Hidden Secrets, Hypnotise Monster, Hover, Vanish.

See Character Details for more information.

Endurance =1d4

Endurance makes the Character stronger and able to resist damage. When the Character incurs damage he adds his Endurance value to his Life Points and then rolls 1d20. If he rolls equal to, or less than the total of Endurance+Life Points he resists damage and doesn't lose Life Points. If he rolls greater than Endurance+Life Points he incurs damage and Life Points are reduced accordingly.

Destiny =1d6

The player's Fate value increases by a number equal to his Destiny value at the start of every game.

ENCHANTER / ENCHANTRESS

Luck

When making a Fate dice roll, the Wizard/ Sorceress player may deduct their Character Bonus from the dice roll.

Blessing

The player's Destiny value is increased by 2.

Spell Casting

Spells, once acquired and learned, are kept forever but may only be cast a number of times per game session equal to the Character Bonus value.

Speak to Animals

The Wizard/Sorceress may speak to animals. When attempting to do so the player rolls 1d6, aiming to roll the same as or less than their Character Bonus.

If they succeed they understand what the animal says and may speak to the animal.

Knowledge of Monsters

The Wizard/Sorceress has knowledge of monsters which they learned during their magical training.

When they encounter a new monster they may roll 1d6, aiming to roll the same as, or less than, their Character Bonus. If they succeed they can speak the monster's language and can also intimidate the monster, causing it to turn around and run away.

The successful roll only works on one monster (if there are a group of the same monsters, for example, only one runs away) and monsters will only flee if they have 5 Life Points or less.

VIRTUOSO The Virtuoso gains the following special abilities:

Power Bonus

When using any magic item which possesses a magical effect with a limited amount of uses the Virtuoso may add his Character Bonus to the 35

number of times the magic may be used. For example, if the item magical effect can be used twice, and the player has a Character Bonus of 2, the magical effect can be used a total of four times.

This does not apply to potions or items which vanish when their magical effect has been used once.

Ring Lore

Only the Virtuoso may use magical rings.

Wand Lore

Only the Virtuoso may use magical wands.

Problem Solving

When the group encounter a problem for which they can think of no obvious answer, or where they are faced with a puzzle or a riddle which has them mystified, the Virtuoso may roll 1d6 and compare the result with his Character Bonus. If he rolls the same or equal to his Character Bonus the GM should award the player with a clue. If he rolls greater than his Character Bonus he gains no insights into the problem.

Acrobatics

The Brave has increased agility. When making an Agility roll the Brave may deduct their Character Bonus from the dice roll.

Use Magical Weapon

Only the Brave may use magical weapons which have a weapon bonus.

Dodge Attack

If the Brave is damaged during combat the player may roll 1d6 and if the value is equal to or less than the value of their Character Bonus they successfully dodge the attack and do not incur damage after all.

Resurrect Other Character

Because of his honour, the Brave has acquired the blessings of the great gods. They bestow upon him or her the ability to restore life. The Brave may bring any one dead player character back to life.

The ability can only be used once per game but renews at the start of the next game.

Defence Bonus

Clues should be considered carefully by the GM who should try to achieve a balance wherein he lessens the difficulty of the puzzle without simply giving away the answer.

Bonuses from shields, armour and helmets are doubled when used by the Brave.

Detect the Presence of a Trap

Any damage roll of 6 results in a mighty blow and double damage. Damage is doubled after any weapon bonuses or ability bonuses are added.

Where the Virtuoso suspects there might be a trap hidden somewhere, behind a closed door for example, or under a stone floor, the player may roll 1d6 and compare the result with his Character bonus. If he rolls a value the same as or equal to his Character Bonus he detects a trap if a trap is there to be detected. The Virtuoso can only detect traps and cannot disarm them.

Identify Magic Item

The Virtuoso is an expert in magical items and when he comes across a mysterious object he will be able to identify any magical aspect and where a magical effect is attached to the item he will be able to use it. Alternatively he may unlock the magical aspect and give the item to another player to use.

No dice rolls are required when using this ability.

BRAVE The Brave gains the following special abilities:

Damage Bonus

SHORTLING The Shortling gains the following special abilities:

Hide From View

Whenever the Shortling wishes to hide from an enemy or some other kind of peril the player should roll 1d6 and compare the result with their Character Bonus. If the result is the same as or less than their Character Bonus they successfully hide, melting into the shadows or curling up beneath their cloak so that they appear to be a part of the landscape.

Spot Hidden Secrets

The GM might ask the player to roll a dice when there is something hidden within the Character's vicinity which the Character might spot but which the player is unaware of. Or the player might request a dice roll when he or she wants to search 36

a room for hidden items or secret doors. 1d6 is rolled and compared with the Character Bonus. If the roll is equal to, or less than, the Character Bonus the hidden item or secret door is found or noticed by the Character.

Hypnotize Monster

The Shortling can use their special empathic powers to put monsters into a trance. The player rolls 1d6 and compares the result with their Character Bonus. Where the result is equal to or less than the Character Bonus the monster enters a trance and is stunned for a few in-game minutes, giving the group a chance to escape. If the monster is touched, attacked or moved in any way he will emerge from the trance immediately.

Hover

The Shortling may hover for a few seconds using his or her wings. This should not be mistaken for flight.

If the Character falls from a height they will still plunge to their doom in the same way as any other character and they will be unable to fly to any considerable height. Instead they may use their wings to hover upward to a height of one foot and from there may then fly in any direction a distance equal in feet to their Character Bonus before they must land again. If this distance carries them across a great drop (a pit for example, or chasm) and allows them to reach the other side they will be able to fly across the span safely.

Vanish

The Shortling may disappear, using their special magical abilities to turn invisible at will. The effect lasts only a few in-game minutes and is exhausting.

For this reason the ability can only be used once per game.

FINDING AND CASTING MAGIC Magic comes in a variety of different forms in the game universe and only certain types of magic can be used by certain Characters. In some cases magic can be used by anyone, but the way in which the magic is used will be different depending on the type of Character.

Spells

Spells within the game universe are small hovering creatures which, when found and captured, can be added to the player's character sheet.

To capture a spell, the player must make a successful Agility roll. If they fail the roll, the spell

flies away and vanishes into the dimension of magic where it is lost forever. If the roll succeeds, the player catches the spell and may add it to his or her character sheet under 'Spells'.

When the Enchanter or Enchantress catches a spell, that spell is theirs forever. They are deemed to have learned the spell but they may only cast it a maximum number of times per game session equal to their Character Bonus value. For example, if their Character Bonus is 4 they may only cast any given spell four times per game.

When any other character catches a spell they may use that spell only once, after which the magic of the spell is deemed to be spent and the spell vanishes into the dimension of magic.

Magical Potions

Magical Potions may only be used once but can be used by any type of Character. The Character drinks the entire potion and enjoys the effect as specified in the potion description.

Magical Rings

Only Virtuoso Characters understand how magical rings work and so only they may wear and use the magic of a magical ring. The spell connected to any magical ring can only be used once per game, the magic renewed at the start of the next game.

To any other Character a magical ring will merely be of interest as an item they might sell for gems.

Magical Wands

Only Virtuoso Characters understand how magical wands work and so only they may use them. When a Virtuoso has a magical wand they may increase the number of times they can use any spell on their character sheet by an amount equal to the wand's bonus value. Once the spell has been used up it vanishes in the usual way.

Magical Items

Magical items can be any type of object, from something as mundane and boring looking as a potted plant to an object more likely to be magical, such as a staff or a wizardish cloak.

Only the Virtuoso Character will immediately recognise a magical item and will be able to identify its magical effect. All other Characters must make a Fate roll and if successful correctly recognize the object as magical and spot the hidden magical effect which they may then use.

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Magical Weapons

Any weapon which comes with a weapon bonus is deemed to be magical. Only the Brave may use magical weapons and therefore only Brave Characters will benefit from weapon bonuses.

If the target is using a shield, armour or helmet the bonus associated with that item is deducted from the damage roll.

Retreating

Magical Scrolls

Once a Character is engaged in combat they may retreat from their enemy but their enemy lands an automatic blow and deals damage without needing to roll vs their target's Agility. By retreating the character is able to run away and is safely out of range unless their enemy chases them.

COMBAT

A Character (or monster) may retreat if one of its allies (another player character for example) moves forward and 'distracts' the enemy. This requires the ally engages temporarily in combat for one round while the retreating character flees. Afterwards the ally may also retreat without penalty and both he and his friend may escape the battle.

Magical scrolls provide spells which can be kept and used by anyone. The scroll has a number of charges, with each charge powering one cast of the spell written upon the scroll. Once the charges are spent, the scroll crumbles to dust.

When player characters encounter monsters or other enemies they may find they must engage that enemy in combat.

When attacking a monster any player who steps forward and makes an attack is then deemed to be 'engaged' in combat and cannot retreat without incurring a penalty unless his retreat is aided by another player (see Retreating, below).

When a character and a monster are engaged in combat the following three steps occur.

1) Both the monster and the character roll 1d6.

The highest roll goes first in combat order and becomes the 'attacker'.

2) The attacker rolls 1d12, attempting to roll a value greater than or equal to the enemy's Agility value. If they succeed they land a blow and roll 1d6 for damage. Damage is deducted from the target's Life Points. If the attacker rolls less than the enemy's Agility they miss and no damage is inflicted.

3) The defender becomes the attacker and vice versa. Step one is repeated and then the round is deemed to be complete. The next round begins with the next set of combatants (which might include one of the combatants from the previous round) and all three steps repeat. Rounds proceed until one fighter wins by reducing his enemy's Life Points to zero.

If the attacker is carrying a magical weapon, the weapon bonus is added to the damage roll.

If the attacker is a Brave and rolls 6 the result is a mighty blow and damage is doubled (damage is doubled after bonuses are added for weapons and/or abilities).

Shooting Arrows and Crossbow Bolts The GM must determine whether a target is in range or not. Any given Character may only fire an arrow a maximum distance equal in feet to their Endurance value x 10. If the GM decides the target is further away than this the player may attempt to shoot but the arrow will fall short.

If the GM is unsure whether a target is too far away to be struck by an arrow he may call for a Fate roll, though the player may opt to simply not fire if he doesn't want to risk losing Fate points.

Crossbow bolts always fire 50ft regardless of the strength (Endurance value) of the firer.

GOLD, GEMS AND GEAR Items of equipment, when found or purchased, are added to the player's inventory box on their character sheet. The player may only carry as many items as there are inventory slots and if they amass too many items they will need to either forego new items or swap them for old items.

Items of equipment can be traded in at any time.

Regardless of the value of the item when purchased, items are always sold for 1 Gold. If the item is magical it will sell for 5 Gold and if the item has a bonus (such as armour or a weapon) the item will sell for 6 Gold.

Gems are valuable jewels which have a value equal to 20 Gold. Gems can be converted into Gold at any time during the game.

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This introductory adventure is designed to bring players gently into the fantasy world of Mazes, Maps & Monsters, cutting straight to the meat of the action. No reason need be given for why the group are adventuring together beyond the friendship of the various Characters and their desire to see justice done. In later scenarios players will be given the opportunity to start their game in a local village or town in order to buy gear and talk to locals to discover rumours about adventure to be had in the nearby region. To begin with the game lands our intrepid party in the middle of a story which most players will find easy to pick up and run with.

PLAYER BACKGROUND To be read aloud to players at the start of their first game and after Characters have been created.

You are summoned before the wizard master Adagio LeSpell who has heard of your heroics in other lands. He tells you that the great Keys of the three Dwarf Kings, which were in his safe keeping, have been stolen by the evil Lord Rankinphile.

The keys are powerful and important, for they can be used to unlock the chambers of the hidden cities of the Red, Green and Golden Dragons. If ever the doors were unlocked, the dragons would fly free and might burn all the towns and cities of the good people who live in the valley.

Adagio tells you that Lord Rankinphile has taken the keys to his hideout in the mountains, an old ruined castle known by locals as the Ruins of Peril. Adagio wants you to go there to find the keys and defeat Rankinphile.

You begin your quest by travelling the long road into the mountains above the valley and soon come to the entrance of the Ruins of Peril.

Before you stands an open doorway, crumbling and cracked. But you cannot simply go through the door because standing in front of it is a giant guard dressed in armour!

GM INFORMATION The 'evil Lord Rankinphile' will feature heavily throughout the player group's game as a familiar and oft-recurring villain. This familiarity will establish a comfort zone, ensuring the group are never overly fearful of the villain they must face.

Rankinphile is a stereotype, but necessary for various reasons. His presence as a familiar 'overlord of evil' antagonist will reassure players who are entirely new to the tabletop roleplaying experience of a certain stability and comfort zone which they will recognize and will find easy to assimilate. Later, when the clichĂŠ has been established, the GM might play with the stereotype and introduce twists and turns. For now the comfort level of players and their ability to absorb the workings of roleplay and the game rules are far more important than introducing original elements to the adventure story.

USING LEGO

The GM may wish to use LegoTM floorplans to enhance his game. In playtests Lego was used extensively and provided a much needed visual aid to younger players who were then able to focus their imagination on something solid.

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1" scale plastic miniatures should be used with the Lego floorplan, their bases neatly compatible with the standardized Lego brick sizes and their inclusion another way to grab the imagination of younger players. Monsters, NPCs and rooms will come to life this way for players who might otherwise struggle to form an image in their minds eye of the scenes their GM describes. This, of course, is not always the case, and some players might have ample imagination to envisage the fantasy world in which their Character has been immersed. In other cases Lego and miniatures will only create a distraction.

Ultimately the GM must decide, based on the knowledge he or she has of his or her own young group which the author does not, whether Lego and miniatures are appropriate.

In any case ground rules should be laid down when using visual props. Players should be informed that they may not touch or move figures unless the GM says they may do so. Similarly the Lego may not be touched without the express permission of the GM. It should be made clear that the visual props are

there to give players a good idea of the shape and layout of the place their Characters are exploring, of the exact position of monsters and of the Characters themselves, and that the props are not provided as a kind of toy to be used in the way players might be used to using toys for imaginative gameplay.

These instructions which, at first, might seem harsh, will soon be accepted and will ensure the GM does not spend his or her game keeping the Lego props and miniatures under control.

THE RUINS The following key and maps detail the Ruins of Peril and provide the GM with everything he or she needs in order to run the adventure from start to finish. The GM should anticipate several game sessions to complete the adventure, ideally running each session for no more than one to two hours depending on the likely attention span of the group.

One key will probably be recovered by the group

1 up

15a

up

up

2a pool

3

13 15c 17

12 18

14

6

4

15b

16 8

9

5a

19b

10 5 7

19a 5b LOWER FLOOR

7a

11

2b UPPER FLOOR & ROOFTOPS 41

for every session they undertake, the final session seeing them confront the evil Lord Rankinphile.

Images included below show the Ruins of Peril constructed out of Lego and in the midst of playtest action. It should be noted that particular efforts were made to build this Lego model in order to showcase what can potentially be built, and a great deal of Lego was used in the construction. By no means should the GM reading this feel they are required to present anything so intricate or expansive for their own group (unless, of course, they relish a challenge and, like us, have a great deal of Lego to play with). One layer of bricks can be used effectively enough to outline the edges of rooms and passageways, with standard Lego doors used for thresholds and simple offset bricks used to indicate stairs. Players will need to be informed that the Lego merely indicates and does not precisely represent the place they are exploring in order to prevent younger players from mistakenly assuming they can step over walls in order to reach adjacent rooms.

listen to riddles and give philosophical insights.

Level 1 Riddle Q. The queen in her castle had six sons and two daughters. How many princesses lived in the castle?

A. two.

Level 2 Riddle Q. What invention lets you look right through a wall?

A. A window.

Level 3 Riddle Q. If a debt, subtracted from zero, is a fortune and a fortune, minus zero, is a fortune, what is a debt minus zero?

A. A debt.

1 Dung, the Philosophical Giant As the players approach, Dung scratches his head and demands they answer his riddle in order to pass through the door and into the Ruins of Peril.

Dung may seem to be an ignoramus but his riddles will suggest hidden depths. The GM should choose a riddle based on the perceived ability of his group.

As a rule of thumb the GM should never underestimate the intelligence of his players, but on the other hand should avoid giving them a riddle they have no hope of answering. The level of riddle varies from 1 to 3, with 1 being suited to 6 to 8 yr olds, level 2 suited to 9 to 11 yr olds and level 3 suited to 12 to 14yr olds (or older). This level system is used throughout the adventure.

Dung prefers the right answer but will accept any answer provided it is philosophical. Regardless of whether the riddles are answered correctly or incorrectly, Dung will step aside and allow the group to enter the ruins. He is not a guard but merely lives at the entrance where he finds he is more likely to meet people who seem willing to

Dung, the Philosophical Giant

2 Boulder Trap of Inevitable Cliches Hidden in the floor here (2a) is a small catch which, if trodden on, will trigger a boulder trap. The boulder will emerge from a place at the opposite end of this long corridor (2b) and will rumble toward the player group.

Any Character passing location 2a makes a Fate roll

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and if unsuccessful they lose 1pt of Fate in the usual way and step on the catch. They will hear an ominous click and then the boulder will start to rumble toward them.

The boulder can be easily outrun but the group will need to decide if they are going to go back the way they came or try to run for the door to room 3. If they go back the way they came the boulder will smash into the corner, blocking the way ahead. The group will need to find the necessary spell to dislodge the boulder before they can proceed.

The GM should not allow players too long to decide, hurrying them to reach a decision before the boulder hits them.

3 Mutant Sea Bass This room is divided into three parts. The part just inside the door is a stone platform with a retaining wall. The wall retains a pool of water filled with angry mutated sea bass (no lasers) which will attack the feet and ankles of anyone wading through the water. This will cause 2d6 Life Points damage to anyone who doesn't 'take precautions'.

On the other side of the pool is a small raised porch which leads to room 4.

A treasure chest stands just inside the door leading to the corridor. In the chest are six normal swords and a Sword of Legend (magical weapon +2 bonus).

The chest also contains 15 Gold.

4 Mel Kholly, the Convenient Store The door leading to room 5 is locked from the outside, while the door leading to the porch in room 3 is unlocked but the pool of angry mutant sea bass prevents easy crossing of that room.

Here is a fairly comfortable chamber with a fireplace, a table and a chair. Various odds and ends stand on shelves around the room and sitting at the chair, supping from a cup and eating dry bread is a

The Boulder of Inevitable Cliches solemn looking old man who introduces himself as Melon, seller of things. This, he will explain, is his convenient store, conveniently placed in the middle of the evil Lord Rankinphile's headquarters in order to provide the adventurers who come questing here with things they might buy in exchange for gold. Melon turns a fairly good profit as adventurers are plentiful, even if they don't live very long.

Melon's wares: Battleaxe of Astounding Might +2 (magical weapon) costs 6 Gold.

Potion of Healing (one draught heals 10 Life Points) costs 4 Gold.

Spell in a Jar (the spell is Fireball and allows the caster to fire a fireball as though it were a crossbow bolt. The fireball causes 4d6 damage) costs 5 Gold.

Spell in a Jar (Freeze Monster, allows the

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caster to freeze any monster for long enough to land two free blows) costs 1 Gem. If the players engage Melon in conversation and, for example, wonder aloud why he looks so solemn and unhappy, he will explain that he is forced to work in the store by the evil Lord Rankinphile who has kidnapped Melon's daughter and holds her in some hidden part of the ruin.

If the players offer to help Melon escape he will explain that he cannot, for if he does Rankinphile might never return Melon's daughter to him.

Instead Melon will ask the players to find his daughter and if they return her to him he will then escape with them. He will also give them a special spell which he keeps hidden for special occassions.

The spell is Return Life to the Dead and Melon will give it to the players if they save his daughter and release him from this room safely so that he can escort her out of the ruin. The spell returns any dead Character back to life, restoring the Character's Life Points in full. The spell is worth 2 gems.

5a Strongbox An iron strongbox embedded in the wall. A square shaped slot will accept the square iron token carried by the goblins (see location 5 above) and this acts as a key, unlocking the box.

Inside is a gem and a lever which, when pulled, unlocks the door to room 4. Here also is a triangular token marked 'Level 2'.

5b Ladder A ladder lies against the wall here. The ladder can be propped up against the wall of the structure housing room 4 and the players will then be able to climb to the roof of that structure (location 8). The ladder can also be taken into room 6 and used to reach the wheel situated on the wall there.

5 Lazy Goblin Guards

6 Tower of Tempting Wheels

Four goblins are stationed here, guarding the locked door to Melon Kholly's room. As soon as the player group appear they will rush to attack.

The door into room 6 is furnished with a locked copper padlock which has a slot shaped like a wheel. The slot accepts the wheel shaped token held by the goblins in room 5.

Lazy Goblin Guards x 3 Agility 6 Life Points 6 Endurance 1 Goblin Commander Agility 7 Life Points 10 Endurance 2 The Goblin Commander is carrying a Club of Doom which is a +2 magical weapon (the +2 bonus applies to damage the Goblin inflicts using the club).

Along with this club the goblins are carrying 4 Gold, a joint of smelly rancid meat, A copper token shaped like a wheel and an iron token shaped like square.

Inside this room, which is housed in a free standing tower of considerable height opposite the tower housing room 7 (the two towers connected by a bridge which is too high to be reached by the ladder in room 5) is a tall thin room with tiled walls and pipes running horizontally at various heights. A wheel is situated in the wall opposite the door, higher than can be reached from the floor but low enough to be reached using the ladder in room 5.

If the wheel is turned counter-clockwise it shuts off the water flow into room 3 and the pool there will drain. If the players return to that room they will find the pool has emptied and is full of dead mutant sea bass.

If the wheel is turned clockwise again the water flow is switched back on and the pool will refill,

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though the mutant sea bass will remain dead.

7 Were Hamster of Doom This room is occupied by a monstrous giant WereHamster. The Hamster is voracious and will attack anyone who dares either to open its door and let it loose or to enter its room.

Were-Hamster Agility 9 Life Points 10 Endurance: 1 Thick Fur (acts as armour with a +1 bonus) If the Were-Hamster is released when the goblins are still in room 5 he will attack them first.

If the Were-Hamster is slain and players search the creature's squalid straw covered lair they will find 2 Gold and an Ancient Shield of Defence which has a +2 armour bonus).

7a Small Cupboard This cupboard is on the corridor side of the wall and cannot be accessed from room 7.

the other end of the roof and starts to moan in a ghoulish way. Everyone who sees the ghost must make a Fate roll and if they fail the roll are so frightened that they lose one point of Agility.

The ghost vanishes shortly afterwards and does not return.

9 Roof of the High Tower The steps from location 8 lead up to the roof of the high tower housing room 6. Up here players can access the bridge which spans the gap between this tower and the one housing room 7.

On the floor of the roof lies a skeleton dressed in the tattered clothing of an adventurer. Next to the skeleton is a backpack within which is a jewelled tiara worth 25 Gold, a mouldy old jar filled with biscuits, a pipe (for smoking) and a note. The note reads: "Day 6 - The ruins are overrun with goblins and I'm stuck here and can't get off the roof in case they get me. Thank goodness I have my pipe to smoke. It's a terrible habit to break, a really

A cupboard snake - bad times - and a gem - good times!

If the cupboard is opened a snake springs out and bites whoever opened the cupboard unless the player makes a successful Agility dice roll. The bite causes 1d6 Life Point damage.

In the snake's nest is a gem worth 20 Gold and a Potion of Good Fortune which restores one Character's Fate to its original level.

8 Roof of Sudden Fear The ladder at location 5b must be propped against the wall of the building housing room 4 in order to climb up to the flat roof here.

When the players arrive and if they head toward the stairs leading up to location 9 a ghost appears at

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terrible habit to break, but it is a comfort in this difficult time."

"Day 7 - uh oh. I've run out of food. I only have these dry biscuits and I really hate dry biscuits."

10 Bridge Over the Span In the middle of this bridge is a tower of stone which blocks anyone from simply walking across.

Instead anyone who tries to get past the tower must sidle around a very narrow ledge, holding onto the flat walls of the tower as best they can.

Any player who attempts this must make an Agility roll. If they fail the roll they slip and fall. They may then make a Fate roll and if successful manage to grab the ledge and pull themselves back up. If they fail they fall to the ground below, incurring 1d6+6 Life Point damage.

If the player edges around the tower or pulls themselves back up after slipping they may continue to location 11.

11 The Master Switch This is the rooftop of the tower housing room 7. At the back of the roof is a plinth upon which rests the Red Key of the Dwarven Kings, one of the three keys the players have come to find.

Behind the plinth is a lever which, if thrown, switches off all the traps in the ruins. The boulder trap at location 2a/2b will deactivate; the pool in room 3 will drain; and the pivoting floor at location 17 will lock so that it no longer triggers when stepped on.

12 Lava Pit of Further Cliches Stairs rise to this pit which is approximately 10ft wide. The sides of the pit are sheer and there is apparently no way to get across by going around the edges.

The ghost of Adventurer's past makes an appearance Note: a goblin archer keeps watch on this part of the ruin from the battlements above (see location 14) and will fire down on anyone who enters this area without first dealing with him. His arrows will cause 1d6 damage if they hit their mark.

Some fifty feet below the players will see a bubbling, seething lake of lava and a considerable heat will rise from this to their position above.

A narrow platform extends out from the stairs to a point halfway across the pit, apparently reducing the distance a person must jump to cross the pit to the other side from 10ft to 5ft. However, the platform is hinged underneath on the stairs side and any weight placed on its unhinged end will cause it to pivot, dumping anyone standing upon it into the lava

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where they will perish.

The hinge is visible to anyone who inspects the platform thoroughly and the platform will give way if anyone tests its stability by putting something heavy on the unhinged end or the centre but not if weight is merely placed on the hinged end.

The ladder from room 5 is too short to span the gap and anyone who tries to jump across will fall short by a distance of a few feet at least and even if they are able to jump across using magic or some kind of rope the searing heat from below will boil them before they can reach the other side, causing 1d6+10 Life Point damage. The lava pit should be considered impassable for this reason.

13 Landing and Locked Door A halfway landing in this stairwell. Here is a treasure chest containing a magical ring of Fire Blast (shoots a blast of fire at enemies, using crossbow rules, causing 1d6+2 damage if it hits them) and a spell in a jar. The spell is 'Stone to Dust' and will turn any boulder from solid rock into a small pile of ash. The spell only works on unworked stone, not any kind of stone that has been 'worked' such as bricks or stone blocks used in construction (i.e. the spell will not cause walls to crumble).

The door at the top of this stairwell is locked. The padlock is furnished with a triangular shaped slot and is unlocked using the triangular token found at location 5a.

14 Snotspreader the Goblin Archer Keeping watch on the lava pit and the long passage where Lord Rankinphile dwells is Snotspreader the Goblin archer. He patrols up and down this stretch of battlements, looking down on the area below.

Anyone who climbs the stairs to the battlements will be fired upon by Snotspreader as soon as he sees them. He is an abject coward, however, and will run away if his arrows miss and he realises he must fight his target in hand to hand combat.

Snotspreader will throw down his bow and arrow and jump over the parapet, landing awkwardly on the edge of the lava pit before falling headlong into the pit itself. His cowardice will, therefore, be his downfall in more ways than one.

The bow and arrow may then be picked up by the player who was brave enough to storm Snotspreader's battlements. Hanging from the bow, attached by a piece of string, is a tiny silver token marked with a key symbol.

15a The Dangerous Gate This area is a battlement overlooking the front of the ruin. If players peer over the walls of the battlement they will see the road leading to the front door below and the head of Dung the philosophical giant as he stands guard.

A huge iron gate set into a stone arch bars the wall opposite the edge of the battlements. Beyond all is in darkness beneath a high tiled roof. A lever juts from the wall next to the gate and if this is pulled the portcullis at location 15c will rumble open and the giant spider Limbtangle will scramble to freedom. If Snotspreader the goblin archer prevails at location 14, Limbtangle will eat him before heading off to follow the scent of the player group.

If the lever is thrown again the gate will shut, but by then Limbtangle will be free.

15b Limbtangle the Giant Spider Lurking in the darkness is Limbtangle, the Giant Spider. He is extremely voracious and eager to escape this prison cell where he has been trapped

by Lord Rankinphile.

Limbtangle the Giant Spider Agility 10 Life Points 16 Endurance: 2 In the desolation of Limbtangle's cobweb strewn lair anyone who performs a search will find a bag

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containing 5 Gold, some old bones and a jar containing a spell. The spell is 'Alchemy' and when cast upon anything edible the spell effect transforms the food into 5 Gold. Food to be transformed should be treated as single items where they are listed as such (for example - a loaf of bread, or some dry biscuits would both be treated as one item of food).

If the player group wish to get to the second Dwarven Key and rescue the imprisoned daughter of Melon Kholly they will need to deal first with Limbtangle.

They can achieve this by posting the Rancid Meat found in room 5 through the bars of either gate leading to Limbtangle's cell. Limbtangle will be drawn by the smell of the meat and will be busy eating it. The player should then pull the lever next to the same gate which will open the opposite gate, allowing Characters who should be waiting there to hurry through to room 16.

There may be other methods to get past Limbtangle, including a fight with the spider to the death, but this is the method Rankinphile's minions use when they need to access room 16.

15c The Other Dangerous Gate A gate identical in every way to that which can be found at location 15a. Next to this gate is another lever which, when thrown, causes the gate at 15a to Snotspreader Meets Limbtangle

A player character peers into Limbtangle's lair

rattle open, allowing Limbtangle the giant spider to scurry free onto the battlements there.

It should be noted that Limbtangle is a spider and therefore able to crawl over the walls and rooftops of the ruin. He will not be restricted by locked doors and once free he will soon catch the scent of the player group and will come looking for them.

If the lever is thrown again the gate will shut, but by then Limbtangle will be free unless he can be somehow lured back into his cell.

16 Deidre's Cell Inside this dank and darkened cell, Deidre, daughter of Melon Kholly, has been imprisoned. There is no lock upon her door, for the giant spider Limbtangle guards the passage outside and keeps her from venturing out.

Deidre will be extremely grateful if rescued. She will explain to the players that Lord Rankinphile dwells beyond the lava pit which is impassable. He can be reached only by opening the pivoting floor in the room next to her cell (room 17). But before the players do that they will need to lock the pivoting

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floor in order to reach the strongbox there, which contains the second of the Dwarven Keys.

The lever for locking and unlocking the pivoting floor at location 17 is found at the back of Diedre's cell. If the lever is in the up position the floor is locked in place and if the lever is in the down position the floor is unlocked and will drop away if anyone stands on the weak point directly in front of the strongbox.

Note: if the master switch at location 11 has been thrown the reverse will be true and the floor will be locked when the lever is in the down position.

When the players first enter Diedre's cell the lever will always be in the down position.

the party reach that room. If this occurs early on in the adventure the GM should contrive to have the captured player character delivered to the goblins in room 5 instead where he will be shackled to one of the walls in that room. When the rest of the group enter that location for the first time they will be able to kill the goblins and rescue the captured Character.

The pivoting floor may seem to be a trap but is in fact the method used to enter Rankinphile's lair and the players will need to use the floor to achieve this, switching it on and off as required.

17 Pivoting Floor A short stretch of corridor leads to a dead end. On the wall at the end of this corridor, built into the wall of the structure housing Diedre's Cell (location 16) is a strongbox. The box is furnished with a slot marked with a key symbol and is opened by using the silver token that Snotspreader the goblin archer keeps tied to his bow for safekeeping (see location 14).

The floor of this short corridor is hinged on one side and will drop out from beneath anyone who stands in front of the strongbox and who has not first deactivated the trap. The trap can either be deactivated by using the master switch at location 11 (which turns off all traps in the ruin) or by using the lever in Diedre's cell (location 16). The GM should note that if the master switch is thrown and then the lever in Diedre's cell is also thrown the second lever will reactivate the trap rather than deactivate it (see location 16).

When the floor pivots anyone standing upon it will drop down into the room below, landing withour injury on the sloping platform (location 18) before sliding into Lord Rankinphile's lair (location 19). The floor will immediately spring back into place.

If only one Character falls through, leaving the others behind, he will be dazed from his fall and will be grabbed by Rankinphile's guards and chained up in the lair. He will be found there when the rest of

Pivoting floor madness

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Inside the strongbox is the Green Dwarven Key, second of the artefacts the players have come to find and recover.

18 The Slide of Doom A slide which offers a safe ride down from the pivoting floor above (see location 17) into the lair of Rankinphile. The slide will also present a surprise to any player who manages to somehow cross the lava pit, the character failing to anticipate the slide and probably expecting more stairs to match those on the other side of the pit.

19a Lord Rankinphile's Evil Lair Seated in his throne of bones is the evil Lord Rankinphile, an enemy the GM may describe as he or she sees fit, though the description should be of a dark and powerful foe, bristling with spikey armour plating and probably with glowing red eyes or something of that ilk. Horns of some kind should probably be included as well.

To one side of Rankinphile's throne is a great heap of stinking compost and sticking out of this is a plinth upon which lies the third Dwarven Key, this being the Golden key, most fabulous of the trio.

Rankinphile will stand as the player group arrive to greet his worthy adversaries. When performing the voice of Rankinphile the GM should attempt his or her most gravelly and sneering role to date.

"Ah, puny and pathetic adventurers. I wondered how long it would be before my splendid traps and guardians were defeated. How is the Wizard Adagio LeSpell? I assume you come on his command?"

Regardless of the response...

"It matters not who pulls your strings, for you are nothing to me, mightiest and darkest of all the lords of the black mountain! I shall smite you now. Or perhaps I shall have my final and most terrible guardian smite you for me. Hm,

yes, that's what I'll do. Emerge CHAOSIA, my most loyal warlord!

If Chaosia is defeated he transforms into a pile of three gems, each worth 20 Gold. His tone somewhat less confident, Rankinphile will resume his narcisistic rant: "Bah! Foiled again! But this time I'm not going to let you confounded adventurers get away with it. I expect you know what a birthday is?

Well today we celebrate something else. Not the day you were born but the day you will die!

Bwahaha. Let me give you your present now.

His name is Stenchblossom.

ARISE STENCHBLOSSOM!" The compost heap next to the throne seems to heave upward and takes on the form of a great shambling mound of rotting vegetables and moldy grass cuttings. Bits of apple core and banana peel scatter as the great monster reaches for the Golden Key, brings it up to his mouth and swallows it whole, belching loudly afterwards. He then lurches forth to attack the player group. His stride is extremely slow and as he comes Rankinphile will be unable to resist further gloating, giving away a vital secret in the process...

"Wonderful isn't he? He's utterly invulnerable to your pathetic weapons and magic. Only one thing will give him pause for thought, and that is a command letter. Only one thing will stop him and that is a command word which turns him back into a pile of rubbish. A shame only I know the command letter and word, and I'm not going to help you by giving you any clues, like for example, if you take a bit away from something that's very hard to break, you'll get a little bit of help. You might be able to get both the letter and the command word from that clue if I was stupid enough to give it to you, but I'm not so dumb as to... Aaaargh. What have I said!? Stenchblossom! Attack them, protect the Dwarven Key!" The GM should repeat the pertinent aspects of the rant if players request it.

The solution to Rankinphile's clue is H for the letter and Habit for the word. If you take a bit (ABIT) away from something that's very hard to break

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(habit) you'll get a little bit of help (H). The command word is therefore Habit.

When the letter H is uttered Stenchblossom will freeze for a few minutes, allowing players a chance to think about the rest of the clue. If the player group are smart they will merely shout out the letters of the alphabet until they hit the right one, buying themselves enough time to solve the rest of the riddle.

If the word Habit is shouted, Stenchblossom transforms back into a heap of rotting compost and the Gold Dwarven Key will rattle across the floor where players can recover it.

Rankinphile will roar with indignation and will sneer in his very best defeated dark lord tones: "Aaargh, you have bested me and my greatest guardians. Return now to your wizard master and tell him of your victory, but know this. You have not heard the last of me, for I shall return.

Spell casting RETURN TO SOURCE!" As Rankinphile utters these words he will seem to transform into a whirling tornado of dust which gradually vanishes into the air, his disappearance accompanied by a fading malevolent laughter.

19b Chaosia, a Most Loyal Warlord From this alcove steps forth Chaosia to attack any who dare to enter the lair of Lord Rankinphile.

Chaosia is a huge chaos golem made of stone and metal plates. He carries a huge warhammer furnished with spikes and has fists the size of boulders.

Chaosia Agility: 11 Life Points: 18 Endurance: 2

Aftermath Once Rankinphile is defeated, the player group may wish to return to Melon Kholly to help him escape the ruins. They will then return to the road and head back into the valley to visit with the wizard master Adagio LeSpell.

LeSpell is overjoyed to receive them and to have the Dwarven Keys safely back. He will offer the player group a choice of one of four rewards.

Players must discuss between them which reward they will choose and which of them will take the reward. All players except the player who accepts the main reward will be given 40 Gold each by LeSpell.

Sword of Divine Fire (magical weapon with a weapon bonus of +3 which may only be used by Brave characters).

Healing Potion of Power (a potion which, when consumed, raises the drinker's Life Points to 24, the maximum allowable).

Spell in a Jar (the spell is Formidable Fate and when cast on any Character, including the caster himself if the caster wishes, Fate is raised to a value of 12).

Wand of Wizardly Power (+2 bonus to this wand which may only be used by Virtuoso characters).

Written by David Sharrock, playtested by David (41), Cate (age undisclosed), Cerin (6) and Annie (13).

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