Darranis - An Adventure Pack for Earthdawn: The Age of Legend

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Credits Writing: Lars Heitmann-Ohnesorge

Development and Additional Material: Eike-Christian Bertram, Carsten Damm, Jeremiah L. Schwennen Senior Editor: Jeremiah L. Schwennen

Editing: Eike-Christian Bertram, Carsten Damm, Jason U. Wallace Layout: Carsten Damm

Visual Concept: Kathy Schad

Version: 20180409

Cover Artwork: Kathy Schad, Richard Hanuschek

Illustrations: Joel Biske, Larry McDougall, Jeff Laubenstein, Kathy Schad, Elif Siebenpfeiffer, David M. Wright

Earthdawn® is a Registered Trademark of FASA Corporation. Copyright © 1993–2018 FASA Corporation. Darranis is

published by Vagrant Workshop. Earthdawn and all associated trademarks and copyrights are used under license from FASA

Corporation. This work is based on FU: The Freeform/Universal RPG (found at http://nathanrussell.net/fu), by Nathan

Russell, licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/

licenses/by/3.0/). The Powered By FU logo is © Nathan Russell and is used with permission. This book contains artwork by

David M. Wright, Richard Hanuschek, and Kathy Schad, which has been licensed for single-use only and is used with

permission. The contents of this book are protected by copyright. Reproduction, even in excerpts, requires written permission by the publisher.

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Table of Contents Introduction....................5

Tainted Goods................ 37

A le Run........................... 51

How to Use this Book................ 7

Running the Adventure............. 38

Running the Adventure..............52

Sudden Bloodshed......................39

Don’t Shoot the Messenger........53

Pulling Back the Curtain...........41

Meeting Selkor...........................55

Getting Closer............................43

Floating Thief.............................56

Confronting Shador....................45

I Haven’t Had Enough Yet.........58

Aftermath...................................47

Give Me the First Taste..............59

Grass Widows................. 23

Sequels........................................47

Aftermath.................................. 60

Running the Adventure............. 24

Cast of Characters..................... 48

Sequels....................................... 60

Boomtown Darranis. .......9 On Darranis’ History.................10 Places of Interest.........................18 Important Personalities..............21

A Calm Beginning.................... 25 The Tide Rises........................... 28 Tough Decisions ....................... 30 Aftermath...................................32 Sequels........................................32 Cast of Characters......................33

Cast of Characters......................61

Sample Characters........ 63 Dreizahn Grimbeard................. 64 Fina............................................ 66 Kidaia Windwhisper.................. 68 Koldar the Black.........................70

INTRODUCTION We walk on the proud paths of tradition, but once in a while, the Royal Library has to tread on new ground.

— Merrox, Master of the Hall of Records

arranis is an adventure pack for Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, consisting of two parts. The first part, Boomtown Darranis, describes the town and its importance for trade and travel along the Mid Reach of the Serpent River and upper Coil River towards Throal. It also presents an overview of the town’s past and present, as well as a glimpse of the future. It was designed using the Setting the Stage guidelines on p. 53 of Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, leaving enough room for customization.

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The second part consists of several adventures set in and around Darranis. These adventures focus on the benefits of trade, but they also give insight into the town’s darker side. Grass Widows (p. 21) deals with the exploitation of a workforce by its employers and the troubles in which this places the workers’ families. The player characters are prompted to make moral decisions, mediate the conflict, and prevent all-out civil unrest. In Tainted Goods (p. 35), an inexplicable public massacre draws the player characters into investigating a cursed item, leading them to a Horror-tainted merchant spreading his corrupted merchandise across Barsaive. Ale Run (p. 49) appears to be a straightforward caravan escort to Throal, but the story draws the player characters into the rivalries between Darranis brewers while on the road.

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side from the information provided in Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, this book contains everything required to run the adventures presented in this adventure pack. You, as the gamemaster, should read the book carefully to familiarize yourself with the background before beginning the game.

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Of course, deeper knowledge of the world of Earthdawn always helps to make your descriptions richer. Darranis is located on the Coil River and is a part of the trade network permeating Barsaive which is described in the Serpent River sourcebook for First Edition and Nations of Barsaive II: The Serpent River for Third Edition. Information on the dwarf kingdom of Throal (available in Throal: The Dwarf Kingdom for First Edition and Nations of Barsaive Volume I: Throal for Third Edition) may also be helpful.

Setting Material

You can use Boomtown Darranis (p. 7), either in part or full, as a handout for your players. It presents a fully set stage like the one your group would otherwise design for itself (Setting the Stage, p. 53 of Earthdawn: The Age of Legend). It can make for a proper introduction to the town but can also be used in the course of the adventures presented here or those that you build yourself. For you as the gamemaster, the description serves as an expansion of the world of Earthdawn, independent from the adventures provided.

INTRODUCTION

How to Use this Book

1 GAMEMASTER ADEPTS To avoid confusion, we haven’t provided lists of talents for gamemaster character adepts. As gamemaster, you don’t roll any dice—meaning you have absolute freedom to portray these characters and their actions in your games in any way you prefer. When preparing for the game, review the pages we referenced in the character descriptions and use them as a guide when portraying these adepts. Remember that you don’t have to name the talents or spells they use, you only need to describe their effects if needed. You can also keep their abilities vague and use only those that make sense in your story as it unfolds. Keeping your decisions and portrayals consistent is mandatory, of course, so make sure you note down any hard decisions you need to make when playing these characters. C H A P T E R I - 1 | Int roduc t ion

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Adventure Structure

To ensure better compatibility with other Earthdawn releases, we have structured the adventures in a similar fashion. They are encounter-based, outlining the basic plot and how these events lead to one another. This presentation is linear, describing the encounters in the order that they are most likely to occur. Once familiar with the setting and the plot of each adventure, you can easily adapt the story to suit your needs. The Adventure Background and Plot Synopsis sections summarize the story background and the most probable course of the adventure. The sections containing encounters describe the situations and events the characters must navigate and overcome during the course of the adventure. Each encounter contains five sections: ‹‹The Overview gives the gamemaster a summary of the action that occurs during the encounter and also tells him the encounter’s objective. ‹‹The next section, Setting the Stage, contains a description of the encounter’s surroundings and includes maps, if applicable. ‹‹Themes and Images helps the gamemaster set the mood and pacing for a particular encounter. It includes hints about imagery to use in the scene. ‹‹Behind the Scenes explains what is going on in each encounter. This section provides the gamemaster with all of the information he needs to run the encounter. ‹‹The final section of each encounter, Troubleshooting, offers suggestions to help the gamemaster get the adventure back on track should things go awry, offering options for keeping the game going over key trouble spots.

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Game statistics for any gamemaster characters the player characters may meet and any creatures they may fight are presented in the last section, Cast of Characters. The Aftermath section offers suggestions on what might happen after the adventure is completed and how the adventure’s events may affect the future. Finally, each adventure ends with a number of adventure hooks you can use to build on the events of the adventure, presented in the Sequels section.

Sample Player Characters

The last part of this book features four Sample Player Characters (p. 61) usable with the rules presented in Earthdawn: The Age of Legend. These characters come with motivations and relationships fitting the setting presented in Boomtown Darranis (p. 7), allowing you to start a game right away!

BOOMTOWN

DARRANIS The following treatise on Darranis was written by Escora Ironwill, an ork scholar tasked by a cadre of wealthy merchants from Darranis to record the past and present of their town. Escora was kind enough to send us a copy of her work to have it archived here. — Thom EdrullArchivist and

Scribe of the Hall of Records

arranis is a prime example of the wealth, prosperity, and promises that the end of the Scourge means for Barsaive. The town has been a boomtown for a long time now with no signs of slowing down. The answer to the question of how Darranis turned from a small pre-Scourge village into the prospering center of trade and travel it is today allows for an opportunity of learning, and business and community leaders from all over Barsaive may benefit greatly from the experiences gathered here in Darranis by an industrious and bright people.

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“I wonder how much scholarly independence we can expect from a report paid for with the coin of the merchants it details. The previous paragraph does nothing to enhance my optimism.” —Jelarus, Dwarf Troubadour

On Darranis’ History arranis’ founding is not documented, as the town started out as a mere trading post during Throal’s rise to prominence. In the past, the Adipae Rapids were not charted, and anything bound for the dwarf kingdom from the Serpent River had to be unloaded and put onto carts to be taken to Throal by caravan. Countless small trading posts servicing these caravans sprung up between Adipae Ford, where the ships would anchor and unload, and Throal. Darranis was one of them. In contrast to most of these forgotten settlements, Darranis survived.

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Darranis Before the Scourge

Darranis was an unremarkable settlement in the decades before the Scourge. Caravans would stop at Darranis to replenish food and water and to sell some of their wares to farmers from the

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surrounding countryside in need of tools or items they couldn’t produce themselves and the occasional luxury item. Darranis grew from a trading post to a small town, the hub of a rural area stretching a couple of days’ walk in any direction. But apart from that, Darranis didn’t see significantly more trade or travel than its neighboring settlements. In these early days, humans, dwarfs, and a handful of orks made up the majority of the population of the town proper, being the races prominent in the caravan business of northern Barsaive even today. A few t’skrang living at the river viewed themselves as part of the town, too, though their houses stood a few hundred paces apart from those of the other races. These t’skrang acted as go-betweens between the caravaneers and the riverboat crews, and they also provided ferry services across the river and foodstuffs from their fishing. As the Scourge drew closer, the small size of Darranis’ population meant that the inhabitants were unable to acquire the Rites of Protection and Passage from the Therans; selling a part of the population into slavery to pay the Therans’ steep prices wasn’t deemed acceptable by the leaders of Darranis. Instead, Darranis’ leaders contacted their neighbors with the offer to pool their resources and buy the knowledge for a single kaer that would be large enough for the people of all participating settlements. Most of their neighbors agreed on the promise that a ruling council would be established once the kaer had been built. Every village would send one representative to the council to make sure that no single community would become the defacto leader of the kaer. Once the terms were agreed upon, construction work on the kaer began and went on without any major troubles or hindrances. Much like Darranis and its neighbors had been unremarkable settlements architecturally, the kaer also was constructed without ornamentation, and the focus was put on sturdy, secure, and spacious buildings. In fact, the whole construction process

Prior to moving into the kaer and sealing themselves off from the world, the inhabitants were asked to vote on the Name of the kaer. As we all know, a Name is a powerful and important part of any pattern, and this kaer’s pattern was no exception. Surprisingly, the vote chose “Kaer Darranis” as the Name, even though the people of Darranis made up only a third of all voters.

Darranis and the Scourge

Kaer Darranis proved to be safe through the Scourge. Eleven attempts by Horrors to infiltrate the kaer or to penetrate its defenses were recorded in the kaer’s chronicle. Needless to say, every single attempt failed. The inhabitants of Kaer Darranis managed to keep the size of their population under control. While many other kaers suffered from unexpected growth of their populations, Kaer Darranis kept roughly the same size populace throughout the Scourge. “The inhabitants of Darranis didn’t keep much in the way of written records prior to the Scourge. Most of what they kept was focused on trade, but that changed during the Scourge when they began to keep track of many topics, most notably the exact population of the kaer every month and year.” —Mugrath Sharppen, Scribe of Darranis While the original inhabitants of Kaer Darranis came from a half-dozen different villages, the matter of origin began to fade into the background when they all began to call themselves people of Darranis. As history has shown, a similar phenomenon occurred in many other kaers of similar size and composition. Kaer Darranis sent out twelve scouting parties over the course of eight years once the council began to suspect that the Scourge’s effects were subsiding in the world outside. Only when the last three all came back and reported that the Scourge

seemed to be over (while the first nine parties either never came back or brought back dreadful reports) did the kaer open its gates and begin the exploration of the surrounding area. Much to the inhabitants’ relief, they found the surrounding lands had changed only a little. The river was still running near its old bed, and even the old Throal Gate—one of only a few stone constructions in old Darranis—could be found under brush and wood. When a scouting party sent to Throal returned with the news that the dwarf kingdom had made it through the Scourge, the reconstruction of Darranis began in earnest in 1429 TH. As with many other kaers after the Scourge, the people of Kaer Darranis stayed together and Named their new community after their kaer, even though the Name already had a history from before the Scourge. Like those of many other settlements, the people of Darranis were wise enough to see the better protection that larger numbers provided in the rugged landscape of the Scourge’s aftermath, where countless undead and Horror constructs still roamed the land.

BOOMTOW N DARR ANIS

and the kaer both demonstrated the solid and practical, though unimaginative, nature of Darranis’ pre-Scourge occupants.

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Work on the new town progressed with a plan in mind; this new Darranis was built with a clear layout, paved streets, and solid houses. The caravan business picked up again in the years after the Scourge, with the benefits of the now-established common Throalic language and the bridging of the racial divide at least partially compensating for the dangers of the wilds and the fear of Namegivers being marked and corrupted by the Horrors. The Scourge had left many people wanting more than the base necessities, and trade promised them a way towards a better life. Many of the other, smaller kaers in the area had fallen to the Horrors. Sad as this was, it allowed Darranis to prosper, being the biggest stop for caravans in the area.

The Theran War

The Theran War, the seminal conflict of the last century, cut Darranis off from Throal and the newly founded Bartertown, C H A P T E R I - 2 | B oomtown Dar rani s

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except for scattered attempts to run the Theran blockade and break their siege of the dwarf kingdom. During that time, Darranis stood by its Barsaivian compatriots, though lack of significant military strength prohibited any direct intervention. The caravan trade took a beating, but luckily the war was over quickly. An event with much greater impact on Darranis than the war itself was the charting of the Adipae Rapids by Captain Westhrall and his ship, Astendar’s Dart. For the first time, the entire Coil River was navigable, from Lake Ban to the underground rivers below the Throal Mountains. This could have meant the end for Darranis, with the open river now bypassing the settlement and the need for caravans in the region eliminated. However, Chorrolis’ blessing was upon the merchants of Darranis. Not only was the underground river below the Throal Mountains closed by royal decree, but the route was extremely dangerous, and goods would have needed to be brought through the entire Inner Kingdom back to the Grand Bazaar at the gates. “Rumor has it that it would be the death of Bartertown if the subterranean route were ever to open. Sure, it would still see trade from the West, which comes via land, but insiders tell me it could not survive on that alone. I wonder if the Bartertown merchants had any influence in the closing of the underground route. Or maybe the Throalites see the value of Bartertown as a buffer that keeps the rabble out. Just visit any larger port town to experience the influx of sailors eager for a drink and a brawl after a month at sea or on the river and the cutpurses and unsavory business that follows them. In a way, Bartertown is Throal’s harbor area. All the rowdy caravaneers and the droppings of their animals stay outside, and only the nice things come in.” —Jelarus, Dwarf Troubadour

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A QUICK GUIDE TO DARRANIS East Side is the name of the shabby, overcrowded eastern part of town. Ale Road covers the area where the breweries are located. Clingor Mile is where most trisnari are located (clingor is the t’skrang word for “sticky rope”). Delar (from the elven word delara which means “quiet”) hosts the government and administration. Barakr (the origin of the word is lost, but it means “favored by the Passions”) is the name of the northern quarter. Bricktown lies in the west, and is most likely oldest part of Darranis. Most buildings here are constructed with sturdy, high-quality brick.

Furthermore, even if the ships had been able to sail up the Adipae River to Ardanyan and unload their wares there, caravans have always been cheaper than riverboats. Additionally, the trading companies were already there and their routes instituted, pricing their services competitively, while the aropagoi had problems restoring their fleet strength after the war—especially with the schism that developed between the K’tenshin and V’strimon. Darranis’ leaders were quick to take advantage of the situation, and the lack of proper docking facilities in the area, by building proper docks right by their town. This was yet another display of the practical minds of Darranis at work, and the people’s desire to provide only the best of service to their partners in trade.

yan

y

r Fer Airship Tower

Beast Gate

o Ardan Route t

Darranis

Old Gate

Barakr

Delar t s a E

e d i S Clingor Mile

Coil River

Ale Road

East Side

Fish Gate

Docks

Bricktown

Market Town Square Hall

Ale Gat e

Ale Road

New Gate

Darranis Today

In the years since the Theran War, Darranis has become a vital link between Throal and the Serpent River system, and the town has grown explosively. Darranis hums with life, with Namegivers wanting their piece of the action arriving every day. Darranis promises jobs for everyone willing to work hard; the caravans are in constant need of guards, coachmen, and unskilled workers (especially for loading and unloading goods), while skilled workers and craftsmen may find jobs in the supporting industries, such as logging and smithing. The steady demand for workers feeds many people, but also forces many of the male residents to spend most of their time on the road, leaving their women with the burden of raising their families. The living conditions of many of the newcomers are less than luxurious, granted. But hard work, such as is the trademark of the people of Darranis, makes a brighter future certain! Learning the tools of the trade provides everyone with a chance to become more educated and more skilled at their jobs, perhaps even providing a chance to start businesses of their own. “I’m sure there are cases of simple workers climbing the ladder. But for most, payment is low because many people are able and willing to join a caravan. The caravan trade also makes for poor living conditions for the families left behind, who may have to wait for the caravaneers’ return to see any of their wages—sometimes for months on end. On the other hand, specialized craftsmen and the owners of the many taverns live in much better conditions than most of Darranis’ inhabitants. Social unrest is a growing threat. But all in all, the majority of Darranis’ citizens seem to be content with their lives. After all, the matter of low wages for unskilled work is a problem everywhere; at least there is work in Darranis, even if it is on a per-day basis.” —Jelarus, Dwarf Troubadour

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The Townscape

Day in, day out, Darranis is crowded with people, horses, carts, and wagons. Even though the major caravan stops are outside of town, the streets of Darranis are used by smaller groups, independent merchants, and riders, making it impossible to go anywhere in the town without running afoul of traffic. Namegivers from all of Barsaive can be seen in Darranis every day, and even people from exotic countries like Marac don’t raise much attention—Darranis welcomes everyone with open arms. The older parts of Darranis are to the north and west, where the residents have become wealthy. Here the roads are paved and cleaned. The rows of the houses of the wealthy are decorated with elaborate stone and wood carvings. The wide, calm streets and large gardens that surround many of the houses can be seen when approaching Darranis from Throal and give the impression of a rich, beautiful town. This is the sight many newcomers see, leading them to believe that this is what awaits them once they find prosperity in Darranis. These parts of the town follow a clean, tidy layout, as they were the first to be constructed after the re-opening of Kaer Darranis. The administrative buildings and the spacious town hall can be found here as well. They are richly decorated and feature expensive materials in their interiors, since many wealthy citizens gladly make large donations to show support for their town. The east side is where most newcomers make their homes. Of course, the housing conditions are simpler—since the town is growing here, the streets have not been paved yet, and the streets are not planned in as orderly a manner (and sometimes not at all). The influx of new citizens in this part of town simply moves too quickly for anyone to bother erecting proper stone houses. This part of the town can become somewhat muddy after the rain. Visitors are a rare sight around here.

— Aa’ahlaan Quickwing, Windling Questor of Floranuus

On Daily Business

Many important merchant houses from Throal and their competitors like the Overland Trading Company own warehouses and have offices in Darranis, but most of the goods they bring in are transported farther into Barsaive and thus are only stored for a short time—usually no longer than one or two days. This is all the time needed to equip a caravan for travel farther up or down the road. Said caravans load and unload their cargo on the large area reserved for them in the eastern part of Darranis, close to the Coil River. This is probably the most active part of the town, as goods are moved from the caravans to the riverboats and vice versa. Riverboats arrive daily, from the early morning until late into the night, while caravans bound for Throal wait for goods to be unloaded. Beast traders, smiths, saddlers, carpenters, and other tradesmen offer their services during the day and add to

the humming feeling of the place. A small repair dock that sees much traffic these days has also been constructed here. Minor damage to riverboats can be repaired and maintenance performed at fair prices. The dockworkers are a mixture of t’skrang, orks, and humans and have earned a fairly good reputation among the t’skrang crews of the aropagoi. Darranis’ leaders recently decided to expand the harbor area by adding a new dry dock and fortifying the waterfront. Harbor Master Celan and his men make sure that every caravan and every riverboat pays its demurrage, and they keep an eye on any trouble-makers. Celan and his men maintain the safety of the area around the waterfront and the caravan loading areas, improving Darranis’ reputation among traders, merchants, boatmen, and their crews. The infrequently arriving airships land on the ground at the caravan area, too, often causing traffic jams, but the construction of an airship docking tower and its support structures (like elemental elevators) is expensive. These facilities, however, are in the early stages of construction—one of the main reasons for the recently debated increase in docking fees. The high cost of construction causes the work on the airship dock to proceed slowly, but the money raised goes towards providing a better infrastructure within the next few years and pays for the safety Darranis provides.

BOOMTOW N DARR ANIS

“Escora describes Darranis as seen with the eyes of a scholar: the material world and what has been written down in reports, books, and other documents. That might suffice for a start (you get what you pay for, after all), but it doesn’t grasp the feeling of Darranis—its spark of life—or its spiritual aspects. Darranis is a town that promises wealth and freedom to everyone who is willing to work hard. Work can be found in abundance here, and it’s up to you which job you choose. Laborer, caravan guard, trisnari owner, animal trader: the possibilities are endless. One can build one’s own house wherever one wants. Compare that to other cities, and you’ll see the beauty of Darranis. Kratas? Built on ruins and abandoned houses. Travar? A marble-colored prison. Jerris? Full of ash and dull people. Throal? Safe, but who wants to live underground now that the Scourge has ended? Darranis, on the other hand, welcomes everyone with open arms. It’s growing, it’s moving forward, and it’s pulsing with energy!”

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For the town’s newcomers, the public docks are the most reliable source of employment. Every day, hundreds show up to toil as porters, packers, and cleaners. “When the behemoth Triumph landed and opposition towards it increased, Darranis became a safe haven or stopping point for many spies and smugglers. In contrast to other cities in range of the behemoth, such as the V’strimon aropagoi, Darranis was not officially affiliated with any of the major factions, and thus avoided closer Theran scrutiny.” —Jelarus, Dwarf Troubadour C H A P T E R I - 2 | B oomtown Dar rani s

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On The Breweries

Another opportunity for employment and a source of income for the town are its breweries, which warrant their own section in this treatise. Darranis, and even more so its neighboring village, Alrran, were somewhat famous for their breweries in pre-Scourge times. Nearly a dozen small breweries could be found in Darranis, Alrran, and on the road connecting the two villages—all of them founded and run by families coming from Throal. These families wanted to acquire new markets when the competition in the dwarf kingdom intensified, and they found Darranis and Alrran to be a perfect environment in which to re-start their business. When the first families were successful, several others packed their gear and followed them from Throal. The land was fertile and produced high-quality barley and hops, while treatment of the water of the Coil River with elemental magic met the high quality the breweries were looking for. Combining the equipment brought from Throal, the elemental magic, and the knowledge of a dozen generations, the result was a fabulous beer that matched Throal’s most famous brews. Selkor Drolkhma, owner of the largest brewery and an Elementalist himself, soon realized that this wasn’t enough. He began to experiment with adding different flavors, until he finally created the brew that quickly grew to be a trademark of Darranis. His competitors followed suit, and a handful of enterprising locals founded their own breweries to get in on the profits. Word got out, and before long Darranis’ and Alrran’s beers sold for high prices across Barsaive. The breweries had to be deconstructed when the kaer was built and weren’t used during the Scourge—the greenhouses were needed to feed the population, leaving no land for barley and hops. But the brewer families kept their recipes and did their best to maintain their equipment through the long years of disuse.

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Once it was decided to open the kaer and re-settle the land, the brewers rushed to occupy the best positions for their breweries and to acquire enough arable land, thinking the old locations would do well. They were surprised by the massively altered landscapes and the dangers that lurked in post-Scourge Barsaive. They pressed on and, with sheer dedication and stubbornness, ploughed and planted their fields and returned their breweries to production. Since then, they have worked hard to produce beer of the finest quality. Today, Darranis has no fewer than sixteen breweries and the supporting industry. The town is famous across Barsaive and is the greatest competitor to Throal’s own breweries. “The competition between Throal’s and Darranis’ breweries is fierce, but that’s nothing compared to the vicious fights Darranis’ breweries wage with each other. The Drolkhma family doesn’t give an inch to the other families and brewers in the market, even though the demand for good beer is large enough to support all of them easily.” —Chasli Thunderhead “Brewing is a tradition that cannot be readily learned without steady practice. Some speculate the Darranis brewers made ales in secret during the Scourge, or claim to have re-invented brewing after the Scourge just to build their legend. Some say they snuck into Throal’s breweries and spied on their rivals, stealing the knowledge. Still others say their old equipment is actually enchanted, producing the beer on its own if only the ingredients are thrown in. Whatever the truth, go taste it. It’s good. But it somehow doesn’t taste right.” —Klordek the Barrel, Throal brewer

“I’ve asked my old friend, Chasli Thunderhead, to provide me with an overview of Darranis’ important people and places, as these were not described sufficiently in Escora Ironwill’s introduction to the town. As a local who has lived his whole life in Darranis, Chasli knows every Namegiver of note in town and makes a living as a trader of information and news.” —Thom Edrull, Archivist and Scribe of the Hall of Records

Darranis may appear to be a town divided between the haves and the have-nots, but its people continually mix in the many taverns, trisnaris, and shops even when they are not working with each other. The most important and well-known places are described on the following pages. I’ve added interesting information one couldn’t easily unearth as a gift to my old friend, Thom. Now we are even, old man…

C H A P T E R I - 2 | B oomtown Dar rani s

BOOMTOW N DARR ANIS

An Insider’s View

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Places of Interest ost of the trisnaris are located along a long, relatively straight road in the eastern part of Darranis that is not only very close to the riverboat and caravan trading area, but also located in the newer part of the town. Locals tend to call this road “Avenue of the Drunk” or “Trisnari Road”, but none of the Names has become official as yet.

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Most of the other businesses tend to cluster around the center of the town. This was once located between the eastern fringe and the area closest to the docks, but poorer neighborhoods have been built in-between in the intervening years.

Orichalcum Warrior

This trisnari is run by a handful of t’skrang, all hailing from the same niall, who refuse to say why they left their home village and settled in Darranis. They serve excellent Throalic food and have connections to one of the best brewers in the dwarf kingdom. The Orichalcum Warrior has become a favorite stop for mercenaries, members of the town militia, and adepts who like to relax in the company of like-minded Namegivers. Surprisingly, the atmosphere at the Orichalcum Warrior is very calm, and disputes between parties are rare. Because of the largely Throalic menu, not many locals come here. The Orichalcum Warrior does not serve any local ale.

The Smiling Dwarf

Opened by a couple of orks, this inn sees more brawls each month than most other inns see in ten years. Every night, orks come to drink hurlg, sing, and occasionally fight, but things become worse on occasions when dwarfs visit, dramatically raising the probability of triggering a few gahads. The own-

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ers have paid tribute to their clientele’s customs by affixing the chairs and tables to the floor and removing the glass windows. Even though the atmosphere is violent, many traveling orks decide to stay at the Smiling Dwarf for a night or two, renting a room in the cheap flophouse.

Interwoven Threads

This merchant inn is run by an Illusionist who likes to entertain his guests with minor illusions nearly every night. Thus, many citizens come to see his show, rather than for the strictly commonplace meals. Many traveling magicians are willing to pay the high prices for the rooms to spend the night at the inn and discuss arcane matters with Namegivers of similar dispositions.

At Merantula

Darranis is full of taverns that attract shady customers, but in “At Merantula,” the patrons are as dark as the mind of a Horror. Newcomers are viewed with suspicion, even by the bartender, and met with reservation at best unless they’re known as cutthroats or bloodthirsty mercenaries. It is said that even the agents of Iopos are afraid to enter the tavern alone at night. None come here for a meal, so the menu is short, and even shorter is the list of drinks available: dwarf stout and water. But Namegivers looking for an assassin or thugs won’t find a better place in the whole town. The private rooms are pricier than the average inn because of magical locks and other, less publicized, security measures.

The Golden Goose

The Name of this guild inn reveals the comfort the house offers. Inside the spacious house at the west end of Darranis, one can find a dozen private rooms that share two bathrooms and

The Diving Octopus

Nobody knows how this middle-class inn got its Name, not even the current owner, a grizzled old t’skrang. The meals are plentiful, the beer is of good quality, and the rooms are clean. That’s all the customers (mostly merchants visiting the town) want. Not many locals visit the inn, so it’s not the best place to make new friends.

Last Journey

The Last Journey is run by widows who lost their fishermen husbands when their boat sunk some years ago. To honor their fallen colleagues, many of Darranis’ fishermen are among the trisnaris’ regular customers and have gifted the owners with stuffed fishes and the like to decorate the walls. The rest of the decoration is also typical for a fisherman’s favorite spot. The cuisine is varied, with fish comprising the majority of the menu. A small hostel, located in the neighboring house, is also run by the widows and offers cheap rooms but no meals.

The Red Dragon

Said to be a hotspot for agents of the dragons, this inn is visited frequently by travelers who have shady business in Darranis. The owner, a charismatic elven woman, does her best to keep the rumors about her place circulating and to attract new customers who are curious to discover if the group sitting next to them is a band of adepts working for Icewing or just another group of harmless visitors. The menu consists mainly of elven dishes, along with a few fish recipes from Urupa and even hurlg for visiting orks. Most of the time the dining hall is overcrowded, but the somewhat expensive rooms are available nearly every day.

Soup Kitchen

When the cheapest trisnari and even the goods at the market are too expensive for a family, the people come to the soup kitchen for a free meal. The kitchen is run by the wives of the wealthier families, especially craftsmen, who want to help the downtrodden and poor. Towards this goal, the group of do-gooders rented an abandoned warehouse, installed a large kitchen and dining room, and began supplying simple, quality meals to the poor. Soon the news spread and now more than 100 people receive a meal in the Soup Kitchen every day.

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six private rooms each with their own bath. The quality of the rooms, the menu, and the drinks is average for a guild inn, making the Golden Goose the perfect example of the standard.

Floranuus’ Shrine

Darranis’ shrine dedicated to Floranuus sees large donations by merchants and shipping agents who want to show their gratitude. The questors of the shrine are well known in the town, as they often motivate workers and grant them the gift of Floranuus, boosting their stamina for an arduous task.

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Chorrolis’ Shrine

It’s no surprise that the shrine dedicated to Chorrolis is the biggest one in Darranis. Many successful merchants and shipping agents pray to the Passion and dedicate a portion of their income to him. Chorrolis’ Questors are involved in the politics of Darranis to great extent and usually support the merchants and shipping agents in debates with their workers.

Ksarkeni’s Stables

Dozens of stables can be found in Darranis, where travelers and merchants can find a place for their riding animals. Ksarkeni, a young human woman, runs one of the largest ones, located at the western end of the town. She has a knack for handling animals and expects her employees to meet her high standards and dedication to the work. Rumor has it she is a Beastmaster. C H A P T E R I - 2 | B oomtown Dar rani s

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Newcomers have a hard time living up to her expectations, but if they do manage to do so, they find Ksarkeni to be a fair and loyal employer. Ksarkeni recently decided to begin a breeding program for horses to expand her business.

Bes’ara’s

Bes’ara runs a high-class brothel that caters to the wealthy. In the luxury atmosphere of Bes’ara’s mansion, men and women alike can find entertainment and the company of good-looking and educated Namegivers—for a high price, of course. Naturally, a place like this is the subject of many rumors, which claim that Bes’ara is working for the Therans, Throal, the Dragons, or the Denairastas.

Dyntan’s Gambling Hall

The ruthless, yet charming, elf Dyntan owns the largest gambling hall in Darranis, which is mostly frequented by traveling merchants and caravan workers. Dyntan keeps a close eye on the tables and deals quickly and fiercely with anyone found cheating. He also runs a profitable business of loan sharking, which is overseen by his right hand: Oughum, a cunning ork woman. Some of the most feared and brutal thugs in Darranis work for Dyntan as bouncers in the gambling hall and legbreakers for the loan sharking ring.

Theater of the Moon

Najarja Starshine owns this small theater, where famous plays from Throalic writers are played by a professional group of actors. She doesn’t make much money from the enterprise, but she doesn’t have to. She struck it rich a decade ago as part of an adventuring group. Najarja doesn’t speak much about her past, but has a soft spot for young, adventurous adepts, especially magicians (she is a Wizard herself).

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The Alchemist

Ksarkeni, a middle-aged human woman, runs this excellent alchemist shop. She sells all kinds of common magic items, potions, and a wide variety of ordinary herbs.

The Old Kaer

The kaer that sheltered the people of Darranis and its neighbors during the Long Night is located roughly fifteen miles southwest of the town. Practical as ever, quite a few of the kaer’s residents chose to stay in the kaer even after the Scourge was declared to be over, preferring the safety of the environment they were used to over home under the sunlit open sky. Roughly 30 people still live in the kaer and work on keeping it clean and safe, even though half of the kaer has been stripped of its materials to be used in the construction of Darranis. The remaining buildings and facilities remain in good condition; the light crystals have been replaced, the enchantments on the greenhouses are still active, and the housing and administrative buildings that haven’t been demolished are kept clean and tidy. Darranis supports today’s kaer inhabitants, as they fear that bandits, dangerous creatures, or Horrors might occupy the kaer once the last inhabitants leave it. Additionally, the greenhouses have been converted to grow stoveplants, as used in Throal: quick-growing wood that gives off much heat and only little smoke. This type of firewood is in high demand among Darranis’ wealthier residents, in the breweries and smithies, and in some t’skrang communities living in the famous t’skrang towers. The council deems the income from stoveplants appropriate to the cost of maintaining the kaer. The dwarf Warrior Folkor the Brave has become the leader of the remaining kaer population. Folkor was an adept who helped to clear the surrounding area of Horrors and accepted the duty of leadership when he grew too old to continue his adventuring lifestyle. A few of his acquaintances from his adventuring days have taken the opportunity to settle with him, so the old kaer is often sought out by young adepts hoping to find training.

riginally, Kaer Darranis had been ruled by a council made up of one representative of each of the kaer’s original villages. With populations mixing over the long centuries, eventually this council changed into a ruling body of five Namegivers elected by the kaer’s inhabitants every six years. This tradition is still observed in the town today.

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Each council member is responsible for one major facet of life and work in Darranis; only important matters are brought to vote before the whole council. In this way, minor decisions can be made swiftly and everyone knows which council member to consult when a problem arises.

Elorian Quickwit—Trade, Road Maintenance Elorian is the council member tasked with the maintenance of the roads (most importantly the Darranis Road) and all matters related to trade, including overseeing the markets and similar duties. His responsibilities keep him very busy and almost constantly on the road. As a Cavalryman, he’s content with that. Elorian is a charismatic and intelligent middle-aged ork and a native of Darranis. He spent a few years traveling, working as caravan guard and adventurer (rumors about a possible stint with ork scorchers won’t die down) before he decided to come back home. His election into office was a surprise for everyone, as he was running for it simply because he lost a bet, but he soon had the backing of Darranis’ younger population.

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Important Personalities

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‹‹Tags: Smart, Witty, Gambler

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Alri Yolotta—Militia

Alri is an experienced human Warrior adept who is currently in her fifth term as council member responsible for Darranis’ militia. She comes from a family that traces her ancestry back to the leading families of Alrran, one of Darranis’ neighbor villages prior to the Scourge. Alri is proud to continue the family tradition of “taking responsibility for society” and does an excellent job keeping the militia in good shape and spirits. She doesn’t deal with the other council members much, since her responsibilities are largely independent from trade, but she is on good terms with the merchants, shipping agents, and brewers. ‹‹Tags: Lawful, Relentless, Tough

Yeldur—Taxes and Fees

Yeldur, a non-adept scholar, has a knack for numbers, which made him the logical choice for many voters when the council seat of the tax collector opened two terms ago. His many speeches, riddled with numbers regarding tax and expenditure, were impressive to behold for the regular folks, given such a dry subject, and indeed made him look clever. The elf gets his officers to collect all taxes from the richest merchant and the poorest beggar alike and manages to portray that as a task vital to Darranis’ survival and growth. His efforts have made his officers relatively well liked—for tax collectors. Yeldur himself is liked for his natural charisma, even though many poorer citizens view him as being too closely connected to the merchants—his younger brother Yarian is equally as charismatic and is in the caravan trade. ‹‹Tags: Orator, Charismatic, Organized

Drokam—Administration

Drokam, a middle-aged human Wizard, is responsible for all administrative matters of Darranis, which necessitates working closely with Yeldur. He is not as charismatic as the elf and abandoned the path of the Wizard early in his days as a Novice adept. He compensates for his minimal magical talent with hard work in service to his people. In fact, he runs the administration of Darranis very efficiently; to everyone’s appreciation, official paperwork for merchants and other businesses is kept to a minimum thanks to Drokam’s skill in planning and filing (and, some say, accepting bribes). ‹‹Tags: Egoistic, Brooding, Frail

Celora Springflower—Food and Water Supply Celora is the only councilor who is not native to Darranis. The attractive elf woman came to Darranis in search of work two decades ago. She was trained by a local Troubadour and soon became famous for her beautiful vocal performances. Twelve years ago, she married Wortoran Redhair, a successful human shipping agent, and decided to use her fame to run for a council seat. She was elected and now is responsible for the supply of food and water. This had been the most important duty during the Scourge, but has lost much of its importance since then. Celora still tries to stick with her original duties and is the town’s contact for local farmers and the like. She has also expanded her duties and now acts as the de-facto diplomatic contact for representatives from foreign nations (most notably Throal and House V’strimon). ‹‹Tags: Famous, Negotiator, Good-looking

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GRASS

WIDOWS Sometimes Horrors aren’t the biggest threat to a community. Greed and desperation can be a bigger danger.

— Merrox, Master of the Hall of Records

Running the Adventure rass Widows confronts the player characters with a difficult situation that they can’t solve with swords or magic. They need to use their own judgment to seek a resolution, as both sides in the conflict have good reasons for their actions. Finding a simple solution is hardly possible here, forcing the characters to act as mediators between the arguing parties. Being outsiders, the characters are the best choice for everyone involved in the events of the adventure.

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Be aware that Grass Widows does not provide you or the players and their characters with a plot to follow, but rather a situation to resolve. Running Grass Widows requires more improvisation, flexibility, and on the spot decisions from the gamemaster than a typical published role-playing adventure, but is an ideal showcase for the narrative emphasis of a game of Earthdawn: The Age of Legend.

Adventure Background

Trade is important for Barsaive. Clothes, luxury items, food, weapons—every Namegiver has something he needs or wants, and there’s always a merchant willing to satisfy his customers’ desires. Goods are transported throughout the province by merchant caravans and ships’ crews, but other cargo is just as important: news, rumors, and legends. But the booming business of trade also has a darker side. Where jobs are scarce, Namegivers fight for the few jobs offered by merchant houses and caravan owners, who happily lower their wages. Such shrewd businessmen know that there is always a desperate soul willing to work for a lower wage. Grass Widows is centered on one such occurrence.

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No Horrors, Therans, or dragons are involved in the events of this adventure. The ordinary people of Darranis are the main characters, and the conflict is rooted in their hopes and fears and the struggles of their daily lives. Here, another important topic of Earthdawn gets the focus: slavery. Not the obvious forms of slavery, with chained Namegivers being worked to death or forced to power Theran airships with their life force, but the subtler form of slavery that is caused by debt. Once a family needs to borrow money from its employer, it has no choice but to continue to work for him, even when he lowers the wages, thus deepening and strengthening a cycle of indebtedness that a family may never escape.

Plot Synopsis

Darranis seems to be a bustling, prosperous trading community, but under the surface lurks despair. The ordinary people who form the majority of Darranis’ workforce have experienced a steady decline in living conditions in recent months. The shipping agents and caravan owners of the town seem to have turned a blind eye to the desperation of their workers and haven’t done anything to improve their living conditions. When a merchant publicly insults a desperate mother, he triggers a chain reaction: the workers go on strike and begin to fight for better wages. Things get ugly very quickly. The player characters can be brought into in the adventure in many ways and can work for either side. They may even refrain from picking sides altogether. It’s not easy to predict which side the characters will aid, if they choose to act at all.

he player characters arrive at Darranis and soon get an impression of the problems in the town. They witness a roadblock; the caravans that are essential for the town’s economy are held up by workers and their families. Soon the characters are in the middle of the action, with both sides in the conflict vying and pleading for their help.

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Setting the Stage

When the adepts arrive in Darranis, they witness the sharp contrast between the different groups of inhabitants first-hand: while many Namegivers are making a fortune and living in wealth and luxury, most workers are trapped in poverty and a rat race for low-paid jobs. The situation is made worse by the constant influx of new workers coming from the hinterlands of Barsaive and by the merchants’ scheme of indebting their workers. The morning after the characters’ arrival, they witness a large group of women and children, consisting mostly of orks, trolls, and humans, blocking outbound caravans. The coachmen don’t do anything about it; instead they just sit and wait. The “saboteurs” are the women and children of the coachmen employed by several caravan companies, and they won’t let any cart pass through. Every now and then, they wildly shout slogans and sometimes insults. If the characters ask what is going on, or if they try to convince the protesters to leave so the caravans can pass, they will get some much-needed explanations. Apparently, the coachmen are paid very badly, as there is a surplus of workers in Darranis. They often have to leave their women and children at home for weeks or months on the road at a time. To make matters worse, payment comes in all at once upon a coachman’s return to Darranis. If a trip takes four weeks, and the return route takes six weeks once all of the necessary

This has not been common practice throughout Darranis’ history, but with the explosive growth of Darranis, the companies could change the modus operandi to suit their needs, and working conditions have taken a downward turn. After all, there are more than enough Namegivers who want work, so if a coachman refuses to get paid solely upon return, he’s fired and a replacement is found quickly. The group should get to know these facts. If the characters do not ask a passer-by or participant on their own, have some neutral bystander share his knowledge with the newcomers.

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A Calm Beginning

stops are made, there’s no money coming in to feed the children for a month or more, and the families have to take out a loan against future wages—wages that often have not even been negotiated yet. As a result, many families have become indebted to the caravan companies.

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If the characters choose to not get involved right away, they see the merchants and shipping agents (including Yarian, p. 31, who runs this particular caravan) finally manage to break off the strike by promising higher wages for their workers. They even offer some families up-front pay of a few silvers to get the work underway once more. How this event ends depends on if the group intervenes on the company’s behalf or speaks in favor of the workers. Keep in mind that the characters have only just arrived; they do not have any obligations here except to their own consciences. This event ends once the group has formed an opinion on the situation and is deciding what to do next. Soon enough, the characters find themselves in the middle of a growing conflict between rich and poor—between merchants and workers. In this first event of the adventure, both the workers and the representatives of the merchants and shipping agents are introduced to the group. Continue to Meeting Both Sides, below, to continue with the adventure’s storyline, but give the players further impressions C H A P T E R I I - 1 | G ra ss W idows

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discussed in Themes and Images and Behind the Scenes if they need support in forming an opinion on the conflict.

Themes and Images

The characters come to Darranis and see the beauty of the town, the bustling business, and all the Namegivers running through the crowded streets. But if they look around, they can find despair and poverty just a stone’s throw away from the main streets. Long lines of women and children form at the soup kitchens, while many men and women wait at other places to be picked up by local merchants who need a day-worker or maybe even a caravan guard or cart driver. These people appear to be desperate and are a stark contrast to the wealth that is displayed in other parts of Darranis. The characters may witness how a merchant comes to the people waiting for work and begins to pick up four or five of them. The ones who aren’t chosen often lose their self-respect and try to convince the merchant to choose them, offering to work for lower wages or to work unpaid extra hours. There is little pride left in these people after the merchant leaves. Everyone in the throng is ashamed and avoids eye contact with passers-by and each other.

Behind the Scenes

The caravan workers are paid badly and face competition from newcomers who are desperately looking for work and will undercut the usual wages. A downward spiral threatens to push the average worker and his family into poverty and debt.

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THE PARTIES INVOLVED This is an overview of the major parties involved and their roles in the conflict. Be sure to have these details in mind when reading on: Shipping Agents: The shipping agents of Darranis are the owners of caravans and warehouses and represent Darranis’ original purpose and oldest established industry. In Darranis, goods and wares change hands and mode of transportation (mostly from t’skrang riverboat to an out-of-town merchant, to be delivered to a shop or warehouse in that distant town), and the shipping agents are the ones moving the wares through these transitions. They provide the transport and workforce to load and unload cargo but usually have no stake in the goods themselves. They provide services only, and sometimes protection from bandits. Merchants: The merchants are the ones buying and selling the goods. Some have their own carts and wagons, but most choose to not make the investment and instead hire a shipping agent who already has all the wagons and workers ready. The merchant’s advantage is that he can come to Darranis with an eye for a good deal and can always find the necessary transportation. He doesn’t leave with wagons half-full if there’s nothing that interests him, and he doesn’t suffer from a lack of room on his carts if there’s more than he can transport. Many merchants hail from Throal, sometimes as permanent representatives of the huge trading houses, but there are also some who originate in Darranis. Grass Widows: The representatives of the workers. By the numbers, they are mostly women who have husbands working in the shipping business; the husbands are away on caravan duty most of the year, though some work on a day-today basis at the docks. It is left to the women to make do with what the husbands make, and it often isn’t possible to succeed at that. While most of the husbands are away and cannot speak out, or are afraid to do so, many of their wives have had enough with things as they are and demand what’s good and right. Free Agents: Not necessarily as independent as they may sound, there are a few Namegivers speaking on behalf of either side, though mostly for the grass widows, who do not properly belong to either side. Like the player characters, they are outsiders who have involved themselves of their own accord but have chosen a side before the adventure begins. Each free agent has his own individual motivation.

As a guideline, the cost of living in a private home can be assumed to be a third or a quarter of the prices in the cheapest local tavern. Once wages drop below that, even a single person drops into poverty. The fall into destitution hits those with families much harder.

Meeting Both Sides Sometime later, a man who introduces himself as Yarian, a local caravan owner, contacts the player characters. It was his caravan that the characters witnessed at the roadblock earlier, though he does not necessarily tell them that. He noticed their arrival in Darranis and is sure that they’re either looking for work or can be made interested in the job he has to offer. He wants the group to work for him (and the other merchants and shipping agents, even though he doesn’t say that directly) to solve the problems they are having with the workforce. His offer is quite generous, and he even raises it remarkably if the player characters speak out in favor of the families’ concerns. If the player characters accept the offer, they’re tasked to run down any saboteur, protester, or agitator in the workforce. Yarian points out that the merchants have the legal right—the law is on their side—and even major powers like Throal are backing them, since Darranis is important for the overall economy of Barsaive. He stresses that things are as they are for a reason; it’s the competitiveness of Darranis’ merchants and shipping agents that provides jobs in the first place. Higher wages would mean

higher shipping costs, and Darranis’ merchants would be out of business, losing customers to the riverboats and to the competing town of Ardanyan. Then the people wouldn’t have any work whatsoever. When the player characters leave the meeting with Yarian, they’re intercepted by a group of six men who want to speak to them. The men, three humans, an ork, and two elves, are clad in simple clothing and look like they’re used to hard work. They ask politely if the characters are up for a meeting with “an interesting person”. In fact, they’re escorting the group to the very humble home of Relgana, an ork woman who is the leader of the upset workers. While a half-dozen children scurry around in the ramshackle hut, Relgana speaks with the group about the current situation in Darranis and how it gets worse for the workers with every passing day. She claims that the local workforce can’t live much longer under these conditions and that the merchants’ policy is bordering on slavery. Relgana expresses her concern that the desperation might soon turn into rage or an outright strike by the workers. It could even lead to bloodshed. She wants to prevent that and asks the player characters to help her, as they’re neutral outsiders and powerful enough to not get bullied by either side. She gives the impression that it would be the merchants and shipping agents, with their better-paid guards, rather than the downtrodden workers, who would resort to violence.

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While the characters certainly lead a lifestyle very different from the workers—a typical adventuring expenditure, such as for a simple booster potion, represents several months’ wages for these workers—the characters should somehow get an impression of how low the wages actually are. You can stress the monetary issue by having the characters hear what the workers earn in a day or week, and then explicitly state prices at the inn where the characters are staying, even if you normally don’t keep track of the details of such costs.

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Troubleshooting

Not much can go wrong in this stage, even if the characters are not interested in any offer, as the blockade will take place anyway. If the characters refuse to even listen to the offers, you’ll have to modify the adventure by letting them witness further troubles or roadblocks, including additional requests for meetings, having people on the street talk to the characters uninvited, etc. You may want to escalate the situation before their eyes, or—if the characters are not really interested in “simple matters” such as daily work and wages—hint at Horrors that may be attracted to the suffering inherent in all of this strife. C H A P T E R I I - 1 | G ra ss W idows

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The Tide Rises he player characters are drawn into the conflict when they try to find out what’s going on or when they begin to act on their employer’s behalf if they have already chosen a side. At this point, they have to decide on a side and stick with the one they have chosen, or they may decide they just want to be left alone. The latter is difficult to do, since both sides are very interested in hiring them.

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Setting the Stage

This event takes place wherever the characters go to talk to the parties involved, to find out more about the situation, or to propose solutions. If the characters work for Yarian, add another roadblock or protest, and involve the characters in conversations with the participants. The story in this event is described in just one encounter: First Negotiations. Feel free to break this up into several smaller encounters or conversations, depending on the characters’ actions.

Themes and Images

This encounter gets the characters to hear both sides’ arguments, if they haven’t already. Tempers are flaring up during the conversation. Remember, this is about money, and for some of the participants, about their very existence, suffering, and future.

Behind the Scenes

The women are the driving force behind the strike; they have to deal with the problems of feeding their families with no money while their husbands are away on the road. But at the same time, the merchants want to make a living and are in a similar situation (albeit on a different scale): they have to pay

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for their goods in advance before selling them. Thus they have debts, too, and try to minimize their risk by holding back the payment of their employees until all goods are sold. The situation is not easy to solve, and both the workers and the merchants have good arguments backing up their positions in the dispute.

First Negotiations Once the characters decide to act, whether they have chosen a side right away or not, they are flooded by requests from all sides. If they try to enter Yarian’s company’s yard, for example, some women approach them, recognizing them as adventurers, begging for their help, as “heroes should always help the poor and downtrodden”. If they talk to the “saboteurs” first, Yarian steps in, saying he offered them a job and that they seemed inclined to take it. If they indeed took his offer right away the day before, but changed their minds or seem to act against the tasks he gave them, he might even address the issue of their reputations, which are now at stake. Other shipping agents, such as Nathral (p. 33), might jump in, explaining to the group how much depends on these shipments, but proclaiming that the wages aren’t really the shipping agents’ and caravan owners’ fault. They place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the merchants who do not want to pay enough money for transportation services. All the while, the characters hear stories of destitution: someone shares that her children haven’t had a piece of meat in two months, and another talks about how cold it is with a broken door that cannot be fixed without some money to spare. This is just a conversation, but not a short one. Do not abbreviate this event too much; it shows there are darker shades of gray in a business the group might very well have dealt with in the past (guarding caravans being many Novice adepts’ most lucrative line of work in Barsaive), and that not all slavery is spent in chains. In short, the characters receive so much information that their heads should be spinning. However, this event should end once

It becomes clear that the protesters aren’t as united as they appear at first glance. The majority is made up of workers’ wives and their families, who fight for better wages and a fair schedule of payment. Some groups are interested in breaking the power of the merchants to establish a new way of ruling the town, while others want to destabilize Darranis as a whole (influenced by foreign powers like the Denairastas of Iopos or even one of the Mad Passions), and a third group wants to get a stable income for every citizen in need. These different, sometimes conflicting, goals can easily lead to infighting among the protesters, and thus make it difficult to find a common ground. To make things worse, the merchants hired local men to protect their wagons and goods—local men who are desperate enough to accept the work, knowing that they’ll have to face their former co-workers and maybe even their own families. This encounter deals with the people involved in and speaking for the different factions. In addition to Relgana and Yarian, who were introduced in the previous event, the gamemaster

characters described on p. 31 are important movers and shakers. Have the characters meet with and talk to them over the course of this event, and take clues as to their motives, opinions, and probable actions from their individual descriptions.

Getting Further Impressions Over the next few days, the player characters can witness how the shipping agents, especially Yarian, have growing worries about the whole situation. The merchants have their own families to take care of—Yarian can be seen trying to explain the conflict to his wife and two of his young daughters, who come

to him complaining that he hasn’t been at home and seems to be stressed and sick. In a way, the agents are just another level of the workforce, hired by the merchants to cart their goods around. The merchants point out that they’re taking large financial risks and can’t deal with the problem any differently if they want to stay in business. They claim that they’re not only vital for the survival of Darranis, but for the whole province, and that they brought Darranis the wealth there is today. They have to act rationally and try to keep their costs as low as possible, or else nobody will buy their wares. Ultimately, if no one is buying from them anymore, then there’ll be no need for caravans. Also, they feel it necessary to remind everyone—as often as possible—that the goods can always be brought to Throal via Ardanyan. It is their quickest, most predictable threat, but it is a good one.

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the group has chosen a side or to simply walk away. If the characters stand around and do nothing, the heated argument shifts away from them towards Yarian and Nathral on the merchant’s side and Relgana and J’karri (see below) for the grass widows’. The group can easily get involved again at any time.

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On the other side, the workers’ wives are getting more and more desperate. The player characters face internal strife and growing unrest within the wives’ faction. While some want to sit and wait, hoping for a deal with the merchants, others want to use threats and even violence to end the situation and force the shipping agents to accept their demands. The wives portray the shipping agents and merchants as selfish, greedy Namegivers who rule Darranis with an iron fist and have formed an oligarchy that prevents fair wages for the workers. Both sides try to convince the player characters that their arguments are the right ones, and may even resort to bribery, blackmailing, and open threats.

Troubleshooting

Only imprudent actions by the player characters can make the situation worse, such as if they decide to attack one group. Apart from that, not much can go wrong unless they show disinterest (see the previous Troubleshooting section).

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Tough Decisions he player characters are more or less forced to either pick a side or act as moderators, trying to bring the strained relationship of employers and employees to a good end. They realize that the shipping agents don’t entirely act out of selfishness but are facing stiff competition themselves and are concerned about supporting their families, too.

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Setting the Stage

While nominally its own event, Tough Decisions directly picks up where The Tide Rises left off. The negotiations are an ongoing process; the two events are separated merely by the time when hearing all arguments stops and finding a solution starts. If it seems as though the characters take too much time hearing all sides or don’t get to a solution fast enough, emphasize the need for action with one or two events that are out of their (or any of their negotiation partners’) control. For example, a splinter group of one of the factions might act rashly or violently, sparking a small but bloody confrontation that no one truly wants.

Themes and Images

Depending on how the characters choose to negotiate, negotiations may be a constant back-and-forth between individual parties, or everyone may sit at the same table. The latter is not necessarily better, as everyone may try to talk at the same time. In any negotiations, the characters have to assert a certain authority, though it is up to them to find that out and establish it in one way or the other. Otherwise, things end up in chaos with the characters acting as mere messengers, telling one side what the other said, and then going back for more…

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If the characters choose not to negotiate, instead trying to solve the problem through action—especially if they break up the protest on the shipping agents’ or merchants’ behalf—make certain they witness the effects of their choices.

Behind the Scenes

The player characters are caught in the web of politics and have to realize that there is no right or wrong decision to make. Finding an agreement might take time and require some action beforehand, but no agreement will completely satisfy both parties. Compromise is the word of the day, and the player characters have to learn that some problems can’t be solved with the help of magic... The keys to any negotiation here are the modalities of payment, the cycle of debts, and the actual wages. These issues need to be settled, and the characters may have to do research to find out what numbers and conditions are actually workable, instead of just hearing what either side wants.

Coming to Terms There is no simple guide to an ideal solution, as there is none. The key is either finding a compromise between the two sides or beating one side into submission (not necessarily physically). Siding with the companies and going for a quick break-up of the protests is pretty easy—driving people away is not that hard for an adept and requires only brawns and not brains. Siding with the grass widows and using the workforce as a bargaining chip to get the most out of it—however little that may end up being—is also a simple route, though one that may neither provide the best result, nor maintain peace for years to come, for either side. Depending on their side in the conflict, the player character might want to bring in outside help, perhaps in the form of a questor of Mynbruje. Or they may mediate by involving other

In the short run, one of the biggest problems is that of debt; some families have accumulated enough of it to owe their employers a couple of years’ work. Let the players come up with a solution and decide if this would work, but do not make it too easy for them. In the long run, there’s still no way for the caravan owners and their workers to speak on equal ground should things ever change. Instituting a committee or a shipping guild and a worker’s union to speak with each other whenever things change, or to establish a standard wage, may prove successful in the long run. Much of the current problem is that everything is ad hoc and badly organized, with everyone blaming everyone else for his part in the matter.

Throwing in Some Action This encounter is optional, but if you want to throw in some action, let one of the sides—or one of the many sub-groups on each side—get violent. Compromises rarely satisfy everyone, after all. Depending on whom they send and why, the conflict is likely to need to be resolved by the characters with as little bloodshed as possible. Such resolution may require knocking people unconscious or beating up enough of them to scare the rest away. Who exactly turns to violence depends on which party the characters have worked for and how they have acted so far. If it is the shipping agents, they may send their betterpaid guards or even hire outside adepts. If it is the merchants, they may hire thugs (Dyntan, from Dyntan’s Gambling Hall, p. 18, hires out his thugs freely to anyone who pays) or outside adepts as well. A good choice for a troublemaker is Ferasur

(p. 34), the undercover Denairastas agent set out to destabilize the region. He’s willing to go all the way to murder if he has to and might even bring in a covert Iopan strike team. Using him also provides opportunities for follow-up investigations. Similarly, Ur’dor (p. 34) is a free agent with his own motivations and a formidable opponent (especially if he has gathered followers), who can be used to provoke a fight. The characters may want to handle a well-meaning questor differently than an Iopan agent! If the characters can’t resolve the situation, the grass widows may be the ones taking up arms, and they might be a tough opponent to face. Even pushing moral issues aside, in contrast to the other parties, the grass widows can send an actual mob after the characters…

Troubleshooting

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parties, such as the merchants who pay the shipping agents (who do not pay that poorly, as it turns out); or involve the council (p. 19) and hear their opinion on the lives of the people they represent. Still, work versus pay represents the strongest bargaining chip on either side.

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It’s hard to tell which road leads to an amenable outcome of Grass Widows and which leads to failure. At some points, you may have the feeling things are heading in the wrong direction, such as if the players don’t see something they should by all means be able to realize, or if they take a wrong turn. However, getting through the negotiations, or even resolving the situation by force, is what the characters need to do. You should be able to accept that, and failure is definitely an option. At the same time, don’t come up with your own optimal solution and expect the players to follow your train of thought, or, worse still, assume that we provided the optimum solution and expect your entire group to follow it. Grass Widows isn’t set up as a kaer crawl with a Horror lurking at the end, and success or failure isn’t measured by getting to that Horror and defeating it. Resolving the situation is the goal, just as defeating the Horror would be, but here failing is less dangerous. There is more than one path towards success, and the outcome is a living thing, as Darranis with its merchants and shipping agents and workers goes on.

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Aftermath rass Widows has three possible ways for the characters to go through the story: the player characters side with the merchants, side with the laborers and grass widows, or act as mediators and don’t favor one side over the other.

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If the player characters decide to side with the merchants and help to find a solution favorable to them, the group will be on good terms with some of the wealthy and influential people of Darranis but will have earned a bad reputation among the laborers. Depending on the characters’ actions, this bad reputation might be limited to only caravan workers, grass widows, and similar people, or it may spread among the town’s entire working class. Being on good terms with the merchants offers the player characters opportunities for new, lucrative jobs, lowered prices for high-quality items, and maybe even the chance to gain influence in the politics of Darranis. Siding with the laborers and grass widows and negotiating good new terms for them earns the player characters a fairly good reputation among them, while the merchants and their allies will view them with contempt and treat them as troublemakers who threaten the peace of Darranis. A way to stay neutral is to act as mediators and try to fairly judge the interests of both sides, while finding a solution that is fair for everyone. If the player characters manage to pull that off, they will be on good terms with both sides and will be well liked even by those who did not take part in the conflict, having stabilized Darranis. However, if one side feels they got the short end of the stick, they will do their best to tell anyone and everyone of the player characters’ role in their misfortune. No matter what, the player characters will leave a lasting impression on Darranis’ political and economic landscape. How that turns out depends much on the details of their ac-

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tions. A short-term solution might lead to the same conflict a couple of years later, and this time, the same compromise won’t work again.

Sequels

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he following adventure hooks can be used to expand Grass Widows:

Jealousy

Being the wife of a wealthy merchant can be a boring life. The husband is away most of the time, either on the road or busy in his office, which leaves his wife with much time to be filled. The wives of some merchants were excited by the fact that adepts came to the help of the coachmen, showing them there is some dire need for action. The women decide to found a group that cares for the needs of the “poor, hard-working men of Darranis,” and starts supplying them with new clothes and better provisions for their journeys. These are only harmless things—although one or two women might seek amorous affairs, too—but are enough to sour the moods of the coachmen’s wives. The merchant’s wives see the poor state of the coachmen regularly, while the coachmen’s wives are often more focused on the health and wellbeing of their children than that of their husbands. Because of this narrow focus, the coachmen’s wives suspect there has to be something else going on with the wealth merchants’ wives. It’s up to the adepts to act as a neutral party again and convince the coachmen’s wives that nothing inappropriate is going on…

Revenge

After the adepts have managed to negotiate a new deal between company owners and their coachmen, one shipping agent is visited by a questor of Vestrial, disguised as a questor of Chorrolis, who appeals to the merchant’s greed. After the adepts’ successful

Cast of Characters

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his section presents game statistics and additional information on the gamemaster characters in Grass Widows.

Yarian

Years back, Yarian explored southwestern Barsaive and traveled extensively on the Serpent with his companions. After the group had raided a breached kaer, the elf decided to take the money and invest it in a shipping company, and Darranis seemed the ideal place for this. Using his talents and coin, he was able to build up a reputation as a solid trade partner and saw his company quickly become lucrative. He handed over most day-to-day business to trustworthy people and began enjoying an expensive lifestyle. Now problems are occurring and forcing him to act.

GR ASS WIDOWS

negotiations, the shipping agent is making less money due to the increased wages of the coachmen. He blames the adepts, as they ignited the spark of rebellion and forced the transport agents to accept the new deal. The questor convinces the greedy merchant to hire another group of adepts and send them after the player characters to take revenge and let them pay for this new deal with their blood.

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Yarian is the brother of councilor Yeldur (see p. 20) and has been one of Darranis’ most successful caravan owners in recent years. His caravans have transported goods as far as Claw Ridge, Urupa, and Haven, earning him considerable profit and the opportunity for an expensive lifestyle. But in the past few weeks, tension among his employees has been growing. Not only has Yarian lowered their wages, using the argument that there are many Namegivers willing to work for his offer, but he has also begun to raise the rates of interest for the money he has loaned to the families of his workers. Now more and more caravans are delayed, forcing Yarian to either use his talents to negotiate with his employees or hire thugs to threaten them outright. He knows that neither method is the best way to handle the problem, but he doesn’t realize exactly how desperate his employees are, or that they can’t make a living off the wages he pays them.

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The tall, slender elf has become increasingly annoyed by the situation and has developed a serious drinking problem. He visits the taverns of Darranis nearly every night and drinks away his frustration, dreaming of traveling through Barsaive as an adventurer. Yarian doesn’t want to give up his comfortable life, and he especially doesn’t like to be confronted with the desperate people he employs, so he’s happy when a group of adepts appears that seems to be capable of resolving the situation. Yarian

Elf Troubadour and Caravan Owner

Tags

Retired Adept, Frustrated Alcoholic, Low-Light Vision

Special

Troubadour Adept: Yarian has retired, but is still able to use his talents. Check the game information about Troubadours and their abilities (Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.91) and use these as a guide when playing Yarian.

Relgana would love to work and earn money for the family, like she did during her first marriage (to an ork carpenter who died in an accident eight years ago). But in her current situation, it’s impossible for her to leave the children alone at home during the day. Thus, Relgana has gladly taken a leading role in the protests against the merchants, since she can organize meetings at her home and use the help of other grass widows when her new duties call her away from home for brief periods. Many families of workers are stuck in the vicious circle of debt and low wages, as Relgana found out when she talked to her friends and neighbors. Most are afraid that their husbands will lose their jobs, so the wives have decided to remain silent. Relgana is too proud to do so and has decided to try everything possible to change the situation. She may be just one woman, but she is also tough as nails and strong-minded (some people would call her stubborn), as well as charismatic enough to get the wives of other coachmen on her side.

Wound Slots

R elgana

 Threat Circle Journeyman

Ork Leader—Grass Widow

Tags

Rebellious, Obliged, Tough, Strong-minded, Passionate

Special

Relgana

Relgana is an ork woman in her middle years. She is undoubtedly the leader of the resistance against the merchants’ methods. Currently married to Mekaren Strongfist, a coachman working for Nathral (p. 33), she realized quickly that the merchants’ new payment methods would force her family into poverty and debt. She can’t work when Mekaren is away, because she has to keep an eye on her seven children. It was hard for her to apply for credit at Nathral’s office, but she saw no other solution. Mekaren was on a twelve-week long trip, and she was running out of money to feed their horde of children.

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Gahad: Relgana is very protective of her kids, her Gahad is triggered when they are in danger (see Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.27).

Wound Slots 

Threat Circle Novice

Nathral is viewed by many citizens as the merchant responsible for the growing unrest. The greedy human was the first to start paying his coachmen solely upon return from a trip, leaving his workers’ families without money in the meantime. He then offered to lend them money—for a price, naturally. Soon many of his employees where indebted to him and couldn’t afford to lose their jobs in his company. That’s when Nathral decided to lower the wages, knowing that his workers would swallow their anger and continue to work for him. His plan worked, and his company makes more profit than ever before. Unlike Yarian, Nathral was never an adventurer and has never seen much of Barsaive. He knows how to run a successful shipping company—financially, if not morally—and gladly lets others negotiate the numbers he has already settled upon with the workers.

her newfound role. She is married to Delkur, a young human coachman who fears that his wife’s actions will get him fired by his merchant employer, but Delkur also knows the strength of J’karri’s longing for purpose beyond being wife and mother. The characters will most likely have to deal with J’karri when they want to speak with the grass widows or if they choose to work for them. J’karri

GR ASS WIDOWS

Nathral

Human Mother—Grass Widow

Tags

Attractive, Rebellious, Pragmatic

Special

–

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Threat Circle Novice

Human Merchant

Nathral

Tags

Greedy, Loan-Shark, Tall

Special

–

Wound Slots

–

Threat Circle Novice

J’karri

J’karri is a young human mother who was one of the first to be convinced by Relgana that something had to be done or the situation of the workers and their families would never improve. The attractive woman is the perfect poster girl for the grass widows’ movement and gladly acts as speaker. J’karri always had the desire to become more than a humble wife and mother and enjoys

Doilek Fireheart

Doilek is a young ork who believes that the time of change has come and the current order of society needs to be overcome, first in Darranis, and then in all of Barsaive. Born and raised as the son of Arlik, a local carpenter, Doilek doesn’t know the sorrows and problems of unskilled workers and coachmen from personal experience, but that doesn’t stop him. He wants to change the system and joined the grass widows’ movement at the first opportunity, but he oon realized that their goals don’t stretch as far as his own. Together with like-minded protestors, he has formed a small activist group and now tries to convince more and more workers to follow his cause. If that doesn’t work, he may even resort to violence to reach his goal. Doilek finds himself attracted to J’karri, even though she rejected him when he revealed his feelings to her. He hopes she’ll fall in love with him if he shows his courage and dedication to the grass widows’ cause. C H A P T E R I I - 1 | G ra ss W idows

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Doilek Fireheart

Ork Rebel—Grass Widow

Tags

Opportunistic Activist, Rejected Lover, Courageous

Special

Gahad: Doilek has never learned a proper craft or profession; his Gahad is triggered whenever this becomes a topic of discussion (see Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.27).

Wound Slots 

Threat Circle

Ferasur Blackhair

Ferasur is a troll Troubadour adept who came to Darranis a couple of years ago and settled in one of the poorer areas. He earns his money performing in the various taverns, but nobody knows that he’s also funded by the Denairastas of Iopos. He’s a key contact in the town and keeps the Denairastas updated about everything that goes on there. Ferasur quickly realized that the current situation could be a perfect way to de-stabilize the whole region, perhaps even affecting Throal. As long as the workers are on strike, very few goods are shipped through the Ferasur Blackhair

Troll Troubadour—Grass Widow

Tags

Agitator, Secret Spy, Heat Sight, Horned, Gargantuan

Special

Troubadour Adept: Ferasur uses his talents to spur the rebellion. Check the game information about Troubadours and their abilities (Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.91) and use these as a guide when playing Ferasur.

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Threat Circle Journeyman

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town. So Ferasur does his best to act as the voice of the radicals, demanding higher wages, greater freedom, and a stop to hiring newcomers. Secretly he encourages young, hotheaded people to take action against the ruling class and the merchants. If Darranis were to be consumed in an armed riot or even a civil war, Ferasur would be well satisfied.

Ur’dor

Even though the news of the growing problems in Darranis isn’t widespread throughout Barsaive, a questor of Lochost became aware of them and decided to visit the town. Ur’dor, an old troll Warrior, is sure that the caravan workers are trapped in a form of slavery and wants to help them. He is a vocal supporter of their cause and uses his questor powers to ignite the spark of rebellion in the minds of more and more Namegivers. The troll feels that a successful improvement of the workers’ living conditions will please his patron Passion and prove his devotion. He can become an ally or enemy of the player characters, depending on their actions. Ur’dor

Troll Warrior and Questor of Lochost

Tags

Old, Heat Sight, Horned, Gargantuan, Questor (Lochost)

Special

Warrior Adept: Ur’dor uses his talents when involved in a conflict. Check the game information about Warriors and their abilities (Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.92) and use these as a guide when playing Ur’dor. Questor of Lochost: As a vocal supporter of the rebellion, Ur’dor’s devotion allows him to call on Lochost’s aid. See Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.212 for information about Lochost and use this as a guide when playing Ur’dor.

Wound Slots 

Threat Circle Journeyman

TAINTED

GOODS With the passing of the Scourge, the imminent threat is gone. And hordes of Horrors have been slain by great heroes since.

But, I fear, it is the clever Horrors that remain: hidden, working from the background.

— G’krall “Whip” V’strimon

ainted Goods is an adventure scenario designed for three to five Journeyman adepts of any Discipline. In this adventure, the player characters find themselves on the trail of a merchant who sells Horror-tainted goods. To keep him from spreading the Horror’s influence even further and to prevent more people from becoming Horror-marked through the goods, the player characters need to track down the merchant and finally overcome him.

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Running the Adventure ainted Goods is a straightforward investigative adventure in which each clue leads to the next encounter. The players may skip forward or backwards in their investigation when they forget something or get off track, so the adventure is arranged following the steps of the investigation:

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‹‹Sudden Bloodshed starts the adventure as the characters witness a murder and may result in the characters being drawn into an investigation. ‹‹Pulling Back the Curtain details the different options available to the characters as they investigate the murderer and his victims. ‹‹In Getting Closer, the characters talk to the merchant, only to find out he’s not very cooperative. ‹‹Finally, Confronting Shador pits the characters against the merchant and his minions, concluding the adventure.

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Adventure Background

Shador Blackfur (p. 46) has become a successful merchant over the course of 20 years of hard and dedicated work. He operates mainly along the Darranis Road, but travels to Travar and Urupa, as well. Lately, he has specialized in luxury items such as jewelry, expensive musical instruments, and ancient weapons. Such items are in high demand by the wealthy, and this demand offers Shador the benefit of traveling lightly; he doesn’t need to keep a large caravan with him. Shador is a well-known buyer of pre-Scourge goods in Urupa, Travar, and Kratas and often buys from the loot of expeditions returning from breached kaers. One year ago, Shador purchased a Horror-tainted robe from a group of adventurers who returned from a trip to the Badlands. There they explored a breached kaer and found a true treasure trove of marvelous enchanted clothes, tapestry, and instruments. Unbeknownst to them, some of the items had been tainted and corrupted by the Horror V’kloratna (p. 48), which uses its Horror-mark ability through these items. When Shador decided to wear the fine robe after his purchase, V’kloratna Horrormarked the merchant and used its Thought Worm ability to convince him to search for more tainted items and sell them on his journeys. This allows the Horror to Horror-mark more Namegivers and gradually spread its influence over the whole province. The player characters are drawn into the Horror’s scheme when they witness a man attempting to murder his family in a shadier part of Darranis.

While the player characters are in Darranis, they witness Jobar (p. 46), an ordinary man, running amok. During a shopping trip to the market, he suddenly begins to attack his wife, Elora, and their children and slays them within moments. Right after his loved ones are dead, Jobar begins to attack bystanders seemingly at random, regardless of their race, age, and gender. The player characters, as able-bodied adventurers, have to stop him. Afterwards, they are tasked by Elora’s parents to find out the reason for the killing spree (unless they choose to investigate of their own volition). Examining Jobar’s belongings lets them find a Horror-tainted dagger. The conclusion is simple: the Horror used its abilities and convinced him to kill his family. The player characters then find that Shador Blackfur sold the dagger to Jobar and track the merchant down.

Sudden Bloodshed n this event the player characters witness a family slain by its own father. After the man is brought down, the characters are asked to find out the reasons for the mysterious killing spree.

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Setting the Stage

This event assumes the player characters are already in Darranis, either attending to their own affairs or using the town to make travel arrangements for another journey. Their business eventually brings them to one of the markets, which is humming with life. Families, small groups of travelers, off-duty caravan guards, farmers, and many small market stands fill the area and give the impression of Darranis as a meeting point for many different Namegivers. Give the characters the opportunity to shop for a few things if they want to, then, when they are all together, jump directly into the encounter below.

TAINTED GOODS

Plot Synopsis

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Themes and Images

During the first minutes of the scene, everything appears to be a normal day: the market is full of people who enjoy shopping in the warm, sunny weather. The player characters can see children running around and playing games among the crowds. Families are shopping for the coming week. Old people sit on corners and talk about better times. Merchants are doing their best to attract people to their stands, while adventurers and off-duty caravan guards look for opportunities for a mug of ale, a game of luck, and the company of men and women.

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Behind the Scenes

Jobar was Horror-marked six days ago, after he bought a dagger from a traveling merchant. He didn’t really need the dagger, which looks like an expensive piece, but the price was right and Shador was very convincing. Unknown to Jobar, the dagger is one of the many items the Horror V’kloratna tainted to use to Horror-mark new victims. Once a victim is Horror-marked, V’kloratna tortures him with illusions, sends him nightmares, and drives him slowly mad via its Thought Worm ability. Jobar has been able to withstand the Horror’s influence for six days, but at the market his mind finally surrenders. He succumbs to the Horror’s whispering.

Family Tragedy The mood abruptly changes when Jobar, a human dockworker, suddenly draws a dagger and stabs his wife, Elora, and their children right in front of the characters (though not close enough for them to interfere in the act). Within moments, Elora and the two children are dead, lying on the ground in a pool of blood, while Jobar attacks the next bystander or one of the characters. Shocked by the unexpected act of violence, many of the market’s visitors need a few moments to rally themselves and to make efforts to overcome Jobar if the player characters do not appear to handle the situation. Jobar proves to be a surprisingly tough and fiercely aggressive opponent: due to the dagger’s ability and the Horror’s magic, his physical abilities have been improved. Most important is his inability to feel pain or exhaustion– Wounds don’t affect him in any way, nor is it possible to beat him unconscious.

We Need to Know Why Once Jobar is overwhelmed (and most likely dead), Elora’s parents, Poldrur and Saroha Goldsense, arrive at the market,

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having been alerted to the tragedy by a friend. When she sees the bloodshed and her dead daughter and grandchildren, Saroha collapses to the ground. Poldrur orders a few people he knows to bring her home, while he goes to Jobar and the people who overwhelmed him. Once it is clear to him that Jobar is either dead or completely insane, he looks to the player characters as the ones who defeated Jobar. “I can’t understand why Jobar did this. What brought him to kill my daughter? What brought him to kill their children?” Tears begin to fill his eyes, but after steadying himself for a few moments, he continues. “Will you help me to find out the reason for this madness?” Poldrur Goldsense and his wife, Saroha, are relatively wealthy caravan owners from Darranis. Jobar worked for them, while Elora raised the children. Poldrur is willing to pay the characters if they investigate the circumstances that turned Jobar into the killer of his family. If pressed, he is willing to raise their payment by giving up money he was saving for a new, bigger home. You can delay this encounter if the characters start investigating right away, giving them time to examine Jobar (see Pulling Back the Curtain, p. 38), or leave it out completely if they start the entire investigation on their own. If that is the case, merely use Poldrur and Saroha as sources of information as required. In the latter case, the distraught couple might still be willing to compensate the characters, though this may better be done with a gift or by becoming a contact in Darranis.

Troubleshooting

Not much can go wrong in this scene. If the player characters don’t act and make no attempts to stop Jobar, other bystanders will step in and subdue him eventually (at great risk of life and spilled blood, of course). If the characters turn down the investigation, they obviously don’t want to play adventurer today…

he characters investigate Jobar’s belongings and his home and talk to people who knew the family. They find out that Jobar bought the Horror-tainted dagger a few days ago and has ever since showed subtle changes in his personality.

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Setting the Stage

This event directly follows the previous one. If the characters started their investigation of Jobar before his parents-in-law showed up, the two events can easily blend together. The characters should not be able to examine Jobar’s home before they have talked to Poldrur and Saroha.

Themes and Images

The player characters should get the impression that Jobar, Elora, and the kids just left the house for a short trip. Play on the shock of the sudden loss of life. People who knew Jobar can’t believe what has happened and might think it a con or a lie to harm Poldrur’s business at first. No matter what else they may think, all who knew them are stunned speechless at first. Once the investigation continues, things get back to normal, as far as the situation allows.

Behind the Scenes

Asking the neighbors about Jobar gives the characters the impression that Jobar and his family had been nice, friendly people and lived an ordinary, quiet life. They got along with everyone, had friendly chats with their direct neighbors, and even helped an older human couple keep their house and garden clean.

Emotional eruptions like that had never been seen before from Jobar, who is otherwise described as calm, loving father and husband. When pressed, many neighbors describe him as a man who never got mad at anyone and remained calm and friendly even under great stress.

TAINTED GOODS

Pulling Back the Curtain

A few people remember a change in Jobar’s behavior over the last few days, however. They heard him yelling at his kids (which he never did before), getting angry when the front door lock didn’t work properly, and even throwing a few stones after a stray cat who came too close to his garden.

Examining the Bodies If the player characters examine the personal belongings Jobar carried with him to the market they find the following: ‹‹an Expensive Ornamental Dagger ‹‹a belt pouch with 27 silver pieces ‹‹a small gold chain with a pendant that shows the ornamented letters J and E

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‹‹a small dolly bird, wrapped in brown paper (a gift for his youngest child) ‹‹clothes as appropriate for a well-off clerk If the items are viewed astrally, only the dagger shows itself to be a magic item. The dagger is tainted by the Horror and allows the Horror to, over time, Horror-mark the wielder. It can then drive the wielder mad, and throw him into a berserker’s rage. The specifics are described with the Horror’s Powers (see p. 48). Beyond that, Jobar’s body does not hold any additional clues. The bodies of Elora and the children do not offer any clues whatsoever. Their clothes are slightly less expensive than Jobar’s, with Elora being dressed for housework and the kids’ clothes ragged from extensive play, and they carry only the occasional toy or shopping bag and basket. Elora has a gold chain identical to the one Jobar is wearing, but she has no money or weapons. C H A P T E R I I - 2 | Tainted G ood s

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Examining the Home The group may visit Jobar and Elora’s home to search for more clues. The house is located in the northern part of Darranis, in one of the nicer, wealthier parts of the town. It is a small brick-and-mortar row house, with a little garden in the back. Both house and garden are well tended. Inside the two-story house are a small kitchen, a small living room, a bath on the ground floor, two sleeping rooms, and a storage room on the first floor. Toys, clothes, and dishes can be found everywhere, as one would expect in the home of a family. Poldrur may accompany the characters to the house if they ask him, but will be too shocked to be of any help right away; everything here reminds him of his daughter and grandchildren. Examining the house doesn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary. It’s the house of a relatively well-off Darranis family, albeit a bit too small for a family with two kids, but the player characters should know by now that Jobar and his family had planned to move into a bigger house soon. The only viable clue the player characters can find in the house is a small note on Jobar’s desk that gives away the Name of the merchant who sold the dagger to Jobar. The note reads: “Shador Blackfur (the one who sold the dagger) mainly on the Darranis Road, antiquities and art, good prices, ask for flute for Elora next time he’s in town.” Jobar made it to remind himself to keep in contact with the merchant. Astral examination of the desk reveals a small area where Astral Space is lightly tainted; this is where the dagger was stored.

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Troubleshooting

If the player characters don’t find any clues or don’t search the house thoroughly, Poldrur mentions a new dagger Jobar bought a few days ago. This struck him as remarkable since the dagger looked quite expensive and flashy, which wasn’t Jobar’s style at all. If the characters do not find the note, someone else may find it in time and bring it to them. The characters may get off track if they suspect someone close to the family, for example Poldrur or Saroha. If that happens, let them run into a dead end or bring them back on track via the dagger and note, or through a neighbor who seeks them out and tells them about Jobar’s recent troubles.

he player characters track down the seller of the tainted dagger, a merchant Named Shador. Shador stays in Darranis for five days after Jobar’s killing spree before he starts a journey to Throal and Kratas, then back to Darranis once more to sell his goods. His stay is unrelated to Jobar’s murderous actions; Shador is waiting for a group of adventurers to deliver him new magic items they’ve found in an abandoned kaer.

T

Setting the Stage

The group has found the Name of a possible source who could explain Jobar’s change of behavior and, ultimately, the reason for his killing spree. Shador, a merchant of rare and exotic goods, sold an apparently tainted dagger to Jobar. Start this event as soon as the characters inquire about Shador. The characters may go into this encounter with different assumptions about Shador, partly depending on whether or not they discovered the Horror taint on the dagger. Try to draw these assumptions out of the players, and evoke doubt if the players automatically assume Shador to be the culprit.

Themes and Images

Shador seems to be the next step in the investigation: he sold a tainted dagger to Jobar after all. Play on the player characters’ hope to find an ally in him; present him as someone who wants to do his best to help them and find out where the dagger is from, giving further clues to continue following the dagger’s tracks. It should be at least a mild shock and surprise to the players when Shador isn’t really interested in helping the group.

Behind the Scenes

Shador stays at the Golden Goose (p. 16), where he has rented three private rooms. These are for him and his four bodyguards: Woltor and Weltrian, two human Warriors; Vostog Ironfist, a dwarf Elementalist; and Qelbar A’rat, a human Thief (see Cast of Characters, p. 47). Shador is enjoying the comfort offered at the Golden Goose, relaxing from a long journey from Kratas to Travar and Darranis while waiting for a group of adventurers who are about to sell him a dozen magic items salvaged from an abandoned kaer. These adepts arrive in two days, sell their loot to Shador, and depart. Shador will stay at the inn for three more days while he prepares his next journey, this time to Throal and then Kratas, before a scheduled return to Darranis once more. It is up to you if Shador tells the player characters of his travel plans or not, but it is likely he only does so if strongly pressed on the matter. Of course, he may lie to them, but he may also keep a kernel of truth to his tale because he does in fact has a regular route. That fact may make him seem more trustworthy to characters inclined to be suspicious of the merchant.

TAINTED GOODS

Getting Closer

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Talking Business When contacted by the player characters, Shador agrees to meet them at the inn, assuming that they won’t cause trouble in a public place, especially with his bodyguards nearby. He tries his best to appear shocked when confronted with reports of Jobar’s deeds and any suggested link with the dagger Shador sold him. He is quick to deny any knowledge of the dagger’s taint. He doesn’t want to speak about similar daggers or other magic items and claims that he can’t remember exactly where and from whom he bought it, as he buys these things in bulk. He offers many plausible rebuttals to the suggestion that the dagger is somehow responsible for the murders. Who is to say Jobar did not buy it just to perform some

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disgusting blood ritual that got him tainted only after he acquired the dagger? Or maybe the dagger merely became tainted as a result of the murders? Shador refuses any requests to let the characters examine his other goods for hints of taint. He promises to let a Wizard he trusts do so and to inform the group of the results. He may even openly inform them that he keeps the exact number of goods and the nature of his business a secret because the characters are roaming adventurers and probably untrustworthy; after all, how does he know that their claims are valid and they’ve not been sent by his competitors to spy on him? Or perhaps they are out to rob someone who’s known to deal in magic items? Portray Shador as an unfriendly, rough merchant who’s interested in his profits and himself and doesn’t care much for other people. Shador does his best to play the role of a greedy merchant who has unknowingly become the pawn of a Horror and to give good reasons why he won’t allow them to check his other goods for traces of Horror taint. His promise to hire his own expert is a ruse to buy him enough time to pack his goods and leave Darranis before the player characters get wind of it. Due to the presence of his four bodyguards, he assumes that the player characters won’t attack him. If they do so, allow Shador to escape at the first opportunity and let his bodyguards cover his attempt before they retreat themselves.

I’m Watching You If the encounter with the merchant does not result in a fight or the characters acknowledging his innocence, Shador knows that he has to deal with the player characters sooner or later. If they accused him of being responsible for Jobar’s killings or at least to be partially guilty for selling Jobar the tainted dagger, Shador is likely to send his bodyguards after them soon. If the merchant is convinced that he could get away with playing the uninformed merchant who’s willing to help by examining his other goods, he’ll stay away from Darranis for a while and keep

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an eye on the player characters through Qelbar, whom he leaves behind. If the characters get off track and Shador gets away, you can use Qelbar to raise their suspicions again. They may notice him following them, for example, and capture and question him.

What’s Next? What happens next is up to the player characters. Here are the most likely options: ‹‹They can inform the leaders of Darranis or Poldrur and Saroha Goldsense to coordinate their next step. ‹‹They can break into Shador’s rooms to search for evidence against him. ‹‹They can try to locate Shador’s goods and examine them. The goods are stored on a wagon in a heavily fortified, trapped, and guarded warehouse, but even locating that warehouse should prove exceedingly difficult. They can attack Shador during the night, hoping to use surprise against him and his bodyguards. ‹‹They can attack Shador during the daytime, but doing so would most likely raise the attention of bystanders and the militia. ‹‹They can shadow Shador, which would lead to the conclusion that Shador is going to leave Darranis within the next day (see Confronting Shador, below). An attack on him outside Darranis might then become a viable plan. ‹‹They may try to talk to the merchant’s bodyguards, but are unlikely to catch one without Shador present, except if they come up with an idea to lure one of them away. Shador’s bodyguards have no clue that Shador is Horrormarked, with the exception of Vostog, Shador’s most loyal guard (see Cast of Characters, p. 47), and have never seen Shador behave strangely to their knowledge.

Troubleshooting

How this scene ends depends on the player characters. They can confront Shador directly and accuse him of deliberately selling the tainted dagger and possibly other tainted goods as well. They could ask for his advice and help. They might threaten him to give them access to his goods for closer examination. And, as s always a danger in a game of heroic adventure, they could opt to attack him physically, if they are convinced that he is Horror-marked. The scene may end in a problematic way if the player characters trust Shador too much and don’t become aware that he’s leaving Darranis earlier than expected.

Confronting Shador

A

fter the player characters have talked to Shador, he plans to leave town. It’s up to the group to stop him and reveal his Horror-mark.

Setting the Stage

This event assumes the player characters suspect Shador—but wouldn’t go as far as starting a fight at the Golden Goose— or are still uncertain about his involvement. It also assumes they haven’t acknowledged his innocence in front of him. If the characters think the merchant is innocent, enter this event via I’m Watching You from the previous event or by introducing some similar encounter that brings attention back to the merchant.

Themes and Images

TAINTED GOODS

If the characters already suspect the merchant to be Horrormarked, they can offer to him help get rid of it; or if they assume him innocent and just a pawn, they may offer to get rid of the tainted goods. He’ll decline in either case. Any choice leading toward these solutions leads to an armed confrontation with Shador and his men sooner or later. Let the characters figure out their next moves and whom to ask for support. Based upon their choices, proceed to the next event and run it accordingly.

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The player characters should feel the tension growing, since they have no way to know exactly what Shador is up to; they might even still be trying to figure out how he’s involved in the whole affair.

Behind the Scenes

This is the final confrontation with the merchant, in which the group is supposed to defeat him. Depending on the characters’ previous actions, the confrontation can occur at one of a number of different locations.

Shador Feels Safe If Shador feels safe in Darranis, he continues to wait for the adventuring group from which he is expecting to buy further items. He will sell off more tainted items to the unC H A P T E R I I - 2 | Tainted G ood s

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suspecting citizens of Darranis in the meantime. In this case, the characters can shadow him doing business in Darranis, though he’ll eventually leave. Not all is lost then, however, as Shador’s route is rather publically known, and the merchant himself is familiar in many of the t’skrang settlements up the Coil River towards Throal. It is easy to follow him on these routes if needed. In this case, the encounter can be placed on the road, but Shador’s forces will be consolidated and wary.

Shador Feels Threatened If Shador feels threatened by the characters, he tries to leave town as soon as possible. He doesn’t know what the player characters’ next steps will be and whom they will inform about his involvement in Jobar’s murders. After a sleepless night, made even worse by his attempts to suppress V’kloratna’s suggestions of what to do next, Shador decides to cut his losses and leave Darranis as soon as possible. He orders his bodyguards to pack up everything and be ready for departure as early as possible after breakfast. If the player characters don’t act on the day after their initial meeting with Shador, the merchant has everything ready for departure by noon. He orders three of his bodyguards to accompany him, while Qelbar stays in Darranis to watch the characters. V’kloratna isn’t content with Shador’s decision, however. Annoyed—maybe even a bit frustrated by Shador’s stubbornness and strength of will—the Horror increases the pressure on the merchant’s mind. It is hungry, and Darranis promised ready access to new victims to mark and upon which to feed. Leaving means going hungry for several days again. It needs to see some blood now and to relish in some suffering.

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Breakdown When the player characters seem to have cornered Shador, the Horror cuts its losses. Rather than risk being found out, it rids itself of Shador by finally breaking him and having him attack someone, preferably the player characters. If the characters manage to get Shador into a situation where he cannot spread more items and has to leave Darranis, but is unable to attack the characters, the Horror drives Shador to attack one of his bodyguards (likely Vostog, who the Horror suspects of realizing the truth about the merchant). The purpose of the attack is to both sate the Horror’s thirst for bloodshed and cut all ties to the merchant. The Horror hopes that someone will find the stash of tainted items and spread them further. Most likely, however, Shador will attack one of the characters, with his bodyguards joining to assist their employer. During the fight, Vostog might become more suspicious of Shador and hesitate for a round or two, which alert characters may notice. If they do, they may be able to bring him to their side with successful social interactions or by presenting a good argument—keep in mind that any such attempts are in the heat of battle, though. Shador is enraged by the Horror during this encounter, and even though he is not an adept, he is a tougher opponent than the characters might expect.

Troubleshooting

When V’kloratna finally takes control of the merchant, the group is in for a tough fight, but should overcome the merchant eventually. More of a problem is the possibility that the group lets him get away. If this happens, arrange for the characters to be able to follow him. For example, if he felt safe and stayed in town, another tainted item might provoke a murder, and the item might again be tracked to Shador.

nce Shador is defeated, even if not dead, the Horror loses interest in him and begins to unravel the Horror-mark. Shador is likely to be badly wounded; his mind won’t recover from the stress of the last few days and the time spent under the control of V’kloratna. The player characters should take him to someone with the ability to look after him and treat him; a shrine of Garlen might be a suitable place.

O

Still, Shador has been a successful merchant, selling his goods not only at Darranis, but also in Kratas, Throal, and the communities along the way. Who knows how many other tainted goods he has sold? Someone has to search through his records and track down buyers of potentially tainted goods. Successfully revealing the culprit earns the characters some friends in Darranis, especially in the form of the victims’ relatives. If the group behaved improperly and officials had to interfere, however, this might lessen any boons received from the town’s officials and any reputation for being competent, levelheaded investigators.

Sequels

T

he following adventure hooks can be used to expand Tainted Goods:

Spread of Taint

After the player characters have revealed the cause for Jobar’s deeds and the corruption of Shador, they’ll have to face the revelation that the troll merchant sold his tainted goods in many places along his trade routes. It’s up to them if they start tracking down all Shador’s customers to try to retrieve the tainted goods from them, or if they inform Darranis’ local authorities or even the Eye of Throal or the Grim Legion. Shador may have kept notes about his purchases and sales of magic items, which would make it easier for the player characters to get an overview of the possible victims; it’s up to the gamemaster how detailed and complete Shador’s notes are.

TAINTED GOODS

Aftermath

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The Horror

Another important matter is V’kloratna, the Horror who tainted the goods and Horror-marked Shador. The Horror is still out there, even after Shador has been defeated, and its modus operandi has been revealed. Again, the player characters can track down the Horror by themselves or call for help. Either way, they know that V’kloratna is still out there and has to be stopped. The Horror is not easy to find, but research or the abilities of a Horror Stalker with access to a tainted item may prove sufficient.

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Cast of Characters

T

his section presents game statistics and additional information on the gamemaster characters in Tainted Goods.

Jobar is a human dockworker who bought a tainted dagger from Shador. In Sudden Bloodshed, he runs amok, killing his wife and children in the marketplace, and it is up to bystanders and the group to stop him. Jobar

Tags

Mad and Raging, Pawn of a Horror

Special

Induced Rage: Jobar is subject to the Horror’s Induce Rage power (see V’kloratna, p. 48) when fighting the group.

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Threat Circle Novice

Shador Blackfur

Shador’s first profession was as a hunter and trapper. He transitioned to become a merchant as he began to sell furs from his kills to the very wealthy and made a good profit. He bought a small caravan wagon and started to buy loot from kaers in bulk to make tidy sums. Since becoming Horror-marked by V’kloratna because of one such stash from a breached kaer in the Badlands, he has been selling the loot tainted by the Horror all over Barsaive. This tainted loot consists mostly of fine clothing, jewelry, and ancient weapons.

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Tags

Pawn of a Horror, Ugly, Heat Sight, Short

Special

Induced Rage: Shador is subject to the Horror’s Induce Rage power (see V’kloratna, p. 48) when fighting the group. Wound Slots

Jobar

Human Dockworker

Troll Merchant

Shador Blackfur

 Threat Circle Novice

Woltor and Weltrian

Woltor and Weltrian are a pair of nearly identical human male twin brothers who have been Shador’s bodyguards for two years. Shador hired them in Travar after several of his former bodyguards were killed in an ambush that only Shador and Vostog survived. Woltor and Weltrian worked as members of Travar’s city watch, but had always been on the lookout for their chance to leave the town and travel around Barsaive. When they heard that Shador was looking for new bodyguards, they took the chance and were hired. Their excitement died down after they realized that Shador prefers to travel along an established route and lets adventurers do the exciting (and dangerous) work of kaer exploration and looting. Woltor and Weltrian became more and more annoyed by the daily routines and began to blow off steam by getting into brawls in taverns—a habit both Shador and Vostog dislike. But as long as the twins are ready the next day to impress Shador’s customers with their physical presence and to protect him on his overland travels, Shador is willing to live with their bad habits. Woltor and Weltrian don’t know much about Horrors and thus have no clue that Shador has been Horror-marked. They’ve heard gruesome stories upon returning to settlements in which Shador has customers, but

Woltor and Weltrian

Human Bodyguards

Tags

Impatient, Strong, Intense, Coordinated

Special

Warrior Adepts: Woltor and Weltrian are eager to use their talents, seeking conflict. Check the game information about Warriors and their abilities (Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.92) and use these as a guide when playing the brothers. They have honed their abilities and know how to fight as a team.

Wound Slots

Vostog Ironfist Dwarf Elementalist

Tags

Old, Honorable, Loyal, Heat Sight

Special

Elementalist Adept: Vostog uses his talents and spells as part of his Discipline. Check the game information about Elementalists and their abilities (Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.84) and use these as a guide when playing Vostog. Novice Elementalism spells are listed on p. 138 and 139 in Earthdawn: The Age of Legend).

TAINTED GOODS

so far haven’t put the pieces together. They’re all too eager to get into a fight and to hone their combat abilities if the player characters confront them.

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Threat Circle Novice

 Threat Circle Novice

Vostog Ironfist

Vostog Ironfist, the grizzled veteran of several expeditions into the Badlands, is Shador’s oldest employee. In fact, the dwarf and the troll have become friends over the years. Originally, Vostog was a member of an enterprising band of adventurers who struck rich when they looted a breached citadel in the Badlands. After selling most of the loot to Shador, the other adventurers decided to retire and settle down in Throal, but Vostog wasn’t ready for that. He approached Shador and offered his service as advisor on magical matters and as a bodyguard. Vostog is the only one who suspects that Shador has been influenced by a Horror over the last year, but he isn’t entirely sure about it and has refrained from accusing his old friend for now.

Qelbar A’rat

Qelbar A’rat is a middle-aged human Thief. Having been hit with a streak of bad luck recently, Qelbar was looking for an opportunity to earn money and live a calmer life for a while. When Shador returned to Darranis from a trip to Travar, Qelbar swallowed his pride and asked for employment as bodyguard, guard, and information gatherer. Qelbar knew the troll from Shador’s early days as hunter and trapper, and eventually small-time merchant, but was surprised by how well Shador was doing. Qelbar convinced Shador to hire him by pointing out his experience and that his Thief abilities would greatly complement the skill sets of Shador’s other bodyguards. That happened nearly one year ago, and Qelbar has enjoyed the quiet and easy job he has been doing so far. He isn’t aware of Shador’s corruption, but if he found out about it, the human would be hard-pressed to continue working for Shador.

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Human Thief

Qelbar A’rat

Horror

Tags

Tags

Special

Special

Unlucky, Stubborn, Attentive

Thief Adept: Qelbar uses his talents whenever he needs them. Check the game information about Thieves and their abilities (Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.90) and use these as a guide when playing Qelbar.

Wound Slots 

Threat Circle Novice

V’kloratna

V’kloratna is a Horror that mostly exists on the astral plane. The only time it enters the physical plane is to find items to curse. This is when the Horror is most vulnerable to attack and it is therefore very careful when deciding to do this. Once the Horror has Horror-marked an object with the two black tentacles that protrude from its midsection— the only part of its body capable of dexterous manipulation—the object becomes Horror cursed (see below). After Horror-marking an object, the Horror retreats back to the astral plane. In physical appearance, the creature looks like a giant rat with matted fur. Its grisly flesh secretes a slimy substance, and the fur is covered with all sorts of trinkets and baubles. Out of its back protrudes a mane of spikes that have the same appearance as its fur, but instead of being soft and slimy, they are rough, hardened, and razor sharp. Two black tentacles protrude from the Horror’s midsection, one on each side, attached somewhere to its underbelly. The Horror has the tail of a rat with a large stinger attached to

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DARR ANIS

Razor-sharp Mane of Spikes, Tentacles, Thick Fur, Stinger Tail

Horror Curse: V’kloratna can use this ability to curse items. Once a Namegiver is exposed to a cursed item for a few hours, such as by wearing it or handling it for prolonged periods, V’kloratna may place a Horror-mark on the Namegiver.

Blood Oozing: Characters struck by the Horror’s spikes become exposed to the blood oozing disease that the Horror carries. After a minute, the character becomes feverish and nauseous. Once the disease sets in, the character becomes sickly; oozing blood starts adhering to the blood vessel walls, causing the blood to thicken and making it hard for the character to breathe. The character’s skin becomes clammy and slimy as bloody ichor begins to bubble up from the character’s insides to congeal on the surface of his flesh. Objects begin to stick to the character. Eventually, the character will die of suffocation, as the sticky miasma expands to cover his eyes, nose, and mouth.

Induce Rage: Those exposed to the Horror’s voice are slowly driven mad. Every time a Horror-marked character hears V’kloratna’s voice, he must make a beat-the-odds roll to withstand the urge to fall into a rage (see below), trying to kill everyone and everything near him. He receives a cumulative penalty die (see the Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, on p. 40) to the next roll if he succeeds. The penalty dice reset after a rage, provided the character survives. Raging characters driven mad by V’kloratna cannot fall unconscious and can ignore all injuries. They also gain a bonus die to any attacks made.

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Threat Circle Journeyman

the end. It has a humanoid face with a rat’s nose and ears and glowing red eyes. Its grating speech sounds like a mix between a human’s voice and the screech of a rat. Prolonged exposure to this voice is capable of driving Namegivers mad.

ALE

RUN There is nothing quite as tasty as trying a new ale. Observing its presentation in terms of color, clarity, and frothiness when poured. The smell of the ale, its balance of hops and malts: the

prelude to drinking. And finally tasting it; the joy of rolling ale over your tongue and palate; discovering if it is sweet,

salty, sour, or bitter; detecting the added flavors of grains, nuts, and fruits! And now the chance of a lifetime: to be the

first outside of the brewery to try a new ale. How can I resist? — Denisgral Pa’vas, Dwarf Connoisseur

le Run is an adventure scenario designed for three to five Journeyman adepts of any Discipline. In this adventure, the characters are hired by the Drolkhma family (see On the Breweries, p. 14) to escort a caravan containing a new ale they have concocted to Throal.

A

Running the Adventure le Run is a caravan escort mission with a cargo of a different sort. Rather than a caravan loaded with weapons, armor, blood charms, or magical items either minor or threaded, this one is stocked with casks of a brandnew ale as yet untested outside the Drolkhma family brewery that created it. This cargo attracts a different kind of bandit, but it attracts bandits nonetheless. The bandit in this case is the dwarf connoisseur Denisgral Pa’vas, who has been tempted by a rival competitor of the Drolkhmas, through both money and a chance at tasting the ale first, to ambush the caravan.

A

Adventure Background

Darranis is well known for its breweries. Despite a large market to share, the competition between the brewers is often fierce and cutthroat. In Ale Run, the competition escalates to a savage new level, as a rival of the Drolkhmas resorts to ambushing a Drolkhma caravan filled with new ale headed for Throal. This ambush has two goals: first, to stop the shipment and embarrass the Drolkhmas at the Throalic party where they plan to unveil the ale, and second to use alchemy to figure out the ingredients, learn the recipe, and reproduce the new ale, if possible. To this end, the competitor has procured Denisgral Pa’vas as their pawn and scapegoat. At one of Pa’vas’ outlandish parties, the competitor’s agent lets slip a comment about a new ale

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coming to the market. Denisgral insists the agent meet with him in private to hear more about it, and the agent agrees. The agent tells Denisgral more about a caravan going out soon with casks of the new ale to be taken to Throal, for a new ale tasting party, and then offers him a large sum of money to ambush the caravan and deliver its contents to the agent. For his part, Denisgral agrees, but only if he can try the ale first before handing it over. The agent agrees to the terms and hands Denisgral a heavy bag of coins to hire himself some mercenaries to ambush the caravan. Denisgral is the perfect scapegoat: a Throalic noble, whose death, if things go awry, might cause tensions between the Drolkhmas and House Pa’vas. Denisgral hires a group of highly-trained mercenaries and sets out to ambush the caravan. The exact identity of the rival brewer using Denisgral as a pawn is left open; it is for you to decide whether his identity becomes known at all, or if you want to flesh him out for further adventures (see Aftermath, p. 58).

Plot Synopsis

While the player characters are in Darranis, Selkor Drolkhma contacts them via messenger for a caravan escort mission to Throal. Once they leave Darranis, on the road to Throal, a group of troll mercenaries led by Denisgral Pa’vas blocks their path and demands that they hand over their ale cargo. Presuming victory over Denisgral’s forces, the group continues on their mission. As the group nears Throal, a group of ork scorchers attack the caravan after hearing rumors that it’s transporting ale. These alcoholic ork scorchers may even be drunk on hurlg looking for more fuel for their buzz. When the characters reach Bartertown, they escort the ale to Throal for a Throalic ale tasting party that evening, and if they captured Denisgral Pa’vas, they must bring him to justice.

I

n Don’t Shoot the Messenger, a messenger sent by Selkor Drolkhma contacts the group with the offer of employment on a caravan escort mission.

Setting the Stage

The group is assumed to already be in Darranis or nearby in the outlying environs when a t’skrang messenger approaches. As Journeymen adepts, the characters have enough of a reputation that Selkor has heard of them and feels he can trust them with this very important mission. Alternatively, the group has gained a favorable reputation among merchants in Darranis after successfully dealing with the labor dispute in Grass Widows (see p. 23), such that Selkor trusts the characters even if they are Novice adepts. The group may also be actively seeking out a caravan going from Darranis to Throal since Shador Blackfur’s ledgers indicate that he sold his tainted goods in Throal, making this a suitable sequel to Tainted Goods (see p. 37).

Themes and Images

Getting a job offer is probably nothing new for the characters, so nothing out of the ordinary needs to be stressed here. If the characters have had recent dealings in Darranis, they might be under the impression this messenger’s visit has something to do with recent events, or you can weave the characters’ previous actions into the conversation.

Behind the Scenes

Selkor Drolkhma has sent a t’skrang messenger to bring the group to him. As a busy man, he has no time to go fetch the

ALE RUN

Don’t Shoot the Messenger

characters himself. The t’skrang messenger asks around town in Darranis to see if anyone has seen the group. If he cannot find the characters in town, he hires two t’skrang bodyguards to accompany him to the outskirts of town to see if they have made camp near the town. Selkor would not normally hire such experienced—and thus expensive—caravan guards for a simple ale delivery, but this is a special case. His new ale is not only a novelty, but whoever brings it to market first will be seen as its inventor, and even if a competitor were to copy it later, Selkor’s brewery is the one to brew the “original” new taste.

Come Over for a Brewery If the group is in town, the t’skrang messenger nimbly works his way through the crowded masses to reach the group alone. If the group is outside of town, he approaches more cautiously, flanked by two t’skrang bodyguards. The characters see a blue-green scaled t’skrang approaching them, wearing padded leather armor underneath loose fitting, but comfortable and well-tailored clothes dyed red. He bears many pouches and bags, filled with small scrolls, quills, vials, and stones. The group may be surprised to see none of these items drop as he makes his way through the crowd in town quickly. If the t’skrang bodyguards are with him, they are green scaled, wearing hardened leather armor, with footman’s shields in one hand, and with their other hands drifting to their broadsword hilts in their scabbards at the first sign of trouble or danger to the messenger or themselves.

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When the t’skrang reaches the group, he delivers his message: “Hail adventurers. I have come here at the behest of Selkor Drolkhma, who has heard of your great reputation for success and wishes to employ you for a mission of great importance to him. If you are interested, you may follow me to the Drolkhma breweries.” The group may be hesitant to follow the messenger and may ask him questions. C H A P T E R I I - 3 | Ale R un

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If the group asks the t’skrang messenger his Name he says, “I am the messenger D’ressk’al Kodal.” If the group asks about Selkor Drolkhma, the t’skrang messenger replies, “He is a famous Elementalist and brewer of ales, owner of the Drolkhma family brewery. His beers and ales are famous throughout Barsaive, especially in Throal, as exotic drinks among the wealthy.” If the group asks about the mission, the t’skrang messenger replies, “I know very little; you’ll have to talk to Selkor Drolkhma to learn more. You know how it is, the less I know, and the less I can reveal.” If the group asks about the t’skrang bodyguards, the t’skrang messenger replies, “The outskirts of town may be of no threat to you as a group, but bandits and brigands may well waylay me if I dare travel alone, even this close to town. I assure you I meant no disrespect or threat to you by bringing them. I merely desire a modicum of safety out here for myself.” If the characters ask him about why he is leading them to the Drolkhma breweries, he replies, “To get paid of course, for finding you and delivering my message! I may as well lead you there since we are going to same place.” Once the group accepts and follows the t’skrang, the adventure can continue with the next event, Meeting Selkor.

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Troubleshooting

There isn’t too much that can go wrong here. The group can either accept to follow the t’skrang messenger to see Selkor Drolkhma or not. If the characters want to research Selkor before meeting him, see the Setting the Stage section of the next event.

I

n Meeting Selkor, the group meets Selkor Drolkhma, learns about the caravan escort mission, and decides whether to accept the mission or not.

Setting the Stage

If the characters decide to follow the t’skrang messenger, he leads them through Darranis, skillfully maneuvering through the crowds, past horses and wagons, and heads towards nearby the docks. He walks to a large two-story rectangular building spewing smoke from several chimneys and a large malthouse tower right next to the Coil River. If the characters decide to not follow the t’skrang messenger directly and instead find out more about Selkor Drolkhma before meeting him, they find out a lot of information similar to what D’ressk’al told them (or might have told them) by asking around town. They also find out that he is the premier ale producer and seller in Darranis, with the largest brewery in town by the docks. With this information, they should be able to find the Drolkhma brewery on their own. In this case, a patrol of burly troll guards stops them before they enter the building, wanting to know why they are here. Once the characters explain that Selkor Drolkhma sent for them to do a job for him, the troll guards relax and allow them to enter the brewery, although one of them escorts the group to Selkor’s office.

Themes and Images

The entrance to Selkor’s Brewery is full of activity as workers load barrels of ale onto wagons for shipping to local taverns or export outside the town. The characters should notice how heavily guarded the facility is; if they already know Darranis well they should realize this is unusual for this town at least. As

Behind the Scenes

Selkor Drolkhma pays the troll town guards to secure his facility and watch for people entering the vicinity that are not in his employ, which is why the guards confront the characters if they do not have the t’skrang messenger with them. If the guards see the t’skrang messenger, they know he is working for Selkor and allow the group to enter with the t’skrang. The trolls know the characters are expected, so lead them to Selkor right away.

ALE RUN

Meeting Selkor

soon as they enter the brewery, the smell of barley, hops, malts, and yeast assaults their noses. Then, they’re up for a short tour of the brewery floor on their way towards meeting Selkor. The meeting itself is straightforward.

Ale Doesn’t Grow on Trees The t’skrang messenger (or troll town guard) leads the group through the brewery. The first area the group walks through is a two-story fermenting room. Massive open barrels hold various fermenting brews. Supervisors walk the second floor on catwalks connected to the first floor by ladders and inspect the vats for imperfections. Completed ales are placed in casks and workers carry them below to the storage cellar to age or remove them from the basement and take them to wagons waiting outside for shipment.

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The second area the group walks through contains massive copper chambers that are wide at the bottom and skinny at the top. Workers mix ingredients and boil them within these chambers. The third area the group walks through contains chambers made of copper that are wide on the bottom, and gradually become less wide at the top, much like a barrel if it were cut off at its widest point on the bottom. This room is bustling with activity as workers move barrels of water from the Coil River outside and milled grain from the millhouse and combine them in these chambers. Millers oversee mills propelled by C H A P T E R I I - 3 | Ale R un

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waterwheels using the Coil River’s current to mill down grain moved there by workers from the malthouse’s kiln. The area smells of smoke coming from the kiln nearby adding to the other smells. Malters add the water to barley in the steeping and allow it to soak and germinate before drying it in the kiln. The group’s guide turns to the left, to Selkor’s office near the back of the facility. The office has a simple but sturdy desk in the back with a short, stout human man with black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a stubbly black beard sitting in a large chair perusing various papers on the desk with his reading glasses on. In the middle of the room is a large table with twelve chairs. Two of the chairs are built larger and sturdier for trolls and obsidimen, though the other ten chairs are medium-sized and not as large as Selkor’s. Selkor pays the t’skrang messenger, then bids him to leave. Selkor waits for the messenger or troll to exit, gets up and closes the door, and then addresses the group. “I’m sure you are wondering why I have asked you to meet with me. I have heard of your group’s good reputation, and I would like you to do a job for me. I have created a brand-new ale, and I would like you to guard a caravan carrying the ale to a prestigious aletasting party in Throal to celebrate its release. I will pay you handsomely if you do this task for me.” Once the characters accept, Selkor gives them the rest of the day to prepare for the journey and tells them the caravan leaves at first light tomorrow.

Troubleshooting

Not much can go wrong here. The group might want to negotiate for a higher fee; if they succeed, Selkor will pay for food and lodging for the trip as well.

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Floating Thief

I

n Floating Thief, the group is confronted by Denisgral Pa’vas (p. 59) and his troll hirelings (p. 60)—use one less troll than there are characters in the group).

Setting the Stage

Start the caravan trip without much further ado, but give the characters opportunity to stock up on equipment if time permits. The group’s first two days of travel go smoothly over the plains near Darranis. Three days out of Darranis, the group’s way forward is barred by a dwarf floating on a throne of air and a group of trolls on horseback accompanying him. These strange antagonists brazenly stride forward in broad daylight.

Themes and Images

The characters may have been waylaid before, but these do not seem to be ordinary bandits. The leader is using powerful magic, and the thugs are equipped with arms and armor probably worth more than the caravan they want to rob.

Behind the Scenes

Denisgral decides to parlay with the characters first in broad daylight rather than ambush them in the middle of the night as his troll hirelings suggest. Denisgral would prefer not to fight as a non-adept against adepts. He has sobered up a little since he made this deal and has realized that he is in well over his head in this situation. The troll mercenaries hate Denisgral. He acts like he is in charge and is better than them, even in matters where they are clearly superior, such as in battle tactics and war. If it weren’t for their strong sense of honor in keeping their contract they would have left Denisgral already.

Like Taking Beer from a Brewer The dwarf floats forward on his throne of air, with his heavily armed troll companions trotting along on horseback beside him. The dwarf ’s hair is slicked back and thinning, showing a large widow’s peak. His blue eyes have massive bags beneath them and he seems to have problems focusing his eyes as they dart to and fro. He is dressed in fine but baggy clothes that fit his grossly overweight body comfortably. His companions are massive trolls in specially fitted crystal ringlet armor, each carrying a lance and a rider’s shield. They look wary and ready for combat at a moment’s notice. They are riding horses with builds large enough to support a troll’s massive weight.

draw near him, and then floats backwards to remove himself from combat once again. If the characters manage to knockout or kill Denisgral, the rest of the troll mercenaries flee. After successfully fending off Pa’vas and the mercenaries, the characters may have captured Pa’vas or some of the troll mercenaries, and it is up to them to decide what to do with him. Once they are ready to continue, proceed to I Haven’t Had Enough Yet!

Troubleshooting

ALE RUN

Anyone familiar with the dwarf kingdom’s gentry may realize he is Throalic nobility of House Pa’vas. They may also realize that there may be consequences for killing him, so they may decide they should instead try to capture him alive.

The fight should not give the characters too much trouble. The trolls fight only for as long as Denisgral is still fighting. They leave him at the first opportunity if he is knocked out or dead.

The dwarf haughtily speaks at the group. “I am Denisgral Pa’vas, and I demand that you hand over your cargo to me. I do not want to have to resort to violence, but as you can see by my troll companions, should it come to that, I am well prepared.” He licks his lips, as if in anticipation of tasting the cargo.

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If the characters somehow realize Denisgral is not after the beer for the money, they might try to negotiate terms with him. Aside from convincing arguments, offering money will grant bonus dice, even if it is more of a way to allow him to save face than a real monetary incentive. If the group refuses, the troll mercenaries charge as Denisgral Pa’vas hangs back and watches the combat from his floating throne. He engages the player characters in combat only if they

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I Haven’t Had Enough Yet

I

n I Haven’t Had Enough Yet, the group is ambushed at night by orks who are after the ale cargo.

Setting the Stage

After the encounter with Pa’vas, the group travels three more days without incidents. When camped at night, a group of ork scorchers on riding horses ambushes the caravan. Whoever is on watch hears a thundering of hooves and sees burning torches being carried by riders off in the distance. He should have enough time to wake up anyone nearby before the attack. Once the riders close the distance, the group can see that these are ork riders.

Themes and Images

If the orks are drunk, you can introduce a comic element into this encounter. Engage the group in drunken conversation with the orks, or play out a number of slapstick occurrences the orks suffer when riding or as the result of successful attacks made against them. You might also prompt the characters to do some funny stuff on their own to provoke such occurrences; treat such mishaps as a Wound for the ork in question; i.e. the ork is out of the fight.

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Behind the Scenes

These ork scorchers (two per player character; see p. 60) have heard that the group is carrying ale, and after drinking their fill of hurlg and running out of it, have come to ambush the group and steal the cargo.

Like Taking Beer from a Dwarf Warrior If a fight is preferable to a more comical encounter, the orks can’t be talked with; they approach the caravan’s camp on an attack run, or circle it howling. It is a straightforward fight. These orks are non-adepts and possibly drunk. If injured badly, they will flee rather than continue fighting. After the group has beaten the ork scorchers, proceed to Give Me the First Taste.

Troubleshooting

The group should be able to defeat the orks despite the orks’ superior numbers. The characters may be able to capture some of these ork scorchers, and it is up to them to decide what to do with them.

I

n Give Me the First Taste, the group proceeds to Bartertown and then Throal, arriving at a Throalic ale-tasting party.

Setting the Stage

The caravan travels two more days, arriving at Bartertown. The characters cut through Bartertown’s center heading to Throal and deliver the ale to a Throalic ale-tasting party.

Themes and Images

The group takes the barrels of ale into a large Throalic mansion. Inside, there is a huge party filled with Throalic nobility, all of them trying out various ales, beers, wines, and whiskies. A ballroom area is filled with dancers in various court styles with accompanying music. The characters are a bit out of place here, coming from the road in their dusty clothes, but escorting the ale in under their arms may be quite a novelty (which may be quite the marketing victory on the brewer’s part).

Behind the Scenes

This is a gathering of Throal’s elite. While the gray eminences of the big houses and the very old of the old guard may not attend such a gaudy event, the younger ones do, and these are typical entry-level contacts for an up-and-coming adventuring group…

The characters are formally announced as the guardians of Selkor’s new ale when they enter the room. After dropping off the ale, the characters may be invited to join in the party by some Throalic nobles, depending upon their reputation in Throal and if they killed or captured Denisgral. If they killed Denisgral and this is known to the people in charge, or have a poor reputation in Throal, they are immediately escorted out after dropping off the ale. If they have a good reputation, and captured Denisgral and turned him in to the authorities, they have a chance to try out Selkor’s ale and schmooze with the Throalic nobility, possibly gaining some contacts and having a good time.

ALE RUN

Give Me the First Taste

Unfinished Business

It is up to group to decide what to do if they have any prisoners, such as Denisgral Pa’vas, troll mercenaries, or ork scorchers. See Sequels, below, for some possibilities. You can also integrate the sequels into the adventure if you wish. The group needs to return the caravan back to Darranis to receive the rest of the promised silver. The gamemaster could provide some random encounters; some of the criminals might attempt to flee to get out of their community service to Selkor (see Justice, below), requiring the group to help the royal guards to retrieve them; or the characters may merely have a week of uneventful travel.

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Troubleshooting

There’s not much to do for the characters here in terms of the plot, but there’s opportunities to commit a faux pas on the party floor if the characters attend the tasting.

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Aftermath f the characters succeed in escorting the caravan safely to Throal, they have earned the enmity of Selkor’s competitors such as the Throalic and Darranis breweries. If they capture and prosecute the caravan bandits successfully, their reputation in Throal improves, as they gain a reputation for following Throalic laws in dealing with criminals. If they killed Denisgral Pa’vas, they have made an enemy of House Pa’vas, and Selkor is not happy either; killing Throalic nobles is bad for business. If the characters fail the mission, Selkor’s brewery takes a hit to its reputation in Throal, and it tarnishes the group’s reputation in both Darranis and Throal, making it hard to get work in either place.

I

Sequels

F

ollowing are adventure hooks you can run as sequels to Ale Run, or even integrate into the adventure to expand on it:

Justice

The characters may decide to take Denisgral, the trolls, or the orks, if they hold them captive, to the Hall of Justice in Throal. This may lead to an interesting sequel to this adventure where the characters get involved in the Throalic legal system in order to prosecute these criminals who tried to rob Selkor’s caravan. They’ll likely need to hire an advocate to help them deal with Throal’s legal code. There are several outcomes the magistrate may decide upon if the prisoners are found guilty, such as heavy

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fines to be paid to Selkor by Pa’vas. The other criminals could be forced to guard the caravan on the group’s return from Throal to Darranis, or forced to work at Selkor’s brewery, with Throal likely sending some Royal Guards with the group to make sure the sentences are carried out. Alternatively, the magistrate may task the characters with escorting the criminals if the group’s reputation in Throal is good. Selkor will reimburse the characters any advocate’s fees if they win, and likely give them some of Pa’vas’ fine money for acting in Selkor’s interest, which turns out to be more than the pay they were promised.

Figureheads

If the group was successful all over, especially at the tasting party, Selkor may realize this had a positive effect on his image. He may hire the characters for further ale runs to other cities, though the prime intention is not to guard the beer, but to make a show at the following party. In one variant of this sequel, the characters may be tasked with coming up with some form of spectacle or organizing the party. In another, the new marketing method may draw unwanted attention by other competitors, who, yet again, try to stop the delivery or try to ruin the party.

Rivalry

The adventure proper leaves the identity of Selkor’s rivals open. You can develop the rival brewery on your own for further adventures involving the Darranis brewery scene and Selkor. Selkor may task the group to find out who hired Denisgral, assuming the characters can’t get the answer from the dwarf noble directly. He may also hire the characters to enact his revenge on his rivals or to work the legal system or influence the Darranis social scene to make his rivals look bad.

T

his section presents game statistics and additional information on the gamemaster characters of Ale Run.

Denisgral Pa’vas

Denisgral Pa’vas is a dwarf Throalic noble from House Pa’vas. He has spent most of his life enjoying parties, women, food, and drink. As a result, he is grossly overweight, making it hard for him to move. He uses a special throne enchanted with the Throne of Air spell (see Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p. 139) in order to float around, as walking hurts his legs. His appearance is unkempt, with his brown hair matted down in places depending on how he’s slept, and his blue eyes having prominent circles around them due to lack of sleep. For social occasions, he uses oils to slick down his hair, showing a prominent widow’s peak. He is characteristically haughty, thinking he is better than everyone else as both a Throalic noble and an ale connoisseur. He was overjoyed when he received a large allowance after Osbaldo took over House Pa’vas. He used it to move to Darranis, close to the breweries of the ales he enjoys, and loves nothing more than having huge ale-tasting parties. At his latest party, an agent of a competitor of the Drolkhmas told him about the latest ale being created by the Drolkhmas and a caravan

Dwarf Noble

Denisgral Pa’vas

Tags

Connoisseur, Fat, Noble, Intimidating

Special

–

ALE RUN

Cast of Characters

Wound Slots

–

Threat Circle Novice

that would be headed for Throal soon carrying the new ale. The competitor knew about Denisgral’s dwindling allowance and the agent offered a large sum to him if he would hijack the shipment and give the contents over to the agent’s employers so that they could steal the recipe and claim the new ale as their own product. This would also embarrass and tarnish the reputation of the Drolkhmas, as the promised shipment of a new product would fail to reach Throal for a new ale-tasting party. Denisgral was too tempted by the money and the chance to try the new ale first and agreed to the plan. Denisgral has hired some experienced troll mercenaries to help him with this task. He is not much of a fighter, but has some training in swordplay from his youth. He likes to use his massive size to intimidate others.

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Mercenaries

These troll Cavalrymen mercenaries were hired by Denisgral to hijack the ale shipment. They feign obedience to Denisgral but abandon him at the first opportunity if things go awry. Mercenaries Troll Cavalrymen

Tags

Honorless, Disloyal, Heat Sight, Horned, Huge

Special

Cavalryman Adept: The mercenaries use their talents to attack the caravan. Check the game information about Cavalrymen and their abilities (Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.83) and use these as a guide.

Having heard of the ale shipment, these ork scorchers try their luck at getting some of the booze.

Ork Scorchers

Drunk, Savage, Aggressive

Special

Torch: One out of every four of them is carrying a torch, which can be used as weapons inflicting the Burning Tag on everything flammable they touch. Mounts: The scorchers use horses as mounts (Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.177).

Wound Slots



Threat Circle

Threat Circle Journeyman

DARR ANIS

Scorchers

Tags

Mounts: The mercenaries use war horses as mounts (Earthdawn: The Age of Legend, p.177).

Wound Slots

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Scorchers

 Journeyman

SAMPLE

CHARACTERS “I admit it’s a stupid idea. But then again, some of the best plans started with stupid ideas.” —Koldar the Black

Dreizahn Grimbeard thick black beard seems to be the most remarkable detail about Dreizahn, followed by a set of three golden teeth is his mouth as soon as he starts talking. Dreizahn has brown eyes, wears customized plate mail armor with Throalic sigils on it, and wields a fearsome warhammer.

A

DREIZAHN GRIMBEARD

Male Dwarf Warrior ( Journeyman)

Character Tags Body: Strong

Personality: Disciplined Edge: Tenacious Flaw: Gullible

Talents

Air Dance, Anticipate BlowD, Disarm, Fireblood D, Improvised WeaponD, Sense DangerD, Second Attack D, Steely Stare, Wood SkinD, Wound Balance

Where do you come from? Born and raised in Bartertown as the son of a fallen noblee house, Dreizahn enlisted in the Arm of Throal at a very young age. He lost three teeth while serving King Varulus III, and left the army when King Neden was crowned. He had his lost teeth replaced with gold he received for his services and left to adventure Barsaive on his own.

What do you want? My house has fallen into poverty and has lost all power after the Scourge. I intend to change that and bring it back to power. I am disappointed by the young king, after having served under his father for so long. I have realized that the only thing needed to get a foothold in Throal again is blood and gold. I have the blood, now I will get the gold.

What is stopping you?

Heavy Warhammer, Lightquartz, Firestarter, Trail Rations

I am used to military drill and order, and have not yet settled into the freedom adventurers enjoy. I depend on others, and tend to take their help for granted. One hand washes the other, presumably. That aside, I have no idea where to start looking. There are tales of lost kaers, but all places I have seen so far have been plundered already.

Pool: 4

What will you do?

Racial Ability Heat Sight

Skills

Braiding, Military Tactics, Throal Royal Houses

Equipment Karma

Wound Slots 

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Drives

DARR ANIS

Points Available: 4

I serve no one but myself and my traveling companions. It’s time to explore Barsaive off the beaten paths, and find the lost treasures still hidden in the hinterlands. I’ll take my chances and won’t give up until I find the treasure that makes me a rich man. Then I will return to the dwarf kingdom and change things.

SAMPLE CHAR ACTERS

1 Relationships

‹‹Elorian Quickwit (Friend): I have met this ork Cavalryman on the road a few times while I was a soldier, and we defended Darranis a few times on royal orders. When I dropped out of service, he invited me to Darranis and helped me to find other adventurers. ‹‹Alri Yolotta (Enemy): The head of Darranis’ militia considers me a deserter. We have bumped into each other a few times on the market, sizing each other up. No good is to come on this. ‹‹Denisgral Pa’vas (Neutral): This throalic noble is a disgrace for his kind when it comes to appearances, but he certainly knows his ale. On one of his visits to Darranis, Denisgral told me that he can help me get my foot back on the ground back in Throal. Not sure what he wants in return, but time will tell. C H A P T E R I I I - 1 | Sample C harac te rs

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Fina

Drives

ina is a slender woman always clad in elegant clothing. She has dark long hair, brown eyes with a shade of green in them, and a tattoo of a delicate pattern on the left side of her neck—a mark that denies her entry to the floating library in Iopos. As a learned seamstress she never leaves the house without a decent amount of yarn and fabric on her, which she usually carries in a beautifully embroidered shoulder bag.

F

FINA

Female Human Wizard ( Journeyman)

Character Tags Body: Slender

Personality: Thirsty for Knowledge Edge: Diligent Talents

Arcane Mutterings, Astral Sight D, Book Memory, Read/ Write MagicD, ResearchD

Spells

Bedazzling Display of Logical AnalysisD, Dispel MagicD, Catch Spell, Identify MagicD, Karma Cancel

Racial Ability

Versatility (Skill: Tailor)

Skills

Librarian, Magic Theory, Language: Human (Iopos)

Equipment

Light Quartz, Message Stone, Grimoire (A little book with many pieces of wrought and embroidered cloth tucked between the pages. Since leaving the library Fina has started to supplement her records of the magical mysteries with threads of woven yarn.) Pool: 4

Wound Slots 

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I was born and raised in Iopos as the daughter of a poor family with no privileges. I helped my father in his tailor shop until a noble man came by, an associate of the Denairastas, who discovered my talent for magic. I was put into service of the floating library and was taught the basic ways of Wizardry. However, instead of teaching me all they knew I could learn, they set me on duty of all the minor library chores they could find. It was infuriating. I couldn’t bear it and had to take things into my own hands. Once they caught me borrowing forbidden books, to teach the deeper fundamentals of astral theory to myself, I was severely punished. When that didn’t stop me I was later expelled from the library. I fled Iopos thereafter.

What do you want?

Flaw: Presumptuous

Karma

Where do you come from?

Points Available: 4

I want to learn more about the marvels of astral space. I want to dive deeper into the arts of manipulating the web of magical energies—energies that connect every aspect of the world we live in. That is my heart’s desires ever since I knit my first scarf. I didn’t know it back then, of course, but weaving the threads into a piece of cloth, adjusting every fall of folds, creating something bigger than the mere sum of threads, it’s all magic. I owe the masters of the floating library nothing, but I owe my father whom I was taken from.

What is stopping you? I fled Iopos in hope to find other masters that can teach me, but I am shocked about the low level of sophistication in the province of Barsaive. While I met skillful wizards their knowledge of magic theory was faulty beyond acceptance. And like the masters of the floating library they don’t want to see reason and let a poor woman teach them better. So here I am, willing to

SAMPLE CHAR ACTERS

learn, but no master to teach me. I can’t go back to Iopos, I can’t seek a theran teacher, I don’t even dare to think about dragons. The knowledge of Barsaive’s current traditions are child’s play compared to the knowledge I taught myself—and even I am very far from the bottom of the barrel.

What will you do? If the Barsaive of today can’t teach me what I seek to learn, maybe the Barsaive of the past, the Barsaive from before the Scourge, can. I want to have a look at every parchment, every scroll, every book that gets unearthed by adventurers and travelling scholars. By the Passions, I will even climb down into forgotten kaers myself if I must. Once I’m ready to best my masters in theoretical arguments I will return to Iopos. Then I can finally be the daughter my father needs, help him once again in his shop he is so proud of, and take care of my little brother.

1

Relationships ‹‹Yeldur (Friend): Fina was quickly captivated by the charming elf and his beautiful way with numbers. A mutual fondness, since Yeldur is equally impressed by Fina’s skilled hands on cloth and her curious mind. ‹‹Folkor the Brave (Netural): Folkor grants Fina entry to Kaer Darranis and lets her roam freely through the old caverns. He’s sure that there’s no forgotten knowledge hidden in there, but since she promised to be of help maintaining the spells still active in the old kaer in return, he saw no reason not to agree to that bargain. ‹‹Drokam (Enemy): Drokam really tried to be patient, but Fina’s absolute disregard for his studies in wizardry is infuriating him. His knowledge and training are basic, sure, but he is an initiated wizard after all. The newly sparked sense of rivalry is not of a good kind. C H A P T E R I I I - 1 | Sample C harac te rs

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Kidaia Windwhisper idaia is a painfully thin and awkwardly tall woman with orkish features and long, pale blonde hair that resists all efforts with a comb. She wears plain clothes that are always a bit too broad and a bit too short to look quite right on her strange frame. She carries a cruel dagger and a heavy pack that she wears slung over one shoulder, and rarely anything else. Everything about her strikes the casual observer as not-quite-right, but it is in her voice that such oddness becomes a boon instead of a detriment. When Kidaia speaks, one cannot help but listen; her voice always sounds as if accompanied by a howl of wind. She is often drunk and her mouth almost always curled into a broad smile.

K

KIDAIA WINDWHISPER

Female Jubruq Troubadour ( Journeyman)

Character Tags

Where do you come from? I have never set foot in my homeland. I was born in a special slave encampment in the Theran military outpost of Sky Point, where I and nine others like me were tasked to aid in the work of a magician that needed the unique power of our fathers to complete her work. She was called away to Great Thera, and in her absence a rival arranged for her records to be lost. Of the ten jubruq she had been carefully raising as batteries of power for her experiments, she took only three with her. Because of Olaria’s rival’s machinations, the remaining seven, including me, were loosed in the general population of slaves that were eventually used to power swift-moving slaver ships that plagued the western regions of Barsaive. My prison-ship was brought down by the trolls of the Twilight Peaks on a slaving run, and I have lived free ever since, traveling Barsaive in search of stories.

What do you want?

Body: Lithe

Barsaivian Legends, Theran Slave Trade, Herbalism

I want to find my father. As a jubruq, my heritage is complicated. My father is a jinari, a spirit of the wind that is revered by my tribesmen back in distant Marac. My father was bound by a Theran Elementalist into a talisman, though I do not know the shape or Name of the thing. That Elementalist, Olaria, was last seen aboard the Triumph as it made its trek across Barsaive. I will find my father, free him from his prison, and return to our homeland. If possible, I will also free my three brothers and sisters that still serve Olaria, though I can scarcely imagine what ten more years in service to that monster have done to them.

Curved Dagger, Message Stone, Wineskin

What is stopping you?

Personality: Intriguing Edge: Deceptive

Flaw: Drunkard

Talents

Bardic VoiceD, Blade Juggle, Disguise Self, Emotion Song, Empathic SenseD, Engaging BanterD, Item HistoryD, Performance, Speak LanguageD, Taunt D

Racial Ability

Force of Will

Skills

Equipment Karma

Pool: 4

Wound Slots 

66

Drives

DARR ANIS

Points Available: 4

Anyone mighty enough to bind a jinari to this plane is a foe of fearsome power. I am not yet strong enough to defeat my enemy, and I know that my own talents, given to words rather than spellcraft, will not be enough. To that end, I have sought great

Jubruq are slender, often frail Namegivers from the distant Theran province of Marac. Born of the union between an ork or human mother and a strange type of elemental spirit called a jinari, jubruq are both reviled and revered by various parts of their own culture and rarely fit in anywhere they travel. They are usually potent magicians or adepts, thanks to their father’s nature, but they rarely follow Fighter Disciplines because of their weak constitutions. ‹‹Racial Ability - Force of Will: Your mind is complex and difficult for others to understand or manipulate. You also tend to excel in contests of will such as when summoning spirits or attempting to control the minds or emotions of others.

treasures in Barsaive and quested also for good companions who can be trusted on my journey. But along the way, there have been challenges I did not expect. My mind is strong, but my body weak. My time among the trolls of the Twilight Peaks brought me into contact with powerful brews that eased my troubled heart and soothed my sore muscles in equal measure. As I dwelled on the sorrows of being born only partly of this world, and of the impossible vastness of my quest, I found myself taking more and more succor in the drink. I began using my gifts to tell tales in order to earn coin, and I turned that coin to drink. When the drink wore thin, I told more stories, and the cycle continued. Before I knew it, years had passed and the trail of my enemy had grown cold. Still, the drink comforts me.

What will you do? I will be what is required to find and free my father. A chance lead has brought me to the east and told me of my enemy’s service in Triumph, and playing the part of the storyteller has

brought me to companions and contacts that may serve my purpose. But it grows exhausting to play the part of fool, and I hope that, in time, I can reveal my true nature and my true purpose to those closest to me. On that day, we will stab at the heart of Olaria and perhaps even thwart the hold that the Theran witch possesses over my brothers and sisters. Then we will all, as a family, go home.

Relationships

‹‹Tor Gornag (Friend): I would have been run out of Darranis on my first night had it not been for this ork barkeeper’s generosity. Tor gives me a place to sleep and keeps my tankard full in exchange for the telling of stories to his customers at the Wishbone Tap. Tor was, himself, once a slave, and in one another we have found much commonality.

SAMPLE CHAR ACTERS

JUBRUQ

1

‹‹Olaria Din Shora (Enemy): One of several elven magicians from Great Thera that were conducting experiments on mothers and children in Sky Point, Olaria enslaved my father and all of my siblings, murdering our mothers in the process. She is unequivocally evil, and I will see her brought low. She is a powerful Elementalist and a key staff member at Triumph, but she is rumored to leave the protections of that place from time to time. It is possible she does not know I hunt her. ‹‹Karinni Vesta (Neutral): This sly windling merchant calls Bartertown home, but he spends a great deal of time in Darranis of late, arranging caravans and, I think, spying for someone. I can’t yet prove that. Karinni knows of my quest—I was too deep in my cups to realize how clever his questions were after a performance one night—and has alluded to having information that might aid me, if I can pay his price.

C H A P T E R I I I - 1 | Sample C harac te rs

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Koldar the Black Small and nimble are no common attributes for an ork. Koldar the Black made the best out of his frameset when he began to follow the path of the Scout. He prefers dark green and brown clothes, keeps his head and facial hair short, and does his best to make no lasting impression. A keen eye might notice several smaller weapons on his body and even catch a glimpse of a lightweight chain shirt. KOLDAR THE BLACK

Male Ork Thief ( Journeyman)

Where do you come from? I grew up on the streets of Travar, where my family made a living as workers-for-hire. I had to work for small money since early childhood and soon learned—the hard way—that I could only rely on myself. When I realized that my future would hold nothing as hard, back-breaking work for small money, I decided to follow my own path and left Travar the other day to take on a life of adventure.

What do you want?

Climbing, Evaluate, Gold SenseD, Haggle, Lock PickingD, Picking PocketsD, SearchD, Silent Walk D, Surprise Strike, Thieves’ Tongue

In the end, I want to raise a family. A family which I can offer the most luxurious life gold can buy. But first I have to steal the heart of a woman so she will become my wife and the mother of my kids. Then I have to steal the soul of a home, so we will have a place to life and love. An finally I have to steal enough wealth from the hands of merchants and kings, so we can afford everything we want. I decided to work this list from the end onwards.

Heat Sight

What is stopping you?

Braiding, Military Tactics, Throal Royal Houses

I find it increasingly difficult to save gold. The more wealth I acquire, the more possibilities to spend it appear.

Short Sword, Small Dagger, Throwing Dagger, Lightquartz, Firestarter, Trail Rations

What will you do?

Character Tags Body: Nimble

Personality: Focused Edge: Lucky

Flaw: Generous

Talents

Racial Ability Skills

Equipment

Karma

Pool: 4

Wound Slots 

68

Drives

DARR ANIS

Points Available: 4

I have to find a place to hide—myself and my treasures—in Darranis. The city is a melting pot of Namegivers and offers many possibilities to disappear from enemies and opponents. Maybe I should look for a trustworthy partner...

SAMPLE CHAR ACTERS

1

Relationships

‹‹Sassandra Saassariel (Friend): This t’skrang is the only Namegiver I trust. He has been the first person to offer me shelter and food when I came to Darranis—and even though I insisted to pay him; he denied taking anything from me. He’s a gentle soul and has become a true friend. ‹‹Gobrok (Neutral): Fascinated by this dwarfs’ gambling skill, I have taken an interest in the card- and dice games played in the taverns of Darranis. There is a lot more to Gobrok than meets the eye, and a lot of coin to earn cheating the game the way he can. There is a lot to learn here! ‹‹Ja’ktar (Enemy): This human Scout has been on my trail for months. I don’t know why he’s so persistent, even after I gave him the magic item he wanted (and I had acquired from his brother a while ago) and beat me up afterwards. C H A P T E R I I I - 1 | Sample C harac te rs

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DARR ANIS