Table of Contents

Cult of the Morninglord . . . . . . . . . . . . .7The Light Before the DawnBy Chris Benton aka Eric the Light Bringer

Verbena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Pain and Sorrow in the House of HealingBy Marcin Roszkowski

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea . . . . . . . . 21The KelpieBy Nathan of the Fraternity

Shadow and Flame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33Dragonborn in RavenloftBy Eleanor Ferron

New Barovia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43A Short StoryBy Steve Flam

Fairhafen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Where the happy ending is yet to come…By Wolfkook

The Hobby's Ghost-Pipes . . . . . . . . . . .75

Piper of StonedownBy Sharon of the Fraternity

The Northwest Train Line . . . . . . . . . . 83A Bit of Alternate HistoryBy Eleanor Ferron

Sideshow Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89A Short StoryBy Tami Sammons aka Hadis Deadstalker

Sideshow Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127New Performers for the CarnivalBy Tami Sammons aka Hadis Deadstalker

Sideshow Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133Map and Vardo LayoutsBy Tami Sammons aka Hadis Deadstalker

Cult of the MorninglordThe Light Before the Dawn

By Chris Benton aka Eric the Light Bringerlostshadow3@hotmail.com

"…and no matter how bleak the future mayseem, no matter how dark the night, thedawn will come for all those who can standin the light."- Martyn "the Mad" Pelkar, recordedconclusion of his very first oration

HistoryThe faith of the Morninglord began almostthree centuries ago, in 475 BC when a youngchild named Martyn Pelkar stumbled out ofthe Svalich Forest rambling of his salvationfrom darkness by a "golden morning lord".As the child grew into a young man, Martynwould receive divine visions instructing himto bring the Word of Light to the people andspread its message of hope and salvationthroughout the land. In time Martyn Pelkarwould be known by the peasants of Baroviaas Martyn "the Mad" Pelkar and from anabandoned chapel in the village of Baroviahe proselyzed the coming of "his"Morninglord who would lead the world outof darkness and into the daylight.

It was not until Martyn Pelkar adopted ahalf-vistani orphan named Alexei "Sasha"

Petrovich as his first acolyte that the peoplebegan to hear the Word of Light. Martyn andSasha rebuilt the chapel into Sanctuary ofBlessed Succour and attracted a smallfollowing to become the first congregation ofMad Martyn's Cult of the Morninglord.

After Martyn's early death Sasha Petrovichleft the Sanctuary and Barovia Village towander in dark and dangerous places of theland, strengthening his faith and bringing theLight to the land as Martyn had instructedhim. The faithful of the Morninglord wereleft in the care of the seamstress andlaywoman Cristina, who would become thefirst priestess of the Morninglord and leadthe Cult into the future.

In spite of the infamous Barovian distrustof organised religions, in the centuries sinceMartyn's salvation the faith of theMorninglord spread across Barovia and othertemples were established beyond the Villageof Barovia. When the other domains beganto appear out of the Mists the Word of Lightwas brought into the rest of the Core. TheMorninglord's message of hope, courage,and salvation was usually received withspeculation, disbelief and cynicism.

PresentToday the Cult of the Morninglord is theclosest faith Barovia has for a state religion.A shrine or temple can be found in everyBarovian settlement, the religious centre ofthe Morninglord faith having moved fromBarovia Village to Vallaki to now Krezk. Thepeople of Barovia are usually indifferent tothe Cult, generally considering those whofollow the Morninglord are either naïve oridealists, either way fools who cannot acceptthe bleakness that is life in Barovia.

In the occupied lands of what was onceGundarak the faith of the Morninglord isflourishing as the oppressed Gundarakites(and the Gundarakite Rebels) are drawn tothe Cult's message of hope and salvation.The largest and strongest temples of theMorninglord now in Barovia are foundwhere Gundarakites dominate, many nativeBarovians believing that these temple arerefuges for the Gundarakite rebel leadersfrom Count Von Zarovich's wrath.

Outside of Barovia the faith has nevergrown beyond cult status, there is little signof the Morninglord faith other than thewandering champions who pay fealty to theMorninglord. In the larger cities andsettlements of the Core there is usually asmall, humble shrine with a lone layman or ararer clergyman caring for the shrine.Otherwise, for someone to find a holy site ofthe Morninglord outside of Barovia, theywould have to look in the lonely andsecluded corners of the world for the fewquiet monasteries hidden from the Darknessand creatures of the night.

Tenets of the MorninglordThe Morninglord gave his Dawn Prophet,Martyn Pelkar, the Word of Light thatexpounds the virtues of hope, kindness andsalvation from the Darkness that is evil.

Martyn preached that if you hold the Lightin your heart there will always be hope andwith hope there is deliverance from evil andeternal life. As the arrival of the sun marksthe end of the night, the dawn symbolises theliberation of the soul from fear, hatred, dreadand sin and damnation. That if you live ahumble and honest life there is the reward ofpeace and salvation in the end and nocreature of Darkness could ever take thataway.

And finally the Dawn Prophet advocatedthe faithful to share their lives willingly withtheir fellow man, treating others with respectand compassion. That the faithful shouldbring relief from fear and pain to theirbrothers and sisters and protect the weak andhelpless from the creatures of the night andthe Darkness that can consume the heart. Ifyou bring this small ray of light into theworld it will inspire others to also embracethe Morninglord, spreading the Word ofLight and breaking the hold that Darknesshas throughout the lands.

OrganizationWith such a simple doctrine there is verylittle orthodoxy within the cult, each templeof the Morninglord is autonomous and self-sufficient to itself, lacking any rivalry orantagonism between the temples. Althoughthere is no centralised authority for the Cultof the Morninglord the temple that holdsMartyn Pelkar's original pulpit, the first altarof the Morninglord (the Dawn Altar), isconsidered the nominal "centre" of the faith,now found in Kresk.

The hierarchy of the Cult is just asinformal; normally each temple has onepriest of the Morninglord guiding a smallcongregation of lay worshippers and ahandful of acolytes. The cult is dividedbetween lay worshippers, named Children ofthe Dawn or Dawnchild, and clergy, named

Dawnbringers. A novice to the Cult (whethera lay worshipper or clergyman) is called anAwakened while an experience worshipper isnamed Faithful.

There is little difference in the duties of apriest and a worshipper within the Cult, onlythe skills and abilities each individualprovides to the congregation separates thetasks of the Faithful. It would not be unusualto observe a young Dawnchild leading asermon or an older Dawnbringer on herhands and knees scrubbing the temple floor.In the eyes of the Morninglord all are equal.

The Faithful of the CultIt is not the way of Cult of the Morninglordto actively seek out and convert people to thefaith of the Morninglord and prefer apotential Dawnchild to have heard the Wordof Light on their own. The Cult attractspeople from all strata of society though thefaith is the most appealing to the weak,lonely, helpless and those with nothing elsein their lives. Unlike other faiths the clergyof the Cult is, surprisingly, not a pro-activereligion. There is little history ofmissionaries or holy crusades within theCult, Dawnbringers of the faith are notaggressive in converting the masses andinstead use their deeds to display the glory ofthe Morninglord.

All human and demihuman races of anynon-evil alignment are welcome into thefaith of the Morninglord, even calibans andother social outcasts (a being's outcast ratingis reduced by 2, to a minimum of 0, whendealing with a true follower of theMorninglord). All non-divine classes havebeen found in worship of the Morninglordbut usually only bards, fighters, monks andrangers choose the god as their patron deity.

Clergy of the Morninglord are always goodaligned, the bulk being neutral good (60%)and the other two ethoses bring evenly

represented (20% lawful and 20% chaoticgood). The class composition of clergy isdivided between the temple benevolents(40% of the clergy), the wandering clerics(35%), divine healers (10%), holy paladins(10%) and other, less common divineclasses, such as druids and favoured souls(5%). In fact, the Cult of the Morninglordgenerates more paladins than any other faithwithin the Realm of Dread.

Many of the more experienced members ofthe clergy choose to gain prestige class levelswithin the Cult of the Morninglord. The mostcommon prestige class chosen by the clergyof the Morninglord is the Radiant Servant,granted powers involving healing, light andthe destruction of the undead. The Hunter ofthe Dead, Master of Radiance, and SacredPurifier are also common choices for clergyto expand their skills.

For the Faithful without divine classes themost common choices of prestige classes arethe Monster Hunter and the Sworn Slayer,both usually focused on hunting the undead,especially vampires.

Typical TempleA typical temple of the Morninglord is asimple stone structure, normally two storieshigh with a small crypt underneath. Thetemples are unadorned except for a numberof windows to admit as much light aspossible into the temple; anyone withexpertise in glassblowing is greatly valuedby the Cult. Often the temples also have asmall cemetery for anyone that wishes apeaceful afterlife safeguarded by the Cult.

Into the temple a small vestibule opens intothe chapel that usually dominates the groundfloor. In the chapel there is normally a smallaltar adorned with candles, an altar cloth anda sanctified cup (the Sun Chalice); pews forworshipers are often padded, especially forthe elderly to rest. Braziers and candles

usually illuminate the temple through thenight unless there are clergy with enoughmagic to grant permanent illumination.Upstairs there is the antechamber to meetwith applicants, clergy quarters and a modesttemple library. If the temple is large enough

there would also be a sanctum for privatedevotions and ceremonies for the residentDawnbringers. Below there are cold storagerooms and the temple crypt where clergy andCult champions are interred.

Cult of the Morninglord - EssentialsKnowledge - Arcana

DC Result

10 The magic of the Cult of the Morninglord involves mainly the use of light and positive energy.

15 Some priests within the Cult of the Morninglord are masters in healing and restorative magics whileothers specialize in magics effective against undead foes.

Knowledge - Geography

DC Result

10 The Cult of the Morninglord is a faith originating in Barovia; a shrine or temple to the Morninglord can befound in every Barovian settlement.

15 The largest temple of the Morninglord, The Sanctuary of First Light, is in Kresk, the oldest temple, TheSanctuary of First Light, is found in the Village of Barovia; this level of success grants knowledge of thename and location of the nearest holy site of the Morninglord within Barovia.

20 Throughout the Core there are small shrines, monasteries, abbeys and temples dedicated to the Mornin-glord.

25 This level of success grants knowledge of the name and location of the nearest holy site of the Mornin-glord within a domain outside of Barovia.

Knowledge - History

DC Result

10 The Cult of the Morninglord, originates from Barovia and is a faith almost as old as Barovia itself;while the Cult has existed for centuries in Barovia it has never been able to gain a foothold outside ofthat domain.

15 From an abandoned chapel in the village of Barovia the Dawn Prophet, Martyn "the Mad" Pelkar andhis acolyte Alexei "Sasha" Petrovich preached the coming of the Morninglord who would save theworld from darkness, the foundation of what would become the Cult of the Morninglord.

20 The faith of the Morninglord began almost three centuries ago when, as a child, Martyn Pelkar foundsalvation from darkness by a "golden morning lord".

25 This level of success grants knowledge of the past history of the Cult of the Morninglord, such as therelocation of the Dawn Altar from Barovia Village to Vallaki to Krezk.

Knowledge - Religion

DC Result

5 The Cult of the Morninglord is a lesser faith of Barovia and is scarcely found within the rest of the Realmof Dread.

10 The Cult worships the Morninglord, a being of light and salvation who would lead the world out of dark-ness and into the daylight; priests of the Morninglord are usually healers and ministers to the weak,injured and those in need.

15 The Cult of the Morninglord produces a surprisingly high number of adventurers and champions consid-ering the small size of the Cult, including the holy paladin; this level of success grants knowledge in thedogma and tenants of the Morninglord's faith.

20 This level of success grants knowledge of the different types of servants in the Faith of the Morninglord,such as the Benevolent, Radiant Servant and Master of Radiance.

25 This level of success grants knowledge of the different holy relics such as the Bright Blade, Hands of theHealer, the Holy Symbol of Ravenloft and the Icon of Ravenloft.

40 This level of success grants secret knowledge of the Cult of the Morninglord and the greater Church ofLight with it's organized branches such as the Army of Light, the Dawnslayers, the Keepers of the BlackFeather and the Knights of the Raven.

VerbenaPain and Sorrow in the House of Healing

By Marcin Roszkowskiroszkowski.marcin@gmail.com

Verbena"Verbena" is a small herbalist shop, lost in amaze of narrow streets, hidden betweenrooftops' shadows. One can pass it severaltimes and do not notice it's small sign. Fromoutside building looks almost likeabandoned. It's walls are grey and made ofhard stone while windows are always shut.Only a small bell at the door and it'soccasional ringing says, that somebody livesinside. The air of loneliness and sadnesshung around as well as feeling of somemystery and conspiracy.

One can find shop in few ways: askmedicine man or clergyman who is healingpeople, or by following some aristocratseeking love potion or cure for shameful"dementlieuan" disease or by only othermeans. Shop can be situated in almost everyCore's city, either in medieval-like one,where it will be an ordinary business or inany other one, where it will be somewhatstrange and curious one. As witchcraft isbanned from Tepest and it's practitioners arehunted, so it's little possibility, to find"Verbena" there. Apart from it, almost every

corner of the Core can be "Verbena's" shelter.Where it exists in truth, is entirely up to DM.

Cultural Level 7 (Medieval)

Landscape"Verbena" is a single, one story buildingmade of stony walls and wooden roof andbackyard behind it. Only one door with knoblead to inside from the street. On the firstfloor there is a shop, filled with herbs, cures,remedies and oils or other natural remedies.Air is heavy with mixed scents of the forestand alchemical substances, lights aredimmed and windows shut. Strange herbshang down from hooks in walls and roof,shelves are full of jars, bottles and glass.Shop hall is about seven meters long and fivemeters wide and in the far, right corner thereis small counter and behind it another shelffull with more bizarre components (evenmagical ingredients for spells). Floors aremade of wood, covered with dried leaves,sand and straw. There is no way to move

silently, as they crunch under one's feet.Room is about three meters high. Thickwooden bars cross the roof and from themhang baskets with strange and aromativeherbs . If one looks inspects between them,can find mummified and shrink head nailedto wall. If asked, shopkeeper will answer thatit's "Bubak", a small and fierce creature withtail, of unsettling similarity to human.Knowledgeable investigators or seasonedexplorers will certainly know it's a monkey.

There are three shelves running throughalmost full width of room and by the wallsare situated several tables, each full of driedherbs, fresh plants, oils or other powders.Customer has 50% chance of findingmaterial, non-magical component of natural,herbal origin, required for making potion,spell or any other arcane activity. It's price isup to DM and/or component list, but DMmay rule to increase it's value due tocircumstances.

Right beside counter are small door,leading to stairs by which, one can climbonto first floor. There are located privaterooms: small kitchen, bathroom, twobedrooms and an old guest-room. One ofbedrooms belongs to Irka, other one to hercrippled aunt. Stairs are wooden and dried.With each step they squeak in different tone,what makes sneaking in silence almostimpossible. Moreover, sometimes stairsmake noises of it's own, just like somebodyor something was running down or up, whennobody sees it.

Kitchen is small and dark. One oven andiron cooking plate, few pots and impressivecollection of knives, forks and cleavers makeall the items, one can find here. There is alsoa small, wooden table, slick and soaked withblood. There Irka prepares meals for her andher aunt.

Irka's bedroom is personification of badtaste. Bed with canopy, that could easily fitto brothel is situated next to monk's kneeler.

Whole wall is taken by panoramic mirrorand dressing table. Shelves are full ofpowders, lipsticks, aromas, jewellery andother cosmetic items. Closer inspection willturn out that jewellery is made of fake goldand cosmetics are cheap. Carpet on the flooris thick as are the heavy stores. Dominatingcolours are purple, red, gold (lots of gold)and regal blue or violet. Under a huge bedthere is a box with 654 gp, potion of healingand little picture of happy couple. (It is"marriage" picture of Irka and Milosz,product of her obsessive love and dreamsthat never came true.) In the huge wardrobeone can find many dresses, each one verybaroque and every in very bad taste. Theyclearly show, their owner is lacking goodtaste, instead showing "village" view ofwealth and ellegance.

Ludmila's room is poor. Walls are grey anddull, bed is old and squeaking. Beside it isnight stand with two cups (each one is filledwith water, in one of them "second teeth" aresank), a religion book (about suffering,martyrdom, pain, death and guilt and sin)and one candle. Old lady almost never leavesher bed. If so, she sits in the wheel chair andstares blankly through the small window.

Bathroom is square and slippery, with littlecomforts or items. One can find bowl, smalloven to warming water and few buckets of it.Each day Irka takes in it from well andbrings it upstairs.

Guest-room is most disturbing of allrooms. It's walls are warped, furniture rottenand old. There is a weird feeling about it,something is out of order with dimensionsand angles, like their existence was denyinglaws of reason and physics. Doors arepermanently locked and to enter to guest-room, one must smash through the door.When asked about it, Irka will say that roomwas always such like this, even when heraunt purchased house long, long ago.Sometimes, especially in small hours,

strange noises came from there, so Ludmiladecided to bar the doors and never go inside.Close inspections will reveal, that under thelayers of paint are inscribed hedge runes ofprotection against evil.

At the back of house there is small yardwith herbalist garden (with green house),water well and storage locker. One can getther by jumping over two meter-high,wooden fence or by door, that lead fromstaircase. Garden is small, sunny (when skyis not clouded, of course) and very wellmaintained. Irka grows here all manner ofhealing herbs along with vegetables andflowers. In a greenhouse one can find moreexotic plants, few oriental fruits perhaps,aand after closer investigation, somepoisonous herbs, hidden between lessmalevolent ones. When asked for comment,Irka will say "People have differentdemand..." If pressed, she will lie, telling thatpoisonous herbs are needed in small portionsfor making painkillers. Storage locker is asmall closet made of wood. Doors are lockedwith crude padlock and entering inside willrequire either easy test open locks or little bitof raw strength. Water well is narrow butdeep. To take in water one must use smallbucket with rope tied to windlass. It is restedright beside well.

There are two more rooms in a house: atticand cellar. Curious thing, there are no doorsor other entrances leading to them. Only onecreature that can find a way is Brown,mutant and abomination on services of longdeceased Black Witch.

Major Settlementsnone ("Verbena" is but one building withbackyard).

The FolkHumans 66%, other 33%(2 people: herbalistand witch Irka living with her crippled auntLudmila. Unknowing they share home with ahalf- human, half-rat hybrid).

The LawGood behaviour, not stealing and being niceto clerk is expected. Verbena is a shop, sonormal laws apply here.

Trade and DiplomacyResources: Verbena's owner deals withherbs, cures, oinmenst, unguents, potions,flowers etc. If customer wants to buysomething less legal, he must be known toIrka and she must trust him. It means beingregular customer, who will never turn her upto local authorities. Imports: Verbena"imports" all manner of goods, that averageperson needs to everyday life: food, clothes,tools etc. Irka buys also "luxury" items butconsidering her taste, they are rubbishy andtrashy. Coinage: almost every gold and silvercoins are accepted, unless the will turn to befake.

CharactersThere are no native Player Characters thatcome from "Verbena". Irka has no children(actually she never had closer contact with amale and she still is a virgin).

Irka BorovaDarklord of VerbenaFemale human, Commoner 1 Expert 4; CR:5; SZ Medium humanoid (165 cm tall),HD:1d4 + 4d6; hp: 16; Inn -1; Spd 20 (shehas a crippled leg, hence lower value); AC: 9

(-1 Dex); Atk +2 melee (dagger 1d4-1), +2ranged (1k2 improvised weapons); SA:none; SQ: none; AL NE; ; SV Fortitude: +1,Reflex: +0, Will: +6; Str 8, Dex 9, Con 11,Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 8;

Skills and Feats: Craft (Int)[Potions]+7,Handle Animal (Cha)+1, Listen (Wis)+5,Profession (Wis)[Herbalist]+10, Spot(Wis)+5, Bluff (Cha) +2, Craft (Int)[Poison]+4, Decipher Script (Int) +4, Heal (Wis) +5,Hide (Dex)+2, Knowledge (Int) [Nature] +4,Sense motive (Wis)+4, Spellcraft (Int)+4,Survival (Wis) +5; simple weaponproficiency, self sufficient, skill focus(Profession [Herbalist]).

Class abilities: Proficient with all simpleweapons, with light armour but not shields.

Spells Memorized: none.Spells Known: none.Languages: local language (it depends on

that, where DM wants to situate the shop).Signature Possession: none.

BackgroundIrka Borova was born 32 years ago in a smallvillage, about a day and half from town. Shewas quiet and reserved girl, who alwaysthought of herself as a lesser than other girls.Perhaps it was true, as she was little shortand plump, and with crippled leg. Her hairwas in "no-particular-colour" and her skinwasn't so smooth but full of hairy marksinstead. Irka's parents were poor and formost of her childhood, she had only onedress and very few, improvised toys. In time,it was revealed to her, she inherited "a witchgift" after her father's sister, Ludmilla. Soonafter, Irka was trained enough to prepareherbs and oils, cures and brews. When shewas sixteen, she became a witch of her own.People trusted her and were seeking help oradvice. Even other girls, who looked uponher and treated her as poorer cousin, becameher friends and customers. They confessed of

troubles and doubts, sought advice or help.Irka liked it, sensing she has real power overthem and being able to guide their lives asshe have chosen. What nobody ever realised,was that Irka fell in love. Her chosen wasMilosz, young man living several housesaway. Quiet and reserved, he seemed to be an"other half" of Irka. Wealthy and reasonable,he was a perfect candidate for husband.Although some girls were interested withhim, Milosz was unmarried. Irka tried to getcloser to him, but found limited success.Although treated with distance and verygood, but cold, manners, she was sure thatwith time they would be together.

Everything changed one day, when ayoung girl from village, Alina, came to Irka,asking for help. She had an sweetheart, wholoved her to, but was concerned with othergirls, who were interested with her man. IfIrka could brew some potion, which solidifyhis love to her... Irka agreed and told her, tocame over next day. That evening, walkinginto forest to search for herbs, she heardlaughing from bush at the bank of stream.She crept closer only to discover Alina andMilosz, standing together, holding hands andstarring into each other eyes with words "Ilove you" on a lips.

Irka was stunned. It seemed like wholeworld spun around her. She ran, only to be asfar away from source of pain her heart.Sitting in forest she cried and wept, notknowing, what to do. Suddenly, an idea cameto her. With one move, although long andrisky one, she could invert whole situation.

Next day she presented a special brew toAlina. She had to drink it and look deep intoMilosz's eyes, then his love will besolidified. As she promised, so it happened.Milosz proposed to Alina and waswelcomed. In the meantime Irka and Alinabecame close friends. Alas, when thewedding was announced, Alina's health wassuffering. With each day she was weaker and

weaker, her skin turned pale, hair turned dull.Milosz was doing everything to cheer her up,was sitting beside bed, riding her to woodsand taking care. Irka devoted all almost hertime to brew cure to illness. Despite theirbest efforts, Alina died quietly in arms of hersoon-to-be-husband, two days before theirmarriage ceremony.

Whole village was deeply saddened, butonly Irka knew, what has really happened. Itwas she, who brough slow death upon herrival, slowly poisoning her meals, cures,even hair dryers. Now, with Alina gone, itwas matter of time, when she and Miloszwould be together.

Days turned into weeks. Milosz was likeblind and deaf: h was only remembering herlove lost, talked about her and visiting hergravestone everyday. He collected freshflowers and sometimes visited her parent'shouse to sit in her room, which remainedunchanged since her departure. At first Irkawaited with patience and tried to get close tohim. But Milosz was blind on her advances.Weeks turned into months and nothingchanged. At one time she was even sure, hewill kiss her and declare his love, but Miloszlay head on her arm and said: "I will neverlove anybody in my life. I'm so glad you aremy friend, Irka". Her heart burned with rage.

A full year has passed, since Alina's death.Frustrated and with no patience left, Irkaconfronted Milosz and opened her heartbefore him. She declared his love, she askedhim to become her's man. She spun plans anddreams of house with garden, full of childrenand quiet love. Milosz declined and Irkabecame angered. She yelled at him, he wascause of Alina's death and he's one to blame.Young man stumbled, as his closest friendproved his darkest fears. As Irka before, heran into the forest. Next morning was founddead, hanging from tree upon his own belt.

Irka would slip away with this death, buttheir argument was heard by Alina's brother.

He accused her of causing Milosz's deathand Alina's murder. Although he had noproofs, people believed him and were aboutto hang girl on that same branch, whereMilosz's was found. She fled town and raninto a dark night, loosing pursuers in thethick fog. To her surprise, she found a way toher aunt's home and hidden there. Somehowshe got there in shorter time, she could hopefor, even despite her crippled leg. Irka had noidea, that Mists of Ravenloft offered herprotection, but for a price. She didn't knowthat Dark Powers offered her secure prison.

Current SketchIrka ran to her aunt, Ludmilla. Old woman,chained to wheel chair, was living all butherself in house, lost in the labyrinth of city'sstreet. Irka revamped house's ground floorinto herbalist shop, which runs and manages.She never lefts the house: her crippled leghurts everyday, what was caused by franticrun. She is also afraid somebody willrecognise her. Her aunt lives upstairs and istied to wheelchair. Irka sells cures and oils,prepares mixtures and grows herbs in thebackyard. Food and other supplies aredelivered by messengers. In the recentmonths Irka began studying old books oflore and learns magic in hope to expand herknowledge of magical brews.

Irka always considered herself lesser toothers and wanted nothing more than tobelong to group and shine out of other.Lacking charm and beauty, lacking moneyand fancy dresses, she always was "the uglysister". Now, she tries to make up those badtimes. Unfortunately, she always ends on thewrong side. Whenever she collects greaterincome, there is always an tax to pay, repairsto be made or new fashion that replaces olderand is out of her reach. Furthermore, she'sunable to leave her shop. Sometimes it'shurting of leg, other awful weather or cityguards searching for murderer, that's prevent

her from leaving shop. Irka lives in constantfear of discovery and punishment. Shealways wanted to be respected but beingclerk does not gain it. She feels customerstreat her as mere servant, look upon her as a"poor, crippled and dumb thing". She hatesevery one of them, yet fruitlessly tries to wintheir favour.

CombatIrka is poor fighter. When attacked, she willstab blindly with her knife, cry for help andtry run for cover. As she has crippled leg andis coward at heart, there is 50% chance eachround, she will stumble and fall. Ludmila iscrippled with both legs and moves on thewheel chair. If threatened she will brake intears, begging "not to hurt poor old woman".

LairIrka's lair is her prison as well. She can neverleave the house, although cause is alwaysmundane (as stated above). Moreover, Irka isnot even master of building. As she and heraunt well know, something sinister is goingon in guest-room. They don't know what it isand have no idea what to do. Between walls,in the attic and in a cellar, of what existencethey have no idea, makes home Brown, ahalf-human, half-rat hybrid, familiar ofprevious house owner known only as BlackWitch. What exactly had happened to her,what terrible rites she conducted in guest-room remains mystery. But Brown still hidesin a house, lurks in darkness and doessomething, but only he knows his sinisteragenda.

Closing the BordersIrka can not close the borders as otherDarklords do, but she can lock the door andbackyard gate.

Adventure IdeasMidsummer Wine's Flower

To her surprise, Irka finds a strange flowerwhich is about to bloom in her garden. Shenever planted one and she know none. Aftersearching ain herbalists guides and roughquestioning her aunt, she learns it'sMidsummer Flower, a rare and strange plantof potent abilities. When properly prepared,a brew consisting juice from fresh squeezedFlower is able to raise the dad, healcompletely of all illness, give everlastingbeauty or be part of Midsummer Wine, themost potent love potion in the world. Onlythings Irka needs are other ingredients...Here's, where PC come in: she may hirethem to gather, buy, or steal othercomponents, to rob Milosz grave and to brnghis remains to her house, where she will beable to rise him from the dead. Irka does nothave much money, but she can convince PCwith promise of potent healing oils, deadlypotions or other remedies...

Dreams in House of the Black WitchGuest-room becomes more and moreterrifying and Irka is forced to seek help.Strange voices, inhuman bellowing andsounds of incantations come from behindlocked door.Neither she, nor Ludmila arewilling to take risk and enter there, as theyboth well know, the have no means to facething, that is hiding in their house. Everynight they cower in fear and cry with terror,as the terrible things happen behind the wall.So, Irka asks for help, but up to now she isdenied. Deseprate, she asks a group ofheroes (PC's) who accidentally wanderedinto her shop. What she doesn't know, is thather quest room (which was inhabbited by theterrible Black Witch) is gateway toNightmare Lands where dreams andfantasies of worst sort dwell...

Shop of Little HorrorWhat began as a good deal, turned out to bedisaster. Few weeks ago Irka bought seeds ofstrange plant, that was brought from landoutside the Core. She paid little money andwas sure she struck good deal, as she wasconvinced it's black lotus. Now it turned out,she bought no poisonous flower butcarnivorous one! Last night she was awakenby some strange noises. She looked throughwindow and to her terror, she saw a pair ofburglars, entering her garden. Before shecould react, the pair entered the greenhouse.Irka was so afraid, that she froze in place,notable to cry for help. Before she doneanything, there was a terrible scream fromgreenhouse, followed by shouts and onemore cry of pain. Finally, Irka get down andcrossed small garden. Cautiously she lookedinside her greenhouse only to see a strange,big plant with green leaves, black stalk andyellow flower, all resembling giantsunflower, which was finishing eating one ofthieves. Where flower and seed should be,were teeth and little, eveil eyes. Irka watchedin terror, as plant extended itself and grewonly to feast upon second body and enlargeitself again. When flower finished, it turnedaround and hissed: More! I want more!"

Now, Irka is a slave of her own plant andshe must think quick to find a solution. Sheinvited a beggar for a dinner and sacrificedhim to the Queen, as plant calls itself, but sheknows it's a short way. Perhaps she will askPC's to bring some books or scrolls, to gaincontrol over the plant or she will lead themto greenhouse, to kill Queen.

Devil and the Deep Blue SeaThe Kelpie

By Nathan of the FraternityNathan@Fraternityofshadows.com

The KelpieMedium-Size Outsider (evil, water) CR 8;HD 8d8+32; 68 hp; Init +4 (+4 Dex); Spd 30feet, swim 60 ft; AC 18 (+4 Dex, +4 natural);Atk 2 slams +12 melee (1d4+4 + special);SA Spell-like abilities, create mannequin,strangle, drowning in air; SQ bane, chainedby the tide, DR 10/slashing, phylactery; ALNE, SV Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +7; Str 18, Dex18, Con 18, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 22.

Skills and Feats: Bluff +17, Concentration+13, Diplomacy +21, Intimidate +19, Hide+14, Knowledge (arcana) +11, Knowledge(nature) +10, Listen + 15, Move Silently+14, Sense Motive +14, Spellcraft +16, Spot+15; Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative,Spell Focus (enchantment).

Reality Wrinkle: 16,000-foot radiusLand-Based Powers: NoneCorruption Index: 0Spell-like abilities: At will: alter self,

animate kelp*, charm person, 3/day:suggestion, 1/day: control weather, eyebite,raise/lower water

Description: The Kelpie usually choosesto appear either as a handsome human male

or as a sleek grey horse, but both forms arepurely illusionary. Its actual form is avaguely man-like figure made of seawaterand kelp, with a long mane of seaweed hairand sea-shell eyes and nails.

Supernatural Abilities: Animate kelp: This spell-like ability is

exactly similar to the spell animate rope,except that it affects only kelp fronds.

Bane: The Kelpie is strongly averse to thewood of the beech tree. A fragment ofbeechwood presented confidently keeps it atbay, and a blow with a branch of beechwooddeals it 1d4 hit points of damage, bypassingits damage resistance. (This counts as atouch attack.) Carrying a piece ofbeechwood on one’s person gives a +4 bonusto saving throws against the Kelpie’s spell-like and supernatural abilities.

Chained by the Tide: The Kelpie cannotgo any farther inland than the high-watermark of the tides. It can get some additionalrange by using control weather and raisewater, but to venture far from the sea it mustcreate a mannequin of kelp to serve as itseyes and ears.

Create Mannequin: The Kelpie maycreate a mannequin of kelp to send to placesit cannot reach itself. This process requiresone full day; the mannequin’s statistics aregiven in Dramatis Personae. The mannequinmay be on land for as long as three daysbefore dessication destroys it. The Kelpiehas complete telepathic control over themannequin and can see through its eyes andhear through its ears; directing themannequin to take an action when the Kelpieis otherwise engaged (for example, incombat) is a move action.

Drowning in Air: By making a successfultouch attack, the Kelpie can force anycreature touched to become unable to breathair and, at the same time, able to breathewater (Fort save DC 16). This ability lastsuntil the Kelpie dispels it, which it may do asa free action.

The Kelpie commonly uses this ability todrive its opponents into the water, where itcan then entangle them using its controlplants and animate kelp abilities. Once itsopponent is well-entangled, the Kelpiedispels the creature’s water-breathing abilityand lets it drown.

Strangle: If the Kelpie hits with both slamattacks in a round, it may choose toautomatically succeed at a grapple check.The grappled opponent then takes 2d4+8points of damage per round until it succeedsin an opposed Grapple check to break theKelpie’s strangehold or until released(usually when dead).

Phylactery: The little church of Apton-en-Mer has always had a piece of driftwoodformed uncannily like a human woman set asa statue in a niche over the church altar.Before the conversion of the hamlet to Ezrathis “statue” was taken to represent the Sea-Mother; afterward, of course, it wasconsidered a representation of Ezra. Thispiece of driftwood is actually the Kelpie’sphylactery.

Background:The Kelpie was chained centuries ago by awizard who bound it to servitude inexchange for “a new bride every year, blondeas beechwood, supple as hawthorn”. TheKelpie has given the villagers of Apton-en-Mer and the islanders of Mare Island fairweather and good fishing—but the villagerswere less than forthcoming with their shareof the bargain. Instead of a human bride,they formed a statue—the Wicker Bride—ofbeechwood and hawthorne branches, filledwith straw, and sent it out to sea in a littlewooden coracle as it burned, in the mannerof Mordentish funerals in ancient times. Aslong as this ritual was performed, the Kelpieremained bound to its contract.

But, as humans do, the villagers of Apton-en-Mer forgot the meaning of their ritual astime went by, until the burning of the WickerBride on Midsummer’s Night was no morethan a folk ritual, a tradition of old times.And not everyone was willing to see itcontinue for old times’ sake. Calvin Jessop,a young anchorite and the Warden of Apton-en-Mer, felt that this pagan offering to thesea was not appropriate for a people guidedby Ezra Herself, and at length he persuadedthe villagers of Apton-en-Mer to stop thetradition of the Wicker Bride.

But when the ceremony binding it ceased,the Kelpie began to free itself from itschains. No longer bound as tightly as it hadbeen before because the Wicker Bride wasnot offered to placate it, it made a man ofkelp and sea-sand and sent him ashore to lurethe Kelpie its bride; and that man of kelplured a young woman, with skin fair asbeechwood and supple as the branches of thehawthorn, down to her death below thewaves. In the second year, the Kelpie did thesame; and so passed the third, the fourth, thefifth, and the sixth years.

On this Midsummer’s Day it will be sevenyears since the Wicker Bride was last offeredto the Kelpie, and if it gets a human bridethis year, it will be free entirely to take itsvengeance on the descendants of those whobound and cheated it so many hundreds ofyears before…

The SettingApton-en-Mer

The village of Apton-en-Mer is home toperhaps a hundred people who live in adozen or so small houses of stone and thatch;the village is home to a smith and a tanner,and there are outlying farms whose ownersvisit on market days, but the chief industry ofthe village is fishing the Sea of Sorrows.There are no paved roads—just paths wornfrom one house to the next. The people ofApton-en-Mer are reasonably friendly, butreticent with strangers; generally speakingthey are very strict Ezrans, and other Ezrans(especially clerics) will get a warmreception, while those of other faiths will getthe cold shoulder.

The center of village life is the church, asingle-roomed structure facing the beach anddistinguished by its size, its double doors ofwood, its slate roof, and the fact that it has asingle small stained-glass window depictingthe Sword and Shield of Ezra in green andwhite (its other windows, like those of thevillagers’ houses, are simply waxed paper).Within it is one large space with pews ofpinewood; it might hold 150 people in apinch. Below the stained glass window andbehind the small altar is a recess holding apiece of driftwood uncannily suggestive of awoman with lowered eyes, one hand raisedin blessing or salutation. This is held by thestrict Ezrans to be a miraculous likeness ofEzra, although questioning will reveal that itis much older than the Ezran religion, havingheld its place for hundreds of years, and that

those (such as Mammy Knass) who are notEzrans refer to it as the “Sea-Mother”.

Mare IslandMare Island lies across Mare Bay fromApton-en-Mer; it is only an island bycourtesy, as at low tide one can walk acrossthe mud flats revealed by the receding tidefrom the mainland to the island. (At low tidethe “island” and mainland resemble theGreek letter Π, with the mud flats as thecrossbar of the Π.) The island is perhaps amile long and a quarter mile wide and ishome to some thirty people, most of whomlive on the west side of the island. They aretaller and paler than the village folk (whomthey call “mainlanders”, just as theythemselves are “islanders”) with dark brownhair and eyes; they are very reluctantworshippers of Ezra, if they venerate her atall, and still practice the old ways” which themainlanders shared before the coming of thechurch of Ezra to Mordent. They respectMammy Knass very much, despite the factthat she is a mainlander, seeing her as a“wise woman” in their own old tradition.They have always regarded the mainlanderswith some envy and more disdain; thesefeelings have been exacerbated by WardenJessop’s successful interdict of the ceremonyof the Wicker Bride, especially because thefirst three young women lost in the yearssince were all islanders.

Devil and the Deep Blue SeaMidsummer’s EveThe Building Storm

As you come over the rise you see thefishing village below you, quaint but slightlyominous in the red glare of the sun, nowsetting behind Mare Island. There isapparently a gathering tonight in the village;you can see several dozen people, probably

all the inhabitants of a village this size, andhear someone speaking to them. As youcome closer, you see the speaker is a tallyoung man—a priest of Ezra, by hisclothing. The crowd seems worried andtense, as does the speaker. As you come intoearshot the young anchorite concludes “Ilook forward to seeing all of you—all ofyou—tomorrow at the evening servicehonoring our Lady Ezra. Please, be careful.”As the crowd disperses, he catches sight ofyou and hurries toward you, handoutstretched in greeting. “Warden CalvinJessop, at your service,” he says, smiling.“Welcome to Apton-en-Mer.”

Warden Jessop is a tall, red-headed man inhis late twenties, friendly, gregarious, andhighly idealistic, but also quick-temperedand rather closed-minded. If any of the PCsask about the mood of the villagers, Jessopexplains that there have been a series ofdisappearances at midsummer over the lastsix years—one young woman from Apton-en-Mer itself, Mare Island, or thesurrounding countryside has gone missingand never been found, and that somevillagers associate this with thediscontinuation of a “pagan ceremony” sixyears ago. If they don’t ask he attempts towork the subject of conversation around tothis point as soon as possible. He asks, and,if necessary, frankly begs that the PCs stay inApton-en-Mer until after Midsummer’s Day,in the hope that they will be able to preventany disappearance this year.

As you talk with the young Warden, an oldwoman approaches, listening to yourconversation with interest. As WardenJessop winds up his tale of thedisappearances, she spits on the ground.

“It’s what comes of meddling with oldways, innit?” she says mockingly.

“Your pagan magics have no place hereanymore, Mammy Knass,” he replies

angrily. A community under the eye of Ezrahas no need of such things.”

No need? There’s six girls dead saysotherwise.”

What are you trying to say, hag?” Jessopbarks, his face flushed brick-red with rage.

It’s on your head, Warden. Their blood ison your head.”

Jessop seems about to burst; turning on hisheel, he stalks off into the crowd.

Mammy Knass watches him go, grinningwidely. “Fool boy,” she says to you,nodding a greeting. “He thinks Ezra’s theonly power in the world, but he’s wrong.Dead wrong.”

Mammy Knass is a small woman, perhapsin her sixties but surprising tough and spry,dressed in clothing than appears to be more amotley of patches than anything else.Mammy Knass tells the PCs about theceremony of the Wicker Bride that washalted six years ago, and that she is certainthat the ceremony was intended to placatesome mysterious being that, deprived of itsnatural bride, has risen from the sea to findits own. This, she claims, is the reason forthe disappearances over the last sixsummers. She also says that she will bepreparing to perform the ceremonytomorrow regardless of what Jessop wants,and she invites them to come out with her thefollowing morning while she cuts the beechbranches and hawthorn she will use to makethe Wicker Bride.

If the PCs try to get more information onthe nature of the Wicker Bride or theceremony for it, Mammy Knass will mentionthat Silas Atwater, the oldest person in thevillage, knows more than she does.

Silas Atwater is a nonagenarian; his mindis starting to dim, and he is in poor health,but he can follow the thread of aconversation (with a little help and patienceon the part of the PCs). If asked to talk about

the Wicker Bride, he will confirm thedescription given by Mommy Knass and alsomention that “they made the Wicker Bridefrom hawthorn and beech, you see, becausehawthorn is strong against witches, they say,and the sea fears beechwood. It was a riddlethey put to us when I was a boy; “What is theshore the sea fears?” And of course it’s thebeech tree.”

Ella Atwater is a girl in her mid teens,blonde and rather pretty but otherwiseunremarkable; she is at the meeting with hergreat-grandfather. If the PCs don’t approachhim after their conversation with MammyKnass, she will approach them, timid butcurious, to ask where they are from and whythey are here. Her motive is pure curiosity,with a dash of hero-worship for these boldfolk from “outside”. She will confess tobeing frightened by the previousdisappearances and denies having seen any“strange men” in the neighborhood,volunteering (perhaps as a non sequitur) thatshe isn’t allowed to walk out alone with ayoung man yet.

It is also entirely possible that the PCs willmeet (or search out) the town constable,Owen Jackson. In a community of this size,of course, the position of constable is moreor less a sinecure, and it has been years sinceJackson was required to do anything morethan escort a drunken friend home; he makeshis living at his “day job” as a tanner. He is atall, thin man in his mid thirties, with darkhair, blue eyes, and a carefully tendedhandlebar mustache; he is friendly in areserved way, but not very forthcoming withthe PCs unless Warden Jessop recommendsthem to him. He dislikes and distrustsMammy Knass, but likes and admires theWarden very much and is a devout Ezran.He more than half-believes that MammyKnass is right and that the disappearance ofthe young women over the last six years is

tied to ending the ritual of the Wicker Bride,but he is very reluctant to say so.

Midsummer’s DayThe Man from the Sea

If the PCs take Mammy Knass’ invitation tovisit her while she is preparing the materialsfor the Wicker Bride, they will pass EllaAtwater and a young man they didn’t see atthe meeting last night walking togethertoward the sea; they are laughing andholding hands, and just before they noticethe PCs the young man kisses Ella. Givenher shyness and her claim not to have a beau,this should be surprising to the PCs. If theystop the pair and talk to them, the young manwill be brusque; Ella will be rather silly,holding on to his arm and looking at him asif completely enamored. (A Sense Motivecheck at DC 20 reveals that she isenchanted).

Any in-depth questioning will reveal thatthe mannequin and Ella are not well-acquainted; they call each other Alexanderand Ella, but don’t know each other’s lastnames, and “Alexander” is suspiciouslyunacquainted with the townsfolk (althoughhe seems to know the area well). If pressedhard Alexander will flee the scene, withmuch sobbing from Ella at this turn ofevents.

If the PCs succeed in catching him theymay well find out he is not human at all; heis a mannequin of kelp disguised by illusion.(One clue to his nature is that his hip-flask isfull of sea-water—not a drink of choice forhumans!) Catching him and proving he is akelp-thing is perhaps the only thing that willget Warden Jessop to consider seriouslyperforming the ritual of the Wicker Bridebefore the events of Midsummer’s Nightunfold; if they can carry out this ritual, thePCs will still have to deal with the eventsdescribed in the section “At Mare’s Head

Point”, but may be able to entirely avoid anencounter with the Kelpie.

If the PCs, for whatever reason, decide notto visit Mammy Knass, this encounter cantake place elsewhere. If it does not occur atall, or if the party fails to realize that“Alexander” is about to abduct Ella,“Alexander” will lure Ella to her death andthe Kelpie will be freed at midnight,necessitating that the party play the scenario“The Devil loosed”.

The Witch’s PromiseYou find Mammy Knass at the place she hadindicated to you the night before; she isindustriously cutting switches of hawthorne,and a pile of supple birch branches liesbehind her. As you come into view shestraightens to greet you.

“Hard work for an old biddy like me,” shesays, with a cracked chuckle. “But not forstrong young backs like yours! Would youcare to bear a hand?”

Mammy Knass’s principle objective is toget the player characters to be friendlytoward her and suspicious of Warden Jessop;she will tell as many half-truths (and, ifnecessary, outright lies) as she needs to inorder to achieve this end, although, like allgood liars, she sticks to the truth as much aspossible. If she can get the PCs to believethat Jessop is maliciously manipulating thepeople for his own aggrandizement, she willdo so; if not, she’ll settle for portraying himas well-meaning but stupidly devoted to adangerous principle. If the PCs havesucceeded in running off the Kelpie’smannequin she congratulates them and hintsdarkly that he was a “man from the sea”, sentto seduce Ella below the waves. She thanksthe PCs for telling her and mentions that shewill call on Ella later today to see if she iswell.

After telling the PCs about the ceremonyof the Wicker Bride, the adept swears to the

PCs that she can take care of the problem byperforming the ceremony this evening; shehas recruited the islanders to help her, andthey will perform the ceremony at Mare’sHead Point, just out of sight of the village,where Mare Bay meets the ocean. All thePCs have to do is keep Warden Jessop frominterfering with the ceremony, and she willdo the rest. She is vague on details andseems to imply that outsiders shouldn’t bepresent for the rituals; she does her best toget a promise from the PCs that they willkeep Jessop away from the proceedings. Ifthe PCs are extremely sympathetic she mightpossibly recruit them to participate in theritual at Mare’s Head Point, but it’s unlikelythey can convince her that they won’t objectto her real plans.

Mammy Knass actually intends to offersomeone—probably Ella Atwater—to the“Water Groom”, as she calls the Kelpie, in anattempt to bind it to her will. She believesthat using a human victim in the ritual of theWicker Bride will restore the bonds on it,and allow the person who makes thesacrifice to control the Kelpie’s actions. Inthis she has the complicit support of thenatives of Mare Island, who are angry thatthe Warden Jessop has campaignedvigorously against their ancestral beliefs, andalso because the Kelpie took three of its sixvictims from among the islanders and theythink (with some justice) that this tragedywas not taken seriously by the mainlandersuntil their own daughters began to disappear.Mammy Knass has promised to use theKelpie’s powers to help and support them atthe expense of the mainlanders, and theyhave agreed to help her in exchange.

InterludeAfter talking to Mammy Knass, the PCs willhave several free hours before sundown; thistime might be spent in talking to anyone(Silas, the constable) whom the PCs did notmeet earlier, to a tour of the town, including

the church and its strange “statue” ofdriftwood (a particular point of civic pridefor all the villagers, and even the islanders),or in visiting Mare Island; low tide falls atnoon, and the PCs can easily walk to theisland and back by early afternoon. Theislanders are extremely closed-mouthed;they might unbend slightly if the PCs tellthem of their intended co-operation withMammy Knass, but are still extremelyunlikely to share anything important withstrangers. Both the islanders and Silas maymention that the weather signs predict anintense storm sometime tonight—hard tobelieve, since the sky is without a singlecloud, but they insist it will be so.

Midsummer’s NightThe Holy Man’s Warning

If the player characters succeeded inpreventing the Kelpie from abducting Ellaand have not gone to Mare’s Head Point forthe ceremony of the Wicker Bride, WardenJessop will find them just after sundown (ifthey are not already with him).

The sun has just barely set, and all isseemingly tranquil in Apton-en-Mer, but astrange tension hangs in the air; the sea iseerily calm, the air still; it seems athunderstorm is coming, after all. Suddenlythe quiet is broken; you hear someoneshouting your names. It is Warden Jessop;when he sees you he sprints toward you andbegins to talk, his words tumbling over eachother. “Ella…Silas Atwater saw her in aboat…said she was bound and gagged, theywere taking her to the island. I don’t knowwhat they want to do, but we have to stop it.We have to stop it.”

(If the PCs have been keeping a close eyeon Jessop, in accordance with the request ofMammy Knass, this message can be broughtby Owen Jackson.)

Sense Motive checks will show he istelling the truth—or, at least, that he believeswhat he’s saying. Warden Jessop willliterally beg on bended knees, if necessary,for the party to come with him to the island;if they delay at all, he will turn and run forthe shore, taking a rowboat and setting outacross the bay. If the player charactersaccompany him, go to the section “At Mare’sHead Point”. If they prevent him fromgoing, the islanders and Mammy Knass willoffer Ella to the Kelpie, at which point it willbe freed; if this happens, go to the section“The Devil Loosed”, and include the Wardenamong those attempting to prevent theKelpie from retrieving its phylactery. If theydo not prevent his going he will be killed bythe islanders; the events of “The DevilLoosed” will occur, as above, but without hishelp at the church. (If they try to preventhim from going by some violent means andthe villagers find out about it, they willmount a rescue attempt; try to help the PCsavoid a situation in which they alienate thevillagers and free the Kelpie, as this willalmost certainly lead to the destruction of theentire village.)

At Mare’s Head PointAs Mare’s Head Point comes into view, youcan see the islanders have lit a bonfire on thebeach; it throws an indistinct red light onthem. Coming closer, you see MammyKnass gesticulating, and hear her voicecutting through the heavy air. As you beachthe boat you see the coracle behind her, andsomeone seated in it—the Wicker Bride?

But then there is a sudden flare from thebonfire, and you see the long blonde hairof the woman seated there. It seems thatWarden Jessop might have beencorrect—that Mammy Knass intends togive the Kelpie a seventh bride tonight.

Mammy Knass is organizing the islandersfor the ceremony; their preoccupation meansthat the PCs may be able to get quite close

before anyone realizes they are there(assuming they can prevail on WardenJessop to be quiet, if he’s with them—hisnatural inclination is to run to the gatheringto protect Ella and denounce MammyKnass). Any villager can tell the PCs thatElla is in the place usually reserved for theWicker Bride.

In the unlikely event that the PCs donothing, the ritual ends in about half an hourand the coracle is pushed out to sea; it willdrift about one hundred yards and besuddenly and violently drawn below thewater, and the events of “The Devil Loosed”will occur at midnight. If any villageraccompanies the PCs, they will step in wellbefore this happens.

The islanders will do their best to preventanyone from interrupting the ceremony; theyaren’t particularly eager to shed blood butare desperate to see the ritual completed (seeDramatis Personae for statistics; as many asten islanders may take part in preventing thePCs from interfering). If the PCs do anexcellent job of role-playing the encounter,the DM may wish to consider allowing thema chance to persuade the islanders not toallow Mammy Knass to go through with herplans; if the PCs can succeed on two opposedDiplomacy checks against Mammy Knass(one to get the islanders to listen to what theyhave to say, one to convince them that whatthey’re doing is wrong) they can get theislanders to stop the ceremony withoutviolence. If the PCs did not have significantpositive interaction with the islanders beforethis point, or if Warden Jessop is the personattempting this strategy, give Mammy Knassa +4 on her Diplomacy check.

Without a diplomatic miracle the PCs willhave to find some way of disrupting theritual; grabbing Ella is probably the best andsimplest, but extinguishing the bonfire,silencing Mammy Knass, or causing aninterruption of more than a minute or so in

the ritual will all work (web and darknesswould be examples of useful spells in thisregard). Ella has been drugged and cannotparticipate actively in an escape attempt; shecan follow someone who asks her to, butcan’t guide herself or run.

If the PCs successfully disrupt the ritual,the following occurs:

There is a stroke of lightning, and yourealize that the promised storm isarriving—in fact, it’s here already, risingfrom the west with unnatural swiftness. Therising tide begins to wash higher, and higherstill, and you see a whirlpool forming out inthe bay. Suddenly, something is comingfrom the water—something in the form of aman. The Groom is coming to claim hisbride himself!

The Kelpie has been attracted by the failedceremony and is hoping to take Ella with itbelow the waves. Everyone who sees thisunnatural apparition appearing from belowthe waves must make a fear check (DC 15);to the Mare Islanders the Kelpie is a sort ofdivinity, and they take a –4 penalty on thecheck. Mammy Knass will make one last-ditch effort to control the Kelpie, and it willalmost certainly attack her first, while usingits suggestion ability to make Ella come to it.The Kelpie will use its drowning in airability on Ella and Mammy Knass and thenretreat into the sea, using charm person tospread confusion among the PCs andislanders and animate kelp to hinder anyoneattempting to follow it. Mammy Knass willdo her best to seize a beechwood wand andattack the Kelpie, telling anyone who lookslike they’ll offer resistance to do the same.The islanders will be of little or no help here;most will fail the fear check and flee. If thePCs, whoever accompanies them from thevillage, and Mammy Knass can deal morethan 34 points of damage to the creature itwill retreat below the waves, with or withoutits prey. If it succeeds in drawing Ella into

the water (as it certainly will unless someoneprevents her from going), the events of “TheDevil Loosed” happen at midnight. If itfails, the PCs have until midnight to performthe ritual of the Wicker Bride and re-bind theKelpie; see “The Devil Bound” for thecontinuation.

Anyone affected by the Kelpie’s drowningin air ability must receive remove curse tohave it dispelled; if more people are affectedthan Warden Jessop can help in one night (hecan cast remove curse twice), a filled rain-barrel may have to be employed to keep theafflicted persons out of the sea and breathinguntil Jessop arrives or until morning.

The Devil LoosedIf the party failed to prevent the Kelpie’sabduction of Ella Atwater, or did notaccompany Warden Jessop to Mare’s HeadPoint, the following occurs at midnight:

You are awakened [if the party membersare sleeping] by a crack of thunder andrainfall lashing like a whip across theshuttered windows. The thunderstorm youfelt in the air at sunset has come withappalling quickness and intensity. Suddenly,above the wind and rain you hear someonescream—and then someone else. As youpeer into the street a tall man with a lantern,miraculously still lit, sees you and hurriesover. When you can see his face through thedriving rain, you recognize him as theconstable, Owen Jackson. “It was that way,”he says, pointing toward the church. “We’dbetter see what’s happened.”

Between the storm surge and the incomingtide, the sea itself has invaded Apton-en-Mer, and you walk calf-deep in salt water asyou make your way toward the church. Abolt of lightning rips across the sky, and youlook involuntarily toward it. Somethingshaped like a man is coming up from the sea,standing knee-deep in the foaming water; it,too, is moving toward the church. Another

person follows it, skirts hiked up around herknees.

The Kelpie wants to get its phylactery, thedriftwood “statue” resting in the church, andretreat to the sea, nothing more. It willprobably not be immediately apparent whatthe Kelpie is trying to do, especially becausethe high tide mark, even in the storm theKelpie has summoned, lies at the door of thechurch. The woman with the Kelpie is EllaAtwater; she, of course, has been charmedby the Kelpie and is intent on helping it getthe statue. It will send her into the church toget it while it holds off the player charactersand the constable. The characters will bemuch better served by finding a way into thechurch, finding Ella, and preventing herfrom bringing the Kelpie’s phylactery to itthan by trying to fight the Kelpie themselves;if necessary, you can persuade the PCstowards this course of action by havingConstable Jackson recommend that one ormore of the PCs enter the church to help Ellawhile he and the rest face down the Kelpie(if Warden Jessop is present, he willvolunteer to go). PCs in the church will haveno difficulty in preventing Ella from leavingwith the phylactery; she is neither strongenough nor mentally present enough to offereffective resistance. Once the Kelpierealizes what is going on it will attempt tocharm its attackers and have them enter thechurch to bring out its phylactery and itsbride back out.

If the PCs succeed in keeping the “statue”and Ella inside the church and beyond thereach of the Kelpie’s charm ability, it will beforced to retreat at dawn; since it has not yetgotten a bride this year (having lost Ella) itmust form a mannequin of kelp to lure avictim to it, and in the meantime theceremony of the Wicker Bride may beperformed, binding it again. If it regains Ellabut loses the phylactery, it is freed fromservice but terribly vulnerable; it will charm

anyone it can reach, then attack again atnightfall with its charmed servitors,repeating this until it gets back its phylacteryor is destroyed. If it loses Ella but gains thephylactery, it must retreat below the wavesand can be placated by the yearly offering ofthe Wicker Bride, but retrieving thephylactery to give the fiend its quietus willbe complicated immensely.

If the Kelpie succeeds in taking both itsphylactery and Ella it will remain in the bayand use its control weather ability to scourgeApton-en-Mer and Mare Island until nohuman or human habitation remains inrepayment for its hundreds of years ofenforced servitude. After this destruction itwill roam the coasts of the Core, bringingbad weather, sinking ships, and charmingwomen to their death below the waves untilit can be caught and destroyed.

The Devil BoundIf the party succeeds in preventing thesacrifice of Ella Atwater at Mare’s HeadPoint they must still perform the real ritual ofthe Wicker Bride to prevent the Kelpie frombeing freed at midnight. Assuming that thePCs have successfully driven away theKelpie after the events of “At Mare’s HeadPoint”, the continuation is as follows: Theceremony takes one hour and requires thepresence of one divine spellcaster of anylevel who knows the ritual, six women, twomen, and the Wicker Bride (thoughtfullyprovided by Mammy Knass as cover for herabduction of Ella).

Either Mammy Knass (if she escapes theKelpie) or Warden Jessop (now very willingto help, if present) can take the role of thedivine spellcaster, if either is available; ifnot, a PC can do it with the help of theislanders (requires a successful Performcheck at DC 12; 5 or more ranks inKnowledge (religion) give a +2 bonus to theroll). This will require that the PCs get the

islanders back together, or that they get helpfrom the mainland (this would also allowthem to get Warden Jessop’s help for theceremony).

Once the ceremony has been performed,the following occurs:

As you set the Wicker Bride out to sea inits coracle, you feel a sudden change; there isa marvelous freshness to the air, and thestorm clouds gathered overhead begin todisperse, showing stars here and there amongtheir tatters. When you look again to the sea,the Wicker Bride and her little ship are gone;once again the devil has received his due,and the deep blue sea has been placated.

PostscriptThe aftermath of the adventure, even if theKelpie is bound again, may be complicated.Warden Jessop will probably decline to bringMammy Knass to justice; after all, she wasright about not abolishing the Wicker Bride,and he feels that he is partly responsible forthe deaths of the six young women claimedby the Kelpie. No-one else is likely to actagainst her without his support. On the otherhand, she did effectively conspire to murderElla, and if the mainlanders learn that shehoped to control the Kelpie herself, ratherthan simply re-binding it, they might welltake justice into their own hands. Eitherway, there will be severe strains in thecommunity, and between the villagers andthe islanders.

There is also the moral question, whichwill surely occur to Jessop, if not to theplayer characters—if the good fortune andgood weather of Apton-en-Mer have beenobtained in a devil’s bargain, is it right thatthey should continue to honor it? And howcan the Kelpie be disposed of entirely?Careful research into the nature of fiends andthe past of this bargain will be necessary toend the Kelpie once and for all; until then,

Apton-en-Mer will remain caught betweenthe devil and the deep blue sea.

Dramatis PersonaeThe Priest

Calvin JessopMale human, Clr5 (Ezra): CR 5; Mediumsize human (5 feet 10 inches); HD 5d8+5; hp31; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 11 (11 touch, 10flat-footed); Base Atk +3 (+3 melee,quarterstaff 1d6, +4 ranged); Grapple +3;Full Atk +3 melee, +4 ranged; AL LG; SVFort +4 Ref +2 Will +8; Str 10 Dex 12 Con10 Wis 16 Int 11 Cha 14

Skills and Feats: Concentration +4,Diplomacy +12, Heal +6, Knowledge (local)+2, Knowledge (religion) +3, Spellcraft +1,Sense Motive +5; Courage, Iron Will,Negotiator

Domains: Mists, Healing

The WitchMammy Knass

Female human, Exp2/Adt6: CR 7; Mediumsize human (4 feet 10 inches); HD 8d6; hp27; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10; BAB +4; Grp +2; Atk +2 melee(1d4-2, dagger); Full attack +2 (1d4-2,dagger); SA spells SQ none AL NE; SV Fort+2 Ref +2 Will +10 Str 6 Dex 10 Con 10Wis 16 Int 15 Cha 14

Skills and Feats: Bluff +10, Concentration+5, Diplomacy +12, Gather Information +10,Intimidate +10, Knowledge (arcana) +8,Knowledge (local) +11, Sense Motive +11,Spellcraft +10 (+12 scrolls), Use MagicalDevice +8; Brew Potion, Magical Aptitude,Negotiator, Persuasive.

The ConstableOwen Jackson

Male Exp4: CR 3; Medium humanoid(human) (6 ft 2 in tall); HD 4d6+4; hp 23;Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 12, touch 10, flat-footed 12; BAB +3; Grp +5; Atk +5 melee(1d6+2, light mace); Full attack +5 (1d6+2,light mace); SA none SQ none AL LG; SVFort +2, Ref +1, Will +5; Str 14 Dex 10 Con12 Int 12 Wis 12 Cha 10.

Skills and Feats: Bluff +5, Craft(leathermaking) +11, Diplomacy +9, GatherInformation +5, Intimidate +5, Knowledge(local) +8, Listen +10, Sense Motive +8,Spot +10, Swim +5; Alertness, Skill Focus(Craft (leathermaking)), Toughness.

The Old ManSilas Atwater

Male Human Com 4: CR 2; Mediumhumanoid (human) (5 ft 5 in tall); HD 4d6-8;hp 8; Init -2; Spd 20 ft.; AC 8, touch 8, flat-footed 8; BAB +2; Grp +0; Atk +0 melee(1d4-2, clasp knife); Full attack +0 (1d4-2,clasp knife); SA none SQ none AL NG; SVFort -1, Ref -1, Will +2; Str 7, Dex 6, Con 7,Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 7.

Skills and Feats: Profession (fisherman)+11, Knowledge (local) +6, Listen +10, Spot+10, Swim +5; Alertness, Skill Focus(Profession (fisherman)), Toughness.

The Innocent:Ella Atwater,

Female Human Com1: CR 1/2; Mediumhumanoid (human) (5 ft 2 in tall); HD 1d6;hp 6; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 10, touch 10,flat-footed 10; BAB +0; Grp -1; Atk -1melee (1d2-1, unarmed, subdual); Full attack

-1 (1d2-1, unarmed, subdual); SA none; SQinnocence; AL NG; SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will+0; Str 9, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10,Cha 14.

Skills and Feats: Craft (seamstress) +5,Knowledge (local) +2, Listen +4, Spot +4,Swim +2; Alertness, skill focus (Craft(seamstress)).

The IslandersMare Islander

Male Human Com2: CR 1; Mediumhumanoid (human); HD 2d6; hp 11; Init +0Spd 30 ft.; AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10;BAB +0; Grp +1; Atk +0 melee (1d4+1,clasp knife); Full attack +0 (1d4+1, claspknife); SA none; SQ none; AL N; SV Fort+0, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 12, Dex 10, Con 12,Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10.

Skills and Feats: Knowledge (local) +1,Listen +1, Profession (fisherman) +8, Spot+1, Swim +3, Use Rope +4; Alertness, skillfocus (Profession (fisherman)).

The Kelpie’s Mannequin“Alexander”

Medium construct: CR 2; Mediumconstruct (5 ft 8 in tall); HD 2d10; hp 31; Init+4; Spd 30 ft.; AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed16; BAB +1; Grp +1; Atk +1 melee (slam1d4); Full attack +1/+1 (2 slams 1d4); SAspell-like abilities, strangle SQ bane,construct qualities, DR 5/slashing, fireresistance 5 AL NE; SV Fort +0 (immune toeffects requiring Con saves unless they affectobjects), Ref +0, Will +2; Str 10, Dex 10,Con -, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 18.

Bane: Like its creator, the kelpie’smannequin is repelled by even a sliver ofbeechwood, and a blow from a branch ofbeechwood deals it 1d4 points of damage.

Strangle: If the Kelpie’s mannequin hitswith both slam attacks in a round, it maychoose to automatically succeed at a grapplecheck. The grappled opponent then takes2d4 points of damage per round until itsucceeds in an opposed Grapple check tobreak the mannequin’s stranglehold or untilreleased (usually when dead).

Shadow and FlameDragonborn in Ravenloft

By Eleanor Ferronisabellepesovich@yahoo.com

That the Redwood Keep even botheredkeeping watch was a grand testament to theways of the past, Foxglove thought tohimself. Enemies these days either camecharging in, roaring their challenges, orcloaked in disguises impossible to pierce.Either way, there was no point in posting alookout for them. Yet here he was, sitting inthe cold with two other elves, not allowed tospeak, staring endlessly at the same fewtrees.

One of the other elves' ears perked up.Foxglove casually looked over to see whathe'd spotted; if he was lucky, a stag mighthave passed by for some quick targetpractice...

Hold on. There was something.Foxglove expertly dropped from the trees

without a sound, padding over towards thecreature with his bow at the ready. He wascircling around to flank it when the creaturewhirled, letting loose an earsplitting shriek.Foxglove only caught a glimpse of it as itswung at him; the scaly skin, the long muzzlefilled with hundreds of glittering sharp teeth,the glowing yellow eyes-

One of the other elves let loose an arrow,which thudded into the creature's shoulder.The creature's mouth lit up like daylight aslightning blasted forth from its mouth. Hismuscles moving faster than his thoughts,Foxglove just barely ducked in time. The treebehind him exploded into splinters ofsmouldering wood.

By the time his eyes had recovered, thecreature had fled. It took a while beforeanyone said what they were all thinking.

"Draconian..." Foxglove whispered.They looked at each other, then one elf

fired a whistling arrow high into the sky. Forthe first time in his life, Foxglove ran back tothe keep...

Gargoyles standing atop ruined cathedrals.Unwholesome creatures that lurk in theswamps and sewers. Magical experimentsgone awry. Deranged cultists of primordialgods. Feared and despised throughout theCore, these are the Dragonborn, creatures ofshadow and fear. To see a single dragonbornis very rare; to see more than one is a once ina lifetime event. Dragonborn are known asDraconians by mainlanders, dubbed thus by

the elves of Sithicus, who claim to havefought these foul creatures long ago. Veryfew scholars have had the opportunity orinclination to study the Draconians, and sothe crumbling records of Sithicus havebecome the leading theories amongstacademics.

Most Dragonborn fear others as much asthey are feared, and spend as much of theirlife as they can in hiding. They have noshared culture or organization past domainborders. Draconian appearance also varieswildly by domain; while some heavilyresemble the dragons of lore, others arelanky creatures with more leonine features,and others resemble stone gargoyles fromchurch tops. Dragonborn may have horns,frills, elongated necks, spines, tails,feathered or bat-like vestigial wings, ears,beards, or none of the above. However, it isvery common for them to have dark,shadowy scales, which seem to ebb and flowdepending on the light.

Faces of the DragonbornThe Created

Vespiear moved silently through his arcanelab, impatience clear on his face. The egghad cost him much to acquire, and he wasdetermined to get results. He could tell theapprentices were nervous tonight. Fools.They would not be discovered. He was tooskilled for that.

"Progress," he commanded. One of theapprentices immediately ushered him to thecage where his creation sat.

It had worked far better than he expected.His creation was already conscious,regarding the world with unsteady eyes. Itstared in horror at its taloned fingers,wordlessly hissing a few times beforemanaging to speak.

"What have you done to me?" it wailed,tearing bloody gashes in its arm as if to peelthe scales off of its body.

"Sedate it," Vespiear commanded. He'dcome too far for it to destroy itself now. Hiscreation breathed forth a cloud of shadow,but it dissipated harmlessly againstVespiear's cold flesh. The apprenticesquickly enchanted it, forcing it into magicalslumber. The creature let loose a cry ofanguish as its eyes shut...

A tragic victim of magical experiments, theCreated was once human, but powerfulrituals have warped and twisted her into amonster. Trapped in a form she reviles, shedesperately searches for a way to reverse thespell and return to the life she had before.The Created is a pitiful creature, foreverforced to hide from both the madman whotransformed her and the people she oncecalled friends. She desperately desiressomeone to trust, who can help her in herquest to regain his human form, but dares notgive her trust easily; to her mind, any decentperson would be driven off by her wretchedform, and anyone might be willing to sell herback to her creator and tormentor. Then thereis the matter of the creator. The Created mayor may not know what her creator intendedto do in creating the new fledgedDragonborn, but it is doubtful any good willcome as a result.

And there are the true dragons. The dragonwho willingly, or unwillingly, gave up its eggto fuel the magical process may now havestake in its progeny’s fate. But a CreatedDragonborn may find that her issues withtrue dragons are closer to home. If the eggused was close to hatching, some of thewyrmling’s consciousness may havesurvived the process, and find itself co-habiting the Dragonborn’s body. The Createdmay find herself hearing dark whispers and

feeling strange urges as the wyrmling tries towrest away control of its host.

The CursedMathieu strained at the ropes that bound hiswrists. He’d been on the verge of losing hisland, his house, his fortune, everything. Sohe’d gone to the voodun, thinking he hadnothing else to lose. She’d offered to changehis fortunes for him. He’d offered to pay herback the moment he could. “I’ll agree,” shetold him, “so long as you give your wordyou’ll be truthful.” He’d been delighted andagreed without thinking.

On his way back to his house he’d found abeautiful golden pin lying on the ground onthe side of the road. Mathieu couldn’t helpbut put it on. Several people had asked himabout it throughout the day, and one of hisworkers had insisted to everyone it wasn’this. He had been furious, and he violentlybeat the worker for his insolence, claiming itto be a family heirloom.

He had no idea what the pin was, but whenthe men came and bound him in the middleof the night, he’d got the inkling it was not agood thing to have as a family heirloom.

With a sudden heave, the men threw himinto the swamp. The brackish waterswallowed him, filling his nose, and Mathieubegan to panic. He thrashed about in thewater, to no avail. The thrashing onlyattracted a crocodile, which slid off itsmuddy bank to approach the drowning man.He opened his mouth to scream, even gaggedas he was, and water poured into his mouthand throat. There was a sudden, terrible painas something tore into his chest…

Mathieu was shocked when he awoke later,still lying on the muddy swamp bank. Even inhis half-conscious state he could tellsomething was terribly wrong. A soft, humanhand was stroking his head, but thesensation didn’t feel right. “Not quite asfortunate as I promised,” the voodun said

from next to him. “But more fortune thanmost receive. And more fortune on my partthan honesty on yours.”

Mathieu looked down at his reflection inthe water. The toothy maw of his reptiliankiller stared back up at him…

Like the Created, the Cursed was oncehuman. Unlike the tragic victims of magicthat are the Created, the Cursed has broughthis new form down upon himself. Whetheror not he deserves his new body is up fordebate, but the Cursed’s draconic form is aresult of some action he performed.

The nature of the Cursed Dragonborndepends heavily on the curse that created it.An intimidating bully may have foundhimself transformed to resemble a creatureof fear from myth. A man who reneges onhis deal with a mystical shaman may awakento find his body transformed. The possibilityof cursed dragon gold is often repeated inlegend; those who are overcome by greedand steal from the dragon’s hoard, or whofall asleep upon it, may find that greedtwisting their form, bit by bit, until theiroutside matches.

Whether or not the curse can be reversed isalso dependant on the situation. Even if thereis some glimmer of hope the curse can bebroken, it is unlikely to be an easy task.

However, there is a disturbing number ofDragonborn, reverent to loas or dragons,who embrace their “curse” as a sign offavour from their deity. These darks priestseven go so far as to seek the transformationinto draconic creatures.

The Tainted“Paquin.” The blasted elf was knocking onthe door. “Paquin! Are you alright?”

Paquin didn’t respond. He splashed hisface with the cold, brackish water, trying towash the dreams from his mind. His mouthstill tasted like blood. He quickly checked hisreflection in the water, making a variety offaces. It would have looked silly if he wasn’tso troubled.

The teeth were bothering him again. Theywere tearing at the sides of his mouth. Infact, his entire jaw seemed to be botheringhim. Paquin shuddered, remembering what

his grandfather had looked like near the end.He rubbed his hands against his eyes to tryand relieve his pounding headache. Hisfingers brushed up against a pair of smallscales on his forehead. Without hesitation, hedug his fingers into his flesh and ripped themoff.

They were coming in much faster now.He’d pulled so many off of his arms that thebandages weren’t soaking up all the blood.He’d need to get a salve or something. Therewas no way he could ask the priest to help.

With a sudden, hacking cough, Paquin spitout a gob of something that was lodged in histhroat. It burned and sizzled as it hit thewater in his basin, frothing forth to burnboth metal and wood…

Unlike most of the Dragonborn, theTainted look human, at least, at first.Somewhere in the Tainted’s ancestry wassomething reptilian. While the Tainted startslife no different than others, as she begins toage, traces of her heritage begin to surface.Scales start to grow on her skin, her facebegins to extend, her teeth fall out and arereplaced with bigger, sharper ones, andelemental energies begin to well up in herthroat. Should she live long enough, she willsoon transform fully into a draconiancreature.

While many of the Tainted are horrified bytheir eventual fate, there is also a dark desireto seek out their ancestor’s kind, and to givein to base urges of greed and rage that plaguethem, as they plague both dragons and othermen. As the transformation continues, theTainted Dragonborn must make some kind ofpiece with its nature. Those who do not oftendie by their own hands.

There is a distinct type of Tainted in ShriRaji who are not as conflicted as Taintedfrom the Core. Known as the Naga Clan,these people believe that they carry the blood

of sacred guardian serpents within theirveins. Not all Naga clan members have astrong enough bloodline to transform, butthey all revere these magical serpents andconsider transformation to be a blessing, nota curse.

The MonsterNichele tugged at her coat, trying hopelesslyto keep it out of the sewage. She could scrubherself for weeks after these treks and neverfeel clean. Up ahead, DeVeyrines unhoodedher lantern to get a better look at the area.There was a decided lack of rats in this partof the sewers, a fact that seemed to bemaking DeVeyrines more nervous than theirpresence. Nichele waved to her companion.

“Put the light away,” Nichele said. “Itshould be safe here.” DeVeyrines lookedsceptical, not that Nichele could entirelyblame her for that. “The light hurts theireyes. They won’t come out if you don’t put itaway.”

“I’ve not yet been convinced I want themto come out,” DeVeyrines said, half-hoodinghe lantern regardless. Nichele noticed herhand straying down and grasping a flash-bomb, just in case she needed to make asudden exit.

“Crispin,” Nichele called out, adjustingher goggles around her eyes. “It’s alright.It’s me.”

In the dim light of the sewer Nichele couldbarely make out the sickly white form. Thelantern light glinted off its pale eyes. Evennow Nichele needed to keep herself fromwincing at Crispin’s appearance; its longsnout was twisted and scarred, with jaggedteeth tearing through the sides of its jaws. Afew more recent cut marred its scaly hide,and unwholesome ichor was dripping fromthe wounds. There was a definite feel ofmalevolence and hunger coming from thebeast, but Nichele and DeVeyrines kept theirground.

“Crispin,” Nichele repeated. “I need youto show me where you said the rats are,alright?”

The albino creature retreated back downthe tunnel. “This way….”

Thought of by most as little more than anurban legend, these half-blind creatures lurkin the underground tunnels of cities, feedingon sewage, rats, and whatever else blundersinto its lair. These abominations are evenmore twisted and horrific than their surfacecounterparts; their white scales are stainedwith sewage and dried blood, and they areoften hulking, brutish creatures. Themonsters are concerned mainly withsurvival, much like any who dwell in thesewers, but a few of the smarter and luckierones form what alliances they can withwererats or humans.

Those who can befriend one of themonsters will find themselves with anunparalleled knowledge of the undergroundworld, and which demands very little inreturn. Comfort, wealth, and even friendshipare unknown luxuries to the sewer monsters,who seek only the bare essentials to survival.

The SentinelAll his life the boy had been warned of thegreat dragon, Banemaw. But it was men thatcame and destroyed his town with fire.

The boy slipped past the armoured figuresand ran out into the woods. He could hearthe yelling of the soldiers over the flames. Heran and ran until he came to ruinedcathedral that stood in the forest, longforgotten and covered with twining ivy. Hedidn’t like the gargoyles there; there wassomething too real about their eyes, but theywere solid stone and motionless, so he hidamongst them.

The soldiers found him faster than heimagined. One aimed a crossbow at the boy.

The arrow flew straight from the bow… andclinked off the gargoyle’s stone wing.

The soldiers and the boy stood in stunnedsilence. The gargoyles of the cathedral werecoming to life…

The sentinels resemble gothic dragons andgargoyles of castle architecture, and theyoften use this resemblance to hide in plainsight. They make ideal spies, hearing secretconversations that are freely spoken in frontof inanimate statues. Sentinels are morefriendly than most; they can hide in plainsight among other statues and gargoyles, andare rarely hunted actively by monster-hunters of the Core. They are usuallynocturnal, where the darkness can hide theiractivities and lessen any suspicion that thestone statues are more than they seem.

No one is quite sure what the origin ofthese creatures is, whether they wereanimated statues or the creatures the stonegargoyles were based upon. The sentinelDragonborn themselves have variouslegends of their own, often varying bydomain. For example, the sentinels ofNidalia claim to be statues animated by thosewrongly slain by Elena’s servants.Nevertheless, the sentinels are now a fleshand blood race of their own, independent of

any magic or curses that might have oncecreated them.

The Born-dragonThe Basilisk sat in the warm sun, watchingbemusedly as the kobolds swarmed over theabandoned barracks. One of the little bluecreatures broke off from the work lines andskittered over to where he sat, offering somemeagre strips of jerky. The Basilisk took itwithout complaint, tearing into it with itsmassive jaws. He shook his headincredulously.

"I've never seen anything like this," hesaid. "I've never seen the like in my life. All Ihad to do is tell them about a plan thatsomeone else made and three differentwarrens agreed to help me."

"You're the chief now, you have big sway,"the kobold said in its rapid Draconic speak."Besides, we all want to see it when thesebarracks collapse right on top of the Talons."

"Don't tell me that's the only reason," theBasilisk scoffed. "You're only doing thisbecause I asked."

The kobold nodded soberly. "In truth, weare not used to fighting like this. We needed ahero. A Drakov, a Gondegal. Someone tobelieve in."

"But why all rally behind me?" TheBasilisk asked. "I'm no war hero or King inExile."

The kobold paused for a minute. "You'rereally big," it offered.

The Basilisk threw back its head androared in laughter...

The “truest” of the Dragonborn, usuallyfound in Falkovnia and Sithicus, the born-Dragons have no ambivalence or revulsionover their forms. These are no cursedhumans, or animated statues, or evolvedlizards. These are the scions of the Dragons,

creatures of legend, a proud and powerfulrace.

The born-Dragons are creatures ofextremes. Those who fight against tyrannyare surprisingly noble creatures, emulatingbeloved and charismatic knights fromlegends of old, and being models of virtue.On the flip side, those who embrace thedarker side of legends strive to become asthe dragons of legend: terrifying monstersdriven by destruction and greed. It can besurprising how quickly one extreme can turnto the other; even the cruellest and mostbestial of Dragonborn has some aura ofnobility about it, and even the kindest ofDragonborn has something about it thatreminds those around it that it is still a verydangerous creature.

DomainsNidalia

The Dragonborn of Nidalia have beendeclared abominations by Elena Faith-hold,and thus those who remain have becomemasters of hiding, skulking, and escapingdetection. All Dragonborn are hostiletowards Elena Faith-hold and her forces;Elena has been terrorizing them for so longthat many have become the seethingmonsters she claims them to be. Surprisingly,the Nidalian Dragonborn are not as hostileand suspicious of other people as they mightbe, once the initial confrontation is past.Elena's forces hardly bother trying to deceivethem, so they are rarely wary of subterfuge.Most Dragonborn that remain in Nidalia areresistance fighters against Elena or allies ofthe Circle - conditions are too hostile inNidalia for any but the most dedicatedDragonborn to remain.

SithicusThe elves claim that the Dragonbornoriginated from Sithicus, pointing to ancientballads and crumbling writings thatreference them. Whatever the case may be,the Sithican Draconians match thedescriptions of yore almost to the letter. Theyare humanoid draconic creatures oftenbearing horns and vestigial wings, and theirscales are the same color as the longforgotten metallic dragons: bronze, brass,silver, copper, and gold. The elves greatlyfear these creatures based on the legends oftheir ancestors, usually shooting them onsight. Sithican Draconians tend to skulk inplaces the elves avoid, which are unsavouryat best and highly dangerous at worst. Themost successful Draconian outposts are inSoth's abandoned outposts, where theDraconians do their best to repair thecrumbling defences. Those that survive havea very strict military culture, and they arealways on the watch for possible threats.

The Draconians have recently gotten windof the elven legends, including those of thedeadly death throes of the originalDraconians. The Sithican Draconians areeager to learn more in hopes of givingthemselves a psychological advantage inbattle. Many of them have taken to paintingthemselves with gold war paint, a tacticwhich makes elves wary of engaging them inmelee.

RichemulotNo one knows where the sewer-stalkingDragonborn of Richemulot came from orhow they got there, but most people dismissthem as urban legends. Only the occasionalwererat or grimetrekker has ever run into oneof these creatures. The sewer Dragonbornbear little resemblance to each other, but theyare much more likely than their above-ground counterparts to be hulking, disfiguredbrutes, far more misshapen and hideous than

the sleek reptilian forms other Dragonbornbear. There is very little culture to be found;the sewer Dragonborn put survival first, andare for the most part uneducated andilliterate. A very select few have managedcontacts with the upper-world, usuallywererats, and forge a better life forthemselves as hired thugs, treasure hunters,and underground guides.

FalkovniaFalkovnia is, oddly enough, a haven for theDragonborn. Despite the constant fightingagainst Drakov’s brutal regime, Falkovniahas some of the few places where aDragonborn can walk openly. Under theleadership of the Basilisk, the kobolds andDragonborn of Falkovnia have bandedtogether into a fighting force to be reckonedwith, and share ties with the Circle and otherrebel groups. Though still reviled by theTalons and many Falkovnian villagers, mostof the rebels recognize the Dragonborn astrusted allies. Some even work with theCircle on a regular basis, wearing heavyarmour to conceal their nature as best theycan.

The Dragonborn in Falkovnia tend towardsmilitarism and a nomadic lifestyle due to theconstant threat of the Talons; they are heldtogether by the Basilisk's command, theirmutual linage, and the pleasure they take intormenting Drakov. Dragonborn are found inswamps, underground tunnels, and stolenFalkovnian forts, all of which are riddledwith kobold-crafted escape tunnels and traps.Due to their Circle allies they are betterequipped than most Dragonborn, althoughthey still use piecemeal equipment stolenfrom fallen Talons.

DarkonDarkonian Dragonborn bear a very strongresemblance to the Shadow Dragons Ebband Gloom, with inky black, semi-

translucent scales. It is rumoured that theywere created from a stolen egg of Ebb's,fused with unwilling human subjects as partof an insane mage's experiments. Whether ornot this is the case, these Draconians are abroody and untrusting lot, with poor viewson humanity, society, and life in general.They become very suspicious of anyone whotakes too much of an interest in their nature,perhaps due to a deep seated fear of being"studied" by more people who valueknowledge over morality.

Despite their general curmudgeon attitude,the Darkonian Dragonborn are slightly moresettled than their counterparts; Azalin has noparticular problem with them, so their onlythreats come in the form of over zealousmonster hunters and scholars. For the mostpart, they lurk in villages hidden in Darkon'sthick and uninviting forests, living much astheir human counterparts do.

Some of these shadowy creatures havedisturbingly embraced Ebb as their creatorand goddess, slavishly devoting themselvesto her worship and bidding. These cultistsput all their effort towards gaining Ebb’sfavour with tribute, sacrifices, and doing herbidding. It is uncertain if Ebb has acceptedthese new minions, or if she is even aware ofthem, but the cultists are nearly fanatical intheir devotion nonetheless.

SouragneThe arrival of the Draconians in the swampsof Souragne sparked a civil war among thecrocodile-men of the swamp. Some of themtook their arrival as a sign from their gods.Others, led by Sandover, the were-crocodilepriest, took it as a threat to their power. Mostof the bloodshed has died down, but the twostill clash in the swamp sometimes, leavingbloated reptile corpses floating in their wake.

A significant number of Draconians havetaken to revering the loa Ohuwaghnn, the

Serpent King, and begun trying to erodeSouragnen society. The human followers ofOhuwaghnn, such as the voodun Mensonge,may start taking notice of these new alliesvery soon.

Hazlan Although the Dragonborn are not ascommon here as they may be elsewhere, themages of Hazlan do not have as huge aproblem with them as most Core dwellersdo. A dragonborn is assumed to be a magicalexperiment, and more likely to prompt angrycomplaints to the authorities than a lynchmob. Most of the Hazlani have seen strangerthings than walking lizards in their ownmagical workshops. Some of the wizardshave even transformed themselves, eitheraccidentally or purposefully, into draconicform.

Shri RajiIn Shri Raji, Dragonborn are not feared, butrespected. Rajians consider Dragonborn tohave the blood of the Naga within them, andare properly reverent. The Dragonborn areconsidered to be of priestly caste and havemuch influence with their words andopinions. Despite this, Dragonborn are rarelyseen outside of Naga Clan lands. For thisreason, it is considered a great honor tospeak with one of the Dragonborn.

Surviving in RavenloftWilliam openly stared. He had expected theband of mercenaries to be an odd lot but...the armoured man in the back was huge. Theblack plate mail clanked as he thuddedinside, and the helmet, forged into the effigyof a snarling beast, seemed to be glaring athim.

"Vhat are you looking at?" the armouredfigure demanded. William quickly averted hiseyes.

"N-n-nothing," the barkeep stuttered. "Andyou know how much I appreciate this. You'rejust a little-"

"Large, yes." The armoured figureregarded William for a minute, then issued ashort noise that might have been a laugh."So I have been told. I am ektually not thatlarge, vhere I come from." One of the othermercenaries snickered.

"W-well, I apologize," William said,starting to relax now that it was apparent theman wouldn't stave his head in. "Please, sitdown, relax, I'll get you something to eat."

The huge man snorted. "I do not relax vhenI am vorking. Kristie vill bring it by my roomlater."

With that, the huge man thudded upstairs."Don't mind Ludvigg, my good man," one

of the human mercenaries said, clapping himon the shoulder. "Poor man's Falkovnian."

Oh, William thought. That certainlyexplained a lot.

Plausible DeniabilityThe people of Ravenloft are a fearful andsuperstitious lot. This can often boil overinto violence against those unfortunateenough to look or act different from thenorm, especially when a scapegoat is neededfor some tragic occurrence. The very natureof these fear driven actions, however, meanthat the common folk of Ravenloft are morelikely to attack harmless madmen or shycalibans; anyone who is not likely to actuallyfight back. They are not likely to antagonizewell-armed adventurers who happen to bepassing through, no matter how frighteningor uncouth they are.

What this boils down to is that anyDragonborn hiding its face, be it via armour,masks, veils, hooded cloaks, or magicaldisguise, is not likely to be attacked orprovoked unless it is publicly revealed forwhat it is. While its towering stature isunlikely to gain it any friends, people willleave it alone because they are frightened ofit. It is only when they become convincedthat the creature will kill them anyway thatthey will choose to act against it; until then,no one will want to risk their life to askprobing questions of a hulking figure in fullplate armour.

Keep MovingIn the case of a Dragonborn, familiaritybolsters confidence. Once the initial shock ispast, if it becomes apparent that the creatureis harmless or benign, people become morelikely to attack it, because they know thatthey are able to defeat it. It thus behoves theDragonborn to keep on the move and notallow anyone to become very familiar withit. This need to keep moving attractsDragonborn to the mercenary or adventurer’slife, where it will be not only on the move,but very well-armed.

A Little Help from my FriendsNo matter what life throws at you, it is betterto face it with friends; especially if thosefriends are well-armed, powerful, orinfluential. Even if the Dragonborn is seen asproperty of another person, people will beless likely to attack it and risk legal recoursefrom the bereft owner.

There are those who are willing to befrienda monstrous, draconic creature, and havingan influential ally might be enough to keepthe Dragonborn from being strung up. Whilebands of adventurers are always good tohave as friends, there are other allies thatmight allow the Dragonborn some measureof tolerance. Good people for a Dragonbornto befriend include MordentishLamplighters, powerful Mulani wizards,members of the Circle, Rajian priests, oreven sideshow workers who can pass theDragonborn off as a harmless freak. Thereare also other outcasts like Calibans andother demihumans, who can both appreciatethe Dragonborn’s plight and enjoy having alittle extra muscle on their side.

Shelter from the StormEven a creature as bizarre as a Dragonborncan find a safe haven for it to call home. Indomains like Shri Raji, Falkovnia, andHazlan, it may even be able to walk aboutfreely and undisguised. In domains such asSithicus, Darkon, and the ShadowbornCluster, there are hidden havens forDragonborn to congregate in. Even in lesstolerant domains a Dragonborn may be ableto hide itself in a friend’s house, or live out inremote areas. Finally, the side-shows ofParidon and the travelling Carnival offer anopportunity for the Dragonborn to be seenfreely as a harmless, if scary, circusattraction, and gives it the added rights ofbeing valuable property, if not having rightsas a living being.

New BaroviaA Short Story

By Steve Flamsteve.flam@videotron.ca

April 23rd, 771 :Somewhere in Barovia The carriage hurried through the Balinokmountain range. Four guards rode atop. Amission of this importance merited more, butthat would have attracted unwanted attentionand SHE would not tolerate failure.

I think we'll make it in time. Those Hazlanimages are crafty fellows, but her gold helpedin getting these items created. Next month bythis time, she will have what she asked. Hepeered out of the carriage into the lateafternoon sky. For one of those rare times,the sun nearly pierced the gloom.

That is nearly. He sighed. Soon enough, hewould be rewarded, so she had told him.

The hours passed by and finally after whatseemed like an eternity, the carriage came toa stop. His thoughts wandered to thoseweeks ago and why he'd been asked to goinvestigate the old decrepit monastery. Hehad, as per her instructions, stayed for twonights and two days. Just listening to theenvirons. Sure enough, as she had told him ,he heard maniacal laughter, screams andramblings from far below the ground. Thiswas all she had needed from him thoseweeks ago. This had brought her to pool

some of her resources to have him go toHazlan and, with the gold she had supplied,commission a mage to create several itemsfor her. The gold was more than enough andthe mage told him to return in one month'stime to collect the items.

He pulled his cloak tight around him in theBarovian night. Walking hurriedly heknocked on the door to a moderate home. Itopened. A slightly elder woman opened andnodded to him, bidding him enter. After hedid, she poked her head out and lookedaround a few nervous moments beforeclosing the door and locking it behind herand following him. He passed through ahallway into a modest kitchen. A woman satthere sipping a glass of what looked to bewine. She looked up as he entered. Henodded to her as he approaches the table, andshe bade him to sit across from her. Always abeautiful scarf she wore around her neck.Sometimes a fancy ribbon adorned it insteadof a scarf."So, Stefan. Tell me. Was your treksuccessful?"

"Yes, Mistress, it was. The man agreed toyour terms and I return in one month tocollect the items. This is your decision, of

course. I merely took the liberty of acceptinghis terms as you were so adamant in havingthese items."

She looked at him."Very well. You havepleased me and thus I've decided you shallindeed return in one month to collect theitems I requested. Now leave me and comereturn to me in one months time with theitems I requested." She dismissed him withthe wave of her hand. He rose, nodded andexited the home in haste, hurrying to the Inn.He'd been well paid for his troubles and hadtaken up a nice room at the Inn. Working forthe Red Vardo Traders had it's advantages.He enterred the Inn and took the steps to hisroom, two at a time. Once inside he lockedthe door and finally began relaxing. The hotbath was there as he'd asked and disrobing hesank into the hot water, sighing incontentment.

During the next few weeks, he traveledfrom Immol to Teufeldorf then Zeidenburgand back. The purpose was to hire men forthe Mistress' next phase, once she had theitems in her possession. He cared not whatshe needed them for. Most people he hiredfor her never seemed to live long enough toenjoy the gold he gave them. That's not tosay he was complaining. He profited fromtheir demises and his purse ever grew. Hecared not as long as he did his deeds and gotpaid.

May 24th, 771 : BaroviaStefan hurried to the appointed meetingplace. She would be definitely pleased. Hehad the items and the men she had asked hehire were already at the Inn, waiting on wordfrom him. He walked up the path to the doorand knocked. Once again the same elderwoman opened the door and let him in,peeking her head out and looking aroundbefore locking the door and following him tothe kitchen as always. She sat at the table,sipping her usual drink. He nodded and she

beckoned him to his usual seat. As alwaysshe wore something around her neck, thistime a pretty red ribbon."So? Were yousuccessful?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes, I was" as he handed over a bag. Shetook it gracefully and actually. . . . . . . .smiled! "Ah, perfect. You are dismissed,Stefan. On the table near the door is yourwages, as usual. Good evening and meet meat our next rendezvous in two weeks as wasdiscussed previously." Her attention wasnow on the bag and Stefan a thought nomore.

He rose, gathered his "wages" and left. Shelaughed almost maniacally as she observedthe items she had purchased.

Perfect! My plan seems to be working toperfection. That bastard suspects nothinggiven that I am still living, if you can call itthat. He and those Vistani are in for a rudeawakening very soon. I can't wait until myplan comes to fruition! That fool VonZarovich will pay dearly for what he's doneto me,and in spades.

She chuckled to herself as she sipped herwine. The day or retribution wasapproaching and she would savor everymoment up to that point and beyond.

June 17th, 771 : BaroviaShe couldn't sit still in the carriage. Even astheir destination loomed closer and closer,she could barely suppress her excitement.Phase two of her plan was about to be areality. The third was not as far in the futureas she had planned. All the better for her. Notso for that bastard Von Zarovich. He woulddie knowing she was responsible. Part one ofher plan had been very long. Through hervarious contacts and the gold accumulatedthrough the activities of the Red VardoTraders, she had learned of this man, a swornenemy of Strahd Von Zarovich. A Dilisnya atthat. The legend went that the devil Strahdhad made Leo Dilisnya a vampire and

entombed him alive under the Monastery ofSilver threads nearly three centuries earlier.Surely the tales were old wives tales. But themore she heard about it from differentsources, the more she began to believe thatperhaps there might be an iota of truth in thelegends. Unwilling to take anything forgranted, she herself journeyed to Hazlan andpurchased several items to help her discoverthe truth. When she arrived at the decrepitmonastery she was very excited. She felt thathere lay part of her revenge on the gypsiesand their partner in crime, Strahd VonZarovich. Once she was comfortablyinstalled, she unstoppered the potion she'dprocured in Hazlan. Moments later she wasrewarded with a few incoherent thoughts

"Strahd! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Must feed!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Wedding. . . . . . . .. . . . Assassins failed. . . . . . . . . . “

She felt such overwhelming rage from hersubject. It came in jumbles and spurts. Mostof it was incomprehensible, but some she didunderstand. Success! , she thought.

The tales were indeed true. Now I need tofind a way to get this monster to the surfaceand feed. Then and only then will I becapable to deal with him. The men I shallhave Stefan hire will be Leo's partialpayment in the plot to rid Barovia of thedevil Strahd. Then he will be lucid enough tolisten to my plan. As it involves his mosthated enemy I think success in his help willbe forthcoming. All I need now is to procureseveral items from Hazlan. Their schools ofMagic are famous and thus I am positive ingetting my items made there!

The carriage stopped. She patted down herskirt and adjusted the scarf around her neck.If her heart actually beat, it would bedrumming in a frenzy of excitement. Sheknocked on the door and several secondslater, it opened. She looked out and sureenough, the men she'd had Stefan hire were

there, waiting. As was Stefan himself. Good!Always nice to see a plan well executed Isay. Stefan is worth every gold I spent onhim. She exited the carriage and approachedhim. She nodded to him and with a wave ofher hand dismissed him. She looked to themen gathered there, even as Stefan got on hishorse and rode off into the afternoon, notquestioning her motives. He suspected themoans and screams and incoherent babblinghe'd thought he'd heard there weeks ago waspart of the reason there was a gathering therethis afternoon. He cared not, for the pay wasgood and he was very discreet.

"Thank you for coming to help us. Shortlyyou will know what your part is in thisaffair" she said as she addressed the men.She removed a vial from her pouch andopened it. She sipped it's contents onceagain, as she had those weeks ago."Yourreward for your patience is upon you, Leo.I've several men here to satiate your thirst.Then once I free you, Strahd is to be the nexttarget. Do you agree?"

"Yes. . . . . . yes. . . . . . . . . . must feed. . . . .. . . . . Kill Strahd! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Feed . . .. . . . . . . Feed me! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !Wedding,,,,,,,,,,, assassins. . . . . . . . . . . sotiny here. . . . . . . . . . . . . .AAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! "

"Calm down! Listen to me! Want youStrahd dead more than anything?"

She hears Leo giggle maniacally and humsome ditty that she doesn't even know.

"Yes. . . . yes. . . . . . Strahd is bad. . . . . . . .. need nourishment. . . . . . . . . . . . must feed!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! After can kill Strahd. .. . . . .". . . . . . . . . . . .

Satisfied that Dilisnya would accomodateher, she removed a ring from her purse. Sheput it on her finger and smiled at thegathered men. Now she began thinking of

Leo being amongst the men she'd hired, andsure enough a scant few moments later anelderly man looking like a lunatic with longwhite hair, wild eyes, long pointy teeth andclaws for hands was amongst them. Beforeeven the men could react, Leo had drainedone and had another in the firm grip of hishand. The others had tried to flee but she hadother ideas. She turned a ring on one of thefingers of her other hand. Sure enough everyman stopped moving, but was still awake.She nearly laughed out loud at theirpredicament, but refrained from doing so.Leo was of course hungry and she wasn'tgoing to deprive him of his first meal in nearthree centuries. She reveled in his hunger aswell as the total destruction of the men she'dhired for this such purpose.

Several minutes later, the old disheveledman was done feeding. Fifteen men laylifeless on the ground. He turned to Montari,his eyes having lost much of their wildness,his face flushed with new blood runningthrough his system. Who was this womanwho'd freed him and more importantly,whyhas she freed him from his eternal damnationthat was beneath the monastery. It has beenhis prison for how long? And all thanks tothat bastard Strahd? Oh he'd pay, but nowwas not the time to be bold and careless.Now he had to take the time to plot hisrevenge with or without the help of his so-called savior. He asked the inevitablequestion:

"Why have you freed me from my prison?"His voice was raspy and grating, though he

presumed as much from his longimprisonment and not having spoken sincethat fateful day. His tongue sneaked out andhe licked his lips, ridding them of any of theblood that trailed there after he'd fed. Hisfangs protruded slightly from his lips as well,for he had more feeding to do and no

sustenance besides her in the near vicinity. Itdidn't bode well for his savior so far.

She looked him in the eyes andresponded."I've my reasons which will berevealed to you when the time is right. Justas you've reason to hate Von Zarovich, so doI. I'll only say that it is my belief that hecontrols the Vistani and they are responsiblefor my present predicament.

He was to say something."I. . . . ." Then hestopped and pursed his lips. He had comeinto good fortune this day. What day was itthough? How long have I been under thisaccursed monastery? ? ? She'd taken greatpains, he believed, in freeing him as well.This bore future consideration on his part.Now the important question."How long haveI been imprisoned under this accursedplace?"

She told him. He yelled as loud as he could and for as

long as was possible. Three Centuries? ? ? ?? He told her in no uncertain terms "Find memore sustenance or you're next." She lookedhim directly into the eyes, an evil smilegracing her face."You see, my dear Leo" andas she spoke she removed her ribbon,showing him her curse, before replacing theribbon."You see, I can't die that way." Towhich she cackled."I'll find you morevictims, now come. We have much to discussand one other person you need to meet, whohides at on of my residences. She is relatedto Strahd by the way." She turns and entersthe carriage. He seems unsure but as he hasno other agenda presently, followed her. Shetaps on the window behind her and thecarriage moved into the night. He remainedsilent throughout the ride, thousands ofthoughts flowing through his mind at once.He'd be able to sort them out once he'd hadtime to acclimatize himself to his newenvironment and what was expected of himfrom this woman, of whom he didn't knowher name. She left him to his silence,

knowing he must have quite a few questions,but now wasn't the time to answer them.Now she needed him to be at his best, and forthat she needed to get him more victims.

The carriage rode for nearly an hour. Whenit stopped, it was at her main residence inImmol. She disembarked from the carriageand beckoned him to follow. He did and asshe passed through the door, he was stoppedby some invisible force. He frowned."Ahyes, according to lore, I must invite you intomy home. Please do enter." He does, andfollows her to the kitchen and stands, unsureof that to do with himself."Lyssa, I'm backwith Leo! " she calls out. Footsteps can beheard on the second floor. They move a fewfeet and then move down some stairs andthrough the same hallway they'd taken afterthey'd entered. A tall, black haired womanwith black eyes stood before them. She wasattired in a simple dress and wore a scarfaround her head. She nodded to Montari andLeo, then moved into the kitchen and satacross from Jacqueline. Montari looked atboth of her visitors and spoke."Welcome toone of my many homes in Barovia. I amJacqueline Montari, that is Lyssa VonZarovich and of course you are LeoDilisnya." Introductions out of the way, shestood and paced the kitchen."Sit, Leo. We'vemuch to discuss and I want you to listen towhat I have to say." Leo shrugged and took aseat, hunger pains beginning to coursethrough his emaciated, elderly body. Montariremoved a bell from a pouch in her dress andrang it once. An elderly woman appeared atthe kitchen door."Esmerelda, make surethose men I've below still breath for ourguests, shall you?" The elderly lady noddedand disappeared through the hallway.Elsewhere in the house a door was heardopening and footsteps descending.

"So where were we. Ah yes. The reason ofme freeing the both of you. It has taken me a

painstaking amount of gold, time andmanpower to gather information on the bothof you. ThenI could indeed free you once theinformation gathered was proven true. It wasand here you are. In a nutshell I wish to ridBarovia of Strahd Von Zarovich's rule so thatwe might become it's Rulers. In effect wewould police Barovia with Goblyns" Lyssalooked at Montari with a raised eyebrow,unsure of how that would work. Goblynswere not accustomed to taking orders andshe doubted they would do it very well withany of them. They tended to be quite unruly,if what the Illithids had told her was true ofthem.

"I see you concern, but am prepared. I havehad created an item which creates Goblynsand controls them as well. I tried to takeevery precaution necessary. You see, I've hada long time to prepare for this moment and itis now almost at hand. Patience is somethingthat can be very rewarding, wouldn't youagree?" She laughed lightly and let her twoguests soak in her revelation thus far. Shewas secure in her feeling that her tworecently freed guests would acquiesce to herplan. Thus she could use them to rid her ofthe cursed Vistani and then the Devil Strahd!! ! ! Perhaps she might come into a spot ofluck and finally find her original head, butshe wasn't counting on it. Never count yourchickens. . . . . . .

"I grow hungry again, Montari" Leorasped. Lyssa looked at the elder man andgrinned, opening her lips, permitting herfangs to slide down her bottom lip. Shelaughed and nodded to both of theothers."Shall we feast, dear Leo? I thinkJacqueline mentioned food for us. Shall we?"She stood even as Esmerelda returned,saying "Yes mum , they breath still." Sheturned and left. Footsteps receding and thendisappearing altogether. Leo stood as well,his hunger beginning to overwhelm him.After all it had only been nearly three

centuries since he'd last been about Barovia.The men below, if what Montari said wastrue, would sustain him until the morrow.Then he would return to his normal feedinghabits. Being that long without blood did thatto a vampire! Lyssa nodded to him."Followme" was all she said, and he did. Theypassed through the same hallway they'dcome in through. Near the entrance wasanother door. She opened it and descended aflight of stairs which came to another doorand after that , a hallway. A door was at theend of the hallway. She walked to it andopened it. Inside was a large room, almosttwenty feet by twenty feet. On each wall,men were shackled, heads bowed. Theyappeared dead. The rising and lowering oftheir chests belied that fact. Lyssa and Leoeach took a wall. Minutes later, theyemerged sated. She looked at him andgrinned, blood dripping from the corner ofher mouth and her teeth blood red. Shelicked it away and walked back up to thekitchen, and Jacqueline. Leo followed suite.

During the next month, Leo reacclimatedhimself with Barovia, steering far from theVon Zarovich castle and any Vistani. InJacqueline's research and Lyssa's experience,the gypsies tended to show up when Strahdwas to be menaced in some way, and get thisinformation to him.

Leo spent this time accustoming himselfwith his newfound freedom. Jacquelinespared him quite the few gold coins to garnera new wardrobe for himself. ThroughMontari he learned that what remained of hisfamily was in some land called Borca. He'dtend to that matter once Strahd was takencare of. During the month he also discoveredthe wall of fog surrounding Barovia and thesame that surrounded their entryway to get tothe castle. From what he was told, the fogsurrounding the village was called thechoking fog and deadly to any who passed

through it. On a larger scale, the massive fogsurrounding Barovia could keep any mortal,or non-living or breathing individual insidethe land. Lyssa suspected that perhaps Strahdwas the key to both fogs but couldn't saymore. She just felt it.

Lyssa spent her time remembering thecastle proper, putting it to papyrus andsharing with the others what she knew of theplace. Leo did likewise. Jacqueline sentmany an unsuspecting spy to the castleduring the daylight hours to learn as much asthey could about the cursed place. Manyspies perished but some returned withvaluable information which she shared withthe others. Her plan was nearly ready to beenacted! She hired more cannon fodderthrough her Red Vardo persona, using Stefanonce more. These men she hired would bethe first line of attack on the castle andwould get through Strahd's first line ofdefenses! He was also given the task ofhiring mages in Hazlan for a handsome priceto come to Barovia and work for her for ashort period of time. These mages, she felt,would help them with their attack on thecastle and Strahd. Finally, through her avidresearch, she'd discovered about someamulet of the Morninglord and somemention of some vampiric elf who'd perishedin using it against Strahd centuries before,nearly destroying the master vampire. Astroke of luck hit her during the month. Aftera long period of searching, an amulet wasfound at the monastery! The same cursedplace where Leo had been buried. The dayfinally arrived when the plan was to beswung into motion. Only she, Lyssa and Leowere gathered there. The mages and hercannon fodder were to convene in the villagein two days time at dawn and head for thecastle with due haste."So it has come downto this. In two days time, you'll be on yourway to the Castle. Thirty foot soldiers will

lead you there. I've also hired six mages tohelp with the attack. Oh Lyssa, they've takenthe liberty to look into your curse and willattempt to remove it this night. I'm sureStrahd didn't foresee this possibility andshall soon regret it. I look forward toroaming his castle with no fear at all as I'msure you both do. Now I take my leave ofyou, and we shall meet again in two daystime here." She rose, nodded to the man andwoman and departed the house via carriage.Leo stood."I go to feed, I'll see you later." Heexited the home as well. Lyssa sat therecontemplating her luck!

Finally my curse will be removed! Thatbastard Strahd has had it coming to him fora long time. I was banished to the Shadowyplace and might have perished there if notfor Ms. Montari's research and efforts infinding me. How sweet it will be to pass thewooden stake through Strahd's heart!

A knock on the door took Lyssa awayfrom her short reverie. She blinked and stoodas well. Walking to the door she smiled. Ofcourse it had to be the mages Jacqueline hadpromised and she wasn't disappointed.Opening the door she saw only one manbefore but he put his hands to his lips and hiseyes told her to let him in. She did. He wasdefinitely Hazlani. Tattoos all over his baldhead. Once inside she closed the door behindher. He said a word and five other Hazlanimen reappeared before her."Shall we gobegin, madam?"was all he asked her. Shenodded and led them to the sitting room.Opening the doors, she let them in andentered after. She walked past them and satwaiting.

The men gathered in a circle before herand began chanting. Being something of aspellcaster, she recognized that this would bea powerful spell. Two minutes later, the spellwas complete. Energy rippled through eachman and in unison they pointed at Lyssa andwith a word, massive waves of energy flew

into her. A battle ensued between Strahd'smagic and the gatherd Hazlani mages.Though Strahd's curse was powerful, it wasno match for the six gathered men. She feltlike a massive weight was lifted from hershoulders and breathed a sigh of relief. Themen nodded to each other, then her. Theyquickly departed the home and as Lyssalooked to follow them, they were not to beseen.

Deep within Castle Ravenloft, an alarmrang through Strahd's head.

This can't be! Who would dare oppose me,he who IS THE LAND!

He immediately moved to his laboratory,looking for a spellbook. Satisfied, he leafedthrough it and found the spell he wassearching for. I'll use it tomorrow, for now afew preparations are required. And it's been awhile since I've heard from the gypsies. Thetime is right for me to speak with them oncemore. He quickly departed the laboratoryand went to the balcony, overlooking hisland, Barovia! He merely thought of it andhe was a bat, soaring through the night sky.Within two hours he found them. He alightedquickly in the forest close to them andemerged as himself. The gathered gypsiesdidn't appear to be shocked at hisappearance. He walked up to the vardo andknocked."Come in" a female voice beckonedfrom within. He opened the door and did asinstructed. As always he inspected the insideof the wagon and always the same sightsgreeted him. He passed them by withoutfurther thought and sat at the chair in front ofthe elderly gypsy."I've been expecting you.Too long has it been since the Lord of theselands sits with the Vistani. Now what do youwish to know?"

"You already know the questions I seek toask, old woman" he snarled at her."Answerthem or face my wrath. I'm in no mood foryour riddles. Speak now or forever hold yourpeace."

He sat back and waited. She looked at himwith all knowing eyes. She put her handstogether and steepled them, fingertipstouching her nose."Someone has gonethrough a great deal of trouble to assembleindividuals to do you harm. I know not thenames. Only that the signs I've received as oflate lead me to believe that your life maywell be in danger. That is all I've been able todiscover." She breathed out even as shewrung her hands together, relieving herstress."Now leave me I am fatigued and wishto rest." She rose and moved back through acurtain.

He stayed there, thinking about what she'dsaid.

Who were these people and why wasLyssa's curse removed? Not an easy task.Enough! I am master of Barovia! I am theland! Let these individuals worry about meand what they can try to do to harm me.

He rose from his seat and exited the vardo.He hurried back to the castle and beganpreparing for eventual perpetrators of hishome.

He changed to bat form, and soared intothe Barovian night.

I've waited this long to give back to Strahdwhat he gave to me. Now the time is upon meto deliver my vengeance on him! Glorious itwill be the demise of Strahd Von Zarovich.I'll relish the moment for many a moon.

He flew high, and observed the moon. Italmost appeared blood red. Before he knewit, he was over the village of Hoessla. Hesurveyed the town and descended. Given thetime of night, no soul should have been afoot

and about the town. Luck was with him thisnight. It boded well for the battle in two daysif he was this lucky this evening! Heswooped low and followed the man fromatop the buildings. He alighted on foot thirtyfeet ahead of the man, in an alley. Once theman passed him, he moved into the streetfrom his hiding place in the alley. Soonenough he caught up to the man. He placedhis hand on his future victims shoulder. Theman yelled out and nearly jumped out of hisskin. Unfortunately for him, he turned tolook, and the last thing he saw was Leo'shungry face descending upon his neck. Ascant few minutes later, the body dumpedinto an alley, Leo transformed once again toa bat and returned to Montari's home. Hecouldn't wait to be at the castle and to finallydefeat Strahd. Once he arrived near thehome, he transformed back to his humanform in a dark alley and walked back to thehouse. He used a key he'd been given anddescended to his room. Satisfied with hisevening, he crept into his coffin. Closing ithe smiled and though again how wonderful itwould be with no Von Zarovich around!

The next two days passed without incidentand finally the moment arrived where hefound himself with Lyssa at the castle. Withthem were thirty men and six mages. Twomen advanced to the massive doors that gaveentry to the castle proper. Sure enough asthey approached, four gargoyles descendedfrom the castle and proceeded to the twomen. A mage began spellcasting and withinminutes, the four gargoyles flew towards themen. The mage finished his incatation andthe four gargoyles bounced off an invisiblewall protecting the men. The gargoylesturned their attentions to the mages even asthe two men reached the doors. The doorsoffered no resistance as the men openedthem and waved to the rest of the party,beckoning them to join them. The mages,

meanwhile, prepared their next spells. Onemage concentrated and pointed at aGargoyle, as did three others. A green boltflew from each of their fingers, each mage'sgreen ray striking each gargoyle. Thegargoyles had no chance and disintegratedinto nothingness, a threat no more. Satisfiedno more trouble would greet them until theyentered the castle, the party advanced. BothLeo and Lyssa were impressed with themages thus far. Gargoyles were a minorannoyance to both of them. They followedthe party, staying behind. Strahd hadn'tshown his true defenses yet, and thus theboth of them didn't feel secure yet. Once theparty had passed the double doors, theyslammed shut.

Some of the men looked back, jumpy.They proceeded to the entrance hall. Twoelaborate stairways greeted them on eachside. As well two passages greeted them neareach stairway."To the left" Leo spokealoud."That's the way we must go." Beforethey could even advance. A door was heardopening and from the right passage emergedskeleton after skeleton. There must havebeen at least twenty! And from above, astatue of a dragon turned into a flash dragon,of small size, but still a threat. The wyrmflew down and breathed at the party, hell fireattacking. Men yelled and screamed in terroror pain, who knew? The mages wereprepared and the dragon fire merelydeflected off of them. Two men lay dead onthe floor, burnt to a deadly crisp. The otherliving men battled with the skeletons,defeating them. Bones lay everywhere as dida few more men. Montari was smart enoughto hire enough men as cannon fodder to takeup the brunt of the damage.

Meanwhile the mages were occupied withthe dragon, albeit a smaller one. One magecast the same spell as was cast at the wall,

and burned a nasty gash in the dragon.Another mage cast an orb of acid at thewyrm, opening a severe gash in the wyrm'sarmor. Ichor ran freely from the dragon now.It fell to the floor, denting it slightly. Theother two mages acted quickly. They'd donetheir homework on the castle throughJacqueline and the information she'dgathered. One mage cast the same orb as thepreceding one and the dragon roared inagony. Oh how it roared. The last mage had asword, and once his spell was terminated, heran forward, and even as the dragonstruggled to rise, he drove the blade withboth hands righ through the dragons skull,exiting under the thing's mouth! The partystopped to get their breath and take stock.Two men were down, but more importantly,the first line of Strahd's defenses waseliminated! Lyssa relished in the destructionof Strahd's minions as did Leo. It had beennear four hours since she'd been awake now.She grinned as he passed through thepassage after the men and the mages. Leowas next to her, face serious. Only twentymen remained from the first assault onStrahd's castle. Leo was concentrated on thepassageway. Thus when Lyssa crumpled tothe ground in a heap, he registered her fallbut didn't act.

So the mages merely gave her anotherhour, nothing more. Pity. . . I'll get all theglory and she'll be relegated to nothingness.

Perhaps Strahd's minions will depose ofher. He passed her by without a secondglance, intent on disposing of Von Zarovichpermanently. The party passed through thepassageway with no opposition. Near the endof the hallway was a door in front of them,one on their right and one on their left. Themen looked to the mages as did Leo. One ofthe mages nodded. He and his compatriotshuddled together, having a brief discussion.One of them uttered a few arcane phrasesand studied each door. Satisfied he was

correct in his findings, he relayed his them tothe others."This door is the one" was all hesaid. The door in front of them all was theone he indicated. Another mage uttered afew phrases and the door glowed blue. Thenit shattered all together, spraying woodeverywhere. The party dodged out of theway of the scattered wood spray, inwardlycursing the arrogant mage. Before them lay astairwell which descended into darkness.The remaining warriors looked back and onemage nodded. He whispered a few phrasesand on one of the warrior's blades a lightappeared. Satisfied, the warrior begandescending the stairs slowly. Then the next,and the next, until all but the six mages andLeo remained atop the stairwell. One magebecame rigid and his eyes went up into hishead. He shook, even as the other mageswent into action. One pulled him away fromthe stairwell, while another moved to theentrance, yelling down "Retreat! Retreat! "Even as he spoke, a loud FWOOSH! Couldbe heard and a massive blast of heat was felteven by the remaining mages as well as Leo.Strangled screams of agony could be heardand hurried footsteps as well. A few secondslater seven men returned, faces black withsoot, armor steaming, and coughing. One ofthem spoke

"All we heard as something. . . . COUGH. .. COUGH. . . . . like a click and then beforewe knew what was happening, a small ball offire flew toward us, growing in proportionsrapidly. That was coupled. . . . COUGH. . . .COUGH. . . with another ball right after it.They both grew to very big proportions. . .COUGH. . . . . . . . . . COUGH. . . . . . . . andhit us hard. Only we survived as we were inthe rear of the line."

The man leaned down, grabbing his kneesand took a moment to catch his breath as didthe remaining soldiers. Leo wasn't surprisedand cared not that men had died. They werecannon fodder after all, the very reason

they'd been hired was for this such purpose.Stefan hadn't informed them of that very factthough. Let them think they were differently.The remaining men must now realize thatthis was going to be much more difficult thanthey previously thought. Ah, soldiers offortune from another land. Pity most of themwould perish. Leo would need somenourishment later.

The mages huddled once more anddiscussed in hushed tones. Two of them castspells and both of them approached theentryway, eyes red from their spells. Withina minute they turned to the remaining partyand nodded."The stairwell is safe from anyother spells now. We can proceed." Theymoved aside. The seven remaining soldiersseemed hesitant. Leo spoke then "The Ms.Will reward you even more once the missionis completed. Come now, let's move. We'reon a tight schedule. Just think" he smiled"There are less of you, so that means moregold for each of you. Now let's move! " Themen looked at each other, and being menwith absolutely no scruples, as mostmercenaries usually are, they continueddown the passage. As they passed, theprevious fire attack was evident. Burnt andcharred bodies lay on the stairs. As well, thewalls were black with soot and steam roseoff them and the dead bodies. Once arrivedbelow, the passage continued on for manyfeet. Leo remembered it well from the mapJacqueline had shown him. He knew nothow, but she had managed to get a partialmap of the castle through some source inDarkon. Apparently some scholar hadactually been inside the castle while Strahdslumbered, or so the man thought. Anyways,the man noted what he could and had sincebeen declared dead. In his possessions wasthis map and she had to spend a prettycopper to obtain it. He knew the passagewould end in a fork. Two doors. The one on

the right led to Strahd's laboratory which hemight wish to look at later. The door on theleft opened to a long hallway and anotherdoor. Through this door was where they'dfind the crypt of the deceased VonZaroviches and the door to Strahd's sleepingquarters. The mages were satisfied about thehallway and urged the men on. Leo followed,secure in the fact that the mages would bedetrimental in defeating Strahd. They walkedin silence until the two doors. A mageuttered an incantation and approached bothdoors. In doing so a trap door openedbeneath him and he plunged deep into thehole, yelling at the top of his lungs until aloud SPLAT! THUNK! Could be heard frombelow. As the party passed the hole(Thepassageway is large enough to accommodatetwo people in width) if they looked belowthey'd see the mage impaled on severalwooden pikes poking up through the floor.Leo spoke then "The door on the left is theone we take. Let's tread carefully from hereon in. Arrogance, not counting carelessness,isn't a trait to have here in that bastard'scastle as you can plainly see.

The men nodded to each other and Leo. Amage cast a spell and observed the door onthe right as well as the floor, walls andceiling surrounding the door. Now satisfied,he whispered "It's safe to pass the door, butdon't move farther than three or four feetfrom it. I sensed magic on the other side, butit's faint, meaning it's safe to move in a fewfeet, nothing more." The soldiers nodded andone opened the door. It made a loudscreeching noise, but in all seriousness, theproprietor of the castle knew they were there,so the noise didn't matter all that much at themoment. They proceeded down the hallwayand stopped as the mages had instructed.One mage stepped forward and removed awand. Uttering a word he pointed it in frontof him at the floor, walls and ceiling. Hemoved forward slowly and stopped halfwayto the door. He looked back at the party and

then put away his wand. He began chantingand moving his fingers in intricate patterns.When completed the floor in front of hisglowed a bright blue and sizzled and flared,temporarily blinding everyone. A fewseconds later the passageway returned tonormal. The mage ahead of you tipped hisfinger from his forehead to the rest of theparty and turned. He walked slowly to thedoor and then stopped. Again he used hiswand, on the door. He looked back "Jesper Ineed your help here. Come." A mage left theparty and approached the mage at the door.They conversed in hushed tones and the onecalled Jesper proceeded with anotherincantation. With his last phrase, he pointedthe door and it turned red. Then a deeper redand finally the red disappeared and the dooropened. He looked back and said "It's safe topass the door but hurry, I've only temporarilyannulled the magic in it." The party tookheed of his words and passed through thedoor into the Von Zarovich family crypt.

As they walked through, none recognizedany names except for one person. Leo. Heobserved everything with disdain, butthought it better to vent his fury on the oneresponsible. Let my rage and fury be thedownfall of that arrogant bastard Strahd. Toolong has he been taking advantage of theBarovian people. It's time for a change Let usbe the ones taking advantage and not him.His time is well passed.

"Be very careful now. We are near ourgoal. Through the door is our target. Let usproceed with extreme caution now. He isexpecting us, but I doubt he expected us tomake it this far and be of this large a number.Remember your reward will be immensewhen we succeed." He turned to the mages.

"You remember the spell you'll needagainst our foe. Ready it quickly and onceyou see him, cast it. Beware his tricks, I amsure he'll have a few."

Two mages approached the door. The sametwo mages approached the door and again,cast their spells and used the wand. The doorturned green this time and began meltinguntil it's remains lay on the floor, sizzlingand bubbling. Ahead was pitch black.Hurriedly the mages handed everyone vialsand held vials for themselves as well."Drinkup" one said. The party, mages included, did.Now instead of being pitch black the partysaw as if it were lighted properly. The roomwas large enough. In the center was a largesarcophagus. The room appeared empty. Thesoldiers looked back, unsure of what to do. Amage nodded to him and waved him in. Hegripped his sword tightly and walked in, asdid the rest of the seven soldiers. Once theywere in a voice could be heard from insideuttering arcane phrases. A mage yelled out"DUCK! GET DOWN! " An electric surgecould be heard and screams of pure agonyalong with them. Several thuds! Could behead at once. Instantly the five remainingmages began chanting spells even as Leopassed through the door, diving to the side.One mage disappeared and passed throughthe door, as did the others. Being invisiblehad it's advantages after all. Four mages sawno opponent, but the fifth one did. He movedas he chanted and once done, a small ball ofacid fled his hand. As it flew true to it'starget, it grew until it was a nice sized orb ofacid. It splashed an area where thereappeared to be nothing. The area flickeredbriefly as the acid covered it's area anddripped down slowly. At first nothing wasapparent in the space. Then a resounding yellcould be heard and a figure appeared. That ofa dark haired man dressed in a finely tailoredsuit. He was nearly unharmed by the acid,yet his immaculate cloak was burnt throughand one of his hands sizzled and hissed. Thusstood before the party Strahd Von Zarovich,rightful, well in his mind, ruler of Barovia.His eyes were red and sharp pointy teethprotruded from his mouth. Five of the

remaining soldiers fled the scene in completeterror, their footsteps receding in thedistance. The same traps took care of them.Strahd had kept busy while the party hadbeen passing through his home. Two doorsopened and figure after figure emerged. Fourstone golems approached the party as Strahdmoved back to take a staff from a shelf. Helaughed maniacally as one of the mages casta fireball at him and it struck him dead centerin the chest, burning his clothes and his bodypartially. One mage said "A clone? Can itbe? This one is crafty indeed." The fakeStrahd cackled and returned a fireball at thegroup. A mage in the group said a word andhis ring flashed once, the fireball entering it.A voice whispered through the room:

“Fools! You enter my home and attempt todestroy me! I AM THE LAND! You can'tharm me, most certainly in my own abode! ”

The party looked around a moment,searching for the source of the voice, findingnone.

One mage spoke a word of power and as agolem went to strike at him, he merelytouched it. A blue ray of energy surroundedthe golem, starting at the arm. Within a fewmoments the arm turned into mud, as did therest of Strahd's minion. Three other mages,seeing the success of their compatriot, didthe same, and in the time it took for the stonegolems to exit their secret doors, they wereturned into mud. Laughter could be heardfrom everywhere in the room. The acid onthe clone began eating away at him, it's rightarm now gone. It cackled with glee even as itattempted a spell. Though in great pain itremoved a stone and a pinch of dust from apouch. Targeting a mage, a green ray flewfrom his hand to his target. The green rayenveloped the mage and he screamed inagony just before he crumbled into nothing,disintegrated on the spot! The roomshimmered and suddenly the wallsdisappeared. In the real crypt now stood

twenty large skeletons and ten large zombies.Leo grinned evilly as he lept forward and lethis claws and rage do the talking. He plowedthrough the zombies, limbs and severalheads flying everywhere. The remainingsoldiers attacked the skeletons, having somesuccess. The undead retaliated. Now thesoldiers lay dead, leaving only the fivemages and Leo. The five mages cast as theskeletons advanced. Lightning flew towardsthe bony undead. The skeletons crackledwith energy, and in a massive blast,exploded. Pieces and splinters of boneshowered Leo and the remaining five mages.

The room now appearing as it really was,they saw the outline of a door straight ahead.No light was apparent from under it. Leonodded to the mages and grinned wickedly.He reached into the pocket of his vest andremoved a ring. He tapped a mage on theshoulder."This should help to replace ourdead comrades. Kerlish is the word." Themage looked at him and donned it.Concentrating he spoke the word and soonafter realized just what the ring was. On thestairs and in the room, the remains of theirdead comrade soldiers rose. The magelooked at Leo and smiled in appreciation.

"Go to the door, and open it."He told their new comrades in arms. The

zombies all flocked to the said door and oneof them opened it. An explosion rocked theroom, but only the zombie who opened thedoor was gone. In his wake was a trail ofsmoke and ash. Leo urged the otherson."We're so close to our goal. Let's get thisover with! " Where the door had been, nowwas a passage filled with smoke and thearoma of charred flesh. The zombies passedfirst, then the mages and of course Leo. Itdescended deeper into the castle proper andminutes later they came upon another door.A mage uttered a word of power, pointing atthe door. Sure enough, it glowed blue. He

turned to the other mages and they conversedhurriedly. Two mages pointed at the door andcast spells. The blue glow disappeared. Themage with the ring ordered a zombie to openthe door. It did and nothing happened.Before the party was a small room of ten byten by ten. A coffin was on the far left wall.A man stood in the middle of the room,looking at the party with an air of authority.This, the party presumed, was Strahd VonZarovich. Leo hung back, not in the roomyet, but with a good view of that bastard. .

How I want to rip his dead heart out andfeed it to him! Let these people weaken himfirst, then I'll finish him!

A magical battle of the likes never havebeen seen now takes place! Though alone,the crafty Strahd casts spell after spell at theparty, targeting the mages and zombies.Early in the battle, the zombies perish fromboth Strahd's and the mages spells. As thebattle progresses, the mages begin to gain theupper hand. Though Strahd is powerful, he isbut one person. He soon relaises he isoutmatched against these Hazlani mages.Reaching deep inside himself, digging intohis reserves he casts a powerful spell even asthe five mages cast powerful spells. Luckilyfor Leo he is in the next room. Whattranspires next is something many had hopedbut never lived to see. In a brilliant flash oflight, the room shakes and a massiveexplosion rocks the castle to the core! Leo islucky enough to dive back and close the doorof the first crypt behind him. Even as hecloses the door, he feels the immense heat ofthe powerful spells that have caused suchdestruction. Inside, one mage remains. . . . . .the four others are but ash. Leo dons glovesand opens the door. Peering inside he seesone mage in the far corner of the room,naked and body smouldering, butunconscious.

Where the four other mages stood is now alarge pile of ash. And finally, where his

nemesis and cause of imprisonment stood,now is but a small pile of ash. Can it be? Ishe gone? In answer to his question, a wolfsong began in the distance. Then closer.Finally, though he was below the castle, asong of sorrow, howled by the wolves ofBarovia could be heard throughout the land.

Barovians everywhere stirred from theirslumbers. The sad eerie wolf song wakingthem. They were unaware of it's meaning butsubconsciously, somehow, knew that theirlives would never be the same again. Leospent the next few days scouring the castlefor signs of Strahd. He found none. As wellwhen he found Zaroviches dungeons hefound skeletons and zombies wanderingaround listlessly, no purpose or master tofollow. This merely confirmed the fact thatStrahd was in fact, dead. He didn't knowwhat to feel. On one hand he felt robbedbecause he didn't kill the bastard. On theother hand he was glad he didn't have to facehim, as Zarovich was a formidable opponent.Montari had chosen her mages well. Thoughonly one remained, they'd got the work done.The mage had since been rewarded for histroubles and after recuperating, agreed tostay in Barovia for a fee. That beingwhatever he could salvage from the castleand use. Since Jacqueline and Leo hadabsolutely no use for anything arcane, it wasagreed that he had free reign of the castle forall things pertaining to the arcane. This cameas no surprise to Lyssa. Over the next fewweeks, when she was of course awake, shespent most of her time with the mage. Shewas eager to learn new spells and he wasactually patient enough to teach her. Havingbeen a teacher at the Academy in Hazlani didease his task with Lyssa.

Soon they discovered that exiting Baroviawas impossible. This infuriated Montarri tono end. No business could be done by her

Red Vardo Traders. She still was in search ofher head, but had never had any luck findingit. Now that noone could leave Barovia,she'd not be able to send out her agents tosearch for it elsewhere.

Perhaps Strahd was more connected to theland than we realise. If noone can get out,that means that noone can get in either. Notgood at all. I guess it's a fair price to pay forridding this godforsaken place of him.

Over the next few weeks, Jacquelinecreated her Goblyn militia. She used them topolice Barovia. Soon the population becameused to this. The tale going around the landwas that the Lord Strahd Von Zarovich haddied suddenly and in his place to rule wasJacqueline Montari. Documents wereproduced and eventually Barovians came toaccept their new ruler. She, Leo, Lyssa andthe mage all lived at the castle. It was bigenough to house them all and more. Themage was still getting accustomed to somuch magical paraphernalia in one place.Strahd was not one for believing excesseswere wrong. There were more than enoughcomponents to serve an army and he hadthem all to himself. That's not counting thebooks Strahd had owned. If ever a magecould feel like a child in a candy store, hewas that mage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

June 22nd, 775, Immol, BaroviaIlya Ivanovich hurried his breakfast. The fiveyear old could barely keep still. As he stuffedhis face with the hot porridge his mother hadprepared, he could only think of the fun he'dhave today with his friend Pavel. They'dbeen friends ever since their mothers,neighbors, had introduced them. Pavel wasmore adventurous of the two. That's not tosay Ilya wasn't adventurous. It happened on

occasion that he was adventurous. Ilya wasthe thinker of the two. When he was done, hegrabbed his plate and put it on the counterfor his mother."Ilya, have fun with Pavel. Bewary of the guards, please. You know therules. I don't want to have to come get you atthe quard station again and find you withwelts on you back! " She ruffled her son'sdark brown hair, the watched him exit thehouse and head for Pavel's.

She sighed. It hadn't always been this way. When the

count was alive, we had more freedom. Nowthese red eyed monstrosity of guards rule thecity. We can't even leave our home aftercurfew for fear of reprisals from LordMontarri. New ruler? More like selfappointed ruler.

Noone knew what had happened to CountVon Zarovich those years ago, only that hewas deceased and in his stead would rule theLord Jacqueline Montarri as was decreed bythe Lord Von Zarovich's last will andtestament. The populace was content at first,with the disposal of the "Devil Strahd". Theywere hopeful that with a new ruler, lifewould be better. They soon learneddifferently. Strange guards soon patrolled thestreets of Immol, the village of Barovia andother cities of Barovia.

The strange ring of fog to the castle wasnow long gone. Soon enough, it wasdiscovered that none could leave Barovia.The strange wall of mist permitted none toleave. That was bad for trade. Thus for thenext few years, the population of Baroviastruggled with being shut off from the rest ofthe land. Soon it became a way of life, andpeople adjusted to their new reality.

Now the Goblyn's policed the land with aniron fist. People cowered in fear when theguards passed them on the street. They

silently cursed the Lord Montarri and herGoblyns. Still the land was home tonocturnal beasts, but none as fierce as whenthe Count Zarovich was alive. So, soon afterher rule began, new taxes were levied on thepopulace. At first the people could pay, butthen drought began, and farmers soon hadtroubles paying their taxes. Farms wereseized in the name of the Lord, and peopleexecuted for non payment. Thus beganJacqueline Montarri's era as ruler of Barovia.The population became accustomed to thesteep taxes and paid them for fear ofreprisals from their new ruler.

June 22nd, 775 Exterior of Barovia Finrod looked back to the party."I'm not sure.The fog appears to have diminishedsubstantially, Pierre. We've been here seventimes in the past few years and this is thefirst time we see a change in them." The halfelf looked again at the wall of mist.Gradually as he looked at it, the wall begandissipating until it was gone. He frowned.

Could it be? Finally after all these years,we can enter Barovia? I've had similarproblems entering Kartakass, but not myhome Sithicus. Odd happenings in theselands. Something must have brought outthese occurences, but I've yet to detect why.Even Pierre, with his diving abilities hasn'tlearned a thing as of yet.

"Pierre, Lucian. Let's traverse the bordercarefully. It could be a mere happenstance.Wilhelm" the half elf calls to the fourthmember of their party "If we don't some backor something happens, get back to the base inDarkon. Then report to the DuchessKazandra. That's an order." He turned to theother two."Shall we?"

The other two were both nativeSouragniens. Far from home indeed. They'dlong ago left their tropical island behind. Foryears now, they'd been part of somethinggrand in detail. Namely the Kargat, based all

over the lands, but mainly in Darkon. It wasruled by the Lady Kazandra. The four ofthem had been working together for yearsnow, and when the trouble of enteringBarovia began, she quickly gathered the fourof them and sent them to investigate.Gathering no information at Barovia's doors,they traveled the lands and discovered thatsome countries were closed to outsiders.That meant not only could noone enter, butnone could exit the land as well. This hadbeen going on for near five years now. Thiswas their seventh trip here, and they wereabout to leave. That was before the mistsdissipated.

The half elf nodded to Wilhelm. Alongwith the two Souragniens, he passed intoBarovia. The first visitor there in fact, in fiveyears. Wilhelm was from Falkovnia. He'dfled there years ago. His father was a talon,and he a military man. He didn't agree withhis fathers ideals or the King Fuhrer's for thatmatter. It only took him one night onmanouvers with his squadron to flee thecountry. Of course there was now a price onhis head, but that was in Falkovnia, notanywhere else.

Curse his father and the King Fuhrer! I'mbetter off than I ever was and never will Ireturn to the cursed home of my birth!

Once they'd been in Barovia for tenminutes, Finrod tred to cross back to whereWilhelm was. He did with absolutely nodifficulty. He looked to the ex-Falkovniansergeant."All right, come with us then. Ithink it's safe to presume the wall of mist isgone for good." Without looking back, hemoves back into Barovia, followed byWilhelm."Okay people, let's head for Immoland see what's been going on in Baroviathese past few years."

They traveled for a few days. Meeting fewor no travelers. This confirmed theirsuspicions that the Barovians knew of theclosed borders and had pretty much given up

on trying to exit their land for trade or travel.Upon spying the city of Immol, Finrodstopped."I want to approach the city bymyself and look around. Get the lay of theland, guys. Keep out of sight here in thewoods." He turned his head, listeningintently."No wolves howling, and it's nearevening. That's not what I'd expect fromBarovia in general. For now, keep out ofsight. If I'm not back in one hour, comelooking for me. Hard. Understood?" Whenhis three companions nodded, he turned andwalked down the road into Immol. As hepassed into Immol, the first thing he noticedwas the citizens hurrying along the streets.What's the big rush? That was before hespotted the patrol. He moved quickly to theshadows and hid in a quickly darkeningalley. There he got a good look of the patrol,registering that they were in fact, not human.He'd heard tell of these creatures, but theyweren't natives of Barovia.

What were they doing here? And why werethey patrolling the city. No wonder thepopulation was hurrying home. I bet there'sa curfew and these patrols enforce thecurfew.

Calrogan watched the patrol walk by. Bythe time the patrol had passed, the street wasempty. He waited a few minutes more. Whenhe was sure the coast was clear, he headedback to the rendezvous with the others. Oncehe arrived he told them of his findings."Weshould camp here this evening and tomorrowhead into town and get a room at the Innthere. I think we should stay a few days andget the sense of the population. Once we'redone here, we should head back to Karg andreport. I am betting she'll want us to go andinvestigate the other cities in Barovia. Let'sset up camp and have a good meal. Then weshould get some rest. We can split ourwatches."

The party makes camp in the woods andhas a dull meal. Afterwards they settle in and

take their watches as the others sleep.Nothing happens during the evening, whichraises concerns in Finrod. All the times he'dbeen here he'd been attacked or followed bywolves. And not just any wolves but hugemonstrous wolves. Now it was way too quietfor it to be a mere coincidence. They'd getthe lay of the land soon enough. A few dayswould learn them a great deal. The nightpasses without incident.

The next morning they head into Immol.People are milling about the street, on theirworkplaces or the market. The party makes itquickly to the Inn and enter. A man wipes aglass listlessly at the bar. He looks up fromhis menial task, then looks back down. Hedoes a double take and looks at the partyagain."Praise the Morninglord. Newcustomers! Come in, come in! " He puts theglass down and tosses the dishtowel over hisshoulder. He walks quickly from behind thecounter to a free table."Sit, sit! Sit here! I'llget you some coffee to start, then get yourorders! " The man pulls the four chairs outfrom the table for them, then heads off to thekitchen. He seems to be filled with purposefor the first time in years? The party hearspots and pans clang from the kitchen andhushed voices.

He exits soon enough with a tray. On it arefour mugs of something steaming. He walksover to the table, and hands each man a mugof coffee."There you go. Ah my mannershave fled me. I am Pietro Duvolich. Proudowner of The Roaring Boar. Welcome,welcome! Now my wife is busy cooking younice folk breakfast. Might I join you?" Hedoesn't wait for an answer. Turning, hemoves to another table and grabs a chair. Hecomes quickly back to their table and sets itnear them. Turning the chair so he could layhis arms on the back, he sits."Please, feel athome here! I haven't had a stranger here inover five years. ? What news from outsideBarovia? What brings you here, strangers?"

FairhafenWhere the happy ending is yet to come…

By Wolfkook email

Once upon a time, not far from here, therewas a great king who governed fairly andwith justice. Everybody in the kingdomloved him dearly, and he loved them inreturn. He betrothed a fair lady from anearby kingdom, and together they had abeautiful daughter, with skin like snow, lipslike red roses and hair like burning fire.However, their happiness was not complete,for when the little princess was born, hermother passed away.

Years passed, and with each one, theprincess grew in beauty and in grace, butalso in kindness and wit, and with time herfather, the king, started to long for thecompany of a woman. He found a suitablewife in an elegant noblewoman who hadbeen left a widower little after he had, and hedecided to ask her. She accepted, and soonthe king was married for a second time.

Everybody in the kingdom was happy, butunknown to them, the new queen was in factan evil witch, who had charmed the king intomarrying her, and who just wanted a share ofhis fortune and his power. Soon after sheand the two daughters of her previousmarriage came to the castle, the king started

to change, bewitched by his new wife. Hestopped paying attention to the kingdom, andto his daughter. The princess couldn’tunderstand what was happening to him, andtried to talk with him. One time afteranother, her stepmother would refuse her theprivilege of seeing her own father, allegingthat he was too tired and busy to spend timewith her, as he used to.

Worse still, her new stepsisters took ontheir new positions as princesses all tooquickly, and they started pushing her aroundand treating her like a commoner, makingher life impossible. For all her education, theprincess tolerated their behavior, but theirattitude towards her only got worse, vergingon the edge of humiliation.

Months passed, and the health of the kingstarted to crumble. She wanted to see herfather but everybody would deny it to her.Even doctors and priests had the access shewouldn’t. In a couple of months, the king’sflame extinguished, and the princess neverhad a chance to say goodbye.

The Kingdom of FairhafenCultural Level: Medieval (7).Landscape: Full Ecology (Temperate

Mountains, Forests and Plains). In theoutskirts of the majestic Rätsel mountains,and dominated by the imposingMarschensloss castle the kingdom ofFairhafen is a rural domain that standsbetween the tyranny of its queen, and thehope of its people. Its landscape is totallydominated by the Rätsels, which raise like aspiral, having the Sneedronningen, thehighest peak of the range, at the center of thekingdom, and giving place to an almostvertical landscape, with treacherous roadsand breathtaking views, which includesnowy, clouded peaks, and huge falls thatgive place to almost constant rainbows.

In the valleys and outskirts of themountains, the sights are also impressive,with the heavy Black Forest covering mostof the area, being breached only by theWichtelmänner and a couple of lesser rivers,that either die or are born in the beautifulSvanereden Lake, to the southwest.Meanwhile, in the western half of thekingdom lays a lush plain where civilizationthrives to prosper in small towns and solitarybut sturdy houses, usually made of brick orrock, and painted in clear colors, withwooden ceilings, which are usually paintedred in the town of Rotkäppchen. Climate isshaped by the seasons, but even summertends to be somewhat colder than it is inother places.

The landscape of Fairhafen changes atsunset, however. As the beautiful kingdomsubmerges into shadow, the Rätsels becomeeven more treacherous and menacing, theMarschensloss turns into a dark, evil castle,and the Black Forest becomes twisted andforbidding, as its more sinister inhabitantscome out of their lairs. The plains also take adarker shape, as the mists rise from the

Svanereden to engulf most of the kingdom.Few of the kingdom’s inhabitants dare to goout in these hours.

Major Settlements: Dornröschen (2,300),a small town of miners and herders amidstthe Rätsels, and overviewed by theMarschensloss castle, which seems to beperpetually devoid of joy and laughter, as ifdormant; Aschenputtel (8,200), the biggestcity in the kingdom, in the shores of theSvanereden, named after the ashy snowwhich falls on the town throughout thewinter; Rotkäppchen (3,600), a little town ofgatherers and foresters in the border of theBlack Forest, widely recognized by its redceilings and honest people; Schneewittchen(700), a dwarven town in the northeast of thekingdom, between the Black Forest and theRätsels.

The Folk: Population – 30,000. Humans96%, Dwarves 3%, Others 1%. Languages –Falkovnian*. Dwarven, Mordentish.Religions – None.

The people of Fairhafen tend to have avery light complexion. Commoners tend tohave broad shoulders and wide bodies, withhair color ranging from dark blond tomedium brown, and eyes which go fromhazel to brown. Nobles are usually slimmer,and their hair and eye color is usually lighter,with blue and green being fairly common.Men usually grow beards, and cut their hairshort, while women leave it long but wellkempt. Colorful clothes are common, withgreen and red being favorites on women’sskirts and men’s pants. Both genders use towear black vests over white shirts andblouses, respectively. Married women alsouse a simple headdress, little more thanembroidered kerchiefs.

Fairhafeners are known to treat foreignersbetter than the people of most other domains.Indeed, most of them verge on being outrightfriendly. Most have not seen a foreigner inyears, and are eager to share time with

people from other lands, and to know moreabout the rest of the world. By law, however,the people from foreign lands should betaken to the Queen for an official greeting,and soldiers are always looking for suchpeople. Most fairhafeners, knowing betterthan that, will help strangers at passingthrough without being noticed.

The Law: Hereditary Monarchy (FeudalDespotism). A long time ago, the royalfamily of Fairhafen was blessed by the gods,who granted them an unusual tie to theirland, which allowed them to communicatewith plants and animals alike, and to controlthem, and the land itself. In exchange, theking of Fairhafen promised to rule withwisdom and fairness. As a result, forcenturies, only those of royal blood wereallowed to rule.

When King Drosselbart died, some 30years ago, his daughter, princess Rosenbriar,was not old enough to assume the title ofqueen. As was customary, then, QueenAvarein, second wife of the deceased kingand the princess’s stepmother, who was notof the blood and who hadn’t been able tobear her husband any children, took on theresponsibilities of rulership while theprincess grew up. Months later, when theprincess was about to celebrate her sixteenthbirthday and be old enough to assume thecrown, she suffered from a terrible accident,who left her in a permanent state ofcatatonia, and queen Avarein’s rulershipsuddenly extended until the princess wokeup from her slumber.

As a ruler, however, Queen Avarein hasproven to be a harsh and despotic tyrant,taking advantage of her political advantageand her numerous troops to enforce theobedience of her people, to collect taxes in avery efficient way, and to punish anyonewho dares to question her authority.Curiously, those who manage to defy her andto evade her men, usually end up suffering

from terrible accidents, or simplydisappearing.

As almighty as she may seem, however,queen Avarein is a distant figure at best,preferring to leave most day-to-day issues tolocal burgomasters and landowners, who areresponsible for the administration of theirlands or cities. Traditionally, the feudalsystem in Fairhafen was pretty loose, withlittle real power in the hands of the nobles;Since Queen Avarein ascended to the throne,however, she gave them much more powerand responsibility, trying to ensure herposition and to release herself from itsburdens. Since then, the nobles have grownaccustomed to their newfound power andmost have grown prideful and abusive.

Trade and Diplomacy: Resources –Wheat, apples, grapes, hazelnuts, hogs,goats, sheep, cattle, beer, wine, sausage,timber, iron, salt, gems, leather goods,furniture. Coinage – Oak (gp), cedar (ep),willow (sp), bean (cp).

The once vibrant land of Fairhafen, thatused to be one of the most important tradecenters of the world it came from, has had itstrade routes cut off since the mists came toengulf it. Since then, the kingdom has beenforced to use only its own resources.Luckily, Fairhafen has enough of them tosustain itself, so poverty and starvation arenot serious concerns. In recent years,travelers from distant lands have started tocome to the kingdom, bringing with themnews of other lands beyond the ever-presentmists, and though the people of the kingdomalways welcome these travelers, makingthem feel at home and generally beingcurious about the rest of the world, QueenAvarein doesn’t seems to share her subjects’hospitality: She has ordered her men that allforeigners are brought before her, and thosewho have been caught by them and broughtto Marschensloss Castle have not been seenagain.

Characters: Classes – Bards, fighters,rangers, rogues, sorcerers, swashbucklers,warlocks. Skills – Climb, craft (Carpentry,gemcutting, metalworking, stonemasonry,weaving), diplomacy, handle animal, hide,knowledge (Arcana, architecture andengineering, nobility and royalty), movesilently, perform, profession (Farmer, fisher,herdsman, lumberjack, miner), ride, sleightof hand, survival, use rope. Feats –Alertness, animal affinity, athletic, combatexpertise (Plus derivatives), deft hands,courage, magical aptitude, mounted combat(Plus derivatives), negotiator, point blankshot (Plus derivatives), quick draw, stealthy,track, voice of wrath, weapon finesse.

Personalities of Note: Besides queenAvarein and princess Rosenbriar, one of themost important figures in the kingdom isCount Lothar (Male Human Ari7, Fig3, LE),the brother of late king Drosselbart, and therightful successor to the crown if princessRosenbriar was to die. Lothar is a schemingbackstabber who used to use his politicalpower to his advantage during the reign ofhis older brother, but who lost most of hisinfluence when he died and the queen tookhold. When princess Rosenbriar had heraccident, he saw the opportunity tobecoming king, and started convincing othernobles that the best for them would be to endthe princess suffering. Avarein learned abouther brother-in-law’s plans, and responded bykidnapping his only son, making it clear thatshe will keep him safe for as long as hekeeps his delusions of grandeur at bay.Today, Lothar is actively trying to look forpeople that would infiltrate Marschenslosscastle to rescue his son and kill bothRosenbriar and Avarein.

Other important characters are Zmyltrix(Male Grey Jester, Bard 5, NE), the courtjester and Avarein’s right hand, who carrieson most of her dirty tasks for her, and thequeen’s twin daughters, Brunhild and

Beatrix (Both Female Caliban Ari 3, Sor 3,NE), who are both frozen on their late teens.Everybody knows them for their baddisposition, their cynicism and theircapriciousness, but more than anything, theyare known as the ugliest women in all ofFairhaven. Spoiled as they are, however, thequeen does not deny them anything, andmost of the time their wishes soon becomelaw in the whole kingdom.

Finally, there is a mysterious old womanwho apparently lives near the town ofRotkäppchen, amidst the Black Forest. Shehas been seen mostly by the children, whohave a great fondness for her, andcollectively call her “The Granny” (FemaleHuman Rank 5 Hag, Wiz 9, CE). She isfamous for the delicious cookies and candiesshe gives them, and for the legends that havearisen around them saying that she lives in ahouse made of candy in the middle of theforest. Many a child had tried to get to herfabled home, and those who have done sohave inexorably fallen prey to the perils ofthe Black Forest, disappearing forever intothe woods.

Encounters: The plains of Fairhafen arehome only to farm animals and theoccasional predator from the Black Forest orthe mountain, which in turn are burning withwildlife of all kinds. The forest, inparticular, is said to be home to severalmalignant creatures, among which there is anenormous wolf of reputedly human-likeintelligence, which lives near Rotkäppchen(Wolfgang Liebermann, lumberjack, MaleHuman Afflicted Werewolf, Com 9, LN/CE).It is also said that there is a small dwarvencommunity somewhere on the outskirts ofthe Rätsels. There are other places whichhave curious legends around them, as thebridge over the Wichtelmänner river, whichis said to be home to a hideous creaturewhich only comes out at night.

Further Reading: The kingdom ofFairhafen is based on the fairy tales writtenand compiled by the brothers Grimm, HansChristian Andersen and Perrault, amongothers. The OGL game Grimm, fromFantasy Flight games, may give a goodinsight to the tone of the land of Fairhafen.

Queen AvareinDarklord of Fairhafen

Female Human Ari5, Sor10: CR 15; SizeM humanoid (5 ft. 9 in. tall); HD5d8+9d4+22 (72hp); Init 0; Spd. 30 ft.; AC10; Atk +7; SA Spells; SQ Familiar, Masterof the Covey*; AL NE; SV Fort +6, Ref +4,Will +12; Str 10, Dex 11, Con 15, Int 16, Wis14, Cha 20.

* Queen Avarein can only use this abilitywhen she is around her two daughters.

Skills and Feats: Bluff +13, Concentration+7, Diplomacy +14, Gather Information +8,Intimidate +14, Knowledge (Arcana) +9,Knowledge (Nobility and Courtesy) +6,Listen +5, Sense Motive +12, Spellcraft +11,Spot +5; Brew Potion, Combat Casting,Maximize Spell, Negotiator, Persuasive,Spell Focus (Enchantment).

Languages: Falkovnian.Spells per Day: 8/7/7/6/4. Base DC = 15

+ spell level, 17 + spell level forEnchantment spells.

Spells Known: 0 – Arcane Mark, Daze,Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Mage Hand,Read Magic, Resistance, Touch of Fatigue;1st – Charm Person, Magic Missile,Obscuring Mist, Ray of Enfeeblement,Sleep; 2nd – Blindness/Deafness, DetectThoughts, Eagle’s Splendor, SummonSwarm; 3rd – Deep Slumber, Fly,Suggestion; 4th –Crushing Despair,Polymorph; 5th – Baleful Polymorph.

Stunningly beautiful even in her middlefifties, Queen Avarein is widely recognizedthroughout the kingdom for her skinnyfigure, her royal bearing, her fine andelaborate dresses, her golden hair and herunsettlingly light blue eyes. Obsessed withher own beauty, the queen wears more makeup than she should over her perfectly whiteskin, and the contrasting shadows, blush andmascara she uses give her a disturbing, ifthoroughly magnetic, presence. No matterwhere se goes, or what time of the day it is,the queen always wears her royal tiara,symbol of her status, and the finest piece ofjewelry in the whole kingdom.

BackgroundLittle is known about queen Avarein beforeshe made her first appearance in Fairhafen,when she came from a distant land aftermarrying one of the nobles of the region whohad gone to her home country as anambassador. Everybody was amazed at herbeauty and attractiveness, but as the wife of anobleman, however, she lacked the mannersand courtesy of a woman of her status, andsoon she became one of the preferred targetsfor the gossip of the other members of thecourt, especially because her new husbandseemed enthralled by her mere presence,while she seemed to loath his.

The news of Avarein’s pregnancy camevery quickly, but as her womb started togrow, the health of her husband started towane. Some of the nobles started to believethat she was poisoning him, expecting totake a grasp of his title and position which,by law of the state, could not be hers after hisdeath unless she bore her children.Curiously enough, her strongest detractorsamong the courtesans suddenly started tobecome her best friends, and rumors ofbribes started to spread.

At long last, Avarein had twin daughters.Her husband was overjoyed, but hishappiness did not last long. Soon after thebirthing, he died. Avarein was left alone,with a noble state of her own, with a title,and with two hideous daughters shedespised. She tried to ignore them as muchas possible, and to live the fabulous life shehad always dreamt for herself. However, shewasted more than the state could handle, andbefore her daughters had reached the age often, she was on the verge of bankruptcy,looking desperately for a way to improve herfinances.

And she found it. One day, when attendingat a gathering in Marschensloss castle, sheended up speaking with king Drosselbart,who had lost his wife at about the same timeas she had, and they ended up talking abouttheir loses. Drosselbart, who was feelinglonely without his deceased wife, and evenmore so as his daughter approached her teensand the distance between them grew, was aneasy prey for the social predator that wasAvarein. Soon, a second encounter followedthe first, and a third followed the second.Rumors ran wild, but neither Avarein norDrosselbart paid attention. After a couple ofyears, the two got married for a second time,and Avarein was able to take a financialrespite.

But a financial respite wasn’t all that shewanted. Now, as queen, she had a taste ofreal power, and she wanted more. But, asbefore, she had an obstacle for her goals.She had a husband. But, as before, that wasa problem that could easily be solved.Drosselbart fell sick within weeks, and hewas soon confined into his chambers, whilehis wife took upon herself theresponsibilities of rulership. The king diedsome time later, and as his daughter was tooyoung to inherit the throne, queen Avereincontinued her duties as the ruler ofFairhafen.

Her rulership was to be short ended,though; for once princess Rosenbriar hadturned sixteen the queen would have todecline in her favor. She wanted to preventthat at all costs, but she knew that killing theprincess would only take the throne awayfrom her hands and into those of the nextperson in the line of succession –CountLothar, her overtly ambitious brother in law–. She had to get rid of princess Rosenbriarwithout anyone knowing where she hadgone.

How she managed to do so, it’s stillunknown. The truth is that on the same nightprincess Rosenbriar turned sixteen, andbefore she assumed her title as Queen ofFairhafen, the chariot that was taking her toher coronation lost control and fell from theroad. The charioteer was found dead, butRosenbriar seemed only unconscious. Theprincess has not awakened since then, andshe hasn’t aged a year after the accident.

Current SketchQueen Avarein’s political power comes fromher status as princess Rosenbriar’sstepmother and tutor, and she knows thatwere she to die, she would lose everything.She had done all she can to protect her lifewhile maintaining her in a state of perpetualslumber. She has even made her an almostimpenetrable crystal coffin to keep her awayfrom harm.

The queen’s power, however, doesn’t comeonly from her political status. She also hasthe powers of a 10th level sorceress, whichbecome even deadlier when she is beside hertwo daughters (See below). She also has alot of financial and magical resources at herdisposition, including a magical window ontop of Marschensloss castle which allows herto look directly into any location inFairhafen, as if she was using clairvoyance.None of these, however, are as powerful as

princess Rosenbriar’s powers, which allowher to hear anything that happens anywherein Fairhafen, and to control nature at will.However, as the darklord of Fairhafen, thedark powers have ensured that the princesswill always obey any command she gives toher, though not always in the way she wants.

The queen despises her ugly daughters, butshe still pampers them, being aware of howshe depends on them to cast her mostpowerful spells. She also needs princessRosenbriar, and has taken every step toensure her safety, though she would prefer toget rid of her. Count Lothar is also anobstacle to her, but the princess’s powersdoesn’t seem to have any way to affect othermembers of the royal family, and that, inaddition to his political influence, haveprevented her from taking any action againsthim, except from kidnapping his son, ayoung, spoiled and arrogant kid that she alsohas to tolerate out of need. Her onlyunconditional ally seems to be Zmyltrix, hercourt jester and messenger, a disgusting littlecreature who carries on any of her request,but lately she has started to becomesuspicious of his true intentions.

In short, queen Avarein walks a fine line attrying to maintain her status of queen, andthe fact that she depends so much on thepeople she most despises enrages her. Shewould certainly prefer to enjoy the privilegesof her new life, but the daily problems of thekingdom and her personal life alwaysprevent her from doing so.

CombatQueen Avarein will try to avoid directconfrontation if possible, instead relying onthe powers of her magical window and thoseof princess Rosenbriar to see and hear herpossible enemies, and to take every possibleadvantage against them. Smart enough notto call too much attention, the queen will try

to use her troops first, especially if she canframe her enemies with some crime. If thisis not enough, she will resort to usingRosenbriar’s powers over nature to kill herenemies or to at least make things difficultfor them. When forced into directconfrontation she will try to keep away fromher enemies and beside her daughters, usingher known spells and those she gains whenaround Brunhild and Beatrix, to crush them.

Master of the Covey (Sp): When queenAvarein is within 10 feet of both of herdaughters, the three function like a covey ofhags, gaining animate dead, bestow curse(DC 17), control weather, dream, forcecage,mind blank, mirage arcana (DC 18),polymorph, veil (DC 19) and vision as spell-like abilities. All these abilities are usedwith a Caster level 17th, and, unlessotherwise noted, their save DCs are based ona Charisma score of 16. Use of any of theseabilities requires a full-action, and bothAvarein and her two daughters mustparticipate.

LairMarschensloss castle used to be a beautifulfortress of white walls and blue-tippedtowers encased in the Rätsels, which used towelcome anyone from the neighboringtowns into its walls. Today, the imposingcastle has turned grey, as the paint in itswalls and towers fades away for lack ofmaintenance, and the gates are kept closedalmost permanently, zealously guarded bythe queen’s men. By night, the once calmcastle has become a dark place, which standsas a black fortress wanting to devour itsvisitors.

Legends about the castle abound: It is saidthat the roses that once adorned the interiorgardens of the castle have grown into a thickbriar, with perilous thorns that have cause thedemise of more than one soldier, that the

basement of the fortress is home to aravenous beast which has a taste for humanflesh, and that princess Rosenbriar still liveson top of the highest tower of the palace,frozen in eternal slumber, and locked into acrystal coffin. Whether any or all of theserumors are true, only those who dare to visitthe accursed place would be able to tell.

Closing the BordersWhen Avarein wants to seal her domain, itbecomes surrounded by a 50 feet wide wallof thorns (As per the spell). When thathappens, the sky over the castle becomesdark and cloudy, and lightning bolts start tocrackle above it.

Princess RosenbriarThe Frozen Beauty

Female Human Ari 3: CR 2; Size MHumanoid (6 ½ ft. tall); HD 3d8+3 (24 hp);Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 12; Atk +2 melee, +3missile; SA Obedient Nature; SQ Sounds ofthe Land; AL LG (CE); SV Fort +3, Ref +3,Will +9; Str 12, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 15, Wis18, Cha 20.

Skills and Feats: Diplomacy +10, HandleAnimal +10, Knowledge (Nobility andcourtesy) +6, Listen +8, Perform +10, Ride+6, Sense Motive +9, Spot +8; GreatFortitude, Iron Will, Redhead.

Languages: Falkovnian.Spells per Day: 0/1. Base DC = 14 + spell

level.Spells Known: 1 – Speak with Animals.

As most other members of the royal familybefore her, princess Rosenbriar is a beautifulyoung girl with perfectly white skin, lakeblue eyes, burning red lips, and fiery hair,with a delicate but well-formed body whichstands well over the majority of thepopulation of the kingdom, and whose

charming presence is enough to soothe andcalm the wildest of beasts.

She hasn’t been able to do so lately,though, as she has been unconscious for thelast thirty years, locked in a crystal prisonwhich remains around her bed in a room ontop of the highest tower of Marschenslosscastle. As the legend goes, however, shehasn’t aged one day since the accident, andshe moves once in a while, dangling in theair as if possessed, her long hair waving as itcovers the walls of the crystal box and herpupils fading into an all-blue eye, every timequeen Avarein asks something of her.

BackgroundAfter the death of her father, princessRosenbriar was utterly alone and helplessfrom her stepmother’s machinations. Herstepsister’s treated her like trash, andAvarein turned her into little more than aservant, while she took the mantle of queenand started to rule in place of her father, andthe realm gradually turned from green andjoyful to gray and devoid of happiness.

Time went quickly, and Rosenbriar turnedfrom a young girl into a young woman. Andthat became her undoing. One day, as shetravelled to nearby Dôrnroschen, she foundan old woman who begged her for help inpicking up some goods which had fallen offher cart. In return for her help, the oldwoman offered to read her hand. Rosenbriaraccepted out of curiosity, and received afrightening read: The woman warned herthat the day she would turn 16, herstepmother would try to poison her. Seeingthe fear in her eyes, the old crone suggested asolution: Just before her coronation, shewould go to her cabin in the woods, whichshe would find by following a sequence ofstrict (if somewhat strange) directions.There, the old lady would provide her withan antidote for Avarein’s poison, and once

she was queen, she could finally throw herstepmother out of her ancestral home.

Rosenbriar remembered the crone’s advice,and the night before her 16th birthday, sheslipped into the night with the help of atrusted servant, who took her through theblack forest, following the woman’sdirections. Once there, she knocked at thelady’s door, and she received her, telling herthat her servant could wait outside. She ledher in, and looking into her stuff, handed hera magical peach, urging her to eat it quickly,so it could take effect before the queendelivered her poison. She did it, and hasbeen asleep ever since.

Current SketchInstead of disappearing forever as Avareinhad hoped, princess Rosenbriarunconsciously foiled her elaborate plot byappearing the next morning in the highesttower of Marschenloss castle, where she hasbeen ever since, not having aged a day.

In her current state, she is completely at themercy of her stepmother’s commands, andshe answers to them almost automatically,using her land-given powers to the best ofher ability.

Would she ever regain unconscious again,she would be the rightful queen ofFairhaafen. Throughout the kingdom, thereare hopeful legends of how that would cometo happen, and what would happenafterwards once she would become queen.But all of them are no more than that,legends.

CombatPrincess Rosenbriar doesn’t have directcontrol of her actions, and thus she cannottake direct action against anyone unless sheis ordered to by her stepmother.

Subconsciously, the princess tries to foilAvarein’s commands and to do somethingelse by playing with the wordings of herwishes and taking them too literally or toosubjectively, so the queen’s plans don’tusually end up exactly as planned.

Sounds of the Land (Su): As a member ofthe royal family, princess Rosenbriar canconcentrate in any plant or animal in thekingdom, and hear any noises around it.Usually, the kings and queens of Fairhavenused this power to scan for the opinions oftheir subjects, to search for possible enemiesor traitors, or to overhear the plans of theirenemies. Queen Averein uses this power toget information of those people sheconsiders dangerous for her.

Obedient Nature (Sp): Princess Rosenbriarcan also control climate, cataclysms andeven plants in the kingdom. She may usecommand plants and control weather onceper day, call lightning, ice storm, move earthand sleet storm once per week, and cycloneand earthquake once per month. She mayinvoke any of these powers anywhere in thekingdom, and the effective caster level foreach spell equals 14 + spell level.

Rumors, Legends and Dread PossibilitiesGranny’s Story

The oldest people of Rotkäpcchen remembersomething about a woman who was accusedof witchcraft some 70 years ago. Shemanaged to escape her captors just beforeshe was executed, and promised to takerevenge before she disappeared into theBlack Forest. The forest has not been thesame since then, and some say that thishistorical figure has turned into themysterious “granny” the children talk about.

The Abandoned TowerThere’s a tower amidst the Black Forestwhich has no doors and no stairs, only awindow which opens more than 30 feet fromthe ground. Those who have ventured theretell that there is a beautiful song comingfrom the tower, but no one has been able toguess who lives there. The tower is verysheer, and offers no handholds at all.

The Apple TreeIn some abandoned farm in the plains nearAshenputtel there’s a tree that, even asunattended as it is, gives the most beautifuland desirables apple imaginable. The appleslook so good that they affect onlookers as ifthere was a sympathy spell (Caster level 9)cast on them, and they are highly addictive.It is said that the farm belonged to a manwho wanted to produce the most deliciousapples in the whole kingdom, and that heproduced apples so provocative that he couldnot help but keep eating them until hisstomach exploded.

The Fallen GiantThere’s an enormous grayish rock with avaguely human shape which lies to the eastof Aschenputtel. According to the locals, therock is in fact what remains of an evil butdim-witten giant who used to live in theclouds, and who fell to earth after somebandit stole something from his castle. It issaid that whoever gets hold on thismysterious treasure would be able toreanimate the giant and to take control ofhim.

The Lost ChildIt is said that a human girl lives among thedwarves of Schneewitchen, who found herwandering through the Black Forest anddecided to protect and to raise her as one of theirown. The girl (Female Human, Com 2, LN)lives as a dwarven girl, and the fact that she is get-

ting older and taller at a much faster rate than theother children troubles her.

The Midnight DancersPeople who have ventured into the BlackForest at night have reported that a group oftwelve young girls meet in a clear of theforest in the nights when the moon is full todance. They dance all night, and theirdancing is so beautiful that those who seethem are invariably tempted to join them.When somebody joins their dance, however,the mists rise in a spiral shape from the floor,engulfing the girls and the dancer alike.When the mists dissipate, both the girls andthe dancer have disappeared.

The Night MareA terrible horse runs through the plains ofFairhafen in those nights when the moon isnot seen on the sky, and though many peoplehave heard its thundering gallop and itsscreeching neigh, no one seems to have metit. Legend says that it is the steed of anaccursed knight, and that those who cross itspath are never to be seen again.

The Swan LakeThe swans, frogs and other animals that livein Svaderenen Lake or its fringes behave asif they are more intelligent than other beastsof their kind, and some are even said to beable to speak, though those are most surelyjust old wives’ tales.

Adventure HooksHoodwinked

A young girl from Rotkäppchen hasdisappeared, and her parents are desperatetrying to find her. They fear she has goneinto Black Forest, trying to get to “granny’shouse”. They have to stop her at all costsbefore she gets to “Granny’s”, and before she

is intercepted by the terrible wolf that lurksthe forest.

HushnikvoltnikzThe PCs are contacted by a desperate noblemother who lost his firstborn. She tells themthat a little gnome (Male Gnome, Wizard 4,Rogue 5, Arcane Trickster 3, LE) kidnappedhim and took him into the forest. As thecharacters advance on their quest, they getinvolved in the endless schemes and mindgames of the little man, and as they approachtheir objective, they discover that thenoblewoman promised his firstborn child tothe creature in exchange for some dark favor.

The Dormant TownUpon entering the town of Dornröschen, thecharacters feel how the people in town seemto express no feelings whatsoever. Wheninvestigating, they discover that the lack ofemotion comes from the feeding of a greyjester who seems to be in the service of thequeen, having exchanged a promise ofservitude to her for her authorization to usethe town as his feeding grounds. As theystart narrowing their search, however, itbecomes obvious how the jester is in totalcontrol of all those bleaked ones.

The Magical FluteAn important businessman in Aschenputtelhires the PCs to recover a magical flutewhich was stolen from his store, telling themhe has news about it having been seensomewhere else in the demiplane. Aftergoing on in the quest and bringing the fluteback to their employer, he hurries up to getto the giant rock, and using the flute to wakethe giant golem, and controlling them todestroy his enemies, unless the PCs are ableto stop him.

The Obsessive PrincessQueen Avarein’s daughters have a knack forusing their influence over the queen to get

anything they want. When they see the PCsin the town of Aschenputtel, Brunhild gets acrush for the most attractive or charismaticof them, and starts trying to get his attention,at first by seemingly orthodox methods(Flirting, sending him letters andinvitations), and later by more unorthodoxones (Charming him, sending the guards tocatch him, etc.).

The Queen’s PalaceThe characters are hired by count Lothar toinfiltrate castle Marschensloss and rescue hisson. He also wants them to murder QueenAvarein and her dormant step-sister, but he issmart enough not to imply this if thecharacters don’t seem to be able to ignoretheir consciences for a few extra gold pieces.

The Hobby's Ghost-PipesPiper of Stonedown

By Sharon of the FraternitySharon@fraternityofshadows.com

"…aye, I recollects the Hobby … me Da tolme o' him, aye … in spring, in plantin'-time,afore the fields be sown, we pipes an' dancesfer the Hobby's pleasin' … likes good dan-cin', Hobby does, a powerful fondness has hefer dancin'… calls the stones, the Hobbydoes, calls 'em up from the fields, leaves thesoil all cleared an' fit fer plantin', t'bethankin' us fer so merry a dance … but Dasaid s'gotta be good dancin', mind ye …dance ye poorly, ol' Hobby might just take ofa mind t'call the stone t'ye…"

- Josiah Withers, late of Stonedown, insenile deathbed ramblings to his city-bornheirs

Of all the farmland which the nation ofZherisia lost to the Great Upheaval, that ofthe sleepy, bucolic parish of Stonedown wasleast missed. A rocky, rugged strip on thesouthwestern rim of the domain, it seemedlike a terrible place to grow crops, its earthriddled with plow-blunting rocks andimmovable boulders. Yet despite theseobstacles, the farmers of Stonedownmanaged to feed their families, for they had asecret ally whose annual visits made this

unforgiving corner of the realm arable … atleast, so long as the visitant's yen forentertainment was appeased.

A sylvan fey with a mystical affinity forstones and earth, whose presence inStonedown pre-dated Zherisia'sincorporation into the Land of Mists, the"Hobby" had lived in quiet symbiosis withlocal farmers for generations. Thoughreclusive and mysterious, spending most ofthe year melded with the rock ofStonedown's rugged terrain, the Hobbyadored dancing, particularly the Morrisdances of the nearby humans. Each spring,farm families would gather to dance for theHobby's amusement. A special double-reedstone flute, nicknamed the "Ghost-Pipes" forits haunting sound, would signal the creatureto emerge from the earth and spy on theproceedings from a nearby bush. If satisfiedby their performance in his honor, the Hobbywould reward the dancers using his own feytalents, by magically clearing rocks fromtheir stone-riddled fields. Well aware thatthe territorial fey cherished his privacy, theprudent farmers kept the Hobby's existence asecret from outsiders.

Stonedown disappeared into the Mistsduring the Great Upheaval, and the Hobbywas assumed lost along with the parish bythose few Stonedowners who'd been tradingin Paridon at the time, and not vanishedthemselves. This was not the case. Whilethe Hobby had only appeared in Stonedown,the sylvan fey's eldritch affinity with stonehad actually permeated the bedrock of allZherisia, Paridon included. When thedomain's borders contracted, the Hobby'sdispersed essence retracted into the rockunder the city. When Timor later attached toParidon from below, the disembodied feyretreated yet again, his essence sandwichedbetween the surface and the Hive Queen'srealm.

The Hobby's displacement fromStonedown had weakened his powers, andbarred him from physically leaving thebedrock. Timor's arrival compressed hisessence, yet again… enough so that, overtime, he has concentrated his power andmustered the strength to expel one of his fewpersonal possessions into an emptybasement, somewhere in Paridon. This item- a leather pouch containing locks of theHobby's hair, a pair of shepherd's shears, andhis own set of Ghost-Pipes - he hopes willone day serve to guide him back to the worldabove.

The Ghost-PipesBoth Ghost-Pipes - the ones from theHobby's pouch, and the set swallowed up bythe Mists with Stonedown - consist of a pairof flutes set side by side, one longer andnarrower than the other. They resembleinstruments used in seasonal celebrations inthe countryside of pre-Upheaval Zherisia,most often as an accompaniment to Morrisdancing. The Pipes are crafted from smoothgray stone rather than wood, metal, or horn,however, and appear to have been moldedinstead of carved. The reeds within are

slivers of oak, originally shaved from theHobby's own cudgel. The Ghost-Pipesappear hundreds if not thousands of yearsold. They radiate Conjuration (calling)magic, but only during the old Zherisianplanting season.

The Ghost-Pipes: Strong conjuration (inspring only); CL 16th; Craft Wondrous Item,summon monster VI, creator must be a feywith the Earth subtype; Price 7,500 gp.

The Hobby cannot actually make Ghost-Pipes, but can repair them with his inherentpowers.

While the Ghost-Pipes may be playednormally (and safely) at other times of year,or for other styles of music, sounding atraditional Zherisian folk-dance tune onthem in the springtime, anywhere in Paridon,will call the Hobby up from the ground.Unfortunately, this once-mollifiable fey is nolonger so tolerant of humans: as a spirit ofthe green countryside, he'll be appalled bythe urban "blight" that is Paridon, inclined toraze it all down to clean, bare earth and letthe sprawl-smothered landscape breatheagain. Once summoned, the Hobby willgawk in horror at his surroundings, then runoff to wreak havoc on Paridon's buildingsusing his earth-magics until his power runsout, before sinking back into the bedrock indisgust.

The fey won't deliberately target humans inthese attacks, but he won't avoid harmingthem, either. Collapsing an occupiedbuilding is not beyond his power, nor isturning the street to mud in the path of a fast-moving carriage. Should the Hobby chanceupon active outrages to the landscape inprogress, such as construction-work, he willlash out at such offenders directly. Unless heneeds to elude pursuers, the Hobby willmake no attempt to conceal his appearanceor activities from bystanders, so may wellrouse panic and chaos as he runs amok.

Should he be summoned to a relatively-green area, such as a private estate's grounds,the Hobby will be less volatile, and mightdeign to parley with humans. Hecommunicates through pantomime andanimal-noises, but can understand bothZherisian and Sylvan. His "conversation" islimited to expressions of outrage and pique,peppered with crude or derogatory gesturesand bursts of hoof-footed capering; he jabspeople with his cudgel to get their attention,spits in disgust when Paridon's urbanizationis mentioned, and is generally obnoxious andill-mannered. The Hobby lacks patiencewith other beings in general and humans inparticular, and may well lose his temper infrustration, or simply provoke a fight out ofboredom with talking. He does have a senseof humor, albeit earthy and uncouth by theCore's standards, let along Zherisia's.

Whatever his actions on the surface, theHobby will inevitably return to the stonefrom whence he came. He'll be back,however, sending his pouch to the surfaceagain next spring: once aware of the dismalstate of the terrain above, he won't care toremain below the city-suffocated earth, forlong.

DM Tip: Playing the HobbyIn keeping with the confusion andstrangeness of fey encounters, game mastersshould go all-out when depicting theHobby's animalistic behavior. During in-character 'conversations' with PCs, refuse toanswer players' questions in words, only inbarks, yips, squeals, rooster-crows anddonkey-brays. Muss your hair and scarfdown huge fistfuls of chips, spraying crumbseverywhere, as you gesture with mad, feralenthusiasm. Chew up the scenery withclownish facial expressions; blowraspberries, feigned slaps, or kisses at yourgaming buddies … in short, ham it up!

Dancing for the HobbyIf the Hobby should be called at an actualdance, and not merely by the Pipes' music,his response to his arrival on the surface isdifferent. If the dance is accurate (i.e. atraditional Zherisian folk-dance), he'llcalmly and critically watch the performance.It only takes a DC 10 Perform (dance) checkby all participants to keep him watching, anda DC 15 check will satisfy the fey's tasteenough that he'll applaud approvingly, thenreturn to earth without inflicting any harm.A Perform (dance) check of 25 or higher byany individual dancer also earns thatparticipant a reward: a lock of the Hobby'stangled hair. Unless the piper beats a DC 20Perform (wind instruments) check, theHobby will snatch up the Ghost-Pipes beforereturning to the bedrock, satisfied.

Should the Ghost-Pipes ever call theHobby to an inaccurate rendition of atraditional folk-dance - a style of dancingwhich, just recently, has been sweeping theelite ballrooms of Zherisia - then the Hobbywill punish this mockery of country custom,again in proportion to its quality. If the falsedancers' Perform check beats a DC of 20, theHobby will merely attack physically,punching or kicking a few dancers, thensmashing the Ghost-Pipes with his cudgelbefore vanishing into the ground with thebroken Pipes.

If the performers' efforts only beat a DC 15Perform check, the Hobby unleashes hisstone-controlling powers to demolish thebuilding (indoors) or pelt the offendingdancers with animated rocks (outdoors), thenrampages through Paridon wrecking thingsas per above. If the dancers fail even to beata DC of 10, he entangles them in hair-trapsfirst, then brings the roof down on top ofthem.

Should any individual performers, eitherdancers or piper, truly disgrace themselvesbefore the Hobby, missing a DC of 5 on a

Perform check, the insulted sylvan feyinvokes his Dancer's Bane power on theoffenders. This is both a spell-like abilityand a Ravenloft curse, so its petrification-effect cannot be reversed by the usualmethods. It will automatically last for acentury and a day, unless the Hobby (orperhaps another korred) can be persuaded todismiss the effect sooner. Fortunately, theHobby is only capable of invoking thispower upon those who have - as he sees it -failed to fulfill the Stonedowners' pact bysubjecting him to such a miserableperformance.

It is because of this power thatStonedown's farmers always practiced theirdance-steps very thoroughly, before takingpart in their annual spring dance-ritual….

The HobbyThe Hobby is a korred, a faun-like feymetaphysically linked to earth and rock. Heresembles a short, brawny version of a satyr,standing barely 3' tall on his salt-and-pepper-furred goat legs and cloven hooves. Hisupper body is as tanned as a farmer's and asstocky as a dwarf's, with hairy, muscularforearms and hands. If he has horns like asatyr, they're buried out of sight in his thickmane of wild black hair, which merges withhis equally-frazzled beard, sideburns andmustache. Only his brow, cheekbones, feralall-black eyes, and feline ears peek out fromthis scruffy black shag. To cap it off, he'susually quite grimy with dirt and smells likea goat shed.

The Hobby never speaks, but growls,grunts, yips or bays like an animal. When hegrins or laughs aloud, pointy wolfish teethgleam through his thick facial hair. Despitehis small stature, the Hobby is fast as a manand as strong as stone itself: he hurls rocks ofup to Tiny size as weapons, and easily

carries and manipulates items proportionedfor humans.

Always at the Hobby's side is his cudgel, astout rough-hewn oaken club as tall as he is;he no longer has his belt-pouch, though he'llreclaim it should he chance upon it inParidon. Lacking his pouch and shears, theHobby bites off locks of his hair and tiesthem around his wrists to keep them handy.The fey employs such hair-locks to invokehis entangle spell-like ability, throwing themup to 30 feet as a move action and thencausing the tangled hair to animate,ensnaring his opponents. He also gives thesetufts of hair away to dancers who impresshim.

Most Zherisians don't know it, but theHobby's hair-locks transform into pure gold(200 + 5d20 gp per lock) if they aresprinkled with holy water. A DC 30Knowledge (local) check or domain-specificbardic knowledge check can uncover thistidbit of rustic folklore, and native-bornStonedowners old enough to recall it can alsoreveal that fact. This property only appliesto locks of hair which were willingly clippedby the fey himself, not those forcibly shornfrom his body.

Though initially unfamiliar with Paridon'surban environment, the Hobby is an elusivelittle menace, used to hiding among therugged bluffs of Stonedown. He readilyadapts, clambering up walls, wrigglingbetween bars of sewer-grates, or leapingbetween the rooftops to keep out of reach.He prefers to stick close to rocks or stoneslabs big enough for him to hide inside. Ifchased by enemies he doesn't fear - which,unless and until he suffers a grave injury attheir hands, includes all humans - the Hobbyreacts to pursuers like a dog playing keep-away: yipping, strutting, and otherwisetaunting foes on the verge of giving up,chortling with glee as he prolongs the chase.

The Hobby CR 6Male korred

CN Small fey (earth)

Init +1; Senses Listen +10, Spot +7

Languages understands Sylvan, Zherisian;does not speak

AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 14; Dodge

(Dex +1, size +1, natural +3)

hp 48 (7 HD); DR 10/magic or ice

Immune electricity, stone weapons

Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +7

Weakness cracked mirrors, dance fascination,sod paralysis

Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)

Melee mwk cudgel +10 (1d6+5) or

Ranged thrown rock +5 (2d6+5)

Base Atk +3; Grp +8

Atk Options Improved Sunder, Power Attack

Special Actions dancer’s bane, stunninglaughter

Spell-Like Abilities (save DC 16 + spell level;CL 7th):

3/day – entangle, magic stone (up to T-sizedstones), shatter (stone only)

1/day – soften earth and stone, spike stones,stone shape

1/day (either one) – animate objects (stoneonly), move earth, stone tell

Abilities Str 20, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 9, Wis14, Cha 15

SQ powerful build, stonemelding, stone sleep

Feats Dodge, Improved Sunder, Power Attack

Skills Balance +10*, Climb +13*, EscapeArtist +6, Hide +11, Jump +12*, Listen +10*,Perform (dance) +9*, Spot +7, Tumble +9

Bones of Stone (Ex): The Hobby's bondwith earth and stone gives him the samePowerful Build special quality as a goliath(Races of Stone). He is treated as Mediumfor purposes of size modifiers in cases whereMedium size would be to his advantage (bullrushes, trip attacks, etc), or as Small wherethat is preferable (Hide checks, AC, etc).The Hobby can use Medium-sized weaponsas if he were man-sized, and can throwstones of up to Tiny size as if he were a hillgiant.

Dancer's Bane (Su)1: Usable only againstthose who, in the Hobby's opinion, havewoefully failed at performing for hisamusement, this dreadful curse petrifies itstarget as if by a flesh to stone spell. It is notcorrectable by stone to flesh, breakenchantment, or other conventionalremedies. The effect lasts for 100 years plusone day, or until the Hobby is appeased(which the Stonedowners never figured outhow to do). It otherwise functions like fleshto stone, save that the saving throw (DC 16)is a Reflex save, not Fortitude. (It's clumsyfootwork that the Hobby is punishing, afterall!)

Stonemelding (Su): At will, the Hobbycan step into any mass of natural or human-worked stone of his own size or larger,remaining within the rock as long as hechooses, and leaving it at any contiguouspoint along a given stone's surface. Forexample, if he melds with the walls of atunnel through solid bedrock, he couldemerge again at any point along that tunnel,but not inside another, unconnected tunnelrunning parallel to the first. Such transitbetween entry- and exit-points on a stonetakes one standard action, regardless of

1. Dancer’s Bane is unique to the Hobby, an ability this ancient fey acquired when Stonedown became part of the Land of Mists. Tales of korreds from other worlds will not mention this power.

intervening distance. This ability otherwiseworks like the meld into stone spell.

Stone Sleep (Su): If wounded, tired, ormerely fed up, the Hobby may merge withthe bedrock of Paridon via his stonemeldingpower, dispersing his essence through theground. After 8 hours dispersed, the feybegins to draw upon earth-power to healhimself, gaining the benefits of fast healing5. Every 24 hours after that, the Hobby alsobenefits as if from a restoration spell. Ifslain, the Hobby's essence likewise retreatsbeneath the ground, to remain there,recuperating and unconscious, for ten years'time.

Note that finding exposed bedrock tomerge with may prove difficult in Paridon,forcing the Hobby to invade private houses'cellars or pitch cobblestones aside to bare it.Merging with the bedrock when slain isautomatic and requires no such access tobare stone.

Stunning Laughter (Su): Three times perday, the Hobby can laugh out loud, affectingall listeners in a 60' radius (even allies).Anyone within range who hears his laughmust make Fortitude saves (DC 16) or bestaggered for 1d4 rounds. Those whosucceed are dazed for 1 round. This is asupernatural, sonic effect, used by the Hobbyto buy time to flee and/or disarm hisopponents, or just for the hell of it.

Weaknesses: The Hobby is vulnerable toweapons made of ice - Nature's rock-breaker- including metal weapons affected by a chillmetal spell or otherwise rimed with frost. Ina similar vein, the Hobby is repelled, muchlike a vampire, on seeing his own fracturedreflection in a cracked (but only a cracked)mirror.

If this sylvan fey can be kept still longenough, laying a strip of living sod across hischest with the roots against his skin acts toimmobilize him for as long as the grassremains fresh and healthy.

Finally, if an opponent thinks to make aPerform (dance) check to captivate thekorred's attention in melee, this is treated likea Bluff check to feint against him in combat… but if the opponent's Perform check resultis less than 5, the Hobby also gains theoption of invoking his Dancer's Bane poweragainst that opponent.

Skills: *The Hobby receives a +2 racialbonus on Balance, Climb, Jump, Listen, andPerform (dance) checks.

Adventure Hooks• A poor beggar-woman in Blackchapel

finds the Hobby's belt-pouch in an alley, sells the Ghost-Pipes and shears, then uses the hair-locks to stuff a rag doll for her daughter. The Pipes fall into the hands of a scholar who knows the Stonedowners' leg-end, and he recognizes their importance. Greedy for gold, the buyer searches the slums for the beggar-woman and the pouch's contents.

• A Stonedowner employed on a rooftop farm tells his co-workers of the Hobby, but was too young at the time of the Upheaval to recall all the details. Misled by his poorly-remembered stories, they search for the Ghost-Pipes, thinking the fey can be controlled and forced to make their crops prosper.

• This year's Grand Ball in King's Quarter will feature a theme of Traditions of Long Ago, commemorating Zherisian culture over centuries past. Performers of tradi-tional music and dance are recruited from throughout the city, and the leading politi-cians, alchemists, and celebrities of Pari-don's upper crust will all be there for the ceremonial Spring Equinox dance (edited for mixed company, of course). One of the hired musicians recently acquired an unusual set of pipes that will be perfect for the gala event.

• Called up into the city one spring, the Hobby overhears a secret gathering of the Zherisian Brothers of the Land. The sabo-teurs' anti-technology rhetoric convinces the fey to linger aboveground a while, covertly assisting their campaign of van-dalism.

• In the Metropolitan's art gallery, a valuable statue, Dancing Maiden, has vanished! The lone suspect, a young woman with an archaic rural accent, was arrested on the premises and thrown in prison. If her story of dancing in a Stonedown village ritual a century ago cannot be substantiated, she may be hanged as a thief's accomplice.

• Druids from the Core learn of the Hobby's existence, and resolve to remove the fey from the inhospitable city. For their plan to succeed, the fey must be contacted and convinced to abandon his home of count-less centuries, then sent into hibernation within a stone monolith that can be carried across the Mists to the continent.

The Northwest Train LineA Bit of Alternate History

By Eleanor Ferronisabellepesovich@yahoo.com

Benjamin Oakes wiped the sweat from hisbrow as he looked over the train one moretime. Every train departure never failed tomake him nervous. There had yet to be amajor hitch with the train line since theLamplighter, and damned if he would be theone on the job if there ever was. The noblescomplained enough about all the littleproblems as is.

“What happened to those cargo cars wewere supposed to load?” he demanded ofGerard, who happened to be passing by.

“Do you have to ask? They were goingthrough Borca,” the Richemuloise manreplied, contempt obvious in his voice. “Thewasps got to the train.”

Oakes groaned. “La Grande Dame isgoing to be furious. That was the No. 4.”

“Just as well we’re leaving the country,then!” Gerard said, hopping onto the traincar. He offered his hand to Oakes. “Hurry,Ben, it’s Niklaus conducting. He’d leave theentire Renier family standing at the station ifwaiting for them would make him late.”

“Hold on…” Oakes paused, one foot in thetrain, as he caught sight of a colourful figureslipping into one of the cars. “That bloodygypsy is back!”

“Let him ride! Get on!” The wiry mancaught hold of Oakes, half-dragging him

onto the train as it began to move. “HeyNiklaus, be more careful!” Gerard calleddown the car. “You nearly yanked Ben rightoff the platform!”

“The train leaves at 5:15 exactly,” theLamordian replied. He didn’t bother to lookback from his controls.

Gerard shook his head. “Cold as ice.”“He’ll thaw out,” Oakes said. “I hope.”

He watched out the window as steam pouredfrom the engine, forming its own cloud ofmist as it sped out across the country…

The Northwest Train LineThe North-West Train Line runs through theFour Towers Nations of the Core, as well asLamordia and Darkon. Beginning at theSebrenocht Station in Levkarest, Borca, itheads west through Liberty Station in Pont-a-Museau, Richemulot, and Hope's EndStation in Hope's End, Mordent. It thenheads north to Grand Tower Station in Port-a-Lucine, Dementlieu, NeufurchtenburgBahnhof in Neufurchtenburg, Lamordia, andends at King's Crossing in Rivalis, Darkon.

HistoryThe idea for the train locomotive wasenvisioned by Henry Tyrell, an engineer

from Paridon who held a fascination withsteam power. Given that there was nointerest or room for a railway in Paridon, hetook his idea and working engine to theCore, hoping to find someone to fund hisproject. In a bout of extremely good luck,Ivan Dilisnya caught word of the idea andwas instantly enamoured of it. With theTreaty of the Four Towers being finalized,Ivan convinced the other treaty-signers tobuild the railway through each country,citing the economic and military benefits thetrain line could provide. All four nationscontributed to building the Northwest Lineas a powerful symbol of their alliance, andTyrell's engine was built into the first train,the Whitecastle, which departed from Port-a-Lucine amid great fanfare. After this firstsuccessful journey, four new trains werecommissioned in honour of each country inthe treaty: the Quicksilver from Borca (No.2), the Celeste from Dementlieu (No. 3), theLittle Bird from Richemulot (No. 4), and theLamplighter from Mordent (No. 5).

The railway was not built without a fewhitches; one of the major problems was thelack of trained engineers in the less

industrialized nations. Tyrell was pulled thinby all of the various engineering challengeshe was called upon to adjudicate, such asbuilding the railway over the Musarde River.Fortunately, his second stroke of good luckcame in the form of a group of Lamordianengineers from Neufurchtenburg, who hadbeen considering locomotive technology oftheir own for helping their miningoperations. They offered their assistance onthe condition that the railway extend intoLamordia. Pressed for time and budget,Tyrell agreed; he quickly discovered theFour Towers were not as keen on the idea ashe was, and thus carried out the rest of thedeal in secret. In one of the greatest feats ofengineering history, the Lamordianengineers managed to lay down their lengthof track in less than two weeks. The Councilof Brilliance was unaware of anything amissuntil the Lamordian line had stretched downinto Dementlieu and been connected underthe guise of fixing one of the station's brokentracks. In order to save face, the Council leftthe tracks in place, but Tyrell was less theneager to return to the Four Tower nationsafter his subterfuge was discovered.

The Ghost TrainNo one knows exactly what caused the Lamplighter to vanish on its fateful trip through themists; perhaps Thomas Fields performed some truly dreadful act in his desperation to completethe locomotive, perhaps there was a latent curse upon his family line, or perhaps it was the darkattention of powers beyond his control. Whatever the reason, the Lamplighter still appearsfrom time to time, no longer needing tracks to make its journeys through the mists. The onlyplace the Lamplighter can never appear is the Grand Tower Station in Dementlieu. It ispossible that if the Ghost Train were ever to reach Grand Tower Station, the ghostly apparitionwould vanish forever.

The Ghost Train offers a myriad of options for the GM:Quick Travel

The No. 5 has a habit of showing up in odd places. For a GM who wishes to use a domain thatis not easily accessible, the Ghost Train provides a method of taking them there. The PCs mayunwittingly climb aboard a midnight train, unaware that the locomotive is not of this world,and find their destination to be a different one than what they expected. On the other hand, thePCs may find themselves in need of quick transportation to somewhere secluded, and have tohunt down the Ghost Train purposefully. It is not likely to be a safe trip, but the time saved mayoutweigh the risks.

The Ghost Train also serves another purpose; a quick escape from a secluded domain. PCsunfortunate enough to find themselves in the Nightmare Lands, Bluetspur, or even domainslike Saragoss, might find the Train their only hope of escape, though the price of boarding themysterious Train may be very steep indeed.

An Audience with the DeadIt is possible the Lamplighter now acts as a psychopomp, ushering dead souls onto whateverawaits them, or perhaps it contains the ghosts of all those unfortunates who boarded the GhostTrain and never got off. Either way, the PCs may find themselves in need of information longsince forgotten by mortal minds, and the Ghost Train may contain someone who could helpthem in their quest.

A Bittersweet Farewell… or a Desperate Gamble If the Ghost Train does carry departed souls, it may offer one final, bittersweet farewell to alost friend or family member. To some, the chance to say goodbye one last time would beworth whatever risks the Train offers. However, to some, even this is not enough; the Trainoffers a chance to steal a loved one back from death. Whether taking a dead soul from the Trainbrings them back to life or traps them forever as a ghost is unknown, but the chance is enoughfor some to try, despite the difficulty of convincing the conductor to let them go.

Escape From the MistsFor the truly daring, the Train might present a way to escape the Domain of Dread, or plungedeeper into it. No one really knows what happens when the Train vanishes back into the Mists,and those who stay on board to discover it are unlikely to ever return, one way or another.

The Lamordians proved less fanciful whennaming their trains, granting one the title ofAubrecker and referring to all others by thetrain number. Though they are still primarilyused for the steel and coal mines inNeufurchtenburg, it is not unusual forpassengers to take the train if it is on theirroute. The train tracks were soon extended toRivalis, Darkon's gateway town toLamordia, with the help of some Dwarvenengineers.

The Midnight Express The last of the four trains to be completed,the No. 5 suffered setbacks due to the lack ofurbanized centers in Mordent. The townsfolkwere unwilling to build the train line throughthe Forest of the Ancients or over the GreatMoor, requiring the labour to move out to theremote location of Hope's End. Theimpending completion of the train promptedsome amusement from the other treatymembers, who openly commented on howbehind schedule the train was. The engineerin charge of the project, Thomas Fields, wasgreatly irritated by the jokes at his expense,

and as soon as the train was completed heordered it to start its journey to Grand TowerStation.

The Lamplighter pulled out of Hope's Endat the stroke of midnight, gaining it thenickname "Midnight Express" from theworkers, and sped through the fog chokedwoods towards its destination.

The No. 5 Lamplighter never reachedDementlieu. Though a thoroughinvestigation was launched by both Mordentand Dementlieu, no trace of the train wasever found. The populous was taken abackby this inexplicable occurrence, and the trainline suffered until the Council of Brilliancepublicly built a new train in honour ofMordent; the No. 6 Gryphon. To this date,there have been no further incidents with therailway, although superstition prevents anytrain conductor from ever leaving the stationat midnight.

It is rumoured the Midnight Expressreappears from time to time, often insecluded areas where no train station ortracks ought to be. Very few Mordentish folkare foolhardy enough to go near the No. 5when it reappears, and those who enter it areseldom seen again.

Current Sketch The train line has been surprisinglysuccessful at connecting the Four Towers,even lonely Mordent. People can now reachthe other countries in a matter of days, notweeks, and the massive carrying loads of thetrain have caused trade to thrive. The trainhas become a status symbol to some, whoflaunt their affluence by constant trips cross-country. There are also poorer patrons of thetrains; vagrants and travellers who hide inthe cargo cars. Most notable is a small groupof Vistani who have abandoned theirtraditional wagons in favour of jumping carson the trains.

That is not to say that the train line doesnot have his share of problems. Borcacharges unreasonable prices for a train ticket,along with heavy taxes on any cargo takeninto or out of the country. The Borcan trainsare also notoriously late, as they are oftenshut down and searched by authorities, andIvan has been known to hijack the trainentirely to cater to his mercurial whims. Thepeople of Richemulot are endlessly annoyedby this, though the slowdown of the train linemight do them some good; if anything, it hasincreased the number of immigrants toRichemulot, filling up Pont-a-Museaualmost faster than it can handle. The railwaybridge over the Musarde River is still a pointof concern for many people, who fear it mayone day give out and collapse into the water.The train station in Mordent remainssecluded and rarely used; Ezra help anyonewho has not arranged for a carriage to meetthem at the station before they arrive. Andthough the Lamordian trains headingthrough the mountains of Neufurchtenburgduring the winter are brilliantly kept runningby their engineers, the occasional avalanchestill poses a hazard.

There are human dangers to the train aswell. Though the Four Towers vie with eachother for influence over the railway, it is afriendly rivalry on the surface. But there aremany organizations, including some of thetreaty signers and railway builders, who seekto subvert the railway to their own causes.Mallochio Adere has taken offence to therailway not including Invidia, regardless ofthe fact he had no interest in locomotivetechnology in the first place, and has becomemore aggressive in his dealings as a result.Falkovnia, on the other hand, is openlyseeking to sabotage and destroy the rail line.Drakov's aides have realized the potential ofthe train line and the warlord himself viewsthe train as a threat.

Train Slang Nightside: East (towards the Nocturnal Sea)

Sorrowside: West (towards the Sea ofSorrows)

Bridge Trolls: Borcan authorities who stopand tax trains on a regular basis.

Glassy/Glass Vase: A person who is afraid oftrains and is very uncomfortable riding inone.

Jaunty: People who use the train constantly,taking quick 'jaunts'. Usually young andwealthy.

Wasp: Someone who ties the train up and isgenerally a nuisance. Usually refers to IvanDilisnya.

Running on Borcan Time: Very late.

Running on Mordent Time: The train hashad an accident.

Transferred to No. 5: Dead or Missing.

Mountain Boys: Dwarven Engineers.

Snow Boys: Lamordian Engineers.

Snowed Under: Hoodwinked

Sideshow GamesA Short Story

By Tami Sammons aka Hadis DeadstalkerOllivanderGryffon@gmail.com

Prelude: Evening ShadowThe attraction of the virtuoso for the publicis very like that of the circus for the crowd.

There is always the hope that something dan-gerous will happen.

Claude Debussy French composer

Professor Pacali stepped from the Hall ofHorrors. It was between shows, so he hadtime. Tenira, the Squid Woman, followedhim.

Pacali leaned in close. “It’s time. Find herand bring her to me,” he said. There was asinister smile on his face and an unnaturalgrowl to his voice.

“Yes, Professor,” she said walking towardthe Midway.

Pacali waited patiently, rubbing his handstogether.

* * *

Isolde walked around the midway, sword ather side. She nodded at the Troupers as shepassed. She surveyed the Townies. Mostwere having fun, enjoying the attractions.But some, were horrified. Even the Fates

Three, Leer, Pry, and Scream, acted out thehorror in their minds. There was an air, thatdisturbed her, but she just couldn’t put herfinger on it. Something was really wrong.

There was an incident earlier. One of theTownies attacked Mola, the Living Skeleton.He was apparently an Arcanist who wantedto rid the world of this “Undead horror.” Sothe warriors among the Troupers werewalking around and watching the moreunusual of the Troupers, all with weapons attheir side; at Isolde’s request. And Mola wasout of site. As much as they all wanted to,they couldn’t leave just yet. One more dayand they’d have the money they’d needed toget their supplies in the next town.

Suddenly Tindal ran up to Isolde. “Isolde, there’s a group of soldiers coming

from town.”“How many?” “At least a dozen. Maybe Amelia can find

out for sure.”“Amelia!” called Isolde.They both walked toward the front gate.

* * *

Pacali heard a ruckus in the direction of theentrance. He saw a Trouper running in thatdirection.

“What is wrong?” Pacali called to him.“There are soldiers coming from the

town.” He yelled not stopping.“It’s all coming together.” Pacali smiled

and walked into the Hall.

* * *

Isolde reached the entrance. Hermos stoodthere waiting. She saw the soldiers. Amelialanded by her.

“Amelia, how many soldiers are there?”“I’ll find out.” Amelia took to the air. Isolde turned to Hermos and Tindal.

“Ready for a fight? Cause it looks like wemight have one.”

“Maybe we should have left anyway,”Tindal said.

“True. No amount of money is worth afight,” Isolde said putting her hand on thehilt of her sword. “But it’s a little late now.”

* * *

Pacali left the Hall. He stood watching inthe direction of the Carnival entrance. Hesaw Amelia take to the sky.

She’s going to survey the soldiers, Pacalithought.

The Runt walked up to Pacali from theMidway. He felt something wasn’t quiteright. He saw the look on Pacali’s face, themanner in which he waited, staring out at theMidway. He knew Pacali was going to dosomething. It had to do with those pieces hebrought back from his sabbaticals. Theyalmost looked like cage walls. And Pacaliwouldn’t let him into the Hall’s back area allday. Then he saw it, Tenira running towardthem with Isolde’s sword. He stepped from

Pacali’s side and ran between the vardos. Heneeded help.

* * *

Lucian stood across from Mola’s wagon.Even though she hadn’t gone on stage sincethe incident with the Townie, he felt sheneeded watching, and Isolde agreed. He felta tug at his pant leg. He looked down to seethe Runt.

“Is something wrong?” Lucian asked,knowing there would be no answer. “Is itmore important than watching Mola?”

The Runt started walking away, looking athim.

“Lead on,” Lucian said.The Runt moved quickly toward the Hall.

They passed the Organ Grinder playing hismusic. A dozen Creeplings danced abouthim. His back was to them. The Runt pointedto him.

“Organ Grinder,” Lucian called.The Organ Grinder turned to look at them.

He did not stop playing.“Something’s wrong,” Lucian said.The tone of the music instantly changed.

And Lucian noticed. Then there was a high pitched shriek from

the direction of the Hall of Horrors and theground shook.

“Isolde!” Lucian screamed. He and theRunt broke into a run.

Screams continued in the direction of theHall. The ground shook again.

A Pickled Punk ran past Lucian and theRunt. Lucian nearly tripped trying to avoidit. But that was not his concern right now.

Lucian reached the Hall before the Runt.But he could not enter. Something blockedhis way. It was one of the Abominations.And there were more screams from the Hall.

Tenira ran from the Hall’s side entrance,followed by Charlotte.

More Pickled Punks raced about. TwistedTroupers and Townies ran about screaming.Lucian didn’t know them. They lookedtwisted, more so than usual, newly twisted.They ran into him and the Runt knocking theRunt to the ground.

Lucian grabbed Tenira’s arm as she ranpast stopping her progress.

“What happened?” Lucian screamed at her.“Pacali was wrong. She’s not a demon,”

she cried, tears running down her face.“I could have told you that. What has he

done to her?”“She’s in a cage he made, and he has her

sword.”“How did he get it?”She shook her head.“HOW!?!” “Tenira took it from her,” Charlotte said.“Get it back to her,” Lucian shook her arm.“I, I,” she stuttered.“Make this right and I will try to help you

later,” Lucian said, “Go, NOW!” He pushedher toward the Hall.

The Abomination approached, slowly, fivetentacles flailing. Another Abominationcame out of the Hall. It had threeinterlocking jaws and boneless legs.

More screams. And not all of them camefrom the Hall. The ground shook.

Lucian drew his longsword and attachedthe tentacled Abomination.

“Charlotte, get help,” Lucian said, lungingforward. “Runt get out of the way.”

Charlotte ran. The Runt was already gone.Lucian’s longsword glinted in the late

evening sun. He ducked and dodged thetentacles. One tentacle fell to the ground.

The Abomination screamed. The groundshook.

Lucian swung his sword with precision.But as a second tentacle fell to the ground, henoticed the stump from the last severedtentacle starting to regrow. Regeneration, hethought. Damn it.

Several daggers flew into the creature.Without looking he knew it was the BladeBrothers.

“Take the other one,” Lucian called. “I’vegot this one. This one regenerates. That oneprobably will also. Charlotte!”

Lucian swung at another tentacle.“Here!” she called. “Stay back. This thing’s got a reach. These

things regenerate. Get something flammable.We’ll need you to light them on fire once weget them under control.”

“Got it,” Charlotte replied and ran offtoward the Cookhouse.

Immediately blades flew at the secondAbomination. The Brothers moved into aflanking position, but close enough so theycould see each other.

Lucian’s sword cut through the air, cutthrough the Abomination. Another tentaclefell. The Abomination screamed. The groundshook. Screams came from the Hall.

Lucian and the Brothers heard a voice fromabove. “A group of soldier’s are approachingfrom the town,” Amelia’s voice called down.“Isolde was going to get Troupers to help,but Tenira took her sword and ran before shecould. What do I do?”

More blades flew at the secondAbomination. The Brothers seemed to havean endless amount of daggers. Or perhaps itwas just them throwing the same ones backand forth to each other. Like they’re knownfor.

“Get anyone who can fight,” Lucian called.Another tentacle fell. The ground shook. “Ifthey attack, fight back.”

The Brothers’ daggers flew. Blood flowed freely.Screams came from the Hall.Both Abominations screamed. The ground shook.“Where’s Isolde?” Amelia called.“Trapped by Pacali. She can’t help.”“All the Abominations are loose,” Amelia

called.“Go get the others ready.”Amelia flew off. “Clem! Clem! Ready for

a Clem!”“Damn it Pacali,” Lucian spat.Daggers flew. Another tentacle fell. Both Abominations screamed. The ground shook. Screams came from the Hall.The first Abomination fell motionless to

the ground. Lucian reached to get the twodaggers thrown by the Brothers. He slippedthem into his boots.

“Brothers, I have your daggers.”A pool of blood covered the ground

beneath the two creatures.Lucian saw the creature regenerating. It

would only be a few minutes before it wouldrise and fight again.

“You need help?” Lucian called to theBrothers.

A wave came between throws. Lucian tookthat as they had it covered.

A group of Troupers ran past them with ahuge net. Lucian noticed Abominationscoming out the back of the Hall. Another

group of Troupers ran past with ropes andspears.

More screams, Troupers and Townies.Charlotte walked up carrying a large

bucket. It was almost more than she couldcarry.

“Cooking oil from the Cookhouse,” shesaid to Lucian as he took the bucket. “Twocooks are bringing two more buckets each.”

Lucian dumped the cooking oil onto theregenerating tentacled Abomination.

The second Abomination screamed. The ground shook. Then it fell to the

ground.Screams came from the Hall.A large rotund woman approached easily

carrying two buckets. Both the Brothers tooka bucket each. Another large woman camewith two more buckets. Lucian took one ofthem and threw it across Abomination.

“Light the oil,” Lucian said to Charlotte.He took the second bucket from the womanthrowing it across both Abominations,linking them together.

The Brothers returned with the buckets tostand next to Lucian, Charlotte and the twocooks.

Charlotte pulled a dagger out of a beltsheath. Then put it into her mouth and drewit out. The dagger was burning. She then spatat the creature as it began to stir. A flamingball shot from her mouth and hit theAbomination. It exploded into flames.

Lucian, Charlotte, the Brothers and thecooks stepped back. The secondAbomination burst into flames also.

Abominations twitched.Screams came from the Hall.The ground shook.Shouts came from behind the Hall

directing nets and ropes.

“Your daggers are in my boots,” Luciansaid to the Brothers. Lucian reached down toget them. One of the Brothers touched hisarm, stopping him. “Thanks.”

* * *

Pickled Punks were everywhere. Theyattacked anyone that passed by. Troupers andTownies kicked and batted at them. Theyadded to the mayhem.

Screams came from the Hall.The ground shook.Abominations screamed.

* * *

Amelia flew threw the sky. “Clem! Clem!Ready for a Clem!” she screamed while sheflew over the crowd.

All the troupers moved. Elthryn Winter, the Wraith, heard Amelia’s

call. He was performing his act on the pull-out stage of his vardo when the groundshook and the screams came. His handsmoved to his belt. He felt for his pouches andhis sword. He jumped from the stage andran.

“Where?” he yelled to the sky.“Entrance,” came the reply. Elthryn ran toward the Carnival entrance.The Abominations screamed.Screams came from the Hall.The ground shook.Troupers arrived with weapons in hand.Gon Stonesplitter and Tosk approached the

group. Gon carried his maul and Tosk hadhis executioners axe.

“Amelia said to ready for a fight,” Tosksaid.

“What’s wrong?” Gon asked Hermos.All Hermos did was point toward the group

of soldiers.

“There’s twenty-eight of them.”Gon looked at them. “They look

seasoned.”“Seasoned enough,” Tosk said. “Most of us

aren’t combat ready.”“We are,” Gon said.“I don’t think the two of us can stave them

all off.”Abominations screamed.The ground shook.Screams came from the Hall.Amelia landed next to them. “Lucian said

if the soldiers attack, to fight back.”“That was my plan,” Gon said.Elthryn ran up and stopped next to Amelia.

He noticed the soldiers.“I think you better get out of the way,”

Elthryn told Amelia. “Unless you want todrop rocks on their heads.”

The Skurra arrive. More Troupers arrivedalso. They were all armed.

“Where’s Isolde?” one asked.“Pacali has her trapped,” Amelia said.

“She can’t help us. Lucian said if the soldiersattacked to fight back.”

“Sounds good to me,” the Trouper said. Hereadied his weapon.

All there readied their weapons.“Shall we try to talk our way out of this

first?” Tindal asked, unenthusiastically. Heheld his cane in one hand and slapped it intothe palm of his other hand.

“Go for it,” the large round woman whobrought the cooking oil to Lucian said. Shehad two heavy cast-iron pans in hand. “I’llpick you up after they trample you.”

When the soldiers were about twenty feetfrom the entrance, they spread out into a line.They drew their weapons and startedchanting.

“That sound like they want to talk?” thecook said.

“Just a thought, Mrs. Renauldi. There arethe rules of the Carnival.”

“I think this exempts the rules,” Mrs.Renauldi said.

The other cook showed up with two pots ofsteaming liquid.

“What’s that?” Tosk asked.“Boiling oil.”“That’d stop me.”Screams came from the Hall.The ground shook.Abominations screamed.

* * *

Lucian, the Brothers and Charlottewatched as the two Abominations burned.They could hear screams coming from allover the Midway. And there was the soundof metal on metal. The fight between thesoldiers and the Troupers began. They sawthe Troupers with the nets and ropesrestraining two of the other Abominations.But there were still two out there on theMidway somewhere.

“Time to go help with the soldiers,” Luciansaid.

The four of them turned and ran toward theCarnival entrance, weapons in hand. As theyneared the Carnival entrance they sawsomeone enter the Carnival. It was a man. Atall dark stranger calmly walked through themayhem. He didn’t seem concerned aboutthe danger. As he passed people he touchedthem. Whomever he touched fell to theground dead, instantly.

“That’s not normal,” Charlotte said.“No, it’s not,” Lucian said. “If I had to

venture a guess, that would be a demon.”“Not someone you’d want to get friendly

with,” Charlotte said.

“No you wouldn’t,” Lucian said. “Butsomeone has to stop him.” He looked to thethree beside him. “Let’s go, just not tooclose.”

Then they saw Blasse. She ran from theback end of the Midway.

Abominations screamed.The ground shook.Screams came from the Hall.“Blasse,” Lucian called to her. “Get into a

vardo, it’s not safe.”He noticed she was running from an

Abomination. Then she stopped. She stoodand looked toward the Carnival entrance.

“Blasse?” Lucian called again. The dark stranger held out his hands to her

and waves her to him. He smiled a sinistersmile at her. Blasse smiled back. The joy onher face was more than Lucian has seen fromher since he came to the Carnival. Blassesmiled at the stranger like Lucian wished shesmiled at him. His heart sank.

“No,” he whispered.Blasse was elated. “Yes!” cried the stranger. “When we

embrace, Isolde’s defeat will be complete!”“The three of you, get Isolde her sword and

out of that cage,” Lucian said then rantoward the stranger.

Blasse ran toward the stranger. Lucian ran,but to stop Blasse from reaching the stranger.Lucian reached her about five feet from thestranger. He grabbed her around the waistand swung her away from the man.

“No!” Blasse screamed. “Let me go!”“Stop, Blasse,” Lucian screamed. He

swung his sword and pointed it at thestranger. “He’s not what you think.”

“Yes, he’s my beloved. He’s the man Ilove.”

Lucian’s heart broke. “He’s not what youthink. Look what he’s done!”

The stranger just stood there looking atthem, with a wicket smile on his face.

“He’s killed everyone he’s touched.”“He is just trying to free me from this

horror. Let me GO!”

* * *

The Brothers and Charlotte ran through thefront area of the Hall of Horrors. A bodywith tentacles on the arms, Tenira, twitchedon the floor in front of the curtained entranceto the back area. They walked through thecurtains. They saw a cage in the middle ofthe circular room.

Screams came from the cage. Isolde stoodin the cage. She gripped the bars and shookthem.

The ground shook. They realized the shaking of the ground

came from Isolde not the Abominations. Whimpering came from behind them.

They looked to see Pacali rocking in theshadows. There was a sword on the groundby his side.

Charlotte screamed. She threw her handsto her head. She shook her head wildly.

One of the Brothers went and grabbed thesword.

Charlotte lowered her hands and looked tothe Brother with the sword.

“Throw it to her.”He turned and threw it toward the cage. Isolde’s arm shot threw the bars and caught

the sword. She instantly calmed. With oneswing of the sword the cage door shattered.She stepped from the cage and walkedtoward the three.

“There’s a stranger in the grounds,”Charlotte said. “Lucian thinks he’s a demon.Everyone the stranger touches drops dead.

The stranger said something about when heand Blasse embrace your defeat will becomplete.”

Rage filled Isolde. “He is a demon. Andwho I’ve been chasing since before I came tothis plane.” She broke into a run.

* * *

The stranger smiled at Lucian. “Anothertime perhaps.” Then he turned and walkedout of the Carnival.

Lucian lowered his sword. Blasse screamed and squirmed in his arm. “No!” she screamed. “Don’t leave me!”

She stretched her arms out toward him.“Please! NOOOOO!”

Suddenly there was quiet. An unnaturalquiet. There were no screams. No metalclanking. Nothing. It was over.

Blasse began to cry. She went limp in hisarm.

Isolde ran up to them followed by theBrothers and Charlotte.

“Where is he?” she growled.“Gone,” Lucian said.“No,” Blasse whimpered.“He just turned and walked away. Right

before you came.”A group of Troupers and Skurra walked up

to them. Elthryn, Tindal, Hermos, Gon,Tosk, the Organ Grinder, the Fates Three,Mrs. Renauldi, the other cook, MadameFortuna. Amelia landed by them.

“No.”“What was he?” Lucian asked calmly

holding Blasse.“A demon, an incubus, what I’ve been

hunting since before I came here. It’s whatbrought me here.”

“NO!” growled Blasse. “He is not!” Blassespat. “You are just trying to destroy my life.”She pulled herself from Lucian’s embrace.

“He’s the only thing that has kept me goingall this time. The one hope I’ve had. That theonly man who truly loves me would comeand rescue me from this nightmare.”

“Blasse, I love you,” Lucian said. She slapped Lucian hard. Everyone was

shocked, especially Lucian. He put his freehand to his stinging cheek. “NO! You love afreak. Not me. He’s the only one who lovesME! The person I truly am.” She waved herhands down her body. “This isn’t me. This isa freakish, twisted version of me.” Shelooked at Isolde. “And you made me thisway.” She pointed at Isolde. “He’s my love.He came here to rescue me. And you,” sheslapped Lucian again on the other cheek thistime. “You stopped him. He’s a real man. AMAN!” she spat. “You are no man. You willnever be a man.” She took a step back. “AndI,” she said with disturbing calm in hervoice, “could never love you.” She turnedand walked away.

Everyone watched her walk away. Isolde put her hand on Lucian’s shoulder.

“Don’t believe her.”“She’s right,” Lucian said calmly. “I’m not

a man. I’m an elf.”“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Isolde

said. “But there is something wrong with me.Everyone,” she called. “Come over here. Ihave something to tell all of you.”

One: The ArrivalWithout promotion something terrible hap-

pens... Nothing!P. T. Barnum, circus owner

It was a clear day. The bright morning sunbroke the chill left over from the nightbefore. The merchants of the small villagebegan opening their doors. They placedtables outside their shops with merchandiseto sell for the day. The villagers were rather

tall average with an athletic build, their hairranged all the colors as did their eyes.Although the men wore their hair roguishlylong and hung wild and loose. The women’shair was long, most beyond their waistsadorned with various decorations. Nearly allthe villagers were humans, with severalHalflings. Their fashions were simple andmost wore high black riding boots.

But their routine was disturbed. Severalshop owners found flyers attached to theirdoors. The passers-by found flyers hangingfrom lampposts. They stopped their workmomentarily to look at the swirling imageson the flyers. They had pictures of harlequinswith painted faces, strange beasts, weirdpeople with wings, skeletal women, hugemen and other strange people.

* * *

A gentle breeze blew through the newlyplowed field outside of town. A group of fivemen in the field began picking up bails ofwheat and putting them into the wagons. Themen’s appearance was similar the villagersexcept their skin was a bit darker with afamily resemblance. There were two oldermen, looking to be near middle age. One ofthe older men had black hair cut short. Healso had stubble on his upper lip and chin.All the remaining men’s hair was long andwild, and all was one or two shades lighterthan the other older man’s medium brownhair. All the remaining men but the youngestboy was clean shaven. The youngest lookedto be about fourteen. They all worecomfortable clothes, and all wore wide-brimmed hats.

Near the edge of the field, by the home, anolder woman near middle age with threeyoung women and another young manprepared a wagon to take to town. The olderwoman had light blonde hair and the fouryounger ones hair was between blonde andmedium brown. This young man was cleanshaven also with shoulder length wild hair.

Sideshow Lingo used in storyArena: The large cage in which big-cat acts are performed.

Back Door: Performer's entrance to the Big Top.

Back Yard: The area behind the big top where props, animals, and performers are readied for a circusperformance.

Beast Wagon: A trailer fitted up with cages to carry the circus animals.

Big Cats: Performing lions and tigers.

Big Top: The main tent used for the performance.

Blues: The general admission seats, usually painted blue

Boss Canvas Man: The man in charge of making sure the canvas goes up properly and doesn't comedown short of a major blow down. Also decides on the placement of tents on the lot, and sometimesfunctions as lot manager for the sideshow as well.

Buildup: Putting up the tent.

Butcher: Strolling vendor selling refreshments or souvenirs.

Carpet Clown: A clown who works either among the audience or on arena floor.

Chambarrier: A ring whip for horses. Its pole is up to 5.5 m in length.

Clem: A fight.

Cookhouse: Place where circus people eat, not open to the public.

Donikers: Restrooms.

Ducat: Free ticket to the show, also known as an 'Annie Oakley'

Ducat Grabber: Door tender or ticket collector.

Dzigits: Russian word for "Mongol horseman," an act displaying spectacular Caucasian and Cossackhorsemanship. Also called "Cossack vaulting." At a gallop, riders somersaulting from the ground tothe saddle, hang alongside or underneath the horse, etc.

Equestrian Director: Ringmaster The "stage manager" of the show, in formal riding wear (top hat, redjacket, etc.) who decided and signaled the pacing of the acts. His costume, functions and whistle werelater adopted by ringmasters when they became chief announcers instead of livestock-handlers.

Fleas: Local townspeople who arrive early to watch the carnival set up.

Flyers: Aerialists, especially those in flying return acts. The flyer's partner is the 'catcher.'

Forty Milers: Newcomers to circus or carnival life, who (metaphorically speaking) have never beenfarther than 40 miles away from their home, and might very well quit before they get any farther awaythan that.

Framing a Show: Planning a circus production.

Galloper: Merry-go-round (q.v.) which most or all seats are horses and most or all have an up-and-down motion.

Hippodrome Track: The oval area between the rings and audience.

They had a bale of wheat and variousvegetables in the wagon. When they weresatisfied, they put a tarp over the produceand moved the wagon toward town.

Several pieces of paper floated down fromthe sky and landed on the wagons. Thefamily picked up the papers and looked atthem. They all saw different thing, imagesfloating on the pages of strange people. Onlythe youngest boy had words on his page,“Carnival” it said. They put the papers intotheir pockets and continued their work. Theman with the short black hair, stared for afew more moments at the paper beforeputting it neatly into his pocket, smiling.

It took nearly all day for the men tocomplete their job. The sun was hanging lowin the mid-afternoon sky, just above the treeline. They were taking the wagons back tothe barn when a mist formed in the field. Themen stopped to watch. Wagons emergedfrom the mist. The wagons were brightlypainted driven by men and women withpainted faces. When the last of the wagonsemerged, the mist disappeared as quickly asit came. The wagons stopped. People cameout of them.

Two people walked toward the family. Onewas a tall, wiry man with a black top hat,long flowing cape, formal black suit and acane. The other man was almost as tall with alithe build and long, straight silvery whitehair that flowed behind him. He wore blackpants and a mid-calf length black coat, whatappeared to be a white shirt beneath, highhard black riding boots, fingerless glovesand appeared to have no weapons.

When the two men were close enough tothe family, the man with the top hat had acynical smirk on his face and looked like anundertaker. He had a wild mop of curlingblack hair beneath the top hat. He bowed lowand made a dramatic wave of his hand. Theother man merely bowed his head to thefamily. He had vulpine features with amber

Jal Orderly: To come or go quickly; topack up and get on the road smartly andquickly or set up the same way.

Layout Man: Lot Man, The lotsuperintendent who decides the locationof the various tents.

March, The: The street parade.

Midway: In its broadest sense, the areawhere all the concessions, rides andshows are located in a circus. A carnivalis basically nothing but a midway withouta circus, but in a circus the midway issituated "midway" between the 'frontdoor' to the circus lot and the 'big top'where the circus performers do their acts.

Ring Banks: Wooden curbing around thering.

Ringmaster: The show's Master ofCeremonies and main announcer.Originally, he stood in the center of thering and paced the horses for the ridingacts, keeping the horses running smoothlywhile performers did their tricks on thehorses' backs.

Roustabout: A circus workman, laborer.

Sledge Gang: Crew of men who poundedin tent stakes.

Stain-trapeze: A mobile trapeze.

Zanies: Clowns

Gypsy words usedJostumal: enemy"wishes you harm"

Foros: town (greek)

eyes, his ears were pointed. His silvery whitehair reached nearly to mid-back.

The man with the top hat straightened.“Buna ziua,” he asked in Balok.

The brown haired older man nodded hishead. “Buna ziua,” he said in Balok.

“Buna ziua,” the man with the top had saidmore confidently.

“E’Roess,” the black haired man said inSithicus.

The older man with brown hair moved hishead slightly in his direction. The manlowered his head slightly.

“E’Roess,” the elf replied.“My name is Tindal, and this,” he waved a

hand at the elf by his side, “is Lucian and weare from the Carnival.”

“My name is Carlos Perez,” the olderbrown haired man said. “This is my brotherChico,” he motioned to the older blackhaired man. “And my sons Mario, Marco,and Juan.” He motions from eldest toyoungest.

“It is a pleasure to meet you all,” Tindalbows low and waved his arm flamboyantly.“Is there a town nearby?”

“Yes,” Carlos said. “About three milesdown the road. It’s more the size of a largevillage.” He pointed in the direction wherethe remainder of the family went in themorning.

“We were wondering if we might set upour Carnival in your field for a few days sothat we may entertain and amuse yourcommunity and restock our supplies in yourvillage.”

“Of course. But there is a better place.About a mile down the road there is aclearing surrounded by trees,” Carlos said.“There is a stream there where you can wateryour animals. The trees are safe. Youshouldn’t have any trouble. It’s also closer tothe village.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” Tindal said andmade a ticket appear in his hand. “Take thisDucat, a free ticket for you and your familyto enter the Carnival. It also comes with afree concession. We will be ready forbusiness by tomorrow at nine in themorning.”

“This is Borca, correct?” Lucian asked.“Yes it is,” Chino said almost smiling.

Carlos tilted his head toward his brother.

* * *

It didn’t take the Carnival long to get to theclearing. And it was perfect for their needs.

The clearing was large and somewhat oval.There were dense trees lining the north andsouth sides. There was nine hundred andfifty feet from the north set of trees to thesouth set. There was a one hundred and fiftyfoot break in the trees to the east that led tothe road and a hill to the west high enough soone couldn’t see over it. There was elevenhundred and fifty feet from the opening tothe hill. The hill rose about a hundred feetbefore descending about fifty feet on theother side. After reaching the clearing theSkurra checked out the area over the hill.There was about a hundred feet before analmost impassible outcrop of rocks. The areaon the other side of the hill was perfect forthe Skurra. Because tonight was the night ofthe full moon and the next was the lunaset,when the Skurra re-applied their makeup.

“Let’s ready the March,” Lucian said.The Troupers cheered. The Scurra stood

silently, as usual. “We’ll go with the same order as the last

town. This is Borca, so we might want todownplay our arcane magic users. Elthryn?Raphael?”

Elthryn and Raphael stepped forward. Elthryn Winter, the Wraith, Lucian’s right

hand man, was a tall, handsome Kartakan,clean-shaven with shoulder-length hair. His

skin, hair, and eyes were all shadowy gray,thanks to the Twisting.

Raphael was an older man. He had anaverage athletic build and was rather tall. Hewas bald on top with a ring of short grey hairaround the sides and back of his head. Hisneatly clipped mustache and beard was alsogrey, with some black still remaining toeither side of his chin. Other than his hair,the only other betrayer of his years was thecrow’s feat at his eyes. Despite his unwornfeatures, his hands betrayed a life of hardwork.

“Yes, Lucian,” said Elthryn.“Elthryn you’ll be in charge of the security

for the March. Raphael, since you’re Borcanyou go along. If there needs to be any changeto the Carnival setup, make sure you tell methe minute you two get back. We shouldhave at least the outer ring of wagons, theGalloper and the Donikers’s ready when youget back. Also try to see the layout of thetown. We’ll send people back into town afterthe March and the set up to get the supplies.That way if we have to Jal Orderly, we’llhave our supplies.”

“Of course, Lucian,” Elthryn said. Hesmiled and went to get ready.

Raphael bowed his head and walked away.“Tindal,” Lucian turned to look at him.

“You’re going to be Ringmaster, so put theformal riding gear on with the red jacket.You’ll lead the ground procession.”

“Yes, Sir,” Tindal said with an exaggeratedbow. Then he left to go to his wagon.

Lucian looked around. “Raja?”“Here,” came a voice from the back of the

crowd. A lithe short statured manapproached. He had a trim build. His skinwas a medium olive-tan with dark browneyes. He had short, straight black hair with aglossy sheen. Raja Singh, the Hideous Man-Beast, was no beast. He walked proudly up

to the group, his head held high. On one sideof him was Silessa, the Snake Mistress. Thebeautiful elven woman wore an elegant bluedress that clung to her and a large pythonwrapped around her shoulders like a stole.Her arm was interlocked with Raja’s.

“Prepare one beast wagon.”“Yes, Sir,” Raja said. “Will you want to go along?”“Not necessary,” Raja said.“Silessa, you’ll remain,” she smiled. Then

she and Raja walked away.“Brothers?” Lucian called. The Blade

Brothers stepped through the crowd. “You’rein the March.” They turned and disappearedthrough the crowd. “Stoltz,” Lucian callednext. Eight men and five women of agesranging from 12 to 50 stepped forward. “Getthe Stain-trapeze ready. Give the crowd ataste of the Trapeze.”

They all snapped to attention and dancedoff through the crowd.

“Zanies!” several Skurra and Troupersstepped forward. “Get your slap on. Send inthe Clown.”

Two: The Set-UpThe arrival of a good clown exercises a more

beneficial influence upon the health of atown than the arrival of twenty asses laden

with drugs?Thomas Sydenham

The Carnival moved down the main street.Their music played loudly. The Clowns withtheir funny makeup, whether Skurra orTrouper, juggled, made animal balloons forthe children and made the townsfolk laugh.Two big cats roared in their beast wagon.The Flying Stoltz family did some of theiract on a stain trapeze, a mobile trapeze. TheOrgan Grinder played his instrument while

the Creeplings and Fidgets played anddanced.

The Townies cheered and clapped. Thechildren laughed. They were all happy andsmiling.

Elthryn and Raphael sat in the seat of oneof the vardos. They surveyed the town andits inhabitants. They seemed pleased withwhat they saw. Everything was going well.

* * *

Lucian walked around the clearing. Hecarried a notebook and pencil and drew in itas he walked around Framing the Show. Thevardos were just inside the break in the trees,waiting. After a few minutes, Lucian pointedto a spot west near the back of the clearing.“Here,” he said. The Skurra driving Isolde’svardo drove it to the spot Lucian pointed out.He walked toward the other vardos. Hestopped three hundred feet from whereIsolde’s vardo was. “The gate,” he said. Andthe Skurra drove two vardos to the area.They parked the two vardos about twentyfeet away from each other on either side ofwhere Lucian pointed out. “Bathhouse,” hepointed to just past the southern gate vardo.Another vardo moved. He walked back tothe area in between Isolde’s vardo and thegate. “The Big Top,” six vardos moved to thearea. He paced around the area some more.He stopped about a hundred and fifty feetsouth east of Isolde’s vardo. “The Galloper,”another vardo moved to the spot. He walkedback to Isolde’s vardo then walked threehundred feet south west. “Hall of Horrors,”he said then pointed to either side of the spot,“with the Menagerie of the Macabre there,”he pointed south, “and the Arena there,” hepointed west. Five lock boxes and sevenvardos moved to the spots he pointed. Hethen moved north. He stopped just beyondwhere he directed the Arena to go. He lookedto where Isolde’s vardo was. “Cookhouse,”he said. Then he walked around and pointedout where the other vardos went.

Out of the ninety one permanent membersof the Carnival, only about three dozen ofthem went on the Marches. That was only asampling of them. This was just enough towet the whistles of the Townies to get theminto the Carnival.

The sledge gangs began to pound thestakes for the larger tents, the Big Top, hadthe largest tent. The Hall of Horrors and theArena were the next largest, followed by thecookhouse and the bathhouse. The othertents were about the size of the vardos, andwere set up by the Trouper’s vardo or hungfrom them. Several vardos had stages thatpulled out from underneath. The troupersthat had acts used these, Mola Kravvan, theLiving Skeleton, Wood’n-Head. He also hada tent set up next to his vardo and stage forhis elixirs. Claude and the Imp had a stage.Silessa, the Snake Mistress had a stage.Tindal’s Hall of Mirrors was a tent that wasjust a little larger than his vardo. Hermos hada tent because he was too large to actuallysleep in his vardo. Gon Stonebreaker, theRock, needed no stage. He and Tosk, theBrute, gathered rocks and piled them near hisvardo. The Illuminated Man had both a stagethat pulled out from his vardo and a tent nextto it to do tattoos. But he was not supervisingthe set up, because he walked with theMarch. But then the Skurra who helped himdidn’t need him to know what to do. Mister ?and Amelia the Vampiress, both had a stagewith a tarp and curtain. He rarely went on theMarch. When Amelia did, she would useRaja the Hideous Man-Beast’s formerlockbox. He no longer needed a lockbox.Although he was not cured of hislycanthrope he had a beautiful pendant thathung from his neck made of Moon Silverwhich grants him a permanent cure to hiscondition, so long as he wears it. Somethinghe will forever be indebted to Lucian for.Several of the Skurra had areas set up fortheir acts and wears.

The stationary food vardos had stages withrailings. Some had a few tables and chairsfor Townies to sit at. A few just had a tarpwith windows to purchase the food or drinks.The cook vardos were reinforced for theovens and stoves, both to support theirweight and protect them from fire damage.These were usually set up in half ringsbetween the outer ring and the Big Top.

And then there were the tents with the sick.No Townie ever got near these tents. Thesewere the tents for those who suffered frommental problems, from when the Incubusattacked, and when Professor Pacali attackedIsolde. The Carnival has a doctor thatspecializes in mental disorders traveling withthem now. He takes care of those Troupers.Most of those Troupers never leave thosetents. Some come and go.

All the vardos except one had a tent orstage set up for them. The Big Top had sixvardo that carried its various pieces. TheHall of Horrors had three vardos and fourlockboxes that housed the remaining fourAbominations. The Arena, a tent with a largecage inside, had three vardos and four BeastWagons, lock boxes that carried the big cats.The Arena is where Raja and his big catsperformed. He had twelve big cats in all andtwo medium cats. There were four lions, onemale and three females. There were threeorange tigers and one white tiger. There weretwo Cheetahs and two Jaguars. The twomedium size cats were lynxes. TheCookhouse had two vardos. The Galloper, orthe Merry Go ‘Round or carousel had onevardo that set away the ring of vardos thatcarried its parts. The bathhouse had onevardo.

As the remaining Troupers, Skurra andRoustabouts set up their vardos, Lucianwalked around surveying their progress. Ashe did a woman walked behind him. It wasMola. She had more skin and muscles on herbones than when she does her act. After the

Incubus attacked, she realized she was freefrom her brother Rasulid’s influence. Afterseveral months, she realized she could makethe skin and muscle grow on her bones anddissolve from her skin whenever she wanted,although she always looked thinner than washealthy. She realized she was not asattractive as she was before the Twistingtook hold. But at least she was no longer skinand bones. But still, this made her pursuit ofLucian much easier. And she liked Lucian.

She watched him walk around. She likedwatching him. But she knew she wasn’t theonly one. Charlotte watched him too. Theywere both vying for his attentions. But heseemed not to notice. His first concern wasalways the Carnival, especially after Blassespurned him. Luckily, Blasse was no longeron his mind. In fact, he rarely saw her.

Most rarely saw Blasse. Since the Incubus,she has become more ghostlike. If shedoesn’t want anyone to see her, they don’t.This meant no one saw her coming. She alsofloated around the Carnival. She moved likeshe was floating several inches off theground. This meant no one ever heard hercoming either. This also meant that she washard to find if anyone needed her.

“May I help you, Mola?”Mola was jolted out of her daydreams by

the sound of Lucian saying her name. He stillwalked not stopping to look at her.

“Not really, I just thought you’d like toknow, we have flees.”

Lucian turned to look at her. She pointed tothe area near the opening in the trees. Lucianlooked where she pointed. He saw a man, afamiliar man, Chino the brother of the farmerwho had the short black hair and stubble. Hewatched the Carnival setup.

“I think we will have another Trouperwhen we leave,” a female voice said frombehind both of them.

Both Lucian and Mola turned to see Isoldestanding behind them.

“Are you sure about that?” Mola asked.“That is something I always know, those

who want us, and those who need us. Forhim, it’s both, just not exactly a deadly need.Unless you consider a lonely life filled withphysical and mental abused deadly.”

“On the inside,” Mola said.“That’s usually the worst kind,” Lucian

said.“When we leave, I will invite him to join

us,” Isolde said.“Until then we just let him watch?

Wishing? Dreaming of a better life?” Molaasked.

“Why wait. We can always use anotherRoustabout,” Lucian said walking awayfrom the two women. “I’ll invite him to joinus now if you don’t mind, Isolde.” Luciandidn’t stop to wait for the reply he alreadyknew.

When Lucian was out of earshot, “Youshould tell him how you feel,” Isolde said.

“He doesn’t even notice me,” Mola saidwatching Lucian walk across the open field.

“Are you sure about that?” Isolde watchedMola watch Lucian.

“Blasse hurt him terribly,” Molawhispered.

“And it’s been over a year. He’s had histime to get over her. I think it’s time to moveon. Now might be a good time to do justthat.”

“And if he rejects me?”“And if he doesn’t?”Mola looked at Isolde.

* * *

Lucian walked across the field closing thedistance between himself and Chino. Theman watched Lucian approach. He felt a sick

feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was surethe elf would ask him to leave.

“E’Roess,” Lucian said.“E’Roess,” Chino said. “We noticed you standing here,” Lucian

began. “Perhaps you would like to help out?”“Help? What do you mean?” Chino asked.“We could always use another hand. I’m

sure you have some talent that could beuseful. Perhaps you could even join us whenwe leave this domain. But that would be upto you.”

The man smiled.“My name is Lucian, if you don’t

remember.”“I remember,” Chino said smiling. “Mine

is Chino.”“I remember.” Lucian held out his hand. Chino looked at

the outstretched hand. He took it and shookit. “Nice to meet you Chino. Welcome to theCarnival.”

* * *

By the time the March returned from town,most of the Carnival was set up. The Sixwagons and one lockbox with the two bigcats went to their designated spots in theFrame. The last vardo in the March had asign that advertised the Carnival would openat nine in the morning. Elthryn and Raphaelwent to Lucian and told them what they sawin town. And they had nothing to say thatwould change the setup. They both agreedthat the March went very well. The threemen discussed who would go to town to getthe supplies. The three men agreed thatElthryn and Raphael would be among them.Six of the Troupers and Skurra went to townin one cloth covered vardo to get supplies.Chino offered to accompany them. Theywere back in less then three hours with

everything they needed. The sun was settingas they returned to the clearing.

Lucian had just finished his rounds as hesaw the vardo enter the clearing. Lucianwent to the Cookhouse tent. He walked inand went to the serving table. The table hadseveral large metal pans with lit burnersbeneath them to keep the food warm. Therewere several metal pans that had frostcovering them. He took a plate and startedputting food on it. He filled his plate withvegetables only and two slices of bread. Hegot a cup of coffee and turned to look at thetables. Mola was sitting at one of them. Shewas watching him. When he looked at hershe smiled and waved him over. He walkedover and sat down across from her at hertable.

“You’ve been following me around lately,”Lucian said.

“Y-y-y-yeah,” Mola stammered. “I guess Ihave been.”

“There something on your mind?” He tooka bite of his food.

“I was,” she began. “Well it’s just,” shebroke off and took a bite of her food.

“You were just what?” he asked takinganother bite of food.

She swallowed her food. “Well,” she beganagain uncomfortably. “It’s just that, well.Isolde thought I should talk to you.”

“I’m right here,” he said. “Talk to me.”“W-ah, it’s,” she stammered. She took a

deep breath, “I like you,” she blurted, thentook another bite of her food not looking athim.

Lucian smiled. “I like you too.”“No, I mean,” she looked up at him and

stopped when she saw him smiling at her.“I know what you mean. All this

nervousness just to tell me you like meusually doesn’t mean you just want to be

friends.” He continued smiling at her. “As Isaid, I like you too.”

Mola returned his smile.Lucian slid his plate and moved to sit next

to her. She was just looking at him smiling.He moved his chair close to hers.

“You don’t want your food to get cold,” hesaid.

“I don’t care about food,” she whispereddreamily.

Lucian put his hand on the table palm up.She put her hand in his. Then Lucian tookanother bite of his food.

* * *

Elthryn and Raphael helped put the suppliesaway. Chino helped. Elthryn watched himclosely. When all the supplies were stowed,Raphael turned to Elthryn and Chino.

“Time for some dinner,” Raphael said.“You gentlemen hungry?” Raphael didn’twait for a reply. He turned and walked to theCookhouse. Both Elthryn and Chinofollowed. Elthryn eyed Chino suspiciously.

Raphael walked into the Cookhouse tent.He glanced over the Troupers, Skurra andRoustabouts that occupied the tent. Henoticed Lucian and Mola sitting at a tablenext to each other. Raphael went over to theserving tables. He grabbed a plate and startedputting food on it. Chino also went to theserving table and did the same. Elthrynwalked over to Lucian’s table. Lucian andMola were still holding hands.

“We’re back,” Elthryn said. “I noticed. Do you need help?”“No,” Elthryn said. “The supplies are

away.”“Going to join us?”Elthryn sat down at his table.

“I guess that’s a yes,” Lucian said notlooking up from his plate to Mola then toElthryn.

Raphael walked up to the table. He noticedLucian and Mola were holding hands.

“Mind if I join you two?” Raphael said.“Not if you don’t mind us,” Lucian said.Raphael sat down next to Lucian. He had a

large hunk of meat on his plate. There was apink pool of liquid beneath it. He also hadpotatoes and green beans. And three slices ofbread with a hunk of butter. He had a metalgoblet with red wine in it.

“About this Chino guy,” Elthryn beganquietly looking to see where Chino was. Hewas still getting something to eat.

“What about him Elthryn?” Lucian said.“Why is he here?” Elthryn asked.“I asked him if he’d like to help. I even

suggested that he could accompany us whenwe leave.”

“Why?” Elthryn asked. “Because Isolde said he would be joining

us.” Lucian looked at Mola. “And whenIsolde says things like that I accept it as law.”He looked at Elthryn.

Elthryn didn’t say anything at this. “Perhaps you would like to get something

to eat now,” Lucian said noticing Ameliaenter the tent. “Amelia just walked in.”

Elthryn turned to see Amelia walkingtoward them. She smiled at him.

Elthryn sighed and stood. “I guess if Isoldesaid that, I’ll accept that. But that doesn’tmean I have to trust him.”

“I never said you had to,” Lucian said. “Inever said I did.”

Elthryn turned and greeted Amelia. Sheput her arms around him and hugged him.

“I heard you were back,” Amelia saidsmiling.

“Hungry?” Elthryn asked her.“Starving,” Amelia said smiling broadly.The two walked toward the serving table.Chino was sitting at a table alone eating his

food.Raphael cleared his throat. “I don’t think

he even noticed.”“Noticed,” Lucian said.“The two of you holding hands.”“No, I don’t think he did,” Lucian said.“I guess this means you two are a couple

now.”“Yes it would,” Lucian said.Mola smiled broadly and blushed.

* * *

Lucian and Mola stepped out of theCookhouse tent. It was dark. The moon wasfull and hung high in the sky. It was warmwith a gentle breeze. The sweet smell offlowers filled the air. Lucian took Mola’shand in his.

“Shall we take a stroll around theMidway?” he asked.

“Why don’t we just go back to yourvardo,” she said.

“If that’s what you’d like.”“That’s what I’d like.”

Three: Evening Show“CIRCUS, n. A place where horses, ponies

and elephants are permitted to see men,women and children acting the fool.”

Ambrose BierceAmerican Writer, Journalist and Editor

It was late afternoon. There was a signoutside the Carnival gate, “Closes one hourbefore sunset”. That was because this wasthe lunaset, the day after the full moon. This

was the night the Skurra left the camp andre-applied their Skurra-vera.

And with the exception of MadameFortuna becoming ill shortly after opening,the day had gone well. Lucian placed a guardoutside her vardo, so she would not bedisturbed.

They had less then two hours beforesunset.

But something changed. The mood of theTownies grew quiet. They had all beenhaving a good time, but suddenly, that allchanged. And everyone in the Carnivalnoticed. But none knew why. Not even theSkurra. And their music reflected it.

Lucian heard the change in the music. Hewas standing outside Madame Fortuna’svardo. Once she closed her vardo door, sheanswered for no one, not even the Skurra. Hewatched the Townies intently and listened totheir words. But he couldn’t seem to figureout what was wrong. He began to walktoward one of the tents near the Carnivalgate with the flap closed and a guard outside.

“Familiar,” he called without stopping. Hedidn’t have to look over his shoulder to knowthe boy was there. The twelve year oldfollowed Lucian. They walked up to the tentand Lucian opened the flap. The Familiarwalked past him and inside. He followedclosing the flap behind him. “Find the Fates,see if they know or can find out what is withthe Giorgio’s.”

Without waiting for a reply he knew wouldnot come, Lucian opened the flap. Then hefollowed the Familiar outside. Lucianstepped past the Familiar. He didn’t have tolook to know the boy was gone.

Elthryn walked up to him. “May I speakwith you, Lucian?”

“Of course,” Lucian said.

Lucian bowed Elthryn inside the guardedtent then followed. Then he closed the flapsbehind him.

Elthryn turned. “Lucian,” he began, “I’vebeen watching the Townies. They are quiet,but from what they aren’t saying and the waythey look at the Skurra, I think they mighthave a problem with Vistani.”

“That’s not good, especially today. Weneed to warn everyone. You take the Midwayaround the left and back side. I’ll take theright and the Big Top. We’ll meet at theCookhouse. Use the danger call sign with theSkurra’s.”

Elthryn nodded and they both left the tent. “Have you seen Jostumal Foros today?”

Lucian said to the guard outside the tent.“No, sir, I haven’t.” was the reply.Elthryn and Lucian separated. Elthryn

walked left down the Midway. EveryTrouper, every Skurra, every guard he cameupon, he said the call sign. “Have you seenJostumal Foros today?”

Lucian instantly heard the Skurra’s musicchange to reflect the call sign.

“Have you seen Jostumal Foros today?”Lucian said to the Ducat Grabber, the tickettaker, outside the Big Top.

“No sir,” he said.Then Lucian walked into the Big Top. He

walked into the Hippodrome Track, the ovalarea between the rings and the audience.There were three rings set up in the Big Top.

The dzigits were in the first ring, theEquestrian act. At a gallop, riderssomersaulted from the ground to the saddle,hung alongside or underneath the horses.The Equestrian Director, Tindal, in formalriding wear with a red jacket, was in thecenter of the ring with a Chambarrier, a whipon a pole directing the horses.

The Flying Stoltz family, the Aerialistswere in the center ring. They flew back andforth across the heavens of the Big Top.

The third ring was being set up for the nextact. There was a clown review in the front ofthe third ring.

He walked over to the first ring’s ringbank, the wooden curbing around the ring,and motioned to Tindal. He walked betweenthe horses as they galloped in a circle.Lucian whispered to Tindal then walkedaway from the ring. Tindal walked backthrough the moving circle of horses. Hestood just inside of the ring of horses. Hetalked to the equestrian riders as they passedhim. Once all the riders passed he walkedback into the center of the ring and continuedthe act.

On his way to the center ring, Lucianwalked up to several butchers, strollingvendor selling refreshments and souvenirs.He whispered to them as he passed by.

He continued on down the hippodrometrack to a group of Carpet Clowns workingamong the audience, some were Skurra mostwere Troupers. He whispered to them as hepassed.

He walked over to the area between thecenter ring and the third ring. He waved toone of the Stoltz’s that was on the ground.Then he waved to one of the Roustaboutssetting up the third ring. He whispered tothem, then walked back to the hippodrometrack. He whispered to the rest of thetroupers as he walked to the back door.

Before leaving, Lucian turned and lookedat the crowd. The blues, blue painted generaladmission seats, were filled with theTownies. They cheered at the acts in the firsttwo rings and laughed at the clowns. Lucianwondered why the mood of these Townieswas different from the ones on the Midway.He turned and passed out the back door ofthe Big Top.

He walked across to the vendor andTrouper vardos in the half ring between theBig Top and the Cookhouse along the outerring. He whispered to the vendors andTroupers as he passed. Then he walked to theCarnival gate and worked his way around theright side of the Midway until he reachedMadame Fortuna’s wagon. He whispered tothe guard outside her vardo. He thought asecond then went to knock on her door. Thedoor opened before he could.

“I know,” Madame Fortuna said.“Jostumal Foros.” Then she closed her door.He felt a bit relieved. He hadn’t seen hersince she closed her door. She rarely closedher door. And she was rarely ill. And withthese events, he had wondered if one of theTownies had done something to her. Ormaybe her age was catching up with her. Shewasn’t a young woman.

Lucian continued around the Midway. Bythe time Lucian reached the Cookhouse,Jostumal Foros was on every Troupers lips,every guards lips, and every Skurra’smusical notes.

“Elthryn and I are looking for JostumalForos, have you seen him today?” Luciansaid to the guard outside the Cookhouse.

“No, sir,” said the guard. “But Elthryn isinside.”

Elthryn stepped from the Cookhouse andstood by the guard. “He’s in the outhouse inback,” Elthryn said.

Isolde walked up and put her hand onLucian’s shoulder? “I heard you werelooking for Jostumal Foros. Have you foundhim yet?”

“He’s in the outhouse in back,” Luciansaid.

“Good,” Isolde said. Lucian’s head swung to look toward the

Carnival gate.“What?” Elthryn asked.

“Something’s happened,” Lucian said. “How do you know?” Isolde said. “The music,” Lucian said.The Organ Grinder appeared through the

back door of the Big Top and walked into theback yard. Lucian noticed him. The OrganGrinder played his instrument wildly.

“How?” Lucian called at him. Lucian ranwaving for Elthryn and Isolde to follow.“Let’s go!” he yelled running between theconcession vardos toward the Skurra.

The Organ Grinder moved quickly fromaround the Big Tops’ vardos toward theCarnival gate. Lucian followed the OrganGrinder. Elthryn and Isolde followed Lucian.

Isolde looked at Elthryn as they moved.“It’s like they talk to him. Can he read theirminds?”

“If he can, he hasn’t told me,” Elthryn said.“He knows everything that goes on. That’s

why we made him our Boss Canvas Man andour Layout Man,” Isolde said.

They passed Amelia. Her and Elthryn’svardo was one of those in the outer ring inthe Midway beyond the Galloper.

“Guys?” she called noticing their urgency.Lucian held his hand out to her, as if to

calm her, but didn’t stop.“Don’t worry,” Elthryn said not slowing.She smiled warmly.There was a scream from near the Carnival

gate.“Fire!”Elthryn moved. Roustabouts moved. One

of the tents near the gate was burning.They started ushering the Townies from

the Midway. The crowd calmly exited theBig Top and walked toward the Carnivalgate. The other Townies also moved towardthe exit. The Ducat Grabber at the gate

silently counted the Townies as they exitedthe Carnival.

The fire was under control before the lastof the Townies exited the Carnival. The tentwas completely destroyed, but the trouper,Red Jack, whose tent it was, was fine. Hestood twenty feet away. His vardo was alsofine.

Although every one called this Trouper“Jack”, no one truly knew whether he wasmale or female. He was tall with a slim,athletic build. . He wore men’s clothes in theDementlieu style a white silk shirt, breechesreaching to below the knees, a burgundyknee-length coat with large folded back cuffsand gold embroidery. He had tight whiteleggings worn to the knee, with black, heeledbuckled shoes. He had an elaborate whitesilk cravat. He wore a three point hat. Butinstead of the typical black it was burgundywith gold embroidered and three whitefeathers in the front. There were also severalgreat owl feathers that swept back toward theback of the hat and a gold medallion in frontholding the feathers to the hat with whatlooked like a family crest. Underneath thehat he wore a white wig with large ringlets,the side ringlets were short, reaching to thejawline, and in back were long ringlets tiedback by a large burgundy bow with goldembroidery. And white silk gloves. He alsowore a white porcelain mask with ruby redlips and gold paint on the cheeks to matchthe pattern of the embroidery. His hazel eyescould be seen peering through the eyes of themask. No one ever saw Jack without themask. And when he carried a weapon, it wasa rapier with a gold wire hand-guard withgarnet gems. It looked more ornamentalrather than an actual weapon to fight with.

Charlotte ran up to join the group.Red Jack rummaged through the charred

remains of his tent with his foot. He pickedup several articles once he was sure theyweren’t hot. They were blackened doll parts,

masks and dishes. Red Jack looked toCharlotte. “Pity you can’t put fires out aseasily as you can set them.” His voice did notbetray his gender.

“Is everything destroyed?” Charlotteasked.

“The porcelain isn’t, but it will take a whileto make it ready to sell again.” He soundedunconcerned.

Lucian called everyone he could see over. A Skurra carrying a lute approached the

group. He had a simple white painted faceand unlike the other Skurra it extended downpast his chin included his entire neck. Andacross his neck was a painted scar, a secondsmile from ear to ear. He wore a simple redlong sleeve shirt, a purple vest with multi-colored embroidery and simple purpletrousers with hard leather riding boots. At hiships were two wheellock belt pistols. ThePistoleer walked up and stood behind Isolde.

Madame Fortuna approached on the arm ofthe Familiar. She was off color and hunchedover. She had a heavy shawl wrapped aroundher shoulders despite the warmth of the day.She swayed when she walked as if she wouldfall over at any moment.

“Yes, Madame,” Lucian said knowing shewouldn’t be out if it wasn’t important.

She stepped right up to him, putting herarm around his neck and pulling him close toher. It appeared like she was going to kisshim on the cheek.

Madame Fortuna leaned heavily againstLucian. He put his arm around her waist. Butinstead she whispered in his ear, “Do a headcount. I’ve seen death in the cards.”

“We need to check the Carnival. Make sureeverything is as it should be. Organ Grinder,Pistoleer,” Lucian said. “We need a headcount.”

The Organ Grinder began playing hisinstrument. Within seconds there was music

throughout the Carnival. The Pistoleer justlooked around the Midway.

“Good,” Lucian said. “Everyone isaccounted for.”

“That still doesn’t mean there won’t bedeath,” Madame Fortuna whispered. “Thecards never lie.”

“Jal Orderly,” Tindal said walking upbehind the Familiar. “Do we have enoughtime to pack up and move out beforesunset?”

One of the Roustabouts ran up to thegroup. “Most of the horses are sick.”

“Sick?” Isolde asked.“I think they’ve been poisoned,” the

Roustabout said.“I guess leaving won’t be an option then?”

Tindal said.“Organ Grinder, Pistoleer,” Lucian said.

“Get your people ready for the night.” The Organ Grinder left with the Familiar

playing his music. All the Skurra who worethe makeup started moving.

The Pistoleer stepped closer to Isolde andtouched her gently on the small of her backbefore turning and walking away.

The area over the hill was already secured.The area had dense forest on two sides and ahigh rocky outcrop. Approach from any waybut from the Carnival was nearly impossible,by land at any rate.

“I should like to return to my vardo,”Madame Fortuna said. The Roustabout thattold of the horses walked over to MadameFortuna and held his arm out for her. Shepatted Lucian on the shoulder then leanedinto the Roustabout. The two walked away.

“Elthryn, get Chino, gently. I’d like to talkto him,” Lucian said. Elthryn walked away.As the Skurra moved, “Everyone,” Luciancalled. “I want to be able to leave themoment the Skurra return in the morning.”

Lucian waved the security force andRoustabouts over to him. He lowered hisvoice. “After the vardos are packed up, movethem in a position to protect them and who’sin them, but still within Isolde’s protectivecircle. We should expect trouble,” Luciansaid. “Roustabouts, pack up the wagons,move them into position then return for yourpart in tonight’s events. We stay awake allnight. We’re missing some of the securityforce, send them to me.” The Roustaboutsnodded then moved away quickly. Lucianlooked around the group. He noticed the tallfigure with white hair, pale skin and ice blueeyes standing away from the burnt tent.“Armitage,” Lucian waved to him, “the fire’sout. Come here please.”

Armitage walked over to where Lucian andthe group stood.

“Is there anything you can do for thehorses?”

“What’s wrong with them?” he asked.“They’re poisoned. We’ll need to be into

the mists as soon as the Skurra get back inthe morning.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”“We’re also expecting trouble tonight from

the Townies. So we might need healing too.But you’re not part of the security force, so Idon’t want you actually in the fighting.”

“You believe they set the fire and poisonedthe horses?” Armitage said. “Just so theycould do something to the Skurra?”

“It’s entirely possible,” Isolde said.“Why not just ask us to leave?”“That would make sense. But who knows

what their problem is.”“I’ll go look at the horses,” Armitage said

walking away. Elthryn returned with Chino. The two

walked up to Lucian. Isolde moved to standnext to Lucian.

“Chino, I’m not going to play games. Doesyour town have a problem with Vistani?”Lucian asked outright.

“No, not that I know of,” he said.Lucian looked at him, as did Isolde. “He’s

telling the truth,” Isolde said.“Why would I lie?” Chino said. “Just before the fire, we noticed when your

townsfolk looked at our Skurra they didn’tlook kindly. Why?” Lucian asked.

“I don’t know,” Chino said, worried. Hetruly seemed puzzled. He thought a moment.He realized everyone was watching him. Hejust shook his head.

“I can help,” a voice said breaking themood of the group, Amelia walked up to thegroup. “I can keep watch from the air.” Shesmiled at Lucian. Lucian returned her smile,uncomfortably.

“Chino, why don’t you go to Mrs.Renauldi and the cooks will watch out foryou.” Chino shook his head and walkedtoward the Cookhouse. When he was out ofearshot Lucian turned back to Amelia. “No,you’re not a fighter or part of the securityforce. It’s too dangerous,” Lucian saiddismissively.

“But I’d be in the air.”“Cross bows, long bows and magic could

reach you.” Lucian shook his head. “I can’tallow it.”

“You heard him,” Elthryn said touchingher arm gently.

“We’re the ones who protect you fromthese things. That’s our job. Now if you wantto join the security force, that’s different.After this is over, we can start training you inmartial skills, maybe some magic. And ifthis kind of thing happens again you canhelp. But until then, let us do our job.”Lucian said with finality in his voice.

Amelia sighed and grudgingly walked offtouching Elthryn’s cheek before she left.

Raja Singh walked proudly up to thegroup, his head held high. He wore all whiteaccented with gold embroidery and carried awhip. On one side of him was Silessa. Shewore her usual strategically placed,minimalist coverings and a large pythonwrapped around her shoulders like a stole.Her arm was interlocked with Raja’s. OnRaja’s other side was a large male lion. Thelion’s head reached to Raja’s waist.

“Raja, Silessa,” Lucian said. “What can Ido for you two?”

“Actually, it’s what I can do for you,” Rajasaid.

“And that would be?” Lucian asked,curious.

“My cats,” Raja said matter-of-factly. “Ican use my cats to help fight if the towniesattack.”

“Wouldn’t that be dangerous?” Isoldeasked.

“Only for those I direct them to attack.”“The big cats are valuable. We wouldn’t

want them to be hurt,” Lucian said,skeptically.

“I don’t know, Lucian,” Charlotte saidstepping closer to him. “If I saw a lionrushing me, I’m not sure I would be able todo anything but run.” She smiled at Lucian.Flames danced in her eyes.

Lucian did not return her smile.Two men approached the group. The first

man was Professor Arcanus. He wassupporting a shorter older man. His hair wasgrey, his hairline was receding and he hadmutton-chop sideburns. He wore a fine,expensive blue velvet robe and half-moonglasses which he looked over the top of. Hehunched over somewhat and looked a littlelost. His left hand was pressed protectivelyagainst his left side like he had a stitch in hisside.

“Professor Arcanus, Professor Pacali,”Lucian said surprised at the men’sappearance. “What can I do for yougentlemen?”

“Lucian,” Professor Pacali said, in a voicethat seemed almost childlike. He steppedaway from Professor Arcanus and walkedright up to Lucian and placed his right handon Lucian’s arm in a fatherly manner. Helooked into Lucian’s eyes. “I heard theremight be trouble tonight,” he saidwhimsically. He looked around as if lookingfor something. Then he returned his gaze toLucian. “Perhaps my punks can help.” Hesmiled at Lucian.

“I wouldn’t want them to be injured,Professor,” Lucian said with a great deal ofrespect in his voice. “They are protected bythe Carnival like all its members.”

“But if we are attacked, this night, whenwe are short our Skurra, you might needevery hand you can get. We all know the riskif the Skurra are disturbed while applyingtheir makeup.”

“Yes, but they don’t. Nor do the big cats.”Lucian looked to Raja.

“And do the Creeplings understand therisk? And they are asked to fight for ussometimes.” Pacali paused. “Sometimes toprotect the ones we love, a little risk must betaken,” Pacali said.

“He has a point,” Elthryn said. “They don’tnecessarily have to be in the main fight.Perhaps, they and the big cats, could onlyfight to help protect the troupers.”

“If they truly seemed only to have a dislikefor Vistani, perhaps they will pass by thosewho are not,” Pacali said. He breathed indeeply, then clutched his side. He loweredhis gaze.

Lucian seemed the only one who noticed.He put his hand gently but firmly on Pacali’sleft hand. He leaned in close to Pacali and

whispered a sense of urgency in his voice.“Is it time for a new one?”

“Soon,” Pacali whispered seriously. “Verysoon.” Pacali straightened up and lookedback into Lucian’s eyes.

Lucian released Pacali’s hand and stoodupright. “Will you be able to direct them,without putting yourself into harms way?”

“Yes,” Pacali replied, his childlikeexuberance returned. “But I do have a fewthings other than my punks at my disposal. Iam not a helpless old man.”

“I know you’re not,” Lucian said warmlywith respect in his voice.

“I am a competent Arcanist.”“I know Professor.”“Good,” Pacali said joyfully. “I will go

prepare my punks.” He turned and steppedback to Professor Arcanus. Arcanus tookPacali’s right arm. However, Pacali did notmove. He turned back to Lucian and saidhopefully over his shoulder. “Let us pray weare merely being paranoid. And tonight is asquiet as the last.”

“Yes, let’s pray,” Lucian agreed.The two professors walked away back

toward the House of Horrors which wasnearly torn down.

Lucian turned and looked to Raja.“Alright, prepare your cats.”

Raja bowed and the three walked away.Lucian looked to those still in the group.

“All right, after everything is torn down, putthe vardos in position to pull out the momentthe sun rises, the Skurra return and the threatis over. Isolde’s will be the only vardo thatwill not be with the others. Hers still needs tobe in the center. But I doubt if anyone can doany real damage to that vardo.” At this,Lucian smiled at Isolde. Who returned hissmile, knowingly. “Tell the mages in thegroup to put up any and every protectivespells they have and illusions. If we are

attacked, perhaps if they believe we are nothere, they will leave.”

“We can always hope,” Isolde said. “Whatabout what Chino said?”

“I don’t know. All we know is some peoplehad a problem with our Skurra. After all,those in the Big Top didn’t seem to have aproblem with them. Let’s not point anyfingers just yet.”

Six other troupers approached. The group standing before Lucian was

quite a strange site. Elthryn Winter, the Wraith, Lucian’s right

hand man, was a tall, handsome Kartakan,clean-shaven with shoulder-length hair. Hisskin, hair, and eyes were all shadowy gray,thanks to the Twisting.

Gon Stonesplitter, the Rock, a Dwarvenmale from the city of Tempe Falls inNecropolis, was also completely gray, butlooked more like a Dwarf carved in stone.

Tosk, the Brute, a mountain of a man. Hisshirtless torso showed off the huge bulgingmuscles, his skin was mottle and warty,bristly hair on his chest and arms, and theexecutioner’s hood covering his head,although his tusks still protruded.

Tindal, the Amazing Soul-less Man, his tallwiry frame stood emphasized by the ridingoutfit and red coat, the Chambarrier stickingout of his back pocket and he carried his thin,knobby cane that he twirled about.

Red Jack, with a rapier, the gold, wire handguard glinting in the last rays of the sun.

Isolde, a tall stunning human lookingwoman with pale skin, flowing black hair,and a dark, penetrating gaze wore her usualblack and deep blue masculine clothes withhigh hard riding boots. Her sword hung ather side, her hand resting on its ornate,bejeweled hilt.

Najib al-Auni bin Mutamin, a 6' tall half-elven man with dark tanned skin, straight

black hair short and neat with a colorfulheadscarf and a well-groomed goatee andmustache. He was lean and muscular. Hewore practical clothes, with a Jambiya and acutlass, which appeared to be worn throughthe sash and no one saw the wheellock beltpistols he owned, that is until he used them.

Hans, the baker, his once unkempt wheatcolored hair was now cut short, to a merestubble. He might have been an attractiveman once, but years of being beaten downrobbed him of that. He wore simple clothes,carried a long and short sword at his side. Heremoved his baker’s hat and put a headbandaround his head to cover the brand of a hawkon his forehead that all Falkovnians have.

Mola, was looking less and less like askeleton. Skin and muscles grew over herbones as if a balloon being inflated. Whenthe effect was over, she still looked too thinfor someone her size, but no longer like askeleton. She wore a loose dress and simpleshoes that would not slip of if she had to run.She was putting two bandoleers of daggersover her head that crossed her chest andback. There were ten daggers in eachbandoleer.

And then there was an old man. He hadthinning grey hair with a slightly recedinghairline. He wore it longer on top to combover the slight bald spot at his crown. Linescrossed his face. And he had piercing blueeyes. He stood straight and tall and althoughhe looked a bit thin, it betrayed his trueagility. He carried a staff nearly two feettaller than him. It was gnarled and twisted asif it grew around a lamppost and black. If thestaff was straightened it would probablyreach ten feet tall. Everyone called him ‘oldman’ despite the way he moved, acted andspoke, which betrayed a man in his earlytwenties. Everyone except Ahmed, he calledhim teacher or sir. Ahmed & his Shadowstood beside the old man. The old man wasstill training them how to use the

quarterstaff. The Shadow was still learninghow to speak. Having no real voice all herlife, except the screams all the Wild Childrenhad, it made finding her voice difficult. Sinceshe had no voice when she and Ahmedarrived, she had no name. So the troupersnamed her, Belle, for the anklet she alwayswore. Neither Ahmed nor Belle carried theirweapons. Neither of them were part of thesecurity force. They merely followed theirteacher. They also helped him sell his staves,canes, and walking sticks.

Raphael approached the group. He had alarge cigar hanging from his mouth, withrings of smoke following him. He wore arobe which he was untying the belt of as heapproached. Beneath the robe was a pair ofsimple work pants and shirt with a functionalbelt and riding boots. He carried noweapons. He removed his robe and threw itover his shoulder. He wore a necklace, withan emblem hanging from it. The emblem hada silver longsword superimposed on analabaster kite shield and adorned with a sprigof belladonna.

Raphael bowed his head to Lucian as hejoined the group. “Pardon me Lucian for mytardiness. Nature.” He smiled wide, the cigarstill hanging from his mouth. And smokeringing his head.

“Not a problem, Raphael,” Lucian replied,returning the smile. Lucian cleared histhroat. “It has been just over a year since theIncubus and that other town attacked us.Since those events we’ve established a planin the event of another threat to the Carnival.Tonight we may see just how good thoseplans are.”

“But I think we were all hoping the Skurrawould be part of this,” Red Jack said. “Weare short one quarter of our security force.”

“We knew this might happen. As rare anoccurrence as it might be,” Luciancontinued. “Anyone not on the security forcebut with martial skills who’d like to help, can

help protect the Troupers. We need alookout.” He looked to Elthryn. “Send outthe fastest runners with night vision to watchfor the Townies. Make sure they are aware ofthe signal patterns to use through the night. Ifthey see the Townies approach, they signalthen return. They do not engage. Thesecurity force sets up ready to fight here, inthe middle of the Carnival next to Isolde’svardo. There will be no lights. So those whocan’t see in the dark, must have somethingcast on them. No matter what happens, theycan not reach our Skurra.”

“I can help,” Charlotte said.Lucian looked at her, unaware she was still

there. “No,” Lucian said firmly. “You are nota member of the security force.”

“I can join now.” “No,” Lucian said. “You are not in the

plans we’ve set up for these events. But as Isaid, if you want to help protect the otherTroupers, you may.” He motioned his headtoward the other side of the Midway.

She sighed understanding the dismissaland walked away.

“What about ditches?” a Roustabout saidfrom behind Lucian. He was packing up theremains of Red Jack’s burnt tent. “We couldtry digging ditches and camouflaging them.”

“Might be able to slow them down atleast,” Isolde said.

“After the vardos are ready, theRoustabouts can begin to dig ditches, if wehave that much time. The security force isthe front line, though. The Roustabouts willbe the second line. Only if it looks like theTownies will get through do we call all thetroupers out. We have to protect our Skurra.At all cost.”

“What about the Abominations?” a smallchild-like voice said.

The group parted. There standing at theback of the group was a Halfling. He was

tall, for a Halfling, and thin. He looked likean Elven child. He wore a multi-coloredharlequin outfit and was wiping whitemakeup off his face.

“Brennan, the Abominations are asdangerous to us as they are to the Townies.We have no control over them.”

“Unlike the big cats, Pacali’s punks, andthe Creeplings,” the Halfling said matter-of-factly.

“Yes,” Lucian replied. “Only as a lastresort do we unleash the Abominations.”

“We would be fighting them along withthe Townies,” Raphael added.

Everyone nodded in agreement. “All right, let’s prepare for the worst.”“And pray for the best,” Isolde said.“’And pray for the best’,” Lucian repeated.

Four: By the Light of the Silvery Moon

I remember in the circus learning that theclown was the prince, the high prince. I

always thought that the high prince was thelion or the magician, but the clown is the

most important. Roberto Benigni,

Italian actor, writer and director

As this was the Lunaset, the day after thefull moon, so the moon was still full. It washigh in the sky and illuminated everything.The night went slowly. It hadn’t taken longfor the camp to prepare. The security forcewas in a circle near Isolde’s vardo. Buteveryone was on edge. The waiting was theworst part. And the quiet didn’t help. Theonly noises in the night were the sound fromthe lookouts. Every fifteen minutes ananimal call came from the area between theCarnival and the town. Luckily, the clearing

the Carnival occupied was defendable. Theytried whenever possible to set up theCarnival in an area that was defendable. Butno one felt safe.

There was two hours before sunrise. It wasabout the same amount of time as earlier,when the fire broke out. It had been fiveminutes since the last call from one of thelookouts, when another call came out.

The entire security force stood and lookedtoward the break in the trees. This was thealert that someone on horseback approached.Only one person. The security force watchedas a lone individual raced toward the camp.

“Hello!” the individual yelled. Theindividual slowed and stopped about twentyfeet from the group. The person breathedheavily, out of breath despite riding thehorse. He dismounted then approached. Heraised his hands. “Hello! I am from thetown.”

“What do you want?” Lucian asked. Hewore a hooded cloak that concealed hisclothes and hair.

“My name is Edik. I came to warn you,”the man said.

Lucian allowed the man to approach. Helooked to Elthryn and nodded toward thelookouts. Elthryn disappeared behindIsolde’s vardo. Several animal calls wereheard. Then Elthryn returned.

“Warn us about what?” Lucian asked. “Youcan lower your arms.”

Edik looked around as he lowered hisarms. “Where is everyone?”

“You said you came to warn us,” Lucianprompted.

Edik looked to Lucian. “Invidia plans toattack you.”

“Invidia? Why? This isn’t Invidia.” “That doesn’t matter. They will be here

soon. You must leave.”

“Why are they going to attack us?” Luciansaid, more forcefully this time. “This isBorca.”

“You’re Vistani. They don’t like Vistani.”“What do you mean?” Isolde said.“We’re only about ten miles from Invidia.

And Lord Malocchio hates Vistani. Histroops kill any they find. They even cross theborder chasing Vistani just to kill them. Wedon’t like it, but our town guard can’t alwaysprevent them.”

“How did the Invidians know Vistani werehere? And why did your townsfolk act theway they did? It looked as though the had aproblem,” Lucian demanded.

“You wouldn’t know this but there wereInvidians among the crowd this afternoon.The mayor saw them, at least three. When hesaw them he knew what they were doinghere. They had heard there were Vistani hereand they sent scouts to find out. The mayorbelieves someone informed the Invidians. Hesent me to warn you.”

“How did they know we had Vistani? Theywear the makeup. Or was it the fortune teller,Madame Fortuna?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Only oneVistani among a group so large, they mighthave ignored it, but more likely they wouldhave someone sneak into your camp and killher, or just burn her wagon. But the mayor,he was watching the Invidians. They werewatching the harlequins. They must havebeen suspicious about them. But when hesaw the woman with the rose on her facedance with the lute player, he recognizedthem as Vistani. And if the mayor recognizedthem, the Invidians would. That’s when helooked more closely at the other harlequins.When he realized that most were Vistani heknew your fate was sealed. They plan to killall of you, not just them.”

“Why are you here?”

“The mayor sent me. To warn you, youmust leave.”

“Thank you,” Isolde said. "But if the Invidians discover you

informed us, won’t you be in danger?” Isoldeasked.

“I doubt it. This is wrong what they do.The rest of you must leave, now, before theycome.”

“We can’t,” Lucian said.“Why not? All you need to do is pack up

and leave.”Lucian looked at Isolde. She looked at him.

It was as if they spoke to each other. Shenodded her head.

“Our Vistani are away right now,” Isoldesaid. “We cannot leave without them andthey will not return for a while. Besides, doyou see horses?”

“Then they will kill you for being friendlywith them. And you will not be able to doanything to stop them.”

“No, it will not be that easy,” Isolde said. “We suspected something and believed

your town was going to attack us,” Luciansaid, “by the way your people were acting inthe midway. When will they come?”

“I don’t know.”“Do you know how they will attack?”

Lucian asked.“No, we’ve never known them to do this

before. They usually just pursue Vistani fromtheir borders. But I do know they will notstop until the Vistani are dead or they are.”

“Have they ever attacked anyone who wasprepared for them?” Raphael said.

“I don’t know. All we’ve ever seen is themchasing,” Edik said. “And when they’vepursued they’ve had dogs and sometimesarchers. Even with the rest of your peoplethough, they have enough troops tooutnumber you.”

“You let us worry about that,” Isolde said. “What if they discover we have prepared

for them to attack?” Elthryn asked.“I don’t know. I don’t think it will matter.”Raphael stepped forward and whispered

into Isolde and Lucian’s ears. “What abouthim?”

“I don’t know,” Isolde said aloud. “Nowyou’ve warned us. Now what?”

“I’m to return to town,” he said. “Themayor is trying to get the local militia ready.I’m not sure how much help we canprovide.”

“What about the tent fire?” Isolde asked.“The mayor overheard something about it

being a successful diversion.”The man got back on his horse and road

toward the opening in the trees. Elthrynmade a few animal calls.

“He tells the truth,” Isolde said. “Change of plans,” Lucian called. “Raja,

Professor Pacali, Skurra, wizards.” There was the sound of movement.Eight people appeared through the

invisible wall and went to Lucian. ThenProfessor’s Arcanus and Pacali approachedas quickly as Pacali could move. His handwas clutching his side.

“Although we don’t know how we will beattacked, we do know who. It’s Invidia.”Lucian told them what the townie told them.

“The Dukkar,” spat one of the Skurra whodid not wear the makeup.

“Does anyone know how Invidia feelsabout magic?” Lucian asked.

“I think they are even more distrusting ofarcane magic than we are,” Raphael said.

“I don’t think it would be wise to assumethey will have none though,” Lucian said.

“Skurra, you know the secret language ofyour people right?”

Four people stepped forward. “Yes,” theysaid.

“Good,” Lucian looked at Isolde. “I needyou to warn your people, the Vistani, to beweary around this area. That Invidia sendsraiding parties. The four of you must go outinto the area surrounding the town and markit. Warn them. Can you get this done beforethe Skurra return, before sunrise? Becausewhen that happens, we must leave at the firstopportunity.”

They looked at each other. They all shooktheir heads. “We will,” the woman with themsaid. “And if not, we can control the mists.”

“Good, don’t get caught, and don’t be late.But if you do miss us, we will go toProfessor Pacali’s home to rest the horses.”He paused. “But just in case, take horses.Hide them somewhere.”

“We will not need them,” the woman said.They left the group.

“Raja,” Lucian said. “Let’s see how theirdogs like our cats.”

Raja smiled and broke into a run towardthe beast wagons.

“Professor Pacali, get your punks ready.You will send them after any magic usersthey have,” Lucian told him. “Make surethey can’t concentrate and cast their spells. Ifthere are no magic users send them in afterall their people have come into the clearing.”

“Of course, Lucian,” Pacali said, beaminglike a child with a new toy.

“Professor Arcanus,” Lucian said. “Willyou and Professor Pacali be alright alone?”he said, leaving the offer for help unspoken.

Arcanus smiled wickedly. “I think theprofessor and I can handle anything thepunks can not.”

The two men turned and walked toward theunseen vardos.

“Wizards,” he said to the remaining four.“We can’t allow their archers to hit us with

their arrows. We need all the shields andbarriers you can muster. It’s up to youwhether you want to fight with us.” Luciannodded and the four left.

“And Pacali?” Red Jack began, “are yousure he will be able to come through? He’snot always entirely with us, not since theincubus. Agreed, he is better than he was.But he has been known to retreat into hisown world in stressful situations.”

“And that is the price he pays for hisprevious errors in judgment. When he is withus in both mind and body, he does everythinghe can to help.”

“Sunrise is in less than two hours,”Brennan stated. “The sun will be at theirbacks.”

“And in our eyes,” Raphael said. “Theywill have the advantage for it.”

“And when the sun rises we will have theSkurra.” Lucian turned to the security force.“Before, we were only prepared for an attackwe suspected would come. Now we knowthere will be one. Let’s pray we have enoughtime to implement our changes in the planbefore we are hit. If there’s anything youdon’t have you think you might need, now’sthe time to get it. But make it quick.”

No one moved.Everyone stood near Isolde’s vardo.

Waiting. There was rustling from the area ofthe unseen vardos. It only lasted severalminutes before everything was quiet again.An animal call came from the area of thelookouts then four men were seen runningtoward the camp. The four wizards appeared.They walked up to each member of thegroup and touched them, whispering. Whenthey got to Gon he lifted his hand.

“If this is for the arrows, save it forsomeone else, I’m protected from them,” hewhispered. And the wizard nodded andstepped away.

“Time to dance ladies and gentlemen,”Lucian said. “Raphael, after the arrowscome, there will be no need to subdue.”

Raphael nodded.The security force prepared for the attack.Elthryn wore dark clothes. Gon

Stonesplitter’s skin hardened and he liftedhis maul. Tosk wore a blackened breastplate.He pulled the executioners mask from hishead. His Orcish features more pronouncedfrom the Twisting. Tindal, wearing hisnormal black formal wear, twirled his cane, acynical smirk on his face. Red Jack lookedlike he always did. Isolde stood with herhand was on her sword hilt. Najib and Hansdrew their weapons. Mola wore studdedleather armor. The old man leaned on thegnarled staff. Brennan looked bored with hishands on his hips tapping his foot on theground. He still wore his harlequin clothing.Lucian wore a dark cloak.

Raphael wore a dark poncho that coveredhis torso. He checked pouches that hungfrom his belt. There were twenty pouches inall. When he moved the poncho to check thepouches something glinted beneath. “Ohgreat and wonderful Ezra,” Raphael began.“Look down upon us and show us your graceand grant us your protection on this dark andevil night so that we may protect those whocannot protect themselves.”

Raja appeared with twelve large cats ofvarious species. Hanging from his neck wasa moon shaped pendant that glowed in thelight of the moon.

One of the wizards, the only one in robes,walked up to Raja. He touched Raja,whispering. Before moving on he leaned inclose to Raja, “might want to put that intoyour shirt,” he pointed to the necklace.“Wouldn’t want to lose it.” Raja lookeddown and saw the pendant then slid it underhis shirt.

The four wizards moved. The robed wizardwalked ahead of the group and stoppedtwenty feet in front of them. Two stayed bythe group. And another, the only woman ofthe four, moved quickly to stand sixty feetbehind the group.

Two figures appeared ahead of the groupand moved toward the trees where thelookouts had been. There was a large darkarea that moved behind them. When theywere within ten feet of the opening in thetrees they stopped and disappeared.

A noise came from beyond the opening inthe trees. It was growling. Then twenty darkfigures came into site from between thebreak in the trees. The figures ran on allfours. They growled.

Raja raised his hand and pointed towardthe approaching dogs. “Attack!” hecommanded. The twelve large cats brokeinto a run toward the dogs. The cats closedthe distance quickly and quietly. The twogroups collided. The dogs growled andbegan barking. Roars erupted from the cats.It echoed through the area. The dogs yelped.Two dogs broke from the fighting group andraced toward the camp.

The robed wizard raised his hand,whispered something, then lowered it.

The dogs still approached. Suddenlytwenty five feet from the wizard the dogs hitsomething and fell motionless to the ground.

Three dogs broke from the group and ranback toward the opening in the trees. One ofthe big cats broke from the group andpursued.

“Raja,” Lucian said.“Belgar return!” Raja commanded.Belgar broke off the pursuit of the fleeing

dogs and raced toward the fighting animals.The cat passed the fighting animals andraced toward the camp.

The robed wizard turned and lookedtoward the group. “Ten feet to either side.”

Raja called to the big cat. The cat turnedsharply to run ten feet to one side of wherethe dog fell. Belgar passed the wizard. Thecat stopped in front of Raja and sat down athis feet. Raja put his hand on the cats headand petted him. Belgar was a large tiger. Hishead reached to Raja’s waist.

It didn’t take long for the growling to stop.When the dogs no longer fought back andsilence filled the area, Lucian said, “Raja.”

“Return,” Raja commanded. The catsbroke into a run toward the group.

The robed wizard lifted his hand andwaved it in front of him. The cats passed thefallen dog, and the wizard. They slowed asthey approached Raja. They all stopped infront of him and sat at his feet. Raja pettedeach of them.

“Injuries?” Lucian asked.“Some,” Raja said. “Badly?” Lucian asked.“Not very,” Raja said.“I don’t want to lose any,” Lucian said. “Understood,” Raja said. “I have that

covered.”There was a whistle that came from near

the opening in the trees. They fell silent. Dark spots appeared in the opening. “Ready,” Lucian said. The wizards appeared to do nothing. The

dark spots by the opening continued into theclearing. The group walked up to where thefallen dogs were and stopped. They liftedtheir arms, bow strings could be heard. Darkspots littered the sky. The wizard closest toLucian raised his hand, whispered somethingand lowered it. As the arrows approachedthey suddenly flew off to the right, awayfrom the group and away from the invisiblevardos and fell harmlessly into the woods.

Another volley of arrows came, but thesame thing happened. A cry could be heardfrom the archers. “They are prepared!” Agroup cry came from the other side of thetrees and a rush of people ran through theopening. When they reached the archers, thearchers joined them and all rushed towardthe camp. Within moments another groupappeared in the break.

“Go,” could be heard and a dark massappeared and swarmed them. Screams wereheard as the group of people fell to theground.

“Raphael,” Lucian said. “I think it’s time.” With his left hand Raphael pulled the

poncho off. He wore a beautiful breastplate.He waved his right and a longswordappeared in it. He waved his left hand and ashield appeared in it. Both gleamed in themoonlight. On both the breastplate and theshield was the same symbol as on theemblem hanging from his necklace, thesymbol of Ezra.

Isolde drew her sword, it glowed a brightblue.

Lucian released the cloak pin and let it fallto the ground. He wore Elven Half-Plate thatgleamed in the moonlight like Raphael’sbreastplate. His silver white hair also seemedto glow. He drew his rapier-like weaponslifted his left high.

“Charge!” The security force ran forward to meet the

advancing Townies. The robed wizardfollowed them. The other three wizardsremained where they stood.

“Attack!” Raja said pointing to theattackers.

The two groups met where the Carnival’sgate had been. Clashing metal rangthroughout the clearing.

The big cats were the first to reach them.They roared as they ripped into the attackers.

Isolde’s blade came down hard on theblade of the man she greeted. He was sosurprised by the force of her blow that it sethim off balance. Another swing of her swordand the man fell motionless to the ground.She moved to the next person. She madeshort work of that man also. This was herfighting style, the hard first strike that madeher opponents drop quicker. The onlyproblem was, it didn’t last. She could only dothis for three, maybe four opponents beforelosing the initial burst of strength. Then shewould have to go to a normal style. Her thirdopponent stepped up to her and met herinitial blow prepared. She knew this onewould take awhile.

* * *

Lucian stopped just before the group ofattackers and pointed his rapier-likeThinblade, in his left hand, at them. “Ohgreat and powerful Ezra, look down uponour attackers and show them your wrath.” Hethen sprinted the last few feet. Lucian’sblades came down hard on the attacker’slongsword. Several swift moves andLucian’s Thinblade pierced deep into theattacker’s chest, who fell lifeless to theground. Lucian moved to the next attacker.He parried the man’s first swing with theLightblade, the shorter rapier-like blade. Hethen lunged with the Thinblade, piercing theman’s chest. The next attacker was not soeasily dispatched, instead of slashing downwith his longsword, he went for an uppercut.Lucian still parried with the Lightblade. Butthis man had a second weapon as well andslashed across in front of Lucian’s chest.Lucian jumped back to avoid the blow. Thenthe man swung his sword at Lucian with abackward movement. Lucian stepped back toavoid this blow also but the attackers otherblade came down across Lucian’s leg.Lucian grunted at the pain then slid the pointof his Lightblade up under the man’s ribcage.

* * *

Raphael ran headlong into the onslaught. Hebrought his shield down hard into the face ofone man and slashed the other across thechest. Both men fell to the ground. He turnedand did the same to the next two attackers.Then his shield came down and hit metal, theattacker blocked with a shield of his own andswung his sword at Raphael. Raphaelstepped back out of the man’s rangeseparating their shields. Raphael swung hissword before the man could recover, but theman was too quick for him. His shield wasthere to block the blow. The man swungagain meeting Raphael’s shield. Theirshields and swords met several more times.

* * *

Elthryn ran into the crowd and brought hislongsword up to block an attacking blow. Heswung his sword directing the attackingblow away from him, then he brought hissword back across the attackers chest. Theman dropped to the ground. He moved to thenext man.

* * *

Red Jack ran up to one attacker, he blockedthe oncoming sword bow with the scabbardof his rapier, then drover his rapier deep intothe man’s throat. He pulled the rapier outquickly as the man grabbed his throat withhis free hand. Then Red Jack drove his rapierinto the man’s chest. The man fell to theground. Another man stepped up to Jack. Hehad a sinister smile on his face. “My, aren’twe pretty,” the man said. “I wanna see what’sunder that mask of yours.”

“You’ll have to kill me to get it off,” Jacksaid.

“Planned on it. En Garde!” The two men took a fencing stance. Jack

placed his scabbard hand behind him. Theman did a forward hop and lunged his rapierat Jack.

“Balesta,” Jack said.There was a back-and-forth play of blades

with several gaps where neither bladetouched each other.

“Conversation,” the man said.Another conversation ensued. The man

deflected Jack’s blade. “Attaque au fer,” Jack said.The man then advanced by crossing one

leg over the other. “Passe avante.”Jack retreated the same way. “Passe

arrière.”The man made an attack with a chopping

motion of his blade.”“Coup de taille,” Jack said. Then Jack

parried the attack. “Contre-parade.” ThenJack made an attack that swept the man’sblade through a full circle.

“Enveloppement.” The man moved for anattack with an aggressive leap off his leadingfoot, attempted to make the hit, and thenpassed Jack at a run. As he passed, hebrandished a main-gauche in his other handand went to stab Jack with it. The blade hitJack’s coat but lands flat.

“Fleche,” Jack said. “Coup plaque.” Jackbrought his scabbard hand around quickly tohold the man’s main-gauche to his coat. Jackspun the man around to bring it up behindhim. There was a cracking sound. The manscreams. Jack stood behind him with theman’s arm in an unnatural position. Hestepped back and drove his rapier into theman’s back. “Coup d’estoc.” The man fell tothe ground. “Match.”

Jack turned to look for another opponent.He didn’t have to look long. A sword hitJack in the cheek of his mask. His headwhipped to the side with the force of theblow. He straightened to see his attacker. Itwas a woman with a broadsword.

“Not fair, mademoiselle, hitting a manwhen his back is turned.”

“And what of your backstab?” her voicewas musical.

“He did not establish a two-weaponfencing match.”

“I guess all’s fair in love and war.”“I would much rather make love.”“Next time we meet, we’ll make love,” she

smiled broadly.“Deal.” Jack took the fencing stance, with

his scabbard hand held high. “En Garde!”She held her broadsword high with both

hands. “Engage.”

* * *

Tosk and Gon raced side-by-side, despitetheir size difference. They barreled throughthe onslaught, swinging their weapons asthey went. They moved through the crowd ofattackers, dropping all they came upon. Theycontinued until the reached the other side ofthe opposition taking out eight opponentstotal. They turned and brandished theirweapons high two attackers approached.They did not have time to charge so theystepped up to the attackers and engaged.They made short order of them.

* * *

Both Najib and Hans stepped up to theattacking group together. They turned sotheir backs were toward each other. Theymade the same moves, blocked with theshort sword and attacked with thelongsword. It took two blows to drop both oftheir attackers. Then they stepped up to theirnext pair.

* * *

Mola ran into the crowd. She ducked once toavoid a blow by one attacker, only to block ablow by the attacker behind him with her leftdagger. With the first one behind her shebrought the dagger in her right hand back tostab him in the back. As she pulled thedagger out of the man’s back and brought its

hilt hard into the second man’s jaw. His headswung, spraying dark liquid from his mouth.She swung around and dug the left daggerinto the first man’s throat. With her rightdagger she brought the blade across thesecond man’s throat. Both men fell to theground. She turned to see two othersapproach her.

* * *

The old man raced into the crowd. He tuckedthe quarterstaff into his stomach and rolled,bringing two men to the ground. He jumpedto his feet before the two men could move letalone get to their feet. The old man broughtthe staff down hard with one end onto oneman’s back, then brought the other end downonto the others. He pummeled both men untilneither moved, then turned to face a man andwoman with long swords.

He swung hitting the man’s longsword,knocking it from his grip. The longswordflew off into the crowd of attackers. Then heswung the other end of the staff hitting thewoman’s sword. She held tight to herweapon. But it did off balance her. The oldman turned and swung on the man, hittinghim hard in the chest, knocking him to theground. Then he turned and swung at thewoman again. She tried to meet the attackwith her sword, but his force was too greatand she stumbled backwards. He turned tosee what the man was doing. The man wasstill on the ground. The old man brought thestaff down hard onto the man’s chest. Therewas the sound of bones cracking. He turnedto face the woman again. She was running athim. He stepped to the side at the lastmoment and swung the staff around hittingher hard in the back. She fumbled forwardfalling onto the man. The old man swung in adownward motion to hit her in the back. Butshe rolled over, off the man and out of theway. She was obviously winded but shecontinued to roll. The old man followed,bringing the staff down to try to hit her.

Another man came up behind the old manand swung his battleaxe at him. The old mansensed something and swung around toblock the blow with the staff. He countered,swinging the other end of the staff around tohit the man in the arm. The man cried out inpain then dropped the axe. The old man didan uppercut with the staff, hitting the manunder the jaw. His head flew back hard andhe continued falling back onto the ground.

* * *

Tindal stepped casually up to an attacker. Hetwirled his cane in front of the man’s faceblocking all the attacking blows. When theman swung wide, Tindal brought his canedown hard on the man’s head. The man fellto the ground. He chuckled to himself andstepped toward another attacker. He twirledthe cane casually as if a baton. He stepped inclose to the attacker, hit him several timeswith the cane, then stepped back. The mandidn’t know what to make of it. He grewtired of the game Tindal was playing withhim, so he timed the canes movements thenlunged in. Tindal tried to dodge,unsuccessfully. The swords blade slid underhis arm and cut into his side just under hisleft arm. Tindal stopped twirling the caneand looked at the man. The man smiled athim.

“You cut my jacket,” Tindal said, shocked.“You look like an undertaker.”“Then you’ll know what will happen when

I’m through with you.” Tindal began twirlinghis cane again, more aggressively. Severalswings of the cane and the man fell to theground. Then Tindal checked the cut on hisside. When he pulled his hand away, therewas blood on it. He still seemed morebothered by the cut in his jacket.

“A little less play, a little more fight,” avoice said from behind him.

Tindal turned to see the robed wizardrunning past him.

* * *

The robed wizard stopped just past Tindal.He looked at the area in front of him. Thenhe chose an area that none of the securityforce were in. He opened his mouth andshouted. A wave moved from him and hit theattackers. Eight attackers were hit with thecone-shaped wave, six fell to the ground theother two put their hands on their ears andfell to their knees. They kept shaking theirheads. The robed wizard nodded in approval.Then he lifted his hand toward two kneelingattackers. Five missiles flew from his hand,two hit one man in the chest, three hit theother. Both men fell to the ground.

* * *

Brennan was the last to reach the attackers.He leapt into the air kicking one man in theface. He then landed on the man’s shoulders,kicking the man several times about thehead. When the man began falling to theground, Brennan leapt to the ground. Noother attackers were near him. He crossed hisarms disappointed. So he looked around thebattle field to decide his next move. Therewere still plenty of attackers, but he wouldhave to pass through his people to get tothem.

* * *

The sky grew brighter.

* * *

Raphael and his opponent clashed swordsand shields. This is taking too long, Raphaelthought. Then his opponent grunted and fellto one knee. Raphael came down hard on theman’s head with his shield. As the man fellto the ground, Raphael saw a small multi-colored figure run from behind the fallingman. “Thanks, Brennan.”

* * *

Swords clashed and Isolde stepped back asher attacker swung his sword high, at her

head. Their swords clashed again, then heswung low. She jumped over the blow. Theirswords clashed again. He swung at herstomach. She tried to move back out of theway, but the blow hit her hard in thestomach. It didn’t cut her, but the blowcertainly did hurt. It took the wind from her.He was surprised there was no blood. But hedid notice she was winded. He moved in forthe final blow while she was vulnerable.“Ahhh!” he screamed as his foot came outfrom underneath him. Despite being winded,Isolde moved in and with one swing, he fellto the ground dead. She saw a small multi-colored figure run from behind the fallenman. “Brennan?”

“He, he he!” he laughed.

* * *

The woman swung her broadsword at RedJack. He deflected the blow with hisscabbard. But he felt the blow in his wrist.She was strong, maybe stronger than him.But she did have a larger weapon and wasusing the strength in both arms. He moved infor a stab with his rapier, but she swung athim again. He deflected the blow again. Butthe force behind her blow was as strong asthe last. He knew he wouldn’t be able to takeanother blow. He tried to come in for anotherblow with his rapier, but she came in againwith another blow. He deflected it with hisscabbard, but this time, he felt his wristcrack. She broke something. He gritted histeeth behind his mask to keep from lettingher know he was hurt.

She screamed and fell to her knees. Jacktook advantage and hit her hard across thejaw with the basket hilt of his rapier. Herhead whipped around, her body moved withthe force and she fell to the ground.

Jack saw a small multi-colored figure runpast behind her. “Brennan,” he said.“Thanks.”

* * *

An attacker stepped up to Tindal. This onehad a short staff in each hand. He startedswinging both of them in circles. He came inand swung at Tindal. He blocked one of theblows, but the other hit him under his leftarm. It hit him right in his wound. Tindalgrunted. The man chuckled and gave Tindala cynical smile. The man came in with hisweapons again. Tindal dodged one blow andblocked the other. Tindal stepped back andbegan to spin his cane. The man came inwith his weapons. They hit his cane and theywere deflected. So the man stepped back andleapt over Tindal. He landed behind Tindaland went to attack him from behind beforehe could turn. Tindal began to turn, but hedidn’t think he could turn in time to get hiscane up to protect him from the blows heknew were coming. Then he heard the mancry out. Tindal turned around to see the manonly holding one weapon. The other handwas holding his back, by his kidney. Tindalbrought his cane down hard on the man’shead. As the man stumbled backward, Tindalsaw a small multi-colored figure run frombehind the man. “Brennan,” Tindal said. Theman began shaking his head to clear it.Tindal stepped in and hit the man again onthe head. The man fell to the ground.“Thanks.”

* * *

Mola stepped up to her two attackers. Thefirst man went into a roll and came up behindher. The second stepped up to face her. Sheturned to try to see the one behind her, but hestepped out of her view. She swung one ofher daggers behind her, hopping to makecontact. She felt her dagger make contactand heard a grunt. In her distraction trying tocatch the first man, the second caught her offguard. He got his attack off before her. Allshe could do was hope she could get herdagger up in time to block. The two bladesmet inches from her face. She ducked under

his arm using her dagger to push the swordup so she could get a better position on thetwo men. She stepped back and brought bothdaggers up. The two men turned to meet her.The first man rolled again coming up behindher again. The second man swung his swordat her. Her dagger came up to meet the blade.She managed to deflect most of the force, butshe felt the blade cut her cheek. It stung. Shecouldn’t think about it though, she swung herdagger behind her to hit the first man. Itdidn’t make contact. She felt a pain in herside as the first man’s blade slid into a gap inher studded leather armor. She screamed.She saw the second man’s sword come ather. She knew she couldn’t get her dagger upin time. But instead of the man hitting herwith his sword, he fell backward onto theground. She didn’t have time to think. Hewas down, so she turned swinging hard withher dagger. Her blade came across the firstman’s throat. His hand went to his gapingwound as he fell to the ground. The otherguy, she thought. She turned to see a smallmulti-colored figure standing on the secondman’s chest kicking him in the face. Whenthe man no longer moved Brennan turned tolook at Mola.

“Thanks, Brennan,” she said.“Anytime,” he said jumping off the man

and running into the crowd.

* * *

The sky brightened.

* * *

Lucian didn’t have time to look at hiswound. Two attackers stepped up to meethim. They swung their swords at him. Hebrought his blades up to block the attacks.He jumped into the air and kicked the men inthe chest. They both stumbled back, but theyrecovered quickly. Lucian stepped in toattack both men. Men blocked his blades. Hestepped back and came in again. The twomen blocked his attacks and stepped wide

coming in on either side of Lucian. Lucianstepped in toward the man on his right andstabbed his Lightblade at him. This time, hemade contact. His blade pierced the man’soff-hand shoulder. The man stepped back.Then Lucian turned and stepped in towardthe man on his left. He stabbed his Thinbladeat him. This one made contact also. The tipof the blade went into the bicep of the man’ssword arm. The man stepped back. Lucianturned to face the man on his right. The manwas lunging. Lucian stepped easily out of theway and stabbed at the man with hisLightblade. The blade pierced the man’sback behind his shoulder blade and wentdeep into the man’s chest. The man fell offthe blade onto the ground.

Then Lucian heard a scream. Mola! Hewhipped his head in the direction of herscream. Damn it! He thought just before hefelt the pain on the right side of his face andhis ear. He turned to see the man who hadbeen on his left, standing on his right. Theman smiled. Then Lucian was blinded as thesun broke over the tree-line. He knew he wasin trouble. He brought his swords up to try toblock whatever attacks came.

A loud explosion echoed through theclearing.

Lucian held his blades high waiting for theattack that didn’t come. He shielded his eyesand looked in front of him. No one wasthere. He looked to the ground and saw theman who just cut him lying on the ground.There was a small hole in his forehead withblack powder around it. Lucian turned towhere the explosion was. The Pistoleer stoodthere still holding his pistol high, smokecoming from the barrel.

The Pistoleer wasn’t the only Skurra. Allof the fighters among them were racing fromthe over the hill.

Lucian nodded his thanks to the Pistoleer.Who merely lowered his pistol and raised theother to take another shot, at another target.

The Skurra raced into the crowd ofattackers.

* * *

Once the Skurra arrived, it didn’t take longto finish off the attackers. Once they realizedthey were losing, several ran for the openingin the trees.

The swarm of Pickled Punks ran towardthe escaping attackers.

“Pacali!” Lucian called.“Come,” Pacali said, and the swarm

returned to their master. The fleeing attackers ran past the group the

Punks had taken care of. They ran from theclearing.

Professors Arcanus and Pacali bought thePunks back to the camp.

“Load up,” Lucian called. “And get any ofours who’ve fallen. We leave no onebehind.”

Pacali stopped at the area where the Punksattacked. He looked through the mass offallen bodies. He picked up the bodies ofseveral Punks that died or was injured in theattack.

Red Jack checked the woman he foughtwith the broadsword. She still breathed. Hesmiled and walked to his vardo.

The group raced to pick up their fallen andpack up. It only took a few minutes.

The clerics raced around to the securityforce and the Skurra who fought. Theyhealed anyone who needed it, includingseveral Pickled Punks and a couple of the bigcats. When one walked up to Lucian hewaved him away.

Lucian first went to make sure Mola wasalright. The clerics had already healed herwounds. She put her hand on the right side ofhis face. When she pulled her hand awaythere was blood on it.

“You should get that looked after,” she saidtenderly.

Lucian put his hand to his head. He noticedthe tip of his ear was missing. “I can think ofworse things to lose than part of my ear.” Heput his hand on her cheek. Then leaned in tokiss her. When he straightened, he motionedfor her to go to the vardos. He lookedaround.

“All accounted for?” Lucian called. Elthryn stepped up to him. “The four

Skurra you sent out haven’t returned.”“Is everything ready to leave?”“Yes,” Elthryn said.“We can’t wait. They knew that. They

know where we’ll be.” Lucian walked up tothe lead vardo. “Professor Pacali’s estate.”

The two Skurra sitting on the benchmoved. The man whipped the horses intomotion. The woman just closed her eyes.Mist formed before them. The vardos move.

Lucian jumped on the back of Mola’svardo. He opened the door. Mola was sittingalone inside. He stepped into the vardo andclosed the door.

Epilogue: R n RTime is a circus, always packing up and

moving away. Ben Hecht, writer

The area was dark and gloomy. There was aclearing with a large bog on three sides of aneglected, ramshackle wooden house andtrees on the other. The area was large enoughfor all the vardos. When the last of thevardos emerged from the mists everyonejumped out of them. Several Skurra androustabouts went to the two cookhousevardos and began to set up the tent.

Lucian and Mola stepped from the vardo.He had a bandage on the side of his head andear. He also had a white cloth tied around hisleg where he had been cut. He left Mola andwalked toward Professor Pacali andArcanus’ vardo. The door was opening as hewent to knock. Arcanus was holding Pacaliwho gripped his side with both hands.Lucian held his arms out.

“I’ll take him,” he said. Arcanus handedPacali to Lucian. Pacali sat down intoLucian’s arms. Lucian carried the older manand walked toward the house. Just before hereached the porch a mist formed near theback of the clearing. Four people steppedfrom the mist, then it disappeared. Luciannodded to them, all was accounted for. Hestepped up to the front door and opened it.Then he stepped inside with Pacali andclosed the door behind them.

Sideshow GamesNew Performers for the CarnivalBy Tami Sammons aka Hadis Deadstalker

OllivanderGryffon@gmail.com

Elthryn Winter, The WraithCreated by Henry Eshleman aka ColeDeschain

Male human, Ftr5/Wiz5/Rog2: CR 12;Medium-sized Humanoid; HD5d4+5d10+2d6+12; hp 61; Init +1; Spd 30ft;AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2 ring of protection); BaseAtt Bonus: +9/+4 Melee (1d8+4; crit 19-20,x2, Elven long sword + 3) or +5 Ranged(ld4; crit, x2, darts); SA Spells; SQ Familiar;AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref+5, Will +10; Str 14,Dex 15, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 11.

Skills and Feats: Alchemy +14, Climb +4,Concentration +9, Craft (weapon smith) +8,Gather Information +10, Intimidation +7,Jump +4, Knowledge (arcane) +12,Knowledge (the planes) +7, Knowledge(Ravenloft) + 7, Knowledge (religion) +12,Listen +10, Ride +5, Scry +10, Sense Motive+12, Spell craft +14, Spot +12, Swim +4;Alertness, Craft Magic Arms and Armor,Empower Spell, Expertise, Iron Will,Quickdraw, Scribe Scroll, Silent Spell, SpellFocus (evocation), Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (long sword).

Languages: Vaasi*, Balok, Darkonese,Draconic, Mordentish.

Wizard Spells per day: 4/4/3/2. Base DC= 14 + spell level, 16 + spell level forEvocation spells.

Spell book: 0 - Daze, Detect Magic, Flare, Light, Mage

Hand, Mending, Ray of Frost, Read Magic; 1 - Burning Hands, Comprehend

Languages, Identify, Mage Armor, MagicMissile, Magic Weapon, Mount, Ray ofEnfeeblement;

2 - Darkness, Daylight, Flaming Sphere,Locate Object, Melf's Acid Arrow,Pyrotechnics, See Invisibility, WhisperingWind;

3 - Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Fireball,Flame Arrow, Gust of Wind, Keen Edge,Lightning Bolt.

IntroductionThe Wraith is a rather striking individual. Heis a tall, handsome Kartakan, clean-shavenwith shoulder-length hair. His appearance ismade even more striking by the fact thatthanks to the Twisting, his skin, hair, and

eyes are all the same shadowy gray.Unfortunately, his personality is bestdescribed as caustic. Due to his own highintelligence, he has little patience with thosewho cannot keep up with him. However,those who earn his respect find him afriendly individual, if still somewhat tactless.Since joining the Carnival, he has warmedsomewhat, but he remains distant andsecretive with new acquaintances.

BackgroundThe man who would become The Wraithwas born Elthryn Winter, in the town ofSkald, Kartakass. He was always a secretivetype, and few suspected it when he took upthe study of magic under a retiredadventurer. Elthryn saw magic as a veryeffective route to power. Unfortunately forhim he caught the attention of Harkon Lukas,and he was forced to beat a hasty retreat outof Kartakass. Luckily for Elthryn, theCarnival passed through the area and wasable to protect him from Lukas. His secretivenature manifested itself in the darkening ofhis skin, eyes, and hair. Now entirelyshadow-gray, The Wraith has lost theconspicuousness that almost ended his life.

Original SketchThe Wraith has taken rather well to life withthe Carnival and it's unlikely that he willever choose to leave. He has developed astrong romantic interest in Amelia, theVampiress. She remains unaware of hisinfatuation, largely because, for all of hisexperience, he is almost pathologically shyaround her. He has also taken up the study ofswordplay, because, as he is often heard tosay, "A sword would look really good in myact!"

Update SketchIn the years since he’s been with theCarnival, he has put more of a focus on his

martial skills. Since the events of the Incubusattacked, he has become a member of theCarnival’s security force. He has also addedsome rogue skills, all to benefit his positionon the security force. He is a bit of aworkaholic. Since he and Amelia married,he’s actually mellowed somewhat. He's amuch friendlier guy in general. He's bothcontented and happy.

Original CombatIn spite of his recent martial training, TheWraith hardly considers himself a warrior.Generally he relies on his magic, unless allelse fails. He will then employ a simple, non-magical long sword.

Updated CombatSince becoming a member of the Carnival’ssecurity force, he has put all his martial skillsinto his long sword. He is very observant ofthe Townies and is skilled at picking out thetroublemakers. When in a fight he will usewhichever is the quickest way to quell thethreat, whether sword or magic.

LucianMale Elf, Ftr4/Knight of the Shadows4/Rog3 CR 11; Medium-sized Humanoid, HD8d10 +3d6+22, HP80, Init +3, Spd 30ft; AC20 (+3 Dex, +7 Elven Half-Plate Armor),Base Att Bonus: +10/+5 Melee (1d8+4 Crit18-20/x2 Elven Thinblade +3) primaryweapon, +4/-2 Melee (1d6+2 Crit 18-20/x2Elven Lightblade +2) secondary weapon; SASpells; Trap Finding, Evasion, Trap Sense+1, Virtue is it’s own Reward, Guardian ofthe Innocent. AL LG SV Fort +11, Ref+8,Will +5; Str 18, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 15, Wis14, Cha 13.

Skills and Feats: Ambidextrous, Courage,Craft (Weaponsmith, Elven Thinblade) +9,Dead Man Walking, Diplomacy +7, GatherInformation +8, Intimidate +10, Jump +11,

Knowledge (Local), +7, Listen +8, Ride +9,Search +8, Sense Motive +6, Spellcraft +6,Spot +8, Two-Weapon Fighting, WeaponFocus (Elven Thinblade).

Languages: Sithican*, Vaasi, Balok,Mordentish

Divine Spells per day: 3/3/0/0, Base DC -12 + spell level

Divine Spells:

1st -- bless, change self, deathwatch, detectundead, expeditious retreat, invisibility toundead, magic weapon, obscuring mist,protection from evil, sanctuary.

2nd -- aid, blur, consecrate, darkness, fogcloud, invisibility, mirror image,misdirection, shield other.

3rd -- blink, deeper darkness, displacement,halt undead, haste, magic circle against evil,negative energy protection, nondetection,prayer.

4th -- death ward, detect scrying, freedomof movement, improved invisibility, greatermarc weapon, shadow conjuration, solid fog,status.

IntroductionLucian is an attractive elven male and has

the typical features of elves from Sithicus.He has aquiline features and stands 5’ 7” tall.He has waist length silver-white hair, excepton the right side where it is cut just above theear. His right ear is missing an inch off thetip and there is a scar on his temple where hisear is missing. His clothing is drab, thepreferred colors being white, beige, ash, andgray-green. Since joining the Carnival he hasgrown very protective of his new family. Somuch so the Twisting has amplified that tohis advantage. He has gained four spell-likeabilities: Arcane sight, as per the 3rd levelSor/Wiz spell, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance,as per the 3rd level Sor/Wiz spell,Comprehend Languages as per the 1st lvl

Sor/Wiz spell and True Seeing, as per the 6thlevel Sor/Wiz spell. All except True Seeing,which he can use once per day, are always onhowever the range is different depending onwhere he is. When within the confines of theCarnival, within 300 feet of Isolde’s vardo,the range is the entire Carnival grounds. Andalthough he may be able to see somethingthe 600 feet from one end of the Carnival tothe other, he may not be able to see exactlywhat that something is until he is closer andbaring physical obstructions. Or if he leavesthe Carnival grounds as long as he is within300 feet of Isolde herself the range is 300feet. Anywhere outside of these twoconditions the range is as per the spell.Comprehend languages is only for spokenwords not written. Arcane sight has made hisbrown eyes glow blue. He is considered awisp. His glowing blue eyes are the onlyphysical change to occur from the Twisting.

BackgroundLucian grew up in Sithicus. And although heno longer lives in his homeland, he tends tostick to the traits that were ingrained into hisnature. This is, however, transferred to hisnew home, the Carnival, and his new people,the Troupers and Skurra. He is veryprotective of his new home and new people.Outsiders, the Townies/Georges, are treatedwith suspicion, disdain or even hostility. Hetends to be grim and cold with outsiders, butno where near as much as he was when helived in his native land. He is warm andalmost friendly with the Troupers andSkurra. The solemn apathy the Sithican elvesfeel for nature and beauty has changed to amore neutral feeling since joining theCarnival. He has begun a relationship withMola, the living skeleton.

SketchBefore joining the Carnival, Lucian had beenliving in Borca. He had a good reputation as

an adventurer in the southern area of Borcaand had been hired on several times forsecurity on their trade routes. He joined theCarnival shortly before the Incubus attacked.He was camping in the area where theCarnival arrived. Since he was between jobsat the time, he joined the Carnival as one ofthe Roustabouts. When the Carnival left, hewent with them. He was first attracted toBlasse. There was something about her saddistant demeanor that made him want tocheer her up. While trying to do so, he fell inlove with her. But when the Incubusattacked, she spurned him. This was alsowhen he suggested creating a security forceto protect the Carnival against attacks byoutside forces. Everyone, including theSkurra, through Madame Fortuna, agreed.The made him head of it. Having just beenspurned by Blasse, he put everything into it.This just reinforced his overprotective naturefor the Carnivals members. Mola Kravvan,the Living Skeleton was the first to join. Shehad been attracted to Lucian from the firstmoment she saw him. This helped break herbrother’s hold on her. Now he has developeda relationship with Mola.

CombatLucian is left handed. He carries an ElvenThinblade +3 in his left hand and amasterwork Elven Lightblade in his right.When going into battle he usually castsMagic Weapon on the Lightblade. Whenentering battle he wears Elven Half-Plate+1. The Longsword +3 he used to carry hegave to Elthryn, whom he feels a strongfriendship for, although he’s not sure thefeeling is returned.

Red JackMale human, Bard5/Ftr5: CR10, Medium-sized Humanoid, HD 5d6 +5d10+20, HP90,Init +1, Spd 30ft, AC 11 (+1 Dex), Base Att

Bonus: +8 Melee (1d6+3, Crit 18-20/x2,Rapier+2) Primary Weapon, +3 Melee(1d6+3. Crit x2, Metal Scabbard+2)secondary weapon, SA spells, Bardic music,bardic knowledge, countersong, facilitate,inspire courage +1, inspire competence. ALCN, Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +5, STR 14, DEX16, CON 14, INT 16, WIS 10, CHA 6.

Skills and Feats: Agile, Balance +10,Bluff +8, Combat Reflexes, CombatExpertise, Concentration+9, Craft(Pottery)+16, Diplomacy +8, Escape Artist+16, Improved Disarm, Jump +10, OpenLocks +7, Profession (Pottery) +8, Ride +13,Search +9, Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Defense

Languages: Mordentish*, Lamordian,Falkovian, Halfling

Spells per day: NoneIntroduction: Although every one calls

this Trouper Jack, no one truly knowswhether he is male or female. He is tall witha slim, athletic build. . He wears men’sclothes in the Dementlieu style a white silkshirt, breeches reaching to below the knees, aburgundy knee-length coat with large foldedback cuffs and gold embroidery. He has tightwhite leggings worn to the knee, with black,heeled buckled shoes. He has an elaboratewhite silk cravat. He wears a three point hat.But instead of the typical black it isburgundy with gold embroidered and threewhite feathers in the front. There is alsoseveral great owl feathers that sweep backtoward the back of the hat and a goldmedallion in front holding the feathers to thehat with a family crest. Underneath the hathe wears a white wig with large ringlets, theside ringlets were short, reaching to thejawline, and in back are long ringlets tiedback by a large burgundy bow with goldembroidery. And white silk gloves.

He also wears a white porcelain mask withruby red lips and gold paint on the cheeks tomatch the embroidery. His hazel eyes can be

seen peering through the eyes of the mask.No one ever sees Jack without the mask. Andwhen he carries a weapon, it is a rapier witha gold wire hand-guard with garnet gems. Itlooks more ornamental rather than an actualweapon to fight with. His voice does notbetray his gender. Since arriving at theCarnival, Jack has become more and moreandrogynous. And the Twisting began tochanged his body to reflect his androgyny.He started to lose his sexual identity.

BackgroundRed Jack was born Jacques Chevalier, theeldest of three children, with a youngerbrother and sister. His family was once heldamong the higher ranks of Port-a-Lucine’saristocracy. And Jacques’ father was quitethe lady’s man in his day. But his father hadfallen in love with, wooed and married hismother who was betrothed to another man.Rather than fight a duel with the other manover the dishonor he chose to leave Port-a-Lucine for Chateaufaux.

His family became quite an influentialfamily in Chateaufaux. And Jacques and hissiblings grew up in the lap of luxury. And hegot everything he wanted. But Jacques wasnot the most attractive of men. No that washis younger brother. But despite his lack ofbeauty, Jacques grew up to be quite theladies man, as his father before him.Unfortunately they were not the right kind ofladies for his father’s tastes. He tended toromance the ladies from the lower ranks. Hedidn’t like women of his own station. He feltthey were arrogant and just favor hisattentions simply for his family’s influence.

But the ladies of lower ranks appreciatedhim. And when Jacques fell in love andbrought the woman he wanted to marry tomeet his family, his father hired a local thugto “take her honor”. When Jacques found outwhat his father had done, he was furious.Jacques married her anyway. But before he

and his new bride could depart on theirhoneymoon, his father stopped him. Theygot into a terrible fight that ended in thefamily estate catching fire. His father andwife both died in the fire. And he washorribly burned.

While he was recovering from his injuries,his brother took over the family, tellingeveryone that he had also died in the fire. Helocked Jacques in the cellar of the newestate. And for almost a year, Jacques livedthere in a dank, dark musty room. One nightwhile his brother held a masquerade partyupstairs, Jacques picked the lock of hisprison and escaped into the night, but notbefore going to his mother.

He cleaned himself up, donned a suit andmask and joined the party. There, he foundhis mother and convinced her he was herson. She confronted Jacques brother andexposed him to the town. Jacques watchedhis brother’s humiliation before all ofChateaufaux then ran into the night. Shortlythereafter, he happened upon the Carnival, orwas it the other way around.

Either way, he has been with them eversince. When he first arrived, Jack fell in lovewith Silessa, but since she was and still is inlove with Raja he considers her off limits.But he still has feelings for her. Recently hehas come to realize he is also in love withClaude, or rather the Imp. He also believesthat Claude might actually be the only onewho would accept him with his burns. Butbecause of his burns, he hasn’t said anything,and probably never will. Although he knowsthe Troupers are more accepting of people’sflaw than others, he still is afraid they will behorrified by his burns. Despite his beingburned, Jack is not afraid of fire in fact he isbecoming obsessed with it. And he hasdeveloped a strong friendship with Charlotte,the Fire Eater because of it.

What he doesn’t realize is this is theTwisting. Although he doesn’t play with fire,

whenever there is fire around he must makea Will save in order to keep from touching it.This is a dangerous obsession. And thus farhe has controlled his urge to touch the flamesor someone has arrived in time to stop him.He has been able to hide this obsessiondespite being stopped several times fromputting his hands into the flames. But heknows someday nothing will stop him and hebelieves he will burn alive. But what hedoesn’t realize is the Twisting has madeimmune to fire. Also, the Twisting has givenhim the ability to control flames. He can’tstart them, but he can control the intensityand size, he can even put the flames out.

CombatJack uses his Rapier+2 in his right hand andthe Metal Scabbard +2 in his left. He prefersto use the scabbard to block rather thanstrike, but he can strike with it if needed. Heappears to wear no armor. However he has asuit that has Elven Chainmail+1 woven intohis jacket. Also, the masks Jack wears aremade with metal, so they function almostlike a helm. The masks will take 20 points ofdamage before cracking and 30 points total.Since his Charisma is below 10, he can notcast spells.Current SketchJack is a man in his mid-thirties. Although noone would ever know to look at him, not thathe allows that to happen. The fire that tookhis father and wife left him burned over 80%of his body, including his face. He remainshidden beneath a porcelain mask with all ofhis burned skin hidden form view.

RaphaelRaphael is a human male in his middle agefrom Borca. He is a 5th level cleric, 6th levelAnchorite of the Mist. When going intobattle he has a longsword +3, a mediumShield +2 encrusted with the symbol of Ezra,

and a breastplate +2 also encrusted with thesymbol of Ezra.

BrennanBrennan is a Halfling male. He is a 7th levelmonk. He carries no weapons and wears noarmor. He tends to become bored quickly.

Wizard #1, 10th lvl Envoker (Wizard inFront)

0 – 4: Flare (Ev), Ray of Frost (Ev)1 – 4 + 1: Chill touch (Ne), Magic Missile

(Ev), Prot fm Evil (Ab), Shield (Ab)2 – 4 + 1: Protection from Arrows (Ab),

Scorching Ray (Ev)3 – 3 + 1: Ray of Exhaustion (Ne),

Vampiric touch (Ne), Wind Wall (Ev)4 – 3 + 1: Ice storm (Ev), Shackle (Ev),

Shout (Ev), Stoneskin (Ab)5 – 2 + 1: Bigby’s Interposing hand (Ev),

Cone of Cold (Ev), Wall of Force (Ev)

Sideshow GameMap and Vardo Layouts

By Tami Sammons aka Hadis DeadstalkerOllivanderGryffon@gmail.com