Derechos de propiedad Intelectual

Only Qulf, Aldrie and some of the other „Seamost and Dawnmost‟ islands were spared before the Beast went „Tree- wards‟ to attack the People Left Behind (the Urdu) of the main- land.

Giving thanks that they were spared further slaughter the clans of the Nolgind barely survived the winter – so reduced were they.

Then to their horror the Beast returned!

This time a Nolgind Hero, „Whale Caller‟, went far out into the Sea and begged Grandfather Whale for his aid. At the Place of Winds, on Kand Island, an ancient Crone heard the voice of Kadag telling her to heed the warnings from the „Waters of Ardir‟. Within days word was spreading that the Elders of the Whale Cult had left their caves in search of higher ground. The clans of the Nolgind did likewise for only in the face of the direst of warnings would the Whale Cult abandon their home.

When the Nolgind who had listened had found safety on the hills and crags of their islands Grandfather Whale rose out of his watery home and threw himself back into the depths. The wall of water he created swept towards the Beast of Blood and drove the creature on to a rocky shore and smashed it to pieces.

SCENE 4: KAND

Most approaches to Kand are guarded by merciless cliffs

GM Aims

 To ensure the PCs go hunting for Mountain Ram guided by a Kuboran youth;

 To present another clue involving the fate of a young child;

 To offer a further hunting expedition to the shore in search of Mammoth Seal.

PC Outcomes

Leave Kand with another intriguing reference of some- one drowning in blood!

AFAREZIRS: ROOT OF ALL EVIL 29

Description of Events

What Captain Olmoding knows …

The Kanden can be unpredictable. During the 719 sea- son the captain took an arrow in the bicep before getting his men back to the boats! The year after things looked dif- ficult until a Nolgind youth intervened and convinced the hunters to trade. The young man spoke decent Orbaalese and Grim even wondered if he could have been one of the lost colonists from Movel Island, though he had the look and scarring of a typical Kuboran.

Coric Far-seer

The reason Olmoding perseveres with Kand is that it is home to several Mammoth Seal colonies. The pelts are valuable because of their size and they have blubber almost as good as some whales. He wants to render a carcass or two and will take the PCs to a deep inlet on the NE coast near the colonies. Mammoth seals are described in Seals, (available from Columbia Games).

Grim will also say that the mutton he traded for here was exceptional but expensive. The clan said that the Mountain Rams of Kand are not only the most dangerous but the tastiest to be found among the islands. Fresh meat would be a welcome change from fish and seal!

Name: Coric Far-seer Race/Sex: Human/Male Occupation: Hunter Born: 24 Nuzyael 703, Ulandus Appearance: Aged 18, height 6‟1”, medium frame, weight 175 lbs/size 7,

handsome appearance, medium complexion, brown hair, green eyes

Str 15 Agl 17 Sml 08 Aur 17 Cml 16 Sta 15 Eye 15 Voi 12 Wil 12 End 15 Dex 15 Hrg 13 Int 14 Mor 12 Mov 17 Medical/Psyche: none

Religion: Ritual (Kuboran Pantheon) 30, Piety 20

Skills: Animalcraft 26, AWARENESS 60, CLIMBING 68, Fletching 26, Folk-

lore (Nolgind) 75, Foraging 60; Hidework 24, INTRIGUE 39, JUMPING 80, ORATORY 30, RHETORIC 48, SINGING 42, STEALTH 42, Survival 48, THROWING 56, Tracking 60

Languages: Old Jarinese (Nolgind) 74, Trade Ivinian 24 Scripts: none

Combat Skills: INITIATIVE 66, DODGE 60, UNARMED 68, Bow 56, Dag-

ger 52, Spear 60, Axe 28

Money/Valuables:.Nolgind clans hold most wealth in common so, apart

from what he stands up in Coric has nothing that is not clan Kanden‟s.

Armour/Weapons: Like most Nolgind his clothing is a patchwork of sealskin

supplemented by furs or mountain ram fleece for warmth: sealskin shirt, breeches and shoes with a fur cape over his shoulders.

Other Equipment: little more than what he stands up in. Load: 16.7 lbs Encumbrance Penalty: 0

Melee Wpns Wt WQ AML DML HM B E P Hand/Arm   68 68  2   Foot/Knee   68 83 -05 1   Foot/Knee   73 73 -05 2   Knife 1 11 57 52 -05 0 1 4 Hatchet 4 9 33 33 -10 3 4  Spear 4 11 80 70 -20 4  6 Short Bow 1 10 56 56  2  

Missile Wpns AML Short (0) Med (-40) Long (-60) Ext (-80) Shortbow 56 10/4 20/3 40/2 80/2

Location Armour Layers AQ B E P F

Skull       Face       Neck       Shoulder L F  6 4 3 5 Upper Arm L F  6 4 3 5 Elbow L  1 3 2 3 Forearm L  1 3 2 3 Hand       Thorax L F  6 4 3 5 Abdomen L  1 3 2 3 Hip L L  2 5 3 5 Groin L L  2 5 3 5 Thigh L  1 3 2 3 Knee L  1 3 2 3 Calf       Foot L  1 3 2 3

Invocations: none Spells: none

Convocations: none Psionics: Prescience 75 Notes:. Coric is the open and friendly young man who intervened to help

Captain Olmoding when he last visited the island. There is pressure to make him the Kanden Hanuhn and beneath his affable exterior he thirsts for that opportunity. His Prescience is currently uncontrolled and subject to trigger- ing.

AFAREZIRS: ROOT OF ALL EVIL 30

Attitude of clan Kanden to visitors

A random d% will give a sense of Clan Kanden‟s initial view of any visitors. Higher scores indicating greater friendliness. Coric Far-seer will be recognised by Grim as the youth he has spoken about. Whatever the d% Coric will convince the other hunters to trade and illustrate his influ- ence over them.

The clan‟s strength is shown below:

Clan Kanden Warband

H/h: 7 Prime Youths Old

10 3 3

Specific Encounter

The hunters will be unwilling to trade for the carcass of ram, but when the PCs ask about sethimyael Coric will of- fer to guide them to the peat bogs where it grows profuse- ly. He has never seen one coloured as they describe, but he‟s happy to help them look. Coric will make the offer even more appealing by saying that the route he has in mind will take them across the high ground where the best rams graze; there they can kill one for themselves. All he asks is the head; the horns make for a fine trophy.

Coric leads them up towards the spine of hills running up and down the island. In doing so he crosses a number of sheltered valleys where sethimyael is common, but none of it is red.

When they have looked everywhere on their route where sethimyael could be found he turns his attention to finding them a ram for the pot.

As they make for the higher ground Coric points out a ram on a low ridge ahead, well out of bow shot. The GM can use the Hunting rules available from Columbia Games to moderate efforts to approach close enough to fire at it.

A majestic ram awaits the PCs

The huge beast stands almost as tall as a man and gives every appearance of seeing the PC approach but distaining to recognise them as a threat. Then, when the first PC gets almost close enough to try a shot with bow, sling or javelin, the animal turns neatly on its heel and trots out of sight. Coric hurries them up to the ridge line to see the ram halt- ed out of range, again.

This continues over the next hour, each time the ram moves away towards the higher ground whenever a PC gets close to having a shot at it. However Coric reassures them that the final rise leads up onto the highest point of the island so they should have a clear shot with little cover for the ram. They might even give up all pretence of stealth and rush the beast!

AFAREZIR MOUNTAIN RAM

Str 17 Agl 17 Sml 19 Aur 03 End 17 Sta 15 Eye 16 Voi - Wil 15 Mov 09 Dex - Hrg 15 Int 01 Mor -

Combat Skills: INITIATIVE 80, DODGE 85, Headbutt 80, Horn/Gore 60,

Trample 40

Melee Wpns Wt WQ AML DML HM B E P

Head butt   85   6*   Horns/Gore   60     4* Trample   40   3  

*+1 per 6‟ up to 24‟that it charges

Strike Location AQ B E P F 01 – 22 Head  6 5 2 3 23 – 27 Neck  5 4 1 3 28 – 47 Fore Leg  5 4 1 3 48 – 62 Chest  5 4 1 3 63 – 72 Abdomen  5 4 1 3 73 – 87 Hind Quarter  5 4 1 3 88 – 00 Hind Leg  5 4 1 3

Notes: Male rams are highly territorial and particularly pugnacious during the

mating season. The females, found in harems of up to 10 around the males, are almost as aggressive in defence of their young.

They emerge onto the bleak moorland, broken up by scattered boulders, they pause at the sight of dozens of grazing mountain rams. Their prize stands proudly at the centre of the flock perhaps 50 paces away.

Whatever plan the PCs adopt to kill him, the rest of the flock will scatter. He, though, holds his ground and will fight if he must or, more likely, be brought down my mis- siles. Coric will be first to the carcass and immediately bleed the beast with a swift cut to its throat.

At the moment the warm blood flows out over his hand and knife and pours onto the boulder beside it a gust of wind almost sweeps the PCs off their feet (STR x 3 to suc- ceed in staying on their feet). Coric gets no such chance, he drops the knife clutches his head in his hands, and falls prone. His Prescience has been triggered.

In the few more moments that it takes for the pulsing blood of the ram to die away to a dribble Coric rises and says, awed: „I have heard the voice of Kadag‟. The PCs may already have heard of Kadag, and Coric will add that this is „The Place of Winds‟, a place sacred to Kadag.

AFAREZIRS: ROOT OF ALL EVIL 31

Information available …

Coric explains that the Place of Winds is where the voice of Kadag, first Hanuhn of the Nolgind tribe, can still sometimes be heard. Though he passed to the hunting grounds of Kemlar many, many, generations ago he choos- es this place to speak to his people.

Coric has heard his voice, and it told him that the PCs „have come for one reason but have another task they should

complete: they can free a child from torment, and free a people from enslavement.‟

The words came with a vision: „… of a young girl child,

killed by love, but buried when she was not truly dead. Her rage brought a blood red curse to the land around her and that is the curse the visitors can put right. It is that curse that enslaves a people‟.

That is all he has seen and all he can tell them but the PCs could make a connection to what they may already have learned from the Whale Cult of Ardir.

Coric can also relate another part of the Beast of Blood before leading them back to the coast.