Reality and Rule (Inactive)

Game Master Viscount K

The Eternal City of Amber grows concerned about the growing disturbances in the Shadow realms, and King Random summons the true sons and daughters of Amber home for a grand conference on the threat.


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Liberty's Edge

Male Human Commoner 2

Well, before work, then, 2 for Warden of Arden


Male Amberite

Eztil is a scholar and not a leader of men, no bid on any.

He is also showing up for the first time during play and wouldn't just get handed a position walking in the door :)

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Unless you have Trump, you don't have a deck because to buy one and to buy one you must have Trump. But that doesn't mean there aren't trumps out there to acquire in play.

One of the things I've never agreed with the artifact creation rules is that to have a trump deck you must have trump artistry. Just about all the elders had trump decks without having trump artistry. Of course Corwin kept having to basically steal them so that fits "acquiring during play"

Liberty's Edge

Male Human Commoner 2

I think, in regards to trump possession, just as any other items, you have to pay for them in order for them to belong intrinsically to you. With the GM's permission, there is no reason you cannot have Trumps at the start of the game. You may not be able to pick who is in those Trumps, and you may be subject to whichever scrying/sabotage is built into them.


Male Amberite

I just found it odd that you could have all sorts of crazy items intrinsic to you with no power prerequisite with two exceptions. Having trumps requires the Trump power and racking sorcery spells requires the Conjuration power.

The Sorcery + Conjuration requirement does make it cost more as a balancing factor. And trumps are unique creations so I guess only trump artists could remake what is lost.


I don't think I've ever been in a vaguely standard Amber game where everyone didn't have a basic Trump deck - known family members and a few locations.
Trump Artists can't permanently lose theirs and they can add non-standard cards to their deck. As well as having some advantages using them.

If we don't have a Trump Artist, there may be NPCs still capable of it. Brand was the only elder shown to able to in the first series, but there's no reason there couldn't be others by now. Dworkin could even still be around.

And we may still have a PC Trump Artist. I don't think it's been ruled out.


Male Amberite

So then if one of you point-rich people buy Artistry, and you really like me, you could just give me a deck of Trump. But it wouldn't be mine, so if I lost it, it's gone?


Alric of the Purple Nacre wrote:
So then if one of you point-rich people buy Artistry, and you really like me, you could just give me a deck of Trump. But it wouldn't be mine, so if I lost it, it's gone?

I suspect it's more like:

King Random wants a way to keep in touch with his subjects and vice versa, so he has the resident Trump Artist produce Trumps of the family members and distributes them.
That's how I've usually seen it work anyway. No idea what the Viscount has in mind. Cutting too many people off from access to Trumps removes a nice piece of the Amber flavor, in my mind.

You could of course get the occasional special card as a favor from the Artist.

And you could lose them, since you won't have paid points for them. You might be able to get a replacement deck, as Corwin does in the books, but I wouldn't want to ask for it too often. People might think you were careless.


Male Amberite

If you loose items you haven't paid points for, they are gone unless you can otherwise recover them. So if you have a sword that can cut through stone but the horrible demon Joe disarms you and runs off with it into shadow.

If you paid points for it, someone with pattern walks a little bit and it turns out Joe dropped the sword and its lying under that bush. Someone with conjuration might just shrugs, then recalls the word to their hand or they spend a little time and recreate the sword.

If you didn't pay points for it, better chase down Joe the Demon or you might never see it again.

Edit: In the original series Corwin goes through quite a few decks even had to steal one from the castle library.


Marjana, like some others here, is new to the Court, but she is skilled with war and with ships. The Southern Seas surround the lands of her birth. A position there will allow her to prove both her loyalty and her skills.
2 points for Admiral of the South.


I can't speak to anything about Trumps and how they work, but I can put down 3 points for Sheriff.


Hyperactive Lazypants Bard 2

On Trumps: All the major Trump artists of times past have either gone missing or died, and no one else has yet to truly master the power. All the remaining Trump decks of the family from those times are treasured and (officially, at least) owned by the Crown, handed out as the King sees fit - one of the advantages granted by the Positions, for instance, is a simpler shot at earning a deck all your own. If one of you does possess this ability (and reveals it), your abilities will be highly prized and feared.
Oh, and as others have pointed out, Trump cards can be lost or stolen freely. Trump artists, of course, can make new ones, and you can always go hunting for the lost cards, but they aren't attached to you like Artifacts.

Oh, and Eztil, you're free to not bid for other reasons, but again - don't worry about plot when it comes to not getting a position. You may not have it when you walk in the door, but if you pay for it, it will be guaranteed to come your way shortly, free of strings (the only railroading I intend to do).
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Current bids for Positions at time of writing:
Sheriff of the City: Roy, 3
Warden of Arden: Chaney, 2
Northern Admiral: Alric, 1
Southern Admiral: Marjana, 2
Captain of the Guard: Chaney, 1

A few reminders/bits of encouragement:

Nikolas, are you not interested in taking up your birthright as Warden? Only 3 points a the moment.
Marjana, command of Amber's seas could be entirely yours for just 2 more points.
Alric, only 3 for you to do the same.
Eztil, a position as Captain of the Palace Guard could quickly ingratiate you into Court, regardless of your newcomer's status.
Chaney, you already have two positions - just a couple more points and you'd be in command of most of Amber's forces.
James, no place of authority at all? You're content to languish in obscurity?
Roy, for only 2 you could control the City proper entirely.


So, barring a PC Trump artist, there essentially won't be Trumps for our generation? And even then, most of us won't necessarily have them? The heirloom decks will be mostly of (presumed) dead elders.

That's kind of nice for us low-Psyche types, but I'm not sure what I think of it.

If I'd known that up front, I might well have gone in a completely different direction and taken Trump. Oh well.

Still, there are at least 2 with the points for Trump and a decent Psyche. I wouldn't be surprised to see an Artist.


Male Amberite

I'll toss 2 points for Captain of the Guard. Maybe whomever my parent is does some maneuvering.


Male Amberite

The library is in the palace, I can be sold on access to the library.


Male Amberite

And I think my last applicable question, or at least the last I can see at this point. On "losing" items.

Eztil goes Trump Artisty, and we're pals, so he makes me a set, and I put them in my pocket. We go through a stroll through Shadow. No one bothers us, some invisible guy doesn't rob me, just a stroll.

Is it possible to lose the item just by moving to a different shadow, or does it have to actively be taken from me, say by Joe the demon?


Male Amberite

Some items can stop working in other shadows or even be destroyed by the transition, trumps aren't one of them (they are pretty real). Some shadows block trump or time differences in shadow can make them not work so well but they generally work everywhere.

So yes, someone would have to take your trumps. With a whole mess of bad stuff, that could happen often :)


Nikolas' original concept included trump artistry, then . . . well, erm, the auction happened.

Okay . . . not Trump, but shapeshifting is cool.
. . .
okay, maybe not. Still have room for some words of power.
. . .
Not so much anymore, well I'm still good.
. . .
Damn you Aldric! Bye bye private shadow.
. . .
Double Damn you! Bye bye Godsblood. Aaaand the universe hates me. Sigh.


Male Amberite

Same goes for anything I pay for, then. Say I buy a horse with points, and I'm riding along shifting Shadow, when suddenly I come to one where...I don't know, it's got an atmosphere composed of Arsenic. Horse dies. I move a couple more Shadows, horse is back, tied to a post and waiting for me. But if I just took a normal horse, it would be dead forever.

And then, if James loans me his horse, in the same scenario, the horse would be tied up next to James; the item doesn't go away, but since it doesn't belong to Alric, it doesn't immediately go back to him.


Nikolas of Green and Crimson wrote:

Nikolas' original concept included trump artistry, then . . . well, erm, the auction happened.

Okay . . . not Trump, but shapeshifting is cool.
. . .
okay, maybe not. Still have room for some words of power.
. . .
Not so much anymore, well I'm still good.
. . .
Damn you Aldric! Bye bye private shadow.
. . .
Double Damn you! Bye bye Godsblood. Aaaand the universe hates me. Sigh.

On the other hand, if your original concept included first in Strength and Endurance and Trump, you were being a bit overoptimistic. I don't think you came out too badly. :)

But yeah, the auction does change things. This was a good one, I think. Especially towards the end.


Marjana wrote:


On the other hand, if your original concept included first in Strength and Endurance and Trump, you were being a bit overoptimistic. I don't think you came out too badly. :)

But yeah, the auction does change things. This was a good one, I think. Especially towards the end.

It included Endurance and trump, but I got a little overly ambitious (As any good Amberite does) My beautiful chart, oh so beautiful . . . it listed exactly how much I was willing to spend on each attribute.

Tossed it as soon as Strength came up. Watched an animated short about John Henry, thought "what a great shadow inspiration for Nikolas," wrote Nikolas and the Juggernaut, and the rest was history.


@Marjana,

By the way,

If you're still interested in some shared history, private message me, and we'll put something together.


Male Human (Illuskan) Gestalt (Dervish Defender Warder/Knife Master UnRogue) 3

As nice as it might be to consider being in charge of everything, I believe such an endeavor would tie up too much of my time. I'm interested in things close to home.

If I can maintain Arden, I'll drop my pursuit of the rest. If not, I may have to look at a less costly command, or drop out of such concerns altogether. The question is, then, do you all want me guarding Amber's borders or working outside of them?

I imagine different people might have different answers to that question...


Quote:

Current bids for Positions:

Sheriff of the City: Roy, 3
Warden of Arden: Chaney, 2
Northern Admiral: Alric, 1
Southern Admiral: Marjana, 2
Captain of the Guard: Eztil, 2

I don't think I would want a position outside of the city.

3 points for Captain of the Guard.


Male Amberite

There are probably more wardens than there are palace guard and more threats outside than in the castle... well one hopes or I might end up with the wrong job.

Having the best warfare people at the borders leading the troops seems wise. If things go down in the castle, its easier just to pop over and take care of things if you have to... less space to cover so a single great warrior can turn the tide. Borders are big.

Nothing to do with me eyeing that library :) That was one of the few ways I could sell Eztil on the idea.


Male Amberite

Cross posted with James.

"Oh, by the seventh sun I thought I was to have all that bother with the guard. My <parent> said the library is in the castle which is the only reason I was interested... your men wouldn't keep me out of the library would they cousin?"


Male Human (Illuskan) Gestalt (Dervish Defender Warder/Knife Master UnRogue) 3

I agree on the need to keep the borders safe. A strong Warden and Admirals should be able to keep danger from ever reaching the City or Castle.

Security of trade routes is also of utmost importance.

Arden is vast and borders both the Real and the Shadow. It suits me.


Male Amberite
Eztil of Obsidian and Turquoise wrote:
Having the best warfare people at the borders leading the troops seems wise.

It is indeed odd that the poorest of Warfare leads the might navy of the North.

We should but hope our enemies seek elsewhere to strike at our home.


Male Amberite

Someone might want to think about the unluckiest man alive with little skill at commanding a navy, leading the navy in dangerous waters.


"You know what I know about boats? Probably less than him."
I'm not at all interested in commanding the Navy, and Sheriff just fits Roy too well to pass it up. Combining those two doesn't seem like it would work well either.


Male Amberite

4 points Captain of the Guard

"Being barred from the library would vex me."


Chaney can have Arden, I want nothing to do with that hell forest covered with piles of my father's droppings.

But I love boats; I'm almost as unlucky as Aldric.

Hmm . . . considering.


Male Amberite

"Well you are better in battle Nikolas." Either that or Alric has a macuahuitl poised over his neck.


Male Amberite

"What is that strange circular water feature? Steer us towards it, lad; I want a closer look!"


"I cannot bear to see a good navy in such poor hands. Training and discipline will fail and the proud fleet will be but a Shadow of its former self. I mean no offense, cousin Alric, but even you admit this is a task not suited for your hands.
I had hoped to spend my time in the more pleasant seas of the South, but if no one else with suitable skills will step forward and if your Majesty will honor me with the task, I will lead both Navies.
"

2 points for the North as well


Male Amberite

This is really fun, again. I might actually get my wife to play something like this with me, which would be pretty sweet.


Hyperactive Lazypants Bard 2

Alric: Yes, you're correct about items. If it's someone else's item and you lose it, it's gone for you (short of crazy magic trickery, but that's another question). Although I should point out that if you just need a normal horse, that is among the easiest of things you can do. Anything mundane, or even mildly magical or advanced, is just a hop skip and jump through Shadow. True Items of Power, even, can be found with more searching, although they can of course be lost or destroyed if they aren't tied to your personal legend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The current Position holders:

Sheriff of the City: Roy, 3
Warden of Arden: Chaney, 2
Northern Admiral: Marjana, 2
Southern Admiral: Marjana, 2
Captain of the Guard: Eztil, 4

James, your attempt to quietly gain a spot as Captain has failed; are you willing to go the distance?
Eztil, if you were to be Sheriff, you would have excuses to visit every exotic bookstore and curio shop throughout the city, not just the Palace's private collection.
Roy, while Sheriff is a classic title for you, could you really stomach being cooped up within walls? The Warden of Arden is 'tasked' with riding the borders of Shadow as well.
Marjana...yeah, okay, I got nothing, you're sitting pretty right now. Can the rest of you stand to see her claim full control of the sea so easily?
Chaney, the master of the Northern seas often finds themselves tested again monsters large and small - you sure you don't want to find out what it's like to spear a leviathan?
Alric, I would think a man with such bad karma would be more interested in having some loyal troops at his back.
Nikolas, I would have thought a man with your legendary fortitude would have stepped up to man a position regardless, bad luck be damned.


Male Amberite

"Ah, the Pattern is in the basement of the castle? Excellent! I'll keep the key safe Sargent."


The seas are my home, I need a touch of home in Amber.

I bid 3 on the Northern Seas.


Male Amberite

The more who know of Alric, the more likely his bad luck will find him.

I bow out.


"Ah, a worthy sailor and competent warrior has risen to the challenge. I'm sure the fleet will be safe in your hands. I will be happy to remain in my home waters."

Marjana is content with the current state of affairs.


Male Amberite

Little story I thought of after breaking my plan of low bidding across the board on Psyche. Ran a bit long.

Sorcerer's Ballgame:

I was distracted from my studies by a duel of all things. Ever since I my master declared me ready to attempt the trial of the heart, they had come regularly. Some believed I was too young, some said I was too soft, and others just hated me and were looking for an excuse. This duel fell into the latter category.

The excuse this day was appropriating someone's chattel for my own pleasure or sacrifice. The accusation was true but the reasoning false but there was no proof. The tlacateccatl [general] did not care, for his hate for my master burned like the first sun.

The distractions must end, an example must be made. Cuauhtémoc was a perfect candidate, he was both powerful and vile yet not well connected as of yet. He did not miss Yoloxochitl for he had plenty more chattel to fill the his lust for sacrifices in attempts to increase his power. She was and out of his clutches was all that mattered.

When I arrived at the ballcourt there was already a crowd gathered. Today was going to be remembered. After my preparations, I entered the field to find Cuauhtémoc waiting. In contempt he flicked his wings in my direction but the slime failed to reach me. I stood silent, waiting for the ritual to begin. The crowd chattered in excitement.

“Nahualli Eztiltlatia, you stand accused of theft of another's rightful sacrifice. How do you answer this?” yelled the tlacateccatl from his place of honor among the stands. [Nahualli is an Aztec sorceror]

The answer I yelled back was evasive but the truth “I did not sacrifice anything that belongs to Cuauhtémoc”

The tlacateccatl similes down at my opponent and I wonder if maybe Cuauhtémoc has found a patron. “Then as the accused, you have the right to choose the conditions.”

“I choose death.” The crowd went silent at my announcement. I had never chosen death, usually I would take a choice of the losers possessions. Death was common enough, but for such a challenge the loss of honor should have been sufficient and I was considered as one without the proper spirit despite my rank.

“Tlamacazqui Cuauhtémoc do you accept the terms, or do you with to withdraw your accusation.” The tlacateccatl seemed pleased that I was so foolish. [Tlamacazqui is an Aztec priest]

Cuauhtémoc was not so certain and I could feel his hesitation, but he could not back down. Pointing his tail at me to show his disdain “I accept his offer to be my sacrifice this day.”

“Let it begin.” the tlacateccatl intoned and a ball of magic appeared in the center of the court.

We both tried to control the ball, but after a moment I wrested it out of his mental grasp and sent it flying bouncing off a wall and through a goal. From now on we would only be allowed to hit the ball in alternating turns, gaining a point if goes through a goal, losing a point if it hits anywhere but a wall on our turn. The winner is declared when one goes to nine points or the other negative thirteen.

Since a goal had been scored, both sides were allowed to cast a spell. With a word, a sigil of blood burned on my skin and the smoke formed into my armor. I dodged to the side and Cuauhtemoc’s bone dart narrowly missed me. He bounced the ball but did not make a goal.

Back and forth the ball went. Undead were consumed in a flow of lava, obsidian butterflies crashed upon a wall of bone, and gouts of fire clashed with pillars of ice. Cuauhtemoc must have grown desperate that I was staying steadily ahead of him. So when we were close enough to touch after I made a goal, he allowed the ball to fall and focused on his next spell Nightmare Kingdom.

As the spell tried to take ahold of my mind, I looked into my opponent's eyes and let him see the full depth of my power. Shock crossed Cuauhtemoc’s face as I held his spell at bay and cast my own. Smoking runes of blood appeared on my palms as I struck both of his hearts and drew my hands back saying one word “Exsanguinate!”

My will crashed into his mind like a tide and blood called to blood. The crowd was treated to the sight of all of the blood in Cuauhtemoc’s body erupting out of every possible opening and pooling into twin spheres around my hands and then burst into flame. The body fell lifeless as the ash drifted to the ground. Killing your opponent was the third way to win the game.

In the hush that followed, I did not need to raise my voice as I faced the tlacateccatl. “I will take possession of his property after I complete the trial of the heart.”

I turned and walked out of the ballcourt. The example had been made and there were no more challenges for some time.

Nothing will stop me from escaping this hellhole.

Edit: Clarify Yoloxochitl's fate a little


Male Human (Illuskan) Gestalt (Dervish Defender Warder/Knife Master UnRogue) 3

I'm good with the current state of this bid.


After years of Poirot, Criminal Minds, Gunsmoke, the Phoenix Guard, and many more, I think I could be a good Sheriff.
At least the office bound admin guy who runs the bureau- I'd need real muscle wearing the badge, in the field, solving all the high profile cases, an agent not tied to the city (Roy MacArran, The Scotch Death and Sorrow of the West, Chief Investigator of Amber) while I shuffled papers.

I bid 4 for Sheriff.


Have I your word on that position, my good man? Is that even a position of authority I could use? I'm happy to be your man in the field solving crimes, although I must admit I'd be more a troubleshooter than detective. If I've your word of partnership in this I'll stay here, otherwise I'll bid 5.

And don't think about double-crossing me, compadre.


My word on it.

I wouldn't cross a gunman of your caliber.

Consider yourself the Head Troubleshooter, with your choice of offices and an expense account that always gets approved.


Alright then, I'll step down from the race for positions and plan to just be the best damn Troubleshooter I can.


Hyperactive Lazypants Bard 2

Nice bargaining there, James. That's what this kind of game is about, well done.

As things stand:

Sheriff of the City: James, 4
Warden of Arden: Chaney, 2
Northern Admiral: Nikolas, 3
Southern Admiral: Marjana, 2
Captain of the Guard: Eztil, 4

Things seem to have been winding down, but I'll give it a little bit for people to change their minds: particularly Alric and Roy, who have no Position to their names just now.

Deputy, Roy? You sure you're willing to ride as second saddle?
Alric, you're going to let your destiny be taken over by your karma? What of initiative, or ambitio...yeah, okay, you're probably smart to hide away.


Hyperactive Lazypants Bard 2

As creation starts to get into the nitty gritty, I've been getting some more questions about just how bad or good Bad or Good Stuff is. Here's a few points to keep in mind when considering how bad you need that extra Item that tips you over the edge.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
It's all relative
Let's say all of you end up with some points of Bad Stuff. That's going to mean the world is a little darker for this generation of Amberites, so the tone of the game as a whole will probably start to seem harsher, but it isn't really going to affect one person more than any other. In a traditional RPG setting like Pathfinder, we'd be playing a pretty grim campaign, with hostile NPCs, high trap DCs, and bad rolls. Those characters start to perceive the world as hating them (they'd be right!), and probably their personalities would reflect that. This situation tends to turn out okay for players, as everything sort of equals out.

Now, if one or two people had Good Stuff, then those characters would start to seem unreasonably lucky. In our theoretical Pathfinder game (which I actually found some homebrew rules for playing Amber in, really weird), those characters would never be the first selected for attack in an ambush, people would always seem to single them out for favorable treatment over the rest of the party, and they would make their saves most of the time. They would also probably start to seem a little doofy, in comparison to everyone else's Bad state of mind. This situation works out okay, too, although the Good Stuff folks might find themselves getting a little unreasonable vitriol flung at them from the people who feel like they're getting slighted (of course, their Good Stuff will help protect them from any repercussions, so...).

Skipping a jump down the rabbit hole, let's reverse things and say the whole party has Good Stuff. This is a much lighter game, where people tend to get along, things go right for you, and your characters all tend to view the world as a positive place. This situation is, of course, just fine. Nobody has a particular advantage over everyone else, and the world is nice to you. Whee!

And then, we have a place where only a few characters have Bad Stuff. Here, the Bad Stuff characters get to be the ones the world picks on. They're the first to get singled out for attacks, they always find the trap before anyone else, and nobody likes them for no particular reason. This is not a good situation, at least for the Bad Stuff folks. They're at a disadvantage if pitted against any of their siblings, and they are far more likely to find themselves in that situation since they're perceived as sinister jerks (relatively). That's not to say it can't be worked through, and it definitely has its advantages, in a way (more on that in a minute), but it's gonna be a rough ride.

Finally, there's Zero Stuff. A bit rarer of an animal, but for them, the world is a place forged largely by their own skill and strength, with favor or ill earned instead of inherited. If they're up against someone with Good or Bad Stuff, they can rest easy knowing that at least their performance is up to them and them alone, karma be damned.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
And it never ends,
One of the big points in Stuff is this: it isn't fair. Stuff, Good and Bad, has a constant effect on the world, and it doesn't really care about balance. Directly from the book, on Bad Stuff: "As long as the character owes points, the Bad Stuff will just keep coming and coming. It doesn't matter that ten minutes ago your character just had three outrageously bad breaks, because Bad Stuff doesn't get used up and the Game Master can apply it all over again." Naturally, the reverse applies to Good Stuff; but due to human nature, we'll notice it less when we have a run of pleasing things than when it runs the other way.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
But it's interesting!
Bad Stuff, for all its problems, does come with three decent advantages.

First, things tend to happen to you. While the Good Stuff character blithely rides on by the sleeping troll's cave, you catch the thing when it's hungry and it charges out to try and have you for lunch. Good? Nope. Nope, definitely not. Interesting? Yep! You are far more likely to run across things that you weren't necessarily looking for when you're a Bad Stuff character, so if you're looking to overcome adversity, this is the way to go. You may not have a good life, but at least it isn't boring.

Second, the obvious: more points! Sure, the world's out to get you, but you're better equipped to deal with it than those puny Good Stuff characters. Cut down your problems with the same Excalibur that earned you those problems.

Third, if you're looking to play a dour character with a sinister edge, this is for you. Good Stuff characters can be intimidating if they put their minds to it, sure, but the light that surrounds their lives tends to shine through, making it easy for people to get along with them and generally react positively. The Bad Stuff, character, on the other hand, carries their pall with them. People can immediately sense that you're bad news - and what's more, they're right. If you're looking to play the Bad Boy, suck it up and deal with the Bad Stuff.

Any questions?


Nikolas and the Roc of Gib’s Alter, Part 1:

It is a cruel world and the Mist hides its cruelties from many eyes. But there are times when it is the job of great men to temper that cruelty when it grows too great.

Gib demanded sacrifice each new moon. When the moon disappeared from the sky and the Roc threatened to turn its hunger on the lands below, Gib demanded his due or the moon would never grow to feed the great raptor again. It was a bargain easily made, for the islands of Mist knew the Roc would fall upon them to feast on cattle, man, and kingdom if the Moon did not return to sate the Roc’s endless cycle of hunger.

Each month, 20 cows, 30 sheep, and 40 goats were set on the Alter of Gib and the hooked knife spilled their blood on the red-stained rock. The dead beasts fed the Roc one last meal till it woke with the brightness of the full moon to feed again.

So it was for times beyond memory, until one new moon a single goatherd became angry when it was his turn to provide meat for the great bird.

“Why must meat be taken from my mouth? Why must milk and cheese be stolen from me to feed a great fat pigeon on a hill?”

In greed and stupidity he plotted to keep his stock and cheat Gib and the Roc of their due. He took a sack of turnips, wrapped it in an old blanket and sewed two branches to its top to simulate horns. He then took his creation to the witchwoman by the shore to glamour it to appear as alive and to walk for a day. Content in his cleverness, he delivered the fake beast with the rest of the livestock to the sacrificial alter at the top of the mountain.

“One goat will make no difference to a animal so large as the Roc. It will never notice its absence.”

It will surprise no one that when the curved knife hooked the throat of the glamoured goat and a stream of turnips flowed instead of blood, Gib was enraged.

“You cheat Me! I am one of the Gods Beyond! I save you from the wrath of the Roc, and this is how I am repaid?!” Gib shouted to the cowering essembled. “Next month I demand a new sacrifice , or I will set the Roc loose and it will feast on all of Mist instead of the moon. Instead of cows, sheep and goats, you will bring 20 men, 30 women, and 40 children to my alter. There you will watch then bleed and the Roc will feast on their bodies. Do not cheat me again!”

With that Gib turned and vanished into the Mist.

The kingdoms of Mist knew that once the Roc tasted the blood of men, the new bargain would stand forever and called out to the heroes of the world to save them from this calamity. One month stood between the people of Mist and the first new feast of the Roc. Nikolas answered this call, but this time he was not the only hero to answer . . .

Marjana, care to jump in?


Male Human (Illuskan) Gestalt (Dervish Defender Warder/Knife Master UnRogue) 3

The Apes of Arden:

In the days of the elders, the sound of the Horn of the Hunt echoing through Arden's boughs was a singular generator of nightmares for those pursued by Julian and his hounds. And for the lucky few men who heard it blare for another quarry. Many who heard the Horn were never seen again.

These days, other, stranger beasts roam the great wood, for Julian took his hounds with him wherever he wandered to after giving up his beloved forest. Few are as frequently seen watching from the wood as the Apes of Arden.

The Apes move through Arden's trees with strength and speed beyond most men, seeming to be everywhere at once. When the great pack moves, all of Arden shutters like a great wind has blown through it. Whereas the hounds could be heard howling and thunderously clawing the ground behind you, the apes are above and all around. No great howls erupt from their mouths, nor any bestial noises whatsoever. For the Apes of Arden speak as men.

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