Last Tango in Pavis
Copyright © 1993 by Michael O'Brien
and Brian Hebert
Permission is freely given for personal gaming use.
Part 2: The Journey
Yellow Sky
The PCs know that they can get to Isig's well by following the trail
along Stony Creek. They are unsure how far it is. The village of Yellow
Sky lies on their way.
The PCs trudge into Yellow Sky, the last Sun Dome settlement before
the Long Dry. The village is protected by a high brick wall, for the nomads
are an ever-present menace out on the fringes of the Count's lands.
The headman, Banashi Sandbeard, is a retired Templar, who runs his settlement
as if he was still in the military. He responds well to the PCs if they
play along as model soldiers to him, but if they do, he tries to cajole
them into standing watch that night - two until midnight and three until
dawn.
-
Very little happens in the village at night, as Banashi enforces a strict
curfew. If the PCs want to get up to hi jinks, the GM if welcome to improvise.
Most of the villagers are sullen and resentful, but totally cowed by Banashi's
authority.
-
Several villagers are secret Hazia addicts - Scan or Human Lore by Mars
picks up the tell-tale signs - sniffing, vacant expression. They may be
willing to sell or trade to him, if they can do it without Banashi finding
out.
Banashi can tell the PCs that a Lokarnos wagon and a half file of Templars
marched through the village exactly a week ago, following the trail by
the river bed towards Isig's Well. There has been no traffic either way
since.
Banashi suggests that the PCs fill their water bags at the well before
beginning the march, as Stony Creek will remain dry until the rains come
next season, and there is no water out on the Long Dry.
Into the Long Dry
The last signs of human cultivation peter out soon after leaving Yellow
Sky. Beyond lies the Long Dry, an unusually arid region of Prax. Isig's
Well is an oasis some 30 kilometers into the Long Dry, at the foot of the
barren but holy Eiritha hills. The usual way to reach it is by following
the dry bed of Stony Creek. The going is fairly rough, and it is 2 day
journey on foot.
The Herd Beast
About noon of the first day's travel the group notes a strong smell
of decay coming from nearby. In a hollow they find the corpse of a bison
bull. It appears to be fairly recent, as the corpse is intact.
-
A closer examination (Animal Lore) reveals that the body must be fairly
old as it is drying out in the hot sun.
There is not a mark on the bull to explain its death. Even more strangely,
there are only minor signs of scavengers having eaten at the corpse.
-
Melo Yelo is aware that by now it should be no more than bones and sinew.
-
Scanning the site reveals the remains of several carrion birds scattered
in the grass nearby.
Anyone stupid enough to eat the flesh of this animal is poisoned (POT 25).
It takes 2 hours to reach full effect (faster on smaller, high metabolism
creatures, hence the dead birdies nearby). If the CON roll is successful,
the victim is still violently sick for several hours.
Ants Take a Detour
More corpses of various animals in a similar state are discovered as
the PC's progress towards Isig's Well.
In the late afternoon, the group wanders past several warrior ant mounds.
A pair of wild sables lie dead, close to a warrior ant mound.
-
Scan: a swarm of ants cut a wide swathe around the corpses, whereas
the tenacious warrior ants usually stop for no obstacle and consume everything
in their path.
The Condor
Towards dusk, when the PCs must look for a suitable place to camp for
the night, they come across a dead zebra which has several great gashes
out of its belly.
-
Listen: a pitiful squawking about 100 metres away.
Investigation finds a dying giant condor (SIZ 26), lying in the grass,
flapping one of its wings fitfully. Strips of zebra skin hang from its
claws. The condor has a gold ring around one of its legs which is marked
with a series of Fire/Sky runes.
-
Like many birds, condors are sacred to the Yelmalio cult. There is very
little the PCs can do to save it, but burning the corpse and offering a
prayer to Vrimak, god of the birds (or Yelmalio) Monrogh grants those responsible
one free use of the Speak to Birds spell. The ring is not magical,
but returning it to the Sun Dome would be well regarded.
The Templar
As Yelm sinks below the horizon on his nightly trip to the underworld,
the PCs must bed down somewhere. The Praxian night is still and cloudless,
and countless stars blaze in the heavens. To the west, the Red Moon emits
her reddish pall, as if the Goddess's eyes look out even as far as Prax.
Frogs croak disconsolately underneath the stream bed, waiting for the rains
to come again.
Late in the evening the PCs are roused by a gasping sound, and the clanking
sound of metal against stone.
-
Scan: an indistinct creature coming along the stream bed from the west:
sort of a triangular blob, sounds as if its dragging something.
-
Scan with Light/Lantern spells: a humanoid figure, dragging something
behind it.
-
Sunbright spell (or wait until he draws near): a bearded man, wearing
the helmet of a Templar but dressed in filthy rags, dragging a wooden frame
behind him. Tied to the frame are several pieces of armour, which clatter
on the stones, and a large bundle. The man is covered in scratches and
blisters, his mouth is parched and his eyes are glazed.
This is Yelonidas, one of the Templars who marched to Isig's Well earlier.
As soon as he spots the PCs - whether they are hostile or not - he makes
toward them, struggling with his awkward burden and gasping for water:
"Water, for Yelm's sake, water!" He stumbles on the rocks, and falls to
the ground, sobbing with a dry throat.
Yelonidas is crazed by thirst and exhaustion, and cannot offer anything
coherent until he drinks some water. Despite this, he looks at the PCs
water bags suspiciously, and asks where they got their water from.
The frame Yelonidas was dragging is made from two wagon axles lashed
together. Various pieces of metal armour are tied to it. All of the armour
is bronze, Templar-issue.
-
A bronze vambrace that could fit Peltas and Jaspar (plate 8 AP)
-
A bronze cuirass that could fit everyone except Melo Yelo (plate 8 AP)
-
A gilded full helm that could fit everyone (plate 8 AP)
The large bundle is actually the body a male human, with a thick black
beard. The lips are parched and cracked, and the eyes open, but dried out
and unseeing. The PCs will recognize the corpse as that of the Templar
who insulted them earlier. In his dazed state, Yelonidas is unaware that
his comrade Orlantio died earlier that day, and continued to dragging him
behind. Once he realises Orlantio is dead, he still insists on taking him
to the Healers as soon as possible, in case his dearest friend can be resurrected.
After Yelonidas is given water he calms somewhat and frantically eats
any food that is offered. He tells this story:
"There were eight of us. Now that Orlantio is gone I am all that
remains." He swallows and drops his head. "When we got to Isig's Well we
found everyone dead - the people, the dogs, even birds out of the sky,
everyone. Although there was no Healer among us, we are sure we saw the
mark of Malia, for what else kills without wounds? No one answered our
calls, so we were quick to leave. As our water bags were empty, we refilled
our skins at Isig's Well, for the purity of its water is well known and
we thought it would fortify us against the stench of corruption in the
air. Orlantio and I were the only ones not to drink for - the Lord compels
me to tell you this - we had secreted some wine in our water bags and had
to drink them dry lest our commander find out. Orlantio then rinsed his
mouth to disguise his breath. I did not drink. Now I'm the only one left
alive."
Yelonidas spends the night at the PCs' camp, and continues on with his
dead comrade at dawn. He wants to get back to Sun County as quickly as
he can, because delay will lessen the chance of successfully resurrecting
Orlantio. Yelonidas knows the spell Seek Sun Dome, which can guide
him safely. He can be persuaded to give up any of the equipment he is carrying,
but under no circumstances will return to Isig's Well, even if the PCs
take Orlantio's body and burn it.
Yelm Arises
Yelm breaks over the barren plain, heralding a hot and dry day on the
plains. However, as the PCs draw closer to the bare Eiritha Hills they
notice dark clouds building above them. More dead animals are encountered,
all like the others - with little or no sign of scavengers, and no marks
or wounds.
Dead Templar
Some hours later, the PCs come across the corpse of another of the
Templars, curled up under a skullbush. The corpse is several days old,
but like the others, has no signs of scavengers. The corpse is dressed
in Templar armour, which the PCs may be reluctant to filch. However, wearing
the armour will have no ill effects.
-
The corpse wears a gold armband with a Fire rune etched onto it. It
is a matrix for Lantern 3 and works for any Yelmalio cultist.
The Wagon
Shortly after encountering the dead Templar, the PCs come across the
Lokarnos wagon. Two templars lie slumped over the traces, they collapsed
and died pulling the wagon. The others lie dead around it and back along
the trail for some distance. The Lokarnos merchant lies dead in the tray
of the wagon, one of the water bags at his lips. Some of the wagon's cargo
of rock salt lies strewn on the road behind it, and the rest can be found
in bits and pieces almost all the way back to the Well. Each of the hemp
bags weighs 4 ENC, and there are about 40 that could be recovered.
-
Peltas knows just how valuable salt is to the Animal Nomads of Prax.
Salt is the only thing they lack for their way of life, for they need it
to preserve meat and to make leather. Each bag could be traded with the
nomads for the price of a large meat beast, such as a zebra or bison. But
is the rock salt safe?
-
The PCs can scavenge Templar armour for everybody, if the threat of
infection doesn't scare them off. One Templar's spear has a silver band
wrapped onto the haft, which is a Bladesharp 4 matrix. Another has
a small pouch containing several plugs of high grade dummy (tsk tsk). Each
Templar carries 1d20 gold stars (each worth 1.5L).
-
The Lokarnos merchant was a mere initiate, and carries a concealed belt
pouch with 6 wheels and 31 stars.
The Child
The terrain becomes hilly as the Long Dry runs into the foothills of
the Eiritha Hills. Isig's Well is only a few kilometres away when another
human corpse is spotted, this time the body of a young man. Not far beyond
this is what appears to be the corpse of a child. As the players dismiss
it as another victim it moans and stirs. It is a girl about 10 or 11 years
old, dehydrated and exhausted.
-
The child has the characteristic piercing green eyes, olive skin and
fair hair of the oasis folk from Isig's Well. In fact, she resembles Peltas's
little sister, who died at about the same age.
The girl is eager to drink but is in a state of shock. She only speaks
the Isig oasis dialect, a language spoken nowhere else. After a drink she
begins to speak excitedly, but it sounds like meaningless gibberish (the
language spoken by the oasis people at Isig's Well is unlike any other
tongue). About all they can tell for certain is her name is "Teeka".
-
As she babbles on, Peltas slowly becomes aware that he is beginning to
understand the child: memories of the language he spoke as a infant come
flooding back into his mind.
Teeka begs to be taken to "Old Man Tree", her grandfather. He lives, she
says, "near the prickly pear towards the sunrise". Asked who he is, she
says "A Wise Man". If asked about Isig's Well she wails. If brought in
the direction of Isig's Well she becomes hysterical. Teeka takes to Peltas,
and stays as close to him as she can.
Old Man Tree
Teeka leads the PC's east to a great stand of prickly pears on the
slopes of the Eiritha Hills. Birds and bats flit about the place, but it
is very still. Teeka calls out to her grandfather, and after searching
for some time they get the feeling they are being watched.
Eventually as Teeka calls out as she is snatched from behind by someone
who quickly disappears back into the thorny depths of a prickly pear clump
with the child and out of sight.
-
Chasing after Teeka's abductor requires rushing headlong into the clump
of prickly pear, doing 1 point of damage to 1d6 hit locations (armour does
not protect). Search or Track reveal nothing.
Just as the PCs are beginning to despair, Old Man Tree appears again, holding
Teeka's hand. Teeka is chewing on a succulent piece of prickly pear fruit
and looks completely at ease. He speaks in fluent but strangely accented
Pavic: "Please forgive my behaviour. I did not mean any rudeness. I prefer
my own company and am somewhat protective of my privacy. When I saw that
you had my granddaughter I was alarmed and unsure of your intentions."
He looks at Peltas, and a new cast comes over his face, one of reverence
and joy. "Ah, the last son of Isig has come! I wondered how long it
would take for you to answer White Crane Woman's call."
Old Man Tree is green-eyed like his grandchild, but white-haired and
stooped. His face and hands and neck are heavily tattooed and he gives
off an almost palpable aura of magic and spirituality. Old Man Tree is
a reclusive and powerful shaman of the Isig family.
The shaman leads the party on a winding path through the dense prickly
pear, and when they finally come to a small clearing everyone is amazed
to find that their clothes and skin haven't been ripped to shreds by the
sharp spines of the cactus. A campfire burns by a small lean-to.
Old Man Tree invites the party to share a meal with him. He offers them
freshly cut prickly pear fruit and swigs of a refreshing and potent drink
also made from the cactus.
He asks the group to tell them their story. He grows very grave listening
to their tale. Old Man Tree follows with the story of Isig's Well:
"Long ago, in the golden age of Godtime, Isig was a son of the earth,
who found that he need hardly exert himself to find food, for he and family
dwelt in Genert's Garden. When the Darkness came he was forced to leave
his home and wander, searching the blasted plains for forage. When light
returned to the world he took those of his people who survived back to
their home, only to find that the well of sweet water had been corrupted
by chaos. The smallest sip could kill man or beast, and their valley through
which it ran was dead and parched. Isig swore an oath to purify this land
and claim it once again for his people.
He prepared great magics and, using the power of his crane-bone flute
which he won in the other world, he travelled to the very source of chaos
and sealed it. From that day on the waters which flow into Isig's Well
are famous for their purity. Many who are ill or need spiritual ease travel
to bathe there and to drink.
The ancient warding which he forged has been broken and the corruption
of chaos is again free to pollute our land. The people of Isig took the
water and died: their poisoned souls spirits crowd into the Cave of Ancestors,
where Isig tries to offer them comfort.
When the rains come, the defiled water will overflow and run down
through the stony creek to the big river, and from there into all the channels
the Gold People (Sun Domers) have dug."
When asked what can be done, he refers to the PCs' dreams:
-
To Peltas: "You are the last son of Isig, which is why White
Crane Woman came to you. Your friends too, they have been chosen to aid
you: White Crane Woman has seen to it. She is the wife of Isig and her
message is clear. You must travel to Isig and offer him your service. Only
Isig knows how to master this threat."
How can he be reached?
-
"His shade rests in the Cave of the Ancestors. You must travel first
to Isig's Well to retrieve the ladder which is kept outside the High Man's
hearth. Do not enter the High Man's hut. Bring the ladder to the cliff
of the ancestors and climb to the caves. Be wary in that cave, for it has
stood for since the Dawn without being looted. I will keep Teeka safely
here. Go now child of Isig and children of the Sun!"
Next: Isig's Well
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