Many Happy Returns – A Scenario for Fabled Lands RPG
(At the time of posting, this scenario is relatively unplaytested. I’d be very curious to hear feedback – Paul)
The Fay Bazaar
Sections in normal type are for the Gamesmaster, only. Sections in italics can be read aloud as necessary, and may of course be modified to fit the needs of your characters.
Part 1: The Book, and the Library
The book is thick, heavy, bound in exotic yellow leather. A strap holds the book closed, with a metal clasp on which a gargoyle leers, its tongue sticking out. Try as you might, you cannot loosen the strap to open the tome. Annoyed, you attempt to cut through the strap – but you find you cannot. The gargoyle seems to laugh at you, as you regard the book once more, and when you hold it in a certain light, you could almost swear you saw a strange, glistening sheen pass across its surface.
The adventure begins with the discovery of a peculiar book. As this adventure is intended to be used as a ‘plug-in’ to any other adventure you are currently running, you have absolute freedom as to where this book might be found – atop a treasure hoard, for instance, or in a slain bandit’s backpack, or even seemingly abandoned in the middle of a road.
The book is quite difficult to open. It is indestructible, and no purely physical attempts to open the book will work. A Magic roll (difficulty 14), in order to attune a character to the book’s magic, should do it (characters who fail the roll may not try again for at least one day). If none of the characters is so magically inclined, perhaps they can hire the services of an NPC mage. It seems quite valuable, and should fetch a couple of hundred Shards even if the characters never manage to open it. There is no rush to open the book, of course – the characters may carry it around with them for weeks or months before finding a means of doing so.
If they do open it, the following occurs.
The book’s front cover seems to blast open, and it rips itself from your hands, a thick mist billowing from the pages. You try to grab for it, to close it, but it is already hidden from view. You try to escape from the mist, but it seems to be all around you.
Suddenly it clears, and you realise your surroundings have changed. You are standing in some sort of library. Huge black bookshelves, packed with tomes on subjects such as geography, history, linguistics and theology rise up either side of you, their tops high above your heads. Up further still, you see great windows and stars beyond – though you recognise none of the constellations there.
The yellow leather book you found lies on the floor before you, the last wisps of mist dissipating around it. You pick it up, and close it again, leaving its strap unfastened. Then you walk to the end of this row of stacks. There you find some sort of reception area – a wide space between the bookshelves, with a single desk at its centre. Some strange creature works at that desk – he looks like nothing so much as a half-man, half-lion. Amongst the bookshelves far behind him, three or four spectral figures seem to glance at you a moment, and then return to perusing the shelves, and disappear from view.
The half-lion yawns a moment, then looks up from the parchment before him, and notices you. He peers at you through little round spectacles, then says, in a purring voice. ‘Ah, you’ve brought back the Book of Limo Kaa. I’m afraid that tome’s a little overdue, now – a thousand years overdue, give or take. I’ll have to impose a fine of one human soul. Which of you can I take that from?’
The characters have reached The Library of the End of Days. It is essentially a repository of every book ever written, or any book that ever will be written (more information on the library in future scenarios). The half-lion creature is Remokoan, the head librarian. He considers the characters, as holders of the book, to be responsible for its fine – after all, the book’s original borrower has likely been dead for centuries.
The characters may decide to attack Remokoan. They can fight him, and may kill him (stats for Remokoan, and for other NPCs in the adventure, may be found at the end of the scenario). But while Remokoan remains within the library, he is essentially unkillable; characters may seem to kill and even dismembered, but as soon as the they take their eyes off him, he will come wandering from around a bookshelf, engrossed in some text, and will demand his fine as calmly as before (he is an even-tempered fellow, for a half-lion).
If the characters flee, they will quickly become lost within the library’s stacks. They will never find the exit – in truth, the library is an extra-dimensional construction; there is no exit, unless one is willed into existence by Remokoan, or other senior library personnel (who are also hard to find). At last, players will return to the reception area, and Remokoan will demand his fine once more.
The Book of Limo Kaa, incidentally, will not help the characters escape, either – the book itself, though it is now easy to open, will appear blank to the characters. It is the book’s inherent enchantment as part of this library that has brought them here, not any magic on the part of the book itself.
Remokoan is not an unreasonable being – he is willing to forego his fine if the characters can perform a service for him. They may suggest this idea themselves; if not, Remokoan will. He will say: –
‘I do have need of one service, in fact. Another of the books here – the Grimoire of Arcus Flounder – is also long overdue, and I’ve received indications that it’s borrower is in no hurry to return it. The being who took it was called Emile LeGros – a man-being, like yourselves. The book will have closed itself once it passed its return date. If you can get your hands on it, and if you reopen it – I’ll make sure it’s easy for you to do so – it will bring you back here. I have no interest in what you do to LeGros. Kill him, or don’t. Take his soul, if you like.’
‘Where can we find this man?’ you ask.
‘Oh, I think that for the last few years he’s been spotted around the Fay Bazaar. I’ll send you there now, if you like. I really must get back to my reading…’ And with that, the lion-man raises his hands, and a globe of light surrounds you.
REMOKOAN: Charisma 5; Combat 5; Intelligence 9; Magic 8; Muscle 5; Sanctity 3; Scouting 3; Thievery 3; Defence 9; Stamina 11
Special: While he remains within the Library of the End of Days, Remokoan is unkillable (see above)
Part 2: The Fay Bazaar
The light fades, and for a few moments you think it has blinded you. But you realise you are standing in gloom, your eyes slowly adjusting to the near-dark surrounding you. Blinking, you discover you are at the heart of a bustling marketplace – but what a marketplace! Looking around, you spot shadowy Trau pulling a cart full of some opaque green substance you’ve never seen before; a goblin plucks at a lyre and sings a love ballad in some ghastly forgotten tongue; a quartet of odd, almost cube-shaped creatures stand on top of one another, and pass by you in a swaying, drunken manner; a hunchbacked elf yanks on the chains of his slave, a woman with the body of a beautiful, but somewhat scaly woman, yet with a sackcloth over her head; a ratman spins a great round wheel covered in lit candles. You even spot a merman eyeing you oddly; he resides inside a great transparent sphere, near-filled with water, being rolled around by what might be a couple of living statues. As you breathe in the cavern’s warm air, you see all these and a hundred more wonders, dotted about tents and stalls and games and bonfires.
With some disconcertion, you realise that aside from yourselves, there are no humans anywhere.
The Fay Bazaar is precisely that – a market located in an immense subterranean cavern. There are two exits to this cavern, yet both are guarded by oversized Trau warriors wielding great shadowy halberds – they will refuse to let any humans past them. Of course, you may prefer that the characters can exit the cavern. If so, this marketplace can connect to the Trau tunnels elsewhere on Harkuna – though if the players leave before finding Emile LeGros, remember that Remokoan will still demand his fine sooner or later.
The characters will no doubt realise they will have to begin asking after the whereabouts of Emile LeGros (for more information on LeGros, see later in the scenario). In doing so, they may encounter: –
The Trau and the Spirrimeen
These four Trau are not overly fond of humans. Any sort of conversation will probably require a Charisma roll (difficulty 11). If successful, they will disclose they are pulling a cart full of an opaque green substance called Spirrimeen. This is the creation of an elven alchemist – he says that a Trau who covers himself in Spirrimeen will gain an immunity to the harmful effects of iron.
If a player has 100 Mithrals, or something that the Trau consider valuable (faery mead will suffice, though they may consider certain magic artefacts interesting as well), they may offer to sell a few fist-sized chunks of Spirrimeen. This rock crumbles easily, and is quite acidic (after being in contact with skin for a couple of minutes, it will cause one Stamina damage per minute, up to a maximum of six Stamina damage). It does not do what it is supposed to, however.
TRAU TRADERS: Charisma 3; Combat 5; Intelligence 5; Magic 6; Muscle 4; Scouting 4; Thievery 4; Defence 9; Stamina 10.
A Goblin Bard
Kleggug the goblin bard knows a great deal about the history of Harkuna, and will offer to improvise and sing a song dedicated to any of its wonders for only 20 Shards. He is not a good singer, however – his songs are so bad that they are inherently ‘impure’, and characters who hear him up close must make a Sanctity roll (difficulty 11) in order to avoid being tainted by his voice, and losing 1 point of Sanctity for an hour.
Kleggug is, however, an excellent source of information on the bazaar itself. If asked about specific creatures in the bazaar, he will generally tell players which are likely to be amicably disposed, and which may be dangerous.
KLEGGUG: Charisma 4; Combat 2; Intelligence 3; Magic 3; Muscle 2; Sanctity 1; Scouting 3; Thievery 4; Defence 8; Stamina 7.
Living Dice
The four cube-shaped creatures are called Gug, Gug, Gug and Gug (they insist that intonation makes all the difference). Each Gug is approximately cubic, has stubbly little arms and legs, tiny eyes, and a flat little mouth. They are not native to Harkuna, but have come from another point in the universe – they don’t really know how, and they’re in no great rush to return anyway. They make their living from games of chance – looking closer, each face of each Gug is painted with a number, from ’1′ to ’6′. The Gugs, standing on top of one another, will invite characters to whack them with a blunt object as hard as they can. ‘If we land with low numbers on our topside, you have to give us something. If we land with high numbers on our topside, we have to give you something. Also, you have to help all of us back onto our feet.’
If the characters agree, roll four dice. If you roll: –
- 4 or 5: The Gugs inflict you with a curse that reduces one of your Abilities (your choice as to which) by 2 until the end of this adventure.
- 6 to 8: You have to give the Gugs one magical or valuable item (Gamesmaster discretion). The Gugs choose which, by looking over the characters’ equipment.
- 9 to 12: The Gugs demand 150 Shards.
- 13: Missing die. The Gug you hit flies over the head of all the bystanders nearby. The other three Gugs scream ‘Missing man! Missing man! You have to help us find him!’ The Gug has likely hit one of the other residents of the bazaar (Gamesmaster discretion as to which).
- 14 to 18: The Gugs give the characters 100 Shards; this money seems to effervesce from nowhere (the Gugs don’t have pockets).
- 19 to 23: The Gugs give the characters a magic item that increases one Ability by +2 (roll another die: 1-2 Combat, +2 enchanted weapon; 3-4 Scouting, +2 Sextant, 5-6 Charisma, +2 enchanted flute; if the characters roll this result more than once, all items after the first are only +1)
- 23 or 24: You whack one of the Gugs so hard that he explodes. The other three Gugs run in different directions, screaming for the authorities. Now you’re in trouble.
The Gugs are well-known and well-liked at the bazaar. If the characters refuse to hand over money or equipment as demanded, things could go badly for them (see ‘Problems with the Authorities’).
After a maximum of four games, the Gugs declare they’re feeling too badly bruised to continue, and go on their way.
A Merman Inventor
Inside what seems to be a great glass ball approximately eight feet in diameter swims a merman, Skr’ii’iilk. The bazaar makes him thoroughly miserable. He has crafted two clay golems to aid him in his overland ambulation. If the characters do not specifically speak with him, he will likely seek them out to enlist their help at some point during their time in the bazaar.
Two hulking grey beings advance towards you. More incredibly still, they roll between them a great glass sphere, taller than a man and almost completely filled with brine – and in this sphere floats an aging merman. ‘By Valmir’s grace, I must be away from this infernal heat,’ he says, to nobody in particular, his voice sounding hollow and distant through the water and the glass. Then he spots you, and gives you a disdainful glare. ‘You there,’ he says, ‘you seem reasonably capable, for beings without fins. Perform a task for me, and I’ll see you well rewarded.’
Skr’ii’iilk has come to the Fay Bazaar in order to find a Glass-bladed Dagger. If the characters agree to search it out for him, he will give them, through a small hatch at the top of his ball, a flute shaped like a sea-horse. ‘Once you’ve found the dagger, swim into the waters off the south coast of Sokara, and blow this flute,’ he instructs. ‘I’ll come to you then, and give you your reward.’ And Skr’ii’iilk is true to his word; this may be an introduction into later adventures.
Once freed from this chore, he will open his hatch once more, and blow a silvery powder into the air all around him. Once this settles, it will seem to melt the ground around him; in an instant, the ground will swallow up Skr’ii’iilk, his ball and his golems, and then harden behind him.
Skr’ii’iilk’s ball is quite fragile. If damaged (by a flying Gug, perhaps), it will shatter, and Skr’ii’iilk will be immediately incapacitated. His golems will attack any who come near him, however – their statistics can be found on page 151 of the Fabled Lands Roleplaying Game.
A Hunchback and His Bride
The hunchbacked elf the characters noticed earlier is named Merrole. If the players begin to speak with him, his chained slave will cry out: –
Save me, please! This vile creature calls me his bride, but what being of right mind keeps their bride in chains? He is so fearful of others seeing my beauty that he has kept me covered up these last ten days! Rescue me, and I promise you sensations of the flesh never before dreamed of by god or man!
The hunchbacked elf gives a weak smile and says, ‘Don’t listen to the little woman.’ He whacks her in the head with a long stick, and she falls silent. ‘You know how they can get, once the honeymoon’s over. Truth be told, she’s lost her looks a little since the day we wed…’
Merrole will absolutely refuse to release his bride from her chains, or to remove the sack from her head (if the characters specifically look for it, they will see she is not wearing any sort of wedding band). He is, in truth, a little befuddled; he will try his best to escape from the characters, and disappear into the crowds of the bazaar. His wife, for her part, is too afraid to speak again for the time being.
If the characters insist on removing the sackcloth from the woman’s head, read out the following: –
You take the sack from the woman’s head. Perhaps you expect a winsome fay being; instead, you find only the serpentine hair and the glistening fangs of a gorgon. With a fearsome hiss, she turns her gaze upon you, and you try to twist your face away from hers before you meet her deadly eyes.
The gorgon’s statistics may be found on page 152 of the Fabled Lands Roleplaying Game. Merrole, if alive and conscious, will run for his life at this point. Characters might be well advised to follow him. If they can survive for a minute or so, Trau warriors – who are immune to the gorgon’s gaze – will appear, and subdue her.
MERROLE: Charisma 2; Combat 3; Intelligence 5; Magic 3; Muscle 3; Sanctity 1; Scouting 4; Thievery 4; Defence 8; Stamina 9.
A Ratman with a Gaming Wheel
You spot a little ratman spinning an enormous gaming wheel. Several lit candles are dotted about the wheel, transforming its surface into a greal whorl of flame each time the ratman spins it. When he sees you nearby he calls out, in an oddly articulate manner, ‘Humans! Excellent! Tell me, big ones, what would you prefer to wager – a part of your wealth, or a sliver of your very soul?’
Charles is not a ‘real’ ratman, but rather a human nobleman who managed to curse himself into a ratman’s body some ten years before. He has travelled widely across Harkuna, avoiding densely populated areas, and at last arriving at the Fay Bazaar some six months ago.
As indicated, characters may wager Shards, Mithrals, items or one Ability point from one of the more ‘mental’ Abilities (Charisma, Intelligence, Magic or Sanctity). Note that each character may only wager an Ability point once – Charles will refuse to accept such wagers a second time.
Characters may bet up to 250 Shards, or 100 Mithrals, or any one item. If characters bet on the wheel, they must roll two dice: –
If they roll 2 to 6, they permanently lose their stake (money, item or Ability point).
If they roll 7 or 8, they lose their stake unless they make another wager, adding this to the first (minimum 100 Shards or 25 Mithrals or one item – or one Ability point if this has not already been wagered).
If they roll 9 to 12, they double their stake – that is, they win back their stake plus the same amount again. Money is doubled; Ability points are permanently increased to one point higher than they were at the beginning of the game. Items are a special case – non-magical and ‘low-level’ items are duplicated. More powerful items are duplicated, but the duplicate does not have the power of the original – special powers or bonuses are deleted or reduced, resulting in the item becoming a ‘+2 item’, or equivalent (Gamesmaster’s discretion).
CHARLES THE FAUX RATMAN: Charisma 2; Combat 4; Intelligence 4; Magic 2; Muscle 2; Sanctity 3; Scouting 5; Thievery 6; Defence 8; Stamina 10.
An Elven Alchemist
This alchemist, Velaeran, is simply a con artist who doesn’t know when to cut and run. He will offer to sell characters potions that will heal wounds (for 50 Shards), or potions that will boost one of a character’s abilities for a whole day (a strength potion, a potion of holiness, etc, each one for 75 Shards). In fact, these potions are a sham. If a character buys a potion, the Gamesmaster should discreetly roll one die (at the moment of purchase, or later) to determine its true effect.
1: The character is paralysed for twenty minutes or so.
2: The character froths at the mouth like a rabid animal for a couple of hours, but there is otherwise no harmful effect.
3: A violent skin rash – the character’s Charisma is reduced by 1 for two days. The rash itches, too.
4: Diarrhoea – the next six hours will not be fun. This character will need to visit the latrine frequently (3 or 4 times an hour) until the effects of the potion wear off.
5: The hair on the character’s head falls out over the next few days. It’ll grow back, at least – and thicker than ever.
6: A miracle! The potion does what it claims to, more or less. Healing potions restore one die worth of Stamina points, Ability potions add one to that ability for the next six hours or so.
Velaeran is also responsible for selling Spirrimeen to the Trau. If the characters have already encountered Velaeran’s Trau customers, they will reappear demanding reimbursement and violent revenge. It is entirely up to the characters’ principles – and common sense – if they wish to aid the con artist.
VELAERAN: Charisma 5; Combat 4; Intelligence 5; Magic 3; Muscle 3; Sanctity 1; Scouting 4; Thievery 8; Defence 8; Stamina 9.
A Pickpocket
At some point during the time in the bazaar, the Gamesmaster should make a Thievery roll for one of the characters (difficulty 11; the Gamesmaster may choose which character makes the roll, or should determine randomly). If the character fails the roll, they’ll discover that all their money has gone missing the next time they try to pay for something.
If the character makes the roll, read out the following: –
You feel the merest brush of fingers against your waist; impulse makes you grab for your money pouch, but it has already gone. You stop, looking about you – and then you spot a yellow-coated leprechaun, your money pouch in its hands, not fifteen feet away from you.
It turns toward you, and spots you glaring at it. ‘Ho, ho!’ it says, and darts between the legs of a Trau, and into the crowd of creatures beyond.
Yellowcoat the leprechaun is tricky to catch. A Scouting roll (difficulty 12) should give a good idea of his trail through the motley crowd of beings milling about the Fay Bazaar. Yellowcoat is not especially dangerous, but can cast the False Image spell at will (Fabled Lands Roleplaying Game, page 41).
If the characters lose track of Yellowcoat, he can often be found at The Seven Pits.
YELLOWCOAT: Charisma 3; Combat 3; Intelligence 3; Magic 4; Muscle 1; Sanctity 1; Scouting 4; Thievery 8; Defence 8; Stamina 8.
Special: May cast ‘False Image’ at will (Fabled Lands RPG page 41)
The Seven Pits
This is a tavern, of sorts – a great circular bar surrounded by benches and tables, all under a vast charcoal-grey canopy. The bar is run by a family of goblins and yet, strangest of all are, of course, the bar’s inhabitants – elves and goblins sip at strange ales; Trau guzzle flagons of faery mead while faery hounds doze at their feet; a drunk, hulking troll makes conversation with anybody who passes nearby; a trio of ogres glare suspiciously at anyone who comes too close.
Characters may order food and drink, of course. There are a long list of beverages that are exotic-sounding (and some cases, unpronouncable by humans) – Clemin’s Desire, Demon Blood, Brewed Iron, Squeezed Gorlock with Fingerbones, etc. If the characters are adventurous enough to try something unknown, roll a die for each character who consumes. If the result is 1 to 5, the drink is pleasant; if 6, the drink reacts badly with this specific character (make a Muscle roll, difficulty 10; failure results in loss of 1 – 6 Stamina). Each one typically costs around four Shards (faery mead is strictly reserved for Trau customers, here).
Characters may also wish to mingle. The Trau are in no mood to chat; failure in a Charisma roll (difficulty 11) will result in the risk of the Trau setting their hounds (one for each character) on the characters (a quick apology and backing off should defuse the situation). The statistics for Faery Hounds may be found in the Fabled Lands Roleplaying Game, page 147)
Ookle the Troll, on the other hand, will all but insist the characters speak with him. He will tell rambling stories of his former life in the mountains of the Spine of Harkun, before he came to work as a general labourer and bodyguard for the goblins that run this establishment. He’ll also cheerfully challenge the strongest-looking character in the group to an arm-wrestling match (make a Muscle roll, difficulty 14). The characters may wager a few Shards on the victory, or can simply be content with the glory of victory.
OOKLE THE TROLL: Charisma 2; Combat 7; Intelligence 3; Magic 1; Muscle 8; Sanctity 2; Scouting 3; Thievery 1; Defence 12; Stamina 16.
The bar’s goblin patrons are also reasonably content to chat with the characters. One of the goblins will challenge the characters to a stone-throwing contest, trying to knock empty flagons off a distant tabletop (make a Combat roll to win, difficulty 12). Characters may wager money (up to 100 Shards or so) or non-magical items on this challenge; winning the contest will double the character’s stake.
The characters’ presence will seem to make the elves uncomfortable. They will finish their drinks, if approached, and will turn to leave. If pressed, one of the elves will mutter something along the lines of, ‘We have to get back to the pavilion of the princess. No good comes from speaking with humans. We’ve been warned.’
If the characters try to speak with the ogres, they will openly insult, intimidate and threaten the characters. The characters may react calmly, or back down, with no further consequences; if they respond in kind to the ogres, a fight will break out (the ogres’ statistics can be found on page 156 of the Fabled Lands Roleplaying Game). They are carrying non-magical axes, leather armour, and 100 Mithrals.
The Goblin Organisation for the Total Annihilation of People (G.O.T.A.P.)
You come across a gathering of twenty or thirty goblins, crowded in a semicircle around a podium. Another goblin stands there, waving his arms, speaking animatedly. You spot a banner behind him displaying the letters G, O, T, A, P, with some smaller writing in the common tongue underneath that you can’t quite make out. You edge a little closer to listen to what he’s saying. ‘Human beings are responsible for all the evils of our beautiful world! Human beings with their heavy-footed ways and their indoor latrines! Well, I say no more! I promise you death to the humans! Death to the humans!’ And as the crowd about him cheers, you make out the wording on the banner at last – the Goblin Organisation for the Total Annihilation of People.
The characters might be wise to back away. If they do anything – anything – to draw attention to themselves, the goblin demagogue will notice them. In this case, read out the following: –
‘There!’ screams the goblin leader, pointing at you. ‘There! Clumsy-footed humans, here among us! Look at their horrible straight backs and their round little chins! Our work begins today, my brothers and sisters! Kill the humans! Kill them now!’
The goblin horde attacks. Individually, the goblins are not dangerous; en masse, they may be more than the characters can handle. If the characters run, ask for Thievery rolls (difficulty 10) to escape into the bazaar crowds. Bear in mind that characters can easily become separated this way.
Characters who fight, or who fail to evade the goblins, are each attacked by 3 – 6 goblins per combat round (roll one die; reroll low results). If the characters manage to survive for six rounds (or less, for low-level characters), the Trau authorities arrive – GOTAP, and particularly its leader, are well-known troublemakers. The Trau will kill a few goblins with some well-placed blows, and the rest will quickly disperse.
GOBLINS: Charisma 1; Combat 2; Intelligence 2; Magic 2; Muscle 2; Sanctity 1; Scouting 4; Thievery 5; Defence 7; Stamina 7.
Mrs Mimkin’s Menagerie
You encounter an old, hunched woman standing in front of a cart loaded with all manner of exotic creatures – glistening blue songbirds in silver cages; chameleons in glass jars that shift from red to blue to green as you watch; gold-coloured serpents wrapped about the carts’ wheels; a dog that meows, and a kitten that moos; a brightly-coloured angelfish that seems to swim suspended in the air, tethered to the cart by a thin golden chain. And there are dozens more wonders still amongst her collection.
The woman herself might be human – but she is so stooped and wrinkled that it’s difficult to be sure. She looks up at you with a toothless smile, and says, ‘Tell me, gentle beings, what creatures might I find for you today amongst Mrs Mimkin’s Menagerie?’
Whatever the characters ask for, Mrs Mimkin will ultimately present three animals for sale – though she loves her collection so much that she’s only willing to part with one. The possibilities: –
The floating angelfish: Mrs Mimkin claims this angelfish offers the gift of charm and beauty to its owner. And it does – it will add +1 to the Charisma of any character, for as long as he openly displays it. This bonus is cumulative with the bonus from any other Charisma-boosting items the character may possess.
A seeking snail: This fist-sized snail can, if allowed to chew on a ‘sample’ of whatever it’s supposed to find (for a person, it might need to chew on a piece of clothing, or another possession of that person), and will then unerringly seek it out. And when chasing a scent the creature is fast, for a snail – only slightly slower than human walking speed. Of course, characters who are not in a rush may simply choose to wait around for the snail to do its work, and then follow the trail it leaves. The snail’s range is quite limited, however – after about a hundred metres or so, it will ‘forget’ what it’s supposed to be tracking.
The golden tortoise: Mrs Mimkin says, ‘If you feed this animal nothing but raw vegetables, it will reward you with gold.’ And it will – the tortoise will excrete nuggets of gold worth 2 – 12 Shards per day. Mrs Mimkin does not disclose, however, that the tortoise is very old (nor that this is the reason she’s happy to let it go). It will only survive another couple of months, once it has been bought.
Whichever animal, if any, the characters choose to buy, the price will be somewhat abstract. Mrs Mimkin has little interest in money – she would far prefer something unique, that only the characters can offer her. This might be a one-of-a-kind item (even one of little value, if she considers it interesting), it might be a well-told story of their adventures so far. It is entirely up to the characters to suggest something she might consider interesting enough to exchange for one of her pets (Gamesmaster’s discretion).
If the characters are truly drawing a blank, Mrs Mimkin will suggest that she take some of their blood, in order to feed her vampire guinea pigs. Taking a silver knife, she will fill a large clay urn with their blood (she will inflict ten points of Stamina damage, which may be shared between characters as they wish).
MRS MIMKIN: Charisma 4; Combat 2; Intelligence 6; Magic 6; Muscle 1; Sanctity 3; Scouting 6; Thievery 5; Defence 8; Stamina 9.
The Goblin Market
This is a sprawling collection of stalls, selling all manner of non-magical items, tools, food and drink, and so on. It is a mishmash affair, being presented on rugs, tables, carts, inside tents, hanging from poles, and so on.
Any of the ‘non-exotic’ weapons from pages 48 and 49 of the Fabled Lands Roleplaying Game can be found at the Goblin Maket (that is, no katanas, naginatas, shuriken or Uttakin longaxes). These items are functional enough, though somewhat grimy and unlooked-after. Leather, Ring mail and Chain mail armour can be bought here – though characters will have to pay 20% extra on top of the armour’s price, and wait around for an hour or two, for the goblin merchants to have it resized to fit a human. Any of the miscellaneous items from page 52 of the Fabled Lands RPG that do not give a bonus to Abilities may also be found here, with a bit of searching.
At some point during the characters’ perusing of goods, they will be approached by a goblin sketch artist. Read out the following: –
Portrait with a couple of zombies, good sirs? Draw a portrait of you with a couple of Nagil’s most fearsome warriors? Present you as a mighty hero, it will. Only forty Shards.
The goblin sketch artist and his assistant are carting around a couple of unkempt zombies tethered to a sort of trundling pole contraption. If any characters are unwise enough to accept the goblin artist’s offer, he will insist that they ‘Stand closer to them! Get closer to the fiends!’ It’s quite clear that this agitates the zombies, of course – and if a character steps within arm’s reach of them, they’ll yank the pole contraption to the ground, and break free, in their eagerness for human flesh.
ZOMBIES (2): Combat 3; Magic 3; Muscle 3; Scouting 1; Thievery 1; Defence 7; Stamina 12.
The Trau Market
Much smaller than the goblin market, the Trau market is comprised of a dozen or so small stalls, discreetly hidden behind silk awnings.
The following may be bought or sold at the Trau market (they will only accept onyx coins called Mithrals, not Shards): –
Armour
Vulcanium Mail (+7 Armour); 1600 Mithrals (to buy), 1000 Mithrals (to sell)
Weapons (Sword, Axe, Quarterstaff etc)
+2 weapons; 600 Mithrals (to buy), 450 Mithrals (to sell)
+3 weapons; 900 Mithrals (to buy), 600 Mithrals (to sell)
+4 weapons; 1200 Mithrals (to buy), 900 Mithrals (to sell)
Glass-bladed dagger; 1200 Mithrals (to buy) – this dagger’s blade is as hard as steel, and never loses its edge, but is otherwise considered a ‘normal’ weapon; note that this item is needed to complete the Merman Inventor’s quest.
Magical Equipment
Cobalt Wand (+3 Magic); 1800 Mithrals (to buy); 1200 Mithrals (to sell)
Selenium Wand (+4 Magic); 2000 Mithrals (to buy); 1333 Mithrals (to sell)
Other Items
Flagon of Faery Mead; 1000 Mithrals (to buy); 900 Mithrals (to sell)
If, at any time the characters are in the Trau market, the characters’ conversation indicates that they are eager to leave the Fay Bazaar, one of the Trau will overhear them and offer to take them with him on his next journey to Haggart’s Corner in Golnir, for a price of 1000 Mithrals (for all characters). The characters may accept if they wish – and this will be a dizzying, terrifying journey through the earth for them if they do. However, if they have not located Emile LeGros and his book, Remokoan will find them sooner or later, and impose his deadly fine…
A Mannekyn Duelist
At some point during the characters’ time at the Bazaar, one of the them experiences the following: –
Out of the darkness of the cavern’s subterranean heights, a blur of blue suddenly comes hurtling towards you. A little blue man rockets towards you, slamming into your chest and knocking you down to the ground. It takes a few seconds to realise it is a Mannekyn, wearing brass-coloured armour.
He scrambles to his feet and draws his longsword – which is, to you, no bigger than a kitchen knife. ‘Open your damn human eyes, can’t you? You’ve dented my armour, and now you’ll pay for its repair with your blood! Single combat, to death or to craven yielding!’
Urion the Mannekyn is entirely at fault for drinking too much faery mead and flying in great spinning circles until he became dizzy. He is also extremely stubborn, and will blame the character he crashed into. The characters have several avenues here – they may try to placate Urion; a Charisma roll (difficulty 13), and some excellent roleplaying, will probably do the job. They may fight him in single combat, or they may fight him altogether.
Also note that at some point – after Urion has been calmed down, or towards the end of the combat, six more Mannekyn warriors will float down from the cavern ceiling, to observe proceedings.
If one of the characters fights Urion in single combat, he will yield when he reaches 4 Stamina points or less. The character may take Urion’s weapon and armour – they are fairly useless for humans, but they can be sold for around 400 Shards, together. Of course, if Urion is winning the combat, he will accept a character’s surrender, and demand the character’s best weapon and piece of armour for his victory.
If Urion is killed after he surrenders, or if he is attacked by several characters, this will anger the Mannekyn newcomers, who will also join the combat.
If the Mannekyn newcomers are not angry, their leader, Mender, will apologise for Urion’s conduct (whatever the outcome of the incident), thank the characters for their humility, and offer them a flagon of faery mead as thanks. If the characters speak with the Mannekyn, they will learn that a small group of Mannekyn have entered the Trau tunnels as guests of the elven princess who resides in the cavern – and yet now that princess is refusing to see visitors, meaning that the Mannekyn have nothing to do but sit around drinking too much faery ale.
URION: Charisma 2; Combat 4; Intelligence 2; Magic 2; Muscle 4; Sanctity 2; Scouting 2; Thievery 1; Defence 9; Stamina 10.
MANNEKYN WARRIORS (6): Charisma 3; Combat 3; Intelligence 3; Magic 3; Muscle 3; Sanctity 2; Scouting 2; Thievery 1; Defence 9; Stamina 8.
Problems with the Authorities
If the characters are overly troublesome in the Bazaar – perhaps because of killing a Gug, perhaps because of excessive brawling or criminal conduct – they will be confronted by the Trau warriors charged with maintaining some semblance of order. Normally, except for the guards at the cavern’s exits, no lawkeeping presence is visible. And yet, when necessary, Trau warriors will come tunneling right out of the ground or the cavern walls. These warriors tend to carry great shadowy halberds, or black-bladed scimitars, and are very competent fighters. More dangerously still, their numbers are more or less unlimited here in the Trau tunnels – should the characters be foolish enough to fight, for each Trau they cut down, two more will come burrowing out from where he falls.
The Trau will only attack the characters in the most extreme cases, of course. For general nuisance-making, the Trau will threaten to expel the characters to the surface of Harkuna – which normally might be no bad thing. And yet if the characters have failed to retreive the Grimoire of Arcus Flounder from Emile LeGros, they will have to face the consequences of the failure of their mission, sooner or later.
Naturally, if the characters are severely wronged in some way by the Bazaar’s inhabitants – by G.O.T.A.P., for example – the Trau warriors may take their side in order to maintain the peace – or at least, a semi-controlled chaos.
TRAU WARRIORS: Charisma 3; Combat 6; Intelligence 4; Magic 6; Muscle 5; Scouting 4; Thievery 3; Defence 10; Stamina 12.
Finding Emile LeGros
Emile LeGros is being held captive inside the pavilion of the elven princess, Tirin’Dael. Asking after Emile by name will yield few results – almost nobody at the Bazaar knows him by name. But if the characters pick up on Remokoan’s earlier mention that Emile LeGros is a human, and ask about other humans seen at the Bazaar, the likelihood of obtaining good information increases.
The characters may obtain three ‘clues’ that indicate that Emile is within the pavilion. These clues may be obtained from several sources – Kleggug the Bard, Mrs Mimkin, Charles the Ratman, Valaeran the ‘Alchemist’ and Ookle the Troll all may all possess one of these clues, if the characters can motivate them to give information.
Clue 1: A tall human male wearing silken red robes, and carrying a couple of strange swords, was seen at the Trau market, trying to buy some sort of spell components.
Clue 2: A figure dressed all in red was seen fighting with Trau warriors as he left The Seven Pits. Unusually, they cast some spell to bind him in black shadows, subduing him.
Clue 3: The elven princess Tirin’Dael has recently paid the Trau warriors that protect the Bazaar a small fortune in Mithrals and faery mead, so that they would turn over one of their prisoners to her.
If the characters have visited The Seven Pits, they may also pick up on the elves’ mention that ‘no good comes from talking with humans’.
The Pavilion of the Elven Princess
The pavilion is a grand, ivory-white tent. Trees surround it at regular intervals – the only trees to be found within the cavern of the Fay Bazaar. A single guard, a tall elven warrior in mother-of-pearl armour, stands some twenty paces before the only entrance to the pavilion. If the characters try to speak with him, read out the following: –
The stately elven sentry doesn’t move, and his eyes barely even flick your way. Then he says, in a lilting voice, ‘No entry. No exceptions.’
It isn’t difficult to creep past the guard – or even simply to walk straight past him; he’ll make no move to stop characters who try to do so. But a powerful magic surrounds the pavilion; entering is not so easy.
As you grow closer to the ivory-covered tent, it seems to slide away from you. It doesn’t cross the ground, exactly – rather, the ground itself, and the rest of the cavern, seems to stretch away from you. You blink, and rub your eyes in amazement. When you open them again, the tent is exactly where it was before – and so are you, standing further away now than when you began.
The elven sentry spots you and says once more, ‘No entry. No exceptions.’
ELVEN SENTRY: Charisma 4; Combat 9; Intelligence 6; Magic 7; Muscle 5; Sanctity 1; Scouting 4; Thievery 8; Defence 12; Stamina 15.
Equipment: +2 Spear, +4 Enchanted Mother-of-Pearl Scale Armour
Part 3: The Princess and the Rogue
Entering the Pavilion
Initially, it will be impossible for characters to enter the pavilion. However, once the characters are reasonably sure that LeGros is inside the pavilion (that is, once the Gamesmaster feels they’ve spent a sufficient amount of time wandering about the Bazaar looking for clues), a couple of ways to gain entry may become apparent.
A Mannekyn Delegation
If the characters have previously encountered Urion the Mannekyn, and parted from Urion and his comrades on amicable terms, you may read out the following: –
You spot a group of Mannekyn fluttering around the elven sentry. They yammer at him animatedly while he stands, impassive. You half-expect him to utter that now-familiar refrain, ‘No entry, no exceptions,’ but instead he says, ‘Her Highness Princess Tirin’Dael regrets that she is unable to receive any visitors at this time. Please come back in a couple of days.’
The Mannekyn flap away from him, frustrated. Then they spot you, and flap over. You recognise Mender, who you spoke with earlier. ‘My friends!’ he says, waving a piece of parchment. ‘What good is an official invitation if they refuse to recognise it? ‘Come back in a couple of days,’ he says. That’s what he said a couple of days ago. And a couple of days before that!’
With some cajoling, the characters may be able to persuade Mender to lend them his invitation – perhaps to speak with Princess Tirin’Dael, to argue to allow the Mannekyn to enter. If Mender lets them use his invitation, they may present it to the elven sentry.
The sentry sees you approaching once more, and for a moment you think you see the slightest trace of a frown cross his face. ‘I have an official invitation from – ‘ you begin.
‘That invitation is intended for the representative of the Mannekyn people of Sky Mountain,’ says the sentry. ‘They may recognise you as a trusted friend; I cannot. I must repeat: no entry.’ He hesitates a moments, and his brows crease, and then he says, ‘Unless… are you anything to do with that other human inside?’
The characters haven’t made it all the way in, but they have a foot in the door. If they can convince the elven sentry that yes, they do know who he is, and they can help resolve any problem he’s created – and so long as they don’t blow everything by making it clear they have no idea what the sentry is talking about – he may let them enter the pavilion.
A Vampire Contrabandist
Another possible means of entering the pavilion. Once the characters have tried to enter, and been frustrated, they may encounter the following: –
‘You seek to enter the princess’s pavilion, no?’
The voice comes from behind you. You turn to see who has spoken – it is a man with white, bloodless skin, wrapped in heavy wolf’s furs. In the cavern’s oppressive heat, he must be practically baking alive – or, there again, perhaps being baked alive is no longer a concern to him.
‘I have a means of getting you into that pavilion,’ he says, and you spot a slight point to his teeth as he smiles. ‘Although, naturally, assistance offered would demand some small assistance in return…’
This vampire, Thorne, possesses a vial of magical powder that will briefly render the characters invisible to elven eyes, and render them immune to the magical effects surrounding the pavilion. They may sneak in as they wish. However, Thorne says he wishes them to retrieve something for him in return – a book, The Grimoire of Arcus Flounder, that the elven princess currently has in her possession. If the characters can retrieve it for him, he will offer to share some small dose of the power it can offer, and even to transport the characters back up to the surface of Harkuna.
Thorne is being quite honest. He is capable of opening the Grimoire, the very book the characters have come to retrieve. If they give it to him, he will cast a spell allowing any Mage characters in the group to cast spells from the Tranmutation lore of magic (Fabled Lands RPG page 45) exactly as if they had learned the lore themselves. This effect is permanent. Then he will cast another spell transporting characters to one of the cities in Sokara.
Of course, he will then depart with the Grimoire himself, and the characters’ mission will be a failure – and the next time that the librarian Remokoan crosses the characters’ paths, he will take his due of one human soul.
Conversely, if the characters accept the vial and then fail to deliver the Grimoire to Thorne, they will have made a long-lasting, and powerful, enemy.
If the characters choose to try to take the vial of magical powder by force, or if they offer him the Grimoire of Arcus Flounder and then try to renege on their deal, Thorne is quite capable of defending himself.
THORNE THE VAMPIRE: Charisma 5; Combat 8; Intelligence 6; Magic 7; Muscle 6; Sanctity 0; Scouting 4; Thievery 5; Defence 13; Stamina 21.
Special Powers: Thorne possesses all of the powers and limitations of a ‘classic’ vampire (Fabled Lands RPG, page 159)
Inside the Pavilion
However the characters manage to enter the pavilion, you may read out the following once they are inside.
Stepping through the entrance flap to the princess’s pavilion is like stepping into another world. It is like a rainforest inside – thick trees reach up into a red sky; creepers hang down all about you and insects and animals skitter and creak all around. The pavilion is far greater within than without – you have to glance back over your shoulder just to make sure you really are still inside the Fay Bazaar.
Some of the encounters with faery beings so far have been light-hearted. Now the characters are truly entering a dangerous realm, the home of the disease-maddened Princess Tirin’Dael.
As the characters venture into the pavilion’s interior, they soon come across the following: –
You hear a thin, reedy voice from amidst the trees ahead. ‘Help me, help me!’ Going closer, you see a one-armed goblin tangled in thorny bushes. ‘Oh, human beings! Please help me, beautiful creatures. Are you friends of Master Emile’s?’
The characters may try to liberate Mog the goblin, though the bushes are almost alive, and try their best to grab onto him (characters helping must make a Muscle roll, difficulty 10; failure results in 1 – 6 Stamina damage from scratches as Mog is freed).
Mog is Emile LeGros’s assistant, and he can provide much of the backstory for the present situation. Emile LeGros is a human trader who, by accident, stumbled upon a way into the Trau tunnels some years before. He found it profitable to deal with the denizens of the Fay Bazaar – but, fearing the magical powers of the faery folk, he preferred to work through intermediaries such as Mog (all the others have already fled, following the arrest of LeGros).
The elven princess Tirin’Dael was given to exploring the Bazaar in disguise, and encountered LeGros purely by chance. The two fell in love, and a passionate affair began. But when LeGros found the princess’s attentions stifling, and tried to leave her, she cursed him so that he could never leave the Bazaar. He had borrowed The Grimoire of Arcus Flounder from The Library of the End of Days long before; he believed that if he could reopen it, he would be able to find one spell that would break the princess’s curse, and another that could cause her to stop loving him. And he did reopen the book, even managing to circumvent the enchantment that would normally return him to the library. But when Tirin’Dael rescued Emile from imprisonment by the Bazaar’s Trau warriors, and brought him to her side, he learned that his spell to repel her love had been miscast – rather than breaking her love for him, it struck Tirin’Dael with a horrific transformation disease. Now she refuses to let anybody near her, for fear that they will see the repulsive monster she has become.
Once he has explained his story, Mog will run for the exit from the jungle-pavilion.
MOG THE ONE-ARMED GOBLIN: Charisma 1; Combat 2; Intelligence 2; Magic 2; Muscle 2; Sanctity 1; Scouting 4; Thievery 5; Defence 6; Stamina 7
Stalked by Stalks
Presuming the characters press on deeper into the jungle-pavilion, read out the following: –
A warm, clinging rain begins to fall on you as you hack your way through the vines and creepers all around you, and you wonder what effect, if any, this tropical downpour will have on the cavern surrounding the pavilion. Tired, you pause a moment in your efforts – and in this sudden silence, you hear the creaking and shifting of something large, dead ahead of you. You glimpse something bulky, dark green in colour – but it disappears into the foliage before you can see what it is, exactly.
And then, you hear that same creaking and shifting right behind you, as well.
In her delerium, Tirin’Dael has conjured guardian beings from the enchanted foliage inside the pavilion. A pack of Stem Dogs is stalking the characters through the undergrowth (there are two more Stem Dogs than there are characters).
The Stem Dogs appear to be great hounds created from pure foliage; the core of their bodies, their legs and their jaws have much the same consistency as thick plant stems.
Characters who attack the Stem Dogs head on, or who wait for the dogs to come to them, should find it a challenging battle (some adjustment of the Stem Dogs’ statistics may be necessary). The characters may prefer to use a clear strategy for the battle they know is coming – a good Scouting roll might allow them to guide the Stem Dogs into an ambush, perhaps limiting how many Dogs may attack at any one time. Fire is an especially effective weapon against the Stem Dogs as well – although burning Dogs will almost certainly spread the flames to the surrounding foliage, endangering the characters’ lives and angering Tirin’Dael, when at last they meet her. The Gamesmaster should reward imaginative thinking on the part of the players, here.
STEM DOGS: Charisma 1; Combat 8; Intelligence 3; Magic 5; Muscle 5; Sanctity 1; Scouting 9; Thievery 4; Defence 9; Stamina 13
Special: Stem Dogs take double damage from any fire-based attacks. Stem Dogs regenerate 1 Stamina point per turn; a favourite tactic of a badly wounded Stem Dog is to evade into the surrounding foliage, and hide for several turns – Stem Dogs hidden in such a way require a Scouting roll (difficulty 14) to locate.
The Maddened Heart of the Jungle
You reach what you judge to be the heart of this deranged jungle. And yet here, you find its most curious denizen of all. At the centre of a great clearing stands an immense evergreen tree – and yet, bizarrely, the tree bears the characteristics of a young woman, as well; you spot an smooth, angular face amongst its bark; its branches seem almost to be fingertips and its great green canopy sways like hair in water.
Before the tree, a blond man lies tethered, his arms and legs wrapped in roots and brambles that grow right out of the ground. This is Emile LeGros, you guess, clothed in shredded red robes.
The face within the tree speaks, with a voice like a great, booming bassoon. ‘I am Tirin’Dael, princess of these parts. If you have come to slay this hateful creature, do so with my blessing. If you bring more sicknesses of the blood, leave now while you still have legs to carry you.’
The man, LeGros, calls out, ‘Don’t listen to the mad witch! Some sorcerous ailment has turned her mind just as it has transformed her body. Free me from her grasp, and I’ll reward you with all I have.’
‘Silence!’ booms the tree, and a thick creeper bursts from the ground, and wraps around the man’s mouth.
Dialogue will likely prove more productive than weapons and spells, here. A backpack, and a couple of rusted-looking rapiers, lie on the floor beside Emile. The Grimoire of Arcus Flounder is in Emile’s backpack, of course – if the characters can so much as lay their hands on it, they can open it, and it will transport them to the Library of the End of Days, much as they were transported at the beginning of the adventure. However, if the characters openly express interest in the backpack, or its contents, Tirin’Dael will scoop it up off the ground, and hold it aloft in her upper branches (if characters used Thorne’s vial of powder to arrive, incidentally, its effects have by now long since worn off).
More callous characters may offer to slay LeGros, in exchange for his possessions. And Tirin’Dael will allow them to do so – though a sudden burst of fury at seeing the death of her once-lover will cause the entire jungle to explode into flames around them; characters must use the Grimoire to flee at once, or find some way of surviving the deadly flames all about them.
If the characters can convince Tirin’Dael to allow Emile to speak, he may offer more enlightenment as to Tirin’Dael’s problems. Emile previously cast a spell to make his blood repellent to Tirin’Dael; It is the nearness of this blood that has turned her mind (in truth, the spell has done nothing to transform her – it has simply caused her to lose control of her considerable talents of transformation and illusion; neither Emile nor Tirin’Dael are aware of this fact, however). If the characters can persuade Tirin’Dael to let Emile leave, she will gradually return to normal. Emile has already presented this case to Tirin’Dael, however, but she is convinced he is lying. The characters will need to be especially persuasive to convince Tirin’Dael to let go of her jealousy, and allow Emile to depart.
A Remove Disease spell (Fabled Lands RPG page 40) might cure Tirin’Dael – although the casting difficulty would be higher than normal, given the potency of this magical ailment (Magic roll difficulty 15). However, if Emile is not removed from the princess’s presence (or killed), she will quickly become sick once more. Similarly, a Priest of Maka might cure Tirin’Dael’s sickness (Sanctity roll, difficulty 15). If cured in this way, Tirin’Dael will instantly revert to her normal form of a startlingly beautiful elven maiden – though if the characters linger more than a few minutes, they may already begin to see traces of disease and discolouration mar her lovely features.
The characters may come up with other means of curing Tirin’Dael’s disease-born madness – within the scope of this adventure or beyond. If they can do so – and such a cure may entail a long journey elsewhere, and a return to the Fay Bazaar – Tirin’Dael will gratefully offer to give them the Grimoire of Arcus Flounder or to hand over Emile LeGros into their custody. She will not offer both. This choice of reward is left intentionally ambiguous – characters may feel that rescuing Emile is the ‘right’ thing to do, and yet doing so will result in the failure of their mission to retrieve the book. And when they eventually encounter Remokoan once again, he will once more demand one human soul as payment of his fine.
More gung-ho characters may choose to attack Tirin’Dael for the book, though this is a dangerous course of action. If she is killed the jungle will explode into flames, as described above – and if the characters are foolish enough to re-enter the Fay Bazaar, any elf there will strive to kill the characters in retribution.
If the characters rescue Emile, he will hand over the Grimoire by way of thanks (if he has it), but will then want to go his own way. If characters try to constrain him, or to ‘hand him over to the authorities’ (at the Library of the End of Days, or elsewhere), he will fight to protect his own freedom.
If the characters manage to obtain the Grimoire of Arcus Flounder, they will presumably open it, and it will return them to the Library at the End of Days (see Part 4: A Reward).
TIRIN’DAEL (TREE FORM): Charisma 4; Combat 8; Intelligence 9; Magic 9; Muscle 8; Sanctity 1; Scouting 6; Thievery 4; Defence 13; Stamina 26
Special: Each turn, Tirin’Dael may fight all characters who are attacking her simultaneously (her number of attacks per turn equals the number of people who are fighting her). She is rooted to the ground, and cannot move from her position (although she can see and fight in a 360 degree arc). Rather than fighting in hand-to-branch combat, Tirin’Dael may instead cast the Arcane Blast spell once per turn (Fabled Lands RPG page 34) – she prefers this tactic if characters remain at range.
EMILE LEGROS: Charisma 6; Combat 8 (6 without rapiers); Intelligence 4; Magic 6; Muscle 5; Sanctity 2; Scouting 3; Thievery 5; Defence 10; Stamina 12
Special: Emile’s twin rapiers are +2 weapons. Once per combat, they allow him to create 1 to 6 ‘copies’ of himself, each with the same characteristics as the original (initial Stamina is 12 for each copy, even if Emile is wounded). Characters who kill Emile, or who deprive him of his rapiers before hand may also use this power – when the rapiers are used together by one character, he may create 1 to 6 copies of himself once per combat. However, he must also roll two dice – on a roll of 8 to 12, the rapiers crumble to useless, rust-coloured dust at the end of the combat.
Equipment: Twin rapiers (see above); 224 Shards, 180 Mithrals; Potion of Healing; Potion of Sorcery
Part 4: A Reward
Thick mists pour from Emile’s book as you open it. When they clear, you are standing once more in the library’s reception area. The half-man, half-lion Remokoan, still seated at his desk, glances up from a book he is reading, and stares at you over the top of his little round glasses. ‘Well?’ he says.
With the return of the Grimoire of Arcus Flounder, Remokoan waives any fine he feels that the characters owe. The characters may argue that they deserve a greater reward. If they do (no roll necessary; some good roleplaying will suffice), Remokoan will offer them a special boon – he will create for them a copy of any book that exists, of the characters’ choice. It is entirely up to the characters to decide which book they would like (though they may not yet realise it, Remokoan is capable of duplicating not just any book that exists, but any book that has ever existed, or will ever exist). With sufficient imagination, the characters may choose a book that will alter their lives quite profoundly.
If the characters have difficulty choosing a book, or if they take too long deciding, Remokoan will suggest that they go away and think further on the subject. Somewhat ominously, he assures the characters he will see them again before too long; he’ll give them their book then.
Once the characters’ business is concluded here, Remokoan will cast a spell to return them to where they were before this whole adventure began. Or, if the Gamesmaster prefers, to somewhere entirely different…
