s lL) Ns < > = ~ a) hy 1)LIVING ROOM GAMESTABLE OF CONTENTS HURLG AND TREACHERY A Prologue INTRODUCTION: Chapter 1 ‘Gamemastering Notes How To Use This Book Game Session Legend Points Preparing for the Adventure Plot Synopsis ESUMMONS: Chapter 2 Setting The Stage ‘Themes and Images Behind the Scenes Troubleshooting Cast of Characters Remicl Degaas ‘Nemiroph Belstraum Relian and Gildon WORD ONTHESTREE Chapter3 Setting the Stage ‘Themes and Images Behind the Scenes Talking to Torgak Talking to Justice Bells Talking to Vardeghul ‘Talking with Tylia Talking with Budroes ‘Troubleshooting Cast of Characters ‘Torgak Vardeghul Tylia 6 Ghalley 7 AFAER TRADE: 7 Chapters 8 Setting the Stage 8 “Themes and Images 9 Behind the Scenes ‘Troubleshooting 2 Castof Characters B Tolemy Faer B THE PROOF ISIN THE POISON 8 Chapters 4 Setting the Stage 4 ‘Themes and Images 4 Behind the Seenes 16 ‘Troubleshooting io BUSINESS AS USUAL se Chapter 6 Setting the Stage “Themes and Images e Behind the Seenes B ‘Troubleshooting zB Castof Characters zB anos DeVahl 2 BUT YOU WOULDN'T WANT TOLIVEHERE..: ae Chapter a Setting the Stages et Themes and Images as Behind the Scenes Se Razor Mammoth 2 ‘Troubleshooting EARTHDAW! Justice Bells S8RR2 KEBEESS BeBY SSEEeEEMALAKA'SSLAVER CAMP: Chapter 8 Setting the Stage ‘Themes and Images Behind the Scenes Life inthe Slaver Camp First Encounter Getting the Map The Camp ‘Troubleshooting Cast of Characters Captain Teirik Malakai Lieutenant Raven Davron Field Sergeant Maximillian Degado Field Sergeant Kal Bluestone Slavers Slaves ATWISTED GAUNTLET: Chapter 9 Setting the Stage ‘Themes and Images Behind the Scenes The First Peril The Second Peril The Third Perl The Fourth Perit The Fi Peril The Sixth Peril The Seventh Peril The Eighth Peril The Ninth Peri The Tenth Peril The Eleventh Perl ‘Troubleshooting ‘THEHEARTOF THE WEB: ‘Chapter 10 Setting the Stage ‘Themes and Images Behind the Scenes Timeline The Temple ‘Troubleshooting Cast of Characters Chafel Thule Ichabod Pes Nari Seth Brokenblade SARAASVYSYRRRERE LEYYBRYLSSRSRERE BIasoAvIRAaAD ‘THE FINAL BETRAYAL: Chapter 11 Setting the Stage ‘Themes and Images Behind the Scenes Scenario l Scenario Whatever Happened to Belstraum? ‘Troubleshooting Cast of Characters Thug Kelizalth Bizkra'ak Tobias Chirach LOOSEENDS: Chapter 12 After the Adventure Awarding Legend Points Game Sessions ‘Campaign ideas The Circle Path Company Haven The Waterseller Malakai'sSlavers ‘The Slaves from Malakai’s Slavers Kel’s Legbreakers ‘The Far Striders The Cultists of Vesrial Cast of Characters Yuriel Toeth Nightscar Gangrene, The Horror Mospatt Selasol Garron Karlson, Master of the Undercity RUMORS ANDRESEARCH: (Chapter 13 Legends Haven The Smalls The Twists Excerpts from the Diary of Caleb Valerez ‘The Far Striders Treasures Document Boxes Diorama of Shaping Rumors Bodyguard Discipline The Perils of the Twists ‘The Map ofthe Twists PATH OF DECEPTION SERSSRRRABRB SEBSSRREFBRBSSESCreative Staff Concept Joe Chan, Gary MeBride, Mike Williams Writing Joe Chan, Damon Barley, Gary MeBride, Bert Sanders, Mike Williams Earthdawn Line Developer Mike “Woodchuck” Williams Editorial Staff Senior Editor Aaron “Ebony” Johnson Associate Editors Joe Chan, Damon “However” Earley, Scott Ferguson, Ryan Kelley, Ryle Lightfoot, Gary “But” MeBride, Jason “Tico” Penick, Marco Soto, Shirley Soto, Mike Williams Special Thanks TH OF DECEPTION STAFF Production Staff Visual Director Shirley “Crip” Soto Cover Art Wai Chu Yu, Mark Mandolia Iilustrations Janet Aulisio, Tom Baxa, Peter Bergting, Joel Biske, Steve Bryant, Kent Burles, Storm Cook, Liz Danforth, Jon Dollar, Damon Earley, Ear! Geier, Jeff Laubenstein, Larry MacDougal, Craig Maher, Darrell Midgeite, [an Miller, Jim Nelson, Robert Nelson, Mike Nielsen, R. K. Post, Shirley Soto, Mike Williams Layout Joe Chan, Shirley Soto Playtesters Brian Exelbierd, Jason Fisher, Tyler Lund, Jeff Smith, Jennifer Thompson, Matthew Thompson Kent Raymond, Andre Germain, Chris Palomares, Ryan Kelley, Bill Nicholson, Austin Mills and to everyone at FASA. Earthdawn® is 1 Registered Trademark of FASA Corp. Parlainth"™ and Path of Deception™ are Trademarks of FASA Corp, Used under license Copyright © 2000 FASA Corp. All rights reserved, Printed in the US.A. Published by: Living Room Games PO Box 497522 Garland, TX 75049 Please visit our website at hupe/sewnilrganes.com ‘or you ean reach us via email ar infoelrgames.com EARTHDAWNHURLG AND TREACHERY: A Prologue fy D> cacaum pedis tog mcrlony oa hehind of 1 tie i's table. His guest was late - considerably late. It ust have been atleast half an hour since the town erier had tnnounced it as being ten of te clock. Belstraum had been insis- fen, meet at ten sharp. He found this in distasteful, and danger- ‘ous ithe was seen here by the wrong person. His thoughts were intemupted by a gruff hand on his shoulder from behind him. He almost started and quickly turned to look at ‘rinsing Ork in back and iny leathers giving him a toothy smile. ‘You're late,” said Belstaum, ‘You're lucky I came at all, Elfie-boy,” snapped the Ork, Tost, taking 2 sat across fom the noble. eat oppoctunity. That would You would have missed ave been foolish,” "Yea? Whazzat Belstrum reached into fine silk pouch dangling from his ther belt, previously hidden under a thick velvet cloak. From i, litering Air coin, which he placed onto the table, Sliding it towards the center He addressed the ork across from him with a voice as smooth ‘the sil he wore. “Ihave a favor to ask of you, intrigued, the Ork raised a brow and fol his hands atop the tle to reain from reaching forthe eoin right away. Despite his tisdain for nobles, money always won out over any prejudices Alright, ya got my at bled, Belsiraum took out another Air coin, slidingt over nextto the fis. “T ken join your ra re is a noblewoman, a Swordmaste, that would truly ed tle band. The Ork’s curiosity switched to suspicion. He leaned for ward, casting an ominous shadow over the coins and mich ofthe elven nobleman. He hissed, “Get to the point, Elf, I have litle patience forthe likes of you. ‘The elf smiled calmly as he slid a third, Fourth and fh coin ‘across the ible in succession “I would like you to personally see to itthat she is invited into the Far Siders and accepted. I do not care how you do it, Toeth narrowed his eyes atthe smug nobleman, baring his fangs slightly. “Thats @ prety big sum of money there just 0 let some prissy, noble git join our party. What ate you really getting a, EU? ‘A smirk Mashed across the Es face a he eached behind his “A perceptive one aren't you” He brought crafted dagger and placed it ontop ofthe five coins already resting onthe table, “This dagger is designed with aspecial reservoir perfect for blade poison. What | waat of you, Toeth, and what I am paying so handsomely for, is for you to kill her in Parlainth, And I want you to return this dagger to me, costed in het blood, as proof that the deed has been done Grinning widely, the Ork finally reached over and dragged the pile of coins towards himself. Such an impressive sum just to get rid of one of those snobbish nobles. He would have been willing to do that for free. After pocketing the money and secreting the dagger into sheath under his shir, he spat into his hand and held it out towards the disgusted elf ‘1's a deal, Elie! back for another objet out afi yj PATH OF DECEPTION 5INTRODUCTION: Chapter One Rules! Rules! Rules! You might as well beat me with the tomes! That'll be a more exciting death than the one I'll get from boredom studying these books. I can opponent with a quill, or slash a Horror with these pages. Give me my sword a good boots, and let me return to my true calling! Adventure beckons. skewer an 1a pair of ~ Yuriel 6 EARTHDAWNath of Deception isa roleplaying adventure set in he word of Earthdawn. The age of Earthdawn is an era of magic that existed thousands of years ago in our world's dim past. Magic touched every aspect ofthe lives of men and women of the Name-giver races: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orks, Troll, Windlings,T'skrang, and Obsidimen. However, as the levels of magic rose, so did the dangers inthe world, The Horrors, creatures from the depths of Astral space who subsisted on te suffering of Name-givers, were able to bridge the gap ffom their own foul domain to Earth with the rising tides of ‘magi. The people of Barsaive hid from the Horrors in under- ‘round kacrs and fortified citadels. The Scourge, as this time was known, laste forfour hundved years, and the Hor- rors laid waste to the land. The tides of magic eventually fumed, and as its powers ever so slowly left the world, the Barsaivans emerged from their kaers, ready to rebuild life anew. The seeret of building kaers was given tothe Province of Barsaive by the powerful Theran Empire, and the kaers themselves were built by the hands of Theran slaves. How- ver, the peoples of Barsaive had lived four hundred years without the oppressive yoke ofthe Theran Empire. As the Scourge came to an end, the dwarven kingdom of Throal, the heart of Barsaive, wrote what is known as the Council Compact, a document that declared that Barsaivans would be five. Now, from Throal and the other comers of Barsaive, bold heroes arise to fight for life and freedom against the remaining Horrors and the Theran Empire. Path of Deception takes place inthe northeaster reaches of Barsaive, in the ruins of the Forgotten City of Parlainth The adventurers will spend time in the rough and tumble {fontier own of Haven, travel through the dangerous Smalls and the magically confusing Twists, and battle a cult of ‘Vestrial, as well as betrayers within their own midst, Such is the path of a plot bom of a Mad Passion, GAMEMASTERING NOTES, Path of Deception is « linear adventure, meaning that cach event follows a particular sequence. However, the Gamemaster should feel free to adapt the adventure to suit the needs of his or her group of players. Though the en- counters progress logically, the Gamemaster need not fol- low the adventure precisely as written in order to run a sue- cessful game. To run the adventure, the Gamemaster needs a ‘thorough familiarity with the contents of this book, and both the Gamemaster and the players should be familiar with the Earthdawn rulebook (ED). The contents of Path of Deception are for the Gamemaster’s eyes only. ‘Things are not entirely what they seem in Path of De- ception, and there are a number of plots that are occurring behind the scenes. Though the players have a legitimate task to perform, much more happens during this adventure than the characters realize. Even after its completion, there should be several unanswered questions. Keeping this in ‘mind, the Gamemaster should let the characters believe that they control their own destiny while arranging events to lead the characters exactly where he or she wants them to 0. Path of Deception is best suited for six to eight charac~ ters of Third, Fourth, or Fifth Circle. If necessary, the Gamemaster should fel free to adjust the individual encoun ters that make up the adventure to suit larger or smaller groups. For example, ifthe group has only three players and their characters are supposed to battle twenty-four cultists because the adventure says so, the game session will end very quickly. However, the adventure should still pose a challenge for the players. Without the risk of failure, the game becomes dull and no one has fim. The Gamemaster should ensure that the player characters can only survive the adventure through hard work, smart playing, anda litle bitofluck HOW TO USE THIS BOOK Aside from the Earthdawn rulebook, this book con- tains everything required to run Path of Deception ‘Gamemasters may also find the Parlainth: The Forgotten City boxed set, The Earthdawn Companion, Throal: The Dwarf Kingdom, Denizens of Earthdawi Jude to War, and the Gamemastering Earthdawn section from the Earthdawn Gamemaster Pack helpfl ‘The Gamemaster should read through the entire adven- ture and familiarize himself with the background before be- ginning the game, Several important plot developments will not become apparent to the players until well within the adventure, but the Gamemaster must understand and lay the groundwork for them early on. He or she ean do that best by being familiar with the storyline, The Gamemaster should also carefully examine the maps found in Path of Deception, Finally, though this adventure covers most of the choices the characters may make, itis not possible to cover every mntingency. The Gamemaster should be prepared to deal with the unexpected, ‘The Plot Synopsis summarizes the story background and details the most likely course that the adventure will take, The following chapters, called “Encounters”, describe gy PATH OF DECEPTION 7the situations and events the characters must deal with dur- ing the course of the adventure. Each Encounter contains five separate sections: Overview, Setting the Stage, Themes and Images, Behind the Scenes, and Troubleshooting. The Overview gives the Gamemaster a rough idea of ‘what to expect in the coming Encounter. The next section, Setting the Stage, contains a narra~ tive description that the Gamemaster reads aloud tothe play- crs. The narrative describes the player characters’ location ‘and what is happening around them as ifthe characters were actually there Setting the Stage is followed by Themes and Images. ‘Thissection gives the Gamemaster an emotional background with which to fill out the facts ofthe story, including ideas and tips about imagery to use in the scene - emotions to convey, sounds, sensations, and so on. The information provided varies in form and content from scene to scene, ranging from general themes to specific sensory impressions. Behind the Scenes explains what is really going on in «each encounter, This section includes important game infor- imation needed for each encounter, such as statistics for creatures, specialized information on events or locations, and so on. Ifthe players or Gamemaster need a map to play ‘an encounter, it appears here The final section of each encounter, Troubleshooting, suggests ways for the gamemaster to bring the adventure back on track in ease things go too far wrong. For example, the characters may miss an important clue or lose fight that they need to win. Most Gamemasters will not want the player characters 10 get discouraged or killed off too easily. This section offers the Gamemaster options for keeping the game going over trouble spots. The Gamemaster can, of course, ignore these hints and invent his own solutions or simply let the chips fall where they may. Following the Encounters, Loose Ends sums up the con- sequences of the adventure and suggests ways in which the Gamemaster might use material from Path of Deception to create additional adventures in his overall campaign. The section also includes Awarding Legend Points, which pro- vides guidelines for awarding the adventure’s Legend Points to the player characters. The Gamemaster awards Legend Points afier cach gaming session (sce Game Session Leg end Points, below) as well as atthe end of the adventure. Cast of Characters provides game statistics and descrip- tions for significant Gamemaster characters, including erea- tures and Florrors, Finally, Rumors and Research provides Gamemasters with al the information the characters can ob- tain from outside sources: rumors, tales and legends, library research, and so on. Ifhe or she wishes, the Gamemaster can adapt much of the information in this section to future ad- ventures. GAME SESSION LEGEND POINTS In addition to awarding Legend Points to player char- acters at the end of the adventure, the Gamemaster awards Legend Points atthe end of each game session, whether or not the entire adventure fits into a single session (see ‘Gamemastering Earthdawn, page 241, ED). Because Path of Deception will likely outlast a single game session, the en ‘counters are grouped into several approximate sessions (see Awarding Legend Points, page 93 of this book), PREPARING FOR THE ADVENTURE It is impossible to create a published adventure that provides the appropriate opposition level for every diverse ‘group of player characters. The Gamemaster must adjust the game statistics and capabilities of the opposition to pro- ‘vide an appropriate level of difficulty for his or her particular ‘group. Ifthe adventure does not suit the player characters’ strengths and weaknesses, the gamemaster may use it as an ‘outline — the bones to develop an adventure of his own, Or, it works well except for a glitch here and there, the Gamemaster can change any part of the plot or events to ‘make the adventure a better one. ‘Maps provided for the adventure include several areas where the adventure takes place in the Forgotten City of Parlainth, including part ofthe Smalls and part of the Twists. ‘Also included are plans of a Temple of Vestrial, which the ccharacters must explore to succeed. Keep in mind that you, as the Gamemaster, have @ unique responsibility to make the adventure exciting, keep the play- ers involved, and hold the story on track. In describing the ‘world of Earthdawn, try to answer all of the players’ ques- tions about what the characters see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. Feel free to go beyond the descriptions provided in this book when evoking places and moods, To ensure the players remain connected tothe unfolding scene, ask “What do you do?” each time you finish describing a new event to them. By having the players describe their character's ac- tions, the players help to tell the story and add to their own enjoyment. Ifthe players wander from the storyline, nudge them back in the right direction, Ifthe players make choices that interrupt the story or make them miss a vital elue, drop hints to encourage them to do what the adventure expects. ‘Remember, however, tokeep itsubtle. A Gamemaster guides the players; he does not tell them what ro do. 8 EARTHDAWN EEPLOT SYNOPSIS. Vestrial, the Mad Passion of manipulation and deceit, has begun one of his countless schemes. It was not long after the coronation of King Neden of Throal that the great assault upon the Theran behemoth, Triumph, was an- nounced, Noble houses sent representatives to accompany the Arm of Throa! in their campaign against Thera, both to bring honor to their houses and to share in the glory that \would be Throal’s as their forees crushed the Therans. One of these houses in particular, the Circle Path Trading Com- pany, an elven noble merchant's guild, sent the majority of their highest ranking members along with the airship fleet, Jed by the guild leader, Alfaliel ‘Over Prajjor’s Field, the two sides met and clashed, the battle fierce and bloody. Throal’s vastly greater numbers of ‘Adepts fought relentlessly against Thera’s many magically enhanced troops. Casualties were devastating on both sides, upon the land and inthe air. Dozens of airships fll from the skies on that day, and perhaps one of the more tragic losses, was that of the ship belonging to the Circle Path. It was feported that there were no survivors aboard that vessel. ‘As word of the conflic’s results reached Throal, the Circle Path Company fel into turmoil. With al of thei lead- ing members lost, the yoke of leadership now fell upon the shoulders of young Yuriel. A headstrong and stubbornly independent young woman (some would say “gi!"), Yuriel chose to explore the world as an adventurer rather than ac- septher responsibility as a noblewoman, Asa Swordmaster of fair repute, she often abandoned her duties to traipse off to new ventures. It was while she was away on one such journey that Throal moved against Thera. Thus, she was spared from having to join the other representatives ofthe Circle Path Company and hence avoided their fat. Despite the prestige of her ttle, Yuriel had no desire whatsoever to live the sedentary life of a noble, yet she ‘ould not simply walk away from it. As their leader, aban- doning the Circle Path now would destroy the House, and as much as she hated the job, she still felt a sense of duty tovards it, With strict customs engraved into the minds of itsmembers, there was no discernible way forher'o leave or {oallow for someone else to take over her position easly. She rcuctantly performed her duties as leader ofthe Circle Path Company for a short while, more asa figurehead as she Jef decisions to her trusted advisor, Nemiroph, and to her younger brother, Remiel. During those few agonizing weeks, ‘She constantly searched for a way to be released trom her responsibilities. Regardless of her shortcomings as a noblewoman, Yr!’ charm and charismatic demeanor still won her many Supporters. Few knew that she was not the one responsible for many of the major decisions that were made, but there ‘were those that knew the trath ofthe matte. There were also those that would prefer her ousted, rather than risk letting her destroy the honor and reputation ofthe Circle Path Com- pany. Her brother, who was next in line for succession, was surely the more competent, but to even speak of it could bring about banishment from the House. Most of these po- tential adversaries remained grudgingly silent. One elf, how= ever, dared plot the unthinkable -the assassination of Yarie. Belstraum, 2 distant relative to Yurel, was fiercely loyal to the House and believed that if something was not done soon, all would be lost. A scholar in his own right and know. edgeable in the workings of the House’s procedures, he devised a plan to lure the girl away and quietly dispose of her far from Throal so as not to bring any suspicion upon members ofthe House. Knowing that Yurel had been search- ing through the tomes upon which the laws of the House ‘were written to find some ruling that would allow her to get away from her duties, he left one book in particular out upon table for her to find. Within the book was a clause which stated that for the purpose of securing a trade agreement ‘with a potential partner, the ruling member of the House was permitted to leave without committee approval, forthe sake of negotiations, leaving the next highest ranking noble present in charge. With the first part of his plans set in motion, Belstraum sought out a group of adventurers preparing to depart for somie distant place. He received word of the Far Striders, a ‘band of adventurers with experiences similarto that of Yurel, and even better, they were preparing to depart for Parlainth. ‘Afier doing some research on the party, he secretly con- tacted one of the members, Toeth Nightscar, and arranged fora meeting in the outskirts of Throal Inthe meantime, Yuriel had found the book left so eon- ‘eniently out in the open and the rule within. Eestatic, but thinking it was her brother doing this favor for her, instead of Belstraum, she began to prepare for her departure. By the luck of the Passions, before the day had! even passed, she received a message from Toeth. He told Yuriel that the Far Striders had heard of her exploits, and was looking specifi- cally for someone of her caliber to join them in a joumey to Parlainth. This was exactly the chance that she was looking for. She quickly gathered her things, and penned a note to her brother marked with the official House seal She slid the letter between the pages of the book where she found her “Freedom Clause”, and left tin front ofhis door. With that, she disappeared into the night, o meet with her newfound comrades. The next morning, Remiel found the note waiting for him. *Gone to Parlainth to set up new trade deal. The House is yours. Thanks! - Yuriel”, Knowing her tue intentions, he gq PATH OF DECEPTION #realized there was very litle that could actually be done about it.The ruling was enough to justify her sudden depar- ture, and, besides, she was probably aboard an airship and well on her way already. There was an uproar amongst the House Committee at the mews of Yurel’s departure, but there was little denying that what she did was technically legitimate, Those that ob- jected were reminded of the House laws by Belstraum and ‘Nemiroph alike. With mixed feelings, they accepted Lord Remiel asthe de facto leader until Yuriel’s theoretical retum Meanwhile, Lord Remicl requested the aid ofa longtime family fiend, Master Molson, an airship captain who fre- quently traveled between Parlainth and Throal to transport cargo. Remiel simply asked that Molson keep an eye on ‘Yuriel whenever he was in Haven, and to report back should there be any news about her doings. Molson was, of course, ‘more than happy to oblige. Belstraum is not an evil man. His motives were well meaning, ifmisguided. He knew Yariel wasa poor ruler. She ‘would lead the House to ruin, and in this time of crisis the last thing his beloved House needed was weakness and abandonment by its Lord. She would go to her fate, and ‘when word reached Throal ofher untimely demise, the House- hold would shake their heads and acknowledge that Yuriel hhad made her choice. One week after Yuriel’s departure, Master Molson trav- cled into Haven. As promised, he sought out information bout Yuriel froma few of his trusted sources. To his dismay, he discovered thatthe Far Striders were reported as missing, ‘They never returned from their last expedition. Risking the loss of revenue from incomplete trade, he quickly flew back to Throal with the urgent news. The nobles of the Circle Path Company were distraught by the news of Yuriel’s dis- appearance. The committee was divided between sending ‘outa search party and placing Lord Remiel permanently in charge. Finally, after many hours worth of bickering, Lord Remiel himself went before the gathered members of the Cele Path Company and delivered his ultimatum. Much to Belstraum’s dismay, Remiel was in favor of finding Yuriel, “We have lost too many of our number already to simply abandon Yuriel to her fate! 1 know that she still ives. I can feel it. She is the rightful leader of the Circle Path, and we must do what we ean to sce that she is returned tous! I will ‘not abandon her! I will go myself to save her!” Lord Remiel gathered up servants and guards, includ- ing his family’s personal bodyguard and their trusted advi- sor, and quickly boarded Molson’s airship, The Midnight Star, to head for Parlainth, Jus prior to departure, Belstraum ‘volunteered to go along as well, citing loyalties to the family and proclaiming that his status as an Adept would help in the search, With that, they set off for Parlainth. Upon their arrival, the company was quick to hire a group of adventurers to assist in the search for Yuriel. This group is, of course, the player characters, Belstraum is nervous about this whole enterprise, but ‘outwardly supportive. It is clear to him that opposing the will of the Lord in this matter is only folly. And besides, hopefully Yurie! is already dead and gone. What could these adventurers even hope to find? His plan is still going ‘smoothly, or so he thinks. But unbeknownst to Belstraum there isahitch. Vuriels still alive. ‘The Far Striders had indeed arrived in Haven and ven~ {ured into the Smalls of Parlainth in search of some measure of glory and adventure, They had encountered a camp of slavers who were preying on the weak and foolish who went searching for easy wealth. The battle between the Far Strid- crs and the slavers was a costly one, but the Far Striders ‘emerged victorious and the slavers were scattered. Tt was then that the Far Striders came upon a mysteri- ‘ous map carved into the wall of a building that the slavers almost seemed to be guarding. This map detailed a path into the Twists, to some destination beyond a mysterious gaunt- let. A captured slaver revealed at swordpoint the purpose of the map to the Far Striders. The slavers were in the em- ploy of a secret society that made its headquarters within the Twists. The seeret society determined the worth of new acolytes by making them face the gauntlet. The inscription ‘on a strange silver plaque inset into the wall provided a hint toa method of safe passage through this gauntlet of traps. ‘The Far Striders were jubilant at their success, They pried the silver plaque from its settings, made a copy of the ‘map, and retumed to Haven to celebrate. Their course of action seemed clear: follow this inscription, penetrate the gauntlet, and defeat this mysterious secret society. The leader of the Far Striders suspected the secret society of being no less than a cult of the Mad Passion Dis. Glory surely awaited. ‘The Far Striders recovered from their wounds, celebrated their success, and sold the valuable silver plaque to finance their expedition. Unfortunately for Belstraum’s plan, the ‘orkish Scout hired to assassinate Yuriel gained a grudging respect for the young elven Swordmaster. Toeth, the ork, had no love for nobles, but there was one thing in this world he hated more — slavers. And Yuriel had killed several slavers. It wasn't that he still didn’t intend to carry out his secret mission, But he kept pushing back the moment ofthe deed, and rationalizing “now was not quite the right mo- ‘ment.” ‘And so the Far Striders returned to Parlainth and headed into the maddening Twists. ‘Their path was charted, and they were ready for anything. Here, things began to fall apart for the Far Striders, ‘They had failed to decipher the 10 EARTHDAWN Bemysteries of the inscription entirely and lost one of their members tothe diabolical traps ofthe gauntet, suffering no smnall amount of injury. They were far from peak condition when they arrived in the temple, which was not one of Dis, but instead of Vestrial ‘The combat that the Far Striders fought within the temple's chambers was an awesome and epic confit. The Far Strders were simply outclassed. The Temple suffered many causalities, but one by one the Far Striders were brought down. Only Toeth and Yuriel managed to escape down a dark passage. The Temple’s master collapsed the tunnel behind them and trapped them in a dead end. Weary fiom the fight, it was decided by the temple guardians to let the ragged and wounded survivors die of their wounds. After the members of the Temple had recovered, they would go and check to make sure Toeth and Yuriel were dead. ‘And there, in that dark chamber trapped by a wall of Aebrs, is Yuriel. Now, all the players must dois find het The boomtown of Haven isthe last location that Yuriel and the Far Striders were seen, Rumors of her whereabouts flow on the streets like so much sewage, and when word ge ou that a wealthy noble is paying dearly for word of his lost sister, every scoundrel and information-monger sud- denly has something to say. Sorting the truth from mere red will be no easy task Eventually, real leads begin to emerge. The plaque is located. “Rumors ofthe Far Strders’ objective begin to be revealed. The location of the slaver’s camp is Ieamed. As the players begin to piece together what has happened, the unthinkable occurs: one ofthe Far Striders finds them. Budroes is the T’skrang Elementalist who often filled the position of leader ofthe Far Striders. He finds the ad- Yenturers and relates to them a tale of death atthe hands of hordes of Horrors. He sadly informs the adventurers that every member of his band was slain, and that he personally saw Yuriel ripped to pieces. Ofcourse, these are all lies. Budroes isan agent of the Cult of Vestrial sent to Haven to make sure that the Far Striders have told no one else of the Temple's location and to recover the lost plaque. Subtle inconsistencies may re veal his true face, but he is @ dangerous adversary who can ‘exsily lead the party astray. And, he is also not the only agent of Vestril who stalks them, He has a partner, a poisoner, sent to make sure that those who are not dissuaded by Budroes’ lies are eliminated ‘threats by less subtle means. When it becomes clear that the adventurers intend to enter Parlainth to search for the Far Strders, they are targeted for assassination, A meal at Loak’s Legacy turns deadly, and the players narrowly es- ‘ape. It should be clear to the players now that someone oesn’t want this girl found. ‘The path leads into the Smalls and towards the slaver’s camp. The Smalls itself, however, isnot without dangers. A pack of Razor Mammoths can spell death tothe unwary, and ‘a mad alchemist selling dubious goods means the adventur- cers must be careful. Eventually, they must discover the camp if they are to continue on their quest. The slavers ae still licking their wounds, but remain formidable. It is with their defeat that the adventurers can locate the map used by the Far Striders and begin to reconstruct their quarry's mysteri- ‘ous and fateful objective, The path now leads through a perilous gauntlet and into the maddening quarter of Parlainth called the Twists. ‘The gauntlet isa test, not of brute strength, but of wits. A clever group can avoid its dangers almost entirely, if they hhave gained the plaque and divined its purpose. Even with that victory the road is not easy. The Cult of Vestrial still awaits. They are still greatly weakened by the onslaught of the Far Strides, but only a clever plan of battle will save the ‘would-be heroes from repeating the Far Striders’ failure. Once they are victorious over the Temple, the adven- turers will then be able to locate Yuriel, encased in her al- ‘most-tomb of stone. Just as the mission seems nearly at an end, there comes a sudden revelation. Toeth has confessed Belstraum’s plot to Yuriel,and now the adventurers wil eam oft. Suddenly, they face a new enemy, Belstraum himself has not been inactive. He, too, has been investigating the path ofthe FarStriders. He has leaned some disturbing facts. He fears that the players will find the (Ork, or perhaps use arcane measures to find the truth, Things are getting out of hand, and he will take no chances in this matter. The adventurers are dangerous to him and, there fore, o his way of thinking, dangerous to his House, He ‘wants this matter cleanly resolved. The players now face a difficult task. They must avoid or overcome Belstraum’s retainers. They must contact Remiel and get him the ruth. And they must keep Yuriel safe from Belstraum’s hired thugs. It is no easy feat. Suddenly the enemy doesn't lie behind them in haunted Parlainth, but ahead of them in Haven, If the adventurers can overcome this final obstacle, the reward is great. Remi is eternally grateful forthe safe tum ofhissister. The party has made a powerful lly. Remiel officially offers to return the ttle t his sistet: She greets her brother warmly and thanks him for his aid, but confesses that she still bears no interest in it The advisor clears his throat and presents a document to the young elvish adventurer formally relinquishing the titleto Remiel. Yuriel eagerly signs the document, and then, bowing graciously, departs with her new companion Toeth to plot her next adventure, Somewhere, beyond the sight of mortals, Vesrial smiles g PATH OF DECEPTION ottTHE SUMMONS: Chapter Two ae ¢O overview The characters are contacted by Lord Remi, actin his older sister, Yuriel, who disappeared in Parlainth six day of the Circle Path Company of Throal, and hired to go and reseue 12 EARTHDAWN BaSETTING THE STAGE ‘You enter one of larger room in Loak’s Legacy - the largest, in fact, if you don’t consider the tavern or the com- munal steeping area, Although the bed frame and wardrobe are the same simple wooden shapes as used in other rooms of the inn, the rest of the chamber has been transformed. ‘The bed is dressed with silken sheets and a thick Dwarven Winternight Blanket. Tapestries are draped along each of ‘the walls; one proudly displaying the crest of the kingdom of Throal, another detaiting the intricate coat of arms of the Circle Path Company, and the rest depicting scenes of the Elven Wood when it was still known as Wyrmwood. An intricately carved wooden chair with thick, padded cush- jons has been brought into the room, as well as some of the Jong benches of the same sort that are used at the tables downstairs. Sitting in the chairs an immaculately groomed elf wear- ing expensive clothes styled after the fashions of Queen ‘Alachia’s court. He's flanked by a pairof elves, one wearing, the more practical, but still very welltailored, garb of a ‘wealthy Throalic merchant; the other wearing a mother-of- pearl mask and hooded ebon robes embroidered with ‘Nethermantic symbolism. Holding the door open for you is te final inhabitant of the room, a sharp-eyed obsidiman resplendent in his crystalline armor. THEMES AND IMAGES. Haven is a rough, frontier town, perched on the edge of | the ruins of a city infested with Horrors. However, in the rooms that Lord Remiel has rented a person could almost forget that. I's as if a piece of Throal has been moved to Haven. The rooms should be calm, without noise from the streets or any other disturbance from Loak’s Legacy to pierce the dignity of this transplanted group. BEHIND THE SCENES The characters, whose legendary status precedes them, are in Haven when they are approached by a pair of elves, ‘well equipped with longbows and Forged halberds, and Wearing fine chainmail armor and the livery ofthe Circle Path ‘Company of Throal. Ifthe PC group has a Name, then the guardsmen will refer (o the characters as ‘the honorable members of.” whatever their group's Name is, Otherwise, they will use a respectable “m'lord” and “m'lady” when speaking with the characters. “Gentle Name-givers,” the higher ranking of the elves will begin, “if you will, but fora moment, lend me your ears. Lord Remiel, Acting Head of the Circle Path Company, wants. nay, needs the services of your stalwart band.” ‘The pair of guards, Retian and Gildon, will want the characters to drop whatever they are doing and go hear \what their lord has to say. However, they can be persuaded to just give the characters the location where Remiel can be found. Remiel has taken up temporary residence in Loak’s Legacy, renting a block of six ofthe larger rooms on the top floor ofthe inn, Lonk’s Legacy bears the name of its late owner, the retired adventurer Loak Ironfist. A statue of him (or some- thing that looks like one) stands in the dining room near the bar. The three-story inn has adjoining stables in the rear. On the bottom floar are the kitchen, bar, dining room, and pri- vate meeting rooms. The two upper floors contain bedrooms, including a large communal sleeping room. ‘A pairof guards, similarly garbed and equipped as Relian ‘and Gildon, stand watch between the block of rented rooms and the test of the inn. Whether they come immediately, or later, the guards will let the adventurers pass as they loudly ‘announce the group’s arrival. This announcement will prompt ‘Degaas to open the door to the room where he, Remiel, Belstraum, and Nemiroph are currently waiting. Lord Remiel will greet the characters each by Name, and thank them for ‘coming on such short notice. He is so concerned about his sister's fate that he won't waste any time with idle banter, but instead will almost immediately launch into why he’s summoned them. “My older sister, Lady Yuriel, is, by right of succession, the Head of the Circle Path Company. However, she is also an Adept, a Swordmaster Adept in specific, and she has a taste for the adventures that Barsaive has to offer. She was once free to pursue them, that is, before she was weighed with the responsibilities of leadership. The cal of adventure ‘was apparently too great, and she took leave from her posi- tion to join a group of fellow Adepts, the Far Striders, to come to Parlainth. We have had a merchant captain friendly tothe Circle Path Company who makes frequent airship travel to Haven inquire about the happenings of the Far Striders ‘when he isin town, and carry news back to usin Throal. The news that he bas brought is most grave. The Far Striders have disappeared in Parlainth, Today makes six days since they have last been seen in Haven. I am concemed about the well-being of my sister, and I would like you to go into Parlainth, rescue her, and bring her back to me.” ‘Nemiroph will then offer the characters 300 silver each in advance as well as another 700 each upon the safe return ‘of Lady Yuriel. He will also equip them with a Forged 2 melee co thrown weapon of their choice, or a quiver with fifteen Forged | arrows or crossbow bolts. He will answer any ques tions the characters have, unless they specifically address gy PATH OF DECEPTION 1Bthem to Remiel. He will give them all ofthe information that at this point is, unfortunately, not that much, He knows the composition and Names of the Far Striders, and that they made at least one successful foray into Parlainth before they disappeared. They will say, if asked, thatthe airship captain that they {got their information from is currently not in Haven, and is, not expected to retum for several days. In truth, he is wait ing for Remie!’s cal in case he is needed, and is not much of ‘a source of information. He left Haven for Throal almost as, soon as he heard about Yuriel’s disappearance. Both Nemiroph and Belstraum intend to be condueting their own investigations within Haven to try and discover where in Parlainth the Far Striders were headed when they disap- peared. Nemiroph will suggest that the characters do the Belstraum and Degaas will remain silent throughout the ‘meeting unless they are specifically addressed, and, even then, they'll do little more than introduce themselves. Degaas really doesn’t have anything to add, and he will explain that he is only here to insure the safety of Remiel, the Acting Head of the Company. Belstraum will feign ignorance and will say that he is only here out of concer for his cousin, suggesting that Remiel or Nemiroph have access to more information atthe current time than he does, Ifthe characters think to ask about it, Nemiroph will agree to send Relian and Gildon with the characters to assist, intheir efforts. This will leave the Circle Path Company with only four other guards in Haven to man the hallway, but, ‘considering that Degaas is watching Remiel, Nemiroph isn’t very concemed. If things do get too rough, they plan to just withdraw to Master Molson’s airship, which they have left, fully crewed, hidden not too far outside of town, he has, whic TROUBLESHOOTING The only problem with this encounter occurs ifthe char- acters refuse to take the job, Encourage them to accept with the connections that being in the good graces of a powerful, Throalic Trading House could bring. If nothing else, the Circle Path Company seems willing to hire adventurers to go rescue their own people, so the characters might be able to expect some similar assistance if the unthinkable were ever to happen to them, Remiel Born the youngest child to the leaders ofthe Cirele Path ‘Company, litle attention was ever given to him. Because he ‘was not even an Adept, it was thought that he would never amount to much. Thanks to Nemiroph, however, he has received a great deal of education and training. Nemiroph recognizes the ability that he has; Remiel shows great prom- ise and intelligence, and possesses the qualities of a good leader. Because he never had to worry much about the training and schooling that his elder siblings all went through, Remiel studied at his own pace. He would have passed all his peers anyway, as Nemiroph quickly noted. As a non-Adept, that is quite a feat. Remiel has no desire to take over the leadership posi- tion from Yurel, but he also recognizes the fact that she has no desire to keep it. He also realizes that, as of this time, there is very litle that can be done about it, For the short 14 EARTHDAWN Btime she served as leader, he gladly offered his assistance to herand gave her advice when she needed it. She may have publicly been atthe head ofthe Circle Path Company, butall, her decisions and declarations were greaily influenced by Remiel. In practice, Remiel has been serving as the leader thisentire time. Non-Adept El Scholar Attributes Dexterity 13.6410 Strength 9: 4/a6 Toughness: 9: 4/d6 Perception: 18:7412 Willpower: 13:6/410 (Charisma: 18:7/412 Talents none Skills Artisan: Singing 3:10/410+€6 Artis musician: Lyre 3: 10/d10+06 Avoid Blow 2: 8/246 Conversation 3: 10441006 Dead Fall 2: 8/246 Emotion Song, 4:11/d10-08 Engaging Banter 3:101410+a6 Etiquette 4:11/d10%d8 Evidence Analysis 3:10/d10+06 First Impression 3:104d10+a6 Hagale 3: 10441006 Knowledge: Barsaive History 3: 10441046 Knowledge: Circle Path Lore 3: 104410+d6 Knowledge: Trade History 3: 104410+06 Lip Reading 3:101410+06 Navigation 3:9/d8+d6 Read/Write Language 7:144d20-04 (Sperethiel, Throatic, Human, Obsidiman, Ork, Troll Tskrang) Research 3:9/d8+d6 Speak Language 714@20+a4 (Sperethiel, Throalic, Human, Obsidiman, Ork, Troll, T'Skrang) ‘Trading 5:1222410 Karma Dice: 6 Points: 15 Physical Defense: Spell Defense: Social Defense: Physical Armor: ‘Mystic Armor: Movernen Full: 6s Combat: B Damage Death Rating: 0 ‘Wound Threshold: 7 Unconsciousness Rating: a Recovery Tests: 2 Revovery Dice: 6 Racial Ability Low-light vision Equipment Ellweave Robe Espagra Scale Cloak Cloaksense Brooch ‘Absorb Blow charm Death Cheat charm Healing Potion (2 Last Chance Sulve bre Belt Pouch (3) Healerkit Scroll ease (3) Parchment (10 sheets) Writing ink (1 via) Feather pen 2) Loot Remiel keeps most of the money that was brought to pay for this trip in an elemental earth strengthened chest with a magical lock. Itcontains 90 gold, and 90 elemental earth coins. On himself, he always carries at least 10 gold. PATH OF DECEPTION 15For almost forty years, Degaas has been the quiet, un- assuming giant looming behind the leaders ofthe Cirele Path Company as heir Bodyguard, While his life asa Bodyguard has never been teribly eventful, the Circle Path Company treats him generously, and in return, he offers unwavering loyalty to his employers. nly once during his entire term of employment has someone been injured on his watch, and that was from an event that he had litte control over. A merchant's inn that the family had chose to stay in during one business trip caught ire, and while they were trying w escape, a burning bbeam fell from the rafters. He was already shielding the House leader from the flames but he saw that two of the family’s youngest children, Yuriel and Remie, were right under it, Degaas was helpless, watching in horror as the world seemed to crumble around him. Then, an unexpected shape swooped across his field of vision, moving the children out of the way and taking the brunt ofthe hit himself They all got out safely that night, though Nemiroph would be forever scarred, Degaas holds great respect for hhim now and forever, and would lay his life down for him as well asthe leaders ofthe House. To Yuriel and Remi, feel ing that he failed them that night, his service to them is as strong as ever. He recognizes both Yuriel and Remiel as inheritors to the leadership of the Cirele Path, and is equally supportive of them both. With Yuriel’s disappearance and apparent danger, he is most anxious to aid in bringing her back, but Degaasis attuned” to Remiel with Empathic Sense, and will never leave his side, He shows little emotion normally, but when Yuriel’s name is brought up, his anxiety comes to the surface, Attributes Dexterity: 13: 6/410 Strength: 22: 94d ‘Toughness: 19: 8/246 Perception: 16: 7/412 Willpower: lo: 5/48 (Charisma: 10: 5/88 Talents Anticipate Blow 6:13d12+d10 Astral Sight 8: 15/2046 Blood Share 7: 1Sid20+d6 Cold Puri 6: 11/dl0+d8 Disarm 4: 1010446 Durability (Bodyguard) 8 Empathic Sense 8 13/d12d10 Evidence Analysis 6: 13d12+d10 Fireblood 8: 16id20+a8 First Impression T:12/d10+d10 Karma Ritual 6 Life Check 8: 16la20+e Melee Weapon 8: 14id20+at Resist Taunt 7:124d10rd10 Riposte 8: 17/@0+d10 Sprint 6 ‘Temper Self 9:14/d20%d6 Thread Weaving 6:13/d12+d10 Trap In 8: 144d20eas | Skills Artisan: Musfefan 1:64d10 Speak Language 22910846 (Obsidiman, Throalic) Read/Write Language 1:872d6 (Dhroalic) Knowledge: Botany 1:82d6 Knowledge: Creature Lore 1:872d6 Tactics 3:10d10+d6 Karma Dice: “ Points: » 4id6 16 EARTHDAWN eBPhysical Defense: 7 Spell Defense: 9 Social Defense: 7 Physical Armor: 0 Myati Armor: 69) Movement Full so Combat 2 Damage Death Rating » Wound Threshol 16 Unconsciousness Rating: &3 Recovery Tests per Day! 4 Recovery Dice: asd Racial Ability ‘Wound Threshold +3, Physical Armor +3 Equipment Traveler's Garb (Boots, shirt, belt, breeches) Espagra Seale Cloak Crystal Ringlet Armor Silvered Footman’s Shield (6 threads) ‘Warhammer Medium Crossbow 2 quivers 30 medium crossbow bolts 4 daggers Adventurer's kit Backpack Light quartz Rope (25 ft) Waterskin Healing Potion (2) Last Chance Salve Keelix Poultice Kelia’s Antidote Potted flower Loot Degas carries 50 silver coins. Notes Can spend Karma on Perception and Dexterity Tests With Silvered Shield, can roll a perception +2 against a spelicaster's spelleasting roll to repel a spell, costing 1 point of strain, +1 to Recovery Tests from the Silvered Shield, Nemiroph For longer than anyone else currently inthe Circle Path can remember, Nemiroph has been the trusted advisor ofthe House leaders. Members regard him highly for his wisdom and experience, and few ever question his cold judgement and his often biting opinions. He and Belstraum often dis- agree on matters and itis widely known thatthe two dislike each other, but Nemiroph also acknowledges Belstraum's talents. Because he realizes that the Couneil will never re- move Belstraum from his scat, Nemiroph says nothing about itin public, but continually reminds the leaders of hs opin- For almost twelve years now; he has hidden his sears fiom the incident atthe inn (see Degas, page 16), wearing a ‘mask o cover his disfigurement. Only his eyes can be seen, butt the comers burned flesh can be seen. Because ofthat incident, his relationship with Yuriel and Remiel has aways been very close. They teat him like a second father, and he returns the sentiment by devoting is fee time to them and teaching them many things. That is perhaps the closest thing to compassion he will ever show. He agrees with Belstraum that Remiel would bea better Jeader than Yuriel, but for different reasons. Yuriel is capable of being a good leader, but has no desire to be, and he recognizes that. Capability without desire amounts to very little. Many times before her disappearance, he has spoken with both Yuriel and Remiel, discussing possiblities of Remiel inheriting the position. However, with the strctmess of the laws of the House that have lasted for so many gen- erations, ttle could be done to change them gy PATH OF DECEPTION 176th Circle Elf Nethermancer Attributes Dexterity 16:71812 Strength: 13:64410 Toughness: 13:6/410 Perception: 19:86 Willpower: 20: 8/246 Charisma: 7: 4146 Talents ‘Animal Possession 6: 14/2064 Astral Sight 6: 14/e20404 Durability (Vethermancer) 7 Enhanced Matrix (Recovery) 6 Frighten 6: 14/a20%d4 Karma Ritual 5 Read/Write Language S:13/d124d10 (Sperethiel, Obsidian, Windling, Tskrang, Human) Read/Write Magic 6: 14@ords Spelleasting 71512046 ‘Spell Matrix (4) 6 Spirit Hold 7. 201d204d8+d6 Spirit Talk 7 1sie2o+d6 Thread Weaving 8: 16a20+as Taunt 48/246 Willforce 8: 16/d20+a8 Skills Artisan: Tatooing 3:71412 Knowledge: Barsaivan Trade 5:13/d12+d10 Knowledge: Circle Path Lore 4: 12/2410 Knowledge: Horror Lore 1:9/68+d6 Read/Write Language 1:9/d8d6 (Throatic) Speak Language 4.122410 (perethiel, Throatic, Obsidiman, Tskrang) 2 E & Damage Death Rating: Wound Threshold: Unconsciousness Rating: Recovery Tests per Day: Recovery Dice Bow Racial Al Low-light vision Equipment Embroidered robes Horror Fend Death Cheat Femweave Espagra Scale Cloak Hooded mask Belt pouches (4) | belt pouch full of small bones 5 pieces chalk ight quartz Grimoire - (tatoos on his skin) Healing potion Last chance salve Oil (2 flasks) Scroll ease (3) Parchment (5 sheets) Ink vial Pen Backpack Tatooing materials Loot Nemiroph i usualy carrying a pouch of 25 gol and 50 Karma silver, to make purchases forthe group while in Haven, Dice: 6 Points: a Notes Spend Karma on Perception-based tests Initiative Has level 6 thread tied to Degaas’sitvered shield Dice: air ++6phys armor, +3 mystic when wielded, spellcasting *2 to repel spells, +I to recovery tests, no initiative Combat penalties, Physical Defense: 9 ‘The mask that he wears is to cover a hideously scarred Spell Defense: u face that came about when he pushed a young Remiel Social Defer 6 out of the way of a burning beam during a house fire Physical Armor: a ‘many years ago, He had been killed and brought back Mystic Armor. 8 with a Last Chance Salve, but the scars never healed 18 EARTHDAWNSpell All first and second circle main book spells. Third Circle: Death's Head, Fog of Fear, Pain*, Grave Message, Spirit Double, Fourth Circle: Animate Skeleton, Fatal Food, Spirit Servant Fifth Circle: Animate Spirit Object, Astral Horror, Circle of Astral Protection, Pass Ward, Wither Limb Sixth Circle: Bone Shatter*, Foul Vapors, Recovery, Soul Armor” * Spells in matrices Belstraum Belstraum has been on the House Council for nine years, and all this time he has been a very loyal supporter of the Circle Path Company - perhaps alittle too loyal, Witha fiery zal, he puts the success of the Company before anything else; before his friends, his family, and before even himsel Six years ago, he even reported on his own father, after Belstraum had caught him skimming a mere ten silver off the profits from a deal that he had just closed. From that time on, ‘many members ofthe House have kept a wide berth between themselves and this ef they considered just a little bit crazy. However, they also grudgingly respect his knowledge of how the company operates, and they would never again find a more reliable person to do what is best forthe Circle Path Company. Throughout his time asa member of the Council, he has brought forth many ideas to improve the standing the Cirele Path company. Many of the ideas were indeed wondrous and brought the Circle Path great success. Other plans, no ‘matter how well intended, were just too radical, fo extreme to even consider. When the Council would decide against such a plan, Belstraum often took matters into his own hands, and he managed to accomplish them with an astonishing success rate, Rarely has he had a plan fail, Many members of the House realize what he has done when they hear news of events that duplicate Belstraum’s radical ideas taking place, but none have said anything about it. No one wants to dispose of him, but ifhe ever brings failure down upon him- self, few would mourn. Oddly enough, he never has exhib- ited any sort of ambition for himself. He despises the fact that Yuriel has taken over the lead- ship of the House. He attempts to remain cordial about it, fearing that Yuriel would herself remove him from his posi- tion, but there are some that know his true feelings. His greatest fears that, with Yariel atthe helm, she will bring the Circle Path down around them all. He will not allow this to ever happen. 6th Circle Elf Weaponsmith Attributes: Dexterity Strength Toughness Perception 16: 7/412 Willpower 16: 7412 Charisma 17-7ia12 Talents Abate Curse 6:134412+d10 Avoid Blow 7.122410 Conceal Weapon 51 Detect Weapon 3:1 Durability (Weaponsmich) 7 Forge Blade 7: 1420404 Haggle 6 13/4124a10 Karma Ritual 4 Melee Weapons 5: 10/d10+a6 Read/Write Language 4:114d10+a8 (Sperethiel, Obsidiman, Tskrang, Ore) Speak Language 3: 10ld10+a6 (Obsidiman, T Skrang, Ore) Spot Armor Flaw 6:1344124d10 gy PATH OF DECEPTION 19Steel Thought Temper Self ‘Thread Weaving Warp Missile Weapon History Skills Artisan: Runic Carving Knowledge: Cirele Path Law Knowledge: Legends of Barsaive Read/Write Language Croalic) Speak Language Gperethiel, Throalic) ‘Karma Dice: Poin: Tabled Dice: Combat Physical Defense: Spell Defense: Social Defense: Physical Armor: Mystic Armor: Movement Fall: Combat: Damage Death Rating: ‘Wound Threshold: Unconsciousness Rating: Recovery Tests per Day: Recovery Dice: Racial Ability Low-light vision Equipment Crystal Ringlet armor Espagra Scale Cloak Wealthy Traveler's garb Footman’s Shield Gold brooch Carving tools Death Cheat 20 6: 13/d12+a10 6:13/dl2+d10 6: L¥dl2+dl0 5: 122410 6:13/d12+a10 2: 9108406 7. 14e20+e4 1: 8246 18246 2:91d8+6 2s BY ace EARTHDAWN Kelia’s antidote Booster potion (2) Last chance salve Forged 4 broadsword (On ship) Forge tools 20 forged 1 broadswords 10 forged 2 broadswords 10 medium erossbows 50 forged 1 bolts 50 forged 2 bolts Loot Belstraum keeps most of his treasure in a magically trapped elemental earth strengthened chest in his room. Most of itis eventually used to pay thugs. It contains 3eelemental Ait, 100 gold, and 150 silver coins, Atany time, he is carrying 20 gold on his person, Notes Evaluate Weapon Ability The items he offers both the PC party and the thugs he hires are kept on Master Molson’s airship until the day of the offer, in which case they are moved to his room, He smoothes his brand off of the swords that he gives to the thugs, but an Evidence Analysis test against a difficulty of 15 will reveal that Belstraum was theirsmith,Relian, Gildon, and the other Circle Path Guards Attributes Dexterity 15: 6/410 Strength 15:6/410 Toughness 10: 5/48 Perception la: 6/d10 Willpower 1:58 Charisma L516 Talents Skills Artisan Skill 2: Til Avoid Blow 2: 82d Knowledge Skill: 2: Wal (Circle Path Company) Knowledge Skill: 3: 8/2d6 (Legends - Relian) (Science - Gildon) Melee Weapon: Broadsword 4: 1041046 Missile Weapons: Longbow 4: 10d10+d6 Unarmed Combat 2: 82d6 Karma Dice: Points: Initiative Dice: 3/04 Combat Physical Defense: 8 Spell Defense: 8 Social Defense: Physical Armor: Mystic Armor: 1 Movement Full 0 Combat: 0 Damage Death Rating: ‘Wound Threshold: Unconsciousness Rating: Recovery Tests per Day: Recovery Dice: Equipment Traveler's Garb Chainmail Pole Arm (halberd - forged 2) Longbow 20 arrows in quiver forged 1) Light Quartz Whistle Adventurer’s Kit Healing Potion Loot Each of the guards usually carries somewhere around 25 silver. g PATH OF DECEPTION 21WORD ON THE STREET: Chapter Three EARTHDAWN eBSETTING THE STAGE The streets of Haven are crowed with all variety of Name-givers. A human in brightly colored, but threadbare, clothes who claims to bea “luggling Adept is keeping five ‘objects, probably chosen at random by his small audience, in the air. An obsidiman Elementalist and Weaponsmith stands in the flames of his open forge, using his own body as hammer and anvil. A group of fresh-faced adventurers apparently excited about the prospects that Parlainth has 10 offer, look around in awe and are all bu ignored by the more experienced delvers. Vendors of all types shout out their wares: cobblers, baker, fortune tellers, wheelwrights, and smiths fill the air with their voices THEMES AND IMAGES This encounter should play up the diversity of Haven, Itis an assault on all ofthe senses, with something different ‘coming from every side. All kinds of different people have made their homes here, atleast forthe time being. Of course, ‘almost ll of them are in Haven for selfish, rather than altru- istic, reasons. BEHIND THE SCENES The players are going to have to do some old fashioned legwork o find out exactly where in Parlainth the Far Strid- ers disappeared, Doubtless, the trackers in the group will attempt to find a place where Yuriel traveled and track her from there. That will work, ta point, Several days have passed, 0 there wll bea penalty added tothe target number to track her. Even then, at best, her tail will lead into the slaver's camp, and from there back to Haven, then through Haven for a few days worth of preparation, then back into Parlainth, specifically nto the Twists Inthe Twists, the path will hecome nearly impossible to follow, needing a roll with a target number of greater than 100. Lt ill beall the tracker can do to get his group out ofthe ceverchanging Twists, much less navigate it. If une party is familiar with the Twists, they will motice that its effects seem to be far stronger than usual. The reason for this is that Vestal ist play ere, setting one of his schemes in motion ‘Whether the characters are now faced with having to tur to more mundane means of investigation o it was their initial choice, the characters should begin to ask around Haven about the Far Striders. Listed below isthe informa- tion that specific characters in Haven have: ‘TALKING TOTORGAK ‘Torgak is the troll Mayor of Haven. More details about him are provided below in Cast of Characters “Torgak remembers the Far Striders, because twice they sade fairly large purchases from his shop to equip for their trips into Parianth, Forte first trip, the Far Stiders were not alone. They were working with another group thathas been in Haven for some time, Justice for All, He'll ladiytellthe characters that Justice for Alls led by an ork Libertornamed Justice Bells, and even be able to suggest that Justice Bells right be found atthe local shrine to Garlen with some ofthe ‘more wounded members of her group. ‘Torgak is in this for the money and should take any conversation as an opportunity to sell something tothe adventurers, ‘TALKING TOJUSTICE BELLS Justice Bells more than just vaguely remembersthe Fat Striders, because Justice for All accompanied them on the frst oftheir two trips into Parlainth. She will beable give the characters a good deal of information about bo tht first foray into the Smalls and the fight against he savers, as well as be able to point them in te possible dirtionthat they went for their second journey into the city ‘The Far Striders arrived in Haven like many other groups: some members were seeking their forune, some ‘were seeking to be famous, some were even here just ber ‘cause they actually wanted to do the right thing. Justice Bells found them shorly after thei arrival, and tld them that she was looking for another group to assist her ina tacking a slaver’s camp that was forming in Northeast Parlainth, This was a job that appealed to them all ndthey agreed to go for an even cut of the spoils. ‘Combined, Justice for All andthe Far Stridersmmibered ightoen Name-givers, quite a sizable force to atack the ‘group known as Malakai’s Slavers. Regardless, thee was sill some fierce fighting, and one member ofthe Far Siders Ike Goen, was killed. Several members of Justice for Allwet severely wounded, and even now they are still inthe area the local Questors of Garien. The slavers were routed nd the slaves freed. Most of them, if not all, have left Haven with an outbound mercantile caravan. Inthe slaver’s camp was unusual map carved into the wall of their leader's chambers, and there was a silver plague next to it Both were claimed by the Far Striers, long witha small amount of silver, as thir share ofthe bounty for d= feating the slavers. Justice Bells knows the map was scat tered with the symbols of the Passions, and she honored gy PATH OF DECEPTION 3their request not to examine the plaque, She believes that the two are tied together, and that they intended to use the plaque to follow the map wherever it led. Furthermore, she thinks they were planning on selling the silver plaque after- wards to Vardeghul. Justice Bells will be saddened to hear that the Far Strid- cers have gone missing, and even more saddened if'she hears that they're dead. However, she doesn't want to go back into Parlainth until all of the members of Justice for All are back in good enough shape to travel, and that probably ‘won't be for another several days. During the character’s conversation with Justice Bells, she will attempt to convince them of the importance of the Council Compact and what it means to Barsaive as a whole, ‘She will attempt to assess their opinions on slavery, which she expects are generally negative but she will try to learn ‘how deep their convictions go. If the characters appear to have a fair amount of depth to their anti-slavery feelings, then she will attempt to sway that into a pro-Throalic senti- ‘ment, o, failing tha, atleast insure that they become allies of Justice for All, ‘TALKING TO VARDEGHULTHE HONEST ‘TRADESWOMAN ‘Vardeghul has enough different groups of adventurers coming through her shop that she will not remember the Far Striders unless the players mention the silver plaque. This, ‘means that itis possible that Vardeghul will not remember them the first time thatthe characters talk to her. Once they ‘mention the plaque to her, however, then she will remember the group that attempted to sell itto her did include members of the Far Striders, but not Budroes, Esra, Donovan, Toeth, or Yuriel, who wereall recovering from the battle against the slavers. She will then be able to inform the characters that she made an offer for the plaque, but it was tured down. ‘She will be willing to sell them the following information: that the plaque had some sort of a riddle on it, that the plaque supposedly came from a slaver's camp, and that Tolemy Faer was the one that actually did purchase the plaque. ‘Vardeghul is completely mercenary in her intentions and merely wants to find profit from the character's needs. ‘TALKING WITHTYLIA Unfortunately for the characters, Tylia, the proprietor of the Restless Troll, has only very little memory of the Far ‘Striders, and will actually point them in the wrong direction ‘She knew that they went off into Parlainth on their second journey, but has heard that one made it back. She will refer them to Budroes, or rather, the Questor of Vestrial who is posing as Budrocs. She knows that he has rented a room in the Restless Troll, and will freely impart this information believing that she is actually being helpful ‘TYlia is interested in money, but not to the extent that cither Torgak or Vardeghul are, She has dreams of returning to the life of an adventurer and will occasionally help Ad- epts in small ways. ‘TALKING WITHBUDROES “"Budroes” was sent into Haven because Garron, mas- ter of the Temple of Vestrial, assumed that the Far Strders who attacked his temple might very well have friends that would come looking for them. The Temple of Vestrial was able to defeat the Far Striders, but at quite a cost, and Garton doesn’t know whether it will be able to handle @ second attack. So, to attempt to stop this potential threat well before it gets to the temple, Garron has sent two of his cult into ‘Haven, Mospatt and a cultist claiming to be Budroes. This Questor tha claims to be Budroes is actively look- ing for anybody seeking information on the Far Sriders. He tries to convince them thatthe rest of his party is dead, and that it is no use to go after them. Even if Tylia doesn't point ““Budroes" out to the characters, if they are asking around about the Far Striders, he will eventually find them on his ‘A typical response to questions might be spoken in a thick, exotic accent: “It was terrible, terrible [tell you. The Twists may not be widely known for being infested with Horrors, but infested they are. Black beasts who defy the mind! Grotesque serpentine monsters! They came out of the walls, the earth itself! Horrible! Horrible, it was! And now, my companions are gone, dead or worse. The Far Striders are no more. If you seek poor Yuriel, seek her amongst the dead. I wish Tcoutd help you more. She was ¢ good friend and did not deserve her fate.” “Budroes” makes one slip-up in his story. He insists that all eight ofthe Far Strders entered the Twists and that all except him were killed by Horrors. This is simply, and verifiably, not true. One of their retainers was killed by the slavers. The Questor was simply not informed of this fact by the Master of the Undercity, head of the his cult. This slip could be noticed by attentive adventurers and used 19 ‘uncover his duplicity ‘The Far Strders didn’t really make enough of an im- pression as a group for most of Haven to recognize this ““Budroes" asa fake, especially since the real Budroes didn’t speak with either Vardeghul or Tolemy. Justice Bells, how- 24 EARTHDAWN Eeever, would be able to immediately identify him as definitely not being the real Budroes, an unveiling that might lead to ‘combat. “Budroes” will adamantly claim, even in the face of direct reports to the contrary, that he is Budroes. If it comes to a fight however, he will begin to exhibit abilities that will reveal his true nature as a Horror construct. He will begin screeching in @ foreign tongue, and will en- gage in frenzied hand-to-hand combat, foaming at the mouth, rather than use spells. These are all among the last ‘gifs’ of Vestrial to the Questor, granted by way of the Horror Gan- ‘rene. Stil, he will fight until well beyond what should, fora Fskrang Elementalist, be dead. Once he does finally col- lapse, if the party has a method to contact spirits, they will find that his mind is destroyed. Ifthe characters buy the false Budroes’ story, and go back to Remie! and inform him that his sister is dead, he will ‘be greatly saddened, but will keep them in his employ while ‘changing their goal. Nemiroph will also step in and inform them that since they were intially hired to bring Yuriel back tothemaliveand well, their final pay will be halved, from 700 10350. With a heavy heart, Remiel says, “If she is truly dead, then your mission has changed. I will not have her become puppet of the Horrors, Bring her remains to me.” See the Rumors and Research section (page 109) of this, ‘module for further rumors that can be found on the streets of Haven, TROUBLESHOOTING Ifthe characters have difficulty finding the information that directly connects to the Far Striders, suggestions to speak with Torgak and Vardeghul can come from almost any source in Haven. If they don’t follow up on the Justice Bells, lead from Torgak, itis possible for Justice Bells to hear about, the false Budroes’ story, and come looking for the charac- ‘ers to offer what information she can to help them try to find the Far Striders.I'they don’t purchase the information about ‘Tolemy Fact from Vardeghul, he could be mentioned to the ‘characters as another information broker, and hence a pos- sible lead on the location of the Far Striders CAST OF CHARACTERS Torgak ‘Torgak is getting on in years, but his mind is as sharp as, ‘ever. This broad-shouldered troll walks with a rolling, swag gering gat. He’s grufTand canny, similar to the grizzled sher- iff portrayed in countless Westerns. He cares little for idle chat. His priorities are to keep Haven safe, squeeze more profit from his store, and to nap whenever he feels like it. His, store, Torgak’s Supplies and Goods, is a marble hall almost, as impressive as any of the structures of Parlainth. Torgak enforces the law of Haven against those who would threaten its peace and order. OF course, in Haven, “peace and order” arerelative terms, Fighth Circle Troll Warrior Attributes, Dexterity 1B:6a10 Strength: 21; 8/26 Toughness: i7ai2 Perception: l6.7/412 Willpower: 12; 5/48 Charisma 6: 71a12 26 EARTHDAWN eB