The morning sky is filled with brooding clouds and the surrounding granite peaks appear hostile and unforgiving, but you draw some comfort from the fact that the rain has ceased and you are able to ride this ancient mountain trail with little difficulty. It is nearing midday when you catch your first glimpse of the wastelands that lie to the east, far beyond the Dammerdon Range. These are the Doomlands of Naaros and your heart fills with dread when you recall something of what you learned about this region during your teachings at the Kai Monastery.
This vast wasteland of dust and ash was formerly the seat of power of the greatest, most evil being who ever ruled Magnamund—Agarash the Damned. At its centre there once stood his mighty fortress-city of Naaros; now all that remains is a titanic chasm of molten lava and heat-fused rock. Ten millennia ago, the gods Ishir and Kai sent forth the magical Elder Magi to challenge the rule of Agarash, and they undertook a daring assault upon Naaros and its fell inhabitants, the Agarashi—the Creatures of Darkness. This attack precipitated a war which lasted a thousand years and culminated in the destruction of Agarash and his accursed empire. Once there were many cities and fortresses in the Doomlands; now there are none.
As you continue along the trail you pass several waystones that are set into the ground at regular intervals. They are not ancient stones for they each bear the symbol of Sejanoz, and your Kai senses detect that these carvings are no more than a decade old. Karvas suspects that Sejanoz has had them placed here as a form of homage to the memory of Agarash. Throughout Southern Magnamund it is rumoured that the spirit of Agarash lives on, imprisoned within the molten ruins of Naaros.
(I do have GP and a high enough rank)
Your advanced Pathsmanship skills reveal to you that the weather is going to deteriorate over the coming few hours. The rain will return, and it will be far heavier than you experienced last night.
(Why that's tracking and not, say, Elementalism, Telegnosis, etc is odd to me. I find that the usage of skills can often feel off, like another skill would better show something off)
It is early in the afternoon when you see the ruins of an ancient fortress. They lie less than a mile from the trail, on a plateau of rock at the base of a shallow ravine. As you descend the trail and draw closer to the ruins, you hear a distant rumble of thunder. Within minutes it has begun to rain and soon you find yourself caught in a torrential downpour. Your Magnakai Pathsmanship skills warn you that heavy rain in these barren mountains brings with it the danger of a sudden flash flood.
The sheeting rain is making it impossible to see the trail ahead. Rather than continue and risk flood or fall, you leave the trail to seek shelter in the ruined fortress.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
(I toss a 1)
Your worst fears are realized when suddenly you hear a mighty roar. You look up to your right and gasp when you see a solid wall of water and loose rock comes rushing down the mountainside towards the trail. Terrified by the thought of being washed away in this avalanche of water and shale, you and Karvas hurriedly leave the trail and gallop your horses towards the sanctuary of the ruined fortress.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess the Grand Master Discipline of Animal Mastery, add 3 to the number you have picked.
(I auto pass with AM)
The speed and surefootedness of your Bhanarian stallions carry you and Karvas swiftly out of harm’s reach. You soon reach the rubble-strewn gate of the fortress and dismount to lead your horses inside. Within its crumbling walls there stands a keep, a cylindrical structure of time-worn masonry. The upper parts have collapsed leaving huge chunks of broken stone heaped around its base. Where once stood a gate of gleaming bronze, now only a blackened hole remains. It provides access to the inner hall and you enter to take shelter from the torrential rain.
Engravings in the ceiling and walls of this derelict hall tell you that this fortress was once occupied by the Elder Magi. Both you and Karvas are fascinated by the intricate carvings and you decide to split up and explore this hall further. In an alcove at its north side you discover a shrine dedicated to the God Kai. Clumps of wild laumspur are growing around its base and you discover enough here for 3 potions. (Each Potion of Laumspur is a Backpack Item. It will restore 4 ENDURANCE points when swallowed after combat.)
You are examining the shrine more closely when suddenly you hear Karvas scream out in alarm.
(I add two Laumspur to the empty slots of my pack. The Knife and Dagger are weapons and special items, and my Ring I found is ditto)
The Prince’s scream came from the south side of the hall. As you run towards it, your heart misses a beat when you see that a large section of the stone flooring has collapsed. With trepidation, you reach the edge and look down into a yawning hole. Prince Karvas is hanging by one hand to an outcrop of jagged rock some 15 feet below. Over 100 feet below his dangling legs there rages an underground river, swollen by the flash flood.
Hold on, sire!’ you shout in desperation, as helplessly you watch his bruised fingers slowly losing their grip.
(I use my rope)
You pull your rope out of your pack and cast one end down to the helpless Prince. The instant he grabs this trailing end securely with his free hand, you pull with all your strength and haul him out of the cavity. As you are helping him to his feet, you happen by chance to notice that he has a crescent-shaped birthmark on his right wrist.
Between gasps of breath, Karvas thanks you earnestly for your timely help. Had you not acted when you did he feels certain that he would have slipped and fallen into the raging river.
For two frustrating days and nights the ferocious storm continues unabated. Floods and mudslides render the mountain trail impassable, and you are unable to leave the shelter of the ancient keep until early on the morning of the third day. Anxious to make up for lost time, you depart as soon as the rains cease.
A further two days are spent riding the treacherous trail. It takes you across the northern foothills of the Dammerdons to the Lunarlian settlement of Jaroc. It is mid-morning, fifteen days before Harvestmas, when finally you enter the palisade wall of this sprawling border town. Few of the people you find here are natives. Most are nomadic horsemen from the Great Lunarlian Plain who have come to barter and trade their wares at its famous tented market. As you ride through the bustling marketplace, you pause for a few moments to observe a quarrel between a trader and a nomad. The nomad is accusing the trader of selling him some rotten food, and he demands the return of his money. The trader refuses. In desperation, the nomad turns to you and holds out his purchase at arm’s length.
‘Stranger, would y’say this meat is fit to eat?’ he pleads, inviting you to inspect an unappetizing haunch of maggoty meat.
( I do not have Herbmastery)
Plainly the nomad’s meat is rotten to the bone. So, too, is most of the other food that is displayed on the trader’s stall. You agree with the nomad that the meat is unfit to eat, and immediately the trader denounces you. Loudly he accuses you of being tricksters, conspiring together to cheat him out of his wares. He shouts for the Holtors—the market guardsmen—demanding they come and arrest you all.
Karvas suggests that now may be a good time to leave Jaroc. You nod in agreement. Together you turn your horses away from the trader’s stall and canter back through the crowds towards the palisade. As you approach it, you see two portly armed guards hurrying to shut the gate.
(I use KA)
You speak the words of the Brotherhood Spell Lightning Hand and release a bolt of energy at the palisade gate. It rips through its timbers and leaves a jagged hole smouldering in its wake. Your display of Brotherhood magic clearly terrifies the guards for they drop their spears and scatter. Without looking back, the two of you gallop out of Jaroc and escape across the open plain that lies beyond.
(I would have used the friend spell to keep them from closing the gate. That was a violent choice there Dever.)