Adult Hrool

Magic Might: 5 (Animal)

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +2, Pre -2, Com -3, Str -2, Sta +2,

Dex +1, Qik +2

Size: -3

Confidence: 1 (3)

Personality Traits: Curious +3, Tricky +2

Combat:

Bite: Init +4, Attack +5, Defense +5, Damage -1

Stone (thrown): Init +0, Attack +3, Defense +5, Damage +2

Soak: +3

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-2), -3 (3-4), -5 (5-6), Incapacitated (7-8)

Abilities: Animal Handling 4 (rats), Athletics 3 (climbing), Awareness 3 (sentry), Brawl 2 (grapples), Speak Hrool 3 (directions), Swim 3 (diving), Stealth 3 (hide), Thrown

Weapons 2 (rocks)

Vis: 1 Animal

Appearance: Adult Hrools look like ferrets or weasels, but larger than normal, alternating between crawling on all fours and walking like humans on their hind legs, and wearing sorry attempts at clothing fashioned from torn cloth and dirty rags. They have an excellent sense of smell and good hearing, often standing still and listening for unusual sounds in the dark corridors.

Note: Adult Hrools are used to working in groups, and in combat they can band together under an ermine's or champion's leadership, giving up to five of them a +10 bonus, usually to defense.

Magic Might: 5 (Animal)

Characteristics: Int -2, Per +1, Pre -2, Com -3, Str -1, Sta +3,

Dex +2, Qik +3

Size: -3

Confidence: 1 (3)

Personality Traits: Brave +3, Protective +2

Combat:

Axe (stone): Init +2, Attack +8, Defense +10, Damage +7 Bite: Init +5, Attack +8, Defense +8, Damage +0 Club: Init +0, Attack +7, Defense +10, Damage +5 Short Spear: Init +4, Attack +7, Defense +8, Damage +3 Javelin (thrown): Init +0, Attack +7, Defense +4, Damage +7 Stone (thrown): Init +1, Attack +4, Defense +5, Damage +3

Soak: +4

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-2), -3 (3-4), -5 (5-6), Incapacitated (7-8) Abilities: Athletics 3 (climbing), Awareness 1, Brawl 4 (grapple), Hunt 3 (rats), Leadership 2 (combat), Single Weapon 4 (club), Speak Hrool 2 (orders), Stealth 1, Swim 3 (diving), Thrown Weapons 1 (rocks)

Vis: 2 Corpus in each satyr horn, 1 Animal

Appearance: Warrior Hrools look like regular adult Hrools who have been put through a training program. They are stronger and meaner, with darker coats, wielding wooden clubs made from fallen tree branches or stone axes. They wear necklaces strung with satyr horns around their necks.

Note: Warrior Hrools are used to fighting in trained groups of 3-5 under the leadership of their champion or an ermine. This means the group receives a +12 combat bonus to either attack or defense.

Magic Might: 18 (Animal)

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +3, Pre +1, Com -2, Str -4, Sta +1,

Dex +2, Qik +2

Size: -3

Confidence: 1 (3)

Personality Traits: Prudent +2, Loyal -3

Combat:

Bite: Init +4, Attack +6, Defense +5, Damage -3

Soak: +2

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-2), -3 (3-4), -5 (5-6), Incapacitated (7-8) Abilities: Athletics 2 (climbing), Awareness 1, Brawl 2 (grapple),

Concentration 3 (rock sculpting), Craft (sculpture) 3, Finesse 3 (Terram), Hrool 4 (giving orders), Latin 2 (insults), Leadership 4 (combat), Penetration 2 (Rego), Swim 2

Powers:

Sculpt the Mystic Rock, 1 point, +0, Terram: With careful concentration, an ermine Hrool can change rock into clay while digging at it or sculpting it into a primitive shape.

Wielding the Invisible Sling, 1 point, +5, Terram: Ermine Hrools can magically throw a small stone at a target, causing +5 damage, or +12 if the stone has been specially sharpened. The Hrools keep many of these stones at hand, marked with their special symbols for war and magic.

Banish the Haunting Spirit, 3 points, +0, Mentem: By standing on their hind legs and hissing, ermine Hrools can drive away a ghost with a Might of 15 or less. They can also work together, so that two of them can drive away a ghost with up to 20 Might, and three can affect those with 25. Ghosts cannot stand the sound of their hissing, and must flee the room or vanish when they use this power.

Vis: 3 Rego

Appearance: Ermine Hrools are leaner and spindlier than their weasel-like counterparts, with pure white fur and pink eyes. Many wear golden wire crowns bent around their heads, with a green gemstone shaped like an eye at their foreheads. They wear almost comical attempts at wizard robes gnawed from tattered tapestry remains, and wrap rings of bark or sculpted stone around their claws or through holes poked in their ears.

occasionally lead their tribe through the Veil to hunt birds (a rare delicacy) and find wood. The Hrools have lost almost all of their original armaments to breakage and time, so now they use tree limbs scrounged from the forest as clubs. The ermine Hrools also have some magical ability to shape rocks, which some Hrools have learned to tie to wooden handles and use as tools or weapons.

Hrools from different groups often have territorial fights, but these conflicts rarely end in bloodshed. If they spot intruders, they will attack raucously but will flee if seriously threatened. Years of fighting experience has taught them where to ambush their opponents and some very good battle tactics. It may be easy for a group of stout warriors to fend off even a large number of Hrools in the corridors, because the Hrools are proficient at using their superior mobility to retreat until they have the advantage from terrain or reinforcements. A common ploy is to send small groups to attack the characters from the flanks or rear. Groups of Hrool can move surprisingly quickly, and their scurrying can be heard even climbing up and down the well.

They act differently when defending their homes, however. There, they will liberally use Confidence to represent their ferocity, and fight without regard for casualties or pain. Those who intend to challenge them must take into account not only their cleverness but also their spirit. They scream barely intelligible threats and intimidate their attackers with heinous and desperate acts of violence. They spit and curse and bite opponents in the face, even attacking their opponents' weapons to break them. The Hrools have such a strong loathing for people who attack dens that other tribes might even hear their cries and come to their aid.

If a battle is taking place near the well (in the garden or in front of Ierimyra's quarters, for example), two or three adult Hrools will charge their opponents and try to push them in, riding along for the plunge into the water. Then they simply dive down to the submerged rooms and swim back up through the flooded stairways, as they can hold their breath for several minutes at a time. This tactic is an effective action for the non-warrior Hrools to use, as they can fight as a group to receive a bonus to their attack. They can also throw rocks or try to trip up characters by sneaking around behind them and clawing at their clothing or rifling through their packs.

Some of the wizards at Calebais practiced magic that allowed them to bind spirits into physical objects, and Mormulus's Veil is one example of this. Other magi at the covenant experimented with similar forms of sorcery before their demise, and left behind several creatures known as "elementals," so called within the Order because they are typically made from one of the four elements: water, air, fire, or earth. These raw materials are magically animated with a supernatural presence that might be called alive, or at least aware. While rules for summoning and controlling these creatures are beyond the scope of this adventure, here are some guidelines for dealing with those that the characters might encounter.

Firstly, as elementals are magical, they can be dispelled. A Perdo Vim spell, or Perdo with the appropriate Form, will decrease an elemental's Might just as Demon's Eternal Oblivion affects a demon or Lay to Rest the Haunting Spirit affects a ghost, eventually destroying the animating force and leaving the body an empty shell. Similarly, elementals may be warded away with Rego (Form), essentially creating magical versions of Ward Against Faeries of the Waters (et al) or Circular Ward Against Demons.

Secondly, elementals are bound to the physical realm by the material which gives them form. Breaking apart an elemental body has the same effect as dismembering flesh: cause enough damage and the being is destroyed. This can be done with physical attacks, pummeling or cutting apart an elemental, or by using Perdo magic with the appropriate Form to damage it. Warding against attacks or taking control of this material is also possible with Rego. Use the Animal guidelines for suggested effects of the different Techniques at different spell levels.

Finally, as each of the elements naturally opposes the others, so elementals may be disrupted with other elements, much like medieval doctors affect a bodily humor by manipulating its opposite. For example, Creo Ignem can cause water to evaporate, and Creo Aquam can extinguish flames. These effects can also be duplicated with Muto in the elemental's Form; Muto Terram can turn earth into dust, and Muto Auram can disperse a storm. Treat each of these spells as Perdo effects of half their level when determining how much damage they cause an elemental.

Like any magically animated thing, elementals have an inexplicable sense of their surroundings. That is, while they cannot see or hear (they have no eyes or ears), part of the magic that binds them allows them to perceive their environment. How elementals do this might be characterized by their element: earth and air elementals sense movement across the ground or through the air, while fire and water elementals sense changes in temperature. As long as they are within their element, they are considered part of that element and can sense everything foreign that comes into contact with it.

When elementals are summoned and bound, they are given a purpose. This is the essence of their existence; it is all that they do. The commands can be simple, such as "guard this room," or

more complex, such as "obey my instructions." They have no mind, so they cannot reason or become frightened, and if they somehow break their bonds, like a deluge or an avalanche they will proceed to destroy whatever is in their path. Elementals without purpose are simply powerful forces of nature unleashed.

Elementals that are defeated (but not dispelled) may leave behind raw vis appropriate to their form.

Calebais is haunted by the ghosts of many of its former inhabitants, disembodied spirits still confined to earth because of their actions in life, or because of a supernatural desire to complete some task left unfinished. Many ghosts are dark, sinister souls, living tormented existences beside the physical world without being able to affect it in any real way. They are often confused, sometimes violently insane, and may hate and fear the living or take pleasure in making others share their suffering. Others may be of good heart and seek only to put right what their passing made wrong, or were made ghosts simply because they lived too long in a magical aura. Ghosts are as individual as living beings, and each has its own distinct personality.

The appearance of ghosts can also vary, from seeming completely substantial, so real that they even feel solid, to a luminous haze in the air with only vague similarities to the human form. All ghosts at Calebais can become invisible at will, hidden from those who cannot perceive the spirit world, but only a few come close to a state resembling solidity; most remain translucent and rippled, like a reflection in deep water. As they spend their Might Pool, they also lose their clarity, fading away completely when exhausted.

Apart from coming to terms with their non-corporeal nature, ghosts cannot learn or change; they are trapped with the mindset and skills they had when they died. They may be able to teach others some of what they knew, but the distance of the grave combined with the difficulty of maintaining their existence means that they tend to forget what they are doing very easily. Characters studying from a ghost must start over each day, reintroducing themselves every time. This will be frustrating for the characters and for the ghost, and should be more trouble than it is worth.

Many ghosts do not realize they are dead, and refuse to believe those who say that they are. Only ghosts who accept their nature and have become used to their incorporeal forms can move through solid walls, ignore Fatigue penalties or wounds, or in any way act as if they were not living, breathing humans. Ghosts are solid to one another, of course, and interact in all

ways as if they were flesh and blood. For most ghosts, the physical world is as real as ever, except that people seem to play tricks on them or do not always see them.

Ghostly magi can also cast spells, just as they did in life. The ghosts of Calebais are described with some spells to represent their specialties, to give you ideas of what they might do, but they also have suggested Arts for spontaneous magic, and you should give them other spells that you think that they would have learned before death. These spells are not physical and cannot affect the physical world, but they are realistic illusions. A Perdo Corpus spell might cause a flash of pain, while a Creo Aquam spell might cause a powerful chill as ghostly waters rush past. However, Imaginem, Mentem, and Vim magics still affect the living normally, as can some Animal (animal minds) and Ignem (light) effects.

Most ghosts also have some sort of magical power to affect the physical world, even if it is only a mundane activity appropriate to their duties and desires in life. Ghostly magi typically have the power to make their spells "real," affecting the living as if their magic were cast in the flesh. These powers often cost them some of their Magic Might to activate, but they gain this back over time, and a day is typically sufficient to bring them back to full strength. If they lose all their temporary Might points, or are injured or killed by magic or other ghosts, they will return after

a day or so, as whole as before, with no memory of what happened. Permanently destroying a ghost is extremely difficult.

However, every ghost has fetters that bind it to life. When ghosts deal with the tasks they left unfinished, or address whatever circumstances prevent them from passing on, they fade away forever. This should be a very rare occurrence, worthy of more than a simple declaration; you should describe the process in detail, portraying a vivid event. A ghost leaving the confines of the mortal world is an awe-inspiring affair. Treat this scene with the reverence it deserves, and make it memorable.

When they pass on, ghosts can leave raw vis behind. This vis is often as ghostly as they were, tied to a spiritual memento of the haunting, though there are magical ways to harvest this vis. A Muto Mentem spell with a physical requisite can make the item and the vis temporarily solid. Rego Mentem can transport ghostly objects, and Rego Vim can siphon the vis into some other container. Finally, even if they cannot move it, magi can always use ghostly vis simply by touching it.

The ruins of Calebais abound with fearful sights and sounds. There are ample opportunities to check the characters' courage by making Brave Personality trait rolls. Depending on the circumstances, anything less than a 6+ might cause characters to hesitate or falter, and botches might cause them to flee in terror. Fear can take many forms, and remember that without fear to overcome, there cannot be true bravery.

There are also many opportunities throughout the ruins for players to make Perception + Awareness rolls. As they may come to rely on the solid information they receive from success, knowing when they have botched or rolled low, you might want to roll for them, or have them make Personality checks at the same time. If they lose heart while peering into dark corners and sifting through ancient graves, color the information they receive accordingly.

The central well serves as a sounding box for a myriad of sounds made by the inhabitants of the ruins. These noises should serve to remind the characters that there are things moving through these ruins all the time, and that while there may be nothing in their current location, they are not necessarily safe. Whenever the action slows down, or the players are just talking among themselves, have the characters make rolls to hear something strange and enigmatic reverberate through the tunnels. Here are some examples, though you should feel free to invent other sounds as you think appropriate.

• I. Barkish laughter, often a hideous cacophony of many voices (Hrools)
• II. Gruntlike sniffling and soft shuffling footsteps nearby (Hrools)
• III. The rhythmic pitter-patter of drops falling into a pool of water
• IV. Pitiful wailing and crying echoing up from the bottom of the well (Althea)
• V. Low-pitched, tremulous growls (Igack)
• VI. A distant or nearby explosion, and the crackling of flames (Pitsdim)
• VII. Maniacal laughter (Pitsdim)
• VIII. The flapping of many wings (bats, especially at dusk)
• IX. Splashing noises far below (rocks shifting from level seven)
• X. Distant cries of "Gemaric! Gemaric!" (Josephine)
• XI. Screams of rage (David)
• XII. A low-pitched moan from above (wind blowing past the mouth of the well)
• XIII. Scratching noises inside the walls (rats)
• XIV. Snatches of hauntingly beautiful singing (Mormulus)
• XV. Deep rumbling noises and tremors (the Undertakers)
• XVI. Sounds of yelling and stone breaking (Paulo)
• XVII. Powerful winds blowing up and down the well
• XVIII. A flute whistle, playing a steady tone
• XIX. The soft ringing of a bell (guard post on level six)
• XX. Carousing grogs, mournfully singing an off-key air in the distance
• XXI. A hollow, dejected sigh, from somewhere very close

Also, whenever a person dies, even only a grog, describe a dull, toneless clang that echoes through the covenant. This is the Bell of Ibyn, but the characters will be unable to pinpoint the sound's exact origin.

Some of the inhabitants of Calebais are given definite locations where they may be found, but since most are free to move about, you may have them appear wherever and whenever your story demands it. If the characters draw attention to themselves, or the game is moving slowly, bring in a free-moving encounter. Below is a list of events that could take place in a variety of locations throughout the ruins and can be used at your discretion. Not all of them are necessary, but you might note the ones you definitely want to include for future use. Don't let this list limit your imagination if you have other ideas.

• I. One of the ghosts, or even a group of ghosts, confronts the party.

• II. A curious lone Hrool stalks the characters. Perhaps it's a pup, and not as good at remaining hidden as the others.

• III. During an encounter with a ghost, either a friendly one or a threatening one, a small party of Hrools with their ermine leader charges onto the scene, screeching and using its power to drive the ghost away.

• IV. The characters come upon two groups of Hrools, each gathered in an opposing line to watch their champion warrior brawl. They immediately stop what they are doing when they see the characters, and charge them with a guttural whoop.

• V. Wandering Hrools begin to follow the party, fleeing if challenged, slowly increasing in number until the group is large enough to attack. Attempts to communicate with them might be successful, while shows of force might frighten them off.

• VI. The characters find an abandoned Hrool that was incapacitated during a fight. It snarls fiercely at the characters, and its howls might bring other Hrools to investigate the commotion if it is attacked.

• VII. When the characters look down the well into the water, they see a bright, luminous creature undulating around the dragon. (This is probably Dargaud, climbing around on the statue.)

• VIII. The characters are losing a fight with a large number of Hrools when Ierimyra enters. The Hrools stop fighting to worship her, giving the characters a chance to escape. If any of the Hrools have been killed, Ierimyra will cry loudly and piteously, mourning the deaths of her children and making other ghosts very uncomfortable, since she never wept when she was alive.

• IX. The sounds of combat attract a particular ghost, or perhaps all three at once: David, to lead the battle; Ferdina, to stop the fighting; or Pitsdim, to join in.

• X. David comes to the magi characters to report that there is great fighting and confusion and that he is requesting new orders. He will also demand that the grog characters report to him for duty. Later, he may suddenly realize that he doesn't recognize the characters and decide that they are intruders, ordering the grogs (using his special ability) to apprehend them.

• XI. During a battle, Ferdina arrives and orders everyone to stop fighting, desperately pleading with them to stop if they continue anyway. It is likely that no one takes any notice of her until after the fight is over, since she is barely able to watch the bloody scene. If David is present and begins to demean her authority, she talks frantically and loudly over his comments.

• XII. The characters are getting along well with a ghost when Pitsdim shows up and launches a huge fireball at the room.

• It doesn't hurt the living, but the ghost is slain (to return later with no memory of the event).

• XIII. Dargaud comes creeping through the covenant from one of the lower levels, looking for his master Erechtheus or one of the covenfolk to torment. He sees the characters, and decides to stealthily follow them to discover what they are doing here.

• XIV. A character searching through the rubble disturbs a copper-colored centipede over a foot long. The character must make a Quickness + Athletics - Encumbrance roll against an Ease Factor of 9 to get out of the way before being bitten. The poison has an Ease Factor of 6, and causes a Medium Wound. The centipede scampers back into the debris after delivering its bite.

• XV. While moving a tapestry, pile of wood, or a large curtain of webs blocking a doorway, the characters disturb a nest of spiders, more than a dozen of them, each one the size of a man's fist. Frightened, they crawl chaotically about the room, even over people, before fleeing into the corners, giving the characters (and, one hopes, the players) fits and a nasty scare.

• XVI. Large rats, big enough to come up to the characters' ankles, made brave with hunger, creep out of a hole in the wall and attack the characters or the Hrools, trying to bite them. After drawing blood, they retreat into the shadows. Later, injured characters might find their wounds have become infected.

• XVII. A group of three satyrs from the faerie forest raid the covenant and attack, drunk on wine and unable to recognize or interact with the characters in any way but to fight. Hrools arrive during the battle, brutally counter-attacking the faeries with surprising efficiency and skill.

• XVIII. At sunset, a huge flock of bats flies out of their nests in the well, and out through the opening into the darkening sky. Watching the cloud rise across the horizon like a column of black smoke is ominous and eerie if seen from the outside or one of the balconies.

The dryad leads the characters up a steep trail, which crests the hill and passes between two great crags, then descends a few feet and levels off. All that is visible from the surface of the ruins is a pit, 30 feet in diameter, circled by a 10 foot wide band of paved rock. Six large oak trees grow around the sides, concealing it from viewers in the air or on the surrounding hilltops. A wide set of stairs is cut into the rock at the edge, extending into the hilltop, not into the well.

A WARNING

Sitting directly in front of these stairs is a two-foot high, four foot square, roughly hewn stone slab (sloped up away from the stairs), onto which is carved the following message signed by Ornath, follower of Guernicus, Quaesitor.

OMITTETE HAS RUINAS EXSECRABILIS

(oh-MEET-tay-tay HOSS roo-EEN-ahs eck-SEHK-rah-BEEL-ees) "Let these cursed ruins be."

ET MANDATE MANEM AD SUAM FATUM PROPRIAM

(et MAHN-dah-tay MAH-name odd SOO-ahm FAHT-oom PROH-pree-ahm) "And leave the dead to their well-earned fate."

BACKGROUND: A WARNING

After investigating what had become of Calebais, and convincing his fellow Quaesitors that some diabolical curse had affected the covenant in his absence, Ornath left this marker in the hope that it would dissuade people from entering. He feared that others might aid the ghosts, or free them from their torment, and he preferred that they suffer here as long as possible.

THE DRAGON

When the characters first look down the deep well (180 feet total), they see an eerie, muted, yellow light at the bottom, shining up from a strange, coiling design in silhouette. If they look more carefully, have them make a Perception + Awareness roll. On a 9+, characters see that there is water at the bottom; at 12+ they recognize the coiling design as serpent-like; 15+ lets them see bubbles coming out of the water from the mouth of the creature; and at 18+ they can see that it is probably a statue. You may want to roll the dice for the players and let them know privately what they see. This is about the right time to start building a sense of mystery about the ruins, so keeping the players unsure of what is happening is a good idea. If any characters botch, they suffer a powerful sense of vertigo from staring into the long drop and may even lose their balance; roll Dexterity + Athletics - Encumbrance and use the severity of the botch to

determine the difficulty of remaining on their feet. If they fail to either catch themselves or grab the ledge, they fall; from here it is 140 feet to the waterline.

If any characters fall into the well, they will plummet down the long shaft into the water. This is actually the best outcome, since the water will cushion some of the damage. If a character slips and falls from a ledge, he or she might be able to land on one of the other ledges, such as the large balconies on levels two, three, seven and nine. You can look at the maps to determine if the character would fall near a ledge, and allow a Dexterity + Athletics roll to see if the character can make it. There is about 15 feet between each floor, so if you use this option, calculate the distance accordingly, and remember that landing on a hard surface doubles the damage.

Falling characters take one point of damage per two feet fallen, doubled if they hit a ledge, halved if they hit the water, or negated if they make a Dexterity + Swim roll of 12+ (diving). For example, if a character slips from the very top, he would fall 140 feet, taking +35 damage from a relatively soft landing in the water. If he instead landed on level three, he would only fall 45 feet, but take +45 damage from the solid impact.

Characters may be able to climb out of the water in the bottom of the well to the ledge on level nine (see page 68), but remember that they might be hindered by armor. Swimming in chain mail is almost impossible; they will probably have to abandon their protection just to keep from drowning, assuming they aren't incapacitated by the fall.

There isn't much to see through the darkness while falling, though characters who can magically slow their descent or find some way to climb out of the depths might encounter one or more of the ghosts or a curious Hrool. If they fall relatively early, Paulo (see page 44) may witness the accident and rush to help them. Later, Pitsdim (page 66) may intimidate the characters from the other side of the arch on level eight, or they might catch a glimpse of the lush garden that spills out of the enormous windows on level five.

BACKGROUND: THE DRAGON

At the bottom of the well, now completely submerged, is a stone statue of a dragon. Flooding in the lower levels has made it completely inaccessible, and it sits beneath about 40 feet of water. The statue was carved for three reasons: 1) since the covenant design was based on a dragon burrow, the statue gives honor to the connection; 2) the powerful magical light that shines from its eyes once helped light the well from the bottom up; 3) the air magically emanating from the dragon's mouth provided fresh air to the lower tunnels.

If Sir Gilbert sees the dragon statue for what it is, he will be greatly disappointed and may become so despondent that he cannot continue.

Parts of the two craggy outcroppings of rock that give the hill its name have been dug out, with cave entrances on the covenant side, shielded from sun and view from above by large overhangs. Characters probably won't notice these if they are focused on the entrance and the warning that stands before it.

The southeastern cave is one large room, covered in dust, with many overturned beds, tables and other pieces of metal and stone furniture, but no valuables. It does not appear to have been disturbed for many years, but was ransacked and emptied very thoroughly at one time. A few broken tools remain in one corner: rusted pickaxes without handles, a few cracked stone hammers, ripped leather hauberks, splintered lances, and an assortment of barrel rims amid a pile of hardened clay. A few small holes are cut at intervals into the northern and southern walls, large enough to let light into the cave or to fire arrows down the other side.

The cave to the southwest has been partially blocked with a barricade made of all manner of large, heavy pieces of rock and wooden beams. The large entryway is not difficult to clear if the characters are willing to spend the time, but doing so will earn them the attention and resentment of Dargaud, a ghostly young redcap who haunts this area.

DARGAUD

From the moment the characters step into the covenant environs, Dargaud will be watching them through the chinks in his painstakingly-fashioned screen. He will not interfere with them, and in fact they will probably have no idea he is there unless they disturb his barricade. Doing so will enrage him, and he will dog their steps to learn who they are and what they are doing from that moment on. If he sees a good shot, he will throw a rock at them, but not so that it is obvious it was him. He still has the exuberance of youth, and enjoys a good challenge, but he is essentially capricious and spiteful.

Dargaud thinks he is an excellent hunter, and believes himself to be extremely good at hiding, so much so that he can walk right behind the characters without making a sound. In life, he had many magic items that made this easy. These items have since been destroyed, but because he has no image, only other ghosts or those with Second Sight can perceive him, and then only if they beat his Quickness + Stealth roll. He has no difficulty traveling through the water (for him, it isn't there), but when submerged he gains an eerie luminosity that perfectly outlines his shape. If spotted, he will abandon any pretense at sneaking, yelp comically, and flee.

He keeps his voting sigil nearby at all times, for it was this token that proved he was a full member of the wizards' council, even though he did not have the Gift and by tradition did not vote. His status as a redcap raised him higher than the other mundane

Magic Might: 11 (Mentem)

Characteristics: Int +5, Per +2, Pre 0, Com -2, Str -1, Sta +1,

Dex 0, Qik +1

Age: 20 Size: -1

Personality Traits: Patient +3, Curious +2, Forgiving -2

Combat:

Fist and Kick: Init +0, Attack +1, Defense +1, Damage +2 Stone (thrown): Init -1, Attack +4, Defense +5, Damage +3

Soak: +1

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-4), -3 (5-8), -5 (9-12), Incapacitated (13- 16)

Abilities: Athletics 4 (climbing), Awareness 3 (movement), Brawl 3, Guile 2 (lying to authority), Latin 5 (vocabulary), Local Language 5 (vocabulary), Order of Hermes Lore 3 (places), Ride 1, Stealth 4 (hiding), Survival 1, Thrown Weapons 3 (rocks)

Powers:

Kinesis, 1 point, +4, Terram: Dargaud can pick up a small physical object, no bigger than his head, and throw it. While he is holding it, the object becomes ghostly and invisible, but he can only hold one thing at a time because he holds his sigil in his other hand.

Vis: 2 Mentem in his voting sigil, if he learns the details of how he died

Appearance: Dargaud is completely insubstantial, and cannot be seen unless he is submerged in water, when he appears hazily as a bedraggled, mousy young man wearing the red cap of House Mercere. He never goes anywhere without his voting sigil, a small ordinary stone with a flat base and his name carved into the bottom.

Roleplaying Tips: If characters find a way to communicate with Dargaud, they will find him alert but almost unintelligible. He uses a great many words, with an amazing vocabulary, but none of them make any sense together. "Traversal boundless undersea lyceums without meticulosity," or "Where abrogate certamen equals extremist succedaneum." Slowly speak a sentence like this, throwing together whatever interesting words you can think of, and then while the characters are puzzling it over, have him throw a rock at them and try to run away.

What He Knows: Dargaud is aware that something is wrong with the covenant, but not what. He can act as a guide, as he knows the layout of the covenant well, but only as it was fifty years ago. If coerced, he can give vague descriptions of the magi, though he does not remember much about them. He was just an apprentice almost all of his life at Calebais, and rarely interacted with the other magi, since he only passed his Gauntlet a few weeks before the Sundering. He was given a diadem, but never participated in the Bell ritual.

men and women at the covenant (who hate him and will drive him off if they see him), and he abused his position terribly, ordering others to perform the simplest of tasks. He needs this reminder of his authority, and he will never willingly set it down.

Dargaud was hiding in the lower levels of the covenant when they flooded, and he drowned. His body lodged halfway up the escape shaft, and his ghost climbed out into the stables. He does not remember any of this, but he does have a nagging feeling that something unpleasant happened, and he doesn't want anyone to go down the tunnel. He needs to know why before he can be at peace. He doesn't recognize anything different about his surroundings — the covenant looks the same to him — but he does notice strangers like the characters, and he listens to what they say. He will pay special attention when they discuss the covenant, or things that he cannot perceive, such as Ornath's warning. If Dargaud learns that a magical tremor caused the flooding of the lower levels, and who was responsible, he will accept that he is dead and pass on.

This cave is shaped just like the other, only it is clear of debris and shows no signs of being inhabited. As in the other cave, there are several deep holes cut into the walls that act as windows to let the light in. The remains of a few collapsed stalls (pieces of fencing that were not incorporated into the barricade), a pair of damaged buckets, and a bald and discarded brush may reveal to the characters that this was a horse stable, but there is nothing of value remaining here for them to find.

At the very back of the room is a trap door, which has been extremely well-hidden. It is covered with about an inch of dirt and what was probably straw, and appears in all respects to be part of the floor. Only characters who are intensely searching have any chance of finding it, and then only on a Perception + Awareness roll against an Ease Factor of 15. Obviously, it hasn't been opened for decades, and it leads to a narrow shaft that is only large enough for one normal-sized person. Rough, uneven rungs are carved out of the stone, descending into darkness.

Characters with Second Sight may be able to see through all sorts of illusions and magical effects in Calebais. However, asking the players to make a Second Sight roll may give away some of the mysteries of the covenant, such as the fact that there are otherworldly features to be perceived. For example, if you have them roll to recognize that the figure behind the arrow slits is a ghost, they will probably think of him a ghost when they meet him later, even if they fail the roll. Instead, you might wish to note the characters' Second Sight scores, and then ask for Perception + Awareness rolls instead. You should then be able to calculate whether the characters see anything unusual because of their magical sight. The players will be alerted that there is something to see, but even that may serve to heighten the sense of paranoia that should be inherent in the idea of exploring magical ruins.

About thirty feet down, another tunnel branches off to the west. This leads to the base of Two Crag Hill, ending in a covered exit hatch masked by grasses and bushes on the other side of the forest, though still within the Veil. The ladder also continues down about a hundred feet, where it encounters the waterline, and continues far below that into the lower levels, though Dargaud's corpse is lodged in the way at a place where the shaft narrows a little, wearing a diadem. If the characters can travel underwater and want to move the body aside, feel free to invent what they discover at the bottom of the escape tunnel, as the flooded parts of the covenant are not part of this story.

STAIRWAY AND BRIDGE

Behind the slab with Ornath's warning at the main entrance, a stairway winds thirty feet down the side of the well. As the characters descend the stairs, they can see a line of arrow slits across the shaft from them. Perceptive characters might see the figure of a man in the archer's room beyond, and characters with

Premonitions might get the feeling they are being watched. This is Paulo, the ghost of one of the guards (see below).

At the bottom of the stairway, a dilapidated footbridge spans the well, scorched black in places, patched and reinforced with bones, vines and branches. It will creak and bow ominously when anyone crosses it. For each character, roll a simple die + Burden + (Size x 3). If two or more characters cross at the same time, add their rolls together. If the result is 12+, the bridge breaks and those on it fall into the central shaft, 125 feet from the water (see Falling into the Well, above).

ENTRANCE ROOM

A rubble-strewn entrance room lies beyond the crumbling bridge, on the other side of the ornate heavy doors, reinforced but left ajar. In its center sits a small, green marble fountain, four feet in diameter, now dry. Its centerpiece is a life-sized female statue pouring water from a basin. You may make a Perception + Awareness roll for each of the characters; on a 6+ they notice a

similarity to the dryad in the Veil. If any of the players ask about this possibility, they also notice the resemblance.

There are two short corridors leading from the entrance room to spiral staircases, and a large double door made of iron occupies the wall between them. The larger staircase is the wizards' staircase, and the smaller is the common staircase. A short flight of stairs in the far wall leads to the archers' room.

The corridor nearest the entrance, leading to the wizards' stair, is blocked by a large, carved boulder — flat on the bottom, round on the top — beneath which is the ancient skeleton of a Hrool. In the ceiling is a depression about the same size as the rock. The top and sides of the slab are partially covered by rubble. If a few minutes are spent clearing it away, the boulder is easy to crawl over.

Four feet in front of the stone are two large broken crown symbols, faintly glowing, one on the floor and one on the ceiling. If any character walks past those symbols without saying "regno vicem regis" (RAY-gnoh WEE-chaym RAY-geese, "I rule in place of kings"), a very loud boom sounds. (If the boulder trap were reset, it would fall a few seconds later.) Ghosts and Hrools may be attract-

Magic Might: 21 (Mentem)

Characteristics: Int -3, Per +2, Pre 0, Com -3, Str +4, Sta +2,

Dex +2, Qik +1

Age: 39

Personality Traits: Loyal +3, Determined +2, Hopeful -2

Combat:

War hammer: Init +1, Attack +13, Defense +10, Damage +18

Short Bow: Init -1, Attack +11, Defense +4, Damage +12

Soak: +7

Abilities: Athletics 5 (stairs), Awareness 5 (guarding), Bow 4 (short bow), Brawl 4 (wrestling), Carouse 4 (songs), Great Weapon 6 (smashing stone), Latin 2 (listening), Local Language 3 (listening), Single Weapon 5 (long sword), Stealth 3 (shadowing), Thrown Weapon 5 (javelin)

Powers:

Smash Stone, 1 point, +1, Terram: Causes stone to weaken and crack when hit with his hammer.

Equipment: War hammer, short bow, metal reinforced armor (half).

Encumbrance: 0 (3)

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20)

Vis: 4 Mentem in his ghostly war hammer, if he does a good deed for the covenant.

Appearance: Paulo is a very strong, broad-shouldered man in heavy leather armor and a metal helmet that covers his head like a hat, wielding a large hammer. He is determined and slow-witted, and deeply sad. He is also a ghost, though it is not easy to see this at first glance.

Roleplaying Tips: Sway back and forth when you speak, standing ready for anything. Be distrustful, but very respectful of magi. Nod a lot even if you don't understand, and never do anything you could not do if you were a real person. With little or no provocation, suddenly become very angry and begin smashing walls. As characters get to know Paulo, they should come to expect this behavior.

What He Knows: Very little. He knows the difference between the two staircases, and that the wizards live on the lower levels. He does what his bosses tell him. Crenvalus once told him to watch the entrance, so he watches the entrance. He doesn't know where everyone else is. Those in authority he obeys, those who threaten the covenant he attacks.

44

ed to the boom and some of the Hrools may even set up an ambush at the bottom of this staircase on the third floor. Most of the ghosts habitually mutter the password when they go into this stairway, even though they no longer need to.

The ghost of Paulo is on this level, continuing the guard duties that occupied him in life. By the time the characters reach the entrance hall, unless they are extraordinarily sneaky, he has seen them and has hidden in the corridor leading to the common staircase. It has not occurred to him that the characters are intruders, though he thinks they might oppose his master, Crenvalus, so he watches them from a distance. He will retreat if they move to take the common staircase, or follow them if they take the wizards' stairs.

PAULO

Paulo is a warrior grog, extremely strong but passive. Presently, he wanders about, mournful and sad, lamenting in monosyllabic grunts the end of his days as the strongest grog of the covenant, when he proudly served his master Crenvalus. Paulo mumbles a lot but also screams sometimes; he has seemingly forgotten how

to speak, though if he must he will warble in a strange singsong manner, as if his voice were long out of practice.

Like many of the ghosts at the covenant, Paulo does not realize he is dead, and it is his stubborn determination and refusal to see this fact that keeps him here. He becomes very agitated when he is forced to recognize there is something wrong, and thus repeatedly undergoes strange mood swings: listless and not quite sure where he is one minute, angry and violent the next. When unoccupied, he fades into invisibility, disappearing into the shadows and muttering to himself, but when he finds a task he reappears and charges into action with a mighty cry of determination.

His main armament is a large hammer, with which he periodically hits the walls of the covenant when he is upset, actually causing them to crumble. He might become infuriated with the characters and smash walls and such around him in order to scare or harm them or even to block off their avenues of retreat. It costs him some of his Might each time he does this, and it takes about five blows to completely seal off a corridor. Other than this form of attack, he cannot hurt the characters, though he can fight other ghosts.

The fountain is a powerful magical artifact; it is the device that binds the dryad who powers the Veil of Mormulus to the covenant. It is extremely heavy, and not at all easy to move, as it is attached to the floor with thick, iron brackets. A Rego Terram ward prevents damage to the statue from physical objects, and a Rego Aquam effect transports water from the bottom of the well to fill the basin when it becomes low, keeping the water in motion to prevent it from becoming stagnant.

If the fountain is pried up from the ground and carried out of the covenant, the spirit of the dryad (page 29) will appear in the wood and beg the characters not to proceed. Carrying the statue out of the Veil will kill her. If they continue anyway, she will use her powers to confuse and mislead the characters, but if they have a diadem (see page 78) they will see right through these illusions. If they do not heed her, she will command the forest to attack as her last defense, trying to either damage or recover the statue.

At the edge of the regio the characters will feel a powerful tug, and if they persist, the statue will shudder and crack and its color will fade as the dryad dies. The Veil of Mormulus will fail, though the characters may not recognize this from outside. If they spend a season in the lab investigating the enchantment, they may learn something of how the device worked, but not very much because it is no longer magical once the faerie is dead.

If the characters find a way to damage the statue significantly (such as dropping it down the well) without removing it from the forest, they will release the dryad without destroying the Veil. The stone will lose some of its color, and a faint breeze will stir from the cracks, with a distant sound of buzzing bees and a thick, musty smell of papery bark. From then on, the dryad may be found in her palace, the satyrs will lose interest in their captive, and the Veil will be impassable for any characters not led by someone with a diadem (see page 24). Without the dryad to control them, the illusionary guides will become increasingly chaotic and garbled, perhaps misleading or even attacking visitors.

If Paulo can do one last good deed for the covenant, something that protects it or the magi from terrible evil or desecration, he will pass on to the next world. One moment he will be there, proud and smiling for the first time since he died, and the next moment he will fade away into the shadows, but his ghostly hammer will remain.

Adjoining the entrance room is the equipment room with the large, iron double doors. At one time it contained much of the equipment the magi and grogs used on their journeys. These doors are now barricaded from within and require spells or an impressive feat of strength to open. A Strength + Athletics roll of 21+ will break through; if multiple people push, add each character's Strength and use the highest Athletics score. Running shoves will add twice as much to the roll but may cause injury — subtract Soak from the total contribution and take any remainder as damage.

Two skeletons and a pile of chests and equipment are propped against the other side of the door, barricading it from within. Most of the armor, extra weapons, rope, oils, tents, tools, and dried food supplies are either damaged by fire or deteriorated with age, though if searched there is a good chance that a fairly common, mundane piece of equipment can be found. It will by no means be in perfect condition, however.

A short set of stairs leads ten feet up to a small archery chamber, with arrow slits facing the stairs on the other side. It is now in partial ruins, with gouges in the walls, and is empty. Paulo often stands here in the shadows, guarding the entrance, and if characters manage to enter invisibly and quietly enough to slip by his watch, he will be brooding by the arrow slits, gloomy and insubstantial.

The next level is where most of the grogs lived, serving as a bulwark against any mundane attack upon the covenant. Their barracks and meeting room are located here, as are several private rooms for their leaders. The ghost of Josephine, a grog of some distinction, may be found on this level.

MEETING ROOM

A large balcony overlooks the well from the meeting room, and characters falling from the upper level or the top may very well land here. A huge pile of rubble, rotting wood, ruined tapestries, and rusted metal lies in one corner. This is the lair of a family of rats, each two feet long with gleaming red eyes. When anyone enters the meeting room, a soft scuttling sound will fill the air as the few rats in this room retreat into their tunnels in the pile of rubble. They will wait there until they are alone again. The rats fight only when cornered, and their bites will not infect the characters with disease unless the players need a challenge.

PRIVATE ROOMS

Two of the companions' rooms still contain their personal belongings, but whatever can be found in the way of clothing and equipment is in a very sorry state; everything is in ruins.

The first room (closest to the stairs) is empty, but the ghost of Josephine, one of the covenant's custodes, haunts the middle room. She is crying, lying on an imaginary bed with her arm hanging over her eyes. Her sobs are interspersed with lamentations about her son, Gemaric.

JOSEPHINE

Josephine will only speak to other warriors, and will be very frightened if a character with higher than grog status attempts to speak with her. She will vanish if she is threatened by any nongrogs. She is very suspicious and believes that everyone lies to her. She can be boring and repetitive, but she is also easily angered if ignored.

Josephine served Ornath until he left the covenant. She was slain during the confusion of the Sundering, and has been driven almost mad with grief. She is obsessed with telling others about the fall of the covenant and how terrible it was. There was a lot of fighting, which she describes in gruesome detail. The grogs from the outer barracks set fire to the bridge, and they had to shoot at them through the smoke. Her husband died in a skirmish in the banquet hall. She had to kill her cousin Michael, who took part in the rebellion, She tried to sneak her son Gemaric out through the lower levels when the magi began fighting, but they were caught and punished by Uderzus, and she never saw the boy again.

Josephine believes that her son is still alive; she pleads with the characters to tell her where he is. She is convinced he is some-

Magic Might: 15 (Mentem)

Characteristics: Int 0, Per +1, Pre -1, Com -1, Str +1, Sta 0, Dex +3,

Qik +1

Age: 25

Personality Traits: Suspicious +3, Obsessed +2, Forgiving -2

Combat:

Long Spear: Init +1, Attack +10, Defense +11, Damage +7 Short Sword: Init +1, Attack +10, Defense +8, Damage +7

Soak: +3

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20)

Abilities: Athletics 4 (stairs), Brawl 4 (dodge), Bows 2 (short bow), Great Weapon 5 (spear), Legerdemain 5 (stealing), Local Area

Lore 3 (families), Local Language 5 (slang), Single Weapon 4 (short sword)

Powers:

Filch, 2 points, +1, Terram: Josephine can attempt to steal an item using her Legerdemain. If she succeeds without being detected, the item becomes ghostly until she ditches it.

Equipment: Long spear, short sword, metal reinforced leather armor (hauberk).

Encumbrance: 1 (2)

Vis: 3 Mentem in her ghostly spear, if Gemaric is rescued Appearance: Josephine is a very hazy ghost of a strong, young woman in torn leather armor. She clutches a spear and has a short sword buckled at her side. Her cheeks are lined from tears, and she bows her head and covers her eyes with her forearm as she shakes with grief.

Roleplaying Tips: Pretend to grasp the shaft of her spear, and let your hands tremble as you speak; the violence of your grip symbolizes her pain and loss.

What She Knows: She can sketch some of the details of the fighting among the grogs, three factions that began fighting each other at the orders of their magi. One was Crenvalus's, one was Granorda's, and the rest were neutral.

where in the ruins and that the five year old boy is suffering. If she finds him, speaks with him, and decides that he will receive proper care without her, she will pass on, as she will feel her earthly duties are finished. If Gemaric is taken from Calebais by characters who Josephine believes will not take care of him, her ghost will accompany them and haunt them as viciously as she can.

In life, Josephine was an accomplished pickpocket and even as a ghost she cannot resist lifting the occasional bauble from a purse. To this end, she can use 2 Might points to attempt to filch an item. She must go through the motions, rolling her Dexterity + Legerdemain against her victim's Perception + Awareness. Stolen objects become ghostly, but return to physical form when Josephine releases them.

The last room, like the storeroom upstairs, is locked and barricaded from the inside (ease factor of 12+ to open it). Paulo's body is within, with most of his personal things, such as his clothing, armor, and wages. If characters search carefully, they may find some sinister items under the collapsed boards of his bed: black candles, a small statue, and a book of evil prayers. These occult paraphernalia are merely trinkets he picked up on one of his missions for the covenant; he can't read. Characters may notice the candles have never been used.

If Paulo watches the group enter his room, he will be sorely tempted to attack, as their behavior may cause him to realize that they are not guests. He will wait to see if they find his treasures, and then ambush them when they leave.

The remains of bunks sag inside each of the alcoves (four in each), and wooden chests are strewn in pieces across the floor. There are piles of rubble along the wall, but the center of the floor is mostly clear. The remains of more than ten human skeletons, still wearing armor and bearing rusty weapons, can be found amid the refuse. Cheap jewelry and silver may be found if the characters search carefully. Crude sexual pictures are drawn on the wall in the alcove near the large staircase, and broken chamber pots lie where they rolled into the main room.

Here were located the kitchen, banquet hall, storage rooms, and greeting hall for visitors. Now, the floor is wholly occupied by a tribe of Hrools who live mainly in the banquet hall. Some Hrools are likely to be spread out on this level, but if they hear the adventurers coming, they will group together in their lair.

When the characters enter this level (and maybe before), they will hear David's shouts coming from the Greeting Hall.

GREETING HALL

The ghost of David paces up and down the room, shouting at the walls with uncontained rage. There are stone benches built into all the walls, a rotted wooden table and some chairs running down the middle, and a five-foot-wide magical mirror hangs on the wall opposite the door. At one time, this heavy looking glass showed the surroundings of the stone pylon that stands at the entrance to the Veil of Mormulus, and the captain of the guard

would use it to watch for visitors to Calebais who waited at the pylon for a guide. Because of Mormulus's spell, however, the mirror stopped functioning, and dark clouds roll across its image. If taken outside of the Veil, it will work once again, but it will still show only the pylon and its surroundings.

DAVID

David spent the Sundering trying to regain control of the grogs, but they had divided into factions long before then, each favoring different magi who promised rewards in return for their support. The covenant developed into a disparate group of armed

Magic Might: 29 (Mentem)

Characteristics: Int 0, Per 0, Pre +2, Com 0, Str +2, Sta +1, Dex

0, Qik 0 Age: 27

Personality Traits: Commanding +3, Loyal +2, Merciful -2

Combat:

Long Sword and Kite Shield: Init +2, +9, +12, +18

Soak: +1

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated

(16-20)

Abilities: Athletics 4 (stairs), Awareness 4 (alertness), Brawl 3 (dodging), Carouse 1, Folk Ken 2 (magi), Latin 4 (receiving orders), Leadership 5 (small groups), Local Area Lore 4 (directions), Local Language 5 (giving orders), Single Weapon 4 (long sword)

Powers:

Command Warrior, 3 points, +0, Mentem: Forces up to a Group of trained warriors to perform an action he commands that falls within their normal duties, unless resisted with a Loyal roll of 9+.

Ghostly Flames, 4 points, +1, Ignem: David's sword passes through shield and armor, but the flames still damage flesh. When he uses this power, ignore his opponent's Defense and Protection, and treat Damage as +8.

Equipment: David has ghostly versions of his sword and heater shield. If the characters should come across the real versions or his suit of chain mail, he will claim them, and merge them with their ghostly counterparts. The chain mail gives him +9 Soak and 1 Encumbrance.

Encumbrance: 0 (2)

Vis: 6 Mentem total in his ghostly sword, shield, and mail (or their physical counterparts if he has them), if he sees Crenvalus defeated.

Appearance: David is a well-formed, whole-body apparition of an experienced warrior, with the symbol of Calebais (the broken crown and flames) emblazoned in full color on his surcoat and shield. He carries a large sword at his side, and his abdomen is wrapped in bloody bandages.

Roleplaying Tips: Assume a strong demeanor and a leader's tone of voice. Don't let anyone give you crap. David will either see the characters as superiors to whom he can report, or intruders whom he must scare away, and it all depends on what they say or do. Strong, decisive leadership will quickly gain his respect.

What He Knows: David can give visitors directions and advises them to stay in their quarters where it is safe. If they are willing to help him restore order, he can describe many of the magi and outline the general timeline of the Sundering. He thinks a group loyal to Granorda initiated the conflict, but almost everyone died in the rebellion, the great tremor, or a sudden attack of satyrs who made it all the way to the sixth level. He has never seen the Bell, but Larine told him about it; she said she there was a strange book in the library that described its origins. He does not know what became of her and hopes that she is hiding somewhere safe. He will recognize Crenvalus's letter if it is shown to him, but it will drive him into an incoherent rage that he cannot explain, and he might even try to destroy it.

camps, and David could not restore unity. He is still energetically trying to figure out what is going on, and to report what he has found to the council so he can receive new orders. He may come to realize he is dead, but he is used to unusual happenings and will continue to serve as long as he can.

Before he died, David was injured in battle against a group of satyrs. Even though he is dead and technically has no physical body, he fights as if he were still recovering from his wounds, giving him a -2 penalty to his actions. If he realizes he is a ghost he may ignore this penalty.

If David encounters Ferdina, the autocrat, he will forget his mission and berate her for failing to prevent the Sundering. He yells at her, "That's what we were paying you for!" He lauds her accounting skills and ridicules her leadership. David has nothing but contempt for the pathetic way she went to the magi who were organizing the fighting and begged them to stop.

David has the power to command any trained warrior to perform an action that normally falls within his or her duties. He can also damage living beings with his sword, flailing at his opponents with unstoppable blows. Both of these powers weaken him, so he will wait until the situation is dire before he uses them,