THE SCARLET CHILD CAMPAIGN OUTLINE

Franticfranc55@hotmail.com John453@gmail.com Wf2space@gmail.com vadius21@hotmail.com tapicella@petersenmail.com

SESSION I
The Tomb

BACKGROUND - BRIEF SYNOPSIS

A band of mighty heroes is brought together by hazy visions of its members past lives and of the tomb wherein their forsaken bodies lie, defended by deadly traps and surrounded by untold riches. Four of these stalwart souls find their way to a valley north and east of the city of Nexus, rediscover the bonds of their ancient brotherhood and determine to join together to recover their forgotten artifacts of power. Soon, they find that even the most Exalted of fellowships can be broken one of their Circle has been corrupted by the foul Deathlords and plots to restore her brotherhood beneath a banner of allegiance to the Underworld. Amid the hallowed stones of their own graves, the heroes overcome the blasphemies of necromancy and face their fallen ally in a battle that leaves little doubt that the lords of the Abyss must be turned back before they destroy Creation and descend upon its corpse like vultures. Sound like an interesting story? Good, because it is the tale you and your players are about to tell.

BACKGROUND - THE PERFECT CIRCLE

This adventure is predicated upon the idea that the four players each shall have control of one of the newly returned Solar Exalted. Once, each of these Solars belonged to a Perfect Circle, a band of heroes whose membership was composed of one of each of the castes of the Chosen of the Unconquered Sun: Dawn, Zenith, Twilight, Night and Eclipse. After the Dragon-Blooded destroyed the First Age incarnations of the Chosen, they sealed the Solar corpses beneath the earth. In the lands north and east of the city of present day Nexus, they built a magnificent tomb with five chambers, each one holding the mortal coil of one of the Solars of the Circle of Five Corners. Four Circle mates have returned to pillage their own tomb. Now, if only they could find their fifth member.

BACKGROUND - THE CITY OF NEXUS

With three quarters of a million inhabitants, Nexus is one of the largest cities outside the Realm. It lies at the center of the River Province, the eastern heart of the ancient Solar kingdom. Ruined by the DragonBlooded uprising and a terrible plague known as the Contagion, the region has never recovered all of its lost glory. For centuries, the people have combed the wreckage of the First Age for artifacts of power, and for this reason, the region is now called the Scavenger Lands. Nexus was built upon the ruins of a city of the old Exalted kingdom, and it was the first Scavenger Land city to grow anew to a significant size. Today, the city is a crawling hive of corruption and commerce, whose only law is a mysterious

governing body known as the Council of Entities. As the largest river port in the Scavenger Lands, Nexus is the crossroads for much of the travel anyone might take in the East. Villages and brigands for miles in every direction feed upon the lifeblood of trade passing to and from Nexus.

STORY I - A MEETING WITH GARLAND

Read this part aloud: It has been more than 1,000 years since you were murdered by the Dragon-Blooded; there is no doubt in your mind that you know one another in a former existence. Guided by occasional flashes of times long past, youve searched the Scavenger Lands hoping to discover your legacy and to find the missing member of your Circle. After travelling from the corners of the world, you find yourself gathered around a water fountain in the busy market district of the riverside city of Nexus. The four of you have never met, but you immediately recognize each other from the visions you been having with more and more frequency. A thin bold man in a white robe with red trim approaches you to deliver a message. You do not recognize this man, but you sense great power emanating from him. As you look around you see that the other people in the market have stopped moving. Not only has everyone other than you stopped moving, but the water shooting from the fountain has frozen in mid air as if time has stopped.

Greetings most honored members of the circle. My name is Garland and this is the moment of your exaltation. I am a Sidereal of the Silver Faction. And the four of you are all the embodiment of the Unconquered Sun. You are Solars. You are anathema. You are outlaws, and heroes, and conquerors. I know this, because the stars have foreseen it and they speak through me. I come to you with great urgency and hope to have found you in peace. Weve come to this place because I have found something of great importance to us all. You are more than just superhuman; you are members of the perfect circle. The elite of the elite. A thousand years ago, the four of you and one other served as the righteous hands of the unconquered sun. You were kings, and generals, and slayers of great beasts. You have returned to the realm to once again unite and deliver this world back in to balance. The stars tell me that you must return to your remains of the first age to pay homage to your prior selves and to reclaim the legendary relic weapons that will serve you once again. You must go north, through the scavenger lands, the home of the solar exalted of the first age. Head towards the secret tomb that hosts your bodies. Use caution my friends, bandits and thieves devote their lives to looting the tombs and temples of the first age Solars. You are sure to encounter resistance along the way. I cannot tell you the exact location of your bodies. I am merely a seer granted glimpses of the past and the future. This adventure is yours to take. However, you must know that somewhere out there the fifth member of your circle is already waiting for you. It is your connection to her that will guide you along the right path. I know not whether our tomb has been broken into, nor whether the artifacts of power still remain with your bodies. The world has grown dark in our absence, and the old ways are forgotten. It is time for the Chosen of the Unconquered Sun to show their true mettle, and I hope that you will partake in this quest. Perhaps in time we may restore peace to all creation together. Stop reading aloud. The circle asks him questions and when they are done he vanishes. Time resumes and the market returns to action like nothing ever happened.

STORY II - SETTING FORTH

Read this part aloud: Your Circle sets forth on a road heading north and east from the city of Nexus. Each night you stay at one of the small villages that dot the countryside. Most of these lands are pleasant, but the deeper you travel in to the scavenger lands, the more danger you incur. Bandits, thieves, and looters are common here. The shadows grow longer than they have a right to be and haunt the dreams of young children and old men alike. Stopping reading aloud now While in these places the circle hears rumors: Bandits fleeing northward continue to raid occasionally, but they range farther from Nexus, and the raids are less prevalent. They attack travelers in search of artifacts that may have been recovered from the Scavenger Lands, but will settle for stealing money or taking hostages for ransom or to sell in to slavery. Their deeds are evil and their intentions are sinister. The village headwoman received threats from someone called Balthar the Bandit King. He routinely seeks out blood money in exchange for a brief period of protection. Half a dozen citizens of Northeast Spoke have disappeared in recent weeks. Shepherds claim that rather than being taken captive they have seen these missing people wandering in the night like the dead. Neighboring villages share similar stories.

 Others speak of the darkness in the land. Nightmares. Suicides. Farmlands that produce no crops. The disease known as The Contagion. They suggest that the land has become a shadowland. A place where the underworld can make passage in to the world of the living. A new name is whispered amongst the shadows; The Angel of Rusted Hearts.

BACKGROUND - THE ANGEL OF RUSTED HEARTS PLAN

Unbeknownst to the four characters, something is no longer right with the world. The Perfect Circle of Five Corners is broken, as their Eclipse Caste member is forever lost. When the Solar Exalted escaped from their imprisonment and returned to Creation, one of the Circle was seized by the Deathlords and corrupted. No longer one of the Chosen of the Unconquered Sun, her name has been seized by the Abyss, and she is now known as the Angel of Rusted Hearts. Her Essence is that of the twisted Moonshadow Caste now, and she serves the Deathlord known as the Walker in the Darkness. Her clever master knows that, someday, her Circle will seek its lost member and, thus, reveal to her the location of the Circles tomb. The Angel of Rusted Hearts has recently breached the defenses of her Circles tomb and moved to create a trap for her lost compatriots. She awaits them upon their arrival. She prepares to capture them once they arrive. Meanwhile, she forges the remnants of Balthars brigands into a new bandit kingdom led by the dead shade of their fallen king. The Angel plots to wreak such havoc north of Nexus and Lookshy that her masters newest conquest, overcome the weakened states. She also hopes to corrupt her Circle so that its members will join her in dark service to her Deathlord master. Turned to the Underworld by her fallen Essence, the Moonshadow has learned foul necromantic spells that can raise dead corpses as servants. The Angel of Rusted Hearts weaves a web of treachery, blood and terror into which the characters plunge headlong. As the Storyteller, you should try to keep her plot secret, yet present it fairly as a deadly challenge for the players characters. The Angel is not above slaying her compatriots, if necessary, and many of her servants might do so out of fear of the Solars might even if they were not so thoroughly depraved creatures.

BACKGROUND - THE TOMB

Originally built by the Sidereals of the Bronze Faction. The First Age tomb of the Circle is a marvel of engineering. Certainly, it cannot compare to the elaborate mausoleums of nearby Nexus, but it is still a formidable defense for the bodies of those Exalted by the Solars. Perhaps due to the passing of the age, perhaps because time has worn away some of its enchantments, the tomb is no longer impenetrable. Indeed, the Moonshadow Abyssal called the Angel of Rusted Hearts has breached the structure and lairs there while dividing her time between setting traps for her Circle mates and planning the domination of the northern Scavenger Lands.

STORY III - THE VALLEY OF DEATH & THE SLAVE WAGON

Read this part aloud: Local villagers, especially those in neighboring Northeast Spoke, told you tales of this valley. Old men croaked that it was long abandoned. Recently, however, the dead have been disturbed somehow, and surely, someone must suffer their wrath. Aided by the guidance of your dreams, you entered the valley and worked your way through thin forests bending beneath a new growth of black lichen. Ahead, you see a cow and a pig in the roadway. Further along the trail is a convoy of two passenger wagons and a livestock wagon. It becomes clear to you that the cow and pig in the roadway escaped from the back of the third wagon. As you get closer you see two distinct groups of people engaged in a scuffle. The original passengers in the caravan are now rounded up and reside inside the livestock wagon. Two dead men lay on the ground surrounded by pools of blood. Five Bandits are seated atop horses and see you approaching. Two of the bandits are searching the wagons and are throwing clothing and useless trinkets from the wagon doors. Two other men have a woman stripped naked and have her splayed across a rocky outcrop. One man slaps her in the face with another is working his pants down to his knees. One bandit has descended from his horse and paces about the scene supervising the crime. He is more decorated than the others and it appears that he has planned out this whole scenario. He is a tattooed barbarian that wears a full beard and carries two axes. He looks proud of his current situation. Stop reading aloud.

BALTHOR THE BANDIT KING & THE BANDITS

Balthor, The Bandit King Heroic Mortal: Fighting: 3 Magnetism: 2 Scholarship: 1 Stealth: 1 Embassy: 3 Wounds: -0 -1 -3 Incapacitated Light Armor Master Crafted Curved Sword

Gear:

8 Scavenger Land Bandits Trained Mortals Fighting: 2 Magnetism: 1 Scholarship: 1 Stealth: 1 Embassy: 1

Wounds:

Gear:

-1 -3 Incapacitated Light Armor Curved Sword

RYNN & THE SLAVE WAGON

The key to the slave wagon is on the person of he Bandit King. Inside are five captives. An old man and his wife. A teenage girl. A young boy. And a woman with silver eyes. They are a family of farmers travelling to Nexus to trade livestock. They consist of a father and his eldest son (both now dead on the ground), the mother (woman being assaulted), the grandparents, a teenage daughter, a five year old son. The silver eyed girl is a traveler that had paid the family to take her along the way. Her name is Rynn. She carries with her two strange weapons and she has an interesting story to tell.

I am Rynn of the mountain city of Sijan. My people are descendants of the Sidereals of the Bronze Faction and I have been sent here to find you. Our seers have predicted the arrival of a circle of heroes that will save our city and our world. It is only now that I have seen your heroic deeds that I am sure you are the ones they have foreseen. I must take you with me back to Sijan where your destiny awaits. The group is allowed to respond. They will probably mention their current endeavor to discover their remains of the first age. Her response is simple: Before we return to Sijan, we must make one stop. During the first age it was the Sidereals of the Bronze Faction that secured your remains in an impenetrable tomb. I will take you there to recover the ancient weapons of power that are rightfully yours. Will you come with me?

STORY IV OUTSIDE THE TOMB OF THE CIRCLE

Rynn leads the circle over a ridge an in to a jungle valley. She finds a path that seems to have hosted a good amount of traffic in recent days. The circle continues on the path for two hours before approaches a small clearing in which the jungle canopy breaks just enough to allow a small patch of light to hit the earth. Hidden in the thick vegetation of the jungle is the peak of what appears to be the peak of temple. It is all but submerged under a thousand years of dirt and vegetation. A set of about twenty steps rises from the ground, but there is no way to tell just how far down the structure is buried. In front of the staircase is a single horse. If the characters approach the horses: As you near, a hideous sight greets your eyes. Two rotting corpses and the body of a disemboweled horse lie on the ground. Flies angrily buzzing about them. The horse itself is gaunt. It has only survived by a miracle. There is evidence that it tried to chew through its restraints, but instead it has resorted to eating the flesh of the other horse tied up right next to it. As the group searches the bodies of the dead, they declare the men to be members of the bandit clan. Suddenly the bodies, including the dead horse, begin to rise as zombies. 2 Zombies - Undead Fighting: Magnetism: Scholarship: Stealth: Embassy:

1 3 0 0 0

Wounds:

Gear:

-0 -0 Incapacitated Light Armor Unarmed

Zombie Horse - Undead Fighting: 1 Magnetism: 3 Scholarship: 0 Stealth: 0 Embassy: 0

Wounds:

Gear:

-0 -0 -1 Incapacitated No armor Unarmed

If the characters search the outside of the temple: A few flats areas around the base of the temple have been trampled and there is evidence of open fired covered with relatively fresh earth perhaps a few days ago. Four horses and a wagon remain tied up near the encampment. They bear the insignia of one of the houses of Dragon Bloods. If the characters climb the steps, then read this part aloud: Atop the temple is an opening with a rope ladder descending from it. It is not well lit the only way to investigate the chamber is to drop in to the hole. Rynn tells you that she must remain outside of the tomb for it is meant only for members of the Circle.

INSIDE THE TOMB OF THE CIRCLE

Read Aloud. Once inside the entrance to the tom, it is clear that there are no signs of the activity. Only the light from above illuminates the entrance room. The chamber consists of a rectangular platform with a recessed trench around 3 sides. The trenches are filled with black flesh eating beetles. The beetles will not go where there is light but may attack the characters if they venture on to them. At the far end of the platform is a thick stone door frame. The door is shattered into pieces, with strange black scars marring its once smooth surface. The rubble has been moved to either side of the tombs entrance. As if it werent obvious enough that someone had come here, you can hear muffled voices coming from within the tomb. The noonday sun reveals that the rubble continues for some distance into the dim tunnel ahead. Stop reading aloud.

THE DOORWAY
The Angel of Rusted Hearts was ultimately forced to blast the door open because she could not defeat the mechanism holding it shut. Characters examining the stones may determine that a Charm was used to force the door (although they may have guessed this already). Three or more successes remind a character that he has heard stories of Deathlords using Charms of a similar nature. If the characters enter the tunnel, read this part aloud: Behind the door is a stair case that descends deep in to the heart of the temple. The passageways are lit by torches. At the bottom of the steps is another frame with a broken in door. Behind it is a tunnel that slopes downward. The length of the tunnel is strewn with bits of broken statuary. It looks like somebody defaced the figurines lining the walls of the passageway and left the remains along both sides of the path. The figures were clearly dressed in armor, bearing swords and shields. Their appearance suggests that maybe they were symbolic guardians of the entrance. The tunnel grows dim as you move away from the entrance, but you can clearly see that there is light in whatever chamber lies ahead. The rough voices grow louder, apparently a band of men talking rudely in a local tribal language. Stop reading aloud.

THE TUNNEL
The tunnel runs for about 50 yards before reaching the central chamber. The broken statues were once magical guardians meant to deter tomb robbers. The rubble of the figurines is scarred by the same Crypt Bolt energies the Angel of Rusted Hearts used to force the tomb entrance. The characters can hear voices from the chamber beyond, filtering down the tunnel. The voices are those of the bandits who stay in the central chamber of the tomb, at the Angels service and they are currently devouring lunch. Most of the commentary is complaints about the food or crude jokes. If the characters made incredible amounts of noise outside, then the bandits are readying for battle instead. If all of the characters proceed to the following chamber, then the bandits will surely attack whether they have to scramble for their weapons or they are waiting with anticipation. If someone manages to sneak up the tunnel, you should describe what he sees, allowing the players to prepare.

THE SUN CHAMBER

The center chamber is currently home to 11 brigands and a Dragon Blooded Warrior of Fire Aspect. Makeshift bedrolls are littered all around. They are the soldier of the house of Nellens, a dragon blood family. Surprised by the incursion some react with fear, anger and hatred. One in particular does not. He appears larger and more decorated than the others. This central chamber allows a shaft of sunlight to come through the ceiling through some twisting, narrow reflective tunnel that cunningly casts the light onto a stone table carved with symbols carved in to it. Most of the room is lit by the beam. It is clear the center table is covered in dried blood stains of varying ages. A lone, wide staircase extends from the floor of the chamber in to the second level of the room which features archways and tunnels beyond. The steps currently rest directly in front of one of the archways, but it appears as if nothing is inside. The ceiling is high, curved, and finely decorated with murals displaying the deeds of heroes. The characters do not yet remember it, but this stairway and arch slide from one doorway to another as the stonework rotates in order to allow entrance to a single chamber at a time. During the First Age, it was deemed important to be able to enter a new Solar Exalted without disturbing the resting places of the other members of the Circle. Currently, the stair

extends to the Eclipse Chamber, wherein the Angel of Rusted Hearts rests, studying pillaged scripts and performing bloody necromantic rituals. When the characters enter battle with the bandits within the Sun Chamber, however, some accident will set off the rotation of the rooms stairway, closing the alerted Angel off from the central chamber and revealing the entryway to the Dawn Chamber instead. Fear not, the players are certain to search each of the chambers, as they do not yet know of the Angel presence. It is not necessary that the characters enter each of the chambers in order, but the device that moves the stair and arch will only reveal the entrance to one chamber at a time, and it does so in order. Read this part aloud if they sneaked ahead or if the characters enter the room: The chamber is a stunning room, easily 60 yards across with a domed ceiling. Sunlight comes through the pinnacle of the dome, illuminating the entire room, in no small part due to the fact that most of it is carved from glistening white marble. The beam of sunlight shoots straight down to a stone table in the center of the room, about four feet by seven feet in size, carved with symbols of the Unconquered Sun. The ceiling is blackened from smoke around the spot where the sunlight enters. A curved stone staircase, perhaps 5 yards wide and 15 yards long begins with a pair of pillars to the right of the tunnel entranceway and extends five yards into the air to meet an archway that is set into a band of granite that circles the room at that height. Five doorways are cut into the wall just above the granite ring. The other four archways are closed and have no staircase leading to them. Once, this chamber was a beautiful work of First Age glory. Now, it is the den of a pack of soldiers indeed, the symbol stitched into their clothes identifies them as members of a Dragon Blood family. On the floor are the bodies of six bandits dressed similar as those outside the temple. Stop reading aloud. Read this part if the characters were fairly quiet: There are about a dozen soldiers lounging about eating game freshly cooked over the small fire theyve started near the central table. They wear the insignia of one of the houses of the Dragon Bloods. One in particular is adorned with more magnificent armor than the rest. The soldiers are only now aware of your approach. They scramble to grab their swords as they prepare to leap into battle with you. Stop reading aloud. Some players may try to speak to the soldier, in which case, the Dragon blood will identify them as Solars and order the attack. Aware of whom they face, the soldiers feel cornered in the chamber. When half of the bandits fall in battle, the Dragon Blood will flee. The remainder of the soldiers will offer to surrender. Once battle is imminent read this part aloud: The soldiers leap into action, surely seeking to kill you. One of them stumbles over the pot hanging above the fire, and it crashes into the top of a low altar at the head of the stone table. There is a grinding noise, and the stone staircase begins sliding to the left. There is a cry of surprise from the archway at the top of the stairway as it is closed off, and the stairway moves around the room until it settles between the pair of pillars beneath the archway clockwise from its previous position. The sounds of battle drown out the grinding even before it ceases. Stop reading aloud.

11 Nellens Soldiers Trained Mortals Fighting: 2 Magnetism: 1 Scholarship: 1 Stealth: 1 Embassy: 2

Wounds:

Gear:

-1 -3 Incapacitated Light Armor Short Sword Long Knife

Nellens Rashad Dragon Blood: Fire Aspect Fighting: 4 Magnetism: 3 Scholarship: 1 Stealth: 1 Embassy: 2 Wounds: -0 -0

-1 -3 Incapacitated Gear: Heavy Artificer Armor Heavy Master Crafted Sledge Charms: Listed Below

Effortlessly Rising Flame 1 essence exalt propels himself away from the ground Falling Star Maneuver 2 essence exalt move with magical speed to flank an opponent causing x2 damage for 1 turn. Fiery Prowess 1 essence exalt gets +2 stealth for 1 turn.

All-Encompassing Earth Sense, - 2 essence exalt and all allies cannot be surprised. Feeling the Dragons Bones, 1 essence exalt can sense anything else on the ground Precision Observation Method 1 essence - exalt can expand his senses. Flickering Candle Meditation 1 essence exalt increases his ability to dodge. 1 essence per dice. Hopping Firecracker Evasion 2 essence exalt can dash away as he dodges Threshold Warding Stance 1 essence exalt easily dodges any attack Virtuous Negation Defense 2 essence exalt can shove an alloy out of the path of an attack

AFTER THE BATTLE

The surviving soldiers will plead for mercy and the chance to depart alive. They will willingly leave behind any weapons, armor or other goods if necessary, although their greedy nature certainly suggests they will attempt to keep whatever they arent explicitly forced to leave behind. Having been defeated, they are not likely to wait for the characters outside, though Storytellers wishing to add more encounters at the end of this adventure might have them do so. If asked, a defeated soldier may explain to the Circle that the altar has a mechanism within it that causes the stairway to move from one of the chambers above to the next. None of them will reveal details of the Angel, however, as they fear her beyond even death.

THE ALTAR
If the characters investigate the altar in the center of the room, their presence will cause glowing, golden holo- glyphic symbols of First Age script to appear oating above it. A Scholarship roll can be made to read these symbols. Each of the five gates of auspicious passage houses the remains of one of the Solars of the Circle. Within each tomb is a gate key, which looks like a small golden spike. Use the keys to open the secret chamber inside the altar for inside rests an item of great power and knowledge. Only those of the Circle are permitted to trespass amongst the tomb for only they are the ones worthy of its treasure. In the case that one of the members of the circle should fall, only four gate keys are required to unlock the altar. Characters who examine the altar may roll Embassy to attempt to discern how the mechanism works. One success indicates that it takes 15 minutes to figure out the workings, three makes it one minute, and five successes indicates virtually immediate realization of how it works. The altar has a golden fivepointed star set into its top. At each of the five points of the star is one of the five symbols of the circle. Key holes rest inside each of those circles. The star itself turns clockwise only and clicks to a stop at each setting, while the granite band of the wall begins turning with the stairway to the next archway. After the battle, however, the characters are faced with the stairway leading to the Dawn Chamber.

STORY V - THE DAWN CHAMBER

The resting place of the past incarnation of the Dawn Caste this tomb chamber is set up as a shrine to the fallen warrior of old. The Dragon-Blooded who slew his predecessor hoped to appease his spirit by honoring it thus. Included in his tomb are the bodies of his personal guard, also slain during the Usurpation. Though the Angel of Rusted Hearts never touched the Dawn Castes corpse, she animated all of the other bodies using the arts of necromancy. The characters will face eight zombies of the ilk they met at the entrance and one tougher zombie bearing the weapons of the ancient Dawn Caste Exalted. Read this part aloud: Seven alcoves are spread evenly around the room, in counterpoint to the corridor that led you here. Standing before you, in the entryway corridor, is an armored statue bearing a blade. Stop reading aloud.

THE SMELL
Each turn, players of characters fighting the dead Dawn Caste must roll Magnetism and achieve at least two successes, or their characters suffer -2 dice to all actions attempted during that turn due to the nauseating stench. If the characters examine the figure, they discover it is a standing corpse. If they attack it, then all of the zombies in the room spring into action, including the one laid upon the table. If they simply pass it by, then it will wait until they reach the sunken center part of the room to become active. Read this part aloud if the characters enter the chamber: This chamber is approximately 25 yards across with a sunken round section of floor set 12 inches or so lower and perhaps 15 yards across. At the center of this inner circle is a stone table similar to that found in the central chamber below. Upon the table rests a stone sarcophagus, ornately carved with gilded symbols of the Unconquered Sun and the Dawn Caste. Scenery of heroic battles covers the sarcophagus from head to toe. Stop reading aloud. Read this part aloud if combat ensues: The eight figures spread around the room move suddenly toward you, dropping their weapons in their haste. The coffin in the center of the chamber opens, the lid smashing to the floor with a loud boom, while a figure clad in golden armor, wielding a massive golden sword leaps from it to join the fray. The Dawn Caste recognizes this man as his incarnation from his past life and you notice a key hanging from a chain around his neck. He remembers flashes of himself wearing that armor and wielding that sword as though it were yesterday. Worse yet, these soldiers used to be his honor guard. Stop reading aloud.

THE HONOR GUARD

The eight zombies standing in the seven alcoves and the entryway bear swords, but they will drop these when they enter combat with the characters. The final corpse is the one found within the coffin in the center of the room, and it springs from its coffin, the lid clattering to the floor, dressed in gold-plated armor and wielding a massive golden sword. The Angel enchanted the corpses in the room. She planned to use the walking corpses to raid the coffin but was disappointed to find that the eight zombies joined their Dawn Caste leader in defending the chamber, thwarting her command of them. As they seemed content to remain at rest unless harassed, she left them for later with the hopes she might use her Circle against them. The golden sword and armor are things that the Dawn Caste Character remembers being his in his past life. Assuming the characters defeat the guardians of the room, the Dawn Caste Character may wish to replace his current sword and armor with these artifacts. The sword is an artifact crafted of the magical golden material called orichalcum, and it seemingly calls to him as his. The gold-plated steel armor is not an artifact, yet it remains nearly perfect after more than a millennia due to the chambers funereal craft. The sword may only be used by a Dawn Caste Exalt. It is known as a reaver daiklave, ask the player to write its abilities on his sheet. If the players have forgotten, you should probably remind them of the key and the altar. 8 Undead Soldiers - Undead Fighting: 1 Magnetism: 3 Scholarship: 0 Stealth: 0 Embassy: 0

Wounds:

Gear:

-0 -0 Incapacitated Rusted Heavy Armor Short Sword Long Knife -0 -0 -0 Incapacitated Gold Plated Heavy Armor Orichalcum Reaver Daiklave Key of the Dawn

1 Undead Exalted Corpse Undead Fighting: 2 Magnetism: 3 Scholarship: 0 Stealth: 0 Embassy: 0

Wounds:

Gear:

ORICHALCUM REAVER DAIKLAVE

This sword may only be wielded by a Dawn Caste Exalt. At four feet long and a full foot wide, the sword has a flat tip. It is a large bladed weapon that grants the bearer +1 Fighting Attribute and while in Combat makes all 10s rolled by the wielder worth 4 successes. It costs the wielder of the sword 3 points of essence to wield the sword. A character with no essence may not even hold the sword for it will be too heavy to pick up. The sword blade has setting for two hearthstones.

STORY VI - THE ZENITH CHAMBER

Part chapel to the Unconquered Sun, part grave for the ancient Zenith member of the Circle, this room holds no threats to the Solars. Indeed, it makes the Angel uncomfortable to even come here, and she plans to corrupt it if possible. Hopefully, the players will activate the altar in the central room and move the archway to open this chamber. Read this part aloud: This perfectly round chamber is approximately 25 yards across, and at its center stands a 15-foot-tall bronze statue of the Unconquered Sun. His four arms hold a lance, a gold-plated shield, a laurel branch and a horn. The statue stands over a white marble table containing a number of golden objects. The bronze laurel branch bears a dark scar similar to those you saw upon the tomb entrance stones. Stop reading aloud. Should any Exalt place a corpse upon the table, she will be drained of 1 point of Essence, and the corpse will burn away as though she had used the Zenith Caste anima. The undead cannot enter this chamber. The Angel of Rusted Hearts hopes to create or find one potent enough to do so, but so far, she has had no success. She has even considered somehow trying to trick the Dawn Caste walking dead into entering the Zenith Chamber, but has not been successful in that either. Should anyone try to harm the statue, she will take damage equal to that she causes to the statue. This was enough to dissuade the Angel from continuing her attempts to destroy it for the time being. If a Solar Exalted bows before the statue and prays, she will find all her essence and health restored. Each character may only do this once per day. If the players dont think of having their characters pray to their patron, you might allow a Scholarship roll requiring at least three successes. This effect is potent, but should not be abused as it may upset the Unconquered Sun. Read aloud when the characters come close enough to see what is on the table: The Zenith caste member recognizes the items on the stone table. The first item is a finely crafted slashing sword, gilded with gold. The other two items are a pair of golden orichalcum bracers he remembers being as effective protection as a mighty shield. They rest upon a white silk robe covered in a thick pile of fine ash. The final item is the golden key of Zenith Stop reading aloud. The ash is the remains of Morning Breezes ancient Zenith counterpart, cremated by the Zenith Caste anima power as he would have wished. Characters might recognize the remains as human ash with a Scholarship roll scoring at least three successes. The gold-slashing sword is not an artifact, but it is an exceptional weapon thats still in excellent condition.

ORICHALCUM BRACERS
These bracers may only be wielded by a Zenith Caste Exalt. The bracers are artifacts made of the golden metal orichalcum. Worn as a pair, they protect like a shield preventing one level of damage from melee attacks and two levels from ranged attacks. They also give the wearer +1 to Magnetism. Wearing the bracers costs Morning Breeze 3 points of Essence that he cannot recover as long as he wears them. Each Bracer has a setting for a hearthstone.

STORY VII - THE TWILIGHT CHAMBER

This is the burial room for the First Age counterpart to the Twilight Caste member, but that corpse is not here. Indeed, the coffin remains sealed, and Old Realm pictograms mark it as a symbolic one for a Twilight body lost to demons. A decorative bookshelf lies overturned, its meager library stolen by the Angel. An invisible barrier of Essence, which provides a nearly impenetrable defense for the Twilights coffin, surrounds the lower half of the room. The only thing the characters have which can pierce it is Emerald Countermagic. The bronze bookshelf is empty and appears smashed. The Angel tried to throw it through the barrier without success. She has taken some of the books to study in her own chamber. Read this part aloud: This round chamber is about 25 yards across. A half circle of the floor, is sunken a foot or so into the floor. Resting at the heart of that half circle is a stone table bearing a gilded coffin deeply engraved with Old Realm symbols. The half of the room closer to you is far more disturbing. An overturned bronze bookshelf sits to one side of the door, with books spread all over the floor. A shimmering shield of essence blocks off the half of the room with the stone table. Stop reading aloud. If the characters examine the books on the floor one particular book stands out. Although its cover is worn and dull, the Twilight Caste member recognizes it as one of his spell books from his previous life. He opens the book to a page and feels compelled to read it. The page teaches the exalt how to perform Emerald Countermagic. A Scholarship test must be made to see how long it takes before the magic is successful in breaking down the magical barrier.

EMERALD COUNTERMAGIC
2 Essence Character can prevent a magical spell or attack from affecting him for 1 turn. This is an instant effect and does not have to be charged. 4 Essence Character can nullify a magical effect. This is also an instant effect and does not have to be charged. This spell cannot be used to banish demons or spirits.

If the characters get past the invisible barrier, they may approach the coffin. A Scholarship roll can be made for the Twilight to interpret the arcane dialect of the Old Realm language. The coffin reads as follows: No hero lies within this vessel, for she was taken to Hell by demons. Know that the creature within is a liar. Do not release that which you cannot put down. Read this part aloud: Lifting the heavy lid and moving it aside, you are greeted by the sight of a stunningly beautiful woman with shimmering blond hair wearing a silk robe embroidered with Old Realm symbols and a golden crown set upon her brow. She holds the key of Twilight. Her image flickers for a moment, turning utterly black in shade, and then vanishes. The robe settles emptily to the bottom of the coffin, and the tiara clinks as it tips over as well. Your nostrils are greeted with the odor of copper and blood. Stop reading aloud.

The Twilight predecessor fell prey to a demon, which killed her and took her place. When the DragonBlooded came to slay the vile Anathema, they were unwittingly more right. They wounded the demon until it sank into a death sleep, and then, they entombed it, never knowing it wasnt one of the Solars. Now, it has escaped, either returning to Hell or waiting for you to use it in future stories. The robe is not an artifact, being of simple silk kept unspoiled by the tomb. Nonetheless, the symbols woven into it might someday yield the secrets of a new spell should your players continue to play the same characters. The tiara is an artifact crafted of the magical golden metal called orichalcum. The Twilight caste recalls that it once belonged to him in his prior incarnation. It has an empty setting in the front that is perfectly sized for the Hearthstone he carries.

THE SPELL BOOK

This book features all of the spells known to the Twilight Caste member of the first age. However its writing is in written in language of the first age and is indecipherable. Through study and practice, the current Twilight Caste member can use it to learn any spell from The Book of Three Circles.

ORICHALCUM CROWN
This item may only be worn by a Twilight Caste Exalt. Wearing the crown costs 2 points of Essence. The circlet gives the player +1 die to any Scholarship rolls he has to make. This crown also provides a magical barrier against ranged attacks allowing the wearer to attempt dodge arrows or thrown weapons without taking an action to do so. This allows the user to cast sorcery spells while still dodging ranged weapons. It has a setting for 3 heart stones.

STORY VIII - THE NIGHT CHAMBER

This room serves as the tomb of the fallen Night Caste. The corpse here has not been animated because the Angel hasnt yet disabled all of the traps. Read this part aloud: This chamber is about 25 yards across and circular. The center 15 yards of the room is set about one foot deeper than the floor upon which you stand. There is a stone table in the center of the room upon which rests a gilt stone coffin. An ominous bloodstain covers the floor just inside of the nearest edge of the sunken area. One edge of the dried pool is oddly squared off. Stop reading aloud. Get the players to roll Stealth for their characters. Whoever gets the most successes, can deduce that there is some sort of trap set into the floor, even if the players didnt think of this. With a successful Stealth roll, a character could leap to the table at the center, without touching the sunken floor. Anyone stepping on the floor is automatically attacked by shining yellow darts made of Essence that spring from the edges of the raised floor to strike at his feet and legs. This attack is a ranged attack with fighting 3 attribute, and a character may choose to dodge as normal. A bolt will do lethal damage and then fade away or strike a wall and fade away should it miss. Running across the floor should count as about seven steps, each of which invokes an attack that may be dodged. Within the coffin lies the body of the Night caste predecessor. His once-lithe form is desiccated and mummified, cradling a golden bow and a handful of arrows to his chest and the key of night around his neck.

ORICHALCUM POWER BOW

This item may only be used by a night caste exalt. The bow is made of the magical golden metal known as orichalcum, and the Night Caste Member recognizes it as hers from a prior life. If he arms herself with it, Add +1 to Stealth. The bow also has near unlimited range and unmatched power. You can shoot a lead pipe through a brick wall with this baby. The arrows are less impressive. They are 12 normal broadhead arrows, albeit filigreed with gold and preserved by the tomb. The bow has 2 settings for hearthstones.

THE ECLIPSE CHAMBER

The potential final conflict of the story. Herein, the characters have unwittingly trapped the Angel of Rusted Hearts. When the moving stair finally settles upon this chamber, she is quick to emerge from the archway to engage the Circle from the top of the stair for fear of being trapped there. She is bloated upon the blood Essence of locals gone missing and will be a dangerous foe. Read this part aloud: As the grinding movement of the stairway comes to a stop, two figures rush from the archway to stand at the top of the stair as though they had been waiting for release. Each brings you joy and sorrow in its own fashion. On the left hand side stands the rippling ghostly form of the bandit kin, whom your Circle so recently defeated. He bears a black catclaw glove and a great black bow with tendrils of smoke swirling about its length. You are not glad to see the evil figure surely thirst to put him finally to rest. On the right hand side stands a beautiful woman with dark hair and a white robe hanging loosely over her cunningly curved armor. Your spirits soar for a moment as you recognize the final member of your Circle, but your hearts immediately sink as the Underworld artistry of her armor suggest that all of this bloodshed and foul play must surely be her doing. A Deathlord must have somehow corrupted her. Stop reading aloud.

How this plays out depends largely upon the players and on your desires. If the players seem willing to talk to her, she will likely seek to escape. The Angel is powerful, but she is no fool. She knows very well that four heavily armed Solars are likely to exceed her own might, and the wreckage below stands as mute testimony to the Circles violence. If the characters speak to her, have her try to convince them to

let her leave. She will even offer to trade her name (or rather title, since she gave her name to the Abyss) and her weapons for their oath that they will not harm her. Characters should be careful how they word this agreement because she has the power to enforce this oath (see her Moonshadow Caste anima power below). If the characters act as though combat is inevitable, she will change in to her true form (See below) and angrily raise her left hand into the air, as the Bandit King begins firing arrows at the characters. The Bandit King will stick to archery unless forced into melee combat with his axe. If he is incapacitated, he will fade away into the Underworld. What the characters dont know is that she is trying to summon her magical soulsteel blade from the Void, but something about the tomb keeps her from reaching it. Instead, she tries to steal one of the characters weapons using the Thieving Raiton Claws Charm (see below). Then, she rains Crypt Bolts (also see below) upon the characters until such time as she is forced into melee combat. If the Angel of Pacts Sealed in Blood is pushed into combat, she is too arrogant to surrender. She will fight to the death, believing that her spirit will simply reform in the Underworld.

BLACK THORN/BALTHOR, THE BANDIT KING HEROIC UNDEAD:

Fighting: Magnetism: Scholarship: Stealth: Embassy: 3 2 1 1 1 Wounds: -0 -0 -0 Incapacitated Heavy Armor Straight Sword

Gear:

Other Notes: The Bandit King will dematerialize should the combat go poorly. He cant use this as a combat maneuver because it costs him enough Essence that he wont be back anytime soon should he choose to do so. All of the Bandit Kings weapons and armor disappear with him or slowly burn away in the sunlight except for a single cursed Soulsteel Gauntlet. Any mortal or exalt that wears the gauntlet will gradually lose their mind, hearing voices, and giving in to compulsions. Given enough time wearing the glove they become possessed by a demon.

SOULSTEEL CATCLAW
This counts as a small one handed weapon as well as light armor. The glove grants the wearer +1 to their fighting ability, but it is a cursed weapon and bears a demon inside it. The wearer will gradually and unknowingly become more influenced by the demon. The weapon has a setting for a hearthstone and cost the wearer 3 essence to wear.

ANGEL OF RUSTED HEARTS, ABYSSAL MOONSHADOW CASTE, CORRUPTED FORMER ECLIPSE SOLAR EXALTED
Fighting: Magnetism: Scholarship: Stealth: Embassy: 1 3 4 2 5 Wounds: -0 -0 -0 -1 -1 -3 Incapacitated Gear: Heavy articulated plate armor (female), Steel Whip Charms: Listed Below

MOONSHADOW CASTE ANIMA POWER SANCTIFY OATHS 2 Essence - A promise can be enforced by the masters of the Underworld. If broken, then a curse befalls the oath breaker, and the next three actions he attempts, including attack rolls, automatically botch. CRYPT BOLT 1 ESSENCE - Sends a bolt of crackling darkness to strike a single target. Use Scholarship +2 for damage. ESSENCE ENGORGEMENT TECHNIQUE 1 Essence - Exalt gains Essence from drinking the blood of others. FIVE SHADOW FEINT Varies Exalt flickers with confusing shadows reducing the dodge of an opponent by one die per point of Essence she spends while attacking her target.

FLUTTERING MOTH DEFENSE - 2 Essence, the Angel can make a parry at her full parry dice pool without using her action for the turn. As usual, she cannot use any other Charm the same turn she employs this one, but she can use this Charm more than once in a turn in order to parry more than one blow. FURIOUS BLADE Varies - invests the blade with roiling darkness that grants her +1 die to her attack roll per point of Essence she spends. PASSION-UNVEILING GLANCE 2 Essence Exalt and determine the emotional state of a target THIEVING RAITON CLAWS 2 Essence Exalt may summon an opponents non-magical weapon. UNFURLING IRON LOTUS For 9 points of Essence, the Angel can greatly increase her speed and attack four times in a single turn with a blade. Each attack must be parried or dodged separately, and a single target faced with more than one attack can only do so if he has an appropriate Charm. SHADOWLANDS CIRCLE NECROMANCY Static Exalt can use necromancy spells. RAISE THE SKELETAL HORDE 3 Essence - Animates one dead body, turning it into a zombie. If the characters dont press the attack swiftly enough, and you think she has time, she can use this to animate the dead bandits in the central chamber, if the characters left them there. This is one of the spells she used to create various walking dead in the complex. Other Notes: As the Angel uses her Charms, she is surrounded by strange black energies, and the circular Caste Mark on her forehead bleeds. Describe this to the players because it is a cool visual of her power in action and because it emphasizes that she has become an opposite to the Solars. If the characters defeat the Angel and Black Thorn, the ghosts fades away, while the corrupted former Eclipse falls in battle. She croaks a threat to return through her blood-specked lips and looks beautiful even in death. Her armor is articulated plate, fitted to her specific dimensions. It might fit a female character, loosely, with modifications, but they aren't likely to want to wear such ominous heavy gear. She also leaves behind a steel barbed whip. There is no sign of any Orichalcum items or other useful gear. (The Eclipse/Moonshadow caste item is actually a magical pen. It possesses the ability to bring drawings to life and words written by its tip may come to life when written by its author. The item is attuned to her and she leaves no mention of it). No further hindrances lie between the characters and the final chamber. Read this part aloud when The Angel and Black Thorn are gone. This chamber of the tomb is about 25 yards across, with a band of the floor that runs from five yards to ten yards from the wall set one foot lower. The center of the room is a five-yard across island of floor at the same height as that on which you stand, thus forming the symbol of the Eclipse Caste. Scattered the edges of the room are various carved bones and bloodstains. On the center platform is a bed made of furs with open tomes resting upon it. The sunken area of the floor is clean of any carnage, but a number of wooden chests sit upon it. Stop reading aloud. Within the chamber, the tomes of the Twilight are to be found, albeit they are primarily ceremonial texts meant to accompany the dead to the Far Shore. Ironically, they were of greater use to the Angel of Rusted Hearts this lifetime than they were to the Twilight in First Age. There is also an unfinished letter the Angel was busy writing to her Deathlord master, the Walker in the Darkness, which sort of proves she is a corrupted Eclipse because she mentions that her plan to capture and corrupt the Circle seems to be progressing well. There is still no sign of any Orichalcum items or other useful gear. The chamber does hold five chests of silver and jade coins. Obviously belongings of the First Age exalts as well as the bandits outside. There is enough there to buy a large estate or ship.

THE HEROES RETURN

Read this part aloud, assuming the characters survive: Your victorious Circle emerges from the tomb. There is no sign of the dragon bloods, the abyssal or your friend Rynn. Upon searching around the temple, Rynn emerges from the forest. She asks you what exactly happened inside the tomb. She is not surprised by the story you have to tell her. She also notices the artifact weapons in your hands. Rynn suggest that you head north to her home city of Sijan to gain provisions. A grand homecoming awaits them as the Sidereal Monks of the Bronze Faction have waited centuries for their return. What legends will you tell of your deeds? What do you do now? Stop reading aloud. At this point all players should receive experience points and be allowed to recover or ask questions.

END OF SESSION I 1/8/12 6 hour session 1 month of game time

SESSION II
The Wood Dragon

SESSION I RECAP THINGS TO REMEMBER

The Circle met with a Sidereal whom calls himself Garland. The man was able to stop time and predict the simultaneous exaltation of the four members of the circle. Although, the circle was already being guided by their dreams, he managed to summon them to Nexus and told them vague details of their quest. He mentions that a fifth member of the Circle awaits them along their journey. The Circle set out for the Tomb of Five Corners. The road to the tomb was dangerous and rumors about bandits, the walking dead, and shadowlands were told by travelers and villagers along the road. The Circle found a party of bandits who were assaulting a family of farmers. Included in the group was Balthor the Bandit King. The Circle killed all of them plus an innocent old man in the process. Traveling with the farmers was a mysterious girl with silver eyes and a pair of firearms (an uncommon weapon for this part of the world). Her name is Rynn and she informs the circle that she was sent by a group of Sidereals to find them and bring them back to her home city of Sijan where they will find their true destiny. But first she guides them to the tomb of five corners to retrieve their possessions from their past lives. The group takes a wagon and a few horses and heads off to the tomb. The group find the tomb. Corpses around the temple rise when they approach and the circle slays them. They climb the temple stairs and enter the tomb. Rynn refuses to enter the temple because it is a place meant only for Solars. Inside the tomb the group is swarmed by scarabs but disperses the crowd with a burst of essence. They decend further in to the temple and discover a band of Imperial Soldiers led by a Dragon Blood. Battle ensues and the Soldiers surrender within moments. They lay down their weapons, strip naked, teach the circle how to operate the keypad on the altar and run from the temple. The group never discovers the name of the house in which they serve or the name of the dragon blood that leads them. The group uses the keypad to search the first four chambers. Each possesses a challenge for the circle but offers an artifact of great power. There is one artifact for each circle member as well as a key which is meant to be used to unlock a secret compartment in the altar.

The group goes to enter the final chamber and in the process allows two figures to escape from the previously isolated room. The first figure is a beautiful woman with long dark hair. The circle recognizes her as their fifth circle member. The second figure is an abyssal servant. The woman tries to convince the circle to join her on the dark side and to take over the world, but the circle refuses. Once battle becomes imminent she changes her form in to her true state as an Abyssal Exalted. As a relatively young exalt, she knows she is outnumbered and attempts to negotiate her safe exit from the building. She is allowed to lead after making the following oath: She will lay down her weapons, She will never personally attack a member of the circle, When they find the gate to the Underworld she will lead them through the Labyrinth, and finally she gives them her mortal name Glissa. By giving them her true name, the circle may claim her soul from her dark master (whos name was never revealed to the group). She leaves, but she instructs her servant to stay behind and fight to the death. After the fight is over, the servant vanishes in to shadows without ever giving his name and there is no sign of the woman. After searching her chamber, they discover a letter written in an underworld language. The Circle emerged from the Tomb victorious, but there was no sign of the dragon bloods, the abyssals, or Rynn. After a quick search of the area, Rynn emerges from the black foliage. The circle tells them of the encounter and she tells them the city of Sijan awaits. What do they do now.

THE ECLIPSE LETTER To the Walker in the Darkness, I want to thank you for granting me the services of your newest exalt. He is happy to be done with his meaningless life as a bandit king. The trials of punishment you put him through have earned his loyalty but have not broken his spirit. Should the circle be a problem, he is more than willing to make them suffer his revenge, but I assure you that his services are quite unnecessary. Our plans to corrupt the Solar Circle are progressing well. I can feel them heading to me as I write these words. Surely they will see that together we possess the power to take back the world that is truly ours. They will know the prejudice put upon them by the Empire. Using our connections with the dragon bloods as well as the power of the child, we will rule all of creation. And the world will know that the power of the underworld is greater than that of the elemental dragons or the Unconquered Sun. Once they have joined me, we will find the gate and then we can raise your great army. I long for the day I can return to you. I will not disappoint you. My name, my soul, my heart is yours.

May the Shadow of the Moon protect you, The Angel of Rusted Hearts STORY I THE ROAD TO SIJAN
Led by Rynn, the Circle travels for eight days straight on the road to Sijan. They travel through fields of dead grass and forests with no leaves. Injured from their encounter at the tomb of five corners, they decide not to explore the land for the walking dead. They lick their wounds and continue on the road to salvation.

THE DREAM
While traveling through the shadowlands, the circle is disturbed by dreams and visions. The dream of a Glissa, The Angel of Rusted Hearts. She seduces them in their dreams. Stopping at no end to please them and convince them to join her. They dream of the bandit king. He endures horrific bouts of torture at the hand of a deformed man with no lips and blades for fingers. Finally the dream of a young girl. With pink hair and green eyes. She is crying and the circle feels a need to end her suffering.

THE ENDLESS STAIRCASE

Led by Rynn, the circle travels through hilly lands and eventually arrives at the base of a mountain range. They continue up a trail through the mountains through a narrow pass until they arrive at the base of a massive stairway. The stair case is approximately 30 yards wide and has no guard rail on either side. Its not a true staircase as parts of it flatten out and extend for a bit before stepping up again. However, it is the only way to ascends up the steep mountains and rocky cliffs. Rynn instructs them that although they can not see it, at the top of the stairs is the free city of Sijan. It is a secret city hidden in the mountains of the scavenger lands, operating outside the realm and rules of creation. The circle begins to go up the endless staircase. The climb is treacherous as it winds around rocky cliffs, through caves, and into the cold windy mountain air. They occasionally stop for rest at guard houses that host a pair of armed guards and a large alarm bell. Rynn provides the guards with sufficient proof that the group is trustworthy. The group is permitted to eat, sleep, and stay warm inside the house. There is even a shrine in the case that visitors wish to pray to the Unconquered Sun or the Maiden Stars. Visitors are blessed upon leaving the house, but it is customary that they pay tribute for the hospitality.

STORY II EXPLORING SIJAN

Great mountains conceal the unique manse-city called Sijan. Created in the First Age by a architect of great knowledge and skill it was later discovered by the Sidereals of the Bronze Faction. The main building has a vault room that is home to its hearthstone. The city is split in to two main buildings and a courtyard with high walls. The grounds remain immaculate thanks to the Groundskeeper. Rynn leads the group to their own personal suites on the 7th level of the Circle Spires. She tells the circle that they should eat and rest and they will later gather in the theater where they will read the scroll along side the Sijan Council. If the circle asks where to find Rynn, she tells them she lives in the suites on the 3rd floor in the spire of the Eclipse.

THE COURTYARD
Thanks to the efforts of the Groundskeeper, the grounds of the manse are immaculate, with well trimmed lawns, weeded gardens and so on. The grounds between the solar spires and central building are divided into four sections, each surrounded by varying degrees of flower garden. Grass comprises the entirety of one section, used for outdoor training, contests and sport. A lone tree dominates another, used mostly for picnicking. A ring of smaller trees surrounds another section, enclosing a secluded great lawn. More heavily wooded, the last section was intended mostly for secluded outdoor liaisons. A reflecting pool of almost still, extremely pure water dominates the grounds between the Bronze Temple and central building.

THE CIRCLE SPIRES

The first of the two buildings is the Circle Spires. It consists of five spires, crossing as they rise over a central atrium. Each spire is dedicated to one of the members of the circle. The dawn spire points to the east, at the rising sun. Moving around the circle are the zenith, twilight, night and eclipse spires. A platform connecting to the top of each sphere floats fifty feet above the ground.

THE BRONZE TEMPLE

On the opposite side of the site lays the Sidereal portion of Sijan. The temple appears from the outside as a large sphere of mirrored bronze in front of a large, though shallow, reflective pool.

THE CENTRAL BUILDING

Central to the site is a long, narrow building. The tiered structure houses most of Sijans Population. It also contains essential areas such as stables, kitchens, laundry, etc.

THE DAMAGE OF THE ECLIPSE TOWER

A meteor hit the Eclipse spire around two hundred years ago, snapping it in half. The top half of the spire remains lying in a ravine amid smaller pieces of rubble. The cracked lower remnants of the spire remains standing.Most of the jagged top is solid rock, though the stairways are open to the elements.

SPECIAL FEATURES
The climate within the buildings is magically air-conditioned and heated. All rooms have light panels powered by magically enhanced batteries that glow or darken on command. The reflecting pools have been used by Sidereal to scry granted them glimpses of distance people, places, and times. Below the buildings are buried what are pumps that keep water circulating in the building. The pumps power the fountains, plumbing systems, baths, swimming pools, etc.

CIRCLE SPIRES SUB-LEVEL THE PUBLIC FACILITIES

Beneath the ground level is a vast sublevel containing mostly practical rooms, storage and a large vault. Most of the rooms are self-explanatory. The Dawn section focusses on Combat training and includes a small grandstand for viewing martial demonstrations. There is also a bath house and sauna attached. A theater with tiered seating for up to 120 dominates the zenith section. TheTwilight section is dominated by a huge library and study filled with books about medicine, the arts, science, and history. A lounge is attached to this area. The night section contains a gynasium and a room with a pool. An artifact keeps the swimming pool filtered. The eclipse section has a variety of purposes. It houses a forge, a testing room and an occult library. The central section contains storage, wine cellars and the vault.

CIRCLE SPIRE 1ST FLOOR THE ATRIUM

Though built to be impressive, the ground floor is not as lavish as it might be, as its builders neither wanted nor expected visitors. In addition to two large doors to the outside, the foyer contains statues and mosaics of the circle. Fountains in the foyer, atrium and parlor continue to circulate extremely clean water. While several dining areas of different sizes are on this level, the prep kitchen acts as more of a staging area, with the main cooking done in the central building. Open to the sky, a floating platform can be seen connecting the spires far above the central atrium. Balconies on several levels above look down into this atrium.

CIRCLE SPIRE 2ND FLOOR THE MEETING ROOMS

Considered a semi-public area, the second level contains a wide entertaining area overlooking the atrium below, toilets for use by guests in the dining areas and a number of meeting rooms, which could be used for anything from hosting card games, military planning, massage parlors, research rooms, studies and so on. Some rooms have be converted to bedrooms. As with the ground floor, there are no windows on this floor. Only the central atrium opens to the outside air. The area around the central atrium contains a number of stone tables and chairs of various sizes, many set against the marble banister over looking the fountain below. Water from the fountain below shoots up almost to eye level on this floor. The circle can remember visions of the group overlooking the atrium while enjoying a breakfast.

CIRCLE SPIRE 3RD FLOOR THE SUITES

The first private level. These rooms are built for the leaders and nobles of the city. They are well furnished. Each room is a suite for a single resident, containing a bedroom, a toilet and a living room. While none of the rooms have windows to the outside, they each have a balcony overlooking the central atrium. The balcony is split so that part of it is entered from the bedroom while the rest is entered from the living room. Crossing between spires is not possible on this level.

CIRCLE SPIRE 4TH FLOOR THE GALLERY

The fourth level is the most narrow. The entire floor is a single room, largely air atrium, with a long drop down to the ground floor. With the crossing of the spires here, the steps are closer together here than anywhere else in the tower. This level tends to be used for transferring from one spire to another and hosts a great deal of sculpture and mosaic art.

CIRCLE SPIRE 5TH FLOOR THE GREENHOUSE

The last level where the five spires are merged together, the fifth level is also the first level with an outside facing opening. On each of the five sides is a long balcony, stretching the entire length of the wall. The inner walls also contain long openings allowing a view of the catwalk above and the atrium below. These openings make this level quite well lit during the day, so the majority of the floor acts as a greenhouse of sorts. Enchantments keep the plants within. Most of the plants are rare tropical species, including plants used in various forms of medical treatment.

CIRCLE SPIRE 6TH AND 7TH FLOORS SOLAR SUITES

By the time the sixth level is reached, the spires have completely separated from one another. This floor holds the quarters of the Circle. The most extravagant of the city, each has an outward facing balcony. Each of the Circle has their own suite containing a vast bedroom, a living room and toilet. The style of each suite differs radically from the others, matching the personality of the original solar who lived there. Some suites have no internal walls, separating the various rooms with curtains. Others used dark stone furniture or mirrored walls. These mirrors can be used to scry. A staircase inside the room leads to the second floor of the suite. The same staircase goes to the Observation tower at the top of the spire.

CIRCLE SPIRE 8TH FLOOR OBSERVATION ROOMS AND THE SUSPENDED PLATFORM
Simple observation rooms make up the eighth level, each with a stone bench and an outward facing balcony. The view from any of these rooms is quite breathtaking. Floating at the level of the rooms on the seventh level is a large circular platform with a round marble table at its center. Radiating outward from this are five marble walkways, each pointing towards one of the spires. At the end of each walkway is an observation room. Due to the damage of the Eclipse spire, the platform appears to be unsafe to stand on, but the Sidereals have not found a way to repair the spire or the walkways.

THE BRONZE TEMPLE

On the opposite side of the courtyard from the spires is the temple. From the outside, this is a large, reflective bronze sphere buried partially in the ground. One large door opens outward into the courtyard to gain access to the inside of the sphere. From the inside, the sphere is completely transparent, allowing any within to see outside in any direction. It is a two way mirror. Further, the sphere blocks all sunlight from coming in, but does allow light from stars and the moon. This enchantment allows visitors to see the entire night sky, even during the day. Unlike the spires, the temple is not intended for residence. Divining with the star is the primary purpose of the building, with some additional space for study and training.

BRONZE TEMPLE 1ST FLOOR

The main entrance opens into a foyer dominated by a large statue of the Star Maidens. A mosaic tile image of the galaxy graces the wall behind them, covered from ceiling to floor by a thin sheet of falling water that empties to a pool around their feet. Water from this pool silently cascades down five stairs toward the door, slowing to almost mirror smoothness. Three sets of stairs climb from the outer pool directly into the outer wall of the temple, leading nowhere. Stairs also circle around the center of the room, leading up top a set of walkways above the main room and downward into the darkness. The stairs downward lead to a a level of catacombs, but entry is forbidden.

BRONZE TEMPLE 2ND FLOOR

More of a set of walkways than a proper level, the outer section of this level holds a large number of study and training toolse. From this level, visitors can look down onto the first floor below. The platform in the center is of similar marble construction and appears to be used for some sort of ritual or religious practices.

THE CENTRAL BUILDING

Between the spires and the temples lies a multi-story building which houses most of the mortal staff of Sijan. It also hosts many maintenance rooms, such as a kitchen, laundry, stables and so on. Most maintenance functions are conducted on the ground floor, with a barracks on the floor above. Rooms above the barracks floor house mortal servants, with those of increasing status on higher floors than those under them. The building is a tiered structure, with each floor narrower than the floor below. This gives each floor a wide balcony on each edge. Each of these balconies has been fashioned into an intricate, very well tended garden. The rooms on the end of each floor tend to be highly prized and given to the most important servants on a given level. The vast gardens on the barracks level are an exception, being considered more public access and containing wide areas for personal combat training. Atop the building is a silver dome, also surrounded by a garden. Within this dome is single room of unknown use. Access to the room is also forbidden. Most rooms in this building have opening glass windows and the entire building (stables included) are climate controlled.

CENTRAL BUILDING 6TH FLOOR - DOME ROOM

This room is normally off-limits. It is filled with machinery of unknown use. Its actually Rynns workshop. It is filled with Gadgets, wires, metals, gears, bolts, and tools. It also hosts the living quarters of Rynn and her private servants.

RYNN THE ALCHEMICAL EXALT

Rynn is a citizen of Sijan. She is also a master smith known for creating weapons that are able to inspire awe in any who sees them. Rynns hands are covered in the metallic substance known as adamantium. She is able to create beauty through metallurgy, using only her powerful hands to mold and shape molten metal. Her closest bond was with her father who was a champion of war, but that bond was broken when he fell to the underworld during the siege of the Gateway. Rynn was not born in the mountains of Sijan. Rather she was born in the city of Hamadj, a harsh unwelcoming town located in a swamp near the shadowlands. When the Contagion hit her town, her father fled with her to the mountain sanctuary of Sijan. As a young girl she sought out physical challenges to make himself stronger and more resilient. During one of her adventures inside a mine, Rynn was attacked by a strange metallic

scarab. Composed of a magical material called Adamantium, the Auchtonian creature nearly ended her life when she experienced her exalted. The burst of essence was enough to melt the scarab. The melted flesh of the scarabs necrodermis fused into her flesh, bonding with her bones and completely covering the skin on her hands. Immediately after her strange exaltation she became obsessed with technology. She kept her exaltation secret for many years. As her friends got old, she kept her same youthful looks, and the sidereal monks assumed she was some sort of exalt, but they could not divine her true nature. The truth was exposed during a demonstration she gave to the council. She had been studying and experimenting with advanced technology for almost fifty years by that point and she mastered the ability to mold metal with the touch of her hands. Combine with her superior knowledge of technology, Sijan gave its full support to Rynn, even granting her a workspace in the central building. She began inventing all sorts of things. Firearms, the elevator system, mechanical animals, biological implants, etc She decorated Sijan with great statues made of pure metal. She improved the design of the Sidereal Temple and she created fantastic weapons unlike any seen before. Sijan advanced at a stunning pace and prospered. Rynn asked for nothing more than a place among the people that took her and her father in when they had no place to go. In response, they had one last request. To one day find the Circle of heroes that will save the world from chaos.

CENTRAL BUILDING 5TH FLOOR - NOBLE CHAMBERS

The rooms on this level are reserved for the council of seers. All rooms are well appointed and have private staff. Although there are garden balconies on both sides of this level, they are rarely used as the council spends most of its time in the courtyard or in the temple.

CENTRAL BUILDING 4TH FLOOR - ARTISAN QUARTERS

This level is primarily for the artists and entertainers of Sijan. It houses the great minds of the city such as painters, sculptors, authors, performers, scientists, historians, and mathematicians. It consists of mostly double bedrooms, some singles with private baths. Common bathrooms in center, along with studio rooms. As it is designed to inspire, this level is much more ornate than the ones below. There are areas on the ends of the level. One houses a butterfly and flower garden and the other a rocky grotto with waterfall.

CENTRAL BUILDING 3RD FLOOR - SERVANT QUARTERS

This level is for the servants of Sijan. They have rooms for cooks, maids, and groundskeepers. Rooms in center include common bathrooms, recreation rooms and small library.

CENTRAL BUILDING 2ND FLOOR - GENERAL BARRACKS

This level is set up similar to the 3rd level with it having single rooms for soldiers, guards, laborers, professionals of other trades (blacksmiths, alchemists, furriers, etc.), and other common residents. There are common shower rooms/toilets; lockers. There are private rooms with private baths for officers. At the end of each side of this level is a massive garden which houses the animal population of sijan. There is also a hospital equipped to treat multiple patients at the same time.

CENTRAL BUILDING 1ST FLOOR WEST STABLES/MAINTANENCE

The west end of the building hosts the Stables and related rooms. It has storage for the stables, rooms for stable boys; storage for garden tools and supplies; storage rooms for sundries (tools, dishes,

weapons, etc.). It also has a sentry room which posts a guard and monitors incoming traffic to the stables.

CENTRAL BUILDING 1ST FLOOR EAST- DINING/MAINTANENCE

The east end also has a sentry room, but it primarily exists to provide information for the rooms within. In the east part of the building is a laundry room, rooms for tailoring, the dining hall; a food storage area; a magically enhanced cold room, a dish room, and of course, a pub.

WHERE IS THE BROTHEL AND CEMETARY?

At the current time, there are several businesses not available in the city of Sijan. Most notable is the lack of a brothel (which any city that hosts a Dragon Blood will have). There is also no cemetery as the dead are buried at the foot of the mountain.

THE DREAM
During that night, each of the circle receives the same vision. In this dream they see a great beast of fire. The winged behemoth strides across a field of black glass where the sky is red and steam shoots from great cracks in the earth. From beneath its skin, a red orb glows vibrantly. Next they see a cloaked warrior next to the Gateway. Four orbs of different colors of different colors rest in the archway. The warrior places a glowing red orb in the final slot. The stone gateway begins to shift and move as though it were liquid. The stone swirls until shots of light break through the surface. The light grows to a brilliant corona of essence. The warrior walks in to the Gateway and vanishes. The Gateway remains open.

STORY III THE GATEWAY, RAJKO, & THE SCROLL

Led by Rynn the circle is led to the sub-level of the circle spire. In the Theatre, a council of 12 seers sits in a rounded circle. The council is led not by a single man, but by a single consciousness between them all. Resting in the middle of the circle is a decorative scroll tube. One member of the council begins to speak, but at the end of each sentence another seer picks up the speech. You possess half of a scroll. We possess its sister. You wish us to read the scroll do you not? Please present us with the sister scroll. Once the circle presents the scroll to the council, the seers continue speaking. Before we read we must tell you a story. A long time ago, a series of natural disasters destroyed the land. The Great Contagion followed. Many were killed. There was death and sadness everywhere. The land slowly became a shadowland. A place where Creation and the Underworld draw near eachother. The armies of the underworld arrived in this world and sought out to spread the darkness by controlling a sacred Gateway of the First Age. This place is said to be a Gateway between the worlds of mortals and dead. Gods and Demons. Heaven and hell. To Control the Gateway is to control time, space, and heaven. A great warrior named Rajko led an army against a young Deathknight called The Walker in the Darkness. The champion drove them back, but every time he would kill the deathknight, it would return stronger. Eventually Rajko was captured by his enemy and The Deathknight gained control of the Gateway. The Deathknight controlled the sacred place, but never fully harnessed its power. He could not figure out how to open the Gateway As the deathknights influence grew, he obtained control over of a kingdom of the dead in the Underworld. The deathknight became a full Deathlord and gave up his efforts to open the gateway. But he left a Guardian behind to protect it. Rajko was enslaved, corrupted, and imprisoned. His mind was warped and his body twisted. Place in a suit of demon armor made of a dark metal called Soulsteel, he became the Deathknights Guardian of the Gateway. In this land, plants do not grow, animals do not live, nightmares come every night, and dead things roam the earth. Many have died trying to free the Guardian of his torment. Now the people live in fear of the Deathlord and what he will do when he finally opens the gate. Rajko still waits at the Gateway for trespassers. He also longs for another chance to see the one thing he left behind in this worldhis daughter named Rynn.

The Circle has a moment to reflect on what they have just heard. A few details are important to point out. Rynns Father is the Guardian The Gateway is located in the Shadowlands nearby and is at a known location. The Walker in the Darkness,The Angel of Rusted Hearts and Nellens Rashad are up to something regarding the circle and the gateway. The Guardian still protects the gateway and can somehow be freed. The Guardian misses his daughter. Since the Guardian was imprisoned long ago, it is implied that both Rynn and her father are very old. It can be assumed that she is more than just a mortal, but less than Solar Exalted. When asked to read the Scroll, the Council presents their half of the Scroll. Upon lining up the tore edges, the paper automatically mends itself. The Seers could not determine the true meaning of the scroll while only possessing one half, but they were able to learn about the presence and return of the Circle. The council offers to read the the Scroll for a price. They ask the Circle to descend into the Caves that are home to the Gateway. They ask that the Circle liberate the Guardian thus beginning the process of restoring the land back from being a Shadowland. Rynn says she wants to see her fathers eyes one more time before he dies and wishes that the Circle be the ones to lay him to rest. She insists on accompanying the Circle as they descend in to the cavern.

STORY IV THE CAVERN

The Circle is well armed and is led by Rynn to the opening to the cavern. She wears a suit of armor that she crafted herself as well as a few other weapons that she invented herself. She insists that each of the circle carry torches because the path is not lit very well. The caves were naturally made, but later used as a keep for the city of Sijan during the wars of the First Age. The caverns are treacherous. The terrain is difficult to navigate and more disturbing is the sounds of the Guardian screaming and roaring in agony. The ground is wet most of the way and there is not much light to see. Portions of the caves are iced over, other parts are submerged under water. One essential stretch of cave is blocked by massive boulders and must be moved by the circle. The Circle encounters the walking dead along the way, but dont meet any real resistance until they encounter a giant 10 x 10 gelatinous cube. Inside they see bones and half-digested cave dwelling animals.

Gelatinous Cube Fighting: Magnetism: Scholarship: Stealth: Embassy:

0 5 0 0 0

Wounds:

-0 -0 -0 -0 Incapacitated

Any character that touches the cube will fall victim to a paralyzing electric shock. The then moves very slowly to digest its prey. It is immune to bashing or lethal damage. Its only weakness is aggravated damage such as fire or magic. After passing the cube, the circle is almost at the heart of the cavern. Their path leads them to a part of the path that has crumbled in recent years. They must scale the wall to enter the final chamber. As soon as the enter the Gateway room, they are shocked by the sight of the guardian.

RAJKO THE GUARDIAN OF THE GATEWAY

The tortured juggernaut is held in the chamber by six massive chains that are bolted to the walls and floor around the Gateway. The sounds of chittering Scarabs can be heard from their elevated position. Blinded by the first light hes seen in years, the Guardian lets out a monstrous roar that shakes the very core of each player. The sound is amplified and unnatural. Players may notice an apparatus hooked up to the mouth of the Circle. He continues to screams his sounds of murderous rage causing the circle to cover their ears. His body is bound to a spider-like mechanical suit of steel, chains, and spikes. He wields massive hydraulic claws and razor-sharp legs. If the circle attachs the Guardian, see the profile below: If the circle tries to find a way to free the guardian they can survive. They must remove the apparatus from the Guardians head to free him. Once he sees the face of his daugther, he will escape from his mental prison of despair and surrender. Through her knowledge of gadgeteering, Rynn has the ability to safely remove him from the contraption. He collapses to the ground, looks in to her eyas and says his daughters name once before he dies.

Rajko, Guardian of the Gateway Fighting: 7 Magnetism: 7 Scholarship: 1 Stealth: 1 Embassy: 1

-0 -0 -0 -0 -1 -1 -1 -1 -3 Incapacitated RESERVED ATTACK- Rajko will not attack unless provoked. He strikes at initiative 1. And will not attack during a round in which no character attacked him. MULTIPLE ATTACKS - Rajko gets 2 attacks per round and can focus them on different targets. SONIC SCREAM - When Rajko makes his sonic scream, each character not in long range must resist the attack using Magnetism. Count the scream as 3 automatic successes with a strength 3 weapon. Armor does not reduce this damage.

Wounds:

THE GATEWAY
The circle approaches the stone Gateway. It stands twenty feet tall and about ten feet wide at its base. Pile of bones rest among the ground. The archway itself is ornately decorated with symbols of great and terrible images. There are five open slots in the outer ring of the doorway. With recessed grooves on the bottom of each slot, they look as if something has been removed from them. Inside the arch, is a flat wall with black burn marks, scratches, and chips missing from it. The entire doorway is stained with blood and cobwebs. The doorway also has first age language written above it. If the characters can read the writing it says: Only the master of the five dragons may walk amongst the gods. Around the perimeter of the ring it also says: bedlam raiton krooken chemos kari

S TORY IV RETURN TO SIJAN

The Circle returns to Sijan with Rynn. They present the ancient scroll to the council. They live up to their promise to read the scroll. The Scroll is written in moon runes. It can only be read at night during a full moon. They suggest that during the next full moon, there will be a feat and a celebration. The circle should dress for the occasion. The Scroll will be read when the moon is at its fullest. The next full moon is due to occur in three days.

THE SIJAN FEAST

In the courtyard of Sijan, a city wide festival is taking place. The castles walls sing with music and laughter. The sun sets, the wine flows, and the entertainment commences. There are dancers, acrobats, and other performers. The Circle socializes for a bit before the moon shines bright on the courtyard. The Council calls for attention. They announce the death of the Guardian. They introduce the Circle as the holy group of solar exalted that rose from the ashes to change the empire. Then they hold the unified scroll in the moonlight and read: The empire has been in ruin since the disappearance of the Scarlet Empress. Her disappearance has meant the ascension of the Dragon Blood and coincides with the growth of the shadowlands and the wyld. The Scarlet Empress has been reborn as a child and she has been taken captive. A Circle of heroes have been granted the power to shake the heavens. Together they will form an unbreakable circle. The Circle will find the Scarlett child and through her will return order to the realm of creation. Their path will take them to the face of danger and the brink of death. Along the way, one will perish, one will betray the circle, and one will rise to become the new king of creation. The fate of the world lies in the hands of a little girl. The seers tell the circle the way to the child is being blocked by dark forces. The Sidereals can not find their way to her, but they feel the same thing the Circle feels right now. The Gateway is the road to the Scarlet Child.

THE PARADE
After the reading, the Circle is touted as celebrities. Men wish to drink with them. Children want to play with them. And women want to bed them. However, the council of seers has plans already. Five thrones made especially for the circle as arranged on a stage and the Circle is asked to sit. The Eclipse chair remains empty. Ten lovely maidens in different color Kimonos form a line in front of the Circle. The council announces that for hundreds of years the same tradition of the Parade has taken place. Once a year, the fairest of the 18 year old girls in Sijan is elected to become a servant of the Circle for the next 10 years. It is a great honor. Many children are raised from birth to pay tribute to the Circle in all ways, but at any given point there are only 10 maidens of the Circle . They are responsible for maintaining their vacant living quarters, cleaning their statues, and laboring over fine arts of song, brush, and pen in homage to their long awaited heroes. They hold that position for 10 years and on this night, the maidens present themselves as personal hand-maidens to the Circle. The players do not completely understand the connection between themselves and the maidens. However, they are also permitted to choose one of the maidens to become their wives. Upon marriage they seal the bond between sun and stars. The maidens of Sijan will guide the Circle to their destiny.

Maiden #1 Faith

Maiden #2 Hope

Maiden #3 Justice

Maiden #4 Harmony

Maiden #5 Mercy

Maiden #6 Patience

Maiden #7 Temperence

Maiden #8 Prudence

Maiden #9 Grace

Maiden #10 Prudence

STORY V - THE QUEST

Inevitably, the Circle will ask for information regarding the five dragons of the Gateway. The can acquire information about the dragons one of three ways. Either by contacting the council of seers, going to the library, or through visions done while scrying or in deep sleep. The quest is simple. There are Five Dragons of Creation. One for each of the elements: Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, and Wood. In order to master the dragons, they must defeat them and obtain the orbs they defend. Each of the Dragons is a master of its realm and will have to be defeated in a different way. Legend has it that five wise men will help the circle along the way. They are the ones that will reveal how to defeat the dragons. The circle must go to the nearest elemental pole first. They will travel east to a place where the sky and earth disappear and the world is green in every direction. In this place, Wyld things rule, and the Elemental Dragon of Wood is the hand by which all things are governed. They are warned that in a place such as that, the rules of creation do not apply. For the dragon is a Fae-beast and it will most definitely not take its true form.

BACK TO NEXUS
The Circle will spend as much time as needed to heal and train and tie up any loose ends there may be. Rynn tells the group she is staying behind to mourn the loss of her father, but sheThere are two ways to head east. The first and easiest way is to head back South to the city of Nexus and hire a boat to head east. Many boats will go to Great Forks. A few will go as far as Nathir, but it will be challenging to find a boat to will go beyond that. The land becomes savage and the wild life becomes dangerous. The other option is to head east by horse. Through the land called the Hundred Kingdoms. It is a feudal land of tribes and beasts. The safer way is by water. The group says their goodbyes to Rynn and the maidens and heads out on horses kept in the stables.

NATHIR & THRISS

The farthest the circle gets is Nathir. It is is a large city-state of the Hundred Kingdoms located far upriver from Great Forks. It's central location in the Eastern Hundred Kingdoms makes it an ideal trade city, and it has grown into a local power in the Hundred Kingdoms, and an important trade town for the Guild. The circle will need to procure a small ship to head farther up the river. This is how they encounter a man named Thriss. He is a member of a travelling circus and is returning home to their city called Mist Island. As a professional juggler and thief, Thriss excels in gaining the confidence of others. He is a show off but is charismatic and quick talking. He offers the circle the ability to ride along with him to Mist Island. There he will tell them the secret of how to defeat the Dragon of Wood. However, he refuses to give the information to the Circle until they come back to Mist Island with him and help him with his situation.

MIST ISLAND
The island is small. Not much larger than the city of Sijan. Yellow and Red tents are pitched about the island. Thriss admits that his plan is to leave the circus. He has been involved in a not-so-secret love affair with a beautiful contortionist. The Ring Master, who happens to be married to the woman discovered the affair and has made life a living hell for Thriss and his love. He severely beat his wife and cut her face leaving her with horrific scars. She committed suicide soon after. Since that time, the Ringmaster has publicly embarrassed Thriss on several occasions and he him sleeping with the animals. Thriss most recent voyage to Nexus was supposed to be a business meeting with the Guild, but it was a set up. He was captured and bound, but he was able to escape. There is no evidence that the Ringmaster was responsible, but Thriss believes his guilt. He now wants the Ringmaster dead and would like to rob him before leaving the circus. He asks the circle to help him sneak in to the trailer of the ringmaster and keep guard as his throws knives at his most tender of body parts. Once the deed is done, he promises to take the group to lair of the beast.

Do not read: Thriss is lying. As a mortal he does not know his way around the Wyld or to the elemental dragon. He only wanted the aid of four great heroes to commit his crime. He now only seeks to rob them in their sleep and leave them lost in the woods.

THE WYLD & THE FIELD OF WHITE SLEEP

The Circle travels for days and days, not receiving any visions of where to go or what to do when they get there. They begin to get angry with Thriss. Eventually he leads them in to a field of white flowers. While crossing the field, the circle finds a naked woman giggling childishly and rolling around. The longer they stay in the field the more light headed they become from inhaling the pollen of the plant. Eventually they pass out. They are awakened by the screams of their guide. Each of them is tied up with vines. All around them are tiny woodland soldiers with silver wings and spears. Larger sets of eyes shimmer from the foliage. There are three fae-bloods walking amongst the grounds. One is the naked girl seen before. She continues to giggle as she syphons the essence from Thrisss thrashing body. She feeds on his dreams, his loves, his fears. The second is a male. He is large and carries a strange weapon. He stands guard over the scene. The third is an older female. Her body is as if it is part human and part plant. She walks to Thriss and puts her hands upon his face. She says something to him that you can not hear. Whatever she says must have been frightening because Thriss screams with new vigor. Tears stream from his fluttering eyes just before they sink in to his head. His cheeks shrink in and his skin begins to shrivel. The female continues to drain his essense until nothing is left. Then with one horrifying jerk, she rips his head from his body. The pixies scramble to scavenge whatever essence remains. The male remains silent.

After waking up. The party discovers that they are bound. The naked fairy is called Sif- aknah. She is a man-eating nymph that feeds on travelers. She is the daughter of the woman. The male is called Zal Nabur. He is only a servant of the female and is bound to a life of silence. The woman is Tok ra. She is the queen of this forest and is on of the fair folk. She seeks to feast upon the emotions of immortals, but has trouble feeding upon the exalted. What he desires most is the essence of the young and pure. She acknowledges their trespassing, and cares for nothing more than gorging her people on essence. They come to an agreement with the Fae-Blood that in a year and a day, they must return to the field of white sleep and offer a child as a sacrifice. Should they break the oath, they will suffer a great curse and worse yet, they will suffer the wrath of the fair folk. Should the group try to attack the fairies, they can just fly away.

THE GREAT WEB

The Circle continues deeper in to the woods, using the sun to determine eastern direction. For days they climb over tree stumps and weed through bushes. The farther they go the larger the creature get. Giant mosquitos attach the circle at night. Cock roaches the size of bricks scurry on trees and on the jungle floor. Then there is the spider web. The Circle stumbles in to an area of the woods covered in giant golden spiders webs and gaping holes in the ground. It is eerily silent. Large animals hang wrapped up in silk like macabre Christmas ornaments. Others remain as twisted wooden statues rooted to the ground. Most of them resemble woodland creatures, a few look like mortal men. The largest is that of a fourtusked elephant. The circle must navigate through the web without being caught. As soon as one member of the group gets wrapped up in a web they are attacked by a spider horde

1 Spitting Wood Spider Fighting: Magnetism: Scholarship: Stealth: Embassy:

-0 -0 -1 -1 -3 Incapacitated Notes: At range, the Wood spider will spit venom that hardens and causes a frostbite like affect. A bite from this spider will cause the victim to turn to wood and route itself in the ground. 4 Wolf Spiders Fighting: 4 Wounds: -0 Magnetism: 7 -1 Scholarship: 1 -3 Stealth: 4 Incapacitated Embassy: 1 Notes: Wolf Spiders do not spin webs. They chase their victims and can jump great distances. 1 Alpha Wolf Spider Fighting: 5 Wounds: -0 Magnetism: 7 -0 Scholarship: 1 -1 Stealth: 5 -3 Embassy: 1 Incapacitated Notes: Wolf Spiders do not spin webs. They chase their victims and can jump great distances. 1 Burrowing Spider Fighting: Magnetism: Scholarship: Stealth: Embassy:

7 4 1 3 1

Wounds:

-0 -0 -1 -1 -3 Incapacitated Notes: Burrowing Spiders hide in the lairs they dig in the ground. They are ferocious fighters and possess incredible strength. They are known to drag large animals down their holes.

7 7 1 1 1

Wounds:

THE DEEP WYLD & TOOK AL HARIM

While running from the Great Web, the Circle loses track of their direction. The canopy is so thick that very little light actually breaks through. For a period of three days the circle wanders aimless through the forest. They travel through many strange sights, never losing your focus to keep going forward. In one area, the trees in this area are made of oiled copper. Instead of leaves, their branches have flickering flames that burn without smoke or noise. Moving on, are more metallic trees with branches that jingle like bells. Still deeper the tree hatch small pods that contain unrecognizable animal life. The trees and plants are mobile: Whole forests migrate, whether marching on the ground, floating along great rivers or drifting on the wind like giant dandelion seeds. One river runs thick with sap. Another runs with blood., The ground crawls like the itching skin of a gigantic beast. This place is unnatural.

You head deeper in to the wyld. The landscape composed entirely of wood and twigs, flower petals and fungi, pollen, roots and leaves. Trees bear miniature copies of the group as well as other visitors from previous encounter as fruit or fir-cones. Others have maps of the world carved into their bark. The Deep Wyld also holds native creatures made from wood, flower petals and leaves. No space is certain and no track is sure, because there is no sky to navigate by and no earth beneath the feet, only the endless masses of vegetation. The Deep Wyld is home to the ancient Fair Folk who stole across the border of reality and nestled themselves among the trees , leaves, and deep-buried roots to never be bothered by the realm again. At night you can hear them sing eachother to sleep. It all drives you mad. Then suddenly the sun breaks through for the first time in days. Ahead is an open meadow with a single bonsai tree in the distance. The circle walks towards the tree for fifteen minutes before figuring out there arent any closer than they were before. In addition to that, the grass is larger. Not taller, but physical grown larger. Then you realize that its you that has gotten smaller and not the other way around. Frustrated and tired, you all contemplate what to do next. Then there is a loud beastial roar. The grass begins to shake. Then a teenage boy emerges from the grass. He possesses many scars and large tattoos all over his body. His hair is long and untidy. He wears a loin cloth and bands of ivy on his arms. He approaches the ground and smiles.

He speaks: Hello travelers. I am Took Al Harim. I am the keeper of this meadow. And you are trespassing upon my land. Come walk with me to the Great Tree and tell me What brings four mortal men in to the Deep Wyld? Stop reading The circle should explain their situation. Should they attack Took, he will transform in to his were-lion form and summon his band of lycans. They will battle the circle and Took will disappear before he is killed. He will only return much later after the circle has roamed the meadow for hours. If the circle explains their story, he will tell them that they must be tested. Should they win, he will tell them his story and help them in their quest. There are 3 tests. TEST 1 THE RIDDLE The circle must answer a simple riddle: You break me just by saying my name. What am I? Silence What stinks while living but in death smells good? A Pig If you break me, I do not stop working. If you see me. You will die. Your Heart I have many feathers to help me fly. I have a head, but I'm not alive. You strength determines how far I go. You hold me in your hand, but I'm never thrown. What am I? An arrow TEST 2 THE RACE One member of the circle must race to climb the massive Bonsai tree. At its highest level is a red sash. Took and the chosen Character will race to the top to grab the sash and then race back down the tree. Whichever one can touch the ground first while possessing the sash wins. Should Took not make it to the top of the tree first, he will try to snatch the sash from the hands of the exalt as he comes back down. A botch will result in the exalt falling from the tree. TEST 3 THE BATTLE At that point he will transform in to a were-lion and summon his pack of lycans from the grasses for battle. They can fight in the grasses, under the tree, or on the branches. When the Circle defeats the lycans, Took will transform back to his mortal form. Crumpled over and bleeding, he reveals the truth

He speaks: I know who you are now. My family has been bestowed the honor of protecting the meadow for hundreds of years. Our purpose in life is to help the Children of the Sun restore the land. The wyld has taken over and only through our magic does this place stand uncorrupted. I knew you would find this place one day. And now that I have found you, I shall lead you to the elemental pool of wood to meet with the Dragon. You must defeat him and regain control over creation. But be warned, weapons and magics will not work. The only way you can do so is to know his true name. I do not know the name, for if I did, I would have purified this land myself. Surely you have its name already. Do you not? Stop reading. From this point on, Took and his surviving pack members will escort the circle to the elemental pole of wood. But the road is dangerous and things surely will not go as expected. Were-Tiger Fighting: Magnetism: Scholarship: Stealth: Embassy:

1 4 1 2 1

Wounds:

-0 -0 -1 -3 Incapacitated

Were-Lion Fighting: Magnetism: Scholarship: Stealth: Embassy: Were-Bear Fighting: Magnetism: Scholarship: Stealth: Embassy: Were-Shark Fighting: Magnetism: Scholarship: Stealth: Embassy:

2 3 1 2 1

Wounds:

-0 -0 -1 -3 Incapacitated

2 4 1 1 1

Wounds:

-0 -0 -1 -3 Incapacitated

2 2 1 3 1

Wounds:

-0 -0 -1 -3 Incapacitated

Took Al Harim, Lunar Exalted, Full Moon Caste Fighting: 3 Magnetism: 5 Scholarship: 2 Stealth: 2 Embassy: 1 Essence: 10

Wounds:

-0 -0 -1 -1 -3 Incapacitated

ANIMA EFFECT: The Full Moon may spend 1 essence to be able to go from long range to short range as a Running Dodge (instead of full run) or to gain +1 Stealth for Pursuit challenges. ANIMAL FORM: It costs one essence to change to an alternate form Select an animal form to shift into, it gives a + 1 bonus to two attributes and a -1 penalty to another WAR FORM: It costs one essence to change to war form. This form is an amalgamation of human form and your selected animal form, it provides a +2 to your Fighting. LUNAR ABILITY - Lunars spend 2 points of Essence to gain 1d6 automatic successes for a favored Attribute (fighting/stealth) instead adding +2 dice. RELENTLESS LUNAR FURY Rage mode. Adds one auto success to attack or defense. Ignore -1 and -0 wound penalties. Ignore fatigue. GOLDEN TIGER STANCE Enhanced Dodge HUMBLE MOUSE SHAPE Can reduce himself to the size of a mouse PREYS SKIN DISGUISE Can take the disguise of another human IRRESISTIBLE SILVER SPIRIT Makes other Lycans follow him faithfully MASK OF WHITE JADE Causes others manipulative actions to fail automatically NEW FRIEND AROMA Causes target a moment of friendship/intimacy ONE OF THE HERD Allows lunar to melt in to the crowd/shadows PERFECT SYMMETRY Enhances Attractiveness RABID BEAST ATTITUDE Reduces wound penalties by 1

THE POISON WOOD

Took leads you through what he calls the most dangerous forest in the Deep Wyld. The trees are formed of crystallized poisons such as coral snake venom, strychnine or arsenic. Many of the plants sport glistening and deadly jewel-like thorns. A single scratch can bring a lingering and painful death to any mortal. Took admits seeing a friend stumble in to a bush and immediately swelling up in a mess of purple and black bleeding flesh. Eating one of the trees fruits, the pure essence of poison, would kill all but the most powerful gods or Exalted. Small half-plant reptiles and amphibian are equally dangerous. They are extremely toxic and secrete the poison. None of these brightly colored creatures can be bred outside the Poison Woods, since they all grow from pods on the toxic plants. Treat any scratch or prick from the forest as exposure to arrow frog venom and their bites are as dangerous as coral snake venom. The Circle must navigate these woods avoiding contact with everything or risking injury. The only way to treat this poison is through sucking out the poison, amputating the limb, or curing the poison with an antidote composed of anti-venom (which is very expensive and difficult to procure).

THE FOREST OF ARMS AND TEETH

In this bizarre woodland, the trees are made of bleeding flesh, gnashing teeth, and patches of dirty hair. The branches of these trees consist of wild arrays of arms that watch visitors with functional human eyes on tops of their hands. These limbs react to movement around them trying to grab anyone who comes within range. They will fight back if someone attacks them. Walking hands and strange conglomerations of arms and eyes occasionally fall from the trees like ripe fruit, and run or scuttle across the ground until they find a new tree to join. These creatures may mistake mortals or Exalted for attractive trees in desperate need of additional branches. They will attempt to climb up them and attach themselves. The circle may find the limbs bonding to him becoming temporarily attached and feeding from their bodies resources. Sadly, the extra limbs almost never match the victims original arms, or each other, and they bond anywhere they can get a grip. In many cases, the arms have a mind of their own, but some are controlled by hosts with exception levels of willpower.A few surgeons might pay for these animate arms and hands, as replacement limbs for maimed patients. Limbs from the Forest of Arms retain their power to bond only in a Wyld zone, however, so unless a doctor and patient are willing to enter the Wyld, the surgeon also requires an operating room artificially infused with Wyld energies.

THE WYRM WOOD/THE ELEMENTAL POLE OF WOOD

Creations Eastern limit is an eternal world of green thought and green shade. Nothing but trunks and branches, vines and smaller plants, going up and down forever. The very light is green, filtered down through countless leaves above. Animals and birds of living wood and leaves move silently through the foliage and among the trees. Everything here is quiet, except for the rustling of leaves and the whisper of reeds. The sound of voices carries for a long distance and draws anything nearby. This is the pole of growing things and abundant life, where nothing dies except when it is eaten or assimilated into something else. Moss and molds grow on your unprotected clothing and bodies. Great Wyrms live amongst the trees here. Unaffected by time, hunger, or creation. This is the place they go to mate and give birth before returning to the wooded areas of the world. The Elemental Dragon of

Wood does not come here often, as events elsewhere in Creation keep him busy. However he has currently set up dominion here as the most spiritually evolved entity in the region. A great wyrm emerges from the foliage and snatches up Took. Smaller than those in the Wyrm Wood, it drags him in to the green, but the circle gets a good look before it disappears. Her every scale is a perfectly shaped leaf carved from ironwood or ebony, her eyes shine the pure green of spring willows. The Wyrm has no legs, only teeth and small individual claws along the length of its body that help propel I along. It is a giant serpents woven from vines and it slithers among the branches and between the roots, rising to swallow anything nearby. The circle may attempt to fight the Dragon but they will not be able to damage it. Only after calling it by its name will it stop, slowly slither in front the circle and transforming in to a twisted oak tree with a glowing green orb resting in its hollow. The dragons name is Bedlam. The circle will have learned this from reading the writing around the Gateway. As soon as they touch the orb, the circle blacks out

Bedlam, The Elemental Dragon of Wood Fighting: 10 Magnetism: 10 Scholarship: 5 Stealth: 5 Embassy: 7 Essence: 50

Wounds:

-0 -0 -0 -0 -1 -1 -2 -2 -3 Incapacitated

THE DREAM
While the circle is blacked out they have a vision. It is of the Scarlet Child. She is young probably 6-8 years old. Her hair is tied in a top-knot with flowing strands sneaking out to from her round face. Her eyes sparkle like blue green waters upon the white sands of her smooth skin. She sits inside a chalk circle drawn in the center of a chamber of black rock. Dark demons with festering boils stand at her side as her blank face stares to oblivion. They feed her flesh and blood from bowls made of bone. Her eyes dilate until her pupils are tiny black dots. She whispers the words, Awake. The circle then wakes up to find the Orb of the Element of Wood fixed to a slot in the wall. The circle immediately recognizes where they are. They are in the Chamber of the Gateway.

END OF SESSION II
1/21/12 6 hour session 4 months session time 1.5 since pact 5 months total campaign time

SESSION III
The Air Dragon

SESSION II RECAP THINGS TO REMEMBER

The Circle was summoned to Nexus by a Sidereal calling himself Garland. He gave the circle a glimpse of their destiny then disappeared. On the way to the remains of their former selves, the circle encountered a band of bandits who were assaulting a family of farmers. They killed the bandits and a man called The Bandit King. They also rescued a mysterious girl named Rynn. She revealed that she was sent to help the circle and led them to the Tomb of the Circle. Inside the tomb, the Circle encountered an troop of soldiers led by a Dragon Blood. They killed most of the group but allowed the Dragon Blood to leave. They never caught his name or house affiliation. The Circle explored the tomb and recovered their artifacts of great power including a sword, bracers, a crown, a power bow, and a mysterious scroll. They release two Abyssal exalted from the final chamber. The woman calls herself The Angel of Rusted Hearts and tries to convert the circle to the darkness but they refuse. She negotiates her safe escape from the tomb and leaves behind her servant to fight the circle. They destroy him and chase after her, but she has vanished. She left behind her oath that She will never personally attack a member of the circle, When they find the gate to the Underworld she will lead them through the Labyrinth, and finally she gives them her mortal name, Glissa. She also leaves a letter behind. The letter reveals many things. That the Angel of Rusted Hearts is the corrupted fifth member of the circle. Her dark masters name is The Walker in the Darkness, and the other abyssal is the undead form of the bandit king. Rynn then leads the circle to the mountain city of Sijan. A staircase leads from the ground to the hidden city. Sijan is full of magic, technology, and people, including the council of seers. The council possesses a knowledge beyond that of mortal men and then send the circle to defeat the Guardian of the Gateway. They also tell the circle about the Walker in the Darkness and his plans to open a Gateway between Creation and the Underworld. The circle finds the Guardian and Rynn frees him. It dies and the circle investigates the Gateway. They notice five open slots in the frame around the inactive gateway and they write down the words written around it. After returning from the Gateway, the circle is treated to a festival. They are given servants and permitted to marry them if they like. Each of the four picks a bride based on immediate attraction.

The council reads the scroll and tells the Circle that they are destined to rescue the Scarlet Child and through her they will return order in a new golden age of peace. One will become ruler, one will betray the group, and one will die in the process. Then they send the Circle off to the Eastern Elemental Pole of Wood to defeat the dragon there. The circle makes the journey to the Deep Wyld. They meet a man along the way named Thriss. Who leads them to an island in the east and convinces the circle to help murder someone. Thriss promises to help the circle defeat the dragon but he is a liar. They find a field of white flowers with a beautiful nymph prancing nakedly around. They pass out and awake to the sounds of Thrisss death. Fair Folk have the circle tied up and eventually agree to free them if they return in a year and a day with an innocent child to sacrifice. The Circle continues deeper in to the wyld avoiding dangerous beasts and terrain. They find a meadow with a great tree and meet a Lunar called Took Al Harim. He tests the circle with a riddle, a race, and a battle then tells them that they can defeat the dragon by calling out its name. Took leads the circle through even more dangerous lands. Then he is eaten by a great wyrm that turns out to be the dragon. The Circle calls him by name. The dragon turns in to a great oak tree with an orb in its center. The circle touches the orb and they black out. The circle has many visions in their dreams. First they dream of The Angel of Rusted Hearts. She still longs for the Circle to join her. Second is the dreams of the bandit king and his conversion to becoming an Abyssal. He endures torture at the hands of the deathlord the Walker in the Darkness. The third is the Scarlet Child. A young girl surrounded by demons who are trying to corrupt her. Then the circle awakes in front of the Gateway with the orb already fixed in to the slot.

STORY I THE CAVERN OF THE GATEWAY

After waking up in front of the gateway, the circle will want to return to Sijan. First they must navigate the cavern once again. They encounter two things. First is the gelatinous cube. Only this time there are two cubes and they are both smaller and faster. The second difference is the statue of the Walker in the Darkness. The Circle has smashed it the last time they were here, but it has since been restored to its previous state.

STORY II RETURNING TO SIJAN

By the time the Circle returns to Sijan, 3 months had past since they last left. There have been a few developments in that time. Rynn has been busy on two projects. The first is building a statue of her father as a great warrior. The statue rests in the courtyard near the reflecting pool. The second is that she has installed guardrails on the steps to Sijan. Second, two of the brides of the circle are pregnant. All character take a magnetism roll. The highest roll conceives a male child. The second highest conceives a female child. Third, the council of seers already knows about their success in the east as it has been foretold by the stars. The Circle is permitted time to train, recover, and socialize, but they will eventually seek more information regarding their next task. The stars indicate that the next target is the Elemental Pole of Air located in the north. It is recommended that the circle travel north to a city of ice. They they must cross the frozen sea. They must go to a place where the winds blow snow sideways and nothing can survive the bite of arctic cold. This is the coldest and driest place on earth. The circle will head off in that directly none the less. First stop is the city of Iron Fall. From there they can take an airship in to the frozen lands and beyond that, nobody knows. Before leaving one of the brides ask the Circle to wear red sashes with embroidered emblems to represent their Sijan citizenship.

STORY III BUILDING THE SHIP

River is the best way to head to the north. Much of the land is swampy marshland and the rivers tare too strong to try to swim across. They are long and walking around them will be just as difficult. A large ship is the best way to go. However, there are no ships. They may either go to Nexus and buy one there or they can build their own. It should be noted that these are the savage scavenger lands and there will be no civilization until they reach Iron Fall. Using their Scholarship to craft the vessel, they must work together. Magnetism will help find usable materials. Fighting will help cut down trees. Scholarship will help build the ship. Embassy will help steer it. Stealth will help man the decks and sails. Although it will take a couple months, the circle builds the ship and heads north.

STORY IV - SHIPWRECK
On the circles journey to the North, their ship is run aground by a storm, leaving them the only survivors of the wreck. The land is covered in frost, but is heavily wooded. They follow horse tracks away from the coast and in to a wooded area. The circle is confronted by a cavalier and his two servants, who have the circles horse. The cavalier insists that this is his land and the horse now belongs to him. The circle and the cavalier fight over possession of the horse and are victorious. The servant does not attack. After witnessing his masters demise he surrenders. If the circle spares him, he will guide them to the north to the city of Iron Fall. Upon their arrival in Iron Fall, the circle may part ways with the servant and release

him. (The better they treat the man, the more likely they are to receive mercy by the Icewalkers in the future). The man then tells him his slain master was an important knight in the territories army (If they ask he name he tells them it is Balius).

STORY V INTRODUCTION TO IRON FALL

The circle is welcomed in to the city of Iron Fall. In fact, citizens of Sijan staying in Iron Fall recognize the group. They are introduced as representatives of the mountain city and are escorted to a fortified estate outside of city walls. They are invited to stay for as long as required and have 100 men at arms at their service. While exploring the city, the circle becomes acquainted with the main players in Iron Falls political arena. The diseased King Edwin IV, the Master of Knights Severnicus, Princess Lilah (the Kings sister) and her fiance, the Dragon blood prince Nellens Rashad who supports the anti-Icewalker movement activities. Rashad is determined to rule after King Edwin's death and seeks to provoke a war that will allow him to dispose of the Icewalkers and claim the Kingdom for the house of Nellens. It is rumored that he has even gone to the extent of working with bandits and other evil forces to obtain some status. The other bit of important information they obtain is that the Solar Exalted are regarded as enemies of the state here. Those suspected of being exalted are detained by Rashad. Executions for this offense as well as various others happen every few days.

Should the circle continue asking questions about regional history they may obtain any or all of the following background information: Far in the north of Creation, bordering the White Sea, there is a minor kingdom which has thus far remained in peace, secure in its neutrality. This city is called Iron Fall. In recent years, tensions have grown between its two neighbors, the Icewalker tribes and the Haslanti League. Iron Fall walks a careful line to maintain its independence, as the Haslanti League wishes to absorb the kingdom with promises of security and prosperity in exchange for its long-held sovereignty. To the north and west, is the Haslanti league. Backed by the Nellens Legion as well as the Dragon Bloods that lead it, the league is an ally of Iron Fall and protects it under the Northern Pact. Its presence is everywhere but no soldiers reside in Iron Fall to protect its walls from Eastern invaders. The Haslanti League has control over the Ice lands in the far north and occupies a ring of cities around the white sea. Dragon Bloods have set up the league as an arm of their nation and wish to use their influence to control the Elemental Pole of Air as well as the long forgotten Manses of the land. To the east is the land of Palemoon. Which is involved in a brutal civil war between three kingdoms. Three great princes battle for dominance as unquestioned leader of Palemoon. Of the three, Gongos, the eldest of the Palemoon princes, holds the largest portion of the land. His brothers now pool their resources to stop Gongos from taking complete control, but it may be too late. Should the land ever unify and they seek to expand their territory, the city of Iron Fall would easily fall. The city of the Aeyrie is now under the control of Gongos and his Palemoon soldiers.

The south is a similar threat. The Icewalker tribes have been united by a great soldier called The Bull of the North (Yurgen Kaneko). They are savage warriors that excel in mountainous environments. The Icewalkers are known to attack caravans and Imperial travelers that push in to their land. They defend it fiercely, seeking to protect the lands of the Mountain Gods and Ice Spirits. They are beastly yet cunning. Sometimes cruel. Always dangerous and aggressive. What they lack in intelligence, they make up in resilience and vigilance.

The Palemoon Empire and Haslanti League are ancient and bitter rivals. The two kingdoms have been at odds for centuries, and many wars have broken out over land, resources, trade, or simple pride. Several airships sent to The Aeyrie have been captured by Palemoon. With the young and ambitious king Gongos on the throne, the Palemoon has become more dangerous as of late, and the Haslanti League fear that war is brewing. Both Palemoon and the Haslanti League are enemies of the Icewalkers, but they savages or nomads. They are hard to find and even more difficult to fight on their own turn. For the most part, Palemoon and the Haslanti League avoid the lands of the Icewalkers and the tribesman avoid the cities of civilization. The Icewalkers are ghosts and stories of their savagery bring nightmares to the children of Iron Fall.

STORY VI FINDING A SHIP

The circle will eventually begin looking for ways to cross the White sea. However, they will learn that airship routes have been discontinued out of the city due to increased threat from the Icewalker and Palemoon forces. In fact, the city is preparing for war. Until the war ends, travel across the sea will discontinue.

STORY VII THE FIRST BATTLE

Rashad and his forces attacked a trade caravan with the aid of the Knights of Iron Fall under the false guise that the Icewalkers were a band a warriors preparing to attack Iron Fall. Yurgen, Bull of the North and leader of the Icewalker tribes attacks the Circles castle in an effort to make the leader of the attack account for his crime, however Rashad is not there. He is safe within city walls and he leaves the occupants of the castle to defend themselves. They will all surely be killed in a battle against a dangerous and unrelenting enemy.

The villagers from around the castle attempt to hide inside city walls before they are mercilessly killed. The Circle may decide to ride out of the city and slow the approaching hoard in an attempt to save the villagers from the approaching cavalary. Though outnumbered, the circle and the small band of knights that accompany them charge in to the lines of the Icewalkers, allowing the villagers time to flee to the castle. They knights are soon defeated. The circle manages to kill hundreds by themselves, but they are eventually captured. Bound and stripped of their weapons and armor, the circle rests in the enemy camp. The circle encounters the 'servant' they freed, Balius, learning he is actually The Bull of the Norths Advisor. Upon his mercy, he releases the circle and allows them to live. The Bull then orders his army to

besiege the castle. It is only then that King Edwin IV, Rashad, and the full might of Iron Fall approaches. The two rulers ride out to meet each other on the battlefield. They successfully negotiate a Icewalker retreat in exchange for Rashad being punished for his crimes. The exertion of these events cause King Edwin to collapse, weakened beyond recovery.

STORY VII THE PUNISHMENT AND THE CIRCLES INDUCTION

King Edwin asks that one of you marry Lilah, knowing that she has affection for you. This means that Rashad will have to be executed. Marrying Lilah will make her husband the third in line to rule (behind the current king and Lilahs six year old son (whos father had died in service as a knight).

Demilio, Young Prince of Iron Fall If the circle accepts, Rashad will be condemned to death. However, he will evade capture once again only to plot his revenge. If the circle refuses, or reveals that all of them are already married, Rashad will continue to be engaged to Lilah. King Edwin dies of illness. Lilahs six year old son Demilio becomes King of Iron Fall. The boys quickly falls ill and dies of an apparent poisoning. Lilah succeeds her son and names her king. Then she falls in to a deep depression and disappears. It is feared that she is dead. At this point Rashad makes himself a war. He sends his assassins to track down the tribes of the Bull of the North and he kills the chieftains sister. The Bull of the North sends an emissary to demand the return of his sister's body, the heads of those responsible, and the surrender of Iron Fall, Rashad answers by decapitating the emissary and sending his head back to Iron Fall.

STORY VIII THE WAR OF IRON FALL

Rashad declares full scale war. Because the Dragons wills it. The armies march into the iceland away from adequate supplies to fight the Icewalkers. They go off in warstriders and chariots and bring with them battering rams, cannons, and catapults. They leave Iron Fall unguarded except for the Circle, Master Severnicus, his knights, and the townspeople. The Icewalkers attacks the army near in the mountains far South of Iron Fall, the army is annihilated. Rashad is captured; The Bull executes his top soldiers , and then marches on Iron Fall. Knowing that war is coming, the people of Iron Fall look to the Circle. If they decide to prepare the defences, they will train the men making them better fighters and inspiring them with a speeches that raise morale. The knights recommend this plan for war as it is their duty to protect the city long enough to negotiate terms. If they decide to flee west to the city of Icehome. However, the terrain is treacherous for man and house alike and many will fall along the way.

STORY IX TERMS OF SURRENDER

After three days of war and having proven their resolve, The Bull offers terms: The Circle surrenders Iron Fall when the Bull offers all the inhabitants safe passage through the Icewalker lands. More importantly, the Bull will arrange safe passage for them across the White Sea. The Bull assures them that he is a man of honor and releases a living Rashad back to the custody of the Circle. Balius becomes the new King of Iron Fall. While the Bull of the North remains Emperor and general of the Icewalker army. In the marching column of citizens, the Circle finds Lilah who has renounced her claim as Queen of Iron Fall. In honor of the bravery of the Circle, the Bull erects statues of the Circle in the city square. The Bull also arranges for an airship to take the Circle across the White Sea to the city of Diamond Hearth.

STORY X DIAMOND HEARTH

Diamond Hearth is a city that exists on two levels. There is the surface level developments and the much greater subterranean level. It proves to be a large city despit the fact that it is cold, dark, and brutal. The circle finds that stories of their heroism have already beat them to their destination. Knights ride through looking for the defenders of Iron Fall eagerly anticipated a retaliatory attack against the fallen city. The circle will probably choose to refuse the invitation. This is when a man who Identifies himself as Lord Quixis of the House of Nellens and the King of Diamond Hearth. They are planning a new Crusade to retake Iron Fall from The Bull. When the circle responds that they still are not interested, Quixis his ride off.

FEATHERSTEEL MINE Diamond Hearth is one of the harshest environments in all of Creation, yet people still live on and work there. It is there in this frozen landmass that people can make fortunes from a few years hard work. But not everyone goes there to mine the ice or other valuables there. Many are there to support the workers and the slaves there. Diamond Hearth is the source of the metal called feathersteel, a lightweight yet durable metal that is used to make airships, floating cities, and the fastest blades in creation. POTION SHOP Even small towns and villages in creation have atleast one a potion shop, but not one like this. The people here make a potion that allows the drinker to stay warm against the cold (no matter how terrible) for up to 3 hours. Naturally the miners and everyone else in the city consider this potion a staple to keep with them for every day life, just incase they have some kind of bad accident out in the cold. The potion can only be made in his area because it is close to an improperly capped demense just outside the city and it is that essense that changes the potion just enough to give it's amazing warming properties. THE WARM AND COZY TAVERN That's what the folks call this little hole in the wall, literally. A wooden sign ruined by years of abuse from mist and disrepair only most vaguely reads "Warm and Cozy". No one really knows what the sign used the read but everyone calls it The Warm and Cozy. It is a small establishment focusing on warm drinks and cheap salted meats. The drinks are the important part, hot stoves keep large iron pots of water boiling for cheap tree bark tea, with or without cheap alcohol or there are also pots of fine imported cider for the more respectable customer with a pitiful variety of spices to accompany it. Warm

milk(with sweetner or alcohol or just plain) is another popular choice, though the quality depends on what type of milk it is, and that depends on what's available. The occasional nursing mother has been known to sell breast milk to the Warm and Cozy for a little extra when milk is scarce. The meat is all heavily salted and cheap, most people think that the meat is just way to get people to buy the drinks since with all the salt most people can't have just a slab of jerky.

XI THE STORM
While searching for information regarding the Air Dragon, the Circle learns many things: A fierce blizzard is on the horizon With it comes the endless night. 30 days of darkness. This is a time of They will need to injest a post to survive the harsh elements, but it only lasts for 3 hours. A man named Roth knows of the dragon. His grandfather told him a story of a dragon with razor sharp wings that moves faster than the wind. It lives a place where the snow blows sideways. It is said that the winged nightmare could be defeated only by cutting off its wings. This task seems impossible. Only after the sun returns and the snow stops can safe travel be made to the top of the world. In the coming days, darkness comes to Diamond Hearth. First citizens begin to suffer from a deadly disease. Some may be saved but many will die. Next there are disappearances. The elderly begin to disappear one by one. Then a pair of suicides. Then the body of a tortured pregnant woman is found at city square. Finally stories of shadowed figured arriving in the night. The Circle promises to protect the village.

Roth, Baron of Diamond Hearth Dragon Blood Air Aspect: Fighting: 4 Magnetism: 3 Scholarship: 1 Stealth: 1 Embassy: 2 Wounds: -0 -0

Gear:

-1 -3 Incapacitated Heavy Artificer Armor Heavy Master Smashfists

While on look out the circle spots a pack of shadowed figures in the snow. At first they appear to be human, but soon it is clear that they are some type of beasts being led by a single human figure. The Circle will hunt down the pack of 12 Shadow Beasts. In the process they meet up with Black Thorn, the Abyssal they had killed in the service of Glissa months before. They battle the exalt, who has noticeably grown in strength since their last meeting.

STORY X THE STORM CLEARS

In return for their protection, the acting ruler of Diamond Hearth grants the Circle his private glider chariot. He indicates that it will take the Circle far to the north, but at a certain point the air will be so

thin that it will fail to work. To travel north is madness for a mortal, but for a solar it just might work. Follow the Northern Lights and they will lead the way.

STORY XI THE FAR NORTH

The cold becomes increasingly bitter. The wind grows in strength. Spectrum colored Tornados of air and snow infest the tundra. For a while, small herds of elk and mammoth can be seen. Even packs of wild dogs howl in the night. But soon there are no signs of life at all. Only the cold. Only the wind. Then the chariot stops working. The group may attempt to fix the machine which has its fuel cells frosted and its water lines frozen solid. Even if they manage to fix it, it will soon break down again. The Circle walks farther north. Everything becomes white. The group suffers from snow blindness. The land is frozen solid. The wind howls and swirls. The Circle struggles to hold on to their weapons. Then silence. Only the most aware spot the Dragon as it sweeps down to attack.

Raiton, The Elemental Dragon of Air Fighting: 7 Magnetism: 10 Scholarship: 5 Stealth: 10 Embassy: 7 Essence: 50

Wounds:

-0 -0 -0 -0 -1 -1 -2 -2 -3 Incapacitated

CUTTING OFF THE WINGS The dragon can only be attacked when it swoops down to make its wing blade attack. Any Wing Blade Attack blocked by a bladed weapon may cause it damage, but the Wing Blade Attack will also automatically land. One wing will be lost at -2 and the other at -3. WING BLADE ATTACK An AOE lethal attack using Stealth. The attack may not be blocked. It can only be dodged. It does base 7 damage. TAIL WHIP A single lethal attack using Fighting. The attack may be blocked or dodged. FROST ATTACK All targets must take strength 5 aggravated damage with can not be reduced by armor. Shields and Special armor may soak as normal. WIND GUST All targets must take Stealth test to remain standing. Failure results in falling down and loss of concentration. Botches will result in lost weapons. They must battle it and slash at its wings until one is cut off. The Dragons legs are weak and it does not have a claw attack. It can only move by the use of its wings. It will try to regain its airborn status with just one wing. One the other wing is cut off, the Dragon will whip back and forth until it submits. Resting on top of its bladed tail in a glowing white orb embedded into its skin. A simple dagger will jar the orb lose. Once the circle touches the orb, they all black out.

STORY XII - THE DREAM

While the circle is blacked out they each have different dreams. SAM The Angel of Rusted Hearts has come to you once again. You and she are engaged in unnatural perversions of the flesh. You were hesitant to participate at first, but only for a moment. Now you embrace the experience. She allows you the opportunity to perform whatever vile acts you desire. She speaks to you while on top of you. You dont need them. They hate you. They use you for their own gain. You are more powerful they are. They will use you to do their dirty work. They will have you risk your life for them and they offer you nothing in return. They should be the ones serving you not the other way around. You dont need them. See through their lies. They will try to steal your glory when you are the one that should be followed. They fear your power and they will have you killed in the end. Take their lives and come to me. Kill them all and I will come to you where the ocean turns black. JOHN The Angel of Rusted Hearts comes to you in your dream. Adorned in black silk she come close and whispers in your ears. She smells of wild flowers and speaks softly. She wraps her arms around you and buries her face in to your chest and cries. You must help me. The deathlord has claimed my soul and holds me hostage. I too am a child of the sun, but I have been drawn in to slavery by the underworld. I do not want this existence. I never did. All Ive ever wanted is to be with you. I want to rejoin you and complete the perfect circle. But I need your help. And I come to you alone because you are the only one I can trust. Surely you remember that we were lovers in the first age. Surely you remember when we were married at sunset on the top of the Imperial Mountain. Surely you remember our children. Come back to me my love. The darkness has consumed me now and I fear for you. You are surrounded by liars and you should not trust anyone. I need you more than ever my love. Where the seas turn black come to me and save my soul.

MATTHEW The Angel of Rusted Hearts comes to you. You see her naked and in her Abyssal form. She puts down her leather and chains. You watch her dress as puts on a flowing white gown. She is putting on golden earrings. Its just then that she notices you are watching her. She walks over to a window and opens its doors to look at the moon. She kneels and clasps her hands in prayer. Then she begins to speak to you. You are a good man. Far better than any man I have met. But you sacrifice yourself to goodness. You carry the weight of all creation on your shoulders when you could like a king in your own corner of the world. You deserve better than that. I made the same mistake trying to find you. The deathlord killed me and claimed my soul and he will do the same to you. Help me. Where the ocean turns black I will come to you. You must help me regain that which has been taken from me before any more are claimed. You and I together can end the reign of the Dark Lord and we can live together as King and Queen in our quiet little corner of the world. Bring me peace. Bring peace to yourself. Before its too late for any of us. JOSH In your dream you are swimming in a black ocean. You swim better than any man you know but even you have a hard time with the monstrous waves that barrel over you. Eventually you succumb to the deep and you are pulled underneath. You gasp for air, close to death, then an arm reaches for you. It is the Angel of Rusted Hearts. She puts her face to yours and fills your lungs with fresh air. Then she pulls you in to the darkness. All is black and silent except for her voice. Do not fear me. I mean you no harm. I am the one that has come to save you. There is a traitor in your midst. Do not trust anyone. The one you call Rynn is an impostor. She is the true agent of the Abyss. I am a member of the perfect circle. In your heart you must feel that we are connected you and I. We were brother and sister in a past life. You saved my life then and I wish to return the favor now. But you must free me from the grasp of the deathlord. Do so and I will free you from the corruption of Sijan. They fear me because I know the truth of why they exist. They consecrate every image of me and they destroyed my spire. Sidereals are never to be trusted. They serve the stars, not the sun like you and I. Come to me my brother and together we shall complete the unbreakable circle. The circle then wakes up to find the Orb of the Element of Air fixed to a slot in the wall next to the green orb they had previously attached. The circle immediately recognizes where they are. They are in the Chamber of the Gateway.

END OF SESSION III

2/18/12 7 hour session 5 months session time 6.5 since pact 8 months pregnant 10 months total campaign time

SESSION IV
The Water Dragon
SESSION III RECAP THINGS TO REMEMBER
The Circle was summoned to Nexus by a Sidereal calling himself Garland. He gave the circle a glimpse of their destiny then disappeared. They rescued a mysterious girl named Rynn. She is a technomage/Alchemical Exalted that helps the circle find their ancient tomb and later takes them to Sijan. The Circle explored the tomb and found the Angel of Rusted Hearts. She is an abyssal that used to be the circles fifth solar member. They let her leave and she left behind her oath that She will never personally attack a member of the circle, When they find the gate to the Underworld she will lead them through the Labyrinth, and finally she gives them her mortal name, Glissa. She also leaves a letter behind stating her intentions to the deathlord. The letter reveals many things. That the Angel of Rusted Hearts is the corrupted fifth member of the circle. Her dark masters name is The Walker in the Darkness, and the other abyssal is the undead form of the bandit king. While in Sijan, the circle members each take a bride. The bride of Jon and Matthew become pregnant. The council reads the scroll and tells the Circle that they are destined to rescue the Scarlet Child and through her they will return order in a new golden age of peace. One will become ruler, one will betray the group, and one will die in the process. Then they send the Circle off to the Eastern Elemental Pole of Wood to defeat the dragon there. The circle makes the journey to the Deep Wyld. They are captured by Fair Folk and agree to return in a year and a day with an innocent child to sacrifice. The Circle defeats the Dragon of Wood and takes the orb back to the Gateway. The circle has many visions in their dreams. First they dream of The Angel of Rusted Hearts. She still longs for the Circle to join her. Second is the dreams of the bandit king and his conversion to becoming an Abyssal. He endures torture at the hands of the deathlord the Walker in the Darkness. The third is the Scarlet Child. A young girl surrounded by demons who are trying to corrupt her. The circle is told to go to the Elemental Pole of Air in the North. They portal to Nexus and then buy a ship after threatening to kill its owner. The circle sails the ship north until they sink it during a snow squall.

On land they are approached by a lord and his servants. They demand taxes be paid, but the circle has no money. The lord attacks the circle and they kill him. They spare the lives of the servants and allow them to lead them to Iron Fall. While in Iron Fall the circle discovers the air ships are no longer running and the path to Icehome is blocked. They are discovered by a soldier that happens to be from Sijan. He leads them to a fortress outside the city that is home to the embassy of Sijan. 100 soldiers await their orders there. The circle is visited by Princess Lilah who shares her distaste for her fianc Nellens Rashad and war in general. The next morning the fortress is attacked by the Icewalkers, tribal warriors from the south. They are led by a man called the Bull of the North. The circle rides out to defend the fortress from the much larger army. They fight valiantly but are captured. Josh rides with the princess back to Iron Fall to summon the help of the King, Servernicus and his knights. The leader of the other army reveals himself to be Balius, the servant they left go before. He says the man they killed was his servant and he is the lord. He returns their courtesy and promises to allow them to live. He still says he will take the fortress and Iron Fall. It is then that the King and army of Iron Fall show up. The king rides out and negotiates terms with the Bull of the North. Part of the terms is the punishment of Rashad. The king collapses right after. On his deathbed, the king asks one of the circle to marry Lilah. By accepting they condemn Rashad to execution. Sam agrees despite the fact that he already has a bride. The king dies and they bury him. Lilahs son Demelio becomes new king. Shortly after the ceremony the circle realizes that Rashad is the same Dragon Blood they met at the tomb earlier in the story. They find him in the dungeon and promise his death. Then they go back to Lilah to ask about securing an airship out of town. She promises to work on the problem. When the circle returns to the dungeon to guard over Rashad, they find out that he is gone. Some dark forces were involved with his escape and they are all pissed. A messanger from the Icewalkers arrives at Iron Fall. The messanger says the Bull of the North is furious about the recent death of his sister. The circle doesnt understand. Then the messanger demands her body be returned, the heads of her attackers, and the surrender of the city. Lilah decides to send back the circle with the messanger to seek an audience with the Bull. The Bull and a large army hide in the mountains. The circle is brought in to the enemy camp and they see the Bull. He has Rashad tied up in a cage in his tent. The circle explains that Rashad is responsible and they denounce all dragon bloods. They suggest peace and the bull offers the joint execution of Rashad as part of the binding agreement. The circle guts the dragon blood and the Bull cleaves him in the half, revealing that he too is a solar. The circle is granted safe passage to Icehome. They explain their negotiated terms with Lilah first then they ride off to Icehome to catch an airship. The airship takes them to the northern city of Diamond Hearth. When in Diamond Hearth the circle is brought to the king named Nellens Quixis. He tries to enlist the circle to join his crusade against the Bull and the Icewalkers, but they kill him and half his soldiers instead. Outside they are met by Roth, baron of Diamond Hearth and next in line to become king. He reveals his appreciation for their kill despite his family affiliation. He also offers the use of Warstriders and magic potions if they head north and slay the Dragon of Air. The circle travelled north until their Warstriders froze over. They got out and were attacked by the dragon. It swooped down to cut them in half but they were able to avoid it. Sam and Jon cut its wings off and then Josh plucked a glowing orb out of its tail. The touched the orb and blacked out.

During the black out they all had visions of the Angel of Rusted Hearts.

STORY I THE CAVERN OF THE GATEWAY

After waking up in front of the gateway, the circle will want to return to Sijan. First they must navigate the cavern once again. They encounter two things. First is the gelatinous cube. Only this time there are three cubes. One is clear and is weak to aggravated damage (magic/fire). One glows green and is weak to lethal damage (blades). The last glows white and is weak to blunt attacks (punches/hammers). The second difference is the statue of the Walker in the Darkness. The Circle has smashed it the last time they were here, but it has since been restored to its previous state.

STORY II RETURNING TO SIJAN

By the time the Circle returns to Sijan, 5 months have passed. There have been a few developments in that time. Rynn has left Sijan for the city of Nexus. She is looking to gather information on how to obtain hearthstones. She took with her four body guards. The brides of the circle are eight months pregnant. Jons is pregnant with a male child and Matts with a female. Sam and Joshs wives are without child. All the wives wish the husbands to spend more time with them. In doing so they discover a fact that was previously hidden from them. For each of the injuries they had received, their wives had experienced the same pain some time later. They all bear the scars that their solar partners had healed, but they keep them hidden. Third, the council of seers knows the circle was successful in their defeat of the dragon. Fourth, stories of their heroics in Iron Fall have not yet reached the town. They may wish to share the experience before others report it. Especially interesting will be the engagement to princess Lilah. The Circle is permitted time to train, recover, and socialize, but they will eventually seek more information regarding their next task. The stars indicate that the next target is the Elemental Pole of Water located in the west on the other side of the world. Traveling to such a place will take a long time, so the circle may wish to stay at home for a longer time than before. They may also wish to seek out hearthstones to help in their next task. It is recommended that the circle travel to the islands of the west and ask the local populations what they know of the Sea Dragon. Not much is known about the islanders of the west. They are cut off from the rest of the world and they may be uncivilized and dangerous. The Pole of Water is sure to be rough seas. They will want to find a strong ship and a crew. Most of which can be found in Nexus. However, they may determine the path in which they are set to take.

STORY III THE BIRTHS

Both children are born on the same day. Both children are female. They both have pink hair and green eyes. The circle names their children and spend some time with them before leaving.

STORY IV SETTING OUT

The circle may decide which way to go from here. They may go south in search of Rydia or a ship. They may go north to Iron Fall to obtain an airship. Either route is relatively uneventful as the Icewalkers offer

protection through their lands and the bandit forces have been largely unorganized. The land is no longer a shadowland.

STORY V- OPTIONAL RYNN AND THE GUILD

In the process of seeking information about hearthstones, Rynn drew the attention of the Guild. This mafia like organization is made up of terrestrial humans and extends its reach across much of the world. The circle learns a few things: Rynn has been kidnapped by the Guild. They plan on selling her in to slavery. The bandit king was working for the guild when the circle killed him. Thus making the circle an enemy of the guild. The guild has its hands in many illegal activities including drugs, slavery, extortion, fraud, robbery, and murder.

STORY VI OPTIONAL IRON FALL AND THE AIRSHIP

When in Iron Fall, the circle learns much information: The treaty continues and the Icewalkers have been allowing safe passage to Icehome for the citizens of Iron Fall. The Palemoon nation has continued to grow in strength and the city fears they will soon attempt to attack. Princess Lilah longs to wed her husband and solidify her control of the city. Some of the representatives of Sijan have left Iron Fall to return to Sijan Airship travel can still only be established in Icehome and airships can only be built in Diamond Hearth.

STORY VII MEETING THE CREW

The circle must investigate a local pub to find crew for their new ship. They run in to a cast of shady characters and from them they choose the following: Awilda: Master of disguise and master thief. Trained in the arts of diplomacy and influence. Tortossa: A formal naval officer. Master boatsman. Adventurer and sea lover. Reese: A journeyman boater romantically involved with Barbarossa. Erith: A loyal mercenary with that acts without hesitation. A former merchant and naval soldier with ties to the Guild. Gerlof: A retired warrior, pirate, freedom fighter, and rebel from Nexus. Florin: Aristocratic privateer and favorite of the Imperials currently wanted by the Haslanti League. Klein & Heinz: Father/son duo of former fishermen. Heinz (father) is a holy man. Klein is a bit of trouble maker. Both are adventure seekers.

STORY VIII THE TIDAL WAVE & THE ANGEL

While traveling west the circle travels into a massive tidal wave. If they are in an airship, they will be brought down by thunderstorm. They try to navigate through it, but during the night they crash land in the black waters of the great ocean. Each of the circle struggles in the water and is hit by one wave after another. While being sucked under water the Angel of Rusted Heart appears. She saves each of the circle members in their own way and brings them to the shore of a strange island. MATT As the sea swallows you, the light above disappears. You descend in to blackness. Air escapes your lungs and death closes in on you. It is then that a familiar face emerges from the abyss. The Angel of Rusted Hearts swims over to you. You can hear her speak to you. It is not your time yet my young hero. Follow me and I can save you from this death. It is then that the Angel pulls a black stone from her breast, it glows with red light. Take this my young friend. It is the hearthstone of the deep. Hold it within your hands and find yourself transported safely back to creation. One last thing you notice about her is that she now has beautiful green eyes. Do you accept the gift? Hearthstone of the Deep: Grants +3 essence JOSH As the sea swallows you, the light above disappears. You descend in to blackness. Air escapes your lungs and death closes in on you. It is then that a familiar face emerges from the abyss. The Angel of Rusted Hearts swims over to you. You can hear her speak to you. It is not your time yet my young hero. I can save you from this death. She then pulls a golden puzzle box from a sack tied to her waste. The box has many buttons, gears, and flaps on it. A ring on one side glows white. I hold in my hands a gift. A magical puzzle box. Press the white circle and you shall be saved. The puzzle box is yours to keep and you may do with it as your wish. Each of its six sides have a magical effect, but I have only solved the mystery of the one side. The other five sides are a mystery. One last thing you notice about her is that she now has beautiful green eyes. Do you accept the gift and push the button? Puzzlebox: 6 effects 1: short term invincibility 2: opens up and gives hearthstone worth 5 essence. Taking the hearth deactivates the box. 3. flight 4. pulls party in to the box 5. teleportation to the island of shogo 6. Unlocks a demon of the first circle

JOHN As the sea swallows you, the light above disappears. You descend in to blackness. Air escapes your lungs and death closes in on you. It is then that a familiar face emerges from the abyss. The Angel of Rusted Hearts swims over to you. You can hear her speak to you. Come to me my love. I am banished to this dark place and am bound by evil. Only true love may end my curse. I hold in my hands a gift. My wedding ring from our past life. Place my ring on your smallest finger as a symbol of our undying union. Then breath life in to me with true loves kiss and I will breathe life in to you. One last thing you notice about her is that she now has beautiful green eyes. Do you wish to place the ring upon your finger and kiss her on the lips? Ring of the Angel Grants +3 essence SAM As the sea swallows you, the light above disappears. You descend in to blackness. Air escapes your lungs and death closes in on you. It is then that a familiar face emerges from the abyss. The Angel of Rusted Hearts swims over to you. You can hear her speak to you. It is not your time yet my young hero. Follow me and I can save you from this death. The Angel then pulls something from her hair. There are 2 small vials. In my hands I hold life and death. Drinking from the blue vial grants the user the ability to breath underwater. Drinking from the red vial kills with the fire of a thousand suns. One last thing you notice about her is that she now has beautiful green eyes. Do you accept the potions and drink the blue one? Blue vial grants permanent underwater breathing Red vial instant death Once each of the party is saved by the Angel, they find themselves on the shores of a rocky island covered in green grass and white sands. The island is called Shogo by its residents and consists of volcanic rock from three active volcanoes.

STORY IX INTRO TO SHOGO ISLAND

The Island is mysterious. The first thing the circle notices is the giant statues that seem to rest on the coastline of the entire island. The statues are carved of stone and seem to be that of pudgy primitive tribe leaders. While examining the landscape a few other things become apparent. There are no trees. As far as the eyes can see, there are no trees on the island. There is no sign of animal live beyond that of birds either. Then from the horizon a figures comes running at them over the crest of a hill. Then 2 more matching figures appear just behind the young man. A moment later, a pack of about a dozen men painted bright white appear. They chase the 3 young men and are armed with spears. The circle will probably save the 3 young men either scaring off or killing their attackers. After wards they are worshipped as gods and asked to be brought back to meet the rest of their clan.

STORY X KEYUPI CLAN

Knox brings the group back to his village. The people here wear clothing composed of grass weave and sea shells. They are revered as Gods and taken to the tribe leader. The tribe speaks an unfamiliar language, so it will take days before they can communicate with the people. In those days they show many things: The village survives on catching birds and eating rats, bugs, turtles and shellfish. Food is scarce and most of the people here are starving. Their rib cages stick out and they stomachs are distended. There are no trees on the island so there are boats. They do not use much fire because it is hard to keep it going. They have primitive weapons. Mostly sharpened rocks, but some don spears made of drift wood or bone. The island is home to multiple tribes. This tribe has been hiding in the caves. Old lave tubes that a dark and hard to navigate. The tribe has been hiding from other tribes that are cannibals and savages. This becomes more clear when groups of people openly weep about the disappearance of a young man. The island is covered with massive statues, each of which represent a serpent, squid, or other sea creature. The clan is attacked by opposing clans The circle eventually decipers the language by spending a large amount of time with Knox and the tribe leader called Jaroa. Knox and Jaroa tell the history of the island.

The people here are descendants of travelers from the first age. There were here to worship the Elemental Dragon of Water. The land was once covered in huge palm trees and was a virtual paradise. The travelers did not leave. Their society flourished and they attributed this to the Water Dragon. So they began building statues in tribute to the dragon. In an effort to gain favor, separate groups of people tried to outdo their counterparts by building bigger and bigger statues. Their obsession with pleasing the dragon took its toll on the island. Huge rocks cut from the mountains were moved great distances before being erected. To move such heavy stones required many many logs. This compared with the growing need to build boats endangered the tree population on the island. Eventually, every last tree was cut down and production of the Dragon Statues stopped for good. As the inhabitants no longer had a way to build boats, they could not fish. So they turned to other food sources. First they ate all the livestock. They they raided the bird nests of the cliffs. But a large population depleted both of those resources as well. This left only 2 options. Eat the vermin of creation or eat each other. Some chose the latter. This led to civil war where the people attacked each other with stone knives and rocks. Some tribes hid in the mountains. Others hid in the caves. All fight for survival every day. Jaroa tells the group a legend about the water dragon. Each year, his ancestors used to take their boats at to the edge of the world. They would travel to a place where the sun meets the ocean. If the water dragon was pleased with the offerings the people had made, it would jump from the sea at sunset to gaze upon the stars. Its been two generations since anyone has been able to make the voyage and the Water Dragon has punished his people for it. Atleast thats what the other tribes say. In truth Jaroa just wants to bring his people to safety, if he could only find a way. The circle convinces Jaroa that the dragon is not the cause of their plight and offers them an escape from the island. In return, Jaroa offers knowledge on how to kill the dragon. He has only heard that it has one weakness, its massive eyes. Only from here can one see the true soul of the dragon. Pierce the eye to slay the beast.

To get to the dragon will be difficult. There are no trees to build a ship. The circle devises a plan. They probably use Matthews portal spell to transport materials from creation to the island.

STORY XI SAILING AGAIN

The current pulls the circle out in to the sea to a place where only water exists in all directions. This time they are armed with a powerful ship with a massive harpoon. The seas are rough for a while, but they navigate it none the less. Then they enter hurricane force winds that swirl and claim members of the crew. Eventually they break through the storm wall in to the eye. The water lays completely still and the sky is clear. At dusk, the water dragon emerges. He is a squid-like beast of teeth and spiked tentacles. The circle will try to harpoon. The beast squeals in fury, shooting ink and blood high in the air. In the mess of ink is a glowing blue orb. The ink and water swirl around it as it drops in to the sea. Then the water begins to twist and churn. The seas begin to swirl as a massive whirlpool forms around the orb. The party must jump from their ship to seize the orb. When they do, they all black out.

STORY XII VISIONS

While blacked out, the circle members have visions once again. You see an image of a girl, no older than 18, stripped of all her clothes. She is hanging upside down from chains attached to her feet. Her arms are bound behind her back and her mouth is gagged. She screams muffled shouts of pain as a bloated creature with long pointed fingers places leeches, scarabs, and spiders on to her flesh. Her body is covered in bleeding lashes, presumably from being whipped many times before. Her hair is long and has a slight hint of pink to it. It hangs from her scalp as she tries to thrash and shake the parasites from her skin. You find it odd that the only other person youve even seen with pink hair is the Scarlet Child, but you remember her hair being much brighter. You want to intervene, but you cant. You are frozen as a spectator to this gruesome treatment. You can only watch in horror as the young girl is violated by insects. And as you look upon her face, you realize that you recognize her. The girl hanging upside down has the young face of the Angel of Rusted Hearts.

STORY XIII BACK AT THE GATEWAY

The circle then wakes up to find the glowing blue orb of the element of water fixed to a slot in the wall next to the white and green orbs they had captured before. The circle immediately recognizes where they are. They are in the Chamber of the Gateway once again.

END OF SESSION IV
3/4/12 5 hour session 16 months session time 15 month old children 26 months total campaign time

SESSION V
The Fire Dragon
SESSION IV RECAP THINGS TO REMEMBER
The Circle was summoned to Nexus by a Sidereal calling himself Garland. He gave the circle a glimpse of their destiny then disappeared. They rescued a mysterious girl named Rynn. She is a technowizard that has guided the circle along the way. They have saved her life many times. The Angel of Rusted Hearts is an abyssal that used to be the circles fifth solar member. She gave an oath that he will never personally attack a member of the circle, When they find the gate to the Underworld she will lead them through the Labyrinth, and finally she gives them her mortal name, Glissa. That the Angel of Rusted Hearts is the corrupted fifth member of the circle. Her dark masters name is The Walker in the Darkness, and the other abyssal is the undead form of the bandit king. The Angels intentions are unclear as are the visions the circle has been having about her. While in Sijan, the circle members each take a bride. Jon and Matthew each had a daughter with their wives. The children appear to be identical twins from different mothers. They bear pink hair and green eyes. The only difference between the two is their birthmarks. One a moon and one a star. More curious is the fact that the circles wives bear the same battle scars as their spouses. The prophecy says that along the way One will become ruler, one will betray the group, and one will die. The Circle has defeated 3 dragons. Wood, Air, and Water. Each has presented an orb to the group to be rested in the Gateway. The city of Iron Fall is ran by Demelio the child king. Sam remains engaged to the kings mother, princess Lilah. The circle has alliances with both The Bull of the North and Nellens Roth the King of Diamond Hearth. As the circle nears completion of the defeat of all five dragons and eyes the elemental pole of fire in the south, they are conflicted as to what to do when the Gateway opens. Who do you trust? Is the Angel of Rusted Hearts on your side? How is she connected to the Scarlet Child? How do the Sun-Blooded children of the solars tie in to everything? When will the Deathlord make his next move? When will the Dragon Bloods finally become a real problem? Many of these questions will be answered as we begin the second half of the Scarlet Child Campaign.

STORY I THE CAVERN OF THE GATEWAY

After waking up in front of the gateway, the circle will want to return to Sijan. First they must navigate the cavern once again. The circle notices that this time there are several cubes on the other side of the rope bridge. The bridge is slimey, but it appears that the cubes cannot navigate it without seeping through the slats. The second difference is the statue of the Walker in the Darkness. The Circle has smashed it the last time they were here, but it has since been restored to its previous state.

STORY II RETURNING TO SIJAN

By the time the Circle returns to Sijan, x months have passed. There have been a few developments in that time. Rynn has hidden herself in her living quarters. Since returning from Nexus, Rynn has found religion. She has gone in to a depression and has grown untrusting of men. She does not speak of what happened to her in Nexus. The brides of the circle wait for their husbands. Joshs wife longs for a child, and follows him around like a dog in heat. Sams wife has found out about his engagement to the princess Lilah of Iron Fall and tells him she wants a divorce. Both John and Matts wives are the ever loving matrons. They are drunk with love for their family. The children continue to grow. The still appear identical except for their birthmarks (Johns child has that of a star and Matts a moon). In regards to their soul connection to the circle, the brides all fell ill to a bout of sickness a week ago or so, but they all recovered. Third, the council of seers has dispersed. Knowing they are no longer of use to the circle they have disbanded. They no longer speak of a single consciousness. The Circle is permitted time to train, recover, and socialize. They know their next destination is the south. So they go to the library to learn more about the south. It is here that they meet the Librarian named Elithia. She is a brilliant woman, that relies on knowledge and fact over faith and prophecy. JOSH You return home and find out that your wife has been sick but is feeling much better. She came down with pneumonia about the same time the other wife were hit with illness. Shes had a dream that you had drowned and feared for your life, so she is happy to see you. In fact she asks you not to leave her again. She wants you to leave Sijan and your friends and start a new life. She fears that you are on a dangerous path and has a bad feeling about your quest. MATT Your wife welcomes you home with open arms. She can not contain her happiness of seeing you again. She confesses her love for you and admits that when she fell ill, she thought you may have lost your life. She had terrible dreams about you being dragged to the bottom of the ocean to your watery grave. Shes just happy to have you back. So much in fact that she asks that you stay with her. She fears that you may not survive your next mission. The other thing you notice is that your child is almost a year and a half old now. She is walking and talking, but oddly she still appears identical to the other child except for the sun-shaped birthmark on her leg. JOHN Your wife welcomes your home with open arms. She had dreams about terrible things like beasts emerging from the sea and cannibals. She tells you that the child you share is the reason she continues

to live and she asks that you help conceive a second child before you leave her again. You also spend time with your daughter. You regret missing her first steps and her first words, but you still enjoy your time with her. Oddly, she still appears identical to the daughter of Matts character. Identical except for the star shaped birthmark on her leg. SAM Your wife has found out about your engagement to Princess Lilah of Ironfall. She tells you she wants a divorce. She asks you if this is true. You tell her, Yup and she insists on moving back in with her parents. In the middle of the night, you are approached by a premonition of the Walker in the Darkness. He says Spughetti. I can feel the darkness growing in you. I know you feel it too. Follow me. Serve me and I will grant you the power you seek. Enter the Darkness. You wake up to find the bloodied body of your wife lying next to you. Before you leave the city, you have a strong urge to do one more thing. The voices in your head tell you, Poison the water. You plan to dump the contents of your secret vial in the city well before leaving Sijan. Unknown to the circle is the truth about the Scarlet Child. The Scarlet Child is the remnants of the Scarlet Empress shattered by the Unconquered Sun. Her soul split in to five pieces: The Angel of Rusted Hearts, Rynn, the two daughters of the Circle, and Elithia the Librarian. They each represent aspects of the Empresss personality. The Angel Darkness, Rynn The Stars, The daughters Sun & Moon.

STORY III SETTING OUT TO NEXUS

The Circle learns about the south. The lands in the south are rocky an inhospitable. The weather is hot and the sun burns the land. It is a place of ripe mines and untold pleasures. Common men become rich in a day and rich men become buried the next. They decide to take horses all the way south. Paragon, the largest city in the South is a good place to start, so thats the way they head. On the way, they stop in Nexus and are met with agents of the Guild. They may choose to stay out of trouble or to create a problem.

STORY IV WYLD HUNT

While in the open lands between Nexus and Paragon, the circle is trapped by the Wyld Hunt of Cynis. A band of several Dragon Bloods and their legion focused on catching alleged-Solars and bringing them to justice. However they occasionally take these prisoners and sell them in to slavery. The Circle encounters the Wyld Hunt openly raiding a village and abducting children and young adults. The Circle can chose to attack the legion or continue along their way.

While being attacked, the Wyld Hunt uses a rare kind of weapon. Made from a rare metal called Aetherbane, it syphons essence from those being attacked. At first the circle is approached by a small band. They are ultimately victorious. Then a second wave of elite warriors is sent after them, but they are met with the same fate. Finally the archers take aim and launch a barrage of arrows their way. MATT You recognize the banner of this legion as different from that of the house of Nellens (Rashads house). They are warriors of the house of Cynis. You recall stories of their house. They are known for their mostly legal empire of drugs (firedust and fae-weed), slavery, prostitution, and gambling. The house is most famous for their contributions to the gladitory system. SAM You feel the need to start a fight. There are hundreds of warriors here. You can kill anyone one of them with little effort. Kill them all and stain the ground red with rivers of blood. JOSH The legion is raiding houses and pulling young men and women from them against their will. They beat them and bind them in chains. You see the leader of the Wyld Hunt. He is a well decorated officer with a crested helmet. You could shoot him in the face from a mile away if you really wanted to. So why not cut the head off of the serpent and send this marauding band of villains in to chaos? JOHN Youve heard stories of the Wyld Hunt and what they intend to do. They are the enemies of the anathema. That is, they are the enemies of the solar exalted. They are an Inquisition set on finding Solars and executing them in front of the masses. They publically declare Solars as enemies of the state and will execute any man woman or child suspected of harboring one of these most wanted fugitives. They employ unnatural tactics in their quest to find the exalted and possess the full support of the Empire. The Wyld Hunt will pursue any solar to the ends of the earth just to watch them die. Why not face them on your own terms and end their madness on your own terms?

STORY V THE PITS

Under the command of the Dragon Blood General, Cynis Claudius, the circle is captured; and condemned to death in the gladiator arena for being solars. Fitted with Aetherbane collars, the solars are shipped to the city of Paragon. The city happens to be a center of gladiator training. Thrust in to the arena, they are faced with uneven odds. The five of them face a squad of fifteen young gladiators in training. They are victorious and become an instant sensation with the crowds. House Elder commutes the punishment from death to slavery. Not knowing their actual names, they are given new ones. Wolfslayer, Bonecrack, Black Titan, Quicksilver, and Lionheart. Noting well the fierce raw talent and popularity with the masses, House Elder Cynis Renato purchases them for training within the walls of his ludus under the tutelage of Leagorn, a former gladiator and fellow slave. They are surrounded by other slaves. One in particular takes a liking to the circle. His name is Steve, a slave who sold himself into slavery in order to pay his debts and support his family. They endure harassment by more senior gladiators, notably Cirax, an undefeated gladiator, and Tarca, a savage from the desert lands. Cynis Renato brings in the circle one by one to ask their motivations and desires. He promises that if they continue to be promising neophyte's they will be given all which they desire, even freedom.

STORY VI THE CYNIS LUDUS

After weeks of vigorous, exhausting training, the circle is given the test to become full brothers of the house of Elder. The test consists of a one on one duel with one of the full brothers. They must fight to victory or draw. Once victorious, they are given the mark and become brothers. After many near-fatal ordeals and much further training the circle attains the status of a living legend and is named the "Champions of Paragon". The circle is also expected to perform sexual favors for guests that are willing to pay for it. SAM You love this lifestyle. You are the most promising young fighter in the entire ludus. Some even say you should be champion instead of Cirax. You just are happy to end the lives of your enemies and be rewarded handsomely for it. You have been rewarded with coin, women, wine, and food. You have even been granted private living quarters that set you apart from the rest of the gladiators. JOSH At first you despised living at the Ludus, but since your victories in the arena your opinion has began to change. After your first victory you were met by the other gladiators with great respect. Cirax and Tarca, the long standing leaders of the gladiator, have welcomed you in to their brotherhood and have taken you under their wing. Tarca in particular reveals that he is from a similar part of the world as you. You just seem to click well with these men and the three of your drink to your victories, singing drinking songs, and pulling pranks on the new recruits. This is the first time you can remember having real friends. You long to impress them with your next victory in the arena, as you long to hear about their victories before being drowned by wine and women. JOHN You find the life of a Gladiator to be degrading and humiliating. You fight and fuck whenever you are told to do so. Each time you feel that you have let down your wife and child. One day, youll make them all pay for the life they have given you. To make matters worse, you have noticed that the other members of the circle seem to be receiving respect that you are not. Sam is the next in line to become champion and has his own private living quarters. Matt is the right hand man to Cynis Renato and serves as his valued advisor. Josh has been well received as a member of the brotherhood of gladiators and spends all his time hanging around Cyrax and Tarca. You are alone. Surrounded by beasts. And you long for your freedom. MATT Life as a Gladiator does not suit you. It is dirty. There is no privacy. The other gladiators are uncivilized and you are forced to do things you do not wish to do. However, Cynis Renato has taken notice as to your advanced intellect. He seeks you advice in matters of money, politics, and history. He even asks you to play chess with him on a daily basis. You have mixed feelings about the old man. He can be personable and generous, but he is occasionally cruel to his slaves and is not afraid to remind you that you are one as well. However. He decides that you will no longer fight in the arena. You will instead move in to the better living quarters and work as his advisor. The ludus is host to a gathering in honor of the 15th birthday of the Cynis heir to the throne the boy king named Gwynn. The boy orders an exhibition between two members of the circle. Then he demands

death for the loser of the match. Knowing that it is all or nothing when it comes to resistance of their enslavement, the circle resolves to "kill them all" instead of killing each other and they lead a revolt against the ruling house they once fought for.

STORY VII ESCAPE

They travel south towards the unsetting sun. They travel through olive groves and scorched grasslands. The other gladiators tell of a place safe for men on the run. Also located to the south, the circle agrees to follow. Then they travel through canyons and deserts filled with scorpions and cacti. Then in the middle of nowhere is The Fire Box.

STORY VIII THE FIRE BOX

It is a brothel notorious for its night life. The circle goes inside for a drink. The doorman says the bar is only for outlaws and criminals. The group proves their worth and enters. They are met with loud music and fights. Caged dancers hang from the walls. Other escort men to private quarters for a little risky business. After a meal of meat and fruit, the lights are lowered and an enchanting woman of milky white skin and platinum blonde hair takes the stage for a solo dance. Her dark eyes and ruby lips are hypnotizing. She is scantily clad and walks with a massive albino snake draped across her shoulders. A minute or two in to the routine, she steps in the crowd and on top of a table. She gives a man a personal lap dance and as the music crescendos she leans in close for a kiss. Then he tears the mans throat from his body with her teeth. She spits the chunk of bloody flesh to the floor and looks at the circle. It is then that they see the demon face now taken form on her. All the dancers begin to attack the patrons. The Circle fights back, unable to kill the demons. Then they notice a man who drives a chair leg through a demons heart. She bursts in to flames and crumbles to ashes. The Circle slays the demons, including Jinla the Abyssal queen of this establishment. They find a man hiding behind the counter that tells them a story about the fire dragon

STORY IX THE VOLCANO OF THE SERPENT

The circle continues to travel south to a place so hot that the sand has baked to black glass. The sun never sets here and the land is veined with rivers of magma. In the distance is a great glowing volcano. The fire dragon can be seen from a distance here. It is made of pure flame with a white hot orb glowing in its breath like a miniature sun. The task to defeat him is simple. Climb in to the volcano it makes its lair and snatch the orb from its heart. Whichever of the circle decides to climb inside the volcano is sure to die, but after touching it they will all black out and return to the gateway.

STORY X VISIONS
While blacked out each of the circle has a vision. MATT Your visions are filled with terrible images. Death. Chaos. Destruction. You stand atop a mountain high above civilization and your attention turns to the sky. The Sun merges with the moon and the stars before it goes black on the world. All is covered in darkness and then the earth erupts in an explosion of magma. Villages, farmlands, and forests catch fire and burn to ash. Men, women, and children die in the streets. You drop to your knees as their cries of pain burden your ears. SAM

The Walker in the Darkness appears to you. My servant. You path will next take you to the island of the Dragon. I have agents of death working for me there. Look for my symbol, the black pyramid. Beyond its protection you will find safe haven and the means to bring a great amount of suffering to the empire of false gods. JOHN You sit on your knees in the middle of a night desert. From pitch blackness emerges the dead god known as The Walker in the Darkness. His chilling voice echoes from his grotesque mask. He drags behind him an evil weapon made for harvesting the souls of the damned. He confronts you, but before he talks you can see familiar faces etched in to the flesh of his torso. The living faces of your wife, your child, Rynn, and the members of the council howl in agony from beneath the skin of the deathlord. He speaks to you. I have them now. Their souls belong to me. And soon the rest of this world will become mine as well. If you ever want to see your wife and child alive again, youll bring the Angel of Rusted Hearts back to me. For some reason she has become attached to your lot and she is lost to me. Find her and return the ebony whore back to my service and I will give your family back to you. Open the Gateway and call to the vile bitch that dares betray me. Or your wife and child will endure suffering beyond comprehension. You have been given your terms. Make your choice. With that said, the Walker in the Darkness throws down the head of Leagorn. JOSH You find yourself half naked and resting upon a pile of satin pillows. Surrounded you are twenty beautiful topless women glad in gold and jewels. They feed you grapes and sweet meats beyond that of any youve experienced and they drown you with wine. From beyond a beaded curtain emerges The Bandit King. He slowly approaches you with palms open in a gesture to suggest that he is unarmed. I mean you no harm. I am hear to propose an offer for my dark lord. Soon the world of creation will fall and new leaders will be needed. Leaders with great power. Leaders that deserve great rewards. The Walker in the Darkness seeks to gain control of the underworld. You will be his counterpart in the world of the living, ruling over creation in any way you see fit. This is just a taste of the pleasures awaiting your command. Only you have the strength and the wisdom to accept the throne. For only one ruler can lead this world in to a new era of prosperity. When the time comes, leave the circle behind to claim your crown. And leave them to the Walker in the Darkness to meet their final destination. The deathlords can not be defeated in the land of the dead. There is no reason for you to suffer the same fate as your foolish companions. Open the puzzle box before entering the Gateway. The combination is 365666. By entering this combination you will send an astral projection in to the underworld in your place while you remain in a safe state in the world of the living. As long as you do not make physical contact with the others, they wont suspect your false presence. Think about the offer. You have much to gain.

STORY XIII BACK AT THE GATEWAY

The circle then wakes up to find the glowing red orb of the element of fire fixed to a slot in the wall next to the blue, white and green orbs they had captured before. The circle immediately recognizes where they are. They are in the Chamber of the Gateway once again.

END OF SESSION V
3/4/12 6 hour session 12 months session time 2 year old children 3 years total campaign time

SESSION VI
The Earth Dragon
SESSION V RECAP THINGS TO REMEMBER
The Circle was summoned to Nexus by a Sidereal calling himself Garland. He gave the circle a glimpse of their destiny then disappeared. They rescued a mysterious girl named Rynn. She is a technowizard that has guided the circle along the way. They have saved her life many times. The Angel of Rusted Hearts is an abyssal that used to be the circles fifth solar member. She gave an oath that he will never personally attack a member of the circle, When they find the gate to the Underworld she will lead them through the Labyrinth, and finally she gives them her mortal name, Glissa. That the Angel of Rusted Hearts is the corrupted fifth member of the circle. Her dark masters name is The Walker in the Darkness, and the other abyssal is the undead form of the bandit king. The Angels intentions are unclear as are the visions the circle has been having about her. While in Sijan, the circle members each take a bride. Jon and Matthew each had a daughter with their wives. The children appear to be identical twins from different mothers. They bear pink hair and green eyes. The only difference between the two is their birthmarks. One a moon and one a star. More curious is the fact that the circles wives bear the same battle scars as their spouses. The prophecy says that along the way One will become ruler, one will betray the group, and one will die. The Circle has defeated 4 dragons. Wood, Air, Water, and Fire. Each has presented an orb to the group to be rested in the Gateway. The city of Iron Fall is ran by Demelio the child king. Sam remains engaged to the kings mother, princess Lilah. The circle has alliances with both The Bull of the North and Nellens Roth the King of Diamond Hearth. As the circle nears completion of the defeat of all five dragons and eyes the elemental pole of earth at the heart of creation. The island is crawling with powerful Dragon Bloods

STORY I THE CAVERN OF THE GATEWAY

After waking up in front of the gateway, the circle will want to return to Sijan. First they must navigate the cavern once again. The circle notices that this time there are several cubes on the other side of the

rope bridge. The bridge is slimey, but it appears that the cubes cannot navigate it without seeping through the slats. The second difference is the statue of the Walker in the Darkness. The Circle has smashed it the last time they were here, but it has since been restored to its previous state.

STORY II RETURNING TO SIJAN

By the time the Circle returns to Sijan, 12 months have passed. There have been a few developments in that time. The circle expects to find their wives dead. Each find their wife dead but instead of trauma to the body caused by arrow or sword attack the bodies show no physical harm. Upon further investigation it becomes clear that they were poisoned. The entire city was killed when the well was poisoned. By whom and for what reason is not clear. There are only 3 survivors. Rynn, Asha, and Gemma The Circle may investigate the library for information regarding the elemental pole of earth and its location. What they discover is that the pole is located in the rolling plains between Juche and the Imperial City. In observation of its significance, this land hosts a quad-annual celebration of the Five Dragons and Dragon Blood culture. Strictly reserved for Dragon Bloods, the event is a celebration of sport, art, and culture. It is much like an Olympic gathering. If they were able to procure an invitation to the event by a Dragon Blood they could make safe passage to their destination.

STORY III DIAMOND HEARTH

Upon returning to Diamond Hearth it becomes clear that Roth has enjoyed his stint as Baron of Diamond Hearth. If the circle does not search for him, his guards will find them and ask them to come back to the Baron. Upon seeing the circle, Roth is happy to see them. He says that he figured they were either dead or had stolen the warstriders. Either way, he took comfort in the fact that the circle would not come back. Although he heard rumors about strange visitors to the potion shop, he truly thought they were gone for good. The Circle will ask Roth two questions. First is how to gain access to the island and the Dragon Games. Second is how to defeat the Earth Dragon. Roth can get the circle an invitation to the games as representatives of Diamond Hearth. The most celebrated event is the joust. Diamond Hearths previous jouster was killed during the circles last visit to the city. Diamond Hearths only has one other dragon blood, the young knight named Geoffrey. He is flamboyant and charismatic, but not athletic. He is a terrible jouster and dislikes the sport, but has an affinity for archery. He would take great pleasure in allowing the circle to take his place. The circle cant do much worse standing in his place. He will attend the event as an archer and use his position as an invitation to attend all social events. He can never find out that the circle is composed of solars. One member of the circle will have to pose a dragon blood and become the citys new jouster. Patents of nobility will need to be forged and the solar will have to be trained as a jouster and as a noble. It is illegal for peasants to joust. Roths mortal servant named Watts will train the jouster working on his riding, balance, aim, and power. Roths sister Jossa will train the solar in the art of etiquette. s with the help of Wat to improve his balance and aim. After many tries the solar is able to joust properly and is therefore ready to compete.

One of the members of the circle will serve as a herald at the tournaments. His responsibility will be to introduce and hype up the solar. One member of the circle will serve as the solars blacksmith and armorer. He may undertake training to become a master crafter. He will need to make a set of feathersteel armour for the jouster and his horse. The final member of the circle will serve as the horses attendant. Handling and training the animal will be important to the ultimate success of the jouster. After months of training. Geoffrey, Jossa and the circle will head off on airship and then boat to get to the Imperial island. One will play the part of a Knight and the other three the parts of his Squires.

STORY IV THE IMPERIAL ISLAND

The Blessed Isle is the center of the Realm and the unquestioned dominion of the Dragon-Blooded. Ancient in its establishment, it has always served as the center of Creation, and will likely remain so no matter the outcome of the current Time of Tumult. In its current state as the lands of the Realm, the Blessed Isle is separated into prefectures, each ruled by a Prefect appointed by the Empress, and dominions which are collections of powerful prefectures ruled by one of the Dynastic Houses. The land hosting the Festival of Dragons is ruled by the House of Sesus. The Circle will land at The Imperial City. The capital city of the Realm, at the heart of which is the Imperial Manse. The Scarlet Dynasty has its center here, members jockeying for positions of authority and, now, the Scarlet Throne remains vacant since the disappearance of the Scarlet Empress. There are probably over 2 million souls inhabiting the city. Spider's Crossing (Pop. 1500): Spider's Crossing is an excellent example of what is referred to as a "wayside town," one of the many settlements along the Imperial River that essentially serves as an overnight spot for those of the Great Houses or patrician lineage journeying along the Imperial River. Yet one of the inns here is of note to those with the influence to hear of such things. Called the Precious Lamb, this inn is owned by the remnants of House Iselsi, and is used as a spy bolthold and a message drop.

The Blessed Isle has a system of roads and ferries unrivaled in Creation. One of the most important, however, is the Great Coast Road, which circumscribes the entire Isle. The roads are heavily guarded with roadblocks randomly located along the way. Travelers may be searched by Imperial Legions. Most of the plains are split up into small, agricultural prefectures. With fine, warm weather and occasional summer storms, these are some of the more idyllic lands of the Blessed Isle. There are virtually no wild animals in the region, but every kind of domesticated creature can be found. The Plains in the south are known for their sugar cane and pigs, while more northerly prefectures play host to cattle, horses and sheep. Convoys of travelers flock to the Festival of Dragons. The land, dedicated as a cattle farm for 10 months of the year is colorful in both in flowers and people. The center of the festival is dominated by a building of two ivory towers connected with an impressive arch. Many if not most earthy pleasure can be satisfied in a place like this.

STORY V THE FESTIVAL OF THE DRAGON

The first thing you notice upon entering the festival atmosphere is the number of beautiful women in fine sun dresses. Known for its lavish events and hedonistic parties, this gathering of noble men and women is rare and revealing as they cut their inhibitions in this celebration of sport, art and culture. One group of women in particular catches your eye. Led by a young dragon blood noble lady, three handmaidens follow her. She smiles at you and her handmaidens giggle as they walk passed you. You ask her name, and she replies And what would you do with it? Call me a fox, Sir Hunter, for that is all I am to you. The circle rents a private stable and then ventures out in to the crowd. After snaking through the tents of merchants, blacksmiths, brothels, and watering holes, the circle finally arrives at the registry. The herald must introduce his lord and provide the patents of nobility. If accepted, the herald must then indicate which events he wishes his lord to participate in. The events are listed as such: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Armored combat Swords and armor Joust most revered event Archery regarded as an event for women and children Wrestling submission wrestling Gauntlet ninja warrior type obstacle course Strongman an odd weightlifted competition

Although the jouster may participate in multiple events, many event overlap. The joust is the main event, and the event for which the solar is intended to participate. Other information about the Dragon Bloods, the participating jousters, and their houses can be found. Information includes: Mnemon (Earth) The hosting house of the Festival of the Dragons. This house is closest to taking over the throne. Should it be determined that the Scarlet Empress is dead, house of Mnemon would immediately succeed her rule. Deeply routed in the Scarlet Prefecture, this house does not have much military power, but has influence and knowledge beyond that of any

other house. Their leader is a most powerful sorceress feared by many and respected by all. For this reason, all of the other houses pay tribute to Mnemon. They acknowledge all the great houses of the Scarlet Empire and tries to stay impartial in order to keep the peace. Tepet (Air) This house was seeking favor from the Scarlet Empress by promising to capture The Bull of the North and bring the Icewalker tribes under the compliance of the Empire, but their foes have proven to be dangerous. Tepet lost most of its legions in its war with the IceWalkers. Much of this is attributed to the poor military strategy of a leading member of the house of Tepet. This house no longer has favor with any other house and longs to regain prominence. Cathak (Fire) A military powerhouse. Cathak is a house of soldiers. Known for their elite fighting prowess, the legions of Cathak utitlize strength and war strategy to bring down their enemies. Driven by honor, tradition, and loyalty, they are driven to support the throne and thrive on their title as the greatest house of warriors in the world. They pay tribute to House Mnemon and Vneef. Vneef (Wood) Primarily in charge of the Empires wineries and orchards, this house is known for their control over food supply and their prowess as merchants. Vneefs reach extends all over the world as it overthrows local governments to gain control of lands best suited for harvest. Vneef pays tribute to House Mnemon and Cathak. Sesus (Fire) Another warrior house. House Sesus benefits from the use of technology. They excel with blast weapons, cannons, and other technologically advanced weaponry unknown to the other houses. Many of their fortresses and manses employ the same level of technology. However they are small in numbers and excel in guerilla warfare utilizing firepower over numbers. This house is known for their arrogance and their tendency to take what they want from their host country purely based on intimidation. Sesus pays tribute to Peleps and Mnemon. They do not get along with Cathak who regard them as mercenaries. Peleps (Water) Peleps might as a naval force is unmatched, but they lack the manpower and resources to make themselves any real danger on land. Peleps has strong influence in the islands to the west and most port towns around the Blessed Isle. For all intents and purposes, house of Peleps are just well equipped and sophisticated pirates. Peleps pays tribute to Mnemon and Sesus. Ledaal (Air) A house of politicians and intellectuals, Ledaal possess many of the greatest thinkers in the world. They are known for their hunger for power, greed with money, prowess in debate, and political manipulation. Ledaal pays tribute to Mnemon and all houses favored by the throne, but seeks to seize power for themselves when the opportunity finally presents itself. They are a house of liars and beaurocrats that use information as currency and would have other houses do their dirty work as they pull strings behind closed doors. Ragara (Earth) A house of bankers, investors, and loan sharks. Ragara does not wish to be the face of the Empire, but they seek to hold sway over its treasury. Resting deeply in the pockets of many houses that require financial backing, House Ragara smiles in the face an ally before picking their treasuries clean. Ragara pays tribute to any house foolish enough to ask for a line of credit. Cynis (Wood) A house of slave traders, drug dealers, pimps and gamblers. House Cynis is known for their ability to offer all the pleasures of the world with discretion. While the house is publically denounced for their advocacy of sinful professions, they are secretly reveared by high ranking members of every house. Cynis has no shot at the crown, but has built their own empire out of gold taken from the hands of hungry patrons. Nellens (No favored element) A house of thieves, fool hardy adventurers, crusaders, and outcastes. There isnt an honest officer in the entire bunch. Nellens is known for their conquest

of some of the less desirable parts of the world and their willingness to stop at nothing to find riches and power. The unpredictableness of this house keeps them from attaining any real sway on the Imperial Island, but makes them a prime target for houses that seek to use them for their money, soldiers, or resources. Nellens pays tribute to Mnemon but is regarded as a house filled with delusions of grandeur. Iselsi (Water) Formerly a house of samurai and ninja sworn to their service to the throne, Iselsi has been dismembered and disgraced by the Scarlet Empress out of fear for what its greatest warriors were capable of now that the empire is unified. The house struggles for survival without the support of any of the other ten houses.

The Lodge of the Black Pyramid is also visible to Sam. This is a lodge of Iselsi assassins.

STORY VI THE TOURNAMENT DAY 1

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. Mnemon Aggamar Mnemon Guni Mnemon Claudist Mnemon Thackor Mnemon Jude Mnemon Dastin Mnemon Ulstrok Mnemon Garrick Mnemon Krythot Tepet Ariem Tepet Gastal Tepet Zullan Tepet Niron Tepet Merodoc Tepet Somas Cathak Obobo Cathak Arkee Cathak Drom Cathak Periago Cathak Dumez Cathak Nikare Vneef Hothwal Vneef Grindern Vneef Falren Vneef Willin Vneef Talmir Vneef Pelweth Sesus Orus Sesus Wadi Sesus Udumi Sesus Huni Sesus Khufu 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. Sesus Mentu Peleps Leekla Peleps Talbar Peleps Kael Peleps Siam Peleps Elwyll Peleps Ruiz Ledaal Thiagus Ledaal Rocha Ledaal Barros Ledaal Tellus Ragara Alves Ragara Arturus Ragara Grimion Ragara Arari Ragara Lebomis Ragara Chimok Cynis Vamyr Cynis Fulkurn Cynis Bludow Cynis Gwinry Cynis Nogeirra Nellens Knight Nellens Decius Nellens Regalus Nellens Titus Nellens Kantilles Nellens Darius Iselsi Nodar Iselsi Grubock Iselsi Snagga Iselsi Megogg

This is the world championships of jousting. The tournament consists of 64 competitors from all eleven houses of the empire. Every competitor is Dragon Blooded. This is a double elimination tournament. A match consists of 8 passes. Jousters are awarded 1 point for a touch, 5 points for a lance break, and 10 points for an unhorsing. Points are only awarded for lances that engage the openings shoulder guard. A 10 point penalty is given to a participant that engages a jouster on the helmet. Each pass consists of: 1. Ride/Embassy check 2. Target/Fighting plus Embassy check 3. Lance Power/Magnetism plus Embassy check 4. Defense/Magnetism plus Embassy check 5. Balance/Stealth plus Embassy check After performing well in the tournament on day 1, the circle is approached by a maiden of the fox. She offers her ladys name, Vanessa, and asks the color of the knights tunic so that she may match it for this evenings social event. One member of the circle will either have to create or purchase said tunic before the event.

STORY VII THE BALL

While at the Ball, the knight is publicly embarrassed by another dragon blood. Lord Memnon Aggamar calls out the knight and asks him to show a traditional dance of his land. If the performance is successful, Vanessa and the crowd will begin to copy the knight and Aggamar will leave in shame. Vanessa will then kiss the knight. If the performance fails. Vanessa will and the crowd will laugh at the knight. While at the Ball the rest of the circle will spend time with Vanessas handmaidens. They will search for more information. They learn that the earth dragon is said to live in the garden of statues. On legend says that when it rains, the dragon comes to life to look upon the earth it guards. For this reason, the garden is off limits when it rains. This is a good opportunity to visit the Lodge of the Black Pyramid.

STORY VIII THE TOURNAMENT DAY 2

Before the tournament starts, Vanessas handmaiden offers a token of her support. She also tells the knight that he must lose to prove his love to her. After he openly accepts defeat to Lord Memnon Aggamar. Afterwards Aggamar makes fun of the knight and hits on Lady Vanessa. She brushes off his advances and summons the knight. She has changed her mind. She asks that hewin his final match to prove his love. After this, Vanessa will lead him to the Statue Garden for a romantic date.

STORY IX THE STATUE GARDEN

While in the statue garden the knight will have a difficult time finding the dragon. Amidst a forest of huge dragon statues, there are many fountains. However there is no sign of statue actually represents the dragon. The rest of the circle will spend time roaming the festival for information and resources.

STORY X THE TOURNAMENT & THE DRAGON

The knight continues during the third and final day of the tournament. As he approaches the semi finals, the sky becomes cloudy and it gently begins to rain. During the finals it begins to rain heavily, the circle is met with a choice, continue the tournament or attack the dragon while it continues to rain. Once at the statue garden, the circle is met with 2 young dragon blood guards. They must get passed the guards and in to the garden where they will have to destroy all the dragon statues. Once the final statue is destroyed, the ground begins to shake and a huge rift opens up. The earth dragon emerges and fights the circle. Eventually the rain causes the dragon to collapse in to a pile a dirt with a glowing orb showing from beneath the dirt. The circle touches the orb and blacks out.

STORY XI THE VISION

MATT In your vision you see a bald man holding the orb of earth. You recognize him as Garland the Sidereal that first brought the circle together. He places it in to the last remaining slot of the Gateway and the wall comes to life. Garland walks in to the Gateway and disappears as if he walked through a waterfall. The gate remains open and the cave stays silent. Then you wake from your vision and find yourself in a most precarious position. You are still inside the garden of statues on the imperial island. JOHN In your vision you see a bald man holding the orb of earth. You recognize him as the Sidereal that stopped time by the fountain in Nexus. He places the orb in to the last remaining slot of the Gateway and the wall comes to life. He walks in to the Gateway and disappears as if he walked through a waterfall. The gate remains open and the cave stays silent. Then you wake from your vision and find yourself in a most precarious position. You are still inside the garden of statues on the imperial island. SAM You see the Walker In the Darkness again. My loyal servant, the time has come for you to harvest your enemies. When you wake, you will find yourself in the position to bring chaos to the world, tipping a domino that will bring the entire world to its knees. What I ask of you is simple. Kill. Kill them all. The Imperial Island must run with rivers of spilt dragon blood. Do what you do best and be rewarded in the kingdom of shadows. You wake from your vision and find things just as promised. You are still inside the garden of statues on the imperial island. JOSH In your vision you see the Bandit King. You and he are sitting in an opium den surrounded by naked demonettes. You feast on salted meats, sweet fruits, and red wine. He speaks to you You have been betrayed my friend. One has stolen the orb from you and left you for dead. As the world falls in to disarray you will rise to become the new Emperor. Be careful who you trust. Before leaving I offer you one last option. If things start to go wrong, and you have no other recourse, unlock the side of the puzzle box with the three circles. (Youll have to solve the puzzle to open it). The box will release a protector that will destroy your foes. The bandit king vanishes, then you wake from your vision and find yourself in a most precarious position. You are still inside the garden of statues on the imperial island.

STORY XII FLEEING THE IMPERIAL ISLAND

The circle will undoubtedly decide to just portal. However, they will first need to find all the members of their party to do so safely and they may decide to kill as many dragon bloods as possible before leaving.

END OF SESSION VI
4/15/12 7 hour session 8 months session time 3.5 year old children 3 years 9 months total campaign time

SESSION VII
The Labyrinth
SESSION VI RECAP THINGS TO REMEMBER
The Circle was summoned to Nexus by a Sidereal calling himself Garland. He gave the circle a glimpse of their destiny then disappeared. They rescued a mysterious girl named Rynn. She is a technowizard that has guided the circle along the way. They have saved her life many times. The Angel of Rusted Hearts is an abyssal that used to be the circles fifth solar member. She gave an oath that he will never personally attack a member of the circle, When they find the gate to the Underworld she will lead them through the Labyrinth, and finally she gives them her mortal name, Glissa. That the Angel of Rusted Hearts is the corrupted fifth member of the circle. Her dark masters name is The Walker in the Darkness, and the other abyssal is the undead form of the bandit king. The Angels intentions are unclear as are the visions the circle has been having about her. Jon and Matthew each had a daughter with their wives. The children appear to be identical twins from different mothers. They bear pink hair and green eyes. The only difference between the two is their birthmarks. One a moon and one a star. The wives of the circle and the rest of Sijan was killed when the well was poisoned by an unidentified culprit. The prophecy says that along the way One will become ruler, one will betray the group, and one will die. The Circle has defeated all 5 dragons. Each has presented an orb to the group to be rested in the Gateway. However, the last orb was stolen by Garland and he used it to open the Gateway while leaving the circle on the Imperial Island. The city of Iron Fall is ran by Demelio the child king. Sam is no longer engaged to the kings mother, princess Lilah. Thinking him dead, she is engaged to Severnicus. The circle has alliances with both The Bull of the North and Nellens Roth the King of Diamond Hearth. The circle now finds themselves in the heart of the Imperial Island at the Festival of Dragons. An Olympic games type atmosphere, it is a gathering for hundreds of Dragon Bloods. Up until this point, the circle has operated under the guise of Dragon Bloods of the House of Nellens. In the process they won the Gauntlet, the Strongman, and the Jousting challenges and are celebrated as heroes, but now they have set fire to the stables, killed 2 guards, the elemental dragon, and are sure to face the full wrath of a nation of powerful warriors.

STORY I WAKING UP
SAM You wake up outside the statue garden. You are crumpled over the corpses of the two slain guard. The rest of the circle is not with you. The assassins of the Black Pyramid await your signal to start their coordinated attack. Do you wish to flare your anima and run off on a murderous rampage that will see the deaths of hundreds of Dragon Bloods? Yes or No? JOSH You wake up and you see that Vadius and Thanatos are still unconscious. You crawl out of the underbelly of the Earth Dragon and you are covered with gore. You realize that the puzzle box is in your hands. You remember what the Bandit King told you. Solve the puzzle box and unleash a protector that will destroy your enemies. Since your attempt at slaughtering the horses failed, you cant help but feel like you havent gotten revenge on the Dragon Bloods yet. Open the puzzle box and have your revenge. Do you wish to solve the side of the puzzle box with the 3 circles? Yes or No? JOHN You find yourself in the mud inside the statue garden. The rains have stopped and the sun has set. You see that Nox is up. He is holding a golden box in his hands. Your thoughts are on Rynn and your child and you have the urge to return to them as soon as possible. However, you are conflicted by the fact that Vadius is unconscious and Spughetti is missing. You instinctually know that your quest is about to take you in to the underworld. You know you are going to need the entire circle to be victorious. Do you want to try to wake up Vadius, ask Nox about the golden box, or go back to the garden gates and search for Spughetti? Or none of the above? Say option A, B, C, or D. MATT You find yourself in the mud inside the statue garden. The rains have stopped and the sun has set. By this time you are away of what the others have done in your slumber. _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Your thoughts are on Rynn and your child and you have the urge to return to them as soon as possible. However, Spughetti is missing and you feel somewhat guilty that Lady Vanessa may be in harms way. Who do you go looking for? Spughetti, Lady Vanessa, or no one, let them find their own way home. Im porting back to Ironfall and Im go in to the underworld all by myself.?

STORY II THE GATEWAY & THE ANGEL

Once reunited, the circle ports to the Gateway. Before entering the Gateway: MATT

JOSH

JOHN

SAM

You are in a dark place that smells of sweat and fire. The only light is that which eminates from the Gateway. Their eyes adjust to the darkness and they see the Angel of Rusted Hearts emerge from the shadows. He hair is longer now and is a darker shade of pink.
Hello my friends. Im here to fulfill the promise I made so many years ago. Your deeds have help restore some of my essence back to me. I was brought here as a child, stolen from my family, and corrupted by the Walker in the Darkness. You done me a great service, not only by allowing me to escape when we first met, but by saving the life of my twin sister Rynn on so many occasions. By saving her soul, youve restored mine at least partially. What do you say we finish the job? The Walker in the Darkness awaits, Ill never be free until you release me from his grip. And what of the Scarlet Child? I am the Scarlet Child. Rynn, Gemma, Asha. We all are the Scarlet Child. The Walker in the Darkness fooled the Scarlet Empress into becoming his bride. Once they wed he destroyed her, breaking her soul in to pieces. However, the gods intervened each claiming a piece for themselves. Asha was claimed by the stars. Gemma by the Moon. Rynn by the Earth. And myself by the Sun. When Rynn and I were young, the deathlord attacked our home and killed the entire population. My father and Rynn escaped, but I was captured. Reunite the four of us and together we can destroy the deathlord. But beware my friends, this is a place of many horrors. Once you enter, you may never find your way back to the realm. And once you do, you may find that things are not the way you left them.

STORY III THE MOUTH OF THE VOID AND THE RIVER

The Angel guides the circle through a cave that is a mirror image of the Gateway cave. All light disappears in its corridors. They round a corner to find a circular chasm with a staircase winding around the edges. Doorways leading in every direction are scattered throughout the bottomless pit. The Angel informs them this is the mouth of the void, a place that sucks in the souls of the living on their journey to the underworld. The circle must descend in to the well to continue. The Angel directs them through a corridor that is some type of crypt filled with broken urns and screaming ghosts. The sound is maddening. Wind blows as if the corridor breaths in and out. In this corridor, the solars begin losing essence as the Labyrinth consumes it. Eventually they reach a room with tunnels leading in multiple directions. At the center of the room is a soulfire hearthstone (which grants the holder the ability to regain essence from darkness instead of the sun however it will corrupt the user ever so slowly). The tunnelways open and close in random patterns. They choose one and crawl through an identical corridor filled with screaming ghosts. They land on a rocky shore made of bones. A demonic ferry waits at the water. Made of unnatural flesh and thorns, the ferry itself is a demon named Charo. The Angel reveals that the ship is there to take souls from the world of the living to the land of the dead. The water is filled with naked bodies thrashing in the water begging for help. Charon drives through them and bats them with his oars. Charo does not take kindly to a mortal traveler on him, and orders winged demon to attack them. Only sorcery spells work. The circle then kills Charon, crashing him into the coast.

STORY IV 1ST CHAMBER - LIMBO

The first level of the underworld is a gray place. Unbaptized babies fill this rocky passageway. The blind babies have milky white eyes and cry out for their mothers as beetles and maggots that crawl over their rotting bodies. If not quiet, the circle is attacked by the demonic children who bite at them with fanged teeth and clawed hands. They quickly overwhelm the circle unless they run from this sorrowful place.

STORY V 2ND CHAMBER - THE SCALES

They move on, the next chamber is made of pure black obsidian glass. At the center of the chamber is a demon named Menos whose task is to judge all condemned souls to their specific place in hell. A spinning wheel of judgement rests at the center of the room. Souls are thrown on to spikes as they are judged Lust. Wrath. Greed. etc. Menos immediately recognizes them as mortals and refuses passage. They battle. The circle is able to kill Minos by dropping him onto his own spinning wheel of judgment. The circle makes their way down to the second level.

STORY VI 3RD CHAMBER HOUSE OF PAIN - SLAANESH

The circle ventures upon a huge domed room decorated with pornographic images. Unnatural winds blow around the massive room. Bodies flying through the wind, intertwined. The Angel explains that this place is called the House of Pain, the final destination for those guilty of lustful lives. Those in the wind are caught in a never-ending storm of passion and may never know rest. This is a place to indulge in all carnal pleasures. Dwelling amonst the hundreds of souls engaged in orgies of blood and sex are succubi. They are women with multiple naked bodies connected to a single head. They sing the most beautiful song attempting to seduce the circle. The circle falls under their spell and then notices other men wrapped in cocoons. Once they disengage from the floor, the women appear to have spider-like bodies.

There are also male demons that torture their victims with multiple violent penetrations. The succubi pick random souls from the wall for their sadistic orgies that usually end up in dismemberment and always end up in pain. Then they wrap up their victims bodies once again to heal them and continue their endless cycle of sexual abuse and recovery. Approached by several of the demons, the circle fights off the spider-like creatures. Beyond the web lies a passageway to the next level of the Labyrinth.

STORY VII 4TH CHAMBER THE SLUG NEST - NURGLE

The corridor wall appears to be lined with pulsating arteries and bloody organs. The passageway shrinks in size until the circle has to crawl on their hands and knees. At its end is a valve that opens and closes at will. On the other side is a grotto of men and women who had lived their lives without knowing fulfillment. The ground is made of their faces. They spend an eternity of hunger and thirst and are fed the piss and shit of a massive slug demons. They are truly horrendous daemonic aberrations. They have the soft, sticky and mottled body of a pallid slug, webbed feet that flap uselessly, a face of writhing green tentacles, and a whiptail growth that bursts from its back and which wags constantly from side to side. The faces on the ground eat and vomit and cry for help. The circle walks across their faces in to a passageway to the next chamber. They are confronted by a Greater Demon called Edimus. It is a massive, bloated disease carrier, whose decaying flesh bulges with corpulent cancers. It carries a massive, rusted blade dipped in the foul pus and contagion.

STORY VIII 5TH CHAMBER THE MONEY PIT

The next corridor is lined with spinning saw blades. It winds and shifts as blades even come up from the floor in some places. The Circle enters a room of boiling gold. Souls are dipped in to the cauldron by crowned demon called Aothos. Golden chains lined with blood and entrails stretch in all directions. The circle weaves through stacks of gold before noticing the circle. He accused them of stealing and attacks the circle. The pair battle fiercely, but the circle gains the upperhand, kicking the demon into a vat of boiling gold.

STORY IX 6TH CHAMBER THE ATONEMENT

The next room is filled with pure horror. Lesser demons torment the souls in this room at no end, cackling and laughter at their victims agony. Men and women forever burn in fire and others are constantly tortured by various implements. They recognize the soul of Nellens Rashad as his bones are broken with a small hammer by a laughing demon. His skin is flayed from his body. The circle is faced with on particular sadistic demon named Lumian. The demon armed with mechanical saws, blades, and needles. The circle battles him and continues.

STORY X 7TH CHAMBER HATRED HILL - KHORNE

The next corridor is knee deep in blood and gore. It opens up to a chamber filled with a sea of blood. In the middle is a mountain of skulls. At the top is a Silver Throne. All along the sides of the mountain men and women fight eachother to the death. The Angel reveals that this is the throne of skulls. At the top is the greatest of the undead warriors with the skulls and blood of his victims below. Above the throne is a ladder leading up to another chamber. It appears that four lesser demons defend the four sides of the mountain. They are the servants of the skull collector. One is a reptile like creature with exceptional speed and poison fangs. One is a shadow beast made of smoke. One is a skeletal demon of fire. The last is a mutant fighter with sharpened teeth and blades extending from his knuckles, forearms, and back.

The Champion at the top of the hill is clad in armor of black and brass. He wields a might two-handed axe made from the same material. Once reaching the top of the mountain it becomes clear that the reigning Champion is Steve of the East.

STORY XI THE WALL

The circle climbs a ladder in to a chimney shaft filled with grasping arms. They emerge from a well on top of a hill filled with dead grass and trees. A blood moon illuminates the sky. In the distance, black smoke bellows from a gothic castle with shimmering black spikes. Surrounding the castle is a city of twostory buildings. Closer still is what appears to be a massive maze. The Angel speaks Weve survived the Labyrinth. This is the maze to the undead city. The kingdom of the Walker in the Darkness. I suggest that we rest for a moment, we are in for a war.

END OF SESSION VII

4/29/12 6 hour session ? months session time ? year old children ? total campaign time

SESSION VIII
The Labyrinth
SESSION VII RECAP THINGS TO REMEMBER
The Circle was summoned to Nexus by a Sidereal calling himself Garland. He gave the circle a glimpse of their destiny then disappeared. He later stole the orbs from the circle, activated the gateway himself, and headed in to the underworld for an unknown reason. They rescued a mysterious girl named Rynn. She is a technowizard that has guided the circle along the way. They have saved her life many times. The Angel of Rusted Hearts is an abyssal that used to be the circles fifth solar member. She gave an oath that he will never personally attack a member of the circle, When they find the gate to the Underworld she will lead them through the Labyrinth, and finally she gives them her mortal name, Glissa. That the Angel of Rusted Hearts is the corrupted fifth member of the circle. Her dark masters name is The Walker in the Darkness, and the other abyssal is the undead form of the bandit king. The Angels intentions are unclear as are the visions the circle has been having about her. Jon and Matthew each had a daughter with their wives. The children appear to be identical twins from different mothers. They bear pink hair and green eyes. The only difference between the two is their birthmarks. One a moon and one a star. The wives of the circle and the rest of Sijan was killed when the well was poisoned by an unidentified culprit. Rynn, The Angel of Rusted Hearts, Gemma, and Asha were united as a single entity named Shaia that is the embodiment of The Scarlet Empress. She asks that the circle sever the deathlords grip on her that he has held since he tricked her in to their dark marriage. The prophecy says that along the way One will become ruler, one will betray the group, and one will die. The child king took over Ironfall. Garland betrayed the group. And hundreds have died. The circle has alliances with both The Bull of the North and Nellens Roth the King of Diamond Hearth. After entering the Gateway and surviving the many treacherous chambers of the Labyrinth the circle now finds themselves in the underworld. A blood moon illuminates the sky. In the distance, black smoke bellows from a gothic castle with shimmering black spikes. Surrounding the castle is a city of two-story buildings. Closer still is what appears to be a massive maze. The Angel speaks Weve survived the Labyrinth. This is the maze to the undead city around the Black Palace. This is the kingdom of the Walker in the Darkness. I suggest that we rest for a moment, we are in for a war. With the end of the circles quest upon the horizon, there are only a few storylines left to complete. Where is Garland and what are his intentions? What does the Walker in the Darkness

want? Can the Scarlet Empress be trusted? And once they are done in the underworld, how do they get back home. Most importantly, what do the other members of the circle want once their quest is over. It will be up to the circle to decide what happens next.

STORY I RESTING AT THE UNDEAD VILLA

After emerging from the Labyrinth, the circle finds an undead villa. Built from stone and dry grass, it is a primitive medieval settlement. The village appears to be deserted for some time, but ghosts, wraiths, and ghouls shamble around aimlessly searching for purpose. Bones and black stains litter the walls of the stone buildings. There are foul underworld creatures and brown water to drink, but there should be enough there for the Circle rest, recover, and train. Each character gains more essence during the next week or two of recovery. During that time each of the circle members has a different experience in preparation for the final battle. JOSH While the others are resting their bodies, you can only scheme as to how you are going to seize control of creation once your mission is over. As you continue to conceal the fact that you exist only as a hologram, you begin to question the entire quest of the circle. It doesnt matter to you whether the circle, Shaia the Scarlet Empress, or the Deathlord all live or die. In fact, it would be better if they all did not return to creation. If none of them return, you have the means and the power to become the new Bandit King and your reign over the Scavenger Lands of the East will be greater than that of any before. All you have to do is push a button on your puzzle box and you will return to your body. From here you can close the Gateway and hope that the circle, Shaia, and the Walker in the Darkness never find their way back through a shadowland. But if they all die now, the only thing youll ever have to worry about is how to spend all the riches in the world. The choice is yours. Go down the road of thief, traitor, and conqueror or finish your quest as a hero and part of the solar circle responsible for saving Creation from the Walker in the Darkness. SAM While the others rest, you continue to conceal the darkness inside of you. The hearthstone you possess has made you invincible in the underworld, but the others do not know, so you pretend to be injured so they dont grow suspicious. Reflecting upon the dark path youve taken to get here, you dont feel any regret for consuming the contents of the black potion and opening your soul to the Angel, the Deathlord, and the Underworld. You enjoy the carnage you have caused unbeknownst to the rest of your group. The death and destruction you have caused is liberating. You have changed the world. You are responsible for the death of thousands and their suffering only feeds the power that courses through your veins. The hearthstone you gained in the Labyrinth speaks to you in whispers. It says to you, to kill them all. The circle. The Empress. The Deathlord too. After they die, you can become the greatest deathlord in all of the underworld. The choice is yours. Give in to your urges, do what you most love to do, and become a King of the Underworld. Or admit to your sins, repent, destroy the hearthstone that poisons your mind and find a way to redeem yourself in the eyes of your peers and the Unconquered Sun. MATT While the others prepare for their final battle with the deathlord, you spend your time with Shaia the Scarlet Empress. At first you are drawn to her because your daughter is a part of her, but you soon realize that she is a completely different person with no memory of any of her other lives. Despite, the fact that she is a separate person, you still feel like you are part of her. Eventually you become emotionally attracted to her as well. You feel a real connection to her as she is the first person that has ever truly understood what you have been through. You share a common affinity for sorcery. You believe you are falling in love with her. She confides in you that she was tricked by the Deathlord into entering an alliance. Later she was seduced and manipulated in to marriage. Then in an attempt to

obtain her full power, he obliterated her soul. But he was not able to harness her power as her soul was claimed by the Sun, Stars, Moon, and Dark Gods. The Deathlord tracked down the pieces of her soul and will continue to do so until he has her power. She needs you to destroy him and promises that once her dark union is ended that she will return to Creation with you to rule as Empress and Emperor of the entire land. She also warns that others would seek to gain her power. She doesnt know what will happen if she is captured by him or worse yet killed in the battle. She doesnt know if shell be able to fight him at all, because of the control he has always held over her. The choice is yours. Do you wish to destroy the deathlord? Do you want to rule over the empire? Or does she need to die as well to bring an end to the reign of the dragon bloods? JOHN You prepare yourself for the final battle with the deathlord. You regain your strength. You feel healthy and strong, yet you cant shake the feeling of impending disaster. This is a dark place. You hate it here. You despise the undead and all agents of evil. And it is clear that no trace of your daughter remains in the vessel called Shaia the Scarlet Empress. In recent weeks your suspicion about the motives of your circle mates has continued to grow. Spughetti is a merciless killer, but until this point has only killed when circumstance required him to, however you feel like he will put a blade in your back at first opportunity. Nox is equally as creepy. He sneaks around in shadows and plays with a mysterious puzzle box. To your knowledge, he has yet to do anything significant with the box, but he clutches on to it unnaturally. And to make matters worse, Vadius and The Scarlet Empress seem to have their own agenda as they spend more and more time together every day. Youre not sure where your place is in the circle anymore. Youre not sure whether or not youll ever see or need any of these people ever again. All you know is that your quest is nearing an end. This leaves you with a choice on where to go from here. Do you see your quest completed by fighting side by side with the circle while slaying the Deathlord and freeing the Scarlet Empress? Will you find out who is evil and make them pay no matter who they are? Or are you convinced that you cant trust anyone and just decide to say F*ck it. Everyone dies.. Then you complete the story in an act of murder suicide by destroying a hearthstone with all your friends and enemies in proximity and causing an explosion of monumental proportions? There are so many questions left unanswered. Where is the sidereal Garland and what does he know? What does the black pyramid represent? What will you do once the Deathlord is defeated? And how will you ever get back home? The fate of the story hangs on the decisions you are about to make.

STORY II GARRO AND THE CORRIDOR

On the horizon black smoke bellows from a gothic castle with shimmering black spikes. Surrounding the castle is a city of two-story buildings. Closer still is what appears to be a massive maze. After a few days of intense storms the circle decides to enter the maze in front of the Dark Palace. The walls of the maze are high and are made of a slick black stone. After searching for a while the entrance to the maze is found. They enter a narrow corridor that runs endlessly in each direction. The path is strewn with dead branches and black lichen. After continuing for a long time they find nothing. No door ways appear in any of the walls and the entrance is no longer where they originally thought it was. Once they start to attack each other a small pale Asian boy appears holding a black snake in his hands. The boy looks at the circle with black eyes. Youre not supposed to be here. Hell be mad if he finds you here. Except for you pretty lady. He wants you back. I can show you the way if you give me a present. Todays my birthday. I want my birthday present. Give me a pound of flesh and I will show you the way inside the maze. Once the circle makes an offering the boy picks up a stick, draws a doorway on the

wall, and pushes it. It opens right up and he walks through the passageway. The circle looks in shock. Then the boy comes back. Come on. Its this way. The boys name is Garro.

STORY III THE MAZE & THE RIDDLE DOOR

They enter a courtyard with passages going in multiple directions. Made of fetid flesh, the walls shift and ripple with the pulse of a hundred bodies. The whole area smells of Rotten meat and maggots. Faces embedded in the wall moan warnings about proceeding any further. The boy leads the way, but he is often distracted stopping to play games. He even takes them in circles. Growing frustrated with the boy they scare him off. Then the circle find their own way through the maze. They enter a courtyard with passages going in multiple directions. Made of fetid flesh, the walls shift and ripple with the pulse of a hundred bodies. The whole area smells of Rotten meat and maggots. Faces embedded in the wall moan warnings about proceeding any further. Then they are face by a pack of miniature demon men with spears. After defeating them they approach a set of two doorways with a Minotaur in front. The Angel dispatches the Minotaur with an awesome display of Celestial sorcery. Each of the doors has a face embedded in it. They speak. Beware travelers. Behind one of these doors lies the path to safety. Behind the other awaits certain death. You may ask us any questions you want, but just know that from this point forward only one of us will tell you the truth. The other will tell you nothing be lies. Ask you questions and tell us which door you which to enter. You may begin. Once they select the door, they enter the passageway and the door slams behind them. The guard says good thing you picked this entrance, the other way would have sent your right to the Walker in the Darkness.

STORY IV THE OBLIETTE

The path taken by the circle is dark and littered with spider webs and roaches. A thick mist rolls across the floor. They tread carefully. Then the floor begins to shift and they are drop. They slide down a pitch black tube slick with dew. They all end up in a domed room with no doors or windows. A set of torches on the wall illuminate the room. Inside the room is some rough furniture including a table, chair, and bed. Other pieces of random wood uncluding one roughly the shape of wooden casket lid rest on the floor. Rats scurry around as well. They a black snake emerges from underneath the bed. The circle discovers Garro hiding there he hisses at them in fear. He explains that this is his room. He came back there after they scared him off. He says he can show them a way out but he wants them to be his friend first. He says that if they offer the boy a gift, perhaps a hearthstone, he would be forever grateful. Once given the stone, he picks up the coffin lid places it against the wall and opens it up like a hinged door. The first time he opens it, a skeleton falls out and hits the floor. Then he closes it and opens the hinge the other way reveal an ascending staircase. The circle leaves through the tight corridor and is present in a familiar place, the entrance to the maze. Then they realize that the Scarlet Empress is missing as well as Garro. They go back down the staircase to find nothing but a rock wall.

STORY V BACK THROUGH THE MAZE

Obviously angry at Garro, the circle heads back in to the Maze through the same path as before. Only this time they go through the other door. Behind is another winding cave path. It opens up to a cliff wall with a bubbling bog beneath it and a long rock ledge progressively leading to a safe path. Vadius recognizes this place as the Bog of Eternal Stench. Anyone that put even a finger in this bog is said to smell rotten for the rest of their lives. At the foot of the cliff is a bridge guarded by a Troll. To cross the

bridge you must answer 3 riddles. If you answer incorrectly the bridge will throw you in to the bog. Here are my riddles. 999 555 333 111 Some months have 30 days, some have 31; how many months have 28 days? - 12 Brothers and sisters I have none but this man's father is my father's son. Who is the man? my son Two girls were born to the same mother, on the same day, at the same time, in the same month and year and yet they're not twins. How can this be? they are triplets What appears once in every minute, twice in every moment, never in a thousand years? The letter M How far can a dog run in to the woods?

*PENALTY FOR SOLVING INCORRECTLY

6 answers correct right to the black pyramid 5 answers correct to the heart of the demon city 4 answers correct to the gates of the demon city where they are met by a demon machine called the sentinel. It is impervious to damage. And can only be stopped by attacking its tiny operator inside its armor 3 answers correct through the pendulum fields 2 answers correct through the graveyard 1 answer correct in to the bog 0 answers correct the troll engages them in magical battle turning them in to plants

STORY VI THE DEMON CITY

Afterward the circle approaches the Demon City. They meet a giant demon that guards the city gate. through the city, successfully defeating the soldiers of the demon army who have been sent to stop them. At the center of the city is a coliseum type structure. They walk through through the achway and witness a crater on the inside. At its center is an large black pyramid. Whisps of black essence flow from its edges.

STORY VII THE BLACK PYRAMID

Inside the black pyramid is a set of giant silver door. And behind is a larger room filled with pillars. At the far end of the room is a silver throne at the top of two levels of shallow stairs. The headless body of Garland lays next to the throne. Oh dont mind the mess. Your friend Garland did his job and led you to me. Hes been pushes thoughts and visions on you for years. Sometimes at my command, sometimes on his own free will. The things

youve dreamt may or may not have been true. Dont be so sure of any of it. You ask why I have killed him? The answer is that hes been pushing thoughts on to me as well. His treachery was apparent to me and he had to be disposed. Im sure you agree?

Why..? Why don't you understand? Is it impossible for you to grasp the truth with your own hands? I offer you unlimited power and you reject me over and over. You say you serve the unconquered sun. Let me give you a little inside information about your God. He likes to watch. He's a prankster. Think about it. He gives you this extraordinary gift, and then what does he do? I swear for His own amusement, his own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the world against you in opposition. Better to be 2nd in hell than last on earth right? And while you're jumpin' from one foot to the next, what is he doing? He's laughin' His sick, fuckin' ass off! He's a SADIST! He's a absentee landlord! You serve that? I say never. Ive been here on the ground with my nose in it since the whole thing began. I once served him as well, but when I suffered and asked for his help, he did nothing. So I embraced the darkness. And since that day, I've nurtured every sensation man's been inspired to have. I care about what men want and I never judge them. I seek to liberate them. In spite of all their imperfections, I'm a fan of the common man! I'm a humanist. Maybe the last humanist. And now here youre here. You want me dead and your not even sure why. You want me dead because the enemy of your god must be your enemy. All I want to do is offer you everything that he has denied you. Freedom. Acceptance. Respect. Comradery. Ill ask you one final time. Join me my good heroes and together, we will recreate all of Creation in our image. What say you?? No? You say no. You come inside my home and you shit on me?! Today you die, but for the rest of eternity you will suffer agony beyond the full extent of my imagination. Prepare yourself for oblivion. Chains with hooks and spears fire off from all directions towards the circle. Then two gates open unleashing two demon spawn in the form of great dire bear demons. They attack the circle at the deathlords command and the final battle ensues. PHASE 1 At first the Walker in the Darkness fights as himself. He is only vulnerable to magic attacks and is a formidable opponent and has much health. He also summons two dire bear demons. One black one white. They are ordered to attack the circle. The bears are slayed and the deathlord is hurt. Wait, before this ends, there are a few things you should know. SAM The gun you possess is a prop. It is a replica gun that will never fire. Rynn created it to shut up your incessant bitching and moaning. JOSH The puzzle box you have been playing with unleashed a demon of the first circle upon the world. It will kill any who stand in your way. In fact, it will kill everything that gets in its way. MATT and JOHN The two of you have remained honest with each other you seem incapable of harboring secrets, but you are too curious. You ask too many questions yet you know nothing. Your so called friend Spughetti is the one that poisoned the well in Sijan. Hes the one that killed your city. And hes the one that started the Black Pyramid rebellion. What is the black pyramid you ask. Obviously, it is

the mark of my home. I have enlisted hundreds of Dragon Bloods to rebel against the ruling figures of the Empire. Their betrayal was delicious. Cities burn and mass graves are dug. All in my name. And what of your friend Nox? He is an illusion. Using his puzzlebox, he sent a hologram in to the underworld. He is incapable of causing or taking physical harm. He is no help to you here. Lets face it boys, you are all responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of men women and children. Everyone you meet ends up dead. You are a plague. You are reapers. You betray your close friends and family. You send people off to their deaths. You steal. You murder. Your fornicate. You dont deserve to continue living. You belong in a grave where the watchful eye of the Unconquered Sun can never be set upon you again. I will be the one to end your existence. I am the reaper of reapers. With that said, the deathlord pulls off his mask and throws everyone back with an incredible force blast that shatters the pyramid in to a swarm of obsidian butterflies for razor edged wings. SPELLS *Growth and Unholy Strength *Black Fire, weapons that damage him catch flame PHASE 2 The deathlord is flowing with essence now as he takes his form as a dark sorcerer. He attacks with the most powerful sorcery spells including AOE attacks, ailment attacks, and others. At this point he is no longer vulnerable to magic attacks and can only be hurt by physical attacks. Eventually the circle gets to him as well and strikes him down. You think you have killed me? You have no idea of what I am capable of. Have you forgotten about your precious Empress? Then suddenly a contraption emerges from the floor. The Scarlet Empress is strapped down in a machine that siphons her essence. At his command all of her essence is transferred from her body in to his. She came to me because she thought she could use my power to control the living world. She was foolish. I am stronger than her. So we joined in unholy matrimony. Only the first time I tried to obtain her power, she was shattered in to the aether. This time her power will be mine. After all, she is my bride. She is my property. All that she possesses is mine. Her power is mine. Now I can feel it coursing through my veins. I can feel it changing me. Now you will face me at my full might. Then he laughs maniacally. SPELLS *Magical Protection *Drain Life *Shadow Form *mouth of the void, black fog, reverse waterfall, aggravated damage AOE *Slow PHASE 3 The deathlord takes his final form. He grows in size, turning in to a beastly form, and becoming enraged. He begins to glow and floats as giant black wings sprout from his back. He roars to the heavens and

blows the top off of the black pyramid causing rubble and debris to crash in all directions. Then flames erupt from the ground as a whirlwind of fire blows around the crater. The circle finds that he is all but indestructible at this point. Only one thing can destroy him at this stage. A cracked hearthstone must be inserted in to his body and as it explodes, so will end the deathlords existence. The shockwave from the blast will level much of the city and throw the circle from where they stand. Leaving them to pick up the pieces. SPELLS *30 foot tall *Arms hanging down to the ground *Tentacles *Mirrorred Abilities *Reflect *Regeneration *Scorpion Tail

STORY VIII AFTERMATH

Josh wakes up first Then John Then Matt Then Sam The Scarlet Empress is alive but injured. The crown of the deathlord remains on the ground.

STORY IX RETURNING HOME

Josh uses his puzzle box Matt and John create a portal to go back to the Gateway. However, they find it closed from the other side. So they enter back in to the Labyrinth and travel it until they find a new portal that opens in to a shadowland. Sam will stay behind in the underworld

STORY X EPILOGUE
JOSH Option A You deactivate the hologram - You exit your holographic form and return to the room of the gateway. You remove the orbs from the Gateway. Then you cross the bridge in to the cavern of the Gateway. You expect to be met with the gelatinous cubes of the past, but you find them all destroyed; presumably by the protector you activated earlier. In fact, evidence suggests that the protector was released in to the real world and has since fled the cave. You emerge from the cave in to the Scavenger lands. You take a moment to investigate Sijan. The town, still dead and deserted is ripe for the picking. You loot it well stealing whatever valuables you can find, including the hearthstone at the center of the vault. You travel to Nexus and take up residency there. Within days, you find your way in to the service of the Guild. You rise the ranks eventually becoming an enforcer. Your next move is to assassinate the heads the five families and dismantling the commission, naming yourself as the boss of bosses. As the

newly declared bandit king, your empire of crime extends all over the world. The dragon blood empire scrambles in disarray as the Black Pyramid rebellion has forced many of the leading members of the dragon blood houses in to hiding. Your reign of power lasts for two centuries before you grow tired of it. You take many brides and father many children but in the end you fake your own death to return to obscurity and live out the rest of your days in paradise on the beaches of the southern coasts. Option B Others make physical contact with you As the tension between yourself and the rest of the circle comes to a head, they finally come in to contact with your physical form. Immediately the hologram dissipates leaving the others to wonder, what your true ambitions are. They will never know. You return to the room of the gateway and remove the orbs from their settings. Then you cross the bridge in to the cavern of the Gateway. You expect to be met with the gelatinous cubes of the past, but you find them all destroyed; presumably by the protector you activated earlier. In fact, evidence suggests that the protector was released in to the real world and has since fled the cave. You emerge from the cave in to the Scavenger lands. You take a moment to investigate Sijan. The town, still dead and deserted is ripe for the picking. You loot it well stealing whatever valuables you can find, including the hearthstone at the center of the vault. You travel to Nexus and take up residency there. Within days, you find your way in to the service of the Guild. You rise the ranks eventually becoming an enforcer. Your next move is to assassinate the heads the five families and dismantling the commission, naming yourself as the boss of bosses. As the newly declared bandit king, your empire of crime extends all over the world. The dragon blood empire scrambles in disarray as the Black Pyramid rebellion has forced many of the leading members of the dragon blood houses in to hiding. Your reign of power lasts for two centuries before you grow tired of it. You take many brides and father many children but in the end you fake your own death to return to obscurity and live out the rest of your days in paradise on the beaches of the southern coasts. MATT Option A You return to creation with Shaia Before returning to creation, you and Shaia have discussed ruling the Empire as King and Queen above all others. However, your return to creation is not as expected. You emerge from the underworld in one of the many shadowlands. This particular shadowland is in a familiar place, the cannibal islands. It still appears to be a desolate place of bones and statues. You quickly open a portal to the Imperial City. Shaia goes to claim her place at the throne, but something else has changed. Apparently, hundreds of years have passed since you left creation and now the world has no memory of the Empress or the Circle. The thirteen houses of the dragon bloods are in disarray as the imperial island currently finds itself involved in a civil war in which the Black Pyramid rebellion controls the eastern half of the island and the Empire the other. You join the Empire and convince them of who you are and how powerful you can be by defeating a Black Pyramid company with a massive display of celestial level sorcery spells. Lacking confidence in their current leadership, the two of you are promoted to become the new rulers of the Empire and you embark on a new campaign to bring the Imperial Island and the rest of the world back in to compliance. In you dark future there is only war and you and your bride bring peace to the world, by capturing, torturing, and killing your enemies. In the end, you are not sure as to whether or not you have fulfilled your destiny as the ruler of the world or if you have become that which you have always despised; a dictator, mass murderer, and slayer of hope. Fuck it, you are the most powerful sorcerer that has ever lived. Thats good enough for you. Option B - You kill them all. You suspicions about your circle mates overwhelms you. After the deathlord is killed, you ultimately decide that no one here can be trusted. They are all too powerful and pose too much of a threat to yourself and the Empire you are about to build to keep around. So when they arent looking you use a massive display of solar sorcery to see them dead. Then you return to Creation.

However, your return to creation is not as expected. You emerge from the underworld in one of the many shadowlands. This particular shadowland is in a familiar place, the cannibal islands. It still appears to be a desolate place of bones and statues. You quickly open a portal to the Imperial City, but something else has changed. Apparently, hundreds of years have passed since you left creation and now the world has no memory of the Empress or the Circle. The thirteen houses of the dragon bloods are in disarray as the imperial island currently finds itself involved in a civil war in which the Black Pyramid rebellion controls the eastern half of the island and the Empire the other. You join the Empire and convince them of who you are and how powerful you can be by defeating a Black Pyramid company with a massive display of celestial level sorcery spells. Lacking confidence in their current leadership, the two of you are promoted to become the new rulers of the Empire and you embark on a new campaign to bring the Imperial Island and the rest of the world back in to compliance. In you dark future there is only war and you and your bride bring peace to the world, by capturing, torturing, and killing your enemies. In the end, you are not sure as to whether or not you have fulfilled your destiny as the ruler of the world or if you have become that which you have always despised; a dictator, mass murderer, and slayer of hope. Fuck it, you are the most powerful sorcerer that has ever lived. Thats good enough for you.

JOHN Option A You return to creation and serve the empire Upon returning to creation you declare yourself the protector of the people. Officially named Lord General of the Imperial Army, you use the resources of the Empire to defeat evil, slay beasts, and bring peace to the world. Your first crusade is against the nation of Iron Fall. A nation that has been at war ever since the child king Demilio the First turned of age. For many years you are known as the Champion of the Empire, and are celebrated world wide. But your job is never done. You are sent farther and farther away from the comforts of the Imperial Island. You tell yourself that it is for the greater good, but your noble ambitions are constantly undermined by the Empire. The threat posed to you by the Guild and the Black Pyramid rebellion is constant, and you remain vigilant, but you have fallen from the favor of the Scarlet Empress and her husband. Your life is all risk and no reward at this point. You decide youve had enough and you sneak off in to obscurity. Knowing that your defection will lead to a massive manhunt, you take up residence under a false identity and live for many years as a farmer. It is here that you finally take on your 2 nd bride, a peasant girl with no connection to any significant group or familty. She bears a dozen children for you, many of which become fine young men, but in her later years she grows ill. You do not age and eventually you witness her slow death and she succumbs to cancer. By this point, you are a great grandfather. Knowing that you are near immortal, you decide that you can not live another lifetime watching your wife and your children grow old while there is nothing you can do but to mourn them. You cremate your wife and take her ashes to the Volcano near the Elemental Pole of Fire. Clutching her urn to your chest, you jump in to the lava where you are consumed by the elements, thus ending your life and keeping your love immortal. Option B You return to the empire and serve the unconquered sun - Upon returning to creation you declare yourself the protector of the people. You align yourself with the Bull of the North and are named his top Lieutenant in his army. At first you aid the Icewalkers in their war against the nation of Iron Fall, a mortal enemy of the Icewalker since the teenage King Demilio the First sabotaged the Bull of the North and his armies. Then the two of you move on to destroy the Empire, killing Dragon Bloods in a global cull campaign that unites the tribes of the wyld lands. All around you, civilization falls to its knees, and you relish in the destruction. Its not that you enjoy death and chaos, you are proud to return the world to a simpler time where men live in harmony with the land and its creatures. You take on a new persona, known worldwide as The Great Wolf of the Cedars, a keen hunter of Dragon Bloods and loyal servant of

the Bull. After a century of service, the Bull asks you to step down. He admits that your service has been paramount, and that he will always cherish your friendship. He asks that you leave the battlefield, start a family, and become ruler of a small territory of fertile lands far away from the Imperial Island. You take on your 2nd bride and live for many years as a King. Your bride bears a dozen children for you, many of which become fine young men. One of your sons, becomes a solar exalted and you name his your heir apparent. As your wife grows in to old age, you retire from the throne to be by her side while she grows ill. Your heart breaks when she dies of old age and you decide to carry her ashes off in to the sunset on your new quest. To show your love the corners of the world in which your thirst for adventure had taken you all the time ago. SAM Option A You helped kill the deathlord The deathlord dies leaving behind nothing but a silver crown. After the others have left, you decide to stay in the underworld. You pick up the silver crown and put it on. Power flows through you as it become clear that the crown is made of an enchanted metal granted you dark powers and infinite essence. Your skin turns pale and blood pours from the caste mark on your forehead. You are now an Abyssal Exalted. You take a seat on the silver throne and call out to your new kingdom. Then you begin to raise you great army of the undead. In the years after the incident, you grow your kingdom in the underworld conquering other armies and bringing deathlords under your service. Occassionally you return to Creation only to corrupt Solars into becoming Abyssals under your service. Option B You join the deathlord against the circle Despite your efforts the Deathlord is still defeated. You manage to escape the capture and detection of the rest of the circle. Eventually they return to the world of the living and leave an empty throne behind. You pick up the silver crown and put it on. Power flows through you as it become clear that the crown is made of an enchanted metal granted you dark powers and infinite essence. Your skin turns pale and blood pours from the caste mark on your forehead. You are now an Abyssal Exalted. You take a seat on the silver throne and call out to your new kingdom. Then you begin to raise you great army of the undead. In the years after the incident, you grow your kingdom in the underworld conquering other armies and bringing deathlords under your service. Occassionally you return to Creation only to corrupt Solars into becoming Abyssals under your service. For all of you, one question remains unanswered. Whatever happened to the boy in the underworld. What ever happened to Garro the boy that was given to the fair folk by the circle and later became the heir to the Walker in the Darkness? Well that is another story altogether.

END OF SESSION VIII

5/25/12 6 hour session ? months session time ? year old children ? total campaign time