On the Road to the Falling Ruins

Destination: The Falling Ruins

Party members: Hanya, Peek-ee-Peek, Ikarnos & Jiridan

The Exiles' Ambush

We were advancing on our mounts along an increasingly wild road, drawing closer to the mountains, when suddenly arrows flew. We were under attack!

Hanya cried out: "The Exilés!!!" We looked around and saw a dozen armed men approaching. Four remained in reserve with their bows, while eight others advanced, armed with axes and protected by small round shields bearing the runes of Air and Movement. They wore tunics and animal skins — bear or wolf, perhaps. "Death to Shipelkirt!" they shouted.

🎲 Resolution - Impact of the 1st volley of arrows:

• Conflict:
  • Attackers: 1 (Arrows)
  • Heroes: 1 (Antelope sense & Peek-ee-Peek) + 1 (Hanya: Safe route)
• Result 1 vs 2: Tie therefore setback

Peek-ee-Peek's antelope stopped dead before the attack and Hanya traced a sign of protection in the air. Combat is inevitable.

We were thus surprised by a volley of arrows which, fortunately, did not hit their target thanks to our vigilance. But it was too late to devise a battle plan: we had to react immediately.

The melee and the hostage ruse

🎲 Resolution - First contact:

• Conflict:
  • Attackers: 1 (Arrows) + 1 (Numerical superiority) + 1 (Hatred of the Empire) + 1 (Fierce) + 1 (Axes) = 5
  • Heroes: 1 (Hanya) + 1 (Peek-ee-Peek) + 1 (Mounted) = 3
• Result 5 vs 3: Heroes defeated by -1.

The noose was tightening dangerously around us. Fortunately, the proximity of the melee now prevented the enemy archers from shooting at us without risking hitting their own.

Ikarnos and Jiridan tried to distance themselves from the heart of the confrontation. Ikarnos approached Jiridan, grabbed his wrists and passed a small cord around them.

Ikarnos: "They will think you are our prisoner if things go badly. You will take that opportunity to intervene." Ikarnos then tied a rope between his horse and Jiridan's. The maneuver, done discreetly, unfortunately drew the exiles' suspicion and the archers' fire upon them.

🎲 Resolution - The archers against Ikarnos & Jiridan:

• Conflict:
  • Archers: 1 (Bows) + 1 (Position advantage)
  • Heroes: 1 (Mounted) + 1 (Jiridan's Ruse: "Don't shoot!")
• Result 2 vs 2: Heroes victory.

Jiridan immediately understood the tactical advantage Ikarnos had just offered him. He cried out in the Orlanthi tongue: "Don't shoot! Free me, I am their prisoner!" This made the archers hesitate, who immediately ceased their fire.

The Red Moon's dance of death

Meanwhile, Hanya and Peek-ee-Peek faced the melee group.

🎲 Resolution - Hanya & Peek in close combat:

• Conflict:
  • Attackers: 1 (Axes) + 1 (Numbers) + 1 (Vengeful) + 1 (Fierce)
  • Heroes: 1 (Hanya) + 1 (Goddess's Grace) + 1 (Peek) + 1 (Mounted) + 1 (Antelope)
• Result 4 vs 5: Brilliant heroes victory at +4.

Hanya and Peek-ee-Peek put on a masterful display of their talent. The antelope leapt over two guards. In mid-flight, Peek pierced one of the attackers with her lance. Hanya, for her part, fought with a hypnotic grace, spinning her mount and her sword, cutting throat after throat.

Red blood sprayed, offering a striking aesthetic echo, in perfect harmony with the Red Moon shining proudly in the sky. Peek charged three times to eliminate the remaining rebels. Panicked, the archers fled.

Hanya sheathed her weapon: "Should we pursue them?"

Ikarnos shook his head: "No. Their cowardice will once again be proof of the Goddess's superiority."

The interrogation and the forgetting spell

We dismounted. Ikarnos winked at Jiridan: "Let us maintain the illusion as long as we are not certain we are out of danger."

Jiridan thus remained in the saddle, pretending to be bound, while examining the bodies of the attackers.

There were 4 dead, 3 dying, and 1 gravely wounded. Hanya coldly finished off the dying.

Jiridan then whispered in Ikarnos's ear: "I recognized some faces. I saw them at the market in Bagnot. The rebels are thus also present in the city, and not just in the mountains..."

Ikarnos approached the sole survivor: "Do you want to live or die?"

The man stammered: "Glory to Orlanth!", before spitting out more words in Orlanthi. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Jiridan translate his words.

Inspiration: Revelation

The prisoner had said: "The Hero Wars have begun, and Argrath will bring the Goddess to her knees."

Ikarnos: "Interesting. And where can we find this Argrath?"

The man: "It is he who will find you. He will rip out your guts, son of a dog!"

Ikarnos: "That is brave of you not to beg for your salvation. Your arm is badly mangled... You could have made a useful slave in the gardens of a patrician. Only, we are not here for that. My choice is delicate, understand? What to do with a vanquished enemy: kill him, or let him live so he can continue the fight?"

Jiridan understood that Ikarnos was playing with his prey. On one hand, it seemed cruel to him; on the other, he was fascinated by this typically Lunar ability to never make things simple or binary.

A glimmer of terror finally passed through the rebel's gaze, as if he suddenly realized the darkness of his fate.

Ikarnos then murmured a few phrases in Old Dara-happan, then asked the man gently: "Remind me, friend... What is the God you serve? And what is the name of this 'hero' who must vanquish the Great Goddess?"

🎲 Resolution - Spell "Forget the names" against the survivor:

• Conflict:
  • Ikarnos 1 (Spell) + 1 (Position of strength)
  • 1 (Rebel's Will)
• Result 2 vs 1: Ikarnos victory at +1.

The prisoner stammered: "Glory to... He... will conquer..." Suddenly, tears flowed down his cheeks. He had just realized, with horror, that he was unable to pronounce the names of his Gods and his Heroes. The magical forgetting was total.

Ikarnos smiled: "If you survive, go to Bagnot, to the temple of Danfive Xaron. You will find a new life there. Or else, return among your people, and beg them for mercy for no longer being able to worship your own Gods..."

We left the prisoner on the spot, leaving him some water and a few provisions, before resuming our road toward the mountain, redoubling our vigilance.

Debriefing and crossing the Shining Line

During the march, we took stock of this encounter. Should we report the information to Fazzur or to the Tarshite authorities? The Exiles were an ancient reality in the kingdom. Having been attacked by a group that had probably spotted us in Bagnot was not crucial information for the overall fight against the Rebellion.

Jiridan thanked Ikarnos for sparing the man, even though he remained considerably shocked by the nature of the magic used. Hanya remained dignified and silent. Peek-ee-Peek, for her part, considered the enemy group pathetic, claiming that the strength of our party rested solely on her and Hanya.

We agreed that we now needed to travel more discreetly. Our goal was not to suppress the local rebellion, but to transport resources for the Empire, particularly in Prax. Even though this required crossing the fearsome Dragon Pass, we were only at the beginning of our journey and we knew many obstacles would try to distract us from our objective.

That was when we crossed the Shining Line.

A certain apprehension seized the group: once this magical frontier was crossed, we would be fully subject to the phases of the Red Moon. The crossing was like passing through an invisible wall. On one side, the sky bore slightly reddish tints; on the other, it was a brilliant blue and the wind blew much harder. Ikarnos and Hanya were the most impressed by this phenomenon, having never known any sky other than that of the heart of the Empire. Conversely, Jiridan and Peek-ee-Peek found the open sky they had always known.

The Busérian Astrolabes have long discoursed on the phases of the Moon. Indeed, according to their astral logic, the Full Moon is intrinsically unstable: it is full, but empties by half in a single day. It then diminishes more slowly during Water Day, which seems to act as a slowing, plunging it into its dying phase. According to Ikarnos, this phenomenon is undoubtedly related to his personal theory about the Durulz (the Ducks).

Tensions at the bivouac - The Spirits vs The Moon

We now traveled off the beaten path, on our guard. Peek-ee-Peek went ahead as a scout and signaled if the way was clear. As we approached the mountains, we carefully avoided isolated dwellings. However, the region was not deserted, and encounter was inevitable.

Enemy and relations. What is different threatens our cohesion.

During a bivouac at the foot of the mountains, while Peek was chanting shamanic incantations while playing with a round, painted pebble, Hanya suddenly turned on her. She stated that for the good of the mission, it would be preferable for all members of the party to be devoted to the Red Goddess and abandon their old superstitious cults.

She then looked at Jiridan, telling him plainly that she was not speaking about him — the old God of trade (Issaries) being respectable — but that she did not understand how Peek-ee-Peek, who claimed to have had a revelation for the Goddess, could continue practicing her "spirit stuff." In her view, Peek would benefit from fully embracing the Moon.

The situation immediately became very tense. In response, Peek-ee-Peek drew an arrow bound to a spirit capable of killing Hanya on the spot if she ordered it, then spat on the ground. Hanya then tried to win Ikarnos's support by advancing various theological arguments.

🎲 Resolution - Convince Peek-ee-Peek:

• Note: The obstacle here is clearly Hanya. Her points thus feed the antagonism (Aggressor vs Aggressed). We are at the 1st Quarter, lunar magic is thus normal.
• Conflict:
  • Conversion attempt: 1 (Willing or not) + 1 (Openness of mind)
  • Resistance: 1 (Superiority complex) + 1 (Haughty Hanya) + 1 (Traditionalist)
• Result 2 vs 3: Peek defeated by -1.

Peek-ee-Peek listened and grew angry. The debate became acrimonious, and the mercenary (Hanya), transformed into a true missionary, seemed possessed by a sacred fervor. Facing her, Peek-ee-Peek struggled to formulate her arguments.

As the tone rose dangerously, Ikarnos intervened. He firmly reminded them that Jakaleel the Sorceress had been one of the Seven Mothers who brought the Goddess back to life 500 years ago. The Red Goddess had integrated spirits into her vision of the world, just as she had done with everything else: her friends as well as her enemies, mages as well as priests, and even Chaos. We are far too small to apprehend such immensity.

Forced to reflect, Peek-ee-Peek had to admit that she still knew nothing of the vast world. Ikarnos managed to calm both women by making Peek promise to meet a shaman or shamaness of Jakaleel as soon as the opportunity arose. Thus, she would not deny her nature, would continue to honor the spirit way, while drawing closer to the Goddess to one day guide the Sable People toward their fulfillment.

Peek-ee-Peek relaxed and shared with us an old story: how, several centuries ago, the Sable People (who originally possessed the Earth rune) abandoned it to adopt that of the New Moon, because it reminded them of the horns of the antelopes they rode.

"That is how, quite naturally, the Empire became their ally during the great battle of Prax," concluded Ikarnos, who had studied the chronicles of Fazzur's campaign in detail. Thanks to this alliance, they were today the most powerful tribe of the five Praxian tribes.

Ikarnos flattered Peek-ee-Peek's pride a bit, hinting that she might well be one of those heroines destined to change the destiny of an entire people. The evening ended in a much more serene atmosphere than it had begun.