0. Aleph, The Fool
The
PCs are attending a banquet held by a local Baron or other Noble, they
have been invited to thank them for some previous good deed. The food
is good and lavish entertainment has been laid on, jugglers, tumblers,
troubadours etc.One of the entertainers is a young man who plays a lute and sings hauntingly beautiful songs. Towards the end of the evening this young man will approach the Mage with the highest prescence and say:
'Excuse me, am I correct in assuming you are a Magus?
My name is Aleph and I hope to become a Magus one day, to this end I hope to travel to the Four Kingdoms, the birthplace of all magic.
However, this journey is long and arduous and beset with problems.
The first problem I have is that the door that begins this journey must be opened by magic.
I was hoping theredore, that you would consent to open it for me.'
Aleph is a young, fair man wearing a blue
hat with a large, red feather, a yellow jacket, white shirt, red tights
and blue shoes. He carries a lute and a blue leather bag on a stick.
This is fastened with an elaborate knot in the shape of an eagle which
no-one, not even Aleph can open. He doesn't know what's in the bag but
he does remember that it's very important to him.Aleph represents innocence. He is always happy and ready to bolster party morale with a cheery song. Nothing ever harms him, no spell will target him, nothing attacks him. If a PC offers him harm it will backfire.
Aleph remembers nothing of his past. He has led many people to the Four Kingdoms but, of course, he doesn't know this. Usually when he travels he is accompanied by his dog Caleb, the fool always has a friend on his journey. This time he has the Players to be his Fool's companions.
His full name is 'The Spirit of the Aether' but the PCs will not learn
this until much later. His bag contains a set of keys to the Four
Kingdoms, the Players will get their own as the game progresses but
should they lose or break one Aleph can supply a replacement when the
time comes to use it. He will only remember this at the time though
and, as when he does anything that's actually useful, he will not make
a fuss about it. He will just hand the PC the required item saying
something like 'try this one' or similar. It is best if nobody sees
where he got it from, he won't remember if asked.The Magic Door
The door is behind a tapestry hanging on the back wall of the minstrels' gallery. Nobody in the castle has seen it before and it would appear to lead nowhere as the other side of the wall is outside, three floors above the courtyard. There is no door visible from outside if anybody looks. The door requires a spell to open it, Rego Vim/Terram/Herbam will do it, no target number, just a successful cast is required.
Looking through the open door shows a grassy meadow dotted with flowers stretching into the distance where it meets a range of mountains. Stepping through the door and looking around shows that the mountains seem to form a circular barrier around the massive meadow. The door stands alone on the grass, looking back through it shows the castle interior, going behind it and looking through shows the meadow and mountains.
Aleph will be excited and very grateful. He will be aprehensive about travelling alone though, and ask if the party would like to accompany him.
Once everyone is through the door (there's no rush, allow time to collect equipement etc.) it slams shut and disappears leaving no way back. Aleph will pick a random direction and set of at a jaunty pace with a happy song on his lips. As the party travel the Sun remains high in the sky and doesn't move, the mountains get no nearer. However, after about a day of travelling (22 hours if anyone can measure it) thr party reaches the end of the meadow.
The meadow stops abruptly at a huge chasm that runs all the way around it should anybody check. The mountains are visible in the distance but can never be reached. Looking down the party can see about 400ft brfore the further depths are obscured by a thick layer of cloud.
Descending the cliff face will take four days no matter how it is achieved, if characters fly the cliff will just be taller than if they climb carefully.
Descent Day 1 (fire)
Tthe first day is spent getting throught he cloud layer, It is
fairly dark inside the clouds and visibility is limited but climbing is
easy with many ledges and hand holds. There are plenty of places to
rest. A character near the rockface will notice that there are many
glowing rocks that adorn the cliff. These are generally about fist
sized and are naturally phospherescent (non-magical). They can be
collected if desired and will make decent light sources for reading or
lighting a room etc.Descent Day 2 (Air)
The party emerges from the cloud layer but the bottom of the
cliff is still obscured by haze.The light is diffused but brighter than
in the cloud level, no Sun is visible. There are strange eddying
currents of air around that seem to flutter around the characters and
make the rocks and stones of the cliff face howl and moan.Descent Day 3 (Water)
The light gets brighter but both the cloud layer above and any
ground below are obscured by haze. It rains constantly and small
streams of water cascade down the cliff side making climbing a little
more treacherous and unpredictable.Descent Day 4 (Earth)
The rain stops and the ground becomes visible, another meadow stretches
out below as far as the eye can see. Away in the distance there is a
river and on the far size of that is a mass of hazy greenery that can
only be an imense forest.Hidden caves dot the cliff (perception roll 7+ to spot one), these are the homes of a peculiar race of rock people. The caves all follow the same general layout, a short, narrow passage leading to a larger area that invariably contains a source of water, either a pool or spring. The caves will seem empty because the inhabitants will merge with the walls if they are aware of intruders. They will observe the actions of the party and will attack if they are robbed.
Rock People
| 1st Attack | Attack | Damage | Defence | Soak | Body levels | Notes |
| +6 | +9 | +15 | +9 | +15 | 0 -1 -3 -5 D | Half damage from edged non magic weapons |
They attack using improvised rock clubs or by using their fists and feet. If the party attack with fire based spells, or Igak's breath, the target(s) will explode causing +15 damage to all non rock people in the room. If a PC notices them before any fighting takes place they will be happy to trade or talk. they know nothing of the bottom of the cliff, they don't go there. They are fond of precious metals and gems.
Rock People booty
Each cave will have D6 items from this list:
Roll D10:
| 1-3 | Rockworm carcass, (food for Rock People) 2' long. 3 points Terram Vis per set of teeth |
| 4 | Jar of Rock Sealant ointment used for first aid on Rock People. Can weld small cracks in stone like a filler |
| 5-7 | Stone implements, knives, bowls etc. |
| 8 | D6 Emeralds |
| 9 | Climbing equipment, 50' vine rope and 5-10 stone pittons |
| 10 | Whetstone (only one ever) adds +5
damage to an edged weapon it is used on (works once). If rolled a
second time D6 emeralds instead |
The Base of the Cliff
There is another meadow here like the one above.The sunlight is strong and warm. A short way off is a walled garden. The wall is 4' high, topped with 10' tall iron railings, there is an open iron gate facing the party.
Rewards
Reaching the bottom of the cliff gets each character 2XP
The Fool
And I saw another man.
Tired and lame he dragged himself along the dusty road, across the deserted plain under the scorching rays of the sun. He glanced sidelong with foolish, staring eyes, a half smile, half leer on his face; he knew not where he went, but was absorbed in his chimerical dreams which ran constantly in the same circle. His fool's cap was put on wrong side front, his garments were torn in the back; a wild lynx with glowing eyes sprang upon him from behind a rock and buried her teeth in his flesh. He stumbled, nearly fell, but continued to drag himself along, all the time holding on his shoulder a bag containing useless things, which he, in his stupidity, carried wherever he went.
Before him a crevice crossed the road and a deep precipice awaited the foolish wanderer. Then a huge crocodile with open mouth crawled out of the precipice. And I heard the voice say:--
"Look! This is the same man."
I felt my head whirl.
"What has he in the bag?" I inquired, not knowing
why I asked. And after a long silence the voice replied: "The four magic symbols, the sceptre, the cup, the sword and the pentacle. The fool always carries them, although he has long since forgotten what they mean. Nevertheless they belong to him, even though he does not know their use. The symbols have not lost their power, they retain it in themselves.
Tired and lame he dragged himself along the dusty road, across the deserted plain under the scorching rays of the sun. He glanced sidelong with foolish, staring eyes, a half smile, half leer on his face; he knew not where he went, but was absorbed in his chimerical dreams which ran constantly in the same circle. His fool's cap was put on wrong side front, his garments were torn in the back; a wild lynx with glowing eyes sprang upon him from behind a rock and buried her teeth in his flesh. He stumbled, nearly fell, but continued to drag himself along, all the time holding on his shoulder a bag containing useless things, which he, in his stupidity, carried wherever he went.
Before him a crevice crossed the road and a deep precipice awaited the foolish wanderer. Then a huge crocodile with open mouth crawled out of the precipice. And I heard the voice say:--
"Look! This is the same man."
I felt my head whirl.
"What has he in the bag?" I inquired, not knowing
why I asked. And after a long silence the voice replied: "The four magic symbols, the sceptre, the cup, the sword and the pentacle. The fool always carries them, although he has long since forgotten what they mean. Nevertheless they belong to him, even though he does not know their use. The symbols have not lost their power, they retain it in themselves.
THE SYMBOLISM OF THE TAROT by P D. OUSPENSKY
