Freedom! A Dark Sun Page

The Hunt - Continued

Background

Nibenay has known Telek for quite a long time. When he first saw him in Nibenay he was offended that Telek was killing his citizens without any fear of the Shadowking's revenge. When he found out more about him he found him fascinating and most of all entertaining. Nibenay especially liked Telek's obsession - it revived his own interests in genetic experiments that he had even more riskily pursued before an incident with the Villichi in the past…

Nibenay also noticed that Telek's mind can't be read. This was the reason Nibenay observed him. Through his observations he found out about a prophecy that the villichi are keeping secret. The legend about the "one who is different", some kind of rogue villichi who will bear a child.

Nibenay knows Inaiya very well from their mutual involvement in the murder of Khalid-ma. Nibenay fears Inaiya's and the villichi's wrath too much to be conducting experiments on villichi to bring the prophecy about quicker.
Instead he secretly supported Telek's research into appropriate material. When Jaladra was born both Telek and Nibenay were curious whether they had succeeded. Telek was the first to sense that they had and he abducted her.

Nibenay just wanted to send some "under cover" people out to deal with the matter when the village had already taken matters into their own hands and had enlisted a bunch of adventurers (the PCs) who were already on Telek's tracks.
Then Kharon, the man he had wanted to pursue Telek, suddenly turned up against his orders at the wrong moment - Nibenay had least expected him to mess everything up! One of Telek's most ambitious, gifted and rebellious children who had the audacity to break into his palace had decided to take the girl away from Telek and disappear to where he couldn't locate them! And even Ya'tal the Seer, who he had always considered his loyal servant, is speaking in riddles…

Kharon in Nibenay
As for Kharon's status in Nibenay… Cha'al and Kharon came to Nibenay. Cha'al had a contact there from his time in the Veiled Alliance in Tyr. The Veiled Alliance welcomed Cha'al, but deeply distrusted Kharon. Kharon ended up having a big argument with a cell leader and ended up scanning him, finding out the name and hiding place of Thagya Phon.

Kharon had the audacity to show up virtually at Thagya's doorstep and the two had something between a duel and a major argument. Kharon accused Thagya of thinking to small, of being intimidated by Nibenay. In the end, Kharon managed to provoke Thagya in such a way that he couldn't but accept Kharon's offer: knowing Thagya's secret obsession with getting hold of Khmal's treasure he said he wasn't afraid of Nibenay and would steal a piece of this treasure from the Shadowking's palace as a proof of the Sorcererking's weakness.

Cha'al tried to put Kharon off doing it, but Kharon just disappeared for a week and arrived with an artefact from the palace. Thagya was scared of the Sorcererking's revenge and told Kharon to bring it back. Kharon, of course, laughed demanded to be tolerated by the Veiled Alliance. Thagya had to give in - against his feelings.

Kharon did not really explain to Cha'al what had happened. He said he found something of interest in the Shadowking's palace that he wanted to pursue. What Kharon didn't say is that he got caught.
In fact he got caught by the Shadowking himself. Nibenay immediately recognised him as Telek's breed and found that Kharon couldn't be scanned either. Because of a long term of boredom the Shadowking was in a playful mood and after a quick scan of Kharon's mind and abilities he knew he was one of Telek's people and decided to frighten than to slowly kill him. Nibenay found himself amused by Kharon's boldness. He decided Kharon should be his latest toy.
This was a too precious gift to be wasted. What he could do with him. Maybe he could have him as a spy in the Veiled Alliance? No, this would be a wasted talent, too… Maybe he could use him for one of his breeding projects. His son, the Prince, was quite a successful outcome… Nibenay couldn't decide and just hid some dormant controls in his mind in case he suddenly came up with the ultimate mission for Kharon… So he sent Kharon off an important part of Khmal's treasure (not the map though…) for the moment to prove his loyalty to the Veil…

And then an opportunity came along: The abduction of the Villichi.
Knowing Kharon's bitterness and his desire for revenge and to exceed Telek in power Kharon would be an ideal cover-up for Nibenay's own purposes. Should Inaiya ever get hold of Kharon, she wouldn't be able to scan him. If she found out by any other means, which seemed highly unlikely, Nibenay hopefully had a chance to charmingly talk his way out of it…
So Nibenay sought out Kharon and gave him a vision of Telek abducting Jaladra. The Shadowking managed to amplify Kharon's feelings for Jaladra by mixing in a bit of Kharon's memory of the woman he was refused. Basically he brainwashed him - or so he thought…

What Nibenay did not know is that Kharon knew about his manipulation. Kharon himself just had not decided yet whether he wants to be the tool of Nibenay - who reminds him too much of Telek - or if he wants to replace Thagya Phon and operate against the Shadowking. In fact Kharon still does not know what he wants to do with his life.

When Nibenay sent him the vision, Kharon became curious why Nibenay wanted the girl and how he knew about the abduction. He knew that her father was one of Telek's breed who had managed to free himself from the community. Kharon decided to check out what was going on. He could never really decide if Telek was just a plain madman or a genius with a actual masterplan.

By the time he arrived, Jaladra had fled into the mountains (she is an extremely skilled climber). He teleported near her and had a "chat" with her. The two had an argument/fight as Jaladra deeply distrusted Kharon, but in the end Kharon convinced Jaladra to come with him to his shielded village - just to annoy both Telek and Nibenay - at least for a while, until she knows what she wants (Kharon is an extremely charismatic person). He also offered to train her and show her some tricks. And so the two went back to where most of Kharon's people live: in an old hideout of hunted people during the Great War…

What he does know is that Nibenay can locate neither him nor Jaladra.
From Thagya's mind Kharon now also knows more about preserving magic. He had only known little before. What bothers him is not the environmental destruction he causes, but the fact that the Veiled Alliance regards defilers as not much different from drug addicts and parasites. Kharon hates the thought of being dependent on anyone and anything. His idea that he controls his magic is shaken. He is secretly trying out preserving magic to prove to himself that he is not a victim of his magic…

Since Kharon has kidnapped Jaladra, Nibenay has become fond of the idea of fathering a child with Jaladra himself…

Jaladra
Jaladra, on the other hand, has radically changed in a different direction since the violent disruption of her family life. In order to survive the is suppressing her grief. The shy insecure girl has been replaced by a cold, strong and vengeful woman. She quickly understood what drives Kharon and she has formed a pact with him: she is going to cooperate with him. She believes that she will to give birth to something that will defeat Telek. Jaladra sees this as her chance to avenge her family and to mock Telek by choosing Kharon voluntarily. Ironically, Kharon is very hesitant because he has actually fallen in love with Jaladra. What both - and hopefully not even the PCs - don't know is that Jaladra has the ability to have children anyway… and she will be pregnant with Kharon's baby before the she is found…

How the second part of the adventure unfolds:

The PCs arrive in Nibenay where they can gather information on Kharon. Depending on what they are doing they might notice that there are more players to the game and more threads to the story…
Basically, both Kharon and Nibenay will try to put obstacles into the PCs way while keeping a low profile. The Veiled Alliance knows about Kharon, but not about Jaladra. They do not like Kharon, but have formally agreed to give him shelter. They will try to slip hints to the PCs hoping they won't get found out and hoping they might get rid of Kharon. In the meantime the party of villichi have managed to track Jaladra down and are on their way to Nibenay as well - as are Inaiya, a couple of mutants from Kharon's village and Telek - as it seems, everything will end in a chaotic fight over Jaladra…

Nibenay wants to use Kharon and use Jaladra through him, but he did not calculate with the fact that Kharon knows about Nibenay's plans etc. and has buggered off with Jaladra.

Let the PCs know about the villichi prophecy as well as the Ritual. Try to make them believe in the Ritual!

Scene 1 - The arrival

The PCs have to get through the gates. There is a lot of traffic as a festival is about to commence that day (see Nibenay supplement in "The Ivory Triangle").

Getting accommodation: It is quite difficult to get accommodation. It is mostly the most expensive and the least respectable places that still have rooms on offer. While clerics will be able to find accommodation with their temple, other people will experience difficulties.

Equipment and trading: trading is possible at any time, especially in less reputable areas…

Crime:

Streetkids and older thieves will be trying to steal in the crowded streets and also from drunken people off the streets.

Most important people of Nibenay will be attending the festival so temples and noble houses will only have guards and very few people in them.

Slavers will be looking for helpless drunk people, templars will be looking for criminal acts so they can fill the arena for the time after the festival.

Scene 2 - The festival & the Veil

Thousands of stalls line the streets. All the major trades and institutions are also represented with stalls. The fire temple, for example, has a stall where you can buy burning drinks and grilled spicy foods. It is usually a test of courage among younger people or adventurers to have something from there. The money goes towards the temple. The air temple offers all sorts of gadgets from whistles to colourful flying particles, from fans to little kites etc.

The festival is an opportunity for the PCs to get in touch with Nibenay's Veiled Alliance.

At the time of the PCs' arrival, the city of Nibenay is preparing for one of the seasonal dance festivals. This means that life is pretty turbulent. People are busy decorating their houses, sewing last minute dresses, haggling for make-up and jewellery. Thieves are using the opportunity to steal even more, the city guard and hired mercenaries are busy keeping them at bay. The guard is also looking out for druids to capture for the festival as they need somebody to watch over the trees of life while the Shadowking's defilers are drawing energy for the fireworks and other special effects from them.
The Veiled Alliance is once again making plans to sabotage the festival either by doing a forbidden display of their own, by freeing the druids or by playing tricks on the defilers.

Assuming the PCs are new to the City of Spires, Veiled Alliance might notice the characters, seeking them out to tests them. Or PCs could be actively seeking them out they will ask to perform an act of sabotage in return for favours, protection or information… Unless the PCs have their own ideas they might ask for specific tasks.

Examples for tasks:

The Shadowking's defilers draw energy for special effects from the trees of life. Druids have been arrested days before the spectacle in order to keep the trees alive while the defilers draw energy. The sabotage could be in freeing the druids and hindering the defilers at casting their spells.

The task could be to break the defilers' concentration.

The PCs could steal spell components from the defilers.

Alternatively the PCs might notice the Veiled Alliance at the festival while they are sabotaging the festival. A few of the younger members are inspired by Kharon's deed and will be more daring (= suicidal) than usual…

Also, clerics and monks might notice suspicious fellow clerics who are conspiring with the VA.

If the PCs have already been or lived in Nibenay, the PCs might have contacts of their own. Should the PCs be defilers they might be a target for sabotage themselves…

Scene 3 - Questions

The PCs will somehow try to find information. Here is the information they can get depending on who they ask and how they ask…

The Veiled Alliance seems to protect Kharon for some reason. The PCs might be able to find out after a while about his bet with Thagya Phon.

The PCs can try to bribe templars. Few will know of the incident.

The PCs can consult a seer.

The PCs can try to get information from Villichi that are in town. The younger Villichi know that they are looking for a Villichi which is supposed to be different from other Villichi, but they don't know in which way. The high mistress wouldn't say. Elder Villichi know about the prophecy, but won't tell.

The PCs can see a (fellow?) bard. Or a bard approaches them with information if the PCs don't get anywhere.

Info:

Telek (bardic, templar: target: 25 or higher)
"That name rings a bell: there was a strange madwoman in Nibenay once. Nobody knew where she came from. She kept on repeating this name. The scary thing was that her madness seemed to affect others. Templars killed her in the end. That was a while ago though…

Historians of some kind might be able to tell it is an ancient and very common Rhulisti name. But are there such knowledgeable historians on Athas…?

Telek (under 25):
"Wasn't he a famous gladiator in Tyr?"

Inaiya (druid: target 25 or higher):
"She is a druid. We think she is one of the Old Ones…" (meaning: pyreen)

Kharon (Veiled Alliance)
"We weren't allowed to mess with him, no matter what he did. Orders."

"He had a deal with someone in the VA."

"He had a duel with Thagya Phon."

"He made a deal with Thagya."

"He won a bet and Thagya was stupid enough to place a bet that he would lose."

"Kharon bet that he could just walk into the Naggaramakam, get some artefacts and walk out unharmed."

"I observed him. They day before he had a visitor. At first I thought it was an animal. But it changed into vague human form. That was about (…) days ago." (The night when Telek came back).
"I tried to get closer, but I was afraid."

Kharon (bard):
"Oh yeah, had loads of fun with him. I can only say I admire this guy. What he does and all that. This guy is so good, man, or just damn lucky! Getting about just by betting is a damn cool thing!"

"Argh! Don't remind me. Lost all my money to him in the gambling hall!"

"He sold some good info. Very useful. Good to know about some people's dirty business. Can be very lucrative…"

"Couldn't figure this guy out - neither him nor his friend. They caused quite a stir in the Shadows. Couldn't believe what they could get away with! But he didn't make people unhappy or anything, if you know what I mean, I mean that nobody is after him for dodgy business or so. The guy just has nerves of steel: walks into this place and offers to break into this noble guy's house, a high up from the (psionic) academy, hey, and he just does it and all…"

Other possible info:

"The Villichi have many secrets that don't go beyond the walls of their convent…"

"The man you are looking for has been seen here just recently with a mul."

"The man you are looking for is rumoured to have had a strange deal with the Veiled Alliance."

"There are Villichi in town. They are looking for somebody. But why can't they locate the person?"

The PCs might be able to re-construct where Kharon went in Nibenay. Apart from generally exploring the city, the places he most frequented were the Shadow Square and a certain "etablissement" in one of the noble districts. The person he actually saw there was the famous eleganta Ya'tal who only deals with a very exclusive clientele (mostly due to her other profession: seer).

Ya'tal

If the PCs plan to go to see Ya'tal or the noble district in general they first have to pass as nobles or high-ranking clerics/warriors/traders etc. and have a reason why they go there. The reason might be visiting the brothel…

Once they have managed to get there they will find that the house looks no different from the other residences of the nobility. At the gates to the house they will be asked either for a password or who they have come to see or about their appointment - depending on what arrangements the PCs have made. Alternatively the PCs can attempt to break into the place.

Ya'tal
20th level eleganta/18th level seer

STR 14
DEX 24
CON 18
INT 19
WIS 22
CHA 23

Powers:
...
wild talent:

There are different ways of getting in touch with Ya'tal:

One way is to send her an interesting written message or object. Ya'tal is a powerful seer and bored with predictable behaviour. Sufficiently weird ways of approaching her will make her give the PCs an audience.

Another way is to be an interesting person oneself.

The PCs can also simply break into her house. If the PCs are too brutish or mindlessly destructive she will make the templars deal with the matter. If the PCs are genuinely concerned about Jaladra and a little more respectful towards her property she will eventually talk to them.

Ya'tal will not betray Kharon. However, she is a little concerned about the girl. She knows about the Villichi prophecy and does not want Kharon to get himself into trouble. She will give the PCs the hint to look for answers on the Plain of Burning Water, meaning either a confrontation with Thagya Phon or the Zwuun.

Other NPCs with information:

Traagaz

Scene 4 - Obstacles

Nibenay will secretly assist the PCs but will hinder the activities of the Villichi - never in an obvious way though.

If the PCs get too close they will be attacked by Kharon's people as well as by either thugs or templars manipulated by the Shadowking. …

PART 5 - On Kharon's Ground

...

PART 6 - Resolution

Appendix 1: NPCs

Main NPCs

Telek
Neutral evil

STR (depending on host body) he sometimes amplifies his strength with psionics
DEX 17
CON (depending on body) the "better" the body, the better his psionic powers
INT 17
WIS 19 (fairly low considering his age, but he ignores a lot of facts)
CHA 23 (does not depend on host body)

Telek is probably the first true psionicist that was born on Athas. Unfortunately, he was born with a strange genetic mutation: he has to transfer his body to other bodies every few months/years.
Telek is obsessed with the idea to create a race of perfect psionicists. (see "Background" for more details)

Inaiya
Neutral good

STR 16
DEX 19
CON 24
INT 19
WIS 24
CHA 23

Inaiya usually lives the secluded life of a Pyreen. The only time she gets out of her isolation is when Telek causes trouble. Telek used to be her lover and they had many children together over the centuries. This is why Inaiya cannot kill him: she still loves him despite all his faults. (see "Background" for more details)

Jaladra
2nd level fighter/3rd level psionicist
Chaotic neutral

STR 14
DEX 17
CON 16
INT 15
WIS 13
CHA 16

Jaladra is the daughter of Ninyas, one of Telek's experiments. She never knew about her father's connection to Telek.

Jaladra used to be a shy and insecure girl. That was also a reason why she wanted to stay with he parents for longer than the Villichi recommended. But in that night where Telek took her away and killed her family, Jaladra's personality changed and the villichi in her awoke. She now acts like a cool, confident, but bitter, vengeful and eccentric warrior.

She is the prophesized enigman, the "rogue villichi" - not evil, but unable to fit into villichi society.

Kharon
Psionicist/defiler
Chaotic neutral (at the moment)

STR 16
DEX 17
CON 19
INT 15
WIS 14
CHA 17

Kharon is an extremely powerful psionicist/defiler. He grew up in Telek's village, but turned against it when he was refused the woman of his choice. Once a loyal follower of Telek, he now seeks to breed his own "army" of powerful psionicists - or maybe not… Kharon has not quite found out what he wants to do with his life and his powers. He tried to be better at what Telek is doing, but soon noticed that he couldn't be much different in his methods from the man he despises.

Since Kharon stumbled across the Ritual of Kalid-ma (see Appendix below) he couldn't deny being intrigued by the idea of fathering a child of strange powers. He remembered a village he and Cha'al had stopped at during their travels where a villichi girl had lived. He psionically travelled back to the place and found out that Telek was in the village. Sensing that Telek had plans with the girl - he feared that Telek maybe had the same information - he decided to snatch the girl away from him. It was almost fortunate that Telek abducted her for him. Kharon was shocked to find Telek's village so close. He first wanted to secretly take Jaladra from Telek, but in the end, after what happened in the village, he could not resist revealing himself to Telek.

Kharon is very indecisive. In a way he is toying with the idea that if he can make Jaladra have his child, he will have the key to a generation of immensely powerful psionic warriors. On the other hand, he asks himself: why - and what for?

Kharon used to be extremely arrogant and bad-tempered. Since he left the village, and especially since he teamed up with Cha'al, his attitude towards other people has improved. He still has a strong ego, but is considerably less cruel and arrogant. He has started to respect people, especially women and has even started to question his way of thinking and even defiler magic (he does not like the drug-like addiction to it and what it does to him). However, it is still difficult for him to let go of the "values" that Telek has given him.

Kharon is very vain. He always maintains an immaculate appearance with a short, neatly shaven beard and short black hair. His skin has a dark tan and his eyes almost match his hair-colour.

NPCs in Taamak

Azra Hephstidis
Village Chief

Azra Hephstidis is not exactly the best person for the job he is doing. He basically only got it because his influential family needed him there. He is a coward and the presence of Jaladra and the thoughts about what might happen to the village if something happened to her have been given him nightmares for years. He will be more than relieved when everything is over.

M'akis Amkhar
Traveller

NPCs in Iamh

Kesii
Kesii is the young daughter of shapeshifter woman (healer) and a(n off-worlder) psionicist. She was always a shy, quiet, but very promising girl. Telek loved her from the beginning. From the day she was born, he visited the village more regularly, just to see her. Unfortunately she entered the transition phase far too early. While her psionic powers manifested, she went through agony. She could not control her immense powers at all. As a result, she went mad and ran amok.

NPCs in Kharon's village

Cha'al
Mul psionicist/fighter

STR 18
DEX 17
CON 19
INT 15
WIS 16
CHA 17

Cha'al is Kharon's trusted friend and valued advisor. Only Cha'al knows how to calm Kharon down when he is in a state of severe rage again.

Cha'al is a calm and patient man and rather pensive. Once a gladiator in Tyr, he was freed and was recruited by the Veiled Alliance. He joined them, because he believed in the good they were doing, also he had encountered Veiled Alliance members before and had been impressed by their courage and motivation. As it happened, he fell in love with one of his cell members. When this love was not returned, he was so frustrated, that he left the city and went out into the desert. The harshness of this environment caught him by surprise. He almost perished had he not encountered a Brown elf who saved him from dehydration. To cut a long story short: the elf recognised Cha'al's latent psionic talent and tutored him for a short time so that the mul was able to survive by himself in the wilderness.

Cha'al met Kharon on one of his travels. He had briefly joined a slave tribe, but did not feel entirely comfortable with their way of life. He had just left the lands of the tribe when, on the first night, he was attacked by powerful psionic undead creatures. Luckily, he was saved by Kharon, who prefers to travel in the cold of the night (he has infravision) and happened to be near him.

Immediately, Kharon noticed the calming effect Cha'al had on him. He decided to befriend the mul and asked him to travel with him for a while. Cha'al has stayed with Kharon since then. He continues to have a positive effect on Kharon, but in his eyes, he is not effective enough: He does not approve of Kharon's use of defiling magic and fears a rapid decline of Kharon's physical and mental health.

Appendix 2: Rituals & Psionic Powers

Transition/Transition Medium
The transition is the point in life where a person's psionic powers manifest. The stronger one's powers the more violent the transition will be. Usually psionic powers manifest during puberty. If they manifest earlier or later, it will influence the transition. Usually, these are extremely bad side effects that influence a person's mental health. It is not uncommon that people die during a violent transition.

A Transition Medium is a very sought-after profession, a person who has a positive influence on the transition process, who can guide and help the Gifted during this phase. A Transition Medium faces and extremely high risk of being killed in the attempt to soothe the victims' pain.
(see "Classes")

Transition has the following temporary effects on the person undergoing it:

Revised system (MAC/Mthac0)

- doubles the PSPs
- gives additional +5 bonus Mthac0
- gives additional + 5 bonus on MAC
- gives… Means of calming a person in transition:

The Villichi Prophecy

"In a time of upheaval, a villichi will see the sun
who is different from any villichi who has ever been.
Her spirit will be born from pain, restless and wild.
Her body will be that of a villichi,
but will be able what no body of a villichi can.

The wild one will bear a child
who does not know its place
and has the power
to appease or to destroy."

This Villichi is usually referred to as"the wild one", "the restless one" or "the rogue".
Ritual of Kalid-Ma, Nibenay and your usual metamorphic/megalomaniac madness
The debate whether Kalid-Ma was male or female and the jokes about his magical/psionic transsexual experiments were the inspiration for this ritual… so beware…. Also "mixed in" is a little bit of the Dune story - as some sort of justification for the plot … ; )

WARNING: THIS IS STRICTLY NON-CANON MATERIAL!!!

Kalid-ma was one of the most studious Sorcerermonarchs…and probably the most insane. After an affair with a villichi he became obsessed with the mysterious Sisterhood. He started to believe that the villichi were infertile for a reason - that if one ever bears a child it will have special powers that should be kept from the denizens of this world. Thus he embarked on a quest to find a way to make a villichi bear him a child.

There actually exists a villichi prophecy about a villichi which will be able to bear a child. "A villichi in many ways different from all her sisters…" She is described in a way that led elder villichi to call her the "rogue villichi".

After years of experimenting (and "studying" passing villichi), the Sorcererking managed to conceive, ahem, a technique to amend their infertility (which does not actually work). What he now needed was a villichi - at least for the duration of the pregnancy - preferably a girl the convent did not know about. However, it seemed that even in the remotest areas all villichi children were know to the convent. Eventually, impatience got the better of Kalid-Ma and he simply kidnapped a villichi in his city. The villichi were enraged and alerted the other Sorcerermonarchs. They threatened to destroy Kalidnay, because its King had violated the peace treaty.

The Pyreen Inaiya, silent patron of the villichi, was also enraged. She had know for a long time that the other Sorcerermonarchs were secretly planning to get rid of the insane Kalid-ma. Having a good relationship (read: affair) with Nibenay she was in a position to offer the Sorcerermonarchs to let the villichi have their revenge and to let them live in peace again after the villichi had basically done the Sorcerermonarchs a favour… and they agreed.

Result: The villichi destroyed Kalid-ma's palace and, after most of the population had fled, almost the entire city, to set an example for their wrath. Of course, the Sorcerermonarchs intervened in the end and scooped up the scared population to give them a save haven in their cities - a good way to demonstrate that they were not as weak as Kalid-ma and could still impose their order on the villichi.

During the attack the villichi saw to it that the scroll with the ritual was destroyed to prevent further insane attempts. The pregnant villichi disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

What only two people know so far is that one of Kalid-ma's trusted research assistants escaped with a scroll of the original Villichi prophecy. He was found and killed by Nibenay who took the scroll into his possession. Of course the Sorcererking did not want to repeat his former "colleague's" mistakes, but a few centuries after the incident, he has now become curious (and a little insane), too…