1 Introduction - Read out loud

Welcome to Terra, a welcome much like our own in certain ways, but very different in others. In this world you can find humans, cats, dogs, bears and fish, alongside nature spirits living in rivers and mountains, living creatures made of elemental matter like fire or stone instead of flesh and blood, and many other exotic beings.

Our story focuses on an empire, called The Empire of Light, or just The Empire for short. The Empire is one of the richest places in the world, and is the largest center of research into the different disciplines of magic.

People in the Empire worship an entity called The Light, from which the Empire draws its name. No living person has ever seen the Light, but its existence is undeniable. People see it reaching out to them as they draw their final breath, people see its shadows and reflections in their dreams, and rarely, it grants some of its power to a select few humans.

In return for the Empire’s worship, the Light gives its people wealth and prosperity. Heresy against the Light is a grave offence, and this is where you come in.

Malatyr, a powerful archmage from one of the capital’s most influential academies was charged with blasphemy and dealing with heretical magics, but he fled the empire before he could stand trial. All of you encountered Wanted posters throughout the Empire. They’re offering a generous reward to whoever finds him and brings him to justice.

Each of you chose to take this job for his or her own reasons, and here are our three heroes. Each character has two names, one feminine and one masculine, so feel free to choose whichever one you are more comfortable with.

First, we have Percy or Patricia. A gifted fighter born with the power to channel some of the Light’s power to help the weak and heal the wounded. They would do anything to protect whoever they can, and are never afraid to fight for what they believe in.

Up next we have Martin or Marina. Trained in Sorcery and focusing in air and ligning magics, they never pass on an opportunity to discover new things about the world around them, and always have an ace up their sleeve.

Last but not least, we have Dustin or Diana, an experienced sellsword and bounty hunter, and though they weren’t born with any magic, they have plenty of experience dealing with all kinds of magical folk. They’re always determined to one-up themselves, and will take on any job, provided the pay is good enough.

11 The Town

Our heroes are walking through the Flüsterwald, the Whispering Woods. Some of the trees have already begun changing into beautiful shades of yellow and orange. Autumn is about to begin. A time of change and evolution.

The forest is dense, a narrow gravel path winds its way between great fir trees, with trunks as wide as houses and canopies (צמרות) as tall as castle towers. As you walk, you see movement from the corners of your eyes. Some of the times you turn around to see a startled hare or squirrel, even the occasional fox. But some of the time there's no animal there, just the trees. And you're almost certain that you saw one of them just move.

It's been a week and a half since you left the Empire: Four days on a ship across the strait that marks its Eastern border, and now is your sixth day within these woods. You haven't seen other humans since you left the small outpost that the Empire own on the shore.One day, around mid-morning, you begin to hear voices and smell cooked meat from further ahead along the path, and within the hour you find yourselves in a small town. A sign at the entrance reads "Abiesberg", town of the fir. The town is built in a slightly sparser area of the forest, and most of the houses seem carved into the trees.

What do you do?

111 The Silver Fox

The largest tree in the town is home to The Silver Fox tavern. Behind the bar stands a copper-skinned man with dark eyes, pouring a large tray of drinks (Sharad). Two of the three tables are occupied: in the center of the room are five young people, two men and three women. They all have skin with a color ranging from light blue to turquoise, with patches of green, gold, or bronze scales on their arms and legs, and gills decorating their necks. They're drinking and laughing loudly among themselves. (Jens, Andre, Elin, Unni, Hanna)

On the other side of the tavern floor, by a small table lie two men. From their torso and upwards they seem completely human, but from their waist down they have the bodies of giant snakes. They're lying thick cushions and carpets, and one of their tails is gently wrapped around the other's. (Leo, Jens)

112 Michelle’s Apothecary

The walls of the shop are dyed with different pigments, and a large scented candle is lit by the counter. The colours, smells, and haze are soothing, giving this room an almost dreamlike feeling. Behind the counter sits a woman in her thirties with a mess of orange hair. She's reading a book and taking notes, and doesn't even notice when someone comes in. (Michele)

113 Werner’s Bakery

The front room of the town's bakery is tiny, barely enough room for two people to stand between the door and the counter. A small bell rings above the door as they come in, and a chubby young man comes in from the back room, grey flour stuck in his hair. (Werner)

114 The Sellswords

A scream is heard from outside. Three figures are standing in the town: two of them a large men with grey rock-like skin, and black obsidian eyes. The largest man's left arm is made of a golden crystal (Isaac Topazmesser). The other has a large white and green stone across his chest (Henri Opalschild). Besides them is a large golden hound, with fur made of sand, its eyes and teeth made of a deep red glass.

Topazmesser is holding a young woman up by the cuff of her shirt, but drops her at the sight of the heroes. He pulls out a small pouch and looks inside. Martin/Marina can try rolling Perception+Notice to see a thin red line of Essence connecting between each of them and something in the bag. Topazmesser puts the bag away and holds out his stone-arm. Loose dirt and gravel comes up from the ground to form a sword.

12 The Exiled Mage

Finding Malatyr's base of operations requires 4 Success Levels, whether tracking the elementals, following the cards, or asking the villagers.

About 6 kilometers south-east of Abiesberg our heroes find a small hut in the woods. It's a small two-floor wooden house, with grey smoke rising from the chimney. Everyone can sense a lot of magical energy coming from the second floor. A large amount of fallen leaves lie on the ground around the hut. An Intelligence+Nature or Intelligence+Notice Test reveals that this is suspicious, as autumn is only beginning and there are far more leaves here than in other places in the woods. 3 Success Levels reveal that there is something under the leaves.

Under the leaves is a net over a pit trap (Strength 2). If stepped on, the net collapses, revealing a 4 meter deep pit with magically sharpened stone spikes at the bottom, dealing 8 damage. The pit is a semicircle with a 1 meter radius in front of the door.

The inside of the hut looks perfectly normal: a bed, a small kitchen, and a writing desk - but no stairs. On the desk lie two tarot cards, linked to the three carried by Topazmesser. In the middle of the room ceiling is a hidden trapdoor, which when pulled folds down a spiral staircase.

121 - The Lab

The second floor is massive. If the hut's footprint was around 5 meters on each side, the second floor is easily ten times that. The room is a huge lab, some of the walls covered in vials of multicoloured liquids, some with bookshelves. On the floor about twenty meters away a magic circle is drawn on the floor, surrounded with red and white runes. In it stands Malatyr: a middle aged man with sleek brown hair and a well trimmed beard. He's chanting in some strange language, a faint swirl of red and purple light surrounding him. Between the stairs and the circle stands a large creature made of ice. It's not an elemental per se, but actually an advanced Homunculus (Perception+Alchemy reveals this).

"Stop! You don't know what you're doing," the sorcerer yells at them. If they advance towards him, the homunculus attacks. If they take it down, Malatyr briefly pauses his ritual and summons a Fox Spirit.

13 Closing

Malatyr finishes his ritual. A great swirl of purple and grey smoke surrounds him as the runes on the ground begin to glow. A brief moment later there is a blinding flash of light.

Dustin/Diana appears in a busy city. They're on a rock platform besides a large black fountain crested with a statue of a young man with great feathery wings and a shortbow. Surrounding the platform are a lot of loud creatures made of metal and glass, and all around them are giant castles of rock and glass.

Martin/Marina find themselves alone in the room. Their companions are gone. Malatyr is gone. The magic circle is no more than a large scorch mark on the floor. Outside the world looks much the same. The leaves are falling, Autumn is beginning. The time of change has begun.

Percy/Patricia are in a large empty meadow. The grass is grey and dead, the sky black and featureless. They see a stone arch in front of them, through it they see only blackness. They walk towards it. They reach out their hand to the darkness. And something grabs onto their hand.

Important Names

• 111 - The Silver Fox
  • Sharad - Indian-ish bartender
  • Leo, Nikos - Southern european nagas
  • Jens, Andre, Elin, Unni, Hanna - Scandinavian Undines
• 112 - Michelle’s Apothecary
  • Michelle - hyperactive redhead nerd
• 113 - Werner’s Bakery
  • Werner - short, round, kind and hardworking but disconnected