Journey to Scol Monastery
The journey to Scol Monastery will take the characters approximately a week along a well travelled path that leads into the mountains. No encounters have been set for this part of the adventure, but can be added if wished. Suggested encounters include raiders, orcs and wild mountain beasts. The characters are also going to have to make sure they are well provisioned because there are no villages between Vors and the monastery.
Scol Monastery
Scol Monastery is dedicated to Astendar, the passion of love, music and art. It was built many years before the scourge though its original purpose is unknown. It is commonly believed, however that it was used as a fortress at some point because of the structure's imposing form. Only the first two levels have been converted, the upper two levels being left in rubble.
When the characters arrive they will be greeted by one of the monastery's more colourful members, a Dwarf called Gek who believes in "love, freedom and all that." He'll be extremely glad to meet the characters and ask if they will join him in a ritual cleansing. Before the characters will be able to reply, however the leader of the monastery, a dark haired man with a goatee, will lure Gek away and introduce himself as Mortimer. He will offer the characters food and lodgings as well as a bath. If the characters try to go off exploring, then Mortimer will appear as if by magic and ask the characters not to wonder off.
The characters next strange character they will meet is the orc chef who works (surprisingly enough) in the kitchens. He cooks a wide variety of food, none of it normal or edible looking (though it is very nourishing and will not hurt the characters in any way). The chef will feed the characters a strange repast of green eggs and bacon (sound familiar?).
The Monastery's Library
After the characters have had a bath and a meal, they will want to investigate as much as they can about Kegel and his village as they can. When they do go and investigate they find that the library has little more information to add, except for the following juicy tidbit.
The village the Kegel lived in was a human village, and Kegel was an orphan who was found by the villagers. The village lies to the west of the monastery and is very old.
The characters are going to have to be satisfied with these few morsels, as the village has been 'gone' for many years.
Lightly Trodden
The journey from Scol Monastery to Kegel's village will take the characters, approximately, another week. The travel is a well worn path which cuts its way ravine-like through the mountains. The characters will find the journey easy going, except for a minor little encounter . . .
As soon as the characters leave Scol Monastery they will be tracked by a band of Orcs. The Orcs will stay on the high ground and follow the characters all the way to Kegel's village. They will try and move quietly (but the characters might hear the clink of their armour if they strain) and will not attack until the third night.
The Orcs will drop down into the ravine, and try and take the characters while they sleep.
Background Information
The Legend of Kegel
Kegel's story has been long since lost in antiquity, but a few things are still known.
Kegel's origins vary greatly from troubadour to troubadour, but all agree on one thing, Kegel was orphaned at a young age. Wether his parents were killed by orc raiders, or starved to death by human axes, Kegel was parentless. He stumbled his way onto Scol village and was adopted by a pair of kind humans.
Kegel was treated well, but his ancestor's wanderlust soon overtook him. He wandered the world, and left legends and tales in his wake. Kegel's last deed, however, was defending his village from a horror . . .
Kegel's Village
The ravine that the characters are following, eventually opens up into a clearing where Kegel's village is located.
Map 1 - Kegel's Village and Scol Kaer
The village has long since been abandoned, a few years before the full force of the scourge hit the area. Little is left, and only a handful of ruins mark what was once a proud village.
The trail you are following opens up into a large, circular clearing. Huddled in one corner of the clearing are a scattering of ruins. Once proud buildings have been laid low by time, ravaged by the elements, and now slump in dejected heaps. It seems Kegel's village has succumbed to the scourge . . .
This is, however, is untrue. Kegel's village was in fact saved from the scourge by Kegel, who single handedly defeated a horror in order that his fellow villagers could safely close the Kaer. However, the horror did not die, but has lain in sleep these many years waiting for the right opportunity to claim its revenge.
The characters may wish to explore the ruins, but there is little to see. The village was abandoned long ago, and any remaining treasures have long since been looted from the village.
Passage to the Kaer
If the characters follow the small passage to the north of the village, it will lead them into a hidden entrance into the Kaer. The breach in the Kaer is unknown to its inhabitants, and so they will be surprised to find the characters.
It will take a little bit of looking for the characters to find the trail, so make them look around a bit. Once they find it and have entered the Kaer, the fun has just begun.
When the characters enter the Kaer's breach, they will find themselves in a tunnel that bores its way into the Kaer. The tunnel opens out on a ledge overlooking the Kaer.
The tunnel opens into a ledge overlooking a vast cavern. The cavern stretches as far as the eye can see, a vast sphere captured by the mountain. Dotted on its lowest surface are buildings, huddled in small clusters. Around are what you presume to be crops, clinging to the surface of the cavern.
A dim light is cast down onto the Kaer by a crystal, built at the very pinnacle of the cavern.
As soon as the characters make their way down into the Kaer they will be spotted by the villagers who will run in terror at seeing strangers enter their home. As soon as the Kaer's militia can be rustled up, the characters will be taken to see the council.
The Kaer's council is made up of Gek and Jesebelle, who are both Kaer leaders, and their councillor, Mytrl, a wizard. The council resides in the most prominent building in the Kaer.
The characters are going to have to do some hard sell if they are going to get out of the mess they have thrown themselves in, as the Kaer's inhabitants think the characters are horrors.
The Kaer's inhabitants are fearful of the horrors mainly because the Kaer was built for protection against them in the first place. The easiest way for the characters to prove that they aren't villager-eating horrors is to prove the scourge is over and all is safe.
Mytrl, chief wizard, is of course going to be vehemently against the idea the scourge is over, as he is in control of the pool which shows the magic level of Barsaive. The characters are going to have to egg him into coming out into the world and see for himself the scourge is over.
Of course, it is up to the Games Master to decide if the people of the Kaer believe the scourge is over or not.
Their Deaths be . . . on Thy Head
As soon as the characters have proven they aren't horrors, the councillors will be happy to assist the characters in their quest for knowledge.
The councillors will get the Kaer clerk to search through the Kaer's records for any mention of Kegel. The characters are therefore going to have to wait for any news. Keep the characters going for a few days by tossing them a few tidbits of information until on the third day, two of the villagers are found missing. They didn't come to collect their meals in the morning and so the councillors set the militia to investigate.
They have searched high and low but can find no trace of them anywhere. The characters first plan of attack should be to investigate the villager's house.
They will find that the house is fairly neat and there is not sign of a struggle. This should clue the characters into something is amiss. They will also be told that rations are served in the morning and there is only one way for the villagers from this part of the Kaer to reach the ration dispensers.
There are a number of ways for the characters to discover what happen to the villagers and the following should only be counted as suggestions. Once again it is up to the individual Games Master to decided wether the character's plan will unlock the clues . . .
- The characters can go from house to house, asking when they last saw the villagers, and they will notice a gap between houses. Between the houses there is a trail which leads on (see below) . . .
- The characters could investigate the whole of the Kaer, and when they reach the outer edges, they find the cavern below.
- Another pair of villagers disappear, which lead the characters to suspect some creature is in the area.
There are a number of ways for the characters to bump into the horror, but bump they must.
Horror Hunt!
The trail will lead the characters to the outer edge of the Kaer. If they examine the Kaer's walls carefully they will find the opening to a cavern which is pictured below.
Map 2 - The Horror's Lair
The 'blob' on the side of the cavern's walls is the horror which is resting after its feast. The horror, so overwhelmed at its joy at penetrating the Kaer, decided to seek shelter first, lest its eagerness should give away its presence. It then attacked the two villagers in the night for its first taste of the feast it thought would follow.
The characters are going to have to kill the horror, or be killed. The horror will be sleeping if the characters reach the horror's lair at night, otherwise it will be stirring for its next meal.
