The Mission
Ceren will relate the following information to the characters:
"I was researching some material in the Library of Throal, when I found mentioned a number of temples of Jaspree located along the Serpent River. I did not know of any such temples, and so my curiosity was piqued. After further research, I discovered there was one fairly close by, located in the Servos Jungle south of here. As a quester of Jaspree, it is my duty to retrieve any holy items located in these temples. I have discovered three so far, but recovered nothing of value, looters having got there before I. However the latest temple I have discovered is located deeper into the forest, and I believe that looters have not penetrated it yet. I am willing to give you any treasure in the temple, as long as it is not holy in nature, as well as paying for any food and lodgings you require. If we find no treasure I am willing to compensate you for your troubles, depending on the nature of the mission, to be agreed upon at a later date."
River Voyage
Once the characters accept, the adventure has begun. Ceren will want to start the journey first thing tomorrow morning, and he will let the characters stay in the temple for the night. This will allow the characters to do any shopping before setting off on their voyage.
Ceren has hired a t'skrang river boat, the Swiftwater, to take them on their journey. Detail on the boat can be found in Background Information, and details on Captain Dariinaeus can be found on the character's page.
The journey isn't a long one, and would be even shorter if the characters travelled across land (but would be a lot more dangerous). The Swiftwater will travel from Ji'tai, near the Scytha Mountains, all the way to a village located on the river, in the middle of the Servos Jungle. If you refer to the map provided with Earthdawn, the journey starts at Ji'tai, moves eastward around Throal Mountain, south through Lake Ban and into the Servos Jungle.
The route specified above is approximately 770 miles long. Since the maximum speed of the river boat is 100 miles per day, the characters should arrive at their destination in about 8 days, depending on weather.
The river voyage is an important component in the overall adventure, and should not be skipped over. There are a number of key events which occur during the river voyage that will have repercussions further on in the character's adventures. It would be best to treat the journey in a fair amount of detail, a lot more that has been included below. This is because in the intervening times between the 'events' nothing much happens, but should be described briefly to give the characters a feel for the voyage.
Traitor
If you have read the background information in BG about the Invae, the connection between the worshipers of Chorrolis and the Invae is obvious. One of the t'skrang crew, Lou, is a member of the Order of Chorrolis, and does not want the characters or Ceren to disturb the Invae hive in the Servos Jungle before they are ready.
He has warned the Invae of the characters coming, and will try and stop them reaching De'la alive before the Invae have to deal with them.
Sabotage
Sometime after the boat has left Ji'tai, Lou will strike. Since one of the most important resources the water casks that are stored in the cargo deck, Lou will place a measured quantity of poison in ten out of the twelve casks.
That same day two sailors will drink out of the casks, and almost immediately die on the deck. At this stage the crew will get suspicious, and the characters are going to have to help Ceren convince the rest of the crew that there isn't a plague on board. The characters are also going to have to quickly work out why the crew are dying at a rate of about two per hour.
If they look closely they will notice about two crew members per hour go down below deck. If they asks where they are going, they will be told to get some water. This should quickly give the characters the information they need, and they will have to get Dariinaeus to throw the water out. If they are close enough, the ship will turn back and get more water at Ji'tai, otherwise they will have to find another dock.
Attack
River travel is still a dangerous mode of transportation, and this should be reflected in the game.
An explosion cuts through the air like a knife. You spring out of your rooms, and dash to the top deck above. The first sensation you get is the smell of smoke filling you nose.
As you rush to the side of the deck you notice another vessel, fire cannons bristling on its sides. It clips through the water like a knife, slowing pegging back the distance between itself and the Swiftwater.
The crew bustle madly through the ship, breaking out fire canons and preparing them. It seems you boat is under attack from pirates . . .
Mutiny
The characters are most probably going to be fairly suspicious after the first sabotage and might even try to investigate who poisoned the water (if they worked out it was poisoned). When Lou strikes for the second time they are going to be a lot more suspicious about a spy being on board. Instead of striking directly at the crew, Lou tries to cause descent through the ranks.
He will start suggesting that Ceren is a worshipper of Chorrolis, and the captain only follows him because they are lovers. He will continue spreading rumours like this, until the characters are faced with a mutiny.
It is up to the Games Master to dictate how this section of the adventure is played out. Violent conflict is out of the question however, the character's best solution is trying to placate the crew. The characters, on the other hand, aren't going to be able to tell who started the mutiny as the crew are loyal to one of their own (that is how they see Lou) and since the rumours were delivered like Chinese whispers, they wouldn't be able to dob in the perpetrator even if they wanted to.
Travels to the Temple
Once the characters have arrived in De'la, the distance from the village to the temple is approximately twenty miles. Because of the density of the jungle, and the lack of any form of track or trail, the journey will take about three days (the characters travelling about eight miles a day).
Their journey, however, isn't going to be very peaceful. There is a group of Invae who are concerned about the explorers finding the temple that they are now using it as a headquarters for their surface raids.
Only the Invae attacks are detailed as they are the most important, but more encounters are encouraged, as the jungle is a place of death and danger, and this should be shown by the number of encounters. Some of the encounters which can be used are: Treasure Hunters, Chakta Birds, Crakbills, Crocodiles, Gorillas, Lizards, Monkeys, and Snakes.
Map 1 - Serpent River
Invae Attacks
The attacks by the Invae are the most important encounters, and cannot be left out under any circumstances. The Invae will attack one at a time, and about two to three attacks should be included. These attacks should be evenly spaced, occurring approximately once a day, and always at night. If the characters have a watch they have a fair chance of being warned. Statistics for the Invae can be found in the Creature Statistics section.
Arrival at the Temple
Below is a map of the layout of the area surrounding the temple. The temple is situated in the centre of a clearing, and the dark mark from the bottom of the map to the edge of the clearing indicates the trail Ceren followed.
Map 2 - Temple of Jaspree
Exploring the Temple
Once the characters arrive they have free reign over the temple. Refer to Confrontation
The Invae were warned of the character's approach by their surface contacts, who relayed the message via runners. The Invae were sent to intercept the characters, but when they didn't return at the pre-arranged time, their hive leader decided they were lost and the characters were on their way.
So the Invae went to work on returning the temple back to its original state to fool the characters, except for the Final Chamber. When the characters enter, they will only find a single Invae, who has been left to tell the characters of what is to come.
The chamber you enter is dark, except for an eerie green glow that seems to fill the room. A faint clicking noise seems to be coming from the centre of the room, madly rising and falling in rhythm.
"Non-Invae."
The voice comes from nowhere and everywhere, a sibilant whisper.
"Warning."
The air seems to thicken around you in tension.
"Die. All."
A figure steps forward, a shapeless figure.
"Choice. One. Hive."
The hood of the cloak falls, revealing an insect-like head and two very large mandibles.
"Choice. No. Hive. Die."
As has been explained, the rest of the Invae have left, but this one has been left to give the characters a warning. They can either become one with the hive, or die.
"Time. None. Choice. Imperative."
The figure begins to shimmer, a mist staring to creep around it as it fades from your view, transporting somewhere distant. You only here its last words as a fading tone.
"Legends. None. Invae. Rule."
Though a bit of an anti-climax for the characters, it does allow the Games Master to throw the Invae at the characters again, but when they are a lot more powerful to deal with hoards of them.
