Figure 2 - 1 - Prison Exterior
At the end of Descent into Darkness, the first part of Miasma, the characters had just discovered the whereabouts of the wizard's experimentation chamber in the western catacombs. As they reached the chamber, however, it collapsed - having been set off by a trap the wizard installed some time ago to ensure the artefact did not fall into the wrong hands. The strange thing is that the characters did succeed in their mission, as the artefact was located in the chamber. It was destroyed in the collapse of the chamber, but the characters will learn of this later.
As the characters backed out of the chamber, they backed right into Omag Bastabus and his cronies. It seems that either Omag found the same information through Charcoalgrin, or the characters were betrayed by their Blood Warder companion.
Either way the characters are captured, sedated and taken to the Theran stronghold in Barsaive . . . Vivane province.
The characters, when they come to, will find themselves in some sort of holding cell with no idea of where they are or what happened to them. The following description is designed both as an introduction to the adventure and to remind the players of what happened before.
All you can hear is the dripping of water . . . drip . . . drip . . . drip . . . and you wish it would stop. You have a splitting headache which is being aggravated by the incessant dripping.
You shouldn't have drunk all that wine last night and only now . . .
Hang on, the last thing that you can remember was being knocked unconscious by some Therans being lead by a guy called Oh My . . . Ogle . . . no, Omag. You were trying to stop the Therans getting their hands on some artefact! It all suddenly comes flooding back. Your original mission to stop the Blood Circle members, the Blood Warder who needed your help, the ruins of Parlainth, the deal with the dragon.
You got to the western catacombs, only to trigger some trap the wizard had installed to prevent people getting to the artefact. Only, in the rush to get out you found yourself in the company of the soldiers and their master.
You finally notice your surroundings for the first time. You are in a dark room, with only a few small cots for company. There doesn't seem to be a latrine or anything else in the room. The only exit is a door. But you can't seem to locate the source of that infernal dripping . . .
The characters are being held in a cell controlled by the Theran militia. Omag, once he had dropped the characters off in the cell, has gone on to Vivane to report to his superiors, who do not know that he has detained the characters. That is why the characters are in a holding cell in Lankarden rather than Vivane. They are Omag's aces which he is keeping close to his chest.
Lankarden (see pages 40 - 41 of SV3) is a smallish town at the source of the Longbone River. It is a heavily fortified military town which is firmly under the hand of the Therans. It is used as a way station for travellers between Barsaive and Vivane, and is why Omag passed through.
Omag is friends with the towns military leader, and pulled a few favours to have the characters stashed. As far as the rest of the complex is concerned, the characters are hardened criminals waiting sentencing.
The following description and accompanying piece of music has been designed to foreshadow events that will occur in Prelude to War, an Earthdawn epic designed by FASA and what Miasma has been designed to proceed. It is not concrete nor revealing, but gives the characters a taste of what is to come.
Picture a bird, perched on the roof of Nybik's home. Image what the bird sees, resting there . . . until it leaps up into the air and starts flying south. Lake Vors recedes behind you, but the bird's eyes are ahead. The barren plains which lie south of the lake town, racing beneath the steady beat of your wings.
Your keen eyesight spots the settlement well before most name giver's would be able to. Your keen instincts tell you something is wrong, but you feel an uncanny urge to fly onwards.
As you approach closer, you notice the small wooden buildings where the ground dwellers slept. They are damaged. It seems that fire has been put to them.
Closer and closer, the village rushes towards you. The devastation becomes more apparent as you catalogue each of the scars which run along it.
The Therans have been here, even you know that . . .
The whole point of having the characters captured was to get them to Vivane province, and immerse them in some of the political rumblings happening in the region. This is to give them a feel for the situation in Thera as well as introducing characters that can be used later on in Prelude to War.
However, the characters aren't going to do much good in their cell, and so the first order of business is to get them out. There are two ways to accomplish this: the characters can get themselves out or you can have them rescued.
There are a number of ways they can achieve their own rescue, listed below:
If one of the characters is a thief, and they have hidden their thieves' tools somewhere, then they can try to pick the lock, which isn't very difficult.
The guards are pretty relaxed, and so aren't going to expect any trouble from the characters, so the characters will be able to jump them when they come to feed the characters once a day.
The characters can simply break the door down with a successful strength roll.
Anything else that the characters can think of, and sounds plausible.
Otherwise, you can have them rescued by a Barsaivian agent working in the area. This will both introduce the characters to the anti-Theran movement in Vivane (which will become important later) as well as push them directly into the plot. If the characters make their own way out, you can still introduce the characters to the agent, having them bump into her on the way out or have her contact them soon after they are out.
Allisa Sirinon, her statistics can be found in Appendix A, is a female, human warrior. With striking red hair, and a temperament to match, she will deal with the characters in a very no nonsense kind of way. She is a member of the Barsaivian resistance, dedicated to throwing off the yoke of Theran oppression from around the shoulders of citizens of Barsaive - whether they want it or not.
Once the characters are out and they have met up with Allisa, she will lead them to a safe house in Lankarden. Lankarden is a military staging base for forays into Barsaive to capture new slaves. It does not, however, look overly militaristic and smacks more of a frontier town than anything else.
The safe house is an inn run by another member of the Barsaivian resistance, and is an information flow centre between the resistance and their allies such as the Throalic government. It is run by a young, female elven archer called Galadriel Sharpeye. When the characters get to the inn, they have rooms arranged for them and a meal provided.
After pleasantries have been exchanged, Allisa will get straight down to business. Tribas Koar is a tremendously popular figure and the legendary leader of the resistance in Barsaive (see pages 38 - 39 of SV1). Though most of his deeds are fictitious, he is a courageous figure and is always at the forefront of resistance activities. He is a fourth circle troubadour (his statistics have been provided in Appendix A) who is the prominent son of a power merchant house. During the day, he acts as a spoilt noble, who swans around the House of Tales. At night, he is the devious heart of the resistance in Vivane. He uses his dual role to his advantage, using his connections and status to collect information during the day, and acting on it in the twilight hours.
Allisa informs the characters that he has been captured, though he has been charged with a minor offence - disturbing the peace. The militia still don't realise who they have captured. This will change soon as the Therans are sure to interview the man to discover what he knows of the resistance. If they find out who he is, the consequence could be terrible and demoralising.
If the characters agree, the adventure begins. Otherwise it is up to the Games Master to spin the characters into the web.
The easiest way to get to Vivane is via the Lankarden-Vivane road, a six day journey on foot. If the players decide to take this route, they are going to have to brave Theran forces travelling up and down the road. Though they aren't going to openly attack the characters shouting "Die fiendish pigs!", they might question them on their intentions for travelling to Vivane. Use this to your advantage to heighten tension.
Otherwise, the characters can skirt the road, but means Theran militia are going to be more suspicious if they bump into the characters (but the chances of this are greatly reduced) and they have to contend with bandits and other creatures. The road is well protected as it is often travelled. The same can not be said of the wilderness.
Once the characters get to the outskirts of Vivane, they are going to have to get to another safe house so they can determine their plan of attack. Getting in is no problem, as everyone is allowed in the Barsaivian part of Vivane, it is getting into the Theran part that requires a little elbow grease.
The characters will be staying in one of the buildings in the broken quarter, one which is actually in good repair. To locate the building, take out your map of Vivane, and place your finger on the Western Road where is crosses the Longreach. Move you finger towards the Sunrise gate, and the building in question is the first above your finger lying on the edge of the road.
Vivane lies on the shores of the Flame walk River, its outer walls crumbling from years of neglect and its swelling population threatens to burst free from its shackles.
Therans are outnumbered three to one by Barsaivians and slaves, but they feel no fear. For a hop, skip and jump away lies Sky Piny, home of Theran naval activity in the area.
As you enter the city, you marvel at the shear size of the place. It is said that even the most jaded Barsaivian explorer will find wonders in the Theran quarter of the city to amaze and astound them. Therans who live in their empire's capital are amused by the city, but find it rewarding to see the barbarians in their natural environment.
There is a tension about Vivane, an uneasy agreement between Barsaivians and Therans which threatens to boil over at any time . . .
Feel free to add descriptions about the bustling streets, and the various things the characters will see on their way to their destination. It is important to highlight that Vivane is a large city, and is full of all sorts of name-givers.
Tribas Koar is being kept in the City Prison rather than the Imperial Prison (in the Theran quarter). If you have a high level group (very high level), you can make it that Tribas was found out and shipped to the bigger prison until his fate could be decided (they don't want to make a martyr out of him). This way the characters have to get into the Theran quarter and the Theran prison.
The task is still going to be difficult even with Tribas being in the City Prison. He will be kept in one of the larger cells with the rest of the resistance members. Allisa will remind the characters their first priority is to rescue Tribas at all costs.
The characters do not want to break into the City Prison cold turkey, and if they suggest that is what they plan to do, convince them of their bad choice. There are a number of ways for the characters to go fishing for information:
Ask around at inns and taverns for general information.
Try and find an ex-prisoner who might have a few details.
Run some surveillance on he prison to get an idea of shifts and the number of guards.
Try and find some black market plans for the compound.
Anything else that the characters can think of, and sounds plausible.
Allow the characters to meet a few of the locals, and immerse them in the political intrigue that is Vivane.
Once the characters have the information they need, they can plan their attack. Their best option would be to attack at night when their are fewer guards and a better chance of slipping in and out without notice.
The following information should help the Games Master plan the next part of the adventure.
From the information in SV1, the City prison is guarded by thirty-two members of the city militia. Their statistics can be found on page 23 of SV1.
During the day, eight of the militia patrol the walls, while another patrol the inner yard and railings. The other four are assigned to look after the prisoners. During the evening, four still look after the prisoners, but the guards on the walls and the inner compound are reduced to four each. The militia are led by Danna Ursin, an ork captain and a Fifth Circle swordmaster. She does not stay at the City Prison in the evening.
The wall guards are armed with bows and arrows instead of a broadsword. The outer railings are twenty feet high. The prison's inner walls are thirty-five high and twenty feet deep.
The following layout is only suggested to be used for the prison, feel free to be creative and come up with something of your own design. The platform is where executions are held, and the space between the prison and the outer railings is known as the yard.
Figure 2 - 1 - Prison Exterior
The interior of the prison could look as follows:
Figure 2 - Prison Interior
This is where the guards who look after the prisoners stay most of the time, playing cards and relaxing. There is a desk where the ork captain works, but little else in the way of furnishings (except for a few tables and chairs).
There is a single entrance into the room, the single reinforced oak door, and a single exit out through the metal door at the top of the room.
Where the food is prepared. The cook, a leathery male elf, sleeps and works here. There is a small oak door into the yard through which the elf can empty pots and collect water from the trough outside. Supplies are taking though the main gates out the front round to this entrance.
These are where the prisoners are kept, singly or up to forty if the need is there. They are square and bare except for a latrine. There is a little mouldy straw to sleep on, but the cold stones suck much of the warmth out of even the hottest of bodies.
The cell where Tribas and his fellow inmates are staying is the tenth. The other cells can be filled to your hearts content. Though not shown, there are stairwells in the guard room as well as on the outside walls.
The characters best bet is to scale the outer railing and get to the kitchen door. Overpower the elf, run down the corridor and into the cell.
Getting out will be the same.You open the door to the cell, and your nose is immediately assaulted by the rankest of odours. Sour, bitter and belligerent. it is the smell of unwashed bodies. It is the smell of death and decay.
Huddled in the rectangular room are bundles of rags, the inert, sleeping forms of the resistance members.
For some reason the huddles seem to ring a single huddle, situated in the centre of the room. Like a ring. A ring of protection.
As you step into the room, the centre figure lifts its head. Two grey eyes like the sea after a storm, pierce through to your very soul.
Within them lies hope, pain and remembrance. Within them lies courage, defiance and sadness.
You know which of the prisoners is Tribas.
The characters are going to have to make a tough decision, whether to leave the other prisoners behind and only rescue Tribas (which is easier and safer) and try for the jackpot. Allisa will only want to rescue Tribas, and will almost insist that the characters leave the others.
No matter what happens, allow the characters to have a running fire-fight through the compound. make them trip an alarm, bump into a guard or just plan guff up. Note, Allisa has a sword for Tribas and will give him the weapon immediately.
An alarm rings through the compound, same damn troll blowing his horn like there's no tomorrow. You can heard guards scrambling around the compound, trying to get to their posts.
Tribas grips his sword more tightly as his eyes harden. A small, tight smile flickers across his face.
You feel the blood coursing in your veins . . .
If the characters make it out of the prison alive, Allisa will lead them back to the safe house.
The following description and accompanying piece of music has been designed to foreshadow events that will occur in Prelude to War, an Earthdawn epic designed by FASA and what Miasma has been designed to proceed. It is not concrete nor revealing, but gives the characters a taste of what is to come.
It starts as a whisper. A rumble of discontent that builds into a mutter. The mutter becomes a voice raised in anger. The voice becomes a shout. The shout becomes an impassioned call to arms.
And then . . . you have an uprising.
Picture a lone ork standing at the foot of a stark mountain which seems to shimmer in the noon day sun. Without thinking she climbs the mass of bleached rock, her hands and skin burning as they touch the heated rock.
Hand before hand. Foot after foot. Less than halfway up, she collapses in exhaustion. What passes in the next few minutes is between the ork and the passions. The change is obvious.
When she wakes the next day, provisions are set about her.. She does not care about the trials she has already faced, for her gahad burns brightly. She has a whisper within her, which threatens to turn into a call to arms . . . a call to orks.
Once the characters have rescued Tribas Koar and evaded the city militia, they will be lead back to the resistance safe house described in Entry Point from the previous episode.
Tribas will be weakened from his treatment at the hands of the prison warders, but will express a desire to talk to the characters when he is stronger. He will suggest the characters take the time to explore Vivane, as the could relay the information back to Throal if they are Throalic agents, or just as relaxation.
Use the Skypoint & Vivane box set to your advantage when allowing the characters to explore. Give them a feel for the way of life here in Thera's last piece of Barsaive. Describe the sights, peoples and feelings that flow over them like the wash of the sea.
After a few days, allowing Tribas and the characters to recover, the resistance sets up a meeting to talk to the characters.
You are ushered into Tribas' room by Allisa, which is already filled with three strangers, standing either side of the head of the bed. Tribas' lifts himself up from his bed, a smile flickering across his face.
"Not the usual place for a resistance meeting, but we've had meetings in stranger places. Let me introduce you to my fellow rebels."
He shifts to point to the hulking troll to his right.
"This is Umbra, a master weapon smith and a good troll to have at your back."
He shifts again to point to the t'skrang and elf standing to his left.
"Serena, the illusionist who can make your very enemy seem to be a friend, and G'ha the scout."
Tribas' looks out the small window in the room, gazing at the cloudy sky outside. He shakes himself, as if get some though out of his head.
"I have no right to ask, but . . . I need your help. When I was captured, I had on me s mall, silver container for holding documents securely. The guards gave it to the prison warden who though it would do her good if she offered it to a Theran noble in exchange for favours.
"You know this Theran, his name is Omag . . ."
He pauses, collecting his thoughts.
"If the documents fall in the wrong hands, they could spell the doom for the resistance her in Vivane. We have intelligence that the container is still sealed, as Omag has been unable to break the lock. We also know he was last headed to Sky Point, to send certain messages to the Theran capital.
"Will you retrieve the documents?
The others in the room are of little importance, as they are not directly involved in the mission. They can, however, be used in another adventure set in or around Vivane.
Vrontok takes resistance members much more seriously than Vivane. As it says in SV3 : "Sky Point is militarily vital . . . The Therans react strongly to any threat to Sky Point, and so even a sniff of Resistance activity in Vrontok meets with swift and savage reprisal . . ."
As before, if you have a high powered group you can make the adventure more difficult, by having Omag stay in Sky Point proper. Thus the characters are going to have to get into one of the most guarded establishments in Barsaive. Otherwise, keep to the suggest framework with Omag staying in Vrontok, being only a minor Theran spy.
Sky Point is only a day's walk away from Vivane, as much for military reasons as it is for convenience. The characters, once again, have several options in getting to Sky Point.
There is, as usual, the direct approach. The characters are going to have to be careful of Theran military travelling between Vivane and Sky Point, who are probably going to be suspicious of any travellers along the road. They will happily question or detain any they consider suspicious. So the characters should have some sort of cover.
The other option, is to go by a less direct route, thus avoiding Theran questions. This will take longer, and might mean the characters have to contend with other problems such as brigands or wild animals.
Once the characters get there, their problems have just begun.
The characters have three entrances into Vrontok, the Vivane gate, the Empire gate or the Outlaw gate. The road they are travelling will take them to the Vivane gate, but they can skirt the edge of town and try another. The Vivane gate is difficult to get through, but the Empire gate is even more difficult. The easiest gate would be the outlaw gate, especially if the characters pose as slavers.
Once they are in they are going to have to find a place to stay and start their search for Omag.
As mentioned before, there are a number of places you can have Omag staying. If you have a high powered group, there is sky Point itself. Even in Vrontok, there are a number of choices. The two most sensible are the Theran compound and Vrontok near the western pillar. The choice should be made on the power of the group as reasonable explanations can be made for where Omag is staying.
The characters are going to have to discover where Omag is staying, and they can't just ask around ask people are going to be suspicious. They could pretend to deliver a document to the Theran compound and state they must deliver it in person. The guards will point them in the right direction. Alternatively, you could make Allisa have knowledge of his location. Once again, scale the adventure up and down depending on the power of your group.
This is the crux of the adventure, where the characters have to break into Omag's quarters and grab the documents.
If Omag is in Sky Point, the characters are going to have to find some way to get up the elemental elevators or via an air ship.
Once they are on the platform, they are going to have to content with militia (see page 16 of SV3) patrolling, wandering around and making their life difficult.
This option is the most difficult, and is up to the Games Master to fully develop.
This is similar to the Sky Point option, except it is going to be easier for the characters to get in. They cans scale the walls for one thing. They are still going to have to content with militia patrolling the compound.
The easiest of options. Omag will probably be staying in an inn in the town, so they just have to find the right inn and find his room. Once there they can break in, grab the document and go. They still have to avoid being caught by the inn proprietor and city militia (T'rask's men, see page 19 of SV3).
Once the characters have the documents, there are a number of ways you can run the end of the episode. As in the previous episode, you can end with a running fire-fight through Vrontok which would definitely excite the character's sensibilities.
The other choice (there are more choices, but I'm only giving two) is a quieter exit, with the characters getting hints of being followed but nothing definite. If the characters have had a hard time, this is the preferred option. Don't push them too hard.
When the characters get back to Vivane, they will return to the same safe house so they can return the documents to Tribas Koar. Tribas will be extremely grateful, and will find them a suitable gift as a way of thanking them. These gifts will be suitable for the characters profession and personality, and they may or may not be useful.
Once all has been said and done, the characters may fade in the sun set. For the stage has been set for the Prelude to War, and the result are inevitable.
"Anger is not the answer. Hate is not the solution. But I can find no other way to ensure that freedom is not a dream, but a reality for all Barsaivians"
"Is that the greatest painting?"
"My name is Tribas Koar. I speak for the oppressed."
"Let me tell you a tale . . ."
Tribas Koar is the son of a well-to-do merchant in Vivane. By day he is the foppish son, who spends water like money and thinks only of his own enjoyment. At night his razor sharp wits and immense charisma make him the greatest leader the Barsaivian resistance has ever known.
Dexterity (14) : 6/D10
Strength (15) : 6/D10
Toughness (12) : 5/D8
Perception (17) : 7/D12
Willpower (16) : 7/D12
Charisma (19) : 8/2D6
Disguise (7) : 14/D20 + D4
Durability (5)
Emotion Song (7) : 15/D20 + D6
Empathic Sense (5) : 13/D12 + D10
First Impression (9) : 17/D20 + D10
Item History (4) : 11/D10 + D8
Karma Ritual (6)
Melee Weapons (4) : 10/D10 + D6
Mimic Voice (6) : 13/D12 + D10
Read and Write Language (4) : 11/D10 + D8
Speak Language (4) : 11/D10 + D8
Taunt (6) : 14/D20 + D4
Thread Weaving (Story) (7) : 14/D20 + D4
Full : 65
Combat : 33
Artisan - Embroidery (2) : 7/D12
Knowledge - Horrors (5) : 12/2D10
Dice : D8
Physical Defence : 8
Spell Defence : 9
Social Defence : 10
Armour : 5
Mystic Armour : 1
Dice : 20
Points : D8
Death Rating : 64
Wound Threshold : 9
Unconsciousness Rating : 51
Recovery Dice : 2
Recovery Tests Per Day : D8
None
"No longer will citizens of Vivane live under oppression and terror. We will throw off the Theran yoke and join our brothers and sisters in harmonious Barsaive."
"What colour does your blood run?"
"Back off, unless you want to lose it!"
"I won't stop until Therans are but a footnote in history!"
Allisa is blindly dedicated to Tribas, as he saved her from a Theran slave camp as a young girl. She believes she is in love with Tribas, but Tribas knows she is in love with the idea of Tribas. She is loyal and brave, but very set in her ways.
Dexterity (15) : 7/D12
Strength (16) : 6/D10
Toughness (15) : 6/D10
Perception (12) : 5/D8
Willpower (8) : 4/D6
Charisma (9) : 4/D6
Acrobatic Strike (5) : 12/2D10
Air Dance (5) : 12/2D10
Anticipate Blow (5) : 10/D10 + D6
Avoid Blow (5) : 12/2D10
Down Strike (5) : 14/D20 + D4
Durability (7)
Gliding Strike (5) : 12/2D10
Karma Ritual (5)
Melee Weapon (7) : 14/D20 + D4
Swift Kick (5) : 12/2D10
Thread Weaving (War) (5) : 10/D10 + D6
Throwing Weapons (6) : 13/D12 + D10
Tiger Spring (5)
Unarmed Combat (8) : 15/D20 + D6
Wood Skin (5) : 11/D10 + D8
Full : 70
Combat : 35
Artisan - Singing (4) : 8/2D6
Knowledge - Barsaivian History (5) : 10/D10 + D6
Dice : D4
Physical Defence : 8
Spell Defence : 8
Social Defence : 6
Armour : 7
Mystic Armour : 0
Dice : 20
Points : D8
Death Rating : 101
Wound Threshold : 10
Unconsciousness Rating : 78
Recovery Dice : 3
Recovery Tests Per Day : D10
Adventurer's Kit
Chain Mail Armour
2 Daggers
Broadsword
Spear
Footman's Shield
Traveller's Garb
3 Weeks Worth of Trail Rations
15 Gold Pieces
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