Kratas
The characters first encounter with civilisation since Vors will be Kratas, a den of scum and villainy. Unfortunately the locals aren't going to be as friendly as the characters might want, as the obsidimen of the Blood Circle have been through and contacted some of their brethren.
Once again, the obsidimen have hired some orks to deal with the characters and they aren't going to be very pleasant.
As you make you way through the crowded and filthy streets of Kratas, you notice a band of figures following you.
The characters are more than likely going to investigate this band of figures, and when they do, the orks have been ordered to give the characters the following message:
"We have your windling friend. If you persist in following us, your friend will surely die. If you return to Vors, we will return him . . . unharmed."
A peaceful solution to the conflict is unlikely. The orks have been ordered to prevent the characters from following the obsidimen. They will so at any cost, having sworn allegiance to the Blood Circle.
Confrontation
Once the characters have gotten through Kratas, the trail, they'll find, continues on south. However, the characters will quickly stumble on the obsidiman's camp if they travel without care through the forest.
The obsidimen are camped in a clearing just a few hours walk from the edge of the forest. They will have the windling with them but will look unkindly on interlopers.
The three obsidimen are all that are left of the second party that the characters have been following since Stone Citadel. They are all loyal to Thandrel Drek, and if the characters have killed him, they will fight to the death.
If not, the obsidian will defend themselves with deadly force, but will make all attempts to escape and rejoin the main party (see Throal Mountain). If the characters prove to be more easily dispatched, then that's what the obsidimen will do.
Once the characters have dealt with the obsidimen, they can untie their friend, who will be very glad to see them.
Usun's Return
The character's joy at finding their friend alive, is going to be very short lived. Another of their friends is in danger, and they find this out from a very unusual source.
The beating of wings wakes you from your reverie. A huge beast is approaching, and the noise of its arrival is deafening. It is a dragon.
"My name is Usun, and I know you. I have a message from a friend of yours, Ceren. He requires your assistance urgently. He is currently staying in Ch'tak village on the outskirts of the Badlands."
Usun will give the characters detailed instructions on how to get to Ch'tak village, and will then disappear. At all times he will emphasise the characters must arrive with haste.
Once the characters have received Usun's message, they can leave as soon as they wish. The journey from Kratas to the mountain range to the north of Death's Sea (unnamed for some strange reason) will take the characters approximately seven to eight days on foot, shorter if they ride. No encounters have been provided for this journey, but can be included to once again reinforce the idea that Barsaive is indeed a dangerous place to travel through.
Once the characters arrive at the foot of the mountain, they are on the threshold of the Badlands. For on the other side starts one of the bleakest parts of Barsaive. To get to the Badlands through the most direct route, the characters are going to have to enter and pass through the Mist Swamps.
The characters are going to have to wear clothing that is either heat resistant or allow their skin to breathe. They should not be allowed to wear armour of any kind, especially metal. Their weapons are going to be nuisances and should be covered. The characters are also going to need a good supply of water.
For more information on the Mist Swamps refer to page 100 - 101 of BE and page 36 - 37 of SR.
An awful smell assails your noises, and from the mist that hangs in the air, you assume you are approaching the Mist Swamps. The smell increases, almost causing you to retch violently, and your vision becomes less useful as the mist intensifies.
Ch'tak Village
When the characters arrive in the village, one of the orks will meet the characters on the village outskirts and inform them that Ceren is not in the village at the moment, but has left instructions that the characters are to wait until he returns.
The characters will be taken to the hut of an old, ork invalid with whom Ceren has been living with for some time. The characters should treat the old ork with respect, because some of the orks in the village have their gahad triggered if they discover people being disrespectful to the elderly. Ceren should be able to smooth over all but most brutal conflicts the characters get into, but will be heavily disappointed in them if they cause too much trouble.
After two days have elapsed, Ceren will return to the village and greet the characters straight away. After exchanging pleasantries and a meal (there is always time for a meal) Ceren will get down to business. The characters should first explain what they have been doing, as Ceren will relate to them some information about the group they had been following.
"For some time I suspected that the Blood Circle was bigger than the single group that we encountered in Liaj Jungle, but I had no idea exactly how big the group was. I have been investigating, and to my knowledge there are about a dozen sects of twelve members scattered throughout Barsaive, though I haven't been able to determine if their influence is any more widespread.
"The first group we encountered I believe to be the controlling sect. The message they left was signed Kesnok of the Blood Circle, and I believe he is the leader of the group but I don't think Kesnok is his real name, but some sort of honorary title."
The characters are probably going to get a little fidgety at this stage, and so an encounter has been provided to ease the tension and to lead into what Ceren is going to tell the characters next.
The Invae have suspected that someone is trying to discover their whereabouts, and has sent a party to investigate. They have a single order, to eliminate the threat. They are to keep their existence secret for as long as possible, but they can not return to the brood, for fear of being followed. Thus they will sacrifice themselves in any way necessary for the good of the many.
After the attack, Ceren will lead the characters back into the hut and continue his story. It is important to build up the atmosphere, and Ceren will lead into the more current information with this story.
"As you could have already worked out, the Invae are very much alive. We first met them in the Servos Jungle where they warned us that the Legends of Earthdawn were going to be exterminated in order that the Hive could rule the entire world. They also indicated that they were running out of time, and I believe that they require more magical energy. More than likely they flourished during the scourge, but now magic has stabilised they are weakening.
"You might be wondering what the connection between the Blood Circle and the Invae is, and I hope there is none. But we must be sure, and we must get rid of the Invae as soon as possible.
"I think that I if we follow the tracks of the Invae, that we will be led to the Queen Invae. It is our job to exterminate her at all costs."
Once Ceren has finished his stories, he will want to head off as soon as possible to eradicate the Invae infestation. Ceren will give the characters the rest of the day to recuperate, but early next morning the hunt is on.
Tracking the Invae
The characters will find tracking the Invae fairly easy as long as one of them has a tracking talent. If not, the characters are going to have to make perception roles to see if they can distinguish Invae tracks from the surrounding area. The difficult number of the tests is left up to the discretion of the Games Master.
The trail leads south, to a small, outcropping of rocks. The journey will take the characters about three days on foot, less if riding. Once the characters arrive, they will notice the entrance into the hive quiet easily.
The entry into the hive is a smallish opening, large enough for one obsidiman or troll size person to fit through. The surrounding area is rocky, with the entrance being partially covered by rocks.
The entrance leads into the first chamber of the hive (Room 1, First Level - see The Hive for details). The chamber will be empty as it is merely a nexus point in the hive, though the Games Master can place an encounter here if they wish.
The Hive
The Hive is split into three levels. Normally an Invae hive would be much bigger, but the Invae have had to keep their activities quiet and didn't want to expand too fast. The Hive is well patrolled, but they have been speeding up their activities recently and so their not at full strength in the hive.
To compensate for the fewer number of Invae in the hive, these creatures have set a few traps in sensitive areas. They are magical in nature and are designed to protect the things that the Invae hold dear.
Below is the layout of the hive, one level per map. Only those areas of interest have been numbered and been given a description. In all instances, the Games Master must describe the turns and passages of the corridors, and give descriptions where there are none.
Level One
Entrance
This is the only entrance into the hive, and the starting point for the characters adventures (see Entry Into The Hive).
Experimentation Chamber
This chamber is where name-giver prisoners are taken to have experiments performed on them to turn them into Invae or supply the blood to power their magic. There is normally one or two name-givers in the chamber with an Invae experimenting on them.
Holding Cell
This is where name-givers are kept before they are experimented on (see Experimentation Chamber above). They are chained to the walls and left unguarded. Normally there are two or three name-givers being held here.
Exit
This is the only down from this level, and there is a set of 'stairs' leading down to room one of the second level.
Level Two
Entrance
This is the only entry point into the level, and there is a set of 'stairs' which leads up to room four of the first level. Typically, there might be a few Invae travelling through this chamber.
Magical Store
Normally the name-givers the Invae capture have magical equipment on them and this is where is kept. Typically it contains non-magical weapons as well as a few magical items such as booster potions, magical weapons and armours and, very rarely, patterned items.
The Invae don't hold much use for these items and so the chamber is normally left unguarded.
Hatchery
This is where all the young Invae larvae are stored. The room is uncomfortably warm, and that is to said the larvae's growth. Normally there will be one or two worker Invae coming or going, but they will ignore the characters as long as they don't interfere with their work.
Storage Area
This is where all the Invae's supplies are stored, consisting of food, miscellaneous equipment and a supply of water. There might be a few Invae travelling through this chamber bringing food or taking it away.
Exit
This is the only down from this level, and there is a set of 'stairs' leading down to room one of the third level.
Level Three
Entrance
This is the only entry point into the level, and there is a set of 'stairs' which leads up to room five of the second level. Typically, there might be a few Invae travelling through this chamber.
Eating Area
This is where the Invae eat as well as meet to discuss plans or just 'relax'. The Invae don't hold to any strict eating pattern, believing that they should eat when they are hungry.
Magical Traps
Each of these chambers is booby trapped with a trip wire which sets off a magical force field. The force field can be removed either by casting a dispel magic spell on it or throwing an object big enough at it to dispel it (obsidiman size or higher). If some one tries to pass through the barrier, they will suffer 5D6 damage each round they are in the force field, and must make a strength test against a difficulty number of fifteen to pass through.
Sleeping Chambers
This is where the Invae sleep, and typically there are about three or four sleeping Invae in each chamber. They sleep close to the queen so they can come to her aid when necessary.
Guard Chamber
This is the only entrance into the Queen's Chamber. At all times there will be four Invae guarding the entrance into the chamber.
Queen's Chamber
This is where the queen resides. Once the characters arrive here, go to Queen Invae for details on what happens.
The Queen
When the characters arrive in the 'Queen Chamber' they will finally get their chance at revenge. Ceren will fight to the death if necessary to get rid of the Queen Invae from Barsaive.
Entering the chamber, you notice that the walls seem to give off a yellowish glow. The chamber seems to be filled with white sacs, which form a mound. Sitting on the top of the mound is an insect with a huge abdomen.
The Queen Invae.
"Why . . . you . . . here?"
The queen's voice comes out as a sibilant whisper.
Once the queen realises the characters intend to kill her, she will try to call her fellow Invae. If any remain, they will come to her aid in five to twelve rounds.
The Queen Invae is from whom all Invae are born. Even when the Invae call their brethren from astral space, they have already been born from a queen. The reason the Invae need to call a queen from astral space is the magic laden space reduces the queen's fertility. Once on the fertile soil of Barsaive, that fertility increases ten fold.
Escape from the Hive
Once the queen has been slain, the characters have completed their mission. The Games Master can make the character's hack their way out of the hive, or merely flee for their lives. Either way, make sure this part of the adventure is laced with tension.
Once they are out of the hive, continue on with the epilogue.
