Turns 18 and 19 - Days 83 to 95 - Tidjit

The Temple of Sisyn has been liberated.  Worship of the god, which has been in voluntary or involuntary abettance for quite some years, can now resume.  The High Priestess - daughter of Tidjit's Alderman, but now under the influence of the village's shaman - and that the company had been dispatched to Okerdik to bring back home - can now lead members of a suddenly reappearing cult, to the temple to purify it.

The company continues to be unsure whether the return of this Death God cult is a good thing.  No doubt it will strengthen resistance against the Jungle Deep, but at what cost to the people of these lands ?  Some hasty but reassuring research in Mankhundun does however suggests that if Sisyn welcomes his faithful into the embrace of death - no doubt including Kehar - he does not push them into it through sacrifice.

At Mankhundun, the company have learnt more about the elusive and long-vanished Taran civilisation.  A surprisingly advanced Hu-Man civilisation - not the first one the Rangers have encountered since the fight against the Deep began - they appear to have been great builders of underground cities, if the warrens that are the foundations of present day Mankhundun are to be believed.

There are important but still elusive links between these ancient Tarans, and the Death God Sisyn.  Small statues - called zilniri - which play an important role in the pivotal funerary rite known as "The Pull", were found at the mysterious and haunted Taran burial ground located in The Shroud.  It is an ancient battle site where their chariot-warriors seem to have died in great numbers.  Moreover, the company first crossed paths with Sisyn's white stag shortly after fleeing the baleful site.  Many things they have learnt since make a coincidence unlikely.

Partho has also discovered that the Tarans sought, for some reason, to stamp out Sisyn's cult, and did a very good job of it.  His theory is that the followers of Sisyn only saved themselves by assassinating Queen Tara.  It troubles him, however, that the death of Queen Tara seems to signal the end of an entire civilisation, so much so, that they are known to posterity by her name.  Was the assassination of the queen accompanied by mass slaughter in her palace ?  It seems unlikely that the handful of survivors of a waning cult could have done such a thing.  If Sisyn's worshippers did not bring down Taran civilisation, then who did ?

What will the quest that Sisyn has set for Drake's Seven, and which they can hardly refuse without losing Tidjit's friendship, allow the Death God to accomplish ?

Can Parthoghimeos better understand the fate of the ancient Tarans if the company climb the flanks of Killingtara ? 

 

It seemed urgent to return to Tidjit, to strike against the enemy's hideout before they could get wind of the danger and disappear into the wilderness.  Mina, however, was too badly wounded to walk, and it was an impossibly long road back to the north carrying a stretcher.  Hence Godric initially planned to rest up in Mankhundun.

A watch had been set for them, as the Abbot rode out with an escort of monks, when they were still quite a way hither.  Godric could tell by his hurried manner that there was trouble.

"News from Okerdik", he said, between two panting breaths.  "Some new enemy has emerged from nowhere.  A true army, well ordered and banners flying."

"How many ?" questioned Godric.

"Not more than fifty", the Abbot replied.  "A scouting force, it would seem.  The captain of the guard thinks they are gathering information on the defences; they have interrogated peasants in outlying farms and one or two guardsmen are missing, presumed abducted".

Godric looked towards Partho, but he already knew what he had to do.

"We can't fight on all fronts.  Okerdik will hold" (he prayed silently), "we must continue on to Tidjit.  We know where the outlaw leadership is hiding, we can strike a decisive blow".

Now the Abbot looked at Noctulo, and they seemed to share the opinion in a silent stare.  "The monks of Mankhundun will form an escort for you", he said.  "There are plenty of volunteers".

Gratefulness welled up in Godric; Noctulo had shown that the monks were pretty handy in a fight...and they could help shoulder the burden of Mina, whom he did not want to leave behind.

"We should leave as soon as possible", he replied.  Two hours later, the sturdy company was on its way. 

The monks proved to be sturdy in the face of hardship too, barely flinching at the cold wind.  Tidjit was a hive of activity.  The monk sent from Mankhundun had brought the sacred texts to the Priestess, who in the couple of weeks since they had left, seemed to have gained considerably in stature.  Godric sensed that the alderman, her own father, was frightened by her.  The rituals contained in the old texts had both reinforced the content of Sisyn's cult, and lent it an additional degree of awe.  The poor old shaman even seemed a bit lost in the face of so much change, so quickly.

Tidjit's warriors and herdsmen had won several skirmishes with the bandits that had been oppressing them, liberating a considerable number of captives and a sizeable amount of currency.  Their absence was causing some disorder, but the company still managed to get their gear patched up.  With the enemy in full flight, merchants had begun to get through again, and Godric was able to buy some map-making gear, hard to come by.  Of course, they bumped into Radovan in the tavern, who pretended not to be pleased to see them.

The following evening, the Priestess of Sisyn swept into the temporarily vacant house they had been allocated, Ruairidh at her elbow.  She was indeed radiant.  She quietly asked the company of their adventurers, exchanged grateful words with the monks, and then surprised everybody by entering the room where Mina lay, chasing everyone out, and personally tending to her wounds [Town Healer].

They did not see her after that, but they heard a lot about her, since Ruairidh sang her praises at every opportunity.  He was so obsessed that he seemed to have forgotten about the quest Sisyn had encouraged them to undertake.  Everybody else carefully avoided referring to it.

In the morning, the members of the company girded their loins.  It was not even a two day ride to the hideout, which the enemy had set up in the cave complex of a redrock valley, close by a sluggish, winding stream of tired orange tinted waters.

It was time to end this.

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Scenario Parameters :

 

This is a Raid, leading to a Hideout Raid against The Ruin Within.

The nefarious nature of the enemy is clear, as the occupants of the hideout are once again Slave Raiders (p.154).  There are 10 enemies, of whom 2 have slings.

The leadership of the Ruin Within may be having a hard time, but it has been bolstered.  Hence there is a Sergeant to contend with.  As was to be expected, the hideout is under the orders of a Captain, but a second Captain is also present.

There is no special Story Point in this scenario, so no means to immediately gain 1 Story Point.

Terrain is set up as per the generic rules (p.128-129), and for set-up see p.134.

After setting up, the heroes can attempt to Sneak Up (p.138).  On the first round, one initiative die is automatically set to '1'.

Achieving the Objective means annihilating the enemy leadership.  Although it is not necessary, Holding the Field and saving the prisoners from a dreadful fate at the hands of these slavers, will win a few Friends (p. 154).

Enemy reinforcements are a risk, unless leadership is swiftly silenced.

Under Siege (p.219) is in effect, so should a Unique Foe appear during the battle, and is not slain, a roll must be made on the Enemy Plans Table (p.207).

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