Anarea 1-off D: Breaking the Law 7 to 26 Aval 2000
Scenario 12B. (X)
Version B: Into the Jungle
The Questors may wish to track down Namaja, reputedly the World's greatest ChaosMaster, and quite possibly still alive. But his trail is three years cold. He was last commonly heard of in Valdrea at the massacre of Lake Zarak. Questioning of the surviving rebels should elicit the information that he walked off into the Lake, and possibly that his Chaos trail emerged in the Imperial Hunting Forest leaving traces of jungle. The Questors may also have picked up the fused, glassy trail left by his passing on the bed of the Lake.
He is not susceptible to any means of Location, including Demon Summoning. His trail may be followed by means of those who saw him pass: either by Communing with their Gods or by speaking to them in person. Demon Summoning may also help follow his trail, where it is still traceable.
The glassy trail can ultimately be traced to the Imperial Hunting Forest, where there is a strange linear plantation of jungle-type trees and plants, and even a few jungle animals and birds, leading up from the lakeshore to the ridge above the lake. The Poacher is aware of this (see separate Scenario: "The Betrayed") and it should be fairly easy for the Questors to find if they search the lakeshore from a boat or on foot. The glassy trail continues through the plantation, but is now well overgrown (DL3 vs Track). The plantation peters out on the ridge, where the glassy trail also disappears.
The Questors may conclude from this that Namaja ChaosWalked from the Imperial Hunting Forest to the Jungle.
If they take ship to the Jungle, they will arrive at one of the three Jungle Ports Daruo, Habawi or Kambo. Port Daruo is the closest to Valdrea, and most ships therefore put in their first. It is also the most likely location for them to arrive if they buy a Teleport. A Teleport might also take them direct to Mabul'Adib in the heart of the Jungle. The Jungle covers a vast area, and it would be a lengthy journey by boat up the coast to the mouths of the Mabula and then upriver to Mabul'Adib. Rumours of Namaja's passage three years ago may be heard throughout the South and West of the Jungle, as he arrived in the Kambo Basin and visited Port Daruo before heading inland to Mabul'Adib and then upriver.
For Mabul'Adib and the Grand Palaver that is taking place there, see separate Scenario "Jungle Drums".
Mt. Ichil (32,512 ft) is the highest mountain of the Eastern Mountain Range. The strange eruption of Mt. Ichil (which lies upriver from Mabul'Adib) is visible from much of the Jungle and rumours of it are spreading throughout. The Questors may therefore be drawn to it in their search for Namaja. The final part of its ascent is a technical climb on snow and ice, not helped by the Chaos erupting from it. The Questors are perhaps more likely to Wind Walk up. The air is breathable, though thin near the top. It is often windy, though Chaos is now disrupting the normal weather patterns.
Ichil Cave is located directly beneath the summit of Mt. Ichil, and may be accessed from a secret door in the summit ridge (normally covered by snow and ice, but probably glowing with Chaos at present). It is a dark circular cave with a central stone pillar. There are twelve runes or double runes marked evenly around the walls, and three passages leading away, with right angled turns on each after a few feet. One passage (between runes 1 & 12) leads out onto the summit ridge, via the secret door. One passage (between runes 4 & 5) leads to living chambers and store rooms (usually uninhabited and containing a few emergency supplies, but more recently occupied by Namaja and his followers, who have departed into Chaos). The third passage (between runes 8 & 9) leads to stairs down into the mountain, which are said to descend into the Depths of the Earth. Torches are mounted evenly between the runes, with one either side where the passages come in, and are only lit when the Cave is inhabited. It is bitterly cold and the air is thin. The runes are now open Gateways into Chaos (see separate Scenario "Tripping into Chaos").
Encounters along the way will depend on how the Questors travel, whom they question, and what disguises they adopt.
Ander of Gytrasan, Master of the Imperial Games (L) (see separate Character Specification and spreadsheet): Has experience of Jungle Expeditions. This is known to the other Noble Champions, who might therefore consider enlisting his support for such a trip. Although Ander is a loyal SARAN Paladin and ally of the Aven Emperors, and he has been initiated into The Order of the Sun Diamond in recognition of his and his family's loyal support, he is not the most fanatically Lawful of Noble Champions, and his loyalty is as much to the Valdrean Empire as to the Triumph of Law. As Law-cloned into Decus of Aven, he represents the element of doubt in the Emperor. He may therefore be open to persuasion by Decus of Mastrin (if he becomes rightful Emperor) to join the Questers. However, he will be unwilling to betray the secrets of The Order, as he has sworn an oath of secrecy about it. Alternatively, Narsus VI may suggest he should seek to join the Questers as a spy, or may encourage him to do so if he has already been approached by them. Ander will then need to decide where his true loyalty lies. In such a situation, the DM will rule whether control of him is passed to the N Player.
Wandering Monsters (L/N/C) may be encountered in the depths of the Lake, on the Ethereal / Astral or out in the wilderness (though most will have scattered from Mt. Ichil).
Bits of Chaos (C) erupting from Mt. Ichil may manifest as small Stars, Chaos-Beings or random effects. They may seek to climb back into the sky to rejoin the Stars, wander off randomly, dissipate into the increasingly-Chaotic environment or even interact with the Questors.
The party may be left to draw their own conclusions from where the trail leads.
Back to Scenario 11: The Betrayed
Go to Scenario 13B: Jungle Drums
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