Champions of Mystara: Heroes of the Princess Ark (Dungeons & Dragons Game : Challenger)

280 Pages·1993·50.05 MB·English

by  Ann Dupius

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of MgstaraTM
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es of the Princess Ark
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Challenger
mpions of Mystara'
Table of Contents
Design: Ann Dupu Foreword and Inroduction
Launching to the Completion of the Tho
#i6%188.
Enchantment and the Skyship's Tramformatio
' Edltlng: Elizabeth Anne T The Chronicles of the Princess Ark ...................
Product Manage Bruce
Presmting Excerptsfro?d theJ ournals
Box Ark Robh Ruppel
demar of Haaken, Captain of the E
Cover Ark Robh Ruppel
Interior Teny Dykstra
Art Coordinator: Peggy Cooper
Cartography: Diesel, John Knecht
Color Deck Plans: Robin Raab The Princess Ark ..
Production: Angelika Iokotz Containing Information Concerning the Valia
Technical Advisoi: LTjg So0 Klein, US. Coast Guard
continuity Advkm Doug Bickford
Playtesting: Doug Bickford, Paul Dupuis, T. Scott ....................................
Kinder, Elizabeth Tomabene, and Kevin Weishaar.
ylitb, the Heart and S
WORLD are registered trademarks owned by TSQ Inc. DUNGEON
MASTER, DM, MYSTARA, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned
Whereby We Discover the Skyship
sion; Naval Regulations Followed
esses thereof, are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.
Routines of Men and Officers; Ports
Random House and its affiliate companies have yorldwide
distribution rights to the book trade for English language prod- Infomationf or New Recruits.
urn of TSR, Inc. Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the Friends and Foes .......................
United Kingdom by TSR Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby
trade by regional disuibutors.
This game accessory is protected under the copyright laws of
the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unautho-
rized use of the written marerial or artwork herein is prohibited
without the express permission of TSR, Inc.
Dark; Cestlan Gobblers, Voracious P
120 Church End, ment Prince Hal
Cambridge, CB1 3LB
ISBN 1-56076-615-8
Foreword and Introduction
Heroes of the Princess Ark presents Ark through the years of the great war are scaled for use with 25mm miniature
the popular Princess Ark series from between Alphatia and Glantri (presented figures or cardboard stand-ups. They
DRAGONm Magazine as an addition to in the Wrath of rbe Immortals boxed set) show the commander's deck (which is;
your campaign. and up to Year 1010 AC, which the Poor mostly enclosed beneath a crystal dome)
The fmt two-thir& of this book tell the WizardsA 6maw covers. and all of the open-air decks on the sky-
story of the Princess Ark, an Alphatian "Friends and Foes" provides game sta- ship's main hull. For interior deck plans,
skyship, in narrative form. 'The Princess tistics and details for a variety of races seep. 71.
Ark Exploring Space and Time" summa- and creatures encountered in the Prin-
rizes the series' episodes from DRAGON cess Ark chronicles. And, finally, "The
The Princess Ark as a,
#la.
Magazine issue a153 through issue Thothian Enchantment" presents the
Unique Skyship
(There simply wasn't enough room to unique spell Haldemar used to enchant
reprint them all in their entirety.) "The the Princess Ark. The Princess Ark is. a un
Chronicles of the Princess Ark" picks up and does not always follow the rules pr
with the episode from DRAGON Maga- How to Use This Book sented in the Designers' Manual. (T
zine issue a169, and includes excerpts begin with, it would be prohibitively
from the Princess Ark's logbook from the As is the case with the other two books expensive to enchant such a large sky-
time she arrives in the Kingdom of Sind in this set, Heroes of the Princess Ark is ship with the multitude of enchantments
to when she finally heads for home- meant primarily for the DMIM.Y ou may Berylith brought to the Princess Ark.)
after traveling around the Serpent Penin- read the books in any order, as each can This is due to two primary factors. The
sula, along the Savage Coast, and around stand alone. Each book complements the Princess Ark was originally conceived as
the Orc's Head Peninsula at the mouth of others, however, and all of them together a story, and hence isn't based on game
Yalu Bay. can open up new vistas in your cam- mechanics, Also, she was designed Wore
The rest of this book provides the infor- paign. the skyship design rules were full$
mation you may need to integrate the The Designers' Manual contains the worked out.
Princess Ark into your campaign. The information you need to use the game Tbis isn't to say there's anythmg wrong
section on "The Princess Ark" includes statistics provided for the Princess Ark, with the Princess Ark, or that she can't be
design specifications for the Princess A d and the Explorers' Manual expands the used in your campaign. This is just a no@
to be used with the skyship rules pre- information Haldemar discovers in "The of explanation for those shaqqed read-
sented in the Designer's Manual, deck Land of the Maharajahs" and "The Ser- ers who are bound to find discrepancies
plans, and a complete key to the sky- pent Peninsula Revisited" episodes. On between the information here and the
ship's layout. "Heroes of the Skies" cov- the other hand, the Princess Ark's log- rules presented in the Designm'Manual.
ers the major characters found aboard the book entries describing Haldemar's im- In fact, nothing should stop you from
Princess Akomplete with game statis- pressions of Sind and Yavdlom can be designing unique skyships for your own
tics so they can be used as player charac- used to add a great deal of flavor to the campaign should you so choose. The
ters or as detailed NPCsand intmduces descriptions you give to your players Thothian enchantment detailed on p. 95
some minor characters who take care of when campaigning in the Great Waste or can be used as a basis or model for other
things while Prince Haldemar and the on the Serpent Peninsula. The rules and flying enchantments researched by PC
ship's officers are off having grand adven- regulations followed aboard the Princess mages, or by NPC mages you as DM wish
tures. Ark can be adapted to any military sky- to introduce. On a world as magic-rich as
"Life Aboard the Princess ArP reveals ship; and the creatures found in "Friends Mystata is, powerful spellcasters are bund
what life is like aboard the skyship. It and Foes" may be met by player charac- to find new ways to do things, and th
indudes daily routines followed on board, ters regardless of whether or not they rules won't always cover these situations.
and the rules and regulations enforced by own a skyship. Any time the D&D" rules get in th
the Alphatian Imperial Navy. "Campaign- If you intend to have your players role- way of something you want to do.id
ing with the Princess Ark,"on p. 88, dis- play characters aboard the Princess Ark, your campaign, feel free to change them,
cusses the roles the skyship can take in letting them read the "Chronicles" will introduce exceptions, or find ways tb
your campaign-as friend or foe, and serve as a good introduction to the sky- work around them. Think consequences
campaign focus or interesting sideline- ship's history and the major characters through, however, to keep the game in
and how to head off potential role-play- they can expect to meet (or play!). balance. If you let the player characters
ing problem before they occur. "Future You may want to pull out the two large build or find neat new skyships loaded
History of the Princess Ark, "on p. 90, map sheets showing the main decks of with extra enchantments, make sure
gives a possible timeline of events to the Princess Ark when you introduce
bring Prince Haldemar and the Princes your players to the skyship. These maps with rule-bending ships.
he Princess Ark Exploring Space and Time
and negotiation-involving the mortal the Princess Ark down through the
remains of the Heldannic Knights' Immor- Skyshield at the southern pole, where an
tal Patron-nded in Haldemar escaping anti-magic field caused her to crash inside
with his life and his ship, but gaining the the opening to the Hollow World. Halde-
enmity of the Heldannic Knights. mar enlisted the help of a giant snow
The Princess Ark's next stop was the sloth to tow the damaged ship toward
Vulture Peninsula, where Haldemar dis- warmth, while the crew fought starvation
covered some interesting secrets of the and deadly cold
nagpw (vulture-headed creatures). Just Once the Princess Ark escaped the
inland from Green Bay, the ship discov- effects of the anti-magic field, her crew
ered the Ndjatwa, a slaver society of ell- set out to explore this strange new world
ogre crossbreeds. A bit of diplomacy on -still, in pursuit of Herr Rolf, who had
Haldemar's part resulted in favorable cul- avoided every attempt to recapture him.
tural exchanges and the promise that While flying over Nithia, Haldemar dis-
Alphatiam would be protected from the covered a Nithian priestess named Khu-
Ndjatwa fondness for human flesh. As a firi in his quarters. She answered many of
Exploring Space gesture of friendship, the Ndjatwa clan- Haldemar's questions about the lands
master presented Haldemar with a human below while the ship pursued the Hel-
and Time
slave- Heldannic Knight who gave his dannic knight. The Princess Ark finally
In the Alphatian year 1964 AY (964 name as Herr Rolf. caught up to Herr Rolf, flying on the
I
AC), Empress Eriadna granted Prince Hal- As the princess Ark ventured along the back of a white dragon, in a bank of
demar of Haaken permission to re-com- southern shore of Green Bay, she en- clouds. Before Haldemar could capture
mission his family's aging flymg ship. The countered several cloud funnels. Halde- the knight, the Princess collided with a
newly restored Princess Ark embarked mar was intrigued by Herr Rolfs reaction floating island hidden in the clouds.
from Sundsvall the next year. to the sight, and determined to discover The island, Oostdok, was inhabited by
The majestic ship's travels took her what the Heldanner knew about these gnomes and dominated by a fortress dis-
southwest to the continent of Davania. funnels that the Alphatian schools failed playing the black lion emblem of the
Flying east along the Jungle Coast, she to teach. A dangerous experiment-flying Heldannic Order. A gnome named Leo-
approached Cape Eriadna and the Pass of straight into one large funnel-revealed pold (see p. 79) bumped into the invisi-
Cestia, where an away team stumbled that these tubular breaches are anti-grav- ble Princess Ark and enthusiastically
upon some Cestian gobblers (see p. 91). ity highways straight through Mystara's offered the help of the Le NeNiens Fam-
Turning east and then north, the Prin- Skyshield (see the Designers' Manual, ily Trust, Inc., in repairing the skyship.
cess Ark flew over the Isle of Cestia to p. 30). After a nerve-wracking rescue by a
Oceania. While investigating the islands Once in space, the princess Ark discov- gnomish air blimp, the Princess Ark was
interior, Prince Haldemar ran afoul of ered a hitherto unknown second moon, taken to a secret underground dry dock
some night dragons (see p. 92). The Myoshima (see p. 93). The moon has a where her crew and hundreds of gnomes
Princess Ark and her crew escaped, re- light-bending shield at the edges of its set about repairing her. Khufui betrayed
grettably leaving Boltman Ramissur in the atmosphere that renders it nearly invisi- the skyship's presence to the Heldannic
clutches of the furious night dragon. ble from the outside. The rakasta in- Order before repairs could be completed.
Back at the Isle of Cestia, the Princess habitants took exception to Herr Rolf's The Princess Ark and her crew barely
Ark took some native Cestians on board presence-Heldannic Knights are decid- escaped in time.
to supplement losses in her crew. Lady edly unwelcome on their'world-and With five Heldannic skyships pursuing
Abovombe came on bard as well (see p. demanded his release into their custody her, the Princess Ark managed to escape
76). As the ship approached the Gulf of in return for establishing ties with the through the polar opening and back into
Mar, Haldemar took another creature on Alphatian Empire. They also provided a space. There, she was met by a large war
board-a small, terrified bat that beat monolith carved from Myoshima's light- galley commanded by Herr Rolf. After a
against his porthole, and that would later bending corea gift which rendered the raging battle which the Princess Ark won
surprise Haldemar and the crew. Princess Ark invisible. by virtue of some "minor improvements'
Prince Haldemar and his skyship next When Herr Rolf escaped on a flying introduced by the gnomes, Khufiri re-
encountered trouble in the form of a sabre-tooth tiger, the Myoshimans kid- vealed herself as none other than Synn-
group of Heldannic Knights (see p. 911, a napped Iady Abovombe to hold her ran- the ruler of the night dragons encoun-
seemingly insigmficant clerical order from som for Haldemar's assistance in re- tered during the Princess Ark's first ex-
the Heldann Freeholds. A bit of trickery capturing the knight. Herr Rolfs flight led plorations of Oce ..
ISynn, bent on revenge, snatched Herr (see p. 94). The largest sky wyrm, Mery- The New
Rolf away from Haldemar and lured the ath, sensed the life force of her mother
Princess Ark-
PHncess Ark into a nebular storm that within the Princes Ark.
ripped the very fabric of time. When Hal- Haldemar discovered that his original
demar and the crew awoke, they were 34 use of the Thothian enchantment had
years in the future-Amphimir 26, 2000 bound the life force of the sky wyrm
AI'. To torment her enemy further, Synn Berylith into the Princess Ark. Berylith
returned the now aged and hitter Lady herself appeared before Prince Haldemar,
Abovombe to the ship. asking that he complete the enchaptment
Haldemar headed the Princess Ark and bind her soul as well, making her
toward home, where he discovered he whole once more.
and his crew wee no longer welcome in Completing the enchantment opened a
the Alphatian Empire. In the intervening gateway to the Plane of Nightmares.
y@ars,H err Rolf had become High Priest Spectral hounds streamed into the Plane's
of the Heldannic Order. For reasons of sky, attacking both the Princess Ark and
diplomacy and secrecy, Empress Eriadna the army of sky wyrms led by Meryath.
offered Prince Haldemar a choice be- As Haldemar completed the enchantment
tween death for himself and his crew or and escaped hack through the gateway
continuation of his initial mission of from the Plane of Nightmares, the closing
ea;ploration, with no return to the Empire gateway trapped the greatest of the spec-
pbssible until the matter with the Heldan- tral hounds. Immediately, the remaining With the completion of the Thothiah
nic Order was somehow resolved. hounds turned tail and fled. enchantment, Berylith found herself with
As the Princess Ark left Alphatia, Hal- But before Haldemar could celebrate complete control over the Princess
demar accidentally discovered that his the completion of the Thothian enchant- and the ability to alter the skyship
pet bat was none other than Ramissur, ment, the Princess Ark mysteriously be- vessel that suited her better. She decided
the boltman left behind in the first gan to break up before his very eyes, to do some redecorating. Unfortunately,
encounter with the night dragons! He had plunging down to a mound of wreckage she gave no warnings to Haldemar or the
been transformed and mind-controlled as on the world beneath them. crew, who rushed to the life rafts or were
a spy for Synn. Together with Talasar's rescued by flying sky wym as the ship
clerical magic, Haldemar managed to appazently disintegrated around them. z
restore the boltman. Beryliths efforts took her out of co
Following some clues that the Princes munication for a while, asshe and
Ark was more than she seemed-she wreckage of the old ship fell to Hakh (a
seemed able to maneuver herself out of small world in the Plane of Air). Hal*.
danger as though alive-Haldemar set demar couldn't bear to view the wreck4
out to discover the source of the Thoth- and sent Talasar and Meryath, Berylithe
ian enchantment he had originally used daughter, instead.
to re-enchant the aging skyship. A ternfy- When neither had returned three da
iflg encounter with an ancient Thothian later, Haldemar and a sky-wyrm nam
lich resulted in the discovery of a second Fenroth flew down to Hakh to find rke
part to the enchantment. They found the Forest People of Ha
For the next month, as he studied the instead-tall goblinoid people with
ancient Thothian hieroglyphs, Haldemar black skin decorated with glowing t.a
found himself slipping in and out of toos. The Forest People promptly took
sprange hallucinations and stranger reali- Haldemar and Femoth prisoner, reuniting
ti&. When at last he invoked the power them with Talasar and Meryath Ion'
of the Thothian hieroglyphs, the spell .i' enough to sacrifice them to a "sky spirit
opened a portal to the Plane of Air. The "sky spirit" was none other tha
The Princes At4 dove through the por- Berylith, who recovered from her effom
tal. On that Plane-much like the space
surrounding Mystara, hut with breathable
air between the world+the ship and her mar saw what s
crew encountered a horde of sky wyrm
m
I
I
The Chronicles of the Princess Ark
From the Journals of It took some convincing on my part to treasures of emeralds and rubies for the
*4
RINCE W E M A RO F HAAICEN have Berylith go invisible. She obviously services of the divine genius who con-
1 LordAdmiral ofthe Mighttest enjoyed the awe she caused and wanted ceived such a masterpiece as the Princess
Empire to remain the heroine of the day. Finally, Ark. I cringed. Berylith heard that-I
"
Captain of tbe Ever-Viamboos with the wooden ship alone being visi- knew it. Suddenly, the ship flew faster.
PRINCES ARK ble, I invited the leader of the defending Tslamir 25: We reached Jahore this
mmperid h'xplorer, etc, etc. forces to come aboard. morning. The city is a sprawling mega-
The man was Prince Dhajee, a polite lopolis on the westemmost branch of the
Land oft he Maharajahs and soft-spoken person. His father, the Asdnda delta. High, fortified walls enclose
maharajah of Putnahad, ruler of the south- the inner city, protecting middle and
I& Which the Princess Ark Interrupts a ern pravince of Sind, had sent him on a upper class quarters, merchant areas, and
Battle and Prince Haldemar Foils a missiod to King Chandra's palace in Sayr the maharajahs palace. Beyond the walls
Fiendish Plot Ulan. IEe was to return with special orders spread thousands of poor, overcrowded
for the king's future visit in the capital of dwellings, a squalid collection of shacks
llslamir 23,2000 AY: It took a day to Putnab$d. A small army, sent by the rajah and muddy alleys, occasionally divided
reach the magical gate that had brought of Jaibul, had come close to capturing the by the main roads leading to the inner
us to the sky wyrms' universe. It was a prince. 'Taibul, I learned, is a small, inde- city gates and the numerous temple com-
huqnpy flight that took all the skill and pendent realm on the coast west of Sind, pounds. A shahhy port occupies the south-
prqwess of a sky wyrm like Berylith to and it bas been a rival of Putnabad for em edge of the city, allowing light ships
holu the course through the gate's storm. centuries. to sail the grimy delta up to Jahore. Larger
At last, we could see daylight piercing Prinqe Dharjee was obviously very ships remain anchored in a small bay at
the billowing clouds at the peak of the impressed with the Princess Ark, her the mouth of the delta. A few stone
storm. Everyone was longing for a mo- magic, ;her workmanship, and, most of bridges span the wide Asanda river within
meht of calm and rest under our golden all, hen decoration and style. Since the the city, but most of the population uses
sum. With a bang, the ship emerged Jaibul force had left his caravan in had small barges to cross over.
through the gate into our own universe- shape,ihe asked if we could transport Oddly enough, it seemed none of the
and we nearly crashed into a desert sand him anti his servants hack to Jahore, the main buildings were erected in a regular
dume! capitali of Putnabad. After our undue fashion. As we came closer, it became
The gate's exit had moved since we intrusidn into the Kingdom of Sind, the clear many of the onion-shaped domes
had entered the other universe, appar- only ciiiilized thing to do was to accept. were imperfectly built, the towers being
enoly by hundreds of miles north-north- We pi4ked up his camels, troops, ser- crooked nearly to the point of collapse.
west of our previous position. Worse yet, vants, and even the caravan's royal ele- Certainly none of the windows or doors
we showed up unexpectedly in the mid- phant, ;and we headed south to Jahore, showed any symmetry at all. This was
dle of a haale in the desert. Apparently, a the pearl of Putnabad. totally unlike the usual Sind architecture.
smaller force had been surrounded and Ts& 24: Beryliths mood was truly As usual, the arrival of the Princess Ark
wduld have been butchered had it not dreadfbl all morning. She complained caused quite a bit of agitation among the
been for our impromptu arrival. without end about the elephant pacing people and the guard. Seeing Prince
I'ordered Berylith to make her ghostly from dort to starboard all night, and Dhajee on one of the levitating life boats
sky-wyrm aura turn invisible, wishing to about be camel dung all over the stern relieved them. We were immediately
stay out of what was clearly not our husi- deck. She nearly ejected one of the crew bmught to the maharajahs apartments.
ness-but no! Instead, Berylith felt this for refirring to that area as the "poop Ashuptd Khan, the maharajah, was very
wa6 not becoming of a true princess. She deck."lAnd we were flying at a snail's thankful to us for saving his son from the
even roared to make her arrival more pace. I!couldn't tell if it was because of rajah of Jaibul. A great banquet was of-
grandiose. Myojo hung his head in em- the exqa weight or Berylith's had mood. fered at the palace. Later, during the cele-
hafrassment. Xerdon shrugged. And I Talasp was still in sick bay, recovering bration, the maharajah leaned over to me
wab too numb to react. from dis misadventure on Hakh. I left and asked about the PrincessArk. Indeed,
?he larger army panicked immediately. Xerdod in control of the bridge and spent hss on had described the vessel at length,
Dropping scimitars, shields, and turbans, the remainder of the day with Prince and I could see a gleam of envy in the
the soldiers rode off on their camels Dharjek. He WdS amazed at the ship's maharajah's eyes. I am afraid I disap-
tovard the southwest. As for the smaller consmktion, and he had no doubt that a pointed His Highness when I mentioned
force, its men dropped to their knees, great architect must have designed the the ship had been created by the magic
bowing as low as they could. There was plans of this marvel. He assured me his of a creature from beyond this world,
nothing else to do but make contact. father "would certainly pay a thousand and that I was only its keeper.
5
I
The maharajah then began to tell me The officers discussed the pal; '0- to care at all This was too much of a cor
what was happening in Jahore. It was ject with me. Raman and Leo both incidence.
~
believed that a great curse afflicted the showed great interest. Berylith was able This lazy attitude struck me with its sim
city. Many people were unable to attain to attend the meeting after a fashion, ilarity to zzonga addiction, which ravaged
the greatness of skill of their fathers. Most reading my mind as the discussion took our empire some time ago. However, I
of the upper castes were going through place. She, of course, said she was skill- could observe none of the other symp-
an inexplicable decadence and laziness, ful in the matters of architecture and toms normally accompanying zzonga
explaining the imperfect looks of the would gladly provide her knowledge. addiction. It would take quite a bit of
huildinp in Jahore. She also quietly requested that half of magic to affect an entire city-and so far I.
Last month, the Black Rajah of Jaibul that trade impost be used to embellish have not detected any sign of large-scale
visited King Cbandra in Sayr Ulan, and he the Princes Ark through the purchase of magic anywhere.
joked about the poor state of affairs of objects of art and other ornamental items. Andrumir 12: I found the source of
the "Pearl of Putnabad." This greatly id- Once the details were worked out, the *curse." The waters of the Asanda
tated the king. He ordered a great palace Raman, Leo,a nd I would disembark and River have been poisoned with a race
he built there before the end of the year, conduct the construction, as per Bery- alchemical substance. It is unlikely
'
or the Ashupta family would be stripped Iith's blueprints. could happen naturally, so I must admit
of its nobility and possessions. The Tslamir 28 It took some time to find someone has been seeking the doom of
maharajahs son was on his way to Sayr the proper site for the construction. It Jahore. But who? There was only one
Ulan to obtain financial aid from the king was finally decided to destroy the aban- way to figure this out. Ashari and I would
when the Black Rajahs troops managed doned city libraly, which was threatening leave the ship in disguise and blend in
to intercept Prince Dharjee's caravan. to collapse into the river. Unfortunately, with the population. With some luck,.we
Ashupta Khan was quite broke; he was the Sindian workers proved to be incred- could unveil who was behind all thk
totally unable to fmd a competent archi- ibly slow, so slow that I had to use the Andrumir 14: Of course, s
tect anywhere in Jahore as well. He was ship's crew to accelerate the process. had to be working upstream to
in a sticky position. There is no telling how long it will take nate the city waters. We expl
Of course, being a foreigner and the to level the older construction. river hanks just north of the Jahore and
"keeper" of an incredible piece of arcbi- Late this night, after the moon had set found several areas well concealed from :
tecture, I could not evade his interest. For behind the horizon, I felt the ship move. sight, There I dropped several hardened
my assistance he offered much, including Berylith had decided to intervene in the compounds of my creation that would
his prized stable, half of his harem, and construction. She moved close to the take several days to dissolve. The solu-
even the diadem on his turban, none of library and blasted it with her breath tion, when mixed with the water, woul
which I could honestly accept. In time, weapon. It created great confusion in the immediately reveal any evidence of PO
though, Asbupta Khan was more than sleeping city, as people thought the son by coloring the water. We could the
willing to offer "preferred client" status to monsoons had arrived. Berylith quickly trace the colored solution back to fbs
Alphatian merchants in Jabore, with a 1% gained altitude and remained bidden spot where the poison had been thrown
impost on port trade payable to the inside a solitary cloud until calm returned into the water.
Haaken family. At that point, 1 thought in Jahore. Indeed, we were soon able to trace the
that lending a hand would be a challeng- Andrumir 4: Despite the magic I used solution back to one of the hidden
ing enterprise. Based on this lucrative to help in the palace's construction, I sources. Someone had dropped a sheep
arrangement, I set forth to build a palace. must admit that the people of Jahore are skin full of slow-dissolving poison into
Tslamir 26: The crew was granted terribly slow workers. It has been very the river. It came in sufficient quantity to
some leave in Jahore after the elephant, difficult making them follow a consvuc- affect most of the population in the city
the camels, and their owners disem- tion plan without erring. Raman and Leo for several days. We even spotted oq
barked. The scene drew a huge crowd of were near nervous exhaustion in their culprit, a man on a horse. It was time t
onlookers in the street below, as the endeavors to explain the work to the Sin- uncover the conspiracy.
large animals dangled from ropes under- dians and to avoid catastrophic mistakes. We quietly followed the man back t
neath the Princess. Widespread betting Andrumir 8: I have noticed an in- Jahore. A hit of inoisibility allowed us to
took place in the streets on whether each crease in construction oversights. Raman enter his house just moments after him.
animal would make it to the ground and Leo seemed much more indolent and There we saw him use a magical ite
safely. The elephant drew record bets careless today. Worse, the crew has been that opened a small gate. He entered, a
when one of the ropes began to give. A acting quite sloppily on board, forgetting we followed closely.
little levitation spell came handy, and I to clean the decks or to show up for On the other side was a palace-but
won that bet (with 791 odds). duty. Some crew members did not seem not quite like the one in Jabore. It wa8
Chronicles
hker and more sinister. The man walked trimmed beard and wore a long red robe night that I located the,Rajah and the
past a comer and entered a room. Ashari made of soft leather scales. The guards ashes as well. He was in the palace
tiptoed up to the door and listened. She knocked at a door and while they waited, dungeon, in a chamber that took all my
heard a discussion between what must the prisoner glanced in my direction. I skill to reach. I observed the rajah work-
have been our spy and his employer, and could have sworn he saw me, but the ing at a small brazier. After a litany of
the sound of money changing hands. The guards pulled him quickly into the other incantations, he sprinkled the ashes that
man came back out carrying a goatskin chamber. had been mixed with another substance.
full of poison and returned to the gate. I Intrigued, I followed them. The rajah This produced swirls of acrid-smelling
signaled Ashari to leave; she barely had was there, sitting in a comfortable chair smoke with sparks of light. Inside, I was
time to get through before the gate disap and toying with a small piece of jewelry. surprised to see the same visions that af-
peared. It looked like a small flame carved from a fected me in the rajahs apartments. The
Andrumir 15, Xerdon: I fear that topaz. He had the prisoner stripped and rajah was quickly taking notes with a
something has happened to the Admiral waved the guards out. Soon thereafter quill and a piece of parchment. The same
and his escort. Neither he nor First Class the rajah uttered a long invocation and battles and cataclysm appeared as in my
Navigator Ashari have returned from their brandished the jewel. Translucent flames previous vision, up to a point when the
fomy into Jahore. I alerted His Highness, began to glow on the prisoner's body. I rajahs apartments also materialized in the
Ashupta Khan, who immediately dis- could see the pain in his eyes, but he vision-with me standing near the cur-
patched his guards to search the city. endured stoically. He remained quiet and tains!
Andrumir 15, Haldemar, from a immobile while the magical flames grew The rajah jumped to his feet and
lawr accounti The sun rose soon after and consumed his flesh. The rajah was cursed. He dispersed the smoke and had
Ashari's return to Jahore. I was able to watching intently, enjoying with a sadis- the guard sound the alarm. If he had a
explore the sinister palace and locate the tic pleasure his victim's pain and agony. I doubt, it was now gone. He knew I was
ruler in his throne room; my spell of realized then that the prisoner was star- in the palace and what I looked like. I
invisibility still protected me. From the ing into my eyes, despite my invisibility. would have to be very careful in the
visitors he met in the morning, I could It felt like he was looking through me. future. The old man had many ways of
deduce that he was no other than the For a brief instant, I saw images of great finding me. It was time to skip out of the
Black Rajah of Jaibul. He was an old battles, flying ships, death and pestilence, chamber. It was late, and I was getting
man, with a skin parched from age and then a great continent sinking into stormy very tired and hungry.
the unforgiving sun of the Great Waste. seas. My senses returned just as the man Andrumir 16, Xerdon: The ship has
Judging from his stance, I could not fail died. grown restless, somewhat skittish like a
to recognize an experienced wizard. I noticed a certain perplexity on the horse. I suspect she senses the disappear-
meB lack Rajah retired shortly after the rajahs face. He squinted for a moment in ance of the Admiral. I attempted to com-
meetings to his personal quarters, at the my general direction. That would not do, municate with the ship's entity but failed
top of a high, narrow tower overlooking so I ducked behind a curtain. The rajah to obtain an answer. So far, the search by
the town. There, he spent hours going quickly spoke another spell and looked the maharajah's men yielded no sign of
through the bureaucratic paperwork that around him, observing the room and lis- the admiral or Ashari. I recovered Chief
plagues so many rulers. While looking tening carefully. I did not think he saw Raman and Mr. Le Nerviens, both of
about, I noticed antique clay tablets bear- me, but he certainly suspected some- whom I found in an unclean condition
ing the royal seal of Sind and held to- thing. He quickly scooped up the bone and resting with the other construction
gether with a golden silk ribbon. While cinders and the few ashes remaining personnel during work hours. This inex-
the Rajah was busy elsewhere, I quietly where the prisoner once stood, poured cusably lax attitude before foreign civil-
took a few pieces of vellum and rubbed them into a golden crucible, and walked ians is not permitted for an officer of Her
them with a bit of charcoal over the out, swiftly shutting the door behind him. Imperial Majesty's Navy and shall be
tablets, obtaining an imprint of the ancient By the time I could safely open the door, stopped at once.
text. With luck, Raman could decipher the rajah had disappeared behind a cor- Andrumir 16, Haldemar, from a
the Sindian scriptures later on. ner or, more probably, through a secret later accounb I spent the night in a lit-
The sound of chains and men-at-arms door. tle stable. At dawn, I took a stroll down
echoed up the hallway. Soldiers were This was very strange. I had no clues the streets. The town of Jaibul was as
pulling a prisonera Pearl Islander per- as to how the prisoner could have seen sinister and oppressive as its palace. The
haps, judging from the dark color of his me or what those visions were. Worse, I town's thugs and cutthroats are rivalec
skin. He was a bit small, though, with knew the rajah would use those ashes only by the rajahs guard, a brutal and
slightly narrow-lidded eyes and gracious and I suspected his intentions to be thor- arrogant bunch. The rajahs palace and
facial features. He had a thin, neatly oughly evil. It wasn't until very late that his army's quarters were located inside
an imposing citadel. A port opened The rajah showed up hours past my We could hear the rajah's hysterical
directly on a small bay. There I noticed awakening. He came with a nasty grin shouts echoing up the hallways.
the rajah's guards were unloading and his topaz. "I didn't think you would It took Ashari some doing to find an
another prisoner; he looked a hit like cooperate, and as a fellow wizard I exit-a filthy sewer grate in a deserted
the one the rajah murdered earlier. He wished to spare you the commoner's street. As we wriggled through, it seemed
displayed the same dignity as the other. fate," said he, pointing at various instru- to me that something was amiss. It was
These people could be powerful seers, ments of torture across the cell. "The Fire high noon and no one was around. As
perhaps. I was getting horribly curious Jewel is far more efficient in revealing we slipped down the street under the
about their origins. someone's inner thoughts. And am sure shadows of colonnades, guards suddenly
Aside from the horrible tortures and you will fully savor the refined magicks poured out from every corner. We were
murders that had been probably taking of Jaibul." The rajah's sinister laughter trapped!
place for some time, it was clear the rajah echoed in the dark dungeon. He began The rajah had recovered his senses
was up to something big. I had to return the Fire Jewel's incantation. I cringed. more quickly than I anticipated. Within
and find out, so I cast a new spell and Then a heavy cudgel landed on the moments, there he was, sitting on a flyflY;
flew up to the Rajahs tower. There, from back of the rajahs turban. He collapsed ing carpet and hovering above us. "You
the window I could see the rajah sitting in a soundless heap. Someone stepped will suffer for a thousand days,and thou-
in front of a mirror. Instead of his reflec- out of the dark. It was Ashari! The dear sand nights, each of you!" sa
tion, the mirror revealed a man in black, young woman had followed the rajah's and trembling with anger.
wearing a hood. The rajah picked up his lackey back to Jahore. Seeing that the I grimly turned to my compatriots and,
scroll of notes on the vision and stuck it gate had closed before me, she quickly noticed, oddly enough, a wry smile ap-
through the mirror, causing strange rip- "terminated" the river's poisoner and pearing on the face of the prisoner we
ples through its glassy surface. The man recovered the item he used to open the had rescued. Enraged, the rajah raved on;
in black nodded, then quietly produced a gate. By the time she had discerned its '"You will see your skin slowly ripped
pen and wrote something on the scroll method of operation, I was already else- from your flesh and thrown to the dogs!"
before returning it. The rajah read the where in the rajah's palace. She had been he cried.
response-then said, in proper Alpha- looking for me ever since. Finally, Ashari Now the former prisoner displayed a
tian, "Well, well. Their destruction will be had followed the rajah down here, and, very wide grin that infuriated the rajah
a blessing for us all. How soon, though, as Glantrians would say, "Voila!"A master even more. Perhaps he knew something I
is the question, isn't it, my obtrusive stroke! And she smirked, "I also, um, didn't. "Each of your limbs will be ripped
friend?" The man in black faded away as accidentally dropped the rajah's poison from your body!" spat the rajah. "You--'!
the rajah turned toward me. "You didn't in the citadel's well." How thoughtful of Suddenly the rajah jerked, his eyes grow-
think you could fooI me much longer, her. This yeoman was due for a promo- ing very wide, and stopped in the middle
did you?" tion. of his speech.
Andcnmir 17, Xerdon: The ship has After hooking the rajah to his own "Id oubt that very much, your high+
inexplicably broken her lines and set shackles, I was tempted to try the fiery ness!" came a voice behind him in the air:
flight toward the southwest. I suspect topaz on him. After all, he, too, had many Slowly, the Princess Ark became visible
she senses where the Admiral is. For things to tell us about. Alas, a squad of just behind the rajah. And at her prow
lack of results from the maharajah's guard entered the cell unexpectedly. A stood Xerdon, with his sword conspicu-
incompetent search of Jahore, I am prompt remtxe graviy took care of them, ously jabbed into the rajah's back. The
allowing the Princess Ark to take us to except for a runty fellow in the back who rajah's men fled at once in complete
wherever she wishes. I am cloaking the ran for help. We ran for the gate, ducking chaos. What wonderful timing. :
ship to avoid further problems with the from pillar to corner for some time while Andrumit 18, Haldemar: With the
local populace. men-at-arms rushed down the narrow rajah of Jaibul in our hands, I had no
Andrumh 17, Haldemar: I should stairwells looking for us. It was an exhila- difficulty in retrieving my belongings
have been more alert. No recollection of rating race, although I had some trouble from the rajah's dungeon-and the
what happened after my last encounter keeping pace with the nimble Ashari as antique Sindian tablets. According tb
with the rajah came to my mind-that is this delightful game went on. Raman, the clay tablets were an old
to say, nothing else than a searing pain in It was during this "dungeonesque es- treaty between previous rulers of Sind
my head. 1 woke up in the citadel's capade" that I located the prisoner I had and Jaibul. It attributed the ruler of
dungeon, stripped, gagged, and shackled seen in the port of Jaibul. Ashari defeated Jaibul legal rights to the Province of
to the wall in a very uncomfortable posi- the crude lock that imprisoned him with Putnabad, should the Ashupta family
tion. I could not have done a better job barely two twists of her wrist. Our man become extinct or be stripped of its
of it myself. bowed slightly and swiftly followed us. nobility due to royal discontent. The
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