Olvânaali lore tells of a sailor by the name of Kâl who hated being wet. He would complain bitterly whenever it rained. This was inconvenient because he spent a good deal of time with his companions in an open boat on the North Sea. Perhaps he did not realize that a good seafarer endures hardships like these in silence. One day, … Continue reading
Legend of the Orivax of Musira
Hendrith Kuldan was an Umantari T’ara Kul of no small skill, who lived in the 22nd Century in the land of Musira, then a possession of the resurgent Ocean Empire. Hendrith hoped to construct a new kind of golem, one powered by a true elemental. For over ten years he labored, and in the end he constructed … Continue reading
Aftermath of Saving Princess Relina
The Hand’s return to Tharkia with the rescued princess and her entourage was a triumphant one. The king was overjoyed, the people jubilant, and the Baron of Gevdan both relieved and deeply impressed with his nephew and his nephews boon companions. Once the initial celebration was spent, he insisted that Devrik and the others spend … Continue reading
Legend of the Winter King
The following version of this tale is told in the Ukali Basin region of northern Ysgareth. Variations are told around the Hidden Sea, in the Ocean Empire, and as far south as Kadara. A long age ago, in the northern wilds of Ysgareth, in the mountains above the Telnori land of Serviana, a wizard of … Continue reading
Saving Princess Relina
The ship Stalwart drove through the rough seas with grim determination, sending up sheets of white foam as she crested each sullen gray wave before descending into the next trough. The wind was fresh from the northeast, and tattered clouds of gray and white scudded across the pale winter sky as Devrik stood alone at … Continue reading
Aftermath of the Freaky Friday
The Hand of Fortune had little chance to dwell on their strange visit to the distant past and the world of Areth, original home of the Immortals, once they were returned to their own time and place. With the counter-coup against the rebel Crown Prince Laravad and his Vortex puppet-master still very much balanced on … Continue reading
Storm Clouds in the North: Coda (Freaky Friday)
Haplo Marikilo stood tightly wrapped in his cloak against the chill of the Kristala Va midnight air and looked apprehensively at his companions. King Laravad, usurper of the Tharkian throne, seemed in one of his manic moods, gleefully bouncing on the balls of his feet, his breath visible as excited puffs of white. His chief … Continue reading
Kicking the Hornet’s Nest
Thanks to Taeland’s knowledge of the enemy capital, along with judicious use of Mariala’sWallflower spell and Korwin’s concealing mists, the Hand had little trouble infiltrating Zhuran. The Nitarin Gate had deposited the group some 10 kilometers outside the city walls, in a dark grove of pine trees, as the autumn sun was sinking towards late … Continue reading
Aftermath of Blood and Treachery in Rekorgo
After escaping back up the hidden spiral stairway to the surface, Devrik carrying the body of Karina, the group found Erol and Jeb waiting for them. Grover was hunkered down across the Erol’s shoulders, while Cherdon perched nervously on the Jeb’s. The reason for the animals’ anxiety was immediately obvious – soaring up out of the Vale of … Continue reading
Blood and Treachery in Rekorgo
A full day of hiking, whilst keeping a wary watch out for patrolling gülvini, eventually wore the edge off the sense of immense awe that had shaken the Hand since their meeting with the powerful ice dragon Ulsarinas. As the sun sank below the shortened horizon of the mountains the group stopped near a sheltering … Continue reading