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Website by Dustin Evermore with artwork by Sandy Spilker. Individual submissions copyright the respective authors. This site best viewed at 800x600 or better with an HTML 4.0 compliant browser. Dawn of Legends is a fantasy roleplaying game designed with the Fuzion game system. Here you'll find information on the upcoming campaign book and a freely distributed version of the game
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The City of Rhedaby Paul ComstockThe night was cold and dark, and Manon [Mah-non] sat huddled and shivering in the cold night air. She knew that moving too much would give her away, and she had no intention of getting caught here. She trembled some from the cold, but mostly out of anger, as she remembered what had brought her to this situation in first-place. It had first appeared to be a seemingly innocent proposition. Just recently escaping from the caverns and the bard that had turned into a terrible beast, she was ready for a long rest. She almost laughed at that and she thought she must be getting old, because this was the first time in her life that she had ever felt like resting. But this merchant son, Potic, had some strange power over her which she did not understand. What made her all the angrier was that she did not understand what was happening to her. No one had ever ever been able to talk to her the way he had, and lived that is. She had been hurt badly by the fight, and she was really in no mood or condition to go on with another battle. Potic had somehow talked her into a slight detour before returning home. He had told her it was very dangerous and had obviously played on her stubbornness by telling her that she was not capable of going on with him due to her condition. He probably knew and expected her to get angry and come along just for spite, as she had. They had headed away from home, and out into the wild mountains where she had never been. She had been told that in this area, there were strange powers and things from which no one escaped. Potic did not seem afraid at all, and stated that what he sought was a very powerful magic item which would make him invisible. He said that he intended to go and get it, and that she should stay there because she was in no shape to go with him. Of course, she couldn't accept that and had to come along. She cursed herself for these uncontrolled feelings, and realized how stupid it had really been. So here she was shivering in the cold waiting for Potic to do his scouting. She had been surprise to find that they had found a town in the middle of the mountains. She had been led to believe that this area was totally uninhabitable. This village made her wonder about the wilderness itself, for it seemed to be able to support this village she did not expect to see here. Perhaps they were friends, and perhaps they were people that were a threat to her very existence. It was worse to even think of the alternatives. Perhaps humans did not live here at all. Perhaps this was an area inhabited by monsters or worse. She tried not to believe in such things as monsters, but she had seen the horrors that the Rhedan priests and priestesses had caused to many people and many things, and could not help but to think of what kind of beings could live here.
She was instantly alert and was somewhat startled to hear someone coming from the open area between herself and the city. She prepared to throw her dagger, knowing that it would do very little good, especially since she had to throw with her left arm, since the pain in her right had completely disabled it. She was about to toss it, when she noticed that it was Potic. "You fool, I could have killed you! Don't you know better than to sneak around in the dark like that," she stated quite fiercely. Potic smiled, "I knew you wouldn't kill me. You're better than that. " How could she argue with someone who was complementing her? If she agreed, she could hardly be angry, and if she disagreed, she was putting herself down. Either way she had lost the argument before it had begun. Once again this Potic had beaten her without even allowing her a chance. She could say nothing, and instead asked, "What did you find out?" "There is a village up there, but it is not inhabited by people as we know them." He shuddered noticeably before going on, which troubled Manon greatly as she had never seen this man show any kind of fear. It must truly be a very frightening place. "It looks as though the Rhedans have been here for a good many years. It is quite possible they have been shipping their rejects to this area for a long time." Manon's worst fears had been confirmed. This city was obviously a great threat which would have to be dealt with eventually. She also realized that the two of them, no matter how good they were, could not stand up to a whole village of Rhedan creations. "Well, did you find what you were looking for?" "I think so," he said obviously preparing himself for what was to come next. "In the center of the village is a temple, a temple to Rheda, of course." "It will be difficult at best, but I should be able to make it on my own while you wait here and prepare for our quick departure. I may not have time to dawdle when I get back." She was tempted to tell him that she was able as well, but she was adult enough and trained and skilled enough to know that she was not. She could not complain or argue. "Very well, but under other circumstances you would be the one waiting here." "Of that I have no doubt. Of that I have no doubt," he said as he made his way towards the village, winking at her as he left.
Potic knew he had to be careful. His way to the village was already scouted out, and he was easily able to avoid any beasts which were on the outskirts. It was easy as there seemed to be no real reason to guard against intruders here in the wilderness, where even fools knew better than to go. The village itself was laid out in a jigsaw puzzled mess. It seemed as if the houses were in no particular shape or form, with some being tall and thin, others being narrow and long, some made of wood, some made of stone, and some made of straw with no particular way for him to determine the reason why. There didn't seem to be any particular format, except for the temple which was located in the center of town. He made his way through the town being careful to avoid as many of the locals as possible. In his heart he felt terribly sorry for these things that were once people. They were combinations of animals, humans, and whatever the priests of Rheda had thrown in. They did not deserve such a fate, but he also knew that they were not really human anymore. Even though they did have some traits of human beings, they did not have compassion for things and people as they once had, just instinct. He was as careful as he could be sneaking from house to house, and hovel to hovel. He did not have a lot of time so he hurried as fast as he could without making too much noise. That was difficult because there was rubbish and torn animal carcasses everywhere. The smell was almost as much of a problem as the carcasses. He didn't have much of a plan and was just going on instincts. The most important thing was being able to locate the item and return with it. If he did get the invisibility stone, it was quite possible that he could get out without any possibility of being followed. The only structure in the whole town or city that was recognizable was the temple to Rheda. Even in the moon light, it didn't look normal, even for a Rhedan temple. Somehow it looked much more sinister and foreboding. There were forces here that were not natural, and it was obvious as even those that had been changed and followed the Rhedans without question looked to temple with contempt. If seemed that even as animals, they resented the priests of Rheda for what they had done to them. Even if they did not know why. He stumbled on some leftover bones, and froze as he heard a growl. One of the human animals was staring directly out him. He stood as silently as possible, ready to defend himself, but was surprised when the creature took on a sad look, dropped its head and ran away. He considered himself very lucky at this point that he had not been discovered by other than one that was still mostly human. If he just could make it another hundred yards he would be at the temple door, and then he could get inside and hopefully the find the gem. The way to the temple was difficult as he had to cross at least a hundred meter stretch of clear ground to get there. He took advantage of the fact that many of the human animals that lived here wore tattered cloaks to hide themselves, almost as in embarrassment. Locating a tattered rag was not difficult, and he doubted it mattered little to anyone else that it was blood stained and smelled as animals would. As he headed toward the temple with the gate of one of the animals, he was startled almost to the point of giving himself away as a priestess came from the door just as he was about to enter. His heart pounded faster, and he was worried he would be caught. He had never been so frightened or worried about the outcome of an adventure as this one. These Rhedan cultists were not ones to mess with, and they were never merciful. He was ready to fight to the death if discovered, and a part of him was so angry that he almost wished that the priestess would discover him so he could kill her for the atrocities surrounding him, but he was to be disappointed as the priestess barely noticed him and walked past him down the steps. Surprisingly, Potic realized that this was the first priest or priestess he had seen in the village. Perhaps there were more here, but even one was enough to frighten him as the evidence of what they could do was all around. His fear was not overwhelming, and it was actually a healthy fear, for he had respect for what the cult of Rheda was all about and what it could do. If one believed even one-tenth of the stories, one would truly have been a frightened man.
Once in the temple, he made his way to the main alter still being very wary of his surroundings. This was a very small temple, so finding the main ceremony room was a simple matter. The cultists rarely felt the need to hide what they did, and were annoyingly proud of it, for it was the way they served their goddess. In the center of the room was an alter upon which was the Invisibility emerald. It was magnificent, and Potic had a hard time focusing on it as the torch lights gleamed off its surface. He looked carefully around the room noticing many dark corners but seeing or hearing nothing ominous. He thanked the gods of luck, and grabbed the emerald from its perch. As he picked up the stone he was overcome with awe. It distracted him long enough that he did not notice a very large and hairy hand which then slammed him to the ground. Being trained in how to take a blow, he was lucky enough not to sustain much damage . Rolling away from his attacker, he was able to get a good view of him in the fire light. He looked more like a bear than human, but it was obviously one of the Rhedan creations. The face was frighteningly human, as were the hands, but the rest was clearly bear-like. "You'll not take Gem," the bear-man said. Potic saw a glimmer of hope, remembering his earlier encounter. "Surely you must still be human, able to speak so well. Why do you help them after they did this to you? The bear-man looked around as if in fear, "because it is what I am... Now." "Let me take this gem from them, and I vow to return and free you and the rest here." The bear man looked confused. "You would do that for me? But why?" "Because my friend, you are still a man even though you look like an animal. In every one of us no matter what happens, we will always be human. No matter what a rune priest does to you, you will always have that and a choice. "You are foolish young man. Once I believe. Now look at me. All have left is to guard stone, and you trying take away." "I'm not going to take anything away from you," Potic said. "You talk in riddles foolish man, but I do not trust or like you. Give back stone, and you may go free. I not kill." Potic sighed, and said "I'm sorry my friend but I must leave with the stone," he said as he tried to dive out the door and past the bear-man, not wishing to battle him. He barley made it past the bear-man and was heading towards the door when another priest came in, and yelled, "Thief!" He didn't have time to react and the priest grabbed him and threw him to the ground, holding him securely. He did not think the priests were strong, but this one was and was not letting go. He was thinking what it would be like to be turned into a human animal, when the priest was torn from him by the bear-man and thrown into a far wall. "Thank you, my friend," Potic said, relieved that he had been saved. "I could not let them take you. I could not let this happened to you. I am human. "You must come with me friend." "I agree!"
The cold was almost inviting now as it kept Manon from feeling all of the pain in her arm. She had too much time to think as she waited. She was surprised when Potic came up the path to her hiding place. It had not seemed to be that long of a time, and perhaps it had not been. She was very surprised when she saw a bear following him. She was getting ready to throw a knife when Potic stopped her. "He is a friend, " Potic yelled. Manon looked puzzled, and said, "You do pick strange friends Potic." He simply raised his eyebrows and gave her a strange look. "Well bear friend, what shall we call you?" "As a human I once had a name, and since I've found my humanity again, I wish to be called Samuel." "Very well Samuel, now we have to travel fast for the rune priests will surely be coming soon, " Manon said as she picked up her belongings and headed back toward home with Potic, and Samuel close behind. |
