CM eo oOINE FASA CORPORATIONVW VVVV)V RLS VV VV YY VVY CONTENTS A FARAWAY SILENCE: A Prologue re Dragon Sculpture 7 INTRODUCTION 6 CASTOR CHARACTERS 5 Gamemastering Notes 6 Charboyya 5 Making Tets 7 Moitaa « How to Use This Book 7 Kwamm a Game Session Legend Points 8 Lo-Are Brand 6 Preparing the Adventure 5 200g Chainbreaker 65 Plot Synopsis ° Sork Sorjinka 66 ‘THE ADVENTURE Dalya Red Roses o Charboyya's Heroes n Malonist “6 “The Road to Hanto v Amikhard Gan 6 Friends Indeed a Emberica 70 CCharboyya’s Betrayers Fa Aandelea 0 Hearts of Stone x Chereca a Quarantined 0 Orweia a The Magica! 44 RUMORS AND RESEARCH n Aardelen’s Cavern ” Grim Legion Background 2 Endgames so Making Knowledgeand Persuasion Tests 72 LOOSE ENDS Es ‘Treasures 74 After the Adventure 2 Derita's Sik Tailed Wailer 7” Homeward Bound Ps Skull of Maarberg 5 Charboyya’s Reward Ps Additional Magical tems 7 Awarding Legend Points 2 Fxamining the Hook 7 Game Sessions st Examining the Dragon Sculpture ” Total Legend Point Award 35 Aandelea’s Powers ” Campaign Ideas 38 Elsewhere Sense ” The Grim Legion se Mind over Matter ” Aardelea 56 Mystic Healing ” Charboyya 56 PLAYER HANDOUTS 78 Book oF Blue Spirits 56 CARTHDAWN ©VVVVVVV EEE iY VV YY VVVy INFECTED Writing Robin D. Laws Development Louis J. Prosperi Editorial Staff Editorial Director Donna Ippolito Maneging Eiitor ron Turner Mulvihill sociate Editors Diane Piron-Gelman Robert “Snorky” Cruz Production Staff Art Direcior Jim Nelson Project Manager Jim Nelson Assistant Project Manager and All Around Nice Guy Steve Bryant Cover Art Tony Saczudlo Cover Desi Jim Nelson stration Joel Biske Steve Br Jeff Laubenstein Larry MacDougal Dave McKay Maps Steve Bryant Mike Neilsen EARTHDAWN™, BARSAIVE © EARTHDAWNae VVVVVV VV’ RLS VV VV VV a A FARAWAY SILENCE: A Prologue HARBOYYA THE DWARF paced through his suite of rooms for what felt like the thousandth time, listening absently to the busy chatter that drifted up from the floor below, He owned the finest trading house in Bartertown—by the Passions, he did. A fine house, for which he'd sacrificed much and sweated hard. But just now, he found it worth less to him than a mouthful of stale bread after a long day's journey. Had he fewer worries, Charboyya might have laughed at the irony. The very finest fabric in the house, my dear Marchesi!” boomed a voice from below, momentarily drowning out the rest. Charboyya smiled briefly as he recognized the bass rumble of his most enthusiastic sales rman, Lanteer was a tskrang wanderer who every month seemed to have a new explanation for why he made his home so far from the Serpent River. But the lizard-man loved nothing more than driving a good bargain, and Lanter was the closest thing to a true friend Charboyya, had known since leaving his village many long years ago. Thinking of his village reminded Charboyya of his ‘worries. He forced himself to stop his restless pacing and buried his hands in his bushy, red hair, pressing his bare toes against the thick, soft carpet that covered the floor of his sleeping room. How different the carpet felt from the hard, unyielding soil of the savanna that surrounded Haanto, one of the countless tiny villages that dotted the lowlands like fleas on a dog, Much like a dog, the land seemed determined to shake off the villagers, oF so Charboyya often thought, But Jor almost a century, folk like Charboyya’s family and their fellow villagers strug- gled, driven by an indomitable determination to survive, Eventually they had beaten the land into a stalemate, if ot submission, Charboyya felt a tush of pride remembering his peo- ple’s quiet courage, but he also suffered a creeping sense of shame. How little he had understood his fellow vil: lagers, and what scant value he hacl given their love and concern for him. As one of the first generation born above ground, he had believed the elders of Hanto permanently scarred by their time in the kaers, th stunted by the terrors they had experienced. They had vision forever longed so much to restore the simple life of their ancestors that, once freed, they approved of no other way of life Charboyya cared nothing for farming, however. He hhad heard that beyond the walls of Hanto lay a whole ‘world for the taking, a new world full of endless possibili- ties. But most of the villagers followed the lead of the elders and shunned the new, the exciting, the different ‘They preferred to waste time striving to recreate a way of lifethat had probably never existed except in the desper~ ate dreams of their keer-bound grandparents. Charboyya hhad scorned such fain-heartedness, forgetting the harsh realities that fostered the elders’ fears. Like all of Barsaive's small settlements, Hanto faced the constant threat of attack by bandits, scorchers, slavers—even Horrors. Its people had good reason to fear the unfamil- iar. Young and brimming over with his own wisdom, Charboyya had judged them hardhearted and narrow- minded. He had left them in anger, believing they ridiculed his ambition to make his fortune in the new Barsaive. He had been too angry and too proud to see the truth, Wisdom gleaned during the passage of years gave Charboyya new eyes, however, and now he saw that his family and friends had not scored him. They had feared for his safety, feared that chasing foolish dreams would bring him only disillusionment. His success had proved their concerns unfounded. Happy in his new vocation, CCharboyya had long ago forgiven his folk their doubts and now felt himself not quite whole unless he had occa- sional word of life in Hanto, Charboyyya’s sucessful trad- ing house and industrious workers filled the place in his heart that a wife and children might fll for another dwvarf, EARTHDAWN ©VV VV VY VV EY VV but he stil thought of his family and friends in Hanto often and fondly. When he had first begun to grow rich, Charboyya had vowed to the Passion Garlen that he would use his wealth to safeguard Hanto against any threat. Fortunately, no such threat had ever appeared—until now Charboyya strode across his sleeping chamber and sat down in front of a small cabinet of intricately carved, pol {shed wood. One of his best-loved possessions, the elf made cabinet had cost him a pretty silver penny. Most days, he stopped for a moment to admire its beauty and run a cal- lused hand lightly over its lacy designs. But not today. Gnawing fear left no room in his mind for the contempla, tion of beauty. Charboyya pulled open the cabinet’s top drawer, almost spilling its contents in his haste. The drawer was filled with letters from Hanto, written by his kin and old friends. He had spent far more silver than was prudent ‘on this indulgence he allowed himself, hiring messengers to convey letters to Hanto and bring back replies, Such a jour- xney through Barsaive’s untamed lowlands posed many a danger to the messengers, and they charged a hefty fee for their services. But Charboyya did not begrudge the price, for the letters meant more to him than a cabinet full of gold. With trembling hands he paged through the notes. Several were from his younger brother Emberica, full of temper and rebellion. His mother's letters still gently advised him to come home, pick up a hoe, and spend his labor at honest work. Orweia, a human and his childhood. confidante, whimsically recounted the travails inflicted on her by her rambunctious twin sons and her precocious daughter, Aardelea, Near the bottom of the stack he kept a few stiff, formal notes from Chereca, Hanto’s headwoman, Once, Charboyya had thought to marry her. But Chereca refused to leave Hanto, and Charboyya would not return, Charboyya clutched the precious letters to his chest, crumpling a few in his anguish, Several weeks had passed since he last heard from the village, and the silence had filled him with a sense of foreboding. Charboyya took a deep breath, forced himself to lay down the letters and. slowly smoothed the crumpled pages. You don’t know for certain anything's happened in Hlarto, The messeigers may have ‘met with il ck upon the road ov are waiting out baad weather Or they may tre just as tkely absconded with your eon, forall you Fs Staring down at the letters in his lap, Charboyya sighed. No matter how often he tried, he couldn't make himself believe any of those comforting explanations. He had to find out the truth, no matter the cost. Charboyya rose, still holding the letters, and began to pace again. He must hire a second party to journey to Hanto and bring him word. That meant spending coin he'd not set aside for this purpose. He could raise it by reducing, his orders to the dyer and the weaver. They'd surely com- Plain, but that mattered nothing compared to the safety of his village. And should the first party of messengers strag gle into Bartertown just as the second set out, Charboyya Would gladly be proven a spendthrift. Please the Passions, his worries were but phantoms of events that would never come to pas. Carefully, lovingly, Charboyya placed the letters back in their drawer and locked the cabinet. He drew his cloak ‘out ofa closet, threw it around his shoulders and thrust his feet into sturdy, leather boots. Surely someone could ree- ‘ommend an honorable and worthy party of messengers, and Charboyya could wait no longer. CPR Burning with rage, Emberica hefted his hoe and stalked toward the strangers’ leader. No longer would he stomach that black-robed carrion crow lording it over his village, treating the free people of Hanto as a Theran treats, his slaves! He would show them how an honorable dwarf behaves, by speaking his mind before striking. If the strangers had the wit to quit the town before angry words became violent deeds, so much the better for them. If not 80 much the better for him! Emberica itched to strike a blow at the invaders. He would not allow these ruffians to imprison the people of Hanto in their own homes for a ‘moment longer! ‘As Emberica drew near, the black-clad leader tured, and before the dwarf could strike a blow the figure raised {massive arm and sent him flying across the village green with'a single, backhanded blow. Emberica slammed head first into the wooden wall of a hut. Head spinning, he tried tosit up, but collapsed back against the wall. He felt blood trickling down the side of his mouth. The hoe lay broken at his feet. He stretched one hand toward the longer piece, but his arm fell weakly back into his lop, ‘A shadow fell over him. Emberica looked up, dazed ‘ith pain, the figure swimming ia front of him. His atlack= er glared down at him in icy fury. “You will obey us or die. Do you understand, fool?" Slowly wiping the blood from his mouth, Emberica nodded © EARTHDAWN