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ADnD DL Dragonlance Battle Lines Adventure 1 The Sylvan Veil 2nd Edition

AD&D Module - Dragonlance Setting

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Alex Fer Vinif
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156 views116 pages

ADnD DL Dragonlance Battle Lines Adventure 1 The Sylvan Veil 2nd Edition

AD&D Module - Dragonlance Setting

Uploaded by

Alex Fer Vinif
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Connors and Airanda Borner With Stephen Kenson Contributions From Duane Maxwell, Steve Miller, and Skip Williams Editor Carrie A. Bebris Adventure Concept Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman Brand Manager Sue Weinlein Cook Typographer Angelika Lokotz Graphic Designers Tanya Matson and Dawn Marin Cover Ilustrator David Martin 6 Cartographer Diesel and Rob Lazzaretti Interior Illustrators Matthew Mitchell with James A. Crabtree, Rebecca Guay, and Jeff Menges ® Art Director Dawn Murin Special Thanks To Stan! and to Paul B. Thompson, Tonya R. Carter, Douglas Niles, and Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, whose novels provided this book with descriptive quotes to begin certain chapters. Dedications For Sue Weinlein Cook and Carrie A. Bebris, ‘women of beauty, intelligence, and compassion; friends in times good and bad.—WWC. ‘To Shaun Horner, whose unceasing love and support helped me get where I am today. —MH ‘The authors gratefully acknowledge the original pioneers of Krynn: Larry Elmore, Jeff Grubb, Harold Johnson, Douglas Niles, Carl Smith, Michael Williams —and of course, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, US, CANADA, EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS ASIA, PACIFIC, LATIN AMERICA ‘Wizards ofthe Coat, Belgium ‘Wizards ofthe Coast, nc BB.2031 0. Box 707 2600 Berchem Renton, WA 98057-0707 Belgium "H-800-324-5496 4327023-0-77 ‘Vist our website at woww.ter.com ‘Abaca Dunctos&Daxcons ADBD, scons Dunctow Misa TAGE, MENSTIEGS MANU SU ‘the TSR og ar exited traders omaed by TR, oe ‘AUR characters character ames an the inc eee theese dears owed by TSR TSR In easy of Wan the Cont ne ©1999 TSR In Al rights reserved Made nthe USA Distibte the hab to an eam aden he Und St od aaa gional debtors ‘istebated woidnieby Wir the Co, nc ad regional bao ‘This mater poked unde the copyright low of the United Se of Avec ‘Any eduction ounauharil se fhe mateo two conan erin proiied| ‘thou teens writen person of TR Ine i ® haf CXR WES _— Aix SSS DS. 7] ] fe " Am, EE CR RO 4 BIAIAAALCL ESR vy Q Authors’ foreword PSs ( Paar ue A eva Sa os 2 ~~) I= Ke AS aie > LS SLs x fy KS La’ Pe sbA >) es RS AN CS na oom] iy QA pp ithas dropped his hands to his hips and looked over the gathering with stern resolve, “But make no mistake! The preservation of our race is of the greatest importance. Not merely the purity of our blood, but the purity of our customs, traditions, and laws. —Sithas, addressing the elven assembly in 2216C, Firstborn For decades, the Syivan Veil has shielded the Silvanesti from the outside world. In that time, mystery has shrouded the elves’ activities, leaving players and Nar- rators alike to wonder what events transpired behind the shimmering barrier, ‘This Prologue provides important background details about the Silvanesti’s recent past through “A. History Lesson,” below, as wel as through the section called “Aleaha’s Journal,” ostensibly penned by a high- ranking elven scout with introductions from the jour- nal’s transcribers. Information critical for playing a Silvanesti hero—including the stages of elven lif, kits and roles, and traditional magical items—appears in later sections. Narrators are encouraged to read this, Prologue, sharing appropriate information with their players, before proceeding to the adventure itself More cultural details about the Silvanesti and seeds for further adventures appear in the Epilogue. ‘Throughout this Prologue, as well as the rest of this ‘book, game mechanics appear wherever the roleplay- ing situation cals for a specific rule. SAGA game rules appear in the running text or in paragraphs preceded by aleaf icon (3), while rules for the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRaGONs® game appear either in color italic type within curved brackets like this) or in a separate paragraph preceded by a dragon icon (3 Adventure Background The Sylvan Veil takes place primarily inthe town of Sithelnost and the northwestern extents of the Sil- ‘vanesti Forest. In the course of the story, the heroes travel south nearly as far as the town of Shalost and northwest to the edges of Blade. Until lately, tis region was protected from the out- side world by the Silvanesti Shield. In recent weeks, however, that mystical barrier has begun to shrink. At the start ofthis adventure, the shield has retracted to 4S PROLOGUE expose Sithelnost. Although this change is unknown to the rest of the world, word has begun to get out— to the elves’ ancient enemies, the ogres. A Bistory Lesson ‘The regions in and around the Silvanesti Forest have always been a focus of important activity. Because of the isolationist nature ofthe elves who live there, however, many of these events have passed unnoticed by the outside world. ‘The roots of this self-imposed solitude date back @ thousand years. After the Kinslayer War, when a fac- tion of elves seceded to form the nation of Qualinesti, the land of Silvanesti began a strict isolationist policy that has endured through the ages. Although the Silvanesti could not avoid all contact with the rest of Krynn, they did their best. ‘The Nightmare ‘The most noteworthy event in recent Silvanesti his- tory is, without a doubt, Lorac’s Nightmare. The very ‘mention of it causes the elves to tremble with the memory ofa disaster that almost claimed their beloved forest. Although the elves had defended their land in the Dragon Wars, an attack during the War of the Lance took them unawares. As elves fied, their king, Lorac, sought to destroy the marauding dragons by turning one of their own artifacts, a dragon orb, against them. twas the orb that triumphed, however, aking control, of the king. Under the influence of that powerful relic, Lorac was assailed with magical nightmares that twisted his forest into the Bleeding Wood. Ancient trees, each with a name and personality of its own, cracked and rotted as their trunks grew gnarled. The ‘Thon-Thalas River ran thick with ooze and became infested with revolting mutations. The Tower of the Stars withered, as did Lorac’s spirit Long after the War ofthe Lance ended and Lorac died, the blight remained. It took twenty years of struggling labor under the leadership of Porthios, ‘monarch of the Qualinesti to banish the Nightmare and restore the elven wood to its former beauty. At last, the exiled elves could reclaim their enchanted forest home. The ancient wood once again enjoyed its ancestral beauty. The emerald boughs ofthe slender trees formed 2 translucent canopy high above. Shafts of amber sunlight pierced the greenery to sparkle upon the clear, glittering ‘waters of the Thon-Thalas. The elves, with the patient attention for which their race is renowned, reshaped their capital, Silvanost, into the brilliant SHIELDED LIFE cw citadel of living wood, marble, and crystal it once was. New structures celebrating the rebirth of the forest, mixed with lovingly restored buildings, fairly shone with life. The Tower of the Stars, home of the Silvanesti Speaker and seat of the nation’s power, again stood tall. And then the Chaos War erupted. ‘The Shield ‘The horror of the Nightmare years made the elves reluctant to expose their land to new hazards, and they successfully avoided the worst ofthe Chaos War's destruction—even remaining free of Dark Knight conquest that fateful summer. As the great wyrms warred among themselves in the Dragon Purge that followed the war, the Silvanesti did nothing. When the surviving dragons carved up Ansalon, the elves sought only to avoid their attention. Considering themselves Krynn’s superior beings, the elves shunned all other races—whom they held responsible for making a ‘mess of their beloved world. ‘Through the use of powerful magic and arcane secrets gleaned from sources unknown to the rest of the world, the elves erected a magical field around Si vanesti. The magical barrier prevented all manner of creatures —dragons, beasts, and humans—from enter- ing the enchanted wood. Finally, the long-cherished elven dream of absolute isolation was realized. Current Events A number of important factors shape the attitudes of the Silvanest in the Fifth Age. Many of these are related to the mystical shield. When the elves created their shield, they unwit- tingly trapped the green dragon Cyan Bloodbane inside it. Now, the Silvanesti find themselves fighting for their freedom and very survival against fll crea- ture who considers their forest home his own. Military Governor Konnal currently rules the Silvanesti Forest. He holds power because most Sil ‘Yanesti reject Silvanoshei (son of their dark elf queen ‘Alhana Starbreeze and Porthios) as heir tothe throne. ‘Those loyal to Alhana, however see the governor as a usutper and a quisling. They believe that Slvanoshe’s rule would unite all ofthe elf nations again. While these squabbles rage within House Royal, Silvanesti has no Speaker. Perhaps worse, Silvanoshei himself has recently gone missing—should he actualy be called upon to assume his birthright, no one would now where to find him. Despite ther efforts at isolation, the Silvanesti have not been forgotten by the outside world, Some sneer at the elves and consider them cowards, while others attempt to establish contact despite the shield. For example, the Legion of Steel (a military order operat- ing out of the brass dragon Iyesta’s realm) seeks a way to pierce the barrier. Working with the exiled Alhana Starbreeze, they champion the cause of elven unity ‘and hope to make the Sitvanesti an active force in the East, Ifthe secret of the shild’s operation can be uncovered and used to protect other free lands, so much the better. foreword to Aleaha’s Journal By Bertrem of the Order of Aesthetics A few months ago, @ young Silvanest elf calling him- self Draline Mistweaver brought a water-logged book tome. He claimed to have found it outside Sithelnost and asked whether I or one of my order would tran- scribe as much of it as we could. He praised our tech- niques for handling damaged manuscripts, stating that they would enable him to learn more of what the ‘book held than if he attempted to work with it himself, Identifying the writing as Silvanest, I assigned Farana Silvertreth to the task. The sodden text required several weeks of work and careful handling. Farana discovered that the journal’s writer, one Aleaha ‘Takmarin, had kept this journal over the course of ‘many years, Although much of the manuscript has been lost to us due to its condition, Farana pieced together events and crafted them into sections for eas- ier reference. While this organization does not reflect. a traditional journal style, Thave to agree with Farana that in the absence of many specific dates, some ‘method of categorization is necessary. Since Farana hhas a lyrical bent, she chose colorful section titles. After she completed the transcription, I returned the resulting manuscript to the young elf. He immedi- ately set about reading it, devouring the text within the space of an hour and rereading numerous sec- tions, When finished, he handed the text back to me, looking angered by what he had read. That's when | finally perceived a familiar mannerism about him. He had reminded me of someone when he first visited ‘me, and his next words confirmed the resemblance. “T-cannot believe those fools have done this to themselves” he said “have not seen my forest since shortly after that puppet king Gilthas ascended to the ‘Qualinesti throne, and now I may never see it again.” ‘Though his actual words would not have given him away, his delivery did: I believe that Dalamar stood. before me in some magical disguise, SHIELDED LIFES AR s “al Ss wy. Ay ! Oe x v2 DY. & <=, SY > nets ‘e" Wks Pe Roy, I: RO i Fat on) ASS The Truth About the Silvanesti Shield ‘The information in this sidebar is for the Narrator’s eyes only. Exactly how the Silvanesti Shield works isa secret known only to a few Silvanest. Most remain ignorant of. its nature. Yet even those who think they have full knowledge don't truly realize the peril the shield presents. “Although most folk believe that the shield isa solid barrier—a force field of sorts—that one could approach and touch, this is not the case. Rather, the shield forms a mystical ward. Those who approach it sgradually become convinced that a barrier lies before them that cannot be crossed. Thus, people cannot pierce the shield because they simply believe that itis impossible to do so. So strong is this belief that no ‘one conscious of the shield can disbelieve its existence. Because of the shields nature, the effects of trying to pierce this mystical barrier vary from person to per~ son. Those who attempt to blast their way through it with brute force (perhaps with lightning bolts or blast- ing powder) might find their efforts meeting what appears to be an indestructible wall. Persons who try to teleport through it might find themselves transported beyond it, appearing as far from the other side of the shield as they had intended to be within it In short, Narrators are free to determine the results of any attempt to break the shield, keeping in mind the personalities ofthe heroes and the methods they employ. ‘That the shield formsa perfect circular boundary is another common misconception. All reports describe itas hemispherical, and most people envision it as an invisible bubble. While once this image was accurate, recently the shield has become very irregularly shaped. One could approximate the shield’s outer edges (prior to this adventure) by locating the Silvanesticties of Sithelnost, Kurmost, Flinosti, and Phalinost on a map. ‘The outer fringes of the shield, which centers more or lesson the town of Silvanos, le roughly 20 miles past these points. Thus, the shield extends about 275 miles from the elven capital at its greatest extent. In the southwest, the barrier ends much closer, reaching only about 150 miles from Silvanost. Large sections of the elven forest actually lie beyond the shield today, though this was not so twenty years ago, ‘When the adventure opens, the shield has contracted to exclude the town of Sithelnost from its protec- tion. Those influential in the Silvanesti government know of the shields mutating shape, but even they don't realize the shields basic nature is what caused the retraction. The Silvanesti Shield derives its power from the life forces of those whom it protects. Inthe years since its creation, it has been draining away the spirits and energy ofall life forms within it. Because no new living creatures can cross the barrier (thus providing additional sustenance), the shield has reached a point where the remaining life energy of the ‘weakened beings inside can no longer sustain it at its current size. The shield compensated by contracting in tiny amounts around its entire border, bu at last had to make a major shift—exposing the town of Sithelnost while its unsuspecting residents slept. Fueled by life, the Silvanesti Shield has recently taken on a life force of its own. Though not entirely sen- tient it has basic instincts and emotions and can be communicated with on a primitive level. n the course ‘of The Sylvan Veil, the heroes discover this unsuspected property of the shield—making them the first ones aware of its growing intelligence, e ‘The young elf expounded no more on the sub- ject. "I thank you for your help, Bertrem,” he said simply.“You may keep the text for the Library.” With that, he let I watched him go, wondering why Dalamar would take such pains to disguise himself. I would like to believe that only one trained to notice every- thing would have picked up on his dis: guise, but I know ofa few others in Palanthas who could identify him if given a hint that he yet travels these lands. While I do not consider it my place to reveal such a clue, I do believe that I ‘must mention this incident here to give the text perspective Though I have heard mutterings claiming that Dalamar caused the Sil vanesti Shield to come into caxistence, I now can safely say that he did not. Infact, he disagrees with its very presence, Transcriber’s Note By Farana Silvertreth ‘When Bertrem asked me to undertake this project, 1 sladly accepted. The elf who had given him the book mentioned that it might answer some of the ques- tions everyone has about events behind the Silvanesti Shield. Since I have relatives within the shield’s pro- tection, I certainly wanted to know what might be happening to them. I pieced together Aleaha’s narra- tive using my knowledge of the people involved. Since Thad spent some time with the kirath (specialized ‘elven scouts) and with Konnal’s forces during the effort to clean up the Nightmare, Ihad some under- standing of them going into this project. I never sade any judgment calls throughout the manuscript; the views expressed here are solely those of the author, have also included other information that has ‘made its way to the Great Library. I added these pieces ‘ofthe puzzle, found in sidebars throughout the text, to ‘enhance the reader's understanding of the situation in Svanesti. By the time readers finish this text, they should realize that alli not well behind the shield. The state of affairs looks so grim, in fact, that I am sending copies of this text to Speaker Gilthas and to the Legion- tmaires a the City of Morning Dew. Tope that Alhana Starbreeze ultimately receives the latter copy, for even those of usin Palanthas know of her efforts to bypass thelife-draning shield If someone finds a way to bring the shield down or move it back to its source—the strange shield tree in Silvanost—I hope that person lets the rest of the world know. What we find within the Silvanesti Forest may rival the worst nightmares we encountered after the War of the Lance. leave off this note with a passage taken whole from ‘Aleaha’s journal. I could not find a logical place to include it in the text itself, but I feel it needs to appear somewhere within this book. It gives the reader an idea ‘of Aleaha’s perspective on Silvanesti life The Silvanesti race, taken as.a whole, has sev- eral faults. We take great pride in our elvenness, but this pride often leads us to underestimate those not ofthe Silvanest. Even worse the purity of ur blood so much that we find those only partly of our blood revolting and carefully regulate who marries whom through ‘ur rigid House system. Although we love life above all, this love, in combination with our overweening pride, has led us to choices that often destroy more life than they save. Asa long-lived race, one would think that we have gained great wis- dom through the ages. Unfortunately, our longevity serves only to make us more resis- tant to change. This resistance, more than anything, is what causes us to repeat the ‘same mistakes over and over again. —Aleaha Takmarin Alcaba’s Journal Twerite this journal in hope that someone from out- side the shield will eventually find and read it.I do not wish forthe story of the Silvanesti elves to end with- ‘out others earning from our folly. Before Igo into the ‘events that occurred after the shield rose in the Year of the Spider, 11sc, I will touch upon some of the details leading up to the fatal circumstances. A Tapestry Woven and Unwoven After the Silvanesti Forest was rid of Lorac’s ravaging nightmare, we started the next step in the reclamation process: healing the forest and rebuilding the cities and villages of ilvanesti.As the leader of the kirath, ‘or elf scouts, was put in charge of ensuring the safety of the woodshapers, gardeners, and mysties who entered the forest to heal it. Although restoring the region proved a long, tedious process, we felt joy at reweaving the tapestry of our civilization. Our people held a great celebration the day the last of the forest healers reentered newly-rebuiltSilvanost. Even I, ‘hose life revolves around the forest more than the city, experienced a certain satisfaction at seeing the SHIELDED LIFE 7 “cl ey — Sy fwd = Jans Sota > ES GD. he >? a ¥ wt in Xe a KS = fesasi{ ea) RE SOA Garden of Astarin and Tower of the Stars restored to their former beauty. Unfortunately, this peace didn't last. Even as we worked to weave back together the threads of our civi- lization, our own actions rent them apart. Threads of Light and Darkness On the eve of the Reclamation Celebration in 382401 learned several things that would later impact my life and all of Silvanesti. First, General Konnal wished to dissolve the kirath, He believed we had fulfilled our purpose and thus were no longer needed. I countered that the kirath could prove invaluable in patrolling the forest for intruders. Konnal listened politely and stated that he would “take the matter under advise ment,” which left little hope for me since his word was "To clear up a common misconception of those outside Silvanesti I should mention that although Porthios, Qualinesti Speaker of the Sun, married ‘Alhana Starbreeze, daughter of our former Speaker of the Stars, ew among the Silvanesti liked Porthios's new ttle: “Speaker of the Sun and Stars” Though Porthios was the driving force behind the reclamation of the forest, most Silvanesti elves refused to honor his position. Asa result, during the twenty years that we fought to reclaim our forest, General Konnal of House Protector ruled over us while Alhana was in Qualinesti, ‘The morning after the celebration, [learned from. my father that Konnal had imprisoned Porthios and Gilthanas the evening before. also received orders to resume my duties with House Gardener, to which I was born, Konnal had dissolved the kirath and named essentially la. himself Silvanesti’s military governor. Letter from a Cleric of Quenesti-Pab" ‘This passage comes from a letter I received when I was a Wildrunner sent into the Silvanesti Fores help quell ‘the Knights of Takhisis during the Surimer of Chaos. We encountered all mariner of chaos minions on the day I _got this note, but thankfully they came in fewer numbers than they did at the Tower of the High Clerist. 1 include this letter to enlighten readers about what happened in Silvanost during Aleaha's recovery period. —Farana Silvertreth, transcriber “We have received more wounded at the Temple and attended them to the best of our ability. Their injuries were not as bad as those of earlier casualties, but while we treated them, the situation outside our ‘walls grew worse. Many strange creatures haunted the streets of Silvanost. Governor Konnal sent the city guard and his reserve Wildrunner forces to dispatch these unusual beings, bu they fought more tena~ ciously than the Dark Knights and had Evil powers of their own. Many of the blows they received did not ‘wound them, and they appeared in different forms to different people. I saw them as a horde of green ragons about to twist Silvanost into a living nightmare again, Others saw invincible knights made of iron, a large squad of dark elves ready to use might and magic against us, walking trees with Evil maws, and even ‘an organized army of kender. The reports the Temple received macle no sense, so our High Priestess cast a spell to reveal what we faced. For some reason, it didn’t work as she expected. She saw a dark void that ‘swallowed al life and left behind nothing. That vision terrified me more than anything else ia. Tye already offered up my thanks to Quenesti-Pah that the Windriders managed to destroy those ter rible beings. All over the city, griffins swooped down and their riders swung at the monstrosities with, swords blessed by E’l. For every two Wildrunners and every one Windrider who died, one of the demonic ‘warriors vanished out of existence. In the end, we lost a quarter of our Windrider forces, and half of the city guard and reserve Wildrunner forces. Governor Konnal declared the day a victory but spent the rest of, the evening on watch for more of the Evil beings. Thankfully, none came. write with yet more disturbing news, however. This very hous, a great mournful wail was heard through- ‘out al of Silvanost and across the Thon-Thalas River. After the last echoes faded, I felt strangely bereft. Since I ‘was tending to more of the wounded, I had cause to call upon the power of Quenesti-Pah to heal them. I found nothing there to call upon. Several other priests and priestesses had the same experience. The sudden entrance of the High Priestess startled us. Tears ran down her face." The gods have left us” she said. ‘We bound wounds and used our knowledge of healing and herbs to ensure the survival of the injured. Even now; the High Priestess wanders the Healing Hall, checking on the wounded herself. She sent me away when she realized that I hadn't slept for several days. Your kinswoman, ‘Tyrenia Aleraon "Even ters or the goes Misha 1 Bien term forthe yo Palade 8\ PROLOGUE I returned to my work in the Garden of Astarin’ with a mixture of reluctance and joy. Though I found the work itself pleasurable, the politics involved made ry head ache. The Qualinesti had decided upon Gilthas of House Solostaran as the new Speaker of the Sun. At the same time, Alhana Starbreeze and Porthos were exiled from their respective lands. The constant buzz of conversation throughout the gardens and at ‘home made thinking difficult, so I visited the Temple cof Matheri* that evening, Leaving it,I made another intriguing discovery. ‘As [passed a hooded man, our gazes met briefly. His light brown eyes and dark hair at first made me think of a Kagonesti but then I realized that he looked familiar. Even as he stepped away, I knew him to be the dark elf Dalamar, who had been exiled from all things Silvanesti (including Silvamori, in Southern Ergoth) just after the War of the Lance. As one of the «escorts ofthe bound and blindfolded new exile years ago, V'd had ample time to watch his movements and learn his form. ‘Wondering why such a powerful, Evil mage would allow me to see him, I headed home and reported the sighting to my father. Affronted at the idea that a dark elf would dare enter Silvanesti, he contacted Lord Halverin, leader of House Gar- dener. The next morning, Lord Halverin requested my presence at his estate. With cool, collected tones, he stated that nonentities such as dark elves could not possibly be in Silvanesti, much less Silvanost. He also ordered me to report to his estate's head gardener. Although I found working in Lord Halvern’s gardens much more pleasant than working in the politically fraught atmosphere of the Garden of Astarin, I was supposed to be devastated at having been demoted away from the palace’s gardens. Later that week I earned Porthios and his retainers had been sent out of Silvanesti. Tanis Half-Elven accompanied the angry man out, probably to help calm the newly-exiled dark elf. Several days after Porthios left, Konnal reinstated the kirath to scout the forest for outsiders. Although Konnal would not say s0, nor would he speak the dark elf’s name— have no such tender sensibilities believe he feared that Forthios would attempt to slip back into Silvanesti and garner support from those still loyal to Alhana Starbreeze. Luckily forall of us, the kirath and the Wildrunners—our Silvanesti army—were on patrol when the outside world once again attempted to breach our barriers. Otherwise, unlike our cousins to the west, we might not have 4 ven erm forthe god Branch * Bien erm forthe god Male ‘managed to push back the incursion of Dark Knights am a iN 2) My Us] i} vA re ‘one of the trees growing in the center of the garden tured oddly luminescent and developed a strange invisible shield that wouldn't allow anyone near it for a radius of about seven feet. I believe it was this tree that gave Konnal and his friend the idea for the shield that now covers us. Woven Borders In the second year after Chaos walked Ansalon, we saw the first ofthe Great Dragons. The awe-inspiring sight warned us that our brief peace was at an end. News of the Kender Flight, the continued rule of Dark Knights in Qualinest, and the dragons’ takeover of various lands and peoples came to us via the Herald and Quevalin Soth, When the Citadel of Light was built, several of the priests expressed to Konnal an interest in visting it, but the governor forbade the journey, stressing that all Silvanesti were needed in their homeland. Mach of this news came from travelers seeking refuge in our forests. They spoke of large dragons fighting each other and taking over land. They warned that these dragons seemed capable of shaping the land to their will, much more so than elves have ever been able to effect. Specifically, these travelers cautioned us that a large black dragon had taken over New Coast and Blodehelm and was changing the region intoa swamp. Each time the kirath received news such as this, we penned ito Konnal and sent the travelers on their way—for nobody except elves ever received per- mission to stay in Silvanesti. Magic Inside the Shield After transcribing ths journal, I wondered whether the elves inside the shield know about the type of magic Palin Majere teaches. The text did not say. had an opportunity to ask the Herald many questions about Sil- vanesti within the last year, and though I didn’t know it at the time, he answered this question for me in a roundabout way. I include the tale he told me here. —Farana Silvertreth, transcriber know not of things behind the shield, bu I can tell you a tale of one soldier accidentally caught out- side it. Geranath Alorean once belonged to House Mystic, but he made the diffcult decision to become a \Wildrunner when the gods of magic left Krynn. He soon discovered that he loved spending time on patrol, “knowing that he stood between the threat of dragon breath or Dark Knight incursions and his homeland. Most of all, however, he loved the feel of his homeland. It stood free from dragon control It no longer held the nightmares thet both Chaos and Speaker Lorac had brought to it It had a magic all ofits own. ‘One day, while patrolling the border with his brothers- and sisters-at-arms, he looked back at his beloved forest and meditated on one question: Would he be able to protect his forest homeland should one ‘of the large dragons attack? The travelers whom he and his squad turned back told many tales ofthe Great ‘Dragons who have taken over land to rule, and he feared for the forest and his people. He pondered this ‘question longer than he normally concentrated on anything, except the spells that he used to cast in the ‘days before the gods left. In answer, he experienced a vision that suggested he was powerless to protect his homeland, ‘Afterward, depression gripped him. He told his friends what had happened. Some mentioned that they had experienced similar incidents —weird flukes of luck that one could call magic if one didn’t know bet- ‘tet. None of them, however, could alleviate his feeling of helplessness. ‘Geranath did his best to protect his land but now feared his best wasn't good enough. He continued patrolling with his squad, concentrated on his surroundings more than ever. Perhaps because of this {increased alertness, he was able to warn his fellows several times of approaching danger wel before it came. His commander noted this gift and assigned Geranath to patrol near the black dragon Sable’ land. In ‘this remote region, the Slvanest’ call to return home did not reach him. One day, he suddenly saw a great ‘wave of energy spread over the forest. He watched as it swept over the forest near him and stopped at the barrier hedge. Most of his squad stood with him outside the barrier of the forest, but one stood within, ‘They tried to move toward each other, but found that a magical force blocked their way. Geranath and his fellow Wildrunners were trapped outside the forest. According to the Herald, Geranath eventually heard about an Academy of Sorcery and traveled there for training. He now uses divination, transmutation, and enchantment magic in attempts to penetrate the shield. The Herald further mentioned that Geranath had been using divination magic instinctively all along to warn his fellows of impending danger. 100+ PROLOGUE Dark Threads Converge Nine years after Chaos walked the land, the irath first saw a green dragon among our trees. After making several reports to Konnal and receiving no response, decided to return to Silvanost and talk with him per- sonally.I sent word ahead and made my way back alone. The forest and I knew each other well by now, $0 I reached the city in just afew days’ time. After being welcomed formally by my family, I ‘made my way to the Palace of Quinari to request an interview with Konnal. Unfortunately, he couldn't see me until the next day, so I headed to the Garden ‘of Astarin for a brief visit. There, a strange sight ‘meeted me, In the years since Chaos reached into our realm, the gardeners and woodshapers had been at work. Aside from one spot, the garden appeared in allits former glory. When I passed near the area where the shielded tree grew, however, I noticed a change. The tree still glowed luminescently, but it obstructed those ‘who wished to pass ten feet away instead of the seven itonce had. Also, from outside the shield, the plants. that grew within appeared dimmer, their leaves smaller than normal. Passing off the sight asa visual distortion caused by the shield, I walked on. I should have known better. The next dayI met with Military Governor Konnal and his protégé Kiryn. After a cool reception, I reported to him the recent happenings in the forest. ‘When I spoke of the green dragon, Konnal said ‘merely, “That matter will be taken care of shortly. We will not be troubled by dragons.” He disregarded any further questions and dismissed me back to the forest. A Tapestry Completed? Discouraged that my visit had yielded no results, returned to the forest to stay for as long as the kirath remained in service. The years passed while we escorted travelers out of our realm, banded with the ‘Wildrunners to keep afew green dragons out of our forests, helped lucky survivors of several dragon battles, and generally protected our land from any not of our race. As time wore on, however, Konnal sent fewer recruits forthe kirath and Wildrunners. He even drew the Wildrunners back to the hedge border ofthe for- ‘st instead of allowing them to patrol our outer perimeter. Finally, word came via the Wildrunners that no Silvanesti elves were allowed to leave the for- cst, and a call went out to those abroad to return hhome with all haste. This edict angered several elf ‘merchants, who kept attempting to sneak past our patrols and those ofthe Wildrunners to continue their transactions. Because of the merchants’ heedlessness, several Wildrunner patrols had to break their directive and work outside of the forest's border to bring back the recalcitrant traders. Before long, the reason for Konnal’s isolationist policies became clear. One day,a strange sensation passed over our whole camp, a if some force had pushed through us. Later that day, one of the Wild- runners rushed in, “They're trapped!” he exclaimed, ‘The young elf had been patrolling with a few of his company when he, too, experienced the strange sensa- tion, Turning to remark on it, he noticed that his fel- lows appeared to waver as if seen through the heat of a campfire. They also seemed to have been pushed out of the forest, for they stood outside the forest proper, separated by the bony branches of the formerly ver- dant hedge. The young elf yelled to them and they appeared to callback, but he couldn't be sure, for no sound reached him. He motioned for them to come closer, but when they tried, they could not. After an hour or two of remaining within sight of each other and attempting to find a spot where they could reach «each other, the elf decided to report the whole situa- tion to the nearest camp. ‘We alerted all nearby kirath and Wildrunners to the problem, then went together to investigate this phenomenon, Several companies had been closed out, ‘we discovered. As our investigation continued, we realized that someone or something must have erected this strange shield that seemed to follow the borders of the forest. Aided by those with the power to control the air, we discovered that the shield formed a dome ‘overhead, barely above the treetops. Those with the power to control earth reported thatthe shield an deep below the ground as well. We speculated that even dwarves couldn't work their way far enough down to gain aceess within, Wildrunner Lieutenant Torian Hartrunner and I sent reports to Silvanost. While awaiting a response, we hypothesized that the strange feeling we had experi enced probably coincided with the shields formation. ‘We also discovered that the forest ly completely encased in the shield —even the shoreline had a bound- ary. In fact, the shield followed exactly the hedge border the woodshapers had crafted around the coast and for- ‘est. However, the entire hedge had changed from a lush, green plant into a towering border of skeletal branches ‘that eventually dissolved into ashen nothingness. The image that came to my head is that we stood encased in ‘a magical bubble. It lowed with the lines of our land, ‘curving inward and outward again. We finally received a response from Silvanost; it took several days to catch up with us since we kept ‘moving our base camp as the exploration continued, Itrecalled the kirath, saying that we were no longer needed, The shield we had discovered was an inten- tional act of mages and clerics to defend the Silvanesti Forest and its people from the dragons warring out- SHIELDED LIFECw 11 a, ae Ie. (oma SN Ne > U Pe bya Cj ont er 22 Ck, —s NIT: rrr, << is Rah a} SS side, Its magical nature allowed in sunlight, ai, rain, and other such essential elements, but no living beings could pass through it. In the meantime, however, two kirath had found the trail of a dragon in the forest—with tracks fresher than the onset of the shield. How could the kirath return to the capital with such a threat at large? I assigned several scouts the job of ascertaining its loca tion and sent off yet another report to Governor Konnal. The Darkness Bebind the Light Before Konnal’s response could reach me, the kirath confirmed that a green dragon indeed roamed inside the shield. In fact, we learned that this dragon is Cyan Bloodbane, one of the most pernicious green wyrms to exist. This creature prefers to sneak around and ‘work from behind the scenes. Asa result, once he real- ined that we knew of his presence, the evil dragon ‘took great pains to cover his tail (unless he wished to ) iS aS ars N AA) i oy AS vs by) <4 ae N Be i> Soy eS ‘After she told me about her starjewels, she asked whether I had given a starjewel to anyone. She wanted to see ome of the brooches. I showed it to her, and excite- ment flashed across her face. She almost touched it, but T ‘put it away. Her expression grew distant, and she asked if Thad formally bound myself to anyone yet. Before I could answer, she revealed that once herstarjewel was finished, a binding ceremony between her and Cyrhan Vahnesti would take place. She told me, sounding very sure of herself, that this was nother destiny. left shortly afterward. Despite having always worked with her in a dispassionate manner, sensed that she had fixated on me for some reason. ‘My next visit came at the behest of her father. In his ‘message, he claimed to be worried about his daughter ‘and the impending binding ceremony between her and Gyrhan. He didn't tell me everything, though. Learned the next fats the hard way. When I entered the family’s tower, it seemed 00 silent. The servant, who looked nervous, pointed tothe study door and left hastily. entered the study, expecting o find ‘only Lianela’s father, but discovered kins and the rest of his family there, appearing quite shaken. Lianella stood in {front of them al, holding her stajewel Around the room ‘could see the charred evidence ofa recently cast fre spell asked what was going on. Lianella told me that we ‘were to be bound together as her dream during the Cer- emony of Starlight had foretold. When I tried to talk to her father, he simply shook kis head. Apparently, Lianella had threatened her family into compliance She said she didn’t intend anyone harm, but that she couldn't marry Cyrhan because of what she had seen during the Ceremony of Starlight. She would use her magic to prevent such a thing from: happening. could tell that she didn’ like threatening her rela tives. Appealing to her better nature, [eventually man- aged to talk her out of further rash behavior. When I come to see you, I'l share more details. In the meantime, though, please prepare the Circle of Darkness for Lianella. Also, have someone check her birth records for ‘any unusual prophecy. Her willingness to use magic for such misbegotten ends should be investigated. ‘The Ceremony of Darkness From time to time, the elves of Silvanest find some- ‘one on their hands who has committed a deed so tr~ rible that they can no longer permit that person to remain within Silvanesti. The individual may have practiced dark or neutral magical or pristy rites, committed treason, or performed an abominable act like the murder of innocents. Silvanos, in his wisdom, decreed that such matters should lead to the banish ‘ment of the offender. For this purpose, he charged the mages of House Mystic and the priests of House Cleric with creating a ceremony to facilitate exile in a just manner: the Ceremony of Darkness, 18 PROLOGUE "The ceremony takes place ina special room in the ‘Temple of Fl called the Circle of Darkness. Within this room lies a platinum chain that forms an unbro- ken circle when laid out propery. Also, shined plat- ium mirrors line the walls and door of this small chamber. Dim light glows above, enabling occupants to see faint images of themselves in the mirrors. ‘The accused (possibly restrained) is brought into the room, followed by the Council of Truth. Normally the council consists of high-caste members of House Mystic (in the case of an accused mage), leaders of the local temples (in the case of an Evil or neutral priest) or high-caste members involved in the investigation of ‘wrongdoing (in all other cases). The council members create a circle with the chain, lay it down, and instruct the accused to step into the middle ofthe circle. The leader of the group then declares the alleged crime, ‘Then the Council of Truth leaves the room and does not return for twelve hours. ‘Once the mirrored door to the Circle of Darkness closes, the accused is alone, The act of stepping within the chain renders one unable to move; the accused can only stand and look at the reflections in the mirrors. {As time passes, the images in the mirrors shift and change, forming visions of what the future holds for the elf ifhe continues along his current path. Ifthe accused is innocent of the charges the Council of ‘Truth has brought against him, then only the visions result. However, ifthe defendant is justly accused, the chain that encircles him moves inward to bind the criminal. ‘When the council members return, they see the truth. Innocents may leave after relating their visions, to the council. The guilty continue into the next stage of the Ceremony of Darkness ‘The council leader turns over the wrongdoer to a group of specialized priests, mages, and warriors called the Dark Escort. This group is blessed in the name of lito carry out the exiling of the criminal ‘The wrongdoer must stand in front of the Dark Escort and the current Speaker (or; today, the military gover not) and hear the official reason for his exile, Once the sentence has been pronounced within the Tower of the Stars, the Dark Escort takes the newly desig nated dark elf out of the Silvanesti Forest forever. ‘Along the way, the Escort cries out the crime of the dark elf forall to hear and remember so that no one will welcome the ef back to the forest. After that, House Cleric strikes the dark elf’s name from all doc- ‘uments within Silvanesti except for the birth record, This record is copied over to the books that the “Temple of Eli keeps on dark elves, then is magically erased from society's birth documents. From that point on, nobody can acknowledge a dark elf’ exis- tence except to deny him the land in which he once welled. ‘Tradition or Truth? an excerpt from Lysius's private journal | find it extraordinary thatthe Circle of Darkness still works despite the Nightmare to which Loracs mis ‘guided judgment subjected the Silvanesti Forest. The Circle worked even when the gods lef our world during the Time of Darkness. ts powers surely will las for many centuries. From what the priests at the Temple of El tell me, all one truly needs to perform the full Ceremony of Dark- ness isthe chain and a mirrored room. The chain itself holds the ‘enchantment, which is why we could continue to perform justice during our time in Silvamori. No ‘wonder it remains heavily guarded at all times. also find extraordinary the wisdom of Silvanos, Based on what happened to Lianella and me today, Ican ‘only guess that he knew the traditions and cere- monies he and his advisors started so many centuries ‘ago would sometimes contradict one another. We dis- «covered this truth today when we had to weigh the tra dition of betrothal and marriage against the ceremonies that have guided the minds, heart, and spirits ofthe Silvanesti throughout the ages. I had heard that occa sionally the Council of Truth used the Cirle of Dark- ness to discover the gods wisdom, but I never thought I would take part in such a circumstance, When Lianella entered that room and we laid the chain owt in a circle, her face revealed her nervousness. ‘She didn’t want robe exiled from the forest. She kept looking at me beseechingly, as if trying to get me to say something. Instead, I looked to the council leader and followed his cues. He told her to enter the circle and stand in its enter. The minute she did so, she stiffened. Only her ‘9¢5 moved. Then, instead of declaring her crime, the leader said words that shocked me. “You claim to have ased magic to follow the revelations ofa god-guided emony instead ofthe traditions ofthe Silvanesti. We ssh 10 know whether the vision you had of Lysius dur- ing your Ceremony of Starlight is true. Lysis, step into the circle with her.” 1 did so, instantly feeling the magic's constraint “Isius, you have gone on record as saying that you saw tnly your starjewel before your ceremony was inter- Iupied We wish to give you a chance to see your path, swell” With that, the council left us. During the first span iftime, I watched my image and Lianella’s fant outline Inthe mirror before us. thought of other eves who had Ieorhere before me: Dalamar, the infamous mage who Bad claimed that his Evil acts were forced upon him; ti Porthios, who had stood here for both himself and his wife Alhana. Thad never thought it fair that ADkana had missed this part ofthe Ceremony. However, accord ing toll reports, the chain had wrapped itself around Porthios. With that thought, {tried to look at the chain, but couldn't, The room was too dark, Instead, my image in the glass moved, and I suddenly saw myself lying on a sheet under the stars. Above, my octagonal star- jewel with its emerald center and small outer rays of diamond shimmered. Then it flashed brightly, and I saw the face of Lianelta Was this vision contrived? I ddr’ feet anything for Lianella. Then I saw her next to me, regard- ing me with a wounded look. In her sorrow and anger, I saw her dash her starjewel to the ground and blast it with a single spell. ‘Next, I saw her down the street from me, using her magic in an unsuccessful attempt to hold off a creature from my nightmares. With a swing of its claw the wichtlin ripped through her skin, instantly Killing her as more ereatures closed in, The sight of that death hurt more than I would have thought ‘Then I saw myself sitting alone in a dark study in ‘my parents’ tower, holding the darkened starjewels of ‘my mother and father in my hands. My own pin rested con the table in front of me. The scene sent a deep ache through me. What would it be lke if my future was bound to that of another? saw both of us fighting the wichtlin and managing t0 hold it off tong enough for a Windrider and his grif- {fir to come down and destroy it.I saw great dragons ‘wheeling in the sky inthe distance, fighting one another, and Lianella pointing at them in fear. I saw her in front of me, sitting at table and trying t0 explain something arcane, holding her palm open while ‘small flame danced on it. She looked so tired at that ‘moment, as if something drained her. Then I saw her standing triumphant, our young son on her hip, as he Killed an ogre with her fire magic. She appeared stronger in that vision The first visions revealed a ife of loneliness and sor- row; the latter, one of companionship—and still some sorrow, I knew. I realized that I did have feelings for her. When the council opened the door to the chamber, the chain stil lay in a circle around us. The leader saw the chain ard said to Lianella, “While the truth of your story is evident, you must make peace with your parents. We will straighten out this marriage bonding after tha.” Lianella looked at me questioningly. [allowed myself to smile at her for the frst time. “We'll alk late,” I promised, ‘Now I must leave to go speak with her. SHIELDED LIFES 19 i S 20} LN ren & KS Ay > eee << Bh sy “Xe AD iN Mature Adulthood ‘Upon turning one hundred seventy-five years old, an elf reaches middle age. Only ceremonies or rituals specific to the ell’s profession generally occur during, these years. By this time, a female has experienced ‘most of her fertile periods and has only one remain- ing. She and her husband most likely have a child or Elves in mature adulthood have the responsibilty of guiding their young, helping their parents, and ful filling their House roles. Occasionally, in response to the needs of the House, they may move into different, or higher positions within it The Elder Years Around two hundred and thirty years, elves start to two growing toward adulthood. S es ‘ show their age. Their hair doesn’t shine as it once did. The Silvanesti Social Order ‘An essay by Trethan Diemus, written on the first day of his civics instruction ‘Long ago, when Silvanos gathered the elf clans together into one body, he set into motion traditions the Silvanest elves still follow today. The most basic ofthese traditions is how we organize our society. Our Houses form the basic building blocks of our civilization. First of all, each House has a certain set of goals to achieve forthe Silvanesti culture. House Mason, for example, designs and builds the structures we live in, This House also obtains the proper materials necessary to build. If this means mining local quarries for ‘certain type of marble, they do so. ‘The Houses also define each individuals place within Silvanesti culture. Each House has an internal structure that establishes just where one stands in society, In House Mason, for example, if your job includes designing buildings—a vocation that requires a certain specialized set of skills—you would hold a hhigher place in the caste system than if you worked in the quarry cutting away marble. Since each House has its specific duties, though, in order to determine relative status between different Houses, one must consider each House separately, then compare its structure to that of the other. If for example, I wanted to know whether an architect from House Mason or a diplomat from House Advocate should sit closer to the ‘Speaker at a large banquet, I would look fist at their respective positions in their Houses. If the architect designs additions to smaller towers in Balinost, and the diplomat travels abroad to arrange treaties with ‘Qualinest, tradition points to choosing the one whose duties more significantly affect the realm. In this ‘ase, the diplomat should sit closer. Without this system to place individuals within a certain level of society, chaos would ensue. Our House structure relates directly to every other tradition that we have. For example, without strict House organiza- tion, who would keep the records of birth and death? How would we know which marriages are allowed ‘and which should be banned? Who would guard our lands? Who would make swords forthe soldiers who protect us? Who would grow our food? Worse, if this basic order were disrupted, we would also lose the system that trains the next generation to take over life-sustaining duties. Without the House system, and al ofthe other traditions based on it, Slvanesti would no longer be Sil- ‘vanesti, Instead, we would revert to the former uncontrolled state that Silvanos changed for the betterment ‘of elvenkind, Back in those times, we had no cities. We had no advanced tools. We couldn't defend our- selves from the ravages of dragons and lizard-men armies. Thanks to Silvanos, we became an ordered soci- ty able to defend itself and its belief system. We have created! many new tools to help us lead easier lives 30 ‘that we may concentrate on giving our gods their due worship. Without the guidance of Silvanos, we ‘would have fallen before the forces of Takhisis, despite our bes efforts to resist. Although I have heard of instances in which the House structure failed in its goals (such as infighting between some of the temple leaders in Silvanost), I can see no other way to have accomplished what Sil ‘vanos did all those years ago. I feel that those who do not support our system should consider stan the Circle of Darkness to see how their lives could go without it. If they like what they see, then they should ‘continue the Ceremony of Darkness and leave this beautiful forest forever. For more information about the Silvanesti House system, see the Epilogue. 20% PROLOGUE Infact, the strands often grow brittle or thin. Their eyes, though still brighter than a human's, dull a bit in color. They retain their graceful movements but move ‘more slowly and carefully. By this time in their lives, Silvanest elves often have grandchildren. Those of higher caste frequently allow their children to take over some of their duties. Lower-caste elves continue to work until their four hundredth anniversary. After that, their chil- dren take them into their households and assume the family duties within the House, ‘The senior member of designating his or her position asthe eldest. This elf guides deci- sions that affect the ‘whole extended family. Death A Silvanesti elf who lives a healthy, peaceful life can expect to die somewhere between age five hundred fifty and seven hundred (though some elves, Silvanos included, have been known to lve well past one thousand years.) When an elf dies, priest from his or her chosen temple performs the death rites. Ifthe elf was the oldest ‘member of the family; the stole he or she wore passes to the new elder at this time. Once the death rites are fin- ished and the body taken to its final resting plac, the priest ensures that ll the appropriate temples are noti- fied of the death so that they can record it. Although the words vary from temple to temple, all Ceremonies of Passing involve the same actions. First, the priest, clerical attendants (in high-caste cere~ monies), and the House elder dress the body in ceremonial burial clothes. These clothes are usually created when the elf frst shows signs of aging. If made earlier in life, the clothes tend to deteriorate before the elf dies. Those who die young—from wars, accidents, or unusual sickness—have no garb ready until a few days after the family knows of the death. If necessary, however, a military leader can choose to perform the ceremony in the field instead of returning «body to the family. In these cases, the body remains in fll battle regalia. Once the body is prepared, itis placed within its final receptacle as the presiding priest chants ceremo- nial words. In the cases of very high-caste elves, the receptacle is a clear-cut erystal coffin that enables viewers to see the body. (The one exception to this tradition was Speaker Lorac, who wished to be buried in the Silvanesti Forest.) Most other elves are buried in wooden caskets. Usually, the type of wood holds some significance tothe family or House. For example, an elf of House Woodshaper has a casket made from the wood of the frst tree he or she ever grew, while an elf of House Advocate is usually buried ina finely carved oak casket whose runes state the deeds the deceased performed in lif. ‘The casket is taken to the family garcien, where rela- tives and close friends view the body. In most cases, the family keeps 2 candlelight vigil featur- ing music, dancers, and people sharing memo- ries of the deceased. ‘A Speaker's body lies in state for one day within the Hall of Baif so that the populace may view it. Otherwise, the body is interred immediately after the vigil within the family or House crypt. In cities or towns other than Silvanost, the casket is placed within a communal ‘catacomb beneath the largest temple or ina local tomb. In wartime, ifa leader must perform the Ceremony cof Passing, he and the deceased's fellows try to find a nearby river or stream. They rest the body upon a hastily created raft and set it afloat. Before it goes, however, they remove the deceased's starjewel and any heirlooms to return to the family. As the body makes its journey along the water, the participants sing a ‘mourning song until the raft passes from sight. If sev- eral elves have died at once and must be mourned in this manner, those who remain place all the deceased ‘on rafts, with no more than five per raft. Only when. the military leader must retreat quickly or cannot find body of water nearby are battlefield casualties buried in the ground ora cairn. In such cases, the leader takes the starjewel, heirlooms, and any weapons necessary to help the living carry on. When a wooden casket or rat is needed, the family requests that House Woodshaper plant two new trees for each fallen one. The saplings are planted in the area from which the trees were taken or if this is impossible, elsewhere within the Silvanesti Forest. SHIELDED LIFECW21 = 2 £>>>\ re A RO ay, D DS > x CS } ») wR BY iS Loy LUE eS <<} Silvanesti Roles and Kits Although elf heroes can choose appropriate roles detailed in supplements such as Heroes of Stel, Heroes of Defiance, Heroes of Sorcery, and Heroes of Hope afew Silvanesti-specific roles (for Saca players) and kits (for AD&D® players) appear here to help jump-start a ‘campaign taking place in or near the forest ‘The Kirath After the War of the Lance encled, the Silvanest elves found themselves forced to clean up the nightmarish ‘mess that Speaker Lorac caused by using the Dragon Orb of Istar. To do so, however, they needed a special kind of scout to make reconnaissance journeys into the woods to pinpoint problem areas. The elves who accepted the challenge of confronting the forest’s dan- gers without full back-up were known as the Van- guard of Hope, or kirati’algos. ‘After the Silvanesti reclaimed their forest from Lorac’s nightmares, most of the kirath restumed the lives they had led before the War of the Lance. How- ‘ever, several remained in touch with each other despite the strict caste system to which the Silvanesti adhere. Once the sylvan shield rose and evidence ‘mounted that it was draining the life force ofthe for- est and those living in it, these kirath silently ducked into the forest and set up a network to determine how to stop the drain. As time passed, more kirath rejoined the network, bringing new recruits with them. Roleplaying Although once the kirath served a reconnaissance role, now their skills are better suited for other duties. Kirath still scout the forest, but for different reasons than in the past. While they must keep an eye on Cyan, Bloodbane, their affinity with the forest enables them. to find dangerously weak woodland populations and report the problem toa woodshaper. Several kirath then accompany the woodshaper to the area to pro- vide support should an enemy force show up. Finally, the kirath seek a weakness in the shield so they can destroy it. Although most kirath are solitary sorts who prefer nature to structured elven society, several have joined. the anti-shield cause out of a sense of responsibility. Al kirath have seen the shield drain their people and the forest ofthat which the Silvanesti honor and love most: if. After one quest or level asa kirath, the hero is assumed to have learned the sign language and animal calls (via a device called an “atrakha’; see “Silvanesti Magic Items” later in this Prologue) the kirath use to communicate with each other. Furthermore, these scouts gain the means to make ‘sors, firebane cloak, and atrakha when they join the 22% PROLOGUE kirath organization. The soris, an all-purpose weapon and tool, consists of two pieces of wood connected end to end by a cleverly crafted universal joint. A leather wrist thong is affixed 4 feet up the pole. The upper portion of the sori is 18 inches long, tipped with a strong rope loop and four collapsible hooks. ‘The upper section can be either fully deployed, giving the soris an overall length of 6 feet, or folded back against the lower portion of the soris. When in the lat- ter configuration, the sors is treated as a club for the purposes of combat. The metal hinge enables the upper portion of the device to rotate 2 full 360 degrees and to assume any position from full extension to flush up against the lower part. A small locking tab keeps the upper half in position. (Details about the atrakhha and firebane cloak appear in the following section, “Silvanesti Magic Items’) If the Wildrunners capture a kirath, they take him to Silvanost to face the proper punishment for ‘obeying the government” regarding the order to disband. The usual punishment: house arrest for a year and one day, and the removal of all tems the kirath wore atthe time of the arrest. § Kirath Role Akkirath hero must be a Silvanest elf from House Protector, Gardener, Woodshaper, or Mystic. Since a kirath has an affinity with nature and the ability to ‘move stealthily for long distances, he must have scores of 7 or higher in Agility, Dexterity, and Endurance (within elf hero guidelines, of course), and a Strength score of 6 or higher. He should also have Perception and Spirit codes of “B” or better. However, kirath can- ‘not have a Presence code higher than “C” since they prefer to work alone or in small groups where co- ‘operative teamwork takes precedence over individual leadership. ‘Advantages: In addition to elf racial advantages and the special weapons described above all kirath receive a +2 action bonus to gain or avoid surprise. ‘Any card played while trying to conceal oneself in the Silvanesti Forest is automatically considered trump. Disadvantages: Although kirath may possess mys- tical abilities, they can use only the animism sphere. If the kirath can wield sorcery, he may choose from the schools of aeromancy, divination, geomancy, hydro- ‘mancy, pyromancy, and spectramancy only. Since a kirath hero lacks the disposition to lead others, he suffers a -2 penalty to any Presence actions to take control or lead. Also, kirath heroes suffer the same racial disadvantages asthe rest of their elven kin. As with most Silvanesti roles, a hero must choose this role from the beginning of play ifthe Silvanesti Shield exists in the Narrator’s campaign. Should the shield come down, however, a hero can acquire the kirath role during play. 7 9 Kirath Kit The kirath are a special type of ranger found only among the Silvanesti They serve as scouts and woodsmen, responsible for helping Slvanesti recover from Lorac’s Nightmare and now working against the threat ofthe shield Secondary Skills: Kirath come from four diferent Sivanesti Houses: Protector, Gardener, Woodshaper, and Mystic. Secondary skils associated with those Houses ae appropriate and allowee ‘Weapon Proficiencies: Krath can learn and use any weapons available to rangers. They tend to prefer the longsword and the longbow, traditional elven weapons. ‘Nonweapon Proficiencies: Like other rangers, kirath gain the Tracking proficiency for fre. Required: Animal Calls, Sign Language. Recom- ‘mended: Animal Lore, Direction Sense, Endurance, Herbalism, Hunting, Set Snares. Special Benefits: Kirath gain a—1 modifier to surprise others (in addition to the -4 elven modifier for surprise), and receive a +2 bonus to opponents’ surprise rolls. Kirath gain a +159% bonus to hide in shadows and move silently while in the Silvanesti Forest. They also learn how to make a sors, frebane doak and atrakha when they join the organization. Special Hindrances: A kirath cannot have henchmen and halves all Charisma modifiers for the purpose of leading others. Races: A kirath must be a Silvanesti elf from House Protector, Gardener, Woodshaper, or Mystic: | Other races (even other elves) cannot take this kt. Oe: Xe The Windrider During the Kinslayer War, Kith-Kanan and Speaker Sithas left Sithelbec and Silvanost in search of griffins to aid their war effort. With their triumphant return, Sithas decreed that a special force of griffin riders be formed, This elite unit was dubbed the Windriders and was led by Captain Hallus to the Battle of Sithelbec. Although griffin riders formed an important part cof House Protector forces, they seemed to disappear from view during the War of the Lance. After the reclamation of the Silvanesti Forest from Lorac’s Nightmare, the griffins returned with their Wind- riders. Now the grand tradition of griffin riders has been restored to its former home. Roleplaying Asa member of an elite troop, a Windrider tends to have a high opinion of herself. This arrogance is offset bya tendency to see the “big picture” regarding a situa- tion, whether it be the layout of the land around her station, knowledge of her unit and her command’s ‘goals, or simply expansive thinking about her reason for living. Windriders love their mounts and hate to be ‘without them. If separated from her mount, a Wind- rider becomes distracted, wondering whether the ‘mount is receiving adequate care or worrying if she doesn’t know where itis. % Windrider Role Since a Windrider must wield weapons while ying through the air, er Dexterity and Agility scores must be at leat 7 each. In addition, because a Windrider rust spot details from great heights, her Perception code and score must be atleast a"B” and a7. Although griffins ae strong beasts, no Windrider hhas a score of more than 7 in Endurance and Strength ‘ora code higher than “B” in Strength, This lack of muscle bulk allows the griffin to fly fora bit longer than it could ifthe rider were heavier. ‘Only full-blooded, high-caste Silvanesti elves of House Protector ean become Windriders. ‘Advantages: A Windrider’s mount is her greatest advantage. Asa result, the Narrator may allow the 240% PROLOGUE hero to start play with a griffin at her side. f not, then when the hero earns Adventurer reputation, she can embark on a quest to “rescue” her former mount or help train an adolescent griffin to become her mount. Because of the complexity ofthis role, the Narrator and player should mutually determine the hero's back story before play begins. As the rider of a flying beast, a Windrider gains an automatic trump bonus for any action that involves riding a flying mount. Disadvantages: Since a Windrider specializes in ‘mounted aerial combat, she fights at a marked disad- vantage when not on her steed. As a result, she does not gain trump for any combat actions while on the ground. Also, care and maintenance of a griffin require that the hero spend several hours each day grooming it and supplying food (either via hunting— with or without the mount—or by keeping it in the ‘Windrider stables). P Windrider Kit ‘Windriders are fighters with specialized training in aerial riding and combat. Secondary Skills: Wind:iders come from high- cast Silvanesti, so only secondary skills appropriate to such a noble birth and station are allowed. Windriders may have secondary skills ike grooming or navigation from their early training ‘Weapon Proficiencies: Windriders have the same range of weapon options as do fighters. They tend to ‘aster the longsword and the longbow—traditional elven weapons—and the horseman’s lance, which they can use while mounted in aerial combat. Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Animal Training (griffin), Riding (airborne). Recommended: Heraldry, Hunting, Navigation, Weather Sense. Special Benefits: A Windrider’s most obvious ben- efit is her griffin mount. Ifthe Dungeon Master prefers, a Windrider may start without a mount and earn one, Windriders also gain a +2 bonus (instead of the standard +1 bonus) on allatack rolls while mounted on theit giffins Special Hindrances: Windriders suffer a2 penalty to all attack rolls while on the ground. The Windrider must aso spend 13 hours each day caring for her mount. Races: Only full-blooded, high-cast Svanesti elves of House Protector can become Windies.

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