The Harbingers...

GM NOTE: In preparation for getting married in late June, having a honeymoon, then trying to get back into work, I took a brief hiatus from gaming and most other duties. To my great pleasure, Talislanta 4th Edition shipped during my time away, and we'll be using it from here on in.

Another Day, Another Nightmare

Welcome to chapter 2 of my latest Tal campaign. As this is the beginning of Chapter Two, The Harbingers, I'll take a moment to summarize the current plight of our intrepid party as they made their way through Chapter One, The Saga of Annon:

1. The crew was originally hired by a young Cymrillian captain, Tobril, to help him journey (via windship) to a remote spot in Werewood. Thereupon a clone (using unknown magical techniques) was to be acquired for Tobril's master – a retired, but once powerful Cymrillian wizard named Teralz (who live just outside of Zann). Tobril guesstimates it will be 2-3 weeks to make the round trip journey, but as a novice captain, has no clue what's in store for him.
2. Upon acquiring Annon, key crewmembers begin to dislike/distrust the clone. A freak (or maybe planned) crash into lost Quaranian ruins – later deduced as a golem manufacturing facility – causes many schisms in the party (as they chose sides during stressful situations) and Annon acquires (unbeknownst to anyone) the Tome of Quarani before escaping the ruins.
3. As the crew nears the southern edge of Werewood (and only days from delivering Annon to Teralz), Izolde's spying brings out the true nature of Annon, as some possessed Quaranian, or some such. An enormous, and deadly struggle ensues and when it's over Annon is nearly dead, Izolde's nearly dead, and Deorig has died... yet vanished. Even Mya, the Ariane, is dramatically altered because of the events of that night and Tobril's protection of Annon (even though she was possessed) has cost him the trust of his crew. The book – which no one knows is as powerful as it is, only that it possesses dark magics – is blamed for Annon's possession, and it's dangled over the side to keep its influence a bit further away, until they are scheduled to arrive at Teralz' estate.
4. As the crew tries to figure out what to due in light of Annon's possession – which appears to have subsided – Chiang is sent off to apprise Teralz of the current situation (since he can get there quickly riding Psi, his winged mount). However, with tensions and distrust high on-board, Chiang and Izolde cook up a scheme to destroy the "evil" book that Annon, and now Tobril, seem so protective of. Without consulting anyone, and as Chiang flies off towards Teralz's estate (some 2 days ride), he uses his heirloom sword to strike the dangling tome and destroys it... or so they think.
5. This attempt to destroy the book sets into motion several terrible events:
   1. Chiang's sword and sword arm appear to be infected with some type of ailment, that's spreading... and he doesn't know what it might be.
   2. Tobril, as captain, has been defied by his crew for the last time (since Chiang and Izolde went against his wishes), and he fires Izolde (in lieu of killing her for mutiny outright), and plans the same for Chiang on his return. However, Tobril opts to abandon his windship and blasted crew once and for all... leaving Deorig in charge of getting the ship home safely, and dispersing final crew payments.
   3. An Archon appears before the majority of the party and conveys that the book, known as the Tome of Quarani, is a book of such terrible evil that it is actually alive, and that by destroying the book – which was the way it was being kept bound – this "entity" has been loosed upon Talislanta once again (which it once was in Quaranian times). The Archon implies that it's a virtually unstoppable force that can only be bound again, not destroyed, and it is the entire party who is responsible – and who will be known as harbingers of this great evil, and marked by the tome's taint (what the mark is, is still in question). Not only will it slowly work its blight and corruption into the world again, but because the party is known by it – and thus might know it's weakness of being bound – it will seek to destroy them before they can rebind it.
   4. The entity from the book attempted to destroy the characters by driving a great root-mass into the windship; the result was the destruction of the ship, but lucky survival of the crew and their key items.
6. With the threat of being killed off one-by-one, and also possibly going down in infamy as harbingers of this great, virtually unstoppable evil, the party galvanizes (minus Tobril) to set off in search of solutions to their plight.

And The Beat Goes On...

Enough reminiscing... read the first synopsis!