Synopsis of Chapter One: The Plate

Here's is what has happened so far:

The gracious Lord Hasder invites you to his estate because he has a business proposal. The estate is indeed filled with artifacts and ancient relics from around the world, and this includes his staff and his pets, among them the stone statue of King Tiu-Tiu of some kingdom in the Yin-Sloth jungles.

The job was supposed to be simple (aren't they always?). Retrieve a stolen artifact from the store rooms beneath the Omunis estate and return to Hasder. Jiunko, Hasder's scholar/curator with his curious assortment of powders was to help you find the item in question, a simple earthenware plate. You leave immediately and hope that many of the servants are busy with the guests at one of Omunis' soirees. And indeed there are, as it turns out.

After a seven mile jaunt down an old service path, Jiunko lead you to a narrow cave that was supposed to gain entrance to the wine cellars beneath the Omunis estate house; it turns out that it lead into some deeper dungeon in which terrible human sacrifice was taking place. It is dangerous thing to drink too much at the Omunis party.

You sneak past a sleep ogre. You investigate some human screams and rescue a woman from two evil kobolds looking to have some fun. You see some strange sand pit filled with bones and souls. and then, the room with the plate. No sooner have you found the object than a loogaroo corners you. She is apparently a servant of Churok's, and, perhaps because of her distaste for her master, she agrees to let you "protect" the plate in exchange for a lock of hair and a few drops of blood.

The sekai volunteers and you make your way out, dropping the women just outside the cave. You are on the path only a short while before an attack comes from both sides. A poison dart fells Jiunko and a band of angry ogres comes crashing down through the woods at the party.

You all try to run or hide, but before the ogres can get to you Silus, a character you briefly passed when entering the Hasder Estate, comes to your rescue and leads you through a back way to return to the Hasder residence. Unfortunately, you all get caught in the Issian Fields outside of the Issia Monastery area and almost succumb to the sopporific powers of the nightflowering plant.

Ogres try to follow you into the fields, but they fall prey to the flower's power and you think you might just get out okay...but then the fog.mist rolls in and seven riders in grey cloaks on silver white horses stop you and demand that you hand over the artifact.

Oddly, they don't put up too much of a fight and leave, promising that they will get the artifact (plate) from you in the near future.

You split up: the riga goes to Hasder with a fake plate and the rest of you return to Oki's place in Ricmorn. Hasder dies of old age within 36 hours of the riga's return, and so he, too, returns to Ricmorn.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... things are tense but not much happens. There are rumors that the Farlax, the Uarnesian ship, has decided to delay leaving port. Of course, this is the ship associated with Omunis' company; and the plate had been packed in a Nehranes Sea Co. Shipping crate. It seems, like...what?

Shortly after you are all reunited, a wolfen general comes knocking on the door of Oki's house, offering to take the plate back to the Northern Empire; his interest is in preventing the kingdoms in the Eastern Territories from having a fearsome artifact at their disposal. So he claims to know who the original buyers are, perhaps? Yes, as Silus tells you, it is Ankar who had been on of the two or three people to place a bid on Hasder's plate before it was stolen. And it is an interesting coincidence, at least, that Ankar is planning to travel back to the east on the Farlax. Silus says he can offer you safe passage on the Farlax, although not without its risks.

Some of you want to hold on to the plate for research. Others want to sell it for a hefty chunk of change.

And then there was Zog. Poor, forgotten Zog, the odd ruler of the Ricmorn underground and either a servant of Churok's or Omunis'. This plate might hold the key to long life, but it is certainly threatening to shorten yours. Who knows when Zog's minions might come calling...