The Seers of Serenity, high in the southern mountains that separate
Karigor from Jadame, are troubled. A prophet of their Guild has gone
renegade, and is spreading the word that an apocalypse, caused by
devilish horrors, is nearing and that Ceth himself, the Creator, will
come to Karigor in a final effort to battle this evil and prevent the
collapse. The prophet, who calls himself Thelmes, calls for the
followers of Sun and Moon to unite and prepare a great sacrifice. As
he follows the river Ebony downstream, more people believe his words
every day.
What bothers the Seers even more, is that with all their foretelling
powers combined, they cannot see if this prophecy has merit or not.
Therefore, they cannot interfere. But there may be a way to discover
the truth. Scattered over the land, are chapters of the Book of Ceth.
Long ago, the book was cut up and the chapters hidden to the eyes of
the common people because their contents were thought to be too
dangerous for anyone in this age to know in its entirety. Now, so many
centuries later, nobody even knows the location of the chapters. If
the Book could be found and made whole again, the truth would surely
be revealed.
So they called a conference with the leaders of the Clerics and the
Necromancers - and found out, much to their dismay, that neither side
was interested. Obviously, both churches did not believe the prophecy,
but each saw in the coming Sacrifice their chance to rule the world.
Now the Seers of Serenity are going to play a desperate gambit.
Against all odds, a party of adventurers will be sent forth to gather
the lost chapters of the Book of Ceth. They will have to go in stealth,
yet they need to gain the favour of all the lords of Karigor in order to be able to
search the sacred, guarded and perhaps even haunted places that might
hold the chapters.
Because of the necessary low profile, none of the great and famous can
be asked to join in this venture. Instead, the Seers put all their
hopes in the young and inexperienced. All they can do to prepare them is
to set a short test of promise and loyalty, and any four that will pass
this test first will simply have to do.
Still, the Seers are not without resources, and the party will find
friends that can help them along the way. Often, these will be
followers of the Stars, the third path that - in Karigor and about
everywhere else - has been suppressed by the Sun and the Moon alike for
as long as one can remember.
The chance that the party will succeed in time before the Sacrifice
takes place seems slim. Eventually the prophet Thelmes will reach the
city of Terrax in the north, where the river Ebony flows into the
ocean. It may be vital that the party is present at every major
speech that Thelmes is going to make, because they may learn some
important clues from his words ..... |