Gateway Chronicle - July 1999

THE GATEWAY CHRONICLE
July 1999

Link to May 1999 pictures!
Link to June 1999 pictures!

WAR STORIES: May 1999

Following a brief rest at the Ram's Head Tavern, a gathering overshadowed by talk of the demise of Black Master of the Gates, Mox, the death of Kithkirian, and the absence of the Tavernmaster, Griffin, the Heroes once again found themselves at sea. The Shadow Path from the Tavern took them far into the southern ocean and opened onto the deck of Kaleth's new flagship, the Valiant, designed from plans recovered during the so-called "Stronghold" expeditions a few years earlier. But all was not right as it quickly turned out that the Valiant had been replaced by a shadow-ship occupied by demonic duplicates of Korinth and crew. Fortunately, the ruse was discovered and the heroes were able to jump aboard the real Valiant just before the ship was sent to a watery grave in a great whirlpool.
From there, a great quest began, seemingly following in the footsteps of that epic tale The Grand Voyage by the much heralded storyteller Manaeus. In his tale Manaeus told of a great "lost city" Zanesh Zhan of incredible splendor and power. As an "ally" had been promised for Kaleth a short time before (by some mysterious enigmatic mystical force…) it was believed that the inhabitants of this Zanesh Zhan would be those allies. Oddly, the journey began with the discovery of Manaues himself lost and dying on a deserted island. It was he who gave the heroes their first clues.
Expeditions were launched in search of a series of "Guides" that would lead the Valiant to Zanesh Zhan, but as those mystical instruments were discovered so too was information that began to imply that the lost city was more mythic than real and the that truth was far more startling. In the end, the four Guides were matched together and placed over the Map of the Spheres, which when compared to a Map of the Southern Seas indicated the very island the dying Manaeus had been discovered. Upon returning to that location, the ship was enveloped in a brilliant white light and a winged, angelic figure descended. The figure claimed to be one of the Elophem who had sealed themselves away and seemed to be the truth behind Manaeus' tale. The angle claimed that since they had been found they would go to the side of their "new master" and send their sons and daughters to aid Kaleth. With that, the angel vanished and the Crusader's Andor and Merideth felt some of the diminished powers returning.

WAR STORIES: June 1999

    The Valiant returned to Kaleth knowing that they had contacted new allies...and quickly learned that they would be needed. The Empire was on the move and shortly after the magical vessel's return Empire shocktroops began appearing across Kaleth sowing destruction and reaping lives.
    All of the major strongholds of the island of Kaleth were attacked without regard to station or legality. Army barracks were burned, ports gutted, and even the King came directly under attack. The Queen, Dana Vamadrexus Blacksteel was killed, but the King's new heir was kept from harm.
    The heroes found themselves scattered across Kaleth as the attacks began. Many found themselves at a Inn in rural Evangar as terrible creatures of the Empire hunted them. They persevered, but it cost the Inquisitor Umbar his life. During that time Sir Justin Swift apparently underwent some form of religious conversion, cast aside all his worldly goods, and swore himself to Dain. Elsewhere Liam was formally inducting a number of new heroes into the Falcon Guard when the Empire struck there. Fortunately, the combined might of the gathered heroes proved too much for the vile forces. At the same time, the estate of Commander Owl (aka Lady Ellimer Whitewolf) came under attack as well.
    Finally, battered and beaten, the heroes all converged at Whitewolf Manor. Before long, however, nine of their number vanished abruptly. Shortly after that, one of the children of the Elophem appeared naming himself Ramiel, and presented two possible aids they could give to Kaleth. The first was a way to evacuate some of the populace to Kellar, the other was to lower the level of magic in the world thereby damaging the Empire tremendously and perhaps evening the odds. The gathered heroes, sans their missing compatriots, chose to reduce the power of magic.
    Three expeditions were sent out, each to perform a ritual and raise a menhir (standing stone) at the appropriate location around the world. Then, once this was done, the children of the Elophem gathered and began a Great Work that lit up the sky and shook the world. But one more sacrifice was required, a symbolic one of magic, where one of the gathered had to give up their Gift. Commander Owl offered first, but her Gift was not strong enough. Then Rhianna offered, but Gwen stepped forward as well. Finally, in the end, it was Gwen who joined the Great Work and sacrificed her power to cripple the Empire. Ramial left them with the understanding that this blow would not destroy the Empire but that it might give the forces of Kaleth the chance to fight back.
    The impact of the reduction of magic was immediately felt as minor magic items began to disintegrate and the various spellcasters noticed it growing harder and harder to use their gifts. For the Empire, the effect was nearly catastrophic as so much of their military and society was based on power magics. Still, even with their most fearsome weapons disabled, the Empire's troops landed in Kaleth and began their attack.

THE RUMOR MILL

This edition of the Rumor Mill is different in that it deals with both truth and innuendo. While Phantor takes much joy in the spreading of questionable tales (and will return to previous wily ways shortly) now is not the time for gossip. What follows is divided into three sections - Known True (what Phantor knows to be true), Believed True (what Phantor thinks may be true, but cannot wholly confirm and so may turn out to be false), and Rumor (that which Phantor has heard but cannot confirm at all.)

KNOWN TRUE

· A military force of incredible power, from a place known as The Empire, has attacked Kaleth. The death and devastation is almost beyond understanding.
· A large chunk of the land within the Duchy of Thallarin, predominantly its western reaches, was destroyed by "fire that fell from the sky".
· Tens of thousands of refugees from the devastation in Thallarin are pouring into nearby Zurek and Evangar
· The Queen is dead and the King injured. Forces of the Empire attacked the Royal Palace in Zurek killing most of those protecting the King. During this attack, and while protecting her newborn son, the Queen was slain. The King was also seriously injured but it is understood he will recover.
· Attacks were launched by the Empire against nearly all of the seats of power in Kaleth. Ducal Palaces, key temples, powerful merchant guildhalls, and so on were attacked and in many cases leveled by these attacks.
· Church of Sangir Inquisitor Umbar Churchson was killed defending a tavern (and the peasants therein) from creatures of the Empire. Upon his death, Sir Justin Swift received an epiphany and swore his faith to the Church of Sangir.
· The Church of Sangir, under the "Inquisitor" LeVay took control of the Church of Dain compound in Talos Argoth.
· Turan, hero of the Ram's Head, and others of that group, rallied troops in Vathos and Argoth and made a stand at the Crusader Citadel outside Talos Argoth where the Empire's invading army was barely defeated.
· Western Vathos has fallen to the Empire, partly through the treachery of Thomas Vamadrexus who acting as Duke of Vathos agreed to open the ports of that Duchy to the Empire in exchange for keeping his butt safe. His beaten and hamstrung body was turned over to the eastern lord of Vathos by someone named "Falcon" in time for those lords to mount a successful defense of that portion of the Duchy.
· Forces of the Empire attacked the Crusader Citadel outside of Talos Argoth. That army was stopped with great loss of life on both sides.

BELIEVED TRUE

· The fabled "Elf Wood" of Thallarin was wholly destroyed in the cataclysm that befell that land.
· Former King Blacksteel was killed in that same destruction.
· Something has lowered the power of magic in Kaleth, and perhaps the world. This may have been due to the actions of the heroes of the Ram's Head Inn though how this is so is unclear.
· Lady Maegra of Thallarin and Duke Legarre of Zurek are believed dead.
· The Kytheri Archipelago was specifically attacked by the Empire in addition to their attacks against mainland Kaleth. The attack was repulsed.
· The major shipbuilding ports of Vathos and Zurek were all burned, but the newest ones in Argoth remain relatively unscathed.
· Terrible whirlwinds have appeared in the Desolation making it virtually impossible to cross.
· Former followers of the Church of Dain, including some converts to the Church of Sangir, have been proclaiming that there is "a new Dain" and have begun proselytizing with renewed vigor.
· The Crusader Andor and Justicar Kedrik appeared in Talos Argoth and destroyed the Inquisitor LeVay.

RUMOR

· Demonsapawn, and alleged Hero, Aladremory Bex (my apologies if that is not how it is spelled… Phantor has never seen it written down) was killed battling the Empire, though oddly there seems to be no consensus as to how he died among those who were with him…
· Duchess Danrada of Evangar is believed dead, as is Archbishop Stannis Saekow.
· Morgan Winterborne has taken most of the army of Kaleth and declared himself "ArchDuke" of Evangar and has asked the other Ducal Lords to rally around him rather than the King.
· The King's injury is more serious than though, hence his absence from the battlefield in Argoth.
· Military commanders, formerly loyal to devastated Duchies have taken their armies into the wilderness and declared themselves "warlords". They have begun occupying outlying areas of Evangar and Vathos in attempts to establish their own Freeholds.
· Robin Goodfellow was seen weeping and writing on a nearby hillside as parts of the great old city of Talos Argoth burned.
· When the Crusader Citadel was successfully defended, Dain intervene on a number of occasions to keep the unit of Crusaders alive. There was no sign of Pantheist assistance in that battle.
· The Empire's fleets are beginning a blockage of the southern ports of Argoth, Eastern Vathos, and may have ranged as far north as Evangar.
· Kedrik, the former Justicar Inquisitor, has taken over the leadership of the Church of Dain and has been gathering the faithful in Argoth.
· Fleets of hundreds of Empire warships and transports have been seen heading north around Eastern Vathos toward the Evangar and Zurek coasts.
· The destruction of Thallarin was caused in part by a gathering of former Cabal mages who were attempting to thwart their former masters.
· Some miracle has occurred in the Desolation causing parts of it to "become green" and dozens of nomads have been seen worshiping in the Cathedral in Talos Argoth.
· The Knights of the White Rose have been all but exterminated by the Empire.
· The Kytheri defense somehow caused the destruction of Thallarin.
· Military forces from Kellar have set sail to aid Kaleth. Such assistance, however, is at least a month away…
· Though many druids died in the destruction of Thallarin, oddly many were outside of that Duchy's borders when the devastation occurred.
· The mages Malachi and Xandar were specifically targeted by the Empire and have not been seen since the beginning of the attack.
· Heroes Hunter and Autumn were both killed when the Elf Wood was destroyed.
· The odd reduction in magic has killed all the elves and dwarves, for none have been seen since the loss of magic.

THE TWILIGHT OF MAGIC

Gwen stepped forward as the sons and daughters of Dain's renegade angels gathered. Three Menhirs had been erected by her companions, three marking stones blessed by the child of light. As they watched the daughter of the Golden Man sacrificed the spark of her magical gift to bind the Menhirs to each other and to the world.
From his throne the Unblinking Eye felt the surge of power and the drought that followed. He reached out for what he knew was about to be lost but it slipped through his fingers. Power drained out of his reliquaries and the tenuous threads of complex spell webs stretched and snapped. Rage filled him as he searched for the name of the mortal woman who dared oppose him...

At the end of the June session a ritual was performed that has reduced the amount of magic in the world. This will have a dramatic impact on the course of the campaign and will also affect how magicians use their abilities. These rules take effect immediately and will be used until further notice.
Bear in mind that these rules only exist to serve the plot and that they probably aren't going to be permanent. We realize that living under these restrictions may be difficult for some characters but we ask you to understand that these things have happened because of chain of events prompted by choices made by player characters during game play.
The Twillight rules do not apply to the abilities of the Blessed and Chosen.

SPELLCASTING

All magicians will have a set number of "Spell Points" that they have to spend to cast spells. When they run out of Spell Points spellcasting becomes exhausting. Any time a mage casts a spell for which he doesn't have enough Spell Points he loses any Spell Points he has left and he takes a Wound (in addition to the Wound taken for Strenuous spellcasting, if applicable). Worse yet, if the spell Backfires his Wound Capacity is temporarily reduced by 1 in addition to any other Backfire effects.
    We recommend that you make a "cheat sheet" before the next game with your characters Spell Point Capacity and the Spell Point cost for all of his spells. If you would like help generating this summary Flake has offered to help but he has asked that you give him as much time as possible to do it.
    Spell Point Capacity: Your characters Spell Point Capacity is equal to the sum of all of his Magic Skill Ranks (a character with Divination 5 and Healing 7 has a Spell Point Capacity of 12). Spell Points are recovered at the rate of 1 for every full hour of rest. Your character starts each session fully rested. It is possible to rest during the session but this is easier to do while on Expedition.
   Manna Bonus: Characters with the Manna Advantage add 2 to their Spell Point capacity for every point of Manna they have (a character with Enchantment 8, Illusions 6, Sorcery 6 and 2 pts of Manna has a Spell Point Capacity of 24).
    Base Cost: Casting a spell costs a number of Spell Points equal to its cost (a 4 pt spell costs 4 Spell Points). Specialists use their cost break when determining Spell Point cost (a 4 pt spell costs a Specialist 3 pts so it costs him 3 pts to cast).
    Restricted School Penalties: The Spell Point cost of spells from the school of Metamagic are increased by 1, the cost of spells from the restricted school of Translocation are increased by 2 and the cost of spells from the school of Chronomancy are increased by 3 (a 4 pt Metamagic spell would cost 5 Spell Points, a 4 pt Translocation spell would cost 6 pts and a 4 pt Chronomancy spell would cost 7 pts).
    Mastery Bonus: Mastery of the Magic Skill required to cast the spell in question reduces its Spell Point cost by 1 (having Mastery of a 4 pt spell reduces its Spell Point cost to 3).
   Grandmastery Bonus: Grand Mastery of the Magic Skill required to cast the spell in question reduces its Spell Point cost by 2 (having Grand Mastery of a 4 pt spell reduces its Spell Point cost to 2). This bonus is *not* cumulative with the bonus for Mastery (you need Mastery to buy Grand Mastery but once you have Grand Mastery you are no longer a Master).
    Wizard Bonus: The Wizard Advantage reduces the Spell Point cost of all of a magician's spells by 1.
    Magister Bonus: The Magister Advantage reduces the Spell Point cost of all of a magician's spells by 2. This bonus is *not* cumulative with the bonus for the Wizard Advantage (you need to be a Wizard to become a Magister but once you become a Magister you are no longer a Wizard).
    Magestaff Bonus: A Magestaff will reduce the Spell Point cost of all spells by 1 pt.

TRANSIENT ALCHEMY AND ENCHANTMENT

One use items such as Potions, Elixirs, Charms, Talismans and Magic Arrows will only be be useful for the session they are created. At the end of the session the magic drains out of them and they become useless.
Grandmaster Specialist Alchemists and Enchanters can create lesser magic items whose power doesn't fade by spending an extra point of their Ritual Limit for every item of this kind that they want to create. When using spells that create more than one item at a time each item has to be accounted for separately.
Permanent magic items are created using the usual spells but a special component is required. This component is something that has magic already invested in it, such as stones from the Crystal Cave or dragon scales. If you intend to attempt to create a permanent item ask a Gamemaster what you will need.

LIMITED TRANSLOCATION

There used to be no limitation on the physical distance a character could Teleport, so long as you had some way to target the spell. The Twillight has demitted the magical fields that made this kind of effect possible. Teleportation is now a very tricky and dangerous affair. Short range "jumps" of a few miles are unaffected. Long distance Teleports can fall short, or stray off course. This is an unpredictable limitation so there aren't any hard and fast rules. The results of all long range Teleportation attempts will be determined by a Judge or Gamemaster.
Moving between dimensions is even more difficult than Teleportation. Player characters won't be able to do it at all without special permission from one of the Gamemasters. Pathways to magical realms such as the Faerie Wood of Calloway and Morrigan's Ring will be harder to find and far more treacherous.

NONHUMAN LETHARGY

Kulvor knew it had been more than a week since he lost track of where Stammel was off to but it was getting hard to tell what day it was. Try as he might he couldn't figure out where the time had gone. War was washing over the land like a tidal wave but he couldn't bring himself to find someone to report to. It was too easy not to care. It wasn't like him and he knew it but there didn't seem to be much he could do about it so he went back to the Inn to catch up on his sleep.

Within a week of the ritual that ushered in the Twillight many nonhumans were stricken by a plague of lethargy. Many nonhumans who were expected to have been in the front lines of the war are conspicuous in their absence.
If you are playing a full blooded nohuman character (Wood Elves, High Elves, Dark Elves, Draekor and Dwarves) he begins each session with his Wound Capacity temporarily reduced by 1 by the lethargy. You should make an effort to act fatigued unless you are actively focused on something. The Draekor find this particularly frustrating.

POV: Arthur's Tale
Written by Josh Rowe

(April 1999)

Stranger and stranger, thought Arthur on his way home. A quick stop to check on Katerina and the orphans and he would meet up with Captain Grey. Captain Grey! If his old master wished to be refered to as that then he would do his best to fulfill his command.He seemed to have forgotten the past few years since being "fixed" by the duke, but Arthur was glad to have him back at all. While the Captain had only lost a few years, many others of the Ram's Head had had their entire past rewriten! Gheren a half-elf, and not seeming to think it queer! Others had more subdued changes, such as Ivan, and Lord Fritrobert.
Andor was back. That was one good change, Arthur thought. After Slan's death, Arthur had lost faith in the gods to bring back the dead, but apparently Dain was not finished with his champion, as Mordakar was with his. Arthur only wished that he could see Andor as the pantheist champion he was, but Dain still deemed it necessary to separate himself from the other gods.
Oh well, thought Arthur, I suppose even gods aren't infallible. And Zayvin was back from the land of dreams. Arthur had heard something vaguely about it, but hadn't heard he had returned as a man of gold! And Robin certainly didn't seem himself. He knew that he was some sort of godling or servant of such, but that was no excuse... Sigh... Next time I'm with in talking range with a god, I should ask them why being a god makes things so different...

POV: Commander Whitewolf
Written by Corrie Hrubes

(June 1999)

Having not been home in more than four years I was pleased to see my staff in good health & the house in order. I was a bit surprised when Ramshead members began to arrive, but my staff dealt with the situation beautifully.
For reasons I will not go into, a guard was sent for the Sheriff to adjudicate a matter of import. Unfortunately, only the horse & the man's leg returned. We thought it best to prepare for battle & locked ourselves in. Then more of the Ramshead arrived, along with the remains of the Falconguard & their families. Suddenly, my home had become a sanctuary for those fleeing an attack from the Empire. With undead shock troops on the way, we did what we could to bolster a perimeter defense & had not to do but wait for them to come.
An angel arrived however, with news of hope. They were permitted to intercede in one of two ways. Those gathered had to make a choice between lowering the strength of magic in order to fight the Empire, or, opening portals to Kellar in the main cities of Kaleth & abandoning our continent to the Empire. We chose not to abandon Kaleth for many reasons, the primary one being, we could not make a complete evacuation of the population. There were three rituals to be performed in order for the final ritual to take place. We divided into three groups, myself, Turan & Captain Voorhese leading them. We succeeded in our respective missions & as a result, defeated the first wave of attack from the Empire.

POV: Gwenneth's Tale
Written by Melinda Thielbar

(May 1999)

    "Drink this."
    "Father, I really don't want--"
    "Then hold the goblet in front of your nose and breathe the vapors. The smell will soothe you even if you don't drink the wine."
    Gwenneth snuffled and obediently held the wine in front of her face.
    Nhiles, Grand Master Healer and Viscount of Wellspring handed his daughter a handkerchief and watched her wipe her eyes. "Now," he said. "You went through one of these 'portals'?"
    "Yes." Gwenneth sipped from the goblet. "They're dreadfully short of healers, and the portals are dangerous. Someone died last time -- an elf I think. It's better if you go with them--"
    "The portal, Gwenn."
    She nodded. "We came out in an old tower with some symbols, Pantheist, on the doors. We knew there was something there we needed to see, so we followed the stairs down and into a chamber. It was a nest of some kind, filled with people cocooned in sacks. They were piled so deep we couldn't walk without stepping on them, and there were these creatures..." She shuddered, and Nhiles took the goblet before she could spill the wine. "They were spiders made of human bodies, and as we fought them, they took pieces from the people in the cocoons and ... Those people were still alive!" Gwenneth shook her head fiercely. "I couldn't do anything for them."
    "Tell me about the angel."
    "That was deeper in the tower. In the bottom, I think." Gwenneth had started to cry again. "He was locked in a giant cage. He looked so old. He must have been in there for hundreds of years. His wings were almost gone. He'd used the feathers to draw pictures on the walls, trying to explain what had happened. It was so sad! He couldn't speak to us; he didn't want to leave... We killed him," she whispered, voice breaking.
    Nhiles nodded. "You are certain it was an angel?"
    "Yes."
    "What is this about two gods named Dain?"
    Gwenneth shook her head. "That was later, and I didn't understand it. Someone said maybe Dain as the shield and Dain as the sword weren't two aspects but two separate beings. The angel's pictures showed a war between Dain's angels. He said-- he indicated that he was the angel who started it. I don't know," she said helplessly. "I wish I'd paid attention in church."
    Nhiles stood and picked up his own wine, turning around to hide the fact that he needed it as badly as Gwenneth. "What happened next?"
    "It sounds so incredible. We found a map that led to the lost city of Zhanos Zhan! There were angels living there. I think it was the angels who separated form Dain in the second war. They spoke to us."
    Viscount Nhiles turned to look at his daughter. She was smiling a little. "The one who spoke had the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. I'd always thought angels would be frightening, but this one wasn't. We asked them to help Kaleth, and he said they would, but I don't know how or what they intend to do."
    "And what do you intend to do?" Nhiles asked softly.
    Gwenneth blinked. "What do you mean?"
    "They called for you once; they shall probably call again. What will you do?"
    "I'll go back. Of course."
    Nhiles felt a rush of pride. His daughter was brave, foolish, but brave. "I suppose if I forbid it, you will disobey me again?" he asked, trying to sound stern.
   Gwenneth chewed her lower lip. "I would rather you gave me permission."
    Brave and honest. "Then you have it," he said, "but next time you will speak to me before you leave."
    "Yes, Father."
    "And tomorrow you will go to White Falls."
    Gwenneth nodded.
    "I do not want you to get your hopes up. Count Kerrigan's condition has baffled us. *All* of us," he emphasized.
    "It can't hurt to try."
    "I suppose not," Nhiles agreed. At the very least, it would keep her occupied. Gwenneth was never so focused as when she had a patient. "If you are leaving tomorrow," he went on, "you should get some rest. I will see you off in the morning."
    Gwenneth turned toward the door, and then, impulsively, threw her arms around Nhiles. He returned the hug and kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep well." He pointed to the goblet. "And drink that. It will help you sleep."
    "Yes, Father." Gwenneth picked up the goblet. "Goodnight."
    "Allanara be with you," Count Nhiles whispered as the door closed behind her. He was suddenly wary of calling on Dain's protection.

POV: Meredith's Tale
Written by Eileen Malony

(April 1999)

For weeks now, the images have played themselves over and over again in her mind. They are no longer as clear as they were, the lack of food contributing to the fogginess of her memory. Once again she runs through the confrontation, searching for errors in judgment.
    Two hundred warriors. She had never seen so many in the colors of Dain in one place. Awe-inspiring and frightening at the same time. Heart racing, she looked to the Crusader at her side. He couldn’t possibly have been as calm as he looked, could he? Perhaps he hadn’t had warning of the choice he would be required to make…or the possible consequences.
    A tough choice to make. She understood the hesitation. Vengeance is quite the temptation for a warrior such as he. But it is not the tool of a Crusader. Crusaders defend those who can not defend themselves against the Corrupter. We are Tolerance and Compassion. We are not the instruments of Dain’s Vengeance. That is the task of another.
    There was a great deal of argument, the details of which she has lost. She remembers only the anger brought by Umbar’s assertion that she had turned her back on Dain. Then the angel appeared……there was no doubt it was an angel, though she is still not clear on why it lashed out at her. The blindness did not concern her. She knew where each of them stood, could feel their presence. Knew where he would strike and was sure she could be there when the time was right. It was the loss of her connection with Dain, however temporary, that threw her for a moment. She couldn’t figure out where she made her mistake. Perhaps it was the words she spoke in anger to Umbar. She shook her head, throwing off the doubt. She had a task to perform. If she remained faithful to the vision, faithful to her choice, perhaps she could help them both. Dain would help her find the way.
    Done. Choice made. No time to rejoice for Umbar immediately moved to strike. Fortunately, she was faster than he. Crusaders defend.
    The door leading to her prison opens. She feels his presence before she sees him, feels him rounding the corner to approach her cell. Her blood turns to ice in her veins. A shudder escapes her as she tries to control the nearly overwhelming fear. The words of the child from her vision suddenly come to mind, "You made your choice long ago, and soon you will pay the price." She whispers a prayer for strength, as the door to her cell swings open. Taking a deep breath, Meredith raises her head and meets the gaze of the High Inquisitor..

POV: Anonymous
Written by ?

(June 1999)

By the gods, what have we done?

POV: Turan's Tale
Written by Curt Martin

(June 1999)

It was night and the flickering light from the campfire made the dark circles under Turan's eyes seem much larger and his face much more gaunt, giving him an almost inhuman look. In all his years as Turan's constant companion, Caladan had never seen the man look so grim. "Can you tell me now what happened after we got to Owl's house?"
    "You mean, after you disappeared?" Turan asked with more bitterness than he intended. "I know, I know, you can't talk about it."He rubbed his forehead. "It was an Angel, Caladan. The second I've seen. He told us of the horrors the Empire had wrought all across Kaleth. He offered us their help. They could not undo what the Empire had done, but they had to power to do one of two things, both with a terrible price.
    "They offered us the choice. They could either evacuate all the large cities of Kaleth to Kellar, taking as many people as they could, but not all to safety or they could reduce the power of magic, not just in Kaleth, not just in the Empire, but throughout the entire world.
    "I thought, how dare we, mere mortals, make this choice? But someone had to and we had been chosen by Dain. The choice appeared clear to me as both a warrior and a soldier. As terrible as it was, I chose to lower the level of magic rather than to abandon thousands to an unstoppable onslaught as we had already witnessed and give the Empire an additional foothold in their attacks against Kellar."
    Turan chuckled, though there was no humor in it. "You do know that's all we are, don't you? We are just a base to attack Kellar. We are in the Empire's way, an annoyance that they wish to remove so that they may resume their inevitable march."
    Caladan hoped it was just the firelight that made Turan's face look like that. "Uh, Angel, Turan?"
    "Oh, right. I won't bore you with the arguments. I'm sure you know most of them anyway. All were valid, but in the end, one choice became clear.
    "We had to change the world forever."
    "We were given three tasks to perform to enable the Angels to work their magic. Three monoliths had to be raised in specific areas. We divided ourselves into three groups. My group consisted of Esmay, Charleston, Drea, the new captain, Voorhees, I believe, and myself. We were sent to a cave of magical crystal where the power lay so thick, you could breathe it. If that's what you feel when you cast spells, Caladan, it's a heady brew and I see why you follow it.
    "The only real obstacle we encountered was a devastating one but it was not a physical foe. One by one, we were each faced with our greatest fear or our greatest foe with no one but ourselves to combat it. It began with Charleston, then the captain, then Drea. Then it hit Esmay who in her terror cast a spell that could have destroyed the whole group.
    "Finally, myself. Dain be thanked that I had already handed over my weapons in preparation, because it would not have mattered who stood between me and my… father.
    He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists until the anger passed him and then continued, "We strode into the next room, which Drea knew to be where the ritual had to take place. She began, calling upon the element of earth and as she called, it came. The earth trembled and the roof caved in, blocking our exit and battering us nearly senseless.
    "We now stood in an open air pit, while Drea called upon the air. Before we could react, lightning struck from a cloudless sky. The captain's shield kept Drea safe, but the captain and the rest of us were not so fortunate.
    "Realizing that the next element she was going to call on was water and having learned my lesson from the air, I called everyone to climb out of the pit. My instincts were correct as the pit filled twenty-five feet with water. The Stone rose and the ritual was complete. A portal appeared to take us back.
    "Once all three stones had risen and all three rituals complete, we were no longer in Owl's estate but on a plain and the Angel had been joined by countless others winding in a Dance that the mind could not grasp. It seemed as if they danced the truth and everything we knew was a lie or a shadow of the truth
    "The Angel called then for a sacrifice. Someone had to give up their gift as a final step in the ritual. Owl stepped forward first, but was told that her gift was not strong enough, then Rhianna stepped forward. The Angel agreed that her gift would suffice but before she could enter the Dance, Gwen stepped beside her. There was a discussion I could not hear, but in the end, it was Gwen who joined the Dance, Gwen who lost her gift and Gwen whose sacrifice has given hope to us all."
    He was silent for a moment. "And now we have gathered our few compatriots and we raise a flag to defend our lands, calling young men to their deaths."
    He paused again. "You are right, Caladan, I am very tired."
    Caladan watched Turan get up from the fire, but knew he wouldn't sleep. He stirred the coals and watched as the sparks sailed up to join the stars.

POV: Gwen’s Tale
Written by Kelly Jordine

(June 1999)

I was forewarned that there would be trouble. Just the fact that I was warned inferred that something catastrophic was going to occur. Even forewarned, I could not guess the dire events that were to happen this day.
    When the Angel of Dain appeared we had already learned that the Empire was attacking, but with the angel's appearance we learned that the Empire had already laid lands to waste and killed so many people. The angel presented us with two choices that would attempt to halt the onslaught. The first was to open portals in the major cities and transport the populace to temporary safety. This choice would not halt the Empire nor would it bring to safety everyone. Some would be left behind....with no defense. The second choice had a more far reaching impact. There were rituals that could be performed that would reduce the strength of magic. This choice would probably snap tenuous threads of magic that the Empire depended on and perhaps topple their strength. Only, ALL magic would be reduced....including ours.
    A handful of people to decide. The choice was easy for some, and for some it was agony. But, time was short and it did not take long. We could not guess what full impact the reduction of magic would take, but most present agreed that something aggressive had to be done, and that was the choice made.
    Three Dainite stones of power had to be raised. Three parties were sent to accomplish this feat. Each stone was guarded and each guardian was defeated. The rituals to raise the stones was performed and each stone was raised. Gathered again, one last thing was needed to complete this choice. Someone would have to sacrifice their gift of magic. The angel waited.
    Captain Owl stepped forward. The Angel said that her gift wasn't strong enough. I could see that she was devastated. Then Rhianna stepped forward. The angel said she was strong enough, but I couldn't let her do it. This woman, my teacher, my benefactor.....my FRIEND, had been through enough in her life. I could not let her lose something else, something so basic, yet something that defined Rhianna as the person we knew. I stepped forward. I asked if my magic was strong enough. It was. I'm not sure what I said after that, all I remember is that I was insistent on it being me. I don't think I had ever felt so strongly about anything in my whole entire life!
    The ritual seemed endless, but I don't think that it was. And in the end, I was mundane. Bereft of magic, with only memory to serve me. I felt weak, blinded, without limbs. Inwardly I cried. It had been only recently that I had begun to know my gift but with this event I realized that it had always been there my whole life. I was numb now. I only knew one thing, that this must not be in vain! Even if all I could do now was to take up arms, the Empire had to be vanquished!
    I don't think people knew exactly what to say to me after that....but I heard the whispers....."What will Zayven say? What will Zayven do?" Indeed, in all that happened, my father never once came to mind till now.....what exactly would Zayven say? I set off, with Stammel at my heels to find my father.

AND YOUR FAVORITE PLAYERS WERE...

...for the June 1999 Session (the month of the men with one name…)–

Kevin Stein (Liam)
James Silverstein (Ivan)
Curt Martin (Turan)

Your favorite NPCs went to Joe Adelsik for D’yorge and James Citta for Stefan Houseman.

Congrats all!

This edition of the Gateway Chronicle was created by:

Tales of the Day, State of the Union, – Tom Dowd
Rumor Mill – Tom Dowd and Alex Gray
Points of View – Corrie Hrubes, Eileen Malony, Curt Martin, Melinda Thielbar, Kelly Jordine
Chronicle Logo – Doug Tabb
Layout, Production, and additional writing: Tom Dowd

The Gateway Chronicles Staff

Creator and Gamemaster: Alex Grey (neverwhen@earthlink.net)
Gamemaster, blah, blah, blah. : Tom Dowd (GatewayGM@ix.netcom.com)
Game Coordinator: Dawn Nystul (ElvenDawn@excite.com)
Archivist and Master of his Domain: Dan Grendel (spiceweasel@home.com)
Chronicler/Webmaster: Tom Dowd (GatewayGM@ix.netcom.com)
Webmaster: Doug Tabb (dougtabb@aol.com)
Food Coordinator: Kelly Jordine (whimsykell@aol.com)