THE GATEWAY CHRONICLE
September 1998

WAR STORIES: August 1998

Risisins invitation to the Ram's Head came late this time around. A smaller than usual group of adventurers gathered in Central Vathos for what would become the mystic equivalent of a scavenger hunt. The Gatekeeper led his companions on what sometimes seemed to be a wild goose chase. Apparently the Gateway was unstable for some reason and was "slipping" from place to place. By the end of the day they would catch up with the Gateway three times.
    The first Gateway manifested itself in the midst of a slave market run by someone who called himself "Lord Blackhawk". Our heroes were intercepted by a Vathos spy who warned about the slavers before they walked right in unannounced and unprepared. A group led by Risisin and Moorkoth infiltrated the market while a second group led by the spy went to the nearby river camp to take out the rest of the slavers so those inside with Blackhawk wouldn't have any reinforcements. At the appointed time the two groups converged, the slave market was shut down and the slaves were freed, including Autumn, who had been taken from her forest home.
    The second Gateway appeared in a local farmhouse. Thanks to the hospitality of the common folk within the adventurers enjoyed a home cooked meal and were entertained by the storytelling of Robin Goodfellow.
    The third and final Gateway took the entire group by surprise, manifesting a Portal that consumed them all and translocated them to the base of an stone tower. The tower turned out to be a temple to Mother Moon, an ancient but powerful cult whose beliefs deal with what the power of womankind and the evils visited on them by men. The resident priestesses were about to perform a sacrifice that they claimed would sate the desires of something called "the Incubus" allowing them to keep it bound. Our heroes struggled to convince them not to spill blood but the situation was complicated by the appearance of a man who claimed that the priestesses were evil and that their ritual would summon the Incubus. Ultimately the delay caused by the resulting impasse ruined the ritual, freeing the creature it was intended to bind.
    Just as things looked their darkest Robin suggested that Risisin open a Portal of Desire to take them to the Incubus so they could destroy it or send it back to wherever it had come from in the first place. When the group conferred they realized that they had two talismans that would protect the bearers from the rigors of travelling to other dimensions. It seemed likely that the Incubus would be in another dimension so Moorkoth and Kobar were chosen to step through the Portal with the Talismans. As they were about to leave Robin gave Kobar a strange glowing vial that claimed was a "challenge lost".
    Risisin forced open a Portal with the power of his desire and sent his protectors into the lair of the Incubus. According to reports given by Kobar upon his return Moorkoth sacrificed himself to give him the time he needed to smash the vial on the creatures hide. While the Incubus reeled from the power of Robin's gift the Nomad unleashed his most powerful kick, destroying the fiend with a single blow. Kobar found Captain Owl imprisoned in the creature's lair and was able to bring her back with him.
    Moorkoth has fallen but his sacrifice ensured that Kaleth would be free of the evil of the Incubus. His memorial service was attended by many heroes of the Realm, including some of those who questioned his motives. It was obvious to all that the once reviled Captain of the Legion of the Damned found redemption and had become a true hero.

THE RUMOR MILL

Alas and woe, Phantor is ill this season and the task for organizing the rumors and tales of the realm has fallen to his far less competant apprentice-in-training Lesh. You'll notice that Lesh is more intersted in the goings on of the greater realm than the comings and goings of simple heroes. Rest assured his tenure will not last….
    Turan and his faithful companion Caladan have slain a two-headed ogre near the town of Hesperent in Evangar. The battle was said to have taken hours and according to the tale being told in the local taverns Turan fell three times but refused to fail the townsfolk so each time he got back up and pursued the foul creature until at last he laid it low. His name has been in spoken many times in prayers and toasts throughout the Barony.
    It is rumored that someone is murdering Crusaders. The Inquisition hasn't investigated because of a burgeoning schism in the Church. Apparently many of the Bishops who feel that the new Grand Inquisitor isn't what he seems and that the fundamentalist conservatives who follow him do not follow the spirit of Dain's teachings.
    In other news of religious upheaval - there are reports that Risha Fairweather martyred herself during a meeting of the Inner Circle to stop the Wheel from perpetuating what she called a "cycle of blood" that involved confrontations between the Black Robes and the Rogue Druids. Risha was the Druid Priestess who broke with the wheel to start an evangelical sect of the Druidical faith. The "Rishans" eschewed the isolationist tendencies of their faith in order to act as evangelists, leading the faithful to worship not at the traditional stone circles of the Wheel but at the sites of "natural wonders" such as waterfalls.
    Arthon Jurel Blacksteel has not been seen in Court recently. Some claim that he has gone to Kellar on a diplomatic mission of some kind. It has been rumored that he took some key nobles with him, including Dana Vamadrexus of Vathos. There has been a lot of speculation about the nature of this visit but it is likely to be an effort to strengthen treaties between the two Kingdoms to allow more vigorous trade.
    It was widely that Captain Gray had begun recruiting a new Gray Guard. The erstwhile Captain had traveled throughout Argoth, Vathos and Zurek in search of warriors who meet his rather demanding criteria. According to some of those who have been interviewed by Gray told the new Guard that in addition to typical mercenary duties they should expect to be led into battle against "evil men, monsters and the forces of darkness". Unfortunately, it is now being said that Gray has given up his search. After months of recruiting he only found six men that met his stringent criteria. His right hand man was given his banner and was charged with carrying on the tradition of the Gray Guard without him, leaving the hero free to prepare for his wedding to Catherine.
    Governor Reese of Vathos has hired several mercenary units for the express purpose of hunting down the slavers that have recently been discovered to be operating in Vathos. His forces haven't had much luck tracking the elusive vermin but they have reported finding slavers who have been magically blinded. The afflicted slavers tell tales of a mysterious "phantom" who is exacting vengeance on them for their dark deeds.
    Of similar interest is word that many of those gathered for the so-called Ram's Head Tavern where near to a major slaver lair and refused to assist agents of the Duke of Vathos in apprehending the villains. They even tell that the Gatekeeper Risisin, counseled by equally villainous Moorkoth (who has been the sorcerer's shadow lately), agreed to allow the slavers to depart unharmed, and with their human merchandise.
    According to several reports Bleys has been wandering the land healing the sick and mending the wounded. There are some who have been surprised by this turn of events - up until now he has not had the kind of reputation that would suggest that he is given to charitable works of this kind.
    There are persistent rumors that several important people have gone missing. Among those mysteriously absent are Lady Whitewater (known to the adventurers of the Ram's Head as Captain Owl) and Robin Goodfellow, who was supposed to be orchestrating some sort of performance for Highlord Blacksteel. Their friends are concerned and the King is annoyed.
    The artisans working at Fallow Spire have been dismissed, their work completed, full of stories of the Golden Man they constructed and the famous magician involved in its creation. They were paid so well that their return has had a significant impact on the economy of Argoth, the Duchy that the majority of the master craftsmen call home.
    And lastly, word of political turmoil in Evangar. Apparently, the discovery that the Lady Elimer Whitewolf, leader of the upstart "House Whitewolf" faction is actually the renowned Commander Owl Darkhunter has set the Court into a tizzy, and perhaps jeopardized the reign of the new Duchess. Owl support for the Duchess was clear during her ascension, and if she is the leader of the fractious "House Whitewolf" that has been drumming up support for a change in leadership in Evangar and Kaleth, then where do the new Duchess' political leanings lie? There are also rumors that Owl, or shall we say the Lady Whitewater, is in all but open rebellion against her Baroness, Pervinco, and that the Baroness is preparing to move against her. That, compounded by recent news that Owl has withdrawn one of her armies from the Du'Vallier estate in Zurek where it had been guarding a cabbalistic library, has made more than one Peer wonder openly in court if they'll next see that army in the Capital. All this is only made worse by the fact that Owl herself is gone to ground. Safe money says she is leading her troops...but to where?

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND?

Many of you attended the funeral of Moorkoth, in Evangar on the lands granted to Liam of the Falcon Guard. The service was short and heartfelt, with a song about Moorkoth written by Robin Goodfellow who for some reason was absent. The song was read with difficulty by an emotional Liam.
    The funeral did not leave you with sorrow, but with understanding of the great forces that shaped a young boy into the man you knew as Moorkoth. A man who became a hero. Many of your are glad that the name of Moorkoth is now spoken by some without revulsion.

WEB SITE SURVEY

Hopefully, accompanying your check-out sheet is a web survey form. Tom Dowd and Doug Tabb have recently begun the unfathomable task of redesigning and updating the web site, but they need your help.
    Please fill out the form and let us know the particulars of your Gateway-related web use. If you don’t have web access, don’t fill it out and we’ll assume any missing are from the Internet-impaired.
    If you have any questions about the survey ask Doug to Tom.

THE STATE OF THE UNION

Some changes in the new state of politics in Kaleth. Most noteworthy is that the influence of the Druids has now risen above that of Evangar and that the Pantheists have moved ahead of both the Dissidents and Thallarin    
    Zurek still maintains its lead, but Vathos has clearly gained some ground. Perhaps most interesting is the close contest between the influence of the King and that of the Guild. What would happen if those positions were to reverse?.

THE NEXT SESSION...

The October session, the much-anticipated wedding of Captain Grey and Catherine, will take place on Saturday, October 17, 1998 at the home of Kurt and Vicki Martin’s in Aurora, IL. Maps and directions will be available on the web site shortly, but until then they are (Hah! Now you have no excuses!)
    Take I88 West past the Aurora toll booth. The first exit after the toll booth is Rte 31. Take Rte 31 south (right). You'll pass Indian Trail and Illinois roads. The first light past Illinois is West Park. There is a police station on your left. Go right (west) on West Park to the first stop sign. This is Blackhawk. Go right (north) on Blackhawk. The house is the fifth or sixth on the right side of the street. It is white with teal trim and there is a large plaque beside the front door with Martin name and house number on it. The address is 431 Blackhawk Street. It takes about 35 minutes in regular traffic to get from where I88 begins to the house. Also, I88 is under construction. You might want to leave a little early.
    If you need additional information, call 630-801-1632.
    As this session promises to be unique, there may be special requests coming from the gamemasters. Keep an eye on your e-mail and the web site for information as it develops.

Long-term news—
    The December Game is being scheduled for the Stronghold (an event site that is a fortified manor house in the medieval style.). This will be an overnight event and will require a larger than normal site fee, payable at the November game (they actually want money upfront!). More information will be provided at this session, the next, and at the web site. Talk to Tony Hrubes about the latest developments.
    No information about the November game is available at press time. Assume, however, that it is the third weekend of that month.

This edition of the Gateway Chronicle was created by:

War Stories (Session 17), From The Black Desk, Etc.—Alex Grey
Funeral for a Friend?— Kevin Stein
Rumor Mill—Chad Brinkley, Tom Dowd, Alex Grey, Aaron Loeb, Dave Simkins, and Doug Tabb
Additional Artwork— Tony Hrubes
Layout, Production, and additional writing: Tom Dowd

The Gateway Chronicles Staff

Primarch: Alex Grey (JanusGraye@aol.com)
Game Coordinator: Dawn Nystul (ElvenDawn@aol.com)
Treasurer: Aaron Loeb (????)
Archivist: Dan Grendel (udun@aol.com)
Chronicler/Webmaster: Tom Dowd (tom.dowd@ix.netcom.com)

Storytellers:

Chad Brinkley
Tom Dowd (tom.dowd@ix.netcom.com)
Aaron Loeb (???)
Dave Simkins (dsimkins@jaka.ece.uiuc.edu)
Doug Tabb (dougtabb@aol.com)

 

Gateway Chronicles © 1998 Alex Grey (the artist formerly known as Mike Nystul)