World of the Lost, Session Three: A Camp-Fire Story

With the players for neither Everett, Gerald nor (formerly) Heinrich able to make the 3rd session the exploits of Dietrich & Baldwin were our focus.

That morning it was decided the Adventurers would head towards Akabo with the men working for Odafin, rather than try and brave the ants in the jungle they had come from before.

Dietrich felt as if the inexplicable idea that was squirming in his mind had somehow grown over the prior days, and displaced yet more of his consciousness. His body had become somewhat less graceful than it was before, but he also felt somehow more capable of moving with stealth and subtlety, though he had never had much knowledge of such a thing before. Curious.

In any event, Baldwin & Dietrich proposed a quick detour before they departed for Akabo: since the Sorcerers were thought to be nearby they thought they might try and find them.

The men at camp agreed to this, as they thought Baldwin & Dietrich would be quite capable of defeating the Sorcerers if they discovered them. Dietrich in particular had much impressed them with his arrival in the camp on a moving hillside, as they had never encountered a Magic-User before. They spoke with him of how such things were quite rare in Khirima, Magic was not often seen besides the strange remains of the long lost Sodality of Conjurers that were scattered throughout the city. Dietrich took note of this with great interest.

Everett, Qian, and Gerald had no objections to this plan, but could not come with them. The soothing spell Dietrich had performed on Everett, the one he learned back at the temple with the putrid demon, had waned: Everett was now once again being ravaged by a fever, and so had to remain at rest in camp. Qian had seemingly recovered from all illness, but he too remained at the tent with Everett as no one else could speak Chinese. Gerald was also feeling a bit drained, and so would remain there as well.

So only the two of them headed towards the jungle in pursuit of sorcerers, with Dietrich pausing a half-mile or so from the treeline while Baldwin continued on.

Baldwin, being well versed in woodland navigation, soon discovered a campsite. 3 tents with a good sized fire, placed near a rocky outcropping surrounded by trees. No one occupied them now, but it easily could be as many as a half-dozen men.

He climbed a tree beyond the outcropping, and situated himself among the lower canopy branches, keeping him well-concealed from view while allowing him to observe the camp. He waited to see who would return, and what their purpose was.

Meanwhile, outside the jungle, Dietrich was attempting to capture some of the local fauna so that he might Summon a great demon with a blood sacrifice. He prepared a ritual circle and then placed a bit of food inside it to act as bait. He then waited nearby, and in due time a large rat-looking creature emerged from the vegetation, and made its’ way towards the towards the trap. Upon reaching it the rat sniffed at it, and began to nibble.

At that moment Dietrich leaped upon it and tried to wrestle the creature into submission. The rat-ting bit at him to no avail, but then wriggled from his grasp. Dietrich gave chase, grasping at it while the rat snapped at him in terror. He took hold for only a brief moment before it once again slipped loose, and finally bit him too, before scrambling into the undergrowth. Bleeding but undeterred, Dietrich walked back to place a few fresh scraps in the circle and try again.

Baldwin, hidden within the tree, indeed saw six men return to the camp. One of them wore a traveling cloak and large, rather fancy sort of hat. The next was clearly a woodsman like himself, and the remaining four the standard sort of mercenary-looking types with swords and leathers.

They gathered about the fire, boiled some meat into a simple stew, played some games of chance, and discussed what must have been their intentions. All of this was in French though, a language Baldwin could not speak a single word of. Despite this setback, Baldwin continued to observe them. After a time the woodsman and the hat-wearer went into one tent together, and when the two of them emerged again the woodsman had been adorned with a strange symbol of some kind on his face.

The woodsman then walked in a circle, but for every step he took he seemed to cover two strides of distance. He circled around the campsite like a skittering insect and then dashed away from the camp into the jungle, in the direction of the hill and campsite the Adventurers were staying at. This very much impressed the mercenaries, and the man with the hat, now revealed to be a Sorcerer, returned to his tent while the armed men remained outside.

After a second Cane Rat approached the freshly baited circle Dietrich lunged at it as he did with the first one, this time choosing to instead swing at it with the butt of his dagger so that he might batter it unconcious. A brief fracas ensued, but it also fled from him. Dietrich followed, his leathers repelling many defensive bites as he tried to clobber the squealing rodent into submission. He nearly lost this rat as well, but after one solid blow was able to drag the thing back, and bind it to a tree near the circle while it was stunned and unresistant.

He baited the trap once again, as this one rat was not enough. He did not have to wait long: attracted by the scent of prey a long serpent, light green and lined with black scales, glided towards the helpless rodent. As sacrifices worked only when living, and desiring to neither lose his hard earned rat or his own life to unknown poisons, Dietrich drew his flintlock and blasted the serpent as drew closer, the bullet tearing the thing in half. He gathered the two portions of snake once they stopped writhing and placed them within his circle, improving the bait significantly. He reloaded his flintlock, and waited once again.

Baldwin could see that he was outnumbered, and facing a practitioner of the dark arts who wielded quite startling powers. In addition, the woodsman had returned after having clearly done some sort of reconnaissance in his ensorceled state. Baldwin descended the tree, and then circled around the camp, and then crept up behind another large tree between two of the tents; it was only a few yards from the roaring campfire.

The sorcerer was in the tent to his right, and the remaining men were all standing about the fire, quite near it, unaware of any danger. Baldwin pulled a bottle of lantern oil from his pouch. In one motion he stepped out from behind the tree and hurled it towards the open flames, then sprinted back into the jungle before it had hit the ground. The bottle shattered as it hit a large log in the center of the blaze and the oil ignited, setting the sorcerer's tent ablaze and scorching all the gathered men nearby. They scattered in confusion and panic, never laying an eye on Baldwin as he vanished into the trees.

The fresh, bloody meat Dietrich had acquired attracted a prize catch to: a dog-like hyena. It was ware of Dietrich and a cautious beast; it kept a good distance while eyeing the dead flesh hungrily. Dietrich hurled a chunk of the meat towards it, to tempt it closer. It approached, nervously, and gobbled it up. Dietrich then hurled another length of snake, and after a tense moment it approached this too, and ate it. It was much closer now.

Dietrich then charged it and swung, attempting to subdue it. The hyena snarled and snapped at him, narrowly missing his arm with its snake-bloodied jaws and filthy teeth. Reconsidering his approach, Dietrich drew both of his two pistols then fired them both. One bullet struck, and greatly wounded the hyena, but instead of demoralizing the creature it was sent into a rage. It lunged at him; Dietrich dropped his pistols, drew his dagger, and began stabbing.

After narrowly avoiding a series of bites he stuck the dagger deep into it, and after it yelped in agony and scampered away Dietrich followed it in merciless pursuit. The two went at each other, both missing as they stumbled closer to the jungle. The Hyena began to outpace Dietrich despite its injuries; he tried to throw his dagger in one last attempt to end the wretched thing, but his blade landed in the dirt and he abandoned the cause.

Emerging from the deep jungle, invigorated by arson, Baldwin saw an easy kill limping just a couple hundred some-odd feet away from him: a wounded hyena. Drawing back an arrow he lobbed off a shot, and narrowly missed. He sent another. This one went high and wide, off into the trees. He ran after it, and again had an infuriatingly narrow miss. As it began to enter the thicker jungle Baldwin ran, stopped, and drew one final arrow.. It sailed forth and struck true: the hyena fell dead at last. Baldwin gathered up what arrows he could find, slung the carcass over his shoulders, and marched back now doubly victorious to where he had left Dietrich.

Back at the ritual circle, with live rat and dead hyena nearby, the two discussed what had been seen in the jungle. A plan was formulated. Dietrich would make use of his sacrifice, and bring forth demonic assistance. Baldwin, a bit skittish around these dark arts placed a wide distance between the circle and himself and watched.

Upon completion of the incantations and presentation of the sacrificial cane rat there emerged from the bloody circle a most malevolent force embodied by a cone shaped cephalopod-like head. It almost glowed with a radiant, eerie blue color. There were 4 sphincter-like mouths in a diamond shape, out of which emerged a chorus of horrid scream-roars. It excreted a miasma of spores, and these seemed to wither and poison the things it fell upon; leaves crumbled around it. Below the head were a plethora of immaterial yet fully comprehensible and utterly obscene appendages, which it rested upon and used as a means of movement.

Dietrich realized he lacked any sort of magical influence upon the creature despite all his preparations, and that it was uncomfortable in this world and hatefully furious about being brought into it. Dietrich then sprinted for his very life and soul in the general direction of the sorcerers camp, while the demon rushed after him intending to punish him lethally for what he had done. Baldwin trailed from a distance.

At the campsite the badly singed and dispirited mercenaries quietly gathered around a newly built campfire, and the sorcerer fumed over the damage done to his possessions. He had escaped his tent alive, but much had been lost, and the burns were painful for all.

Perhaps while wondering aloud what could possibly be more unbearable than this, he was interrupted by a sprinting German who blurted out a short greeting as he flung himself over the campfire, stumbling a bit when he landed beyond it.

Before any could react to this a neon-blue cone shaped squid of sorts carried aloft by an aural embodiment of obscenity ripped through the melting foliage and screamed at them in four distinctly inhuman voices and prepared to annihilate them. His wits still about him, the sorcerer acted quickly, and unleashed a magical assault. A jagged iridescent cobweb spit out from the center of his forehead to enmesh the roaring fiend, crackling all over it's visible body and causing it great distress. It reared back screaming and startled by the pain.

Baldwin had ascended the rocky outcropping just behind the demon moments before, and just as the glowing energies dissipated he unleashed an arrow that pierced the throat of the sorcerer who fell dead before the now twice-enraged monstrosity from beyond.

The four mercenaries drew their blades and ran towards it, screaming half to embolden themselves and half out of fear. At this moment Dietrich pulled each of his two flintlocks, and fired upon the two nearest ones. One of them fell dead from the wound, while the other but was surely quite hurt by it but did not fall.

The two remaining mercenaries swung fruitlessly at the horrid thing, their pitiful swords unable to pierce its partially unreal, semi-magnetic body-form. Baldwin quickly circled around the burnt wreckage of the camp, and facing the back of their woodsman sent an arrow towards him as he readied his own bow. Weakened by his burns, he was killed with a single shot.

The mercenaries screamed again, but only in terror, as the cerulean nightmare rained down a cloud of malignant dust on them: microscopic particles that would soon ravage and destroy their earthly bodies like salt does slugs. Not wanting to deprive the demon of all things besides themselves to kill, Baldwin and Deitrich both ran into the jungle at top speed, to wait until the creature was expelled from our reality.

When they returned it was a grisly scene searching around those uniquely mangled and destroyed bodies impaled by unknown appendages and partially dissolved by unearthly dust. They gathered a half-burnt spell-book, several swords, and a set of cooking pots from the dead, as well as the woodsman's longbow. In addition, they plucked a skull-topped signet ring from the sorcerer as proof of his death, as well as his pipe to keep as a souvenir. In his pocket was a map too, with Akabo smeared with a black spot, and a faraway side of the plateau marked with a simple X. They returned to camp victorious, and prepared for Akabo.

The next morning Dietrich persuaded them all that travel by hill was both safe and reliable, and that there was no need for them to arduously hack through the trees or even trudge through the jungle. They all ascended it, and with Dietrich's’ persuasion it carried them about a dozen miles. After they descended the hill to prepare for nightfall they saw a human figure shuffling through the vegetation towards them. It was a man, a priest, from Akabo.

His name was Esige, and he was bleeding, wounded terribly, sweating and near-hysterics. Akabo, he said, was burning. It was destroyed, they had destroyed it, and he had only escaped them because of the soldiers, who certainly died defending him, and even then he nearly died anyway. The dead walked in Akabo, he said. Necromancers had come, and cursed the place. It burned. They bound his wounds, and gave him water and food, but even then he still raved: they were following him here, they must run. Night was falling fast, and they would not be able to go far.

They moved away from their loyal hillside to set up camp near the base of the plateau, so as to limit the direction from where trouble might emerge if it did. They strung their various lengths of rope between the trees some distance from them, and along those they hung their scavenged blades and cookware to create a set of crude chimes, to act as alarms. They then rested as best they could, while all took turns patrolling in pairs, and listening.

A pair of soldiers, breathless, woke them an hour or so before sunrise. Something was coming, through the jungle. They acted fast, grabbed all they could, and with two of them carrying the wounded Esige they all ran through the brush, back towards their hill so Dietrich might provoke it to carry them once more. Looking over their shoulders as they fled they saw the shuffling, gruesome figures pour into where they had set camp, dimly lit by their abandoned fire. They ran until exhaustion, stopping only when they had reached the top of the hill and Dietrich let loose the spell. The hill gladly obliged, slowly groaning about the foul corruption around it as it glided away, swarms of birds rising from the trees in the morning light.

Unfortunately the spell did not last very long;the hill came to rest just a few miles away. This was at least somewhat near their previous path gouged by it, and though it was now filled with rainwater they were able to walk along its edge and use it to guide them back to Khirima.


When they arrived Esige was most thankful for being saved by them, and he repaid this kindness by telling them where he had seen the very Necromancer who had cursed Akabo go to, and how she carried a strange dagger, and great sums of money as well. He left them then to go back to his family, but they encouraged him to speak with the head of the guards as well.

After this they went to Odafin. They entered his chambers at the Guild of Merchants with their unexpected companions, who still carried the snake they had delivered to them. Odafin was confused by all this, but quite pleased to see them all nonetheless.

When they told him of Akabo though, and how it had fallen to the dead, his mood clearly changed. He sent out all his men, so that he could be alone in his chambers with the Adventurers. He then cursed the name of Ishola, the King, and he spat out that he had failed the kingdom, and was an incompetent fool unfit to be a ruler. He said Ishola cared not for the people, only his foolish superstitions like the damn Temple, and its’ wasteful tribute.

Odafin told them that Ishola had refused to send aid to Akabo despite the rumors of sorcery, so preoccupied was he with his silver. Now the dead walked the earth, and there were rumors of even the hills walking the earth, and hordes of baboon torn to shreds in the night, with perhaps even more horrors to come! He told the adventurers that they may speak freely: of why they came, and what they thought of Ishola, and why they had come to Khirima at all. Was it for the Temple?

Indeed it was, they said. For various reasons, they came for the Temple. They asked if any others had gone before them. Odafin said yes, some had, certainly. He said that many had surely tried, but none had returned, at least that he knew of. He had not seen the Temple himself either, but he knew the entrance. He would now take them there though, when they were ready, and that they could do what they wished to that foolish temple once they arrived.

They wished to make preparations first, and Dietrich also mentioned his interest in the relics of the sorcery throughout Khiria. Odafin said there was such a thing nearby; The Fountain, it was called. He gave simple directions to it, and said it would be obvious to them once they had found it.

Wandering through noble square they came to a wide open plaza, clear except for a few shade trees. In the middle of this plaza was indeed a fountain. It floated high in the air, with a ring at each compass-point around the circumference. Each of these ropes trailed down to the earth, stopping just before touching the dirt. Baldwin stood off to the side, and observed, while Dietrich approached it.

Dietrich ascended the rope with little trouble, reaching the rim of the fountain after climbing about 100 feet into the sky. He stood carefully on the edge, as it was only a foot or so wide. The fountain was made of a smooth white stone, and was about 20 feet across. In the center of it a tapered column topped with a single stylized depiction of a hand. The five fingers of this hand were pointing upward, with the palm facing forward. Each finger was almost the full length, except for the final inch, which was a large ant that spat out of each and fell into the pool of them below, creating a churning, writhing mass of gnashing pincers and crawlings legs at least a half-yard deep. Further down the base of this ant-spewing column rested a thick rounded band, a sort of armlet or some other accessory made out of polished brown stone.

Dietrich contemplated the situation before him, and then proceeded to cast the Ravening spell. The magic he brought forth seized control of 8 of the already sizeable ants, and sent them into a cannibalistic frenzy. After devouring many of their fellows 5 of these ants were miraculously doubled in size, to two horrid inches with proportional pincers. 3 of them continued to enlarge, and the unnatural growth left them larger than a guard dog. Made utterly insane by this transformation as well, they proceeded to attack the sea of ants still around them.

Baldwin, standing below, was pelted with these ants, along with several onlookers. They all took to stamping the ants and placing some distance, but none fled too far as this was quite the sight to be seen.

One of the dog-sized ants, whilst tearing its smaller brothers into pieces, flung itself off the edge of the fountain and fell to the earth below; its’ carapace shattering and innard splattering into the dust, with noxious chunks and gibbets flying through the air. Dietrich at this time shimmied down the rope, and stepped back, lest the ants notice him too. Shortly thereafter the two final beast-ants, locked in mortal combat, also plummeted into terra firma and were reduced to a dirty paste. Satisfied with this result, Dietrich then ascended the rope back up to the fountain's edge.

There were many fewer ants now, but still some. There was only a sparse layer along the base of the fountain now, but still some emerging from the fingers of the hand. To cope with this he flung out a bit of lamp oil and lit it, the flame driving them away from where it burnt and creating a small pathway. He dashed over to the armlet, and raised it up quickly as the emerging ants began to cover him. He pocketed it and descended the rope as they began biting into him in earnest. As he dismounted the rope covered in his own blood he began pulling ants from his flesh, and a long time resident of the Noble Square approached him with a smile. He told him he was quite brave and clever to retrieve a relic of the Conjurers in such a way.

Baldwin and Dietrich then went to the Holy Square, a place packed with shrines and temples, to seek out a reward for slaying a foul necromancer. They knocked at the door of one, a deep earthy red colored building, squat and sturdy looking. They were welcomed in by a robed man whose face was entirely covered in a fine crosshatch of evenly spaced scars. This man was a Dibia, he said, a priest of the Edo faith. The temple was dimly lit inside, and warm.

They presented him with the ring, and he was quite gracious and thankful for what they had done. He gave them a great heap of cowry shells, and manila for performing this good deed. Upon seeing the many wounds on Dietrich the priest asked if he might wish to receive a blessing of restoration and healing through joining the Edo faith. Dietrich seemed interested, but wished to know more of this faith before he join it.

As the Dibia told it, all of creation was a combination of the Agbon (or visible) world that we humans inhabit and the Erinmwin (or spirit) world created by the great god Osanobua, or Osa. Osa created the other deities: Olokun the goddess of oceans, and of wealth. Ogiuwu, the blood drinking death god. Obiemwen, the Mother of All. Iso, holder of water and of light. And Esu, the patron of coup d’etats, power and cunning. As he explained these gods he made many gestures, and it could be seen that he held what appeared to a sort of small tool in his hand, a small blade that seemed quite sharp.

Dietrich questioned the standing of demons in this faith, and who they were the purview of. The Dibia laughed, and said the Plateau was the place for demons. Dietrich laughed as well, a bit less, and clarified that he meant to ask which god governed them. The Dibia nodded gravely then, and said there was also Bashonie The Father of Fiends who made the Sins of Men into Form. He spit when he said his name, and stamped on it. None worshipped him, except the most wicked. This was of great interest to Dietrich.

The Dibia then asked again if Dietrich wished to join the faith, and he now said yes. He beckoned Dietrich to lie flat upon a nearby slab, and to brush his hair back and away from his face. As he closed his eyes the Dibia began chanting to the gods, and began his work.
Beginning at the temples the Dibia used that small blade to cover the entirety of Dietrichs face from hairline to jawline in a crosshatch-like pattern made of hundreds of thin cuts, drenching he, Dietrich, and the slab in blood as he worked over the next hour.

Once this agonizing process had at long last finished Dietrich was overwhelmed with a spectacular vision: a spectral column of ants ascending to the heavens, spiraling away into the infinity of space. When he arose his wounds were healed, although this left him with extensive and permanent facial scarring indicating he was a member of the Edo faith. The Dibia asked Baldwin if he would also like to receive a boon by joining the faith, but he declined. The two then left to rejoin their companions, and determine how they would best prepare for their arrival at the Temple of Ages That Are Not.

World of the Lost, Session Two: A Serpent on a Hillside

(Heinrich & Baldwin couldn't make it due to Mothers Day, and Dietrich had to come a bit late as well, but we were also joined by a fifth player)

Against all odds a group of Englishman had recently arrived in Khirima only to witness the very thing that had drawn them there the moment they entered the city: that incredible tribute of Silver annually delivered to the Temple of Ages That Are Not. Sadly, however, all but one of them almost immediately violated a most grave taboo whilst overcome with awe at this sight: their eyes met the gaze of those who deliver the silver and they were immediately seized and dragged away to an unknown fate, most likely a terrible one.

The one who had luckily not violated any taboos was unable to communicate in any of the native languages surrounding him, and saw no friendly faces besides the ones who had just been dragged away, and also heard no English being spoken nearby. He was the Magic-User Geralde Edwin VII, he had journeyed to Khirima with those other men out of a desire to learn about the fabled temple, but now found himself suddenly very isolated.

He wandered out of the city alone to the shores of the lake to the east, to better avoid more trouble in the city. Dragging a large tent along with him, and heavily burdened by his overloaded pack, he stopped to observe the grunting crocodiles and crowd of warriors gathered nearby with a bit of concern then loaded his pipe with tobacco. He then realized that he had forgotten to bring along a flint, and wondered how he might communicate with the locals to acquire a light.

He did not have to wonder for long. Three Germans Dietrich arrived at that moment by boat, accompanied by their pack-mule, pack-goat, and three prisoners. As they unloaded on the shore Gerald approached them eagerly, they being the only other Europeans he had seen since his arrival. He happily discovered that one of them, Everett, spoke somewhat fluent English, and even had a tinderbox as well. He was introduced to Baldwin and Dietrich and then followed them as they headed back towards the city, trying to learn all he could from them about its customs.

(An important aside: during the trip back from the smugglers camp Dietrich studied the strange book they had discovered on the bloody beach. It had a sort of language in it that seemed to contain something, though he couldn’t tell what. He struggled to decipher it. After an hour or so of study, much to his confusion, it appeared to actually be filled with nonsensical markings. After this realization he felt as if a sort of notion had embedded itself in his head, something he could not describe that buzzed around in his consciousness like a fly, an idea on the tip of his tongue. The other Adventurers, after a cursory examination of the book, found the whole book to be full of nothing but scribbles and meaningless markings from the start, and were quite unimpressed by it.)

As the four of them marched back into Khirima with their prisoners in tow they drew a great deal of attention to themselves, as they were quite an unusual sight. Before very long they had drawn the attention of the city guards, and were surrounded by them with their spears drawn and pointed. They were asked quite forcefully why they were marching three bound men who were fearfully babbling about demons through the market at mid-day.

Everett, who was quite forthcoming, explained that their friend had in fact summoned something that had frightened the prisoners (who were smugglers, also) but that it was nothing they needed to be too worried about. In addition, they were working for none other than the Minister of Finance, and were going to visit him now at the Guild of Merchants. The guards, both confused and disbelieving, stated they would be escorting the adventurers to this alleged meeting with the Minister of Finance instead. They surrounded them all, including Gerald who was wholly unable to explain that he was not precisely involved with these people, and they ushered along to the Guild of Merchants in the Noble Square.

They were briskly marched into the premises and up the stairs, with Gerald barely managing to extinguish his pipe before entering. Odafin was a bit startled, but dismissed the guards once he saw who they were accompanying, much to those guards surprise. Odafin was very pleased to see the Adventurers back so soon with the smugglers in the flesh. He asked Everett why they kept babbling about demons, and why Heinrich was missing, but after being told that Dietrich had made a slight error in his summoning he laughed a bit, and seemed to dismiss it as a joke. He had the smugglers taken away by his personal guards then, to be delivered to the Justice Square for execution.

He examined the small box of rough diamonds they had brought from the smugglers, and thanked them for their service. He paused for a moment, and then asked them what they were more interested in: simply receiving a bit of money and going on their way, or some assistance regarding the Temple they might be interested in.

As he put it they would only end up beheaded, like the group of outsiders who gazed upon the procession earlier that day, if they tried to enter the temple themselves (or even approached it). With his help though, they could be brought to the entrance unharmed and then left to do what they pleased. They would only need to perform one final task for him, to prove their trustworthiness, before he would do this for them. If all they wanted was money, however, he could pay them a small sum as a sign of thanks and they could be on their way instead. After briefly conferring and realizing their shared interests they agreed to the first option. Odafin seemed most pleased by this, and explained what they must do for him. In his words, it was a simple task. They would travel through the jungles to the West, and go about 80 miles to the North. There would an encampment there, where men loyal to Odafin would be waiting for them. They were to deliver something to these men: a live venomous snake. Complicating this matter was the fact that there was wordof foul sorcerers lurking in the jungle, in addition to any other dangers along the way. After delivering this snake they could return to Khirima, and then be delivered to the Temple as they wished. He offered no discussion of what might happen if they did not succeed, as he said they simply would not fail him. They were to return when they were ready. After being given a bit of silver to finance the expedition they proceeded to the Trade Square to provision themselves.

After heavily loading two mules with rations and supplies, and staying one final night in the tavern where this all began, they returned to Odafin and acquired their precious cargo. A large round vessel, a sort of urn, that the snake was kept inside. They were also given a chest filled with live rats, and told to feed it only one every five days, without fail. They were also told to be very careful when opening the vessel to feed it.

And with that, they departed. A very light rain was falling on the savanna outside the city walls to the West. They marched toward the jungle with haste, and paid little mind to the contingent of armed men accompanying a striking merchant woman all headed in a similar direction. As they reached the edge of the jungle they spoke briefly with the leader of a small caravan that was waiting outside it and learned that it was also heading North, to the city of Akabo.

Further in from that they came upon two scouts who were at rest after clearing a pathway through the vegetation. They were quite friendly, and told them about the rumors of foul sorcery near Akabo, evidenced by strange lights in the night skies. They made camp a bit further down the trail as evening fell, and slept without disturbance. In the morning they heard sounds of trouble and conflict up the road, back where they had come from, but they ignored this diversion and continued into the wilderness. They discovered and followed a freshly cleared path, which seemed like a stroke of good fortune. After following this for some time they came upon a grisly sight, the dead bodies of several travelers. They could see they had been ambushed, cut down by arrow-fire before they even had a chance to draw their weapons.

Dietrich searched the bodies quite thoroughly, and in the boot of one found a crude map. This map indicated a location in the jungle just a bit south from where they were already headed. Further careful searching revealed a valuable gem hidden within a cloak, which Dietrich happily pocketed. Gerald scavenged a different cloak, still rather decent looking, from another body, and wore it. They marched onward, the weather maintaining a steady gloom, and set up camp as far from the bodies as they could manage.

They kept a night watch, being miles and miles from the civilized world and were unsure what strange things they might encounter. Dietrich was on second watch, his flintlock at the ready. Deep in the night he was certain he heard movement in the trees, the rustling and disturbance of branches. He lit a torch, and waved it about. He saw eyes reflected back at him, and the vague form of man-like figures with strange, bestial faces. A chorus of gibbering sounds and strange yelping began, followed by a hideous sort of screaming from the darkness. Dietrich awoke Gerald just in time to witness the horde of creatures begin pouring into the camp. They were barreling towards the Mules and grasping at them, pulling at their supplies, then running back into the shadows. Dietrich shot at them with his flintlock, and Gerald too. The hail of pistol-fire killed one of them, wounded another, and drove the rest off. After examining the mules they realized that fully half of their rations had been taken by the beasts. They had brought just enough for this journey, so this was quite a devastating setback.

Gerald, in a fit of frustration and rage, then cast a spell to Summon forth a hellish creature of the pit to serve them some kind of vengeance. Out from the smoldering embers of the campfire clambered an enormous soot-black hound, taller at the shoulder than a Wolfhound, with acrid smoke gushing from its’ six swollen teats. It stood before them for a moment, and then after inhaling the scent of baboon blood and discharged sulfur it was sent into a predatory frenzy and bolted into the abyssal jungle in search of prey. The wailing of mangled baboons echoing through the trees once it found them. When they awoke it was decided that they should attempt hunting for game, to try and recoup their loss. Dietrich came upon a warthog after very little effort, and Everett felled a civet with a hurled stone. Gerald was unable to catch anything, but it was decided that the carcass of the baboon he felled last night could provide some sustenance if things became dire. They camped once again.

The next morning, irritated by the inconveniences of mundane travel, Dietrich directed them towards a small foothill near the base of the plateau. He directed them to gather atop it, with their pack animals. He then cast the spell called Rockspeech upon the hill, and communed with the spirit dwelling within it. He requested that it transport them through the wretched jungle, and it obliged them. The whole hill shuddered forth, carving a rough channel through the trees as it went. After several miles it passed through a terrific mudslide without disturbance, a thing that would have otherwise proved impassable for them.

They passed a gruesome tableau after that: three mangled bodies littered the ground, and another figure near them. It had been impaled by a great sword through it’s mouth and head, and it was stuck to the trunk of a great tree like a butterfly with a pin. It was not dead. Despite the horrific injury it had sustained it somehow still moved, and it made a moaning guttural sound at the Adventurers while it grasped at them with its gore-soaked arms. The hill carried them several more miles before coming to a rest, and it settled near a large clearing. There was a great circle of stone idols, phallic-shaped and adorned with stylized faces. In the center of this circle there was an unusual axe of some kind, and a suit of crocodile-skin armor like some they had seen in the markets. Dietrich took the armor, and Everett the axe.

They could see that this place was deliberately formed, and Gerald spent some time clearing out brush and overgrowth from the edges of it. It seemed to him to be a place of benevolent worship, so he thought to kneel in the center of the circle, and empty his mind so as to be more receptive to any energies to be found within it. After kneeling there for a moment he felt a tingling sensation along the outside of upper left arm, and examined it to discover it was now adorned with a scar-like tattoo of one of the stylized faces seen the idols. He felt a beneficent energy saturating him, and he now thought it a proper time to Summon a being from beyond, perhaps as a way to commune with the gods represented these strange idols.

There then suddenly appeared from nowhere a great eyeball as large as a human skull, levitating in the air encircled by four exact duplicates which orbited it lazily in delicate arcs. It had an unnaturally dark and sparkling blue iris, and its pupil emitted a withering and malign energy. As it was a devoted servant to Gerald for as long as it occupied this dimension, however, it held back this force and did not harm him. As this was not the gods represented y the idols he commanded it to fly into the jungle, to gather as much information as it could about what lie ahead and report it to him. In due time it returned, and described a stone structure a few miles ahead of them. It was occupied by a lone human. After this the eyes winked out of existence. They spent the night near the circle, but not within it.

The next morning Dietrich awakened the loyal hill once again, and guided it carefully around the circle and towards the strange structure described to them by the floating eye. They arrived before a rather pitiful looking stone structure, smaller than a house and entangled with vines and undergrowth. Inside of it a man cowered in fear, brought about by the appearance of the moving hill. He spoke to them in Chinese, thankfully another language Everett was fluent in.

This man, a warrior called Qian, had a tattoo on his arm that resembled Gerald's, and had also been acquired at the circle of idols. He spoke of how he had found himself there after his three companions were slaughtered by an undying monster in the shape of a man, and how he fled into the jungle alone and lost, expecting only death after he saw them torn apart. After falling on his knees before the idols, exhausted and hopeless, he received the tattoo and felt he had been blessed, and believed he had surely been given a sacred duty by this. He left the tools of war behind, and wandered off to see what the idols would ask of him, and reveal.

He came upon this old structure, which he believed to be a holy place. He had been attempting to restore it to its proper state, and was sure this is what the idols were asking of him. It had been incredibly grueling work for only one man. He insisted that Geralde had clearly been called as well though, and he asked the Adventurers for help with their sacred task. They all agreed, and so spent most of the day hacking at old vines, clearing away old inscriptions, and shifting old stones back into position. When they were at last finished they examined the insides of the temple by torchlight while Qian chose to rest outside, as he was quite weary and undernourished from this work, and having subsisted only on jungle tubers for many days.

After examining the markings within the temple both Gerald and Dietrich gained knowledge of a particular spell, one that would allow them to suppress disease but not cure it. This was somewhat interesting, but more interesting than that was when they realized that this temple was devoted not to the praise of anything, but rather was a structure created to call forth, appease, and subdue a God Of Sickness & Disease, A Lord of Bilious Plagues and Vile Pox, and so on. As they pondered the significance of this a screaming was heard from outside, and they all rushed out with weapons drawn.

Before them was Qian, bleeding heavily from numerous punctures and other wounds, barely standing with his arms raised above him. He was grasping desperately at the limbs of a fleshy tube-like thing covered in sickly and irritated skin, a form resembling something like a kind of stick insect and filth-covered sausage. It’s numerous spidery limbs were in sets of differing lengths, and each was tipped with malformed and dirty pincers which it was attempting to rend and tear Qian to pieces with. It had no discernible front or back side, and filled the air with a very foul and nauseating stench. Qian was struggling, and failing, to keep it off of him.

Everett acted decisively. He raised his sword and charged the thing, and cleaved it in half with one fell blow. Each half bubbled and spit out phlegm, pus, and mucus onto both Qian and Everett as it all crumbled and dissolved into dust and nothingness. Qian fell to the ground convulsing and frothing at the mouth, while Everett was overcome with a blistering fever. Dietrich and Everett rushed to their sides, with Dietrich provided Everett with a restorative schnapps. Despite a lack of safe preparation both Dietrich and Gerald then were able to cast the newly discovered spell without causing a magical disaster. Qian and Everett were relieved of their symptoms, at least for now. They gathered their wits, and headed towards their encampment. Qian was distraught, and overcome with regret and confusion regarding everything about the temple, the idols, and his purpose in this world. Having nothing else to turn to, he asked if he might journey with the Adventurers. They agreed to this, and Everett presented him with his old axe. They dined on boiled tubers that night, and although there was an eerie silence around them in the jungle they experienced no disturbances. They departed that morning once again on the now familiar hill, at long last closing in on their destination. As they left, Dietrich realized that this temple was the very place the crude map he had found in a dead mans boot would have led them, had they followed it.

Arriving with the kind of fanfare that only a mobile and sentient foothill can provide, the Adventurers were greeted at the edge of the camp and the base of their foothill by several armed and armored men when they arrived that evening. These men were very thoroughly relieved to find that the Adventurers were the couriers they had been waiting for, and not the evil sorcerers they had been warned about. After presenting these men with the snake, which indeed still lived inside the urn, the Adventurers were given a simple amulet with a snake-like image on it to present to Odafin as proof of delivery.

They joined the men in their camp that evening. These men were quite vague about the ultimate purpose of the delivered snake, but they spoke very highly of Odafin, and of their loyalty to him. There were also very impressed that Odafin had recruited even sorcerers to work with him, as they were a rare thing in Khirima. They discussed what would be coming next, and told the Adventurers that they were certain they would be attacked by sorcerers should they return to Khirima through the jungle to the South. Instead, they would head East across the savanna to Akabo, and from there go further East and then South along the plateau, and then finally West back to Khirima. This would be a very lengthy detour, but the men felt this would make for safer traveling as it would be open land, which would prevent an ambush. Akabo would also provide a place for them to rest and recover from these days spent in the sweltering jungle.

There was an additional danger should the Adventurers return the way they came as well: the jungle around them had become overrun with tremendous ants, and while they suspected these ants were a product of the sorcerers they would be a great hazard still if they had appeared on their own. These ants could now be infesting the areas they had traveled through, likely forcing them to go through unknown jungle once again. They could join them on their journey to Akabo then, if they wanted. There was much to consider. For now though they would sleep, and would decide when the morning came.

World of the Lost, Session One: Orogoro & Diamonds

There were 4 adventurers, and all were Germans. There was Heinrich, the lucky one, who was a Fighter. Everett, a Fighter, who spoke many languages. The stealthy Specialist Baldwin, and the Magic-User Dietrich.

They were now at the outskirts of Khirima, at long last delivered by a passing caravan. They had traveled with this caravan since arrival in Lagos, where they had arrived several days prior, having departed from Hamburg several weeks before that. They had heard rumors along their way. Stories of the brutally enforced taboos, and of some lost temple being restored to its former glory by another Outsider like themselves, a warrior of some kind, but they were mostly disinterested. They had come to Khirima only to acquire the fabled tribute of silver given to appease the demons who dwell upon the forbidden plateau, in the Temple of Ages That Are Not, and would not be distracted. For now, however, they had to contend with a terrific monsoon. The enormity of the earthen outer walls seen from a distance was disorienting. After a miserable two-mile march they finally entered the city itself, with stern and miserable guards still patrolling the walls and observing them wandering in the pissing rain. The strict layout of parallel streets and hard right angles was almost eerie in it's orderliness, but after persevering they discovered a somewhat decent tavern after passing on a much shabbier one. Everett acted as translator for the lot of them as they situated themselves, as he was the only one able to speak the Igbo language. Through him they rented beds, and a place to lay down their things. They bought a flavorful beef stew, and drank Orogoro (the distilled juice of the Raffia tree). The Orogoro they found quite palatable, and hoping to make a good impression on the locals decided to carouse and drink in earnest.

The four of them awoke the next morning with splitting headaches and few clear memories, beyond vague details and talk of diamonds. Heinrich awoke with a sore arm, and saw that he was clutching a rather large diamond in his hand. The soreness in his arm was caused by a fresh tattoo: a crude map, with the word GRUBE (a German word approximating the English "trove") beneath it.After belaboring the tavern-keeper for information about the hypothetical sale of said gemstone they were told they could only sell something like that at the merchants guild. They prepared a copy of the tattoo on parchment, while Heinrich carefully hid the original with his shirtsleeve.

A short march brought them out of the chaotic bustle of the Trade Square into the pretentious calm of the Noble Square, and after boldly walking into the courtyard of the Merchants Guild they simply requested assistance with their diamond from a nearby guard, demonstrating the characteristic Teutonic bluntness.A rather tense meeting with the disarmingly stoic Odafin, the Minister of Finance, who appeared flanked by a number of equally stern guards. A rather humorless man bedecked in symbolic snake jewelry, he demanded they tell him where they had gotten this diamond. Quickly translating as best he could between Igbo and German, Everett offered the claim that they had won the diamond in a simple game of chance. This was soundly rejected by Odafin, who explained that diamonds were only to be sold by guild members, and were not a thing to be gambled away to Outsiders. They must have been involved with smugglers, he said. The legal implications of this were obvious. Everett insisted that they were unsure of who they got it from due to the circumstances in which they met them, and they quickly showed Odafin the map to divert the conversation away from how they had no useful memories to defend themselves with. Odafin was quite interested in this map, noticing how it seemed to indicate a place across the great lake quite near where the annual silver tribute was to be taken, a place forbidden to outsiders and filled with royal guards.
Everett insisted that they were unsure of who they got it from due to the circumstances in which they met them, and they quickly showed Odafin the map to divert the conversation away from how they had no useful memories to defend themselves with. Odafin was quite interested in this map, noticing how it seemed to indicate a place across the great lake quite near where the annual silver tribute was to be taken, a place forbidden to outsiders and filled with royal guards.

Everett insisted that they were unsure of who they got it from due to the circumstances in which they met them, and they quickly showed Odafin the map to divert the conversation away from how they had no useful memories to defend themselves with. Odafin was quite interested in this map, noticing how it seemed to indicate a place across the great lake quite near where the annual silver tribute was to be taken, a place forbidden to outsiders and filled with royal guards. He seemed dismissive of the whole tribute business, but not directly so, oddly enough.

He then asked the adventurers how long they had been in Khirima, and after finding out they were fresh arrivals he intimated that if they were to assist him with discovering the meaning of this map he might be quite eager to assist them with something they might be interested in, such as seeing a forbidden Temple. He also offered the wayward Germans a fair reward for returning him the diamond they had found already, and told them they ought come to him again, should they learn more about the presumed diamond smugglers they had perhaps met.

Emboldened by their cash reward the adventurers returned to the tavern, and sternly questioned the tavern-keeper on the matter of who they had been drinking with last night. The tavern keeper, after being told about their involvement with the Minister, said in no uncertain terms that he had no desire to get involved in any political business whatsoever. He knew nothing about the men, only that he hadn't seen them before.

The adventurers consulted their map again, and saw they had a choice between a climb over mountains (near the Silver Tribute and it's guards), a path through the jungle, or a journey across the lake to reach their destination, which was further up another mountain still. They stocked up on rations and rope and went straight-away to the lake itself. They thought they would commission a boatman to take them more directly to where the map would lead them, rather than hack through overgrown jungle or risk being seen by those who deliver the silver.

At the lake shore a massive crowd of crocodiles roared in unison, and a raving Portuguese priestess spoke of bad omens. They made a quick arrangement with a nearby boatman, who had no desire to try and fish with all these bad omens afoot. He pointed out heaps of dead animals on the shoreline, and a blood-filled boat floating lonesomely in the waters. They came to a gore drenched beach, and he departed quickly once they disembarked. They paid him well enough that he promised to return the next day. The beach they stood on was scattered with weapons, which had seemingly be used to draw ornate designs in the sand. There was viscera and blood splattered across the rocks too. Strangely though, an book was lying in the sand, austere and untouched by any violence. Dietrich, the Magic-User, snatched this up after only a brief glance, planning to devote closer study to it later.

Now cautious but still determined they refocused on the map. They hacked their way through a patch of jungle, bringing them to mountainous terrain. They climbed this until night fell, and they set up camp in a place obscured by rocks and vegetation. Baldwin scouted further ahead in the growing darkness, and saw that there was indeed a camp where the map had indicated they should go.

When they awoke the next morning it was once again raining, though not as torrential as when they had arrived. A plan was formed: Baldwin and Everett would approach the camp to observe the men, and perhaps communicate with them. Heinrich and Dietrich would keep a bit of distance, but be nearby enough in case things went sour. Upon realizing that the men were keeping to their tents, on account of the rain, Baldwin and Everett thought they might try to commit arson on the campsite, and take advantage of the element of surprise. However, they had forgotten to being a tinderbox with them and cursed their unpreparedness. They instead lay in wait, while Heinrich and Dietrich crept closer.

Soon enough though a man emerged from the tent, as the rain broke slightly. He quickly saw the figures of Dietrich and Heinrich, but began to wave at them excitedly in a friendly manner. They hurried over, and Everett stepped out of cover to began acting as translator. Baldwin, meanwhile, stayed hidden with his sword drawn.

The smuggler was joined by a friend, who exclaimed that he thought they would never return as they had promised, and was so happy to see them now. He asked Heinrich how his arm was doing, and if he was craving any more of that sweet, sweet Orogoro. After some laughter the smugglers asked if they were ready to get down to business, and deliver the diamonds to Khirima as they had said they would before. They asked Everett where the diamond was that they had given them, as well.

They were incredibly unhappy to hear that it was gone, and after shouting at each other for several moments the smugglers seemed ready to commit violence on the Germans. They got right up in Everett's face, and asked him again where the diamond had gone while jabbing at his chest and face with their pointed fingers. Everett pleaded for calm fruitlessly.

Dietrich had neither interest nor empathy for the smugglers. As soon as trouble seemed imminent he uttered a magical incantation, so he might Summon a demonic creature to do his bidding. A levitating polyhedral shape suddenly existed then, impossibly floating in the air above all. Colorless and featureless, save for two pairs of ludicrous neon mouths across it's various triangular surfaces. For a moment it drifted lazily through the air, then exhaled a sound of supreme annoyance. It spoke to Dietrich in a chorus of infuriated voices, and demanded he offer a fleshy compensation for the insult of being brought forth into the ugly world of meat & matter unwilling. With very little hesitation, Dietrich pointed at the nearby Heinrich. The demon above Heinrich emanated a strange light onto him. The light bathed him wholly for one moment, then narrowed, and folded away into nothingness with Heinrich inside it. The demon vanished in this folding too, leaving nothing.

The smugglers shrieked in horror, distraught that a demon had somehow escaped the Temple, despite the Tribute. Clearly in the presence of monstrosity they begged Dietrich and Everett for their lives as they crawled away backwards. Baldwin then stepped out from his place behind them, and stuck his blade near their throats. The third smuggler, having witnessed this all from a nearby alcove surrendered as well, offering them a small box of uncut diamonds as payment in return for their mercy. Everett offered them all a choice: choose who would return with them as "evidence". Each chose the other, but then Everett said they would then have to be dealt with as an unwanted "witness". They all agreed to be evidence, at that point.

Dietrich, Everett, and Baldwin then tied the smugglers together, and marched their prisoners down the mountain and back to the mysterious shore. The boatman was there for them, as promised, and still eager to leave although the rain had washed away all the blood and occult detritus from the beach. They gave a cursory glance to the blood-filled boat on their way back towards Khirima, where the crocodiles still roared on the shore and Odafin awaited their return.

Images of the Lost World

Traditional African architecture probably isn't well represented in most players imaginations, at least compared to the more common euro-fantasy environment with castles, medieval villages, wizard towers, and so on. To help solve that problem here's an imgur album of visual references for Khirima and other locations in your World of the Lost games.

View post on imgur.com

Partial Failures

Failed saves can be divided into partial failures and full suffering, encouraging players to take more risks by making their saving throws be something besides a 25/75 between safety and doom.

“If the adventurers attempt to use the decrepit rope bridge during the windstorm they must Save vs. Paralysis.

If they succeed they are able to cross the bridge safely and without incident.
If they fail their saving throw with a 1-5 they have fallen from the bridge. They plummet to their death on the rocks below, and their body is eaten by jackals.
If their save is failed by rolling a 5 or higher the adventurer has nearly, but has not yet, fallen. They lose 1d8 items from their person, determined at random. These items have fallen into the canyon of jackals 270’ below, and will be incredibly difficult to retrieve.”

“If the adventurers are bitten by a two-headed baby cobra they must Save vs. Poison.

If they succeed the area of the wound is numb and inflamed, and they take 1d3 damage, but they otherwise suffer no ill effects.
If they fail their saving throw with a 1-4 they fall to the ground as their lungs and heart are paralyzed by the toxins. They are dead.
If they fail their saving throw with a 6 or above they lose function of the limb which was bitten (determined at random) for 1d12 hours, and suffer 1d3 damage”

“Goatmorph: This spell causes any human target within range to become a goat. Upon a successful casting the target must Save vs. Magic.
If they succeed they have resisted the effects of the spell and are unchanged.

If they fail their saving throw from 1-12 they are permanently transformed into a goat. Their items have vanished, returning into existence only upon restoration of the target to their previous form using Dispel Magic, or a similar method.
If they fail their saving throw with a 13 or higher roll 1d6.

1-2. They are still transformed into a goat as before, but for only 1d6 days.

3. They now have the legs of a goat, and will perceived by many as a mythical satyr. They move as if they had two more levels of Encumbrance at all times, as these legs are poorly suited for the rest of the body.

4. They have the arms and upper torso of a goat, which means they have goat legs for arms and cloven hooves for hands, making most hand based tasks impossible, or at best extremely difficult.
5. They have the head of a goat, and may only speak in strange monosyllabic bleats.

6. They have the mind and soul of a goat, and may only speak in goat-like noises, and will eat only plant matter such as hay or grass, unless provided with a large amount of more flavorful vegetable matter such as apples or carrots. Subsisting on grass and so on does not provide adequate nutrition despite the preference, and the target may suffer from starvation during this time.”

“If examined, there is a large guillotine style blade above the door. If the door is opened without the trap being disarmed the blade will fall. The adventurer who opened the door must Save vs. Devices.

If they succeed they are narrowly missed by the razor sharp blade, which stuttered and stuck for a moment before falling down as it should have.
If they fail their save from 1-12 roll 1d4.
1-3 The lower half of their dominant arm, halfway to the elbow, is effortlessly sliced off by the blade. They suffer 1d8 damage.

4 Their dominant hand falls off, severed by the blade. They suffer 1d6 damage.

If they fail their save with a 13 or higher they are only barely sliced by the blade, and only lose the tips of some fingers on their dominant hand. They suffer 1d2 damage.”

In LotFP a level one Fighter has got a 16 save in Paralyze, Poison, and Breath, a 15 for Devices, and an 18 for magic.

So, on the rope bridge they would have a 25% chance of success, a 25% chance of death, and a 50% chance of losing something to the canyon below. Normally it would be 25% Life, 75% Death

If bitten by a two-headed baby Cobra they would have a 20% chance of death, a 25% chance of only taking 1d3 damage, and a 55% chance of painful limb paralysis and damage instead of a 25/75 with mortality.

If subjected to the Goatmorph they would have a 10% chance of resisting, a 60% chance of being fully and permanently engoated, and a 30% chance of something else: roughly 33% of the time temporarily being a goat, the other 66% a temporary partial transformation. A much wider spectrum of possibilities than the 10% or else they had before.

If they foolishly open the trapped door they will lose a limb or hand 60% of the time, just the tips of fingers 15%, and 25% of the time realize how foolish they were without suffering a scratch, giving them a bit more to avoid full mutilation than before without simply giving them a bonus to the save.

Medicine without the Church

Someone always wants to play a Cleric simply because they have healing spells, but no one should be forced into the clergy because of medical necessity. Here are 4 flavorful variations on the basic “healing spell” for Magic-Users instead.

This spell is almost exactly like Cure Light Wounds (pg. 98, Rules and Magic) except:

Roll 1d4

1. The Magic-User applies an herbal poultice created during the memorization process, using local plants gathered through intuition, to the wounds of the wounded, sealing up cuts and fading contusions. The character must wear the poultice for the next 24 hours, or the wounds will suddenly reappear when they remove it.
   
   The character exudes a powerful musk that animals find distasteful this whole time: dogs will bark at them, horses will whinny, and so on. The increased noise caused by fleeing birds and other creatures will make encounters in the wilderness much more likely, and the use of domestic animals will become much more difficult. (Roll for Reactions involving natural animals using only 1d6, automatically roll for a “Wilderness” encounter if applicable)
   
2. The Magic-User must prepare an astrological chart, under the open night sky, so as to better align the astral influences of the moons and planets in the favor of a subject, and also perform a particular incantation dependent upon the movements of the heavens at the time of casting. The spell can only be prepared or cast outdoors, at night, with the stars fully visible.
   
3. The Magic-User prepares a quaff of potion similar to “Dwale”, a hemlock-based and opioid based anesthetic, from local materials. After this vile, bitter liquid is drunk the spell takes effect, but the person who drunk it must Save vs. Poison immediately. If successful they fall unconscious for 1d6 rounds. If unsuccessful they must Save vs. Poison once again, if this roll is successful they fall unconscious for 1d6 turns. If that roll is also failed they must Save vs. Poison one final time or simply die, as their lungs fail to draw breath.
   
4. The Magic-User must have a ritual item available to cast this spell, one similar to what caused the initial wounds. A dull blade for cuts, a hammer for blunt traumas, and so on. This weapon is placed in, on, and near the wounds to be healed, causing them to be suddenly and miraculously cauterized by a searing, painless heat that nonetheless leaves distressing scars.
   
   These ritual items may be re-used, but they may be touched only by the magic user and the intended target of the spell, lest they lose their enchantment. They are “charged” during memorization, and each type of wound also requires a different memorization.
   
   (For healing temporary negative conditions a symbol of the Caduceus may be used.)