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Tableau Infractus Issue 11

Tableau InfractusIt aint broke Dont fix it Dahhh. you fixed it wrong! Last words of Gahbore Hammerthumb, Weaponsmith of Amensvale

ContentsIssue 1, Winter 2010

Authors Corner .... 2Where in I describe why I believe a fanzine is bet-ter than a web log.

Horrors, Horrors & Horrors, Oh my... 3A catalog of five very unpleasant and unusualhorrors for encounters ranging from Circle 1 toCircle 15.

The Legend of Gahbore Hammerthumb....13It takes a name-giver to practice a discipline, evenif the name giver is lacking in self discipline.

Role-play vs- Roll-play......... 14General ideas for bringing the two together.

Iopos Jewel of Western Barsaive.15First in the series delving into my Iopos setting.

Tableau Infractus

An Earthdawn Fanzine

How to contact me:

Dru1138@ yahoo.com

In the subject line please include one of the following:

Complaint:if you dislike something

Comment: if you have something to say

Request: if you want something includedQuestion: if you need clarification

Subscribe:for notification of each release

Website:http://www.4shared.com/dir/28316119/e26be9b/sharing.html

CREDITSWriting

Andrew Tobin

Design

Andrew Tobin

Cover Artwork:Keita Amemiya

(used without permission)

Cover DesignAndrew Tobin

Disclaimer:Earthdawn is a Registered

Trademark of FASA Corporation. Original

Earthdawn material 1994-2010 by

FASA Corporation & Redbrick Limited.All Rights Reserved. Used without permis-

sion. Any use of copyrighted material or

trademarks in this file should not be

viewed as a challenge to those copyrights

or trademarks.

This is a work by a fan for fans.

In short please dont litigate against me.

Volume #1 Issue #1 Earthdawn Tableau Infractus


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Uthors cornerWelcome to the first of what I hope

to be a long line of self publications for

my favorite role-playing game. In thefollowing pages you will find images thathave inspired me to be creative. Sometimesit is a simple case of ooh I like that, othertimes it is a case of, How can I make thatwork in my games?. I hope to provide you,my reader; with something you want to tryor, spark ideas in your mind for your games.

You may be wondering why I dontjust create a blog if I have stuff to write and

release for other people to consume andponder. Let us start with, I detest the wordblog. Fanzines are created with care,thought, and effort. A web-log is rarely cre-ated with any one of those concepts muchless all three. With the advent of Twitter andmicro bloging the idea of substance is lostin 144 characters or less. A web-log is tempo-rary, the ideas are lost when the site hostingthem closes or the writer closes the web logdown.

Anybody that has followed Earthdawnknows that at one point there were literallyhundreds of Earthdawn sites on the internet,(circa 1997 lets say). Most have closed andthe content has been lost. With a fanzine youcan print the file, store it, and share it withyour friends. If the site should close the fileis still out there, some player will have acopy. For a good example of this look up thefanzine Fictional Reality. Even though it is no

longer produced people still have copies thatthey are willing to share. Web logs are, withvery few exceptions, not that way.

When the Earthdawn Publishing Trusthttp://www.edpt.org, site was hacked and

went out of commission for months the onlyfiles that could be found were copies of theFanzines, the fan online resources that werestored in PDF format. The rest of the contenwas lost. Visit the site now and it is but a paleshadow of what it once was. I know, I have aprinted book of the files that were lost.

Some long time followers of Earth-dawn will remember the Strands websiteThis site was a very good resource but has

disappeared. For a small idea of the breadthand depth of what has been lost visithttp://ozultimate.com/tom/earthdawn/links.htm. Very few archived copies of these sitesexist today. Private libraries of this informa-tion can be found from time to timeWhereas PDF files will last for at least tenyears after they are created and released onthe internet. Torrent files that batch PDFbooks together by theme are prevalent ontodays internet. These Torrent files or their

equivalent is where you, my reader, will beable to find this PDF in ten years. Or if I amvery lucky, copies of it will be in private collections used by players of my favorite game.

So I find the format of a web-log, or astandard site to be inadequate for my pur-poses. Content takes time to write, picturestake time to find, and the muse must be allowed to remain where her influence hasbeen felt. Fanzines are my chosen medium

for this type of publication. Now enough othat, on with the fanzine, and please enjoywhat you find. If you dont, feel free to let meknow.

A


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Orrors, Horrors, & Horrors, Oh MyNot that Barsaive is not already full

of wondrous and unpleasant entities,here are five more horrors to consider in

your games.

AmalAgam

Miniature by Target Games.

There is some question as to the classifica-tion of AmAlaGam. Is AmAlaGam a singlehorror that has many extensions of its self?Is it a by product of horror taint? Or worse, isit a new type of construct?

If AmAlaGam is a single horror of manyextensions, then it is one of the most bizarrehorrors yet to date. Reports of AmAlaGambeing found in Parlainth are stored next toreports of it being encountered in the wastesoutside Jerris.

It took a while to catalog this particularentity because the reports were so wildly dif-ferent in their description. Some reports de-scribed a single globule of flesh some ten feetin length with what appeared to be randomname-giver bodily appendages jutting fromit. Others referred to a writhing mass ofmuscles and tissue with bones, eyes, and or-gans splayed across the surface. In each casethe body parts in question appeared to be selfaware and relatively independent of thewhole creature.

The defining clue that these differing re-

ports were the same subject came from anobservation by a member of the Holders ofTrust by the name of Zaquarhy, netherman-

cer of Iopos. Her report follows:

During our escape from the Theran ve-dette Undaunted we took shelter in anabandoned kaer north of Skypoint. Thiskaer had been searched previously and re-corded for the Preeminent Library of Iopos ,(see record Kaer Joshune).

We had not expected to be attacked by amorass of half consumed name-giver bodies

all joined together in a centralized glob. Thesounds emanating from the crush of themuscle fiber and the bones, while scrapingalong the floor of the kaer were our firswarning.

The entity lashed out with arms and legsin a manner consistent with a warrior usinga club. The arms and legs bet this way andthat of their own volition. Sometimes con-necting with members of the party at othertimes bending just before impact. Eyeswould appear on long stalks only to be cutoff by Kenshi, our Swordmaster. The eyeswould fall to the floor to be reabsorbed in tothe mass of flesh and reappear on the end ofa stalk some where else on the creature.

We retreated when Havis, my servantwas ensnared and consumed whole by thecreature. It was only moment before hishead was extruded on the end of a musclecovered bone and his mouth opened to

scream. I will never forget the gurglinghigh pitched wail that followed.

Our band, now short one member, hastilyretreated from the kaer and hid among thebrush around the entrance. Havis screamscould be clearly heard echoing out of theentrance. Not long after our exit, the TheranVedette landed and an armed group entered

H


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the kaer. Soon Havis cries were echoed bymultiple voices. Only three members of theTheran group emerged, clearly shaken andbattered. The voices of the consumed werestill wailing their lament when the vedettethen took flight without continuing to look

for us.

Zaquarhys observations provide us withtantalizing clues but no answers as to the na-ture of this creature.

AmAlaGam

Using AmAlaGam in Your Game

AmAlaGam is an entity unlike any wehave had show up in Earthdawn before. The

design of is to provide a reoccurring adver-sary that will grow with any adventuringparty. Its flexibility is such that it is a chal-lenge to 1stcircle characters and a real threatto 3rdcircle characters.

The question of its origin can lead into aseries of adventures based on discovering if itis a Horror, a construct or something elsecompletely.

The legend point value of this creature isleft up to the Gamemaster. A good rule othumb is 1stcircle medium legend award, 2nd

circle medium legend award , 3rd circlemaximum legend award per character.

Subtlety is not an attribute of this creature. Its basic drive for encounters with 1s

circle characters is to consume them after allcharacters are unconscious, for second circlecharacters it is more selective of whom it wilconsume and when. By the time is hasreached 3rdcircle characters it has a firm un-derstanding of what adepts are, and how itgains benefit from consuming them.

AmAlaGam can be used as the end of along kaer crawl or as the reason a village hasstopped communicating with its trade part-ners. It is possible that The Library if Throaor The Great Library of Thera would be in-terested in the research on AmAlaGam.

The Library of Enlightenment in Iopos hasshown a strong interest in AmAlaGam, andthe Denairastas Clan are eager to determineif it is a construct. Rumors persist that theDenairastas want to learn how to make theAmAlaGam as it would be a very unsettlingweapon in their conflicts with Thera andThroal.

Attr ibutes

DEX: 7 STR: 8 TOU:12

PER: 10 WIL: 14 CHA: 9

Characteristics

Initiative: d12 Physical Defense: 9

Karma: 10 points d4 Spell Defense: 6

Actions: 1+1 per circle Social Defense: 6

Attacks : 2 (step 8) Physical Armor: 10

Clubbing Damage: d12 Mystic Armor: 2

Stabbing Damage: 2d6 Recovery Tests: 2

Death: 34 Knockdown: Immune

Unconsciousness : 26 Movement Rate: 5

Wound Threshold: 9 Legend Award: Variable

Special Rules for use with 1st

Circle

AmAlaGam will attempt to consume any characterthat becomes unconscious. It rolls an attack versus

the physical armor of the target. On an excellentsuccessthe target is consumed. Any differencebetween the Unconscious rating and the Death rat-ing of the target is added to AmAlaGams currenthealth.

Special Rules for use with 2nd

Circle

AmAlaGam will attempt to consume any characterwhich fails their knockdown test or becomes uncon-scious. It rolls an attack versus the physical defenseor physical armor of the target, which ever is greater.On a good successthe target is consumed. Anydifference between the current Health rating and theDeath rating of the target is added to AmAlaGams

current health.Special Rules for use with 3

rdCircle

AmAlaGam will attempt to consume any characteron which it achieves an armor defeating blow or, acharacter fails their knockdown test or, a characterbecomes unconscious. It rolls an attack versus thephysical defense or physical armor of the target,which ever is greater. On an average successthetarget is consumed. Any difference between thecurrent Health rating and the Death rating of thetarget, is added to AmAlaGams current health.


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Eyevek

Venom Spawn Miniature by Target Games.

Eyevek: a report on a most insidious hor-ror of the caravan routs and shipping lanes inBarsaive. Submitted by Holder of Trust,Zaquarhy, nethermancer of Iopos.

It is common knowledge in nethermanticcircles that Horrors use subtly and decep-tion to gain the sustenance they need fromname givers. Eyevek is a traveling horrorthat makes its lair in covered wagons andship bellies. It uses a very clever method of

avoiding detection by appearing to be aname giver of indeterminable origin.

My first encounter with Eyevek was on aship from Lake Vors to the Iopan receivingdocks. The Great Canal was still under con-struction at this time. We were scheduled tomeet an Iopan caravan that would trans-port the goods from the serpent river to Io-pos, jewel of the west.

The ship Savoy, had been named afterthe captains favorite food. She was a lovelygreen Tskrang river ship. House Ishkaratdose so enjoy parading their ships up anddown the serpent.

During a rather sumptuous afternoonmeal I began to suffer from a bout of nau-sea. The food was tasty and fresh, I was cer-tain it was not the food. Over the years I

have developed an understanding about cer-tain feelings and this feeling was a portentto serious trouble in my vicinity.

I casually excused myself from the table

and as I turned to exit the room I cast mygaze in to astral space. There sitting directlyacross from me was a rather disgusting andvile Horror. I was stunned that nobody hadnoticed it previously.

My gaze must have lasted a slightly toolong, as the horror became aware of my at-tention. In one swift movement it blindedmy astral senses with a flare. I tumbled tothe deck with a thud, my balance completely

lost. The captain was suddenly at my side tohelp me stand. When my astral site had re-turned the horror was gone.

Upon questioning my host, I learned thatsitting across from me had been a tradingpartner that had recently been the victim ofa grand swindle. The result of the swindlewould have negative repercussions on tradefor months on the serpent. Apparently thistrade partner had convinced house Ishkaratto invest heavily in a very questionable ven-ture. That venture had collapsed and thispartner was being escorted to Iopos to an-swer for it. Many small villages would suf-fer a shortage of food and necessities be-cause of this financial disaster.

When I asked the captain to describe theindividual she called a trade partner, shecould not do so. As it turns out the individuacould not be described by any name-giver atthe table at the time, myself included.

I do however, remember the image of theHorror very well it wore bone jewelry andhad a cowl of vibrant color in astral space.The single large eye atop a tentacle pro-truded from a fanged orifice in front of thecowl. A thick bloated abdomen flowed outbehind the beast, and its clawed hands hadmoved with great animation while it hadbeen speaking.


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Not long after this occurrence, the Sa-voy suffered a catastrophic accident in thestorage room containing the true-fire ker-nels used in the engine and to fire the can-nons. She sank with the captain and mostboatmen still aboard.

I have not seen the Horror I call Eyeveksince that day on the Savoy. I can onlyhope it will be destroyed before it bringstrade to a standstill.

Eyevek

Using Eyevek in Your Game

Trade is the lifeblood of a city, town or vil-lage. News, goods, services and even newcitizens, are brought to a community throughtrade. Eyevek is a horror that has realizedthis concept and adapted to take advantageof it.

Being a new breed of Horror, Eyevek, usesits abilities to influence name-givers in non-traditional horror like manners. Horrormarked merchants are used to scatter itsinfluences across large groups of name-givers. When Eyeveks influence is deeply

imbedded in a trade rout and the people thatdepend on it for survival, Eyevek will strike.

A series of economic catastrophes will befall trade affiliates, untimely demises of keytrade persons within the trade chain or a ca-lamity will befall a very affluent caravan car-rying needed supplies. All of these occur-rences will affect a very large population ofnamegivers that Eyevek has marked or influ-enced. The resulting misery on a large scaleis how Eyevek survives.

By portraying its self as a respectablebusiness associate Eyevek works its way intothe trust and power structure of a merchanthouse. Once it is firmly ingrained, it begins tosabotage the house from within.

Eyevek prefers to not involve itself incombat and will make every effort possible toconvince adventurers it is not a threat. Es-cape is its preferred method of resolving any

conflict it may encounter.

The legend point value of this creature isleft up to the Gamemaster. A good rule othumb is 4thcircle medium legend award, 5th

circle medium legend award , 6th circle me-dium legend award per character.

Eyevek is great as a reoccurring adversarySeveral adventures can be run with Eyevekbeing the source of most of the disturbanceSlow revelation of a pattern of behavior byNPCs could be the horrors undoing.

Large trade houses would happily pay re-wards to any intrepid heroes that could provethe death of Eyevek.

Unscrupulous trade houses might want tosee if they can get Eyevek to work with themThe adventurers could be hired to find itonthe pretense of its destruction.

Attr ibutes

DEX: 9 STR: 5 TOU: 7

PER: 12 WIL: 11 CHA: 13

Characteristics

Initiative: (9) 1d6+1d8

Karma: 10 +5 per circle Karma Step:(8) 2d6

Actions: 2 + 1 per circle Physical Defense: 12

Attacks : 3 Spell Defense: 16

Claw attack 2d12 Social Defense: 17

Claw attack 2d12 Physical Armor: 2

Bite Attack 2d10 Mystic Armor: 7

Death:42 Recovery Tests:3

Unconsciousness : 34 Move 6

Wound Threshold:12 Legend Award:Variable

Spells

Threadweaving (4)Crafty Thought, Dampen Karma, Displace Image

Eyes have it, Foreseeing, Pleasant visions

Horror Powers for 4th

Circle

Aura of Awe ( 2 ) 15 Horror Mark ( 4 ) 16

Spellcasting ( 2 ) 14 Talent Disguise Self ( 2 ) 15


Circle

Include all Spells & Powers from 4thCircle version

Energy Drain ( 1 ) 13 Suppress Horror Mark (1) 13


Circle

Include all Spells & Powers from 4th

& 5thCircle versions

Cursed Luck ( 1 ) 12 Thought Worm ( 1 ) 13


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WirsBane

Ooralath Wyrm Creature Miniature by Ral Partha

Wir, Mystic Warrior of the FreedomRing, brought to The Library of Enlighten-ment, here in Iopos, a tale concerning a veryinsidious Horror. Here is her story.

Have you ever been accused of sayingsomething you know very well you wouldnever say? How about being recognized fordoing something horrible to someone youhave never met?

During my time with the group freedomRing, we liberated many slave caravans of

their salve population. We had set up a re-settlement group run out of Jerris. Peoplewould be freed from the Slavers and wewould send them to Jerris where they wouldbe given the chance to start a new life.

In the Freedom Ring we prided our-selves on doing what was right for Barsaive.So my arrest for Slave Trading came as acomplete surprise. I had been accused of lib-erating name-givers from one slave master,

just to sell them to another in Vivane.

There were four witnesses that had sup-ported the claim of slavery and I apparentlyhad interacted with each one of them per-sonally. During my rather short trial noless than twenty different people claimedwitness to a series of crimes I was to be heldaccountable for. Charges ranging from theft

and slaving to cold blooded murder werelevied and supported by these witnesses.

I am not proud of what I had to do to es-cape from Jerris. Many innocent peoplewere hurt, and I have no doubt some of

them, permanently. It was during my es-cape that I encountered the Horror. As Irounded the corner of the Blue Basilisk on toGahbores End I literally ran into myself.

The me that I was looking at smiledand then became another name-giver with abloody gash rent in their side. This newname-giver then proceeded to call for theguards and raise a commotion that I wasattacking them. In retaliation I released a

blow to their jaw and watched stunned as ihad no affect.

I have spent the last several weeks dodging town militias, city guards and Holdersof Trust. Every time I take a few hours torelax and catch my breath I am assailed byaccusations from the authorities of the set-tlement where I have taken refuge.

As a last ditch effort to secure help in ridding myself of this horror, for I am certainthat is what is doing this, I have come to theLibrary of Enlightenment. My hope is to finda reference in your stacks, or locate otheradventurers that have had some contactwith the horror.

Per Iopan law, Wir was remanded to thecustody of a triad of silvers that arrived threehours after her. She was carefully escortedout of the Library of Enlightenment and iscurrently in the custody of the Holders of

Trust.

Wirs current situation, I am told, is theresult of the murder of two friendly streetvendors located in the outer ring of the city.

It is odd though, that since her departurefrom the library I have felt an increasing de-sire to locate my family and friends and reas-sure them that I am well.


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Wirs Bane

Using Wirs Bane in Your Game

In Earthdawn a namegivers word is oftentheir bond. Wirs bane is designed to turn theloved ones and friends against a single char-acter. This can begin with the most remotenpc related to a character, an acquaintanceor a childhood friend.

This horror begins by sowing suspicionabout a character when the character is sup-posed to be absent, such as when the charac-ter is off on a trip to Iopos or some other city.It accomplishes this by taking on the appear-ance of the character and behaving in a man-ner completely unexpected for that character.In the case of Wir, the accusation of sellingslaves even though she is dedicated to freeingslaves from their captors.

The horror performs these acts in the fulview of the most remote associates first andover a short period of time works its way tothe closest members of the characters familyand friends. When the character returns theyare often accused of breaking heinous loca

taboos or laws and the betrayed familymembers and friends are often the most vo-cal about the horrific acts.

Wirs Bane is best used with subtle foreshadowing. Perhaps the horror has marked anamegiver close to the character, or perhapsthe character has become a local hero andcome to the attention of Wirs Bane. A heropresented with witnesses and proof of theiractions has an opportunity to truly show

how heroic they can be. Either they provetheir innocents or they run.

Groups of Journyman ranked charactersare often accustomed to the upfront in yourface style of horror. Wirs Bane is exactly theopposite of that. A campaign is easily inter-weaved with the machinations of this horror.

The legend point value of this creature isleft up to the Gamemaster. A good rule othumb is 7thcircle medium legend award, 8th

circle medium legend award , 9th circlemaximum legend award per character.

Wirs Bane will only resort to combat if ican not escape or convince others nearbythat it is a child being attacked by the charac-ters. In combat Wirs Bane will attempt touse its current Horror Marked targets asminions or as shields to assist it in its escape.

Characters may have a difficult time trying

to stop Wirs Bane when their family andfriends are attempting to stop them. It is notinconceivable that the family and friends wilattempt to kill the character believing thatthey are the horror. Townsfolk may also betaken in to defend the horror simply becauseit will appear to them as though the Horror isa child being menaced by the heroes.

Attr ibutes

DEX: 13 STR: 15 TOU: 16

PER: 12 WIL: 13 CHA: 18

Characteristics

Initiative: (13) 1d10+1d12Karma: 15 + 5 per circle Karma Step:(10) 2d8



Claw attack 2d12 Social Defense: 24

Claw attack 2d12 Physical Armor: 7


Death: 78 Recovery Tests:8


Wound Threshold: 22 Legend Award:Variable

Spells

Threadweaving (7)

Displace Self, Crafty Thought, Confusing Weave,

Nobody Here, Notice Not, You Got me


Circle

Astral Camouflage (5) 17 Corrupt Reality (6) 6

Corrupt Karma (5) 23 Horror Mark (7) 19

Spell Casting (7) 19 Karma Boost (5) 18


Circle


Karma Drain ( 5 ) 18 Talent Rhetoric (6) 18


Circle

Include all Spells & Powers from 7th & 8

thCircle versions

Talent Diplomacy (3) 21 Talent Conversation (7) 25


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Hunger

Toxic Spirit Miniature by Ral Partha

The Horror called Hunger was first re-

corded in a small kaer about three days ridefrom Iopos. Since we have located severalsmall kaers with the similar stories we willprovide the first one as our example here inthe Library of Enlightenment. We have ed-ited the comments of an unnamed recordkeeper to reference the duration of the infes-tation and the symptoms the kaer suffered.

Long Dark year 3 Strassa 12:I have noticed a feint green mold ac-

cruing on the food store urns. It was my un-derstanding that the magic in the pots wasto help prevent the rotting of the grainswithin. An inspection of all the urns will takeplace in the next week.

Long Dark year 3 Strassa 13:Each of the volunteers has inspected

the green mold and is now educated on whatwe are looking for. The inspection willcommence tomorrow.

Long Dark year 3 Strassa 14:I brought one of the pottery smiths and

an Elementalist to the stores today to de-termine if the mold is going to cause an issuewith the food storage. Neither of them hadever seen the like of the mold before.

The inspections are going well it appearsas though the food stores are mostly free of

this green taint.

Long Dark year 3 Strassa 15:Some of the inspecting volunteers have

been caught secreting food from the storethey were inspecting. Per Kaer law they

have been confined and their personal prop-erty has been confiscated and redistributedto the other members of the kaer

One of the inspection crews noticed agreen dust on previously inspected storageurns today. It looks like we will have to reinspect all previously inspected food stor-age.

I am beginning to think that this is going

to be a long week.

Long Dark year 3 Strassa 16:All the urns have the green mold on the

outside. And the urns that were opened hada slight green tinge to the grains. This is nolooking good.

Long Dark year 3 Strassa 17:Each of the inspector volunteers, my

self, the pottery smith and the elementalisthave all developed a strong cough and ooz-ing green mucus out of the nose and eyes. Ifear for my life and my family.

Written in a different hand.

Long Dark year 3 Strassa 24:The food shortage has become unbear-

able. The kaer can not support all the peoplethat we have. The council has decided to ex-ile all of the ill to outside the kaer.

Having read the logs of the food clerk, iis fairly apparent to me that the horror ishere already and the hysteria in the Kaer isthe results of the tainted food.

Every conceivable location of food hasbeen covered with the fine green mold. Ihave felt the presence of the horror duringmy time here in the stores and I fear that Iand my kaer are doomed.


11/17


Hunger

Using Hunger in Your Game

Hunger is a horror with a truly uniquemethod of eliminating a large population andenjoying the misery it fosters. The physicalform of hunger is a chalky green dusty mold.It selects populations that require largestores to survive. Every Kaer that Hungerinhabited died.

Hunger usually sneaks into a storage facil-ity on the stalks of cultivated plant matter.Grains and grasses stored for winter is a spe-cial favorite. Once in the storage facilityHunger spreads to the other food stores andto people that are exposed to the food stores.

Runny noses and eyes are the first name-giver responses to the physical form of Hun-ger. This is rapidly followed by a series of fits

and a rapid decent into madness.

Hunger uses the confusion caused by massmadness to spread even more rapidly andinfect all the namegivers in an area. Starva-tion, fear and madness are swift and letha

on a large scale.

Hunger has duel astral and physical formsThe Astral Form is susceptible to astral dam-age but not to physical damage.

When encountered Hunger will attempt toraise a local corpse. This corpse is then ex-ploded using Dust to Dust followed by arapid Air Blast to spread its dusty spore intothe lungs and mouths of its attackers. If

Hunger is successful with this attack thenaffected characters will suffer from the ef-fects of the Wither Away spell. One methodof preventing this demise is to kill Hunger onthe Astral Plane.

Hunger uses its mental capabilities tocommunicate from astral space with thephysical realm. It will use any name giver asa target for damage shift should it receiveany damage.

If pressed into combat Hunger will use thespell astral horror to distract the characterswhile it attempts to escape. The details othe poison of Hunger is left up to the Game-master, as is the details of the disease thatHunger can inflict.

The legend point value of this creature isleft up to the Gamemaster. A good rule othumb is 10th circle medium legend award11th circle medium legend award , 12thcircle

maximum legend award per character.

Hunger is best used as a follower horrorHave Hunger destroy small towns and vil-lages that the players have visited but havenot yet returned too. When they do finallyreturn it will provide excellent foreshadow-ing for a future confrontation with hunger.

Attr ibutes

DEX: 7 STR: 8 TOU: 13

PER: 18 WIL: 15 CHA: 5

Characteristics

Initiative: (7) d12

Karma: 20 + 5 per circle Karma Step:(10) 2d8



Claw attack 2d6 (x2) Social Defense: 7

Sucker attack 2d6 (x2) Physical Armor: 2


Death: 66 Recovery Tests: 6



Spells

Threadweaving (9)

Air Blast, Astral Flare, Astral Horror, Catch Spell

Dust To Dust, Foul Vapors, Stench, Wither Away


Circle

Animate Dead (9) 24 Disease (9) 9

Poison (10) 10 Spell Casting (9) 27


Circle


Talent Hypnotize ( 10 ) 15 Talent Thought Link (10) 28


Circle

Include all Spells & Powers from 10th & 11thCircle versions

Damage Shift (11) 26 Talent Aura Armor (10) 25


12/17


Eberheam

Dung Spirit Miniature by Dark Forest Miniatures

This entity is the single most insidioushorror to grace the pages of the Library of

Enlightenment. We have taken great pains toprovide the information safely. The prohibi-tions of removal of these pages from theOrichalcum lined room are for the protectionof the city at large.

From the contents of a missive providedby Vidar Denairastas, may he live forever inmemory, to the Library of Enlightenment.

It has come to my attention that a horror

has been detected attempting to infiltrateour citadel. As is the nature of horror of thisscale, it seeks to destroy our fair city fromwithin. Individuals that are under the influ-ence of this horror will cause disruption tothe population. This disruption will appearto be in the form of small disagreements thatare escalated to the point of internal strifethat affect the entire citadel.

As an example I provide the Free PersonsParliament. This dissident group in theguise of public interest fought the compul-sory requirement of every citizen to spendtwo years in the military service of Iopos.We all know the failure of this concept wasthat we were hard pressed to defend theCitadel during the last breaching.

Since every single person in the citadel isdependant on every other citizen it is para

-mount that we locate, isolate and destroyany perceived occurrence of this horror.

I have therefore instituted a policy thaassist in the defense of this horror. TheHolders of Trust. They will be a combined

internal and external defense. As of this mis-sive the Military of our great Citadel wilcommence the training of the Holders ofTrust, and each year the best and brightesof our citizens will participate in the selec-tion.

In this way we can be certain this horrorwhich feeds on the weakest and most susceptible of our citizens, has as little influence aspossible. With the Holders of Trust it we wil

be able to respond at a moments notice.

Our selection process will provide us theopportunity to locate possibly tainted citi-zens as well as provide for our best defenseIt is not to be interpreted that citizens thado not make the Holders of Trust aretainted. Only the best and brightest are go-ing to be able to save us and the trials wilneed to be difficult.

The Holders of Trust will be trained tonotice the influences of this horror in otherseven if they are not aware that they are be-ing influenced.

A l i s t o f behav i o r s t ha t a r e suspec t :

Hatred toward other namegivers in IoposIncessant questioning of authority

Secretive behaviorsFailure to assist others during emergencies

Willingness to disobey laws

Dissidence against the Denairastas Family

The last must be stated for only one rea-son. The horror is aware of our attempts tofight it and therefore will do everything inits power to discredit the family that has, formost of the scourge, fought and died to keepIopos safe.


13/17


Eberheam

Using Eberheam in Your Game

When using Eberheam in a campaign thefist concept that the Game Master must con-sider is this Will Eberheam be a real horroror a figment of the imagination.

I have used it as the excuse the Denairas-tas clan has created to justify the existence ofthe Holders of Trust. It works very well inthis aspect as it allows the city to be unifiedin a very real and understanding way. Thepeople of Iopos believe that there is someoverwhelming horror to fight against andhappily participate in the selection process

for The Holders of Trust.

If, in your game, you would like Eberheamto be a very real and malevolent entity thatthe characters will eventually face off againstI suggest the following.

Use Eberheams Horror Mark: Place abil-ity to mark the pattern of a town that is veryimportant to the players. When the effects othe horror are felt early in the campaignmake it appear to be the rumblings of dissi-dent factions that appear to truly want posi-tive change in the town.

It is best if the dissident factions proposedchanges are reasonable yet unfeasible, suchas doing away with slavery in Vivane. It is

something the players can get behind andtrust in.

Once the faction is of adequate size aschism in the faction should develop to forcethe population to take sides. Using the Slavery example; all slaves must be set free andreimbursed for the years spent as a slave. Inno time at all the people of a town will beclawing at each other just to prove that thechoice they are backing is the correct one.

Eberheam hangs out in astral space ab-sorbing all the power generated from the ha-tred and inhumanity that people are willinglyputting forth in the pursuit of their goodcause.

Astral Space is where Eberheam exists andis the only location that it may be interactedwith directly. Eberheam can not be defeatedin the classic sense of being slain. If its astraform is slain its essence will reside in thethreads woven to the pattern of the places ithas influence. It will regain its astral formslowly over a number of years equal to itsperception rank.

The legend point value of this creature isleft up to the Gamemaster. A good rule othumb is 13th circle medium legend award14th circle medium legend award , 15th circlemaximum legend award per character.

Attr ibutes

DEX: 15 STR: 17 TOU: 17

PER: 18 WIL: 21 CHA: 15

Characteristics

Initiative: (15) d12+2d6 Karma Step:(14) 2d12

Karma: 40 + 10 per circle Physical Defense: 10Actions: 6 + 2 per circle Spell Defense: 24

Attacks : 6 Social Defense: 20

Tentacle 3d12 (x4) Physical Armor: 6

Spew attack 2d8 (x2) Mystic Armor: 17

Death: 82 Recovery Tests: 6



Horror Powers

Horror Mark: Place (12), Thought Worm (13) Horror Thread (15)

Special Rules for use with 13th

CircleEberheams Thought worm can be used on any name-giver

that has a thread woven to any Pattern Item belonging to theplace that Eberheam has Marked.

Eberheams Horror Thread may be woven to a place as fol-lowing the same method of thread weaving for an adept. Thiswill displace the lowest ranked Thread already woven to theplace.


Circle

Include all Abilities from 13thCircle version

Eberheam will inhabit the body of any adept that has a threadwoven to a marked place. This possession lasts for a numberof rounds equal to the success rank of Eberheams horrorthread woven to the place.


Circle

Include all Abilities from 13

th

& 14

th

Circle versionEberheam has the False Phoenix ability.

Should adepts that are controlled by Eberheam be slain,Eberheam my raise them from the dead for a number ofrounds equal to its Charisma Rank.


14/17


He Legend of Gahbore Hammerthumb

Gahbore Hammerthumb the legendary

Weaponsmith began as many do, as restlessdisinterested young name-giver. He wasborn in Throal during the celebrations of thereopening. His family line were simple lichenfarmers during the scourge. Gahbhore wasjust one of many of the Children ofHope.

His childhood was filledwith the normal dreams ofescaping his parents andcarousing with hisfriends. Once at thetender age of fourteensummers Gahbore wascaught sneaking intoan establishmentdedicated to dancers ofan exotic nature.During his escapefrom the watchguards that wereposted at the door,

he hid in a smithy.

While he washiding a customerentered the smithy, andfinding nobody about,attempted to steal the contents of the cashbox under the front counter. Gahboregrabbed the closest item to him, a Black IronHammer, and tried to stop the would bethief. He chased the thief out of the smithy

and down the avenue waving the hammerand yelling for the guards.

When the guards did respond and arrestthe thief it was determined that the thief wasinstead the son of the smith. Gahbore wasarrested for trespassing and causing a publicdisturbance.

The smith attended Gahbores hearing. At

the hearing the smith determined that his

son was stealing from his business and thatGahbore had in actuality saved the smithfrom loosing a days wages. As the judge wasabout to pass sentence the smith asked forclemency for Gahbore. The judge granted itand Gahbore became the smiths assistant

for the duration of his of his sentence.

Gahbore found that he enjoyedworking the forge. He learned thebasics of creating arms and armor

as well as tools for use in moremundane tasks. To him thesmithy and forge were as mucha home, as a place to con-template the world.

At the age of sixteenGahbore requestedpermission from his familyto officially apprentice as aWeaponsmith. His fatherand mother were quite

proud that their son couldbe considered for such an

honor. None of their familyline had ever shown even the

slightest capability with any of thedisciplines previously.

Gahbores test to become an apprenticewas to design and forge the tools he woulduse in his trade.

During creation of the tools he kept re-turning to the Black Iron Hammer to formand shape the raw metal and the forged stealWhen he had created his tools he presentedthem to his master. The master asked himwhy there was no hammer in his tools andGahbores response was. This is the singlemost useful tool ever created, it feels asthough it is the first tool ever created.

T


15/17


Ole-play -vs- Roll-playI have found that two very distinct

ideas prevail in Role-playing game de-

sign and in their actual play. The styles as Isee them:

Role-play:Character driven, possiblein character interaction, stats are thereto support the concepts of the game.

Roll-play: Stat driven, limited incharacter interaction, stats are there asa means to the next level. The idea thatthe bigger the bonus the more fun the

game.

Let us discuss the Role-play first. It has of-ten been called the Talky Talky part of thegame. Here we have character interaction ona scale that is very involved. Players identifywith their characters. Situations that thecharacter will face are treated with gravitybuy the player.

In the Role-play game the characters storyis the primary motivator. Adventures are

built around finding information, people, ordiscovery of something unknown in the storyline. Players often find themselves interestedin the details of the surroundings or the set-ting. They plot and plan in a manner that al-lows them to change the setting.

In the Roll-play game the character interac-tion is kept to a minimum. Not so much ofthe Talky Talky though there might be somecursory conversation. Players identify more

with what their characters are carrying ortheir character class progression.

Game stats are the main motivator in theroll-play game. Adventures are built aroundfinding items or abilities to make the charac-ters more powerful. Class progression is alarge part of the reason to play a given class.In this style of play the concept of the healbot and meat shield concepts were bourn.

I find that players are just as polarized in

their playing styles. If you have a group thatconsists of both types of players almost anygame can become skewed to one extreme orthe other. Here are a few concepts I havefound useful.

Keep an even level of the Role -vs- Roll inyour game. Combat by its nature is Roll andstory is Role. Balancing the two can be a bittricky. Pick a game with a streamlined com-bat system one that can be resolved in no

more than 20 minutes for a single fight. Thismay require you as the Game Master to havea very firm understanding of the combat rulesfor your game.

Provide each player with an opportunity tointeract with NPCs. Even people that do notlike the acting part of the game want to participate, so allow them to be blunt and out ofcharacter while still allowing them to helpmove the story along.

Avoid rewarding one behavior over theother. Not all players are actors or even enjoythe character interactions. So If one player isrewarded for role-play, then make certain theother is rewarded for their roll play. Thisprevents hard feelings in the gaming group.

R


16/17


IoposThe Jewel of Western Barsaive

Throal is viewed in the current Earthdawn canon as the good, Iopos as the bad, and Thera asthe ugly. I aim to provide a very different perspective, both Thera and Throal are the misguided and Iopos is the path to enlightenment.

Iopos is a city that has tremendous possibility for internal and external intrigue. The popula-tion is in lock step with their leadership. Rarely will the Iopans question the motives or actions otheir leaders believing, as they do, that they are doing what is good for everybody.

My view of Iopos is as a city with a thick white wash of purity and an internal structure of de-ceit and corruption. It is a city of contrasting external beauty and internal danger. The populace

lives in the quiet support of their city. The few dissidents in the city are viewed as a real danger tothe populace.

Faith in the passions

"If you feel it, how can it be wrong ?"

- Wilam Head Archivist of Passion Studies, the Library of Enlightenment

My name is Wilam I am the Head Archi-vist of the passions here at the Library of

Enlightenment. This sheaf of papers is to bemy contribution to the Tableau Infractus.Uhl has requested a rebuttal of sorts to TheDwarf Kingdom of Throals constant dispar-aging of our fair city. Throal has in recentmemory issued a number of publications thathave failed to portray the people of Iopos in acorrect light. I offer up our view of the pas-sions as my first attempt to provide somelight where shadows have been cast.

If a name-giver feels, that is a gift. Many ofthe name-givers that have arrived in Iopossince the end of the scourge have lost thisunderstanding. The years underground havedriven most of their feelings deep insidethem. They only allow them selves to feel onparticular holidays or at specific events. Weof Iopos feel every day. We know that to denyour selves this gift leads down a very darkpath.

Like every Kaer and Citadel during thescourge, we learned hard lessons. We spent

time fighting with each other and against thehorrors that would break through our cita-dels defenses. We subjugated segments ofour population in the belief that they weretainted strictly because of the blood in theirveins.

We of Iopos have learned to live in relativeharmony with our neighbors. Every citizenunderstands the need of vigilance againsthorrors, even now.

Dissenting opinions often claim that Ioposis a restrictive society, that our citizens areforced to live in fear. I suggest that it is pos-sible for name-givers to live in peace andharmony when the laws are clear and alneeds are satisfied. Criminals are dealt withharshly. This is because breaking the law in acitadel surrounded by the scourge is lifethreatening to all, that will never change.


17/17


Fall of the Three

The single event that brought our wholeculture together was the abandonment ofsanity by three of our passions. Our templesbuilt to these passions suffered horrible

transfigurement in a matter of minutes. Thestatues dedicated to them and the buildingsthemselves became twisted and warped inappearance and function.

Vidar Denairastas recognized what hadhappened before the disaster could bring thepopulation to grief. It was his inspiring lead-ership and vast understanding that allowedIopos to survive the Fall of the Three.

By his orders the temples were demolishedand the questors located. The questors wereconfined for the safety of the citadel. It wasnot their fault that the dementation of theirpassions led them down the wrong paths.

The order was then given that thetemples be rebuilt in the image of the old,and renamed with volunteer bloodmagic. These temples have not beenoccupied by questors since this time.These temples still have the poemsand prayers to the passions asthey were before the scourge.Our belief is that when all ofBarsaive returns to theoriginal meaning of thesepassions the passions will return to them-selves.

To this end Fallen Three are only referredto by their true names. Some dissident fac-tions claim we have named them the Fallen

Three and therefore they will never return.Voicing this concept is a danger to all name-givers and therefore against the law in Iopos.

Crimson Cross

When the world was declared livable againwe Iopans began to explore outside the safetyof our citadel. What we found was a ravagedand wounded world. Whenever a kaer was

found its occupants were most often in seri-ous need of assistance.

In an effort to provide assistance for thosein need, Uhl Denairastas called for the crea-tion of a humanitarian effort designed to pro-

vide assistance where and when it wasneeded.

The name Crimson Cross and the bannerwere the idea of a Captain of the Holders oTrust. He said that blood is the most com-mon dye available on a battle field or in adisastrous situation. The banner is thereforevery easy to construct under any circum

stances. This wise and compassionate Captain chose to remain anonymous and allow

the Crimson Cross to create its ownreputation.

Questors of Astendar, FloranuusGarlen, and Jaspree work with theHolders of Trust to help thosedisplaced by the Scourge or po-litical strife. Their Banner is a

cross painted in blood on awhite field. The banner has

become a symbol of hopeand safety to the lessfortunate.

A typical Crimson CrossCamp will have defenders from the

Holders of Trust, and questor healersDisciples of the questors provide food andsuccor for those in need. It is the policy of thecamps to provide help to any and all thatcome without threats or armament.

In the decades of the Crimson Cross exis

tence thousands have been helped. Oftentimes the Cross will travel to a known un-friendly territory to help people that viewIopos as a threat. It is not uncommon for thecommander of a contingent of Holders ofTrust to disapprove of the Cross missionHowever no Holders of Trust commanderwill interfere with the mission of the CrimsonCross, as their orders come directly from UhDenairastas.

Documents

Tableau Infractus 1