Between the rival city-states of Athens and Sparta stand the high mountains of Arcadia. Once a land of great cities and high culture to rival any, in this day and age, Arcadia now seems content to be a backwater, albeit one that armies pass through with a depressing regularity.
High in the mountains, though, this matters little or nothing. The armies pass between the forested heights that flank the main roads and rarely or never look up to the high pasture-lands amongst the pines, where the local people graze their herds the hot, dry summer long.
And the local people themselves rarely stop to think about their own ancient past, except for a handful of philosophers in Mantinea, Tegea and the other small Arcadian cities, even though the monuments and relics of an age of heroes can be found scattered throughout the region. So it is far from unusual that so little is truly known of the rough circle of cyclopean blocks know as Circe's Ring, lying as it does in a high meadowland many days journey from any city. The locals speak of its being haunted by shades and daimons and other entities, but the same is true for many other innocuous looking pieces of masonry throughout the land. So it is that any dangers it may actually pose have been ignored by the locals for many years in favour of using the relatively lush pastureland around the ring to graze their sheep.
And so it was that, one summer, Kyros, son of Euthydimos the charcoal burner, took the flock of his village into these pastures. As was his habit, he took shelter from the heat of the noonday sun in the shadow of one of the great stones, and was thus the first to notice that, during the winter, and unseen by anyone, one of the blocks had toppled over. The boy, for he was such, being not yet fourteen, approached the fallen stone and noticed at once that the hole was unusually deep, far deeper than would have been necessary to contain it.
Peering into the darkness of the hole, he saw nothing at first, but as his eyes grew gradually more used to the blackness, he was able to make out some smooth, age-worn steps at the bottom of the hole, leading down into a misty tunnel. Throwing caution to the wimd, the boy leapt down onto the slick, damp steps, steadying himself with his shepherd's staff and walked into the darkness.
He screamed once, and was seen no more.
In the larger scheme of things, the fate of the poor shepherd boy was of slender importance. The Fates noted his passing, as did Hades in his distant kingdom but the other immortals were far more interested in the great game of the world, as they were most days.
Around the gaming table in the halls of Mount Olympus, the gods and many other minor immortals were clustered thickly. Tyche, the goddess of fortune, passed the dice to the god on her left, having finished her own turn by condemning the house and wealth of a Tyrian dye merchant to wrack and ruin. Since she had spent an earlier turn bringing him to positions of wealth and honour, the move brought her no nearer victory, but the symmetry pleased her. She was a lesser deity anyway, with no chance of greatly bettering her own postion through the game. She played for fun.
Ares, who now picked up the dice, was, by contrast, a front-runner. He played to keep his position as the chief god of war against all comers, and cared little who suffered as a result. "That's war," he would say, "you have to expect a little collateral damage sometimes."
Ares looked at his position on the board. It was time to try and check Athena again, he thought, though the pieces he had available were an odd assortment right now. He selected one, a grubby little figure with too many arms, and too many joints and placed it on the board, between Athena's two prized cities of Athens and Sparta, and settled back. He might have nothing much to play at the moment, but he knew that Athena had even less.
Athena scowled. Her pride alone demanded that she respond immediately, but her chief heroes were far, far from the backwater of Arcadia, and engaged in matters of some importance. Ares' piece didn't look too tough, but she had nothing to play. Nothing except a thoroughly inexperienced novice devotee, that is. With an inner sigh and an outer display of steely resolve, the goddess picked up the model, and placed it firmly on the map, as close as she could to the offending piece of Ares.
It will be an interesting day, the young paladin thought as she opened her eyes. She wasn't sure what she had felt just now, but it did seem to have some divine power behind it. She knew what direction she had to go so pushed to her feet. She had been sitting cross-legged on top of a boulder, eyes closed and concentrating when the sense of direction and purpose overcame her.
She was Seraya Shadowharper, paladin of Athena and guardian of all that was good in the world. At least, she wished to be. She was a fresh face in the ranks of knights, only just received her sword, shield and equipment to replace what she learned with.
She jumped down from the boulder and began travelling the path she felt she was being led. Curiousity was her most powerful emotion, though so was excitement from feeling her Goddess's presense for the first time. I will fulfill your wish, Athena.
Caflice sat on one of the pasture-lands, in the shadow of one of the tall pine trees surrounded by the forests flanking the roads. He had come to Arcadia for little reason, except to find out how far reaching the Roman empire that had invaded his home have spread.
The rogue scanned the landscape, looking for someone who could ask him where he currently was: he had a feeling that he had managed to venture out into a land outside of the Roman's influence.
Spotting a young lady wandering across the nearby path, he rose from the ground and walked towards the young lady on the path. The closer he got to her, he noticed that the girl seemed to be affiliated with a holy order, though he wasn't sure which one.
"Excuse me miss, but do you know where I am? Is it anywhere where the Romans are?"
It was quiet day in the woods thought Hannah as she sat meditating. She was one of the only ones sent out from her group of Druidesses. Now that she thought of it, she thought it was a good thing.
Hannah slowly got up and proceeded to walk toward a pasture....
Hannah walks out of the forest to see two strangers in the pasture land. The strangers are rather unusual looking.
What does she see when she looks at you? Hannah, what do they see when they look back? Seraya, feel free to answer Caflice's question.
Someone asking where he or she was would always be a quick reason to be suspicious. Looking to the stranger, Seraya idly detected for any evil presense. Perhaps he was Athena's purpose for her.
"You are in Arcadia. The Romans are far from here, inside the boundaries of Italy. You are in Greece, sir...?" She paused to get his name.
Both see a short, athletic human woman in her early 20s. She has long blonde hair in a braid behind her back, and sky blue eyes. Her hand is resting casually on the pummel of the sword at her side. She's wearing white-colored leather armor that fits her well, and has a thin cross-shaped hole in the chest revealing the lightly toned skin underneath. Around her neck, she wears the symbol of Athena, marking her as a follower of the goddess.
Caflice paused a second before answering. "My name is Caflice. I'm only a rogue who is walking the world. I'm from the land of England, trying to see how far the Roman's have spread across the land. Though I guess it doesn't seem to as far as I thought it would..."
The young rogue couldn't be more than around 19, a thin young man stading at around 6ft. He has black hair down to his shoulders, and gray eyes. His armour is black leather, scratched and scuffed. It's obvious the rogue has travelled far. On his side hangs a short sword, and a small bow and some arrows rests across his back.
The strangers see Hannah. She is wearing a cloak and a hood, which covers most of her body. From what they can see of her, her skin is chocolate colored...
"Um... hello?" Asks Hannah to the strangers, "Do you know the name of this place? I've been traveling for days..." She says in nonchalant voice.
Behind Hannah in the forest, something stirs.
Listen Checks against a DC of 20+9 = 29
Seraya rolls 5+1 = 6
Caflice rolls 18+0 = 18
Hannah rolls 19+7 = 19
None of the three hears the dark shape moving through the cover of the tall pines behind them until it is far too late. It isn't until the creature breaks cover that any of them even knows that it is there.
The party is surprised, so the attacker acts first, before normal initiative
A black unicorn, with eyes of glimmering fire trots from the wood, lowers its head and charges straight for Seraya. Athene's paladin has just enough time to raise her shield against the creature's attack, and to realise that it is evil.
Mizar, the black unicorn, rolls 1d20+11 against Seraya's Armour class of 15. 4+15 is a bare hit and Seraya takes 1d8+5 damage for a total of 3+5 = 8 damage. Seraya has 2/10 hit points remaining.
Regular initiative follows.
Mizar 3+3 = 6
Seraya *8+0 = 0
Caflice 19+1 = 20
Hannah 16+1 17
For the following combat posting order is Caflice, Hannah, Seraya, Mizar.
Caflice turns around to see something suddenly leap from the bushes and attack Seraya. Quickly he raises his bow, and draws an arrow from his pack. Drawing back the arrow, he aims it for the creature's neck, Hoping to get it before it kills the paladin.
Caflice steps back five feet [to avoid attacks of opportunity from the black unicorn] and fires!
Caflice rolls 1+2=3 ; with the -4 penalty for shooting into a melee, this becomes -1.
The arrow isn't even close ; Caflice is trying so hard not to hit the injured Seraya that he fires far too wide.
Hannah sees Caflice's arrow miss. Knowing that her magic would probably be resisted by the Unicorn, she readies her dagger.
Running up to the Unicorn, she tries to slash it.
Hannah rolls 18+0=18, which hits the black unicorn's Armour Class of 17. She rolls 1d4 damage, inflicting 1 damage.
Hannah darts in close to the beast's left flank and slashes out with her dagger. The unicorn moves to evade her blow, but isn't quite quick enough, and Hannah sees the creature's blood on the tip of her knife.
Training goes out the window when you're facing an evil beast with fiery eyes. Knocked on her back from the first blow and groaning, Seraya draws her sword and slashes in a wide arc at the beast, just trying to keep it away until she can get back onto her feet.
Seraya rolls 17+4=21, which hits the unicorn's AC of 17. She rolls 1d8+2 damage for 4+2=6.
Seraya thrusts her shield at the black unicorn's head, trying to fend off that wicked horn. As the beast draws back for a second thrust, Seraya sees an opening and slashes at the head and neck of the beast, wounding it slightly.
The unicorn moves on, out of the range of Hannah and Seraya's weaponry.
Hannah and Seraya both get attacks of opportunity on the unicorn as it moves past them. Hannah rolls 17+0=17, which is a hit for 1d4=3 damage. Seraya rolls 10+4=14, which is a miss.
Hannah is able to deal the creature a parting blow on the rump as it gallops away towards the far end of the pasture. Seraya's own attempt to do likewise strikes thin air.
Caflice, taking another arrow from the pack, keeps his eyes on the black horse creature. Notching the arrow back, he holds it up, aiming it at the creature in case it comes charging back at them.
Hannah waits to see what will happen next...'I hope I'm doing the right thing by waiting to see what will happen...' Hannah thinks.
Her side was nearly blinding her with pain, but she gritted her teeth, holding her sword tighter as she watched the unicorn. Assuming the worst and that it would return, she prepared to Smite it. This Paladin won't fall so easily, evil beast...
The unicorn lifts its head and looks up at something beyond the party, then turns to face Seraya, with a look on its face that seems to say "I'll get you later, Cully, see if I don't", it shimmers slightly and is gone, and along with it, the taint of evil.
From behind the party, the sound of a hunting horn is heard as a group of eight huntsmen armed with spears and slings appears from the pines, and hurry into the pasture.
Their leader, a bald man of about forty, approaches the group. "Damn that creature! It got away again, lads," he says, and then faces Seraya. "Are you all right, milady? I fear you are badly hurt."
The man bows. "I am Anaxagoras, of the village of Samos. Would you care to accompany me there? I assure you, our healers are excellent, and you may listen to our tale of woe."
From here we return to the regular order, until the next combat scene
"It took us by surprise..." She hissed softly, closing her eyes tightly as the pain flared. "I... I will survive... Thank you for your help, Sir Anaxagoras."
Caflice lowers his bow as the unicorn leaves with a shimmer, and turns towards the huntsmen. "My name is Caflice. I'm a traveller who wanders these plains. Do you have any idea what that thing was?"
Hannah returns her dagger to it's sheath and looks at everyone. "My name is... Hannah. I'd also like to know exactly what that was." She asks pointedly.
"It's part of the curse that has struck our village, young miss," the man says, "and I do not know what we shall do about it."
He tells the party about the standing stones, and how one has collapsed, and about the disappearance of the shepherd boy. "The unicorn appeared the night before that happened, roaming around the woods, screaming like it was the hounds of hell let loose. Since then, it has been a thorn in our side, injuring our people and killing our animals.
"Nor can we hunt it down, for it is both quiet and cunning, and can disappear in an instant if it seems cornered." The man looks pained. "And, moreover, it is not the only thing that has appeared since the curse struck us. There are little things that scuttle in the long grass and worry our sheep and cattle, and, though the shepherds' slingstones send them scurrying for cover, there seem more of them by the day."
As he leads the group of adventurers and hunters down towards the small village, Anaxagoras sighs. "Perhaps the gods have abandoned us, or we have offended them in some wise, but I do not know how. At any rate, if you will accept our hospitality, you shall be safe in the village. Thus far, the unicorn and the scuttling creatures do not come so close to so many humans. What say you?"
After sheathing her sword, Seraya followed Anaxagoras with a hand clutching at her bruised body. "While I cannot speak for the others, I vow to assist you however I can, Sir Anaxagoras. I am Seraya Shadowharper, paladin of Athena," she introduced herself to everyone.
Seraya makes a diplomacy check, and rolls 19+7=26
He nods, clearly impressed by Seraya's bearing and courage.
Caflice puts his bow back, nodding. "I'd like to help you too, sir. I'm sure I might be able to help somehow."
Hannah says nothing and decides to just follow Caflice and Seraya for now. 'I'm not in a cheery mood to help people right now, but I am rather interested in these strangers who fought with me...'