Prolog: The Gathering of Five

In this adventure, five unlikely heroes come together.

ira, a young and naive adeptwho has been raised by the cruel Gators of Nunavut, is captured by the Rats of Ontar. While a prioner of the ambitious warlord Black Fang, She encounters the head of the manikin, Hank Woodman. Though the head has been separated from its body for at least 70 years, it has mysteriously held on to its spirit. She builds a crude body for him and they escape. They are eventually found and adopted into the Kor wolf tribe of Ungava.

aiku Odsdottir leaves her native Yzlon after cutting the fingers from the loathsome Gothi (priest) Inkimar. Inkimar had pawed at her mother while her father lay dying. Stealing the Gothi's faering (a small ship), she undertakes a perilous voyage to the mainland, where she can escape the death-mark on her and find an alliance to strengthen her clan. Five days out, she is struck by a mighty storm.

ahler is given an opportunity to wrestle in the Market Circle, a coveted and high profile venue, wherein his unscrupulous promoter hopes to make a killing. Mahler makes a friend of Persia, a cat-folk thief, whom he beats by ousting her from the ring in under a minute. Things take a downward turn when a paladin of General Hannon asks to challenge the giant. Master Hannon recognizes that Mahler is spirit-enhanced and begins to arrest the promoter for illegal competition. The crowd (which has lost some money to the promoter turns ugly and chases him from the Market Circle. Mahler is about to be arrested when he is sponsered by another master. Crocket, the River Master wagers on him. Mahler loses, but Crocket takes the loss cheerfully and offers him a job on the Columbia.

ersia steals the purse of a dishonest merchant and gives the rightful due to a pair of short-changed rabbit farmers. She challenges a wrestler in the Market Circle and loses 2 gold, but makes a friend of Mahler. She chases down Mahler's promoter and demands her money back. Feeling overconfident with her success, she loses about half her day's take in a game of chance with some young merchant princes. They mock her, so she follows one in the hopes of regaining her money by stealth. She is discovered while sneaking onto his property and is arrested. The Archon (who was a friend of her missing mother) smoothes things out but says she must leave town for a while. He arranges passage on the Columbia for an expedition he has chartered.

The Columbia has an uneventful voyage to Ungava, across the Uzon Bay. Here Crockett discusses with various wolf Chieftains whether they have seen Standing Stones in their travels, stones such as are sacred in Merrikia. While speaking with the Chieftain Kor Longhunter, he discovers Tira, the young adept girl who has been adopted by the wolves. Her companion is a manikin Hank Woodman, whose memories gradually begin to return with exposure to the Tallonite Master. Kor relates a tale of Standing Stones he encountered in his youth. The River Master decides to take Tira and Hank back to Tallon with him.

While returning, the Columbia is caught by a terrible and sudden storm. The Bosun (a squirrel named Preston) spies a girl in an open boat caught in some freakish current. While trying to rescue her, the Columbia is swamped and several passengers and crew are swept overboard. The party in the water (miraculously consisting of the player characters) is swept towards the small boat. Here they are pulled from the water just as they spy the center of the storm. A mighty whirlpool, unnaturally exposing the sea floor. At the center, in relative calm are three oddly formed towers of coral that look to be some sort of ancient dwelling... (9/1/01)