Bejíst/1st Edition

Bejist is located on Setha Heath about two leagues from the north coast of Belna Straight and fifteen leagues from the Ulmerien River. It is surrounded by the vast expanse of the desolate heath and is constantly battered by the regions high winds. There are numerous treacherous bogs and quagmires scattered throughout the surrounding terrain. The site contains buildings from three different periods, in various states of repair. Bejist is situated just outside the range of the Pagaelin tribal nation.

THE EARTHMASTERS
The only visible structure built by the Ancients is the domed building to the southwest. If they ever erected any other buildings .here they have long since vanished. The purpose of the structure, as with most other Earthmaster remains, seems to have been to house the Godstone, albeit in a rather unusual manner. As with every other known Earthmaster site the builders abandoned it some 15,000 years ago.

THE CODOMINIUM
As the waves of Lythian invaders heralded the beginning of the Atani wars, Daelda, Sindarin King of Harn ordered fortifications built at Bejist. At that time (about 850 BT) Bejist was on the coast. Initially little more than a supply depot and one of a chain of minor coastal fortresses its importance grew as the wars continued. When Daelda ordered the abandonment of eastern Harn, the fortifications were greatly strengthened and its garrison increased. At its peak there was a middle sized town at Bejist and Caer Harmenel was one of the most formidable fortresses on Harn. The population was primarily Jarin with a sizable minority of Khuzdul. The Sindar population is hard to ascertain. The settlement was primarily a garrison town consisting of the families of the Jarin troops. The ruins from this period show unmistakeable evidence of Khuzan building techniques. During the Atani Wars the Sindarin used the fortress as a prison, a practice that some believed did not cease with the Battle of Sorrows.

The Sindarin and their allies evacuated Bejist soon, after the tragedy of the Battle of Sorrows, leaving it to the ravens and the encroaching heath. The site was seldom visited over the next several centuries due partly to its remote location and in no small part to its having gained an unpleasant reputation among the few wanderers and tribesment that crossed Setha Heath. Legends that the ruins and the heath itself were haunted grew and the credulous believed that the winds that howled over the heath were the voices of gods. Over the centuries the sea retreated southwards leaving the harbour, which had never been deep, a marshy salt flat. As the sea continued to withdraw, the old sea bed became virtually indistinguishable from the numerous marshes on the heath.

CULT OF AEDLAD THE IMPRISONED
In 664 an internal schism in the church of Naveh in Tashal led to the formation of the Cult of Aedlad the Imprisoned, a group of Navehan clerics who for various reasons (see GM notes) regarded Bejist as an important site. Fleeing from Tashal the cult established a temple/farm complex at Bejist, using the ruins of the old garrison. town in its construction. Since that time the cult has prospered, increasing in numbers by the kidnapping of infants from the Pagaelin tribal nation, over whom they exert considerable influence. In the intervening years since their self-imposed exile from Tashal the cult has somewhat modified Navehan theology, although they retain their sacred rituals almost tota1ly unchanged.

The clerics have extensive croplands, orchards and gardens near their temple. They also raise some livestock. This is unique among Navehan temples on Harn, all other temples being located in urban areas and have other means of subsistance. The Navehans are also supplied by the Pagaelin tribes who trade, albeit unwittingly, with the priests at the augur lodges (see "Pagaelin" [EH9]). The Navehans suffer no interlopers at Bejist, and trespassers that they catch are unlikely to have a pleasant memory of their visit.



1. TEMPLE OF RYIKUN Founded in 664, the temple is built of stones salvaged from the abandoned Codominium settlement. The structure has one floor and a cellar and is the largest Navehan temple, albeit an heretical one, on Harn. The general layout is reminiscent of other Navehan temples but due to its location on Setha Heath, is less economical of space. To the northwest of the temple there are two large open fields farmed by acolytes. To the north is a livestock paddock; this contains two barns. To the south, the orchard provides enough fruits for temple consumption. To the east are two gardens, the larger for vegetables, and the smaller is a herb garden yielding various medicinal and alchemical herbs. The nature of these will vary sli~htly by season but will always contain Alanal. Th1s latter is tended by acolytes under command of the Deacon of Herbs and Elixirs, a senior acolyte, and chief assistant to the Master of Herbs and Elixirs.

GROUND FLOOR
The ground floor is clearly divided into two wings; the northern for the masters, and the southern for acolytes. There are accomodations for seven of the former and up to fifty-three of the latter. There are also two creches for the care of infants stolen from the Pagaelin to be raised as acolytes. There are no servants in this temple; all menial tasks are performed by junior acolytes, generally between eleven and twenty in age. Senior acolytes have various functiOns, including guard and administrative duties; some serve as personal assistants to masters and augurs. The augurs who live among the Pagaelin are drawn from the ranks of the older acolytes.

Each of the masters has a particular responsibility. The High Priest is chief of the temple and his word is law. He presides at the most important rituals, and sets temple policy. Since 716 this office was held by Lerepm; the temple has abandoned the use of clan names. The Chief Deacon is the High Priest's right hand and is responsible for the augurs among the Pagaelin. The Master of Archives and Treasures is custodian of the cults books, scrolls, relics and monies; most of which have been obtained since the cult fled from Tashal. His most valuable relic is a copy of the scroll of Taurin Halfhand which inspired the schism that led to the cults founding. The Master of Ritual teaches the esoteric mysteries to acolytes and has various ceremonial functions. His personal deacon operates the special effects room during cult rituals. The master's chamber has exclusive access to the special effects room in the cellar by means of a mechanically hidden secret door. The Master of Discipline administers the orders rigid code of obedience. He has no deacons, but has enlisted, unknown to each other, most of the acolytes as informers. The Master of Acolytes is in charge of training the junior acolytes. The Master of Herbs and Elixirs is an unusual position in the Navehan church but of particular importance in this temple. Through his assistants, he gathers, cultivates and prepares the drugs and potions consumed by the members of the order and the Pagaelin.

CELLAR LEVEL
The cellar contains the cult's Hall of Ritual. The ritual focus is located at the hall's north end, where is located a raised platform surmounted by a large brazier, the only illumination in the hall. A bas-re1ief of Dekejis dominates the north wall. The hall is vaulted and cloistered and it's floor is at a lower level than the rest of cellar. The acolytes access, from the south, is through the northern portions of the combat maze. There is a masters staircase used by the masters, deacons, and a few privileged acolytes. Near the acolytes staircase there is a storeroom.

The combat maze is comprised of various dark passages and cul-de-sacs generally between two and three feet wide. Illumination is prohibited in the maze except in the store room. There are also six four foot deep pits in the south maze. The maze is used to sharpen the senses of the clerics. About seventy-five percent of the time there are at least two acolytes stalking each other for practice. The masters and deacons sometimes participate in this pastime as well. The largest hall in the maze (marked "Combat Maze") is the starting point for the Herth-Akan. To the south of this hall is a true maze. The victim of the Herth-Akan enters the maze through the west entrance and must remain within for at least one hour. At the end of this period seven hunters begin their pursuit, also through the west entrance. Those able to leave the maze must do so by the east entrance. Other members of the temple are forbidden to interfere with the Herth-Akan on pain of death. The quarry and the hunters are thereafter permitted to go wherever they choose for the remaining three days of the ritual. The Herth-Akan is usually called down upon miscreant clerics by the Master of Discipline. The few victims who survive the ritual are forgiven, pursuers who fail are generally required to commit ritual suicide.

[1] The special effects room of the Hall of Ritual. From here various pyrotechnic, optical and mechanical tricks can be controlled. The effects are usually operated by the Deacon of Ritual. The chamber is accessible by way of a special store room from the quarters of the Master of Ritual. Even though many acolytes are aware of the trickery involved, they believe the deity is the true motive force of the effects.

[2] The clerics of the order, in accordance with sacred mission, and under the direction of the Master of Archives and Treasures, have dug numerous tunnels in search of the prison of the demon Aedlad. This is the starting point of such a tunnel. However, it is now principally an escape route. The numbered chamber is used to store mining equipment and other tools. The tunnel itself leads due east to a point north of the well, where a side route opens to the well. The well serves as a ventilation shaft. The tunnel continues east (at GM discretion) and branches into several little-used passages. One of these continues in a straight line eastwards to an exit in the trees just east of the wall of the vegetable garden.

2. EARTHMASTER BUILDING The Earthmaster structure is located on high ground to the southwest of the temple. It is constructed almost entirely of pseudostone.

GROUND LEVEL A symmetrical domed structure. The highest portion of the dome (approximately twenty feet across) is of transparent pseudostone. The main chamber is flanked by four small porticos.

[1] In the centre of the main chamber there is a nine foot diameter hole in the floor. From the lip of this hole there is a shaft 105 feet long to the ceiling of the cellar; it is an adrtitional fifteen feet to the floor of the cellar. See [1] below.

CELLAR The cellar consists of the main and two ancillary chambers. All are constructed of grey pseudostone.

[1] The shaft from ground level opens into the centre of the ceiling. Directly below the opening, and also nine feet in diameter, is a circle of white pseudostone. This (at GM discretion) was the power source of the Earthmasters' "elevator". One who stepped onto the white circle would be propelled gently upward to ground level. Similarly, entities who stepped off the lip of the shaft at ground level would be lowered gently to the cellar. The mechanism no longer operates according to these specifications. GM's may use the following percentile table to randomize optional effects.

[2] In the east wall of this chamber is a magically hidden secret door. Note that the rammed earth texture that would normally be shown has been omitted to facilitate optional GM development.

(3] Hall of the Godstone. Navehans rarely use the gate, but are aware of its existence. The front is in the north.

3. OLD HARBOUR Bejist was once on the coast and this was the harbour. The former coast is indicated by the large scarp line. The number indicates the remains of a Khuzan built harbour.

4. TOWN RUINS The bulk of the garrison town stood on this terrace beneath the citadel. It had an unusually high proportion of stone buildings due to its Khuzan builders and the shortage of wood on Setha Heath. Most of the usable stone and anything else of value has been salvaged by the Navehans.

5. CAER HARMENEL The old citadel, being built by Khuzdul, was mostly underground and has now largely collapsed upon itself. On the summit there was a rectangular bailey with a thirty foot round tower in each corner. The two east towers are all that survive and they only to the second floor. The gate was in the west and was defended by two twenty foot towers. The bailey contained various ancillary buildings, none of which survive. The clerics of the temple have made a number of attempts to excavate the legendary prison of Aedlad (see 6). Several tunnels have been sunk into the east and south faces of the scarp to undercut Caer Harmenel. This approach has yet to produce anything but the death of seven acolytes and the Master of Archives and Treasures in 718. These met their demise when part of the south east tower collapsed during excavations. No major attempts have been made by the Navehans since then. The development of such tunnels is left to GM discretion.

6. ARMORIEN TOWER The tower is the ethereal manifestation of a mighty spell wrought by the kin of King Daelda. Armorien Tower was originally constructed by the Khuzdul as the northwest tower of Caer Harmenel, of which, in the physical world only rubble remains. The tower itself defies physical laws. If one digs down five feet at map location 6, one will break through the ceiling of the cellar antechamber, which has been weakened by the passage of years.

NB: Armorien Tower is a manifestation of powerful, although controlled elven magic. As such the following should be carefully interpreted by the GM and used only when he is confident that he is fully conversant with the implications.

CELLAR [1] This chamber is the only likely access to Armorien Tower. The walls appear to be of unadorned white marble and seem continuous. Three feet south of the centre of the north wall is a stone three feet high two feet wide and one thick. On the south side of the stone the following inscription is carved in Selenian script in the Sindar language:


 * DAELDA
 * Harn's lord supreme and fair of face
 * And soul, in triumph slain
 * When mirror'd evil came apace.
 * Let here his heart remain.

The first word of the inscription (Daelda) is larger than the others.

In the centre of the north wall is shown a six foot opening. This appears to be a ordinary section of wall, but one who touches it will perceive its true nature (an archway leading to a corridor) for as long as he maintains "contact". Beyond the archway the sloping corridor seems to be filled with an opaque, iridescent, white haze. Those who step into the white haze will lose all sense of direction and will be able to perceive only the haze. Whichever direction they walk in, it will seem to be downwards. After approximately ten minutes of "walking", they will emerge at:

[2] This vaulted chamber does not exist in the physical world of Kethira. The walls, ceiling, pillars and floor appear to be polished red stone. The room is lit by sourceless illumination. Those who reenter the white haze to the south will return to this chamber (the hazy hallway is strictly one way). The only exit is by means of the open spiral staircase at the room's centre.

FIRST LEVEL
The top of the spiral staircase is flush with the floor. The chamber appears to be open to the outside. The view from every portal is of the sea, a breeze can be sensed and the sounds of waves can be heard. In fact, each of the portals leads to a different world of the Kethrian family: see "Kelestia" [ EH4 1. Those who step through the portals will flicker through a white haze and emerge in the following places.


 * NORTH - Terra
 * NORTHEAST - Midgaad
 * SOUTHEAST - Blessed Realm
 * SOUTH - Second Level of Armorien Tower
 * SOUTHWEST - Losenor
 * NORTHWEST - Sherem

The exact location on each world is left to GM discretion. With the possible exception of the south egress, the destinations are more a function of the nature of Kelestia than of any design on the part of the spell's casters.

SECOND LEVEL
Persons arriving on this level will have the impression of stepping through one of the six portals. We suggest that GM's randomize the portals; should a character return a second time to the room he need not enter through the same portal. This level is another rotunda. Again the portals seem to be open to the outside. However, each view here is different. The rotunda appears to be at ground level. Those who step through a portal will find themselves at the indicated Harnic location:

North
 * Alarienel - The fabled lost city of the elves during the Codominium. Nothing remains of Alarienel so the appearance and location of this site is left to GM discretion. It may be anywhere from the middle of the Shava Forest to the middle of Coranan.

Northeast
 * Azadmere - The precise view is left to GM discretion, but knowing the elves, it should probably be outdoors.

Southeast
 * Ulfshafen - An outdoor view.

South
 * Elshavel - As above.

Southwest
 * Pesina - The site of a Codominium trading centre.

Northwest
 * Kiraz - As for Azadmere.

Only entities with an Aura below 17 will be able to exit through the portals. (For Aura see "Godstones" [EH6].) This limit was imposed to prevent the room's inhabitant from leaving. Consequently, since the · portals are the only exit, player characters with an Aura above 16 must take up permanent residence. For such characters there are actually three ways out: (1) by some means (divine intervention, magic or pre-frontal lobotomy) permanently reducing their Auras; (2) by dispelling or altering the original spell by which the ethereal Armorien Tower exists. Note that such an attempt would, in the unlikely event of its succeeding, probably banish any occupants of the room to an inescapable limbo for the rest of their wretched (and eternal) lives; (3) suicide.

FURNITURE
The second level of Armorien Tower may, at GM discretion, contain furniture and/or treasure or other artifacts commodious to the room's inhabitant. See below.

DAELDA/AEDLAD
The second level is the prison of the mortal remains of Daelda, King of Harn. He is five foot four, of light build, and has black hair, grey eyes, and a very fair complexion. He is left handed. He wears a tunic of green silk to which he occasionally (50% of the time) adds a brigandine of marvellously hard and light silver mail and a silver girdle studded with green jewels. He also wears a silver chain around the top of his head from which depends a large silver amulet with a green gem at its centre. The latter is a focus for his considerable magical power. He also possesses, and will wear when he is armoured, a green and silver scabbard containing a knightly broadsword of unusual lightness. The sword is powerfully enchanted. Daelda 's body, and all of the appropriate aforementioned garments are punctured in the left breast about four inches below the nipple. However garbed, Daelda's wound drips blood at a steady rate of one drop per second. As a result of this blood flow, the floor and furnishings of the room are stained the colour of dried blood. Some parts of the floor are slippery.

Daelda's immortal, but grievously wounded body is shared by the souls/Auras of both Daelda and the demon Aedlad. This combination has yet to achieve equilibrium.

Under most circumstances, Daelda and Aedlad could not exist in the same universe at the same time, since Aedlad is an antithesis of the elven king conjured from an obscure P-world under unique circumstances at the Battle of Sorrows. In a sense, the demon is a P-version of Daelda, as evil as the elf is good. This condition profoundly affects Daelda/Aedlad's behaviour. It is only through the exertion of both wills that Daelda's body is kept alive. To this end the two may be said to have attained a kind of balance. This may, however, be upset by visitors.

Under usual circumstances a soul is immortal and will, when its body dies, return to the "afterwor ld" of its birth. For most Harnians the afterworld is Yashain, for Sindarin it is the Blessed Realm. From their first joining, however, the souls of Daelda and Aedlad were so melded as to be inseperable. Such a soul could enter no afterworld and would be suspended in limbo forever. It was the hope of Daelda's kin that the passage of time would allow this unique soul to reach a balance and create one stable being, neither wholly Daelda nor Aedlad, but a blending of the two. The elves believe that good is ultimately stronger than evil and that Daelda's personality would eventually achieve supremacy, his body could die, and he could take his place among his kin in the Blessed Realm.

Generally, the two souls share control, alternating the various functions by tacit agreement. One will govern the metabolism and keep the body alive despite its wound. The other controls the conscious mind and the voluntary functions. It is possible for the partner in control of the subconscious to exercise veto by interfering with various involuntary functions, but this can only be done at considerable risk to the body. Most of the time the act of keeping the body alive is so demanding that the subconscious partner takes no notice of the other's actions. The exchange of roles generally takes place when the subconscious partner tires. The two souls are of roughly equal strength, so the transfer occurs about every half hour. Clearly, if Daelda/Aedlad is visited, each has a 50% chance of being met, and if the visitors remain long enou~h, both personas will be encountered. The metamorphosis can be interesting. Some disruption of the involuntary functions always occurs. Aedlad is often reluctant to yield control of the conscious side and, during the transition, roles may change several times in a tew minutes. Aedlad is far from being a loving personality and is as likely to seek relief from boredom by torture and murder of any guests as by conversation. Daelda may be unable to restrain him and may be unaware of such activities. Daelda would be torn between his thirst for news and conversation and a wish to warn interlopers of their danger. If by chance visitors were to inflict additional wounds on Daelda's body the conscious partner would lend some of his strength to regenerate the damage. The entity would become a berserk, semi-intelligent creature, motivated entirely by self-preservation.

GM NOTES: THE LEGEND OF AEDLAD
If and how the legend is to be presented to players is entirely up to GMs. We present the following options.

THE SINDARIN
Daelda's kinfolk suppressed all knowledge of Daelda's fate, even from their own people, and let the belief prevail that the king had died from his wounds. In this they told no lie, simply reporting that he had suffered a mortal wound.

LEGACY OF TAURIN HALFHAND
Only the unanticipted survival of one of the clerics who had summoned forth Aedlad allowed the legend to survive at all. Taurin Halfhand was left for dead by the avenging Sindarin. He followed them to Be jist and watched them carry the body of Daelda, which he took for that if the demon, within the citadel. Believing Aedlad invulnerable, he assumed that Daelda's kin imprisoned the evil one. Be jist was evacuated, and the Sindarin collapsed the citadel. All the while Taurin lurked nearby, observing events. When the last of his enemies had departed, Taurin searched in vain for Aedlad's prison. At the end of 681 BT he concluded that he had done all he could do alone. He wandered onto the heath and spent several months in a drug-ordeal in search of divine guidance. In the course of his wandering, he was occasionally encountered by bands of tribesmen who perceived him as a wrathful and mysterious figure. It is these episodes that led to the first accounts of the "Walker on the Heath". When he emerged from his ordeal, he was at least partly mad. Nevertheless, he managed to return to his order on Lythia where he reported his experiences, which were ignored and for gotten. However, he told his story to some brothers met on Harn, and one of these later committed it to parchment. The author of the scroll wrote as if it were the work of Taurin himself. The motive for writing the legend at all is somewhat obscure; he may simply have been practicing his calligraphy. No great importance was ever attached to the legend within the church of Naveh, but generations of acolytes were pleased to practice their linguistic abilities by translating it.

By 660 TR, most versions had been lost. Only a single copy buried in the Tashal archives bore any resemblance to the original. This was the year that an acolyte by the name of Ryiku discovered the scroll. He told his master, who, knowing the number of times it had been recopied, gave it little credence. Ryiku was a competent priest and, in 663, he murdered and succeeded the Master of Archives and Treasures, whom he subsequently discovered to be his father, by reading his victim's private journals-. At that time, the Five Year War was at its height in the west. Ryiku took his blood relationship to his predecessor and events in the west as the sign promised by the legend and sought support for a holy quest to release Aedlad.

The other masters of the Tashal temple were skeptical and bade him be silent. He defied the order, and sent a copy of the scroll to the Coranan temple. It never arrived. For his disobedience, Ryiku was relieved of his office and was placed under the Herth-Akan. He survived the ordeal. Now Ryiku worked in secret to build a following. Those who survive the Herth-Akan are few and are respected. His plans were mature by the autumn of 664. He and a score of followers stole what they needed and fled Tashal, killing three of the temple's masters in the process.

By skillful manipulation, the renegades won the respect of the Pagaelin and made their way to Bejist where they began construction of their temple. As soon as they were established, they undertook excavations to find the prison of Aedlad. Ryiku died in 676. The practical necessities of survival, especially in the years Iollowing Ryiku's death, seemed to lessen the urgency of the sect's mission. By 715, all of the original clerics had died and the new, larger order had a more earthly attitude. The legend is not forgotten, and excavation projects are still undertaken from time to time, but they have taken on the aspect of a symbolic ritual.

THE LOST SCROLL
If players are to have a reason to sample the unique experience of visiting Be jist, a copy of the lost scroll should come into their possession. The GM may handle this in any number of ways • The scroll was presumably sent by courier (probably a Navehan acolyte on other business) along the Salt Route. Perhaps he was ambushed in the wilderness by brigands or tribesmen, or waylaid in the midst of the Five Year War after he reached Tharda. In any event, the scroll disappeared for a time. Perhaps it cluttered an attic for a few years, perhaps it is /was hanging on the wall at Trobridge Inn or some similar establishment. Possibly, some scholar acquired it, or a copy, and it is likely this individual who will approach some players.

Such an individual may desire to investigate the truth of the matter himself, sell it, or send it to some other persons because he lacks the will or vigour to pursue the matter himself. To whom he would send the scroll depends on his personality. The reactions of any recipients would also vary. If players were to hired to convey the scroll and the recipient lent it any credence, he might wish to mount an expedition, or suppress the information. The latter might involve the murder of the messengers. If an expedition is to be mounted, the players will quite likely be invited to participate, since this would minimize the number of people privy to the secret. If players decline such an invitation, pressure may well be brought to bear. If they still refuse, an unscrupulous recipient might take drastic action

THE SCROLL OF TAURIN HALFHAND
We were eight, sent from the place most holy to this island. Eight skilled in the holy arts and suited to the appointed task. We sailed with an ugly and savage people and landed among the pagans in the region called Anadel. For five years we laboured, 0 my brothers, doing the holy work among the unbelievers, and oft did it seem our efforts were futile.

It passed that the folk we dwelled among grew weary of peace and crossed the Ulmerien to do battle with the Sindar devils. And on the plains the Sindarin and their Jarin lackies met the folk of Lythia in a great and terrible battle. We eight watched in dismay, 0 my brothers, as the ever living broke the Lythians, and went among them slaying and rending.

When we saw the Sindarin rout their enemy we eight gathered our strength and exerted our sacred arts and summoned forth the one called Aedlad, the living antithesis of the Sindar King. And he came among us, 0 my brothers, with aspect fell and might beyond measure, and looked he down upon the field of battle and beheld the Sindar and made towards him, slaying all that stood between. His very glance was death and his touch dissolution. Aedlad and the Sindar Lord met upon that bloody plain, and they did smite each other with fell blows that echoed from the hills. And Aedlad slew the Sindar, rending his body.

But even as we triumphed 0 my brothers, the kin of the Elven Lord captured Aedlad. And having taken him they knew us and came upon us in their wrath and grief and slew all save I who escaped their swords.

They bound Aedlad with cruel bonds and led him from the field. I followed the Sindar to their fortress on the heath and saw them imprison Aedlad. Long did I seek to effect his release ere I failed and the Master visited me with these words:

"The time is yet unripe, and generations unborn shall pass before Aedlad walks among the unbelievers. Your brethren to come shall know the time, for tumult shall shake the kingdoms of men and kin shall slay kin, Go, and bear the word."

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