This adventure is intended as a prelude to "Gallandra at the Ball" and "When Strike the Prime Minister." We will be introduced to Oberon and Union Jack who will play respectively pivotal roles in each of those two adventures. The game master may give characters hints to get past the tests or trials, but in such case awards for outwitting those obstacles should be reduced.

1. Introduction
2. Welwyn City
3. Druid Circle
4. Steading the Fairy Denizens
5. Trials of the Mountain King

One character (GMs choice, probably a female, referred to hereafter as Gallandra) will serve as a principle focus for the fairy energy. She will be visited mysteriously by a white stag. Her hair blows dramatically like in a Mabeline commercial. Another character will see a vision of the Blood War or something else creepy. Throughout the adventure, all characters will experience strange dreams. Most of them will have absolutely no meaning.

Every night Lombardo and H.C. will have a funny dream (see Castle Amber p 17). Gallandra will always dream of the stag, each night becoming progressively less human. She will also eventually meet Oberon in dream

On a Tuesday, lower- or middle-class characters will be brought to the home of one "Boots" Malloy. He is a mob lord who also pays for the upkeep of an orphanage. He has "Heart of Gold." He informs them that a vein of gold was recently discovered in Welwyn City, a small city not too far from London. Certain of his, er, competitors have already left to grab the gold. He would like it to help run the orphanage.

Inform the characters that if they accept "Boots"'s mission, he will be awarded as a 2 point contact for free. If they take any of the gold for themselves, he will not become a contact.

"Boots" will give them a train tickets and petty cash.

The characters will travel quickly to Welwyn without incident. You may wish to introduce them to a Union Jack Henchman or druid or anyone else who could offer a rumor or two.

Welwyn City

A successful Geology, or similar skill, roll will indicate, "Hey, there's no mountains in England. What's up with that?"

Characters will of course want to speak with the locals and visit the bar. The city has a native population of 2,000, but commerce brings 200 additional every week. A map of the city is irrelevant, the only important spots are the bar/tavern, the market place, and the antiquarian's shoppe. Characters should not spend too much time with this.

First name

1 Cecil

2 David

3 Beryl

4 Gavin

5 Neil

6 Ben

Last name

1 Steph

2 Win

3 Pierce

4 Wilbur

5 John

6 Halver

Last name suffix

1 son

2 thrup

3 fowl

4 force

5 ley

6 -

Eventually, the PCs will have to come to the bar/tavern to lodge. The tavern is named "The Randy Welshman's Daughter". Disastrous and Very Bad reaction rolls always start a fight in the bar. "Boots" will have given the PCs exactly enough to cover normal food and lodging.

"Mutant! Get the mutant! They've come to poison us with their mutant herpes!"

"I've heard all the bar flies are fairy queens. Why don't you go tell them that? Now get out of Welwyn City!"

"Our mountain is the tallest mountain in all of the Emerald Isle, you sayin' something different?"

"The antiquarian is a demon-lover. He'll hex you. Don't trust him!"

"If you go into the woods, welsh separatists will kill you!"

"This city has a population of 200."

"Yeah, there's this talent contest. Biggest thing in town, as I reckon."

"There isn't any gold."

"I've seen some guys in cloaks. I think they're Canadians."

"You? Join the talent show? But you're all talent-less!"

"Yeah, there's some gold some where. I don't really believe anyone'll be able to find it, `specially not some London blighters."

"Are you here for the talent show? There's a talent show Thursday."

"Great Caesar's ghost! The fairies! They're attackin' our wimmin!"

"You're Cap'n Long John Silver, aint ya? I know I seen ya from some where."

"Welwyn City's location on the river led to the development of a commerce and trade based economy."

"Oh, I'll tell you something, there's weird people about. Cloaks. Schemes. Gold!"

"There's fairies about this part of the Isle...And I don't mean the poncy type that wears tights."

"Hey, why don't you join the talent show! That would impress everyone in town, if you won!"

"Go to the antiquarian. He'll answer all your questions."

"The antiquarian knows a lot about the occult. Mention my name." (+1 to antiquarian)

"I've seen gold there. And I seen fairies too. I ain't goin' back without a big gun and iron bullets. They's allergic to iron."

"Yeah, it seems like there's even more people in cloaks slinkin' around up to no good as before."

"This is the summer equinox. If there are druids, they will use the gold from the mountain for their ritual."
"Militant royalists will seize the gold, disrupt the ritual, and kill the prime minister."

"The druids will be performing a ritual to summon the spirit of Oberon, kind of the faerie. Their casting circle is (directions)"

Eventually, characters will meet the Antiquarian, Samuel Pepys. He is not a druid, but he will offer the characters detailed information. He has +3 to all reaction requests for information. Characters may also purchase items that will later prove useful. Impress this upon them delicately. He will never react at less than Bad and an Excellent will always involve a small gift. He has about a million cats in his shoppe. Pepys' favorite word is "positively."

"Well, I don't know much about gold. Perhaps they'll give gold as the reward for the winner of the talent contest."

"Yes, reading is a wonderful thing, isn't it? Would you like to buy a book or a pre-roman souvenir?"

"I have a 3^rd edition Fairy Queen in Welsh!"

"Well, I'm not a superstitious man, but I wouldn't put it past anyone to take advantage of the full moon on the summer equinox Friday."

"The Greeks used 22/7ths for Pi. But thanks to Sir Isaac Newton, we know it's 3.14159 something."

"Fairies, well, everyone knows not to eat or drink anything a fairy offers you."

"Oberon's bride is Titania. Their marriage keeps the fairy world from going positively bonkers!"

"Don't accept a gift from a fairy. Never accept a gift from a fairy! Then you'll be in her debt, and that is no pleasant place to be!"

"Well, I don't believe things like this, but Orcus the ancient enemy of Oberon was trapped at the heart of the mountain by Jesuit priests and 12 elvish paladins. If anything went wrong and he were to escape, it would most assuredly release a whole horde of supernatural creatures. Luckily we have the druids to... whoops!"

While poking around the Antiquarian's shoppe, several items of interest will be found. Gallandra will find a mirror, which Pepys gives here. (Show picture) 1d12

The characters will also discover, either by a perception roll or a Good or better reaction, the ancient map which Pepys possesses. It's the pride and joy of the collection. That, he'd never get away. (Characters will need to steal it at some later time.) Upon leaving, Pepys tells them he hopes to see them at the talent contest.

If the characters don't attend the talent contest, there's no real harm done. The biggest point of the talent contest is that the Antiquarian will be away from the map and thief characters can go and steal it.

Characters with performance skills can use them. Failure will result in -1 reputation. Success will result in +1 reputation in the town for the next few days, critical success will get 3^rd prize. Demonstration of any truly super abilities will result in an invitation by the druids to Friday's circle.

Sample contestants will be

• Miscellaneous singers
• children whose parents think they're precocious
• a mime (will be booed)
• Sharon Hainplegmsdotter, the bar-owner's Welsh wife who comes out to sing "and drops her skirt intentionally (gets 1^st unless Gallandra pulls something similar)
• two boxers
• a strong-man
• Remmy, a guitar player with a bad haircut who gets a critical success automatically (he'll get 2^nd)
• barber shop quartet sings "Rule Brittania" (UK henchmen)
• about 13 recitations of Greensleeves
• re-enactment of the scene from Midsummer Night Dream where Titania and Bottom get it on
• Irish pop-sensation U2!
• Stuffy man recites "Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner". He's booed off and says, "Well, really!"
• Milosh and Velencia, Crimean war veterans and married couple who shoot bottles out of each other's mouth. They'll get 3^rd if characters don't do something spectacular.
• Player character entries

First prize is a gold-leaf encrusted corset that just happens to fit Sharon (the floozy). Second prize is lute from Shakespeare's day. Third prize is the book "Collection of Fairy Stories from Northwest Welwyn City and Surroundings". Consulting it will imbue +3 to any Occultism roll made on this adventure or +2 to fairy reaction rolls. Honorable mention is a pocketwatch that runs backwards.

The awards for the talent contest are suggestions; you may use anything important from the Antiquarian's shoppe that the characters didn't get but might need.

The player characters will make it to the Druid's circle, either upon invitation or by using the map to sneak up on them. If neither of those routes work, the stag from Gallandra's dream will wake her up and guide them to the circle (if that's the case, GMs should penalize the team point score by one).

Characters will see picture from London Sourcebook and hear chanting. It appears to be nothing more than a drunken booze-up, but a successful perception test will reveal the location of the gold. Eventually the Druids begin chanting and singing and dancing and fairy figures appear amidst them (show a picture, any picture) it will continue to rise in intensity. Fire will rise magically. The gold will glow. Characters don't sense any evil...more chaotic neutral. Play the creepy Enya song here.

Superhumanly large and waify images of Titania and Oberon will appear. At this point, something goes wrong.

If the characters try to steal the gold, two UJ henchmen disguised as druids will interrupt the ritual. Orcus will appear (show picture) and a rift in the mountain will open. Orcus grabs Titania and the gold and dives into the mountain. Before the gateway closes, all kinds of fairies and sprites will escape and run off.

The Druids will try to capture the henchmen. If the characters do not get involved, the henchmen will escape. If captured, the henchmen will disclose they want the gold and that nothing will stand in their way.

Critical Failure - Henchmen escape whilest Druids argue amongst themselves

Failure - "Great Britain will be great again! He will make you pay! You can not stop him! Not even that terribly powerful Canada Man can stop him!"

Success - "We apologize for the whole Orcus thing. We just wanted the gold. We're not really Druids." "Orcus, he's evil!"

Critical Success - "Union Jack is insane! He wants to control Orcus and bring us back to the middle ages!"

Druids will blame one another for shoddy security. "What's the point of being in a secret society when everybody knows about the society?" They say they'll never get the gold back, that fairy magicks protect it deep at the heart of the mountain.

The druids have a stash of ale, spell-casting material, and spare robes in a tree. Allow industrious characters to find it.

Jeremy Sopwith will take them back to his house and answer any questions they may have. He'll basically commission them to go get the gold. If the druids get the gold back by 12:01 Sunday morning, then Orcus will not be able to escape the mountain.

Characters will either be a participant in this or spectators, either way they have a decision to make. Do they want to get the gold, if so they'll have to enter the mountain!

Characters will have another day in Welwyn City to buy supplies or do legwork (punish them if they don't buy food to take with themselves). "It will take eight hours heavy hiking to get to the cave opening! It lies on the zenith of the mountain." The race is on! Assign one player to keep track of time (it will probably only take six hours).

Make an HT roll for everyone every hour of hiking (hiking allows a second roll). One point fatigue is awarded on a failure. Characters will also need to pause to eat, and they'll have fairy matters to deal with.

After embarking up to the cave opening, any character who looks back will see Welwyn City and the countryside have been replaced by an ocean and it is perpetually sundown.

Random Fairy Effect (1d12)

1 Knobby elbows and long fingers (Manual Dexterity +2) and Skinny disadvantage

2 Third eye grows

3 Long, drawn ears

4 Flat Nose

5 Greenish Skin

6 Character must speak in rhymes

7 Chakotay Tattoo

8 Jewel appears in navel

9 Hair turns green or into rocks

10 Character loses desire to wear clothes

11 Feet covered with hair and leathery soles (PD1, no shoes necessary)

12 Cat Magnet (-5) and Alertness +1

Random Environmental Effect (1d12)

1. Earth tremor underfoot
2. Sun dims and then brightens again. Hosts of angels fall from heaven into the ocean
3. Violent roaring or screaming sound
4. Intense wave of heat. Everybody gets thirsty. Drink or -1 fatigue
5. Non-harmful oily green slime appears
6. Maniacal laughter and flower rain
7. Old, brittle bones rain down on one character. No damage, but PCs may collect bones.
8. One character realizes he's leaving spray paint green and pink foot prints
9. Nearby tree is uprooted
10. Little lame balloon man Godwin appears. He says, "Heroes! You're almost there, if you need my help, just call out my name------!" He's axed from behind by a baby with tentacles for feet. The baby says, "Indeed this is a disturbing universe!" Assure the characters that balloon man is fine and they may call on him for help.
11. Crown of Souls - a creepy dude. Yikes!
12. Rocks appear out of nowhere forming a chapel. A big god face appears and challenges them to justify their existence as human beings or he'll wipe them out. He is a powerless bully and will not be able to hurt the characters. But they don't know that.

Characters will probably not interact with Fairies. Give them a couple of magic Knacks, 10 on every attribute, Regeneration, Psionic Resistance +4, Trickster, and Allergy: Iron, Severe.

The heroes will inevitably cross the ring. If Gallandra joins in the dance and makes a decent roll, she will receive Fairy Empathy and one random Fairy Effect. The Fairy Ring is a perfect place to capture dependents.

Characters will also inevitably bump into the Will o'Wisp. They may capture it with the Iron Cup (which will kill it in 20 minutes) or the Ancient Lantern. The Will o'Wisp will provide light no matter the circumstance.

Characters encounter a fairy playing solitaire. He challenges the characters to a match. He wagers a few golden coins against anything shiny from the outside world. If the player's really want to gamble, he will wager all the magic in his pinky finger against one character's soul.

If the character loses, he gains the Quirk Nuisance: the Gambler (treat as a low-power snatcher). The fairy doesn't really want a character's soul, but ownership of it will allow him to come pester him in the mundane world whenever the heck he wants.

If the character wins, he gives him his left pinky finger. This will have a miscellaneous magical effect when used, usually to nullify a magical effect or overcome a Trial. Have fun.

If the gamemaster feels like it, he can grant both the Quirk and the finger to any player the with balls to take on The Gambler! The player who takes on The Gambler receives ½ character points for his courage.

Test of Self

Every player who answers correctly is awarded ½ character points. If not, make two players swap characters.

Test of Mercy

Test of Worth

Test of Mettle

Characters see a mean troll with a big scythe. He has a baby.

<I am being the Changeling. I am being 7,000 years old. Oberon being desposed and Titania with. Orcus new boss. I be new Champeen. I be not wanting to reap mortals. You are being to go allowed>

All physical stats: 14

Move 8 Dodge 8 Parry 12

DR 3; may spend one round to regenerate 1d6 hit points instantly

Scythe 18 (Weapon Master bonuses)

His Scythe does half fatigue, half hit point damage. If he's killed, the mother appears and reclaims her baby. The characters receive ¼ points for their heroism.

At this point, the characters can enter the cave into the mountain.

The mountain is completely dark. They can't see anything, except each other if the have a Will O'Wisp. Suddenly, giant steps and a flash of light introduce the first test.

She flies into the ground and explodes into a chess board 9 by 6, though, not 8 by 8. A bunny jumps out onto the board and is zapped into oblivion.

Now the characters need to get across. The may experiment a little and get shot back by increasingly powerful beams. After three warning shots the beams do 5 points of damage (DR doesn't help). They can only successfully cross by jumping the whole thing (Jumping - 8) or the direct approach. The following tiles are safe.

Row Tile

1 3

2 1

3 4

4 1

5 5

6. 9

Lightning Calculator or a successful Mathematics roll will tell them the right numbers. Players know Pi to 6 digits should be allowed to show off. The Mathematics book (if anyone had it) will also yield the correct numbers. The player who figures it out gets ½ points. Then everything goes dark.

Characters meet a dwarf hammering at his anvil like a blacksmith. He introduces himself as Festivus. He challenges characters to best his strength or be barred. The test is: one valiant character must volunteer to hit him in the head with his mallet. Then he gets a turn to whap that character. The mallet does crush/swing +4. If the character comes up with any clever way to kill him he gets 1 ½ points, otherwise 1 for the bravery. When the dwarf whaps it will not be fatal. Characters who swerve out of the way get only ½ points.

A six-limbed fairy appears, holding a different object in each arm. She holds 1) a skull, 2) a sword, 3) an instrument, 4) a tube of randonium OR tricorder (depending on which has been seen in town), 5) a woman's handkerchief, and 6) a sextant. She offers the characters a gift.

I offer no trial but a Choice and a gift. Choose, but choose wisely. That which you accept from me will be your reward and your bane.

Characters who accept an item will suffer 1) loss of all their hair and one point damage, 2) 1d6 damage, 3) random fairy effect, 4) voice becomes bird call, 5) change of gender, and 6) bottle forms around character and he's swallowed up. GMs should assign number six to weed out at least one character.

The correct answer is to choose nothing (one point reward). If they don't figure that out, let them make an Occultism roll to remember not to accept gifts from fairies.

If they have the skull and offer it to her, or offer anything similar to what she has, she disappears and leaves everything behind that she held, saying "What a world, what a world!" The sword is of fine quality and the woman's handkerchief will imbue +1 to women Sex-Appealing men.

Dim red light illuminates a new room. A fairy sentinel is there with seven keys of different colours: yellow, violet, indigo, red, blue, orange, and green . He tells them they use the keys in the correct order or be trapped here for 357 years, as he is. The proper order is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet: the colors of the rainbow. I stole this from Mines of Bloodstone. One point to the guy who figures it out.

Characters find themselves in a cave. The rocks glow a blue incandescent light. A single stalactite drips water into a pool, which bars their bath. When the droplets hit the water, they form into little baby fairies and flutter off. A lump of gold glows distinctly at the bottom.

If anyone but Gallandra jumps into the water, they'll get transformed into a sea creature and be weeded out. If she touches the gold, she's jumped to the next trial. Characters may get through only by first blocking the Dribble of Souls (1/2 point reward). Characters may, of course, try simply to jump it (Jumping -3).

A group of skeleton sentinels speak.

He will repeat this as many times as the players need. If someone figures out the answer (mirror) he gets one character point. If not, remind Gallandra that she has the mirror in her pocket. I stole this from Books of Magic 3.

Whatever character(s) are left will see Orcus and Oberon fighting. Titania is at their feet. The figures are giant and ethereal. Characters can not intervene (unless they have randonium. That will kill Orcus with one blow. Or Oberon.) A single, hooded human with a staff is standing in front of them. There's a pile of gold at his feet. When Oberon is winning, the gold glows, when Orcus is winning, the pile turns black.

Characters will meet Union Jack. This should be really dramatic. He will begin fighting them. Either he will beat them and escape with some gold, or they'll beat him and he'll be sucked up along with Orcus and be trapped in a simple, pine box. Some of the gold will be sucked up along with them. Either way, the players will only get 1d6+1 bars and when they return to the real world half of it will turn into iron pyrite (actually it always was and will hurt Fairies).

Remind the players they need to get the gold back to Jeffrey Sipworth or Orcus's defeat will only be temporary. Characters will need to dash back down the mountain. It will only take two hours to get back down, but the gold is heavy, keep track of encumbrance. HOWEVER, clever characters will have the brought the spell-casting material from the druid's circle and can try to cast the spell themselves.

If the characters don't get back in time, they see Orcus fly out of the mountain and off into the sky, ominously. If they do, Jeffrey performs the ritual quickly and lets them take the gold in thanks (unless the players are responsible for this in the first place, in which case he'll tell them to get out before he tells the town to lynch them).

Before they leave, they see a massive vision of Titania's funeral procession. Oberon is without a mate. Gallandra's hair goes all Mabeline again.

If the characters have a clever idea, let them save Titania.

Any temporary fairy effects go back to normal. Characters get home without any trouble and give the gold to Malloy. He and the orphans are very happy.

Defeat Union Jack 1

Giving the gold to Malloy 2

Orcus escapes -2

Union Jack escapes 0

Needing the GM to solve T and T minus whatever

Every solved Trial and Test see above

As per normal rules see Basic

Appropriate humor 1/4 per joke

Save Titania 1

Characters may keep any items they accumulate. They gain Malloy as a 2 point street contact available a third of the time and usually reliable OR Wishfort as a 2 point Favor. Characters may increase this with earned points. Greedy characters may keep some of the gold. Any character that gets stuck with anything (pointy ears) will have to take the requisite Disadvantage or Quirk.

ST 11

DX 14

IQ 12

HT 10

Combat Reflexes

Very Fit

Toughness 1

Arete

Weapon Master - Staff

Fanaticism

Always wears his costume

Staff 18

Karate 15

Occultism 14

Politics 12

Union Jack wears a blue spandex outfit with a union jack emblazoned on his face and chest. He wants to dispose the parliamentary government and re-establish the power of the monarch. He wants to steal the Welwyn gold, release Orcus into the world, and beat the PCs up. Try not to let them kill him. He has several henchmen. Jack will be the primary conspirator in "When Strike the Prime Minister."

ST 11

DX 12

IQ 10

HT 10

Occultism 11

Boxing 12

Pistol 11

Disguise 12

These people are all attributes 10 and very few remarkable skills or advantages. Each will have Professional Skill: 13. The Gold-Diggers will have useful mining skills if the characters hire them. You can give the Barflies Brawling skills and better ST if you desire.