Back to the Basic (and Expert)?

I have recently been dabbling in D&D once more. I picked up Old School Essentials and also began rummaging through my D&D 5E (not 5.5E) rules to run a small campaign again, this time for some friends locally.

Have also been combing through numerous article and YouTube videos on Mystara, as I've gone back to it for the setting of my campaign.

I can really see the simplicity of the B/X D&D ruleset versus the more modern iteration of the rules, having run it a few times. However, we are shifting to D&D 5E for the next few adventures and we will see how that goes.

There's a conceit in the campaign that allows us to jump across rulesets, so this is the first ruleset jump that we're doing as we explore my version of Mystara.

Some explorations of Order & Chaos, Artifice (Law?) and Nature, and of course Matter, Energy, Time, Mind, and Entropy will ensue.

Hin (Halflings) of Karameikos

I've posted other times about halflings on this blog.

It should come as no surprise to longtime readers that -- for Karameikos and Mystara at large -- I'd rather ditch the somewhat roly-poly portrayal of this race and instead have a hardy, sometimes beefy, sometimes seriously cut, sometimes outrageously yoked individuals who are only about 3 feet high.

They shouldn't cut into the look of the dwarves and instead favor looking clean-shaven, or preferring sideburns or carefully trimmed mustaches over the full beards of their rock-delving fellow demi-humans. Also, they should tend to favor ranged combat and weapons of finesse over the heavier weaponry of the inhabitants of Rockhome.

With all this in mind, I began thinking about the classes for the Hin in Karameikos (and possibly the Five Shires as well). What classes (or combinations thereof) would make for interesting halflings?

Single Class Halflings

The obvious answers are Fighters & Rogues. The fighters would provide a variety of specialized defenders of the Five Shires, and some of those traditions would find their way over to Karameikos.

With the 5E Stout halflings (and their DEX + CON combo), these fighters would be the strong backbone of the defense force, probably mixing ranged attackers with some close-in fighters. The 5E Lightfoot halflings (and their DEX + CHA combo), would make for the more personable rogues that greet intruders and be a great advance party as fighters and rogues alike.

I'd round them out with some Rangers, Druids, and some Bards. The two woodland classes would help with keeping their woodlands safe for their people, while the Bards would naturally emerge from the Hin that continued to collect lore and secrets after their wanderlust subsided.

Last but not least -- perhaps a secret cabal of monks. They'd be known to the bards, as part of that secret cabal that keeps safe some of the greatest artifacts of the Five Shires.

Multi-Class Halflings

The only combinations of classes I'd think of creating for halflings at this point would be the following:

• a fighter + rogue combination to reflect a hardier mix of sly fighting halflings; and
• a cleric + mage combination to reflect the halflings tending to the Five Shire artifacts

But I'm largely speculative at this point, and haven't looked at the numbers and combinations for the level progressions.

Elves of Karameikos - 5E Musings

A combination fighter / mage is what the B/X BECMI elf is, essentially. So what are the options for something like this in D&D 5E?

First off, I'm not going to try to replicate super-faithfully the rules in the Cyclopedia -- If I did, I might as well be playing B/X or BECMI rules. What I'm after is something that approximates the flavor of the setting as implied by the rules.

Option 01: Elf Multi-Classing

The most straightforward approach would be to have Elves multi-class -- but only the fighter / mage combination for the most part. There's two approaches for leveling for this option.

Approach A - alternating Fighter / Mage

If we follow the standard D&D approach, then the character starts off at 1st level with either fighter or mage, then the next level they choose the other class -- and so on until the end (20th level).

Under D&D 5E, one of the implications of this would be that if you start off as a mage, you lose out on the heavy armor proficiency once you get to second level. I might rule that elves start off first with fighter, then go to mage. There is another option, though.

Approach B - combined Fighter / Mage levels

The other approach is to combine levels. 1st level elf fighter / mages are technically 2nd level already, and have to gain enough experience to clear both 2nd, 3rd, and 4th levels to get the next fighter / mage level and all the associated leveling benefits.

The downside here is that the player loses out on the experience of leveling and getting new abilities alongside everyone else. But they do get a big jump in abilities each time they do!

There's probably more to these approaches, but these are the implications I can see off the top of my head.

Option 02: Classes that can fight & cast spells

Another approach would be to select a class (or class archetype) that allows for fighting and spellcasting. In 5E, the possibilities would be:

• Fighter (Eldritch Knight)
• Ranger
• Druids

The Fighter (Eldritch Knight) is primarily a fighter that casts offensive spells. This is a possibility, but shouldn't be the most common version of the elves. All out combat is at odds with the versatility of their class originally.

The Ranger would be ideal, but apparently it's one of the worst (?) classes in 5th edition. That's a helluva fall from being the 'broken, overpowered' class of AD&D 1st edition. But it may be just fine with special abilities of the elf -- or if we tweak the class a bit to improve it.

The Druid is a close second to the Ranger. It has that mystical woodland creature feel, and their abilities are certainly a reflection of that. Perhaps the Karameikos elves would be a combination of Rangers & Druids -- but they dress similarly to human eyes, so folks rarely can tell the difference between the wo.

Bringing Freeport into Mystara

It's interesting when two setting customization goals synergize.

First, I wanted to bring Freeport into Mystara (preferably nearish to Karameikos, which is the start of the campaign). Second, I wanted to initially remove Ierendi due to the overkill comedic elements, but realized I wanted to keep parts of it (esp. since they are mentioned in other Gazetteers and have a nice role as an epicenter of bardic excellence).

Fortunately, I realized I could just chop out several islands from Ierendi (Safari, Alcove, Utter, and Honor) and replace them with Freeport's islands largely intact.

BENEFITS of FREEPORT in this Location

This allows me to do several things:

1. 
   Freeport becomes a colorful, semi-dangerous, yet useful stopping point for sea adventures for those coming from the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, the Five Shires, the Minrothad Guilds, the Kingdom of Ierendi -- and of course the Thaneigoth Archipelago to the south.
2. Possible unholy alliances between the factions of Freeport and the Black Eagle Barony.
3. Another reason for older 'retired adventurers' settling in the Five Shires -- aside from the idyllic location, they work with the smaller, more determined Kingdom of Ierendi to keep watch on threats new and old from Freeport.
4. Another locus point for a "Cults of Chaos" that interpid adventurers can trace some of the evils in Karameikos back to.
5. A reason to work in the classic Death in Freeport adventure early into the career of the adventurers, setting the stage for future conflicts.

Back to the Dark Corners of Mystara in 2022

 

Almost a year since my last post, and I find that I've decided to finally start running my Mystara campaign, using the 5th edition of D&D (more or less).

While I continue to read and look at other systems and settings, my goal -- to run some of the most memorable old D&D modules in an integrated, re-imagined Mystara -- is paramount in my mind.

Furthermore, several old friends are familiar with the 5th Edition rules (and I am not), so I'm counting on them to help on the mechanical side, while I focus on the setting and adventures and characters (player & game master).

That being the case, I would be remiss if I didn't mention some System + Setting RPGs that have shaped how I'm thinking about this Mystara campaign. So here they are:

Lex Arcana RPG by Acheron Books

This is a beautifully laid out and illustrated RPG that provides rich source material for running a setting with a Roman Empire that did not fall.

For someone trying to replicate this aspect of the Roman Empire (for the Thyatian Empire, of course) this is a gold mine not only about the political, cultural, and military telling details of the Empire -- it comes with its own ready rationale for adventurers in this setting.

In Lex Arcana, you are a Custos (warden) of the Cohors Auxiliaria Arcana, sent by the Emperor to the four corners of the world to further the study of arcane lore, investigate forbidden cults, and face the thread posed by dangerous supernatural creatures.

Very clearly explained setting with a lot of authentic-sounding (I'm not an expert, so I'll trust Acheron Books here) terminology for weaponry, armor, social status, military and political organizations, and so on. It also shows how the many conquered lands and provinces of the Empire have been integrated into it, so it is quite useful for my own questions about how similar Thyatian provinces might be handled.

It's entirely possible that some day I'll play the game as is -- but for now, I'll plunder its contents for my campaign. I'm already looking at a customized Castra (found in the sourcebook Encyclopaedia Arcana -- see image below) to replace the Keep in the classic B2: Keep on the Borderlands.

Also, because the Roman Roads were such an important aspect of the Empire, it meshes with my idea for the Roadwardens campaign (which I had originally lifted from WFRP), giving a different campaign frame from the traditional adventuring party.

If you're similarly interested on good material for your Roman Empire-inspired RPG source material, I highlight recommend their books.

Mythic Constantinople by The Design Mechanism

For almost the same reason, I've picked up this sourcebook for the game system Mythras by the folks at The Design Mechanism. While I do not intend to use the playable character classes and races listed in this well-researched and detail-rich book, they will add also to the source material for Thyatis (which has been stated to be a Byzantium-inspired setting) -- geography, history, politics, organizations, and religions are all here for use and enriching the default Karameikos / Thyatis aspects of Mystara.

The emphasis on recreating a mythical version of the city and setting, rather than a purely historical one, is also quite good for my purposes. It adds to the mystery, the intrigue, and the implied danger that permeates the city, and emanates across the rest of the Empire.

Questions for you, dear reader:

1. Are there other books out there that you've repurposed for your game settings? What are they?
2. Are there other aspects of the Mystara setting that you've gleefully edited and replaced with something from some other setting -- D&D or otherwise?

A Month of Online RPGaming

Due to a cinematic inciting incident (a pandemic) that has become a grim reality, I have surprisingly found myself logging more RPG playtime than I have in a while. Gametime has been split between two systems and settings:

Star Hero: Tales of the Confederation Starfleet (Hero System 5E)

The last time I played in this campaign was decades ago, one with lensmen, clan sentinels (think slightly more militant, and more combat savvy jedi), and a host of different military branches of the principled Confederation, carrying out missions in an intrigue-ridden galaxy populated by the the profit-motivated Alliance, the expansionist Second Empire, the militant religious Unity, and other stellar nations.

Our recent adventures have taken us on a variety of missions, including:

• stopping a reactivated 20 mile long, 5 mile wide colony ship from impacting on a inhabited world;
• enforcing a quarantine on the aforementioned world, where a bio-engineered plague that irreversibly converts victims into powerful, fast, and deadly units of a hive mind;
• traveling to an ice planet within New Imperial territory where a number of Alliance companies have apparently carried out similar biological experiments with the plague;
• using a surprising cache of Old Imperial technology, gating to a planet deep within Alliance territory to escape the tactical nuclear detonation in booby-trapped underwater research base;
• surviving on an Alliance hunting preserve with some of the galaxy's deadliest creatures long enough for a secretly chartered vessel to rescue them;
• surviving a short-lived battle against an Imperial Admiral in powered armor, in order to negotiate an information-sharing agreement regarding the bioplague;
• investigating a low-tech, feral planet for the source of the bioplague's key components to help in combating its use in future warfare.

Seems like we were making up for lost time!

Challengers of the Lost Mine (D&D 5E on Roll20)

Because some old classmates wanted to try out D&D gaming (some with their kids), I volunteered to DM for them the intro module to D&D: Lost Mine of Phandelver.

Only two sessions so far, with most of them playing D&D for the first time (all of them playing 5E for the first time). As for me, it's been my first time running a game on Roll 20 (and Zoom for the audio), so I've been learning quite a lot about the features of Roll 20, and the special customizations for D&D 5E. And trying to get my player acclimated to playing with both D&D and Roll20.

However, it's been a lot of fun as I try to impart the fun of TTRPG play and maximize the digital toolsets to tell the story and impact the tactical challenges of the adventure. Added challenge: some of the players are limited by devices and bandwidth when playing.

So, it 's been great being able to reconnect with very old friends, and meeting the kids of my former classmates. Here's to maintaining this brave new world of gaming behavior as we emerge from the pandemic and adjust to our new lives under its influence.

  

All Under HERO: Thoughts on Magic Systems of the Known World (Part 1)

The Magic-User Archetype (for Karameikos)

Karameikos was crafted to be the stereotypical D&D fantasy realm, and as a result has primarily stereotypical D&D wizards. As a result there's no shortage of ways to build this magical system in HERO. The classic magic system is known for:

• verbal (Incantations)
• somatic (Gestures)
• material components (Foci and/or charges)

Also, you need to re-learn / re-select what spells you can cast each morning via spellbooks that is basically the list of spells you can learn and cast. You have newer spells that arise out of research (or learning from scrolls, other mages, or from acquired spellbooks) added to this spellbook.

However, given the HERO points-based, non-class philosophy -- not every mage will be shackled into these exact set of restrictions. In fact, the concept of a magic school or tradition may help very well here.

Magical Learning: Academies or Apprenticeships?

We know that there is an official school established in Karameikos, just as there schools elsewhere (Thyatis, Glantri, Alphatia, etc.), so there's no doubt that well-traveled mages and adventurers will be able to guess where a mage picked up their skills not only by the spells, but by the limitations and advantages open to them. There will be a certain rigor and breadth of knowledge and understanding of magical theory and history, even if they turn out to be not-so-great as students.

And there might be some rivalry between schools from a given academy, or between different academies as well.

However, there could also be apprenticeships. Depending on where the master or tutor learned his/her magic, the student could have strengths and weaknesses that academy-trained mages lack. And there could also be greater dangers associated with them as well, assuming that part of the approach of the larger academies is to teach magic that works for ALL students, rather than customizing curriculum for each student. Therefore the apprenticeship style of learning could have a more eclectic selection of spell, or a more specialized approach toward things.

And of course, depending on the build, some fighters and thieves may have picked up a minor cantrip here or there...

All Under Hero: BECMI D&D To Hit progression

Karameikos has always been the starting point of my understanding of Mystara; the first Gazetteer was my first realization that it was its own setting.

And since the Gazetteer states that Karameikos was designed as being designed to accommodate the rulebook classes, I've decided to assume that the D&D cyclopedia classes and levels are sort of 'rules of thumb' to build Mystaran characters -- and even to use as NPC templates for customization in the course of play.

So -- let's look at the To Hit tables for the classes (which include demi-humans)!

Progression Insights

According to this table, we can see that:

• Character classes are a cut above normal humans (even magic users), with a +1 to their To Hits at 1st level. 
• Fighters improve their To Hit chances by +2 every 3 levels.
• Clerics, Thieves, and Druids improve their To Hit Chances by +2 every 4 levels.
• Magic Users improve their To Hit Chances by +2 every 5 levels.
• Demi-humans progress a little bit differently (see the letters).

This can easily be done in HERO with equivalent bonuses to the PC's OCV per level.

Why not make these straightforward Skill Level purchases? Well, there are a couple of things that might complicate matters:

• reflecting hit points: rather than a straighforward boost to BODY, STUN, or PD / ED, allowing a bonus to CV instead of just OCV could reflect how higher level characters are just better at combat in general (as a guideline).
• weapon mastery rules: these also have an effect of boosting your skills, and any characters with this should have these reflected as skill levels with their chosen weapons; implementing with skill levels instead of a straight OCV bonus might confuse matters.

So, I'll proceed on this basis for now.

All Under Hero: HEROic D&D

Mystara has been a setting that fascinates me, due to the long-lingering influence of the Gazetteers on my fantasy gaming life. One of the reasons I attempted, years ago, to do a "HEROic" conversion of D&D (see the following old links), was partially due to the setting.

HEROic D&D - Part 1
HEROic D&D - Part 2
HEROic D&D - Part 3
HEROic D&D - Part 4
HEROic D&D - Part 5

Someone asked my why I would attempt such a thing, given how well HERO does fantasy, and the fact that I was obviously a HERO fan, and knew Fantasy Hero. I answered the following:

"to convert various NPCs, PCs and monsters into HERO characters and then play straight using HERO rules. 

It's not REALLY a system re-creation, but two things:
(1) primarily a way to rationalize in my head how these conversions would be done;
(2) very secondarily, a way to explore how HERO deviated from the original ruleset -- as I think I've hinted at here by how I handled stats."

Looking back, I would have to say that it was probably more of a combination of the first sentence, and #2 of the last paragraph.

To be honest, it seems to me that #2 of the last paragraph was a major part of it -- I wanted to explore why the ruleset of HERO resonated so strongly with my own mental model of how the world works, as opposed to my occasional hesitations when remembering the abstraction choices made in D&D rules (like the abstract Armor Class approach, which combines difficulty in hitting someone with the ability to penetrate armor / do damage).

At the same time, I also felt that Mystara had hidden depths that I could best express in HERO system (which I think echoes in my own explorations of magic systems elsewhere on this blog). I wanted to have a depth and breadth of fighting builds for characters, and a way to express how different magical / mystical systems could be realized in the world -- and why those differences matter when recognized by players.

That being the case, I'm returning to this project with a different perspective, perhaps to ground my explorations more. I'm going to begin building components for the Mystara / Enigmundia world in HERO to see where they bring me in terms of the ideas for the setting.

On the Radar: Dawn of the Emperors is out!

So, for those Mystara-philes out there, here's something of interest:

The classic Gazetteer boxed set, Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia, is now in available on DriveThruRPG.

I haven't picked it up yet, mostly because I've yet to run any kind of D&D game again, let alone in my "Dark Corners" version of Mystara.

But I do have fond memories of flipping through the pages and reading through the maps -- and thinking about how I would go about tweaking it for my game.

Apparently, the instructions given to the late Aaron Allston for this set were "to make Thyatis a country that specialized in the concerns of the fighter class, while Alphatia would be a magocracy." Of course, given the linear progression of power for fighters, and the exponential progression of power for mages, it makes sense that Thyatis would have spellcasters with a martial bent, while Alphatia would have fighters (treated as second class citizens, however).

To my mind, Thyatis really draws on historical Rome / Byzantine Empire, which has a different set of cultural touchstones in the wake of TV series like Rome, Spartacus, and so on. Alphatia is a bit of a mystery to me -- this is a culture that has access to great magical power, and is actively engaged in research, but is also of a chaotic bent. Since, according to canon, "Alphatia, a land of magicians, was itself colonized by people from another world", the argument can be made that perhaps it is meant to be a very alien culture that has grown into an Empire.

On the Radar: D&D Cyclopedia and New Styles of Play

You may not have heard yet, but at the end of January 2018, the D&D Cyclopedia went up for sale on DriveThruRPG. Apparently, it's possible to order printed versions of this, but I'm sorely tempted to get the PDF version, for archival purposes -- because it's only $9.99 at the time of this writing.

Now while, this was available before, they now also offer a softcover and hardcover version (POD, I believe). I own the hardcover, but the concept of a softcover version blows my mind!

Story Games & Indie Games in Mystara

The setting of Mystara is a such an easy go-to for me, especially when I have to force myself to read through new material these days (it used to be so easy to read and retain stuff) that I've been looking at how to build characters using the old system here -- then just use mechanics from a variety of sources to add a different sheen or style of play for a night or two, before going back to the old rules. What rules sets are these?

Retro-clones and Neo-clones

I won't go through the list, especially since you can find it online -- more than one, actually. But it's a trivial matter to go through this list to see what particular aspect of play might be spiced up by the emphasis of a given ruleset. In fact, that may be part of a future series of posts.

D&D 5th Edition

Given the system's construction, it's pretty easy to just use characters built from the Cyclopedia and then apply a handful of rules from 5th edition (Advantage / Disadvantage, hit points and death) and so on to get the modern feel without doing a full on conversion.

Special Plug-ins

If you want to handle something like investigations in the world of Mystara (there's been a multiple murder -- of the same guy, and he wants you to find out who's been killing him over and over), you may want to pick up something like Gumshoe (especially their rules-lite version Pocket Gumshoe), and pop it into place to handle some Manhunter of Mystara adventures in the Known World.

There's also the possibility of taking from the page of FATE, and similar and similar aspect-oriented games, to create an aspect or two for your character, which allows you to trigger a special Advantages / Disadvantages when you can invoke it them game -- due to circumstances -- in order to further cement your character's uniqueness in the world. They can be serious ("Not on my watch!") to silly ("Kobolds must but saved"), but do add a twist to the traditional gameplay in the setting.

D&D 5th Edition: Classic Modules

There's a group of folks doing some conversions of classic modules to 5th Edition. Hence the name: Classic Modules today.

My longtime fascination with Mystara has naturally brought my attention to several modules set in that milieu, which are:

B2: Keep on the Borderlands
B3: Palace of the Silver Princess
X2: Chateau d'Amberville (Castle Amber)

Naturally, you still need the original modules. But you can find those online at DriveThruRPG as well at www.dmsguild.com.

I really wish that all the classic Mystara adventures could be converted -- but for me, that's just compleatist talk.

I'm looking at maybe creating some output as well for the 5th Edition rules, but with an approach that's slightly different from the climb to 20th level. Or perhaps, it's a back-to-classics approach after all. I'll post again when I've got it clear in my head.

Echoes: Piacenza - Season 2 Episode 42

Justicar Rinaldo in his younger years.

Legato Reunited! Well, A Quorum, Anyway. 

Game Summary for Echoes Book 02: S02E042

Echoes Book 02 is a continuation of a more narrative-oriented campaign (almost no rules, all aspects-based interpretation) that now uses D&D 5E rules.

Piacenza: La citta Spezzata

RINALDO

I'm not the only one seeing this, am I?

OSHA

No. What is it?

As Rinaldo, Osha, and Fierra cross over on the way back from the Palazzo di Sovrino, the sky has taken on a strange rippled appearance, as if some thing or things beyond the range of vision are casting shadows on it from above. The daylight has thus become bizarre as well, with erratic patches of sun and shade. The effect is oppressive and - to Rinaldo, at least - somewhat dreadful, but the citizenry seem to be, if not quite untroubled, at least unsurprised by it.

RINALDO

Fierra? Are you seeing it, too?

FIERRA

Oh, yes, it's noontime. Actually, I expected your - talk - to last longer.

RINALDO

So this is normal, at noontime?

(as Fierra looks at him quizzically)

I've been away so long.

FIERRA

It's become normal, in recent times. I suppose it's one of the drawbacks of our lack of involvement in Scienza - no one knows why it happens, but it's harmless.

RINALDO

Oh, so we don't really have Scienzans. You were never - interested, yourself?

FIERRA

We both had our childhood curiosity, but I'm much better suited in my capacity.

RINALDO

And me?

FIERRA

(inexplicably amused)

Well, you're Scienzan now, aren't you?

(while Rinaldo is pretending to get the joke)

We are heading now to the Ordine della Ore Perse, Osha, and I'm afraid entry is restricted to persons of a certain clearance level. You understand.

OSHA

So Rinaldo is a person of a certain clearance level?

FIERRA

He must not have felt he was allowed to tell you: he is Chief Justicar of Giustizia.

OSHA

He's what?

RINALDO

(pretending not to be equally astonished)

Amazing, isn't it?

OSHA

But - How - ?

RINALDO

Amazing, isn't it?

Ordine della Ore Perse, Distretto di Giustizia - shortly

Osha having agreed to wait outside, Fierra and Rinaldo are waiting in an office.

FIERRA

I sent word. We're early, but the Paladino della Primo Ora should be here soon.

RINALDO

Do I normally take longer, when - I visit the Doge? Do I normally visit the Doge?

FIERRA

(giving her cousin a wry look)

I’d say you're playing a dangerous game with all these women, but do I have to?

VITTORIO

(entering)

Justicar Rinaldo, what a privilege and relief to see you again.

RINALDO

Pallladddino? Vito?

VITTORIO

Signorina Cardano, I apologize for making you wait. As you know, we were not certain when Rinaldo would arrive, but all has been arranged now that he has.

FIERRA

I'll leave him in your capable hands, then, Paladino Vittorio.

(to Rinaldo)

I'll be waiting outside when you're done.

Fierra steps out.

VITTORIO

Are you well, old friend? I hope the assignment was not too troublesome for you.

RINALDO

Oh, well, I've had a day or so to - Rest and Recover.

VITTORIO

(evidently oblivious to Rinaldo's attempted prompt)

Oh, yes, I hear you've even had time to - pay a visit, hmm?

Rinaldo feigns laughter. Vittorio seems surprised that his teasing was understood.

VITTORIO

Ah, the memory blocks have begun to degrade, have they? Well, that is all to the good; it should make the restoration procedure go even more smoothly.

RINALDO

The restoration - ?

A servitor appears and murmurs something to Vito, who looks annoyed.

VITTORIO

Please forgive me, Justicar Rinaldo; a pressing matter requires my attention. I should return shortly. Why not take the opportunity to stretch your legs a bit?

Mystified but obedient for now, Rinaldo loiters outside Vito's office, where he runs into Lia Tanzi, dressed in the same sort of semi-armored uniform as Vito. She introduces herself - so he pretends not to know her - and invites him into her own office for a spot of tea, while waiting.

LIA

Some crackers? I'd love to offer you something more substantial, but we wouldn't want to compromise the restoration procedure, would we?

RINALDO

No, of course we wouldn't.

LIA

May I ask? I know the overlay will be examined - meticulously, I assure you - but as a matter of departmental pride: no one doubted you were a scientist?

RINALDO

Not - to my knowledge - Is that what your department does? Forgive me - my memory, as you know - I was given to understand we don't have much Scienza.

LIA

Please, there is nothing to forgive; it is hardly surprising you don't remember! I am Paladino della Secondo Ora; my office is concerned with acquired knowledge - such as Scienza, but by no means exclusively so - while Paladino Vito's department focuses on the more primal foundations of identity.

RINALDO

The first hour. I see.

LIA

Exactly. So while the core, construction, and application of the overlay - along with, of course, the preservation and restoration of your original identity - are under his auspices, I and mine were happy to help with the knowledge aspect.

RINALDO

And you did a wonderful job; thank you. May I ask what happens to the overlay?

LIA

It will be lifted and examined - all information recorded - and thereafter stored with great care. It's normal for you to perhaps be experiencing some attachment now, but once you are returned to your proper self, it will be a great relief.

(after a pause)

Do you really not remember me?

Just as Andrew is hollering that it's time for Rinaldo to get the hell out before he's lobotomized, Lia is summoned by another servitor. She tells Rinaldo to make himself comfortable - she'll have Vito informed where he is. She leaves the room, and Rinaldo immediately proceeds to stuff his face with all the protein and fat he can get his hands on.

An operating room - soon

RINALDO

Wait, wait, wait, are you telling me this procedure has never been tested?

HIRUDOTHERAPIST

Not at all, Justicar! We have performed extensive testing, and I assure you, this new technology of exsanguination with the leeches - which is only a portion of the overall procedure - has been approved by all relevant authorities of the Ordine.

VITTORIO

Nevertheless, this is the first use of the technique in an actual procedure?

HIRUDOTHERAPIST

(cheerfully)

Well, one must start somewhere, Paladino!

VITTORIO

You really think it is advisable for that "somewhere" to be on a Chief Justicar?

Ulea, the Paladino della Momento Perduta, clears his throat meaningfully.

VITTORIO

(who dislikes Ulea)

Regardless of being a personal friend, Justicar Rinaldo is not only a high-ranking official of Giustizia, but currently in possession of potentially-critical information. Things can go wrong - is that not why your presence is required, Paladino Ulea? It hardly seems the occasion for experimentation.

HIRUDOTHERAPIST

As I said, this is not experimentation, because we have already experimented, thoroughly! Paladino Vittorio, you signed off on the memo yourself.

Vito, who does not read his paperwork, guiltily shifts the focus of the argument. The hirudotherapist stands his ground. The Paladin of the Lost Moment harrumphs. Until -

ATTENDANT

Sirs, forgive me for interrupting, but we have another issue. I'm afraid the Justicar's stomach is not empty. There is protein; we cannot proceed.

HIRUDOTHERAPIST

What?

Ulea clears his throat.

VITTORIO

(irritated)

Well, of course he was informed not to eat for twenty-four hours, but it is hardly surprising if he did not remember! Memory blocks tend to do that. Rinaldo -

RINALDO

It was only a little bit.

HIRUDOTHERAPIST

But, Justicar, surely Director Cardano would not have permitted -

RINALDO

Yes, surely, but what is one to do when the Doge presses refreshments on them?

Before long, the procedure is canceled for the day, and Rinaldo is thankfully let up from the operating table. He and Vito begin heading out of the Ordine, Vito admonishing Rinaldo to have nothing but bread and water for the next 24 hours, so they can proceed the next day.

CESARE 

(fuming)

I demand to see him! Paladino! Paladino!

VITTORIO

Ah, Custode delle Cinque Venti, what a pleasant surprise.

CESARE

"Surprise"? "Surprise"! You know perfectly well I have been trying to see you for over a week now! Just because your department and mine do not see eye-to-eye -

VITTORIO

You mean, because Diplomazia wishes to make nice with the very villains who have taken over one of our sovereign districts, and Guistizia disagrees?

CESARE

No one is trying to "make nice"! The reality is, Savon has annexed Gran Lunga, and how are we to resolve that situation, if not through diplomacy?

VITTORIO

Yes, if we shake their hands the right way, they will give us back our territory.

CESARE

How dare you - Rinaldo? Is that you?

RinALDO

Cesare! It's so good to see you. In fine form, I see.

CESARE

As are you, of course; the years have treated us well. But where have you been?

Sneaking a peek at a mirror in passing, Rinaldo sees they are all some ten years older.

RINALDO

Oh, you know, here and there. Speaking of which, how goes the mapmaking?

CESARE

(suddenly even more furious)

How. Dare. You! You know I left that life behind, that - that - inconsequence! That foolishness! Are you calling me inconsequential and foolish?!

RINALDO

I'm really not -

CESARE

I thought you, at least, would be different! But no, you are all the same, you of Giustizia, accusing Diplomazia of harboring - what is that odious term you use? "Uglies"! I ask you, what could be uglier than bringing up a man's past, dredging up the matter of - I can barely bring myself to say the word - cartography!

VitTORIO

Custode Cesare, your indoor voice, please -

CESARE

(hollering)

I am using my indoor voice!

VITTORIO

If you could bring yourself, a moment, to listen to my indoor voice, you might hear me telling you that Justicar Rinaldo is currently suffering an impairment to his memory, and thus cannot be held responsible for any lack of delicacy -

CESARE

(in a stunningly abrupt Piacenzan mood shift)

Oh, I apologize! Is that what you and Paladino Vittorio were tending to, today? I am sorry; I heard that your endeavor was canceled for some reason. You must make sure that it is rescheduled promptly, lest you be subject to endless delays.

Cesare frowns meaningfully at Vito, as they step outside the building, where Fierra and Osha are waiting. Vito heroically refrains from rolling his eyes, and excuses himself.

VITTORIO

I will go see that all scheduling matters are put in order, shall I?

CESARE

Well, now that I understand, Rinaldo, of course you cannot be blamed for not recalling - that incident -

As he, Rinaldo, Osha, and Fierra begin to walk away, Cesare rocks on his heels. (What happens, really, is that Cesare’s consciousness plunges down from the Oneiral Zone into this Cesare!)

CESARE

Rinaldo! We're in Giustizia! Giustizia's not drowned!

(continues babbling cartographic observations)

RINALDO

Yes. No. Cesare? Wait. How do you know I'm the Rinaldo you trust?

CESARE

What other Rinaldo is there? Who are those people following us?

RINALDO

Those are your assistants, who accompanied you to see Paladino Vito -

CESARE

Vito? Vito is here? What is Vito doing here!? He is the anchor! How am I to return with you to the anchor from here, when Vito is the anchor and he is here!?

RINALDO

(lowering his voice)

Shut up, Cesare. He is not the Vito we know. This is not what we know.

CESARE

"Assistants"? You mean those are my thralls? I have thralls? I do not have -

Suddenly convinced that he is, himself, once more being enthralled by a Longlegs, Cesare crosses his arms and refuses to speak or budge. Rinaldo tries to explain what he knows.

FIERRA

Rinaldo? We should retire to the Hall, so you can rest for tomorrow.

RINALDO

Yes, but I ran into an old friend.

FIERRA

Cesare?

RINALDO

He has become unusually silent. Let us go somewhere and celebrate.

CESARE

If you show me your true face, Longlegs, I will tell you everything.

FIERRA  

(after a brief pause)

Rinaldo, will you excuse the two of us for a moment?

RINALDO

Oh, you know each other? Well, certainly.

Rinaldo takes the opportunity to whisper to Osha that this seems to be ‘their’ Cesare.

FIERRA

(hissing privately to Cesare)

We agreed that if we meet outside, after everything, we treat each other with dignity and respect! I told you, and I'm telling you again, and I need to believe it's for the last time: you chose - her. You cannot go commenting about my legs!

Cesare, who has never met Fierra, realizes he would never have mentioned her to a Longlegs.

CeSARE

Iiii - apologize! For any heartbreak I may have inadvertently caused.

FIERRA

(loudly)

Now, if you will excuse me, Custode, I must see to Justicar Rinaldo.

CESARE

"Justicar"?

RINALDO

Amazing, isn't it?

Rinaldo walks ahead with Fierra. Osha and Cesare hurriedly exchange information, although Cesare, characteristically, dithers for some time, until Osha cuts to the chase:

OSHA

What do you need me to do?

CESARE

Oh! Get Rinaldo, while I recreate the map to Salici, which will bring us to Vito.

OSHA

But Vito -

CESARE

The Vito of eight years ago, which is two and a half years from where we started, when the lightning happened. But first we must bring everyone together.

OSHA

(possibly sarcastically)

It's that simple?

CESARE

(oblivious to the possibility of sarcasm)

I am hoping it is that simple? At least this part should be.

Osha goes to fetch Rinaldo. Cesare starts to redraw his map, only to find that his ink seems to seep away into the air; they are, as Rinaldo hypothesized earlier, underwater.

CESARE

I need a way to keep my ink from dissipating!

CESARE's ring

(in a quite male voice)

I stand ready, Dapifer.

CESARE

Who's that? Who is talking to me? Are you talking to me?

CESARE'S RING

I am Mistral, Dapifer.

CESARE

I have a female thrall in my ring? How convenient!

With the help of "Miss Thrall", it's done! The trio travels through the Oneiral Zone - Osha felling some of the now-multiple Longlegs wandering about, calling Cesare's name - to Archiviare, where they are reunited with ‘their’ Vito. Everyone reverts to their 'normal' age.

All seems well, and much theorizing occurs, until Rinaldo realizes that they have left Eugen behind! Osha points out that not only he, but Mateo and the Savonians recovered their Violazione memories, and may also (being Savonian) be in danger from the authorities.

A re-rescue attempt is agreed upon, except that they need another anchor, since Vito is still serving as such for Master Juven, who has yet to return. Rinaldo recalls that his druid friend, Bernardo Matarellia, was heading for Archiviare when Rinaldo last saw him.

Sweet Jorge confirms that such a person is, in fact, known to be present in the area, albeit likewise known as a madman. Rinaldo contacts Bernardo druidically, and, despite indeed appearing not to be in possession of a complete set of marbles, Bernardo agrees to help, in exchange for Rinaldo's promise to help him plead for the Green Antlered God's benison.

Rinaldo ends up staying behind to keep an eye on Bernardo, but aside from that - for once - the travel through the Oneiral Zone goes off without a hitch. Then Osha and Cesare emerge into a miniature war zone! The Portinari residence is under siege by forces in Piacenzan livery, and curious liquids and lights fill the air, as the Savonians fight back.

HANS

(shouting)

We will protect you, Signor Zorsi!

OSHA

Cesare, are you sure we can only take Eugen? That is Via's father!

CESARE

He's alive?

OSHA

For now! And what about the Savonians? We can’t just leave them.

CESARE

All right, all right! I just need to adjust the specifications of the map - I need to make the requisite calculations - If I make a mistake, it could be - I need -

(shouting, after inspiration strikes)

Dietrich! Dietrich, tell me you're here!

Soon, with Osha and Hans coordinating, Cesare and Dietrich are huddled over the map.

DIETRICH

I do not understand the problem.

CESARE

See, the map - and thus the spell - was constructed for three or four, but now we are seventeen, and so all the parameters need to be adjusted to compensate for -

DIETRICH

No, I mean I do not understand why there is a problem.

CESARE

(staring at the map, which the mathematician has recalibrated in a minute or so)

Oh. Oh!

Before long, everyone is clustered together. However, there's one little problem.

MATEO

Thank you, my friends, but I cannot go with you.

HANS

Signor Zorsi, you cannot expect to reason with these mad people -

MATEO

If you are not here, they have no proof that I have been "harboring Savonians".

OSHA

That may not stop them from throwing you in jail, on suspicion.

MATEO

They might, or they might not be able to; this is Cultura, and I am Mateo Zorsi. But more importantly, what if Via comes? I have not seen my daughter in ten years; I will not have her come to find me, only to discover I have left her.

CESARE

I promise you, Signor, I will find your daughter.

MATEO

You are a friend of Rinaldo's and Osha's, so please do not think I do not trust you. Rather, I do. So after you have gotten my daughter to safety, you can get me.