Player Handout 7

The image begins to form of a small clearing in a dark garden, this clearing. A man crouches in the shadows, as if waiting for someone. Suddenly the sky is ablaze with colored fire as fireworks explode into the once dark and silent night. During one of the flashes, a second figure can be seen, moving quickly towards the first.

“Comrade, quickly over here.” At the sound of the voice, the second figure looks around and a second explosion of light reveals a man’s face, middle aged and of Savonan stock. In his arms is the body of a small boy. The first man releases an audible gasp of air and quickly makes a gesture and for a brief second the area glows pale silver.

“I take it I am not who you are expecting.” The second man smiles and sets the young boy to the ground. The boy stirs and groans at the movement.

“No, not at all. I though there was something wrong about you. The way you looked at the Mistress and young Master Aulus. Now I know. Well, by the Shield, you shall not have him.” And with a quick sweep of the first man’s hands, four fiery bolts streak towards the Savonan.

The second man laughs as the bolts are mostly deflected by some unseen shield of force. “You will have to do better than that Gardener. Leave now or I will be the one harvesting you.” The savonan laughs at his own jest as he performs a quick series of movements and a small golden pea floats towards the gardener and explodes in a ball of fire that counterpoints the fireworks overhead. Before the fire has cleared, the savonan follows up with a quick gesture that releases five glowing balls of silver lights that strike the prone gardener.

“You can’t stop me. My ship is ready to depart, customs has been cleared and soon I will be out in the Gulf, within the safety of my escort. And once the Stormrider is enclosed in those protective black sails, nothing can take my Lieges’ prize from me. Neither you nor your Sanctorum friends.” The savonan jeers at the gardener as he struggles to gain his feet. Suddenly with a move as quick as a snake, a beam of multi colored light is released from the determined gardener, followed quickly by a second beam of green. The first beam seems to be absorbed by the savonan, but the second, the one of green energy strikes true and the savonan seems to be visibly weakened and lessened. Anger contorts the savonan face and a savage gesture has the gardener writhing in pain. The gardener gasps a string of words and the flesh of the savonan seems to turn grey, but with a visible effort, the creeping grayness is fought back.

The savonan snarls a quick word, and the gardener stiffens, a cry on anguish escaping his lips before the paralysis completely overtakes his body. The savonan walks over to him, swaying slightly. “You are lucky that I do not have time to take you with me or you would know what we do with those of you who refuse to serve the Master.” And with the eyes of the gardener looking up at him with pure hatred, the Savonan draws a bronze gladius and slides its blade across the exposed throat of the prone man, before picking up the body of the boy and heading towards the glowing lights of Plexus.