Michael here with the next Earthdawn blogpost! We’ve been working to combine the first eight Legends of Barsaive adventure modules into a combined product as part of our current Kickstarter campaign. This reminded me of some old files I have laying around from the series, specifically some background material I wrote that filled in some gaps between parts one, four, and eight. What follows was originally meant to explain some behind the scenes events to players who completed LoB-108.

(Warning! Some story spoilers are present in the rest of this blog.)

A number of important events are revealed at the end of that adventure, so this character diary was ultimately cut from the final draft to prevent information overload at the end of a rather onerous module. I hope those who have run through the series enjoy this peek into the mind of the enemy:

It is almost time; the expedition will leave shortly. Though I never expected to find an answer in Haven, our presence here has indeed nurtured the fruit of discovery. Their thirst for knowledge seeps through every action they take. It makes them easy to manipulate. Whereas we are of one mind, they are fractured. Petty. They have worked well towards a common goal, but their reasons are their own. It blinds them to our true purpose. Just a few small crumbs were enough to set them along our path, and from there it was only a matter of time until they assembled the prize.

Our moves over the past year have been harmonious towards this goal. Not of Justice, not of wealth, not of glory, but power. We seek what was taken from the other plane. We seek to unleash that which will make us whole. Only then can we seek vengeance against the evil who stood against us. Its strength will again be opposed in this world, but our treat will greater this time. We have studied the evil and will be prepared for its tricks. Without the map, it cannot possible contain us again.

The five of us have gone to great lengths for our kind, but now all the pieces are moving into their proper place. It’s only a matter of time before we reap the rewards of this endeavor. The companies have given us leave to venture into the ruins with mere children – the ones who have unknowingly carried out our bidding from the very start. They assisted me in covering our tracks, recovered the ingredient to further our influence, and even traveled to lands abroad to make us whole. They will make excellent pawns on this final leg of our journey.

I must admit that I find this form’s compulsion to chronical its existence exhausting. No doubt a remnant of remaining locked inside it for so long. The mere existence of this page would be catastrophic if found, further showing how flawed this state has made me. Fortunately, it no longer matters. The events are set, our plan is in motion. It cannot be stopped. We cannot be stopped. Our gift to this world will soon be unleased. Death will make us whole.

– Journal entry discovered in the chambers of Chandra Adaire, just after the events of LoB-108: Brain Scratch

Anyone using the Legends of Barsaive series in a play-at-home setting should feel free to incorporate the above when wrapping up “Loose Ends” in LoB-108. It could even be used to initiate a separate adventure diving deeper into the behind the scene events of previous adventure modules.

That actually sounds fun…do you guys think I could convince Andi to make space in the book for one more adventure? There are a bunch of cool maps we could make up and…uh oh, I think she’s sending the Horrors after me!

Until next time, thanks for reading.