This is an example of a Magic Road HeroQuest, a ritual to allow individuals to use the HeroPlane as a short cut acorss the Mundane Plane. In this instance, it allows an individual to go from Kero Fin to a Mountain in the Mislari Mountain Range, near Caladraland. It seems feasible that an individual HeroQuester might attempt to alter the HeroQuest to allow him to go from Kero Fin to another mountain instead. With a lot of work, effort, research and Arkati secrets, it seems possible that a HeroQuester could alter the Quest so that it allows him to change the mountains that he travels from and travels to. However, o extend the magic of the quest to other mountains you have to defeat the god/spirit/whatever of those mountains in addition to saving Mastakos, i.e. you could do the quest once for each mountain, but unless it's a friendly one, like Kero Fin, you have to win a contest against the god(dess) before you can ascend the mountain.
The Quest is not particulary dangerous, deadly or difficult. It is only short, a handful of small stations, and not intended to be a major quest.
See KoS p.70-71 for a description of the Myth. Sorry to those who don't have it.....
The Quest always begins at Wintertop. Here, at the body of Kero Fin, the Orlanthi must petition the Tarshite Exiles of the Marantaros tribe for access to the mountain. The Tarshites are more than happy to aid any non-Lunar aligned Orlanthi, although known dissidents are sometimes refused as to ensure easy living with the Luanrs, though this is rare considering the tribes strong anti-Lunar tendencies. The Quest itself begins from the Kero Fini temple, not the more commonly visited Shaker Temple at the mountain's base. To get to the temple requires the Quester to suceed in the 12km climb to it's peak. While a foolish Quester may try a frontal approach, the use of Fly spells, sylphs etc... can greatly speed the operation, or in the case of other non-magical means the Quester may requisition aid from the Maran Gori if, and only if, they feel they have at least neutral alliances with the Earth-shaker's cult. The Maran Gori know many secret trails, and many mountaineers stay in and around the temple waiting for work.
The Quester, upon arrival at the Kero Fini temple, must gain permission from the Kero Fini High Priestess to make use of the main temple to begin the mystical Quest. This is easier than it sounds, the Kro Fini priestess will allow most pious Orlanthi to make use of the temple grounds, although a small gift (100 pennies or so) will usually ensure that the Kero Fini agrees to let the Orlanthi use it soon. Those intelligent Orlanthi may send letters asking the Kero Fini to use their temple, with a better chance of success if they are in Earthspeech. Good affiliations with the temple may mean that the Orlanthi can even gain the Mystical Support of the cult in the HeroQuest, as it is difficult for most Questers to get their own Supporters up the 12,000m climb of the mountainside.
The ceremony takes an hour, and takes place in the main temple. It may be cast at any time. During this hour the Quester quietly sits down and chants, rocking back and forth. The Quester themselves must have sacrificed for the appropiate Rune Spell:
The Healing of Mastakos
2 points
ritual (ceremony), reusable
This spell allows the joining of the mythic plane and the mundane plane to allow the HeroQuest to proceed. It can only be cast in the Kero Fini Temple. It can be sacrificed by any worshipper of Orlanth in Sartar and environs, in any temple to Orlanth that holds an associated shrine to Mastakos.
At the culmination of the rite the Quester finds himself at a stead, Orlanth's stead, somewhere in mid-Sartar, nearby are a selection of chariots of varying designs, next to the Quester stands a nimble, lithe figure with a scar down his thigh. This is Mastakos, he explains that he has heard on the wind currents that Orlanth's mother is being invaded by the Bad Dogs and that his aid is called for. Mastakos pledges himself to help the Quester, and drive him to the home. Orlanth must select a Chariot, there are two major types on display, war chariots and racing chariots. Orlanth must decide which he is to have. A War chariot will add 1 to effective Body and Combat skill while mounted upon it, whereas a racing chariot will make it easier to ascend the mountain in the next station.
After the selection has been made, the chariot is boarded by the Quester and Mastakos. Horses are provided and the Chariot races off towards the Needle Spire shaped Wintertop in the distance. If a Quester is innovative they may being with them their own mounts, such as thoroughbred horses, or even bound sylphs!!! The Gamesmaster must make appropiate adjustments depending upon the mount, so a selection of sylphs will make ascending the mountain almost effortless.
Upon arriving at the base of Wintertop, the player will see that no alynxes come to meet him, and the mountainside is strangely absent and devoid. The dead lie scattered about, and tracks lead up the mountain side. If the Quester has a Knowledge of 1+ or more, they recongize them as being the tracks of the Bad Dogs, huge demonic creatures who came from Hell to plague the world. The Orlanthi must ascend the mountainside on the chariot. This requires a contest of the Quester's Agility stacked with Mastakos' Agility of 2, against a value of 6. Air magic can be used to make this easier, as can Support Points etc...... If the player is riding a Racing Chariot they have an additional bonus of 2 to the chance. If the contest fails, then the chariot buckles and Orlanth must ascend the mountainside by himself, Mastakos is unable to reach the top with his lame leg. Since ascending a Mountain on foot is easier than by chariot, the Quester needs only resist his Agilty against a value of 3, each failure resulting in 1 Body of damage as the Quester tumbles down the almost sheer cliffsides of Wintertop.
At this point the Quester should arrive at the Temple Halls of Kero Fin. The gates are torn asunder, and blood runs down the walls. From inside can be heard the drunken howls of debauchery that the Bad Dogs are making over their victory. If the Quester attacks by Chariot then they will loose the element of suprise, unless they specifically state that they are being as silent as possible (in this case resist Stealth against the Bad Dog's Perception). If the Quester attacks by foot then they gain a bonus of 2 on their Combat score for the first round of combat.
Inside the hall the Quester finds the corpses of his Mother's people strewn passively around the area, blood covers the floor in a thin sheen of slippery ichor, and in amidst the masses are fourteen huge Dogs, each with their own distinctive patterns and markings, some dark as midnight, some firey red. They attack the Quester. If he is with Mastakos then he may stack Mastakos's Combat of 1+ with his own skill.
The Bad Dogs
Body 4, Spirit 3, Mind 1
Skills: Agility 3, Combat 3+, Knowledge 2, Perception 3, Social +, Stealth 4+.
Runes: Beast 5, Darkness 3, Death 1
Magic Points: 140 (total; for every Body of damage loose 35 mp's)
The Bad Dogs attack and fight as a group. They will only use their Death Rune if the Quester is defeated and they can slay him. They flee on the third round of combat, at which point the Quester gains a bonus of 1 on their Combat skill. If the Dogs are unharmed at the third round of combat they stay to finish the Quester off, but will flee as soon as they are injured.
It is important to the Quester to slay as many of the Dogs as possible as those that escape will return to face the quester each and every time that they attempt to walk the Magic Road. They will face them again and again, even if slain! To this end the Gamesmaster must record the Body of the Dogs that are left when they flee. This will be the Body that face the Quester each and every time they walk the Magic Road, although this time they will fight to the death.
Once the Bad Dogs are dead or defeated then the Quester may search the Hall. Among the dead is the body of a Bad Dog that has the sinews of Mastakos. Ritually the Quester hands these to Mastakos and then Mastakos is healed. From here, Mastakos, in gratitude, will then show Orlanth how to use the Magic Road.
Mastakos shows the Quester how to step from the top of Wintertop to a mountain in Skyreach, the range of mountains that compose the portion of the Mislari Mountain range that intrudes into Esrolia. The actual mountain peak that is there has a small shrine to Mastakos, and is located some six keymiles from Arkat's Hold. It is an easy climb up, and down, the mountain.
To use the Magic Road the Quester must be either at the peak of Wintertop or the peak of the Skyreach mountain, and then cast the HeroQuest spell. Except instead of going to the HeroPlane they can, in just two steps, arrive at the other location. They put one foot in the Smoking Ruins, that area of blasted land that a group of drunken trolls were slain by beastmen, and another foot on the grave of Jarani Whitehair. Along the way the caster must confront the Bad Dogs, as described above. The HeroQuester may take upto five people with him. They may aid in the combat, if they so wish. Of course, once the spell is cast it must be re-prayed for before it can be used again (unless the caster has sacrificed for multiple uses).