This is a Praxian HeroQuest written for Nils Weinander's YAHQS system, although I intend to put conversion notes up for Maurer's system and I'm sure that from there you can easily convert it to whatever you like.
In the ancient times, before the sun had Come Again, and the Lands of Genert's Garden still waged was across their barren surface against the evil Devil and his Tribe, there was a creature known as Silram, a magical deer.
Silram's coat was pure silver, and glittered in the starlight. Silram was the son of Hykim and Mikyh, a beast of pure magic. It befriended many of the Great Spirits of Prax, for he was kind and gentle to all he met. He could prance across the land in single bounds, evading the storms and Bad Places, soaring like an eagle along the Sky. And everytime he landed he would stop to preen and eat. And everytime it landed another being would try to capture and eat him. But Silram could easily flee, finding refuge in his secret home, the Thorn Bush. Herein, the Silver Deer was virtually impossible to find.
The Silver Deer managed to evade the Storm Hunter who appeared on the tip of lightning bolts and moved faster than the eye could see, but by the time the Storm Hunter landed, the Deer was gone. The Silver Deer evaded Zong, the Soul Eater who had Eyes In His Back, who tried thrice, before he decided to hunt easier quarry. Only Korborg, the Devil's Gamesman, ever came close. His net snared the Deer, who only managed to escape by chance when the Storm Bull happened along and chased the evil chaos god away.
Eventually, Foundchild tried his hand. If you watch the Sky at night, you can see the story of Foundchild and Silram played out across the Dome.
If you look at the constellation known as the Hunter you will see it consists of four dim stars and four bright stars. Before Foundchild left Our Ancestors for their greed, he vowed to hunt the Deer. He prepared himself inside his tent with his weapons and tools. He took the ancient Malia's Cough plant, and painted the hunting symbols on his body: red arrow charm on his left wrist, blue running charm on his left calf, red seeing charm on his forehead, and black death charm on his chest. He then prayed to his mother, who sent aid. The dim star furthest from Pole Star is Foundchild in silent prepartaion.
To the right of and above this star are two dim stars. These are Foundchild and the companion sent by his mother to help him, Brother Dog. The two are searching for their prey. Brother Dog is in front seeking the Deer's spoor, and Foundchild follows behind searching for a glimpse of the magical animal.
Above these two stars is a star of moderate brightness, and this is the elusive Silver Deer. It is startled from its feeding by Brother Dog, and so leaps up in alarm. This is why it is closer to the Pole Star than Foundchild and the hound.
The two bright stars farthest from the Pole are Foundchild and Brother Dog chasing the Silver Deer, which is the dim star in front of them. They are brighter because of the excitement caused by the chase, while the Silver Deer is dimmer because it is tired from fleeing from its hunters.
The last star of the constellation is the bright star closest to the Pole Star. Foundchild returns home, the Deer once again having eluded him. This is not failure, however, as the brightness of the star shows, and he always has some other prey animal he has caught to feed his wife and children.
It was said that when the Deer was caught, Foundchild would be able to feed his family and tribe members forever. Yet, though Foundchild tried every year (and still does) he never caught Silram.
When the Sun rose, the Deer was still seen to dance across the plains. Alas, while we honoured the Deer for this skill and ability, and sometimes cursed his name for he was known to rescue game from Foundchild's people before it was slain and eaten, we never expected anyone to capture him. Yet the Moon People came with magic that no-one had ever seen before. It was not ancient, nor foreign, it was from Outside the World and was not Natural. The moonbeams they used were faster than the Storm's Lightning, they did not give up as easily as Zong, they perverted, through their evil manipulations, one of Foundchild's own people into helping. Worse yet, one of their number carried Korborg's Net -- Korborg's net was made of the living entrails of fourteen victims who were not given the release of Death so that they still remained, alive but insane, in the Net. When the net was thrown, the living net could crawl after their victims, or wrap around. It was one of his most prized items, and we do not know how the Moon People managed to get hold of it.
The Lunars took the Spirit and imprisoned it in one of their sacred temples. Here they used their magics on it, trying to discern how best they could use it. They tortured it, using their searing magic until it faded and fell pale. Each and every night, the squealing and screaming of the Deer could be heard across the land. The Hunters came to free it, even the evil Zong Worshippers tried to release the poor wretch. Eventually, they cut off one of it's legs, and sent it to their Ruler as a gift in the depths of their Evil Empire. After seeing the Leg of the magnificent beast, the Emperor ordered that the rest of the Great Spirit be brought to him, so that he and his pickthanks could chain it, scorn it, ridicule it as a mere beast and not the mighty, proud, Spirit that it is.
Yet when they travelled to the evil City with it, contained within a box made of iron, they passed through an ancient, sacred spot they did not recognize, The Court Of Beasts, and as they did the Deer summoned the Court to put the Moon men to the Test of Justice. They failed, and the Court released the Silver Deer. Yet without one of his legs, he has been cursed to run lame.
Now we men, we hunters, can hunt the Deer. Through the proper rites we can chase it, and some of the more skillful (and lucky!!) might catch it. The first to attempt to do so was Deso Spiritcatcher, reknowned throughout the land for his skill and magic. He encountered the Trickster first. He rescued the Trickster and convinced him to show him the way to the Deer, but the Trickster (being the unruly devil he is) tried to confound him at every turn, but finally led him to the tracks of the Deer. As Foundchild did, he summoned forth Brother Dog and hunted the Deer, tracked him to the Thorn Bush, chased him out, and then slew him. He took the Deer to the Court Of Beasts. Here he proved his worth, as the right and just owner of Silram.
Yet when he returned with the Deer, and skinned it and gave it to his family, it did not feed them like it should have. It lasted only one feast. Deso kept the pelt, and wore it proudly, but buried the remains and dedicated them to Erithra. This occurs everytime the Path is repeated. Most hunters say that this is not because of a failure to complete the Quest properly, nor due to a lack of skill. They say it is the failure of mortals, and only when the men of Prax properly make recompense for their previous greedy actions against Foundchild, will the Deer feed everyone and more. Others say that it is because the Moon has part of the Deer, and in doing so have stolen part of his soul.
The Quest is organised into various stages, known as Stations. There are two versions of this Quest. The first is used only by shamans trying to contact the Silver Deer in order to gain access to the Rune Spell he grants (see ToTRM#15). In this case, the shaman discorporates and must only suceed in Stations 3 and 4.
The longer version is more powerful and magical, the connection to the HeroPlane is vastly magnified, as are the rewards. In this version any Shaman or Master Hunter (of any Hunter cult) may participate. However, a worshipper of Zong may find it diffiuclt to convince a Praxian Shaman to get the apporpiate Rune Spell to start the HeroQuest.
To start the HeroQuest can be done in one of two ways. The first is open to shamans, and involves discorporating, the Shaman then roves the Spirit Plane and soon finds themselves on the Heroplane (or not so soon in some cases). This involves no Rune Spells. The second method does, and is a normal HeroQuest spell that begins the HeroQuest. It can be sacrificed for by Foundchild worshippers, and Shamanic worshippers of Silver Deer:
The Silver Deer Quest
3 points
ritual (ceremony), re-usuable
This ritual beigns the Silver Deer HeroQuest. The canidate (there can only be one) is readied, and when the rite finishes, they march off into the desert. At this point they slowly march on a Magic Road into the Heroplane. This spell can be cast anytime, but only in the boundraries of Prax, or within 50km from the Wastelands border (this is the limit of where the Deer goes). It can be cast in Dagori Inkarth if cast in Dark Season, as the Deer frequented here to escape from other hunters. It takes about one hour to cast.
To prepare for the HeroQuest, the Quester is assigned a Guardian. Usually this is a shaman. This Guardian is responsible for ensuring that the Quester is properly prepared through the specfically laid out rites in readiment for the Quest. A Quester may not speak to anyone for a week before the Quest begins without the express permission of the Guardian.
When the rite itself begins, the canidate must paint themselves in special paints created from the Malia's Cough plant, a dangerous piece of foliage noted for it's disease causing abilities, and very dangerous to handle. It grows only in the Pap's.
The rite is cast after dark, when the deer sleeps, and must finish before Dawn. Midway through the rite, the Quester summons forth Foundchild. The Quester must throw a personal object into the ritual fire, at which point it explodes in a shower of green sparks and a man appears with a single spear, and dressed in a pelt. He looks only at the Quester, and asks for a sacrifice. If the Quester refuses politley then Foundchild dissappears, if he refuses rudely then the Quest ends, with a whole load of disgruntled Supporters. If the Quester gives a sacrifice then Foundchild will give a gift in return.
Simple gifts (small game, low-level non-magical herbs) gain only token respect from Foundchild, and no material aid on the HeroQuest. Magical, or expensive, gifts will mean that Foundchild will bring forth a bag, in which is contained the spirit of Brother Dog. This spirit can be used in the Quest to hunt the Deer. If the Quester donates a powerful gift, such as a dead Shaman of Thed, or a unique magical item, will mean that Foundchild gives the Bag to the Quester permanently. This has the result that, if the Spirit is not used on the Quest, the Quester gains re-usuable access to the appropiate selection of Foundchild Draw (Beast) spells.
At it's culmination the canidate leaves. In the case of a shaman they discorporate, leaving their fetch behind that weaves and wails next to the shamans body, it also allows the Supporters insight into what is happening to the Quester. In the case of physical Questers, they march off into the desert, although the most pious dissappear without a trace and reappear at the end of the rite while no-one's looking and with little memory of how they left the group to start, or end, their Quest.
During the ritual all supporters must remain in the area, beating drums and wailing chants etc... The ritual never lasts more than four or five hours, although the Quester may experience days, weeks or even years of subjective time.
Whon this Quest, the Quester may substitue Spirit Rune for Support Points and may use them to increase an activity.
Station One -- Finding the Trickster
First the Quester must find the Trickster. This part of the Quest may be almost instantly done, else may take weeks of searching. There is no well defined method of determining how long, it is not based upon the pious or holy nature of the Quester, but is almost random in nature. Some people say that you only find the Trickster when you eventually give up the search.
Along the way a shaman may encounter wraiths, ghosts, magic spirits, and other normal spirits, while a physical Quester will encounter the normal dangers of the wild, aswell as more bizarre and viscious creatures, some even extinct. This is normally where other enemies will choose to ambush the Quester whilst on a HeroQuest. If they suceed then they may actually claim the normal prizes of a HeroQuest, and vice versea. Have fun.
At last the Quester will come across the Trickster. The Trickster is always in some form of life threatening situation, and the Quester must defeat the person responsible for holding the Trickster captive. In some cases this requires fighting, in others it needs wile and cunning.
For example, the Quester may be travelling along the plains, when the sky turns red, and crackles with ominous storm clouds. In the distance they see a scene from Hell itself, a small scraggy man, dressed in rags, is tied to a stake in the ground by rope. Next to him is a storm cloud, spitting red lightning, and with two mystical arms torturing the poor (!) man. This is Urain, who has captured the Trickster after a particulary bad joke played on him by the fool. The Quester must most likely defeat the Chaos Demon, unless they have some way of persuading chaos beasties from devouring people.
URAIN, Evil Chaos Storm Demon
Body 3; Mind +; Spirit 4
Skills: Agility 1+, Combat 4 Knowledge 0, Perception 2, Social 0, Stealth 0.
Runes: Chaos 8, Death 8, Storm 9
Magic points: 40
Or, as another example, perhaps the Trickster is held captive by the Storm Bull for a past indiscertion. The Storm Bull (and his friends, of course) is trying to hold a court of judgement for the Trickster, but is of course utterly drunk and has a hard time making even simple decisions. Ever tried talking an insane berserker beast god out of killing someone? Trying to take the position of defence is a good option, or trying to find someone else to convince Storm Bull is just as good, such as Erithra.
Trying to sneak into the camp would require a contest of Stealth against the Stacked Perception of the camp, which is 5. Storm Bull should be considered to be far in excess of the Quester's capabilties.
The Trickster never appears the same twice, but always appears in some form of distress in which the Quester must rescue him. The Trickster often appears in animal form, not always as a human.
Station Two -- Keeping The Trickster Bound
The Trickster will pretend to be the Quester's friend, indebted to them for saving his (scrawny) hide. He will try and be as friendly as possible, telling them that he will grant the Quester any one wish. Of course, any Quester in their right mind will tie the Trickster up to ensure that they get what they want. A Quester may use normal rope, or other bindings or else use magic to evoke an Oath to completley ensure that the Trickster keeps his word, although the Trickster will be loath to do this and argue against it fevrently, pointing out that he hasn't done anything, will keep his bond, that the Quester is an evil, malicious person for doing this etc.....
Now, if the Quester decides to trust the Trickster (hahahhahahhaha....) then the Trickster will make a run for it. At the first appropiate point he'll charge away as fast as possible, trying to avoid capture. In case of a fight or struggle breaking out, the Trickster will almost certainly die, being physically weak and incapable. Statistics here relfect his weakened state:
TRICKSTER, an Avatar of the Trickster
Body +; Mind 6; Spirit 2
Skills: Agility 1+; Combat +; Knowledge 3; Perception 1+; Social 4; Stealth 4.
Low Magic: Control.
Runes: Disorder 8, Illusion 5, Luck 3.
Magic Points: Currently 4, drained from whatever ordeal he suffered.
Hopefully force and brutality won't be neccessary, but you never know. If he does escape the chase will be reasonably ardious, and the Trickster will try and use his powers to deceive and/or kill the character.
Once captured and ready, the Trickster will agree to a deal wherein he reveals the way to the tracks of the Silver Deer on the condition that he is released immediatley upon reaching them. If a Quester should try to keep the Trickster bound after this event, then they will find themselves the target of the Trickster's annoying magic and sarcastic comments until he is released. If he is taken back to the Mundane Plane, no magical powers are gained from him, but the Quester will be barraged by waves of Tricksters trying to return their god to the HeroPlane!!
It is possible to change the Path by choosing to evoke a different boon from the Trickster. This is, of course, an Arkati fiat and left completley to the imagination of what the Quester chooses to ask for.
Station Three -- Tracking the Deer
The Trickster leads the Quester to a verdant and green plain after a short period of time (yes, this is the Heroplane). Rolling hills, small thickets and a distant forest lie before the Quester, the sweet smell of a spring in a land of life is on the air, it is nothing like what the Quester has experienced in Prax.
Here the Quester must release the Trickster, who promptly runs or flies off or just curls up and fades from existence.
The Quester must try to Track the Deer. This is a difficult task, but Brother Dog can help, as can ritual support from worshippers back in the Mundane World. Tracking the Deer is meant to be a difficult task even for a master of tracking. The Deer can evade the Quester with an effective skil of 4, against which must be matched the Perception of the Quester - although using Brother Dog here adds 1 to their skill, although once used he dissappears unless he was given to the Quester permanently. The Quester may use Support Points, Gambling, Spirit Rune, Beast Rune, Mastery Rune or Truth Rune to aid him. To make this Station more intresting, the referee may use additional meetings with Godtime beings such as Ancient spirits, ancestors or other campaign specific things.
Once the Deer has been tracked the Quester will come across it in a glade, in the center of which is the Silver Deer. As soon as the Quester comes close to capturing it, no matter what inventive method of instant capture they have devised, a flock of white birds shoot out of the undergrowth squealing and screaming, and whistling in Beastspeech for the Deer to flee. Which it promptly does so. A Quester must follow (at high speed). The Quester must match their Body against the Deer's Body of 2+. The Mobility Rune may be used to help here. The Quester must either equal or surpass the score, and then the Deer will use it's own Mobility Rune to match whatever score the Quester ends up with to ensure it is not caught. Of course, if the Quester should manage to increase their effective Body to more than 9+ (the maximum that the Deer can increase to) they will have a chance to catch the deer there and then.
If the Quester fails, then they must go through the cycle again, of tracking and chasing the Deer. This time they will have spent valuable resources trying to track Silram, and if they have used Brother Dog cannot do so again.
If they suceed they see the Deer dart into a large bramble bush that spreads across the entire side of a nearby small mountain.
Station Four -- The Deer's Brambles
The Deer will not come out on it's own accord. There are two ways of getting the Deer from this point on, the first is to follow it in, the brambles are (of course) the home of the Deer and will themselves try to stop the intruder. The second method is to persuade the Deer to come out. Unless the Quester brought some very important food, such as a leaf from Flamal himself or some other such magical piece of food, then the Deer can not be brought out by food. It will flee if the Brambles are set on fire, or if spirits such as wraiths or ghosts are sent in to terrorise it. However, the Quester must still try and catch up with the Deer. Obviosuly the more inventive, and the more human cunning used, the more likely success should be as judged by the GM.
Those foolish enough to try and enter the brambles will be assailed by problems. There are normally three traps/events that try and hamper the Quester, based upon mind, body and soul. These are usually along the following lines:
* Just after having entered the bushes the Brambles writh and attack the Quester. They snake around the limbs of the Shaman and grip, their poisonous pricks biting deeply.
BRAMBLES
Body 1+; Mind 0; Spirit 2
Skills: Combat 2, all others NA
Runes: Plant 2 (lacks free will, cannot use these rune points)
Magic Points: 15
* After a little while of tracking (and a few minor encounters; perhaps even seeing the Deer) the Quester distrubs a nearby bush. From it fly doves, like those that alerted the Deer before hand. This time they sing a harmonious, and magical, song. This song is in Beastspeech, and on the off chance that the Quester understands it, it is mainly a pleasant melody of peace, pleasure and goodwill -- mainly towards Deers as a species.
The doves use a powerful magical, mind affecting dweomer. They attack under then normal Contest rules against the Quester's Spirit. They attack with a Spirit score of 2+. If their magic is successful against the Quester, then the Quest has failed. The Doves guide the Quester out of the brambles, and when he leaves they discover themselves not far from where they departed on the Mundane Plane. Not only this they have been forever geased never to harm an inoffensive animal. However, on the up side animals will be more timid nearby the Quester in the future. If the magic fails, then the Doves are dismissed.
* Lastly there should be an encounter specific to the character. All who enter the Deer's bramble discover that they must fight themselves to continue. Normally this is in the form of an illusion based around the character's personal life and/or campaign specific, such as facing a dead lover, or ancestor, or an important beast the Quester has slain.
In the case of those Questers who have enraged Beast spirits in the past, or have made transgressions against the natural deities of Prax, then more problems, which are also more deadly, appear on the Quest.
Either way, the Quester will eventually meet the Silver Deer. Whether it is trapped in it's own home, or has been caught whilst fleeing, it readies itself like a stag for a fight. If a Quester talks to it, then the Deer will be brutally sharp and offensive, calling the Quester words like "Beast Murderer", "Flesh Eater", "Troll Loving Earth Hater" or "Moon lover" (the Deer remembers the Lunar capture very well). It is feasible, no matter how much improbable, that the Quester could convince the Deer to forego being beaten up and instead go directly to the Court of Beasts, but for this they will need the following in their favour (a) they look dangerous enough for the Deer to think it has no chance of survival, (b) they have enough knowledge of the quest to understand they are required to go to the Court of Beasts anyhow and (c) they are very charismatic.
If a fight does break out, the Deer is a formidable bestial foe, but far from impossible to beat. Once beaten, in either physical or spiritual combat, the Deer demands that it is unjust for it to be killed -- this is the time before Waha's compromise for a start, and ancient spirit lore protects the Deer. He demands to be taken to the Court of Beasts wherein it will be decided whether the Quester is worthy of the Deer's skin.
THE SILVER DEER, A Praxian Spirit
Body 2; Mind 1+; Spirit 2+
Skills: Agility 2; Combat 1+; Knowledge 2; Perception 2+; Stealth 2; Social 2 (with animals)
Low Magic: Control
Runes: Beast 7, Mobility 7
Magic Points: 35
Of course, a character may wish to skin it anyway, and take it back to the real world to eat. This is permissible. However, they will have mortally offended ALL Praxian cults and Hunter Gods, and will promptly be excommunicated. They will also be thrown out of their tribe. From then on all Beast spirits will be hostile to the cultist and the spell Peaceful Cut will no longer work (making it difficult for the character to properly skin the Deer).
The Deer will direct the Quester to the Court of Beasts. The Deer can still speak, but is unable to move, when he has been "killed". The Quester will be forced to carry it. If this is the short version of the Quest, then the Quester merely gains access to the Deer's Rune Spell, and has no chance to skin the Deer. Once the Shaman sacrifices for the Rune Spell then the Deer is released back to where it came from.
Station Five -- The Court Of Beasts
If the Quester agrees to the Deer's request, then the Brambles open up overhead and daylight streams through, the Deer then tells the Quester to carry him out, and march for some distance away from the Mountain side and towards a Forest. After a brief journey through that, the character eventually comes upon the Court of Beasts.
This mythical glade is like a cyclindrical scar in the forest, stretching to a limitless distance in the air, at the top can be seen only the vaguest of all lights. The faint greenery of the trees is shrouded in a veil of mist, that seeps in and out of the leaves, snaking towards the Quester. It is calm, serene, pleasant, but to the Quester it carries a vague sensation of fear. As the Quester enters the glade, the mist surges forwards, and the wind blows strong, a wail breaks the air and chills the Quester's heart with an almost paralysing shock. When the mist rises a myriad of beasts lie before the Quester, most the Quester has never even seen, some he even thinks are extinct. They all look at the Quester and whisper (well, meow, squawk, roar and generally make animal noises) to one another, they appear to be wondering why the Quester is here. After a brief second an animal appropriate to the Quester steps out of the thronging masses (e.g. a bison for a member of the bison clan). It then turns into a human, and greets the Quester. He (or she, if appropiate) announces that they are the Judge.
The Judge inquiries why the Quester has come, the expected response would be that the Quester has come to claim the Deer. The Judge will then ask the Deer (remember the Deer is most likely still sling over the Questers shoulders) if it was unfairly captured. This is where the Lunars failed, they cheated and used chaos to beat it. If the Quester destroyed too much nature, angered too many people, or used evil and unnatural magics, they are deemed Unworthy (see below).
Next the Judge will ask the Quester various questions to judge them, examples below:
WHY DO YOU SEEK THE DEER'S HIDE?
Suitable answers include needing it for their clan, using it for a specfic purpose that the Court would see as suitable("I need it so that I might be able to slay the trolls that have stolen my daughter.") or even just saying for personal power (the Court respects Survival of the Fittest).
HOW WILL YOU USE THE HIDE?
Basically the Judge will try and convince the Quester to make an Oath never to use the Hide's Powers for an purpose that would harm any of the Beasts, or Beast gods. If the Quester breaks that Oath then they will be affected as if they had chosen not to attend the Court of Beasts (in otherwords excommunicated etc...).
WHY DO YOU DESERVE THE HIDE?
Any acts of honour, virtue or bravery are suitable. Anything to impress the Court will suffice, remembering that these are Beasts, not men. Mentioning the destruction of the Lunar Empire will aid considerably.
WHY HAVE YOU NOT TRIED TO TAKE IT FROM THE COURT BY FORCE?
It would actually be seen as honourable merely to fight the Court for the right to wear the skin. However, since the Court is vastly more powerful than the Quester, they wouldn't stand a chance. Pointing this out to the Judge will please him immensly.
WHY DIDN'T YOU HUNT A TWO LEG AND TAKE HIS SKIN? OR A DRAGON MAN, THEY HAVE MANY TATTOOS AND WOULD BE USEFUL?
Any reason will do except "Because." or "I thought this was more fun."
If the Judge is pleased, and the canidate is worthy, then they allow the Deer to be skinned. The Deer will, of course, be more than glad to sacrifice itself to the Court if the verdict is that the canidate can claim it's life. If judged Unworthy the Quester must relinquish the Deer and leave the Court, whereupon they will find themselves back where they left the Mundane Plane. If they refuse the Court attacks them spiritually, it will defeat the Quester in a single round as it has a Spirit Trait unimaginably higher than the Quester's. A Quester killed in such a fashion will have his spirit turned into an Erithra Cult spirit, and thusly will never return from the Quest. A Quester is not dishonoured if they fail, unless they used foul methods during the Quest.
A Worthy Quester will be allowed to go back to the Mundane Plane (or Spirit Plane if they are shamans) but may wander for many days with the skin, perhaps having visions or revelations, anything that's appropiate to the Quester.
The Quest is over. The group disperses, and as long as they have no overiding need to kill the Quester for what he did on the Quest, then there is a feast held and the Quest is related verbally to the tribe once more. At the end a deer is normally brought and eaten. If the Quester was not successful the Tribe consolidates him, and in turn the Quester should thank them for their support. If they were successful he shows off the Silver Deer prize.
It is always the hope that the Deer will last forever, and never be consumed, but this has never yet occured. No-one knows why. Instead, the Quester normally takes the pelt, and then buries the remaining bones, horns etc...
The pelt is magical. However to get to the powers, the Quester must use Peaceful Cut. This immediatley fails if (a) the character doesn't have Peaceful Cut or (b) due to a geas has become unable to cast the spell.
If the Deer is willing to be skinned, which it will be if the Court has deemed so, then it immediatley works. Otherwise, the POW of the Deer must be overcome. It has POW 35.
The magical powers gained apply only when the Pelt is worn, whether as a cloak or as a belt. The powers are an increased Move to 11, although when they exercise this power they take on a silver sheen, and move as a silver streak. It increases Hide, Jump and Sneak by 40% while worn, and all beings trying to track the Quester suffer a 40% penalty. They also gain an innate power that allows him to conceal any animal that he touches at the expenditure of 1 MP, however the animal must remain completley motionless. This concealment is completley impossible to see through, although it can still be detected by Second Sight or other magical means. This magical concealment is effective even in completley barren lands. It lasts fifteen minutes.
The Deer brings great prestige among the Praxian Hunters.
All of those people involved in the ritual who helped to support the Quester will find that they are remarkably successful at hunting for the next year, and great prey can be found thereby.
If you use Simon Phipp's rules, or any HeroQuest rules that allow Invoked Powers, then this is the description of what the Quest can be Invoked to do. It can be Invoked in one of two ways:
* Invoked to give greater Hunting powers. This doubles the Invoker's Track skill. However, the Beast always manages to return to it's home before it is caught meaning that the Invoker must bait it out.
* Invoked alongside a Divine Internvetion it can transport people to the Court of Beasts!!! From then on in, the lives of both the person transported and the Invoker (who must accompany them) are in the hands of the Court. This only works within the boundraries of Prax.