Prologue - A Road Less Traveled

"Get your motor runnin' - Head out on the

highway,
Lookin' for adventure - Or whatever
comes our way..."

"Born to be Wild" - Steppenwolf,

Why do I do it?
I've asked myself that question a hundred times, and every time the answer is
different. I'm sure the same could be said for any wanderer. Sometimes, I say I do it
out of fear. I have to keep moving, traveling the byways and the Tempest to keep one
step ahead of Oblivion, going closer to it than others only to loop around in a giant
slingshot and throw myself further from it, the better to stop it finding me. Because I
know what lurks in the Tempest, and I sure as hell don't want to see any of that up
close more than once.

Sometimes, the wanderlust takes me. I move because I have to, I get restless with
where I am and I have to move on, have to push the boundaries of where I can go, see
what I can find out there in the storm. I'll come back, of course, but I just have to
move. Like there's some kind of dynamo inside me, pushing me on.

Other times, I do it for money. What, you didn't think I was in this for the giggles and
shits, did you? There's good money to be made running the trade routes between
Stygia and the Necropoli, or even just in shifting goods from Necropolis to
Necropolis. It pays well, and though I might not be able to hang around for long, I'm
doing something people need me to do. And I get to do what I love.

I think that last line says it all. I love what I do. The rush of the Tempest wind, the
thrill of courting Oblivion and spitting in its eye, the knowledge that you and only you
can do this task right here, right now... That is one powerful rush. It gets you in the
head, and in the heart. Metaphorically speaking, of course. The thrill it gives is
immense.

Of course, I can just talk about myself. Everyone does it for their own reason. But that
reason's why they join up. Not everyone gets to see the thrill inherent in doing what
we do, and the Guild gives us a safety net. It gives us people who do understand,
people who can get us the contracts we need wherever we need to go. And it gives us
companionship. For many Harbingers, that one's the kicker. Unless their Circle
doesn't mind traveling, or they've got a vehicle, they're like a fish out of water. And
sometimes you just need to talk to someone. Thanks to us, you can, because wherever
you are, a Harbinger has been before.

And if they haven't... You just struck pure gold.

Chapter One - Back Down the Path

There have always been travelers. Back through the mists of time, there were
explorers, always looking to the next valley or across the river, or over the horizon.
Many of them didn't come back, but that was okay. It meant that they had found
something worth finding, or they had found great danger. And even in the days of the
cavemen, the next generation always had a couple willing to follow the path.
Trailblazers and seekers of the unknown. They're where we came from.

You'll have to excuse a lack of dates and accurate records. As a guild, we don't bother
that much with things written down. If you remember it, it's enough, and you go on to
tell other people of it. Whether they believe it or not is irrelevant. It's enough that they
know it.

The Start of the Journey:

Our start as a Guild came about pretty late on, compared to some of the others. The
Artificers go on and on about being the oldest and mightiest of the Guilds, and the
Spooks go on about some break with the Haunters. But to be honest, what's behind
doesn't matter so much as what's in front. I can't say when we formed. It was shortly
after Charon decided that he wanted to have Guilds for each Arcanos. A few Tempest-
runners thought that we should be represented or some other group would take our
place. They sent out a call on the winds of the storm, and met up with others, usually
individually like I am with you, and mentioned the idea. The greatest of them was a
Harbinger by the name of Abd al-Karita.

Abd al-Karita was one of those Middle Eastern guys, though I have no idea what he
did on the other side of the Shroud. I ain't sure I care that much. He's served us well as
Guild master, and he's very good at what he does. It was he that influenced us, and
that's why we have an oral history and oral traditions. That's also the reason we're
more like a support network than a formal organization. He had a silver tongue by all
the stories, and seemed to know just what to say to each traveler that he approached.
Word of his coming was spread from traveler to traveler, and most agreed to work
with him. al-Karita became our default Guild master at the formation, and we were
part of the establishment.

Even before then, though, we had the Code. You remember the Code, you don't write
it down, you have to be able to repeat it back verbatim to another Harbinger or to a
new recruit, if ever you find one.
As you would have done to yourself, do unto others; As you do unto others, do for
yourself.

Anyone who helps you in time of need is your friend; Anyone in need of your aid is
your friend.

Anyone who knows more than you is your teacher; Anyone who knows less than you is
your student.

Never assume you know enough; Never assume you know too much.

Respect the Storm and the Storm will respect you; Understand the Storm and you will
understand yourself.

Early Days on the Road:

I won't make like some of the other Guilds and claim that they were glory days. But in
those days, we were the authority on travel and transport, and we diversified. We were
the ones finding goods, and it only made sense that we could sell them as well. We
became traders as well as pilots, and the sigh of a Harbinger in the Agora always
meant there was something interesting to buy.

Those of us who started trading as much as traveling took to wearing distinctive robes
and cloaks, for that flair of the dramatic. Nothing can sell things like the right image.
Back in those days, imitating a Harbinger's style was seen as a grave insult, and more
than one duel was started over just that. The winner was given the right to use the
style of the loser, and the loser was either humbled or Harrowed depending on the
heat of the moment.

Of course, then came the revolt and the Breaking. The Artificers tried to pull the
carpet out from under Charon and the Deathlords, and forgot just how heavy they
were. We joined in, of course, we had to. The others wouldn't let us get away with
skipping off and laughing from the sidelines, and a fair few of our own number
believed the Artificers. Fair enough, I guess. We ran spying missions, aerial attacks,
and confusion. When you can be anywhere you need to be, then you become
indispensable to those people that need you to do that. Even so, we could see where
the future was heading. We held back on the attacks towards the end, we just couldn't
take the losses.

Well when that went down, the Breaking was a given. The Guilds were outlawed, and
being a member of a Guild was made a forging offense. What the Deathlords didn't
catch on to is that the Harbingers was a social club for rogues, misfits, and the kind of
lunatic that liked diving into the Tempest and seeing what they could find. We already
had the outlaw mentality, the breaking just upped the stakes. And so, with a grin, a
wink, and a shiny new badge as a legionnaire, we carried on doing just what we had
been doing before.

Back Up the Hill:

With the settling of the first Necropolis, we rose in prominence. After all, who but us
and the Ferrymen knew the ways of the Byways and the shortcuts just off them?
Harbingers everywhere fractured into three groups. The Explorers plumbed the
Tempest, looking for new stories and new objects. Pilots traveled the Byways between
Necropolis and Stygia, bringing news and passengers. Merchants found things to sell
and flamboyant stories to entertain their customers, not all of which were fake.

The settling of the first Necropolis saw Spooks moved in to clear out the area, remove
squatters and the like. We were their transport arrangement. They respected this, and
we respected them for not treating us like second-rate restless. They do what they do,
we do what we do, and ne'er the twain shall compete.

Sure, it was illegal to have anything to do with a Guild, but we were individual
wanderers with a Guild master and a very informal ranking system when we were
legal. Several of us had got into the Legions' good books, and carried on doing just
what we had. After all, a few Harbingers gathering wasn't anything to be afraid of,
was it? They were just going to tell stories, maybe swap trade routes. Four Wraiths
telling stories could hardly be a Guild meeting, right?

Yeah. Right.

That's where our lack of written records came to a fore. All that we knew was passed
from one to another by word of mouth, for want of a better phrase. Who knew if we
were trading stories or discussing Guild matters? Few enough could tell the
difference.

Bad Weather Along the Way:

This development seemed to be all good until the Fourth Great Maelstrom. That was a
kick in the Fetters and no mistake. Fighting, on both sides of the Shroud. Spectres
looking to tear everything down again. And who was there carrying messages, riding
a half-second ahead of the storm winds to get messages and warnings through? Who
ascended into the winds to knock the Spectres right back down? You guessed it. Us.

It was a messy affair, and no mistake. That's where the Guardians came from. We
decided, as a Guild, that we needed the Necropoli, because we needed - and I mean
needed - to have a place of calm when we came up to breathe. So some of us decided
to tie ourselves to an area. We could see what we needed to, and be where we had to.
The Spectres that the Fourth washed up and left behind never had a chance when our
Guardians teamed up with the Legions. When the Guardians went solo, all bets were
off. We're runners, not fighters.

There was a moment of calm after the storm, that's true. But nowhere near long
enough, before boom. Here's the Fifth Great Maelstrom, special delivery from
Oblivion. Sign here and go to Oblivion. If the Fourth was bad, the Fifth was insanity.
We lost more members in that one moment than we had in the whole damned Guild at
the start. The Underworld went to Hell, and the Tempest wasn't anywhere we could
think of as safe.

And at the end, up comes Gorool. We were there, watching, when Charon rode out to
hack that Malfean to bits. Needless to say, people were expecting too much of the
main man. Charon might be the oldest organized Wraith, but lets face it, was no match
for a Malfean. That was notably one-sided, but he won a victory of a sort. The storm
abated, and we were left back spotting for leftovers.

Still Going...:

So here we are. In the forty years between then and now, what have we done, as a
Guild? More than nothing, but not as much as you think. One of our number was
knocked off course in the swellings of the Fifth, and found the island between the
Shadowlands and Stygia we call Haven. Some of us pulled in favors that the Artificers
owed us for getting them some goods (what, you don't think the Masquers have the
monopoly on making people disappear, do you?), and Haven became a reality.

A small compound, sheltered against most of the worst that the Tempest has to offer
acts as our Guildhall and a refuge from Spectres and Legionnaires alike. Some of the
Legions know where Haven is, but they don't go blabbing about it to their superiors.
Who wants to lead a charge to a place that close to Spectre territory that's guarded by
flying invisible harridans? Not many Legionnaires, I'll give them that.
We worked on Haven, and Reaped those that we needed. We didn't take too many.
Explorers, travelers, people that came across with Relic vehicles, and the Guardians
got the occasional vigilante or beat cop who knew their home turf as well as they
could. Some of us had a flirtation with the space program that the Quick had going,
wanting to know if there were Shadowlands in space. We were hoping that there
would be new frontiers for us in the Shadowlands. Then when the Challenger
exploded, our dreams came crashing down. We've not tried going back into space
since then.

Chapter Two - Walkers of the Paths

The Guild wouldn't need to exist still if we were just all wanderers and news hounds.
We do have other tasks, and that's why we formed our groups. Unions, if you will.
That fits as good as anything.

Pilots:

The pilots are the travelers of the Byways, often with a commission from the Legions
to carry goods or people. Or goods that are people. You get the idea. They're the ones
that walk along the established paths, to and from Necropoli, and are often the ones
with Relic vehicles, be they ships, trucks or airplanes. These are the guys that get paid
the most for the most dependable work, but they're hardly the kind of people to miss
an opportunity to make a fast Obolus on the side, be it setting free a Thrall or taking
an otherwise lawful soul to the Legions' Artificers.

Merchants:

If you need anything, from a Relic to a map to the latest rumor, Merchants are the
Restless to see. While others ply the Tempest for their trade, it's a means to an end for
the Merchants. Whatever they find down there ends up in the Agora of Stygia, or the
equivalent in their home town. They're usually flamboyant, and they still duel anyone
challenging their style. Many Merchants have a way of knowing things before anyone
else, which leads some to look for Oracles. I think they're just damn good at their job.
Guardians:

These are scary people. They restrict themselves to a single Necropolis, generally, but
nobody knows the place better. Occasional spies and more often vigilantes, they slip
through the cracks or end up in Legion postings where they can do what they need to.
If a Spectre crops up in their city, they will do their damnedest to know and to kick it's
sorry ass back to Oblivion. Depending on who is stirring the trouble, they'll either
point the mob the right way or drag the underdog out of there. Most of them aren't on
the take, which freaks most Legion commanders out badly. Then again, many of them
never know there's a Guardian in the city.

Explorers:

We came from them, and they won't let us forget it. They plumb the Tempest looking
for new things. More than any of the others, the Explorers are noted for their love of
new places, and their need to be moving. Even when they get to a place, if they stay
for more than a week without scouting out some place in the Tempest, they get
nervous and on edge until they can find something new and bring back news.

The Others
Allies - Spooks and Pardoners:

Of all the other Guilds, we have the best relations with the Spooks. Simply put, our
turf doesn't usually cross over, but when it does they find an organization of
freelancers easiest to work with. After all, we don't dick them over and bring them
choice words, they look out for us. Strange, but it works. The Pardoners are more an
alliance of convenience for us. We head down close to Oblivion and in the winds of
the Tempest. They fight against the influence of Oblivion, both without and within. If
we weren't on these guys' good side, we wouldn't be here.

Cautious Companions - Masquers:

It might sound strange that we're averse to working with the Masquers, but it's true.
You see, there's one field that we cross over - information gathering. They shape
themselves to be the perfect spies, and act all subtle. We just watch from the shadows
that are everywhere, holding them to us. We cover too much the same ground to have
a viable working relationship.

Hierarchy:

Say what you like about the Hierarchy. Finished? Good. Despite what you might think
about them, they're some of our best customers, if you will, even though they don't
realize that they're dealing with us. They think they're using one of their own
Legionnaires, or maybe a Renegade on the occasional secret mission, but most of it
comes back to us. So we can exist with them.

Renegades:

This is what most of us are, in spirit if not in politics. Rebels. Thing is, we're rebels
who care less about government, and the hard line Renegades are rebels wanting to
bring it all down. We have no reason to work with them, but no real reason to work
against them. But for now, that's the choice of an individual. Sometimes, their slavers
pay well, but more often they try to screw you worse than the Deathlords' flunkies.

Heretics:

Ahhh, the niche markets. Though they say they need the Ferrymen, if you know a
good route to a Far Shore and the Tempest is calm - and if you have a means to
transport them all - then the Heretics can be a nice little money-spinner. On the other
hand, on their way to their destination, they'll probably try to convert you. Just
remember, they can't offer the kind of satisfaction you most likely need. They want to
stay on their Far Shore, and most of us can't stand the idea.

The Twilight World:

There's a lot out there, you know. And though we might not see as much as even the
average Restless, we ain't stupid. There's a rumored city of vampires in the Tempest,
and you can believe me we're all trying to find out where the hell that is. Sometimes,
you'll see a werewolf or something roaming around down here, or maybe some kind
of wizard, in which case your best bet is to dive into the Tempest and not look back. If
a guy with lots of strange toys comes looking for you, double back and poleaxe the
bastard, as many people like that have a nasty habit of wanting to see us moved on.

Chapter Three - Walking the Road

When walking the road that is life as a Harbinger, it can get to the point that you need
every bit of help you can get. This chapter has Harbinger-specific Merits and Flaws,
and new uses for Argos for a traveler to use.

Merits and Flaws

Silver Tongue (1 point Merit)

You're a liar, a cheat and a rogue, but people can't help but believe you. You always
know just what to say to drive up your prices or to convince someone that the Thrall
you're trying to sell really did fall off the back of a Byway. Unfortunately, those that
know about you are wary of taking anything you say seriously. All Social rolls in
situations where you are attempting to obfuscate the truth to someone that might
believe you are made at -2 Difficulty.

Direction Sense (2 or 4 point Merit)

A Wraith with this Merit always knows which way is which, even if he doesn't know
fully where to go. In the Shadowlands, he always knows which way North is or which
direction relative to his facing something is traveling. The four point version of this
Merit also applies in the insane geography of the Tempest. He might not have the
luxury of a North to guide him, but he will know that forwards is just round to the side
of down, and that right is curled around backwards like a corkscrew. Subtract 2 from
the difficulty of all navigation rolls in the Shadowlands (2 point) or Shadowlands and
Tempest (4 point).
Byway Runner (3 point Merit)

This Merit allows the Harbinger to make exceptional time along a Byway, using the
geography of the Tempest with him, knowing where to take shortcuts or where a
potential hidden Byway might be. Unfortunately, this tends to make the Tempest take
more notice of the Wraith. Halve all travel times when the Wraith is on a Byway, but
the chances of being distracted by a Zone should be much higher.

Tempest Anchor (6 point Merit)

You've spent so long in the Tempest that a certain island of stability has become a
second home. If ever you're stranded in the Tempest, a simple Orienteering roll will
allow you to angle yourself correctly in the currents to get there. Of course, it won't be
fast but in the end you will be back at the stable area. Quite a few Explorers possess
this Merit.

Eyes of the Void (2 point Flaw)

Other Harbingers just get black eyes. Compared to you, they have it real easy. Choose
a way in which your eyes are even worse than most. Perhaps they radiate two-inch
tears that look suspiciously like Nihils, or maybe they look out on a star field (or the
Tempest) and occasionally shine with bright light. Whatever you choose, hiding your
Arcanos marking is practically impossible.

Weirdness Magnet (4 point Flaw)

It doesn't matter where you are or what you do, you can be sure you'll have a tale to
tell when you get back. If you get back. Once every session, the Storyteller should
drop something totally unexpected right in your path. Not something that's an obvious
threat or something that's of benefit to the character (this is a Flaw, after all), but
something that should make the player and character say 'Why the hell did that
happen?' in confusion.

Perpetually Lost (7 point Flaw)

For a Harbinger, being lost is more than an annoyance, it's a potentially lethal
situation. Even so, you seem to manage it with depressing regularity. A character with
this Flaw will attempt to impose Euclidean geometry in the Tempest, wanders round a
city block without ever thinking he's going in circles, and generally couldn't find his
ass with an atlas, torch and compass. Any time you attempt to travel to an unfamiliar
location, or are in the Tempest, the Storyteller can happily inform you that you are
lost with no idea of where to go (The ST doesn't have to, of course). It is entirely at
his discretion where you end up.

Argos Alternate Arts

Argos has always been the art of travel, through both the Shadowlands and Tempest.
One of the better secrets of the Harbingers is that with the correct knowledge, it can
affect the slightly malleable space-time on all layers of the Underworld. Anyone
spreading that little tidbit to the masses will be hauled off and Forged - or sent straight
to Oblivion. Nobody said the wandering rogues were nice.

* Spatial Sense

With this power, the Harbinger learns to feel the subtle shifting of the Underworld
around him. With time and effort, that can be built up into a three-dimensional picture
of space, which can reveal such things hollow walls and even hidden weapons with
sufficient concentration.

System: The Wraith rolls Perception + Argos against a difficulty of the local Shroud -
2 in the Shadowlands or 6 in the Tempest. One success gives a spherical 3-D image of
the surrounding space out to Perception x 5 meters, including people or Wraiths inside
rooms or behind walls. Three successes are needed for false-bottomed briefcases, and
five for weapons hidden on a person.

* Gleam

The signature Art of the Merchants, the Wraith using Gleam attunes herself to the
nearby Tempest, causing light to fall upon objects which might have value. In effect,
this is very much like a Wraithly fishing rod. For every useful Relic and working
Artifact that it finds, hundreds of Relic boots and odd socks turn up, fetching little
more than an Obolus for the whole hoard from Artificers studying such things.

System: Roll Perception+Argos against a difficulty of 8. Success indicates that an

item has been found. The number of successes denotes the usefulness of the item, but
what it actually is is at the Storyteller's whim. Failure indicates nothing, and a Botch
may lead to a Spectral Artifact... or to
a pack of Spectres.

** Shadow Double

Sometimes, people forget that it's bad luck to attack a Harbinger, seeing them as fair
game. By gathering the shadows ambient in the Underworld around him in a similar
manner to Enshroud, the Wraith using this art distracts and misdirects his opponent,
leaving him swinging at nothingness while the Harbinger escapes

System: Spend 1 Pathos and roll Manipulation + Argos. The power creates an
animated double out of shadows for a number of turns equal to the number of
successes. The double is entirely insubstantial, and can deal no damage. The resultant
confusion is often enough to allow the Wraith to slip away.

** Parachute

Summoning wings of plasm similar to those employed by the power Phantom Wings,
the Wraith is able to glide for longer periods of time, carried aloft on the winds of the
Underworld. It doesn't allow the control over motion that Phantom Wings allows, but
it can slow a lethal fall or carry a Wraith from Spectres on the winds of the Tempest.

System: A roll of Stamina + Argos, difficulty 6, along with the expenditure of 1 point
of Pathos allows the wraith to glide along in the air as if wearing a parachute. The
wraith's control over this motion is nearly non-existent, however it does mitigate any
falling damage that would have incurred. The ability lasts until the wraith next
touches the ground.

In a Maelstrom of Force One, the wraith may still attempt to use this power, but with
a Difficulty of 8, and even if successful the wraith is knocked about out of control by
the winds. Use of this power in Force 2 or above Maelstroms should be a painful
experience.
*** Distortion

Imposing his will upon the fickle Underworld reality, the Wraith employing this use
of Argos alters the nature of space in his immediate vicinity. Punches and sword-
swings may stretch over a greater distance to find his foes while their own strikes fall
just short or are just to one side of where they need to be.

System: A point of Willpower and a roll of Wits + Argos, difficulty 8 activate this
power. Each success adds one dice to the user's Brawl or Melee pool, or deducts one
from his opponent's like pool. Outside of combat, this power can have other
advantages, such as just making that grab for the edge of the Nihil or having just
enough room to squeeze past a Legionnaire.

*** Hermes' Fleetness

Argos is all about motion, and a Harbinger with the art of Hermes' Fleetness is faster
than anything in the Underworld when it comes to straight motion. Runners
employing this ability can even outpace Maelstroms... if the Spectres don't feel like an
early snack.

System: 1 Pathos and 1 Willpower combined with a roll of Strength + Argos vs. a
difficulty 7 powers this ability. Each success lets the Harbinger double his traveling
speed, exponentially (1 success x 2, 2 successes x 4, 3 successes x 8) for one scene.
The Wraith may not take any actions that would disrupt his running (combat is out,
though shouting a warning is fine), and when the power runs out, he gains 1 point of
temporary Angst from the exhaustion.

**** City Walk

Guardians of a city often find themselves having to get somewhere in a real hurry. If
they have a lot of Fetters around the area, Jump can be useful. However, for those of a
more practical nature, the Art known as City Walk came into being. The user can
apport to any point in his home city or equivalent area, covering a large distance in
very little time.

System: The wraith must first off set a home area in a city, no more than ten
kilometers across. He must know the roads and buildings of the area very well indeed,
and once he does may attune himself to the area with a roll of Charisma + Argos
(difficulty of 10 - the number of months the wraith has spent in the area), and
expending two points of Willpower.

Botching this roll means that the Wraith feels the area holds nothing for him, accruing
one point of Angst for each month. Once successfully attuned, a Harbinger can move
to a street within a kilometer in just one turn by spending a point of Pathos and rolling
Dexterity+Argos (difficulty 7).

**** Repair Byway

Pilots and Explorers both often find themselves traveling Byways that have been
broken by Maelstroms or just the natural power of the Tempest. Harbingers with a
conscience take the time to fix those Byways with this Art as a service to those who
follow them. After all, they are repaid every time another uses this Art. Harbingers
being chased occasionally lash out with a variant on this power, breaking the Byway
behind them to gain vital distance from their pursuers.

System: Both uses of this power require 2 Pathos, 1 Willpower and a roll of Strength
+ Argos if destroying or Intelligence + Argos if repairing (difficulty 7). A Byway
broken by the Tempest usually requires 5 successes on an extended roll. Destroying a
byway requires at least 3 successes, and garners a point of Angst whether successful
or not. The number of successes needed to repair the Byway are equal to the
destroyer's successes - 2. A botch on either use of the power gives the user a point of
temporary Angst.

***** Seal the Rift

Master Harbingers hold one of the greatest secrets of the Tempest: The means to seal
up the Nihils that allow passage into the Shadowlands. This power cannot seal up all
permanent Nihils, some are simply too large or too powerful for a Harbinger to seal.

System: The Wraith expends 2 points of Willpower, a point of Pathos and gains 1
temporary Angst, then rolls Stamina + Argos. The difficulty of the roll is left to the
Storyteller, and should reflect the size and permanence of the Nihil. Botching the roll
costs a point of Corpus as the Nihil
drinks in the essence of the Wraith and adds 2 points of Angst.
***** Forge Path

Byways are the trade routes of the Harbingers, whether they are pathways all the way
to Stygia or simply paths to other cities. A Harbinger will do anything to have a single
Byway to travel to her destination, but sometimes that isn't the case. This Art allows
the Harbinger to make that connection.

System: Using this Art takes 4 points of Pathos, and a roll of Manipulation + Argos
vs. difficulty 9. The number of successes gained indicates the length of the final
Byway. One success will create a path to the other side of a Necropolis, or to a nearby
island in the Tempest. Three successes will allow pathways to extend between cities,
and five successes creates a road straight to Stygia. The byway is as permanent and
stable as any other.

Botching the roll when working so closely with the stuff of the Tempest is a
dangerous thing, giving the user 4 points of temporary Angst.