The Questorian

January/February 99 Vol. 5, Issue 2

(Chip earns the price of his badge)

In an otherwise normal Airport Hotel, something was definitely amiss. Insane laughter floated through the hallways proceeded by the bass beat of the "Humpty Hump". Convention-goers cowed in fear as the Mad Matts decimated sanity with unrestrained glee.

Already, this was a con to remember. The Mad Matts (made up of Dingo, Matt, Kevin, Josh, Russell, Tony and Tommy) were invented and executed (Ed.: or at least should have been). The concept was based completely on Matt Alcala. Or, more specifically on his overall gothicness (gothidity? gotherraneous activities? Whatever.). All the members of the Mad Matts were soooooo gothic as to depress Morrisey into singing yet even more depressing songs. The roaches populating the area around the hotel’s pool were so morbidly affected as to slit their own six wrists’ with blades of sharpened grass in a Jim Jones type mass suicide. We all played in a Vampire Live Role-Playing game as Malkavians. So, not only were we gothic, we were also insane. Maniacally so.

One poor girl was truly terrorized by the Mad Matts and will be in trauma therapy for years to come (thank you, thank you). While inconspicuously role-playing her character, she was caught woefully unaware of the Mad Matts suddenly immediate need to know the color of her panties. We chased her on our collective backs (moving in a kind of upside down version of the break-dancing move known as the "Worm") until she was trapped in the corner. She screamed wiggled and jiggled (Ed.: not necessarily in that order) helplessly while three of the fearsomely silly Malkavians attempted to discern the color of her panties (Ed.: they were red, by the way).

All said and done, this convention was the most fun of any that I have ever attended. The mood was silly, and we were all tight (especially Chip, surprisingly enough). If every convention from now on were as exciting and humorous as this last one, I would exude such anticipation as to make women in a 20’ radius of me dampen their panties and become wobbly-kneed.

(Tim explains how he got out of his last ticket)

(Zack waves to camera before devouring Mike whole like an eggroll)

The Quest Club Awards Banquet, held at the Lotus Chinese Restaurant in Burbank, went admirably well. Lots of people won awards, but I can’t remember most of them. I won two... I think, but I do know that Matt "Sparky" Alcala won the big one, Member of The Year. Let’s revisit the moment, shall we:

(Matt wins award)

(Wiping eyes) It’s so beautiful... I cry every time I see that look of utter blissful gothicness across his face. I (sniffle).. I am just so happy for him. Congratulations (snerkle) Matt, and congratulations to the rest of you who won stuff. I... I... (shnerk) need a kleenex. (Ed.: Tim Willhelm actually won "Member of the Year", those responsible for this discrepancy have been dragged outside and beaten with week old Tuna).

I would like to bring to your attention a concern of mine that perhaps we, as a team, can take care of. Commitment and participation have dropped over the last few months. Why has this happened? It is vital to recruit new blood and keep social interaction alive in order for Quest Club to survive. The board has met and discussed this many times but still have not been able to make more than a dent. How does the old saying go? "You can lead a horse to water…" Anyway, it is up to each of us to do our part. I want to see the commitment and participation levels increase drastically through 1999. Therefore, I am asking all members to READ their bylaws and ADHERE to what they say. If asked for help – help. If an event is scheduled – attend. If you have nothing to do – do nothing with a fellow QC member! Also, if you say you will do something – DO IT! If something needs to be done, don’t wait for someone else to do it – get proactive and do it yourself. Even if there is another member assigned to it. Call the responsible party and TELL him/her you’re going to carry part of the load. Ask them what is needed and offer it. I know we can do things better than we are. I have seen it before and it has been good. If we are going to thrive as a club and continue to offer the level of fraternity we are use to, each of us must carry the torch for the club.

I remember at the last con in September of 1998 when Russell came up to our room and told me "Man, I just ran into a guy downstairs I don’t even know but he knew us. The guy told me that Quest Club wasn’t a game club. That we’re a brotherhood . That made me feel awesome." I was very proud when I heard that. At the same con, this jackass "Cowboy" and his friends tried to start shit with us. Coming out of our hotel room, Tim and I ran into a couple of these guys in the hall and squared off. It looked like there was about to be a fight. I was beaming with pride when suddenly; ALL my QC brothers came out of the room and into the hall to back us up. The freaks in the hall turned white and everything turned out well – without a fight (though Dingo would have preferred otherwise) :).

That is the way I always wanted QC to be and, here we are. Don’t loose that momentum. Help me to make it an even greater organization and help me to bring it to more people like us. Dedicate yourself to it and work hard to make things happen. To all my brothers that share my vision of QC – thanks for being there with me and for me and making the good times great!

Sincerely,

Your president – Zack "Bear" Infanger.

PRESIDENT: I have recently been able to commit more time to Quest Club’s business and have secured some new benefits for us during the last period. We now have our first new branch of Quest Club open in Flagstaff, Arizona. This branch is organized under Judd Sproba, an associate member of Quest Club (due to distance) who had held a respected membership with us here in LA from 1992 to 1994. Judd is attempting to get his college buddies together as his first group. I have given him all the start up materials that I thought he would need and the board will be discussing further aid in the future. In the meantime, I’d like to ask our members to please call him up, welcome him back, and offer any aid he may need. His phone number is available on the new January 1999 phone list.

I have managed to secure two new sponsors for Quest Club. These are "Galileo Games" and "Demon Blade Games". Galileo produces the new fantasy RPG called "Legends of Yore". Galileo has sent us a free copy of their RPG and I have entrusted it to Brian Hudson to for playtesting and review. So far we have a loose connection with Galileo. Depending on how things go at the next con, we may have a contract with them soon. Demon Blade Games produces a miniatures science fiction battle game called "Shockforce – Battles in the Remnants of Earth". The producers have sent us 25 copies of their game for our members to enjoy. They have also agreed to contribute $50 to our club to establish their sponsorship. In the future they have signed on to sponsor one of our annual events and help us with other costs too. Of course, we are also entitled to a discount from their mail – order store (they sell their game and miniatures). So please pick up a copy of their game and try it out. It is much like Warhammer 40K so if you like that system and genre, you may like Shockforce.

The Strategicon Convention is continuing to offer us the free room at their cons so long as we continue to provide GMs for them. This seems like a simple enough arrangement but I will always need help and volunteers for the cons. Since we are committed to attending three cons a year instead of our normal two, I am asking for another QC member in good standing to volunteer to be my assistant with these cons. My assistant will need to help me with GM scheduling, dealing with RPG games, Team QC scheduling, and generally keeping our activities flowing with no mistakes. The assistant will spend the first three cons (those of 1999) working with me and learning the ropes. After that, I will be handing the job off to him/her. I will continue to help with at least one con a year but overall responsibility, control, and BENEFITS will go to the new con organizer. Why should you do it? Well, primarily for QC and because it’s the right thing to do. Also, it’s fun to run the cons, it’s exciting, and there are benefits to be gained from Strategicon. I need an assistant before February 1^st so please think about it and call me ASAP.

TREASURY: Together we have kept our treasury stable over the last year. We had our problems and setbacks but it was a good year for us overall. Thankfully, most members remembered to pay their dues. We end 1998 with a slight surplus of QC cash amounting to about $200. That’s up $50 from 1997’s totals. Therefore we have managed to stay in the black for the entire year and come out of it ahead of the game. Everybody asks me what the cash is for. At last I have the chance to show you all the fruit of your labors, so here we go! With the money from dues we have bought:

Souvenirs for our LRPGs (gold coins, skulls, and bandannas), covered losses from LRPGs (Buccaneer and Shogun), awarded prizes for LRPGs (free dues for a year for Kevin & awards certificates), and awarded a free year of dues to Mike Hyde for our QC Raffle. We also bought a Website, bought entry badges for Orccon (hehehe), paid half of the bill for one Cleaner dinner, bought awards for our annual banquet, and printed three newsletters. Not to mention we increased our photo album by twelve full pages, sent out QC personalized Christmas and Birthday cards (thanks Teresa!), bought new member packets (QC folders, pencils, and copies), and stored the QC boffa supplies and weapons at Scott's. Last but not least, thanks to the regular inflow of dues money over this last period, we have been able to finally purchase the T-shirts for the first time in over two years! Now you know where your money goes. I hope you liked all that we managed with it.

As for the T-shirts, they cost us $300 dollars but I think they are worth it. This year the board elected to get Black T’s with Red logo but, this combo didn’t show up well. So, we made a change and had the logos done in white. The board and I would like to thank Lewis Day for his help in getting the shirts done. We would also like to recognize the efforts of Kevin Grooms and Dominic Infanger for their help with this long overdue project.

There are those of you that still owe dues (in some cases two or more months behind) – please get them paid. GMs, I am counting on you to collect form your players and get the revenues to me. I’ve enjoyed a modest success with collecting recent dues. Timing is, on the other hand, not so good. Most of the time dues are AT LEAST a month late so please make efforts to get them in on time.

SPECIAL EVENTS: Sad to say, some of our events had to be canceled due to low interest and/or little to no support. Therefore, we saw a drop in activities in the latter half of 1998. Kevin Grooms has handled special Events for the last few months. First, let me say that the failed events are not completely Kevin’s fault. In fact, he has done well with what he has. If there is blame, t falls on all of us as a whole. Kevin is doing the best he can with the job but could use some more support from the rest of us.

You do not have to be on the board or in an office to help out. In fact, those of you with no other responsibilities in QC are the most valuable. What we need the most are resources. Places to hold functions, car pool drivers, call makers, bringing friends along to events to help raise money, and of course YOU. Kevin is planning a fund-raiser that could seriously aid the next live role-playing game. If you like that event, get in touch with Kevin and go to the fund-raiser. I know that some of you have had difficulties working with Kevin in the past and are apprehensive to get involved, Kevin knows this too. I for one will vouch for Kevin and say that he CAN handle the Special Events office so, please make at least one attempt to get involved with at least one special event this year (GM’s are required to make two attempts – By Laws).

NEWSLETTER: I don’t know what’s been going on with the Questorian. Russell Guenter is the Newsletter Editor and I am waiting for a report from him. What is the problem here? Is anyone sending in stuff to Russell? Are we GMs submitting our updates? What’s the hold up?

This issue of the Questorian was compiled and written on short notice by Dingo to be sure that there would be a release at the Bi-Annual. Dingo will be helping Russell out with the Questorian from now on but they will need your support. I’ll tell all of you this: I don’t want one poor sap (like Dingo) stuck with doing the whole job by himself. Writing the Questorian without any help feels like talking into a void. It is time consuming, exhausting, and depressing to work the newsletter alone. After a while you start asking yourself "What’s the point? No one gives a damn anyway." Then you quit and become bitter (in some cases). I love getting the newsletter. I love reading about myself. But, if nothing is done to help the Questorian I will assume that there is no interest in it and it will be discontinued. Don’t bother calling me about it, I’ll know your answers through your actions. If you want to call someone, make it the editors (Russell and Dingo) and offer to help. The newsletter regularly needs help with printing, mailing, distribution, typing, writing, research, interviewing, regular columns, and more. Hell, most of that stuff is fun too!

RECRUITING OFFICER: This is a new office and is designed to facilitate the induction of new members. The office is run by Mike Hyde. So far he has done well by bringing us Alex, a new applicant currently in my group. Mike is charged with screening new applicants, getting them into a group, and attaching a sponsor to them. In the case that you have a potential new member in mind, please put the prospect in contact with Mike. Thanks.

OTHER CONCERNS: New GMs. We need more GMs actively running campaigns. In particular, I want GMs who will run a game centered more on mature role-play than hack and slash. Right now we have Zack (me) running AD&D (ages 21 – 30, role-play). We have Brian running Star Wars (ages 16 – 25, role-play). Mike G. running AD&D (ages 18 – 25, hack & slash). Scott running AD&D (ages 16 – 25, hack & slash). That’s it aside from the occasional Cutlass game or off the cuff game. In addition, Mike G. and Scott run primarily the same players. There will be a motion brought up at the Bi-Annual to offer a dues break to GMs for running a continued game for QC. If you’ve been thinking about running a game, this is the time to start!

Bringing in new members. It is important that we announce newcomers and bring them into the club properly. If you are, or are GMing for a newcomer, please get an application in within the FIRST MONTH of the newcomers’ introduction to our club. All our players need to AT LEAST be applicants. Everyone pays dues (even applicants after their introduction period). It undermines the club’s solidarity if GM’s do not enforce our by-laws and do not ask the newcomers for dues. Besides, isn’t Quest Club worth it?

That’s it for now. There will be details on all this available at the Bi-Annual meeting. Our next board meeting will be set for January 28^th, 1999 and another on February 11^th, 1999. Both will be held at 8pm at Zack’s house. If you have any questions, concerns, or issues, please address them to one of the board members and they will bring them up at the meeting. Thank you!

The storm outside was just beginning to get worse. It had been raining all day. As night closed in, what had already been a hefty shower turned into a torrent of rain. The gray clouds flashed with lightning while pounding thunder and fierce whipping winds stirred the earth. Regis had been driving his chariot towards home for three days already. His horses were tired and caked with mud. The storm had become too strong for Regis to continue – he had to find shelter. Camping in the field wasn’t going to work in this storm. As the chariot came to the top of a hill, Regis reigned in his horses and peered through the darkness. Through the rain and wind, Regis searched the horizon for a roadhouse he knew was nearby. As the lightning flashed again, he saw a small building silhouetted by the light, about a quarter-mile away. "I knew it was close." He thought, and made his way to the structure.

The roadhouse was like many others in the Southern Reaches of the empire – simple and solid. Made of stone and covered in a thatch roof, it wasn’t much but at least it was better than being out in the storm. Next to the main building an outhouse and a sparse stable had been built. The stable was fairly empty, having only two brown horses and a donkey inside. Regis, tired from the long days of travel didn’t take the time to bed down his horses properly. He just unhitched them from the chariot, tied them in the stable, and wearily trudged through the mud into the roadhouse.

The door banged open and the wind blasted in sending an unwelcome chill through the house. Regis pushed the door closed behind him. Inside, the one room dwelling was amply packed with wayward travelers. There were thirteen people in the roadhouse counting the host, his wife, his adult son, and teen-aged daughter. The rest of the group looked like plebeians, and a couple of journeymen – commoners. Regis was the only legionnaire around it seemed. Everyone huddled around the fire pit that dominated the middle of the room, eating, sipping warm tea, and talked in low tones. All eyes turned to Regis and the host’s son stepped forward to offer some hospitality.

"Welcome to Calford House Centurion. What can we do to make you comfortable, sir." The son asked.

"My horses need care and I want my chariot cleaned up." Regis replied while paying the son three silver. Immediately the host’s son, Darma, rushed out into the storm to tend to the soldier’s horses.

Next, Regis addressed the host and the rest of the patrons. "Make a space for me near the fire and bring me meat and wine. I have just returned from marching on Marway under the command of Consul Titus, hero of Remus!"

The host and his wife quickly forefilled the soldier’s orders. The interest level in the roadhouse raised noticeably as the hero Titus was mentioned. A journeyman scribe, delighted at the chance to record his first heroes’ tale, moved closer to Regis to speak with him.

"Centurion, I am Valin, a scholar from the Tower of Myth. You must have some incredible stories to share if you’ve been in the company of such a famous hero as Consul Titus. Would you share them with me?"

"I don’t feel much like talking. I just came off of campaign for the sake of the gods! Perhaps another time."

Valin knew that pushing the issue with a legionnaire could be dangerous, but he had nothing to show for his first time out of the tower and he knew the stories this man could relate might be golden. So, he went for broke.

"Calford my good host. Tonight, this brave soldier’s bills are mine to pay. Give him such service that he would think he were in Remus!"

Regis, who had just laid out his bedroll and sat down to eat his food, looked up at Valin. The scribe’s beaming smile reminded Regis of a child preparing to open a long awaited gift. Besides, if this guy wanted to pay his bills for a story – what the hell, it’s worth it. Valin’s efforts had paid off.

"All right scribe, you win. I’ll tell you some tales you won’t soon forget. But first…" Regis called over the host’s pretty daughter. "Tell your father to change my order. Now I want a bottle of his finest wine, a plate of olives, lamb if he’s got it, and a stack of stone-baked bread. Oh, and why don’t you come on back here with my food and sit a while with me." He added as he patted her gently on the ass.

Regis turned his attention back to the scholar. "Valin you said, right?" The scribe nodded. "From the Tower of Myth? I guess I could be wasting my breath on worse ears." Regis chided.

Valin wasn’t the only one interested in this soldier’s stories. The rest of the patrons had all quieted down and settled in, too. The only ones in the roadhouse not sitting down for the story were the host and his family. Though they were paying some attention from across the room as they worked on the soldier’s meal. Though he outwardly acted uninterested in the crowd’s attention Regis, who always having had a love of the theater and a flare for dramatics, loved all the attention. Once his food had been brought over to him and, the hosts daughter had made herself comfortable in his arms, Regis began.

"The story I have to share with you took place only a short time ago. I was part of a ten legion army, ten thousand men strong. Our leader was the mighty Consul Titus and our mission was to punish the Marwagians for a heinous deed they committed against us. The Men of the House of Fane, those stalwart defenders of Remus and friends of Consul Titus told some of what I will tell you to me. The rest I witnessed myself and took part in.

"It was four months ago. The campaign for Pritchia had been won the year before and we had all been enjoying our leave. I was in Gladius, with my family when the summons came. A Mercury Messenger came and relayed to our leaders, the Tribunes, that we were to assemble and march to the great city of Remus, heart of the empire, to join the army of Consul Titus. Consul Titus is calling on me? It was an honor for me and for the others in my legion. I bid a fond farewell to my wife and child, took up my spear and mounted my chariot. We all marched to Remus looking forward to serving the great hero, Titus.

"After a week on the highways, we joined with the other legions in the fields south of Remus. Consul Titus came a few days later. He addressed the legions. I can remember his words still. They took hold of me like magic.

‘Warriors, the Marwagians have brought their barbarism into the homes of the great city itself. They have brought it into my very house! The infamous Marwagian renegade Kafu, and a shaman of his people, attacked my household while I was away defending the empire. The cowards brutally murdered my wife and stole my only son! I intend to enter Marway, find my child, and drag the renegade Kafu back to Remus to face our noble Emperor’s justice! The Marwagian scum are protecting the cowards. They think they can insult our empire! They think they can kill our children! Even now they gather beyond the border, mustering an army to fight us. Together with me, you shall teach the Marwagians a lesson and punish them for the sins they have committed against us! When this is over, your children will know each of you as heroes! To war my legions! To war!’

"It was an amazing speech. The roar of approval we legionaries released was deafening. I’m sure that they heard us miles away in the town of Ryul. After the speech we marched towards Marway. Word spread that The Men of the House of Fane were with us and morale soared. We crossed the Southern Reaches and Borderlands in less than two months. Our determination carried us to the barbarians a full month early. During the march we had only minor engagements with Marwagians and brigands. No one could stand up to our army. After we entered Marwagian lands, our scouts reported a massive force of the enemy heading for us. We prepared our camp and readied for the much-anticipated battle to come.

"On the morning of the third day the enemy appeared on a ridge, across a mile-wide valley. Our men were ready, as always. Consul Titus rode to the front of our ranks in his chariot and rallied the troops into a shield-bashing chorus. Then, to everyone’s surprise, especially the Marwagians, Consul Titus raised a severed head and showed it to the enemy. Then he turned and faced us and we saw it. It was the renegade Kafu! Somehow during the four days we camped, Consul Titus and the Men of the House of Fane managed to capture and slay the enemies’ hero! Even from a mile away we could see that the Marwagian horde had lost their will to fight. Obviously, so did Consul Titus. He ordered the charioteers, my legion, to ride down the enemy!

"We whipped our horses into action and closed on the enemy. The thunder of two thousand horses echoed across the valley. I could see that the Marwagians were loosing their nerve but not ready to retreat yet. After all, the outnumbered us two to one. When our chariots were only a couple hundred yards away from the Marwagian front line, we charged our spears. The battle cry we yelled scared the will right out of the enemy and they broke and ran! We gave chase and mowed down hundreds before breaking off and regrouping with the legions. It was the beginning of a bloody rout that the enemy will not soon forget.

"Over the next two days we pursued the Marwagians as they scattered across the countryside. Our chariots and the infantry’s swords cut down hundreds more before Consul Titus called a halt. I think the decision to head back home was more to appease the other commanders than Consul Titus. He did not seem satisfied with the victory. I saw him up close when he reviewed the troops after the war. His eyes still burned with bloodlust. Our march home was uneventful.

"During the march I spoke with other charioteers about the battle as we always do. A fellow of mine, Kyrus somehow knew a man belonging to the house of Fane. Though he went by some other name, I think it was Senator Iklan Fane’s brother – Padan. One night Kyrus came to me and said that he and a few of the other men had been invited to a dice game with his friend from the House of Fane and, he wanted to know if I would join in too. Since we had all been paid well for our fighting (we charioteers even got an extra bonus), I figured I could afford it. That night I heard more than he sound of dice rolling and idle chitchat. The man from the House of Fane – damned if I can remember his name! Anyway, someone asked him about the three days before the battle and how Consul Titus captured the renegade Kafu. I’ll relate the story he told me to you here. Some of it may sound incredible. You might not believe me but I swear to Jupiter, every word is true. It went like this.

"After the murder of the wife and kidnapping the son, Kafu fled to Marway and sought out the help of a wizard named "Achoca". A tribal shaman with great powers but only little renown. The Shaman used his magic to hide the two from scrying by the house of Fane wizards. Then, Kafu joined the Shaman’s tribe, the Kintu Tribe, and began to raise the child as his own. Probably with the intent to hate Consul Titus and come back to slay the hero of Remus some day. Kafu managed to keep himself hidden for a little while but soon bounty hunters and mercenary wizards threatened to smoke him out. They had to move on. Kafu is known as a hero to the Marwagians. Achoca and his tribe vowed to protect him and his foster child so, they moved on with Kafu. Their new home was to the south, across the channel, on Warwick’s Isle.

"On Warwick Isle the Kintu tribe stayed close together while Kafu, Achoca, and the tribe’s greatest warriors tamed the wild island. Soon they had mastered the isle and befriended the wild animals and beasts there. The shaman Achoca summoned up powerful demon magic and created his own clone. That way he could be in two places at once. First, he had to be here with his tribe as their protector. Second, he had to be back on the mainland as Kafu’s eyes and ears. Achoca spread misinformation about Kafu’s whereabouts and strove to thwart any bounty hunters. The Shaman’s plan went to hell when Achoca’s double was discovered and slain by Consul Titus. He knew Titus was getting closer. The Shaman decided that they had better prepare for Titus’s attack. The tribe prepared a moat and bailey castle, Achoca prepared magical defenses, and Kafu trained to beat Titus. Futile acts of doomed men, if you ask me.

"About a week before we started our march to Marway, a group of Remus bounty hunters came to the island looking for Kafu. They were unlucky enough to find him. After being set upon by overwhelming forces and attacked by demon magic, they were captured. The barbarians were tortured for information. Though the brave warriors held out to the death, the weak mage that was with them squealed. They told Kafu of Titus’s army and his intended march against Marway. After they had their information, the shaman and Kafu sacrificed the mage to their evil gods. Then they boiled and ate the flesh of the warriors – bastards!

"With the news that Consul Titus was marching on Marway, Kafu and Achoca tried to stop him. Kafu returned briefly to Marway and called for the tribes to raise an army to fight Titus. Then he fled back to his island to hide. Meanwhile, the Shaman searched for some dark magic to save them. With everything the Shaman was up to, he couldn’t maintain the cloak of secrecy that had surrounded Warwick’s Isle. Thanks to the magic dominance of Senator Fane and his mage from the Tower of Myth, Clavius Strabo, the renegade Kafu was detected!

"Immediately, the Men of the House of Fane, made their move. Iklan Fane opened a magical gate to that lead to Warwick Isle. The gate appeared right near the hut that Iklan had detected Kafu in. Of course, the coward wouldn’t face Titus one to one. Instead, he called on his tribe to protect him. Consul Titus leaped through the magic portal and engaged the enemy. His sword cut down six of the barbarians in one swing! Right behind Titus, Tribune Lovanis leaped into the battle and cut through three of his own! The Pritchian warrior Zen added his strength to the battle as his katana sword split an enemy in half. The magic of Clavius Strabo blasted the Marwagian warriors like the fists of Mars. The prayers of Iklan Fane cut off the rest of the barbarians from joining the battle as a wall of flame erupted around the heroes.

"The renegade Kafu, aided by demon magic, came out of the shadows and attacked Titus from behind. His blow would have killed any other man but Titus clenched his teeth and returned the blow. Titus did not hurt Kafu. He was protected by the Shaman’s demon magic. The blows rained down as Lovanis and Zen held off the rest. Clavius and Iklan used their magics to aid Titus against the magically enhanced Kafu. It was all they could do until Padan stepped in. Achoca the Marwagian shaman tried to hide himself with demon magic. He was cloaked with invisibility. No one saw him casting his spells to aid Kafu and hinder Titus, except Padan. Padan Fane is renown for his amazing senses. He was the only one who saw through the Shaman’s tricks. With his lightning speed and quick attacks, he broke through the shaman’s magic protections and laid into him. Without the shaman to help him, Kafu fell under the mighty blows of Consul Titus!

"The battle roared on. Clavius and Iklan assaulted the shaman with magic while Lovanis, Padan, and Zen dug into him with their swords. The Shaman had no hope; he fell under the combined forces of the House of Fane. His body must have consisted of demon magic as it disappeared when the Achoca died. With their leaders slain, the rest of the Kintu Tribe fled into the swamps of Warwick’s Isle and hid there. Titus and the men of the House of Fane searched for the child. Titus ended his search as they found a pagan temple in the mountains overlooking the Kintu village. Inside they learned the awful truth.

"After slaying the stone guardians outside the temple and, dismissing the tempest inside the inner sanctum opened up to them. Along the walls a story was told through pagan drawings. A story of a child, vengeance, and sacrifice. Titus had lost his only son to the demon magic. Defeated in heart, Titus and the Men of the House of Fane left the Isle and returned through the portal to Remus.

"Titus took the renegade Kafu to the Temple of Devotions. He had the criminal raised from the dead to stand trial for his crimes. The priests of the temple and the Emperor himself convicted and sentenced the renegade Kafu. His fate was to be sacrificed to Hades and there, tormented for all eternity. Titus cursed Kafu’s soul and drove the sacrificial knife into Kafu’s chest. It was done. After dealing Kafu the final deathblow, he severed his head and returned to the battlefield and led the attack as I explained before. When the battle was over, Titus and the Men of the House of Fane went their separate ways.

"In reverence to his god Mercury, Iklan Fane had settled the Lost Lands across the sea – now called Fane Land. To recognize his accomplishment, the Emperor of Remus named Iklan Fane Regent of Fane Land. Iklan retired from the Senate and moved his entire estate to Fane Land. The last word on Iklan was that he was subjugating the Wild Elves of Fane Land and converting them to our ways.

"Padan Fane stayed in Remus and re-opened "The Pink Bath", which soon became an even more notorious brothel than his original bath house. Today. Padan Fane enjoys a luxurious lifestyle surrounded by women and wealth. He is often seen with Senators, Tribunes, and wizards. Whatever crimes the infamous Padan Fane had committed in the past, seem to have been forgotten.

"Clavius Strabo dropped out of sight. Rumors persist that he lost favor with Headmaster Loring of the Tower of Myth. Some say that he has left this land in search of greater magics, perhaps in the ancient elven kingdoms of Clandesh.

"Tribune Lovanis returned to Remus a hero. Every Consul in the empire has asked him to join their legions and the Emperor has offered him any station he wants. Only days ago he announced his intentions to undertake a quest to find the legendary Palladium – an artifact that is rumored to bring peace and prosperity to the empire, should he find it.

"Zen the Pritchian warrior has remained a wandering sword. He has been offered a position in the legions, a place in Lovanis’s quest, and a leadership role in the empire’s new province Pritchia. So far no one knows what his decision is. My bet is on the Palladium quest.

"At the request of Titus, the priests of the temple tried to raise the child from his dark sacrifice but could not. They said that the child’s soul had been destroyed. The victory was a hollow one for Consul Titus. He had avenged his family’s murders, brought justice to the Marwagians, and punished the renegade Kafu. Even with that, he was unfulfilled. His only son was gone. The Emperor made Titus the Governor of Pritchia in recognition of his greatness but it has brought no joy to him. Rumor has it that he has turned to dark avenues and is attempting to fill the void in his heart with cold-blooded vengeance. It is uncertain if Titus will ever find peace. One thing is sure though, no one near him will find peace so long as he hasn’t."

"That’s it. That’s all I was told and all that I’ve seen. I hope it was enough for you Scribe." Regis leaned back and stretched out, propping himself up on his elbows while the host’s daughter fed him grapes and flirted.

"An amazing story my friend. I will surely spread your tale far and wide. Soon you will be famous, Regis." Valin promised.

After Regis finished his story, the roadhouse was quiet. It was late and most patrons fell to slumber. Valin stayed up through the night recording the tale, adding a little "flare" here and there. The host’s son had just finished taking care of the horses. Wet, cold, and exhausted he crawled into his corner and fell right to sleep. The Host and his wife reluctantly left their daughter with Regis (as if they had a choice) and went to bed. Regis had his way with the girl for half the night and then he too, fell to sleep

The next morning the clouds still lingered and fog covered the countryside. The wind and the rain however, had ceased. Regis awoke sore and a little hung over. He looked around and saw that Valin the scribe had passed out at the table, over his ledger with quill in hand. Some of the other patrons had already left and others were packing up. The host and his family were busy preparing breakfast for the patrons.

"I’ve made this special for you Regis." The host’s daughter said as she placed a large bowl of steaming chowder in front of the soldier.

"Yeah… thanks… now get along and launder my clothes. I’m leaving as soon as they are done… alone. Got that wench?"

Shocked and broken hearted the young girl held back her tears as she did what she was told. For the first time she realized what he thought of her. She felt dirty. Stretching, Regis rose to his feet and headed for the outhouse. On his way out he barked a few more orders.

"You, boy, get my horses hitched and ready to travel. Then load my chariot with three more bottles of last night’s wine and a sack full of food – the good stuff. Not that horse shit you send those plebeians out with. Collect your money from the generous scribe when he wakes. The Gods know he makes more than I do."

An hour or so later, Regis was ready to travel. He gathered his things and headed out to his chariot. Without looking back he led his horses to the highway and drove off towards home. As dusk settled, Regis found a comfortable campsite and stopped for the night. Nearby but out of sight of Regis, two brown horses and a donkey stood alone tied to a tree.

You’d think that a warrior who had fought side-by-side with heroes would have noticed the unnatural silence in the air. You’d figure that a man who had boasted of slaying so many Marwagians would have been ready for anything. You might even think that a Centurion of such skill and experience as Regis claimed, would have known better than to boast about great pay and bonuses.

Thanks!

A New Era

-David "Dingo" Bleecher

David,

Eli Whitney? George Washington Carver? George Washington? Lincoln? John Hancock? The Wright Bros.? You name the invention or idea and I bet a Christian came up with it. It is not that God is not needed anymore, its that this generation feels they can run their own life because MTV tells them so. It’s because there has never been a generation as technologically advanced or educated as our own. With education comes power, but also a vast amount of ignorance, because we can no longer believe in what we cannot see. Since birth, we have been taught by society to believe in the Easter Bunny, Santa, Tooth Fairy, etc. and once we start believing, it is yanked out from under us as we are told it is not real. We are conditioned from birth to believe in only what we can see, touch, or read in a schoolbook. We who consider ourselves intelligent think on things like the existence of God. We do not want to understand things, or not to be in control of our own lives, so we write off all things that trespass on our ego. We want to believe that if our lives are good and we live well, even if we get to heaven it is because of our own deeds, to satisfy our own desire for control. There are basically two types of people. People who can live under authority, and those who cannot. Those who cannot need to feel control of their own lives, for better or worse. Those who can trust in someone else to direct them when they might not know the way. I do not wish to argue, or really change your mind. I know that all the evidence I need is coming in time, and time is on my side. You may never believe until you see Christ before you, that is your choice. Christ said that you would be able to tell the season, but not the day. Why if we are so much more educated, why can’t we solve our country’s problems, why does the quality of life grow worse as days pass, and the perverse and lawless grow more horrific? Why does every prophecy the bible makes come true 100%? What does it have to say about the end times? Look around you. 2+2=4. You are very intelligent, but intelligence will not help you understand this, only wisdom can. I do not want to argue on this anymore. Please watch how you cast judgement on people as a whole. Remember, as you said, "The individual is responsible for his own life, good or bad".

Love in Christ,

Pauper21

This section will try to highlight some of the stories circulating around the world regarding our role-playing games. It is hoped that you will write in response to these stories. If you do, we will publish your answers in the following issue.

(One of the baddies you’ll meet in Baldur’s Gate)

A computer Role-Playing Game called Baldur’s Gate was released about a week ago. As I have yet to play this game, I will not give it a full review, but I will give my impressions of what I think of it as a concept, and what I anticipate being a part of it.

This game is important in two main aspects:

1. This is the closest representation of tabletop AD&D released since the days of the golden-boxed games on 5.25" floppies.
2. The game allows for multi-player partying. I know Diablo does it, but not to this extent, and not within the AD&D universe. Five players can party together, and act as their alignment dictates.

The characters are rolled up at the beginning of the game. All the stats that you are you used to are in there. Armor appears in the game as it does on your character. Spells have been duplicated as closely as possible to the to the effects listed inside the player’s handbook. Fighters can specialize up to Grand Mastery. The player will also gain a reputation depending upon his/her actions throughout the game.

Now for the major drawback of the game. Level caps. Once you reach 7^th level, you will advance no further. They did this in order to keep characters at a level with which to keep the gameplay equal. Also, they wanted to keep the characters at a level low enough to make the expansion packs challenging. Though this does remind me of the way that TSR put out modules, modules didn’t cost $30-$50 a piece. As I was annoyed at this, I looked for somebody to rant at about it. They were so taken aback, they printed my letter, along with the others. So, direct from the web, here are the opinions of people around the world:

In response to the letter today about the exp. cap in Baldur's Gate I have a few points to make...ahem..
1. With the amount of classes, races, skills, and available companions, the exp cap shouldn't make a difference to anyone out there! So what if you can only reach level 7 with your "Lawful good" fighter, go and make a Chaotic character and play the game that way, trust me its much more of a
challenge. (Ok so maybe I shouldn't be killing innocent commoners but who can resist? Muwuhaha! )
2. If one could surpass level 7 in Baldur’s gate...where the heck would you go? It would be quite boring don’t you think? The game is tailored for the exp. cap and I think its just fine.
3. If you are still so upset about the exp cap then just wait for the expansion to come out...guess what there isn't an experience cap! (Or at
least I'm pretty sure ... although I’m not always right...well ok maybe I'm wrong a lot but I'm pretty DAMN sure about this!) Well there you go.... anyone who still has some problems with the exp. cap should just stick with AD&D...well that's my $ .02 anyway...

Later,
- John Z

I quote from my webpage
"In Baldur’s Gate, there is an experience cap for characters of 89,000. This is to make way for the Baldur’s Gate expansion packs, as you will be able to import your character into the expansions. The Cap was made because if you had a level 10 character in Baldur's Gate and imported him to an expansion, it would be VERY easy to beat it. I think this is a great idea, and makes expansions possible and fun. So far I think 2 expansion packs are in the works. And if you really want {although I don't recommend}, there are expansion cap remover hacks available for download."
-- M-16

I've come to expect the level limitation. I think it was more TSR's doing though. Every other AD&D game in the past has had it.. besides the FR
games, that is. Both Ravenloft games, both Dark Sun games, Menzoberranzan.... they all limited you to (I think) 9th level. So was it Interplay, BG's designers, or TSR? hrm......
-- Brad Williams

I don't really think that the level limit is the huge letdown it is. They merely put the level limit on their because of the fact that that was pretty much the limit in experience that anybody could earn through normal means. The only way that a person could really earn a whole lot more than
that was to gain the 7th level export and re-import their characters to the beginning of the game which is sort of... well scratch that... IT IS
CHEATING. The only real thing killing the game is the driver problems that it runs into with many configurations. I've had my computer reboot ITSELF when trying to save games... if that's not a real annoying bug I don't know of many others.
-- Jeremy Morales

I have a very big problem with the 7th level limit set by Baldur's Gate. If this is a game trying to emulate the tabletop experience of Advanced
Dungeons and Dragons as closely as possible, then there would be no limits. On all (or almost all) of the old Modules sold for the Role-Playing game
there was a level rating (i.e., "For Character Levels 4-7) for whatever adventure. But, that didn't mean that the characters HAD to be that level or they wouldn't advance, it just meant that that was the range the module was tested for. It was always open-ended how you wanted to convert the
module to suit your playing group with different monsters, different objectives, etc. I believe that if they wanted to keep the characters suppressed in level for the cross over into the next part of the series, they should have allowed an option at the beginning of the game for whether or not to ceiling the character out at 7th level for the cross over (like a save point at locked experience for cross over to the next game), and then progress within the game itself to a higher level. Like, for instance, have monthly patches including new monsters/objectives for separate level ranges
passing 7th level so that the game retains freshness while they take another three years to make the next game. And, hopefully make it more open in terms of changing alignment/objectives. I would love to start out as a Chaotic-Good Human mage/thief that grows despondent with the world in general as he moves from place to place and decides to take over by attaining power through experience and discovery of certain items and
making himself, in the end, into a highly powerful Chaotic-Evil Lich. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, make a lawful evil Anti-Paladin have a
vision of a new pantheon of a good and loving elder god, and while setting out on a journey to destroy all images and memory of that god, come around to the point of view of the deity in question, changing his objective to converting worshipers for the nearly forgotten god. I would buy a game with
that kind of openness in a New York minute. So, in conclusion (after much pointless, yet self-satisfying, ranting), I don't at all agree with the
level limit.
Thanks for your time,
-- David "Dingo" Bleecher

Baldur's Gate exp limiting a bad thing? No, not really. I can see that this annoys a lot of people, but it's certainly for the better. Think
about it, would the final battle in BG be as fun or challenging as the designers had imagined if you were a 15th level guy? The max level is there
to avoid the dreadful species known as the powergamer, those who seek not to role-play, but to have the stats of a standard demigod, swapping demons like flies because they spent 120 hours slaying rats in cellars to gain levels. Thanks to the limit, these poor sods get their sorry arses whipped due to being so incapable of perceiving BG tactics when the main plot reaches their level, no longer having the stats to beat whatever is incoming, and
not being used to challenge. Unlike the RPG known as Fallout, in BG we're not living tanks when we're done, the game is instead laid out as a 1st-7^th level RPG campaign, and does so admirably well. The experience cap may be annoying and such, but it made sure the game
lasts longer due to the challenge always remaining, and made sure we had it
a few years earlier since they didn't need to put in 6th to 9th level spells. Had there been no cap, you could expect a bunch of sods whining "I've spent ages working my mage up to level 24 by slaying Ogrillions in the mountains, but I haven't any heavy new spells! This is so sucky programming, I hate BG! Whaa!". Well, you get the point. Although the cap may have its downsides, the upsides far outrank them.
-- Karl Schmidt

RPGing person who thinks he's intelligent...
I am in chapter 2 of BG now (GREAT GAME), however it does suck how my 7^th level paladin cannot get any better... and that happened in

ch. 2! I have not played BG since, because I love getting a HIGH LEVEL char, then smashing little peon-monsters into oblivion(being made to stop at lvl 7 kinda kills the fun... know what I mean?) Heyyy... you know, that sounds like AD&D regular style! I don't know what interplay was thinking! Ohh yeahh... I thought that the game was going to be bigger, too. If you play AD&D, you know how big Faerun is, why not make the game encompass the whole area, not just the sword coast? Just my thoughts, and I hope Interplay has some of these things in mind when an expansion comes out...
-- Bén
*Pokemon rules!*

I am responding to the complaint about the replay value of Baldur's Gate. I think Jeff is missing a key point about the game, it is a true rpg. Just
the pregenerated adventures for the p&p version; true role-playing adventures are not made to be replayed over and over. Tal has the right
idea; if you want to see the same thing again, make a new class character so @ least something is different. As for the level limits - the game is designed for a certain level; if you get stronger than that then you simply run over the monsters without any trouble. Where is the fun in that? (Yeah I'll take my 30th level fighter against the kobold that will be tough)
-- Reuben A. Lopez

I played through Baldur's Gate and hit the exp cap in chapter 5 (of 7). I too felt a little disappointed with the cap, as it leaves you hungering for
more, but there is a very viable reason for it. As any old school pen-and-paper Dungeons and Dragons player would know, quests must be
designed with a certain range of character levels in mind, otherwise all play balance is thrown off; advanced characters get bored and beginning
characters get slaughtered. Baldur's Gate is a faithful rendition of AD&D, and was designed with levels 3-6 in mind. With that in mind, it is easy to
see how Baldur's Gate would have been destroyed with no lvl cap, as people would have sought out random encounters until they were strong enough to finish the final battle with little or no risk. What fun is that, I ask you?
The add-ons will let you use your same party from Baldur's Gate in the next adventure, effectively letting you continue their growth (i.e. gain a few
more levels with each expansion), and allowing for the adventures to be crafted with the correct level range in mind. So to the young man who declared he would buy no expansions from the "shysters" at Interplay is really missing the point of the exp cap and will be missing out on some really great adventures.
-- Pete Wolfe

Although I am disappointed at the level limit I can see a purpose. I am an avid AD&D player and can see why. When a character reaches the ninth level, they are no longer just an adventurer. They become lords etc. They gain followers and build strongholds. To stay true to the rules, which they have done a great job of, the amount of programming would have been horrendous. I would much rather my high level character to be more that "just an adventurer"
-- Chris

Regarding the XP cap:
I'd just like to point out that the XP cap will be lifted for the expansions. It's just there to ensure that you will start the expansion at an appropriate level. Think about it like this:
Baldur's Gate is an adventure for characters of level 1 - 7. Tales of the Sword Coast (the expansion) will be an adventure for characters of level 7- 10 or something like that. This just makes sure the game stays challenging.
– nverghese

In response to the question: "How do I feel about the 7th level limit in Baldur's Gate":
At first I would have to agree that the limit was a bit disappointing. But, when you look at the "long-term" aspects of putting this cap in place, it makes total sense. Could you imagine the design "Nightmare" that the team at Black Isle would have to endure to make a game that appealed to the 6th
level "semi-hero" characters? As well as someone who wandered from screen to screen back and forth whacking creatures everytime "your party has been waylaid by enemies, and must defend itself." The "Demi-God" characters that would be created by this power-gaming tactic would in all likelihood end up walking through ANY expansion put forth that was not designed with the 20^th level Dual-Classed-Fighter-Mage ultra-tank character in mind. This way you can craft your character and actually earn those experience points rather than bludgeoning your 5000^th gibberling with your +2 warhammer, just to get to the next level. I applaud Black Isle for such forethought and EAGERLY
look forward to their next installment.
Thanks for reading
-- Ryan Schlieper

Movies a la Dingo

Nick Nolte, George Clooney, Sean Penn, and many other big names star in this World War II film. And, maybe that’s the problem with it, though there are many.

The movie starts out with two AWOL soldiers enjoying leisure time with a small tribe of peaceful natives of Guinea. We see that the children don’t fight, and that all of the third world people are happy, healthy, and at one with nature. The peace of the moment comes to an abrupt end when a U.S. Patrol boat comes and takes the wayward soldiers back to the army and all of the cruelty that comes with it. Or so I thought, but the only cruel thing that happens in this movie is that the Director felt that his three hour rough cut was good enough to publish as a finished movie. The big-name actors are all given a free reign with their over-dramatic portrayal of a battalion of soldiers trying to take a hill. The movie feels like a chicken running around with its head cut off, the spurting blood coming in the form of endless soliloquies spouted out at random points in the moving and meandering in the background for interminable periods of time.

The photography in the movie is truly beautiful, almost breathtaking. Very much like the type of photography that you’d expect from a Discovery special or an Imax film... but more than anything, photography that had absolutely no place in this movie. It reaches such a degree of beauty that it is counterproductive to the story line in general. That is, what story line that could be salvaged from the great erosion suffered upon it by the gargantuan egos rubbing against each other.

But, no matter how much I rant about it, I can’t put the whole feeling of this movie more succinctly than my friend Louie Day:

"This movie sucked dick, I fell asleep in the first half-hour".

Man, you rhyme fucked up, like you're on Vikaden
Stop grinnin' at me, I know you just shit your Depends
I was talkin' to your mom two days ago and she said you suck

Right about then, your dad told me you're also a bad fuck

To even the shit I leave in the toilet, you don't hold a candle

Now it's time to get the fuck off the stage, I've pulled the handle

Swirl around and flush your ass into the crowd
Another M.C. dickslapped, I guess I'm just that well-endowed

-David "Dingo" Bleecher

-Garin "TavernBasher" Strongarm, Berserker Warrior of Tangin, Last "Reborn" to the clan Strongarm, "Vampyre" General of the Army of Esparakes (Ed.: Or more commonly known as Matt "Sparky" Alcala)

The Quest Club "Bag O’ Stuff" is bursting with RPGs, computer games, tapes, books, CDs, and more! We must make room for the new 1999 stock so come on down and make us an offer! We’re practically giving them away! We must be CRAAAAAZZZZY! First come first served, almost all offers accepted.

Beautiful Asian woman wanted. Must be intelligent, sexy, and like buku big men! MONEY IS NO OBJECT (at least for now). Willing to marry for green cards. If interested please call Dingo at (213) 813-2316, **50 and number.

There are two new sections being added to the Questorian in the next issue. Letters and Q&A.

I think Mike Goluch must have been a flamer in a past life. His gay soul is desperately trying to bust out and sing! Maybe he was a woman. A flirty and
sex crazed one. Perhaps he was Cleopatra. I mean, he does look a little egyptian. Hey, my Dad's name is Mark Anthony. Maybe I should introduce Mike to my Dad? Of course, my dad is into women so Mike would have to dress up a
little. With his looks I don't think he'll have a problem passing for a woman. Nah, not my pops. I'd hate to have to call Stogin "mom". ;)
Just kiddng Mikey, Love, er, not love - I mean sincerely,
Zack.

This will be a Question and Answer section. The Question for the next Questorian is:

(See, I’ve been evil for a long time)-Dingo