System: Elric!/Stormbringer
Though Chaosium's _Elric!_ RPG centers on the hero of the same name, he is just one of many incarnations of the Eternal Champion. Others include Hawkmoon (who got his own RPG back in 1986), Corum, Urlik Skarsol, Sojan, Oswald Bastable, Jerry Cornelius, and many more. And then there was the one who may have been the first Eternal Champion, the one who came closer to love and happiness than any other: Erekose.
Because it is the time of the Conjunction of the Million Spheres, travel between the planes of the multiverse is common. Thus, it should be simple to introduce Erekose into an existing Elric! campaign. Your campaign's heroes might travel there on some quest, or, alternatively, beings from that plane might visit the Young Kingdoms. More on travel between the planes is included at the end of this article as an appendix.
Sources for the Erekose article included two novels: _The Eternal Champion_ and _Phoenix in Obsidian_. They may be found in White Wolf's _The Eternal Champion_ omnibus, or Millenium's _The Eternal Champion_ omnibus.
Shannon Appel (appel@erzo.org)
"... the Earth is forever changing. The Eternal War is the only constant in Earth's many histories, taking a multitude of forms and names." -Michael Moorcock, _Phoenix in Obsidian_
There are an infinity of Earths scattered throughout the multiverse, each with its own peoples, and its own history. Some are nearly identical; others differ in a million ways. All of the Earths have but two constants: they are engaged in the Eternal War of Law and Chaos; and they will be aided by an incarnation of the Eternal Champion.
At first the Earth of Erekose might seem like our own, a hospitable planet with a single golden sun and a single large moon. The similarity ends there, for Erekose's Earth is engaged in a millennium old war between the elfin Eldren and humanity.
It was during this time that Erekose first came to Earth. He created the codes of war and led the humans in battle, to victory. In the end he drove the Eldren back to the Mountains of Sorrow on the continent of Mernadin. After swearing a solemn vow to return if the Eldren ever rose again, Erekose left his Earth behind.
But, the Earth that he left was badly damaged, nearly destroyed. Though they had won the war against the Eldren the humans fared poorly. They degenerated, losing their technology, their society, and very nearly their humanity. Conversely, the scattered remnants of the Eldren were able to rebuild their society, though they remained upon Mernadin, the continent to which the humans had driven them. Looking about at the destruction wrought upon their Earth, the Eldren forever put aside their technology, swearing that their world would never know such wounds ago.
A million years passed.
The Eldren had never desired war, and so following the first war they stayed away from the continents of Zavara and Necralala, where humans now lived in savagery. Even as humanity rose from its barbarism, it seemed interested only in warring with itself. The Eldren thought the danger had passed.
They were wrong.
Even after a million years the humans remembered the Eldren menace of so long ago. They sent warships to Mernadin, and began the battle again, though they had no desire for the Eldren's land. Only one thing saved the Eldren: the humans were too divided to pose a real threat. The Eldren once more pushed the humans back from their shores.
But, this was not acceptable to King Rigenos, the warrior-king of Necranal, last ruler of a 2000 year old line. He determined that there was only one way to rid humanity of the Eldren menace forever, and so he called the ancient hero Erekose back to the world. Thus began the second human-Eldren war.
As Rigenos had hoped, Erekose united humanity behind him. With King Rigenos and Captain Katorn of the Imperial Guards at his side, Erekose led the war against the Eldren. He took the port city of Paphanaal, captured the Eldren princess Ermizhad, sacked the Outer Islands, and finally took the war home to the heart of Mernadin. Within a year and a half of Erekose's second coming the Eldren of Earth were nearly extinct.
But Erekose had seen something in the heart of the Eldren, and especially within their queen, Ermizhad. He refused to destroy their last city, Loos Ptokai, and so was named a traitor by the human queen Iolinda, Erekose's fiance. On that day Erekose saw how empty humanity's soul was and so he turned his loyalty instead to the Eldren.
Though the Eldren had sworn to never use their ancient weapons again, Erekose convinced them to unearth those awful things one last time. Humanity had no chance against such dreadful devices. Determined that the beautiful Eldren would never be endangered by the soulless humans again, Erekose slew all humans, to the last man, woman, and child.
What followed was a hundred years of peace. But then Erekose began to hear voices, the call of the Eternal Champion. He was ripped away from his peace upon Earth to fight another war in another place.
The rest of this article is nominally set during the height of the second human-Eldren war, since it is a time of danger waged with technologies that will be somewhat familiar to adventurers from the Young Kingdoms.
Erekose's Earth has vast oceans, much as our own does. There are only three continents: in the north Zavara and Necralala; and in the south Mernadin. Zavara and Necralala, named the Two Continents, are the home of humanity on Erekose's Earth. Mernadin, along with a number of islands surrounding it, is the home of the Eldren.
The Two Continents are filled with numerous provinces and cultures. Before the coming of Erekose they were united in name under the warrior-king of Necranal, but divided in spirit. Only after Erekose's coming do they truly become one.
The architect of united humanity is King Rigenos. He rules from the city of Necranal, on the continent of Necralala. Necranal is a fortress-city, built on and in a mighty mountain. It is located inland, up the river Droonaa from the port city of Noonas. Though much of Necranal is stark and utilitarian there is also great beauty--jeweled gates, ornamental gardens, and silver-lined halls stand side-by-side with massive battlements. King Rigenos' Palace of Ten Thousand Windows rises above the entire city, looming so high that it is sometimes lost in the clouds.
The Tomb of Erekose stands just a day's ride from the city of Necralala. It is a gloomy place made of black quartz, topped with a badly corroded statue. Now, it stands empty.
The other important city on Necralala is Noonas, Necranal's port. It is called the City of the Jeweled Towers, and indeed its towers are cobbled with a million gems of many colors: rubies, pearls, and emeralds alike. They are blinding in the noon-day sun. There is also a dark side to Noonas. The commoners live in filthy hovels, a great contrast to the gleaming towers.
There are numerous other cities in Necralala, all fortresses that reflect the militiary mind of the continents rulers.
Before it came under the rulership of the warrior-kings of Necralala the continent of Zavara was a place that might have found the peace that the Eldren prayed for. It was not to be. Now the people of Zavara have taken up Necralala's warrior ways. Still, signs can be seen of Zavara's past. In the wheatlands of the west are numerous rich cities: Calodemia, Mooros, Ninadoon, and Stalaco among them. Zavara also has many great seaports, including Shilaal, Sinana, and Wedmah. The cities of Zavara are usually tall, built of beautiful multicolored rock. Even today, the cities tend to be rich, in contrast to the poorest neighborhoods found in many Nacralalan cities.
Far to the south of the Two Continents is Mernadin. By boat it is a full month's travel. Mernadin is still largely a wild land, filled with verdant flora, ancient forests, and huge lakes. To the North is the towering Mountains of Sorrow, while to the south are the frozen Plains of Melting Ice. There are only five major cities in Mernadin, among them Lakh, Loos Ptokai, and Paphanaal.
Lakh is a lush garden city. It is of no particular note, other than being the place where King Rigenos will die. Paphanaal is Mernadin's main port. Loos Ptokai is Mernadin's capital. It is here, near the Plains of Melting Ice, that Prince Arjvah rules. Deep below Loos Ptokai are ancient vaults, holding the forbidden weapons of the Eldren.
Like the cities of Zavara, those of the Eldren are places of beauty. However, the architectural skills of the Eldren exceed anything that humanity could aspire to. They use marvelous materials: marbles of all colors, veined with black, blue, green, and yellow, faced with basalt, gold, lapis lazuli, and quartz. Eldren cities literally shine.
The Eldren have also settled many islands near to Mernadin. The Outer Islands, at World's Edge, are the most important of these, for they are the gateway to the Ghost Worlds.
Beyond Earth, linked to that land by only the slightest bonds, are the Ghost Worlds. These are a strange set of worlds that shift through the multiverse at a right angle to everything else. They flit from universe to universe in their peculiar orbit. Every hundred years they touch upon Erekose's Earth for a time, and communication and travel between the two realms is possible.
Very little is know of the Ghost Worlds. They are home to a variety of strange creatures. It is said that the humans of Erekose's Earth originated on the Ghost Worlds, and some speculate that the Eldren may have too. Among the people of the Ghost Worlds is a race called the Halflings. In appearance they are much like the Eldren, but they gain certain strange powers upon Erekose's Earth. Long ago, the Eldren learned how to communicate with the Ghost Worlds, and they made the Halflings their allies.
The lifeforms of Erekose's Earth are surprisingly like the lifeforms of our own. Horses, deer, bird, cats, dogs, and just about any other imaginable Earth species can probably be found somewhere on the planet. And, there are no beasts that we would consider supernatural. Erekose's Earth is a bastion of Law, and this is reflected in its wild life. There are three sentient species on Erekose's Earth: humans, Eldren, and halflings.
The humans are very like the humans of any Earth. Below are average stats for a human warrior of Erekose's army. Most of the characters from the Young Kingdoms Digest (Elric! pp. 110-114) can be used as humans of Erekose's Earth with only a little modification. The skills of Young Kingdoms and Unknown Kingdoms disappear, to be replaced with Two Continents Lore, Mernadin Lore, and Ghost Worlds Lore.
characteristics rolls averages STR 2D6+6 13 CON 2D6+6 13 SIZ 2D6+6 13 INT 2D6+6 13 POW 2D6+6 13 DEX 2D6+6 13 APP 2D6+6 13 MOV run-8 av. HP 13 av. Damage Bonus: +1D4. Weapons: Shortsword 50%, damage 1D6+1+db Javelin 40%, damage 1D6+1/2db Armor: 1D6+1 Leather & Rings Skills: Dodge 40%, Hate Eldren 95%, Search 40%, Two Continents Lore 40%
The Eldren are a strangely elfin race. They are typically tall and lithe with golden-yellow skin. Their faces are thin and pointed, with slanted eyes, slightly pointed ears, and strange milky pupil-less eyes, flecked blue and gold. Eldren's voices are musical to human ears. As a race the Eldren are philosopical. They are neither competitive, territorial, nor aggressive. They find peace in arts and crafts. Below are stats for an average Eldren.
characteristics rolls averages STR 2D6+4 11 CON 2D6+4 11 SIZ 2D6+8 15 INT 2D6+8 15 POW 2D6+8 15 DEX 2D6+10 17 APP 2D6+6 15 MOV run-9 av. HP 13 av. Damage Bonus: +1D4. Weapons: Shortsword 40%, damage 1D6+1+db Eldren Bow 40%, damage 1D8+1+1/2db Armor: 1D6-1 Soft Leather Skills: Art (any one) 75%, Dodge 60%, Ghost Worlds Lore 10%, Insight 40%, Mernadin Lore 50%
The Halflings occasionally visit Erekose's Earth to aid their allies, the Eldren. To all appearances they are identical to the Eldren, but they have the strange ability to teleport short distances. By expending five magic points a Halfling can disappear from his current location and reappear somewhere within one mile that the Halfling knows of. This range is multiplied by ten if a Halfling is summoned, a spell known to certain Eldren. Otherwise, use the Eldren stats above, except Ghost Worlds Lore is 30% and Mernadin Lore is 10%.
Erekose's Earth is at a level of technology that runs from the high Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Cannons and heavy crossbows are the best weapons available. Most land travel is done via animal caravans. Most ships run via combination of oars and sails, though many of the designs are quite advanced. The Eldren also have a secret cache of high technology. They have sworn never to use these items again, though they will in the final war against the humans. The nearby chart lists several of the unusual weapons of Erekose's Earth. Anything on the weapon chart on pp. 70-71 of Elric! is also available, with the names of regional weapons changed accordingly.
LO-TECH base damage range attacks hp wc impales? parry? STR/DEX Long Bow 10 1d8+2 100 1 10 25 yes no 13/11 Eldren Bow 15 1d8+1 120 1 8 25 yes no 10/14 Heavy Crossbow 25 2d6+2 55 1/3 10 -- yes no 13/7 Cannon 05 4d6* 75 1/5 25 -- no no 13/7
* Humans use cannon balls that do 4d6. Eldren instead throw a flaming mixture that does 2d6 to everyone in a 10' radius.
Swords, javelins, and long bows are the most common weapons among the humans, with heavy crossbows rare. Swords, maces, and Eldren bows are the most common Eldren weapons. Both races have cannons, though the Eldren's are rare.
HI-TECH base damage range attacks hp wc impales? parry? STR/DEX Hand Laser 10 1d4+6 20 1 4 -- no no 5/13 Laser Pistol 15 1d10+15 30 1 10 -- no no 5/13 Laser Cannon 10 1d20+80 100 1* 30 -- no no 5/13
* Hits everyone in a 10' radius.
The Eldren also have a variety of mobile war machines among their hi-tech cache.
Because of this Earth's affinity to Law, spell casting is largely impossible. Most spells simply fail when cast, the only exceptions being the Summon spells. Player characters will not realize this until they try to cast their spells. Even Summon spells only work when the Ghost Worlds draw near to Erekose's Earth, opening up the plane to the rest of the multiverse. However, player characters will likely only be upon Erekose's Earth during these times.
Elementals act normally upon Erekose's Earth, though they may not be bound there. All demon attributes and special abilities, however, are divided by 5 due to the Lawfulness of the plain. Demons also may not be bound. When an adventurer with a bound demon leaves Erekose's Earth, and the demon's POW returns to normal, it will immediately try to free itself, engaging in a POW:POW struggle. The adventurer need not spend a new POW to bind the demon if he wins, but if the demon is victorious, it will break its binding.
Note that the plane of the Young Kingdoms lies near to the Balance. Both magic and techonology work there, though an infrastructure does not exist to create new technological items. Any technological items brought back from Erekose's Earth will continue to function, however.
Adventures might come to Erekose's Earth for any number of reasons. Below are a few suggestions.
1.) Questing for ... - The adventurers are sent to Erekose's Earth by a powerful entity (perhaps a high priest of some religion) to find a certain artifact. This is most likely an ancient artifact of law (perhaps a long-lost human artifact, or maybe one of the cached Eldren items), but could also be Erekose's poisonous sword Kanajana, or some other ancient item.
2.) Looking for Home - Due to magical backlash, or as the result of another multiverse-spanning trip, the adventurers become marooned upon Erekose's Earth. They must learn of the path to the Ghost Worlds in the Outer Islands, and then travel to them. The trip will be made more dangerous because Erekose is just beginning his battles against the Eldren of the Outer Islands.
3.) Against the Lords of Law - The adventurers are currently opposed to the Lords of Law, due to their service to Chaos or the Balance, or possibly just because of the enemies they have chosen in the Young Kingdoms. They receive the revelation that a follower of Law (perhaps an old enemy) is travelling to a land where Law's weapons are strong. A path to Erekose's Earth is opened for them. They must find their enemy before he reaches the cache of Eldren weaponry.
"Behind us the tomb, apparently built of black quartz, looked time-worn and ancient, pitted by the passing of many storms and many winds. On its roof was the corroded statue of a warrior mounted on a great battle charger. The face had been smoothed by dust and rain, but I knew it. It was my face." --Michael Moorcock, _The Eternal Champion_
Erekose is twice summoned to be the hero of humanity, and twice he leads the humans in the war against the Eldren. During his second incarnation he learns that the Eldren are creatures of peace and beauty. After a year and a half of awful war, destroying all of Eldren civilization except their last city--Loos Ptokai--Erekose begs his human love, Iolinda, to spare them. She refuses and names Erekose a traitor, forcing him to side with the Eldren he has come to love.
By convincing the Eldren to unleash their ancient weapons Erekose utterly extinguishes the human race. Afterward Erekose marries the Eldren princess Ermizhad, and a hundred years of peace follow. In the end, however, the burden of the Eternal Champion calls Erekose away, and he is swept to another life on anther world. His doom is to ever so fleetingly remember the one time when he almost knew peace, with Ermizhad, on an Earth without humans.
Erekose is a thoughtful and moral person, unlike the humans that surround him. This seems to be largely due to the fact that he still remembers his previous incarnation as John Daker of twentieth century Earth. Twice he puts those morals aside for something he considers greater: first for humanity, then for the Eldren. His actions during those periods gain him the names of Reaver, Bloodletter, and Berserker.
Erekose's banner is a silver sword on a black field. Those are among his favorite colors for dress too. At almost all times Erekose has his sword, Kanajana, at his side. He also wears a ring of gold, pearl, and rose-colored diamonds on his right ring-finger. It was a token of love given to him by Iolinda when he began his war against the Eldren.
The armor of Erekose is black lacquered platemail that literally shines. It has special grooves to help deflect blows, and is light but strong. Its sole ornament is a crimson plume made from horsehair, positioned in the middle of the helm.
Chaos 47, Balance 109, Law 24 STR 15 CON 17 SIZ 15 INT 18 POW 25 DEX 12 APP 15 HP 16 Damage Bonus: +1D4. Kanajana 180%, damage 1D8+1+1D4+poison Long Bow 90%, damage 1D8+2+1D2 Armor: 1D10+4 (helm on), fine plate Skills: Art (Battle) 88%, Art (Courtly Manners) 53%, Climb 74%, Dodge 37%, Dream of Multiverse 25%, Eldren Lore 1%, Ghost Worlds Lore 1%, Insight 15%, Jump 78%, Law 95%, Listen 81%, Mernadin Lore 1%, Natural World 31%, Navigate 21%, Oratory 95%, Ride 83%, Sailing 38%, Scent/Taste 41%, Throw 71%, Two Continents Lore 1%
A long, dull-colored sword with a handle bound in gold thread, a hilt worked in strips of silver and black onyx, and a pommel made from a globe of red onyx. It is beautifully balanced. Kanajana emits a radiation that is dangerous to everyone but Erekose. Whenever it touches another's skin (penetrating all armor, but not necessarily doing damage), the victim must make a CON:POT roll against Kanajana's POTency of 30. Failure results in instant death, while success leaves the victim sick and weak (treat CON as 1; 1 point is restored per week of rest).
Kanajana is usually stored in a pale but opaque sheath of a strange, light metal. This sheath protects others from Kanajana's radiation. If Kanajana is left unsheathed everyone in the vicinity (approximately 100') loses 1 CON per hour they remain near the blade. This CON is restored at the rate of 1 point a week.
1.) The Last War of Humanity - The player adventurers are sent to Erekose's Earth to search for a certain item of lawful technology which may help hold back the forces of chaos on their own plane. Unfortunately, they arrive right in the middle of the last war of humanity; Erekose is leading the armies of man in the genocidal war against the Eldren. The adventurers appear nearly in the midst of Erekose's army and are immediatelly conscripted into service--Melniboneans or other elfin races might be faced with a much more gruesome fate. Unless the adventurers can reach General Erekose, and convince him they are from another plane, they will be forced to fight against the Eldren.
2.) The Years of Peace - A sorcerous mishap (or perhaps intentional maliciousness) thrusts the adventurers into Erekose's world after the last war of humanity. Their only option is to seek out Erekose and his Eldren friends in the hope that they might know a way home. Their first challenge will be convincing Erekose that, despite being humans, they need not be slaughtered. When that is done Erekose will reveal that his voices have told him a way to leave his Earth even now, when the Ghost Worlds are far away. The adventurers must quest to the Outer Islands and find the last fragment of sorcery on Erekose's world in order to gain their freedom. Afterward they will be forced to climb through the Ghost Worlds, beginning with the one that is home to the Eldren-like Halflings, before finally returning to their home plane.
"One face superimposed itself over the others--the head and shoulders of an amazingly beautiful woman with blonde hair piled beneath a diadem of precious stones which seemed to light the sweetness of her oval face." --Michael Moorcock, _The Eternal Champion_
When Erekose is first summoned to Earth, Iolinda is a sweet and innocent princess, daughter of the last king, Rigenos. A somewhat cold love develops between the two of them as Erekose prepares for war against the Eldren. Before he leaves to attack Paphanaal, Erekose asks Iolinda for her hand in marriage, and they become engaged.
After Erekose is defeated by Prince Arjavh of the Eldren, Iolinda grows disenchanted with him. She forces him to swear to slay all the Eldren to prove his love for her. During Erekose's final genocidal war on the Eldren, King Rigenos is slain and Iolinda becomes queen of humanity. Shortly thereafter Erekose comes to Iolinda to ask that the Eldren's last city be spared. She refuses and names him a traitor, forcing Erekose to join the Eldren.
Iolinda is with the human army led by Count Roldero that afterward sieges Loos Ptokai. She dies there when the Eldren unleash their ancient weaponry.
Although some might be misled by her bright and vibrant beauty, Iolinda is a cold individual, following in the footsteps of her father, King Rigenos. She is a manipulator, willing to use others for her ends, and is selfish in the protection of herself and her kingdom. Iolinda is quick to take offense, and will hold a grudge until the end of time.
Chaos 19, Balance 11, Law 46 STR 12 CON 14 SIZ 12 INT 18 POW 17 DEX 16 APP 18 HP 13 Damage Bonus: +0. Dagger 60%, damage 1D4+2 Armor: none Skills: Art (Battle) 20%, Art (Courtly Manners) 99%, Bargain 75%, Eldren Lore 10%, Fast Talk 61%, Ghost Worlds Lore 0%, Insight 15%, Listen 65%, Mernadin Lore 5%, Oratory 90%, Ride 50%, Two Continents Lore 50%
1.) Iolinda Reborn - On the plane of the Young Kingdoms, in the country of Vilmir, Iolinda is reborn. At first she remembers little of her former life, but fragmented dreams eventually reveal to her the smallest portion--the love of her champion, his betrayal, and the loss of her kingdom. Iolinda sees her champion reborn in Avan Astran, the duke of the Duchy of Hrolmar. She feels that she is owed just vengeance, and as patron to a group of adventurers will try to extract it from Astran, at first by subterfuge, in the end by an armed uprising. How players react to Iolinda's somewhat demented ramblings of wrongs done in another life, and whether Astran actually might hold a fragment of Erekose's soul is up to the individual gamemaster.
"She had the long, pointed Eldren face that John Daker might have tried to describe as 'elfin' and failed to do justice to its nobility. She had the slanting eyes that seemed blind in their strange milkiness, the slightly pointed ears, the high angular cheekbones and a slender body that was almost boyish." --Michael Moorcock, _The Eternal Champion_
Ermizhad, brother to Arjavh, and princess of the Eldren, enters the story when she is captured by Erekose's army at Paphanaal. She is already aeons old at that time, and renowned even in the human lands as "Ermizhad of the Ghost Worlds", a name commemorating her special friendship with the halflings. Erekose ensures that Ermizhad is well cared for while she is a captive of the humans, and they develop a certain fondness for each other.
Later, when Prince Arjavh brings an army to Necralala, where Ermizhad is being held captive, she is able to magically call halflings to her aid, and thus escape. Erekose does not see Ermizhad again for over a year. When Erekose visits her and her brother in the last city of Loos Ptokai, Eldren society has almost been destroyed. Erekose is again impressed by the nobility of the Eldren and this is what prompts him to ask Iolinda to spare them.
When Erekose is named a traitor by Iolinda it is Ermizhad that he returns to. Eventually they become lovers, and live together for a hundred years, until Erekose is again called away by the beckoning of the Million Spheres.
In both appearance and temperment Ermizhad is Iolinda's opposite. Where Iolinda is buxom, she is thin; where Iolinda is fair and blonde-haired, Ermizhad is dusky and dark-haired. In addition Ermizhad knows a peacefulness that comes only after millenium of life. Like most of the Eldren, she is willing to accept her fate until Erekose forces her to do otherwise. Ermizhad is also patient and philosophical, a woman of arts, crafts, and creativity.
Chaos 7, Balance 197, Law 19 STR 10 CON 12 SIZ 14 INT 19 POW 21 DEX 18 APP 20 HP 13 Damage Bonus: +0. Dagger 90%, damage 1D4+2 Armor: none Skills: Art (Courtly Manners) 150%, Art (Formal Dance) 120%, Art (Song) 100%, Art (various others) 50%-90%, Eldren Lore 90%, Evaluate 80%, Ghost Worlds Lore 120%, Insight 120%, Mernadin Lore 150%, The Million Spheres 25%, The Natural World 90%, Oratory 90%, Two Continents Lore 60%, Physik 80% Spells: Summon Halflings* (1-20)
* Summon Halflings is a new spell. Range is 10 miles. Lawful. When spell is cast a number of halflings equal to the number of magic points invested are immediately summoned to the caster, provided that that many are within the 10 mile range. Halflings may choose to ignore the summons if this wish, but this is unlikely--only a few esteemed individuals know this spell. Note that each Halfling must expend five magic points in order to transport himself to the caster (see above).
1.) Ermizhad Questing - After Erekose is abruptly snatched away from Ermizhad, she dedicates herself to questing across the Million Spheres, looking for her lost love. In this aspect she can encounter the adventurers. While on the Young Kingdoms Ermizhad will be looking for some item or clue which may aid her in quest. She will pay lavishly for aid, and at the same time will be able to open the players' eyes a little bit to the multiverse. In the end she will move on, her quest continuing, perhaps returning in days or years when something again draws her to the Young Kingdoms.
It is the time of the Conjunction of a Million Spheres, and so traveling through the multiverse is simple. Among the most famous methods are the Black Ship, the Rogue Mistress, and the Vanishing Tower. Powerful spells could also be used to cross the spheres, as could the act of a god. Finally, there are any number of eccentric people who have harnessed the power to travel the spheres. If a gamemaster does not wish to give this power to his player's adventurers, he can instead introduce a plane traveler as an NPC.