The announcement of your impending journey beyond the Guardian Gate electrifies the populace of the kaer. Spirits are higher than they have been in longer than you can remember. You gather the equipment you will need and say farewell to family and friends, promising you will return soon. The night of your departure, the people of Daralon are all gathered in the great central chamber. You walk down the road to the cheers and best wishes of the people. When you stand before the giant statues flanking the orichalcum-laced gates, the aged wizard Pelgar nods gravely to you and speaks the spells passed down to him from Dianuus the Master-Builder himself.

The gates open, and the world awaits.

Before the adepts leave the kaer, they are briefed by the Council of Twelve. They will leave the kaer via the Guardian Gate and make their way through the section of Kaer Daralon known as the Stair, which leads to the massive main gate to the surface. The Stair is layered with various traps and defenses built to keep Horrors from breaking into the kaer. Unfortunately, plans for these traps, kept in the Hall of Time, have been lost. The Council has kept this information secret, so as not to dampen the hopes of the people, but the adepts will have to brave the hazards of the traps alone. The Council gives them a talisman created by Dianuus to open the main gates of the kaer.

To aid them, the Council also supplies the adepts with two healing potions and a last chance salve. This gives the gamemaster so leeway if the adepts get badly hurt or one of them is killed by one of the threats in the adventure. If desired, the Council can provide the adepts with other minor magical items, like blood charms, but the gamemaster shouldn't be too generous (the kaer's resources are limited, and they can only risk so much on this venture).

Once the adept party passes through the Guardian Gate, the doors are closed behind them, only to be opened again when they return and use a magical key (also given to them by the Council) to send a signal through the wards of the kaer. The adepts are alone in the Stair.

The entry area of the kaer consists of three long, low halls, lined with carved pillars. A spiral staircase at the end of the hall connects it to the one above it in a staggered arrangement (see map). At the entrance of the final hall is the Great Entrance Hall and the orichalcum doors to the outside. The floor and surfaces of the halls are covered with fine dust accumulated through the years. Barely visible in the layers of dust are the fifty year-old tracks of the last scouting party sent out from the kaer.

Each Hall also has a trap built into it, intended to kill or at least injure any Horrors that might be able to break through the wards and the Rites of Protection and Passage. The traps of the first two halls are still active and dangerous, while the third trap in the great hall was tripped long ago (see Those Who Have Gone Before, below). The statistics of the remaining traps are:

Spear Trap
Detection Difficulty: 8
Disarm Difficulty: 8
Trigger Condition: Pressure plate
Trap Initiative: 8
Trap Effect: Damage Step 13

Ward Trap
Detection Difficulty: 10
Spell Defense: 10
Disarm Difficulty: 11
Trigger Condition: The trap makes a Spellcasting Test (Step 15) against the Spell Defense of the characters passing it. If the test is successful, the trap triggers its effect.
Trap Initiative: 10
Trap Effect: Fireball spell, Damage Step 18 If the characters successfully detect the traps (with a Perception Test against the Detection Difficulty) they can attempt to disarm them. The spear trap can be disarmed with a successful Dexterity Test against the Disarm Difficulty, while the Ward Trap can be disarmed with a successful Spellcasting Test against the Disarm Difficulty. A successful casting of the Dispel Magic spell that overcomes the ward trap's Disarm Difficulty will also disarm it.

Those Who Have Gone Before

As you enter the final hall of the Stair, you see the fate of the scouting party that left Daralon before you. Four corpses lie in the hall. Three were killed by various wounds while the fourth lies buried beneath a tumbled pile of stones, along with the pale, white corpse of some hideous, bloated creature. Their flesh is withered and gray, almost mummifled in the dry air, covered in a layer of dust. Their weapons and armor are spotted with corro sion, but otherwise as serviceable as the day they left the shelter of the central kaer.

One of the bodies lies against the orichalcum outer doors of the kaer, still sealed. The doors that lead to the outside world.

The scouting party that left Kaer Daralon years ago ran afoul of a minor Horror. It turned the adepts against each other and killed most of them, then invaded the mind of the survivor and attempted to force him to return to the kaer.

The adept was able to overcome the Horror's control long enough to close the doors of the kaer and trigger the deadfall trap in the upper hall, both the adept and the Horror were crushed and the kaer was saved.

The Horror gained its revenge, however. With a final act of blood magic, it animated the bodies of the adepts as cadaver men (ED, p. 288), charged to destroy anyone else who tried to leave the kaer. When the adepts approach the orichalcum gates, the cadaver men rise up and attack. They have weapons and armor to fight with, so the gamemaster should adjust their statistics accordingly. Remember, any wound inflicted on a cadaver man causes it to go berserk, attacking up to four times each combat turn.

Once the adepts have overcome the cadaver men, they can use the talisman given to them by the council to open the outer doors and exit the kaer.

The Angry Gargoyle

The great doors of the kaer grind open slowly, allowing a breath of cool, fresh air to stir the ages of dust settled in the great hall. You breathe in that taste of the outside world and think you have never smelled anything so sweet. You prepare yourself for an attack as the doors open. For a Horror to come screeching through the opening to kill and ravage, but nothing comes. Finally, the heavy doors open enough for you to see the outside world for the first time.

It is dark outside, and a gentle breeze stirs the grasses of the hillside and makes the leaves of the trees rustle. You stand for a moment outside the faint light of the entrance, taking it all in. It's more wonderful and incredible than you ever imagined. The valley of Daralon stretches out below you, gray, black and silver in the light of a nearly full moon. You can see the glimmer of the river below and the bright gleam of the stars above you. Near the river, in the distance, are dark stumps and tumbled piles of stone that can only be the remains of the town of Daralon, the home of your ancestors.

As the doors of the kaer swing slowly closed, you set foot on the ancient, overgrown trail for the home of your people.

Stress the wonder of the adepts seeing the outside world for the very first time. Remember, they have never seen the night sky or a forest or a mountainside except in pictures and tales. The players should feel something of their characters' awe at finally leaving their kaer. They should also be eager to explore the ruins of their ancestral home, although their enthusiasm might be tempered by a justified concern.

They still have no idea what awaits them in the outside world, and the presence of the Horror-corpse in the great hall should give them some cause for concern.

From the vantage of the kaer entrance, the adepts can see most of the valley below (see the Vale of Daralon map). A river cuts through the center of the valley, and the hillsides are heavily forested. On a high ridge overlooking the kaer entrance is the ancient stone tower of Diarmus, the elementalist. The tower's wards and magical protections allowed it to survive the Scourge intact, and it stands silent watch over the valley. The ruins of old Daralon lie near the river at the bottom of the valley. They are mostly dark, although flickering lights can sometimes be seen there.

Fortunately for the adepts, the ruins of Daralon are haunted by enemies much more mortal than the Horrors. A band of river pirates have taken the ruins as a hideout and a place to stash some of their booty. They  rely on local rumors and legends that the ruins are haunted, legends they encourage using illusions and strange lights to scare away intruders. The pirates know nothing of the kaer, hidden behind camouflaged doors. They are aware of Dianuus' tower above the kaer, but avoid it because of the tower's powerful magical wards and defenses.

Recently, the pirates encountered a gargoyle (ED, p. 296) hunting for new territory in the valley. They drove it off, but the gargoyle only retreated further up the valley, hiding out in a rocky outcropping and nursing its wound. As the adepts make their way down towards the ruins of Daralon, the gargoyle spots them and tries to ambush them, springing out from behind it's hiding place to attack. The creature has suffered some damage; it has 4 points of Current Damage and an unhealed Wound. The player characters should be able to fight it off. If the gargoyle suffers another two Wounds, it flies away. Otherwise, it fights viciously, making use of Aggressive Attacks (ED, p. 200).

The Pirates of Daralon

You approach the ruins of Daralon cautiously. There may be more creatures like the one you encountered in the highlands, or even worse, lurking there. You see some flickering light among the tumbled walls and structures of Old Daralon and move as quietly as possible to avoid alerting whatever might be there. As you draw closer, you hear voices and see dark shapes moving around a fire burning in the center of ruined structure. Whatever haunts Daralon, it looks very much like other Name-givers.

There are six pirates in the camp, led by a second circle swordmaster named Caine. Caine is a human woman who wears an astral sensitive eye in place of the one she lost in battle and wields her curved saber with ruthless efficiency. The remainder of the pirates are not adepts. They will investigate any strange noises or the like in pairs. If the adepts attack, the pirates will fight them fiercely. If things appear to be turning against them, they will attempt to escape using a pair of small boats on the river.

Use the t'skrang swordmaster adept archetype (ED, p. 81) for Caine. Remove the t'skrang racial modifications, increase all of the talents by 1 rank and give her Riposte and Throwing Weapons at Rank 1. Use the Guard Veteran (ED, p. 297) for the other pirates. Drop the magical talent and give them dwarf swords and leather armor. If the number of pirates is too much of a challenge for the player characters,  reduce their numbers. If the adepts mow right through them, you can have more pirates show up to help out their comrades.

The pirates' treasure consists of three cloth sacks holding coins worth a total of 500 silver pieces (mostly Throalic and t'skrang mint). They are kept in a heavy locked chest along with a set of maps of the valley and the surrounding area (which the adepts may find more valuable than the silver).

The Return

After overcoming the pirates, you spend' some time exploring the valley and the ruins of Daralon. There are no signs of Horrors or other dangers to your people, so you return to the kaer to give Daralon the welcome news of the outside world. You are treated to a hero's welcome and all of the kaerfolk are eager to hear your tales of the outside world. The Council honors you in a speech to the people and says that Daralon will open its door to the outside, allowing the people to rebuild the home their ancestors left behind so long ago. The Long Night of the Scourge is finally over, and a new world awaits!

Encourage the players to relate their story to the Council and the people of the kaer. Award Legend Points based on the creatures the adepts have overcome in the adventure, along with treasure they have acquired (ED p. 242). They get 50 Legend Points for successfully clearing the valley of danger (the pirates and the gargoyle), they get 50 Legend Points for returning to Kaer Daralon with news of the outside world. The gamemaster can award up to 50 additional Legend Points for creative roleplaying and heroics. For more information, see Assigning Legend Awards (ED, P. 241).

Further Adventures

Once the adepts have completed their mission into the outside world and returned to Kaer Daralon, there are many other opportunities for adventure. The gamemaster can use some of the adventure seeds below to continue the adepts' adventures in the Age of Legend, kicking off a full-fledged Earthdawn campaign.

The Tower of Dianuus

The tower of the master elementalist Dianoms still stands on the cliff-face overlooking the kaer and old Daralon. It was magically sealed by Dianuus before the Scourge and has remained (apparently) intact. What secrets might it contain, and what magical traps and creatures protect them? Perhaps the council asks the player characters to explore the tower or they might choose to do so themselves. Magical items like the Talismans of Diarmus (from Arcane Mysteries of Barsaive) might be found in the tower, along with some of Diamms' magical lore.

The Fire Caves

The Fire Caves have been sealed for centuries, since a plague nearly wiped out Kaer Daralon. The  plague is long since dead, but the kaer-dwellers don't know that for certain. Treasures lie hidden in the ruins of the caverns, including the body of Dianuus himself and, perhaps, some of his magical items (like the aforementioned talismans).

The source of the strange noises from the Fire Caves may be nothing more than settling of loose stone, or perhaps someone (or something) has animated the corpses of the plague victims, creating an army of cadaver men for some sinister purl pose. It could be a rogue nethermancer from the kaer, who has found a secret way into the sealed caves, or perhaps the horror killed at the gates of the kaer is not as dead as everyone thinks...

Gargoyle Flight

The gargoyle the adepts encountered outside the kaer was only a scout for a small band of gargoyles looking for a new home in the area near Daralon. If it escaped, it may return with allies. If it was killed, its brethren might come looking for it. The kaer's new settlement might be troubled by gargoyle attacks until the adepts can track the creatures down and drive them from the valley permanently.

Journey to Throal

Now that the Kaer is open, the people of Daralon are eager to renew their ties with the outside world and discover the state of things. The gamemaster can build a long series of adventures around sending the adepts on an extended scouting mission into the outside world. They can go to the Kingdom of Throal and report the opening of their kaer. Imagine their surprise when they learn that Barsaive is no longer a Theran province, and Throal has rebelled against the Empire! Will the adepts choose to involve themselves in the politics of the province?

This can provide a lead-in to the events described in the adventure Prelude to War: An Earthdawn Epic.

The Mad Passions

During the Scourge, three of the Passions went mad (as described in Earthdawn). The people of Daralon know nothing of this. The followers of the Mad Passions living in the kaer have carefully concealed the true nature of their patrons over the years, existing as secret cults, while maintaining a facade of respectability. One of their questors, Mahon Rus, is even a member of the Council! Now that the kaer is open, what will the Mad Passion cults in the kaer do? Gamemasters may find Secret Societies of Barsaive useful for information on the Mad Passion cults.

Pirates of the Serpent

The player characters have disrupted the operations of the river pirates, but they haven't overcome all of the pirate-band. Others will eventually come to find out what became of their fellows, leading the a conflict between the newly opened kaer and the pirates, who may want to loot the kaer of its treasures. This can lead to adventures along the Serpent River or elsewhere in Barsaive.

Emergence An Introductory Adventure For Earthdawn

Introduction
Kaer Daralon
Troubled Times
Beyond the Guardian Gate