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He is immortal. Born in the highlands 400 years ago. He is not alone. There are others like him; some good some evil. For centuries he has battled the forces of darkness with holy ground his only refuge. He cannot die unless you take his head and with it his power. In the end there can be only one. He is Conner McCloud the highlander. THE HIGHLANDER GUIDE FOR FANTASY ROLE-PLAYING GAMES Another Quality Guide Provided By Duncan McDier of the Clan McDier ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface In the Beginning... Becoming an Immortal The Guidance Requirements The Quickening The Immortal Code The Death of an Immortal the Gathering The Prize The Watchers The Role of an Immortal Anti Munchkin/Monty-Haul Tactics ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PREFACE This small guide is provided for those people who play fanatasy role-playing games and want to bring to the game information and rules based on the Highlander movies and television series. Although knowledge of Highlander is not necessary to play, it helps in explaining the style and flavor that is unique to Highlander. Also, Hank (DRISKILL@CS.UTAH.EDU) created a White Wolf system's World of Darkness supplement for Highlander. Some of the Highlander information presented in his supplement was used here to better describe the workings of the Highlander world. Hopefully you will enjoy this guide and I would be happy in hearing of and changes or additions you have made in your Highlander campaign. --- McDier ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IN THE BEGINNING... A being (or beings, power, or force) mightier than the gods created all planes of existence. This being realized that there would come a time when the gods would no longer exist as the powerful entities they are. Unfortunately, sentient beings whether good or evil without gods could not exist either for they would have no guidance. So, the being decided to create Immortals who will one day gather and fight to the death. In the end there can be only one and he or she shall be the ruler of the universe. Of course, a GM may not want to rid the universe of deities and make a supreme Immortal ruler. Variations as to the purpose of creating Immortals are: The Immortals are created as above, but they fight to become ruler of a planet, crystal sphere, or dimension instead of the entire universe. The Immortals are created so that the best Immortal may obtain deity status. Maybe to start a sphere of influence that is non- existent. Maybe an Immortal is to replace a lost or destroyed god. For example, a deity becomes destroyed. The deity's divinity is distributed amongst the Immortals. When one Immortal kills another, he gets that fragment of divinity and continues on. When the last Immortal is killed, the survivor is granted all the powers of the dead deity, the deity is "reincarnated" as through this Immortal. In this case, the majority of Immortals should tend to be the same gender, race, and alignment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BECOMING AN IMMORTAL Immortal Potential A person isn't born Immortal per se. A "potential" Immortal is born mortal and leads a normal life unaware of his great potential. Until he reaches "maturity" he is treated as any other mortal and can die like anyone else. It is impossible to tell a potential immortal from other mortals by any means. No magical method will work and even the gods will not or cannot tell. After maturity, the person is technically immortal, but is not aware of his power. Awareness of regeneration ability will of course happen whenever an injury occurs but it is hard to recognize except in sever instances. Coming back from the dead, so to speak, is a sure sign of great ability. But this doesn't explain WHY? Full awareness of being an Immortal and what it means typically comes about when another Immortal seeks him out and teaches him the ways of the Immortals (discussed later). Immortal Creation But who decides who has Immortal potential. The creation of Immortals is done through a variety of indirect means. A GM should decide which is best for his campaign. Deity Champion A deity may choose a champion and thus bestow Immortal status on him or her. The deity may select a potential Immortal at birth or choose a mature person and instantly render him an Immortal. Not all deities will want a champion Immortal (for example, the god of peace may not want a champion) but most will. After choosing a champion, the deity may not interfere in any way with the champion's life. Although he may be aware of being Immortal, the champion is unaware of being the deity's champion. Furthermore, the champion of a deity is not known by other deities and can never be learned (if you tried to tell a deity who another deity champion is he would know that you said something but not what you said). Remember that the great forces of evil will have their champions also. Exile On a different plane of existence there is a dictator of the planet Zeist called Katana. Whenever he captures enemies (usually rebels that are part of a holy underground) of his dictatorship, he banishes them (required by the clerics) to another dimension (i.e. the campaign plane of existence). Everybody sent from the other dimension is "born" into a new body, with vague memories of who they once were. Being from the different plane of existence, they become Immortals. This option is taken from the 2nd movie which is probably best forgotten. Random Always the easy way, a potential Immortal is randomly born and if he reaches majority he becomes an Immortal. Instead of instantly becoming Immortal upon maturity, the GM may opt to let the potential Immortal become an Immortal only after "death" (i.e. reaching negative hit points). Violent Death Immortals may be mortals who have died a violent death, but wake up a short time later, alive and unharmed. In game terms, after the initial "death" the Immortal wakes up after 1d6 rounds (or 1d6+6 hours for GMs who desire). Birthright Before a potential Immortal becomes an Immortal, he may reproduce. The children of a potential Immortal may become potential Immortals themselves. Killing an Immortal When a non-Immortal severs the head of an Immortal, he absorbs the Quickening of the slain Immortal as Immortals do. Unfortunately, he must make a saving throw vs. death magic to absorb the slain Immortal's Quickening. Failing the save causes death. If the first is successful, the mortal has to make another saving throw vs. death magic to withstand the shock of becoming immortal or die. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE GUIDANCE Upon reaching Immortal status, another Immortal will be drawn to the new Immortal to teach him or her. A nearby Immortal is compelled to seek out the new born Immortal if a save vs. magic is failed. The Immortal tends to be the same alignment as the one he seeks. Some unscrupulous Immortals kill off Immature Immortals before they can discover what they really are. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- REQUIREMENTS Ability Scores - Once a potential Immortal becomes an Immortal, he gains a +2 to Strength, +2 to Dexterity, and +2 to Constitution. Thus, pitiful potential Immortals will receive higher ability scores when they become Immortal. Armor Use - An Immortal tends not to use armor because armor seems to hamper his freedom. If an Immortal does wear armor, the armor will not provide any extra protection to the neck, i.e. a called shot to an armored neck is no different then a called shot to a bare neck, the head will come off just as easy. Class - An Immortal has experience in all classes. However, the Immortal must choose a "primary" class which tends to be the one he had as a potential Immortal. Once he becomes an Immortal, he also joins the fighter class. An Immortal gains experience by adventuring in his fighter class and primary class only as per multi-class rules. The Immortal is treated as a multi-classed character in respect to game rules. Experience gained in other classes occurs during the taking of the quickening of another Immortal. The character may use abilities of these classes as level dictates, if he wishes. Most tend not to do the rigorous training as a fighter. Note that Immortal clerics do not need to have a specific deity to gain clerical powers. Clerical powers come through the quickening and not patron deities. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE QUICKENING The quickening is the power within an Immortal. Its a different kind of magic. Its the power of the soul magnified. Its the life force of an Immortal. It is the sum of all his knowledge and power, and is what makes him different from the mortals around him. Quickening is what the Immortals fight for: when they fight, they fight to literally absorb their opponent's life force into themselves. Age - Once a potential Immortal becomes an Immortal, he doesn't physically or mentally age. This is a big problem for potential Immortals that died at a young age and find themselves to be children or teenage Immortals. A child Immortal typically doesn't survive long as he is an easy target for older, stronger Immortals. It is suggested that minimum age for an Immortal is equal to the ages of puberty (dependant on race). Breathe Water - With this ability, an Immortal may survive indefinitely underwater, drawing oxygen from the water. This is not the same as not breathing, It has been shown that Immortals do breathe, and that poison gas will affect them (although it cannot kill them). Empower Self - Using his Quickening, an Immortal may increase his physical attributes for one hour per day. The Immortal gets +1 for every five fighter levels that may be distributed as the player wants. Empower Weapon - Using their Quickening, an Immortal can infuse his weapon with power, causing them to do more damage, and also causing a showy electrical discharge. When using an edged weapon, an Immortal can charge the weapon which gives him a +1 to hit and a +1 to damage. Furthermore, a called shot to the neck (-3 to hit), will sever the opponent's head. Immortal Sensing - Only another Immortal can detect an Immortal's quickening. Whenever an Immortal is within 25 feet of another Immortal, he will sense the quickening of the Immortal, and know his general location (i.e. behind, in front of, etc). No specific information on the immortal's identity is given, nor is the location of the immortal known, merely that the immortal is near. This power also allows an Immortal to sense holy ground. Immunity - An Immortal is Immune to disease and curses. Instant death magic has no affect on the Immortal. Spells and psionics that damage or destroy the mind (Feeblemind, Phantasmal Killer, Mindwipe) are undone when the Immortal reaches negative hit points. An Immortal isn't Immune to poisons but poisons have little effect since any damage done by poison is quickly regenerated. The most an Immortal will feel from poison is a slight discomfort. Infertility - A hindrance to the quickening causes an Immortal to be infertile, i.e. unable to reproduce and have children. Mind Protection - An Immortal's mind, spirit, and body are tightly held by his Quickening. Although mind effects may affect the Immortal, his mind cannot be pulled from his body, nor may his spirit be removed without his head being removed first. Regeneration - An Immortal will begin to regenerate Immediately after being wounded. Each round, an Immortal will recover 1 hit point for every two levels until fully healed (GMs may adjust the regeneration rate to suit his needs). Immortals reduced to zero or fewer hit points fall to the ground, incapacitated but not slain. An incapacitated Immortal continues to regenerate and can get up once he gets positive hit points. After "waking-up" from "death", some Immortals feels some pain and discomfort. This manifests itself as a -1 penalty to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution for every fighter level under 10. Immortals that are a 10th level fighter or more do not suffer such effects. For example, Rath is a 7th level fighter who is killed and wakes up as an Immortal. He will regenerate 2 hp per round. If he is ever struck down and then "wakes up", he suffers a -3 to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. Its lucky that Rath was a 7th fighter when he became an Immortal or he'd be really hard off. If an limb or body part is severed (with the exception of the head), it will not reattach themselves like they do on other regenerative creatures. A new body part will eventually grow as part of the regenerative process. It takes one hour to regenerate one cubic inch of lost body parts. Fire and acid damage can be regenerated like all other forms of damage. The exception to the regenerative powers is wounds to the neck and head. Wounds to the neck and head wounds are semi-permanent. They heal as a mortal's wounds would head but the wounds scar as a mortal's wounds. An Immortal does not suffer brain damage. Damage to the senses (sight, hearing, etc.) is up to the GM, but it suggested that no permanent harm can come to the sensory organs. Shared Soul - Two Immortals may become as one by combining souls. This allows the Immortals to communicate with one another; even if one has been killed. There is no real great benefit save for the eternal brotherhood created. Speed of the Stag - An Immortal may increase his actions in a turn. An Immortal gets one extra attack per turn. Also, an Immortal gets the Running non-weapon proficiency free. Magic Resistance - An Immortal has 3% magic resistance for every level since becoming Immortal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE IMMORTAL CODE The Immortals have a code of contact. These rules are traditions with a basis in common sense. These rules are each based around Quickening, and the gaining and losing thereof. The Immortal Code is followed by all Immortals; even the most sinister. In is unknown what will happen if the code is violated for no Immortal has dared to violate them. It is just the way. Rule of Engagement - An Immortal must issue his challenge personally, he can not use others to fight in his stead. Furthermore, An Immortal may not send in followers to "soften up" an opponent. Most importantly, Immortals always fight one on one. Why is this? A pair of Immortals, with their centuries of experience, could work quite effectively together to whittle down the "surplus population", as it were. So why do they not team up? The answer to this riddle comes from the way Immortals fight. When they battle, the Quickening begins to flow between them, mingling and flowing around them. When one of them defeats the other, the Quickening flows into the nearest receptacle: because of the mixing, and the natural tendency of an Immortal's Quickening to return to him, his Quickening and that of his opponent flow into him. If two Immortals battle an enemy, only one of them (most likely the one who actually removed the head) will receive the Quickening from the battle. Not only will they receive their own Quickening, and that of the loser, but also a fraction of their ally's. This stealing of an ally's knowledge and power is not a pleasant thing for the ally, to say the least, and is therefore something that no Immortal desires. Hence, the rule "always fight one on one" has developed. Its mono el mono. Rule of Combat - An Immortal may only use an edged weapon or no weapons (i.e. hand-to-hand combat) in combat with another Immortal. Offensive magic (i.e. magic that is used as a direct attack like Fireball) is forbidden in combat with the exception of a magical weapon that might be possessed. An Immortal cannot wield magic with the intention of crippling the opponent and then taking the helpless Immortal's head. Holy Ground - An Immortal may not fight on holy ground. Nor will an Immortal disrespect holy ground in anyway. Holy ground is any place dedicated to any deity (neutral, evil, or good) or any religion. Even holy ground of a now dead religion is still a sacred place. An Immortal may not stay on holy ground to avoid a fight once the formal challenge is made. Some Immortals seek sanctuary on holy ground for a time to get away from it all, but spending eternity hiding out is not the way of the Immortals. If two Immortals do battle on holy ground, the site itself is always assumed to be the victor. When the victor takes the loser's head, the loser's Quickening flows into the site, as does a portion of the victor's as well. This loss of power and knowledge is sufficient to dissuade even the most vicious of enemies from attacking on holy ground. However, an Immortal's head has never been taken on holy ground. When an Immortal has engaged in combat and tries to take a head, supernatural forces have prevented this act. It is recommended that a GM follows this path and does not allow holy ground to be violated. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE DEATH OF AN IMMORTAL Immortals cannot die from any conventional injury: they will always recover, no matter how severe the damage. An Immortal can only be killed with the separation of his head from his body. When two Immortals fight, their Quickening is mingled into an electrical light show around them, in direct proportion to the power of the two. When one wins the battle (by removing the other's head), he absorbs the Quickening of the loser, gaining the loser's power and knowledge. When an Immortal emerges victorious, slaying another, he absorbs only a fraction of the energy flowing around them. The excess energy from the battle discharges into the environment, causing glass to shatter, electrical devices to explode, and in general making a mess. Note that mortals that view the transfer of the Quickening must make saving throw vs. spell or flee for 1d10 rounds in terror. In game terms, the Immortal gains 10 percentage of the other Immortals experience points. For example, if an Immortal kills another that has experience points of 50,000 Fighter and 25,000 Thief then the victorious Immortal gains 5,000 Fighter and 2,500 Thief experience points. Rather than this high-point system, GMs may opt to use hit dice/levels with the Immortal powers added in to calculate experience. As part of taking of the experience, the Immortal gains 1 or 2 (GM's judgement) of his victim's non-weapon proficiencies. A non-Immortal can kill an Immortal through decapitation, but the Quickening is lost unless another Immortal is nearby unless the GM uses the "Killing an Immortal" rule for creation of an Immortal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE GATHERING Immortals have a legend passed among them, that they will eventually feel a call to battle, and will be forced to fight one another until only one remains. This one will get "The Prize", some power that none of them know or understand. Down through the ages, awaiting the Gathering, Immortals fight, kill one another, and absorb each other's Quickening. Eventually, the GM must decide when the Gathering will occur. At least 500 years after the creation of the last Immortal should pass to give that Immortal time to prepare. The Gathering may be anywhere but it should be in a large area. Also, it is suggested that the area be a highly populated metropolis just to make it exciting. A few years before the Gathering, the Immortals will be drawn to the area where the Gathering will take place. No magic or force of any kind can prevent an Immortal from reaching the Gathering. Once there, the Immortals must fight each other to the death until only one is left alive. In the end, there can be only one and he shall get the prize. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE PRIZE Only one shall get the prize, and the prize is great indeed: Ruler of the universe. The Immortal is elevated to godhood status. Since the concept of Immortals was created for the sole purpose of creating one ruler of the universe, chances are all gods no longer exist. If GMs still have existing gods, then the Immortal becomes supreme ruler over them. Also, a variant prize as discussed "In the Beginning" section may be used instead. Part of the prize is the ability to know the thoughts of all creatures. This ability is key to being ruler for it gives power through knowledge. GMs should note that it's not really necessary to define the prize in game terms, since the Immortal who gains it will become in essence a god. The Highlander movie left it deliberately vague, and in keeping GMs may not wish to define the prize. Suffice it to say that an evil Immortal gaining it would pose a danger to all. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE WATCHERS The Watchers have spent centuries studying the Immortals, chronicling their exploits, but not interfering. They keep accurate records of all new Immortals, who has taken who's head, and (like the Immortals themselves) wonder as to who will gain the Prize, and what this Prize is. Watchers are mortals, and are chosen for their "normalcies". They don't stand out in a crowd, they blend. They don't trigger the Immortal's senses, and are trained to observe. Their only distinguishing feature is a tattoo on their wrists, a circle with a holy symbol of their order within. This allows them to easily recognize one another, and to remind them of their mission. In recent years, a rogue branch of the Watchers has formed. This group, fueled by paranoia, has decided that they cannot wait and hope that the Immortal who gains the Prize is a good person. They actively hunt and kill Immortals, removing their heads and allowing their knowledge and power to be lost to the Ether. In this way, they seek to stop any Immortal from achieving the power of the Prize. These "Hunters" view Immortals as the greatest danger ever to face mankind. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ROLE OF AN IMMORTAL What makes running an Immortal interesting is their humanity. Unlike other creatures who are immortal like undead, Immortals are still the same in mind and soul. Immortals deal with their "affliction" in different ways. Some Immortals just try their best to live a normal life, and enjoy living amongst the mortals. It is tough to deal with the pain of losing friends and lovers, but most cope with it. Other Immortals enjoy their life and love to take advantage of mortals at every opportunity. No matter how an Immortal fits into society, he will always be reminded of what he is. It should be noted that becoming an Immortal may have unusual effects on a character, depending on personality. A character who has difficulty relating to people may find it even harder to make friends after becoming an Immortal. A devoted cleric or paladin who dies and becomes an Immortal in service to a god might become more religious, or less religious. As long as the Immortal's personality is based upon the personality before death and deals with the "change of state", the character should not be penalized. What will change after becoming an Immortal is the character's attitude. No longer is wealth and power important (as it is to most characters). There is a greater purpose for existing and this purpose is always a part of an Immortal. Whenever an Immortal might forgot who he is, he finds that he is often reminded though the visit of another Immortal, the death of a close person, the actions of those that know. Dealing with being an Immortal is the biggest role of an Immortal and this is what the role-playing experience should be about, not a munchkining Monty-Haul hype trip. There are a few things that a player might consider. An Immortal should be moderately wealthy but not anything extreme that would draw attention. Wealth is a comfort but not a driving force or way of life. Edged weapons are the means of decapitation so an Immortal should eventually learn the Broad Group for Blades and specialize in the ones he prefers (these weapon proficiency rules are in The Complete Fighter's Handbook). An Immortal tends to be skilled at non-weapon combat and the player should spend weapon proficiencies on various styles preferably those in the Oriental Adventures handbook (a great source for martial arts). The martial arts rules presented are much better than any other 2nd edition rule on non-weapon combat. Sure a simple called shot to the neck can finish an Immortal, but players and GMs alike should grasp the true feel of the Immortals. Often in the duels fought in Highlander, the two fight until one loses his weapon and is driven to the ground, agmitting defeat. It is rarely a lucky shot that chops off the head, but more often a defeat of the spirit. One of the failings in most RPG systems is that the combat system lacks the detail that the Highlander movie shows in the duels for Quickening (of course it's implied in most RPG combat that a lot of thrusting, parrying, and summing up of an opponent happens in a round). Hence, the GM and player is encouraged to embellish the combat greatly. Combat between two Immortals will often be only a few dice rolls, but the importance of the combat deserves as much attention as possible. Remember that the character is fighting to increase his power, in a battle where he has a decent chance of dying. The character is fighting for his knowledge and power, pitting it against another to the death. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ANTI MUNCHKIN/MONTY-HAUL TACTICS GMs should be aware that a Highlander campaign offers a lot of opportunity for munchkinism and monty-haulism. After all, an Immortal character is a powerful one, and power attracts "Munchkins" and "Monty Haul" players. It is fine to allow an Immortal to gather enough wealth to live a decent life. But don't let it get out of control. How can a GM stop an Immortal from becoming extremely wealthy? Well, hopefully the player will get in character and realize all the problems wealth will cause. First, the most wealthy people draw attention and an Immortal doesn't need attention. People will start to notice that the Immortal doesn't age or die. Also, other Immortals will take notice and come after him more often. And there are always the same problems mortals have with wealth. An Immortal should be content with having enough wealth to live a good "normal" life. A GM should consider the pre-Immortal period. Before a player jumps into an Immortal character, he should have to develop the character in a series of potential Immortal adventures. This allows the character to develop as a character should. A developed character improves role-playing and not munchkinism. A GM can then move on to the awareness phase when another Immortal seeks the character out and teaches him about the Immortals. This provides more blueprints for role-playing rather than hack-n-slash adventures. All of this pre-Immortal stuff should weed out the munchkins quickly enough. Eventually, the character will be an Immortal and this is when the power might be to much for the player. This is when the GM can get control by bringing in some tough NPC Immortals. However, the GM shouldn't go crazy introducing NPC Immortals. Having a NPC Immortal annoy the PC Immortal once in awhile is alright, but the GM should avoid the Highlander's television show's "Immortal of the Week" syndrome. GMs should always remember that evil Immortals will stop at nothing else to gain Quickening: friends and loved ones are often pulled in as pawns in the battles, as are helpless innocents who have nothing to do with the Gathering... no one is truly safe. An Immortal PC can lose more than his head. One of the best controls a GM has over a player is the distribution of experience points. Experience should not be awarded when Immortality is used as a safety net. For example, "Oh, well, it doesn't matter what I do, I'll just come back to life in a little while." Heroically holding off the hobgoblin tribe as they cross a bridge, or "distracting" an angry red dragon should be awarded experience, since the character is still risking death (by decapitation). Immortality should be a privilege not a right. Other Immortals are not the only problem of an Immortal. Many mortals are superstitious and seeing an Immortal come back from the dead can cause a lot of problems. On the other hand, Immortals are not super heroes, just human(oid)s who live a long time and have natural regeneration. After all, trolls regenerate and undead are immortal to some extent. If anything, an Immortal would seem like some freak half-breed. There is always a non-Immortal somebody or something that can destroy an Immortal. What if some mortals become organized to rid the world of Immortals (see THE WATCHERS). Covert organizations could monitor and even slay Immortals that they thought were not acting in humanity's best interest. Any of these groups would hold a grudge against Immortals, and might even attempt to decapitate the Immortal. Other beings would have unusual relationships with Immortals. Ghouls and vampires would love to capture them, since an Immortal is an unlimited food supply. Liches would view Immortal mages as potential adversaries (immortal without a phylactery, physically almost as powerful, and able to harness mortal allies). Elves who don't know the Immortal would view him with suspicion: what did this person do to live forever, and who has paid the price for their longevity? Of course, elves who become friends with Immortals will have close relationships -- as the centuries pass. Druids could have either a positive or negative view of Immortals (either as something that doesn't die, like and undead, or the counterbalance of all those who died at birth). Of course, there are always wizards, priests, and other people who would love to study and experiment on an Immortal. After all, an Immortals can do things without magic. Who wouldn't want to harness such great power? There are also a lot of things worse then death: being buried alive, spending a life-sentence in jail, and always watching your head. Remember, Immortals are closer to normal than not. Immortals still have to make ability checks and proficiency checks to do unusual things. In then end, there is always the GM. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Major work on the guide was provided by: Brent The Phantom, Joe Delisle, Ronald "Greymoon" Jones, Hank. Some information was provided from discussions from: Badger, Mandragore the Wizard, Bruce, Grabbit Wileucan. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PROLOGUE A Treatise on Immortality by Stephen Bonet presented to the Wizard's Tribunal in the Common Year 585. Greetings Fellow Mages! As always, it is with great honor and privilege that I address you at this Tribunal. My sodalis and I have come across a most curious breed of man, and I would like to present our studies of this man for you to enjoy: His name is Guillaume, and he was born in the common year 2 to a farmer and wife outside the Gnarley Forest. All of this information about him has come from our explorations of his mind and body, for despite his incredible powers he is but a man, albeit a very special kind of man. Through his mind, we saw his death and rebirth: unlike the mummies of the undead, however, he does not travel to a spirit realm and beg to return, but rather his internal power somehow regenerates his form, no matter how damaged it has become. This natural healing is rapid, causing him to return from the most grievous of wounds to his full health in scant hours. We tested his mind's visions, and in fact his wounds heal remarkably quickly. He cannot be drowned, for somehow his lungs draw air from the water itself. He can be burned and damaged, but he heals so quickly that the most heinous of wounds are little more than an annoyance to him. Through his mind, we likewise learned of others of his kind. A teacher, who came to him and taught him the Rules, and others, who came to steal his power for themselves. Their kind have Rules, built up through centuries of conflict. The only way to kill them is to remove their head from their shoulders, separating their head from their heart (the two sources of life, as we ourselves know). If this is done by another of their kind, the power within them (which they refer to as their Quickening, or life) flows into their killer, making him even more powerful. Their legends speak of the Gathering, a time when all of their kind will battle, until only one remains. That one, with all of their power as his own, will be like unto a god. How do we explain these beings? Quite easily, in fact. In theory, their power is nothing less than raw energy from the energy planes, somehow drawn to them from reality itself. As all living things have some faint spark of positive or negative in them, these beings have a raging flame, which gives them strength and power. This raw power is similar to that of Avatars, yet in many ways different. Unfortunately, this power cannot be detected. Not even the best magic can detect the power so we are at a loss of knowing who has it and who doesn't. We don't know if we can tap the energy from the subject and we have not yet endeavored to remove his head ourselves, until we are certain we have learned all we can from him. Another Rule of their kind deals with Holy Ground, and the fact that they cannot fight there. According to Guillaume, he can sense this ground, much as he senses others of his kind when they draw near. Through studying him and his memories, we have gained some information as to this sensation. These connections to the Outer Planes are off limits to them? Why is that? The answer lies in understanding their battles. When two of their kind fight, the energy within them begins to flow, empowering them and their weapons, and literally filling the air around them. When one loses, the winner draws his own energy back into himself, as well as some of that belonging to his opponent... the rest, with nowhere to go, wreaks havoc on the environment around them. This energy he absorbs from his opponent carries with it a shadow of the man's knowledge, indeed his very life... and in some cases, can overshadow the life of the victor. On a holy site, the energy from the loser flows not into the victor, but into the Node itself. In this way, the victor not only gains nothing, but in fact loses that energy of his which had mingled with that of his opponent... a very pragmatic reason for the Rule they follow. There are many things about these beings still to be learned. They seem as closely tied to energy as we ourselves, but at the same time seem to be able to contain and harness this "Quickening" of theirs in other ways. In some ways, they seem a living node to the energy planes: a constant amount of Quickening within them, unused by their healing and powers, and always the capacity for more. We will experiment more with this subject, including channeling energy into him, to further explore our theories. Thank you for your patience, and good night. -----------------------------------------------------------------------