The moon shone red, casting an eerie glow on the world
below. From the windswept dunes of the Kali Desert, to the
merchant docks of Katang, gateway of trade and commerce on the shores of
the Nefera Sea, her crimson hue painted the land, as if some maniacal
artist, in a fit of insane genius, had added a drop of blood to her
palette. All who saw her mottled face shivered with dread.
The farm wives of the southern plains barred the shutters with care,
while a thousand miles to the north, at the base of the Hell's
Peaks, the captains of Stonegate's citadel doubled their night
guard. Yet, in the dark corners of the world, forgotten and
untrodden by men, the purveyors of evil and
chaos chanted their foul litanies long into the night. For this is
the moon of ill omen, the night when luck is lent to those who intend
death and despair. All foul actions are blessed under her damning
glow - the glow of the Hunter's Moon.
*
*
*
*
*
The Hunter crouched, weary of his shadow, hidden yet deliberate.
Although masked, the intense gaze of his dark eyes suggested
purpose. He was living in the eve of a moment long-awaited.
He watched the back door of the Inn, accompanied only by the incessant
drip of the water barrel - drip, drip, drip...
The door
opened. The man who emerged was old, but not venerable. His
skin clung to his face like a bloated sack, almost putrid in the
moonglow. He made some attempt at song as he shuffled into the
night, ignorant of the fate which awaited him.
The Hunter
tensed. This moment had been reenacted in his memory a thousand
times. With the agility of a mountain cat he sprang, landing mere
feet behind his prey. The drunken man turned with disbelief and
shock registering on his wrinkled brow. Then, within a moment, his
eyes relayed recognition and an attempted scream lodged itself in
his throat. By the time the scream reached the surface, all that
remained was a whispered and terrified, "Not you... You are
dead... How ca..."
The Hunter showed no mercy.
He threw back his cloak defiantly and raised his hands, as if clasped in
prayer. A swift kick to the ribs brought the gibbering man to his
knees. The Hunter's hands drew apart, revealing a thin line of
wire, glistening red in the night. With a skillful move, he
entwined the man's neck with the cord and extended his arms upward,
suspending his prey in mid-air. The old man gasped and drooled,
and after a few short moments, it was over.
The Hunter
released the corpse from his grip, letting it thump to the ground at his
feet. A gloved hand produced a jagged knife. The Hunter
knelt on one knee and carved a circle with the outline of a projecting flame in the dead man's
forehead. And then, as quickly as he sprang upon his cornered
prey, he flew away into the darkness.
Up to this moment,
Rorie sat motionless behind the water barrel, paralyzed with fear.
After a few moments, he began to rise, muttering "must get help...
must tell someone..." By the time he entered the Inn, his
mutterings had grown to shouts of terror. The Hunter's mission had
begun.
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ABOUT FUDGE: Fudge is a
role-playing game written by Steffan O'Sullivan, with extensive input
from the Usenet community of rec.games.design. The basic rules of Fudge
are available on the internet at http://www.fudgerpg.com
and in book form from Grey Ghost Games, P.O. Box 838, Randolph, MA
02368. They may be used with any gaming genre. While an individual work
derived from Fudge may specify certain attributes and skills, many more
are possible with Fudge. Every Game Master using Fudge is encouraged to
add or ignore any character traits. Anyone who wishes to distribute such
material for free may do so - merely include this ABOUT FUDGE notice and
disclaimer (complete with Fudge copyright notice). If you wish to charge
a fee for such material, other than as an article in a magazine or other
periodical, you must first obtain a royalty-free license from the author
of Fudge, Steffan O'Sullivan, P.O. Box 465, Plymouth, NH 03264. You must
include at the beginning of each derivative work the following
disclaimer, completed with your name, in its entirety.
DISCLAIMER: The material based on
Fudge, entitled Darklands Pbem, are created by, made available
by, and Copyright (C) 2001 by Jason Tilley, and are not necessarily
endorsed in any way by Steffan O'Sullivan or any publisher of other
Fudge materials. Neither Steffan O'Sullivan nor any publisher of other
Fudge materials is in any way responsible for the content of these
materials unless specifically credited. Original Fudge materials
Copyright (C)1992-1995 by Steffan O'Sullivan, All Rights Reserved.
All images on this site were created by
Jason Tilley (c) 2001 or taken from free for use images sites with
explicit guidelines for use. All guidelines have been adhered to.
