O, brave men all come hear the tale Of Kaseroas
No knight more brave or sword for sale Than Kaseroas
Man gnash thy teeth and woman wail For Kaseroas
For 'though they fell, they n'er did fail O Kaseroas
What man would claim or woman say That Kaseroas
Bestained his honour on that day? O Kaseroas
What price shall treason ever pay To Kaseroas
For men of honour seek the way Of Kaseroas
Kandian Marching Song
Kaseroas was an honourable man and he gathered about him men of honour, soldiers true, great warriors all, and he offered his band for hire. Thus did they become mercenaries, but they were not the normal sort of mercenary, for Kaseroas was a man of honour, a good man, and would serve only honourable men and good causes. More than once they served the house of Kand, and once did service unto Genin the great mage, but they fought ever against evil.
When Kaseroas accepted a task, he gave unto his master a token. An amulet it was, like unto a sunburst with swords projecting therefrom, and made of ebony. And when Kaseroas lent someone his amulet, they knew it for a token of his honour, and that Kaseroas and his brave men would serve faithfully unto death if need be.
Many times the band of Kaseroas fought and did much harm unto the forces of evil in that land, and even travelled beyond Tharda to fight darkness, for well Kaseroas knew that evil exists in all hearts and may be fought anywhere. And ever was the word of Kaseroas his bond and his amulet the symbol of that bond.
One day, a fair and gentle-seeming knight came unto Kaseroas and asked of him his bond. The knight told that his daughter Lereyn had been captured by the Order of the Companions of Roving Doom, whose wont, then as now, was to breed much evil in the land. The maiden had been taken to a manorhouse and there had suffered an evil fate. Now, because of her terrible experiences, she was ailing and near unto death and must be rescued before the dark ministrations of the Companions should put and end to her. Kaseroas was moved by the tale and gave unto the knight his amulet and an honourable bargain was made.
Thus did Kaseroas and his men hasten to the manor, attack it and, after fierce fighting, remove therefrom the woman Lereyn, and they return'd her to the knight. But the knight laughed at the mercenaries:
You have done the work I could not do. Now, have the honour of meeting Lereyn priestess of the Immortal Warlord of Balgashang. Yon flaming manorhouse is an outpost of the house of Kand who had captured Lereyn and were holding her for trial, and the men that you have slain were knights of the house of Kand... The word that binds is like unto a chain about the heart and given by fools... And your band of fools has been a nuisance to my masters for many years... Now say your prayers to your whore goddess...With that, he cast the amulet to the ground, and with the priestess rode off quickly. Kaseroas was about to give chase when over a nearby hill came five score warriors of the Companions of Roving Doom and they rode down upon Kaseroas and his brave men. And 'though for each of Kaseroas' band there were five of the enemy, no quarter was offered, nor asked. They fought for three days and three nights, and when at last Kaseroas and his men had fallen all, there were four score of the Companions dead about them.
Only one of Kaseroas' band escaped, a lad of twelve who hid beneath a comrade's body and, because of his wounds, was left for dead. He was found by farmers' wives come to loot and was removed to Aleath where he killed himself for the shame of not dying with his comrades, but not before he told his tale.
For many years the Token of Kaseroas lay trampled in the mud of that field. Yet, it is said, that it was found again, and lost and found many times. And it is said of the Token that if it is invoked by an a good and honourable man, in a good and worthy cause that Kaseroas and his warriors shall again come forth and do battle with sword and spear.
And this is the tale as told by the young mercenary.
The legend of the Token of Kaseroas, and especially the marching song an extract of which appears at the top of page one, originated in Kanday during the Interregnum. The tale spread from Aleath, throughout Harn and northwestern Lythia. It is particularly popular among soldiers. The song is usually sung in a call-response style which makes it easy to learn and march to.
The story is a simple one: a man of honour is betrayed by an evil agent who turns his own honour against him. There are many such tales, but in the dark days before the establishment of the kingdom of Kanday, the tale of Kaseroas was an especially powerful symbol of folorn hope.
The legend (page 1) should be photocopied and distributed to players who should probably be given an opportunity to forget all about it before the GM develops the story any further. The GM can develop or discard the facts of the story as he sees fit.
The central point is whether of not the Amulet, the Token of Kaseroas should be included as an item of treasure and potentially found by player-characters. If it is made available, the GM may arrange its operation at his discretion. The following suggestions are proferred:
The amulet could be invoked by anyone holding it: Test 4xWill. On invocation, a ghostly band of 19 mercenaries will appear, led by Kaseroas (the 20th). The band will appear from around a corner or over a hill, but should not be seen to materialize. The mercenaries bear grievous wounds and most are mutilated, but they can fight effectively. Since they are ethereal, they are generally immune to physical harm.
Kaseroas is able to instantly and accuratly assess the morality of his summoner. If he judges the cause just, he and his men will charge the invoker's enemies and will, usually, defeat them quickly. The band will serve the invoker until the enemy is, in Kaseroas' opinion, defeated. Then Kaseroas will silently demand his Token and the band will march off. No person, cause or group can use the amulet more than once.
A mercenary struck by an enchanted weapon, dissolves to nothingness in about ten seconds. Until then, all strikes are ignored, although they may cause seemingly grievous wounds...
Str 14 Eye 12 Int 12 Mob 65
End n/a Hrg 18 Aur 11 Dge 65
Dex 16 Smt 0 Wil ** Ini 75
Agl 13 Tch 0 Mor 15 FR 0
Spd 13 Voi 0
Spear/90; Falchion/90; Broadsword(Kaseroas)/95;
Roundshield/80
** Special Ability
Infinite Will (the mercenaries are immune to any will-control
spell etc.).