The prequel story of Panya, a Nithian monk who finds herself unexpectedly separated from her old life and forced to find her way in a strange, new world, starring in the on-going GURPS saga of five unlikely companions attempting to unravel the mysteries of Mystara.
Mysteries of MystaraPanya's Background and Prequel Story
Panya The Mouse
On a dark stormy night, a newborn infant was left in hands of the caring monks at an isolated Thothian Mystics monastery. The Abbot was quietly informed about the circumstances of her birth mother who became pregnant following an covert affair with a handsome Nithian house servant. The head of the family was an extremely well placed and important politician in the Nithian government and refused to allow his daughter's scandal to affect his status. The young house servant disappeared shortly after the pregnancy was discovered. The monks in turn, received fair compensation for their silence and discretion. After all, this child wasn’t the first orphan raised in rigid disciplines and hard work. The monastery abbot knew the favorable worth that came with these kinds of arrangements.
The monks cared for the infant and named her Panya Masika, the little mouse born in a storm. The life in the monastery was hard, but fair and the small child grew wise and strong under the teachings of the monks. Panya was trained to use her mind to accomplish various actions, including the ability to fight either to injure or even kill if necessary. Panya was also learning the art of healing. The teachings of the Mystics became an integral part of her life and she enjoyed living out these fundamentals. Even the mundane daily chores were hard but felt productive. Farming, sewing, husbandry, kitchen work and other tasks kept the monks self-sufficient and efficient.
Panya earned the spider tattoos on the palms of her hands, a step towards her final tests. She was also awarded the large spider web on her chest and neck. She felt very confident that she would earn the webbed tattoo sleeves on her arms which would link her hands to her heart. She must always strive to let her heart guide her actions. Panya longed for that day when she would be chosen to recite the eight legged Precepts of Spiritual Life and live permanently in the Spider's Web as a Mystic.
The Eight Legs:
1st leg: One will refrain from killing innocent living beings
2nd leg: One will refrain from stealing what is not given
3rd leg: One will abstain from sexual activity
4th leg: One will refrain from telling lies
5th leg: One will abstain from all intoxicants
6th leg: One will not eat after noonday until after sunset
7th leg: One will not mistreat or beautify the body
8th leg: One will refrain from using luxurious or high furniture
The young novitiate monks typically traveled away from the monastery many times as part of their later training in order to reflect inwardly and to make the spiritual and personal transition into adulthood. After spending a month away from the monastery on one of her solo meditation pilgrimages, Panya returned to find the monastery in ruins with no apparent living monks.
She spent a month living amongst the ruins, in prayer and meditation looking for guidance. In a dream, she saw herself as a large spider wandering on the streets of various anonymous cities, towns and numerous unknown countrysides, always with the same group of people; people she didn’t know. When the young monk awoke shaken, she struggled to come to an understanding of the dream.
Realizing there were no answers for her amongst the rubble of the monastery, Panya left the ruins and traveled along a nearby narrow road. For three days, Panya followed the road without seeing anyone else. She slept by the side of the road each night resting from the long hours on foot. On the fourth day, when she came to a crossroads, Panya hesitated, not sure which direction to travel. She sat down on a sparse clump of grass near the road and began to meditate and pray, looking inwardly for an answer. Several hours passed when a group of travelers on horses came by and began to speak to her. Confused, Panya stood and looked at the group consisting of three men as well as two women each carrying a small child on their lap. Since she didn’t recognize the language they spoke, Panya responded in her own Nithian language letting them know that she didn’t understand. The men shook their heads indicating they didn’t understand her either. One of the women gestured to Panya, indicating that she should come with them. An obvious answer to her prayers, Panya joined them and soon the group entered a town.
They navigated through the crowded streets, eventually turning down a quiet lane with small homes lining each side of the cobblestone road. The group dismounted at one of the two-story houses, and the men took the horses to a stable at the back of the house. The women and children led Panya into the house. While one of the women began making a meal, the other woman showed Panya to a small bed hidden just under the stairs leading to the second level. The woman patted the bed, stated a word, and indicated that Panya should repeat it.
Thus began a new experience for Panya. She lived with the family for over a year, learning a new language. She insisted on helping with as many of the household chores as possible, explaining that her life at the monastery was harder with many countless tasks performed everyday. Panya used any of her spare time wandering through the town, asking questions of the townspeople she’d meet. She followed any clues she could find regarding the monastery and its occupants but without much success. The only apparent fact Panya discovered was that a lot of time had passed during her pilgrimage, not just months, but years - many, many years had in fact passed by, yet here she was still alive and not aged at all. It was all so confusing. Slowly her hope waned and she realized she reached a dead end in this particular town. Panya couldn’t find any more answers or reasons how this time jump occurred or why the monastery was deserted and in ruins.
Panya eventually abandoned the active search for any information about the monastery and looked for a new destination and purpose of her life. Perhaps she could find the group of people that continued to appear in her dreams, if they were actually real and not just an invention of her dreams. She informed her new family of her plans to leave. She was sad and knew she would miss them. She had grown especially fond of the children.
The next day, while strolling through the street market, she overheard a wholesale merchant who needed a guard for a shipment of goods to another city. She quickly volunteered her services and compensation was mutually agreed upon. The need for a guard became apparent as the caravan was hit several times by thieves before arriving at its destination.
During the next few months, Panya secured similar jobs, as her new language improved, her abilities became more useful and she began to adjust to her life in this new world. Panya didn’t know what the future had planned for her, but she knew that each day brought her closer to that destiny.
Panya and the Case of the Missing Mace
For the last few weeks, Panya has been staying at the Monastery of St. Yuric in the mountains of what is called Karameikos. The Abbot and monks have been more than kind to take Panya in, but their monastic ways are just not similar enough to what she's used to, though it had felt good to be in such a place of order again, especially with as much chaos as her life has been in recently.
On that fine spring morning when she decided to finally take her leave of the Monastery, she was approached by the Abbot. Old Abbot Laszlo smiles and claps his hands in front of him. "Ahh, yes, I sensed you would be moving on soon. I know we are not your people and our ways are not your own, but it has been nice having you here."
The two walk quietly together along a terrace looking out over the mountains and alpine forests to the north. Finally the Abbot speaks again, "Did you hear any disturbances last night? No? Neither did anyone else, sadly. It seems we were the victims of a heinous crime last night. A thief broke in and absconded with one of our religious artifacts, the Mace of St. Yuric, as well as some other valuable accouterments." He sighs deeply. "Would you please keep an eye out for them and if you see or hear anything that might be related, please let me know?"
Panya looks deep into the old man's eyes. She sees hurt and hope swimming through the grey eyes.
"It would be this one's honor to humbly serve you in this regard," Panya bows her head slightly in deference to the man's rank, "This One has gained much enlightenment while under your roof. You have been kind to this one's restless body and soul. Therefore, this One shall do best to return the property to its rightful place."
After a moment she added, "Describe this holy mace and tell me it's story if you can." Panya leads the Abbot to a nearby stone bench, "And maybe a little about the other items. It is possible this One may find these as well."
Hoisting the small bag of belongings across her shoulders, Panya walks away from St. Yuric's. Her mood is uplifted with the thoughts of new places to explore and new people to meet.
Panya decides to head for the village of Novici and carefully makes her way down the precarious path. She chooses each step carefully down the path that's not much more than a goat track. Occasionally, Panya stops to enjoy the breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains. The low hanging clouds in the distance hover over the highest peaks.
Along the journey, Panya contemplates how and why anyone would go to the trouble of making the difficult journey to the monastery in the first place, just to steal religious artifacts. The items could conceivably be hard to sell making the arduous nighttime journey even less sense. There had to be more to the story and Panya intended to keep her word to the Abbot.
Despite her daily exercises, Panya realizes she hasn't done much distance walking in some time and feels the effects of the six and a half mile hike to the village below.
She had passed through Novaci on her way to the Monastery but hadn't spent much time there. About all she knew was that it was a predominantly Traladaran settlement of a couple hundred people and it was the farthest north point of the river navigable by anything larger than a small canoe or raft.
As she rounds an out cropping in what must be the last leg of the hike, Panya comes across an unexpected scene. An older woodsman and a young woman in a red and orange cloak are struggling with each other. Before Panya can react, the woman shoves the man back. He stumbles, trips and falls over a nearby ledge. The sounds of him crashing into underbrush and rocky debris just out of sight are followed with some curses and moans of pain. The girl turns, startled, and lets out a little yelp.
Shock momentarily crosses Panya’s face but true to her training she immediately reacts with calm. She bows her head slightly and speaks to the woman, “Lady, are you hurt? Who is the gentleman who went over the side?”
Without waiting for answers, Panya quickly helps the woman sit on a nearby boulder and attempts to assess for any injuries. Finding nothing obviously wrong, she steps to the edge of the path and peers over the ledge.
"Hello! Sir, are you hurt?" Panya shouts.
Panya sees the man, about 15 feet down a rocky slope, laying awkwardly on a woody bush. There is a bloody gash on the side of his head and his left arm appears to be sitting at an odd angle. He groans and looks up, “Uhh, well, yea, what in Halav’s name do you think I’m doing down here! That little witch sent me over the edge, you saw that right?”
The woman, seemingly in shock, mutters, “He grabbed me, he shook me, I didn’t mean to…” she trails off, staring at the ground.
Panya turns to the woman, "Please, Miss Lady, do sit quietly and rest. Do you have some water with you? Drink some if you have it. It will do you good"
She turns back to the ledge to think for a moment. How to get herself down there to help the man's injuries and get them both back up the ledge.
She pulls off her backpack and carefully lifts out the contents, setting each of the more fragile items gently to the side. She unpacks the spider rope and begins scanning the immediate area for a solid anchor spot. Spotting a possible bush stump, Panya ties one end of the rope around the wood, double checking her knots.
She tosses the other end of the rope over the ledge towards the area where the man lay sprawled. Panya kicks off her sandals, tests her weight against the rope anchor and the knots, then starts the climb down, her toes searching for purchase points.
Panya makes it down to the man quite easily, thanks to her careful planning, though his pitiful groaning is a constant reminder of the pain he must be in. He had apparently lost track of Panya while she made her way down because he lets out a startled yelp when he sees her next to him. Panya can see that his head wound is still oozing thick, dark blood. "Where'd you come from, baldy?" he says weakly as his eyes flutter and close again.
Ignoring the obvious disparaging remark, Panya gently examines the head wound and realizes the wound may be deep. Looking around for possible aids, she notices a tear in the man's shirt. Using the tear as a starting point, she pulls off a strip of cloth. Panya carefully wraps the head wound with the cloth strip while reciting a healing prayer, allowing her Chi energy to flow. But, no the wound still oozes blood through the cloth. Earlier on the climb down, Panya noticed a large tuft of absorbent moss tucked into a small damp depression of the rock. She believes it's only a foot or so away, so Panya climbs a short distance up the rope and is able to easily reach the moss. She lowers down quickly and heads back to the man. She places the moss directly on the still bleeding head wound, then reties the strip of cloth. Once again, Panya recites the soothing, healing prayer as the Chi energy flows through her hands and into the man's head. Panya then moves around to check the obviously broken arm. It does not look good at all. Slowing her own breathing to match the man's, she places her hands along the obvious broken bone. Ignoring her fatigue, once more Panya calls upon her healing power. After a few moments her hands fell away in disappointment. Frustration sets in because she can't even move the man to a more comfortable position, not alone anyway.
Panya squats down near the man to think out some possible solutions. That's when she notices the head wound still slowly flowing through the moss and makeshift bandage. She needs help and starts the climb back up the rope.
Back on the ledge, Panya sees the red and orange-robed woman moving around the ledge, picking things up and putting them into a basket. "Oh, hello again, I'm Ilya. Is he ok? I didn't mean to push him over the ledge for sure, but he was grabbing and pushing me. I suppose I over-reacted just a bit."
“Ilya,” Panya hesitates then continues, “This One's name is Panya. This man is in bad shape and needs more help than I can give. Do you know this man? Why did you push him?”
As she speaks, she is mentally considering all the options to get help for the injured man. She could go back up the road to the monastery. Not the best idea, but possible. She could ask Ilya to travel down the road to Novaci and find help there, but would she be quick enough, or even trusted?
Panya looks down at the basket in front of Ilya, “My things, Ilya, did you pick up This One's items?”
"Um, no. Your things are there, where you left them. I don't know his name but I've seen him before in town. I can go get help from town if you want," she says nervously.
Panya looks down the mountain path and sighs, " No Ilya, this one will go into the town for help. You should stay here with the man. He may awaken and be scared. You could let him know that help is coming."
Panya places her belongings back into the backpack and takes a few steps down the path. She turns back to Ilya, "You owe nothing to this man, or even to this one, but please, do not abandon him, no matter what happened between the two of you."
With that said, she turns back to the path and heads downward towards Novaci.
Ilya clearly looks distressed by these instructions but nods in agreement. She moves and looks over the edge at the fallen man and then steps back and takes a seat on a rock, holding her basket on her lap. "Novaci is about a mile further down the trail," she says, absently pointing in the downhill direction.
Panya jogs down the rocky trail the last mile until she reaches Novaci below. There are several outlying buildings and she sees the wide beach area where many traders boats and barges are pulled up on the banks of the narrowing Castellan River. There are quite a few people milling about, working at loading and unloading boats as well as a handful of what appear to be soldiers or guards. They wear symbols she has seen before on others of their type, a sword upraised beneath a blue ship.
Panya makes it to the village and finds some people to help the wounded man. He is grateful for the help and despite being a fairly grumpy old man, he houses and feeds Panya for the night. He also bestows upon her 10 silver coins to help her on her journey. Panya is grateful for the gifts.
She spends the next several days traveling south and asking about a strange traveler and the mace. She gets some leads that appear to tell her to travel south. One of her leads in Bergoi puts her face to face with a smiling Halfling, or Hin, as they like to be called, named Fergus Proudsun. After conversing with him, she believes he is NOT the thief she is looking for. He wishes her good luck and when he finds she is traveling south to Veseya, he asks her to pass a message for him. If she runs across anyone looking for him, tell them he went on ahead to Castellan Keep and he will meet them there. He says there may be a few people looking for him. Panya heartily agrees and it is the least she can do for falsely thinking he was the crook.
After parting with her new friend, Fergus, Panya gets wind of a young Human scoundrel that had been spotted in town recently and was trying to find a buyer for a “magical weapon” he came across recently. He found no buyers and instead headed south for Veseya in hopes of making a sale. As this is her best lead, she heads south to Veseya.
She finds Veseya a quaint little riverside village with bustling docks and several larger boats. She realizes this is the farthest north that most merchants would be able to bring their vessels due to the rocky and narrow nature of the river north of here. As she moves about the village, she gets a strange feeling as she moves past an arriving caravan. She sees two strange figures, ones she has seen before in her dreams. A tall and impressive looking being that appears to be part Human and part Faun. Beside him is a beautiful young Human man, boy really, that seems to glow with an internal light. Thinking that is just a trick of her eye, Panya moves to get a better angle and sees that, yes, this Human youth is actually glowing, just like in her visions.
Unsure of what to do, she turns and heads back to the dock when she sees two more of the people from her dreams. Both Humans, coming up a pier from a recently arrived boat. The better dressed of the two, a Traladaran of about 20 or so, seems to be waiting for the other dusky skinned man at the end of the dock. The well dressed Traladaran carries a mandolin and a crossbow hangs from his pack. The other is equipped lighter, and carries a staff and backpack. His dress and demeanor are not familiar, definitely not local. Panya’s head spins and she looks for a place to sit, finding a nearby barrel. She catches her breath as the two Humans come together and talk. Both men look in her direction, locking eyes with her.
Cast of Characters
Panya Masika, a Nithian monk stranded out of time - played by Carol C
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