Introduction

Deep into in the shifting sands of the Empty Quarter stands the lonely mountain. Its ragged flanks of black stone thrust high from the dunes that ebb and flow with the eternal winds that scour the arid continent from its furnace like interior to its rocky, spray drenched shores.

Few know of the mountain, but those that do, fear it well.

The rumours told by the simple shepherds who herd their emaciated goats occasionally through the area say that the mountain was once the home of the old man of the mountain; better known as the father of assassins.

Whatever the truth of these tales, if there be truth in them at all, the mountain and the fortress that clings to its rough sides has become the focus of a recent series of disturbing events. The assassins have returned.

Caravans crossing the Empty Quarter have been destroyed, ransacked, the men slain, and the females taken captive. In the far-flung desert towns surrounding the mountain, emir, holy man and merchant alike have died under the slashing blades of these assassins and a new breed of leaders has arisen in these towns, one that openly declares itself to be in league with the wild desert warriors of the interior. The ancient trading ties of the cities of the southern continent are breaking down or have already broken as a new wave of zeolitry threatens not only the safety of the remaining cities, but also the peace of the northern continent.

Negotiations between the rulers of the trade cities and those whom rule over you has bought you to this place, a nightmare of blazing heat, of sand storms that bury man and beast alike in minutes, of endless vista’s of sand dunes stretching from horizon to horizon without a blade of grass or drop of water.

Still the torment of the journey is nearly over, for your objective looms just a few miles away now, the lonely mountain and the ancient fortress of Abu-Dala rear high above the desert plain. In the small shale filled valley before you is the cave, the one that the seers divined. The one which will take you to the heart of the mountain, and ultimately your target; the grandmaster of the assassins.