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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 6624932" data-attributes="member: 92305">-- EVEN MORE NOTES FROM CONAN THE BARBARIAN  --XIV.  SORCEROUS BOUNDARY OF THE RED WASTES.  The Red Wastes lay inland from the coast in northeastern Shem, near the border with Argos.  Sorcery protects the border of this dry, desert area.  In the novelization, Conan crested a hill to find his own tracks leading into the Waste, yet he did not remember making them.  The tracks went so far then doubled back the way he had come only for the Cimmerian to realize later that he had approached the Waste and retreated from it.  In addition, the approach on the Waste made him fell exhaustion and frustration--as if entering the Waste was not worth the effort.  When Conan let the horse go, he found that he would find himself, doubled back on his trail, closer to the road that would take him to water (and away from the Waste).  SeConan circumvented the sorcery in the book by grabbing a stone and tossing it about ten or twelve feet in front of him.  Concentrating on the stone, he walked his horse to it in two or three steps.  He felt almost convinced that he had gone far enough and should turn back.  But, instead, Conan bent down, grabbed the stone, and tossed it another ten feet.  The more Conan was successful with this action, the stronger his conviction to proceed became.  This is how the sorcery was defeated.In the game, have characters roll a DC 15 Concentration (or, maybe Willpower is more appropriate?) check 2d4 times.  Each time that they succeed, the get a cumulative +1 modifier on the next roll.  If the character fails a check, then the modifier is a cumulative -1 on the next throw.  Once the character is done with the sequence, he no longer has to make checks as he has defeated the sorcerous entry barrier.  If the character ever rolls 0 or less, due to the modifiers, then he must turn away and go a different direction, unwilling to proceed along the path that enters the Red Waste.XV.  SHAIPUR MONKS.  Tamara belongs to this order.   There's not a lot about the order in the movie or the book.  Master Fassir is a seer, having seen Tamara's future in the Pool of Visions (in the movie, Fassir smoked from an opium-like pipe to get his visions).  I suspect that the order originated in Hyrkania and, at one time, spread out across the world.  Today, the order has fallen on hard times--out of favor with the thousands who supported it at one time.  Although referred to as "Shaipur" monks, I don't think that's the name of the order.  I think that's a reference to these specific monks since their monastery is in the Shaipur region.  From what I can tell, the goal of the monks is focused on the individual rather than a god or some other belief.  I think the order is devoted to a person attaining the highest form of human that he can be.  Enlightenment, personal perfection, a healthy body are the things that I think are important to this order.  Of course, I'm just guessing from the context.  The monks are trained in empty-handed combat specifically, but many are also trained with other weapons like the dagger, spear, and bow.  In the movie, a monk twists in the saddle to ride his horse backwards, firing his bow at Zym's legionnaires.  The reason I guess the order is based in Hyrkania is three-fold.  First, the goals I've guessed about the order are very "'Zen" like, in line with real eastern philosophy.  Tamara is taken to what looks to be a very large chapter of the order at the end of the film.  And, the spears used by the monks, if you see a close up of them on the net, have oriental dragons on them.XVII.  UKAFA.  Considered one of Khalar Zym's generals, Ukafa is chief of a band of Kushite warriors, all of which have sworn their lives to Zym.  Once Zym becomes a god, he has promised Ukafa dominion over Stygia and the Black Kingdoms.<img src="http://i0.wp.com/grizzlybomb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/21518_25178_ww_hh-ukafa-corin-khalar.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />XVIII.  MARIQUE's TALONS.  The fingers on Marique's right hand are capped with sharp, silver talons of great workmanship.  The talons are of Stygian manufacture.  XIX.  CHERIN.  (Spelled "Cheren" in the movie credits) is a Brythunian archer, though I wouldn't have guessed that to look at her.  She leads a troop of all female archers.  All wear the leather headpieces that cover their left eyes.  I speculate one of two possibilities here.  Either Cherin leads a female-only troop of archers who pluck out their left eyeballs as part of their dedication to the bow, leaving only their aiming eye.  Or, Cherin and her female archers have both eyes but use the leather helms to guide their specific style of archer with just the left eye.  It is also a  possibility that Cherin and her band follow Marique's order of Archeronian sorcery, but this is just a thought based on how the archers look.  Khalar Zym has promised Cherin the western half of the world once he is a god. <img src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/32/64/83/32648381a4c66820b30b0efe1a41cea5.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /><img src="http://img.fdb.cz/galerie/2/2e3a7ae8e05f0b1c4f2e62e71a.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></blockquote>

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