Tricksters and Riddlers

Today, upon your Earthly Plane, it is the day known as April Fool's, when people play all manner of pranks on their families and friends, hoping to catch them out by duping them into believing that their cunning fabrications are in fact the truth*.

Logaan, Lord of the Tricksters

There is also such a day here in Allansia, the Holy Day of Logaan, which falls on the 12th of Warming. Logaan is the Lord of the Trickster Gods, devoted to maintaining a balance between the forces of Good and Evil. He is often depicted as a crazed clown, accompanied by the mysterious twins Kata and Petros, who represent the pull between Order and Chaos.

Logaan is the creator of Mankind on Titan, and was the first god to put a part of himself into what he created from the magical clay of life. It was also Logaan who discovered the deity Time in one of the outer planes, which eventually led to the First Battle.

His priests are dedicated to their god's cause of balancing Good and Evil, Law and Chaos, and wear robes that are all the colours of the rainbow. This is representative of the fact that Logaan's interests cover the whole spectrum from Good to Evil.

Logaan is the chief deity of the town of Shazâar, in western Allansia, which is also known as the 'City of Madness'. Here they celebrate the festival known as Lucre Week in honour of their god. It also seems that some members of the Halls of Learning of Salamonis worship him.

Elvins of The Shamutanti Hills.

Logaan is also the Lord of Genies, who are the immortal servants of the Trickster Gods. Apart from the many Humans who serve the Tricksters there are other races that are devoted to their creed. The Elvins of the Shamutanti Hills for instance are such a race.

Leprechauns also appear to follow Logaan's creed, although whether this is simply their nature or whether it is their belief is uncertain.

However, the most famous of the Trickster's servants is a powerful being called the Riddling Reaver. As to his origins, no one knows for certain, but he is said to live in the jungles of southern Allansia and sails around the world on his ship the Twice Shy, carrying out the work of his master Logaan.

The Riddling Reaver

A spin-off of Steve Jackson’s Fighting Fantasy – The Introductory Role-Playing Game, The Riddling Reaver (published in 1986) was an extended campaign made up of four interlinked multi-player adventures, written by Paul Mason and Steve Williams. The interior illustrations were by Brian Williams while the cover was by Peter Andrew Jones. The book also featured a number of maps by Leo Hartas.

Set in southern Allansia, a band of heroes find themselves in a battle of both wits and brawn pitted against the Riddling Reaver, an inscrutable servant of Logaan the Trickster, who is determined to upset the balance between Order and Chaos so that Chance and Luck might rule supreme.

The Riddling Reaver was Paul Mason’s first foray into the realms of Fighting Fantasy, but it certainly wasn’t his last. Both the Riddling Reaver and Lady Carolina, who appears in the adventure, and the city of Kallamehr itself would feature in Slaves of the Abyss, written by Mason and Williams, and published in 1988. The Reaver would later make another appearance in Mason's solo gamebook Magehunter.

The Riddling Reaver makes his escape in The Curse of Kallamehr.

The Riddling Reaver makes an appearance in Slaves of the Abyss.

The Riddling Reaver has some guests over for dinner in The Realm of Entropy. Recognise anyone?

* Personally I find a Befuddlement spell much more effective.