This adventure was published back when Lion Rampant still owned Ars Magica (1990). The cover has a Roman fresco on it (two color) and the interior art ranges from squiggly tracings of buildings to simple line art people, obviously Atlas has come a long way from this effort. The typesetting and format of the interior text is very well and is a much better preview to what Atlas has become than any of the art.
The story itself is quite good. Magus from a European covenant are sent to retrieve a child who disappeared from the covenant at a very early age. The child's mother was a powerful magi and she kept the father's identity a secret. The child initially showed great promise in the magic arts but soon became paranoid and erratic, even toward his mother. The Magus have been informed that the no adolescent is the slave of a magi in Asia Minor but with no explanation how he came to be there.
The magi's quest takes them to Byzantium where they encounter local magi and learn about eastern faeries, called genjii. They also learn the circumstances behind the child's disappearance, the reason for his long captivity and solve the mystery of his father. Options are few through most of the adventure, but the final encounters provide multiple outcomes and possibilities for future adventures.
A nice job considering the when and how of its publication. Exportable to other game systems and probably available in the bargain bin for about $1.
Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
