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ADVENTURES FOR TSiR SOLEPLAYING GAITES


theouslytrees, The wrnd rvas a lorrent oi dar*nssam0n0 ghostly tossed seas, The moon wasa upon cloudy oalleon road ribbon oimoonlight, over lheprxple moo( The wasa came adingAnd thshiohwayrnan Rding-ridingThe h qhwayman came riding,0p lolholdinn-door - attFd Noy6 lhe Htghwy

NovrMB[fiEctTrBER IeeE

tiJ :otrontll

@ rmrns
v bv W JosonPeck

PRIESTTY sEcRErs lrarl J


(AD&D GREyHAwIe Adventue, charactrlevels 2-4; 16 totl levels).A plasue of siant mt is the lalt of Rstnford's

g@WIIDSPAWN
iri

bv Poul Culolio (AD&D Adventure. characte.levek 6Jr 35 tntl levek). No one rettms fiom Rlnlais Islnd, and for goodreBo.

't.:
,

3- -{N .)
., < HOWDO YOUSTOP THERHINO .-?C,' FROM CHRGINO?
by Sleve"Stont"B.own
(MARWL Supr HERoES_ SideTrek Adventwe for heroes of nv level). Never mind the title. Beware the Dunchline.

VESTIOES 48 DREADFUT

by Slgve Johnaon (AD&D FoRcorrsN REAr,Ms'Advent, chamcter levels !t ?; 30 total levets).Somharted ho$es re best lel unexplored. The third advente in the Mere of Dead Men Beesl

J \rs

ORIEANS 2 DARKMAO|CrN NEW


by londY Rlchotd3
(AI&Do Rv!r,orf Masque of the Red Death Adaentrre, chamctr levels 5-7; 25 total levels). A forsottn tenor hs resurfced in 1890s lauisiana.

Editorial
Without the goodnes,wht would The problen is with those ol"r adventures.Chtis is ware ofthe problem and has bgu taking the subnissions home so he can read iheft in bed, where he can fll asleep without offending anybody.Eve.y onc in a whilc h. forgels,qnd we find hin slnted acrosshis chair mouth eaping t the ceiling. The guilty mnuscripts lie there t his stocking feet.we dren't look at them for k,ng. fearing tht Pierce would clch us all aslumber in Chris's cube nd sack the lot ofus. Chris hs even told us which ones hve this singular narcotic effect on him. Usually they strt with an evil wizard who open3a gte to the abJss, or perhaps a marauding band of hmnoids who hve cptured the kine's daughter I recognizedthem at once,fr I .eembe. wakins up morc thn once with the first page ofa bad dventu.e impressedbackward on 2 Write an dventtrre with an unusul hook. For instnce,how about writing an adventu.e that slads only o/)cr lhe he.oeshave penedthe aizd.d led chest they foMd in their previous advenlure? Likewise, how about an advenlu.e tht stafts when a cptive the PCs rescuedin previous adventure tetts them the orisinl sourceofhis woes? You can do belter than eithe. ofthese 3. Strt an adventur somewhere ther than n inn. Really.I'm not kidding. No. you cn't put new twit on it. Ifyou csn't let go of th mysterious NPC who "desperatelyneedsthe party's help,"just don t even send it 4. Try an adventure that requires no combat.Thth not to say there shouldn't be ction, but see whether you can coe p with playabl dlenture that dependson good use f proficienciesnd .oleplaying instead oflons swords and tballs 5. Offer us a sood antgonist.I men a vtrtuous one-a goooguy who's doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. The trick lor ou. he.oes is to prove to hift that he's ivrong and set hift on the right ChrisJust moved,so I'm outta here. See you over in that other

Wohing thc Editor


shhhl Chris is asleep,and I don't want t{) wake him until I've finishcd chansins his editorial for this issue. I've gtla his snoring is lrpt t.) huy, becuse sumnon the bildins nd srounds peoplat any moment. It's all yor fault, rellx those of Iou who send in clichd manuscripts $ithout con6;denngthe rmifica tions. Itt all very wll to submit a 'oodadventure.No one minds l,'iot.

So ifs up to you to help. Save our jobs and Chris's consciousness bJ sending more ofth eood dvenlres nd fewer of the snoozers. l'll even help. Here are fe tips for writing an adventure tht, properly dministered, cn'i possiblyptrt Chris to l. Be b.iet True, Chris somelimes goesdwn on the vry first page,bul mo.e often it's on the forticth. AlR,, we neve. see enoush short modules.

Execullv Slafl No take Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wendy . .h .. E d i t o i n -.C i. e.f. . . . . . . 8 i 1 1 S l a v i c r e k .r ..........PierceWalte|s ExecuE liv de ilo Ediloial Stafi .. Edilo r. . . . . . . . . . . . . C h i s l o p h e r P e r k i n s E ilo .. r . . . . . . . . . . . D a vG e ross Assocr ad le A s s i s lE ad n1 t t. o. r . . . . . . . . . . J e s sD ee c k e r Produclion Slatl Artoirec . .t .o .r .............14rySmith P r o d u cM tio a n a g e r . . . . . . . . . . . Jo ou hn nn
GAMES ADVEMIIRES FOI ISREOU+IAYING

1998 Novembe/December Volume Xll, Number 5

Advertisino & Circulation Bryant, Stephen and carlographers: Diesel. Steve conlributing artists n qo b A d v e d r s r n o - D r r e c t o r . . .H . .e .. .t .n .B lvlcDevitt. Terry Dykstra, Boberl Klasnich. Bradley Daniele, d.S y A d T f a l l c - M a n a g e r . . .J . .u .. . .mh Tony Aaron Williams. Zipse. and DiTerlizzi. Craig Manager ....BaaaBlaskowsky Cculalron

likelo thank thisissue's the edilots ol DuMcEoN Adventureswould

4lssue No.7l

Letters
TSRS latest products.Furthermore, I suggestdthat these modules were being written frcm scratch upon reqst by Those In Authority. lfthis is so, I suspectthat these dventurcs stood n almost ce.tin chnceof being accpted for publiction and could thus be keepingthe potentilly superior work6 of othe.s out of the It wus with amusemenl that I le.ned ofMr Perkinc ppointment to the position ofeditor. as I htd suggestedthat hc was chosenfo. the be was an covert operation because establishedauthor trying to obtain a job tTSR. Howeveaeven I did not appreciatethe true height ofhig ambition. May we now hope tht there *ill be n nd to this sklldusgcry. to give new authors chnceto gct ptrblished? May I also tentalively suggestthat Mr Perkjns refrain f.om publishing his own adventuresin the nszine, as this could be seenas unethicl behavior nd woutd leave ofbuse of him open to accustions Plea$ print lhis letter At least I will havo suc.ededin my nisn,n to cxposethe lru[h. This will be my 6olceas I wit Thevisil fmn TSR ope.alives and my proposlsretued incxplicably stamped'Reje.ted." The truth is 3till ot thre. Alelander Roy Dertry, Derbyshire United Kingdom I supprs. theft's no poit hidi'tg it a! ltslr Chrts P.rkns is, i,t litct, th. DnAazia'sonly co,thibubi All of th. other an.s that haueapp.dr.d n. DrrNcE()N Advenlures o!,r.1e losl l3 ydrs are actually pstudo!ts. Chris toould like to.Ieditdte this lat.st issueofhis dd@ntures to none oth.r lhon hirself u.loubte.ll! t| Er.otest irspiration i his life. SUNaduenturcs We ha.e no Da,tal., in inuentr!, but ndrbe Chrk wil

Gold.mh of Id.eas

Sed us prese ts, or just t.ll us u,lt s o ro min. Writ. to"IPttrrs,' Adventures,/ltOl l-iLl DuNcrx)N" Aete S.w, R.nto, wA 9tt055.\1rr can also s.d eil to our addllss: dungeon@wizrds.com. l'l?sz /irr uar.l su bs.ript i.t q uest it ts d I cr!.e o/oddre$ ,oli..s tu DLrNcmN PO. Box Adventures.S!s.r?lrr\ 469106,Es.@i&', CA92016 9106. t,roil: dungn@pcspublink.com phon. "1ber: Toll-free t-rio0-3957760.

Shullduggery

It ws with interest that I red "Tbe lce Tyrant" (Is8ue ,65) nd "Convergnco" ilssue #68).These tso dventurcs,writtln li,r lhc l'rrrH rr' and AIirERNrn"grm{'s r.specrively, arc thc firsl oftheir kind to be published in the magaznr., as were " U m b r ' ( I s s ef 5 5 ) a n d " S . e k i n g Bloodilver"(lssue {59) for lhe and Brk'|trRxxIT scl Pr,NEs.^Pr' tings. Slrangly, all ofthese dven tures were written by noe other than M. Chris Perkins.Are we to blievc thll M. Perkins runs r homc csmpaign in ertchoflhesc settigB and was fortuat enough to bc lhe first pcrson i0 Aet a module publishcd in ca.h ofth.sc setlirgs? o. pcrhaps the conspiracyI ourlined in my Issue #63 lottcr is !live nd well? To recp,I ac.used the naszine of publishing nx,dul6 thl were not the ernst effods of hopell anratouts, but rathcr moduk,s designedto plue

For a.onsiderable time now,the let trs page has containeda sometimes heated debate about "wasted pges" and "unusable adventures."It seemed to start with "Umbr"(lssue f55). Althoush I hve never run a Pr,^NEsc^PE campaiE, I obtined as mny good ideas frcm that dventure s I did from any other. Sirnilrly, I hve no dtp.t use for n,'thing writ' Artn specifically for SPrx,l,rAMMf,R', DlacoNt-axcd, QDrM', BrRTHIircHT. or DRK SuN,and I refuse to let psionics nywherener my cnpaign. ThiB ds not prevent me fron bomwins ideaB fmrn those dventures. For example,I relly likcd the idea ofa fonress existing simltaneouslyon two planes,ruined on one yet fully ctive and intact on the other (see "Seekins Bl@dsilver,' BrR1RIGHT +59). sdventurc, in IBBUe PerhapsI look t the maszine differently than some people.I do not expt adventurestht I can plug into my campignexactly s they arc, but instead I treat ech one as pool of ideas.I might use the plot trom o.e dventure,an encountror two from nother,the setting from third, nd join them together with some ofmy own ides to create a completlynew adventure set in campi$ world tht none of the published dventures ws intended for. I rrely use any adventure exctly as published, excepts one-offwheneverthe ofkey playerc prevents us abBence fron pro$essing with the .egrl. To nyone who feels chetedby the appearancof lengthy,worldspecificadventures,I would like to suagestreding these dventures aaain,looking t them in terms of rooms,t.aps, charindividual scenes, acters.and storylines. Often, the lst few paraeraphs that suggestspin'off dventures re goldmine ofides. Before closing,I would like to dd my name to the li8t ofpeople who think that DaINcroAdDntzr.s shoutd go rnonthly. It's 8at maszine and n ercellent vlue for the noney Six a yer is sood,and 12 would be even betterl Peter LloydJee Woking, Surrey, UK

There are two things I wnted to sy.t'irst,I lovod"SleepofAses" nd "SlveVats ofth Yun'ti'(Issu f69) and plan io u3e both adventres. SecDnd,Iwas hopinsyoud print Bome D^t{K Su}i hdules. ld like to run a D^RKSIJNcmpsi8D,but I don t have the tjme to mak my Dwn David Byt'acki via email

Athas Ad,oentures?

No-71 I lssue

t EIERS

AL-QADrL Mduleg
I recently bousht the A'obian Adrertr.res sourcebook and Cily o/ D?lMts boxed set, and I'm really lookinA foNrd to playinA them. Is it t.ue that TSR is no longer producing At -QatlM adventureB and acc$sories?trven ifAL-QADIMiBjust a memory,I would like it ifyou published some sood'sizedAL-QADIM adventures in your next issues.The iAl-Kndil" SideTrek in lssue #68 was okay,and it's goodto have sone of those nearby when mstring As I do noi have direct access to the Intemet, I've been unable to vi8it the TSR wehite to l@k fo. AL-QaDIM dventures in old back issu, so it would be nice ifyou could sive me sorneofthe i$ue nunbers that contain AL'QaD|Madventures.Thanks. Johmes SoreGen Iceland No.dmpdiqn setting ttuly di2s,as eridenced b! the rccent rcsurrection of the GREy HAVK catpaign,For those tho enjoy the AL-QAD&{ settinE, the RPGA'Netoo rccentlr rcIeased.a self..ontained AL-QaDINmodule titled The followins featre-lensth AL. aduenturcshdDebeenpub QaDt^a lished in DuNcEoN to dote:"The AssassinWithin" Issue 447), "The Ist Oasis"(ksue 151),"The Rose of Ju at" &sue #57), ad "Bloo1l.& Firc" (ksue x63). "The Object of De$i.e"(ksue +50, while not specifi.alr an ,-QArrM adenturc, frts ni.elr into the Ambian nilieu. Manr

of thesebach issues arc sti| auailable. Foi norc infomation, chech out the DuNoEoN Adventres 6d.r lsszes or.:Ier fotn on pdge 7.

AD&D vs. ALTuRN(IY "Letters"

Hi. Rememberrne fmn in Issue fl?Well,I'm still here, havins just renewed rny subscription for another year ofwesone adventures. I have ben dven to write in responseto Issue #6a- I like most of the new ides you are implementing. The nini-series idea is gleat, as long s you keep it to no more than one series at a time and keep the serie short (3-5 module). Mps ofMystery is lBo winner with lots of scopefor urbn sits,smll villses,cstles, and dungeons.Ofcourse, nothins beaLs the deck of nn! thinss rrcm DP,acoNMoadzine a wys bck. (A black-and-white veEion of the deck appesred in DuNcEoN Ad@nlus, Issue #19.) The key to the magazine's Buccess has been your ability ta prcvide a balnced mix of high qulity, entrtainingAD&D dventures to devotedfns like me. You have iwys been careful to poll readers,listen l, feedback,and This tailor your magazine accordingly. brings me bck to lssue #68. I relize thtTSR nd now WotC hasalot inv4ted in the nw Ai,lERNllY game. It looks like a Breat game,with a nifty corc nechanic. Howevea I reBentwhat I perceiveaBTSR'Bpln to \se DuNcEoN Aduentu.es to thruBt garne into the spof the ALTERNTTY lisht. You told us in lssue #1 that Du,vcr.r,v would be reserved for the

AD&D nd D&D'saneq and you have held that lin throush all yo previous suaeys and reviews.Amid the friendly w.anslins over short and long adventu.$, generic o. world-specific, hish or low level, the one constant thrcughout the magazine'shis' tnry hs ben the focus on AD&D. DuNcEoN Aentures is, \ tithout a doubt, the best samins Foduct in the entire TSR line and ye6,the competition is pretty fierce! Perhaps a futurc "ArrERNny ExploratioG" magazine will aive it a run for its mo.ey, but in the meantime, plea* keep DuNcEoN Adentures rc -AD&D ftee. ,ty G. Simp3on Orleam, Ontario

I just received ny copy of Issue #70 in the mail. As is my nonal habit, I flipped thmugh the entire magazine once bfore reading y article. I ws happy to see another Map of Mystery I think this is a great addition tn a geat magzine.Over time, the inventory ofdifferent nps will prove invaluble to my canpaip. I think the idea could be made even bettr if the flip side were dded. tnstead of just providing generic map, what about providing geneic plot? A3 a DM, comins up with ftesh ideas is one of the ha.dest things to do (t least fo. mej. Having nps tn use inside a siory is great, but it ll strts with the 8tory Keep up the Paur JurgeN wia ermil

TheFWSi*

DuNcroN.(IssN 039o.7r02r publi8hd bimonrhly by sR, In.., t30t Ljnd ve. s.w, Renhn, wA 93055,U.sA. The nailins 'dd$ ln all nat.ial d6!t !h; rin rden i ,'r.;bf nd@trr!4s, r30r rjnd av s \n, RlntoD, w 93055,u.9 : blphone {425)254.22611t,1206t241.92t k fton Bme srd hoby sbopihrc8 d the Unikd ln8dom, and tmwh a liDitd nnb.. of other oveE8 oudsb. Di *n buiion h rh bok tFde in the unied $ab3 i3 br R ndom Houq Inc., and i n can ada by Ra'don Hous ol cDadr, Ltd. Diltnbrtd 1o (Nr rh hdk irde in tbe unireil Kircdm ir br TsR Lid. sDd ordc ror Rlndm Houle, Ic , E.ty Dprtnnt. wlinlr MD 2115?,u.s.1 blphom (aooJ 07646.3043;blephon l2{lt) 634-7,!00. mlil e I tollw3: i r9 95 in u s fndr fof !ue! Dr 1o!n addF$ in th u$, ir.95 i' u.s. D.L for s!.dlDri@: subsriDm nl via Fiodjcds.clls delivry b c,nada, rnd,,r2.es in u. ,ry oth addEs. ie subjd all 3ube.iptior o'deG. PapeDr Bhouldbe by chk or money o.dei made pryable b 1SR, lnc or br chr3 b v,lid Mb.Ca.d o. VISA crdit .ard& Snd Bh.n tion o.den wiih p@en13 io: DINC&N Sub*npt,ona, PO Bor ,169106, Eendidc CA 92049106. lnlil: dungEnoFspuhlinL.on. Toll F Phd Nunb.r: 1'3oil. 3bsipiion .opi6 n$t b. ived ,t lest 3ix vt3 pno. b the efrehve dak ol the .hans, in o.&r b $' s!n|io:Nlmbndpbli3hedinD!Nc'oNban$1heetd d befoe ndiq r Dmpoealb ri md r lf-rddled, uninemDtd delivery 13or LiDd An. Sw' R.nton, WA

.bnDed envelop(9r' lons) b: Modle Cidlineq ,uxot.4dn.r4

AdEii.i4: I ibromdid m p v. s.w. Rnbn, wa 93065,u.s.A blphone (,(25) 2M.7262, rAX r{25) 20{.5923, Email bobwiurd,on O!. nodheshm adw.ti,in Bu.brrr &diaL4 FAx 1203)355'9133, Enail 3bd@rrovo.lnd.,rine1. 13? R.w!rLn An, R{vrrn, C 06353, U S ; ilphon (203) 355.3,34, DuNcEoNi r81red hademarr for tl'e rsR nk.datns adventm onbnb ol thi3 pblioiion ,E Eened, and norhiry mal b Epmdud lmn it in whole or in Dan, vithoi 6Et obbining ffii&n pmision jim the publh.i ' d$icna16 rusilrd td.mlrk8 ownd by sR, Inc. desjela16 tnd.m.k! ownd by TsR, Inc Mcl oth.r Drodcl n!m6 aE tndemark wned by the n' lTrR, lnc , a shsidirry olwizlrd8 of th. Cud, Inc. PenodEk<la$ tsBtaReprid ,t Rlnhn, wA, U.S :nd .ddilional nailins of6r h3hnt8.: St ddus

DUNGEON 9

Joson i 27 re@rc old, and would lihz to thah hi uife, Vercnica, for beli2vina in hi drcam, and DuNaF'o'i. AvebjJeg for sivins his EnElish Jon's dzsree so neanine. This i second appeamn in tha Mg@iM. "Pri$tly Secret" i3 n AI&Ir GREYHwe dventure designed for 4.4 chractft of levels H {about 16 ttal levels). The party should consist of an assortment of charact. cl$es with at least two wenio$ md a pdest who cn tun undead. Spells swlJlh as prot2ction hon eL, inkibilitr to undad, a\ bless are prti.nlarty usfi']. T}te adventure tu set in the towr of RstanTord but with a little $ork can be dptd to fft almost any settins that features pirts (or once did). This town i{as ffrst intmduced in the clasalc modulea LI:Te Secret ofBoM HiIl alrd U. T|1eAss6sin's Kn't. These modules are not nece$ry tn run this adventre, but the DM may find them u8efin for bckgrund Shoddth DMwisht run this aB the thd dventur in that series, he Ded only nake a few adiu8tments t llow for the stat of the t M of Restenford as it tu presntd herc. In partisrlar, the DM shotnd armg for some time to pa6s betwee thi Kt adventur ard flAssst4t (in6tead ofthe five yerE pr$etd he) to sllow for the chIlge8 bmught about by AndEll bcoming Bamns.

A thief escapes tuith Phaulkon's Chaliceunderthecloakof hight.

PRIESTLY SECRETS
8Y W.JASON PECK

Advenlure Bockground
Rstnford has always ben a tom of free spiritd people. Indeed, mGt of Lndo.e Isle tu poplatd by folk of similsr views. Although the tulnd is ruled by a noble cl!s, these nobles seneElly sha the people's love of freedoE and few inhibiting law8. Bt five ye go, a seri oftrasic events chnged the people of RasienI'Irc ffrst to chansp was Aldilla Rstenford. Upon assuEing the mntle of Baroness, she ha8 pushed for more ode.ed and stmctured wy of life. He. rcasors stn ftom the ffrst days ofher Eign, five yeru ago, when her fther w3 killed by a8sassins in the erploy of a mad abbot fion the Phaulkon Abbey (see L2l fltz Ass6sin'8 Kn t for details). The

rotten Something's in Restenford!


Adwork & Corlogrophy by Sleptln Donlel

l0lssue No.7l

PRIESTLY SECRElS

bbot dreamed of rulins tustenford with Andretla as his bride. This nad scheme was eventDlly foited by hired dventure.s, but not before the Baroness FaiMind R$tanford hd also been killed and a young, bitter Andrella hd been left t rule lone. These events hve left Andrell Resinford hrd and untrustins. But rther than llowing these emotions drs her down, Andrell has used them to fire her spirit and devetopan independent personality. Unlike her parents, she has worked to make Rstenford more structured and lawful environment. Wht Andrll could do without oppressinsthe people.she has done. Sone chnsesto the locl sovemment tht Andrella wanted to inptement, however,were simply impossibleto do without displesing a larAe seg ment of the people. Mostly these changes concen the sorcerer Pelltar and the newest abbot of the Phaulkon Abbey, Father Sedrick. Both sere the Baroness as dvisors as well reprcsent the people. Andrell blames the Phaulkon Abbey for the deaths ofher parcnts and Pelltar for bins unable (or unwillins) to save them. Unfortunaiely, the peoplelove them, seeingthem as benefactors nd pmtectoBTwo yeaE ago, RBtanford was attacked by pirat. Three ship8 ancho.ed otr the coast and Bimply put ashore en maBse.R4tnford was ill' prepared for such an ttack, with incomplet defenses nd n uncoordinatd populace. The town was sved due onty to the combined ellorts of the priests of Phaulkon, the sorcerer Pelltaa and Andrella'B organized men-at-ans. Castle Restnfo.d ws attcked repetedly, but its wall were never breched. The pirats did. however, plunder and lay wste to much of the rest oI the town. In the end, fter two days of battle nd destruction, the pirats withdrew with healy losses.The price of victory for Restenford, howeve., was very costly. More than half ofthe town's male population were Blain, and mny homes nd ehops were destroyed. In the wake ofthis catstrophe, mny have learned the wisdom ofthe ideas Andrella has sugsestd for so lons. ln fct. many t wnsfolk believe that were it not for the changes Andrella had lredy implemented,

the town would have been lost. In any case,Andrella finally began to have the spport she always wanted, and she hB wastd ro tirn in using it to begin Restenlordt tlansforlntion into a safe,lwlul community. She has repaired nd completdthe woodenpalisade so that it totlly encirclesthe town. built a bigger forhesslike lighthouse to replce the one destrcyed in the pirate attack, and helped many of the poorer families in twn rebuild their hom and businesses. In general,the populcehas ben very receptive to these chansesand, as result, the t wn has not only begun to recovea For Andrella, all seened to be going well until recently. The people of Rstenford a.e srowing ailaid. Danser wandeE thei. t m in b.oad daylight in the fon of packs of giant ts who chse aftr children nd stry dogs, boldly ttcking nyone they can ctch. These nimals are mrlgy. almost skeletl in apprance,and hve been witnessed fishtins mons themselvesover small scraps of food.Only larse soups of Andrella's men-at-ams have been able to beat off these pack. Dven then the result is alwaF the BamF the pack is dispersed with ody a few rat8 actually slain. and within hours the pck reforms t continue its rarnpage somewhereelse in town. The nishts in Rstefordhve becomeeven worse.The t wnsfolk sit hunkered down in their homes with ll windows and doors scurety boltd shut. The soundsofthe chittring nts nd other things Btiing in the sheets oubide cotinue thmughout the ight. Bt there are bo long periods of stillness and absolut silence,s ifthe rats had suddenly disappeared.In addition. some claim to hve also seen dark skulkins fisures in the shdows. ln the meantime, t}le blame is shi{tins in Andlla's direction. Some claim t}lat the rccent thel of a holy chalice f.om the Phaulkon mortury has udeshed curse. Others insist that the sorcerer Pelltar hs sone mad and is usins his msics to despoil the town. Watver the cause, many are pointing to the fact that the Baroness' new defenses are prcvins

Andrell considers the whole situation ridiculous. Her temper is boiling ovea and she iB tired ofwhinins pnesh, inpging rats nd, most of all, reportof filure to end this madness from the town $rard. She is salled tht ll her defensivemesures and trained troops are unabl to put an end to pck of mangy rts. Yet, despite the outward silli nessof the situation, she cnnot help bt feel that something sintuter i lu.king behind the Bcenes. Wtever the cse,the whole llir is quickly getting out ofhnd. If somethins isnt done soon,everythins she has built will be swept away. Therefore, though she loathes t heed the advice of Father Sedrick,Anell has decided to seek professional aid. Sometime this week, the ship lvnzleb ?tet is due t drcp offpassengersnd sup' plies. It is common for adventurers nd sell-swordst rrive upon this ship. lfnd when they do. she inlnds to nke them an offer they

Forlhe DungeonMosler
Andrella's instincts are correct;something darker doeslurk behind the obviousthrets facing the town. The menacing mt pcks re only a symptom of nuch more dangerousevil, an evil accidentally revived fron Restenfod's ancient past. As was the case ten years before, Restenford's houbles all besin with the Phaulkon Abbey. Brothe. Selmo, one of the abbey piests, had only goodintentions, but his brash methods nd ignornceof past vents hve led t the pre8ent troubles. Brother Selno is responsiblefor all the bookkeepins at the abbey. Becauseofthis, Selmo is one of the few individuals in town who knows the finncil burden tt the past decde has put pon the abbey. Phaulkon's Abbey is on the verge of bankrupt y. Fearful for the future of his order, Selmo t ok it upon himself t allevite the abbey'sfinancial woes. Becuse he kept the abbey's io much of books.Selmo has access his order's knowtedseand secrets.He becamewre that in the past, when the town ws new to the klnd, his order had practiced the it of entombing the deceased priests in series of catacomh along with thei.

DUNGEON I]

PRIESIYSECRE'I'!;

Phoulkon's HolyCholice
fhis nagical lic ofthe Phaulkon ordr is realy little mor than an anqient symbol of the order's vanishing prestig.The chaliceis 12' tall a 6" in diametr.It is mde from solid imn and tu slightly Th chlice rustd alons its dgps. is plain ercpt for the tiry symbol of a sun vanishiry benath the waveson its side.Thtu shabby appalanckept it from bing stlen when the morsuewas pillasd during ttrc pirat laid two years ago.Its only magicl powei is tht it radiat6 d protac,jor tIn eoi, aula arund it for a dtutnc to 20 fet. Evil heinss from othel planess.swell as somevil cratursfrom tis plane, Bucha! ghouls and ven ghasts,camot willilgly enter this aula. Th holy chlicei3 worth 500 gp.
practice material possessions.'Ihis wned as the town expandedand a foml graveyard was estabtished. The onginl catconbs were sealed Selmos plan was simple. He intnded to locat these crypts nd remove someofthe welth intered with his ancient brothers. He woutd use this wealth to assure the bbey's continuance. He convinced himself that any wealth in the crypts was the property ofthe abbey and that times we.e desperat.He would del with que8tions conce.ning where these new funds werc conins ftorn if nd when they came up. All that nattered was that the bbey would cease to With a little research,Brothe. Selmo found a frasment of a p.evious abbofs joumals. This fragment contained an obsaue reference to com' plex of ctcombsthat were loctd directly beneath the presenlday mortua.y. Thejoumal also made referenceto holy chalice that ws to be set in a shrine above the entrance to these tunnels. This chlice woutd sewe as a nsicl key, leking and unlocking the secret trap door In present times, the shrine is only a small part ofn expandedmortuary that sewes the comnunity. The Bhnne hs never been moved nd its chlice still remains in its place ofhonor...

though its rel purpose is long forgotten. With a glet deal of difficulty, Selmo discovered the trap door but ould not open it without removing the holy chalice. Once Slmo tearned of t}le chalice's pivotal rcle in opening the catacombs, he quickly dcided to remove it. Working late at the mofiuary one evening, he waited until the other priesb had lelt and then he removed the chlice, hidins it amid some ruined buildinss in the sutheast part of t wn. He allowed the other pnt to believe it was stolen. Aftr all, there would be plenty of time t retrieve it once the o.der ws prcsIn one night, Selmo unsealed the .atacombs nd 8et his plan in motion. Unfortuntly, the cataconbs he had unseledwere not the ancient burial crypts of the Phulkon Abby but ncient tunnels constructed by pirates long ago in a time far predtins the Phautkon Abbey Wen the town ws first fouded he.e, the orisinal priests of the Phaulkon Abbey The stumbled pon these ctacombs. Phulkon o.de. ws new t this region, and the priest were te weak and too few to completly destrcy the within. Instead, they unded rnenaces decidedt sel the ctacomk usins holy chlice tht they had bmusht with them frcm th mainlnd. They intended to del with the remaining evil turkins below the town when the order became stronger, but the passage of time allowed the secret to Thoush forsotten, the evil below Restenford has not sone awy. The recent problems the town has suffered are all due to the relese of three ghasts frcm the ctcombs beneath the mortuary These homrs have driven the rat from their warrens and into the streets, where they brave anned men, nd even fire, ther thn face the unnatural unded. But when the sun goesdown, the ghasts prowl the strts, further tormentine the rats nd eking the flesh of the unwary Unawre of the evil he had unleshed, Brcther Selmo sathered togethe. his ger and spent five days planning htu secret foray into the cataconbs. But over those few dys his own actions besan to trouble him;

one lie nowblled into the next. He could only keep focussed by promising himself tht the abbey wornd be bettr off in the end. Thoush disturbed by the recent evenh in t wrl, Slmo resotvedhimselft his pln and, on the night before the PCs nive in town, he descended into the hap door He hs yet to retum, and now the mysterious disappearance of one of the priests of Phaulkon has been added t the list oftroubles plsuins Rstenford.

Arrivol in Reslenford
The PCs anive in Restenfordseven days a{ter Selmo stle the chatice fmm the Phulkon mortuary- The DM should read or paraphrase the boxed text below when the adventureE first arrive in t wn. It shold be notzd that the text ssum that th adventurers aFive i. Restanford via the Ifthe DM wishs the PCs t nive by someother means,the followins encounter should be chansed to sDit A sofi breeze blows acrs your bot as the oarsmen t\rm it into the Restin River nd t ward the d@ks of Rest-enford. The wind does little t quell the heat, but at least it weps way some ofthe more unplesant odors cusedby a boatlod of men. AItr thEe week of sea trvel, it wilt be good to hve solid, steady earth under your feet Th nidday's sun seemsoddly ot ofplace shining down upon the squat woodenbuildinss that line the .iver's shores. The streets are empty, and even the small copses of trees that divide the bitdings ftom one another seem devoid of life. The town is qiet, nd only the harsh sound of the pulling oars breks the rie Bilence. Your tongbot pssesbeneth a wden bndge and continues up the iver for seveml moments before pullins up to a series of wooden docks that jut out fiom a riverside tavem. A la.ge w@den "Falcos sisn proclaims this to be Tavem."As the crew ofthe Walet leern begin to tie up the boat, a stark scream shtters the town's

l2lssueNo.7l

PRIESTLY SECRETS
The scream,soundins like it came froln a youns sirl, originated fmrn a small copsecrossthe river {directlv east of rea 2). The lirst screan is f;llowed by many nore nd coupled with the sounds of two dogs b.kins. The sailoB of the W,ldlek ?e.t,il iglore the creams nd besin unloding carso from the lonsbot. A rnoment latea lrge red,haired dwarfemerges ftom the tavem to assitthe sailoru.He, t@, igrores the screns. If the PCs wish to respond, they re on their own. The sailors refuse to allow the PCs tr take the lonsboat if they re sked.Ifthreatened with violence,howeveathey back down Iter short tensionbuitdins puse, allowins the PCs to tke the bot. The sitors will not ccompanythe PCq and the dwnen brkeep (Falco)bluntly tells the PCs that they are responsiblefor the cargo still aboard the lonsboat. If the PCs leve the sailors to their task and instad l@k for nother bot tied to the docks, they may choose from severatmwboats. No one ttempts to stop them from taking any of PCs who tke a bot and rush of to investigte the sc.emsshould be allowed to crossthe dver with little difficulty, even ifnone ofthen hs ny skills asseiatd with boats or the watei Once the adventrers are ashore,the DM should read or paraphrase the followinsl A youns sirl dressedin a ragsed, brown dress stands wrth her back t tr in a snll clerins. She scrams frantically while beting a stick t a pck of dos-sized rats that swan about her. Two mangy hounds narl and bite t the rats, keeping rnost of the pack way fton the girl. This young girl is Sandra, a smalt little urchin who lives in Restenfo.d's streets.She lives by her nimble finserc nd wits, with only her pet strays for conpnionship. Life haB become inceasinsly dngerous for her in the past week, and this encounter tu genuinely perilous.If the PCs char to he. rcscue,she slowly and quietly slip8 away,using her stray doss,Nttie and Cap, t cover

Any PCs entring the cleanns re immediately ttacked by the rats who turn en masse to respond to this new thret. levins Sandr unmolested and only one or two rats to attack the doss. There a.e t2 siant rts and unlike most of thei. kind, the pack need not check morale until twothirds of their number have been slin. Indeed, they attack viciously, ignonng even fire in thei. attmpts to drag down their opponents.In ddition, four roge osquips are mixed into the pck.Thoush osquipsdo not normlly mix with giant rats, these specinens re especiallystupid and believe they re giant rats (exception, lly vicious siant nts). Ifthe PCs ttempt to bypss this encounte. via a sleepspell or somesimilar mens, then the DM is encou.asedto hav another pack of 12 rts energe fron ihe treeBwhile the PCs a.e tnding to the incapacitatedrts. It should be notd that were sleep spell cast, the rats would succumbfirut due to their lower hit dice. In addition, Sandra is allowed a sve vs. spell to throw oIT the efTectsdue to the masical medallion (seeSandra'statistics below) that she found yr aao in the ruins of the soth'east part of town. This encounter serves to introduce the PC to one of Restznford's nqjor problens as wetl as to character that my becomeimportant later in the adventure. If they sly the mts, the PCs will prcbabiy bejust in tine to see Nttie and Cap (ifChey are still alive) brk few times before boundiIIg away into the t@s. There iB no sign of the youns girl. Ii however, the PCs Btat tht they wish to keep n eye on the girl durins the onbat or they specificallytake sorneother action in n effort to cpture her, then they might be able to question Sndr is wa.e that Brothe. Selno hid the Holy Chalice of Phalkon in some ruins in the southetend oftown. However,she is ignorant of Selmo's identity or the true value of the chlice. AItr wtchins the p.iest hide the chatice, Sndra t ok it for herselfnd now uses it to drink fror the riv. Becauseof the chalice'sweisht, Sndra stor it in her hideout (see rea 5 in the -Town of tustnfo.d" section).Sndra voluntrs none of this infontion, howeveanor dos

she hve any idea wht is behind th recent rat infestation ifsked. She merely thanks the PCs for savins her and then leaves,assumins the PCs altow her to do so. (Ifnot. she sneaks away as soon as they take their eyes ofTher) Ifthe PCs are kind to her, perhaps offering food or bealins her wounds or those ofher doss (ifthey incuned any). then it is possibleto befriend Sandra. ln such a case, the PCs may larn all she knows later on wben they need to. tfthe PCs choset isnore the scrcainslike everyoneelse at the beginning of this encounter. then the DM is encourgedto continue d$cribins then for the nett five Ininut ofsame time until they finally end in a pained wail. The PCs should feel suilty and very unhercic and the DM should make them feel uncom, fortble with their decision.In this casethe outmme of the encounter is that both Nttie and Cap re slain, along with th.ee Aint rts. but Sandra escps by clinbins a tree. PCs who latrinvestisate the scen ffnd the siawed .emains of the doss and .ats aiike strewn amid the trees. The DM should stge an ambush of 12 giant rats (nd their stupid osquip compnions)at the first vailable opportunity It should be remembered tht the time and place do not matter as long s it k outdoors. Sandra (2nd-level humn thie0: AL NG;AC 8; MV 12;T2;hp?; THACO 20; #AT 1; Dns by wepon t y p e ; S ? , D 1 6 ,C 1 3 , I 1 2 , W 1 3 ,C h 10; ML 1Oiro8]le kills: PP 45%, OL 207., F/RT 107,,MS 30%, DN 15%, CW 75%, RL o%, medaUion of sleep ..srsta4ce ($ants the werer Bave vs. sleep s a 6thlevel wizard), knife, stick, soiled brcwn drss,smll leather pouch containing 5 gp. 4 sp. Natti nd Cap (wild doss):INT semi; A L N j A C T | M V 1 5 ; H D 1 + 1 ;h p 6,4; THACO r9, #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; SZ SiML 7: MM/57. Gint rts (12): INT sem;;AL NEj AC 7; MV 12, Sw 6r HD /,; hp 2 each;TIIACO 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1-3; SA diseaseiSZT; ML 4 (seeabove)j XP 7t MM/3O0. Osquips (4): INT animaliAL N; AC 7; MV 12, Burrow'r; HD 3+lt hp 1 9 . 1 6 , 1 2 , 1 o ; T H A C O1 6 i # A T 1 ; Drns 2-r2; SZ S; ML ? (seeabove); XP l20t MM|3OO\rr.

DUNGEON I3

PRIESTI.Y SECRETS

Rumors in Restenford
1. Pirats have struck gin, only this time by stealth. They came in the night nd stole the holy chalice ofPhaulkon risht {iom nder the priests' noses{False) 2. Tbe sorcererPellia. is responsiblefor this plasue ofrts. He has sone rnad and has unleshedterrible experiments 3. I saw the priest Selmo skulking down by the southen wall last nisht. He followed a pack ofgiant rts until they disappearedinto some bushes. Then he transformed inio a huge rat and scried in after then. (Prtially truei he/she did see Selno by the southem wall. The priest disappearedinto sornebushes,but Setmodid not transfom into a mt.) 4. S devilwlk the strets t night, hunting both the rts and the townsfolkl (I'lse) 5. All these bd things happening to our town a.e due to curse, curse b.ousht upon us by those adventure.s who disturbed the ruins ofthe old srd house by the river five years aso. I wmed then to leve the dead in pecel(Flse) 6. There's a troll lurkiDs under the south bridge. I sw it thrce nights go cmwling back under there. (Fhe;it was Sndra.) 7. There's hidden treasure buried in the ruins ofihe old surdhouse by the rivei A brave mn misht be able to take advn' tage of all this chosnd slip in there to dig it up witot the Baroness ever being the wiser (Po$ibly tne; see Ll: Zr Sec.el o/ Bone Hill for more detils.) S.Ifyou touch your nosewith your thmb while orderins a drink fmm Falco, he'll sive it to you for free. It's all part of a secret dwrven ritual. (False:this is a common joke tht the resula$ pull on new' 9. The mts a.e aI escapees fton rh Baroness'dunseons.She uses them in he. foul expenments and to torture her enemies.(FlBe) 10. Don't let this get amund, but Cptain St^en is wizard.

An Offer You Cn't Refuse After ih.ir enconter with Sandra and thc siant rts, the PCs are lik.ly lo seek sheller There are only two inns in tow., Flco'sTave larea 2) where ihe P(ls were drdpped min i.he'Arrivl In Restenford"section, and the Tavrn of th West Wind lon the northeast sho.e) crosstown.If thc PCs went oflto aid th screaming girl and then r.turn to Falco's Tavern, they find a tav.rn full of friendly iolk eager to hear wht happened Ifthey arc open nd {ise, the PCs can nske sornefnends here, especillyiflhey rell hos they killed a pack or two ofgiant .ats. Strch news brings chers from the oowd and a.ound ofbers on Flco. Falco doeseverlthing h can to convincethe PCs to sty t his place, especiallyifthey slew 'some o them angy. lons-toothedvermiD."The DM should lake Lhis opportunity to llow the PCs lo eet soe ofthe comfton peopleand perhaps her !r run.r or two f.om Lheft. The peoplehere r all farmers nd fishermen, side from Falco and his assistnt Gap.lFor more details on these two NPCS and the tavcrn, see area 2 in th Town of Restenford' scction.) Th. PCs are frce to leave the tavern and explorc thc tlwn. though ifFlco has ade them inro locnl he.es,theJ ftlry have dif' ficull ti tearing theftselves awy. No maller what the PCs decide t.) do, unless it involves going unde.Sround and laying low' lhe following encounter should occur around fi! or six o'clDck, sometimJustafier they havc.aten dinne. Andrclla has bcen infoned that the Wnole's?eel,thas just droppedoffsupplies nd passengers.She sishes to have a meetinla ' immediately, wirh these "pssengers but she is in a foul, ir.itble mood. She hs no stomach for pleasrries or cordiality at th moment and has ordered Captajn Starsen to ssmble a suard patml to go and arrest these probable adventure$. In other words, she intends to meet with the adventurers to discussher proposal,nd she won't iake no for an answer Crptin Starsen is a little more level headed,btrt he is very loyl and lways follows orders.Therefore.he intnds to use the encounter to gauge the dventurers to see what they're made ol But ifthinss st out of hand. hc intends to be a little nor.

diplotic than the Baroness lone Unless the PCs re in coplele hidinA, no matter where lhey are in the early evening,Captin Starsen and his ptrol pproachthem. Ifth PCs have split up, then thc captain and his men apprcach thc larg.st group. It is likely that thc PCs will bc in a tvern finishjns dinner. and jn this cselhe captin sendsone ot his m. through bck door l wsrn a srving wench what is boul lo hap pn. She in turn warns the other patrons ofthe ta!rn over the nxt few minutes. Ifth PCs arc not in a tavcrn for this cncountcr,thcn thc DM will havc to make a f.w adjustents before runnjng it. Oth.ris.. the DM $hould red or praphrlsc You are enjoying the dregs of your les whn you norice th buzzing f the lp.oom .onv.s' iions begin lo die dorvn.Looking around, you notice rhar mosi oflhe other pirons have either lefl or are in the processofleaving. As the last Dnc ducks ot th. ftont door, the door is openedwid.r and in marchcs sroup ofhalf a dozen soldierscld in lether rnror nd blue lunics Ledjng the rroup is a man ol medium build sith long browr hir hrnainc loosell bour his shoulde. As h wlks toward vour ible, you canjust discrn the slight points ofhis ears prot.uding fron thc locks of hN hai. As the soldieB draw n.arer. they fan out in a semi-cjrclc arond your tble. Each ofthe men hs fim grip on the hilt ofhis long sword. The leade. loks you. group up nd down wiih his blue eyes nd then glancesat his men. He steps closer.drawing hand slowly down the stubblc on his chek.Clcaring his ihrot, hc spcaks,"Thc Baronessof Restcnford wishes to spcak with

Captain Sl,arsenis a fishting man at hca, and he ants to s.t a fe.l for th.s. adventurers b.fore leading them bcfore thc Baroncss.He dclibertely set up this encounler to be mildly thretening, but he desnot sanl ny hostilities. Il ihe l](ls sia.d up lb. themselvesor respondto lhe

14lssue No.7l

PRIESTIY SECRETS

situation by reching for their weapons, he quickly attmpt! to calm them with a wide srin and open ans. "Ho there! Hold, hold your ams ftiends. I can tll by the wy you bea. yourcelves that you are jut the people we need. Please, come yith u3, the Brcne$ only wishes t discuss job tht quiEs pople such as younelves." The PCs have won both his dmirtion d respect. If the PCs will not be calrned nd insist on fishtins the guards, Cptain Starsn leads his men asainst them

with a srin. The other six nenbers of his pahol aive on the rcud follow' ing the initial hGtilities. The cptain rld his men fight t Bubdue, and Captain Stanen attempts to tlk the PCs down the whole while.Ifthe PCs sly nt of his men, however,the sloves cone ofi Starsen's grin disappeaE and he orders his nen to "Kill these bisands." If six or more of his men are killd, the captin orde$ a fighting.etreat and attempts to wrn the rest of the tom glrard. If the PCs allow the encotr to prcgress this

far. despitall the wmi.ss, they are in big trouble. No mattr where they go in Restenford, they find no friendly faces. Furthemore, they rc actively hunted as bandits. In this cse,their only hope is to do Bomercally fast tlking or flee the town. If they flee, however,a bd reputtion hounds them every step they take across Il on the other hnd, the PCs react meekly and simply agree to comealong, the captain ftowns and shakes his head.Then, tuninA to one

I5 OUNGEON

SECRETS PRIESTLY
"Gather uP their ofhis men, he says, wepons, corpor|.and then escort t h e m o u t s i d e l.' l l b e w i t i n s w i t h t h e otheE in the street.'Cptin Strsen is giving the PCs one more chnceto win his tespect;ifthey rcfuse to give up their weaponsor show someother intent to resist. henhe rushes back to the sceneand respondsas bove Itthey still sinply comply with his requests,however,then Strsen and notber halfdozen town 8pa.ds wait them in the st.eet outside. Shakins his head asain, he o.ders his men to break into two $oups. one marchins before the PCs and the other behind With one last shrug, he marches the PCs away to Castle Restenford. The captin doubts the worth ofthese spposedadventrers. Whether they wi Cptain Sta$en's respector not, the PCarc escortedby him and his men to Castle Restenford.The DM should cive a quick destiption ofthe ruule Lken ai well as the ma,n reiures or Cstle Restenford(seearea I in tbe 'Town of Restanford"section).This descnption should be only superficial, as Cptin Strsen wastes no time nrching the PCs st.aight to the cas' tle, through the gate, nd directlY ;nto the Baroness'throne r@m Once the PCs entr ih throne room the DM shold read or para' phrase the followins: Your group is led down a naow and inlo @tanetrlr Dassase ;oom ;ith a hish ceilins The room's decorations re sprin, consistins of three hish'bcked thrones situted upon dais t the other end of the roon and larse red crpet at the foot of the dis. The dais has two tie$, and the thrones re divided betweenthem One ihrcne sits in the center ofthe uppr tier, facing the rest of the room, while the other two thrones sit on the lower tier to either side of the central thmne and face slightly toward the center of the A younA woman with long aubum hi. occupiesthe centrl thmne. She i clad in a lons green dress ofrcgl qutity She watches silently, rubbing her knuckles, as you enter. Below this woman, in the left-hand throne. sits a shoft mn dressedin a hown robe,the She excusesherselfnd leves,saying that she and Cptin Sta6en must tend to other duties. Ifthe PCs are ninterested in this iob. the Barcnesslooks shocked.She and *"wlB coldly t i"lctly *-'-" "You re dventhen before svins, ture6. You live for work such s thi3. Ifyou do not care for my terms, then you may seek work elsewhere."She hs again lost her temper nd orders the PCs ejected frorn the cstle Fortunately, the PCs find Fther Sednck to be a much mole helPful individat. tf the PCs cceptthe job, he i happy to answer ny questions to the best ofhis bility. The DM should renember tht he i not awre ofany ofthe informtion found in the "For the Dungeon Master" 3c' tion. It is important tht the PCBnot becomeware ofany fthis infon' tion too soon.On the wy to the bbey, rther Sedrick apologizes for the Broness'mush treatment. He clims that she means well, but that she i! very independent and doesnot like havins to request oubide help lf sked why the town gurds hve not been assignedto protect the bbey's mortuary, Fther Sedrick explains tht the soldiers re busy ptrolling the streets and that the Brones Areedto hire dventurers to solve the recent mysteries only ifshe did not hve to del with the outsiders Captain Villie Starsen l3rd/3rdtvel elffighter/wizrd): AL LN;AC ?i MV 12: F3^VBi hp 19;THACO 18; #AT 1; Dmg by wepontype; S 13, D 1 4 ,C r 0 , I 1 4 ,W 1 1 ,C h 1 5 ;M L 1 5 i l.dtu. onadr +/,long sword,lons bow,20 rrowq potion ofreroir'r dgger sold rmband wo.th 100 cP, pouch containing 25 8:p. Spells: nendi., sleepiind. Althoueh Villie besan his dvntunns career s a wizard, on his very first adventure his magicl PowerB filed to save his friends fmm a band ofons. Only his strong sword an altowed him to surYive.From tht day forurd, Villie turned his bck on ficlle rnasic and put his fith in his reliable swo.d. As result. Villie is unable to meonze more thnjust a Unlike Inost of the twn euard nd omcials, Cptain Starsen maintains his qurters away from Castle Restenford.He tives in the newly

cowt thrown bck to reveal his balding hed. 'At last!" the wornan slms one fist down on the arm ofher thmne 'Phaulkon's eyes be blsted, I thought you had stoppedto have dinner with them, Cptin. Captain Strsen steps uP to the dais and bows his head.'My apolosies, mildy. My men nd I were ... detained.We did, howeve\ nanse to bring the mercenriesyou asked for" With tht, the captin steps aside and waves sweepingrm in The Bamnessis blunt wornn of powe.ful emotions, and sh let her hot tmper set the best of her when she ordered the cptin to arrest the PCs. Fortunately, Father Sdrick has calmed her somewhat.She begins bY pologzing for ny tuugh treatment the PCs my have receivedfiom her ben. She then asks the PCs ifthey adventureB nd then re experienced before they can respond,she Ys 'eood."The man to her left intempts bt mumbling sornethingt her nd she respondswith a rightlipped trown. Aiter collectingheelf for a moment, she asks the PCs ifthcy would be intrested in perlbrming tsk sited t their skills. Ifthey are interested,she prooeeds to tell the PCs ofthe events tht have occured in the lst week {see the ndventure Bckcrond" section) Th dventurers re to find out who for these or what is responsibte events nd either eliminate or rrest them. Ofcourse, the PCs must Present someprmf to support their In ddition, the ccomplishments. PCs a.e to .id the town of these "nnoying rats." The dvnturers cn begin their investisations on the morrcv Almost as n fierthousht, the Bamness tells them tht they hve one other responsibility.Beginning tonight, the PCs are responsiblefor the secuity of the Phaulkon mortuary where the chlice ws stolen.To closethe deI. the Baronessinforrns the PCs tht their group will b pid 500 gP upon proper resolution ofthe town's cuent problems. The Barcness stnds,tells the PCs that Father Sedrict (eesturing to the brown-robedmn)can answer nY further queBtionsbefore the guards escort then to the Phaulkon Abbey.

No.7l 1lssue

PRIESTI.Y SECRETS

constructed wtch tower/lighthouse just to the east oftown. He keeps his quarters in this tower both because he vlues his spaceaway frcm the constant ftantic energies of the many humans in the castle and becwe the tower iB a very impodnt strategic loction to the town. For the glardsmen's statistics, see rea I in the "Town of Restnford"

Guarding

the Dead

Assming tht the PCs ccept the job, they follow Father Sedrick to the Phaulkon sounds. After answering their questions,he teads then to the nortuary and gives then b eftou. ofthe buildins (rea 4 in the "Town of Restenford"section).He tells them that there are currently two bodis awaiting buril in the bildins, both victims of the rat packs, nd that the PCs should leave them undisturbed. Father Sedrick nak it clear that the nortury is not an inn and, therefo.e, the PCs should leave no more than two or three grrds in the building at ny one time. Once the Sbup has made it clear that they undeBtand the conditioft, Sedrick gives them key tht opensthe otside doors and leaves them to proceed The PCs need only suard the mor' tuary at night becaus the priests attend the building in the da!'tine. This leaves them ee during the day to wander about tom seeking clues to the rccent mysteri$ nd lying The DM rnay provide the PCs with sketch of the mortury's noorplan (without the secret trapdooa of course). During the first night's watth, the DM shold concentrat on descdbing the macabrc natuE of the plce nd emphasizethe riness of this duty Tl1e aim here iB to spook the PCs a littlFt foreshadow the dark deedsto corne.ohe DM misht find it r'cam' usetul to review the RA\ENLoF pign's rooias o/D/ed sorcebook for hetpful tips on buildins suspense.) Despite all this, the first night's wat h passeswithout incident. The secondnight oftheir wt h is more eventful, but unles th PCs are very perceptive, it should only Berve to furthr thir confusion (and horror). About n hour fter drk, one or

adve turers. Thercmnants of an ancier evil terrorize brave


more PCs becoe aware of scrtching sound comins fmm the outsid door in area 4d. The sound is rel tively soft. but persistent,and continues for Dp to 1 tum. This noise is csedby stray cat that olten comesto this buildine becuseon of the Phaulkon priest who works here late on regllr basis sives the cat got'smilk in mall dish. lfthe PCs simply open the dooa they imnedi' tely hear "meow" followedby purring. Ifthe cat is tretd well by the PCs,siven some mitk or sone other treat, she retuns each night of the PCs wat h around this time. On the other hand, ifthe PCs sinply ignore the ct or scareit wy (esily ccoplished),they re not troubled The cat's appearanceindvertently serves as cover for another visitor to the buildins. Wlile the PCs are away, ifarea 4c is leIT un@cupied,one of the ghasts emerges from the secret lrapdoor and prtilly pulls away the shroud covedng the body on the southe.nmost slab-He takes the opportunity to feast upon the corpse a bit before fleeins bck throueh the trpdoor.Unless the PCs are exceptionally visilant, the DM shold allow the ghast to go undetected.Only lter drins their rounds should the PCs have chanceto notice the disturbancto the body.Dven in this case, the shroud is in a position tht makes it appear as if one comer simply slipped of. AlBo,since these bodies were the victins ofgiant rt attacks, it is dimcult to discern the new bit marks. Asain, unless the PCs took elceptional care to note the specific detils beforehand, they should not know with ny certinty that anlthing took plce.The DM should play up the eerinessofthe sit uation and try to mke the PCs feet as ifthey re not fully cosiizant of wht iB hppenins around then-

DUNGEON ]7

PRIESLY SECRES
ghast loses its patien and enterc the r@m ant'way. In this cBe,the ghast immediately attack the curd (very likely with sprise if the PCs hve not found the trpdoor) in an atternpt to paralyze hirn nd drag him down the trapdoor.This strike is a quick sneak attck by the ghst, nd if it should fail for any reason, the shst immediately withdrws to the sfety oI the catacombs below. The ghst does not fight a battle here unless somehow forced i, do so. Th same is true if the ghsi is encontered attempting to teal the body. The DM is free to choose any of the three ghasts for this encounter Resrdless of the outcome of this encountr, the PCs become aware of th cverns below the nortuary nd their likely connection to the town's nysterious plight. If th PCs decide to eo to either Fathr Sedrick or the Baronessconcerningthis news,they both asree that the PCs should inves-

Townof Reslnford
Resieford is normally bustling town, with ships, merchants and others constantly coming nd goin& Unfortunatty, times rc not nonI. The Restenford tht the PCs find upon their arival is a toM under siege. The streets re gnerlly desefted nd nyone who is encountred on them is usully runnins and unwilling to stop.Atl town officials are in a foul mood, du to their having t' work extremely lons shilTs with no sigls of it doing any g@d. Behind the safety ofclosed doors, howevea the people seem difrerent They are friendly and easy-gois, with huge appetit for stons and sossip. Mny of the people in town have seen just enough of the recent events to have a stlange tale or two to tell. Those who have seen nothing are often willing to make sonething up n).,ayAs long as they are sate nd are treatd kindly, ihe popleof Restnford a.e more than willing to tlk about almost nything. Unless otheruise noted in the txt, atl of Restenford's resident re 0level hurnans with the followins statisticsrAL varies; AC 10;MV 12; hp 1d6;THCO 20; +AT 1;Dmsby weapon t)Te; ML 8. Virtlly atl adult mles in the town belong to the

Assuning the PCs do not detect anlthing specific due to the ghast's visit, the ret of the night passes uneventtully. The following day, it takes the mortury's attending Phalkon priests only moments to detect the despoiling of the body. They immeditely repott the matter to Fther Sdrick. who in tn tracks down the PCs to question them about the matter The sood father i3 furious, and he deinands the PCs explain this sacrilege.Ifthe PCs are rcspectful, Fthr Sedrick cn be clmed somewhat. He listens to whatverexptanation is given, noting that there are new wounds to one ofthe bodiesin the nortuary and tht sone of the flesh ws chewed way. Thn he infoms the PCs with disgst that the mortur/ is completelyunder their protection.He goeson to emphasize that if any frther sacrilege occurs, he will hold the PCs directly responsible. He then storms off, allowins the PCs to contmplatetheir ineptitude. Ifll soes well, the PCs should b feelins as if they have been had. On the third night, the shst once agin

retums to feast upon the corpsesin are 4c. This should occur during a tine when there re no PCs in th room. The ghast enters vi the trp_ door but becomes overly ereedy this visit.Instead offeedins on the corpse for a few moments and then fleeing, he takes the whole body and stuffs it down the tmpdoor He quickly fol' tows,but not before teavins a stain of mud on the floor near the t.apd@. In addition. a small piece ofwhit cloth ( corner from the shroud)hs been caught in the edgeofthe secret trapdoor This action by the shast is likely to causea lot ofnoise, and the PCs are almost certainly awre of some' thing going on within the room. The PCs either encountr the ghast in the act or the empty roomjust fter he has left, dependingupon how rapid The ghst is only in their response. the room for one mund afir the If the PCs sttion a $rard in the roon on continuousbsis,the ghast waits below the trapdoor listening to the breathins of the suard. If the guard hs not left by 2:00 4.M..the

No.7l 18 lssue

PRIESTLY SECRETS

militia, but they are only mustered if a threat of invsion occuE. Because the militia's ams are stored in Cstle Restenfod, fw comnon people are aned with more thn knife. If forced into combat,these people fight wjth ny nurnber of improvised weapons, frorn sclthes to pit hforks. The desriptions below cover the most impoftant locationsin the town. The DM is encourased to flesh out the rest of the town as desired. If the DM has access to the modDle LL Ihe Secrct of Bone Hill,he will find the Rastenford Town Bection therein to be a valuble id. Not, however,that adiustments re still required to allow for the ffve-yer passageof time and other events. r. Castle Rastedo.d. Atop low hill on the nolthem side oftown broods Castle Rstenfod. The small keep is little more than a stone wlled compound with one larse corner tower, cppedwith a low mwbroomlike root The woodentops of severl other buildinss can be seenpeking over the battlements.Th dark silhouettes of pacing guards patml the rmprts, each stopping o{ca' Bionallyto peer ot over the town. The outr wlls ofthe ctleshow the dark 6tins of soot-remnnts of a concentrated pirate rid two yers eeriier Ever since the attck, the Barcness has taken glet pains to maintain the ever vigilnt cstle ptrols.Appearancesre deceivin& however. In rlity, the cstle hoses only sixteen men-t-arms,nd many of these are away patmlling the town or maintaining pt t ny given time, especiallyduring the recent crisis. O{ten the walls are only patmlled by two or three guards, who in tum can call upoDfew reinforcements. The Bronessdoesher best to ugment the castle'sapparent defenses with severl minor illusions. but all in all, the castle is far ls dfendedthan it appears-Indeed, the castle'smost defensiblebuildins, the 50''tll comer towe., is not even accessible to the castle residents. This is due to a longstnding lease anangement that giv the sor@.er Pelltar all rishts to the tower He uBeBthe tower as a p vte sanctuary and allows no one

inside save hirnself.(Pelltar is awy for the durtion of this adventure, and his tower is enspelledto prcvent unwanted inhusion. The DM cn devise any number ofmgical traps to discourage thieves from entering the wizard's tower) Other than the town guards and the Baronesq the cBtlehous three nen, seven women nd thirter children. These people are all servnts or the fanilies ofthe suardsmen. Only durins a full'scale invasion do ny of these peopletke up ams. The cstle housesfifteen ordinary gadsmen and SergeantBrilman. Sergeant Brilnan is in overall con' mand ofthe castle'B defensesand is only nswerableto Cptin StaFen and the BaronesshersellAs the Baronesgof Rstenford, Andrell Restenfordlives modestly within the castle'skeep with no family or hus' band. She is a nase ofniddlins powe$ and only dabbles in nasic rather than concentrating her efforts in it. In recent yearc she works only to improve the way of life in Rastenford and has little tirne for an)'thing else. Guardsmen (15 lst-level human fishters): INT averase;AL N, LN, or NGiAC 7; MV 12; Fl: hp 6 each; THACO 20; #AT 1: Dng by weapon t}?e; ML l2; long sword, spear,studBrilmr! se.gert of the guard (4thlevel human fightr): AL NG; AC 4; MV 12;F4; hp 32; TIIACO 17; #AT 1; Dmg by weapont ?e; S 13, D 11, C 14, I l2,W 14.Ch l4i chain mdil + 1, broad sword, dassea lisht crossbow, 15 bolts. sold rins worth 150 sp, pouch containing 32 sp and 12 cp. Brilman is a snfl no-nonsense 3oldier who tak$ his duties to the town nd the Barcness very seriousv Andrella Rtnford, Broress of Rptnford (5thlevel human wizard): AI LN (with sood tndencies)j AC 7: MV 12: W5; hp 15;THACO 19; *T 1: Dmg by wepon type;ML 13; dagger, ring of ptutection +2, ltand of maqi. nissiles l5.hlryes), fine seen dress,35 sp nd 16 sp. Spells aud.ible gldne. phdntdsmdl force, shield, shochinE gtusp; mirrcr inase, wia.d lk; slou. 2. Falco's Tavrn. The PCs ffrst arive at Falco'stvem by bot {se "Anival in Rstenford"). Below is description of the tavernl

Domintins the wstem shorc of the rivea between the two bndses, is a sinsle story tavem. The tavem has a set of double doors that face oDt the rod s welt as series of docks facins the river, thus makins it ccessible to both pedestrians nd river trfiic. The signs that hns over every door continue this sinple theme. reading "Falco's Falco usully has four rooms for .ent, but one is curently occupied. He charges 1 I sp night to rent any of the remaining thre mms- Falco's Tavem servesa lunch ofbread and stew,beer,le, nd an aBso.tmentof hrd liquors. Ifpressd, he can produce a few bottles ofwine. but the quality is poor.Falcot prices re equivalent to those found in the Pldyr's Handbook, p ce 9o.1he feated drink at Falcok is Fire Eyes ate (2 sp per tnkrd), and most patrcns heartily endorse this ale if asked. Besid drinking and gsip, the other populr pasttime fetred at Falco's Tavern i darts, nd Falco hag four dartboards aansed around the common mom. Dart smes are often the subject of wagers around the tavem, bt Ftco hinself only bets when Gap plays. Gap is the local chanpion, bing an expert at darts. Flco ( lstlevel dwanen fighter): A L C N ; A C 4 ; M V 1 2 ;F l ; h p 8 ; TIiACO 19 (with magical sword);#AT l i D m s b y w e a p o nt y p e ; S 1 4 ; D 1 6 ; C 1 5 i I 1 4 :W 1 3 ; C h 1 2 ; M L 1 3 ; l e t h e r smo\ ring of prctection +2, short suord +1, 11 gp and 27 sp. Gap (olevel dwanen militidn): AL CN;AC 6; MV 6; olevl; hp 4; THACO 20; #AT 1 or 3; Dmg by wapont)"e; S 13, D 17, C 12, I 11,W 11, Ch 13; ML 10; leather apron (AC 9), dasser, four drts,34 sp. 3. Phaulkon Abbey.

The southwest part of town is dominated by a larse, low hill @vered in a thin layer of green g"ass. At th suminit ofthi8 hill, pwhed up to the edgeof stand ofgnarled oak tlees. lies the ncient srounds of an abbey. Were it not for the wett naintained rod and the sarden between the rectory nd the abbey itsell the won stone buildinss

DUNGEON I9

PRIESTLY SCREIS

mil, mace,potion ofeolia& clericl scroll \.urc liqht ound.s tt2) nd .rrc ltndness),13 sp and 11 cp. Spells: bless,cure lisht uounds, dctect maqic,pmtection tom eDil; tnesse nge. i t htl ra ur. Acolytes (6 lstlevel human priests)iAl- NGiAC 7; it{V 12; Cl; hp 8 , 6 , 6 . 5 , 3 , 2 : T H A C O 2 0 :f A T 1 ; Dmg by weapon type; ML 12i studded leathr armor, Dace. 2-20 sp. The DM should choosewhich firstlevel spell each ofthese priests hs nenorized s the sitution requires. Brother Selmos statistics can be found in area 7 ofthe "Pirat 4. The Phalkon Morgue.

Past the ging bbey bDildings and down the slopeofth fr side ofthe hill, a dusty path leads to a lons boxlike buildins. Its plain sYeystone walls and tiehtly shuddered windows alnost blend with the festureiesshillside. The only feture the building hs tht mkes ii stand out re the mon' strous gargoylestht leer down The tow. mortury is the property ofthe Phaulkon Abbey.Onc a Bhrine built to house sacredchalice.the buildins was enlarged and converted to sene s a mortuary once ihe priests began to bury hepeople's ded in the cemeteryoutside the town's walls. Deth is very somber family atrir. with only the decesed's and very closefriends ttending the funerl in a snll chapel in this building- The body is purified by the priests in the name ofPhaulkon before burial in a two-day ceremony. This ceremonyis followed by a brief wak conductedby the abbot nd a selectfew pdests ofthe ordr 4. Reception Hall. This spBe room is decoratd in d.ab colors, with yellow draperies about ihe windows and a larse brown rug Bpredacross the center ofthe floor The rooms few furnishings include three stools and rickety table for refrehfte.ts. 4b. Chpel. Thjs larse room is very The walls are tined regally decorted. with Uoor'to'ceilingtpest es of deep blue, except for the east wall which is

would seemdeserted.As it is, a hush seemsto hans over the hilltop, almost as ifthe hill itselfwere These buildines re amons tbe oldest in Restenford.Once they wre splendid edilicestht botdly held civilization against the savagewilds of ihe ile.Now, however,the bbey shows heavy si8rs ofage and neslect. Roughly 25'l. of Restenford'spopul' tion worships Phulkon, nd the priests have trditinally been sup ported by the Restenfod noble fanily. Due to Andrell Restnfordkbitter feetinesiowrd this abbey nd its pricsts. this support has been withdrawn, thush not olcially. Still. the locl ppuhce is generally wre tht their rler no longer supports the Phulkon Abbey,and rnny no lonser atrend senices becuseof it. The abbey is the hme ofeisht priests. ln forrner dsys, mny ofth p.iests were offtiddling power but due to the lossesin the pirate raid and the ove.all decline ofthe abby,

all ofthe remining priests are of lesser sttus. The bbot himselfiB a young man by priestly standrds, only in his erly thirties. Five yers earljea Fther Sedrick was nile acolyte.Now h is the head ofhis order The only nmber ofthe bbey who is older than Fther Sedrick is Brother Selrno.Selno. howeveais a very unorthodox priest. He tends to look beyondtrditions and proper etiquette in favor of th greater good. Though his intentions are lways benevolent,his nethods too often set him into trouble. The Phaulkon priests realized yers so that Selno would never do aB the head ofthe waning pristhoodnd so choseto allow him to serve Phaulkon in a different mannen For mo.e infonation on Bruther Selno and the Phaulkon Abbey'sinvolvement in the current troubles, see the'For the Dungeon Fsther Sedrick r3rd-level human piest):AL NG;AC 5;MV 9iC3i hp 15; THACO 20: fAT li Dmg by weapon t y p e i S 1 1 ,D 1 2 ,C 1 3 , l 1 5 , W 15. Ch 14: ML 10: lons robes,chain

20lssue No.7l

PRIESIY SECRES

dominated by pir of 3 !5'strined glass windows.The window to the left depicts a yellow sun high bove rollins blue wves.The window on lhe right depicts a white moon sinking into purple-blue waves. The.oo itselfi6crowded with woodenpeqs lhal re lined up below a lrg stone rltar The ltr is draped with geen cloth, and smll b.ass incenseburne$ sit in ch cor' ner Behind the altar, in the northeast co.ner ofthe room, is a pulpit of 4c. Preparation Room. This dark roon seens low nd aftped. The bre stone flor is roush nd discolored in spots.Two lons and nar.ow ilooden tables occupyth center of the room, each the rsting place of body.the first a young womn and the secondn old man. Each is covered with a white sheet. In lh. western corner is tall woodencabinet cotaining all lhe ftlerial6 u3ed to prepare the ded s well as cleaniDs tools and supplies for the chpel. The last furnishing here is simplc woodenpedestlin th north co.' ner The p.destal is coveredin thin coat oflight blue paiDt that is peling wy in patches.The pedestalholds nothing, though from the distinct circular mrking in the center ol the pedestal's top, somethingonce 6at Until recently,a holy chalice ot tbrgottcn importance to the Phtrlkon order rested h.e. Unknown to almost everJonein town, a secret tnpdoor is loctedin the floor right before this pedeslal.It is extrernelJ well hidden relvesnd half-lve! cnnot locate it by simply walking by a thorough s.arch must be mde)and diilicult to opcn from this side, rquiring n Open Doors mil. This t.apdoor leads directly into th pirate ctacombs belos Restenfordlsee "The Pimte (ltacotubs"scctionr. 4d. Back Hll. This plain hallwy shows signs ofh4vy use.The walls, floosnd doors to lhis rea ll display nicks or othe. marks. The small $indow h.re is very narrow (2 x 4 ) nd one ofits shuttrs is b.oken, unabl to be ltched.The priests primrily enter lhe building through the door here. especillJwhen carrying

TheGhosts
These three ghask are all that .emin ofthe arcient pirate crcw who once dwelt on this site. W}len the crew fell upon ech other after buryins their chieftain, mny arose afier the deaths to prey on the suroudiDs lbds. Wllen the piests of Phalkon entered the cat' acombs to wage war upon these unded, many on both sides were Like rnost of their kind, these shasts arc hunched over monstrcsities that vasuely resemble their former hunan selv.heir facesre twistd, their lower jws protruding mch like a dods, black fansE dripping ove. their forked tongues. They wear only a few shrdded,dirtcaked rags: the 24-hp ghast also wears necklace of shrk's teeth. Wen they lnove, they hobble along in a wildly flailins cit. They bave nanow slitted eyes tht glow green in the presence of fiery lisht source.They appear as shouls, but when encountered at close range the foul stench they exude quickly reveIsthei. true natre. Unlike much of their kind, these shasts have slishtly different pe.sonlities.The most powerful ghst (31 hp) was oncea ships nate naned Randel and still pines for the prsonal treasures he hid awy lons ago.He is nominally the leader of tle grcup and often cuffs the othe when talking or hissiry at them(Their communictivepoweB are The next shast (24 hpl, Natonga, was oncea native ofHepmonlnd like the forner chieftain of the pimtes. Of th Ahasts,his appear' ance stands ot the most. His hard, callousedskin is very drk, alnost black, and the remains ofseverl l.ge whit tattoG can be seen on his t o. In ddition, a loosenecklace ofbrowning shrk teeth hangs fron his neck. This necklace hs beeD treatd with a permanent prc. tection from good spelli sd-al;sned opponenb stdke him with 2 to hit, and Nat nga reivs a +2 6aving throw bonus against splls cast The lBt ght (14 hp) was oncea small, pitiful man who mnged to

sty alive mo.A the other pirtes becuse he Bniveled nd sewed them. Despite being a pthetic coward.Dorin was lso tlentd thiei and he preyed upon hb fellows even rnore successfullythan they preyed upon merchant vessels. As a ghst, Dorin still gets pushed around by his fellows but manages to pitfer a choicebit of food while the othe$ are diBtracted.Because ofhis cowrdly in8tincts when live, Dorin still tends t hover back in the shadows,lettins ihe others go first while lookins for opportunitis to present themselves. Despit their prsonality traits, these former pirates are still ghsts. As Bch, their driving motivation is to fest upon the bodiesof the dead. while they eat anythiDg that is dead, they prefer to feed upon human or demihunan colpses. They are not above killins live prey, but they prefer the tate of ded flesh and certainly choosethis option ifit is available and less risky. They are very old for ghsts, nd this, coupled with their history, makes these shts very cunning. Wile fea.l$s, they prefer cution. If t ll possible, they only comnit i, nelee while within the confinesoftheil undersround laia where they instinctively feel saf and have the advantage. Each night, however, thy cautiously eme.ge into t}te streets vi the rat tumels (see area 12 of "The Pirate Catacombs"Bection) in search of coryseso. n unwary individual; they rever vnture forth in the daytine. Thee prowlinss are rponsible for the sightings of shadowsstalkin8 the Btreets. If confronted with force from more than one individual while abovesround, they flee ntess Ghsts (3): INT very; AL CD;AC 4 ; l v I Vl 5 ; H D 4 ; h p 3 1 , 2 4 , 1 4 ; TIIACO 17;AT 3;Dms 1-4l1-4l 1 s; SA paralyzation (lasts 1d6+4 rounds);see also "The Pirt Cataombs" section;SD immune to sleepand.d.m spells;all attempts to tum re at -2 due to their old (powerful individul wills); crrion stnch (l0 range; opponents affe{ted by the stench are -2 to hit); SZ Mi ML l4i MM/137.

DUNGEON 2]

PRIESIY SECRETS
and powderediron amplified the protection aura's effects, ttpping the undead in a bubbte they were unbte Other than the silver dust and powderediron, this room contins animal bones tht have been srawed into unrecocnizable lumps. 3. Crosro&, The nanow tunnel opensinto a mom that seems to be little more than deviation point. A huAe bolder rises noor to ceilins in the northeastem part ofthe room, and stady stream of water drcplets runs down its sides,tu.ning the floor into molassesofmud. Thisjuncture was orisinallyjust a passagewy, but when the pirates encountred the huse boulder in their path, they hollowed out the re surronding it t-ofon this crossroads. Although it is not obvious ftom either of the main pssagewys, theie is small openins behind the boulder that leads t a narrcw gallery that slopes gently downward to the notheast. Becuseofit8 lower nature, most of the watr tht drips down the boulder drains way throush this opening- The remaining wter creates lrye pool of thick nud tht rves s the roon's noor Movement through this area is one-third nor' rnal, and any attempt to move more .pidly requires Dexhnty check with a -2 modifie! t remain standing. Any thorcugh examination of the Iloor tuns up ingle recent boot print near the boulder (Bmthe. Selno ps8ingthrough). 4. Sloping Gallery. A small fisse gives entrance to a nanow galry with hish ceiting that stopes downwrd and to the noftheast. The ceilins is clustered tightly with stalactites that occasionlly merge with stlagmits to fom thin pillars. The hard stone floor slistns with wetness.nd a shallow stream of water rolls down the sattery frcm the boulder. This namw cvem is every bit as treachercus to nvigt as it appears. The stope is firly step and ippitg wet.ln addition, the cavem's floor

5. Th South Bridge. This bridge is importnt to the dventure because it srves as the home of the street uchin Snd., thoush almost no one in town is ware ofthis.In ddition to her two stly doss, Sand.a has nother dog naned Freedom (6 hp). Togethe. with her three dogs.Sandra cn be found sleepins here every night. Though she has nothins ofvlue, she has hidden the Holy Chlice of Phaulkon here in her nest beneath the bridse. Due to hemasical aur siven offby this object,Sandra and her doss have been unmolestedby the shasts at nisht. Ifcon{ionted in her lair, Sndra attempts to flee while her dogsttack femciously to protect their mistress (+l to all to hit and dnase rotls). Ilsandra is captured and qustionedby the PCs, she quickly confesses all she knows atd "Arrival begs fo! mercy. Consutt the in Restenford' section for Sndm and her dogs' statistics.

L Doorway

to Darkne$.

The drk openiq in the st ne floor bfore you wafts forth a fol odor of sossy earth nd nold. The stnch brings with it tlick wetness tht hngs in the air, p.essing against your skin. The first few rungs of a rusting ladder can be seendisapperingbelow. Thoush the tadder may pper unsound, its thick iron rungs will support the PCs with only mitd protests. The ldder drops ls before coming to rest in a small chamber, obviously dus om the rcugh erth long ago. The walls arc supportd with moldy, woodenbeam8.To the north roush rchway leads t a lrser chanber beyond, while a tunnel leads away to the east.Any light souce stronger than a candle cause tiny specks to sparkle in the eaith sunounding the archwy. This is cusedby the silver dust coting its entirc frame. despite most of it being covered by crime or hving ben 2. The Holding Cell. This chanber, though still rcugh, i3 much better conshucted than the smller entry cve.The walls slis' tn with a sheen much nore intense than mere wetness,and your lishts seen to rebound and amplify this intensenessuntil it alnost appars that the walls are dripping moltn silver Like the rchway, the walls, floor and ceiling ofthis chamber have been coated with thin tayer of silver duBt. In addition, these surfceswere also rubbed with powderediron, thoush the years have made this all but invisible. The floor before the archwy has also been treated in thi way.These mterials were ptaced here in order t amplify the etrects of the holy chalice's aura ofp.orectton on euil. WTen the ancient pdests of Phaulkon orisinlly lu.ed the shsts into this room over 100 yerc ago, the silver and iron sprinklinss hetd the undead at bay until the holy chalic was set upor its pedestal, its aura sealing the rch$ay asainst vil. (The chalice's ur radiates out to 20 feet, encompasing arca r.) The Bilver dust

ThePirote Cotocombs
The pirate ctcombs beneath Restenford coNist of several large, low caverns connected by tunnel dug between them. The tuMets are fairly primitive in nature but are shored up by large osk timbers at inegllar intrvals. These bms re composed mostly of timber taken fron wrecked ships, and several pieces are obvious s such. Unfortuntely, these beams are unifonly mttn in nature and pmvide almost no supportDue to the closepronmity ofthese catcombs t both the ocean nd the Restin river (a smll undersround stern even branches fmm the river to rn thmugh these cves nd into deeper regions),the entire complexi very damp, even dpping wet in places.The reek of wet eath nd healy infestations of mold permete the air. All these factors combine to nake these catcomk hishly unstble plce.The ir is rank, the footins is slippery,and even the slishtest pressu.e plced asainst wll or ceiling misht cuse some form ofcave-in (the everityof which ig lefi Dp to the DM, dependingon his whims and the circumstnces). It should lso be notd tht no arca of tese ctacombsis lit by ny form ol light source.

22lssue No.7l

PRIESTLY SECRETS

has been worn very smooth by the pssage oI wtr over so many years. AnyoDenot using clirnbing gea. to descendhere nust mke three con secutiveDexterity checksrat a -3 pe.slty ifwearins norml boots,or I penalty ifba.efDot) or tumble down the slope and suffer 2d8 hp dama8e(halfifthe first Dexterity check is nade, one-quater ifthe rsl two are successful). Due to the slip, periness,all ctimbins checksare ade at -101z,with failure brinsing the sarneresults as bove.Those who use clirnbine geaa such as iron spikes nd ropes,hve little dilculty descendinshere. This nethod tkes much lonser. and the noise mde ce.lainly attr is any ofthe suFiving ghasts within 3 12 rounds. W}len the ghasts rrive, they use this terain to their advntgeby pouncingon characterswho re struggling to climb back up. Due to thei. shrp clws and familiarity with this .ea, the ghasts need only make two Dexterity checkswith no penalty.(Assumethe ghasts have l2 Dcxterity.l

5. The Pool. The gllerr cnds at a cavern with a domed ccilins. The dome is crmped iih hansing stalactiles. Ner Lhe western wall, several large st1a.tites!nd stalgmites have groBn togerher.side by side, forming one colossalpillar that seemsmorc like sone gint underground flower than shucture of sione.At thc foot ofthis wondrous pillr a larse clear pool hs tbrmed whre the wter from th galle.y

Thoush ihe pillar is a spectculr pieceofnaturat rchitecture, it hs no other specil properties other than to help support th 20 ceiliDg.The floor here is fairly smooth.but much inore even ihn the gallery nd can be safely traversed wjthoul penalty. Those peerins into the pool with someso.t ol light delect the glinl of metal in the shllow water Nea. th cnter ofthe T wide pool,.sting under 2, feet ofsater, is a st.ange, roughly man sized rock outcroppins tht is dark and lumpy. This stands

in sharp contrst to rhe rcs! ol thc pools bottom, \rhrch consistsol' slx,rh, grayish srone.The glint of etal comesfrom one edgeoflhis outopping. In fact, the outcropping is the calcified rcmains ofn ciert pirate nd his completcly rusted shield and cutlss.The slint ofmetl comesfrom a gdd armband (worth 80 gpr arond what ws once his left Ibrerm. Unfo.tunalely, ihe pirate 6 boneshav. becon embeddedin the stone ofthe pool'sbottom. Even lvorse,lbe floor ofthc pool is thin rd very unstable s the undersround rive. that llo$s into area 8 runs right PrDddingfroft the shore ofthe pool with a pole or sii1ar object does nol dislodseihe armbnd but c.eles tn ominous eruption ofli.y bubbles Iioft thc outcropprne. Anyone ente.ing the pool nd physically attempt ng to remove the arDband ftom its resting place can do so with a successful Strensth check.Howcver,evcn ifthe attempt is unsuccessfI. the entire bottom ofthe pool (not the huge pi1la.) cavesin, dropping ihe ollender.as wll as anvone else in the

DUNGEON 23

SECRES PRIESTLY
rise from the faU with only a sash across his forehed nd cracked lantern. Unabl to retum up the slope,he eventually $andered into here where he has camped ever since. Ifqestioned as to how and why he ended up here, Brcther Selno gives n all too brief accountof how he found the secret trapd@r while cleanins up a spitl nd his cunGity settins the best ofhim. If pressedfor nore infomation or confmntd with a conpetling question, such as why he is so "geared-up' when he supposedly jst seEndipitosly discovered the secrct t.apdoor. Selmo clims to be very tired and sks to be rcturned to the abbey immediately. He shrugs ofr all further questions and repeat his request,saying only that the other pests mst surely be wondering about his whereabouts. Selmo bears the PCs no ill will, but he believesthe abbey'swoes to be none of their affi.. He is espilly disturbed by any mentian of the town's problems since his disppearance,s he is besinning to Bu8pect that his own actions night be respon' sible, at least in part. Ifthe PCs are pushy in their questionin& Brother Selno begins to feel quite guilty concernina his .ecent actions and becomes very moody,lapsinginto sullen silencefor the rest ofthe time he remins ir the prty s company. He only breaks this silencet voice his objectionsifthe adventurers do not imnediately take hirn bck to the Brother Selmo (2ndlevel human pdest):AL CG;Ac 5; MV 9; c2; hp 6 (10 at fll); THACO 20: #AT r; Dmg by wepon type; S 9, D 11, C 12,I 13, W 12, Ch 10; ML 7; crackedlantrn, chain rnail, quarte$tatr, mce.backpack. l0 candles,tinder box. one days worth of iron ratioN,25 rope. Brother Selmo has no spells at the 8. The Rubble Rift. The narrow tunnel gives way t a vst cvem with a reltively low ceilins. Natal stne tiers descend into the cavem, the bulk of which stretches way into the shadows on your teft. Despit the cavem's targ size,the plce is cramped becaue of th excessive number of monds ofraw earth that choke the floor'

p@l at the time, into the rushing rive. below.Anyone dumpd into the river (unless securedby rcpe6)i3 swept into area a in 1-S rounds,even if weighed down by amor. The DM might consult the Plore.'.s Eotd6.D "Holding Your for the rules on Breath." However,an even more dramatic effect would be to llow the chamcter to survive nd be washed up upon some rocks in the chasm of and with perhaps area 8. unconscious a few point!' of damage.Ifnd when th rest ofthe prty rechesthis .ea, th DM .n allow them to dis' Of cover the nissing charctr(s). course,until the PCs re reDnited, they should be kept in the dark as to ihe fte oftheir companion(s). 6. Destmyed Banacks.

removal of whtever stlaSmites once st@d here. Srnll poolsof standing water have collectedin several of the dep.essionsleft by some of the larger A larse door of dark ok i set into the north walt. The door i3 bound in thick fittings of dull brass,with a lrse iron circle servins as pull rins. The door is both unlocked and untrapped, but due to its extreme weight it requires a combined Strength of 22 to open. The upper halfofthe door is coveredwith orn; nouslookins primitive stick fi gurs. A jwless skull motifis pEvlent thmushout these rues. This primi' tive writins is simple wmins and serves no other purpose. Any charcter who has the ancient languages proficiency can make a check t -4 to recognizethe syrnbolsas primitive hiercgl)Ths practiced by the natives of Hepmonalnd.Even then, however, the wminss of death nd the nme Shemnotaare the only things that Brother Selno crouchesin a snall lcovein the southem wll. He renains hidden frcn the PCs untit forced into a conf.ontation or until he obsenes some obviousclue that the priy is non-hostile.Ifconftonted, he shakes his qurterstff menacingly "Sty and warns the adventu.erc, back. you fiends,or I'll crack your skulls."Assuming the PCs do not attck hin, his btuster quickly fades. He then sks assistnceofnyone who seemsfiiendly, nd he is ver/ happy ifthe chrctersclaim they were l@king for hjm. Brother Selrnohas been down here since the nisht before the PCs aived in town and is wounded,wet, and very weary. It was apparent to hin fter only a brief tirne in these cataconbs that he had made a mistak. Thogh he did not have any clear idea wht these catacombs were, they certinly were not the ancient bunal crypts ofhis order. His curiosity seizedconhol ofhim and he decidedt xplore a bit before return' ins t his quartrs in th abby.He encountered severl fleeing giant mts in area S, though he only saw them as seen, gleamins eyes in the shadows. On seeingthese eyes,a fear Crippedhin nd he stumbted behind the boulder,tumbline down the gallery {area 4). He was fortunte to

Pushins the sasging,black'stained door aside revels lrse room with rcush, soot-darkenedwlls. Unlike most of the previous.ves you have encountered,this roon is relatively dry. The fainr smell of soot ha.gs in the air, and you can see dust motes spinnine through the room from th dooCs The room is strewn with lrge piles of ched woodenboatds, pmbably oncefurnishings ol some sort. The dull yellow of oacked bones can be seen prctrDdins from Little ofinterest can be found here, except the rcnins of severl pirates who died in the fire and two blf-melted cutlass$. 7. A Ttoubled Soul.

This cvem lies shrcuded in Bhadows due t its lrse size.The ceil' ing rises away into blackness, with the drk sithouettesof stlactites pressing into view, giving the impressionof some fnd beast lowens its jaws upon you. Strangely, the uneven floor is devoid of stlagnites, giving you n unobtructed view to the far away wlls, thoush they are only This larse natural cvern i3 very darnp like most ofthe compler. The floor shows si8ls ofwork. mostly the

No.7l 24lssue

PRIESTLY SECREIS

These mounds are so lrse and undultins that they almost ppar s sands on n oceanshore. Fron somewherebeyondyour light, the faint sound ofrunning wter can be distinctly heard. The lower floor ofthis caven is a naze of dirt dunes,nanow holes,tucures,and rubble piles. Cmssins the cvern'snoor is treacherous,forcins cbaractersto travel at one'third novement. The unwary will find tht any quick movementsare likely to causea fll. (Anyone attmptina to run, engage in melee, o. pelfo.m ny other quick or strenuo$ movement must make a Dexterity check or fall pmne ont dirt mound.) Besidesthis hzardousfeture of the cvern,a narrow chasm also cuts the cavern roushly down its middle (runnins north to south). This chasm is only about ten feet depand contains n nderground stream tht flows beneath these catacombs frcm the direction of area 5. It is possible tht the Pc8 might locte one o. morc oftheir conpnions wshed up on some ol the larser rocks in the stream. (Searea 6 for more del.ails.) The chasn is narroq being only four to 6ix feet wide, though anyone trying to jump ir may have a difficult tine due to the diri that is collected on its .im. Thos attempting to leap the chm must make a Dexterity check with -1 penlty to succssfully reach the other side. Those who fil this check must mke nother Dextrity check,sain with a -l penalty in order to ctch the lip of the other side, sulTering t 2 hp damage and .equi ng another round to pull themsetvG p ifthey a.e succesful.Ifthis check iB also faited, then the charctr flls into the chasn nd uffers 1-6 hp damge. This cvern is lso the plyground ofthe cowardly shast, Dorin. Unlike the PCs, Dorin suffers no penalty moving a.mss the cavem's floor bause of his fmiliarity with it and the fact that he moves on all fours, using hi clws for gpping. Dorin first ttcks by lurking back in th shdows,on the estm side ofthe chasn, nd hurlins mud-encrusted skulls at the party (Dms 1-4). He throws a skull and then retreat6, and ny chracter trying to get a look t their atta.ker is likely only to catch

slimpse ofa vaaucly humanoid crc' ture with green cyes scuttlc behind mound. He ommits to melce onty as the fiBt PC crossesthe chasm, sprinsins upon his victim frorn bchind a dirt mound whilc the othcr PCs re still on the weslern side of the chnsm. Ifthis attack succeeds in p.alyzing its victim, Do.in ltempts to drag his haplessprey into the cover of the mounds where he cn feed without intcrference.Oncc he has comnitted hinselfto an altack in this wy,he doosnot retrct unlGs tuned by pri$L in which cas. hc flees to re 10 to fisht alons sidc Rndel. 9. Storag Cavens. This large icgular cavc.n has a high, dark ceiline Bupportcdby numerouBwoodcnbeams.Most of these hens look vcry wcak and sone have cven fallcn or brokcn. A faint vinesr odor reelns to secp fmm severl cylindrical shdows against the far wall. s you wt h, several dirt clods mll down fron the ceilins bovc your heads,skipping down the walls near th. cavThiB sml1disturbnce is prccrsor to n attack by the shst Natong.lfthe PClt tke heed fthis sign nd preparc themelvcstr tmuble, they are not be surpriscd, thoush il is likely that Nalons still attcks them first. lfthe P(ls ignorc lhis wrning, treating it like minor cave.in,thcn srprisc rell shoDldbe Nat ng the shast lurk bova the west?m entrnce upon smll ledsc. Upon seeins nd hdns thc characters approh, he p.eprcs a small cask ofwatea hencecusine the dis' lurbnce tht the PCs witness s thcy entcr thc cavcrn. On thc mund following thcir eni.ance into the cav' crn, pr.ferably whitc they arc still clGe to his hidins place,Natonga ttemph to pour his cask ofwatcr pon the lisht sourceuscd by tha led chracter or the first one t pper Natns need only roll to hit AC 10 to dousethe lisht. Torchesare automatically extinguished,while lantms have 50% chnceofbeing doused.It should bc noted that Natonga knows that firc can bc

extingished,but he cannot discem between it and magical light. Thereforc,he attempts to douseeven \lelrt or continudl lieht spel]s. Followine his attack with the wtar, Natonga leaps down upon th characters,even ifthe watr attack failed. Unlike the PCq since Natonsa is undcad. he sullcrs no penalties when fishtins in total drkness. Furthernore, since hjs body radiates no hcat, infravision will not aid demihuman PCs either This sitation can be highty dangerous becase the PCs ar. fishtins totally blind against a sinslc unknown creture in their midt. Chrcters who strike blindly re likcly t wins at n lly rathel thn tbcir enemy.Whether Natong gains an dvantageor not, the bloodlust is upon him, and he fights until destroyedor ntil all his opponents are slain and/or paralyzed.Iftumed, hc flees to area l0 to take a stnd with Rndel. Once combt iB over,tho PCs my serch the cavem. The cylindrical sbdowsre the remin! ofover a hundred barrels, nost of which ar broken nd lie in heaps of rottins wood.The few brrels rhat remain intact contain foul wines that have becomesor smeliing vinega. Tuckd behind one of the banels lons the north wll is a decayins leather pouch continine 15 sp, 18 g! nd pair ofshark bone dice with sold pips worth 150 s!. Those searchins Ntonsa's ledge,ssumins they find some wy to climb up to it, find an ssorLment of gnawed bones(mostly human), n empty woodencask, a shicld cncrusted with amethFts (worth 75 gp), and the hlf eaten ronins of a gint rt. lo, Rndel's warren. This area consists of small nazelike network of tunnels rnging fron three to four feet in heisht and three to five feer wide. Unlike the rest of the tunDels in the ctcombs, these nanow tunncls contain no support beamB. ThBe tunnels are very rogh and my only ba trvc$ed by one PC at a time. Only those shortr in stature than dwrve. may rnovethmush without wlins or hunchins over Weapons lonser thn a short sword are at 2 to hit, -4 iflonger than a long sword. Rsndel wiLsthe PCs in the da.kness of his warenq watching

25 DUNGEON

PRIESLY SECRETS
sp (someof which are trnkhed), 55 gp, tiny wooden jewelry box studdd with coral (worih 25 p) tht holds 12 asates (worth r0 ep ech) and a small pearl (worth 100 s?), and curlss +1 in a wom leather sheth decoratd with three silver skults12. Giant Rt Warren8. This chmber hs a low ceilins and is obviousty th waftn of some burrowins creature. The walls and ceitins are rcugh with distinct claw inpressions. Small circular tnels exit the warren. A larg amount of debris is strewn cross the floor Amid the various bones, rock, and rctting straw, dark stains of some sticky substance .over the floor. A1l these snall wanens re basi' cally the sabtssimple dirt rooms with 3'f-4 ceilinss,connectedby roushly circular tunnels ofthe sane height- Like the Est of the catacombs,the air here is very moist and wei film cove.s verything. Untit just recently, these wanens were the lai.s of gint rats. The ahasts dmve the mts out by force, killing seveml before the rcst fled to the town's streets. Some Ild thrcush the exit tunnels to the east that emergeinto the contryside,but most (3G-40 siant rats) chGe the closer exits in their fear These exits emerge inside the town walls and into two separat locations mid sone of the tarsr copses of trees (the DM is free to dcide exactly where)- The ghsts use these exits to move between the ctcombs and the town each night. Ihe dark stains on the floor are ll that remain of those .ats that were cught by the ghasts. Nothing of value .n be found here. 13. Shemoata's Death Pit.

them fmm the northem tunnel. If they are foolish enough to entr, he retreats before them, only to launch n attck at the firt suitble cross tunnel (keeping in mind that any of the ghasts tht may have surived the earlie. encounte.swill be attackins with him). His (their) attack pln is simple. Attack n opponentuntil it either dies or becomes parlyzed, then drag it away to a quiet comer of the tunnets and devour it. These wrrens re the Shasts'last line of reheat, and they cannot be tuned while here.Any successfultuming ttempt ds, however, cause them to lose fus and strensth { 2 penlties t all attack nd savinss rclls). In ddition l,oany of the ghastg that may have been tumed in pteviRndel has two ous encountrs, ghouls (fomer silors) with hin that he has created in the pst few days. Unlike the ghsts,these monsteE a.e virtully nindless minions that do whatever Randel desires. Ghouls (2): tNT low; AL CD;AC 6; MV 9; HD 2;bp 8, 13; THACO 19; +AT 3; Drns l 3/1 Yr-6; SA par' lyzation;SD immue t sleepnd cha.n awllsi SZ M; ML l2t MM/131. 11. Rrdl's Tteasure Pit.

the door's openins causes two links of thick chain that .e suspended fmm the centr ofthe ciling t jin' gle in shry clink. ny movement by the PCs that brcaks the plne of the dooriime into this cvem causes a mdgi. mozt spell to be ctivated. The skull mount2d directly aoss fiom the door booms in a deep voice'Begonel Lt the dead rest, lest they rise again ...'This brief warning is only spoken once. and then the Bkulls display no fudher sisns of mgic. The skulls are human fomer pirats fron Hepnonaland who served Shemnota faithtully. The spears tht support the skulls re all nomal spears, though due t their extrene age they are 15%likely to break upon each successful blow struck with them. The spears can b removed ftom the walls by merely pullins them free (requirins a sucssful Stren8th che{k), ssumi.g the charactr wishing to do Bocan get at them. The shfi drops 1r0 feet to a series of submersd sea cavens. However,60 feet down ties a cvem (a.e 14), throush which the shft psses, that is not submrged. The nm of the pit, at the level of the door to area 7, has severl imn rungs nounted into tle stone.Closeexamination rcveals that they are rusted, and any weight exceedins100 lbs. placed upon them causesthem to brcak. The twin link6 of chain that hang from the ceilins (each is bout 6 long and ends at abot eye tevel to hurnan viewins frcm the doorway) re in bettr condition, though the sicns ofrust are beginning t show on them as wll. These were orisinlly used to sppoft a larye iron circle, which in conjunction with ropes,w3 used to lower the renains of Shemnoata to the cavem below. These chains can support up to 1,000 Anyone who falts into the shaft sutrers 3d6 hp dmge and must contnd with 40 feet of wtr. (Drownins rules apply.) Considerins the levels of the PCs in this module,this wilt be most certainly fatl. Before the PCs attempt to mke descent here, the DM should gntly hint at the extreme

The smll tunnel winds a long distance, constncbng to an even tighter fit. The tnet then tumg sharply t the right IId opens int a smll cave.n wit a ceilins of perhaps five feet. Ufortunatly, the noor ops away int a step sided pit, whose bottom is lost in the drkness below. The floor to the pit is ctuatly 15' down. Anyone who searches the pit s edge finds the frayed end of iI ncient mpe attached to a r$ting ircn spike. Tl'e spike is now very bdttle nd snaps if aDy weight is applied to it. The walls to the pit re uneven, with many foothol&, allowins any thief an easy de8cent. Th floo. of the pit is covered with loose dift aild rnud. A woodeb chest partiatty obscurcd by the dirt also lies herc. The chests lock is coDpletly rosted shut and cannot be opned thrcugh any nean6 save force. (It cn withstnd up to 15 hp dmge, and ll weapons except blunt ones innict hlf damasp.)The chest contains:200

Beyond the door lies a rcughly cir' culr cvem. The cavem has no Iloor, but rather drops awy into a drk abyss frcm which nses the soft sound of chuming wtr. Juttins fron t}le wlls of the shaft are seven evenly-spced spers, with thi. hafts pointing towa.d the ceiling at a 45' angle. Montd at the ends of thes speaE are jawless hunn skulls, all tumed to face the door. A eentle brez fmm

26lssue No.7l

PRIESTLY SECRETS

by Ao.on Willioms tr|rtt vt!


rffiV9fl fl6t atttt adN T'INN,B tat 111616!.

14. Shemnoat's Tomb. Lowerins yourselfdown th shaft. you eme.ge through the ceitins ofa lrge cavem. Though the ceilins is high here, perhaps 20 feet, the cavem i3 relly little more than a wide ledge around the shaft that continues to drop pst th cvern Annsed about the ledse are several piles of rubble, a squre table of dark wood,and a black sarcopha8uspushed against the southeasten wall. Like the cavern bove,this place is decoratedwith skull motit Several large chalk dr*ing ofjwless Bkulls adorn the walls, and you cn BeeBeveral real skulls stcked atop the rubble

This cavern senes as the tomb of Shemnoata,the former pirte chieftain. Originally of Hepmonaland blood, Shemnoatawas widely known as rnercilesspirate who was also a sreat witchdoct-or His name is still whispered with fer nd awe in the tardship of the I3le3. Wlt is not widely known is tht Shemnotwas a neoonancer whose dabblings were not limited to his enemies.These cataconbs were ori8inally constructedso that he cold practice his foul arts awy from the disapproving eyes of some of htu fellow pirat$. Thoush the room may look dnserous. there are no hidden dngers lurkinc bout the cavem (except Shemnoat's body.but evn thig posesno inmediat danser).The air

iB damp and cold, with a slty current swirlins from the pit below A thin cot ofrnoisture coversthe entire cvem nd its contnts,leaving the noorc slippery nd cusing woodenfurnishinss to becomrctten. The tble is oowded with objcts, and due to its rotting state nd th weisht ofthese objects,any roush jostlins causesit to collpseinto heap, sending objectsspiltins c.oss the floor nd perhaps into the pit. The followins items re spread aoss the table: si]ler urn (worth 150 s?) carved with rneninsleBs runes and containins a bit ofred snd, a brss lantern decortedwith a linkine skull pattm (worth 30 s!), two rusting cDtlasses, dgger in rotting leather sheath, two hunan skulls (their lowerjaws missins), a folded rctting black cloth (Shemnoata's fle), 55 3p, 32 gp, 1r2 cp, nd a larse book bound in shark skin and closed with a brass latch. ThiB book was Shennoata'spell book,nd though it is not liened, many dark deed6 have ben perfomed with its magic. As result, any mge who studies from this b@k, who is not of evil aliglment, must spend twice the time to memo.ize the chosenspell-This i6 becausethe book exdesa turkins malice that distracts and disrupts the concentrtionof thGe who understand conpssion.The book contains the followins spellsrofect aornol lircs,.hil.l touch,lind familia. spider .linb, spooh, unseen seflrant; d.a.hness15 rudius, rcy ofenfeeblene\t, spectml hand, summon sarm, ueb; sddoa nonsle.s. The book oncecon-

tined other epells,but mny of th pses re darnaged past recognition, nd only the abovespells re still The black srcophasus b mde fron oak, thoush it has been stained. The lid is nerely set atop the frane and can be esily renoved- The inside is filied with b ne and taned to prevent Bepage.The browD-black body of nan is clearly visible beneath the brine. His lethery skin i drwn tisht cmss his protrudins bones,nd he is completelyundomed except for pair ofjade brcers (worth 500 s? for the set) and a sinsle s0ld coin ptacedover each ofhis eyes.Each of these coins has ajawless skull motif on both faces.This is the renains of Shemnoata,the chieiain of the ancient pirates. The body is not animted (for Dowl and can be lootd at ihe PCs see fit. Ifthe PCs l@t any portion ofthis tomb, see"Concludins the Adventurc' below.

Concludlngthe Adventure
Ifthe PCs discoverthe shasts and their role in Rastenford's recent t oubles nd then eliminate them, Andrell Rstenford gldly pays them their promised rewrd. She lso orders chem to spek ofthe whole affair t no one.She i3 pleasedthat the whole situation is over ndjust wants to get bck to her plans for improvins Restenford. If the PCs express interest in further exploration of the catacoEbs, Andrella allows it ifthey agee to map the a.ea and take notes concening the conditions they find. In addition, she

DUNGEON 27

PRIESTLY SECRETS

lso demands a 20% lela on all treasure b.ought back frcm the ctcomh. If they impre$ed Capti Stren erlier in the "An Otrer Yo Cnt Rtuse" section, he speks on the PCs behlf now. As result, Andrella agre$ to 10% le!". there are other considerations fo. the PCs,hwever Ifthe PCs leam about Slmoh involvement in the whole affair, they might confmnt Father Sedrick. If they do, and Ardrell has not yet been infornd, Sedrick bess them not to tell her He explain tht the Baroness alredy hats the Phaulkon order and tht this information misht be enoush for her t ruin the abbey's reputation forever. Her disapprovl ofthe bbey has lrcady contdbuted hevity t the Phaulkon orde/s wanins condition. Instad, he ask6 the PCs t! infom the Bamness that the unded in the catombs werc .$poNible for the recent trobles, ard tht the PC8 do not know what DrcmDted the creatur' attack. These a.e d;serous lies, nd under other circurnstances Father Sedrick would never sk them of the PCs, but he fears for the future ofhis order. Father Sedrick hastens t mention to the PCs tht he realizes Brother Selmo must be punished for his actions,however missuided they miaht hve been-IfBmther Selno is pry to this conversation with the PCs, he is quick to agr with Father Sednck on the mtteB. H dds tht he is willins to submit to ny punishrnent tht Fther Sedrick presents.Fther Sedrick proposesto the PCs that Brother Selmo trvel with ihem for the nexi two years as their henchman,to aid them in retum for their hetp to the order In ddition, ifthe PCs agree,Brcther Selmo might perfon 6ome g@d dee& that plese Phaulkon and hlp at ne fo. his misglrided actions.Also, if the PCs allow Selmo t retain sone ofthe welth that he helps thern to collect in their adventures, then perhps h lnay help alleviat the Phaulkon Abbey's ffnncial burden after alt. On th other hand. ifAndrelta Rastenford does leam of Setmo's rcle in the r@nt trcubls. she is furious. Fther Seick immeditely tlk her evry'thing he has leamed frcm Selmo in etrortt appee her. Selno confesses all, hoping to 8pre the order Andrell's wrth. Andrella. confrontd with their honest confessions, is unble to publicly eliminat the abbey's presence from Rstenford. She does. however. senten@ Selmo to live years' inprisonment in C6tle Restenford'sdunseons.She also nakes sure, indirectly, tht the entire community knows tht the order was responsible for the recent trobls, even if it was an accident. In a few weks' time, when Pelltr retums fmm the

28 lssue No.7l

PRIESTLY SECRETS

mainland, he quickly stnds up for the orde., reminding the populce that without Phaulkon's priests, the whole town may hve fallen two yers ago to pirates. This helps, but the dmse hs already been done. Phaulkon'sAbbey hs lost even no.e prestige with the locls nd its days One lst nystery lso dernands attention. The Holy Chalice ofthe Phaulkon may stitt be in Sandr's hnds. Ifthe PCs have not discove.ed her role in this whol businessnd hve not retrieved it from her, the .blice remins loBt for years to come.Ifthe PCs recoverit and return it to Fther Sedrick,he is pleasedbut hs other more pressingmatters to attend to (seeabove).This levesth. PCs with the mtter of Sandr herselt Good-alisnedPCs should feel honor bound to see to it that she no longer lives on the streets-There are ny number ofpossibilities, but if the matte. is mentioned to Father Sedrick, he is happy to have th order care for the si.l. PCs angine for Sandr to live better life, should be awa.ded 50 XP each. In ddition. the PCs should also receivea 2,000 XP story reward, to be split mong them, for successfullyriddins the rown of shsts and rats. Further rewds nay be suitable as well, depndins upon tbe PCs' ctions and the whims of th DM. It is also possiblethat the PCs will discoverthe chlice'sorisinal purpose and try to put things bck the way they were. This proves problefttic at best, aB the ghasts hrve to be con' fined to the catacombsbefore placing the chlice bck upon its pedestlThis is only a tmporary solution, as Father Sedrick is quick to point out. The shasts re n old Bkeletonin th order's closetthat should have been taken care of long go. For the safety of the community,Father Sednck insists tht the undead be destroyed. Re8tenfo.dand its surroundings can lso Berveas a base fo. mny more adventures.If the PCs have not explored beyondrea 13t shaft, they may want to do so. If they do, and they loot Shehnoat's tomb, the pirate chieftain rises to puue them, perhaps hounding them into their next adventures.Days aler intruders leve his tomb with ny ofhis pos6essions.Shemnoatarises from his b.iny

grave as a mummy to seek out his Btolentreasures-Shemnotis lrnGt nindless as an unded creure nd relentlessly pursues his pos' sessionb until he hs them or he is destroyed Ifthe PCs setl some ofthe tresures in town, a rBh of mFterious nurdrs oc.u.s, with the killer coming for them next. Beyondthe confinesof Restenford, other adventuresalso awit. Perhaps the PCs may wish to help the Phaulkon order locate its lost burial crypt6, not for plunderina ofcou.se, but simply to recoversomeofth abbey'sk,st prstise.Ifthe DM hs ccess to lhe hodule I Sec.e, o/ Bon. Hill, lhere re many opportunities for adventu.e outside Restenford presentedin tht clssicadventure Shemnoata (munmy): INT lowi A L N E ; A C 5 i M V 6 ; H D 6 + 3 ;h p 3 3 i THACO l3; sAT l; Dmg I 12; SA fer,touch cau6e6di6ease; SD immune to spells tht affect only the living: magicl weponsto hit (but see belos); SZ M; ML 20i MMl261 (mummy, v.iant). Shemnota'sfer

aura is treated like a standard mumrny's fear aura. Shmnoata's rnummy rot itsa horrible liquid infection ofthe lungs that is fatal in 1d12 weeks il unheted by c disedse spell. l'or more infomation on the vrious possibleefects ofrnummy rot conslt Vdn Rithtn's Guile to lhe Shennoata cn only be hrmed by magical or special weapons.Masical weponsinflict half damase.'Special wepons"include any weaponfound in the pirte cataconbs.Against the humny, these "specialweapons" inflict full dmge.elen ifthey are lfthe I'cs sonehow destroy Shennota's body beforehe rises from the grave, his spirit still managBto cheat death in iis qest for vengence. In this case,Shemnoata .etu.ns as a spectrein l-2 months, cling in much the 3amemanner as l.edy descnbed.It shold be renenbered, however, tht due to the speclre'sweaknessin the daylisht, ll (r ofhis attcks dcur al night.

Special thenlsto
Conrad Bell Michael McGarry SomeshSelvarhandren Kris West Chris Pickup Jack Thompson Scott Auve Joe Rubinaccio Fred Buckley Matt Eyre Bob Kennedy Joe Rubinaccio David Niewoehner

ourplaytcstcrst
Matt Helms Dennis Palwitz Raymond Williamson Larry Brown Mike Oglesbee Gregg Palastro Jeff Palastro Jim Regalla Dave Deng Craig Scott Michele Debnam Brian Debnam Darrell Short,

DUNGEON 29

Paul uouLd like to d.edi@tethis ddDentreto h regular plalt%ters: Don & Smme. Pierce, Satn Everlr, Mdr Ho.man, Batry Fritts, Todd. Baughman, and thari Culotta, all of thom hae lost chacters to his Mfa.ious nonsters and. tmps "Wildspawn' is an AD&Ir adventute for 4- 6 sood or nut.l PCs of levels 6- (about 35 total levels).A well bal' anced adventu.ing pafiy works best, and it should inclde t least one cleric PC or ccess t! healins msic. A rnger would also be useful. The story starts in a fantasy kingdom clled Lunsardy, but the DM my use ny settina that borde. a larse body of wate. Although this adventure includes several spects of the SPEjaMMER9cmpaign setting, rules knowledge of the SPELUAMMER is not nesary;indeed,the DM can run the advente as a stndard AD&D scenrio. Por to play, the DM should rcview the nonste. shts on th artuk and syltix inctuded with the adventur, as well as the "tuerlafs tsland Ecolog/ sidebar.

Forlhe Ployers huntinpwhomon Revular's lsland: Who's


Lsrdr a kirgdom bordering the coast of the Menaid Ocean, is on the ve.ge of war with Bllstri, a powerlul duchy to the north. Soon afier you arrived, royal heralds bmught you an invitation to meet with Kins Stphanos IlI. At the appointed time, gurds admit you to the palce,where mil' itry officeB co er over mapstrem tabl and messengers run to and fro on vrio\rs errands. A he.ald uhers you to a smaU meeting room. There yoD meet Kins St2phanos, distinsuished otder mn who wears rcyal prple mbes nd a silver crcm. At his Bide is srirniookins amy officer who wears the insignia of Lungrdian senerat. Aiter int.oduction, the King says: 'Thnk you for comins. Your reputation is well known, nd I was delighted to her you were visiting rny Iair kinsdom. To put mattrs bluntly, I sm askins you to go oII spcial mission. one yo should find The geneml unrclls a mp and lays t on rhe t^hle. [The DM ehould

WILDSPAWN
AY PAULCI,ILOTTA

A stronge breed,indeed
Arlwo by Stv &yonl corlog&phy by Dl3l

No.7l 30 lssue

WILOSPAWI{

sive the PCs a .ow of the handout 'This is Rvulr's IBland, which lies 100 miles offour coast.Three months so, a merchant'explorcr, Captain-seneralRevula discovered it nd went ashore,findins the plce full of strange yet harmless anirnls,unNual plant life, and a centrl rnountaiD.The island's unique trees re made ofa toush, lishtweisht wood, and rich o.e samples fron the nountin contain iron. tuvular narned the place after himseu claimed it for Lungardy, and sailed home with "I ws overjoyed with the wood and ore epcimeN he brousht back, and I linanced an expedition of filiy colonists, twenty soldie$, aDd a salleon to estblish a small settlenent with a sawmill and mine. Revular left with the greatst ofexpectations,but only month latr, fifleen sunivors retumed, full of honifyins stlries of man-eting bmble monstrs nd heavily arned lizard woms that eruptd fmm the forcsts and the glounil. killing or carryiDg off their comrades. Their tles of te.rcr spread throush my people like wildfire, and someofthe clergy declared the ptace cursed by the gods.Had I ordered anyoneto return, I misht have faced revolt. "Tht brinss me to why I called you here. I m on the verge of wr with the Duchy of Ballast . My senerals tll me this could be a protracted struggle tht might deplete our resources. I need that wmd and ore on Rvulr's Islnd, ohe.e is my ofier: a Lunsrdin war glley will transport you ther. Go ashore nd take cre ofwhatever is there so that I can safely colonizethe plce.Ifyou are suc, cessful,I will mke yo soverno$ and prcvide funding to start a colony.With sales ofwood nd ore, you will becomerich in short time. I know tht this sounddifficult, but renowned adventurers such s you misht prevail. What do King Stphn prcvides not only bansport but lso any o.dinary sup, plies the PCs misht requirc. If pressed, he upsradesthe PCs'amor

by one point, but he provides no mgical assistance as he needs every potion, spellbook,nd niscellneous rnagicalitm in the pconins conflict. Ifthe PChve no wish to bcone colony govemo.s and settle down, Kins Stephn offers them a flt reward of 10,000sp, payble upon verification that the island is safe. The PCs bisht wnt to interiew surivors of the previous expedition. Award whomever thinks ofthi 100 bous XP Unfortunately, only one of the original surivors, Srseant Milakos of the Lunsrdian nrines, remains. The rest went insue, fled the country,or died. Serseant Milko is a g.izzled, battle'scaned vetern. Milkos is cuently sewing abord one of the Lungardin galleys in port. H can .ecount the following story: "Ye wnt t know ofReldais tsland?Well,let me tell ye, it's place ofdeth, that's wot it be. Aye, all was quiet for the first two weeks.The colonistsbuilt their homes and a sawmill while we maines bi]t the stockade. There was naught to do except pull grrd duty, go on patrols, nd do sorne huntin. The island hosted snall pis-headedcreatures that hopped about on furry le$. Tasty thin8s they were nd not tht tough to snare.And thre ws a neay freshwtr stream. A virtual paradise it ws, except for blck bi.ds that cried and hooted at u3 wheever we got near 'em. Then we was attacked one nisht. I w on duty, and let me tll ye, we were cught flabfooted. Thick tree thing8, brbtling with thoms, cDe climbin' o'er our wlls, and there was these lizard worm thinss, wieldin' strnse swords and crcssbows,that got inside the compound, don't ask me how I've ne'er seen such chos aDd confusion in twenty yrs of sewice, nd it was a miracle that some ofs cut ou way bck to the ship. I tell ye,I still hve nishtmrs of that pl.e. Wnt rny advice? Don't go. Ye'll have bettr chances fightin' the Dke of Ballstri's trcops." PCs might want to exmine the samples that Rvular bmught bck. Kins StephDos has them stored in

the tresury and mkes them avilable. The wood is indeed very tugh and lishtweicht, ideal for making jvelin and amw shafts, wooden shiel&, and other itms. But it is defi tely a wood tht no druid has ever seen. A3 to the ore, a PC wit}l a nin' inc pmficiency or sondary skill can deternine that it iB a high-glade iron Finlly, the PCs rnight wnt to poke around to discover more information. Most inhabitants lhudder in fea. at the mention of tuvulr's Ilnd, nd rumors abound as to what really happened.The DM can be s outladish and creative as he wants. Th.e is a small chance ( r0% per PC) tht someone remembers that a week beforc Rewlar's dicovery, several people noticed tht the full noon eclipsedfor jult a minute or two. The next day, a wandering g)sy sr pmphesied that this sign foretold imminent evil, and most of the populace believes that the eclipse foretold the @lonists doom or the upcomins wr with Ballsti.

Forlhe DungeonMosler
Revular's Islnd l@ks tike an island, but it is really a hse spetljamnins asteroid betonging t an evil race clled the syllix. Ihe tempomry eciipseof the nmn cured when the flyiry asteroid blocked tle moonlisht prior t its d$cert 100 miles The syllix stroid is not only a base for their spelammins ships, it is also an elaborat trap to lure fortune hteE, olonists, and the like. Dvery few decades, the syllix go through breeding stge knom as "the eruption." W}len it cu.s, the syllix spelljamming ships depd the baseto capture more spelljmming vessels. They man cpturedve$els with reduced pdze crews and slowly Meanwhile, the syilix who remain on th astenid land it on a planet where it ppersto be a lush, athctive islnd in o.der to captu.e and eat explorers nd colonists.W}len a syllix eats the equivlent of humnsized person durins n eruption, its hemaphroditic reproductive system kicks in, and a new fully grown syllix is bom lTer 24 hours of gstation. Wlen these monsters have eatn and

DUNGEON 31

WILOSPAWN

Revulor's lslondEcology
Wile running the dventure,the DM shold rnust keep in mind that is crefully the islnd's ecosystam balnced.The underbrush and trees provide oxysen for the air bubble tht encompasses the island while it is in wildspace-Within ths soil and hetrees, numemus trange'looking inssts and woms thrive;they pollinate the vegetation,pmvide soil nutlients, nd seFe as f@d fo. the hoo-hahbirds. The treeprovide nestins areas for the birds, and the underbruhis f@d for the pigalopes. ln the cent . ofthe island is a large fresh watr lake that has nulnerous projectins channels(all oversrown with brush for camouflage) fo. keepins vesetation irrigtd. The lake lso provides frsh wter for the higher foms of life. The bssnip fish in the lake pmvide food for the birds and the lyllixThe hoo-hh birds are food for the artuk, which can esily lie camouflased to snare thern (lthoush the rtuk are more than happy io eat any invaders tht coine their way). The syllix eat not only the basnipsbut also the pigalope. Notably, the.e is enough food to sustain the syllix untit their eruption Spcific plant fons: The only plant detailed here is the 8trnse tree tht Kins Stephanosis so intnt on han$ting. the DM should do his bst t! concoctand describeother plant form8 that are exotic and strange. Cacti that sprout moss,pine bush$ tt Stow daisies, and small S tll apple tre iwith txic blue apples)ar all po$ible. The trees on Rawlar's Island re*mble c)Tre8s trees with pine needlesand yeltow flowers. Each tree grcws up t 100 tall. Wood fmn this tre is extremely hard, durable, and lightweight. Missile weapo.s mde from it have a 25" raDge bonu6,nd woodenshields re especially resilient. All items made of this wood receivea +r bonu8 to itern

spci6c animal forDs: Att of these animals originated on other worlds. They require food, watea nd oxysen s do aninals on the PCs hone world. Only three t)Tes ofanirnals re listdhere, and the DM may wish to add other alien species. Piglopei lNT animli AL N;Ac 7t MV 15; HD 1 1; #AT nil; Dmg 0i SZ S: ML 4;)(P 7. Picalopeslook like 2 tall funy kansarms with piglike faces.They et underbru6h, but when hunsry, they dig into thc gound fo. tree rcots. Their mat ta6tes like garny turkey. Piclope hides are toush and wiry and cn be fashionedinto hide armor. They do not fisht and flee when confrcntd, Hoo-hah bird: INT animal: AL NrAC ?;MV 2, Fl24 (B);HD l-4 hp;THACo 20;*AT 1; Dms l; SZ T; ML 5;)(P 7. HoGhah bi.ds resemble black.2 tall bluejays.Althoush not ggressive. they re annoyig: whenever anlthing not native to Revulais Island comeswithin sight "Hooof one, it emiis a shrill shnek: Hhl Hoo-Hh! Hoo'Hah!" tf cornered or defending its nest. a hoohh bird attacks fearlessly and, for sone reason,fuses its attack on ihc nose of its opponent. To hunans and demihunans, hoo-hahbirds B$nip: INT animl;l- N;AC 6; MV Sw r8; HD r r;THAC0 20; iAT 1; Drng l-3; SA small body part mputtion; SZ S; ML 7; XP 15. With trcut-like pink bodies,bassnip hve projectins hozontl t@thy jaws that resemblepinkins shears. On hit, bssnip has a r5% chanceof snipping ofr an uncovered body parl such as finger or ear Otherwise il damasesamo. by I AC ifth armor fils to make a lave vs. crush'ns blow The bas8nipsrvive on algae and other plants in the lke. Ba$nip re poisonow to any hunan or demihunan who ets one. Just one bit causesthe eater to mke a saving thmw vs. poison with filure resulting in death in 2-r2 sve results in tums. A successful the eater being ill for 24 houru.

spawnedso ftany nw syllix that thc islnd cnnot support them, thcy fly their steroid base to rendezvou3 point where thy me0t the fleet and transfer the new sJllix lo the cp' tured vesscls. At that poi.t. the syllix Ile.t, now with fuU c.ews, disperses nrto Wildspaceand geson s orsy of killing. looling. and teor ]'he piglopes,hoo hh birds, and othr "ordin.y" otures tht exisi on R!trIls Island arc only enoush lo sustain the syllix who live the.e. The animals biochcmistry,howevea doesnot trigg.r the syllix rep.odc' tion; only other food.such as th humanoid coloni3is.does. Ther necd col{nisls for nother Qson A r.e lw ol the syllix newbo.n rc star'mages,blind syllix with !n iDntc rbility to work th. unique stllixin spelljannnins hclms. Th.sc creturcs rc not fllJ gr.wD when bornithey noed thre. yca.s ol specil nourishment, specifi clly eDzymes from thc living brnrs ofc.ettrres with high intcllisence or wisdom, 6uch as wi,ards, brds, nd clerics. The syllix take lhese unfortunate captivesto specil chamberswherc thy endure a long. painful exist(nce s thir captorsharvest their brain enzymsto nurture the young sla.Bcsidesthe syllix, whi.h live uDdersround.RevulEr'sisland hosts a band of!a.lk which live on the suriace.The two lwful evil racesar. closeallies since the sy)lixian desirc to plunder md loot Wildspaceis consislent with the wrlike natre ofthe Thus, the PCs are eniering.r c.' fully laid tr!p. The syllix, bsedon past expcricDcc, knos lhl hunoid races lst for the pre.ious resorces ltrees. ore. nd so forth) on the isllnd. Thy rllow the first small scouln]g prly (sch as Revular's)to explre nd leave unmolsted.After gyoupoicolonists aive. hosevcr, the syllix and aftuk allirs lttlck. The syllix buow up frorn th ground into the middle ofihe colonists cmp while the rtuk esily cUnrbover any walls. When the light is over, they take spell.sters to the starmase feedins chnbers and devor After the first ttack, thc 3yllix know that whoever sent the colonists will dispatch a military force t inves'

32 lssue No.7l

te NoleNnc

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ralunoru srqt q8norql punor -Jpun.r'aq1pu$ puE atoq ruos e or sr{Jcrlntt,{s aql aoloJ uJ sod '(a BJa sralunorug JeJ]ns, as) " sprr etoq qos aqr Jo auo rcJ r(a e lJalqo lBlnualrr Ilau eBq xrll,{s sqt Jo uO sqleud ,{ruarJuord'uou raJrns,(qt 'suodBxrll.{s aql n scdJ' lqr aloN sltoq uru su8J x ,{s qrEa 'sproas puB '$trs 3r8l 'saoqssrc.uErr qt ot uoqppe uI arsElou a^Bq xllt,{s rlJ

sisunocu3 uropuopuolsl

N^VdSO llr'^

WILDSPAWT{

--a 0rt\noq

underyater Depending on lighting and the PCs' l@ation, they could ffnd D anchor line or glsslike viewing portal (see ho.izontl view map and underground encounter re 4). Of cou.e, the DM could have shrks or other manne denizensaitck the PCs. If the heroes find and cut an nchor line (C o, 100 hp), the syllix immeditely detect the base drilting, rise all other anchors, and fly awn Wlile the PCs explore the island, they might encounter lome of the indigenouswildlife {see"lsland Rndom Encountels").Generally,it is safe. for the PCs t trvel at nisht becausemost island ceatures steep

Surface EncouteE 1. rofmer Colony. Several bandoned buildinss, a stckade,and a pier Inrk the spot of Revdar's ittftd colony. Althoush sisns of bloodshed and fishtins exist, there ar no corysesto be found. One building contains toots for minins, and anothe. buildins contins a sawmill. The equipment has jNt begn to rust. Therc k 20 clernce between the stckde wll and the surrounding Serchins the buitdinss, the PCs lind forty usble arrows and three sks offlammable oil. They atso find Revular's diry, which recouts the colonists daily proge$. Nothig in the diary aives any indiction tht the colonisb suspected they were in dange. The dir./ mentions the hoo' hah bi.ds and pigalop as species encountered by the ettlers. lt also mentions the lake and iisation ditches,the latter mentioned as'evidenceofsobe lost civilization," aDd it states that Revllar named the lake Kristi's Lke afiier his wife. Finally, n entry reveals tht one of the colonists, a dnid, deternined that the lke's fish a.e poisonous. On the grounds are three stran dep.essions, each about four feet in diameter. PCs with a minins prof! ciency or skill can make a skill chk to relize that they arc filled-in shafis. The syllix u*d their umber hulks to tunnl undemeath the coloDy.Aftr the attack, the umber hulk filld then in. Otside the stockade, sixten artuk keep watch over the ruins in the

Revuloas lslond Exploring


Before lea\ring on the Lunsardin ealley,the PCs can load whatever supplies and equipment they need, but the vssethas no accommodations for mounts. Aiier an uneventful journey, the galley captain pmvides the PCs lonsboat to get ashore, but he refuses to rtuk any sailors or mnnes soins with thern. Indeed, while the PCs explore, he patrols out of sight. On the fffth nisht afier the PCs tand, he .etums to a rendezvous point to pick them up- The cptain insists that the heros leve his ship under cover As they rcw to shore, PCs see the followins: Loomins beforeyou is Renlar's Islnd. its outline visible in the moonlight. Offin the distanceyou see the shpe ofwhat look like a central mountin, perhps burned out volcano.Closer to shore you make out the lorms of larse trees.The place iB absolutly silnt, with the only sound you her coming frorn the splashins of

The PCs can deba.k wherever they desire.Once it is daylight, they see the centl mountin nd the vrious t}?es ofvegettioq nd occa' sionally they her birdlike sound ("Hoo-hh!Hoo-hah!'). PCs who have spells or items that allow flight set far better view of the islnd. Dependins on their height and location,they can set view of the mountain, vegetation,lake {.ea 3), nd the clearing where the artuk have their daily feast (arc 6). The cterins shold not be visible unless fllng PCs r within one mile and at lest 300 high. PCs at least 1,000fet up might notice (lntllisence check with -2 penalty) a seometric desigl: certain pIts of the island (irisation ditches) are slishtly sreener than others- PCs who fly withiD 50 feet of the treetops attract 1d4 hoehh birds (seemndom encount. #2). The wate. surrounding the islnd shoE is 300 deep.PCs with nutical backgmunds or pmficienciesmisht lso notice tht there are no narks on the shore tht indicate rhe usut tide lines. PCs with watr-brething spells or mgical items might try exploring

34 lssueNo.7l

wl{ wtLDsP

hopthat someone turn8. OncePCB arc visible, the aaltuk boil out oftlrc suroundins woodsard climb ov. the walk. Har8hoot p ets as coveriDg fir while the reEainder clo t within 30 feet md try t ntsngle the PCs with their t trgs. Art.l (16): INT veiAe;AI LE; AC 6;MV6; HD 2+1;hp 16,15 ()), 14 (r4), 13 (x8), 12;IICo 19;JaAT l; Drng 1-a; SA entangling tonue Gxterity chckto avoid);SZ M;ML 12;XP 120;spae43. 2. Irrigltior Ditch. Fed ftom th lake (a 9), thes irrigstion ditche eild right beforetlrc coastline, du that thy are ot naturI. The ditches keeDthe tree8 snd othe! Dlant life

well-wateredt maintain the illusion that this ft an atbactive, verdt tuld. Each dit h tu l0 wide rrd 6 deep.Vegtstionoverharys all the dit he. 3. Kt'i.ti's LLe, This freshwater lke tu about 100' dep.While the PCs explore lons the shor,there is a l0% chanceper tlm (non-{Mulative) that a hch}l bi.d spotstheD. Fmm the shorelile, they qsionally s b8striD. On the est e ofthe lake, e app.ently naturat sprig of ft8h wtr floffi om the montein into the lake. the "sprind actually come om the syllix puriffcation chsmber.(Seundrsround arca 7). At eisht loctions,iisEtion ditaheg

lvethe lal to other part! of the islad. Underwter scren kep the b$nip fiom lering the lake's conPc8 who explor the watrliDedi3coverthat the lalrc shor,ju8t like the oceancoa8tline,doesnot sradualy slopirtr the wate4 it ep6 traight dowD.IroLirg around the lkeftont PCs cr 6nd eigt tie8 i{ith strang sr.mbolscarvedint the trunk. msy desigrt berthing areg3for stlix spe[iming vessls, sincesylix generally uethos de3iened to land in watr (hammerships,squid6hips, galleons).hesntly, no ve3s16 ar in the lake aBthey are all out trying to cptwe mor sbip6 for the Bylix spaMed during the eruption.

DUNGEON 35

WII.DSPAWN

Twenty feet behind each tree with a carvins is a sortie hole, all but one coveredwith dirt, leaves.and twigs. The uncoveredone is used by syllix who come to the surface to hDnt or fish. The chancesoffindins a sorti hol is 1-2 on d6, althoush ransers, elv,nd druids fid one on a .oll of l-3. Movins the $ound cover aside revels 4'dimeter locked metal lid with a two'inch slot in its center There are fou. ways to open the lid: .l Up to fo PCs my combine their strength to wrench it openi this requires combinedBend Bars roll (rolled by the character with the .:. using a "key" recovered liom a syllix (seerndom encounter #3); .l a rosue PC usins his open locks skill l-207. penalty due to the lien When the PCs open a sortie hole. A teeplyslanting circulr hole disappersinto utter drkness.The sides ofthe hole are mde of neither earth nor rock, but a strans crystalline mtrial that rdites dim pink slow The hole seemsperfectly rond and sm@th, but every five feet there is rcund fist'sized riblik protrusion of this stEnse mtenI. You smell distinct mn rerninding yo of slightly

unde4round welt-lit (no infravision). The ha.dened crystal dissolveswhen dousedin wine, rubbins lineaments, or any other liquids containins lco hol;lishtnins, fire. wter, nd acid Nomally syllix emerse from these sortie holes to hunt, fisht invadere. nan their vessels,or confer with the aartuk. Ech hole descends at a steep angle, reqiring the PCs to Dserope, mountaineering equipment, or some other way to climb down safely.The crystlline sides ofthe hote are somewhat smooth (-157. chanceto all clinbins checks), nd PCs who slip set a roush, burnpy slide and suler 1d8 hp damase.Atter T5 descent, each tube winds and turns for miles but eventually leads to one ofthe syllix living chmbers(see "Undergound Encounters,"re 2). 4, Mountain. A 2,000 high bare-rock nountainjut8 out frcn the cente. of Revulals blnd. PCs with a mining proticiencyor econdary skill .ecognize nunerous plces wh chipped away smples.nd these re far too mny to have been tken by the colonists.Indeed, these plces.e where other victims cme nd Behind a large bush on the west side ofthe nountin is a sortie-hole (seearea 3). This sortie-holeiB at ground level, nd the tunnel heds straight to the est, leading to the tinker snomes worksbop (see 'Underyround Encounters,' are 7). Durins the day, smoke bittows ftom the top ofthe montin, and onceevery hour a burst ofsteam vents into the tmGphe.e. PCs my explore these phenomenaby flyins (if they have the men) or climbing up. The face ofthe mountin is extremely steep and requires t least one PC with mountaineering proficiencyplus Any hero who gets within 10 feet ofthe summit hs I'in'6 chnceof noticing a Btonecover to an opening in the Bideofthe mountain,just below the summit. There are four such covers.each 5 x 5, and they are viewing areas fiom underground encounter ares 8-10. These covers nay be opened fron the outside by usiDs *nrr spll or a rine from a

5. l,ongboat. A thicket of bushes conceals lonsbot tht blongedto an adventuring prty sent by the Duke ofBallstri. Alter piestold hin ofthe island. he sent his own heroes to explore it. Those adventurers met untinely ends, nd the PCs might find this out frcm further explo.ation. Inside the lonsboat are five wterkins, several larse sacks with food ( t tl of24 mealsj, two quivers ofshefrrowq and two 50 coils ofrope. If player has lost his PC. a kind DM misht insert an NPC suwivor ftom the Ballstrian party here so tht the player can continue with the adventure. 6. Cooktrre. Once dy, the artuk cook their dily meat in larse 200 diametr clering where they hold spitted piealopesnd hoo-hahbirds over the flames on woodenspih. PCs who carefully approachthis re have a reasonblechnceofsneking up nd obserins the area (only l-in10 chanceofbeing detectedby one of the few guards). Thirty artDk feed while five others stand grrd in the suounding trees. The h@-hah birds know bout this cleanng and avoid it. In a clearins, dozensof6 tall thomy plntlike c.eatures c@k spitted chunks of rnet and birds. A lons tonsue nicker from ech creature'scentral stlk. nd they all make clickins noisd as they et. t the north end of the clerins is a thick, black'barked tee with vadous items hanging from its branchesby ropes or strings. You se a glove, spear, helmet, and other thin8s you cant make out. Thi t.ees branchesare lush with sickly yellowish-greenleaves. Somethins hs carr'ed a tll image ofthe clicking creatures t the botton ofthe trunk. About 20 up you can s a 8-dianeter hollow openin& Severl clay umq stckedtwo high, ring the bottom of the tree. The PCs hve prine oppodunity to cast some mjor spells in a surprise ttck. Aftr the initial round, the five artDk hidden anons the trees maneuver to outllank the PCs while thos in the clearing charse. Fmm a dens thickt behind the crved tree an aartuk elder emerses and casts spells to id the artuk

PCs who mke minins or tonemasonry check relize tht the ribbed protnsions are like suppod beams in s mine- Chipping away at the crystalline material is dimcult, taking at least three tums to aet a hnd-sized chunk out, and while the PCs are so enssed.there iB a 20'l chanceper turn of ttrctins syllix from below (6ne sttistics s listed in rndom encounter #3). The mtrial is unlike anythins the PCs have ever seen.but oncethey pry out chunk they find ordinry rock and dirt underneath. Du.ing their exploration in the undersound, the PCs find this materil elzing most sufce Eas. The syllix secrete this BIUITliom their bodiesin liquid foITn,and it takes twehe hours to solidify.The Intenal, althoush orsanic, blocks the use of spells like sbn" ,s,ope, d;,neasion doo,i and rel?pot. Its glow keeps the

3lssue No.7l

r NoreNno

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qrBouapu

3ruos

ltil vdsollll/t

WILDSPAWI{

Underground Encounter Areas 1-6


pas6ges io Kristi'6 Lake

;l;til;{
p$ages to Kristi's Ike sortie holes

One square = 2Oleet


Undrgr:oud Encounters A battle swords nd ttack fearlsslyjn this cavern doesnot lert the syllix 2. Living Chambe.s. Ech ofthese chambers acconmodatesup to 100 syllix, but thus far only one chmber is occupied. Th chnber wlls have crystalline peglike pmt.lsions six feet from the floor.ltrhen syllix rest, they wrp ihei. tils around the pegs nd hns upside down with their heds lying ilt on the floor Chmber 2a hotds fifty sleepins syllix nd ten awake ones.Sleeping syUix nke loud puins soundstht should cover the PCs pproch. (Thievesreceive a +20% bonus to their move silently rolls.)wben arousedby the PCs, awknedsyllix need tull round to am themselves. Chhbrs 2t' 2e are unoccupied, s the syllix from these chambersare ut in Wildspaceon the base'3spelljrmming !ssels,trying to capture Chambers 2fis lso unccupied, bt the pinkish slow in herc is brishtr and stronser, nd the smell is weker.This area ws recently dug

6
out and coveredwith the oystlline 6lime excretedby the syllix. The covering is not yet dry nd hs a thick geltinousconsistency, although there is nothing to give this awy except th chansesin odor and hue. Clever PCs who poke the ground head of then also discoverthis. Any PC who wandeB in sinks up to his ankles, ruining his footwear. Extrictine oneselffrm the goo requires Strenclh check.PCs who do not clean offthe soo find their feet encsedin a thin veneer ofha.dened crystal three turns later, impcing a 6 penlty to their Dextrity and -2 penalty to their movementrates. The only real way to get the stull o'I i6 by A usins an alcohol-bsed substnce. PC with the herblisn pmficiency or a background in lchemy can deter The walls and floor in chamber 29 re nfinished rock and dirt. Ten syllix arc using long poleswith sponge'tikeends to coat the ceiling with rosy coloredliquid. They dip their polesinto lrge culdron on wheets.There is prcticlly no odor in here. This chnber is beins prepared

Eventually the PCs should find a sor tht tie-hole nd g below Pssges led below re munded. smooth,nd con four feet in diametr Passass necting the chmbers are about 10 feet in dinetea and livins areas are about 12 high untess Btatddifferhave a coatins of ently-All passages the same pinkih, crystalline sub' stance found on the walls ofthe sor' tie-holes.(See"Surfce Encounters," are 3, for desription), and th place smells like bumt bacon.Unlss otherwise noted, ll syltix have the sam statistics as those in random r. Meeting Hall. ThiB enonnous chanber is 30 hish nd servesas r place for Byllix to eat, trin. worship, and plan. ]n one area are wheeled, woodenmock-upsof slleon nd a hammership spelljmnins vessel. The syllix use them to train in boaldTwenty syllix are here prcticing swordsnanship with woodenBwords. Once arcused,thy pul1 out rel

38 lssue No.7l

w -osPAwt{
for newly born syllix. Fit the umber hulks perfon th necessry excavtions, nd then the syllix cot the ceiling. Once the ceilinss ffe dry, the syll* cot the wlls and floors. In combat,four of the syllix pick up the cauldron and toss the contents at the closestPC. A sucssful attack vs.AC 10 (minus the PC's Dextrity and magical bon$es) results iD the PC being coatad with the liquid. Unls removed,the PC loses 1 point of Dexterity nd his novment drops by I ech hour e the liquid solidilies. Altr 12 houft, the PC is encasedin a thin but solid crystalline veneer.The liquid has no effect on the syltix, as Chamber 2h is totally ufinished chambeaand it is dark. Once the syllix have finished chmbe.29, they will strt coating this rea with their crystlline substnce. PCs misht use this as place t rest and hide while underemund, althoush if they have cusedany comnotion. the syllix search all undersound areas thoroughly. S. Grcwth Chamber. Four syllix guard thk chambe. Once combat commences, one tries to run off for help. Wlile in this chamber,all syllix attck with a +2 bonus to attack mlls s they are defendins their "young.' In the chamber lie two other syllix bloated up to twice their nomal ihickress. These two consumedthe adventuers handed over by the aar' tuk and, in another eight houE, wilt spm two fully glowll syllix. They cannot move but can shoot their loaded cros8bow.PCs cannot rescue the former dventureru by hackins open the bloatd syllix bodies;it is 4. Viwirg Portsl. A windins tDnnel teds to snatt chmber with a 3 diameter bubble of thick slss that cunes outwrd. The window tu nagiclly attuned to the contrcl room {are 0), ffording the syllix various views of their base'sunderside.One is only 30 feet below the water's surface and, durins daylisht hours, the PCs can get a good rdetrater view The rest are deep undenater and dark. Holding a light up to the glass entitles PCs to an IDtalligen@ ch4k; succss indicates that the herces can spot fish wandenng by outside. The glss my be broken by inflicting 50 hp dmgefmm hevy wepons(vs. AC 3) or by sotte. spell, althoush doins so floods the unde4mund areas quickly. Enomous water pressure blasts the PCs down the tunnels (3 18 hp damase) to the nearest large chamber Three tuns later, the syllix in area $ detact that the island is siking nd lift the aste.oid base out of the water, angle it Bothe wter drin out, nd then comelooking for whatver cusedthe mishap. 5. Umber Hurk Chambr. Four umber hulks provide the syllix with the mens to cene out new pssges and tunnels in their ndererond lail Thei living area is dark and not covered with syllix crFtlline fomtioft. Wen the PCs cone in here, the urnber hulks attack hunsfily since humarkind is their fvorit neat and they haven't sotten much latly (becuse ofthe syllix erption cycle).If the umber hutks'norale breaks, they bumw through the stone wlls, collapsing their escape tunnels bhind them. If this occuB, use the suriving umber hulks as random encounters thmughout the rBt of th undeqround exploration (1-in-8 chnceper hour ofan umber hulk suddenly eruptins fron a wll or noor and ttackins the PCs, althoush it is inpossibte for the umbr hulk to surpse the PCs as it needs a one round to brk through the crystlline coverinS). Umber hulk (4): INT average; AL CE;AC 2; MV 6, Br 1-6; HD 8+8; hp 62, 59, 55, 51; THAC0 11; #AT 3; Dmg 3-1213-1211-10; SA confwion; SZL:ML 13;XP 4,O0Oi MMt352. 6, Purification ChaDber A con' plex system of mechanicalpumps, pipes,and valves brings sea wter in to a huge boxlike metal container, spamts the salt throgh some sort of intenal heting process, nd sends fresh wate. t-othe lake outside nd to the docking brths (area 8). Nerby is n normous vt that collectsthe salt. It needsemptins every seven days. FouI syltix tnd this chamber and immediatly attack inhuders. Breaking n intake pipe (through a dstructive spetl) has the same results as opening the viewing portal (area 4), although a kind DM might rule that the pipe tu merly leking and can give the PCs a few hours to figre out a wy to plg it (e.g., neDd;"s Bpell,or usins the snomes in area 7l before it bursts open. 7. Forge. ThiB rea contains a forge. chimney. nd tbles and shelvescovered with numemus tools and sdsets. Offin one corner are insots of metI, lumbea banels of nils, mpe, and other supplies.In another comer are two snall beds.Two smalt hunoids scurry rcnd the forse, pondins on an anvil and chattring xcitedly to each other. Four creatures,looking like cross betweena worm nd a lizrd and each armed with a crossboq watch the two hurnanoidsthrough lidtess eyes.Two tunnels lead from this .hamber, one ppearing to go doM while the other spirals upward into

The bansins on the forse allows te PCs to srpise the syllix, although one tries to cpe up to area 8. The two small eatures arc captive tinker gnomes named Th syl' Catrwondk and Sneezalot. lix captured them severalyears ago and use them as a slve maintennce crew They forge metl wepons, do routine maintenance, repair the purifi.tion systm (which they inventd),and other miscellaneous chores. Ech grome caies a lar8E iron ball and chain a.ound his foot. The gnoms greet the PCs with delighted chttr and relieft beins freed. Unfortuntly they only speak Gnomigh and Syllix. A PC who speaksGnonish has a 60% chanceof understandins them, or PCs may speak with them through nagical nens. The snones cn d.aw the PCs a roush np ofthe syllix lair interior if the PCs successfully comnunicte The gnome8cn also desc.ibethe niure of the syllix "soo' ifthe PCs haven't encountredit before-Ifthe PCs have run int soo problems, te two somes have a barrel of dwanen le, a pancefor PCs whGe legs or bodies are stitrening with crytlline Both gnomes are prcficient blckBmiths and like to putter round mking new thin$, although the

DUNGEON 39

Ll oN onq 0t

urtq e suop otla tt[,{s'uou V s8Eu 'rels aqr oq spEuor ttqlEtolal luErsur oletrunuuoJ or urt'{ lqBua pue prot xlll^s aql roJ are'l3l-ulqpuB Iqc Irtuar qJ uod aql r ssutqr pu" srhap snouB^ qldolra qe scd aql :a^o sr lequoJ aruo sltor T]llE ilaqt ot atllsuad Z- raJns luo pu suuBq pooS.{llBuotldrx ^eq 'purlq q8noqlp 'satBlu-rls rtrr-atJBtu"t s1I t{lta qJ sJaAurJ Cd aqr alSuerts pu qBrS01 sur Pu lno sqrar a8eu'rBrs xlltds B'sqad dBq leqlJt asotr srst cd ssalun ard,.ryed tou op lnq.{lpllrx ral aql lequot Suun lBqr satsEu'rBrs 'PtorlsE^rssBu aq1 ^ou ol sreu -r4s a^u II sal41I pu surlq JofEu ue'xlt^s srE sIB'{r ^'J rlaqJ '.Eld 01 acBldurdj asBqs8nq q1 dU ot,ltrqB qt ^eq rBqr xltt^ pullqJo d sr'qJ paalq le,rads e s3Bu-Je] otuerts ql ur palasxttlds aqJ 1OI crD)uoor ura Jsa aql uorJ tll prol xlll^s aql x,ttIs rql'lEquror pu spren8.{poq Jo Punor prr'{laquo 16 are) qPou aql uo{ .{e{ rtl ulol xlll,{s rour ^g 'lequoJo punor puo'as aql uo 'srpnrlut ,{u {re$e IlarBrpauut raqr Pu? 'uooJ s,ql prsnA xttls p3ue lq8tg stdnd ou qlta sqro ltl{a dlsed ar so,{s.rnrB . a^U sI{J surlq pdEq8,{taAuBrlsaqlJo taqlouE EUI -Jea x![fs B sr rtEqr q'Ea uI sIPq. rt'uls Dqlo ^$ rE.pls auo or.uo Furtr.. aqt uo{ rta Jetq snoutuo u uoJ ssueq leql lautaq SuDtool 'ppo uB qtra.r"luar oqr u, rtqJ ad.{r -oSunotpadn. ,{p8usrls e suleruor roqusqJ srqJ IqE8qC lorroc I '(Z-I 3uO) Iau -qeq lleus !a33BP 16t/r{rv :8 '1}[ :S zs:saorql aur^es cu or snuoq z+ uod ,tq 8uo 1610cvHI s :d,{1 1 9 d ' { l r O H 1 9^ j \ I : 0 1 C V : C N .IV:q8rq JNI (Z) auout rarlull, .]o rtu'ql plnot suou.8lqu'1,{tuo rBql s8urqt taqlo puB lssaqrJo satru aql 01ulprotrE ,(llrBssu lou) preoq aqr ssoll rflsa puE dn puw lsrll srld ql' las ssqr e sr{tdsrrua lsql staq.{ tul -I.otrut Jo apursouz plaq-pue'{ 'sor8ur@u llt punos r8ql rdBor llnq a{n suoqdprtuor qrh plllj are salqq raql dersaJrtf p'e plnoc leqt Bu(0ou a)tsu sruou5qr arns {eu or raq uaDp spreni dI xnls

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ilr/rvdsoll/\

WILDSPAWI{

weapon typei S 9, D 15, C 11, I 14 ifomerly l?), W 9 ifomerly 12), Ch 10; ML ll; XP 1,000(for rescueonly): bracers ofdefnse AC 7. Toren (Gihlvel human priest): AL NGi AC 4i MV 12i P6i hp 19 (35 at full): THAC0 18; {AT 1: Ilmg by wepontypei S 13, D 9, C 12, I 9lfor' m e r l y 1 2 ) , W 1 5 ( f . m e r l y1 8 ) ,C h l 5 l ML lziXP 1,000(for rescuonly); r0. Syllix Lords Chamber. This roon hs four pess in the wall for th syllix lo.d nd his bodyguardsto us while sleepins.A 4:high slnted table slnds in the middle ofthe room, and on it are several rnetl shetsbound together Next t the shetsjs a sharp, pointed instrument of diller' ent metI. In th corner stands 10 i 3 x 2 cofn-like metal box wilh a sjngle hole in its centr.Hnging on wlls are four tapestries depicting syllix triumphs in Wildspace. The bound metl sheetsare th ship's logbookwitten in strange runes on the vlious pges. A ro'ue can decipheri fter several houts ol work using his read lngagesbilily, The but at hlfhis nomal chnce. book cn be decipheredusing appro prite spells or by sorneone brave enoughto read it while weans onc ofthe helmcls in a.et L The book revelsthc various wderingsofthc syllix, iheir history with their-island bas,and their latest victims. The last pa$age rejoicesat the up.oming cruption nd details the exact time and specificcoordinatesin Wildspace where they are supposed to rnThe dezvouswith their compnions. PCs,ofcor6e,should have no cle as to where these coordinatesare, nor do they nderstand the syllixian method ofkeepins iine. What is importnt for the PC6 to relize is that the syllix cuently in Wildspacewill cone look ing for ihei. island baBe. (lonceledbetwen the leavesof the book is a pointed instrumentlhe key to the chest. Using something else ilike the shrp metl thing on the desk, a knitting needle,or a stiletto blde)results in 8-48 hp elec' A PC usine some form trical drbase. ofinsullion like thick glovessuffers hlfdmase r.om the shock.Puttins ny non-netatlic object into the hole doesnot trigger the trap, nor doesit

One square = 5 feet

UndergfOUnd

Encounter
Areas 7-10

I,IOO feet

TG = Tinker Gnome S = Syllix Guard

bo-9\

F';l:jr,:

si
75 feet

One square = 20 feet

Inside the box is the syllil trea' s u r y r 4 1 1p p , 3 , 2 4 4g p , 2 8 3e p , a n d 1,233sp along wilh 20 gems rvales 3 gp,4 x 800sp,8 x 2 , 0 0 0g p , 5 x 1 , 0 0 0 ! 500 gp) nd tive piecesofjewelry lvlues 2,500 gp,3 x 1500 ?, and 400 gp). There r also seven magical itemsla clericas l ollof Nke.lead,a uand ol liqhtntq t:10ehrgesl,a .las +2,^ f@tnar's nau +3, a lhim ofopenis tr' sesremainins), cursed steld -1, and spell book. The spell book, nace, nd wand belons to the NPcs. The NPCs will

want their thitgs back, but the NPC mage right allow PC wizards to.opy spells from her book in gratitude lbr s a v i r u h r l i f e . l T h eD M s h o u l d detrmine what spells rc nr the mage'sbook). !inl1!, the tpcshes in this chambet qlify as art objecis,

Concluding lhe Advenlure


Wiping out the evil raceson Revulr's lsland rDsthe P(ls story asard of 20,000 XP in additiot to rpe'cncc

41 DUNGON

WILDSPAWN
hrvting of 100 tres per yer, no sround is availble fo. other agricult(rle, thus requiring the PCs to grin, etc. import fmit, vegtbles, Finally, the ircn ore is dch and may be mined, givins the PCs a net monthly income of50 e? per month, although therc is a l% chnce (dmultive) every three months t}lat the ore $'ill be exhausted.It take8 1,000 g! to stari mininA plus the PCs have Of ourse, neighborins countries may not care for Lunsrdian cotony having the comer on such precious commoditiesand misht send an expedition to conquer it. The most obvious cndidt for doins this is the Duke of Ballastri, who prcbbly wonderu what happenedt the adventurers he sent there. The biggest Foblem is that mny of the syllix were ot on Rvulals Island when the PCs cpt there. Ot in Witdspace, thy have been capturing spelljamming ships t accomnodate the new syllix from the eruption. The syllix werc lupposed to rendezvous in three years. the nomal exo$'th period for the star-mases. W}Ien the yllix reach the rendez-vous point and their splljamming bse isn't there, it is a solid bet tht they come looking for it ) and the PCs.

emed throush combat and other bonuses.Additionlh Kins Stephanos keeps his wold by ppointins them as a sovernins council nd financins a colony with a startup grant of 3,000 gold pieces. Claiming the island as a base of operations for future adventure is huge rewrd tht opens the door for rolplayins chllengesand future dventures.To colonizethe plce.the PCs need to recmit followerc.and that prcves difficult siven the witd stories of wht hppenedto the first colonists.The PCs shoutd hve to roleplay their recruiting efforts, and no one wnts to go Dnlessthe PCB offer .ecruitins bonuses or other Another chaltengeis tht the ecol' ogy of Revular's Islnd is disruptedOnce the aartuk nd syllix re wiped out, the hoo-hh birds and pislopes have no predto.s. Unchecked breeding leads to an e.uption of pigalopes and hoo-hahbirds. The pigalopesnot only eat the underbrush, but also grub into the cround to eat the roots of the trces, eventally killins them (nd depdving the b8eofits oxy' gention source).Trnsplnting trees elsewheredoesnot wo.k: they onty grow in the uniqe soil found on the islnd. Too many hoo-hah bi.ds also ndanger the trees.They destroy insect.which are necessryfor polli-

natioD, and wormi which add ntrients to the unique soil. A solution is to introduce new p.edtors. Capturing wolves,cheetahs. or other camivores will keep the pigalops in check. Bird-tins constrictor snkes kp the hoo'hah popultion dom. Some PCs misht set the bdght ide of huntibs and exporting piglopemet, but to do this requires somewy ofpresering it. Solutions include constructing snokehouse or usins the salt fmm the water purification system fmm the spelUamminsbase'sintrior. Any PC who thinks of this should receive a 500 )(P bonus.Captured hoo-hah chicks caDbe hained by PCs with the animat haining proliciency to sive ditrerent lert cries for up to five different types of foes. Without hining, they cuse a .uckus whenever ny humanoid comeswithin their sight, nd thus they usually mke Assunins the PCs hndle the animal prcblems,they lso have t be sensitive to over-hrvestingthe trees. A PC with a forcster secondary skill or druid can detemine that only 100 trees per yer my be harvested,but the PCs must replnt the are with seedtinssand keep thern protected fmm pisalopes,which love young saplings.An offshootofthis problem is that to nintain constant

by Aoronwillioms
gULX, atu9gtle att4tt<. a^p aati@ 45lq4tl(ap-41,P: t tEL cAafl ll

rr Saaell tN taa1D

42 lssue No.71

DUNGEoN Advenfures #71

Artuk
Waior Elder Any temperate or tropicl lnd Very rare Rare Tribe Tribe )1 1, ),

CLIMATE/TERN,AIN: FREQTJENCY: ORGANIZATION: ACTIVTIY CYCI,E: DIET: INTELLIGENCD: TR,EASURE: ALIGNMENT: NO. APPEARING: ARMOR CISS: MOVEMENT: HIT DICE: THCO:
NO.OFAITACKS: DAMAGE/AmCK: SPECIALAIACKS: SPDCIAL DEFENSES: MAGIC RESISTANCD: SIZE: MORAIE: XPVALI'E:

r@

F.,l

Average l8-l0r

High r 13 14)

Q (l) Lwful evil 10-100


6 6

w (I)

Lawful elil

5 (6) 6

15 1 1 18 530 Nil Splls Immune to plant bsed nd pob,no.p, spells (elders oDly) Nil Nil M (6 tatl) L (8 tall) Stedy (11-12) Elite (13 14) 12O 3,000 the eye tyrants conqueredtheir home plnet generations aso.Asainst beholdersand their kin, aartuk have a +1 bonus to attack and saving thmws. Habitat/Society: Aartuk live nd die for waa which is linked to their religion. They prefer worthy, strong oppo' nents nd have been known to let captured opponents (exceptslave pilots) go oncethey dtucovermore worthy Artuk need air and are capbleofspeech, but nonelders spak only their own strnge tonFre-a mixture of .ustles, sraps, clicks, pops,nd whistles. The elder lds the tribe and provides clericl sidance for one specific deity, typically n evil sod ofwar The elder lso oversees the'si{t ofbi.th" (seebelow).Aaftuk burn their dead and keep the ashes in ums. Ecologyr Aaruk insest any kind of ourishment. but they prefer to cook their food. They et by abso.bins f@d through an opening undeneath thei bodies. Aartuk reproduction is particularly srislyr They place their tongue on an open wound of victim for three rcunds, infecting it with a virus. Ironically, they call this process the "gift of birth." Ech day, the victim lG rd6 points of Constitution until deth occuru.Meanwhile the body turns into ajellylike substance,hostins an embryo created from the virus. One month lter, fully grown aartuk warior ernerses frorn the jelty. If a victim c be saved before death occB, the prccess might be hltd by c&re d;seosespell. The victim must lirst mak systm shk rotl (basedon his current Constitutionj and ifsuccessful, he recovers lost Constitution points at a rte of one/day, althoush he losesone point pernanently. Ifhe fils his systn sh@k rotl, he dies instantly, lthough the aartu embrvo dies with hin.

2+7 19

The artuk are nomadic plant eatures oryanized into small tribes, each led by an elder They have str-shaped bodiescoveredwith thick. flexible bark that resembles spiked lether An aartk moves on three of its five brancheB, nd it has one snakelike stlk that coils in and out of the cntrl stump. Aartuk hve a wide vriety of colortion, but in each caseit blends into their natural environment (80E chance of remining concealed if the viewer is 30 or more feet way).Artuk detect movement via vib.ation, snell, nd infravision. bt they caDnot B visible light. Comba Artuk attck in one oftso ways: 1) spittins a rock-hard pellet frcm their head Btalk for 1d8 hp danage;or 2) entngling a victim with a 30 tonsue.Victims may only avoid the entanglement with a successful Dextrity check, or by successlul Strencth check in later rounds ( 1 pnalty per round a{ter the first). Dntangled victims are pulled to the centr olthe artuk's body where it is crushed by the creature's branches ( rd8 hp danage Elder rtuks shoot fire seeds up to 60 feet away, inflicting 5d6 hp damage.They also cast Bpellsas 4th level priests. In addition to these powers, elder aartuk re innune to spells or maAicl effects t}lat are planfbased or alter their physicl shpele.s.,polynorph other). Because aartuk have no innate splljanmins ability (not even eldersj, they normally avoid harmins opponents who demonstrthelming abilities. Their gol is to capture sch opponentsand enslvethem for such uses.Some artuk, however have llied themselveswith other creatures who have spetljamnins abilities, such as the syllix. In this case,the aartuk serve s worthy rnercenries. Aartuk are swom enenies of beholders, as they believe

DUNGEON 43

Syllix
CLIMATETRRJN: FR,EQUENCY: ORGANIZATION: CTN'NY CYCLE: DIET: INIEI-LIGENCD: TREASTJRE: ALIGNMEITf: NO. A.PPDARING: A.RMOR CI-SS: MOVEMENT: HIT DICE: THACO: NO. OF ATIACKS: DAMGE/AI'IACI& SPECIAL ATIACKS: SPECIAI DEFENSES: MACIC R,ESISTANCE: SIZE: MOR-AIEl XP VAU]E:
Any tmperate or tropical laDd Hivr'plat on

DuNcEoN Advenlu@s *7|

Averase (8 10) D Lawful evil

2 t2 (444) 7 12(6) 3+1 t7 1 1-8 o. by weapontype Nil Nil Nil M (7 lons) (15) Elite (13)or Champion durins eruptionphse 175
but consciousand live, for months. often in excruciating pain. Dunng this tine. their brain8 arc litemlly sucked out oftheir skulls by developinsmase-str. In space,the syllix employ vesselswith spelljanmins helms powered by mage-staE. HabitaUsiety: the syllix develop in very small are. such s n asteroid or an island on plnet. They breed aDd feed until the population of their iand, fleet, or astroid reaches exptosive proportion. Hemaphrcditic, each syllix sives birth fte. it has eaten enoush food. Eventually, the syllix start t give birth to genertion of blind, white young. These are called the mse-stE. The mase-strs re syllix in every wy, except that they are blind-and thus do not practice combt-nd thy hve the innte ability to activate a spettjammerhelm. Wen these mge-staE reach mturity (fter bout three ye$), the syllix suddenly go thrcah the glet conwlsion their society, and the rest of the worlds, cll the Eruption. An eruptins bnd of sytlix has one mase-stffred helm of SR 6, two of SR 5, three ofSR 4, nd so on throush six of SR rGuided by their mase-strs, the syllix break out of their honeworld nd spread across spce in an orsy of attck, ing, looting, nd killins. No pdsoneE are tken when the syllix are in the midst of the eruption. Ech individual attacks with +1 tlonus to all attack rolls. Their morale is incrcasedto Champion tevel. Ecology: The lyllix is a meat-eatins scavenser. It can live in most ctimtes,but it prefers those that sen as habitat for a a lot of poteDtial food-Many an islnd, ast.oid, or small continent has been ravaged by a sowins host of syllix during thei. breeding stase.

The syltix is a hiehly developed inveftebrate, resembling a cr8 between wom and a salmander. The syttix's body is segmented, tpe.ing to a pointed til and a wonnlike hd with a pair ofwide, unblinking eyes.It has a lons, forked tonsue that is oftn slippins in and out of its Unlike a worm, howeveathe syllix also has two pairs of limbs. These are rubbery.tentclelike appendases. Ech of the lower lirnbs ends in a flt pad. The upr'r limbs end in six snaller tentacles that. becase oftheir boneless nture, are even mo.e de{rous thn fingers. A sylli! can move by oawlins or slitherins alons the sround, or by walking uprisht on its two rear limbs. In the ltter mode,its movement is reducedbv hlf(6). Wen crwling however,the syllix cnnot use a weapon. Sytlix spek their own tonse- Some of them have leamed the Common lansuace, but their speechis very sibilant-unpleasnt for most other creatures to hear Also, their wr-like nature is well known, so these creatures seldom take time to chit chat with other ftces. CoDt'ah Syllix use vriety ofwepons well. They are pa.ticulrly fond of specially nodilied light crcssbows and shoft swords.Syllix ttck aggessively and nake good use of tenain. They hve a morale of 13. Howevea durins outbrcaks ofthe eruptio (See"Habitrsociety" below), the monle ofthe syllix improves to 15Syllix are eger to capture prisoners when they engage in battle with other races. The fate of the prisoners is not known to cretures of other races, though it is rumored to be honibte beyond belief. The common betief is tht syllix require enzym from the tivins brains ofintellisent creatures to breed the mase-strs(see"Habitrsociety") that they ned fo. spacetravel. Prisoners re kept immobilized,

{4 lssueNo.7l

Ma s of

ster

Cartography by Craigzipse

l0 feet

lction bdngs with it an almost surrel change in pdorities. Readaloud or paraphrasethe followina:
Suddenly the smund besins to shake, nd the entire wortd seems to tum gray. Th only thing you can hear is a sruff voice shoutins "Move it! Mov it! Get outt the way!'as a hulkins sray mass charges towad you t ftghtning speed.You'vestppedright into the pth of the Rhinrand h seems to hve no interest t ll in soins anlvhere but straight ,roug,[

"STAN!" EROWN BYSTEVEN


Conogrophy by ChrisPrkins "How Do You Stop The Rhino Fron Charying?" iB a MaRwrL SUPER " HxRoEs Adventure Game SideTrek desisred for any group of bemes. It tkes place in downtown Manhattan, but NanatoE can easily fit it into lmost ny settins. While the adventure offe$ an evening's worth of entertaiment on its own, it is primarily desienedto fDnction s a dis' haction squeezed into the middle of they never suspectanlthing could posiblybe wmng. lt can sene a dou' ble purposeifemployed just s a villin is ffectins hty escape. (Unlike in the comics,tencious herces often make it dimcult or impossiblefor villains to escapeto fight another day.) Howevea if Brun Zernoor the Tsknster ducks rcund comer with the hero hot on hiB heels.this surprise twist of fate occupies the do-gooders long enoueh for th villain to ake a setaway (onty to reppear in o upcom-

Hve the first few heroes who round the corner attmpt oerog AdlitJ f. dltty) ctions to set out or the Rhino's way. The rest of the heroes should ttmpt du.oEfe /rlellecr actions to see ifthey're quick enoush to realize that walking around the comer (or whtever the location is) is a bd idea.Anyone who fails eithe. action utornaticUy becomes the victim of a sucesstul attack by the chrging villin's horn. Once the momeniry pnic sub' sides,ny hercewho make successful edry /rrerlecr actions relize tht the Rhino is not tuming roud t mke nother pass at them. He simply continues his pell-mell sprint-up the middle ofa busy avenue,soins agaiNt t'mc and literally thrcugh ny vehicle unable to veer out of his way. If this is not enough to get the he@s to intFene, the Nrrtor should describe a sridlocked connuter bus or a crcsswalk tull of pedestnanthat flls immediately in the Rhino's path. The key is to get the he@s to drop eve.thins in order t brins an end t this destrucRhino: Shensth 17X,Intellect 2X, Agility 2X, \ivillpower 2X, Helth 1?, Unbrekable BoAy Arnror +5 ltotal defense22), Hons +5 (Inpalement), Msk (Inwlnerable to Spider-Man's webs).Cllinsr Greed. Hindrnce: Bruiser (the Rhino attcks uins Asility rather than Strensth. thoush Strensth is still used to calculate

the Advenlure Beginning


Nanators should plan to spins this adventure on the heroes out of the blue. The ction begins without wrnins, and the adventure has the gre! et effect ifthe heroesbesin either completely fdused on some other gent nttr or ffe so relaxed tht

You Rond the Corner And .,. The dventure begins as the hemes round comer, step out of cb, or land on the curbside near Rckefelle. Centr (or therebouts).ThiB shift in

46 lssue No. 71

THE HOW DOYOU STOP RHINO FROM CHARGING


Bringing Down the Rhino Stopping the Rhino is ea8ier said than done.He may not do much, but hek ve./ good at running through thincs, nd that's all that appers to be on his nind. H ignorcs the hemes (in fct. he'll isnore nyo.e nd any' thing)unless they block his path. At ihat point he sain shouts for ihem to move, but does nothing to chang At first, attacking the Rhino is easy;he is so intent on his charge that he fils to notic nyone who is not directly in his way, and thus offers no oppositionto any .tions. Once the heroescausehin any wounds though (not prticul.ly esy tsk), he tums and shouts. "Leave me lone! I ain't done nothin' to youl" nd continues his rmpge. The Rhino has no intrest in setins involved in a fishi with the herces,voidins or isrorins then if The heroes,on the other hand, Bhouldbe vry intreidin stoppins this inaniac in his tracks. They will likely focs their attentions on either tripping, trapping, or simply knock' ing the Rhino out. Nanat rs Bhould feel free to thmw in inperiled bystanders every few blocksjust to mke sure the heroes py ttention to their suiroundings (even thou8h the Rhino has no such compunction). Oncethe heroescauser0 wounds to the Rhino, he stubles and flls, sivins the heroes time t suound him. Wlether o. not they choo* to do this, read or praphrase the followins: Wen the Rhino looks up, his eyes arc filled with annoynceand frus' tration rather than rge. "Wt's ya do tot for? Geez!You'rekillin' me herel taoking down at stop' watch stmppd to his wrist h gmans,"I m losin titue I iae, he can't be that fr behindl" This mjsht confusethe heroes. Allow them to posetheir qestions, but before lhe Rhino can nswer.red aloud or praph.sethe following: You hear a fluny ofcar horns, squeling brkes.nd t lest four fendersbeina turned into chrome plated pretzel. Above the dirge, you her another surly voice yelling,'Ifyo don't want to get hit, get outta my way!" Looking doM the street. you slirnpse the Jussernut smashing in the h@d ofa taxi cab before running offuptown-also directly into the flow ofoncoming trafiic. 'Ya eotta let me go.'whines the Rhino. "He'6 in the led now!" Though he is nxious to start running gain, the Rhino clues in the herces on what's happening. He was sitting in hole'in-the' wall bar in Sohogumblins over his ltest defeat (the Narator ay either recap the most recent appearance of the Rhino or rnake up suitable tale ofa robbery son wry), when in walked Cain Markrthe Jugsemaut. The two villains recosnized one another instantly (quit eyin the Rhino's casesince he sel' don rcnoves his suit) nd sat down to shre a drink and commiserte. A few drinks later, the commiseration tumed int competition s an rgument broke out over which ofthe vil lains was the toughest. ArIn wrestlins didn t settle the mattr Though the JuAgernaut is tougha none ofthe tables were lough enugh to lst to the end ofthe contest,so they settled on an altrnate contesl. Red 10udo. prt' ph.as ihe following: '$'c dccidedt,, have a chickn-.Ece. The lirst one to make it to Columbus Circle sins-bu! Ne hve to .un tnro tramc the whole way. I got ahcad ofhim by goin' throush Grnd Central Station (that's lways fastr than goin into the Theater Districtr, bul lhen you glys stuck your nosesinto the mix. Now lenne so, huh?" Resardless of wht the heMs say, the Rhino leaps to his feet and begins to run uptown. The Juggeaul is less than two blocksahead. A6 the rce continues.heNanator can complicatemttem by introducing somunforesen elments: .! The Rhino runs over car, trapping the occupantsnd starting a n A bystander,obviously busi' nessnan, deDands the heroescler lhe trmcjam the villins have ated so he can get to his meeting. ll lhe heresignore him, the Narrator cn si! the beiliserent oafenoush political or economicclout to cuse troDble for the herosin the fture. .t A purse snatcher,taking advantase ofthe nayhem, mks a grab. The heroes can easily chsethe thief down, but the bruise.s hv more time to wreck stuffihat wy. t The Juggernut, brely in the lead nd hoping to gain some time. slms into a tmck delive.insjuss of wter to local businesses. Thejugs burst fron the back ofthe truck nd slart bouncing down lhe street.

conlinuesan poge 6l

47 DUNGEON

Thts is Stee s third appparon.ain DuNcEoN'Adventures.11., modrL,ls title rcfers to the rcilets-horrihl u.lead spirits spak.d tonl Steue's im dgrnati o oatJe.fuUr hr ist.1 "Dredful Vestises"is an AD&D adventure desisnedfor 5-? PC6 of Ivels 4 7 (bDut30 totl levels).set in the Mere ofDead Men resron of setting. lt is thc FokcorEN REAr.Ms recomrnended that the prty have at one ofwhom is least two spellcstrs, a priest. A pldin, though not required, would lso provc useful. Before running th adventure,the DM shotrld carefully rcview the information in the sidebar on page 50.

Adventure Bockground
Holk House was once a sanctuary for coven ofpriests nd druids of Eldath, soddessof peacc,pools, springs, nd dNid groves.It was naned in honor ofthe rchdruid Trken Holk, who once rned the Mere keeping watch over the land. As his power g.eq Trken ttrcted many priestly fllowers willing to prtect the wildernessfrom huftnoid incursions.lns after Trken passedway,hi6 followers and their descendants conlinued his time-honoredtrditions nd watched over the land. EventuUy,ihe coven constructedthe lrge. forlified house to provide shelter and hold councils. A secret vult ws lso built within it to protect several holy artifacts ofthe lith. These rtifacts were rumored to possess hling powers and insight into Eldath's plane ofexistence.The priests and druids also kept any valable b@ks of lore and provided enlightenment to ny who made the pil$image lo the sanctuary with pecein Lheir hearts. When the mere slowly crept up on the gounds, horrible bestsbegan to haunt the wilderness.Attacks upon pilgdms by monstrositiesfrom the swamp bcamefrequent until Holk House was scldom visited and ihe priests alone kept residencethe.e. WorshipersofMyrkul, the Lo.d of Bones.hd their own tenple hidden deep in the Mere nd resentedthe presenceofrhe Eldath pricsts. One night, mny ye$ ago,a pack ofevil spi.its called revileB rose Irom the swmp,commandedto unlife by the

\ pric:t of Htln 'nu,th,]ts tttt t,lalilrlvttll,.

DREADFUL VESTIGES
BYSTEVE JOHNSON

Whenthe hunters become the hounted


adwork by'Iefty Dykstro Co ogrophy by Diesel

48 lssueNo. 7l

DREADFUL VESTICES

dark will of Myrkul. slipped into the sanctuary and conupted the priests with their lignment-ltering power. When they woke, the prits set upon ech other.The few Burvivors, saved by the erace of their goddess, fled into the nere, eludins its nany The .evilers remained in rnonstersHolk House to drive awy visitors, even fter M).rkul's demise dring the Time ofTroubles. No reco.ds tell wht fate befell Myrkul's tenple, but the revilers of Holk House rcmain to this dy-shostly vestigesof Myrkul s The evil haunting Holk House eveni,rally cught the attention of Vrk Redshield,a priest ofHeln nd forner dventunns conpanion of Sir Justin Melenikus (seesidebr on pse 50). Va.ak took it upon himself to investigate Holk House. Of all the brave men ofVarak's expedition,only he survived thejoumey through the pe.ilous swrnp to reach the house. (The rest ofhis retinu were slain or driven ofiby will o'wisps). He soon discovered tht the house was o{cupied by evit spinh. Despite a valint struggle, he was corrupted by the revilers.Trned t evil nd deprived ofhis pdestly msic, Varak concentrated on unlockinc the secrct lore contined within the snctuary's library nd braced for the rrivl of adventurers sent at Sir Jutin's behest to find and "r$cue" him. Varak's searchyielded pldn. s,lard a crystal hidden wy yeE aso by priests of Eldth. Varak used the pJdnd. sd.d to s'rmmon a hezrou tnarrri and negptiated a mutally beneficialpct to seizecontrcl ofthe eniire resion. Varak and the hezmu approcbeda tribe oflizard rnen known as the Scly Death. Varak pro' clirned that the fiend ws the avtr of Semuanya,sod of the lizrd nen, the sod's and tht hFvark-was chosensenant. The lizrd men were westruck, and they submitted to V.ak's will irnrnediately. They now patrol the wmpon his behalf, eliminating nyone sttempting to reach Holk House. Varak has since regainedhis spetl csting ability, only now his spells re afforded him by the evil sod Cltic the Md, ls rcferred t s the Prince of Lies. For the last several nights, Clric has spoken to Varak in drcams, claiming to be a mnifestation of the dead

sod Mlrkul. Vark now believsthat Myrkt is alive and siven him the power to conquerhis enemies.

MeetingWifhSirJuslin
Iniarv's Towea whre Justin nd his henchmenhave set up cmp.Workers are bsy rcfortifying the towe., while messengers and supply wacons from Waterdeepcorneand so. Sir Jstin awaib the PCs in his mpmm. Justin welcones the PCs heartily nd inmediately besins to explain the sit' uation. pointing to the location ofthe Holk HoD* on a targe, wethercd mp ofthe mere spred out upon an oaken tabl before him. Red the following at this time: "We believe that Holk House<nce a sanctuary fo. benign priests ol Eldth now hrbors ffeatures of darkness,and tht a beins of sreat power may be directing the ttacks upon the High Rod from within. A priestly cornrdeofmine, Varak Redshield,led a snalt expedition into the Mere, intent on ridding Holk House ofevil. Two nen returned with tles of the expedition party being seprtedby will o' wisps, and they clim that two of their comradeswere devouredby a dragon that lurks tleneath the mire. It has becomeclear tht sonething must be done-You will have my personal rtitude ifyou are able t find and rescueny nernbers of th missins expedition, includinsVark. You will be nchly in rcwarded shoutd you Bucceed destroyins the Holk House mence, nd you will also be doins a seat seFice to both Waterdeepnd Leiton. My friends, I wish you strength nd speedl" Justin Ifthe PCs are succesful, pronises to give them a 5,000'gp writ which they my tke to Wterdeep and exchange for real currency They also have rishts to all mgical itms and treasur they find in Holk House,save any holy aftifach of Eldth which SirJustin ha promised to the tmple of Eldth. ShoDldthe PCs hve questions about the history ofHolk House,Sir Justin sladly provides then with what details he can. He knows the

general history and puryose ol the Holk House when it ws sanctuary for priests of Eldath, but he doesnot know what specificcreureor force ofevil took it ovei Likewise, he does not know that the house is posse$ed by revilers or tht Vark has been tinted by their evil. The PCs re provided with two for-n. skiffs, since much ofthe are they must t.averse is sub' rne.sed.lf the PCs should need to return to Inian's Tower for healing during the corsofthe adventre, SirJustin's clericB.the Watchers,can provide them with curtive magtcs (seesidebar on next prye).

ihe Mere JourneyThrough


The Mere ofDead Men is foreboding plce.Twisted $ay trees rise up through the misty, murky wter, thick mossdansling from their dr@ping linbs. Dense,lefy surtcevegetation coversthe water in most plces, sometimesso thick it forns small of tansled weeds. floating i61nds Were iherc is land solid enoush to 6tand upon, the bnks are steep and muddy. Sporadicshowersofcold, drizzlins.ain rc frequent. The most visible denizensofthe rnere include lligtors, swam6 of bititg insects, hissing possums, rvens,nd large scatyfish swimrnins lethrgicallyjust Dnder the surface.Many terrible non' strs lurk within tbe mere, such as and fie.ce will o' wisps,sint leeches, tribes oflizrd men. Constantly on ptml.lhe lizard men are often mis tken for lligtors with their eyes poking out of the watr Viions in the Mystic Pool Thejourney f.on Iniafl's Tower to Holk House is pproximately 30 mile6. Hlfwy through, the PCs comeupon a sceneofsuneI. forbid ding beauty: As you paddle through the twisted canals ofthe me.e, the dens vegetation suddenly srows thinner. nd you find yourselvesslidins upon a mystic pool ofDinorlike water with tendrils ofwrithing mist playing upon its surface,surrounded by cnerald seen cattils and a circle of monolithic rockBglinting with chips of semi-preciousstones.Th

DUNGEON 49

DREADFUL VESTICES

Sries Ovrviw
Edging along the eastem edge of the Mere is the HiSh Re4 a vitl nd well-traveled mute linking Wat.dp to th norrhcm toM of ]ilon nd, north of that, the ciry of Lukan, Over the lst severlmonths, the High Rold btween WrleFdeep atd t2iloD has ben thratne.l by non6ten from the Mre. Caravam report brutal ltcks by lizard men on cat blepas mourts, yun ti, grg.tun bllywgs, and will o' wisps thre have even been con6ned sighrinF of a huge bhck lizaril skulking ihrough ihe Mer. Sir Jutin Meleniks, a Wat.dhavi knight md pladin ofHelm,hs grcM wery ofth* attcks ad oflered his *ni@6 to ihe citt Si. Justin dd his watcheE (specialty prits f llelm) ntly leli Waterdp and haded north, clearing bndits ot of th ruins of the denilich Ini's twr (on the edge ofte Mere) and tuming the site into their encpment. Mlenikus and his watche.s hve gaF ne.ed enthusistic upport ftum the Lrds ofwtedp, the city6 Mer.hants' Guild, and the lal Adventurers' Guild. In fct, a noti has ben posted prcminently in the Adventueru' Guildhalt ihai reads: "Sir Justin Melznihus, a renomd hniqht of Heltu, ree bmue o heattr oduehturersto h.lp.ldr monst.oustireats ftun the drea.led Mere of Dea.l Men. eU tredtures hdLe bn dttdchinq caraaa' oa thz HAh Rd, slauqhte.ins t.delerc, dnd eaeerinC Waterdp's trade ith its aorthem neighbot', Uald. the monsterc dre .lafedted, dll tm.la to the nollh could be halted. Sir Justin dnd his uatche$

hdue nad. canp tltz tui8 of liatuh Tou..]@ted lou dirs' MIL touonl Iilo4, Interegt4.I pdrti.s shuu tut uith "Read. ot sldiA Mrere shdl b. outhond br si Justi,. Gotd shau be pdi.l bt tha tle Mertian&'Guild upo psatdtion of i 'tanped tit frn the A hand'l of advnru@ have at@dy le the city for Inirr's Tower, a ruin l@td in be f@thilb esr f th Mere. Sir Jutin is sending Beverl gbup3 int the Bwamp to rout the moNteE. T'hiB series elploE8 seveEl key sit$ here onsters E thought or knom to deel. UBitg diuiNau dpll8, the *tchsE hsve detemiDed that a sreat evil lurb in the Mere, and ihat the re@nt attack! on the ltigb Road sEehow related. Cp at his.r"s Ib.

When the he@s lrive t lnisw's Toper, thy are wll nei by Sir Justin. Each tin he sends thet into e MeE, he pDmis owtd lhem with Mit lht they can keep and tk bk fo Wterdp t exchD for sold 6ins. The mdrt ofihe rewd varies dependins on the party de8ree or sc@$ (detenined by the DM). Sit Justin also ofe.s the folowing benc H@s who ietum to lirls Tbwr during s adventu my re@ive ny of the fotlowing cumiive magie frcm the Wt hers: cru l,At ozads (up to &dar), cure *iou toLn& (tA h qdy), cure blin4@$ or defress \!p 6 aly), cu dbea $p b Ada!), @uttuli2e poen\tp

ro 6i/day), e. d.d (up to 3'/dy)a Beforeebbarking on an expditior irt the MeE, ihe chacieE @eive the followirg itms: thrs potiou olprtseiing(or onepotion ofdltug pr PC), two clerical s@lk (&,rdltzpoon d .z d@) i! Mtertisht bonetube, nd a imr ng of uarer badthiic.Eh ring's agic lats only 12 dysfrcn the lime it fir6t wom, after which rh .ing ios$ it! enchsntment. (gthlevel pl' s ilutir lllliLu din of Hh): 1, l; C 0; MV 12j Psgi hp 73i TIICo 12 (he);*T 3/2; Dmg by weapont !e; SD detect vil intent {60 range); immunefo de*;.2.e dde tsctuki hell r8 hp/day:S 16 ( 18/00 powr), D 12,C 15,I wit}rgauauebof ocre 14,W 1?,Ch 18;ML 18jploreDal +A Illmi^us ltuo-ht^dzd sord +2, +4 us. und.ad), edulzts of oErepowr T'lt are 12 watche at Idarr's Tower:trc 11th-tevelplist, th@ gthleel prists,the ?th-lqel priests,anrl fr bth-level prieb. In addition to teir haling.plh, the pri*ts carry vanous @tive nagie in the fom of potiotu, sarclls,d ottrer iteD8 they kp under grd. For moE infomation on the wt h e of tlln d their nagic, @Nult the FoxnzznN Rael-Ms Adentu'ushdbord b@k or the fdirtu & A@tu^ ae6$ry. In addition to the priest6,Sir J$lir hs a d@en4ihlevel ,ighters wearing plt tuil nd ca.rying st /dr +1, lory s@r& +l dd hort bowswith qivers of masi@l amws (sll prcvided by Sn Jutin).Il'ey are stationed t the bse cmp to pmit tbe wat heE and guard the ctp 8inst att{ck! frcm the Mere.

surfaceofthe pool barely produces a ripple despit the lnotio! ofthc Th pool is roughly 60 feet in diameter and is 15 feet deep.The P(ls still ned to navigte thmugh it Ning their skiffs, aB there is no place shl low enough or firm enoush to stnd pon. The pool is separatedfrom the rest ofihe swamp by thick tangles of fallen lrees, dense underbrush, and shdrp ro.ksjutting out ofthe water The rrea cnnot be voided without ldding a. indeterminate aftont of time to ihe PCs'jou.ney, since lhey would have to backhack to find passbleroute. The pool radiates magrc fdetcctcd for Th. monolithic rocks tower t least l2 feet abovethe {ater and are tar too steep to climb. Ifthe PC6 wish t0 inspect them, they hust do soshile .eaining iD their

skiffs. The semi preciousstonescn be chipped out ofthe rocks,but this requires several turns, nd the totl gqined would be wolth no more than 100 gp. The P(ls eventually notice tht s they stare into the wter, each ofthem seesone ofthe followins t Two butiful young women in gauzy black gowns lie sleepingupon a tattered pallet in an astere room ofstone, dimly lit by a single flicker' ins candle.Thir skin is a salloq ple white, nd their breathing appears very shllow.lThis is a vision ofthe pnanggalans qurters-area l7). .:. An underwtr sceneofskelet], rotting corpssclutching.usted weapons. The wtr is murky, but hundr.ds ofcorpses can be seen lyins iDtertwined on the muck-coveredbot' tom. (This is a vision ofthe flooded srounds surroundins Hotk House.)

l. lwo rows ofwhite marble statues depicting saintly figures makine gestresof rverencend suppliction flank a pedestalofpolished malachite upon which flots red cryBtal shard. Encsedwithin it is a twinklins star ofdazzlins silver lisht. (This is viion ofthe valt ofholy treasures-rea 21.) t A shadowy chrnberfilled with foully polluted wter which Blowly drins way to revel the kull ofa monstrous drgon piled tp a heap ofbones intemixed with coins,gems. jewelry, piecesofarmoa snd weapns. (ThiB is a vision ftom th ctconbs of a temple of Mlrkl in the heart of the Mere ofDead Men. The meanins behind this vision is not unveiled until the fifth and 6nal adventure in the Mre of Dead Men se.) .:. The drk shdow of new rnoon which slowly movesactussthe njght

50 lssue No.7l

r9 NOreNno

'Ig8/r{rt:ooo' :zr 'IIt :s

dx puE,'aLBs.lu xl8r! 11oa uo4 ZS tazol.u r.rorrrarord a BsslFds ol anuruuUW :8pZ8uIO:I JV*:rr oCVHJ:Tdt{ :6 OH :(V)8r l{ ^n :8- CV:gC 1V i(gl) tBuorrdrxa NI id! .o tIlA '3a Im{lroJ PuaJ04qratarE saorq qJ aU,{aqt'(arurlr %Z)8qot dr aq1aauaur prEzII qt.ll ur pizlt ro r4rrBq' 8.r{'tuE BIJ ou 6Bqd8h qJ,'ar sBaruaraJrd qr or uaBrpr dsk,o IIL{{'Irsrr uaur prEzII ql rtuB PtlnoruJ 'tuplil pa+Bq'tsara B qlra parDB rBulj{pzrt aqt LZZlntI tgL6 dX

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mJovto sscrrsr^

DREADFUL VESTIOES

Three Towe.s Tribe.) However,they hve been reluctant to tell the other tribe of the avtar's apperance, s they believe they are the chosenones ofSemuny and do not wish to Until Varak is redy to launch his ttck upon Inirv's Tower, he has ordered the lizard men to patrol the mere and kilt ny intruders. They have instructions not to kill human females,but are instead instructed to brins thn to Holk House,where they re imprisoned.Vak tells the lizrd men that these captivesare offeringto the vtar In reality, they sre given to Bathshera.a penangg8ln who hs mde a brgain with Vark. She sua.ds Holk House from intruders in retDrn fo. stedy sup-

HolkHouse
The lnd sunoundins Holk House nd the house it8elfare subnersed in 25 feet of wtr. lving only the steep mofand hreetowers visible. The 30 hish battiemented wlls that suround the house are speckledwith clumps ofthick moss.Sectionsofthe west and south walls hve umbled into the mire, allowing easy passage into the compoundto chamcters trav' elins by bot, rft, or skiff Groups of lizrd nen f.equently patrol the subnersed gmunds of Holk House.They are fnatical bout protecting wht they believe to be the lair ofSemuny's vatr, nd they attack intruders on sight. Four lizrd men equipped with shields,spers, andjavelins are stationed near the crumbled sectionsofthe west nd south wlls. relying on the battl' ents to provide cover i-4 bonus to AC). PCs ust rnake surprise rclls to spot these scaly sentinels.Three no.e li,ard nen and shaman circle the house in primitive woodenskifi Two ofthese lizard men each use a long paddle to snide the skiffthroush the ni.e. The third wior suards Lizrd men (?): INT low (6)tAL NiAC 4 (5 without shield); MV 6, Sw 1 2 ;H D 2 + l i h p 1 5 . 1 3 , 1 2 . 1 r , 1 1 , 1 0 , 9;THC0 19: #AT 3 or 1;Dmg ld,ld2lld6 or by wepon type; SZ M; ML 14; XP 65t MMl227t shield,

Oncc all the lizard nen hve been defetcd,the PCs notice that the lizard kinla wer6 a Btrangetotem nccklaceofsmooth sreen Btone. The nccklaceis crved to resernblean o.nte thron upon which sits a hideous.reature resembling a crosg betseen a tod nd a fish. The sides olthe throne a.e cawed with swamp .cenes.allisators, and kneeling lizrd nrcn holding trays of treasure nd racri6cial offerinss.The PCs can juds. br rhe lck ofchips and nicks upon the necklcetht it is rlatively

new.The necklacewas caned by lizrd man shamans to pay homge to Vrak s summonedhezrou tanar'ri, which they believe i6 an avatar of their sod. Vrak hs deliberately encoumgedthis belief mong the l i z a r d m e n i t h e y f o l l o wh i s c m r n d s only becusethey believe he is fvord senant of th vtr The Scaly Death tribe is an ally of the Three TowersTiibe which is basedner the sunken Mornhaven Towers.(See"SsscalyThingsss"in Issue 170 fo. more infomation on the

52 lssueNo. 7l

VESTICES DREADFUI

Lizrd man shamn 11):INT low ( ? ) :A L N i A C 4 ; M V 6 , S w 1 2 ;H D 3 ; hp l8: TllACo 19;1AT 3 or 1; Dms ldu1d2l1d6 or by weapon type: SZ M: ML 14i XP 65; Mtr'I/22?;shield, club. Spells:s,Ul.los, toe.ie tft, Undernealh the dark, cloudy water, the bottom has iu.ned lo muck coveredwith tll, le y weds.The weedshv grwn thick, reducing visibility nd swimming rates by hall: They also hide hund.eds ofhmn skeletons.These are remnanLsof sftll rmy tht was slaughteredby o.c hordes many ycars ago.Many still wer nsted amor and clrch .usted wepons. Although they were buried lons before the sanctusry was built, a pck ofquatic ghouls ilacedons)who lair within the house havc bc.n rootins iheft up. They lie in posesoi inbrrwined agony,and tccth mdrks a r e e v i d e n to n m o s to f t h c m i f t h e The sce.e bonsare inspectedclosely. is fmilir to any PC who experi' enceda vision ofit back ai the mysric PC6 swimrning within the compound hve 10t lnon cumulative) chnceper round ofbeing attacked by swrn ofhideous leeches l e c h e s i 1 0 0 ) : I N T n o n -l 0 ) i A L :p N i A C 1 0 ;M V S w l r H D s p e c i q lh area effect attacks lhat inllici 10 hp dmageor morc desiroys the swarmi TIIACo nilifAT li Dmg ldl0 per round tuom biood drini SZ L (10 w i d c ) ;M L 5 i X P 1 5 rM M l 2 1 9 . DM Note: The entire compound has soe strnge maglcal wards. In may a.es certain spells arc completely ngted,while in others tbey are sreatly enhanced.The followins spells do not work at all wiLhin the compoundor the house itselll dnzn srcndoo. telept, blitlh, phdsedoo. aDd neld irto stoae.The presence01 th. wards rernins mystry<ne thtVark hs filed to Dnrvel. l. Dormitory. The larsest oflhe towrs, ihis oncesrved as quar'tets lbr nearly ll th prie6l6 who dwelled t rhe sanctary.\!'hile the ouie. walls are still intact, the inte.ior iloors havc crumbled. The loest floor is completelysubme.sed.Buried in and among the rubble re th skeleionsof several priests who died fightins each olher There is nothing olvalue on or near their remains.

andforlorn Holk House. Subnerged in the Mare is the desolate


2. Bell Tower. The door io this tower is localed on the sothern sidc. Madc ofwood, it hs been shattered and lies in piecesunder the dark water T() xplre the bell tower, the P(ls must eilher swim down ihrough the sunken dooNay and then up the n.row. windins staircasc until they reach the top rwhich is bole water), or they must pull lheir skiffalongside and scale the outside ofthe to$er The top chtmber is scrcely8let in didrter srd is mostly filled by l.s rusted bcll. This bell ws once used to sisnal daily pryer times and to announc. visitors to the snctary. Stmnsc, undecipherablerunes have ben painted in blck lons the bell's nn. They tadiute conjuration/ summoning magi. il delectedfor If

53 DUNGON

VES'IIOES DREDFUL
If the PCs detect for evil or nasic, thy find that the entire plce radits both. tfptadins re present, they cn detect evil intent s long s the revilers arc irl the house. Though the roof is wooden and appeB to be rotting, it is still very shong. It is also infested with dozens of rot glubs. Any PC touchine the roof is subject to ttck by 1d3 rot crubs not gt'ubs: INT non- (0): Al- N; AC 4: MV l, Br 0; HD I hpiTHACo nil: #AT 0; Dmg 0;SA bunow into exposed flesh, killing the victim in ld3 turns; ML 5; XP 15i MMl364. Shold PCs ttrnpt to brek in through the roof or destrcy it with spells, they are immeditely attacked by thre revilers that use their rrg' gestion powerc to drive awy the PCs or tum them against one another lf the PCs are not dissuaded, the revilers revel themselves and stike with iheir claws. PCs weanns.ings o/ Myrr1l recovred ftom earlie. adventules {seesidebr on pase 59) are not by the revilers so tong 3 accostd they refrain from attacking them. Ring-werins PCs who attack the reviler are fair same, however. Rvilers (3): INT high ( 13)i L CE;AC 2; MV Fl 30 (B);HD 4: hp 23, 20, 16; THACo 17; #AT 2;Dmg 1d6/ 1d6; SA spells,lter lignment by touch, poison liquid;SD +1 or bettr weaponto hit; MR 40%; SZ M; ML p g e6 0 . 1 2 i ) a P1 , 4 0 0 ; s e e The DM should also remember tht most of the lower level of the undeNater (6ee house is completly ares 5-14). PCs exploring these flooded chambe$ and corridors require sone sort of @tet reoring as well as light souice that shines DM's Not: When the revile.s took the hous for their lir, they warped and twisted nany of its fatures nd decomtionsinto disturbins caricatures to make it more ppmpd' ata for tmple of Mlakul. PCs with the rclision proficiencyre entitled to a Foliciency check to recosrize the symbols and motifs of Myrkut tbroushout the interior. 5. Chamber oi th Faithfirl. This chaDber ser,.'ed as a waiting room for visito.s nd pilgrins. Now it i3 completely flooded.A toq circulr stone well in the center once@ntined a pool ofclear wtel Upon the wall are slim pillars of male reachins to the ceilins. Additionaly, there are fou. small fountins in the chamber wall to the northeast, northwest, southeast, nd sothwest.Each is a delicately cand represebtationof fish, from whose mouth wter would hve poed into a basin- Now the fish have tken on an eerie,staring cast. As the PCs swin thmugh this chmber. it seems like the fishes' eyes follow their every novement. 6, Statuaiy. These two alcoves are occupiedby I tall marble statues of robed prieBt. their faces obscured by cowts.They oncecaied marble staves,but these have been twisted by the rcvilerc into huge scythes. Althoush senuinely forebodins, the statues are innimat and hamless. 7. Kitcher. This flooded chnber iB a conplete shmbles.The wooden table and chirs are overtmed nd mtting, and metal utensits nd pottery shards re littred everywhere. A rotted tpestry has fallen down frcm the westem wll and partially dpes the floor An alcove on the far eastem wall hotds wine barels that hve split open.A dooruay to the south leads to the pantry and storage room. lt is empty save for a flooded crate and some banen shelves. 8. Anointing Hall. This rcom, used to noint priests ofthe sanctury.is not submerged in wter, although the passgewy leading to it certainty is. This masical air pocket nisht be the work of Eldath's pnests or some ncient mythal cst upon this sit, but it cannot be dispelled.There is a circular pool identical to the one in area 5 in the center of the western part of the hall. It is still filled with wter but the water has ben ren' dered poisonous by the revilers ('Ilpe I polso). A purify food & uater or Detrolr:poison spell purifies the watea makins it dnnkble. The wlls were once decorted with bright fresco, but now the symbolsofDldath have been twistd into teering skulls. When the PCg enter the room, a rcvile! uses it spectraL force .pell ro mke the skulls to emit $eat howls, but they fll silent when soneone enters the eastem portion of the hall.

]ug, the bell prcduces loud clashing sound. Time and teglect have changed it once vib.ant toll into a hrsh, unpleasant tone. Ringing the bell doubles the duration of any @njratior/summonins spell cst within 1 tun- If the spell is used to ctually slmnon a bins ftom another plane, the castels chance of succe$ i doubled. This masical etrct has a ranep 3. Stbles. Nothing is left of the stables but a pite of submersedw@den beams and stone masonry. The pile is mughly 40 squffe and 8 high. It is danserous to search here, as there is a 25% chanceper round that it Prtially collpsesand pins a charactel undemeath it. inflicting 1d10 hp damage nd trpping the PC under watr until he escap by making a successful Bend Brsift Gtes roll or is rescued by his comrades. Aly PCs who gearch the rubble find the skeletons of three priests, re@gnizable by the holy symbols of Eldath round thei. bony necks. These priests fled the house once the revil' ers arived. Howevea they were slain when the revileE transfomed their cten of water int poison. 4. Mai|r Hou6e, Holk House is constructd almost entircly of stone blocks save for the rool which @nsists of he\y wooden bems and thick pla.]<s. The structw is prtly submerged under 25 feet of swmp water Stone buttresses flnk the howe on the nort and south sides. On the west side is a blcony. The estrn side is rcupied mostly by a lrge, square watch towet with nother smll, rounded balcony Entrnce to Holk House ws once gained by dsing an arched stone bdg on the south side that oce stood abov a sparkting strem, and then thmugh a hea\y, irun-studded door. Now that most of the hou8e is submereed, the PC hve other options, such as entrins the secoDd noor doomay on the west side, jNt above the wter line. Howevea the sestem balcony door leading tr, re 16 has swelled up and ds IIot budce (l penlty to all Open Doors rolls). Frthnnore, it has been ensorcelled by the revilers with a D;drd locl spell cast at rothlevel of ability.

No.7l 54 lssue

VESTICES DREADFUI

Three steps lerd up to the eastern halfofihe room where stand6 nr' bl pedesal upon which offerings io Eldath were laid. Snall lcoles to the no.ih nd south were decoratdwith stone trees nd woodtand embossed scenes. These have been delibertely smashd,and many piecesofstone li pon the floo. Ifs.y chractr comeswithin fi!e feet ofthe pdestl, the reviler atrimdt.s it and conpels the pedestlto attack ( 3 to the PC s Ifthe heroestry to enter .ea I, lhe reviler attacks with its corrupting ou.h and its claws.The reviler does not attack heroeswering rtnas o/ Mrrzl recoveredfroft this or prvl ous adventures in the Mere ofDead Men series (seesidebr on page 591, provided these PCs refrain from Rviler 11)rhp 19: 6eerea 4 lbr Animatd pedestal: INT non' 1 0 )A : L nili AC 3i MV 3: HD 3t hp 20; T H C O1 7 i # A T 1 : D m g 2 d 4 i S D immune io mind-ffecting spellsi half dnge from edged/piering weapons SZM; ML 20iXP 65. 9. Hall of the F.ithtul. Th two bronze double doors to the east arc inscribed with illustrtions ol the ris ing and setting sn. The revilrs have a;zdrd led them (t 10th-levelof ability), and they cn nly be opned usins a no. or dispel ftdst. spell. TLe flooding has sverelydanased this area. The red .rpet that once coveredihe floo. here is tom and rof on the north nd td. Bright frescoes south walls re chipped,and many ol lheir piecesre strewn acrossthe flor ln the round alcoveis Ereen narble pedstalwith a basin used for holdins holy water. The bronze double doo$ to the west arc slishtly jr ro. Meditation Ualt. The water is unusully cloudy here, reducing vision to fiee feet. This chamber is divided in two by archways.The 6outhem hltwas devotedto p.ayers and contemplation.There re several iron cndleholdersin the southwest corner and a snall foldins shrine. The nofthem hifwas Ned exclusilely for deep meditation. Bloated tapestries hng precriouslyfrom the walls, their thick drperies wavenns sluggishly in ihe water The we3tern

Holk House
Onesquare=5feet

Level 3

Level

55 DUNGEON

VESTICES DREADFUL
to iead it in the scriptoriurn (seearea 11)or Hall ofthe Faithful (re 9). Flooding hs destroyed907. of the books in the library. Howevea a ngical 2 high jr pocket exists nea. the 22'hish ceilins; many of the b@ks stored on the very top shelves just above lhe wterline remin intacVarak has tken the most noteworthy books from the library, but there arc still mny left that woutd be ol sreat intrest to clerics nd mges The bookscover wide variey oftopics druids. hrbalisn, including ecolosy, alchemy,spellcrft, nd metphysics. The PCs find 2d4 books worth at least 300 ep each ifrecovered intact. T\ere is also a tone of cLa. thousht hidden in secret comprtmeni near the top of bookcase. Lacedon ghat: INT verY ( 11);AL C E i A C 4 ; M V 1 5 ,S w 1 8 ;H D 4 ; h P 20; THACO 17; #AT 3; Dmg 1d4/1d4l ld8iSA stench,paralyztion; SD immune to J.?p and c,l.m; SZ Mi ML 14; XP 650; MMl131. Lcedon ghols (5):INT low {6): AL CE;AC 6: MV 6, Sw 9; HD 2: hP 1 6 , 1 4 , 1 1 , 1 1 , 8 ; T H A C 0 1 9 ;# A T 3 ; SA pa.lYzation; Dns 1d3/1d3/1d6: SD immune to slepand c/arn; SZ M: ML l2; XP 175;MMll31. 13. Chapel. This room contins an air pocket that dosnot llood shen exposedto adiacent reas that ore fl;ded. The air is stale and rnk. The vaulted ceiling ofthe chapel reaches the full heisht ofHolk HoNe. White stone columns are set into the norh, south, nd west walls. The floor is tiled in intricate turquoise patterns, and the center ofthe chpel is dominted by circular dais of 8en mar' ble- The top ofthe dis is actually a 2 deep,bowl'like depressioncontaining a 3 hish spout ofcler, drinkble water. A stained glss windo high in the west wll allows a weak light to fll directty upon the fountain, illuminating it with phntom light. The fontin built over a natu!l sprins- A 6 -dimeter hole in the base of the bowl allows the spring water to emerge,while holes ner the bowl's rim prvent overflow. However. when the PCenter the room, an invisible reviler floating near the ceilins uses its @iuardll bility to sel the estern doors.Next round, it uses its stonesdpepower to seal the holes in the fountain's rin- AJter one rond, watr begins spilting over the bowls rim onto the fl@. The fountain releases25 cubic feet of wte. ( 5 x 5 x l votune) per round. Ifleft unttnded,the fountin filts this room and area 14 t rate ofone foot depth each hour. The water rises no higher than the ceiling ofeither chamber, eventully seepins out through cracks in the exterior walls Ifthe PCs try to dnnk ftom the s D n n e . l h er e q l e r t r a n s f o m s t h e i r d;nkins water intoType I poison U neuttulize poison,cure disea,01 pu.ifr food. and uater is .a3. lqon the fountin, nv contminted water is restored to its normal stte. The reviler moans with rage and despair ifthis is done,retreating to area 14 without ttcking the PCs directly. Rviler (r): hp l4i see area 4 for completesttistics. 14. Staircase. Like rea t3. this chmber contains an air-pocket The floor is a few feet tower thn the floor ofthe djacent chapel.The staircase Ieds up to the next level of the hou*. The wlls her are sculptd with depictionsof dily life at the snctuarv.However,tbe facesofthe prieBts hve been wrped int-oskulls and horribly twisted visags. If the reviler tuom are 13 fled to this chamber,it uses its Powersto frther ha.ngue the PCs When the PCs enter, the air fills with soft, eerie whisperings,and the eyesof the sclptures seemto follow their movements. The instnt a PC sets foot upon the staircase,the nearest sculp' priest with the head of a tuIF horned fiend-tums, eyesblazins with deep red light, and speaks, "Ttrrn bck, followers of lisht, lest this house of Myrkul swllow thee in everlasting darknssl" These etrects are actully illusions cretedby the reviler's sppcr&l /o.ce ability Agin. the reviler does not attack directly by the PCs,choosins unless ccosted insted to ha.angue them until its psence is detected,t which point it joins the revileru in rc 19. passing thmush solid wlls if necessaryto escapethe PCs'wmth. r5. I4nding. This room is empty save for stairca descending t rea 14, n open rchway to are 16, nd an unlocked,iron'bond door leadins to arca 17.

tapestry's banister hs come loose from the wall nd is held only on one ide.As result. it hs swung out' wrd into the room slightly. Thesecret door to the wesl 's suarded by an electrical4lyPh ol o.dins plced there by Vrrak AnY good-alignedbeing opening the door clivtes it, cusins 8d4 hP damage to anlthing within 20 feet, as the electical currnt is ca.ried throush rhe water (svefor halfdamse) The lcedonsfmn ra 12 bve dug n enhance into this 8ro It is cunently plugged with severl inches ofcly nd is not visible due to the laye. of silt nd mud that coversmost ll. Scriptorim. The door to the floodedscriptoriurn is ajsr The r@m is divided into nny smallr cft' partments by ornate, .ched pillars simila. to tho6e in the medittion hall. Writing tables and sibe s instruments re clustered round each pillr, bt little can be salvged. 12. Librr'y. Like the rneditation hall (rea l0), visibility here is reducedto 10 feet due to the cloudy watei The library is now the den offive shouls Md a ghast who hve dus a fotked exit tunnel in the noor One fork leds down and then up inlo the medittion hall, nd the other exitsjust outside the northrn wall ofthe house.The latte. entrnce is com_ pletely ob6c,Ied by thick weedsand vegetationsnd should be treated as secrct dor The ghouls wait on the western side ofthe room until at teast three PCs enter. pouncjng on Pcs unprotectedby r;aes o/Mf*l Bones and the Srisly renins of the shouls'recent meals lie heaped upon the floor The ghouls' treasure is hidden arnnethen: 135 pp, rtnA 0/ soortugstors, and scdidb of prcte( Iton. The ton contajns readins table, severl stools,and three shelvesofbooks tht reach from the floor to the vaulted ceiling Thoush small in compnsonto other lib.ries, the boks ofHolk House were all extremety nre nd vluable. no one but p.iest As consquence, were llowed to enter this chanber or even know its location within the house.If book was neededby visi' tor, it ws retrieved from the libr.y by a prjest. The visitor was permitted

No.7l 56lssue

DREADFUI. VESTICES

16. Chapel Blco es. This r@m contains a balconythat looks down 25 feet ont the chapel below. The balcony is sumunded by slim, flted pitlars and stone railing. To the west is a door leading to an outside balcony Wate. danage h caused it to swell in plce,nd it also h a Dtzo.d ld pellplced upon it, cst at lothlevel of ability. rT. Locked noom.This mn is the lair of Bathshaera,a penansslan. The iron'bound d@rs .e always locked unless she is pr4ent. Iruide, the mm is lit only by a Bingle gay candle.The Bametwo women seenby the PCs in the mFtic pool re here, sleepins upon pllet jn the northest comer. Both hve smll puncture marks on their necks.They have been drussed by Varak and do not awken unless administered an antidote prepared by PC with the healism prcficie^.y, or a Mutrulize poison The women are Bisterswho were abducted f.om a carvan hedins south t Wtrdeep. Their nmes re Narshanna nd Sythia Valsard. Althoush they re weak nd disori' ented, they renember being capturcd by lizrd men while traveling the Hish Road.The liza.d men brought them t Holk House where they were siven to an evit man in amor Vrk fo.ced them to drink vile elixir. and alTertht they remember nothing. Nhanna and Sythia (o-level h u m n s ) r A LL N : A C 1 0 ; M V 1 2 i 0 leveli hp 4 each;THCO2oi #AT li Dmg by weapon type; ML 8; xP 500 Female prisone$ caught by the lizard men arc b.ought here and given t Bthshera, on Vrk's orders.Bathsher ws once a thief trveling the High Road. She fell victirn to penangsaln that resides further north nd, once drained of blood, rose from the dead s one her' self. {This other penanssalan is fully describedin the next iNtallment of rhe Merc of Dead Men Bees). For some time Bthhe. wandered the mere, preying on trvelers until sh found Holk House.There she encounteredVrk and aseed to c!rd the house in exchanse for a steady supply of victims. Durins the day,Bathshaera hides within the mist in the Htl ofEldath

(re la). However,ifthe PCBente. this room at night, they discover Bthshaera here in detached fom feeding on her helples,tvictims. Bthsher briefly ttck before fleeins out the eastrn dooa whe.e she hid in the nist behind the northem set of tpestries. The pennggalndoesnot ttack PCs wearins rings o/My.zl (see sidebr) p.ovided they do not attack Bth6her (penanggalan): AL LD;AC 5 (8 for detchedhed); ttfv 12, head detached:Fl 18 (B);T3 (hurnan form), HD 4 (head)ihp 15 (body),22 (head);THAC0 16; rrT I or 2i Dlbs 1d6 (bite). 1d4+7(til), or by wepon type; SA blood drain, detachment frcm body cusesele ftind; SD immune to sle?p, .,[orm, n d o l d s p e l l s i Sr 0 , D r ? , C 1 2 , I 1 0 ,W 1 1 ,C h 1 4 ;S Z M ; M L 1 l ; X P 1,400;MCl4. Rogue skills: PP 30%. O L 4 0 % ,F R T 1 5 ' 1 .M S 4 5 % . H S 4 0 L . DN r5%, CW 70%, RL 10.,?. In humn form. Bathshera wields a shortsuoid of .luichness +2 .oated with contact poison (onset time 1d4 rcunds; Dmg l5/oi g@d for one successfulattack) and wears nonmagical Bathshaera typically flies about the inere t night, srchins for prey. Once she hs found potntial victims, she waits until they re sleep and then uses her ypnot;s,. ability on them (saveat -3). Should the PCs decide to rest within the Holk House one conpound, Bathshem chooses PC as her victim (preferably femle) and attempts to /pnolize and drin that individual. 18. Hall ofEldath. This hll is decoratd with twisted wilde Grceful pillars have been trans' formed into hideouscolunns with skull'like protrusions.Thick, mrten tapestries flank a large altr to the east. The floor is shrcuded in two feet of mist tht pours out from under the Wen detched.Bthshaera hideg her body in the nist behind the northem set of tapestries.Ifthe party has not already encountered hea she is lurkins in human forn there. lf the PCs discover her, she pretnds to be an escaped prisone. of Varak's and pleads for prctection. If the PCs reBt while in he. company,

Bathshaera attempts to /r/pnot,;e and drain one ofthe PCs while he or she Bleeps. She prefers fenles with hish Chnsma scoresover others. If she rerninsundiscovered, Bathsheruses her hide in shdows and move silently abilities to t.ail the priy. Sh waits until an opporiunity for a bckstab presents itselt attacks, and then flees.She repeah this tactic aB long as possible.Ifcaptured, she clains that she attacked the PCs bcuse she believed they were asents ofVark. Bathshaeracares nore bout her own existencethan ny' thing else,offering infomation bout Vark in exchansefor her freedom. r9. Vault of th Sublade, R iling mist pours ot from nder the bronze double d@rs here.A steady mar s if fron somegreat maelBtrorncn be herd comins frorn behind them. They are locked nd securedwith a hevy iron chin nd padlock.A r@l spell or 15 hp ofbludseoning dmase opensthe lo{k. lnside, most ofthe roon is filled with fog, except for the center Sunk into the stone atop square daiB is shinins swo.d that radiates a brisht light. Directly above the dis is a cir' cular hole in the ceilins, filled with a vortex ofdrk clouds nd mist- It is frorn this vortx tht the roarjns noise cornes. Ech comer ofthe .oon is occupiedby larse nirror in a metal frame, in front ofwhich are rows oflit candles,flickerins fitfully. Th.ee ofthe nirmrs are non-mgic1, but the northeastem one is actully a nirrcr ofnental prcess.Three tevil' erc lurk in the corners ofthe roon nd use their claws t ttck any PCs n v i l e r s ( 3 ) : h p 2 4 . 2 0 ,1 5 i s e e area 4 for complete ststistics. Though Eldth is goddess that promotespece,the Holk House consesation included a paladin who sarded the priests and defended their faith. The swo.d in the dais is a sunblade called Firesto.m, pl:ced here for the paldin's use. The revilers hate the sword and sek to dest.oy it, but it has tbe blessingofEldth, and they cannot apprcach within 5 feet of it- Any sood-alisned PC can remove the sword f.om the dais. Vark keeps the room locked when he iB not usins the nirrcr of menlal pro@e$ ttt scry on

DUNGON 57

VESTIGES OREADFUL
the surrcunding mere or the ruins of Varak oeted the vortex using a pldnar sfid.d, a magicl crystl that ;Dens sd..s to the Lower Planes.lSee a;es tl nd 24 for details.) As soon as the PCs entred the hous, Varak becane awre of their rtresence ia the nio. ol mental proDessand immeditely went to re 2,r to call forth his tanr'ri allv. As seen ftorn this charnber, the vortex is opaquend ntirely fills the openrng in ihe cerl'ns ofthe room, so the^ PCs cMot see into the next level ol the house as they normlly would. The vortx Iso Prevents an)ahrng from pssingthroush it, mgicl or 20. Varak' Quaiters. Once the quarters of the sanctury'sHigh Druid, Vrak hs now taken ove. this chamber.He has erectedn ltar to Mvrkul---ssentilly a tble covered with a black cloth positionedso that it blocks the seoet d@r in the west ll- Vrak has coveredthe tblecloth with human skulls rccovered from the ho,rse's snken grounds In one comea the PCs flnd a set of soakedclencal rcbes.Under them lies a holv svbol of Helm \ften varak was;o;uphd by the revilers, he discarded his priestly vestments,but only after bravins the watE of the lwe. level in search of knowledse The lrse, rnahosanYdesk i3 heaped w'th vlable books from the Iibrry. moBt of which deal with interDlnar trvel. AnY wizard or pnest of8th levl or higher who ;Dends one month redtns the books g;ins particular knowledse sbout the ritals o u t e r p l a n e s n d s u m m o n i n g Dsed to call foth outer Plnar beings.There re six books total, worth 500 gp each to interested schlrs.In a drawer ofthe desk r three clerical solls lc! Itsl uoun ls, .etuouecurce, ar neutralize ,oisotr cst at 8th level) in sealed woden tubes and a vial of Potent poison that Varak used to drug the captive women in r 17. The Poi' 60; is insestive and induces a deep catatonic sleep that lsts for 6d1o tms if savinS throw fails. AnY PC with the herbatism ProficiencY who studies the poison cn determine it true nture and prepre an antidote iD 2d4 houB. lfadninistred to the women, they re8ain conscrousness The secret d@r t the west is iscr.,be with e glyPh of u,lding that reduces the opener's DexteritY score to 3 for eight tums 21. Vault of Holy Ttelure8' The fl@r here has been weakened bY the lacedons in the chmber derneath (area l2); the first PC who entrs causesa 5 x5 area to collapseUnless the PC mkes a successful Dexterity check t hall he falls throush the hote nd down into room below The PC sullers no dnase from fallins into the wtea bt the shouls gain one free.ound ofattacks sgainst th hpless preY The PCs misht recognizeth's rcom as one they saw reflectd in the mvstic Dool. The north nd south w;lls a;e lined with white marble statues of saintly pnests of Eldath, ll of whom are makins sestes of supplication and reverence to a ped;stl of malachite in the centr of ahe room. Howevea t}Ie red crystal Itt.e plan shad) *e in the mYstic pool vision is noLpresent aiop the pedestsL. There re two chestsin tle mom, each contining 1,500g? as welt as ieweled statuettes nd ivorv carvind symbolic of Eldath's Eligion This ruom was the sanctuarY s vautt- Here the priests ofEldath kept tithes, donations. and their holy trcasu.es. Foremost mong the latter was the plaaar sord, a rnagical crvstat discovered nd named bY the Pest of Eldath who found it many Years ago. In the hands of a Pdest lemed in the ways of the outr Planes, the crystl can briefly open agalz to another plane.The Pri6s ofthe snctuary used the y8tl to open satwys to Eldth s home Plane. ;here they sousht proxies otthe goddess froh whom they gained enlighLenment nd btte. understnding of nature's ways. Fering the item could be used for evil, the Priests kept it locked within the vault when' ever it was not use.l. Varak discovered the Plaud. sord in the house, and alTer studYing the lihary's books on intrplna. tlavel, he ws able to use the crystl to oPen soie to the Abyss.Now iht the PCs h;ve amved to thwrt hrs plans Varak has retreated to the Gathring Chmber (area 24) and called for aid 22. Storage RooE. This Part of the wtchiower is led onlv for storag ol common supplies. The Pcs find or J a small amout oftorches, mpe, Sarden' ing t@ls, and other mundane items, atl of which a in p@r condition. 23. Wataht wer Armory. Wt Iw wepons and amor the Peace-loving clersy of the sanctuary kept for dfense were stoEd here. There is a rck of mces, flails, scimitIs, and momins st3rs between the s'rpport_ ing buttresses on the north wal, and a;ack containinq a suit of chain mail, scale mail, and Plate mil to th soth. All tree suits hve rustd due to neelect. The northem stas go uP to tatch in the ceiline that leads to the top of the waLchtowerThe secret door Loihe west is protectedwith a g?ypo/@trdrng that cleportsanr good.stignedPC who iouchesit to the wtchtower larea 2), savinq thrcw appticble. Chmber. The dou' 2,.r.Gatheritg hle dors t this chamber are bned frcm the inside and cn withstand 75 hD dmse beforesundenns This ctiamber;as used bv the Priests ot Eldath as stret meetlng re Varak cleared out all the fumiture' cramming it into the narrow northem and southem hallwaYs nd levingthe chanbeis amPle sPaceopen for the gare to the Abyss. Varak is waiting for the PrtY behind the curiain text to his ritual brazier He has iust finished clling forth the hezrcu tnar'n When the PCs linally gain entrY, read the foltowirlsl A chuming vortex of dark nist spins in the centa ofthe chmber, ;arinq like thunderstorn From its bh;k center climbs horrid best rcsembling a crcss between and a monstrous tod and a fish, its Dowerfut bodY covered with ele;mins scalesof motledsEen Sham sDrnesline its bck, and iis sapi;s;outh is filled wiih rows of snapphg ieeth. The creaLureemrts deafenits roar that owns out the sound of vortex nd begins lching Iorward, its eY$ brimmins

No.7l 58 lssu

DREADFUL VESTIGES

When the vortex was fi.st created nd the hezrcu first appeared, Varak sked the tanar'ri to appear before the lizrd men and proclaim itselfto be the vtr of their sod, Selnuany. Posing as the hezrou'sservant,Vrk hs used the lizard men to launch ttacks against the High Road and to bring him tresDrend captivesfor Bathsher.News ofVarak and 'Semuanya's avatal' has sprcad throghout the lizad men tibes, and eventually Va.ak hopes he'll hve enough minions to defet Sir Justin' forces t Iniarr''B Tower. Varak plans to lead the ttack hirnself,ccomp' nied by the hezmu. Hezrou: INT ver (8);AI CE; AC : MV 12: HD 9; hp 45; THACO 1lt#AT 3; Dmg ld6/ld6i/4d4iSA berhus, stnch,spell-like bilities; SD +2 o. better weaponto hit; half damagefron other non-magicl attack; never su.prised; tnalri immunitie; SZ L (7 tll)i MR 70S.1 ML 17| XP l4,OO0i PT,ANES'AP*MC AppendLa Ul02 &an fn| Dte v' the ho,$e's linserins masical wards, the hezrou's ability to lin and relepo., oilod e.ror do not function. Moments before the PCs ent. this mm, Varak imbibes a potion of inisiil;t} Wen the battle begins, he ca9ti resist firc, ree action, and spell innunity (v.. nogic missile)lpon himselt Vrak waits until the tnairi hs either been defeatdor has seriously wekenedthe PCs before attackins. As he becomes visible, the PCs see an amored priest clutching the plou dr sdrd in one hand appear near the brzier Va.a]< uses p!rctechai.s on the pafty's torches, if ny, to blind them. He follows with eot metdl on lightzrs nd stleM 15' rod;' on magesnd c)erics. Breakins the planar sard in Vrak's possession collapsesthe vor' tx instntly. Theplo"r rrardhas no other function but to invoke nd collpsethegdle. A sdtler spell desboys the crystal, as ds ny blunt attck inflicting 2 hp damage. Varak Re&hield (humn pdest of Cyric, foner pnest ofHelm)rAL CE (LGl: AC 3i MV 9; C8; hp 40; THAC0 16 (13 with mce +3): #AT 1; Dmg by wepontype; ML 15; S 15, D 1 4 ,C 1 4 ,I 1 5 ,W 1 6 ,C h 1 1 ;M L 1 2 ; XP 5,000;plte nail, ring o/MlDYrl (seesidebar for details),pldnd. sha ., f@tnan\ nace +3, heln of

underuater action, staffof satninq insects(14 chrseBl,potion of,"uts,. Spell' t5/5t3/2)t cause fear, cause lisht woun.ls, conndnl, faerie lirc, prote.tion fron Eoo.l; heat hetal, hold petson, prcduc fldn, tusist fr.e, silence15' tudius: d.ispelnagi., p!rctechnics, .epel insects;f.ee actio,

Nw Moglcol ltm
Bi'ts of Myrhu, The tnss o/Myrt.l, reltively few in rumber, we atd ed wom by Mlrkulyt pri6t3 beforethe TiEe of Ttoubles.Whe! M,'kul perbhed atop BlackstefTowe. in Waterdp,his wret tsmpl ir th brt of ihe Mere rnk irt the wmp, A nber of Mlakubts fled the sunkeDtEple ond died,giving up thei. liverud iheir roagicallirep-to the nontmE me in$ of Mr.hul--Enld hnB pinted black nd adomedwith the white skuu symbol of MFkur--slow fsintly in the pre!@ of a d?rrc, e,t spell.nE rings ,llowed the Myrkulyte. to iderti& or dothr More impoF trly, th rings ned s kyB, .nsbling the priests tD enter iheir tmple without in@iry the math of my of its 8ua.dims. Anrtu veiits i^s of Mytkul iB greted te ability to @& @r,g ,. dod.All indle$ mded ed iDtellient udead with fePer th 6 HD do not att5ck the irds wesrE .1$ the ser ttacts thm 6ft1. Motuver, th weir c cet crrtli ao.Bpell Ay ^n shbul touh Vday.Ptit ta the Time ofTrcubt$, ifthe n.8 wer ws a Mjlkulyt pist, he cold invok a nmb. ofoter etrcts,bth6e creter ntuti. poweE vebhed Svert.inss o/Mrril l@t it the swep have sin@beeDfoud. Evil, intelligenl at@s dran to the ringE as ifby the eightlevel sympdtl spll (rnge 30 yrd). Vark, the vitlin in thb adve N, we a rr olaMtdli that he fod ehile erploring the fl@dedgbd of nolt Hos. The iportde ofthe riis beomes pprent ir ihe let adventure in the Mereof Dead M.ft t'8. PVdu: 250 GPV.lue r,00o

Concluding fhe Advenlure


Cstins a .eaoue cu.se on Varak restoreshis lignment to lawful good, whereupon he aSreesto accompany the PCs back to Iniarv's Tower once the evil in Holk Hose has been eradicted. Vark knows how to collapse the vortex withot destrcying the plan shard, a his ewfound fith in Heln gives hirn a +2 bonus to turn the revilers.Vark also helps the PCs subdue any prty nembers who have succumbedto the alignment-ltering power ofthe revilers. Upon their return to IniN's Towea the PCs are given a heafty welcome. l-.d Justin sives them their wit and thanks them either for rescuing Vrak or ptting his troubled soul t rest. Lhmnr Tmblyn, a pnest ofEldath. 160 wits the heroes'return and is plesedifthe planat shad, the sunblade , and any other religious artifacts from Holk House are retrieved intact. lfthe PCs return the rtifcts, offering them to Lhmnr in an honorable fashion, the priest rewards them with the snldde for th great seFice they The Scly Deth tribe oflizrd men eventully investigte Holk House after the PCs have left and find no signs of the tnar'ri. They mintin a constant vigil t the site, witing the return of"Semuanya's vatar," nd becometoo distracted waiting for signs of the avatar's return to lanch attack agimt the High Road or Iniarv's Tower. For thwrtins Vark's plns and drivins the revilers fron Holk House, ech PC should receive a sto.y awrd of3,000 )aP lfthe PCs were grantd the sznbldde, an additional 1,500XP should be given to each cha.acter {r

DUNGEON 59

Reviler
CLIM-rE/TERRAINI T'REQUENCY: ORGANIZITIONI ACTIVITY CYCLE: DIET: INITLLIGENCEI TREAI;T,,IRE: AUGNMENT: NO. APPEARINGI ANMOR CI,ASS: MOVEMENTI HIT DICD: THCO: NO. OF ATTACKS: DAMGE/TTCK: SPECIAL AIACKS: SPECIL DEFENSES:
MACIC RDSISTANCE: SIZE: MOR.AIET XPVALTE: Abandonedbuitdinss, dunseons.and ruins

Adventues *71 DUNGE9N

Nil Average to High (8-14) Nrl

t-8 2 Fly 24 iB) t7 2 1 $/1 li poison Spells, alter alisnment, +1 or btte. wepons to hit:
seebelow 40% M (5 lons) Sieady (12) 1,400 Revilers have th bility io.rcdr. potson twice/dy.Any liquid within 10 feet may be t.ansformed into poison of Type L The intemal liquids ofliving crcatu.s cannot be affected.A single rviler may aflect p to I cubic foot of liquid, and severl rcvilers often work together to poison wter well6. drinkins sprinss, ponds.or ny other liquid likely io cofte in cntcl with sood-lised beings.Sch trnsfo.hed liquid reftains poisonousfor 2d6 hours. If nettuliz poison,cure disdse..r purif! fin,l dn.l dtinh is cst upon the poisonedliquid, it reverts to normI. Revilers renain invisible trntil they attack. They sre also non corporlnd can move throush solid objects, although doing so coststhem halftheir movement. Revilers are imnne to sleep,chdrn, hold ad mindinfluencing spells.as well as poisonnd prlyztion.They re tumed 6 spectres. Holy water inflict6 1d8 hp damage pet rial. Holy uortl ard dispel euil spells banish then petftanently. they require +1 r better weponsto hit. Hst itatlsiety: Revilers inhabit abndonedbuildings and ruins and .e @casionallyencounteredin catcombs and ceDeteries. As the senh ofan evil deity, they are often coDfinedto a specificlocation and canDotleave that l@ation unless their master dictates otheNise. A typical reviler"haunt" can be anJthing from a single structure to an entire, forlorn do'nin. Revileru'lairs rdile strons enntions ofevil nd therefore tend io ttrct evil monsters,especiallyother forms ofundead. Ecology: Revilers are oeated from the souls ofslain men and wonen ofevil disposition.They seek freedon fron their to.mented state by serying the da.k whims oftheir evil lord, bt their undead existenceonly heiehtens th nalvol.nce they possessed in life.

Revilers are undead spirib similar to haunts. They are crcated by evil gods for the purposeofspreadine stnle, woe,nd terror. Revilers hte ll thin$ that are goodnd pure and seek io cor.upt tbem, or at the veiy lest twist their plans towrd evil ends.Good beinss turned t evil by the .evilers'touch re used to sow discord and rep Rvilers are lmost lways invisibl unless ttempting to possess a victim, when they appar as ghostly,sw@ping shapswith leenne skull facesand clawed,sraspins limbs Their presenceis sometimesrevealedby soft, eerie whispengs.A,dpte.t undeod, detecteuil, ot d.etect inuisibilit! spell revels lhe revileru' presence. A t.ee seeiagspell revels their true hape. Revilers conversewith one another in hollow whispe.s. They cn spek any intelligent languge they knew in life. Most revilers know the Common tongre. Combatr RaviteB can attack with two shrps claws, bt they must tum visible to do so.They can also compt good or neutral victims by poisoningtheir minds. By grung up both woundins attcks, reviler cn lter the ethics ofany living being it touches(requirins successful attack roll). Any sood'alicnedbeins touchedby reviler must mke a wisdom check.Ifthe roll fails, the victift's alisnment is changedto that ofthe reviter until a rerlore c&rseo. dispel ?il is cast. reviler may only ttempt to "poison" cert n individul once.If the ttempt fils, the victim rs rmmune to ny furthe. attacks by thai particula. reviler RevilerBalso have the followins spell-like abilities, cast at the 10th level ofbility. Usble once/dy: an;mote object, sussestion, Epectral force, stone shape.Usable thice/day detect good, detect maeic, telekinesis,

No.71 60 lssue

fHE PlllNO (con d from page 47)

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They are too 6mall t stop the Rhino or the herosbut could do senous injury to a normal humn. And The Winner 16 ... The remainder ofth adventure can take one of severl torms. t Ifthe hcroes decide to let the muscle-boundbehemothsfi nish their rtue, the crng increases. A6 ihe racers ner the finish, they care less bout property or personaldamage and besin c.ashing through storefronts nd restaurants to shve sec onds ofTtheir times. Th. heroes should be civic'rni.ded enoush to at least mke sure tht the civilian population is kept out fhrfr's way,but ifthey need a gentl prodding, havc a police officer approchthe $oup and beg tbem to do something. Aier th race,the two villins walk offlike best buddies to find nothr br in which to toast thc results oftheir contest.They elen tlk bour mking the race n annual .t lfthe her@s try to stop th. rce.they must incapacitate both villains. Alihough the Rhino is probably hurt, the Juggemaut iB at the peak of his powers.Nators should impro vise as mny innGent bystanders or prilous situations s they like long the way (seebove).ln ny case,both villins .e more intercBtedin winning the rce ihn lighting th heroes,although that is not necessarily the caseoncethe r.rce is ove. Strngth 19D. Juggemaut Intllect 3X, Agility 2X, willpower 4D, Health 25, Sonic Slm, Intimidation, Innlnerbility to Di6ease,Life Suppo.t 15, Resener' ation 5, Resistance(to Cold, Gasses, Poison,Enersy) +7. Unsioppable (unique power,can't be stoppdby an)'thine), Body Armor +? (totl defense26) with Resistnceto Magic and Mental Control. Callirls: Demolishe. Hirdrnce: Bruiser (the Juggernaut attacks using Agility rther thn Strengih, though Slrength is still used to calclate .:. A more innovative solution would be for the h.roeB to mock the contestantsor intimte lhat th

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heroesthemselvescould bet thern both with ese.Ifone ofthe heroes succeeds t an dlcrdge lnlellecl llvt?lpoe.l action, he or 6he wounds Lhe!illains'pride enoughto stop them in their tracks. Both the Rhino nd Juggernaut are competitive noush 1nddumb enoush,in the R h i n o sc a s e ) t d.opthei.littl con test to start another one in which thcy can prove themselvestugher than ny bunch of heroes. NarratoB shold be open'rnided and inovative, allowing heroesto control the siiuation without turning the villin6 into completeknuckl' hds.They sree to take part in ny contst that seemsto test the prrici' pants' generl touAhness, since that was the onginl bone ofconte.tion.

bad guys into custody.It unconscious they lei the villains get way.though, they are vilified in the pasesofthe nxt nomineis Daily Buelc. Other outcornes might require Narrators to find a platble niddle gmund between these positions. Ifthe heroesstoppedthe race (ot at least prevented the villins from wrecking midtown Mnhattan), ihe Nrrator may reward thern with I point responsebonus.Other suitable rewsrds can be substitted, prticu' larly if they periain to the sloryline that the heroeswre lorced to abndon when they becarneenb.oiled in this adventure.Thir onsinal quarry might hale gotten away (for now), but a clue, pieceol equipment, or eyewitness discoveredat the race s end could lead thern bck into the fray. (I
M^RVEI SUPEHEROES Nd

Conclud ng ihe Advenlure


Should the heresstop eithe. or both the Rhino nd the Juggernaut, the Nl?D ives just in lime io ofter lheir prolond thnks and tke the
threoraGlEde nd ed'sr'cri@ riknesss mrksolMM Chacle6,Inc and arc ued wilh pemission.@ 1994 Mare Cha@cl6,Inc

DUNGEON 61

Rod! rcu up in'whetu !d'at" Chalmette,a suburb of his birth citr of New O ens. Rdd! sal''we don't rida to uork i suamp bets, no. do ue haDealligaton in o !ar&. "Drk Msic in New Orleans'is n N)&D' Masqe of the Red Death" adventu.e for 4 5 charctersof levels 5-7 (about 25 total levelsl. The DM is encourgedto visit the local library nd rsearch r890s New Orleans to get a "feel" for the setting. DMs pln' ning to use thi6 adventure in thej. .eglr RwjNr,oFr' campaigns should review th'Adapting the Adventure"

Bockground Advenlure
Mrie Laveau was the reiSning queen of da.k nasic in New Orleans from the 18206up until she passedthe torch to hr dughtr,Marie Lveu II, in 1869.The mother Mtie was scornedby he. rivats, one of whon ws a man known only s Doctor John. Althugh she could nol destrcy him. Mrie Ned her rnagic to drive Doctor John fron New Orlns.He soonreestblishedhis prcticesin a house on Bayou Saint John. Hi6 Voodncurse and chm practice thrived, bt it never eqaledthat of the Laveau fftily. lt was not until June 1881that John ws able to gain enough power to overcorne Mrie s The ging nystic was in hr defenses. 70t when Doctor John sent n assas_ sin imp io kill her where she slept. Mrie's dughter flew into a rage when she discoveredthe tnth. For three yers she plotted the death of Doctor John, nd finally, on the nniversry ofher mother's death in June 1884,she confrontedhin in swampy gavyrd ner his home on Bayou Saint John. Doctor John cast polymo.p incantation on Marie, but the spell was reflected back, tlansforming him into n lligtor Doctor John fled into the wamp.Police but investigted his disappearance. without a body their effoltB were fruitless. His house is cuenily being cled for by his srandson, Bb Langlois (by-baylans-loy). With the pprcnt death of Doctor John, nuch ofthe evil that plgued the New Orleans re disppeard. Recently,however, seriesofshange deths have occurred.Mny attribute

whottles of horrorwouldit tell? couldspeak, lf thisold house

MAGIC DARK IN NEW ORLEANS


BY RANDYRICHARDS

Deothon the bovou


Artworkby ErodleyMcDevili Corloqrophyby Diesel

No.7l 62 lssue

DARKMAOIC IN NEWORLEA S

the deaths to dark nasic and whispe. about the curs of Docto. John, but this cannot be substntiatd.At first, the vi.tims were poorer folk livins in outlyins a.eas of New Orleans, and these incidenk were rarely investi gated. Rcently the terror has besun to touch people in high places, triggenng more concern. One of the rnor recent victims was a prominent businessman, Emest Whitnarsh, fod ded t hi8 desk in his ofiice at the Bank of l-ouisiana building. A dark magic fetish a noJo nu Dd-was found in his srasp. The police could not detrnine the causeof death, as there were no ma.k on his body. The second unusual death was trapper Ron Gasliano, discovered badly mauled with his ight am missing completely. The mn's rifle had been fire4 and a drk ngic s'.is'gr;s was found in his pocket. Next, Senator Bill Bmussrd w trveliDg to Baton Rouse when his criage was ttcked. The drivea a G.k seRnt named Nick Psonaq flew into mad rage. attacking rescuers when they ived t help. He was killed in the ensuins fight, and the police believe the drive. hd succunbed to the pain and angish of his sittion. Th prpetrators rc still at la.ge, presumably holdins Senator Brcussrd lor rnsom; howevea Do dmnds hve been receivedThe fital attack occurred just last week. The Bmnes8 Pontlba'ssand' dauehtr, ContssaPontatbwealthy, proninent New Orleans socilite-ws bing esorted home from a charity function when the horses of her carig suddenly dropped dead on the spot. She was subsequentlyaccostd by a sroup of men. Her escort, Btuhop Scott Lemonier, confrontd the sns. Upon witnessing the bishop.the bandits immediatly tumed and fled. However, one of them hd appa.ently droppd cursed item of dark magic, Not satisfied with the skills of the local police, the Contpssa hired a private investigtor to delve into the cse.Although competnt gumshoe, the detctive suspects supematl involvement and has sent for a group ofexperts t assist hin in his wo.kexperts known for solving "special"

PlolSynopsis
The PCs beone involved in the adventur when private investigator Rddy Boudreaux sks for assistance in solving a series of nystrious deaths in the New Orlens are. Voodnrnasical itms hve bn found after ech incident. The adventurers arive in New Orleans aboard the river boat Mrssrssippi QreeD. En rout to the Saint Charles Hotal, they pss Congo Squre, whre d* magic dances are being prfomed before a larye cmwd. It is here they leam of the bis Voodan gthering on Saint John's Eve and meet a reportr who works for the PicFne newspaper, a connection tht could prove hetpfI. At the fime sceDes, the PCBdiscover that poison is the most direct cause of deth in the rnurder cases. Boueau believesthat Voodn nasic may be indirectly responsible. To leam nore about drk masic, the chrcters visit a Voodan Queen, Maie Laveau. Herc they learn nore bout hei. the Voodan masic, and Doct r John's transfomatioD into an alligator l,ater that evening, the PCs explore Doctor John's house, d diary is unmvercd tht reveI8 information bout the Btoln spidt of the fiBt dark mgic queen, Senit Dd (sen-EE-ty DAy-day). Fmm Senit's haunt, the PCs lem the whereabouts ofDoct rJohn. She leads the group directly to Doctor John's new lir in the bayou. If they surive his unded minions, they discover that he hs desneratedinto a fteakkh alligator-md. If they defet Doctr John, they have solved the murdrg and completd th adventure.

Adrptirg

th AdYentur

'Dark Magic i! New Orlean" ca be tresplarted om Gothic Earth irt ny rgular AD&D RAVElrlaFT cmpaiglr.lh DM cr! place the dveture in any city with a c@stline in a domain that palallel8 Ranis8ance culture, such s Porta-Lucin in Dhentrieu. (See the Donains of Drcon sotghk lot details on this donain.) The DM can also place th adventure in hi8 or her own R^\Nrcm domain, pmvided the cultural level is comparable to tLt of old New Orlears. Rlercnces t pople, plac3, d events sDecilic t the 189Osed New Orans csn be ac.onmodtd with a few hinor chgF8. For in-stalce, the FreDch Oper Hous codd e$ib becoine the Port aLucine Oper Ho!e. Vtani masic ln replce Voodan rngic. Rfernce to Mark Twain ad other figlres from Earth history cn be igored or chsnsed. ff the canpaie! does not have goveino.s and senators, reptace them with duLes or vica$. Fo. change in currcncy, one cent equsls one-tenth of a copper pie, and each dollar eouals one silver Diece.

Forthe DM
Doctor John has rcsisted the coDplete polymorph into an allistor thogh the use of his dark magic. Howeve., his elTorts were not completely successful, nd he is currently in a tlansitional hybrid stte tht has nearly It took some time for the Doctor to regain his strensth, but he has once asain becone a powerful adept. In his half-crazedcondition, he has decided to exact vengearce on thos who opposedhim in the past.

Emest W}litmarsh was a lon examiner who tumed down a lon to D@tor Johnj Senator Bill Bloussa hd tternpted to enact sevenl laws forbiddins voodn masic; CoDtaBB Pontalba publicly ridiculed Doctor John in an intewiew published in the Daily ltm newspaper;nd Lisette De La Houssaye(Doct r John's next victim) was a relative of the mayor, who suppo.td Senator Broussard's etrorts in outlwins the masic. John's ultimate cpal is the total dornintion ofthe New Orleans are. The only person standing in his way is his arch-eneny, Marie Laveau. His plans are to kidnap he. from the dark magic ceremony and use her spirit to pover his foul rngic. Timeline Jur 9: Doctor John'Bpoisoned nojo ord kills Emest W}litmarsh. JDe 10: A nomal lligator kills trapper Ron Gagliano.

DUNGEON 63

DARKMACICII{ NEWORI.EANS

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i-i)'-,.'"":)tr(\c \\.a.'-) f\i)"2"*'" \. \6:,-i\"(r',\V{-kidnps June t2: Doct,n-John Scnator Bill Brouss.d nd l.ns him in(o juju zotbie. .tne t5: (lontess Pontlba is ccost(,d b! sor. ofDoctor John s June l7: NIiss Pontalb hircs , n v e s t i s a t oR r andrRodrc!ux. June la: Bodrcaux (ontac|s th. P C s .i n v i t i n , lt h . m ( o N . w O r l { , n s . J u n e 2 l : T h c p a r l J a r . i v c si n N c s O r l { r n s n d i s l a l e r $ i t n e s st o a dlrk mrgic cerenony .rue 22: The aror's sistojn h{, I-isette De L Hossarc. is fond hanged in Jackson Squar.. Jun 23: Nfrric L.v.au is kidnppcd fmnr the dark m!!ic Ii slivl PCs cxplorc Doctor John s ho. Ar nrdnjsht, Mlri.s spiril is sac.ill.ed by Doctor John lo in.rse his power, u n l c s sP ( l s i n t e r v e n e .

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llegin bl rcadinla th. follo$ing as !h(l chactcrs appror.h N.$ orlens vi thc riv.rboat Mississ4rJi Qu./,:

s h a n s c a c ( c n t ,s c . k i n g h d p i n solvinlasomr unusul mrde.s. He would not.,lborte. only to say the police scedd unable to solve thc dimes.l he pit of$?00 plus erpensesscemedexorbitant, but who are you to qurbble? As vou approach l''.w Orlcans, the Missrssippi River trlllc jncrcasesconriderahlJ.B.,re klng, lhc rivcr is llanlcd bJ a s{,edingl! uncnding row ol rivcrbouls. As lhe shipsqlliop. phJs melanchol! lun.,, tou prd ar lhc docksidebus rle ol crosded port ciiy clrppc ship, the rr.orn1.r, passesyou wrth a belly full ofcarso hedcd upstrcam to somc northcrn state. Thc sn rs settins in the distancc, r.flcctins ils oran$ Slow oll thc ripplin!.i rvatcr B.ads ofs*et drop lion you brow The heat is i n t r n s .l n d r h e d e n s eh i d i t \ .lings l{r you like cloud ofhunsry ^s yor ncar your dockine bc!'ih, you noricc a massivc church domjn t i n gt h e s k y l i n c . A w o m nn c x t to you )Tf.rs to the lowering structur. s thc Sainl Ii,is (lthed.al. Sevcral hundrcd fel ollthe riler

front lre ross ofshops selling mcal, fruils. nd vegclbls. MaD! popl., re gthered lhe.e. A mn ih.ows thick ropes to a dockwo.ker who anchoN thc liDe to post. famp is extendcd by scveral shipmares. llowins you to disemba.k. As you and thc other passenecrs walk down thr crowdcd rnp. you n.lice a ftan holding silh wilh Jour ntucs on il. This must bc lh.: chp who hi.ed |,o.

Let the PCs d.cidc what io do. lf ther approach thc man. conlinuc with the lollowing lext. II lher do not conlacl lhc han, hve hin rcogni2e lhctu lperhps by the wy they re drssed).Nole tht the $?00 pay is for th enli.e prty. The limit on xpenss(bribes,hotel. food.nd so forrh) is lft up to the DM. "l'm Randy Boudrcaux,privatc investigator D. BaroncssMiccla Pontalba'ssranddaugh!ar.Contcssa Pontlba,hrs comnissn,nedne lo invcstigate scverll ysGrnlus dcaths in d. Nes O.leans re. Shes all{r*ed me g.eal deal of expenseoney, so when I asked to

* v . r l d t i i o u r n . y s i n c ey o u

64 lssueNo 7l

DARKMACICIN I{EW ORLEAI{S

bring in outside help, cher said sure thing. I t@k d liberty of nkin' rransements for you to sty in de Sint Charles Hotel, if dt's okay.l'll explain de detils of de cseover dinnea but for noq allow me to sive you a ride. De Baroness has been nost genercus in providing us wit transportation." Rndy motions to the charcte$ to enter his horse'drawn carrise. The chaufieur takes their bass (unless they protest) and places them on the Randy Bodraux (detctive): AL LG;AC 10; MV 12; Tlade8man 3i hp 14;THACo r9; fAT I or 3/l (rpid fire); Dmg by wepontype (2d6+1 w i t h p i s t l ) ; S 1 4 . D 1 4 , C1 1 , I 1 2 , W 11. Ch 13: ML 12; amy pistol. To the Hotel You swt at the horde of nosquitoes dancins bout your head.The itch oftheir bite is maddening,nd you relize they hve been feasting on your blood all evening. You begin scratching the entire length of your body in n attempt to esethe dis' Boudreaux lughs in a friendly nanner, "Doan wony 'bout de mosquito bites. De're harntess You watch the scenery pss by your window The street sign says "Rue St. Ann," and as you tum the conea a new Bignreads'Rampart Street." Up ahed, the venueis blockedby gthenns ofpeople. "Driverl" Boudreux yells. "Wht's de holdup?" There is a puse s the driver junps down frcm his seat.'lt would seen the Voodanare holding their dark msic cercmony in Conso Square,sir rhe strcet iB completely blked by onlookers." Boudreaux turns to you and smiles."Perhapsifs fte, no? I sus' pect de Voodanare involved wit desemurders. Let's set out and watch. Maybe if we a6k questions, we can lern mo.e about dm." Since the P& don't even know yet what they re investigating, they can' not ask many prtinent questionsat this time. Everyone knows Marie Laveu is the reisning Voodan

Queen-and that the Voodanpractice drk magic but they know little else-When the PCs decideto watch the cerenonies,rcad the foltowins: The c.owd iB curious but stnds far back fmm the ceremony itelf. In the center,the Voodnsre chanti' ng beating their tn-ims, and dncins. Suddenly,the music and dancins stop-A beautiful wonn wrapped in 9 tong snake and wearing tan dress emergesHe. eyesare btack, her figre is prcnounced,and her skin shines in the torch light. Wen she .eaches the center of the gthedng, the trntms begin their rhythrnic thump' ing. The limber woman besins n exotic dnce,whirlins and bowing, entwining the false snke aboDt "Mariejust ds this for shoq" tall brcwn-haired man says to you ofihandedly "The real pa.ty is on Sint John's Eve, this Tuesdy. They th.ow a big drk msic festival up near Lke Pontchrain, nd the whole town shows up. This isjust dvertisenent. Oh, by the way, I'rn Larry Lndry, reporter for the Daily Picayune newspaperhere in town. You mst be new here." One ofLandry's assignmenh has been coveraseofvoodan evenh, nd he has considerableknowledgein this a.ea. Atlow PCs to purnp Landry for infomation about the Voodnnd their dark rnagic.IGowing ahrut their rituals only dds to the sense ofmystery and danser Lndry can help the charactrslater, so they should met him before they bed for the night. He can be reached at the newspaperoffice durine noml At ?:00I,.M., the cermonyends nd the crowd begins to break up. Boudreaux leads the PCs back to the crrise. Read the followins: As yo climb into the cab, the drivr commandsthe hore3forwrd. You notice Mane Lveu etrins directly at your carrige.as if she A cold chill sensesyor presence. ruft down your sprne. The gas street lmps have been lit, and th city glows with an unnatural light. Gone is the festive tmosphe.e of the day, and now the

sinitr clonk ofnisht hs sur' rounded you. the driver turns onto Custom House Street, and finlly onto Saint (ihrles Avenue. The SiDt (jhrles Hotel is magdficent to bchold.Thc Romanesque architcctur. is typical in this area. Six thick whitt columns 6tnd out fron thc ain buildins, forftins an overhng lbur sl.ies high. The car' rige coes to coplete stop in front ofthe strtrcture. The bellhop quickly tkes the PCs' lussse, and they re ushered into the Srand buildins. Boudreaux Eivesthen each seprteroom key, all on the third floor The bellhop notions for them to ente. the lift and oflhandedly renark6,"Please step in, nd the li{T operator will tkc you to your {loor" Dinner on Rue Dectur Once the charactersarc seitled in their mns, Boudreaux invite them to dinner He Lakcsthen to new reBtaurant call.d Tujaque's(too'raxsl at 823 Rue Decatu/. The f'd is a sirnplc sclectn'n of New Orlens fvorites .!nsjns fmm sumtio,jambly, owfish lFudin, French bread, nd red beans with rice. The averagemel is 50 cents. Durins dinncr Bodreux explins the evcnts leading up to the prty's arrival, as relatcd in tho "Adventure Backgrond,"and he anBwersny questions they havc bout the murders. He specificllypoints out the one connectionbetwee. all the murders: theVndrn items nd charns found on or near lhe ded bodies. Once Boudreux hs finished answring the charcters'qestions,he bids them aoodnight and drops them offat their hotel. Ifasked, he tells them his addressis the old Llaurie house at ihe corner ofRue Royal and Hospital Street, where hc is renting a room.

When the PCs are sound sleep. regardlessof thc sleepingrrangencnts), onc chractcr (likely the lest powerfl..r the most timid), receives a specil'sit1." loud rap t the door When they go to th d@r and open it, they see a small dgger inpaling doll to the door To the shock ofthe

DUNGEON 65

OARKMAOIC II{ NEWORIEAT{S

pafty. the doll looks exctly like the charcter,right down to the clothing he or she worc today.There is no sign of who left the waning.

June22,1893 Mondoy,
Boudreaux wkens the PCs the next moming rcund 7 a.M.tfthey are not yet rcady, he busies himselfin the lobby redins the Daily Pica)rn. If the PCs show hin the doll ftom the previous night, Boudreaux clairns the doll is meant to ftighten the PCs. He asks the PCs which crime scenethey wish to investiste first. The PC6 must decidefor themselvesin wht order to cbeck out the locations.If the DM wishes to expedite play time, simply follow the events in the order

deDce. It @ntains no poison or other toxins and appears hnd sewn.This fetish doll is used to iflict pin and death upon its likeness.This particu1r doll was intended to frishtn nd was never enspelled. The party can contact Bivon t the sttion virtually anl'tine during his shift, which is usually ilom 6 .M. to 2 P.M.He my be useful in making suggestions about where to investigte, or he might help those in need of a "push" in the risht direction by givinc clues he hs Iust uncovered." Scene 2. The Undertakr. The undertakea Ctarence Sneedly, works at 613 ToulouseSt.eet. The bodies ofWitmah, Gglino,nd Pomas re kept here while the murde. investistion is pendins.The possessions on their bodiesat the time of death are being held as evidencet the police station. Sneedlyhelps the prty any way he can. He is anxious to preparc the bodies for burial and set this business behind him. He k matteFof-fct in dealing with ll aspectsofthis incident nd knows nothing of the cases pending. One oftwo comners,Dr. Chartes Seeman,is present the first time the charactrsanive. He is not proficient in toxicolo8y, but the other coroner, Dr GeorseLawmson, is.IfPCs suggest the cause of death is poison and have no toxicolo8y proficiencies, do not penalize them. Iftted, hve Dr. Seeman suggest that Dr. Lwrson perform the necessry t xicolosies. Whitmar8h: Ifexmined by a charactr proficient in toxicology, an insinuative poison is found in the victim's system the sme poison fotd oD rhe nojo-hand cha.n at t}je Ggliano: A PC proficient in biology nd zoology car determine that the cuseofdeth was likely an ll; stor ttack. Without the zoolosypro6ciency,all tht cn be sleaned from the examination is that he was killed by a wild anib|. Toxicolosyreveals no poisonsin his system. Brcussard: His body was never found, Bohis condition is nknown. Poms: Ifthe body iB examined by PC pmficient in t xicoloey, an insinutive poison is found in his system. Several ofhis intmal orsns

re missing: hea,liver, and spleen. A small dart, only a few millimeters long, can be lound in the hairline. The tip contains a concentratedversion ofthe same poison used to kill Whitnarsh ('IVpe C)- The poison is D La Hou6ssyer ffher deth has hedy o.cur.ed, her body will be here. Ifexamined by PC proficient in toxicolocy, the same insinuative poison will be found in her systm. Her neck is bruised but not broken. and resardless of any prcficiencies, it is obvious to anyone that hanging cn be ruted oDt s the causeof death. Scen 3. Batrk of Luisiana. Emest Wlitmarsh, the nurdered Ioan exrniner.worked at the Bank of lauisiana, locatedat 409 Rue Royal. The sovemor hs assred the Bank of luisiana there would be Do mo.e iDvestigation.If the PCBtry to examine the crime cenet thi loction, the secretry sumrnonB bank .epresenttive,Frank Pelliier. Pellisier does not llow the PCs t entr and summons the suard if nec' essary. However, he is susceptible to bribes. If a PC makes a successful savior-fair proficieDcy check, Pellisier asks for $30, but helt take S10. He requir$ that he remain with the PCs at ll tim. If the PCs agee to his tenns, Pellisier guids them t wlitmrsh's second floor ofiice. The room is sparse,containins only a desk, typewdtei. and file cabi' net. The desk itself is enpty. If the files are searched or a iminology prcficiency is used to scour the entire mm, one file is found that piques the PCs' cuio8ity. An AfricnAmerican man by the nme of Doctr John, who has listd his professionas "VoodnKins,'was tumed down for loan by Whitmarsh. John's addressis marked in the lile. No other clues can be gleaned ftom the cme scene. Scne .r. Gagliaro Ridence.

Scene 1. Police Sttion. The sttion is locatedin the Cabildo Buildins on Ru DecatDnThe police chiefis unavailable when the PCs arrivei however, the detective wo.kins on the caseis Ben Bivona. He can give the PCs ny information they need,although Boudreux hs already spokento him. Ifthey wish to xamine the evidencein the cases, Bivon siv them permission.He can contact the .oroner nd have him neet the PCs.(See"The Underrker" below.)Below is wht Bivona knows about ech ofthe murde. victims: WhirmaBh: Analysis of the noJio cd.n lound in the corpse'shnd reveals traces of poison (Type C). Gaglino: The g.is-g.ts .o.n found discoveredin his pocket is small cloth bas filled with dirt, $ound vesetblemattea and snak bones.There are no toxic substances, nd the cham is non-nagical no{ {The chan's magic lured Ggliano into the jaws of an alligator, but its masic has since been expended.) Brousard: See Psons below Psoma: A toxicolosiclanalysis of th uoDsa cio'n found near the carriage reveals no poisonoussubtnces. The chm itselfis made ofa chicken bone, hawk feathea nd some white thread. lt is a one-use magict item for thrcwing a curse on soneone;it is no longer magicI. De I Hou8sye: It her deth has aheady occurred(see'Tck6on Square"),the doll found near her body will be here with the other evi-

Ron Gagliano,the trappr,lived in this old and dilpidatd shack on River Road. A child's stick'and'hoop toy Ii on the porch, as do chairs, sone buckets,and fishing equipment. Furs can be seen danslins from the porch overhar& A flat-bottomed boat is lyinc to one sid of the buildiDg. AB they approch the shck, the PCs

66 lssueNo.7l

DARKMACICIN f{EW ORLEAI{S

hear children plyins inside. An old ok tree behind the home cdes a burden olSpanish moss The residenceis loctedjust outside the city limits ner CYPres Swamp. Coincidentally,it is also about half a nile away from where the Senator was bducted. Ron's widow. Denise,a cie'wom woman in her late thirties. is ttendins her four children. The oldest boy, Thomas,answers the door.Thomas knows where the death took place and how the body was found, bt he has kept the more guesone detils f.om his mother to lessen her sriet If anyone speci{icaltyexamines the Found where the death took Place, ihev notice a fint bl@d tril ledins o$into the woods.tf a chamcter prothe ficient in criminology cnvasses rea, he loctesit. Following the blood into the muddy s*amp is the only wy to find ny more clues bout Ifthe trail is followed.a decornposing llisator is found. The bullet fron Gelino'srifle is lodsed deep inside it; the man's arm is still clutched in the dedeator'sjaws. There are no other clues t this location. If the PCs need use of a boat, Denise rents her lat husbnd'sboat for $1 per day Scene 5. Broussrd 3 Carige.

the Red Death. doom A yim waring t'oronewhoopposes foretells


Even Dore peculiar are the sveral birds, snakes,turiles, and allisators that lie dd near the horses. Hidden in the water surrounding the crrige is a living alligatoi Any PC nakins a successfulzoologyproli ciency check spoi6 the gator Ifthe PCs use a boat to reach the sunken carise, the alligato. is Iiishrened offnd teavein search of easier prey.Once investigation ofthe vehicle begins,however,two water moccasinsslither out ofthe reeds and attack anyone in the mire. Alligator: AL NrAC 5; MV 6. Sw 1 2 ;H D 3 i h p l 4 i T H A C o u ; n A l 2 l Dms 2d4 (jaws)/1d12ltail); SA 2 to opponents'surprise rolls;SZ L: ML 9; XP 65: MMl49 (crocodile). Water moccasins (2)iAL N;AC 6; M V 1 5 ;H D 2 + l i h p 1 2 , 9 :T H A C 0 1 9 : #AT t; Dmg liSA poison (Type C);SZ SiML 8: XP 1?5;MMl320 (snakc, Poithe In their present state of decY, horses cannot yield nny clues. However,poison still e{sts in the nimal' tissue; a toxicologyrcveals inert this fct. The toxin becomes onceit is xposedto air, bt the tis_ sue ofthe horses is saturated with it. The numerous dead aninls abot the sceneattest lo the dedlinessof

Sentor Brcussa.d's cariage was drj_ ven offof River Road,not too fr from Ron Gaelino'sresidence. Broussrd was fin supporter fo. bannins the practice of V@dan. His enctedordinncesthat c.eatd many restrictionfor the Voodn prctitioners. Doctor John saw him as an enemy nd, in his deranged state, attacked the senator Beforc setting out, Boudreau sug_ gests purchingspecil netted hats, obtained frcrn the dry soods store D.H. Holmes on Canl Street for about $5 each.The hats will protct the PC6' heds frorn the swarms of mosquitos that occupy the swmp As they approchthe accident location, a girn 6isht unfolds.About twenty feet ftom the rcd, submerged in bout two feet of muddY watea is Broussrd's overtmed cfiag. Tvo horses re still badty decomposed hmessedto the vehicle.

Scene 6. Meeting th BtuhoP The bishop,Scott lmonier. cn be reachd at his omce in the Presbltere facjns Jackson Squarc. If questiond bout the incidett involving the bn_ dits who attcked him. he reltes the sme stor/ he save to the potice (see 'Adventure Backsround"). However,he dds,"I felt divine inteflention that night. tu's hand helped tum those men wy, for they gve no resis' tnce."In game tmq the bishop "iurned" the men, who were actully fo.t It ws not a conscious zombies. n his part. howevr-simpty his md st.ength of will divine presence

67 DUNGEON

oARKMA6|C tt{ t{EWORtEAI{S


Some PCs misht wish to question the d.iver ofthe cariage that night. The bishop telts then that his driver quit after the first police inteniew, snd the next day he was on a ship headedfor New York. The driver had nothing to dd to the bishop'sstory, only tht he fercd for his life. Ifthe PCs try to revisit the bishop t ny later point during the game, he is wy visiting other churchesin EcclesisticlSquare on Constnce Street. He might be at Saint Mary's Assumption or Sint Alphonsus (50% The bishop declinesto accompany the PCs in their investigations,s that is "b$t left to the authorities." Scene 7. The Pontalba Buildirg. whit marble stonework reflects even the dull light of the sas lamps. The cente. door is flanked by two whit extrnal staircases,leading upwrd to the balcony level. All the seats are erouped four to box, regrdless of their position in the complex.Red the followins oncethe PCs are seatd A beautiful woman, holding hersetf rcslly nd dressedin white forml ttire, entrB the estblishment. This must be Miss Pontlba, your enployer, for 11 heds tum to her She appers to be a womn in her nid-thirties. Her hir is red and flows down to her waist, wherc it touchesthe snall ofher back. Without acknowledsinsyoDr presence,BheBits down in the box next to youB, sta ng foMard to the A few moments later, the stage lishts are tumed up, nd the perexplains tht the body of a woman was fond hryed from the equestri' enne sttue ofAndrew Jackson in Jackson Squre (the re in f.ont of the Saint lautu Cathedrall. Scene ro. Jackson Squre. The PCB rrive in Jackson Squre around 10115 P.M., by which time a crowd has sthercd. The police have already securedthe crine scene. The body of a wonan lies coveredby btanket. A hansman's noosedansles ftom the rised hoof ofndrew Jackson'srerin8 horse. Boudrcau rushes to the scene and kneels beside the body, his fce in hi8 hnds, sobbinguncontrcllably. Boudreau Bhakes off any attmpt to t uch, move, or consolehim. Ifanyone is questioned,the PCs lern that the dead woman is Liseti De La Houssye,the sister,inlaw of myor John Fitzpatrick, nd belovedof Randy Boudreaux,the man who weeF now at her side.Boudreaux is of little use the rest of the investigtion, but especiallythis evenin& After few minutes at the investistion sisht, the PCs are approached by Detective Bivon. He shows them a bit ofunpublicized evidencehe found when he anived. Holdins up a doll, he sys,'This is the reason I sent for you. This Voodandoll." The doll-a perfect elfisy of Lisette De La Houssaytshas snall noosearoDnd There r no othe. clues at the cnme scene.PCs may question some of the onlookers,but none of them witnessed the murder. Lisette was attacked by Doctor John nd ndercd unconscious with a sleepspell. She was tken to Jackson Square unde. the veil ofan inrisiility spll. poisoned,and then hanged. Boudreau accompanies Lisette's corpse to th morge. PC pny him or return to their hotel.

The Pontlba Buitdins fcesJackson Square.Miss Pontalb,the wealthy Bialite and Boud.eauk employer, hs a meeting with the board of directors ofTulane Unive$ity to dis' cuss donations to the schoot. This mkes her unvilable; howeveaher servant hs written messge for Detective Boudreaux.The letter

luna 22, 1893 DearMr. tsoueatT, Yoandlou alpointed hrestitators areiwited tn attenda perlonoitz ot thz frevh Opera 'ltowe tliis ez.eniry1. Afteirnrt ztt ui[[ {ine at Antoinei Ruuunnt ,fiere at 713\!e Sint Iauis, 1.t uE lri[{ [iscuss perlour progress.'|fu so lonnawr bqins ot 7:@p.m., 'p[tose to nat 6e[ate.lo r ticlQu x,[issContusaQonta[6a
Scene 8. French Opera House. ThiB Bcene takes place at the French Ope. House round ?:00 PM. Ifthe PCs lck forml attire. Rndy Boudreaux provides them with sone. Iffor sone reason the PCs re late. they are denied entry until altr the The exterio. ofthe French Opr House is exquisite to behold.The

Immeditely followig the performance,Miss Pontalba levesthe French Opera Hou6e,trveling direcily to Antoine's Restaumnt via her carriase, neetins the PCs there at 9:00 PMScene 9. Antoin's Rastaant.

The PCs should rendezvouswith ContessaPontlb t Antoine's,s anged. When they enter the restaurnt, red the following textl Ant-oine's is a lavish estabiishment. Miss Pontalb iB aheady seated at the head of long rectngular tble, and she motio for you to join her You are brely past the initil introdDctionswhen the waitB bring out your entre.The specialty tonisht is Crcole dish. Tbe arom is detishtful. About thirty minutes into the meal, mn intempts your hostess,handing her a note.After readins the messge, she looks up "There's ben srim'faced and says, Miss Pontalb sives Boudreux the note, at which time the meal brcaks up. Boudreax gathers the p.iy together, nd Contessa takes her leve.En route, BoudreB

'1893 Tuesdoy, June23,


The events in Jckson Squre have a profound eflect on Detective Rndy Boudreau, as the death Df his love prove too much to bea. Early on this dy, Boudreaux forwrds a messag to th prty'B hotel. The note is ddrcssedt the PCB:

8 lssue No.7l

DARKIIACICII{ NEWORI.ANS

lvtq - fri"ont,

i amteni6! sorry, utlue to ciriunxmrtzs, I tfu e4lenuatiiX amtuu6[en mnctu[e tfrenautiqotion uith qou.I frltoeassuft[ gotion uitfl lo Miss Qonultrayu uouare arepa6lz caoa6[e o oJ Missoonmlha

tz stmaqeafe at 40ufa6p0sat aru{shoull 6euaiin4 ouie. t lo halt oneftnat suqqution. tfu loodan Qun Ma Lareau [ites on Ke SaintAnn. 5fr4ni.qht 6et6[e a i[entfit trtztfnms we {ount, anl pefr,ipsslic on se[t 'uou sont piotect'ion. Goot luck. @nly aoudriau4
Scene ll. Meeting Mrie lveau.

pe ps coitintw uithout mz, fi,pp, etenroso.Sfuwt[ rem.urse etpenses yoxfor at9 rcasow6[e tlu incur, so lov as lou lou sa.,e reFipts. drtuetrcqqry ani, .Jlu

PCs approachingMarie's house notice candlesburning in the window No sign inarks this residence as a shop of rgic,but hnd'writtn letters on the door spell "l,aveau." If the PCs knock on the dooa a short woman of dark complexion answers. "I'm sorry,' she says,'Mrie seesno one tody. Come bck tomonow" Tonisht is Saint Joht's Eve, the night of the dark msic festival, and Marie is preparins her incantations as host for th festivities. The seNant, Antonina, has been instructed to tum wy visit rs. PCs who bibe the servant with at least $5 or rcquest n audienceto disoss their muder investigation are allowed inside. The senant motions for you to enter Yo follow her to an adjcent room, contining mny strange decortions. Chrms cover nerly ever.J surface ol the room, inctudins the ciling. Tribal nasks are displayed aboven altar One entire walt is devotedto rctigious statues and jars of colored powder. Sddenly, you notice strikins womn standing in your midst. Her apprancestadles you. 'You have need of my seflices?"

Mrie is circumspectabout most questions unless she is shown any of the chms or dolls.Ifshe seesny of these. she recosrizes the design, nd a worried t@k washesover her previ"It ously stoic face as Bhegasps. is as I feared ... Doctor John is bck from the dead!"At this point, she reltes to the charcters the information pertining to her family s detaited in the "Adventure Backsround" section. W1Ien the characters have been fully briefed ofthe Mrie/John battle. Marie might suggt tht the prty check out Doctor John's home in Bayou Saint John. She knows that Dtor John's srandson, Bb Langlois, looks lter the prcperty. Ma.ie Bel)s the party any items they wish to purchse,but Maie only hs enoush insedients on hand t make one ofeach item. She declines any invitation to accompanythe PCs; she hs commitments t the festival. Most of the chrmq powders, and potions we.e creted by the Voodan priestess. Many ofthem re magicat but work only oncebefore losing their masic. The $2 itns are non-nagical Each $15 errs-g.b itn trords a one-shotbonus to any one bility score or statistic. The g.is-gtts' magic can be invoked once,after which the chrm or potion loesits masic. Here are som possible sris'sris efTects: attrct the oppositesex (+1 bonus to next Chrisma check),prctection from spirits ( 2 AC bonus against next attack by n undead creatur), sood health (+1modifier to next Constitution check),luck (+1 Inodifier to next saving thmw). The $35 noJo items are as power' ful s ay norml magical iten, but they only have enough masic for one use. Some possibleno items inctde love oil htlrer ofioue), contrclling poud#s (potion ofmdr @at.ol), ansa hex chans (J AC bonus for 24 hours), and moJbndads (+5 t svesvs. poison for 24 houft). Marie Lave (metaphysician): Al LN;AC I (5 withsris'aris); MV 12;Adept l4ihp 48; THCo 12; #AT l; Dmg by weapon typ or spell; S I,I 1 5 ,W 1 ? ,D 1 0 ,C 1 6 ,C h 1 8 ;M L 1 ? ; Deftinser pistol +2, eris-gris hag (4 AC bonus),rattle (cashprctectiou ftom euil l0 rad.ius on/day),ouans'1 of spell tuming 6B the nng|

Epells' bless,cure light tounds (x2), detect nasic (x2), inisibilit! to undead,purifi f@d dnd d.rih;.h@rn percon or mdmmdl, detectcharn, mesneer slaw poison, smke charn curc lx2), tdrp @d; aindte d.ead., blind.ness or deafn$E, cure disede, feign death. negatie plane protectio, speak uith dead <x2); cure serious ound\ detect lie, neutmlize poon lx2), stichs to snahes; curc c.itical wound.s /.x2),mdsic font.

DoclorJohn'sHome
PCs can contct Detective Bivona at the police department and rcceive permission to investigate Dr Johnk horne.Bivon aranses fo. Mr Bb Lnglois to meet the PCs at Doctor John's home by ?:00 PM-to let them in. The PCs may instruct their drivea Gregory, to head for the Doctols Bayou Sint John ddress. Gregory does not come cloer than the foot bridge and drops the PCs offthere. As the chracters approach the ho$e, rcad this trt: You cm8s a nrrow footbridse, wlking towrd a dark, twD-story house on the edse of the swampy The house,decrepit nd dernesne. old, has hiddn itsetfbehind trees A dek prohudes several feet into the nearby canal, nd a boat

IfBb Lanslois has been sumrnoned, he arives shortly fter the PCs astride sattoping horse. Before he disnounts, he eyesthe PCs warily. 'tue yo de invstigtion team?" he asks.Ifhe'B stisfied with the rcsponse,he tkes a key out ofhis pocket nd walks to the door Bb Lanslois knows nothing of his $andfather's practices.He comes by once month to weed the lwn nd trim the grass,but he won't enter the house.He is convincedthat the ptace is cuEed nd huntd. After unlocking the door, he ofiers the PCs "I don't know wht makes you think you re so ditrerent than de others who have searcheddis house-So faa none who's gone in

DUNGEON 69

II{ NEWORIEANS DARKMAOIC


lly hurt anyone and csn itselfonly be hurt by magical weaponsrAC 6, hp 30). If the bench or the Pin0 is severelydmased.the hnds disapper.Alnost immediately aftrbeing grppled, che victim teelscompelled to ply th pino. Ifothers are stnding in earshot,they must sve v3. spll or bgin crJang,as they are hoved by the hauniing melody the rendition lasts one turn, after which tirne the hands releasethe seated PC, The trap has enabling him to escape. no other effects. Tbe powe. only works once/week and ceses t exist if Doctor John is stain. A lockd Chin cabinet ne the kit hen enhance @ntains expensive In one comer of the rcom rests a larse dinins tble. Silveruare and crystal glasseshave ben lid ot. as Amzingtv, if in expectationof 8uets. fresh fruit rests in a dish near the tabte'scenter.(The freshlooking fruit in the bowl is safe to et.) A breathtakins but dusty chandelierhngs abovethe dinins tble. its cndls unlit. Plush red curtains cover ll the windows. Next to one window is a chair and desk, atop which rests an unlit oil temp, some Miting instruments, paper,nd ink. The desk contains severl tetters ftom fmily members tht contain lit tle infontion of importance.In the drawe. cn be found $4.35 in cash and change, along with the letters and a key to the Chin cbinet The dinins rea is home to a wayward shadow who has crept down fmm Doctor John's conjunns roon due to the midnight cat's tampering with the protection circles there The shdow attcks frcm its hiding plce undemeth th dinins room table ir anyone comesneai Shdow: AL CE;AC 7; MV 12i HD 3+3;hp 20; TTIAC0 17; #AT li Dmg ld4+li SA strensth drain bY touch; SD +1 or better wePons to to sleep, cha.n, hold, tjtiimme and cold-basedspellsi SZ M: ML 19; XP 42OtMMl3l2. 2. Kitchen. A countedop runs most of th lncth of two watls, connecting t a comer The kitchen stove i6 a standard wood-buming stove. its vent p'pejuttins throush the wall ner the ceilins. The larse sink hs 3 single fucet, pmbably connected to the

"wett, nke sur you lock up if The rnan hoists himselfbck P onto his horse.As he tums about, "Give ny he smirks and say8. regards to de other investigtors il you see dem." He laushs loudly as Langlois knows nothins of the The windom ofthe house have been protctdby alassleel spells The house itselfis heavily protectdby ngic and cannot easily be destroyed Weapons and firc have little etrect beyond marring the surface, but masic or explosionsmisht do sorne damaeat the DM's disetion. Shoul Docto. John be killed. this protction disappears,rendering rhe hous vulnerable to all attacks. Grcund noor

candle rests in ech ofherhnds, but none ofthe candlesare lit Directly in ftont of the hrth is a blood'red cushionedset resting firmly on an intricatety sewn Oriental rug. The ner end of this immense mom contains red coloredsofa and natchins love seat.A dark polished coffeetable rests in fmnt of these lur' three books resting on niture pieces, The thrce books are Zr on lI2 Mississipp; by Mark Twin, a nsic "Sea book with the cover song Serpent Polka'(and inside it another called'The Harp Tht OnceThro' Tam's Hlls"), and a m8zine ctled Ha.per's New Monthly Mdgdzine (JanurJ 1892). A baby srnd piano sits in the corner nearby.A pino bench is Posi' tioned herc as well. Both the bench nd the piano are magically trapped. The bench activatBwhen soneone sits down on it and fcesthe Pino. As soon s this happens,two putrid green, wartY,monstmus hnds sPring from the bench,grapplng the indi' sve vidul to the seat.(A sDccessful vs. spell altows the PC to leap away i. time.)The seat does not intention_

1. Living noom. Hnsins above the firplace is a m;ror nearly five feet on side.The mantle itselfholds two cndle lanps, each made offinely worked obsidian in the shPeofa womn with outstretched rms A

No.7l 70 lssu

III I{EWORLEAI{S OARK MAGIC

cistrn on the mf. Boxes, bottles, and slassjrs are scatteredabout the countertop.The cabinets and drawerB contin mundne plates, pots. dishes, nd eating teNils. The iceboxcontains the essence of a creature lioln the Praelemental is hemPlne ofCold. The essence less when contined.Howevea if iB Doctor John is slain, this essence released.(For detils, see'Concluding 2a. Ptry. This pantry contins spices,rice, flour, sugar, Blt,and other foodstuffs.Most ofthe produce is rotten. However. supply ofedible rcd bens re Bealedin 12 slassJars o/p.ese.tns. Handlins any of the contents ofthis room my causean attack by the rot erubs tivins herc Rot gYubs (1d4): INT non-;AL N; AC 9i MV 1: HD t hp ech; TIIACo nil; #AT 1; Dmg nil; SA infesttioni SZTtMLStXP l't MM/364. 3. Hllway. Four eventy spaceddoors flank either side ofthe hallway.At the end ofthe hall is tarse door painted with white synbols and runes. The door is mde of healy oak and looks oDt of place in this Victorin hone. Mounted on the east wall is a pair ofntique crossedcutlasses,hune below decorativesilken ssh. The oak door at the far end of the hll is &tza'd lo..d nd can withstand 200 hp dmage liom reglar wepons. Without noc,t or dtupel noAi. spell, only th glass key con' tained in the chest in rea 5 cn One ofthe two swords displayed on the wall belonsedto the notorious pirate Jean Lfitt. It acts s czrloss +.r (+2 when wielded boId a to swim ship) and allows its possssor and brethe water The cutlss glows with an ambient light upon comnand (r5 radiN). 3a. Bdroom. The mahosany bed in this room is coveredin white mosquito netting, draped elegantly from the canopy.Flowery desisnson the beddins and other linens sisrify this as a ladies'mom. Ner t}le poster bed is

tble on which rests a wash bBin and a drk yellow towel for drying. A chest lies ney, a small pdlock securing its contents.A lrge chest ol drwers and mirror re nestled aeainst one wll. Most ofthe drwers are at lest prtially open and apper mpty.There is a door at th fr end The door leads to a closet that conwomen s clothing. tains miscellaneous The chest near the bed. ifunlocked or forced open,contains extr linens nd a few personaleffecb (brushes,hand miors, w@den combs,hirpins, and perhaps a brooch or two).

3b. Bedroom. Same as area 3a, except the door to the room i6 locked. 3c. Bed'@m. This room contains a bed and wash bsin. The door to the closetis locked nd barred from the inside by a metl latch. To enter, the door must be broken down or its hinse! reroved. Inside, the skeleton f woftn (not nimated) lies in the far corner,her clothes tattered nd rotting. She is lying over n unlocked chest.The chst holds linens nd worthless personal effcts. The woman was ReneRichrd i ren-aYree-sHAlrD), one of Doctor

7] DUNGEON

DARK I'ACICIN I{EWORI.EANS

John's concubines. Speot @,rhdeod spells rcv.al th.t she tok refuge in this closet on occasion, and it is here where sh died afte. scve.e bealing at the hands ofDoctor John, who wrongly believedthat Renehad been possessed by evil spirits. 3d. Bedrcom. Same as arca 3a. 3e. Bedroom, Same s area 3a. 4. Bath Room. All the luxuries of rnodern bathroon are he.e. Linins the wUs are a tbte ofsoaps and towels, sink, a bthirlg tub, and a toilet, ll with water droppcd in thmugh the roofcisiern. A closetin the northwest corner hs two sliding d@rs. The closet contins towels, shavine utensils, soaps,nd other mundne pe.sonl ficts. 'lhe polished 5. Master BedMm. rnhosanydoubte bed in this roon is coveredin whit mosquiio netiing, draped elegntly from the canopl The linens in this room are a stark contst to th. other.Thc silk shects are black as night. Two tablcs flnk the bed. A large chest lies nerby, thick pdlock secu.ing its contents. In the nofihwest cornea hundreds of books line dozensofb@kshclves. massivechest ofdrwors and a mirmr are rrnged aaainsl one wall, blocking a door that appears to lead The chest at th. foot ofthe hed is metal with a built-in lock p.ot.cted by a poison needle trp llyp C poison;save t + l ) . I n s i d et b e c h e s t , are everlstcks oflinen.'l'he linens are ruse to hide the flse bottom. Inside this false boltom re $1,200 in small bills nd a slass key.The key is pr!tected by a glosstee/spell nd open6 The books re work frorn vrn,us writrs ofthe tirne pern,d.Virlully The every nundane topic is covered. DM i encourasedro dd booksthr might sene as plot hooks for futre adventures.Amidst the books is a scroll with the Bpell.re diseose The chest ofdrawers is locked but not trapped. The drwer6 cntrin Doctor John's Iine clothes and other The closet is not only locked,but it is blockedby the chesl ofdrawers. At

the back ofthe closet is a concealed door that is plainly obviousto anyone looking throush the clothing. The conceled door leds to area 6c. 6. Magic Shop. This dusty mn is enclosedby fded violet curiins. Three tableB are aanged about ihe floon upon which lie vanous Voodanchrm. Use the information from "Meeting Mrie Laveau" to deternine the items on these three tables. Sinca the items are standard Voodanfetish objects, the elTect8are th though the exct desisn is left up to the individul creator. Ifany of these items is stolen without bins paid foa it nasically teleports bck to its original l@ation within one round of actual theft. Some ofthe potions may be poisonou at the DM's discretion. 6a. Sance Table. A lrse table donintes this re. sunounded by eisht chairs. In the center ofthe table lies an obsidian idol ofa snake'man. A booksheltlines the west wall, stufed with books on dark masic as wetl s ncabre tles ofdeath and horror A snatler table nearby holds candl$ ofall shapesand sizes. The Bnake-manidol is depiction ofthe sod Zombi.Ifsold to collectoa the idol could felch up t $80. A thoroush earchofthe books reveals a scroll with the spell l"ristbtll:y to rn.hd.l (cast t 10th level). Cunntly, s bookwom is feastins on several tomes nd might decideto alight on a characte. Bookwornr:AL N;AC 2; MV 12, B r 3 ; H D ' ; h p 2 ; T H A C on i l t # A T nili Dms nili SD cmounage;SZ 1(r" lons);ML 4: xP 15i MMl364. 6b. Whit Altar. This section cf the room contains a white marble altar coveredwith ciars, alcohol,combs, brushs,liFtick, tobacco, nd vrious old pictures and sketchesofpeople. Stubs ofburnt white cndlescan be found Inid these items. the ltar supposedlybrings sood luck by hon' orins ded relatives, althoush it ds not radite nagic. Hidden in a secret compartment underneath the alt. is Doctor John's spll book. lt contains all the spells he has nenorized plus

an additional 1d8 fiBtlevel and ld8 Thrce clay ums rest on the floor in the no.thwest corner.The ums con' tain shesof cremtd family mem' 6c. Black Altar. This area has an altar made of drk marble. The altar is coveredin peEonal efiects includins playins cards, writins utensils, pocket wtch, wallet, rinss. and sev' eral sketchesofpeople. A few dolls re lso lyins bout. Stubs of burnt black cndlesre melted into the ltr surfce.Six empty clay pots block the entrance to a snll door in the northwest corner,leading to an enclaveunder the stairs. The enclave contains the skeletl rmains of severl rptiles includins Bnak and alligat rs. Ad. I'ortunes Untold. This larse section hs ca.d-readins tble nd four chairs. On the tabte's surface are cards sinilar to the sets used by Voodnfortune-tellers.The cards are non'nsicl unle$ used by the seer to whi.h they are attuned. Bookshelvesalong the ert wll contin a vnety of bookson mysti' cism. A few rare books contain infor' mation on evil qabals. A Voodancard deck is nostly Howevea worhlessto a non-Voodan. any V@dan would love to get her hands on this deck, s it is very powerful; it could be sold for as much aB $500 io the right peBon. A pe.sonal letter lodsed in the cover ofone b@k links Doctor John io an evil qabal known as The Sixrinsered Hand. It reads as fottows:

1,

endetta atainsttfu Yotrr loodanwittl is {rau,tug undue attentiotr a @t[dcoittumise outactirrities in Neu O;baLs afid tfre suounin,rtiainitq. Eeso ftfltr asto ftifue the;attel fl tlle appropia*fashion.

The letter nted March 1884-is stamped with the qabal'semblem: skeletI,six-fingeradhand. The DM may use this letter s an dventurc h@k by hving PCs investiste this secret,evil qabal more thoroushly.

72lssue No.7l

II{ I{EW ORLEAITS OARXMAOIC

Second Floor 7. Hllwy. Two ominous. 5' tall clay statues stnd in this U'shaped hll. The eastrnmoststtue depicts $otesque snake-beastwith refltive eyes.Inscribedon the bseofthe statue is the word 'Zombi." The western sculpture resembt$ a mn with snakes for hands, and whose teeth protrude like fan$ from hb mouth. The inscription t the base says 'Damballah." The door leadins ro area 8 is inscribed with synbols and designs,wnttn usins white chalk. The sttues arc relisious figu.es in the pantheon ofthe dark magic worhip.If pried looseand undamagd, the nrby gems in the eye sockets of ihe "Zonbi" sculpture could fetah up to $500 each.However.nutilatins the sttue in this fashion rnight invoke a cu$e (detemined by the DM). A renoe c.se spell cures the micted individual. 8. Cleansing Rem. The door opens into sparse room dominated by a cly statue depicting an elderly mn with nuscles. His kind fc is stark conhast to previous figures. Insffibed at the bas of tbe state is the word 'Legb." Plced on pedestalsaginst the west and st wlls are two basins of wier.lhe westen water basin holds clear wter; the water in the estern basin is filthy and exudes The western and eastern doors re locked.The clear basin contins holy wtea enough for 20 vils if u6ed sparingly.The fouled bsin contains unholy wter nd causes2d4 hp dam age t any sood PC who touches it. If Doctor John is slain, the ontents of both bsins evportewithin 24 0. Tornure ChanbeL Sprad about the room are four cofnns, oriented in vous positions. Across tbe room frcn where you stand is a rck, tble lined of t ols, nd a chair with strps fo. the head nd wrists. The northern end ofthis rcom has been tumed into a cell; bars stretch alons the entire width, stopping only for the lked gt t one end. Trapped within the cgeis n anintd skeleton tht pcesfron one end of

the cageto the othea still clothed in the fine apparel it wore in life. It doesnot cknowledgeyoDr presThe skeleton is the remnnt of nan who died here fter Doctor John ws transfomed. He strved to death, forgotten.Wlen he finally expi.ed, his spint did not realize it could leave the cell. As resutt, it becarnebored and started its incessant pcing.It continues to pacuntil destroyed(AC 7, hp 6) or the cage If the latter ocori door is openedthe bonescollapseimneditely, s the spirit leavsthrough the gte, ftee t last- Otherwise, the skeleton doesnot attack nd. ifblocked, stops pcing and stands motionless. r0. Coqjurins Room.

Five circle diaglans are etched on the floor in chalk. Stndins in the center diasam is hideously deformedbn roushly 3 tall. He has btotdwhite skin. long black claws,sharp yellow teeth, nd hideously protrudins white eyes that drip vile liquids. His body is covered with carrion worms tht ppr to be feedins on him. In one ofthe adjcent circles, two indistinct shdowy folns hover t the diasram's boundaries. It would seemthey are trying to leave,but they re t.apped by sone invisible force.Another ofthe circles has been smeared nd bmken. No crcatures re confined in this circle, nor ny ofthe others. In one corner stands a s tall clay statue of a giant man'wesel shown in a thretening pose. Carved letterins reveals this to be

rke with rear claws; SZ T; ML 12; XP 1,400: RalEMlJt'r" Mq Yolme J/22. The c.eature in the centr pmtection digram is manes tanairi. It cannot escapethe confinesofits nagi' cl prison as long as the symbol remaim intact, but it usesthe partyt ignorance of this fct to its advantage. The mneBdoesnot want to sty mnfined forever.The midnisht cat has been taunting him fo. yeaB, and the demon will likely ttack the cat beforc Lurnrngon nyoneerse. Mes: AL CE;AC 8; MV 6;HD 1; hp 6; THCo 19;#AT 3; Dmg 1d2l 1dr,/1d4; SA acidic vapor: SD immune to mind-afectins spells;SZ S; ML 3; XP 9?5; PLANESCAPE' MC App?ada l/r$ (tnain). The other "occupied"prctection diaerm confinestwo n8xy shadows. Shadows (2):AL CE;AC ?; MV 12; HD 3+3; hp 16, l5; TllAC0 17i r+AT1; Dm8 1d4+l; SA strength drain by touch; SD +l or better weponsto hit; inmne to sleep, cora, old, and cotd-based spells;SZ M: ML 19; XP 42OtMMI3|2. 11. Alchemy Lab, The air in this chnber is putrid. The sorceofthe foul stnch appers to be a black cauldron near the room'scenter.The pot is surronded by numerous tables, upon which reBt scoresol bekers,bottle, boxes,and other atchenicat paraphrnli. Six books are stackedhere nd there. The cauldmn contins the .otting remnants of a ghastly stew Lining the rim ofth culdron is a crystal oozethat lashes out at anyone who inspectsthe cutdron closely. CryBtl @ze:AL N; AC 8i MV l, Sw 3; HD 4; hp t6; THACo 17; +AT 1; Dmg 4d4; SA poison;SD blows innict t point ofdamagei immune to cid, cold,heat, and firei SZ Mi ML 10;)(P 420tMMl27A. The alchemiclequipment represents a tresure tmve to anyone wrth In their prethe alchey proficiency. sent condition, these items a.e worth almost $2,000 collectively. The six books are written in a Hitian dialect. If trnslated, ihey .eveal techniquesfor mummifiction, taxideny. creating poison,conjuring extr'plnr beinss,qeatins solem6, nd animatins zombiesusing special powders and chemicalsinstead of

Lurkins in the shdowsne. the statue is a midnight ct. In her bore' dom, she broke one ofthe pmtection circles,relesins the shdowencountered in rea r. If the PCs muse her, she leaves them unmolested,but she stelthily foltows them for entertain' ment. If attacked, she breks the circle trapping the shadows,countjng on them to wayly the PC6 while she makes goodher escape. Cat, nridnight: AL LEiAC 4; MV 18; HD 3+6: hp l8iTHAC0 17; #AT 2; Dms ldzrd2: SA spirit drain, cu.se,

73 OUNGEON

DARKMACIC I I{EWORI-EAI{S

r2. Mummifrction Room. F.om this area drifts repugnnt odor, not unlike burnt flesh. The ir is nuty, and the temperture seemsseveral degrees hisher. Contined within this oddlyshapdchnber rc ten comns. Eacb coffin contins the nunmified corpse ofone of Doctor John's victins, eneThe northwest coffin is enclosedby a woodenfence.and sthered inside the fence are six mangy crypt cats tht ttck nyone who disturbs the locked door leadins to area r3. Atop the comn is a larse gley lizard statue (actuatty rel lizrd seebelow). The fenced-in coffin contins Doctor John's fiBt consort,Se lia, now a mumy. She ttcks if her coffin iB disturbd. but she doesnot voluntrily leve this mom under any circunstnces.The li?ard top her restins place is Serilia's familia Keekor.The lizard is tinid and only attacks in setf-defense. A macabrepile ofbteached white skulls is stacked aginst the slnted wall. The skulls paftially hide a tocked dooa which is noticeableto anyone examining the gnesome hep.The door leds to re l2a. Towrd the north end ofthe roorn tandsa 5 tall ebony statue dpictins a slender wonan carryins vines that entwine her lower torso.The etching on the baseofthis sttue reads "Ezili" in a cursive script. The statue is non-magicaland harnless. A large portrait of Docto. John han$ on the north wll. Jostling the painting cuses secret door t slide open,llowins access to area 14. The portrait is surrounded by a frame of polished sold. Selia (mumny):AI LE;AC 3i MV 6; HD 6+3thp 3a; THC0 13; +AT 1; Dmg 1d12;SA fear, diseasel SD hit only by maeic weapons fo! halfdanage; immune to sleep, charn, old, and cold-bBed attack; SZ M; ML l'tXP 3,OOO| MM/261. Crypt cat (6):AL CN:AC ?i t{V 1 2 ;H D 1 + l : h p 8 , 7 , 5 , 5 , 3 , 2 ; T H A C o 19;#AT 3: Dbs ldZrd2; SA disese, rcar claw rake for rdZld2iSZ T; ML 19; XP 12OiMo,vslrous C.rMPr,vrruM, Volune 2/26. Keekor (liza.d):AL LE;AC 8; NfV 12; HD'/,; hp 2; TIIACo 20; fAT nil; Dmg nil; SZ'Il ML 13j XP ?. Slying Kekor has no effect on the mummy.

r2a. Zombies. Ever/ zombie in this room has its soul imprisoned in area 14. The.e are 25 zombiestotal, each one hideou3ly nutilated and decyed. Ifthe Knn pots in rea 14 have been destroyed,these zombiesare reducedto lifeless corpses. The wlls are cinder blck. s if scorched, but otheNise the room is featureless. The chamber smells of Zombies (25):AL N;AC 8; MV 6; HD 2: hp 6 echiTHACo 19; #AT 1; Dms 1d8;SD imnune to cold-based and mind-affecting spellsiSZ M: ML 2OiIJ 65. MM/3'13. r3. Pet Chamber This chnber is painted completelygreen.Tropicl plants are plced in pots thrcughout the rcom. Steam hangs in the aia covenng the walls with drcplets of moisture. An omat stone fountin in the cenier of rised. rectnsulr pool shoots wter nd stam several inches int the air. The pool itself contains the skeletal rcmins ofseverlUigators and a number ofcoins. There re sveral snller pools on the westen side ofthe rcom, some of them filled with small animal .emins (seearea 13). Surprisingly, there iB no Btenchofdecaying flesh in this roorn,lthough the temperature is unpleasntly hish. The allisator skeletonsare animate, and they lunge with surpsing qDickness( 2 to initiative). Hiding amidst the bones near the back ofthe pool is a stggish alligtor zombie. Zombie aligator: AL N; AC 7; MV 12; HD 2; hp l5; TTIACo 19; #AT 1; Dms 1d8:SD immune to coldbsed nd mind-affecting spells;SZ M;ML 20;XP 65i MMl3?3 (variant). Skeltt alligatols (5)r AL N: AC 7 : M V 2 4 :H D 1 : h p 8 , 6 , 5 , 5 , 2 : THAC0 l9; #AT 1; Dmg ld6; SD edsed and piercins weaponsinflict halfdamage; immune to poison and mind-affecting attacks; SZ Mt ML 201 XP 65; MMl315 (vaiant). PerhF nore dedly than the nimatd launa re the green slirnes that have taken p residenceon the ceiling near the door.The ceilins's gleen color perfectly hides their prcs' ence,making them even hrder to detect (10% chancper character). Greer slimes (3):AL N;AC 9i MV 0j HD 2; hp 12,8, 5; THAC0 19; fAT 0: Dmg nil; SA dissolvemetal

and w@d; SD not hamed by waponsand most spelisikilled by cre d;sedse; SZ S; ML 10;XP 65; MM/279. In the fr comer of the rcom iB a swIm of writh roaches---enly silent beetlswith shostly white carapacesand gossmerwin$. The swam attacks a sinsle tarset within 10 feet, draining one energy level with each successful attck. A victim draiDed of all levels dies and transforrns into nothe. swm of wraith .oach$ (nd cnot be raised).A victim who is not slin by the swarn resains lost levels at a rat of l/dy. Wraith roach warm: AL NE; A C 7 ; M V 9 , F l 1 2 ( A ) iH D 2 ; h p 1 4 ; THAC0 l9; #AT I per swami Dmg nit; SA enersy draintSD impeFious to edaepiercing weapons;hit only by magical blut weaponsand spells; SZ T; ML 15; XP 9?5. The fountin i3 a msicl device connectedto the Elementl Plne of Wter. Ift ppled or removed,the masic ceasesto function. Severl coins have been tsed into the poot, includins a sold Spanish doubloon worth bout five dollrs. l3. Smll Pets. T'hese dried-up fonh coDtain the animated Emnants of long dead animls: four zombie turtles, one zombie snke,two zonbie lizards. and three zornbierts. These creaturcs attack only ifsomeone cones within a couple of feet ofthem, and their iarget is in rech. Small animal zonbies (9):AL N; AC 8; MV 6iHD 1; hp 3 ech;THCo 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1d2; SD as zombie; SZ T-St ML 2Ot XP 65t MM/373. 14. Knari Containe.

Six levels of shelvesspacedabout a foot part cover nearly every wall. LiDins these shetvesre contain' ers mostly cly recptacles {ov' ered with hndkerchifs nd surrcunded by peEonal fects: pocket wtches, combs, brushes, eanings, pim, dngs, and the like. A 6 tall st ne statue ofa dark. hoodedskeleton stands in the middle of the room. The narne "Guede' is cNed into its base. The south aDd Dorih doors have rcpes hang-

continued on page 76

74 lssue No.7l

DARKMACICIT{I{EW ORI.EA S

Second Floor
onesquare=5feet

Haunt: AL LN; AC 0 or victim's AC; MV 6/as victim; HD 5; hp 26las victim;THACo 15;#AT 1; Dmg special or by wepon; S special; SD silver or msicl weponsto hit; wepons plus inflict I hp damage weapon's bonus;nomal fire causesI hp danasr'round; SZM: ML 16;XP 2,OOOi MM/146. 15. Temple of Zombi.
Steam vapor han in the thick, nusty air. The bones and fan$ of thou-sand snak re scattred across the noor, causing an eerie crunching soud with every step as the bones ack and twist bneath yo fet. Vines cover virtually every urfce ofthtu chambea ohcuring you. view of the walls. Two rows ofmrble columns cawed in the likeness of giant plthons entwinins up t wrd the ceilins flank a monstrou8. 9' tall obsidian statue of setd, skullfaced man with five serpnts about his head.The statue's eyesare ma8siv eme.alds that sparkle in your lisht. Behind t}lis ominous ation is an immense elta. where coreof cndles burn fmm oDe end to the other, though it would seem they drip no wx, for the surfce of the ltar is clen. Between several candles, you notice dolls that resembleyourselves! A bas-relief woodenhansins adoms the area above the altar, caryed into the likeness of a giant snake biting his oM tail. Two clay 3ttu8 flaDk the fiplace at the west end ofthe room, ore depicting a sfinacins shod man with a til, and the other representins a tll woman with a turtle'! head. Another clay statue stands in the southeast comer a faceless

6
The cly receptacles re Knricontainersholdins enslvedspirib of the dead.To relesea trapped soul, a person need only break the container or remove its cover Should this hppen, a ghostly apparition issues forh One of these containeE holds the trapped soul ofsenit Dd,the first American queen ofdark masic. She now exists as a haunt, appearing as a will-o-wisp or a spectrat ina ofher fomer self If her spirit is not rcleased immediately, Senite tries to possess the nearest chracter by firct attcking with her Dexterity-iniDg touch. (SeeMMl186 for detils.) If she succeeds in possssing a PC, her firut ct is to use the character to destroy ll the clay containers. Only then ds she communicate with the other PCs. She apologizes for "bormwing" thei. friend's body. She tells the PCs tht Doctor John lives behind the cemetery loctd east of the house.She also tlls them what she knows about Doctor Johnk powe$ nd weaknessesl l. In his battle with Marie Laveu, Doctor John ws t.ansforned by his own misfired nagic into an allisto.mn hyb.id. He is somewhatrcsistant to msic but can still be hmed by non-masical weapons. l. Doctor John cannot bear t look at his ims in a mirror or similarly reflective surface. He loathes his own gmtesque apparance. .r Doctor John hts the cold and cannot endure masical cold.

The name ofech statue is etched into its bse. T'he cenhal flslrre is "La G.ande Zombi," the tailed man is :Aewe," the turtle-headed woman ig "Sinbi,'nd the faceless sttue ner the secretenhance is "Sarnedi." The doll emsies have not ben finly 'prepared.' If they are hndled rcughly, feel free to ad'tib a few pains or itches on the PCs' bodis to add to

continued on pqge 78

76 lssueNo-71

DARKMACICIN T{EW ORLEANS

sockets. The three sttues fisht until ln the chest ofeach snlle. statue is beating humn hert. Any damage to statue cusesit to bleed; horror check nay be required Bhouldthe PCs witn$s this. On hour qfter ny animated sttue is destmyed,the blood dissolvesand its hert reverts Animatd statue (3):Al- N;AC 5: Mv 9; HD 5: hp 20 each;THACo ; ZMTML20: 1 5 ; r + A T m s 1 d 8 + 5S

xP 420.

As lons s the candlesare within tn feet of the alta., they remin permnently lit without ever mlting. lf more than fou. cndlsarc rcmoved ilom the ltr' surfce, the enchantment ceses to function pemanently The cndlesmasically control the room's tmpemture; without them, the vines die in 1dr2+12 hours. The seoet d@r in the southeast corner can be trissered by pulling rope made to took like a vine, hngins fron the ceitins beside the door The door slides to one side,allowins entrance to arca 14.

DoctorJohn'sLoir
On the edse of the bayou, est of the residence, is a large cenetery surmunded by a broken woodenfence. The savestones have prtilly sunken into the mire nd now stnd tilted at odd angles.Swrlns of insects hover over the muddy grves. Ifthe PCs investisata the area beyond the cemetery. read or pra' phrBethe followinsl There are no insects in this pft of the woods,but hot steam rises om the sround. The hmidity in is almost unbamble. In the distance.you can see ftekish sisht. A woman lie on an alta suounded by torch lisht. You .cognizethe womn as Marie Laveau.A bizarre lookins allisator' mn wering a tattered business suit holds an ancient dasser, poised nd ready to strike. Unless you interfere, it would sem Bheis about to die at the hnds ofthis

thetrueterrorof Bayost.John. In|estigators behold


the horror of th situation. A PC my destroy his own doll without sffering any pain or unple8ntness. The altar is mde ofhollow wood stained black. It contains 35 long unded python. Three rounds {Ter the PCs enter the room, the snake slithers out (via s seoet door in the estem side ofthe altr) and ttacks. Undead pl.thon: AL CE;AC 5i MV 9; HD 6+1ihp 25iTHAC015: #T 2iDmg 1d4l2d8;SA constrictioni SD as zombie;SZ L: XP 1.400i MMl320 (snke.giant constrictor). The vines secretea deadly poison (Type C) atd the soDrce ofthe poison that killed the rcsidents of Four ofthe vins are actually yung serpent vines being cultivated by Doctor John. They attck anyone who coineswithin five feet ofthem. PCs have 5% chnceofdistinguishing the serpent vines frcm the normal vines.These serpent vines lack the innate spellca3tingbilities of their larger brethren, ttcking by Yong serpent vin (4):AL NEi A C 4 ; l v I Vl 5 ; H D 2 i h p 1 2 ,1 0 . 8 , 7 ; THACo 19i +AT 1: Dmg 1d4i SA constrict for 1d4 hp damase/rcund;SD camouflageiSZ M (5 long); ML 12; W 72Ot MC Annual2/103 t\^iiar.t). The obsidian state is virtuqlly priceless, but the eye gems ate worth $2,000 apice.Attemptins to rnove the gems from the statue s eyes result8 in the nimated ttack ofthe three other sttues in the room (the obsidian sttue never animtes) until the gems are retumed to the eye

canlinued on poge 80

7 8 l s s uN e o71

DARK MACIC It{ NEWORIEAI{S

DoctorJohn is perfornine itual to rechareehis power His drk complexion and saunt, screc.owlike frrne arc brely discernablein his present hulkins form. For ye.s, he hs used his rnsic to void beins completelytransformed into an lli sator He now lives s hybid vasuely humn with stor'sjaws and tail. PCs who behold his hidous llisator leer must nke fear check Doctor John is not paying any ttention to the chancters, which gives thern the fi.st ttck in ddition to surprise. If Senit Dd's hunt hs taken possession ofa PC, she invokes an ancient spell before relinqishins her host. The spell takes on full round to cst and duplicates the effects the firstlevel lessspell (lasts 6 rounds).This spll affects all PCs within a 50 cube centered on the caster The host PC does nt gin the benfit ofthe lessbut is insted protectdby the equivlenr of n @t.lspell (lasts 15 rounds).Once the spell is cst, Senit'shunt Ifthe PCs Inke attacks gainst Doctor John that do not kill o. incpacitate him instantiy. read or pa.a, phrase the following: The satr-rnanwhirls rcund, piercins you with his da.k, hollow eyes.He snrls. "Do not interfere! I must hve he. powe.!" Six cypresstrents suddenly move in to attck. The water arcund John\ fet sursles as four undead allisators crwl up out of th mire and stomp tow.d you. you her the from the cemetery, soundsofundead creatures cornins

But wait!A man stps from behind a nerby tree. It is Senator B.oussardl His flehis d.awn, his suit tattered and mud-stained,and hi8 eyesflicker red. Doctor John (lligator-nan): AL C E i A C S i M V 6 , S w 1 2 :M y t i c1 2 ;h p 40iTHAC0 17; #AT li Dmg 2d4 (bite), 1d12 {til slap), or by spelli MR 107.; S 1 9 ,D 8 , C 1 8 , I 1 4 , W 1 r . C h 6 ; M L 15; XP 5,000;g.;sgris .drft (affords ptutedioa fron e@d, rO rcdius). Spellst chil touch, detect magic, redd mdsic, all offog;detect sood, spectftl hdnd, stinking cloud, b; haste, hold undead, tonEues, dmpi . touch:contdqi.'n,eeraation,solid fog, uiza.d ere; dninate d.ead lready ca6t), magic ja. nishtna.e (reve.se of drea), sumnon shd.lb; ha.m (reverseof edli already cast). Doctor John casts a dsl? spell upon hinself beforelunsins into nelee. He has already cst his a.a spell on Marie Laveau (rducins her to 2 hp) and cnnot employ the spell in this encountr.I{accostd fron a distance,he csts his.,pectldl dnd spell, followins up with his,onpii. toc or.ill lozc spell. Ifthe PCs flee, DoctorJohn casts his sammoz shddo spell and conmnds the shadowsto hnt down the escapees. Ifreduced to 10 hp or fewea John retrets into the bayouRnenber that Doctor John's tattoos afford him l0% magic resistance, but otheNise he is susceptibleto all sentor Bill Brousard (juju zombie):AL NE;AC 6; MV 9; HD 3 + 1 2 i h p 2 4 jT H A C 0 r 5 ; # A T 1 ; D m g 3d4: SD +1 or better weaponsto hit; blunt and piercing weaponsinflict half damase;immune to cold,nast. nissiles, electricity,and mind-afTecting attcks; fire cuseshalfdmge: SZ Mt ML 2OiXP 975t MMl373. Brcussard continues to fight even fter Doctor John is slin. Thejuju zombie is turned as spectre. Zombie lligator3 (4)iAL N;AC 7 ; M V l 2 ; H D 2 i h p 1 5 , 1 4 .1 1 .1 0 ; THACo 19; fAT 1; Dmg rd8;SD immune to cold-based and mindaffecting spellsj turned as nomal zombiesiSZ Mi ML 20; XP 65; MM/373 teariant). These zombieswere creatdby Doctor John's aaiaot dead spell.

Dark trees (6):AL NE; AC 0; MV 3; HD 10;hp40 ech;TtlAC0 11:#AT (linbs)or 4d6 2 or 1;Dms 3d6/3d6 (bite)iSA.onfsion; srab;SD sufter only halfdanage frcm fi.ei 2 to save vs.cold-bsed ttcks; SZ H; ML 16; XP 4,00qMC,4nnadlI (tree,drk)Tteats(8):ALCG;AC0;MV 12; HD 12;hp 55 each: THACo9;#AT 2; Drng4d6;SA animtetrees;SD never surpnsed; SZ H; ML 16;XP 14.000; MM/346.

Concludinglhe Adveniure
If John is defeted,the dark trees disperse and the zombie alligtors de-animate.John's body revets to its hideously tattooed humn fom upon his deth. The deth of D@tor John triggeB a bizarre ngical etrect.The essence of the paraelementalcreature trpped in Doctor John's icebox(are 2) escapes, and the etire house is encsedin crystlline ice within 2d4+2 rcunds, eventully ollpsins under its own brittle weight. Anyone inside the house durins that time suf, fers 1d8 hp cotd damase per rcund and suffeE an dditional 3d6 hp damse when the hoDsecollpses. With the deth of Doctor Jobn comesrecosnition and fme. IfMrie Laveu is retumed safely to New O.lens, she quickly sprcds word of the party's heroism nd D@tor John's defeat. For while, the PCs misht enjoy celbrity status. prhaps earn, ing an invittion to the Louisiana sovemor'Bhome in the capital, Baton Rouse. A few weeks after news of this Iantstic Btory reachesthe nation's newspape,the sovernor of Ohio, Willian McKinley, secretly contcts the group bout heding a new secret organization dedictedto the investi(r gtion ofthe parnormI.

The.e are fr too many foes for ny one goup of charactersto handle, but the prty has allies.A goup offriendly ok trcnts has been waitins to revel themselves. The eight oaks battle the cyprestrees,while the charactersdo battle with Doctor John nd his zonbie allisators and ne other foe, as yet unseenr All rund you, the oak trees stir with life and begin battling the nimted cypreshees. That leves Do{tor John and his unded

80 lssue No.71

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