Pathfinder For Savage Worlds Rise of The Runelords Book 6 Spires of Xin-Shalast by Michael Barbeau
August 3, 2022 | Author: Anonymous | Category: N/A
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CONTENTS BACKGROUND
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Recurring V Recurring Villain illainss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Chapter Chap ter Summa Summary ry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
PART ONE: SEEKING XIN-SHA XIN-SHALAST LAST
6
Consulting Brodert. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Using Magic. Magic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
PART TWO: WHISPERS IN THE WIND
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Vekkers’ Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Watcher in the Wastes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
PART THREE: ON THE WORLD’S ROOF
25
PARTT FOUR: XIN-SHALAST PAR
30
Exploring Xin-Shalast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
PARTT FIVE: SCALING MHAR MASSI MASSIFF PAR
54
Invaders from Leng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Te Occluding Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Te Spires. Spires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
PART SIX: PINNACLE OF AV PART AVARICE ARICE
59
Karzoug’s Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Pinnacle of Avarice Avarice Feat Features ures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
PARTT SEVEN: THE EYE OF AV AVARICE ARICE PAR
82
Te Final Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Concluding the Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
APPENDIX: CREATURES TURES AND ITEMS APPENDIX: CREA
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New Creatures Creatures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS
BACKGROUND At the headw headwa aters of the sacred Rive River r Av Avah rose a mighty city on the slopes of a legendar legendary y mountain mountain— — a testament to the gre greed ed of Ru Runelord nelord Karzoug. This is Xin-Shalast Xin-Shalast,, festooned with the plunder of a thousand campaigns. It has remained hidden for millennia in its narrow valley in the shadow of Mhar Massif — a mountain of mythological propo proportions rtions and sinister histor history y. Atop this p peak eak , bearing the unsettli unsettling ng carven visa visage ge f for or whic which h it was named, stand the fabled Spires of Xin Xin-Shala -Shalast st,, rising above the c city ity lik like e the p pinna innacles cles of a crown. Thus did Karzoug show his mastery over both the earth and the realms beyond.
O
ver 10,000 years ago, the Thassilonian empire was ruled by seven tyrants known as runelords—powerful
wizards whose magic aligned on what have become known aswas the seven mortal sins. When the empire crumbled, they escaped death (or worse) by various methods, entering states of hibernation from which their loyal followers would revive them. Yet the fall of Thassilon was far more complete than even the most pessimistic runelords anticipated, and none survived who could free them in the centuries to follow. In time, they were forgoen by the world. Karzoug ruled Shalast, and as the lord of greed, his realm was the most decadent. His capital city, Xin-Shalast, lay nestled in a valley in the mountains, a place of golden streets and silver roofs sprawled in the shadow of volcanoes and watched over by one of the tallest peaks in the world— Mhar Massif. When the end drew near, Karzoug charged his agents in Runeforge with developing a method for him to escape the fall of the empire, and they responded by taking the location of his palace into account. For the Spires of Xin-Shalast, as his palace was known, were perched at the summit of Mhar Massif, where the boundaries between worlds are thin. Karzoug’s agents transformed the source of his eldritch power, a device known as a runewell, into a portal of sorts into the void between these worlds. When the end came, Karzoug stepped through this portal and
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into a state of suspended animation in this extradimensional vault, caught between the Mhar Massif in this world and the terrible dimension known as Leng in another. Without surviving apprentices to revive him, Karzoug remained there for millennia. The tale of Karzoug’s awakening, of his slow return to Golarion, has been told over the past ve books. Karzoug is now nearly ready to step back into this world, his powers restored and his city resurrected, to raise Thassilon from the ashes. Yet there is still time. Karzoug is awake, but though his mind has been hard at work, he cannot yet leave the demiplane hidden between this world and Leng—a place known as the Eye of Avarice. While Mokmurian was his primary agent in Varisia, in Xin-Shalast Mokmurian would have been but a captain in his army. The denizens of the ruined city have aligned themselves to Karzoug’s banner, and though they bicker and ght among each other, they are ready to serve. Among these minions are devils, dragons, tribes of lamias, creatures culled from the madness of Leng, and armies of giants led by rune giants. With their aid, Karzoug’s inuence inu ence over the giants of Varisia will become complete. These are not Karzoug’s only agents. He has selected new generals, champions, and even an apprentice to serve him. The stage is set for Karzaug's return, and only the heroes stand between him and Varisia.
BACKGROUND
RECURRING VILLAINS
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Though Rise of the Runelords assumes With the magic and lore retrieved from that the majority of the villainous leaders Runeforge, the party is ready to seek out confronted are slain at this point, if any of Xin-Shalast and confront the rising runelord. them escaped the punishing blades and spells The best chance the heroes have to nd Xinof your party, this book is the best and most Shalast is a pair of dwarven brothers who logical point to reintroduce them. claimed to have discovered the city and set While some villains have their dooms all o into the Kodar Mountains to plunder but wrien into the text of their encou encounters, nters, its riches. In the Kodar foothills, the heroes find others (like Xanesha and Lucrecia, some of the masters of Runeforge, Arkr Arkrhyst, hyst, or even more than a map to Xin-Shalast—they nd Nualia) could conceivably survive and harbor long-lasting grudges against the party. If you do wish to have escaped villains come back to vex the party one last time, the best place to use them is in the Pinnacle of Avarice. Nualia, for example, may seethe with such fury that she could seek out the heroes’ enemies and volunteer her aid against them, eventually eventuall y reaching the Spires of Xin-Shalast herself to pledge her support of Karzoug. In all cases, you should take the time to advance these villains to something appropriate to challenge the party. At this point, you know the strengths and weaknesses, so plan the rematches accordingly.
the brothers’ ghosts, still tormented by the supernatural creature that slew them. By defeating it and appeasing the ghosts, they can nally discover the secret route to XinShalast and learn several important secrets that will aid them in their nal quest. Braving the Kodar Mountains, the heroes face challenges both natural and unnatural in the ruined Lower City, now being slowly reoccupied by Karzoug’s army. Finding unexpected allies in the city, the party learns a secret way to surmount the incomparable heights of the face of Mhar Massif, atop which stand thethey very spires of Karzoug’s citadel. Finally, confront Karzoug within the Eye of Avarice, where the fate of the ancient runelord—and Varisia’s future—is decided.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS
PART ONE: SEEKING XIN-SHALAST Xin-Shalast is located high in the Kodar Mountains, cloaked in ageless magic ma gic tha that t pre prevents vents its approa approach chare by m most ost who seek its a lege legendary ndary streets. The boundaries between worlds transitory here, facet the city’s founders sought precisel precisely y because of the fa fact ct tha that t such conditions make it difficult diffic ult to re rea ach with without out knowing the wa way y. An id idle le seeke seeker r of Xin-Sha Xin-Shalast last could walk walk up one side o of f Mhar Massif and do down wn the other without e ever ver finding the city—those who seek it actively can spend their entire lives looking without success.
M
okmurian discovered Xin-Shalast’s location with the aid of books and maps he recovered from the hidden library
under and he them destroyed those sourcesJorgenst, after commiing to memory. Yet traces remain. A character who res researches earches Xin-Shalast in the library of Thassilon under Jorgenst and succeeds on aan n Academics roll can learn much of the city’s location. Likewise, interrogating prisoners from Runeforge or perhaps studying their notes and spellbooks can reveal much. As this chapter begins, the pathnders should have learned the following about Xin-Shalast—if they’ve not yet learned this information have one of the adventurers discover the missing clues while studying a recently acquired spellbook, or perhaps after they speak to an expert on Thassilon, such as Sandpoint’s own Brodert Quink. O XIN-SHALAST IS LOCATED ON THE TOWERING MOUNTAIN OF MHAR MASSIF, IN A VALLEY THAT LIES AT THE HEADWATERS HEADWA TERS OF THE RIVER RIV ER AVAH. AVAH. O MHAR MASSIF IS SAID TO SERVE AS A BRIDGE TO STRANGE REALMS BEYOND GOLARION. O ANYONE WHO CAN FIND THE RIVER AVAH CAN FOLLOW IT DIRECTLY INTO XIN-SHALAST.
The problem arises from the fact that this entire region, from the River Avah to the summit of Mhar Massif, lies in a realm where reality has frayed at the edges. In order to
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reach Xin-Shalast, the heroes need a guide of some sort— sort — or at the very least, least, detailed notes left behind by someone who has been to XinShalast before.
CONS CONSUL ULTIN TINGG BRODERT The adventurers have likely spoken to Brodert Quink, Sandpoint’s local expert on all things Thassilonian, about their discoveries. This adventure assumes he’s the one they go to for advice again when they seek answers to nding the hidden city of Xin-Shalast, though they could just as easily consult other experts, ranging from Pathnders in Magnimar to extraplanar oracles to their own sages and scholars within the party. Assuming the party has stayed in contact with Brodert since his help back during The Skinsaw Murders , the old sage has begun to see the adventurers as his own personal eld research team. Certainly, if they share with him conrmation that the Old Light of Sandpoint was once a weapon and thus validate his own educated guesses as to the ruin’s original purpose, he is very friendly indeed. Unfortunately, Xin-Shalast is as much a legend to Brodert as to any other scholar of things Thassilonian. Yet if they ask him about Xin-Shalast, he grows thoughtful for a moment, then snaps his fingers as he remembers an old account of a pair of
PART ONE: SEEKING XIN-SHALAST
HANDOUT 6–1
Mr.. Quink! Salutations, Mr Thank you again for for the kind words and drink. It’s always a pleasure to speak with readers of my work, especially those well read and civilized enough to know of my writing beyond Eidolon . Alas, I was unable to procure procure a copy of the early draft from my personal personal files. It would seem that it has h as gone the way of so much of my early work, lost forever forever to the the gulfs of time and narrow-minded narrow-minded publishers publishers unable to graspp the import of a young Pathfinder’ gras Pathfinder’ss work. Fortunately ortunately,, my mind mind is as quick now as it was in those early days of my explorations explorations of your fantastic fantastic homeland. homela nd. I re recall call the the evening evening I first first heard heard the the story story of Xin-Shala Xin-Shalast, st, while while seated seated on on a log log in a Varisia arisiann camp, camp, sharing shari ng ruby ruby mead mead with with an enchan enchanting ting young woman woman.. Ah, but but that’ that’s a story story for for other other times. times. I was intrigued by the tale, tale, though. All peoples have tales of “cities of gold,” yet yet with Xin-Shalast, the Varisians hadd no ha no tr trad aditi ition on of ex expl plor orer erss se seek ekin ingg itit.. The Theyy vi view ewed ed th thee pl plac acee as on onee of ev evil, il, a pl plac acee to be fefear ared ed an andd for orsa sake ken. n. As f far ar as I co coul uldd tel tell,l, non nonee ofof yo your ur in indig digen enou ouss pe peop oplele ev ever er so soug ught ht ou outt th thee ru ruin inss be beffor oree the ad adve vent nt of Che Chelis lishh rule rule.. But But there was mention, come to think of it, of two dwarven brothers. Vekker, I think their names were. Claimed to have f fou ound nd th thee rou outete to Xi Xinn-Sh Shal alas astt an andd con convi vinc nced ed se seve verral tr trad ades esme menn in Ja Jand nder erho hoffff to su supp ppor ortt an andd sup suppl plyy the theirir pl plan an to establish a base of operations in the low Kodar Mountains along the Kazaron. Their vanishing into the Kodars bank ba nkru rupt pted ed al alll but but on onee of th theieirr in inve vest stor ors,s, I he hear ar,, and and ev even en to toda dayy, the the Vek ekke kerr na name me is ge gene nerrall allyy ac acco comp mpan anieiedd by by a litany of rousing dwarven profanity when it comes up in ’Hoffian taverns. In the stead of enclosing a copy of the early, early, complete draft of my work, though, please find a signed copy of Eidolon with with this missive. I trust it will look quite handsome on your shelf. In good health, Redwing dwarven brothers who claimed to have discovered the route to the fabled city. After rooting through his books and scrolls for a few minutes, he emerges triumphant with a leer he received from the author of the denitive cyclopedia on the region of Varisia and the Storval Plateau: Cevil “Redwing” Charms’s well-known (and well-criticized) Eidolon.. volume, Eidolon He allows the heroes to read the leer but won’t let them keep it—Redwing is one
one born of necessity rather than malice. For if they had discovered the great city, until they could return with proof, it would only be wise to guard the discov discovery. ery. Brodert theorizes that the Vekkers met some sort of foul end in the Kodars, and that if their base of operations could be found (along the banks of the Kazaron River River,, according to Redwing’s leer), perhaps clues to the city’s location could be found therein.
of his favorite authors, and the leer isas a personal treasure. The leer is reproduced Handout 6–1. The leer concerns the escapades of two dwarven brothers, Silas and Karivek Vekker, who journeyed into the Kodar Mountains and supposedly discovered the route to XinShalast. Brodert has done his own research and can conrm that Silas and Karivek V Vekker ekker did indeed abscond with a fair amount of invested capital into the mountains. The common theory in Janderho is that the dwarves used the “discovery of Xin-Shalast”
USING MAGIIC USING MAG
Even if there aren’t characters in the group who can cast divination spells, they can certainly seek out spellcasters or scrolls in Magnimar to use magic to aid in their search for Xin-Shalast. Unfortunately, most divination spells are somewhat reduced in eectiveness due to the reality-altering region in Mhar Massif’s shadow. Use the results of divination divination to steer the heroes in the right direction, but don’t feel bound to answer questions pre precisely. cisely. as a coverpersonally for a con, held but those knewhigh the divination can If the characters are stuck, divination can Vekkers themwho in quite regard. Brodert suspects that they did indeed reveal all the bulleted information on page wo discover Xin-Shalast, and their secrecy was 6 , as well as the fact that most recently ttwo
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS
truly intimidating mountains. As long as the heroes continue to travel along the riverbank, riverbank, they nd the overland journey somewhat easier— easier — but eventually they need to head into At this point the characters have the mountains themselve themselves. s. access to some prey powerful spells Make sure to be familiar with the possible through advances or by purchasing dangers when adventuring in high mountains, scrolls and wands. such as Hazards Hazards in Pathfinder for Savage Powers such as divination divination can can put Worlds.. The physical dangers presented by Worlds mountain climbing, extreme cold, and high the heroes on the right path, but powers such as locate locate and scrying altitudes are, in many cases, as dangerous as are unable to give an exact location the monsters the characters are destined to of the city. face in this adventure, and enforcing these hazards can help to drive home the fact that they are exploring a truly inhospitable range. dwarven brothers named Silas and Karivek More to the point, if the players feel the Vekker claimed to have discovered the route Kodar Mountains are dangerous, they can to the city, but after establishing a base of bet better ter un unde derst rstand and wh why y Xin-S Xin -Shal halas astt has operations in the Kodar Mountains, they remained hidden from the world for so long. were never heard from again.
LOCA LOCATING TING THE CITY CIT Y
THE LONG GAME
THE WOR WORLD’ LD’SS ROOF ROOF
The Kodar Mountains are one of Golarion’s most intimidating and massive mountain ranges. Few places in the world are more inhospitable to life than these mountains, yet life endures here. The extremes make for equally powerful monsters and denizens, of course—only the strongest survive for long in this region, known to the Shoanti as the World’s Roof. This adventure assumes the adventurers come seeking Xin-Shalast by rst traveling up the Kazaron River in search of the vanished Vekker brothers and, possibly, poss ibly, the River A Avah, vah, said to show the route to Xin-Shalast. How the heroes reach the Kodar Mountains is left Teleport is to them. Teleport is unlikely to be useful until the party actually reaches the Kodars and know where they’re going. Certainly, speedy methods of magical travel can come in handy once the heroes reach the cabin or even Xin-Shalast, but on their first trip up into the forbidding mountains, chances are good that they’ll have to make that journey the old-fashioned way. Assuming the adventurers are traveling up the Kazaron River, it is at the point labeled “A” on the map on page 26 26 that they transition between rugged foothills and
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The heroes may have magical means of transportation, however it is inevitable they will need to do some traveling the old fashion way. Look at the Travel Travel rules rules in Pathnd Pathnder er for Savage Worlds for Worlds for ways to spice up these long stretches. In addition to these encounters, you can have players participate in an Interlude or give them a chance to prepare themselves with some Downtime (See Interludes Interludes and Downtime in Pathnder for Savage Worlds). Worlds). The heroes are in the nal stretch of the adventure path and they will need every advantage they can get.
PART TWO: WHISPERS IN THE WIND The dwarven brothers Silas and Karivek Vekker came to the Kodar Mountains 70 years ago, following upfo on rumors ofsome an extensive vein of gold in the high mountains. mountain s. When they found und gold in nearby alluvial glacier deposits, they staked their claim and opened a placer mine. As is often the way of dwarves, they were very secretive about their mine’s location, loca tion, going as far as to build a cabin and mining headquarters several miles from their claim. Neither could imagine how close they were to the richest site in all of Varisia — Xin-Shalast Xin-Shalast..
S
ilas and Karivek worked their placer mine for several decades but knew it would soon play out, so they scouted
deeper into surrounding searching thethe streams and cli mountains, faces for a show of color where they could potentially nd new deposits for mining. Their skill at mountaineering and their dwarven stubbornness paid off—they accidentally found the headwaters h eadwaters of the River Avah, Avah, and beyond that, that, Xin-Sha Xin-Shalast. last. The dwarves only explored the very edge of the city before they were forced to ee from a group of enraged giants. Yet the wealth they saw in the city had done its work— all thoughts of mining for gold had been banished from thei theirr minds. Why bother pulling gold out of deep holes in the dirt when you could just pick it up o the ground? Yet Xin-Shalast was far from a safe place, and in order to harvest it properly, the dwarves realized they needed support. They returned to Janderho, where they approached several mining consortiums and secured supplies and nancing to begin deeper exploration of Xin-Shalast, proving their claim with the relics they’d they’d brought back. The investors asked the Vekkers to keep their discovery quiet and put vast amounts of money at to thethe Vekkers’ Vekkers’ dispo The brothers returned north disposal. with sal. a small army of miners, explorers, and mercenaries, all eager to make a fortune exploring Xin-Shalast.
Yet the Vekkers’ army never made it to the City of Greed. Only a day after reaching the glacial site of their rst mine, an avalanche struck their convoy and carried o all of their supplies. An aempt to retrieve the supplies resulted in the deaths death s of seven more dwarves. Their return route blocked, the survivors made their way on, hoping to nd solace, shelter, and—above all—more food in the storerooms of the Vekkers’ cabin, but upon arriving they found the place had been raided by the abomi abominable nable snowmen that dwel dwelll in the Kodars. No food remained. It didn’t take long for starvation to drive the dwarves dwarv es to desperation and then to madness, and when Karivek suggested cannibalism as a route to regain their strength for the journey back out of the mountains, his brother Silas and a few other dwarve dwarvess objected. The dissenters were outnumbered, and with a fury born of madness, Karivek and the rest of the starving dwarves fell upon their companions and fed well for the rst time in a month. Then a curious thing happened. The dwarves found the feast strangely invigorating. Their minds cleared and their strength returned, and with it their greed. The dwarves decided to continue on into the Kodar Mountains to nd Xin-Shalast. As they traveled, those who fell behind or complained or merely had the disadvantage of being the largest among them became new
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS
B12 B13
B15
B14
B8
STAIRWELL
B6 B9
1
B10
2
VEKKERS’ CABIN & ENVIRONS
S
B6
B7
KARIVEK’S CORPSE
B11
2
VEKKERS' CABIN UPPER LEVEL
FIREPIT
N B2 1
B4
B3
B6 B5
EXTENT OF FOG FOG
B1 VEKKERS' CABIN LOWER LO WER LEVEL
meals, and with each meal, the dwarves felt their strength growing. They paid no aention to the strange whispers on the wind, win d, or to feet blackened black ened by frostb frostbite ite and falli falling ng to pieces pieces,, or to the fact that they had been wandering the mountains for days without aim. Eventually, only one dwarf remained— Karivek Vekker. With nothing left to eat, he sat down upon a lonely mountain ledge overlooking the Kazaron River, and as starvation set in once more, he noticed for the rst time the whispers in the wind. A shape congealed in the mist before his eyes, and as
HUNGRY GHOST
1 SQUARE = 6 FEET STAIRS
UP
DOWN
to this day. Anyone who travels this far up the Kazaron River can’t miss the cabin built of split logs cemented with a rough mortar and a shake shingle roof. The logs and shingles are decades old, and a profusion of lichens growing on these walls gives it a strangely organic look. Each window is two feet high by two feet wide and has double shuers to aid in keeping out the cold. The cabin sits low in a valley in the Kodars, at an altitude of merely 4,500 feet. No strangers to the dangers presented by the local fauna (especially the abominable
the source of the cannibal cravings tookupon form snowmen, with whom the Vekkers had in the air before him, Karivek looked countless run-ins), the somewhat paranoid the wendigo that had brought the doom upon brothers brot hers constru con structed cted thei theirr cabi cabin n perc perched hed them all and aempted to hurl himself o the defensive defensively ly at the edge of a 60-foot-high cli. ledge in despair. The dwarves then constructed a spiraling The wendigo caught him and dragged him stair and pulley-and-bucket system leading through the sky with such speed that the directly up to the cabin from the base of dwarf’s frostbien feet were blasted away, the cli. and at the end, the evil spirit dropped him This they encased in a wooden shaft made from a staggering height. Karivek had nearly of the same mortared logs, and built a small a minute to despair and regret before he hit storage shed and an addition at the base the ground. of the stair where the mined ore could be separated from the worthless gangue before
VEKKERS’ CABIN Though the placer mine was long ago lost in an avalanche, the brothers’ cabin still survives
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going through all the trouble of hauling it up to the cabin. Today, the abominable snowmen and other regional beasts avoid the cabin for a singular
PAR ART T TWO: TWO: WHISPERS WHISPER S IN I N THE WIN W IND D
reason: the place is haunted by the spirits of region, resulting in the following escalation the dwarves eaten by their kin a decade ago. of minor events. These haunts aren’t evil, but neither do they MYSTERIOUS HOWL: Soon after the heroes welcome visitors to the cabin. rst sight the Vekkers' cabin, the wendigo’s Driven by the pain and horror of their forlorn howl carries over the region, a mourndeaths, these haunts lash out at anyone trying ful, drawn-out shriek not unlike the cry of a to enter the cabin. Only one spirit among dying elk. The monster is farther than a mile them, the shade of Silas Vekker, retains his away when it makes this initial howl, and mind and wits, but to reach him and learn thus hears it has the no other any adventurer how the haunted cabin can be put to rest, the who soundeect with on a Notice roll. heroes must brave the wrath of the rest. Those who hear it can aempt an Occult Most of the haunts in this section of the roll at –2 to identify the sound as supernatural adventure don’t provide much of a challenge and likely from an outsider (the howl can for Legendary characters, but that’s not really be correctly identied as a wendigo’s wend igo’s howl their purpose. These haunts are included with a raise). more to help build on the themes and mood of the adventure, teaching how greed can RISING STORM: After the first haunt is lead to terrible ends if not kept under control. activated, the wendigo senses the heroes’ Further, haunts are an excellent way for an intrusion into the area and uses its control adventure to give the players some backstory weather ability to cause a rising snowstorm. to events in the area. For 20 minutes after the first haunt is By the time the heroes nish their initial triggered, the weather steadily worsens, exploration of the cabin, they know most eventually reaching snowstorm status after of the gruesome details of what happened the 20 minutes. here, and they learned of those details in an The snowstorm lasts for 4d12 hours—the interactive way that, ideally, immerses them wendigo “recharges” the snowstorm every more in the adventure’s story than would 24 hours with control weather as long as it simply reading aloud some text. suspects the heroes remain in the area. Though unlikely to maer initially, the strength of the cabin’s walls likely comes NIGHTMARISH REST: The wendigo into play later in this adventure (see The observes the Vekker cabin region from a disWendigo Siege Siege on page 23). 23). The cabin’s tance—unless the party takes particular care walls are Hardness 14. Doors are hardness to stay stealthy, the monster learns enough 10 (most doors open easily, but some are about them that it soon retreats to deeper in stuck and must be forced open—A Strength the mountains to use Dream Haunting, tarroll to not only force the door open but to completely smash it from its hinges). The double-shuered windows are hardness 8.
WATCHER TCHER IN THE THE WASTES WASTES WA
geting one of the heroes at random. Not only does this infuse a sleeping adventurer’s dreams with nightmares of being a cannibal, it exposes the character to wendigo psychosis.
The wendigo who brought ruin to the Ve Vekkers kkers and destroyed their hopes for fame still dwells in the surrounding region, and it does not suer intruders into its territory well. Though powerful, the dangerous outsider prefers to wage its war against intru intruders ders in more subtle
THE WENDIGO DRA DRAWS WS NEAR: As soon as the party defeats Karivek Vekker’s ghost (see Event 3 3 on page 21), 21), the wendigo howls again. This time, it’s within a mile, and the entire party can hear (and must test Fear). This close, an Occult roll correctly identies the howl as that of a wendigo.
and harrowing physical aacks as a last methods, resort. Forsaving the duration of this part, the wendigo becomes increasingly aware of the adventurers’ intrusion into the
BLIZZARD: After the second howl, the wendigo uses control weather to create a blizzard—it maintains this blizzard as constantly as it can for the next several days in
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS an aempt to drive the party to seek shelter in the Vekkers' Cabin, whereupon it lays siege to the cabin as detailed on page 23. 23.
B1 THE TAILINGS TAILINGS A split-lo split-logg tower abuts the cli face and rises from a workshop on grou ground nd lev level el to a larger cabin perched on the cli’s edge sixty feet above. The rough wooden structure is so overgrown with lichen as to almost appear an extension of the rock face. The ground to the south of the lower structure is a steep embankment, over which a chute protrudes from the structure’s southern wall. At the base of the embankment is a large pile of ne, black sand that spreads out in a deposit striated by years of erosion. The ground surrounding the pile is barren of any plant life, with the exception of a single sagging pine tree. Faint traces of a footpathh lead to the workhou footpat workhouse se doors, though it is obvious none have come this way in many years. The mound of sand under the chute is composed of the leavings from the act of processing gold ore in area B5. To separate
THE HORROR TREE
the gold from the rock matrix, the dwarves used an arsenic solution. Over the years, this debris has leached into the surrounding ground and destroyed all plant life in the region, with the exception of the lichens and fungus that grow so well on the cabin. Anyone coming in contact with the ne black dust risks arsen arsenic ic pois poisonin oning g unles unlesss they succeed at a Vigor roll (Lethal poison that requires a roll once per day–if the heroes only handle the stu and don’t actually ingest any of it, they gain a +2 on their roll to resist the poison). Two years ago, a guardian of the upper treeline sensed the presence of poison and pollution here as it leached into the Kazaron and owed downriver. This guardian, an ancient treant, came upon this area and sought to clean up the ora-killi ora-killing ng tailing. While it managed to move many of the contaminants away from where they were leaching into the river, its own exposure to the pollution weakened and eventually killed it—while plants are normally immune to poison, long-term exposure to this particular form of pollution kills plants just as well. The death of the noble creature gave the spirits haunting the cabin a convenient corpse to focus upon. This, combined with the corruption and pollution now concentrated in the region, caused the treant to rise the next night as a horric undead creature. Its oncekindly soul has been replaced with one of eternal hunger and wrath, and it is content now to slaughter any creatures that happen by. After killing them, it ings their shaered carcasses upon the tailings pile and awaits new victims. Now it stands beside the tailings, looking like nothing more than a dead pine tree on the verge of collapse, and does not aack unless adventurers come down the embankment to examine the area of the tailings. Later, though, if a lone or pair of heroes exits the boom oor of the cabin, it immediately tries to slay them before they have a chance to escape. It buries its victims shallowly in the tailings pile, where they can be discovered with a Notice roll. P
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The Horror Tree: See below.
PAR ART T TWO: TWO: WHISPERS WHISPER S IN I N THE WIN W IND D
P THE HORROR HORROR TREE
consist of a large black opal worth 2,000 gp, a cracked leather backpack containing a broken rock hammer and 43 gp, 12 crossbow bolts (Distance), and a sealed pocket ask holding an elixir of the peaks, listed on page 91. 91.
Type: Evil Undead (Treant) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d10, Strength d12+6, Vigor d12 Athletics d6, Fighting d10, IntimidaSkills: Athletics Skills: tion d8, Notice d8, Stealth d4 Pace: 6; Parry: 9; Toughness: 9; Toughness: 20 20 (3) Edges: Block Edges: Block (Imp), Brave, Iron Jaw, Iron Will This room has a steeply sloping roof. A lock bars the doo doors, rs, but is so badly rusted it could Special Abilities: be easil easily y broken (hardness 6) 6).. Withi Within n are the Armor +3: Bark +3: Bark skin. remains of a once-thriving mining enterprise. Bash: Bash: Str+d6, Str+d6, AP 2. The rotten remnants of wheelbarrows, Destroy Objects: Treants do double Objects: shovels, picks, ore sacks, plates for panning, damage when aacking objects. and sluices for separating placer deposits are Environmental Weakness: Fire, Weakness: Fire, slashing. Fungus: Fungus: Anyone Anyone Shaken or Wounded by a stacked in a jumble. These are all covered in Slam aack suers Energy Drain (Agility) a thick layer of frost and have deteriorated to as they contract a virulent fungus that rips the point of uselessness. through their bodies. A Vigor roll (at –2 with a raise on the aack) resists this eect Immunity: Cold. Plant: ignore penalties for Dim and Dark This room has a bare plank floor. A wide Illumination; immune to paralysis, poison, double door stands to the east, and next to it puppet, slumber , , Stun, doesn't slee sleep. p. a shabby curtain closes o another opening. Size 7 (Large): (Large): This creature is 30ft tall The room’s dry boards still appear to be stout, and weighs over 2,500lbs. It has one extra having successfully remained sealed from Wound due to itssize. the elements over the years. Rock Throwing: Throwing: Treants are good at throwing rocks, and can even throw at The outer door to this room is locked. The Extreme Range. Damage Str+d12, Range lock has corroded but is still strong—in fact, 20/40/80, Heavy Weapon. the corrosion has made it even more dicult Trample: Str+d6. to pick (Thievery roll at –4, Hardness 10). Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from This room served as the secure entry being Shaken; no additional damage from Called Shots; ignores 1 point of Wound where the brothers could bring the ore they penalties; doesn’t breathe; immune to recovered from their mine for processing. The disease and poison; ignore penalties for doors to the east are also locked, though they are not corroded (Thievery roll at –2). Illumination.
B2 STORAGE ROOM
B3 LOWER ENTRY
TACTICS The horror tree has an uncanny knack for sensing druids, rangers, gnomes, and other creatures with ties to the natural world. It targets these foes over others. The horror tree pursues foes as long as they remain in sight but does not pursue enemies into the cabin. The horror tree ghts until destroyed.
TREASURE
A hollow in the trunk hides some treasures it has gathered over the years. These can be found fou nd with a Notice roll of it itss body and
B4 SACK ROOM Beyond the curtain is a small, barren chamber. A wood-frame cot rests against the far wall with a rough, straw-tick str aw-tick maress and a threadbare blanket. A pair of old work boots, crusted with the dried remains of old mud, still sits under the cot. When a new load of ore was brought in from the mine, the Vekker brothers were loath to leave it unaended until it had been stored away in their strong room. To this end, they worked night and day in the separation
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS The Vekkers had enough gold to buy food to last them years, but nowhere from which to buy any, a powerful irony that Silas obsessed on in the nal days before he was murdered by his brother. His spirit, still driven by hunger, manifests in this room as he appeared in life TREASURE in healthier times, as a balding dwarf with An enchanted dagger (Str+d4, AP 1, a few facial scars and a full beard separated Accurate, Damaging) is hidden in the left into two lengths by gold rings. When the adventurers rst enter this room, boot. The poison that once coated the blade has long since dried and aked away, leaving a shadowy form shifts and moves in the only a harmless discoloration on it. room’s corner. As the haunt manifests, the shadows fade and Silas appears to be squaing in the southeast corner of the room, his back to the doors as he scoops up handfuls of gold dust The air in this long-sealed chamber is from the ground near the chute. putrid. The back wall is the solid rock As Silas turns around, gold dust of the cli face. A ramp rises from thick in his beard and dripping in the western door to a height of ve ve slobbery strings from his lips, he feet, which is the elevation elevation of the says, “You! You have to try this! rest of the plank oor. It’s so… delicious!” He stus Mounds Moun ds of dust and rock rockyy debri debriss another handful of gold dust clutter the floor, while rusty into his mouth and swallows. Of mechanical equipment, large SILAS VEKKER course, the “dust” he’s eating is in copper tanks, and several rockfact arsenic-tainted grit. crushing and chipping tools sit upon sagging wooden tables. The handle of a shovel sticks up from a debri debriss pile immedi immediately ately below this aperture. Two Two pairs of elbow-length, thick leather gloves, stained from long use, hang Type: Haunt (all of area B5); from hooks hooks be beside side tthe he north north doors. doors. Notice Roll: No (Everyone sees the shadow chamber, but even their hardened dwarven constitutions required occasional breaks. When this occurred, one of the brothers slept in this chamber to ensure that thieves would be unable to make o with the gold.
B5 ORE SEPARATION
GOLD-EATING GOLD-EA GOLD-EATING GOLD-EA TING TING DWARF DWARF
image of Silas crouching in the corner); Trigger: Proximity; Proximity; Wounds: 1; Reset: Wounds: 1; Reset: 1 minute ore fromtothe gangue. They used arsenic Effect: Silas’s words function as major Effect: solution chemically separate theanminerals. puppet;; anyone who hears him must make puppet Raw gold was carted into the next chamber to a Spirit roll at –2 to resist the compulsion to be stored stored safel safely y in their cab cabin. in. scoop up and eat a handful of the arsenicThe leftover debris was then shoveled tainted dirt on the room’s oor. through a grating in the southern wall that The haunt enhances the deadly eects of opens into a chute that deposits waste near the arsenic in this this case case— — anyone who ea eats ts the area B1. The grate is latched from this side stu must make Vigor roll at –2 against the and can be easily opened, but the iron bars eects of arsenic poisoning. cannot be removed from the frame, blocking Silas watches as anyone eats, and as the access from outside. victim feels the poison flowing through This entire room is heavily tainted with his system, the haunted character sees arsenic deposits, especially the mounded Silas suddenly shrink in on himself, grow dust and rubble on thetooor. Anyone entering emaciated, and then fly apart in a red the room is exposed a high concentration explosion of bite-sized morsels of esh and of arsenic poisoning (see area B1). bone. An A n instant later, he is gone — After a minute, he appears again and the haunt resets. The Vekker brothers carted their placer deposits into this chamber to remove the gold
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PAR ART T TWO: TWO: WHISPERS WHISPER S IN I N THE WIN W IND D
B6 ORE SHAFT
A LETHAL COMBO
The description of this area depends on whether the heroes enter from the boom or the top. The following description assumes the party enters from the boom. Modify it accordingly if they enter from area B7.
Depending on how many characters fall when the trap is set o, a hero grappled by the haunted chain could be left left hanging for a while. Even if the chain is destroyed, the victim still needs to survive the sudden fall that their allies had to deal with. If the party has already encountered several other Haunts, consider having the grappled character make a Fear check.
The wooden walls of this musty shaft abut the natural stone of the cli face to the east. A stur sturdy-lo dy-looking oking wooden stair and rail star starts ts at the boom of this shaft and circles up into the heights, running clockwise. Above, Abov e, its passa passage ge iiss lost lost in tthe he gloom, gloom, like the musty interior of an ancient silo. A thick length of chain hangs down the shaft in loops, its links swaying and clanking softly to the period per iodic ic gus gustt of win windd tha thatt penetr penetrate atess the walls. walls. No windows pierce the wooden walls. Propped against the east wall near the door is an upended wheelbarrow.
collapse outward, dumping anyone on them into the central shaft of the stairwell. (Evasion roll to grab onto the rail when dropped) wheree the wher they y take 6d6 + 6 dama damage ge fr from om the fall fall.. The collapsed steps and rail can be reset by a lever hidden in area B11.
Vekker Vekker brothers this enclosed stair toThe create a secure waybuilt to access their cabin P Haunted Chain: See below. above. A great ore bucket hangs at area B7, which they lowered via chains with a winch to load the gold gleaned from the separation P HAUNTED CHAIN chamber. The wheelbarrow was used to cart Type: Construct (Neutral) the gold to the ore bucket. Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, The stairs rise 72 feet to area B7 and are Aributes: Agility Strength d12+2, Vigor d10 sturdy and in good repair despite their age. Athletics d8, Fighting d10, Notice Notice d8, A trap is set 60 feet up the stairs. The Vekker Skills: , , Athletics Occult d8, Stealth d10 brothers deactivated deactivated this trap in area B11 or Pace: —; Parry: 7; 7; Toughness: Toughness: 12 12 (5) just jumped over the trigge triggerr steps. Edges: — Edges: — Once as the tipping stairs are triggered, the Special Abilities: spirits haunting thefrom cabinthe manifest, the chain hanging ceiling animating here. The chain twists like an immense snake as it animates, coiling over and across itself and grasping at a victim with deadly eect. Though the chain only takes up a six-foot square, its reach accounts for much of its size.
TIPPING TIPPING STAIRS STAIRS STAIRS
Armor +5: Solid +5: Solid steel. Bash: Str+d6, Reach 5. Bash: Str+d6, Constricting: Constricting: The
haunted chain gets a free reroll when aempting to grapple an opponent and does Str+d6 when crushing. Construct: Construct: +2 +2 to recover from being Shaken; ignores 1 point of Wound penalties; does not breathe or suer from disease or poison. Night Vision: The Vision: The haunted chain ignores penalties for Illumination.
TACTICS
Type: Mechanical; Notice Roll: Yes, at –2; The haunted chain lifts anyone it constricts Thievery Check: Yes, Check: Yes, at –4 to the top of the shaft, aempting to strangle Trigger: A section of trapped stair stands them as their allies fall to the ground below. 60 feet above the oor of area B6. Placing On the next round it crushes the victim. any amount of weight on one of these three The chain remains animated and ghts steps causes that section of the step and rail to until destroyed or its victim falls out of reach.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS
FRIGHTFUL WEATHER At this point, the wendigo has already begun stirrin stirring g up a powerful snow storm. One side eect is the limited visibility outside. It should not be impossible for the party to nd its way back to the cabin or locate their lost allies, though it may take some eort. There may be worse eects if they're not dressed for such cold temperatures.
B7 TOWER LOFT No windows open into this dark, plummeting shaft. A heavy winch bolted to the balcony supports a rusty chain that runs up through a pulley mounted in the roof of the shaft and from which which hangs a heavy iron bucket. The front wheel of a wheelbarrow rests against heavy wooden chocks choc ks that have been nailed to the oor at the edge of the balcony. bal cony. Here, the Vekkers hauled up the gold from their mine for safe storage. The winch is still functional, though extremely rusty, and can be used to raise or lower the ore bucket between betw een here and the flo floor or of area B6 — provided that the haunted chain has not been destroyed yet (raising or lowering the bucket does not activate the haunted chain). A full bucket can be raised at a rate of four yards per round. Lying nearby is a 10-foot pole with an iron hook at the tip. This was used by the dwarves both to open and close the shuered windows and to drag the ore bucket over to the balcony balcony,, where its contents could be dumped into a wheelbarrow. The windows, unlike most of those in the rest of the cabin, are shuered from the inside. A Notice roll reveals the skillfully disguised secret door to area B13.
B8 FRONT PORCH A rough porch with crudely crudely crafte craftedd handr handrails ails extends from the front of this cabin. A short stair descends to the ground at its north
16
end. The eaves of the overhanging roof are fe festo stoon oned ed with wi th doze do zens ns of anima an imall skul sk ulls ls,, including bears, deer, and other animals. The posts supporting the overhang and the outside edge of the handrail are hung with racks of antlers. A chimney rises next to a door on the porch, and a couple of split logs have been set on the raised porch as furniture. The Vekker brothers supplemented their carefully hoarded supplies with whatever game they could hunt. There is nothing of note among the many trophies here. A signboard mounted above the front door bears faded but still legible print in Dwarv Dwarven en naming this the “Vekker Mining Co. Headquarters.” The front door is not locked but is stuck in its frame, requiring a Strength roll to open. Have everyone make a Notice roll. The players with the highest result feel strange here, as if being watched. You can even tell this player he might have seen a humanoid shape in the distance, staggering in the snow just at the edge of vision to the east. This is a manifestation of Silas Vekker as he aempted to escape his hunger-mad kin by racing into the snow. One round later, the haunt manifests in force as Silas notices the heroes.
HALF-EATEN HALF-EA HALF-EATEN HALF-EA TEN TEN DWARF DWARF Type: Haunt (Northern 18 feet of area B8);
(everyone disNotice Check: No Check: No tant humanoid shape turn to notices face thethe party); Trigger: Proximity; Proximity; Wounds: 1; Reset: 1 day Wounds: 1; Reset: 1 Eect: A Eect: A dwarven man (recognizable as the same one from the haunt in area B5) staggers out of the snow. His eyes are wild with fear, his clothes in taers, and blood drips from several cuts on his exposed esh. When he sees the party, he cries out, “Run! Run for your lives! They’re going to eat you!” With that, the dwarf ees into the snow. Everyone in the area makes a Spirit roll at –2 to avoid being overcome with the conviction that the other members of the party are cannibals and are about to aack them—those who fail become panicked (see Fear Table in Pathnder in Pathnder for Savage Worlds) Worlds ) for 1d6 rounds.
PAR ART T TWO: TWO: WHISPERS WHISPER S IN I N THE WIN W IND D Adventurers who race blindly into the snow in this manner have a at 50% chance each round of running o the edge of the cli, in which case they fall 70 ffeet eet ((7d6 7d6 + 7 dama damage) ge) to the ground below.
B9 ENTRY This simple chamber has a worn hide rug covered with muddy stains before the door, next to a rickety chair. A thick blanket covers the opening to the south. The door can be locked and has brackets for a bar, though though no bar is present.
B10 COATROOM This tiny chamber is stuffy and lightless. Heavy blankets hang as curtains across two archways. A wooden bench rests against
crack runs through the thick panes of the southern window. A set of roug rough-ma h-made de bunk bed bedss stan stands ds against the north wall next to the door, an old coat with holes in its elbows hanging from one on e post. The bunk bunkss themse themselves lves have flat straw mattr mattresses esses and layers of heav heavyy blankets piled at their feet. An old metal coal box rests on one for use as a foot f oot warmer. A rack on the west wall holds a crossbow, two axes, and a light wooden shield. Beneath it is a large leather chest. A hooded lantern hangs unlit from a rafter. The Vekker brothers shared this bunkroom. Nothing in it is of any value, and the weapons and shield are warped and useless. The leather trunk holds only mundane articles of rough clothing, a few grooming items, and various small trinkets of Shoanti manufacture. One of the unoccupied pegs on the weapons rack is actually a lever that resets
the south wall under which is arrayed assortment of shabby foot gear. Abovean it is a row of hooks, a number of which hold dusty garments.
anddiscovered deactivates the atrap in area B6.–2. It The can be with Notice roll at curtained closet is actually a privy with a wooden bench and an old rusty bucket. Hanging from a small hook are a number The dwarven miners removed their dirty of torn papers. If examined, these turn out to clothing here to create some modicum of be broadshee broadsheets ts from Korvosa, dated about 70 cleanliness in their cabin. Beneath the bench years ago. The Vekker Vekker brothers were not avid are six pairs of dried and cracked leather readers, but they saved every scrap of paper boots of various types, al alll sized for dw dwarves. arves. they could nd to serve other purposes. They include everything from roughsoled climbing boots to hip-high waders for panning cold mountain streams. The various garments include oiled leather raincoats, This chamber contains heavy shelving fur-lined winter coats, and mud-stained and still holds the detritus and debris dungarees and coveralls. accumulated over decades of habitation. These are all proportioned for a dwarf and are largely ruined from moths and dry rot. All manner of odds and ends for the maintenance of the cabin and the mining TREASURE venture can be found herein under a thick Concealed beneath the raincoats, an layer of dust and ancient rodent droppings. enchanted maul (Damaging, Bane (Construct, There is nothing of particular value, but feel leans against the wall. free to throw in any mundane items you see t, such as a pair of snowshoes or a tinder box.
B12 STORAGE CLOSET
B11 BUNKROOM
B13 STRONG ROOM A largofe,this large, wor worn n elk hide sp spread read aacross cross th thee oor bunkr bunkroom. oom.isAnother old, motheaten hide covers the entry into a small closet. A window looks out to the south. A
The walls and door of this chamber are reinforced with double thickness. The secret door is locked and requires a Thievery roll at
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS –2 to open. Otherwise, the walls around this room have Hardness 12, requiring an hour of work with each roll.
This is where the Vekker brothers took their meals and spent most of what lile leisure time they had. The painting depicts two dwarves with a family resemblance; they are Seven large burlap sacks sit against the Silas and Karivek Vekker. Vekker. Characters wh who’ve o’ve northern wall of this small room, while to the seen Silas’s manifestation manifestation in the haunts in the west sits a small desk and chair. A leathercabin will recognize the dwarf immediately. bound ledger lies atop the desk. The disarray and blood are all that remains of the terrible ght that broke out The ledger contains several when Karivek and his dwarves turned to detailed mapsonofthe thedesk regions the brothers cannibalism. The ght spread onto the porch were mining, and locates all of their assay relatively quickly, but scavengers have long points and mines. Notes on the payout of since removed the results of that ght. each mine are listed—it appears all of them As the heroes investigate this room, they have played out without imparting any begin experiencing subtle twi twinges nges of hunger. particularly rich lodes. Without much warning, those twinges erupt Several pages near the end of the ledger into full-blown pangs of painful starvation have been torn out—these once contained and unholy urges to feast on their companions. the brothers’ notes on the location of XinWhile these hunger pangs pass quickly, the Shalast. Silas tore them out when he realized damage to the mind is more persistent. how important the discovery was, commied them to memory, then burned the pages.
TREASURE Here, the Vekkers stored the gold from their mine after the ore was separated in the building below and hauled up through the shaft. The door creaks loudly when opened. Within are seven burlap sacks. Five are stued with gold dust and are worth 1,000 gp each. The last two actually hold gold nuggets and are worth 2,500 gp each. Each sack weighs 40 pounds. Hidden behind one of the sacks is a small coer holding 14 uncut gems the brothers found, worth 50 gp each.
B14 LIVING AREA This room obviously doubled as the main living quarters and kitchen for the inhabitants of the cabin. A stone hearth and chimney occupy the southeast corner, with an iron hook holding a cauldron above the grate. The rest of the room is in a horric state— rewood, rewoo d, cookin cookingg u utensil tensils, s, pots and pans, and even the furniture lie in scaered heaps. A paintin pai ntingg of two dou dour-l r-look ooking ing dwar dwarves ves standing in front of an enormous elk hangs askew on the northern wall. Ancient Anci ent bloo bloodsta dstains ins mar the walls and oor and bits of overturned furniture here and there, but there are no bodies.
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CANNIBAL URGINGS CANNIBAL URGINGS Type: Haunt (all of area B14); Notice Check: No Check: No (Everyone feels the sudden twinges of unnatural hunger); Trigger: Proximity; Proximity; Wounds: Wounds: 1; 1; Reset: Reset: 1 1 day Eect: When Eect: When the hunger pangs strike, all characters in the room must make a Vigor roll at –2 to resist taking one Fatigue from starvation, from the sudden phantom hunger. Accompanying this ravenous sensation is the conviction that only the esh of the other heroes can sate the hunger. Any character who took Fatigue also takes Energy Drain (Spirit) as the cannibal urge overwhel overwhelms ms him. A Spirit roll resists this eect.
B15 LARDER The door to this room is heavy and requires a Strength roll to open. This bare-oored room has a series of iron hooks suspended from the rafters. The window in the far wall looks out over the edge of the cliff and, unlike others in the cabin, no glass shuers—only a tight laice has of iron bars. or Against the far wall sits a four-foot-tall mound of bones—dwarven bones, by the look of them.
PAR ART T TWO: TWO: WHISPERS WHISPER S IN I N THE WIN W IND D The dwarves used this room for their cold storage. In all but high summer it remained cooler than the rest of the cabin and allowed As the heroes nish exploring the cabin, they their meats to last a lile longer. The close-set close-s et should be able to piece together some of what wh at bars on th thee wi windows ndows kept out verm vermin, in, eexcept xcept occurred here more than a decade ago, but for flies and mosquitoes in the warmest unfortunately nd the place to be devoid of months, and the toughened dwarves were not any real clues as to Xin-Shalast’s location. overly picky about the condition of their meals. The true source of this information, the These are the remains of the four dwarves, including Silas Vekker, who were killed and ghost of Silas Vekker, yet to show itself—but before has it does, theproperly unquiet eaten a decade ago. An investigation of the spirits haunting the cabin have one final remains followed by a Healing roll reveals cacophonous assault in mind. If the heroes that the bones have been picked clean and are, look outside while exploring the cabin, they in many places, scraped and gnawed by what nd the snowstorm has intensied. would appear to be dwarven teeth. This nal haunting event is more complex The rst person to examine the bones is in than the haunts keyed to specic rooms— for a rough surprise—on one of the bones, this is a multistage haunt that should play he recognizes his own jewelry: a ring on a out, to a certain extent, like a highly scripted skeletal finger, a necklace draped over a combat. It can begin at any point you wish— ribcage, or a belt dangling over ivory hips. preferably after the heroes have experienced With this discovery comes the conviction most or all of the other haunts the cabin has that the gnawed bones are, in fact, that to oer, but before they feel that they have character’s own. The character is immediately exhausted all of the possibilities in the cabin. surrounded by a whirling storm of shadowy s hadowy If the adventurers decide to spend the night forms as the ghosts of the cannibalized dead in the cabin, this event plays out shortly after aempt to add that hero to their number. they bed down. Powerful spellcasters have access to teleport teleport and and other eects, though, so its unlikely you will get the opportunity to have this occur in the dead of night. In that case, try to time the haunt so that it occurs at a natural climax to the exploration Type: Haunt (all of area B15); Notice Check: No Check: No (They hear the whispers of the Vekkers’ cabin, perhaps just after the and slobbering grunts of the hungry dead); heroes have experienced the last haunt, or Trigger: Proximity; Proximity; Wounds: Wounds: 2; 2; Reset: Reset: 1 after they discover the secret room in area B13. minute This haunt starts innocently with Eect: To Eect: To observer observers, s, the haunted character strange sounds from elsewhereenough, in the cabin suddenly begins thrashing wildly, as if indicating that they aren’t alone. These dozens of invisible hands were tugging and sounds rapidly grow in power, until it seems pushing him about the room. At the same as if an army of invisible, shrieking lunatics time, bloody wounds from invisible teeth is on the loose. appear across the victim’s body. This haunt plays out over 11 rounds, The haunted adventurer perceives that he following a scripted series of actions. Allow has suddenly been surrounded by a dozen the heroes to act as they wish each round. emaciated but fantastically strong dwarves, all of whom are aempting to eat him alive. The ghosts make ve aack rolls against the hero, with Fighting d10; each hit deals 2d6 damage ignoring Armor. A hero who is incapacitated by these bites Type: Haunt (Vekker Cabin and environs 12 yards out from its outer walls); and begins bleeding out, is torn apart so that Check: No (Everyone hears the sound nothing remains but a red, well-gnawed Notice Check: No of knocking somewhere in the cabin); skeleton draped in his gear.
EVENT 1: CANNIBAL FURY
THE THE HUNGRY HUNGRY DEAD DEAD DEAD
CANNIBAL FURY CANNIBAL FURY
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS Trigger: Timed; Timed; Wounds: Wounds: 5; 5; Reset: Reset: none none need to make Athletics Athletics rolls to move and takes Eect: This Eect: This haunt adheres to the following whatever actions they can to render nonround-by-round schedule. Note that until the possessed characters unconscious or helpless. haunt begins to act in force on the fth round, If a possessed hero is adjacent to a helpless, it cannot be aected. These rst four rounds non-possessed character and is not threatened are, in eect, an extended warning. by any other oth er no non-p n-pos osses sessed sed he heroe roes, s, he Rounds 1–3: The 1–3: The heroes hear faint knocking attempts to kill the helpless victim. If a from the lower portion of the cabin, probably possessed hero is adjacent to a dead character, the outer door at area B3, as if some lost he feeds on the body, taking no other actions travelerr were seeking shelter from the storm. unless he is aacked by someone else. travele The knocking continues for three rounds, Round 11: 11: With a sudden lurch, the during which time heroes might head down haunting stops. The possessed character to see whom it might be. Aempts to see the immediately regains control of his faculties. If ground outside the cabin are fruitless due he successfully fed on an ally, he must make to the whirling snow urries. Even if the a Spirit roll at –2 upon realizing what he's adventurers adventure rs are within six feet, they still see done—failure results in the character being nothing that could have caused the knocking. Paralyzed from the revelation. Round 4: The strange knocking grows At your option, the previously possessed silent for one round. could develop various Hindrances. The cabin Round 5: A 5: A loud crack followed by a mighty shows no signs of damage from the violence hammering sound suddenly lls the cabin as aside from anything the heroes have done its walls begin to shake and groan, almost as to it. A few rounds later, Silas Vekker nally if the structure were giving up its purchase on manifests before the heroes (See Event 2). the cli edge and sliding o. On each turn a hero remains in the haunt’s area, he must make an Athletics roll; failure The Cannibal Fury haunt ends abruptly not indicates he cannot move for a round, a because the spirits have had their say, but Critical Failure indicates he falls prone. because Silas Vekker retains fragments of his Anyone in area B6 at this time falls o the sanity. Just as it takes the angry ghosts several stairs if they fall prone. rounds to ramp up to the fury evidenced at Round 6: The hammering continues, but the height of the climactic haunting, it takes now the faint images of starving dwarven him about a minute to nally gather the ghosts can be glimpsed out of the corner of energy to quell these spirits. When he does, the eye. Each character suddenly experiences the ghosts vanish in an instant, save for one.
EVENT 2: A GHOST’S PL PLEA EA
painful hunger pangs and mus t make a V must Vigor igor Silas Vekker is the same spirit the heroes roll to resist taking one Fatigue. might have encountered elsewhere in the Round 7: Voices 7: Voices can now be heard, in most cabin—a balding dwarf with a dark brown cases wordless cries of pain, but now and beard. bea rd. His fac facial ial fea featur tures es are cu curio rious usly ly then snatches of sentences like “eating us…” indistinct indistinct— — he has no eye eyes, s, for example, and or “don’t let him…” or “so hungry….” The when he speaks, his lips barely even move. hammering continues, but now the starving Maintaining this manifestation is ghosts notice the heroes for the rst time. tremendously draining for the spirit, and he Each hero must make a Spirit roll, and the can do so only for a short amount of time. As haunt possesses the hero with the lowest he speaks, bite-sized bits and pieces of him roll, as the ghosts themselves ow into the tear loose and fade, leaving him a growing hero's body. Possession causes Energy Drain patchwork of red, until nally, not enough of (Spirit), and has additional implications in him remains and the entire thing fades away. rounds 8–10. Round 8–10: For 8–10: For the last three rounds of this complex haunt, the shaking and hammering continues. The possessed character does not
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“You… you are alive? You do not hunger? Ah… tha thatt is wha whatt I sens sensee in your you r blo blood. od. Greed. You seek the City of Greed. You
PAR ART T TWO: TWO: WHISPERS WHISPER S IN I N THE WIN W IND D should abandon your quest, lest you end up like me. Cold. Dead. Eaten. But I suspect you can't be swayed. I know the way to Xin-Shalast. I can show sho w you the way, but only iiff you bring me my brother. He died on a ledge in the mountains a mile’s walk north from this cabin. I can feel his soul out there, still hungry, still insane. Bring his bones to me so that I might
The winds around the cli are strong and the cli face icy. It's a multi-person dramatic task to climb the cli, requiring 12 task tokens. This task has no duration, but each round is four hours spent in a harsh environment, (See Cold in Pathnder for Savage Worlds). Worlds). The ledge in question is near the mountain’s peak above. Trailing to a six-foot-wide shelf to the northwest and southeast, the ledge deepens into a large at area in the middle. reconcile with him. Once he is at rest, I will show you the way so that I might The ground is rough and uneven, covered rest as well…” with rubble and rocks and counting as dicult ground. Further, the presence of Silas’s spirit doesn’t have enough energy Karivek Karivek’s ’s spirit causes a layer of thick fog to to maintain rational discourse for long— obscure the ground to a depth of one foot. certainly not long enough to speak much This fog extends out over the cli and down more than his tale above. After delivering his 30 feet from the edge, so a character unable message to the heroes, the ghostly dwarf is to see through the fog, who moves through gone—eaten away to nothing. a square adjacent to the edge must make an All haunts in the cabin remain quiet for a Athletics roll to avoid stumbling and falling full week. If after that time Karivek’s bones 2,000 feet into the mine digs below. have not been returned, the haunts resume. Near the eastern end of the ledge, a small number of gravestones protrude from the mist. As Karivek neared the end, guilt and remorse for his heinous acts of murder Karivek’s body lies on a high mountain and cannibalism faded in the stark face of ledge overlooking the nal mine the brothers starvation, and the gravestones, each marked worked before discovering Xin-Shalast. with dwarven names (including that of his Discovering this location via divination b r o t h e r , Silas), were a last-minute aempt spells is one option, otherwise, heroes will to atone. Despite the likely need to recover the ledger grave markers, there’s from area B13. only one body here, and The location of the nal Vekker it’s not even buried. mine is indicated in that book—at Karivek’s body the base of a 2,000-foot-tall cli in lies near a long-dead
EVENT 3: HUNGRY GHOST
the mountains, a mile of the cabin. The remnants of anorth well-worn trail between this mine and the cabin still still exist— this trai traill can be followed with a Survival roll. Otherwise, the journey is one through trackless, rugged mountains. The cli is sheer, and for the purposes of searching for the proper ledge, thankfully free of many areas that qualify. Unfortunately, this means the sheer cli face also presents a dicult obstacle for characters unable to y, teleport, or otherwise bypass the climb.
KARIVEK VEKKER
re pit in the eastern portion of the ledge, frozen solid and preserved by the cold mountain air. The corpse still wears its padded armor, butt is in fright bu fri ghtfu full sh shape ape.. Not only is it broken and mangled, as if it had fallen from a great height, but the body’s legs end in charred, blackened black ened stumps where the feet had been. Among the powers Karivek gained as a ghost is an ability to manipulate
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS creatures native to the cold. Currently, a frost Rejuvenation: Rejuvenation: Until Until his bones are returned worm, aracted by Karivek’s supernatural to the Vekkers’ cabin, Karivek’s ghost control, serves as a guardian. The beast lies rejuvenatess 2d4 days after it is destroyed. rejuvenate Unstoppable: Karivek can’t suer more in wait under the packed ice and snow in the Unstoppable: than one wound from a single aack (after middle of the ledge, and erupts to aack as Soak rolls are made). soon as it notices any creatures approaching the ledge. Languages: Common, Languages: Common, Dwarven. Karivek’s ghost remains hidden until his corpse is touched or the frost worm aacks, P FROST WORM at which point he ies up out of the mist to aack. In death, Karivek’s mouth is lled with Type: Neutral Magical Beast (Frost Worm) Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d8, fangs that drip streamers of blood. Though Aributes: Agility Strength d12+6, Vigor d12 incorporeal, his freezing temperature leaves Skills: Athletics Athletics d6, Fighting d10, Notice d10, a rime of ice across any surface he h e travels near. Skills: Stealth d10 P Karivek: Karivek: See See below. Pace: 6; Parry: 7; 7; Toughness: 16 (2) Toughness: 16 Worm: See below. P Frost Worm: See Edges: Sweep Edges: Sweep (Imp) Special Abilities: Armor +2: Frozen +2: Frozen carapace. P KARIVEK VEKKER Bite: Str+d8, AP 2 Burrow: Pace 6. Type: Evil Undead (Ghost) Throes: When killed, a frost worm Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Death Throes: When Strength d8, Vigor d8 Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Notice d10, Skills: Athletics Stealth d10, Survival d8 Pace: —; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6; Toughness: 10 10 (4) Edges: Frenzy Edges: Frenzy Gear: Thrown objects (Str+d4), leather armor (+3, Aegis, Energy Resistance (cold)) Special Abilities: Bite/Claw: Bite/Claw: Str+d8+d6 Str+d8+d6 (cold), AP 2. Command the Frozen: Frozen: Karivek can use puppet pup pet on any non-outsider native to a cold environment, he can only control one creature at a time. Darkvision: Darkvision: Ghosts ignore penalties for Illumination up to 10". Eater of Flesh: When Flesh: When Karivek hits with a bite aack, he tears away a chunk of esh and consumes it—this causes Energy Drain (Vigor). A Vigor roll resists this eect. Environmental Weakness: Fire. Weakness: Fire. Ethereal: Ghosts can become invisible and immaterial at will and can only be harmed by magical magical aa aacks. cks. Fast Regeneration Regeneration:: Karivek may aempt a natural healing roll every round, unless his Wounds were caused by re. Fear (–2): Ghosts (–2): Ghosts cause Fear checks at –2
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when they let themselves be seen.
Flight: Flight: Pace Pace 6.
Immunity: Cold.
explodes in a This 120-foot radius, dealing 3d6 cold damage. can be Evaded. Environmental Weakness: Fire. Weakness: Fire. Icy Breath: Once per hour, a Frost worm can breathe a Cone Template of intense frost for 4d6 cold damage (see Breath Weapons). Weapons). Immune: Cold. Night Vision: Frost Vision: Frost worms ignore penalties for Illumination. Size 6 (Large): Frost (Large): Frost worms are around 35′ long and weight 8,000 lbs. They have one additional Wound due to their size. Trill: As a limited action, a frost worm can emit a strange trilling sound that aects all creatures within a 40-yard radius. Creatures must make a Spirit roll at –2 or be Stunned for as long as the worm continues to trill (the frost worm can maintain this trill as an action). Once a creature has resisted or broken the eect (by taking damage damage), ), it cannot be aected again by that same frost worm’s trill for 24 hours.
TACTICS Karivek reveals himself, causing fear on the rst round of combat, then he focuses on victims with the most meat on their bones. If the frost worm is nearly dead and surrounded by enemies, he’ll he’ll aempt to kill the worm in order to trigger its death throes. Karivek Karive k ghts until destroyed, knowing he will just rejuvenate in a few days.
PAR ART T TWO: TWO: WHISPERS WHISPER S IN I N THE WIN W IND D
DEVELOPMENT Once the heroes defeat the ghost, the wendigo howls and starts a blizzard (see The Watcher in the Wastes). Wastes).
EVENT 4: THE WENDIGO SIEGE Once the pathfinders secure Karivek’s remains, they need only return them to the Vekkers’ Cabin. Unfortunately, doing so is made more complicated by the wendigo. The horric outsider is displeased with the heroes’ meddling in its cannibal tableaux and steps in to punish them and, ideally, induct them into its monstrous ways. As they return to the cabin, the wendigo howls once again, then creates a blizzard to hinder movement and ideally catch the party in an open area on their way to the cabin with Karivek’s remains. When the party returns to the cabin, a strange sense of calm lls the structure. Even the howling sounds of the blizzard outside seem muted and quiet. As soon as they bring the bones to area B14 (or wherever Silas manifested to them), Silas Vekker appears again, an expression of sadness and forgiveness on his face. Yet Karivek is not yet quite ready to accept his brother. The cannibal ghost manifests as well, his bones crumbling to dust and reforming his ghostly incarnation. The two ghosts silently face o against each other, seemingly caught in a struggle of wills as wispy strings of ectoplasm and wafts of ghostly presence lash out and coil about. All Silas needs to calm his brother’s spirit is time—10 minutes is enough. Unfortunately, the wendigo can sense the reconciliation and the impending loss of its masterpiece, and it quickly takes action. The wendigo does not initially attack directly, preferring to wage a psychological war of terror. If the party is caught outside in the blizzard, it follows them while ying, turning solid now and then to make yby aacks against stragglers. Once they return to the cabin, the wendigo’s tactics become more physical. The monster lays siege to the cabin, smashing its walls and roof with its powerful claws in an aempt to tear the place apart.
Left to its own, the wendigo can use dream haunting against the brothers, infusing them both again with ca cannibal nnibal urges and madness. This overwhelms Silas after 10 minutes, transforming him into a cannibal ghost as well (use the same stats as Karivek) Karivek)— — if this occurs, the heroes must slay the wendigo, then defeat both ghosts before Silas can aempt to heal the rift between himself and his brother. P Wendigo: See below.
P WENDIGO Type: Evil Outsider (Wendigo) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d12+1, Vigor d10 Skills: A Skills: Athletics thletics d10, Common Knowledge d8, Fighting d10, Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Occult d10, Persuasion d8, Stealth d10 Pace: 7; Parry: 7; 7; Toughness: Toughness: 14 14 (5) Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Resistance
Special Abilities: Armor +5: W +5: Wendigo endigo hi hide. de. Bite/Claws: Bite/Claws: Str+d6 Str+d6 (cold). Blindsense: Blindsense: Wendigos ignore invisibility, illusion , and all Illumination Illumination p penalties. enalties. Control Weather: A wendigo can concentrate for 10 minutes to summon a snowstorm or blizzard in a two mile radius. This creates Dim Illumination and extreme cold throughout the area. Dream Haunting: Once per night, a wendigo can enter the dream of any sentient target, causing intense nightmares. The victim must make a Spirit roll at –4 or suer Fatigue. The Fatigue can't be removed until the victim gets a full night sleep without suering nightmares. Environmental Weakness: Cold Weakness: Cold iron, re. Fast Regeneration Regeneration:: W Wendigos endigos may aempt aem pt a natural healing roll every round, even if Incapacitated, unless their Wounds were caused by re or they’re put to the torch afterward. Fearless: Fearless: Wendigos Wendigos are immune to Fear and Intimidation. Flight: Flight: Pace Pace 12; can become in/tangible as a limited free action while ying.
Howl: Three times per day, a wendigo can emit a forlorn howl that can be heard up to a mile away. Creatures who hear this must test Fear at –2.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS
Immunity: Cold.
2: A 2: A wendigo stands around 10’ tall and weights 1,000 lbs. Wendigo Psychosis: Anyone Psychosis: Anyone Wounded by a bite aack, or who fails to resist Dream Haunting, must make a Spirit roll or contract this curse. Every day, the victim suffers Energy Drain (Spirit)—a Spirit roll suppresses the eect. If Spirit would be reduced reduc ed below d4, he instead seeks an individual of his ancestry to devour. After After completing this heinous act, the aicted begins transf transforming orming into a wendigo wendigo.. He takes o at a run, and in 1d4 rounds sprints up into the sky at such a speed that his feet burn away into jagged stumps. The transformation into a wendigo takes 2d6 minutes as the victim ies across the sky.
Size
TACTICS The wendigo focuses its aacks on the most lightly armored foes at rst, and if it manages to establish a hold on a creature, ies at least 200 feet into the air before dropping its foe, after which it returns return s to the cabin to nish o anyone still within. Characters who use re receive the brunt of the wendigo’s aacks. If reduced to one Wound, the wendigo uses his ight to ee into the mountains—it does not return anytime soon.
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AFTERMATH If the wendigo is defeated or driven o, Silas wins the confrontation with his brother, at which point Karivek’s ghost relaxes. His normal teeth and feet return as he fades away. Silas faces the heroes, his expression now at peace but not without an element of sadness. His nal words before he h e fades are a warning. “You have saved my brother. You have saved “You me. I should reward you by simply taking the pathI sense to Xin-Shalast withharbor me into the beyond, yet that you still a desire to see those golden ruins. Very well. Look to the pages of my ledger for the way, aand nd may T Torag orag w watch atch over you in the darkness to come…” As he nishes speaking, Silas fades away as well. As he does, several pages appear and oat lazily to the ground. These are the missing ve pages from Silas’s ledger, and provide details on the route to Xin-Shalast.
ADVANCEMENT AWARDED! ADVANCEMENT AWARDED Stopping the wendigo siege earns the adventurers their eighteenth Advance.
PART THREE: THREE: ON THE THE WORLD’ WORLD’SS ROOF ROOF Once the PCs ha h ave secur secured ed all of the missing pa pages ges o of f the Vekke Vekker r Brothers’ ledger, they ha have ve in their hands an incredible treasure treasure.. The route to XinShalast would be a physical physica l trial ev even en without the influe influence nce of intruding realities and the disorienting effects of Leng’s proximity to the world— with those in play, only by sheerest luck could anyone hope to find the lost city of greed greed.. Such was the Vekkers’ luc luck k a decade a ago go when they first found the ruins ruins while searching for mining loca locations. tions.
T
he rst step, according to the Vekkers’ directions, is to continue traveling up the Kazaron River until they reach the
second TheRiver ledger identies this river as tributary. the legendary Avah, yet it also says the winding route between the Kodar Mountains is not one for the faint of heart. There are no banks to walk along and the river often rises in cataracts of up to 300 feet in height as it climbs ever higher into the mountains. The waters of the River Avah are freezing cold, yet they never freeze. As the party follows the river upstream, the air grows thin and the sky a deep blue. From leaving the Kazaron to the point just south of the Icemists (where the heroes move onto s maller smaller “Xin-Shalast map),the they climbscale thousands of feet toEnvirons” a height of just over 15,000 feet above sea level (see High Altitude Altitude in Pathnder for Savage Worlds). Worlds). Eventually, the heroes reach the River Avah’s source— a frozen swampland shrouded in gliering clouds of ice crystals known as the Fen of the Icemists. Yet even then they nd no indication of the ruined spires of Xin-Shalast. Here, the ledger tells the adventurers they must fast and wait for a night with a full moon, whereupon the remainder of the route is made clear to them, for here is the edge of Leng’s otherworldly inuence upon Golarion. Natural creatures are skittish in this region, and with the exception of magically
compelled animals, animal companions, and familiars, no animal willingly travels into the region depicted on the Xin-Shalast Environs map. Particularly intelligent creatures can sense thesensitive inherent “wrongness” of the region as well—anyone who makes a Spirit roll feels distinctly unwelcome in the region and suers nameless feelings of dread. Anyone aempting to enter this region must make a Spirit roll at –4 or unknowingly and unintentionally unintentio nally wander out of the region after following a curving path that takes him back into a region region of the Kodar Mounta Mountains ins not inuenced by Leng. This warping of reality aects even aempts that use ropes or other methods of marking progress, shifting things subtly so that an explorer simply emerges on the opposite side of the region without ever traversing traversi ng the realm within. A character who succeeds at the Spirit roll after entering this region suers no additional penalties until he tries to leave—the feeling of wrongness from Leng’s proximity persists the whole time. A character under the effects of arcane protection gains protection gains a +2 on this Spirit roll. A raise on detect arcana allows the character to come and go as he wills as well, bypassing the roll. Once inside the zone, he need not maintain detect arcana until he wishes to leave the area, in which case he must make the Spirit roll at –4 to avoid nding that the distortion works in reverse and that, no maer what route he
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS XIN-SHALAST ENVIRONS
NORTHEASTERN VARISIA
VAGRAD GLACIER
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takes, he constantly nds himself returning to the region’s heart. An adventurer who aempts to teleport The phantom River Avah leads through a into this region from outside (or out from partially frozen wetland—the Fen of the within) does so at a –4 to their roll. Icemists. Once a lake, this region was clogged A nonmagical method to cleanse the body with silt by several volcanic eruptions at and mind and ease the journey into Xin- the time of Thassilon’s fall, creating this Shalast exists as well well— — this is the method the treacherous and unique high-altitude fen. Vekkers accidentally stumbled upon when The waters of the Icemists are in a constant they camped at the region’s boundary at the state of freezing and thawing, with wit h the mix of current source s ource of tthe he River A Avah. vah. high altitude and latent volcanism creating They had extended their assaying trip an a mist-shrouded frozen region of water and
C QUEEN OF THE ICEMISTS
additional week andAnyone were forced ration their food supplies. takingtoFatigue from starvation who stands at the source of the River Avah Avah during a full moon can make a Notice roll to see what appears to be a ghostly afterimage of the River Avah continuing up into the mountains to its original source from before befo re geolo geologic gic activi activity ty in the regio region n alte altered red it. Once this ghostly river is spotted, a character can follow it with ease as long as he continues to suer from starvation; following the ghostly river (shown as a doed line on the Xin-Shalast Environs map) eventually leads the heroes to the lower city of XinShalast— Shalast — but not befor beforee passing thro through ugh one of the region’s more dangerous areas.
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swaths ofapart icy mud. No ever-present plants exist in the Icemists from the stalks of strange pale fungi and clots of oating lichens that cover and hide deep tarns of freezing water—the entire region has about it a chilling aura of frozen menace. The Fen of the Icemists is riddled with hummocks of solid ground and protruding rocks. Careful travelers can move through the fen without falling into the water, doing so requires a Survival roll at –2 once per hour. If the roll fails, a random member of the party falls through a patch of thin ice into the waters of a 1d10 takes × 10-foot-deep tarn.freezing A creature submerged 2d6 cold damage ignoring armor, per round round— — the hole through which she fell through refreezes in only 1d4 rounds.
PART THREE: THR EE: ON THE WORLD’S WORLD’ S ROOF Anyone who aempts to extract someone through the hole must mus t succeed at an A Athletics thletics roll to avoid breaking through the ice herself. A lone victim can aempt to climb out of the hole by making an Athletics (climb) roll at –2 to avoid falling back in before reaching more solid ground. The Fen is about two miles wide, but due du e to the treacherous nature of the path, travelers on foot move at 10% their normal speed. Aside from the occasional ying creature (such as a dragon or roc), few beings dwell in the freezing waters of the Icemists. One notable exception is a capricious nature spirit—an icy nymph named Svevenka. She makes her presence known to the heroes at some point as they pass through her fen, appearing as a beautiful elven woman with long dark hair, pale purple skin, and exaggerated exaggerate d ears and limbs. She watches them carefully while disguised as an oer in the th e water. If one of the adventurers is particularly loud or obnoxious, she aempts to tease that character a lile by casting shape change on him. She only aacks the heroes if they’re blatantly disrespecting her swamp. If, on the other hand, there are any heroes in the party who helped put Myriana’s troubled spirit to rest in The Hook Mountain Massacre , Svevenka recognizes them—especially if an adventurer still carries Myriana’s inspiration. Myriana was Svevenka’s Svevenka’s cousin, and she felt her kin’s death as a stab in her own heart. Svevenka learned of the heroes role in putting Myriana’s spirit to rest through her various fey contacts, and when she recognizes them here in her home, she is moved to reveal herself and her relationship with Myriana to them. In thanks for what they did, Svevenka warns the heroes' that all is not right in the region, and that they would wou ld do best to avoid traveling farther north. If the party reveals to the nymph their plans to reach Xin-Shalast and confront Karzoug, she grows thoughtful and perhaps a bit excited. While she does not wish to leave her beloved belov ed Icemists unprotect unprotected, ed, she volunte volunteers ers her aid, telling the heroes that this place can be a safe harbor for them if they wish. She’ll She’ll even put her spells at their disposal. Svevenka knows quite a bit about the region, and if the
party asks for advice, she can warn them about the giants, lamias, and abominable snowmen that dwell in Xin-Shalast. She can also warn them about the region’s proximity to Leng, and the occluding eld around Mhar Massif’s peak. She suspects that the denizens of Xin-Shalast created the eld to protect it and that they must have some magical method of protecting themselves from the eld, but these are merely guesses on her part. Finally, she’ll tell the heroes about XinShalast’s skulks—descendants of the city’s original citizens, they live still in the city’s ruins. Svevenka knows there are two factions among the skulks—the relatively peaceful (and less powerful) “Spared” and the vampiric minions of the Hidden Beast, a creature with whom Svevenka has fought before. She suggests the heroes seek out a member of the Spared for further information about the city once they enter the place, for few other factions within Xin-Shalast are likely to be as willing to help them. P Svevenka: Svevenka: See See below.
SVEVENKA
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P SVEVENKA Type: Good Outsider (Ice Nymph Druid) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d12, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d4, Vigor d10 Athletics d10, Faith d10, Fighting d8, Skills: Athletics Skills: Healing d8, Notice d10, Persuasion d10, Spellcasting d8, Stealth d8, Survival d8 Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6; Toughness: 10 10 (3) Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Background (Magic), Druid, Dodge, Very Aractive Powers: Beast Powers: Beast frie friend nd , blast , , boost boost trait ,, environmental protection , entangle , healing , relief , protection , summon ally. ally. Power Points: 20. Points: 20. healing. Power Druid Powers: Powers: Bolt, dispel, healing. Points: 15 Points: 15 Gear: Dagger (Str+d6, Accurate, Elemental (cold)), headband of inspired wisdom, ring of re resistance Special Abilities: Armor +3: Enchanted +3: Enchanted skin. Blinding Beauty: As a limited action, a
rolls. This eect lasts as long as the nymph desires. Languages: Common, Languages: Common, Sylvan.
TACTICS Svevenka casts protect casts protection ion and and boost trait (Vigor and Agility) before revealing herself to the adventurers. Svevenka’s first action in combat is to cast entangle entangle.. She relies on this spell to keep enemies from engaging her in melee while she summons creatures and uses ranged spells against foes. If her foes engage her in melee, she shape changes into a dire bear. Svevenka fights until reduced to one teleport Wound, at which point she ees using teleport to escape to the opposite side s ide of the Icemists; she does not seek another confrontation with her assailants.
D GIANT SENTINELS
At this point along the ghostly river’s route, the phantom waters are joined by an ancient road paved with at stones that have a faint sheen of gold to them. This road continues north to Xin-Shalast Xin-Shalast— — from this po point int on, the heroes have a physical route to follow and need no longer depend upon the phantom waters of the Av Avah. ah. The road is 100 feet wide, its surface patchy here with swaths of ice but providing a welcome at and dry surface upon which to travel. A small group of evil cloud giants led Illumination; +4 damage froma cold one-eyed eyed brut brutish ish frost fros t gian giantt name named d Ice Mastery: Svevenka Mastery: Svevenka gains +1 oniron. aack by a oneBjormundal has been ordered by their rune and damage rolls if her foe is touching ice. She does not treat icy areas as dangerous giant masters to guard this approach to XinShalast. The giants giant s dwell in a cave overlooking ground. the road—the 60-foot climb up to the cave Icy Touch: Svevenka’s touch deals an additional d6 cold damage. Aacks she requires an Athletics (climbing) roll. Two of the four giants stand guard at the makes with metallic weapons deal this additional damage as well. Anyone Shaken cave entrance at all times, hiding behind or Wounded from an aack must make a several immense boulders. Bjormundal is a bit of a cruel comman commander der and the cloud giants Vigor roll or be Stunned. Innate Powers: Major Powers: Major detect arcana, minor arcana, minor never slack when on watch. stun , minor teleport teleport (self). (self). P Bjormundal: Bjormundal: See See below. Inspiration: Inspiration: A A nymph can choose to inspire nymph can force a humanoid looking directly at her to make a Vigor roll or gain the Blind Hindrance. This can be cured healing with the Greater Healing using healing Modier. Exude Ice: As an action, Svevenka can exude a circle of slippery ice in a Large Blast Template centered on her. This ice remains in the aected area, melting away as normal for the ambient temperature. This ice is Dangerous Ground, and Athletics rolls in the area are at –2. Fey: Fey: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark
•
a single creature and serve as a muse. She gives the creature a token (typically a lock of her hair). As long as she favors this person, they add +1 to all Spirit and Performance
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Cloud Giants (4): See (4): See below.
PART THREE: THR EE: ON THE WORLD’S WORLD’ S ROOF
P BJORMUNDAL Type: Evil Humanoid ( Frost Giant Fighter) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, Strength d12+3, Vigor d12 Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d4, Skills: Athletics Skills: Fighting d10, Intimidation d10, Notice d8 Pace: 7; Parry: 9 or 10 (greataxe); Toughness: (greataxe); Toughness: 18 (6) Edges: Block Edges: Block (Imp), Fighter, Frenzy, Trademark Weapon (Imp, greataxe) Gear: Massive greataxe (Str+d10, AP 4, Accurate, Damaging), breastplate (+5, Aegis), ring of featherfall, 2x potion of major healing healing.. Special Abilities: Armor +1: Icy +1: Icy skin. Class Abilities (Fighter): (Fighter): Martial Flexibility. Environmental Weakness: Fire. Weakness: Fire. Immunity: Cold. Rock Throwing: Giants Throwing: Giants are exceptionally good at throwing rocks, and can even throw
not negated by Infravision, Darkvision, or Low Light Vision. Rock Throwing: Giants Throwing: Giants are exceptionally good at throwing rocks, and can even throw at Extreme Range. Damage Str+d12, Range 20/40/80, Heavy Weapon. Size 5 (Huge): 20' (Huge): 20' tall, +1 Wound. Languages: Languages: Common, Common, Giant.
TACTICS Bjormundal,
perhaps feeling a need to compensate for his shorter sized compared to his minions, leaps down to confront the heroes in melee as soon as he spots them, leaving the cloud giants to make aacks at range. Bjormundal fights with Desperate Aack or Wild Aack. Bjormundal ees if reduced one Wound. When the rst two giants spot intruders, they start throwing rocks. The sound of the rocks smashing into the ancient road below is enough to draw the other two giants from
at Extreme Range. Damage Str+d12, Range 20/40/80, Heavy Weapon. Size 4: 15' 4: 15' tall, +1 Wound. Languages: Common, Languages: Common, Giant.
the cave’s depths in only two rounds. The four giants gain cover against aacks from below from their positions behind boulders, and continue aacking with hurled boulders until foes confront them in melee. If foes ee to the north toward Xin-Shalast, the CLOUD GIANT cloud giants levitate down to the road and Type: Evil Humanoid (Cloud Giant) give chase. Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, The giants ght to the death unless freed of Strength d12+2, Vigor d12 their slavery to the rune giants. Skills: Athletics Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d10, Intimidation d8, Notice d8, TREASURE Performance d5, Persuasion d6, Stealth d4 The giants have gathered 1,265 gp in coins, a Pace: 8; Sweep Parry: 7; Toughness: 7; Toughness: 16 16 (3) Edges: Edges: Sweep Gear: Gargantuan morningstar (Str+d10), chain shirt (+2). Special Abilities: Ancestry (Giant): Low (Giant): Low Light Vision, Reach 1, Swat. Armor +1: Tough +1: Tough skin. Hardy: Cloud giants do not suer a Wound from being Shaken twice. Innate Powers: Minor Powers: Minor y y (levitate (levitate up and down only). Obscuring Mist: Cloud Mist: Cloud giants can create a supernatural mist in i n a Large Blast Template at will. The mist lasts 10 minutes and subtracts 2 from any vision-based Trait roll made through or within the mist. This stacks with Illumination penalties, and is
chest of copper bars worth a total of 500 gp, and a ne cave bear cloak worth 2,000 gp.
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PART FOUR: XIN-SHALAST Xin-Shalast. Fabled city at the edge of reality. A stepping stone between this world and that which is Beyond. Doorway to the Plateau of Leng. The spired city of Xin-Shalast has stirred the imaginations of poets and madmen for thousands of years—quite a feat for a city that, Nestled against the slopes of one of the tallest mountains on Golarion, has been lost to exploration in all al l tha that t time. Legen Legends ds h ha ave c called alled Xin-Sha Xin-Shalast last the cradle of life, claim it was built by the First Race, and hold its streets to be of gold and to towers wers to be of ruby and diamond. d iamond.
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The ancient citadel of the Spires of Xinime and legend have a way of making such distortions seem like fact, yet Xin- Shalast is further explored in Scaling Mhar Shalast is indeed a place of wonder, Massif —this section is concerned with the
mystery, and danger. Once thearguably crown jewel City.metropolis In its heyday, the Lowersustained City was a booming unnaturally of the nation of Shalast, and the Lower greatest of all Thassilon’s capitals, Xin-Shalast in one of the most forbidding environments of has remained hidden from prying eyes for Golarion, high in the Kodar Range, by the will ages, standing against the steady march of and magical might of the Runelord of Greed. decay due to its proximity to other worlds, The citizens believed that the runelord’s where the very rules of existence are twisted. magic was all that kept the three everToday, high in its mystical mountain valley, simmering volcanoes of the nearby peaks when the wind cuts just right between the quiescent, though even in the years after jagged peaks, listene listeners rs can still sometim sometimes es Thassilon’s fall, only one major eruption hear the otherworldly voice of the Ancients occurred (see area I). piping, “Tekeli-li... Tekeli-li...” The population of Xin-Shalast at its height Despite its legendary status among consisted of a varied mix of races. The bulk explorers and scholars, Xin-Shalast is a very real place. The former capital of Shalast, Domain of Greed, and one of the seven runecities of Thassilon, the city actually comprises two distinct entities. Xin-Shalast Major, known more commonly by its inhabitants as the Lower City, occupies a long valley at the foot of the great mountain of Mhar Massif. Xin-Shalast Proper, also known as the fabled Spires of Xin-Shalast, sits high upon the southern slope of Mhar Massif, just below its demondemon-haunted haunted summi summit. t. This was the palace and fortied citadel of the Runelords of Greed, a line of eight archmagi that ended in the reign of Karzoug the Claimer. From this perch, the runelord could survey his city in the valley belo below. w.
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of the legendary city’s citizens humans, yet they could not be called thewere movers and shakers. At At the ttop op of the city’s hierarchy were the bestial lamia-kin, valued for their ability to erode the will of dissenters and magically compel their victims. As with the other six runelords, runelords , giants of all types answered the Runelord of Greed’s call as well, serving as shock troops and enforcing his will across the breadth of Shalast. The giantkind were controlled by a relatively small tribe of rune giants, unnatural creations whose sole purpose was to dominate the lesser giant races in the runelord’s service. Below these groups came the various humanoid races who composed the majority of the city’s population and lled the provider caste, performing the roles
PART P ART AR T FOUR: FOUR: XIN-SHAL XI XIN-SHALAST N-SHALAST AST
of artisans, entertainers, and merchants to keep the economy and infrastructure of the empire alive. Beneath all of these was the slave caste, almost always humanoids from neighboring nations (particularly from Bakrakhan to the west), segregated into a fortied district of the city when not going about their daily labors.
streets and forgoen passages in addition to the natural hazards to be found in this bleak locale at the edge of the world. The most striking aspect of the Lower City is its epic size. Everything about Xin-Shalast is massive, designed as it was to house hundreds of thousands of citizens in close quarters, a sizable portion of them giants. Buildings tower to great heights, byways Upon theirand backs lay the of maintaining the empire, their lot task in life was a hard are wide and lined by massive columns, one indeed. Apart from all of these groups doorways are cavernous openings, and building ding int interior eriorss are comp composed osed of great within the city were the many dragons who buil owed allegiance to Karzoug. These great hollow chambers. beasts laired mainly in the Teeth of Karzou Karzoug’s g’s When rst viewed from the entrance pass mountain citadel or in caves along the slopes into the valley, the city seems much smaller of the mountain. than it really is. Only when the viewer The dragons answered only to Karzoug, the realizes the distances and scale involved does most highly placed Harridans of the Mountain, she grasp the true scope of this monstrous as well as the occasional rune giant assigned place. Read the following description when to oversee a ight of (usually young) dragons. the Lower City is first viewed from its Finally, there were the strange monstrosities southern entrance. and alien entities the lords of Xin-Shalast called upon to serve serve strange tasks— denizens This tableau dees belief. A narrow mountain pass opens into a glacial gl acial valley extending from Leng, the eerie shining children, horric north and then turning to the west at the scarlet walkers, and other monsters used as base of the vast mountain at the far end. guardians, advisors, or both—depending Filling this valley is an ice-capped city of upon their monstrous natures. enormous proportions. The near end is Today, very few humans remain in Xinmostly blocked by a huge fortress of smooth Shalast. The bulk of the city is uninhabited, black stone, with multiple towers rising from yet over the past 10,000 years, the giants and its high walls. lamias have retained their presence here. Exiting the bailey of this fortress is a Now that Karzoug is wakening, they are massive causeway of gold that dominates eager to see the ancient tales handed down the city as it travels down the center of by their ancestors once again come come to life. the vale. Enormous towers and spires of many-colored stone pack both sides of the central thoroughfare, rising to prodigious heights and giving the illusion that the road is a valley. What was once a vibrant, cosmopolitan city The eastern slope of the valley has been builtt mira buil miracul culous ously ly above the 15,000-f 15,0 00-foot oot partially subsumed by an ancient anci ent volcanic mark is now a desolate ruin of cyclopean ow—nearly ow—near ly a quarter of the city appears to proportions. Mind-boggling Mind-boggling in its scope and have been so buried. That section is now lile grandeur at rst glance, on closer inspection more than a great mass of ice, with the jagged it is a mere shadow of its original glory—a angles and peaks of ruined structures poking sterile, forsaken shell. Only recently have the through its topmost layer here and there. ruins of Xin-Shalast come to life once again. Where the valley curves slightly to the west, the structures, if anything, grow even With the stirring of its former master in the larger, becoming truly gigantic as they climb spires upon the mountain above, this haven
CITY OVERVIEW
of evil has begun to aract the descendants of those who once owed him fealty. Though the city is still vastly underpopulat underpopulated ed and largely deserted, new dangers roam its echoing
up and over the rocky r ocky spur. At the far end of the valley, the city abuts the lower slope of a truly massive peak. Yet the city builders appear to have taken no heed of this change
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in slope, for the great causeway merely elevates at a steep angle and continues to climb the incline in a nearly straight line, transforming into an immense stairway. Additional Addi tional build buildings ings cling preca precariousl riouslyy to the mountain face alongside the causeway, growing even larger and more impressive as they ascend. The gigantic buildings nally give way a few thousand feet above, above, but the m mighty ighty road road cont continues inues to wend its treacherous way to just below the mountain’s peak. There, a spired citadel looms, its size and proportions truly magnicent. It, too, fails to summit the mountain—instead, mountain—instead, its topmost spires end just below the dominant face of a stern man, carved into the peak of the mountain and surveying the city below. The otherworldly quality of this strange panorama is further reinforced by the sound of the cold winds slicing across the high peaks, making strange cries and shrieks in
The Lower City of Xin-Shalast is divided into seven districts, each of which had its own consul appointed by the Harridans of the Mountain during the city’s height. These consuls led their districts and made sure they were run in a manner consistent with the principles of greed and dictates of the runelord. Six of the districts are the Artisan, Slave, Entertainment, Temple Row, Jotun Jot unbur burg, g, and the th e Ris Risin ing g Dis Distri trict. ct. Th Thee seventh district actually existed in the twisted maze of tunnels and catacombs below the city and was called the Hypogeum. The building materials are several varieties of stone quarried from the rock faces of the Kodar Range, including a hard green marble similar in appearance to emerald. Walls tend to be extremely thick, sometimes 20 feet or more, and the principle of the arch and vaulted ceilings are used repeatedly to support the massive weight of the structures above. To lessen the weight of the building materials, many rooms in the buildings have vast open spaces with multiple columns and high ceilings. Most of the wooden doors and accoutrements within the city still exist today, having been essentially freeze-dried to a silvery nish and stony hardness. The valley valley walls are extremely steep steep— — clis of sheer, gray rock rise from 30 to 100 yards above the tops of the buildings before angling away into mountainous peaks. Unless otherwise mentioned, they are devoid of ora other than simple lichens and the occasional high-altitude nightshade or waterle waterleaf. af. Altitude Dangers: The Dangers: The entirety of the lower city of Xin-Shalast is above 15,000 feet in altitude. As such, creatures without protection are subject to the harsh environments. See Worlds. High Altitude in Altitude in Pathnder for for Savage Worlds. All of the creatures found in Xin-Shalast have acclimated to these conditions, and need not worry about these eects.
the thin mountain air. As mentioned, the structures are universally un iversally of massive proportion with multiple levels, usually in the form of towers of various shapes, and are mostly covered in a thin rime of hoarfrost. Strong winds and the lurking presence of Leng work to prevent much in the way of actual snowfall in Xin-Shalast, but here and there small drifts lie against buildings or mounds of stone. Built as they were by giants, the buildings are incredibly durable, with thick walls and roofs, and have largely remained intact through the ages. Many have holed roofs or crumbled sections but remain structurally sound; very few beyond specific areas mentioned below have crumbled into ruin. The structures of the Lower City are reminiscent of the ancient architecture of vast proportions that can still be found in other parts of Varisia, such as the Storval Stair or the Irespan of Magnimar. Other than these similarities and a propensity for multi-balconied spires, the actual buildings of Xin-Shalast are extremely dissimilar, built in a great variety of exotic styles reecting Though the adventurers are now in Karzoug’s the various giant races, multiple cultures direct shadow, the exploration of Xin-Shalast of the subjugated peoples, and magnicent is not on a timetable, so you can allow them architectural skill and magic once available to spend some time exploring the ruins at their leisure. to the empire of Thassilon.
EXPLORING XIN-SHALAST
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PART P ART AR T FOUR: FOUR: XIN-SHAL XI XIN-SHALAST N-SHALAST AST
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collecting Sihedron medallions from their vanquished foes. Once they enter Xin-Shalast, these medallions add a new level of tactical complexity, for Karzoug can sense the world Lamia, outsiders, and various giants through a Sihedron wearer’s senses and can roam the city of Xin-Shalast. From speak through the wearer wearer’s ’s voice. time to time, the heroes should see As long as at least one hero wears a or even encounter a patrol or group Sihedron medallion while in Xin-Shalast, of enemies. Karzoug knows where that adventurer is. He These encounters don't need to might aempt to disrupt spells with verbal be une unendin nding, g, but sho should uld give the components or call out warnings to monsters characters a reason to be on edge the heroes are about to ambush. A hero can while in the city. resist this eect by making a Spirit roll. A Sihedron medallion can substitute for A certain amount of exploration is necessary, a Sihedron ring in protecting its wearer in in fact, before the heroes can approach the the occluding eld, so if the party can’t nd Spires of Xin-Shalast above, as Karzoug’s enough rings, the medallions can be less runewell creates an immense occluding eld desirable and more dangerous replacements. that prevents any but his most trusted from entering with ease. In order to survive within this zone, the party need not only powerful magic, but also magic items called Sihedron This event can occur at any time after the rings that prevent the occluding eld from heroes enter the ruins of Xin-Shalast, ideally not long after they rst run afoul of some of utilizing its potent magic on the wearer. the city’s hostile inhabitants and have secured Several creatures encountered in Xina safe place to rest and recover recover.. As they do so, Shalast wear Sihedron rings—they can be the rale of falling rock should aract their found in three locations (areas I, K, and Q), aention to an opening in a nearby building. while many more are to be had in the Pinnacle The source of the sound is a strange of Avarice. There are fewer rings than there are expected heroes, since this forces them to humanoid creature known as a skulk. be creative in their initial entrance into the After Thassilon’s collapse and the volcanic occluding eld, but if you’d rather hand out eruption that destroyed nearly a quarter of the city, many of Xin-Shalast’s slaves found more rings, feel free to do so. themselves suddenly freed, yet without the It’s possible the party could aempt to gear or experience to make escaping the city explore the Spires and an d the Pinnacl Pinnaclee of A Avarice varice before securing the proper gear— gear — if they try possible. Instead, they retreated to the deep caves below Xin-Shalast, where they found this, let them. Assuming they survive, there’s themselves safe within cysts that formed no real penalty for having to head back down among the ruined buildings. to gather more rings. Led by a woman named Mesmina, a Ultimately, heroes who take their powerful cleric of Lissala who had abandoned time exploring Xin-Shalast not only find her loyalty to Karzoug with the empire’s themselves beer prepared for what awaits fall, they remained beneath the notice of them in the Pinnacle of Avarice, but they can the remaining inhabitants of the ruined city also learn more about Karzoug, the city’s above, and over the course of hundreds of history, and the methods by which he can generations, they evolved into something be defeated. defeated. beyond humanity humanity— — a race of chameleon-like humanoids called skulks.
ROAMING FORCES
EVENT 5: EMERGENCE OF THE SPARED
WEARING SIHEDRONS Throughout the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path, the heroes have likely been
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Calling themselves the Spared, these survivors believed in a divine mandate handed down from Mesmina that they were
PART P ART AR T FOUR: FOUR: XIN-SHAL XI XIN-SHALAST N-SHALAST AST
meant to survive, no maer the cost, and nd If communication is established, Morgiv freedom in the city that once oppressed them. explains the history of his tribe, ending Over the years, the Spared excavated a with the developments of his people falling series of tunnels through the earth and grew under the control of a monster known as the to know the tangle of caverns connecting Hidden Beast. Many skulks have disappeared, and others various cysts and partially intact buildings buried in the ow. They scavenge vermin clearly serve this unknown being—those and what plants and fungi are able to grow who aren’t enslaved call the entity the Hidden in their humid tunnels and only rarely make Beast because none of them have seen it. All use of their hidden surface entrance at area I. who have sought it out disappear or end up as undead vampiric slaves. After centuries of isolation, Morgiv notes that his tribe was trouble has come to the tunnels once enslaved by the rulers of this of the Spared. Recent diggings city, and their leader, Mesmina, to expand their warrens broke delivered them out of that bondage. through into the passages of the She prophesied that should the Hypogeum. Though the breach tribe ever again fall victim to was quickly repaired and slavery, strangers will come to camouaged, it was not done their aid. quickly enough, and something passed undetected into the At this point, Morgiv excitedly tunnels of the Spared. tells the heroes that they are those MORGIV strangers, that their appearance With this creature, a hideous and raiments are similar to those abnormality known as the Hidden pictured on the walls of his home h ome in Beast, the Spared nd themselves once again enslaved. It is ensconced the depictions of Mesmina herself. within the inner chambers of these tunnels, If the party agrees to help Morgiv, he surrounded by dominated skulks who do excitedly leads them to area I and down its bidding. through a network of tunnels that leads to The ancient prophecies of Mesmina say the Hidden Beast’s deep underground lair, bypassing ng all of the monster monster’s ’s guardi guardians ans with when the Spared become enslaved once bypassi more, strangers will come to free them. These ease. See the description of area I for details. strangers are the heroes, and though their P Morgiv: Morgiv: See See below. appearance in Xin-Shalast is lile more than a coincidence, one skulk in particular becomes convinced the heroes are the skulks’ saviors as soon as he notices them in a bale with one P MORGIV of Xin-Shalast’s other monsters. Type: Neutral Humanoid (Skulk) Aributes: Agility Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, This skulk, a quietly observant creature Aributes: Strength d6, Vigor d6 named Morgiv, hopes the heroes might Skills: Athletics d4, Common Knowl be able to save his tribe from the Hidden Skills: edge d4, Fighting d6, Notice d6, Beast’s control. Though the skulks of the Persuasion Persuasio n d8, Stealth d8 Spared appear doughy and blubbery (an 5; Toughness: Toughness: 5 5 evolutionary result of life in this cold, harsh Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Edges: — Edges: — environment), they are in fact quite agile. Gear: Shortsword (Str+6), dagger (Str+d4) Skulks can change the color of their skin Special Abilities: with ease to match the environment around Camouaged Step: Step: Aempts to track a them—perhaps the single greatest reason skulk through forest and subterranean their tribe has survived this long in a city suer a –2. A skulk’s skin changes inhabited by groups of lamia-kin and giants. seings Chameleon Skin: Skin: A Morgiv has come to talk, but he speaks colors to match his surroundings, even only Thassilonian, so the party may need to devise some means of communication.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS complex paerns. Skulks get a free reroll on Stealth rolls. Low Light Vision: Skulks Vision: Skulks ignores penalties for Dim and Dark Illumination. Languages: Common, Languages: Common, Giant.
Krak Naratha currently serves as the home of a particularly enterprising group of harpy-like lamias known as kuchrimas. These kuchrimas have transformed Krak Naratha’s bailey into an enormous paddock for the keeping of a vast herd of high-altitude high-altitu de TACTICS mountain aurochs as food sources. Morgiv, like most skulks, lives by avoiding While many of Xin-Shalast’s inhabitants combat; he ghts only if cornered, but does so hunt within the city for food, quite a few have taken to the convenience of Krak Naratha’s while sobbing and begging for mercy. Morgiv ees if confronted with combat. farm and paid the kuchrimas handsomely for access to their herd. With Karzoug’s wakening, the burgeoning lamia matriarchs have decreed that the kuchrimas are no longer to charge for access to the aurochs. The ruined road branches here, a narrower Worse, the lamia rulers have seized Krak route leading around to the west while the Naratha’s treasury. The kuchrimas are main thoroughfare passes through a looming foul-tempered about this recent turn of stone wall anked by glossy black towers. It events, but when three previous rebellions seems to be some sort of ancient gateway to resulted in quick and painful punishment the city proper. from the lamias and their rune giant allies, A dark mass of griy, rocky ice presses the kuchrimas swallowed their pride and up against the fortress’s northern face, the accepted the new order bierly. ancient lava ow apparently stopped (but only just) by the stone walls. Unless the heroes are particularly stealthy, one of the four Krak Naratha soldiers always This is Krak Naratha, a huge fortress that on duty on the walls notices their approach guards the entrance to the valley of Xin- and uses a thunderstone to sound the alarm. Shalast. Its walls are 50 feet thick and rise to A few moments later, three soldiers y down a height of 75 feet. The square towers extend to confront the party. as high as 210 feet. If the characters can produce Sihedrons Krak Naratha is composed of volcanic and blu the kuchrimas, they might be able glass harvested from the caldera east of the to convince the lamia-kin that they're new valley,, its roof and edges once gilt in gold but recruits of Karzoug’s growing army and be valley now only retaining splashes of color. Its joint allowed to pass into the city. Otherwise, the seams are very ne and almost invisible in lamia-kin shriek in anger, detonate another the dark stone. Climbing the walls requires thunderstone to raise the alarm, and aack. an Athletics (climbing) roll at –2. If the heroes aempt to enter Krak Naratha, The gates of Krak Naratha fell long ago, several soldiers use thunderstones to whip leaving an empty gatehouse to provide entry the aurochs into a stampede. The stampede to its bailey. The former garrison blockhouse consists of 24 aurochs running at full speed has partially collapsed, as has much of the (150 feet) from the entrance of the fortress. northeastern wall. The ancient volcanic In all, there are only a dozen kuchrimas left eruption did significant damage to these in Krak Naratha—a shadow of their former structures, but not enough to completely strength, and a testament to the decisive destroy them. punishment inicted upon them after their A smaller gate to the east of the ruined previous rebellions against Xin-Shalast’s blockh blo ckhous ousee on once ce ope opened ned int into o the Sla Slave ve new leaders. District, but this is now blocked by a mass of ice. Anyone climbing the tower stairs up Narath Soldiers (5): See (5): See kuchrima, • Krak page 89. 89 . to the fortress’s rear wall can easily descend (24): See below. • Mountain Aurochs (24): See onto the surface of the lava ow (which lies only eight feet below the ramparts).
E KRAK NARATHA
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PART P ART AR T FOUR: FOUR: XIN-SHAL XI XIN-SHALAST N-SHALAST AST
MOUNTAIN AUROCHS Type: Neutral Animal (Auroch) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d8, Strength d12+1, Vigor d8 Skills: Athletics Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d6, Notice d6 Pace: 7; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5; Toughness: 9 9 Edges: — Edges: —
Special Abilities: Horns: Horns: Str+d6. Str+d6. Size 3: Aurochs 3: Aurochs weigh just under a ton. Stampede: Stampede: Anyone Anyone caught in a stampede must Evade as an action on their turn or take 2d6 damage. Add a bonus d6 if the victim Critically Fails to Evade. This may last for multiple rounds with a large herd.
TACTICS The kuchrimas avoid melee combat, hovering within 30 feet. Anyone successfully s uccessfully climbing the sides of the ravine or who separate themselves are singled out for grapple aempts, allowing the lamia-kin to carry them up high and drop them. The kuchrimas ght to the death, for they are unwilling to give their leaders an excuse to punish them, though they do not pursue eeing characters.
F GOLDEN ROAD This elevated stone causeway is 25 yards wide and runs nearly a hundred feet o the ground in places. This elevation is not immediately obvious, though, as huge buildings and towering structures constructed along road’s entire length give the illusion that the the causeway remains at ground level. This illusion is broken somewhat where small “feeder alleys” branch o from the main course of the causeway to descend into the various districts of the city below. Though the bricks of the road are of basalt, they do in many places retain gold plating that might once have covered the entire run. The Golden Road remains sound, though here and there stretches of up to 70 yards in length have collapsed into rubble. In areas abuing the SlavetoDistrict, is often bordered the eastthe byGolden the lavaRoad ow and in many places has been destroyed or overowed overowe d by it. Other sections actually open
into the deeps of the Hypogeum and the lairs of creatures dwelling there. The Golden Road is so named for its course that leads through the center of the city and up the side of the mountain, supposedly directly to the feet of Mhar Massif. It was indeed plated in thin sheets of gold for its length at Xin-Shalast’s height, but time has not been so kind to these sheets.
G GIANT ENCAMPMENT This section of the ruined city has been cleared of rubble, leaving a roughly circular courtyard about a quarter-mile in diameter. Many over oversized sized tent tentss and crude shelt shelters ers have been erected in the clearing, turning it into what looks like a giant-sized refugee camp. Though Karzoug was pleased to nd giants still dwelt in Xin-Shalast when he awoke ve years ago, the number was but a fraction of what he needs to rebuild the city. When he revived his rune giants, they subjugated the cloud, frost, and storm giants that dwelt in the ruins, after which rune giant scouts slowly expanded into the surrounding mountains. When they nd a tribe, they dominate its leaders and move on, trusting their minions to handle the heavy work of relocating the tribe to Xin-Shalast. New arrivals to Xin-Shalast congregate here, in a large swath cleared of rubble. Hundreds of giants dwell in the yurts, tents, and surrounding ruins, awaiting assignments by the giants of Shahlaria (area R). The giants living here spend hours toiling at rebuilding the northern section of Xin-Shalast, returning here only to grab a few hours of sleep and food. There are more than 500 hill giants, frost giants, and stone giants currently encamped in this area. Most come from lower elevations and require time to acclimate to Xin-Shalast’s thin air, but once onc e they’re ready, they’ they’re re put to work to the north. There’s lile of interest for heroes here but a ght— ght — fortuna fortunately, tely, these gia giants nts aren’t too aggressive (either because they’ th ey’re re acclimating to the elevation or because they’re recovering from a hard day’s work) and only aack those who are overly aggressive or openly aempt to walk among the larger folk.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS The giants hold the rune giants in awe, especially given the larger giants’ size and swift action when punishment is required, and have lile interest in talking with (or being seen seen talki talking ng with) obvious intr intruders. uders. Not all of the denizens here are cowed by their new masters. One stone giant mercenary, a heavily taooed creature named Gyukak, has begun secret talks with several giants here in an aempt to organize a rebellion and escape what he sees as an accursed city. His giants keep their true allegiances secret, but are completely loyal to Gyukak. Gyukak’s motivations aren’t entirely seless. In truth, he is an ogre mage who maintains a stone giant disguise. Gyukak hopes to build himself a private army large enough to lead out of Xin-Shalast so he can claim several now-abandoned giant homelands on the Storval Plateau as his own holdings. Despite the fact that his intentions for the giants have similarities to those of Karzoug, his plans for fomenting a rebellion run counter to the will of the runelord. When enough giants GYUKAK are properly indoctrinated into the runelord’s service, they might provoke a pogrom of annihilation upon the resistant hill giants loyal to Gyukak. A party could nd itself on either side of this conict or stuck in the middle as scapegoats. If the heroes’ presence becomes known to the giants of this encampment, he aempts to contact them, introducing himself as a rebel and the leader of giants who want to escape Xin-Shalast. Gyukak hopes to convince the party to create a big distraction to the north, such as aacking the blue dragon Ghlorofaex or even aempting to scale Mhar Massif, so he can lead his giants south and out of XinShalast without aracting aractin g the aention of the rune giants. You can use Gyukak to answer party questions about Xin-Shalast (the ogre mage has spent some time exploring the place). He can warn the heroes about the occlusion eld near the peak of Mhar Massif, and he suspects that certain leaders among the
giants have items that allow them to enter the eld unharmed. Gyukak encourages the heroes to aempt to assassinate these leaders, for such an aempt would certainly create the distraction he craves. Gyukak: See See below. P Gyukak:
P GYUKAK Type: Evil Outsider (Ogre Mage) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d12, Vigor d10 Skills: A Skills: Athletics thletics d6, d 6, Common Knowledg Knowledgee d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Occult d6, Spellcasting d8, Stealth d6 Pace: 7; Parry: 6; 6; Toughness: Toughness: 13 13 (4) Edges: Arcane Background (Magic), Edges: Arcane Resistance, Frenzy Powers: Intangibility , pup Powers: puppet pet.. Power Points: 10 Points: 10 Gear: Greatsword (Str+d10, AP 2), composite longbow AP 1), chain shirt(Range (+3). 12/24/48, Str+d8, Special Abilities: Armor +1: Thick +1: Thick hide. Flight: Flight: Pace Pace 10. Hardy: The creature doesn't suer a Wound from being Shaken twice. Innate Powers: Major Powers: Major darkness, minor invisibility.. invisibility Night Vision: Ogre Vision: Ogre mages ignore all penalties for Illumination. Resilient: Resilient: Ogre Ogre mages can take one Wound before they’ they’re re Incapaci Incapacitated. tated. Shape Change: Change: As a limited action, this creature can turn into any humanoid between Size –1 and 1 with a Spellcasting roll. Changing back also requires a roll. Size 2: Ogre 2: Ogre mages stand around 9’ tall and an d weigh almost 1,000 lbs. Languages: Aklo, Languages: Aklo, Common, Giant.
TACTICS Gyukak is a swift judge of character and knows he’s no match for the adventurers. If he gets the feeling they might be about to aack him, he decides to cut his losses and turns invisible to aid his aempt to escape.
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yet there is no more day-to-day leadership in the tribe. In fact, Voorgoor was slain and fed to the An immense dome of stone rises at the end of dragon Ghlorofaex, and his periodic “visits” an elevated road here. The structure towers back here are made by none other than Khali Khalib b ve hundred hundred feet in height and is capped by (Karzoug’s current apprentice), disguised a smaller dome that brings its total height to as Voorgoor. In this way, the abominable nearly seven hundred feet in all. snowmen are kept under control with a Numerous arches and openings decorate minimum of eort and fuss. the building’s sides, all allowing access to its The tribe dwells in hollows and chambers cavernous interior. within the central pile of rubble. Voorgoor The interior of this building is mostly open, once dwelt in a spacious cave near the top of creating a truly impressive enclosed area the pile, but that cave now stands empty. At the peak of the rubble pile, the sn snowmen owmen once used as a place for the most gifted stone giants of ancient Xin-Shalast to practice the maintain a 30-foot-tall altar to Voorgoor in the form of hundreds of bones bound with lengths art of monument construction. of sinew to form a rough approximation of a All that remains of their nal project is a heap of rubble 100 feet high in the center of humanoid shape. The tribe numbers 30 in all, the area. The stone giant architects themselves but at any one time, only eight are present dwelt in chambers built into the walls of the here, with the remaining 22 scouring Xindome, accessed by spiraling ramps and each Shalast or the surrounding mountains for smaller things to torment and eat. with its own private exit into the city. • Abominable Snowmen (8): See (8): See below. Though no giants have dwelt here for thousands of years, its current tenants are no less huge. A tribe of particularly violent and loathsome yetis took up residence here six ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN decades ago and were more than capable of Type: Neutral Monstrous Humanoid (Yeti) holding their own. Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d12+1, Vigor d8 Until only a few weeks ago, the tribe was Skills: Athletics Athletics d10, Fighting d8, Intimidaled by an immense chieftain named Voorgoor, Skills: tion d8, Notice d8, Stealth d6 a monster who maintained his rule through 6; Toughness: Toughness: 10 10 (2) brutality and force. When Karzoug awoke Pace: 7; Parry: 6; Fast Healer, Frenzy Edges: Fast and his rune giants returned to Xin-Shalast, Edges: they knew the abominable snowmen were Special Abilities:
H ABOMINABLE DOME
a tremendous resource for their armies. Yet not being giants, they were more resistant to traditional methods of rune giant control. For many months, the giants left the yetis to their own devices, but recently, with Karzoug’s release nearing, the giants have initiated a plan to subvert the yetis. The giants made an open and public invitation to Voorgoor, acknowledging his strength and power before the other yetis under his command and inviting the behemoth to join them as a co-ruler of Xin-Shalast. The abominable snowmen remaining here
Armor +2: Thick fur.AP 2. +2: Thick Bite/Claws: Bite/Claws: Str+d6, Str+d6, Darkvision: Darkvision:
Yeti ignore penalties for Illumination up to 10”. Environmental Weakness: Fire. Weakness: Fire. Immunity: Cold. Rage: Yeti go into a Rage when aacked. See the Barbarian Class Edge in Savage Pathnder. Resilient: Resilient: Y Yetis etis can take o one ne Wound befo before re they’re Incapacitated. Size 2: 2: A Yeti stands around 9’ tall and weigh almost 1,100 lbs.
assume that Voorgoor remains there, for their Languages: Aklo. Languages: Aklo. leader pays visits to the tribe on a weekly TACTICS basis to check up on them and punish those The abominable snowmen lack subtlety in who have strayed too far from his leadership, combat—their roars and bellowing charges
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS are as close as they get to organized tactics. Each snowman picks one target to aack, doubling up only if there aren’t enough victims to go around. The snowmen ght to the death to protect their lair but do not pursue foes farther than 170 yards from its edge.
TREASURE Scaered among their lairs, the abominable snowmen have collected several pieces of treasure. Each of the following items can be discovered with a Notice roll and 10 minutes of work picking through the refuse- and rubble-filled dens: a mithral breastplate, a cobra-shaped platinum armband with rubies for eyes worth 2,000 gp, a ring of the ram (5 charges), a dagger (Vicious) that bears the unholy symbol of Lamashtu etched on its blade, and a bronze grion gurine of wondrous power.
I LAIR OF THE HIDDEN BEAST
Though the heroes could nd their way into the lair of the Hidden Beast accidentally, it’s more likely they are directed here by Morgiv, a brave but simple skulk who wants to see his people freed from the tyranny of the Hidden Beast. Morgiv knows the tunnels under the Slave District well and can lead the heroes to the very doorstep of the Hidden Beast’s lair, bypassing its lax security with ease. The defenses of the lair, unfortunately, are not so easily surmounted. Read or paraphrase the following to the heroes as they reach the Hidden Beast’s lair. The tunnel opens into a large room, a cyst in the earth under the weight of the buried city formed by some ancient basement gallery. A raised balcony to the northwest is accessed by two stairs and has a low stone balustrade. Pillars along the room’s perimeter rise to a vaulted ceiling, while in the center of the room sits a dais holding an ornate throne. Seated upon the throne is a skeletal figure fig ure shr shroud ouded ed in musty mus ty rob robes es bea bearin ringg arcane symbols.
Buried under the lava flow, the majority of the Slave District buildings are hidden A silent mental alarm wards each of the completely from view. Most of them were destroyed when a nearby volcano exploded, three tunnel entrances to this chamber, placed sending a pyroclastic ow into the city, but there by the Hidden Beast. The central throne those that were built strong survived, and and dais sit above a large hollow area created their interiors remain open and navigable by the Hidden Beast to serve as a “con” — where natural tunnels in the ice connect them. this area can be reached with ease by creatures in gaseous form, but other creatures must The region is, as a result, a tangled network move aside or destroy the 9–1/2-ton slab of of caves and chambers. Explorers could basalt (requiring several hours of work and spend weeks, if not months, wandering these tools to break) to get to this chamber. tunnels and never see them all. For thousands The ancients of Xin-Shalast often explored of years, these tunnels were the primary other realms and realities, ever seeking new home of the Spared. discoveries of magic and wealth to use to The Spared slowly expanded their tunnels leverage more favor from Karzoug. One such as their population grew, but ve decades sect of astral travelers came upon a strange ago, skulk tunnelers broke into an ancient leathery sphere oating inert in the void and crypt deep below the surface, inadvertently brought it it back here to investigate investigate.. releasing an immortal monstrosity that had Unfortunately, the sphere was a slumbering been trapped trapped since the fal falll of Thassilon. monstrosity—an undead tentacled sorcerer This creature was the Hidden Beast, and it from a distant realm, cast into the Astral Plane took less than a month for it to seize control of by its enemies. When they returned to the the Spared. Ever since, the skulks have lived Material Plane with the sphere, the monster only to serve the Hidden Beast’s whims, with awoke, killing all but one of them. only a handful brave enough to escape into This last Thassilonian escaped only by the outlying reaches of Xin-Shalast. sealing the chamber with walls of force, then later by collapsing the tunnels that accessed
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LAIR OF THE HIDDEN BEAST
N
1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
the chamber. The creature, ever patient and potent, returned to its slumber after realizing it couldn’t escape. It slept through the fall of Thassilon and the following millennia, only to be awakened again by the Spared. The Spared have taken to calling this creature the Hidden Beast, but the monster is actually a vampiric decapus—an undead octopoid creature with tentacles protruding from its body surrounding a maw with large yellow fangs. Its cruel red eyes and slimy skin augment its monstrous visage, and its voice is a chilling whisper. The Hidden Beast has no real goals or desires beyond feasting on the blood of the living— living — its mind works in w ways ays alien to mo most st life. It keeps the Spared under its control by dominating them or by transforming their leaders into enslaved vampires who then,, dominate the living for their master. The Hidden Beast has no real desire to leave this area (feeding has been great over the past few decades), nor does it care that some of its ock escape its dominion now and then. Karzoug’s agents discovered the Hidden Beast not long after Mokmurian’s visit and managed to establish peaceful contact with it, but haven’t quite managed to convince it to accept Karzoug as lord.
The runelord himself plans to visit the Hidden Beast to make an oer it can’t refuse after he emerges from the Eye of Avarice, but until then, the Hidden Beast is al allowed lowed to maintain its tiny empire under the Slave District. The Hidden Beast spends its time invisible. The skeleton atop the throne in the middle of the room is actually the monster’s public illusion it maintains. When the “face”—an illusion Hidden Beast needs to speak to visitors, it sound to uses sound to do so through the illusion. As soon as it notices the characters, it does exactly this, causing the desiccated and dead skeleton to sit up and take notice before addressing them in Abyssal: “Which of you would oer your blood to me? Step forward and feel the embrace of your new lord!” The Hidden Beast isn’t interested in visitors other than as a source of blood—if no adventurer steps forward to oer himself to the illusion it aacks as detailed below. If a hero does oer himself the beast slithers up to that character and aempts to grapple him so it may use its blood drain ability. The Hidden Beast is not alone in this chamber—four vampire skulks hide in the shadows around the room’s perimeter. Absolutely loyal to their master, they wait until combat begins before joining the ght.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS P The Hidden Beast: See Beast: See below. Skulks lks (4): (4): See See below. P Vampire Sku
P THE HIDDEN BEAST BEAST Type: Evil Undead (Decapus Vampire Sorcerer) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Strength d12, Vigor d10 Skills: A Skills: Athletics thletics d10, Fighting Figh ting d10, Notice d10, Persuasion d8, Spellcasting d10, Stealth d10 Pace: 2; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7; Toughness: 15 15 (5) Arcane Mastery, Block, Concentration, Edges: Arcane Edges: Favored Powers (Sorcerer), Quick, Sorcerer detect arcana , Powers: Blind , bolt , , deection , detect Powers: dispel , , fly fly , , illusion , lower lower trait ,, pro protec tectio tion n , sound , stun , teleport. teleport. Power Points: 25 Points: 25 Gear: Ring of invisibility, Sihedron ring (see page 93) 93) Special Abilities: Armor +5: Necrotically +5: Necrotically augmented skin. Bite: Str+d6, AP 2.
Abilities (Sorcerer): (Sorcerer): Arcane Background (Sorcerer), Armor Interference (Any), Bloodline (Undead). Size 1: A 1: A typical decapus has a legspan of 8’ and weighs 200lbs. Tentacles (4): (4): Str+d6, Str+d6, Reach 4. Wall Walker: Walker: A decapus can move on vertical or inverted surfaces at Pace 6 and may run. Languages: Common, Languages: Common, Draconic, Giant. Class
P VAMPIRE SKULK Type: Evil Undead Undea (V (Vampire) ampire) Aributes: Aributes: Agility Agilitydd12+1, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d10, Vigor d10 Skills: Athletics Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d8, Notice d10, Persuasion d8, Stealth d12, Survival d8 Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6; Toughness: 14 14 (5) Edges: Extraction, Edges: Extraction, Formation Fighter, Frenzy Gear: Dagger (Str+d4, AP 1, Accurate, Vicious Vicious), ), shortbow (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6+1, AP 2, Damaging), ring of minor protection. Special Abilities: Armor +3: Necrotically +3: Necrotically augmented skin. Bite/Claws: Bite/Claws: Str+d4. Str+d4. Camouaged Step: Step: Aempts to track a skulk through forest and subterranean seings suer a –2. Chameleon Skin: A Skin: A skulk’s skin changes colors to match his surroundings, even
complex paerns. Skulks get a free reroll on Stealth rolls. Change Form: As an action, a vampire can change into a wolf or bat with a Smarts roll at –2. Changing back into humanoid form requires a Smarts roll. Languages: Common, Languages: Common, Giant.
ABILITIES ES VAMPIRIC ABILITI In addition to those listed in their stat blocks, the Hidden Beast and Vampire Skulks have the following abilities for being vampires. Blood Drain: A vampire can suck blood from a bound opponent; instead of crushing a bound opponent, it drains blood, causing Energy Drain (see below). The vampire heals one Wound each round it drains blood. Change Form: As Form: As an action, a vampire can change into a wolf or bat with a Smarts roll at –2. Changing back into humanoid form requires a Smarts roll. Charm: Vampires can cast puppet cast puppet without without spending Power Points, up to ve times per day. They use Smarts as their arcane skill and can maintain the power indenitely, though they may never have more than 20 thralls at a time. Children of the Night: Vampires Night: Vampires have the ability to summon and control 1d6 wolves, 1d6 bats or rat swarms, once per night. The creatures come from the surrounding wilds in 1d4+1 rounds. Energy Drain: A creature hit by a vampire’s natural weapon or Blood Drain ability suers Energy Drain (Vigor). A Vigor roll (at –2 with a raise on the aack) resists this eect. This ability triggers once per round. Environmental Resistance: Cold, Resistance: Cold, electricity. Environmental Weakness: Magic and Weakness: Silver. Fast Regeneration: Regeneration: Vampires may aempt a natural healing roll every round until Incapacitated. Gaseous Form: Vampires Form: Vampires have the ability to turn into gaseous form. Doing so (or returning to their original form) requires an action, and a Smarts roll at –2. They can remain gaseous indenitely and y at Pace 5.
Invulnerability: If Incapacitated, a vampire Invulnerability: If
automatically assumes gaseous form and aempts to escape. It must reach its con home within two hours or be uerly
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PART P ART AR T FOUR: FOUR: XIN-SHAL XI XIN-SHALAST N-SHALAST AST
destroyed. Additional damage dealt to a vampire forced into gaseous form has no eect. Once at rest, the vampire is helpless. It regains one Wound after one hour, then is no longer helpless and its Fast Regeneration resumes. Sire: Sire: Anyone Anyone slain by Energy Drain raises as a vampire themselves in 1d4 days. Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; no additional damage from Called Shots; ignores 1 point of Wound penalties; doesn’t breathe; immune to disease and poison; ignore penalties for Illumination up to 10”. Weakness (Vampiric): See Vampire (Vampiric): Weaknesses for a full list.
TACTICS The Hidden Beast places a silent mental alarm at each of the room entrances. It uses its ring of invisibility to remain invisible at all times. The Hidden Beast maintains the illusion of
AMPIRE RE WEAKNESSES WEAKNESS ES VAMPI (Garlic and Mirror): Mirror): Vampires cannot tolerat toleratee the strong odor of garlic or the sight of mirrors and will not enter an area laced with it. Weakness (Holy Symbol): Symbol): A character with a holy symbol may keep a vampire at bay by displaying a holy symbol. A vampire who wants to directly aack the victim must beat her in an opposed Spirit roll. Weakness (Holy Water): ater ): A A vampire sprinkled with holy water is Fatigued. If immersed, he combusts as if it were direct sunlight (see below). Weaknesses (Invitation Only): Only): Vampires cannot enter a private dwelling without being invited.
Weakness
the undead speaker, hoping the heroes waste a round ghting it while its vampire minions move into position. The creature uses the rst illusion (mirror few rounds to cast deection , illusion (mirror image of itself), y, and protection and protection.. Once combat begins, the hidden skulks move along the walls of the room and aempt to take up positions where they can move as pairs to ank foes. If Incapacitated, the Hidden Beast automatically assumes gaseous form and aempts to escape through the ssures in and around the dais in the center of this room.
They may enter public domains as they please. Weakness (Running Water): Each Water): Each round of immersion in running water inflicts one Wound to a vampire—a vampire Incapacitated in this manner is destroyed. Weakness (Sunlight): Exposing (Sunlight): Exposing any vampire to direct sunlight causes it to suer one Wound each round. If Incapacitated, the vampire is uerly destroyed.
These narrow ssures lead down 30 feet to a circular cavern, eight yards in diameter, that serves as the Hidden Beast’s “con.” Once at rest here, it rematerial rematerializes izes and is helpless. The vampire skulks ght until Incapacitated, at which point they turn gaseous and drift toward the balcony to the northwest. Once there, they seep through cracks in the wall into a room under the balcony in which their cons (actually nothing more than narrow niches in the oor) wait for them.
Spared will eventually band together to hunt them down, yet for now, the skulks prefer to remain hidden as well. Yet their gratitude to the heroes for their deliverance from this latest overlord does not go unrewarded. If he’s nearby, Morgiv promises the party a reward once he and the other Spared can orchestrate it—in the meantime, the skulks follow and watch over the heroes’ progress from afar. When this unseen but ever-present escort senses danger, they give cry to a series of hoots and warning howls—as a result, the party is able to react to danger much more quickly, and adds 2 to Notice ambushes while in the Lower City. In any event, the skulks
AFTERMATH If the adventurers destroy the Hidden Beast completely, the remaining vampiric skulks become free-wil free-willed led and ee deep into the substructure of the district. The surviving
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oer the den of the Hidden Beast to the party mudslide did, reducing much of this region as a safe place for them to rest. to tangled rubble. One day after the Hidden Beast’s defeat, The nutrient-rich mud cascaded into the Morgiv tracks the party down to give them edge of this quarter and buried dozens of some good news— his brethren ha have ve already already public baths built around thermal springs. managed to reclaim one of their old shrines, The combination of nutrients, mineral-laden and they’ve decided that the treasures there waters, and a favorable environment caused should be given to the heroes. by the war warming ming and humidi humidifying fying inuenc inuencee of The skulk hands the party a leather bag of the hot springs resulted in a burst of strange holding, but the true treasures lie within—a plant and fungal growth. staff of healing, 2x scroll of relief with This ecosystem flourished, expanding Restoration, 2x scroll of major healing , scroll of across much of the area and covering it in resurrection , and a silk pouch containing eight resurrection , elixirs of the peaks (see page 91). 91).
an enveloping tangle of pallid vines and sheets of lichen. This overgrowth ground the buildings beneath into rubble and then into soil, creating more opportunities for growth and leaving a strange high-altitude This southern portion of the Entertainment fungus jungle lled with hidden ruins and District was once the hub of brothels, unexpected ora and fauna. gambling dens, small arenas and ghting pits, The ora was never able to expand farther and less savory venues such as recreational south onto the mud eld because of the lack torture chambers and drug parlors. It is of necessary moisture and warmth provided often informally referred to as the Eurythian by proximity proximity to the therm thermal al springs. Quarter, after Runelord Sorshen’s realm to While the combination of fertile soil, the south. plentiful water, and articially warm climate
J THE TANGLE TANGLE
This portion ofand the city was ruined by the fall of Thassilon the aendant volcanic eruption. While the pyroclastic flow that buried burie d the Slav Slavee Distri District ct didn’t hit this section of the city, lava bombs and a devastating
did cause the beginning of the Tangle’s Tangle’s spread, it has since far outgrown and outlasted those natural resources. Not only is this plant life unnaturally healthy, it is also unnaturally
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P ART AR T FOUR: XI N-SHALAST AST PART FOUR: XIN-SHAL XIN-SHALAST large and has begun to mutate, in some cases creating wholly unnatural species. Strange fauna sometimes emerges from the tangled depths of this quarter, and at night, weird and mournful cries can be heard from deep within. Whether these are creatures somehow transplanted here or monstrous plant forms resulting from continuing mutation is unclear to the giants and lamias, who take pains to avoid this portion of the city, as giants who wandered too close have gone missing. A lamia-led search party of giants sent in recently to determine the source of the strange growth has yet to return. Extensive details on the Tangle’s depths are beyond the scope of this adventure, but should the party decide to explore this dangerous section of Xin-Shalast, they soon find there is a malign intelligence to the Tangle. Anyone exploring here is aacked by terrifying forms of sentient plant life and creatures that exist in a symbiotic relationship with them, with shambling mounds, immense tendriculoses, and zombie giants being the primary denizens of the Tangle. Those captured alive are taken to the original hot springs beneath a cathedral of greenery, where the malevolent Root of the Tangle dwells. There they are suspended alive above this water, where their bodies are then slowly drained of nutrients to feed the plant host. The Root of the Tangle is, in fact, an enormous and unusually intelligent creature creature — the power of this creature is beyond what the heroes are able to handle at this point. The creeper’s eventual goal is nothing less lofty than to grow over the entirety of Golarion— but in the th thousands ousands of years it has already been growing, it’s only managed to take over this portion of Xin-Shalast. Still, the creeper creeper is patient and iimmortal mmortal— —a good combination for those with world domination on the mind.
K HEPTARIC LOCUS The greatest architectural feat of the Lower City was (and remains) the magnificent Heptaric Locus, a massive covered arena and amphitheater of unsurpassed grandeur composed on a foundation shaped as a vast
BUSHWACKED The mysterious Tangle is something that could easily distract a group of heroes by its mysterious nature and massive size. If the heroes become obsessed with ghting their way through throug h the Tangle, Tangle, they nd their resources drained as they move against a foe they cannot hope to defeat. Simply entering the area is both time consuming and dangerous.
Sihedron Rune to represent the might and resplendence of Thassilon. To the average citizen of the city, this coliseum represented the heart of the entire nation of Shalast. This magnicent edice rises more than 500 feet to an elaborate seven-paneled dome of crystal, from which a slender spire extends another 200 feet into the air. Seven towers surround the dome, one dedicated to each of the Thassilonian schools of magic. Though the building shows signs of the years, with parts of the facade having fallen away and some of the lesser domes fallen in, the great central dome and spire remain intact and alive with the multiple permanent light spells that circumscribe their interiors, creating a shining beacon in the sky above. Inside, the Heptaric Locus is a ring-shaped maze of access tunnels and gates surrounding a vast arena floor. The arena seats surrounding this heptagonal baleground can accommodate up to 150,000 spectators. Below lie even more chambers—gladiator cells, training rooms, and endless storage chambers necessary to put on the spectacles. Despite the excellent condition of the facilities, Karzoug’s minions have not yet aempted to reclaim this structure for use. They have not cited reasons when the giants and lesser lamia, eager to see the grand building build ing resto restored red to its prope properr glory glory,, ask about the subject, instead pushing the topic aside in favor of more pressing maers. The truth is the lamia-kin secretly fear the arena. The thousands of blood-soaked
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HEPTARIC G G R A N N D S T T A N N D S
LOCUS
FIGHTING FLOOR FLOOR
N
C O O N N C O O U U R R SS E
ELITE BOX
GRANDSTANDS
1 SQUARE = 6 FEET
spectacles held in its connes to sate the lust of the bloodthirsty left their mark on the baleeld. In fact, following the fall of the empire so long ago, the emotional resonance that remained created a locus not of the glories of Thassilon as intended, but rather a locus of death that suited well the tastes of a cruel gelugon named Gamigin and a small cluster of hideous extradimensional blooddrinkers known as scarlet walker walkers. s. Held as a bound guardian and advisor by one of Karzoug’s many apprentices, Gamigin escaped his prison when Thassilon fell. The ice devil landed atop the central dome of the Heptaric Locus and watched as XinShalast fell into ruin, torn apart from outside by volcanic volc anic eruptions and inside by rioting giants and wizards gone mad with terror. Eventually, the skies above grew dark, and for an age after Thassilon’s fall the darkness remained. In that time, Gamigin traveled Golarion, adding to the suering wherever he went. When the Great Darkness nally passed, Gamigin returned to Xin-Shalast and claimed the Heptaric Locus as his lair. Since then, the ice devil has periodically left for years at a time in roles as diverse as mass murderer, mercenary, warlord, the power behind several thrones, and even a god worshiped by several tribes. Typically,
Gamigin disguised his appearance as a tieing or other outsider, but sometimes he chose to play these roles without disguises. Each time, adventurers rose against the devil, but he always escaped via teleport teleport and and returned here to rest and plot his next move. Gamigin maintains his presence in the arena with the clever use of illusions and the scarlet walkers whom he has befriended—though he only spends about a decade each century in Xin-Shalast, his eorts have been strong enough to secure a lasting pall over the place. The heroes might decide to explore the Heptaric Locus on their own. An exploration of the locus could involve encounters with summoned bone devils, ancient traps, and periodic encounters with the scarlet walkers that haunt the place As in the case of the Hidden Beast, Karzoug noted Gamigin’s presence and sent his agents to contact the ice devil, asking him to ally with the runelord when he rose to his full power. Gamigin, intrigued by what would happen if Thassilon returned, agreed, and was given a Sihedron ring as a token of Karzoug’s thanks. If the party comes to the attention of Karzoug’s minions, Khalib contacts Gamigin and asks the devil to assassinate the heroes. Gamigin’s aack on the party can happen at any time after this order is given; the devil
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prefers to locate the heroes as they rest or wait until they’re ghting other monsters in the ruins before launching his aack. One section of the Heptaric Locus is shown on the nearby map; the elite box shown serves as Gamigin’s main lair, so if he aacks the heroes and retreats, it’s to here he ees. This chamber is guarded at all times by a pair of scarlet walkers allied with Gamigin. You can use the section of the Heptaric Locus as a guide for generating additional maps for this large building as necessary. P Gamigin: See below. • Summoned Bone Devils (2): See (2): See below • Scarlet Walkers (2): See (2): See page 90. 90.
P GAMIGIN Type: Evil Outsider (Ice Devil Sorcerer) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d12, Vigor d10 Skills: A Skills: Athletics thletics d10, Common Knowledge d8, Fighting d10, Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Occult d8, Persuasion d8, Spellcasting d8, Stealth d10 Pace: 7; Arcane Parry: 7 Background or 9 (Spear); Toughness: (Spear); Toughness: 16 16 (7) (Magic), Arcane Edges: Edges: Arcane Resistance, Frenzy, Trademark Weapon (Imp, spear), Sorcerer
Barrier ( ( ), blast blast ( ( ), Powers: Barrier Powers: burst ( ), illusion, protection, burst puppet. Power Points: 15. Points: 15. Gear: Spear (Str+d6, AP 1, Elemental (Cold), Accurate, Returning), Sihedron ring. Special Abilities: Armor +7: Fiendish +7: Fiendish resilience. Bite/Tail: Bite/Tail: Str+d6, Str+d6, AP 2. Class Abilities (Sorcerer): (Sorcerer): Arcane Background (Sorcerer), Armor Interference (cloth), Bloodline (Infernal). Devil: Devil: Ignore penalties for Illumination up to 10”; –4 damage from acid, electricity; immune to cold, re, poison. Ice devils may aempt Regeneratio Regeneration: n: Ice a natural healing roll every round until Incapacitated. Fear (–2): Ice (–2): Ice devils are terrifying enemies to witness. Flight: Flight: Pace Pace 9. Innate Powers: Powers: Minor mind link, minor minor teleport (Greater teleport (Greater Teleport, self). Size 2: 2: Ice devils are 12’ tall and weigh approximately 700 lbs. Slow: Slow: A A hit from an ice devil's tail or spear induces numbing cold. The opponent must sloth make a Spirit roll at –2 or be aected by sloth (A raise on the aack is also raise on the sloth eect). sloth eect). Summon: Summon: Once Once per day as a limited action, this creature can summon two bone devils.
Fast
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS Languages: Celestial, Common, Draconic, Languages: Infernal.
BONE DEVIL (SUMMONED) Type: Evil Outsider (Bone Devil) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d12, Vigor d8 Skills: Athletics Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d4,
one Wound. He does not return to Xin-Shalast anytime soon if he escapes in this manner. While there are a dozen scarlet walkers in the Heptaric Locus in all, only two of them are present the rst time the heroes reach the area. They consider Gamigin an ally, if not a friend, and focus their aacks on foes who in turn aack the ice devil. Additiona Additionall scarlet walkerss can join the ght if you wish as these walker two are slain.
Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Occult d8, Spellcasting d8, Stealth d6 Pace: 7; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6; Toughness: 12 12 (5) TREASURE Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Background (Magic), Arcane Apart from the gear he carries, Gamigin keeps Resistance, Frenzy his treasure split among dozens of caches Powers: Barrier , illusion, invisibility. Power scaered across the face of Golarion. Powers: Points: 15. Points: 15. One such cache is kept in the elite box Special Abilities: that serves as his lair. This consists of three Armor +5: Fiendish +5: Fiendish resilience. darkwood chests (themselves worth 300 gp Bite/Claws/Sting: Str+d4, AP 2. Bite/Claws/Sting: Str+d4, Devil: Devil: Ignore Ignore penalties for Illumination up apiece) containing 4,500 gp, 220 pp, and 8,000 to 10”; –4 damage from acid, cold; immune gp in assorted gems and jewelry. to re, poison.
Bone (–1): (–1): Bone Fear Flight: Pace Flight: Pace 9. devils
L VOMARCK’S CIRCUS
are terrifying beings. Innate Powers: Powers: Minor mind link, minor For events too large even to be held in the Heptaric Locus, Vomarck’s Circus had to teleport (Greater teleport (Greater Teleport, Teleport, self self). ). Poison: Poison: The The bone devil's stinger contains a suce in ancient times. Named for the stone giant champion who won the rst Mastodon Mild poison. Resilient: Resilient: Bone Bone devils can take one Wound Chariot Races, only to die moments after victory on the goring tusks of his own blood before they're Incapacitated. Size 1: Bone 1: Bone devils are 9’ tall and weigh crazed mastodon team, this venue held everything from the aforementioned races to approximately 400 lbs. Summon: Summon: Once Once per day as a limited action, wizard duels, siege weapon demonstrations, and even horse and horse-drawn chariot races. this creature can summon a bone devil. Regardless of the event, most of the Languages: Celestial, Common, Draconic, Languages: competitions were to the death. Events Infernal. were talked about throughout Shalast, and TACTICS the seating could hold a quarter-million Just Ju st be befo fore re he start st artss a fi figh ght, t, Gam Gamig igin in spectators. Much of the southern portion of summons two bone devils to aid him. the circus has been enveloped and ruined by Gamigin lets summoned devils engage foes the Tangle. in melee while he wreaks havoc with mobility, Barely visible among this layer of vegetation vegetation using barrier barrier (wall (wall of ice) to break up enemy is a stone colossus depicting the ancient hero Burst (cone blast (ice tactics. Burst (cone of cold), blast (ice storm), Vomarck, complete with mastodons in the and puppet and puppet are are favorites to use at range, but process of goring him to death. The eect is once he’s engaged in melee he abandons that at rst glance the whole appears to be these tactics and focuses his anger on obvious some hideous multi-headed beast emerging healers before moving on to other enemies. from the overgro overgrowth. wth. Gamigin has lived for thousands of years
by knowing kn owing when he’s outclassed, but he’s never been confronted here in Xin-Shalast. He cuts it close to the edge as a result, eeing to a distant hideout via teleport teleport if if reduced to
M SPOLARIUM This long, low series of buildings is situated strategically near the Heptaric Locus and
48
P ART AR T FOUR: XI N-SHALAST AST PART FOUR: XIN-SHAL XIN-SHALAST Vomarck’s Circus. Its primary purpose was disposal of the dead contestants from those two venues, but it quickly came to serve as the city morgue and crematorium. The morbid attendants were not above absconding with jewelry, personal eects, gold teeth, and even ornate taoos on ayed swatches of esh. The great ovens that then consumed the remnants are located at the back of the building and remai remain n functional— if someone took the time to refuel and relight them— them — though there is a consider considerable able layer layer of soot and charred humanoid remains to dig or chip through to gain access to them. Intrepid adventurers might search these chambers to nd one of the many caches of valuables gathered by the morticians and secretly hoarded to prevent nosy relatives or slave owners from gaining proof that the bodies had had been looted. Several such hoards exist under loose agstones, in hollow pillars, and in at least one oven. Unfortunately, undead are a problem in this place, and searchers must contend with all manner of undead during their scavenging. In addition to standard varie varieties ties of undead, strange undead beings composed of burning corpses roam the halls as well, and more than one centuries-unused furnace has sprung to sudden, searing ames while an intrepid looter explored its interior for hidden gold.
N HIDDEN PATH Though this relatively small tower might seem uninteresting at rst glance, particularly due to the looming presence of the Heptaric Locus and Vomarck’s Circus, the basement contains a long, winding tunnel that leads up a gently rising slope inside Mhar Massif. This path bypasses a fair portion of the lower route and allows characters to avoid the chance of being spoed by guardians in the lower city entirely. The passagewa passageway y exits onto a high mountain ledge in the upper portion of the Rising District at an elevation of 22,000 feet. Unfortunately, the reason the tunnel is so free of monsters despite its wide-open upper entrance is due to the presence of a pair of 28-foot-talll predators that dwell on the ledge 28-foot-tal
overlooking the mountainside. These are immense mountain ropers, creatures adapted to the high mountain environs. (2): See below. P Mountain Ropers (2): See
P MOUNTAIN ROPER Type: Evil Aberration (Roper (Roper ) Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Aributes: Agility Aributes: Strength d12+4, Vigor d12 Skills: Athletics Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d10, Notice d8, Occult d8, Stealth d10 Pace: 2; Parry: 6; 6; Toughness: Toughness: 20 20 (6) Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Resistance Special Abilities: Armor +6: Rubbery +6: Rubbery hide. Bite: Str+d6. Environmenta Environmentall Resistance: Resistance: Cold. Cold. Environmental Weakness: Fire. Weakness: Fire. Immunity: Electricity. Night Vision: Ropers Vision: Ropers ignore all penalties
for Illumination. 6: The mountain roper is 28’ tall and 6: The weighs approximately 12 tons. Strands: Strands: Anyone Anyone Shaken or Wounded by a tentacle suers Energy Drain (Vigor). A Vigor roll (at –2 with a raise on the aack) resists this eect. Tentacles (4) (4):: Str+d4, Reach 3. Languages: Aklo, Languages: Aklo, Undercommon.
Size
TACTICS The mountain ropers lash out at the closest foes, but aren't unintelligent. They know to focus its rst aacks on heavily h eavily armored foes. If the heroes can communicate and agree to parley, the mountain ropers become an unlikely source of information—they know much about the region, and you can use them to guide the party toward creatures that possess Sihedron rings or otherwise encourage them along whatever track of exploration you wish.
O HOUSE OF DIVINE CONSUMPTION This mighty structure is walled o from the road by a row of corrugated towers towers ending in uted prominences and onion-shaped domes. Multiple balconies open o of these towers and overlook the ruined compound below.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS Beyond gates of beaten bronze, a huge temple constructed upon a raised platform dominates the compound. Thassilonian runes and the seven-pointed Sihedron are prominent motifs engraved in the stone of the temple walls. Double pagodas, both of which are hollow and open onto the temple nave below, top the temple. One holds a massive statue of Karzoug rising from the oor of the temple, his head brushing the top of the pagoda. The other is empty, and the oor beneath is set with a gold engraving of the ever-present, clawed hand grasping a gem gem — the rune of gr greed. eed. The House of Divine Consumption served as the focal point for the ocial church of Shalast, invented by the rst Runelord of Greed, and revering the philosophical and esoteric tenets of greed. Traditionally, the high priestess of the temple has always been an immense immense creature kno known wn as a lamia harridan referred to by the title of Most High. This position also served as the highest authority in the Lower City, answering only to the ocials who actually received the right to dwell in the Spires of Xin-Shalast. Edicts coming from the mouth of the Most High were considered law unless countermanded by Karzo Karzoug ug or one of his representat representatives ives from the citadel above. The current high priestess is Most High Ceoptra, a powerful lamia harridan who serves Karzoug faithfully as she works to reestablish his following and rebuild the Lower City into the capital of his new empire. She has not lived within the walls of this immense temple for years, now dwelling in the Pinnacle of Avarice above so she can be at hand to speak with Karzoug as necessary. Many of Xin-Shalast’s lamias lamias— — harrid harridans, ans, hungerers, matriarchs, and normal lamias alike—dwell in this building or in the surrounding ruins.
SIHEDRON P TEMPLE OF THE SIHEDRON This gargantuan edifice has not fared as well with the passage of the years. Built as one bulky ziggurat-like mass with multiple towers, it has collapsed somewhat under its own weight and sections have caved in.
Exploring the interior is a dangerous prospect due to the threat of additional collapses, though anyone doing so can quickly determine that this was a temple dedicated to Lissala, the Thassilonian goddess of runes and fate. Her worship was a demanding one, as can be inferred from the carvings of priests engaged in agellations, mortications of the esh, and other ritualized depictions of selfabuse that are so commonly carved into this building’s surviving surviving walls. walls. No one has aempted to reoccupy this structure, but the few to have explored it and emerged alive speak of bestial shadows moving around corners just out of view, echoed rumbling growls, and the very real sensation that something was stalking them. Explorers who did not return were later found as bloody smears of mangled esh, recognizable only by their taered gear.
Q GHLOROFAEX’S LAIR
This structure was once a massive blockhouse of stone and steel with a single well-protected gate providing the only obvious entrance. In a city of greed, the most important consideration was that the rulers received received their share. Thus, this fortress housed the oces of a veritable army of tax collectors—agents in the upper levels and brutish enforcers billeted in the bowels of the building. In addition, the city’s mint and treasury were located here as well, as were the oces of the city’s commissar, who oversaw all of these operations. When Thassilon collapsed, these tax collectors and the commissar were among the rst to ee. Those few who simply ed survived, for the most part, but those who aempted to rob the treasury before they left Xin-Shalast only slowed their escape long enough to doom them when a pyroclastic flow from the volcanic eruption swept through this portion of the city. The stolen treasure was scaered and over the years decayed or was claimed by other survivors, leaving the fortress empty. But not forever. The building today is mostly collapsed, but a few rooms remain clear. The central audience chamber is partially fallen in, but enough of it remains to serve as a spacious
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PART P ART AR T FOUR: FOUR: XIN-SHAL XI XIN-SHALAST N-SHALAST AST
GHLOROFAEX’S LAIR GHLOROFAEX’S LAIR
S S
N
1 SQUARE = 10 FEET
lair for the current denizen. A lone tower a draconic slave within the Eye of Avarice to remains standing just south of this room, but this day), and he is eager to rebuild these ties. its halls are empty. Most of the dragons recruited so far still A single secret tunnel leads into the central dwell in the surrounding mountains, while chamber from the east—these doors can be only Ghlorofaex lives inside the city. Of the discovered with a Notice roll, but they (as dragons, this blue was dangerous enough well as the main entrance to the building to that, as in the case of the Hidden Beast the south) are warded by a magical alarm, and Gamigin, the rune giants opted for a diplomatic approach. cast by the ruin’s occupant. Fortunately for all concerned, Ghlorofaex A powerful blue dragon named Ghlorofaex, one of the strongest dragons in the Kodar was honored to have been chosen by Karzoug. region, discovered Xin-Shalast 150 years ago A student of Thassilon’s architecture, the blue and was impressed, even then, with the city’s dragon is eager to ally himself with the rising glory and extravagance. Himself a creature runelord, knowing full well from his studies walls ls that favored dragon of greed and far-reaching knowledge about of the city’s carved wal Thassilonian ruins, he chose this building allies were well rewarded by the rulers of Xinas his lair as soon as he recognized its Shalast in the past. original purpose. For now, Ghlorofaex has been spending Ghlorofaex has spent the last century his time waiting patiently here in his lair, studying Xin-Shalast and building his emerging now and then to make token ytreasure hoard—mostly from objects stolen overs of the city to appraise its condition. He from lowlanders, as he views most of Xin- does not react well to intruders unless they Shalast’s treasures as beer placed now in his can convince him they are Karzoug’s minions as well, in which case Ghlorofaex demands to personal treasury. After Karzoug awoke, one of the first know when Karzoug will be fully returned commands he issued his newly awakened to the world so he might benet from the rune giant minions was to contact all local runelord’s alliance. The dragon has lile patience for visitors, dragons and recruit them to the runelord’s cause. In ancient times, Karzoug counted though, be they giants or lamia-kin or the dozens of dragons as his allies (he even keeps heroes, and if visitors remain too long (ve
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Burrow
(4"): Blue dragons can burrow (4"): underground. Desert Thirst: Blue Thirst: Blue dragons can create or destroy two gallons of water as a limited P Ghlorofaex: Ghlorofaex: See See below. free action, at a range of 5" (10 yards). Dragon: Ignores penalties for Illumination; immune to electricity, paralysis, slumber , P GHLOROFAEX Stun; ignore up to 4 points of Scale penalties when aacking; minor detect arcana. Type: Evil Dragon (Very Old Blue Dragon) Aura: At the end of the dragon's Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d10, Electrical Aura: At turn, all adjacent foes take 2d4 damage. Strength d12+8, Vigor d12+1 (–2): The frightful presence of dragons Skills: Athletics Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d8, Fear (–2): The causes Fear checks at –2. Fighting d12, Intimidation d10, Notice d10, Flight: Pace Pace 24. Occult d10, Persuasion d8, Spellcasting d8, Flight: Size 9 (Huge): Very (Huge): Very old blue dragons are Survival d6 massive creatures. They have two additonal Pace: 7; Parry: 8; Toughness: 8; Toughness: 21 21 (3) Wounds due to their size. Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Background (Magic), Arcane Resistance, Dodge, Frenzy (Imp), Level Languages: Languages: A Auran, uran, Common, Draconic, Drac onic, Giant. Headed boost trait , , change change shape , TACTICS Powers: Barrier , bolt , , boost Powers: environmental prot protecti ection on , Ghlorofaex rst aempts a breath weapon deection , , dispel , , environmental deection illusion , invisibility , , puppet puppet , , shrink , sloth/speed , pass if two or more opponents are in a line. He then casts deflection deflection and speed speed before sound , teleport. teleport. Power Points: 30 Points: 30 Gear: Sihedron ring, ring of energy resistance he aempts to crush as many enemies as possible and ghts in melee until reduced (cold). to two Wounds, at which point he takes to Special Abilities: minutes should be the maximum), the dragon’s impatience gets the beer of him and he aacks.
the air again to use his breath weapon and ranged spells.
Armor +3 (Heavy Armor): Scaly Armor): Scaly hide. Bite/Claws: Bite/Claws: Str+d8+d6 Str+d8+d6 (electricity), AP 2.
Breath
Weapon (Electricity): (Electricity): Stream Template, 5d6 damage.
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P ART AR T FOUR: XI N-SHALAST AST PART FOUR: XIN-SHAL XIN-SHALAST If reduced to one Wound, Ghlorofaex ees the area—he may come back to aack the heroes again in the future at your discretion.
TREASURE Ghlorofaex keeps his treasure in a highly organized state behind a large stone door in the eastern area area— — beyond is a 10 10-foot-square -foot-square chamber, the far wall of which is collapsed. There’s more than enough room left for the dragon’s treasure, though, which consists of 64,000 sp, 21,000 gp, 520 pp, a gold coer worth 1,400 gp that contains 35 assorted gemstones worth a total of 12,000 gp, a silver bracelet worth worth 25 gp, a jade comb wor worth th 300 gp, a pair of red silk gloves embroidered with gold thread worth 800 gp for the pair (in a glass display box worth 100 gp). A suit of mithral plate armor, a masterwor masterwork k breastplate,, a suit of chain armor (+4, Aegis) breastplate Aegis),, bolt with Damage ( a wand of bolt ; 10 charges; Spellcasting), a leather bag containing 4x frozen potion of major healing , a frozen potion of boost Spirit , , a bejeweled ivory scroll tube worth 300 gp that contains a scroll of divination divination and and a scroll of Greater healing , a ring of evasion, evasion, and a rod of minor metamagic.
R SHAHLARIA Situated on a low rise overlooking the northern edge of Jotunburg is a ponderous fortress that served as the pride and joy of Shalast’s military. This was the Shahlaria, the military training and indoctrination academy that turned out the hordes of loyal giant soldiers that served as the front line of Karzoug’s ghting forces. Under the direct tutelage of the Grand Polemarch, the supreme military leader of Shalast who answered only to the runelord himself, the commandant of the academy gave the giant conscripts and volunteers the premiere martial and tactical training available in that age, and probably any age since. It was here that the rune giants of XinShalast dwelt, in massive chambers carved into the rock below the fortress above. The majority of the cloud giants and storm giants who live in Xin-Shalast dwell in Shahlaria. They are led by powerful individuals—advanced members of each
race known as wardens. The cloud giants are led by the Wardens of Wind, while the storm giants are led by the Wardens of Thunder. Many of these leaders have been taken away to serve in the Pinnacle of Avarice, leaving behind a fortress with no clear ruler. Yet chaos does not reign in Shahlaria, for the cloud and storm giants that dwell here live in fear of their rune giant overlords. An attempt to explore this immense structure could well entail an adventure in itself. Unfortunately, apart from incidental treasure, there’s lile in here for the heroes to aid them in their current conict against Runelord Karzoug.
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PART FIVE: SCALING MHAR MASSIF Mhar Massif provides the very ba backbone ckbone of the W World’s orld’s Roof and supports one of Golarion’s tallest peaks. Reaching a staggering elevation of 31,565 feet, the peak shares its name with the entire massif, whose eponym is derived from the gigantic carving of Karzoug’s visage that graces the south fa face ce o of f the mountain. This fea feature ture is 1,1,500 500 fe feet et high an and d reaches the crown of the mountain. Just below this carving soar the mighty towers of the Spires of Xin-Shalast, though even the highest of these dare not intrude intr ude upon the elev eleva ation tha that t is the f fa ace’s alone alone..
T
he name Mhar is from a legend, as can be recalled recall ed with an Acade Academics mics roll at –2. This legend tells of a powerful entity
mountain’s sheer height were piercing the rmament and allowing this other world to leak in around its crown. Scaling the
called Mhar who aempted to enter Golarion from some alien realm, only to be caught and petried midway through its emergence from the mountain. What Mhar might have been and what power might have been great enough to stop him is unknown, but none dared contemplate the consequences had Mhar been successful in his transition. The entity’s face was all that remained, frozen at the mountain’s peak in stone. Runelord Kaladurnae (the original Runelord of Greed) chose this site to build his city partially due to these legends, and now,
Face extremely with even of theMhar mostisdirect routedangerous, (the ascending Golden Road) posing numerous diculties along the way. Ascending the mountain via the Golden Road is the easiest climb, few real challenges exist along its face, where the road becomes particularly steep or has crumbled away for short stretches. Aempts to climb the mountain along any other route require an Athletics (climb) roll at –2 or suer one Fatigue. Anyone without proper climbing gear must make the roll at
thousands years fall, tales –4. Magical ight is a much safer option, as is of Mhar canofstill beafter readThassilon’s in moldering tomes. teleportation. Even then, the winds, thin air, With each new runelord, arcane sculptors and cold present deadly hazards. changed and altered the features of the face to match the new lord, yet still, even the runelords couldn’t completely shake the feeling that something else, something far older than Thassilon, looked out from those The Runelords of Greed often used the proximity of Leng for their own plots, but it cold stony eyes in the World’s Roof. Mhar’s failed aempt to come to Golarion wasn’t until Karzoug rose to power that the scarred the region in other ways—most rulers of Shalast formally entered an alliance notably, in the thinning of the boundary of sorts with that realm’s denizens. betwee bet ween n th this is wo world rld an and d th thee nig night htmar maree It was with the aid of the denizens of Leng that
INVADE RS FR FROM OM LEN LENG G INVADERS
realm of Leng. The inuence of Leng grows ever more powerful the higher one climbs along the slopes of Mhar Massif, almost as if the
Karzoug built the tower known Guiltspur, and the massive Cyphergate thatas looms today over the city of Riddleport. His nal project with these otherworldly entities is known
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PART P ART AR T FIVE: FIVE: SCALING SCAL SCALING ING MHAR MHAR MASSIF M MASSIF ASSIF
only as the Leng Device Device— — a machine capab capable le of bending time (see area X12). But far more monsters dwell in Leng than its eponymous denizens, and few of these monsters share alliances among themselves. The enormous spiders of Leng are chief among the ancient enemies of the not-quitehumanoid denizens, and after the fall of
your vexingly symmetrical appearances, have returned to this world to honor an ancient alliance with the recrudescent lord.” The spiders go on to half-request, halfdemand that the heroes act as their executioners—enter the pinnacle above and destroy the denizens of Leng they nd within. If they can, they must also destroy the
Thassilon, Leng spiders worlds were able to pierce the several boundary between here, once Mhar Massif’s defenses crumbled. The spiders found a dead world under a black sky, and swiftly slaughtered those denizens of Leng that they found still stationed here. When Karzoug woke recently, he called a new group of denizens to aid in repairing and activating the Leng Device, and the spiders of Leng took note. A group of three particularly powerful spiders have recently arrived in the region— their proxim proximity ity to Leng protects them from the eects of the occluding eld, and their ioun stones help sustain them in the thin atmosphere, but the spiders have been unsuccess unsuccessful ful in inltrating the region protected by the occluding eld. Eager to nd out more about what their enemies are up to, the Leng spiders do not initially see the heroes as enemies but rather as tools. The three mastodon-sized spiders (each bearing an odd number number of legs legs— — seven or nine or 11, but not eight, like one might expect of a spider) approach the party warily when they notice them. The spiders are powerful, yet also quite intelligent—they realize humanoids capable of reaching this part of the world are likely not pushovers. The lead spider, a bloated creature that keeps web bolas ready, addresses the party using its tongues ability, informing them that they are required to perform a service rather than merely serve as sustenance for their bellies. Assuming the adventurers don’t immediately aack the monsters, the spiders keep their distance (approaching no closer than 12 yards) during the conversation. They explain with swiftly mounting impatience: “Our enemies, those from Leng who play at aping
Leng Device. The spiders know lile about what the device is, aside from the fact that the denizens were called upon by Karzoug to aid in its creation over 10,000 years ago, and that its destruction will distress their enemies in a way the spiders anticipate to be quite qu ite pleasing. If the pathnders think to ask for a reward, the spiders are amused and the palpitations of their pedipalps and nightmarish mouths might be interpretable as laughter. If the heroes press for a reward, the spiders grow tired and aack the party and feast on them after all. • Leng Spiders (4): See (4): See below. One Leng spider is a Wild Card Alpha.
LENG SPIDER
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LENG SPIDER Type: Evil Magical Beast (Leng Spider) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d12, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Strength d12+3, Vigor d10 Athletics thletics d10, Fighting Figh ting d10, Notice d10, Skills: A Skills: Occult d10, Spellcasting d10, Survival d6 Pace: 7; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7; Toughness: 13 13 (1)
ArcaneFrenzy Background Edges: Edges: Arcane Resistance, (Imp) (Magic), Arcane puppet. Powers: Dispel , y Powers: , y , illusion , invisibility , , puppet. Power Points: 15 Points: 15 Gear: Masterwork web flail (Str+d8, AP 1), masterwork web bola (Range 8/16/32, Damage Str+d4, AP 1). iridescent spindle ioun stone Special Abilities: Armor +1: Outsider +1: Outsider resistances. Bite: Str+d6. Innate Abilities: Abilities: Major speak language (all languages), entangle entangle (web, uses Spellcasting). Immune: Cold, confusion , poison, sonic. Night Vision: Leng Vision: Leng spiders ignore penalties for Illumination. Poison (–2): Anyone (–2): Anyone damaged by a leng spider’s bite suffers the effects of Mild poison. Size 5: Leng 5: Leng spiders have a legspan of 30 feet and weigh nearly three tons. Very Resilient: Leng Resilient: Leng spiders can take two Wounds before they’re Incapacitated. Web Weaponry: Leng Weaponry: Leng spiders can create and use masterwork weaponry from their webs and nearby objects.
The occluding eld continues to bar their entrance into the spires region, but if the heroes return to the spiders after completing the task, the spiders don’t thank thank them at all all— — they merely aack them. In fact, even if the heroes don’t intentionally return to interact with these treacherous arachnids, you can use them as an additional encounter against creatures the partycertainly at some aren’t point in the future—the bound bou nd to rem remain ain in thi thiss area, are a, and may eventually clamber down the mountainside to investigate the Lower City.
THE OCC OCCLUD LUDING ING FIE FIELD LD To keep the Spires of Xin-Shalast a secret through the millennia, the entire complex lies within a vast eect called an occluding eld, centered upon the Pinnacle of Avarice (area W). The occluding eld renders the entire area shown on the Spires of Xin-Shalast map on page 57 57 impenetrable to divination or scrying of any sort (though use of the Eye of Avarice to scry upon the outside world is not similarly barred). Furthermore, the occluding field sheds a powerful effect that spurns and rejects those not auned to the region. This eld feels like an invisible force, almost like gravity, that seems to push against intruders. Teleportation eects simply do not function in this area (with the notable exception of the portal in area X14), and it creates a completely
TREASURE
impassable barrier to creatures who aempt to enter the region while ethereal. The Leng spiders have come prepared for the The sensation also causes intense vertigo, as hostile environment environment— — immunity to cold and the ability to y to y helps helps them somewhat, but if gravity’s direction had suddenly changed each of them also uses an iridescent spindle to be behind the character attempting to approach the Spires of Xin-Shalast. Worse, ioun stone to cope with the thin air. once a minute, the field pulses with an invisible force that creates wracking, AFTERMATH blinding pain. When such a pulse occurs, any non-auned Though they share some of the heroes’ enemies, the Leng spiders are not safe allies. creature in the occluding eld must make a Once the party defeats the denizens of Leng, Vigor roll at –2 to avoid taking 4d6 damage the spiders no longer have any real use for (this damage bypasses all forms of armor them. The spiders have h ave no easy way to return to Leng immediately, though, and thus remain in the region even after the heroes have carried out their mission.
and environmental protection) and a Spirit roll to avoid suering Energy Drain (Spirit) as ashes of an alien world rip through his mind, leaving madness and fear in their
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PART P ART AR T FIVE: FIVE: SCALING SCAL SCALING ING MHAR MHAR MASSIF M MASSIF ASSIF
SPIRES OF XIN-SHALAST W
U V
N T S
1 SQUARE = 100 FEET
wake. A character who fails both rolls in the the mountain, these fantastic spires served same round permanently gains the Blind as the administrative heart of the Satrapy of Hindrance. Greed and the seat of power of Karzoug and Anyone wearing a Sihedron medallion his runelord predecessors. or Sihedron ring can ignore the eects of Composed of multiple towers clinging to the occluding eld. Other magic items with the side of the mountain, surrounding the powerful links to Thassilon or Shalast may central Pinnacle of Avarice, this vast citadel work as well, at your discretion. Mindless was once a city in and of itself, with each creatures like constructs and vermin are also tower soaring hundreds of feet in height and immune to these eects, as are all auned containing countless passages, chambers, and creatures (this includes all of the denizens of balements. Despite the size of this fortress, Leng in area X12 and all outsiders conjured it is all but abandoned—only the highest directly into the eld via calling eects like level of the Pinnacle Pinnac le of A Avarice, varice, the chambers planar pla nar bin bindin dingg with the aid of the anima where Karzoug spent the last minutes of focus in area X17). Characters wielding a Thassilon’s height and the chambers where domineering weapon (see Appendix in Sins he will once again emerge into this world, is and Saviors) Saviors) gains +2 on rolls to resist the inhabited. eects and don't go blind if they fail both rolls. Its residents are Karzoug’s elite—his If the heroes have not yet learned about the champions, his apprentices, and his aid the Sihedron rings can grant them, once generals—and to defeat the runelord and they are exposed to the occluding eld’s prevent his return, the party must rst best power they can certainly learn about these these powerful minions. divination.. items’ value via spells like divination The outlying areas of the Spires are detailed det ailed in brief here, however, for you to expand upon in your campaign as you see t.
THE SPI SPIRES RES
The Spires of Xin-Shalast, the fabled citadel on the World’s Roof, house the end of the party’s quest. Situated on the steep face of
S THE TEETH
These structures of cut alabaster rise on squat bases to pyramidal peaks 400 feet high. Their interiors are largely hollow, composed of a
57
R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS few cavernous chambers. In days of old, these th ese V FUGUE TOWERS towers served as the guarded gateway into This triangular fortress comprises three the domicile of the Runelords of Greed. slender towers rising 800 feet, each connected Blue dragons outfitted with necklaces of by thi thick ck walls to cre create ate a deep pit of a adaptation once dwelt in these towers, courtyar courtyard d in the center. A single stair spirals serving as guardians for the approach to the within the south tower, connecting all of the Spires. In time, Karzoug hopes to repopulate levels, which consist of hall upon hall of cell his draconic guards, starting with Ghlorofaex. blocks built built within the thick fortress w walls. alls. For though, these ivory teeth stand silentnow, and empty.
T HARRIDANS’ COMPOUND
On this desolate precipice, enemies too valuable to kill whiled away the years in squalor and isolation. Today, the cells stand empty but for the souls of the restless dead left to rot within them, but the halls themselves are still patrolled by powerful golems.
These three spires have intricate facades with hundreds of arches and balconies. Each stands 1,300 feet high, and the three surround a walled compound. Lamia harridans who W PI PINNACLE NNACLE OF AV AVARICE ARI CE served in the runelord’s highest echelon This immense tower is the lair of Karzoug and saw to most of the administration of his himself. It is detailed in full in Part Six. empiree — free empir freeing ing him to pursue his magical research and plot the downfall of his rivals— rivals — became bec ame kno known wn as the Har Harrid ridans ans of the Mountain, for their place of prominence at the feet of the runelord’s own abode. The three towers of this compound were the Ambassadors’ Spire, where envoys to the court of the Runelord of Greed were welcomed and housed; the Rune Spire, where Xin-Shalast’s giant servitors were subjected to the will-sapping and mind-controlling talents of the lamias to indoctrinate them as absolutely loyal slaves; and the Harridans’ Spire, where the Harridans of the Mountain themselvess resided and held court with their themselve own secret councils. The descendants of these lamia-kin have spread throughout Xin-Shalast and await a time when their leaders return to these towers—but currently, only one harridan dwells in Xin-Shalast—the dangerous and deadly oracle known as Most High Ceoptra (see area X17). For now, this compound lies abandoned of life.
U MALIGN ASCENSION This winding path climbs from the harridans’ compound to the runelord’s citadel. It rises 1,000 feet over its meandering course, providing the only direct land access from the climbing. city below that doesn’t involve mountain
58
PART SIX: PINNACLE OF AVARICE The true true heart of the domain of Shalast Shalast,, this massive ice-shrouded to tower wer of white granite ser served ved as the se sea at of e every very R Runelord unelord of Greed up to and including Karzoug. The 2,200-foot 2,200-foot--tall to tower wer tops out respectfull respectfully y just below the carved face at the mountain’s peak, yet the pinnacle is mostly hollow. The inside of the immense structure soars like a cavernous silo, supported suppor ted by an intrica intricate te internal archite architectural ctural wonder of doz dozens ens of stone flying buttresses and arches.
H
undreds of 50-foot-tall arches around the Pinnacle’s base allow access to its ground oor, which is a huge circular
room that once held the runewell at its center. The runewell has shifted into a small dimension between the Material Plane and Leng called the th e Eye of A Avarice, varice, leaving only a 67-yard-diameter polished stone circle on the oor surrounded by 16 immense pillars that rise up like the legs of a spider to support a central column that extends all the way up to Karzoug’s personal chambers more than 2,000 feet above. A spiraling ramp wraps around the outer circumference of the lower 16 pillars up to the central column, continuing up its length and giving the central column a look akin to an immense screw. This ramp leads up to area X1 of the Pinnacle of A Avarice. varice. The entire edice looks impossible—an Academics (engineering) roll reveals the immense size of the structure should have resulted in its immediate collapse, yet still it stands. The stone of the Pinnacle of Avarice is infused with powerful magic, and it is this that has protected the tower from the elements and collapse over the last 100 centuries. No encounters occur in this cavernous
KARZOUG’S STORY During the reign of Runelord Haphrama, Karzoug was born in a slave den in the city of Malistoke. What horrors he endured through the early years of his life in the city’s esh pits are unknown, for they were later stricken from history at his command. One thing is for certain, though: when Karzoug walked from the dark gates of that city 27 years later, his path was soaked in blood and his soul charred as black as night’s void. With gold teeth plucked from the head of his last master, Karzoug was able to buy an apprenticeship with a traveling demon
binder named Thurbel. For he followed Thurbel, serving asseven both ayears lure for summoned ends and a slave to the wizard. He died more than once during these years at the overzealous claws and fangs of demons, but each time his master—who had grown wealthy through the sale of his demonic services—saw t to have Karzoug resurrected. Karzoug’s suering was perhaps as great during this time as it had been in Malistoke, but during these years he rose in magical power, learning the ner points of rulership and exercise of power at the hands of amoral demon tutors. space below below — Karzoug and and his nal minions Thus, when Karzoug heard of Runelord await the heroes on the Pinnacle’s only Haphrama’s call for new apprentices, he inhabited oor, 2,000 feet above. scued a summoning circle during one of Thurbel’s conjurations and idly looted his
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS master’s belongings as the freed daemon devoured the wizard’s body. With several potent magic items in tow and enough gold to impress even a Runelord of Greed, Karzoug was easily selected to serve as one of Haphrama’s new devotees. At the feet of the runelord runelord,, Karzoug learned much of the art of transmutation and the
take any chances, Karzoug elected to have his protections so overwhelming within the Eye of Avarice that nothing could harm him, yet this also required what he planned on being nothing more than a temporary suspension of his ability to exist. The plan was to have the stasis eect on his apprentice Khalib (or failing that, one
magic greed. Heoffound himself by theofthinni thi nning ng real reality ity tha thatt enthralled occ occurr urred ed near the slopes of Mhar Massif. With secret alliances between himself and denizens from Leng, Karzoug began to master strange, eldritch powers in secret. His pacts promised a twisting of reality, providing his inscrutable tutors greater access to the lands of men. When, in the 206th year of his reign, Haphrama nally caught wind of Karzoug’s ploing, he was too late to stop his upstart apprentice. A virulent spell provided to Karzoug by new allies from Leng consumed both Haphrama and his other apprentice, Vhage, stripping their souls from their bodies and hurling them into the void between the planes. Karzoug took up the burning glaive—the Runelord of Greed’s symbol of rule—at the age of 77 and began his reign as Runelord of Greed. His reign saw the rise of Shalast to new heights, as his cunning and manipulative nature wended countless paths to power. Despite his people’s dread, Karzoug’s capital at Xin-Shalast rose in prominence, becoming one of the age’s most breathtaking cities— though its grandeur existed only to delight the runelord and the nobles and slaves he gathered around him. In his 466-year reign, Karzoug surpassed all of the previous Runelords of Greed in power and, it could be argued, several fellow runelords as well. Like his peers, though, he was forced at the height of his inuence to retreat from the world to avoid the cataclysm that befell it. He took with him into this selfimposed exile 35 rune giants and his favorite apprentice, Khalib. The plan was for the stasis to persist for some so me time after Earthfall, with Karzoug securely hidden between worlds in a demiplane of his own construction construction — the Eye of Avar Avarice ice— — where he would be protected long enough for the apocalypse to run its course. Unwilling to
of his 35 rune giants, or failing an intervention of one of a dozen other that, minions and apprentices who rode out the apocalypse elsewhere throughout Shalast) automatically end after a period of 100 years, at which point Karzoug’s minions would awaken and go about the process of charging his runewell to restore him fully to life. Yet Karzoug’s plans, as with the plans of the other six runelords, vastly underestimated the nature of Thassilon’s fall. The various betraya bet rayals ls by th those ose the th e sev seven en runelo run elords rds counted as allies, combined with the uer and unanticipated unanticip ated scale of the devastation caused by Earthfall, Eart hfall, ccompletely ompletely disrupted not only Karzoug’s complex multi-layered plans for his revival, but also those of all the runelords. And so time passed, and Karzoug remained in stasis deep in the Eye of Avarice. Dormant, his mind exploring realms beyond, Karzoug waited for millennia, anticipating the time when the runelords would once again rise over Golarion. A time, it seems, that has nally come.
PINNACLE OF AVARICE FEATURES The Pinnacle of Avarice is composed of massive stone blocks hewn from the mountain’s surface. Its outer face is smooth, with only small mortared seams between the masonry blocks. The whole construction is considered magically treated reinforced masonry ranging from a few feet to hundreds of feet thick, depending on the location. Rooms and passages are at least 50 feet high and often rise as high as 100 feet to accommodate its gigantic inhabitants. The walls of the rooms are carved in all manner of detailed murals depicting life in ancient XinShalast and are still painted in vibrant color.
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PART SIX: SI SIX X:: PINN PI NNACLE ACLE OF AV AVAR ARICE ICE
The oor is of highly polished gold and onyx in a checkerboard paern. Doors are made of solid stone, plated in gold and silver and studded with gemstones. They are unlocked, unless otherwise noted, and despite their immense size swing open silently at the lightest lightest touch— opening a door in the Pinnacle of Avarice is a free action.
where Karzoug waits. Overall, exploration of this complex shouldn’t feel like a dungeon crawl as much as it does a long, drawnout bale that spans multiple rooms and opponents. Nevertheless, there are nearly two dozen encounter areas in the Pinnacle, and if the heroes take the time to visit and explore before
Ancient everburning torches still light the halls and rooms at irregular intervals, providing shadowy illumination throughout. These torches are made of ivory and inlaid with rubies and glow with a vibrant light. Even the sconces in which the torches sit are made of silver with jade inlay. Once, these chambers were equally opulently decorated, and the temperature and air were maintained at a comfortable level for creatures more used to life in the Lower City. While the magical enhancements that keep the air in here breathable and at a chilly but not deadly temperature of 40º F still function, over the centuries the majority of the decorations and furnishings within have decayed and crumbled, leaving behind only the stone walls. The new denizens of these chambers have brought along their ow own n rou rough gh fu furnishings rnishings to make life here comfortable while they wait for Karzoug to complete his return from the Eye of Avarice. Nevertheless, with 2d4 hours of work, a dedicated looter can scavenge 2d6 × 100 gp worth of gold, gems, and other baubles from any of the Pinnacle’s 23 encounter areas over and above any of the treasure listed for the specic areas—once an area has been stripped of this incidental gold, though, it cannot be so harvested again. Note that all of the Pinnacle’s inhabitants know who the heroes are and are familiar with their basic strengths and weaknesses. Karzoug has learned from speaking to the souls the party sent to his runewell as much as from reports from his numerous agents in the world. As such, unless the heroes are well disguised and have a really good story, the chances for diplomacy and nonviolent resolutions to encounters in the Pinnacle of
they their rush ahead to confront Karzoug, they’l they’lll nd discoveries and accomplishments may just save their lives. Conversely, heroes who ignore things like the opportunity to defeat Karzoug’s key minions, destroy the Leng Device (see area X12), rescue Viorian (see area X3), or otherwise chip away at Karzoug’s defenses could easily nd themselves facing not just a runelord and his pet dragon in the end game, but a small army of giant giantss and powerf powerful ul minions as well! Doors and Walls: Walls: All of the doors and
Avarice are unlikely at best. It’s likely the adventurers need to mount multiple forays into the Pinnacle before they can secure an a n entrance in into to the Eye of Av Avarice arice
walls Pinnacle are magically treated stone, in andthe thus have Hardness 20 and require several hours of work to break. Any aempt to physically bypass a wall or door by a spell effect that doesn’t damage it is prone to failure— failure — such spells are cast at a –2 –2..
PINNACLE RESOURCES While the party is free to tackle the encounter areas in the Pinnacle of Avarice in any order they wish, once a ght begins, word spreads fast. If the heroes don’t handle their ghts quickly and decisively, they swiftly find themselves being overwhelmed by lamias, giants, and worse. For sake of ease, the total numbers of opponents in the Pinnacle are summarized here, so you can more easily keep track of the area’s reinforcements. Lesser Wardens: Wardens: Numerous cloud and storm giants dominated by their rune giant masters patrol the halls or guard key areas. This includes a total of 10 wardens of wind (cloud giants) and three wardens of thunder (storm giants). As long as at least one rune giant remains active in the Pinnacle, slain wardens are replenished at the rate of two wardens of wind and one warden of thunder per day.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS
RESOURCE ALLOCATION As mentioned in Pinnacle Resources, any ght here is likely to evolve into a much larger combat based on where the encounter is located. A reference of these locations and
Khalib: Karzoug’s only surviving Khalib: apprentice, Khalib, is in area X15. He responds to alarms after casting his preparatory spells as detailed in his encounter area. As long as Khalib lives, he can replenish one conjured guardian a day via planar via planar binding. binding. Viorian: Karzoug’s current champion and wielder of the sword of greed, Viorian serves ser ves
the enemies within within are llisted isted below below.. X1: Wardens of wind (4) X3: Viorian, wardens of thunder (3) X4: Warden of runes X6: Lamia priestesses (4) X7: Hungerers (2) X8: Astradaemon X10: Ayruzi X12: The Thing from Beyond Time, denizens of Leng (12) X13: Warden of runes wardens
as Karzoug’s of law until the emerges fullyword from the runewell. Sherunelord spends most of her time in area X3, patiently awaiting the will of her master. She and her three giant guardians remain here unless an alarm persists for ve rounds, at which point they move to provide aid. Conjured Guardians: Additional Guardians: Additional monsters exist in the Pinnacle, though these creatures, such as the shemhazian demon in area X16, do not venture far from their assigned areas of guardianship.
of wind (3) X15: Khalib X16: Shemhazian demon X17: Most High Ceoptra, wardens of wind (3)
X1 ENTRANCE RAMP
Denizens of Leng: The Leng: The 12 denizens of Leng remain in area X12 and do not emerge under any circumstances. Lamias: The most dangerous lamia in Lamias: the pinnacle is the last harridan, Most High Ceoptra. She remains in area X17 as the guardian of the anima focus, yet the hungerers who dwell in area X7 are quick to move to defend the Pinnacle as needed. As long as Ceoptra lives, new hungerers can be brou brought ght in from Xin-S Xin-Shala halast st to repl replace ace slain ones at the rate of one replacement per day. Rune Giants: There Giants: There are two rune giants in all: one in area X4 and another in area X13. The one in area X13 responds to alarms immediately, but the one in area X4 doesn’t mobilize unless an alarm continues for at least ve rounds. Each time a rune giant is defeated, one warden of thunder and two wardens of wind (chosen randomly) are released from domination and aempt to escape Xin-Shalast.
The seemingly innite stone ramp nally comes to an end here. A massive pair of golden gol den dou double ble doo doors rs sta stands nds to the nor north, th, while a smaller golden door to the west allows an alternative route onward. Intricate carvings on the walls evoke images of Xin-Shalast in its heyday, accented with vibrant paint and inlaid gems here and there. The highly polished oor consists of a checkerboard paern of gold and black tiles, while the entire place is brilliantly lit by what appear to dozensdecadent of bejeweled bej eweled everburning torches inbeequally sconces. The larger doors that lead into area X2 can be locked via a lever on the opposite side, though unless the alarm is raised, the inhabitants of the Pinnacle leave the doors open for convenience. Once they’re locked, a Thievery roll at –2 can force the doors open from this side. The smaller door leads into a room that was once used as an oce, but is now empty. A group of four wardens of wind are posted to this hall guards. Dominated by rune giants, theseascloud giants remain watchful and alert, patient, and silent. All of these giants prominently bear the mark of the Sihedron as a brand on their brows.
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PART SIX: SI SIX X:: PINN PI NNACLE ACLE OF AV AVAR ARICE ICE
THE PI PINN PINNA NNA NNACL ACLE CLE OF A AV VAR ARIC ICE E
X16
X15
X17 X4
X2
X1
X3 X9A X9 X9B
X11
X13
X9C X8A X7 X8
X5
X12 X8B X6
X14 X10
N 1 SQUARE = 12 FEET STAIRS UP DOWN KARZOUG IMAGE
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS • Wardens of Wind (4): See (4): See Cloud Giant,
page 29. 29. These giants have full sets of plate (+5, Aegis) and Sihedron rings. One cloud giant is a Wild Card captain.
TACTICS The cloud giants’ primary goal is to prevent the party from using this area to enter the Pinnacle; they take near the doors to doup so.defensive Each has apositions stash of six boulders to hurl at foes who choose to ght at range. These giants ght to the death.
X2 VISION OF KARZOUG The ceiling of this curving hallway rises to an arch some fifty feet above. Curving to the west, the hall ends at a particularly immense pair of double doors that appear to be made of gold.
the character) automatically feels a strong sense of antipathy toward any such projected image, and realizes that by plunging the weapon into such a projected image (treat this as if the character were making an aack against Karzoug’s Parry: 7), she can automatically dispel the eect. Dispelling an image of Karzoug in this way through sends ha the powerful ofAmagic back throug llink ink intobacklash the Ey Eyee of varice, varice, forcing the runelord to suer Energy Drain (Random Aribute). In all, there are six areas in the Pinnacle where Karzoug can manifest, but once an image vanishes or is dispelled in any way, that thin spot between this world worl d and the Eye of Avarice Avarice closes forever. In time, new spots may manifest in the area, but for now, these six areas not only give Karzoug a chance to nish the heroes o before they can reach his domain, but also
give the party an opportunity to strike at the In several places throughout the Pinnacle of runelord as well, either directly via the threat Avarice, the boundary between Golarion and of Energy Drain, or indirectly by forcing Leng is particularly thin—these locations the runelord to begin depleting his magical allow Karzoug to directly observe and, to resources before the party confronts him. Of course, the longer the heroes wait a certain extent, interact with objects in the manifestati ons vicinity. Six of these points exist within between dealing with these manifestations the Pinnacle of Avarice, such as the one in and attacking Karzoug directly, the less impactful these temporary setbacks will be this hallway. These locations are marked on the map for the runelord. The rst time Karzoug manifests in this by Sihed Sihedrons rons.. When Whenever ever the heroe heroess enter into view of one of these locations, Karzoug manner, his aitude is one of condescension can notice the approach as if he were there and mockery aimed at the party. A typical in person and immediately manifests slightly transparent image of himself at thea introduction might be as follows. “And so the fools have found me. I must location marked. applaud your tenacity. You are much Treat this as if Karzoug were using illusion — more persistent than the worms I thought he cannot move his projected image from this you to to be. spot (though he can rotate in place), but can You are more like hungry maggots m aggots in your continue to sense the area around him as if endless squirming and writhing to get to the he were there in person. Likewise, he can use death that awaits you at the core of your fate. this projected image to cast spells against I am that fate, maggots. I am your death!” targets in range of the image. Whenever Karzoug casts a spell through In future encounters against the heroes image has a cumulative 20% chance of through these thin spots, Karzoug grows vanishing each time he casts a spell through increasingly aware of how powerful his foes it, the magicAn having thedispelled tenuous are and spends less and less time on mockery. connection. imagedisrupted can also be By the time the party encounters and survives as normal. ve of his manifestations, Karzoug actually A character who owns a dominant weapon begins to grow nervous, though he tries not (even if that weapon is not currently held by to show it.
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PART SIX: SI SIX X:: PINN PI NNACLE ACLE OF AV AVAR ARICE ICE If Karzoug fails three rolls against the Energy Drains at any one time from backlash caused by dominant weapons, he’ll even avoid activating these thin spots—but even then, a Notice roll at –2 or the use of detect arcana or arcana or similar eects can observe the strong conjuration magic these thin spots emit. This allows a person wielding a dominant
They became known as the Seven Swords of Sin, and until recently, were lile more than obscure reminders of the power the runelords once wielded. The sword of greed is a golden scimitar named Chellan (see page 91), 91), and most recently was the property of a particularly greedy mercenary guildmaster from Riddleport named Viorian Dekanti.
weapon thrust it intoDrain the spot andrunelord. close it. Doing soto inicts Energy on the Karzoug’s stats, and -all the spells he has available for use through these images, appear on page 84. 84.
When Mokmurian wakened Karzoug ve years ago, Chellan awoke as well, aring to golden life. Woken from sleep by a strange keening, Viorian investigated her collection to nd the sword shining in its display. As she removed the sword from its case to examine it, the powerful weapon seized control of her. She murdered everyone in her manor, and then set o for Xin-Shalast. The sword kept her alive on the journey, and when she arrived in Xin-Shalast she was met with open arms by its inhabitants. Baptized in the runewell, she spent the past ve years training and honing her skill under Chellan’s command. Now Viorian is lile more than a vessel for the sword’s power. Viorian is a beautiful woman, yet her years under Chellan’s command have erased any remnants of her soul and personality. She is now little more than a mindless shell controlled by the sword of greed, with lile to interest her apart from basking in the glory of this throne room. She has become yet another of Karzoug’s treasures, and one of his most deadly, for she does not hesitate to aack any who dare enter this sacred vault. She is aended by three wardens of thunder who serve her as bodyguards, though the giants fear what she has become to the extent that they avoid approaching within 2" of her unless absolutely necessary.
X3 THR THRONE ONE ROOM ROOM The interior of this dazzling chamber is awash in golden light—it shines from fro m every gem, every strip of gold gold,, and every silver silver-inlaid wall carving, creating a kaleidoscope of color and riches. The checkerboard paern on the oor is interrupted in a twenty-foot-wide path from the northeastern doors to a throne on a dais of onyx to the southwest by a path of what appear to be countless rubies, forming a “red carpet” of sorts to the throne. This throne, if possible, makes the rest of the chamber’s extravagance seem pale and poor, for it is made of shining gold, diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, and draped with shimmering, glowing furs from unrecognizable creatures.
This was Karzoug’s throne room—the place where he would hear the needs of his nobles and pass down judgment on crimes against his nation. He very rarely held court here, though, preferring to spend his time in other endeavors. Dekanti: See below. P Viorian Dekanti: See When he wasn’t in court, this throne • Wardens of Thunder (3): See (3): See below. was typically occupied by his current champion—a soldier wielding one of the Alara’hai, the legendary sword of greed. P VIORIAN When Thassilon fell and the runelords Type: Evil Humanoid (Human Fighter) went into hiding, the seven weapons known Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, collectively as the Alara’hai likewise went Strength d12+2, Vigor d12 dormant, leaving their champions to their Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d6, Skills: Athletics fates. For thousands of years, these weapons Skills: Fighting d12+1, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, circulated among treasure hoards, collections, Persuasion Persuasio n d4, Riding d6, Shooting d8 and owners, and while their magic remained minimal, their legends did not.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS Pace: 6; Parry: 9 or 14 (Chellan and shield); Runelord Champion: Viorian bears the rune of greed upon her left shoulder, Toughness: 13 Toughness: 13 (5) a physical manifestation of her role as Edges: Arcane Resistance, Deadly Blow, Edges: Karzoug’s champion. As long as Karzoug Fighter, Frenzy, Martial Flexibility (Imp), lives, she gains complete immunity to fear to fear , Martial Prowess, Nerves of Steel (Imp), empathy , mind wipe , and puppet and puppet.. Tough as Nails, Trademark Weapon (Imp, Unstoppable: Unstoppable: Karivek can’t suer more Chellan), Weapon Master than one wound from a single aack (after Gear: Chellan (Str+d10+1, AP 2, See page Soak rolls are made). 91 91), ), composite longbow (Range 12/24/48, (Domineering): Viorian Damage Str+d6, AP 2, Brutal) with 20 Weakness (Domineering): qualies as a transmuter for a domineering arrows, full plate (+5, Aegis), heavy shield weapon’s Bane eects. (Deecting), belt of minor physical perfection (Strength and Vigor), potion of major Languages: Languages: Common, Common, Draconic, Giant. speed , 5x p potion otion of major healing , boots boo ts of levitation, cloak of displacement, headband WARDEN OF THUNDER of minor mental prowess (Spirit), scarab of protection (10 charges), Sihedron ring, see Type: Evil Humanoid (Storm Giant) page 93. 93. Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d10, Aributes: Agility Aributes: Special Abilities: Strength d12+5, Vigor d12 Class Abilities (Fighter): (Fighter): Martial Skills: Skills: A Athletics thletics d8, d 8, Common Knowledg Knowledgee d6, Flexibility. Fighting d10, Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Permanent Spell: Viorian Spell: Viorian has a permanent Performance Perfor mance d6, Stealth d4
mind link with Karzoug.
VIORIAN DEKANTI
Pace: 8; Parry: 7; 7; Toughness: 18 (4) Toughness: 18 Edges: Frenzy, Sweep Edges: Frenzy, Gear: Masterwork giant greatsword (Str+d10, AP 3), masterwork composite longbow (Range 12/24/48, Damage Str+d6, AP 2), chain shirt (+3). Powers: Bolt (Lightning Bolt, use Spirit as Powers: arcane skill). skill). Power Points: 10. Points: 10. Special Abilities: Ancestry (Giant): Low (Giant): Low Light Vision, Reach 1, Swat. Armor +1: Tough +1: Tough skin. Aquatic: Aquatic: Storm Storm giants swim at Pace 7. Control Weather: A storm giant can concentrate for 10 minutes to summon and control any type of weather with appropriate eects (GM's call) within a two mile radius. Immune: Electricity. Innate Powers: Minor (levitate up and Powers: Minor y y (levitate down only). Rock Throwing: Throwing: Giants are exceptionally good at throwing rocks, and can even throw at Extreme Range. Damage Str+d12, Range 20/40/80, Heavy Weapon. Size 6 (Huge): 22' (Huge): 22' tall, +1 Wound. Languages: Auran, Common, Draconic, Languages: Giant.
TACTICS Before combat, Viorian drinks her potion of speed. After this, her tactics tactics are simple— she
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PART SIX: SI SIX X:: PINN PI NNACLE ACLE OF AV AVAR ARICE ICE selects the strongest-looking foe and focuses her wrath upon him, moving to other foes only when her current target is defeated. She uses Desperate Aack or Wild Aack as long as she doesn’t feel too overwhelmed. Viorian Vioria n ghts to the death. The wardens of thunder use bolt bolt during the rst 2 rounds of combat, after which one
as Karzoug’s champion-to-be, and if left to her own devices becomes increasingly obsessed with nding out more about the other six runelords so that she can prevent what Karzoug did to her from happening to anyone else. In the meantime, she’ll absolutely aid the heroes in facing Karzoug in the Eye of
moves to ank foes with Viorian and the other two hang back to use their longbows against healers. These giants ght to the death.
Avarice, giving them a powerful ally in the ght to come.
TREASURE Beyond the amount of treasure carried by Viorian herself, the value of the gemstones and precious metals in this room is signicant. A single dedicated looter can spend an hour prying up gems, scraping gold plating, and otherwise scavenging wealth to the amount of 1d6 × 1,000 gp per hour spent working in this room, to a maximum amount of looted wealth equal to 60,000 gp.
AFTERMATH
CONVICTION AWARDED! CONVICTION AWARDED If the heroes manage to free Viorian from the control of Chellan and redeem her, award them Conviction.
X4 RUNE GIANT LAIR A pair of outrageously outrageously sized beds, eeach ach over forty feet long, lie aagainst gainst the far wall of tthis his enormous chamber. A towering stone table ankedd by equally anke equally oversized oversized chairs chairs sits in the center of the room.
Though the inuence of Karzoug and Chellan have completely rebuilt Viorian’s personality and destroyed her memories (to the extent that if she loses the sword, she continues functioning as a single-minded runelord’s champion), it’s possible to restore the woman to her previous personality. Doing so rst requires separating Viorian
Though each of the stasis cells in area X13 once held a rune giant, most of these towering monsters relocated to Xin-Shalast to aid in reclaiming the city for Karzoug. Only a few remain here in the Pinnacle, and they generally rest in shifts. The first time the characters enter this room, a single rune giant is doing just that—
from this Chellan a minimum of and 24 hours. After point,for Viorian’s Smarts Spirit die each drop to d4 and remain at that level until Chellan is returned to her (at which point these scores return to normal and she resumes her role as Karzoug’s champion) or she is targeted by a relief and and dispel dispel at at –4, at which point her Aributes are restored and her previous personality—as a evil leader of a now disbanded Riddleport gang she is signicantly overqualied to lead— is restored. Despite her evil nature, she remembers her time as Karzoug’s thrall, and the kindness the heroes show her can set her swiftly s wiftly down the path of redemption. Whatever her new fate, she retains the skills and experience she gained during the past several years
slumbering in one the enormous beds here (unless combat in of a nearby room woke him, of course!) P Warden of Runes: See Runes: See below.
P WARDEN OF RUNES Type: Evil Humanoid (Rune Giant) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d12+8, Vigor d12 Skills: Academics Skills: Academics d6, Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d12, Notice d10, Stealth d4 Pace: 7; Parry: 8; 8; Toughness: 21 (5) Toughness: 21 Edges: No Edges: No Mercy, Sweep (Imp) Gear: Masterwork giant longsword (Str+d8, AP 1), masterwork spear (Range 8/16/32,
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS Damage Str+d6, AP 1), full plate (+5, Aegis), Sihidron ring Special Abilities: Ancestry (Giant): Low (Giant): Low Light Vision, Reach 2, Swat. Dominate Giant: A Rune Giant can use major puppet against other giants. When used on a giant this ability can be maintained indenitely. Immunity: Cold, electricity, re. Innate Powers: Major minor puppet puppet.. Powers: Major y, y, minor Size 8 (Huge): Rune (Huge): Rune giants stand 40’ tall and weigh almost 25,000 lbs. +2 Wound Spark Shower: The Shower: The body of a rune giant can erupt in a shower of sparks. This functions as a Breath Weapon, dealing 3d6 electrical damage in a Cone Template. Weakness (Domineering): Viorian (Domineering): qualies as a transmuter for a domineering weapon’s Bane eects. Common, Giant. Languages: Common, Languages:
snow leopard to yeti. In all, there are 20 pelts, each being worth 250 gp. Amid one of the pelts lies a forgoen periapt of Toughness +1 (Increases the wearers' Toughness by 1 while worn) ed into a short hair pin, left here by a lamia matriarch who has since moved out of the Pinnacle. A Notice roll at –2 allows this hidden bauble
X5 LAMIA-KIN QUARTERS
While some of the lamia priestess elsewhere who serve Ceoptra have been deployed (such as to Jorgenst), four of them remain stationed here, waiting to serve their mistress as needed. The priestesses have spent much of the last several months relatively idle, with thrice-weekly trips down the mountain to catch food for the hungerers in area X7 being their only real distractions of late. They look upon the arrival of the heroes as not only an opportunity to earn approval from Ceoptra, but as a much needed break from boredom. Note that while Ceoptra herself is in fact an oracle of the House of Divine Consumption, these priestesses are clerics of Lamashtu—for now, Ceoptra suers the worship of the Demon Queen by these clerics, but the harridan plans someday to enforce a conversion of these lamias to the ocial religion of Xin-Shalast. Since such a conversion would result in the loss of the lamias’ clerical powers, Ceoptra has been forced to constantly delay these plans for conversion until Karzoug has returned and she has time to retrain them.
This exquisitely decorated chamber contains thick carpeting on the floor, a flickering replace repl ace along the northern northern wall, wall, and sev several eral large nests of ne furs and cushions. As with the rune giants and Khalib, Karzoug saw the need for a small army of lamias in the earliest days of his wakening, and as such arranged for the chambers within this subsection of the Pinnacle to provide for the needs of several lamia minions, led by the harridan Ceoptra. All of the lamias in this wing have spent the last several thousands of years in stasis, wakening only after Karzoug was roused from sleep. The matriarchs Xanesha and Lucrecia were among those who dwelt in this complex—while they have gone far beyond Xin-Shalast on their masters’ orders, several remain within the area to this day. This central chamber serves as a small shared lounge for the matriarchs to relax in—the replace is real, but magical (the smokeless ames within give o heat but do not actually burn objects placed within).
TREASURE Many of the furs on the oors here are quite ne examples of exotic pelts, ranging from
to be discovered lootingtangled of the room; otherwise, itduring may gothe unnoticed amid the bers of a particularly large yeti fur blanket.
X6 PRIESTESS’S CELLS The decor of this large room is quite comfortable—thick carpeting covers the oor, while delicate chandeliers hang from the ceiling. Several large nests of furs and cushions lie about the room.
(4): See below. One • Lamia Priestesses (4): lamia is a Wild Card high priestess.
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PART SIX: SI SIX X:: PINN PI NNACLE ACLE OF AV AVAR ARICE ICE that could be interpreted as a distraction from LAMIA PRIESTESS gluony holds lile interest for the hungerer. Many of these obese lamia-kin dwell in Type: Evil Monstrous Humanoid (Lamia Xin-Shalast, with the two that dwell herein Cleric) Ceoptra’s pets. Both of these hungerers Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d12, being Ceoptra’s were once lamia matriarchs who displeased Strength d10, Vigor d10 Skills: Athletics d10, Common Knowl- Ceoptra. Her lamia-kin followers won’t Skills: edge d6, Faith d10, Fighting d10, Notice d8, easily forget this, since transformation into a Occult d8, Persuasion d8, Spellcasting d10, Stealth d8 Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Toughness: 8; Toughness: 13 13 (4) Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Background (Cleric), Arcane Background (Magic), Block, Divine Mastery, Extraction, Favored Powers (Cleric), Frenzy, Nerves of Steel, Quick sound. Power Powers: Illusion , puppet Powers: , puppet , , slumber , sound. 15 Points: 15 Points: Cleric Powers: Powers: Blind , boost trait ,, detect arcana , dispel , , healing , protection , protection.. Power Points: 25 Points: 25 Gear: Falchion (Str+d8, AP 2, Accurate, Damaging), leather vest (+2), Sihedron ring. Special Abilities: Armor +2: Lamia +2: Lamia hide. Class Abilities (Cleric): (Cleric): Arcane Background (Cleric, Lamashtu), Sins, Channel Energy. Change Shape: Shape: As a limited action, a lamia can assume the form of any Size 0 humanoid. Claw: Str+d6, AP 2. Night Vision: Lamias Vision: Lamias ignore all penalties for Illumination. Pounce: If a lamia makes a Wild Aack it adds +4 damage instead of +2 to one successful Fighting aack. Resilient: Resilient: Lamias can take one extra
hungerer onelamia of thecan greatest punishments normally is vain be subjected to. a • Hungerers (2): (2): See page 88. 88 . These
hungerers have Sihedron rings.
X8 PRISON The stone walls of this chamber are stark and undecorated—even the oor is merely functional functi onal in appea appearance. rance. Two iron doors face each each othe otherr acros acrosss the room to th thee we west. st.
This barren chamber is nothing more than a guard room that allows observance of the two prison cells to the north and south (areas X8a and X8b). These cells are themselves thems elves used only for the most important and hated of Karzoug’s prisoners, but are currently empty. If during the course of the adventure, a signicant antagonist or protagonist escaped from the heroes (such as an ally who vanished at some point), feel free to place that character in one of the two prison cells here. One of the cells is twice as large as the other (cell X8b is generally used to house larger prisoners like giants and dragons), but both Wound before they're Incapacitated. Size 2: Lamia 2: Lamia are more than 8 feet long and contain the same set of wards: incredibly dicult to pick locks (Thievery roll at –4 to weigh upwards of 650 lbs. Very Resilient Resilient:: Lamia can take two Wounds unlock either door—Ceoptra keeps the keys in her shrine at area X9a), while the interior before they’ they’re re Incapa Incapacitated. citated. of each cell is bathed in a persistent eld that Languages: Abyssal, Languages: Abyssal, Common. stops spells from being cast and prevents those inside from being aected by spells. While the lamias in the exterior rooms of this portion of the spire are all expected to This foul-smelling abattoir of a room is help guard these cells, the primary duties empty of furniture—it would appear that of guardian fall to an astradaemon Khalib whatever lives here prefers to use the halfbinding spell. “recruited” with a planar a planar binding spell. gnawed bodies of previo previous us m meals eals as bedding.
X7 HUNGERERS’ DEN
Whereas most lamia-kin prefer to bask in luxury and surround themselves with beauty, the bloated monstrosities known as hungerers have no such interests. Anything
The astradaemon remains at dares its post with orders to slaughter anyone who to enter this chamber unescorted by a known ally. P Astradaemon: Astradaemon: See See below.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS
P ASTRADAEMON Type: Evil Outsider (Astradaemon) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d12, Vigor d12 Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d12, IntimSkills: idation d10, Notice d8, Occult d8, Spellcasting d10, Stealth d8, Survival d6 Pace: 9; Parry: 8; Toughness: 8; Toughness: 14 14 (5) Edges: Arcane Background (Magic), Arcane Edges: Arcane Resistance, Combat Reexes, First Strike, Frenzy fearr , lower lower trait , , pla planar nar Powers: Deflection , fea Powers: travel. Power Points: 15 travel. Points: 15 Special Abilities: Armor +5: Outsider +5: Outsider resistances. Bite/Claws: Str+d8, AP 2. Bite/Claws: Str+d8, Darkvision: Darkvision: Astradaemons ignore penalties for Illumination up to 10". Daemon: Immune to acid, disease, and poison; +4 damage from silver; –4 damage from cold, electricity, fire; minor detect arcana.. arcana Energy Drain: Anyone hit by an astradaemon's claws, suers Energy Drain (Vigor). A Vigor roll (at –2 with a raise on the aack) resists this eect. Flight: Flight: Pace Pace 9. Innate Abilities: teleport (Greater Abilities: Minor teleport Teleport, self self), ), major mind link. link. Size 1: Astradaemons 1: Astradaemons stand a head over normal humanoids. Soul Siphon: If Siphon: If a Size –1 or larger creature dies within 5" of an astradaemon, the daemon heals one Wound as it consumes
the soul Languages: Abyssal, Draconic, Infernal. Languages: Abyssal,
X9 CEOPTRA’S CHAMBERS The thickly carpeted oor of this grand chamber is further strewn with expensivelooking throw-rugs and exotic furs. A nest of the same lies heaped in the center of the room, under a rotunda-like construction atop which a canopy of silks and gauzy veils adds to the chamber’s mystique. The leader of the lamias of Xin-Shalast and the high priestess of the cult of Lissala in the region is the lamia harridan known as Most High Ceoptra.
This room and the nearby chambers consist of her personal suite here in the Pinnacle, though she spends the majority of her time in area X17 now, guarding the anima focus. An investigation of this room reveals that whatever sort of creature that dwells here is the size of an elephant, yet is also exceptionally fastidious—the silks and furs in here are impeccably clean. Area X9a is a personal shrine dedicated to the esoterica and philosophie philosophiess of greed— the northern wall is decorated with an enormous golden Sihedron, before which sits a runecarved altar. Area X9b and X9c are smaller chambers once used by two of Ceoptra’s favorite minions, the lamia matriarch sisters Xanesha and Lucrecia. Both of these still-quite-well-decorated bedrooms bedroo ms are empty empty,, unle unless ss one of thos thosee two lamia matriarchs escaped the heroes and returned here.
TREASURE
A Notice roll at –2 of the altar in area X9a reveals a hidden panel in which Ceoptra keeps three scrolls of resurrection , a scroll of divination , and a single enormous platinum key worth 2,500 gp. This key unlocks the doors to the cells in area X8. The gold of the Sihedron on the wall can be scraped away with an hour’s work, resulting in 1,250 gp worth of gold.
X10 MOKMURIAN’S DOOR This small room, once a storeroom, is the chamber into which Mokmurian entered when he first visited the region several years ago. At that time, the magical wards that protected the Pinnacle kept the entire structure sealed tight—the ramp leading to area X1 being as impenetrable as anything else. The stone giant studied the external walls of the Pinnacle, and was delighted to nd a small aw in the magic here caused by an even smaller aw in the stonework beneath. Despite the minor nature of these aws, they were enough for Mokmurian to burrow through into the interior with the application of disintegrate spells. The hole carved into the wall remains today—with so few visitors, the creatures
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PART SIX: SI SIX X:: PINN PI NNACLE ACLE OF AV AVAR ARICE ICE of the pinnacle haven’t bothered with the relatively signicant work of repairing the damage. In the meantime, as a temporary measure, Khalib has simply placed a planetar, conjured via planar via planar binding , as a guard guardian ian here. The choice of planetar appeals to Khalib’s sense of irony and is a rather clever ploy to trick any good-aligned intruders into believing llies ies within the very chambers should, inthat fact,what be avoided. At the least, Khalib delights in the likely mental trauma caused to kindhearted heroes forced to ght an angel. The planetar, named Ayruzi, is an androgynous creature with pale green skin and tear-stained eyes. Khalib has compelled planarr bindi binding ng to Ayruzi via the plana to guard this entrance for 16 days, a length of servitude that began the rst day the heroes arrived in Xin-Shalast. While so bound, Ayruzi must silently guard this who roomaempt from intruders, and must aack any to enter, ghting to the death. Ayruzi: See See below. P Ayruzi:
P AYRUZI Type: Good Outsider (Planetar Cleric) Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Aributes: Agility Aributes: Strength d12, Vigor d12 Academics d8, Athletics d8, Common Skills: Academics Skills: Knowledge d4, Faith d10, Fighting d12, Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Occult d8, Persuasion Persuasi on d8, Stealth d10 Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Toughness: 8; Toughness: 18 18 (9) Edges: Cleric, Arcane Resistance, Favored Edges: Powers (Cleric), Frenzy (Imp), Sweep (Imp) boost trait , , damage damage eld Powers: Banish , blast ,, boost Powers: eld , dispel , , healing , pupp puppet et , smite , summon summon ally. ally. Power Points: 25 Points: 25 Gear: Greatsword (Str+d10, AP 3, Accurate, Damaging, Vicious) Special Abilities: Armor +9: Celestial +9: Celestial grace. Darkvision: Darkvision: Planetars Planetars ignore penalties for Illumination up to 10".
Environmental Resistance: Electricity, Resistance: Electricity, re. Fast Regeneration: Planetars Regeneration: Planetars may aempt a
natural healing roll every round unless the Wounds were caused by silvere silvered d objects. Flight: Flight: Pace Pace 12.
Immunity: Acid, cold, curse.
Powers: Minor Powers: Minor detect arcana , minor change shape (humanoid), shape (humanoid), minor resurrectio minor resurrection n Size 1: 1: Planetars are 9’ tall and weigh approximately 500 lbs.
Innate
TACTICS Khalib’s command to Ayruzi to ght silently prevents her from speaking, and also from casting spells—she’s free to use her innate powers though. While Khalib’s planar Khalib’s planar binding binding compels Ayruzi to fight, she desperately wishes to communicate with the adventurers. If the heroes don’t establish telepathic communication with the angel, though, she has no real option but to ght as best she can. She continues to aack intruders at range from this room as long as she can, but is not allowed to leave the area to pursue foes. Khalib has commanded Ayruzi to ght to the death, but his command has a fatal aw—if the heroes deal enough damage to kill Ayruzi Ayruzi and she goes down, the wording of his command causes the eects of the planarr bind plana binding ing to cease—even if she’s still regenerating. If allowed to heal back to consciousness via Fast Regeneration, the angel wakes no longer under the planar the planar binding’s eects and oers her aid to the heroes, as detailed under Aftermath below.
AFTERMATH If the heroes can establish nonverbal communication with the angel (such as via mind link , or simply by asking her questions she can answer with nods of the head or other simple pantomime while she’s aacking), she tries to get them to banish her—once sent back to Nirvana, the strictures of th thee planar binding end, and she arranges to return to the Material Plane to seek revenge against Khalib. Her inability to use planar use planar travel or teleport or teleport ,, unfortunately, means that it will be many days before she can return to Xin-Shalast to aid the heroes heroes — in this case, you can have have her return whenever you wish. If, on the other hand, the party manages to help her escape from the planar the planar binding eect binding eect without banishing her (such as by temporarily killing her, as detailed above), Ayruzi immediately joins the heroes and vows to aid
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DOOR DUTY The Aklo Doors are a powerful and terrifying magical trap. Unprepared heroes will nd themselves stuck on the wrong side of the door, trying to get in. Though the heroes will almost certainly trigger the doors once, they can avoid future trips into the maze with a use of dispel ,, or by a crafty hero with Thievery. However, they must be careful to not re-trigger the trap while aempting to disarm it.
them in their ght against Karzoug—all she asks in return is the opportunity to deliver the killing blow to Khalib for the humiliation he inicted upon her pride.
X11 THE AKLO DOORS Two vast double doors, each ten feet in width, stand in the southern wall of this barren chamber. The face of each black stone door is covered with tens of thousands of tiny runes carved in an eerie, spidery script. The runes seem to writhe and slither about when not under direct observation. These doors lead into the eldritch laboratory in which Karzoug’s denizen of Leng minions toiled on the construction of the Leng Device, and as such, he wanted to ensure that only a few could safely come and go from the room beyond these doors. Each of the doors is covered with magical runes, written in Aklo, that describe in orid detail the horrors of Leng. In eect, the runes consist of a warning to any who would enter and trespass on the land of Leng beyond the doors. Anyone who can read Aklo, takes an hour to study them, then makes an Occult (planes) roll at –2 can deduce the nature of these warnings. Unfortunately, anyone who reads any of the runes for as short a time as a single round (or who dares to aempt to open the doors) triggers a deadly magical trap.
The runes on the Aklo doors do far more than merely warn about Leng’s eldritch horrors. Any who read the runes or aempt to open the doors subject their minds to the labyrinthine network of tunnels that wind through the depths of the underworld below Leng—a nightmare maze of horrors and things best left unseen. realistic are these visions victims areSophysically transported intothat thethe phantasm, vanishing entirely entirely from reality for as long as it takes them to nd their way back. Creatures native to Leng, Karzoug himself, and any an y evil outsiders are immune to the eects of the Aklo doors. Merely reading the runes is enough to trigger the trap, but so is any aempt to open the doors—once the trap is triggered, all targets other than those mentioned above as being immune who are within 4" of the doors are whisked away into the extradimensiona extradimensionall nightmare maze.
THE THE AKLO AKLO DOORS DOORS Type: Magical; Magical; Notice Notice Check: None; Check: None; Thiev Thievery Check: Yes, Check: Yes, at –4 Trigger: Anyone who reads the runes or aempts to open the doors is whisked away. Each round, all creatures trapped within the maze must make a Fear check at –2. After that they can aempt a Smarts roll at –2. Once any one trapped creature succeeds at the Smarts
roll all entrapped victims escape theside maze, at once, reappearing on the north of the now-once-again closed Aklo doors. This magical trap automatically resets itself.
DEVICE X12 THE LENG DEVICE The plain stone walls of this long room are lined by a variety of tables, boxes, crates, and cylinders. Some are made of stone, but others appear to be composed of metal. Strange winding cables protrude from some to connect to others. All of this framework cluer c luer seems to focus fo cus upon up large metal constructed aton thea southern end of the room, where strange currents of energy dance and shimmer within a strange ring of stone. Now and
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PART SIX: SI SIX X:: PINN PI NNACLE ACLE OF AV AVAR ARICE ICE then, these currents coalesce into shapes— images startling for their familiarity familiari ty and yet totally alien. The image revealed is of a massive city of towers and gigantic monuments set in a mountain valley at the foot of a huge peak— Xin-Shalast, as it would appear from this high mountain vista. The city beyond the energy curtain is very dierent, however, in that its towers and buildings are ablaze with light both magical and mundane and the great central road and surrounding streets teem with tens of thousands of giants and humanoids of all descriptions descriptions.. The sounds and even the smells of this strange metropolis waft through the image— an image that is, perhaps, trying to be an open window. This chamber holds an ancient experiment begun by Karzoug and his allies from Leng, one he abandoned and sealed away just before he entered hibernation hibernation.. The strange apparatus splayed about the room and culminating in the energy eld at the far end is an otherworldly experiment known as the Leng Device. Using the warped technologies of the outer realms, Karzoug and his associates from Leng aempted to create a xed portal in time— one that would allow travel to a specic day from any point in the future. That day is one when Xin-Shalast Xin-Shalast was at its height height— — Karzoug Karzoug knew he would need an army when he awoke, and with this device he hoped to bring forth the ancient gathered to reign terror anewarmies upon already the world, transporting them wholly from the past to the present. While this device was nowhere near completion when Thassilon fell, if Karzoug wakens fully, he can have it ready to transport the armies of Xin-Shalast from the ancient past to the modern day day— — perhaps his greatest greatest magical feat ever. Yet there are others wh who o have an interest in the device. That same nameless patron from Leng who once helped Karzoug build the device has nally managed to send minions to Golarion recently. While these denizens of Leng have deluded the remaining inhabitants of the spire into believing believi ng they seek merely to prepare the
the original goal of the device, and the actual reason those from beyond Leng agreed to work with Karzoug in the rst place, is to waken the Great Old One Mhar who dwells beneath the mountain that bears that entity’s name. Dozens of denizens of Leng now dwell in Xin-Shalast and the surrounding mountains, sent here to scout the data place,that observe, and gather topographical they then report to the denizens toiling in here so they can make proper adjustments. The work is long and grueling, made more so by the necessity of hiding their work’s results so that Karzoug doesn’t realize what the alien technicians are actually up to. Indeed, to someone viewing the results of the denizens’ tinkering from afar (such as the runewell) it seems their work is merely tuning the device and preparing it for the portal to ancient Xin-Shalast. Yet once Karzoug’s runewell triggers triggers and returns him to this realm, the denizens of Leng are ready to siphon that power into the Leng Device and to awaken Mhar from its eons of slumber. No other beings in the region know what the denizens of Leng are truly up to here, including their ancient foes, the spiders of Leng (see page 56). 56). The spiders know only that they wish to see their enemies fail at whatever eorts they are aempting. The Leng Device’s portal cannot yet allow physical travel or even communication— the portal does not exist in ancient times at this point. Yet it does allow an observer in this chamber to see Xin-Shalast at its height 10,000 years ago, only a few years before the empire’s fall. Contact with the energy eld has no eect other than a slight tingling, and spells cannot be cast through it. Anyone examining the panels or consoles of the device must make an Occult (Arcana) roll at –4 to understand the Leng Device’s general purpose—it takes a raise to realize it’s slowly being repurposed to a point in time eons before Thassilon’s height. An Academics (Geography) roll at –2 reveals numerous similarities similarit ies between the stone ring at the center of the Leng Device and the much mu ch larger ring of stone located in the th e V Varisian arisian city of Magnimar—as if both devices were built by similar similar hands.
Leng Device for Karzoug s return, in truth
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Anyone who attempts to damage or manipulate the Leng Device creates a small explosion aecting all within a Large Blast Template and dealin dealing g 2d6 damage if they roll a 5 or 6 on a d6. This causes no noticeable damage to the device and has no eect on the portal— portal — the device is a major ar artifact tifact and cannot be destroyed without traveling to Leng, where its unknowable foundations lie shrouded in secret monasteries. The 12 denizens of Leng working here are in the process of ne-tuning the device. Vaguely human shaped, these monsters appear to wear twitching yellow robes, turbans, and veils. When they aack, these robes part to reveal horned heads, hoofed feet, and monstrously toothy maws. The denizens do not interact with any of the other inhabitants of the Pinnacle, but are prepared to defend their work if necessary. Unknown to the heroes, the denizens of Leng themselves are inexorably tied to the device. Each time a denizen is slain, the Leng Device ashes with light and emits a strange high-pitched whine. With each death, the image in the window shifts, growing distorted and warped. With the last denizen slain, the
image vanishes altogether, transforming into a gut-churning vortex of spinning lights and sheets of energy. Unfortunately for the adventurers, this disruption in the fabric of time quickly draws the attention of an ancient and powerful monstrosity from the dawn of time—a unique hound of Tindalos. The hound manifests in this chamber only a round after the last denizen of Leng is slain, pouring from the southern corners of the room with a blast of noxious mist and a blood-curdling howl howl.. Only by defeating at least one of the denizens of Leng without slaying him can the heroes prevent the arrival of this hound (banishing denizens to another plane has the same eect as killing them). If the hound appears after the heroes have left the room, its howl can still be heard throughout the Pinnacle. It emerges from the room and begins stalking the complex, killing anything (hero, giant, or lamia alike) it comes across. Particularly cagey adventurers can actually use this Thing from Beyond Time as a dangerous ally, since the beast focuses its wrath on larger foes before smaller ones. In any event, the hound’s manifestation has one positive eect: it overloads the Leng
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PART SIX: SI SIX X:: PINN PI NNACLE ACLE OF AV AVAR ARICE ICE free action. The target takes 3d6 damage, Device. While not destroying it, the portal ignoring armor. This aack can be Evaded. energy built up in its conduits is dispersed 3: The thing from beyond time is 14’ and the device becomes inert. Future denizens Size 3: The long and weighs a couple thousand pounds. of Leng might return here someday to begin the decades-long process of activa activation tion again, but for n now, ow, this dangerous device’s threat DENIZEN OF LENG is stymied. Type: Evil Outsider (Denizen of Leng) The Thing from Beyond Time is a 14-footAributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d10 long creature capableisofonly shifting in and out of reality. The creature vaguely shaped Skills: Academics Skills: Academics d8, Athletics d8, Common like a hound; its feet end in large razor-sha razor-sharp rp Knowledge d6, Fighting d10, Intimidatalons and the enormous maw set under its tion d6, Notice d8, Occult d8, Stealth d10 bulging bulgi ng black eyes is lled not only with Pace: 7; Parry: 7; 7; Toughness: Toughness: 10 10 (3) weirdly transparent teeth, but a long bladed Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Resistance, Formation Fighter, tongue capable of lapping away the minds of Pack Tactics those it cuts. Special Abilities: +3: Unnatural resistance. P The Thing From Beyond Time: Time: See Armor +3: Unnatural Bite/Claws: Str+d6. Bite/Claws: Str+d6. below. Darkvision: Darkvision: Denizens of Leng ignore • Denizens of Leng (12): See (12): See below. penalties for Illumination up to 10". Environmental Resistance: Cold, Resistance:
FROM BEYOND TIME P THE THING FROM Type: Evil Outsider (Hound of Tindalos) Aributes: Agility d12, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Aributes: Agility Strength d12+2, Vigor d12 Skills: A Skills: Athletics thletics d10, Fighting Figh ting d12, Notice d10, Occult d8, Stealth d12, Survival d10 Pace: 7; Parry: 8; Toughness: 8; Toughness: 15 15 (4) Edges: Dodge, Edges: Dodge, Frenzy (Imp), Nerves of Steel (Imp) Special Abilities: Armor +4: Multidimensional +4: Multidimensional hide. Bite/Claw: Bite/Claw: Str+d8, Str+d8, AP 2. Darkvision: Darkvision: The The thing from beyond time ignores penalties for Illumination Illuminatio n up to 10". Drain (Spirit): (Spirit): Anyone damaged by a bite from the Thing from Beyond Time must make a Spirit roll (at –2 if the aack had a raise) or suer Energy Drain (Spirit) as the spectral tongue drains their will to live. Environmental Weakness: Weakness: Enchanted weapons. Flight: Flight: Pace Pace 12. Immunity: Poison. Innate Powers: Major Powers: Major y, y, minor minor invisibility invisibility , planar nar tra travel vel , major pla , minor minor speed, minor minor teleport (can only appear next to a xed teleport angle). Ripping Gaze: When a hound of tindalos is dealt a face card it can target a creature within 5" with this ability as a limited
Energy
electricity.
Environmental
Weakness: Evil aligned Weakness:
weapons. Fast Regeneration Regeneration:: Denizens of Leng may aempt a natural healing roll every round until they're Incapacitated unless the Wounds were caused by silvered objects. Immunity: Poison. Innate Abilities: Major Abilities: Major y y (levitate (levitate up and down only), mind reading (use Smarts roll) planar travel ,, minor speak language (all language (all minor planar minor languages). Unusual Anatomy: Denizens Anatomy: Denizens of Leng don't suffer additional damage from Called Shots.
TACTICS The Thing from Beyond Time is not immune to the eects of the occluding eld—in fact, its presence causes the monster extreme discomfort and pain. Beyond its rst manifestation in the room (made possible only by the Leng Device’s uctuation of energy), this hound of Tindalos cannot use its teleport ability at all. The feeling of being trapped and cut o from the angles of time enrages the monster, driving it into a blind frenzy. If the occluding eld is brought down, the hound immediately uses [plane shift] teleport to ee, never to return. Otherwise, it ghts to
the death.
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NEW SPELL: TEMPORAL STASIS Rank: Legendary Rank: Legendary Power Points: 10 Points: 10 Range: Touch Duration: Permanent School: Transmutation School: Transmutation Trappings: The target becomes Trappings: The frozen in time. You place the subject into a state of suspended animation unless he makes a Vigor roll (–2 if the casting roll got a raise). For the creature, time ceases to ow and its condition becomes bec omes fixe fixed. d. The crea creatur turee does not grow older. Its body functions virtually cease, and no force or eect can harm it. This state persists until dispel.. the magic is removed via dispel If the target was unwilling, he can
Xin-Shalast, but two remain here in the Pinnacle—one in area X4, and one here in this large room, where it commands three wardens of wind on reserve, ready to come to the aid of any alarms raised elsewhere in the complex. P Warden of Runes: See Runes: See page 67. 67. • Wardens of Wind (3): See (3): See Cloud Giant,
page 29. 29. These giants have full sets of plate (+5, Aegis) and Sihedron rings. One cloud giant is a Wild Card captain.
X14 PORTAL ROOM The southern wall of this otherwise empty chamber shimmers and glows, a wall of swirling golden mist rather than the polished stone seen elsewhere in the complex. Now and then strange shapes can be half-seen through the mist.
make a Spirit roll (–2 if the spell was cast with a raise) at the start of each of his turn to end the power.
The swirling golden mist on this wall is a stationary, one-way portal that transports any who step into the mist down into Xin-Shalast. Those who traverse this portal appear The denizens ignore the heroes unless they befo before re the fortres fort resss of Shah Shahlari lariaa (are (areaa R), become hostile or try to damage the machine. preceded by a blast of golden mist. There The denizens of Leng aempt to ank the is no method to return to the Pinnacle of heroes and use Formation Fighter with their Avarice from Shahlaria Shahlaria— — this portal was used claws and bites. by the majority of the rune gia giants nts to disperse These denizens ght to the death to protect into the city below, and functions more as an escape route than anything else. the secret of their project.
X13 RUNE GIANT CELLS
X15 KHALIB’S QUARTERS
these giants from stasisinand uses them as a key component thenow rebuilding of Shalast’s power. Most of the rune giants who once stood in stasis here are now spread out through
Thassilon’s fall to rouse Karzoug. Unfortunately, Karzoug’s other apprentices didn’t necessarily want their runelord to return—they harbored secret jealousies and envied Karzoug’s power. They thought that
Each of these empty chambers radiates This triangular room is empty, save for lingering transmutation magic. A character a golden bed strewn with exotic furs and who studies these auras and makes an Occult silk sheets. A long shelf above the bed holds roll can tell that these rooms once served as nearly two dozen leather-bound books. stasis chambers, utilizing an eect similar to that created by temporal stasis (listed above). This room alone among the rune giant cells In fact, each chamber once held a single is sized for a human occupant, for it once rune giant in stasis, placed there by Karzoug served as a stasis chamber for a man named in the twilight days of Thassilon so he’d Khalib—one of Karzoug’s most powerful have a small army of them at his disposal apprentices and, in theory, the man who was when he woke. Karzoug was able to release originally destined to t o waken a few years after
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PART SIX: SI SIX X:: PINN PI NNACLE ACLE OF AV AVAR ARICE ICE by prev preventing enting Khali Khalib’s b’s retur return n they could thus prevent Karzoug’s, and therefore one among them could take up the mantle of greed. Their plan half-worked—after Karzoug and Khalib entered stasis, they did manage to alter the “timer” on Khalib’s stasis chamber so he would never emerge (barring external tampering). That done, the remaining apprentices each to other, the focus of their envyturned havingon shifted themselves. It took them less than a month to kill each other o. It would be 10,000 years before Mokmurian would finally come to the Pinnacle of Avarice to nish the job Khalib was never able to complete. When Karzoug wakened his rune giants, he considered not wakening Khalib, so disappointed was he in his apprentice’s failure. The runelord has only recently reversed this pey decision, and wakened Khalib a few months ago, after Karzoug
intellectual level, but emotionally hasn’t yet come to terms with the fact that the world he knew is no more. Khalib: See See below. P Khalib:
P KHALIB Type: Evil Humanoid (Human Wizard) Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d12+2, Attributes: Spirit d8, Strength d4, Vigor d12 Skills: Academics d10, Athletics d10, Skills: Common Knowledge d10, Fighting d8, Notice d8, Occult d10, Persuasion d8, Spellcasting d12, Stealth d10 Pace: 6; Parry: 7; 7; Toughness: 13(6) Toughness: 13(6) Edges: Arcane Mastery, Block, Dodge, Edges: Eldritch Inspiration, Extraction, Favored Powers (Wizard), Wizard
realized was going tothe require all the help he could he muster against heroes. Since then, Khalib has spent much of his time searching his soul for a way to repay Karzoug for his failure to waken him. Helping to gain new allies is a step in the right direction, but Khalib knows he needs to do more. Destroying the party strikes him as the perfect perfect solution solution— — once he realiz realizes es the heroes are in the Pinnacle, he searches them out immediately and confronts them. First of his school in power and skill, Khalib was a natural choice as an apprentice aspirant for Karzoug and quickly rose through the competition on his own raw power and ambition. Seeing the other apprentices as beings of llesser esser power, Khalib took to ca calling lling himself First Apprentice in Karzoug’s court and in the presence of the others. Khalib saw his rise as the next Runelord of Greed to be a natural progression, waiting patiently for Karzoug’s power to wane so he could convince the rune giants to support his bid for power. power. A Att least, that wa wass his mindset before his long period in stasi stasiss — now, he fears that Karzoug will cast him aside before he has a chance to wrest control. Khalib hasn’t even fully comprehended the fact that 10,000 years have come and gone, and that Thassilon is no more—he understands the passage of time on an
KHALIB
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS boost/lower Powers: Banish , barrier , blast , , bolt ,, boost/lower Powers: trait , , change change shape , curse , darkness/light ,, detect detect arcana , dispel , y , y , planar , planar binding , protection , protection , , A 20 20-fo -footot-tal talll golde go lden n sta statue tue of Kar Karzou zoug, g, sloth/speed , smite , summon summon ally , teleport , , temRunelord of Greed, stands in the southern poral stasis. poral stasis. Power Points:26 Points:26 portion porti on of this cham chamber, ber, his hand handss befo before re Gear: Masterwork dagger (Str+d4, AP 1), him as if they may have once held an object sta of defense, amulet of minor natural between them. armor, bracers of major armor (+4), wand A brazier brazier st stands ands before the sstatue, tatue, plumes dispel (6 of dispel (6 charges; Spellcasting), Sihedron of smokeless re churning inside of it. North ring, gold-and-ivory contingency statuee of the statue stands a stone pagoda-like worth 2,000 gp, spellbooks, gemstone dust structure, a single opening in its southern worth 15,000 gp. face fa ce re reve veal al in ingg tw twoo sm smal alle lerr stat st atue uess of Special Abilities: Karzoug within, on either side of a twenty Class Abilities (Wizard): (Wizard): Arcane foot-long foot-l ong sarcopha sarcophagus gus bearing bearing the likene likeness ss of Background (Wizard), Arcane Bond the runelord on its golden lid. (Sihidron ring), Armor Interference (Any), To the west, a massive pair of golden School (Transmutation; Enchantment, double doors shimmers behind a hazy screen illusion), Spellbooks. of golden energy. Contingency: When Khalib suffers a Wound he gains stone skin, granting +4 It was inside this structure that Karzoug Toughness. Darkvision: Darkvision: Khalib Khalib ignores penalties for prepared for his entrance into the half-world
X16 RELIQUARY
of the Eye of Avarice between Golarion and Leng, the hideout intended to keep him safe Permanent Spells: Spells: Khalib has made the from his enemies and the fall of his empire following spells permanent on himself: just long enough for his followers to release him, yet it became his tomb for 10,000 years. detect arcana , darksight , , speak language. Unstoppable: Unstoppable: Karivek can’t suer more The contents of the pagoda are mostly than one wound from a single aack (after symbolic; opening the sarcophagus reveals Soak rolls are made). it to be empty. An examination of the statue conrms that it once seemed to hold a large TACTICS object in its hands, perhaps something that Khalib casts y casts y on on himself every day. Once was aimed directly at the sarcophagus. This an alarm is raised, he also casts protection casts protection , and was where the soul lens was kept, before it was boost trait (Fighting) trait (Fighting) before entering bale. He moved into the Eye of A Avarice varice (see Part Seven). Seven). smite on casts smite on his masterwork dagger as well well,, The doors to the west lead into the chamber even though he’s long believed that if he’s of the anima focus—the only way to enter been forced to resort to u using sing his dagger in combat, something has gone horribly wrong. and exit the Eye of Avarice. The golden eld that covers the doors is a permanent wall of Khalib begins his bales by casting summon force (Hardness 20) that continually repairs ally.. He’s not all that concerned that these ally itself. Each time an eect damages this wall monsters aren’t attuned to the occluding or aempts to destroy it, a golden bolt of field—since if they’re cut down early by energy rebounds back to strike the source of the zone’s damaging pulses, he can always the damage (and the creature responsible), summon more. He saves temporal stasis for dealing 3d6 damage. particularly troublesome enemy spellcasters. Damage inicted on the wall of force by He prefers to fight alongside giants and lamias, and if he nds the heroes before dominant weapons not only ignores the they’re already in a ght, he aempts to rally wall’s hardness, but also cannot be self
Illumination up to 10".
Flight: Pace 12. Flight: Pace
the nearest group of monstrous allies to aack before he confronts them. Khalib ghts to the death.
repaired the wall—furthermore, aacks with thesebyweapons do not trigger reactive force bolts. It takes several minutes of work with a dominant weapon to create a large enough opening to pass through.
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PART SIX: SI SIX X:: PINN PI NNACLE ACLE OF AV AVAR ARICE ICE This wall of force may seem to only shimmer before the doors, but in fact it extends through all the walls, ceilings, and oors surrounding area X17—any aempts to enter the room physically will nd their eorts stymied by this eect. Though the anima focus is well defended (see area X17), Khalib has placed a lumbering demon hereng to and act as a guard, conjured via plana planar r bindi binding commanded to prevent trespassers from entering the chamber of the anima focus or from leaving the reliquary. This shemhazian (a multi-eyed, bearlike demon with a serrated tail and additional insectoid claws protruding from its back like bristly wings) is eager to prove its worth by aacking intruders—it provides Ceoptra in area X17 with a constant telepathic update on the bale, not only warning her the characters are near, but advising her on the best tactics to use against them. Demon: See below. • Shemhazian Demon: See
SHEMHAZIAN
non-evil creatures within 6" must make a Vigor roll at –2 or be Stunned. Pincers: Pincers: Str+d8, Str+d8, AP 2. Size 7: Shemhazian 7: Shemhazian demons stand 35’ tall and weigh 12,000 lbs. Summon: Summon: 1d4 1d4 vrocks, once per day.
X17 CHAMBER OF THE ANIMA FOCUS Pillars of gold support the arching ceiling of this room. The northern wall bears a particularly detailed detailed mural that shows shows XinShalast at its height, with the face atop Mhar Mh ar Massif appearing ap pearing to address its citizens aass magical runes and spirals of energy emerge from its ope open n mo mouth. uth. Yet even this impressive work of art is overwhelmed by what towers in the center of the room—an immense, slowly rotating, thirty-foot-diameter sphere of gold, its surface shimmering with st strangely rangely sluggish ames. A stone walkw walkway ay with a set of sstairs tairs lea leads ds up to the side of the sphere, where a five foot-wide ramp leads up to a ten-foot-wide platform balanced precariousl precariouslyy atop of the globe, glob e, from whic whichh a shimm shimmering ering pill pillar ar of golden light light shin shines es u upp to the ce ceiling iling ab above. ove.
Type: Evil Outsider (Shemhazian) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4, Spirit d10, Strength d12, Vigor d10 Skills: A Skills: Athletics thletics d8, d8 , Fighting d10, Healin Healing g d4, The immense gold globe is a powerful Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Occult d6, magical artifact known as an anima focus— Stealth d4 the magical link between this world and the Pace: 7; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7; Toughness: 22 22 (3) runewell hidden within the Eye of Avarice. Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Resistance, First Strike, Frenzy As long as the soul lens remains inside the (Imp) Eye of Avarice, the anima focus cannot be
damaged or moved from its location. Special Abilities: Armor +3: Demonic +3: Demonic hide. It functions as an anchor and window into Bite/Claws: Bite/Claws: Str+d6. Str+d6. the Material Plane for the soul lens, and it Darkvision: Shemhazian demons ignore is through it that souls of greed have been Darkvision: Shemhazian penalties for Illumination up to 10". siphoned into the runewell run ewell as this Adventure Demon: Immune to electricity and poison; Path has progressed. Whenever such a soul +4 damage from cold iron; –4 damage from perishes, the beam of light emitted from acid, cold, re; detect arcana at arcana at will. the top of the anima focus glows green and Energy Drain (Strength): Anyone (Strength): Anyone Shaken siphons a portion of the soul’s greed into the or Wounded by an aack must make a soul lens in the Eye of Avarice, and thence Vigor roll (–2 if the aack had a raise) or into the runewell, which in turn amplies suer Energy Drain (Strength). the siphoned soul fragment so it can be used Flight: Flight: Pace Pace 12. by the runewell to energize Karzoug’s return Innate Powers: Powers: Major mind link, minor to Golarion. teleport (Greater teleport (Greater Teleport, Teleport, self self). ). The anima focus also serves as the only Paralyzing Gaze: Once per day a route into the Eye of Avarice. Any character shemhazian demon can use this ability. All who steps onto the glowing platform atop
the anima focus becomes overwhelmed by
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS a sudden sense of vertigo and double vision, as the view of the Eye of Avarice appears to overlay his current eld of view, giving him a glimpse into the realm that holds Karzoug. The character cannot visually make out any gures inside the Eye of Avarice, but he can certainly sense the presence of both Karzoug and the soul lens inside.
how to transition completely into the Eye of Avarice. If, while under the disorienting eects of the Eye, a character touches ame to himself or reaches out to touch any of the ames licking up from the gold sphere, the re immediately and instantly consumes him, even if he’s normally resistant to or immune
This disorientation lasts long as the character to re. Tohas observers, it may appear as in if the character remains atop theasanima focus, been burnt to nothingness the and for one minute after he vacates the area, span of an instant, when in fact the user has during which time everything appears blurry merely transported into the Eye of Avarice. and indistinct to the character (incidentally This journey is not without pain—the providing concealment to all creatures the traveler must make a Vigor roll to avoid character aacks). being stunned by this transportation. While Only re (such as the ames that surround immunity or resistance to re doesn’t prevent the gold sphere below) remains crisp and this planar transportation, it does prevent the in focus to the character while so aected chance of being stunned by it. (creatures with the a connection to the A character who strikes the anima focus element of fire, such as fire elementals with a dominant weapon can also effect are not effectively concealed due to the entrance into the Eye of Avarice, for in so disorientation)—the only real clue as to
MOST HIGH CEOPTRA
doing, the disruptive clash of opposing magic tears a hole in reality before the statue. This opening functions as a gate into the Eye of Avarice, but one infused with dominant magic such that Karzoug cannot use the gate to escape (though he can certainly cast spells through it into this area). The gate remains open for 10 minutes before closing. Apart from general experimentation, spells like legend lore and vision can reveal the method and function of the anima focus— this was how Mokmurian learned how to enter the Eye of Avarice Avarice and, subseque subsequently, ntly, it was what doomed him. The anima focus also has two other qualities the denizens of the Pinnacle enjoy. First, it is the source of the wall of force that surrounds area X17—a creature can activate or deactivate this wall by touching the anima focus and taking an action to concentrate. Secondly, the anima focus automatically aunes any creatures conjured in area X17 via a calling eect to the occluding eld, allowing such creatures to exist comfortably within the region as if they wore a Sihedron. Before can take to tinker withthe theheroes anima focus, they the needtime to deal with the Pinnacle’s nal guardians: several wardens of wind who aend to their mistress, Most High Ceoptra. This lamia, like the long
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PART SIX: SI SIX X:: PINN PI NNACLE ACLE OF AV AVAR ARICE ICE line of her ancestors back to Xin-Shalast’s heyday, is a devoted servant of the concept of greed and Shalastian tradition—she doesn’t worship a specic deity. The closest approximation to a deity for her is Karzoug, though she gains her spells from her blind faith in greed and her ancestors and not from the runelord. Her slavish devotion made her the obvious runelord when he decided he choice neededfor a the guardian to watch over the only entrance to his prison. Ceoptra takes the charge quite seriously and never abandons her post, sending one of her giant aendants as a proxy whenever she needs to conduct business elsewhere. Ceoptra: See below. P Most High Ceoptra: See • Wardens of Wind (3): See (3): See cloud giants, page 29. 29.
P MOST HIGH CEOPTRA Type: Evil Monstrous Humanoid (Lamia Harridan Cleric) Type: Monstrous Humanoid Cleric (Evil) Agility d12, Smarts d8, Spirit d12, Aributes: Agility Aributes: Strength d12+3, Vigor d12 Skills: Athletics d10, Common KnowlSkills: edge d6, Faith d10, Fighting d12, Notice d12, Occult d10, Persuasion d10, Spellcasting d10, Stealth d8 Pace: 10; Parry: 8; Toughness: 8; Toughness: 18 18 (5) Hindrances: Obligation Hindrances: Obligation (Major) Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Background (Magic), Arcane Resistance, Block, Cleric, Divine Mastery,
Extraction, Favored Powers (Cleric), Frenzy (Imp), Nerves of Steel, Tough as Nails, Quick , puppet , , slumber , sound. sound. Power Powers: Illusion , puppet Powers: Points: 15 Points: 15 Cleric Powers: Powers: Barrier Barrier blind , bolt, bolt, boost trait ,, , damage field, darkness/light, detect arcana , dispel , y , y , healing , mind link , protection, , protection, smite, stun.. Power Points: 25 stun Points: 25 Gear: Dagger (Str+d4, AP 1, Accurate, Vicious), Bracers of major Armor (+4), Sihedron ring (see page 93), 93), 4 golden ankle bands worth 2,000 gp each, gold and sap sap-phire choker worth 6,000 gp. Special Abilities: Armor +1: Lamia +1: Lamia hide.
Shape: As a limited action, a Shape: lamia can assume the form of any Size 0 humanoid. Charm: Lamia matriarchs can use the puppet power puppet power and maintain it indenitely. Class Abilities (Cleric): (Cleric): Arcane Background (Cleric, Lamashtu), Sins, Channel Energy. Claws: Claws: Str+d8, Str+d8, AP 2. Environmental Weakness: Magic Weakness: Magic weapons. Night Vision: Vision: Lamia harridans ignore penalties for Illumination. Pounce: If a lamia makes a Wild Aack it adds +4 damage instead of +2 to one successful Fighting aack. Size +5 (Large): Lamia (Large): Lamia harridans are 20’ long with the upper torso of a human and the lower body of a lion. They can take one extra Wound. Abyssal, Common. Languages: Abyssal, Languages:
Change
TACTICS smite on Ceoptra casts smite on her dagger. She also casts environmental protection on protection on herself every day. Once she realizes the heroes are in the Pinnacle, she casts y casts y on on herself. If possible, link just before before comba combatt begins, she casts mind link to warn Karzoug his enemies are near. Ceoptra prefers to let her giant minions engage the heroes at rst while she hangs back and uses her atta attack ck spel spells ls at range. rang e. As soon as one warden of wind dies, she abandons this tactic and enters melee as well. She uses healing healing on on herself each round she has fewer than three Wounds. Ceoptra ghts to the death.
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PART SEVEN: THE EYE OF AVARICE Sheltered from the apocalypse of Earthfall, the fall of the empire of Thassilon, Thassil on, and f from rom the very adv advance ance of time, the pocket d dimensio imension n known as the Eye of Avarice floats in a sphere of reality wedged between the Material Ma terial Plane and the nightmare realm of L Leng. eng. This demiplane fea features tures an endless hurricane of churning fire, with a relatively tiny sphere of safety lodged lodged in its center — this is the eye, and is where Karzoug has spent 10,000 years ye ars iin n stasis, w waiting aiting to rise again.
he Eye of Avarice Avarice has normal gravity and stand upon extend down into the res 100 time. The small stone island at the center feet below. Climbing the glassy sides of of this realm bears a cavelike opening in these sheer surfaces requires an Athletics its side, the extent of which is shown on the (climbing) roll at –4, while a fall into the re map. Within this area the air and temperatures inicts damage as if falling into water from are breathable and comfortable, but outside that height—once in the re, the characters of this area conditions are identical to those eectively pass into a sea of lava and take on the Plane of Fire (The full description of damage as appropriate until they escape. this ery inferno is beyond the scope of this Y2 OBSERVATION BALCONIES: These adventure). Specic areas of note in the Eye balconies are supporte balconies supported d by chains aached to of Avarice Avarice are summar summarized ized below. the pillars—no walls extend down to the res balcon ies. Despite Despi te their Y1 Y1 ARRI ARRIV VAL P PLA LATFO TFORM: RM: When the heroes below from these balconies. rst appear within the Eye of Avarice they precarious appearance, they can support any manifest in area Y1, stepping out between weight upon them. Each balcony is 150 feet two immense pylons between which ripples above the res below. what appears to be a window looking out THE RUNEWELL: This pool of what over the city of Xin-Shalast. A moment’s study Y3 appears to be molten gold is in fact Karzoug’s conrms that this view closely duplicates the runewell of greed—see page 93 93 for rules one that might be enjoyed by looking out of on this powerful artifact. The soul lens is the face carved into Mhar Massif’s peak. mounted on an articulated adamantine frame This is not a two-way portal, and once a above, set to focus and magnify soul fragcharacter activates the anima focus (either ments of all those slain over the past several as intended, or with a dominant weapon, as months in preparation for Karzoug’s release. detailed in area X17), there is no returning By the time the heroes arrive, Karzoug’s to the Material Plane save via methods like runewell should be almost fully charged— planar travel. travel. once it becomes completely charged (at Numerous red-hot pillars of gold rise a point you should feel free to determine from the res below in the Eye of Avarice. A yourself, should the party not defeat Karzoug character who makes contact with a pillar is their first thethe Eye of Avarice), dealt 3d6 re damage. The pillars themselves on Karzoug can visit step to into runewell and cannot be harmed by mortal means. emerge in area X16 of the th e Pinnacl Pinnaclee of A Avarice, varice, The stone surfaces upon which the heroes once again free to spread his evil across the and other denizens of the Eye of Avarice
T
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THE TH E EYE EYE EY E OF OF AVARICE AVAR AV ARIC ICE E Y2
Y3
Y1
Y4
Y2
1 SQUARE = 6 FEET
thousands of years of pent-up magic, made the stone giant wizard into his puppet. Since then, the souls of those properly Y4 KARZOUG’S THRONE: The walls surrounding this extravagant throne are dec- anointed with the Sihedron and steeped in orated with countless books and workspaces. greed have been suusing the runewell at Though Karzoug spent the bulk of the last the heart of this realm, each one allowing 10,000 years in stasis, he’s been able to spend Karzoug’s physical body to manifest some time reading and studying the tomes more and more. At rst, only his vague ghostly outline could here since Mokmurian woke him from his appear, and for only a few moments at a time, slumber. runewell ell is full, Karzo Karzoug ug has An investigation of these tomes reveals but now that the runew returned to esh and blood— at least, as a wide selection of books across multiple truly returned world. The surrounding platform is 140 feet above the res below.
long as he remains within the Eye of Avarice. That Karzoug can manifest images of himself in places in the Pinnacle of Avarice shows how close he is to emerging back into the Material Plane. He has enough souls stored (particularly after the party went on a rampage against the stone giants of Jorgenst), yet yet still they take time to pr process ocess and be fully “digested” by the runewell. Until the last soul is consumed, the For most of the previous 10,000 years, runewell isn’t fully charged and Karzoug Karzoug had been seated upon his throne in cannot physically leave this realm. How long a unique form of temporal stasis that kept the that takes is left to you—if you want to put
topics— topics — all containing information aabout bout the world’s history since Earthfall. These books have been the primary way in which Karzoug has prepared himself to emerge into a new world he has been apart from for so long. This level is 130 feet above the res below.
FINAL AL BA BATTL TTLEE THE FIN
on release a timer,for you can settime the wizard trapped within the runewell without a body at all. When Mokmurian came to this this eventadventure of Karzoug’s a specic place, Karzoug was able to reach out and, (though to do so most eectively, you’ll need through sheer force of will augmented by to somehow let your heroes know when the
timer is up).
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS A beer choice might be to tie the event of his release to the point at which the party rst enters this realm. If the heroes are forced to ee (via plane shift), it won’t be much longer before the runelord emerges from the Eye of Avarice—two days is a suggestion, though you can certainly adjust this length as you wish.
of a puppet spell cast by the rune giant, and if they can be freed from this eect, the wardens of thunder immediately join with the heroes to ght Karzoug. If the adventurers time their assault well, they can strike against Karzoug after he’s depleted some of his magic and perhaps suers from energy drain gained from the
Karzoug is a powerful foe, and the heroes heroes’ defeat of his projected images in the should be at the top of their game when they Eye of Avarice. Avarice. The use of domin dominant ant weapons confront him. The party might wish to include also grants the party an edge. allies that they have acquired throughout Yet their greatest advantage is the fact that, Rise of the Runelords. In addition, he is not for now, Karzoug has nowhere to go. The alone in the Eye of Avarice—with the aid of party can prepare for their aack on him, a blue dragon, two wardens of thunder, and only bringing the ght when they feel they a rune giant, this nal bale should test the are ready. Karzoug cannot easily replace mele of the party in every way. defeated foes—replacements can only be Note that while the rune giant and the brought in at the rate of of one per day. dragon are loyal to Karzoug, the wardens of Slaying Karzoug is the best way to defeat thunder are not—they are under the eects the runelord. A spell like temporal stasis stasis likely only delays the inevitable, but would certainly count as a victory as far as this campaign is concerned. Yet there is another way to defeat defeat Karzoug— destroying the soul lens mounted over the runewell. Destroying this device traps the runelord inside this realm forever without the ability to return to the Material Plane. Destroying the soul lens, alas, is not much easier than simply killing Karzoug. As a minor artifact, only a dominant weapon has any hope of damaging the artifact. Damage from any other source is ignored by the soul lens, and even against dominant weapons it retains its hardness 16. Of course, Karzoug immediately moves to destroy anyone who aempts to harm the soul lens. If the soul lens is destroyed, Karzoug roars in frustration and rage. In that case, he is trapped forever inside ins ide the Eye of A Avarice, varice, but as long as the heroes remain in here with him, he does his best to destroy them. P Karzoug the Claimer: See below. P Adult Blue Dragon: See Dragon: See below. P Warden of Runes: See Runes: See page 67. 67. 66. • Wardens of Thunder (2): See (2): See page 66. KARZOUG
P KARZOUG THE CLAIMER Type: Evil Humanoid (Human Wizard)
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Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d12+3, Attributes: Spirit d10, Strength d12, Vigor d10 Skills: Academics d12, Athletics d10, Skills: Common Knowledge d12, Fighting d10, Notice d8, Occult d10, Persuasion d10, Spellcasting d12+2, Stealth d6, Taunt d8 Pace: 6; Parry: 9; Toughness: 9; Toughness: 13 13 (4) Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Mastery, Arcane Resistance,
tome (See page 94), 94), ruby inscribed with the rune of wrath worth 1,000 gp, ruby dust worth 1,500 gp, vial of powdered gemstones worth 10,000 gp, eye ointment worth 500 gp, 75,000 gp in diamonds. Special Abilities: Class Abilities (Wizard): (Wizard): Arcane Background (Wizard), Arcane Bond
Block (Imp), Dodge, Eldritch Inspiration, Extraction (Imp), Favored Powers (Wizard), Tough as Nails, Tougher Than Nails, Wizard change Powers: Barrier , blind , blast , , bolt , , burst , , change Powers: shape , curse , deection , dispel , , environmental environmental protecti prot ection on , y , grow growth/s th/shrin hrinkk , havoc , lower lower trait , , speed , smite , teleport , , temporal temporal stasis , time stop , wish. time wish. Power Points: 60 Points: 60 Gear: Karzoug’s burning glaive (Str+d10, see page 92), 92), talons of Leng (Str+d4, See page 94), 94), rod of major metamagic, wand of dispel (20 charges; Spellcasting), wand bolt ( ; 14 charges; Shootof bolt
(glaive),, Armor Interference (glaive) (Any), School (Transmutation; Enchantment, illusion), Spellbooks. Contingency: If Karzoug is targeted by puppet,, slumber, or stun puppet stun he he can aempt to dispel as counter it with dispel as if he were on Hold. Darkvision: Darkvision: Karzoug Karzoug ignores penalties for Illumination up to 10". Flight: Flight: Pace Pace 12. Immortal: Secrets from ancient Thassilon and the realm of Leng have allowed Karzoug to sustain his life indenitely. Unless slain by viol violent ent mean means, s, he is immortal immo rtal.. This immortality also grants Karzoug complete
ing), wand of protec of protection tion ( ( ; 17 charges; Spellcasting), belt of major physical perfection (Strength, Agility), implanted ioun stones (3 crimson spheres, 12 emerald ellipsoids, 3 onyx rhomboids, 5 amber spindles see page 92), 92), ring of Toughness (+2), robes of Xin-Shalast (+4) see page 92 , runewell amulet (See page 92), 92), Sihedron
immunity to disease and to all forms of madness (including confusion eects). Permanent Spells: Karzoug Spells: Karzoug has made the following spells permanent on himself: detect arcana, darksight, and speak langauge. langauge. and speak Runelord: Karzaug ignores up to 2 points of penalties when casting a spell.
ROUND-B ROUND-BY-ROUND Y-ROUND TACTICS This nal bale against Runelord Karzoug and his minions is one of the most complex in the entire campaign. The following round-by-round notes can help you track the actions and tactics used by the denizens of the Eye of Avarice— Avarice— of course, actions taken by the heroes can disrupt these tactics, so the Tactics section provides more suggestions for you to use! Round 1:
Karzoug casts blast (Area Eect +1, Greater Blast) and time stop. The blue dragon begins the ght next to Karzoug’s throne, and ies out toward the heroes to breathe lightning on them. The rune giant begins between the runewell and the throne—he closes the distance to the heroes. A warden of thunder stands atop each of the balconies at at area Y2 Y2— — each of them uses bolt.
Round 2:
Karzoug casts shape change (Transform), deection deection and and a second time stop spell. The blue dragon ies back to Karzoug’s side and casts protection . The rune giant aempts to cast puppet on one of the party’s heavily armored characters or rogues, ordering a successfully dominated characters to turn on his allies and ght them. The wardens of thunder re arrows and use u se bolt for the rest of the bale. Karzoug casts speed , bolt (Damage, Disintegrate) and stun. The rune giant uses
Round 3:
Remainder of Combat
spark shower on the largest concentration of heroes he can. The blue dragon casts dispel. Karzoug continues casting oensive spells resorting to his glaive and talons as a last resort. The rune giant enters melee combat. The blue dragon makes physical aacks and breathes lightning as he can.
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Unstoppable: Unstoppable: Karivek
can’t suer more than one wound from a single aack (after Soak rolls are made). Languages: All Languages:
P BLUE DRAGON Type: Evil Dragon (Adult Blue Dragon) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d12+5, Vigor d12 Skills: Athletics Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d8,
Fighting d10, Intimidation d8, Notice d10, Occult d10, Persuasion d8, Spellcasting d8, Survival d6 Pace: 7; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7; Toughness: 18 18 (3) Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Background (Magic), Arcane Resistance, Dodge, Frenzy (Imp), Level Headed Powers: Boost Powers: Boost Trait ,, environmental environmental protection , protection , illusion , invisibility , protection sound. Power , protection , sound. Points: 25. Points: 25. Special Abilities: Armor +3: Scaly +3: Scaly hide. Bite/Claws: Bite/Claws: Str+d8+d6 Str+d8+d6 (electricity), AP 2. Breath Weapon (Electricity): (Electricity): Stream
Template, 4d6 damage. (4"): Blue dragons can burrow (4"): underground.
Burrow
Thirst: Blue Thirst: Blue dragons can create or destroy two gallons of water as a limited free action, at a range of 5" (10 yards). Dragon: Ignores penalties for Illumination; immune to electricity, paralysis, slumber , Stun; ignore up to 4 points of Scale penalties when aacking; minor detect arcana. Electrical Aura: At Aura: At the end of the dragon's turn, all adjacent foes take 2d4 damage. Fear (–2): The (–2): The frightful presence of dragons causes Fear checks at –2. Flight: Pace 24. Flight: Pace Size 7 (Large): (Large): Adult blue dragons are creatures of immense stature. They take one extra Wound. Languages: Common, Languages: Common, Draconic.
Desert
TACTICS Karzoug starts combat seated upon his immense throne, and strives to remain out of melee as long as possible. He uses the Sihedron runes worn by the party as the point of origin from his spells so that he can strike them from far away. See the chart for his tactics on the rst round. Depending on how the fight is going, Karzaug will alternate the spells he uses with time stop , he might cast spe spells lls llike ike barrier barrier ( ) among the heroes to disrupt
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PART SEVEN: PART SEVE SEVEN: N: THE TH E EYE EY E OF AV A AVARICE VAR ICE
their tactics, and casts defensive spells on The repercussions of Karzoug’s defeat are himself like growth like growth.. He’ll also use his wand of much greater than the destruction of the protection on protection on himself during this time. occluding eld and the runewell’s return Karzoug’s glaive takes actions on its own to reality! as well, unleashing blast blast () on nonspellcasters and curing Karzoug of Wounds whenever he drops below three. If it comes down to melee, Karzoug releases his glaive to dance as soon as possible, ghting with his talons and using spells like bolt bolt and and burst burst to to support his aacks. When things begin to look desperate he casts wish. Focusing either on eects to keep him alive or to put the party in danger, such as raising the lava. Karzoug has nowhere nowhere to ee to— he ghts to the death.
CONCLUDING THE CAMPAIGN Once the soul lens is destroyed or Karzoug is dealt a fatal blow, the energy of the greedy souls the runelord’s mortal form has used to return are unleashed in a blinding ash of light. All creatures creatu res in the E Eye ye of A Avarice varice must make a Vigor roll to avoid gaining the Blind (Major) Hindrance permanently. Yet this blast of soul energy is not co completely mpletely destructive—the energy immediately heals all damage and cures all debilitating conditions (including death) suffered by any creature in the runewell. Only possible blindness caused by the explosion (and, of course, Karzoug’swave own of death) areeuntouched by this cleansing positiv positive ener energy. gy. While this effect also restores giants and dragons, the other creatures in the Eye of Avarice immediately surrender upon witnessing the heroes’ defeat of their ancient lord. When the brilliant ash of strange light clears, the air seems to grow thin and cold and the smoky walls of the place vanish. The runewell has returned to its place at the base of the Pinnacle of Avarice, and its golden waters quickly freeze—whatever magic the runewell mightinhave oncecatastrophic contained turn has been consumed this nal of events. This event also brings down the occluding eld that surrounded the Spires,
restoring the order of nature to the region.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS
APPENDIX: CREATURES AND ITEMS Varisia has h as a long tradition o of f legends a and nd tales of the num numerous erous strange and frightening monsters tha that t dwell within its wilds. In some cases, these monsters are little more than goblins, ogres, or trolls. Yet the lega legacy cy of Thassilon has visited upon Varisia additional horr horrors. ors. In addition to new creatures, the items listed on the following pages can be found in Rise of the Runelords. In order to preser pre serve ve their unique fe feel, el, y you ou shoul should d not allow the heroes to purchase these items from stores.
NEW CREATURES P LAMIA–KIN, HUNGERER Once regular lamias, these hideously deformed creatures are the result of terrible eshwarping experiments that have rarely been repeated since the ffall all of Tha Thassilon. ssilon. The heads and torsos of these creatures are nearly 10 feet in diameter, and a typical hungerer weighs about 20,000 pounds. Hungerers are unnatural creatures, re-released into the world with Karzoug’s awakening. These terrors live in constant pain and serve as living embodiments of hunger, insatiable in their constant quests for sustenance. Though they prefer to tear and
rend living esh, hungerers can consume almost any organic material, and might even gnaw on stone or metal without ill eect when nothing else is available available..
P HUNGERER A hideous mound of shuddering, pustuleencrusted esh, this bloated creature’s gaping maw is lled with terrible teeth. Type: Evil Monstrous Humanoid (Hungerer) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d12+2, Strength d12, Vigor d10 Skills: Athletics Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d10, Notice d8. Stealth d10 Pace: 2; Parry: 7; 7; Toughness: Toughness: 16 16 (3)
Edges: Arcane Resistance, Frenzy Edges: Arcane Special Abilities: Armor +3: Blubberous +3: Blubberous hide. Bite/Claws: Str+d6, AP 4. Bite/Claws: Str+d6, Devastating Bite: If Bite: If the bite aack gets a raise, the extra die is a d10. Additionally the victim must make an Athletics roll at –2 to avoid losing a limb. If Incapacitated, they are instead decapitated or bien in half. Environmental Resistance: Electricity, Resistance: Electricity, re. Environmental Weakness: Cold Weakness: Cold iron and piercing weapons. Flight: Pace Flight: Pace 12. Immunity: Acid. Innate Powers: Major minor Powers: Major illusion, minor sound
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APPENDIX: CR APPENDIX: CREATURES EATUR EA TUR ES AND ITEMS
Vision: Hungerers Vision: Hungerers ignore penalties for Illumination. Size 6: Hungerers 6: Hungerers are nearly 10’ in diameter and weigh around 20,000 lbs. Vile Spew: Whenever Spew: Whenever a hungerer suers a Wound, the resulting injury spews a great gout of vile blood and acid. Anyone adjacent to the hungere hungererr takes 2d6 aacid cid
Night
damage (can be evaded).
LAMIA–KIN, KUCHRIMA
which they mistrust and fear in numbers. Should a new runelord or powerful harridan come into power and manage to locate these disparate gluonies, however, the kuchrimas could be gathered into a formidable airborne force once again.
KUCHRIMA This vaguely humanoid creature has a vulture’s head and wings for arms, and wields an enormous bow in its taloned feet.
These foul creatures are a disgusting cross betwee bet ween n hu human manoi oids ds and con condo dors. rs. Als Also o Type: Evil Monstrous Humanoid (Kuchrima) Aributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, known as the Eaters of the Dead, the Aributes: Agility Strength d10, Vigor d8 kuchrimas are the lowest order of the lamiaSkills: Athletics Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Notice d8, kin, lacking even standard lamias’ capability Skills: Shooting d8, Stealth d4 for spell-like abilities. Pace: 3; Parry: 6; 6; Toughness: Toughness: 9 9 (3) They not only serve the function of common Edges: — Edges: — soldiers and scouts, but are also left to take Gear: Composite longbow (Range 12/24/48, care of the disposal of bodies, garbage, and Damage Str+d6, AP 1). other waste—most of which they feed upon. Special Abilities: This habit results in their foul appearance and Armor +3: Tough +3: Tough hide. disease-ridden disease-ridde n bite. Bite/Claws: Bite/Claws: Str+d6. Str+d6. Kuchrimas often wield giant bows in their Disease: Disease: Anyone Anyone Shaken or Wounded by a powerful talons, holding the weapon in one bite must must make a V Vigor igor ro roll ll (–2 if the aack talon and pulling the bowstring with the other got a raise) or suer Filth Fever. This is a in order to re arrows with devastating eect. lethal disease that requires a check every day. Kuchrimas have much in common with the Flight: Pace Pace 12. condors they resemble, and are opportunistic Flight: hunters and scavengers. Bands of kuchrima hunters might y dozens of miles from their communal aerie, using their keen sight to locate prey both small and large. In the extreme mountainous areas they inhabit, such meals often take the form of giant rams, mountain aurochs, and even the occasional mountaineer, though these disgusting creatures prefer their meals dead and roing. Kuchrimas dwell principally in the thin air among the upper peaks of desolate mountain ranges, where they have gathered in enclaves or “gluttonies.” They have lived in a state of static barbarism since the diaspora following the fall of the Thassilonian Empire. In the thousands of years since that civilization’s collapse, these lamia-kin have migrated to many mountainous regions throughout Golarion. These disease-ridden hunters strive to remain well out of sight of land-bound races,
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS Vision: Kuchrima Vision: Kuchrima ignore penalties for Illumination. Resilient: Resilient: Kuchrima Kuchrima can take one Wound before they’ they’re re Incapa Incapacitated. citated.
Night
SCARLET WALKER The scarlet walker is an alien entity from some other dimension, often conjured by the wizards wizard s of Thass Thassilon ilon to serve as a minion. Scarlet walkers were particularly favored for their adeptness at interrogating prisoners, either via torture, or via the creatures’ uncanny ability to mentally compel both actions and compliance. Once an interrogation was over, the scarlet walker’s master typically commanded the monster to render the victim insane or feebleminded if mere death wasn’t appropriate. Scarlet walkers themselves hail from the nightmare realm of Leng, where they walk amid strange, stony deserts and stride through the skies above. No mere predators, scarlet walkers build immense hives of coagulated blood and tissue in nameless mountain valleys, and the avors of various creatures’ blood is an inexhaustible topic of discussion among their kind.
SCARLET WALKER This crimson horror walks upon six long, thin legs. Its face is neither that of a skull nor spider, but some horrid mix of the two. Type: Evil Outsider (Scarlet W Walker) alker) Aributes: Agility Aributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d10, Strength d10, Vigor d10 Athletics thletics d10, d1 0, Fighting d10, Noti Notice ce d8. Skills: A Skills: Occult d8, Stealth d8 Pace: 7; Parry: 7; 7; Toughness: Toughness: 19 19 (5) Edges: Arcane Edges: Arcane Resistance, Frenzy Special Abilities: Armor +5: Extraplanar +5: Extraplanar hide. Rending: Anyone Shaken or Wounded by a claw aack begins to bleed profusely and must make a Vigor roll at the start of their next turn. Failure causes the victim to take a Wound. Success prevents the Wound but the roll must be made again on the victim's next turn. A raise or successful healing
stops the bleeding. scarlet walker can sense living creatures with blood in their veins, or undead creatures that feed on blood. This ability functions to a range of 10". Blood-Draining Gaze: Twice per day, all creatures within 8" (16 yards) of a scarlet walker are subject to the monster’s blooddraining gaze. Affected creatures must make a Vigor roll or thin streams of blood pour from their eyes, owing through the air and into the eye socket-like pits in the scarlet walker’s walker’s face. This does not impact the victim’s vision, but does Energy Drain (Vigor). A creature already suering from bleed takes takes a –2 penalty penalty on the roll roll.. Str+d6, AP 2. Claws: Str+d6, Claws: Darkvision: Scarlet walkers ignore Darkvision: penalties for Illumination up to 10". Environmental Weakness: Electricity. Weakness: Electricity. Immunity: Acid, cold, poison. Innate Powers: Powers: detect arcana , , y, y, confusion confus ion (Smarts roll) , , mind reading (Smarts roll). Size 6 (Large): (Large): Scarlet walkers are large creatures with long spindly legs. They have one additional Wound. Tentacles (2): (2): Str+d6, Str+d6, Reach 3.
Bloodsense: Bloodsense: A
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APPENDIX: CR APPENDIX: CREATURES EATUR EA TUR ES AND ITEMS
MAGIC ITEMS ANIMA FOCUS The anima focus is an immense artifact created by Karzoug in the final years of Thassilon, based upon the research and notes of the Lords of Greed in Runeforge. This artifact maintains the link betwee between n the Material Plane and the Eye of Avarice, and siphons fragments of greedy souls that have been prepared by a speci special al ritual throug through h the soul lens len s found wit within hin the Eye of Av Avarice arice into the runewell. The anima focus has other powers as well, linked to the Pinnacle of Avarice. The soul lens to which the anima focus is linked must be destroyed, after which the anima focus can be destroyed by physical damage or magic (This takes roughly two hours).
CHELLAN, SWORD OF GREED
Of the Seven Blades of Conviction wielded by the runelords’ runelords’ champions— weapons k known nown as the Alara’hai to the Thassilonians, the sword of greed was the most extravagant— for it was made of magically hardened gold, tempered to the strength of adamantine yet retaining its luster. Though made of gold, Chellan functions as adamantine. Chellan is a scimitar +2 Fighting (Str+d10 (Str +d10 + 1 , AP 2, Accur Accurate, ate, D Dama amaging ging). ). It can be properly wielded only by characters with a Strength of 10 or higher—all other characters must either wield it as a twohanded weapon or take a –2 penalty on aack rolls with the weapon. Whenever Chellan strikes a foe, the target must make a Vigor roll at –2 to resist sloth sloth.. If the sword gets a raise on the aack roll, the target must make a Vigor roll or be eected curse (Flesh by curse (Flesh to Stone). Characters turned to crystal by Chellan appear to be made of ruby, diamond, or some other valuable gem, but are in fact merely colored quar of lile value to looters.
INTELLIGENT ITEMS Some items of incredible power possess their own intelligence. They can sense the world around them and often come with unique abilities. An intelligent item can take one action per turn which doesn't count against the actions of its wielder. How to read an intelligent item. Alignment: Like other sentient creaAlignment: Like tures an intelligent item has an alignment. Aributes: The Aributes: The item's Smarts and Spirit. Senses: How Senses: How the item is able to perceive the world around it. Communication: How the item communicates with others, usually its wielder. Languages: The Languages: The languages it speaks and understands. School: Transmutation. School: Transmutation. Innate Powers: These Powers: These powers are usable by the item not the wielder.
Chellan is an intelligent item that is fanatical in the extreme, seeking to force its wielder into serving Karzoug and furthering the runelord’s goals. To enforce this purpose upon their existence, it can use its intelligence and special abilities to aid and manipulate those who think to wield it.
STATISTICS Alignment: Evil Alignment: Evil Senses: Sight Senses: Sight and hearing 5" Smarts: d10; Smarts: d10; Spirit: Spirit: d6 d6 Communication: Telepathy Languages: Common, Languages: Common, Thassilonian Innate Powers: Minor Powers: Minor healing healing (Greater; (Greater; three times per day), minor environmental protection (three times per day), major puppet major puppet (wielder only).
ELIXIR OF THE PEAKS When imbibed, an elixir of the peaks gives the user the ability to scale and survive in mountainous terrain with great skill.
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS The imbiber is treated as if acclimated to all high altitudes, and gains +2 on Athletics and Survival rolls in mountainous terrain. Finally, the imbiber gains the benefits of environmental protection. The eects of this elixir wear o after eight hours.
IOUN STONES, STONES, THASSILONIAN Whether they were invented by the Azlanti or merely discovered by them, ioun stones were an important part part of Azlanti Azlanti society society— — and by extension, of Thassilonian society. Many of Thassilon’s Thassil on’s ruler rulerss — partic particularly ularly runelords like Karzoug—took to the art of embedding these stones in their esh. An ioun stone implanted in this manner cannot be stolen. Thassilonian wizards perfected and enhanced many forms of ioun stones, such as the four unusually powerful stones listed below. These stones are minor artifacts, and methods of their creation have been lost since Thassilon’s fall. Amber Spindle: An Spindle: An amber spindle grants a +1 to all Aribute rolls. Crimson Sphere: Sphere: This ioun stone raises Smarts one die type. Emerald Ellipsoid: An Ellipsoid: An emerald ellipsoid grants 5 power points (the bonuses from multiple emerald ellipsoids stack; there is no maximum benet). Onyx Rhomboid: Rhomboid: This ioun stone raises Vigor one die type.
KARZOUG'S BURNING GLAIVE
only concerned with the acquisition of riches and safeguarding the treasures of the rightful runelord of Shalast. It eagerly seeks to immolate nonspellcasters, which it sees as paupers likely to steal what its master possesses. While the glaive endlessly fawns over Karzoug (as it would over any rightful ruler of Shalast), it tirelessly berates other wielders, constantly comparing their aws to the perfection of its past runelord owners.
STATISTICS Alignment: Evil Alignment: Evil Senses: Darkvision Senses: Darkvision 20", hearing Smarts: d10; Smarts: d10; Spirit: Spirit: d6 d6 Communication: Read languages, speech, telepathy Languages: Ignan, Languages: Ignan, Thassilonian Innate Power: Minor blast blast ( (;; Greater healing (Greater;' Blast; once per turn) minor healing (Greater;' three times per day as a limited action), illusion.. minor illusion
ROBES OF XIN-SHALAST The traditional robes of the runelord of greed are known as the robes of Xin-Shalast. Rarely, a runelord would grant a favored apprentice a set of these robes. Woven of the nest of silks and accented with precious gemstones and gold, the robes are surprisingly light and easy to move in. They grant +4 Armor and Arcane Resistance. Two of the robe’s pockets function as handy haversacks. The wearer of these robes is immune to the eects of the occluding eld that surrounds the Spires of Xin-Shalast, and can exist comfortably in all high altitudes.
Soon after the founding of Thassilon, the RUNEWELL AMULET AMULE T ancient emperor Xin crafted the Alara’quin, seven icons symbolizing the runelords’ This amulet of gold and red crystal grants mastery of rune magic and dominance the wearer the Dodge Edge. In addition, the over their respective domains. Karzoug’s wearer becomes auned to both the runewell glaive (Str+d10, Accurate, Damaging, of greed and the soul lens that controls Dancing, Elemental (re)) is one of these it—allowing the wearer to benet from the ancient weapons. Karzoug’s burning glaive possesses a keen intellect, granted to it by its imperial creator. Meant to embody all that is right and virtuous
fragmentary the runewell.souls gathered and absorbed by As long as the runewell functions, the wearer does not age and has no need for food
about the luxury of wealth, the weapon is
or water. In addition, she can y at Pace 12. If
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APPENDIX: CR APPENDIX: CREATURES EATUR EA TUR ES AND ITEMS
the runewell amulet is removed, the wearer loses all of these abilities. While this does mean the wearer begins aging normally and must eat and drink, she does not suer su er any ill eect from the years that passed or the meals she missed while she wore the amulet.
DESTRUCTION A runewell amulet must be thrown into an active runewell of an opposing magic (a runewell of lust or a runewell of pride in the case of this particular amulet)—doing so causes the amulet to shatter into four fragments, which then scaer throughout the region that was once Thassilon. If these four fragments can be gathered and placed back in the associated runewell (the runewell of greed in this case), the amulet reforms and returns to full use.
RUNEWELL OF GREED
is if it were lava upon creatures splashed or immersed within it. Gold drawn from the runewell cools normally and is permanent— the runewell immediately replenishes gold taken from its its supplies supplies— — yet this go gold ld cannot exist more than 10" from the runewell’s rim. If brought beyond this range, it vanishes in an instant. Runewells associated with other runelords and sins exist throughout the ruins of Thassilon; each of these artifacts is a unique item with its own powers.
DESTRUCTION The runewell of greed is linked to Karzoug, and as long as he lives, the runewell cannot be destroyed. destroyed. If Karzoug is slain, the molte molten n gold within the runewell immediately hardens and turns to chalky, worthless stone, destroying the runewell in the process.
Currently hidden at the heart of the Eye of SIHEDRON MEDALLION Avarice Av arice in a demiplane lodg lodged ed between Leng This medallion hangs on a leather and the Material Plane, Karzoug’s runewell cord, a silver disc inscribed with of greed is the key to both his escape from the Sihedron. These medallions the destruction of Thassilon and his eventual were given to favored agents of return to life. The runewell is a core part of the runelords; the medallions the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path, granted some minor benets to the wearers, runel ords to use the but by the time the heroes arrive at the Eye of but also allowed the runelords Avarice, the circular well (which appears to wearer as proxies. be lled with molten go gold) ld) has alre already ady done By concentrating on a scrying device its job absorbing fragments of greedy souls (such as a runewell runewell), ), a runelord can sense and is in the process of using that energy to the world through the Sihedron medallion medallion nalize Karzoug’s escape. wearer’s senses, and could speak through her Beyond this eect, though, Karzoug can voice—provided the runelord knows of the utilize the runewell in other ways. It grants existence of the medallion and the fact that it him the ability to use major scrying scrying at at will, is being worn. though the runewell’s range is limited to the While worn, a Sihedron medallion grants Xin-Shalast region or to specic agents like the wearer the ability to gain a Benny once Mokmurian, Xanesha, and Lucrecia. The per session as a limited free action. runewell allows Karzoug to see through the eyes and speak through the mouths of anyone SIHEDRON RING who wears a Sihedron medallion (see below). This otherwise plain ring is He can also, given time, call up from the adorned with a Sihedron rune. runewell a live adult blue dragon minion to These rings were given to agents serve him as an ally or mount. Karzoug can and allies of the runelords as badges es of office offi ce and tokens toke ns of only have one such dragon in existence at any badg one time, and must wait eight hours after a appreciation for their work—sometimes, previous dragon’s death blue dragon dragon to serve him.before calling a new The runewell is 12 feet in diameter and 10 feet deep. The liquid it contains functions in
they aempting were given to as win bribes a runelord was to to histhose cause. Like the more common Sihedron medallion, runelords have special links to Sihedron rings that aid in
all ways as molten gold gold— — dealing damage
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R ISE OF THE RUNELORDS RUNELORDS The soul lens has but a single purpose— scrying and observation of the world around whenever a creature is subjected to a specic the wearer of the ring. A Sihedron ring grants minor deflection deflection ritual in which its body is branded, taooed, (melee aacks) and protects the wearer with or otherwise marked with the Sihedron rune, a constant environmental protection (allowing the lens can focus upon that creature’s soul. them to exist in extreme environments but At any point thereafter when the marked does not reduce damage). As an action, the creature dies, its soul passes through this eventuall wearer can use the Sihedron ring to change lens on its way into the afterlife and eventua the appearance of his clothing or armor into any other kind of clothing or armor. The actual clothing and armor worn retain all their properties (including weight) when glamored. Detect arcana reveals the aura around the clothing but not the look of the clothing.
SIHEDRON SIHE DRON TOME TOME
jud judgmen gment t befo before re Pharas malters — as elements the soul sou l passes through, thePha soulrasma lens of the sin of greed from the soul and focuses that fragment of soul-energy into the runewell of greed. This does not signicantly damage the soul (though it does cause it a severe amount of spiritual anguish)—a creature that dies and has its soul ltered through the soul lens can still be brought back to life as normal.
The rst Sihedron Tomes were said to have been crafted by a DESTRUCTION dragon in the service of Emperor A dominant weapon (See book 5 5 for Xin. Each of these books has a information on Dominant Weapons) must be unique appearance, and hold an innite number of pages for spellcasters used to smash the soul lens. The soul lens is Hardness 18, but the dominant weapon gains to inscribe spells upon. Any wizard who prepares spells from a the full benets of its bane special abilities Sihedron Tome, which potentially holds when damaging the soul lens. The soul lens libraries worth of arcane knowledge, may takes no damage from other aacks. know a number of additional powers equal TALONS OF LENG to her Smarts die type. Karzoug’s Sihedron Tome contains all sorcerer/wizard powers Finely laid gold filigree lines (save for those of the schools of Enchantment these ornately worked talons. Once worn, the talons of Leng and Illusion). grant the wearer two natural These powers remain usable as long as claw aacks. The wearer gains the wizard uses this book as his spellbook. If +2 to Fighting rolls with these thes e claws and a free anyone else uses this book as their spellbook, the previous owner forgets all spells reroll on failed aacks. A hit from one of the talons deals Str+d4 learned from it. damage. On a raise, they force the victim to make a Spirit roll at –2. Failing the roll causes DESTRUCTION Only a wish wish made made to destroy the specic and the target to begin to go insane, gaining a particular Sihedron Tome will destroy this permanent mental Hindrance of the GM's powerful artifact. This wish wish must must then be cast choice (such as Bloodthirsty, Code of Honor, or Delusional) while success leaves the target on the Sihedron Tome by its owner. Stunned for one round. SOUL LENS The wearer of the talons of Leng is immune This large lens of green crystal confusion and wipe. For as to the spells confusion and mind wipe. has the Thassilonian rune long as he wears the talons, however, his for transmutation and greed Spirit is reduced one die type, as alien inscribed uponinitsan surface. The lens is fitted iron ring, which is aached to an articulated arm that allows the lens’s position to be adjusted to
voices constantly whisper through his head. The talons of Leng do not interfere with spellcasting, the use of handheld items, or wielding other weapons (though a wielder
any angle and conguration.
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cannot make an aack with a claw that’s holding another weapon or item).
APPENDIX: CR APPENDIX: CREATURES EATUR EA TUR ES AND ITEMS
IND INDEX EX
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