Life and

Death
A Saga of the Shattered Lands

Zarth Edition

By Newt Newport
Art by David M.Wright
Maps by John Ossoway
 Also by D101 Games

Crypts and Things

Tomb of the Necromancers
Under Dark Spires
Tournaments of Madness and Death

From the Shroud - an occasional fanzine.

Cover: Dead Pot Country by Jon Hodgson. A Ghoul Queen looks on while a group of adventurers fight against a Bone Gardener.
 Life and Death
Zarth Edition

Credits Contents
Author Introduction 5
Newt Newport A Traveller's Guide to the Shattered Lands 6
Art Joining The Guild of Treasure Hunters 14
David M. Wright The Dust of Eternity 17
Maps Dead Pot Country 26
John Ossoway
Life and Death
Cover
1. Overview 38
Jon Hodgson
2. The Village Outside the Walls 39
Proof Readers
3. The City State of Miraz 40
Clay Gilpin, Paul Mitchener, Sacha Ratcliffe
4. The Iron Mines 51
Final Layout/Proof check
Clay Gilpin, Paul Mitchener 5. Resolution 58

Further information 6. Character Digest 60

d101games.com

Zarth Edition 1st Printing August 2017

Legal
Life and Death and The Shattered Lands copyright Paul Newport.
Permission is prohibited to redistribute or copy in any form.
Cover©2010-2017 Jon Hodgson.
Maps ©2010-2017 John Ossoway.
Art© 2017 David M.Wright.
All text and layout ©2010-2017 Paul Newport.
None of this book is considered Open Gaming Content.
If you obtained this book illegally by downloading it, please consider going to dlOlgames.com and
buying a copy. We are a very small press company and without the money that we make off our
products we can not afford to continue putting out books. Thank yon.

3
4
 Welcome to Undying!
Set in the Shattered Lands, this supplement guides the Using This with Other Old
characters through a tale of a world recovering from a
magical apocalypse and rediscovering the powerful magics School Class/Level Based Games
of the past. Already the dead walk if not cremated and The contents of this book are broadly compatible with
various evil forces seek to bring about a state of everlasting all other editions of the World’s Favourite Fantasy
Death. The players on the other hand must oppose them role-playing game, especially the so called “Old School
and bring Life back to the world, or seize the power of editions” of the 70s-80s. While specifically designed to be
Death for themselves, if they so choose. played with Crypts and Things (C&T), this book is usable
These scenarios are for four to six starting characters, with Swords and Wizardry (in fact, C&T is a S&W variant)
Level 1 to 3. and other comparable retroclone and original editions up
to 2nd with minimal conversion.
What’s in this Book? The following rules and terms are specific to C&T and
A Traveller’s Guide to the Shattered Lands referees of other systems may need to be aware of them.
This is a brief overview of the setting. Enough for a Crypt • Crypt Keeper is the name of referee or Dungeon Master
Keeper to use the setting without clipping the wings of in C&T.
inspiration.
• Sanity System. C&T has rules for Sanity loss, but this is
Adventure 1. Joining the Guild of Treasure Hunters very much left open to the Crypt Keeper when to use.
A very short adventure to introduce the players to the For other systems, either ignore it when the adventure
setting. calls for Sanity checks or use your own favoured
Adventure 2. The Dust of Eternity system.
A classic raid upon a Sorcerer’s tower with a twist. • One Magic System. C&T gathers all the spell lists into
Adventure 3. Dead Pot Country one and gives them a colour. White (Good magic),
Enter the ancient ruins of the River Valley Civilization in Grey (Neutral, mainly illusionary magic) and Black
search of a missing Merchant. (Evil Magic).

Adventure 4. Life and Death • No Saving Throws. Player characters have a Luck
Journey to the tyrannical city of Miraz and stop the plague score that they Test their Luck against to avoid spell
of Undeath that afflicts it. effects, physical harm and other misfortunes that the
Saving Throw mechanism protects characters against.
For more information please visit d101games.com Monsters don’t get to Test their Luck; spells that
the character’s fling at them automatically take effect
unless the creature has magical resistance that nullifies
the effect.
Where in the World of Zarth?
• No class based non-player characters. C&T keeps to
If you intend to use this adventure with Swords & Wizardry’s (the system it was built on top
characters who have previously adventured of) convention that all NPCs are monsters, with
in the Continent of Terror, here’s some Special Abilities rather than Classes. So a powerful
suggestions on where The Shattered Lands Necromancer in C&T is a monster with 4 Hit Dice
exist: and the Special Abilities of being able to cast Magic
• Far across the Reapers Sea on another Missile, Raise Dead and Curse, rather than a 4th Level
Magic User.
continent.
• In it’s own pocket dimension or Other
World. Characters from Zarth arrive via a
magic portal, such as the one in the Black
Monolith in the Haunted Lands in the
main Crypts and Things Rule Book .

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 A Traveller's Guide to
The Shattered Lands
Five hundred years ago human civilisation reached a peak with the Empire of the Lions. The
last Lion Emperor was a man of great hubris who brought down the wrath of the gods. They sent
earthquakes and fire from heaven, made people speak different languages and built invisible walls
that imprisoned people in their cities. The country-dwellers were cut off and devoured by monsters.
Then the Old Gods withdrew from the world leaving the remnants of mankind imprisoned in
their cities.
One hundred years ago, the Age of Isolation ended and people began to wander back into the
wilderness. City-States began to nervously trade with one another, wars came and went, and Magic
began to return to the world.
Now in the Land of the Five Cities, your adventurer has strapped on their armour, donned his
weapons, prepared his spells and has stepped outside the walls of his city ready to explore the new
world of adventure that is opening up.

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The Five Cities
The human population of the Shattered Lands is huddled around five self contained city-states. Each has a supporting
belt of farms and villages which cluster up to ten kilometres away from the city. Beyond these peasant dwellings are
the barren Badlands. Each of the following entries gives a brief description of each city and then some character
backgrounds.

From Left to Right: Mirazan Iron Legionary and Street Beater, from Inzom Shroud Viewer and Blood Stealer,
an Ulmana City Elder and Salty Pirate, Astar Timber Baron and Beggar, Badland Riders, a pair of Zercan
Sorcerers.
Miraz, City of the Tyrant are taught to fight with sword and shield in heavy iron
plate mail, in tight formation, fighting alongside their
Ruled by a dynasty of Tyrants and home to the Iron
fellow legionaries.
Legions, this city wars constantly with its neighbours.
While its attempts at conquest have ultimately failed, Miraz Equipment: Plate mail armour, Shield, Spear, Long sword.
remains a constant threat to the other cities due to its Agent (Fighter, Thief)
highly organised social structure and great reserves of iron
weapons. Its wealth, stolen from others in constant raids, Agents are Miraz’s administrative class, responsible for the
pays for a large number of foreign mercenaries leading day to day running of the city. They come from hereditary
to the popular saying “Miraz’s Iron Legions stomp along families that sit just outside of the nobility. This profession
roads of Gold”. is allowed to handle and manage money, but is not allowed
the initiative to broker its own deals. Trade is strictly
Iron Legionary (Fighter) controlled by laws laid down by the Tyrant which ensures
The legendary fighting men of Miraz, fully armed and that all profits flow into his treasury. An Agent’s life varies
armoured in iron, whose hob-nailed boots stomp through between one of comfort and paranoia, depending on their
the dust of the Badlands on annual campaigns of conquest standing with the Tyrant. Agents are experts in balancing
against the other cities. the books and surviving the games of one-upmanship and
intrigue that are prevalent in their class.
The pinnacle of Mirazian discipline, an Iron Legionnaire,
is a feared fighting machine, both at home and away. They Equipment: Writing Quill, Parchment, Dagger, Leather
armour.

7
Noble (Fighter) dead. The Bone King occasionally sanctions expeditions
into the city of the dead to raid the tombs of nobles who
A member of one of Miraz’s ‘Golden Families’ who sided
have fallen out of favour.
with the First Tyrant during the beginning of the Age of
Isolation and who joined with him in a pact of power Morgue Attendant (Thief, Sorcerer)
that has held the city in its iron grip ever since. The noble
Morgue attendants are lurkers at the threshold of death.
families intermarry to consolidate their power. With the
Their job is to ensure that the dead are successfully
best upbringing and training that money could buy, Miraz’s
interred and that nothing passes over or back from the
nobles are expected to rule the lower classes with absolute
City of the Dead, living or dead, that would upset the
authority and protect them from the unwanted and unruly
Balance between the Living and the Dead. Part embalmer,
attentions of outsiders.
part investigator, Morgue Attendants have a grim sense of
Equipment: Chainmail, Long bow, Long sword, Noble’s ring humour that comes from sticking their heads in places foul
that shows family ties. and rotting in search of some glimmer of the truth.
Rebel (Fighter, Thief) Equipment: Two handed spear, Leather armour, Dagger,
For some the social restrictions that Miraz operates under Short sword, Embalming fluid.
have become too much. They gather in the homes of Death Warden (Fighter)
fellow conspirators and plot the downfall of the Tyrant
and his spawn. They have a well established network of Death Wardens are members of Inzom’s street-pounding
secret agents that helps keep them one step ahead of the police force. Always on the front line when the balance
Agents, Street Beaters and Death Guard of the Tyrant. between Life and Death breaks down into violence. They
hunt the Living who disturb the rest of the dead and
Equipment: Sling, Bag full of scrolls spreading the the Dead who disturb the peace of the living. Heavily
rebellion’s message, Sling, Short sword. armoured to deal with the most persistent of foes, Death
Street Beater (Fighter) Wardens have a reputation of pursuing their targets to the
grave…and beyond.
These professionals are the fearless defenders of the law
of the Tyrant of Miraz. They berate the late, beat the Equipment: Chain mail, Sling, Mace, Holy water.
disobedient and make very public examples of those who Bone Collectors (Fighter, Thief, Sorcerer)
dare step outside the boundaries of accepted Mirazian
behaviour. They investigate claims of adultery, fraud, and There are some who are born into power and riches. There
revolution. They are shrewd and perceptive, and unlike the are some who murder their way there. Then there are those
Tyrant’s mercenaries and Death Guard, are approachable who scrabble in the ancient dust of Inzom, picking up the
and skilled in the arts of negotiation. They are not afraid crumbs that the powers of ancient times have discarded
to resort to violence and in times of civil disobedience, to build their wealth and influence. These are the Bone
they raise the Civic Militia and break up the rioters. Collectors who recycle and recreate the lost riches of the
past. They jockey for political power, in the space between
Equipment: Leather armour, Club, Shield, Sling, Water skin,
Inzom’s teaming masses and its distant overlords. Their
Running sandals.
schemes are never ending
Inzom, City of the Dead Equipment: Pliers, Saw, Bag for bones, Dagger, Short sword,
Inzom is also known as ‘Necropolis’. Even in the time Sling.
of the Lion Empire it was the last destination for many Blood Stealers (Thief)
nobles who could afford to be interred in the city of the
dead outside the walls of the city of the living. The blood of the living is the food of the Undead
Overlords of Inzom. They learnt long ago that it is not
During the Age of Isolation, the living huddled within wise for them to leave their palaces to go hunting and it is
the walls of their city, while the dead shuffled around in also enshrined in Inzom Law that they should not wander
theirs. A strange relationship exists between the two cities, the night looking for victims. So the Blood Stealers arose
with centuries of ritual and tradition ensuring the city’s as a profession, silently and invisibly breaking into houses
prosperity, known as The Balance. at night an siphoning off the red stuff. As long as they
Inzom’s last living ruler died in the invasion of the city perform their task ‘honourably’ and none of their donors
by Miraz fifty years ago. The Bone King rose up with the die in the act the Bone Watch turns a blind eye.
dead legions and expelled the Iron Legions. Since that time Equipment: Thieves kit, Rope, Blood flask (a modified water
he has ruled the city of the living as well as the city of the flask), Dagger, Short sword.

8
Party Organiser (Any) Mage Guard (Fighter)
Both the living and the dead in Inzom crave excitement. Every Sorcerer has enemies and as a result has at least one
As a result Inzom has a never ending stream of parties Mage Guard protecting his back. As well as the martial
and festivals on a crowded and bustling calendar. There arts, Mage Guards are trained in the arts of Magical
is a saying “In Inzom its always someone’s birthday or protection and detection (Mage Guards have Magic
death day!” and it’s the Party Organiser’s job to make sure Sensitivity as Sorcerers see Crypts and Things page 23).
that everything goes as smoothly as possible. It is them Those that are proficient in their duties become a valuable
that find the venue, books the entertainers, sources the asset to a Sorcerer’s retinue. Those that are less than
food that meets the dietary requirements of both living proficient become cannon fodder for attacks from Magical
and dead guests, deals with any friction that arises due to assailants.
social misunderstanding and generally is the host with the
Equipment: Leather armour, Short sword, Sling, Small bag.
most for the whole event. Party Organisers often act as
information gatherers, either as part of their patron’s spy
network, or as independent sellers of secrets.
Ulmana, Port of the Great Octopus
Equipment: Writing kit, Good set of fashionable everyday During the Age of Isolation, Ulmana a prosperous sea-
work clothes, Impressive set of party clothes, Dagger. port during the Empire, was cut off from the sea by a
giant sea monster, the Great Octopus. Mysteriously it
Shroud Viewer (Sorcerer) disappeared at the end of the age, and the sailers have
In Inzom the worlds of the living and the dead exist carefully ventured forth into the seas around Ulmana ever
side by side and only the Shroud separates them. Where fearing its return. Over the last fifty years or so they have
the secrets of the dead are important and a new kind of established vigorous trade routes up and down the coast
diviner has arisen whose powers can pierce the veil and yet only through skilful diplomacy and heavy tribute have
unlock secrets that can be found there. Often employed they avoided the attentions of the Iron Legions of Miraz.
and protected by powerful patrons and consulted Ulmana’s sailors are adventurous, exploring the uncharted
frequently by the Death Watch in cases that require clues Far Sea and the myriad unexplored islands to the west, but
from the lands of the dead. quick to profit from the state sanctioned piracy against any
Equipment: A block of incense, Incense burner, A small bag community that fails to reach a trade agreement with the
of animal bones for divination. city’s elders.
The Salty Pirate (Fighter, Thief)
Zerca, City of the Magi
Ulmana’s sailors are a rough bunch, usually press-ganged
After the end of the Age of Isolation, magic first
from the city’s notorious slums. They are constantly driven
flourished in this otherwise unremarkable city. In fact
to find new treasure in old ruins that dot the islands of the
the more arrogant magi of this city will claim that they
Far Sea, and plunder taken from ships that fail to sail under
discovered this new way of tapping into magical energy.
the flag of a trade partner. Usually their lives are short and
After a series of early Rune Wars between powerful
full of violence, with only the most cunning hiding enough
individuals, a Magical Republic was formed with
of their wealth to provide for a peaceful old age.
representatives of the College of Magic ruling the city.
This ‘Republic of Enlightenment’ is still twenty years Equipment: Leather armour, Scimitar, Rat or Parrot as a pet.
young and finding its feet, fighting off external attack from
the Tyrant of Miraz and internal attack from renegades City Elder (Fighter, Sorcerer)
from the Rune Wars. From the privileged families that live in the villas on the
hills overlooking the main lower parts of the city, the city
Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Sorcerer) elders are masters of influence and politics, hiring pirates
Hounded, harassed, overworked and underpaid. That’s the and street gangs to back-up their rhetoric in the City
lot of Zerca’s Apprentices. But they flock in their hundreds Assembly hall. Constant infighting and intrigue sometimes
to the College of Magic, to gain access to a life of wealth, see an Elder leave the city to either escape his enemies or
power and experience far beyond the mundane. Not all raise some money to fund his latest scheme.
survive their studies and many drop out or disappear when
‘bonded’ to a Magus, unable to meet the high expectations Equipment: White Toga, Dagger, Family seal ring, Bundle
of their masters or simply disillusioned with the fact that of scrolls about Ulmana culture.
it’s not the easy life that they expected.
Equipment: Long fancy robes covered with mystic symbols,
Dagger, Small Bag.

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The Slummer (Thief, Fighter) Thief (Thief)
In the shadow of the rich hills of the city live the teeming There are those who, for whatever reason, refuse to take
masses. Struggling in poverty, some find meaning and part in Aztar’s Free Market. Those people who are lazy,
safety in the city’s many Street Associations. They are part dispossessed and politically incorrect. These individuals
street gang, to whom local businesses pay protection, part gather in their own ‘Guild’ in the roughest end of town,
militia, for the city call upon them in time of war, and part protected by their own hired blades. Initially the Timber
religious fraternity, for they are dedicated to the local spirit Barons were violently opposed to the Thieves’ Guild and
of the streets where they are born and bred. Occasionally its members, but over time they have seen the profit in
a Slummer will rise above his roots and pack a bag, leaving Aztar’s ‘Shadow Economy’, allowing it to exist along side
the city limits in search of fortune and adventure. the more sanitised and acceptable ‘Free market’. A thief
is a participant in this shadow economy; stealing, fencing
Equipment: Dagger, Flask with cheap beer, Sling.
stolen goods, or acting as an assassin.
Aztar, City of the Timber Barons Equipment: Leather armour, Short sword, Sling, Dagger,
Small bag.
A relatively young city state, Aztar was created by a
merchant class expelled from Miraz and driven south to
die seventy years ago. Its wooden buildings have often
The Badlands
been the subject of Miraz’s thirst for conquest, but tribute This is the wilderness between the cities. The shattered
and the longbows of its armies have kept their former remains of the Lion Empire’s famous roads cross a
masters out of their long houses. The Barons of Aztar are landscape that is rough and broken. Around old imperial
more worried about the tribes of savages that live in the outposts small communities of farmers huddle, eking
forest, which the city exploits for trade-goods and timber. out an existence from the land, constantly threatened by
bandits and monsters.
Timber Baron (Fighter, Sorcerer)
These are the men and women of money whose drive and
Scavenger (Fighter, Thief)
ambition make Aztar the most cosmopolitan and dynamic The debris of civilisations from before the Age of
city in the Shattered Lands. Money and trade is their forte, Isolation is rich pickings for those hardy individuals
and every dream has its price. Named after the powerful willing to risk the dangers of the Badlands. Dangers such
individuals who forged the City from the Silver Woods as: ancient abandoned magical traps, bound demons,
when they arrived as refugees seventy years ago, their marauding bandits and the harsh weather conditions. In
trade has now diversified to a wide variety of goods and any other culture these people would be labelled “Tomb
services. Robbers”. In the strange broken Badlands, they are heroes
reclaiming the lost treasures and secrets of the Lion
Equipment: Fine clothes, Short sword, Dagger, Short bow.
Empire, to aid the survival of their communities.
Mercenary (Fighter) Equipment: 50 foot of rope, large sack, Leather armour,
Whenever a Timber Baron wants protection for his short sword, sling, ten foot long pole.
caravans, a bodyguard for his person, a minor turf war
fighting, it is to the Mercenary Halls that they go. Here
The Lost (Barbarian, Fighter, Thief,
fighting men and women of every calibre and style Sorcerer)
imaginable are available for a price as part of Aztar’s ‘Free They wander the desolation of the Badlands, living off the
Market’. land and avoiding its horrors. It may by choice, some form
Equipment: Leather armour, Long sword, Hoplite shield, of mystic hermit experience or because civilisation has cast
Dagger, Long bow. them out and shuns them. Either way dusty and foot sore,
the Lost makes their way across the wilderness looking for
rest.
Equipment: Staff, Water skin, Dagger, Short sword.
Bandit (Barbarian, Fighter, Thief)
Most bandits will give you some cock and bull story
about how they were driven to banditry out of sheer
necessity. How they suffered some misfortune while barely
subsisting as an honest dirt farmer in the Badlands, forced

10
them to pick up the sword and take to a life of taking what of the Tyrant, the coin has travelled with the Iron Legions
they need. How the Badlands is a place where only the as they stomp around the lands. Since a lot of merchants
strong survive, and the strong take what they need. That do supply the Legions, the Iron is accepted throughout the
may be so, but the Badlands also breeds bad men who five lands.
live off the labours of the honest. Isolated from any real
The Aztar Silver is a new smaller coin that is minted
community, the life of a bandit is a lonely and treacherous
by the Aztar Coinage Company under contact from
one, which occasionally a brave soul may turn away from
the Aztar Merchants League. It seeks to usurp the Iron
seeking to redeem themselves by acts of true valour.
as the universal form of coinage, but has yet to have
Equipment: Leather armour, a Mule, Big sack, Short sword, gained popular acceptance and despite the silver tongued
Short bow, Dagger. assurances of Aztar’s merchant it remains a poor second to
the Iron.
Warden (Fighter)
The Ulmana pebble is actually a special green stone found
The horrors of the Badlands are many and, while the exclusively in the Great Octopus’ old lair. After the city was
people who live there are of a hardy disposition, even freed the city adopted these special stones as its currency.
they need someone to protect their livelihood. The However even in Ulmana it is still regarded as a novelty
Wardens are this dedicated group of defenders, who coin, which is only really used for very small day to day
uphold the unwritten law of the Badlands, which allows purchases.
some semblance of civilisation to exist in this barren,
tumbleweed-filled land. These tough individuals are Inzom uses an archaic system of engraved bones as its
supported by the communities they serve, who provide currency. If dealing with the city’s undead rulers use of
them with food and shelter in between long periods the Bones is required since it represents a whole system
hunting monsters and wrong-doers in the wilderness. of etiquette and prestige amongst the undead class as well
as the transfer of wealth. Most Inzomites use Irons and
Equipment: Leather armour, Long sword, Kite shield, Water Silvers for their dealings, hiring the services of a Bone
skin, Backpack, Badge of Office. Merchant if they need to deal with the financial system of
their rulers.
Language
Like most things in Zerca, its Crystal coins are imbued
The ‘forgetting’ of Imperial, the common tongue of the with Magic. Low value coinage restore Magic Spells cast
Empire, during the Isolation was the greatest punishment and their value can be told by their colour which matches
that the gods inflicted upon the Lion Emperor and the colours of the rainbow (therefore Red =Level 1 up
his people. Even during the time of the Lion Empire to Indigo = Level 6). The larger and higher value coins
each city had its own regional dialect, which over the are larger multicoloured crystals that store one use Spells.
Isolation developed into distinct languages. Only traders These Spell storing crystals are used by the Magi of Zerca
and characters that travel widely have learnt other cities’ to reward mundane followers with temporary Magic use
tongues, and apart from the occasional Sage who makes and transfer spells between themselves.
a living out of teaching his mother tongue, there is no
encouragement or inspiration to teach foreigners. In fact in In the Badlands barter is the norm, although with the
Inzom and Miraz it is culturally frowned upon. regular movements of the Iron Legions, the trader’s
outposts are beginning to use the Iron coin.
Badlander acts as a loose common tongue, but even this
quickly fragments into highly specific regional dialects Exchange rates
making it difficult for people to communicate beyond basic Iron = 5 Sivers
needs.
1 Iron = 20 Pebbles
In game terms, each player character starts knowing
Badlander. This allows a mixed group of PCs to 10 Iron per Level of Magic restoration stored in Zerca
communicate with one another. Crystal
100 Iron for Spell Zerca Crystal
Money and trade
???? Iron = ???? Bones
Each City mints its own currency, and the people who
are responsible for coin production are powerful and Iron equivalent to the gold piece that prices in Crypts and
influential figures in their respective cities. Things are given in.

The Miraz Iron coin is the dominant currency in the Land

of the Five Cities. Minted in the Royal Mint in the Court

11
Magic Religions and Magical Societies
During the time of the Lion Empire, worship of a wide These religions claim that they follow the “New Gods”
variety of gods who granted humans magical powers was who have ascended to the vacant Halls of the Gods since
the norm. In fact it was through divine providence that the the Age of Isolation. They will accept anyone willing to
Lion Emperor owed his powers. When the hubris of the worship with them and adhere to their philosophy. This is
Last Emperor challenged the authority of the Gods, they more accessible for most people rather than learning magic
brought down the Fall on his Empire and people, before from the family traditions.
leaving the world to its own devices. Aztar is a hot-bed of such cults to the New Gods with its
One of the things that occurred at the end of the Age street of a Hundred Deities. In the other cities the people
of Isolation, and in fact may have been the cause of the are still angry about the effects of the Fall and subsequent
reopening of the cities, was that Magic started to reappear abandonment by the Gods. Initiates and priests are viewed
in the world. At first it was the personal form of Magic with a great deal of mistrust and fear.
that most people know as Hedge Magic, but slowly more
powerful Magic has started to become available to the
Starvas the Sword Saint
cultists of the New Gods and Sorcery to the Magicians of Starvas was a solider who broke with his city and set forth
the Schools of Magic in Zerca. into the Badlands, cutting a bloody swathe through its
Apart from in Zerca, Magic use is nowhere near as monstrous inhabitants and opening the old imperial roads
organised as the former Imperial Cults during the Lion for trade. He was also the first man to sell his sword to the
Empire. Most Magicians learn Magic through relatives highest bidder once the inevitable wars broke out. Living
whose ancestors stumbled upon the spells and charms by a code of honour he famously rejected a job offer
during the last hundred years. The Domination cult of from the Tyrant of Miraz, because it would have involved
Miraz is the most significant example of a family tradition betraying his current employer.
which has obsessively kept control of its Magic. In many After his death at the hands of the Numberless Horde, the
places Sorcerers are treated with both awe and suspicion lack of any body started rumours that he had transcended
and can easily end up being hounded out of town or death and gone to live in the vacant halls of the Gods.
executed if they misuse their powers. Such is the distrust
of Magic that has arisen from the legend of the Fall. Worshippers: Mercenaries, Caravan guards, Warrior
magic-use is still in its infancy. adventurers.
At the beginning of the campaign Magic is only beginning Worshipper Duties: Uphold their contract, fight monsters
to trickle back into the world, and is quite limited to what and act with honour.
it can achieve.
Felora the Lucky
The Limits of Magic Felora was an unremarkable woman who had many
The Shattered Lands are a very low Magic world compared remarkable adventures over her lifetime. She avoided a bad
with other fantasy settings. Magic is only just returning to marriage, was successful in business and was one of the
the world and at the beginning of these adventures: first people to travel the Badlands, all by complete happy
accident! She died peacefully and rich in her old age and
• Sorcerers are limited to Level 3 spells, due to the slow ever since has been an inspiration to ordinary people and
trickle of magic energy. adventurers seeking the same good fortune.
• Open magic use is only found in Zerca amongst the
Magical elite of the city. Worshippers: Fortune seekers, the unlucky and misfortunate.
Worshipper Duties: Stay happy, bright and breezy no matter
• In other cities and the Badlands, Magic is a forbidden what the circumstances. Inspire others to do the same.
art that brought down the wrath of the gods so is
mistrusted and feared. Secretive solo Sorcerers are The Fool
the norm.
The Fool is a shadowy figure amongst the New Gods
• Elementalists are absent from the Shattered Lands. of the Shattered Lands. Some say he is an Old God
If there was any Elementalist tradition in the Lion who stayed behind to torment mankind with his twisted
Empire it was forgotten in the the magical calamity games. Sometimes he is kind and a champion of the poor.
that the Lion Emperor brought down. Sometimes he is a cruel nemesis of the rich and arrogant.
Sometimes he brings strange gifts that work in ways
This may all change as a result of the adventure (see
unexpected by their recipients.
Aftermath at the end of the book).

12
Worshippers: The Fool is a magnet for tricksters, rogues and Non-Human Races
the insane.
Serpent Men seem to have had no influence in the Shattered
Worshipper Duties: Be unpredictable, play pranks and jokes Lands either during the time of the Lion Emperor or after
at the drop of the hat. befuddle the stuffy and boring, the age of Isolation. This is not to say that they have never
annoy the arrogant and disobey the law. been here. Just that like so much of the Shattered Lands
The Red Hand Gang ancient history there is no trace of them. There exists the
possibility that Serpent Men from nests in the Continent
This is a shadowy conspiracy of Magicians who lurk in of Terror are present in the Shattered Lands, looking
the underworlds of the City-States. With the exception for traces and survivors of nests before the Last Lion
of Miraz, they have infiltrated the rich and powerful of Emperor or to exploit the naïvety and weakness of the
the ruling elite and await the time when their Magical newly emergent City States.
master plan comes to fruition. Organised on a hierarchal
cell structure, each member knows his or her place and Others terrorise the Badlands, free of ancient bounds set by
information is dished-out on a need to know basis. Only powerful sorcerers, hoarding gems, treasure and souls. Due
the Hidden Masters of the Cult know the full scheme that to the low levels of magic and sorcerers in the Five Cities
its members are slowly bringing to fruition. The lower they are almost entirely absent there.
ranks, although living in ignorance, gain the benefits of Undead creatures are especially abundant in the Shattered
Magical training and protection. Apart from rumours, the Lands. With the withdrawal of the Old Gods it appears
only concrete evidence that the outside world has of the that entry to the afterlife disappeared. Every city has its
cult is the occasional hand daubed in red paint on the door funeral rites, which must be followed to the letter else a
of a victim marked for death by the cult. loved one will remain in the world as a festering corpse.
Worshippers: The insecure, power seekers and renegade The Undead are most abundant in the city of Inzom,
magicians. which specialises in burials and has a set of laws, known as
the Balance, which protects both the living and the dead.
Worshipper Duties: Protect fellow members and obey the
commands of the Hidden Masters! What Lies Beyond the Five
The Young Necromancers Cities?
There is rumour going around the dark and dingy bars of For most people who live in the Five Cities this is a
the Five Cities of a group of young people who have gone nonsensical question. Their home city is their whole world
beyond the normal limits of wickedness and depravity and and they are too busy struggling to survive from day to
wallow in the filth of the dead themselves. They follow day to entertain thoughts of what may lie beyond the city
Tel-Kar-Nath, a decaying sorcerer from before the Age walls. Many brave adventurers have travelled beyond the
of Isolation, who preaches the end of all things. The final boundaries of the influence of the city states, sailed away
death of all in the Shattered Lands. across the Far Sea, or travelled deep into the Silver Woods,
never to be seen again. A few have returned, half-mad with
Worshippers: Insane, psychopathic young people hand tales of tyrants and monsters far worse than any found in
picked by the sorcerer Tel-Kar-Nath. the Badlands.
Special Benefits: None of the special attacks of any undead If they were to sail far enough they would come to
has any effect on a Young Necromancer. the distant shores of the Continent of Terror, and be
Please Note: this religion is not intended for the characters, bedazzled by the ancient city states and kingdoms they
since its the main enemy throughout the adventures. would find there.

Cult Wars: Red Hand Gang Vs. The Young Necromancers

The Red Hang Gang actively oppose Tel-Kar-Nath’s plan of global extermination, after one of their
members learnt of it first hand. Both cults numbers are small and the war will be mainly fought through
skirmishes between small groups, such as the players adventuring party, and individuals. Both groups
prefer to fight this war secretly, since neither has popular support and would probably be turned upon
by the masses if exposed.

13
 Joining the Guild of
Treasure Hunters

The Player’s Introduction

You stand in a large dusty market square, one of several in the city of Aztar.
Open twenty-four hours a day, it never sleeps. It is fuelled by constant anxious
trade, frequented by bargain hunters, conmen, extravagant status seekers and those
willing to sell their skills for coin.
One of the latter, a small man wearing brightly coloured clothes standing on a
wooden box on a corner, shouting at the gathered throng of onlookers grabs your
attention.
“Join the Guild of Treasure Hunters!
Roll up! Roll up! Do you have what it takes to join the Guild of Treasure
Hunters? Join a band of adventurers whose daring and luck liberate the wealth
of fallen empires. Gold, jewels and other exotic treasures from the time before the
Isolation that will make the sages weep in incomprehension. Join expeditions to
the far away Lion Emperor’s Tomb in his crushed capital city. Visit the Hidden
Falls of Goblin Wood to liberate the old gem mines. Get away from the mundane
drudgery of farming. You know it’s not your fate to crawl in the dust and have your
parents sell you into marriage. Break free; see the emerging world and come back
home with the fortunes of Kings and Queens.
We are a companionship, who share our loot with our sisters and brothers. You’ll
always have the best arms and armour and we have an extensive network of
safe houses in all the five cities! Best of all you’ll never go hungry when you
are a member of the Guild. We are a lot less strict about discipline than your
typical Mercenary troop. We never stab our members in the back, unlike some
Thieves Guilds we can mention. Finally we are less likely to explode in a bizarre
supernatural accident than members of the Jade Mystery Schools.
Free bowl of soup when you join up!”

14
Crypt Keeper’s Background The Guild Safe House
This is a very simple adventure to introduce new players Yoni takes the characters through the dusty streets of
to the setting and rules. Although the adventure as written Aztar to a large three story townhouse in one of middle
has a definite outcome, do not feel compelled to run it class districts of the city.
this way. Let the players lead the action and never coerce On the way they encounter some of the local Thieves
or control their characters. It may be that the characters Guild in a deserted alley. The thieves are looking to get
decide not to join the Guild in the end, although Yoni may revenge on the Guild of Treasure Hunters for some past
become a recurring character (“I know you decided not to wrong, or to warn them off from exploring local tombs.
join up, but I’ve got this little job you might like”). By the Yoni will shout about defending the Guild’s honour, before
end of this adventure new players should understand how promptly going invisible. There is one thief for every
the Guild work in play, and the benefits and obligations of character. The thieves will not fight to the death. The
membership. characters can either stand and fight or make a run for it.
What Happens Next? Thief AC 7[12] HD 1 HP 6 MV 12 Attacks: 1 Short Sword
(1d6) or 1 Sling (1d4) Special: None CL/XP 1/15
Let the players describe how their characters wander
over to talk to the man, who introduces himself as Yoni Once the characters have successfully dealt with or evaded
the Short. Use this as an opportunity for the players to the thieves and entered the safe house, they have the
introduce their characters to the other players. If the opportunity to sleep, bathe and eat before being offered a
players have decided that the characters already know each- guild mission.
other, this should also come out now. Yoni will answer
questions on everything detailed on the next page in the Rewards
Guild write up but the Secret (which he is unaware of). 100 XP each for taking part in this adventure, in addition
of any XP awarded for overcoming the Thieves.
Yoni the Short, Recruiter for the Guild of
Treasure Hunters
A typical chancer about town, never having more than
two silvers to rub together, joining the Guild has been
the making of Yoni. As a bachelor it gives him meaning
and purpose in his life. He gets satisfaction and small cash
reward for recruiting new members so he’s happy with
his lot as long as he doesn’t have to worry about the more
shady machinations of the Guild Mistress. In fact being
the ‘Portal Master’ for the Aztar Safe house makes him a
bit uneasy, but it was made very clear that he was to take
up the job or get kicked out of the Guild.
Yoni The Short AC 7 [12] HD 3 HP 20 MV 12 Attacks 1
Short Sword (1d6) Special Talisman of Portal Creation CL/XP
3/60
Motives
• Stay in the Guild
• Recruit new members

15
 The Guild of Treasure Hunters
They are a rag tag group, tomb raiders, thugs for hire, dubious sorcerers and all manner of social misfits
who would rather go down a long abandoned underground complex risking danger and death in search
of fame and fortune than do an honest day’s work. Early on in the days of the profession someone
thought it best to create a Guild to manage treasure hunters, provide some sort of ethical backbone and
curb some of their worst excesses in civilised areas (outright theft, banditry, kidnapping, murder etc).
The lower ranks of the Guild are sent on quests alongside more experienced members into long lost
ruins of the Lion Empire and other civilisations that came before it. Their rewards are mainly the Gold
and Gems that make up the majority of the loot. The more experienced members take their share as the
exotic items imbued with ancient magics.
Purpose in the World:
• Provide employment for its members.
• Mediation in disputes over treasure.
• Provide some sort of professional guidelines and ethical guidelines.
Membership Requirements:
Some sort of drive and desire to be a full time working adventurer with skills that will allow the
character to pursue this career. Having their own set of arms and armour also helps.
Member’s Duties:
• Undertake at least one Guild sponsored adventure per year.
• Surrender magic items found on Guild sponsored adventures to Guild Mistress upon request.
Secret: The Guild is actually a front organization for the Red Hand Gang. The current Guild Mistress
and her second in command are both Gang Members. The Gang uses the Guild to mount adventures to
hidden caches of ancient magical items.
Ranks:
1. Rabble: The mass of the unproven, the unworthy and the desperate hangers on. Most Rabble are HD
1 non-player characters or unproven level 1 player characters.
2. Journey People: Those who have been on a successful adventure and have come back with riches and to
tell the tale. Requirement at least level 2.
3. Teachers: Experienced adventurers, who have given up active exploration for the safer occupation of
teaching the lower ranks. Requirement at least Level 6.
4. Lieutenants: Active members of the Guild, who still go on expeditions but mainly help the Guild
master/mistress in the day to day running of the Guild. Also act as Enforcers punishing errant
members. Requirement: Be a member of good standing of at least Level 7.
5. Guildmaster/mistress: The head of the Guild. Be of at least level 9, and have the raw ability and desire
to run the Guild, with all its devious infighting and powerful external enemies.
Member benefits:
Safe Houses: In all of the five cities the Guild has made it a priority to set up safe houses where its
members can hide from the local forces of law and order. Safe houses also provide free food and
lodging and free healing (they have a stash of Healing Potion that heal 1d6 Hit Points or Constitution).
All safe houses have an appointed Guardian who knows the spell Create Portal that allows members to
travel instantly between safe houses.
Fencing of Goods: The Guild quickly establishes links with the local black economy, allowing its
members to sell most artifacts found on expeditions quickly and quietly.

16
 The Dust of Eternity
In a valley of dust lies the Tower of the Bright Star. It is ancient beyond the comprehension of
modern day residents of the valley. They scratch a living from dirt and their lives are a mere instant
in its long existence. It holds the secret to immortality that the rulers of a now forgotten world paid a
terrible price for in antiquity and continue to pay in exquisite pain in the present.
Foolish adventurers approach the Tower, thinking it some abandoned Sorcerer’s Tower ready for the
looting. Little do they know that the tables are about to be turned and they are to be looted, for the
treasure that Things within the tower most crave. Their very lives...

Setup
The basic premise of this adventure is the old swords and Suspicions that are confirmed when a nasty Necromancer
sorcery classic “The Sorcerer’s Tower”. The beginning called Zingen arrives at the Tower and starts kidnapping
characters have newly joined the gloriously titled “Guild the local men, turning them in Zombies at the Tower.
of Treasure Hunters” (see Joining the Guild of Treasure Thinking he is over his head Jarrock has contacted his
Hunters previously) and have been primed with tales of superiors for backup. Enter the Adventurers, who are
ancient gold and jewels. Little do they know that the to be ruthlessly manipulated into dealing with Zingen
Guild is actually a front for an occult organisation known and his Zombies, and getting the magical knowledge for
as the Red Hand Gang, who seek magical power from long Ingrid and the Red Hand Gang, without claiming it for
lost treasure troves of knowledge such as the Tower of the themselves.
Bright Star. One of its members, Jarrock the Swift who
poses as a trader in the nearby village of Iono, has come
to suspect that the Tower of the Bright Star is one such
trove.

17
Trip to Iono people. They are quite insular and have survived through sheer bloody
mindedness and by having a good healing tradition that is passed
At the Guild of Treasure Hunters’ safehouse in Aztar,
down from wise woman to wise woman”.
following on from the characters joining the Guild, Yoni
explains the mission to the characters over a light lunch, What Sort of Treasure have you Found There?
where wine is available.
“Mainly trinkets, cups, plates, and some costume jewellery. But
“You’ve joined just at the right moment. One of our members in a enough stuff to suggest that the area was once a capital city of some
small village called Iono out in the Badlands about five days ride sort or another. Most of the buildings have been pounded into dust,
from here is in a spot of bother and needs a hand. Iono is a poor dirt but the scale of what survives, some walls made of big stones and
farming community, the sort of place I’d imagine some of you have statues supports this idea.”
run away from, but it's slap bang in the middle of an area which
used to be inhabited in ancient times. It’s littered with ruins and we’ve What Yoni isn’t Telling the Characters
found all sorts of treasure there over the years. Currently Jarrock the
Swift works the area. Jarrock poses as a simple merchant and as well That this isn’t an Accidental Find
his own explorations buys artifacts that the local farmers dig up out Jarrock the Swift is doing this job as a favour to the Guild
of the fields. Now a couple of weeks ago he sends back word that Mistress who already knows about the tower from a map
he could do with a couple of other members to help him. He’s made collected from a previous job. Jarrock was shown the map
a big discovery and needs a few more swords to help him. Something and was told to commit it to memory (which he did). If
about an ancient Sorcerer’s Tower. Jarrock successfully recovers the magical treasure and
So you up for it?” delivers it to the Guild Mistress, he gets a cushy job as a
respected Teacher in the Guild.
Preparation About the Fact that Most of the Treasure is
Equipment Magical
Yoni isn’t keen on the characters leaving the safehouse The Guild Mistress suspects (correctly) that the treasure
before they go on the expedition, especially if they’ve been within the tower is magical. As such, Guild rules dictate
attacked on the way by the thieves, so a trip out to the local that it should be passed over to her (via Jarrock) at the end
markets to buy extra equipment is out of the question of the adventure. Sure there’s some jewellery and gold,
unless they succeed at convincing him otherwise. which the characters are allowed to keep if they survive,
but its slim pickings compared to the magical power found
He also laughs in their faces if they try and blag an within the tower.
advance on their takings from the expedition to pay for
new equipment. Yhe Guild can supply basic adventurer’s About the Zombies!
kit. Stored in a dusty storeroom are items such as Jarrock is aware that something has caused the tower to be
backpacks, water skins, rope, leather armour, medium magically active and that a sorcerer is taking the village’s
shields, and one-handed weapons. men and turning them into Zombies. He’s decided to sit
tight and call for back up. this is where the characters come
Asking Questions in. Yoni doesn’t’ know this, but thinks it reasonable for
Jarrock to call for help since it sounds like a big find.
Tell Me More About...
That they are Meat Shields and Expendable
Jarrock the Swift
Jarrock is too close to a cushy retirement to risk himself,
“He’s a guild veteran. Tough and powerful. Do what he says and so he intends for the adventurers to do all the dangerous
don’t get on the wrong side of him. This is his last field-job after work on this one. He’ll quite happily sit back and let
which he’s going to settle down and be a teacher.“ the characters clear out the Tower, before swanning in
The Sorcerer’s Tower? and collecting all the magical treasure, letting surviving
members keep and gold and gems. Again Yoni doesn’t
“He found it on a quick trip out. It’s a large step pyramid he saw at know this directly, but given Jarrock’s age and experience
distance through a dust storm. Said there was a weird flashing glow. wouldn’t be surprised.
We’ve found places like this before and they usually have magical
items within them. He says this one looks quite well preserved.” Through the Door to Adventure
What are the Locals like? Eventually Yoni takes the characters down to the ritual
“There are a pretty harmless lot, an extended family group of twenty room in the basement. He has already used his Talisman

18
to create a portal spell and a shimmering outline of a Events
door hangs in the room. The characters can clearly see the
dusty desert and the small mud brick houses of Ionos in Arrival in Ionos
the distance through the portal. Yoni explains that all they There is brief magical flash as the characters step through
have to do is walk through the door and they will be there. the door. When the last of them is through, Yoni closes
The return trip will be handled by Jarrock upon successful it on the Aztar side. They find themselves on a dusty path
completion of the job. about five minutes from Ionos.
The Adventure The Last Man Alive
The Village of Iono Jarrock, who has been looking out for their arrival, is the
first on the scene. He regularly scans the spot where the
An isolated village of twenty single story mud brick houses Portal should appear from the flat roof of his house. If
with flat roofs, only half of which are currently used. Its the characters don’t come towards the village he comes out
inhabitants, an extended family of 14 persons, scrape a from his house to meet them warmly. He quickly identifies
living in poor agriculture and hunting, supplemented by himself and brings the characters into his confidence.
the occasional find of minor trinkets from the time of the
Ancients as well as low level banditry. He updates them on the situation. An unknown force
has taken over the Sorcerer’s Tower. Each day, it sends its
Secrets messenger Hurgo, a large brutish man, to demand one of
Magical inheritance: Thousands of years prior to the Lion the men folk, starting with the boy Yurg. Hurgo made it
Empire a Kingdom of God-Sorcerers existed in the area very clear that if the men didn’t go with him the whole
that Ionos is now built. It was utterly destroyed in a war village would be wiped out of existence. For reasons
against the people of the River Civilisation (see Dead Pot not clear to him the villagers meekly complied. Until the
Country), who razed their city to the ground, ravaged the characters arrived, he was the last man in the village.
citizens and dragged the survivors off in chains. Only the He needs the characters to go to the Tower and overcome
Tower of the Bright Star was left standing, because of its or outwit this Unknown Force, take control of its treasures
fearsome reputation. Minor trinkets can be found close to and return them to him. As far as he is concerned,
the surface, and low stone walls dot the landscape, but its recovery of the menfolk would be a bonus that would
the mud brick Ziggurat that curry favour with the locals. After the job is done he’ll cast
Banditry: Ionos is hundreds of miles away from anywhere, a portal which will return them to the Guild Safe House in
and the men folk of come in two varieties: Hard working Aztar.
types who toil for the good of the community and savage Why did the villagers go along with Hurgo ? Mainly
immoral robbers who attack any passing travellers. The superstition. They have a powerful folk tradition of scary
clan matriarchs turn a blind eye to the latter’s actions as tales of the Tower of the Bright Star and its unnatural
long as they bring food and resources back to the clan and powers, which generation after generation have passed on.
are not a disruptive influence in the community. How the Chained King, a powerful sorcerer, lives bound

Talisman of the Portal

If the possessor of this Talisman focuses on it, a magical door that opens between two points in the
Shattered Lands is created. The caster need only concentrate on an image of the destination or more
commonly a map of ‘Portal Nodes’ drawn up in the time of the Lion Empire who created the spell as
part of their Other World exploration project. When cast, a shimmering outline of a door hangs in the
air, and through it the destination can be clearly seen. The door persists for up to an hour as long as the
caster concentrates on it and is two way.
A stash of these Talismans was rediscovered in a treasure trove of along with a copy of the Portal
Nodes map by the original members of the Red Hand Gang in their early days. It is one of their most
closely guarded secrets, since it allows them to travel round the Shattered Lands pretty much at will.
They make sure that there is one person who knows how to use Talisman in each of the Guild safe
houses and Gang strongholds. Most “Portal Keepers” only have access to a small portion of the Portal
Node Map on a strictly need to know basis.

19
within the Tower. How anyone who has strayed too near Motives
to it has come back mad or simply disappeared. On a more
• Make sure Zor doesn’t come back.
practical view, despite a few hunters, the village is not made
up of combatants. They are however not keen to pass • Run away with Jarrock, or similar suitable male.
this knowledge on. They do not know about the menfolks’
Elga
transformation into Zombies and are hoping that Jarrock
and his ‘friends’ will somehow liberate them. Elga is Mariz’s daughter, who has taken over as ‘provider’
for the village. A skilled hunter and scout, she will lead the
Jarock the Swift
adventurers through the Valley of Dust to the Tower of
An old experienced adventurer, for whom Ionos is his last the Bright Star. However, she will not risk her life. Elga is
job in the field before becoming a Teacher for the Guild. quiet and thoughtful.
A tall weather beaten man, in his mid-forties with greying
Elga AC 7[12] HD 1 HP 7 MV 12 Attacks 1: Short Sword
hair dressed in tattered chain mail armour.
(1d6) or Short Bow (1d6) Special: None CL/XP 1/15.
Jarrock The Swift AC 5 [14] HD 5 HP 30 MV 12
Motives
Attacks: 1 Greatsword (1d10) or Long Bow (1d8) Special
None CL/XP 5/240: • Provide meat for the village
Treasure: Hidden under a floorboard is a bag with 100 • Protect the other women
silvers and 20 gold coins. Granny Tols
Motives Elderly, almost blind and most certainly demented. She
• Stay alive wails only when the other women do.
• Gain the magic treasure of the Tower of the Granny Tols AC 9[10] HD 1 HP 2 MV 12 Attacks 1: Fist
Bright Star (1d3) Special:None CL/XP 1/15

The Wailing Women Motives

This encounter happens anywhere in the village once the • Wah?

characters leave Jarrack’s house, a group of five women all Sornel
dressed in black mourning garb surround the characters
and harass them with their tale of woes and misfortune. A scornful almost spiteful woman, who is ironically the
village’s healer through inherited knowledge from Granny
The group consists of: Tors (“neither Mariz or Hannos could be bothered to learn
Mariz from Mum, so it had to be me. She handed it on before
she went crazy.”)
A matronly woman in her late thirties, almost crippled with
agony over the taking of her son. Sornel AC 9[10] HD 1 HP 6 MV 12 Attacks: 1 Fist (1d3)
Special :Spellcasting CL/XP 1/15.
Mariz AC 9[10] HD 1 HP 6 MV 12 Attacks 1: Fist (1d3)
Special:None CL/XP 1/15. Sornel can cast the following once per day.

Motives Cure Light Wounds, Cure Serious Wounds, Cure Disease

• Regain son Yurg Motives

• Lead the rest of the women • Begrudgingly heal the sick

Hannos Hurgo the Hungry

A young blonde and a flirt who is quite happy to see her Zingen’s messenger turns up in the hamlet a couple of the
husband Zor gone (“A pigshit of a man who used to beat hours after the characters first arrive and walks into the
me”). She has eyes for Jarrock, who she dreams will take village square, leans against the well and demands that the
her away from all of this. She will pay the adventurers a woman hand over Jarrock. He runs off if threatened by
magic jug (holding a charm which turns any water put into the characters.
it into a Heal 3 upon reciting a small spell that Hannos can Hurgo the Hungry
teach the character) to make sure Zor does not come back.
A nasty piece of work that Zingen has teamed up with.
Hannos AC 9[10] HD 1 HP 6 MV 12 Attacks: 1 Fist (1d3) Large, brutish and disfigured (he’s probably from an inbred
Special: None CL/XP 1/15 line of Khaos mutants) he wears an ancient iron boar

20
helmet. Zingen has promised Hurgo the village’s women Tower of the Bright Star
once all the men have been gathered up. Hurgo is a
cannibal amongst the rest of his unpleasant genetic traits. From Outside
Hurgo the Hungry AC 6[13] HD 4 HP 35 MV 12 Attacks: An ancient step pyramid, which is three tiers high, 20
2 Handed Mace (1d10) Special: None CL/XP 4/120 metres wide at its base, and five meters at its summit. Five
metre wide steps lead up to Tier 3, which is open to the
Motives
elements, on the north and south faces. One the west and
• Serve Zingen well so he can gain his reward. east faces there are two meter high by three metre wide
arches, decorated with grinning demon faces, which lead
• Do bad things because he likes it
into Tier 1. Round all of the tiers are carved frescos of
• Eat human flesh frog demons terrorising human slaves.
Under a Dead Moon D6+1 of the Zombies will be on patrol outside. The
remainder will be inside in the pyramid. See page 24 for
If Jarrock is not given up then Zingen sends five of the
descriptions and stats of the Zombies who live in the
zombies, along with Hurgo (if still alive) to fetch him in
Tower.
the dead of night.
Finding the Big Axe Inside the Pyramid
If the adventurers bother to search the buildings there is Tier 1 (Ground floor)
a possibility they will find Mulgar’s Big Axe. This two-
Entry Hall
handed axe is a family heirloom which is enchanted and
gives a +1 to hit and damage. Mariz will go crazy with This is a large square room, 30 foot across. There is a large
grief if she sees any of the characters with it without her red star inlaid in the stone floor, which glows and pulsates
permission. Elga will quietly hunt the character down to rhythmically like a heartbeat. In both the north and south
regain it. walls are a pair of robust stone double doors that lead into
chambers (see below), while both the west and east walls
The Valley of Dust have narrow stone steps, barely one metre wide, that lead
up to the 1st floor above.
The journey from Ionos and the Tower is a twenty
kilometer walk down an old dried up river bed. The walk is Northern Room: The Chamber of Priests
eerie and unsettling. Apart from the occasional chill desert This ten foot square room used to be the home of the
wind, there are no sounds or signs of any life. junior priests of the tower. Now bare, it is where ‘off
Bright Star flashes! duty’ Zombies can be found. That is unless the characters
have stomped around the pyramid in which case the more
If Jarock was taken to the tower, he has been killed and nimble zombies have raced off to where they last heard
turned into a Zombie. His soul ascends the chimney and them, and the slower moving ones shamble out of the
is trapped in the Crystal star. The adventurers see this as room.
they explore the Valley.
Treasure: if any of the characters make a successful search,
The Monolith half buried in the dust a bent metal ceremonial wand
which is partially covered with gold leaf, worth 100 gold.
Just before the end of the valley a three metre tall statue
The wand has long been discharged and has no magical
rises out of the dirt. At a distance it is a distorted finger of
powers.
stone rising out of the earth reaching up defiantly towards
the dust filled sky. Close up its gruesome form is revealed Southern Room: The Frog God’s Room
as a giant toad-like demon devouring a bound human slave,
This ten foot square room is dominated by a 8 foot high
who is disappearing head first into the demon’s large tooth
stone statue of an ancient and loathsome demonic Frog
filled mouth.
God. Its face is a grinning mass of teeth, while its back is a
mass of stars (reflecting some primitive belief that the god
is the master of the universe).

21
Tier 2 (1st Floor) Zingen, Ghoulish Young Necromancer

The Astrologer’s room An otherwise average nobleman’s son, whose natural

cruelty had made him unpopular at home until he met the
The stars from the ground floor lead directly into this undead sorcerer Tel-Kar-Nath (See Life and Death pxx),
fifty foot square room which Zingen has taken as his own. who initiated him in the cult of the Young Necromancers.
It is filled with star charts, brass representations of the Morbid and unkempt, he openly flaunts his membership
heavenly bodies and alchemical jars and pipes. As well as by wearing black robes and a silver skull ring.
various magical paraphernalia, Zingen has a wooden single
bed and on a table there is a letters to another Young Zingen AC 9[10] HD 3 HP15 MV 12 Attacks: 1 Dagger
Necromancer (Yuvar the Merchant’s son in Dead Pot (1d4) Special: Spellcasting CL/XP 4/120
Country), that he is composing. Can cast the following spells once a day:
If the characters have snuck up to the tower and made Cause Light Wounds, Hex, Charm Person
their way up this room quietly, Zingen will be asleep here.
He uses his Cause Light Wounds spell to torture the
Otherwise he will be found in the Chamber of the Passing.
Chained King.
Under the bed is a small treasure chest, locked with a small
brass key that Zingen has. It contains trinkets worth about
100 silvers.

“Dear Yuvar
I am having a great time here. The Temple of the Toad
has provien a great source of powerful knowledge about
the ancient magics of death. I have aquired a small armie
of deadies that do my bidding. An anceint Liche is in
my power and when I have squezed the last of its secrets
from its dead brain I shall come and join you in Dead Pot
Country. The Liche remembers warring against that lands
inhabitants, and I suspect from its demenour on the mattre
that his people lost. Which can only mean that there is
even more powerful magic as the master suggested. Perhaps
even the secret of LIFE AND DEATH itself!!
Not long my love
Zingen”
22
Tier 3 (2nd Floor) The Chained King

This floor is a stone chamber, 10 metres square, atop the This creature no longer remembers his name, only the fact
pyramid, known as the Chamber of the Passing. that he is King of this tower and the surrounding lands.
It has been cruelly chained here by Zingen, who has been
The Chamber of the Passing torturing him for magical secrets that he forgot many years
This is where the dead are reanimated. First the victims are ago. It only remembers the spells it knows through as
slain on a blood soaked altar of sacrifice which dominates sense of self-preservation.
the chamber. Then their soul is sucked up into the Star of The Chained King AC 7[12] HD 5 HP 25 MV 12 Attacks:
Souls which is inlayed in the roof of the chamber. Unable Fist (1d6) Special: Spellcasting CL/XP 6/400
to pass to their place in the Halls of the Gods and its
afterlife, the body of the victim rises as a zombie. It can cast the following spells once per day: Cause Light
Wounds, Shield.
Behind the altar, sitting in the shadows is a stone throne
in which the undead form of the King in Chains (see Star of Souls
below) is bound up with iron chains (Zingen has the key; Above the Chamber of the Passing is the Star of Souls.
the player characters can also pick the locks and free him). This crystal artefact, one metre across, entraps souls as
The King in Chains will explain in return for his freedom they escape body. It used to be a magical artefact that sent
how to reverse the process of Zombification and return the souls of the dead Kings of this area to their place in
the village men to life. All they simply have to do is gather the Halls of the Gods, opening a gate to it, but has been
up the Zombies, lie them on the altar (or more likely bind warped by the King in Chains when he used it to make
them) under the Star of Souls, and he will recite a small himself immortal. This was before the Lion Emperor
spell. The King in Chains will not teach the spell; it’s his Ascended to the Halls of the Gods.
bargaining chip to getting out of here.

23
Events Zombie 2. Zor

Zombies! Husband of the flirt Hannos, nasty and fast. Attacks

females on sight.
The seven Zombies that Zingen has raised using the Star
of Souls, shamble around the pyramid. If the players are Zor AC 8[11] HD 2 HP 12 MV 9 Attacks: 1 rusty short
clever they can kill off or capture individuals or pairs, but sword (1d6) Special: Immune to mind control, poison and
once the alarm is raised the Zombies will swarm round the disease CL/XP 2/30
characters. If Zingen is still alive he provides back up. “Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!”
The Zombies Zombie 3. Mulgar
Zingen has raised 7 Zombies from the captured menfolk Husband of Mariz, father of Yurg. Big and Ox like. Quite
of Ionos. All the Zombies are named with appearances passive, tends to stand there moaning with his head in
and personal quirks. Remember these were once people. his big hands, but If you offend him he comes at you
Amidst the moans and groans they occasionally throw out unrelentingly. If any of the characters has his axe (see
bits of dialogue (see quotes) to remind the players that Big Axe) he will follow them about (“My Axe?”) but if
they were once human. they give him back to him he looks at it quizzically before
Zombie 1. Yurg the Lost Boy dropping it.

In life a cute and zesty. eight year old In undeath, creepy in Mulgar AC 8[11] HD 2 HP 15 MV 9 Attacks: 1 Fist (1d6)
a needy sort of way. Special: immune to mind control, poison and disease CL/
XP 2/30
Yurg AC 8[11] HD 2 HP 5 MV 9 Attacks: 1 Fist (1d6)
Special: Immune to mind control, poison and disease CL/ “Mulgar! My name is...Mulllgaarrrrrr!”
XP2/30 Zombie 4. Grandfather Zin
“Have you seen my mummy? My mummy is called Mariz” He is the husband of Granny Tors, Father of Zor, Mulgar
and Tor. Skinny and tough, Zombification has actually
done him a great favour. Loves human flesh.
Grandfather Zin AC 8[11] HD 2 HP 5 MV 9
Attacks: 1 Fist (1d6) SR: immune to mind control, poison
and disease CL/XP 2/30
“Hungry, Hungry!”, “Why don’t they feed me enough?”.
Zombie 5. Torg the Hunter.
He was Ionos’ chief hunter gather and unmarried.
Torg AC 8[11] HD 2 HP 12 MV 9 Attacks: 1 Fist (1d6) or
Longbow (1d8) Special: immune to mind control, poison
and disease CL/XP 2/30
“You can’t run , you can’t hide, must feed the tribe!”
Zombie 6. Ciz the Head collector
Even before his zombiefication, Ciz was a bit mad and
unpleasant. He used to rob passing travellers, removing
the heads of any of his victims, which Granny Tors would
shrink for him. He has five such heads attached round
his belt. The clan put up with him because he was the
strongest fighter and a good hunter.
Ciz AC 8[11] HD 2 HP 10 MV 9 Attacks 1 Greatsword
(1d10) SR: immune to mind control, poison and disease
CL/XP 2/30

“HEADS! HEADS! I WANT YOUR HEAD!”

24
Zombie 7. Itil the Idiot Further Adventures
From the same defective genetic stock as Ciz. Sneaky and
deceptive in life, traits that he retains beyond the grave. The Letter
Homicidal but back stabbing and ambushing if partnered The letter to the merchant’s son is a direct lead into
with Ciz. Dead Pot Country. If the characters show it to either
Itil AC 8[11] HD 2 HP 10 MV 9 Attacks: 1 Short Sword Yoni or Jarrock they will take the information to the
(1d6) Special: immune to mind control, poison and disease Guild Mistress who will command the the characters
CL/XP 2/30 be commissioned to look into it after learning of the
merchant’s son’s disappearance.
“Someone’s had a big joke on me, but I’m the Joker!”

Resolving the Adventure The King Unchained

Another potential lead into Dead Pot County as the King
Kill Them All! remembers his former life and decides to visit the lands of
A straightforward assault on the tower is the easy and his former enemy to see if time has treated them as kindly.
somewhat dumb way of completing the adventure. The
Crypt Keeper should meet such an attack with organised Zingen on the Run!
resistance from the Zombies, Zingen (and if still alive If the characters are victorious against the Zombies,
Hurgo the Hungry) if the characters go blundering Zingen will cut his losses and make a run for it. It is highly
around. It’s also a tactic that will win them no friends likely he will join his lover Yuvar in Dead Pot County,
amongst the women of Ionos. unaware that he has already been captured by the Ghoul
Queens (see Dead Pot Country page 36).
Sneak Around and Learn Secrets
Canny players will twig that there are other options to
outright violence and scout the tower, using deception to
avoid the Zombie guards. They might even encounter the
Chained King and learn about how to bring the Zombies
back to life using the Star of Souls, and to the great delight
of the women of Ionos bring their menfolk back alive.
Zingen gets his throat cut in his sleep or is tossed to a
vengeful Unchained King.
Knowing players the actual outcome will be somewhere
between these two extremes. The important bit is that
although the adventure looks like a very simple treasure
hunt, the Crypt Keeper should complicate it by playing the
monsters as people.

Rewards
In addition to any XP awarded for overcoming monsters.
Unless noted all rewards are divided amongst the group
members who are involved in achieving them.
200 XP each for looting the Tower and surviving its
challenges.
100 XP for the character who keeps the Soul Star
(although there will be severe consequences if the Red
Hand Gang ever discover it)
100 XP per Zombie brought back to life.
100 XP for unchaining the Chained King and dealing with
him, either negotiation or fighting.
100 XP per character for genuinely heroic action during
play.

25
 Dead Pot Country
On the edge of the Badlands and the belt of peasant desperate to prolong their lives of decadent depravity,
farmers that support the merchants of Aztar some fifty turned to forbidden magic and upon death became
kilometres up Broken Deal Way is a blighted area that is Ghouls, fed by their successors with the flesh of living
known as Dead Pot Country. It is called this because of slaves. The River Valley Civilisation finally collapsed
the ancient burial practice of the River Valley civilisation when the river, stagnated by burial urns dumped in the
that once flourished there. Now, like so many places in river, dried up. The living survivors of this ecological
the Badlands, lawlessness abounds and monsters roam the disaster left the valley and were absorbed into the
ruins which hide the treasures of the fallen civilisation. neighbouring cities.
Treasures which many a brave band of adventurers feel the
After the Collapse the valley was left alone by the peoples
need to liberate from their dusty tombs.
of the emerging Lion Empire, considered a cursed and evil
Setup place. The Ghoul Empresses and the wandering restless
Deadies only confirmed that report to any one who dared
Crypt Keeper’s Introduction venture into the valley. Finally Imperial decree made the
valley a forbidden zone.
Location
After the Age of Isolation ended a group of peasants, who
Dead Pot Country is 80 miles up Broken Deal Way in the had joined the Merchants Exodus from Miraz, became
Badlands. Aztar is the nearest city, and Dead Pot Country’s separated during a dust storm and found refuge in the old
ruler Lord Tarken pays nominal tribute to the Merchant Pot Burier’s village on the edge of the valley. They started
Lords of that city. In reality Dead Pot Country is outside to create a peasant’s utopia based upon equality and trust
the influence of Aztar, and Lord Tarken is nothing more which thrived for a generation (roughly thirty years), until
than a bandit chief, hedging his bets by flattering the Lord Tarken and his men descended upon them five years
traders from Aztar when they stumble across his village ago. Now they toil under his yoke.
taking shelter from one of the many dust storms that
plague the area. A Quick Way into the Adventure
A Short History of Dead Pot Country Some merchant’s son has got lost in the Bad Lands, perhaps in the
worst part of this desolate wilderness, Dead Pot County. A place
At the dawn of time, the valley which Dead Pot Country crawling with the hungry dead of a long dead civilisation and terrors
is located in was one of the cradles of early human much worse!
civilisation. The valley was wide with a large flat flood Good job there’s a large reward for the return of the lad and the
plain, that the river annually flooded depositing rich chance to pick up all that treasure buried with the deadies!
and fertile mud. The River Valley civilisation developed
The player characters are hired to by Merchant Lord
agriculture and a system of laws, among which were laws
Bebvega. His son, the Merchant Yuvar, was in an
governing the burial of the dead in large pottery urns. The
expedition along Broken Deal road, charged with
River Valley Civilisation went through three periods;
contacting Lord Tarken, a dealer in ancient antiquities
1. An early period of Enlightenment, 20,000 years from an ancient abandoned valley. Yuvar is now a month
ago. From observing the stars, the homes of the overdue and his father is worried. A Zercan Diviner, a
gods, the River Valley people became wise and family retainer, has determined that while the lad is still
magically powerful. alive he is being held ‘underground in a place of skulls’.
2. A middle period of Conquest, 15,000 years ago. The rewards are high, 500 irons per player character, but
From the power they gained in the first period they Bebvega expects them to work on their own initiative and
started to dominate the neighbouring city states. his son to be returned alive.

3. A final period of Stagnation and Collapse, 10,000 Crypt Keeper’s Knowledge

years ago. The once fertile flood plain is now full Yuvat, who is Bebvega’s heir apparent, is 29 years old.
of burial urns. The River Valley people began to He is outwardly steady and reliable. Like his father he is
rely more and more upon the efforts of their slave motivated by wealth and maintaining his family’s status
populations, and became a minority urban elite in in Aztar. Unknown to his family he has joined the Young
their own empire. The God Kings of the Empire,

26
Necromancers, an unsavoury death cult, and taken a lover Reasons to Visit Dead Pot Country
Zingen (see Dust of Eternity) from their number. His
current family mission is merely an excuse to go exploring There are many reasons to visit this long forgotten part of
the ruins of the River Civilisation. When he arrived in the Shattered Lands.
the village, he was briefly entertained by Tarken before • Find a lost relative. People get lost and kidnapped
striking out into the Urn fields in search of treasures (the all the time in the Shattered Lands. Either a patron’s
existence of which a drunken Tarken bragged about over or character’s more adventurous brother got lost while
the evening meal). His party got as far as the city where looking for the connecting part of Broken Deal Way,
his men were torn to pieces by Bal & Ral. Taking refugee a source of great riches since it would become an
in the Tower of Downfall, Yugar was captured by the important trade route between Inzom and Aztar.
Ghouls, where he is currently held in their court (see page
39). • Buried treasure. Rumours abound in the city of a
field of buried pots filled with gold around the ruins
Everyday Life and Death in Dead Pot of a lost city just off the Broken Deal Way.

Country • Lost Magic of the Ancients. There are legends of

a lost civilisation that predates the Lion Empire. Its
The Living rulers transcended death and neglected the needs of
their living subjects and their civilisation collapsed.
“Better to be living than to be dead!”
To be one of the living in Dead Pot Country is to be The Adventure
one thing, miserable. Life is hard and tough in the area’s
only village, a soul-less place full of one storey mud brick Themes
houses. Here the peasants barely survive on subsistence Bear in mind the following themes while running the
farming. Their idea of a good time is a bowl of gruel adventure. These themes run though the locations and
and a mug of sour wheat beer. The only people who are events of the adventure, but are stated explicitly here to
doing well, in any sense of the word, are Lord Tarken help you evoke the right mood as you and your players
and his men, bandits who took over the village when they explore the adventure.
came across it by accident five years ago. Even they are
bored and fed up with the claustrophobic atmosphere of Man versus the Desert
the village and this motivates most of the petty cruelty Dead Pot Country is a dry and desolate place. It doesn’t
that they inflict upon the villagers. Yes life is hard and rain here, the main ‘river’ is a stagnant muddy stream
unrewarding, but at least they are not dead. magically polluted by the remains of the dead. The
The Deadies people of the village barely survive from a single well
and occasional downpours. If the players do not plan
Deadie number 1 “Braainnnsssssssssssss..” accordingly, make them pay for their mistakes. Intelligent
Deadie number 2 “Hunnnnngrrrryy....” enemies, such as Tarken’s men and the Ghouls, will often
destroy their opponent’s water supplies leaving them to die
The dead outnumber the living in Dead Pot Country, of thirst, rather than mounting a direct attack.
about one thousand to one. Fortunately most are Pot
dwellers who live interred in large burial urns with their Peasants and Bandits
possessions from life. They stay put unless their home is This theme will prick those players (or player characters)
disturbed, in which case they wake up and become one with a social conscience. It runs alongside the theme of the
of the Hungry Dead who roam the Urn fields looking for harsh desert. Make it clear to the players when they explore
living flesh. In the City of Three Towers lurk the God the village that Lord Tarken lords it over the peasants
Kings and their Ghoul servants. These ancient rulers of making their lives miserable. Force them to answer the
the fallen River Civilisation and their servants attained following question: Will the player characters act as heroes
immortality through the depraved practice of eating and liberate the peasants from their oppressors or will they
human flesh. side with the more powerful bandits to make their treasure
hunt in the valley easier?
The Hungry Dead
There’s a large chunk of this adventure that is a zombie
survival movie. Mess up in the Urn Fields and the player

27
characters are going to have the shambling hordes of people to abandon the River Valley.
shuffling after them, groaning, moaning and waking
In the time of the Lion Empire the Village became a
up more of their colleagues. In a one on one fight the
military outpost, whose Garrison a battalion of Undead
player characters will probably come out winners. With
hating priests guarded the valley wall and prevented the
multiple hands trying to drag them into the dust, the player
Hungry Dead and Ghouls from escaping into the Empire
characters will be fighting and running for their lives. If
at large. From this period only the Stone Mansion House
the player characters don’t treat the dead with respect
and the Old Temple Wall survive.
and caution, the resulting zombie holocaust should be
relentless, until they some how make it to the City of The present day inhabitants came to the Village fifty years
Three Towers or scramble back over the Old Temple Wall. ago, exiles from Miraz who got lost on the way to Aztar.
They were fleeing oppression at the hands of the Tyrant
Exploration of the Lost Civilisation of Miraz, only to fall back into a life of toil when ‘Lord’
At the heart of this adventure is the mystery of where Tarken and his men arrived five years ago.
all these undead are coming from and how the lost
The Village Inn
Civilisation of the River Valley People is behind it. Without
the player characters having to resort to archaeological Only the men loafing around outside, staggering around
methods, they should be able to solve the riddle by visiting with small clay cups, give any indication of this one story
the three towers in the ruined city at the centre of Dead building’s purpose. Inside it is dark and dingy and the
Pot Country. Even if they don’t work out exactly what peasant men sit hunched around small round tables. At
is going on, from the grand vista of the millions of pots the far end of the room is the bar, little more than a plank
and the sight of ancient cyclopean ruins of the city as of wood resting on two chair backs. The bar keep is surly
they gaze across the valley from the Old Temple Wall, an and abuses his position as keeper of the sour cloudy ‘beer’
impressive structure even in its ruined state, should give that the locals use to drown their sorrows. There is a 25%
them a sense of awe and that they are about to step into chance of D6 of Tarken’s men being in here, and a 50%
something really big. chance of them causing some sort of ruckus with the
peasants (‘Don’t forget who’s boss’ below is a good event
Locations for this).
The adventure is organised into locations. Each location Lord Tarken’s Mansion
is described along the people and events that the player
characters may encounter at that location. The events are A square red stone two storey building that dominates the
not presented or intended to occur in a set order. Apart centre of the village. It is the old barrack house of the
from the general introduction event that occurs when the Warrior Priests charged with keeping the undead in the
player characters enter the locations, each event has a set valley during the time of the Lion Empire. Along with the
of conditions that need to exist for the event to occur. wall it is the only remains of the Warrior Priest’s Temple.
Most of these conditions are as a result of the characters Before Tarken arrived the villagers used this as their
looking for that event to happen, but some events may council house and grain store. When Tarken arrived
happen because of the player characters inadvertently he slaughtered the Village Elders and seized the grain
triggering them. This is to make sure that the player supplies.
characters are always at the heart of the action, and that
Tarken lives here in relative comfort, living the life
the players are truly driving the plot instead of the Crypt
comparable to a minor noble on goods imported from
Keeper railroading them down a predetermined set of
Aztar, secure and protected by at least ten of his men
events.
at all times. Four years ago a locksmith (see ‘Unmarked
The Village Grave’ in events below) was hired from Aztar who
reinforced doors and locks. Tarken and his trusted
The simple one story flat roofed mud brick houses that
lieutenant Bilgan have keys to the second storey, where
make up the Village are tens of thousands of years old.
Tarken holds court and he has his ‘treasure’ room. These
They once housed the workforce of crafters and labourers
doors are locked at all times. The other men in the house
who made the Burial Urns and prepared the dead bodies
have keys to the ground floor doors and the first floor
for burial in the Urn Fields. These ‘Servants of the Dead’
doors. These doors are locked only when Tarken feels
were a highly respected and elite group of families, the
threatened.
intricate skills required to successfully inter the dead
and send them to the afterlife being handed down from Contents of Tarken’s Treasure Room
generation to generation. They were one of the last groups
500 Irons, a jewelled necklace (worth 200 irons; costume

28
jewellery usually used by Tarken’s mistress when he has Powers: Repel any Undead. When any undead come within
one), an ancient copper shield with the head of a lion two meters of the standard, such as when the Deadies
embossed into it that once belonged to the Warrior Priests from the valley approach the old wall, they are repelled and
and a copper scimitar from the same period with a lion cannot come within ten foot of the standard.
headed hilt.
This costs the standard one magic charge per Undead
The Lion Shield. This ancient copper shield with a lion’s affected in this way.
head on its central boss, shines brightly when any undead
It has a pool of magic which is at its current maximum of
approach within twenty meters.
50, and this is replenished by human sacrifice on a one to
The Lion Scimitar. This copper scimitar is magic and one bias, i.e. 1 victim gives the standard 1 charge.
although it appears of ancient design is as bright and
polished as the day it was made, due to its enchanted Events
nature. The hilt of the scimitar has a lion head embossed
on the hilt. First Impressions of Dead Pot Valley
The sword is +2 to hit and damage. Read the following to the players
“You stand on the crest of a small hill, giving an eagle-eye view of
The Old Temple Wall the valley below you. A brown dusty haze drifts over the valley and,
This ruined wall stretches on as far as the eye can see in as the dust clears, you can make out the vast fields surrounding a
both directions along the cliff (around twenty miles each muddy trickle of a once mighty river which stretches as far as the eye
way). It is made of the same red stone as the Mansion, can see. Sitting like a vast spider on the dry river bed is a huge mass
arranged five foot cubed, and stands between five foot of ruined buildings. Ancient temples and towers preside over a long-
and twenty foot high. Originally it stood thirty foot tall, dead city.
but over time the winds have eroded the top two metres.
Cutting off the panorama of ancient decay are the sheer cliffs, atop
It was built by the warrior priesthood of the Lion Empire,
which on your side of the valley is an old broken stone wall, which
and has a permanent barrier against undead, the source
defends a village of flat-roofed one-storey mud brick houses. “
of which is a magical Lion Standard in a secret crypt (see
below). The standard gets its magic from human sacrifice, Arriving in the Village
and the villagers unwittingly top it up when they execute
criminals by stoning them to death against the temple Read the following to the players
wall. There is an iron gate set into the wall, which is firmly “One storey mud brick houses cluster around a dusty road that comes
locked. Tarken has the key and the rusty lock is difficult to off Broken Deal Road and goes all the way up to an ancient stone
open. wall at the edge of the valley. Villagers go about their daily work,
backs bent double by the loads they carry or from working rock hard
The Secret Vault dry earth in the fields. Standing idly by a nearby fence are a couple
By the temple wall, obscured by fallen masonry is a stone of thuggish looking warriors, dressed in dusty leather armour who
slab, 1m by 1m, that covers the stairs down to an old watch the peasants perform their back-breaking work whilst fanning
vault dating from the time of the Lion Empire. As well as themselves with big floppy hats and drinking wine from a heavy wine
holding the Lion Standard, it is also used once a month jug.”
by Bilgen to cast magic on himself and Tarken in a secure
The guards will not bother the player characters but will
secret place.
watch them intently, sizing them up.
The three metre wide stairs that lead down into a dusty
They will however get aggressive if the player characters
room which is five metre wide by ten metre long and two
challenge their rights to lord it over the peasants. They are
metres high.
not rash fools and if things are turning violent they will
Tripwire trap. Tarken’s men have trapped the stairs with back off to get reinforcements.
tripwires. If the characters fail to detect the wires they face
a fall of ten foot down the stairs. Finding a Guide
In the centre of the crypt is the Lion Standard, a black If the players are looking for a guide into the Valley itself
banner with a skull impaled by two arrows at diagonals to the best people to hire are the peasants. They have spent
each other topped off with a gold lion statuette. This is the all their life dodging the undead hazards of the valley and
old standard of the Warrior Priests who guarded the valley. are extremely knowledgeable about the unpredictable dust
storms that whip up without warning as well.
Lion Standard. This is an artefact of a long forgotten
Deity of War, from the time of the Lion Empire. If Tarken and crew are still in control of the Village, the

29
30
players will have to negotiate through them. Tarken will A Stoning!
demand a flat 50 Iron fee a day and 50% of the treasure.
Criminals, usually uppity peasants, stoned to death by a
If the players have got rid of Tarken and his men, the mob against the old wall over the secret crypt.
villagers will quite happily provide two of their best
While the stoning occurs Sorcerers and other characters
trackers to help the players.
who are magically sensitive will see the magic aura of the
Help us Depose Tarken! dead person glowing upon their death and sliding down
through the cracks in the paved area into the secret crypt
If the player characters seem sympathetic towards the
below.
plight of the villagers, they will eventually be contacted by
the peasants in some clandestine manner. Unmarked Grave
The more willing the player characters seem to be to help In the fields there is an unmarked grave, were lies the
the villagers, the more helpful they will be. For example locksmith in a locked wrought iron box bound with locked
if the player characters fully commit to wiping out Tarken, chains. Tarken had him buried there as a ‘reward’ for his
the villagers can tell them about the Secret Vault and how service, and to keep him on ice should he need him to do
removing the Lion Standard and taking it beyond the any more work on the locks around the village. Due to the
Village boundaries will allow the Deadies into the village magic of the area, the Locksmith has turned into a zombie.
and cause a distraction. They also know the movements of One who is a Master Locksmith and especially angry with
the bandits and the layout of the Mansion and the buried Lord Tarken. Only Tarken, the Bandits and some of the
Locksmith (see ‘Unmarked grave’ below) villagers know about the grave and its contents.
Don’t you Forget Who’s Boss Around Here! People in the Village
Contrary to the above if any of the peasants get ideas
above their stations, the bandits are quick to put them Lord Tarken
in their place. The bandits will make sure that they Tarken plays the part of a Merchant Prince appointed by
outnumber their victim at least three to one and start the Aztarian League, with his fine airs and graces, perfectly
laying punches into them. If it goes especially badly for groomed goatee beard and rich taste in leather jerkins
the villager this could potentially lead to a stoning (see ‘A (which also double as armour), but in fact he is a low born
stoning!’) below. rascal.
“Aha Ambassador, we have been waiting for Originally from Aztar, where he was a minor merchant,
you” Tarken’s fortunes changed when in he invested in a
doomed expedition to find out how far ‘Broken Deal
Player characters who keep their noses clean and keep out Road’ extended into the Bad Lands. He and a couple
of the bandits’ bullying of the peasants, will eventually be of guards were the only survivors of a fifty man group,
approached by Lord Tarken and five of his men. It has which was torn up by dust storms and nomad attacks. On
been nearly a year since Tarken has had any contact with the slow and painful trudge back to Aztar, they stumbled
Aztar and he wrongly assumes that the player characters across the worker’s paradise that was the Village. The
are representatives of Aztar’s ruling body, the Merchant villagers showed them not only hospitality but also some
League. Tarken wants a trade contact to sell his “artefacts” of the precious artefacts that they had unearthed. In return
from the valley and will invite the player characters to a for their kindness Tarken offered to trade them back in
lavish meal at the mansion. How the player’s take it from Aztar. They gladly agreed. Tarken used the money he
here is up to them. earnt to hire the majority of his bandits, and returned to
A Funeral the village to take it over.

On the second day of the players being in the village, Tarken rules the Village with an iron fist. The villagers are
or after one of the bandits have bludgeoned one of the completely under his control. Most toil in the ‘fields’, not
peasants to death, there is a funeral. Everyone wears black. actually producing any food, but looking for more artefacts
The women are covered by veils and mournfully wail while from the River Civilisation. This has kept Tarken and
six burly men carry a shrouded body on a stretcher. They his men in the money for the last five years. However the
take the body to a spot just by the old wall and burn it. If treasure has started drying up and Tarken is considering
asked why they do this the villager will reply, “So the spirit sending parties of villagers beyond the wall to look for
can be free and the body does not come back to haunt ancient loot.
us!!”

31
Lord Tarken for by a Merchant Master, who he is still technically bound
to in service. However he jumped ship and teamed up with
AC 7[12] HD 4 HP 30 MV 12 Attacks: 1 Longsword (1d8)
Tarken, to be a big fish in a small pond and also to gather
or 1 Dagger (1d4) Special: None CL/XP 4/120
the ‘great magical secrets of Dead Pot County’. One day
Motives his former benefactor may send bounty hunters to reclaim
his investment.
• Be Lord of the village.
AC 9[10] HD 3 HP 20 MV 12 Attacks: 1 Longsword (1d8)
• Destroy all threats to his power.
or 1 Dagger (1d4) Special: Spell Casting CL/XP 4/120
• Gain any treasure brought out the Valley.
Bilgen knows he following spells that he can cast once per
Bilgen day.
A seedy renegade ‘sorcerer’ from Aztar, Bilgen is the Magic Missile, Oppression, Web.
epitome of unpleasantness. He spends most of his time Motives
creeping up to Lord Tarken or menacing the peasants.
Dressed head to toe in a black hooded robe, he is • Stay alive
permanently stooped in such a way that no one can see • Gain possession of any useful magic items or
his face. He very rarely bathes and neglects his personal knowledge he comes across.
hygiene, being too busy with his ‘sorcerous studies’. His
training at one of the Zercan Magical Colleges was paid • Avoid former Master or employees.
Tarken’s Men
This is a rag tag collection of Bandit
warriors, hired in the more dubious
Mercenary Halls of Aztar and randomly
along Broken Deal Road.
AC 7[13] HD 1 HP 8 MV 12 Attacks: 1
Longsword (1d8) or Crossbow (1d6)
Special: None CL/XP 1/15
Motives
• Lord it over the peasants.
• Make money.
• Save own skin.

32
The Peasants from the earth every 30 seconds (6 combat rounds).
A sullen group of about one hundred people, grouped The Dried Up Lake
into five extended families, toughened up by daily slave
Once a wonder of the River Valley Civilisation, a sparkling
labour in the fields. They are forbidden to carry weapons
clear lake where peasant and noble alike mixed on vast
by Tarken.
floating pleasure barges and celebrated religions festivals by
They dress in tough linen clothes, and typically wear the throwing gold jewellery to the Gods. Gods whose home in
wide brimmed hats to keep the sun off their heads. the Halls of the Gods had an entrance to the mortal realm
AC 9[10] HD 1 HP 6 MV 12 Attacks: 1 fist (1d3) or 1 Tool in the bed of the Lake, and whose power was channelled
(1d4) Special: None CL/XP 1/15 by the Priestess Queens of the City. When the civilisation
died, the portal closed forever, but a small fortune in
Motives gold was left amongst the mud preserved wrecks of the
• Stay alive. pleasure barges. Of course long before that the people
of the city had been dumping their dead in burial pots in
• Protect their loved ones. the lake, meaning a small army of Pot Deadies guard said
• Overthrow and depose Tarken and his men. small fortune in gold.

Beyond the Wall The Bridge of Sighs

Built in the final era of the River Valley Civilisation, this
Locations bridge is a pale imitation of the other bridges that it tries
to copy. Although made of stone, it has collapsed in many
The Urn Fields places and is dangerous to cross. There is a fifty foot drop
A vast, bleak, desolate valley, whose once mighty river is to the dried up lake below.
now a muddy trickle, a minefield of burial pots with their
undead recipients and the ruins of a once great civilisation. The Bridge of Victory
Built during the era of Conquest, bass reliefs on the side
In the Urn Fields of this basalt bridge show the River Civilisation’s conquest
The valley is divided up into square fields, which are and subjugation of all other peoples and races they came
separated by hard-packed dirt paths. In the fields are across. A platoon of twenty of the Eternal Guard (undead
masses of burial pots, large red clay pots which can fit warriors that the River Civilisation used) still stand guard
a human curled up with knees up to their chest plus a on this bridge.
modest amount of treasure (about D100 Irons worth , in
Eternal Guard. AC 5 [14] HD 1 HP 9 MV 9 Attacks: 1 2-H
gold coins and costume jewellery). Many of the pots have
Spear (1d10) or 1 Claw or 1 Fist (1d4) Special: Immune to
been smashed up and their inhabitants turned out over
sleep, charm, poison or disease. CL/XP 2/30
the centuries by ‘pot robbers’. These unfortunates end up
in one of the big wandering zombie packs that roam the The Grand Bridge
fields which typically have 3D10 members. This directly connects the banks of the lake with the city
The obvious way to avoid ‘waking the dead’ is to stay out itself on either side. It is a solid stone bridge, some twenty
the fields and keep to the dirt paths. However during the foot wide built at the height of the River Civilisation. The
last days of the River Valley civilisation they started to run sides of the bridge are adorned with stars and comets,
out of room, so there are some pots buried in the paths. showing that period’s obsession with the heavens. Unlike
So characters will still have to be onservant for the whole the other bridges it is neither falling apart or guarded, but
trip across the fields to avoid accidentally disturbing one ominously silent.
of these ad hoc burials. The Pot Raider’s Camp
The River of Weeds This is a small grouping of ten ramshackle huts, which
Cutting the valley in two is the dried up river bed, which is used to home a community of professional tomb robbers
more dangerous than a first look suggests. For when they who made a living from robbing the pots. The robbers
ran out of space in the Urn fields, they started to drop the are now all dead after getting greedy and travelling to the
burial urns in the river. The urns sank into the deep river city, where they met their doom at the hands of the Ghoul
mud a good couple of metres. Now unless the characters Queens. The only inhabitant now is the forlorn and blind
take precautions, the Deadies buried in the dried river bed Histor who came long after the Pot Raiders left. Apart
detect any living creature crossing it with 2D6 erupting from some preserved meats and a couple of trinkets there
is not much useful to be found in the camp.

33
 dead focuses.
If caught out in the dust storm the characters risk losing
1D4 Hit points per minute from the physical effects of the
dust being whipped around. Magic using characters loose
one spell from the psychic effect of the screaming spirits
of the Dust Storm in the same time period.

People Beyond the Wall

The Bone Gardeners
Location: Anywhere in the Urn Fields
These are the animated skeletons of the servants of the
nobles who in death opted to continue tending their
master’s graves. The skeletons are slightly distorted by the
fact that the morticians of the River Valley Civilisation had
a magical technique of stretching both arms and legs to
double their length. This allows them a greater reach and
quicker movement rate. ‘Armed’ with hoes and scythes for
keeping the pots clear of weeds, the Gardeners maintain
and clean up any broken or disturbed pots in groups of
2D6. They also actively attack any pot robbers and are
capable of summoning a further 1D6 Gardeners per
round, using a high pitched whistle.
Bone Gardeners AC 7 [15] HD 3 HP 20 MV 15 Attacks: 1
2-H Scythe 1d10 Special: Immune to sleep, charm, poison
and disease. CL/XP 4/120
Events
Thrown away trying to come back Histor the Blind
Trigger: Near the Old Temple wall. Location: Pot Raiders’ camp

Most people from the village are burnt on pyres. Criminals This old man is a scholar from Aztar who originally came
and outcasts, who are dumped over the Old Temple wall, to the valley looking for the secret of eternal life that the
end up wandering the valley. There are at least 1d10 Priestess Queens were reputed to have. Instead he had his
zombies immediately near the wall, with another 2d10 eyes clawed out by Bal (see below) and has wondered the
who will shamble up 1d4 rounds after the player characters valley ever since. In recent days he has become despondent
encounter the first group. and has settled down to die in one of the tents of the Pot
Raiders’ camp. However if they characters say they are
Wandering Zombie pack going to the city, he will soon jump up invigorated by the
chance to find the secret once again. Dressed in brown
Use the stats for Pot Deadies below, except they have no
rags with long white flowing hair and beard, Histor has a
treasure associated with them. 50% chance of some sort
dirty rag tied round his head that covers his eyes.
of weapon such as a rusty old war sword or hand axe.
Histor The Blind Ac 9[10] HD 1 HP 4 MV 9 Attacks:
Dust storm! None Special: None CL/XP 1/15
Location: Anywhere in the Urn fields
Dust clings everywhere in the valley. It is the dust of ages
Pot Deadies
forgotten, the very dust of a civilisation that buried itself Location: The Urn Fields
in its sacred valley and then decayed. All that is left is the Dried out decayed husks, the Pot Deadies slumber in their
dust. It hangs in the air in big clouds which crackle with pots until disturbed. Once awoken, they crave the flesh
blue magical energy, the souls of those too poor to afford of their living and are unable to go back to sleep without
a proper pot burial. These wisps of souls are angry and the charms that the Morticians used in their original
vindictive towards the living. As a result the valley is prone internment (see the Tower of Downfall below).
to violent and sudden dust storms, as this anger of the

34
Pot Deadies AC 7 [13] HD 1 HP 6 MV 9 Attacks 1 Claw that you are curious and that it will be your undoing. Oh well, if you
or 1 Fist (1d4) Special: Immune to sleep, charm, poison or must go digging around in the dust, look for knowledge in the other
disease. CL/XP 2/30 two towers, built in the two ages after my own. The first when my
people fell from wisdom and attempted to control the world. Go view
Motives
there ‘the treasures of the world’ collected by their jack-booted armies.
• Eat fresh flesssssh! Then see my successors’ final doom in the final tower of the three to
be built here. Though the people of this age sought to conquer Death,
The City of Three Towers their concern for life became less focused and it is bound to be a ruin
This was once the capital and centre of the River Valley if my calculations are correct. Beware what lies beneath this ruin,
Civilisation. It went through a period of greatness and for my successors have taken all the wisdom of my age and turned it
then a prolonged period of decay. It literally choked itself to dark means. I see in the stars that the Empire of the Lion which
to death with the burials of millions of its citizens in the follows our own great civilisation will try to isolate what remains of
Urn fields. our land, rather than conquer it. Such is the sad doom that will befall
my land.
Now it is a deserted, dead city, where not all the dead lay
down and die. Alas the stars never lie.”
The Tower of Conquest
Locations
This is a broader and squatter tower than its neighbour
Most of the residence buildings of the poor were built out
the Tower of Enlightenment. This is because the top
of reeds and are long gone, as are the wooden mansions
half of the tower, which originally made this tower twice
of the middle classes. All that is left is the impressive black
the height, has fallen off to the side. Inside the walls,
stone buildings of the centre. The residences of the rich
through a large arch with statues of warriors, are “All the
are now roofless and empty.
World’s Treasures” – a collection of trophies (mainly iron
In the centre of the city, dominating the sky-line, are three weapons) from the people’s that the River Civilisation
towers. conquered in its second phase. All the choice items have
long gone with only a few iron swords with Weapon
The Tower of Enlightenment Enhance 3 enchantment can be found on a successful
This old observatory, with its crystal dome, was built Perception check.
during the first phase of the Civilisation. Apart from being
caked in the dust of ages, the building has withstood the
The Tower of Downfall
test of time remarkably well. A large, open arch leads into This stone ruined tower has completely collapsed in
a spacious main hall, whose white marble floor is inlaid upon itself and looks like a pile of large children’s bricks.
with gold stars and planets. In the centre of the room is Amidst the stone blocks, which are almost perfect in
a golden chair suspended from the ceiling underneath a shape and only slightly worn down by the effects of time,
massive metal telescope. As the player characters approach are cracks which human sized characters can squeeze
the centre of the room a magical recording of Hesta, an through to reach the interior of the ruins. Here they will
elderly Queen-Priestess from the height of the first phase, find a large set of steps leading down to the underground
triggers and appears sitting in the chair. chambers.
“Welcome Travellers. You stand among the ruins of our once great Originally this Tower was pretty much like its neighbours,
civilisation. I have foreseen our doom in the stars and have recorded except it was less grand and more poorly built. Initially,
this message to warn you, future-dweller, of the great danger that it was the home of the depraved court of the Priestess
now resides in this city. Though it may lie outside the limits of your Queens of the late era, and when their endless parties
understanding, believe me when I tell you that my successors were less turned into an orgy of death as they sacrificed and ate
wise and less prudent, and have unleashed a doom of such magical unfortunate guests, the Queens moved underground into
proportions upon themselves, that it still echoes in your time. The their Tomb to be closer to the deathly powers that now
desolation and waste that you have witnessed on your way here is fuelled their bodies and further away from the gaze of the
but a small taste upon what is to be found in this city. You should hated life-giving sun. As they spent more and more time
run now and pray to your goods that my successors stay beneath the underground their empire disintegrated along with the
earth.” tower.
The vision of Hesta fades. If the player characters are still Now the Queens live in the labyrinth below the ruined
there in couple of minutes she reappears; towers, and hunt live prey that is unfortunate enough
to wander in search of the treasure of the River Valley
“Aha as the stars predicted you are still here. Your zodiac predicts
Civilisation or the secret of eternal life. They are kept

35
below by the Sphinx Guardians of the Lion Empire who either in the sky or on the bridge he flies up to them. Upon
prowl around the ruined tower and immediately rip to first encountering them he asks them “Prove to me that
shreds any Ghoul Queen who pokes her head out of the you are alive”. Player characters must prove they are alive
ruins. (which is as easy as eating or drinking something) to get
past him, oh and don’t antagonize him.
The Labyrinth of Despair
After a large entrance chamber, this underground complex
Riddle of the Sphinx
opens out into dark, narrow tunnels, clawed out of the Location: The Tower of Downfall
earth by prisoners chased by the Ghouls. Ultimately caught
Sleeping lazily by the ruins of the Tower of Downfall is
and eaten, the labyrinth is littered with centuries old bones.
Bal the Sphinx. If the player characters can try to creep
In the centre of the spiders web of tunnels is the vast
by the Sphinx. If Bal spots them he awakens. Bal is quite
black pit, where in the last days of the city victims where
civilised and will converse with intelligent creatures as
thrown to the Ghouls in large numbers. The sides of this
long as they do not openly get aggressive towards him.
pit are scarred by the hands of those trying to escape their
If particularly charmed by a group, he may allow them to
final fate.
pass him if they successfully answer one of his Riddles.
The Court of the Ghoul Queens Q1. What question can you never answer?
This large chamber is below the labyrinth and reached A1. What’s it like to be dead?
via the sacrificial pit that opens up at the back of this
chamber. Roughly twenty metres in diameter, at the centre Q2. It is said among my people that some things are
of it are ten thrones made of human bones. Three of improved by death. Tell me, what stinks while living, but in
them have been smashed up and knocked over, these death, smells good?
belonged to Queens that were caught and killed by Bal & A2. A Pig
Ral. Player characters looking for the last treasures of the
River Civilisation will be disappointed since the Queens Q3. What does man love more than life, Fear more than
care not for such trinkets, only for fresh human flesh. In death or mortal strife? What the poor have, the rich
a pile of bones in the centre of the room is a collection require, and what contented men desire? What the miser
of stone tablets, all of which have been smashed except spends and the spendthrift saves? And all men carry to
for one that still survives. This holds the Secret of Death, their graves?
written in the archaic and ancient language of the River A3. Nothing.
Civilisation, a spell that transforms the target into a Ghoul.
Q4. A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose
The Secret of Death between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the
This spell when successfully cast upon a willing character, second is full of assassins with sharp swords, and the third
turns a human into a Ghoul, giving them a ghastly form is full of lions that haven’t eaten in three years. Which
of immortality. As well as Ghoul form, the spell makes the room is safest for him?
character immune to non-magical damage. A failed casting A4. The third. Lions that haven’t eaten in three years are
roll automatically slays the recipient. dead.
Yugar Q5. In olden days you are a clever thief charged with
The merchant’s son and Young Necromancer is being treason against the king and sentenced to death. But the
held in the Court in a side room. He is chained to a stone king decided to be a little lenient and lets you choose your
column. His clothes are in tatters and he has been driven own way to die. What way should you choose?
mad by the Ghoul Queens who have been using him as A5. Of old age.
their plaything.
Q6. There are two doors, Life and Death. There are two
Events guards guarding the doors, a lying one and a truth telling
one. You have to get through the right door by asking both
Death from Above guards the same question and only 1 question. What will
you ask?
Location: The Great Bridge or sky above the city
A6. What will the other troll say?
Ral, one of the Guardian Sphinxes left by the Lion
Emperor to guard the Tower of Downfall, circles the sky
above the city and Great Bridge. If he spots any creatures

36
Hunted Underground
Location: The Labyrinth
The player characters are in the dark, cramped labyrinth
under the city. The Ghoul Queens follow them, sneaking
up to them, and using bites to paralyse them before
running off. Once all the party are immobilised in this way,
they are carted back to the Court of the Ghoul Queens for
a feast.
The Secret of Death
Location: The Ghoul Queens’ Court
This either happens when the player characters are trussed
up paralysed or they pause to talk to the Ghoul Queens.
If Histor is there, he will try and get the Queens to tell
him. Problem is that they are only keen to tell females. To
undergo the ritual to be transformed into a Ghoul, the
Queens will take them into an adjoining area. One hour
later they will come back as a Ghoul and be expected to
lead the feast of their friends!

People of the City

Bal, Sphinx Guardian of the Ground and
Three Towers
Unlike Ral, Bal is mellow, introspective, scholarly and
guards the towers themselves. He can tell more about Ghoul Queens AC: 6 [13], HD 4 HP 25 MV 9 Attacks:
what is in the towers if he feels kindly inclined towards 2 claws (1D3), 1 bite (1D4) Special: Immune to Mind
the player characters. Bal thinks he was a poet in the Control, Poison and Disease, Paralysing touch MV 9 CL/
Lion Emperor’s court, transformed into a Sphinx as a XP: 5/240
punishment for messing about with one of the Emperor’s
concubines. Rewards
Ral, Sphinx Guardian of the Air and Edge of In addition to any XP awarded for overcoming monsters.
the City Unless noted all rewards are divided amongst the group
members who are involved in achieving them.
Ral, who is angry and aggressive, guards the perimeter of
the city. He half-remembers being a General in the Lion 500 XP for liberating the peasants from Lord Tarken and
Emperor’s army, who was transformed into an immortal his Thugs.
sphinx guardian either as a reward or punishment. He 500 XP each for navigating the lands beyond the Wall and
dislikes Bal and his flowery poetry so spends most of reaching the City of Three Towers safely.
his time on the edges of the city, the boundary of which
neither he or Bal can cross due to some ancient Lion 200 XP for the character who answering Bal’s riddle
Empire magic. successfully.

Ral & Bal, Guardian Spinix AC 0[19] HD 8 HP 50 MV 15 500 XP for avoiding a sticky end at the hands of the
flying 12 ground Attacks: 1 Bite (1d12) or 2 Claws (1d8 Ghoul Queens.
each) Special: Immune to sleep or charm spells, Immortal. 500 XP for bringing Yugar back alive.
MV: 12 walk, 150 Fly CL 10/XP 1,4000
250 XP for bringing back news or proof of Yugar’s death
The Ghoul Queens to his father.
Once the magnificent and splendid rulers of the last
decadent era of the River Valley civilisation, now decayed
undead baying for flesh.

37
 Life and Death Overview
This adventure revolves around a theme of ‘Life and Starting the Adventure
Death’, and that the soulless city of Miraz must choose Miraz’s plight soon becomes known amongst the great and
between one of these cosmic powers. the good in other cities. The player characters could quite
Death is represented literally by the necromancer Tel-Kar- easily as a result end up on a mission for old patrons eager
Nath, an insane individual whose drive is to bring Death to to find out what is truly going on.
the world. An ancient Sorcerer of the Empire of Lions, If the players have played through Dead Pot Country they
he was imprisoned for crimes he has long forgotten in a are contacted again by the Council of Aztar and asked
deep vault guarded by an unspeakable Demon. After the to investigate the rumours of the plague that is currently
fall of the last Empire he was able to escape the physical afflicting Miraz and find out how Aztar can use it to their
confines of his prison by using magic to travel to the best advantage to bring down their old foe.
now vacant Halls of the Gods. There he came upon the
The Guild of Treasure Hunters may also contact the
Secret of Life and Death and, hungry for power, he chose
characters and offer to send them to Miraz via one of their
Death. Lost in contemplation of his new powers he did
portals. Their motives are driven by the agenda of the
not return to his physical shell until 500 years later. At this
Red Hand Gang who suspect the Young Necromancers.
point the Iron Mines of Miraz had been built and his vault
The characters who may still not be in the Gang’s trust
was uncovered by the slave miners. Unbound, he escaped
will simply be told that there is opportunity for treasure
to Miraz attracted by the sweet smell of thousands of live
hunting in Miraz’s misfortune. There is also the small fact
souls. His very presence in the city has brought a terrible
that the Guild’s safe house has gone quiet, and they want
infectious plague to its citizens. He waits like a bloated
to find out what has happened. Unfortunately, it just so
spider at the heart of Miraz, waiting to corrupt and control
happens the safe house was the Stick Pig Inn, Tel-Kar-
the city and export death through its Iron Legions.
Nath’s base of operations.
To help him with this aim, he has recruited Prince Anos,
the son of the Tyrant of Miraz. Never too stable, the Structure of the Adventure
young prince has accepted Tel-Kar-Nath’s offer of ‘Power This adventure is not intended to be linear, with play
over Life’ to best his older and more capable brother in progressing from one location to the next and encounters
the traditional struggle that happens between princes to occurring in a strict order. Player characters may move
determine the Tyrant’s heir. After an unsuccessful attempt from one location to another, hunting for clues and
on his brother’s life using necromancy, explicitly forbidden pursuing their own goals, revisiting each as many times as
by the magic-hating laws of Miraz, he has fled the city they want.
and, unbeknown to anyone, returned to Tel-Kar-Nath’s
Suggested Events are given for each location. These are
old prison. Here he intends to use the same route as his
encounters that the Crypt Keeper may use to stimulate
mentor to travel to the Halls of the Gods and gain the
play and if certain trigger conditions occur.
power of Death for himself.
In each Location the non-player characters who live there
Life is represented more hesitantly by the player characters.
are detailed, along with their relationships to other NPCs
Drawn to stricken Miraz for their own reasons, there is a
in the adventure and their Motives which serve as a guide
lot of opportunity to see first hand the death that Tel-Kar-
to how they act.
Nath has brought to the city and the resulting political
chaos. Will they follow through and see an end to the Resolution
Necromancer’s mad scheme, or will they too choose the
Eventually the adventure must end. While at the end of
obvious route to power and embrace Death over Life?
the day it is the players’ actions which direct the adventure
Acting as an enigmatic guide half way between Life and and should decide upon the end, this section gives some
Death is the Ghost of the Prophet, who foresaw the advanced warning to the Crypt Keeper of possible
current situation as he was brought to the executioner’s outcomes, so they can help the players bring the adventure
block over a hundred years ago and made the famous to a satisfying and fun close.
prophecy.
Character Digest
This section gathers the Stat Blocks of all the Non-Player
Characters involved in the adventure.

38
 The Village outside the walls
Life and Death Part 1
Beginning the Adventure The Rest of the Village
Read or paraphrase the following to the players. About one hundred people live here in about five extended
You come out of the desert, a cool night breeze whipping dust round families. All of them are farmers who work tirelessly in the
your heels. The sun is going down behind the impressive grey stone fields. They are content with their lot and very suspicious
walls of Miraz that lie about an hour’s march away. The old of the player characters who they have been taught from
imperial road, its white flagstones worn down by the iron boots of childhood to distrust. If there are any Badlander Nomads,
Miraz’s Iron Legions, leads you straight to the city gates, through the villagers will be openly frightened of them, since
a mean village of flat- roofed houses surrounded by fields. You occasionally their village has suffered raids from these
recognised this pattern from your own city. It will be part of a belt fearsome tribesmen.
of farmer villages that huddle around the city who in return for
protection feed the inhabitants within the walls.
Events
Two men from the village stand nonchalantly on the road just before An Evening at the Hostel
you get to the village proper. They wear white cotton trousers and After the player characters settle into the dormitory the
tunics and wide- brimmed straw hats that protect them from the two ‘hostellers’ prepare a basic, but filling, meal and engage
desert sun. The man on the left strums lazily at a strange six stringed in reserved, but polite, after dinner conversation. If asked
harp, which hangs from a strap round his neck. why there are no other guests, Emilion tells them, “There
“You won’t be able to get in now. They will have shut the gates,” says is a plague in the city and the usual soft merchants don’t
the first one in thickly accented Badlander. want to get eaten by the walking dead.” Miquez continues,
“Aye so you’ll have to stay the night here and enjoy our hospitality,” “So instead of relying on imports to feed our hungry dead,
says the other who continues to strum his ‘harp’. domestic peasants are feeding them. A sad waste of local
“Either that or you can be like one of those crazy dogs and spend the talent I say.” This is typical of the sarcastic banter that
night in the desert,” continues his companion, his face breaking into goes on between the two Mirazians. They will also answer
a huge grin. basic questions about the social and political situation in
Miraz. After this they excuse themselves, saying there are
“But I hear it is very cold at night and you might die,” the other
some chores to do around the guest house. The player
man concludes, strumming his harp with a flourish and an equally
characters are left to their own devices, but under the
sarcastic grin.
guise of cleaning and tidying up, the two Death Watch
These two villagers are Emilon and Miquez, who own men subtly observe the player characters. As the hour
the local ‘Hostel for Foreigners’, a large guest house approaches midnight, the two men wish their guests good
sanctioned by the Tyrant of Miraz to look after and watch night and make subtle hints that they should retire to
foreigners before they enter the city. Both are members of the dormitory. Once they have done this, Emilion goes
Miraz’s secret police, the Death Watch. downstairs to a locked basement below the main kitchen
Locations where there is a small scribe’s room where he makes a
report about the player characters. A copy is delivered the
The Hostel for Foreigners following day via courier to the Death Watch in Miraz after
the player characters have left.
This is the biggest building in the village. It has all the
facilities to house a large caravan of traders. There are Venturing out of Hostel
stables, a communal dining room and a large dormitory
that can look after about fifty people and their animals. The players are gently dissuaded from leaving the hostel
The characters are the only ‘guests’ at present and the place (“The village is just full of ignorant bumpkins, who don’t speak
feels empty. They are given the run of the hostel by their a word of your tongue”). If they do insist on exploring the
hosts. The only place that is off-limits is the kitchen. This village, Miquez insists on personally escorting them (“It’s
is supposedly due to a cultural attitude about hygiene issues for your own safety, there are some no-good criminal elements out
, but in fact it is because the cellar that is reached through there”). Emilion also provides his partner back-up by
a hatch in the floor is where they write their reports and following the party at a discrete distance.
store their arms and armour. For Emilion and Miquez use
the statistics of a typical Death Watch member.

39
 The City state of Miraz
Life and Death Part 2

History Religion in Miraz

Unknown to the present day inhabitants of the city, Miraz Officially all religion and magic use were eliminated
was the capital of the Lion Emperors in an early dynasty. from the city by the first Tyrant. Atheism was officially
Later dynasties moved to a tailor-made city and the Last continued by his successors. However, amongst the noble
Emperor improved it to such an extent that it challenged families from whom the Tyrant was selected, a philosophy
the very city of the Gods and brought down their wrath. of dominating the lower classes became so entrenched that
However, Miraz remained a provincial capital and the it became, in effect, a religion for the aristocracy. When
original seat of the Emperors and this secret is something magic returned to the world, the higher adherents of the
every Tyrant has passed down as a secret and driving philosophy started to gain the ability to cast spells.
aspiration to their successor.
During the Age of Isolation Miraz became a closed Census of Miraz
totalitarian society. To stay in power and appease the wrath Slaves 10,000 (2,000 Mine Workers)
of the people, the nobles banned magic and proscribed
its users, blaming them for angering the gods. Like many Peasants 8,000
other city states during this time it survived off the efforts Agents (and families) 200
of a highly repressed group of farmers whose farms were Nobles 100
in a 50 km band around the city. The rulers of the city also
ruthlessly controlled the population levels during the Age
of Isolation. Infants born with deformities or who were Trade
surplus to requirements were exposed at birth.
Seventy years ago the Tyrant expelled the emerging
When the darkness lifted and the outside world was merchant class from Miraz, therefore trade relations
accessible again, Miraz slowly reintegrated itself back into are rudimentary to say the least. All trade in Miraz is
the world. Miraz’s nobles decided to spread their power controlled by the Tyrant’s Agents, a handful of men and
by fighting wars against its new neighbours. This had the women from hereditary families, who run everything from
side effect that they had to spend time suppressing peasant the iron trade to the city’s market. Corruption amongst
revolts, which occurred due to the farmers meeting their the Agents is relatively low, due to the Tyrant taking a keen
free neighbours. The Tyrant of Miraz had hoarded his interest in commerce, to prevent usurpers amassing large
city’s wealth, so had no problem paying for mercenaries to personal fortunes. The sarcastic citizens of Miraz call the
fight his wars and suppress trouble at home. This led to Agents “the honest men of Miraz”.
the reputation of the city being paved with gold.
In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Miraz is
Crime and Punishment in Miraz
a grey and oppressive city, enclosed by a high stone wall, Miraz has a harsh code of law that is summarily dispensed
which is constantly patrolled by the Tyrant’s guard. Its by the Tyrant’s guards. Most punishments are met out in
centre is an impressive pyramid-like building, the Palace public at Executioner’s Square as a warning to others.
of the Tyrant, which towers over the rest of the mud-
brick houses. In the shadow of the pyramid is the market Punishable by Death
place which forms the centre of public life and is closely
Adultery, treason, murder, magic-use, setting up a temple,
watched by the Tyrant’s guards. Beside the market place
preaching in a public place.
is Executioner’s Square, where the criminals of Miraz are
dealt with harshly as a public spectacle.
Loss of Limb/Eye
The Tyranny of Miraz, which has survived for hundreds
Theft, open defiance of the Tyrant, preaching to a private
of years since its establishment during the Age of
gathering.
Isolation, may come to an end during this adventure.

40
Whipping and a Fine Pansa AC 9[10] HD 1 HP 6 MV 12 Attacks: Fist (1d3)
Special: None CL/XP 1/15
Bad-mouthing the Tyrant, disobeying a member of the
Guard, trading without a license, wearing inappropriate Treasure: Pansa has 100 irons and a lovely gem necklace
clothing, flirting, drinking alcohol in public. (150irons worth) hidden in his room under the bed with
which he hopes to buy his freedom one day.
People of Miraz Motives
Mirazians have a strictly enforced social structure,
• Make sure his master’s every whim is catered for.
determined by status of birth and blood.
• Tolerate no challenges to his status as head slave.
Slaves • Buy his ‘freedom’ though faithful service.
At the bottom of the social pyramid are the ‘slaves’.
Relationships
Originally captives of Miraz’s wars against the other city
states, the vast mass of them toil in misery in Miraz’s • Head Slave to Turq Family 90%
iron mines. A smaller group tends to the every whim
of the nobles. There is no manumission in Miraz and Freemen
children born to slave parents become slaves themselves. Peasants make up the majority of the free population of
Slaves have a hard life and most Mirazians are completely Miraz. They include not only the dirt farmers, who make
oblivious to their suffering, believing them to be a race of a tenuous living from poor farmland outside the city,
weak inhumans who deserve to suffer under the yoke of but also the labourers and craftspeople who work like
Miraz’s might. termites within the city. The best a peasant can expect is a
Yurik the Mule comfortable life; all disposable wealth is soon absorbed by
taxes levied by the hated Agents of the Tyrant. However,
“Strong as an Ox, Stubbon as a mule” is how Yurik’s despite their suppression the majority of peasants are
master, a linen trader, describes him. With his master’s on the whole content with their lot. The Tyrant protects
family since he was a boy, when he did various menial tasks them from other city states, who in fact live in fear of
around the house, now in adulthood he lifts and carries Miraz’s Iron Legions, makes sure they are fed well, puts
heavy packs of textiles all day long. He dreams of the day on excellent entertainment in the form of executions and
that he can crush his master and live a free life! provides firm and authoritive leadership. Most peasants
Yurik AC 9[10] HD 1 HP 8 Attacks Fist (1d3) Special are completely in awe of the Tyrant, to the point that they
None Move 120 CL/XP 1/15 see him as an infallible living god. If things go wrong it
is the fault of greedy Agents, men who produce nothing
Equipment (other than weapons) :None themselves but are responsive for taxing the efforts of
Treasure : None. others.
Motives Hildy the Henwife
• Stay alive. Somewhere Hildy has a husband. A poor henpecked
• Escape and seek a better life. creature that sulks in the shadows and fears the anger of
his overbearing wife. While her husband keeps the home
Relationships
and looks after the hens, Hildy runs the family’s egg selling
• Faithful slave of Yantarg the Linen Trader 65% business. She also buys other poorer families’ eggs and
sells them at a profit in her stall in the great market. She
• Sympathetic to the rebellion 90%
loves gossip and a good afternoon execution. She prides
Pansa the Pretty herself on her sharp and cruel tongue and her devotion to
the Tyrant.
The head slave managing the house of a noble family,
Pansa makes sure that every whim of his masters and Hildy AC 9[10] HD 1 HP 7 MV 12 Attacks: Fist (1d3)
mistress are fulfilled. He is adept at sourcing pleasure, Special: None CL/XP 1/15
smoothing tempers and acting as a go-between. Pansa’s life Equipment (other than weapons) : Egg basket.
as head slave is strongly integrated in his family’s life but
forever separate. Amongst the other slaves he is vain and Treasure : 300 irons as a family fortune hidden in her home.
self centred, and treats them as if he was their master. 10-60 irons on her at any one time in loose change.

41
Motives Harzan worried? He’s worried that the plague will spread
to the traders of the Great Market or the rebels will
• Keep her family in line.
choose the market as a place to have a public riot as this
• Making money. will affect trade. Should a rival bring this to the attention
of the Tyrant, Harzan will lose his head for failing to
• Show devotion to the Tyrant.
ensure that trade runs smoothly. Fearful and paranoid,
Relationships Harzan seeks someone who can put these worries to rest,
• Head of her family 80% someone whom he will pay handsomely.

• Loyal to Tyrant 100% Harzan AC 9[10] HD 1 HP 4 MV 12 Attacks: Dagger

(1d4) Special: None CL/XP 1/15
Jersk the Brickmaker Equipment (other than weapons)
A solid hard-worker, he has worked all his life in the city’s
He obviously wears iron chains and rings with semi
brick-making factory. He used to be in awe of the Tyrant,
precious stones to show his power, worth 200 irons.
but now after seeing so many good lads not come back
from Miraz’s countless wars and losing his own son in the Treasure : Harzan is fabulously wealthy. He has at least a
occupation of Inzom, he begins to wonder if there is a personal fortune worth 100,000 irons, mainly in goods and
better way. He reads the papyrus’s that mysteriously turn property, and has about 500 irons in disposable income at
up in public places, calling for an ‘End to Tyranny and any given time.
the beginning of the rule of the people by the people’. Motives
He’s even seen one of their after curfew meetings and not
reported it the Death Watch. Perhaps when the time is • Keep Great Market running smoothly.
right, he might even join their ‘revolution’. • Weed out troublemakers.
Jersk AC 9[10] HD 1 HP 8 MV 12 Attacks: Brick making • Make talented people work for him.
mallet (Club) (1d6) Special: None CL/XP 1/15
Relationships
Equipment (other than weapons) :
• Agent for the Great Market 90%
Papyrus calling for an end to Tyranny.
• Head of Rinsa Family 75%
Treasure:
Nobles
10 irons on person, 100 irons in a locked chest in home.
A handful of Noble families provide the candidates for the
Motives Tyrant’s chair. Intermarried and incestuous to a dangerous
• Find out more about the Revolution. degree, most of the nobles spend their time indulging in
various excesses. The Tyrant keeps them involved in self-
Relationships destructive power games and tests suitable candidates for
• Hardworking member of the Bricklayers 90% his position by giving them leadership commissions in the
Iron Legions or as head of the Death Watch.
• Potential member of the People’s Revolution 50%
The Tyrant is top of the pyramid. Worshipped as a god by
Agents the peasants, feared by the nobles he wields ultimate power
in Miraz.
These are the city’s administrative class. They collect
taxes, manage trade, settle civil disputes and manage Daily Life in the City
public works. They and their families are a hard working
Everyday life in Miraz revolves around four periods, as
but comfortable class who, despite a small amount of
laid down by the First Tyrant. Its citizens go about their
corruption, ensure that their fortunes never get too large
business in strict accordance to this routine, and the city
lest some greedy noble ruin their family and take their
guard hand out summary punishments to anyone who is in
money as a reward.
the wrong place at the wrong time.
Harzan, Market Agent At Sunrise (Dawn) the populace rises as one, brought to
A worried man, he spends all his hours poring over life by city criers and chanters who sing the praises of the
ledgers and accounts. He pushes his scribes into sleepless Tyrant. Water is gathered into the home from communal
exhaustion with their cataloguing of the business of the wells. Despite the abundance of water, this is the only time
Great Market. He hardly sees his wife and family. Why is that it may be collected. Hygiene is part of the culture, and

42
it is a near religious duty to perform a morning cleansing. day, the streets are either teeming with Mirazians going
Dirty people are berated in public by their neighbours about their business, or deserted during the night or times
and threatened with flogging by the guard. After all this of work.
washing, there is only time for a quick, light breakfast
before going to work. Whole neighbourhoods make their The Tyrant’s Court
way to their places of work, and the streets are filled. As A large Ziggurat with twenty tiers looms above the other
with most things in Miraz, those who are lazy and lag buildings at the heart of the city. This is the palace and
behind are beaten by the guard. temple to the Tyrant’s power. The court is in the heart of
When High Sun (Midday) is reached, the industrious the pyramid, surrounded by rooms which house the family
toil momentarily ceases. Praise is sung to the Tyrant for of the Tyrants. The entrance in the base of the ziggurat
providing the people’s daily bread. Then a working lunch houses the Agents’ offices and the barracks of the city
is enjoyed. guards. The cellars below the ziggurat are the infamous
and feared headquarters of the Death Watch, where the
On special days the workers stop mid afternoon, join their Taken (see below) are tortured and killed.
friends and enjoy the public executions and punishments
in Executioner’s Square. Executioner’s Square
All workers are back in their homes at Day End when A large stone flagged square (fifty metres square), in
sun sets and a city wide curfew descends on the city. If a the centre of which is a ten metre tall statue of the first
citizen absolutely needs to be abroad at night, they obtain Tyrant, a grim bald man in simple robes with the Talisman
a pass from the Building Of Records in the Great Market of the Tyrant round his neck. Around the statue is all
and show it to every guard they meet while they are manner of devices for dealing with criminals in the worst
about their business. Otherwise they risks a quick beating, possible way; stocks, gallows, executioners’ blocks and
investigation and overnight imprisonment. Good citizens whipping posts. For the comfort of the spectators wooden
at this time of day sit down to enjoy a substantial meal seating, in ten tiers up, surrounds the area of punishment
and entertain each other with humorous songs, stories and around the edge of the square.
jokes.
The Tavern of the Stuck Pig
Death Watch is darkest night, when only the spirits of the
dead traditionally walk the streets. This superstition keeps Once a popular drinking-hole a couple of streets away
the citizens tucked safely in their beds, as does the threat from the Great Market, it is now Tel-Kar-Nath’s base.
of immediate execution at the hands of the black-robed Bodies litter the main bar, dead as they drank, but despite
guards, who are also known as the Death Watch. Anyone the corpses there are no flies or other insects devouring
abroad at this time of night is considered to be a criminal the dead. The door to the cellar is open, and beckons into
of the worst kind. It is also the time of day that ‘bad the heart of the darkness that Tel-Kar-Nath has made his
people’, enemies of the Tyrant, such as revolutionaries home. From the top of the stairs the characters will be
mysteriously ‘disappear’. able to hear the shuffling movement of Tel-Kar-Nath’s
zombie attendants.
Locations Within the City The Queen’s Hospital
The Lion Gate A large stone building, now crammed full of victims
This is the main entrance into the city. It dates from the of the plague. This grand municipal hospital is now the
time of the Lion Empire, and two giant statues of stylised scene of the absolute horror of the plague, with the
lions rear-up defensively at each other, either side of the dead and the dying sharing the same simple beds. The
large wooden gates. Twenty members of the city guard remaining healers are shell-shocked and confused by the
man the gate and search all travellers entering the city, with never-ending tide of patients. Outside in the tradesman’s
no exceptions. The gates are opened at sunrise and closed courtyard is a large bonfire kept almost permanently
at curfew. aflame by the bodies of the dead, reduced to ashes before
they can turn into plague zombies. A small contingent of
The Streets of Miraz five city guards protects the healers from the angry mob
outside and the occasional corpse that is not burnt in time.
Miraz is very much a planned city, built on a grid of stone-
paved streets. An Agent from the Dominion is charged The Great Market
with making sure that all new buildings fit this system,
tearing down any unplanned or ‘inappropriate’ buildings A vast, stone-flagged square in the west quarter of the city.
and punishing their builders. Depending on the time of Home to a vast array of semi-permanent stalls selling all

43
the produce the city needs, under the watchful eyes of the tight-lipped, some of the citizens and traders in the queue
Agents. are quite happy to chat while waiting.
The Building of Records This event is also relevant when the characters leave the
city, as the guards will check again.
This large, five-floor building with a vast vaulted room
is home to the various agents and their assistants. From Finding a Base of Operations
the agents run the various aspects of the day to day life
of the city. As well as the agent’s offices, it houses rooms Trigger: The player characters look for lodgings in the city.
full of scribes who document and file every aspect of city Miraz is unlike your typical fantasy city, in that in no
life. A small detachment of twenty city guards protects way does it encourage outsiders to stay within its walls.
the building from rioting mobs and infiltrators from other Outsiders come to the city, are watched by the guard and
cities. The atmosphere within the building is austere and good citizens, do their business and leave. As a result there
restrained. are no adventurer-friendly inns. Sure there are taverns, but
Events these are basic affairs for good citizens to have a well-
deserved drink after finishing work just before curfew. On
Entering by the Gate the rare occasions where an outsider stays overnight, it is
usually at the home of the person who invited him into the
Trigger: The beginning of the adventure. city.
Location: Lion Gate You can use this event to bring home the xenophobia that
Time: High noon. exists in the city, and give the players an extra sense of
relief and reward when they finally throw their lot in with
Read this to the players one of the factions within the city and gain lodgings as a
“The imposing stone walls of Miraz rise out of the plain that result.
surrounds the city. Iron grey and several stories high, the only way Miraz’s harsh laws do not tolerate vagrants, and if the
in is through the Lion Gate. Famous for the two giant Lion Statues characters are still wandering the streets during curfew they
that face each other menacingly across wide open gates, raising up on will be arrested as such.
hind quarters baring fangs and claws at each other, symbols of the
long dead Lion Empire that once had its capital here many hundreds The Prophet
of years ago.
Trigger: The characters are in Executioner’s Square during
A detachment of ten soldiers, clad in iron plate and armed with Deathwatch.
sword and shield, carefully and efficiently check the goods and the
persons of everyone who enters and leaves the city, who wait patiently It is the dead of night and, as the characters investigate
in two queues. High in the towers either side of the gates, archers the square, they will feel a deathly chill and become aware
visibly watch the scene below. There is an atmosphere of calculated of a presence behind them. Those who look behind will
menace as the guards do their checks. Every now and again a citizen see the ghostly figure of the Prophet. If they engage in
trying to leave the city without permission or a trader with suspect conversation, the Prophet will tell them that Tel-Kar-Nath
goods will be taken out of the line and dragged into the towers for is the evil that has brought the plague to the city, that they
further questioning.” must seek the way of Life and stop Prince Anos becoming
Death. If asked how they are to do this, he tells them to go
The main emphasis of the scene is role-playing. The look for the Bone Man in the Iron Mines.
guards are primarily concerned in making sure that the
characters have a valid reason for being in the city. The After this event, the Prophet will hover around the party,
Crypt Keeper may ask for a Test of Skill to get the becoming visible during the night to give ‘advice’. This
characters past the guards’ checks with a bonus for good advice becomes threatening and hostile if the party take up
role-playing. Characters who fail to convince the guards Tel-Kar-Nath’s quest to become Death.
that they are going to be good for the city will be taken
into the gate house for further questioning and, after many Tel-Kar-Nath
hours of uncertainty, will be interviewed by Rhiannon (see Trigger: The characters venture into the Stuck Pig tavern and go into
Hired by Rhiannon below). Characters that appear to pose an the cellar.
active threat will end up being escorted by a detachment of
In the heart of Tel-Kar-Nath’s darkness, he sits on a high-
Death Watch to an Audience with the Tyrant (see below).
backed chair, contemplating a skull. His zombie servants
This event is also an opportunity for the characters to find shuffle around him in the darkness. Corpses are piled high
out what is going on within the city. While the guards are

44
45
 Rumours
The GM may weave these rumours into conversations the characters have with the typical Mirazian on the street
whose confidence the characters have gained (remember Mirazians are quite wary of outsiders). They are mainly
intended as colour but some may lead to the events and secrets of the adventure if pursued by the players.
They take the form of: The Rumour & Veracity (True, False or Partially true)
There are twenty rumours, so GMs who are stuck for inspiration can roll a d20 to determine what the loose-lipped
citizen comes out with.
1. This city is cursed from the time of the Lion Emperors. (Partially true)
2. We must swiftly subjugate the other cities. Only by becoming masters of the known world can we achieve our
destiny. (True, as far as the person speaking is concerned)
3. The statues at the Lion Gate will soon awake and eat us all. It is the second great misfortune that will descend
upon this city. (False.)
4. The revolution is coming brother. Be ready to take up arms when the time is right. (True.)
5. Agent Harzan is to blame for all this. (False)
6. The plague came with some infected meat from Inzom, it’s all part of a plot to kill us all in revenge for our
glorious occupation of their city! (False)
7. Those killed by the plague, if not burned, rise again as undead the day after. (True)
8. The plague is worse as you get towards the market quarter of the city. More people have died there, and more
plague-dead walk the streets openly. (True)
9. This is all a great plot by the Death Watch to root out traitors. The Tyrant is cursing subversives with this foul
unlife as punishment. (False)
10. The Tyrant is losing his grip on the city. What with the plague, and his two sons Prince Zanos and Prince Anos
at war with each other. (Partially true. While the sibling rivalry of the two princes is of no concern to the Tyrant,
it’s all part of the natural selection process of his heir, the plague does have him worried.)
11. The Tyrant was replaced by an undead creature after we invaded Inzom. Why else did we get kicked out of
there? This impostor is now bringing down a plague on us, to convert us all into undead slaves, just like they have
in Inzom. (False.)
12. The leader of the city guard, Rhiannon, is the Tyrant’s lover. (False)
13. Rhiannon is a foreign whore, sent to spy on us all. (False)
14. Prince Zanos will win the succession contest, even though Prince Anos has resorted to foul necromancy.
(Partially true)
15. Prince Zanos is a fair man of the people. He’s out of the city now, investigating the source of the plague.
When he returns to the city he will sort out this mess. (False)
16. There is an evil presence in this city. I’m not a spiritual man, but it’s obvious that it comes from the market
quarter. (True)
17. Death stalks the Stuck Pig. (True)
18. The Prophet has returned to save us all. I have seen him in the streets. He told me it is time for us to choose
between life and death! (True)
19. Prince Anos is a bit sick in the head. I don’t mind a bit of debauchery in the nobles, but messing with the dead!
(True)
20. Prince Anos is away from the city I hear. He is looking for a new truth to bring us out of our current misery.
He is a good man who follows the words of the Prophet and is consulting with wise sages. (Partially true. )

46
against a wall behind him, occasionally twitching, returning The Plague
gradually to unlife.
Find out that the plague came from the mines from
Tel-Kar-Nath talks in a deep monotone about the joys of infected slaves who were brought into the city (Tyrant,
the death. The finality of it all and the absolute power- Rhiannon, Healers, Rebels).
mastery it brings. He is more than happy to demonstrate
his power upon a hapless captive. However he does not Seek the Bone Man in the gates to hell, points towards the
attack the characters directly. He is more interested in iron hills (Tel-Kar-Nath).
proposing that they go to the Iron Mines and join Prince Political Situation
Anos in his journey to the Halls of the Gods, to learn the
Secret of Death. Prince Zanos and Prince Anos are rivals for the position
of the Tyrant. They are currently at war with each other.
If they attack him, he uses his magic to evade and escape The Tyrant fears that Anos has overstepped the bounds
and his zombie followers to hold them off. He is more of this contest, and is seeking to directly overthrow him as
interested in playing the role of the enigmatic magical well as Zanos. (Tyrant, Rhiannon).
master than dealing with the characters, whom he believes
are beneath him. Prince Zanos is at the Iron Mines putting down a slave
revolt (Tyrant, Rhiannon, Zanos’ supporters).
Investigation Prince Anos has disappeared from the city, some say he
Trigger: the players looking to find out information. is in hiding after the failed attempt on Prince Zanos. His
supporters say he will return more powerful than before to
Location: various crush his rival. (Tyrant, Rhiannon, Anos’ supporters).
This event is actually a summary of the information that
the players can find out as they investigate in the city. The Zombies!
format is the piece of information, followed by the source Trigger: The characters enter the streets in the west quarter of the
of the information in brackets. city around the Great Market.
The characters are in the street, when up ahead they see a
shuffling mass of twenty zombies moving slowly towards
them. If they decide to attack the zombies then another
five per round join the fray.

47
An Audience with the Tyrant Hired by Rhiannon
Location: The court of the Tyrant. Location: The barracks in the Lion Gate.
Trigger: The characters actively seek an audience, and after talking Trigger: Either the characters go to find Rhiannon or she goes
to the right people and perhaps greasing their palms, receive one. Or looking for them.
the Tyrant’s interest in the characters is piqued by their activities in
An outsider herself, Rhiannon wisely sees the characters as
his city.
a potential solution to the current mess the city is in.
The Tyrant’s audience chamber is an imposing marble-
This is her understanding of the situation.
floored room in the heart of his Ziggurat. Around the
side of the room are the stone and marble busts of his Prince Anos and Zanos come of age and start the
predecessors. Standing in rows on either side are the traditional struggle to see who will become the next
Tyrant’s bodyguard, twenty members of the Death Watch. Tyrant. At first both are evenly matched, and there were
At the far end of the room sitting on a raised platform on the usual riots and assassinations amongst the followers
a golden throne is the Tyrant, Mendosa. of both, but it looked like it is going to be a long,
prolonged struggle over many years. Then Anos was seen
During the audience the characters are forced to kneel and
slumming it in the lower-class Market Quarter, where it
bow their heads.
was believed that he was gathering a power base amongst
If the characters have been brought here as potential spies the peasants. However, word soon reached Rhiannon that
and enemies of the state, Mendosa will question them a Necromancer called Tel-Kar-Nath has arrived in the
further before summarily pardoning them out of hand. He city and is holding court at the tavern of the Stuck Pig,
is much more interested in using them as agents to resolve where Anos has been seen drinking. Soon after, zombies
a rather thorny problem that he doesn’t trust his own attempted to kill Zanos and the plague erupted in the
people to do. Market Quarter. Rhiannon sees these events as connected
but has not been able to investigate since she has been
One of his potential heirs, Prince Anos, has gone
busy maintaining public order since the plague broke out.
completely off the rails. He and his brother, Prince Zanos,
were playing the usual power games of one-upmanship, She is interested in hiring the characters as mercenaries
when things turned nasty and Anos tried to assassinate who can investigate the source of the plague and find a
his brother. All very usual in the Tyrant’s family, but it was cure. They would gain status as members of the city guard,
the manner of the attempt that alarms Mendosa. Anos with iron talismans to show membership and lodgings in
sent zombies to kill his brother! This hints that Anos has the Lion Gate. They would report to her as they found
either gained the use of death magic or has in his employ information and would be paid 5,000 Irons upon sucessful
a Necromancer. The zombie plague that erupted shortly completion of their mission.
after the attempt on Zanos’ life is further proof, and worse
Rhiannon’s secondary goal is to see the end of the
still indicates that Anos intends to topple Mendosa as well.
Revolution that is now beginning to become public.
All Mendosa knows of Anos’ current whereabouts is that Therefore she will pay 1,000 for the head of the rebels’
he has fled the city with some of his followers. Rhiannon’s leader.
investigations have revealed that the Prince was seen
entering the lower-class Stuck Pig Tavern in the Market
quarter. Mendosa is convinced that this is where his
Necromancer ally is based, an obvious plot of the City of
Inzom to depose him as revenge for Miraz’s invasion of
that city five years ago.
Therefore Mendosa charges the characters with the
following:
Find Anos and kill him. Do this away from the eyes of Miraz’s
citizens. Bring me Anos’ head as proof of the deed.
Mendosa believes that Anos is behind the plague and that
if he is killed then the magic behind it will disappear.
He offers the characters a reward of 10,000 Irons.

48
Viva the Revolution!
Trigger: if the characters make inquires about people who are against Power to the People!
the Tyrant or become known as working against the Tyrant. At the start of each day of game time the
There is a small but active revolutionary movement in Crypt Keeper rolls against the ‘Chance of
Miraz. It numbers about a hundred men and women from Revolution’ which starts at 5%.
the peasant class, lead by the stone mason, Sanago. • Smaller acts of defiance against the
Many Mirazian’s are at least sympathetic to the idea Tyrant’s regime gain 5-10%.
of a revolution, to depose the current Tyrant who • Freeing the Slave Army from the Iron
they see as having failed them and the Plague being a
Mines raises it by 50%.
divine retribution from the previous Tyrants upon their
descendant. • Killing Prince Zanos raises it by 25%
Word spreads fast amongst the peasants and if the • Killing Prince Anos raises it by 15%.
characters become known as enemies of the Tyrant, one • Killing Mendosa by raises it by 60%.
of the rebels contacts them quietly. A clandestine meeting While this is increased by the characters
with Sanago is arranged soon after. actions it can also happen even if they are
Sanago’s current aims are to cause as much trouble in the not actively working for a revolt against
city destabilising the Tyrant’s regime as much as possible. the Tyrant. For example, the characters are
One of his people, Anniasta, has infiltrated the Iron Mines working for Rhiannon, head of the city guard
and is currently leading a revolt there. responsible for maintaining order in the city,
Missions that he can give the players are; yet in the course of their duties they manage
Kill Zanos and help the slave revolt. “If the revolt is to kill Prince Zanos. This gives a 30% chance
successful that’s a whole slave army at the revolution’s disposal. How of a revolution. The next day the Crypt
can it fail?” Keeper rolls the dice and comes up with 23%
and the rebels start the uprising. This causes a
Find and kill Prince Anos. “The fewer of the Tyrant’s bastard
quick change in priorities for the characters as
heirs are left alive, the more chance that a peasant’s revolution will
succeed in the long term.” they decide to throw their lot in with the mass
of rebels, rather than stay and fight with the
Sanago can only modestly reward the characters with safe massively outnumbered city guard.
houses and replacement equipment. His funds do not
extend to providing lavish monetary rewards to foreign What form the revolution takes depends
mercenaries. However he can promise a share of the on the amount of support that Sanago has
Tyrant’s treasury (roughly valued at one million irons) and amassed by the time that the people rise up.
the eternal gratitude of the freed peoples of Miraz. Obviously, having the slaves from the mines
on his side means almost automatic victory
once they are inside the city. If the Tyrant is
forewarned, he can close the city gates and
send a messenger to recall the Iron Legions.
There are many factors that make up whether
or not the revolution is successful and long
lasting, and it is up to the Crypt Keeper to
assess this, depending upon the situation that
the players engineer and find their characters
in.

49
Festival of the Tyrant Hospital Siege
Two days after the characters arrival in Miraz the city Trigger: The characters visit the Queen’s Hospital.
undergoes a marvellous transformation. At sunrise
The Queen’s Hospital is the only place in the city where
magnificent garlands of flowers are hung upon the
healing is freely available. However, since the plague hit
buildings and during the day trestle tables are placed along
the city, the hospital’s healers have been over stretched.
the streets. In the afternoon there is a play in Executioner’s
Rude or overly impatient characters will be turned down
Square which takes the “Coming of the Tyrant” as its
without a second glance. Even if the characters are polite
theme. The square is packed with citizens for this gaudy,
and offer money, the healers will be hesitant since they
politically motivated pantomime.
are foreigners. Only if they actively help in the hospital
In the evening the whole city is a relaxed and happy street or have an important sponsor, such as one of the Agents
party, with the revellers going home before curfew. The or Rhiannon, will the staff reluctantly tend their wounds.
horrors of the plague forgotten for the moment. Like most things in Miraz there is a hierarchy of healers,
with minor attendants able to provide basic first aid and
During the festival most of the city guard and members
beside care, through the Nurses who can Cure Light
of the Death Watch guard the ‘infected’ Market Quarter
Wounds once a day up to the Matron who has Cure
making sure the plague zombies do not bother the citizens.
Serious Wounds at her disposal and only deals with most
important patients.
To make the Characters’ visit more colourful, and perhaps
The Coming of the Tyrant earn them the healing they so badly need, Tel-Kar-Nath
sends a Zombie Horde against the ‘preservers of life’ at
It is the Age of Isolation!
the precise moment of their visit. As well as the thirty or
so plague zombies that attack the hospital from the outside
The Emperor of Lions has brought down the there are another twenty or so amongst the bodies that no
one has managed to cremate.
wrath of the Gods!
The Taken
All is chaos and evil sorcerers prey upon the Trigger: The characters have broken the law or are under suspicion
survivors of the holocaust. of trying to topple the Tyrant.
Time: During the night, after midnight.
Miraz the Upright confronts the evil magicians and It is Deathwatch (midnight) and the player characters are
‘visited’ by twice their number in members of the black
his pure and faithful heart resists their foul curses.
clad Death Watch, the Tyrant’s secret police. They attempt
to forcibly take the player characters to the Tyrant’s
He slays them all and brings order to the city. Ziggurat, where after many fearful hours of interrogation
in separate cells, they are dragged before the Tyrant (see
“An audience with the Tyrant” above).
He appoints righteous men as his Agents to
Reasons to move on to the Iron
manage the city’s affairs under his stern gaze.
Mines
Curiosity. The characters have learned of the revolt and,
Law and order rule again. running out of leads to investigate in the City, decide to
move to the mines.
The people once more know happiness. Direct lead to Prince Anos. Most likely this will come
from the lips of a dying Tel-Kar-Nath,

Upon his death he appoints the most righteous man “My apprentice Anos will become Death by repeating my steps.”
in the city to carry on his great work.

50
 The Iron Mines
Life and Death Part 3
To the west of the city, in the low foothills before the Dragonteeth mountains are Miraz’s Iron mines, a complex of
desolate underground caves, where a large slave population toils in inhumane conditions, terrorised by sadistic guards.
This is where the first outbreak of the plague occurred, and the clues to where it came from can be found here.

51
Locations
Recent Events
The Compound Stockade And Gate
Two weeks ago, new intake of slaves arrives
A wooden stockade closes off the southern approach from Miraz including Prince Anos, who is
to the mines. Built into it are two watch towers at either heavily disguised, and Anniasta, a member
end and a gate house in the middle. Each watchtower is
of the revolution. The guard starts his lonely
manned by two of Krazar’s guards and the gate is manned
by a gang of five guards. vigil in the watchtower on the mountain.
10 days ago, slaves led by Anos and
The Watch Post on The Anniasta revolt, killing their guards. The
Mountain surviving guards keep them pinned down in
the mine. Krazar sends for help.
To the north of the camp is the mountain that the mine
is dug into. On a rocky path that passes from the camp to 3 days ago, help arrives in the form of
the other side is a ramshackle wooden watchtower which Prince Zanos and his Death Watch guards.
stands ten metres high. It is manned by one guard who has There is a party involving much wine, thrown
been on duty for two weeks. Not the brightest amongst by Krazar.
the bunch, the guard has stayed there in the relative safety
2 days ago. In the hung-over aftermath
waiting to be relieved. In the commotion of the arrival
of the Prince, Krazar has forgotten to relieve him. He is of the party, Krazar and his men try to do
now without food and water and spends most of his time away with Prince Zanos. However some of
sleeping or fearfully watching the action in the camp below. his guards did not partake of the previous
If looked after properly by the Characters he is a good evening’s festivities and fight off Krazar’s
source of information on recent events in the camp, since assassins. The Prince retreats to the factory
from his vantage point he has seen it all. and takes control of it. A stand-off ensues
with Krazar in his house, Anos in the Factory
The Camp and the slaves in the mine.
Outside the mine is a compound in which two storey Today. The arrival of the Characters.
wooden buildings dominate. A crazy mess of hastily
thrown-up construction, that is cheaply rebuilt by slave
labour whenever it burns down or wears out due to The Boss’ House
neglect. Krazar, and the mine bosses before him, are too This mansion is home to the Boss and his cronies. The
interested in maximizing their profits from iron production only stone building in the compound, it too suffers from
to bother with the upkeep of the buildings that house their the neglect of maintenance but also is a cruel testimony
workers. to the generations of Mine Bosses who have lorded over
the slaves. A six foot high mud brick wall surrounds the
The Factory house, and a pair of statues of demons terrorising slaves
The ore processing plant is powered by slave labour. The stand either side of a double iron gate adorned with the
Prince and his men have taken up residence here. skulls and rotting heads of rebellious slaves. Two of the
It is a two-storey big barn with a hand-driven conveyor- mine guards stand by the gates at all time, alert and on the
belt which feeds the ore into a big hand-driven crusher look out for trouble. In the mansion’s courtyard, which
then through a washer and finally thorough a section is featureless and dust-swept, is a water pump. Chained
where the slaves pick out the lumps of iron. to it and barely alive from being whipped and tortured is
Upstairs is a smaller first floor where the Prince holds Matkos, one of the Prince Zanos’ Death Watch captured
court. Two of his Death Watch guards protect him at all during the initial assassination attempt. Inside the house
times, while another ten guards man the barricaded main Krazar and his twenty guards are served hand and foot by
door and a smaller back door is watched over by one man. slaves, a pathetic and abused bunch, while they idle away
their captivity awaiting help from Miraz. The mansion’s
The Forges layout follows.
Here the iron is smelted into iron bars. Each of the five
forges consists of a mud brick chimney which rises up ten Ground Floor
meters and is fueled by a coal driven fire. Each forge is A large audience chamber which leads into a public dining
currently unlit. room at the front. Krazar and the majority of the guards

52
are to be found here during the day. the detail of the fresco will see the workings of the
mine, the shafts and galleries that lead off from the main
Kitchens, storerooms and slave quarters at the back of the
entrance chamber. There is even a depiction of the Pit
mansion. Laxly guarded, a guard will occasionally wander
Demon, a mass of teeth and tentacles in a chamber right at
back to check on the slaves. The slaves are left to prepare
the bottom of the carving. The entrance into the mines is
meals and rest when not serving the masters.
a cavernous opening ten metres high and ten metres across
First Floor into the gloom within, barricaded with wooden debris by
the slaves. This barricade is manned at all times by two
A series of guest rooms and the master bedroom where weary but alert slaves.
Krazar sleeps at night. Five guards peer out over the
compound from the front upstairs windows, ready with Going Underground
bows to kill anybody who gets too close to the house
The mine is not your typical dungeon bash. For a start
without identifying themselves.
its upper levels are populated by a large armed slave
Basement population, who are tired and hungry and must be treated
with kid gloves. The lower levels are connected not by
As well as more storage areas and a wine cellar, the smooth straight passageways carved into the rock which
mansion’s cavernous cellars are home to a torture chamber the Characters can comfortably wander along swords
and a small prison of four one-man cells and a guard drawn at the ready, but by roughly hewn shafts which the
post. In one of the cells languishes Zebita, an old slave- Characters will descend in cramped conditions, swords
woman in her sixties who was to be tortured to death for sheathed, desperately clinging onto the walls, bathed in
disobedience but has been forgotten in the current crisis. sweat as the air temperature gradually increases as they
Zebita is half mad from being down the mines for a good descend. Don’t overdo it, but at a moment of tension
twenty years, but is a useful source of information on the be sure to ask for a Test vs. Luck to make sure that the
current situation. Characters keep their footing and don’t go head over heels
in an environment littered with rocky debris and sharp
The Barracks outcrops.
Where the guards used to sleep and eat until taking shelter
in the mansion after the slaves’ revolt.
Main Entrance Chamber
Taken over by the slaves who have barricaded themselves
The Ore Sheds in, this is the main chamber of the mine and is fifty metres
across and fifteen metres high. In one side of the chamber
Where ore is kept in large bins before being taken to the
is the exit to the outside world and opposite are about 200
factory.
slaves crammed into this chamber. Some have sleeping
The Armoury spaces, made in ledges up on the sides of the wall. The
whole scene is one of unwashed, pitiful humanity.
A small building with smashed windows and doors. Its
Also amongst the slaves is their leader Anniasta. She is
contents were taken by the slaves during their initial break
a member of Sanago’s revolution, and with the help of
out.
Prince Anos led the revolt of the slaves. She currently
The Stables maintains an uneasy alliance with him, on one hand scared
of his power but on the other hand mindful that this has
25 horses, the Prince’s, the Death Watch’s and five of the kept his brother and the Death Watch outside the mine,
guard’s, stand here in full tack. They lazily graze on the thus far. She knows that Anos has presently retreated into
remnants of the hay put out for them, but are in need of one of the galleries and can show the characters which. If
watering before they can be used as mounts. the player characters are being hostile to her, she will quite
happily lead them straight into the Pit Demon’s gallery.
The Mine She has a plain silver whistle, which if blown soundlessly
This is an imposing structure, with a carved stone front, summons the Pit Demon to the location it is blown at.
twenty metres across, thirty metres high, that depicts a In Old Imperial it has the word “Heel” inscribed on it.
scene of the merciless slave mining regime that existed Anniasta found it lying loose in a quick exploration of
before the current revolt in the tunnels below. Metre high Gallery 2, before Anos took over the area. She has used
guards with whips lord it over much smaller carved figures it accidentally in Gallery 2, so the Pit Demon started to
of the slave workers in a fresco that shows the inhumanity appear through the tunnel that connects that Gallery with
of the iron mines. Characters who take the time to study its own (see Gallery 4). Anniasta quickly got out of there

53
and has kept the whistle secret. It’s her ace in the hole if portal to the Halls of the Gods. This leads to the Secret
the caves are invaded by either Prince Zanso or Krazar in of Life and Death (see below in events). Anos has already
force. passed through the portal.
Auxiliary Caves Gallery 3: Flooded
These smaller caves, about ten metres across by ten This gallery quickly became flooded when it was
metres high, are home to about twenty slaves. Also in the abandoned due to the revolt. Zombies swim about in the
centre of each room is a shaft down to one of the mine’s water.
galleries.
Gallery 4: The Pit Demon
The Mine Workings This is the oldest and deepest gallery of the complex
Narrow shafts lead down from the entrance hall level, one where a hellish Demon from the Other World resides.
or two metres across shored up by wooden planks. These Originally the guardian of Tel-Kar-Nath, this gallery is
shafts are dug into the earth until a vein of iron is reached. connected by a small three foot high tunnel, which the
Then a gallery is opened out, by heating up the rock until amorphous Demon can squeeze through. The miners
it splits, so that the vein of ore can be dug out. The slaves discovered this gallery early on in their exploration of the
then climb up and down the shafts to access the ore in the complex. Their jailers were quick to use it to punish errant
galleries bellow. Ore is lifted in baskets up the shaft.   inmates. How can you threaten down- trodden slaves who
no longer fear death? You threaten them with being eaten
Dangers of the Mine by a demon that devours their eternal soul! The demon
happily does this task since it was originally from the
Ventilation - Dust & poisonous gas (convection shafts
Imperial Hell where criminals were sent in the afterlife. If
to help build up). Every ten minutes of game time an
for any reason Tel-Kar-Nath is with the player characters,
adventurer is down in an unventilated gallery they will lose
it will act quickly to recapture and imprison him.
1d4 hit points.
The Demon is a writhing mass, fifteen metres across, of
Temperature - one degree heat increase for every thirty
tentacles and ever-chattering teeth in an amorphous body
metres of depth.
that shines unnaturally and shimmers with sickly colours.
Flooding - the galleries are prone to flooding. This is The tentacles have a reach of five metres, so victims are
prevented by large pumps powered by slaves who walk normally thrown down the shaft to it. Once it has made
around an enclosed wooden wheel not unlike a hamster sure the victim is deprived of weapons and not a danger it
wheel. Obviously since the revolt the hamsters have no will play with its ‘food’, nibbling at it slowly in the dark.
longer been running round the wheel keeping the mines
flood free. Several of the galleries are now underwater, or Events
in danger of flash floods.
Getting in via the Gate
Gallery 1: The Zombie Pit
The guards are in a surly aggressive mood, frightened by
This is a scene of human horror. 50 or so dead slaves are the revolt and annoyed by the appearance and haughtiness
piled high in the centre of the floor. Every minute D10 of the Prince and his men. Their morale is low, making
Plague Zombies will crawl out of the pile, reanimated them fragile and sensitive to any criticism of their abilities.
from the dead. Here the miners found a seam of gold, and Unless the Characters are representatives of the City
about 1d100 irons worth of gold can be gathered every Guard, to which they react initially as if they are welcome
minute. saviours, the guards take the attitude that the camp is
closed to outsiders and they should go away. It will be
Gallery 2: The Temple of the Pure
up to the characters to talk them round or to resort in
Here the Prince Anos holds court. This gallery is not violence.
affected by gas due to extra convection shafts. Prince
Anos is served by 50 fanatical slaves who look after his Climbing over the Mountain
every whim, driven by the hope that by simply serving and
As well as the guarded mountain path, it is possible
hanging around him he will preserve them from becoming
to scramble over the mountain to get into the camp.
Zombies. They will cheerfully die for him protecting him
However such an attempt is dangerous and requires
from attacks, thinking that even in death he will not allow
that the Characters have ropes and find a suitable route
them to pass into undeath.
through the crags. Make a Skill roll, based upon the best
In the centre of the room, hanging in midair, is a glowing climber in the group. If successful the party find their

54
way across the mountain after a day or so of climbing. If Otherwise only interested in what the player characters
they critical they find a quick route and make it over easily have to suggest if it involves lots of death.
in a couple of hours. If they fail they cannot find a way
Prince Zanos – Here to put down Anos, restore order and
across the mountain and must risk the gate. If they fumble
remove Krazar from office. If the player characters can get
the mountain defeats them and each character takes 2d6
around the fact that in any deal he’s the boss and they are
damage during a sudden rock slide that finally puts an end
just hirelings who he expects to perform to the letter of
to their attempt.
his orders, they will get on fine.
Three-way Stand-Off Krazar – Knows he is in hot water over this. Not only
will he have the displeasure of the Tyrant because of the
Trigger: The player characters get in the middle of the three opposing
revolt, he also has the two Princes to contend with. If the
factions.
player characters can come up with some way to make
On one side in the mine are the slaves. In the compound things right with any of them, he will be well on board.
in the Boss’ house and opposite them, are the mine guards.
Anniasta – Truly scared by the situation she finds herself
In the other corner in the ore factory, are the Prince and
in, but resolute none the less. Expected to hold the slave
his men.
revolt then get out and return to the city. This is what she
Unless the player characters clearly identify themselves intends to do as her first priority. Getting rid of that creep,
and quickly ally with one of the factions, they are likely to Prince Anos, would be good, but she wants to get the
get attacked by all three, who misinterpret the arrival of slaves to Miraz as quickly as possible.
foreigners as an intrusion.
Demon Unleashed!
Making Deals Trigger: Caves invaded in force or Anniasta personally threatened
Trigger: The player characters attempt to talk with one of the and in a fight or if the player characters have made a deal with her
factions. to wipe out her enemies.
Prince Anos – Mad, bad and dangerous to know. He wants If things seem to be going all wrong for Anniasta she will
both Zanos and Krazar to die as horrifically as possible. blow the whistle to summon the demon, which moves up

55
from its gallery killing all in its path. Once it has reached At this point Prince Anos, if still alive, jumps out from
her position and killed everything it finds there, it will behind the Angel, as if he was hiding there all the time
return to its gallery. (which he wasn’t if the characters looked for him).
Another option is that she gives the player characters “Death! Death! Join me in Death and we’ll kill the lot of them!” he
the whistle, telling them to bring doom on her enemies rants
by blowing it in the compound or even better still in the
“Silence!!! You have had your choice, now they must make theirs”
Factory or the Boss’ house. She will get the slaves to move
says the Angel.
out of the pit demon’s way and then give them a pre-
arranged signal. The Angel waits in anticipation for the player characters
response.
Slave Army Despite the rather bland answer that it gives to the
Trigger: Krazar and Zanos removed from play. question, the magical powers it can bestow are real and
very potent.
Once all opposition in the compound is removed Annisata
will start moving the surviving slaves out of the mine. She If the character answers “Life”:
will rest and feed them up for a couple of days before
• They become more attuned to the power of life.
marching them to Miraz. They will attack villas of the
nobles along the way, gaining numbers, and arms and • All hit points and wounds are healed.
armour, before attacking the city. If it has not already • The immediately gain the spell Cure Serious Wounds
happened this will trigger Sanago’s Revolution (see Viva which they can cast once per day, no matter their class.
the Revolution! in Miraz events)
• They can bring Plague Zombies to rest by touch
Secret of Life and Death alone. Effectively this means that if the character
succeeds in hand to hand attack vs. a plague zombie
Trigger: When the player characters enter the Temple of the Pure. it is destroyed. Note this does not work on characters
Prince Anos has opened a portal to the Halls of the Gods who have chosen Death (see below).
using a spell taught to him by Tel-Kar-Nath, and crossed If the character answers “Death”:
over to the other side to find the Secret of Life and Death.
• They immediately die and become an undead creature.
The portal leads to the statue of a double-headed Angel. This has the following game effects.
The left side is skeletal and decayed, dressed in black with
a grinning skeleton face. The right side is dressed in fine • They do not heal naturally, but they gain the ability to
white robes and has a fair, human face. Between each side regain hit points by eating the flesh of sentient beings,
they hold a large book, entitled ‘Life and Death’. on a one to one basis. So if they consume a creature
with 6 Hit Points they regain 6 Hit Points.
The statue is animated, and although it cannot be harmed
(immune to all attacks and magic) it can talk and interact • They can only regain Spells by practising the foul rites
with the player characters. It talks to them: of Blood Magic, sacrificing living beings for magical
energy -see Crypts & Things page 23.
“Within this book is the secret of Life and Death. You may read it
if you wish, but if you do you must make a choice afterwards. Also, • If their body is destroyed they become a Ghost and
no-one can be told the secret without them having to make the choice can dominantly possess another body, if live, or
as well. Do you wish to read the secret?” reanimate if already dead.
Anyone who reads the book, will see the following on a • Anyone slain by them is raised as a Plague Zombie.
single page (the rest of the impressive tome is blank): Note this does not work on characters who have
chosen Life (see above).
“You are either Living or you are Dead.”
Anos’s reaction to all of this depends on the majority of
After the player characters have read the book, or been the characters’ decisions.
told the secret by one of their fellows, the Angel turns and
says. If the majority comes down on the side of Death, he asks
them to join him on his crusade against Life which starts
“So what is it to be ?” both heads ask. with slaying their fellow party members who chose Life.
“Life?” asks the living head If the majority comes down on the side of Life, he will try
“Or Death?” asks the dead head. to slip away back through the portal. If Anos is successful
he will gather his ‘troops’ and head back to Miraz, to start

56
his Empire of the Dead. For example : The Tyranny
The Halls of the Gods This is the source of the magic of the Dominator cult. It appears
as a large imposing step pyramid that rises out of nowhere. On the
This is the Other World of the Shattered Lands. It used flat top in black glass jars are the brains of the hundred tyrants of
to be a place teeming with Gods, Goddesses and their Miraz, which advise and whisper to the current Tyrant through his
servitors. It was their paradise, where faithful worshippers dreams. It has a real world mapping to the city of Miraz, and if
went to spend their afterlife. Some parts were Hells where the portal magicians of Zerca were ever to cast their spells in the city
the sinful went to spend an eternity being punished. they would go slap bang into this landmark. The Tyranny possesses
However when the last Lion Emperor ascended to it, for formidable mind control powers, and is protected by the thousand
purposes that are long forgotten, his very act of doing souls of Death Watch members killed in action, who are fierce
so completely ‘wiped’ everything. Paradise, Hells, Gods, demons of combat dressed in shining black armour. The Tyranny
Goddesses and all their servants ceased to exist in this is also served by the Eternal Administration, demons of knowledge
mythic space. who maintain the Compendium of Doom.
Now it is best described as a blank brilliant white space,
which is occasionally home to an supernatural entity or What is the Angel of Life and Death?
mythic landmark that has arisen since the Age of Isolation. Since none of these new mythological entities have
developed an afterlife, except for a handful of fanatical
worshippers (such as Death Watch in the example
above), most people when they die remain trapped in the
Shattered Lands either as immaterial spirits, since there is a
widespread practice of burning dead bodies, or as undead.
The Angel has come about from a desire of millions of
living creatures trying to come to terms with this confusing
situation. It is the product of millions of idle thoughts and
thousands of considered philosophies.

57
 Life and Death Resolution
Ultimately it is up to the players how they guide their The players confront Tel-Kar-Nath in his lair in the Stuck
characters through this adventure. Pig and, after an epic fight, defeat him and his Zombie
bodyguards. With the source of the plague gone, the rest
However at some point it must end and it is the Crypt
of the Zombies are easily overcome or simply fall down
Keeper’s job, with the help of the players, to find a
dead.
satisfying ending.
Prince Anos is either slain by his brother, bungles his
Here are a few example endings, based upon what has
attempt to open a portal to the Halls of the Gods and gets
happened in actual play-testing of this scenario.
lost there, or for the time being does not return to Miraz.
The Revolution Three-Way Power Struggle
Sanago and the oppressed people of Miraz rise up. With
The scenario focuses on the struggle of the Tryant, Prince
the aid of the player characters, the Tyrant and his heirs are
Zanos and Prince Anos.
removed. Tel-Kar-Nath is not an immediate priority and
is either destroyed in the aftermath of the revolution, by Each gathers their forces and prepares to destroy their
the player characters or Sanago’s men, or has sense enough enemies. At first Mendoza and Zanos work together to
to leave town. Either way the Plague and the Tyrants are destroy Anos, but after this is achieved Zanos betrays his
removed from the city, leaving its people unsure of what father, who he sees as weak.
to do next.
The player characters may be allied with one or more of
Showdown with Tel-Kar-Nath the factions, and may be busy doing deals of their own
with the opposing sides.
This is a short punchy ending, suitable if the players are
showing fatigue from a long investigation in the city or if Whoever ends up top dog at the end of the showdown,
you are playing the adventure as a four-hour one-shot. will reward his supporters with money and positions of

58
power and will be merciless in the pursuit of those who Aftermath
were on the losing side.

The Emperor of the Dead If the Choice was Death

Despite their best efforts to wipe out the plague in Miraz, If the player characters overwhelmingly choose Death, life
by destroying Tel-Kar-Nath, it soon becomes apparent that (or unlife) suddenly becomes very interesting.
the horror is continuing and that he had an apprentice. It The Legions of the Dead arise, and under Demonic
should be quite clear from talking to various people that Undead Generals systematically attack the five cities. No
the heir is Prince Anos. Hopefully the player characters living being is spared.
work out that Anos is at the Iron Mines, and quickly move
Eventually the slaughter ends, and everything becomes
to get him before he becomes too powerful. Otherwise he
still. Trees, grass, the bodies of animals and men alike rot
comes to Miraz at the head of an army of five hundred
into the ground. All becomes dust.
Plague Zombies!
The curtain comes down over a lifeless world and the story
Sample Route through the ends here.
Adventure
If the Choice was Life
While the adventure is designed to be free-roaming, with
the players choosing their own direction, here’s a sample If the player characters overwhelmingly choose life, as
way of navigating it to give the Crypt Keeper’s an idea of one sincerely hopes they do, life in the Shattered Lands
how things could go and a framework if the players are becomes a bit brighter as a spark of hope is lit.
less than forthcoming with ideas. The most significant thing is the power of Magic becomes
The Village Outside the Walls. The game starts at the much stronger in the Shattered Lands. Magicians are able
village and the player characters enjoy a night of hospitality to cast up to and including sixth level now and in general,
at the Hostel of the Foreigners. for ill or good, magic use becomes more widespread.

Arrival in the City. After getting past the gate guards, Rewards
the player characters enter the city. Depending on what
In addition to any XP awarded for overcoming monsters.
they do, they may or may not have talked to Rhiannon
Unless noted all rewards are divided amongst the group
Windrose, who will have filled them in regarding the
members who are involved in achieving them.
situation within the city.
Part 1. The Village Outside the Walls
Intrigue and Investigation in the City. The players talk
to various people, such as the Death Watch and the Tyrant, 200 XP Discovering that Emilon and Miquez are members
who in turn want to talk to them. They find out about the of the Death Watch.
mysterious Necromancer who helped Prince Anos and
Part 2 The City State of Miraz
decide to find him in the western quadrant of the city.
1000 XP for dealing with the menace that is Tel-Kar-Nath
Zombies! The characters head past the cordons and start
encountering Plague Zombies. Lots of them! 200 XP for defending the Queens Hospital.
The lair of Tel-Kar-Nath. The characters confront and 1000 XP for successfully ousting the Tyrant.
kill Tel-Kar-Nath in his cellear lair in the Stuck Pig Tavern. Part 3 The Iron Mines
Before he expires they learn of his apprentice, Prince
Anos. 500 XP for freeing the Slaves.
Infiltrating the Iron Mines. The characters avoid the 500 XP for resolving the three way standoff between the
three-way standoff at the mines, by gaining the confidence three factions in the mine which doesn’t end in a massacre.
of all three groups. 500 XP for going through the portal and encountering the
The Temple of the Pure. The characters defeat Anos’ Angel of Life and Death.
followers and go through the Portal.
Showdown in the Halls of the Gods. The characters
choose Life when asked by the Angel. They stop Anos
from going though the Portal and destroy him!

59
 Life & Death Character Digest
This chapter collects together all the game statistics for The Death Watch
all the characters encountered in the adventure for easy
reference. The Tyrant’s black-clad secret police, named for the time
of day, after midnight, that they take to the streets in
Characters and Creatures are presented in the following search of criminals and other enemies of the state.
format:
Their duties are: Bodyguards to the Tyrant, elite special
Name of Monster/Character AC (Armour Class) HD (Hit forces, infiltrators of suspected revolutionaries, spy on
Dice) HP (Hit Points) Move (Movement ) Attacks by weapon foreigners.
(weapon damage) Special (special rules, often detailed after the stat
block) CL/XP (Challenge Level/Experience Points awarded for Death Watch AC 5 [ 14 ] HD 2 HP 10 MV 12 Attacks: 1
defeating). Scimitar (1d8) or Short Bow (1d6) Special: Flash Powder
Bombs (Test Luck or be blind for 1d4 Combat Rounds)
Miraz CL/XP 3/60
Equipment (other than weapons): x2 Flash power (throw on
Typical citizen floor, Test Luck or blinded for D4 minutes)
Dress: Conservative and covering body without
Treasure: None.
adornment. Women wear full dresses and headdresses
which cover up bare flesh. Men wear workman-like Motives
trousers, boots and tunics with short, cropped hair. Older • Root out traitors.
men, 30 plus, grow beards as a symbol of their age and • Find opponents worthy of their skills
experience. Relationships
Personality: Publicly dour and servile. Once behind closed • Loyalty to the Tyrant 100%
doors, they lighten up considerably and like to tell stories
and sing songs of others’, usually foreigners’, misfortunes. Iron Legionary
Most Mirazians are pathologically sarcastic. These are the legendary soldiers of Miraz. Disciplined
Typical Citizen AC 9[10] HD1 HP 5 MV 12 Attacks: 1 and loyal like no other troops, they are armed with steel
improvised weapon or fist/kick (1d3) Special: None weapons and plate armour mined from Miraz’s infamous
CL/XL 1/15 Iron Mines. The typical solider is a volunteer who signs up
Equipment (other than weapons) : Tools of their trade. for a steady income, the chance to see the world, fight in
the most professional army of all the Five Cities and retire
Treasure: 1D10 Iron pieces
after 25 years with a state pension and a small plot of land
Motives in the belt around the city.
• Stay out of trouble. These tough soldiers are currently deep in the Badlands
• Defend their city against foreigners. on their way to one of the other city states. If the Tyrant
• Do their job well. manages to recall any of them to defend the city against
Relationships the revolution or the worsening Zombie horde, these are
• Loyalty to the Tyrant 100% the stats of an experienced veteran who has been in the
• Loyalty to family 80% Legions for at least five years.
• Loyalty to co-workers 75% Iron Legionary AC 2[17] HD 1 HP 8 MV 12 Attacks: 1
Long Sword (1d8) Special: None CR/XP 1/15
Equipment (other than weapons): Bedding roll, waterskin, two
weeks rations.
Treasure: 1D10 in Iron pieces.
Motives
• Serve the Tyrant.
Relationships
• Loyal to Tryant 100%

60
City Guardsmen Relationships
• Father to Prince Anos 50%
This small force of men, around one hundred, acts as the
• Father to Prince Zanso 90%
day to day police force for the city.
• Ruler of Miraz 100%
A small detachment of twenty men are equipped with Iron
Plate, mainly to impress foreign visitors, but otherwise Captain Rhiannon Windrose
they are armoured in more modest and less heavy leather. Rhiannon wears blue flowing robes over a set of
The guardsmen are good at dispersing crowds and picking chainmail. Her weapons are usually on display, showing
out small time thieves and troublemakers, but any harder that she means business and is not to be messed with. Her
targets, such as the player characters, they will back off and long blonde hair is tied back in a braid, and what should be
let the Death Watch handle. a beautiful face is usually focused into a hard stare.
AC 6[14] HD 1 HP 6 MV 12 Attacks: 1 Short Sword (1d6) Originally from Zerca, the City of the Sorcerers, she left
or Sling (1d4) Special: None CR/XP 1/15 when she came of age because of a natural dislike of
Equipment (other than weapons): None magic use. She was a member of many mercenary bands
until she landed the job as Captain of the Miraz City
Treasure: 1D4 in Iron pieces. Guard.
Motives She hides her dislike of the Tyrant’s social policy because
• Serve and Protect the City. of her innate professionalism and the fact that the pay is
very good. This occasionally clashes with her strong sense
Relationships of justice. Accompanied by a detachment of ten cavalry,
• Loyalty to Rhiannon Windrose 75% she is aware of Tel-Kar-Nath’s presence in the city and
is aware that the Prince has approached him. She needs
The Tyrant Mendosa someone to find out what Tel-Kar-Nath’s plans are and
is likely to either hire the characters or follow them when
The Tyrant dresses in purple robes, gold rings and earrings
they leave the city.
and sports a thick, black, braided beard that reaches down
to his stomach. Upon his head is the gold and ivory crown Captain Rhiannon Windrose AC 5[14] HD 3 HP 16 MV 9
of the Tyrant, and around his neck is the iron talisman Attacks: 1 Long Sword (1d8) or 1 Long Bow (1d8) Special:
of the first Tyrant, his badge of office. He is doused in None CL/XP 3/60
sweet and expensive perfumes and walks gracefully with Equipment (other than weapons) : None.
power. Trained since birth to hold this office, Mendosa
is the pinnacle of Mirazian manhood, and he knows it. Treasure: About 1,000 Iron pieces in savings in her quarters
Considered a living god by the majority of his people, he Motives
does not disappoint in his behaviour.
• Find out what Tel-Kar-Nath is up to.
Mendosa’s primary objective is to restore order in his • Stop the Plague.
beloved city. Then mercilessly hunt down and punish those • Serve the Tyrant with honour and dignity.
who brought the plague. Relationships
The Tyrant Medosa AC 5 [14] HD 5 HP 30 MV 12 • Loyal to the Tyrant 90%
Attacks: 1 Scimitar of the Tyrant (+3 to hit and damage, • Leader of the City Guard 99%
but does 1d6 damage per round when held by character • Hate Prince Zanso 65%
not of Miraz Nobility) or Ivory Bow of the First Tyrant • Professional rival of the Big Boss 75%
(+3 to hit and Damage, in the hands of the Tyrant) • Fear Prince Anos 75%
Special: Charm Person once a day. CR/XP 6/400
Equipment (other than weapons): None.
Treasure: 10 million Iron pieces in treasury.
Motives
• Preserve the Tyranny of Miraz.
• Remain the Tyrant.
• Make sure the best Prince becomes Heir.
• Punish the disobedient.

61
Tel-Kar-Nath Where he came from was a mystery, and his warning is the
only memory of him in the minds of the Mirazians.
Once a fine figure of a man, he is now bent over and his
flesh desiccated, a few strands of hair all that is left of a He is occasionally glimpsed at night hanging around
full, luxuriant head of hair. He wears the remains of his Executioner’s Square, a dignified looking man with long
Imperial Court Sorcerer robes of office, a grand mitre hair and a white beard in white ghostly robes.
with denotes his high rank upon his head, that are dirty, He has no stats since he can not interact with the world or
bloodstained and faded with age. Long hands with dirty, the player characters.
overgrown finger nails that constantly fidget with a life of
their own. Goal

He is an immoral, insane and immortal ancient and evil Although he cannot interfere directly with the characters,
sorcerer. He considers himself representative of ‘Death’. he can advise them. He watches them first, (‘you feel a
His past as a court sorcerer of the Lion Empire is long ghostly presence’) and then, if convinced they are working
forgotten, blotted out by his unholy obsession. against Tel-Kar-Nath, will approach the players and help
with advice. If he finds out that the players are working
He is a cannibal, through his practice of death magic For with Tel-Kar-Nath he will hinder and berate them as much
each point of damage done he regains instantly 1 hit point. as possible.
He also gains 1 hit point of sentient creature he eats, per
point of damage he eats or on a one to one basis if eating Motives
a recently slain creature. • Stop Tel-Kar-Nath.
• Encourage characters to choose Life when they meet.
Being a creature of the undead he does not regain hit
the Angel of Life and Death.
points naturally.
• Stop anyone choosing Death.
Tel-Kar-Nath AC 0 [19] from various enchantments Relationships
HD 5 HP 40 MV 12 Attack: 1 Claw (1d6) Special:
• None.
Regenerates HP by eating the flesh of sentient beings.
CL/XP 8/800 Sanago, Leader of the Revolution
Spell Casting Once upon a time, Sanago was a simple cobbler. What
Tel-Kar-Nath knows the following spells: made him come up with the idea that the city would be
better off without the Tyrants and the Agents is a mystery.
1st Level: Cause Light Wounds, Charm Person, Hex, Magic Was it because his younger brother never came back from
Missile, Summon Minor Other. one of the wars? Or has discontent been secretly brewing
2nd Level: Curse, Darkness 15ft Radius, Invisibility, Snake in his family for centuries? Whatever it is, Sanago is the
Charm, Web. heart and soul behind the People’s Revolution.
3rd Level: Blight, Cause Disease, Speak With the Dead. He is a big tower of a man, if slightly overweight, in
Equipment (other than weapons): None. his early 40s. He wears his hair short and has a thick
Treasure: None. moustache above his upper lip. He wears the typical
Motives peasant clothes, a white tunic and trousers, and a red neck
tie, which he says represents the blood of the people.
• Initiate more people into the Secret of Death
• Bring death to the living. Sangao AC 6[13] HD 5 HP 40 MV 12 Attacks: 1
Relationships Longsword (1d8) or Sling (1d4) Special: None CL/XP
5/240
• To Death 100%
• Master of Prince Anos 55% Equipment (other than weapons): None
Treasure: None – although his followers could probably
The Ghost of the Prophet cobble together around 500 Irons as a ransom.
Killed over a century ago, as part of Miraz’s no magicians Motives
rule. • Bring to an end the Tyranny
As he was taken to the executioner’s block to be hung, • Protect his people from harm
drawn, and quartered he famously bellowed out to the Relationships
crowd; • Leader of the Peoples’ revolution 100%
“One day a plague will come to this evil city, and then you will have
to choose between life and death!”

62
Plague Zombies Anniasta, Revolutionary
Rotting, shambling corpses. Pretty standard Zombies with A feisty woman in her late twenties who joined the
the added bonus that if they kill you, you rise as one of revolution to bring down the Patriarchal Tyranny after
them and become part of the ‘Plague’ of Zombies that are suffering injustices at the hands of its Agents and seeing
afflicting Miraz. her husband ‘disappeared’ by the Death Watch.
Plague Zombie AC 7[12] HD 2 HP 10 MV 9 Attacks: 1 She looks like any other peasant woman, in white linen
Fist (1d8) Special: Immune to mind control, disease and skirts and multi-coloured scarves, until she fixes her
poison. CL/XP 3/60 determined gaze upon whom she is talking to.
Equipment (other than weapons): None. With no family, she accepted the dangerous mission
of infiltrating the mine, and her determination and
Treasure: None.
persuasiveness has won over the miners.
Plague Zombies carry the power of undeath in their very
Anniasta AC 9 [10 ] HD 1 HP 8 MV 12 Attacks: 1 Tool
being. The ‘plague’ they carry is that anyone who is slain by
(1d4) Special: None CL/XP 1/15
them comes back after 1D20 hours as one of them.
Equipment (other than weapons) : None.
The Iron Mines
Treasure: None.
The Mine Guards Motives
Use the stats for City Guards. • Lead the slaves to freedom!
Relationships
The Slaves (approx. 500) • Member of the Revolution 100%
These miserable but hardy specimens, most dressed only in
rags, sulk within the mine waiting their chance to burst out Krazar, The Big Boss
and gain their freedom. Krazar is a noble from Miraz, whose family was well
Slave AC 9 [10 ] HD 1 HP 4 Move 12 Attacks: 1 Tool connected enough to get him this post. They hoped that
(1d4) Special None CL/XP 1/15 he would use this important position as a step-up with
the Tyrant, but he has been too lazy to capitalise on it and
Equipment (other than weapons): None has gone seriously to seed during his five years here. He is
Treasure: None depraved and corrupt but well aware of the dangerousness
of the situation.
Motives
Krazar AC 5 [14 ] HD 5 HP 30 MV 12 Attacks: 1 2-H
• Stay alive.
Heavy Mace (1d10) Special: None CL/XP 5/240
• Gain their freedom!
• Death to the Tyrant! Equipment (other than weapons): None.
Treasure: About 1,000 irons in misbegotten gains hidden in
a chest in the basement of his mansion.
Motives
• Stay alive.
• Keep his job as Mine Governor.
Relationships
• Loyal to Tyrant 75%

63
Prince Zanos • Become Emperor of Dead World.
Relationships
This twenty-year old is the obvious heir to the Tyranny.
Charming, handsome and with a forceful personality. • Apprentice of Tel-Kar-Nath 75%
His only fault is that he is of quite dull and average
intelligence. However, the threat of nasty death at the
The Pit Demon
hands of zombies has galvanised him into action against It is a quivering mass of a slug-like body, covered with
his brother, and true to his line he is out to get what he can mouths, eyes, at least fifty tentacles and a scaly, steel-hard
from this sad situation at the mine and the city. A military hide.
man at heart, his father has appointed him as leader of the
The pit demon is a classic example of a monster that is not
Death Watch.
meant to be defeated by the player characters, but avoided
Prince Zanos AC 2[18] Plate Mail HD 5 HP 35 MV 9 as quickly as possible.
Attacks: Long Sword (1d8) or Dagger (1d4) or Long Bow
The Pit Demon AC 5 [14] HD 8 HP 60 MV 9 Attacks:
(1d8) Special None CL/XP 5/240
8 Tentacle Attacks (1d6) or Bite 2d6 Special: Immune to
Equipment (other than weapons) : Horse with saddle Charm, Sleep, Poison or Disease CL/XP 9/1100
Treasure: 100 irons in gold jewellery. Equipment (other than weapons): None
Motives Treasure: None
• Eliminate Anos as a rival to becoming Tyrant.
• Remove Krazar as mine governor.
Relationships
• Son of the Tyrant 60%
• Bother of Prince Anos 25%

Prince Anos
Once a rather weedy eighteen year old, who despite the
rigorous training of a potential heir was rather sickly and
weak. He only managed to survive the Tyrant’s court
because of his high intelligence. Since meeting Tel-Kar-
Nath, he has become obsessed with his vision of a Dead
World ruled by himself.
He wears black robes, heavy black eyeliner and nail polish,
the whole effect would be comical if it wasn’t for that
manic gleam in his eye.
Prince Anos AC 9[10] HD 5 HP 20 MV 12 Attacks: 1
Dagger (1d4) Special Spell Casting CL/XP 6/400
Knows the following Spells:
1st Charm Person, Hex, , Sleep.
2nd: Invisibility, Phantasmal Force.
Equipment (other than weapons)
None
Treasure
None – Anos has no use for material possessions.
Motives
• Journey to the Halls of the Gods to gain the Secret of
Death.
• Kill Zanos and become the Tyrant.
• Kill anyone who gets in his way.

64
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
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15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins,
David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Swords & Wizardry Core Rules, Copyright 2008, Matthew J. Finch
Akrasia’s Sword & Sorcery rules Copyright 2009, Blain Neufeld.
Crypts & Things Copyright 2011-2016 Paul Newport.
Life and Death Zarth Edition Copyright 2017 Paul Newport
END OF LICENSE

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