Adventures & Background for Barbarians of Lemuria

Dépôt légal : décembre 2017.

ISBN 979-10-96814-03-9
Ludospherik Éditions
400, Impasse des Drabons
73270 Villard-sur-Doron - France
Contact : [email protected]
www.ludospherik.fr

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 Lemurian Chronicles
Barbarians of Lemuria
Mythic Edition,
a game created by Simon Washbourne, published by Filigree Forge.

This Sourcebook is the English translation of Chroniques lémuriennes,

published in November 2017 by Ludospherik ©.

Credits for the English Version

Translation: Jeffrey Probst.
Layout: Emmanuel Roudier.
Proofreading: Vincent Basset, Jeffrey Probst and Simon Washbourne.
Special Thanks: to Simon Washbourne for his precious trust and his help.

Credits for the French Version

Writers: Vincent Basset, Lionel Beaupère, Arnaud Prié,
Emmanuel Roudier and Andrea Salvatores.
Editing: Vincent Basset.
Cover Art: Emmanuel Roudier.
Interior Artwork, Cartography & Layout: Emmanuel Roudier.
Maps: Lionel Beaupère, Arnaud Prié and Emmanuel Roudier.
Proofreading: Vincent Basset, Michaël Croitoriu, Arnaud Prié,
Emmanuel Roudier and Andrea Salvatores.
Playtesters: Paul-Marie Alessandra, Lionel Beaupère, Stéphane Becker, Michaël
Croitoriu, Julien Drouet, Laurent Girodengo, Félix Huet, Nathalie Huet, Philippe Joye,
Sandy Julien, Dominique Lacrouts, Laurent Lacrouts, Antonin Nesme, Claude-Marie
Nesme, Mélusine Nesme-Hamant, Philéas Nesme-Hamant, Sébastien Nesme, Frédéric
Mouysset, Julien Mouysset, Fabrice Renier, Olivia Roudier.

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Foreword
by Simon Washbourne
designer of Barbarians of Lemuria

I was delighted when I received a request from Vincent Basset to write a brief foreword
to the English translation of Chroniques Lemuriennes, because, when I first saw the
artwork of the French edition (and in particular Emmanuel Roudier’s gorgeous cover),
I felt that us English speakers would be deprived if there wasn’t an English version of
this fantastic book. Not only is the volume filled with glorious illustrations and laid out
beautifully, but the quality of the tome itself is outstanding.

Lemuria is a great place for sword and sorcery adventure - a wild, untamed, almost
prehistoric world built upon the ruins of much older civilizations and filled with strange
beasts and a wide diversity of peoples. Reading through the five adventures and the
additional background I am pleased to see that the authors have not only kept to this
original vision but have also built brilliantly upon those foundations to make such a
wonderful addition to the Barbarians of Lemuria story. It’s also great to see the Kalukan
(one of my favourite races in any rpg setting) having centre stage, not only on the front
cover but also in one of the scenarios.

This book gives you many hours of great gaming and is a work to treasure. Every fan of
BoL should own at least one copy. If you’ve never played BoL before, this work is probably
the best reason to start. Thank you Ludospherik for producing such a fine piece of work.

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 Contents
The Calendar of Satarla 6
The Khanate 11

Contents
Heroic Origins 12
The Geography of Khanate 14
The Beasts of Khanate 20
Adventure Seeds 27
The Adventures 28
Kalukan Characters 125
Character sheet 131
Map of Khanate 134

Bored to Death 28
On their way to Liu, the Heroes get stuck on the Island of Shelang when early winter storms prolong their stopover. After
taking up lodgings in the fortress that broods over the small, wind-swept isle, they quickly find themselves overrun by
nasty zombies with pierced foreheads. The lady of the keep has decided to spice up her humdrum existence by dabbling in
necromancy! Will the Heroes manage to root out the Bloodless sorcerer that has been walled-up in the deepest chamber of
the daunting edifice, and who has been whispering impious spells in the ear of the deranged lady?
Or will the entire island become a horrific bloodbath?

Männ’s Oldest Dream 42

Our Heroes are preparing to settle into their winter quarters in a small Valgardian village at the foot of the Axos Mountains
when the unexpected arrival of a young woman, Joanna Männ, upsets their plans. A tribe of Winged Men has attacked the
small mountain fort where she lives with her uncle, forcing her to flee. Joanna is looking for a few brave souls to escort her
back up the mountain to learn her uncle’s fate. The Heroes will soon discover the eldritch obsessions of old Zacharias Männ
and his niece, and have to deal with the (justified) hostility of the Winged Men of Axos.

The Serpent Bride 58

The Heroes have been invited by Turmar Latia to celebrate his marriage to the ravishing Jil Sendak, a young heiress
from one of the noblest families in Satarla. But his fiancée is secretly in love with Eormo, a dashing sky-pilot from a
poor jungle tribe. Eormo decides to throw caution to the wind and listen to his heart: following the customs of his people,
he kidnaps Jil just before the ceremony as the stunned guests look on in disbelief. Our Heroes will be asked to hunt down
the fugitives, who’ve fled to Eormo’s tribal village. They’ll soon discover the bizarre wedding rites of the jungle people,
who are ruled by a creature that is even more bizarre...and much deadlier than they could’ve ever imagined.

The Tower of Ajhaskar 76

The wizard Ajhaskar, trusted advisor to King Colmus of Lysor, has not shown his face at court for many days. Servants
were dispatched to his tower with a royal summons, but once they passed through the wizard’s front door...they never
returned. The Heroes are “asked” (or you might say “forced”) to enter the feared magician’s lair to find out what
happened to him. But they’ll soon discover that the mysterious tower is only the beginning of their adventure...

The Three Chests 102

A detachment of Kalukan Sentinels belonging to the Witch Queen have been sent to Halakh on a temporary assignment to
serve Rutgarr, a Grey Druid from the Cult of Nemmereth. He orders them to deliver three chests to mysterious destinations
without bothering to explain why. It’s only at the climax of the adventure that the Heroes will learn the terrible truth:
Rutgarr is in fact the sworn enemy of their queen, and he’s manipulated the unwitting Kalukan to recover a magic artefact
which, once in his possession, may lead to the downfall of Methyn Sarr, the Witch Queen of the Fire Coast.

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 Background Information

The Calendar of Satarla

The Calendar of Satarla

Month Season
Viskha
A common calendar has never been established in Istha Season of
Renewal
Lemuria due to the many different peoples and Sadha
countries that dot the continent. Some regions simply Vana
mark the time by the phases of the Moon or the
changing of the seasons, while other regions have Pada
adopted more sophisticated dating systems. Vina
Dry Season
The calendar of Satarla is now widely used due to Tika
the city’s power and influence, but some of the other Sha
cities, such as Tyrus, are vehemently opposed to Pausa
adopting the Satarlan calendar.
Magha
Phal Rainy Season
Chatra

Satarla uses a calendar based on the solar year,

with twelve months of thirty days. There are also
five “floating” days, for which the date is different
The Floating Holy Days
each year. The city’s college of astrologists assembles
at the start of the year to determine the precise The Day of Veils
date of the five floating days. They’re considered This holiday, which may occur in any month of
to be “special days” that are inserted between two the year, is dedicated to Nemmereth. It’s a day of
days in the normal counting of the month. These veneration for the deceased, with fasting and silence
are holy days to celebrate various divinities, and it’s to honour the memory of those who have begun
considered to be a very bad omen if the astrologists the long sleep. The people don veils and visit the
make a mistake in their arcane calculations. Every graves of their ancestors to leave small offerings. At
four years, the calendar includes a sixth floating nightfall, life returns to the city. Joyful celebrations
day that the entire city awaits with dread. And of fill the streets and large banquets are held. It is said
course, Satarla has many other holidays throughout that the souls of the departed return to the world of
the year that always fall on the same date. the living for one evening to attend the many feasts.
The first four months of the year (Vishka, Istha,
Sadha and Vana) are the season of clement weather Hurm’s Day
when nature begins to bloom. These are the most This holiday, which usually takes place during the
auspicious months for marriages and newborns. The month of Vina, is dedicated to Hurm, the Father
next five months (Pada, Vina, Tika, Sha and Pausa) of the Gods. Wrestling tournaments are held in
are the hottest time of year. It rains little and the Satarla and the surrounding villages, along with
heat is suffocating. The year comes to a close with other demonstrations of physical strength and
a long rainy period (Magha, Phal and Chatra); the agility that Hurm is said to delight in. The bells
last month, Chatra, is often filled with foggy days in the city ring throughout the day in honour of
and cool evenings. Hurm’s Great Bell, which he strikes with his sceptre

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 The Calendar of Satarla
to summon the other gods. The children run
through the streets ringing all sorts of small bells,
creating a joyous racket.

Great Harvest Festival Day of the Five Rains

This floating holiday is the yearly peasant festival This day is associated with the Thunder Lord
to celebrate the coming harvests. Its date depends Dyr, the God of Storms, and is supposed to take
a great deal on the weather, and may take place place on the wettest day of the year. It’s usually
during the month of Pada, for the first harvests, or during the month of Phal. Beginning a voyage on
during the month of Pausa to celebrate the year-end the Day of the Five Rains is generally considered
harvests. There are often heated debates amongst the to be unlucky. To ward off ill fortune, it’s customary
astrologists to decide which period should be chosen. to drink a glass of water mixed with a few drops
of bouphon bile, which is said to represent the
Fire Festival stormy nature of the gods.
This festival day is in honour of Zalkyr the Bright,
the Lord of Light, and should take place, if the Dark Day
astrologists hit their mark, on the hottest day of the Every four years, a sixth floating day, a day
year. This floating day is normally inserted during dreaded by all, is added to the calendar. The Dark
the months of Tika or Sha. It’s traditional for each Day is dedicated to infernal powers and to the
home to keep a fire burning and for everyone to Dark Gods, who receive sacrifices to appease
dress in white. If by some mischance the weather their anger. It’s a day of bedlam when all notions
turns sour during the Fire Festival (or, heaven of law and order are thrown out the window. On
forbid, if it should rain), the Satarlans consider this the following day, everything returns to normal.
to be a bad omen. For the space of twenty-four hours, the entire

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 city anxiously holds it breath: the Satarlan city Founding of Satarla Festival
The Calendar of Satarla

watch deserts the streets and any crimes committed The eighth day of Istha is the date (according to
on this day go unpunished. Despite the reigning the legends) when Satarla was founded. It’s also
chaos, there are actually fewer problems than one the feast day of Grondil the Builder God. Long
might expect. The honest folk stay home behind processions of his priests walk through the streets
locked doors, and any would-be thieves are faced sprinkling the walls of houses and public buildings
with a conundrum: how do you rob people when with the blood of animals sacrificed to the god. The
they’re keeping close watch over their valuables and meat is then distributed to the people for merry
expecting you to come at any minute? Mercenaries banquets.
fill the city during the weeks leading up to the Dark
Day, as work is easy to find. The wealthy families, All Moats’ Day
shopkeepers, merchants and even the temples are all This holiday, celebrated on the seventh day of the
looking to hire someone to protect their possessions. month of Sadha, is in honour of Afyra, the Goddess
Even so, the city is often in chaos, as quarrels of Life. Garlands of flowers adorn every balcony
amongst neighbours degenerate into violence or and the women of the city don their finest clothing
noblemen wage bloody vendettas. In Satarla, telling and jewellery. The name comes from an ancient
someone you’ll “see them on the Dark Day” is legend that says one day Piandra, the mother of
considered to be a death threat. Afyra, was walking along the moat of a palace in
Mezzechesh, the realm of the gods, when she had
a revelation that she was expectant with child. But

Fixed Holidays some popular folktales give a much more colourful

explanation for this evocation of a damp and deep
place in association with Afyra...
The floating holy days figure among the most
important festivals of the year, but the Satarlan
calendar also has many holidays that fall on the same
King Davym’s Day
This festival was only recently added to the
date each year, either to honour one of the Twenty Gods
calendar to celebrate the Satarlan army’s victory
or to celebrate a member of royalty or an important
over the forces of Tyrus about twenty years ago. On
civic event. The following are just a few examples.
the 25th day of Vina, the city commemorates the
triumphant return of its king, Davym Tarv, from his
The Day of Waves victorious campaign with a military parade through
On the fifth day of Vishka, the people of Satarla
the streets of the city. Afterwards, an important
throng the streets with processions leading down
archery competition takes place. The competition
to the port. Important sacrifices are made to
is in fact Satarla’s way of thumbing its nose at the
Shazzadion, the Sea Lord, to beseech his good
famed longbow men of Tyrus, renowned for their
graces in hopes that he will grant them more
prowess. It goes without saying that this new festival
clement weather after the long and rainy winter,
has done nothing to help patch things up between
when the dense fog often makes travel difficult.
the two rival cities.
Fishing boats, merchant galleys and warships fill
the bay of Satarla with a dazzling display of their
colourful sails. Sacrificed animals and all sorts of
offerings are thrown into the waves, as the deep
notes of conches reverberate in the air.
It’s said that, in the old days, a galley slave was
sacrificed to the Sea Lord on the Day of Waves, but
luckily this practice no longer exists.

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Adventure Seeds

The Calendar of Satarla

The Satarlan holidays can mainly be used to add more background details to your escapades in Lemuria, but why
not make one of them the focal point for a full adventure? The following are a few ideas to get you started.

For Whom the Bell Tolls Broken Arrow

A sect of fanatical druids have rebuilt an The winner of the archery contest held on King
abandoned temple in Satarla and used their unholy Davym’s Day is to receive a golden arrow encrusted
magic to corrupt the bells of the old edifice. When with precious gems. A group of longbow men from
they’re rung during the Hurm’s Day celebrations, Tyrus, offended by the competition held to mock
their haunting tolls provoke unpredictable and their defeat, decide to humiliate King Davym of
violent behaviour amongst the people in the Satarla by stealing the golden arrow from the shop
neighbourhood, resulting in wanton bloodshed of the jeweller who crafted it. The Heroes are asked
and scenes of panic. Who can step in to silence the to bring back the precious prize without arousing
accursed bells? any suspicion before the archery competition takes
place...or maybe it’s the Heroes themselves who
A Fistful of Seeds were hired to steal it in the first place?
A few days before the upcoming harvests and
the Great Harvest Festival, hordes of purgats (see Catch Me If You Can
Barbarians of Lemuria—referred to as BoL for the A pair of star-crossed lovers from two feuding
remainder of the book—page 118) invade the fields merchant families decide that the Dark Day, when
of crops around Satarla and start to wreak havoc. chaos reigns in Satarla, will offer them the perfect
The astrologists hold an emergency meeting, and diversion to elope. They dream of a better life far
foretell that the scourge will only end “when the away from the city, where the blind stupidity of
mother of evil has been destroyed.” Mercenaries their respective families will no longer keep them
are hired by the king to discover what’s behind the from each other’s arms. A ship awaits them in the
curse before Satarla is ravaged by famine. port to carry them away to a new world filled with
The cause of the disaster turns out to be a love and happiness.
humongous female purgat that’s spawning wave A group of mercenaries, who’d originally been
after wave of the small rodents. But is the monster hired by one of the two feuding families to protect
merely an abomination of nature, or the handiwork their possessions during the sinister holiday, now
of some nefarious witchcraft? find themselves hastily dispatched to hunt down
the young lovers. The rival family does the same,
and a headlong chase begins through the streets
and along the docks of the city, where the most vile
and reprehensible acts play out before the Heroes’
eyes on this dreaded day.

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10
 Background Information

Overview
Khanate
Imposing natural boundaries enclose the Khanate degrees) throughout their history, but for people
region in the northeast of Lemuria. The massive from the South, Khanate remains an exotic land
Axos Mountain chain separates Khanate from the with strange customs.
Plains of Klaar to the south, while the Frozen Tyr Three different ethnic groups inhabit the region.
River forms the border with Valgard to the west. Its The Ghatai are a nomadic people from the southern
exposure to the Eastern Ocean makes the weather Steppes. They never established any cities of their
in Khanate a bit more clement than in Valgard, but own, but many generations ago they conquered
it’s still a frigid and unforgiving climate with long, their neighbours, the Xi Lu, who were earlier
bitter winters. inhabitants of the region. The Xi Lu originally
The south of Khanate is covered with endless established a brilliant urban civilization before
leagues of treeless grasslands. Further north, beyond falling into decadence under a series of petty kings
the Wise Man's Wood, these steppes progressively known for their cruelty and corruption. They had
give way to barren peat bogs that extend all the way been easy pickings for the Ghatai in their thirst for
to a vast subarctic forest bordered by permanently conquest. The third group, the mysterious Wei, eke
frozen tundra. out a meagre existence in the harsh Northern Ice
Khanate was undoubtedly settled in successive Wastes, where they’ve rarely been bothered by the
waves during the First and Second Ages of Man. ambitions of their southern neighbours—after all,
It’s remained relatively isolated from the southern who would be crazy enough to want to fight over
countries. The local populations have always had a country buried under ice and snow, where the
dealings with the rest of Lemuria (to varying endless winter is the only true sovereign?

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 Bei Wei
Heroic Origins The Wei, a people of the boreal forests, are short
Khanate - Heroic Origins

and stocky (the men are rarely taller than five and a
Below are a few new origins, along with their
half feet) with round faces, flattened noses and dark
regional traits, that you can choose for Heroes if
skin and hair. Their slanted eyes (black or brown)
you’d like to create a character from Khanate in
have an intense expression about them that can be
addition to those from the other countries found
rather unsettling—at least to an outsider who meets
in the Mythic edition of Barbarians of Lemuria (see
them for the first time.
page 17 and following).
The Wei are herders of xalibu (a domesticated type
of large deer), trappers and woodcutters. They’ve
become perfectly accustomed to the frozen tundra
that stretches to the far reaches of the North, and
can survive in harsh environments that would be
fatal to any other people. If you are a Wei character,
one of your careers must be barbarian or a hunter.
It is forbidden amongst the Wei for a man to be
a priest, magician or physician, as these careers are
exclusively reserved for women.

Boons: Alert, Beast-Friend, Disease

Immunity, Fearless, Healing Touch, Keen
Eyesight, Mighty Shot, Tundra-Born.
Flaws: Country Bumpkin, Distrust of
Sorcery, Feels the Heat, Illiterate, Taciturn,
Unsettling.
Male Names: Bongyur, Dongge, Drugpa,
Gempo, Jungnen, Kamzo, Kempo, Lungpo,
Nagpo, Nyetri, Phagpa, Sengtsen.
Female Names: Bkrubati, Chantra,
Chodra, Jigmei, Lhalung, Logzen, Meito,
Mirlapa, Paljie, Samaye, Santara, Tangba.

The languages of Khanate

Ghatai: This is the language spoken by the nomadic tribes in southern Khanate. It has certain similarities
with an ancient dialect of Lemurian, but also borrows heavily from Pinxi (see below)—in particular the
Pinxi vocabulary. With a bit of effort and a lot of patience, a person who speaks Lemurian can have a
simple conversation with someone in Ghatai. It was originally only a spoken language, but a written form
now exists using the Pinxi alphabet.

Pinxi: This is the native language of the Xi Lu, which they still speak amongst themselves. Most Xi Lu are
also capable of speaking a simple form of Gathai, the official language of the government of the Great Khan.

Wei: The Wei have their own language, which is very difficult for outsiders to learn because of its strange
sonorities, including many clicking noises with the tongue. The Wei have no written language, and their
customs and know-how are transmitted orally.
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 Ghatai weaponry

Khanate - Heroic Origins

Ghatai Bow: d6, 75’, two-handed
(no penalty if used when riding).
The emblematic weapon of the Ghatai
is a composite bow that is particularly
well suited for shooting from the
saddle. The Ghatai armed forces are
mainly cavalrymen armed with these
bows. In battle, the Ghatai prefer
harrying their foes in raids instead of
making frontal charges.

Whip: d6L
This whip, a tool of the trade for the
Ghatai herdsmen, can also be a deadly
weapon in the right hands. Some of
the Ghatai cavalrymen have even
made it their speciality.
Ghatai
(Steppes of Khanate)
The Ghatai have copper-coloured skin, and their
hair may be varying shades of brown or red. Their
almond-shaped eyes are normally black or brown,
but may be light or dark blue in rare cases. They’re of
average height but are sturdy and thick-skinned, due
to the brutal life they lead in an inhospitable region.
The Ghatai nomads and herders are the lords of
the vast steppes between the Axos Mountains in
the south and the Wise Man's Wood to the north.
Most Ghatai spend half their lives in the saddle,
but some have become sedentary after having
conquered the cities of the Xi Lu. If your character
comes from one of the nomadic Ghatai tribes, one
of your careers must be barbarian or mercenary.

Boons: Hard-to-Kill, Keen Eyesight, Plains-Born,

Night Sight, Trademark Weapon (Ghatai bow or whip).
Flaws: Country Bumpkin, Feels the Heat, Hot-
Headed, Illiterate, Landlubber, Untrustworthy.
Male Names: Akta, Alagh, Chimeg, Gentulga,
Gorgeg, Khubilai, Mangai, Nemtar, Subotai,
Telagu, Ulba, Zhengar.
Female Names: Bolaarma, Enthu, Erdene,
Kushi, Narrantseg, Ner, Odval, Oyunn, Setseg,
Silta, Suren, Yeshe.

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 The Geography of Khanate
Khanate - Heroic Origins

Bei Wei
Bei Wei is the northernmost city in all of
Lemuria and the only city of the Wei, a people
who migrated south from the glacial sea in ancient
times. The legends say that they fled their native
lands to escape from the ice demons that haunt
the boreal regions. It’s a relatively primitive town,
made up of dry stone, semi-underground dwellings
covered by thick layers of peat moss and perfectly
adapted to the frigid climate of the region. The Wei
are woodsmen, trappers and herders. They harvest
timber from the Great Forest, raise herds of xalibu
and sell the furs of arctic animals to merchants from
Khansan and Liu.
Bei Wei was built over hot springs, which makes
life a bit easier for its inhabitants. In a deserted area
in the heart of the city, a column of boiling water
erupts from a geyser at regular intervals. This natural
wonder is a source of fearful reverence for the Wei.
Any criminals sentenced to death are tied to a large
rock next to the geyser, to be boiled alive by the
powerful blast of scalding water and steam.
The city is governed by the Council of Widows, an
Khansan, Liu, Tor Xian assembly of wise old women, witches, shamans and
The three major towns in Khanate are mainly healers. The council is exclusively female; amongst
inhabited by the Xi Lu, the native people of the the Wei, men are forbidden to practice magic or to
region who have come under Ghatai rule. The Xi become priests.
Lu have brown skin, black hair, slanted eyes and Two generations ago, the Great Khan of Khansan
very little body hair. Their society is the product of decided to conquer Bei Wei. He dispatched his army
a brilliant past civilization, and the Xi Lu place a during the short northern summer, but his troops
great deal of importance on learning and the arts. were annihilated by a blizzard the likes of which
They’re also skilful and audacious merchants. had never been seen at that time of year. The Khan’s
successors took this to be a lesson, and have left the
Boons: Artistic, Excellent Laboratory, Excellent mysterious people in peace ever since. It’s said that
Library, Friends in High Places, Great Wealth, the Wei made a pact with the demons of the North,
Learned, Resistant to Sorcery, Savant, Silver Tongue. and that they worship the ice and snow spirits.
Flaws: City Dweller, Cravings, Greed, Non-
Combatant, Obsession, Unprepared.
Male Names: Bei, Chei Liu, Fei, Fen, Ji Lu, Leng,
Lie Tse, Qi, Tsai, T’sson Du, Xian Go, Ze Dong.
Female Names: An, Chuang, Fang Yin, Hsi, Jia
Len, Li Qin, Lo Siu, Ming Hui, Nia, Phu Lu,
Shen, Xia, Yinyu.

14
Wise Man's Wood The Great Forest
This dense forest of fir trees owes its name to Fen This immense taiga covering the north of

The Geography of Khanate

Mei, a sage from ancient times who was renowned Khanate is a wild, uncharted territory dominated
for his great wisdom. Many tales and legends still by conifer forests and dotted with lakes and
exist about his exploits. It was Fen Mei’s custom to rivers. The edges of the forest are harvested for
stroll through these woods when he needed to ponder wood, and herds of xalibu are also brought to
over a particularly difficult problem. They say that he the pastures along its borders. But only trappers
vanished one day during one of these promenades, in search of precious furs dare to penetrate into
when he was already well over a hundred years old. the heart of the Great Forest to brave the wild
According to the legends, the old sage is still walking beasts and the harsh climate. The Great Forest is
beneath the trees, so absorbed in his thoughts that home to the dreaded “Spirits of the North,” and
he’s forgotten to die. There are always a few brave a source of dark whisperings...many a brave man
souls, thirsty for wisdom and truth, who wander has entered these woods, never to be seen again.
along the paths in the forest hoping to run across It’s on the eastern edge of the forest that the
the legendary sage. Wei harvest blue lichen, which they sell to wealthy
The people of Tor Xian harvest trees from the Xi Lu at astronomical prices (see below).
forest, as the wood is highly prized at the shipyards in In the Great Forest that lies west of Khansan,
Liu. Besides the woodcutters, hunters and charcoal walking dead from the Rot Kingdom have
burners, many learned men also adventure beneath recently been seen beyond the Frozen Tyr. It’s not
the forest’s shadowy branches because it is here, and the first time they’ve made incursions into the
only here, that a rare variety of juniper grows, called region, but the increasing number of sightings
pa-lo. Its dark berries are eagerly sought after by is disturbing nonetheless... What (or who?) is
physicians and alchemists. When properly prepared, making the undead travel east of the river?
the pa-lo berries have special healing virtues, which
have earned them the name of “berries of long life.”

Blue Lichen
Blue lichen is mainly found on the eastern edge of the Great Forest. During the spring thaw, small
bluish patches of the plant are scraped off the rocks exposed by the melting snow and ice. The lichen is
then crushed into a powder. It’s a powerful hallucinogenic that induces a euphoric, trance-like state
when ingested or smoked. The wealthy Xi Lu enjoy partaking of the lichen to momentarily forget their
toil and trouble. The lichen is also used in certain alchemistic preparations and magic rituals; amongst
the Wei, only female shamans and witches are allowed to take the powerful drug. Unfortunately, blue
lichen can also be dangerous as it can cause bouts of amnesia, which in severe cases may be permanent.

15
 The Low Hills to the south of Khansan are rich
Khansan in natural resources, and many small villages in the
The Geography of Khanate

Khansan is the seat of the Great Khan’s kingdom, area earn their livelihood from them. There is a
and is the most important city in the region. The rock salt mine where slaves and criminals toil away,
Ghatai “nobility” rules over the Xi Lu, who make and also several deposits of a red clay encrusted
up the majority of the city’s population. Although with small, sparkling crystals. After it’s been fired
the two ethnic groups still tend to sniff their noses in a kiln, the clay becomes a stunningly beautiful
at each other, the populations are beginning to mix. yellowish-red. Pottery made from Khansan clay is
The uncouth Ghatai have come to rely on the Xi Lu renowned throughout Lemuria for its elegance and
scribes, artisans and merchants, while the Xi Lu have refinement.
gotten used to life under the rule of the “barbarians”;
sure they reek of parvalus dung, but they’ve turned
out to be less cruel than the former kings. It’s said
that the Xi Lu rulers of old were brutal tyrants, well
versed in black magic, who constantly warred with
one another. Amongst the learned, some whisper
that the former Xi Lu lords were descendants of
the Sorcerer-Kings who escaped from the battle
of Hyrdral Chasm after their crushing defeat and
found refuge north of the Axos Mountains.
Akta-Tul, the current khan, has seen many Liu
winters and increasingly depends on his minister The city of Liu is relatively new, and mainly made
Chi Lang, a Xi Lu who has risen to the highest of wood (stone constructions are still rare). It’s a
office in Khanate. As is often the case with the bustling, cosmopolitan city, filled with life at all
Ghatai, a bloody power struggle over the khan’s hours. Liu has the only port in Khanate that is large
succession appears to be brewing between his two enough for high tonnage merchant vessels. Trade
oldest sons, Bara-Tul and Ulba-Tul. His advanced has recently picked up with the major ports from
age has done nothing to cool Akta-Tul’s lecherous the South, resulting in newfound prosperity. Ships
cravings however; he proudly boasts a harem with from Urceb, Lysor, Parsool and Satarla can now
more than a hundred women, and is always on the be seen in the port alongside the Xi Lu junks and
lookout for an exotic new beauty from some far galleys. Navigation can be quite tricky along the
corner of Lemuria. coast of Khanate, in particular during the winter,
The city abounds with palaces, temples and and pirates are always on the prowl. But it’s still
public edifices built when the Xi Lu civilization much quicker than travel by land, as the merchant
was at its height. The Twenty Gods of Lemuria are caravans have to voyage over the steppe, cross the
worshipped here (sometimes under different names), Axos Mountains and pass through the seemingly
but the veneration of ancestral spirits, specific to endless Klaar Plains before they reach the affluent
this part of Lemuria, is also very important. One cities on the Gulf of Satarla.
of the most unique manifestations of this devotion A Ghatai military governor is appointed by
is the immense Garden of the Ancestors, a wooded the great khan to run the city, with the assistance
parkland in the heart of Khansan. The bones of the of a council made up of the city’s most powerful
deceased, after being recovered from their graves merchants. But the real ruler in Liu is money. The
following a ritual time period, are brought here port has become so essential to the city’s prosperity
to erect works of art, small sanctuaries, bridges that it’s the traders who now have the upper hand.
and pyramids of bones and skulls. These strange Corruption is rampant, and organized crime has
and macabre customs are a constant source of recently become a problem as the underworld
amazement for visitors to the region. continues to expand its influence.

16
The Steppes of Ghatai
The horizonless steppes that extend northward but must also make sure that unrest amongst the

The Geography of Khanate

from the foothills of the Axos Mountains are the clans doesn’t disrupt trade with the rest of Lemuria.
cold and arid realm of the Ghatai, nomadic tribes And of course, there’s always the risk that an
who crisscross the vast grasslands astride their ambitious chief will unite the nomads and attempt
parvaluses. They’ve raised a particularly hearty breed to take his place.
that has become acclimated to the harsh climate of Due to their geographical situation, the Ghatai
Khanate. The Ghatai are divided into clans. They’re control the passes through the Axos Mountains
a warlike, unruly folk who place great value on that lead to the Klaar Plains. Merchant caravans
physical strength and their prowess in battle and have to pay a tribute before they can across the
riding. Ghatai women are also allowed to fight, and Steppes of Ghatai, where raiding is not uncommon.
those who wish can join the ranks of the terrifying Once they’ve crossed the steppes, the merchants
“riders of the wind.” can then use the main trade route that runs along
Many generations ago, a legendary war chief, the western edge of the Wise Man's Wood and
the Great Khan Mangai-Tal, led his warriors on continues north to Khansan and Tor Xian. At the
a victorious conquest of most of Khanate. They start of this broad cobblestone road, a monumental
profited from the discord amongst the Xi Lu to take stone arch decorated with magnificent bas-reliefs in
control of their cities. The successors of Mangai-Tal greenish-blue jade has been erected. It’s known as
have become more sedentary, and now rule over the Gateway of Qindu, named after a ruler from
the kingdom from the capital city of Khansan. The the distant past who had the arch built. The famous
relationship between the supreme ruler and the Gateway caravanserai, which is located near the
nomadic clans is difficult, and disputes often flare monument, offers the caravans a welcome refuge
up. The khan needs their cavalrymen for his army, behind its fortified walls.

17
 Tor Xian
The Geography of Khanate

Tor Xian is the oldest city in Khanate, as evidenced

by the architectural style of its buildings. The city
is separated into two distinct parts. The working
classes—mainly peasants, woodcutters and artisans
—live in the poor neighbourhoods on the edge of
town. Their dwellings are huddled together around
the ramparts of the “Courtyard of the Wise” in the
centre of the city, where the finest residences and
the public buildings are all found.
Tor Xian has long been a city of culture and
education. It’s a seat of learning with an important
library and a prestigious school where the elite Xi
Lu seek instruction (in particular future government
officials). It’s also home to many scholars, physicians,
scribes and alchemists (and sorcerers, although they
tend to keep a low profile). With its well-known
painters, poets and musicians, Tor Xian is a bastion
of refinement and culture in Khanate.
The city is run by a Xi Lu governor chosen by
acclamation from all those residing in the Courtyard
of the Wise. The elected official must then be
approved by the Great Khan. This privilege dates
back to the times of the Great Khan Aruk-Tal,
the great grandson of Mangai-Tal the Conqueror,
who sought out Fen Mei—the legendary sage
from Tor Xian—after he’d been poisoned and his
personal physicians were unable to find an antidote.
After Fen Mei was able to cure Aruk-Tal, the khan
allowed the city to select its own ruler to show his
appreciation. A horde of Ghatai always remains
encamped just outside of Tor Xian to make sure that
the city remains loyal to the khan, but the Xi Lu
have never shown the least sign of rebellion and the
long-standing tradition of self-governance has
been maintained ever since.

18
CULTS OF LEMURIA the Hand of Jade could have offered Akta-Tul in
exchange for such a prestigious (and lucrative)
The Hand of Jade

Cults of Khanate
privilege.
The Xi Lu are skilled merchants and have The company is involved in a wide range of
established many trading companies, but none is activities. It trades in wood, salt and furs, and also
more famous (or sulphurous) than the powerful luxury goods such as Khansan pottery, precious
house known as the Hand of Jade. gems and blue lichen. A good share of its profits
The company’s shops can easily be recognized by come from the many products it imports from the
the open green hand that adorns their facade, and South.
merchants who work for the house often wear a Min-Ha, the matriarch of the Pi Yan family,
small pendent representing a green hand as a sign presides over the fate of the Hand of Jade. Her
of allegiance. eyes are now blind and she’s nearly a hundred years
Based in Liu, the Hand of Jade is run by the old, but the women known by her rivals as the
Pi Yan family and has enjoyed tremendous prosperity “white-eyed witch” rules over the activities of the
over the past two decades. It owns large warehouses house with an iron fist and unsurpassed guile.
along the wharfs and an entire fleet of merchant What very few people know (but many suspect),
ships, while its caravans crisscross Khanate and even is that the Pi Yan family also has its “hand” in
venture to the southernmost reaches of Lemuria. It more shadowy activities of a much less reputable
has established trading houses not only in Khansan sort. Its agents are experts in tracking down rare
and Tor Xian, but also in other cities in Lemuria products at the behest of demanding customers for
such as Oomis, Urceb, Lysor, Satarla and Parsool. whom money is no object, such as alchemists and
It’s said that shops with the insignia of the green sorcerers (and even druids) seeking arcane materials
hand will soon be opening in Tyrus, and even as or ancient artefacts. With its extensive network of
far south as Malakut and Halakh. What’s even mercenaries, adventurers and thieves, the company
more astonishing is that the Hand of Jade is the can furnish just about anything (including a choice
only company with a permanent trading post in victim for some godforsaken sacrifice) at the right
Zalut—quite a feat considering the Zalutis’ deeply price. Its many shops and employees also form a
engrained mistrust of foreigners. formidable network of spies. Secret information is
The Hand of Jade also owns countless another pricey commodity offered by the house.
caravansaries and inns—some of which it controls Due to its great power and influence, the Hand
openly, and others using front men. The Great Kahn of Jade now has many enemies amongst the rival
recently granted the company the right to manage trading houses and is a source of concern for the
the famous caravanserai of the Gateway (see page authorities, but it would seem that nothing can stop
17). Competing traders are still wondering what its long fingers from extending their reach.

19
 Snow Bouphon
The Beasts of Khanate Creature Size: Large.
The Beasts of Khanate

Arctodus Normally Found: Tundra, mountains.

Stockier than the common variety, the snow
Creature Size: Huge.
bouphon has a thick coat of long black fur and
Normally Found: Steppes, tundra, mountains, four long, curved horns. This species of bouphon
boreal forests, glaciers. is extremely difficult to domesticate, but some of
the Wei have succeeded. They raise herds for their
The arctodus is a giant bear with a short snout
milk and for use as pack animals. Tea mixed with
and semi-human intelligence. It can stand on its
snow bouphon butter is highly prized throughout
hind legs (a full-grown male may be over twelve feet
Khanate.
tall when in this position) and grasp objects with
its opposable thumbs (and razor-sharp claws). It Traits:
also runs on all four legs with terrifying speed. The Special Attack: In battle, snow bouphons are able
arctodus can live in any region in northern Lemuria to “fall into rank.” They stand shoulder to shoulder
where there is enough game to satisfy its appetite. It in a compact line, or form a circle. When they do so,
is, by far, the most feared predator in the North, and add +1 to their defence and +1 to their Attack Rolls.
to make matters worse, small groups of the ferocious
beasts sometimes live in tribes, and have even Attributes Combat Abilities
developed rudimentary tools and their own simple Strength 5 Attack +0 (+1*)
language. The chances of surviving an attack by a Agility -2 Damage d6H
Mind -2 Defence 0 (+1*)
clan of arctodus in search of prey are next to none.
Lifeblood 20 Protection d6-2 (2)
Traits:
Ferocious Attack: Roll a bonus die for the * See above:
Special Attack.
arctodus’s Attack Roll.

Attributes Combat Abilities

Strength 9 Attack +3
Agility 1 Damage d6 x  2
Mind 0 Defence 1
Lifeblood 40 Protection d6-2 (2)

20
 The Beasts of Khanate
Eucladoceros Traits:
Creature Size: Very Large. Camouflage: Despite its size, the eucladoceros is
hard to spot when it wants to remain out of sight
Normally Found: Boreal forests, mountains,
(bonus die when hiding).
tundra.
Magical creature: Some eucladoceroses may have
The eucladoceros is a giant moose-like creature
priest or magician career ranks. You can then assign
from the far North. The Wei call it the maikalha,
them Fate Points or Arcane Power if you want (see
or “Guardian.” It varies in size (measuring five to
BoL, pages 143 and 144).
ten feet tall at the shoulder), and the males have
an extraordinary set of thick, spreading antlers with Regeneration (minor): When wounded, a
pointed tips. These antlers are a prized commodity eucladoceros can regenerate 1 lifeblood point per
amongst the merchants of Tor Xian and Liu, who minute. In a fight, it will usually run away if victory
say they have magical powers. It’s true that the is uncertain, and then come back to launch another
eucladoceros is a unique creature: certain specimens attack if needed.
would appear to be as intelligent as humans, and it’s
said that they can cast spells or invoke the powers Attributes Combat Abilities
of Wang Lin, the god who reigns over the forest. Strength 6 Attack +2
Agility 1 Damage d6H
According to certain legends, the maikalha are the
Mind -1 to 3 Defence 0
deadly enemies of the windoku (see page XX),
Lifeblood 30 Protection d6-3 (1)
whose evil presence is an abomination to the forest.

21
 Morska Blue Tiger
Creature Size: Gigantic. Creature Size: Large.
The Beasts of Khanate

Normally Found: Arctic seas, ice floes. Normally Found: Boreal forests, tundra.
The morska is a gargantuan walrus (50 to 65 feet A solitary hunter from the boreal forests of Lemu-
long) with greyish black skin and enormous ivory ria, the blue tiger can reach lengths of over twelve
tusks, capable of disembowelling a kalathorn or feet and may be almost four feet tall at the shoul-
shattering a ship’s hull with a single blow. Once a der. It has two sabre-like fangs of medium length.
year, when the morskas gather on ice floes in the Its striped fur is usually white, but may also have a
Glacial Sea to mate, a few of the bravest Wei profit red or bluish tint. But the dreaded cat owes its name
from the occasion to hunt them while they’re on to the colour of its eyes, which are like two spar-
land. Many end up crushed beneath the weight kling sapphires and have the power of mesmerizing
of the enormous mammals. Although it’s difficult its prey. In addition to its bewitching stare, the tiger
to obtain, Morska blubber is highly prized by the also exudes a tantalizing and intoxicating scent. The
Wei nomads—and also by the greedy merchants of inhabitants of the boreal forests fear this scent like
Liu. It’s a high-energy food (with a somewhat fishy the plague, while at the same time practicing devo-
taste) that also has many practical uses: for fuel, for tion to the fascinating predator.
preparing leather, insulation, etc. The thick skin of
Traits:
the morska is also used by Liu soldiers to make a
Bewitchment: Any creature who looks into the
strong and supple armour.
eyes of the blue tiger must make a Moderate (0)
mind Task Roll. If unsuccessful, the creature be-
Attributes Combat Abilities
comes fascinated by the tiger and walks in a dream-
Strength 14 Attack +0* (+1)
Agility -2 (0*) Damage d6 x3 like state to a certain death, without giving any
Mind -1 Defence 0 thought to its defence. The spell is only broken
Lifeblood 70 Protection d6-1 (3) when the tiger finally pounces, but by then it’s usu-
ally too late for its prey. Note that if the tiger is in
*On land. the heart of its territory, the mind Task Roll then
changes to Tough (-2), due to the omnipresence of
the heady fragrance marking its territory.
Camouflage: The blue tiger is hard to spot in its
natural environment (bonus die for hiding).
Excellent hunter: Roll a bonus die when
tracking its prey.

Attributes Combat Abilities

Strength 5 Attack +3
Agility 2 Damage d6H
Mind 0 Defence 2
Lifeblood 25 Protection d6-2 (2)

22
Xalibu Yi Qi
Creature Size: Large. Creature Size: Small.

The Beasts of Khanate

Normally Found: Tundra. Normally Found: Steppes, boreal forests,
mountains.
Xalibu are wild cervids, resembling big reindeer
that are native to arctic regions. Both the males The yi qi (pronounced “yee chee”) is similar to
and females have large, pointy antlers, which they a bird of prey, and about the size of a small eagle.
keep year round. Immense herds are common in the It has the talons and pointed beak of a hawk, but
tundra east of the Great Forest. Xalibu fur is usually the leathery wings of a bat. Its feathers are often a
white, grey or brown, and offers the best natural golden, iridescent colour, with touches of brilliant
protection against the rigorous arctic climate. blue and green. The yi qi is highly prized by the
Certain tribes of Wei nomads have built their Ghatai cavalrymen and the noblemen of Tor Xian,
entire culture around the domestication of the as it can be trained for falconry and combat.
xalibu. They use the animal for transport, clothing, The royal yi qi is an extremely rare subspecies with
food, and to build their huts and tools. red and golden tail feathers that is sold at outlandish
prices.
Traits:
Docile Attack: Roll a penalty die for the xalibu’s Traits:
Attack Roll. Ferocious Attack: Roll a bonus die for the yi qi’s
Attack Roll.
Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength 4 Attack +0 Attributes Combat Abilities
Agility 1 Damage d6H Strength -1 Attack +2
Mind -2 Defence 0 Agility 4 Damage d6L
Lifeblood 15 Protection d6-2 (2) Mind -2 Defence 4
Lifeblood 5 Protection 0

23
 The Bloodless
of Khanate
Is it because of the frigid climate?
No one knows why the undead are
much more common in the regions
north of the Mountains of Axos,
but the fact remains, and there are
more than enough blood-chilling
tales to prove it. This undoubtedly
explains why the burial customs are
so elaborate in Khanate, and why
people take such great care with their
dead. The mere notion of remaining
unburied after death is terrifying, as
the deceased will never find eternal
rest and the living may bear the
brunt of the undead’s wrath.

Guardian of the Traits:

Glacial Aura: A deathly frost emanates from the
Rot Kingdom guardians of the Rot Kingdom. Their attacks send
a numbing chill though both the bodies and the
Creature Size: Medium.
hearts of their adversaries. Roll a bonus die when
Normally Found: Frozen forests, tundra. rolling for damage (already included in the combat
abilities).
Although the phenomenon is not uncommon
in other regions (Valgard has also been afflicted), Captain of the Dead: If it’s accompanied by
skeletons and zombies from the Rot Kingdom skeletons that are rabble (see BoL, page 157), the
regularly foray into the forests east of the Frozen guardian can sacrifice d6H of its lifeblood points to
Tyr. No one knows why. Could they be the dregs of raise again a number of them that is equal to twice
some ancient army from the Frozen North, eternally the obtained result. These skeletons can then take
wandering in search of some long-departed foe? part in the next round using the normal rules for
rabble.
These walking dead are sometimes led by one or
more captains who’ve been mummified by the arctic Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength 1 Attack +2
temperatures. They’re covered in heavy armour and
Agility 2 (0*) Damage d6H+1**
wear a breast plate engraved with a crescent moon
Mind 1 Defence 1 (2*)
inside a triangle made of three stars. They can be Lifeforce 15 Protection d6 (4)
seen marching in front of their troops of skeletons
with the regal and haughty bearing of a feudal lord, *armour modifier, **medium weapon
sometimes on the backs of parvaluses that are just as Protection: Heavy armour and helmet, small
shrivelled and decrepit as their riders. shield (-1 to be hit on one attack/round).

24
Leng Shi Moaning: To make its presence known, the ghost
Creature Size: Medium. may moan, or even howl. During the first round when

The Beasts of Khanate

the Leng Shi moans, any Heroes within earshot of
Normally Found: Everywhere.
the sepulchral groaning must make a Moderate (0)
The Leng Shi is the ghost of a creature that has mind Task Roll. If the roll is unsuccessful the Hero
frozen to death under circumstances that prevent its is filled with terror (-2 for all Task Rolls), and if he
soul from finding eternal rest. Someone who dies has the flaw Cowardly or Distrust of Sorcery, he’ll
alone in the endless forests of the Frozen North immediately take to his heels. He can then attempt
may very well become a Leng Shi if their corpse is another Task Roll in each of the following rounds
abandoned on the frigid ground. to get a grip on himself and cancel out the negative
modifier. The ghost can also decide to transform
The Leng Shi remains bound to the place where its moans into an excruciating howl that causes
its corpse lies, and will linger in the near vicinity, unbearable pain. Anyone within 10 yards of the
bemoaning its fate, incapable of communicating Leng Shi when it lets out its deathly howl will take
with the living. It’s not necessarily evil, but the d3 lifeblood damage each round, ignoring protection
longer the forsaken spirit remains bereft of eternal (armour is obviously of no help against it).
rest, the more its suffering will drive the spirit mad
Possession: The Leng Shi can take possession
and make it hate the living. To appease a Leng Shi,
of a creature that enters its haunting grounds (i.e.
all that’s usually necessary is to give its remains a
a creature who gets too close to its corpse). The
proper burial or, in certain cases, to obtain justice
victim must then make a Moderate (0) mind Task
for the deceased so that he or she can finally rest in
Roll. If unsuccessful, the Leng Shi possesses the
peace. In rare cases, an animal may also generate a
victim, who then becomes its marionette. A Hero
Leng Shi.
who is possessed by a Leng Shi no longer has any
control over her actions. The Leng Shi can then
It’s customary amongst the Wei, who roam
communicate through the victim (which is not
further north than any other peoples, to keep the
possible in its bodiless form), and can even leave the
umbilical cords of all newborns in the family home,
area around its remains. Magic rituals do exist to
along with a few strands of hair that are cut during
expel a Leng Shi. If not, a possessed creature whose
the rituals performed when children come of age.
lifeblood is reduced to zero, or who is knocked out,
When a trapper fails to return from the hunt and
will be liberated of the Leng Shi as soon as they lose
his body can’t be found, the Wei give these relics
consciousness if they can make a Very Easy (+2)
a ceremonial burial in the hopes that the soul lost
mind Task Roll. If the Leng Shi is far away from its
in the Frozen Lands will find eternal rest and not
remains when this happens, it will have one round
become a Leng Shi. But there’s no proof that these
to take possession of another creature; if not, it will
rites actually work, and their main purpose is to
reappear in the vicinity of its remains, bound by its
relieve the anguish of the living.
ungodly chains to the world of the living, doomed
to wait until a new prey gets too close to its corpse.
Traits:
Ethereal: The Leng Shi has no physical body
Attributes Combat Abilities
and can pass through solid objects. It can only
Strength 0 Attack See “Moaning”
be successfully attacked with magic or alchemy, Agility 2 Damage See “Moaning”
whether it be spells or alchemistic preparations. Mind 2 Defence 0
When its lifeforce reaches zero, the Leng Shi is Lifeforce 10 Protection 0 (ethereal)
definitively destroyed.

25
 Mogmai During the ritual to create the Mogmai, the
sorcerer cuts a lock of hair from the child’s head
Creature Size: None (see below). and keeps it on his person (enclosed in a pendant,
The Beasts of Khanate

a small box, etc.). Whoever possesses the lock of

Normally Found: Dwellings, closed spaces.
hair is protected from the Mogmai’s attacks and
The Mogmai is a powerful phantom engendered can command it (but it will still behave like the
through the most foul and despicable sorcery. It’s impulsive child who was killed to engender it).
said to be the handiwork of the ancient Xi Lu
rulers, terrible tyrants with dark souls who used
unnameable sorcery to create the Mogmai to Windoku
protect their palaces. Made by killing an innocent Creature Size: Large.
child and performing sacrilegious rituals on its
Normally Found: Frozen forests, tundra.
corpse, the Mogmai are tortured souls, deprived
of eternal rest, who are forced to obey their unholy The Windoku is a very powerful and malicious
creator. They are magically bound to a certain place, spirit that haunts the wild lands in the north of
and will attack anyone who enters without their Khanate, born from the cursed soul of a human
master’s permission. who has practiced cannibalism. It can take the
appearance of a dark and gaunt necrophage, with
Traits:
chilling eyes and shrivelled skin, or else a sort of
Poltergeist: The Mogmai has no physical form
terrifying giant that looks like an arctodus combined
and cannot be fought directly. It haunts a space (a
with a xalibu. A Windoku is evil incarnate and will
large hall, a few rooms, or even the entire floor of
seek to destroy any form of life in its haunting
a building), and has power over the objects found
grounds, and in particular humans. Before making
within that space. It can use telekinesis to transform
a direct attack, the Windoku will first attempt to
anything it finds into a weapon: small objects,
fill its future victims with cannibalistic cravings, and
furniture (chairs, tables, dressers, etc.). It can also
will then relish in the horrible spectacle caused by
slam doors and windows. Each round, the Mogmai
their frenzied lust for flesh.
can decide between different types of attacks:
Traits:
- Move a large number of smaller objects (pottery,
Cannibalism: Any creature that enters the
curios, dishware, etc.) to create a general attack on
region haunted by the Windoku must make a
all the Heroes in the room: Attack +3; Damage d3.
mind Task Roll, which will increase in difficulty
Make a separate Attack Roll and Damage Roll for
with each day spent in the zone (Easy on the first
each Hero.
day, increasing to Demanding by the fifth day). If
- Move one or more large objects, such as the roll is unsuccessful, the creature will first feel a
furniture. This is an attack on a single Hero: Attack slight craving, which will soon become insatiable,
+2; Damage d6L. to consume the flesh of its own species. Humans
will be filled with a cannibalistic lust that may incite
Phylactery: The Mogmai’s tortured soul is
them to kill and devour each other.
imprisoned in an object, which is often the toy that
was used to lure the poor child away from his or her Ferocious Attack: The Windoku gets a bonus die
parents. This object is placed in the space guarded for Attack Rolls.
by the Mogmai, and may be noticeable due to its
Camouflage: Give the Windoku a bonus die when
strange behaviour (a top that never stops spinning, a
it hides from its future victims.
small wooden parvalus that keeps rocking back and
forth, a marionette hanging on the wall that moves Attributes Combat Abilities
on its own, etc.). The only way to destroy a Mogmai Strength 6 Attack +3
is to break the object that imprisons its soul. Agility 1 Damage d6H
Mind 3 Defence 0
Lifeforce 36 Protection d6-3 (1)

26
Adventure Seeds
Revenge of the Phantom

Adventure Seeds
It seemed like a good idea to take shelter
from a winter squall in an old ruin on the moor.
Unfortunately, the abandoned home is haunted by
the grieving Leng Shi of a Xi Lu, murdered twenty
years earlier by a band of Ghatai mercenaries
along with his wife and children. Consumed by
vengeance, the Leng Shi will attempt to possess one
of the Heroes in order to punish the perpetrators.
If the Heroes hope to free their friend from the
tortured spirit’s grasp, they must seek out the chief
of the Ghatai marauders who killed the Xi Lu. To
make matters worse, the man responsible for the
crime has now become the khan of a small clan of
highwaymen who raid the caravans crossing the
steppes, and it will be no easy task to seek vengeance
from he who massacred the Leng Shi and its family.

Visions of the Sage

A charcoal burner returns to Tor Xian from
the Wise Man's Wood, where he claims to have
spent the whole night talking to an old man with
silvery hair and clear, penetrating eyes. The old sage
summoned him to deliver a message to the local
officials, warning them of a terrible menace that is
secretly growing in a certain place in the forest. The
city’s governor interrogates the charcoal burner, and
is astonished when the man, who is of humble origin
and has no formal education, displays great wisdom
and insight, as if he’s been touched by divine grace.
Could it actually be true that the simpleton met and the survivors were forced to flee in disarray and
the legendary Fei Mei? And who will the governor leave behind Shen Du’s corpse.
send to the Wise Man's Wood to investigate the Hian Du is inconsolable. He yearns to place the
supposed menace? bones of his wife in the Garden of the Ancestors,
as is the custom. He’s looking for a few courageous
The Empty Garden adventurers to return to the scene of the massacre
Hian Du is a wealthy fur trader from Khansan. and find his wife’s body—or at least what remains
His most recent caravan to Bei Wei, led by his wife of it (they should be able to identify her by her
Shen Du, has returned with dreadful news. The jewellery). But Shen Du and her servants were
caravan was bivouacking near the encampment of not killed by a simple predator from the taiga: the
some trappers at the edge of the Great Forest when perpetrator was a much more sinister and deadly
his wife was attacked and killed by a foul beast. creature. Woe unto those who venture into the
Other members of the caravan were killed as well, territory of the terrible Windoku...

27
 A ready-to-play Adventure
Bored to Death

Bored to death
Adventure overview
On their way to Liu, the Heroes get stuck on the Island of Shelang when early winter storms prolong
their stopover. After taking up lodgings in the fortress that broods over the small, wind-swept isle,
they quickly find themselves overrun by nasty zombies with pierced foreheads. The lady of the keep has
decided to spice up her humdrum existence by dabbling in necromancy! Will the Heroes manage to root
out the Bloodless sorcerer that has been walled-up in the deepest chamber of the daunting edifice, and
who has been whispering impious spells in the ear of the deranged lady? Or will the entire island
become a horrific bloodbath?

Introduction
Our Heroes have set sail from Urceb on the imposing fortress and its beacon, which marks a
merchant galley Lady of Oosal. Master Vornan, a series of hazardous reefs for the ships entering the
rich merchant from the city, has chartered the vessel Bay of Liu. Vornan stops at the island once a year to
to carry him and his merchandise to Liu, the main supply the local brewmaster/cook with provisions
commercial port in Khanat. It’s up to you to decide from the South. But when a violent winter storm
why the adventurers are on the ship (perhaps they’ve suddenly kicks up, the ship is forced to prolong
been hired as mercenaries to protect the cargo, or its stay in Shelang. The commander of the local
maybe they are on their way to Khanat to embark garrison offers his meagre hospitality to Vornan
on some other adventure. They could even have paid and the Heroes at the fortress until the storm blows
their way onboard to give the local authorities the over. The days pass slowly on the forsaken island,
slip and avoid yet another scrape). as the frigid weather and mind-numbing boredom
begin to take their toll on the adventurers...
It was already late autumn when the Lady of Oosal
left Urceb, but the captain was hoping to reach Liu Note to GM: This adventure is an “escape game”
before the first frosts made sailing difficult on the with no escape! The Heroes are trapped on the island
northern seas. Master Vornan plans to spend the of Shelang and will have no choice but to stand
winter in Liu, where he has a few business matters and fight. Sinister necromantic forces are at work,
to take care of and would also like to find new raising the dead to punish the living. As the menace
trading partners at the bustling port, where business continues to spread through the fortress, the only
is booming. possible solution for the PCs will be to destroy the
evil at its root. This is more of a “sandbox” adventure,
On its way to Liu, the ship makes a stopover at
and the GM will have to quickly adapt and improvise
Shelang, a small, forbidding island about a three-
on the spot. If you’re a beginning GM, you may want
day sail southeast of Liu. They drop anchor at a
to cut your teeth on a few other adventures with more
fishing village along the bleak, craggy coast. The
linear plots before tackling the Island of Shelang.
stone huts of the village are huddled beneath an

28
A Tragic Past and several forbidden tomes exploring the dark arts
The fortress of Shelang was built ages ago to practiced by the Xi Lu sorcerers of old. She picked
protect the coast from pillaging pirates and to tend through the arcane objects with little interest at first,
the fire in the beacon that guides merchant ships and but soon heard a raspy voice murmuring inside her

Bored to Death
war galleys through the bay. More than a generation head. She was frightened initially, but the sepulchral
ago, the island was the scene of a tragic affair. At the voice whispered wondrous revelations, urging
time, a learned Xi Lu named Qi Zhang resided in the her to read select passages from the moth-eaten
fortress with the garrison commander. Everyone in manuscripts, and patiently explaining the terrible
the fortress called the scholar “Qi Zhang the Putrid” secrets intended only for the ears of magicians and
because of his foul breath. A victim of constant alchemists. Behind the wall where his cadaver was
ridicule and bullying, the vindictive scholar began to rotting away, Qi Zhang the Putrid had found a soul
study necromancy around the clock in order to seek to corrupt, an instrument to wield his vengeance on
vengeance on his persecutors. Unfortunately for Qi all the living...
Zhang, the secret laboratory he’d set up in the bowels
As the months passed, Lei Mei slowly lost her
of the fortress was discovered. As punishment for
mind; poisoned by the ungodly whispering of Qi
his impious research, he was encased alive behind
Zhang. Under his guidance, the girl has learned the
the wall of his laboratory, and its doors were sealed
forbidden arts of necromancy and is now ready to
forever. But in Khanate, it’s often difficult for the
unleash the curse of undeath on the inhabitants of
dead to find eternal rest, especially when their soul
the fortress. It will be such wicked fun after being
burns with fierce hatred.
bored to death on this godforsaken island!
The fortress of Shelang had been abandoned
In the rites taught to her by Qi Zhang, Lei Mei
for decades and everyone (or nearly everyone)
uses an auger to drill a hole in the forehead of her
had forgotten this appalling episode before a
dead victim, and then recites a short incantation to
new commander was assigned to the fortress. The
breathe necromantic energy into the orifice. She is
imposing edifice was restored in response to the
then able to bring the bewitched cadavers back to
growing business activity at the port of Liu, and
life from a remote distance. The Bloodless will rise
Muntal the Deaf, an old and disgraced Ghatai
from the dead and attack all the living (except for the
warrior, was sent to the island to end his days
woman who cursed them with undeath, of course).
commanding the garrison. Muntal arrived with his
budding young bride Lei Mei, a Xi Lu from a noble As luck would have it, it’s just when our Heroes
but penniless family. The intelligent and cultivated find themselves trapped in Shelang that Lei Mei
girl had been forced to marry the coarse and ill- first begins to dabble in necromancy. After the
mannered dotard and found herself exiled on a initial attack by the Bloodless, the Heroes will
frozen rock; in the middle of nowhere, in a fortress have to quickly figure out who’s behind the bane
filled with a garrison of uncouth soldiers, bereft of or bodies will begin to pile up all over the Island of
friends or any sort of amusement. Lei Mei quickly Shelang. Paranoia will quickly spread amongst the
found life in her new “prison” to be unbearable, and survivors as new zombies with pierced foreheads
her search for distractions would lead her astray on continue to join the ranks of the undead.
many occasions. One of Lei Mei’s favourite pastimes
was to explore the fortress, and she soon knew
every nook and cranny. It was during one of these
excursions that she discovered Qi Zhang the Putrid’s
sealed-off laboratory, filled with dust but still intact
(no one had dared lay a finger on the instruments he’d
used to practice his sacrilegious acts). She found his
retorts and alembics, his preparations and potions,

29
 The Fortress of Shelang The imposing fireplaces can barely heat the
The island is basically just an outcropping of rock fortress, which is constantly buffeted by winds from
lost at sea. It’s only about a mile long and half a mile the icy seas. In these northern climes it’s hardly rare
Bored to Death

wide, and is a three-day sail from the eastern coast to see the bluish silhouette of an iceberg float by.
of Khanate across the Bay of Liu. Its rugged coast
In addition to the watch towers on each side of
has only one narrow bay that is accessible by ship. A
the main gate (which remains open all day and
small fishing village made up of dry-stone huts sits
is only closed at night), the castle courtyard also
huddled at the back of the bay. It is home to about
includes the entrance to the bridge leading to the
thirty people. The fortress of Shelang is a grey stone
beacon tower, the latrines, a rundown stable holding
bastion atop the island. It’s a totally unappealing
four parvaluses, and an armoury containing a small
military edifice built solely for utilitarian purposes,
assortment of weapons (which may come in handy
with no decorative elements whatsoever. The
for the Heroes). The door is locked and only Muntal
decrepit old buildings could certainly use some
has a key. Inside a corner tower is the small chapel
upkeep. The ramparts have been eaten away by the
dedicated to the twenty gods of Lemuria, decorated
briny sea winds and cracked by frost, but are still
with decrepit frescoes.
sturdy and imposing. The beacon tower has been
erected on a promontory rising above the northern The cellar can be reached by a passage beneath the
face of the island. It can only be reached by a stone main staircase of the keep. At the back of the cellar
bridge that arches over the chasm separating it is a cold storage room for perishable goods.
from the fortress. The garrison keeps the beacon fire
Qi Zhang’s secret laboratory has two hidden
burning brightly day and night to warn the passing
entranceways: one in Lei Mei and Muntal’s
ships of the large, dangerous reefs so that they can
apartments, and another one in the cold storage
find a safe passage to the Bay of Liu when glacial
room. The hidden passage in the wall can only be
fogs blanket the northern seas.
found with a successful Tough (-2) mind Task Roll.
The main keep is sparsely furnished, decorated
The beacon tower rises about 45 feet above the
only with a few faded tapestries, moth-eaten animal
steep promontory on which it was erected. A simple
pelts and hunting trophies. On the landing of the
round structure made of sturdy, rough-hewn rock,
second floor can be found one notable specimen—
it boldly defies the raging waves crashing against
an enormous stuffed arctodus (a young one, it’s
the rocks below. The only access is from the fortress,
“only” about eight feet tall!) killed by Muntal in his
via the bridge spanning the narrow channel that
younger days. He’ll happily relate the tale of his feat
separates the promontory from the main island.
to anyone willing to listen. Lei Mei’s apartments
The portcullis for the bridge entrance is left open
are the only rooms in the fortress with any actual
day and night for the changing of the guards inside
decorations. The lady of the castle brought along a
the beacon tower. The guards spend their shifts
few pricey rugs and curios, and a small collection
huddled around the small braziers on the ground
of illuminated manuscripts to help pass the time
floor, playing dice and drinking ale. A large spiral
during her dull and morose days on the island.
staircase leads to the top of the tower, where large
Muntal’s sleeping chamber, which is connected to
windows all around let in the howling winds. Inside
his wife’s, is austere in comparison; the only thing
a large bronze cauldron in the centre of the room
that might be called decorative is a magnificent
burns an alchemistic fire capable of burning even
Ghatai saddle with inlaid leather motifs that sits
in the harshest gales. The guards regularly replenish
proudly on a wooden stand. It’s been many years
the cauldron with jars of highly flammable pitch
since Muntal the Deaf charged across the steppes
stored on the ground floor of the tower.
on the back of a parvalus in front of his cavalrymen.

30
 Bored to Death
300' 1500' Fortress
Beacon Tower The fortress of
Shelang
2nd Floor
Village 1 Hallway
2 Guests Quarters
3 Lei Mei
Road 4 Kubrog & Vana
5 Muntal
6 Library
7 Wardrobe

3rd Floor
8 Lo Han
9 Officers
10 Dining Room
11 Sharthal
12 Kamai
13 Servants' Quarters
14 Arluk

15 Cellar
16 Cold Storage Room
17 Hidden Laboratory
To the trapdoor
under the stairs on To Lei Mei's
the ground floor apartments

Burning Pitch for Beacon (common alchemist preparation)

The jars are filled with a viscous, highly flammable liquid that is extremely difficult to put out once it’s
ignited. If a jarful is poured on someone and set ablaze, it inflicts d6L damage per round and will continue to
burn for 10 rounds if nothing is done to extinguish it. Unless there’s a lot of water handy (or snow), anyone
covered in burning pitch will need two consecutive rounds to put out the devouring flames (by taking off their
clothes, rolling around on the ground, etc.). 31
 The Inhabitants
The keep is home to a small garrison of twenty
soldiers and four officers, along with eight servants
Kubrog of Stalheim
Kubrog, the castle cook, is a Valgardian by birth
and the members of Muntal the Deaf ’s entourage
Bored to Death

who’s been exiled to Khanat for reasons that he

(see below).
prefers to keep to himself. He’s also an excellent
brewmaster, and around the citadel they say he once
Muntal the Deaf served a powerful king in the south of Lemuria. But
The old Ghatai warlord has seen more than
Kubrog never talks about the past, and the soldiers
seventy winters and is now finishing out his days in
are much too fond of his smooth, dark ale to bother
a relative disgrace, victim of the machinations of the
him with any indiscrete questions. He’s a cheerful,
ambitious young chiefs from his clan. Exiled to the
easy-going sort, always ready to have a drink with
desolate island with the unenviable title of “Lord of
the lads under the disapproving eye of his adoring
Shelang,” he spends his days rehashing the exploits
daughter, Vana, a ravishing young blond who helps
of his youth as he awaits his eternal rest. Muntal is as
her father with the cooking and serving. She’s a
deaf as a doornail, which only adds to his detachment
sweet and obliging girl. She is also very shy, which
from his surroundings. But the old lord is still proud
only adds to her charm. Kubrog keeps close watch
and quick-tempered, capable of flying into a rage
over her though, and will protect the virtues of
unexpectedly for the least supposed affront.
his daughter if any young buck pays her too much
attention. The soldiers in the garrison have learned
Shartal that it’s a bad idea to “poke the bear.”
This young Ghatai warrior, a distant cousin of
Muntal the Deaf, is as strong as a bouphon and Master Vornan and Kubrog appear to be old
about as smart as one. Shartal is supposed to be friends, but if anyone asks them about their shared
Muntal’s official bodyguard, but in reality he spends past, both men will remain elusive. Vornan always
the majority of his time mooning over the warlord’s makes sure that one of his ships stops in Shelang at
wife, who he follows around like a puppy dog. least once a year to supply Kubrog with the hops he
needs to make his renowned ale.
Lei Mei
Less than half the age of her husband, Lei Mei is
the daughter of a Xi Lu dignitary. She’s a beautiful
Arluk
The head servant at the fortress is a tiny, unyielding
young woman with long, silky black hair. Pleasant
old crone who wields her authority with an iron
but distant, she always seems to be lost in her
fist over the dozen or so other servants. Even the
thoughts or overcome with boredom. She rarely
soldiers slink away with their tails between their legs
takes part in conversations and lets the head servant
when they find themselves at the butt end of one of
at the fortress decide on all household matters. Lei
her furious outbursts or caustic remarks. For Arluk,
Mei often takes long rides around the island on a
cleanliness is next to godliness!
parvalus accompanied by Shartal, who remains her
devoted minion despite her villainous deeds.
Kamai
If any of the PCs should have a late-night A retired executioner, Kamai still longs for the
discussion with the garrison soldiers or the servants, good old days when heads dropped like fruit from the
they may hear a few rumours about the mistress trees. He often dons the black leather trousers and
of the fortress... she may be shy but she’s willing purple mask from his executioner days, and spends
to grant certain favours to the men of the garrison long hours off in a corner sharpening his broad axe
when she gets the itch. Good thing that Muntal is with a sigh. Kamai’s a cheerless old sourpuss who
as blind to the indiscretions of his wife as he is deaf has the bad habit of staring at peoples’ necks with
to the howling winds that batter the fortress walls. what one might call a “professional” interest.

32
 Bored to Death
Kamai Lo Han
Muntal Sharthal

Lei Mei
Lo Han
The old priest supposedly attends to the small The Heroes have had ample time to get familiar
temple in the fortress, but actually spends most with their new lodgings and the inhabitants. They’ve
of his time dozing next to a jug of Kubrog’s beer, become friends with Kubrog, who’s never stingy
or blathering on about some old legend or other. with his beer and delighted to have southerners to
Despite his erudite appearance, Lo Han is actually chat with at his table. They’ve listened to Muntal’s
a spineless and lazy dimwit. drivelling, they’ve rolled dice with the soldiers and
shared many a mug of beer, admired the frigid beauty
Let the Fun Begin! of Lei Mei, and fallen under the charm of the radiant
young Vana. They’ve also gotten the chills each time
The Lady of Oosal has now been stuck in Shelang Kamai gazes longingly at their necks. But boredom,
for a week. The ship was only supposed to stop that insidious worm that gnaws at the hearts of all the
at the island for three days before continuing its fortress’s inhabitants (except for Arluk, who always
journey, but the gods have decided otherwise. An has a million things to do), begins to overcome the
early winter storm has struck the island. A blizzard Heroes as well, as the endless days of fog and snow
dumped snow for three days, leaving huge drifts crawl by with a mind-numbing slowness.
in its wake. The wind has finally died down, but a
The Heroes are in a sorry state after the previous
light snow continues to fall and the thick, frozen
evening. Kubrog’s stout had flown freely yet again
fog rolling off the sea has made it impossible to sail.
until the early hours, and they’re all slumped over the
In these waters, this type of weather may last several
long table in the dining room. They’re woken early
days, and sometimes an entire week.
that morning by Vana as she clears the remainders
Master Vornan and our Heroes have been housed of last night’s meal from the table, while Kubrog
in the fortress, while the crew of the Lady of Oosal blows on the embers in the humongous fireplace
has been put up by the fishermen in the village until to get the fire going. Suddenly, they hear a strange
they can continue their voyage. scratching noise at the door to the courtyard.

33
 If none of the PCs are curious enough to open the ceremony. They will also make a sacrifice to appease
door, Vana will go take a look. As soon she opens the spirits of the dead and beseech the gods’ blessings.
it, two soldiers from the garrison burst through the If the Heroes suggest burning the bodies, Muntal
door into the room along with a blast of cold air will say no: wood and coal are much too precious on
Bored to Death

that quickly rouses our Heroes from their drunken Shelang, and winter has hardly begun.
stupor. The soldiers are both as pale as ghosts and
have the vacant look in their eyes of the walking
dead. Their faces are twisted into snarling grimaces Hold on to Your Hats
and they immediately attack anyone in their path.
Things will start moving very quickly now. Once
The whole fortress is soon up in arms and she’s seen for herself that her necromantic rites work
everyone rushes in to see what the ruckus is about. to perfection, Lei Mei will begin adding to the ranks
The situation becomes even more confused when of the Bloodless in the fortress, elated by all the
they learn that another “zombie” soldier has attacked chaos and destruction unfolding around her. She’s
the three guards at the main gate, killing two of the now in the throes of a murderous frenzy induced
soldiers before they finally struck him down. by the nefarious whispering of Qi Zhang. She may
have lost her mind, but not her wits: she’ll take all
The three Bloodless soldiers are quickly identified:
the necessary precautions to cover her tracks and
all were on guard duty at the beacon tower the
avoid getting caught so she can fill the fortress with
previous evening. If they want, the PCs can examine
Bloodless minions under her control.
the dead bodies and take a look at the beacon tower.
They won’t learn much in the guard room at the To make matters even worse, the necromantic
ground level of the tower: the door has been left wide rites of Lei Mei have another horrifying effect: any
open and there are no signs of fighting: just three living being killed by the zombies of Lei Mei will
empty cups on the table, along with some bread, automatically be contaminated by undeath. After
cured ham, a knife and some dice (an attentive hero ten to twenty minutes, they will rise up and join the
may notice that their beer jug is missing, which is battle, making things even more complicated for
strange since the empty cups still smell of fresh ale). our courageous Heroes.
They might also notice a few drops of dried blood on
This scenario doesn’t provide a predefined
the table, along with a smattering of white powder
sequence of events, but instead encourages the
(from drilled bone). The dead men look perfectly
GM to use more of an improvisational approach
normal—except for an odd little hole that’s been
in synch with the players’ decisions. The idea is to
drilled in their foreheads, which couldn’t have been
keep tightening the screws and ratcheting up the
caused by the fighting.
stress, without revealing Lei Mei’s devious schemes
Note to GM: Lei Mei slipped some poison into too quickly. As the GM, you’ll have to be quick
the guards’ jug of beer and then waited until nightfall on your feet to decide what she does, based on the
to sneak back into the beacon tower and perform circumstances. Below, you’ll find a few ideas for
her necromancy. Once she’d completed the rites, she scenes that the GM may or may not use, depending
returned to her bed and waited until sunrise to bring on the players’ own initiatives. You might want to
the dead back to life so she could watch them attack use a certain scene to create a diversion for Lei Mei
the others and spread panic inside the fortress. Ooh, and give her time to act freely. This could be a great
what wicked fun this was going to be! way to make the players feel as if they’re always
a step behind the evil-doer (or evil spirit) that’s
After asking a few confused questions, Muntal
wreaking havoc on the fortress.
the Deaf just shrugs and declares that these types
of things happen every so often in Khanate. He Ideally, in order to create an all-time great ending,
gives orders for the bodies to be placed in the cold the final showdown with Lei Mei should take place
storage room until Lo Han can prepare the funeral in the secret laboratory, either after the Heroes have

34
chased her there or after they’ve discovered her
hiding there (see “Qi Zhang Laboratory," page 40).
A Real Whodunit
A Villain Point used at just the right time might The players won’t have many leads for their
allow Lei Mei to slip through the Heroes’ fingers investigation, or much time to waste as they’ll
after they’ve caught her in the act, leading to the final quickly find themselves trapped in a nightmare.
confrontation in the dark and gloomy laboratory Depending on the situation, if they question
certain inhabitants, or closely examine certain
with the necromancer and her hideous mentor.
rooms or certain people, the Heroes may start
to figure out who’s been making mischief. Here
W The Villagers again, it will be up to the GM to drop hints little
Location: Fishing village by little and not betray Lei Mei too quickly.
Lei Mei sets off as usual one afternoon on her Make sure that the PCs discover the culprit in
parvalus for her daily ride, accompanied by Shartal, the most interesting possible way from a gaming
point of view (e.g. by having them catch her
and they run into a group of fishermen. The men
in the act, or by helping the PCs realize there
offer little resistance when Shartal attacks and kills
might be a secret passage by having a character
them. Lei Mei then gives them the curse of the tell them the lady’s bedroom is empty but no one
Bloodless and sends them back to their village, where ever saw her leave it). And if the players suspect
they massacre the other unsuspecting villagers. The another member of the household for whatever
crewmembers of the Lady of Oosal take refuge on reason, that’ll make the game even more fun.
their ship, where they do their best to beat back the
If the players should decide to go question the
zombie assailants. Meanwhile, about a dozen or so villagers, they’ll quickly be led to the village
Bloodless villagers (including women and children) elder, “Grandpa” Tapai, the village’s “font of
head up to the fortress to attack the living. Due to knowledge” who actually knows very little of
the thick fog, the guards at the door realize too late use. The old blind man has seen nearly a hundred
that they never should’ve let the villagers enter the winters and has never left the island of Shelang,
fortress. Or, if the PCs decide to go to the village to but it will take great patience to learn anything
investigate, you might have them get snared in the from Grandpa: his mind tends to drift, and he’ll
nets of the fishermen, who’ll already be as cold and often lapse into old stories that interest no one
icky as their usual catch. but himself. However, a patient PC does have
something to learn from his meanderings: This is
W The Dead Soldiers not the first time that the dead have risen on the
island of Shelang...and the evil which was long
Location: Cold storage room ago buried has now returned!
Lei Mei uses the secret passage to sneak into the
cold storage room, where she reanimates the dead
guardsmen from the beacon tower a second time.
This now makes five zombies (including the two
guards killed during the initial attack) that she can
send upstairs into the fortress. Or else Lei Mei may
decide to keep them in reserve to defend her secret
laboratory if anyone should discover it.

35
 W The Legion of Undead
Lei Mei, has massacred all the fortress servants.
Location: Soldiers quarters
Decapitated bodies lay strewn about the floor in
Lei Mei strikes again, poisoning the drinks of more
puddles of blood. Kamai turns to face the Heroes
soldiers. This time her victims are five members of
wearing his purple mask. A hole’s been drilled
Bored to Death

the garrison who’d been up late drinking. Lei Mei

through his forehead and his movements are jerky
again performs her rites on the dead bodies before
and puppet-like. As he raises his large axe, the
stealing away to her apartments. She reanimates
headless bodies all around him begin to twitch and
them during the night, and the zombie soldiers
come to life. Slowly, they rise up to join the ranks
massacre their five brothers-in-arms sleeping in
of the Bloodless and attack the living.
the dormitory (the last five “living” soldiers are
on guard duty at the beacon tower and the main Note to GM: It may be unadorned and of simple
gate), before spreading through the fortress (unless make, but Kamai’s broad axe is nonetheless a
an alert PC hears the noise from the massacre and masterwork weapon (Common alchemist creation:
responds in time). reroll any result of 1 when rolling damage).

W Muntal the Deaf W Arluk the Head Servant

Location: Muntal’s bedroom, second floor
Location: Heroes’ sleeping quarters
A terrified screech and the sound of a struggle
The door to their chamber flies open and a
coming from the lord’s apartments have everyone at
Bloodless Arluk barrels in, holding the filthy boots
the keep up in arms again. They open the door of his
of a Hero in one hand and her sturdy washing
room to behold a horrifying spectacle: Muntal, who
paddle in the other.
is stark naked, is using his huge scimitar to hack to
pieces the dead body of one of his servants, which
W The Old Priest Lo Han
is splayed across the large bed. He’s also slashed the
covers and reduced the sheets to ribbons. A cloud Location: Chapel
of feathers, white as snow, gently falls on the whole A distraught Kubrog asks the Heroes (or maybe
macabre scene, contrasting with the blood splattered just one of them) to help him find Vana, who’s gone
over the bed and walls and Muntal’s deathly white missing. They find the terrified girl tied up in the
body. The old warlord immediately turns on the chapel, where the old priest, blood dripping from
newcomers and attacks in a furious frenzy. He has the hole in his forehead, is preparing to sacrifice her
a small hole in his forehead, of course, and purple at the altar.
marks on his neck from the powerful hands used to
strangle him. W Kubrog of Stalheim
Note to GM: Lei Mei had Shartal strangle her Location: Cellar
husband before her eyes so that she could watch The Heroes hear a strange noise coming from
him die—sweet vengeance for all the years she’s the cellar and go down to investigate. They discover
wasted in a wretched marriage—before performing their friend Kubrog amongst his beer barrels,
her unholy rites and leaving the scene of the crime wading through the frothy ale that’s spewing all
through the secret passage. over the floor. The brewmaster has punctured holes
in many of the barrels and it looks as if he’s drunk
more than his fair share: his abdomen has swollen
W Kamai the Executioner
to unbelievable proportions, and a dark brown foam
Location: Servants quarters, third floor of keep seeps from his lips and from the hole in his forehead.
As our Heroes struggle to solve the mystery, His head snaps around as the Heroes enter. Judging
they discover a bloodcurdling spectacle up on the by the venomous look he gives them, he probably
third floor: Kamai, who has been “zombified” by won’t be offering them a drink...

36
 Bored to Death
Cruel to the End
Although the majority of the scenario will be dictated by the PCs’ decisions, you may also
decide to have Lei Mei attack them directly—especially to create a diversion if they’re too
focused on figuring out who’s placed the curse on the fortress and its inhabitants.
Lei Mei could certainly try to poison one or more of the Heroes—after all, why should they
get off the hook? She’s prepared a powerful alchemical poison with the help of Qi Zhang,
using products from his laboratory.
Qi Zhang’s philtre (alchemical poison, Uncommon preparation)
This highly lethal poison slows the heartbeat until the victim loses consciousness and soon
dies from cardiac arrest. A PC who drinks the poison needs a successful Hard (-1) strength
Task Roll to avoid passing out a few minutes later. The Hero will be dead within half an hour
if a second Hard strength Task Roll is also unsuccessful. After a successful roll, the Hero will
wake up trembling and in a cold sweat, but will nonetheless lose d6L points of lifeblood.
There’s also nothing to prevent Lei Mei from having her devoted minion Shartal try to
knock off any Hero who’s become separated from the group (as we all know from horror
movies, this is never a good idea...). And why not make the adventure cruel to the end
by having the poor Hero, transformed into a zombie and with a curious little hole in his
forehead, attack his horrified fellow adventurers?
Note: there are a number of characters in the fortress who’d make a good replacement for a
dead Hero: Kubrog, Vana or Master Vornan, for example.

37
Bored to Death

Qi Zhang’s Laboratory
This large underground chamber, encased in stone
walls, is as cold and mouldy as a tomb despite the
small duct in the wall for ventilation. The original
builders must have intended the room to be a last
refuge in case of an attack on the fortress. A hidden
staircase leads to Muntal’s apartments, and there’s
also a hidden passageway to the cold storage room
in the cellar.
Lei Mei has cleared away some of the thick layers
of dust and the cobwebs, but the room has fallen into
ruin and is filled with a rank and pestilential smell.
A small brazier set on a bronze tripod provides a
semblance of heat, and its reddish light illuminates
what clearly would appear to be a sorcerer’s lair. On
W The Stuffed Arctodus two rotting wood tables sits all the paraphernalia of
an alchemist: an alembic, retorts, glass jars and flasks
Location: Second floor landing
of various sizes, tongs, pincers, shears and other
If the PCs take the stairs to the second floor, they’ll
tools. Rolls of yellowed parchment are stacked on
notice a stool sitting in front of the humongous
shelves against the wall, and manuscripts with metal
stuffed arctodus on the landing—a stool that hadn’t
binding eaten away by verdigris are also strewn
been there previously (good thing Arluk didn’t see
about. The back wall across from the stairs offers an
it, she’d have a fit!). Any adventurer who is curious
even stranger spectacle. On a table pushed against
enough to take a closer look will notice that the
the wall sit two burning candles, one on each side
creature now has a small, barely visible hole in the
of a roughly hewn hole in the wall where several
fur stretched over its forehead—but in the next
large stones have been pried loose. Inside the hole
instant, the arctodus, its mouth agape, will pounce
can be seen the dried-out body of a man imprisoned
on its victim.
behind the wall. His head, more like a skull covered
Note to GM: Lei Mei’s attempt to reanimate the with leathery skin, lies slack against his chest. The
stuffed arctodus has been successful. Needless to sight of the mummified body is horrible enough,
say, using fire against a creature with dried skin and but even more so because his jaws keep clattering
stuffed with straw would probably be a good idea! away, as if he were actually talking!

Note to GM: the entombed cadaver is of course the body of Qi Zhang, preserved from death
by his all-consuming hatred and nefarious necromantic powers. If Lei Mei is in the laboratory
when the Heroes break in, she will do everything in her power to stop them from approaching
her “master” and protect him from harm. She’s now completely mad and will fight to the death.
Surrendering or trying to escape is out of the question for her.

38
Epilogue
The end of the scenario will depend entirely on what actually happened, and on who and how many
people survived. If Muntal is still alive, he probably won’t offer his heartfelt thanks to the killers of his

Bored to Death
young and beautiful wife, despite her crimes, but he will pay them handsomely if they agree to hold their
tongues and leave the island as quickly as possible. If the warlord should die during the adventure, one of
the surviving officers (if there are any) will take command and give a letter to Master Vornan, telling him to
inform the authorities in Liu of what’s happened. Regardless of the outcome, it’s a safe bet that the Heroes
(if they’re still alive) will be anxious to leave the godforsaken fortress. If Kubrog and his daughter have
survived, they’ll ask to come with them after Vana tells her father she refuses to spend another instant on
the cursed isle. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship, and many new adventures...

Cast of Characters Bloodless Soldiers from

Garrison (tough)
Bloodless Servants
and Villagers (rabble) Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength 1 Attack +1
Agility 1 Damage d6 (weapon)
Attributes Combat Abilities Mind -1 Defence 0
Strength 0 Attack +0 Lifeforce 8 Protection 0 or light
Agility 0 Damage 1 or d3 armour and helmet d6-2 (2*)
Mind 0 Defence 0
Lifeforce 3 Protection 0 *depending on the situation
Traits: horde rules for rabble (see BoL, page 157). Note: for the other main characters in the fortress
that may be transformed into Bloodless (Arluk, Lo
Han, Muntal, etc.), use the statistics found above
Zombified Stuffed and tweak them as you see fit depending on the
Arctodus (tough) circumstances (e.g. Kamai wields a great axe, d6H
damage).
The bones and muscles beneath the stuffed
arctodus’ hide have been replaced by straw, but it has
a sturdy metal framework beneath its pelt that gives
it a natural appearance and makes it particularly
powerful and dangerous.

Attributes Combat Abilities

Strength 5 Attack +1
Agility 1 Damage d6H
Mind -1 Defence 0
Lifeforce 20 Protection d6-3 (1)

39
 Shartal (villain) Lei Mei (villain)
Attributes Combat Abilities Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength 3 Initiative 1 Strength 0 Initiative 1
Bored to Death

Agility 2 Melee 2 Agility 1 Melee 0

Mind -1 Ranged 0 Mind 3 Ranged 0
Appeal 0 Defence 1 Appeal 2 Defence 1
Careers Careers
Barbarian 2 Noble 0 Noble 2 Scribe 2
Hunter 0 Soldier 2 Alchemist 2 Magician 1

Protection: light armour d6-3 (1), Protection: none

small shield (-1 to be hit on one attack/round)
Weapons: dagger d6L
Weapons: sword d6+3, dagger d6L+3,
Points
fists d3+3
Arcane Power 11 (5)
Points Villain Points 5
Lifeblood 15 Lifeblood 10

Boons Boons
Hard-to-Kill: Shartal is a force of nature (+2 lifeblood Silver Tongue: as a result of her upbringing and class,
bonus already included in his stats). Lei Mei is well practiced in the art of speechifying
and double talk. She gets a bonus die whenever she
Plains-Born: tough luck for a rider from the steppes
lies or tries to con, coax or mislead someone.
to find himself stuck on a frozen rock in the middle
of the ocean... Sneaky: Lei Mei has the gift of going unnoticed.
She gets a bonus die in situations where she wants to
Mighty Fists: Shartal could knock out a charging
remain inconspicuous.
bouphon with a single blow. Add his full strength to
damage when he fights unarmed. Learned: Lei Mei is very well educated. She gets
a bonus die for anything having to do with Xi Lu
Flaws
literature or poetry.
Illiterate: Shartal doesn’t know how to read or write.
Flaws
Obsession: Shartal has an unhealthy attachment for
Morgazzon’s Curse: Lei Mei has been driven mad by
Lei Mei and will do absolutely anything she asks.
the insidious whisperings of Qi Zhang.
Non-Combatant: Lei Mei’s education was exclusively
focused on improving her mind (already included in
her statistics).

Note to GM: Lei Mei is only a novice sorcerer, instructed in the dark arts by the sepulchral voice
of Qi Zhang the Putrid. She is therefore only capable of using cantrips. The only First Magnitude
Spell that she knows is the necromantic rite to raise the dead. For the final showdown with the
Heroes, also keep in mind that she’s already used up quite a bit of her Arcane Power (shown in
parentheses in her statistics) to perform her necromancy.

40

40
Qi Zhang the Putrid, The horde will only be definitively scattered after
suffering 10 damage points, and will leave in its
Bloodless Sorcerer wake scores of dead rats and hundreds of squashed
bugs.
(villain)

Bored to Death
Demented Whispering: once per round, Qi Zhang
Entombed alive, Qi Zhang has refused eternal rest
may use his impious whispering to poison the mind
and spent decades ruminating his vengeance on the
of one of his adversaries. His mind attribute (+3) is
living. His spirit still inhabits his dead body, which
added to his Attack Roll, while the mind attribute
has mummified behind the stone walls. Qi Zhang
of his victim will be subtracted as a penalty (instead
can be clearly seen from the laboratory through the
of defence). As always, the result must be at least
hole Lei Mei made in the wall. He cannot move or
9 to “attain” his victim and inflicts d6L+3 damage
talk, but is hardly defenceless.
points, ignoring amour, obviously.
Attributes Combat Abilities Vulnerability to Fire: Qi Zhang’s body is as dry and
Strength - Attack See below shrivelled as old parchment, and as flammable as
Agility - Damage See below pitch. Double any damage he suffers from fire.
Mind 3 Defence 0
Lifeforce 25 Protection 0

Traits:
Master of Vermin: Qi Zhang can summon the hordes
of rats and insects that infest the fortress, and make
them attack his adversaries. He must perform an
action to summon the vermin, who will then arrive
during the next round. A furious swarm of purgats,
mice, cockroaches and other creepy-crawlies will
flow over the dead sorcerer’s body before pouring
out of the hole into the laboratory and attacking
whichever enemy Qi Zhang indicates. Once the
swarm attacks someone, Qi Zhang can no longer
change targets, and if the vermin finish off their
victim they’ll then attack the closest person (who
may not necessarily be an enemy of Qi Zhang).
It won’t be easy for the victims to defend
themselves. They’ll literally be submerged by a wave
of pointy teeth and mandibles, which will burrow
beneath their clothes and crawl up their legs. The
person attacked by the throngs of vermin will
automatically lose 1 point of lifeblood per round
(ignoring armour) and will add a penalty die for all
Task Rolls.
Any character fighting off the vermin will make an
attack roll (swarm’s defence : 0) and cause d3 damage
+ strength, regardless of the weapon used (the Hero
flails in all directions, smashing the vermin with
her hands, feet, the flat side of a sword blade, etc.).

41
 A ready-to-play Adventure
Männ's Oldest Dream

Männ’s Oldest Dream

Adventure overview
Our Heroes are preparing to settle into their winter quarters in a small Valgardian village at the foot of
the Axos Mountains when the unexpected arrival of a young woman, Joanna Männ, upsets their plans.
A tribe of Winged Men has attacked the small mountain fort where she lives with her uncle, forcing her
to flee. Joanna is looking for a few brave souls to escort her back up the mountain to learn her uncle’s fate.
The Heroes will soon discover the eldritch obsessions of old Zacharias Männ and his niece, and have to
deal with the (justified) hostility of the Winged Men of Axos.

Background
Zacharias Männ certainly is an obstinate overcome many hardships and her uncle’s ill
fellow. From his most tender age he’s had but one treatment. She grew into a busy little bird who
obsession: to fly like a bird. As a young boy he became indispensable for her uncle’s alchemistic
would stare wide-eyed at all the winged creatures labours. She got so involved in his work that she
that passed overhead and fill his notebooks with was overcome by the same obsession; the same
sketches of their flights. Later he would study burning desire to fly. All their years of study and
with alchemists who had mastered the mysteries sacrifice became focused on a single goal: to create
of the natural sciences and attempted to recreate a “marvel made flesh,” a golem of feather and bones
life through subtle artifices. After years of tireless that would carry the two accomplices on its back
labour, he became a savant in anatomy, medicine, through the heavens. They too would soar above the
surgery and the arcane arts required to breathe life clouds and feel the ecstasy of flight. The dream of a
into inanimate matter. lifetime would finally become a reality!
Some twenty years before our tale begins, About two years ago, as our two dreamers
Zacharias was given charge of his niece Joanna, were travelling through the icy crags of the Axos
who had been orphaned following a tragic accident. Mountains, they came across a large colony of screech
Her uncle had neither the time nor the inclination crows (see bottom of page 46). The noisy birds were
to care for the girl, who he quickly relegated to roosting on the steep cliffs of Frozen Pass, a high
the most menial household chores. But, as the mountain defile on the former trade route between
seasons passed, the little fledgling managed to Valgard and the steaming jungles of Qush and Qo.

42
 Männ's Oldest Dream
A rundown fortress, actually more like a fortified
When the two necklaces were finally ready for use
cave protected by a crumbling tower, sat astride the
(in theory anyway; the Marvel had yet to take flight),
pass. The whole edifice had long been abandoned
Zacharias and Joanna still had one important task
to the icy mountain winds, forgotten along with
to accomplish before they could soar into the skies:
the former trade wars and border skirmishes that
master the art of flying and perfect their knowledge
had once made it necessary. Zacharias realized that
of wind patterns and air currents.
the fort would be the perfect place to continue his
work, and decided to take up residence. The large As they toiled away, our two busy beavers never
colony of screech crows would provide him with realized they weren’t alone on the mountaintop. The
an abundant supply of raw materials to complete Axos Mountains were also home to secretive tribes
his construction work. The old tower would be the of Winged Men—half bird, half human creatures
flight deck for the Marvel, and the sheer cliffs of the (see BoL, page 87). The lands of one of these tribes,
Axos Mountains would be witness to the first flight who called themselves the People of the Peaks,
of Zacharias Männ and Joanna, the future lords of lie not far from Frozen Pass (see text box, page
the sky! 53). One day Oorea, a young Winged Woman,
happened upon one of Joanna’s killing fields. A
They quickly cleaned and consolidated the tower
trail of blood led away from the savagely butchered
and brought up all the provisions and fuel they
birds, and Oorea followed it back to the “old stone
would need. Then they established their routine.
nest” abandoned long ago by the Wingless. Seeing
Joanna, who had proven to be quite handy with
that it was once again inhabited, she flittered over
her sling, would bring screech crow specimens
to the tower to take a look around and was horrified
back for her uncle, who would pluck and dissect
to learn the gruesome fate of her feathered friends.
the birds and then stitch the carcasses together to
Surprised by Zacharias and his niece, she fell into
create bigger and bigger pieces of feathered flesh.
their clutches before she knew what was happening.
Eventually they formed a single monstrous bird
The old alchemist decided to enchain her in one of
with a wing span of twenty feet: his Marvel! Once
the cells of the decrepit fortress.
he’d finished his macabre sculpture, he crafted two
magic necklaces that would enable the “pilot” to Zacharias could hardly believe his good fortune:
control the bird’s movements through mind control. he’d gotten his hands on the last piece of the puzzle!

43
 He promised Oorea that he would release her in no
time if she agreed to reveal all the secrets of flight
An Unexpected Arrival
to him. The frightened young prisoner answered Our adventure begins in a small Valgardian village
Männ's Oldest Dream

her captor’s questions as best she could, but the old at the foot of the Axos Mountains. The first snows
buzzard was insatiable and always craved for more of winter have fallen and the high mountain passes
knowledge. Each night when she was left alone, will soon be blocked. Our Heroes are sitting around
Oorea would call out to the night skies, hoping the fire at the inn quaffing foamy mugs of ale when
that the other Winged Men would be looking for the door bursts open and a young girl, half frozen to
her and hear her desperate cries for help. One day death, collapses in the doorway.
her prayers were answered. The People of the Peaks,
Exhausted, half-starved and chilled to the
normally a peaceful folk, launched an attack on the
bone, the girl is incapable of speech at first. But
stronghold, freed Oorea and made Zacharias their
the innkeeper recognizes her: It’s little Joanna,
prisoner. Joanna barely had time to gather a few
the young lass who lives with her uncle up in the
things, leap on the back of a kroark and make a mad
mountains, about a two-day walk from the inn.
dash down the trail to Valgard. She had no time to
The two of them often come down to the village
see what the Winged Men planned on doing with
for supplies during the warmer months. Her uncle,
her uncle. Oorea implored the other Winged Men to
Zacharias Männ, is a peculiar little bird. Quite the
let the girl flee. She’d seen Joanna beseech her uncle
scholar, they say. Not an unfriendly sort, but not
to release their captive, and told her brethren that
much of a talker either, always lost in his thoughts.
the girl had tried to shield her from the old man’s
He’s been living up in the mountains with his niece
cruelty. The Winged Men acquiesced, convinced
for the past few years in an abandoned old fort that
that the young flatlander would never dare return.
they’ve fixed up. The innkeeper doesn’t know much
As Joanna hastily made her getaway through the
more, except that Zacharias always pays up front,
pass, she frightened a large flock of screech crows.
and anyway, he doesn’t like to stick his nose in other
A humongous mythunga, alerted by the deafening
people’s business.
caws, swooped down for an attack. Joanna had only
survived thanks to the sacrifice of her kroark, whose Joanna is of average height, with the typical
lifeless body now lay in the pass, entombed under features of a highlander: she’s stocky but has a
blankets of snow. certain feline grace. Her red hair is tied into short
pigtails, and she has fair skin and freckled cheeks.
Following Joanna’s escape, the People of the Peaks
Her clothes are made of leather and pelts of animals
threw Zacharias into the same cell where he’d been
from the Axos Mountains.
holding Oorea. Instead of killing him outright, they
condemned him to a much more cruel fate. After She keeps around her neck, well hidden beneath
interminable days of agony, the alchemist finally her thick clothing, one of the magic necklaces to
died of hunger, cold and, above all, of utter despair. pilot the monster bird (see text box, page 51). Her
Just when his Marvel was ready to take flight, uncle gave her one of the necklaces to keep until
Zacharias Männ saw his oldest dream and most they can finally be used, and kept the other for
cherished hopes shattered along with his frail body. himself.
And now, perched atop the tower, sits the Marvel, The girl eventually comes to her senses. They sit
immobile. It has become a memorial for the People her down in a comfortable chair near the fire and
of the Peaks, who have decided to regularly bring give her a bowl of hot soup, and she tells them how
offerings to “the monster.” Although they find it she had to flee her home. A band of Winged Men
repugnant, it nonetheless symbolizes the sacrifice attacked the small mountain stronghold where
of hundreds of savagely massacred screech crows, she lives with her uncle Zacharias. She was in the
those peaceful creatures made of flesh and feathers courtyard when they swooped down on the tower.
in their image. She ran to the stables, saddled a kroark and fled to

44
Interpreting Joanna Männ
Joanna’s not necessarily an evil or devious person, but she’s had a miserable

Chapitre 2 : Avantages
childhood with a fanatical uncle as her lone companion. After toiling for years
to help the old alchemist build his “Marvel,” she’s become just as obsessed as
Zacharias and now longs with all her being for only one thing: to mount the
feathered monster and fly! She’ll do anything to obtain her goal, and once
she sees what’s happened to her uncle, she’ll be overcome by an irresistible
urge to take possession of her inheritance and make her dream come true.
All her energy will be bent on finding Zacharias’s magic necklace because
without it she won’t be able to fly the Marvel (see text box, page 51).

She needs the Heroes’ help and must gain their trust. At the same
time, she’ll think twice before telling them the whole truth when they
first meet, as she’ll be afraid they won’t understand. Once they reach
the fortress, she’ll have no choice but to tell them about her uncle’s
work due to the circumstances - also because she needs their help to
recover the necklace.

So Joanna is a complicated character for the GM to interpret.

You’ll want her to gain the Heroes’ sympathy at first. It’s only
once they reach the fortress that you should reveal the true extent
of her obsession and her “madness.” The players should want to help
her initially, and only later should they ask themselves if it’s actually
a good idea. Joanna’s obsession will dictate her actions. Her behaviour
will become increasingly excessive and irrational, which may lead her
to commit desperate acts without considering the consequences (or the
trouble it might cause for the Heroes).

look for help. Then, after she’d barely had time to past—the death of her parents, her life with her
leave the fortress, she was attacked in the pass by a uncle the scholar and his passion for birds, and how
gigantic mythunga, a vicious winged predator that they moved into the mountain fortress to study the
haunts the peaks of the Axos. Her kroark became colony of screech crows. But for the time being she
wild with fear and threw her to the ground. She fled won’t say anything about the monster bird they’ve
by foot as the mythunga winged down to attack her built, the magic necklaces, the bird woman they
mount. It had taken her two days, with hardly any took prisoner, or the tyrannical nature of her uncle
food or sleep, to reach the village. that caused the whole mess.
In a voice filled with tears, she says she doesn’t After a night of rest, and despite her fatigue, Joanna
know what’s happened to her uncle. Have the is ready to leave at once the next morning. If the
Winged Men killed him? Taken him prisoner? Heroes don’t have mounts, she’ll make arrangements
She must return to the fort as quickly as possible with the innkeeper for parvaluses so that they can
to rescue him, but she’ll need help. She only has a travel as quickly as possible. There’s no time to
small purse of gold with her, but she swears to the lose—not only for Zacharias, but also because the
Heroes that her uncle is a man of means. They’ll be winter snows may soon block the mountain passes.
paid handsomely if they agree to escort her back to If everything goes as planned, it should take three
the fort to find out what’s happened to Zacharias. days for the group to reach the fortress.
If the PCs ask, she’ll talk some more about her

45
 The Trek to Frozen Pass Joanna will tell them that this was her kroark,
After a two-day climb through the foothills of and will explain that the notebook belonged to her
Männ's Oldest Dream

Valgard and up the slopes of the Axos Mountains, uncle. He always kept it with him when he went
the trail winds through a narrow canyon shrouded in out riding to study birds, and must have left it in the
shadows. The rock falls, the meandering mountain saddlebag of the kroark.
stream, the icy gusts of wind and the hard-packed
snow make the trail difficult for both men and
beasts. But if all goes as planned, they should reach
The Roosting Screech
the fortress the next day. Crows
In the middle of the day, the Heroes see the tail of At the end of the afternoon our Heroes exit the
a kroark sticking out of the snow. As they approach canyon and the passage widens between the cliffs,
they can see the rest of the carcass, well preserved which are splattered with the white stains of bird
by the winter cold. The creature’s flanks have been droppings. The cliffs have been home to a large
gored and partially devoured. Its legs have also been colony of screech crows for many years, and the
savagely crushed and are twisted at sickening angles. birds are not accustomed to visitors—except for
Joanna, who has made it her hunting grounds.
The harness and saddle bag are still on the kroark.
The Heroes will find a little frozen food inside and a The voyagers will need to keep a low profile to
leather case containing an old notebook. The pages avoid scaring the thousands of birds perched on
are filled with the studies of Zacharias Männ: notes, the cliffs above—hardly an easy task as the trail
comments, hypotheses and hundreds of sketches is littered with obstacles. Joanna will warn them
of all sorts of birds, both alive and dissected, with about the danger of setting off an uproar amongst
carefully detailed anatomical drawings. It must the birds, as it will undoubtedly attract the winged
represent many years of work. There are different predators common to the area—in particular the
types of birds on the first pages, but the more recent feared mythunga. She’ll get off her parvalus and
entries only concern the screech crows of the region. lead it by the reins, and the Heroes would be wise to
The handwriting and the drawings are all from the follow her lead. But there’ll still be a risk of setting
same hand, but there is no way to identify the author. off a small rock slide, with all its grim consequences.

The Screech Crow of Axos

This species is native to the Axos Mountains, and was given its name
by none other than Zacharias Männ himself, who spent nearly two
years studying the birds down to the finest detail. The birds would
appear to be half crow, half seabird. An adult may have a
wingspan of up to six feet. They live in large colonies made
up of hundreds of individuals, and prefer inaccessible ledges
and crevices on high mountain peaks for their nests. Notable
characteristics are their feathers, which are white in the winter
and then turn a light grey as soon as the snows melt, offering
them excellent camouflage throughout the year. They are
peaceful creatures, and are easily frightened. When scared, the
entire flock of birds will take to the air and create a deafening
ruckus of fluttering wings and caterwauling. Although no one
has ever tried to domesticate the screech crow, it would certainly
make an excellent sentinel to warn against intruders.

46
 Männ's Oldest Dream
Note to GM: Go ahead and make
the players roll the dice a few times
to keep them on edge. A beastmaster
would be handy here to keep their
mounts calm. Have Joanna speak in a
low voice and encourage the players to
do the same; if they don’t follow your
lead and talk normally when interpreting
their characters, you can consider that
their Hero has also talked too loudly
and has frightened the birds. They’ll then
leave their nests and fill the air with their
thundering caws, which will of course attract
the attention of the mythunga.
In this case, the screeches of the mythunga
will soon be heard above the cacophony. An
ominous shadow will loom over the pass and the
rapacious bird will then wing down in search of
a tasty treat.
Regardless of how the Heroes respond to the
mythunga, Joanna won’t wait around to find out.
She’ll immediately bolt towards the fortress, which
is now less than a league up the trail. She’ll yell in
a panicked voice to the others to follow her lead.
If the PCs prefer to stand and fight, the mythunga
will attempt one or two reckless attacks before The Abandoned Fort
flying away. It will swoop in low despite the tight
In days gone by, this stronghold guarded the
confines of the pass, and may snatch a parvalus
border between two rival kingdoms that have long
before winging off.
ceased to exist. At the time, the pass was one of the
Note to GM: if the PCs are in a fighting mood, few viable trade routes through the Axos Mountains
make sure that the mythunga escapes without too between the frozen countries of the North and the
much damage so that it can reappear on the scene steaming jungles of the South. It had been heavily
during the end game when the People of the Peaks used by merchant caravans, who filled the coffers
lure it to the fortress (see “The Shadow in The Sky,” of the fortress with their toll money. But due to the
page 54). If our valiant adventurers manage to bring decline of the ancient kingdoms and the opening
down the beast during its initial attack (using a of more accessible trade routes, the road through
healthy dose of Hero Points, for example), feel free Frozen Pass lost its strategic importance and the
to have another mythunga arrive on the scene for fortress was soon forgotten and fell into ruin.
the final showdown.

47
 Ledge leading to
valley to the south

Cliff
Männ's Oldest Dream

Waterfall

30 feet

To Valgard

10 feet

Waterfall Forge (f)

The waterfall flows into a reservoir, and then spills The military forge sits under a large, dilapidated
over to form a small stream that runs northward awning that’s somehow managed to cling to the
down the pass. The basin had originally been built cliff face. Large leather bellows and some rusty old
to supply water to the fortress’s inhabitants and the tools lie about. With the right skills (a blacksmith,
forge. for example) and some elbow grease, the PCs could
get the forge up and running. Some fallen rocks
Ramparts (n, s and i) near the forge partially cover a pile of iron ingots,
The stronghold is protected to the north and and there are sacks of coal inside the tower on the
south by two ramparts, about fifteen feet high. Each ground floor.
rampart has a set of massive double doors made of
wood. The walls have partially collapsed and the Stables (e)
doors have rotted away with each passing season. A long, one-story stone building is all that
The inner rampart (i), which has a gate, protects the remains of the former stables. The roof is patchy
upper courtyard. It’s less exposed to the weather and but the mounts can still be protected from the cold.
is in better shape than the two other walls. Inside sits a decrepit wagon from the days when the

48
road could still be used before the many landslides - The ground floor (T1) can be entered through
due to erosion blocked the trail. a heavy door that opens onto the main courtyard of
the stronghold. The door is locked from the inside
A marauding cave bear recently decided that the

Männ's Oldest Dream

with a thick bar. The windowless room is dark and
newly abandoned stable was the perfect place to
cold, and is used as a larder as it is safe from rodents.
hibernate. It probably won’t be thrilled if the Heroes
There’s also a storage area for tools, sacks of coal and
or their mounts should intrude on its slumber.
firewood. This floor is a disorderly mess where the
Heroes may find a few useful things (oil, alcohol, etc.
Guard House (g) at the GM’s discretion). A trapdoor in the ceiling
This small stone building, originally built to
provides access from the second floor via a ladder.
guard the entrance to the fortress, has stood up well
A winch attached to the ceiling of the second floor
over time.
is used to hoist up heavy loads.
Converted Caves - The second floor (T2) has a heavy door that
The military barracks that once housed the garrison opens onto the upper courtyard. This door can
are in fact a group of caves that were enlarged in the also be locked from the inside. There is a second
cliff face. They’ve been better protected from the door to the converted caves that is more commonly
harsh mountain climate. used. This room, like those on the floors above, has
narrow murder holes in the walls that have been
They include a dining hall and kitchen (1) that
covered by thick curtains to keep out the icy winds.
were partially hollowed out of the rock and which
This is the living space, with a kitchen and a dining
contains a large fireplace on one wall and some
area. Some burnt stew is stuck to the bottom of a
rotting furniture, a larder (2) that was ransacked long
large pot hanging in the fireplace - the last supper,
ago, dormitories (3) filled with mattresses made of
which the tower’s inhabitants never had time to eat.
rotting straw, and an armoury (4) with depressingly
A circular wooden ladder on the wall connects this
empty racks (but a soldier or a blacksmith could
floor and all the remaining floors.
still repair a rusty old piece of armour or a weapon
found lying about). The fortress prison (5) has three - The third floor (T3) contains the bedroom
separate cells with heavy doors made of thick iron shared by Joanna and her uncle. Two comfortable
bars. The rusty old doors grate on their hinges and beds separated by a folding screen are on one side
have been impossible to close for ages. The keys to of the room, and on the other side are a cosy little
the locks (and the jail keepers) are also a distant sitting room and a library with a wide variety of
memory, but inside each cell is a neck collar attached works (about animals and plants, medicine, alchemy,
to a short chain, about four feet long and anchored geography, etc.), including a mysterious grimoire
in the ground. In one of these cells lies the enchained (see text box, page 50). A small chest has been
and lifeless body of Zacharias Männ (see below). clumsily hidden beneath a floorboard. The gold
coins and jewels it contains are the Männs’ entire
Guard Tower family fortune, which Joanna will use as needed
Despite signs of age, this stone tower (T) still to pay off the Heroes in her quest to recover the
stands proudly atop Frozen Pass. It is about fifty missing necklace and fly away on the Marvel.
feet tall and 30 feet wide, and has five floors. Many
- The fourth floor (T4) is Zacharias’s laboratory.
a crack can be seen in its walls, but it still looks
There are many tables with stacks of books and scrolls,
capable of withstanding the wind and frost.
small dissecting tools, magnifying glasses, inkpots,
Zacharias and Joanna chose to make their home hourglasses, scales, pestles, alembics, recipients and
inside the tower nearly two years earlier, and even glass tubes. The walls are lined with shelves that
managed to transform the cold and barren rooms sag beneath the weight of clay pots, flasks and vials.
into a clean and cosy living space. A bench for leatherwork is off to one side.

49
The Grimoire
One of the works in the library may catch the eye of the Heroes, in particular if they speak Sorceric.
It’s an extremely rare tome called The Art of The Invisible Bond, and treats both sorcery and the
alchemist arts. It provides metallurgical techniques for forging objects with psychic powers. This is in
fact the book that Zacharias used to create and to charm the necklaces to fly the Marvel by mind control.
A PC who is an alchemist may, after long hours of study, get the gist of the tome, but they’ll also have
to make a successful mind Task Roll. If the roll is a failure, the Hero will still understand the dark arts
described in the tome, but will be struck with a temporary (or permanent, depending on the type of
failure) disability, which may include the appearance of strange symptoms (pustules, itching, etc.),
an irrational fear, or a behavioural problem (at the GM’s discretion).

Screech crows in every possible state fill the A small stone staircase leads through a small
workshop. Drawings of them are pinned to the walls, turret up to the roof of the tower.
stuffed crows are splayed in awkward positions,
- The roof of the tower (T5) is open to the four
dissected birds are on display, and birdcages are
winds and has a crenelated parapet. At least half
filled with them (they’ve all starved to death). The
of the roof is covered by a wooden platform on
air is heavy with the acrid smell of bird droppings
which a gigantic bird is majestically perched with
and the pungent fragrance of formol.
its wings folded. The creature (see text box, page
The fireplace holds a small forge used for extremely 51) is inanimate and appears to be staring far off
precise moulding. There are moulds for making links at the southern horizon, waiting for the moment to
and pendants, jeweller’s tools and filings of precious take flight. The bird has been adorned with garlands
metals. This must be where Zacharias made the of mountain flowers. Wooden bowls and braided
magic collars, following the instructions contained baskets have been placed at its feet. They contain
in the grimoire down in the library (see text box). wild berries, dried fruits, petals from flowers, bones
sculpted into small birds and animals, and beads of
Note to GM: a PC with an alchemist career
different colours (these are uncut gems of significant
would certainly be capable of using the grimoire
value). Some of the offerings look quite fresh,
to create a copy of the missing necklace. But as is
meaning the roof must often be visited. They’ve
always the case with alchemy, it would take many
been brought by the Winged Men, who have
weeks to study the magic tome and to perform tests
transformed the top of the tower into a sanctuary.
and experiments—without forgetting the rare and
Joanna will be very surprised when she sees this.
precious raw materials that would need to be found.
The Heroes clearly won’t have enough time due to Next to the parapet sits a large cask with a cover.
the imminent threat of the Winged Men (and the Inside is a gelatinous liquid that reeks of formol
growing impatience of Joanna). and pine oil. This is an alchemist’s preparation that
must be brushed on the wings and feathery body
Lastly, saddles and leather straps in mint condition
of the Marvel on a regular basis to prevent it from
hang on the wall. Zacharias and Joanna have
rotting.
made a complete system of saddles and harnesses
perfectly adapted to the Marvel, complete with
two individual saddles and a pack for their bags Trail to The South
(or additional passengers). The monster bird will be A trail about fifteen to twenty feet wide leads down
capable of carrying upwards of 600 pounds while from Frozen Pass to the South. It was carved right
still flying effortlessly. out of the cliff face and rises perilously above the

50
southern jungles, which stretch below to the horizon. means plunging to a certain death, and the long,
The former trade route hasn’t been maintained for exposed ridge is also a prime hunting spot for the
ages and is littered with fallen rocks and blocked by many winged predators in the region (mythungas,

Männ's Oldest Dream

landslides. Danger is ever-present: one false move azhdarkhos, drakks, swarms of phongs, etc.).

The Marvel and The Necklaces

The Marvel is the result of nearly two years of demanding, exacting work that cost the lives of hundreds of screech
crows. The giant bird is over six feet tall and twelve feet long, with a wing span of twenty feet. It can carry up to four
humans or a load of the equivalent weight. It’s a repulsive creature made of bits and pieces of bird flesh that have been
stitched together and covered with thousands of white and grey feathers. The majority of the stitched, swollen flesh
has been hidden beneath a fine layer of down and mountains of feathers, but the creature is still unwholesome and
gives off a sickening smell of rotten meat dowsed with formaldehyde.
Zacharias’s creation has remained relatively well preserved thanks to the cold climate and the unique know-how of
the alchemist, in particular his life-preserving ointment (see paragraph “The Roof of The Tower,” page 50).
The monster bird is ready for take-off: the only thing missing is the two alchemist necklaces. One must be placed
around the bird’s neck (or its claw) and the other around the neck of its master, who can then guide it by mind control.
Once the “pilot” and the bird have donned the necklaces, they must then remain in physical contact with one an-
other to establish a tight mental bond. The rider will then be able to give simple commands to control the bird’s flight:
take off, dive, glide, land, etc.
But the pilot must still learn how to fly, and will need to master the subtle arts known only to winged creatures.
This was what Zacharias wanted Oorea to explain to him when he held her captive, but now it’s too late for him. And
neither Joanna nor the Heroes have received any flight training, which could be a big problem if they decide to take
off on the Marvel.
If the two necklaces are reunited and one of the PCs decides to animate the bird monster on his own (without
letting Joanna “pilot” the creature), he’ll quickly realize just how difficult it is. You can have him make one or more
mind Task Rolls, either Tough (-2) or Demanding (-4), in order to maintain mind control over the bird and keep it
airborne. Beastmaster, sky-pilot or alchemist career ranks may be added to the rolls as a bonus. It’s up to you to decide
the consequences if the PC should fail, depending on the circumstances (the bigger they are, the harder they fall...).

51
 The People of The Peaks the Marvel (including a handful of “those coloured
As soon as she reaches the fortress, Joanna will stones that corrupt the flatlanders...”). They’re
Männ's Oldest Dream

hurry to the tower in search of her uncle, and escorted by four scouts (toughs). One of them speaks
eventually discover his lifeless body chained up in a few words of Lemurian, and will do his best to
one of the prison cells. After some heartfelt sobs and communicate with the Heroes if they show him
a few curses for those foul Winged Men, she’ll regain they’re friendly.
control of herself and begin desperately groping
Joanna will want to know if they have her uncle’s
her uncle’s neck to find the second necklace. It’s
necklace, which is identical to the one she herself is
nowhere to be found. A perceptive PC will notice
wearing (she’ll show it to the visitors). The Winged
feathers lying on the floor of the cell, which don’t
Man tells her that Shaman Jaoor, the spiritual guide
look the same as those of the screech crows. Note to
of the People of the Peaks, has taken it as a trophy.
GM: these are feathers that were lost by Oorea, the
Joanna will then ask for a meeting with the shaman.
Winged Woman held prisoner by Zacharias.
If the Winged Men feel threatened in any way,
When she can’t find the necklace on her uncle (it
they’ll hurry away to save their skins and spread
was taken by Jaoor, the shaman of the People of the
word amongst their people that intruders have
Peaks), Joanna will frantically look for it on every
returned to their lands.
floor of the tower, turning the whole place upside
down and asking the Heroes for assistance. The
Winged Men, who are not curious folk by nature
Jaoor the Shaman
and take little interest in the affairs of humans, have Regardless of the outcome of the initial encounter,
left the place untouched except for the top of the a few hours later an unruly throng of Winged Men,
tower, which they visit regularly. led by the shaman Jaoor, will appear in the sky
above the tower. There will be about forty of them
At this point in the adventure, it’s quite likely
(30 rabble and 10 toughs).
that the Heroes will start peppering Joanna with
questions to figure out what the hell’s going on. Initially, Jaoor will want to show his people what
She’ll now realize that it’ll be much easier to find a wise and peaceful leader he is, who has no fear of
the necklace if she places her trust in the Heroes. these flatlanders. In any case, he knows that he can
If they start to dither, she’ll be generous with the always use his magical powers to protect himself
family treasure to convince them. If Joanna gets the if push comes to shove (see Jaoor’s stats, page 57).
feeling that they sincerely want to help her, she’ll He’ll therefore stand alone in front of the Heroes
stop beating around the bush and tell them the (and Joanna), and eye them disdainfully. He can
whole story: about the project to create the Marvel, only speak the Heroes’ tongue in broken bits and
the importance of the mind-control necklaces, will use vivid imagery (Winged Man imagery) to
and how the Winged Men attacked after they’d express himself. First he’ll ask them what they’re
captured Oorea. doing here. He’ll then make it clear that they’re not
welcome on these lands, which have belonged to the
The Offerings People of the Peaks since time immemorial. Initially
he’ll be friendly, but he may try to intimidate the
After spending the remainder of the afternoon
Heroes or even threaten to kill them, depending on
exploring the stronghold and talking to Joanna, the
their attitude. Joanna won’t hesitate to add fuel to
Heroes will hit the hay once night falls. But the
the fire. If she can’t convince the shaman to give
next morning at dawn, they’ll wake to the sounds of
her the necklace (which shines brightly around
strange voices atop the tower...
his neck), you can even have her try to rip it from
A half-dozen Winged Men and Women (rabble) Jaoor’s neck. It’s the sort of irreparable act that could
have come back to the tower with new offerings for immediately lead to a battle with the Winged Men.

52
 Note to GM: Be sure to let the players act on
that I don’t already possess” (which he truly believes).
their own initiatives before having Joanna perform
He will not be tempted by weapons, trinkets or
any rash acts.
gold. If the PCs offer an alternative such as getting
If the Heroes try to negotiate with Jaoor and offer rid of the mythunga for the Winged Men, he’ll just
him something in exchange, he’ll just give them an cackle (as only a Winged Man can) and tell them
amused look and say “you Wingless have nothing that the simple presence of this mighty lord of the

The People of The Peaks

The People of the Peaks, as they call themselves, have lived for many generations in caves that have been
hollowed out of the steep cliffs of an inaccessible peak in the Axos Mountains, a few dozen leagues as the
crow flies from Frozen Pass.
This peaceful community of Winged Men has about 100 members, two-thirds of which are hunters and
warriors, both male and female, capable of defending themselves (count around forty rabble and fifteen
toughs in the tribe). They are led by a shaman who is their chieftain, the guardian of their traditions and,
if necessary, their commander in time of war.
Since the fortress was abandoned many decades ago and the trade caravans along with it, the Winged
Men have kept their contacts with humans to the strict minimum. Bartering had once been frequent
between the two races but is now a thing of the past. Some Winged Men are still capable of speaking the
common language of Lemuria with difficulty, which may result in misunderstandings and confusion.
The People of the Peaks have no particular sympathy for humans, but have always tried to remain neutral
in their dealings with them. After having discovered the young Winged Woman Oorea enchained by
Zacharias Männ however, their attitude has now radically changed. Unfortunately, the Heroes may learn
this at their own expense. They’ll have to tread very carefully and show a great deal of tact if they want
to avoid useless bloodshed. Joanna knew that returning to the fortress was risky, but she’s so determined to
achieve her goal that she’s blind to the danger. Her obsession may foil the good intentions of the Heroes if
they decide to use peaceful means.
The Winged Men want the flatlanders to leave their homeland for good, and will use intimidation,
threats, and, as a last resort, force. If the Heroes prove to be particularly persuasive and show little
inclination for fighting, negotiations may be possible. But if the PCs decide to use force, the People of
the Peaks will attack relentlessly—unless they suffer too many losses in their ranks. They won’t risk the
annihilation of their entire tribe in a hopeless battle. If the Heroes gain a decisive advantage, the People
of the Peaks will call on the mythunga (by sacrificing a few courageous volunteers; see “The Shadow in The
Sky” on the next page) to kill the intruders or frighten them off.

53
 skies guarantees that flatlanders will think twice
before trespassing in their mountains. The only
way to bend his will is by demonstrating magical
Männ's Oldest Dream

powers well beyond his own (if the Heroes possess

such powers) or by mowing down whole ranks of
Winged Men.

In fact, the shaman now considers the necklace to

be his by right; it is a reminder to all his followers
of how he vanquished (with such ease!) the “bad
man” who caused so much suffering for Oorea
Note to GM: be careful with this scene as it can
and their feathered friends. Jaoor is very cunning
be quite tricky. Let the players get more and more
and has no faith in humans (especially since the
desperate as they keep offering solutions until they
imprisonment of Oorea). He’s also bolstered by all
eventually run out of ideas and start thinking about
his people gathered around him and their numerical
using force—unless that’s their strategy right from
superiority. It won’t be easy for the Heroes to
the start. Use the pigheadedness of Jaoor, who’s
intimidate or confuse him.
convinced that he holds all the cards, to exasperate
them. You don’t want the players to think that If the Heroes do attack Jaoor at this point, he’ll
Jaoor will refuse every proposition no matter what. lead his people into battle. They’ll harass the humans
Carefully explain your point of view while you shoot from a distance to avoid any messy hand-to-hand
down their ideas one by one in a logical manner. fighting that would leave them at a disadvantage.
In the end, unless one of the players has an
absolutely brilliant idea or unless they decide to
The Shadow in The Sky
use force, Jaoor will not give them the necklace If negotiations go nowhere but cooler heads
(as a matter of principle), meaning there’s a good manage to prevail (despite Jaoor’s ominous threats
chance their discussions will end in a conflict— to make the Heroes leave by force), the shaman
either immediately or later on in the adventure. will hesitate for a moment to think things over.

54
His attitude will suddenly change. He’ll propose but it’s still made of flesh and blood. At this point,
that each side take time to reflect on the situation, if the Heroes still refuse to take action, Joanna will
because “time is a source of wisdom.” He’ll then tell rush headlong to the top of the tower and try to

Männ's Oldest Dream

the Heroes that he will return later in the day (or defend her heritage tooth and nail. If the Heroes
the next day) to continue their discussions and find should try to stop her, she’ll lash out at them with
a peaceable solution. He’ll fly away with most of desperate fury and try to use her weapons to hack
his troops, leaving behind only a few scouts. They’ll through them to the top of the tower.
take up positions on the remote cliff tops. It’s in fact
a ruse to gain more time. Jaoor now realizes that
he can’t convince the humans to leave without their
Conclusion
precious necklace, and has decided to change tactics As long as the Heroes and Joanna refuse to
and call in the mythunga. abandon the fortress (dead or alive), Jaoor and his
people will keep trying to drive them away. If the
If things get nasty and the People of the Peaks
cost of their sacrifice is too great, the People of the
suffer heavy losses in the battle (more than a quarter
Peaks will eventually give up and agree to give them
of their troops), they will also fall back.
the coveted necklace if they promise to leave.
In either case, Jaoor (or one of the tribal elders if
At long last, Joanna Männ will take possession of
he’s killed) will curse the stubborn Wingless who’ve
the Marvel (did she really have any other choice?)
shown him up in front of his people, who may now
and fly off into the sunset—unless her prized
have less esteem for their spiritual leader.
possession has been torn to shreds by the razor-
The shaman will adopt a new strategy. He’ll sharp claws and beak of the mythunga. In that
ask for volunteers among his people to perform case she’ll be inconsolable and vindictive. The PCs
the ultimate sacrifice by serving as bate for the may try to prevent her from flying off and even
mythunga. They will lure the horrible roc out of its attempt to steal the Marvel for themselves, which
lair, which is a place well known to them, and lead would of course force Joanna to embark on a suicide
it to Frozen Pass. By allowing the monster to gulp mission to recover her inheritance. Lastly, if Joanna
them down one by one, the Winged Men hope that and/or the Heroes manage to leave Frozen Pass
this new adversary, whose might is much greater on the back of the Marvel, other aerial threats may
than theirs, will finish off the intruders once and for await them, whether it be a band of Winged Men
all and save their homeland. bent on revenge, a surviving mythunga, or one of the
many other winged predators (see the list of beasts
Note to GM: describing the arrival of the
in BoL) who use the peaks as their hunting grounds.
mythunga can be a lot of fun. You can tell the PCs
that they suddenly hear a horrible, raucous screech As you can see the end game is wide open. The
in the sky (haven’t they heard it before?), and then PCs may decide to join forces with Joanna, who may
relate every gory detail to them as the poor Winged come along on other adventures or even become a
Men offer themselves one after another on a platter full-fledged heroine as part of their merry band. Or
for the monster’s feast, leading it closer and closer their choices and deeds may turn her into a villain
to the fortress, until the last poor soul gets pecked who’ll cross their path somewhere down the road—
to pieces right in front of their eyes. especially if they’ve stolen her Marvel...
Once the mythunga tastes blood it will frenetically
hunt down other prey to sate its insatiable appetite.
If the Heroes don’t rise to the challenge, worthy of
the greatest sagas of Lemuria, and decide instead
to hide inside the fortress, the creature will attack
the Marvel. The pungent odour is hardly appetizing,

55
 Winged Men,
Cast of Characters People of the Peaks
Männ's Oldest Dream

Joanna Männ (rabble)

Attributes Combat Abilities
Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength -1 Initiative 0
Strength 1 Initiative 1
Agility 2 Melee -1
Agility 2 Melee 0
Mind 0 Ranged 1
Mind 1 Ranged 2
Appeal 0 Defence 0
Appeal 0 Defence 1
Careers
Careers
Hunter 1
Servant 2 Alchemist 1
Hunter 1 Merchant 0 Protection: None
Protection: Leather vest and heavy pelts d6-3 (1) Weapons: Primitive weapons (javelin, club,
bone knife) d3
Weapons: Dagger d6L+1, sling d6L
Points
Points
Lifeblood 2
Lifeblood 11
Boons
Boons
Winged-Man Agility: +1 to agility (already included
Trademark Weapon (sling from Axos): Joanna is a
in stats).
great shot and has brought down many screech
crows from their nests in the cliffs. Roll a bonus die
for her Attack Rolls with her sling. Scouts and Guards,
Mountain-born: Of great help for surviving in the People of the Peaks
Axos Mountains. Bonus die when tracking, trapping,
hunting (but not fighting) in a mountainous terrain.
(toughs)
Flaws Attributes Combat Abilities
Obsession: Joanna wants only one thing in life — Strength 0 Initiative 1
to take off on her uncle’s Marvel and discover the Agility 2 Melee -1
world on wings. Whenever in the presence of the Mind 0 Ranged 1
object of her obsession, Joanna has a penalty die on Appeal 1 Defence 1
all rolls that require her to ignore it. Careers
Belongings Hunter 2
Clothing and weapons, basic survival gear, animal Protection: Leather bracers and battle
traps, a purse full of gold coins. harness (light armour) d6-3 (1)
Weapons: Javelins d6L, club or dagger d6L,
Cave Bear or spear d6
(see BoL, page 104)
Points
The bear has transformed the stables (e) into Lifeblood 6
sleeping quarters for its hibernation. You can lower
its attributes a bit if you want, as the bear is already Boons
half asleep. Winged-Man Agility: +1 to agility (already included
in stats).

56
The Mythunga
(see BoL, page 116)

Männ's Oldest Dream

It may be on its own or may have a mate; it’s up to
the GM to decide depending on what happens (see
recommendations above).

Jaoor, Shaman,
People of the Peaks
(villain)

Attributes Combat Abilities

Strength 0 Initiative 2
Agility 1 Melee 0
Mind 2 Ranged 0
Appeal 2 (3*) Defence 2
Careers
Barbarian 0 Hunter 2
Healer 1 Shaman 2
Protection: See below
Weapons: Sacrificial bone knife d6L,
ceremonial staff d6L
Points
Faith Points 2
Lifeblood 10

Boons
Inspire: Give a bonus die for all the Attack Rolls of
his followers for one round, once per day.
Winged-Man Agility: +1 to agility (already included
in stats).
Flaws shaman’s talismans will be smashed to pieces and
Arrogant: Roll a penalty die when dealing with progressively lose their protective power.
foreigners.
Ceremonial staff*: Jaoor’s sceptre is a gnarled wooden
Belongings staff about five feet long with a shiny, polished
Talismans: Jaoor’s body is covered with sacred human skull perched on top. Its eyes are two ruby-
talismans and amulets made of feathers, bird red gems that give off an eerie glow and have an
bones and small, coloured pearls. This gaudy attire unwholesome, disturbing effect. Jaoor has a bonus
has mystical powers which give him a protection of +1 for appeal when the sceptre is in his hand,
of d6-1 (3) from the first damage taken, d6-2 (2) and his enemies roll a penalty die for Priority Rolls.
from the second damage taken, and then d6-3 (1) Jaoor’s sceptre only has magical power when it is
from the following damage. As he takes hits, the held by a shaman of the Winged Men.

57
 A ready-to-play Adventure
The Serpent Bride

The Serpent Bride

Adventure Overview
The Heroes have been invited by Turmar Latia to celebrate his marriage to the ravishing Jil Sendak,
a young heiress from one of the noblest families in Satarla. But his fiancée is secretly in love with
Eormo, a dashing sky-pilot from a poor jungle tribe. Eormo decides to throw caution to the wind and
listen to his heart: following the customs of his people, he kidnaps Jil just before the ceremony as the
stunned guests look on in disbelief. Our Heroes will be asked to hunt down the fugitives, who’ve fled
to Eormo’s tribal village. They’ll soon discover the bizarre wedding rites of the jungle people, who are
ruled by a creature that is even more bizarre...and much deadlier than they could’ve ever imagined.

Introduction
The Heroes have gathered to attend the wedding foolhardy act: kidnap Jil on the day of her marriage
of the beautiful Jil Sendak and the young parvenu and steal away with her to his homeland to marry
Turmar Latia. The Sendak family belongs to the her according to the customs of his tribe.
upper crust of the Satarlan nobility and is known for
The Heroes can only gawp in amazement along
its refinement, attachment to tradition and culture;
with the other guests as Eormo swoops down with
whereas Turmar’s family has built its reputation and
his sky-boat to abduct Jil right in front of their eyes.
power on an immense fortune gained through the
An incensed Turmar will ask the adventurers to
bouphon trade. But this supposedly happy event
track them down and bring back his bride-to-be.
has nothing to do with love: Turmar only wants to
marry Jil to elevate the standing of his family and
cast off their common origins as dealers in chattel.
Party Crashers
He doesn’t have the slightest regard for Jil, who’s Our story begins with the Heroes being invited
secretly burning with desire for Eormo, a young to the marriage of the ambitious social-climber
sky-pilot from a jungle tribe north of Oomis. His Turmar Latia. You can keep it simple by saying
humble origins rule out any hopes of marrying the he has close ties with the adventurers (he might
heiress of such a noble Satarlan family—unless be a friend or a family relation—maybe someone’s
he decides to listen to his heart and commit a cousin). Or they could just be part of his entourage,

58
 The Serpent Bride
mercenaries hired as escorts to make him look The bridegroom and his retinue finally enter the
important (big shots like Turmar must have an courtyard of the estate, preceded by a merry troupe
escort, of course). You’ll have to decide why your of minstrels announcing their arrival, and the guests
group of players would be invited to a fancy event are waiting expectantly for the ceremony to begin.
with all the high society of Satarla. All that really Suddenly, the dark shadow of a sky-boat looms above
matters is that they have strong enough ties to the house. A rope drops down to the waiting hand of
Turmar to justify their willingness to help him Jil, who grabs hold and is immediately swept away
(either because he’s their boss or their friend). by the mysterious and astonishing aircraft. As the
guests look on in disbelief, the PCs may try to chase
The guests have gathered in the luxurious villa
down the fugitives by making a Priority Roll with
of the Sendaks, one of the wealthiest families
a -4 modifier. They’ll be surprised when they reach
in Satarla, in the hills above the city. The multi-
the top-floor terrace by six guards on duty who, to
tiered estate is in fact a series of beautiful terraces
everyone’s amazement, will halt them in their tracks.
extending up the hill, embellished with slender,
The guards will do everything in their power to stop
white marble columns that only add to the baroque
the PCs from gaining access to the terrace or the
splendour of the luxurious manor. It’s early evening.
parapets, and will prevent any attempt to tie down
Warm, gentle breezes carry heady fragrances from
the sky-boat. A foolhardy PC who may consider
planters filled with jasmine through the late summer
leaping from the terrace to catch Jil will quickly
air. White flowers adorn the long tables, where the
realize this is a bad idea: even the most courageous
guests enjoy the choicest delicacies of the region.
adventurer can’t defy the laws of gravity.
Wine flows in abundance. The guests have gathered
in small groups on the terraces of the palatial estate, After a few moments of confusion, while the two
enjoying the refreshing breeze as they wait for the fathers heap insults on each other and take turns
ceremony to begin. The beautiful Jil is alone on blaming each other for the calamity, Turmar bursts
the top-floor terrace with her father and a priest onto the scene with another young man. It’s Jil’s
of Lilandra, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her brother, Khalaman Sendak. He has an aristocratic
future husband. and military bearing, and wears the uniform of the
elite pilots of the Satarlan Sky-Navy.

59
 It was Khalaman who introduced Eormo to Jil at
a Sky-Navy banquet. He never dreamed that their
chance meeting at the dinner party would lead to
this. In any event, if he’d had even the slightest doubt
The Serpent Bride

about the two of them, he would have intervened

immediately. Eormo is hardly worthy of his family
(Khalaman has a hard time concealing his rivalry
with Eormo, who is undoubtedly a better pilot).
The two pilots had been good friends when they’d
first met, as they shared the same passion for aerial
combat. But over time their friendship soured as
each tried to outdo the other in the air. Their fierce
rivalry left no room for friendship. They rarely saw
each other anymore.
Eormo often spoke of his native village in the
Qush jungle on the banks of the Oom River. It’s
a two-week march north of Oomis. His tribesmen,
Turmar is apoplectic. He immediately asks the called the Shanis, are mainly hunters who, according
Heroes (as he knows full well how capable and to Eormo, are known in the region for their fierce
adventurous they are) to bring back his fiancée at bravery and unrivalled prowess in hand-to-hand
any price. Jil’s kidnapping is an affront both to him combat. One evening, Eormo had also explained to
and to Jil’s family. Their honour is at stake! Thanks him how all the Shanis had a visceral attachment
to the immense fortune and influence of the two to their village, and that according to their customs,
families, they’ll quickly make arrangements and find they had to return to their homeland to be wed.
a sky-boat to chase down the fugitives. Khalaman
The PCs can also try to gather more information
will pilot the vessel. If the Heroes can bring back his
from the guards and from Jil’s entourage. Turmar’s
betrothed, Turmar promises them the girl’s weight
family and the priest of Lilandra were of course
in rare gems from the Plains of Klaar. Khalaman
completely unaware of the girl’s plans.
quickly adds that the Sendak family will also be
most generous in their display of thanks. - If they interrogate the guards on the terrace, the
guards will say that it was Jil herself who told them
While they wait for the sky-boat to arrive,
not to let anyone in, claiming she wanted to be alone
Khalaman says that he knows who carried off his
before the ceremony. She’d paid each of them a tidy
sister: he saw who threw down the rope to Jil. The
sum and insisted that no one was to enter, even if it
instigator of this spectacular crime is none other
meant using force. After being so handsomely paid,
than Eormo, a muscle-bound hothead from the
the guards had blindly followed orders.
jungle of Qush who joined the Satarlan army a few
years back. He’s the same age as Khalaman, around - If they ask the members of her immediate
twenty. After joining the army, Eormo quickly entourage, such as her old, half-deaf governess
made a name for himself thanks to his prowess Enaelle or her faithful servant Daliluna (have
and valour. Despite his humble origins, he was the PCs make a Demanding [-2] appeal Task Roll
allowed to join the elite fighting men of the Sky- for the governess and an Easy [+1] roll for the
Navy about a year ago in recognition of the great handmaiden, who’s willing to help), they’ll learn
bravery he showed in combat. The young barbarian that Jil and Eormo had been meeting in secret
once again showed his worth, as he proved to be an for months. Jil had made Daliluna her confidante,
excellent pilot and particularly courageous. telling her that one day Eormo would take her to

60
 The Serpent Bride
his village, where they would be married according
to the customs of his people. But Eormo had only
Thunder and Lightning
There’s no more time to waste. At enormous
decided very recently to kidnap her, due to Turmar’s
expense, the two families were able to quickly
marriage proposal. In a hushed voice, Daliluna will
locate a sky-boat and the Heroes must take off
also reveal that Jil told her Eormo’s tribe worshipped
immediately if they want to find Jil before nightfall!
serpents, and had built an enormous temple in their
(For more information about Satarlan sky-boats,
village devoted to snakes.
see BoL, page 78).
Once the PCs are satisfied with all they’ve learned
The tension is thick for the first few hours on
and have recovered their gear (or have asked for
the sky-boat. There’s no trace of Eormo and the
more weapons), it will be time to get on board the
skies are growing menacingly dark. Looks like a
sky-boat piloted by Khalaman, who’ll now arrive
summer storm is approaching! The boat remains
looking for our courageous adventurers. Turmar has
on a northwest heading and, after a few hours, they
had ample provisions prepared for their journey:
finally make out the silhouette of a sky-boat on
plenty of water and three bags of food if their quest
the horizon. The duel between the two rival pilots
should prove long. He’ll also give them a map of
can now begin, and Khalaman and his two crew
the region, which has been annotated by Khalaman.
members work up a sweat as they try to intercept
It should now be clear to the Heroes what’s in the rogue boat. The chase continues as the dark
store for them: if they don’t manage to catch up to clouds gather and the sun sinks below the horizon.
Eormo’s sky-boat, there’s a good chance that he’ll The first drops of rain splatter against the ship, and
seek refuge in his village, where he’ll then be able quickly transform into hail stones. Thunder roars
to wed his beautiful bride in accordance with the and the dark skies are split asunder again and again
customs of his people. by flashes of lightning. They continue to gain altitude

61
 and Khalaman won’t hear any talk of turning back or they can use past experiences or their origins), the
or trying to land, now that their objective is so close! PCs will realize that the storm has blown them way
But their pursuit comes crashing to a halt when a off course: they’re now in the Plains of Klaar. They’ll
lightning bolt strikes the prow of the sky-boat and have to head west and ford the Oom River to look
The Serpent Bride

fries a member of the flight crew. The vessel spirals for the village of the Shanis (assuming of course that
out of control and begins to plummet towards the Eormo made it home safely: but don’t they say that
ground...the end of their wild chase is near. Piandra smiles on the brave of heart?).

After The Crash The Hunt for Jil

The Heroes awake in the morning in a small Sunny skies have returned, and the Heroes spend
clearing. The sky-boat has been severely damaged. the first day walking through the shifting sands,
The lightning has ripped a gash through the which are more or less dry. They reach grasslands
allanium hull and the vessel’s out of commission. at the end of the day, where high grasses, yellowed
Debris is strewn about and the smell of ozone fills by the sun, sway in the hot, dusty wind. To break
the air. The electrical discharge has robbed the hull up the monotony of another uneventful day spent
of its normal lustre and its alchemical properties. crossing the Plains of Klaar, use the table below to
The Heroes soon discover Khalaman’s lifeless body force a random encounter. You can roll a die or pick
impaled on a small tree. One of the crew members whichever one you prefer.
has been crushed beneath the boat, and the other one
At the end of the afternoon, the Heroes hear a
is nowhere to be found—he must have been thrown
low thundering sound far off in the distance. It gets
overboard. The adventurers have miraculously
louder and louder and soon they can see a hundred
survived, but they’re a bit shaken up after the crash
or so bouphons (see BoL, page 103) barrelling down
landing; each PC takes d6L of damage, ignoring
on them. The reasons behind the stampede aren’t
armour.
clear, but the PCs won’t have time to mull it over if
They’re in a vast, sandy marsh, with a smattering they want to save their skins. Taking to their heels
of vegetation scattered around them. A few clusters would appear to be the only reasonable solution!
of thorny shrubs dot the landscape. After quickly After a quick look around, they’ll see a large rock
getting their bearings (you can have them make a sticking out of the bush about a half mile away. It
mind Task Roll if someone has an appropriate career, could offer them shelter.

The Heroes stumble upon what looks to be the ruins of a former guard tower. After carefully
picking through the rubble, the PCs will find an ancient rune-inscribed axe. Strange... its blade
1 is still razor sharp (alchemical weapon; reroll any result of 1 when rolling damage; only one
reroll allowed). A skittering hand (see BoL, page 130), the only cursed remains of the axe’s
previous owner, will then sneak into the thief ’s gear to try to retrieve its weapon.
The cries of a young elasmotherium attract the attention of the Heroes. It’s been abandoned by its
2 mother and is scared out of its wits. It will be extremely hostile to anyone who crosses its path (see
BoL, page 109 with a lifeblood of 25).
A group of 2d6H parvaluses (see BoL, page 116) are drinking tranquilly at a watering hole.
3
Wild parvaluses can be very jittery and it will take a Demanding (-4) Task Roll to catch one.
A gaggle of d6-3 (1) azhdarkhos (see BoL, page 101) have been circling ominously overhead,
4
and will swoop down to attack if the PCs should ever drop their guard!
5 An andrak (see BoL, page 101) decides that the Heroes could be a tasty treat.
6 The half-eaten body of a dead Blue Giant lies rotting in the sun...
62
The Nomad Ruins
At the top of the stairs they’ll find a wide open
As the Heroes scamper towards the only
terrace with a triangle carved in the stone floor.
outcropping offering shelter from the rampaging
Small urns holding burning coals have been placed
herd, they’ll quickly realize that the “rock” is in
at each corner. In the centre of the triangle lies an
fact a rectangular block at least 25 feet tall, which
enormous body covered by a shroud made of tanned
appears to have been sculpted from a smooth, black
pelts. Around the triangle, three Blue Nomads are
obsidian-like stone. As the bouphons get closer,
seated with their legs crossed.
the reason for the stampede becomes all too clear;
a pack of venators (see BoL, page 125) is hot on The Heroes have arrived right in the middle of
their heels. The PCs need to quickly take shelter. a funeral ceremony: Kalzo, Venik and Tol have
A set of stairs leading to the top of the structure come to the nomadic vestiges to mourn one of
has been carved out of one corner. The climb up will their brethren killed in combat. According to their
be slow-going as each step is almost two feet tall. customs, the Blue Giants must first abstain from
As the Heroes sweat and curse, they’ll be able to eating or drinking for three days, then from sleeping
see through clouds of dust the hordes of venators for another three days, and finally from speaking for
harrying their prey. Of course, it’s entirely possible the last three days. The idea is to accompany the
that a few of the predators will see the Heroes and deceased into a world where the senses have lost
stop by to greet them before they reach the top of their meaning. The body is then left atop the ruins
the stone block… to be devoured by scavengers.

63
 the Heroes for having respected their ceremony.
He’ll then invite them to share their fire at their
encampment in a nearby dale. Once they arrive, he’ll
explain why they couldn’t speak and the meaning
The Serpent Bride

behind the funeral ceremony. If they ask him about

Eormo, or more specifically about the Shanis, Tol
will have a lot of useful information for them.
Note to GM: If for one reason or another the
PCs leave the ruins without talking to the nomads
(which is very important for the adventure), they’ll
then run across the Blue Giants’ encampment
later on, as it’s not far from the vestiges. A young
Blue Giant named Bork, the son of Kalzo, has
grown restless back at the camp waiting for the
interminable ceremony to end. He’ll explain to the
PCs that the ceremony will soon be over, and will
invite them to keep him company until Tol comes
back for a talk around the fire.
W Tol only knows the Shanis by reputation.
It’s a warlike tribe, known for their savagery and
the barbaric way they treat their enemies killed in
combat (see text box “The Shanis,” page 65).
The Heroes have arrived on the final day of the
W Tol knows exactly where their village is, and
ceremony, which will end at sundown. The nomads
he’ll give the PCs a few waypoints to look out for
will show no signs of hostility, but will refuse to
along the way. Luckily for them, the Oom River is
break their silence. They’ll gently push back anyone
nearby and once they reach its banks the following
who tries to get too close or speak to them. However,
day, it will only be about a half-day’s journey
if any of the PCs should try to take a peek under the
upstream to reach the Shani territory. The village is
shroud, the Blue Giants will quickly intervene and
on the opposite bank, hidden in the jungle not far
lose their cool: it’s absolutely forbidden to touch the
from the river. They should be able to see the top
deceased. If the PCs insist, the giants will use their
of the Shanis’ black-stone temple rising above the
spears to hold them at bay and force them back down
jungle canopy.
the stairs—without ever uttering a word, of course.
But if the PCs show respect and don’t interrupt the W People say in these parts that the Shanis
ceremony, the eldest of the three nomads will make worship a snake god in their temple. Tol doesn’t
gestures indicating that they must remain quiet and know anything about their religion, although he
are welcome to sit down and wait until the end of does know they jealously guard their sanctuary,
the ceremony. which is forbidden to outsiders.
After the funeral rites have been completed, the A merchant by nature, Tol will try to sell them
old nomad and his brethren will rise to their feet some medicinal plants (Improved Senses potion;
and, after a final gesture of farewell to the deceased, see BoL page 139) and a flask filled with water from
will head down the stairs and beckon to the Heroes the Hyrdral Chasm that has miraculous powers
to follow. The old giant, whose name is Tol, is (Appearance of Youth potion; see BoL, page 140). If
the shaman of the Kavaars, a small tribe of Blue anyone has been hurt, he’ll offer to take care of their
Nomads. He’ll finally break his silence and thank wounds (he has a healer career rank of 2).

64
Off to The Temple cauldron contains four doses of ferocine, which the
This part of the journey is uneventful. The Heroes Heroes may be able to steal). An attentive PC may
will reach the western bank of the Oom River late be surprised by the many different ethnic origins of

The Serpent Bride

the next morning, and will soon be able to make out the women in the village, and also by the absence of
the imposing silhouette of the temple through the any small children (see “The Worshipers of S’pyrr,”
canopy of lush foliage. page 67).
Crocators (see BoL, page 106) are common in The village is guarded all day long by six tribesmen
these parts. Three of them will attempt a surprise (warriors, toughs), including two guarding the
attack on the Heroes when they’re at the river bank river bank who may intercept the Heroes if they
(Priority Roll with a -1 modifier). Crossing the arrive during the day and don’t take any special
river, which is about fifty feet wide, can also be a precautions. The other tribesmen of fighting age
risky business. The Shanis use two small rafts roped (about twenty hunters) are roaming about in the
between the banks to make their crossings. The PCs nearby plains and jungle looking for ways to slake
can use them as well, but may prefer other means to their thirst for violence.
avoid the risk of being discovered. They could float
across on one of the logs washed up along the bank,
or the more courageous may simply swim. In this
case they could hang on to a rope or a vine to make
The Shanis
it easier. The entrance to Eormo’s village is about a The Shani tribe has been living at the edge of the Qush
hundred yards east of the river. jungle since time immemorial. The tribe was first gathered
together by S’pyrr, a Slorth (see BoL, page 86) who has
The Shani Village survived down through the ages. The putrid creature
reigns supreme over the village, and has established the
The village is surrounded by a solid palisade about cult of the serpent in commemoration of her origins.
seven feet high, made of sharpened bamboo stalks. S’pyrr lives in the temple, an ancient structure revered
There’s only one entrance. About twenty huts, made by the snake-worshipping tribesmen.
of branches and woven thatch, are grouped together
The Shanis adorn themselves with tattoos of interwoven
around a central square. None of the huts is bigger
snakes, and their preferred weapon is the assegai, a long
or fancier than the others (the tribe is a communal
wooden javelin. One charming custom of the tribe is that
society, with no designated leader). The priests live
each warrior keeps tied to his waist a small leather pouch
in the sanctuary with their divinity, S’pyrr. There are
to collect the teeth of his enemies. Yanking out the dead
about a hundred people in all, including the village
man’s teeth symbolises that he’s been shut up once and
and the sanctuary (with around thirty warriors and
for all. Renowned for their savagery, they spread terror
fifteen priests).
amongst the other tribes in the region on their never-
When the Heroes arrive at the village, around ending quest to satiate their voracious thirst for blood and
thirty of the Shanis are busily preparing for some violence. The men of the tribe consume a liquor made from
sort of ceremony. They’re mainly women, young a sacred plant, ferocine, on a regular basis, which only
adults and old people (rabble). In the square, the adds to their belligerent nature.
women are roasting what appears to be suckling
feral pigs, while the young villagers make garlands
out of bright purple flowers (see the text box
“Ferocine,” page 66). Off in one corner, two women
are tending to a cauldron over a small fire. Under
the instructions of a priest, they’re preparing
the infamous ferocine liquor (note to GM: the

65
 All the villagers have been informed of Jil’s “kidnapping,” and will be In any case, if the PCs get too
extremely wary of any strangers. If asked about Jil or Eormo, they’ll avoid nosey the villagers will quickly
the question, saying that they’re too busy preparing a religious festival to clam up and start reaching for
receive the blessings of their divinity for the upcoming hunting season. their weapons. The Shanis won’t
The Serpent Bride

Strangers are strictly forbidden from entering the temple. be willing to negotiate either.
They don’t want any strangers
in their village and the warriors,
who are high on ferocine, will
immediately attack if the PCs
don’t skedaddle. The six guards
on duty, along with some of the
villagers (about a dozen women
and young adults will join the
S'pyrr's battle), will fight to the death.
Sanctuary
Their devotion is absolute, and
D A it’s unthinkable for them that
any outsiders should disturb the
C peace in their village—especially
B now, as they prepare for the
sacred wedding ceremony. So
it’s more than likely that if the
Oom River
PCs just barge into the village,
it will quickly turn into a blood
Shani Village bath. Once they reach the Shani
village, the PCs will have one day
at the most before the first band
of about ten hunters return for
the marriage, which will make
the situation even trickier!

Ferocine
Ferocine is a rare vine that only grows in the jungles to the west of the Plains of Klaar.
However, it’s easy to identify by its small purple flowers and slightly sweet fragrance.
It can be distilled to make a bright purple liquor that is greatly prized by the barbarians.
Once ingested, it fills the drinker with a violent rage: for one scene they’ll have the
Fearless and War Cry boons. After d6+2 uses, the user will become addicted and
contract the Cravings flaw. It’s easy to identify regular users by their purple tongue
and the purplish gleam in their eyes—and of course because they’ll probably try
to rip your head off! Among the Shanis, only the men, and in particular the
warriors and hunters, are permitted to consume the flowers of the vine,
which has the same sinuous shape as their divinity. To provoke
religious ecstasy, certain Shanis even mix ferocine in the ink for
their tattoos. They’re then permanently in an altered state
and will slowly go mad. Ferocine is lethal at high doses.

66
The Worshipers of S’pyrr
Slorths are strange creatures spawned ages ago in deranged experiments by the Sorcerer-Kings, say the
ancient legends. The specimen that resides in the temple strayed far from her homelands to the South, but
decided nonetheless to establish a community to the west of the Plains of Klaar. She quickly opted for
the Shanis. Their bravery in combat and devoutness made them the perfect servants. S’pyrr is completely
fascinated by humans, and in particular by their need for love—that mysterious emotion which will always
remain foreign to her. She can never reproduce because no male Slorths were ever created. Over the years,
lulled into somnolence by her solitude and tormented by the injustice of her creators, she has become obsessed
by the mysterious rite of love, leading to the construction of a temple dedicated to the physical and symbolic
union between men and women. Each floor of the temple symbolizes the pathway to be followed by the man
and woman towards their shared destiny as husband and wife.
Over the ages, she has made it the Shanis’ religious duty to be wed in her temple, and also to entrust their
children to her until their tenth birthday. The Shanis consider it an honour to grow up and take their first
steps under the protective eye of their divine priestess S’pyrr. To keep her cult alive, S’pyrr has the Shanis raise
snakes in the sanctuary for their religious ceremonies, and also encourages them to add new tribe members
(which partially explains Eormo’s act and the many different ethnic origins amongst the women villagers).

The Sanctuary of S’pyrr

The Sanctuary of S’pyrr lies in the heart of the intruders found inside the walls. The children will
dense jungle, about a hundred yards away from the scamper away to tell the adults what they’ve seen,
village (see map). It is surrounded by a stone wall while the priests and warriors will immediately
about ten feet high (Hard [-1] agility Task Roll sound the alarm and launch a fierce attack.
to climb the wall). The main entrance is guarded
At night, the children sleep in building (C),
day and night by two warriors (toughs). During
together with most of the priests. The six warriors
the day, an additional four warriors protect the
take turns on guard duty during the night, two by
holy grounds (two on duty in front of one of the
two. They guard the front entrance and perform
sanctuary buildings [B], and two on patrol duty).
regular rounds inside the sanctuary. The four
Fifteen priests live inside the sanctuary, where they remaining off-duty guards sleep in the building
serve S’pyrr and raise the small children entrusted with the priests and the children.
to their care (see below). They wear ceremonial garb
Inside the enclosure, the temple (A) rises
(long purple gowns decorated with black serpent
majestically from the centre of a large esplanade
figures) and a white gem around their necks. They
paved with flagstones. It’s an enormous pyramid
constantly walk around inside the enclosure during
made of black rock, about fifty feet tall. The temple
the day, whispering prayers and performing diverse
only has one entrance on the south side, with
religious rites or chores. But what’s most surprising
steps leading up to a porch. A few slender murder
are the twenty or so small children who play and run
holes can be seen on the sides, and on the north
around inside the walls (the oldest look to be about
face, a large terrace extends out from the top of the
ten years old). Their playful and carefree laughter is
pyramid. The walls at its base are decorated with bas-
in sharp contrast to the austere nature of the place.
reliefs of snakes in battle scenes; probably images
The sanctuary is forbidden to all except the from some long-forgotten era. One of the figures
Shanis and all the people living inside the sanctuary, included in several scenes will especially attract the
including the children, will react violently to any Heroes’ attention: a snake-like creature with the

67
 face of a woman sculpted in white marble. Above dangerous enemy who’ll do anything to protect its
these decorations, the walls of the pyramid are eggs and spawn. Anyone who gets too close to the
completely smooth, without the slightest handhold. edge of the pit will have to make a successful agility
Scaling the wall to reach the terrace will require two + defence Task Roll (you can add -2 for a failed
The Serpent Bride

successful Demanding (-4) climbing Task Rolls in a Priority Roll if you want) to avoid a surprise attack
row, with no place to attach a rope or a hook before from the snake, which will then pull the Hero down
reaching the terrace. Obviously this option won’t be into the pit. Once in the pit, it’s a fight to the death.
very tempting for the PCs. Each round, the miserable PC will also need a
successful agility Task Roll to avoid being bitten by
The sanctuary also includes three other buildings
the other snakes (see the stats of the sacred snake,
at ground level. They’re made of the same black
page 74). At night, the building is left unguarded.
stone as the pyramid and are copiously decorated
with the same motifs, in which the snake with a - The living quarters of the priests in building
woman’s head is omnipresent. (C) contain about a dozen cells arranged around a
small courtyard. This is where the priests meditate
- Building (B) is a small pyramid, a miniature
or quietly study their sacred tomes during the day.
copy of the main one. Only the priests are allowed
At night they use eight of the rooms as a communal
to enter and the door is protected by two beefy
dormitory shared with the guards. The last five
guards armed with massive halberds (toughs).
rooms house about twenty children. The older
Inside, a humongous snake, as black as onyx, dozes
ones pore over ancient moth-eaten books, while
in its pit. This is the nesting area for the spawning
the youngest sleep in bunk beds. In the centre of
serpent that provides the Shanis with a steady
the cloister is a white marble statue, about ten feet
supply of snakes. The air inside the building is
tall, representing a snake with a woman’s head. It
unbearable, heavy with the suffocating odour of
has two magnificent emeralds for eyes, which only
incense burning round the clock and the putrefied
further accentuate the immaculate whiteness of the
stench of the offerings brought by the priests (which
marble face.
range from a simple garland of flowers to suckling
pigs thrown in alive to feed the snake). Normally - Lastly, a large covered hall (D) sits in the
the place is empty, as the priests only come to leave northwest corner of the enclosure. This is where
offerings and quickly mutter a brief prayer. Once a the priests gather to talk over theological questions,
month, they recover the new snake hatchlings and to eat, or to nap on rudimentary mats during the
distribute them around the village and in the main hottest hours of the day. This building is always
temple. The female snake may be sleepy, but it’s a empty after nightfall.

68
S’pyrr’s Temple (A)
Ground Floor
The temple is a holy place and the entrance is

The Serpent Bride

left unguarded. Steps lead up to a massive double
door made of bronze, which opens into a front
hall (1). Two doors, one on each side of the hall,
lead to twin ritual chambers, each containing a
large bath that fills most of the room (2). This is Ground
where the betrothed and the funeral processions Floor
come to purify themselves prior to any ceremonies.
A magnificent mosaic that lines the entire bath can
be seen through the crystal-clear, lightly perfumed
water. As usual, the overriding theme is snakes. In
the far corner of each basin, three steps lead to a door
that opens onto a wide deck (3) above a shallow pit
teeming with hundreds of small black snakes (4).
Words in the Lemurian dialect have been carved
into the southern wall, reminding the readers Second
that the lives of the future bride and groom must Floor
begin by overcoming many hardships in solitude:
“Alone, before their union” (a). More stairs (b)
lead down to the underground level. On the lintel
above this staircase, a second inscription reads “To
earth forever.” The gloomy light, low ceiling and
hissing snakes all create an oppressive atmosphere.
A walkway, only about a foot wide, crosses over the
snake pit and ends at a second platform (5) at the
far end of the room. On the western wall of this
Top Floor
platform, a staircase leads up to the second floor.

The Backstairs and

S’pyrr’s Cave
The backstairs (6) are used to gain access to the
temple terrace without having to go through the
rooms reserved for the sacred rites. These stairs can
be reached through a secret door (c) at the back
of the temple, which is cleverly hidden in the bas-
reliefs that decorate the base of the pyramid. Unless
a PC happens to be looking for a secret passage at S'pyrr's
this exact spot (Demanding [-4] mind Task Roll),
no one will find the hidden door. The priests use
these stairs when they visit S’pyrr and bring her
Temple
children to keep her company. The newlyweds
also descend these stairs following the wedding
Underground
ceremony to leave the temple and begin their new
life together.

69
The Serpent Bride

S’pyrr uses the backstairs when she comes down gleaming blue metal alloy. A complex mechanism at
from the terrace to sleep in her lair (7). At the its base goes down into the floor. Clear water flows
bottom of the stairwell, hidden behind a heavy into two small fountains on each side of the scale
curtain (d), a dark tunnel has been dug in the clay (f ). A finely-sculpted long handled vase made of
soil beneath the foundation of the temple. It’s about alabaster sits on the floor next to each fountain. The
a hundred yards long and leads to S’pyrr’s cave. sloped southern wall contains another inscription:
A determined Hero who’s not afraid of crawling “Always equals” (g). When the two platters of the
through the dark, dank tunnel will eventually arrive scale are balanced (by pouring water into them from
at a small cave furnished only with a simple mat the vases, which are intended for this very purpose),
made out of branches where the Slorth spends most the rack and pinions will begin to grind beneath the
of her time dozing when she’s not needed for the scales and a door to the stairs (h) leading up to the
religious ceremonies. A small bronze gong hanging third floor will open automatically.
at the bottom of the stairs is used by the priests to
So the players will really need to use their eyes
summon S’pyrr from her lair when they need her in
and their wits to figure out the enigma. The two
the temple.
platters don’t weigh exactly the same, which is why
Almost all the Shanis know about the backstairs they’re unbalanced. Attentive PCs will note the
and the secret door (many of the warriors may have marks of evaporation and rust on the platters, left
used it at their own wedding ceremony, and the by all the water that’s been poured into them over
priests and children are constantly clambering up the years (each time a new couple is presented to
and down), but they’ll refuse to reveal the secret, S’pyrr for her to bless their union). To get to the top
even under torture, as that would be blasphemy and floor, the Heroes will have to pour water into the
treason. As for the Slorth’s lair, no Shani has ever platters to balance the scales—or smash down the
entered it. The subject is taboo for them and they’ll door, which is held shut be a massive iron bar. It will
never dare mention it. be long and noisy work, requiring a Formidable (-6)
Strength Task Roll, or they’ll have to inflict 20
Second Floor damage points with the appropriate weapon
The second floor is a single room in the form of (an axe or mace, for example). Once the couple
a cross (8), illuminated by natural lighting filtered seeking S’pyrr’s benediction has passed through
through four murder holes. In the centre of the the doorway, a priest will empty the water from the
room sits a gigantic weighing scale (e) made of a platters, causing the door to close behind them.

70
Top Floor
Once the system has been activated on the second The ceremony is quite lengthy so it probably
floor, the Heroes will be able to enter the room on won’t matter if the PCs barge in during the day
the top floor, which also is in the form of a cross or at night: they’ll be considered party crashers

The Serpent Bride

(9). The room contains two large blocks made of in any case. When they enter the terrace, they’ll
smooth black marble (i). Each one is a cube, with see Jil and Eormo kneeling in front of S’pyrr to
a dimension of about three feet. They’re separated receive her blessing as part of the sacred wedding
by a space of about 18 inches. A bas-relief on the rites to seal their eternal union. According to Shani
south wall bears the inscription “United forever” (j). tradition, S’pyrr is accompanied by four children,
Facing it is a securely locked double door (k) that who are curled up lovingly in her coils. Eormo will
opens onto the terrace. This door will only open if go berserk when he sees the intruders, and since
the two marble blocks have been pushed together he’s high on ferocine he’ll fight it out to the death!
(Easy [+1] Strength roll). When the two cubes touch, S’pyrr will use the more subtle arts of witchcraft,
a mechanism is activated and the door slowly grinds and cast spells to freeze the Heroes in their tracks.
open. It’ll remain open for a few minutes, and then The Slorth will also be quite an adversary in a melee.
slowly close again as the two blocks of stone return She’s quick as lightning and venom flows through
to their initial position. her needle-sharp fangs. She’s so confident in her
superiority that she’ll fight alongside Eormo until
Terrace the very end. Jil will take cover behind the throne
During the day, the view from the terrace (10) during the fighting. If she gets the feeling that
is breathtaking: to the west, the lush and verdant her beloved is doomed, she’ll kill herself with her
jungle stretches away to the horizon; to the east, dagger—a gift from her boyfriend on the day they
the River Oom forms a natural boundary with the
vast Plains of Klaar; and along the misty northern
horizon can be seen the snowy peaks of the Axos
Mountains. A low parapet surrounds the terrace,
where S’pyrr lies curled up on soft cushions on
her throne—a sort of long divan made of exotic
wood, with sculpted wooden snakes for feet. Next
to the throne is a small column, about four feet
tall, made of black stone. Atop the column sits a
skull, worn smooth with time; this is the skull of
the Sorcerer-King who originally created S’pyrr.
The necromancer’s skull still has eyes in its sockets,
and they’re in perfect condition! The piercing eyes
gleam with hatred and swivel sickeningly in their
sockets to follow the movements of anyone in their
The Skull of S’pythan
field of view. The skull of S’pythan, the Sorcerer-King who
created S’pyrr, has long been one of the Slorth’s
Bedding has been laid out on the floor in the
treasured possessions. The skull has turned a pale
southwest corner of the terrace, next to a small table
ivory colour over the years, and still has living
holding some food. This is where the fiancés sleep
eyes, which can move like those of a normal
during the ceremony. It lasts several days and they
person. Its chilling gaze is filled with hate.
must always remain in the presence of S’pyrr (who
looks on hungrily while the newlyweds consummate This rare object could be sold for a hefty price—
their marriage). if anyone is stupid or crazy enough to buy such
a relic! Any PC tempted to take the skull will
be afflicted with the flaws Unsettling and Cursed
whenever the skull is in on their person.

71
The Serpent Bride

met. The little brats will clutch at the Heroes’ legs Underground
to stop them from harming their protective mother The underground level (11) is a vast room carved
and the young lovers. Whenever a child is close out of the living rock. This is where the priests
to one of the PCs’ targets, add a -2 penalty to the perform the funeral rites. In the centre of the
Hero’s Attack Roll. If the roll’s unsuccessful, have room sits what appears to be a crude altar, made
them roll a 1d6: if they roll a 1 they hit the child of roughly hewn white marble (l). This is where
(rabble). The ruckus up on the terrace might attract the priests place the body of the deceased. Around
the attention of the two guards making their the altar are five braziers which contain a mixture
rounds (and/or a few priests), who’ll then race up of burning sticks, vines (ferocine) and snake skins
the backstairs to rescue their earthly goddess. that give off an acrid smoke. This mortuary chamber
is in fact the entranceway to a vast underground
Once the dust has settled on the terrace, the
network under the dominion of six necrophages
PCs will notice a bright light off to the northwest,
(see BoL, page, 130) that collect the dead and
flickering through the fronds of the dense jungle
disappear with the bodies. Any Heroes who should
vegetation; this is sunlight (or moonlight) reflecting
venture underground are in danger of rousing the
off the allanium hull of the sky-boat used by Eormo
interest of these foul guardians, who won’t resist the
to kidnap Jil. It’s two or three hundred yards from
temptation of tasting some fresh meat for once.
the village as the crow flies, and was only hastily
covered up by a few palm fronds. Large sections S’pyrr has no access to this part of the temple.
of the metallic hull are clearly visible. If the PCs Death is a concept of no interest to her. It’s the priests
go take a look, they’ll find the sky-boat moored to who preside over the funeral ceremonies: they bring
the ground with ropes; it’s in perfect condition and the dead bodies in through the main entrance (1)
ready for takeoff ! after having gone through the purification baths (2).

72
Conclusion Attributes Combat Abilities
The Heroes will only have a slim chance of
Strength 2 Initiative 0
bringing Jil back to Satarla alive. Life without Agility 1 Melee 1
Eormo is inconceivable for her, and the idea of

The Serpent Bride

Mind 0 Ranged 1
remaining alive without her beloved at her side is Appeal -1 Defence 0
absurd. As this doomed love story sadly reminds
us, there may be a grain of truth in that old saying Careers
so popular among the old crones of Satarla, “Love Barbarian 1 Hunter 1
stories always end in sadness.” So the Heroes may Protection: None
have to return from their adventure all alone in the Weapons: Assegai d6L +1 (range incr. 20’),
sky-boat—if they find it, that is (see page 72). And spear d6+2
the most difficult part of the entire adventure might Points
be explaining it all to Turmar: Jil’s death will have Lifeblood 8
dashed his most cherished dream of becoming a
member of the Satarlan aristocracy...and let’s not Note to GM: Each Shani warrior normally keeps
forget that his future brother-in-law died during the a dose or two of ferocine with him (see text box,
chase...and oh, there’s also the wrecked sky-boat... page 66).
Well, the heroes could always try to make amends
by revealing the secret powers of the ferocine
liquor to Turmar: he could sing its virtues to the
Priests (toughs)
city’s authorities to help solidify Satarla’s military There are 15 priests. When the Heroes reach the
supremacy. But when you think about it, why even village, only one priest is there to help concoct the
bother flying back to Satarla when you have a flying ferocine liquor. The other priests spend nearly all
machine that’s worth its weight in gold? their time in the sanctuary with the children and
S’pyrr. They take the hidden backstairs to go to the
terrace, but they’ll never reveal its existence to the
PCs: such an act of betrayal would be punished in
Cast of Characters the most horrifying manner imaginable by S’pyrr.
The Shani priests never marry and never consume
ferocine.
The Three Blue Giants Attributes Combat Abilities
There’s very little risk of a fight breaking out with Strength 0 Initiative 0
the Blue Giants. If tempers do flare, use the statistics Agility 0 Melee 1
for the Karvoona Nomads and their shaman in the Mind 2 Ranged 0
Mythic Edition of BoL (page 187). Appeal 0 Defence 1
Careers
The Shanis Barbarian 1 Priest 1

Warriors (toughs) Protection: None

Weapons: Dagger d6L
There are a total of 32 Shani warriors. Six warriors Points
guard the village, six others guard the sanctuary, and Lifeblood 5
two groups of ten are roaming about in the Plains
of Klaar, hunting game and looking for excuses to
Note to GM: S’pyrr is not really a divinity, so her
kick some ass.
priests can’t gain any Fate Points.

73
 The other villagers: The snake pit: any Heroes who tangle with
the snake in its pit (see Building B of the Shani
women, young adults, sanctuary) must make a Moderate (0) agility Task
children (rabble) Roll at the start of each round. If successful, they’ll
The Serpent Bride

avoid being bitten by the spawns of the giant reptile.

Careers If they blow the roll, they’ll automatically lose 1
Barbarian 1 point of lifeblood per round (ignoring armour) and
add a penalty die for all strength Rolls to withstand
Protection: None
the effects of the sacred serpent’s venom. If they get
Weapons: d3 or fists 1
bit more than once by the little snakes, they’ll lose
Points 1 point of lifeblood for each bite, but there’ll be no
Lifeblood 1 other effects.

Traits: Horde rules (see BoL, page 157).

Eormo (villain)
The Sacred Serpent With his dark skin and sharply-cut features,
Eormo has the severe and handsome looks of a
(villain, Building B of the true warrior. The young man’s muscular body is
sanctuary) covered with tattoos of interlacing snakes. His eyes
According to the legends, the humongous snake have a slightly purple gleam due to the ferocine he
nesting in S’pyrr’s sanctuary was born of an egg consumes on a regular basis.
brought back by a mariner from a tragic shipwreck
on the Island of Metunga. S’pyrr’s snake would Attributes Combat Abilities
appear to be somewhat smaller than the specimen Strength 3 Initiative 1
on the mysterious island, however. In addition to its Agility 2 Melee 2
astonishing size, the species is capable of fertilising Mind 0 Ranged 0
itself and laying eggs without needing a mate. Appeal 0 Defence 1
However, this form of reproduction only spawns Careers
small snakes, much to the chagrin of the Shanis. Barbarian 1 Hunter 1
Soldier 1 Sky-Pilot 2
Creature Size: Large.
Protection: None
Weapons: Longsword d6+3
Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength 4 Attack +1 Points
Agility 2 Damage d6H Lifeblood 15
Mind -1 Defence 1
Lifeblood 20 Protection d6-2 (2) Boons
Trademark Weapon: Eormo gets a bonus die when he
Traits: uses the longsword he inherited from his years of
Venomous bite: the snake will inject its venom service in the Satarlan army.
into any Heroes it bites (if it can pierce any armour
Hard-to-Kill: +2 added to his lifeblood (already
they may have). If they don’t succeed a Moderate
included in his stats).
(0) Strength Task Roll, they’ll become groggy (-2
modifier for all Task Rolls) for the entire scene. Flaws
If they get bit again, they’ll have to make another Cravings: For ferocine.
Strength Roll or they’ll get hit with an additional -2
Hot-Headed: Eormo is impetuous by nature, and
(-4 for all Task Rolls), and so on and so forth.
his craving for ferocine only makes matters worse.

74
 Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength 0 Initiative 1

The Serpent Bride

Agility 1 Melee 2
Mind 3 Ranged 0
Appeal 2 Defence 1
Careers
Barbarian 0 Physician 1
Scribe 2 Magician 3
Protection: 1 (thick skin)
Weapons: bite d6L + poison (see below)
Points
Arcane Power 13
Villain Points 5
Lifeblood 10

will remain groggy while the effects of the venom

last (1 hour), with a -2 Modifier for all Task Rolls
and defence.
Boons
He’ll fly into a rage and come to blows at the
Silver Tongue: S’pyrr is an expert in the art of
slightest provocation.
manipulation. She gets a bonus die whenever she
lies, cons, dupes or tricks someone.
S’pyrr (villain) Magic of the Sorcerer-Kings: S’pyrr gets a bonus die
S’pyrr has the body of a gigantic python, about whenever she uses magic.
fifteen feet long. Her pallid, iridescent skin is a sickly
Thick Skin: S’pyrr’s scaly hide adds +1 to her
white. The Slorth has a bald head and the face of a
protection.
woman with smooth skin and an indefinable age.
There is a frigid and troubling beauty about her— Flaws
fascinating rather than seductive—and something Feels the Cold: S’pyrr takes a penalty die for any tasks
inhuman about her large green eyes. Madness and undertaken in a cold environment.
cruelty gleam from their unfathomable depths.
Unprepared: Although she’s lively by nature, her
Behind her full, sensual lips are two needle-sharp
great age and years of inactivity have made S’pyrr
fangs.
somewhat lethargic. She takes a penalty die for
Traits: Priority Rolls.
Venomous bite: S’pyrr’s fangs will inject venom
Morgazzon’s Curse: Countless years spent alone in
on a successful attack inflicting damage. The victim
her temple have driven S’pyrr mad, to the point
will have to make a successful Hard (-1) strength
where she actually thinks she’s a goddess.
Roll, or else she’ll sink into a semi-comatose state
after d6L rounds and remain fast asleep for 1 hour. Obsession: S’pyrr is fascinated by coupling and
If someone roughly shakes the victim (or inflicts procreation, which are impossible for her. The
damage on her), she then gets another Hard (-1) wedding ceremonies she presides over for the Shanis
strength Roll in order to wake up. If successful, she are sacred to her, and she considers any intrusion to
can jump back into the action in the next round, but be highly sacrilegious.

75
 A ready-to-play Adventure
The Tower of Ajhaskar

The Tower of Ajhaskar

Adventure Overview
The wizard Ajhaskar, trusted advisor to King Colmus of Lysor, has not shown his face at court for many
days. Servants were dispatched to his tower with a royal summons, but once they passed through the
wizard’s front door...they never returned. The Heroes are “asked” (or you might say “forced”) to enter the
feared magician’s lair to find out what happened to him. But they’ll soon discover that the mysterious
tower is only the beginning of their adventure...

Background
The origins of this adventure date back to ancient He named his refuge the Moon Vale, as that
times, to the era of the Return of The Sorcerer- nocturnal voyager bathed the valley in a particularly
Kings, when the evil wizards strived once again to dazzling light. He peopled the Vale with a few
spread their dominion over the world. As the battle hundred slaves, commanding them to build him a
raged against their human foes, one of the Sorcerer- palace while they awaited his return. And he ordered
Kings, Shrinazor Shamaaraz, had a premonition one of his familiars, the demon Labashaah, to
that the fates may turn against them. He used his supervise the construction and oversee his labourers.
arcane crafts to create a safe haven, hidden from the But a few years later, Shrinazor Shamaaraz and his
vicissitudes of this world. fellow sorcerers fell in the battle of Hyrdral Chasm,
sealing the fate of the Sorcerer-Kings and ushering
After many years of toil and through the use of
in the Second Age of Man.
powerful sorcery, Shrinazor was able to isolate a
small mountain vale outside the earthly realm, by Meanwhile in the Moon Vale, each new
transporting it into another space-time dimension. generation of slaves has continued to work on
In the wall of his palace in Lemuria, he encased a the palace, awaiting the return of their “Master”;
tall pewter mirror that was in fact a magic portal to revered since time immemorial. They also remain at
his otherworldly refuge, offering him an expedient the mercy of the demon Labashaah, who, like them,
means of escape if his fortunes should sour. has remained a prisoner in the valley.

76
 Many centuries have now passed. In the city of instructed his demon guardian to keep watch over
Lysor, on the Gulf of Satarla, the mysterious and his abode until he returned. In his haste, he forgot to

The Tower of Ajhaskar

powerful magician Ajhaskar resides in a black stone tell his servants to leave the tower. Then, without a
tower in the hills overlooking the city. A trusted moment’s hesitation, he passed through the mirror.
advisor to King Colmus Kavataz, as he was to his
The next day, Ajhaskar’s servants soon discovered
father before him, the wizard is both feared and
that their master was gone and that they could
respected in the city.
no longer leave the tower, which had been sealed
A few months before this adventure takes place, shut by a magic spell. After three days had gone
Ajhaskar discovered the ruins of the palace of by, a servant of the king arrived at the tower with
Shrinazor Shamaaraz in the heart of the forest on a royal summons, but neither the servant nor
the eastern edge of Festrel Swamp. Shirinazor was Ajhaskar ever appeared at court. The following day,
a Sorcerer-King of old, renowned for his arcane the king commanded one of his courtiers to fetch
knowledge. In utmost secrecy, Ajhaskar assembled a the magician, but with the same result. Fearing the
band of adventurers and labourers to clear a path to worst, Captain Dramik of the royal guard sent one
the ruins and explore them. A month ago, his men of his sergeants with an escort of soldiers to the
brought him a strange artefact they found amongst tower of Ajhaskar. They too entered the tower and
the rubble: a large pewter mirror with Sorceric never reappeared.
runes engraved on its frame.
The king demanded answers and ordered Captain
In the darkest hours of the night, as Ajhaskar Dramik to elucidate the mystery: a delicate task for
and his apprentice Robos attempted to decipher the captain, as he knew his men were terrified by
the runes on the mirror frame, an astonishing event the mere thought of entering the magician’s tower
occurred. Robos had just finished reciting the runes and would sooner be punished for mutiny than
in a new order (the sequence in which the runes obey orders. Dramik was hardly enthused by the
are read is essential) when the artefact began to idea of sacrificing any more good men, and came
glow with a strange light. Before an exclamation of up with another plan: why not “ask” a few brave
surprise could escape the apprentice’s lips, he was souls to enter the tower, without really giving them
sucked into the mirror. The runes around the mirror a choice?
pulsed with an eerie orange glow for a moment, and
then regained their appearance of ordinary metal... Prisoners!
Robos had disappeared!
The Heroes start the adventure in the jails of Lysor.
Ajhaskar’s curiosity was heightened to a fever The night before, in the tavern where our footloose
pitch: he immediately realized that the incantation and carefree adventurers were squandering their
pronounced by Robos had reanimated the mirror’s few remaining coins, a minor scuffle had turned
magical powers, and that the artefact must be a into an all-out barroom brawl. They’d been in deep
gateway of some kind. He quickly performed a discussion with Samzara, a stocky, clever-looking
divination (involving the bloody sacrifice of two little man with a thin moustache who they’d met
pigeons) to seek guidance: the omens indicated that a bit earlier. Just as he was entering into the details
the passageway through the mirror was without about a lucrative scheme of his that would require
danger, but that new perils might await him on a few hardy souls, a drunken dispute at the next
the other side. Loath to abandon his apprentice, table interrupted their discussion. Tables were soon
but above all burning with curiosity to discover being overturned and fists were flying. A brawny
what might lie beyond (who knew what treasures band of local militiamen crashed the party and
the Sorcerer-Kings may have left there?), Ajhaskar quickly cooled tempers with a few vicious strokes
quickly threw together his gear, cast powerful of their cudgels, and the Heroes were hauled off
spells to protect the tower during his absence, and to the local jail along with the other revellers from

77
 the tavern. Bruised, battered and stripped of their Samzara politely interrupts and asks the captain if
gear, they’re in a sorry state after spending a long he could please tell them the name of this esteemed
The Tower of Ajhaskar

night in the communal jail cell with the dregs of advisor who has disappeared? Dramik, taken aback,
Lysor: drunkards, cut-purses, reavers and other clears his throat uneasily before replying that it is
highwaymen. master Ajhaskar. Samzara immediately grows pale,
swallows hard and says that in that case, he prefers
There’s not much they can do except stew in their
the galleys. Dramik frowns and orders one of his
juices while they wait for the city authorities to
men to take him away. Samzara looks sheepishly
decide on their fate—the prison guards are deaf to
at the Heroes as a guard escorts him from the
their vociferous pleas. After waiting all the next day,
room, while the captain talks under his breath to
a small company of guards walk up to the cell just
his sergeant (an attentive PC might overhear part
as the sun is setting over the prison walls and release
of their conversation...the captain appears to be
the Heroes, along with Samzara.
reprimanding the sergeant: didn’t he tell him he
They’re led into a room where a dozen or so only wanted strangers, and no natives of Lysor!).
guards line the walls. At the back of the room sits
The captain turns back to the adventurers with a
a powerfully-built man in his forties on an old
dark look on his face, and reluctantly agrees to give
wooden stool. He has light brown hair and green,
them a little bit more information. He hesitates a
piercing eyes, and wears a breastplate and a sword.
moment, then informs them that Ajhaskar is...a
Everything in his bearing and his appearance
wizard, before quickly adding that he’s a very
breathes the soldier.
learned man and one of the most trusted advisors
The man on the stool quickly sizes up the Heroes, of King Colmus. He’s been missing for several days
then questions the soldier who brought them in. He but no one saw him leave his home. The men who
nods his head as his subordinate tells him about the were sent into his tower to look for him never came
brawl of the previous evening, then turns to speak back out. No one knows what’s happened to him
to the Heroes. He is Captain Dramik of the royal and they’re worried about his safety. The Heroes
guard. He tells them in no uncertain terms that must enter the tower, find out what’s going on and,
disturbing the peace in Lysor is severely punished, if Ajhaskar is still alive, convince him to answer the
that the tavern’s a wreck thanks to them, and that king’s summons without any further delay.
someone’s going to have to pay for the damages. The
If the Heroes accept the mission, the captain will
fact that they resisted arrest and exchanged blows
pardon their crimes. He also makes it clear that the
with the guards only makes their case look worse.
king, who has been very upset by the whole affair,
They’ll be sent off to the galleys as punishment and
will be extremely munificent to those who can clear
also to pay off their debts.
up the mystery.
The captain waves away the Heroes’ protests with
Let’s assume that the PCs have an adventurous
the back of his hand, and lets them mull over a six-
spirit and will accept the mission! As soon as they
month pleasure cruise on the hard benches of a
do, they are led into another room, where they’re
Lysorian galley before offering them an alternative...
given food and drink and a local healer cares for
One of the king’s most respected advisors has their cuts and bruises. Straw mats are strewn about
been missing for a few days, says the captain, and the floor where they can rest for a few hours before
they’re looking for a few “volunteers” to go to being escorted to the magician’s tower, at dawn.
his residence and figure out what’s happened to Captain Dramik also stays for a few minutes to
him. If the Heroes agree to accept the mission, answer the Heroes’ questions. He may provide them
Captain Dramik is willing to forget everything that with the following information, depending on what
happened the night before. they ask him:

78
 The Tower of Ajhaskar
W Ajhaskar is a renowned magician who was never returned and Ajhaskar failed to appear at the
also a royal advisor to the previous king, Colmus’s palace. The next morning, a royal courtier was sent
father. In the city, they call him “the andrak” to the magician’s tower, but he never returned either.
(likening him to the black lion-like beasts that A few hours later, Captain Dramik sent a patrol of
roam the Axos Mountains), not only because he has four men from the militia. They entered the tower
dark skin and thick black hair, but also because of and were never seen again.
his cat-like eyes. The wizard has certainly seen more
W The captain himself has never been inside
than seventy winters, but he’s solidly built and his
Ajhaskar’s tower, so he can’t tell them what to
hair is still black as night, without a single strand
expect. Whenever palace servants were sent to
of silver. Only the deep lines in his face betray his
summons the magician, they always remained in
age. He is esteemed as a master of the arcane arts,
the front hall, so they won’t be able to help the PCs
and his name is spoken with fear and respect by
either, if they should think of asking.
the inhabitants of Lysor. His magical powers are a
constant source of rumours in the city. W Captain Dramik will convince them that
he’s a man of his word and reiterate his promise:
W Ajhaskar lives in a tower atop a small hill
the Heroes can trust him and if they successfully
overlooking the temple district in the city. Lights
complete their mission they’ll be freed and will be
can be seen in the tower windows every night when
generously rewarded for their efforts. True, he hasn’t
the magician is home. The windows are dark when
given them much of a choice, but he has given them
he is absent, but the lights have been visible the past
a chance to become rich and famous...if they survive.
few nights.
W If any of the PCs should try to squeeze more
W Ajhaskar has a young apprentice named
information out of one of the guards after Dramik
Robos, who has blond hair and blue eyes. Dramik
leaves (or the next morning on their way to the
knows nothing else about him. The magician also
tower), they won’t learn much more, except for a few
has two servants, an old woman and a young boy.
unsettling rumours about the powers of Ajhaskar...
They also live in the tower, except when their master
like the story about a drunkard on a late-night binge
is away. Neither his apprentice nor his servants have
who began mocking the magician, raising his glass
been seen in town over the past five days.
in derisive toasts to “the black wizard” of Lysor. The
W Two days earlier, the king sent one of his man was found dead the next morning. The people
servants to summon the magician, but the servant who discovered him said his face was frozen in a

79
 rictus of abject terror, which gave them nightmares the tower windows kept burning throughout the
for many days after. It was also said that, a long time night, but no sounds were heard inside. The winds
ago, a notorious thief from Lysor had tried to break moaning through the tree branches have kept
The Tower of Ajhaskar

into the magician’s tower, which was reputed to be them on edge, and they’re sure they heard strange
impregnable. He was never heard from again. whispers in the night...
It’s time for the PCs to get ready to enter the
Off to the Tower tower (see boxed text “Enter at Your Own Risk...”).
If they decide to look around the outside of the
The guards are friendly enough with the
tower, they may learn the following:
adventurers, but keep a close eye on them. Shortly
before sunrise, a small troop of armed guards led by W The tower only has one entrance.
Sergeant Jenko shake them awake and escort them
W The windows on all three floors are tall and
out through the walls of the keep. All their gear is
narrow, almost like murder holes; no way to slip
returned to them and, if the PCs ask for additional
through here!
equipment, the guards will give them whatever they
want (within reason). W A wall of glass can be seen on the east side of
the tower on the second floor. It’s possible to scale
The Heroes are escorted through the quiet streets
the tower and break the glass, but this will require a
of Lysor as dawn breaks. The city is still asleep...
few successful Task Rolls (at the GM’s discretion).
apparently their mission is being kept under wraps.
This would provide direct access to Ajhaskar’s
They soon arrive at the foot of a small hill in the conservatory (no. 11).
heart of the city. At the top sits a hexagon-shaped
W It’s also possible (with the right equipment)
tower made of black stone. The lights that the
to climb to the top of the tower. The roof is in fact
captain mentioned are still burning in its narrow
an empty terrace. A thick metal trapdoor provides
windows.
access to the third floor stairwell, but it’s closed
The hill is covered by a copse of woods that from the inside with a sturdy lock and has been
runs right up to the foot of the tower. No other reinforced with iron bars. It cannot be unlocked
habitations have been built on the hill—not the from the outside. The only way in would be to
slightest dwelling or hut, even though no barrier break through the trapdoor, which will require the
of any kind protects the place. Quite surprising appropriate tools and several hours of hard work.
in a densely populated city like Lysor...apparently
W One of the heavy doors at the front entrance
Ajhaskar’s reputation has been enough to dissuade
is slightly open, and through the crack can be seen a
the locals from settling here.
rectangular marble hall, with black-and-white tiles
The Heroes, still under the watchful eyes of the on the floor in a geometrical pattern. The bottom
guards, climb a cobblestone path that winds through of a staircase is visible to the right of the front hall.
the trees to the top of the hill, and finally arrive at Across the hall from the entrance, there is a double
the foot of the black tower. The edifice, which has door, which is also ajar.
three floors, rises about 40 feet above their heads.
The guards have received orders to escort the
Broad steps lead up to a large front porch and the
adventurers up to the tower and make sure that
tower doors, which are slightly open.
they enter by the front door. They won’t be too keen
At the bottom of the steps, a detachment of five on any alternative solutions the PCs may propose
other guards is standing around a small brazier (such as breaking in through the large glass window
holding a few smoking coals. They’re nervous and on the second floor). The players will have to be
exhausted after having spent the entire night keeping incredibly persuasive if they don’t want to enter the
watch. There’s nothing new to report. The lights in tower through the front doors.

80
Enter at Your Own Risk...
The tower of Ajhaskar is protected by powerful spells when its owner is away. Surprisingly enough, the spells
don’t stop intruders from entering the tower: they prevent them from leaving!
Seen from the outside, the tower’s interior looks just as the PCs would expect. Through the slightly opened
front doors, an observer can see the front hall in marble, the door to the audience room, and the bottom of
the staircase. If someone enters the tower, the observers will see them walk through the front door into the
front hall and vanish from sight in one direction or the other, as if they’d walked out of the observers’ field of
view. But the person will never reappear, because what is visible from the outside is actually an illusion and
not the real interior of the tower.
When the PCs enter the tower they’ll feel a strange chill, almost as if they’ve plunged into a tub of cold
water. The feeling quickly dissipates but the intruders have now been trapped inside by powerful witchcraft.
They’re prisoners inside the tower. If they attempt to leave, they’ll be stopped by an invisible barrier blocking
the front entrance. They can see outside the tower but can hear no sounds coming from the exterior and, no
matter what they do, no one outside will be able to see or hear them.
A hero with a magician career may (after a successful mind Task Roll) gain a general understanding of how
the spell works. It’s a difficult spell to break and may, at best, be temporarily negated by casting a Second
Magnitude spell with a Demanding task modifier (-4).
The whole tower is under the spell. If the PCs should climb up the walls and look inside through the
windows, they’ll see the rooms with their actual appearance, but always empty and quiet. If they enter
the tower through the large glass window, they’ll feel the same strange chill and will not be able to escape
through the window, even if it’s broken.
Note for GM: if Ajhaskar is killed, the spell around the tower is immediately broken.

PART ONE: INSIDE THE MAGICIAN’S TOWER

1. Front Hall 2. Small Parlour
The front doors of the tower open onto a large This small parlour contains a few armchairs and
marble hall with a black-and-white geometrical a low table and is most likely a waiting room for
mosaic on the floor. To the right is an imposing visitors. A large tapestry depicting a mountain
staircase, also in marble, leading up to the second landscape hangs on the wall. There is a connecting
floor. To the left is a door to a small parlour (no. door to a corridor (no. 3).
2). Across from the front entrance, a double door
with sculpted panels made of urld (an exotic, black 3. Corridor
hardwood imported from Valgard) has been opened This long, curved hallway connects all the rooms
just a crack, slightly revealing the interior of a large on the first floor. It’s filled with shadows, only faintly
room (no. 4). On the floor, a human hand with illuminated by the pale light filtering through two
stiffly-clenched fingers extends through the opening windows in the kitchen (no. 6a).
in the doors. A dark stain has spread beneath it on
the tiles. How strange that this ghastly detail had
escaped the PCs’ attention when they were outside,
even though it should have been clearly visible from
the exterior...

81
 Steps & Porch

Windows
10 feet
The Tower of Ajhaskar

The Tower of
Ajhaskar

Basin

Stairs to
the Kitchen

1 Front Hall
2 Small Parlour
3 Corridor
4 Audience Room
5 Servants Quarters
Hidden Stairway 6a Kitchen
6b Cellar
7 Baths
8 Receiving Room
Mirror 9 Second Floor Landing
10 Sleeping Chamber
11 Conservatory
12 Ajhaskar's Apartments
13 Library
14 Robos' Bedroom
15 Magician's Laboratory

C Fireplace
F Fountain
N Noria

82
4. Audience Room
This large room has a marble floor and is lit by

The Tower of Ajhaskar

a strange, wrought-iron chandelier with small
luminescent globes on the tips of each of its
branches (more witchcraft!). A large, purple damask
curtain partially covers the back wall (and hides a
door to the corridor). On a small podium in front of
the curtain sits a sculpted wooden chair with a high
back. On each side of the chair are two andraks
sculpted in obsidian. Their raised heads have a regal
bearing. A little smaller than real andraks (they’re
about five feet long from head to tail), the impressive
sculptures are incredibly realistic.
On the floor, the body of a guard bearing the 6a. Kitchen
livery of the city of Lysor lays stretched out on his This large room contains all basic cooking
stomach in the doorway, his hand reaching out equipment: a large fireplace with a cooking pot, two
towards the exit. His back has been gouged and long tables, pots & pans and utensils. Cured meats
gored and a pool of blood has dried around the cold, and bouquets of dried herbs hang from a rafter. The
stiff body. It looks like he’s been dead for a day or southern corner of the room contains a small basin
two. The mangled bodies of three other guards also with water pouring into it from a spigot in the wall.
lay about. Blood has been splattered everywhere The water is cool and appears to be quite drinkable.
and has gathered into large pools on the floor. In the corner across from the door to the corridor,
there is a curtain hiding a small spiral staircase,
As soon as one of the PCs enter the audience
which is partially encased in the wall. The stairs go
room, before he even has time to take in all the
up to the second floor, and also lead downwards
bloodshed, the two stone andraks will come to
(to the cellar, no. 6b). The PC who discovers the
life. They’ll bare their fangs and advance, quiet and
staircase will hear a soft, squeaking sound coming
deadly, towards any intruder (see page 97).
from downstairs at regular intervals.
Note to GM: once the two stone guardians have
In the northwest corner is a small door to the
been “activated,” they’ll continue to pursue the PCs
pantry which is filled with food; bags of flour,
no matter where they go in the tower, and won’t
barrels, kegs, etc. The cook Ilda and her nephew
return to their place in the audience room until
Kurik are hiding in the pantry behind the barrels,
they’ve eliminated the intruders.
along with Otos, the king’s servant who was sent to
look for master Ajhaskar and who was then trapped
5. Servants Quarters inside the tower. Any player who rifles through the
This large, simply furnished room has four beds, a
stored goods for even a few seconds will quickly
table with two benches, two dressers and a chest. A
discover all three of them. If not, Ilda and Kurik
quick scan of the room will suffice to note that only
may come out of hiding on their own (see the text
three of the beds are being used. They’ve recently
box “Ajhaskar’s Servants” on next page).
been slept in. The dressers and the chest are filled
with men’s and women’s clothing of simple make. The PCs might be interested by a few things in the
Someone’s knitting lays across a bed. A water kitchen: a fire is crackling in the fireplace, heating
pitcher and three cups are on the table (the water a large pot filled with soup that smells extremely
looks nice and fresh, as if it’s just been poured), tasty. On the table sits the remains of recently eaten
along with some dice made of bones. A door leads pâté, along with a half-eaten piece of bread and a
to the kitchen (no. 6a). jug of beer.

83
Ajhaskar’s Servants hear anyone enter the tower (especially if they hear
Ajhaskar has a servant named Ilda, a gnarled old fighting). If no one discovers them, they may (at
woman with stringy grey hair and a pinched face. the GM’s discretion) reveal themselves to the PCs,
Her nephew Kurik, a 16 year-old ginger-haired boy, depending on the situation, or on the conversations
helps her with the household chores. A magician’s they overhear when the Heroes are in the kitchen,
servant is not easily ruffled, but the events of the etc.
past few days have left them a bit unhinged.
The heroes won’t learn much from Otos as he’s
Five days earlier, Ilda and Kurik arose as usual now scared witless. Once Ilda and Kurik have been
and went about their daily work, but they quickly reassured by their latest visitors, they may provide
realized that something was amiss. Master Ajhaskar the PCs with some precious information:
and his apprentice Robos never came downstairs
W A general description of the first and second
and, when Kurik tried to leave the tower, the
floors. However, they’ve never been on the third
entrance was sealed. Ilda sent the boy upstairs,
floor, and have also been forbidden by their master
but he quickly scampered back down with Krulak,
to go into the cellar. As for the demon guardian
Ajhaskar’s familiar, snapping at his heels. Ilda and
Krulak, they’ve only had a few brief glimpses of him,
Kurik were familiar with the master’s demon which
and this was the first time he’d ever attacked them.
normally left them alone. Unsure what to do, they
They describe the demon as a “grey monkey-looking
tried calling up the stairs to Ajhaskar and Robos,
creature with beady little red eyes and horns.”
but nobody answered. After three days of waiting
and hand-wringing, a servant from the royal court, W They can confirm the chronology of events:
a certain Otos, came to the tower with a summons five nights ago, when they went to bed, the master
from the king. Ilda met him in the front hall and and his apprentice were still working up in the
explained the situation, and he soon realized that tower. When they woke up the next morning, both
he, too, was now trapped. Since then, he’s been a men were gone and the tower had been sealed by
prisoner inside the tower with the two servants. witchcraft. Usually, whenever the master was away,
Ilda and Kurik left the tower and lived in a small
The following day, a royal courtier came to
lodging they had in the city; they only came back
the tower, a bit miffed to have to perform such a
when the master informed them that he’d returned.
demeaning task. Despite the panicked warnings of
the servants, he had bounded up the stairs to the W If they’re asked if anything unusual has
second floor. They’d heard him shriek in terror for a happened recently, Ilda and Kurik will say that
few moments, and then nothing but silence... their master and his young apprentice had been
particularly absorbed by their work. Some new
That evening, some guards had entered the tower
research was taking up all their time. Kurik will
while the servants were in the kitchen. Before they
also recall that some men had come with a big,
had time to call out, the men entered the audience
heavy, wood crate about three or four weeks ago.
hall and were torn to shreds by the andrak statues.
These same men had come to the tower about two
(Note to GM: Ajhaskar has trained his andraks months earlier with many other crates (smaller
not to attack Ilda and Kurik; they’ve always ones). Ajhaskar had looked extremely pleased and
remained frozen in stone in the servants’ presence, eager to examine the crates, which he had the men
so this is the first time they’ve seen the statues come carry upstairs. Kurik never saw what was inside.
alive. Unaware that they’ve nothing to fear from
W If someone asks about the noises in the
the andraks, the two have remained holed up in the
cellar, Ilda will tell them that the basement is off
kitchen with Otos).
limits. The master told her that the noise came from
Ilda and Kurik are now so nerve-wracked that some contraption that pumps the well water up to
they quickly take cover in the pantry as soon as they the fountain and the baths.

84
6b. Cellar How could Ajhaskar have possibly gotten his
The stairs in the kitchen go down about fifteen
hands on a baby xolth? And why on earth would he

The Tower of Ajhaskar

feet to a cellar with roughly-hewn walls. It’s quite
keep it in a cave that will soon be much too small
likely that a pre-existing cave has been enlarged. An
for it? More questions that the Heroes are at a loss
artesian well is connected to a complex device made
to answer...
of pipes and pumps, driven by a gear wheel that
supplies fresh water to all the floors of the tower. It’s
not an animal that turns the wheel, however, but a
7. Baths
The luxurious baths are decorated with beautiful
human skeleton locked in heavy shackles engraved
tiles and contain a large encased basin, a big sink
with arcane symbols. The skeleton takes no notice
with water pouring in from a fountain, latrines,
of the adventurers, and continues to tirelessly rotate
various toiletries, colognes and ointments. A duct
the mechanism. At one point, it stops its work and
in the ground carries the water from the fountain
passes the back of its hand across its forehead, as
to the basin. A small coal oven can be used to heat
if to wipe away the sweat...the last vestige of a
volcanic rocks that are then placed in the bath to
profoundly human gesture. The skeleton will offer
warm the water.
no defence and a single stroke will reduce it to a
pile of lifeless bones (and immediately cut off the
tower’s water supply). What could this person
8. Receiving Room
This sumptuously furnished room has an
have possibly done to incur the wrath of Ajhaskar,
imposing fireplace with comfortable chairs set
to deserve a punishment even beyond the grave?
around it. A long bench sits on each side of a
Could this be the infamous thief who had been
broad table decorated with intricate inlays. A large
foolhardy enough to try to break into the abode of
earthenware vase (nearly as tall as a man) stands
the formidable wizard?
alone in an alcove. It is a warm, red-orange colour,
At the back of the cellar, a young xolth is napping with sparkling chips of inlaid gold. One of the
in a shallow pit, awaiting its next meal. The hideous, heroes may recognize this precious Khansan pottery
slug-like creature, which has already reached the size imported from Khanat. The mantle of the fireplace
of an adult man, is starving to death. If the Heroes is decorated with a collection of small bronze
get too close to the creature without throwing it figurines representing some of the twenty gods of
something to eat (which is how it’s normally fed), it Lemuria. They look very old, and are probably very
will attack. A few bones (including a human skull) precious. Candelabras holding beeswax candles are
are strewn about the bottom of the trench. spread around the room.

85
 The PCs could find here a healing balm (recover
9. Second Floor Landing 1d6 lifeblood points per use, 2 doses, uncommon
The stairs from the front hall lead up to a small
alchemist preparation), sleeping powder (ingested,
The Tower of Ajhaskar

landing, where a corridor opens into the tower. The

give 2d6 hours of sound sleep, 3 doses, common
corridor is very dark, as it is only dimly lit by the
alchemist preparation), a vial containing an antidote
window on the landing and another window at the
to natural venoms and herbal toxins (recovery in
far end of the hallway. The body of a man dressed in
1 hour, 1 dose, common alchemist preparation), and
fancy clothes is sprawled out on the floor. His head
a small metal box filled with dream lotus pollen.
has been smashed in (this is the courtier who was
killed by Krulak, the demon guardian). What’s even If the PCs should break the large glass window,
more unsettling is that it looks as if someone (or they’ll be chagrined to learn that all the shards of
something) has eaten his brain... glass fall back into the room and, like the entrance
on the first floor, an invisible barrier prevents anyone
The stairs continue up to the third floor. But if the
from leaving the tower (or from being heard or seen
PCs should try to climb them, they’ll discover that
by anyone outside).
the stairwell never ends...they can keep climbing up
the stairs but, try as they might, will never reach the
third floor. If they turn around and come back down
12. Ajhaskar’s Apartments
This is a spacious room with an imposing canopy
however, they’ll be back on the second floor landing
bed with hanging curtains. Expensive rugs cover
in no time!
the floor and large, decorative tapestries hang on
Note to GM: a spell has been placed on the stairs the walls. A comfortable armchair sits next to the
and they cannot be used to reach the third floor, fireplace. A dresser is beneath the window next to
unless Ajhaskar is present and authorises his visitor a basin with water trickling into it. There are also
to go up to his laboratory (no. 15). a few pricey curios. A massive wardrobe contains
men’s clothing, including silk robes brocaded
10. Sleeping Chamber with astrological patterns and arcane symbols.
This large room has several beds and a few other A large chest at the foot of the bed contains other
pieces of furniture. Large sheets have been thrown articles of clothing and several pouches filled with
over everything. It’s clear that this room hasn’t been gold coins and precious gems. It’s a small fortune
used for quite some time. (but who would even think of stealing from a
magician?). Hidden behind a heavy purple curtain
11. Conservatory is the small door to the spiral staircase leading
This room is bathed in light pouring through the down to the kitchen.
huge glass window covering most of the north-east
A close inspection of the room will reveal a few
wall. Large stone planters are bursting with leafy
interesting details: two dresser drawers have been
plants, shrubs and tropical flowers. A small stone
left open, clothes are strewn across the bed and the
basin in the centre of the room holds aquatic plants
chest has also been left open. Could it mean that
and a few small fish. In a large wicker cage, birds
the tower’s owner left in a hurry? Or that someone’s
begin to chirp and warble to greet the Heroes when
been rifling through his affairs? The door to the
they enter the room. The thick, heady fragrance of
library is ajar.
turalons (jungle roses) fills the air.
A PC with the appropriate career (alchemist, 13. Library
magician, physician etc.) may recognise some Large bookcases line most of the walls in this
medicinal herbs, as well as the dream lotuses room. The shelves sag beneath heaps of manuscripts
growing in the stone basin (see BoL, page 134) and and carefully-stacked parchment rolls. A large nook
various preparations on a table filled with cuttings, in the shelving holds a stone idol, simian in nature.
seedlings and distilling equipment. It has small horns on its head and four red eyes made

86
 Note to GM: it’s more of a hidden door than
an actual secret passage, and an attentive PC will

The Tower of Ajhaskar

easily notice it. These stairs from the library are the
only way for the Heroes to get to the magician’s
laboratory on the third floor.
The library is illuminated by a chandelier similar
to the one in the audience room (no. 4). There is a
connecting door to Ajhaskar’s apartments (no. 12),
which is ajar.
Krulak, the demon guardian of Ajhaskar, is in the
library. He’s comfortably installed in an armchair
with a glass of raku-wine, drinking his master’s
health. If the Heroes take the main staircase up
to the second floor, Krulak won’t be aware of their
presence until they enter the library, unless they’re
particularly noisy for some reason. If they come
up to the second floor by the stairs in Ajhaskar’s
apartments, Krulak will hear them coming through
the slightly opened door, unless they are particularly
stealthy. As soon as he discovers the intruders,
Krulak will immediately fly into a rage and attack
(see page 97 for more information about the demon
and how he can be destroyed).

14. Robos’ Bedroom

These are the sleeping quarters of Ajhaskar’s
apprentice, Robos. The furnishings are much simpler
of rubies. This statuette is a representation of Krulak, than elsewhere on this floor. There is a small bed, a
and contains his essence (see page 97). Beneath the dresser and chest containing men’s clothing, and a
window, papers are strewn about on a large desk, desk covered with parchments and books. Lines of
which also contains quills, small inkpots, sealing Sorceric runes have been written on several pieces
wax and other writing tools for a scribe. A table of parchment; by looking closely at them, even
and two stools sit in the centre of the room. On the someone who can’t read Sorceric will notice that
table, a lectern holds open an ancient manuscript, there are different combinations of the same runes,
containing passages recopied from the legendary as if the person who wrote the lines was trying to
Ygddar Codex. This is the manuscript that enabled break a code.
Ajhaskar to determine the location of the ancient
Note to GM: the parchments show Robos’
lair of the Sorcerer-King Shrinazor Shamaaraz.
attempts to find the right sequence for the runes on
The manuscript would be of inestimable worth to a
the frame of the magic mirror.
magician, alchemist or any other person interested
in the secrets of the ancients.
15. Magician’s Laboratory
In the south-east corner of the room, a section of The laboratory occupies the entire top floor of
the bookcase swings open to reveal a small stairway the tower. The immense room is also somehow
in the wall leading up to the magician’s laboratory magically illuminated, and contains all the
on the top floor of the tower. paraphernalia you’d expect in a magician’s lair.

87
The Tower of Ajhaskar

crate, about six feet long and three feet wide and
filled with straw. It must have been used to transport
the large mirror set down next to it (the pieces of
straw stuck beneath the mirror clearly indicate this).
The mirror, which is as tall as an adult man and
about two feet in width, is a pewter panel framed
in a darker metal engraved with mysterious runes.
A character who knows Sorceric will recognize the
script of the Sorcerer-Kings.
The room contains all sorts of precious and
potentially useful objects. A Hero who considers
using a Hero Point may find something useful here,
whether he or she selects the object randomly or
designates a specific object (at the GM’s discretion).
The PCs can take the main staircase (which is
enchanted; see room no. 9) back down to the second
floor, but won’t be able to return to the laboratory
using these same stairs. A wall-mounted ladder
The tables and shelves are crowded with arcane on the landing leads up to an iron trapdoor closed
artefacts, alchemist’s instruments, manuscripts and with a massive lock that provides access to the roof
strange trinkets. There are skulls of exotic creatures (where there is nothing of interest except a splendid
(and humans), obscene amulets from the primitive view of Lysor). The spell that protects the tower also
tribes of Qush, bundles of dried herbs and roots, covers the roof; if the PCs should open the trapdoor
jars filled with powders and foul-looking liquids, and try to climb onto the roof, an invisible barrier
astronomical charts, small ingots of various metals, will stop them.
a collection of crystals and precious stones, etc.
As soon as anyone approaches the mirror to
The lingering smell from a powerful incense barely
examine it, they will see their image reflected in the
masks a slightly rotten odour emanating from a
murky depths of the mirror. But almost immediately,
basket on the ground, which holds two decaying
they’ll start to hear the distant singing of birds from
pigeons with slashed throats (note to GM: the
some faraway realm, and see a pale halo of light in
birds were killed for the divination performed
the mirror and the indistinct outlines of a room.
by Ajhaskar before he passed through the magic
When they move their face closer to the mirror
mirror). Their coagulated blood fills a bowl sitting
and squint to get a better look, they’ll suddenly feel
on a table engraved with astrological signs. Drops
as if they are being pulled forward, like a piece of
of blood have been splashed over the table using
iron attracted by a magnet, and will immediately
a bundle of dried twigs (a knowledgeable PC
disappear through the mirror. The runes on the
will recognise these as signs that a divination has
frame will briefly glow a strange orange colour, and
been performed). A strange vat with a bitter smell
then quickly return to their normal appearance.
contains an acid bath filled with corroded objects
(probably not a good idea to stick your fingers in After hesitating a few seconds and uttering a
there!). These are the talismans and ancient coins few oaths, the PC’s courageous companions will,
recovered from the ruins of Shrinazor Shamaaraz’s of course, follow their cohort through the magic
palace. Propped against the wall is a large wooden portal... for better or for worse.

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 The Tower of Ajhaskar
PART TWO: THE MOON VALE
The passageway through the magic mirror leads before. This means that the inhabitants know the
to the “Moon Vale,” directly inside the palace exact days when it will be rainy or windy, hot or dry.
still waiting in vain for the coming of Shrinazor Second, due to the strange nature of this magical
Shamaaraz. The descendants of the slaves realm cut off from the rest of the world, the moon
brought here by the Sorcerer-King have remained is unusually large and bright. The waxing moon is
imprisoned in a small valley walled in by towering already as bright as a full moon would normally be,
mountains. Actually, they’ve been doing fairly well. and when the moon actually is full in the Moon
Each generation has ensured the upkeep of the Vale, it fills the valley with a light as bright as the
palace and added to its splendour as they fervently sun on a cloudy day.
await their “Master,” who’s now considered to be
The Xaliir, as the members of the tribe call
more of an ancient and mysterious divinity.
themselves (a distorted form of the word “slave” in
In this confined realm, cut off from the world, the the Sorcerer-Kings’ tongue), lead a peaceful existence
only possible means of escape is by using magic (after as hunters and gatherers, and continue with their
walking for a day in any direction, the traveller will unending task of caring for the Master’s palace,
end up back in the centre of the valley, as if they’d decorating it with ornate sculptures and bas-reliefs.
been walking around in circles). The small group
The only danger they face (besides a few predators
of about 200 souls has become a well-organised
from the jungle and other natural hazards) is
community. The thick jungle that covers the valley
Labashaah, the demon that Shrinazor Shamaaraz
and the foothills of the mountains provides them
left behind in the vale to oversee the construction
with all the food and materials they need. The
of his palace. At first, Labashaah simply went about
seasons are the same as in Lemuria, with the same
her work, but as the years passed, she realized that
hot and humid climate as in the foothills of Axos,
Shrinazor would never return and that she was
with two notable exceptions: first, time appears to be
imprisoned in the valley with no means of escape.
‘stuck’ in a repeating cycle; each year, the weather is
She eventually built her nest in the old quarry
exactly the same on the same date as it was the year

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The Tower of Ajhaskar

where the slaves extracted the luminous white Four days after the strangers’ appearance, a
limestone to build the palace. At certain appointed gaggle of “Moon Demons” (as the Xaliir call them)
times, she kidnaps young men from the tribe and converged in the sky over the village. They had come
forces them to mate with her. Over the years she has to select a new lover for Labashaah. Surprised at first
spawned a degenerate race of winged humanoids to find strangers in the village, they then winged
with grotesque, bestial features and scaly wings down to carry the two men away by force. Ajhaskar
that betray their demonic origins. As for her male used his magical powers to fell several of the fiends,
progenitors, who all perish following the mating, and the others fled. The Xaliir, filled with panic and
she has maintained them in a state of preservation, fearing the wrath of Labashaah, urged the visitors
as a harem of mummified “spouses” condemned to to go hide in the jungle. With Nyssa as their guide,
serve her from beyond the grave. Labashaah has Robos and Ajhaskar left the village. The day after
become bored out of her skull in her monotonous this scuffle, the Heroes arrive in the Moon Vale.
prison, and would give anything to escape back to
the real world.
Welcome to the Moon
It was to this magical vale, then, that Robos and
Ajhaskar were transported five days before our
Vale
Heroes. Their appearance caused a great commotion Just one small step forward...a short burst of
amongst the Xaliir. Communication was difficult dazzling light...the sickening feeling that you’ve
at first (the Xaliir speak a particularly archaic unexpectedly walked off a cliff...and the Heroes
form of Lemurian), but Robos and Ajhaskar were now find themselves at the back of a long, narrow
quickly able to pass themselves off as envoys from room lined with ornate columns. Embedded in the
the “Master,” whose portrait can be found in a bas- stone wall behind them is a pewter panel, much like
relief in the throne room of the palace. After being the mirror they’ve just passed through in Ajhaskar’s
welcomed to the village (a smattering of huts near laboratory. The runes around the rim of the panel
the palace), the magician and his apprentice began briefly glow with an orange light before dying out.
to unravel the mystery surrounding this enchanted The portal has closed on this end: no way to go
realm. Robos’ innocent and youthful heart was won back! They’ll now be even more eager to find the
over by a savage young huntress named Nyssa, which magician, who certainly must be capable of opening
will (of course) only complicate matters later on. the magic portal.

90
 The Heroes are standing on a stone dais at the Once they leave the palace, the Heroes can
back of what appears to be a small throne room. It’s contemplate the magnificent view of their new
completely barren, without the slightest furnishings. surroundings. High mountain peaks enclose a long

The Tower of Ajhaskar

The white stone walls and floor are immaculate. The valley that disappears in the distance beneath a
columns, walls, and ceilings are all sculpted with canopy of thick, luxurious jungle vegetation. The
bas-reliefs and decorative mouldings with floral palace itself is built on a mountainside. At the
and geometrical motifs. The entire room forms a bottom of the palace steps, small shelters built of
stone lacework of breathtaking beauty. On one of wood and thatch protect stacks of sculpted stones
the walls is an immense bas-relief representing and workshops, where partially completed sculptures
a man in rich garb seated in a hieratic pose, with can be seen. A dirt footpath winds through the trees
elongated limbs and a foreboding look on his gaunt down into the valley. Smoke can clearly be seen
face. Men in loincloths kneel before him in worship. rising from a village a short walk down the slope.
There’s something strange about the seated figure,
some inexplicable quality that makes the onlookers
ill at ease...his features are slightly deformed, or
The Xaliir
maybe his body is too elongated, which makes If the PCs don’t decide to walk down to the
him look not quite human (this is the portrait of village, a contingent of Xaliir will eventually come
the Sorcerer-King Shrinazor Shamaaraz). Some up to the palace to greet the new arrivals and invite
offerings—freshly-cut jungle flowers and a few them to the village.
victuals—have recently been placed at the foot of
the bas-relief. All is quiet, except for birdsong from The Xaliir are a small tribe of about 200, with
far off in the distance. A pale light filters through dark skin and hair. They wear simple clothing—
the many windows and openings, and the breeze tunics or leather loincloths—and live in large,
carries the heady fragrances of dense vegetation, as thatched huts. The Xaliir are adorned with a few
if from a jungle. trinkets made from things they’ve found in the
jungle (wood, bone and ivory beads), and all have
If the PCs decide to take a quick look around,
the same scarification on their left shoulder. If the
they’ll discover the rooms of a small palace. It may
PCs should take a closer look, they might notice
not impress them by its size, but it is fabulously
that the marks bear a strange resemblance to the
ornate, with every inch of the walls and ceilings
runes around the rim of the mirror (the scarification
covered with finely sculpted decorations. The whole
is the mark that Shrinazor placed on his slaves,
edifice is absolutely magnificent, the equal of the
and the tribe continues to blindly perpetuate the
most beautiful palaces in Lemuria. The edifice has
tradition on each new generation). Some of the
been built on a mountainside, and some of the
Xaliir are armed (both the men and women) with
rooms have been carved out of the hill. The place is
fire-hardened wooden spears, cudgels, and bows and
completely deserted. Apparently no one lives there,
arrows tipped with sharpened bone or flint. There
but the Heroes do discover scaffolding in different
are almost no objects made of metal, except for a
spots where new sculptures are being made (or
few old tools that look as if they’ve been repaired
restored).
many times. There are no mineral deposits in the
At the far end of the throne room is a long vestibule jungle so the Xaliir reverently maintain the metal
leading outside. The palace has a large entranceway tools of their ancestors. They do have a small forge,
(with no doors) that opens onto a vast patio made but no metal to make new tools. The Xaliir would
of white stone. A series of stairs lead down from the be very appreciative if someone were to give them
patio. When the PCs reach the doorway, they see a some metal, as they are in desperate need in order to
man in a loincloth sweeping the patio. He drops his complete the decorative work on the palace before
broom in terror as soon as he sees them and barrels their Master finally arrives.
down the steps, howling with fright.

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 The Heroes are brought before an elderly woman, If the PCs dither too long in the village (see inset:
Ilkhta, the leader of the tribe. Communication is “The Moon Vale: Chronology of Events,” page
difficult at first, but the PCs will soon be able to 94), screeches will be heard in the skies above the
The Tower of Ajhaskar

gather some information. What they actually learn village at the end of the afternoon, announcing the
will depend on how they lead the discussion and return of the Moon Demons. Ten spawns will then
the type of questions they ask. Ilkhta will ask them swoop down on the village, led by three first-born
if they, too, are emissaries from the “Master”—the (see pages 100-101). Unless the Heroes intervene,
Great One whose coming was foretold by their they’ll carry off Ilkhta and take her to Labashaah,
ancestors, and for whom they’ve been building the who will interrogate her to learn more about the
palace? Like Ajhaskar, the PCs may pass themselves strangers who’ve entered the valley. If the Heroes
off as envoys from the Master; this will be the best stop the demons from carrying off Ilkhta, one of
way to obtain help from the tribe. the first-born will flee as soon as the fighting starts
to confirm to its mistress that intruders have truly
Depending on the questions they ask, the PCs
entered the valley.
may learn more about the Xaliir and their valley:
W The Xaliir have lived here for a very long The Long-Awaited
time, serving their Master; they’re the only humans
in the valley.
Meeting with Ajhaskar
With the young Rirtu as their guide, the Heroes
W It’s impossible to leave the valley and
strike off into the jungle and, after a two-hour hike,
they have never heard of Lemuria, although their
arrive at a small clearing. A brook spills over the
legends do speak of a world beyond the valley where
rocks to form a waterfall at one end of the clearing,
the Master will lead them one day, in recognition of
and then meanders away through the trees. In the
their devotion.
wall of rock next to the waterfall is a shallow cave
W The Moon Demons punish them when they used by Xaliir hunters as a rudimentary lodging. At
work too slowly, and sometimes carry away young long last, our Heroes finally meet Ajhaskar.
men who are never seen again. The Moon Demons
Ajhaskar is a dark-skinned man with a regal
are ruled by a queen, Labashaah, but she has not
bearing. He is also very tall (about six and half feet),
been seen by the villagers for at least a generation.
and has a thick mane of black hair. The deep lines
W A few days ago, other envoys from the on his face betray his age, but he still emanates
Master had arrived: two men who went by the names physical power. It’s his eyes that you notice first
of Ajhaskar and Robos. The Xaliir brought them to though: they’re emerald green with vertical slits
the village, and they had asked many questions. The for pupils, making Ajhaskar’s gaze both fascinating
previous evening, the Moon Demons had come to and disturbing. He’s wearing a dark red brocaded
the village. They had attacked the Master’s envoys robe and sturdy leather walking boots. His long
and tried to carry them away. That’s when Ajhaskar fingers are covered in rings with precious gems,
(who must be a god himself!) had struck them down! and several necklaces with arcane talismans hang
Lightning bolts, like those in the clouds when the around his neck. A long knife with a wavy-edged
sky is angry, had flown from his fingers! He’d killed blade is attached to his belt. When the Heroes enter
several of the demons and the others had fled (if the the clearing, he’s sitting on a large rock with his
Heroes want to see the dead demons, their bodies rucksack resting against it. Robos, his apprentice, is
are lying in a ditch dug in the jungle floor within a young man of about twenty, with blond hair and
a bowshot of the village). Ajhaskar and Robos have blue eyes. He has the healthy complexion typical of
gone to hide in the jungle, accompanied by a huntress Lysorians, and a very friendly face. His clothes are
named Nyssa. Her younger brother Rirtu knows much more modest than those of his master: coarse
where she’s taken them and can show the Heroes. linen robes with a few ink stains on them. Unlike

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 The Tower of Ajhaskar
Ajhaskar, he has no gear. A beautiful young woman the runes on the frame of the mirror in the palace to
with an athletic build stands next to a small fire. open the passageway.
She has dark brown hair and black eyes. This is the
Robos, too, knows that the gateway can be
young Xaliir Nyssa.
opened, but at first he won’t betray his master.
The trio is surprised by the arrival of the Heroes. Robos is actually a good lad who still hasn’t been
Ajhaskar will look them over suspiciously at first led completely astray by his training in the arcane
and demand to know what they’re doing here. He’ll arts. He knows full well that Ajhaskar is cruel and
hardly be thrilled when he learns that the Heroes heartless; capable of the most vile and despicable
trespassed in his tower, but will nonetheless be acts to get what he wants. Robos truly loves Nyssa
impressed that they managed to find him without (and the huntress, completely captivated by this
coming to harm. Since it was the king of Lysor who strange youth, so different from her, shares his
sent them to find him, Ajhaskar will tend to treat affection) with all the passion so typical of his age.
the Heroes as his servants. But he’s a clever and If he senses that the Heroes could be potential
cunning magician, obsessed by his discovery of this allies, or that they don’t trust Ajhaskar (or if one of
strange realm, and itching to resolve its mysteries them should show some sympathy for his budding
so that he can become its new ruler. Depending on love affair), Robos may discretely warn them that
how the PCs react, he will either be authoritarian Ajhaskar shouldn’t be trusted. He’s worried that
or accommodating, and will attempt to gain their the magician wants to take the place of the fallen
trust. He may explain a few things to them, such as Sorcerer-King so that he can impose his own iron
the origin of the magic mirror and the conclusions rule over the enchanted realm and the Xaliir. Robos
he’s drawn about this enchanted realm, which has also knows full well that Ajhaskar won’t have the
been magically sealed off from the real world as it slightest consideration for the well-being of Nyssa
awaits the return of the long-dead Sorcerer-King. or the other slaves.
However, Ajhaskar won’t hesitate to lie about the Robos is perfectly capable of opening the portal:
magic mirror, claiming that it’s now been sealed off, he too is a magician, after all, and knows how to read
undoubtedly by the daemoness who reigns over the the runes in the empty palace, which are the same as
valley. Only her death will unlock the gateway and those on the mirror in Ajhaskar’s tower. Correctly
enable them to return to Lysor, he says. Of course reading the runes on the magic portal is equal to
he’s lying through his teeth: all he has to do is recite a Second Magnitude spell of Moderate difficulty (0).

93
 An alliance is therefore possible between the PCs The Heroes may refuse the magician’s proposition,
and Robos, but the young apprentice will hesitate at and decide to return to the village or to the empty
first before openly defying his master. palace. If they prove to be obstinate, Ajhaskar will
The Tower of Ajhaskar

accept their decision, and will then decide to deal

So, Ajhaskar will propose to the Heroes to
with Labashaah later. They’ll then discover that,
accompany him that very same night to the demon’s
during their absence, a large host of Moon Demons
lair in order to attack her while her brood scours
(20 spawns and 5 first-born) have taken up roost at
the jungle to find the intruders (this actually is a
the palace, perched like hideous gargoyles on every
valid plan: they will have an opportunity to attack
cornice and recess of the sculpted facade. Labashaah
Labashaah in her lair during the night). He will offer
herself will soon arrive in person, before dawn.
his magical protection to any three of the Heroes
willing to accept it. Following a lengthy ritual, and The PCs may obtain help from the Xaliir, provided
the sacrifice of a large hedgehog captured by Nyssa, that someone can convince them that Labashaah has
Ajhaskar will place a mysterious seal on his own betrayed the Master, and that she wants to prevent
forehead and on the forehead of any willing heroes, him from coming so that she alone can reign over
using a signet dipped in a mixture of the animal’s the valley. If they can be convinced, the Xaliir may
blood, the wizard’s blood, and the blood of those take up arms and fight alongside the PCs. In this
who will be under his protection. The signet will case, about thirty warriors (both men and women)
leave a crimson-red, perfectly-drawn arcane symbol will join their cause, and may, for example, join in an
on their foreheads. But without their knowledge, epic attack on the palace (using the combat rules for
the wizard has secretly modified his spell. The PCs rabble, see BoL, page 157).
will in fact be protected from the demon, but they’ll
It’s also possible that a fight will quickly flare up
also be more vulnerable to the wizard’s magic (see
with Ajhaskar. In this case, he’ll use his magic to
the full explanation of the spell in Ajhaskar’s profile,
offer fierce resistance, but won’t hesitate to take to
on page 99). You can never be too careful with
his heels if things don’t go his way. Robos will be
hastily-made alliances...

In the Moon Vale: Chronology of Events

There are several ways this can go, and it will mainly depend on what the players decide to do.
Day 1: Robos and Ajhaskar arrive in the Moon Vale during the night and meet the Xaliir the next morning.
D2 to D4: They stay with the Xaliir and learn more about the new “realm.” Robos falls in love with Nyssa.
D4 night: The Moon Demons arrive in the village of the Xaliir and a fight breaks out. Ajhaskar, Robos
and Nyssa go hide in the jungle. The surviving demons return to Labashaah’s lair, but only a few of her
spawn have survived and their story is garbled (they’re primitive creatures with only rudimentary language
skills). Labashaah dispatches her demons (under the command of a few “first-born”) to find out what’s
going on and to fetch the village elder.
D5: The Heroes pass through the magic portal and arrive in the Moon Vale (probably in the morning,
unless they spent a lot of time exploring Ajhaskar’s tower).
D5 afternoon: The Moon Demons return to the Xaliir to capture the village elder and bring her back to
Labashaah. The Heroes either fight the demons or hide, unless they’ve already set off to find Ajhaskar.
D5 night: The Heroes meet Ajhaskar and Robos near the waterfall. Labashaah now realizes (more or less,
depending on the outcome of events) that strangers actually have entered the valley and that one of them
must be a sorcerer, which means she may finally escape from her “prison.” She tells her demons to fly over
the jungle and find the intruders, while another group goes back to the palace to keep watch. She remains
in her lair at first, trying to decide what to do, before finally joining her troops late that night at the palace
to stop the strangers from going back through the portal without her.

94
completely at a loss. He won’t defend his master but
won’t attack him either, and will simply do his best
to protect Nyssa.
Labashaah's

The Tower of Ajhaskar

If Ajhaskar manages to escape, he’ll have several
options: he can attempt to quickly regain the palace Lair
and escape through the portal; seek out Labashaah
to form an alliance (her freedom in exchange for her
Nest
help against the Heroes), or return to the Xaliir and
convince them to help him (they’re fully convinced
that he’s an envoy from the Master. Plus, they’ve
seen him use magic, which will help convince them
that he truly is who he claims to be). You’ll have to
decide based on what your group of players ends
up doing.

What Labashaah Hopes

to Gain...
Depending on what the PCs decide, they may
either end up fighting Labashaah in her lair or back
at the palace, where she’ll be accompanied by a
horde of her offspring. When push comes to shove,
Labashaah will first concentrate her attacks on
the heroes who look the least like a sorcerer (e.g. a
warrior with armour). She wants to avoid killing the
wizard at all costs, as only he can open the gateway
Labashaah’s Lair
to Lemuria. She’ll try to gain control in order to The den of the nocturnal daemoness is hidden
negotiate her safe passage out of the Moon Vale. inside the cliffs where the Xaliir’s ancestors extracted
Ajhaskar will be more than willing to make a pact stone to build the palace. It’s an open-air quarry dug
with her, as he would then have full control over out of the mountainside, a three-hour walk from the
the enchanted realm. He’d have no qualms about village. From the clearing with the waterfall, it will
unleashing a demon in the streets of Lysor—unlike take at least two hours to walk through the jungle
Robos, who’ll quickly warn the Heroes about this to Labashaah’s lair.
risk if they don’t figure it out by themselves.
The side of a hill has been excavated to form a
If Labashaah and Ajhaskar do come to an large half-circle in the rock face. The back of the
agreement, the gateway will immediately be opened quarry is littered with piles of debris and massive
and Labashaah will quickly fly through...followed stone blocks extracted from the cliff (offering
by her brood of offspring. Back at the tower, the excellent cover for sneaking in unnoticed). The
Magician’s Laboratory will soon be teeming with entire place is overrun with thick jungle vegetation;
the winged beasts that have managed to follow their small trees and shrubs grow out of the cracks and
mother. Ajhaskar will then allow them to leave the crannies. Vines hang down from the top of the
tower (by removing his protective spell), unless a cliffs. Gaping holes—abandoned entranceways
combat starts with the Heroes. Let’s hope they still from the old mining days—have been dug into the
have a few Hero Points left! cliff face at various heights. Some are still accessible
via ramps or rickety old scaffolding.

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The Tower of Ajhaskar

One of the galleries is at ground level and is a bit

larger than the others. It leads right into the heart
of Labashaah’s lair. No one’s guarding the quarry;
If the Heroes attack Labashaah in her lair, she’ll
the foul demon and her offspring have never had to
be awake when they enter the cave, ruminating over
worry about enemies.
the recent events. Two of her first-born attend
After entering the main gallery, a long tunnel with her, along with ten spawns perched higher up on
smooth walls continues straight ahead for about the walls; they will quickly detect the intruders’
thirty feet. It opens onto a large, natural cavern presence. Ten mummies from her harem also await
about a hundred feet wide and thirty feet high. A her command to jump into the fray.
network of galleries has been dug out of the wall
near the top of the cavern. They’re connected with End Game
some smaller niches where Labashaah’s offspring
There are many ways the adventure may end,
have their nests. The cave floor is littered with
depending on how the PCs have aligned themselves.
broken pieces of stone and a layer of foul-smelling
If they do make a pact with Ajhaskar and return
white filth—the pungent excrement of the brood.
with him to Lysor after having killed Labashaah,
Long rays of silver light from the dazzling moon
the wizard, always a pragmatist, could pay them
pass through the fissures in the ceiling, bathing the
handsomely if they agree to keep the secret about
cave in a spectral half-light.
the Moon Vale and the recent events. He could
In the back of the cave, Labashaah has built herself even have more work for them (maybe he needs a
a “cosy” nest made up of interwoven branches, leaves few trustworthy adventurers to delve deeper into
and dry grass. She spends most of her time sleeping, the ruins of Shrinazor’s palace). If on the other
in a bored stupor. Smaller niches crudely carved out hand they kill the magician and return to Lysor
of the cave wall contain the shrivelled, mummified with the help of Robos, they’ll have to come up
bodies of her former lovers. Folded up in a foetal with a convincing story for Captain Dramik and
position, they’re ready to rise from the dead at the the authorities. And what about the Xaliir and the
behest of their mistress. When awoken, they will magic mirror leading to the Moon Vale? Only the
obey her every command. GM and the PCs will know the answers!

96
 creature. This is a smaller, baby xolth, so it can only
Cast of Characters ingest up to three PCs. At that point the xolth is too
full to swallow any new prey.

The Tower of Ajhaskar

(The Tower of Ajhaskar)
Krulak the demon
Stone Andraks guardian (lesser demon,
(x2, room 4) tough, room 13)
The two obsidian lion statues are brought to life Krulak is a squat, monkey-like creature with
by a powerful spell and will relentlessly defend the matted grey hair, abnormally long arms and short,
tower. They’ll immediately pounce on anyone who bowed legs ending in three-fingered paws with
enters the audience room. When their lifeblood razor-sharp claws. The pupils of the four lidless
reaches zero they shatter into a million pieces. If eyes on his hideous face gleam an evil red, and four
any of the Heroes should pick through the rubble, horn-like growths protrude from his mangy scalp.
they’ll find a few shards of andrak bone engraved
with occult symbols. Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength 1
Creature size: Medium
Agility 3 Melee 3
Mind 2 Ranged 1
Attributes Combat Abilities Appeal 0 Defence 2
Strength 3 Attack +2
Agility 1 Damage d6H Lifeblood 21 Damage d6
Mind — Defence 1
Lifeblood 15 Protection d6 (4)* Powers
Demonic Screech
*Heroes with a blunt, metal weapon (hammer, Incarnation
mace) get a bonus die for damage rolls against the Vulnerability (Statuette)
stone andraks.
Powers :
Demonic Screech: As soon as Krulak detects
Young Xolth intruders, he’ll let out a horrendous, ear-piercing
(room 6b) screech (“GO AWAAAAAY!”), which will instantly
See BoL page 126 for more details about xolths. deafen anyone within hearing range. Each PC will
have to make a successful mind Task Roll or else
Creature size: Large
they’ll fall to the ground and cover their ears, and
Attributes Combat Abilities will be unable to perform any action for one round.
Strength 4 Attack +1 Any bonus they have for their defence can no longer
Agility -3 Damage Special be added, nor can any shields. In the next round,
Mind -3 Defence 0 the player can make another mind Task Roll to end
Lifeblood 20 Protection d6-2 (2) the effects of the screech. If this second roll is also
a failure, they’ll be unable to take any action for the
Traits: second round as well. After the second round, the
Fear of fire: A xolth will avoid fire whenever effects of the screech will stop.
possible.
Incarnation: During a combat, Krulak can
Special attack: The xolth envelops its prey in its replicate into multiple copies of himself. There will
pulpy, amoeboid flesh. Once absorbed, you must be one incarnation of lesser power (see Krulak’s
kill the beast and hack your way out. You take d6L Incarnation) for each Hero (up to a maximum of
lifeblood damage each round you are inside the 6), and they will immediately attack the intruders.

97
 Whenever an incarnation is killed, it vanishes in a
puff of foul-smelling, sulphurous smoke that hangs
in the air. The small clouds of smoke from the killed
Cast of Characters
The Tower of Ajhaskar

incarnations will join together, and when they’ve all (The Moon Vale)
been eliminated, the cloud condenses and becomes
the body of Krulak again in its original form as a
lesser demon. He’ll keep on fighting tooth and nail
and, once destroyed, will disappear in another cloud
of black smoke that quickly disperses. An attentive
PC may notice that the smoke doesn’t actually
disperse, but is in fact sucked up the nostrils of the
statuette in the library (no. 13). If the combat takes
place in a different room, the PCs may notice that
the wisps of smoke slowly drift back towards the
library. If the statuette is not destroyed (see below),
Robos
Krulak will be rejuvenated inside the statuette and
will reappear after ten rounds, and the whole combat Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength 0 Initiative 0
with the screeching demon monkey will have to be
Agility 1 Melee 1
fought all over again...
Mind 2 Ranged 1
Appeal 1 Defence 2
Incarnation of Krulak
(minor demon) Careers
Magician 1 Physician 2
Attributes Combat Abilities Scribe 1 Merchant 0
Strength 0 Protection: None
Agility 2 Melee 1 Weapons: Wooden spear (taken from the
Mind 0 Ranged 0 Xaliir) d6
Appeal 0 Defence 1 Points
Lifeblood 10 Damage d6L Arcane Power 11
Hero Points 5
Vulnerability (statuette): Krulak’s fate is tied to Lifeblood 10
that of the statuette, which bears his likeness and
contains his essence. The only way to definitively Boons
eliminate the demon is to destroy the statuette, Attractive: Robos is particularly handsome and
which requires two successful strength Task Rolls charming. He gets a bonus die in situations where
(to shatter the stone statuette against a wall or on good looks might be important.
the floor) or two attacks with a suitable weapon
Quick Recovery: Robos has a much better
(a mace or a broadsword, for example; it won’t be
constitution than many. When recovering after a
possible to shatter the statuette with a dagger). Of
combat, he regains 1 additional lifeblood. In addition,
course, an astute PC might decide to spend a Hero
he recovers 1 lifeblood each day regardless of the
Point to destroy the statuette with a single stroke!
type of activity he carries out after being injured.
Once the statuette has been shattered, Krulak and
any of its remaining incarnations will disappear as Flaws
a final shriek resounds throughout the tower (“GO Unprepared: Robos has a tendency to think too
AWAAAAAY!”). much, making him slow to react to danger. Add a
penalty die for Priority Rolls.

98
Ajhaskar (villain)

The Tower of Ajhaskar

Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength 0 Initiative 0
Agility 1 Melee 1
Mind 4 Ranged 1
Appeal 2 Defence 2
Careers
Magician 3 Alchemist 2
Physician 1 Merchant 0
Protection: None
Weapons: Halakhi kir d6 (harder weapon;
see below)
Points
Arcane Power 15
Villain Points 4
Lifeblood 11

Boons
Excellent Library: Ajhaskar has a first-rate collection
of manuscripts, and when he conducts research in
his library he gets a bonus die to help him figure Weapon, roll a bonus die for damage), and a sturdy
things out. walking stick.
Power of the Void: Receives two extra points of Description of the protective spell (see page 94):
Arcane Power (already included in his statistics). Mystical protective seal (Second Magnitude
spell; requirements: special item, ritual sacrifice;
Savant: Receives one extra point for mind (already
difficulty: Tough (-2); cost: 9 Arcane Power).
included in his statistics).
When Ajhaskar places his signet soaked in blood
Flaws from the ritual sacrifice on the forehead of a PC,
Unsettling: There’s something creepy about Ajhaskar, he or she will be protected by a magic spell against
and it’s not just his weird eyes (he takes a penalty die attacks from a specific demon (Labashaah in this
in social situations or when dealing with animals). case). The protection lasts one day (24 hours).
The demon has a penalty die for all attacks during
Obsession: Ajhaskar is completely obsessed with the
hand-to-hand combat with a PC protected by the
lost powers of the ancient Sorcerer-Kings and will
spell, and the PC gets a bonus die when resisting
stop at nothing to regain even the slightest bit of
the effects of spells or powers of the demon. When
their power.
Ajhaskar casts the spell, he can protect himself and
Distinctive Appearance: Ajhaskar has cat eyes, with also one other person per magician rank that he
vertical slits for pupils. possesses.
Belongings: Besides all his magic talismans and For the present adventure, Ajhaskar secretly
amulets, Ajhaskar has brought along a vial of tinkers with the spell so that the PCs protected
Universal Antidote (can cure any poison, even a from the demon are more vulnerable to his spells
magical one, instantly reversing its effects) and over the same period of time. Ajhaskar gets a bonus
is armed with a long, inlaid Halakhi kir with a die whenever he casts a spell on one of the PCs
magnificent opal embedded in the pommel (Harder protected by the magic signet.

99
 Labashaah
Nyssa (villain) (Greater demon, villain)
Labashaah is a sort of succubus; she has the torso
The Tower of Ajhaskar

Attributes Combat Abilities of a woman, with pale, milky skin and withered
Strength 0 Initiative 0
dugs, but from the waist down her body is covered
Agility 2 Melee 1
with short black fur, much like a bat’s, and she also
Mind 1 Ranged 2
Appeal 1 Defence 1 has leathery bat wings. She has the face of a hideous
old hag, with deformed features resembling a bat’s,
Careers but she also exudes an unsettling aura of seduction
Hunter 2 Barbarian 1 and authority. Her wings enable her to flitter around
Minstrel 0 Slave 1 very quickly and with surprising agility, and she can
Protection: None tear an enemy to shreds with her clawed fingers.
Weapons: Bow d6, flint knife d6L
Points Attributes Combat Abilities
Hero Points 5 Strength 2 Melee 3
Lifeblood 10 Agility 3 Ranged 3
Mind 3 Defence 4
Boons Appeal 4 Protection d6-2 (2)
Jungle-Born: Nyssa grew up in the jungle (bonus die Lifeblood 32 Damage d6H+1
for tracking, trapping, hunting, etc. in the jungle).
Powers*
Keen Eyesight: For any mind Task Roll to perceive Speech
something with her eyes, Nyssa receives a bonus die. Offspring (special: Labashaah gives birth to
“first-born”; see below)
Flaws
Regeneration
Gullible: Nyssa has lived her whole life isolated in
Seductive
the hidden valley. Little accustomed to the cunning
ways of men, she can easily be duped or persuaded.
* See BoL page 131 for a full description of these
demonic powers.
Xaliir Warriors
(rabble, x30) First-Born of Labashaah
(tough)
Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength 0 Initiative -1 These creatures resemble primitive men and
Agility 1 Melee 0 women with bat’s wings. They’re the first-born of
Mind -1 Ranged 1 Labashaah, the offspring of her coupling with the
Appeal 0 Defence 0 Xaliir tribesmen. They then spawned a degenerate
Protection: None race of bat-like humanoids (see Labashaah’s Spawn).
Weapons: d3 (primitive weapons)
Points Attributes Combat Abilities
Strength 2 Initiative 0
Lifeblood 2
Agility 1 Melee 2
Mind 0 Ranged -1
Traits: rules for horde (see BoL, page 157). Appeal -1 Defence 1
Protection: None
Weapons: Claws d6L+1
Points
Lifeblood 10

100
Labashaah’s Spawn Labashaah’s Mummy
(rabble) Harem (bloodless, rabble)

The Tower of Ajhaskar

Smaller than their progenitors, these creatures
These shrivelled-up corpses are Labashaah’s
look more like giant bats, with a few vaguely
former “spouses.” When coupling, she sucks all
human features. They’re incapable of speech and
the life out of her victim, who shrivels up and dies,
communicate by high-pitched squeaking noises.
eventually becoming as dry and brittle as a desert
mummy. Death does not free him from the demon’s
Attributes Combat Abilities
clutches, however, as he continues to serve her as a
Strength 0 Initiative 0
Agility 1 Melee 1 reanimated corpse.
Mind 0 Ranged -1 Labashaah has 10 of these bloodless attendants,
Appeal -1 Defence 0 who never leave her lair.
Protection: None
Attributes Combat Abilities
Weapons: Claws 1
Strength 1 Attack +0
Points Agility 0 Damage 1
Lifeblood 3 Mind -1 Defence 0
Lifeforce 3 Protection 0
Note to GM: the number of first-born and spawn
indicated above are only suggestions. Feel free to
increase or decrease their numbers as you see fit,
or based on the assembled strength of the PCs.

101
 A ready-to-play Adventure
The Three Chests

The Three Chests

Adventure Overview
A detachment of Kalukan Sentinels belonging to the Witch Queen have been sent to Halakh on a
temporary assignment to serve Rutgarr, a Grey Druid from the Cult of Nemmereth. He orders them to
deliver three chests to mysterious destinations without bothering to explain why. It’s only at the climax
of the adventure that the Heroes will learn the terrible truth: Rutgarr is in fact the sworn enemy of
their queen, and he’s manipulated the unwitting Kalukan to recover a magic artefact which, once in his
possession, may lead to the downfall of Methyn Sarr, the Witch Queen of the Fire Coast.

Background
Warning Since time immemorial, the Cult of the Grey
Druids has been a fixture in Halakh, where they
This scenario includes a new twist, as the players worship the Death God, Nemmereth. These creepy
will be playing a group of Kalukan, the mute adulators of the Dark Lord are right at home in
(but hardly deaf !) one-eyed eunuchs magically Halakh, also known as the Assassin City.
created by the mightiest of the ancient sorcerers
One of the orders of the Grey Druids, known
to serve as their slaves. So you’ll be asking the
as the Cult of the Dark Fire, has earned a sinister
players to set aside their usual Heroes for awhile
reputation due to its practice of burning victims
and to don the tattooed skins of these bizarre
alive in sacrifices to the Death God. They’re the
creatures. Five ready made characters have been
sworn enemies of the Red Druids who worship
provided for you at the end of the book (pages
Zaggath, the Lord of Fire. Their mutual loathing
126 to 130), but you can also let your players
most likely originated in a theological dispute:
make up their own Kalukan using the standard
the Grey Druids of the Dark Fire consider fire to
rules for creating Heroes.
be a transition, a passageway to the Long Sleep,
whereas the worshippers of Zaggath venerate the

102
sacred flame as an end in itself. It is unbearable to
Playing as a Kalukan
the Red Druids that fire (the sacred instrument of Playing the role of a headless, sexless and mute
their god) is used by the fanatics of Nemmereth for creature created through alchemy to serve fanatical
their own sacrifices. No one knows for certain the sorcerers may seem a bit weird at first! So it would
actual reason behind the animosity, which has been probably be a good idea to have the players read the
page on Kalukan in Barbarians of Lemuria (page 86).
lost in the annals of time, but the feud continues
The Kalukan were “born” to serve, so it’s in their very
to rage between the Cult of the Dark Fire and the
nature to follow orders and faithfully obey; it’s why
worshippers of Zaggath, and in particular their they were created in the first place. This is especially
most powerful member, Methyn Sarr, the Witch true for the Kalukan Sentinels of the sadistic Methyn
Queen of the Fire Coast (see BoL, pages 91 and Sarr, who punishes any form of disobedience in the
161). So far, the Grey Druids of the cult have most horrific manner imaginable.
been bedevilled in every attempt to eliminate the
But that doesn’t mean the Kalukan are mindless
sorceress, who wields powerful magic. automatons who’ll blindly follow orders. They’re
About two decades before our story begins, endowed with reason and a conscience, and are
the members of the cult obtained an ancient, capable of learning and of making their own
blasphemous grimoire, the Treatise on Time, a decisions. This adventure will play off these seeming
written record of the unnameable experiments
contradictions: Kalukan are used to obeying
orders without hesitation, and should be ready and
carried out by a faction of Sorcerer-Kings to control
willing to accept their mission at first...only to later
the passage of time. In its unholy pages can be realise that they’ve been manipulated and must
found references to a powerful magical artefact, the take the initiative. As for their apparent problems
Grey Hourglass. When the hourglass is filled with communicating, you’ll see that the scenario offers a
the ashes of a Morgal, following its cremation in a way for them to communicate—at least partially.
complex ritual, the wielder of the artefact can stop
time in his immediate vicinity for as long as the
ashes continue to trickle in the hourglass (see text eclipse before making another attempt. As for the
box on following page, “The Grey Hourglass”). second part of the enigma, the answer must be
the sexless Kalukan, the unholy handiwork of the
Convinced that the hourglass offered a sure-fire
Sorcerer-Kings!
way to destroy the Witch Queen by circumventing
her powerful magic, the cult began a feverish The stars appeared to be favourable to the followers
quest to find the artefact. About ten years ago, of Nemmereth: a solar eclipse was imminent, and
after endless searching, they finally found the the Grey Druids had to seize the opportunity to
underground complex where the hourglass was recover the Hourglass! The phenomenon would not
hidden, only to discover that it was protected by occur again in the region for many years.
immortal guardians who quickly dispatched anyone
Tasked by the cult to recover the hourglass, Rutgarr
who attempted to enter. After an unsuccessful
hatched a diabolical plan. He contracted the services
attempt ended in disaster, the druids once again
of a certain Ram Verda, one of the leaders of the
began poring over the grimoire to find a solution.
Bloody Blades, a powerful thieves’ guild in Malakut.
Finally, Rutgarr, an eminent member of the Cult
Verda would kidnap a group of Kalukan Sentinels
of the Dark Fire, found the key in an enigmatic
in the service of the Witch Queen (what could be
passage of the old manuscript.
more fitting than having Sarr’s own slaves cause
According to the Treatise on Time, the hourglass’s her downfall?). Using a potent mixture of drugs
sanctuary could only be entered when it was neither and deceit, Rutgarr would convince the Kalukan
night nor day, by someone who was neither that they were serving their queen and have them
man nor woman. To satisfy the first requirement, recover the Grey Hourglass, without ever revealing
Rutgarr deduced that they must wait for the next the true nature of their mission.

103
 Rutgarr gives the Heroes only it can recover the hourglass. Since Rutgarr will
3 tasks to perform: not be accompanying the Kalukan, he’s summoned
the demon using a ritual from the Treatise on Time,
and has imprisoned it in the chest that the Kalu-
The Ashes: Carry a chest containing the body
The Three Chests

kan must place next to the hourglass. The demon

of a Morgal (see BoL, page 86) to the Lighthouse,
guardian is bound by the spell of the sorcerer who
where it will be burned to create the ashes to fill the
summons it and must obey his commands.
Grey Hourglass. The druids have had to overcome
enormous difficulties to capture such a rare and The Pact of Malakut: Rutgarr will then
dangerous creature, and they’re now pressed for dispatch the unsuspecting Kalukan to Ram Verda,
time: a solar eclipse (the only time it’s possible whose job it will be to make them disappear for good,
to enter the sanctuary holding the hourglass) is since they no longer serve any purpose (and might
quickly approaching. To speed things up, Rutgarr start to suspect that something fishy is going on).
has crafted a powerful spell that will instantly
Then, at long last, Rutgarr will be able to carry
transport the Kalukan back to his residence once
out his demented attempt to murder Methyn Sarr
they’ve completed this first task.
and be remembered for time immemorial amongst
The Hourglass: Go to the “Pit” where the the Grey Druids of the Cult of the Dark Fire as the
Grey Hourglass lies hidden. They must bring along man who brought down the Witch Queen of the
a chest containing the artefact’s demon guardian, as Fire Coast!

The Grey Hourglass

The Grey Hourglass was created by the Sorcerer-Kings in their quest for almighty power, as conquering time was
further proof of their divine nature.
The hiding place and the means for using the Grey Hourglass are described in an ancient and unique manuscript,
the Treatise on Time. This immensely powerful artefact is an hourglass about twelve inches tall, with a frame
made of a dull grey metal and engraved with runes. The two glass bulbs are translucent and give off a strange
glow. The hourglass can be filled through a screw-on plug on one end. When the ashes of a Morgal—a vampire
that, according to legend, drinks blood to defy the laws of nature and obtain eternal life—are acquired through
an extremely intricate ritual and poured into the Grey Hourglass, its wielder can stop the passage of time in his
immediate vicinity for as long as the ashes continue to trickle. While the temporal stasis lasts, the world around
him will remain in a frozen state, and he can act with complete impunity for a short period of time. The diabolical
possibilities are endless. Tragically, whoever uses the Hourglass will also age several decades in an instant and be
afflicted by psychological disorders that may drive him mad: there’s always a heavy price to pay for breaking the
laws of the universe.
The creation of such a powerful artefact, capable of having disastrous consequences, necessitated strict limitations
on its use. So its creators hid it away in a secret location that could only be entered under certain conditions. The
Grey Hourglass was also placed under the protection of a demon guardian that is magically bound to it; only the
demon can remove it from its sanctuary, and each time the artefact is used, the demon will immediately return it
to its hiding place once the ashes stop flowing.
The Treatise on Time contains the ritual to be performed to conjure the demon, and other information about
the Grey Hourglass and its use. Before the Cult of the Dark Fire’s attempt to acquire the artefact, it had already
been successfully used three times in the past, and each time it was returned to the Pit by its demon guardian.
Those who use the Grey Hourglass are fully aware of its supernatural powers and the hazards it entails, but
the possibilities offered to he who masters time are absolutely mind-boggling: killing a despised rival with
complete impunity in the most cruel ways imaginable, while savouring each moment of such a perverse death;
stealing the magnificent diamond of Kaijoon right under the watchful eyes of the terrible Xian Kahn, reduced to
powerlessness; or simply changing the course of events that seemed destined by fate.
104
A Whole New World He looks to be around sixty. He has refined and
meticulous manners, but his elegant appearance is
So to get things going, a small band of Kalukan
somewhat diminished by the scars on his face left
Sentinels on patrol near the fortress of the Witch
from a bout with smallpox. After quietly sizing
Queen are ambushed by Ram Verda’s henchmen.

The Three Chests

up our Heroes for a few moments with evident
They’re quickly subdued by a powerful sleeping
satisfaction, he walks out into the light to speak.
potion and spirited away to Rutgarr’s residence in
Halakh. To keep them asleep during the voyage, “Welcome to Halakh. I am Rutgarr, your new
alchemistic drugs are administered that also cause master. Yes, the Witch Queen has lent you to me
memory loss, meaning they won’t remember recent for a mission of the utmost importance to her. She
events. told me she would send only her finest Kalukan
Sentinels, so I hope you will not disappoint your
Rutgarr is counting on the legendary discipline
queen! But we have little time. Rest assured, your
of the Kalukan and their obedient nature to make
task is quite simple: you will be conveying three
them accept the mission without hesitation. He
chests to three different locations. And each time,
also knows that Methyn Sarr is a cruel and fickle
you will bring me back the proof that you have
mistress, who would sacrifice any of her slaves
successfully completed your mission. For your first
without the slightest hesitation: so there’s nothing
task, you will be delivering this chest to an old
unusual about the idea that she would “loan” a few
friend of mine, who lives not far south of here at the
of her Kalukan to a supposed ally without even
confines of the Beshaar Desert.”
bothering to tell her sentinels beforehand.
Rutgarr then shows them a large wood chest
Our adventure begins when the Kalukan finally
sitting next to two others that are about the same
wake up. They’re completely disoriented, as if they’ve
size. They’re of equal width and height (about two
resurfaced from a deep, dreamless sleep. They have
feet) and about three feet long. Each is locked with
no memories of the previous days, and have no idea
a heavy padlock covered with cabalistic symbols,
how they got here. The last thing they remember
and the shackle has an hourglass engraved on it.
was their daily grind, serving the Witch Queen at
The chest weighs over a hundred pounds, meaning
her fortress. They must have been the victims of
two people are necessary to carry it. A small leather
some powerful spell...
pouch filled with soil sits on top of the chest.
When each Hero opens its one eye, it’ll take a
“You will deliver this chest to the guardian of
few seconds to get used to the gloomy half-light...
the Lighthouse, and also give her this small pouch.
they’re in a cave filled with an assortment of crates
You will follow her instructions and bring me back
and hastily-stacked barrels. The cave is dimly lit by a
whatever she gives you in exchange for the chest.
small oil lamp. An astrolabe gathers dust off in one
We have little time and I expect you to show great
corner and an underground passage, barely visible
diligence and the utmost discretion in completing
in an alcove dug out of the floor at the back of the
your task. Ah yes! It is also absolutely forbidden
cave, leads off into the darkness.
for you to open the chest. Its contents are not your
Everything in the cave appears strange to them. concern. The Witch Queen has of course seen to it
This is certainly not their queen’s fortress. After that you have all your gear.” Rutgarr lifts the flap
taking a few seconds to clear the cobwebs from of a large bag lying on the floor next to a table. It
their heads, they’ll quickly realise that they’ve been contains all their belongings. They also see that their
stripped of all their gear, except for their usual weapons have been laid out on the table.
clothing: no weapons, no armour...nothing.
“In this bag here, you’ll also find a set of bracelets
A deep, imperious voice suddenly resonates in the of long speech to facilitate your task. I’m sure
cave as a tall man wearing a grey, richly adorned you’re familiar with them. As I said, you must go
toga walks out of the shadows to introduce himself. unnoticed! Although many people are aware of

105
The Bracelets of Long
Speech the existence of Kalukan, an entire troop of them
strolling through the streets of Halakh could draw...
The origin of the bracelets dates back to the murky undesirable attention, shall we say? I’ve therefore
past when the Sorcerer-Kings reigned. It had always had some disguises made for you. Dawn is about to
proven difficult for the Kalukan, who are mute by break, you must be on your way. This map will guide
nature, to communicate with their masters. Horsted, a you to your destination, and a cart drawn by two
renowned alchemist, discovered an ingenious solution bouphons is waiting for you in the courtyard of my
to this problem during his research on allanium and residence. Right then...I don’t imagine you have any
its alloys. He created bracelets made of an allanium questions?” he adds with an ironic smile. “So off you
and bronze alloy that enclosed a powerful spell. When go, oh loyal servants of the Witch Queen!”
bracelets from the same casting were linked by a
Our Heroes won’t have much time to don
magical bond, the Kalukan who wore them could then
their gear, and even less time to mull over their
communicate telepathically. Horsted’s invention soon
predicament. The bracelets of long speech (see text
led to his demise: he was killed shortly after by his
box) are uncommon alchemistic artefacts, but not
master, who wanted to keep the secret to himself. This
unknown to the Kalukan. Rheumy (see the ready-
tragic ending helps to explain why bracelets of long
made characters at the end of the adventure) may
speech are so rare: the secret formula for making them
be able to show his young companions how the
is even more closely guarded than the secret behind
bracelets work. Rutgarr also wears a pair, so there
the production of allanium, the famous metal now
could be a discussion with the Heroes if someone is
used in the hulls of the Satarlan sky-boats.
bold enough to ask questions. But if any of the PCs
Anyone who wears pairs of the bracelets (forged from should pester him, Rutgarr will remain evasive and
the same bronze casting) can communicate through quickly cut short the conversation, reminding the
a simple form of telepathy, as if they were talking out underling of its duty to Methyn Sarr.
loud. The range of the bracelets is about the same as
A rudimentary map of the region lies on the
the human voice: beyond a distance of about fifty or
table next to their weapons. Their destination
sixty feet, the bracelets won’t work.
is shown by an X marked in brown ink, with the
It’s not possible to read peoples’ thoughts with the word “Lighthouse” scrawled next to it. To help
bracelets. They work more like a bullhorn (everyone the Kalukan pass unnoticed, Rutgarr has had a
wearing the bracelets and who is within range will large grey cloak prepared for each of them with a
“hear” the thrown voice). All bracelets forged in the fake head made of cloth sewn into the hood. Their
same casting have the same engravings on them, disguises will hardly stand up to close inspection,
making it possible to know which ones work together. but should enable the Kalukan to pass themselves
off as pilgrims or penitents.
When they leave the cave, the Heroes will see
that the Grey Druid’s lair is actually a posh mansion
surrounded by a magnificent garden on the outskirts
of Halakh. The Heroes place the chest in the back
of the cart and cover it with a burlap cloth, and
Rutgarr then accompanies them to the gate of his
property. After a quick word of parting, he turns on
his heel and ambles off to his rose garden, whistling
a merry tune.

106
The Ashes that they have to give a pair of their bracelets to
someone if they want to have a conversation (don’t
The Heroes’ voyage to their first destination will be forget that the Kalukan who offers up his bracelets

The Three Chests

without incident. The road will eventually turn into won’t be able to talk).
a lonely trail winding through the driftless sands.
It’s rare to run across anyone in these parts of the The Lighthouse
Beshaar Desert, which is infamous for its parched
The story behind the Lighthouse is closely
and barren landscapes. During their three-day
linked to the Grey Hourglass, as it is essential for
journey to the Lighthouse, the Heroes may notice
the creation of the magic artefact. The Lighthouse
that, despite the cover they’ve placed over the chest,
fire is the only way to create the ashes used in the
a cloud of flies are constantly buzzing around it. If
hourglass. The cult of the Dark Fire managed to
they take a closer look at the chest, they’ll notice
locate the vestiges of the ancient Lighthouse and to
a thick black ichor seeping through the bottom
rebuild the compound based on its original layout,
planks. The chest is sealed shut and it looks like it
following the instructions given in the Treatise
would be difficult to open without causing damage.
on Time. Its upkeep has been entrusted to a small
Note to GM: If you have to, gently remind community of female devotees of Nemmereth.
the PCs that the Kalukan are known for their Over the years, they’ve been kidnapping young girls
legendary sense of duty, and wouldn’t attempt to from tribes of Beshaari nomads and initiating them
open the chest. in the rites of the cult at an early age. The guardians
of the Lighthouse carry on the antique traditions
The Encounter without really understanding their significance:
once a week, they cremate a body (usually an animal,
Early on the third day of their odyssey, a scruffy
but also human bodies when given the opportunity)
little girl wearing a filthy, mud-coloured robe
and spread its ashes to the four winds as they await
stumbles onto the trail and staggers towards the
the day of the “Great Cremation,” when they will
Heroes in a panic, flailing blindly about with her
create ashes for the Grey Hourglass. According to
outstretched arms. She tends an ear towards the
their customs, it is the eldest member who leads
approaching cart, guiding her movements based on
the group and who is the keeper of the precious
the sound of its squeaky wheels. When she’s just a
key that will be used to unlock the chest on the
few feet away from the travellers, she collapses on
appointed day. A notable feature of the guardians of
the ground and calls out for help. A pack of hyenas
the Lighthouse is that their eyes have been burned
springs out from behind some rocks, baring their
by the sun. During the cremation ceremony, they
teeth as they move in for the kill...
place the body and pieces of kindling in a basket
Once the scavengers have been repelled, little that is hoisted up to the top of the Lighthouse.
Lana tells them in a stuttering voice, as she clutches A set of mirrors inside reflect the light when the
at one of the Heroes’ sleeves, that she’s run away from sun is at its zenith, focussing all the rays on the
the Lighthouse. Life’s miserable there, she hiccups. basket. Once the fire has consumed the body, the
She’s forced to slave away for the community night ashes are collected and scattered in the desert. Over
and day, and worst of all, she doesn’t want to go back the years, the guardians have gone blind performing
to the Lighthouse ever again or she’ll end up blind the ritual, and now have an enigmatic look in their
like all the others. They then notice that the little strange, bleached-blue eyes.
girl has a faraway look in her eyes, as if she can only
The Lighthouse is surrounded by high, reddish-
vaguely make out shapes by squinting closely.
brown rock formations, eroded by countless sand
Note to GM: If the PCs haven’t thought of it yet, storms. The compound, which looks as if it’s
this would the perfect occasion to make them realise been rebuilt on old ruins, includes three domed

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The Three Chests

buildings around a central tower (the Lighthouse). canvas stretched across the top of the Lighthouse
The first building is used for storage (mainly for and reflect off the mirrors. It’s very hot inside. After
staple provisions and piles of wood). Three sand raising the body to the top of the tower, the canvas
runners are tied up behind this building. The is removed (by guardians who climb up the stairs
second building contains one large room beneath on the facade), and the tower quickly becomes an
its domed roof. This is where they take their meals. inferno. The guardians then hurry out of the main
An oven at the back of the room is used to cook room to seek refuge in the antechamber until the
and to make the flatbread that the guardians eat cremation ceremony is over. The ashes are usually
with a sort of honeyed sap they gather from shrubs recovered once three days have passed.
common to the region. The third domed building,
Once the Heroes have given the chest to the
which is larger than the other two, contains about
guardians, they’ll have some time on their hands
fifteen beds. The guardians of the Lighthouse spend
as they wait inside the compound. If they let one
their days hunting, tending their encampment,
of the guardians use a pair of bracelets for a while,
performing evening prayers to Nemmereth, and
they’ll be able to learn a few things. The members
conducting their ritual cremation once a week.
of the sect perform a ceremony that has existed,
The main building is a large tower that tapers it is said, since time immemorial, maintaining the
slightly at the top. Stairs wind around the outside Lighthouse as they await the day of the Great
of the tower up to a rooftop terrace covered by a Cremation. On that day, a body will be entrusted
tightly-stretched canvas. The mud-brick colour to them from an eminent member of the Cult of
only adds to the austere nature of the edifice. Nemmereth, with very special instructions. They
A wood door at the base of the tower leads to a small already performed a Great Cremation, about ten
antechamber opening onto an enormous, circular years back, after receiving orders from Rutgarr. He
room that occupies the entire edifice. The walls are visits them at the Lighthouse at least once a year to
completely covered with rectangular mirrors that make sure that they still adhere to the strict rules
have been positioned at precise angles, and which of the ritual. Whose body are they waiting for to
can be adjusted using a complex system of gears deliver to the sun’s fire, and what’s the purpose of
and racks. Pulleys in the centre of the room can be the ashes produced during the Great Cremation?
used to hoist a small metal platform to the top of The guardians have no idea; they only exist to serve
the tower. A few rays of sunlight filter through a the will of Nemmereth.

108
 At the end of the third day, the mother superior of Note to GM: In terms of how this will affect the
the Lighthouse, Shan, gives the Kalukan a copper adventure, the Heroes have now changed characters.
urn engraved with runes. The cover has been sealed The players must pass their character sheet to the
tight. If the PCs don’t ask any questions, she’ll person to their left and become a different Kalukan.

The Three Chests

tell them anyway that the urn is the proof that Everyone should be utterly confused at this point!
they have accomplished their mission, and they
As for Rutgarr, he won’t notice any of the
must bring it back to Rutgarr. Then she asks the
commotion. What the hell does he care? The
Heroes (if she hasn’t already done so) for the small
Kalukan are nothing but slaves, instruments of his
leather pouch filled with earth, and leads them away
will. This is no time for hand-wringing; it’s time to
from the compound to the large rock formations
go find the Grey Hourglass! The solar eclipse will
surrounding the encampment. The PCs will follow
be here soon!
her as she slips through a narrow passage between
the large boulders. They arrive at the entrance to a
cave. She’ll enter the dark tunnel alone, asking the
Heroes to wait a few minutes.
As she was instructed by Rutgarr, she pours out
the soil in the pouch (which is from Rutgarr’s
cellar) onto the ground, forming a cabalistic symbol.
Rutgarr has placed a spell on the soil, and when
it’s arranged in a certain pattern, it will magically
transport the Kalukan back to the cellar under his
house, allowing them to make the return trip in the
blink of an eye (because they’re running out of time;
the eclipse is now imminent).
Shan reappears at the entrance to the cave and
invites the Heroes in. When they walk over the
pentacle that she’s traced on the ground with the
soil, they’re magically transported back to the
alcove in Rutgarr’s cellar, without even realising
it. They’ll simply feel as if they’ve been walking
through a pitch dark room for about fifty feet, and
then suddenly find themselves back in Rutgarr’s
lair. He’ll of course be waiting for them with a large
smile on his face, and will quickly order them to
give him the urn with the ashes.
Their first mission has been successfully
completed, but something seems not quite right. The
Heroes are overcome with a sick, nauseous feeling,
and are a bit woozy. During the teleportation, their
bodies and minds have become intermingled—it’s
a sinister side effect of the powerful sorcery. The
Heroes are all bewildered, filled with the fleeting
sensation that their personalities have split in two,
as if they were leaving behind their original identity
to adopt a new one...

109
 THE HOURGLASS they’ll see that his face has been disfigured by a
Rutgarr will explain to the Heroes that they horrific scar. This is Parsi, and he invites them in.
The Three Chests

now must travel to the foothills of the Besharoon He lives in a single room, sparsely furnished with
Mountains with the second chest, which is similar a wood table and two stools. There’s also a pile of
to the first. They’ll be meeting with a man named hay he probably calls his bed. A fireplace in one
Parsi, who lives in a small village of shepherd folk at corner heats a pot in which a mealy-looking gruel
the foot of the plateau of Lhend. He’ll provide them is bubbling. The only things of note are a stack of
with the information they need to continue their astronomy books on the floor and a fine-looking
mission. His orders remain the same: it’s forbidden telescope off in one corner.
to open the chest; they must always keep “an eye”
Parsi is on his guard at first. He sizes up the band
on it (sic); and they must be as inconspicuous as
of Kalukan, with their strange accoutrements, before
possible (time to put their disguises back on). He
quickly realizing who they are and why they’ve
tells them that Parsi’s hut will be easy to find as it
been sent. His face breaks into a wide grin (after
stands above the village and has a pole decorated
looking at the Heroes, Parsi has now understood
with pennants next to it.
the meaning of the riddle in the cabalistic grimoire,
Along with the chest, Rutgarr also gives them “neither man nor woman”).
a scroll that they must hand over to Parsi. If any
If the PCs still haven’t realised that they can talk to
curious PCs should unroll the scroll (when Rutgarr’s
Parsi with the bracelets, he’ll start the conversation
not looking, if they’re smart), they’ll see that it’s
on his own, after having asked them a few questions.
a map of the heavens, with easily recognisable
The Kalukan will confirm that they’ve been sent by
symbols (mind Task Roll) of the Moon, the Sun
Rutgarr. Parsi will be much more expansive than the
and the Earth. The cart has been readied and they’ll
mysterious druid, and will provide the PCs with the
be leaving the next day at the crack of dawn.
following information:
The Climb W The Kalukan have to carry the chest into
the “Pit,” which is actually the former underground
The climb up the rock-strewn path to the plateaus
fortress of the Sorcerer-Kings. It’s said that in
of Besharoon is a real slog. Each day, the imposing
ancient times, a group of learned sorcerers had
outline of the plateaus looms larger on the horizon.
congregated in the fortress to work on a singular
They’ll hear thumping and muffled cries from inside
problem: how to conquer time. Parsi doesn’t know
the chest throughout the journey, as if someone (or
much about their work. It’s all explained in a book
something) inside was pounding on the lid.
called Treatise on Time, but he’s never seen the work,
The Kalukan reach the village after a five-day to his great regret.
hike. They quickly notice an old drystone farm half
W Through their research, the Sorcerer-Kings
in ruins above the village, a few hundred yards up
were able to create a magical artefact with terrifying
the slope leading to the plateau. A flock of goats
powers, which is kept in the Pit under close watch
grazes peacefully on the rocky hills, and next to the
by two magical guardians. The Cult of the Dark Fire,
farm is a post decorated with pennants in faded
a branch of the druids who worship Nemmereth,
colours that flap in the wind (offerings to Karyzon
has been searching for the magical object ever since
the Wind Lord, son of Nemmereth).
the Treatise on Time was discovered, some twenty
An old man at the farm contemplates the Heroes years earlier. They’ve never given up hope over those
as they slowly make the climb to his dwelling. He’s long years, as time is only a web of illusions spun by
lost one of his legs above the knee, and leans on Death. This mysterious object, the purpose of which
the long staff he uses as a crutch. As they approach, is unknown to him, is called the Grey Hourglass.

110
 W Parsi is also a follower of Nemmereth. He is
a renowned astronomer who was sent on a mission
to the Pit, about ten years ago, with a chest very
similar to the one the Kalukan have brought. The

The Three Chests

Grey Druids had learned from the grimoire that the
guardians of the Pit only permitted access during
an eclipse, and he had patiently awaited the right
moment (a lunar eclipse) to attempt an expedition.
Despite these precautions, the mission ended in
disaster: the guardian awoke (“the beautiful woman
made of blue stone awoke without warning and
smote us mightily, sending many brave souls to the
long sleep”) and massacred the intruders. Parsi was
the only survivor and, to this day, he bears the scars
of this fateful attempt.
W Parsi was asked by the druids to remain
near the Pit, awaiting the next attempt to enter.
He has been able to continue his astronomical
studies, and prefers living alone to work in peace.
He knows that another eclipse, a solar eclipse this
time, will be occurring very soon. This is why the
they return. It should take about a day to make the
Kalukan have been sent to him. He also tells them
hike. They’ll have to leave early the next morning
that he’s familiar with one of the riddles found in
to make sure they reach the Pit on time. Parsi can’t
the Treatise on Time, which says that those who may
tell them what’s inside the Pit, as he’s never entered
enter the Pit must be neither a man nor a woman.
himself. All he knows is that they have to get inside
This point had been overlooked by the cult in the
with the chest. What will happen next? He has no
past, but Parsi now understands that Rutgarr has
idea. The best he can do is wish them luck. As for
found the solution: he can use the Kalukan to enter
the rest, Nemmereth will surely guide their steps.
the sanctuary because they’re sexless! Everything
should go as planned this time!
The Pit
W The parchment that Rutgarr has sent with
The entrance to the Pit is a day’s march from
the Heroes contains astronomical calculations that
Parsi’s farm. The Heroes will first have to climb a
confirm Parsi’s own computations, with some added
steep slope leading to the plateau at the foot of the
details. After perusing the document, Parsi tells
Besharoon Mountains. Vegetation is very sparse,
them that a solar eclipse will be occurring the day
and only a few scattered boulders break up the
after tomorrow, at around noon! It’s unheard of for
monotony of the lunar landscape. Thick clouds
two eclipses to occur over such a short time span, so
of reddish dust swirl about, driven by cutting
they have to profit from the occasion. However, the
winds. After a successful mind Task Roll, a Hero
eclipse will only last about fifteen minutes. They’ll
with the appropriate career (a hunter for example)
have to act quickly once they enter the sanctuary, to
will soon realise that they’re not alone: a band of
avoid the wrath of the guardians!
around a dozen Grooth exiled from the Qo jungle
W With his missing leg, Parsi won’t be able have moved to the plateau, and are following the
to accompany them. But he can tell them how to Kalukan from a safe distance (they haven’t found
get to the Pit. They’ll have to walk—the path is too much to eat the past few days). Once the Grooth
steep for their cart. He’ll keep it safe for them until have been discovered, their presence will become

111
 increasingly oppressive for our Heroes. If the PCs Bones from human skeletons are scattered about in
try to confront them, the Grooth will run away. But the dust at the statues’ feet. This must be all that
the beast men won’t hesitate to launch an attack at remains of Parsi’s unfortunate companions.
some point—most likely on the return trip from
In the centre of the Pit sits a large brazier, long
The Three Chests

the Pit—if the Heroes’ are in a weakened state. Or

since abandoned.
maybe in the dead of night, when the Heroes let
down their guard? Note to GM: The two statues are the guardians
of the Pit, and take turns keeping watch over the
The Pit can’t be seen from the edge of the plateau.
door. The warrior guards the entrance during the
The Heroes will have to walk a few more hours before
day, and the dancer takes over at night. Depending
they come across a deep chasm in the rocky hills. It’s
on the time of day, anyone who touches the door
a large hole nearly a hundred feet in diameter, dug
will awaken one of the statues and be immediately
out of the ground in a slightly conical shape (the
attacked. To protect their precious artefact, the
bottom of the hole is slightly smaller than the top;
Sorcerer-Kings installed the two guardians to make
an attentive PC may notice a certain mirror-like
sure no one could enter except during a lunar or a
symmetry between the Pit and the Lighthouse they
solar eclipse.
recently visited). A spiral staircase winds down the
steep face of the wall into the dark hole. The steps
are made of small wooden logs, which are in pitiful
The Eclipse
shape due to the harsh climate. There’s also no Parsi’s calculations were correct; right around
guardrail, which means that walking down the steps noon, the sunlight will grow dim and a shadow will
will be an adventure in itself. As they gingerly make spread over the earth. The heavy double doors can
the descent, a throng of bats will burst out when the now be pushed open, and the two stone guardians
PCs are about thirty feet from the bottom of the will remain frozen on their pedestals.
stairs. They’ll have to make a successful roll to keep
their balance (agility Task Roll plus any appropriate First Level
career, with a -2 modifier for whoever’s carrying the The doors open onto a vast square hall, at least forty
chest), or they’ll suffer damage: from d6L to d6H yards long on each side. The whole room is actually
ignoring armour, depending on the height they fall a long balcony with a gaping pit in the middle. It’s
from. If the chest falls, the Heroes will be surprised very dark, with only a bit of spectral light filtering
to discover that it’s miraculously intact...and they’ll in through the bronze doors. The otherworldly
hear furious thumping noises inside the chest for a dimension is accentuated by the smooth black walls
few moments, before all grows calm again. and the ominous silence. When they approach the
parapet, the PCs will see that there are two other
During the day, the sun will illuminate most of the
floors down below, both built around the same
Pit floor, revealing two enormous statues. Both are
central pit. Down at the very bottom they’ll be
nearly ten-feet tall, positioned one on each side of
able to make out a basin filled with perfectly still
a large bronze door. The first statue is made of light
black water. There are two doors on each side of the
blue stone. It’s a woman, naked down to the waist
balcony on this first level, off to the right and left.
and garbed only in a long loin-cloth. She wields two
scimitars and appears to be performing an elegant FL-A: This is the door to a library where the
dance step. She has a calm and determined look on Sorcerer-Kings, in their unquenchable thirst for
her finely chiselled face. A crescent moon on her knowledge, stored all their erudite works. The
forehead holds back her long hair. The second statue walls, which are made of large irregular blocks of
is made of a dark red stone, and is just as impressive. stone, are lined with stone shelves almost fifteen
It’s a warrior with a regal bearing, accentuated by feet high that are crammed with books. Two long
his beard and turban. He appears to be looking bookcases separated by a passage in the middle run
defiantly at anyone who dares approach the door. the entire length of the room (which has a second

112
 The Three Chests
First Level

B C
A
D

Guardians

Brazier

1st Sub-level

B C

A
D

2nd Sub-level

The Pit of the

Sorcerer-Kings

113
 entrance, at B). If the Heroes dillydally in this fount 1-C: In this room, recesses have been dug out
of knowledge, they’ll be attacked by a necropede of the walls at regular intervals. They may have
hiding in the shadows on the ceiling. been used for shelving or for bunk beds. An old
dormitory? Perhaps a storeroom? Impossible to say,
FL-B: This is the second entrance to the library.
The Three Chests

as time has effaced all traces of the past.

FL-C: This is the room where the Sorcerer-Kings
1-D: The door opens onto a small, semicircular
studied the movements of the stars and planets.
amphitheatre carved in stone, with tiered seating
The ceiling is covered with engravings showing the
for about thirty people. An elegant lectern carved
orbits of the celestial bodies, represented by huge
from basalt stands at the bottom. The room was
diamonds! A large planetarium made of semi-
probably used by the Sorcerer-Kings to discuss
precious stones sits in the middle of the room.
their blasphemous research to master the mysteries
FL-D: This room contains a humongous bronze of time.
bell. A knocker made of jallallabar wood hanging
from the ceiling on two chains is still operational. Sub-level 2
In the days of the Sorcerer-Kings, the bell must
Two sets of stairs lead to the lowest level of the
have been used to mark the passing hours for the
pit. Rows of columns surround a central basin,
reclusive scholars.
forming a sort of cloister. The dark green water,
On the north side of the balcony, two stairwells which has a weird viscosity, is only about a foot
lead down to the lower level. deep. Double doors in the north wall lead to the
Hourglass Chamber.
Sub-level 1 The chamber has an octagon shape, and in
This level is basically the same as the previous one, the centre on a pedestal sits the Grey Hourglass,
with a balcony around the central pit and two doors illuminated by a column of white light which
on each side. It also has two stairwells leading down appears to be coming up from the floor and also
to the next level. descending from the ceiling. On the right side of
the room, a small silver bell covered with dust sits
1-A: This is a vast, empty chamber. From the
on a stand sculpted in black marble.
ceiling hang massive chandeliers covered with
cobwebs. It may have been a common room in Any attempt to immediately seize the hourglass
former times. will end in failure. The column of light will burn the
person’s flesh (automatically causing d6L damage,
1-B: This room is much different from the others.
ignoring armour), and any object placed in the light
The walls are not as smooth, and the living rock
will be burnt to a crisp. If any of the Heroes try
shows through in certain places. Six large holes
to withstand the burning and grab the hourglass,
(three on each side of the room), each about three
their lifeblood will be reduced to 0; simply put, it’s
feet in diameter, have been dug out of the rock
impossible for the Kalukan to immediately grab
floor, and are in fact vertical conduits about thirty
hold of the object.
feet deep. Any intrepid Hero who decides to climb
down a shaft to investigate will find a large cave, The solution can be found in the chest: only the
about 100 feet long on each side, filled with a layer demon guardian can recover the Grey Hourglass
of debris several feet thick: broken pieces of wooden without being fried by the column of light. What’s
structures, bones whitened with age, and bits and more, the bumping and thumping inside the chest
pieces of rusty metal. A necropede lives here. will become frenzied as soon as the Heroes enter
Anyone who hangs around too long may attract its the chamber.
attention...
There’s very little time, and the PCs will have to
quickly find the solution to the enigma. All they

114
 The Three Chests
have to do is ring the bell, which then “summons” to their fun, they’ll soon run across an unexpected
the demon to fulfil its duty; the demon will grow visitor: a necropede has been shadowing them
more and more agitated inside the chest, impatiently all along, licking its chops in expectation of its
waiting for someone to ring the bell so it can be upcoming dinner. The macabre millipede will cross
released from its prison. their paths when the Heroes reach the top floor.
When someone finally rings the bell, the sound Note to GM: The idea at this point is not to kill
of a melodious glass chime will fill the room, off the Heroes in the Pit, but to ratchet up the
mysteriously modulating its tone as it reverberates tension. Goad them on as they make their final mad
off the walls. The lock on the chest will then make a dash to escape—hurry hurry! or the stone guardians
clicking sound and the cover will fly open. A squat will awake and block the exit!
little demon with bulging eyes and scaly bright-
Once they’ve hacked to bits the horrible beast, the
orange skin will burst out of the chest, whisk the
Heroes can escape from the pit and return to the
Grey Hourglass off its pedestal and dash back into
high plains of Lhend, where the hot sun and biting
the chest, hugging the artefact to its chest as if it
winds await them. They’ll then head directly back
were a baby. He’ll give the Heroes a smug look and
to Halakh.
then let out an ear-splitting cackle as he quickly
closes the lid back over his head. The sound of a key They’ll find the Grey Druid placidly pruning his
turning in the lock can then be heard. roses. When he sees them arrive with the precious
chest, he’ll beam with joy and immediately head off
It’s time to get going. The light from outside is
to the cellar, beckoning them to follow. He’ll then
getting brighter and brighter, and the Heroes have
inform them of their third and final mission.
to escape the Pit before the eclipse ends. To add

115
 their services to the passing caravans of merchants.
THE PACT OF MALAKUT Amid the hustle and bustle, the PCs will quickly
locate their contact: an old, one-eyed (of course!)
beggar sitting off to one side near the front of the
The purpose of this third and final mission is
The Three Chests

bridge. The Heroes will see the second half of the

simple enough: carry a chest filled with gold and
ancient coin in his begging bowl, and will naturally
precious gems to handsomely pay Ram Verda
conclude that they should throw in theirs. As soon
for having provided Rutgarr with the inimitable
as he sees the coin, he makes a sign to the Heroes,
Kalukan—and also for getting rid of them, as
indicating that they should wait behind a group of
they’re the only witnesses to the whole sordid affair.
huts, then climbs to his feet and walks across the
Rutgarr now gives the Heroes the final chest, bridge into the city.
and tells them to take it to Malakut and deliver it
After they wait for about an hour, a ferret-faced
to a certain Ram Verda, a wealthy merchant who’s
young boy arrives. He’s barefoot and covered in dirt,
made his fortune in the antique trade. Once they’ve
and has the sly look of a cutpurse about him. He says
completed this final mission, he says, he promises
his name is Faldir, and officiously proclaims that
that they’ll be taken back to the Witch Queen’s
master Ram Verda extends his warmest welcome
fortress. He’ll be sure to inform her what wonderful
to them. He doesn’t look the least bit surprised to
and faithful servants she has. After telling the Heroes
act as the guide for a bunch of Kalukan, and was
these bald-faced lies, he gives them a dagger that
most likely tipped off in advance. He then explains
they also must give to the merchant, as well as one
that their final rendezvous will take place in the
half of an ancient coin that’s been cut in two. They’ll
evening, at nightfall, in the Garden of Martyrs next
use the coin to establish contact with a guide, who’ll
to the statue of Plutt. Like any guide worthy of the
lead them to Ram Verda. They’ve agreed to meet at
name, he’ll be happy to tell them the story behind
the bridge over the Malak River that leads into the
the strange park dedicated to fallen heroes (see the
city on the western bank. How will they recognise
text box, “The Garden of Martyrs”). He won’t have
their contact? “Birds of a feather flock together,”
much to say about Ram Verda however, only saying
quips Rutgarr, who’s in quite a jaunty mood. He
that he’s a rich merchant who is most generous with
once again tells them that it’s forbidden to open the
his servants (don’t forget that they’ll have to give
chest (the clinking sound of the coins will certainly
him a pair of bracelets if they want to talk to the
pique their curiosity), and that discretion is a must
boy).
(time to pull out their disguises again!).
When they enter the park that night, they’ll see
Rendezvous in The a young woman leaning against an enormous white
Garden of Martyrs baobab tree. A lamp filled with red oil sits next
to her, revealing her suggestive clothing, and her
The journey from Halakh to Malakut is long shameless propositions will leave little doubt about
and tiring. The Heroes will travel up the banks of why she’s in the park at this late hour (she’s actually
the Malak River for nearly two weeks. You can one of Ram Verda’s agents on the lookout for the
always break up the monotony by having a band Heroes. She’ll give the signal with her lamp to let
of highwaymen attack the Kalukan if your PCs are her conspirators know that their prey have arrived).
restless for some action. The courtesan will be amused by the lack of response
from the adventurers, and mistake their silence for
At long last, the road will end at a large fortified
bashfulness (she doesn’t know they’re Kalukan).
bridge across the Malak River that leads to the
sprawling city of Malakut on the far side. A few Faldir will quickly bring the PCs to the back
shacks are huddled beside the road near the bridge, of the park, where they’ll see the outlines of the
where groups of porters wait in the dust, offering Labyrinth of Thorns looming in the shadows. The

116
 Run-down House
Flowering Cactuses Labyrinth of Thorns
Basin
Prickly Baobabs

The Three Chests

2 Candle-shaped
Cactuses
Entrance The
Damsel's 1
Pit Pit

Pit

Prickly Shrubs

The Garden of Martyrs

The Garden of Martyrs, located on the outskirts of Malakut, is a botanical curiosity that was created by Plutt, a
learned Malakuti from the times of King Lian Klodis. Plutt devoted his life to the study of rare and exotic plants,
and travelled far and wide in Lemuria to collect specimens for his extraordinary cactus garden. Historians say that
the monarch showed little interest in the extravagant garden, but by all accounts, he was quite fond of the many
open pits found in the park: he had traitors and snitches thrown into them to be impaled on the sharp-needled
cactuses that line the bottoms. These grisly practices are now a thing of the past, and the neglected garden has fallen
into ill-repute (there’s a lot of other gardens and parks in Malakut that are much more enjoyable). It’s become a
favourite spot for all types of clandestine meetings.
The large, rectangular park covers several acres. It’s surrounded by a rusty old fence and a green wall of prickly
hedges. There are many small alleyways inside the Garden of Martyrs, and the six pits that have made the park
famous can be found in various locations. Each pit is about ten to fifteen feet wide (except for the largest one in the
central square, the “damsel’s pit,” which is about twenty feet wide). They’re about ten feet deep, and the bottom of
each one is covered with pale yellow cactuses that have long, curved spines known for their extremely painful sting
(d6L damage for each round spent in the pit). Along with the infamous pits, the park also contains the following:
W A small run-down house where the gardener used to live. It’s now used for secret trysts.
W An ornamental pond filled with stagnant water, home to all sorts of frogs and small, inoffensive water snakes.
W Large clumps of magnificent cactuses with fantastic flowers, others shaped like enormous candles arranged in
astonishing columns, succulent plants with strange, globular forms, and many other prickly and stinging curiosities.
W A labyrinth with walls made of prickly hedges some ten feet high, about fifty yards long on each side. The
meeting place with Ram Verda is in this part of the park, which is called the “Labyrinth of Thorns.”
W Three white marble statues, representing the former king Lian Klodis (1) on the large esplanade; Argos
(2), the first martyr, depicted covered in spines and howling in agony (a very impressive, and chilling, work of
art); and lastly, the statue of Plutt (3), who created the botanical garden. This statue is hidden in the heart of the
“Labyrinth of Thorns.”

117
 boy will then guide them to the statue of Plutt, Ram Verda doesn’t know anything else about Rut-
which is about twenty yards as the crow flies from garr’s plot. But he will tell them that the druid is a
the entrance to the maze. The little imp will take a member of the Cult of the Dark Fire, a sect of Grey
mischievous delight in leading them through every Druids in Halakh who worship Nemmereth, and
The Three Chests

twist and turn to make sure they lose their bearings. who are known to be the sworn enemies of the serv-
When they finally arrive at the statue, they’ll see ants of Zaggath, the Lord of Fire (who is none other
three heavily armed guards standing around a portly than the patron god of their queen, Methyn Sarr!).
man about fifty years old, with a ruddy complexion.
Whether they’re able to make Ram Verda spill
Three other henchmen are hiding nearby, waiting to
the beans or not, the PCs will still find themselves
pounce on the Heroes. Verda’s toothy grin and flashy
abandoned in Malakut, now fully aware that Rutgarr
attire leave no doubt that he’s acquired his ill-gotten
has double-crossed them and is undoubtedly
fortune through shady deals and underhanded
plotting against their most revered queen...and
schemes. When the Heroes arrive, he’ll ask them
what magical powers did he hope to obtain with
in a sugary tone to hand over the chest. Once he
that strange hourglass that they’d fetched for him?
has the chest and the dagger in his possession, his
manners will quickly change. “Do you know why At this point in the adventure, the PCs should
your ‘master’ asked you to give me this magnificent naturally decide to return to Halakh as quickly as
dagger?” he asks tersely. “No? Why, to kill you with, possible to give Rutgarr his comeuppance. They
of course!” He’ll then beckon to his henchmen to may entertain thoughts of heading directly back to
finish them off. The time has now come to fulfil the Witch Queen’s castle to warn her of the danger,
his part of the deal! As soon as the fighting begins, as any faithful and obeying servant would do, so you
Faldir will slip away into the night without asking should subtly remind them that it would take nearly
any questions. two months to reach her fortress, giving Rutgarr
ample time to carry out his sinister plan. Plus, they
Note to GM: The men from the thieves’ guild
should keep in mind that Methyn Sarr is a cruel
are seasoned killers who are loyal to their boss.
and heartless mistress: it might be a better idea to
They won’t be easily intimidated (and Ram Verda
return home once they’ve cleaned up their mess so
will have warned them about the particular nature
that they can at least hope for some leniency from
of their “customers” for the evening). At the same
her. And lastly, Rutgarr now believes they’re dead;
time, they’re not over-zealous fanatics either, and
he has no reason to be on his guard or to quickly
if the Kalukan clearly have the upper hand, they
put his plan into motion. They’ll be able to use the
won’t hesitate to make a break for it (at the GM’s
element of surprise to their advantage.
discretion).
If the Heroes manage to capture Ram Verda alive
(like his men, he’ll try to save his own skin, and will
Rutgarr’s Villa
eventually surrender if he’s backed into a corner), When Rutgarr said adieu to the Kalukan, he was
he’ll attempt a plea bargain; if the PCs spare his life, firmly convinced that Ram Verda was more than
he’ll tell them everything they want to know. He’ll capable of getting rid of them. He now thinks this
explain that Rutgarr paid his guild a small fortune part of his plan is over, and is already busying himself
to kidnap a few of the Kalukan Sentinels serving with the final preparations for his upcoming mission:
the Witch Queen. Ram Verda was in charge of the announce the good news to his fellow brethren from
operation. The chest that they’ve brought contains the Cult of the Dark Fire so that a secret gathering
the remainder of his fee, and he was instructed can be convened, where they’ll give him their
to eliminate the sentinels without leaving a trace. blessings and send him off under favourable augurs;
Nothing personal, you understand...it was just a recruit the Halakhi assassins who’ll help him get
business deal! into the Witch Queen’s fortress (and get back out);
and prepare the powerful rites that will give him

118
(and his accomplices) the appearance of Kalukan The walls are lined with shelves and bookcases, and
so that they can enter the fortress and get close to a finely-sculpted desk sits in the middle. If they
the queen. These preparations will take some time, carefully search the sorcerer’s den, which contains
but Rutgarr relishes these protracted preliminaries, letters, notes, and excerpts from the Treatise on

The Three Chests

filled with expectation as he excitedly awaits his Time copied out in Rutgarr’s own hand, the PCs
moment of glory. will be able to put together the final pieces of the
puzzle. They’ll discover that the Cult of the Dark
When they return to Halakh, the Heroes will find
Fire has been searching for the Grey Hourglass for
Rutgarr’s villa abandoned except for Assim, the old
a long time, and that they intend to use it to kill
gardener, who’s been told to take care of the gardens
the Witch Queen, the most powerful figure of the
during his master’s absence (the other servants have
Red Druids of Zaggath. It’s taken many long years
all been dismissed). If the PCs decide to put voice-
for Rutgarr to figure out how to enter the Pit to
throwing bracelets on his wrist to make him talk,
recover the hourglass, and he’s carefully planned the
he’ll tell them in a quavering voice that he doesn’t
entire operation, beginning with the kidnapping of
know anything, except that Rutgarr left two days
the Kalukan by Ram Verda, who was also tasked
earlier for the Rose Garden, one of his properties a
with killing the sentinels once they’d completed
few leagues west of Halakh.
their mission. They’ll also find the bracelets of long
The PCs will finally have the opportunity to speech worn by Rutgarr, and a half-empty vial
explore the Grey Druid’s house. It only has two containing a thick, greenish liquid (Sleep Inducer
floors, in addition to the cellar that the Kalukan potion, see BoL, page 139).
know so well. On the ground floor are the living
Even if the PCs turn the place upside down, they’ll
quarters (a front hall, a spacious and richly furnished
find no trace of the Grey Hourglass, except for the
living room, and a well-stocked kitchen). A door
chest they brought back from the Pit. It’s sitting
in the front hall leads down to the cellar. Upstairs
open in the cellar—empty now, of course. The Rose
they’ll find two bedrooms and a third room with a
Garden outside of town may be their last hope...
locked door. This is none other than Rutgarr’s study.

Door to Rose Garden Front entrance to Farmhouse

The Rose Garden

First Floor

Ground Floor
HO
TH
OU
SE
Small door to Hothouse
OASIS

Main doors to Hothouse

119
 The Rose Garden
The old gardener Assim told them the truth: the one victim for each person whose appearance is
Rose Garden is only a few leagues west of Rutgarr’s transformed by the illusion: Rutgarr plus the four
The Three Chests

residence on the outskirts of Halakh, on the road assassins). Rutgarr has also been fasting for a full
leading to the Lighthouse. There aren’t many houses week now.
in the district, just a smattering of barns and a few
Depending on how the PCs plan their assault,
simple dwellings for the local farmers. The Rose
the encounter may turn into a bloody game of hide-
Garden itself, a verdant green emerald in the parched
and-seek between the rows of rosebushes. The small
yellow countryside, is easy to find. It’s been built
farmhouse that abuts the rose garden has only one
next to a small oasis. The Heroes will soon discover
entrance, which opens directly into the living area.
a large hothouse, about fifty yards long and thirty
It’s a single room with rustic furnishings. A large
wide, filled with hundreds of flowering rosebushes.
mezzanine overhead contains stacked hay bales and
A small two-story building with a stone foundation
a few sacks of fertilizer. Across from the entrance on
and a second floor made of wood communicates
the ground floor is another door that leads directly
directly with the hothouse.
into the hothouse (which also has another entrance
It is here in his cherished retreat, away from the outside). The apprentices and the assassins are in
prying eyes of the city, that Rutgarr has decided to the living area, while Rutgarr is preparing his spell
put the final touches on his spell before heading in the quieter confines of the mezzanine.
off to the Witch Queen’s fortress. Four assassins
Note to GM: This time, the Heroes will be facing
have accompanied the magician to his refuge. They
fanatics who are devoted to Rutgarr and ready to
while away the hours doing target practice with
fight to the death for their cause. The battle should
their daggers, so it might be easy to catch them
be fierce and bloody. Unless the situation becomes
off guard. Isolated from the others, Rutgarr is in
entirely hopeless, Rutgarr will not try to escape, as
deep meditation: he’s preparing a powerful Second
he knows full well the Kalukan will warn the Witch
Magnitude illusion spell to get past the guards at
Queen, thereby ruining his plan, and that Methyn
the entrance to the Witch Queen’s fortress. He
Sarr will then hound him to his death. He’ll also
intends to cast an illusion that will give him and
hesitate to use the Grey Hourglass. It would be a
his henchmen the appearance of Kalukan. When
shame to waste such a powerful artefact just to off
the Heroes had first arrived at his residence at the
a few Kalukan. Plus, he’d planned on waiting until
beginning of the adventure, he’d actually taken a
the last moment before filling the hourglass with
few hairs and fingernail clippings from them that
the precious ashes to avoid accidentally tipping it
were needed for his spellcasting. Five apprentices
over. So it’ll take him quite some time to open the
attend Rutgarr. They’re helping him to cast the
urn, pour the ashes into the hourglass, screw in the
intricate spell and, unbeknownst to them, they’re to
plug, and turn it over to stop time. Let’s assume that
be sacrificed at the end of the ritual (the rites require
the Heroes won’t give him the opportunity!

Kalukan versus Kalukan

An interesting option could be to have the PCs arrive just after Rutgarr has finished casting his spell to
change appearances. The Heroes would then find themselves confronted by a group of Kalukan that are their
mirror image! This turn of events could offer many amusing possibilities, plus the bodies of the five sacrificed
apprentices could confuse the PCs and throw them off track. But it will be up to you to decide what’s best.

120
 What about the
Demon Guardian
of the Hourglass?
Cast of Characters
Hyenas of Besharr

The Three Chests

The imp has one task only. When summoned, he
recovers the Grey Hourglass and takes it back to (toughs) x9
the Pit after it has been used. While he waits, he
Creature Size: small.
“hangs around,” invisible, never too far from the
artefact. He may flash into view every so often Normally Found: Deserts.
when he gets the urge. When the PCs launch
their attack on the rose garden, feel free to add in a Attributes Combat Abilities
few unexpected appearances by the bright orange Strength 0 Attack +0
demon, just to make the situation even more tense. Agility 1 Damage d6L
The PCs will probably wonder if they have to Mind -1 Defence 1
fight the little imp as well. If a Hero tries to attack Lifeblood 5 Protection 0
the demon, it will simply disappear in a cloud of
Traits:
stinky orange smoke, and may then reappear a bit
Hunting pack: The hyenas of Besharr aren’t
further off and bare its fangs with a snarl. It will
rabble, but you can use horde rules when they attack
take no part in the fighting, nor will it try to stop
(see BoL, page 157).
the Heroes from destroying the Grey Hourglass if
they should wish to do so (on the contrary: if the
hourglass is destroyed, it will break the magic spell Leader of the Hyena
that has bound it to the artefact).
Pack (tough)
Creature Size: medium.
Conclusion Attributes Combat Abilities
Once they’ve gotten rid of the Grey Druid, the Strength 1 Attack +2
Heroes will finally be able to go home and rejoin the Agility 2 Damage d6
ranks of the Witch Queen. If they’ve got the Grey Mind -1 Defence 1
Hourglass with them (they may have destroyed it Lifeblood 10 Protection 0
during the battle with Rutgarr, for example), Methyn
Sarr will order them to give her the precious artefact,
and may have them accompany her on an important Grooth (toughs) x10
mission. Once she has the Grey Hourglass in her
possession, who knows what a powerful sorcerer like Attributes Combat Abilities
Methyn Sarr could accomplish? She’ll now have the Strength 2 Initiative 0
power to dethrone a king, bring an entire city to its Agility 1 Melee 2
knees, or utterly destroy one of her fiercest enemies. Mind -1 Ranged 0
Until she decides what to do, the Witch Queen will Appeal 0 Defence 0
have to get used to a scaly little demon with bright Careers
orange skin, who’ll make its appearance every so Barbarian 1 Hunter 1
often in the halls of her fortress, as it patiently
Protection: None
awaits (what does time matter to a demon anyway?)
Weapons: Cudgel d6L+2
until the Grey Hourglass is used, and it can once
again whisk it back to the Pit, as it has done since Points
Lifeblood 8
time immemorial...

121
The Three Chests

Guardians of the Pit

(villains)
These ten-feet tall statues magically come to life Traits:
and attack anyone who comes near the doors to the Elite fighter: The Guardians of the Pit get a bonus
sanctuary: the red warrior guards the doors during die for Attack Rolls.
the day, while the blue dancer guards them at night.
Alchemical body: The most powerful magic
Note to GM: As soon as one of the guardians are and alchemistic sorcery were used to create the
animated, the doors to the sanctuary lock shut, Guardians of the Pit. Their stone bodies and
meaning it’s impossible to get in (there’s no way weapons are therefore considered to be Legendary
anyone can sneak into the Pit while the other PCs alchemist creations. The guardians roll a bonus
try to “distract” the guardian). die when rolling for damage, and ignore armour.
Likewise, they roll a bonus die when rolling for
Attributes Combat Abilities protection, and halve the additional damage caused
Strength 8 Attack +4* by Mighty and Legendary Successes.
Agility 3 Damage d6 x2*
Mind 0
Lifeblood 40
Defence 2
Protection d6 (4)*
Necropedes
(See BoL, page 129).
* See the traits, below.

122
Ram Verda (villain)
With his ruddy complexion and protruding
paunch, Ram Verda clearly likes his food and
drink. He’s around fifty, and has the inoffensive

The Three Chests

and affable appearance of a prosperous merchant.
But behind this veil of respectability hides a dark
truth: Ram Verda is one of the leaders of the guild
of the Bloody Blades, and has built his fortune on
blood and sweat: fencing, slave trafficking and hired
assassinations are but a few of his occupations. He’s
greedy and not afraid to take risks. He’ll accept any
contract if it means filling his pockets: even battling
the sentinels of the terrible Witch Queen!

Attributes Combat Abilities

Strength 0 Initiative 2 Ram Verda’s Henchmen
Agility 2 Melee 1 (toughs) x6
Mind 2 Ranged 0
Appeal 1 Defence 1 Verda’s brown-skinned hirelings are lean and
quick. They’re evil-looking reprobates with leather
Careers doublets and, like all good ruffians, are armed to the
Mercenary 0 Merchant 2
teeth.
Thief 1 Assassin 0
Protection: Light armour d6-3 (1) Attributes Combat Abilities
Weapons: Dagger d6L* Strength 0 Initiative 0
Points Agility 2 Melee 2 (1)*
Villain Points 5 Mind 0 Ranged 0 (1)*
Lifeblood 10 Appeal 0 Defence 1
Careers
* The dagger that Rutgarr orders the Heroes to Thief 2
give to Ram Verda is of exceptional make (legendary
Protection: Light armour d6-3 (1)
weapon: add a bonus die when rolling for damage).
Weapons: Dagger d6L, sword d6*
Boons Points
Friends in Low Places: Ram Verda is right at home Lifeblood 6
in the seedy underworld of Malakut.
*Two of the henchmen in hiding are armed with
Trademark Weapon (dagger): Ram Verda gets a bonus
crossbows (d6) and have the following combat
die for Attack Rolls when he wields his dagger.
abilities: initiative 0, melee 1, ranged 1, defence 1.
Detect Deception: Ram Verda certainly wasn’t born
yesterday. He receives a bonus die to sniff out any Rutgarr, Grey Druid of
dirty tricks or phony-baloney.
Halakh (villain)
Flaws
Rutgarr is a member of the Grey Druids who
Arrogant: Ram Verda may at times be a bit too sure
worship Nemmereth. A long-time resident of the
of himself...
city of Halakh, he belongs to the Cult of the Dark
Greed: Ram Verda would never pass up an occasion Fire and has become a prominent member as a
to line his coffers, even if it means taking great risks. result of his religious fervour. A sorcerer of great

123
 learning, he was given the task of locating the Grey Obsession: The destruction of the Witch Queen is
Hourglass. For nearly twenty years, he has been now the only thing that Rutgarr lives for.
tirelessly searching for the profane relic.
Rutgarr is around sixty, tall and lean. His face has
Rutgarr’s Acolytes
The Three Chests

been burned dark by the sun of Halakh, and still (rabble) x5

bears the scars of a past bout with the pox. He cuts
These worshipers of the Dark Fire are Rutgarr’s
an elegant figure, but behind his affable manner
faithful servants who will blindly follow his orders
hides a demented fanatic capable of the worst
and give their lives for him. They wear long grey
infamy to achieve his goal.
robes and are armed with knives.

Attributes Combat Abilities Careers

Strength 0 Initiative 1 Magician 1
Agility 1 Melee 1 Attack : +0 Weapons: Dagger d3
Mind 4 Ranged 0
Points
Appeal 2 Defence 3
Arcane Power 1
Careers Lifeblood 2
Noble 0 Druid 3
Magician 1 Scribe 0 * Horde rules, cf. BoL, page 157.
Protection: None
Weapons: Dagger d6L Halakhi Assassins
Points (toughs) x4
Arcane Power 12
Faith Points 3 These killers are amongst the elite Halakhi
Villain Points 5 assassins. They wear black leather armour, and each
Lifeblood 10 is armed with a pair of kir, their trademark dirks
that they wield with deadly efficiency.
Boons
Silver Tongue: Rutgarr can lie through his teeth. Attributes Combat Abilities
Add a bonus die whenever he tells lies or tries to Strength 0 Initiative 1
hoodwink someone. Agility 2 Melee 1
Mind 0 Ranged -1
Learned: In his endless quest for the Grey Hourglass, Appeal 0 Defence 1
Rutgarr has become very well-read and has learned
Careers
a lot about the world.
Assassin 2
Keen Scent: Rutgarr is also fanatical about his Protection: Light armour d6-3 (1)
rosebushes and has developed an excellent sense of Weapons: Pair of kir d6L
smell. Add a bonus die when he uses his olfactory
Points
powers to perceive something. Lifeblood 8
Flaws
Zealot: Rutgarr is a religious fanatic who will do Traits:
absolutely anything to serve Nemmereth in his Master assassin: These elite assassins were born
aspect as a Dark Lord. with a kir in their hand and get a bonus die when
they use their trademark weapon.
Landlubber: Rutgarr knows nothing of seamanship
and takes a penalty die for any activities at sea.

124
 Ready-made Kalukan Characters
For the Adventure of the Three Chests
 Dart
Fortress of the Witch Queen

Lemurian, beshaari

1  3 0 0 Long Bow D6 +1

Axe D6 +1

1
slave 0
5 soldier 1 quiver with 25 arrows, including 5 arrows
0
11 of zaggarth (see below) 0 0 0 0 0
hunter 2
light armour d6-3 [1]
beastmaster 1
2

1
desert born, Mighty shot country bumpkin, mute

Dart has gained quite a reputation at the court of Methyn Sarr for its prowess with a bow and arrow.
Many tales abound about its exploits: it’s said that Dart can bring down a kyphus at 200 paces and that
its arrows are fletched with mythunga feathers.
In Its quiver, it keeps five "Arrows of Zaggath” with serrated tips shaped like flames (alchemist weapon,
common preparation; roll again for a Damage Roll of 1).
 squelch
Fortress of the Witch Queen

Lemurian

3 1 0 0 great sword D6H+3

dagger D6L+3

1
slave 0
5 soldier 1 executioner outfit (light armour d6-3 [1] )
2
13 gladiator 1
executioner 2
0

1
fearless, fearsome look illiterate, mute

The squat and burly Squelch is one of the Witch Queen’s trusted executioners. It proudly brandishes a
great two-handed sword—the symbol of its long and dedicated service. It takes great pride in the fact
that it’s never needed more than a single stroke to lop off the head of one of its mistress’s enemies.
Discipline and efficiency are Squelch’s watchwords and it has little patience for idle chitchat and
palavering, which it considers to be a waste of breath.
 brave
Fortress of the Witch Queen

Lemurian

4 0 -1 1 Tulwar D6+4

Mace D6+4

0
slave 0

3 5 worker 1 Medium armour d6-2 [2], small shield

14 blacksmith 1
soldier 2
0

1
inspire, trademark weapon (tulwar) all thumbs, mute

The muscular Brave stands out from the other guards due to its massive frame, which is impressive even by
Kalukan standards. It’s a prominent figure at the fortress on the Fire Coast, known for its great physical
strength and prowess. Brave has natural authority and the other guards have learned to respect it.
Brave and Dart have often valiantly fought side by side and have proven to be a lethally effective team.
But away from the Witch Queen’s court, Brave openly disparages the elite bowman. It scorns archers, who
kill their enemies from a safe distance instead of partaking in the noble trial of hand-to-hand combat
(it’s also jealous of Dart’s incredible dexterity, although it would never admit it).
 rheumy
Fortress of the Witch Queen

Lemurian, beshaari, sorceric, ygddari

0 1 2 1 Dagger D6L

quarterstaff D6

1
slave 1
5 worker 0 Vial of Unguent of Raluk (uncommon potion,
1
10 physician 1
cure 1d6 lifeblood of damage; 1 dose);

potion of minor resilience (uncommon potion;

scribe 1
0 imbiber’s skin counts as protection d6-2 [2]
alchemist 2
armour for one scene; 1 dose)

2
deft hands, learned, nose for magic distinctive appearance, mute, poor eyesight

Rheumy is an elderly Kalukan who’s spent many years toiling in the laboratories of the Witch Queen. It’s
earned its moniker due to the constant flow of water from its rheumy eye. Is it because of old age, or
because of the caustic vapours from the alchemistic concoctions it’s handled over the years? No one can
say for sure. Rheumy has spent long hours reading the extensive collections in the fortress library and
is very learned, extremely meticulous, and surprisingly nimble with its fingers.
The cynical and grumpy old Rheumy has nothing but contempt for its fellow guards, whose uncouth
behaviour only reinforces the popular misconception of Kalukan as a bunch of violent, knuckle-dragging
oafs.
Gratuitous and senseless violence makes Rheumy livid, and it won’t hesitate to lash out with its acerbic
tongue.
 myriad
Fortress of the Witch Queen

Lemurian, beshaari, kashtian

1 2 2 -1 dagger    D6L+1

darts D6L

0
slave 1
5 soldier 0 two daggers, four darts
1
11 1 druid 1
thief 2
1

2
Alert, Night Sight Mute, Unsettling

Does it even make sense to talk about a creature as bizarre as a Kalukan having a “physical deformation”?
In any case, the single, white globe of Myriad’s eye is covered with about a dozen small irises. The
strange, dark-brown dots dilate and contract exactly like normal pupils, depending on the surrounding
brightness. The other Kalukan are put off by this strange trait and tend to shy away from Myriad. However,
this deformity has given it remarkable eyesight, and Myriad is one of the Witch Queen’s top spies.
Could this strange eye be a sign that Myriad is one of the “chosen few”? Hard to say, but it’s true that
Myriad is passionately devoted to Zaggath, the Lord of Fire, and would appear to have gained a certain
esteem amongst the Red Druids who reside in the fortress on the Fire Coast.