D&D Dynasty: 3rd Path of King Alzar the Mighty - FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Abe Sargent]

Now the immediate crisis is averted. One of the wizards, Dyan, tells him about what had happened here. An adjacent island, was ruled by Durhan the Conqueror and he came and took their land after his powers were heavily enhanced. He flung the capital into the sun to remove any question of his power and then returned home to his island.

The power of Durhan has run out of control, however, all of the cities on other planes, such as Evenarrow, that were heading to the sun were tethered to their capital of Solius, so now that the return of Solius has occurred, it should be mirrored on other planes as well.

One of their trusted advisors betrayed them to Durhan and then they fell. The Ruling Wizards ask Alzar to finish Durhan, who stole their nation’s treasury and valuable magical items and such. Dyan asks for Alzar’s aid, and points out that just because Durhan was defeated this time after he left is no guarantee that he won’t come right back and repeat what happened earlier. Thus Evenarrow could be tossed in the sun again.

The area was taken quickly by Durhan without any battles. He launched those giant metallic tethers from his own island to theirs, locking them into place, and then came across with magical enemies quickly and powerfully, so fast that the army couldn’t even be assembled. Durhan’s island, Volde, has launched those tethers on other places as well. After arriving, the local wizards that were weaker in power, such as apprentices, and lower ranked mages, were taken away by Durhan, and then he sent their capital at the sun and left back home.

Their army is about a day’s march to the cables and the entrance from Volde to their hold, Trann.




Alzar and company agree to head out, and Dyan casts a spell and summons a gigantic steed that is used between islands here on their plane of Eloysia. It’s basically a giant goldfish creature the size of a cloud, that can carry the golems, Alzar, Vix, and Granite easily with room to spare. They are going to circle around the long way, while the local wizards will assemble their military, and cross the cables to attack Volde.

Alzar climbs aboard the steed, named an Auratus, and they head out!

[Abe Sargent]

They pass a small peaceful family of Autati over their island.

There are three islands between the one that are leaving and the home of Durhan the Conqueror.

The first is closer to the sun, and thus warmed by it’s embrace. It’s larger and very dense and heavy in the sky. Now each day they have to give their steed some time to rest and sleep. So they head over to anchor to the island tonight. It was about 10 hours away by Auratus

Alzar and his company disembark, and on this side of the island, away from the sun’s glare, there are a number of mining operations here. Alzar heads to the local mining institute and discovers a powerful operation ongoing.

He speaks with the 100+ miners here and they each have a Ring of Fire Resistance to work here, and they were hired by a local ally of Durhan on an adjacent island who has a strong economic interest here in the plane of Eloysia. He hires miners to come here for six month shifts, but doesn’t tell them that he charges for their flight here and home, lodging, rental of the Rings, and more. And thus they accrue more and more debt, and then they can’t leave until that is paid off.

Alzar agrees to help them. First, he uses his Rhabdomancy spells to find a rich vein of platinum ore deeper underground that is untapped, and he uses magic and his golems to dig down there. They will begin mining immediately.

Three days pass, and Alzar and company join them in mining as quickly as possible. Alzar has also taken most of the miners home and back again with his Auratus.

Meanwhile, while exploring the part of the island in the light of the sun, Alzar comes across a number of fire creatures, including around 150 fire elementals of various types. He also comes across a famous Fire Elemental artist named Sss’f’hkk that makes these elaborate sculptures. Alzar impresses her after saving some Elementals from a nearby attack on them by a local fire-eating creature, and she gives him a memento of her favor.


Sss’f’hkk’s Red-Hot Teardrop of Steel – a token of the favor granted by the famous fire elemental artist



Alzar has freed the miners here, by having their platinum reduce their cost and then removing the shipping cost and they head home.

[Abe Sargent]

They arrive at another island that is a small farmstead on a smaller island between them. Again, the Auratus is here to rest up.

They land, and Alzar talks to some of the locals to get the lay of the land. Similar to the land of the Royal Wizards, the folks here were hit by an invading force of troops from Durhan, but they didn’t set up shop, they just took all of the wizards and left. They suspect that Durhan was looking to eliminate sorcerous competition.

(A reasonable assumption, and that will be so wrong)

The next day they head out. They fly by a giant rainstorm in the sky, and their steed heads over and flies through it, drinking the water as it falls.

As they close to the third island, Alzar notices something threatening. This island appears to be a minor island with a small civilization, but Alzar sees something in the distance, and uses scrying magic. Yes, it seems like battle is about to begin on the cables.

The army of the wizards is moving up the cable, but Alzar sees a Durhan army heading towards them. Alzar decides to head down to help the battle. As he orders the auratus to land here and tether, so he can mass teleport there, a group of 21 angelic archons teleport around Alzar’s group, and they are powerfully blocking him.

The leader, Coronatus, is not happy with Alzar’s presence on the island under his defense. Like others of his kind, Coronatus is downright arrogant to a fault, and looks down on anything not an Archon. Alzar tells him they are about to head down to the battle below, and Coronatus agrees to join the helpless pebbles since they have nothing better to do, if Alzar can defeat him in one: one combat.

Alzar uses his Blade of the Archons to summon the great fiery sword to defend himself, and as he does, the archon sees the gift from the archons and their blessing already given and holds up. Alzar tells him of freeing archons and also winning the Demonwar with the Rod of Seven Parts, as the chosen scion of law. That’s enough to get the archon to join, and the 21 angels teleport Alzar and his 20 golems, Vix, and Granite to the battle.

[Abe Sargent]

There are two cables that connect Trann and Volde, one to link them, and a second to keep them from moving about and locking in the tether. Each cable is miles across, and can easily be moved up. But the wizards kept their army together and marched up just one cable.

Alzar grabs Vanya’s Rod of Victory, and helps the group move forward, meeting with the wizards to briefly review their battleplans and make a few suggestions and minor tweaks.

With angels, golems, and the Rod, battle begins while they are around 4/5s of the way up the giant cable.

Total army size – 3530, BR of 119

Enemy army – 4000, BR 110.

Now time to crunch some numbers:

Day 1

Alzar’s force gets +20 (Rod) and nothing else. The enemy army gets +10 for defending.

So that’s 139 vs 120, or a +19 for Alzar.

Trann tosses a 44, them a 81, and the result is minor tactical victory for them. Alzar’s force lost 10% and no one is tired.


Day 2

Today, they get another +10 for having already beaten Alzar, for a total +9.

Trann rolls well with a 75. They toss a 32 and lose.

Trann: -10%, Volde - -30%, and they are moderately tired



Day 3

Today, the -10s cancel each other out. Alzar’s force gets another +10 for tired foes

Trann rolls 10. They 51.

Trann: -20%, moderately tired
Volde: Nothing


Day 4

Today the bonus for Trann drops by 20 BR from yesterday, as they’ve lost twice and they have an equal amount of tired people.

Trann a 80, Volde a 49. Result?

Major victory for Trann.

Trann: -20%
Volde: -40%, heavily tired


Day 5

With another level of tired, Trann’s bonus rises considerably

Trann a 63, Volde a 68.

Trann wins, and wins by -20% for their foes, and nothing for them.


Day 6

Again, bigger ratio for Trann.

Trann tosses a 66. Volde a 38, and Trann has now routed Volde, and kept the field.

They spend a day recuperating, healing, and raising where possible, and then they push forward. Alzar’s golems and archon allies lost nobody.

[Abe Sargent]

As the army nears Volde, they are stopped by a great magical force. Alzar can make out a giant thundercloud here that is at the top of the entire island. From it come lightning bolts, and Alzar and Vix are each hit by a Bolt for 20d6, save for half. Alzar heals them a bit, and then more magic its them. Alzar casts Protection from Electricity.


Inside the cloud, is their foe, Durhan the Conqueror

The cloud fades, and Alzar can see a pitch black belt around his waist that is not a color, but rather the absence of light or color. There are hundreds of small little cables that lead from the belt to something under him. The main is huge, almost 50 feet tall, and while networks of black-gold wires extend down from him like a huge spider in a web, with a mixture of agony and hatred on his eyes the army makes it from the cable to the island.


He is casting a spell a round. Ice Storm? Meteor Swarm? Lightning Bolt? And they are coming down again and again, creating a powerful buffer that cannot be easily overcome. Angered the archons fly up to hit him, and almost none make it through the powerful magical bursts, but it gives Alzar and his retinue time to locate and figure out what Is happened.

Because the golden wires are connecting, not the person, but the belt he wears. He suspects that they help to power it. So Alzar teleports himself and Vix to the area below him, and they begin to cut wires about half a mile below him. Alzar and Vix have hit about 20, but Alzar sees that there are hundreds more, but they are coming each other, so the closer he gets to Durhan, the more wires he can end in a single cut. Vix remains, and Alzar teleports behind Durhan and Time Stops. He gets three rounds of cleaving the wires, and about half are cut. Durhan turns in rages and casts Time Stop, and then Strip Resist, Mordenkainen’s Disjunction, and Power Word, Kill. It ends and Alzar takes no damage, although his MR drops dangerously low.

Only one archon remains, the leader Coronatus, but seeing Alzar’s strategy, he cuts another cord, and Durhan shouts out again in blind rage.


4 vs 1

Durhan casts Time Stop again and casts Lightning Boltx3 with two at Alzar and another at the wounded Coronatus. The angel falls, but Alzar is not longer immune with his protection gone, and he takes 44. Alzar cuts with his axe twice, and again with his shield, and now most of the webs are gone, and Vix cut a few more on the far side.


47/91


5 vs 7

Alzar finishes the cords, and the dark-gold strings that connect his artifact the Shadow Belt to whatever was tethered to is gone. The power leaves Durhan and the belt fades from shadow black to just a dark leather. Durhan shrinks in size back down to his normal size, and is overwhelmed and now in a fetal position.

Alzar slays him, takes the artifact with a telekinesis spell, and then puts the Death Mask of Ptah of Durhan for a bit.

[Abe Sargent]

Later, they will find that the mages taken were acting as a battery for the Shadow Belt.


Shadow Belt, Greater Artifact of Orcus

Power Points – 500
Abilities – Mass Charm (75), Lightning Bolt (50), Clairvoyance (25), Levitate (10), Immunity (100).

When touched and a command word given, a small skullcap appears, and can be placed on any willing or charmed wizard to draw power from, creating a tether. Up to 500 wizards can be so tethered.

Power Drain – When it is attached to wizards, for each wizard attached, it regains a PP each day/level of the victim. While attached, the wizards cannot take any action other than eating, drinking, or sleeping.

Any spells known by attached wizards can be cast by the wearer of the Shadow Belt, and 10/PP per/level of the spell can be cast via the Shadow Belt OR can be cast normally by the wearer. No spells cast by the Belt or the wearer of the Belt are subject to the normal spellcasting rules of the plane, thus, for example, on Pandius, while wearing this Belt, Alzar could cast more than one Chaos spell or Power Word Kill per day.

Each power, when used, takes up a PP and cannot be reused until the PPs are restored

While worn, the following happens: Alzar must make a madness check each day to see if he goes mad. Unlike other effects, this cannot be avoided with magic, although the save vs spells can be improved.

The user increases in size uncontrollably by 1 foot/week worn until 50’ tall, and this comes with pain as the body increases, and the user’s max hp is cut by 50% while wearing the Belt.


That’s a nasty artifact.

Alzar is going to take it home and see if he can

With the threat ended here to Eloysia, and Evenarrow should be home. They show scrying of nearby planes that have the capital city heading the sun back, and while their scrying hasn’t gotten to Pandius yet, it should be back as well.

Alzar is ready to head back. The Ruling Wizards here give Alzar a Bag of Holding with 20000 platinum piece as thanks, and he can keep the 20 golems and the Belt.


Alzar and Vix head home!


End of M4. Five Coins for a Kingdom

[Abe Sargent]

That’s not a bad adventure. But I feel that there are a number of missed opportunities that don’t make any sense in a larger perspective. Why are wizards behind an Anti-Magic shell and under the protective eye of a Beholder able to combine their powers to make 5 separate and distinct magical items that are very powerful, and then cast them out of their plane entirely?

I feel like much of the module tries too hard. Alzar is high level. He doesn’t need a globe to destroy Athachs, or 20 golems to help fight stuff or a Stone Giant friend to help kill a dragon. It felt a little railroading at times, with the quest for the coins, and then the quest for finding help to free the wizards, and such. You could just go to the vault, figure out how to get in, deal with the many epic traps, fight the 7 Athachs (I increased their number from 3) and then free the wizards, heal them yourselves, and be fine. But it’s there.

It just takes you out of the adventure, and instead of focusing on the major big bad with the major Shadow Belt, you have these minor things happening instead that distract you.


Anyways, those are my quick thoughts! Oddly, this is the most expensive module in the M series by far, clocking in around 90 or 100 used, much more than the others, like it’s some beloved lost treasure. Meh. Sure, it has levels of crazy ness, with a city heading to the sun, but the connection with city and yours just to make you interested seems like a plot device that makes no sense.

Ah well.


Back to Pandius and Evenarrow!

[JAG]

I had that module and basically thought the same as you. It was ok but not up the level of a number of others.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by JAG

I had that module and basically thought the same as you. It was ok but not up the level of a number of others.

Yup, exactly!

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar, Vix, Granite, and the 20 golems arrive back home, and he looks around. Where is Evenarrow?

Maybe it hasn’t returned yet? Like the other capital, maybe it’s just coming back over days, and it is on its way back down. Alzar scries and cannot find Evenarrow anywhere above Pandius! It’s not in the skies, not on the ground, not heading to the sun!

What has happened to Alzar’s capital city?


Begin M4. Five Coins for a Kingdom




Alzar and Vix cannot figure out what has happened to his Kingdom. Alzar heads to his OtherSpace and leaves the Shadow Belt there and transfers the platinum coins and keeps the Bag of Holding for other stuff. He grabs a Crystal Ball and heads back out.

He uses the Ball to scry, but cannot find what happened.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar heads to a quiet glen. He has the golems guard him, and casts Contact other Plane, which can take minutes, or hours to use.

He reaches out, and taps into the conscious of a dark magi, but nothing comes of it. Then an aid to a immortal and more, and eventually he finds who knows the answers.

Alzar spends a hour and 11 minutes to uncover that Evenarrow is actually in the sun!


On their home plane of Eloysia, their capital was much further from the sun, and their city had much further to go to get to the sun, and it was still very close. On Pandius, where the sun is a lot closer, Evenarrow reached the sun before the original was stopped and reversed. Evenarrow was already in the sun by that time! (I added this reason because it makes more sense than the reason given in the module, btw).

The city is not destroyed. The same enchantment that created a bubble around it, ripped it from planet and sent it hurtling through space now keeps it safe from the sun while at the heart of it!

But because it’s position has changed, Alzar cannot teleport to it, nor will his Word of Recall magic work either (it just takes him back to the area his home used to be on the planet)

Alzar and Vix will have to head in the slow way.


Alzar prepares the items he does have in OtherSpace, as he cannot access anything inside of his home, such as his library.

A Ring of Fire Resistance won’t work. Neither will their natural immunities either. They need something that will protect from the force of an entire sun.

He doesn’t have an obvious object that will work without the chance of coming undone or ending while they are there, like a short-term Protection from Fire effect or such.

Both him and Vix can breathe with their Necklace of Adaptation, they just need to survive.

Alzar uses his monthly wish from the Ring of Djinni Summoning to create a force cage that will be big enough for Alzar and Vix and will keep out all heat and other elements. Alzar casts Semi-Permanency on it.


They teleport to the edge of the sun!

[Abe Sargent]

The sun is Ixion’s territory, so he will be using some of the sun to push back and hinder Alzar and Vix, the two immortal entrants of Nyx.

They arrive at the magneto scope of the sun. There are some sunspots out today, and a odd magnetic field is out here that forces some of their metal objects to cling badly to each other.

Alzar sees a giant phoenix in the sky floating from the sun outwards, a phoenix that is larger than his city! He calls out to it, and it flies, over, and it’s oddly innocent for phoenixes. It tells Alzar that it saw people like him behind “glass” deep in the heart of the sun.

Alzar and Vix begin fly, quickly, over to deal with it, with Mass Flight on both of them.

An hour passes, then another, as they close into the outer edge of the sun.

As they do, a few fiery creatures can be seen. Only a handful of fire creatures can live the sun. Not even fire tolerant creatures like a Fire Giant or Hell hounds could survive this heat. Just fire elementals, fundamentals, and creatures like phoenixes or hellions.

They move deeper down towards the sun. More hours melt away.

They see a group of flying 1500 Fire Fundamentals across the landscape

Another hour passes.

Then three more.

[Abe Sargent]

Then as they close to a deeper part of the sun, Alzar and Vix see a massive solar flare hit, one stronger than any other before (maybe caused by a little Ixion action). It’s so powerful that it heats up inside the force cage they are living in. Alzar’s natural fire protection helps some, but it’s stifling. Vix as well. He grabs Rings of Fire Protection and they put them on to help defray the fire.

Alzar takes 33 damage, Vix 55.

As this is internal heat damage, it cannot be healed by normal curative magics, like Cure Serious Wounds.

58/91
96/151

The solar flare passes, and they head deeper inside the sun.


More time passes, and creature activity increases. More Fire Elementals can be seen. Alzar has to reload their flying magic occasionally to let them continue to descend magically.

A day has ended. Another Solar Flare erupts, and they take more damage


32/91
46/151

Another day rolls by.

[Abe Sargent]

Fire elementals of various types are constant companions. There is Fire Elemental architecture here in the flames, and a fiery home for everyone. Alzar has conjured a Fire Elemental to escort them outside of the forcecage and push it along faster than they can fly. It lasts for 8 hours, and then he summons another, and so forth, so they always have a fire elemental friend on the outside.

Alzar and Vix have descended to the point that they are a considerable novelty. Great creatures of fire ignite the sun’s sky. As a novelty, thousands and thousands of elementals of various types have arrived to observe them. Their passage is noticed.

Alzar is using his Ring of Greater Sustenance to prevent the need for hunger, water, or sleep, and Vix the same, with her normal Ring of Sustenance.

Alzar is casting magic while in the Forcecage. Things like communication with his home, scrying, and more. And he finds the location of the capital city, about a third day away.

Hours more roll.

Alzar sees an unusual thing here at the heart of the sun. There is a court here with a Fire Elemental King, and the King has the caged capital city of Evenarrow here. Alzar orders their escort to head over and take them to the King, and Alzar and the King speak for a while. Alzar shows the King the tear he got from the powerful Fire Elemental artist, and the King agrees to help Alzar send the city home. The king sends more than 500 fire elementals down to the heart of the sun where his city is, and they will physically untether it, and then push it back, and it will return in about 10 days.


After securing aid, Alzar and Vix teleport back to the Grand Duchy, and he resumes his normal duties here, helping locals and such, and then the capital returns and they spend two days ensuring the return and safety of the magic, and have cancelled the magic that captured his city.

Evenarrow is saved!


End of M4. Five Coins for a Kingdom

And there we go, all done.

[Abe Sargent]

Year 12, Month 7 –

Alzar adds another 50k books from Jaspa’a

Vix returns after spending months in the Demiplane of Shadow, and she has finished her quest for immortality! Typically, a successful entrant is given time to put affairs into order before taking immortality. It’s common for someone to take a year, but they can take a week or a decade. Vix is looking for a year as well, to finish up some tasks here in the Grand Duchy.

Alzar also begins a shrine to Vix.

After doing more conferring with advisors, King Jaarvik the Just, king of Oceansend, has decided to declare independence from Norwold, and Alzar has sent the Sky Castle, and others, and arrived, and has declared that Oceansend will be guaranteed freedom, and many of Alzar’s forces are assembled to help stave off any moves by others.

This has clearly been a long time coming, and King Ericall is not ready to let go of Oceansend.


The Norwold army marches for Oceansend, which they can get to without sailing, as its south of the mountains.

Alzar is using his Sky Castle to raid and hurt their supplies. He also uses this time to hit Landfall hard with magic and his western army is hitting the Barony of Alak Dool to push.

Within four weeks, the siege of Oceansend ends after the main Norwold army leaves defeated, and Oceansend is now free and allies with Alzar’s Grand Duchy. No land exchanged.

Alzar begins to work on a temple to Bemarris for Evenarrow.


Bemarris:

(ARES, MAGNI)
Patron of Heroes, Protector of Norwold, The Dragonslayer
Level, Alignment, Sphere: 3rd (Initiate), CG, Energy
Symbol: a dragon pierced by a sword
Portfolio: battle, strength, exterminate dragons, defend Norwold
Worshipped in: Isle of Dawn (Helskir), Known World (Northern Reaches), Norwold
Appearance: a sinewy human of about forty encased in shining plate armour with several embellishments of draconic stamp, a shield with the bas-relief of a rampant dragon on the left arm, a sword that emanates an intense magical aura in the right hand, and an helmet in the form of a dragon’s head with the visor raised that leaves glimpses of a perfectly shaved face of square features, with sky-blue eyes with a fierce and indomitable look and short greying hair.
History: in life he was an Alphatian fighter of Norwold with a bold and obstinate temperament. Haunted by the power and destruction brought by dragons into his lands, succeeded to climb the summit of Immortality thanks to epic clashes with the draconic blood for protecting Norwold and to the of the armour, shield and sword of the Lord of Dragons (three ancient legendary artefacts). Ascending in the middle of the VII century AC, has brought with him into the Sphere of Energy his crusade against the dragons and is now the protector of numerous dragonslayers and all the humans of Norwold.
Personality: Bemarris is an ardent fighter in heart and soul, more accustomed to fighting than to strategy and politics. However he is not reckless, and the years spent as mortal have refined his tactical skills as well as his skill of command, gifts that he tried to teach to his followers. He is a faithful ally of Thor, his mentor, who selected him for embodying the role of Magni (his son according to the Antalian mythology) and admires the young Lokena for her bravery and strategic skill, with who he has a good affinity. His principal enemies are naturally the dragon lords, as well as Idris, patroness of Denagoth and the evil dragons that live there. Bemarris indeed doesn’t distinguish between good or evil individuals: when he deals with dragons, his prejudice is so deep-seated that he indiscriminately considers all creatures treacherous and devastating and should be wiped out.
Patron: unknown [presumed: Thor]
Allies: Thor, Lokena
Enemies: The Great One, Diamond, Pearl, Opal, Idris
Alignment of followers: any; the clerics must be Chaotic or Neutral
Favourite weapon: long sword (allowed all bludgeoning weapons and the bastard sword)
Clerics’ skills and powers: can use Fighter Weapon Mastery slots instead of Cleric slots
Paladins’ skills and powers: +2 bonus to attack rolls versus dragons
Domains: Energy, Chaos, Good, Strength
Preferred weapon: long sword
Source: WotI, IM2

It makes sense to venerate a local immortal more with the shrines in his nation.

Alzar also wants to add a Halfling shine as well. The Halflings on Pandius (who call themselves Hin), are different from many others planes. They are svelte adventure seekers with normally sized feet and they wear footwear. They are hit with a wanderlust in their youth, and then head out to satiate it. In fact, around half of the adventurers Alzar has hired for smaller tasks in his realm went to Halflings from nearby Leeha. Halflings have the greatest percentage of adventurers per adult in the plane. Because of this, they can be found spread out everywhere, and they get along with everyone. There are only two places on Pandius where Halflings live by themselves on a traditional shire. The Five Shires, a nation to the south, and the Shire of Leeha, nearby.


Usamigaras

Patron of Cynidicea, Patron of Leeha
Level, Alignment, Sphere: 19th (Empyreal), CN, Energy
Symbol: a silver five pointed star
Portfolio: magic, healing, guile, travel, messengers, thieves, Cynidicea
Worshipped in: Known World (Cynidicea), Norwold (Leeha)
Appearance: a youthful halfling of about a metre tall, with the face of an infantile candour so much to be confused for a child, a sly and intelligent look, a small golden circlet on his head and a silver dagger at the waist, dressed in loud clothes of all the colours of the rainbow and a pair of great wings of white on his back.
History:: Usamigaras was in life a halfling given of an slyness and of a boldness equal only to his thirst for adventure. After having left his homeland, the Five Shires, Usamigaras wandered around until, in escaping from a powerful wizard from who he’d just stolen a ring of wishes (which he used to gain magic powers equal to those of an archmage), in 400 BC ended in the city of Cynidicea. Thanks to the exhibition of his powers and to a little cleverness, Usamigaras was able to enter into the thanks of the rulers, Kallikrates and Valeria, and was appointed court mage and tutor of the small Marina, only heiress of the two monarchs. When the king and queen of Cynidicea died because of a landslide while they searched in the subterranean grotto only just discovered under the capital, Usamigaras succeeded to convince the council of nobles to support his nomination to new monarch and regent of the crown, with the promise that having protect the queen Marina until her age of majority and would later return the power from his hands. Effectively, during the following 20 years of the reign of Usamigaras, Cynidicea was able to peacefully prosper, and the Regent became a figure of great popularity both among the nobles and among the commoners, frequently organizing ballets, festivals and games for endearing himself to the population (and justified with this conspicuous expense deficit in the case of the state). In 370 BC Usamigaras discovered the secret documents of Gorm regarding the path for Immortality, and began to think seriously of doing a more important thing than the governing of the kingdom. Therefore, after having taught well the by now adult Marina on her duties and having found her a worthy husband in the captain of the guard, the faithful Alexius, as promised Usamigaras abdicated from his position of regent and left Cynidicea (taking with him a good part of the royal treasury and all the ancient documents of Gorm), revealed to him that the moment had arrived for him to undertake the path for joining with the Immortals Gorm and Madarua. Usamigaras succeeded in effect to become Immortal in 333 BC, after having found in Coberham a patron and on his indication having guided the halflings that lived with difficulty between Soderfjord and the Alasiyan Desert (descendents of the survivors from the invasion of Soderfjord by part of the kobolds in 490 BC) towards the far-off Great Bay, moving to found the county of Leeha. It was here that Usamigaras completed his own path and became a hero and an Immortal worshipped by the hin of Norwold. After he returned to also manifest in Cynidicea, where he founded his own cult and became the third member of the Cynidicean pantheon. It was typical of Usamigaras to guide the Cynidiceans in escaping from the northmen invaders in the underground caves, and to suggest to his clerics of starting the reconstruction of the city in that secret site, a decision that was later also supported by the followers of the other Immortals.
Personality: Nevertheless during his mortal life Usamigaras has wanted most of all is to place the churches of Madarua and Gorm in second place and centralise in his hands all the power, from when he became Immortal he is a loyal ally of the other two Immortals that protect Cynidicea, acknowledging that fighting the threat constituted by Zargon (the demonic entity that lives under the city) as well as guaranteeing the survival of the Cynidiceans are two optimal motives for acting in common accord. This does not remove the fact that Usamigaras is always much more cunning in the proffering of plans of action and preaches to his cultists of using guile and subterfuge for more easily attaining their aims. Despite this side of him, Usamigaras is also remembered for his great curative ability and for the profound knowledge of the arcane arts, and for this is worshipped as the patron of thieves, healers, messengers and mages to Cynidicea, while to Leeha he is recognised as patron of guile, healing and travellers.
Patron: unknown [presumed: Coberham]
Allies: Gorm, Madarua
Enemies: none
Alignment of followers: Chaotic or Neutral
Favourite weapon: dagger (allowed all bludgeoning weapons)
Clerics’ skills and powers: Clerics Usamigaras acquire the ability to cast arcane spells from scrolls, as a mage of level equal to 1/3 of their cleric level, free read magic ability
Domains: Energy, Chaos, Magic, Healing, Stealth
Preferred weapon: dagger
Source: B4, WotI

And another….


Coberham Shadowglint
Patron of Hins, Protector of the Five Shires, First Master
Level, Alignment, Sphere: 10 (Temporal), N, Energy
Symbol: a black flame
Portfolio: halflings, magic, blackflame, mysteries, knowledge
Worshipped in: Known World (Five Shires, Minrothad), Norwold and wherever a Crucible of Blackflame is present
Appearance: a middle sized hin clad all in black, with an aura of blackflames flickering around him constantly which obfuscates his features; the only unmistakable feature of his visage is his silver-sparkling eyes and his magnetic gaze.
History:
LIKELY THEORY: in life he was probably the first Hin Keeper who discovered the secret of Blackflame under the Black Peaks Mountains, creating the first Crucible and harnessing the magical powers of Blackflame in the VIII century BC. Thanks to the Blackflame powers, the hin resistance finally got the edge over the humanoids, and led by the brave and charismatic Gunzuth (Brindorhin) the hins finally earned their freedom in BC 610 at the end of the Time of Heroes. Later Coberham taught the mysteries of Blackflame to a small cadre of loyal followers creating the first Hin Keepers and he became the most powerful mage of the whole area. He then proceeded to create a unique magical network all around the Shires to protect them by exploiting the Crucibles of Blackflame. This way he finally succeeded in his quest on the Path of Paragon and reached immortality in the Sphere of Energy in the VI century BC.
Coberham is as much wise as he is silent. He loves to ponder the deep issues of the Multiverse and to study all unique and innovative forms of magic. He never stopped to examine the Blackflame and learn about its origins and powers, inviting all his followers to handle these mysteries with care and secrecy. He's a loyal friend of Brindorhin, who shared with him the epic deeds of the Time of Heroes, and finds Nob Nar and Raven the perfect embodiment of the typical merry and easygoing hin. He's got a deep respect for Ixion and Noumena, although he cannot really count them among his allies. His only enemies are the immortal patrons of orcs and goblins.
Patron: unknown [likely: Ixion]
Allies: Brindorhin, Nob Nar, Raven
Enemies: Yagrai, Wogar
Classic D&D stats:
Followers' Alignment: any
Weapons: none preferred (allowed all small and medium sized weapons)
Clerics' skills & powers: +1 Intelligence bonus. Some clerics belong to the caste of the Keeper of Blackflame (a special priest subclass detailed in Tome of Mystaran Magic).
Paladins' skills & powers: Coberham's paladins are the Hin Masters (see GAZ8)
Spells: ceremony (1st), cornucopy (3rd).
D&D 3E stats:
Domains: Energy, Magic, Knowledge, Fire
Preferred weapon: siangham
Sources: GAZ8

Arguably, the most popular immortal among Halflings.

[Abe Sargent]

Just two adventures left!

[Abe Sargent]

Year 12, Month 8


Alzar’s Book Quest is mostly done, he’ll keep using his Bookfind each month to get a few books here and there for the Great Library. He’s out of cash from the adventures that jumpstarted the mission, and should be mostly finished. Basically after the Library is finished next year, and opens, with Ssu-Ma’s assistance, things will look up.


Beginning of M5. The Talons of Night





Welcome to the final module in the M series, and one of the hardest modules you’ll ever see. This module is epic. It’s my favorite of the M series and because of that, it is probably the highest rated level of all time, and it feels like it. It’s going to fit a crap ton of awesome into this little package. Get ready for High Level Adventure play of the highest kind.


This module will, mostly, conclude the storylines that I created. M5 is the end of the M1, M2, plotline that finishes in M5, but in a real way it caps the CM1 overarching plotline, and we will be mining this entire path for you.

[Abe Sargent]

Before we do, I want to introduce you to some players in detail.

Alphatia – Empire and most powerful nation on the planet. Came from an adjacent plane as seen in Into the Maelstrom called Atlantis, and after the nasty Emperor Alphaks caused massively internal and external issues, his people fled into Mystara thousands of years ago and created the Empire of Alphatia. Alphaks followed and became an immortal. Meanwhile Alphatia is a magic-focused region, with flying ships in its navy, a flying sky castle (that Alzar captured in war) and a ruling council of 1000 36 level Magic Users that advise Empress Eriadne, who has lived for hundreds of years. Alphatia favors magic users heavily.

Alphatia rivals with Thyatis, the other empire on the planet. They are in a huge cold war, and they have proxy wars in various places to push themselves without the full on battle elsewhere. Alzar was involved in two small brush wars between them in Norwold. Another place they have a ton of proxy wars is on the nearby Isle of Dawn.

Thyatis – The Empire of Thyatis, led by Emperor Thincol I is much younger than Alphatia, and it is more balanced, and tends to favor all classes more evenly. It has a massive amount of power and seeks to push itself, and has been in a cold war with Alphatia for almost 150 years, and that’s most of it’s existence.


Norwold – Like the Isle of Dawn, Norwold has been a region that has passed and been fought over as a proxy for the central Thyatis/Alphatian conflict. The city of Oceansend used to be Thyatian, the nation used to by Alphatian and more. Recently, Empress Eriadne wanted to duplicate the success Thyatis had with the Grand Duchy of Karameikos and add in Norwold as a colony that would grow into a mighty nation, thus the official Kingdom of Norwold was born, and Alzar was given a Barony in the fledgling nation. Thyatis influenced and bought off some local rulers and tried to get them to capture Norwold for Thyatis a few years after it was founded. This failed after Alzar helped King Ericall to win, and keep Norwold under the Alphatian aegis.

King Ericall of Norwold would militarily annex the wealthy city-state of Oceansend.

A few years later in Into the Maelstorm, Alphaks tried to hurt Alphatia by manipulating Ericall and the Baron of the Alphatian Island of Qoedhar to fight, and then lost to Alphak’s fleet, and even though Alzar was able to defeat Alphak’s avatar in battle, he lost the naval battle and much of the war until time was reversed by the immortals and set right.

A few years later, Baron Norlan of Qoedhar led a set of reprisals against Norwold with some Alphatian allies to “punish” Norwold for its independent minded streak. This was a ruse to capture cities for Thyatis in a second brush war here in Norwold. During the battle, only Alzar won against the combined Qoedhari and Thyatis forces in his capital of Evenarrow, which overlooks the narrow straight into the capital. Alzar’s main army and thousands of dwarven subjects defeated them and won the war. After, King Ericall declared independence, and then Grand Duke Alzar declared his independence from Norwold, taking his northern 1/3 of the nation with him.

Soon later, encouraged by Grand Duke Alzar, Oceansend would declare independence, and Alzar would help them win independence, and ally with the wealthy city state.

Here is a map of Norwold

[Abe Sargent]

The Isle of Dawn


To the south of Norwold is the Isle of Dawn




You can see it on the Norwold map where you see Helskir. Four major nations are on the Isle of Dawn, as well as land controlled by both Empires and some lesser areas, like Redstone.

The four major players:


Helskir – Independent monarchy with ties to Thyatis, and the King and Queen have accepted nominal vassalage under the Empire and send aid and accept Thyatian rule, but it’s gentle here, as it was brought in diplomatically and peacefully, not on the fields of battle. In most respects, Helskir is still independent. It has changed hands multiple times from one Empire to the other. Helskirans are a freedom loving, self-sufficient people, who prefer to handle things themselves rather than relying upon their government for help. Helskir has changed from Thyatian to Alphatian rulership and vice-versa so many times that Helskirans have lost count. Regardless of which empire Helskir has belonged to, Eruul Zaar has remained the ruler of this town, shifting his loyalties with the wind. Most Helskirans are of Alphatian descent, but severed all ties to the despotic Empire of Alphatia.


Grand Duchy of Westrourke – Independent Grand Duchy under the jurisdiction of the Empire of Thyatis. (Its ties to Thyatis are merely a formality.) It doesn’t like Alphatia much, but it’s not the biggest fan of Thyatis either, and it’s one of the largest states on the Isle of Dawn.


Thothia – Southeastern part of Isle of Dawn. Semiautonomous theocracy and monarchy. It has it’s own powerful history, culture, nasty lands and deserts, and more, and it won’t bow easily to no one, currently free.

Dunadale – Alphatian control and influence. East of Westrourke and Helskir. Largest state on the Isle of Dawn. While the coasts, with their brash tradesmen and knowing ways, are what people most think of when they consider Dunadale; it is the people in the countryside, which form its heart. These people are the salt of the earth, prizing their self-reliance, and yet ever ready to lend their neighbors a helping hand. For centuries they have lived, wedged between two empires, their lives and livelihoods endangered by war and monster incursions, and yet they thrive.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar receives a sealed summons letter from Thothia.



Tired by centuries of war and battle, multiple influential powers in both Empires have begun pushing for a permanent peace between Thyatis and Alphatia. Thus in six weeks time, a peace conference is going to be held. As the only neutral country on the neutral Isle of Dawn, Thothia is the ideal place to hold the conference, and their capital of Edairo will host the conference.


Each of the heads of the major nations in this large inter-continental war will be directly at the table. The major players are Alphatia, Thyatis, Helskir, Norwold, Dunadale and Westrourke. These six nations and their leaders, will be at the conference.

Alzar’s status as a new nation that has kept out of political entanglements has given him a unique status. He is respected by Thyatis for beating them fairly in battle and declaring independence from Alphatia, respected in Alphatia for winning wars against Thyatis, and while currently Norwold isn’t happy with him, that fact endears him more to Thyatis and Alphatia. And the three Isle of Dawn nations are fine as well given their lack of interaction with him.

Thus Alzar is being offered the opportunity to run the peace conference proper, with all of the six nations present and equally represented with their delegation. If this works, this would be the first major move towards peace in the history of this conflict.

[Abe Sargent]

BEHIND THE SCENES


The two main movers here are the immortals Koryis and Alphatia. Both are peaceful immortals that are worshipped in Alphatia, and both want peace. Koryis is the immortal of peace. He does not want war for any reason, even a good one. This is playing to his strength. Behind the scenes, Koryis has manipulated Alzar into attending the meeting despite his nation not being part of the conference as the leader of the negotiations. He also manipulated Thothia as the site of the conference.


The key for Koryis is that he does not trust that mere mortals can come to a peaceful accord on their own. Koryis’s mentor immortal, Pax, created an artifact called The Peaceful Periapt of Pax that is very powerful, before Pax left and has not been seen in millennia. The Sphere of Entropy took the Periapt centuries ago. Koryis knows it’s somewhere in Thothia, but he cannot see more, and there are powerful immortal presences in Thothia that Koryis and Alphatia cannot detect.

Meanwhile Alphaks and allies from the Entropic Sphere are here in Thothia to ensure that things go decidedly against peace. Thothia is already under their thrall, and they have increased that presence before Alzar arrives. Alphaks wants to destroy Alphatia as his former home, although he really wants to destroy everyone too. These immortals want strife to continue for any number of reasons – such as chaos, death, and their own enjoyment.

Thus, Koryis is going to try and manipulate Alzar into finding the Peaceful Periapt of Pax, and then using it during the peace conference to ensure the best chance for peace. And much of Entropy is going to lean on Alzar to die or fail.


One of the major players here in Norwold politically, and the diplomatic adviser for Norwold is heading early, and Alzar communicates with him via long-range crystal ball with clairaudience.


Finnister McAlister, has received a grim vision from the crones of Crystakk, the three women who gaze upon Norwold’s present and future. Finnister saw the sun dawn over the neutral city of Edairo, but the sunrise was suddenly blotted out by great clouds from the east and west hurling lightning at each other above your fortresses, which lay in smoking ruin - your dominions plundered and ravaged beyond repair. Finnister believes this means that the war to end all wars is brewing between Thyatis and Alphatia, the war that could destroy Norwold as well. However, events seem to hinge on you and the city of Edairo. It may be that you can play a key role in bringing lasting peace and in so doing, save Norwold and the world. McAlister explains that due to insistent demands from the powerful provinces of both empires, peace negotiations have been arranged in the Thothia on the Isle of Dawn. In five months time, high ranking ambassadors of both empires and their chief provinces will meet to discuss their differences and if possible, hammer out a peace accord. The key issue seems to be who has the right to control Norwold. Apparently the ownership of the lands now known as Norwold and the Isle of Dawn was determined centuries ago. Unfortunately, all known copies of these treaties have disappeared. Finnister is certain that any existing copies of these documents are sealed in the vaults of the library of Edairo, the capital of Thothia on the Isle of Dawn. Finnister is to be one of Ericall’s representative at the peace conference, but he needs that information from the Edairo library first. King Ericall meets with them and asks for Alzar to escort Finnister to Edairo and scour the library for ancient history and information about ownership of the Isle of Dawn and Norwold. Armed with this knowledge early will give a chance to help stage the stage for the conference. Finnister then sighs, “Still, if only we had the dove, the Periapt of Pax, peace would be ensured.”


Alzar agrees to escort the Norwold delegation over now. King Ericall will join later.

[Abe Sargent]

The delegation begins the following day. Bethilda’s Star, Ericall’s best war galley, with a catapult, including some pitch rounds, sets sail from his capital of Alpha, and then stops in Evenarrow for a few hours to pick up Alzar, Vix, and some supplies before heading into the Alphatian Sea.



It’ll take 15 days to get to Edairo. Alzar will, at times, teleport hither and thither, using the Star as his base, but still ruling. He is researching the Isle of Dawn, and when they arrive in Edairo, he expects to be well-versed on its history.

On the 8th day out, all of the food and water on the vessel spoil. They lose a day restocking.

On the 9th day out, the ships drifts almost 25 miles off course at night until noticed in the day, an requires more time to correct.

On the 10th days out, a plague erupts on the ship, and Alzar curses it. His detect magic is finding nothing.

Then he sees it in front of him a Dreadnaught of Death!

At the end of Into the Maelstrom, the immortal had summoned an entire navy of Dreadnaughts of Death, these powerful iron-clad war vessels raised from the deep with magical and undead parts to them that could be easily be defeated.

The dreadnaught is burrowing down on them!



It will take 5 rounds for the catapult to ready itself. Alzar casts Time Stop. He casts Mass Flight on crew, himself, and Vix, and then Protection from Undead on them as well and finally he drops Evard’s Black Tentacles and they will slay a lot of lesser undead.

Time resumes.

5 vs 3

The Star is rammed. It takes 35 hull damage. Two web spells are cast that will keep the two tied together and undead unload on the Star. Vix, flying, is concentrating, as is Alzar, on the Dreadnaught proper. They need to destroy the nasty ship. Alzar casts Damage Link to connect the Dreadnaught and the flag at his front, and they swap physical natures. The ship is now as vulnerable as the flag. He calls out to Vix and the flying soldiers to douse it fire, and they do. Some fiery arrows and a few fire pots and such hit, and it takes 48 damage total.


6 vs 1

The undead are attacking crew, and 8 died. Some underspikes under the Dreadnaught of Death are being used to hit their vessel for a lot more hull damage, and water begins to pour in. Alzar takes 23 from a Lightning Bolt spell. The forces use more fire to hurt the Dreadnaught, and it starts on fire. Alzar can’t control the undead here, there are other forces controlling them. So he casts Destroy Undead and a few die.


Alzar 70/93

8 vs 5

Another 7 crew die. Vix takes 14 from missile weapons. Their ship takes even more damage, and Alzar can see the bottom of their ship through the giant hole in theirs, and on the bottom is a nasty hand druj. Undead powerhouse. They do more damage to the Dreadnaught’s hull, but Alzar has to deal with the druj, and he casts Flesh to Stone, trying to kill it in a single hit, but it made it save easily.


70/93
137/151


4 vs 7

Alzar orders Vix to hit the druj. Alzar leaps over (Boots of Striding and Springing) and spends the round basing the druj. Vix flies over and is in Nykthos range. All of the remaining minor undead are now killed, (skeletons/zombies) and their vessels takes damage from burning and fire attacks. The druj casts a Meteor Swarm spell that appears to be at Alzar, but instead is at the vessel, and it tears the Star into chunks, and it is beginning to sink, it’s hull points exhausted.



70/93
137/151

Alzar uses his ring of quick action and casts Raise Vessel, which will suspend the sinking of their ship by 37 hours. Vix stabs the druj twice for 33 damage. The crew, now with no other targets, blast the Dreadnaught for more damage. The druj casts teleport and flees.

Alzar casts the Teleport Trace spell he has, and then casts the same and teleports to the druj. It’s underwater at another potential Dreadnaught of Dread, working at animating it. Alzar’s Necklace will allow him to breathe underwater.

Alzar casts his stored Time Stop, and casts Improved Haste, summons the giant fiery Blade of the Archons, and then Cure Moderate Wounds. He hits twice for 77 damage and a dead druj.


Alzar swims/flies back to battle above him, and the Dreadnaught is sinking from the fire as he rises. The men are repairing the boat, and Alzar will use some magic to help.

[Abe Sargent]

They will limp forth in a day of repairs, and arrive at Edairo delayed by three days.

Alzar and company arrive at the head of the Aurora river, and then into the main capital city of Thothia.


The banks of the river are lined with green flooded fields. Up-river, you can see a large Alphatian galley being slowly rowed inland with a small reed boat in tow. Small, red-haired, brown-skinned Thothians paddle their reed boats out to surround your ship. Men and women alike wear lin en kilts and jabber at you in a foreign tongue. By their actions, it appears that they are trying to sell you everything under the sun, which, by the way, is becoming hot.

The Thothians speak poor Common, using their native tongue almost exclusively. They wish to sell their services as river pilots, healers, shipwrights, grocers, and tour guides. If questioned about the best way to reach Edairo, the river pilots speak up again indicating that it would be unwise for such a large ship to sail up the river to Edairo without their help.

Alzar pays 1000 gp for a reed ship escort, and a few hours later, they arrive in Edairo…




Welcome to Edairo!

And this? This is just 5 pages into a 48 page adventure!!!

[Abe Sargent]

Thothia is an ancient land, once the primary power on the Sea of Dawn. Its small, brown, red-haired people are descended from colonists of the lost empire of ancient Nithia on the western continent. Several centuries ago, the Thothians shifted away from the Sphere of Energy to follow the philosophy of mysticism. Their current pharaoh, Ramenhotep XXIII (RA-men-HO-tep), is also their spiritual leader. However, his wife Aketheti (AH-khe-THEE-tee) is the true power in Edairo. For centuries there has been a queen Aketheti . Ramenhotep X was drawn to discover her in the ruins of Aran and fell under her charms. The mystics’ symbol is a stylized black spider on a square web pattern (similar to the spider’s web game board in Players’ Aid 2), which all Thothian mystics wear on their robes. Adopted by Ramenhotep X, the founder of Thothian mysticism, Alzar has found out the symbol is the symbol of the Night Spider, but the average Thothian believes that it represents the eight principles and powers of Thothian mysticism and is unaware of its links to evil and death. Edairo is a dusty, crumbling, crowded city of low, flat-roofed structures, towering pyramids and mighty obelisks. Everything is in disrepair. Imagine visiting a land where the native people’s language and philosophy of life is totally alien to your own, and then imagine that these people don’t particularly like foreigners. Imagine this and you have a good idea of how Alzar is received in Edairo.


Alzar is met by the local authorities, and is given a quick tour around the capital. He heads to the area that the peace conference will be in and takes a look around, and McAlister gets settled. Alzar, Vix and McAlister are put up in a local inn, the best in the city, in the noble district, and given quarters befitting their rank.

Alzar begins looking for the library, but it’s not in an obvious location.

Alzar must find the library to continue finding the information from previous treaties. When Alzar, questions the average Thothian about the library eerie results are produced: although the library is a major landmark in the city, most Thothians are illiterate, ignorant of Common, and superstitious. Alzar or Vix asking someone on the street brings about fearful looks and an attempt to break away.

Asking a shopkeeper or someone obviously educated (like a scribe) brings about a whispered warning to go somewhere else - quickly.

So Alzar asks an Edairan city guard, and she can lead Alzar and Vix to the library. On the way, the guards gets “lost” first, then hem and haw and act confused until Alzar drops a small bribe to the sergeant. The library is a great pyramid, similar to the other forty or so great pyramids in Edairo. Although plainly labeled, its door is locked.

Alzar knocks. The door is answered by a stuffy little Edairan mystic named Brother Spider, whose forehead is marked by Thothia’s mystic symbol, the spider web pattern. He is fluent in Common, but without even waiting to hear what Alzar has to say, he refuses them entrance to the library and walks away.

Alzar uses his Knock spell to open the door, and then waits for a minute while Brother Spider returns. He explains who he is, and the need for the library for prep for the conference, but not the details. Brother Spider heads back to consult his boss, and then receives permission, and Alzar is welcomed in to give his request to the supervisor directly.


The corridor walls are stacked with dusty tomes, scrolls, tablets, folios, and books. The corridors are lit by glowing stones (continual light) mounted on the walls. The door to the outside is at map location P. Location A (the central room) is filled with copying stands and thousands of loose, decaying scrolls. A rickety stair in the center of the copy room leads up to a second level and a second stair leads down. Brother Spider leads the party to Location A and suggests that they repeat their request to its only occupant, an old blind mystic.


In the copy room, an old, blind mystic states that the requested information is forbidden and cannot be given without the express permission of his holiness the pharaoh. The old man is fidgety, nervous about something that his body language says is directly above.

Alzar glances up to see the dark form of a black haired female leaving the alcove above. Alzar is escorted out of the library by Brother Spider. Alzar, Vix, and McAlister head to the palace, an island in the center of the Aurora River.

[Abe Sargent]

The palace is an imposing structure of many buildings, gardens and court- yards. Unfortunately for you, it is out in the middle of the Aurora river. A ferry waits to take visitors across the river.


Alzar is stopped by the chamberlain who says that it would take weeks to normally have a meeting with the pharaoh, despite the fact that Alzar is a ruler. Alzar charms him, and he gladly allows Alzar through as they are such friends.


From the dark halls of the palace, you are ushered across a small bridge into an elegant open-air garden around a long pool. The huge pillars that sur round the garden are sculpted to look like the lotus blossoms floating in the pool. Through the pillars, you can see several small, ornate pleasure boats tied to them. Seated in the shadow of a gazebo at the far end of the garden are the pharaoh, a handsome man about 50 years old, and his queen, Aketheti, a darkly beautiful woman, who appears thirty years younger. She looks exactly like the paintings of the ancient queens who bore her name. Meanwhile, Ramenhotep seems unaware of your presence. He is in a meditative trance.

Queen Akethti introduces McAlister to one of her advisors, and recommends that they speak, as they may have some opportunities for increased trade with Norwold, and they head off to talk.

Alzar asks to get information from the library, and thus to secure information for the upcoming peace conference. The Queen asks of him and Vix to help secure her with more power, and if Alzar and Vix will pledge their fidelity to her, and bring the Grand Duchy of the Mighty under the control of Thothia, they will be given all they need here in their time. Of course they refuse. She smiles expecting it. “I had to ask.”

Then the Queen asks if they help her secure the throne of Norwold instead, as they clearly aren’t on the same page. And for their help in getting Norwold, she will them Leeha, the Halfling Shire Alzar has been wanting, as well as will give them full access to everything here. Again, Alzar declines politely, although he offers money or even minor magical items.

She sighs and tells him that this was clearly never going to happen, but given his moral compass, they had to try. Then she summons guards and teleports away.

50 guards rush in, and the pharaoh is still in his mystic trance.

Alzar would normally just attack and take out these guards, but would it be a diplomatic incident to do so? But wouldn’t fleeing be leaving the attaché of King Ericall behind? That doesn’t make much sense.

So Alzar and Vix step forward.

Alzar casts Wail of the Banshee, and many drop. Vix kills one with a spear toss. Arrows pepper them from the back row for 15 on Vix, 0 on Alzar (Cloak).

3 vs 4

Alzar casts Death Spell and 15 more drop. Vix kills two in melee. These are low level guards. With two thirds of their troops killed that quickly, they flee. Alzar casts Cure Light on Vix to heal.

The pharaoh, Ramenhotep XXIII is still meditating quietly.

[Abe Sargent]

They cannot find McAlister anywhere. Alzar and Vix use Dust of Disappearance and slip out of the palace unnoticed.

Night has just fallen. They arrive back at the library. The library is closed. Alzar detects some traps and removes them, and then picks the lock and slowly slides the door open and they slip in and close the door behind them.

In the entrance, the Star of Mo-Pilar detects two traps as well as well as a secret door. They are disarmed and the door down. There is a stair down here, and then two levels of library, this main level and stairs up to the rest of the library.

Alzar heads down first, as it was behind a secret passage, and maybe there would be something hidden. It’s a jail, and down here is the webbed body of McAlister with some giant spider eggs on him. Alzar and Vix free him and Alzar heals him to rejuvenate him. They look around the jail and dungeon, and an exit leads to a holding area, and there are 50 giant crab spiders here that leap to attack!

He recognizes them with his religion proficiency. These are the progeny of the Night Spider. They are the same people he saw earlier in the library, and Brother Spider, for example, is one of the Crab Spiders leading the charge. They can shapechange from human to spider form, so these are the librarians. They are immune to normal weapons, poison, etc.

Alzar casts Time Stop.

Alzar casts Teleport Other and removes McAlister from the battle, Skulltrap and Evard’s Black Tentacles. Just 8 die. These are very strong foes. Too bad he used Wail of the Banshee today already.

Battle begins. They have based Vix and Alzar with a ton of their people already. Vix has put on her War Mask that gives her regeneration.

8 vs 9

Alzar will be more effective with his doubling damage axe on some wounded spiders. Correct. He slays two in melee, and Vix another two. Vix takes 14, and Alzar 0.

12 dead spiders
Vix – 137/152
Alzar – 92/92

4 vs 2

They bite into Vix for 22, the first hit on Alzar is dodged by Avoidance, and he takes 16 from two more hits. They poison heavily on every single bite, but Vix is immune and Alzar has items that immunize him. 5 die this turn (wounded ones with Barrier, and remember VIx/Alzar each get three attacks every other turn with their main weapon).


17 dead spiders
Vix – 118/152
Alzar – 76/92

6 vs 7

Alzar/Vix slay another four and then take 21 and 21 respectively.

21 dead spiders
Vix – 97/152
Alzar – 55/92

6 vs 7

Alzar/Vix slay four more and then take 12 and 15.

25 dead spiders
Vix – 87/152
Alzar – 40/92


9 vs 7

Alzar/Vix take 19 and 20. Vix kills just 1 this round and Alzar casts Heal spell on himself.

26 dead spiders
Vix – 71/152
Alzar – 92/92

3 vs 5

Vix/Alzar 5 more dead. They take 20 and 11.

31 dead spiders
53/152
81/92

The spiders make a morale check and success indicates they will keep fighting

6 vs 2

Vix/Alzar take 9 and 23. They slay 3 more

34 dead spiders
Vix – 46/152
Alzar – 58/92


7 vs 4

Vix/Alzar take 16 and 12. Vix kills two and Alzar fully Heals her.

36 dead spiders
Vix – 263/152
Alzar – 46/92


4 vs 5

They kill four more, Vix takes 11. Alzar is only hit once and uses Avoidance successfully

40 dead spiders
Vix – 142/152
Alzar – 46/92

5 vs 7

They kill another three, and take 7 and 15.

43 dead spiders
Vix – 137/152
Alzar – 25/92


8 vs 2

They take 11 and 7. Alzar uses Heal on himself, and Vix takes out 2 more

45 dead spiders
Vix – 128/152
Alzar – 92/92

4 vs 7

They finish battle without any more damage.

[Abe Sargent]

After battle, they inspect the basement area, but the rest of it is mundane and nothing of value, so they head up.

Alzar collects McAlister from outside the library on the street, and they head back in and try to figure some stuff out.

This library has more scrolls and other parchments than books proper, and the info is small. Alzar finds a directory of the information in front, but it’s coded, and he can’t read it, not even with Read Languages spell. He doesn’t have the ability to read.

He hands a Bag of Holding to Vix and the three of them will begin to search the library for the information they need, as well as hidden clues about anything else going on.

One out of every ten scrolls or parchments they handle turns to dust, and Alzar has them keep the dust as he can restore them later. He also has them take anything they need to keep for later for his Grand Library.

On the second floor are books that catalogue the secrets of the area. After ten hours of work, Alzar, Vix, and McAlister find:

• A white dove on a shaft was used to destroy many evil creatures here in Thothia generations ago
• The pharaoh of Thothia once ruled Norwold
• Thothia was centuries old when Alphatia was founded and they watched it happen locally. The first Alphatians arrived in Thothia.
• An ancient and eldritch spider haunted Ramenhotep X’s dreams
• After 40 days in the Temple of the Dawn, Ramenhotep X returns and creates Thothian mysticism.
• “Master the web, and you master its maker.” Key tenet of the mysticism
• Meeting in Edairo centuries ago, the rulers of Alphatia and Thyatis hammered out agreements for Norwold, the Isle of Dawn, Vestland, Ostland, Soderfjord. The Isle of Dawn and Norwold were to be neutral for all time. “By placing neutral land between us, we hope to ensure peace between our empires for all time.”
• The Peaceful Periapt of Pax is documented multiple times in the history of Thothia as one of the key reasons it kept independence. It also is mentioned multiple times in history, always appearing at the darkest hour. It was buried with Ramonhotep I
• Alphaks, in his physical form, manifested and encouraged the empires to abandon the treaty, and then destroyed other copies save for the original here in Edairo.
• The Emperor of Thyatis two generations later declared all treaties null and void. Thyatis was the first nation to break the treaty of peace. He conquered the Pearl Islands to the south of the Isle of Dawn first. Alphatia then moved to check them.
• Peace follows a most difficult path, through thorn and chasm and on into night to bring the lost back into the light.
• In dark rites, Ramenhotep X married Queen Aketheti, the daughter of She-Who-Dwells-In-Darkness, the Night Spider immortal. This demoness of the stars of night brought about Ramenhotep’s doom, but not before his immortal, Rathenos, was driven from worship here on Thothia to be replaced by their mysticism.




With that, Aketheti, hearing their success below, flings through an Phase Door to them and attacks with surprise!

[Abe Sargent]

Aketheti (pronounced AH-khe-THEE-tee) is the current queen of the kingdom of Thothia and the wife of Pharaoh Ramenhotep XXIII. She has been the queen of Thothia since the reign of Ramenhotep X, over 13 generations ago, but the populace of Thothia is unaware that Aketheti I (“rescued” by Ramenhotep X from the wilds of the southern plateau) and Aketheti XIII are the same being. In Thothian mysticism, she is known as the daughter of the Night Spider (although she is most likely a free-willed magical construct created by the Night Spider). Aketheti’s normal form is that of a huge planar spider. At night, she must always assume this form, but during the day she may also become a half-human, half-spider creature. Like a werecreature, she is immune to non-magical weapons and requires at least a +3 to hit her. Like a vampire, she can charm with her eyes (in both human and spider form), take on gaseous form, regenerate hit points and drain two energy levels each time she hits a foe. In human and spider form, she casts spells as a 15th-level magic-user (5/4/4/4/4/4/3/2), and has a Magic Resistance of 75%.. She can be turned (but not destroyed) as a “Special” undead, but has a chance to save vs. Death Magic to avoid being turned. She is unaffected by holy symbols, mirrors, or garlic, and holy water merely enrages her. Her poison is so deadly that the saving throw must be made at -6 or death results. Even those who make their saving throws take an additional 2d6 damage. Finally, those who survive this must also make a saving throw vs. Paralysis or be paralyzed for 1d6 turns.

She is not happy!

Ac -11, HP 170 (I buffed her stats and magic ability), 2 attacks/turn one bite and one stinger for 4d6 plus poison and paralysis, or can cast spells. She enters battle having already cast Stoneskin.

Battle begins

7 vs 3

A ring on her hand disappears. She casts Time Stop. She casts Spell Trigger to give herself Magic Missilex3 and targets Alzar with Lightning Bolt and Flame Arrow How many crack his MR and Ring of Spell Turning? Alzar takes 44.


48/92


3 vs 5

Alzar casts Time Stop. He casts Strip Resist, Cure Critical Wounds, and Laudryn’s Cleaving.


92/92


2 vs 8

Vix spears once for 22 and misses. Alzar reads the Protection from Arachnids scroll he has. She casts Dispel and drops their protections.

6 vs 1


Their foe stabs and bites and hits Vix once for 19 damage and -2 levels. No need for poison save, but still takes another 8. 27 total. Vix misses, Alzar cleaves and hits for 22 and misses twice.


Ak – 44
Vix = 27

7 vs 4

They take 13 and 24 respectively, and hit for 50 even.


Alzar – 13
Vix – 51


5 vs 2

Their foe casts teleport and flees. Alzar traces it, but sees she has fled to a place with a ton of folks around her, in a dark underground chamber, so they let her flee. Alzar casts restoration and heals Vix.

[Abe Sargent]

They leave the library.

They find a Golden Shaft which is unscrewed and Alzar takes 2000 books or scrolls for later and the remains of 500 parchments for him to restore.

As they leave, the sun is rising.

They have what they need, but it seems that Alzar and Vix have become persona non grata in a place they were expecting to stay for a while until the peace conference concludes. Should they head to the ship and maybe head back to a nicer place of refuge for a few weeks and study what they took? Should they try and talk with Ramenhotep XXIII?

Alzar spies the boat:

When he spies reach the docks, the Star is under the guard of hundreds of soldiers. An enclosed royal carriage is visible near the ship and Alzar’s party is cer-tain that the rigging is sagging under, the weight of some very large invisible creatures on it.

The normally bustling waterfront crowds melt away around you as you approach the docks, shunning even eye contact. A number of reed river boats are tied up at the piers, mostly unattended - as everyone’s attention is focused on the soldiers surrounding your ship. Several boats are in good condition, but the only one that is attended is an ancient reed barge and its equally ancient boatman.


So the only path out of this city is by the river boat, unless they want to try their luck against hundreds of soldiers, in public, and the additional dorks there too. Hundreds of men are on their ship. It’s not their ship any longer.

Now Alzar could just teleport back home, and then teleport here a day before the conference. He doesn’t have to keep exploring if he doesn’t want to. There are other options. But will he be welcome? It feels like there are other traps running around, so Alzar wants to find out more about what is happening here, and besides, maybe he’ll find more books.

They head to the old man with the barge and negotiate with him for passage.

Ejiiptus Kenaton Ka tries to drive a hard bargain for passage, while attempting to gain as much information as possible about Alzar’s mission. When a bargain is finally struck, the old man laughs and says the trip is on him (he just likes to haggle for the fun of it), and he welcomes the party aboard his boat, the Sun’s Handmaiden. However, the delay allows the soldiers to find the party.


River boats have sails and oars. Ejiiptus’s oarsman (his friend and primary ballast load), Feldspar Pebblecrafter, a stone giant, arrives just ahead of the soldiers. The Sun’s Handmaiden (or the stolen river boat) is 30 feet long and constructed of tightly bound reeds and rushes. It moves 36 miles per day (60 feet per round), has 20 hull points, AC 9, and can carry 40,000 cn.

[Abe Sargent]

Here let me show you something really cool.

I have played this module through once before when I was a kid, and Feldspar Pebblecrafter became one of my NPCs. Here is my character sheet for him, still in this copy of my module:




I figured you would enjoy that!

Ejiiptus Kenaton Ka Chaotic Good 20th-level Cleric S 14, D 12, I 14, C 10, W 16, Ch 9 AC - 3 hp 53 Basic THACO: 11 Armor: Chain mail + 3 of electric, shield + 2, ring of protection +- 2 Equipment: Mace + 2, + 4 us. other-planar creatures; sword + 2, + 4 us. bugs (I 9, Empathy, detect magic, teleportation, see invisible) (Ejiiptus cannot use the sword and has kept it for the day when someone who would need it came along), rod of health, scroll of seeing, scroll of equipment (torches, stakes and mallet,
oil, garlic, 50 feet of rope, and tinder box) Spells: 7/6/5/4/4/4/3

Ejiiptus is a cleric of Rathanos, a lesser immortal of the Magian Fireworshiper pantheon. The old cleric dwells upriver, living with his faithful hunakoi (stone giants). Although chaotic, he is not evil, but is a rebel against the jaded mysticism that has drawn his once dynamic and creative people away from the Sphere of Energy.

Feldspar Pebblecrafter, Lawful Neutral stone giant

AC-1 HD 9 hp 75 Basic THACO: 8, Damage: 3d6 + 13, Armor: Ring of protection + 3, Equipment: Giant Two-Handed Sword +3

Normally silent, Feldspar speaks the Thothian and phanaton languages fluently. The giant is a brave fighter who would give his life in defense of his human friend and ally himself with those who seek to avenge his friend’s death.

[Abe Sargent]

They rush out, but they have been noticed!


As the party attempts to leave the harbor a platoon of soldiers arrives at the dock, and all five squads rush the boat. Roll a d6. On 1-4, the party has not pushed off from the dock and combat may occur at dockside; otherwise, the fifty soldiers hurl spears (as 1 st-level fighters). A second platoon of soldiers arrives in two reed punts. Sixteen of the soldiers on each boat shoot flame arrows at the party’s boat. Each boat has 20 hull points.


I toss a 5. Alzar casts Chaos on the group and a number of them on shore begin to fight against each other, and that distracts them long enough to slip past. Ejiputus casts Flame Strike on a boat and it catches fire, Vix’s spear stabs one and brings it next to her for her to kill, and Feldspar paddles the boat, as Finnister McAlister hides under his rock hide from arrows and spears.


They are through.

They are not sailing towards the ocean, which was blocked up, but instead further inland towards the Temple of Dawn, and through the Valley of Kings.

Let’s take a break. Who is Rathanos? That’s the full name of the Immortal often shortened to Ra


Rathanos

Patron of Nithia, Thothia, Lord of Fire
Level, Alignment, Sphere: 28th (Eternal), CN, Energy
Symbol: a flaming brand
Portfolio: fire, fire creatures, energy, power, male supremacy
Worshipped in: Davania (Meghales Amosses), Great Waste, Isle of Dawn (Ekto, Thothia, Trikelios), Alatian Islands, Hollow World (Nithia), Known World (Ierendi), Skothar (Esterhold, Jen, Minaea)
Appearance: a 7' tall humanoid made of blazing fire, without any distinctive features
History: Rathanos was a wizard of the ancient Oltec civilisation, totally obsessed by the power of fire and the elemental plane associated with it. With the passing of years he became an unchallenged master of fire magic until he discovered the path to immortality and finally around XXV century BC ascended to the Sphere of Energy under the patronage of Ixion.
After becoming immortal he spread his teachings to all of the Jennite tribes living in Skothar, descendants of the Oltecs whom Rathanos belonged to in his mortal life. At the same time he took a particular interest in the ascension of the Nithian people, becoming one of the most important deities in their pantheon and their foremost patron together with Pflarr. During the centuries he managed to create a strong movement for male supremacy inside the Jennite culture and this put the matriarchal tradition of the Jennites in danger. This friction escalated in an open civil war that opposed the female followers of Tarastia to the male worshippers of Rathanos, and the strife caused the collapse of the Jennite civilisation, which reverted to Stone Age. This started the fire of misogynist hatred inside Rathanos's soul.
Rathanos turned then his attention wholly on Nithia, but here Thanatos's schemes made the Nithians turn to the wrong side and caused Rathanos to lose many of his followers to the rival Corona (the Nithian identity of Zugzul), who brought the Magian Fire Worshippers on his side. Rathanos chose to concentrate his blessings and protection only on the most faithful of his followers and only managed to preserve Thothia (the Nithian colony on the Isle of Dawn) from the Entropic influence of Thanatos and his allies, saving it from the immortals' cleansing and annihilation of the empire, although later he would mostly lose it again with only a few worshippers still adhering to him. Afterwards he joined Pflarr, Ixion and Valerias in recreating the Nithian Empire in a preserved place, and after choosing the most traditional communities among those spared they transplanted them in the Hollow World. Here the Nithians thrived once more and they prospered under the guidance of the pharaohs loyal to the ancient immortals.
Personality: Rathanos is obsessed with power and his misogynist view of the universe, which leads him to systematically oppose every female immortal just for the fact of being female (the same attitude is also present in many of his clerics). Rathanos's only interest is the complete transmutation of all matter into energy, and in fire energy in particular. He is constantly searching for a spell that will allow his followers to turn into beings of pure energy, making them unbreakable and immortal. However up to now his researches have not produced the ultimate spell, and for this reason he continues to push his followers along this path, promising them that only this way they will achieve true immortality. If his plan will ever come to pass, he will create a nation of beings that will be born as mortals and can learn as fast as only mortals can do, but later will become eternal beings serving the cause of Energy.
Because of his character and goal he is in perpetual contrast with many female immortals (notably Tarastia) and with Zugzul, patron of fire giants and self-appointed Master of Fire way before Rathanos rose among the immortal ranks.
Patron: Ixion
Allies: Pflarr, Elemaster of Fire
Enemies: Zugzul, Stodos, Tarastia, Diulanna, Vanya and all female Immortals that challenge male supremacy in the universe
Classic D&D Stats:
Followers' alignment: Neutral or Chaotic
Favoured weapons: torch (allowed all bludgeoning weapons)
Clerics' skills & powers: clerics can cast Resist Fire and Produce Fire once per day for free (see spells with same name), +5% bonus to researching spells based on fire, bonus "Firebuilding" general skill
Avengers' Skills & powers: permanent "Resist Fire" power (see clerical spell with same name) after sacrificing 1 point of Constitution in a ritual dedicated to Rathanos, +1 bonus vs ST vs Fire
D&D 3E Stats:
Domains: Energy, Chaos, Fire, Magic, Strength
Preferred weapon: club (any)
Sources: HWR2, HW, WotI, DotE, M5




So there you are. Definitely an asshole. And certainly not good, but certainly better than She-Who-Lives-In-Darkness the Lawful Evil Night Spider, for those who live here clearly worship her:




Arachne Prime
(An-Ying Zhu Hou, Asharya, Night Spider, Rakhnee, Spider Queen)
Patroness of the Planar Spiders and the Aranea, Patroness of Oppression, She-Who-Dwells-In-Darkness
Level, Alignment, Sphere: 6th (Initiate), LE, Entropy
Symbol: a square spider’s web
Portfolio: planar spiders and evil aranea, oppression, deceit, darkness
Worshipped in: Alphatia, Cestia, Savage Coast (Herath), Isle of Dawn (Lost Plateau, Thothia), Ochalea, Thanegioth
Appearance: an enormous blacker than night of about three metres of length, with four pairs of legs (the forward pair end with three prehensile digits) and six scarlet eyes that shine like heated coal.
History: during her mortal life many millennia ago, Arachne Prime was a planar spider of an evil nature that lived in an outer plane. After having corrupted her followers carrying them towards the way of Entropy, succeeded in becoming Immortal around 5000 BC, and began to spread the seeds of the evil among the planar spiders, sending her horde to sow terror in the other planes and to enslave the weaker races. However, millennia ago the plans of conquest of the Night Spider were roughly interrupted when a group of adventurers penetrated into her home plane armed with the knowledge of her True Name and challenged her, threatening to destroying her for ever. Forced to escape after being deprived of a large part of her power following this defeat, she fled and sought refuge on the Prime Plane together with a throng of planar spiders to her followers and a multitude of phanaton slaves, ending with them skulking in the heart of that which later became the Isle of Dawn, where created the kingdom of Aran well before that the Thonians founded their empire. Her disciples were crossed later with local giant spiders, created the Aranea race, that with the passing of time manifested in the southern forests of the Isle of Dawn. After Arachne Prime was contacted by Korotiku, who with his suggestions convinced her to divide her subjects for exploring Mystara and founding an extensive culture that could rival that of the humans. Arachne Prime ordered her aranea of using the magic for colonising unexplored area. It was thus that were created the Aranea colonies in the Savage Coast, in the Archipelago of Thanegioth and in other parts of Mystara, with the intent on the part of Arachne Prime of creating an empire of vast dimensions, while the plan of Korotiku was simply for freeing the aranea from the abominable influence of their great mother. Korotiku became an always most important presence in the aranea pantheon, especially in the colonies, while secretly acting also among the phanatons of Aran for inducing them to rebel. With the advent of the Great Rain of Fire and the chaos that followed, the phanatons (who had been reproducing so much that they outnumbered their masters three to one) chose the occasion for revolting and began to fight aranea and planar spiders everywhere they were encountered. Therefore the kingdom of Aran decayed, and the colonies had to look to provide for themselves without more guidance from the motherland. The efforts made by Arachne Prime for halting the collapse of her kingdom were futile, and Korotiku revealed his true intentions when around 2600 BC a group of his aranea followers were introduced into the sanctuary of Arachne Prime and assaulted it. The Immortal was not destroyed, but simply deprived of most power, until becoming a paltry Initiate.
After this betrayal, Arachne Prime fled Pandius for an unknown plane and was not seen again, despite having her service grow in Thothia by new convert Ramenhotep X.
Personality: Arachne Prime is an untrustworthy and manipulative being who nevertheless has an incredible fear of dying, because of the events that she saw fleeing from her home plane. In the course of the centuries she has tried to expand her influence also over the aranea of Herath, distant descendants of her ancient servants, the planar spiders that had fled with her to Mystara, but because of the attention that Korotiku has for the aranea of Herath and of the distance between the Isle of Dawn and the Savage Coast, her plans have been slow. Because of her plots she has made a throng of powerful enemies that comprises Korotiku (patron of the aranea and the non evil planar spiders), Rathanos (original patron of Thothia), Terra and Zirchev (patrons of the phanatons that she harassed so much).
Patron: unknown [presumed: Hel]
Allies: Alphaks, Iliric
Enemies: Korotiku, Rathanos, Terra, Zirchev
Alignment of followers: any; the clerics must be Neutral or Chaotic
Favourite weapon: natural weapons (allowed all bludgeoning weapons and nets)
Clerics’ skills and powers: +2 bonus to ST versus Poison and Paralysis
Domains: Entropy, Law, Evil, Slavery
Preferred weapon: natural weapons (bite or claw/fist)
Source: M5, DotE



So as you can see, the Night Spider and Rathanos are also in on the Korylis and Alphaks adventure too, and probably more!

[Abe Sargent]

They travel further up the Aurora River.



Swimming silently beneath the boat, this great giant crocodile rises suddenly, overturning it on a d10 roll of 1-2, in which case all are thrown into the water. If the boat stays upright, each character must make a saving throw vs. Paralysis or be thrown overboard. The croc tries to eat characters in the water before attacking the boat again.

The die is 2 and the boat is flipped!


The must battle this monster in the river. Alzar and Vix are in the front flanking off the others. They are the natural leaders with their Necklaces of Adaptation and strong ability to work together.

(Random.org)


A few rounds later the battle is over, the ship is flipped back by Feldspar, and Alzar/Vix took some damage, but it’ll heal with her War Mask or Alzar’s Cure Light Woundsx2.


They continue on after gathering the things that fell into the water with Locate Object magic Alzar casts. Many things were tied to the boat, so they stayed with it, and some drying magic from Eijyptus is here.

On the corpse of croc is:

Is a black talisman that, when touched, gives the sensation of hearing the clatter of pans.

They pass by later that day some hunakoi hunters on the shore.

If the PCs are accompanying Ejiiptus, the hunakoi (red-skinned stone giants) are friendly and wave from the shore.


Night falls and they put the barge up on the banks and then rest with double watches. Only some nasty bats are seen, in huge numbers. Ejiiputus wants to head a little up a side river the next day to pay his respects at a shrine to Rathanos here, as it’s the only one left in the area.

[Abe Sargent]

They head into the river, and most of the day later they spend getting to it:

A thick plume of white vapor rises in the distance. As the barge approaches, a circle of 60-foot-tall monolithic pillars thrusting up from the swirling waters near the river’s bank can be seen. It supports a 30-foot-wide hemispherical dome and shrouded in steam. The water beneath the dome is brightly lit by concentrated sunlight and boils rapidly. At the apex of the dome is a sunstone, a cloudy, pink quartz sphere with a clear, polished, lens-like protrusion.

Alzar asks of Ejiputus if taking the clearly magical Sunstone would be sacrilegious, and he replaces that as long as it was used in the service of his immortal, then no. Alzar flies up and takes the sunstone.


Sunstone – This stone magically stores light and then releases it later as an intensely hot ray through the lens, doing 4d10 points of headlight damage to any creature caught within its 60-foot radius of effect (similar to a cone of dragon’s breath). Once the sunstone is cut off from light, it stops emitting light. However, if exposed thereafter to any light source, it releases all its destructive force in a single blast, then begins storing light anew. A discharged sunstone needs a full day of sunlight to recharge.

Ejiputus prays, and they head back to the Aurora River, and spend the night.

A third day arrives. They have entered the Valley of Kings. To each side of the mighty river are great monuments to rulers of the past. As they near one, Alzar sees the name and asks if they can stop for a moment. This is the tomb of Amonhotep X

The party sees an open crypt about 100 feet up the canyon wall. Alzar flies over to investigate safely.

Inside, narrow steps lead downward to a single, austere crypt. Thothian hieroglyphics on the walls show a man in mystic’s robes, with a king’s “holy” aura, casting down the sun. This is clearly the tomb of Ramenhotep X, the legendary founder of mysticism in Thothia.


Alzar heads inside and then finds and secures some traps. He finds the final resting place of Ramenhotep X. The sarcophagus appears to be sealed, but when opened and searched, small air holes can be found in the lid, and there is nothing inside other than a handle to open the sarcophagus from inside. Air holes? Was he buried alive? Was his death a lie? Why go through that? Did he fear the Night Spider or her progeny Aketheti?


Many unanswered questions abound.


Alzar returns. Another day passes. On the fourth day out of Edairo, the boat arrives at an interesting village:

A walled village of huge stone huts huddles against the river. Red-hued stone giants work nets in the river while tending to crops and day-to-day tasks. Welcome to the hunakoi village of Kenaton.


This is the home of Feldspar and Ejiputus.

The group stays for the night, and they won’t go further up the river. The Temple of the Dawn is a day away though, and that would include the crypt of Ramenhotep I, which would, according to the library notes they had, be where the Peaceful Periapt of Pax was buried.


Ejiiptus invites the party to stay as long as they wish, but cannot spare the river boat. The village has adequate supplies to support the 60 hunakoi who dwell here and to reprovision the party. They will head out the next day. That night, Ejiiptus throws a banquet for the party. During the feast, the old cleric begins to give the three venturing on information about the trip to the Temple of the Dawn.

[Abe Sargent]

As Ejiiptus presents his info, the ground rumbles beneath your feet and the floor splits to reveal the gigantic armored head of two ebony worms. Throughout the room, the odor of rotting food spreads like odious gas, while a hunakoi suddenly shrinks to doll-size and two more shrieks and turns to bats as two giant flying bats arrive. These are four powerful undead Nightshades, two Nightcrawlers, and two Nightwings.


Battle begins


Alzar casts Time Stop, and then casts Magic Defiance Undone and flings a Flesh to Stone at a Nightwing (it will pierce and kill it, it’ll fall and smash into many rock pieces), and then casts Protection from Evil 10’ Radius and Protection from Undead on some of the giants.

9 vs 1

They attack those they can (they cannot hit the folks under control). More giants shrink and bat-ify. Alzar casts Destroy Undead but it makes the save. Vix tears into a crawler, and then a few more hit it. One of the crawlers is wounded badly.

4 vs 2

The wounded crawler flees, burrowing away quickly. The Nightwing attacks and en-bats more giants. The Crawler left attacks and kills a giant. Another crawler emerges from the ground! It shrinks a giant and wounds another. Vix and crew damage a crawler, and Alzar finishes it with Power Word Kill. Dead crawler.

6 vs 7

Alzar casts Maze on the other Nightwing and it disappears for a few rounds, and the others wound the 3rd crawler. It flees down underground.

Alzar spends some rounds dispelling the magic or polymorphing the bats back, and then when the nightwing returns, they slay it in a turn.

During the battle, Eijiputus and some other giants disappear.

After the giant’s wicca leader is reverted from bat form to normal, she tells tales of the “Dark One,” who dwells in the Temple of the Dawn, and of the god of a race of intelligent spiders, who prevents peace from coming to the world. If questioned further about this, she speaks the name Rakni Prima in a hushed whisper and looks about nervously. Even after all the bats are restored to normal, Ejiiptus is not found. Alzar casts some Resurrection and Raise Dead spells on the dead giants, but two giants and the cleric are not to be found.

Feldspar survives the battle and he vows to find Ejiiptus again and asks to join the party. The Sun’s Handmaiden is available again for the journey upriver if the party wishes to use it. Alzar and group head out the following day. Scrying magic shows that the tunnels appear to head to the Lake of Avernus around the Temple of the Dawn, so they might as well take the faster water-route.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar, Feldspar, Vix, and McAlister head to the Temple…


Do you know how deep I am into this awesome module? Just TWELVE PAGES.

That’s good stuff.


A short time later in the morning, they arrive at the Lake of Avernus, near the Temple of the Dawn.

Ahead of you, a great wall spans the canyon, linking the north and south cliff faces with a low bastion of stone, damming the river behind it. Below the dam, another river, the Spider, joins the Aurora river. Where the Aurora exits the wall through a majestic facade of towering pillars, you see mighty waterfalls. Behind the falls, the temple’s three pink pyramids form a regular range of triangular mountains


The temple has withstood the ravages of the eons. Its 100-foot-tall pillars still sup- port the flat roof above the temple’s sluice and waterfall. The water from the reservoir falls another 100 feet to the river bed.

Here’s the map of the Temple of the Dawn

[Abe Sargent]

A pair of gargantuan statues crouch beside the titanically broad stairs that flank the spillway from the reservoir. Although they are obviously sphinxes, it takes some looking to recognize the south one as male. Even more scrutiny is needed to see that the crumbling northern statue once represented a female sphinx.

Suddenly, the southern statue opens its eyes, and lumbers agonizingly to its feet, shedding avalanches of crumbling stone and debris, including much of its mane, wings and hind quarters. “So you are the players at saving worlds,” it whispers in a distant hollow voice. “I must apologize, for I have no riddle for you, only an answer. Find the right question and you shall have the answer’s meaning and more. Use it well, for it is my last.”

“The answer is ‘An emperor and an empress.’ ’’ The sphinx sighs, and the mighty stone form collapses into rubble.

Find the answer….


The remnants of a crouching female sphinx statue guard the northern stair. As the party approaches, it shakes and vibrates, but does not move.

They move to the dam…

A bronze giant with a pair of massive saw-toothed swords blocks the passage through the pillars. He ignores you, his attention focused on a glittering bauble atop the largest pyramid of the temple.

This is a mek construct. It ignores the party. Alzar tries to speak to it, to no avail. It is not aggressive, just staring.

Alzar and party try to move past it, and it attacks, seeking to destroy the intruders.


Battle

4 vs 3

It attacks Vix and hits her for 39 damage. They punch the Mek back for 49.


6 vs 8

They attack back and hit for 41 and then Vix adds another 24.

4 vs 5

Alzar and company slay the construct. Vix is cured with a few Cure Light wounds.

[Abe Sargent]

They arrive at the crossing to the central place. The bridge from the dam to the temple island has collapsed, leaving a 175-foot gap over turbulent water. The north bridge appears to be spanned by glistening ropes.

Further inspection reveals the ropes to be spider webs. Great, thick, webbing. Alzar casts Mass Flight, and they fly over. You don’t want to mess with dealing with webbing over a turbulent river at the top of waterfall heading down.

By flying over the landing and sands, and such, they also skip a number of traps Alzar can see, such as Glyph of Warding or a sinking sands trap.

The three pyramids that form the Temple of the Dawn are sheathed in still-polished pink marble. The greatest of the three is 400 feet square and 500 feet tall. Each of the matched pair of lesser pyramids is 200 feet on a side and about 90 feet tall. It is impossible for any but a thief to climb the outside of the large pyramid. Luckily, Alzar is a thief and they can fly.

Like the shrine to Rathanos, Alzar sees something on the apex of the large pyramid, and he flies up to it.

The apex (top) of the largest pyramid is a miniature pyramid made of transparent crystal, 6 inches on a side at its base. Encased in the crystal is an eyeball. Regardless of which way the miniature pyramid is held, the eye always faces the holder.

He finds another miniature pyramid on top, with an odd looking part:


Crystal Pyramid - The crystal pyramid can be used by any class of character and has the following five powers that are activated by the command word that glows when the wielder stares at one face of the crystal. In all cases the user must look into the crystal facet to use the power. Side one: Truesight (as a cleric of the same level). Side two: Locate object. User must look at the crystal and will see and sense the location of the object. Side three: Infravision. Side four: Wizard eye. Side five (bottom): Contact outer plane (as a magic-user of the same level).

Alzar heads over to the smaller pyramids. Each of the two lesser pyramids has a door at the bottom to enter them.

Doors are located at the bases of the two lesser pyramids. Massive blocks of stone seal the entrances. To force open the door, the party must roll a d% less than or equal to the combined Strength of all characters attempting to force the door. If the result is 95 or higher, the attempt fails and all characters in the attempt take 1d10 damage from a botched try. They can’t be knocked or otherwise opened with magic.

They try the first with the large combined strength. They toss a 66, easily enough to make it.

Inside is a sunken suite with stairs that lead down a bit. The stair ends in dark, scummy water. Whatever is below here must surely be submerged, too, yet shimmering faintly in the depths, you see an eerie glow.

The water begins 75 feet in from the door at area 7 and fills both area 8 and the ascending stair to the north for another 25 feet. This chamber is 50 feet by 50 feet by 20 feet. Both doors enter at floor level.

Scrying magic isn’t great here and is coming back distorted, so Alzar scouts it out.

The sunken stair ends in a submerged chamber, lit by a dim but warm glow from the center of the room. Tall aquatic grass undulates slightly, disturbed by your swimming motions. On the opposite wall, you can see another opening with a stair leading upward.

Alzar feels a necrotic presence in the room. He reaches out and he cannot control them here, but he can turn them. Seven aquatic mummies rises, and Alzar forces them to flee near his team, and they slay them. Alzar returns.


Alzar’s Star of Mo’Pilar helps a little.

The glow seen by Alzar comes from the center of the room’s floor, emanating from a clear yellow gemstone (continually lit). When viewed from within 20 feet, there are can see the sixty 1,000 gp red, orange and yellow gemstones set in a sunburst pattern around the stone. It takes 1d4 rounds to pry a gem loose with a dagger or similar implement.

So it would take 120 rounds to grab them all. Alzar grabs the group, and then spend 30.

60 1000 gp gems

[Abe Sargent]

On the far side of this chamber is another room identically shaped to this in the lesser pyramid, and a door that they also would have to force open.

The stair ends abruptly; the last step may be 50 feet below. This cubical chamber is floored with smallish mushrooms. Although this door sits high above the floor, the door opposite is at ground level.

The fungal growth is dense but small. The star is showing the area is magical, but other than that, it can tell that there aren’t any traps. As they step into the room, a contingency spell fires, and the fungus mushrooms grow in size, creating a giant, unpassable forest.

Then 10 Bone Golems that were massmorphed into mushrooms turn back into golems and move to attack!


Battle begins.

2 vs 6

Alzar casts Hold Golem and freezes one. The others with him hit and damage one badly. The rest attack in melee, and their weapons are poisoned. Vix is immune, as is Alzar, but Feldspar isn’t, and he takes 20 normal damage plus another 15 poison.


Vix – 133/152
Alzar – 92/92
Feldspar – 30/75

4 vs 8

Next round, Alzar casts Maze on one and it heads out. Vix finishes a wounded golem and wound a little another. Feldspar agrees to back up and grabs some things he can heave over Vix/Alzar at the golems.


Vix – 111/152
Alzar – 81/92
Feldspar – 30/75
2 dead golems, 1 mazed


6 vs 2

They take more damage, and they slay two more, Alzar and Vix leading.


Vix – 99/152
Alzar – 68/92
Feldspar – 30/75
4 dead golems, 1 mazed

7 vs 8

They kill 1 more and then take a little more damage

Vix – 91/152
Alzar – 68/92
Feldspar – 30/75
5 dead golems, 1 mazed


5 vs 3

Alzar takes more damage, just 1 more dies

Vix – 93/152
Alzar – 61/92
Feldspar – 30/75
6 dead golems, 1 mazed

They finish the golems without anyone other than Vix getting wounded, and her War mask will heal her with regeneration. Alzar heals Feldspar and himself normally

[Abe Sargent]

They push the door open, and then head back the first chamber and head up to a central room in the middle.

This is a small maze-like area:




Alzar enters at P. Alzar heads left to the corner at Q, then continues to J, continues to K, turns to L, M, N and O, and there are no exits on the outer rung, and he disarms a few traps. He heads in to H, and then walks around the next circle, again with nothing there other than some traps. Then to A:

Hanging from the ceiling, about 30 feet above the floor, is a dove-shaped, alabaster amulet. Just looking at it makes one feel calm, relaxed, peaceful.

This is the object of their quest. There is a space in the amulet that can take a screw thread that matches the one they took from the library!

Alzar takes the amulet, and then leaves the Temple, and then they teleport back to Edairo with the group, and then move to the peace conference, with the Peaceful Periapt of Pax in tow, and it guarantees they have the treaty they need for peace.



Good job!


End of M5. Talons of Night

[Abe Sargent]

That’s just a joke. There’s more. But that would be a fitting end, right? How many modules would have as cool of a setting as Edairo, which just drips off the page, the haunted and xenophobic feeling place, the flight up the river, and finding the Temple of the Dawn, the burial place of the first Ramenhotep, and then head back!

You fought against immortal manipulation, Queen Aketheti, and found an artifact and brought it back. You are good to go, right?

Not yet.

See Paul Jaquays is one of the best module crafters out there. One of the Top 30 modules of all time is Dark Tower, written by Jaquays for Judges Guild in the early days of D&D when Judges Guild has a license for D&D publications. They were founded in 76, and they had a ton of very high quality and very influential modules, many by Jaquays. Only one was on the WOTC/TSR list of best modules of all time, and it’s no surprise that they wouldn’t give more credit in a magazine article that was probably meant to sell more of their own product.


But they are great, and I’d put Caverns of Thracia or Dark Tower up against many D&D classics.

And Talons of Night is awesome. So epic. Here is Jaquays on point, in the final module for the series, with no editorial interference. Make the module you want to make! So Jaquays makes the module, and since our good author is also an illustrator, does all of the art and maps for the module, so everything here is from Jaquays’ mind. Which is crazy good…


So no, this thang ain’t ending soon! And we'll be the richer for it!


Begin M5. Talons of Night

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar’s ability to detect illusions can tell that the Periapt is an illusion, a permanent illusion on a cheap knockoff, with a fake feeling. And there is a nasty trap here that’ll trigger when you collect the dove. Alzar heads to the stairs here and to the central pyramid inside the structure


The 20-foot-wide stairs descend to the inner sanctum of the temple. There are 120 steps. Starting with the fifth step from the top, Alzar finds that the steps are trapped.

When anybody steps on or over this step (and every alternating step following it), a giant skeletal arm and hand thrusts upwards through the stone step, grabbing at the nearest character as a 7 HD monster. If a hand hits, it does 2d6 points of damage the first round that it hits. Thereafter, it immobilizes the character and does 1d6 points of damage each subsequent round until it is turned or destroyed. The hands are treated as 7 HD monsters and have 16 hit points each; they turn as mummies. There are 57 hands.

Alzar disarms 57 traps, and they head down.

It is night in the center of the Temple of the Dawn, which is odd, as it is not night time yet, and they are in the Temple of the Dawn, emphasis on dawn.

The stair ends on a great hall, the temple’s inner sanctum.

The hall is immense, at least 400 feet long and 200 feet wide. Massive 20-foot- diameter pillars thrust upwards to support nothing; for although this room must be deep beneath the temple, possibly even under the greatest of the three pyramids, there is no roof - only the night sky. In the shadows at the far end of the hall, a man in mystic’s garb peers intently at a gaming board before him.

As you enter, he stands, raises his fist, covers it with his other hand and makes a slight, crisp bow. “Since you have come this far,” he says, “I take it that you have not found what you seek. Perhaps I can be of some assistance to you.”

This man resembles Ramenhotep XXVIII, but looks more like Ramenhotep X from the frescos at his temple.

“Ramenhotep X?” Alzar asks. The man gently nods an affirmation.


With a cryptic smile, Ramenhotep X offers to trade information about the location and uses of Pax’s Peaceful Periapt if the party will play a game with him - providing one piece of information for each of his pieces that the player removes from the board.

Alzar asks what he will lose if he loses a piece, and Ramonhotep X tells him the “trade will be fair.”

If the party agrees to the game, they must select a challenger who will sit across from Ramenhotep X. All party members except the challenger fade into etherealness (no saving throw); only Ramenhotep X and the challenger remain (the challenger must make an Intelligence ability check to notice that his or her comrades have vanished). Those who disappear find themselves paralyzed and individually isolated in the misty grey realm of the Ethereal Plane. Around them, they can sense but not clearly see the hulking, squirming and flapping forms of Alphaks’s nightshades: always just inside their peripheral vision but never in plain view. Each remains here during the game until summoned to face a challenge.


And then the game begins.

The gameboard





The rules




So as you can see, Alzar is about to play a version of Nine Men’s Morris against Ramenhotep X


Nine Men's Morris | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar steps forward to play, and the other three folks disappear.

They roll a dice, and Alzar places first, and he takes a outside corner, and then Ramenhotep a middle, and Alzar another corner, and Ramenhotep lines up, 2, Alzar blocks. Ramenhotep X plays defenses for two blocks, and then pens Alzar in, so Alzar’s next play is defense to cut off Ramenhotep on the other side first before he can get two, and then he gets 2 elsewhere, and so forth.

Alzar uses his better positioning to force a mill on Ramenhotep on placement and pounds off one of his foes pieces.

Clue #1:

“Spider, Spider of the Night, Spider-folk’s god, Tree-swinger’s plight;
But shadow in darkness can’t bear the light.
Do a good deed and aid those in need.
Fight not with one, Fight not with two,
Only the battle of many will do.”

On the Lake of Avernus,
’Neath the stark windy moors;
Peace is the key to the strangest of doors.
Night touches day,
Day touches night;
Follow toward darkness
When you say the word ’bright”


Ramenhotep can either block the rest or trade, and he trades, and each loses a stone.

Clue #2:

“Below the Dawn, there flows a spider, feeder of Aurora. Follow the spider, climb the walls to its lair. For friends fight foes.”

And then a challenge for…

McAlister, the non-fighting NPC

The world goes dark briefly and he is at the starting point of a maze that resembles the one they were at before. Except for a tunic, the character has no clothing, footwear, or armor (AC 10 -all Dexterity bonuses apply). For spell casters, only spells of fourth level or less are remem bered. The character does retain his or her primary weapon. Saving throws are made as if the character were only half his or her cur- rent level.

He walks around until he encounters a Sphinx:

McAlister clings tightly to the walls of a dark, narrow chasm while a shrieking wind rips at his clothes and numbs fingers. You know that you will soon freeze unless you can reach the uncertain shelter of the dark tower you see nearby. Yet as you inch along the icy-cold black rock, a gargan tuan female sphinx lands on the ledge between you and the tower. With an evil sneer, she mocks you, saying, “Mortal simpleton, solve my riddle and live. Fail, as you most certainly shall, and you shall die. My riddle is thus:

’Two on Earth become as one in Night
We live beyond the maze’s door
Where your yesterday is our long ago,
for we count your days as ten thousand
Who are we?

Getting the answer earlier, McAlister answers “An Emperor and an Empress” and that is correct.

When the character correctly answers the riddle, she shrieks “Trickery!” and launches herself at the character only to be intercepted by an equally gargantuan male sphinx (the one from the temple). The two of them lock in roaring combat, tumbling into the depths of the chasm. The character may proceed to the dark tower and enter, ending the challenge.


The placement finishes.

They begin moving, and each will mill the other (They removed blocks for mills)

Clue:

“In the realm of Death, through Chasm deep, the wailing wind wards well the Tower of Night.
To enter the realms of Death, ye must become as one dead.”


Challenge:

Vix

In a totally white, square chamber with exits on each side, Vix finds a massive square door set into the floor. Inscribed on the door is the Thothian mystics’ symbol, and embedded into it are 13 palm-sized, star-shaped talismans. There are three additional star-shaped depressions on the symbol, and a fourth depression is located in the symbol’s center. You feel as though you are walking on grass, but the ground beneath your feet is featureless white marble. In the corner, a cowering shadowy-gray goblin clutches something to its chest.


Four talismans are missing. Vix needs to finish them.

Vix begins to move around the maze.

She finds four talismans, and they are similar to the one they already found on the crocodile.

The star talismans needed:

G (black; sound of eerie violin music),

A (white; grassy texture)

Q(gray; mucousy texture)

L (white; odor of baking bread)

As Vix returns to the central chamber to reunite the talismans, a quartet of four giants, one for each talisman, are here to stop her.

(random.org)

Vix takes 88 and slays all four.

[Abe Sargent]

Back to the game

Alzar decides to sacrifice a piece for better positioning. He can lock off a mill from Ramenhotep X this way, and stop him from moving those pieces, and be in a much more dominant position as a result.

Challenge

Feldspar Pebblecrafter heads out for the challenge

Thick foliage clusters densely around the path, cutting off the sky and blocking clear vision down the trail. In the distance you can hear plaintive cries of some animal, possibly trapped or hurt. And then the first floating leaf appears in front of you, wafting downwards and glowing violet.

The paths of this maze are trails in a dense forest. The map scale is one square to 20 feet. It is not possible to leave the paths, and the obstructing foliage limits vision to 20 feet in any direction. When foliage is cut or destroyed, it magically regrows when the character cannot see it.

Feldspar steps out and finds a phanaton captured in a spider’s web.


Let’s pause. What is a phanaton:



They are basically flying, racoon people, introduced in the Isle of Dread module. They are lawful, and they have warred against the aranea, also introduced in the Isle of Dread.

The Aranea


Evil magic using spider people with the hands of humanoids also for grasping and such. They also have larger brains as well.

Finding a wounded phanaton in a spider web would make a lot of sense, given the constant war and struggles these two races have.

Feldspar reaches down to unfurl the phanaton from the webbing, and as he does, a magical leaf floats over and zarks him for some damage. He flees, carrying the freed phanaton, and finds another, and he stops, takes damage from the flying leaf. He finds and frees 5 phanatons total, and then leaves, taking 44 damage total.


Blocked, Alzar’s foe does haven’t a lot of options. They have to move to a place that Alzar can mill out of.

Clue

“Time is not a constant thing. Like rivers, in some places it flows faster. By passing through some planes, it is possible for someone to spend but a moment and find a lifetime has passed in absence or to live a dozen years and yet return to find but an instant has passed”

Ramenhotep X cannot move to mill, with three pieces blocked, and two left elsewhere.

Alzar against mills and sends off another piece

Clue

“When first I studied the mystical way, my mentor challenged me daily with this game, saying ‘Like game, like life. ‘Master the Web and you master its Maker.’”

Alzar blocks the final piece, and Ramenhotep X cannot move, and loses.

Game to Alzar

[Abe Sargent]

Ramenhotep X offers another game, with more clues!

But Alzar declines. After the game, Selnyr, the axe, has gone missing.


“This has been a most pleasant diversion. Yet, I fear that my less-than-benevolent master does not wish you to actually use the enlightenment you have gained. I am most sorry.”

RamenhotepX dissolves into mist and sinks between the cracks in the floor as the challenger’s party materializes from the ether, Vix is missing Nykthos as well.

A swarm of undead mummies arises from each compass direction.

Battle Begins


Alzar casts Time Stop.

Protection from Undead. Hold Undead. Evard’s Black Tentacles.

While they are messing with his undead, Alzar heads to OtherSpace for a round, and will return with backup weapons for Vix and himself.

Feldspar takes the front and smashes a wounded mummy that broke through the tentacles.

7 vs 3

The next round, the three mummies free and attacking hit for 15 and Feldspar now has mummy rot. Alzar and Vix are armed, and Alzar slashes and carves a mummy badly, and his shield finish it off. Vix does the same with a wounded mummy.

4 vs 6

Alzar heals Feldspar. His team finishes the wounded mummies and slay the ones tied up or paralyzed and finish the battle

They are unable to follow Ramenhotep X.

But where did he go?

One of the clues mentioned following the Spider River that feeds and creates the Aurora, so they’ll head up the side river.

[Abe Sargent]

A few hours pass and they prepare themselves readying for the next day.

Their spells refresh.

A half a day passes and the river has reduced to a stream that cannot be navigated further at a narrow waterfall up. They tether up the barge and then Alzar casts Mass Flight for the party and they’ll fly over local obstacles and up the canyon side.

To continue the area, the party must reach the forests at the top of the canyon. Following the Spider River upstream, they encounter either Spider Falls on the Spider, or Garsh Falls on the Red Sabre River. Both falls are impassable, the canyon must be scaled to continue. Unless they possess fly or levitate spells for the entire party or magical items capable of flying the party to the top, the canyon walls must be climbed. The walls are steep and dangerous, but not unclimbable to those with a will for it. The walls of Spider Canyon near the falls are 600 feet high, but near the entrance to the Valley of Kings, they are a daunting 2,000 feet, but a thief may climb them without equipment. Non-thief characters who follow a thief s directions for climbing the cliffs, may add their Intelligence score to half the thief s climbing ability as their chance on a d% roll to climb the walls without using climbing tackle.


As they near the top

The crumbled rock reveals a titanic human skull. As you watch, the skull takes on ghostly flesh, becoming the face of a lovely woman. She whispers to you and then fades into a skull which shivers into dust and shards. “I speak truth only. Arachne Prime must die for her chaotic crimes. The Spider must return to her primal ooze of Night. Speak her true name to make her vulnerable.”

This is a formerly alive Titan who was in the area trying to find the Peaceful Periapt of Pax and died here.

When the party reaches the cliff top, their presence is noted by a phanaton shaman. Magic is cast and it sees that Feldspar previously passed a challenge where he was willing to be hurt to save phanatons from a spider web. The shaman moves from the trees into the clearing, and motions.

Alzar cannot speak with it (no longer has Selnyr to translate him) but he casts Tongues. As an acknowledgement of Feldspar’s willingness to help the phanaton, the shaman wants to give him a Amulet of Phanaton Friendship as a symbol of that. It’s been magically widened to fit around the Stone Giant’s thick neck.

It warns of a aranea camp a mile away, that has ten phanaton pinned, and asks for aid. Alzar agrees and scries, finding it.

In the clearing ahead, you hear the sounds of battle. You part the thick foliage to see a half dozen furry creatures, no bigger than halflings, fighting desperately against three times their number of giant spiders armed with swords and spears.

Alzar asks the shaman to guard their non-combatant McAlister, while they intercept, and he agrees.

Alzar casts Mass Teleport and puts them in between the Aranea and the phanatons

Time Stop –

Wail of the Banshee
Death Spell
Evard’s Black Tentacles

Result?

17 dead aranea from the first two spells. The others are mostly pinned or damaged from the other.

Spells fly at Alzar and his party, like Magic Missiles. Every aranea is a spellcaster, and thus needed to be hit first.

Battle continues

For the adventure, until their weapons are re-secured, Alzar and Vix are using Vix’s old Spear and Alzar’s generic +4 axe.


8 vs 3

More magical damage heads in, but the 10 phanatons and Feldspar, Vix, and Alzar kill the ones not in tentacles, and then Alzar finishes the bound spider-creatures.


Alzar – 55/92
Vix – 112/152
Feldspar – 51/75

[JAG]

Too bad he used Wail of the Banshee today already.

Is that part of the restrictions of the plane, can't use 9th level spells multiple times per day?

Each day, Alzar can cast a number of spells equal to his total number of spell levels.

So for example, if Alzar were level four, he could normally cast 2 firsts and 2 seconds, for a total of 6 levels of spell. But with this he could cast 4 firsts and 2 seconds, or 3 seconds or 6 firsts. You get the idea.

Alzar still is bound by the limitations of the plane, so he can’t normally cast a bunch of Time Stops. That’s a gentle brake on the ability.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by JAG

Is that part of the restrictions of the plane, can't use 9th level spells multiple times per day?

Good questions!


So most magic rules on various planes have no such Highlander "there can be only one" restriction on mage magic. So the initial plane Alzar came from, Thorasia, did;t have ti either. You saw him cast multiple spells of the same type, like Animate Dead Animals, Animate Dead, Vampiric Touch, etc, and such.

When I moved him to Hamedh as a punishment for his success on thorasia, I wanted to nuke him as much as possible, and came up with the Highlander rule, that no wizard spell could be cast more than once a day per caster. It worked, and I kept it for Alzar on Pandius, which is just my version of Mystara. (It's not a rule on Mystara) but again, it works as a nice brake on him.

That worked especially well as a brake after he found the Nefti's Spell Recall that let him cast any spell he knew and removed the memorization restriction as well as now that he has maximum flexibility after receiving Pflarr's gift. It works for all spells, not just 9th level.

Hope that helps!

[Abe Sargent]

Vix still has everything else, including her War Mask.

Alzar heals a few phanatons. Their quick intervention saved the party, and they are extremely gracious, and they see the amulet around Feldspar’s neck and have taken to calling him “Phanaton-Saver.”

The shaman and McAlister arrives as Alzar and the phanatons finish talking. Feldspar can make out the phanatons with his amulet as well.

Shellsnapper, the brave, intelligent and talkative leader of the rescued phanaton hunters automatically, becomes the friend (and willing henchman) of the character possessing the phanaton-friend talisman. He will wish to accompany his new friend everywhere (including potentially embarrassing situations). Shellsnapper is a 3 HD phanaton warrior.


They are escorted to a nearby phanaton village

The phanaton live in villages built upon platforms about 50 feet above the forest floor. Although the phanaton can glide from platform to platform, the platforms are connected by rope ladders and bridges. Simple huts on the platforms house family and craft groups. Each village has about 200 occupants.

Shellsnapper stops you, points upwards, then scampers up a tree trunk, disappearing into the foliage. Moments later, a wooden-runged rope ladder drops earthward. You squeeze your way through a cramped trap door at the top of the ladder onto a large, sun-dappled wooden platform surrounded by low huts. Other plat- forms surround yours, connected by rope ladders and bridges. Everywhere are excited, fearful, and curious web- winged furry folk.



The phanaton villagers are initially fearful, but soon grow friendly. The subchief who rules the village throws a big (but largely inedible-looking with grubs and such considered a feast for the flying racoon creatures) feast that night for the saviors of the phanaton hunters


During the feast, an elderly shaman begins to tell the story of the phanaton and aranea.

“Long ago, the people and the spider folk lived together in harmony in another place, a lush place rich In life and mighty thorns. The people and their spider allies were caretakers of a mighty talisman, a small, white stone bird. All was peaceful until the greatest spider, ’She- Who-Dwells- in-Darkness, ’ enslaved the people, stole their ancient and holy white bird, then brought them to this place.’’

Alzar feels a necrotic presence.

At this point, a young shaman interrupts the elder. The shaman accuses the party of being in league with the creatures of Night.

Alzar recognizes the sensation of an undead Nightwing here, and he flies up (Mass flight lasts for hours) and he excuses himself,

The Nightwing sees him coming, and casts Finger of Death at him. And then again. Nothing. Alzar has reached spell range for himself and casts Magic Defiance Undone and flings a Hold Undead at it. It works and the Nightwing falls and dies on the ground. Alzar heads down, and the shaman is crying at Alzar’s death of his friend. He tells the phanatons that the creature is responsible, and then casts his own charm spell (one charm breaks another and neither works) and frees the phanaton shaman from the magic of the undead flying Nightwing.

After regathering their people, the story is finished


“Long did the people serve their evil masters; but after generations, the spiders became weak and the people escaped. They stole the white bird from under She- Who-Dwells-in- Darkness and sought the door to the old place for only the white bird could open the door. But the Spider had hidden the door in a dark lake deep beneath earth, far below even her own black pit. In despair, the people cast the white bird into the great river; knowing that someday, the holy bird would return and take them home.”

[Abe Sargent]

Where is the lost city here up on this great plateau?

They can give Alzar the locations of all of the aranea villages up here, but know nothing else.

They stay the night in the phanaton village.

The next day…

The village chief had a dream last night

“Spider, Spider of the Night,/Spider-folk’s god,/tree-swinger’s plight;/ But shadow in darkness can’t bear the light./ Do a good deed and aid those in need./ Fight not with one,/Fight not with two./ Only the battle of many will do.”

The chief discusses this eagerly with his elders. They grow more and more excited about the big fight, many many, and the 200 villagers get more and more excited. The excitement builds, ending with phanaton literally bouncing off the trees by the end of the speech.

In an hour, the phanaton prepare to fight against the spiders. However, their king suggests that the fighting would go better if their friends, the elves and tree folk, would join them. A friendly phanaton explains that the king means you should go talk with them if you want their help.

Alzar heads to the homes of the Treants.

Neither the treants nor the elves will join the battle without urging.

Members of the party must travel to the treant and elven strongholds and persuade Elmbeard Longleavesrustlingin thewindatdusk, the treant shaman, and clanmaster Trueflower of the elves to join the phanaton against the aranea. Alzar teleports himself and Feldspar and Shellsnapper to the vicinity of Elmbeard and then walks over and speaks to the great Treant of their need.

The treefolk heavily dislike the presence of the evil spiders that tear up their trees, so the idea of removing them from the forest entirely is enticing to them. They agree to help after consideration for hours and hours and hours, in part due to the friend talisman and Shellsnapper’s presence.

[Abe Sargent]

They then Mass Teleport to the elven sanctuary, and approach.

Allying the Elves: Clanmaster Trueflower is suspicious. He feels that the PCs are using the simple phanaton for their own ends. He could care less about relations between Thyatis and Alphatia, lands he has never heard of. Modifiers: -1 for his preconceptions, + 1 for each elf member in the party, -1 for each dwarf member, + 2 if anybody bears the talisman.

Alzar talks of the Tree of Life in his own realm, and that the idea for the battle came from the phanaton, not from himself, which is confirmed with Elven magic and Shellsnapper. They reluctantly agree, but just to help their phanaton friends.


The goal is to find the known spider villages and locate the Lost City of Aran. Before the mission begins, the phanaton will help the party mark the locations of the villages on their map. Roll a d10 for each village. On a roll of 1-4 the phanaton mark the exact hex location of the village. On a roll of 5-10, they mark an adjacent hex. When the Battle of Many begins, King Choppadigga leads most of the phanaton forces into battle. A much smaller force accompanies the PCs.

In War Machine terms, the smaller force is:


Force: PHANATON IRREGULARS
Leader: Alzar
No. of Troops: 100, +10 Elves, +6 Treants,
Type: Phanaton spearmen BR: 96
Base Movement Rate: 6 hexes/day Troop Class: Below Average

If the party is allowed to lead the force (it must have the phanaton-friend talisman), add the PC leader’s level minus 8 (to accommodate change of command) to the force’s BR (I already did). If the elves are allied, add 20 to the BR. Nine warriors (2nd level) and one leader (5 th level) also join. Allied treants add 10 to the force’s BR; six treants join the force.

Alzar summons some magical aid to assist as well, Griffin to ride, and elementals summoned. They went home and Vix got her Chariot during the three-days they assembled forces and scouted around to finalize the forces.