The D&D Dynasty: The New Path of Alzar the Mighty

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar orders them to grab the chain and pull it and try to break the bars. They chuckle at him but he orders them to to do and they do. With all four of them puling, the chain bursts free. One says they had better find weapons. As the group moves out, Alzar hears a sound and orders them back into the cell. They argue for a second, and then do so. Then a kobold enters the room and Alzar orders it to give him some water, you don’t want dry meat. It gets upset and grabs the spear to poke at him and moves to the cell. Alzar charges out and captures it. Then one of them smashes its head in with a stool and it dies.

Alzar takes its spear and the female fighter takes its sword, in her hands a short sword. The only other thing of use in here is a lamp which the group takes. The two curtains are hiding two exits. One forward and the other right. The go forward.

[Abe Sargent]

As Alzar moves ahead, he runs into a human male and pulls back. He moves forward and Alzar signals the party to move in. Attack ensues and in two rounds they have dispatched their opponent. One takes his chainmail and another his sword, human sized. They continue forward

The corridor widens and turns left into a small chamber that continues in a corridor on the far side. There is a curtain Alzar peeks behind and sees two men drinking at a table, with weapons and armor on. The woman pushes forward with chain mail and a weapon and orders a charge and they run in. One starts intoning and the priest yells to shut up their priest. He blinds the woman as she enters and the battle begins. She stumbles and falls, and the warrior brings his weapon down and slays her. The rest of Alzar’s group move in and melee with the priest while he engages the fighter. After a few rounds, he has finished off the fighter with his spear and they captured the priest and tied him up and gagged him.

Alzar orders a search. A cabinet reveals everybody’s equipment, armor, weapons and everything else. Alzar finds


100 gp

On the bodies. They move to the entrance on the other side, and there is a portcullis here. Alzar pulls it p, abut is hit by a trap for 5 damage in doing so

46/51 hp

[Abe Sargent]

They head forward. The room they enter is a slick limestone cave with a large white statue of an oddly shaped toad like creature. It is on the ground and ready to spring into action. It’s eyes glint in the torch and lamplight. Also in the room are some furniture and other accoutrements. In one of the trunk are black robes and red medallions. The priest reaches down and informs Alzar that this is a cult dedicated to a frost deity. Alzar begins to search while the priest defaces the idol/statue. Alzar manages to turn up a flask with a magical liquid in it of unknown origin.

Flask – magical liquid

[Abe Sargent]

As they move around the room they reveal a passage to the right, which they take. After just a short distance the passage forks. The left is gated and the right has a cold breeze blowing from it. The gate is unable to be moved or picked or lifted, so they go right.

It curves back to the left for a bit and then opens up. The curtain reveals a decent sized room with a brazier in the middle. Small grey humanoids are asking for dinner from a talker human. Alzar orders a charge and leads it, flinging aside the curtain. He takes 3 damage from charging in and two of the small grey manthings move at Alzar. He swings and misses and takes 4 more damage from their clubs. Then he attack again and connects. One drops and the other trips over its body and Alzar dispatches it.

The man is engaging the priest, and Alzar rushes over and finishes him off. There is a ladder here, which they take


50 gp found

[Abe Sargent]

A sandy passage is revealed at the bottom of the ladder. They move to the right, the only direction this passage has. Alzar moves forward and overhears discussion of attacking a nearby village tomorrow, under cover of winter and storms. Alzar sides with the priest who wants to destroy this outpost rather than the elf who just wants to leave. In order to do this, you will charge the people inside and take them out. Alzar takes off his armor. Now that he has his things back, it’s time for a surprise.

You move it to attack. There is a wolf in its cage, and it pushes forward, warning the people about the attack. Alzar casts sleep and drops both people before the wolf is released.


100 XP

[Abe Sargent]

The next room has a bed, desk and table, some chests and chairs, and large curtain, which swings back to reveal a large area portcullised off. A search finds a lever, which Alzar throws. He blinds the great white ape in here with Continual Light and then kills it easily.

75 XP

It guarded a sort of treasury of the complex. In here is a chest with the Master’s plans for invading the local village. You find a secret door in here that opens into a long hallway that leads outside. After escaping the place, you agree not to head back in, and instead the elf and priest will warn the village about the attack. With the missing plans, it is unlikely to happen at all, but if it does…


End of M1. Blizzard Pass

[Abe Sargent]

The flask is a potion of Fire Giant Strength.













After escaping from that crazy pass, Alzar manages to climb down and keep going down the other side. The path on this side is much nicer and the creatures on this side of the mountain more hospitable. Three days pass before Alzar even comes across a creature that tries to stop him. It was a trio of bandits who were fleeing the frigid mountain pass for nicer air, and Alzar enslept them (caution, enslept is not a real word) and slew them, and took their horses.


Just a pair of large centipedes stand between Alzar and his arrival in the valley. He gives the brew to Garinda, who distills it and has it spread among the land. Although winter has begun, the plants do recover, and the curse has been lifted from the land.


End of The Forest Oracle

[Abe Sargent]

The Forest Oracle has been called the worst module in AD&D. I thought it would be fun to play through it. I left out some of the crap and annoying stuff. Here are some epically bad examples:

It is established at the lake that you have to remove a creature from the lake in order to waken them, but you can awaken the forester just by slapping him awake.

The distraught nymph fails to shake her man to waken him.

Here is where you encounter the 7 brigands:

“A group of seven men approaches. They are following the road east, and are making good time, neither tarrying nor running. Their faces are expressionless. One is dressed as a cleric of some sort, and another is dressed as a traveling drummer. The others could be peasants or serfs going from one location to another for the harvest season. Each carries some sort of weapon. It is plain that they are not soldiers by their haphazard way of walking. They do not seem to be joking loudly or singing as they advance.”

Later on the brigands will break and charge you. AFTER THEY CHARGE YOU, you roll a d6 to see if they are surprised by you?!? In mid-charge they might forget what they are doing and start milling around?

Here is the weak wererat scene:

“The tavern closes at 10 p.m. Bolo sends all the customers off to their rooms. The lights go out, and the tavern becomes still.

An attempt to rob the party will occur during the night whether any of the party is on watch or not. Any party member on watch has to save vs. Sleep directed at him. If he is successful, the spell will be cast on each party member coming on watch until one is successfully put to sleep. At that time, four wererats (AC 6; MV 12"; HD 3+1; hp 16 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8 [sword]; SA Surprise on 1-4; SD Hit only by silver or +1 or better magic weapons) enter the room and rob the party.

The party members should each roll 1d6. Anyone rolling a 1 awakens, and knows he is being robbed. He may pretend he is asleep or call for help. If he calls out, the wererats flee through a secret door located directly across from the hall door. This door stays hidden unless the party sees the rats exit. They may try to locate the door on a normal search.

When the party finds the door, they may wish to pursue the wererats. They may check for the door several times if they wish. If they do not find the door or if none of the party awakens while the wererats are robbing them, they find large rat-like tracks on the floor. Bolo will realize they belong to the wererats staying at the inn.

The wererats are armed with swords. A clever gang, they have been staying at the inn off and on for three months. They rent room #8, and use that as their base of operations. They have disguised their activities so well Bolo hasn't discovered the connection between when they stay and when the robberies occur. The wererats always seem to have plenty of money to pay for their lodging, however.”


Why are the non-mage wererats able to cast sleep over and over? Why are your only options to call for help or pretend to be asleep if you make your roll? You know, as opposed to attacking or casting a spell? (And why does Bolo, who was a former thief before settling down, not know about a simple secret door in his inn, or that people are stealing from his customers?)

It’s just downright silly

There are others too. Why do a high powered group of druids need your help to handle a small camp of goblins and dire wolves? In the module ( I removed this) you are found by gypsies (who laid the curse) and who need your help to face an Ogre. If you refuse, the gypies mages are powerful enough to cast charms and other magic to force you. To fight one ogre. (Who has a flesh golem guard who only attacks gypsies).


So, now you to can enjoy what some have called the worst AD&D module of all time. (There are others. Why does the forester, who is a level 3 fighter who is proficient with an axe only own a bow or a sword? Why does he only have 2 hit dice? Why doesn’t the recalcitrant nymph pour the antidote potion into the lake herself?

[sterlingice]

This sounds like a grippingly-crappy adventure!

SI

[Abe Sargent]

Back to The Eye of the Serpent, already in progress.



Now, Alzar wants to continue to the main city. He needs to get a real library. He gathers his wagons and accoutrements and three days later sets out on a nice day to travel.



We have a problem. See, I wrote up the rest of Eye of the Serpent and spent several hours running it. Then I had a major BSOD problem with my laptop and it’s lost. I’m very, VERY frustrated, but hopefully I can push through and continue the dynasty. It’s a major blow to know I lost ALL of that work though. (I wrote great stuff about the beauty of the area, and the stairs that lead to the mires and how the mires formed and all of that. Sigh. Waste of time. That PISSES me off to no freakin’ end).

Basically, Alzar spent the rest of the module moving through a sward of green, then onto a final plateau of mires, and thence through a small dungeon, and down the river and into the Eye of the Serpent.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

This sounds like a grippingly-crappy adventure!

SI

It really is!

[Abe Sargent]

I’ma just do a quick recap:


Fought a variety of monsters – crustaceans with tentacles in a cave behind a waterfall, enemy plants, slavers in the mines, a large flying creature I made up myself which was REALLY cool, (We also missed a classic Alzar rant against the mage who created this monster. It had the body of an eagle or hawk, and the head of a snake, and it’s talons were also snake heads. Alzar gave his rant against stupid mages who don’t really understand the nature and level of power just mucking about with silly things like that).
and other stuff. He engaged a Mist Mephit who told him about a bullywug camp and moved to avoid it in the mires. He busted a small slave issue in the tunnel that led from the mires to the ground where the river continued and sprung Marilla, who had been captured. Healed again

The Eye of the Serpent saw him kill a 5th level cleric on the island itself, and then penetrate deep into the underground where he freed a low level Gen (a weaker version of a genie normally in service to others), encountered a Duergar Mentalist, who hurt him badly, and eliminated a small Duergar camp down there. Then he returned to the tunnel met back with Marilla, who is heading toward the city. (One key encounter, in addition to the Gen and the Mentalist was with a Necrophidus, a construct, which shows you can make them here. Alzar made one. This was Old Homie night, with him running into a Mist Mephit (his own familiar, Dryshik) and one of his old constructs).

Here is the stuff he grabbed from various folks:

+1 spear, +2 vs giants, +3 vs orcs and ogres
+1 short bow
Electrum Amulet – 120 gp
Silver Bangle – 25 gp
Gold Buckle – 85 gp
Gold and Malachite Headband – 220 gp
Gold and Turquoise Ring – 70 gp
Onyx Statuette of Snake – 250 gp
Copper Belt and Stones – 60 gp
Violet Garnet Earrings - 120 gp, pair
3000 ep
750 gp
1500 sp

10 Citrines – 50 gp each
Star Sapphire, 2000 gp (He placed this, after finding it, into the missing eye socket of a statue, and it was the right gem, but nothing happened)

Book - Tribal History of this Duergar Clan


He also gained 1350 XP form fighting as a wizard in many places



End, sadly, of Eye of the Serpent.

[Tellistto]

Hate BSOD's. Hope you manage to get that fixed on the laptop without having to actually replace the whole thing. My desktop had a MB crash earlier this year while playing a game. Reverted to a different one and then built a new computer with new video card and all that.

Wish I had the desire to play that game that I was playing that blew my computer up. Really enjoyed it but not feeling like replaying all that I had done.

Tell

[Abe Sargent]

Thanks, I'm sur I'll just ignore it and keep my laptop as wis, just move my external HD to it and save on it so I won;t lose anything else.

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s finish up Puppets, which frankly, we’ve barely started. I just used it as a framing story for the trio of Eye of the Serpent/Forest Oracle/Blizzard Pass modules. Sometimes on these modules I keep them virtually as is (I kept many adventures in the In Search of Adventure campaign as is, as well as Temple of Elemental Evil – I just made that one harder, and so forth.) But sometimes I change things around to fit them in geographically (like Gates of Firestorm Peak moved to the Underdeep.) I may make a random cleric part of the Temple of Elemental Earth (as I did in the Slavers series) in order to tie stories together.

So Puppets will have fewer changes than the other three, whereas Ghost of Lion’s Castle had very little (I am not doling out as much Magic to Alzar as these modules sometimes want me too). Anyway, please remember the Air Gen that Alzar rescued from the Necrophidus that was guarding it and the Duergar Mentalist who was summoning up Mephits and Gen to stir up problems. It just might come into play later…


Now Alzar has returned to Marilla, and they are moving out to Arjuna, city of roughly 40k and their final destination. He is riding the laboratory wagon, Marilla has her horse, they have a pair of extra steeds, and there are a few rescued slaves coming with them as well.

[Abe Sargent]

One day after their travel to Arjuna has resumed, they are traveling down the road when horses from behind can be made out. As the riders approach, Alzar can make out three horsemen. The center one is armored in full plate, the left is a woman in a bright orange robe and the other is a chainmail and shield on his back They have not drawn any weapons. The man in the plate armor in the center pushes his horse up to talk with Alzar.

Alzar orders the caravan to stop while he meets with the man in full armor. He rides up to Alzar on top of his wagon and demands that Alzar immediately step down from the wagon. The female in robes and with a staff has moved about 100 yards away and the other gentleman is with her.

Alzar politely refuses and asks what is going on. The man barks out that in just a few seconds, the mage will be casting a Lightning Bolt at the wagon. Alzar looks, she is just the right distance away. Reluctantly, he drops from the wagon and she hurls a lightning bolt and destroys his laboratory. Meanwhile, Alzar has grown very angry indeed and demands answers.

[Abe Sargent]

The man (a paladin) uses Detect Evil on Alzar and it comes back positive. He refuses to tell Alzar anything and begins to move away. Marilla has moved over and is trying to calm everything down, although she is clearly distressed as well. Marilla asks what cause they had to destroy Alzar’s wagon. The paladin pauses a brief moment, and clearly addresses just Marilla.

“We had been following that wagon for a bit. It is the home of avampire. We lost track of it for over a year, but here it is, ready and moving just a week or so away from before. We have to destroy all of its homes.”

“You think the wagon I bought more than a year ago is the home of a vampire? Are you just insane?”

The paladin darts a nasty look at Alzar.

“Oh sure, if the mage is evil, he certainly can’t tell the truth or make sense. I could say that 2 plus 2 was four and you’d disbelieve me. You destroyed a wagon, you never hailed yourself, gave the person a chance to explain, and now it’s just convenient for you to focus on the fact that I happen to not be a worshipper of your idiot gods rather than own your own evil actions today.”

The paladin moves closer to Alzar and draws his sword.

“Enough,” Marilla demands. Alzar refuses to draw any weapon or prepare any spell. “Will you cut down a defenseless man? Are defenseless wagons too much for you after all?”

The other two begin to gallop up.

“Why are you with this evil man?!?!” He demands of Marilla.

“First of all, I did not know he was evil per se, although I take you at your word that he is. Your temple and abilities are known to me. Secondly, he has rescued slaves twice, freed a local valley from a curse, and destroyed a major threat by taking care of a growing army of goblins and dire wolves. So really, who has done more to help this area in the last year? You or him?”


The paladin pauses briefly, and then sheathes his sword and moves off. Marilla turns to Alzar and asks why he did those things if he is, in fact, an evil person.

“Oh, I am selfish to the core, never forget. But I see no need to turn that against others necessarily. Why hurt others when it brings me nothing? No power? My word and trust are how you truly advance yourself in the long run. I help others to help myself. “

Alzar and the group gather some of the items that were not destroyed and move on.

[Abe Sargent]

Two days later, while walking through the woods, the afternoon sun is streaming down through the leafy canopy and then six halflings crawl out of the bush. They are holding throwing sticks, trombashes, but not in an en garde position, just relaxed. Then another comes down a branch with a short bow in his hand, and above the caravan. He tells the wagons to stop where they are and prepare to be searched.

“I’m getting tired of people who want to search my wagons or blow them up! I am going to sever the head of the next person who searches, destroys, attacks or prevents me from continuing down what is supposed to be an open road!”


The Halflings begin to look nervous. The one above is uncertain. Alzar presses. “What is it this time? Last time someone thought I was harboring a vampire. It is a mummy? Do you think I have His Highness Hendrick IV in here?” (He just names some random person from Thorasia, knowing they don’t know who that is, in order to push the point.)

[Abe Sargent]

One of the Halflings in front sheepishly adds, “Orcs.”

“Do I look like an orc? Do these people look like they are harboring orcs?”



The Halflings begin to melt away from their perches. Trombashes are returned to belts and the leader’s short bow is slung back over his shoulder. He bounds down the tree to the ground. He tells the caravan that more than a dozen orcs have been roaming the area recently. So? He looks a bit taken aback by the question. They have allied with kobolds, goblins and some other goblinoids. It’s quite the little force.

Alzar agrees to help the Halflings hunt for their enemy. Marilla and the others will wait by the wagons and continue for a few days down the road and then hold up.

Meanwhile, Alzar gallops off with a horse as his needed items . One of the Halflings is a ranger, and she follows orc paths that were made just yesterday. After a few hours of following them, they arrive a few miles away from an orc camp. As it is drawing the end of the day, they decide to wait until the next day to strike – too many bad guys at night.

[Abe Sargent]

The following day Alzar and his crew prepare to attack the orc camp. In the camp are 8 kobolds, 7 goblins, and 7 orcs. They will be doing a hit and run. Alzar takes point and casts Sleep. 3 kobolds fall asleep and suddenly they realize an attack in ongoing. They are very coordinated. Three kobolds are put on sleep detail and they wake up those sleeping. Soon enough the goblins are throwing darts at Alzar and two visible Halflings while the orcs move into position. That’s smart. Goblinoids usually don’t know how to fight magic very well. One of Alzar’s best weapons is gone.

He follows with Continual Light to the face of a charging orc. Four more halflings appear to the right and left and start beaming in weapons against the orcs. This slows them down. The spell works and an orc, blinded, trips and tumbles.

Soon, the Halfling weapons have finished three orcs as Alzar takes 7 damage from darts. He orders the two Halflings beside him to retreat after they took some hits. His staff is out and smash-kills a wounded orc. The goblins stop the missile weapons at Alzar the moment before the orcs arrive to prevent any friendly fire, and then move to the Halflings. The kobolds have four hanging back checking for ambushes to the rear and flank while the others are converging on the right flank.

Alzar orders the Halflings under duress to leave. He smashes another orc and takes 7 damage from two attacks. Within a round he turns and flees under the arrows of the halfling leader .

They killed 4 orcs, 1 goblin, 1 kobold


Alzar took 14 damage. 37/51 hp

Alzar gained 75 XP

[Abe Sargent]

They retreat to a designated spot to decide on the next plan. They are very well organized. It would not be too unusual to have an orc, goblin or kobold leader who was good and seasoned at tactics who could guide them as they just were. What is unusual is that some leader has not only done that, but unified them as well. That’s interesting.


They move twice more and establish camp for the night. All is quiet. The following morning, scouts reveal that the orc encampment was moved. It is now in a much more defensible location, where they have their backs to a large hilly cliff face. Normally that would be suicide (no exit in case of being attacked and needing to retreat) But there is a ravine right behind them. A rope ladder heads down, plus its’ just 15 feet or so down from their scamp spot. They can scramble down.

Without the heavy hitting nature of his Sleep spell, Alzar can’t see how the 8 of them are going to push their foes easily. He grabs his armor and spear and they will use him as a tank to finish off some while they try to keep too many away.

Two and a half hours later they arrive at the camp. Alzar flings a poisoned silver head spear at a goblin on guard. It spears him in half. Alzar roars and moves in slowly, with his magic spear ready. The halflings are currently not to be seen. A group coalesces to hit Alzar, while others start preparing for an attack on the side.

Alzar’s spear is up and he attacks an orc (+3 vs orcs). He hits and smashes the orc for 1d6+4 damage. It dies. He takes 5 damage from two attacks. They win init and hit again for 3 damage once (goblin hit). He kills another orc. The rest are goblins and kobolds on him. Trombashes fly out from the woods and slay a kobold. The halflings have been spotted and a small unit moves to intercept while they return missile fire.

Alzar hits and kills a kobold. They miss. A halfling is slain after being hit three times. The others pull back a bit. They win init. Alzar takes 8 and moves back after spearing a goblin and killing it. They melt away from his retreating form as others move back to gather up wounded and dead.

Dead: 6 orcs, 3 goblins, 3 kobolds; 1 halfling

Alzar – 24/51

[Abe Sargent]

Suddenly, Alzar orders a shift and throws the magic spear. It misses a goblin. The leader gallops in on a small pony firing in arrow after arrow, hitting with the magic short bow Alzar lent him, while trombashes snake in for a dead goblin. Alzar rushes in on the east flank.

They move to gather their scattered forces and converge in the center of their camp, just above the ravine. Alzar’s axe hews the body in half of a kobold. They slay a wounded goblin but mostly miss. The leader drops the bow and draws his magic sword. The goblins win init and attack the leader and hhis twice for 11 damage. Alzar takes a dart for 2.

Leader: 23/34
Alzar, 22/51

Alzar’s axe is out. He misses once but hits an orc for 5 damage and it is still alive until the leader gallops at him and stabs him as he rushes by. Another kobold is finished. The enemy begins to retreat, moving themselves down the rope ladder and moving to the ravine. Alzar and the leader move to it, Alxar dropping his axe along the way and unholstering his crossbow.

Alzar stabs a goblin for death and the leader unmounts and drops down the ladder as well. Others have run up from the woods while their foes retreat.

They manage to kill everybody but one orc, one kobold and two goblins. Those four manage to make it away. The ravine had a crevasse that runs along the hill before moving into it – a cave system.

[Abe Sargent]

The gather up and bandage the wounded.

The camp has nothing in it beside the typical bedrolls, clothes, tools, food, and such.

The halflings and Alzar agree that this likely ends the raids and disturbances in the area for now, so the following day they begin to move back to the road and catch up with the caravan.


As they do, a crashing noise hits up ahead and Alzar explores. Here is a large, brilliant colored yellow tomcat. It talks to Alzar and says that it is hungry. Alzar grabs some food and tosses it to the cat instead of moving to it. The cat thanks him. He was turned into a cat by an evil wizard a few months ago. Alzar is not sure he believes the cat, which has a very strange way of constructing its sentences. But the cat wants to come along, and Alzar agrees. His name is Karat.


The journey to the road is almost over when fire blackened arrows leap out of the brush and lance at Alzar’s group. He orders everyone to the road and to prepare for battle. His magic spear is out and he moves to the lead.

Suddenly a powerful flame erupts in front of him and brush catches on fire. Alzar’s horse is started and pulls up. He fails his riding proficiency, falls, and take 3 damage. As he does so, Karat, scared, leaps away and into the brush.

[Abe Sargent]

The halflings have their missile weapons at the ready and prepare to attack what is in the place ahead. Soon enough, a small humanoid made of fire, about 18 inches tall, moves into view. This is a fire Gen. A small, weak, very simple version of an efreet. They have the intelligence of a clever child, and the emotions to match. They are usually controlled by more powerful other planar masters, such as efreet or fire lords. It’s very rare to see one off the Elemental Plane of Fire. Now Alzar has seen two Gen in a few weeks, one Air and one Fire. That’s quite odd. It is unlikely a coincidence.

The Fire Gen lights some other trees on fire. While their attention is directed above at the gen, out come four hobgoblins, a trio of goblins, two orcs, and a bugbear. More united goblinoids. It might be the clever Fire gen that has united them.

Alzar’s spear is launched and stabs a hobgoblin for six damage. The halflings see his shot and combine their aim. A trombash slides in and finishes it. The goblins move in to melee, and the others are using polearms to reach over the smaller goblins. They smash and slay another halfling and hit the leader for 8 damage.

Alzar’s axe is up and he carves and kills an orc. One orc left. The halflings mostly miss. Meanwhile, they hit Alzar with a pike for 5 damage. The fire gen moves down the branches of the trees to the ground.

17/51

Alzar gets two attacks and attacks the bugbear twice, hitting both times and killing it. Two goblins are offed. The rest stab mightily at the halflings and the leader takes 8 damage. They win init. The Gen shoots out fire and kills a 3rd halfling. The leader is stabbed twice and dies. They miss Alzar. He roars and tells the halflings to retreat. His axe bites and finishes the other orc. Left – one kobold, 3 hobgoblins, Fire Gen.

[Abe Sargent]

They keep initiative. They converge on Alzar and hit once for 4 damage while the Gen ignites him for 4 as well. Alzar slays a hobgoblin with one attack and misses with the other. He wins init back and slays a kobold (with a meaningless critical hit for double damage!). His other attack missed. They win init and the Fire Gen orders a retreat. Alzar stabs out with an attack of opportunity and misses again. They move back into the woods, while the Fire Gen sets fires to cover their retreat.

Meanwhile, seeing the fire, smoke, and fire gen, Marilla has moved into the at a full gallop. She casts Hold Person on a hobgoblins and stuns it as it breaks away. She grabs a sling stone and flings it at the other one. Alzar’s silver spear and her bullet both wing into it and hit it and it drops. All that is left is the Gen, who slips away and escapes.

Marilla moves in and Raises Dead on the halfling leader. She’ll spend the next few days raising dead and healing folks, including Alzar. Meanwhile, these foes have nothing on them either. The halflings, now seeing the seriousness of their foe, are going to relocate to a new section of the forest, and they thank Alzar for their help. Alzar even casts Detect Magic on everything using his Rod, and nottttthhhhing..

Karat the cat returns about an hour after the battle.

[Abe Sargent]

Two days later, the caravan gets restarted after healing and raising. About a half day into the journey, they crest a small hill’s ridge. On the other side is an older woman dressed in normal, but dirty, clothes. She looks up after a moment and hails the caravan. She introduces herself as Ruby. She has lost her cat, a gold yellow color that is quite large. Karat has disappeared.

Alzar goes and looks and finds the cat in the wagon. He talks to Karat, and he tells him that Ruby is his mother. Alzar grabs Karat and they head out to Ruby. Karat and Ruby head off together, but not before she gives Alzar a brilliantly colored gold flecked Ruby, worth 1000 gp and looking like no other gem Alzar has ever seen before.

(In reality, this Ruby is a gemstone from a gold dragon. Karat was really young dragon, on his first excursion, found by Alzar and refusing to reveal itself, instead appearing as a cat. Ruby, was his mother. The gem is an actually gem from her coat, and blessed with good luck. For the next week, Alzar gets +1 to his saves and to his hit roll. Then the luck fades, but the gem will still hold its value)


Gold Flecked Ruby – 1000 gp

[Abe Sargent]

Three days later the caravan leaves the woods behind and as they do, something falls onto the roofs of the caravan wagons from the last tree. They are tiny, blacked garbed men, no bigger than a children’s doll or toy. Alzar shouts to the group and they move to intercept. There are five of these little creatures that are attacking with sharp little needle knives. Alzar smashes one with his axe. Instead of dying, it shatters into a bunch of pieces, as if made of glass or porcelain. Marilla kills one, and then they take some damage back.

Three turns later they have all been killed, and Marilla heals the damage. Alzar takes the bodies of the five creatures. As they move he retreats to a wagon and spends some time investigating them. They are, in fact, children’s toys. These were dolls that were somehow animated. Were they a wizard’s construct, or just an animated spell? Luckily they didn’t hit – no armor when he normally travels.

[Abe Sargent]

Eight hours later, the walls of Arjuna can be seen. Alzar and Marilla agree to push on and finish traveling. They have arrived at Arjuna about two hours after evening. As they wait in line to enter the city, a bureaucrat walks down the line, offering to sell new people to the city passes to get in. Marilla whispers to Alzar that this is all a scam. Nothing is needed to enter. Alzar agrees to buy a pass, and while the man is getting his wares, Alzar tries to stab him with a poisoned knife. Unfortunately, he misses, and the man casts invisible. Alzar is immune to low level illusions due to his intelligence, and he sees the man and stabs again.

This time Alzar connects and the man writhes in pain. Then he finishes casting a spell to grow wings, and Alzar sees him lift up. Alzar tries to cast Continual Light as his eyes, and he makes his save and is over the walls before Alzar can do anything else. Ah well, it was worth trying.

About thirty minutes later, Alzar’s wagons, a few others from the escaped slaves, the escapees themselves and Marilla enter Arjuna.


Marilla leaves Alzar for her temple and they part ways. The slaves all have family here, so they move off and well, taking their wagons, food, weapons that Alzar let them keep (for money) and other things with them. Alzar makes for the largest inn in the area with the best reputation. Their best rooms have been rented, but he gets a good one from the Golden Wyvern.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar has gained a level, and is now level 4 Path Mage.

However, he has lost his laboratory and traded the 350 books he found in the library at the Lion Castle.


What does he have:

500 pp
3186 gp
3250 sp
6000 cp
3450 ep


+1 Pesh-kabz, Khopesh, Short Bow, Dagger
Bracers of Protection: +1
+1 female, smaller, human scale mail
Spear, +1, +2 vs Giants, +3 vs Orcs, Ogres
Wizard Scroll – Web
Potion of Levitation, Fire Giant Strength
Wand of Frost – 9 charges

Silver Knife, Spear
Crossbow, 50 bolts


Flask of Sleep Water
Vials of Poison

2 Divining Rods
Focus - Signet Ring

Pearl Necklace – 750 gp
Silver Clasp – 50 gp
Electrum Amulet – 120 gp
Silver Bangle – 25 gp
Gold Buckle – 85 gp
Gold and Malachite Headband – 220 gp
Gold and Turquoise Ring – 70 gp
Onyx Statuette of Snake – 250 gp
Copper Belt and Stones – 60 gp
Violet Garnet Earrings - 120 gp, pair
Silver Ring, Bracelet, Necklace set – worth 750 gp as a set
Gem - 150 gp; 10 Citrines – 50 gp each ; Star Sapphire, 2000 gp; 10 diamonds - (200 gp each)
Gold Flecked Ruby – 1000 gp

Book - Tribal History of this Duergar Clan

[Abe Sargent]

Spellbook


Level 1:

Comprehend Languages
Craft Divining Rod
Detect Magic
Identify
Read Magic
Sleep


Level 2:

Continual Light
Locate Object


Level 3:

Lesser Rhabdomancy




These are his items of value. He needs to find a place to get a library and workshop ,each work 4000 gp. To be safe, they should be 5000, in case he increases his experience on the road.

First of all, he trades in his coins for pure gold. After conversions, he has 7721 gold. Then he finds some places in Arjuna that will purchase gems and items of value. After selling all non gems, he has 9910. Then he sells some of the armor and weapons he managed to grab for wagons and adds another 250 gp to his list. He converts all of the normal gems too, and lands at 14446.

He heads out to do a bit of shopping.

[Abe Sargent]

Arjuna is the largest city in the area and the central port of trade and commerce. There are several major bookstores and stores for alchemy and other supplies. It has a variety of specialty stores that meet Alzar’s demands.

Within three days, he has acquired enough supplies for a new laboratory, valued at 5000. He pays a few scribes a bit of change in order to track down the right books. That takes about two weeks to manage, and he spends 5250 for a 5000 gp library.

After two weeks, he has, roughly, 4000 gp left. In the meantime, he contacts a small wizards guild. He checks to see what magic items are available for trade or purchase (a very small amount indeed). He moves his magic armor and sword for several scrolls of value.

Scroll of Charm Person, Cantrip, Spectral Hand, Wizard Mark, Find Familiar and Skeletal Hands

Skeletal Hands summons a pair of hands for 4 rounds per level of Alzar. The levitate can move about. They can be used to open doors or chest, and simple movements. They cannot pick locks, use spell components, etc. They can fetch either 5 lbs each hand or 20 lbs for both combined. They have to stay within 10 feet plus 10 feet per level. They can attack each round for 1d3 damage at half casters level Thac0. Each one had AC 5, hp4, and movement 6. Spell component is two skeletal hands of a humanoid, and they are not destroyed unless the hands are. (Why trade for so many spells for just three minor items? They are all lower level spells and most of them are very, very common. Three – Find Familiar, Wizard Mark and Cantrip are in a universal school that every mage can use, no matter what. So they are really common. Charm and Spectral Hand are quite common too. That leaves the rarer Skeletal hands as the only real acquisition.)

Wizard Mark leaves Alzar’s mark behind, Spectral Hand creates a hand that touch spells can be cast through and Charm Person and Cantrip work as normal.

Alzar learns them all. He will now normally know:

Charm Person, Sleep, Detect/Identify/Comprehend as needed
Skeletal Hands, Continual Light, Locate Object

[Abe Sargent]

Three weeks have passed. Alzar has met an unusual magic-user today. She is a Shi’ar. She sends her gen (an earth gen) to go search for any spell. It might work, It might not. It can get any spell she has seen or knows, including cleric ones or ones higher than a level she could normally get. When it returns, she must cast that spell within a half hour, or lose it. Then she can send her Gen to get another spell. Gen can take a long time to search things up, and their chance to get a spell reduces by each search they have gone on that day. Gens are basically like a very powerful familiar.

Genies are not affected by the difficulty in moving from one plane to another. They are able to come to this plane, Hamedh, easily. Alzar does not know why they have an exception, but genies have a powerful presence here. Shi’ar have developed powerful relationships with the genies on this plane, as well as those elsewhere.

Sometimes a Gen goes rogue. No one knows why. Alzar has run into two already.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar takes a day to cast Find Familiar. (Materials cost 1000 gp)


It takes much longer than normal to work (on Thorasia, it would take 2d6 hours, here it takes about a day)

After an exhausting ritual, Alzar hears a noise. It has worked. What sort of familiar has Alzar attracted with his spell? (10% of an extra-planar familiar. Nope. Just a normal one).





Gilded Ears, Jackal Familiar
AC: 5, HP: 14
THAC0: 20, Damage: 1d3, bite
18 inches tall, 26 long from tail to nose – 11 pounds

Alzar gains enhancing hearing and eyesight when within 1 mile of Gilded Ears. +1 to surprise roles for Alzar as well.

Save to take no damage when touching Alzar, fail to take half from spells. She gains 1 hp every time Alzar levels.


If Gilded Ears dies, System Shock roll to die, lose 1 point of Con if successful. This is an ally with a powerful set of benefits and disadvantages. Alzar is used to battle familiars (Lastion, the ghoul) or flying ones (Dryshik, and to a lesser degree, Megala).

Gilded Ears is much less intelligent than Dryshik, although still a lot smarter than a normal Jackal. Alzar may see out of her eyes.

The benefits with a non-magical familiar are bonuses to surprise, seeing out of eyes, and getting bonuses sot one or more senses. Gilded Ears is not really a powerful attacker, and is a bit big for a stealthy spy. She is neither a slippery bat, hawk, eagle or owl, nor a small mouse or ferret. However, she is healthier than most familiars, and is harder to hit.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar has 2800 gp after three weeks stay, finding the components for Gilded Ears, and other expenses.

He comes back to the Golden Wyvern and sees a sign that was just posted. There have been a rash of burglaries for the last month from homes. Alzar heads inside and talks with the innkeeper. He has a few flyers for the local information and he gives one to Alzar.

Apparently, there is a 1000 gp reward offered to the person who can stop it. Right now, Alzar could use the spending cash. He heads to the local town guard and meets with a bureaucrat in charge of everything. He gets some basic information and then heads out to investigate.

Alzar spends the day collecting information about the robberies that occurred. They are too high profile to likely be the thieves guild. All of the attacks have occurred in the Green Garden district of Arjuna. Alzar purchases a map of the town from a local store and then finds all of the places that robberies have taken place and looks around . Are there similar places or shops around the targets? Perhaps they are all near a bakery or a blacksmith? Are they all within a radius of two blocks or so, or maybe they are all just outside of a sewer grate? None of those are the case.

The map is not getting very far, but Alzar does note something very important. Every burglary took place against one of two places. Either in one of the inns in the Green Garden district or against a mage in there. No other stores or people were targeted. All four inns have been hit at least twice.

Well, if the targets are mages and travelers, why not combine them both? Alzar grabs a wagon and some nice animals and rides to one of the local inns in that Green Garden area. It is the Roaring Stag Inn. He checks into the nicest suite they have, splashes around some serious coinage, and then retires for the night after offering to sell some spells to people.

[Abe Sargent]

That night, he lays out a few choice targets – the Scroll of Web spell, and the potion of Levitation. Maybe someone will want to grab these? One is on a table by the window and fireplace. The other on a bedstool by the locked door. That covers all three entrances to the room.

He heads to bed for the night, but will stay secretly awake all night long. Meanwhile, Gilded Ears is outside of the inn, watching the window and that side of the inn. Perhaps we’ll see something there…


Shortly before midnight Alzar hears a gentle scratching from the chimney. Alzar waits, and then just opens an eye, under the covers . There in the chimney is a tiny female humanoid, about 1 foot tall, attired in a jellaba, and holding a picket basket. She takes a quick glance around the room and makes a few gestures up and moves a foot into the room. Another set of scampering can be heard, and then a man in a flowing black cape, one foot talk emerges as well. He pushes into the room, and then motions up and pushes out into Alzar’s room. Finally, a third figure falls, and this one is three feet tall, and is a king’s fool, or jester, and holding a nasty looking dagger.


Alzar mentally alerts Gilded Ears to move to get a line of sight on the chimney. Hopefully, they can follow these people back home. They move and take the Scroll and Potion and then retreat back out of the chimney. Alzar is not completely sure, but they remind him of the animated dolls they fought as they exited the forest.

[Abe Sargent]

They pop back out of the chimney with his things, and slide over to the next room. They return from it about five minutes later with some jewelry. All loaded up, they leave the inn, and climb down the side. Alzar has his familiar follow them from a distance. Meanwhile he takes off as well, having been mostly ready to go and just hiding under clothes.

They go through some difficult places and tight, but Gilded Ears is able to follow and she keeps up easily at first. Clearly, only human intervention is expected. Then they go on top of some roofs and move and she is unable to follow and loses track. Alzar arrives on the scene about five minutes later. He grabs his Diving Rod and casts Locate Object, and targets his potion. The Rod detects it and he makes his proficiency check. It’s about five blocks away and not moving.

He follows the Rod and arrives at a large tower right in the heart of the Green Garden district. It’s four stories tall, and made of mortared stone. The windows are more like slits, and just 3 feet by 1 foot in size. No way in there. Alzar circles the tower. There are two doorways, one to the back and one to the north, behind a few hedges.

Alzar backs off and spends a few hours just watching the Tower from a block away, with Gilded Ears on the other side. Dawn breaks, and he moves off to get some breakfast, keeping his familiar on guard. While at a nearby food vendor, he asks who lives in the tower. Apparently it’s a lady named Buthaynah, who is considered to have some serious power. That’s nice.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar leaves, rests for a few hours, studies Locate Object again, and reruns around 11 am.

He knocks on her door. (As he does, he finishes writing a message on a paper and ties it around his familiar, and orders her to the local constabulary.)



After about five minutes, she answers the front door. Alzar introduces himself as a travelling wizard and was hoping to trade spells with her. After talking for a few minutes by her door, she casts ESP and Alzar willingly agrees to fail his saves. Yes, he wants to meet with her, yes he wants to trade spells with her.

She lets him in and they sit down and talk shop. He mentions that he was dispatched from another plane of existence without his skills ,items, or spellbook, so he has had to rebuild what he has so far. Since he has such a small amount of spells, he opens his book first. Are there any that she wants? Perhaps Skeletal Hands? (He doubts she wants Create Divining Rod or Lesser Rhabdomancy).


She looks it over, but is not really impressed. Then Alzar moves to another subject.

“So, let me ask you a question. I have been a Necromancer before. I know my stuff. I have seen a lot of ways of imbuing things with life with and unlife alike. I have never, in my travels, seen or heard of animating small dolls and puppets. How do you do it?”

Buthaynah is taken aback for a second, and she begins to give a halfhearted denial.


“No, don’t insult me by denying what we both know is true. You have an amazing talent. Did you come up with the formula yourself?”

As she starts to be complimented, she looks like she might warm up. “They are truly beautiful. Are they a spell or a ritual to make one?”

She is finally convinced and moves on. About a year ago she was dismissed from a college of Magic about 200 miles away. She was making unapproved experiments in sorcery. She hit the road and ended here in Arjuna. She needed money desperately when a thief was dying from breaking into a noble’s house. She grabbed him and grabbed a puppet of a jester from a nearby market. Then she modified a spell she had discovered in the college’s old tomes. She put the soul of the thief into the jester’s body, creating a servant that had the skills of a thief. She created more of these but from dolls that had normal souls in them, much like an animate dead spell imbues a body with the soul, or life spirit, of the deceased. She just moves it to this body using a different spell.


“That’s very clever. I would love to trade for that spell.”

“I won’t. It’s my own spell, and it’s too valuable to trade away.”

“I understand that.”

“Thank you,”

“Now, I would like to offer you another trade.”

“Yes?”

“I have a potion of levitation and a scroll of Web. I would like to trade them too you for gold, jewelry, or gems to their cost.”

“That’s…”

“Yes, it;’s what you took from me earlier this evening.” “Im not mad,” Alzar hastily adds as she starts up. “I just want their full value, or for you to return them. There is a reward out for your discovery of the thefts, and I need money too, as a mage who has just arrived.”

“Or I could just kill you.”

“True. But are you sure that you will? Are you sure that you can keep me from fleeing? By the way, while we chatted here, I had my familiar take a note to the local police. It is waiting just outside, patiently. Should you attack me, I can just order it there with my last breath even if you would win. Which you might not. Besides, we’ve been all chummy up until now, I see no reason to make this unfriendly.”


Buthaynah ponders for a moment. “Alright, stay here.” She gathers his items and returns them. “Here.”

Alzar checks the make sure they are his items. “I have a Web for trade too if you need that spell…” he says with a smile. She chuckles and casts Web on the ceiling.

“I don’t want to turn you in, but I need money too. This is not blackmail of course, but I would like something because I’ve been so friendly.”

“Can I trust you? What prevents you from coming back and demanding more, or going and turning me in?”

“Why would I? You are one of my people?” (Secret rolls ensue)


She pulls out a gold pouch and dumps it on the table. “I believe there is around 400 gold here. That’s all I will offer. It’s the gold I made from the jewelry sold from my last three day’s take.”

“That will be enough.” Alzar collects the gold. Contacts are more important than 600 gold.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar returns to the bureaucrat and lets him know that he could not turn in the thief or thieves. They cover their tracks really well and it is just hard to track. Sorry.


Then Alzar secretly casts Charm Person on the man. It works. Alzar tells his new friend that the thieves might be from the guild after all. They could be stealing in a new way in order to throw off attention. “That’s what I would do if I were in the guild.”


End of WG11. Puppets

[Abe Sargent]

Obviously, Alzar ended that in a very unorthodox way. You were supposed to blow the cover off the mage’s thefts, she would flee to another town, and you would explore the tower and destroy a few things and grab a suit of +1 leather armor that she forgot to take with her. But Alzar went another way, and you cannot argue with that.

This ends our mini-campaign, based around Puppets, Eye, Forest Oracle and Blizzard Pass. Now I have Alzar at the largest city in the area, and I intend to use it as a base for a bit. (There are not a lot of modules that take place in a city. Most are in small towns or the wilderness. I’ll make some changes to shift things this way.) Because he has his workshop and library, he is able to get all of his class bonuses, including the extra spells, and he can control undead/extraplanar folks again. However, there are two class differences that he now notices.

1). On Hamedh, Alzar will be at -2 level for controlling other planar creatures, because he is not from Hamedh. So he counts as a level 2 to control right now, rather than a level 4.

2). When identifying an item with his class ability, if he would successfully ID an item that has not Thorasian correspondent, then he fails.

[Abe Sargent]

HHQ2. Wizard’s Challenge




This is one of a series of adventures designed for one DM and a single player. They are Fighters, Thieves, etc challenges. Then there is a second set of challenges later. This seems the right time for WC.

[Abe Sargent]

Five days after Alzar has met with Buthaynah, he receives a message from her, so he returns to her. She has received an unusual visitor today, and Alzar is the only mage she is on friendly terms with in the city, so she called him.

A person called Surrisk, the Ghost Prince arrived to talk with her. He tried to trade her knowledge in order to join forces with the Dead King. He wouldn’t say who that Dead King was, but he was very insistent that she join forces with him.

Surrisk, the Ghost Prince, was able to move into her Tower without any problem and penetrate her defenses. That worries her. She is thinking about leaving. Alzar and her will begin investigating Surrisk, and the names Ghost Prince and Dead King.

Alzar begins by rattling her about every little detail of the Ghost Prince. After a necrology check, he does not recognize the name or the description for any undead he is familiar with. Alright, time to do some research in local libraries.

[Abe Sargent]

Two days later, Alzar finds the name Surrisk. He used to live right here in Arjuna, and was a minor apprentice for the then guildmaster of the small wizard’s guild here, named Behrang. Behrang left behind a lot of information, and it seems he was not liked that much, but quite powerful. He had an obsession with living forever.

So, Alzar’s quick guess is that Behrang is an undead sorcerer, which means a lich most likely (could be mummy, vampire, or something else that is specific to Hamedh). Surrisk is his undead servant. That’s the best guess right now.


The following day, Alzar hears of a local Frost Mage who was slain in her quarters near the wizards guild. Are they connected? Was Surrisk, Behrang or something similar responsible?

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar heads out immediately to investigate. She lived in a modest house, and Alzar arrives just as another wizard does as well. He nods to Alzar, and Alzar recognizes him as another of the small guild here. He tells Alzar he is going to bury her, and Alzar spends a quick moment investigating her body. She is dead outside of the kitchen. He sees nothing magical, just some claws that killed her.

Alzar moves into the kitchen. It seems like she used it as a lab too. She was making ink when slain. It looks like ink for scrolls. There are some basic tools and spell components As a Frost Mage, some of the items reflect her specialty, such as a polar bear pelt on the wall and a set of melted frozen snowflakes for spell components.

The storage next to it holds mage chemicals of various, but non-dangerous, uses. The kitchen opens onto the library, and here a battle took place. It looks like some of the books were burned just a couple of hours ago. Alzar makes his spellcraft proficiency and notes that the burn marks are identical to a Burning Hands spell, because they are in a straight line. Most books survived. Did the Frost Mage use a fire spell, or was it used on her?

The next room is a large reception room. The flagstone floor is nice and smooth. There is a green gelatinous substance in here. Green Slime? He heads back to her kitchen, sets a fire in the fireplace, and pulls out the burning logs and returns. He sets the Slime on fire before it can reach him and it dies.

[Abe Sargent]

All that is left is a small lounge and bedroom. The lounge has nothing and the bedroom looks normal. Now that he has taken a look around, time to be nosy. He grabs all of her items from the bedroom and moves them to the reception room. He moves to the border between the library and the reception room, grabs his Rod, and casts Detect Magic. Is anything magical? Yes, there is a jar of beans on the counter that he takes to look at later. It looks like other mages cleaned out her other magic stuff


Magic Jelly Beans

[Abe Sargent]

So Alzar begins to open up chests and drawers to find stuff. In a chest from her bedroom are pair of letters from Surrisk telling her to meet him at a nearby crypt and that she should join his master, or else be punished. She obviously did not listen. Alzar notes the location of the crypt and heads out.


Two hours pass before he has found the right crypt in a graveyard on the other side of the city. It looks easy enough to open, but the door won’t budge. After exploring, the earth is weak in one place so Alzar forces his way into the crypt by digging in the ground for twenty minutes and breaking through.

He arrives in a corridor that heads to the door and the entrance on the other side. He reruns and opens the door to give him an exit if needed and then moves in. Expecting danger, he casts Skeletal Hands to explore in front of him. It doesn’t keep him from taking 5 damage from a spear trap that triggered from below and pierced his foot.

47/51

[Abe Sargent]

Some of these rooms have been converted into a home, but it was abandoned long ago. The first room looks like a kitchen and eating area from a crypt. Then there is a living and sleeping area put into another crypt just off the room. The Skeletal Hands are opening doors and moving things. That is the entirety of the crypt. That doesn’t feel right, so Alzar begins to search. Soon, he finds a secret door that enters into a laboratory.

This place was used to make magical items about a decade ago. There are some various items of interest in here. Alzar will collect them and take them with him and detect magic later


5 blank scroll pages, ready to be used
Many bottles of scroll ink
Wand, crafted ready to be enchanted
Proficient Staff
2 Rubies, 500 gp each

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar searches more and finds another secret door that leads to a library from this room. Four books are pulled out on benches, and the rest are on the walls. He reviews the bench books and discovers some interesting items:

A blank spellbook
Surrisk’s notes on undead, necromancy, and a spell Undead Familiar
Two reference books on necromancy


Beyond this room is Surrisk;s bedroom. It’s mostly empty, with discarded clothes in a corner and only a few papers in the desk. One is a message from Behrang, and telling him where to meet him in three days. Hmm, it leads to a nearby tower.


Alzar sends a wagon here and spends a day unloading items from the crypt to his wagons.


+1000 gp to library and laboratory (now worth 6000 gp each) – plus the various items Alzar likes. He ids the Proficient Staff and discovers a magical item in the bedroom. The staff can be used as if the wielder knows how to use staffs, even if they normally cannot. (It can hit creature sonly hit by magical weapons too, as a result).

Boots of Varied Tracks is the other item. It leaves behind wolf, bear, rabbit or deer tracks when Alzar walks, whichever he wants at the time.

[Abe Sargent]

A day later, Alzar arrives at the tower to check it out – it’s actually not in town, but a few hours outside of it. It has about ten levels, but it’s pretty small.

The door to the tower opens easily and Alzar cautiously moves in. He is in the grand entrance that takes up the whole level. There is a shaft that runs up the entire tower, and it looks like wizards would fly or levitate up or down. A thin narrow winding stairway on the side is there for others. Alzar spends some time thinking and listening, but hears and sees nothing. He moves to the second level.

This looks like it was once a meeting room, with chairs and tables now since destroyed. The third level has a quiet par of fire beetles nesting in a corner. The rooms here are lit by Continual Light spells, so Alzar does not need any lightning. He ignores the beetles and moves up to the 4th floor an old research room. The place is lined with missing and destroyed equipment and books. A rat moves out and Alzar flings a knife at it and kills it. He leans down to collect the knife and sees the rat was using a spellbook as a home. Alzar leaves it for now and notes it.

Next is the library. There are just five books on the shelves, Alzar skips them for now.

[Abe Sargent]

On the next floor is a storeroom, and Alzar senses an undead creature. He moves and sees a skeleton, and he tries to control it. He fails. It is stronger than a normal skeleton. Alzar’s staff is out and he attacks the skeleton. He misses, and the skeleton begins to run away. As it moves, Alzar begins to hear something upstairs.

In a moment, the sound gets louder and then a creature floats down in front of him. It is a beautiful form of undead Alzar is unfamiliar with. He wears a virtually insubstantial green robe and Alzar can tell he will be unable to control this beautiful creature. Alzar holds up his hands to parlay and says he does not want to kill the creature, just talk.

He stops and looks at Alzar. He opens his mouth and tells Alzar that he needs to join the master, the Death King. Alzar guesses a lich, and he nods. Behrang? Another nod.

“What happens if I join?”

“You will become as powerful as me.”

“What powers do you have?”

He becomes corporeal and grabs a few items and moves them, then turns. “I still study and learn and grow and can cast magic. I just don’t have to sleep and am much more powerful.”


Alzar nods. This is power. After magicks to extend his life ran out, Alzar always suspected he would turn to lichdom. This might be more powerful than that in some respects. It is very tempting.

But this is not on his own time, his own will, or his own power.

So he refuses. He is not ready yet, he tells Sussick. The creature tells Alzar that every mage must submit or die.

“I heard.”

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar casts Continual Light as he casts Magic Missile. Sussick goes first and three darts fly into Alzar for 12 damage. Continual Light hits the undead foe. He makes his save and is not blinded.

39/51


Alzar grabs the proficient staff and swings. He connects for 4 damage. It casts dispel magic on the Continual Light in the room to even the odds. However, Alzar surprises it and smashes for 2 more damage, due to blind-fighting. You don’t expect a mage to have blind-fighting. It casts Spook but Alzar makes his save.

It wrests initiative from Alzar and goes first. It summons a Flaming Sphere to attack Alzar. It hits for 7 damage. Alzar misses.

32/51

The sphere hits for 4 and the creature goes insubstantial this turn. Alzar misses badly (much better AC). It tries to paralyze touch Alzar and hits his left leg. That limb is paralyzed for 3 rounds. Alzar’s AC is lowered by 2. Alzar hits for 5 damage. It punches him for 4 damage and he misses. Alzar wins back init, and it paralyzes his right arm for 5 rounds, making him -2 to hit,

Most undead are immune to cold, so Alzar’s Wand of Frost is unlikely to be of value. Web likely won’t work on his while insubstantial. All undead are immune to charm and sleep. He has used Continual Light already. That’s most of his magic. His items aren’t going to better his ability to hit. Just have to swing and hope. So he does and misses. It goes substantial again and wins init. He casts Chill Touch and hits Alzar, who fails his save and takes 3 damage and loses a pint of strength (which drops his damage by one). Alzar casts Web from his scroll and encapsulates the wraith.-y looking foe. Alzar wins init, swings, and hits for 4 damage. It spends a turn phasing again, in order to escape from the Web.

Alzar keeps init, slashes and hits the incorporeal foe with his magic staff and adds another 3 damage. It paralyzes and misses. It wins init and they all miss two turns in a row Alzar misses, and it hits for 4 damage.

21/51


Alzar gains init, misses for the 5th or 6th time in a row, and it missed back. Alzar swings and finally connects for a damage. It attacks and tries to paralyze him, and hits a leg again, for 6 rounds, -2to Alzar’s AC. Alzar loses init, and it this for 4 damage. Alzar manages to connect again, smashes it for 6 damage, and it fades, screams, and dies.

5000 XP for killing it