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

[Abe Sargent]

To natives of Blackmoor, the City of the Gods is a strange place indeed. They see the commonplace wonders of technology on every side as a new form of magic. The very structure of the place is intimidating. Beagle is constructed of prefab 60-foot wide by 180-foot long by 60-foot high modules manufactured from exotic substances that can't be damaged by any nonmagical means at the
PCs disposal. Some modules are linked to form large areas; others are partitioned into much smaller areas. Each area formed by the modules is called apod and is sealed by an internal lock consisting of a single pressure door. Linking these modular areas is a system of circular tubes designed for use by air cars (which the sand folk call steel dragons).

The atmosphere inside the vast, cavernous ship is one of emptiness and desolation, hut (except in green-lined areas) not one of ruin or disuse. There is also a feeling of indefinable menace as the PCs encounter the fearsome steel dragons and hear ghostly, voices over the intercom speaking in an odd tongue
(Galactica). This sense of something .mysterious and dangerous behind the echoing emptiness
is heightened now and again by sudden terror as the PCs encounter some fearsome monster confined in an envia-pod, or meet cyborgs, robots, or crewmen

The corridor pattern is a system of circular tubes (each 60 feet in diameter, but normally kept dilated to only a 20-foot diameter). Special cars much like capsules (but 20 feet long and 10 feet in diameter) fly down these tubes on a cushion of air. A car is programmed via a numeric keypad beside its circular, 10-foot diameter entry hatch. These cars work only inside the City.

[Abe Sargent]

There is a huge corridor here that opened from the local blast. A quartet of robots have been dispatched to help show up defenses and they appear like a giant cylinder, with motive parts on the bottom, and various arms and tools on the front. One is black, two are blue and the final is orange. The Black one issues some commands in Galatica, which Alzar can make out, telling him to stand down. Alzar relaxes his axe, and slings it back, and then bends down gently to pick up some dirt that has drifted into this corridor over the ages. As the robots move towards him, he casts and conjures a greater earth elemental. The robots don’t consider his actions offensive in nature and still have not attacked so he does the same and out comes a normal earth. The black robot orders Alzar and his people to hold out their appendages for en-shackling, and then they will be taken to holding.

At this point, Alzar sends out a control and the Elementals move to hit the robots, and Alzar’s axe is out as well. He wants the black one down first, (A DBot for defensive bot). Suddenly a grenade flies out and lands and bursts and it’s a stun grenade meant to subdue. Alzar is immune (Free Action Ring) as are the summoned elementals.

Init. 2 vs 4. Alzar’s elementals punch the robot once for 11 damage and he adds one axe and one shield hit for 31 damage, An explosive grenade and blasters from the SBots, the blue one (Security Bots) fires of, and Alzar takes 26 damage total. 6 vs 1. Alzar takes another 16 from some damage, and then kills the DBot and carves a blue bot for 19. Then it’s punches twice and dies. The other bots begin to retreat, and pull out.

From the wreckage, Alzar finds a few grenades. Most of the items were a part of the machine, and broke when they were destroyed.

Grenades - 2 Sonic; 2 Tangler

[Abe Sargent]

While there is no general alarm that has fired off, revealing Alzar’s presence it seems, but there is a heightened security. Alzar takes a minute to flip to OtherSpace to swap for a +3 Cloak of protection, which should be better than the Clock of Displacement he wears now, since it doesn’t stop people with targeting sensors.

This passage is very long and extremely big. There are numerous panels flashing and lights glistening. Alzar heads down, led by the elementals. They arrive at a huge door that opens as they pass, and here are four large circular containers, almost like carriages. There is nothing else here, no other exits, so Alzar heads into one with his escorts and then they hit a few buttons on a control and move to a randomly determined room. The vehicle shoots down a huge aerial tunnel, but feels no motion at all.

It arrives and opens into a large 180x180 area, a separate pod for storage. There are hundreds of large crates. Alzar uses his Chime of Opening to force one open, and inside are a jumble of items – hardware, clothing, toiletries, and so forth. Nothing useful, like weapons or power packs, and the whole thing seems like a jumble, probably to help protect the items, or to require them to just open up one case at a time as supplies ebb. After a quick check, they head into one of the four cars here and stab onto the panels and hit…

Another 180x180 pod opens up, and this one is divided into three tiers of trough-like cradles, each of which is surrounded by a bewildering array of machinery that is whirring and clicking as it works on the vehicles here. Maybe it’s a factory of some sort. There are 10 of the orange utility-maintenance bots (UBots) here, and they send a signal to inform the central computer of Alzar’s location. His Elementals destroy two and the rest flee, never even trying to defend themselves.

[Abe Sargent]

They head back into the car and try again….

The pods where junior crewman live are dreary affairs. Each crew pod represents three 60’ x 180’ pods
with their own individual locks. Each pod is dominated by a 20-ft high wire-mesh platform in its center A narrow 10-font aisle runs around this platform. Atop the first platform is an identical second platform. Atop each platform are three tiers of cubbies. Each platform is cut by many aisles with mesh floss across them.

Two lifts give access to the platforms. Each cubby is a 6‘ high x 8’ wide X 8’ long padded platform surrounded on three sides by lockers. The door to each cubby swings up so that the user can slide in. It can be lowered for privacy. Each junior crewman has his own cubby where he sleeps and keeps his few personal possessions.

The floor of the crew pod beneath the tiers of cubbies is an open area with plants and waist-high partitions designed to create an illusion of privacy Here, there are eating booths where crew members can dial up food served at their table by the ship’s computer. There are also holotanks for entertainment, physical training machines, and, in one corner, an open, multi-stall fresher for showers and sanitary needs.


Alzar’s entrance has alerted 6 crewmembers who grab weapons from their lockers and move to intercept him. Battle begins.

5 vs 8. Alzar casts Mass Charm and the room is now his. They agree to show him around the pod, and they give him a spare blaster with all of their spare clips – 8 of them. They teach him about things like the panels and such, and two agree to accompany him.

[Abe Sargent]

They head to the car, and ask Alzar where he wants to head next. They give him some options, maintenance, storage, transit stations, robot depot, crew pods, stasis pods, the observation decks, environmental pods. Alzar asks where they might keep the wizard that was captured, and is told Environmental Pod 6A is the one that has new captures until they can be verified, scanned, cleaned on infection and then moved elsewhere. That’s most likely where he’d be. They punch in that pod.

A few moments later, they arrive at that pod. Alzar has been asking questions the whole time about the City of the Gods, or the crashed Beagle. Most of the crew are still in stasis and haven’t been awoken. Apparently, Steven Rock, the for security chief for the Beagle has reason to believe that a second coup might work where the first failed and has organized one. Apparently some soldiers in the Beagle were still loyal and have jumped sides.


There are 6 robots here guarding the prisoners – green EBots (for environ-bots). The crew gives a code and the bots don’t attack. Alzar heads over and behind some force fields is the wizard they captured from the downed scout vessel. They turn it off and the mage is released. They don’t have any of his items, and Alzar loans him a few items from his OtherSpace.


Alzar then asks about helping their captain fend off the incursion. They are definitely on board with that, but the better weapons are keep in an armory in the B Deck and they are on the A Deck, it’d take a long time to get there. They head instead via the car to a different storage pod and grab some items that might help:



2 Communicator
20 Glow Wand
2 Medkit
6 Snoopers
2 Translator Badges
2 sets of battle armor
30 power packs


Hand Blaster, 8 power packs

[Abe Sargent]

They head to another crew pod to pick p the weapons the crew have there and a Mass Domination spell brings them all under Alzar’s sway as well – there were 5 in here. Alzar grabs the items from their personal stashes to use in battle:


2 Grenade Launcher
4 Blaster Rifle
2 Needler Pistol
4 Hand Blasters
16 power packs
Grenade – 12 of each (Gamma, Sonic, Neuron, Tangler, Light, Opacity)
2 Battle Armor

They head out and move to a robot pod. Alzar wants to check it out.

Each 180' x 180' robot depot looks like a big hangar with tiers of racks filled with robots of all types. Each rack is surrounded by an indescribable tangle of maintenance equipment. Damaged robots are being
repaired by the robotic maintenance equipment while magnetically secured to their racks. Robots that aren't on duty are undergoing routine checkups. Robots not yet in service are vacu-sealed into their racks with heavy duty plastiform sheeting (that can only be damaged by magic or magical weapons).

There are a bunch of robots in here patrolling. They grab the 4 security bots (Sbots) and order them to help, and then Alzar has his group of crew-robots, freed wizard in power armor with a blaster, and elementals to head to the area where the Cult of the Frog is now attacking the vessel. Meanwhil, Alzar summons some shadows and an Invisible Stalker while waiting.

A few minutes later, their two cars open up at a crew pod that is listed as under attack in the computer’s manifest. They see battle and unload.

[Abe Sargent]

In here are a group of cyborgs, bots, powered armored troops, and people facing off against each other. Both teams have auto-cannon blasters. Alzar’s side has arrived and flanks the Cult of the Frogs position. Some frog-men in armor with hand blasters reposition themselves to meet his forces. In a moment, his side has begun to force them back, especially after Alzar’s Skulltrap softened or killed many a lot more than any grenade could have.

The opponent launch some grenades at Alzar’s forces and then pull back under the cover of radiation grenades. Alzar is wounded from the radiation, and one of the crew tell him to use the Medikit he has to heal it. He does, placing the Cube against his skin, and in a moment after scanning, it begins to heal him, and after a minute and a half he is cured and healed. But the Medikit is all used up, and cannot be recharged – they are designed to be disposable.

Alzar’s force is greeted, gently, by the locals. They call down the Captain, and make sure the Cult forces are in full retreat. After chasing them out of the City, the Captain arrives and introduces himself to Alzar. The wizard, a representative of the local government of Blackmoor is properly introduced. Captain Riesling agrees to open diplomatic relations with the local nation, gives them a few items as a token of his sincerity, and then they move to pick up the various pieces.

In here Alzar finds:

2 Light Sabers
1 Working Pressure Suit
1 Medikit
Various grenades
1 Grenade Launcher

They escort the party back off the ship after Alzar releases the crew that he dominated. (The charmed ones aren’t as obvious, and will wear off after time).

Already Alzar can feel the Cube pulling at him gently.

He has the Carpet out and floats gently over the landscape, and then is pulled back, once again, this time, back to his time.


End of DA3 City of the Gods

[Abe Sargent]

Again I gave this a different back-story, and we didn’t need to do things like have Alzar ambushed on the way there by locals who revere the City and stuff like that. We didn’t need to find it or travel to it.


A few days after Alzar arrives back home, he receives a message from the dwarves in Hammerhelm. He teleports over to talk with them and the leader there meets with Alzar. He asks to see the axe his people made for him so long ago. Alzar pulls out Selinyr and shows it to him. It’s one of the greater axes that his people have ever forged, and was a gift from long ago.

Alzar smiles, “You always knew I was the one from the legends, didn’t you?”


“Of course we did! You got the Forge of Power for my people long ago, do you think we’d trust just any human with getting ours back for us? But you didn’t know that you were the one, so our own priests told us to just wait, and then you would remember.”

“And now I do.”

Alzar has a similar story with the barbarian leaders as well, who recognized him from long ago. He’s always had friendlier relations with the halflings of Leeha than the other humans, and now he knows that too. Even the elves aren’t that antagonistic towards him.


After a week back, Alzar casts Younger. For a year his CON will lower to 9. He loses 26 physical years. Roll for……..67, not permanent.



Month 8, Year 5:

Minor Growth

How does building go? 32 Havendrop - Full defenses, castle, etc – 13 weeks.

Month 8 - Mid-Summer Convocation – 10% of income that month - holiday

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar has been using the Summon Lycanthrope spell for months now. He created a summoning circle in a cave near the mountains, away from the cities. Then three nights a month (full moon, day before and after) he casts the spell and chooses a species. The nearest member of that species is summoned into the circle. Alzar has usually gone for those that are reliable and easily controlled. They have begun a secret campaign to serve him. They tell him about any comings and goings, and report directly to him, no one else knows what is going on.

This gives him a few tools. For example, if there are any lycanthropes threatening his people, he can summon and kill them. The threat ends. So he is quickly doing a sort of census of all of the various lycanthropes in his realm. Plus he has around 15 loyal servants right now spying and being his eyes and nose across the area.



This month, after returning from his adventures in time, Alzar has begun to use one of his spells he learned back in the past library. It reminds him of a place he has heard about in the planes. Alzar teleports to Hamedh and grabs a rock, and then casts Worldwalk and creates a large gate from just outside the College of Wizardry to just outside of his castle in Pandius. This portal will remain open for 26 turns, or 260 minutes – more than four hours of time.

Alzar’s first class crosses over from the College. He has agreed to resume his studies teaching Necromancy there, and has a three month course to teach for three hours a day.

Meanwhile, he is searching for a major item. A rock, or anything else, from the plane of Jaspa’a.

[Abe Sargent]

Month 9, Year 5:

Minor Growth

Havendrop’s defenses only need 9 more weeks.

The only major event in the realm is a flood from the Bay that hits Bergholm Island and does some damage. It takes two days of work by Alzar and his nation to free it, and they spend 4000 gp to restore things and to replace some broken items.


Alzar’s class continues, and near the end of the month, one of the wizards from the College brings back the rock. Alzar will use the rock to Worldwalk to that plane after the class is done. In the meantime he begins to do some scrying and investigation.

Meanwhile Alzar has been working on a summoning room for summoning aid of a lower plane nature. He had been teleporting animated dead to the underground Beholder city he uses as a base of operations. No living or intelligent creatures guard it – just undead, summoned, and constructed.


By the end of month 9, there are 8 Necrophidus Golems that have been made by the local Magist (minor snake-like ones with small hit points) and bunches of Spellcashe Rings that were made giving spells to various officials of various sorts, usually related to their job. For example, a Sheriff might get a spell with a divinatory nature, in order to figure something out, while town guard on a frontier might get something like Stoneskin to stay alive or Fireball to slay a bunch of bad guys that may attack out of nowhere. But the major use has been to give every officer in the army a one-shot spell of considerable power that can be used in battle if another war occurs. So, as an example, imagine if every one of 100 officers used a variety of combat spells like Magic Missile or Burning Hands to kill a ton of enemies all at once. Now the spells have been used more intelligently than that. There are some spells that help everyone with buffs or damage over time spells, and so forth, but the idea should prove pretty powerful.

Meanwhile Alzar is casting some spells like Wizard Seal and such to protect many things in and around him.

[Abe Sargent]

Month 10, Year 5:

Harvest Festival this month


Just one week of work finishes and then the weather turns and it’s too tough to do anymore.

8 weeks left of work at Havendrop.

Growth stagnates this month and there won’t be any growth in Winter this year.

Right now in one month we make 60216 GP in taxes, tariffs, and trade.

Current Expenses:

Military – 14,960
Navy - 2750
March Staff - 3,420
Specialist Staff – 8050
Stronghold Staff - 7160
Taxes to Ericall – 20% (12200)
Tithe to Matter Temple – 10% (6100)

54640 GP in expenses to staff, army, navy, taxes, and tithes.

So we’re making roughly 6k a month


Alzar’s Android Bodyguard stops an attack on another person in the castle. Everyone just thinks it’s a golem that Alzar made and don’t question it.

[Abe Sargent]

Month 11, Year 5 –

Alzar’s 3 months of teaching Necromancy have concluded.

This month there is a huge electric storm in the north of the Ljallenvals that hits and rages for two days around 350 miles north of Alzar’s March.

In other news, Alzar’s World Walk spell works, and he opens a gate. (There is a 70+level% chance of that spell working - so 96% chance). Alzar gets his things he has prepared, and steps through…

On the other side of the Gate to Another world is the city of Loccia (pronounced Looo-Cheee-uh) on the Prime Material Plane of Jaspa’a. Loccia is famous as one of the largest centers of learning among the planes. There are thousands of mages of every specialty here, sages and scholars, merchants and artists and the learned from countless planes, from alternate Primes to the Outer Planes.

Loccia has numerous guards and wards all around, and some unusual ones to protect it. While in the city proper, no person can open a portal or summon anything, nor can any creature or natural phenomenon do so either. This is a ward set by a Deity of Knowledge who resides in this city. It cannot be broken by mortal means of any sort. Another Deity here, his wife, is of Justice, and she has decreed that no one can lie, mislead, sneak around, or hide anything. Everything is visible and honest here. This prevents merchants from scamming customers, it prevents thieves from slipping in and stealing, and more.



Alzar has arrived about 2 miles from Loccia proper. He bends down and picks up a number of rocks – they are all reddish, as is the sky. He’ll use them for future travels here. Because the wards in the city prevent any extra dimensional usages as well, Alzar slips into his OtherSpace to store some things, and then reaches over to collect the Super Light chests that he had from Hamedh, and they have numerous items like gems and books and supplies in them. In Loccia, coins are not accepted as trade, due to the fact that too many realms have different size coins, different strengths of metal, and more. Therefore, gems are the major currency of exchange here, and additional trade is a big thing as well. So Alzar has some magic items, and more.

Alzar has a wagon of items with him, plus a few guardians and such from his realm, including his bodyguard, a golem, his imp familiar, and more. Alzar rolls into town.

Alzar find a place to hold up, and begins to spend some time exploring and shopping. He trades, shops, and exchanges goods, and four days later, Alzar returns back to Pandius, with the following trades and purchases.

Alzar took with him various things, including a pair of Tomes with the spells he created to trade as well as a few others. His first major acquisition is one he is particularly happy with

[Abe Sargent]

Spayle’s Book of Spellbook Spells – Animate Drawing, Copy, Erase, Organize Spellbook, Protection from Bookworms, Protection from Liquids, Read Magic, Ink Transfer, Explosive Runes, Illusionary Script, Ink Luminance, Secret Page, Sepia Snake Sigil, Fire Trap, Avoidance, Damage Link, Leomund’s Secret Chest, Spayle’s Pocket Spellbook, Temporal Corridor, Symbol

(From Dragon Mag #262)

This book, copied multiple times, has a variety of spells that Spayle created near the end of his adventuring days, after losing two traveling spellbooks when adventuring. He created and gathered together a compilation of spells that would be the ultimate protection for your spellbook.

Several of these are ones Alzar has never encountered, and of them, he likes these:

1st Level - Organize Spellbook Cast it on a Spellbook to reorder the spells as desired. You can do the same with a group of scrolls as well.
Protection from Bookworms – One item is protected from Bookworms and other paper eating pests for one week/spell level. You may also cast this to protect one area for the same duration

2nd Level – Ink Transfer – This spell moves a spell that is copied in one Spellbook to another. This can be used to organize a collection, consolidate, and more So if you needed to copy a spell down on a page in a Spellbook that’s normally for 4th level spells or adventuring, but which is not really an adventuring style spell, you can transfer it to another book.

3rd – Ink Luminance – This spell is used to add a substance to the ink before transcribing a spell, and it’s sort of like Continual Light and the spell combined. When commanded, the runes will glow with a translucence that can be made out in the dark in order to memorize and study in dark or at night.

5th – Damage Link – This is a great spell, and it lasts permanently. Two nonliving physical objects of roughly the same size are linked together. Each gains the physical properties of the other. You could link a book and a rock, and the rock would burn like paper and the book would resist like a rock. When one is destroyed, the link is gone. Initially created to protect a spellbook or precious tome, it can be used on lots of other stuff. Only a vial of molten silver is needed to link them, which is cheap, but limits where you can use the spell. So you couldn’t do it in the middle of battle, for example.

Temporal Corridor will shove an item into the future to protect it, and the Pocket spellbook works on just one book and requires a Portable Hole to use, not really something Alzar cares about. But these spells add a useful flexibility to his repertoire. When he returns he’ll teach Protection from Bookworms to the Magist, and she’ll begin to set up protections in the Royal Library.


Alzar also trades for:

5th Level – Temporary Youth – Alteration and Necromancy spell. If target fails the save (or chooses to voluntarily), loses one age category for 1 turn/spell casters level. This can be used to turn back the clock for someone to help them remember who they were, to make them strong again, or to weaken something like a dragon or a giant. If cast on a hearty young man for example, would turn him into a child, on a child, to a baby, on a middle aged man, to a young man, etc. Requires an part of the body of the target. From Dragon 1999 June (I think it’s 260.)


From a Dragon Hunter Mage.


He also interacted with an Abjurer who specializes in protection magic, and picked up THREE lower level spells from her:

1st Level – Innocent Bearing – Enchantment/Charm – Any intelligent creature of 30 feet radius makes a save. If they fail, they treat the caster as if an innocent and harmless creature. They won’t tell them secrets, or allow them into “dangerous” places, but won’t suspect them of any wrong doing or of any antagonistic action. They will not attack the target unless they are attacked first, even if in combat with that person’s party.

2nd Level - Wild Swing – Abjuration – Any opponent that connects with the caster in melee must make a save. If they fail the save, then that attack only does base damage of the weapon only. Any additions from skills, strength, or magic are not added. So a +1 magic sword would deal 1d8, not 1d8+1. It only works on melee attacks.

Bone Block – Necromancy – The caster grows 1 bone arm/7 levels (Alzar gets 4 at 21 caster level, and 5 when he gets to 28). The bone arm parries various attacks that come towards the caster. Each arm grown reduces the AC of the caster by one/arm against weapons like arrows, maces, daggers, and so forth. Not against natural attacks, or against really big stuff like a ballista bolt or something. So Alzar would get -4 AC while casting spell spell, for those attacks. Bone Block lasts 1 rnd/level, and each arm can be attacked for AC 6, and take 4 hp of damage before being destroyed.

(These are from Dungeon 271)


But the greatest thing Alzar leaves with? An Ally….

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar encounters a Shadow Mage named Gwifa, and she is a long standing expert in the so-called Grey Art. She has a kit called the Shadow Caller that specializes in summoning and controlling undead Shadows and other undead creatures from the Demiplane of Shadow or Negative Material Plane in that genre, as well as controlling of shadows, shadow spells, and the creation of shadow items. It’s a kit Alzar has never heard of before, he has read of a few Shadow Magi on Thorasia, but they are not many, and probably not with this expertise.

In fact, her expertise and specialty are extremely similar to Alzar’s own Fivefold Path to Power. They come to an agreement, and in a week, Gwifa will travel to Alzar’s castle. She will teach him the ways of Shadow Magic generally, and Shadow Calling specifically, and Alzar will, in turn, teach her about Rhabdomancy and the Dowsing proficiency, which is something that is not known back on her home plane. Alzar will put her up in his castle. She’s a 15th level, lawful evil, Shadow Caller kit of Shadow Mage.

And because they have to tell the truth while bargaining here, they know that they can trust each other.

And she has a huge number of spells and magic items that he does not. They can make some exchanges and such of the course of the year. (This all comes from Dragon July 1999 edition, which is all about Shadow Mages – three kits, tons of spells from two articles, magical tomes, and an article on magical shadow-y items – and I was struck by how close the Shadow Caller was to Alzar, I knew I had to bring that into the campaign).


Month 12, Year 5 –



...

[Abe Sargent]

AC7. The Spindle of Heaven





Actually, AC7 is the Master Player Screen module, but it comes with an 8 page mini-adventure called The Spindle of Heaven. We’ll run that now in order keep things


At the end of the first week of the month, Kabloona, who is the leader of the Bear Tribe of barbarians to the north uses his Spellcache Ring that Alzar gave him to contact him about something odd that has happened out in his territory. Alzar teleports over to check it out. There is a giant spindle-like structure about 25 miles away from Kabloona’s camp, and there is a huge cyclone over top of the structure that is giving off massive gusts of wind and blasts of lightning. The storm is sessile and locked to hover over the structure, and would prevent any climbing or flying nearby.

Alzar grabs his crystal ball and begins to scry it. The walls are uniformly circular with a glistening white sheen. There are no windows or doors, but a small chasm at the bottom of one of the walls. The walls are not made of any substance that Alzar is familiar with, and resist all attempts to penetrate the with divinatory magic. He can’t follow the chasm past the wall either.

Kabloona tells Alzar that this structure was not here recently, but instead came about recently. The storm is never ceasing. Alzar heads back and teleports over some stuff to use to divine what has happened, but it resists all attempts. He tries to fly close with his Flying Carpet, but he is blown out of the sky before he even gets close, and he cannot secure a aerial reconnaissance.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar spends that night preparing to head out and explore. The following morning after changing up his spell list, he heads out by himself without any wagons or allies or anything else.

In the late morning, a storm of seven small cyclones strike Alzar from suddenly, when he has crossed around 4 or 5 miles (magic acceleration a bit). The cyclones criss cross over Alzar and then begin to move to attack. Alzar seems to think these might be a bit suspicious

(He is a Sage in Inner Planes knowledge, he has a certain proficiency that would help, and he has a 20+ INT, more than the 18 max a human can usually get too, he’s smarter than the smartest humans)

Alzar tosses the dice and makes a Genie Lore check. (From his time on Hamedh) Yes, djinnis are known to turn into cyclones just like these, and then attack to protect their home. Alerted to this possibility, and armed with the knowledge that he can converse with them appropriately, he calls out that he knows who and what they are, and they suddenly pause.


A pair of hearbeats pass and one of the cyclones reverts to its djinni form. It addresses Alzar and tells him that he is either lucky to have guessed or wiser than he appears. It’s a bit of an insult to his human nature, clearly. Hmmm….djinni and big giant cyclones. It doesn’t take the world’s biggest genius to connect these dots, and realize this is probably an Elemental Air base of some sort.

They willingly tell him that they were sent to test him, not to slay him. They cannot tell Alzar who their master is, and such. All the creature can do is direct Alzar to enter the structure through the chasm in the ground, if that is truly what he seeks.


They fly off at that and leave him.

[Abe Sargent]

As they leave, Alzar heads into his OtherSpace for a few minutes to take a quick assessment of his items. Suspecting Air based forces, he looks at potential protections or ways of dealing with them. He grabs a potion of Elemental Form, Scroll of Protection vs Elementals, and that’s about it. Not a lot of anti-electric, anti-air, or anti-elemental stuff here.


A few more miles rolls by and as they do, a trio of giant winter spiders led by a frost giant. Alzar prepares spells as the giant spiders breathe large snowy webs at him. His Ring of Free Action keeps him from being tied down, and he takes 8, 11, and 10 from them – 29 damage total. The giant flings a boulder at him and misses (Cloak of Displacement) -

50/79

Alzar doesn’t need to cast his best magic spells to blow through this encounter. Instead he casts Evard’s Black Tentacles and 26 tentacles launch from the ground to grab and secure the spiders and the giant. They take some minor damage and are tied down. It’ll take a few turns to deal with all of those tentacles.

Alzar then grabs a small bone from his belt and casts the 2nd level spell Blastbones on it and launches it at them. The combination of the blast and the Tentacles badly wounds them. The spiders have died, and Alzar secures the Giant with the tentacles, which hit him some more. He agrees to tell Alzar what he knows for his freedom. He was hired by the master of the Spindle to guard in a couple of weeks ago. The Master is a great, noble, giant Efreet. Alzar laughs. An Efreet with djinni as its servants? That controls a great giant cyclone? Hardly! He frees the giant and shoken up, he gathers it’s things and flees.


7500 XP

[Abe Sargent]

After doing some resting and continuing, Alzar finally draws within physical sight of the Spindle. The cyclone continues to kick up snow all around. The wind is so strong here that Alzar’s robes are whipping about, and he takes moment to secure his stuff before plunging on.

There are some large, dragon like creatures circling the top of the Spindle as Alzar nears, there is apparently an eye in the middle of the storm just above the structure.

Alzar gets up to a wall and grabs the Scroll of Portals but he can’t use Passwall spell in this wall. It’s protected against such magic. He can’t chip off any pieces or get any more information about the strange material that makes it up.

Without any other ideas, Alzar heads over to the chasm. As he gets near, he realizes that it’s more like a gully. About 10-15 feet wide, around 15-18 feet down from the ground, and It varies as it nears the Spindle.

Alzar begins to move cautiously down. He tries to scry from here, but his ball still can’t penetrate the defenses of the Spindle.

After about 20 feet from the mouth of the structure, there is a very quiet magical pop from the flasks and vials that Alzar has with him. He peers over and the contents of his potions have been disturbed. He takes off the stopper of the Elemental Form one and it’s been soiled and ruined. He also tries some others - healing, super-healing, invisibility, gaseous form, all ruined. Even the highly valuable potion of invulnerability is done. He leaves them behind.

There is a small passage in front and Alzar grabs the Ioun Stone that enables him to see in darkness and begins to spin it about his head and he leads in.

[Abe Sargent]

A tunnel around 10-15 feet wide and 8 feet deep penetrates the structure. After ten or fifteen feet in Alzar again tries the scrying stone, hoping that the protection has been passes, but it still won’t work. Similarly, the walls are made of the same stuff on the outside, and he can’t use passwall or other spells to penetrate them.


There is no light here, and Alzar chooses not to use any, he sees better in darkness with the Iuon Stone than a creature with infravision can. He’s in a good spot here.

The passage begins to widen a bit and then, Alzar can make out a wall, crenellated, with some presence behind it. He pauses about 30 yards away to try and make it out. Before he can, 8 hobgoblins who have similar enchantments fire a set of arrows at him - they are magical arrows, and they are trying to hit Alzar’s shield, and such. He is not currently wielding a weapon. None hit him, but they have his range and now know about the Cloak.

Alzar springs up and readies a spell as more arrows fly. Who wins Init?

The hobbies do.

They are firing +4 arrows from +4 bows and get +8 to hit. With those bonuses, they need 16 to hit Alzar, and two of the 8 do. All of them are firing Arrows of Dispelling, and suddenly two Dispel Magics fire off. Alzar’s Iuon stone drops to the ground and he is blind, which forces him to stop his spell this round. He doesn’t have any active magical spells or protections, but his non-artifact items won’t work for two rounds, one/arrow.

Alzar takes 10 and 11 damage

38/79 (Fast Healing + Healing Proficiency by Alzar)

Alzar reaches down to secure the stone and then begins to retreat. One more round of weapons fire, this time with +4, +7 vs weapon wielding foes, and Alzar is not carrying a weapon (the shield does not count) so he loses magical bonuses (except from his shield, which is an Artifact). Alzar is hit three times for 4+4+4 - 12, 4+4+4 = 12, and 3+4+4 =11

34 damage - close -

4/79 for him

Alzar flees. He stops and mediates for one round and then enters OtherSpace rather than continuing to flee.

He quaffs a pair of Healing Potions, and readies some spells to heal him. The dispelling arrows have ended, and he uses the Iuon Stone again, and he casts Bone Block to drop his ac by 4. That will make it a lot harder to hit him with these dorks. He casts a few other spells - Friends and such, and then he pulls off the Ring fo Wizardry (which normally would double is 1st and 2nd level spells) for a Ring of Regeneration, and he grabs the other artifact he has, the Face of Xenous, in case he needs it. He doesn’t like it though, it’s only used in dire circumstances. He grabs the Dusty Rose Spindle to drop his AC by 1.

He head back out with 28 hp already from healing and regeneration. The hobgoblins fanned out to try and find him and shout out his location. Alzar rushes to one readying a third level spell he has prepared.

Init.

Alzar casts Sleep and drops 3. Arrows fly out from four, and one hits him for 10 damage., The last one uses this round to wake a sleeping Hob. They are smart and trained well.

19/79

Alzar stops, grabs the skull at his waist and casts Skulltrap, and then launches it. 4 hobs are caught in the radius and die, 1 of the sleepers too. They miss him, and the hob wakes the last one, and 4 are left, and they begin an orderly retreat.

Alzar loses init this time and two further away fire at him and the closer ones get further away. Alzar is missed (they need a 20 now) and then follows with him grabbing the Dagger at his belt made of unicorn horn. He hoists his axe, uses Unifex to teleport in front of them, and then attacks from behind.

Two turns later they are all dead.

Alzar grabs:

8 +4 short bows
4 +4 arrows, +7 vs weapon using foes
2 +4 arrows of dispelling survived
8 +4 Arrows of Climbing survived

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar stops and collects his thoughts. He has been owned by a handful of 1st level hobgoblins and some tricks outside that spoiled his potions. The goal here is clearly to wear him down, and use up his spells and items to make it harder later on. So Alzar waits for a while, letting the Bone Block spell subside as he instead waits and lets the Ring heal him. Fully healed, he swaps the Ring of Regeneration for the one of Quick Action.

Alzar continues and finds a giant pit that is closely covered up, but he makes it out with the Star of Mo’Pilar, which acts as a super Gem of Seeing. There are roughly 40 rust monsters at the bottom, ready to zark out any metal objects that fall down, and this theme clearly continues. Weaken him.



At the end of a tunnel is a shaft with a strong wind that blows up it. Alzar has arrived at the bottom of the shaft. There is a moaning that can be heard in the shaft. At first, Alzar suspects something undead, but he reaches out and cannot control anything, there is nothing necrotic here .

He heads back and grabs a rock and moves to the shaft and places it on the ground and it begins to gently rise on the current. After experimenting a few times, Alzar moves onto it and begins to move up.

As Alzar rises, a face floats down on the wind and tells Alzar he should return. He was a seeker here for knowledge and was condemned to life as a wind after he demanded to life forever. Alzar continues to rise on the wind.

[Abe Sargent]

The room the shaft arrives at is a circular room with walls made of more of the old smooth surface. It is decorated with murals and various pieces of furniture, pillows, and food are here. There is a fine, old rug in the middles, and a well in the left side of the wall. There are two sphinxes here, mated…


They are not happy that Alzar has penetrated their lair!





They have -4 AC, 65 and 55hp, deal 3d6, 3d6 and 2d8 bite, and the male is a mage and the female a cleric. They are worth 7500 and 6000 XP each if slain.

Forewarned by the gust of wind, they have cast Haste, Bless, and Protection from Good, on themselves. They have cast and summoned an Air Elemental, and such. The Mage casts Magic Missile at Alzar and the female cleric Finger of Death at Alzar as he arrives!!!

The 6 missiles hit, and Alzar has the Gem of Protection that he procured earlier, and he launches the 6 missiles back at the mage for….6d4+6 damage and that’s21 damage and he has 44 left. Alzar’s Gem loses 6 charges and has 60 left. Meanwhile the Finger of Death comes his way…

Alzar tosses……an 8 which…..fails. All Sphinxes give their targets -3 to saves to how powerful their magic is. Does Alzar die today, right here, vs these Sphinxes? Nope! His Protective Amulet is destroyed. It is set against Finger of Death spells. He’ll need to make another, but he’s fine.

Alzar’s turn and he cast Time Stop, because he knows that he needs to end this battle now.

He rushes up and casts Maze at the female cleric to pull her away for a while, and then Finger of Death and grabs his axe and then….

Times ends. The female disappears into the maze for three rounds. The Finger does …..not work on the male. Alzar’s axe is out and he swings for…13 damage and misses with the second attack but hits with the Barrier for 8 -21 total damage. The sphinx casts invisibility and moves away. The Air Elemental misses Alzar but now knows about the displacement.

Alzar loses init. The Air misses him, and the sphinx flies off near the tunnel and begins to prepare. Alzar sees the Sphinx, and can see through Invisible naturally due to his intelligence. He casts Ray of Ondovir at the Sphinx. Alzar charges over.

Next round, Alzar wins init automatically, and hits the Sphinx who Is doing the exact same thing as before, flying gently off with the same motions and such. The Sphinx is dead. The Air punches Alzar for 19 damage.

60/79

The female arrives back on the scene, with her dead mate at Alzar’s feet. She roars at him. She will not flee. She will not cast spells, she flies over ot attack, twice a turn, with6 attacks, from Haste, in order to try and kill hm.


She wins init and attacks him, the first wave misses due to displacement, the second she hits once for 11 damage. The elemental misses. Alzar stabs out with his +5 battle axe and swings twice at her, and needs….. 7 on a d20 with e Axe and a 13 with the Barrier. The axe bates her twice for 28 damage.

49/79

She roars back and smashes him 3 times for 9, 12, and 5 damage - 26 total

23/79

Alzar swaps his axe over and then casts Vampiric Touch and hits her for….19 damage and heals it back

42/79 Alzar

She wins init and casts Cure All and heals herself and the Air keeps missing. Alzar carves her for 20 damage with a massive axe swing (7+5+6+2 for 20 with one hit).

She wins and hits him twice for 15 damage and the Air finally punches for 8. 23 damage to him. He hits her once, twice, and then a barrier smashes her for 41 total damage and she’s down.

20/79

Alzar still loses init. The Elemental misses and takes two hits from axes for 36. Alzar finishes it next turn.


Alzar gets 17500 XP for Elemental and Sphinxes

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar checks the room and there’s a great well in the wall, and there are runes above it. Alzar’s axe can make it out and he reads the ancient runs out and the wall backs away and there is a domed shaft that raises above the room and heads into the wall. Alzar begins to rise up the well’s shaft.

After more than 100 feet, Alzar comes through the top of the well and arrives at a large room with a swirling white mist, sticks and sort branches protruding, and countless beautiful birds everywhere. There is a large humanoid off the to side with a peafowl and is talking to it gently. Alzar also notices 5 invisible stalkers in the room - he can see them.

It’s a bit small for a giant, around 18 feet, and wearing rings. Alzar grabs the Star of Mo-Pilar gently and notices that the giant is a polymorphed Airdrake. There are four more in the room as birds, and the stalkers are here as well.

Alzar simply tells the Airdrake that he notices the Stalkers and that he is a true and proper Airdrake. He asks if there is anything he can do to help with the birds or this room.

The non-giant creature smiles, and then announces that the deception is over, which is good, it’s not really something he cares about, nor is he good about it. They have been tasked with insuring that nobody moves through a door in the ceiling of this aviary. If Alzar is content to leave, they will let him go, un-accosted. Otherwise, battle will occur.

Alzar does a mental inventory of his spells. He normally has a few spells to banish summoned creatures. And he can summon an Invisible Stalker or elementals of his own. He has held onto them fearing they could be stolen by whoever is in control here. He came in without any golems (which are controlled by elemental spirits) or any extra-planar creatures. The airdrakes and Stalkers shouldn’t prove that tough. He should be able to kill one every other turn. Ignore the Stalkers until the end. Alzar instead tries to speed this up with Mass Domination.

The Airdrakes are the only legit targets. Alzar can Dominate 2 hd per level, so 26x32 - 56 HD of intelligent creatures, and these are 6 hd creatures, so just 30 HD here. They can each save, but they get -4 from the spell, -1 from Alzar’s kit. So -5 to their tosses. Four fail, and one succeeds. Alzar has the four attack that one.

Next turn, they have killed their friends, and Alzar has them order the Stalkers away from him as well. They do. They are geased to not reveal who their leader and master is, and they cannot leave the room. But they do tell Alzar about a trap with a Black Pudding in the next room and how ot avoid it, and he does.


Alzar gains 4500XP

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar passes through the small trapped chamber and then enters a stair way up that opens into a huge room with many numerous strange sights. There are a pair of purple colored clouds at the top of the stairs flanking it, and in side are a large open pyramid structure, with a great force field on top that keeps outside out. Seated on the force field, on the outside of the Spindle is a huge greater djinni.

There are numerous creatures of air here. A few more airdrakes, a bunch of Air Elementals, a cloud of flying Air Fundamentals, and more. A few lesser djinni are here, and there;’s a few Aerial Servants and Invisible Stalkers aiding and serving people. A number of pillows, table,s and chairs are here and most of the people are sprawled about.

Alzar is greeted by a Stalker who motions for him to follow. After a moment, he chooses to do so and he is seated at a table with some other Air creatures. They explain that there are two sets of food - one invisible and sustaining to the spirit and soul, and the other visible and sustaining to the body. Alzar can choose which to eat. The invisible spirit-food is unable to be seen, it’s not something that’ s normally visible but hidden, but instead lacks visibility at all and is beyond it.

Alzar chooses to eat the visible food and its quite delicious. That’s i. He chooses not to eat the invisible food though. You never know what could happen, and air creatures are known as very capricious. Its in their nature. None of the other feasters have grown upset at Alzar for being here. None have attacked. Again, they are capricious…


Hmm…


The Star of Mo’Pilar is up and Alzar does a quick investigation. There is just one magical item in the room, an amulet worn by an Airdrake. They also notice something about the clouds that flanked the stairs. Alzar gets a familiar feeling. Something familiar, and something he didn’t expct here….


Something dark. Something evil. Something necrotic….

[Abe Sargent]

Two vampires, in gaseous form sort of acting as bouncers. You wouldn’t even know what’s going on here. Alzar puts the Star away and heads back to eating. After six minutes pass, he reaches out with his necrotic powers and begins to dominate the Vampires mentally, and control them. As he does, no one notices. Alzar refuses to look up which may give a guilty look. They Vampires begin to float towards the feasters. Alzar needs a distraction. They turn into their normal forms, and then launch an attack in a nearby Cloud Giant and Air Elemental.

In a moment, battle has begun.

A few folks are turning Alzar’s way, suspecting he is behind it, but the lock of elven hair is in his hand and he begins to cast one of his most powerful spells….Wail of the Banshee. Up to 26 listeners hear him. Here are the targets:

2 Airdrakes
8 Air Elementals
4 Lesser Djinni
2 Cloud Giants
4 Stalkers
4 Servants
50 Air Fundamentals
5 Airlike Humanoids

So there are 26 targets, and 3 humanoids left, skipping the Fundamentals.

Here’s what happens:

Make a save. Fail? You die instantly. (-1 to the save due to Alzar’s kit)


11 enemies fall dead. The vampires are immune and untargeted anyway. They slay an un-Wailed Air Elemental.

With 12 creatures dead in one round, and with their vampires turning against them, they make a morale check.

All begin to flee except the mindless cloud of Air Fundamentals, and the 3 Stalkers and 1 Servant left alive, since they are controlled. Alzar lets them. Initiative.

Alzar wins (7 vs 9) and needs a way to clean out the low level Air Fundamentals. He casts Death Spell. This kills all creatures, no save, of 2 HD or less, and will hit 4d20. That’s more than enough to snuff out the horde of Fundamentals.

One of Alzar’s vampires takes 9 damage from a Stalker. Alzar loses init, and the vamp takes 10 more, bu regenerates as well. Alzar casts Hold Monster and two enemies are frozen for a few rounds. The vampires move in and snack on a frozen Stalker.


A few rounds later, Alzar’s vampires have healed, and the Stalkers and Servant are done.

Alzar grabs the magical amulet from the dead Airdrake’s body.

The giant noble djinni and Pasha has been watching the battle and getting more and more irritated, but not enough to do anything. Only a handful of airs are left in the area, around the edge of the large space. Those air creatures that could flee, went back to the Air Elemental Plane.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar wants to bring down that Force Field, but he doubts his 3rd level Dispel Magic is up to the trick. Alzar instead readies and casts the 9th level uber-Dispel Mordenkainen’s Disjunction and drops it.


The Pasha, Greater Djinni -

AC - 6; HD 15, 100 hp, AT 2 fists 3d10 each hit; THACo 5; Has magical items on him too.

Alzar has time to get off one spell as the Pasha flies at him.

He casts Major Globe of Invulnerability to protect him from spells of 7th level or fewer.

Battle begins.

3 vs 6, The Pasha smashes, and knows about the Displacement already seeing the earlier battle, and needs a 9 to smash Alzar and hits twice for 15 and 13 damage. Alzar’s +5 axe needs a 9 as well to smash, and he this once for 18 damage and then misses with the Barrier as well. The vampires need 19 to hit. They get two attacks and both miss as well.

52/79


Pasha - 82/100


Alzar uses his Ring of Quick Action to guarantee winning initiative this round. He rolls a 10, a 6, and a 15. Then a 6 - 19 damage, and 4 - 13 damage - 32 from his shield and axe. One vampire hits once for 7 damage and no energy drain - foe is immune.

Pasha - 43/100

Pasha reaches out and punches Alzar and tosses a 17 and a 4. Hits for…..2+4+7 - 13 damage.

40/79

8 vs 5. Lost init.

The Pasha punches and gets 13 and 8. Hits once for 4+6+5 damage - 15.

26/79

Alzar hews at the great djinni. He tosses a 1, 13, and 10 for 15 damage. One vamp hits one for another 7 damage.


21/100


The Pasha calls is and surrenders. He has been subdued.


Alzar knows what that means to one of the genie kind.

He calls off the vampires. He uses his Genie Lore proficiency to talk to the Pasha with knowledge. He’s a bit surprised, he didn’t realize that such knowledge was common here. But Alzar may not be common here either. He will do a favor for Alzar. He can do and conquer nearby territories to give them to Alzar. He can go fight some of Alzar’s enemies for him and dispatch them…Hmmm…no?

Alzar points out that a wish could do that but a lot more.


He tries a few more times but quickly realizes that Alzar’s won’t be swayed by simple tasks and offers the Wish. After all, it can smell wishes on Alzar, he’s cast them before!

Actually, he has. He has cast wishes before. That’s true. He knows that a properly worded Wish can have a powerful impact on him. He gets it.

The Djinni is preparing for the wish spell, and Alzar reminds him that he has neither agreed to the wish, not is he inclined to use it. Fine! The Djinni tries and tries but to no avail. What does Alzar want then?

[Abe Sargent]

“The path for immortality spelled out for me.”


“….I really hate when people ask for that. Normally punish them for their impudence. But you have earned it. I will give you my freedom for understanding the path to Immortality. When you wake up from your next night’s sleep, you will awaken with the knowledge of how to pursue the paths.”

“And when that happens, as you have stated, without any harm to me, my companions, things in my sphere of influence, and with that knowledge permanently, then, and only then, will I release you.”


And with the stated release only coming after, Alzar uses Genie Lore to close off any angles of cheating the agreement. The Pasha nods, and then sighs. He’s really tired of this plane. It wasn’t any fun this time. The cyclone ends, and the Spindle begins to fade from sight. Alzar casts Mount and rides the Griffon back to the Bear Tribes camp, after having the Vampires turn into gaseous form to follow.

He reports to Kabloona what happened in genera details, and then moves away. He Mass Teleports his earnings, Vampire, Mount, and more to Ilth K’hinax the Beholder city, where he unpacks and will send the vampires to guard. Then he returns home. He’ll have the Magist send Kabloona another Spellcache Ring later.

XP gained - 67500 XP for combat + 6750 for XP bonus

5976570 - level 26 comes when he gets to 6,000,000

Magical Sapphire Amulet, in the shape of a dragon
Bows and Arrows listed before.


The potions lost and used are marked, and the 6 charges off the Gem is gone too. As sphinx magic is innate, there were no scrolls or spellbooks or anything that they used. The dungeon has disappeared before Alzar could secure the nice furniture or anything like that.


It was a quick little 8 page adventure, and the first page is the cover sheet, page 4 is the map, and there are two half page pictures as well, so you have just 5 pages of stuff. It’s super easy to do.

But, what it does is set up Alzar nicely for the next chapter in the plot of Pandius. The Spindle of Heaven should prove to be a sort of pre-adventure that gives you a taste, a very small taste, of what is to come….


End of AC7. The Master Player Screen, with Spindle of Heaven Adventure!

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar heads to sleep that night and awakens…



The Path to Immortality:

1). Must be at least 30th level. Alzar is 25th, almost at 26. You can begin the path later, but you must wait until level 30 before taking it

2). An aspirant must select a path for the Sphere of Power that they want to serve. Matter, Energy, Entropy, Time, and Thought.

3). An aspirant must find an Immortal to sponsor them


After Alzar gains sponsorship, he must “stay true” to his chosen path until he finishes the various quests and struggles that are required.

The Sphere of Energy is the easiest path for a Mage. He’ll have to gain 400,000 after getting to level 30, rather than 600,000 others need. He must create an entirely new magical item of extreme power, an array of spells, transform his land, etc,

The Sphere of Time favors the clerics, and is the “good” place, but one of the major paths that is required to drop it is to and found a dynasty, and then help his dynasty succeed. He would need 600k for this path, maybe require questions like destroying chaotic artifacts and such. Tends to be more lawful and good.

The Sphere of Thought, tends to favor thieves and rogues, and is more neutral in alignment. They want the epic hero, the person who finds an artifact and recovers it o become a huge name on Pandius and to really push themselves.

The Sphere of Matter tends to lawful and neutral, and is the path of the fighter. It requires time spent as other classes, and massive amounts of adventuring and such.

The Sphere of Entropy tends towards chaotic and evil, and due to its nature, any aspirant must create their own unique path to Immortality.


Alzar has aspects of multiple paths already. Energy is likely the easiest for him as a Path Mage, he specializes in artifice and creation already. But a sphere that leans chaotic and neutral is not necessarily what he wants. He has developed a name for himself here in Norwood as the Lord of Wood and Fire and aided the barbarians very well. The Sphere of Thought’s concept of the great hero suits that. He has founded a nation that is in the Time’s concept of long-lasting impact on the world, and even Matter’s path is more towards him as he is both a fighter and a mage already - the others are easily done. He could even do entropy.

Alzar recalls what the Barbarian Immortal told him, that there were guidelines in place to prevent a bunch of people from other planes to come to Pandius, and then seek immortality. He would likely need more than one sponsor and such. But that is information for later. For now, Alzar begins to consider his options…

[Tellistto]

Nice stuff, Abe! Glad to see this back in action. Looking foward to the next saga!

Tell

[Abe Sargent]

End of Year 5


This the first year that Alzar’s domain does not grow geographically



The March of the Mighty

Ruler – Marquis Alzar

Hex #1(Evenarrow) – Villages – Evenarrow - 331 families – On the southern coast of the little jutting peninsula, this village fishes south in the Great Sea and the entrance there brings in some nice saltwater fish. With a small set of docks, Alzar will be expanding Evenarrow into the capital of his March. It’s in the perfect place. The rest of the Hex is really small villages here and there or individual shepherds and there is large area, near the mountains on the western part of the hex that has Cassiterite deposits that can be opened to mine.

Details – 634 families
7 resource gp

Monthly Income – Standard Income - 720 gp/month
Tax Income – 72 gp/month
Resource Income – 504/month
Total – 11412/month (x18 multiplier)

Hex #2 (Storn) – North of Evenarrow is this highly populated hex, southeast of the mountains, and with some amount on the Alphatian Sea. Forest and some hills.

Villages – Storn – 409 families, inland, center of the hex, they grow grapes on the hills here.
Riverton – 204 families, On a small river from the mountains to the sea, shepherds

Details – 853 families

Monthly Income - Standard Income - 890 gp/month
Tax Income – 89 gp/month
Resource Income – 267/month
Total – 11,942/month (x14 multiplier)

Alzar will be building up Storn here as well, later on.

Hex #3 (Augustia)– East of Evenarrow and Storn, and flanked by the coast, this hex is the last full hex in the area in the waters. Lead has been mined before just south of Farhome and there’s open mines there ready to be used, if they are cleaned out and reinforced.

Villages - Augustia – 191 families, on the northern coast, fish the Alphatian Sea
Farhome – 70 families, grapes, on hills by western edge of hex
Asantia – 104 families, farmers in southern coast of hex.

Details – 531 families


Monthly Income - Standard Income - 540 gp/month
Tax Income – 54 gp/month
Resource Income – 378/month
Total – 9558/month (x18 multiplier)



Hex #4 (Rostock) –, this heavy forested hex is next to the Ljallenvals and has an elf-hold of 122 elves living here too.

Village – Rostock – 139 families, they have a small quarry here they use to harvest stone and rocks of quality and send them elsewhere. 3 resource GP

Details - 282 families, 1 good – Stone


Monthly Income – Standard Income - 560 gp/month
Tax Income – 56 gp/month
Resource Income – 168/month
Total – 3948/month (x14 multiplier)


Saffir - in Ljallenvals - This mountainous region has a central valley and the major northern route through the Ljallenvals. It is north of Rostock and northwest of Storn.

Village – Saffir – 291 families, they farm vegatables here and sell them on the trade route. 1 resource GP. Saffir has a castle just built.

Details - 408 families, 1 good – Farming


Monthly Income – Standard Income - 3320 gp/month
Tax Income – 332 gp/month
Resource Income – 332/month
Total – 4896/month (x12 multiplier)


Hammerhelm - in Ljallenvals - This mountainous region has a part of the southern route through the Ljallenvals. It is south of Rostock and southwest of Evenarrow. No humans live up here, just dwarves. Unlike other hexes, this one will not grow via immigration.

Dwarfhold- Hammerhelm – 346 families live in this dwarfhold, now the second largest in Norwold. They mine verite, several other ores, and harvest fungus. +9 resource GP.

Details - 346 families, 1 good – Farming


Monthly Income – Standard Income - 3460 gp/month
Tax Income – 0 gp/month Dwarves don’t pay taxes
Resource Income – 3114/month
Total – 6,574/month (x19 multiplier)


Raider’s Point -

This hex is the far point on the peninsula that is across the channel from Evenarrow and Bergholm Isle. It’s just four hexes from the Barony of Moonhold, where Sandralane is. It has two resources – fish and salt.

Raider’s Point – This hex is the far point on the peninsula that is across the channel from Evenarrow and Bergholm Isle. It’s just four hexes from the Barony of Moonhold, where Sandralane is.


Villages – Raider’s Point - 101 families – This coastal village is on the bay to the east of the province, and brings in a lot of salt.
Havendrop – 39 families – this northern village is near the tip of the hex. It fishes north.

Details – 388 families
3 resource gp – Fish and salt

Monthly Income – Standard Income - 690 gp/month
Tax Income – 69 gp/month
Resource Income – 207/month
Total – 5432/month (x14 multiplier)

Hex #5 - (Spearhold) – This hex is southwest of Raider’s Point and northeast of the mountains in Eagles’ Barrier. With just two resources, it has only grain and potatoes here.

Villages – Spearhold - 60 families – Virtually everyone lives in this farming village, growing either potatoes or grains.


Details – 208 families
2 resource gp – Grain and Potatoes

Monthly Income – Standard Income - 680 gp/month
Tax Income – 68 gp/month
Resource Income – 136/month
Total – 2704/month (x13 multiplier)



Bergholm Island –

Although it spreads across via two hexes, it’s really the size of one full hex, and we’ll treat it as such. Heavily mountainous and with very few places to do stuff.

250 Families; 2 resources, 1 mineral, 1 vegetable – Copper mines and berries.

Just one village: Bergholm Villa – 176 families, they are on a river where it meets the Great Sea, and the place is elevated too. Form here they can reach both some copper mine and harvest the numerous berry bushes that grow all over.

Monthly Income - Standard Income - 290 gp/month
Tax Income – 29 gp/month
Resource Income – 116/month
Total –3750/month (x15 multiplier)



EXPENSES – + Tithe, Taxes

Military – 14,960
Navy – 2750
March Staff - 3,420
Specialist Staff – 8050
Stronghold Staff - 7160
Taxes to Ericall – 20% (12200)
Tithe to Matter Temple – 10% (6100)

Treasury - 318,592


Holidays:

Month 8 - Mid-Summer Convocation – 10% of income that month
Month 10 - Harvest Festival - 15% of income that month
Month 1 - Year’s End Divine Liturgy – 5% of income that month
Month 2 – Tax-Free Month

March Staff –

Chaplain – 500 gp
3 Magistrate – 600 gp
9 Sheriff – 900 gp
26 Provost – 520 gp
20 Warden – 400 gp
Reeve – 500 gp

Specialist Staff:

Steward – 1000 gp
Engineer – 750 gp
Herald – 300 gp
Chief Magistrate – 2000 gp
Magist(15th level) – 4000 gp

Stronghold Staff:

2 Marshall - 160 gp
10 Bailiffs – 200 gp
2 Chamberlain – 240 gp
2 Senechal – 400 gp
Castellan (Lvl 8), 2000 gp
Guard Captain (Level 10) – 4000 gp

March Military –

Light Foot Soldiers – 750 troops, 20 leaders – 1500 gp – AC6, longsword + dagger
Heavy Foot Soldiers – 400 troops, 10 leaders – 1200 gp, AC4, longsword, spear, dagger
Light Horse Soldiers – 200 troops, 5 leader – 2000 gp, AC6, longsword, lance
Heavy Horse Soldiers – 250 troops, 6 leader – 4000 gp, AC 2, longsword lance
Crossbow Troops – 400, 10 leaders – 1600 gp, AC 5, heavy crossbow, shortsword
51 Officers – 510 gp, AC 2 better than troop they lead
25 Armorer – 2500 gp
10 Smiths – 200 gp
4 Equerry – 200 gp
Artillerist – 750 gp
2 Flying Equerry – 500 gp

He gets income and expenses each month, and then rolls for population changes, and events. It will take 2 months before they will start getting taxes in. He also gets XP on an even level with his taxes, so he makes 2902 XP the first month, and then it heads up from there.


Navy – 8 ships

Current Confidence of March – 355 – Healthy




Since his military hasn’t grown this year, it was rising to numbers he increased the previous year, he again invests in growing his army.

He will hire:

250 Light Foot Soldiers - 500 gp a month
100 Heavy Foot Soldiers - 400 gp
100 Light Horse - 1000 gp
100 Crossbow Troops - 400 gp
6 Officers - 60 gp
2 Armorer - 200 gp
1 Smith - 20 gp
1 Equerry - 50 gp

Total increase of 2630 gp a month in army expense.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Tellistto

Nice stuff, Abe! Glad to see this back in action. Looking foward to the next saga!

Tell

The next chamber might get a little more gonzo than that Defender of the Plane traveling through time one we just had.

[Abe Sargent]

Month 1, Year 6

This month a major comet comes through the skies and drops domain confidence by 15.

There is a Divine Liturgy this month. The church gets an extra 5% donation to start off the year.

The bows and arrows are simple to figure out, but thus far, Alzar is unable to decipher or figure out the sapphire pendant. It’s clearly magical of some sort, and since it was worn by an Airdrake and in the shape of a dragon perhaps it is a draconic enhancer or in creation nor some such. Alzar has been unable to find an expert or someone who knows enough to tell him


Halfway through the month, Alzar receives an appearance from one of the local dwarven clerics from Hammerhelm. They have brought a message to Alzar from the Immortal Morena to whom their church is dedicated to. It was Morena who freed Alzar from his curse, but that was for helping dwarves out in the finding of the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords and removing the infestation in a local dwarven city. Alzar pledged himself to helping out once more.


There is a dwarven society deep underground. They need the services of someone extremely powerful to help them to simply survive. It’s that bad. Alzar spends a day doing some prep work, and then heads over to the Church of Morena for more information….



4 days later, Alzar can’t believe what he has found out. It’s largely a secret from most, but Morena herself confided in him as to what is happening.

See, Pandius isn’t really a round planet. With a variety of lands and nations. No, it’s more like a big, great, bubble. And the with a world of nations and cultures on the outside, and another on the inside…

[Abe Sargent]

The Hollow World:


Here is the Ancient history of the Hollow World:

“BC 10,000: The Brute-Men race is on the decline in the outer world. They are gradually being replaced by hardier, more adaptable races- the Neathar men, dwarves, elves, and halflings. (PWA1012)

BC 6000: The Hollow World is very sparsely populated. Many regions are inhabited by giant reptiles which are now extinct in the Outer World; the only sentient race in the Hollow World is a species of Neanderthal-like near-human. (HW)

BC 5500: Powerful burrowing monsters created by Thanatos infiltrate the Hollow World and begin to corrupt the Brute-Men culture there. (HW)

BC 5300: The Brute-Men tribes begin to fall upon one another in savage, irrational wars. These wars rage, off and on, for three centuries. (HW)

BC 5000: The Immortals destroy the corrupt elements of the Brute-Men culture, and then cast their Spell of Preservation on the Hollow World; now, sentient races placed within the Hollow World will always retain their distinctive characteristics. (HW)

BC 4000: With the situation on the outer world relatively stable, the Immortals confine themselves to placing a few human tribes and a few animal species within the Hollow World; this is a time of comparative peace there. (HW)

BC 3500: A large number of Neathar tribes are placed in the Hollow World so that the original Neathar culture will be preserved. They are placed to the north of the great equatorial mountain range, away from the Brute-Men. They swiftly grow in numbers and spread in all directions through the northern hemisphere. (HW)

BC 3300: Ka now implements Korotiku's ideas for a massive centre of mortal knowledge in the Hollow World. He instructs certain very wise beings of all sentient races to travel to a very secluded mountain valley; there, they are to interact, to build a great library, to accumulate and exchange knowledge. This secret library, protected by Ka all through its history, is to become the Lighthouse. (HW)

BC 3000: The Blackmoor’s spaceship explosion catches the Immortals off-guard; they cannot summon enough power to prevent its most harmful effects. The Blackmoor civilization is eradicated before they can preserve any part of it. The Oltec and Azcan races are threatened with imminent extinction by the changing climate brought about by the Rain of Fire, so large numbers of both tribes are magically whisked to the Hollow World. They are placed in the land to the north of the great equatorial mountain range; the Azcans are located in the forests next to the sea, which they name the Aztlan Ocean. The Oltecs are placed to their southeast, with a great swamp separating them and the Azcans. Both races encounter the numerous Neathar tribes; the Oltecs leave them alone, while the Azcans wage war on the Neathar, always trying to expand their borders. (HW)

BC 3000-2500: Ka and his ally-Immortals must spend hundreds of years and incalculable magical energy to prevent the sudden change in the planet's axis from destroying whole regions of the Hollow World. The Immortals create new, gigantic, fog-clad openings to the outside world at the location of the new poles, and seal up the former (smaller) polar openings. They also work madly to preserve numerous Known World human tribes from extinction; these include some of the Tanagoro tribes. The Tanagoro are placed in the plains south of the great equatorial mountain range, south and west of the Brute-Men; the Tanagoro think of those races as monsters and keep well away from their hills and mountains. (HW)

BC 2410: It is obvious to the Immortals that the southern elves are doomed, but this leaves them with a quandary. They want to preserve that Elvish culture, but not the technologies which nearly destroyed the world. They settle on a compromise: They will magically alter the devices upon which the elves have grown so dependent, so that these devices will operate in only one certain valley in the Hollow World. That way, the dangerous sciences of Blackmoor cannot infect any other part of the Hollow World. Many of the elves of the southern continent are transplanted to the Hollow World. They are placed in a warm, volcanically-heated series of valleys near the southern polar opening, far away from any of the other Hollow World cultures. (HW)

BC 2400: The Immortals are intrigued by the Beastmen. Since they are now beginning to breed in recognizable strains, the original "chaotic" race is threatened with extinction. The Immortals take a few Beastmen tribes, magically restore them to their original chaotic state, and lead them to the Hollow World. They don't magically transport the Beastmen into the Hollow World; they inspire one leader/colonizer to lead followers northward, and those Beastmen eventually wander their way into the Hollow World. They settle in the icy lands near the northern polar opening. (HW)

BC 1800: The dwarves transplanted to the Hollow World, who mostly belong to the Kogolor clans, thrive in their new lands. They have been placed in eastern mountains just north of the great equatorial mountain range, fairly distant from other sentient races; they have occasional contact with the Neathar tribes to the north and west, but are largely left to their own devices. (HW)

BC 1722: The Immortals Odin and Thor have sent whole Antalian tribes into the Hollow World, placing them in icy lands south and east of the Beastmen territories. The Antalians thrive in their new home, happily fighting among themselves, with the Beastmen to the north and with the Neathar tribes to the southwest. (HW)

BC 1650: A surviving clan of Glantrian elves from the outer world finds its way to the Hollow World through thousands of miles of subterranean passages. The tribe emerges in lands thickly occupied by hostile Neathar tribes and dinosaurs; they migrate northward, to lands similar to frozen Glantri, and settle in the mountains south of the Beastmen and west of the Antalians. They call their new land Icevale. (HW)

Atziann, elf-king and sole survivor of his clan, emerges in the Hollow World near the Azcan capital; fascinated by them, and using his magic to move unseen among them, he stays with the Azcans for several years before embarking on his own path to Immortality. (HW)

BC 1600: The Immortal Tarastia preserves several clans of the self-destructing Jennite culture, choosing to save only the more traditional horde. She transfers them to the Hollow World, placing them in the southern hemisphere, south of the forests and plains occupied by the Tanagoro tribesmen. The Jennites begin a fierce rivalry and occasional warfare with the Tanagoro men. (HW)

BC 1500: The elf-king Atziann, now calling himself Atzanteotl, achieves Immortality in the Sphere of Entropy and begins his plans to corrupt the Shadow Elves and the Azcan race. He begins whispering to selected Shadow Elves and Azcan rulers of the power and glory he can bring them, and lures them away from their faiths. Increasing numbers of Shadow Elves (especially those of the Schattenalfen clan) turn from the worship of Rafiel to that of Atzanteotl; likewise, many Azcans turn away from Otzitiotl and Kalaktatla. (HW- note that Shadow Elves didn't begin to worship Rafiel until finding the Refuge of Stone in 1104 BC- see GAZ13)

BC 1494: A terrible plague strikes Chitlacan, killing almost two-thirds of its population. Atruatzin, himself a survivor of the disease, is driven from Chitlacan by his rivals, who are secretly supported by the Immortal Atzanteotl. Atruatzin and his loyal followers retire to the mountain fortress of Quauhnahuac. (HWR1)

BC 1484: Driven by the whispers of Atzanteotl, and his own fears that Atruatzin may reclaim the throne, the treacherous new Azcan emperor leads a massive assault on Quauhnahuac. Everyone found in the fortress is slain or sacrificed, but of Atruatzin there is no trace. The priests curse the land on which Quauhnahuac is built, and sow salt among the ruins. (HWR1)

BC 1470: The Chochomecs (an Azcan tribe) desert Atacalpa, migrating to Oltec lands of the east. (HWR1)

BC 1468: Atruatzin and his followers find a resting place, where they build a temple to the old Immortals. They name it Mictlan, after the legendary land of the dead. (HWR1)

BC 1420: The underground elven wanderers stumble upon Mictlan, and overthrow the humans. Those elves who have been seduced by Atzanteotl declare that the temple is sacred to him, and he has given them victory over their enemies and a place to call home. These elves become the Schattenalfen. Most of the elves are uneasy about this alien Immortal, but they are weary, and so they settle and build the city of Aengmor. Atruatzin escapes alone. (HWR1)

BC 1400: A colonizing party of Shadow Elves, mostly Schattenalf followers of Atzanteotl, retraces the path of that earlier, lost expedition, and finds the Hollow World. They emerge just north of the great equatorial mountain range, right in the middle of the Kogolor dwarf territory. They immediately begin a war against the dwarves, whose lands they want. The Immortal Kagyar causes Denwarf, the former leader of the Outer World's dwarves, to help the Kogolors against the Shadow Elves. (HW)

BC 1395: The Schattenalfen are badly beaten by the Kogolor dwarves and must break off the war. They continue travelling west, to an area not infested with dwarves, and settle there. But due north of their new lands are the Azcans, whose culture and architecture are disturbingly and insultingly like theirs (a result of Atzanteotl's guidance of the Schattenalf culture, though they don't know this); the Schattenalfen hate these people, whom they see as a mockery of their culture, and begin an ages-long war with the Azcans. (HW)

Kagyar places Denwarf in a state of suspended animation, transferring him to a cavern deep beneath the Dengar caverns of Rockhome. (HW)

BC 1290: Atzanteotl surrounds Aengmor with lava, slaying many underground elves. The survivors flee into the deepest tunnels and recesses below the Broken Lands. (GAZ13)

BC 1000: In the wake of the humanoid invasions, the Immortals are quite busy selecting endangered cultures for preservation in the Hollow World. The Traldar and many other cultures are preserved in this fashion. The Traldar are placed on the coast of the Aztlan Ocean right where the great equatorial mountains reach the ocean; they call that body of water the Atlass Ocean. They're south of the Schattenalfen and north of virgin territories. They quickly spread out to inhabit all their mountainous seacoast lands. Not co-operative enough among themselves to form an empire, they occupy themselves with pirate raids into Azcan territories. (HW)

Many Makai are transplanted to the Hollow World to preserve their culture in the face of Nithian assimilation. Placed in an archipelago south of the equator, they resume their carefree, peaceful existence. (HW)

Meanwhile, an expedition of Shadow Elves leaves the City of Stars in an effort to find the path to the surface world. Instead, they find their way to the Hollow World, where they are fatally poisoned by the rays of the eternal sun. Some of them make it back to the City of Stars with news of their voyage, but all soon perish. (HW)

BC 900: Atruatzin visits Quauhnahuac. (HWR1)

BC 896: First Shadow Elf exploration to the surface world ends in disaster with few survivors. They find only a fiery, deadly, red sun. (GAZ13- note similarity to BC 1000 entry above)

BC 795: Atruatzin completes the Path of the Polymath and achieves Immortality; he joins the Sphere of Matter. (HWR1)

BC 500: The Immortals gather up great numbers of Nithians, those untouched by the evil of Thanatos and Ranivorus, and transplant them to the banks of a great river similar to the River Nithia in the Hollow World. They swiftly rebuild their civilization. They are near only to the Tanagoro warriors and Jennite riders to the west; they begin on-again, off-again wars against the Tanagoro and Jennites to seize their fertile plains and acquire slaves. (HW)

With the destruction of the Nithians, the Immortal Pflarr, insulted by the Nithians' betrayal, turns his back on the outer world. He turns his attention to the Hollow World Nithians, and sets up a colony of Hutaaka in a sheltered valley of the Hollow World- west of the Brute-Men, north of the Nithians. (HW)

The Immortals also cure and transport remnants of the Malpheggi lizard men race to the Hollow World, placing them in the great swamp between the Azcans and the Oltecs. Both the Azcans and the Schattenalfen find mercenary allies among the Malpheggi. (HW)

Kepher becomes the first Pharaoh of Nithia in the Hollow World. (HWR2)

BC 492: The Immortal Karaash takes pity on a band of particularly valiant orc-warriors led by their chieftain, Krugel. Trapped by dwarves during their assault on Rockhome, surrounded in the Sardal Pass, and in imminent danger of being wiped out, they demonstrate ferocity and gallantry unusual in orc-warriors. Karaash transports them to the Hollow World, to the arid plains north of the Kogolor dwarves. (HW)

BC 450: Krugel, leader of the Hollow World orcs, dies. In his lifetime, he has transformed a couple of hundred followers into a well-trained, well-motivated, well-supplied horde of conquest minded plains riders, who now take his name to honour him. They will be called the Krugel Horde. They continue to attack and sack communities of the Neathar to the west and the Kogolor dwarves to the south. They do not want to conquer lands; they want loot. (HW)

BC 322: A Schattenalfen attack annihilates the southern Azcan city of Axateotl for the seventh, and last, time. (HWR1)

BC 250: The Immortal Korotiku, charmed by the cleverness and ruthlessness of the pirates of Thyatis, transplants several communities of them to the Hollow World, establishing them in equatorial islands not far from the territories settled by the Traldar. He has conceived an interesting experiment for the Hollow World. He's decided that it would be interesting to populate one area of the Hollow World seas with pirates, creating a new culture which is exclusively piratical. (HW)

BC 100: The newly-transplanted Milenians begin to reforge their civilisation along its original lines. Placed on the virgin seacoast far south of the Traldar lands, they have the warlike Tanagoro and Jennite races to their east. They build their empire on the coast and in lands seized from the Tanagoro and Jennites, who become their recurring enemies. (HW)

AC 50: An Alphatian wizard, by magical experimentation with wood-imps and pixies, creates a small humanoid race he calls the Kubitts. They average a foot and a half tall; he gives them their name from an old Milenian word for the measurement a foot and a half. He makes them independent and strong, but when he tries to force them to perform deeds against their wishes, they rise up against him and kill him. The Immortal Vanya, smitten by these diminutive warriors, transplants the entire race to a hidden jungle valley in the Hollow World. (HW)”

So that’s ancient history.

Here’s the key points to take away. The Hollow World is a place where some Immortals (Ka, Vanya, Thanatos, etc) put their favorite cultures, people, monsters ,and more to store them away and keep them as is. They have protected the area with a few things, and the key to that is the Spell of Preservation, which keeps everything fresh from their own nature. There are immortal spells about that prevent anyone from teleporting or magic’ing from the outer world to the hollow world, or vice versa. In fact, you can’t even circumvent your way around that by moving through planes. If you enter another plan from the Hollow World, you cannot appear in the outer one later, and vice versa, you’ll always come back to the one you left. You have to get there the old fashioned route of travel.

In fact, the Immortals don’t even know how it got here they just came across the Hollow World and began to use it - Ka the Preserver is the major driving force behind HW. Ka was originally a reptile who achieved immortality and now is a major player. There is a great World-Shield that keeps detection magic, transportation magic, and such from one side to the other.

The World Shield and Spells of Preservation make magic harder to learn and cast here, people are a bit xenophobic and prefer their own cultures and people to others. Spells that open a gate to any other plane can only be used to exit the Hollow World, they cannot be used to summon others - like elementals or invisible stalkers and such. They aren’t going to be down there unless they took the long way. They could be banished back home though.

Almost 900 years have passed since the end of that timeline.

There is one great ball of red light in the middle of the “sky” that is constantly on all day long. There are islands in the sky as well, and they are pretty big. As those islands pass overhead, shadows move and change - and locals tell time by those shifting shadows and where the islands are in the orbit around the “Sun”

So there are flying continents in the sky, and then ground-based civilizations and such as well.

There is no horizon. You can see land curving up and all around as far as your eye can make out. While north and south are still relatively up and down, east and west are reversed here. Left is east, and right west.

There are two major entrance at exists at the poles, and Alzar is fairly near the north pole here in Norwold. So he’s going to head over, and then begin to head down. Much like he did when he plunged into the Underdark, he’s taking as much of what he needs ahead of time, since he can’t quickly teleport back if he needs a different set of spells or a different set of magical items.

[Abe Sargent]

Let me toss you some pics of the Hollow World


How about this cross-section?

[Abe Sargent]

Hmm...too wide? How about if I find a smaller one? That's better.

[Abe Sargent]

This is Northern Iciria, where we'll be:





Note the Antalian Wastes, in the North-East of teh map (which is in the upper left corner, get used to wonky directions here)

[Abe Sargent]

Morena needs someone of Alzar’s power level to help out her sub-race of dwarves that is being driven to extinction. There are not a lot down there (Mages, for example, have to have an INT of 16 rather than 9 to be a mage. And there are not that many spells down there - it’s not very diverse, magically) So she gives him a heads up as to what doesn’t work, magically, here in the Hollow World pre-expedition:

Holding - Hold Person, Hold Monster, Ghoul Touch
Charming and Domination - Snake Charm, Charm Person, Charm Monster, Geas, etc
Summoning - Invisible Stalker, Conjure Elemental. Monster Summoning III, etc
Coming Back To Life - Raise Dead, Resurrection, Reincarnation
Instantaneous Travel - Blink, Teleport, Dimension Door, Gate, etc Changing travel speed or things like Fly and Levitate work.
Divining with other People - ESP, Know Alignment, Commune, Speak with Dead, etc.

As divination works with the surroundings, Read Magic, Detect Magic, Locate Object -that works

Within that context, there is a lot of wiggle room. For example, Necromancy is unchanged. Alzar can animate a plethora of dead stuff. He can kill with Finger of Death, Death Spell, Wail of the Banshee, use Vampiric Touch and more.

Any magic item that duplicates those effects also doesn’t work, so Alzar frees a lot of his space by moving that out. He also grabs a couple of spells from his spell books and memorizes them to make up for this:


He will swap these spells in from his spellbooks:

2nd:

Melf’s Acid Arrow

3rd Level:

Mummy Touch


4th Level:

Rain of Terror
Merald’s Murderous Mist


5th Level:

Fiendform




6th:

Dimensional Blade
Lich Touch



7th:

Prismatic Spray



All of these spells have various effects that Alzar can do. He finally just commits and grabs Melf’s Acid Arrow and similar stuff from the conjuration school. It’s not something he normally wants. A spell like Blastbones or Skulltrap can be used in combat, but can also set up traps, used defensively, and give permanent benefits until triggered. They are more powerful. But the Arrow is just a dorky little combat damage spell. And yet, the whole point of creating the Fivefold Path to Power is to embrace power. And here, under the world, with his Ring of Wizardry giving him 12 2nd level spells, and with many of the more powerful ones not working, and with this world only allowing one memorization per day per spell, Alzar can’t turn away, from this specific situation, from a spell like Prismatic Spry or Melf’s Acid Arrow.


Time to head down.

[Abe Sargent]

If Alzar takes any summoned creatures down, then when their duration expires, they still go home, so a griffon from the Mount spell will disappear and an Earth Elemental does the same. So Alzar uses one final teleport to get him to the Northern Pole, hundreds of miles to the north, and then begins to descend. The pole is open and miles and miles across.


Other than his normal spells (Dispel Magic, Ray of Ondovir, etc) what does he now have?

1st - Enlarge, Warning Trumpet, Protection from Good (Replace Mount, Charm Person, Hypnotism)
2nd - Melf’s Acid Arrow, Spectral Hand, Skeletal Hands, Undead Mount, Wild Swing(Replace Summon Swarm, Ghoul Touch, Empathic Control, Empathic Control, ESP)
3rd - Mummy Touch (Replaces Dire Charm)
4th - Merald’s Murderous Mist, Rain of Terror (Replace Charm Monster, Morden…Maidens)
5th - Chaos, Deathmaster’s Vial, Fiendform, Vile Venom (Replace Conjure Elemental, Domination, Summon Shadow, Hold Monster)
6th - Dimensional Blade, Curse of Lycanthropy, Lich Touch(Replace Geas, Invisible Stalker, Teleport Other)
7th - Prismatic Spray, Amorphous Blob, Negative Plane Protection (Replace Mass Teleport, Conjure Greater, Teleport w/o Error)
8th - Power Word, Blind (For Mass Charm)
9th - Energy Drain, Lauthdryn’s Cleaving (For Mass Domination, Virus Charm)


Obviously, as things change, his spell selection may as well. But this is likely to be his default spell list.


Alzar wants to take some permanent aids with him. He sets up a “Quick Station”. He has his Tabi here at the North Pole, and he’ll have Megala the flying Homunculus about 20 miles past the World Shield. He can communicate with Megala, but not the Tabi, due to the World Shield. So he has a variety of scrolls of blank parchment and ink wells and such. He will have Megala write down any messages to send to the court, and deliver them to his tabi, Ak’Kabar, and then Every day the magist from his March checks on the Tabi to see if it has any new messages. Meanwhile, the magist can send a message to Alzar by teleporting it to the Tabi, and having Megala pick it up on his daily visit.


Alzar will have just a handful of allies with him:

Azzil, his Imp


Otherdimensional space works here. Aleph is in the Warp Marble:

Bronze Golem, Named Aleph:

Bronze Golem – AC 0, HD 20, HP 97, THAC0 – 3, 1 attack fist 3d10 damage +1d10 heat damage;

Deals 1d10 heat damage from its scaling hot “blood” inside the being. That fiery liquid spurts out when it takes damage to whoever hit it, or when it punches because it makes contact. Immune to heat, and requires a +2 magical weapon to hit.


This is the Golem that he controlled with the Talisman of the Golem. He’s leaving behind all other constructs to guard things, and his Android Bodyguard is in OtherSpace, and has a few items from the crashed spaceship to use. Technology won’t be affected by any of this anti-magic stuff. Alzar has added some high-tech items to his armory, when removing others that aren’t of value here.


Alzar heads down. The World Shield itself has anti-magic properties, so Alzar rides the cold winds down with his Flying Carpet, and then when he hits the anti-magic area, and the Flying Carpet stops working Alzar and his carpet begin to plummet. He activates the jetpack on his back and grabs the carpet. He rides it down for around 20 miles and then drops off Megala shortly thereafter. Then he stores the jetpack and finishes on the carpet.

About one day passes. Alzar’s Ring of Warmth keeps him fine.

Alzar arrives in the Hollow World…

[Abe Sargent]

Welcome to the Hollow World. Place where ancient nations and cultures, like the Nithian Empire, the Azcan Empire and the Milenian Empire still rule, and where ancient Neanderthals with stone weapons fight off attacks from dinosaurs and werewolves, and undead packs prey on the countless pirates of the high seas.

The human settlement closest to the entrance by the North Pole are the Antalian Wastes, ruled by village-dwelling hunters and reavers, and very barbaric. They are former descendants of the barbarians in the northern part of Norwold. They are a hard-frozen area where life is harsh and hard won.

Alzar’s first target is supposed to be in this mountain range.


Begin the Lost Shrine of Bundushatur



Published in 1998, I like adding it to the collection for a few reasons. Firstly, it has a dwarven presence, so I can slide it in very easily. Secondly, it is layered on top of a very strong chaos vs law element that plays nicely in Mystara. I can amp up the power level a bit here and there easily enough. Finally, it’s a module that Alzar would obviously have a easy ability to handle, and one that therefore makes sense for him to be tied into.

[Abe Sargent]

A day after searching, Alzar finds an entrance to the lost land of Isar, where the Isarite Dwarves are found. The Isarites were a favorite branch of dwarves of Morena from above that were threatened with extinction around 1300 years ago. She moved a group of them to the Hollow World to keep them alive, and the last Isarites died around 1250 years ago, leaving just the tribe here, under the world.

There is a single village of Isar people, here in the peak of the Thunderdelve Mountain. Alzar passes by some entrances, and arrives into a corridor carved by the dwarves. There are no dwarves to greet him here, however.

Alzar presses on, and after a half hour, finally finds the city of Isar, a dwarfhold of around 2000 dwarves. It has been largely destroyed very recently. The temple to Morena was leveled, and there are numerous buildings, homes, and more destroyed. There is a great cavern here that stretches up, and an underground lake next to the homes that was used in part for food and in part for drink. Alzar begins to investigate. There are a few bodies of dwarves here, but not more than 20 or 30. As he does, he comes across some wounded and battle tested Isarite dwarves.

He speaks their language via the axe that other dwarves once made for him in Mystara’s past. They were recently attacked by undead and forces of chaos that hit the city hard. Most of the dwarves made it out alive, and are hiding in some tunnels nearby. But they have been driven out for now. Alzar connects with them and tells them about Morena sending him, and the three of them begin to tear up at Morena continued loyalty.

They show Alzar where it all started. In the center of the lake is an old shrine that rose from the waters around 2 weeks ago, and from which the undead and chaotic forces came. That shrine is an old shrine of chaos. Long ago, about 75 years before the Isarites arrived, Thunderdelve Mountain was the site of a pivotal battle between a group of seven powerful creatures that called themselves the Lords of Chaos. The local powers of law fought against them, and eventually they won. The temple of chaos’s foundation was destroyed and it was driven underwater. The Isarites were here in part to keep an eye on things to make sure that chaos would never again get a handle on the Mountain that shrine or the area. Clearly, that did not happen.

Alzar tells the dwarves to head back to the others, and heads away himself to prepare to investigate the once-hidden shrine of chaos…

[Abe Sargent]

(from the back of the module:

“Long ago the Lords of Chaos strove with the forces of Law and were defeated. Their great temple destroyed and their minions scattered to the four winds, the Chaos Lords withdrew, and a new balance held sway in the land. But prophecy said that one day the fallen temple would rise again, heralding the Lords' return to spread Chaos across the world once more.

And now comes a cry for help from the dwarves of Isar, saying that the Lost Shrine has risen from beneath the dark waters of the lake that kept it hidden for thirteen centuries. Already forces are gathering - some eager to plunder the temple's legendary treasures, some wishing to join under the Chaos Lords' banner, some desperate to destroy the shrine before the world they know is swept away.

"Find the Chaos Key," says the prophecy. "The hand that holds the Key may shape the future." But will you be in time to be the one?”)


PDF here if you want to follow along:

http://cporter.net/rpgs/books/Dungeo...undushatur.pdf


Some Shrine keys:

Doors are locked and require a Break Doors roll to open (Alzar’s magically enhanced str auto-succeeds, but it’ll be loud.)

Everything radiates magic

Everything is intensely chaotic. Lawful characters get -1 to saves, to hit ( I added this one to increase the level of difficulty)

All undead here are Chaos variants of undead and cannot be controlled or turned by lawful characters (I am amping this defense as well). Any attempts to do so that would normally succeed simply turn them “off” for 2 rounds.

All encounters are hostile, unless otherwise stated ,and cannot be negotiated by a lawful character.

No surprise chances by Alzar

[Abe Sargent]

The shrine itself is a bit worn and beaten. It has been hit in over a millennia of disuse, although it still look better than would be expected. There is an octagon shaped pointed structure that can be made out, and its flat, with no levels above it.

Alzar knows he’ll be unable to scry down here in the Hollow World and doesn’t even try. Alzar moves to scout out the entrance for a bit. There is a doorway, but no door. After a few minutes of nothing coming out or any additional information, Alzar moves to the island, and he swaps a few items from OtherSpace. Knowing he has fewer ways to handle people en-masse he has a few items in his person, like wands and such ready. He has Azzil on his shoulder invisible, and smashes his Warp Marble at the opening to pull out Aleph, the bronze golem. He’ll lead with the golem down here, since Aleph is eminently disposable.

Inside the entrance are numerous bodies, all fresh, of humanoid creatures. There are almost 25 of them here, and one in front has a gold necklace and a blood-written message on the ground in an ancient tongue that reads, “Flee, All is Lost.”

Alzar can feel a necrotic presence in the room. All of the bodies are undead, and Alzar’s Necrology skill tells him they are ghouls, although a bit altered. Alzar reaches out to control them like normal, but it doesn’t work. 6 shut down like they are puppets and their cords have been severed and 17 ghouls rise to attack him!

Alzar pulls back behind the Golem, who is body blocking the doorway. A bronze golem like Aleph requires a +2 magical item or magical spells to hit it. And normal undead like ghouls would not be able to touch it. But these are chaos infused ghouls, and they have been magicked by the Shrine a bit. And they are fully able to damage his Golem. It’s still hard, it has a huge AC, but two scratches claw it for 7 damage. They take damage from the fiery metallic liquid inside that causes it to run.

Aleph Golem - 90/97

Alzar does have a spell that should clean these out quite nicely, but it’s a high level, and it could be required later on. Most of his mass damage is necromantic in nature, like Skulltrap, and these Chaos Ghouls are immune to that damage. Spells like Death Spell, Wail of the Banshee or Merald’s Murderous Cloud are going to be totally ineffective here. He grabs the Wand of Fire from his bandolier and fires a small Fireball in the room for 5d6 damage. He’s already seen that they still take fire and heat damage, so that’s the best bet. He’ll save his more powerful magic spells for later. His golem is immune to heat damage, and he ticks off 3 charges from the wand.

4000 XP

[Abe Sargent]

They enter and the ghouls were cleared out. Nothing is left in the chamber, and there are exits from here to the left and right. Doors appear off the right side down each corridor and then the corridors bend out of sight. Alzar heads to the first. He tries the star of Mo’Pilar but no good. The Ear Ring is similarly not-helpful, and the Finger Nail won’t work here in the Hollow World anyways.

The first room is a 15x15 room that is totally empty. The golem heads in to search and finds a grey ooze hidden and slays it. Nothing else here.


The other door opens to a similarly shaped room. There appears to be some writing on the southern wall. The magical dwarf-forged axe made for Alzar Selinyr allows him to translate it. It’s in an ancient tongue as well and reads, “Don’t look now.”

Alzar waits for a moment and nothing. Not able to detect traps or anything, he has the golem toss a fiery ghoul corpse into the room and the walls begin to close and crush the corpse. Nothing else can be detected here.

They head down the corridor, golem leading. It bends twice to the left and there are two doors on the left and an open chamber at the end. After the golem forced open the first door, there are some more undead inhere - 6 ghouls and 3 ghasts. There are a trip of corpses on the ground being snacked on - those are all dead dwarves that were recently killed. Alzar ‘s axe is in hand. He gets three attacks a turn (Axe, Axe, Shield). With his bonuses he needs a 3, a3, and a 8 to hit, and he can kill a ghoul with one hit and a ghast with two.

He smashes and hews two ghouls dead on his first turn. His golem punches and kills a 3rd. The ghouls attack Alzar and miss (cloak) and then the ghasts attack hi, and the golem and miss.

They win init. Alzar takes 9 damage from three hits (they do little damage, and do not paralyze here (Hollow World). Alzar smashes some creatures, and two turns later, the room is cleared out.

Alzar grabs his Ring of Regeneration and pairs it with the Ring of Wizardry on the other hand.

1500 XP
Jeweled Bracelet - 1500 gp

There is a secret door in here, Alzar finishes the corridor first though.

[Abe Sargent]

The next door bursts open as well. There are 4 Juju Zombies here, more powerful undead creatures in the service of chaos apparently. Alzar’s weapons are out.


2 rounds of death.

Alzar takes more damage - 17 total. But the Ring is quickly ending that.

Brooch of Shield Spell - 9 charges left, use one charge to activate the Shield spell, 1st level.


3500 XP

At the end of the corridor there is a room with a Gelatinous Cube that the Golem auto-kills.

+1 Dagger
250 GP
Cursed - +2 Long Sword of Cowardice

While waiting for the Ring of Regeneration to fully heal him, he casts Deathmaster’s Vial. He has five small vials he prepared, and can use them as missile weapons for the next two hours before the go stale. They are on his belt.

Alzar heads back and skips the secret door for now and heads to the other corridor. It turns twice to the right and there are two doors to the right and an open chamber beyond the corridor. Identical to the first.

This 15x15 chamber opens to reveal some desiccated bodies of selkies that must have penetrated here to explore. There is a giant web casing above, and a giant water spider above. The water spider recoils from him, and climbs up the web and wall into the corner, not wanting to mess with the power radiating from him and the golem with him. Smart. Nothing else in here and Alzar continues.

[Abe Sargent]

The next door opens to reveal an old and deserted guard room, with another quartet of Juju zombie,s who are also slain in 2 rounds, and are guarding another secret door.

Alzar heads to the end of the corridor and there is a damp. 15x20 foot room here with a large rend in the side of the shrine. The ruins here also penetrated. There are numerous aquatic plants here, and a number of them are dying, having been away from water for as long as they have. There is a triton in here, who introduces himself to Alzar. He introduces himself and says he is here to inspect the shrine, since it rose and disturbed the nearby ecosystem. Alzar uses the Star of Mo’Pilar to check on it, and it’s an illusion of a human mage. “How is a triton from deep under-seas in a lake in the cave?”

The man whispers Alzar is too clever by far, and then states that there is a channel that runs to the south. Fair enough, Alzar accepts him, and his offer of help. Alzar bends down to grab a dead plant and slips one of the Vials underneath the fronds of it. He asks the Triton what it was, since he’s not seen it before. With the human’s attention on the plant, and trying to come with a good answer, Alzar mentally has Azzil slip invisibly over the human to position himself flying gently over him. He uses the vial and tosses it at the illusionist as he orders Azzil to strike him from behind.

Alzar’s grenade his for 3d8 damage and deals 5+5+2 - 12 damage total. No save. Azzil gets an ambush but still misses. The opponent is angered, and roars in anger.

Battle

Alzar gets 7, he gets 6.

The foe casts a 5th level spell that simulates a 3rd level Lightning Bolt, but Alzar knows enough now to disbelieve and takes just 20% of the damage - 31 was rolled, so 7 damage.

Azzil stabs with his tail and….rolls a 12 and misses. Alzar spends the turn smashing him with the Barrier and casting a spell (cast do both if in melee, if you’ll recall, the Barrier is an artifact). He attacks and hits for 12 damage, and then casts Vampirc Touch and drains 23 from the target. He is fully healed. 47 damage and….his foe is also a cleric too (dual classes, just like Alzar) and has more hp than normal 58.

11 left

Next turn? He wins init and casts Cure Critical Wounds and heals 30. Azzil finally hits for 2 damage and forces a save vs poison or death, and our foe survives. Alzar’s Barrier smashes him for 10 damage and he grabs his axe. Golem punches and misses.

Alzar wins initiative and…wins. Dead cleric/illusionist

12500 XP

Bracers of Defense AC7
Changestaff - changes to any weapon and always deals 1d6+1 damage in combat
Oil of Slipperiness
Grave Key - Magical item that opens any locked coffin, tomb, crypt, etc.

And…

A small sliver of a larger item

No spellbook. Some rope and food and such, but nothng special.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar returns and the secret door cannot be opened, and he even tries the Grave Key to no lock. Alzar uses the Chime of Opening to open it.

This is a clean and open space. Undamaged by the sinking beneath the lake and the subsequent years. There is a large staircase down in the center of the chamber, and there are small rooms inside here that Alzar can see around. There are 4 large statues in the area, probably golems, guarding it. You how that is. Can’t have a secret area without a statue coming alive.

Alzar heads to the door to the right, and will check out that area first. There is a room here that is roughly triangular with a 30x20 feet rough shape to it. It’s an old, well furnished apartment. There are numerous old pieces of furniture or decorations that have faded with time. Silver candle holders, a canopy bed, and such. Alzar’s eyes light up when he sees a bookshelf in the far wall. But this room gives off a palpable Antipathy effect for any lawful characters. It feels somehow off to Alzar’s sense of order. Alzar has to make a save to enter the room, and fails. He steps back and heads back in after a few minute and makes another save. He wants to check out that bookshelf.

Alzar loses a point of Dexterity when he heads into the room and two more while searching. They’ll return after ten minutes of leaving it. Meanwhile, after searching everything first ,a pale voice comes to alzar…

“Who visits me after all these centuries?”

A form begins to coalesce into the velvet chair, an insubstantial form of a ghost. He is hiding behind the cowl of his cloak and Alzar cannot see his face, which of course protects him from an aging attack. With such a proper host, Alzar agrees to sit down.

This is the ghost of Draconus, an old 20th level wizard who helped rally forces of law against the Lords of Chaos. This shrine was intended to be the launching point for a major offensive against the Hollow World, and that could not be allowed. Therefore the ghost was imprisoned in the shrine as he died as a punishment for the victory he helped achieve. He tells Alzar about the top level, which is the shrine, and a lower level below it the proper base. He knows little of it, having been here forever . There is a key that must be assembled to head down, and it should mostly be in the center area, although a mage took one piece with him and fled.

Alzar inquires about how Draconus kept himself sane, revealing his under Necrology expertise. “Oh I know that you are fully evil, and not aligned with my own good interpretation of law. But are a greater champion for law than you realize, and we both struggle against them. I cast a Wish to keep my alignment, and another my spells, and now I am a ghost with my old memories, beliefs, and powers.”

He talks to Alzar’s long as Alzar wants. He has not spoken to anyone in a long time. The books on the shelves have been read over and over again. But he cannot leave this shrine, he is cursed to remain here. He does have one of the keys, and it fits the one Alzar already found, and he begins to assemble the Chaos Key.

Alzar heads over to take a look at the books and reviews them. They are actually ancient books on magic and religions. They are all documents that relate various histories and such of societies and people down here in the Hollow World. Alzar asks if he can come back later to make copies of them for his collections and Draconus agrees. There’s no secret knowledge. Alzar heads into OtherSpace and grabs a generic book there that’s on some minor topic he was reading and loans it to Draconus to read. It’s from Thorasia, so it’s not even this plane, but hey, it’s something, right?

Alzar tells Draconus about the huge library he has been collecting all of his life. Books from various worlds, and from places like the home of Castanamir, the Temple from the UnderDark, and even from Mystara’s own past, and the Temple of the Frog. As Alar tells him more and more about this library. Draconus is increasingly intrigued. Building it up is one of Alzar’s passions. And Alzar makes Draconus a deal. Alzar will take out the Temple of Chaos below, and end it, before it regains it’s full power and reawakens Chaos here below, and then Draconus will come with Alzar back home and can move into the library and become its warden, guardian, and read all of the various books he has there. They make the pact.



(See the cover image for this room and this person, btw

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar heads out and opens the next door. This room has a large pool and fountain, not working, with a pool of water in it. The golem heads in and the water is acidic, and there’s nothing here. The next room has a bunch of selkie here that died, and two corpses of wights on the ground. There is an old pillar here that was broken in the recent fight, and a 3rd part of the chaos key is here and taken.

Alzar heads to the door to another room and the door changes as he gets closer…


The door turns into a mighty portal of stone, and then one of wood, with steel bars and then shifts again. It shouts that it is a magic door, and that magic doors need to be fed. Alzar’s Star reveals nothing - no illusion or anything. This creature does match the description of a few creatures. Alzar heads into OtherSpace and grabs some feed and leaves it here. It begins to eat, telling him that the door has to been fed in a long time. Alzar inquires about a piece of treasure, the 4th piece of the key, and the “Magic Door” tells him about the dark robed wizard that came by, and there’s a piece right here. Alzar agrees to feed it more food, and it moves so that Alzar’s staff can slip into the doorway and pull out the 4th part of the key.

Alzar begins to move away…

“I am a magic door and I can be really handy! I have a million and one uses! We open. We close. We block halls and openings…surely my awesome magics will be of great aid against dire trouble!”

“You want to come with me!”

“Yes!”

“But you are a mimic, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what a ‘mimic’ is, never heard of it. But I’m a magic door.”

“Sure you are. And you’ll come quietly?”

“I will, I can grab you and go.”

“Hold on, “magic door”.”

Alzar slips back and grabs a potion from the OtherSpace.

“This is a potion of Universal Solvent. If you are a mimic, and you attach yourself to me with your glue, then you will be removed, and you will suddenly be an e-mimic, or ex-door, if you prefer, got it?”

“Got it!”

The Mimic, aka Magic Door, whose name is Bevidoro changes shape to that of a large box, and attached itself to Aleph, the golem, who won’t be disturbed in the least with the extra weight. Alright, let’s go.

[Abe Sargent]

The next door opens to a chamber of 8 frozen stone gargoyles. Alzar suspects moving gargoyles, and tosses a dead selkie into the room. They do animate as expected, but just move on wheels around the room, stabbing all over. They are not creatures, just moving weapons platforms. They are protecting one corner of the room, and the golem heads over and unearths a locked and trapped box. They open it, and a poison gas puffs out (Alzar is immune with his Necklace of Adaptation). Another piece of the Chaos Key is inside, and a gem worth 1500 GP


Gem - 1500 GP


There is a triangular room with 13 Wraiths in it, and this is what Alzar was saving that spell for. A bunch of powerful, energy draining undead. Alzar casts Negative Plane Protection. He wades in, immune to their attacks and draining effects. They have 35 hp each, they deal 1d6+energy drain with every hit. And They can’t touch Alzar with his spell. A few turns later, as some start to flee after he kills a bunch, he “controls” them which freezes them for a moment, and then carves his axe nto them and finishes them.

26000 XP


Alzar grabs another section from the Chaos Key in here.

Another room has five statues in them that seem to be carved of sandstone and they are vaguely humanoid. They look like adventures, and are beginning to crack and sand is breaking slowly. Alzar has time to do something.

Alzar fails a Spellcraft proficiency check and does not know what they are under (Temporal Stasis spell, in case you care).

Round One - Alzar casts Transmute Rock to Mud - a common spell to weaken earth and rock creatures. It does not work on them ((had he made his check, he would have skipped this, knowing it wouldn’t have worked)

Round Two - Alzar decides to just stand back and wait, preparing some items and switching them around, in case.


Round 4 - They are freed. Five champions of chaos who willingly allowed themselves to be prisonered here until they were needed again and the shrine rose There are three warriors, one mage, and one cleric. Alzar greets them. They demand to know who he asks, and speak in an ancient language, but as he speaks it, their suspicions begin to ally (They are speaking the secret chaotic tongue of the temple from more than a millennia ago).

They introduce themselves to Alzar and asks if he is a Champion of Chaos as well. He tells them the truth, that more than 1300 years have passed since the shrine was defeated and sunk beneath the lake’s waters. It rose again two weeks ago, and waves of undead attacked, but have since died.

But no, Alzar is not a champion. He won’t lie to them.

They order Alzar to leave this holy place. He is not welcome here.

He can’t leave, not yet. He has not finished exploring, nor has he done whatever it is that brought him here.

The fighters raise their weapons, the mage and cleric begin to attack.

Battle begins

Cleric - Bless cast. Wizard - Haste Cast.

Fighters move to flank Alzar from getting to their spellcasters, and attack with axem. Sword and sword. All miss - cloak.

Alzar’s golem punches a fighter for 11 damage. Alzar casts a spell that will actually work on the living - Wail of the Banshee.

The mage and a fighter drop dead immediately. They look a bit confused. That’s not the sort of good, clean, magic they would normally expect.

Next round.

The cleric casts Silence at Alzar and it works. Alzar takes 9 damage from a slash.

Alzar slides to his Axe and begins to attack. He other wise misses.

Next round -

Alzar wins init and smashes and hit with axe and shield and a fighter takes 44 damage. The golem hits this turn too and another 14 damage is doled out. The fighters attack multiple times each with specialization and Alzar is hit for 17 damage.

The cleric casts Cure Critical and heals 30. Alzar’s squad adds 55.

They win and hit Alzar for 12, and then add 20 more healing. Alzar and the golem finish him though.

Just one fighter and cleric left

The last fighter, begins a fighting retreat and Alzar slashes him with his Axe for 20 damage. Azzil who has been trying to invisibly stab the cleric finally succeeds, revealing him, but dealing 3 damage to the cleric (who makes the save). The cleric heals the fighter of 20/

Two turns later only the cleric is left. The cleric curses the “Desecrators of Holy Chaos” before he dies.


Alzar gains 22000 XP

+3 2 Handed Sword
+2 Battle Axe
+2 Broadsword

[Abe Sargent]

There is a glowing chest in here that the golem breaks open, and is immune to the fluid that comes out. It’s foul smelling. The last piece of the key is here.

There are four rooms in the chamber that can only be opened by the Chaos Key, and the first does so now:


There is a shrine in this room to chaos, and a sword is embedded in the shrine. Alzar grabs a corpse of a chaos champion and tosses it in here, and a trap goes off after a second. The room’s doors close, the walls turn glass, light beams fire from the shrine and bounce off the walls until they snark the corpse for some funky smelling effect, and then a reverse gravity effects occurs and the body rises to the ceiling and then a glue issues from the ceiling and the body sticks to it. The trap then resets about ten minutes later with the corpse still attached to the ceiling.

That is one funky trap.

I mean, if you are ever going to make your own trap that has to be it.

Alzar grabs the Rope of Climbing that he has in OtherSpace and knots it and tries to cast it on the Sword. Then he pulls it back. It slides out, and then moves across the floor. The trap springs before it gets out of the door, and Alzar has to wait, but the Reverse Gravity effect doesn’t force it to the ceiling or the glue there due to the Rope of Climbing’s magic

Alzar heads to OtherSpace and grabs a Ring of Telekinese and forces it into a a Bag of Holding for later 0 it could be a cursed ot anti-law sword.


Sword of Chaos,+4, +6 vs Law, Levitate 3x day, Lawful characters that grab it to use it take 20 damage, neutral 10 damage


The next room of the four is similar arranged in terms of spaces and dimensions, but has a Beholder in it that attacks! Having a strong knowledge of Beholders, as well as making an INT check secretly, Alzar suspects something odd here. They aren’t chaotic, but lawful evil like him, and he’s run into illusions here already. He disbelieves it and hefts the Star of Mo’Pilar. It’s an illusion

Nothing in the room

[Abe Sargent]

Room 3?

There is a black pudding in here, in the same temporal stasis as the others. Nothing else. Alzar leaves and shuts the door before it can fully reform.

Room 4?

The walls, floors, and ceiling of this room are covered with mirrors. Alzar grabs the Star and can see through some illusions. There is a chest in here. The Golem enters and breaks through some mirrors and then busts open the chest. It takes 4 damage from a magical spike that was hoping to kill someone.


Golem - 86/97

Inside are a bunch of items that the Star reveals are fake -

5 fake glass gems. 2500 copper pieces gilded gold, a Ring with Nystul’s Magic Aura cast on it to look magical.

Alzar;s Star detects a secret panel behind a mirror and it is smashed away.

Chest with these items:

Small Quartz Figurine -
Wand of Wonder 19 charges
300 gp
Amulet that glows with a soft white light.


The Figurine is…

A Figurine of Wondrous Power


“Balo” Full Sized Ferret, AC5, Thaco 30, 3 hp, deals 1d2 damage, infravision of 60 feet, move silently 100%; hide in shadows 95%, pick pockets 75%, very fast,can be used for up to 6 hours at a time for up to 3 times a week.


Alzar takes 8 damage when he holds the Amulet.

It’s actually a powerful good creature known as an Agathinon, a form of Aasimon, powerful angels of good. It’s here turning into an Amulet to help Morena’s champion to take out the Shrine, but since Alzar is evil, Alzar puts the Amulet in a pouch at his belt after it tells him what he is doing here. It can heal him, and can turn undead, and actually turn them.

The key is used to have the statues and the golem that are guarding the stairs down pass, and they way down is now free.


Alzar heads down.

[Abe Sargent]

It’s even more uncomfortable for Law down here.


There is a long corridor at the base of the stairs. Is stretches out long down a wave and ends with statue at a wall. There are doors to the right and left, and then four doorways with statues in front of them.


The first door to the left opens to reveal a sprouting gout of lava and flame. Again an inspection reveals this to be illusionary. Nothing else is here.

The door on the right opens to a strange buzzing sound


There is a ancient and wrinkled old man sitting at a desk of black wood, writing, with a variety of books to the table nearby. Light is provide by fire beetles crawling about. Hundreds of insects are crawling about the room as well. Many tomes and papers are scattered on the floor. There is a large barrel next to him, with a tube connected to it, and that tube feeds ink to a quill in the man’s hand. Sometimes the man pops a random insect into his mouth to eat, mindlessly and continues to write.

The star reveals that everything in the room, other than the man, is magical.

He looks up after a few minutes, and looks a bit startled.

“So long so long since I have had visitors! Too few nowadays seek to consult the wise and almost do I forget when the last one came. But allow me to recover with manners. I am Asaru, Keeper of the Hall, Who are you, and what do you seek?”

Asaru is very happy to talk with Alzar, again, few visitors here. Alzar asks him about his writing:


“Things! I write of things. Marvelous things. Hideous things. Unsettling things. Things that no one has ever known or wished to know. I write of futures and of pasts, of whens and wheres and nows. Things unseen and unheard and unimagined, this is what I write.:”

He shows Alzar a book from the desk he penned called “In Praise of Holy Chaos.” Other works include, The Blood Wars, an Unbiased Account; 101 Things to do with a Dead Adventurer; Paladins and Other Trifles; Law is Good For? Nothing!; and more.

Alzar grabs one that is proffered to him. The runes are shifting and he cannot make them out. At least not right now.

Asaru is clearly either not all there, or fully chaotic.

Alzar asks him about the shrine, but his information is out of date, and eventually, he demands that Alzar leave. So he does. Alzar can always return if he wants.