TEXT: • CURSE OF THE WHITE WOOD •
  Out of a place between the Worlds,
  Through the Darkness blinding white
  Say the Words, and know the path.
  Terror walks the Black Road tonight.
  Ageless gods will never tire.
  Darkling touch steals breath away
  Water, Earth, Air and Fire
  Agoth walks the Black Road today.
  The Sun is gone; night takes hold.
  Wind of ice, boiling rain.
  Twisting space and endless time.
  Death Walks The Black Road again.
  Now the Door stands open.
  The way  is lit by demon-glow.
  Fire, blood, and blinding smoke
  Walk The Black Road… now.
  Obelisk Inscription, Ruins of Olad.
  (also from the Ninth Spell of Opening,
  the Book of Gates)
  PROLOGUE
  The characters, always seeking a way to gain some extra special
  ability, learn of a place on the plains of Uj called the Ruins of Olad.
  Here two beings may gain Mentalist-like powers—whether they be
  of that persuasion or not. They journey to the place and the opera-
  tion works, though the cost is higher than they might have imag-
  ined. They are forced to journey through the White Wood… and
  beyond.
  GM SYNOPSIS
  The characters are lured by a Mystic to visit the ruins of Olad,
  an ancient Place of Power not far from the White Wood. (The White
  Wood is located in Emer, in the Region of Uj under the shadow of
  the Scorpion Ridge.) At the center of this ruin is an ancient ma-
  chine/artifact which can create a telepathic link between two be-
  ings. It is in fact a Lords of Essence artifact, much older than the
  surrounding ruins. The ruins were built by a dark cult bent on the
  worship of Agoth and the Void. It is linked to the White Wood, and
  an inscription there is the key to a dark portal. The Telepathic link
  will drive one PC insane, and send him into the Wood. The others
  must follow, and inside they are transported to the First Pale. They
  must elude the foul creatures there and solve the riddle of the chant
  in order to escape.
  Note: this is just one way to enter the First pale; The GM should
  feel free to concoct another way for the PCs to encounter the tele-
  pathic slabs described below if that fites better inthis campaign.
  REQUIREMENTS
  A party of 4-6 characters of at least 3rd level is suggested. The
  GM can adapt the physical challenges of the First Pale to fit the
  capabilities of the Group. This is primarily a mood/mental chal-
  lenge adventure, so character level is not as important as player
  experience and sound thinking.
  REWARDS
  Survival and the Telepathic link are all that the PCs can expect
  or hope for from this adventure.
  PENALTIES
  Death or insanity await those who fail.
  AIDS
  Unless there is a pretty powerful Mentalist willing to risk spell
  failure (and insanity) every time his uses Presence, all the group
  will have to go on is the Telepathic link between the two characters.
  OBSTACLES
  These shall become obvious as the adventure proceeds.
  SCENE 1: THE MYSTIC
  The Characters are in Kaitaine for a little recreation and research,
  and happen to encounter a Mystic. If they don’t go see the Mystic
  to have their newly ‘liberated’ magic items analyzed, have him in-
  tercept them on the street. He is middle-aged, with wild white hair
  and piercing grey eyes. He wears shimmering grey robes and has a
  huge raven on his shoulder. He says “You seem like a curious group;
  for a mere twenty gold I will give you a map to he Ruins of Olad, a
  place where a powerful artifact can confer upon you the powers of
  a Mentalist.”
  The Mystic will do whatever is necessary to convince the Char-
  acters, telling them to meet him at his shop that evening at a speci-
  fied hour.
  They arrive at the address, finding an old but well-maintained
  building. The first floor is shops, while the upper three floors are
  apparently apartments. The Mystic’s place is small, with a shingle
  showing a raven and a huge eye, and declaring only “Futures Cast,
  Lore revealed.”
  Inside, there is a musty waiting area filled with nondescript fur-
  niture. The Mystic will emerge through a back door and motion
  them through. Inside the door is a thick purple velvet curtain block-
  ing light from entering his inner sanctum. It is a round room, the
  walls completely covered with the same heavy drapes. The raven
  sits on a stand in the perimeter, silently eyeing the guests. A round
  table is in the center of the room, around it enough chairs for the
  Characters, plus one large, ornate chair. He beckons them to sit.
  “Gold First.” He says.
  After he is paid, the Mystic produces a map, and gives detailed
  directions to the site. Then he says “At the heart of the ruins, in the
  center of what was once a great domed chamber, is the magical
  artifact. Exactly how the process works, I do not know, except that
  it will become obvious to you when you stand before it.”
  The Mystic will warn them that the area about the ruins is ‘per-
  ilous’ and not to enter the White Wood. He will answer any reason-
  able questions, then say goodnight.
  
  SCENE 2: UJ
  The PCs should have no trouble booking passage on a boat
  which will sail up the river Hallas to within 100 miles of their des-
  tination. The journey through Uj along the southern foothills of
  the Scorpion Ridge should be uneventful (almost eerily so).
  Any PC at watch during the night who rolls a successful Sheer
  Folly (-50) Perception will see a huge black bird (resembling the
  Mystic’s raven) sitting in a nearby tree watching him.
  Finally, at about dusk (no matter how many days it takes), the
  group comes over a rise and sees the sprawl of grey stone before
  them, and just beyond it, the eerie bleached trees of the White Wood.
  A dark haze seems to hang over the wood, while the ruins are as
  clear and bare as a skeleton picked clean in the desert.
  SCENE 3: THE RUIN OF OLAD
  The ruins are in bad shape, consisting of little more than eroded
  stone pillars and tumbled walls. They stretch for nearly a mile in
  diameter, so it will take some wandering to find the broken domed
  chamber at the center of the ruin, but it is there, the entire struc-
  ture built on a great stepped platform a hundred feet across.
  At the heart of the ruin is a pair of horizontal slabs, each about
  8’ long and four wide, with a shallow, humanoid-shaped indenta-
  tion on each. The material of the slabs is impossible to determine;
  it could be metal or some kind of dense, smooth stone. Their bases
  descend deep into the earth. They are different in form than any
  other material in the ruins. The GM should entice the PCs into
  laying on the slabs...
  By laying on the slabs two people can establish a telepathic link.
  This is true Telepathy, a power released by the slabs, which alter the
  electrical functions of the brains and release their telepathic po-
  tential. Telepathy is unrelated to any of the Realms of Power, being
  a latent ability in all thinking beings.
  Unfortunately, one of the two beings linked inevitably suffers
  from temporary psychosis. Both should roll and add his Reasoning
  bonus. Whomever rolls lower becomes violently insane. Possessed
  with seemingly superhuman power, he leaps up and runs from the
  ruins, shouting aloud the verse from the obelisk (See the begin-
  ning of the adventure) in his native language, over and over, punc-
  tuated with inarticulate screams and cries of “They’re after me,
  they’re inside my head! I have to hide!”
  The insane PC then runs directly into the White Wood.
  The other Character senses the linked person’s madness, but
  only peripherally (lucky for him). The Telepathic link isn’t like mind
  reading; it is more like being able to talk to each other at will, with
  no range limitation.
  SCENE 2: THE WHITE WOOD
  This strange, haunted place is a vast forest made up entirely of
  grotesque, gnarled trees of bleached-white wood. If one passes un-
  der the eaves of this barren place, it seems suddenly cooler, and a
  mist hangs over the bleached trees so that it always seems darkly
  overcast—even though it is bright daylight. Through the maze of
  pale trunks one can see nothing but dull grey soil and moss, and
  gnarled branches.
  A legend is told of an evil sorcerer and his singing daughter at
  the heart of the forest; that is only part of the tale. For the White
  Wood is a place on the threshold between the Worlds.
  INSIDE THE WOOD
  The characters must rush headlong into the forest or risk losing
  their friend (the Telepathic link has yet to be firmly established).
  Horses or other animals will not enter the Wood.
  GM Note: Tired of your characters’ familiars? This is a good way
  to get rid of them. Otherwise let them enter because they are
  linked to their masters.
  The linked PC can sense his fellow’s presence, and is able to get
  a directional bearing. He can try to ‘talk’ to the other, but gets no
  coherent response. The characters will run for a few minutes, far
  enough to be deep inside the Wood. Then the shift will occur.
  SCENE 3: THE FIRST PALE
  The shift from the White Wood into the First Pale is subtle, and
  is signified as much by internal signs as visual cues. It requires any-
  one not trained in Sense Reality Warp to make a successful Extremely
  Hard (-30) Perception. (Those with Sense Reality Warp realize that
  they have shifted into another reality if they make a Routine (+30)
  roll). The shift is marked by a feeling of nausea and disorientation.
  Then the trees begin to thin out somewhat…
  The entirety of the First Pale would seem to be a vast grey sa-
  vannah, broken only by clumps of skeletal woods: gnarled, spindly
  trees bleached white. The light, which is a grey twilight seeming to
  come from the horizon all around leaving the zenith an unrelieved
  black, never changes. The temperature remains the same: a bone-
  chilling cold. This is not alleviated by the icy breezes which blow
  from random directions, flowing through the tree-branches with a
  low moaning wail. There are occasional patches of dry grass, but
  these, like the trees, are completely dead.
  All sounds but the moaning wind are curiously dampened.
  Conversational voice carries only a few feet; a shout no more than
  twenty feet.
  Fires will not burn; torches cannot be lit. A spark can be made,
  but nothing seems flammable. Magical light can be summoned,
  but it is a poor, flickering illumination (e.g., Utterlight casts an il-
  lumination as bright as a small lamp in about a 3’ radius).
  In general, spells will work but all have a standard 20% chance
  of failure (on top of normal failure modifiers). There is also a 5%
  chance every time that he casts a spell here that the Character will
  go Insane (see penalties below). Food and water could become a
  problem, since there is no water here; food and water production
  spells work at about 10% capacity. Sleep is impossible, though it is
  uncertain why.
  One cannot judge direction here, as the light comes from all
  around, and normal navigational techniques are useless. After wan-
  dering for fifty feet or so, someone will spot the Black Road. Stretch-
  ing as far as the eye can see in either direction, it is perfectly straight.
  It is ten feet wide and made out of a substance like wet asphalt, cold
  and slightly sticky, but none of the material clings to shoes.
  If anyone gets the idea of marking a tree or the road, allow it
  (unless someone attempts to damage a tree; this causes a high, keen-
  ing wail, delivering 1-10 hits to everyone for each attempt to wound
  a tree). After the group has travelled about a thousand feet, the
  mark made by the character will appear again… on the other side
  of the road. Attempts to set off through the trees perpendicular to
  the road only mean encountering it again ahead, just after the road
  passes out of sight behind them.
  In other words, it is impossible to use any normals means to
  figure out location or direction. Any clever ideas should be rewarded
  with Experience Points later, but thwarted nevertheless.
  About the time the PCs realize that they are in a completely
  alien place, the linked PC will realize that his fellow has become
  more quiet and passive. He still has a directional bearing (straight
  down the road) but further communication remains impossible.
  SCENE 4:
  RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
  IN THE PALE
  Refer to the Demons and beasts listed below.
  DEMONS OF THE FIRST PALE
  Easily the weakest of the Demons, these tend to travel in groups
  
  (2-20). Averaging about 7 feet in height, they have pale grey skin
  and are naked and hairless except for a single clump of wiry hair
  protruding from the top of their large skulls. Although capable of
  wielding clubs, they have no understanding of sophisticated fight-
  ing techniques and are in fact quite stupid. If they see the PCs, they
  will attack.
  OTHER CREATURES
  None of these creatures is ever seen within fifty feet of the Black
  Road. Unlike the Demons, they all are solitary creatures.
  Orgal: Resembling white, hairy, ten-legged spiders about five feet
  across, Orgal are less aggressive but can be very dangerous if threat-
  ened. Their poisoned bite is deadly. Orgal spin webs among the
  white trees, sometimes snaring the demons in them. PCs wan-
  dering off the road and rolling an Orgal Web encounter must
  make a successful Medium Maneuver or be caught in one. It re-
  quires five rolls of over 80 (modified by Strength bonus) to get
  free, one roll per round, or else if others can deliver 50 hits to the
  web. It is AT 11 (-0).
  Shaan: Not unlike a white stingray, a Shaan hides itself under the
  surface of the dusty grey earth and remains there unless disturbed.
  If stepped on or otherwise bothered, the Shaan will curl up and
  wrap itself around the offending limb. Using leech-like mouths
  all over the creatures body, it bites and feeds on the target’s blood.
  Shaan can fly like a stingray swims, though they never go higher
  than a foot or so above the ground.
  Rale: Flying silently overhead, Rales are white, batlike creatures with
  a wingspan of about a foot. They are completely silent and flap
  their leathery wings with unnatural slowness. They never drop
  very close to the ground. While the Rale appear to be silent, they
  do emit a continuous, eerie sound which is almost felt more than
  heard. A low thrumming/jingling sound, it causes a slight dizzi-
  ness and feeling of disquiet.
  Althoi: Often called ‘The Eyes of Agoth’, Althoi resembles more than
  anything else a large (8' long), inflated blowfish, except that its
  body is covered with eyes on short, wavering stalks. Over two dozen
  sight organs bulge from the creature’s cold, slimy skin, blinking
  and staring. Althoi’s fins are of a shimmering diaphanous nature
  and seem to propel it as if it were swimming in water, though it
  hovers in the air with no apparent effort. Several prehensile ten-
  tacles emerge from the large-jawed mouth, organs of sense and
  manipulation. Though not strong by Demonic standards, they
  can take hold of a man —paralyzing him with poisoned barbs—
  and drag him to the gaping maw. Then the creature drains its
  victim of blood and drops the empty carcass.
  The Althoi encountered here travels alone except for the Yathlu
  guard it may summon. True to its purpose, the Althoi is an ob-
  server, not a warrior. However, if attacked, it can be a deadly op-
  ponent.
  Althoi has the power of inter-planar travel; it can also propel
  itself through the air at about 5 mph.
  Althoi System Data:
  Spells: Seer Base True Sight and True Visions to 30th; Bard Base
  Mystical Change 20th; Mentalist Base Mind Speech to 10th. It
  can also use the spell Passing to get through physical barriers.
  Yathlu: Luminous, transparent beasts, the Yathlu manifest as large
  jellyfish-like creatures, about three feet wide with dozens of mul-
  ticolored tentacles hanging from the underside. The main body
  pulses and undulates as it floats in the air. The tentacles waver
  and drift, seeming aimless but actually searching. It seeks life-
  force and is drawn to it.
  Each tentacle has an eye on the end, allowing the creature a
  very complex (if disjointed) vision. While not strong, these ten-
  tacles also deliver a powerful sting if they touch unprotected skin.
  Once the target is stunned, the creature can actually carry a single
  beast as large as a cow away, draining its fluids and leaving a husk.
  A Yathlu can attack as many as three foes at once, and if not sur-
  prised, can hold them at tentacles’ length (the tentacles have a
  better defensive ability than the vulnerable body).
  Yathlu System Data:
  Attacks: Yathlu tentacles deliver a powerful (10th level) poison
  which immediately paralyzes the foe. However, they must touch
  bare skin. This is indicated by a Medium Stinger Crit (a Stinger
  Attack roll is automatic after a Grapple Critical is achieved).
  Defenses: Yathlu are immune to all but Elemental Spells. They
  take half damage from all but Fire, which delivers 2x hits but
  regular (i.e., Large) criticals.
  ENCOUNTER CHART
  Roll every hour.
  Type (% will attack)
  On the Road
  Off the Road
  Demons (100%)
  01-08
  01-05
  Orgal (50%)
  —
  06-10
  Orgal (Web)
  —
  08-12
  Shaan (flying; 0%)
  —
  13-15
  Shaan (100%)*
  —
  16-17
  Rale (0%)
  09-25
  18-30
  Althoi†
  26-28
  31-33
  Yathlu
  27-28
  32-33
  No Encounter
  21-00
  31-00
  * this is essentially the chance of stepping on one, which is the only
  time it will attack.
  † Once the group has encountered the Althoi once, roll again for a
  regular encounter that hour. There is a 25% every hour after that
  that someone in the group spots the Althoi; it is indeed following
  them, hoping to see their method of passing between planes.
  SCENE 4: THE END OF THE ROAD
  After travelling at least 6 hours (though time will be hard to
  distinguish in this place; if in the unlikely event the characters have
  something that tells time, it will give random times or run back-
  wards) the group reaches the end of the road (at least for them).
  This is if they trust the sense of the linked PC; if they try other
  things first, they could waste hours or even days.
  The first thing the PCs will see is a monstrous trilithon (three
  stones arranged as two uprights and a third laid across the top of
  the first two, forming a gateway) twenty feet tall and as wide as the
  road. It emanates raw power. The characters can feel waves of en-
  ergy washing over them; detect Power, Essence, and Evil spells go
  off automatically (no PP expense). The stone is a smooth sicken-
  ing pinkish-white. The road actually passes between the uprights
  and continues straight on.
  The missing member is curled up in the fetal position a few feet
  from the Portal. His hands are bloody (he cut his hands with his
  own knife or dagger, lying nearby), and he is trembling, and still
  mumbling the verse from the Olad Obelisk.
  This ‘insane’ character has written the last stanza of the verse  in
  his own blood. Blood is also smeared all across the sides of the
  portalway. It is a lurid bright red, wet and sticky, and showing no
  sign of drying. There seems to be a tremendous amount of it, but
  the insane PC is not in any immediate danger of dying due to blood
  loss.
  The PCs must figure out that they need the set the blood on fire
  (this is hinted at in the verse). Blood will burn brightly and with
  
  lots of smoke here. It will open the portal, allowing the Characters
  about a minute to get through. Anything (including demons) step-
  ping through during that minute will pass into the Shadow World
  with the Characters.
  OTHER FACTORS
  While there will be no other creatures at the site when the char-
  acters arrive, roll a 20% chance of First Pale Demons arriving every
  5 minutes of real time. If the Althoi spotted them earlier, it will
  arrive within 5 minutes and hover about 50 feet away. the Yathlu
  will float up within a minute or so more. They will wait, not clos-
  ing unless attacked. They only want to see the Characters pass
  through the Portal.
  DENOUEMENT
  The group will pass through the Portal, exiting at a place of the
  GM’s choosing. It could be one of the trilithons at the Ruins of
  Olad, or virtually anywhere else in the world. A day will have passed
  for every hour in the First Pale.
  Immediately upon exiting, the previously insane group mem-
  ber will make an instant recovery and the linked character will sink
  into a state of insanity (see below). He will recover naturally in 10-
  100 days, but will have a lingering, unnatural fear of fish and spi-
  ders.
  The PCs might decide to return to Kaitaine to get their money
  back from or take revenge on the Mystic. They will return to the
  site of his shop to find it occupied by a stuffy apothecary, who will
  insist that he owns the building and has never had such a tenant
  before. The decoration of the place is completely different. If neigh-
  bors are asked, no one will have any recollection of any such man.
  GM NOTES
  INSANITY
  The concept of insanity hasn’t been dealt with very thoroughly
  in Rolemaster, even though it can be a very interesting aspect of a
  role-playing game (witness the most excellent Call of Cthulhu,
  which I suggest as a further reference in the aspects of Insanity, as
  well as a damn fine game in itself).
  Hopefully in some future supplement, we will deal with sanity
  more completely, but in the In the meantime, however, we must be
  satisfied with a few basics:
  TYPES OF INSANITY
  01-20
  Amnesic: All memory of the Character’s own back-
  ground, who his friends are, even his own name, are
  lost. Basic maneuvering skills (including Picking
  Locks, etc) are not lost, but Spells are forgotten. Char-
  acter may also mistrust these people he does not
  know…
  21-40
  Catatonic: Character assumes the fetal position and
  is completely unresponsive. He cannot move or be
  fed normally. He will require medical attention very
  soon or die of dehydration.
  41-60
  Paranoid: More subtle than the other maladies, the
  Paranoid seems fine at first (the GM must be careful
  how the insanity is revealed to the PC so that the oth-
  ers do not suspect). The paranoid is certain that ev-
  eryone is out to get him; he will trust no one, and in
  fact will begin forming complex schemes for revenge
  and escape. He will become very nervous and jumpy.
  61-80
  Psychotic: (particularly severe manifestation) Char-
  acter laughs hysterically, then begins sobbing. He
  claims that “they” are after him, and seems to recog-
  nize friends only intermittently. If restrained, he has
  bouts of superior strength trying to break away. He
  seems to be constantly hallucinating and crazed. He
  might randomly attack someone or try to injure him-
  self.
  81-00
  Stupefied: This is not as bad as Catatonic, since the
  character can be led about and fed without too much
  trouble, but is completely unresponsive to other
  stimulus. He will not speak or show any reaction. He
  has a tendency to drool.
  Calm spells will prevent the character from injuring himself or
  others and from running off, but it is not a cure.
  Certain herbs may cure insanity; one such is called Irona. Oth-
  ers exist, but they are rare.
  A Clerical Mind Disease Cures (Spell Law, pg 39) can cure in-
  sanity; but it requires a Mind Disease Cures True to cure it in less
  than 1-50 days.
  CREATURES TABLE
  Base
  Max Pace/
  Speed
  Size/
  #
  Outlook
  Type
  Lvl
  Rate
  MM Bonus
  MS/AQ
  Crit
  Hits
  AT(DB)
  Attacks (Prim/Sec/Tert)
  Enc
  (IQ)
  Demons/Creatures of the First Pale
  Pale I
  Demon
  1
  90
  Dash/10
  MF/FA
  M/I
  35
  1(20)
  40MCl(2x)/30MBa/60MCr§/50cl(2D)
  2-5
  Berserk(LI)
  Orgal
  8
  80
  Spt/20
  MF/FA
  M/I
  160
  4(40)
  70LPi/75LSt/poison/Special
  1-4
  Normal
  Shaan
  3
  60
  Run/20
  MD/FA
  M/—
  45
  1(40)
  80wp100/60MSt«/Poison«6
  1-2
  Normal
  Rale
  2
  90
  Dash/30
  VF/VF
  S/—
  20
  1(70)
  —
  1
  Agothu
  Althoi
  30
  60
  20
  MD/FA
  L/LA
  200
  11 (40)
  +60 MGrapple/+40 SStinger/Spells
  1
  Yathlu
  Body
  8
  10
  10
  F/VF
  no stun
  80
  1(10)
  —
  1
  Tntcles
  —
  —
  —
  —
  none
  120
  3(40)
  1-4Whip60Special20
  —
  CODES:
  For a complete key, see the Master Beast Chart in the Emer Book or Creatures and Treasures.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Shadow World/Shadow World Curse of the White Wood.pdf