TEXT: r av en’s purge
  
  LEAD WRITER
  Erik Granström
  EDITORS
  Tomas Härenstam, Nils Karlén
  ILLUSTRATORS
  Niklas Brandt, Nils Gulliksson
  GRAPHIC DESIGN
  Christian Granath, Johan Nohr
  COVER ART
  Alvaro Tapia
  TRANSLATORS
  Carl-Johan Svensson, Karin Tidbeck
  PROOFREADING
  John M. Kahane, Kosta Kostulas
  SPECIAL THANKS TO
  David Eksell
  © 2018 Fria Ligan AB.
  PRINT
  Livonia Print, Lettland 2018
  ISBN
  978-1-912200-90-0
  
  CONTENTS
  MERCY IN VOND 
  4
  INTRODUCTION 
  12
  Overview 
  13
  Legends 
  14
  The Start of the Campaign 
  14
  The Course of the Campaign 
  15
  Player Incentives 
  16
  STANENGIST 
  17
  The History of Stanengist 
  17
  The Four Artifacts 
  23
  The Maligarn Sword  
  23
  The Nekhaka Scepter  
  24
  The Blood Star Cloak Clasp 
  26
  The Stanengist Crown  
  27
  KEY PLAYERS 
  29
  Zytera 
  29
  Merigall 
  35
  Krasylla 
  37
  Virelda Bloodbeak 
  40
  Zertorme 
  42
  Arvia of Crombe 
  44
  The Empress Soria of Urhur 
  45
  Kalman Rodenfell 
  47
  Rust Prince Kartorda 
  48
  GRINDBONE 
  49
  Background 
  49
  Getting Here 
  50
  Legend 
  50
  Locations 
  51
  Monsters and NPCs 
  57
  Events 
  61
  RAVENHOLE 
  63
  Background 
  63
  Legend 
  64
  Getting Here 
  64
  Locations 
  64
  Monsters and NPCs 
  69
  Events 
  73
  AMBER’S PEAK 
  75
  Background 
  75
  Getting Here 
  76
  Legend 
  77
  Locations 
  77
  Monsters and NPCs 
  85
  Events 
  90
  EYE OF THE ROSE 
  92
  Background 
  92
  Getting Here 
  93
  Legend 
  94
  Locations 
  94
  Monsters and NPCs 
  101
  Events 
  105
  contents
  2
  
  PELAGIA 
  107
  Background 
  107
  Getting Here 
  108
  Legend 
  109
  Locations 
  109
  Monsters and NPCs 
  115
  Events 
  120
  STONEGARDEN 
  125
  Background 
  126
  Getting Here 
  127
  Legend 
  128
  Locations 
  128
  Monsters and NPCs 
  138
  Events 
  140
  THE STONE- 
  LOOM MINES 
  145
  Background 
  145
  Getting Here 
  146
  Legend 
  146
  Locations 
  146
  Monsters and NPCs 
  155
  Events 
  158
  HAGGLER’S HOUSE 
  160
  Background 
  160
  Getting Here 
  161
  Legend 
  161
  Locations 
  162
  Monsters and NPCs 
  168
  Events 
  171
  VOND 
  175
  Legend 
  176
  Getting Here 
  176
  City Ruins 
  176
  Getting Inside 
  178
  The Battle of Vond 
  178
  THE FORTRESS  
  OF VOND 
  181
  Background 
  181
  Moving About 
  181
  Locations 
  185
  Monsters and NPCs 
  191
  Events 
  195
  MERIGALL’S LAIR 
  198
  Background 
  198
  Locations 
  198
  Monsters and NPCs 
  202
  Events 
  204
  ZYTERA’S MOGARIUM 205
  Background 
  205
  Locations 
  205
  Monsters and NPCs 
  209
  Events 
  211
  The Final Showdown 
  212
  AFTERMATH 
  214
  Consequences 
  214
  The Key Players 
  215
  contents
  3
  
  chapter 1
  4
  MERCY IN VOND
  T
  he youngling must not have resisted 
  nor tried to wake Merigall, in all like-
  lihood due to the priests whispering of 
  how every action of disobedience would bring 
  harm to his village. The Rust Brothers feared 
  Merigall, but they feared ravenous Krasylla 
  even more, to whom the boy had now been tak-
  en for a final tryst.
  The demon rose to correct its face in a 
  small, silver mirror. The features had slid as 
  they were wont to do during deep slumber, 
  but Merigall willfully stretched them to con-
  ventional beauty, choosing a strict, dark and 
  androgynous face above colorless clothes that 
  was in keeping with the day’s mood. The eyes 
  remained yellow as a cat’s, as always.
  Outside the stuffiness of the bed cham-
  ber, the cold stone corridors of the holdfast 
  of Vond lay deserted. None dared stand guard 
  outside Merigall’s chambers and no guard was 
  needed anyway. The demon had taken the for-
  mer quarters of the dwarven lord, high on the 
  mountainside, for its own use after the human 
  king, Alvagard, had conquered Vond three 
  hundred and fifty years ago before leaving the 
  region to march to new wars. The clan sign of 
  the Crombe dwarves was still carved into each 
  door, but it had long since lost its meaning.
  The Nightwalker’s fog still embedded the ris-
  ing sun. Even so, the day promised clarity in 
  cold as well as in view, and beautiful vistas of 
  the scorched valleys of Harga opened up to the 
  eye where the demon passed. The passage down 
  the mountain ran along the balustrade above 
  one of the goddess Hemes’s places of anguish. 
  A couple of priests garbed in rusty masks over 
  capes draped in ochre bowed in silence when 
  Merigall passed, but the demon neither rec-
  ognized them behind the iron nor responded 
  to their greetings. A glance down towards the 
  courtyard revealed that the church’s supply 
  Merigall stretched an arm into the darkness, but the other half 
  of the bed lay empty. The Rust Brothers must have taken the 
  bedfellow away at least a couple of hours ago, as the sheets that 
  met the fingers were damp and coolly dead.
  
  mercy in vond
  5
  of sacrificial prisoners was running low, for a 
  lonely old man stood fettered to the poles, thin 
  as a barren goat. Maybe he was already dead, as 
  there was no reaction as white-painted shadows 
  of death clawed out stripes of blood over his 
  wretched body in their dance. The twisted tree 
  trunk representing the goddess Heme looked 
  quite jaded as well.
  The only doors to Krasylla’s chamber were 
  set into rotating drums tied to a mechani-
  cal delaying device. The one who was pushed 
  or chose to enter of their own volition was 
  trapped for several minutes, moments that 
  belonged to Krasylla, and let him deal with 
  his guests however he pleased. Merigall didn’t 
  hesitate, however, but forced the door for-
  ward until from within the walls the sound of 
  dripping mercury started counting down the 
  time for the audience. The hall was warm and 
  reeked like a slaughterhouse in comparison to 
  the cool, clean air outside. The room was spa-
  cious, but Krasylla’s semi-liquid form still oc-
  cupied half of it. Merigall immediately saw its 
  premonitions confirmed, for the body that had 
  experienced fingers that caressed it only hours 
  earlier was half embedded in Krasylla, whose 
  large, clawed hand squeezed the torso, neither 
  lovingly nor to keep it trapped, but like the 
  milk maiden squeezing the cow’s teat to empty 
  it of its contents.
  “You’ve stolen my playmate,” said Meri-
  gall. “I wasn’t done with him.”
  Krasylla’s grotesque face turned towards 
  his guest in the twilight. It already bore the 
  features of the devoured youngling, albeit 
  twisted, enlarged and deformed. The larger de-
  mon usually borrowed the face of his food, sav-
  ing him the trouble of keeping track of where 
  noses, mouths and eyes were supposed to be 
  placed to achieve a passable human likeness.
  “How was I to know?” Krasylla’s voice an-
  swered, cracked dull. ”I can scarcely tell one 
  from the other. I was hungry.”
  “You are always hungry.”
  “The body still lives,” said the demon and 
  smacked the boy’s sweaty, vaulted back, caus-
  ing it to convulse beneath his touch. “You can 
  make use of it as I eat.”
  Merigall had a vision of the praying man-
  tis’ habit of eating its spouse while mating, 
  but the offer held no appeal. A dark mood had 
  gripped its thoughts, as if the night itself lin-
  gered beneath the skin.
  “You feel repulsion,” the fiend noted. “Do 
  you then, as the Rust Brothers, believe mighty 
  Krasylla to have become an aimlessly glutting 
  swine, wallowing in its own lard?”
  “You have previously told me that you are 
  eating yourself towards sarmog. Nothing else 
  has ever occurred to me. The only accusation 
  I have against you is that you ate someone I 
  still desired.”
  Krasylla found no retort that hadn’t al-
  ready been spoken. As he snorted, a torrent 
  of bodily noises thundered from within the 
  mountain of flesh.
  “Do you plan to return home when you’ve 
  reached sarmog?” Merigall continued. “Do 
  you mean to slaughter the soulless in the pass 
  of Mistra to reach nexus and maybe challenge 
  Goder himself in Churmog?”
  “Not at all,” Krasylla grunted in his clos-
  est approximation of laughter. “I enjoy this 
  world. It is full of colors and delicious flesh. 
  Let Goder keep Churmog, while I make mog 
  of the Forbidden Lands!”
  
  chapter 1
  6
  He squeezed the youngling’s body until it 
  turned blue and writhed in his grip.
  “You don’t have to be alarmed, Merigall,” 
  he added. “I prefer you as the other, even if 
  your contribution would strengthen my sar-
  mog. You have traveled far and gotten to know 
  the world. I appreciate our talks.”
  “Very generous of you, Krasylla,” Merigall 
  answered without signaling either fear, grati-
  tude or irony.
  Peripheral throats, stretched like nets of 
  veins across Krasylla’s surface, transported the 
  dissolved tissue from the body to the melted 
  mass of the demon through peristaltic mo-
  tions. Merigall waited patiently while the body 
  of the youngling convulsed in powerful spasms 
  before returning to stillness, broken only by a 
  persistent tremor, before answering.
  “Zytera stored my essence in a statue when 
  he remade me. I couldn’t leave the Forbidden 
  Lands even if I wanted to. Besides, I too en-
  joy this world – some days more than others. 
  Aren’t you bound to obedience by a blood cove-
  nant with the wizard as well?”
  “Zytera is old. He would already be dead 
  if the daughter fragment wasn’t keeping him 
  alive,” Krasylla answered with a disgusted look 
  on his face, constructed with no sense of pro-
  portion. “My time will come!”
  “We are mog!” Merigall said in parting, 
  suddenly overcome with disgust and despair.
  “We are mog!” Krasylla answered, lost in 
  thought.
  From the chamber of its kin, Merigall contin-
  ued down through the lower levels of the hold-
  fast of Vond and steered its steps to the dun-
  geons on a whim. Some wardens from the Iron 
  Guard moved to intercept, but the demon gave 
  them the eye and pressed onwards. All members 
  of the Church of Rust in Vond appeared equal-
  ly nervous and when Merigall reached the cells 
  the reason as to why became abundantly clear. 
  The dungeons lay empty, doors gaping like 
  the maws of nestlings. The demon sauntered 
  along the rows of spaces where only ingrained 
  anguish wailed from the walls. At long last, in 
  the furthest reaches of the darkest and dankest 
  vault, Merigall found a lone woman fettered to 
  a wall by rusty chains. The cuffs were grossly 
  oversized, probably to cause discomfort and 
  at the same time hinder the prisoner’s move-
  ments. She was battered and bruised, neither 
  young nor old, and her black clothes were torn 
  to filthy rags. Burnt into her right cheek the 
  mark of the god Rust glowed with such heat 
  and pain that Merigall could sense it from the 
  door. In addition, there was a tattoo of a raven 
  above the brand. That the Rust Brothers had 
  kept a Raven Sister as a sacrificial lamb instead 
  of immediately tearing her limb from limb 
  showed more than anything how dangerous-
  ly low their supply of prisoners was running. 
  Rites had to be performed and Krasylla took 
  the sustenance he needed – if there were no 
  prisoners to be had, a Brother would have to 
  be sacrificed, already a reality on several occa-
  sions. That was why the Raven Sister had been 
  saved, as an emergency cache for the gods. The 
  wall behind the woman was messy with fresh 
  blood. Maybe she had tried to pound the life 
  out of her skull against the stone, or maybe the 
  Rust Brothers had mutilated her wings while 
  she was still in the guise of the raven.
  
  mercy in vond
  7
  Merigall opened the barred door and stepped 
  into the cell. The woman had appeared to be 
  sleeping, but one of her eyes became visible at 
  once where that coal black, lank hair parted. The 
  gaze was odd: defiant, filled with distaste and 
  empty all at once.
  “You wear no iron mask. Who are you?” she 
  said, her voice bright and unexpectedly steady.
  Merigall pushed a bowl of dirty water to the 
  side and squatted in front of her.
  “Who do you want me to be?”
  “Be the quick death, if I am allowed to 
  choose,” the woman answered immediately. 
  “Kill me! Kill as many as you can and then kill 
  yourself. Then the world will be better.”
  The demon had not expected such a response.
  “So, you don’t want to escape and continue 
  the battle against Rust and Heme? You praise the 
  Raven God as a champion of life, yet you speak to 
  me of death and murder.”
  The woman shook in what Merigall assumed 
  to be a fit of coughing, but then her hoarse 
  laughter broke through.
  “When I became a novice with the Raven 
  Sisters, my uncle mocked me,” she said. “Last 
  we met, he tried to strangle me. My cousins 
  chased him off.”
  “He was possessed?” Merigall asked, in-
  trigued by the woman’s incomprehensible mood.
  “Maybe possessed by faith. My uncle wor-
  shipped Corax – the scavenger aspect of the 
  Raven God. My sisters may love the farmers of 
  the forest, but the Blackwings claim that the hu-
  mans defied the God by coming to Ravenland. 
  They say that Corax won’t lift his curse until the 
  land has been rid of humankind. Uncle didn’t 
  hate me any more than anyone else, but he found 
  it fitting to kill me first, since man was led to 
  Ravenland by the Raven Sisters in the Old Age.”
  Her tongue clung to the words, so Merigall 
  offered her diluted wine from the wineskin in 
  its belt. The demon reached out its hand and 
  brushed the woman’s hair from her face while 
  she drank greedily. The Raven Sister stiffened 
  but allowed it to happen. Past the wounds, the 
  dirt and the festering brand on her cheek, Mer-
  igall found her beautiful, but then again saw 
  beauty in almost everyone.
  “Now at the end of life and torment, I un-
  derstand my uncle,” the woman continued and 
  dropped the empty wineskin in the dirt. “The 
  Reapenters are right! Everyone might as well die 
  – especially me, who has believed in the folly of 
  hope!”
  “The Reapenters don’t kill everyone, only 
  humans.”
  “Everyone!” the Raven Sister insisted and 
  held Merigall’s gaze, unwavering. “Conscious-
  ness always breeds evil and never deserves its exis-
  tence. Try to convince me otherwise.”
  Her words urged contemplation.
  “I find your dejection unbecoming. I have 
  seen dead worlds and they are all excruciatingly 
  dull,” Merigall mumbled. “You are right that all 
  thinking beings show cruelty, but also compas-
  sion. Would you prize sweetness so highly if it 
  was never tempered by venom or brine?
  Then the demon had an idea.
  “Let us make a bet! If I can show you that 
  mercy exists in the Forbidden Lands, you will re-
  nounce the teachings of the Reapenters and face 
  death with defiance instead of listlessness.”
  “What is my faith to you, Yellow Eye?”
  “Nothing. But challenges are the essence of 
  my life,” Merigall replied, smiling. “Come!”
  “Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but I’m 
  
  chapter 1
  8
  bound to the wall,” the woman said, laborious-
  ly lifting her chains towards the demon.
  “Give me a kiss and we will stride beyond 
  the iron!”
  “I have given a vow of chastity,” the Raven 
  Sister answered, but she still contemplated Mer-
  igall’s softly inviting lips with tired curiosity.
  “I give no kiss of either love or even lust. 
  Regard our touch as duty and faith, as a pas-
  sage towards fairer climes,” the demon an-
  swered and let the hand slip under the woman’s 
  hair, at the neck where it lay stiff with blood.
  “My name is Rimenda. The village of 
  Karnevera witnessed my birth,” she mumbled 
  and closed her eyes to the world as Merigall’s 
  golden eyes gleamed like twin suns as they 
  came near.
  The two occupied space once more in a small, 
  vaulted room where a boy woke with a start, 
  sat up, and watched his unexpected guests with 
  eyes as yellow as Merigall’s.
  “Sleep unto the morning, my child!” the 
  demon said and gently pushed the small body 
  back against the bed. The boy let it happen 
  without making a fuss and appeared to go back 
  to sleep in an instant.
  After days on the cold prison floor, Rimen-
  da was so weak and stiff that Merigall had to 
  support her as they proceeded into the great 
  hall of the dwelling. There, the hosts had al-
  ready woken to first breakfast with their visit-
  ing relatives.
  “No one can see or hear us.” Merigall 
  calmed the Raven Sister who drew her black 
  rags tighter around her body.
  “I have brought you here because the hal-
  flings are the most good-natured kin in the 
  Forbidden Lands. See how they start the day 
  in joviality in spite of their still growling bel-
  lies and let that bring you hope for the good 
  things in life!”
  “Dear Medulda, don’t you want some 
  stewed butter with that nut bread?” the hostess 
  offered, then traced her index finger through 
  the yellow fat to show how creamy the flowing 
  mass was.
  “Thank you for asking, fine Hulvia!” the 
  in-law answered. She accepted the bowl, so 
  greasy around the arch that it almost slipped 
  from her grasp.
  Before anything more could transpire, the 
  women were interrupted by a circular door that 
  crashed open, revealing a path towards the in-
  nards of the house. Out stormed a very small, 
  grey-black child, bare-assed and wildly squawk-
  ing with glee over its freedom. In its wake 
  lurched an elderly halfling thing, crashing on 
  the doorstep with a bang, vomiting where he 
  lay. Immediately behind him a younger, fair-
  skinned halfling woman appeared with yet an-
  other child pressed to her chest.
  “Grandpa is drunk again and dropped him. 
  I’m terribly sorry, mother!”
  The runaway didn’t get very far, however. 
  The master of the dwelling unfolded a leg, 
  grabbing the child after it had fallen on its 
  snout, and carried it, face white-hot with rage 
  and with a grip around the offspring’s neck as 
  steady as it was relentless, back to the den’s se-
  cret cubbyholes. The child’s nosebleed dripped 
  in his tracks, but any continued screams were 
  smothered with a steady hand. The wife of the 
  house, for her part, hid her face in her hands 
  
  mercy in vond
  9
  and wept in abundance. The wild child was 
  apparently not of halfling kin, but when Ri-
  menda questioningly looked at Merigall, the 
  demon muttered that they must be going and 
  kissed the Raven Sister’s lips again, before she 
  found the presence of mind to defend herself.
  The world immediately stood colder and bleaker. 
  Ragged clouds, lopsidedly lit by the sun rising to-
  wards a cold morning sky, replaced the vaulted 
  ceiling of the den as if in a dream. The walls of 
  a castle ruin surrounded Rimenda and Merigall, 
  as well as a handful of armored orcs. None of 
  them seemed to have noticed their guests, how-
  ever, but leaned against their spears, obviously 
  bored after a long night’s watch. Someone snored 
  audibly where he stood, while a yellow-eyed giant 
  hummed a hunting tune and clicked the beat 
  with his lips. The Raven Sister saw several orcs 
  sleeping around the embers of a fire that must 
  have roared high during the hours of the night.
  “We are located in the remains of the castle 
  Eye of the Rose, where Emperor Hroka, the 
  first and the greatest, holds court,” Merigall 
  announced formally.
  “Eye of the Rose? Are you implying that 
  these orcs appreciate the fragrance of flowers? 
  Every orc I’ve met so far has preferred its own 
  bodily odors.” Rimenda’s words were calm, 
  even if her expression had the look of surprise 
  on her face.  
  “The castle received its name a long time 
  ago when the Meromannian Dwarves built it 
  as a gift of friendship for the elves,” the demon 
  answered. “I have brought you here to witness 
  how beautifully respect can be preserved across 
  the boundaries of kin.”
  As if summoned on cue, a human walked 
  through the group of brutish warriors, a lanky 
  man, dressed in an exorbitant number of trin-
  kets on top of his filthy rags and with a supe-
  rior demeanor. The orcs grunted in greeting 
  without the slightest show of pride, even con-
  tinuing to rummage around inside their nasal 
  cavities and scratch at their mange as he passed. 
  Merigall led Rimenda in the man’s wake to an 
  inner courtyard, across which coarse fabric 
  had been hoisted as a canopy. Emperor Hroka 
  himself sat on a throne, dressed in clothes that 
  most likely would have been worn by children 
  or women among humans, although in this 
  case tailored in grotesque sizes. The orc rul-
  er snapped a marrowbone with his teeth and 
  loudly slurped its contents for breakfast.
  “Your Majesty,” the visitor said and bowed 
  with large, exaggerated gestures. “The Canidi-
  an messenger still awaits an audience.”
  “You can see that I’m eating,” the orc mut-
  tered. “The midget can wait.”
  “The dwarf has been waiting all night, 
  Your Majesty.”
  “Don’t you think I’ve been up all night as 
  well?” the regent roared, menacingly waving a 
  thigh bone about before breaking it off against 
  the log table.
  “If I may make a suggestion, Your High-
  ness?” the man interjected with an unpleasant 
  smile.
  “What?”
  “The dwarf claims to be a blacksmith by 
  profession. He appears old and weak, but in all 
  likelihood,  he possesses valuable knowledge. 
  Why not ask him to teach our own smiths for 
  a time, as a show of good faith from his kin?”
  
  chapter 1
  10
  “Agreed! As long as I don’t have to see him 
  before I’ve gotten some sleep.”
  “A delegation from the human settlement 
  of Karalend is rumored to also be heading this 
  way,” the man added. “If it amuses Your Maj-
  esty, we could let the two ambassadors battle 
  each other when they are both in attendance to 
  see who represents a kin worthy of Your Maj-
  esty’s ear.”
  “Hrang Gala, you are as flimsy as catgut 
  and ugly as few, but you have your moments!” 
  the emperor grinned, and threw the empty 
  bone shaft over his shoulder to a couple of wait-
  ing dogs who instantly flew at each other over 
  the scraps. “So, pack yourself away from here 
  and put the midget to work! We’ll speak again 
  this evening.”
  “At once, Your Majesty,” the man answered 
  with another bow, turned on his heel and left the 
  area in such a manner that he passed between Ri-
  menda and Merigall without seeing them.
  “It seems we won’t be seeing any respect 
  across the boundaries of kin this day,” the Ra-
  ven Sister noted.
  “Let us journey on instead,” the demon 
  answered in a huff and pulled the woman to-
  wards it.
  “Is this incessant kissing really necessary?” 
  she queried coldly. “Your mouth is certainly 
  beautiful, but it is already bitter as bile to the 
  palate.”
  “Technically, they aren’t a necessity,” 
  Merigall confessed. “We need only touch one 
  another to travel, but I happen to like kisses.”
  “Then you will receive my touch,” Rimen-
  da said and gave the demon a slap so loud that 
  the emperor raised an eyebrow as the visitors 
  faded from the Eye of the Rose castle.
  Through the morning Merigall led the Raven 
  Sister across the Forbidden Lands in pursuit of 
  the kindness that would grant the woman faith 
  in life once more. They visited negotiations be-
  ing grunted between goblins and reptile folk on 
  a barge in the fetid Gargan Marshes, walked 
  among growth warpers in the alleyways of Al-
  derstone and saw ogres set fire to a deer just to 
  bet on how far it would get before succumbing 
  to the flames. By noon, it seemed to Merigall as 
  if even the winds howled in opposition no mat-
  ter where they set their sights. The druids of the 
  elfin tribals nurtured the wildlife in the forests 
  of the Shroud by attracting fox cubs through 
  magic and then snapping their necks to cull this 
  year’s rich litter. The wolfkin trapped live rabbits 
  and broke a single hind leg on each one to let the 
  young practice their hunting skills. Everywhere 
  blood ran in garish streams to the screams and 
  wails of the ones being emptied. When the af-
  ternoon sun hung lethargic above the moun-
  tains beyond Vivend, the demon was in a very 
  foul mood. Rimenda, for her part, opined that 
  Merigall had lost the bet and that before dark-
  ness fell it should bring her back to the holdfast 
  in Vond or drop her off at Karnevera, the village 
  of her birth, where she intended to find her un-
  cle among the Reapenters and gain entry to the 
  murderous fellowship of the Blackwings.
  “Let us visit one last location. If we do not 
  find mercy there, I will do as you wish,” the 
  guide answered, and the yellow eyes glistened 
  when it grabbed the Raven Sister’s hand so 
  firmly that her fingers faded instantaneously.
  After a short bout of vertigo, the grey haze in 
  front of Rimenda’s eyes coalesced into stone. 
  She found them to be standing in a ravine 
  below a gigantic bulwark. With difficulty the 
  
  mercy in vond
  11
  sunlight fell betwixt the mountain walls, 
  down a slope littered with bones. A vulture 
  with golden eyes screeched from its perch, fu-
  rious at being disturbed in its feast.
  “Where have you brought us now? Rimen-
  da demanded. “Is there really room for mercy 
  in such a dismal place?”
  “We are at the end of the world”, the de-
  mon answered and glanced at the Raven Sister 
  with a gaze as tender as it was expectant.
  “Haven’t the dwarves constructed the 
  world in the form of a sphere? How is it possi-
  ble for a sphere to end?”
  “This is just where the Forbidden Lands 
  end, but also where your world ends,” Merigall 
  explained.
  “Are you saying that we stand before the 
  bulwark of the Iron Lock?” the woman whis-
  pered, having heard of the place but still unable 
  to grasp it.
  She raised her hand to shade the merlons 
  and the bright sky above at the same time as a 
  hissing sound gave birth to an arrow. It pierced 
  her palm and nailed the fingers against her 
  shoulder, where they twitched like the legs of 
  a dying spider. Surprise preceded the pain that 
  didn’t have time to arrive before another arrow 
  from the mute soldiers on the crenellation split 
  the right side of the Raven Sister’s chest with a 
  weight that threw her to the ground. Merigall 
  caught the woman as she fell and held her gen-
  tly in its arms, as if shielding a child.
  Additional arrows from the guardians 
  struck the demon’s back, but mog suffered no 
  injuries from arrowheads.
  Merigall let the shafts remain, focusing its 
  amber gaze on the faltering light of the wom-
  an’s soul.
  “Only evil. You lose … our bet,” she sput-
  tered. Blood trickled from the corner of her 
  mouth.
  “No,” Merigall answered, “here is my mer-
  cy: you escape being devoured by Krasylla as 
  you were destined to. Now fight to your death 
  as per our agreement!”
  Rimenda’s mouth moved a couple of in-
  stants yet, but red foam forced its way out in-
  stead of words.
  Merigall couldn’t tell if the Raven Sister 
  wanted to thank or curse her guide.
  The suspense was titillating.
  MERIGALL
  
  chapter 2
  12
  INTRODUCTION
  W
  elcome to the Raven’s Purge cam-
  paign for Forbidden Lands.
  The Raven has every reason to 
  purge the Forbidden Lands. The land that the 
  Raven God allowed men to share with dwarves, 
  elves and other kin for hundreds of years in an-
  cient times has been ravaged by war and also 
  invaded by otherworldly demons. Most of the 
  inhabitants of the Forbidden Lands believe 
  the humans and their sorcerous offspring with 
  elves to be the cause of their current misery, a 
  belief that has sown distrust and hatred among 
  the kin. Now, when the Blood Mist has lifted, 
  the time has come to purge the land – or to 
  decisively claim it for their own.
  The legend tells of how six elves in an-
  cient times oversaw and protected life on the 
  stone orb that the dwarves had built for the 
  god Huge. Even before the humans came to 
  Ravenland, the elves deemed that the creation 
  was complete and withdrew so as not to dis-
  turb it. They shed their flesh and had their six 
  rubies set into the crown Stanengist, which is 
  said to have been worn by the first kings of the 
  land. During the wars, several elf stones were 
  stolen from the crown, however, and later it 
  disappeared completely.
  Now that the Forbidden Lands are acces-
  sible once again, the legend of Stanengist has 
  begun to stir. The power, knowledge and value 
  of the elven crown is the key to the Forbidden 
  Lands, be it to save the land or to assume con-
  trol over it.
  The Stillmist breathed and beckoned behind Kalman Rodenfell. 
  Yet other matters held him back.
  “The Whisperer has opened a boil in Vond. The infection 
  spreads, but our ancestors can heal the land. Forget your conflicts 
  and your discord. Find those who seek life among all kin and 
  search for the ancients!”
  The elf regarded the motley crowd before him with some 
  concern.
  
  introduction
  13
  OVERVIEW
  Raven’s Purge is an extensive campaign and 
  lacks a linear plot, but is still not particularly 
  difficult to run. This campaign is a smorgas-
  bord of factions, locations and events that you 
  can weave into your campaign in Forbidden 
  Lands. Below is a summary of the contents 
  of the book:
  THE ELVEN CROWN STANENGIST
  The next chapter deals with the crown, 
  Stanengist, and the three other powerful 
  artifacts set with elven rubies. Their histo-
  ry and their abilities are described in detail, 
  as well as offering suggestions on where they 
  can be found.
  KEY PLAYERS
  Next is a description of all the key players 
  who in one way or another seek Stanengist 
  or who in other ways seek to alter the balance 
  of power in the Forbidden Lands. These key 
  players all have their own agendas and will 
  act to reach their goals during the course of 
  the campaign.
  ADVENTURE SITES
  Following that are eight complete adventure 
  sites, described according to the same format 
  as the three in the Gamemaster’s Guide. These 
  adventure sites are in one way or another con-
  nected to the legend of Stanengist or the key 
  players of the campaign, but they can be played 
  in any order you choose.
  Note that two of the adventure sites in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide – Weatherstone and Vale 
  of the Dead – also are connected to Raven’s 
  Purge. If you haven’t already played these, your 
  campaign may benefit from adding them in to 
  the mix.
  THE SHOWDOWN IN VOND
  The book concludes with a chapter on the grand 
  campaign finale – the showdown in Vond. 
  Vond is an expanded adventure site which also 
  describes different ways to resolve the struggle 
  over Stanengist. There is no “right” ending to 
  the story – instead, the decisions of the players 
  will determine who falls and who stands vic-
  LOCATIONS OF THE ARTIFACTS
  Before you begin Raven’s Purge, 
  it is wise to decide where the 
  Stanengist crown, the Maligarn 
  longsword, the Nekhaka scepter 
  and the Blood Star cloak clasp 
  are located in your own cam-
  paign. There are suggestions 
  in the descriptions of each 
  artifact in the next chapter, but 
  there is nothing stopping you 
  from choosing locations as you 
  please. You may have to change 
  these locations during the 
  game, depending on where the 
  adventurers actually go.
  
  chapter 2
  14
  torious among the key players. The future of 
  the Forbidden Lands lies in the hands of the 
  adventurers.
  You can run the final confrontation to end the 
  campaign whenever you please, but a number 
  of conditions need to be met:
   
  ✥
  The adventurers are in possession of the 
  elven crown Stanengist, and one or more 
  of the other three artifacts with elven 
  rubies (see the next chapter).
   
  ✥
  The adventurers have encountered most of 
  the key players and become their allies or 
  enemies (see Chapter 3).
   
  ✥
  The adventurers have heard the legends 
  about Zytera, Krasylla and Vond.
  LEGENDS
  The most important way for the players to get 
  information on the key players and the four 
  artifacts during the course of the campaign is 
  through legends (page 6 in the Player’s Hand-
  book). As such, it is important that you let the 
  players hear or read these legends on a regular 
  basis. They are gathered as player materials 
  at the end of this book and are available for 
  download on the Free League’s website.
  As a rule of thumb, you should share at 
  least one legend with the players each ses-
  sion You can place the legends wherever you 
  please. If there is no suitable NPC at hand 
  to tell of a certain legend, you can let one of 
  the adventurers remember it by the campfire, 
  with the help of a LORE roll (page 55 in the 
  Player’s Handbook) and read it to the other 
  players.
  THE START OF  
  THE CAMPAIGN
  Raven’s Purge can begin in many different 
  ways. You can introduce artifacts, key players 
  and adventure sites from this book long before 
  the adventurers even get to hear of Stanengist.
  However, the simplest way to get the cam-
  paign rolling is to let the adventurers hear the 
  legend of Stanengist (see adjacent box). This 
  can happen in different ways, and how it hap-
  pens has no bearing on the campaign at large. 
  If you want to, you can use the starting 
  scene described in the boxed text below as in-
  spiration. The scene can take place anywhere 
  during the adventurers’ journeys through the 
  Forbidden Lands and can be used to lure adven-
  turers to any adventure site of your choosing. 
  The scene will, of course, have to be adapted to 
  your specific group.
  STARTING SCENE
  “Blessed benefactor, you delivered 
  us from the monster! Who has ever 
  beheld such magic?” the merchant 
  exclaimed from inside the wagon. Yet 
  he dared not emerge until the last 
  vestiges of the red mist had dispersed 
  in the evening breeze.
  “That was not magic. I just pointed 
  out a truth in the native tongue of the 
  Bloodlings,” the stranger muttered in 
  response, bending over the jewelry box 
  that had fallen off the table in the heat 
  of battle. The stranger eyed an ame-
  
  introduction
  15
  thyst dripping with fresh blood with 
  disgust.
  “That is my best stone, but you 
  have earned it as your reward! It holds 
  a higher value to me than my left nut,” 
  laughed the merchant, somewhat ner-
  vously, as he was simultaneously struck 
  by the possibility that their savior was a 
  highwayman. He shot a glance at Trisnir. 
  The warrior had sheathed her sword and 
  appeared completely smitten, though it 
  was nigh impossible to tell if the beauti-
  ful stranger was man or woman.
  “You peddle nothing but trash. 
  I’m searching for the stone that once 
  belonged to my beloved Viridia, and 
  that is why I intervened,” the wanderer 
  answered, and then to the merchant’s 
  dismay, dropped the amethyst in the 
  dust of the road. “Viridia’s heart is an 
  emerald that goes by the name of Gall-
  Eye. You haven’t seen it, you who peddle 
  in jewelry?”
  The merchant’s disaffirming answers 
  seemed to distress the stranger, who 
  exhaled a heavy sigh.
  “Viridia and her five elven siblings 
  once ruled this land, but after the peace 
  was secured, their heart stones were set 
  into the crown Stanengist, which was 
  long worn by the rulers of Ravenland. 
  If you as a merchant find the crown or 
  any of its six stones, they can be sold 
  for whatever sum of gold you desire. If 
  you instead seek power, you will receive 
  it with Stanengist on your brow. But if 
  you want my friendship, you will return 
  Viridia’s heart to me.”
  “Have I understood correctly? Are these 
  valuable stones really lost without an 
  owner?” asked the merchant, whose 
  business acumen once again had 
  crawled free of fear.
  The beautiful stranger regarded the 
  party with a blank stare, and it was as 
  if their thoughts were drawn from their 
  souls by it.
  “Defiant, Merigall stole Stanengist 
  more than a thousand years ago and 
  spread the stones across the land. No 
  one knows where they are anymore. 
  They say that the loss of Stanengist 
  caused the fall of Ravenland.”
  “Who are you, really?”
  The stranger’s yellow eyes fixed on 
  the merchant.
  “I am Merigall.”
  Unabashedly, the creature met their 
  stunned stares.
  “I can’t be everywhere all the time 
  but must journey on post haste, but 
  there is a place where you could help me 
  search for Gall-Eye. If you find any of the 
  six elven stones you will be rewarded 
  beyond comprehension...”  
  THE COURSE OF 
  THE CAMPAIGN
  When the adventurers have heard the legend of 
  Stanengist, it is up to them to start the search 
  for the crown and the missing rubies. Use leg-
  ends to lead the adventurers on the right track 
  
  chapter 2
  16
  and let them encounter the different key play-
  ers of the campaign at the adventure sites.
  If the players won’t swallow the bait and 
  seem uninterested in the legend of Stanengist 
  you can let them hear more of the elven crown 
  and its history (see the next chapter), as well as 
  the legends of the other three artifacts set with 
  elven rubies. Hopefully, the players will sooner 
  or later become interested in Stanengist.
  The adventurers can encounter the key 
  players and the four artifacts in any order 
  during the course of the campaign, depending 
  on the players’ own choices and which encoun-
  ters and adventure sites that they visit or you 
  place in their path. Avoid trying to steer the 
  players in a certain direction, instead allowing 
  them to encounter the key players and the arti-
  facts wherever they choose to go.
  It is entirely possible for the adventurers to 
  pursue other ventures between the encounters 
  and events that are connected to Stanengist. 
  By weaving in side quests, you can expand the 
  campaign without limits.
  When you feel that it is time to bring the 
  campaign to an end, and the adventurers have 
  met the required conditions (as noted above), 
  you begin the showdown in Vond.
  PLAYER 
   INCENTIVES
  If the players won’t take an interest in 
  Stanengist of their own accord, you can entice 
  them with paying missions from one or more 
  of the key players of the campaign. The de-
  mon Merigall is especially useful, since this 
  trickster wants to set events in motion and 
  break Zytera’s hold on the Forbidden Lands 
  (see the next chapter). The adventurers may 
  already have met Merigall if they have visited 
  the adventure site of Weatherstone (see page 
  215 in the Gamemaster’s Guide).
  If the adventurers don’t plan to use 
  Stanengist themselves, there are several par-
  ties who’d offer them a handsome reward for 
  the assembled crown – a castle of their own, a 
  fortune, artifacts or knowledge are all possible 
  rewards. It is most likely that the Rust Broth-
  ers and other key players will try to hire sever-
  al adventurers for the hunt since they reckon 
  that most of them will perish and that only a 
  few hunters will find even a single stone. Alter-
  natively, the adventurers can receive threats of 
  their families being executed or their villages 
  being burned down if they don’t find the crown.
  Many of the key players of the campaign 
  want Stanengist for different reasons and 
  may take advantage of the adventurers to 
  achieve their goals. Read more about the mo-
  tivations of the key players in Chapter 4.
  ZERTORME
  
  stanengist
  17
  STANENGIST
  It is said that the first six elves of the Forbidden Lands – the ones 
  who planted the trees, drew the furrows of the rivers and gave 
  the animals their home - after completing their mission, had 
  their rubies gathered in the royal crown, Stanengist, the name 
  of which means The Hanging Stones.
  T
  he elven crown, Stanengist, and the el-
  ven rubies it has housed are the core of 
  the campaign of Raven’s Purge. This 
  chapter first describes in detail the history of 
  Stanengist. After that come descriptions of the 
  crown itself and its abilities, as well as the oth-
  er artifacts that carry three of the elven rubies 
  today: the Maligarn sword, the Nekhaka scep-
  ter, and the Blood Star cloak clasp.
  THE HISTORY OF 
  STANENGIST
  The elven crown has a long and dramatic his-
  tory that stretches over several centuries. This 
  history can become known to the adventurers, 
  bit by bit, through the legends of Stanengist 
  and the other artifacts. All legends are col-
  lected at the end of this book. They are also 
  available for download on the Free League’s 
  website.
  The details of this history not made clear by 
  the legends are not something that the players 
  need to know. However, curious players who 
  wish to deepen their knowledge of the crown 
  can get more information from the key players 
  of the campaign (see the next chapter).
  THE RED WANDERER IN THE SKY
  Legends tell of how the first elves fell as rubies 
  from the Red Wanderer in the sky and assumed 
  flesh in the world. Greatest among these 
  stones was the Heart of the Sky which, upon 
  impact, shattered into six pieces from which 
  rose six siblings as wise as they were beautiful, 
  five sisters and a brother. Their virgin senses 
  experienced the world and were mesmerized, 
  and their heart rubies blazed, eager to further 
  adorn their new home.
  
  chapter 3
  18
  The moments that she didn’t spend learning 
  how to mold the earth with the god Clay were 
  spent sitting by the great water singing, to at-
  tract lovers to her presence. And so it came to 
  pass that the Raven god heard her song when 
  the humans’ homeland east of the seas had 
  withered to dust and they had all embarked 
  on their ships. The Shardmaiden’s song led 
  the Raven and his protégés across the seas to 
  Ravenland.
  After the Shardmaiden had left, Algar-
  ed asked the remaining four sisters if they 
  wanted to be his wives. The eldest sister, Ge-
  melda, who was the wisest since the largest 
  ruby dwelled in her chest, explained that she 
  and her sisters looked favorably upon Algar-
  ed’s proposal, but that there was much work 
  to be done first, since the Red Wanderer had 
  charged them all to fill the world with life and 
  beauty. The sisters agreed to the betrothal, 
  promising that they would eventually gather 
  their stones in joy and harmony. Till then, 
  she recommended that Algared still his long-
  ing with work.
  STANENGIST IS FORGED  
  BY DWARVES
  The sisters’ brother, the craftsman Nebulos, 
  had already become friends with the dwarves 
  that claimed to have created the world upon 
  which they had fallen. To confirm the be-
  trothal, as well as to please his sisters and his 
  future brother-in-law, he asked the dwarves 
  to forge the golden crown Stanengist, “The 
  Hanging Stones,” where they could all sit 
  together when their world-task had been 
  completed. The sisters were delighted by the 
  THE ELVES OF THE LEGEND AND 
  WHERE THEY ARE NOW
   
  ✥ Gemelda – ruby set in 
  Stanengist
   
  ✥ Neyd – ruby set in Stanengist
   
  ✥ Nebulos – ruby set in 
  Stanengist
   
  ✥ Iridne – ruby set in the cloak 
  clasp Hemella – the Blood 
  Star
   
  ✥ Viridia – the emerald Gall-Eye 
  set in the sword Maligarn – 
  the Giant Slayer
   
  ✥ The Shardmaiden – shattered 
  into shards that sit in the 
  foreheads of druids
   
  ✥ Algared – ruby set in the 
  royal scepter Nekhaka
  Close to them fell also Algared the Re-
  sourceful, and even though he too saw the 
  beauty of the world, he found that it paled in 
  the presence of the radiance of the five sisters. 
  He fell to his knees before them and begged 
  them all to be his wives.
  The Shardmaiden, whose inner ruby shone 
  strongest, somberly took Algared’s hands in 
  hers and explained that her love, like his own, 
  was like an ocean and far too immense to be 
  shared with only one. She struck out and wan-
  dered east to settle on the island that, in her 
  honor, came to be known as Maidenholm. 
  
  stanengist
  19
  gift, but both they and Algared demanded 
  that a slot be prepared for Nebulos as well 
  in Stanengist, so that they could all find fel-
  lowship together in time. And so the golden 
  crown, Stanengist, was forged with room for 
  six stones.
  NEYD GATHERS THE WATER
  The elven sister, Neyd, wanted to plant for-
  ests, but found that the ground was either 
  too dry or too wet, killing her plants. She 
  then sought out the water goddess Flow and 
  was told by her that the water flowed without 
  direction since it lacked will. This worried 
  the goddess as well, who was having a hard 
  time rallying her domain. Neyd suggested 
  that the waters should be given names and 
  the ability to love, thus giving it the will to 
  stick together. Flow felt that this was a good 
  idea and soon, the waters of Ravenland no 
  longer flowed hither and thither, but in riv-
  ers that gathered into lakes. Only the waters 
  of the marshes remained unruly, but since 
  Flow loved her element in all its capricious-
  ness, she allowed them to stay that way, even 
  though marshes have been considered god-
  less lands ever since. Thankful for the idea, 
  Flow named the first river of the lands “The 
  Seyster.”
  NEBULOS CREATES  
  THE STILLMIST
  The brother, Nebulos, was pleased by his sis-
  ter’s gathering of the waters. When he noticed 
  how the night fog now left tender dewdrops 
  in the greenery in the morning, he gathered 
  them and wove them, mixed with starlight, 
  into a lofty sanctuary, the Stillmist, beyond 
  the world, so that he and his kin could find 
  rest from their work within it. Evil whispers 
  claim that by then Nebulos had grown tired of 
  his former friends, the dwarves, finding them 
  too crude and clumsy, and that he created the 
  Stillmist just so that he could be free of them 
  from time to time.
  VIRIDIA’S BATTLE  
  AGAINST SCROME
  At the beginning of this age, a giant named 
  Scrome raged across Ravenland. He had two 
  eyes, placed one over the other, that took 
  turns sleeping. The giant’s yellow eye was 
  good and loving, while the green one only 
  harbored rage and a lust for destruction. 
  When the green eye was awake, the giant 
  ravaged the land and destroyed what he him-
  self and others had built, and even if he wept 
  and tried to set right much of what he had 
  wrought while under the influence of his yel-
  low eye, he was feared by all.
  The elven sister, Viridia, was a shield-
  maiden and tracked down Scrome to slay 
  
  chapter 3
  20
  the monster with her sword, Maligarn, and 
  bring peace to the land. She found him when 
  the yellow eye was awake and the giant re-
  morseful. Viridia told him of the suffering 
  he was causing under his evil eye’s influ-
  ence and Scrome willingly lay down on the 
  ground, bared his throat and wept as he asked 
  the shieldmaiden to slay him. But Viridia 
  could not slay the innocent, so decided to 
  wait until his evil eye had awoken. Scrome 
  immediately came to love her for her mercy 
  and wisdom. But when the giant’s green eye 
  eventually awoke, that love turned into rage. 
  A violent battle ensued, in which Viridia was 
  unable to hold her ground against the titan 
  and was defeated.
  The stories don’t tell of how she died, but 
  one thing is certain: he devoured her before the 
  yellow eye next awoke and wondered where the 
  elven woman had gone. When Scrome’s yellow 
  eye saw the elven blood, he was horrified and 
  hid among the mountains.
  VIRIDIA IS REAWAKENED
  As soon as Gemelda heard what had happened 
  to her sister, she armed herself, Nebulos and 
  Iridne to reclaim Viridia’s ruby heart and 
  grant her a new body in the Stillmist. She 
  called other elves to her aid, and in so doing, 
  created the warrior caste of the Redrunners 
  who have ever since hunted for lost elven 
  stones. The hunters found Scrome while his 
  gentle, yellow eye was awake. The giant as-
  sured them that Viridia’s stone wasn’t inside 
  him, but also that he had searched his own 
  offal since the murder without finding the 
  stone. He thus demanded that the elven sib-
  lings slay him and search his insides, since the 
  elven ruby might have gotten stuck among 
  his teeth, in his gullet, or in some intesti-
  nal pocket. Gemelda, however, pried open 
  Scrome’s sleeping, evil eye, peered into it and 
  saw that Viridia’s elfstone was lodged in there 
  like a glimmer of lust.
  They carved the eye out with Viridia’s 
  sword, Maligarn, but it awoke at the same 
  time and rolled away from the avengers, fum-
  ing with rage. For several years, Scrome’s evil 
  eye haunted Ravenland and all it surveyed 
  was fraught with sickness, discord and decay. 
  It eventually happened to roll down into a 
  dwarven mining hole and got stuck. There, 
  the Redrunners caught it and cut out Virid-
  ia’s stone, but they found that the ruby had 
  been transformed into a green emerald by the 
  evil eye’s rage. What was left of the eye became 
  the diamond chalice known as “The Well of 
  Tears,” which constantly and of its own power 
  replenishes itself with blood-mixed saltwater.
  The siblings carried Viridia’s green stone 
  back to the Stillmist where they once again 
  dressed it in flesh, but Viridia was changed. 
  No longer loving and dutiful, but angry and 
  quarrelsome. The siblings suggested that she 
  shed the flesh forever, and come to rest in the 
  crown of Stanengist where they would even-
  tually join her. However, Viridia pushed her 
  siblings aside, grabbed her sword and stated 
  that creation not only demanded nurture of 
  that which grows but also the culling of the 
  old and that henceforth that task would be 
  her charge. She left her siblings, but a trail 
  of truncated limbs and rotting corpses re-
  vealed her path. The green stone in her heart 
  is called Gall-Eye.
  
  stanengist
  21
  The giant Scrome was now left with one eye, 
  mild-mannered but in a melancholic mood 
  and ashamed in front of all living things be-
  cause of his actions. Gemelda brought him to 
  an isolated vale beyond a temple comprised 
  of monks sworn to silence, and charged him 
  with keeping watch over the restless dead. 
  There, he felt at peace (see Vale of the Dead 
  in the Gamemaster’s Guide).
  THE CROWN IN THE STILLMIST
  The time came when Gemelda felt that Raven-
  land thrived of its own accord, that their task 
  was done, the water smooth-flowing and the for-
  ests planted, signifying that the time had come 
  for the elven siblings to retreat to the crown 
  Stanengist in the Stillmist. She believed that 
  they would otherwise stand in the way of their 
  descendants. Iridne, Neyd and Nebulos, like 
  Gemelda, shed their flesh and accompanied her, 
  even if the brother often returned to the flesh to 
  work with the Stillmist. Viridia was missing and 
  Algared felt that he still had work to perform.
  THE SHATTERING OF THE 
  SHARDMAIDEN
  The Shardmaiden, sister to the five, welcomed 
  the humans when they came from across the 
  seas, and cared for all those left in Ravenland 
  after the Raven god enacted the Shift. She had 
  many children with them, taught the offspring 
  magic, and so became the great ancestor of both 
  Elvenspring and druids. With time, she became 
  ever more mournful as her many human lovers 
  without exception aged and passed away, and 
  when Morander, who had become especially 
  close to her, died she let her heart be shattered 
  into a thousand pieces so that all of her descen-
  dants could carry a shard with them, granting 
  power and wisdom. The Elvenspring who carry 
  a shard of the Shardmaiden fixed to their fron-
  tal bone are known as the Order of Maidens and 
  possess extraordinary magical powers. 
  ALGARED IN ALDERLAND
  After the Raven god shifted the land and 
  granted the humans Alderland south of the 
  Divide, the Shardmaiden summoned Algar-
  ed to meet her at Maidenholm. She viewed 
  the humans as her children, worried for how 
  they would be able to make it on their own, 
  and asked Algared to join them in exile to as-
  sist them with advice while they built their 
  new land. Since Algared still loved the Shard-
  maiden as much as her sisters, he promised 
  to oblige the elven woman’s wish. So he and 
  a number of other elves followed the humans 
  to Alderland, ostensibly as hostages to guar-
  antee the peace between the kin, but in reali-
  ty as helpers and overseers.
  Many of these elves were intrigued by 
  the humans and had children with them in 
  Alderland, even if Algared himself refrained. 
  The offspring came to be known as Frailers 
  by their human relatives because of their 
  frail bodies. The elves taught them their mu-
  sic and their magic, but noticed how their 
  students possessed traits like greed and a 
  lust for power where instead discretion and 
  gratitude should have been found. In distaste 
  and silence, the elves left Alderland. Algar-
  ed mourned his failure and returned to the 
  Shardmaiden to tell her of his defeat. Dis-
  
  chapter 3
  22
  tressed, he then retreated to the Stillmist, 
  shed his flesh, and joined with those of his 
  wives who had already been set into the 
  crown Stanengist. 
  However, whenever increasingly alarming 
  reports reached him from Alderland a couple 
  of hundred years later, Algared could no longer 
  be at peace since he still considered the country 
  to be his responsibility, a charge given to him 
  by the noble Shardmaiden who had shattered 
  and sacrificed herself for the humans. He left 
  Stanengist and once again assumed flesh, this 
  time as a tall human, and returned to Alder-
  land along secret paths known only to him and 
  the Shardmaiden, alone. There, he overthrew 
  the king and put himself on the throne as a 
  powerful and wise regent. He sired offspring 
  to establish a just dynasty and raised his son, 
  Algadan, with a firm hand. Finally, when Al-
  gadan had proven worthy of the throne did 
  Algared allow his body to age. He faked his 
  own death and had his ruby set into the royal 
  scepter, Nekhaka, which thereafter was passed 
  down in the Algarian dynasty, to serve as an 
  advisor. The kings Algamar, Alvagard and 
  Algarod, who later invaded Ravenland, are 
  all half-elven descendants of Algared. The 
  last king of the dynasty, Algarod, brought the 
  scepter Nekhaka to Ravenland, where he and 
  his entire army were slain by Zygofer’s demonic 
  hordes. The scepter’s current whereabouts are 
  unknown.
  IRIDNE AND THE ORCS
  Through the Shift, the elves had been given 
  the orcs as servants or enslaved them by their 
  own hand, and Iridne was distraught by the 
  tales of abuse and scorn that reached her. She 
  believed that the elves had a responsibility to 
  the orcs and wished to leave the Stillmist to 
  help them. The elven woman Klotinda had 
  fallen in love with Iridne’s gentle voice and 
  helped her re-assume flesh. The two women 
  took to the forests together to set things right. 
  However, Iridne soon found that Klotinda 
  wanted to own her and didn’t share the same 
  point of view. When the wars came, and the 
  orcs were slaughtered in droves, Iridne was 
  horrified, shed her flesh once more, and let 
  her ruby be set into the cloak clasp Hemel-
  la – the Blood Star – with the hope that the 
  leaders of the orcs would wear it, and that 
  through it, she would be able to help them by 
  advising them in their dreams. She deemed 
  it pointless to explain her plan to Klotinda 
  who, blinded by love, would just try to stop 
  her. Thus, Klotinda still believes that the orcs 
  have slaughtered Iridne and stolen her ruby. 
  She has taken the form of an Ent to find and 
  reclaim Iridne through violence.
  VIRIDIA AND MERIGALL ARE DE-
  CEIVED IN THE STILLMIST 
  The bloodthirsty shieldmaiden Viridia con-
  tinued to ravage Ravenland, possessed by 
  Gall-Eye, the emerald in her chest. Gemelda, 
  her elder sister, felt that the killing could nei-
  ther be allowed to continue or excused any 
  longer, and sent an invitation asking her sister 
  to visit her in the Stillmist. Viridia became 
  suspicious and said that she’d only enter the 
  Stillmist in the company of her lover, the 
  bard Merigall, who wasn’t an elf and as such 
  worthy of her trust. Gemelda approved her sis-
  
  stanengist
  23
  ter’s request, but when the two guests arrived, 
  Viridia was imprisoned and the green emerald 
  heart was torn from her flesh by force.
  However, Merigall was a demon versed 
  in sorcery and while the elves were embroiled 
  in their struggle, it grabbed both the crown 
  Stanengist and the emerald Gall-Eye, which 
  had been ripped from Viridia, and fled to 
  Ravenland through magical means. The 
  Redrunners immediately took up the chase, 
  accompanied by the greatest elven magicians. 
  Merigall mourned Viridia, but was unable to 
  reawaken her in the flesh on its own. Instead, 
  it had Gall-Eye set into Maligarn, the sword 
  that the shieldmaiden had left behind. When 
  the Redrunners finally tracked down Merigall, 
  it defiantly spirited away both Maligarn and 
  Stanengist to places unknown even to itself. 
  As punishment, the Redrunners dissolved the 
  demon’s body in acid and poured the acid into 
  Lake Harga, which turned red in color and was 
  henceforth known as Blaudwater. When Zygo-
  fer much later made his seat in Alderstone, he 
  sensed the demonic being in the lake and was 
  able to reshape Merigall through sorcery. 
  THE FOUR  
  ARTIFACTS
  Below, the four artifacts are described with a 
  legend about each, the abilities of the items in 
  detail, as well as suggestions on where the adven-
  turers can find them. All four artifacts are found 
  on the playing cards included in the special card 
  deck sold separately for Forbidden Lands.
  PERSONALITIES OF THE STONES
  All of the four elder artifacts hold elfstones 
  with a certain personality and mood that also 
  affects the bearer. The elves in the rubies often 
  come to the bearer in dreams to give advice, 
  but also to criticize thoughts and actions that 
  they dislike.
  THE MALIGARN 
  SWORD 
  In days past, the bloodthirsty giant Scrame rav-
  aged the land. The stories tell of how the shield-
  maiden Viridia slew him with the sword Ma-
  ligarn – the Giant Slayer. She received help from 
  Scrome, the giant’s brother, whose reward was 
  to be appointed guardian of the gate where the 
  deceased enter the underworld. But Viridia 
  sustained such grave wounds during the battle 
  against Scrame that she died soon after. The em-
  erald that had made up her heart was set into the 
  crown, Stanengist, but is later said to have been 
  moved to the sword Maligarn. The weapon has 
  been lost for a long time.
  Scrome and Scrame are actually the same gi-
  ant and has by no means been slain; he guards 
  the Vale of the Dead (see page 231 in the Gam-
  emaster’s Guide). 
   
  ✥
  SUGGESTED LOCATION: Stoneloom 
  Mines
   
  ✥
  ELVEN GEMSTONE: Viridia
   
  ✥
  PERSONALITY: Rage, cruelty, impatience, 
  greed
  
  chapter 3
  24
  APPEARANCE
  The longsword Maligarn is significantly more 
  agile in one’s hands than it appears – almost as 
  if it swings itself and strives to exist in perpet-
  ual motion, a fervor that one can sense like a 
  vibration through the copper-twined grip. The 
  cross-guard set with a single emerald is made 
  from gold, which from the ricasso melds seam-
  lessly into a silver-white blade of an unknown 
  alloy. The forging technique of the alloy is no 
  longer known. 
  EFFECTS
  Maligarn is a masterly forged longsword 
  with Weapon Bonus +3 and Weapon Damage 
  2. The emerald Gall-Eye gives a D8 Artifact 
  Die to all attacks in close combat (not PAR-
  RIES). The Artifact Die increases to a D10 
  if the wielder has two enemies within ARM’S 
  LENGTH distance, and to a D12 if four or more 
  enemies are inside the same range. Further-
  more, Gall-Eye detects enemies within NEAR 
  distance, and glows green in proportion to 
  proximity and hostility.
  DRAWBACKS
  Gall-Eye infuses the wielder with fervor and 
  bloodlust, causing them to have –2 at any at-
  tempt to PARRY or DODGE. If the wielder Breaks 
  an enemy with the sword, she must roll for 
  INSIGHT. If the roll fails, she goes berserk ac-
  cording to the rules on page 73 in the Player’s 
  Handbook. Gall-Eye siphons power from the 
  vicinity – every time the wielder rolls a Re-
  source Die for FOOD or WATER (page 38 in the 
  Player’s Handbook), she must roll it twice.
  THE NEKHAKA 
  SCEPTER 
  It is said that Algared, the first king of Alder-
  land, was so wise and good that the gods turned 
  his heart into a ruby after his death. Algadan, 
  son of Algared, had his craftsmen carve the 
  scepter Nekhaka with three pendants from the 
  golden alder trees of the royal palace and set his 
  
  stanengist
  25
  father’s ruby into the scepter. Nekhaka was car-
  ried by the Algarian dynasty for generations, but 
  was lost in Ravenland when the last regent, Al-
  garod, was slain with all his men by the demonic 
  hordes of the sorcerer Zygofer. The elven elders 
  instead claim that Algared was an elf disguised 
  as a human and that his ruby heart was one of 
  the six stones in the crown, Stanengist.
  In reality, the elf Algared created the scepter 
  himself and remained in it as a ruby to aid his 
  descendants. 
   
  ✥
  SUGGESTED LOCATION: Weatherstone
   
  ✥
  ELVEN GEMSTONE: Algared
   
  ✥
  PERSONALITY: Sorrow, dejection, fear of 
  failure
  APPEARANCE
  The scepter Nekhaka is a shepherd’s crook 
  carved from dark iron alderwood into the 
  shape of a temple roof ornated with elder pen-
  dants. The ruby Algared is placed as the roof’s 
  eye. This shape symbolizes the king’s strength 
  and vigilance in his role as the people’s pro-
  tector. The foot of the scepter is made of iron 
  twisted into a spiral so that the scepter can be 
  placed standing on the ground, from where it 
  is said to spread the power of the king across 
  the land.
  EFFECTS
  The ruby Algared in Nekhaka gives a D12 
  Artifact Die to MANIPULATION and INSIGHT. 
  Once every Quarter Day, the scepter can 
  release a shock wave when thrust into the 
  ground. This counts like the EARTHQUAKE 
  spell (page 136 in the Player’s Handbook) 
  with a Power Level of D6+2. No Willpower 
  points are required for this effect. Further-
  more, Algared’s Artifact Dice can be used for 
  all rolls for upkeep and the building of new 
  functions in your stronghold (see Chapter 8 
  in the Player’s Handbook), provided that the 
  wielder of the ruby is located in the strong-
  hold (she doesn’t have to take part in the ac-
  tual construction though).
  DRAWBACKS
  Algared drains power from its wielder, who 
  thus suffers 1 point of damage to Agility and 
  Wits every Quarter Day she is awake.
  
  chapter 3
  26
  THE BLOOD STAR 
  CLOAK CLASP
  The story goes that the elven princess Iridne fell 
  in love with the orc chieftain Horena, but that 
  her father and his high council were appalled, 
  for the elves saw the orcs as an impure and in-
  ferior kin. Iridne was forbidden all contact 
  with Horena, stripped from her flesh, and her 
  burning heart was set into the crown Stanengist 
  to cool off. When the princess defied her father 
  in the name of love and re-assumed flesh, he 
  equipped a ship to carry his daughter across the 
  oceans to keep her away from Ravenland until 
  Horena had passed away. When Iridne heard 
  her father’s decision, she chose to take her own life 
  rather than be separated from her love. She had 
  her ruby heart set into the cloak clasp Hemella – 
  the Blood Star – which, in secret, was brought 
  to Horena by her faithful handmaiden. Iridne’s 
  father was furious and went to war against the 
  orcs to reclaim Iridne’s heart, but the power of 
  love within the Blood Star strengthened Horena 
  so that the war became long and bloody. It is said 
  that Iridne’s cruel father had the orc chieftain 
  whipped to death after defeating him, but the 
  cloak clasp Blood Star has been lost ever since.
  The entire story about Horena is a fabrication. 
  Iridne felt that the elves’ treatment of the orcs 
  was shameful, and assumed the form of the 
  cloak clasp to help them.
   
  ✥
  SUGGESTED LOCATION: Eye of the Rose
   
  ✥
  ELVEN GEMSTONE: Iridne
   
  ✥
  PERSONALITY: Soul-searching, caring, 
  self-sacrificing
  APPEARANCE
  The cloak clasp Blood Star is old but relatively 
  simple, in which a golden tree has been laid on 
  a round copper base. In the middle of the clasp, 
  where the tree trunk starts to become canopy, 
  the ruby Iridne sits.
  EFFECTS
  Blood Star gives the wearer a D12 Artifact Die 
  to SCOUTING, LORE and PERFORMANCE, thanks 
  to the aid of Iridne. Furthermore, the wearer 
  can levitate through the air (at the same speed 
  as when moving on the ground) if a cloak is 
  attached to the clasp. The wearer must land af-
  ter one round. Finally, Blood Star grants De-
  fense Rating +1 to a stronghold if the wearer is 
  located inside it (see Chapter 8 in the Player’s 
  Handbook).
  
  stanengist
  27
  DRAWBACKS
  Iridne despises violence, and Blood Star 
  therefore inflicts 1 point of damage to EM-
  PATHY to the wearer each time she Breaks 
  an enemy in battle, regardless of whether it 
  occurs in close combat, at range or through 
  magic.
  THE STANENGIST 
  CROWN 
  It is said that the first six elves of the Forbidden 
  Lands – the ones who planted the trees, drew the 
  furrows of the rivers and gave the animals their 
  home – after completing their mission, had their 
  rubies gathered in the royal crown, Stanengist, 
  the name of which means “The Hanging Stones.” 
  In the crown they rested deservedly, but at the 
  same time, kept watch over their creation and 
  gave advice to their descendants. For a long time, 
  the crown was worn by the kings of the land and 
  granted them the power to keep the kingdom in-
  tact, but sometime right before the humans ar-
  rived in Ravenland, the thief Merigall stole three 
  of the stones from Stanengist, and the land has 
  been sundered ever since. Whoever re-assembles 
  the stones in the crown and places it on her head 
  shall according to legend gain the power to rally all 
  kin and rule over the Forbidden Lands. The sto-
  nesinger Brander of Bynd is said to have received 
  a vision from the god Huge in which he saw the 
  lost stones set into the scepter of a king, the jewelry 
  of a queen, and a sword that slays giants.
  In reality, the missing jewels of the crown 
  chose not to sit in it. Merigall did steal the 
  crown though.
   
  ✥
  SUGGESTED LOCATION: Vale of the Dead
   
  ✥
  ELVEN GEMSTONES: Gemelda, Neyd, 
  Nebulos as well as three empty sockets
   
  ✥
  PERSONALITY: Reflection, tranquility, 
  creativity, superiority
  APPEARANCE
  The crown Stanengist is made of ancient, 
  dwarf-forged gold with some kind of alloy-
  ing element which makes the metal as hard 
  as steel. The shape resembles that of winding 
  greenery with the rubies as fruits, five in a 
  row and one above. Only a jeweler can safely 
  fit the stones into the sockets or remove them 
  without risking damaging them.
  SETTING THE STONES
  Detaching a gem from anoth-
  er artifact and setting it into 
  Stanengist demands a suc-
  cessful roll for CRAFTING. Failure 
  doesn’t damage the stones, but 
  the same person can never try 
  again. When a stone has been 
  detached from an artifact, the 
  artifact immediately loses all 
  its magical effects. Maligarn, 
  for example, becomes a regular 
  longsword.
  
  chapter 3
  28
  EFFECTS
  The crown Stanengist gives its wearer differ-
  ent effects depending on what stones are set 
  into the crown. Take note that some of the 
  elfstones have conflicting effects – a result of 
  their different personalities.
   
  ✥
  GEMELDA, NEYD, NEBULOS: This trio 
  of rubies neutralizes magic. Every time 
  a spell is cast within NEAR distance, 
  or against the wearer, it automatically 
  triggers a DISPEL MAGIC (see page 121 
  in the Player’s Handbook) with Power 
  Level D6. This DISPEL MAGIC requires 
  no Willpower. Note that this effect also 
  affects non-hostile sorcerers. If any of 
  these three stones are detached from 
  Stanengist, the crown lacks any magic 
  effect at all.
   
  ✥
  GALL-EYE: The wearer gains all effects 
  and drawbacks described under the sword 
  Maligarn, except for the sword’s Weapon 
  Bonus and Weapon Damage.
   
  ✥
  ALGARED: The wearer gains all effects 
  and drawbacks described under the 
  scepter Nekhaka, except for the ability to 
  release a shock wave.
   
  ✥
  IRIDNE: The wearer gains all effects 
  and drawbacks described under the cloak 
  clasp Blood Star, except for the ability to 
  levitate.
   
  ✥
  DEMONIC INSANITY: In addition to 
  the individual effects above, Stanengist 
  has a powerful negative influence on the 
  psyche of demons and demon-tainted 
  creatures. If such a creature dons the 
  crown, it will immediately suffer damage 
  to Wits. To determine the amount of 
  damage, roll a number of D6 equal to 
  the number of stones in the crown be-
  yond the first three – i.e. D6 if there are 
  four stones in the crown, 2D6 if there 
  are five stones in the crown and 3D6 if 
  all six stones are present.
  If the victim’s Wits drops to zero, 
  the creature becomes permanently in-
  sane – it will lash out at everyone around 
  it for one round before storming off into 
  the wilderness or throwing itself to its 
  death in the Protonexus. If the creature’s 
  Wits doesn’t drop to zero, it will recover 
  all lost Wits after resting for a Quarter 
  Day.
  This effect is an exception to de-
  mons’ normal immunity to attacks that 
  affect Wits. The effect is known by Mer-
  igall, Kalman Rodenfell and the elves of 
  the crown – but not by Zytera, Krasylla 
  or Kartorda.
  SEALING THE PROTONEXUS
  In addition to the effects 
  described next to this box, 
  Stanengist can be used to close 
  Zytera’s Protonexus. If the 
  crown is set with at least four 
  stones and thrown into the 
  portal (page 209), the Protonex-
  us will be sealed permanently. 
  The crown will be destroyed, 
  however.
  
  key players
  29
  KEY PLAYERS
  T
  his chapter describes the key players 
  of this campaign – individuals with a 
  strong interest in Stanengist and a de-
  sire to use the crown to further their own goals.
  ZYTERA
  Zytera is a creature composed of the old sor-
  cerer Zygofer and his daughter, Therania. They 
  are joined back-to-back through the demonic 
  substance mog on the back of the body of a 
  giant spider. This solution was put forward by 
  the bard Merigall, with the purpose of keeping 
  the aging Zygofer and his knowledge alive.
  Merigall had promised Therania domi-
  nance in the conjoined being, but things didn’t 
  turn out that way. The parts are equal, usually 
  at odds with one another, irrational and proba-
  bly mentally ill, but very powerful and danger-
  ous. The Rust Brothers in Alderstone propagate 
  the belief that Zytera protects humanity from 
  invading demons as the prophet of the god 
  Rust, a feat that demands human sacrifices. 
  There is truth in their claims, but it was 
  Zygofer who opened the passage to the demon-
  ic worlds when he was about to lose the war 
  against King Algarod’s army. The force had 
  come from Alderland to end the Spellbind-
  er’s reign. You can read more about this in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide
  Zytera is essentially offended by the ingrat-
  itude of the people, but feels that “someone 
  has to do the dirty work so that the rabble can 
  rest easy.” At the same time its hatred of and 
  contempt towards the Alderlanders beyond the 
  wall grows and Zytera plans to conquer adja-
  cent countries in the long term.
  At times, when the father is asleep, Ther-
  ania’s ethereal body goes off to be on its own. 
  “Teach me the magic of fire!” Zertorme whispered in Brinhel-
  da’s ear as they lay panting from their lovemaking, bathing in 
  the being’s cold flames. “I’ll give you anything in return.”
  The fire demon smiled, and stroked her lover’s chin with a 
  lustrous finger.
  “I like your face,” she whispered. “Give it to me!”
  
  chapter 4
  30
  THE KEY NPCS
  The table below sums up the most important factions and key NPCs of the cam-
  paign, also providing their goals and specifying where the adventurers are most 
  likely to encounter them. 
  KEY PLAYER
  TYPE
  GOAL
  LOCATION
  Zytera
  Demon- 
  Tainted  
  Sorcerer
  To conquer the crown, Stanengist, 
  and to gain the power to rule all 
  of the Forbidden Lands.
  The Mogarium 
  in Vond
  Merigall
  Demon
  To be free from Zytera’s control 
  and resurrect its beloved Viridia.
  Vond, or 
  anywhere in 
  the Forbidden 
  Lands
  Krasylla
  Demon
  To kill Zytera and use Stanengist 
  to seal the Protonexus in Vond.
  His chamber in 
  Vond
  Virelda  
  Bloodbeak 
  Raven Sister
  To use Teramalda to destroy the 
  Rust Church. To collect Stanengist 
  so as to prevent it from falling 
  into the wrong hands.
  Traveling in 
  the Forbidden 
  Lands
  Zertorme
  Zygofer’s Son
  To take revenge on his father and 
  take all of the Forbidden Lands for 
  himself.
  Amber’s Peak
  Arvia of  
  Crombe
  Dwarf of the 
  Crombe Clan
  To reclaim the dwarven holdfast 
  of Vond from Zytera. To use the 
  stones in Stanengist for experi-
  ments in stone magic.
  Stonegarden or 
  during a journey
  Empress 
  Soria
  Orc of the 
  Urhur Clan
  To use Stanengist to close the 
  Protonexus in Vond so that no 
  more demonic armies can threat-
  en the Forbidden Lands.
  Eye of the Rose
  Kalman  
  Rodenfell
  Elven Lead-
  er of the 
  Redrunners
  To collect Stanengist to return 
  the elfstones to the Stillmist. If 
  necessary to sacrifice the crown 
  to close the Protonexus in Vond.
  Traveling in 
  the Forbidden 
  Lands
  Rust Prince 
  Kartorda
  Leader of the 
  Rust Church
  Dreams of wearing the crown, 
  Stanengist, and becoming emper-
  or of the Forbidden Lands.
  Haggler’s House 
  or Vond
  
  key players
  31
  The ethereal body, in the form of a barely 
  distinguishable female shape, can appear 
  at different locations in the Forbidden Lands. 
  It can’t act, but it can sense what is happening 
  and also talk.
  LEGEND
  They say that the sorcerer Zygofer, during the fi-
  nal battle of the Fourth Alder War, summoned 
  a demonic horde that slaughtered King Algarod 
  and the Alderlander army. To consolidate the 
  alliance, Zygofer and his daughter, Therania, 
  agreed to being merged with a demon prince to 
  form the man-spider Zytera, whom the Rust 
  
  chapter 4
  32
  Brothers still venerate as the prophet of the god 
  Rust. Allegedly, Zytera still rules the holdfast of 
  Vond, from which the monstrosity sends out the 
  unnatural demonic creatures that haunt the For-
  bidden Lands.
  APPEARANCE
  Zytera gives an impression as strange as it is 
  sickening of a large spider on the back of which 
  rides a shapeless, many-faced human. The crea-
  ture is draped in rich clothing, tinted in shades 
  of rusty yellow, brown and red, adorned with 
  gold, brass and gems, none of which mitigates 
  the appalling impression. At a closer look, the 
  body of the spider has ten, not eight, hairy 
  legs. It has a compact build, taller at the fore 
  where two human bodies tower from the hip 
  and upwards: an old, bearded man and a mid-
  dle-aged woman, Zygofer and Therania, joined 
  back to back, neck to neck. They are turned fac-
  ing a side each, but the seam between them is 
  soft enough for both of them to face forward at 
  the same time. The woman is majestic, while 
  the old man gives a grotesque and sickly im-
  pression. An unpleasant smell, like that of rot-
  ting fungi, fouls the air around the creature, 
  unsuccessfully masked by heavy perfumes.
  Hidden under the sheets of clothing at the 
  front of the spider is a maw with tiny tentacles. 
  The body lacks intelligence, but reflexively de-
  vours anything that comes within reach of the 
  tentacles, and must be fed raw strips of meat 
  since it has a digestive system separate from its 
  human parts. On Zygofer’s rear hip is the crying 
  face of an infant, embedded there to give the dy-
  ing man a semblance of emotional life. It mostly 
  screams when it isn’t being bribed with sweets.
  The arachnid body of Zytera can move 
  slowly in any direction with precision or run 
  as fast as a horse, but lacking direct control. It 
  can easily cross uneven terrain and is even able 
  to climb sheer cliffs.
  Zytera has a contract signed in Krasylla’s 
  blood hidden in Zygofer’s clothing. The con-
  tract prevents Krasylla from harming Zytera.
  OVERT GOALS
  Zytera is, at the moment, allied with the Rust 
  Brothers, Krasylla and Merigall, but the al-
  liances are fragile. Zytera mainly strives to 
  master the demonic substance mog so as to 
  become immortal and to create armies of de-
  mon warriors. It wants to conquer all of the 
  Forbidden Lands, eradicate all other kin, and 
  then conquer Alderland. Zytera has created a 
  primitive portal between worlds, the so called 
  Protonexus, to eventually be able to summon 
  more allies.
  Zytera 
  wants 
  to 
  control 
  the 
  crown 
  Stanengist, since the creature believes that the 
  crown will grant the wisdom and power needed 
  to rule the Forbidden Lands.
  SECRET GOALS
  Zytera has two wills: Zygofer and Therania. 
  Zygofer has tired of his daughter’s contempt 
  and wants to get rid of her once he’s mas-
  tered mog and the Protonexus and no longer 
  has any need for her life force. Zygofer wants 
  to wear Stanengist alone: “a crown only holds 
  one head”. If Zygofer suspects that everything 
  is lost, he may choose to turn his Protonexus 
  into an open and uncontrolled nexus, by us-
  
  key players
  33
  ing a ritual in which a being of royal breed is 
  sacrificed to the portal. It would mean that 
  demons could pass unchecked into the Forbid-
  den Lands, just as it was during the Demon 
  Flood in 874 AS, possibly heralding the doom 
  of the land. No other key player wants this, but 
  Zygofer can begin the ritual without revealing 
  its purpose. The nexus can only be sealed with 
  the crown, Stanengist. Zygofer will attempt to 
  crush Merigall if he becomes aware that the 
  demon helped his wife, Martea, and his second 
  daughter, Marga, escape from him.
  Therania is utterly bored by her father and only 
  tolerates him for his knowledge is still needed 
  to control mog and the Protonexus. She plans 
  to sever him from the demon body and to sacri-
  fice a woman to take her lower body as her own 
  to become whole again, free from the arachnid 
  form. Therania wants to wear Stanengist, alone. 
  If Zytera dies, there is a risk that the Protonexus 
  will run amok and turn into an uncontrolled 
  portal for demonic invasion.
  MEETING ZYTERA
  Zytera mainly devotes its time to horrendous 
  demonological and necromantic studies in its 
  so-called Mogarium at the top of Mount Ora 
  in Vond (see page 205), often accompanied by 
  Merigall. The adventurers can also encounter 
  Zytera in Haggler’s House (see page 160).
  STRENGTH 24, AGILITY 4, WITS 5, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Lore 5, Insight 5, Manipulation 5
  TALENTS: Path of Death 3, Path of Blood 3
  ARMOR RATING: 12 (demon skin)
  REPUTATION: 4
  GEAR: In the partially decomposed cloak 
  worn by the old man, Zygofer, is the parch-
  ment that holds the contract that binds 
  Krasylla to Zytera.
  MONSTER: Zytera counts as a monster in 
  combat, see page 73 of the Gamemaster’s 
  Guide.
  D6
  MONSTER ATTACKS
  1.
  CHILLING SCREAM! Zytera stands on its 
  four hind legs and utters an unnat-
  ural, chilling scream. All adventurers 
  within NEAR distance suffer a fear 
  attack with ten dice. 
  MEETING THE KEY PLAYERS
  During the course of the cam-
  paign it is important that the 
  adventurers get the chance to 
  meet most of the key players of 
  the campaign and learn of their 
  intentions – true or false. The 
  adventurers will need the help 
  of one or more of the key play-
  ers for the showdown in Vond.
  The description of each key 
  player specifies their overt and 
  more hidden goals – designs that 
  the key player may try to use 
  the adventurers to achieve. The 
  description also describes where 
  and how the adventurers can 
  meet and interact with the key 
  player. The information is sum-
  marized in the table on page 30.
  
  chapter 4
  34
  2.
  BITE ATTACK! The demonic creature 
  throws itself over an adventurer with-
  in NEAR distance and bites down with 
  its poisonous fangs. Perform an attack 
  with eleven Base Dice and Weapon 
  Damage 1 (stab wound). The unfortu-
  nate adventurer then suffers a lethal 
  poison attack with a Potency of 9.
  3.
  HAND OF DOOM! Zytera casts the spell 
  HAND OF DOOM on an adventurer 
  within SHORT distance with a Power 
  Level of D6+1. The spell damage to 
  the victim’s Strength is equal to the 
  Power Level.
  4.
  IMMOLATE! The monster chooses an 
  adventurer within NEAR distance and 
  casts the spell IMMOLATE with a Pow-
  er Level of D6+2. The victim senses 
  how her blood begins to boil and how 
  she is devoured from within by the 
  magical attack.
  5.
  TERROR! Zytera releases its horrible 
  magic and causes all adventurers 
  within SHORT distance to be afflicted 
  by the spell TERROR with a Power 
  Level of D6+2 (roll for every afflicted 
  adventurer).
  6.
  LIFE DRAIN! The monster chooses an 
  adventurer within NEAR distance 
  and casts the spell WEIGHT OF AGES 
  on her with a Power Level of D6. The 
  afflicted adventurer then drops to 
  the ground.
  SPELLS: Several of Zytera’s monster attacks 
  are spells. The GM’s pool of Willpower is 
  not used to power these, and Zytera runs 
  no risk of suffering a magical mishap.
  WEAKNESSES: Zytera is a powerful being, but 
  has several weaknesses that the adventur-
  ers can exploit:
   
  ✥ Zygofer and Therania can be severed 
  from Zytera’s body with the magi-
  cal sword Asina (see page 130 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide). This demands 
  a single hit that inflicts 4 points of 
  damage or more. See below for stats 
  for the half-bodies, both of which will 
  die in D6 hours unless reattached 
  through magical means.
   
  ✥ The wife, Martea, in the Stoneloom 
  Mines (see page 157) has a lock of Zy-
  gofer’s hair. If the lock is thrown into 
  the Protonexus, demons will swarm 
  through the portal from the world 
  of Churmog to end the sorcerer for 
  having the audacity to disturb them. 
  Read more on page 213.
   
  ✥ Zygofer will go insane if he dons the 
  crown Stanengist. Read more on 
  page 28.
  ZYGOFER, SEVERED  
  FROM ZYTERA
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Lore 4, Insight 2, Manipulation 2
  TALENTS: Path of Death 3, Path of Blood 3
  GEAR: In the partially decomposed cloak 
  worn by the old man, Zygofer, is the 
  parchment that holds the contract that 
  binds Krasylla to Zytera.
  THERANIA, SEVERED  
  FROM ZYTERA
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 4
  SKILLS: Lore 2, Insight 4, Manipulation 4
  TALENTS: Path of Blood 3, Path of Death 2
  
  key players
  35
  MERIGALL
  The bard Merigall is a sexless being whose charm 
  is as dangerous as it is attractive to both genders, 
  especially for half-elves. Many claim to have had 
  relations of a more intimate nature with Meri-
  gall, yet none can even divulge the gender of the 
  creature since it is able to change its shape. Mer-
  igall appears to have the ability to coax music 
  from any instrument that’ll bring its audience to 
  tears, though the lute is its favorite.
  Officially, Merigall is Zytera’s closest ally 
  and the driving force behind the merging of 
  father and daughter. Together, they perform 
  many horrific experiments in Zytera’s labora-
  tories. Merigall enjoys travelling among the 
  villages and has twelve offspring in the coun-
  tryside to whose side the demon can teleport 
  (see the boxed text on the next page).
  Merigall is a demon from the world of 
  Churmog. The creature’s existence in the For-
  bidden Lands is bound to Zygofer’s life, which 
  is one of the reasons that the old man must be 
  kept alive. Merigall feeds off of and can sense 
  the emotions of others, but is a connoisseur 
  that seeks to bring forth feelings that are as 
  complex, strong and discordant as possible.
  The emotions and feelings of its surround-
  ings are to the bard a delectable meal to enjoy in 
  order of convenience, with spices and accompany-
  ing wine. It is especially fond of stirring emotions 
  in those who oppose it or are of shifting emotion-
  al states by, for example, gaining someone’s trust 
  and love only to betray the person in question, 
  completely out of the blue, in the harshest way 
  possible. It is just as likely to aid someone who 
  least expects it. Zytera is unaware of it, but Mer-
  igall aided Zygofer’s wife, Martea, in her escape.
  LEGEND
  The name Merigall soars like a vague shadow 
  with yellow eyes across the Forbidden Lands. 
  No one know who the creature is or even if it is a 
  woman or a man. Maybe there are several Mer-
  igalls, for the creature has been spotted in places 
  far and wide from one day to the next. The young 
  are seduced in castles as well as cottages so that the 
  yellow-eyed offspring of Merigall can be found in 
  the most distant regions and among all kin. Some 
  believe the creature to be a demon, others revere 
  it as a god, for the truth is that it is as likely to help 
  those who encounter it as it is to destroy them.
  APPEARANCE
  Most of the time Merigall appears as a slen-
  der, androgynous Elvenspring with ash blonde 
  hair, but its appearance is hard to define and 
  describe even by those who intimately know 
  the creature. Merigall’s eyes are always yellow, 
  however, as are the eyes of its offspring. An im-
  age of Merigall can be seen on page 11 of this 
  book.
  OVERT GOALS
  Officially, Merigall helps Zytera to research 
  mog so that through the aid of Rust Brothers 
  and demonic creatures they may conquer the 
  Forbidden Lands.
  SECRET GOALS
  Merigall’s highest priority is to get hold of and 
  drink its life essence, which resides in one of the 
  statues in the guardian chamber of the Mogar-
  ium, thus freeing itself from Zytera.
  
  MERIGALL’S OFFSPRING
  Merigall has twelve offspring 
  in different locations in the 
  Forbidden Lands, and can tele-
  port directly to them. This is a 
  version of the PORTAL spell, but 
  requires no roll of the dice and 
  carries no risk for a magical 
  mishap. The exact locations 
  of Merigall’s offspring are not 
  set – you can decide during 
  the course of the game to 
  allow Merigall to appear when 
  it suits you. Once an offspring 
  has been placed you should 
  make a note of it, however. If 
  an offspring is killed, Merigall 
  can no longer teleport there. 
  Merigall loves all of its off-
  spring and will hate anyone 
  who kills them.
  chapter 4
  36
  Merigall is uninterested in ruling the For-
  bidden Lands alone, but wants to support 
  someone suitable to the task. Merigall can 
  ally with any one of the other key players, as 
  well as the adventurers themselves, if it serves 
  the demon’s designs. Merigall loved the el-
  ven woman, Viridia, and hopes to resurrect 
  her from the emerald Gall-Eye set into the 
  sword, Maligarn. To that end, it may look for 
  a suitable body of an elven woman to raise its 
  beloved in.
  Merigall may tolerate an alliance with Krasyl-
  la but dislikes and distrusts the demon.
  MEETING MERIGALL
  Owing to its ability to teleport (see the boxed 
  text to the left), Merigall can appear anywhere 
  in the Forbidden Lands, for example, in Weath-
  erstone (page 215 in the Gamemaster’s Guide). 
  You can allow the demon to act as a travelling 
  bard that offers to travel with the adventurers to 
  document their deeds in poems and songs. Mer-
  igall is very intelligent, with great knowledge of 
  the world, and the demons who dwell in it.
  When Merigall isn’t traveling the land, 
  the demon can be found in its pavilion on the 
  slope of Mount Ora (read more on page 198 
  in the chapter on Vond).
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 5, WITS 5, EMPATHY 6
  SKILLS: Lore 5, Insight 5, Manipulation 5, 
  Performance 5
  TALENTS: Path of Shifting Shapes 3, Path of 
  Signs 3, Path of Blood 3, Path of Death 3
  REPUTATION: 5
  GEAR: Colorful clothes, flute, lute, drum
  IMMORTAL: Merigall consists of mog and can 
  therefore not die in the normal sense of the 
  word. If the body is killed, Merigall will re-
  generate at the side of one of its offspring, 
  as long as there are any of them left alive.
  SHAPESHIFTING: Merigall has the ability to 
  assume any humanoid form it desires and 
  may even imitate specific individuals with 
  great precision. Shifting shapes is a long 
  action for Merigall but demands no roll 
  of the dice or expenditure of Willpower. 
  No matter what form Merigall takes, the 
  demon’s yellow eyes remain. 
  
  key players
  37
  WEAKNESS: Merigall’s life essence is kept in 
  a container in the last surviving statue in 
  the guardian chamber of Zytera’s Moga-
  rium (page 207). The demon will die if the 
  essence is poured into the ocean or if it is 
  dissolved with acid and then mixed with lye. 
  Only Zygofer and Kalman Rodenfell know of 
  this. If the essence is poured into a lake the 
  demon will live on, dissolved in water. 
  KRASYLLA
  Krasylla is one of the demon princes that 
  Zytera summoned to Ravenland in the year 
  74 AS that ravaged Aslene. When the way 
  home had been blocked, he signed a contract 
  with Zytera and settled down in the holdfast of 
  Vond to guard Shadowgate Pass. Pursuant to 
  the contract, the Rust Brothers regularly de-
  liver human sacrifices to the creature. Krasylla 
  was powerful during the wars, but after set-
  tling in Vond he has melted down to a gigan-
  tic, shapeless mass. The Rust Brothers loathe 
  and despise the demon but fear him. Krasylla 
  is actually in a transitory phase to becoming 
  sarmog – a more powerful kind of demon.
  LEGEND
  At the end of the Alder Wars the demon prince 
  Krasylla stood bereft of a way home to his native 
  world of Churmog. They say that Zytera made 
  a deal with the terrible creature then, giving it 
  sanctuary in Vond in return for guarding Shad-
  owgate Pass against the Aslene that Krasylla him-
  self had ravaged. It is whispered that the human 
  sacrifices that the villages are forced to provide to 
  the Rust Brothers become sustenance for Krasylla 
  and that the demon nowadays lies fat and immo-
  bile in the interior of the castle.
  APPEARANCE
  In his chamber in Vond (page 189), Krasylla is a 
  shapeless, veined, disgusting mass roughly the 
  size of an elephant taking a vaguely humanoid 
  shape resembling the last victim he devoured. 
  He can fight with tentacles that pull victims 
  into his body and suffocate them to digest them. 
  Inside the chamber, hidden by Krasylla’s mass, 
  is the doorway to an adjoining tower. This tower 
  is also filled with his tissue, and this is where 
  the demon is building his sarmog form.
  If the precursor phase is injured, it will ap-
  pear to shrink, but is actually being drawn into 
  the tower. When Krasylla awakens as sarmog, 
  for example, if the precursor phase is badly 
  injured, the tower beyond the chamber will 
  erupt, but the stones won’t fall to the ground, 
  instead forming the armor of the sarmog 
  which is terrible, a ten-meter-tall humanoid 
  with multiple limbs.
  OVERT GOALS
  Krasylla is officially Zytera’s ally and general. 
  The Rust Brothers worship and fear him.
  SECRET GOALS
  Krasylla wants to collect Stanengist to seal 
  the Protonexus in Vond so that no competing 
  demon prince can enter the Forbidden Lands. 
  The demon also wants to get hold of the con-
  tract that binds him to Zytera’s service and 
  
  chapter 4
  38
  then kill Zytera, whom he despises and detests. 
  Krasylla suspects that Merigall was complicit 
  in trapping him in the Forbidden Lands.
  Krasylla wants to replace Zytera as ruler of 
  the Forbidden Lands. He can ally himself with 
  the adventurers, if they help him get hold of the 
  contract with Zytera.
  MEETING KRASYLLA
  Krasylla never leaves his chamber in Vond (page 
  189) – at least not until he turns into sarmog.
  KRASYLLA IN PRECURSOR PHASE
  STRENGTH 22, AGILITY 2, WITS 6, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Lore 3, Insight 3, Manipulation 3
  ARMOR RATING: 6 (demon skin)
  REPUTATION: 4
  UNDER TRANSFORMATION: In this phase, Kra-
  sylla is transforming into a sarmog, a more 
  powerful demon. If Krasylla is slain it will 
  only hasten the process (see page 197).
  MONSTER: Krasylla counts like a monster in 
  combat.
  
  key players
  39
  D6
  MONSTER ATTACK
  1. 
  TENTACLE WHIP! A powerful tentacle 
  swipes at an adventurer within NEAR 
  distance. Perform an attack with nine 
  Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 
  (blunt force). If the attack succeeds, 
  the victim becomes prone.
  2.
  TENTACLE EMBRACE! The monster tries to 
  squeeze the life out of an adventurer 
  within NEAR distance. Perform an at-
  tack with nine Base Dice and Weapon 
  Damage 1. If the attack succeeds, the 
  adventurer is GRAPPLED and will suffer 
  the same attack in every subsequent 
  round until the adventurer breaks free.
  3.
  CHOKING ATTACK! The demon em-
  braces an adventurer within NEAR 
  distance and attempts to choke her 
  by pressing her against his enor-
  mous bulk. Perform an attack with 
  ten Base Dice and Weapon Damage 
  1 (blunt force). If the attack suc-
  ceeds, the adventurer is GRAPPLED 
  and suffers a choking attack that 
  does 1 damage each round until the 
  adventurer breaks free.
  4.
  THROWING ATTACK! Krasylla grabs an 
  adventurer within NEAR distance 
  with his tentacles and throws her 
  against a wall. Perform an attack 
  with twelve Base Dice and Weapon 
  Damage 1 (blunt force). If the attack 
  succeeds, the adventurer will addi-
  tionally become prone and land at 
  SHORT distance.
  5.
  ADVENTURER MASH! The demon lifts up 
  two adventurers within NEAR dis-
  tance with his tentacles and smashes 
  them together with great force. Per-
  form an attack with eleven Base Dice 
  and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). 
  If either one of the adventurers is 
  wearing a metal helmet the damage 
  to the other increases by 1.
  6.
  SWEEPING ATTACK! The demon uses his 
  long tentacles to perform a sweeping 
  attack that hits all adventurers within 
  NEAR distance. Perform an attack 
  with nine Base Dice and Weapon 
  Damage 1 (blunt force). Victims hit by 
  the attack become prone.
  KRASYLLA AS SARMOG
  STRENGTH 60, AGILITY 2, WITS 6, EMPATHY 3
  ARMOR RATING: 12 (stone armor)
  D6
  MONSTER ATTACK
  1. 
  STOMP ATTACK! The sarmog attempts 
  to stomp two adventurers, like 
  insects, within NEAR distance to 
  death. Perform an attack against 
  each adventurer with twelve Base 
  Dice and Weapon Damage 2 (blunt 
  force). If the attack succeeds, the 
  adventurers are thrown to the 
  ground.
  2. 
  BOULDER THROW! Krasylla picks up a 
  giant boulder from the ground and 
  throws it at an adventurer within 
  SHORT distance. Perform an attack 
  with twelve Base Dice and Weapon 
  Damage 2 (blunt force).
  3. 
  DEMONIC ROAR! The demon opens 
  his enormous jaws and lets out a 
  demonic roar that echoes across the 
  land. All adventurers within SHORT 
  distance suffers a fear attack with 
  eleven Base Dice.
  4. 
  SWEEPING BLOW! Krasylla lets his giant 
  fists sweep across the ground. All 
  adventurers within NEAR distance 
  suffer an attack with ten Base Dice 
  and Weapon Damage 2 (blunt force). If 
  the attack succeeds, the adventurers 
  are thrown to SHORT distance and falls 
  prone.
  
  chapter 4
  40
  5.
  ADVENTURER THROW! The demon has had 
  enough of an adventurer within NEAR 
  distance, grabs her and attempts to 
  throw her away. Perform an attack 
  with twelve Base Dice and Weapon 
  Damage 2 (blunt force). If the attack 
  succeeds, the victim is thrown to 
  SHORT distance and falls prone.
  6.
  DEMONIC SKELETONS! Krasylla spews 
  forth from his body D6 grotesque 
  creatures made from the skeletons 
  of his devoured victims. The skele-
  tons have normal stats (page 122 in 
  the Gamemaster’s Guide) and blindly 
  follow Krasylla’s orders.
  WEAKNESSES: Perhaps the only way to kill Kra-
  sylla is to mark him with one of the Arrows 
  of the Fire Wyrm from Aslene (see page 128 
  in the Gamemaster’s Guide). Krasylla was one 
  of the destroyers of Aslene and the volcano 
  god Horn seeks to exact vengeance upon 
  him. If Krasylla is marked by the arrow, the 
  Fire Wyrm Erynia will know where he is and 
  chase him from below the ground. When the 
  wyrm finds the demon, the ground will begin 
  to glow and dissolve into lava at which time 
  the gigantic wyrm will devour the demon 
  with one bite in a spectacular fashion. If Kra-
  sylla is fed with one of Merigall’s offspring, 
  he will obtain the features of his victim. If 
  Merigall sees this, it will want to kill Krasylla 
  and may give one of the Arrows of the Fire 
  Wyrm to the adventurers or to Zertorme.
  VIRELDA  
  BLOODBEAK
  As opposed to most Raven Sisters, Virelda 
  Bloodbeak is impatient and violent towards her 
  enemies, among which are counted Zytera’s 
  demons, the members of the Rust Church 
  and the sect of the Blackwings. Virelda was, in 
  her youth, one of the Sisters of Heme in the 
  Rust Church. Rebellious of mind, she broke 
  into the forbidden library of the temple and 
  found historical documents there pertaining 
  to the origin of the Rust Church, which she 
  thereafter viewed as heretical. She was brutal-
  ly punished, fled, and sought out the Raven 
  Sisters, to whom she revealed what she knew 
  of the Rust Church: that it had sprung from 
  the Raven Sisters who stayed in Alderland and 
  made agonizing amends.
  LEGEND
  The Ailander Raven Sisters are known as a peace-
  ful sisterhood. They discreetly help the villagers 
  with the art of healing and spells for the harvest, but 
  are hunted relentlessly by the servants of the Rust 
  Church. Sister Virelda Bloodbeak is not like other 
  Raven Sisters. With her bushy white hair she is sup-
  posed to have started out as one of the goddess Heme’s 
  Sisters, but is said to have changed sides after an 
  epiphany. She is said to have slain tens of the Iron 
  Guard and their demons, and some even claim that 
  she has faced Teramalda’s burning armor in battle.
  APPEARANCE
  Virelda is characterized by her wild, white hair 
  which appears to have a life of its own, billow-
  ing like seaweed in the wind even though she 
  tries to restrain it in braids. The cursed hair 
  is a legacy from her time in the Rust Church 
  as are her tattoos, the origins of which she has 
  tried to hide by adding to them. She can’t cut 
  
  key players
  41
  her hair since it bleeds and can feel. Virelda 
  dresses in dark grey and red clothes and often 
  travels in the guise of a flock of magical ravens.
  Virelda is depicted on the cover of this book.
  OVERT GOALS
  Virelda Bloodbeak fights the Rust Church by 
  any means necessary.
  SECRET GOALS
  Virelda hunts Teramalda’s burning armor (see 
  page 160 in the Gamemaster’s Guide), since it is a 
  symbol of the power of the Rust Church. The Ra-
  ven Sister knows that Teramalda is kept alive by a 
  magical iron spike that has been driven through 
  the Ferrale’s chest inside the armor. The plan is 
  to lure the suit of armor to a magnetic rock and 
  tear out the iron spike while the beast is stuck to 
  the cliff, an act that would kill Teramalda. Vire-
  lda knows that the sight of the unscrewed head 
  of the armor would sow doubt among the Iron 
  Guards and Rust Brothers in Vond, who view 
  Teramalda as a holy champion of the god Rust.
  Virelda knows of Stanengist, and wants to 
  collect the crown to keep it from falling into 
  the wrong hands, and instead use it to restore 
  the land.
  MEETING VIRELDA
  The adventurers can meet Virelda while jour-
  neying through the Forbidden Lands. She is 
  hunting Teramalda and can ask the adventur-
  ers for help in finding the Ferrale. Virelda can 
  tell them the legends of the Rust Prince Kar-
  torda and of Zytera.
  If the adventurers have already met Teramalda 
  as a random encounter, and tell Virelda of this, 
  she will become very interested. The Raven 
  Sister knows that lightning has struck an iron 
  outcrop nearby and turned it into a powerful 
  magnet for the coming day. She wants the ad-
  venturers to help her lure the beast there.
  The adventurers can also encounter Vire-
  lda in Haggler’s House (see page 160) and 
  during the showdown in Vond (see page 175).
  STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 6, WITS 5, EMPATHY 4
  SKILLS: Melee 4, Stealth 4, Move 5, Scouting 
  5, Lore 4, Survival 4, Insight 3, Manipula-
  tion 3, Performance 3, Healing 4, Animal 
  Handling 5
  TALENTS: Path of Healing 2, Path of Shifting 
  Shapes 3, Path of Sight 3, Fearless 2, Pain 
  Resistant 2
  REPUTATION: 3
  GEAR: Magical staff with a D10 Artifact Die
  DEMONIC HAIR: Virelda’s hated cursed hair 
  gives her power. If she loses it, she will also 
  become significantly weaker (maximum 
  Strength and Agility is decreased to 3) 
  until it grows back.
  ZERTORME
  Zertorme is Zygofer and Martea’s son, a power-
  ful magician and leader of the eastern regions, 
  Margelda and Yendra, of the Forbidden Lands. 
  He fled towards Wailer’s Hold with his mother, 
  Martea, and his sister, Marga, but left the others 
  when he discovered that Marga was possessed by 
  a demon. Zertorme sought out the Elvenspring 
  
  chapter 4
  42
  in the east, allied with them and won the trust of 
  the Aslenes in Margelda, since he proved to have 
  the ability to talk to people and horses alike.
  In the beginning, Zertorme was vengeful 
  and participated in the battles against his father’s 
  forces to free Margelda, but when the mission 
  was completed, the demons invaded Ravenland, 
  the Alderlanders built their wall and his sister 
  and father merged into the creature Zytera, and 
  he became increasingly heavy-hearted. He was 
  tormented by how he had abandoned his mother 
  Martea and his sister Marga at the Stoneloom 
  Mines and lost his appetite for the company of 
  others; during the Blood Mist, he retreated to 
  Amber’s Peak (page 75). It is rumored that Mer-
  igall sometimes visits him and that the two of 
  them have a secret love affair.
  Since the Blood Mist lifted, Zertorme has 
  desperately started to experiment with a form 
  of fire magic to use against his father. Zer-
  torme has sacrificed his face to the fire demon 
  Brinhelda for her aid. He has tried to cultivate 
  a new one from demon flesh, but it looks gro-
  tesque and terrifying, and therefore he always 
  wears a mask when he appears in public. Both 
  of the rider clans of Aslene look up to him as 
  their leader.
  LEGEND
  Zertorme is said to be the sorcerer Zygofer’s very 
  own son. When the father caught Zertorme 
  snooping about in his demonic grimoires he is sup-
  posed to have torn the face off his son, as beautiful 
  as he was skilled in magic, as punishment. Zer-
  torme then fled east to ally with his father’s ene-
  mies. From the plains, he is said to lead his armies 
  with a masked visage and to have gathered the 
  horse clans from Aslene, who believe him to be the 
  prophet of the volcano god Horn and the future 
  savior of Aslene, under his banner.
  APPEARANCE
  Zertorme has no face. He is several hundred 
  years old, but has the appearance of being for-
  ty, athletic and intense since he is a half-elf, as 
  were his parents. In place of his face, he wears 
  a mask and a frivolous uniform inspired by 
  traditional Aslene folk costumes. Zertorme is 
  depicted on the cover of the Forbidden Lands 
  core game set.
  OVERT GOALS
  Zertorme leads the force of Aslene refugees 
  and soldiers from Margelda against the Rust 
  Brothers and Zytera’s demonic hordes. He is 
  allied with the Raven Sisters, and is on good 
  terms with the Elvenspring and the elves.
  SECRET GOALS
  Zertorme is actually playing a double-cross 
  game to take power over the Forbidden Lands 
  for himself. He is secretly allied with his sister, 
  Therania, whom he plans to betray as well, as 
  soon as he achieves his goals. As a suggestion, 
  we recommend that you don’t reveal his duplic-
  ity until the final stage of the campaign.
  Zertorme also wants to wear the complet-
  ed crown, Stanengist, and can help the adven-
  turers collect the rubies under the pretense of 
  wanting to use the crown against Zytera.
  Zertorme’s greatest personal dream is 
  to tame a dragon to ride in battle. To this 
  
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  end, he may try to free Scarne from under 
  Stonegarden.
  Zertorme would love to have his face back, 
  but this will enrage Brinhelda since she consid-
  ers it to be hers.
  MEETING ZERTORME
  The adventurers will most likely meet Zer-
  torme during a visit to Amber’s Peak (page 75). 
  He may also appear in Vond in the final battle.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 5, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 4, Move 2, Insight 3, 
  Manipulation 4
  TALENTS: Psychic Power, Path of Blood 2, 
  Fire Magic
  REPUTATION: 5
  GEAR: Longsword, chainmail, closed helmet, 
  the riding lizard Pyravia (see page 87)
  WEAKNESSES: If Zertorme dons the crown 
  Stanengist he will go insane, like his father. 
  Read more about this on page 28.
   
  FIRE MAGIC
  Zertorme has, with the help of the 
  demon Brinhelda, delved into the 
  secrets of fire. His work consists in 
  part of various more or less painful 
  experiments on animals and other 
  living creatures, but also the explora-
  tion of magic bound to fire. Zertorme 
  can cast the following spells:
   
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  PILLAR OF FIRE: A pillar of fire is 
  created within SHORT distance, 
  as if the air itself has caught on 
  fire. The spell does damage to 
  Strength equal to the Power Lev-
  el. The victim is also set on fire.
   
  ✥
  CONFLAGRATION: The entire area 
  within NEAR distance of Zertorme 
  (same zone) flares up into a con-
  flagration. A number of people up 
  to the Power Level take 1 point of 
  damage to Strength. All victims 
  are set on fire.
  Victims that are set on fire 
  take 1 point of damage each 
  round, until the victim succeeds 
  in putting out the fire with a suc-
  cessful roll for MOVE (long action).
  Armor does not protect 
  against these spells. The GM’s 
  pool of Willpower is used to cast 
  these spells.
  ARVIA OF CROMBE
  Princess Arvia of the Crombe dwarf clan is 
  very proud and ambitious, but stands outside 
  the royal lineage since her mother promised 
  the child to the god Huge if it survived, since 
  she had suffered hemorrhaging during the 
  pregnancy. Arvia has instead become obsessed 
  with the thought of a great feat: reclaiming 
  the lost holdfast of Vond for the clan, which 
  includes slaying Krasylla and Zytera.
  She leads a group of religiously fanatic 
  dwarves who have allied with an equally fanat-
  ic group of Aslene rider warriors from the Gal-
  dane clan who wish to slay the demon prince 
  Krasylla as revenge for the ravaging of Aslene. 
  
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  The group includes the dwarf Peyraman and the 
  horse woman Viseria, both of them now prison-
  ers in Vond. Arvia can impart that the two were 
  part of a group equipped with an Arrow of the 
  Fire Wyrm, said to be able to slay Krasylla, but 
  she doesn’t know what has happened to them.
  LEGEND
  The dwarven princess Arvia stands outside the 
  kinship of the clan, for it is told that she was born 
  after her childless mother fornicated with a stone 
  statue and thereafter promised all of her offspring 
  to the god Huge. They say that Huge marked Ar-
  via for feats of war and sacrifice for his own glo-
  ry at her birth. Dwarves fear and are terrified 
  of the woman, but respect her all the same as one 
  chosen by the gods.
  APPEARANCE
  Arvia is fair-skinned with jet black, braided 
  hair and dark eyes. The contrasts almost make 
  it seem as if she shimmers when she gets fired 
  up. She’s a muscular and able warrior with a 
  scarred face, armor and axe.
  OVERT GOALS
  Arvia belongs to the Crombe clan who despise 
  other dwarves and who in turn are despised by 
  them as being arrogant. Her only wish is to 
  conquer Vond and kill Zytera and Krasylla at 
  any cost – including the betrayal and the sacri-
  fice of her friends.
  SECRET GOALS
  Arvia of Crombe also wants the stones of 
  Stanengist to secretly use them as raw material 
  for experiments in stone magic, but she knows 
  that the elves would go to war if they found out.
  Arvia is reluctantly, and secretly, in love 
  with Peyraman, and is jealous and wants to 
  see Viseria dead. Her jealousy has awakened an 
  aversion to humans in general and an unrea-
  sonable hatred of love across the borders of kin, 
  including contempt for all half-elves.
  MEETING ARVIA
  Arvia is constantly travelling. The adven-
  turers can encounter her during a visit to 
  Stonegarden, to Pelagia, or as a random en-
  counter while journeying through the For-
  bidden Lands. Arvia can tell the adventurers 
  of Castle Vond, which the Alderlanders de-
  ceitfully stole from the Crombe clan when 
  they invaded, and of Zytera, Merigall and 
  Krasylla who now rule the fortress.
  STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 5, Crafting 3, Scouting 3, Lore 
  2, Insight 1, Manipulation 2
  TALENTS: True Grit, Path of The Blade 3, Path 
  of The Shield 2, Melee Charge 2 
  
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  REPUTATION: 6
  GEAR: Battle axe, chainmail, covered helmet, 
  large shield, VALUABLE find
  WEAKNESS: At best, Arvia has a tenuous 
  grasp of reality in her dreams, and could 
  lead her forces to ruin. Zytera can use 
  Arvia for his ritual to open the Proton-
  exus.
  EMPRESS  
  SORIA OF URHUR
  Soria is wife to the orc emperor Hroka the 
  First and the Greatest in the fortress of Eye of 
  the Rose. She is the leader of the Viraga – a co-
  alition of orc females who, behind the scenes, 
  are the real wielders of power among the orcs.
  LEGEND
  It is whispered among the Isir and the drifters 
  that the orc empress Soria is actually a learned 
  human female who has nestled herself in with 
  the Urhur clan in the fortress of Eye of the Rose to 
  undermine their war-like manhood. With fair 
  words and elegant seduction she has ensnared 
  Emperor Hroka completely, whose warriors have 
  even been made to eat leavened bread! The em-
  peror is said to have given his spouse an invaluable 
  cloak clasp in which is set a living elven ruby.
  APPEARANCE
  Soria radiates power and intelligence, and 
  could be mistaken for a human female of the 
  sturdier kind with a hint of fangs. She is dark, 
  with olive skin and green eyes.
  OVERT GOALS
  To unite the orcs of the Forbidden Lands 
  alongside her husband and to create an orc 
  kingdom to restore the kin’s belief in itself. She 
  loves her husband until death.
  SECRET GOALS
  Soria strongly dislikes that the elven wom-
  an, Iridne, in the cloak clasp Blood Star (see 
  page 26) speaks to her husband in his sleep 
  and will initially want to get rid of the ruby. 
  However, at some point during the game, 
  Iridne will speak to Soria and tell her of 
  Zytera’s Protonexus, and that the orcs must 
  unite and march on Vond to seal the threat-
  ening gate to the demon worlds with the 
  crown, Stanengist.
  Soria will then urge her husband to unite 
  the orcs and to gather an army. Through the 
  Viraga she will also search for Stanengist, 
  without revealing why. When the adventur-
  ers arrive at Eye of the Rose (see page 92) and 
  perhaps attempt to steal Iridne, Soria might 
  have just received Iridne’s message and is 
  mulling it over. She will then want the stone 
  returned.
  MEETING SORIA
  Soria spends most of her time in the fortress 
  of Eye of the Rose (see page 92), and the ad-
  venturers are most likely to encounter her 
  there.
  
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  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 4, WITS 5, EMPATHY 5
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Lore 4, Insight 3,  
  Manipulation 4
  TALENTS: Poisoner
  REPUTATION: 7
  GEAR: Dagger, colorful and richly embroi-
  dered clothes, three gold rings (worth 4D6 
  silver coins each), the Blood Star cloak 
  clasp with the ruby Iridne (see page 26)
  WEAKNESSES: After a number of betrayals, 
  Soria has poor faith in others and tends 
  to keep information to herself, even when 
  it would be more beneficial to share it. 
  Zytera can use Soria in his ritual to open 
  the Protonexus.
  KALMAN 
  RODENFELL
  The elf Kalman Rodenfell is one of the com-
  manders of the Redrunners, and the superior 
  officer to Ulmaya and Alsurso, whom the ad-
  venturers meet in the adventure site Eye of the 
  Rose (see page 92). Kalman is old and tired of 
  battles, but if he gets hold of one of the stones 
  from Stanengist, it will inform him of Zytera’s 
  Protonexus and that Stanengist must be gath-
  ered and brought to Vond to fight the threat 
  and seal the passage.
  Kalman will then order the Redrunners to 
  search for Stanengist and the missing stones, 
  giving it their highest priority. An elven ad-
  venturer can be a part of this mission. If nec-
  essary, Kalman himself will journey into the 
  Forbidden Lands even if “his stone is heavy 
  with age” and would like nothing more than 
  to retreat to the Stillmist, where he often goes 
  to confer with older elven rubies. He is very 
  well-informed, thanks to his scouts.
  LEGEND
  Almost all of the ancient and learned elves are 
  said to live deep in northern forests of the For-
  bidden Lands or even to have retreated into the 
  
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  mysterious Stillmist as rubies, but Kalman “The 
  Aurochs” Rodenfell is supposed to have kept his in-
  terest for the living world to this point. As one of 
  the commanders of the Redrunners, he is said to 
  lead the fight against demons, humans and other 
  intruders in the land. They say that his feet are 
  rooted like trees and that he sleeps standing in the 
  blood of his enemies so as to draw nourishment 
  and knowledge from them.
  APPEARANCE
  Kalman has assumed a minimalistic appear-
  ance, with features just barely hinted at and 
  floating, light hair – a little bit like a beautiful 
  statue. The impression he makes may appear 
  frightening, since it looks so unreal.
  OVERT GOALS
  Kalman is sworn to the elves’ overarching 
  mission from the Red Wanderer: to protect 
  life in the Forbidden Lands, mainly against 
  unbridled magic, undead and demons. The 
  name Rodenfell means “He who fell from the 
  red one”.
  SECRET GOALS
  Kalman Rodenfell wants to claim Stanengist 
  to save the old elfstones to the Stillmist. If 
  necessary, the crown must be sacrificed to pro-
  tect the land and seal the Protonexus in Vond. 
  This latter goal is disliked by the Redrunners, 
  who’d rather see the crown worn by the com-
  mander of the elves to reinstate their kin as a 
  power-broker in the Forbidden Lands and to 
  drive away the humans.
  MEETING KALMAN
  Kalman Rodenfell, strategist that he is, 
  spends most of his time in Dankwood, but 
  may partake in field missions if the need aris-
  es. Kalman can seek out the adventurers after 
  their visit to the Eye of the Rose, and he may 
  take part in the final battle in Vond.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 6, WITS 5, EMPATHY 4
  SKILLS: Melee 5, Crafting 5, Stealth 4, Marks-
  manship 5, Move 5, Scouting 5, Lore 4, 
  Insight 4, Manipulation 2
  TALENTS: Inner Peace, Path of Sight 3, Path 
  of The Blade 3, Lightning Fast 3, Fast Foot-
  work 2, Fast Shooter 3
  REPUTATION: 6
  GEAR: Longsword (Weapon Bonus +3), long-
  bow (Weapon Bonus +3), leather armor
  SELF-DESTRUCT: In a critical situation, Kalman 
  can choose to detonate himself and his 
  ruby in a powerful explosion. Everyone 
  within NEAR distance then suffers an at-
  tack with nine Base Dice (Weapon Damage 
  2). Of course, this means that Kalman is 
  annihilated.
  WEAKNESS: If Kalman meets Merigall they 
  will fall head over heels in love with one 
  another, which may muddy other goals, 
  even if Kalman tries to resist the passion.
  
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  RUST PRINCE 
  KARTORDA
  Kartorda is the religious leader of the Rust 
  Brothers. General Manderel, who leads the 
  Iron Guard (see page 191), is his confidante.
  LEGEND
  The leader of the Rust Church is said to live in 
  Vond or Haggler’s House, and is feared across 
  the Forbidden Lands. His two faces, which are 
  said to see all and know all, mirror the dual na-
  ture of the prophet Zytera. Some whisper that 
  the Rust Prince is the old god Guard incarnate 
  – the all-seeing guardian of all change, of all that 
  comes and goes, the guide for travel between sleep 
  and waking, between life and death. It is through 
  the agency of Kartorda that the dead are said to 
  live on, and the Rust Brothers have become some-
  thing betwixt humans and demons.
  APPEARANCE
  Kartorda is a somewhat obese man in his sixties, 
  dressed in ochre clothes with draped, rusted 
  chains when he isn’t walking around ritually na-
  ked. His face is often painted in patterns of rust. 
  He would actually be quite handsome 
  if it wasn’t for an additional face on 
  the back of his head, put there to 
  mimic his master, Zytera. Kartor-
  da’s rather slack extra face has, how-
  ever, suffered a blood clot and 
  drools down the collar of the 
  Rust Prince, something that 
  he strongly dislikes.
  OVERT GOALS
  Kartorda wants to subjugate all of the Forbidden 
  Lands under the rule of the Rust Brothers in 
  the name of the gods Rust and Heme. All oth-
  er kin than humans must be exterminated, and 
  humankind will be transformed into a superior 
  kin through demonic misgrowth. Zytera is the 
  prophet of Rust and Krasylla is his general.
  SECRET GOALS
  Kartorda and Manderel, together with a 
  couple of other trusted higher up officers, 
  began to doubt that Zytera and Krasylla 
  really are the chosen of the god Rust and 
  would prefer to be rid of them. The Rust 
  Prince harbors dreams of wearing the 
  crown, Stanengist, himself to become em-
  peror of the Forbidden Lands.
  The Rust Brothers may scheme with the 
  adventurers or Zertorme to get rid of Zytera 
  and Krasylla, and to make the Forbidden 
  Lands into an all-human kingdom. Half-elves 
  may be tolerated.
  MEETING KARTORDA
  The Rust Prince Kartorda can be found most 
  of the time in Haggler’s House (see page 160) 
  or in Vond (see page 175).
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4
  SKILLS: Melee 4, Lore 3, Insight 5, Manipulation 4
  TALENTS: Path of Blood 3, Path of Death 3, 
  Firm Grip 3, Cold Blooded 3, Pain Resistant 
  2, Steady Feet 2, Sixth Sense 2
  REPUTATION: 7
  GEAR: Longsword (Weapon Bonus +3), 
  chainmail
  
  49
  grindbone
  The forest suddenly opens up onto a lovely view, 
  and from the edge of the forest you see a village, 
  beautifully built on a hill next to a river. Down-
  stream from the village, a mill is ponderously 
  paddling its wheels in the river, grating and 
  creaking unceasingly as if struggling to escape. But 
  neither the mill nor the wretched cadavers nailed 
  to its wooden walls or bound to the paddle wheels 
  are ever going to leave Grindbone. There is a din 
  from the village behind the palisade. Shouts. Songs 
  mingle with wails and moans. The site would 
  have been sweet but for the sounds.
  BACKGROUND
  Grindbone has existed since the Alder Wars, 
  when scores of prisoners of war and plunder 
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  changed hands. Through the years, the Slaver’s 
  Guild has – along with the Thieves’ Guild – be-
  come the village’s stewards, bankers and mar-
  shals, while the actual operation is handled by 
  freelancing slavers and robbers. Approved mer-
  chants receive slave certificates from the guild, 
  agreeing to pay part of their profits to the village.
  The tension between the slaver’s and the 
  thieves’ guilds has been intensifying as of late. 
  Undar “The Duke” Alderman and the Thieves’ 
  Guild have amassed increasing power and are 
  the leaders in the village in all but name. Nat-
  urally, this has not been looked upon favorably 
  by Misela Ferrumar, leader of the Slaver’s Guild. 
  The threat of violence grows ever stronger, and 
  this in a place that could hardly be called peace-
  ful as it were. The only thing stopping the guilds 
  from coming to blows in the open is Captain 
  TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Village (by a river)
  
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  Kratullos and his comrades, the closest thing to 
  a militia in Grindbone, and so far, neutral in the 
  power struggle over the village.
  Grindbone is a cruel and dangerous place 
  where contacts, strength and bribes are needed 
  to survive. Unfamiliar faces are seldom welcome 
  unless they are clients or merchandise. Smug-
  glers and other trustworthy vagrants use the 
  village as a meeting point. Aside from the slave 
  trade, there are several pastimes for the wealthy, 
  among them a tavern, a fighting arena and a the-
  ater. Grindbone is one of few places where both 
  orcs and humans are accepted.
  Slaves from the village are mostly sold as 
  labor, pleasure slaves, sacrificial slaves, food or 
  raw material for demonification. From time to 
  time, pleasure hunts are held in which a couple 
  of slaves are set free with a head start, after which 
  the hunt begins and concludes with a banquet 
  and the punishment of the captured slaves.
  GETTING HERE
  There are many different ways in which the ad-
  venturers can find Grindbone. They may have 
  found a map that leads here, heard the stories 
  of the place, or encountered one of the events 
  below.
  WELCOME TO GRINDBONE
  One of the adventurers, a companion, or even 
  the entire party are kidnapped by the Bone 
  Ferrets and whisked away to Grindbone to be 
  sold on the slave market. To free their friend, 
  the adventurers need to resort to cunning or 
  persuasion, as violence won’t get them far in a 
  brutal place like Grindbone.
  KRATULLOS’S COMRADES
  Captain Kratullos has a problem. He’s lost 
  several men in bloody disputes lately, and 
  the conflict between the thieves’ and sla-
  ver’s guilds is just getting worse. He fears 
  that Grindbone will go under if he can’t 
  strengthen his force. One way or another 
  he hears of the adventurers and rides out to 
  meet them. Being capable warriors, he ex-
  tends an offer of employment: serve in his 
  guard for one silver coin per day each, food 
  and lodging included.
  LEGEND
  Hunters whisper of Grindbone, the village of sla-
  vers and thieves that lies beyond the forest. Many 
  have heard the cry of the village’s mill from the 
  river but few have dared to approach. It is said 
  that the millstones grind the souls of the enslaved 
  to dust since slaves have no use for spirituality. 
  Some come to Grindbone through compulsion, 
  others in exultation. There, those captured by the 
  cruel arrive. From there, those sold by the greedy 
  leave.
  LOCATIONS
  Below are sites in and around Grindbone that 
  the adventurers can visit.
  
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  51
  1. GATE
  The road to Grindbone runs straight through a 
  tall old building – if you get that far: a handful 
  of guards with the countenance of villains but 
  the bodies of soldiers screen everyone passing in 
  or out in a harsh manner. The stench and buzz 
  of flies from a number of severed hands nailed 
  to the timber of the old building floats like a 
  living cloud over the entrance. “A price and a 
  place for everyone” is carved into an adjacent 
  high beam.
  Grindbone is surrounded by a sturdy palisade 
  equipped with sharpened stakes pointing 
  both inwards and outwards as the palisade 
  is intended to keep slaves from escaping as 
  much as it is for protection against attacks 
  and rescue attempts from the outside. The 
  lumber gate is open when it is light out, oth-
  erwise it is closed.  
  The commander of the garrison, Captain 
  Kratullos, an officer of supposed Alderlander 
  descent, lives in the gatehouse which used to be 
  an old granary. His thirty odd guards are veter-
  an soldiers, some of whom are clanless orcs. The 
  soldiers are quartered in the adjoining barracks, 
  where one can buy a bench to sleep on as long as 
  space allows.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Three soldiers.
  2. THE SCREAMING MILL
  The old mill screams its torment, day and night. 
  Its voice comingles with those of the victims. The 
  hill around the mill that once shone white with 
  spilled flour is now dark with dried blood.
  The old grain mill is mostly used for torture, 
  punishments and executions. To “go millin’” is 
  not something displeasing slaves want to hear. 
  The Slaver’s Guild excels in finding ways to 
  torment people with it. They tie victims to the 
  paddle wheels, leaving them to be crushed by the 
  millstones or torn to shreds by the machinery, 
  after which their parts are nailed to the wooden 
  walls. The village slaves are often forced to attend 
  since the deterrence is at least as important as the 
  amusement of the slavers. The machinery of the 
  mill creaks and moans loudly around the clock, 
  and it is deliberately kept in this tortured state. 
  The farms surrounding the village sometimes 
  grind their grains here, but the flour acquires an 
  unmistakable tinge of blood. It is used for baking 
  blood bread – the village’s only culinary special-
  ty. The mill is inhabited by Hargan, the torture 
  master, and his two apprentices. The mill pond 
  is teeming with fish.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Master Hargan.
  From Grindbone rose a wail, a 
  lamentation over home and 
  square, as Rakla wept for her 
  young that night.
  No one could that mother 
  avail, nor relieve her of her 
  despair, for the dark of the 
  grave allows no flight.
  AILANDER SLAVE SONG
  
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  3. SLAVE SQUARE
  The theater with seating built into the hillside 
  could be a place for classical dramas if it wasn’t 
  for the three stakes on the stage, whose chains 
  mournfully jangle in the wind.
  The slave square is an open area where seating 
  has been built into the hillside like an amphi-
  theatre. Common spectators have to stand on 
  the flatlands at the south side. In the middle of 
  the square is a raised surface where slaves are 
  auctioned off. Fighting bouts for betting spec-
  tators are also held here and on such occasions 
  the stakes are taken down.
  4. SLAVE STABLES
  Misery drapes flesh behind double fences where 
  a score of dirty, half-naked prisoners linger in 
  apathy, each left to his or her own devices, unless 
  they’ve been chained to stakes or confined behind 
  bars in the caverns of the cliffside. A couple of fu-
  rious, dog-like beasts bay incessantly with unpleas-
  ant, sniveling barks.
  The slaves are treated and lodged by their 
  value. The precious ones are kept in filthy 
  barracks, while the more expendable ones are 
  confined to cages or holes carved into the 
  hillside. Two swinehounds patrol the area 
  between the fences at night. A watchtower 
  at the top of the hill has a clear view of the 
  grounds. It’s not unusual to capture travel-
  ers, and not just slaves, and sell them back to 
  their kin for ransom. 
  The five swinehounds are demon-taint-
  ed crossbreeds. At night, two of them are 
  let loose between the fences. Kratullos has 
  bought them from the Rust Brothers for a 
  hefty sum and they are his darlings. For ev-
  eryone else, except the mute animal handler, 
  they are veritable monsters used for guarding 
  and herding slaves as well as tracking escap-
  ees. From time to time they are allowed to 
  tear some displeasing unfortunate to shreds 
  to “keep them alert” and they are regularly 
  given human flesh.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Swinehounds.
  5. GUILD HALL
  The house is relatively well kept, and the only one in 
  the village to have been painted. The color scheme 
  consists of equal parts red lead, black tar and oiled 
  whitewash. Maybe the homeowner only managed 
  to secure one keg of each shade or maybe he’s just os-
  tentatious. Two guards stand outside the door.
  The house is inhabited by Master Undar “The 
  Duke” Alderman of the Thieves’ Guild, who 
  is to be regarded as the mayor of the village. 
  In an excavated cave underneath the house is 
  the substantial coffer of the Thieves’ Guild. A 
  swinehound guards the cellar at night.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Undar “The Duke” Alder-
  man, 2D6 thieves, a swinehound (night).
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: In the chest locked in the 
  cellar are 5D6 gold coins, 10D6 silver 
  coins and two rolls on the table for PRE-
  CIOUS finds (see page 191 in the Gamemas-
  ter’s Guide). The chest is equipped with 
  a poison trap (lethal poison, Potency 8) 
  and requires a difficult roll for SLEIGHT OF 
  HAND to be picked without triggering it.
  
  grindbone
  55
  6. ALDERHOME TAVERN 
  The largest building in the village blares and 
  blazes even at a distance. The repurposed barn 
  is packed with drunk and disorderly soldiers and 
  merchants. The air is heavy with smoke, sweat 
  and the smell of frying. Here, you can glut, booze 
  and laugh, throw knives at a terrified slave, ar-
  gue, arm wrestle and fondle the staff. 
  The tavern is owned by Undar but, like the 
  nearby theatre, is run by the bard Mahinniv-
  er. The atmosphere is savage. The waiting is 
  partially performed by badly treated slaves. If a 
  fight ensues, tradition dictates that it is taken 
  to the Slave Square to be settled in front of an 
  audience. Visitors can rent beds in the adjacent 
  building where a couple of prostitutes also per-
  form their services.
  Behind Alderhome is the infirmary of the 
  three wise Somaya sisters. They take care of the 
  healthcare needs of the village with traditional 
  as well as more mystical methods. Everybody is 
  a little bit afraid of them. The big orc, Charna, 
  from the garrison, acts as their bodyguard.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Charna and the Somaya 
  sisters.
  7. PARAXA THEATER
  Torches have been lit for the night around an out-
  door theatre. It endeavors to be grander than the 
  farce being enacted on stage. The audience have 
  brought food from the tavern and chuck it at the 
  actors if they displease them.
  Theatre Paraxa is an outdoor stage with bleach-
  ers built on three sides. Here, anything from 
  farces to folksy theatre and the occasional duel 
  are performed. Mahinniver likes to view him-
  self as a great artist and performs poetry of 
  high gravitas during interludes. The good-na-
  tured fool, carpenter and village idiot, Mat 
  Zeker, takes care of maintenance here as well 
  as at the tavern.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The bard Mahinniver, Mat 
  Zeker.
  8. HOPS SHED
  A rich mist of malting and mashing surrounds 
  the village brewery. Hop poles stand at attention 
  outside. Next to the house are shimmering copper 
  pans as well as stacks of lumber and kegs.
  Water for the brewery uses a pulley sys-
  tem that takes it from the river through a 
  track that runs along the hillside. The beer 
  is brewed to middling quality, but in great 
  quantity, and is consumed locally. Hops are 
  cultivated around the brewery and grains for 
  malting are taken from the farms surround-
  ing the village. The brewer is commonly re-
  ferred to as “The Boar.”
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: “The Boar.”
  9. FERRET HALL
  A couple of scarred soldiers and rangers mill about 
  the well-timbered house. They grease chained 
  shackles and weapons that are then packed into 
  satchels. They act professionally severe, keeping an 
  eye on you with a look that is more appraising than 
  welcoming.
  
  chapter 5
  56
  This is the haunt of 
  the company of slavers 
  known as the Bone Fer-
  rets, a group of twenty or so 
  hardened soldiers and hunt-
  ers of which half are usu-
  ally away from the village 
  on different missions. The 
  company is run by Misela 
  Ferrumar from whom it got its name. She is 
  rumored to have contacts among the wolfkin 
  in the Fangwoods, who lend their tracking 
  skills to her soldiers. The Ferrets also keep 
  their own hounds, used for hunting humans.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Misela Ferrumar, half a 
  dozen slave hunters and a dozen swine-
  hounds.
  temple are blood stained idols of the gods Rust 
  and Heme.
  The chapel of the Rust Brothers is the only 
  visible religious operation in the village. “The 
  Duke” Alderman regularly donates or gifts 
  slaves for human sacrifice at the fairly crude-
  ly shaped idols outside the chapel. The Fer-
  rale Hamedas is gravely alcoholic and this has 
  landed him the not-so-glamorous post of vil-
  lage priest in Grindbone. He frequently sleeps 
  it off inside the temple. The soldiers avoid the 
  building.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Rust Brother Hamedas.
  11. STONEFANG
  A castle ruin as impressive as it is dilapidated and 
  ominous towers over Grindbone. Rumor has it that 
  it is haunted and devours its visitors, so most peo-
  ple avoid talking about or even looking at it. Water 
  with a crimson tinge flows down the eastern wall 
  of the ruin, while the west side is pale as if covered 
  with frost.
  The ruin of the keep of Stonefang was the 
  original structure on the hill, a fortification 
  in times of unrest. The keep is now a ruin of 
  ill repute. Wagons loaded with beer are hauled 
  from the brewery to the ruin, where the beer 
  is stored under guard in the cool, lower vaults. 
  The ruin is haunted twofold, in part by the 
  ghost of Arbia Mundo, the last mistress of the 
  castle, but also by a bloodling who has taken 
  residence on the east side and causes red moun-
  tain water to flow down the hill. The frost of 
  the west side is actually stone mold. The near-
  10. CHAPEL OF THE  
  RUST BROTHERS
  A simple temple, bearing the typical, cloven fa-
  cade of the Rust Church. Standing outside the 
  
  grindbone
  57
  by ruin of a watchtower is used by the soldiers 
  as a lookout in the daytime.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The ghost of Arbia Mundo, 
  bloodling.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: None, but a great deal of 
  cool beer.
  MONSTERS 
  AND NPCS
  The most important monsters and non-player 
  characters in Grindbone are described below. 
  Monsters and creatures not described here 
  have the same stats as in the Bestiary or the 
  chapter on Kin in the Gamemaster’s Guide. 
  UNDAR “THE DUKE” ALDERMAN
  Guildmaster of the Thieves’ Guild in Grind-
  bone and self-appointed duke. A thug original-
  ly, the years have made him haughty and lazy 
  and he believes himself secure in his bustling 
  town. The Duke is mostly interested in devot-
  ing himself to his indulgences and counting 
  coins with his treasurer. If pressured, he may 
  become unexpectedly decisive and violent.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Sleight of Hand 2, Marks-
  manship 3, Lore 2, Insight 3, Manipulation 2
  TALENTS: Path of Poison 2, Fast Footwork 2
  REPUTATION: 3
  GEAR: Warhammer, three throwing knives, 
  studded leather armor, D6 gold coins
  MISELA FERRUMAR
  Misela Ferrumar is a down-to-earth slave 
  trader whose house looks like a filthy workshop 
  filled with traps, weapons, branding irons, 
  slave fodder and the like. A steady stream of 
  slavers, slaves, large hunting hounds and cus-
  tomers move about and in the house. The 
  workers lack all refinement, but are skilled in 
  their trade and fastidious about their reputa-
  tion. Besides hunting and capturing and de-
  livering slaves, the Bone Ferrets take on other 
  missions: finding missing persons, hauling 
  and hunting criminals, acting as bodyguards 
  and even carrying out assassinations for mon-
  ey. The adventurers can meet their members 
  all over The Forbidden Lands.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Marksmanship 4, Move 3, 
  Scouting 4, Survival 2, Insight 2, Animal 
  Handling 2
  REPUTATION: 1
  GEAR: Flail, crossbow, chainmail, riding 
  horse, 2D6 silver coins
  
  chapter 5
  58
  CAPTAIN KRATULLOS
  Kratullos is the village bailiff and claims to 
  hail from an old Alderlander warrior family 
  despite his Aslene name. He gladly recounts 
  anecdotes of his relatives’ heroic deeds 
  during the Alder Wars and attempts to keep 
  a semblance of military discipline among his 
  men. They let him boss them around since 
  his ambition usually runs out. Most of all, 
  the captain dreams of war and leading his 
  soldiers into battle. His dearest treasure is 
  the heirloom sword Limb-Plough, which 
  has been part of ever grander feats in his sto-
  ries. Kratullos is respected by his soldiers and 
  appreciated by the guilds as a cohesive force 
  among the miscreants in the village.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Might 2, Melee 4, Marksmanship 2, 
  Survival 2, Insight 2
  TALENTS: Path of the Enemy 2,  
  Executioner 2
  GEAR: Longsword, dagger, chainmail,  
  covered helmet, riding horse, D6 silver 
  coins
  MASTER HARGAN
  The torturer Hargan is an unscrupulous sci-
  entist, interested in anatomy and the func-
  tions of the human body. He also serves as 
  dentist, surgeon and executioner in the vil-
  lage. His two assistants don’t share his fer-
  vor for knowledge, but are more enthusiastic 
  about hurting others.
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Lore 2, Healing 4
  GEAR: Knife
  MAHINNIVER
  The bard who runs the village tavern is secret-
  ly an acolyte of the Nightwalker, whom he as-
  sociates with decay, filth and mortality. He 
  believes that art should never shy away from 
  the dirty, the crude and the violent, some-
  thing that all things considered would be an 
  almost impossible feat in Grindbone. The 
  bard’s ambition is to offer the humans the 
  most base and filthy entertainment possible, 
  the kind that all humans deep down want and 
  deserve. He writes sickening poems that he 
  performs in the interludes between acts of a 
  more burlesque nature. In these moments, he 
  feels transient and truly alive.
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Lore 1, Insight 2, Manipulation 2, 
  Performance 3
  GEAR: Lute, quill and paper, dagger, D6 
  silver coins
  
  grindbone
  59
  MAT ZEKER
  The good-natured carpenter and village idi-
  ot, Mat Zeker is a rotund, constantly smiling 
  craftsman who handles repairs for Undar “The 
  Duke” Alderman. It is almost impossible to 
  gain any sensible information from him unless 
  it’s connected to the purely practical. To help 
  him with his work, he has two unevenly sized 
  sons but no wife. The sons appear to be almost 
  copies of their father.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 1, EMPATHY 1
  SKILLS: Might 3, Crafting 3
  GEAR: Tools
  THE SOMAYA SISTERS
  The sisters Erla, Marla and Karla Somaya 
  are the healer witches of the village. There 
  is something almost predatory and thrilling 
  about them. They are actually viraga, female 
  orcs from the Urhur clan, posing as humans. 
  They provide the clan with craftsmen and 
  learned slaves whom they abduct from the vil-
  lage. Usually, the intended victim is told that 
  it has a disease that they can cure. To make the 
  medicine they need a herb from the nearby for-
  est, but the patient has to be the one to harvest 
  it for it to work, maybe under a full moon. The 
  orc Charna is their bodyguard and accomplice. 
  He and one of the sisters accompany the victim 
  out into the forest as “bodyguards”, where they 
  drug and tie up the hapless victim and deliver 
  them to the waiting orc patrol. Undar “The 
  Duke” Alderman and Hamedas know about 
  the operation and are paid in bribes, wares and 
  other slaves from the orcs in exchange for their 
  silence and support.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Move 2, Insight 3, 
  Manipulation 3, Healing 4
  GEAR: Dagger, healing herbs (worth 2D6 
  silver coins)
  THE FERRALE HAMEDAS
  Hamedas is an alcoholic, elder Rust Brother 
  who’s been posted in Grindbone mostly because 
  the church wants to be rid of him. He is insuf-
  ferably lecturing, lecherous and wordy. Usually 
  some adept is forced to stay with him during 
  their internship. Hamedas accepts “gifts” from 
  the guild and, in return, he blesses the slave 
  trade. The guild still runs at a profit since they 
  deliver sacrificial slaves to the church in other 
  places. Now and then Hamedas is given a slave 
  to sacrifice to the gods Rust and Heme. On such 
  occasions he will dress in the full regalia of the 
  church, with a mask of iron and rusty clothes 
  and demands that everyone attends. Some-
  times he gets into a drunken stupor, speaking in 
  
  chapter 5
  60
  tongues, and raves about an intimate connection 
  to the gods. He is then brought to one of the vil-
  lage’s outlying farms to dry out and calm down.
  STRENGTH 1, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Lore 2
  GEAR: Dagger
  THE GHOST OF ARBIA MUNDO
  It is rumored that the last mistress of Stone-
  fang, Arbia Mundo, turned down a suitor 
  skilled in the ways of magic. In anger he cursed 
  her, turning her into a specter. She appears as 
  a translucent, fashionably dressed middle-aged 
  lady. Arbia Mundo isn’t the bloodthirsty sort, 
  but longs for love and warmth which she si-
  phons from visitors who, at worst, might die 
  from feebleness. Arbia keeps to the western part 
  of the castle ruin since a bloodling has taken to 
  hiding in the eastern part. The ghost strongly 
  dislikes the intruder and could reveal the cache 
  of her hidden jewelry to anyone who gets rid of 
  it. The mold covering the western parts of the 
  castle is an effect resembling frost that the ma-
  OTHER NPCS
  NAME
  PROFESSION
  ATTRIBUTES
  SKILLS
  GEAR
  The Duke’s 
  Thieves
  Thieves
  Strength 2 
  Agility 4 
  Wits 2 
  Empathy 2
  Melee 2,  
  Move 3,  
  Sleight of Hand 3,  
  Stealth 3
  Shortsword, dagger, 
  leather armor
  The Bone 
  Ferrets
  Slave  
  hunters
  Strength 3
  Agility 3
  Wits 2
  Empathy 2
  Melee 3,  
  Marksmanship 
  2
  Broadsword, short-
  bow, studded leather 
  armor, riding horse
  Kratullos’s 
  Comrades
  Soldiers
  Strength 4
  Agility 3
  Wits 2
  Empathy 2
  Melee 3
  Long spear, broad-
  sword, studded 
  leather armor, covered 
  helmet
  “The Boar”
  Brewer
  Strength 4
  Agility 2
  Wits 2
  Empathy 3
  Crafting 3
  Wooden club, leather 
  apron
  Swine-
  hound
  Demonic 
  creature
  Strength 5
  Agility 3
  Melee 4,  
  Scouting 3
  DEMONIC BITE: Weapon 
  Damage 2 (slash dam-
  age), Virulence rating 
  5 (see page 114 in the 
  Player's Handbook)
  
  grindbone
  61
  gician suitor added to emphasize the lady’s cold 
  insensitivity.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  ARMOR: None. Ghosts are undead creatures, 
  but immaterial and can only be injured by fire 
  or magic. Even if the ghost is defeated, it will 
  only be banished for a Quarter Day before it 
  returns. The only way to permanently banish 
  the ghost is the spell PURGE UNDEAD (see 
  page 124 in the Player’s Handbook). 
  For monster attacks, see page 95 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide.
  THE BLOODLING
  A bloodling has taken residence in the eastern 
  part of the castle. It only assumes physical 
  form at night and to attack living creatures so 
  as to devour them.
  If the adventurers have read the ledger 
  from the Council of Whispers at the “Hag-
  gler’s House” adventure site, they can attempt 
  to contact the bloodling.
  For game stats, see page 78 of the Game-
  master's Guide.
  EVENTS
  Below are suggestions for events that you can 
  subject the adventurers to in Grindbone.
  THE SLAVE TRADER’S QUANDARY
  The slave trader, Misela Ferrumar, wants a 
  word with the adventurers. She orders her 
  slave hunters to abduct one of them or deliv-
  ers a mysterious invitation for a secret meet-
  ing. She has begun to ponder why she should 
  be playing second fiddle to Undar and the 
  Thieves’ Guild when the Bone Ferrets are 
  actually doing all the hard work. It would 
  be great if Alderman could just disappear, 
  allowing her to take control of the village, 
  perhaps with the help of some outsiders so 
  that she can remain blameless. Interested? 
  Misela can sweeten the deal with a part of 
  Alderman’s fortune, a percentage of future 
  profits and a safe haven in Grindbone. The 
  strangers may even be given the ruins on 
  the Stonefang mountain to construct a fort 
  there, but they will have to chase away the 
  ghosts on their own.
  The adventurers can choose to rat her out 
  to “The Duke” Alderman and receive an equiv-
  alent reward from him.
  SHOWDOWN AT ALDERHOME
  The slave hunter Vulm has, after a bout of 
  heavy drinking at the tavern, slain the thief 
  Sile in the center of the village. He has now 
  returned to the tavern to carry on drinking 
  with his friends. To Captain Kratullos, this is 
  a step too far and he knows that if he doesn’t 
  act the Thieves’ Guild will retaliate in double 
  measure, and the situation will spin out of 
  control. Thus, Kratullos gathers his men to go 
  to Alderhome to confront and arrest the mur-
  derer. Preferably, this happens when the adven-
  turers are visiting the tavern to quench their 
  thirst. Soon after, “The Duke” himself shows 
  up with his thieves and demands his bloody re-
  venge, and shortly after that, Misela Ferrumar 
  
  chapter 5
  62
  arrives with additional slave hunters, prepared 
  to assist their brother. The entire situation is 
  extremely delicate.
  THE WHITE FEATHER
  The blood in Grindbone attracts many ravens 
  and other carrion-eating birds, but only one of 
  them can speak. Sister Zagere is a shapeshift-
  ing Raven Sister who has undertaken the dan-
  gerous assignment of infiltrating the village. 
  The adventurers can take note of her because of 
  her white feather, intelligent gaze and the fact 
  that she doesn’t feast on the corpses. Zagere 
  contacts the adventurers when they are alone, 
  inside or outside the village. She may also write 
  simple signs in the dirt with her beak to direct 
  them to a more solitary location where they 
  can talk. Zagere wants their help to free White 
  Sun, a druid from Vivend, who has fallen into 
  the hands of the slavers. She doesn’t know what 
  he looks like, but he is supposed to wear a tat-
  too of his name in the Maha language on the 
  nape of his neck. She is unable to approach the 
  slaves herself since the swinehounds can rec-
  ognize her human scent. If they want to help 
  Zagere, she will ask the adventurers to pull out 
  her white feather. If dissolved in alcohol, it 
  will drape the village in a fog for two hours. 
  A horse is waiting down the road to carry the 
  prisoner to safety. 
  THE SECRET OF THE SISTERS
  If anyone in the adventurers’ party openly 
  displays their intellectual prowess or skills as 
  a craftsman, the Soraya sisters may try to kid-
  nap the individual as a resource for the Urhur 
  clan. If they succeed this person may appear as 
  a prisoner at the Eye of the Rose adventure site 
  (see page 92).
  CLAN TROUBLE
  The young orc, Eranda of the Isir clan, has 
  been beaten by a warrior from the Urhur clan 
  in the clan games, a defeat he won’t concede, 
  attributing it to cheating. Now he shows up 
  with eight armed Isir thugs outside Grind-
  bone, loudly demanding that any dealings in 
  the village between orcs and the “pale-guts” 
  cease. They clamor and wave their weapons 
  about, even going so far as beating up a mer-
  chant on his way to the village, screaming 
  that they want to meet the Urhur bitches. 
  No one understands what they mean, but 
  everyone starts wondering why Undar wont 
  sick his soldiers on them when the theatre is 
  half-heartedly set on fire in the middle of the 
  night.
  In the morning, Alderman seeks out the 
  adventurers, asking if he could pay them 
  to take care of the rabble discreetly and in 
  a suitable manner. Eranda is related to the 
  Isir chieftain Eldag the Ravager, a person 
  the village would rather not risk offending. 
  Undar is actually more scared of the Somaya 
  sisters being exposed as orc females and en-
  visions how he earns the enmity of both the 
  Urhur and the Isir clans.
  
  ravenhole
  63
  You brave the fear and the noise and carefully look 
  down into the quarry, where huge fires have roared 
  ever since dusk fell. The ogres seem small from the 
  vantage of the rim, but you count more than five 
  dozen, each one as tall as a man and a half, at the 
  very least. Goblins race on the backs of wolves along 
  the quarry’s carriageway, spurred on by the howls 
  and rocks hurled after them by their larger friends. 
  On the cliff terraces musicians beat their ket-
  tle-drums warm and claw sheets of metal into song. 
  Tipsy louts already bounce around on the stone floor, 
  chests bumping each other with meaty thuds, though 
  a rhythm has yet to be found.
  BACKGROUND
  The ogres have taken over the dwarves’ aban-
  R
  A
  VE
  NH
  OL
  E
  doned marble quarry, where they throw wild 
  and raucous parties every full moon. Seasoned 
  adventurers are welcome to join in and partic-
  ipate, perhaps challenging one of the brutes 
  to determine who is the strongest in all of the 
  Forbidden Lands or to win back something 
  that has been stolen. The ogres don’t mind 
  the company and brazen orcs and goblins are 
  known to frequent the site by choice. However, 
  these great louts are notorious cheaters, well-
  known for their savagery and their brutal sense 
  of humor, resulting in lesser creatures seldom 
  leaving the party with all of their limbs, or 
  even their lives, intact. Ogres are not attract-
  ed to wealth and aren’t deterred by threats or 
  pain. All they want is to have fun, and every 
  challenge posed wins the approval of the mob, 
  making it impossible for the one challenged 
  TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Village
  
  chapter 6
  64
  to refuse. They view human flesh as any other 
  meat – filling, but not necessarily better. The 
  ogres of Ravenhole are not on their guard. 
  They have poor eyesight and are hard of hear-
  ing, but they can pick up the scent of humans 
  and dwarves unless masked by filth.
  LEGEND
  It is said that the dwarves mined all the blue mar-
  ble to be found in the Ravenhole quarry and then 
  left the site, at which time the ogres moved in. One 
  thing is certain:  every full moon, a din rises from 
  the immense stone cauldron, a noise that causes 
  animals to stampede for miles around. No one in 
  their right mind approaches Ravenhole while the 
  ogres hold their wild feasts.
  GETTING HERE
  Of course, the adventurers can happen upon 
  Ravenhole as a consequence of their travels 
  RECOMMENDED READING
  Before playing this adventure 
  site, please read the section on 
  ogres and their connection to 
  the dwarves on page 60 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide.
  across the Forbidden Lands, but they can also 
  be introduced to the site via the event below.
  THE DECEITFUL OGRE
  The adventurers can encounter the dwarves 
  Murble and Thulman in dire circumstanc-
  es a couple of miles from Ravenhole: one of 
  them is trapped under an overturned wagon, 
  the other is bound to a tree trunk. The latter 
  is banging his head against the tree in an-
  ger and resignation. It appears that the two 
  were enroute to a local lord with a shipment 
  of sword billets. They hired an ogre named 
  Paltry to escort them, but he overpowered 
  them and rolled the wagon with the ship-
  ment towards his kin in Ravenhole. Further-
  more, their dwarven companion, the smith 
  Elderyd, was captured and is now being held 
  prisoner in the camp of the ogres. Murble 
  and Thulman prattle on about being robbed 
  of great treasures, about betrayal and the ter-
  rible fact that the ogres can now arm them-
  selves with dwarven steel. If the adventurers 
  can reclaim the sword billets, they will be 
  rewarded with ample amounts of gold and 
  weapons. However, the dwarves seem to be 
  in some kind of disagreement and one can 
  surmise that they aren’t telling the whole 
  story.
  LOCATIONS
  The most important sites in Ravenhole are 
  described below. Ogres are milling about in 
  Ravenhole both day and night.
  
  ravenhole
  65
  1. THE DANCE FLOOR
  The marble floor of the quarry would probably 
  twinkle like freshly fallen snow had it not been 
  sullied by scraps of food, the remains of broken 
  benches, sleeping revelers and miscellaneous 
  filth. Ogres leap about, dancing and fighting, but 
  frequently slip on the slick slab in their drunken 
  state, shaking the mountain as they tumble to the 
  ground.
  Anywhere there is room, there is dancing, 
  drinking and grubbing. Three large fires light 
  up the area of the festivities. Somewhat im-
  provised tables have been banged together 
  from sturdy logs. Here, the ogres hold their 
  head cheese hangouts. They eat, arm wrestle, 
  brag, drink or just sleep with their faces bur-
  ied in the stew. The epic belching contests are 
  popular – trying to drown out your neighbors 
  with burps, belches and farts. Food scraps 
  and vomit are summarily swept to the floor, 
  much to the enjoyment of a pack of half feral 
  dogs. Right below the stage are large tubs of 
  beer next to piles of firewood. The ogres fetch 
  their drink in tankards or drink directly from 
  the tubs. Occasionally someone will bathe 
  in the beer or even bellyflop into it from the 
  stage, a seldom popular move due to the spill-
  ing of the brew.
  An upside-down wagon lies close to the ta-
  bles, resting on a pile of sword billets. An equal 
  number has been carried up on stage. A mule is 
  currently being roasted on a spit. This carriage 
  originally came from the dwarven caravan and 
  has been dragged to the site by Paltry the ogre. 
  The dwarves’ cash box is still lying underneath 
  the wagon, but the goblins have stolen some of 
  the jewelry.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: A score of ogres in different 
  stages of intoxication.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: The dwarves’ cash box. 
  Locked (the dwarves have the key, else a 
  Hard (-2) roll on SLEIGHT OF HAND must 
  be made to open the chest. It contains 
  2D6 gold coins, 4D6 silver coins and 5D6 
  copper coins as well as a dwarven signet 
  ring worth 2D6 silver coins.
  2. THE STAGE
  The lowest tier of the quarry serves as a stage 
  where particularly possessed ogres produce what 
  supposedly is meant to be music by means of man-
  handling various constructs. On the front edge of 
  the stage, someone has scrawled the words: “Livv 
  haad! Day ugli!” in blood. 
  A crude staircase made of boulders lead up to 
  the stage. The instruments mainly consist of 
  primitive kettle-drums, hollow logs and metal 
  objects to pound on, a couple of bellowers and 
  the new plonker that is being constructed. Lat-
  er in the night, one can see both accomplished 
  singers and amateurs performing. They often 
  get off the stage by throwing themselves into 
  the tubs of beer or by “thumpin’,” i.e. throw-
  ing oneself off the stage in an effort to land on 
  some puny creature in the audience.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: A handful of ogres on stage 
  banging on drums, dulcimers and howling 
  their lungs out.
  3. FIGHTING RING AND LATRINE
  The stench from the latrine is mixed with the 
  
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  4
  5
  
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  2
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  7
  8
  R
  A
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  spatters (and odor) of blood and the smells of 
  fear and anger around an elevated slab of stone 
  where sweaty colossi clash. The audience enthu-
  siastically approves of every successful nose-hook 
  or ball tap, but reserve their greatest applause 
  for a gigantic female ogre.
  Wrestling and boxing are constantly in progress 
  on the marble slab, but there also displays of 
  odd prisoners and other kinds of entertainment. 
  The revelers relieve themselves off the sharp 
  rock edge facing the lake, provided they make it 
  there in time. One can compete at balancing on 
  the two logs perched above the excrement fur-
  ther out in the water. In the rapids upstream of 
  the lake, the water is clear and potable. 
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: A dozen ogres engaged in 
  fights or competitions, among them 
  Thumba.
  4. IRON CAGES
  Animals for slaughter and humanoid beings 
  share the same huge iron cages, all of them re-
  signed to their fates. Occasionally, someone will 
  be chosen, summarily beaten over the head and 
  skewered on a spit for food, or thrown into some 
  hopeless and degrading contest.
  The cages are dwarven wrought and sized for 
  the trolls that the dwarves used in their min-
  ing operations. The locks are gone, and now the 
  doors are locked by heavy iron crossbars, that 
  require an ogre or three men to be dislodged (A 
  Hard (-2) MIGHT roll is required to succeed).
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Elderyd the dwarf.
  5. THE DWARVES’ WORKSHOP
  You see two doorways and windows cut direct-
  ly out of the rock, perfectly sized for dwarves. A 
  drunk female ogre has fallen asleep with her head 
  in the entrance to the right door. Her snores make 
  the rock shake.
  The rooms of the dwarves are too cramped 
  for ogres. Inside the workshop, to the right, 
  there are still some stone carving tools as well 
  as some lamp oil, acid to etch marble and pry-
  cury – a variant of mercury that is poured into 
  cracks and which expands substantially when a 
  certain kind of chromium salt is added to the 
  mix. The salt can be found in some jars inside 
  the workshop.
  A successful LORE roll reveals that the 
  chromium salt also works well as a soporific 
  (Sleeping poison with Potency 7, see the Play-
  er’s Handbook, page 113).
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: A colony of bats has settled 
  here. If frightened, they will leave this 
  area on their leathery wings, an event that 
  will naturally draw some attention.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: Well-wrought tools worth 
  D6 silver coins. Acid and chromium salts 
  in jars worth D6 copper coins each.
  6. THE QUARRY LEDGES
  The quarry is like an amphitheater for giants, 
  carved in tiers down towards the stone floor. Par-
  tially broken ladders and stairs run between the 
  landings.
  It’s easy to walk along the stone ledges of the 
  landings, but they get slippery when it rains 
  
  ravenhole
  69
  and can be very narrow in places. The wood-
  en climbing ladders set into the stone walls 
  are sized for dwarves, but have fallen into dis-
  repair, and are missing rungs here and there. 
  They will collapse if an ogre tries to scale them 
  and are therefore an asset for smaller visitors 
  wanting to keep their distance. Cubical blocks 
  varying in size from the height of a human’s 
  knee to the top of a human’s head are littered 
  here and there on the ledges. Some are situated 
  above the stage and could probably be toppled 
  through Stone Song or a concerted effort. 
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: A dozen ogres.
  7. THE CARRIAGEWAY
  A well maintained, if somewhat cracked, road 
  runs from the quarry to the southwest, past a 
  half-finished, gigantic stone statue that lies dor-
  mant, ignoring any and all intruders with a stern 
  face. Every now and then, goblins riding wolves 
  will race down the road, cheered on by ogres.
  The Wolf Wailers have been hired for the pur-
  pose of racing and the accompanying betting. 
  They start on the dance floor, ride out from 
  the stone cauldron, round an obelisk by the en-
  trance, and then return.
  The partially complete statue depicts the 
  dwarven hero, Skarda. The statue fractured and 
  was never finished. Ogres usually come here to 
  make out. The mouth of the statue is a drilled 
  hole. Writing an instruction, rolling it up and 
  placing it in the statue’s mouth will cause the 
  statue to temporarily come to life and attempt to 
  execute the command. A dwarven Stone Singer 
  may know of this. Since the statue is broken in 
  half, only the upper body will awaken and slowly 
  drag itself forwards, creaking loudly. The statue 
  will become inanimate once more after half an 
  hour and cannot be woken again after that.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The goblin riders Hulmar, 
  Kradd and Grynne race along the road. 
  8. THE CARRIAGEWAY
  Rumbling, guttural sounds and scratchings nois-
  es rise with an acrid stench of wild beast from 
  a barred cave close to the entrance to the quarry. 
  The lattice appears to capable of being raised with 
  a wheel found on the ledge above, but the mecha-
  nism is built for ogres.
  Inside the cave, the gray bear Chew-Chew is 
  kept behind a wooden lattice. He is hungry and 
  riled, and will strike blindly around him if set 
  free. If given something to eat he usually set-
  tles down, since he knows the drill.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The gray bear, Chew-Chew.
  MONSTERS  
  AND NPCS
  Described 
  below 
  are 
  the 
  monsters 
  and 
  non-player characters that the adventurers can 
  encounter in Ravenhole.
  MURBLE TRIBBLETWINE
  Murble the dwarf is an elderly diplomat of the 
  
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  70
  Meromannian clan. He 
  has fallen into disfavor 
  after a couple of less 
  than successful ne-
  gotiations where he, 
  among other things, 
  threw up in the soup bowl 
  of a clan leader at a banquet. 
  Murble’s beard is elaborately braided and he’s 
  dressed in fashionable, if worn, clothes. He is 
  very eloquent, professionally sympathetic and 
  good at negotiating, but he has a weak spot for 
  booze and his memory isn’t what it used to be.
  To shore up his strained finances, Murble 
  came up with the idea to sell a wagonload of 
  sword billets to the self-appointed lord, Prince 
  Brand, a human with whom he still has ties. 
  Since the sale is illegal, it must be handled dis-
  creetly. Now the ogres have stolen the wagon 
  and that’s why he and the other dwarves are 
  sneaking about near Ravenhole.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Lore 3, Insight 3, Manipulation 2, 
  Performance 3
  REPUTATION: 1
  GEAR: Shortsword, leather armor, D6 gold 
  coins, 4D6 silver coins
  ELDERYD HAMMERFALL
  The smith, Elderyd, is brawny, scarred by 
  white-hot sparks of metal, and quite pass-
  able at swinging a great hammer in battle 
  even though he lacks finesse. Elderyd is a 
  contrary misanthrope with a general dislike 
  for most everybody else, summarily labeling 
  everyone other than himself as “morons.” 
  He’s neither particularly well-informed or 
  intelligent, a fact that doesn’t stop him from 
  being dead certain about everything and he 
  snaps at any protest. For the past year, he’s 
  been smuggling away the sword billets that 
  they are now on their way to sell. He is furi-
  ous with Murble, whom he holds responsible 
  for this fiasco.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Might 4, Melee 4, Survival 2
  GEAR: -
  THULMAN TRIBBLETWINE
  Thulman is Murble’s younger brother, a 
  stone merchant and councilor among the 
  Meromannians; he’s a posh and haughty 
  dwarf who is hardly used to dwelling in caves 
  or quarries. He is accustomed to a staff of 
  servants and can’t understand why he him-
  self would have to stoop to performing me-
  nial labor. Now, he bitterly regrets joining 
  his brother’s racket. Thulman is trying to 
  convince himself that he wanted to help his 
  brother, but takes every opportunity he gets 
  to point out how succesful he is by compari-
  son. As a former stone mason, Thulman has 
  mastered the simpler forms of Stone Singing 
  and knows Ravenhole well. Neither Thul-
  man nor Murble can fight in any capacity 
  beyond self-defense.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Crafting 4, Lore 2, Insight 2
  GEAR: Axe, leather armor, 2D6 silver coins
  
  ravenhole
  71
  PALTRY
  Paltry is an ogre youngling of the weaker kind, 
  pale and feeble in comparison to his kin, but still 
  a head taller and considerably stronger than any 
  man or dwarf. He has fine, gray-blonde hair that 
  he is ashamed of in addition to his slim nose.
  Paltry is the grandson of the dwarf, Mur-
  ble. He has been living among the dwarves 
  since he hasn’t been able to hold his own or find 
  his place among the ogres as is their custom at 
  reaching adulthood. This is his greatest shame. 
  To gain favor and rank among the ogres, he 
  betrayed his grandfather and his friends and 
  hauled the sword billets they were carrying 
  to the ogres’ wild feast at Ravenhole. Human 
  weapons are too flimsy for ogres, but the pure 
  metal can be used to construct a “plonker,” a 
  musical instrument upon which the blades are 
  attached and played on. Paltry hopes to win the 
  larger ogres’ approval through his gift.
  STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 1
  SKILLS: Might 3, Melee 2
  GEAR: Large wooden club, a dead rat 
  tucked in his belt
  MURGE
  Murge is the highly ranked ogre who leads the 
  feasts in Ravenhole. He is large, well-spoken 
  and intelligent, with a flair for drama and devil-
  ish “pranks,” that frequently costs their victims 
  limbs or lives. Murge likes to dress in boldly cut 
  leathers, braids his hair and perms his hairdo 
  with animal blood. Murge wants to appear as 
  a leader, but is actually subordinate to a group 
  of taciturn elder ogres who have the real power.
  STRENGTH 9, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Insight 2, Manipulation 3, 
  Performance 3
  GEAR: Two-handed sword, leather armor
  THUMBA
  The strongest ogre in the circle is called Thum-
  ba. She is a head taller and twice as strong as 
  any of the rest and often appears in bouts where 
  she takes on several wrestlers at a time. Thum-
  ba is downright stupid. She wraps a swath of 
  raw skin around her torso like a sumo wrestler, 
  stinks and is grimy and dirty and as such hard 
  to grab. Her signature move is to wrap her arms 
  around her opponent and suffocate him sense-
  less against her voluptuous bust.
  
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  72
  STRENGTH 11, AGILITY 2, WITS 1, EMPATHY 1
  SKILLS: Might 3, Melee 3
  GEAR: Stylish loincloth
  MOLENDER
  Molender is a howler, the ogre equivalent of a 
  singer, with long, wispy black hair and dressed 
  in black leather and silver chains – something of 
  an idol among the ogres, with many supporters. 
  They want him to spit in their hair as a kind 
  of autograph. He is tall and lithe, but not as 
  strong as the others. Since he is intelligent, his 
  advice is also held in high regard. Molender had 
  a tragic childhood in which his father beat his 
  mother and a couple of his siblings to death in a 
  drunken rage and then drowned himself in the 
  river. Because of this, Molender has sworn off 
  alcohol and keeps his wits about him when the 
  others get drunk. He can sympathize with Pal-
  try and his grandfather and tries to help them.
  STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 4
  SKILLS: Melee 1, Stealth 2, Performance 4
  GEAR: Wooden club, leather armor
  BALDERDASH
  Molender’s main rival is called Balderdash, 
  an aggressive troublemaker who screams and 
  growls as he sings. Balderdash has a shaved 
  head and sports bushy sideburns, metal scrap 
  embedded in his face and has carvings all over 
  his body. His primary goal is to awaken blood-
  lust and berserker rage with his art. Balderdash 
  hates Molender and would love the opportuni-
  ty to get at him on- as well as off-stage.
  STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 2, WITS 2, EMPATHY 1
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Performance 1
  GEAR: Large wooden club
  CHEW-CHEW
  A gray bear called Chew-Chew is held in a cave 
  in the quarry. It is released during feasts in the 
  quarry to chase about after the attendees, an 
  event similar to a bull run. Chew-Chew has 
  learned his part in the show well and seems 
  pretty happy with it.
  STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 2
  ARMOR RATING: 4 (fur)
  FERAL RAGE: When the Strength of a gray 
  bear is halved, it is overcome by a deadly 
  rage and will attack anything surrounding 
  it with sweeping paws, at the same time 
  letting out a deafening roar. All targets 
  within ARM’S LENGTH each suffer an attack 
  using seven Base Dice, with a Weapon 
  Damage of 1 (slash wound). This attack is 
  triggered immediately, outside the regular 
  turn order, and does not count toward the 
  bear’s actions during the turn.
  For monster attacks, see page 100 in the 
  Player’s Handbook.
  THE WOLF WAILERS
  The three swift-riding goblins, Hulmar, 
  Kradd and Grynne, call themselves the Wolf 
  Wailers. They have a habit of racing for mon-
  ey at the feasts and other events. They have 
  a wholly professional attitude towards ogres 
  and anyone else who wants to pay, and try to 
  keep their distance from any types of disagree-
  ments. If attacked or dragged into a fight they 
  
  ravenhole
  73
  will try to escape, but in an emergency, both 
  they and their wolves will fight. One can bribe 
  them to get them on one’s side, but it will be 
  expensive since they will have to keep away 
  from the ogres after that. The Wolf Wailers 
  are frequently hired as trackers or messengers. 
  Hulmar carries a beautiful necklace around 
  his neck. It comes from the wagon of the 
  dwarves: a gift to Prince Brand’s wife. 
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 4, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Stealth 3, Sleight of hand 
  2, Move 3, Marksmanship 2, Scouting 2, 
  Animal handling 4
  GEAR: Shortword, shortbow, leather armor
  EVENTS
  Described below are several events that can oc-
  cur in Ravenhole.
  FAMILY IS THE WORST
  If the adventurers won’t help the dwarves re-
  claim the wagon, or if the dwarves start to 
  quarrel amongst themselves, these tidbits can 
  slip out:
   
  ✥
  Paltry is the grandson of Murble. Thul-
  man is furious over the shameful betrayal 
  of the youngling, and blames Murble for 
  not raising him properly. Murble is cry-
  ing, and wants to save his grandchild. He 
  doesn’t care about the sword billets.
   
  ✥
  The sale of the sword billets is illegal and 
  can under no circumstances come to the 
  attention of the Meromannians.
  KING FOR A NIGHT
  Paltry has arrived at Ravenhole with “his” 
  wagon and Murge declares him Feast-King 
  for the night, naming him “Giant.” Every-
  one cheers and laughs and Paltry is immensely 
  proud and pretty scared, both at the same time. 
  He doesn’t understand that they are all making 
  fun of him. Murge explains that the king will 
  be given anything he wants during the night. 
  After that, everyone will try to get him drunk, 
  challenge him to wrestling bouts in which they 
  pretend to lose, or drag him into savage capers. 
  Women strut shamelessly in front of him, 
  which terrifies Paltry. At the same time, some 
  craftsmen start to construct a plonker on the 
  stage from the dwarven sword billets.
  Later in the night, Murgle proclaims that 
  Paltry the Giant and other guests will soon 
  have to prove their royal worthiness by facing 
  Chew-Chew in mortal combat. By now, Paltry 
  is so drunk that he doesn’t realize that the bear 
  is going to kill him, but Murble understands 
  this, and starts to cry.
  WELCOME TO RAVENHOLE
  If the adventurers brazenly step into the quar-
  ry, they will be merrily welcomed with fake 
  civility. They will then be treated similarly to 
  Paltry (see above), and are not expected to sur-
  vive the night. The best way to buy some time 
  and survive for at least a little while longer is 
  probably to go on the offensive and challenge 
  an ogre.
  Ogres love amusing challenges and will 
  gladly shove Paltry forward to join in. It is 
  risky, but possible, to challenge someone in 
  any of these events.
  
  chapter 6
  74
   
  ✥
  Creating the greatest splash in the lake. If 
  one doesn’t want to participate, one will 
  still be thrown in.
   
  ✥
  Balancing on a log above the pit of excre-
  ment.
   
  ✥
  Headbutting each other to see who will sit 
  down first.
   
  ✥
  Getting prisoners and animals to partici-
  pate in the loudest and most original way 
  in the musical events with their screams 
  by yanking them, charring their feet over 
  fire, and so forth. To “Play small-song” 
  means that the ogres try to perform a 
  piece of music solely using the sounds of 
  tormented prisoners.
   
  ✥
  Letting two prisoners “race” after break-
  ing a leg of each, and promising that the 
  victor will be allowed to live.
  DISGRUNTLED WOLF WAILERS
  The goblins who call themselves the Wolf Wail-
  ers get into a violent argument with Murge over 
  their payment, but dare not insist when threat-
  ened with being beaten or worse. This might be 
  a good opportunity to approach them with a 
  counter-offer to double-cross the ogres.
  THE MEROMANNIANS ARRIVE
  A patrol of twenty Meromannian dwarven 
  warriors approach Ravenhole. They have 
  tracked the thieves on the order of Tormund 
  Halfhand and want the sword billets back. The 
  dwarves can’t take on the ogres in battle, but 
  can grudgingly agree to let justice wait and 
  help the thieves reclaim the stolen goods (for 
  stats see page 59 in the Gamemaster’s Guide).
  IT STINKS!
  Someone shouts, claiming that it stinks of 
  dwarf or human (or whatever kin the adven-
  turers belong to) and demands that the Wolf 
  Wailers track down the vermin.
  LOAD OF BOOZE
  Two ogres are hauling a wagon loaded with bar-
  rels of booze to the festival close to the quarry. It 
  is well known that ogres don’t drink in modera-
  tion. If one can seize the barrels and openly roll 
  them into the throng of ogres in the quarry, it 
  is in all likelihood only a matter of time before 
  most of them have drunk themselves senseless.
  THE GREAT BARBEQUE
  Early in the evening, a number of animals, a 
  farmer and an elf are brought forward to be 
  slaughtered and grilled on spits. The poor vic-
  tims scream and promise rewards to anyone 
  who will help them. While waiting for the em-
  bers to reach the right temperature, they are 
  put in the iron cages (see above).
  THE LOST SWORDS  
  OF PRINCE BRAND
  Prince Brand wonders where the dwarven 
  goods he has been bragging about have dis-
  appeared to, and leads a mounted patrol of 
  twenty men in searching for them. A horse 
  has been injured and both horse and rider are 
  carried into the quarry as a buffet. The prince 
  attempts a charge, but is forced to turn back 
  when he comes under a hail of rocks. One can 
  find the patrol at the site they retreated to.
  
  amber’s peak
  75
  The mist around the village on the plain is accen-
  tuated by the smell of the horses in the large corrals 
  nearby. Some of the animals neigh restlessly as the 
  stench of charred meat reaches their nostrils. The 
  mist lazily lifts as if the smell has aroused its cu-
  riosity. An incinerated man lies where the village 
  street ends. Early birds out for a walk rush to his 
  aid, and manage to catch the man’s last words 
  about how a fire-breathing boar has attacked his 
  farm. He is hastily removed so as not to disturb the 
  mood of the market.
  The mist lifts further, and a river becomes 
  visible along with the long stone bridge. On the 
  other side of the water, the honor camp of the 
  Galdanes, set up in front of the ruined fortress 
  known as Amber’s Peak, wakes up. Flickering 
  firelight and smoke already coat the cracked 
  stone walls.
  A
  M
  BE
  R’S
   P
  E
  A
  K
  BACKGROUND
  Zertorme is Zygofer’s sorcerous son. His goal 
  in life is to gather an army strong enough to de-
  feat Zytera, the demonic being created from his 
  father and sister, by any means necessary. This 
  ambition has flared like a fever since the Blood 
  Mist lifted from the land – soon, his armies 
  will be able to finally march. When a fire demon 
  named Brinhelda became Zertorme’s guest he 
  took up the abhorrent demonic arts of his father 
  to, with the help of the demon’s bodily fluids, 
  create fire-breathing beasts to be used in the war. 
  Merigall is assisting him in this endeavor. Zer-
  torme and the minstrel secretly release their ex-
  periments on the plains to gauge their strength. 
  To them, a couple of dead farmers is a reasonable 
  price to pay for a good cause.
  TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Castle (by a river)
   
  
  chapter 7
  76
  Zertorme can have different secret agendas 
  in the campaign, such as killing his father 
  and assuming control through an alliance 
  with Therania or Merigall. He may also 
  want to accompany the adventurers below 
  Stonegarden in an attempt to tame the drag-
  on Scarne (see page 41 for more information 
  on Zertorme; see page 125 for more informa-
  tion on Stonegarden).
  To the Quards, one of the clans of rid-
  ers from Aslene, Amber’s Peak has become 
  a place of pilgrimage since a prophet pro-
  claimed that Zertorme is the chosen savior of 
  the fire god, Horn, who will slay Zytera and 
  reclaim Aslene. The other clan of riders, the 
  Galdanes, does not relish the arrival of the 
  Quards since their clans were sworn enemies 
  in Aslene. Now fire-breathing beasts have 
  begun to show up, and the Galdanes blame 
  the Quards for having attracted demons to 
  the area through their religious jabber. Since 
  Zertorme depends on both the Quards and 
  Galdanes to fight in his war, he is anxious 
  that the clans get along and has forbidden 
  any fighting. He doesn’t mind being regard-
  ed as the god Horn’s chosen by the Quards, 
  RECOMMENDED READING
  Before playing Amber’s Peak we 
  recommend that you read the 
  passage on Zertorme (see page 41) 
  and the text on Aslenes (see page 
  49 in the Gamemaster’s Guide).
  however, even if it upsets the Galdanes. Ten-
  sions in the area are rising.
  GETTING HERE
  There are many ways in which the adventur-
  ers can find Amber’s Peak. They may have 
  found a map that leads here, heard the leg-
  ends of this place, or encountered one of the 
  events below.
  THE BLOOD FEUD
  The adventurers happen upon two Aslene 
  riders who silently and slowly ride in circles 
  around each other, their hands on their hilts. 
  As the adventurers approach, they will stop 
  and direct their attention to the party. It turns 
  out that the two warriors, the Quard Gav and 
  the Aslene Serval, had quarreled over a horse 
  at the market at Amber’s Peak, and now see no 
  other recourse than a duel to the death. How-
  ever, they will consider solving the dispute by 
  selling the horse to the adventurers to save 
  face. If the adventurers agree to this, and ac-
  company them to Amber’s Peak, they will be 
  thankful and sell the horse for a cheap price.
  THE DYING WANDERER
  The adventurers find a severely burnt farmer 
  who is close to death. It turns out that Aug, as he 
  is called, has been assaulted by one of Zertorme’s 
  beasts and is fatally wounded. He has asked his 
  brother to go the nearby Amber’s Peak to get 
  help, but the brother has not returned. With his 
  
  amber’s peak
  77
  last breath he asks the adventurers to go there 
  and make sure that his brother survives.
  THE FIRE DEMON
  As the adventurers have set up camp and darkness 
  has fallen, they notice something weird around 
  the campfire. The flames reach ever higher to-
  wards the sky and eventually dance out towards 
  the sides, almost as if the fire was trying to break 
  free from the burning logs. In the next instant, 
  the campfire transforms into a burning creature 
  that clumsily tumbles about in the camp and sets 
  fire to everything in its path before scurrying 
  away. It is, of course, one of Zertorme’s demons 
  that has manifested in the fire. The sooty black 
  trail runs straight towards Amber’s Peak.
  LEGEND
  It is whispered that the half-elf Zertorme was one 
  of the first generals of the monster Zygofer, but 
  that he was disgusted by the villain’s tyrannical 
  rule and joined the Elvenspring of the eastern 
  Forbidden Lands to fight his former master. 
  When the fleeing horse-people arrived during the 
  wars, Zertorme allowed them to stay on the plains 
  in exchange for their submitting to his commands 
  during the wars, and because of this, the riders 
  hold him in the highest regard.
  A melancholy has fallen over Zertorme ever 
  since the Blood Mist lifted. He is said to have re-
  treated to the old ruined fortress of Amber’s Peak, 
  where magical flames burn ever stronger. People 
  say that the sorcerous Zertorme is trying to tame 
  fire itself in order to turn it against Zytera, but 
  many villagers are terrified as the number of fires 
  around Amber’s Peak have increased. On the few 
  occasions when Zertorme has appeared publicly, he 
  has been wearing a mask that is said to hide a burn 
  that he incurred during his studies of the fire.
  LOCATIONS
  Below are sites in and around Amber’s Peak 
  that the adventurers can visit.
  1. QUARD CAMP
  The scent of horses lies heavy where the riders 
  have raised their round tents. The scene appears 
  very authentic until you notice beds and other 
  amenities that you don’t usually associate with a 
  nomadic life. The inhabitants’ clothes are tradi-
  tionally motley, but appear newly sewn.
  The settlement of the Aslene Quards has only 
  been in place since Palakus of Horn declared 
  Zertorme to be the chosen champion of the 
  god Horn a couple of years ago. Most of them 
  have been living on farms and are unaccus-
  tomed to a nomadic life, even if they are trying 
  to be traditional.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Miridia and about forty 
  Quard riders.
  2. GALDANE CAMP
  On the opposite side of the village, you find yet 
  another camp of riders. Everything here appears 
  more worn, but also more genuine.
  
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  1
  2
  3
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  5
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  A
  M
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  R’S
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  E
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  amber’s peak
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  7
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  The Galdanes submitted to Zertorme’s lead-
  ership as early as the Fourth Alder Wars, and 
  have viewed themselves as his household cav-
  alry ever since. Some priests of Horn have re-
  cently started to whisper that the sorcerer in 
  Amber’s Peak might not actually be the hero 
  Zertorme, but an imposter.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Some one hundred Gal-
  danes, Skylia of Horn, Skunsa, Gutharm.
  3. AGURVILLE
  The aged farm constitutes the center of the village. 
  It consists of several stone houses thatched with 
  rushes. The remains of a wall circles around a 
  courtyard where people mill about.
  The original farm at Amber’s Peak serves as an 
  inn as well as a little bit of everything. Quards 
  are not allowed.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Agur Seventh-Cousin.
  4. HORSE MARKET
  Paddocks with horses line an arena, surrounded 
  by a gallery where animals are trained or dis-
  played. As long as it’s light out, there is no lack of 
  the curious and the knowledgeable.
  Amber’s Peak is traditionally a nexus for trad-
  ing and displaying horses where the riders run 
  a market. At the arena, provided with a gallery, 
  the horses are displayed for the speculators. 
  North of the arena, stables and feed barns can 
  be found while horse paddocks line it in the 
  other directions. Races, mock battles and oth-
  er stunts are mostly kept to the plains around 
  the village.
  5. FORGE
  The smell of coal fires harmonizes with the song 
  of hammer blows on iron anvils. Judging by the 
  sounds, there are at least half a dozen blacksmiths 
  working in these buildings. 
  Agur’s forge is one of the largest and greatest 
  in the eastern part of the Forbidden Lands, 
  especially when it comes to horseshoes, wag-
  ons, harnesses, bits, lances and the like. Inde-
  pendent weapon smiths often rent a spot in the 
  forge during the markets.
  6. FISHING VILLAGE
  Between the village and the fortress proper runs 
  a wide river where you see fishes leaping from the 
  water. Small fishing boats and wooden platforms 
  lie anchored to a handful of bridges with sheds.
  Aside from the fish, there are also freshwater 
  pearl mussels to harvest in the river. The plat-
  forms are used as a base of operations for the 
  descent to the mussels on the riverbed.
  7. RAUKWAYE BRIDGE
  A very old stone bridge spans across the river. A 
  couple of children are standing on it, angling.
  The bridge, which is built on sturdy stone 
  arches, was erected before the time of the 
  Blood Mist. The wooden section in the middle 
  can be removed in times of war. There is also 
  
  amber’s peak
  81
  a drawbridge on the eastern side, although its 
  gears have rusted through. There was previous-
  ly a wall with a couple of watchtowers here, one 
  of which still stands and is passably functional.
  8. HONOR GUARD OF THE QUARDS
  Additional nomadic tents have been erected on 
  the fortress side of the river, as well as a couple 
  of houses. You see guards by the bridge and on the 
  walls farther up on land. They look more ceremo-
  nial than functional.
  Some ten Quards are camped as an honor guard 
  in traditional yurts. They won’t let anyone pass 
  into the fortress without an invitation. Every 
  day, Palakus conducts religious fire ceremonies 
  in the area. The houses are inhabited by a few 
  trustworthy servants who are admitted into 
  the fortress. Zertorme’s guests are also lodged 
  in the houses.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Quard guards, Palakus of 
  Horn.
  9. FORTRESS COURTYARD  
  AND GATE
  Amber’s Peak was once protected by a moat and 
  two walls, but everything is now dilapidated and 
  no longer particularly functional. Past the walls, 
  however, the strangely constructed stronghold still 
  looms, an imposing shape. Flames and smoke rises 
  here and there from the walls.
  The drawbridge works and is raised every 
  night. Six Quard honor guards patrol the strip 
  of land between the two walls. They never en-
  ter the stronghold, however, since they fear it 
  greatly. Three partially collapsed watchtowers 
  can be found in the area.
  The inner wall lacks a gate, but two burly 
  pyrotaurs (see below) guard the opening and 
  let no one in unless they are in the company 
  of Zertorme or Merigall. They stand on the 
  stone ledge inside the gate with fire dancing 
  across their feet from the rocks, not fazed in 
  the slightest.
  The actual stronghold of Amber’s Peak is 
  built on three ledges with ravines in between, 
  across which stone bridges run. The bridg-
  es and the stone walls in the stronghold are 
  lapped by flames of different colors, as if the 
  stone itself was slowly burning. Some flames 
  burn cold while others inflict harm. The build-
  ings are dilapidated and of a strange, slender ar-
  chitecture with high arches and narrow stone 
  bridges between the rock ledges. Zertorme has 
  placed illusions on the stone bridges, making 
  them appear to run a couple of feet to the side 
  of where they actually are. Anyone who care-
  lessly runs across them will plummet into the 
  ravine. To maintain the illusion, visitors are 
  provided with blindfolds before they are led to 
  any of the buildings on the plateaus.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Half a dozen Quard honor 
  guards, two pyrotaurs.
  10. RUINS AND STABLES  
  OF THE PYROTAURS
  On the southern platform stands a greatly decayed 
  building that presumably was beautiful once. Na-
  ked arches now grasp for the sky like claws. The 
  beauty is marred further by the scattered piles 
  
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  82
  of animal droppings outside. Odd ululations are 
  heard from inside.
  Six pyrotaurs live in the severely decayed south-
  ern building. Further into the ruins are cages 
  with some of the fire-breathing animals that 
  have ravaged the area, but Zertorme is careful 
  to hide them. Through a cave passage with a 
  staircase entering the cliff, the adventurers 
  reach Zertorme’s study, where he experiments 
  on the animals. In the passage are a couple of 
  hidden hornets’ nests, whose demonic hornets 
  burst into flames if they sting. An intruder is 
  thus likely to face a burning inferno.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Pyrotaurs, demonic hornets.
  11. GRAVEYARD
  Close to the river are a couple of earth mounds. 
  Thrust into the top of each mound is one or several 
  weapons.
  Here lie the heroes of the Galdanes from the 
  Fourth Alder Wars, each buried under a mound 
  of earth (a so-called kurgan). With a week or so 
  of digging, the adventurers can find some equip-
  ment, weapons and coins. The weapons that 
  mark the graves are rusty and unusable.
  12. THE BURNING PALACE
  Against the mountain wall on the northern pla-
  teau stands a very tumble-down palace made of 
  a strange architecture. Here and there, fire of 
  different colors inexplicably runs down the stone 
  walls. The tops of the two towers blaze more 
  brightly.
  A – HALLWAY AND HALL, ENTRY LEVEL: 
  Through the porch you reach a larger, partially 
  collapsed banquet hall with the remains of long 
  tables and oak benches in it. Everything appears 
  desolate and burnt tapestries hang from the walls. 
  A colonnade seems to have run along the outside of 
  the hall’s south wall once, but it has tumbled into 
  the ravine along with 
  the ledge it once rested 
  upon.
  What remains of 
  the southwest cor-
  ner of the hall can 
  be reached via the 
  
  amber’s peak
  83
  A
  B
  narrow ledge that remains of the colonnade, 
  but a distance of just over two meters is miss-
  ing completely. Inside the door, towards the 
  chasm, is a smashed cupboard with silver cut-
  lery of some value. Through adjoining rooms, 
  visitors can reach an open area between the 
  round tower and the main house. Here, there 
  are unnaturally twisting plants, the result of 
  a demonic experiment. Strangling vines attack 
  all living beings who enter this area. Beyond 
  the vines, narrow staircases lead up to the wall 
  that surveys the entrance, but there is nothing 
  to be found here except for a couple of dead 
  plants in stone pots. A large spiral staircase 
  leads up to the second floor.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Strangling vines (page 
  118 of the Gamemaster’s Guide).
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: Ancient silver cutlery, worth 
  2D6 silver coins.
  B – KITCHEN AREA, ENTRY LEVEL: Fluids 
  of different colors gathered in vats and pots burn 
  quietly here. The flames slither unnaturally in 
  patterns across the fluids, as if they were alive. 
  Some are cold fires while others sear hotly, build-
  ing steam in the rooms. The walls are singed but 
  dripping with moisture.
  THE BURNING PALACE
  ENTRY LEVEL
  
  chapter 7
  84
  irons. They are all badly burnt, but still alive. 
  Brinhelda has tortured them, a pleasure that 
  causes her to secrete certain valuable fluids of 
  a specific nature. Zertorme reluctantly allows 
  this, since these components can’t be acquired 
  by other means. The victims are discreetly dis-
  posed of once they’ve been used up.
  The center chamber contains a single big 
  iron bed on scorched rugs. Brinhelda may be 
  found here, asleep or making love to Merigall or 
  Zertorme, producing other valuable fire fluids. 
  Tinplated buckets with sponges and an oily sub-
  stance stand by the bed as well as bundles of fire-
  proof cloth. If Brinhelda is alone, she will try to 
  tempt the visitors with the offer of an amorous 
  tryst. Gender or kin matters little to her. Her 
  passion will, however, burn the one who gives 
  in, eventually turning him or her to ash.
  In the leftmost, larger chamber are the 
  charred remains of furniture and a marble 
  statue wearing a mask. Upon closer inspection, 
  the mask turns out to be the living face of a 
  man, strapped to the statue with hooks. This 
  is Zertorme’s face. Outside the chamber is a 
  balcony with a beautiful view of the western 
  C
  The two chambers used to be a kitchen and the 
  servant quarters. Zertorme is storing different 
  fractions of Brinhelda’s fluid in the vats, and 
  is attempting to condense and prepare them. 
  On the patio below the round tower are larg-
  er oaken vats fitted with taps. The fluid from 
  these spontaneously catches fire when tapped. 
  Empty tinplated buckets stand in stacks. At the 
  base of the round tower is an empty fish pond. 
  This is where the fluids are collected after be-
  ing washed from Brinhelda’s body at the top of 
  the tower. The top of the round tower can be 
  reached by climbing the tower’s staircases.
  C – BRINHELDA’S SUITE, SECOND FLOOR: 
  The stairs end in a hallway with three doors. 
  There is a burnt smell here, and you can hear 
  plaintive sounds. Firelight of different shades 
  flickers through the cracks in the wood.
  In the smaller chamber to the right is a hu-
  man, a goat and a pig, all chained to the wall in 
  THE BURNING PALACE
  SECOND FLOOR
  
  amber’s peak
  85
  countryside below the stronghold. A small-
  er, spiral staircase runs up to the crest of the 
  square tower.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The demon Brinhelda.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: Zertorme’s face (invaluable 
  to Zertorme).
  D – CREST OF THE TOWER, THIRD FLOOR: 
  The crests of the palace’s two towers blaze in-
  tensely with fires of different colors. A narrow 
  suspension bridge runs from the square tower to 
  the round one. On the mountainside above the 
  round tower is what looks to be a more recently 
  built water cistern made of wood.
  The crest of the square tower is empty, save for 
  the flames. If it amuses her, Brinhelda may lie 
  sleeping among the flames, pretending to be 
  imprisoned. By examining the different fires 
  down in the kitchen, the visitors can figure 
  out which ones burn and which ones don’t, and 
  reach the woman “in need.”
  The crenellations of the round tower have 
  been torn down in the east and an addition has 
  been built there. This is where Brinhelda goes to 
  rinse off her bodily fluids with the water from 
  the cistern, which accumulates in the fish pond 
  below and is collected by Zertorme’s pyrotaurs 
  for the sorcerer’s continued experiments.
  E – OBSERVATORY AND STAIRCASE: A nar-
  row ledge leads out to a small, lonely, round tower 
  on a cliff. You see a metal tube pointing skywards 
  through the roof.
  The stargazer’s lenses are broken but are still 
  of tolerable use. By a staircase, the adventur-
  ers reach an exit towards the plains in the east. 
  From here, Zertorme transports demon-grown 
  animals across the plains, where he releases 
  them to gauge how dangerous they are.
  MONSTERS  
  AND NPCS
  The most important monsters and non-player 
  characters in Amber’s Peak are described be-
  low. Monsters and creatures not described here 
  E
  D
  THE BURNING PALACE
  THIRD FLOOR
  
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  86
  have the same stats as in the Bestiary or the 
  chapter on Kin in the Gamemaster’s Guide in 
  the core game box.
  QUARD GUARDS
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 3
  GEAR: Long spear, broadsword, leather armor
  STRANGLING VINES
  STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 1
  For monster attacks, see page 118 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide.
  PALAKUS OF HORN
  Palakus is a high Horn priest in the hierarchy 
  of the Quard clan. He has started a cult at Am-
  ber’s Peak with the belief that Zertorme is the 
  god Horn’s chosen, who will liberate the For-
  bidden Lands and reclaim Aslene. He supports 
  the build-up of the army and is Zertorme’s 
  confidant. Palakus has a horse-like counte-
  nance that even other riders may laugh at.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 1, Lore 3, Insight 2,  
  Manipulation 2,  Animal Handling 3
  REPUTATION: 1
  GEAR: Dagger, bronze medallion with the 
  symbol of Horn (worth 2D6 silver coins), 
  riding horse
  MIRIDIA
  The scarred Miridia is the commander of the 
  local Quards and a capable warrior. She isn’t 
  religious, but despises the Galdanes, and insists 
  on her clan’s right to dwell at Amber’s Peak. Af-
  ter all, they came to the Forbidden Lands first 
  while the Galdanes are vermin and intruders.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Might 3, Endurance 2, Melee 3, 
  Animal Handling 2
  REPUTATION: 1
  GEAR: Warhammer, large shield, studded 
  leather armor, closed helmet, riding horse
  SKYLIA OF HORN
  Skylia is local high priestess of the Galdanes. 
  She suspects that Zertorme is actually Zygo-
  fer, who pretends to be his son so as to stage 
  horrible plans and lay waste to the Forbidden 
  Lands, just like he devastated her homeland, 
  Aslene.
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 3, Insight 3, Manipula-
  tion 3, Performance 3, Healing 4
  GEAR: Broadsword
  
  amber’s peak
  87
  SKUNSA
  The warrior Skunsa, local leader of the Gal-
  danes, is above all a patriot who dreams of the 
  day when the clans can unite to reclaim Aslene. 
  He is old, tired and disillusioned and tries to 
  keep the clan hotheads in check. Like Palakus, 
  he is Zertorme’s confidant, and deems that the 
  build-up of the army warrants sacrifices. Skunsa 
  dislikes both Palakus and Skylia.
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 1, Insight 2, 
  Manipulation 3
  REPUTATION: 2
  GEAR: Broadsword, chainmail, riding horse
  GUTHARM
  The very battle worthy and loud, but not too 
  intelligent, Galdane warrior Gutharm is ob-
  sessed with freeing Brinhelda, who he has 
  heard singing and believes is a vulkyrie – one 
  of the shieldmaidens of the god Horn.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 4, Stealth 3, Move 3, Marks-
  manship 3, Scouting 3, Animal Handling 1
  GEAR: Long spear, broadsword, short bow, 
  leather armor, open helmet, riding horse
  AGUR SEVENTH-COUSIN
  Agur is a descendant of the eighth generation 
  of Agur First-Cousin, who was the very first 
  to settle Amber’s Peak when the Galdane clan 
  came to the Forbidden Lands. Agur considers 
  that the site belongs to him, more or less. He 
  tolerates the Quards since they are great cos-
  tumers, but despises and denigrates them when 
  they are not around. Above all, Agur wants to 
  maintain the peace and his business.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 2, Insight 2, 
  Manipulation 1, Animal Handling 2
  GEAR: Knife, D6 silver coins
  ZERTORME
  Zertorme is a long-lived half-elf, and the son of 
  Zygofer and Martea. Ever since his escape, he 
  has opposed his father with an almost fanati-
  cal fervor and he may act ruthlessly if it serves 
  his cause. Zertorme has sacrificed his face to 
  the fire demon Brinhelda in exchange for her 
  aid. He has attempted to grow a new one made 
  from demon flesh, but it looks grotesque and 
  appalling and therefore he always wears a mask 
  when he shows himself. Both Aslene rider 
  clans look up to him as a leader.
  Zertorme is one of the key players in the 
  Raven’s Purge campaign, and you read more 
  about him on page 41.
  PYRAVIA
  Zertorme’s mount is a demonized wyvern 
  whom the sorcerer is attempting to reshape 
  into a dragon. Progress is only so-so. Pyravia 
  can’t fly but is, however, able to quickly get 
  around everywhere and can effortlessly climb 
  vertical mountainsides. The reptile isn’t able to 
  breathe fire either, but can spit hot plasma and 
  ignite its teeth so that its bite inflicts greater 
  
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  88
  damage. Pyravia is semi-intelligent and jeal-
  ous of anyone who receives its master’s favor. 
  Zertorme usually makes the carriage invisible 
  when he is outside the stronghold.
  STRENGTH 14, AGILITY 5
  ARMOR RATING: 6 (scales)
  D6
  MONSTER ATTACKS:
  1.
  SMOLDERING BITE! The reptile takes 
  a forceful bite out of the strongest, 
  closest adventurer. Perform an at-
  tack with nine Base dice and Weapon 
  Damage 2 (slash wound). Additional-
  ly, the damage ignores all armor due 
  to the white-hot teeth.
  2.
  FIRE-SPIT! A missile of burning saliva 
  hits an adventurer within NEAR dis-
  tance. Perform an attack with seven 
  Base dice and Weapon Damage 1 
  (blunt force). Additionally, the dam-
  age ignores all armor.
  3.
  TERRIBLE SLASH ATTACK! The reptile 
  slashes an adventurer with razor 
  sharp claws. The adventurer is 
  attacked with nine Base dice and 
  Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound).
  4.
  CHARGING ATTACK! Snorting, the beast 
  barrels towards an adventurer to 
  crush them with its full bodyweight. 
  Roll for the attack with ten Base dice 
  and Weapon Damage 2 (blunt force).
  5.
  TAIL ATTACK! The reptile swings its tail 
  in a sweeping attack and strikes two 
  adventurers with separate attacks 
  with six Base dice and Weapon Dam-
  age 1 (slash wound). The victim be-
  comes prone if the attack succeeds. 
  6.
  REARING ATTACK! The beast rears up 
  in front of an adventurer and makes 
  a series of quick slashes intended 
  to tear the victim to shreds. Roll for 
  three attacks in direct succession 
  with seven Base Dice for each and 
  Weapon Damage 2 (slash wound) 
  each. The attacks can be PARRIED 
  separately.
  MERIGALL
  Merigall is a demon, but appears at Amber’s 
  Peak as a wandering, androgynous human 
  minstrel. It is a close acquaintance of both Zer-
  torme (whom it helped escape the father) and 
  Zytera (whom it took part in creating) without 
  either of them being aware of it. At Amber’s 
  Peak, Merigall supports Zertorme amassing 
  an army since it looks forward to exciting bat-
  
  amber’s peak
  89
  tles. Merigall also assists Zertorme in his ex-
  periments to create fire-breathing beasts with 
  Brinhelda’s secretions. It is the lover of the fire 
  demon, and many others, and a renowned sing-
  er among the Aslene.
  Merigall is one of the key players in the 
  Raven’s Purge campaign, and you read more 
  about the demon on page 35.
  BRINHELDA, FIRE DEMON
  Brinhelda is a female fire demon who has agreed 
  to help Zertorme create fire-creatures by allow-
  ing him to collect the essences of passion from 
  her bodily fluids. The greater the passion, the 
  stronger the fire-fluid, the character of which 
  also varies with the nature of the passion. The 
  price she has demanded is the face of the sorcer-
  er, which is strapped to a statue in her cham-
  bers and that she often talks to and cuddles 
  with. Brinhelda is quite content with her stay at 
  Amber’s Peak. Normally she appears as a young 
  woman and sometimes pretends to be a prisoner 
  or in love just to amuse herself. She has a fiery 
  temper, but her fire only inflicts damage if she 
  wants it to. She has no connection to the god 
  Horn, and is not a vulkyrie. The essences of 
  her passions are rinsed or scraped off her body. 
  Some of the unrefined demonic fire essence is 
  poured on the cliffs and walls for the sake of ef-
  fect, making them burn.
  STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 5, WITS 4, EMPATHY 5
  ARMOR RATING: Can only be hurt by magic
  FIRE BREATH: The attack is can reach up 
  to NEAR distance, and is rolled with ten 
  Base dice (Weapon Damage 1). The victim 
  may DODGE, but not PARRY.
  PYROTAURS
  Zertorme has created large humanoid crea-
  tures with the heads of bulls during his stud-
  ies. These are related to minotaurs (see page 112 
  in the Gamemaster’s Guide) but are also able to 
  breathe fire and cannot be hurt by it them-
  selves. They wield axes. They are semi-intelli-
  gent, and completely loyal to Zertorme.
  
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  90
  STRENGTH 9, AGILITY 4
  ARMOR RATING: 2 (fur)
  For monster attacks, see page 112 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide. Pyrotaurs are also 
  able to breathe fire. The attack is can 
  reach up to NEAR distance, and is rolled 
  with ten Base dice (Weapon Damage 1). 
  The victim may DODGE, but not PARRY.
  CALYDONES AND OTHER 
  FIRE-BREATHING ANIMALS
  Ordinary animals that aggressively breathe 
  fire ravage the countryside around Amber’s 
  Peak, among them Calydones – fire-breath-
  ing boars.
  STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 4
  ARMOR RATING: 3 (hide)
  BITE (Weapon Damage 2)
  CLAWS (Weapon Damage 1)
  FIRE ATTACK: Roll for the attack with ten 
  Base dice, range NEAR
  DRAGON
  A younger she-dragon lives in the mountains 
  near Amber’s Peak. Zertorme has stolen one 
  of her eggs, and mommy may show up to re-
  claim it.
  STRENGTH 20, AGILITY 4
  ARMOR RATING: 10 (scales)
  For monster attacks, see page 89 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide.
  EVENTS
  Below are suggestions for events that you can 
  subject the adventurers to in Amber’s Peak.
  THE BEAST
  Desperate farmers arrive at Agurville, where 
  they announce a reward to anyone who can slay 
  a fire-breathing boar that has burned down 
  their outhouse and killed one of the laborers 
  at their farm. They have an old treasure map 
  which they offer as reward. The map may be 
  authentic or a fake. The GM can use it to lead 
  the adventurers to another adventure site.
  THE MINSTREL
  The adventurers meet Merigall at the inn in 
  Agurville. It introduces itself as a travelling 
  minstrel. Now that the Forbidden Lands are free 
  from the Blood Mist, the land thirsts for new 
  songs and legends. Merigall claims to have heard 
  of the adventurers and asks if it may document 
  their deeds and maybe even travel with them? If 
  allowed to come along, the demon minstrel will 
  discreetly aid them as well as complicating their 
  lives since it thrives on rocking the boat and mak-
  ing life “interesting.” If the adventurers have met 
  Merigall in the shape of Dalb in Weatherstone 
  (see page 225 of the Gamemaster’s Guide), they 
  won’t recognize it since it has taken a new form 
  and presents itself with its true name.
  THE FALSE GOD
  The Galdane priestess Skylia of Horn false-
  ly suspects that Zertorme is an imposter who 
  
  amber’s peak
  91
  has taken the place of the true Zertorme. She 
  thinks it might even be Zygofer, Zertorme’s fa-
  ther, having fled the demons during the Fourth 
  Alder Wars. The ravaging fire-breathing crea-
  tures are the imposter’s first steps in pillaging 
  the land as he pillaged Aslene. Skylia has an old 
  coin with Zygofer’s likeness on it and a hero 
  portrait of Zertorme and asks the adventurers 
  to try to get a glimpse of his face to determine 
  the sorcerer’s identity. Alternatively, find proof 
  linking Zertorme to the beasts.
  GUTHARM’S DILEMMA
  The impassioned Galdane warrior Gutharm is 
  convinced that Zertorme has impris-
  oned a vulkyrie – a holy shield-
  maiden of the god Horn 
  – and that the sorcerer is 
  using her blood to produce 
  fire-breathing monsters. 
  He asks the adventurers 
  to aid him in freeing her. 
  Reward? I beg your par-
  don? Does honor not de-
  mand that every hero heeds 
  the call of a lady in distress?
  FAVOR OF THE RIVER GODS
  The priest Palakus wants to assign the adven-
  turers a mission: the river is due its annual 
  thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest of pearls, 
  but because of the delicate situation between the 
  rider clans, Zertorme has decided that this year’s 
  thanksgiving ritual must be performed by out-
  of-town strangers or not at all.
  The rite consists of rolling a holy stone 
  orb, symbolizing a giant pearl, to the riverside 
  and then lighting fires around it. After being 
  heated up, the orb must be laved with water 
  from the river three times, with a hymn being 
  sung between each laving. Palakus is very anx-
  ious to keep the river gods happy. As as reward, 
  the adventurers will receive the friendship of 
  the Quards as well as coin and a good horse, 
  but only if they perform the ceremony discreet-
  ly, without the Galdanes noticing.
  The stone orb is a dragon egg that Zertorme 
  has managed to acquire. After being fired and 
  then watered it will hatch. Zertorme will be 
  watching from a distance, and plans on placing 
  a spell of invisibility on the hatchling once it has 
  hatched to imprint it on himself. He 
  has no greater desire than a tame 
  dragon, and has orchestrated 
  the hatching attempt but 
  dares not perform it him-
  self.
  The problem is that 
  the 
  dragon 
  hatchling 
  will let out an earsplitting 
  scream as soon as a crack 
  appears, calling its mother to 
  the site. She is on the hunt and 
  in a foul mood since her egg went 
  missing. Possible complications are that 
  the dragon hatchling is imprinted on one of the 
  adventurers, that the dragon mother chases away 
  Zertorme and then flies off with the hatchling in 
  her claws, or that Pyravia kills it with a smolder-
  ing bite before someone manages to stop her. It is 
  possible that the dragon mother will burn down 
  part of the village in retaliation. If the adventur-
  ers ask others of the ceremony beforehand, they 
  will have never heard of it.
  
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  The old elven city looks alive from a distance. 
  Smoke rises from fires and creatures are moving 
  among the houses. As you get closer, you notice how 
  all of the once beautiful houses are dilapidated, the 
  gardens have been cut down or left to grow wild 
  and the populace isn’t elven but multitudes of orcs 
  instead. The fortress of the Eye of the Rose looks 
  down upon the city from the cliff above, from which 
  the self-appointed emperor of the orcish clans, Hro-
  ka the First and the Greatest, is said to rule.
  BACKGROUND
  The ambition of Hroka, leader of the Urhur 
  clan, is to build an orcish nation and he wants 
  to appear as a wise and strong ruler, but he 
  TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Castle
  T
  H
  E R
  OS
  E
  E
  YE
   O
  F 
  is hard pressed by more traditionally violent 
  groups of orcs. Hroka has installed himself as 
  emperor in the ruin of the elven fortress of 
  the Eye of the Rose – one of several construc-
  tions given to the elves as a gift of friendship 
  by the dwarves.
  As a symbol of his greatness, the emperor 
  has given his spouse Soria the magical cloak 
  clasp called the Blood Star (see page 26), in 
  which the elven ruby Iridne is set. Iridne is an 
  elven woman, something the orcs are unaware 
  of. The elven Redrunners have sent a group of 
  rangers to rescue her. Should they succeed, Hro-
  ka will most likely fall politically. The adventur-
  ers can attempt to retrieve the stone peacefully 
  during the night, maybe on their own behalf, 
  or take part in the attack at dawn. Iridne’s life 
  
  eye of the rose
  93
  RECOMMENDED READING
  Before running Eye of the Rose, 
  it is suggested that you read 
  the section on orcs and espe-
  cially the Urhur clan (see page 
  64 in the Gamemaster’s Guide), 
  as well as the texts on elves 
  and the Redrunners (see page 
  56 in Gamemaster’s Guide).
  partner, Klotinda, is part of the elven force, and 
  has taken the shape of an Ent.
  GETTING HERE
  There are many ways in which the adventurers 
  can find the Eye of the Rose. They may have 
  found a map that leads here, heard the legends 
  about this place or encountered one of the 
  events below.
  MERGOLENE’S PLEA
  The elven druid Mergolene is desperately trying 
  to find a peaceful solution to the conflict be-
  tween the Redrunners and the orcs of the Eye of 
  the Rose. The strange elf will appear when the 
  adventurers have set up camp for the night, ask-
  ing them to help the elves by stealing Emperor 
  Hroka’s elven ruby and, in so doing, avoiding 
  further bloodshed. Mergolene has no money 
  to pay them with, but offers to let them keep 
  anything they find in the fortress if they carry 
  out this mission. Mergolene knows of the secret 
  passage between the Chapel of the Gods and the 
  library inside the Eye of the Rose fortress. See 
  the False Ruby event on page 105.
  THE LOST PEDDLER
  The adventurers are sought out by the ped-
  dler Jorg, who desperately tells them of his 
  partner, Valom, who has been kidnapped by 
  orcs in the vicinity of the Eye of the Rose. 
  Jorg is prepared to pay the adventurers to save 
  his associate and promises five silver coins 
  as soon as the deal is struck and two whole 
  gold coins if they return Valom to their camp 
  some distance away.
  THE MAP
  The adventurers find a map in their travels 
  across the Forbidden Lands. It can, for exam-
  ple, be found on the corpse of an orc, elf, or 
  another adventurer. The map shows the loca-
  tion of the Eye of the Rose as well as a rough 
  sketch of the Chapel of the Gods, and contains 
  a poem that shows the way through the secret 
  passage from the chapel to the fortress (see 
  Mergolene’s poem on page 99).
  LEGEND
  The orcs of the Forbidden Lands have sought 
  their place in the world ever since they were sent 
  to war against the humans and were then aban-
  
  doned by the elves and dwarves. Many of them 
  live bitter lives as miscreants and robbers in the 
  forests, but word is now spreading that an orc 
  leader is holding court in the abandoned elven 
  fortress of the Eye of the Rose. He is said to call 
  himself Emperor Hroka the First and the Great-
  est. Merchants who’ve visited the place whisper 
  that the emperor has bought a priceless ruby that 
  he intends to bestow upon his spouse so as to prove 
  his worthiness as emperor.
  LOCATIONS
  The ruin of the fortress the Eye of the Rose is 
  situated on the top of a cliff with the ruined 
  city below. A couple of hundred orcs from the 
  Urhur clan live in the ruins from which the 
  smoke of fires rises. The steep eastern face of 
  the acropolis oversees the wild city park where 
  the group of Redrunners are hiding.
  1. THE FORTRESS GATES
  The gates of the Eye of the Rose gape towards you 
  like a maw lined with iron teeth. A couple of stout 
  orcs stand guard. You spot an alarm bell just inside 
  the raised portcullis. Outside are a couple of dozen 
  orcs who have gathered to trade goods and services.
  The guards will ring the alarm bell if any-
  thing happens, whereupon more of them will 
  come running. Like most orcs performing 
  their duty in the fortress, the guards are pe-
  culiarly dressed in hats and details of cloth-
  ing stolen from humans. It is Hranga Gala 
  who dictates the fashion as it amuses him. 
  The occasional merchants of other kin can 
  be found in the city since Emperor Hroka 
  seeks to promote trade.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Three orc guards. Half a 
  dozen orc servants. 
  2. LIBRARY
  At the pupil of the eye-shaped fortress stands 
  a withered, round tower. It appears to have 
  burned, for the walls are blackened by soot.
  In the time of the elves, the tower was fur-
  nished with a well-stocked library, which is 
  now mainly burnt or decomposed. The re-
  mains of instruments of astronomy and a larg-
  er telescope can be found among the debris. 
  These used to stand on the roof that has long 
  since caved in. The confused master, Anselm, 
  THE BLOOD STAR ELSEWHERE?
  This adventure site assumes that 
  the Blood Star cloak clasp – with 
  one of the missing elven rubies 
  – is located here, carried by Em-
  press Soria. If you have chosen to 
  place the Blood Star elsewhere 
  in the Forbidden Lands, you can 
  simply replace Iridne for another 
  elven ruby with no connection to 
  Stanengist.
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  pokes about in the debris and deciphers knowl-
  edge he considers himself to have interpreted 
  for the emperor. He has a couple of orc helpers 
  and apprentices.
  The library could be a good location for the 
  GM to place leads to other adventure sites.
  In the southern wall of the library, there is 
  a hidden door to a secret passage leading to the 
  Chapel of the Gods outside the walls of the for-
  tress (see location #9 on the map). The secret 
  door can only be opened from the other side.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Master Anselm, D6 orcs.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: Elven instruments of 
  astronomy (worth D6 gold coins in total), 
  a telescope of elven construction (worth 
  3D6 gold coins).
  3. THE BANQUET HALL
  The smell of sweat, roast meat, beer and vomit 
  lies as thick as the din in a large stone hall with-
  out a ceiling. A couple of muscled orc warriors 
  blow off some steam between the last watch and 
  the next. The guests slice servings of pork from a 
  whole pig being roasted above a fire in one of the 
  corners.
  The off-duty orcs of the Imperial Guard are 
  almost constantly partying in this location, 
  when they aren’t arm wrestling or boasting. 
  The entrance to the workshops and the com-
  mandant’s tower are accessible from the hall.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: 2D6 orc guards.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: A captured, frayed Alder-
  lander tapestry (worth D6 silver coins).
  4. WORKSHOPS AND PRISON
  The stone buildings beyond the banquet hall 
  once had several stories but the floors have caved 
  in, leaving very high-ceilinged stone rooms. 
  The improvised workshops are filled with a 
  clattering noise and the sound of fires roaring. 
  Dwarves and humans work with younger orcs, 
  guarded and heavy handedly monitored by 
  larger warriors.
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  The craftsmen who have been kidnapped 
  or lured to the city by the Viraga work here. 
  About twenty younger orcs are supposed to be 
  training to increase the knowledge of the orc 
  nation. The progress is so-so, enraging the 
  orcs and causing them to slap around their 
  teachers. The tower in the back has a covered 
  roof and barred gate behind which the crafts-
  men are imprisoned when resting.
  This is a suitable location for the GM to 
  place NPCs who can either lead the adventur-
  ers to other adventure sites or be rescued for a 
  reward, or because they are previous acquain-
  tances. An agile person can climb on the re-
  mains of the storeys above floor level.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: A dozen prisoners (dwarves 
  and humans, use suitable stats from the 
  chapter on Kin in the Gamemaster’s 
  Guide).
  5. THE TOWER OF  
  THE COMMANDER
  Next to the banquet hall stands a rather well-kept 
  tower, three floors high. The entrance from the 
  banquet hall is guarded by two seemingly sober 
  warriors.
  The commander of the fortress, a powerful, 
  beast-like orc named Ullt, lives in the tower. 
  He has the keys to cells in the workshop and 
  supervises the defense of the fortress.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Two orc guards and Ullt, 
  the orc commander.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: Elven skull fashioned into a 
  drinking horn (worth 2D6 silver coins to a 
  necromancer, if a Redrunner catches sight 
  of it he will immediately attack the owner).
  6. GUARD STATION
  In an open area of cobbled stone burns a large bon-
  fire around which half a dozen heavily armed 
  orcs crouch or sit.
  The guards watch the entrance to the court of 
  audience.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Half a dozen orc guards.
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  7. COURT OF AUDIENCE
  A large open courtyard with a roof over the far, 
  raised end. On a throne sits a huge orc draped in 
  knick-knacks and garish fabrics surrounded by 
  other older and more distinguished orcs as well 
  as a human. Many people mill about in the court-
  yard: high-ranked orcs being entertained by a cou-
  ple of human jesters who don’t seem to be enjoying 
  themselves.
  At night, Emperor Hroka holds court here 
  with his knights. The emperor himself sits on 
  a throne under the roof with the empress, his 
  commander-in-chief and his court chancellor. 
  The courtyard closest to the gates has no roof. 
  Here one eats and drinks and discusses matters 
  of state, judges in civil proceedings and is enter-
  tained by duels or human jesters who have been 
  kidnapped and brought here. The empress’ two 
  ladies-in-waiting may seem harmless, but they 
  are actually Viraga who have been trained as 
  assassins and also serve as her bodyguards.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Emperor Hroka, Empress 
  Soria, two Viraga ladies-in-waiting, a score 
  of orc guards, nobles and dignitaries and 
  the two miserable jesters, Reft and Logas.
  8. CASTLE
  A largely intact castle towers over the court of au-
  dience. Banners proudly flap in the wind.
  In the castle, the private suites of the emperor 
  and the empress can be found, as well as accom-
  modations for bodyguards and servants. Hran-
  ga Gala lives here as well in his own room, with 
  a couple of orc mistresses.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Hranga Gala.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES:  In the basement is a treasure 
  chest. Hranga Gala has the key. To deter-
  mine the contents of the chest, roll twice 
  on the table for VALUABLE finds, and once 
  on the table for PRECIOUS finds (pages 189 
  and 191 in the Gamemaster’s Guide).
  9. CHAPEL OF THE GODS
  In the overgrown old city park below the Eye of the 
  Rose fortress, you find the ruins of a small decayed 
  chapel dedicated to the gods of nature. Its inner 
  chamber, an alcove hewn into the mountainside, 
  is intact although vines have taken root in here. 
  Four stone statues stand in the chamber, their 
  mouths gaping.
  The gods depicted are Flow, Wail, Clay and the 
  Nightwalker. If someone blows into their half-
  open mouths, the tones of a diminished chord 
  are heard, i.e., four tones separated by two 
  semi-tones between each tone. The head on the 
  MERGOLENE’S POEM
  Four divine kisses echo hazily
  Flow, speak!
  Quiet, Wail!
  The god of Clay the vessel shapes
  The walker of Night the serpent 
  escapes
  The fortress is entered through the 
  yield of the tree
  eye of the rose
  99
  
  third stone has cracked, however, producing no 
  sound. If someone sings the missing tone while 
  the others blow into the three remaining stat-
  ues mouths, a hidden door will swing open. The 
  adventurers can figure out the cipher with the 
  help of Mergolene’s poem (see the boxed text). 
  The elves created this choral lock since orcs and 
  other beasts don’t understand such music.
  The hidden door will reveal a secret passage 
  from the chapel all the way to the library inside 
  the Eye of the Rose castle (location #2 on the 
  main map). The adventurers will need to pass 
  several dangerous traps on the way, however. 
  See the detailed map to the left. The traps are 
  described below.
  A – HALL OF STARES: On the walls next to a 
  closed door are bas reliefs of the faces of the 
  four gods. Inside the mouth of Flow is a pres-
  sure plate that can be pushed aside causing a 
  few hundred liters of water to gush from her 
  mouth in a couple of minutes. If the tank of 
  water is emptied, it is possible to safely open 
  the door. If the tank isn’t drained, the water 
  will flow into the corridor beyond when the 
  door is opened. The water will cause a species 
  of rapid-growth barbed vines to sprout from 
  the wooden floor. The door will be complete-
  ly blocked by vegetation within five minutes; 
  within fifteen minutes it will have spread 
  into the upper passage, sealing it off.
  B - HALL OF STATUES: In the passage are the 
  statues of the four gods and beyond a portal, 
  multiple versions of their faces are set into 
  the wall.  Before proceeding through, the 
  adventurers have to block the mouth of the 
  statue of Wail, or else spores will pour from 
  A
  9
  B
  C
  D
  E
  F
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  all of her faces as they step on the pressure 
  plates in the middle of the corridor. The 
  spores are hallucinogenic and count as a poi-
  son with Potency 7. Anyone affected by the 
  spores will become confused and may be sub-
  jected to visions of the statues coming alive. 
  This is only an illusion.
  C – HALL OF URNS: The statues of the four 
  gods stand inside the room, and in front of 
  each of them is an urn. If the adventurers 
  turn Clay’s urn, a hidden passage opens.
  D – HALL OF DARKNESS: A corridor with a 
  large number of the gaping faces of the gods 
  must be traversed in darkness, else serpents 
  will slither from the mouths and attack. 
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: 4D6 poisonous snakes (see 
  page 127 in the Gamemaster’s Guide). 
  Their poison is lethal and has a Potency 
  of 5.
  E – HALL OF THE TREE: Yet another room 
  with the statues of the four gods, as well as 
  bas reliefs of a landscape on all four walls. 
  There is one single tree in the reliefs and if 
  the adventurers press on its only fruit, the 
  last door will open up, leading to the library 
  of the fortress (location #2 on the map).
  F – THE CHAMBER OF KNOWLEDGE: A small 
  side chamber to the room with statues of the 
  gods contains the so-called Book of Knowl-
  edge resting on a stone lectern, written in an 
  unknown language that still feels familiar 
  to everyone. The book gives Gear Bonus +2 
  and a D8 Artifact Die to all LORE rolls. The 
  book cannot be repaired. If its Gear Bonus 
  reaches zero, it falls apart and is permanently 
  destroyed.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: The Book of Knowledge.
  MONSTERS  
  AND NPCS
  The most important monsters and NPCs in 
  Eye of the Rose are described below. Monsters 
  and creatures not described here have the same 
  stats as in the Bestiary or the chapter on Kin in 
  the Gamemaster’s Guide.
  HROKA THE FIRST  
  AND THE GREATEST
  The orc emperor of the Urhur clan is a very 
  big and a strong warrior, but the good life 
  has added a couple of inches to his waist. His 
  princely attire, with details and illustrations 
  mostly seen on children and women among 
  humans, may impart a humorous impression 
  of the emperor. 
  He does his best to be a just and strong 
  leader, but like all male orcs, he suffers from 
  a violent temper. Hroka also has a weakness 
  for flattery and can’t stand being criticized 
  in front of an audience. He implicitly trusts 
  and relies on Soria and Hranga Gala as his 
  advisors. However, he gets most of his ideas 
  from his dreams and prefers to sleep on all 
  difficult decisions. He is unaware of it, but it 
  is Iridne who councils him in his sleep.
  eye of the rose
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  STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 4, Lore 2, Insight 2,  
  Manipulation 3
  REPUTATION: 9
  GEAR: Gold-plated scimitar, plate armor
  EMPRESS SORIA
  Hroka’s spouse exudes power and intelligence, 
  and is a capable orc female with powerful con-
  tacts among the Viraga. Just like her sisters, 
  she could pass for human. Soria truly loves 
  Hroka and tries to support him in the build-
  ing of his orc nation. She is no stranger to less 
  orthodox solutions, including unholy alliances 
  with other kin, when it comes to achieving her 
  goals. Soria and Hranga Gala dislike each oth-
  er. Soria has recently received the Blood Star 
  cloak clasp (see page 26) with the ruby Iridne 
  from her husband and carries it at all times, 
  except for when she sleeps.
  Empress Soria is one of the key players 
  of the Raven’s Purge campaign. You can read 
  more about her in Chapter 2. There, you will 
  also find her stats and an image of her.
  BODYGUARDS OF THE EMPRESS
  The two Viraga orcs who guard Empress Soria 
  do so with their lives.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 5, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 4, Stealth 4, Move 3,  
  Marksmanship 3, Scouting 3
  TALENTS: Path of the Killer 2
  GEAR: Scimitar, short bow, studded leather 
  armor
  HRANGA GALA
  Hranga Gala, a human and a trickster, is tall, 
  dark and lanky, excessively draped in knick-
  knacks, which in combination with a sinister 
  smile, reveals his true nature more than it 
  provides the intended noble impression. He es-
  caped pursuers and ended up as advisor to the 
  orc emperor through strange circumstances. 
  Gala has assumed the role of imparting how a 
  world ruler should act and behave, knowledge 
  he makes up as the need arises. Therefore, the 
  customs at the court of the Eye of the Rose 
  are quite odd. Gala is very anxious about his 
  unlimited access to food, protection, wealth, 
  servants and bedfellows, and will view every 
  human as a threat to his position. He was ac-
  tually born with another name, but changed 
  it so that the orcs would be able to pronounce 
  it. During the course of the adventure, he will 
  try to reveal the potential tricks, lies and se-
  crets of the adventurers. 
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Sleight of Hand 3, Lore 2, Insight 3, 
  Manipulation 4, Performance 2
  GEAR: Dagger, vial of poison (Lethal, Poten-
  cy 7), key to the basement, rings and jewel-
  ry (worth 2D6 silver coins in all).
  MASTER ANSELM
  Anselm is human, a learned old-timer from 
  near Vivend, who had been lured here by the 
  Viraga. He claims to be able to read the re-
  mains of the documents in the library to stay 
  alive, but makes things up as he goes along. 
  Most of all, he wants to be rescued from the 
  orcs.
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  STRENGTH 1, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Lore 4
  ULLT
  The commandant of the Eye of the Rose is a 
  towering orc with a scarred visage that bears 
  witness to several bloody battles. Ullt believes 
  that Emperor Hroka has become much too 
  gentle over the years, and views himself as a 
  future replacement. 
  STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Might 3, Melee 3, Insight 2
  TALENTS: Path of the Enemy 2
  REPUTATION: 3
  GEAR: Two-handed sword, chainmail
  ORC GUARD
  The guards and soldiers of the Eye of the Rose 
  all belong to the Urhur clan and have pledged 
  their lives to Emperor Hroka.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 1
  SKILLS: Melee 2 
  TALENTS: Threatening 1, Melee Charge 2
  GEAR: Scimitar, large shield, studded leather 
  armor
  ORC SERVANT
  In the Eye of the Rose are some one hundred 
  orcs who belong to the court or perform other 
  services for the clan.  These orcs are servants 
  and take care of the daily chores.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 2, EMPATHY 1
  ULMAYA
  The elven officer Ulmaya is very old, which 
  shows in her skin that resembles aged, polished 
  wood even if she shows no other signs of age. 
  She leads the group of the Redrunners with 
  the mission of rescuing Iridne’s ruby in Blood 
  Star. She’s a dutiful and honorable soldier and 
  will attempt to fulfill her duty according to 
  plan. She is no warmonger, however.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 4, WITS 5, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 4, Stealth 3, Move 3, Marks-
  manship 3, Lore 3, Insight 2, Healing 3
  TALENTS: Path of the Blade 2, Lightning 
  Fast 1, Sword Fighter 1
  REPUTATION: 3
  GEAR: Longsword, four throwing knives, 
  studded leather armor
  ALSURSO
  The silver-haired, but gnarly and wiry Alsur-
  eye of the rose
  103
  
  so makes an openly unpleasant impression 
  with his very sharply cut features and a gaze 
  of overt contempt. The elf is second-in-com-
  mand in the Redrunner force, and Ulmaya’s 
  partner and lover for several hundred years – 
  they are old partners in crime in their occupa-
  tion. Unlike Ulmaya, Alsurso loves war and is 
  a deep-seated racist with aristocratic manners. 
  He despises all other kin and wouldn’t mind a 
  full-out war against the orcs, whom he believes 
  to be deceitful and uneducated trash. When it 
  comes to other elves he is friendly and proper. 
  Alsurso is a feared archer.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Stealth 3, Move 4, Marks-
  manship 5, Manipulation 2
  TALENTS: Fast Shooter 3, Path of the Arrow 
  2, Executioner 2, Cold Blooded 1
  GEAR: Magical longbow (D8 Artifact Die), 
  broadsword, studded leather armor
  MERGOLENE
  Sexless and hairless, Mergolene is an elven 
  druid who appears older than is usual among 
  elves. The druid has clothes made from living 
  plants and has the ability to make the plants 
  in the park perform or form things like ropes 
  after their own fashion. Mergolene is subser-
  vient to Ulmaya, but would prefer a diplomat-
  ic solution. Mergolene understands that the 
  rule of the orc emperor Hroka will be compro-
  mised if the Blood Star cloak clasp with the 
  elven ruby is taken by force or subterfuge, and 
  would rather see the orc nation thrive. Alsur-
  so deems such talk as treason, but Ulmaya has 
  agreed to stay her blade until dawn.x
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 6, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Lore 4, Insight 3, Manipulation 3, 
  Performance 3, Healing 3
  TALENTS: Path of Shifting Shapes 3,  
  Path of Healing 2
  GEAR: Staff
  KLOTINDA
  Klotinda is an elven ruby in the wooden shape 
  of an Ent. Her trunk body, ten meters tall, is 
  tilted with a head at the top, entangled in the 
  plaited canopy that serves as hair. Supported 
  beneath the trunk by a dozen sturdy branches, 
  the creature mostly resembles a many-legged 
  and many-armed giant gorilla walking on its 
  knuckles. The back and the branches are draped 
  in foliage of the barbed fashion of iron oak. 
  With the help of her many arms, Klotinda can 
  scale the cliff face to the fortress of the Eye of 
  the Rose like a giant spider, carrying about ten 
  humanoids among her branches.
  STRENGTH 14, AGILITY 3
  ARMOR RATING: 6 (bark)
  For monster attacks, see page 93 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide.
  IRIDNE
  Iridne is an old, large and precious elven ruby 
  that is currently set into Empress Soria’s cloak 
  clasp Blood Star. She willingly left Klotin-
  da, who seemed to her too dominant and re-
  turned to her ruby shape, but she can appear 
  as the talking shadow of an elf woman or speak 
  through dreams. Iridne feels sorry for the 
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  orcs, the once faithful servants of the elves, 
  and wants to atone for the betrayal of the elves 
  by helping Hroka build an orc civilization. She 
  also enjoys being admired, set into the cloak 
  clasp. Iridne’s view on the matter is preferably 
  clarified at the end of the adventure and comes 
  as a surprise to all of the elves. Mergolene will 
  immediately support Iridne’s stance.
  Iridne can tell the adventurers most of the 
  legend of the crown Stanengist (Chapter 2).
  WITS 5, EMPATHY 5
  SKILLS: Lore 5, Insight 4, Manipulation 5
  EVENTS
  Below are suggestions for events that you can 
  subject the adventurers to in Eye of the Rose.
  THE FALSE RUBY
  Mergolene contacts the adventurers in one 
  fashion or another, and if they accept offers 
  them a task. The druid explains to them the 
  dilemma of Emperor Hrokas’s position. A 
  dummy of the ruby Iridne has been brought, 
  a dead but valuable stone that can be switched 
  with the original “as if nothing had happened,” 
  that will allow everyone to remain satisfied. 
  Mergolene gives the stone to the adventurers if 
  they declare themselves willing to perform the 
  switch. If they steal both the dummy and the 
  original ruby, they’ll have a great treasure but 
  enraged elves on their track for all time.
  Mergolene knows of the hidden passage 
  from the Chapel of the Gods in the old city 
  park (location #9 on the map) to the fortress 
  and gives the adventurers the poem that can 
  help them open the hidden door (see page 99). 
  They’ll have to decipher it themselves howev-
  er, and since no elf can enter the chapel with-
  out ritually cleansing themselves for several 
  months, they’ll have to go alone. No such 
  restrictions exist for non-elves.
  Mergolene has three magical talismans in 
  the shape of small copper humans that hang 
  from a chain around her neck. The head on 
  each talisman can be unscrewed. If blood from 
  an orc, dwarf, elf, or human is poured into the 
  talisman, the wearer will take the shape of the 
  blood’s owner for a Quarter Day. The owner has 
  to be alive for the process to work. The wearer 
  doesn’t gain any additional knowledge or prop-
  erties, except for the purely physical. If the ad-
  venturers are able to discreetly kidnap a couple 
  of orcs, they can enter the fortress unnoticed in 
  their shapes. Blood from the same orc can be 
  poured into several talismans to make copies.
  THE CONDESCENDING ELF
  Alsurso blatantly insults one of the adventur-
  ers of a different kin, and will go as far as 
  challenging them to a duel if the adventurer 
  objects to this. At worst, Alsurso can brand 
  the adventurers as inimical to the elven peo-
  ple and will view them as outright enemies.
  DIPLOMATIC  
  MISUNDERSTANDING
  The adventurers are mistaken for ambassadors 
  from another ruler by orcish guards and dig-
  eye of the rose
  105
  
  nitaries. If they assume the roles, they need to 
  quickly figure out where they hail from and for 
  what purpose they are visiting the great emper-
  or. They will soon become aware that Emperor 
  Hroka expects to be flattered excessively (i.e., 
  every sentence) and as long as they keep it up, 
  the emperor and the court will be satisfied with 
  them. Hranga Gala will, however, be suspi-
  cious and try to expose and compromise them. 
  It appears that an “ambassador” from another 
  kin is already imprisoned in the fortress. The 
  emperor wants to decide which kin is worthy 
  of his favor by pitting the ambassadors against 
  each other in trial by combat.
  THE PEDDLER’S TALE
  The peddler, Valom, who is imprisoned in the 
  fortress, knows that Hranga Gala has hidden 
  riches in his room in the castle, since he has 
  been discreetly asked to appraise them. The 
  find would compromise the advisor before the 
  emperor.
  PLEA OF THE LADY-IN-WAITING
  One of Empress Soria’s ladies-in-waiting 
  contacts the adventurers (if they are in-
  side the fortress) for a secret meeting with 
  the empress. Soria has tired of her husband 
  talking to another woman in his sleep and 
  suspects a connection to the ruby Iridne. She 
  is open to suggestions, including switching 
  the original gem for the copy. At the same 
  time, she is very anxious not to compromise 
  the emperor. To make matters more diffi-
  cult, one of Hranga Gala’s spies may be privy 
  to this conversation. The adventurers can 
  simply tell the empress of the elves and their 
  plans, becoming the heroes of the Urhur 
  clan as well as their friends. They will then 
  receive Iridne, which the empress has dis-
  creetly switched out for the copy. The elves 
  will most likely be slaughtered and the ad-
  venturers won’t be popular among those who 
  eventually survive.
  ATTACK OF THE ELVES
  The elves and the Ent Klotinda will attack at 
  dawn to take back the ruby Iridne if the adven-
  turers haven’t retrieved it already. Mergolene 
  will then conjure up a mist that hides the Ent 
  as it scales the cliff as well as the Redrunners’ 
  movements. The elves depend on the element 
  of surprise – if the orcs are able to mobilize, 
  the elves will be outnumbered.
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  As the sun rises from the waves, four tall, mono-
  lithic cliffs are silhouetted against the great ocean 
  in the east. The wind is brisk. It carries with it 
  the scent of seaweed and a peculiar, wordless tune 
  from the top of the tallest pillar. The cliffs are cir-
  cled by razorbills, gulls and the stormriders, who 
  are said to be missing legs since they are born, live 
  and die in the sky. At the bottom of the cliffs the 
  temple of the druids awakes to a new day along 
  with the villagers: fishermen load their boats 
  with nets, shepherds herd their flocks to the hills 
  and the temple novices collect clay from the beach..
  BACKGROUND
  The druids of the Storm Temple are all El-
  venspring – half-elves responsible for all of 
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  creation, closely allied to the elves who raised 
  them. Kritre the Caller, holy singer of the dru-
  ids, converses daily with the sea and sky, and is 
  believed to awaken the winds that are to rule 
  the land for the day.
  Legend has it that the sea has left gifts at 
  the temple four times in the past. Now it has 
  happened again. The gift is the legendary ham-
  mer Scarnesbane, that has been re-discovered 
  and brought in secret to the temple by the dru-
  ids (if the adventurers have already found the 
  hammer at another location, you can replace 
  it with another artifact from Chapter 6 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide). Now they want to legit-
  imize their ownership by exploiting the legend 
  of the gifts of the sea, otherwise the dwarves 
  will demand they return the weapon since it’s a 
  relic to them. However, the plan has run into 
  TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Village (by the sea)
  
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  complications. The gift is in a locked chest 
  in the Chamber of the Winds, and can only 
  be opened by someone who succeeds at inter-
  preting the instructions and can use the Maha 
  language of Clay. Kritre has, however, declared 
  that the druids themselves cannot lay claim to 
  the gift, nor assist the so inclined to decipher 
  the code or even teach them the Maha lan-
  guage. According to the faith of the druids, 
  the cipher must be decoded in person so as not 
  to lose its power. If the adventurers fail to solve 
  the cipher, the GM may let Healing Knife or 
  the dwarves interpret a moderate amount of 
  the language or its structure.
  The adventurers can thus claim the gift 
  of the sea by solving the cipher in the Cham-
  ber of the Winds. Officially, the druids are 
  helpful in this, but some attempt to secretly 
  sabotage their endeavor. In total, there are 
  26 druids at the temple, but only the named 
  ones carry Maha signs embroidered on their 
  clothes.
  RECOMMENDED READING
  Before you start playing, it is 
  recommended that you read 
  the texts on Clay and the Maha 
  language on page 41 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide as well as 
  the passage on Elvenspring on 
  page 50 in the same book. Also 
  read the text about the ham-
  mer Scarnesbane, on page 138.
  GETTING HERE
  There are many ways in which the adventurers 
  can find Pelagia. They may have found a map 
  that leads here, heard the legends of this place, 
  or encountered one of the events below.
  BYRNEL’S PLEA
  The adventurers are approached by Master Sni-
  dra, a dwarf who serves Byrnel of the Crombe 
  clan. He has heard of the adventurers’ deeds 
  and says that Byrnel has a prosperous propos-
  al for them and awaits them in nearby Pelagia. 
  If the adventurers follow Snidra to Pelagia, he 
  will guide them to the barracks where Byrnel 
  is waiting (see the event “The Family Heir-
  loom,” on page 120).
  THE DEAD DRUID
  One night, when the adventurers have made 
  camp, several of them are afflicted by a strange 
  dream. A figure appears and begs them to help 
  its brothers and sisters in Pelagia. The figure 
  has been slain by a man with a dark mind whose 
  countenance and voice he then stole through 
  magic most foul, seeking to steal the Gift of 
  the Sea. The next day, a short distance from 
  their camp, the adventurers find a druid, slain 
  by a knife between the shoulder blades and then 
  burned so as to be impossible to recognize. It 
  is the blood magician Ravil who, through an 
  ancient ritual, has enchanted himself and tak-
  en the identity of one of the druids (after hav-
  ing murdered them). It is up to you, as GM, to 
  decide which one of the druids is actually the 
  magician.
  
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  LEGEND
  The humans are said to have first tread the soil of 
  Ravenland at Pelagia. According to the druids, 
  here the winds of the land are born between the 
  four holy monoliths to be loaded with rain so that 
  the clouds can carry water to the fields and forests. 
  In these days, expectations are high at the temple 
  of Pelagia. The temple is supposed to have been 
  granted another gift, an occurrence that, accord-
  ing to legend, has only happened four times before, 
  a gift that only the worthy can claim. What it con-
  tains or how it is claimed is difficult to say.
  LOCATIONS
  Below are sites in and around Pelagia that the 
  adventurers can visit.
  1. THE CLAY BEACH
  As you approach the pillars, you see a couple of 
  younger druids in earthen frocks working on the 
  beach with pushcarts and shovels.
  Novices gather shellfish, but their main task is 
  to collect sand and clay for the pottery in their 
  pushcarts. They are usually sociable and wel-
  coming.
  2. GRAZING PASTURES
  In grazing pastures beneath the widest, southern 
  pillar, some sheep, horses and oxen graze. You no-
  tice a piece of wood with some peculiar, painted 
  signs on one of the gateposts.
  The horses belong to the druids, while the 
  oxen and sheep belong to the villagers. They 
  are usually tended by a couple of children. 
   
  ✥
  SIGNS: The Maha signs on the piece of 
  wood mean “Close the gate.”
  THE GIFT AND THE CIPHER
  A recurring theme in this adven-
  ture site is the hunt for what the 
  druids call the Gift of the Sea. The 
  powerful artifact has triggered 
  greed in both druids and visitors 
  to the temple area. To be able to 
  open the stone chest containing 
  the gift, the adventurers must 
  first solve the cipher protecting 
  it. The cipher is constructed with 
  Maha signs (see page 41 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide) and can 
  be solved using the signs found 
  around Pelagia. Read more about 
  this in the event called “The 
  Cipher” on page 122. It is up to 
  you as GM how important you 
  want the cipher to be in your ad-
  venture, as some players enjoy a 
  linguistic challenge while others 
  do not. 
  
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  3. WATCHERS’ REST
  In the base of the southern monolith are two gigan-
  tic, chiseled alcoves. They are tall as temple tow-
  ers with a smooth surface of opaque, glassy rock. 
  Next to each alcove is a blank slate of rock made of 
  the same material, mounted on the cliffside.
  The alcoves are thirty-meter-high portals 
  that have been sealed with stone resembling 
  obsidian. The material can be neither moved, 
  scratched nor cracked. The druids may share 
  that the alcoves are portals from which giants 
  one day will appear to save the land.
  The obsidian stone can only be cracked by the 
  hammer Scarnesbane found in the Chamber of 
  the Winds or alternately be scratched by the knife 
  Scarnesclaw, which is carried by Kritre. Both 
  are said to originate from Scarne, the mother 
  of dragons, who according to legend was felled 
  by the dwarven king Oramund. If an alcove is 
  cracked, a stone titan made of black obsidian will 
  emerge. It will perform whatever task has been 
  written on the stone tablet in the Maha lan-
  guage. If no task has been specified, it will wan-
  der in a random direction, destroying everything 
  in its path and stopping when it reaches the 
  mountainous barriers of the Forbidden Lands or 
  at most after 60 days. Having fulfilled its task, it 
  will remain standing like a normal statue.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Two slumbering stone titans.
  4. THE TEMPLE GATE
  A low stone wall demarcates the temple area on 
  the landward side, but does not appear to serve 
  as fortifications. A rope with a bell on the end 
  hangs on the right side of the closed gate. Above 
  the gate are four Maha signs, and on a sign next 
  to the rope are additional signs.
  There is normally no one here, as the temple 
  is open to everyone and has no guards to keep 
  strangers away.
   
  ✥
  SIGNS: By the rope: “Open door!” Above 
  the gate are the Maha signs for the four 
  winds: Eurus, Notus, Zephyrus, Boreas 
  (you always start with Eurus, which 
  brought the humans to Ravenland).
  5. VISITOR BARRACKS
  Inside the gate to the left is a barracks, where peo-
  ple who obviously aren’t monks dwell.
  Strangers in the village are housed in the bar-
  racks for a small donation. The alternatives are 
  to pay for lodging at the inn (#9 on the map) 
  or pitching ones own tents.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Byrdel, along with Master 
  Snidra, and a couple of other dwarves. The 
  GM may add additional characters here 
  as well.
  6. INFIRMARY
  A longhouse is beautifully situated against the 
  
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  grove beyond. Outside sits a fisherman who has 
  hurt his hand on a fishing spear and an old wom-
  an who is short of breath, cared for by a friend. On 
  the door is a plate with Maha signs.
  The druids are renowned healers who help the 
  sick and wounded through magic as well as tra-
  ditional herbal medicine. An open area by the 
  grove is used for healing. Elves usually camp 
  among the trees on their visits to Pelagia. 
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Rain and Soil along with a 
  couple of druids.
   
  ✥
  SIGNS: “House of Healing.”
  7. THE DWELLINGS OF THE 
  DRUIDS
  Below the tall northern monolith is a small col-
  lection of simple, stone houses surrounded by a low 
  wall. Novices poke about in the herbal gardens. A 
  larger building appears to house an auditorium.
  In the auditorium are two paintings which the 
  druids can reveal depict “The Great Hunt” and 
  “Halgan is wounded and Merivin is slain,” re-
  spectively.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Keldra the Deserving, 
  Hunting Lynx, White Cloud’s Flight.
   
  ✥
  SIGNS: The titles of the paintings.
  8. POTTERY
  Below the eastern cliff is a small angular building. 
  Smoke billows out from the pottery kilns inside. 
  Muddy novices place newly manufactured clay 
  objects on wooden racks to dry. Above the door are 
  pinned two Maha signs in the shape of clay tablets. 
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Heaven’s White Fire.
   
  ✥
  SIGNS: Above the door: “Pottery.” Inside, 
  there is an assortment of Maha tablets – 
  give the players the handout on page 124.
  9. “THREE SMALL BLACK 
  SNAKES” INN
  Beautifully nestled in the greenery above the fish-
  ing village lies the “Three Small Black Snakes” 
  inn. The sign with Maha signs swings in the 
  ocean breeze.
  This simple inn for strangers is run by the 
  dropout novice Healing Knife. Visitors can 
  pay for lodging in rooms available here.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Healing Knife.
   
  ✥
  SIGNS: The sign of the inn: “Three Small 
  Black Snakes.”
  
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  10. FISHING HARBOR
  Closest to the water lie a couple of sheds with the 
  shops of the fishermen and cutters moored to a 
  pier. The scent of the ocean assaults you as well as 
  the less pleasant odor of fish guts.
  A couple of the boats belong to the druids. The 
  villagers are generally friendly. The pier has a 
  small stone beacon which is only lit when it’s 
  foggy.
  11. SOUTHERN CLIFF
  The path up to the lower, but wider, Southern 
  cliff runs along the grazing pastures outside the 
  temple proper. At the top is a small building, a 
  beacon and a banner that flaps in the wind.
  The fire is never lit when Kritre sings on the 
  cliff since it would disturb his communion 
  with the winds. At the top of the Southern cliff, 
  the adventurers will find a sundial – a stone pil-
  lar as tall as a man with indentations in the cliff 
  along an arc for the hours of the day. Two flat 
  clay tablets, engraved with the Maha signs for 
  the sun as well as the half-moon respectively, 
  mark where the sun and the moon rise. The tab-
  lets are moved every day. The druid who moves 
  the tablets will explain if asked, but is not allowed 
  to say what the signs represent.
   
  ✥
  SIGNS: Sun, Moon by the sundial, the moon 
  is turned in different directions depending 
  on whether the moon is waxing or waning. 
  The banner shows the sign of Notus.
  12. WESTERN CLIFF
  The Western cliff drops off sharply. The top, which 
  is missing a plateau, is reached via steep stairs.
  The cliff is rarely used, since the wind only 
  blows from the west on rare occasions. There 
  is a small chapel nestled at the top of the cliff.
   
  ✥
  SIGNS: The banner shows the sign of Zephyrus.
  13. EASTERN CLIFF AND 
   CHAMBER OF THE WINDS
  Terns, razorbills and other marine birds per-
  petually swarm around the Eastern monolith 
  towards the sea, shrieking fiercely if anyone comes 
  too close. Cave openings are seen at a semi-plateau 
  a small distance from the top. From there, you 
  can continue your ascent via ladders. A crank 
  suspension bridge to the Northern cliff swings in 
  the wind.
  On the cliff’s highest plateau is a small chapel 
  and cleats for fastening ropes, to allow the col-
  lection of the seabirds’ eggs from the exterior 
  edges of the cliff. The banner shows the sign 
  of Estus.
  From the semi-plateau, ten meters below the 
  top, caves open up in the directions of the four 
  
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  winds. The caves lead to a circular chamber, 
  the Chamber of the Winds, in the center of 
  the cliff. The winds appear to be amplified 
  in the caves, and the occasional visitor has 
  been known to be blown from the caves to fall 
  to their death, but the wind comes in gusts, 
  much like someone breathing, and the adven-
  turers can take shelter in alcoves along the 
  wall. Inside the Chamber of the Winds the 
  winds cancel each other out, creating stillness.
  Inside the Chamber of the Winds is the 
  stone chest containing the Gift of the Sea. 
  There are also racks on the walls with five 
  blunted simple swords and five blunted knives. 
  There are also racks containing all the Maha 
  signs that can be found at the temple. Theses 
  are summarized in a handout on page 124, 
  that you can give to the players. The signs 
  are mounted on long, differently shaped rods. 
  They function as keys when placed in the right 
  combination in the holes in the chest. See the 
  event called “The Cipher.”
  14. NORTHERN CLIFF
  The Northern cliff is the tallest and most visit-
  ed. The druids hold daily devotions on the lower 
  shelf, where the elderly are hoisted with the help 
  of a winched basket next to the bridgehead. Here, 
  too, are many birds.
  Kritre the Caller lives in the caves with his 
  novices and is found here most of the time, un-
  less he is visiting one of the other cliffs to wel-
  come the prevailing wind. The chapel is larger 
  than on the other cliffs. On the cliff are cleats 
  for fastening ropes, to allow the collection of 
  seabird eggs from the outside edge of the cliff.
  Every morning, Kritre places a clay tablet with 
  the sign of the wind chosen to rule in a circle 
  of Maha signs on the plateau. The adventurers 
  can alter the wind by switching the sign and 
  cause a storm by adding the sign for “huge” 
  above the wind, but such antics won’t be po-
  pular.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Kritre the Caller.
   
  ✥
  SIGNS: The banner at the top shows the 
  sign of Boreas.
  15. MAP OF THE LAND
  What you first assumed to be a farming plot 
  among various others, appears on closer exam-
  ination to be a map made from clay tablets, stones 
  and plants.
  The plot on the hill is a rather inaccurate map 
  of the Forbidden Lands made up of stones, 
  ponds and plants. The biggest locations and 
  areas are featured, each with its own individual 
  Maha sign. The druids daily place about twen-
  ty signs on the map with the winds, rain, fire, 
  clouds and so on that control the local weather.
   
  ✥
  SIGNS: The signs of the locations can be 
  used to direct the titans from Watcher’s 
  Rest to the location. A location sign 
  combined with Go, House and Kill would, 
  for example, cause a titan to walk to the 
  location and raze the entire settlement. If 
  the signs are placed in reverse order, the 
  
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  titan will instead raze Pelagia and then go 
  to the specified location.
  MONSTERS AND 
  NPCS
  The most important monsters and non-player 
  characters in Pelagia are described below. Mon-
  sters and creatures not described here have the 
  same stats as those found in the Bestiary or the 
  chapter on Kin in the Gamemaster’s Guide in 
  the core boxed set.
  MAHA SIGNS: All druids at the temple have 
  their names in the form of maha signs embroi-
  dered on their clothes.
  KRITRE THE CALLER
  The current Caller of the temple, Kritre is a 
  middle-aged Elvenspring with a shaved head 
  and trimmed beard. It is almost impossible to 
  communicate with him since he seems to dwell 
  in the world of the winds and usually is mania-
  cally busy singing or carving incomprehensible 
  nothings in the cliff walls. For this purpose, he 
  uses the curved knife Scarnesclaw, which is said 
  to be a claw from the ancient dragon Scarne. In 
  battle it cuts through all armor without hin-
  drance. Kritre may suddenly rush up the stairs 
  towards another cliff and his helpers have their 
  work cut out for them just trying to keep up. 
  When the Gift of the Sea was delivered to the 
  temple, it was Kritre who declared that neither 
  elves nor Elvenspring may lay claim to it, a deed 
  that has ruffled many feathers.
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Lore 3, Healing 2
  TALENTS: Path of Sight 3
  REPUTATION: 3
  GEAR: The knife Scarnesclaw (ignores 
  armor)
   
  ✥
  SIGNS: Scarnesclaw has the sign for 
  “knife” carved into its handle.
  KELDRA THE DESERVING
  Keldra is a blind druid woman several hundred 
  years old who loudly touts how much better 
  everything used to be and that the 
  invading humans are like lice in 
  the lush forests of Ravenland. 
  Only elves and Elvenspring are 
  Clay’s 
  creations, 
  while 
  dwarves and orcs can be 
  tolerated as their ser-
  
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  vants. She openly implies that Kritre has gone 
  mad and should be replaced as Caller. Keldra 
  has a fierce temper. She can’t do much on her 
  own, but some listen to her. At times she raves 
  in prophetic tirades.
  STRENGTH 1, AGILITY 1, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Lore 2, Insight 2, Healing 4
  TALENTS: Path of Healing 3,
  Path of Shifting Shapes 2
  GEAR: Staff, amulet with Maha signs (worth 
  D6 silver coins)
  HUNTING LYNX
  Hunting Lynx quiet and introvert, but very 
  competent and dutiful druid. He practical-
  ly makes most of the decisions in the temple 
  where no formal leader exists. Hunting Lynx 
  truly believes that the sea has left a gift and is 
  determined to let the process run its course. He 
  often conducts magical rituals, and is consid-
  ered to hold the highest degree of knowledge. 
  Hunting Lynx is a skilled druid magician who, 
  among other things, can occupy wild animals 
  to make use of their eyes and call living crea-
  tures to come to his aid. A group of wolves in 
  the nearby forest will come to his aid if there 
  is a fight, and in case of emergency even the 
  Pegasus Velakia will show up.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Move 2, Stealth 3
  TALENTS: Path of Shifting Shapes 2 
  GEAR: Short spear, knife
  WHITE CLOUD’S FLIGHT
  White Cloud’s Flight is a very sociable and 
  pleasant Elvenspring, and the grandchild of 
  Keldra, whom she also cares for. She often tries 
  to jokingly take the edge off her grandmother’s 
  harsh words. As part of her daily routine, she 
  takes care of the gardens filled with spices and 
  magical herbs.
  White Cloud’s Flight secretly shares her 
  grandmother’s opinions and refuses to accept 
  that the sea’s gift should escape the grasp of the 
  Elvenspring. She is allied with Heaven’s White 
  Fire, but strives to get to know all strangers 
  in an attempt to explore their intentions and 
  hinder them.
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 4
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Crafting 2, Insight 2,  
  Manipulation 2, Healing 2
  
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  TALENTS: Path of Healing 2
  GEAR: Knife
  HEAVEN’S WHITE FIRE
  The far-travelled pottery merchant of the tem-
  ple, who often visits the elven settlements and 
  other places, is a silver-haired and impressive 
  figure, knowledgeable about ceramics. He is dip-
  lomatic, but secretly despises humans and looks 
  down on anyone lacking the blood of the elves. By 
  chance, he managed to secure the lost godham-
  mer of the Crombe dwarves, Scarnesbane, in a 
  village during one of his travels. Heaven’s White 
  Fire realized that the dwarves would demand its 
  return, and had the idea to place it in the stone 
  chest as a Gift of the Sea and in so doing legit-
  imizing the Elvenspring to keep it. In the end, 
  he suspects that the hammer can open Watcher’s 
  Rest and dreams of ridding the Forbidden Lands 
  of humans once and for all through the help of 
  the watchers. To his disappointment, Kritre de-
  creed that neither elves nor Elvenspring could lay 
  claim to the Gift of the Sea this time. Heaven’s 
  White Fire now strives to delay the opening of 
  the chest and conspires against Kritre’s life, in 
  the hopes that a new Caller could change the de-
  cree. He doesn’t dare to act openly.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Crafting 3, Insight 3,  
  Manipulation 3
  GEAR: Shortsword, 2D6 silver coins
  RAIN AND SOIL
  The rotund healer of the temple is called 
  Rain and Soil. She is a master of both tradi-
  tional healing and its magical counterpart in 
  concert with Hunting Lynx, who is openly 
  also her lover. Rain and Soil has a slightly 
  superior attitude and she loves to show off 
  her arts, but is on the whole sympathetic to 
  all things living.
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Crafting 2, Healing 3
  TALENTS: Path of Healing 3
  GEAR: -
  SNAKE’S JOY
  The younger druid Snake’s Joy is a jovial fel-
  low who is bolder and more limber than most. 
  He loves to fish during storms or climb the 
  ropes out on the cliffs to collect bird eggs. In 
  his day-to-day role, he is a skilled singer who is 
  apprenticed to Kritre and also acts as his aide. 
  Heaven’s White Fire seeks to convince Snake’s 
  Joy to get rid of Kritre and replace him.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 2, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Move 2, Sleight of Hand 2, 
  Performance 2 
  GEAR: Short spear, knife
  
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  HEALING KNIFE
  The dropout novice Healing Knife runs the 
  “Three Little Black Snakes” inn. He has 
  mastered the Maha language, and isn’t as 
  fastidious with the rules as the druids. The 
  GM can thus use Healing Knife to help the 
  players with the cipher, but he is well aware 
  of how much his aid is worth and charges ac-
  cordingly.
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 1, Crafting 2, Insight 2,  
  Manipulation 2
  GEAR: Knife, 2D6 copper coins
  BYRNEL OF THE WATCHER CLAN
  Old Byrnel is a noble, elder magistrate and 
  diplomat of the dwarven Crombe clan. He is 
  officially at the temple to pay his respects and 
  perhaps try to claim the Gift of the Sea. In re-
  ality, he has become aware that the druids have 
  found Scarnesbane, and is tasked to return the 
  hammer to Scarneshall by any means neces-
  sary. This entire business is politically delicate 
  and Byrnel would prefer to maintain good re-
  lations with the Elvenspring. He has brought 
  a servant and a dwarven bodyguard with him 
  who tend to keep to themselves.
  Byrnel’s bodyguard is the Crombe princess 
  Arvia Hugeheld, who uses the alias Hugefury. 
  Byrnel is aware of the princess’ true identity 
  but is not aware of the fact that she wants the 
  hammer Scarnesbane for her own.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 3, Insight 3,  
  Manipulation 3
  REPUTATION: 2
  GEAR: Warhammer 
  HUGEFURY
  Byrnel’s bodyguard Hugefury is in fact the 
  Crombe princess Arvia. Read more about Ar-
  via on page 43.
  MASTER SNIDRA
  The dwarf Snidra works for Byrnel, but is from 
  the Canide clan. He is short of stature and 
  alert, observing and appraising anyone he deals 
  with. Officially he is a scholar, interested in 
  the rock formations at the temple, but in real-
  ity, he is a skilled thief and assassin whom the 
  Crombes have hired as a fail-safe.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Marksmanship 3, Move 2
  TALENTS: Path of the Killer 2
  GEAR: Battleaxe, crossbow, studded leather 
  armor
  RAVIL
  A wandering Blood Mage who seeks revenge 
  on the Rust Brothers who slew his brother 
  and torched his farm. Ravil has heard of the 
  treasure at Pelagia, and realizes that it could 
  be the key to granting him the power he needs 
  to exact vengeance. He will stop at nothing 
  to achieve his goals, and can murder druids 
  
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  as well as assuming their form through the 
  BIND SOUL spell.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 2, Insight 3,              
  Manipulation 4
  TALENTS: Path of Blood 3 
  GEAR: Dagger, vial of lethal poison (Potency 8)
  SOLEMMA THE SYLPH
  Solemma the Sylph is a normally invisible 
  sprite who loves Kritre’s song and with whom 
  the Caller converses on a daily basis. Solemma 
  will take her revenge on anyone who harms 
  or kills Kritre, and can be sent out to hunt if 
  the Caller directs her to do so in his confused 
  state.
  STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 6
  SYLPH: Immune to physical harm. Can only 
  be harmed by magical weapons.
  Has the same monster attacks as a ghost, 
  see page 94 in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
  THE PEGASUS VELAKIA
  The white flying horse Velakia lives wild in the 
  area, and can sometimes be seen near the tem-
  ple. She is familiar with Hunting Lynx and 
  can sometimes be found conversing with him. 
  The druid has a couple of favors to claim from 
  her, but is loathe to do so.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 5
  KICK: Weapon Damage 2 (blunt force)
  BITE: Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound)
  THE TITANS
  The two stone titans are twelve meters tall and 
  carved from massive slabs of black obsidian. 
  They lack the ability of higher thought and can’t 
  be manipulated or reasoned with in any way.
  STRENGTH 40, AGILITY 3
  For monster attacks, see page 96 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide.
  EVENTS
  Below are suggestions for events that you can 
  subject the adventurers to in Pelagia.
  THE FAMILY HEIRLOOM
  The dwarf Byrnel asks to speak to the adventur-
  ers. He explains that he in no way believes that 
  the ocean has placed a mysterious gift in a stone 
  chest high up in a cliff. Instead, he is convinced 
  that the Elvenspring have found an heirloom 
  of the Crombe clan that has been lost for a long 
  
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  time. Now they are trying to make it theirs 
  through religious rituals and nonsense. The 
  druids will then claim the heirloom as theirs, 
  since it has been given to them by the goddess 
  of the sea. The entire business is politically deli-
  cate since the Crombes would prefer to maintain 
  good relations with both elves and Elvenspring. 
  Byrnel offers the adventurers a hefty sum if they 
  can claim the Gift of the Sea and deliver it to 
  him. If the adventurers ask which heirloom it 
  concerns, he replies that he’d rather not say.
  Byrnel is old and stiff and won’t ascend 
  the cliffs. The dwarf Snidra is considerably 
  more limber, and often climbs the stone walls 
  under the pretense of performing geological 
  surveys. If the adventurers turn Byrnel down, 
  Snidra will sabotage both their and any other 
  attempts at claiming the Gift of the Sea. He is 
  more determined than the Elvenspring in this 
  regard. Byrnel will try to steal Scarnesbane if 
  anyone else claims the hammer.
  THE HAMMER OF VENGEANCE
  Byrnel’s bodyguard Hugefury is actually the 
  fanatically religious princess Arvia Hugeheld 
  of Crombe. She wants to use the hammer Scar-
  nesbane in her oath-sworn struggle to reclaim 
  Vond, the lost stronghold of the Crombes. In 
  public, Arvia acts as Byrnel’s loyal bodyguard, 
  but the adventurers may observe a quarrel 
  between her and Byrnel, ending with Byrnel 
  bowing to her, saying that he can’t agree to her 
  demands since the Crombes have given him 
  explicit orders.
  If the hammer is found, Arvia will demand 
  it given to her as her rightful heirloom, at the 
  same time revealing who she is. She won’t 
  deign to steal it, but if someone else does, she 
  will hunt the thief relentlessly. If the adventur-
  ers aid her in the hunt, or give her the ham-
  mer, she will swear them “friendship in blood 
  and stone” and offer them a position in her 
  holy mission regardless of their kin.
  SABOTAGE
  The adventurers’ attempt to solve the cipher 
  is anonymously sabotaged by White Cloud’s 
  Flight, Heaven’s White Fire or one of their 
  adepts. They may, for example, leave mislead-
  ing information or sabotage ladders. If they 
  become desperate, they may resort to outright 
  magical or physical attempts to harm or kill 
  the adventurers. They may, for example, set 
  traps with Maha signs.
  THE THIEF
  Snidra will aid the adventurers if they are 
  working for Byrnel. The thief plans to cheat 
  both the adventurers and Byrnel after retriev-
  ing the hammer, however, since he has a buyer 
  among the Meromannians – Tormund Half-
  hand himself, who wants to make use of the 
  hammer in the wars to come.
  THE FALSE DRUID
  One of the druids is actually the Blood Mage 
  Ravil, who through a magical ritual has taken 
  his or her body. It is nothing immediately no-
  ticeable, but the GM can point out that some-
  one is acting a bit odd or seems somewhat unfa-
  miliar with the rituals that the druids perform 
  at the temple. If Ravil realizes that someone 
  
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  is on to him, he will either try to poison that 
  someone or steal another druid’s soul so as to 
  change identities yet again. This may develop 
  into a paranoid hunt for an intruder and mur-
  derer that no one can identify. Ravil’s goal is to 
  steal the Gift of the Sea and then escape to plot 
  his revenge on the Rust Brothers.
  ATTEMPTED MURDER
  Snake’s Joy or someone else tries to murder 
  Kritre the Caller, most likely by pushing him 
  off a cliff. If the attempt is successful, the sylph 
  Solemma will exact vengeance, unconcerned if 
  a couple of innocents become collateral dam-
  age. She may also happen to be in the vicinity 
  and catch Kritre in the air, upon which she and 
  the Caller will become more active in the con-
  spiracies surrounding the Gift of the Sea. If it 
  is the adventurers who save Kritre instead, he 
  and the sylph will be thankful towards them 
  and the Caller will give them the knife Scar-
  nesclaw as a reward.
  THE CIPHER
  Sooner or later, the adventurers will probably 
  become interested in the so-called Gift of the 
  Sea that has affected so many in Pelagia. If 
  they ask around, they will be directed to vis-
  it Kritre the Caller and state their intentions. 
  The druid will stare at them in a moment of 
  lucidity and proclaim: “The answer you seek is: 
  the sword kills a white cat” – before returning 
  to his holy deed.
  The stone chest in the Chamber of the 
  Winds has several hidden stone mechanisms, 
  and must be opened in three steps. It is up to 
  the adventurers (or a kind GM) to figure out 
  that the riddle is the key to open the first lock 
  of the stone chest.
   
  ✥
  FIRST STEP: The lid of the chest has five 
  slots, into which Maha sign tablets can be 
  inserted. All the signs that the adventurers 
  have seen in the temple as well as some 
  additional ones are found in the chamber. 
  If the Maha signs for “Large Knife Kills 
  White Cat” are inserted into the slots, a 
  hatch will open, revealing the second step.
   
  ✥
  SECOND STEP: Underneath the hatch, 
  there are twelve stone circles painted in 
  four colors (blue, red, green, yellow), with 
  three circles in each color. In each circle, 
  there is a slit in which a knife or a sword 
  can be inserted. The entire circle can be 
  turned like a lock, using a knife or sword 
  as a key. Next to the circles, the following 
  Maha signs are engraved: “Three Knives 
  Wound.” If three knives (not swords) are 
  inserted into the three red circles, another 
  hatch opens to the third step.
   
  ✥
  THIRD STEP: Again, there are five slots 
  for Maha sign tablets. A text is engraved 
  next to them: “Huge sun chases little new 
  moon.” If the Maha signs for “Large Sun 
  Chases Little Moon” are placed in the 
  slots, a hatch with a handle will open, al-
  lowing the stone chest to be opened. Note 
  that the moon crescent tile must be placed 
  with the points to the left to represent a 
  “new moon.”
  THE EMPTY CHEST
  When the adventurers succeed in opening the 
  chest, it turns out to be empty. At the sight of 
  
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  the empty chest, the paranoia among the var-
  ious groups will spread like wildfire. Someone 
  has stolen its contents, but who? Emotions 
  will soon run high and it is entirely possible 
  that it all escalates into open conflict. It will 
  soon be revealed, however, that a fisherman 
  has been struck down and robbed of his cutter 
  over at the harbor. It is Heaven’s White Fire 
  who has absconded with the hammer, rather 
  than let it escape the grasp of the Elvenspring. 
  The merchant has fled northward with his 
  prize in a cutter. 
  Hunting Lynx is both ashamed and furious, 
  and wants to see the hammer returned. He 
  can’t leave the temple area himself, but he can 
  equip the adventurers with the magical aid 
  of the druids, perhaps a boat or even letting 
  the Pegasus Velakia carry one of them to the 
  thief’s vessel. The adventurers can also conjure 
  up a storm with the assistance of Kritre’s magi-
  cal circle on top of the North Cliff, that blows 
  the thief back.
  THE TITANS AWAKE
  The adventurers or someone else can release one 
  or both of the stone titans by shattering the al-
  coves in Watcher’s Rest with the hammer, Scar-
  nesbane. Unless instructions have been written 
  on the obsidian tablets with the knife Scarnes-
  claw, the titans will walk in a random direction, 
  destroying everything in their path. 
  
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  HANDOUT
  
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  The path up to Stonegarden winds along an 
  almost vertical mountainside. Here and there, 
  you see parapets and mobile masonry from 
  which appraising eyes observe your arduous 
  ascent. As soon as you pass through the massive 
  stone gates of Stonegarden, in the attendance of 
  stern dwarven warriors, you are dazzled by 
  the splendor of the Stone Gardens. Still you are 
  told that these are just the guest quarters, for 
  only dwarves are allowed to enter the inner 
  halls of the Canides and even amongst dwarves 
  it’s a rare honor.
  BACKGROUND
  The mountain of Stonegarden with its nigh 
  impregnable fortress has been the home of 
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  the Canides, the clan of the Iron Hounds, 
  since time immemorial. From here, King 
  Karonax and Queen Sulma rule over the 
  proud dwarven clan and guard the descent to 
  the deeps under the mountain, from whence 
  the dwarves are said to have risen at the com-
  mand of the god Huge.
  On some occasions, the noble dwarves cel-
  ebrate Veneration of the Earth in the Stone Gar-
  dens of Stonegarden, since the grottoes under-
  neath the fortress are said to lead down to the 
  dwarves’ place of origin in the older layers of 
  the world – the deep structures – where the clans 
  are no longer allowed to tread.
  The celebration is particularly remark-
  able this year, for all the children of King 
  Turik of Belderan have congregated here to 
  discreetly discuss the succession after their 
  TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Dungeon
  
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  aging father dies. In addition, the princess 
  Arvia of Crombe, under a holy oath to re-
  claim the holdfast of Vond, has come to the 
  location with her death-sworn warriors.  As 
  the feast is being prepared, two dwelvers – the 
  pale and peculiar ancestors of the dwarves – 
  have surfaced from the underground to ask 
  for assistance. They can’t speak, but sign that 
  the fetters of “the Beast” are about to shatter 
  and that the elder structures where they live 
  have already been evacuated. All of the world 
  is at risk, for the Beast will strike towards the 
  surface if it is freed.
  What manner of beast it concerns is un-
  clear, but the messengers require swift aid to 
  carry materials for reparation from the sur-
  face – the amount of material needed is of 
  such a quantity that they have need of helpers, 
  even though no one has ever been allowed to 
  accompany them before. King Karonax de-
  clares that an expedition will be equipped to 
  be sent into the depths. Since dwarves are not 
  allowed to enter the underground without be-
  coming clanless, the adventurers are asked to 
  assist. Arvia shows great interest and wants to 
  accompany them.
  RECOMMENDED READING
  Before the adventurers arrive at 
  Stonegarden, it is recommend-
  ed that you read the section 
  on dwarves on page 56 of the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide.
  GETTING HERE
  There are many ways for the adventurers to 
  find their way to Stonegarden. They may have 
  found a map, heard the legends about the place, 
  or maybe they came across and had to deal with 
  one of the events below.
  THE MESSENGER
  The dwarf Drur of Belderan finds the adven-
  turers at their camp. He explains that Rigalda 
  Raven of Belderan, daughter of King Turik and 
  feared warrior of the clan of Belderan, seeks 
  their services. Rigalda may have heard of the ad-
  venturers’ exploits or she may simply have been 
  so desperate that she asked Drur to pick the first 
  group he finds without clan affiliation, and as 
  such may consider descending into the depths 
  (see the event called “The Lost Prince”).
  THE DECEASED
  The adventurers find the corpse of a dwarven 
  merchant, recently slain by brigands. With 
  the exception of the precious clothes, all of 
  his valuables have been stolen, save for a let-
  ter tucked inside the tunic. The letter is an 
  invitation to celebrate Veneration of the Earth 
  at Stonegarden and is written by the “petron” 
  Berwyld – one of the foremost Stone Singers 
  and high priests in Belderand – and is addressed 
  to the deceased, master Mertyld. Attached is a 
  simple map, showing the way to Stonegarden. 
  If the adventurers bring the remains of Merty-
  ld to Stonegarden they will be rewarded with a 
  gold coin by Berwyld who will look favorably 
  on them from now on.
  
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  LEGEND
  It is said that the moon, stunned by the beauty of 
  Stonegarden, will stay a while in its course above 
  Stonegarden. At some time in their lives, most 
  dwarves go on a pilgrimage there as the site is con-
  sidered by all except the Crombe dwarves to be the 
  dwarves’ place of origin in the world. This year’s 
  Veneration of the Earth in the impregnable fortress 
  of the Iron Hounds looks to be the most extraordinary 
  event in years. It is said that the royal children of Bel-
  deran have come to privately discuss their father’s 
  succession. Their mute ancestors have risen from 
  the depths, for below Stonegarden lie the forbidden 
  grottoes leading to the elder layers of the world.
  LOCATIONS
  Below are locations inside and underneath 
  Stonegarden.
  1. THE STONE GARDENS
  The vaults of the Stone Gardens are covered by 
  sparkling gems set into the patterns of the starry 
  sky so that the flames of the braziers are reflect-
  ed a thousandfold. The promenades are lined by 
  mineral beds where crystals cut like flowers stand 
  on tourmaline stems in greenery hewn from dark 
  green malachite. Here and there clearings with 
  benches open up among the brilliance, intended 
  for private encounters.
  The fortress of the Iron Hounds, Stonegarden 
  lies on a mountain with a hundred-meter high, 
  almost vertical, walls. One gets there along a 
  winding path on the mountainside or by being 
  hoisted up in cars. No stranger is allowed in 
  the fortress itself, so the adventurers and oth-
  er guests are confined to the beautiful Stone 
  Gardens, the marketplace and the catacombs. 
  The caves of the gardens look like a cathedral 
  with large halls in the middle and smaller, 
  very comfortable rooms with stuffed chairs 
  for meetings and prayers along the sides. Many 
  dwarves and several other guests are here for 
  the celebration of Veneration of the Earth, 
  celebrated through prayer, feasts and songs, as 
  THE DESCENT
  The adventurers will travel a thou-
  sand meters below Stonegarden. 
  The GM should try to convey 
  the impression of how they get 
  further and further from the 
  world that they know. The climate 
  underground changes, as does 
  the architecture between the 
  layers they pass. A single passage 
  is drawn on the map, but the GM 
  can add passages and dead ends 
  as (s)he pleases. The dwelvers 
  have filled most of the layers to 
  maintain ground stability, but left 
  these passages to the overworld. 
  Distances and directions on the 
  map are not important and the GM 
  can lengthen or shorten areas to fit 
  the adventure.
  
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  well as competitions among clan combatants 
  below the mountain.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Half a dozen dwarven 
  guardians, as well as a score of dwarven 
  dignitaries, merchants and miscellaneous 
  guests from the Forbidden Lands, among 
  them someone from the royal family of 
  Belder as well as Arvia of Crombe.
  2. MARKETPLACE
  Broad stairs lead down to large cavernous spaces 
  in the mountain where the smells of spices, beasts 
  of burden, food and embers tickle the senses among 
  other, more odd scents. There are many people 
  milling about. Most deals seem to involve large 
  quantities of goods, as bins, barrels and bales of 
  cloth are moved to and fro while valuables change 
  hands. A wide passage leads out to large gates that 
  open to the outside world.
  Way in the back, a passage leads down into 
  water. This is the passage into Stonegarden, 
  where three stone hatches are closed as long as 
  the gates are open. The first hatch is in a wa-
  terlogged depression that can be emptied and 
  flooded from the inside. Smaller stairs lead 
  down into the mountain, and there is also an 
  elevator shaft with a winch-operated car.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Several scores of dwarves, hu-
  mans and halflings trade at the marketplace.
  3. THE CATACOMBS AND 
  THE  GATES TO THE DEEP
  The spacious catacombs are covered in white 
  marble and beautifully lit. Sarcophagi and other 
  graves en masse fill the spaces as well as sculptures 
  depicting dead nobles. Armored honor guards 
  stand in attendance.
  In an alcove in the furthest reaches of the cata-
  combs lies the ancient gate to the depths, guard-
  ed by four dwarven warriors. King Karonax alone 
  has the key to the complex and very old lock. 
  Above the door is inscribed the following text: 
  “Ye who pass through here, pass away from 
  the world”
  No one is admitted who does not belong to the 
  world below. When dwelvers wish to visit the 
  world above, they rap on the door from the in-
  side, after which the king welcomes them with 
  great honor.
  Right before the catacombs is a discreet 
  staircase that leads down to a secret passage out 
  from the mountain.  The staircase is behind a 
  locked, barred gate.
  The adventurers are not allowed to roam 
  deeper, unless they accept the mission from 
  the depths. Dwarves who pass the gates to the 
  depths must set aside their clan bonds forever, 
  as serious a business to a dwarf as cutting off 
  their beards.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: A few dwarven guardians.
  4. THE HAND-LIFT 
  OF THE  ANCESTORS
  When the stone gates close behind you, the silence is 
  complete. It is as if the mountain itself is observing 
  your intrusion. The air that has lain undisturbed 
  for millennia only unwillingly allows you to draw 
  
  stonegarden
  131
  it into your throats. Dust-covered stone steps con-
  tinue down into the mountain.
  Below the stairs, the adventurers find an an-
  cient, bronze lift operated by a wheel inside the 
  lift. On the shelf next to it is a stone tub with 
  boulders the size of a head. If the visitors push 
  a boulder into a hole in the mountain, some-
  thing the dwelvers might do just for the fun of 
  it, it will roll with a rumbling noise in a spiral 
  track all the way down to a corresponding tub 
  at the bottom of the shaft. The purpose of the 
  boulders is to balance the weight of the two con-
  nected lifts. The air thickens significantly as the 
  lift descends. From the bottom of the shaft and 
  further down into the caves, the air is so thick 
  that the dwelvers can now speak and hear unim-
  peded, something they are delighted to do.
  ENCOUNTERS IN THE DEEP
  Roll a D6 for every quarter of an hour. If you roll a l , a chance encounter occurs.  
  Roll on the table below. 
  D6
  WHAT
  INFORMATION
  1
  Orcs
  Alarag Elding and his companions.
  2
  Cave Creatures
  D6+2 cave creatures (see page 133) hunting for food.
  3
  Preying Bats
  A flock of preying bats are drawn towards the sound  
  of the adventurers.
  4
  Clanless Dwarf
  Blind Brenghar, a very old and very eccentric clanless 
  dwarf, encounters the adventurers. 
  5
  Giant Spider
  Thick spider webs are blocking the passage ahead.  
  Soon, a giant spider descends from the ceiling to get 
  a long-awaited meal.
  6
  Troll
  A stone troll is awoken from its slumber by the 
   approaching adventurers and is in a very foul mood.
  
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  132
  5. THE BEAM LAYER
  Beyond further flights of stairs down a vast cave 
  opens up, supported by immense pillars of a dull 
  metallic material. The pillars don’t run perpen-
  dicular but branch out, are slanted and laid like 
  beams across the ceiling. Their glowing blue veins 
  give off a guiding light. Large faces are molded 
  into the metal.
  The dwelvers can reveal that the mountain at 
  this shallow level was so frail that it had to be 
  reinforced, but they are horrified by the crude 
  craft that shows how their descendants have 
  degenerated. In the cave are half a dozen wild 
  wandering trolls who welcome fresh meat.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Trolls.
  6. THE PASSAGE
  Beyond a gate in the mountain and several flights 
  of stairs, you suddenly come upon an expansive 
  subterranean lake. The ceiling is supported by 
  pillars that have glowing veins here as well, and 
  FINDS IN THE DEPTHS
  Adventurers who spend a quarter of an hour searching for treasures may roll once 
  on the table below. 
  D6
  FIND
  INFORMATION
  1
  Cup
  Some kind of cup made of gray rock (“It bestows wondrous 
  power,” says Arvi). It is actually a dwarven piss-cup, a fact that 
  jolly dwelvers can point out to any adventurer who uses the 
  cup for drinking. Worth 1 copper coin.
  2
  A keg of 
  beer
  Very, very old. Anyone who drinks it must roll on the Eating 
  the Mushroom table, below. The effect is similar. Can be sold to 
  a shifty barkeep for D6 copper coins.
  3
  Corpse
  An almost mummified corpse of a human adventurer who per-
  ished in the depths. Around the corpse’s neck is a bronze medal-
  lion with the simple inscription “Agne.” Worth D6 copper coins.
  4
  Warhammer
  A well-forged warhammer. Worth 18 silver coins.
  5
  Copper 
  shield
  A scarred and beaten but very beautifully engraved small cop-
  per shield. Worth 10 silver coins.
  6
  Helmet
  An ornamented great helm of the finest quality. Once belonged 
  to Kerg of Belderan, a long-lost ancestor of the current royal 
  family. To the right dwarf in Stonegarden, the helmet is worth 
  5 gold coins or more. To King Turik, the helmet is invaluable, 
  and the adventurers will earn the gratitude of the clan if it is 
  returned.
  
  stonegarden
  133
  rests only three meters above the black, still surface 
  of the water. It smells musty and the sound of lazy 
  drops falling echoes in the silence. Bronze rings 
  hang from the ceiling everywhere. On the docks 
  are a few wooden rafts.
  The rafts are made from a light type of wood 
  and float quite nicely. To traverse the lake, the 
  adventurers should use the rings in the ceiling to 
  pull their way forward. Paddling is not advisable, 
  as beasts live in the water and these are attracted 
  to the splashing. The dwelvers ask everyone to 
  be quiet and to make as careful movements as 
  possible. This might be the first occasion where 
  they take a shortcut through the cracks of the 
  mountain, saying that they’ll meet the adven-
  turers below the lake. If so, make sure that they 
  leave water bombs that may come in handy.
  In the water lives a giant squid that raven-
  ously attacks if it notices the intruders. This 
  happens automatically if the adventurers pad-
  dle or splash in the water. If they traverse the 
  water using the rings in the ceiling, they can 
  avoid being detected by a STEALTH roll.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Giant squid.
  7. THE DRY DITCH
  Beyond a ledge with other rafts was presumably 
  another lake, but you can see how the mountain 
  wall has ruptured further on, causing the wa-
  ter to drain away. The glowing pillars continue 
  down into a foggy trench, but are covered with 
  algae and lack their luster down there, revealing 
  nothing. There are steps dug into the wall so you 
  can climb down, but something large moves at the 
  bottom of the abyss.
  The dry ditch is approximately 80 meters 
  across. The adventurers can cross it by climbing 
  the rings in the ceiling. About halfway across, 
  they will disturb a colony of aggressive bats 
  from the crack in the mountain, which they 
  must then fight while hanging from the ceiling 
  (only one-handed weapons can be used, and even 
  these with a –2 penalty). The adventurers can 
  also climb down and trudge across the ditch or 
  push down one of the rafts and paddle, but in 
  both cases they will have to deal with a giant 
  squid that lives in the sludge.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Bats and giant squid.
  8. THE CITY OF STONE
  After descending even more stairs and wading 
  through waterlogged caverns, you arrive at a 
  fairly steeply sloping cave filled with ruins made 
  up of primitive stone houses. About a dozen of 
  humanoid lizard creatures with pale scales and 
  large eyes hiss and move among the ruins. They 
  are little bit larger than halflings.
  The ancestors of the dwelvers once lived here 
  but then abandoned the city, and it stood for-
  lorn before the lizard-people settled the site.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The cave creatures are pred-
  ators and can attack, but scare easily. They 
  have stats like Saurians (see page 69 of the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide), but Strength 2.
  9. THE SUN CAVE
  Already on the spiral staircases under the city of 
  stone, you unexpectedly pick up the scent of flow-
  
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  134
  ers, fresh and warm, rising towards you and 
  when the stairs suddenly open up, you stand before 
  a surreal, subterranean valley filled with green-
  ery. You emerge at the top of a 150-meter high 
  pyramidal pillar, one of many that supports the 
  rock ceiling. Spiral stairs around the gorgeously 
  ornamented pillar continue downwards to the 
  floor of the valley. Along the right lip of the val-
  ley lava burbles in a volcanic gulch. A 30-meter 
  wide scorched furrow runs across the valley from 
  the volcanic gulch to a steaming precipice. A large 
  fireball slowly rolls along the furrow – like a min-
  iature sun. Behind the ball, the furrow smolders.
  Every eighth hour a new, 60-meter wide fireball 
  wells up from the volcanic gulch, and then slowly 
  and thunderously rolls along the slightly inclined 
  furrow for four hours to fall over the cliff into 
  the water far below, causing billowing clouds of 
  steam to rise up. And so the valley alternates be-
  tween four hours of night and day. It is tropically 
  warm and humid. In the jungle, on both sides 
  of the furrow, live tribes of the cave creatures 
  the adventurers encountered in the city of stone 
  above. The tribes of the different sides hate each 
  other and throw rocks and feces across the fur-
  row, but can’t cross it and are only out at night 
  since they fear the sun. The cave creatures are 
  also afraid of heights. Consequently, they never 
  go near the precipice or up the spiral staircases of 
  the towers. The adventurers can, however, hear 
  them hiss during the daytime if they pass them 
  in the bushes. If the cave creatures on the far side 
  of the furrow see the adventurers fight and defeat 
  their enemies on the near side they will treat the 
  strangers like demi-gods, throwing themselves 
  to the ground, carrying forth food and so on. 
  The only one who isn’t pleased is the large cave 
  creature who calls itself “The Lizard-King” and 
  wants all the worship for himself.
  The main obstacle is to cross the furrow. 
  The dwelvers usually avoid this path, and don’t 
  know how to traverse the valley. If the adven-
  turers push down one of the sleds (see the event 
  “The Expedition”), it will go all the way up to 
  the opposite edge at which point they can hop off. 
  However, the furrow is only sufficiently cold for 
  passage one hour before a rolling sun passes anew 
  – at other times, the runners of the sled will melt 
  and barrels of oil will catch on fire. If the sleds 
  get stuck in the furrow they will glide towards the 
  precipice but may melt and get stuck. Closest to 
  the cliff, the furrow’s edge is so uneven that it is 
  possible to climb up or down from the near side. 
  Anyone climbing down can use the soft tin ladder 
  of the dwelvers to ascend the other side without 
  being bothered by the cave creatures.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Several hundred cave 
  creatures, divided into two tribes. The 
  Lizard-King has Strength 7.
  10. THE LOVING STATUE
  At the farthest edge of the sun valley is a closed stone 
  gate with a hole in what looks like a metal heart. 
  Next to the gate, a statue of a dwarf kindly stretches 
  its hands towards you. Above the gate is inscribed:
  “Let hands unite
  May warmth of love
  open the heart’s door.”
  One of the statue’s hands can be turned and 
  removed. It’s forged from a memory metal 
  that resumes its original shape when heated. If 
  the adventurers warm the hand of the statue 
  
  stonegarden
  135
  in their own or over an open flame, the fin-
  gers will twist so that the hand fits like a key in 
  the heart-lock. Since the lizard-people of the 
  cave are cold-blooded and afraid of fire, they 
  couldn’t use the key, which is the reason why 
  the dwelvers once put it there.
  11. THE MUSHROOM CAVE
  A rich, but not unpleasant, smell greets you in an 
  oblong cave that stretches as far as the eye can see. 
  Large mushrooms grow like a forest on the floor.
  The mushrooms that were once cultivated 
  here have mutated and grown as large as sun-
  shades. The adventurers can eat them, but 
  some of them are narcotic and cause halluci-
  nations for a couple of hours. A few red ones 
  are poisonous, and a couple of black ones ex-
  plode into spore clouds if touched, clouds that 
  cause fits of coughing. Blind giant spiders live 
  amongst the mushrooms, feeding from them, 
  but they’d enjoy some meat for a change. They 
  have excellent hearing, smell and touch, but 
  no sight. They have trouble locating creatures 
  smeared in lamp oil or other strong scents.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: D6 Giant spiders.
  12. THE METAL PLAINS
  After yet another stretch of stairs you reach a stone 
  plateau. Here are even more spiders, large as ele-
  phants, but to your relief you notice that they appear 
  to be sculpted. Beyond the plateau a very irregular, 
  sloping valley begins that is filled with natural rock 
  obelisks and metal formations. The entire valley 
  seems to be moving as if filled with overgrown bar-
  nacles and coelenterates. Crystals of different colors 
  light up the half light here and there.
  The peculiar sculptures are spider striders – mag-
  ical stone skeletons in the shape of spiders. On the 
  back of each is a gondola that seats four people. A 
  spider strider moves on its own down the slop-
  ing valley once it has been set into motion. Its 
  long legs are able to navigate almost any kind of 
  terrain. From the gondola, the spider strider can 
  be steered sideways or brought to a halt through 
  the use of a steering lever. The magical vehicle 
  appears heavy but is remarkably light, allowing 
  two people to lug it forward on level ground us-
  ing a towing harness. Before disembarking, the 
  dwelvers fill the tanks on the spider legs with the 
  EATING THE MUSHROOM
  D6
  RESULT
  1
  It’s a bitter taste… Poison with 
  Potency 5 (lethal poison).
  2
  Your tongue goes numb… Poi-
  son with Potency 6 (sleeping 
  poison).
  3
  It feels like fairies are dancing 
  in my mouth! Poison with Po-
  tency 7 (hallucinogenic poison).
  4
  It tastes nothing at all.
  5
  Refreshing! Today’s need for 
  WATER is covered, and 1 point of 
  Agility is restored.
  6
  Not bad at all… Today’s need for 
  FOOD is covered, and 1 point of 
  Strength is restored.
  
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  136
  glue and tar (see the event “The Expedition”). 
  The sticky liquids are funneled into the feet of 
  the spider strider and provide traction.
  In the mineral-laden valley live ore-wellers, 
  creatures about the shape and size of seals who 
  devour raw materials and convert them into 
  new forms. The dwarves use ore-wellers to pro-
  duce the rare metals they need for their alloys. 
  Unfortunately, ore-wellers are dangerous as they 
  are drawn to the metals in the tissues and blood-
  streams of humanoids, which they can dissolve 
  with their acids. That is the reason why spider 
  striders are being used to move around the area, 
  but the legs of the vehicle should be greased with 
  a slimy mixture of mashed slugs to be left alone.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: 2D6 Ore-Wellers.
  13. THE LANDSLIDE
  The stone dust is still clogging the air around a 
  shaft that recently collapsed due to the movements 
  of the settling mountain. You can see the remains 
  of broken staircases along the edges, but the rest of 
  the descent is choked with large slabs of rock.
  The adventurers must climb down as well as 
  they are able with ropes and other aids (they 
  must succeed with a roll of MOVE to make it 
  down without incident). Luckily enough, the 
  landslide consists mostly of large slabs with 
  spaces in between, but they are not always com-
  pletely stable and at times one must squeeze 
  through or even dig. With a successful roll of 
  CRAFTING, one can detach the sticky feet of the 
  spider striders and tie them under one’s shoes 
  for excellent purchase during the climb (the ad-
  venturers automatically succeed).
  14. THE DRAGON’S LAIR
  You arrive at a larger cave where rumbling 
  sounds and acrid odors indicate that something 
  huge and living is nearby. In the middle of the 
  cave are a couple of abandoned stone structures 
  built around a circular stone grill, 30 meters in 
  diameter. In the middle of the grill is a stone plat-
  form with some elevation where a burst of glisten-
  ing metal threads sprout as if from a fountain.
  The people in the village have been evacuat-
  ed to deeper layers in the mountain since the 
  shackles of the dragon have begun to weaken. 
  If anyone steps out onto the stone grill, the big 
  eye of Scarne the dragon will appear under the 
  grill to inspect the newcomer.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The dragon Scarne.
  15. THE SILVER SPEAR
  Past a cave with a circular, 50-meter wide met-
  al plate for a floor is a small chamber encased in 
  
  stonegarden
  137
  a cylinder that continues up into the rock ceiling. 
  From the roof over the metal plate hangs a gigan-
  tic, sculpted metal fist.
  This is the Silver Spear, an experimental emer-
  gency lift that the dwelvers have constructed 
  and are dying to try, though preferably not 
  on themselves. The travelers take their place 
  in the chamber that is sealed from within 
  and then buckle down. When the mechanism 
  is triggered, the fist drops with tremendous 
  force and pressurizes a tank full of mercury 
  underneath the metal plate. Through reverse 
  hydraulics, the mercury shoots up into the 
  thinner tube, pushing the lift upwards, accel-
  erating with incredible speed for five seconds. 
  A couple of seconds later a deafening, jarring 
  noise is heard, and the lift decelerates with 
  the same force, stopping 80 meters below the 
  surface. When the top hatch is opened hot 
  mercury rushes in, having leaked up past the 
  sides, and the entire lift is very hot. Shifts in 
  the shaft have caused the lift to get stuck and 
  stop. One has to climb to the surface on rungs 
  set into the wall of the shaft, all the while 
  the mountain starts quaking. One surfaces a 
  couple of kilometers or more from the cliff of 
  Stonegarden.
  MONSTERS  
  AND NPCS
  Below are described the most important mon-
  sters and NPCs in Stonegarden. Monsters and 
  creatures not described here have the same 
  stats as in the Bestiary or the chapter on Kin 
  in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
  DWARVEN GUARDIANS
  Heavily armored guardians, loyal to death 
  from the clan of the Iron Hounds, who serve 
  King Karonax and Queen Sulma.
  STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 2, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Might 3, Melee 4
  GEAR: Heavy warhammer, large shield, 
  plate armor, bascinet
  RANGMAR AND ARVI
  Rangmar and Arvi are two ancient dwarves 
  – dwelvers – from the underground who have 
  journeyed to the surface to ask for help, the for-
  mer clad in a white robe and the latter clad in 
  furs. They mostly resemble chalky, white hal-
  flings of considerable but indefinable age. The 
  
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  138
  DWARF NOBLES IN STONEGARDEN
  NAME
  INFORMATION
  King Karonax 
  and Queen 
  Sulma of the 
  Canide Clan
  The royal couple of the dwarven clan of the Canides are dark of 
  hair and skin, proud, markedly beautiful and actually quite similar 
  to one another, a fact that has birthed malicious rumors about 
  Karonax’s father, Kurme “The Hornbearer’s,” escapades among 
  the Canidian noble-women. None can, however, question the 
  royal couple’s proficiency in battle, where they swing two-handed 
  battleaxes clad in gilded armor of black steel. Karonax and Sulma 
  endeavor to be exemplary in all things: wisdom, integrity and 
  physique. Their goody two-shoe ways can be tiresome in the long 
  run, much like their vanity.
  Turik of Belde-
  ran, King
  of the Belder-
  an Clan
  The Belderan King Turik, with the moniker “The Shield Louse”, has 
  been a careful ruler ever since he ascended the throne, keeping 
  the gates to the kingdom closed and never unnecessarily sticking 
  his nose into the dangerous surroundings. Many are highly critical 
  of his caution, since it has given the Rust Brothers, orcs, demon 
  beasts and other villains free reign. Now the king is dying and so 
  overweight that it requires four strong dwarves to lift him. Several 
  of his children are eyeing the throne. 
  Rigalda, Raven 
  of Belderan,
  of the Belder-
  an Clan
  Rigalda is King Turik’s eldest daughter, an intelligent professional 
  soldier who’s seen active duty against the invading humans. She 
  advocates for the dwarves to unite in massive counter-attacks to 
  reclaim what has been lost. Rigalda Raven is supported by more 
  radical, aggressive forces and the Meromannians. She has been 
  given the nickname the Raven for her sharp tongue and axe.
  Berwyld, 
  petron
  of the Belder-
  an Clan
  Turik’s eldest son, Berwyld, is a petron, i.e., one of the foremost 
  Stone Singers in Belderand. He considers the human invasion 
  and the wars to be a distraction staged by the gods to test the 
  dwarves’ focus on their god-given task, and wants to continue his 
  father’s more moderate policies. He is supported by more conser-
  vative forces and the Crombe clan in Vivend.
  Trondeval of 
  Belderan,
  of the Belder-
  an Clan
  Missing (see Events). Dreamy dwarven prince far down the line 
  of succession, who dreams of recapturing the Forbidden Lands 
  through an alliance with the Aesir orc clan. Trondeval has a soft 
  spot for the elven culture and often travels to Dankwood to visit 
  the allied people of the woods. He dreams of a renewed and equal 
  unity among elves, dwarves and orcs.
  
  stonegarden
  139
  taboos of the dwelvers dictate that they can 
  neither see the sun nor touch the land above 
  and their cold, clammy skin does not agree 
  with sunlight or wind. They can’t speak at sur-
  face level and their hearing isn’t very good in 
  the world above due to the thin air. As soon as 
  they reach 200 meters or more below ground, 
  they start talking incessantly and without 
  hindrance, to everyone’s surprise. They are 
  both skilled Stone Singers, metallurgists and 
  engineers who look at their descendants above 
  with disdain, and they seldom miss a chance to 
  mock the world above and all the troubles that 
  its denizens have wrought. They are very ec-
  centric and bizarre with a sense of humor that 
  is difficult to understand. Dwelvers are able to 
  partially or completely soften their skeletons 
  at will, allowing them to press through inch 
  wide cracks in the mountain where no one can 
  follow them. They can teach this skill to Stone 
  Singers who gain their trust.
  They are troubled by the way the world 
  above is developing, and in secret they are 
  contemplating whether it wouldn’t be a good 
  idea to release the fettered dragon, Scarne, 
  to stir the pot and usher in a new beginning 
  among the incompetent fools. While trav-
  elling through the depths, they will inter-
  rogate the adventurers about life up there 
  and make their decision on the dragon issue 
  dependent on how their companions answer 
  and act.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 5, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Endurance 3, Crafting 3, Stealth 3, 
  Sleight of Hand 2, Move 3, Lore 2, Survival 
  3, Manipulation 2
  GEAR: Battleaxe
  LUPENDUS FIRM
  Lupendus is a Meromannian dwar-
  ven officer who volunteers to ac-
  company the expedition to the 
  depths. The undertaking hon-
  ors him, but he is stripped of 
  his bonds to his clan and is no 
  longer welcome amongst clan 
  dwarves if he manages to return 
  to the surface. Among other things, 
  he is branded across his cheeks so that he 
  is streaked with blood for the duration of the 
  adventure. Adventurers who are dwarves are 
  threatened with the same treatment.
  Lupendus Firm is a serious and formidable 
  warrior whose family died in a tragic accident 
  for which he blames himself. He is haunted by 
  nightmares and is uncapable of letting anyone 
  down ever again. He’s probably not counting 
  on surviving the mission, but if he does he 
  may accompany the adventurers as a loyal war-
  rior in their future endeavors. Lupendus con-
  siders Arvia of Crombe to be an overzealous, 
  religious maniac without ties to any dwarven 
  traditions.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Might 3, Endurance 2, Melee 3, Sur-
  vival 2, Healing 2
  GEAR: Warhammer, large shield, chain mail, 
  closed helmet
  TROLL
  The depths below Stonegarden are home to a 
  small colony of mountain trolls. These big, 
  stinking creatures subsist on a diet of prey-
  ing bats and the occasional cave creature, but 
  
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  140
  would really love to stuff their gullets with 
  something fatter and tastier, like adventurers.
  STRENGTH 14, AGILITY 2
  REGENERATE: The troll regains one point of 
  Strength each turn.
  STENCH: All enemies within ARM’S LENGTH 
  distance suffer one point of exhaustion each 
  turn due to the terrible stench of the troll.
  MONSTER ATTACKS: See page 121 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide.
  GIANT SQUID
  Where the giant squids in the underground ac-
  tually come from is a mystery. Maybe they were 
  brought here by a whimsical dwarven lord for 
  protection from the threats of the world above. 
  STRENGTH 15, AGILITY 3
  For the giant squid’s monster attacks, see 
  page 99 in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
  PREYING BATS
  The preying bats attacks in swarms, thus their 
  value for Strength is for the entire swarm. If 
  the value drops to half. the remaining preying 
  bats will retreat.
  STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 2
  BITE (Weapon Damage 1)
  ALARAG ELDING
  Alarag Elding is the son of the leader of the 
  Aesir orc clan, Eldag the Ravager. He desper-
  ately wants to make a name for himself among 
  the orcs, has a terrible temper and is good at 
  fighting, but he’s not very bright. Alarag and 
  his crew have snuck close to Stonegarden in the 
  hopes of killing some dwarves and then brag-
  ging about the deed. 
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 4, WITS 1, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Might 2, Melee 4, Stealth 2, Move 2, 
  Scouting 2 
  REPUTATION: 3
  GEAR: Two-handed sword, studded leather 
  armor, open helmet, D6 copper coins
  SCARNE THE DRAGON
  The gigantic female dragon Scarne has been 
  trapped beyond a stone grill a thousand me-
  ters beneath Stonegarden for fifteen hundred 
  years. Her prison does not consist of the stone 
  grill alone, but more importantly, of an elas-
  tic, metallic net that covers the entirety of 
  the dragon’s body. The net is about to break 
  and that is what the dwelvers claim to want 
  to repair.
  Scarne speaks all of the languages of the 
  Forbidden Lands and is highly intelligent. 
  She’s completely devoid of humor, however, 
  interprets all jokes and attempts at irony liter-
  ally and remembers every perceived slight. The 
  dragon is furious with the dwarves, especially 
  the Crombe clan, but is wise enough to tem-
  per her rage until she is set free. If she wins 
  her freedom, she intends to demolish Dragon’s 
  Tooth – the main stronghold of the Crombes 
  – and find the hammer Scarnesbane to drop 
  
  stonegarden
  141
  it in the ocean, far from land. After that, she 
  wants to settle in the mountains north of the 
  Forbidden Lands to be a matron dragon to her 
  younger kin.
  If the adventurers tread on the stone grill 
  in the dragon’s lair, Scarne will implore them 
  to free her. She tells them of the falsehoods of 
  the dwarven myths and how she was impris-
  oned by their villainous god. (See the section 
  on Scarnesbane, page of the Gamemaster’s 
  Guide.) If they help her, she promises to spare 
  the friends and lands of her liberators as well as 
  granting them a favor of their own choosing in 
  the world above.
  STRENGTH 48, AGILITY 4, WITS 6, EMPATHY 2
  For the dragon’s monster attacks, see 
  page 89 of the Gamemaster’s Guide.
  ORE-WELLERS
  Ore-wellers aren’t living beings but fusiforms, 
  mobile clumps of mineral mass that assault 
  metals, engulf them, break them down and 
  reshape them. They have no organs and can 
  only be killed by being completely dispersed, 
  for example, through an explosion. They will 
  cause weapons to rust if one attacks them. The 
  best means of luring them away is by distract-
  ing them with a handful of gold coins, their 
  all-time favourite snack.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2
  INVULNERABLE: An ore-weller can’t be 
  harmed by common weaponry. Every at-
  tack with a metallic weapon will decrease 
  the bonus of the weapon by one.
  EVENTS
  Below are suggested events that you can expose 
  the adventurers to in Stonegarden.
  THE EXPEDITION
  The dwelvers Rangmar and Arvi request help 
  with an expedition deep underground. A beast 
  that they have kept imprisoned since the dawn 
  of time is about to break free, and they need to 
  transport materials from the surface to repair 
  the prison. The matter is cumbersomely ex-
  plained through sign language since dwelvers 
  are unable to speak in the surface world. King 
  Karonax makes a big deal about him under-
  standing the ancestors and being their friend. 
  Since dwarves who’d follow them to the depths 
  would lose their clan bonds forever, strangers 
  are sought to escort them. The death-seeking 
  Lupendus Firm, however, demands to lead the 
  journey.
  The dwelvers will be unaware of certain 
  parts of the journey or how certain obstacles 
  may be bypassed, since they regularly take 
  shortcuts through cracks in the mountain 
  to avoid said obstacles. The GM can allow 
  them to accompany the adventurers or take 
  shortcuts here and there to meet them fur-
  ther down. The tendency to tag along in-
  creases if they have become friends with the 
  adventurers.
  The equipment of the expedition, aside 
  from the belongings of the adventurers, con-
  sists of:
   
  ✥
  Two sleds whose runners are coated with 
  a metal that glides completely without 
  friction. They must be braked in downhill 
  
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  slopes so as to not run off and are fitted 
  with brake levers that lower spikes for that 
  purpose.
   
  ✥
  Two kegs each of glue, tar, lamp oil, fat, 
  drinking water and a lubricant made from 
  mashed slugs.
   
  ✥
  Provisions (the adventurers are supplied 
  with the highest value of provision dice).
   
  ✥
  Any trade goods they require and can 
  carry from the table on page 182 in the 
  Player’s Handbook, but no items costing 
  more than 1 gold. The players cannot 
  add to the list of gear after entering the 
  underground.
   
  ✥
  No mounts can be brought along.
  The dwelvers carry some additional special 
  equipment:
   
  ✥
  A case of rare mineral samples that King 
  Karonax has entrusted to them them 
  with great hesitation, as it is incredibly 
  valuable. The dwelvers intend to use the 
  minerals as diffundants, i.e., substances 
  that immediately alter the attributes of a 
  large, cohesive metal body.
   
  ✥
  A coffer of gold coins that Karonax has 
  given just as unwillingly. The coins are 
  meant as food for the ore-wellers in the 
  metal plains.
   
  ✥
  Twenty-meter-long rope ladders made 
  from soft tin. These are as flexible as 
  fabric, but if they are treated with the 
  proper diffundant, they immediately so-
  lidify and become as hard as steel along 
  their entire length. The effect lasts for 
  half an hour, at which time the metal 
  once again softens. The process can be 
  repeated.
  TO HONOR THE FOREBEARS
  Arvia of Crombe is very eager to accompany 
  the dwelvers to the underground when the mat-
  ter of the expedition is brought up; she tries to 
  persuade Karonax to let her do so. Officially, 
  she sees it as her duty to help the ancestors and 
  since she has already broken her bonds to her 
  clan anyway, that particular detail won’t be a 
  problem. Karonax agrees to her request, but in-
  sists that Lupendus Firm joins the expedition 
  and that no more Crombes may come along.
  Arvia truly believes that it is her duty to 
  aid the dwelvers, but she also has secret reasons 
  to join the expedition, reasons that Karonax 
  wouldn’t approve of:
   
  ✥
  She knows that the Crombes once buried 
  the remains of the dragon Scarne un-
  derneath Stonegarden, and suspects that 
  the beast in the depths is either Scarne’s 
  undead corpse or one of the giant dragon’s 
  offspring that she wishes to slay to win 
  fame.
   
  ✥
  She hopes that the hammer Scarnesbane 
  was buried with the dragon, and covets the 
  legendary weapon to win fame and fortune 
  in the coming struggle for Vond.
  During the journey into the underground, 
  Arvia can reveal the legends of her clan:
   
  ✥
  The dragon mother Scarne was defeated 
  by her ancestor, Oramund, who wielded 
  Scarnesbane at the dawn of time. This 
  legend (described further on page 59 of the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide) is false – more on 
  that below. Back then, the Canides were 
  vassals to the Crombes. Many Crombes 
  still believe that Canides should show their 
  betters due respect.
  
  stonegarden
  143
   
  ✥
  The Alderlander humans deceitfully seized 
  the mighty dwarven castle of Vond from 
  the Crombes when they invaded Raven-
  land. Vond is now occupied by the vile 
  sorcerer Zytera (page 29) and its demonic 
  servants, Merigall and Krasylla. (This can 
  be a good time to mark Vond on your map 
  of the Forbidden Lands.)
   
  ✥
  Arvia’s holy mission is to reclaim Vond 
  and chase away demons and humans in the 
  name of the god Huge, all to the crunch-
  ing sound of her hammer.
  When Arvia realizes that it is the dragon 
  mother Scarne herself that dwells in the depths 
  and that the entire story of how Oramund slew 
  her is a fabrication, she will suffer a crisis of 
  faith and gain a great deal of contempt for her 
  own clan. The dwarven princess may reappear 
  at the showdown in Vond.
  THE MISSING PRINCE
  Rigalda Raven of Belderan pulls aside one of 
  the adventurers in Stonegarden. She wants the 
  person in question to discreetly find her lit-
  tle brother, Trondeval, who has gone missing 
  during the succession talks. She pays one gold 
  coin, as well as promising three more if the 
  prince is returned. Rigalda is afraid that he has 
  done something stupid and that he might even 
  have gone as far as heading into the under-
  ground on his own since he wants to be a hero.
  THE UPSTARTS’ DILEMMA
  The dwarf Trondeval of Belderan and the orc 
  Alarag Elding both want to assert themselves 
  among their respective kin. Alarag wants to 
  seize Stonegarden by himself or secondarily 
  kill as many dwarves as possible to win glory, 
  while Trondeval wants to establish an alliance 
  between the dwarves and orcs. Alarag has 
  tricked Trondeval into believing that they are 
  friends. When the adventurers pass from the 
  Stone Gardens to the catacombs, they hear 
  voices from a side passage. Trondeval and a 
  dozen angry orcs stand outside the barred gate 
  of the secret passage, which can only be opened 
  by a mechanism on the inside. Trondeval asks 
  them to open the gate so that dwarves and orcs 
  can parley. If they refuse, Alarag becomes fu-
  rious, takes the dwarven prince as hostage and 
  threatens to kill him. If the orcs reach the 
  marketplace, they will randomly attack the vis-
  itors and then run away unless they are killed 
  or captured first.
  THE SECRET
  If the adventurers decide to accompany the 
  expedition to the underground, Rigalda Raven 
  as well as the petron Berwyld will take them 
  aside and demand that, for a discreet fee, they 
  report back to them and them alone when they 
  return. Berwyld also gives them a posion to use 
  in an emergency, “if anything in the depths 
  seems to threaten the surface world” (lethal 
  poison with Potency 8).
  THE CHOICE
  The ancient dwarves need to take the path 
  across the metal plains to find the red metal 
  that they call rose silver. They need the metal as 
  a component to affect Scarne’s shackles in the 
  
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  depths. The dwelvers will debate if they want to 
  fetter Scarne more firmly or instead loosen her 
  bonds as they journey downwards – they can 
  reach an impasse where the choice falls to the 
  adventurers on whom they are relying for sup-
  port. Both actions are performed by smearing 
  the ends of the threads of the dragon’s metal 
  prison with the proper substance, which 
  can be produced in a couple of hours at 
  the site. The dwelvers have grown 
  tired of the dragon, who wasn’t 
  their problem to begin with, who 
  shakes the underground apart, and 
  has begun to be regarded as a god by 
  some of their kin.
  THE SILVER SPEAR
  Once the dragon’s prison has been treated 
  one way or the other, the mountain will 
  begin to quake and debris will start to 
  rain down. The dwelvers explain that 
  they will head for safety in the lower 
  layers through cracks through which 
  the adventurers are unable to follow. 
  They offer to send the stranded souls 
  up with the Silver Spear before leaving. 
  If that is not agreeable to the adventurers, 
  they may try to head back the way they 
  came as best they can.
  For effect, the dwelvers will say 
  that the Silver Spear is unable to car-
  ry everyone to the surface. Lupendus 
  Firm offers to stay behind. Maybe he 
  will be able to make it back on his own. If 
  they insist on squeezing everyone into the 
  lift, it will grind to a halt further down, re-
  sulting in a longer climb.
  THE DRAGON’S RETURN
  As a finale, if the adventurers freed Scarne, 
  they will see the gigantic beast break free from 
  its earthen confines, creating a huge crater. 
  The Forbidden Lands now has a new force to 
  reckon with. Place the sticker with the crater 
  on the map in a hex adjacent to Stonegarden.
  
  145
  the stoneloom mines
  Warm fumes, reeking of blood and rot like the 
  breath of a predator, rise from the broken gates of 
  Stoneloom Mines in the mountainside. You know 
  that many have died only twenty paces closer to the 
  cavern mouth. Every fiber of your being twitches, 
  urging you to run.
  BACKGROUND
  Zygofer’s and Martea’s demonic daughter, Mar-
  ga, haunts Stoneloom Mines. She feeds on any-
  thing warm-blooded that comes near her and the 
  adventurers should be equipped with some form 
  of magical protection, preferably something like 
  the emerald Gall-Eye or the face of the sorcer-
  er Zertorme from the Amber’s Peak adventure 
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  site. Marga will believe the adventurers are her 
  brother. Zertorme can even have given the group 
  the mission to find out what happened to his 
  mother Martea and perhaps retrieve an artifact 
  to use against Zytera, such as Martea’s lock of his 
  father’s hair. Another option is that the adven-
  turers are going into the mines to search for the 
  dwarf, Milva, and her party, to simply seek to 
  plunder the mines, or see if it is possible to open 
  the mines again. 
  Apart from Marga and her mother Mar-
  tea, the mines are home to several minor de-
  mons who draw nourishment from Marga, as 
  well as several more or less demonified reptil-
  ian creatures and insects that Marga has left 
  alone since she does not feed on cold-blooded 
  creatures.
  TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Dungeon
  
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  GETTING HERE
  There are many different ways in which the ad-
  venturers can find their way to the Stoneloom 
  mines. They may have found a map that leads 
  here, heard the legends about this place, or en-
  countered one of the events below.
  THE DWARVEN SCOUT
  The adventurer’s encounter Ulm, a dwarven 
  scout from the Meromannian clan desperately 
  looking for his lost brethren. He knows that the 
  warrior, Milva, and her fellow dwarves traveled 
  to Stoneloom to investigate if the mine was still 
  usable after all these years. They never returned. 
  It has fallen on Ulm to scout the area around the 
  mines and report back any findings. He knows 
  the legend of the mine, and can offer to join the 
  adventurers to explore the place.
  THE LITTLE PLAYMATE
  Darja the Aslene and her daughter, Lumi, 
  are traveling the land on horseback. They will 
  RECOMMENDED READING
  Before playing the Stoneloom 
  Mines, we recommend that you 
  read about Zygofer, Martea, and 
  Marga (see page 29), and the 
  section about demons on page 
  80 in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
  meet the adventurers and ask them to join 
  them for supper around their campfire. During 
  the night, Darja will tell tales of the plains of 
  Aslene, home to her proud ancestors, and of 
  the demons that eventually ravaged the lands. 
  Before bedtime, the daughter, Lumi, wants to 
  tell the adventurers about her new playmate but 
  is immediately hushed by the protective moth-
  er. It turns out that the pair camped outside of 
  the Stoneloom Mines recently, and Lumi was 
  awakened in the middle of the night by a strange 
  girl claiming to be called Marga and wanting to 
  play. Darja knows the legend of Stoneloom and 
  will tell it to the adventurers, but does not be-
  lieve that the girl her daughter saw is the Marga 
  of the tale.
  LEGEND
  Some say the Meromannian dwarves abandoned 
  the Stoneloom Mines after the Third Alder 
  Wars, but the truth is that they were eaten by 
  something that moved into their home. Rumors 
  whisper that the mad wizard Zygofer cursed his 
  family as they fled his ever more frightening pres-
  ence. Tainted by a demonic infection, his daugh-
  ter, Marga, sought shelter among the dwarves 
  in the Stoneloom Mines, where she turned into 
  a monster and consumed her hosts. None have 
  dared enter the caves since.
  LOCATIONS
  The 
  most 
  important 
  locations 
  in 
  the 
  Stoneloom Mines are described below. If the 
  
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  147
  ted tracks in the floor. The mining carts were 
  hoisted up using a winch mechanism in the 
  tracks. The weak light is coming from a venti-
  lation shaft that leads up to the surface. There 
  are broken wooden crates spread throughout 
  the cave, plundered a long time ago.
  THE ENVIRONS OF THE MINES
  The Stoneloom Mines are charac-
  terized by the following:
   
  ✥ It is consistently damp and 
  humid.
   
  ✥ The temperature is only a few 
  degrees above freezing, except 
  where creatures dwell and where 
  Marga has passed through during 
  the last few hours, since her mas-
  sive and steaming form quickly 
  heats the tunnels.
   
  ✥ There is a stench of mostly un-
  pleasant and somewhat noxious 
  fumes from the different crea-
  tures inhabiting the mines.
   
  ✥ Darkness reigns, except where 
  fluorescent algae grow on the 
  walls.
   
  ✥ Brass bells hang in many places 
  throughout the mines, once 
  used as a signaling system. 
  Ringing them now only attracts 
  monsters.
   
  ✥ Marga can appear anywhere. See 
  Events below.
  adventurers get their hands on a map of the 
  mines (the one Milva is carrying, for exam-
  ple), you can give the players the player ver-
  sion of the map. It can be found at the end 
  of this book and for download on the Free 
  League website.
  1. MINE ENTRANCE
  The Mines’ entrance gapes like a toothless mouth. 
  One half of the gate is missing, while the other, 
  made of sturdy oak, hangs askew on a massive 
  hinge. The smell of corpses and less identifiable 
  things flows up from the depths.
  2. STAIRWELL
  Below a ramp of steps, an eight-meter-wide circu-
  lar shaft opens, plunging down into the darkness. 
  Spiral stairs worm their way down the sides. Odd 
  whimpering and munching sounds rise from the 
  deep. Thick rusty chains hang from a huge winch, 
  all of which are rusted together.
  The ravine once had a wooden structure cover-
  ing it, but only shattered remains are left. The 
  spiral stairs continue down some 50 meters 
  into the darkness.
  3. ANTECHAMBER
  The shaft plunges deeper into the mountain, but 
  the stairs end at a sloped tunnel with slotted tracks 
  in the floor. You can see a faint light at the top of 
  the slope.
  The mine shaft leads to the oldest cave in the 
  mines. All the shafts in the mine have slot-
  
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  4. CHAPEL
  Crystals glimmer in the ceiling of this beautiful 
  cave, reflected from fluorescent algae. There are 
  parts of stone benches and sculptures on the walls, 
  but everything is collapsed and decayed. Bone frag-
  ments and large shells are strewn across the floor.
  A cave with glimmering salt crystals in the ceiling 
  has been decorated as a chapel to the god Huge. 
  The walls were beautifully carved, but have been 
  broken down and fallen apart. A demonic mass 
  clings to the ceiling here, half-heartedly sending 
  down the occasional tentacle towards anything 
  living. It can be easily avoided if discovered. Bro-
  ken bones and chitinous shells from large insects 
  are scattered beneath it.
  The sloping passage from the cave has two 
  alcoves housing dilapidated wheelbarrows, 
  carts, tools and barrels of grease. A staircase 
  leading down to the cart depot (see area #6 on 
  RANDOM ENCOUNTERS IN THE MINES
  Roll D6 every Quarter Hour. If you roll l, a random encounter  
  occurs. Roll on the table below. Stats for these creatures can be  
  found in the Bestiary in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
  D6
  ENCOUNTER
  INFORMATION
  1
  Rats
  The tunnel ahead echoes with the skittering of tiny paws. 
  Soon, the floor is covered in a swarm of large black rats.
  2
  Saurians
  D6 Saurians move through the cave.
  3
  Insectoid
  D6 human-sized Insectoids.
  4
  Ghouls
  D6 gargling and white-eyed dwarf ghouls.
  5
  Lesser Demons
  D6 minor demons, sniffing hungrily.
  6
  Abyss Worm
  The floor shakes and the stone tiling bulges from the floor. 
  They shatter, and soon the floor is transformed into a giant 
  maw!
  the map) can be found behind a small side door 
  by the shaft.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Demonic mass.
  5. 
  THE LAIR OF THE SAURIANS
  An almost overpowering stench of filth and de-
  cay drifts in from a side tunnel. Two Saurians 
  armed with spears hiss and cluck when they notice 
  the light you are carrying.
  
  the stoneloom mines
  151
  and if someone sends a new cart down the tun-
  nel, you will be in serious trouble.
  7. THE LOG DRIFT
  A straight and wide tunnel, lined with timber 
  pillars, disappears into the darkness as far as the 
  eye can see.
  The mountain is unstable in the northernmost 
  part of the tunnel, and several small cave-ins 
  have occurred there.
  Three connected caves have been claimed by 
  a small tribe of Saurians, sixteen creatures in 
  total. Since they are cold-blooded, Marga does 
  not attack them. They can also be encountered 
  as they are moving up through the mine, since 
  they hunt in the area around it. They have no 
  valuables and carry very primitive weapons. 
  The Saurians worship Marga as the Goddess 
  of the Mines. She sees them as her pets, and 
  sometimes gives them animals or people she 
  has caught, so that they may feed on them. 
  The Saurians usually let their prey ferment in 
  a pool once used for tanning before they eat 
  them, which explains the horrible smell.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Two Saurians (for stats, 
  see page 68 of the Gamemaster’s Guide). 
  Another D6 Saurians are close by.
  6. CART DEPOT
  A row of empty carts, some of which have fallen 
  apart and some of which are whole, stand in a 
  row. Their wheels are slotted into shallow fur-
  rows in the floor, leading towards a gate opening 
  into a narrow tunnel that slopes downwards.
  Grease can be found nearby in sealed jugs. If 
  a cart is greased and pushed into the sloping 
  tunnel, it races down the tunnel at a dizzying 
  speed and does not stop until it reaches the 
  water-filled loading area (see area #17 on the 
  map). Any passenger might drown there unless 
  they quickly swim to the surface in the shaft, 
  up the ladder to the maintenance chamber 
  (#16), or possibly along the shaft to the cavern 
  (#14). It is possible to crawl back up the cart 
  shaft even if some parts are almost vertical, 
  
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  8. TOMB
  Blue flickering light shines out of a side chamber. 
  Something appears to be moving in there.
  Miners who have died over the years have been 
  placed in ten sarcophagi in a beautifully carved 
  out cave. Three fresh dwarven corpses have 
  been invaded by demonic flesh and awakened 
  as ghouls. There are a few valuables in the sar-
  cophagi, but also high quality dwarven weap-
  ons and tools. An alcove contains oil lamps 
  and small barrels of lamp oil. Fluorescent blue 
  moon rocks are embedded in the walls.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Three dwarven ghouls (for 
  stats, see page 122 of the Gamemaster’s Guide).
   
  ✥
  TREASURE: An old keg filled with dark 
  dwarven ale. One gold piece. D6 copper.
  9. THE INSECT SHAFT
  A soft draft emanates from a rising mining shaft. 
  It carries a vague scent reminiscent of a grain silo. 
  You hear distant scraping noises.
  Several plain, empty living quarters can be 
  found along a slope. The tunnel ends in a ven-
  tilation shaft with plain, smooth walls with no 
  steps or any kind of winch. Large insectile crea-
  tures flutter noisily down the shaft if they are 
  disturbed. If you throw a stone down the shaft, 
  a splash can be heard after almost five seconds. 
  Human- sized insectoids have colonized the 
  closest living quarters beyond the chasm. They 
  fly up and out during the night to hunt, but 
  never venture further into the mines.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: D6 + 3 Insectoids.
  10. CAVES
  You find two large caves, their floors covered with 
  the scattered bones of dwarves. The silence is so 
  oppressive that it almost feels alive.
  The caves are so large it takes two Quarter 
  Hours to explore them.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: D6 silver, a whistle made 
  from bone and a rusty closed helmet 
  (Armor Rating 3) can be found among the 
  bones.
  11. THE ESCARPMENT
  You find a steeply sloped cave. Wooden ladders 
  that are partly rotted through follow trickles of 
  water down the withered rockface.
  If you slide down you risk triggering a rock slide 
  (if the adventurers want to risk it, roll MOVE, a 
  failure triggers a slide making it impossible to 
  go back the same way). This is a great opportu-
  nity for the GM to cut off the way back behind 
  the adventurers and force them to find another 
  way out. There are two small breaches in the 
  slope.
  12. MINING SHAFT
  The smell of mushrooms emanates from below 
  the escarpment, not moldy but fresh. You see what 
  appears to be large caves through passages to the 
  north and to the south. The southern tunnel opens 
  up into another shaft. You see the remains of a 
  wooden bridge leading to a massive wooden door 
  on the other side. There are strange scratches on 
  the door. 
  
  the stoneloom mines
  153
  The mine’s mushroom patches are behind 
  the door, where Milva and her dwarves have 
  barricaded 
  themselves. 
  An 
  underground 
  stream with potable water that tastes of met-
  al runs through the room. The mushrooms 
  are edible. If the adventurers spend a turn (15 
  minutes) on collecting them, they receive 
  2D6 units of FOOD. The scratches on the 
  door are from small demons that live in the 
  breached vugs (see below). They regularly try 
  to breach the door and reach the dwarves, so 
  they can eat them.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: None right now, but roll 
  once for random encounters.
  13. BREACHED VUGS
  Strange sounds fill several small hollows where a 
  few violet crystals sparkle on the walls.
  The hollows are so called vugs, natural 
  crystal cavities into which the dwarves have 
  carved their way in so as  to harvest ame-
  thysts. Four lesser demons have settled in the 
  area. They are always hungry. The adventur-
  ers can squeeze themselves down to the vugs 
  from the shaft through cracks (this takes an 
  additional quarter of an hour) or get there 
  through room #14 (see the map). A couple 
  of amethysts remain.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Four lesser demons have 
  their lair here. They are either on site or 
  moving about close by, often harassing 
  the dwarves by the mushroom patches.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: D6 amethysts (worth D6 
  silver coins each).
  14. CAVERN 
  Half-rotted stairs lead almost forty meters down 
  into a perpendicular rock shaft.
  15. PUMPING STATION
  You arrive at a chamber containing a large, 
  but dormant, mechanism. A large, diagonally 
  aligned screw continues up into the ceiling of the 
  room and down through the floor. Two large cog-
  wheels appear to power it. A thick axle runs out 
  into and straight across a round shaft. You hear 
  water slosh some ten meters below the axle.
  The lower parts of the mine are submerged, 
  but the so-called Archimedean screw pumps 
  it away when active. If the pump is activated 
  on the other side of the shaft, the cogwheels 
  will start to spin, causing the screw to turn 
  and lift the water out to the mountainside. 
  The machinery is surprisingly quiet, and the 
  water drains away below the level of the map 
  in eight hours. The mechanism, which is very 
  powerful, is probably powered by steam pres-
  sure from deeper in the mountain, but no one 
  knows any longer for sure. All of the mecha-
  nisms here are made from an unknown metal 
  that appears to neither rust nor oxidize.
  16. MAINTENANCE CHAMBER
  Below a vertical passage with ladders is a small, 
  cramped chamber with machinery. The ladders 
  continue down, but end in water. A lever is set 
  into the wall. Troughs with grease sit on the floor. 
  A thick axle leads into the shaft beyond.
  If the lever is pulled down, the machinery will 
  
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  154
  start working and the axle will slowly begin to re-
  volve. Since the pumping station is steam-pow-
  ered, curtains of steam will impair vision in the 
  proximity of the machinery and rise through the 
  shaft. The machinery will break down sixteen 
  hours after being activated unless the axle and 
  the cogwheels have been greased. If the adven-
  turers are farther down into the mine by then, 
  it will slowly begin to fill with water again, so 
  that they have to slosh onwards and eventually 
  may find themselves in a real bind. In addition, a 
  steam explosion occurs an hour after the break-
  down, possibly causing cave-ins.
  17. LOADING AREA (AFTER THE 
  WATER HAS BEEN PUMPED AWAY)
  A heavy chain that ends in an iron-shod basket 
  lies in a large heap beneath the shaft. Wreckage of 
  carts is nearby, partially filled with slime.
  From here rocks and ore were lifted to the sur-
  face with the winch. The empty carts were sent 
  down to the cart depot (see #6 on the map) 
  along the tracks.
  18. ABANDONED CAVERNS
  19. SEALED CAVERN
  A stout log gate with iron chains has rotted and 
  rusted here. At floor level, it is pierced by a hole a 
  meter wide. You glimpse a large cavern with rust-
  ed, empty, iron cages through the gate remains.
  The cavern once held the dwarves’ Abyss 
  Worms, creatures that were used to drill and 
  pull carts through smaller shafts. When the 
  water rose in the cavern, the worms broke free 
  and they have drilled passages in the area large 
  enough for the adventurers to crawl through. 
  A few remain, and they are hungry.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Two Abyss Worms.
  20. GROWTH OF  
  PHOSPHORUS ALGAE
  As you pass beneath a shaft, you can discern day-
  light as a tiny roundel some 150 meters higher up. 
  Some distance into the next passage, a blue light 
  appears around a bend to the right. The voices of 
  children can be heard from the same direction.
  In these caverns the dwarves grew fluorescent 
  algae that they carried into the mine to light 
  it. In the shimmering halls, twenty dwarven 
  children can be found who call for help when 
  they sense visitors. Upon a closer look, they are 
  revealed to be identical and they all shout with 
  the same voice. A demon has entered into sym-
  biosis with the algae and attempts to attract 
  prey. “The children” here are rooted to the 
  rock with the algae, and the demon depends on 
  being able to lure its prey closer.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Demon. Use stats for Marga 
  and the demonic mass on page 156.
  21. IRON GATE
  A sturdy iron gate blocks the passage. The wheel 
  that levers it up appears to be jammed by rust.
  A gate reinforced with iron may have been low-
  
  the stoneloom mines
  155
  ered into the passage, if it pleases the GM. The 
  door won’t budge, as the mechanism is jammed 
  with rust. Unless the adventurers can remove it 
  through magical means, the only way forward 
  is through the tunnel worm passages that lead 
  from the growths (#20 on the map) to Marga’s 
  burrow (#22 on the map).
  22. MARGA’S BURROW
  It is hot and stifling and smells strange in a moun-
  tain riddled with narrow labyrinths. Flickering 
  bluish shadows seem to radiate from phosphorus 
  algae, activated by your presence.  A haunting 
  song echoes with no apparent source, as well as 
  laughter, as if from a girl.
  The area is riddled with tunnels created by 
  Abyss Worms, roughly one meter in diameter 
  each. Here, there are tendrils from Marga’s de-
  monic body, with the large mass gathered in 
  the innermost chamber.
  In the innermost cavern, the adventurers 
  see an eleven-year-old girl standing on a pulsat-
  ing and living mass that fills the larger part of 
  the chamber. The mass also belongs to Marga, 
  and she has formed her original body from it. 
  The body of the girl contains her heart, and if 
  it is impaled, the Marga creature dies.
  23. LIFT APPARATUS
  You come to an apparatus that is attached to a rack 
  that runs upwards along a shaft.
  The visitors can slowly raise the cart to the 
  surface by turning a wheel. It takes at least 
  a couple of hours. The chain with its coun-
  terweight runs over a wheel at surface level. 
  There, stairs lead up to one of the emergency 
  exits of the mine, which can only be opened 
  from within and is not even visible from the 
  outside when closed.
  MONSTERS  
  AND NPCS
  The most important monsters and non-play-
  er characters in the Stoneloom Mines are 
  described below. Monsters and creatures not 
  described here have the same stats as in the 
  Bestiary or the chapter on Kin in the Game-
  master’s Guide in core game box.
  MILVA AND THE DWARVES
  Milva is a robust dwarven warrior from the 
  clan of the Meromannians. An apothecary in 
  Stonegarden believed himself to have found an 
  ointment that made dwarves invisible to the 
  monster in the mine. Milva offered to try it 
  out to gauge the state of the mines. The oint-
  ment was effective at first, but proved to be 
  unstable. After an incident where one of Mil-
  va’s comrades was killed, the dwarves fled and 
  shut themselves inside the mushroom patches, 
  where they have barricaded themselves for the 
  past two months and lived off of mushrooms 
  and water from the stream. Milva has gathered 
  knowledge about the mine and has created a not 
  entirely accurate map of the place. She knows of 
  the emergency lift apparatus in the the mine. 
  One of Milva’s four men has a serious leg injury 
  
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  156
  and must be carried. He implores the party to 
  leave him behind and save themselves.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Crafting 2, Scouting 2, Melee 3, 
  Survival 2 
  GEAR: Battleaxe, chainmail, D6 silver coins
  LESSER DEMONS
  A group of lesser demons 
  have settled close to the 
  breach. They live by feeding 
  off the strange minerals but 
  due to their nature, they are 
  always looking for blood to 
  vary their diet. The little 
  cherub-like demons have 
  black, hungry eyes and 
  sharp, cold teeth. 
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4
  SKILLS: Melee 2
  WEAPONS: Bite, Weapon Damage 2 (slash 
  wound)
  MARGA – THE DEMONIC MASS
  Marga is Zygofer’s and Martea’s demonified 
  daughter. She is an immense, gray-green-
  brown, shapeless mass that can form tentacles, 
  distorted parts of the girl, or grotesque copies 
  of the adventurers, as she pleases. The creature’s 
  personality still has traits of an eleven-year-
  old, disturbed girl. Marga attacks anything 
  warm-blooded so as to assimilate it. If the ad-
  venturers carry something that protects them, 
  Marga will believe them to be her brother, Zer-
  torme, who has come to visit her and play. If the 
  party attacks her, she will become angry and act 
  overall like a spoiled, willful and violent child. 
  The parts of the creature can be attacked, but 
  it can only be killed by piercing the girl’s orig-
  inal heart in the innermost cavern. Marga can 
  appear anywhere in the mines, since her mass 
  wells forth through cracks in the mountain.
  STRENGTH 24, AGILITY 1, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  TOUGH: The demonic mass is very difficult 
  to damage, and will suffer a maximum of 
  1 point of damage from a physical attack, 
  regardless of the result.
  THE AVATAR: The avatar that wears the 
  appearance of Marga as a girl (see area 22 
  above) has Strength 3. If the adventurers 
  defeat it and give it a COUP DE GRACE, the 
  creature will die. The demonic mass will, 
  however, do anything to stop the adven-
  turers from attacking the avatar.
  IMMUNITY: It is possible to use MANIPU-
  LATION on Marga, but she is immune to 
  damage to Wits and Empathy.
  D6
  MONSTER ATTACKS
  1.
  MARGA’S LULLABY. An unpleasant and 
  unnatural song wells forth from the 
  demonic mass. Perform an attack on 
  all the adventurers within SHORT dis-
  tance. This is a fear attack rolled with 
  seven Base Dice.
  2.
  TENTACLE ATTACK! A number of tenta-
  cles (equal to half the number of ad-
  venturers, round up) swoop down from 
  the mass in the ceiling and attempt to 
  squeeze the life out of one adventurer 
  each. Perform an attack against each 
  of them with seven Base Dice and 
  Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force).
  
  the stoneloom mines
  157
  3.
  DEMONIC SHRIEK! The little girl in 
  the middle of the demonic mass 
  shrieks, and the next second it is 
  as if the scream is amplified by the 
  very mountain walls. All adventurers 
  within NEAR distance suffer a fear 
  attack with eight Base Dice. 
  4.
  SLIME ATTACK! One of the adventurers 
  within NEAR distance is covered by 
  slime from the demonic mass. This 
  counts as a fear attack with six Base 
  Dice, and the adventurer gets a -2 
  penalty to MOVE for the remainder of 
  the battle.
  5.
  NIGHTMARE ATTACK! A part of the 
  demonic mass assumes the shape 
  of one the adventurers’ worst 
  nightmares (make something up 
  from previous adventures or ask 
  the player to describe what the 
  adventurer’s greatest fear is). The 
  demonic creature attacks the 
  adventurer with twelve Base Dice 
  (Weapon Damage 1). On a hit, the 
  adventurer is thrown to NEAR dis-
  tance and falls PRONE.
  6.
  DEVOURING ATTACK! An unfortunate 
  adventurer is assaulted by several 
  tentacles that attempt to lift her up 
  to the demonic mass in the ceiling, 
  where a hole is forming. The victim 
  suffers an attack with ten Base Dice 
  and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). 
  On a hit, the adventurer is GRAPPLED 
  and drawn into the demonic mass. 
  The victim must roll for ENDURANCE 
  every round, with failure meaning 1 
  point of damage to Agility. If the vic-
  tim becomes broken, she will die from 
  suffocation after D6 rounds. The only 
  way to save the victim is to deal 10 
  points of damage to the cocoon that 
  surrounds her.
  MARTEA 
  Martea was Zygofer’s wife and Marga’s moth-
  er. Both creatures still see each other that 
  way. Through demonic influence, Martea has 
  fused with a large Abyss Worm. At the front 
  of the worm is a slit from which it can pass 
  
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  158
  Martea’s disfigured face when she wishes to 
  speak. Along the body are similar slits with 
  faces from creatures whom she has “saved” 
  throughout the years. These are all terrified 
  and scream for help if revealed. Close to Mar-
  tea’s face on the worm is a lock of human hair 
  from Zygofer and she speaks to it as if it were 
  her husband. If it is taken, it can be magically 
  used against Zytera.
  Martea sees herself as a good mother, 
  who looks after her daughter. She tries to 
  save her daughter’s victims by tearing their 
  bodies apart, chewing off their faces and pre-
  serving them on her body, where they pos-
  sess a kind of life. The adventurers can talk 
  to her but won’t be able to make much sense 
  of her ravings. According to Martea, Marga 
  is “a child that none can judge.” If she senses 
  anyone bleeding, the nature of the worm will 
  overpower her and she will attempt to eat the 
  wounded person. Martea remembers nothing 
  of this afterwards. If anyone kills or threatens 
  either mother or daughter, the other will be-
  come openly hostile.
  Martea may have acquired the sword 
  Maligarn from someone who previously ven-
  tured into the mines. She views it as a threat 
  to her family, and may either use it or just 
  store it. The adventurers can obtain Ma-
  ligarn either by killing Martea or by gaining 
  her trust. She may also have one of the other 
  artifacts presented in Chapter 6 the Gamemas-
  ter’s Guide.
  STRENGTH 18, AGILITY 1, WITS 4, EMPATHY 2
  Martea can perform monster attacks 
  like an Abyss Worm (see page 76 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide).
  EVENTS
  Below are suggestions for events that you can 
  subject the adventurers to in the Stoneloom 
  Mines.
  MARGA’S SONG
  A girl’s voice is heard singing strange lullabies 
  from the cracks in the mountain’s structure or 
  a tentacle that hangs from the rock ceiling, for 
  example:
  “Sister, brother, how we wax. Mother; father 
  sharpens the axe.”
  This can be repeated when it suits the atmo-
  sphere.
  THE PLAYFUL DEMON
  Marga wants to play. A tentacle attempts to 
  steal something or brusquely throws someone 
  from the party to the ground as the voice of a 
  girl calls, “You’re it!” and giggles. Overall, the 
  GM should let the adventurers interact with 
  Marga without it necessarily leading to an out-
  right battle.
  THE DEMONIC MASS
  Marga’s tissue fills a passage completely. She 
  won’t retract until the adventurers have an-
  swered a riddle or given her a kiss.
  THE FRIGHTENED DWARF
  The adventurers run into a lost and terrified 
  dwarf from Milva’s group. The dwarf doesn’t 
  
  the stoneloom mines
  159
  know where the others are, but a friend who 
  was with him has been captured by monsters 
  nearby and is probably still alive (which isn’t 
  necessarily true). It is a possibility that the 
  dwarf acts and talks funny due to being pos-
  sessed by a demon who only wants to accompa-
  ny the party to the surface and live.
  THE BELL TOLLS
  The nearest signal bell tolls. When the adven-
  turers get to where the bell is located, they just 
  see a shadow disappearing in the gloom. Only 
  the swinging bell remains. Monsters close by 
  may also have become intrigued.
  WHITE MUSHROOMS
  While the adventurers are resting, they sud-
  denly notice how a wide-meshed web of white, 
  mushroom-like strands have grown from 
  cracks in the mountain, and quickly cover one 
  or more members of the party. They seem 
  to emit a low, soft tune like a lullaby. What 
  the threads are or what their purpose is, the 
  adventurers will never know. They are easily 
  torn off.
  CAVE-IN
  A sudden cave-in occurs, or a cavity ruptures, 
  causing large amounts of mud to flood the 
  area and could be hazardous to the adven-
  turers. Roll for an attack with six Base Dice 
  (Weapon Damage 1) against each of the adven-
  turers. It is possible to DODGE the attack, but 
  it can’t be PARRIED.
  GAS LEAK
  Someone picks up the scent of methane. If the 
  party doesn’t immediately put out all fires, 
  there will be an explosion within a minute or 
  two. If so, roll for an attack with eight Base 
  Dice (Weapon Damage 1) against each adven-
  turer. It is not possible to DODGE or PARRY 
  the attack.
  MARGA’S FURY
  Eventually the demonic creature that has 
  assimilated Marga will run out of patience 
  with the adventurers. If they don’t quickly 
  appease it, the demonic mass will furiously 
  attack the party to assimilate them. What 
  Marga wants most of all is playmates, and 
  preferably her own age. If the adventurers 
  can trick her into believing that they are 
  children who have come to entertain her, her 
  anger will subside.
  A MOTHER’S LAMENT
  The demonic creature that was once Martea 
  becomes intrigued by the adventurers, and sur-
  prises them when they least expect it. It can, 
  for example, happen by her emerging from 
  the floor or through a wall with her immense 
  worm-body. She will ask them where they 
  come from, if Zygofer or Zertorme has sent 
  them, and say that their lives are in grave dan-
  ger. She claims that there is only one way to 
  escape Marga’s wrath: to be saved by Martea 
  herself. In a way she is right. Anyone whose 
  face is assimilated into Martea’s body will live 
  for a long, long time. But maybe not in the way 
  they had imagined.
  
  chapter 12
  160
  160
  chapter 12
  The stench of fear and blood drifts toward 
  you on the wind as you approach the temple of 
  Haggler’s House. Crowds of humans camp out-
  side the walls, inexplicably silent, like a flock 
  afraid to attract the attention of predators. The 
  screams of those who have abandoned hope can 
  be heard all the clearer, mixing with song and 
  music the like of which you have never heard. 
  It’s easy to want to turn around even at this 
  distance, but the scouts of the Iron Guard are 
  watching you and would test your faith at the 
  slightest sign of hesitation. All that remains is to 
  walk on, into the domain of the blood-drinking 
  gods Rust and Heme. 
  BACKGROUND
  The annual harvest feast draws near at Hag-
  gler’s House. Rust Prince Kartorda will trav-
  el there for the feast, as will the herald of the 
  gods, the terrible Zytera. In the fields around 
  the temple, large numbers of villagers have 
  come to gather in tents: the faithful, the co-
  erced, the curious and the commandeered. 
  Because of rumors of wicked deeds in the mak-
  ing, scores of seasoned Iron Guards search the 
  camps for heretics.
  Many of the temple’s priests dream of new 
  days of glory. The Whispering Council, how-
  ever, long attempting to summon the Blood 
  Mist back to the land, has fallen strangely si-
  lent without its task fulfilled. The demon bard, 
  H
  OU
  SE
  H
  AG
  GL
  ER
  ’S
  TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Castle
  
  haggler’s house
  161
  161
  haggler’s house
  Merigall, has silenced them, as he does not 
  wish the mist to return. 
  An attack on Zytera is in the air. Accord-
  ing to rumors, the demon prince Krasylla is 
  behind these plans himself, as he wants to 
  assume control over the western part of the 
  Forbidden Lands.
  GETTING HERE
  There are several different ways in which the 
  adventurers may find Haggler’s House. They 
  may have come across a map at some time, 
  heard a story or the legend about the place, or 
  encountered one of the events below. 
  THE SACRIFICE
  The adventurers are sought out by a local 
  farmer with a grave problem. The Rust Broth-
  ers have chosen his eldest son, Robund, as a 
  sacrifice in honor of the gods Rust and Heme. 
  Normally, this would be a great honor for the 
  family; in this case, Robund is betrothed and 
  about to become a father. The farmer simply 
  wants to change places with his son, and asks 
  for the adventurers’ help to make the exchange. 
  As thanks, he offers them a family ring worth 
  2D6 silver coins.
  THE RAVEN
  A cawing raven follows the adventurers on 
  their journey across the land. It becomes more 
  and more forward, even landing on one of the 
  adventurers’ shoulder for a moment. The yel-
  RECOMMENDED READING
  Before you play, it’s a good idea 
  to read the texts about the gods 
  Rust and Heme (page 38 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide), about the cre-
  ature Zytera (page 29), and about 
  the Rust Prince Kartorda (page 48).
  .
  low-eyed raven is, in fact, the demon bard Mer-
  igall in disguise, attempting to lure the adven-
  turers to Haggler’s House in order to stir up 
  some more action. After a while, the raven will 
  circle around the group several times and then 
  head toward Haggler’s House in the distance.
  LEGEND
  One does not like to mention Haggler’s House, the god-
  dess Heme’s greatest temple in the Forbidden Lands, 
  for many have lost their loved ones in its domain. Yet 
  people go on pilgrimage at the yearly harvest feast to 
  honor the bloody mother, for those whose idols have not 
  been blessed by the priests can expect failed crops, dis-
  ease and famine in the coming year. Survival in the 
  harsh west is paid with sacrifice: crops, silver, young 
  blood and the bodies of dead kin. This particular 
  year, the 300th anniversary of the birth of Zytera and 
  the Rust Brothers, is celebrated with an even more 
  lavish sacrifice. It is rumored that the messenger of 
  the gods will visit the temple in person and speak to 
  the people about the country’s future. 
  
  chapter 12
  162
  LOCATIONS
  Below are locations in and around Haggler’s 
  House that the adventurers can visit. 
  1. CAMP
  Outside the circular temple area, a few scores of 
  tents have been set up. They stand unnecessarily 
  close, as if seeking protection from each other. The 
  atmosphere among the farmers is oppressive. You 
  sense anger as well as watchfulness in the move-
  ments of people checking the laden carts they’ve 
  brought from their home villages.
  More than a hundred people, from villages 
  near and far, are camped at the foot of the 
  temple mound. Many are weeping over fami-
  ly members given away as sacrifices. Groups of 
  Iron Guards move among the tents.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Iron Guards.
  2. THE IRON HOUSES
  Humans gather with their bowls by a couple of 
  barracks that have been fortified with metal, 
  where great pots of barley gruel and meat stew 
  simmer. Off to the side, rust priests chant and 
  swing their censers among a group of listeners. 
  Guests who have fulfilled their commit-
  ments are served with food here, that they 
  themselves have delivered to the temple. The 
  sick can find aid from healing herbs other 
  villagers have gathered, or through demon-
  ological methods that often have terrifying 
  side effects. 
  3. WASHING STAIRS
  On an elevated platform by the entrance to the 
  temple area, visitors wash their feet and have 
  signs painted on their faces before entering bare-
  foot into the gods’ domain.
  Blood signs on the visitors’ foreheads prove 
  that they have been cleansed for their visit. All 
  guests walk barefoot on the fairly sharp gravel 
  in the yard; this symbolizes the thorns of exis-
  tence. Priests and Iron Guards all wear shoes. 
  4. BARRACK TOWERS
  Tough soldiers in iron masks move between a pair of 
  buildings. Each structure has a tower. Almost-na-
  ked treetops protrude from the tops of the tower; 
  these are not common trees, for the branches slowly 
  move as if grasping for something, prey perhaps?
  These buildings belong to the order of the 
  Iron Guard, which is responsible for the Rust 
  Brothers’ security. The Guard also hunts her-
  etics and conducts punitive expeditions. The 
  four round towers of the temple are each con-
  structed around a demon-tainted tree; this ex-
  plains the moving branches. The trees are not 
  aggressive, but will scream if cut. Chopped off 
  branches can be laid on the ground as an alarm 
  system around a night camp, for example.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Iron Guards.
  5. TEMPLE-COURT
  The circular temple-court teems with villagers 
  and strange characters. Masked priests swing rusty 
  censers of incense; soldiers parade in lavish iron ar-
  
  haggler’s house
  163
  mor; misgrown humans sprout weird protrusions. 
  There are ardent worshipers praying to the idols 
  and flagellating themselves; there are white-paint-
  ed dancers, restless dead, demon-tainted animals. 
  Sunk into the middle of the yard is an arena where 
  humans have been strapped to posts.
  The court is guarded by the Iron Guard and 
  Corpse Herders. The latter are dressed in odd 
  costumes adorned with strings and plates 
  made of various metals. Their fingers bristle 
  with feelers, with which they can deal shocks 
  to guide demonic beasts and walking dead; they 
  can also use them to punish and warn negli-
  gent visitors.
  Armor parts are stacked next to the low 
  wall to display the brotherhood’s smithing 
  skills and military power. Next to them hang 
  torture cages with dead or dying criminals. 
  One can buy suitable objects from temple ser-
  vants to throw at the criminals.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Iron Guards, Corpse Herd-
  ers.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: Finely wrought armor parts 
  (worth 2D6 silver coins per piece).
  6. THE BLOOD CAULDRON AND 
  THE BLESSING TABLES
  Twelve poles rise out of the mosaic that covers the 
  sunken place of sacrifice located in the middle of 
  the temple-court. Bleeding humans are fettered 
  to the poles with rusty chains. Dancers painted in 
  white move among them to a strange tune. Around 
  the arena, the spectators are either apathetic, weep-
  ing, or praying fervently. At stone tables near the 
  arena, priests ritually paint idols with blood. 
  The appointed sacrifices are kept in chains for 
  a day and a night before they are killed. The 
  spectators are supplicants and next of kin. 
  The dancers are the so-called Death-Shad-
  ows of the temple: shaven, painted white and 
  claw-tipped, their movements are grotesque. 
  They stalk the sacrifices, caressing them one 
  moment, scratching them bloody in the next. 
  By the north stairs, the musician Ferelde plays 
  his plectron. The floor of the Blood Caul-
  dron is edged with six earth-beasts: cow heads 
  wrought from rusty iron, lowing against the 
  sky, mouths open like fledgling birds. Now and 
  then priests pour blood from the sacrifices into 
  their open maws. 
  Each delegation of farmers carries their vil-
  lage’s effigy to the blessing tables near the Blood 
  Cauldron. These are heavy, grotesque sculp-
  tures of Rust and Heme that stand three feet 
  high. If a village has fulfilled its obligations, 
  their effigy is painted with sacrificial blood, 
  anointed with holy balm and ceremonially 
  blessed by the Rust Brothers. Their blessing will 
  secure the crops for the coming year. Particu-
  larly fine tributes, as well as humans chosen for 
  sacrifice, are brought to the tables. The restless 
  dead, too, are brought here to be “given the 
  honor of serving the gods beyond this life.” 
  The balm is an ointment that keeps the 
  effigies’ demonic inhabitants calm during the 
  coming year. Without the ointment, the demon 
  will seek out crops and living creatures, which it 
  will cause to rot. The earth-beasts’ mouths end 
  in pipes that lead to the catacombs. The lowing 
  noises are made by Bloodlings.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Death-Shadows, Rust 
  Brothers.
  
  chapter 12
  164
  H
  OU
  SE
  H
  AG
  GL
  ER
  ’S
  1
  1
  2
  3
  4
  4
  6
  6
  9
  
  haggler’s house
  165
  5
  7
  8
  11
  10
  
  chapter 12
  166
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: Four effigies, very heavy 
  (worth 3D6 silver coins each), D6 offerings 
  (roll on the table for VALUABLE finds on 
  page 189 in the Gamemaster’s Guide).
  7. PREPARATION PAVILION
  Priests lead unhappy humans into a pavilion, 
  which is crowned by the grotesque wooden idol of 
  a dancing woman covered in blood. The unfortu-
  nates emerge again shaven and covered in oil. 
  In the house of the sacrificial priests, human 
  sacrifices are prepared for Heme. They are 
  shaved and anointed, then fettered to the posts 
  in the Blood Cauldron. The house stores pots 
  with the balm used to anoint the effigies at 
  the sacrificial tables. On the roof, sits a wood-
  en idol of Heme which is anointed with fresh 
  blood every day. 
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Half a dozen Rust Brothers.
  8. MAIN BUILDING
  The temple building’s deceptively beautiful façade 
  is terraced with colonnades. On the landing im-
  mediately in front of the entrance, priests move, 
  their skin gleaming with rusty oil. They chant in-
  cessantly to the people in the yard. The building is 
  crowned by a tower with thick iron chains. 
  The priests on the landing are the so-called 
  Rust Witnesses. These priests, anointed with 
  rusty brown oil, speak to the people in an un-
  ending litany, quoting religious scripture and 
  preaching obedience. They praise the gods and 
  their messenger, Zytera, speaking of how Zytera 
  resisted humans, elves, orcs, dwarves and de-
  mons, and turned the latter’s power against 
  them. They urge the people to go to war, and 
  testify to the faithful’s glorious future, when 
  despicable kin and heretics will have been driv-
  en out of the Forbidden Lands. As the Rust 
  Witnesses on the platform exhaust their pow-
  er, they are replaced by new, fresh ones. On the 
  balcony above the Rust Witnesses, Zytera, the 
  Rust Prince and other dignitaries appear when 
  present to hold speeches or supervise rituals. 
  At the top of the temple, the Tower of the 
  Fettered Sky is adorned with rusty chains that 
  symbolize the god Rust’s grasp on the world. It 
  flies a banner painted with the symbol of the 
  church. 
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: A dozen Rust Witnesses 
  (game stats like Rust Brothers).
  9. THE HOUSE OF CHAINS
  A metallic rustling can be heard from the left pa-
  vilion. A rough cast iron image sits on the roof. 
  This pavilion contains an auditorium. The 
  statue of Rust on the roof is its ceiling. Many 
  chains hang from the ceiling to the floor. 
  Priests move among the hanging chains in a 
  ceremonial dance, clattering them in rhythm, 
  entwining with them, hanging objects from 
  them and anointing them with blood and 
  balm. The very devout spend a moment sus-
  pended from the chains in hooks threaded 
  through their own flesh.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: A score of dancing Rust 
  Brothers.
  
  haggler’s house
  167
  10. CATACOMBS
  On the slope north of the temple stands a simple 
  gate, from which wafts the unpleasant smell of 
  carrion. The gate isn’t exactly watched, but some 
  Iron Guards and priests move through the area. 
  A group of metal laden temple servants use their 
  metal feelers to herd some restless dead through 
  the opening. 
  The temple’s catacombs below the main build-
  ing consist of an upper and lower level.  Crypts 
  that house the dead from the temple occupy the 
  upper level. There are also a couple of chambers 
  that store the restless dead that have been taken 
  or stolen from the villages, but aren’t immedi-
  ately needed. The bodies hang from the ceiling, 
  tightly packed like meat in a slaughterhouse, 
  with hooks threaded through their Achilles’ 
  tendons. The restless dead can’t feel pain, but 
  the sight of a room packed with dead, writhing 
  and flailing human bodies hanging from their 
  heels is very unpleasant for those not used to it. 
  On the lower level, a central chamber is 
  surrounded by empty passages and caverns. In 
  the middle of the chamber stands a stone tub 
  that collects the blood from the earth-beasts 
  in the Blood Cauldron. Six niches each hide a 
  Bloodling – creatures that once ruled the For-
  bidden Lands in the form of Blood Mist, but 
  are now rare. They feed on the blood from the 
  tub. The Whispering Council tried to under-
  stand why the Bloodlings were weakened, but 
  the council members have now died or disap-
  peared, and their ledger is gone. 
  There is a hidden passage between the tem-
  ple and the lower level.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Six Bloodlings.
  11. THE TRIBUTE HOUSES
  Villagers deliver tributes near a couple of houses, 
  where two priests and their subordinates receive 
  them. Everything is handled with business-like 
  pedantry. Down the slope from the houses, four 
  humans work on a man-sized statue of iron and 
  wood. It is both strange and terrifying: it looks like a 
  man, but its lower body is shaped like a spider.
  The bulkier tributes from the villages such 
  as grain, iron, bundles of cloth and barrels of 
  dried fruits are recorded, catalogued and stored 
  in the barracks. The houses are supervised by 
  “The Singing Merchants,” members of the 
  Rust Guild that alone could ply their trade 
  when the Blood Mist covered the land. The 
  wrecks of a couple of their gigantic iron carts 
  stand next to the houses. 
  In the group by the statue are the smith, 
  Dimir, and the carpenter, Estaga. They are 
  village craftsmen, performing their task with 
  great gravity, as this means that their village 
  won’t have to send human sacrifices to the 
  temple this year. The work is supervised by the 
  sculptor and slave called “The Hare,” who is 
  kept on an iron leash by the slave trader Punzo. 
  Punzo’s plan is to sell the artist when the stat-
  ue is finished. Punzo is a cheerful brute who 
  can tell the adventurers that the priests await 
  a visit from the prophet Zytera. The statue, 
  which is an image of this distinguished guest, 
  will be presented when he arrives. No-one re-
  ally knows, however, when Zytera will come.
   
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Dimir, Estaga, “The Hare,” 
  Punzo.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: Mostly baubles; make three 
  rolls on the table for SIMPLE finds.
  
  chapter 12
  168
  MONSTERS  
  AND NPCS
  Below are descriptions of the most import-
  ant monsters and individuals in Hag-
  gler’s House. Monsters and crea-
  tures not described here have 
  the same game data as in the 
  Bestiary, or in the Kin chapter 
  in the Gamemaster’s Guide in the 
  base game box.
  RUST BROTHERS
  Rust Brothers in metal-clad robes are every-
  where in Haggler’s House. 
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Move 1, Marksmanship 2, 
  Lore 3, Insight 2, Manipulation 1, Healing 2
  MISGROWN ABILITIES
  D8
  ABILITY
  EFFECT
  1
  Four Arms
  Can perform one additional slow or fast action every round 
  with the extra pair of arms.
  2
  Multiple 
  Eyes
  Gets a +2 bonus to all attempts to spot a sneak attack or an 
  ambush.
  3
  Fangs
  Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound) and lethal poison (Potency 6).
  4
  Claws
  Weapon Damage 2 (slash wound).
  5
  Tentacles
  Bonus +2 to all GRAPPLE attempts.
  6
  Sores
  Touch is contagious, Virulence 6.
  7
  Wings
  Can fly. Movement Rate 2.
  8
  Roll Twice
  –
  RUST BROTHER
  
  haggler’s house
  169
  TALENTS: Path of Healing 2, Path of Shifting 
  Shapes 2, or Path of Sight 2
  GEAR: Staff, dagger, D6 copper
  MISGROWN: Many Rust Brothers are 
  misgrown. In most cases the effects are 
  cosmetic, but you can give some of the 
  Rust Brothers unique abilities. Roll on the 
  table on the previous page.
  IRON GUARD
  Haggler’s House is defended by the armed di-
  vision of the Rust Brothers, The Iron Guard. 
  Their warriors are heavily armed and armored, 
  with full iron masks, and are loyal unto death.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Might 2, Endurance 2, Melee 4, Move 
  2, Marksmanship 3, Scouting 2
  TALENTS: Path of the Blade or Path of the 
  Enemy 2, Threatening 1, Cold Blooded 1
  GEAR: Longsword or flail, heavy crossbow, 
  chainmail or plate armor, great helm, large 
  shield, combat trained horse, one VALU-
  ABLE find
  CORPSE HERDERS
  These are Rust Brothers with a very specific 
  task. Dressed in strange garb adorned with 
  strings and plates made of various metals. 
  Their fingers are tipped with feelers, with 
  which they can deliver shocks designed to di-
  rect demonic animals and walking dead, but 
  also to punish and warn negligent visitors. A 
  skilled Corpse Herder can use their feelers to 
  cause excruciating cramps in a human or even 
  kill them. 
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 2
  ARMOR RATING: 6 (plate armor)
  GEAR: Shock feelers (Weapon Bonus +1, 
  Weapon Damage 2, damages Agility ins-
  tead of Strength)
  RESTLESS DEAD
  The corpses of local farmers that haven’t 
  found peace, brought as sacrifice by their kin. 
  They are demented, feel no pain and are very 
  confused. 
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 2, WITS 1, EMPATHY 1
  SKILLS: Melee 2
  REMBREDO
  The prior of the temple, Rembredo is an ambi-
  tious priest who sees himself as the next obvious 
  Rust Prince. He is a stickler for laws and formal-
  ities, but wouldn’t grieve about his predecessor’s 
  immediate demise. Rembredo is a wiry human, 
  but his eyes and antlered pate come from a deer. 
  He is secretly communicating with the demon 
  prince Krasylla, but fears Zytera at the same 
  time. In secret, he dislikes the fact that the crea-
  ture is half-woman. How could a woman ever be 
  the goddess Heme’s lover?
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4
  SKILLS: Close Combat 3, Lore 4, Insight 3, 
  Manipulation 2, Healing 3
  REPUTATION: 3
  GEAR: Flail, chainmail
  
  chapter 12
  170
  RUST PRINCE KARTORDA
  The Rust Prince himself is here at the Hag-
  gler’s House to celebrate the yearly harvest 
  feast and the 300th anniversary of the Rust 
  Brothers. Kartorda dislikes Rembredo and 
  would love to degrade the upstart during his 
  visit. The Rust Prince is constantly accompa-
  nied by at least six heavily armed Iron Guards.
  Kartorda is one of the key players of the 
  Raven’s Purge campaign, and is described in 
  detail on page 48.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 3, Insight 3,
  Manipulation 4 
  TALENTS: Path of Blood 3, Path of Dead 3, 
  Cold Blooded 3, Sixth Sense 2
  GEAR: Broadsword, plate armor
  OTHER NPCS
  NAME
  PROFESSION
  ATTRIBUTES
  SKILLS
  TALENTS
  OTHER 
  Dimir
  Smith
  Strength 4 
  Agility 2 
  Wits 2
  Empathy 2
  Melee 2, Crafting 3
  Hammer 
  Fighter
  Hammer
  Estaga
  Carpenter
  Strength 3 
  Agility 2 
  Wits 3 
  Empathy 2
  Crafting 2
  –
  Saw
  “The Hare”
  Sculptor
  Strength 2
  Agility 3 
  Wits 2 
  Empathy 3
  Crafting 3, Sneak 3
  –
  Pickaxe
  Punzo
  Slave Trader
  Strength 3 
  Agility 2 
  Wits 3 
  Empathy 2
  Insight 2,
  Manipulate 2
  –
  Knife
  Centaurs
  Prisoners
  Strength 4 
  Agility 4 
  Wits 3 
  Empathy 2
  Melee 3
  –
  Acquired 
  spears
  Death 
  Shadows
  Dancers
  Strength 2 
  Agility 4 
  Wits 2 
  Empathy 2
  Melee 2, Agility 4
  –
  Dagger
  
  haggler’s house
  171
  FERELDE
  Ferelde is a beautiful musician playing their 
  plectron next to the Blood Cauldron. Ferelde 
  is of ambiguous gender, smeared with rust-col-
  ored oil and painted with symbols; their face and 
  upper body are covered in sacrificial scratches. 
  Ferelde often speaks in unintelligible tongues, 
  and is considered a sacred creature in commu-
  nion with the gods Rust and Heme. The plec-
  tron is a complex musical instrument with met-
  al tongues, built-in drums and mouthpieces.
  Ferelde is, in fact, the demon Merigall, 
  who enjoys being at the temple where it can re-
  ceive sex and admiration, play music and take 
  part in interesting spectacles. The demon is 
  immortal and can assume any shape.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 5, WITS 6, EMPATHY 6
  SKILLS: Performance 6
  GEAR: Plectron
  TARNA THE RAVEN SISTER
  Tarna is at Haggler’s House in the guise of a 
  peasant woman, here to witness the atrocities 
  and, if possible, put a stop to them. She is a 
  rotund woman posing as a weaver, weaving 
  a beautiful tapestry of Zytera in front of the 
  temple. Tarna can possess animals and see 
  through their eyes. 
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Sneak 3, Sleight of Hand 3, 
  Lore 3, Insight 4, Manipulation 3, Healing 4
  TALENTS: Path of Shifting Shapes 3
  GEAR: Dagger, magical nut (see Events)
  THE BLOODLINGS
  Six Bloodlings haunt the catacombs. These 
  red, misty creatures are a few of what remains 
  of the magnificent Blood Mist that once held 
  the entire country in its grasp. They are vora-
  cious but timid, and will not attack.
  For game stats, see page 78 of the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide.
  EVENTS
  Here follow some suggestions for events that 
  you can expose the adventurers to in Haggler’s 
  House.
  ZERTORME’S GIFT
  During the ceremonies, a large crock of wine 
  bursts among the sacrificial gifts. Swarms 
  of burning bees stream out. The raging in-
  sects sting and explode among running and 
  screaming spectators and priests, killing at 
  least a dozen. A clay tablet can be found in 
  the crock, with the inscription, “Enjoy your 
  last birthday, father dear!”, signed “Zer-
  torme.” 
  THE PATROL
  A tough Iron Guard patrol demands to in-
  terrogate the adventurers, by order of Rust 
  Prince Kartorda. They subject the adventures 
  to a rough inspection and go through their 
  belongings. 
  
  chapter 12
  172
  A HAPPY REUNION
  Demon-tainted Rust Brothers put on a dis-
  play of their naked bodies in the temple yard. 
  They compare their new body modifications: 
  protruding tentacles, living animal faces for 
  shoulders, extra eyes and other grotesqueries. 
  Someone recognizes the tattoo on an extra 
  arm and screams, “My son! What have you 
  done to him?” and throws themselves at the 
  wearer. The priests and the Iron Guard at-
  tempt to quiet the whole thing down.
  THE WHISPERER AND THE MIST
  A novice discreetly calls upon the adventur-
  ers to arrange a meeting with his brother 
  Karuptus, a member of the Council of Whis-
  perers. Karuptus is afraid to trust anyone at 
  the temple and has hidden himself because 
  his fellow councilors have all disappeared or 
  suffered a mysterious death. He explains that 
  the Council strove to reawaken the Blood 
  Mist in the land. Of the once-mighty mist, 
  only a few wisps linger in the catacombs un-
  der the temple. Some advances were recently 
  made and recorded in the ledger supposedly 
  hidden at the temple. Could the adventur-
  ers retrieve it for a reward? The only clue to 
  the ledger’s location is that “it supports the 
  many”. 
  Merigall is the one who removed the coun-
  cil members, as it does not wish to see the 
  Blood Mist cover the land again. The ledger 
  is hidden on top of the hook filled scaffolding 
  that suspends the restless dead in the cata-
  combs. In the ledger, one can read about how 
  the Council of Whisperers succeeded: they 
  spoke to the terrified remaining Bloodlings in 
  order to bolster their confidence, so that they 
  would dare venture into the world and disperse 
  once again. If Karuptus obtains the ledger, he 
  will in time make the Blood Mist grow around 
  the temple again. Merigall will not approve of 
  this venture. 
  ZYTERA’S VISIT
  Booming drums reverberate from the road to 
  Haggler’s House, and a strange procession ap-
  proaches the temple: Iron Guards, Rust Broth-
  ers and misgrown horses. In their midst, on a 
  platform carried by a score of Rust Brothers, 
  can be seen the spider-creature Zytera. What 
  is possibly the mightiest creature in the For-
  bidden Lands has come to bless the temple 
  and partake in the ceremonies. Zytera is con-
  stantly monitored by a dozen Iron Guards and 
  will make itself at home in the main building. 
  This will not stop the adventurers from hav-
  ing a closer look at this nearly mythic entity. 
  With Zytera’s visit, the scheming at Haggler’s 
  House will come to a head. 
  THE SACRIFICE
  The peasant’s son, Robund, is fettered in the 
  Blood Cauldron in order to be sacrificed to the 
  gods. If the adventurers previously encoun-
  tered his father (see The Road Here, above), 
  the father will ask for help in changing places 
  with his son. This exchange isn’t exactly easy 
  to perform, as Iron Guards and Rust Brothers 
  move around in the vicinity. In the worst case, 
  one or more of the adventurers may be chosen 
  as sacrifices, which will naturally make the sit-
  uation even more precarious.
  
  haggler’s house
  173
  THE CENTAURS
  Three centaurs have been created by melding 
  Aslene Galdanes together with their horses. 
  Kartorda’s men display them in the tem-
  ple-court to show how their army pro-
  gresses. Suddenly, the centaurs run 
  amok and attack those surrounding 
  
  chapter 12
  174
  them with their spears, shouting things like, 
  “Remember Aslene! Death to the demon for-
  nicators! Death to the tyrants!”
  It is Rembredo’s doing: in order to de-
  grade Kartorda in front of Zytera, Rembredo 
  has given the centaurs a potion to clear their 
  heads. 
  THE RAVEN
  A woman fettered to a sacrificial pole in the 
  Blood Cauldron suddenly changes into a raven 
  and takes flight. The guards raise their bows to 
  shoot her down. The adventurers may choose 
  to shoot her down or distract the guards so 
  that she can escape.
  THE POT
  Tarna discreetly asks the adventurers if they 
  can steal something for her: a pot containing 
  the balm used to anoint the villagers’ effigies. 
  She has suspicions about what might be caus-
  ing the failed crops, and wants to analyze the 
  contents back in the Raven Sisters’ village to 
  uncover the Rust Brothers’ fraud. The adven-
  turers may choose to help her, decline her re-
  quest or even expose her. 
  THE DAGGER
  A quietly furious and very old man offers the 
  adventurers an enchanted dagger with which 
  one could kill Zytera. He wants to avenge sev-
  eral sacrificed family members, but doesn’t 
  have the strength for the deed himself. All 
  he asks in return is the sweet taste of revenge. 
  The dagger is said to date back to the fourth 
  Alder Wars, and belonged to Zertorme, 
  Zytera’s son.  
  The man is a retired Rust Priest, and 
  his offer a provocation to see who will bite 
  – in which case, the false visitors will be ar-
  rested. The GM may choose to insert more 
  provocations of the same type, designed to 
  test the visitors’ loyalty. Everyone who has 
  previously visited the temple knows about 
  these subtle loyalty tests and are suspicious 
  in general. Someone the adventurers have 
  previously aided may warn them as they are 
  about to step into the trap.
  TARNA’S NUT
  Tarna (if the adventurers have gained her trust) 
  or an anonymous avenger will give the adven-
  turers a nut plugged with a cork. The giver 
  explains that the nut has been blessed by the 
  water goddess, Flow. If one removes the plug, 
  a great stream of sweet water will inexplicably 
  rush forth. The giver wants the adventurers to 
  covertly climb up to the Rust statue above the 
  House of Chains, pull the plug from the nut 
  and put it in the statue’s mouth. The statue 
  will then fill with water and become so heavy 
  that it crashes down into the house, hopefully 
  when important Rust Brothers are below. In 
  any case, the event will be interpreted as a bad 
  omen at the temple. 
  One of Katorda’s spies may give the ad-
  venturers the nut, with the plan to embarrass 
  Rembredo or even crush him as he performs a 
  ritual dance in the House of Chains. If so, they 
  will be blamed after the fact. The adventurers 
  may choose to betray Tarna, and will then win 
  the Rust Brothers’ trust.
  
  vond
  175
  The old fallen dwarven fortress of Vond at the base 
  of Mount Ora is the scene at which the finale of 
  the Raven’s Purge campaign plays out.  The head-
  quarters of the Iron Guard, with its large force of 
  troops and the demon Krasylla – the Butcher of 
  Aslene – is in Vond. Merigall lives higher up on the 
  mountain, and at the top is where the mogarium 
  of demonic creature, Zytera, dwells.
  The Raven’s Purge campaign is preferably con-
  cluded with the adventurers attacking or infiltrat-
  ing Vond. The final battle doesn’t necessarily have 
  to be a wild slaughter, however, until you reach 
  Zytera at the top of Mount Ora. Many key players 
  have their own agendas and the campaign can end 
  in quite a few different ways. The key players and 
  their plans are described in detail in Chapter 4, and 
  a large number of possible events are described later 
  in this chapter.
  VO
  N
  D
  The fortress of Vond should be placed in a hex-
  agon on the map with the terrain type RUINS. 
  The obvious choice for the location of Vond is 
  Alderstone, in the southeastern corner of the 
  Forbidden Lands, the ruins of the greatest 
  city in Ravenland (read more on page 23 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide), but if it doesn’t suit your 
  campaign, it is okay to place Vond almost any-
  where you want.
  The actual adventure site of Vond is split 
  into four parts:
   
  ✥
  The City Ruins outside the fortress. This 
  area isn’t mapped in detail. Instead, it 
  serves as a battlefield where the adventur-
  ers must have gathered enough troops and 
  powerful allies to even reach the fortress. 
  Read more below.
   
  ✥
  The Fortress of Vond. See the map on 
  TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Castle
  
  chapter 13
  176
  page 182. The adventurers have to find 
  their way through the fortress of Vond 
  so as to be able to travel further up the 
  mountain. They may encounter the 
  demon Krasylla, to fight him or to ally 
  with him.
   
  ✥
  Merigall’s Lair. See the map on page 
  198. Here the adventurers may encoun-
  ter Merigall for a final showdown or an 
  alliance.
   
  ✥
  Zytera’s Mogarium. See the map on page 
  205. The adventurers will have the final 
  showdown against Zytera here, where 
  many different outcomes are possible.
  LEGEND
  The fortress of Vond was once the Crombe 
  dwarves’ strongest fortress in Ravenland. The 
  largest part of the fortifications is supposed 
  to have been situated below ground, but was 
  razed by the dwarves when they were driv-
  en away. It is rumored that it is the Butcher 
  of Aslene – the demon prince, Krasylla – that 
  now rules over the fortress that guards the pass 
  beneath the shimmering metal slopes of Mount 
  Ora. The ruins of the city of Vond surround 
  the area. The ruins, as well as the fortress, 
  are most likely crawling with Zytera’s troops, 
  along with the fanatical worshippers of Rust 
  and demonic creatures, but few who have been 
  brought here have ever returned to testify. The 
  peak of Mount Ora is crowned by Zytera’s living 
  palace, where even demons dare not venture. 
  Lightning strikes incessantly between the tower 
  steeples and the dark clouds that circle the area.
  GETTING HERE
  Rust Brothers and worshippers of demons are 
  the only ones who’d want to visit Vond volun-
  tarily. In all probability the adventurers will 
  travel to the area to kill the tyrant Zytera or 
  Krasylla (of their own volition, or on a mission 
  for someone else), to free prisoners, or to seal 
  the protonexus – the new demon portal that 
  Zytera is creating.
  You can let the adventurers visit Vond 
  whenever you like, but as mentioned in the in-
  troduction of this book, there are several con-
  ditions that should be met first:
   
  ✥
  The adventurers have acquired the elven 
  crown Stanengist, and one or several of 
  the other three artifacts set with elven 
  rubies (see Chapter 3).
   
  ✥
  The adventurers have met most of the 
  key players of the campaign and have 
  become their allies or enemies (see 
  Chapter 4).
   
  ✥
  The adventurers have heard the legends 
  about Zytera, Krasylla and Vond.
  Vond is too well fortified for the adventurers 
  to have any likelihood of attacking the fortress 
  on their own. Their best chance to get in is to 
  coordinate a larger offense together with their 
  allies. Read more below.
  CITY RUINS
  The fortress of Vond is surrounded by a dilap-
  idated ruin of a city. The area, which covers 
  the entire hexagon on the map in which Vond 
  
  vond
  177
  is situated, is heavily guarded by Rust Broth-
  ers, Iron Guards and demon-tainted creatures 
  and monsters. It is very dangerous for the 
  adventurers to move about the area on their 
  own. If they are traveling with a larger force 
  sent by one of the key players, they are signifi-
  cantly safer.
   EVENTS IN THE RUINS
  D10
  EVENTS
  1–2
  NOTHING HAPPENS. A dead calm reigns among the ruins, wreathed in an 
  ominous fog. An oppressive feeling afflicts the adventurers, but everything 
  seems quiet – for now.
  3
  HARPIES. A large murder of shrieking harpies (Strength 14) lives among the 
  ruins. If they discover the adventurers they will immediately attack, in addi-
  tion to shrieking so loudly that a patrol of Iron Guards (equal in number to 
  the adventurers) comes running to investigate in D6 minutes.
  4–5
  SLAVES. Twenty or so wretched prisoners bound together by chains are 
  dragging themselves through the ruins, driven on by four Rust Brothers 
  and two Iron Guards. If the prisoners catch sight of the adventurers, they 
  will call out to them for help. The prisoners are slaves that were bought in 
  Grindbone. They are now being taken to the fortress of Vond to be worked 
  to death or to be subjected to demonological experiments.
  6
  MANTICORE. The adventurers unwittingly wander into the territory of a 
  ravenous manticore. It immediately attacks if it discovers the adventurers. 
  For stats, see page 110 in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
  7–8
  IRON GUARDS. A group of grim Iron Guards patrol the ruins, hunting for in-
  truders. There are twice as many guards as there are adventurers, and they 
  are very watchful. If they catch sight of the adventurers, they will immedia-
  tely attack and attempt to capture the intruders.
  9
  HYDRA. An ill-humored hydra, which has escaped from a demonological 
  experiment inside Vond, is hunting for food among the ruins. The adven-
  turers might become the feast of the week. For stats, see page 106 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide. 
  10
  GRYPHON RIDERS. A special commando unit of Iron Guards, riding on gryp-
  hons (see page 102 in the Gamemaster’s Guide), sweep over the ruins. There 
  are half as many riders as there are adventurers. In battle, the gryphons and 
  their riders act separately, but they share the same initiative.
  
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  Every hour, or whenever you want to build 
  suspense, you can roll on or choose a random 
  encounter from the table to the right. The ad-
  venturer KEEPING WATCH should make rolls for 
  SCOUTING as usual to detect threats in time (see 
  page 149 in the Player’s Handbook). It takes about 
  a Quarter Day to reach the fortress of Vond.
  GETTING INSIDE
  The fortress of Vond is heavily guarded and 
  very difficult for the adventurers to enter. 
  Still, there are many ways to get past the walls:
   
  ✥
  SIEGE. If the adventurers have gained 
  allies among the key players of the cam-
  paign, they can be recruited for a large-
  scale assault on Vond. If all goes well, this 
  may even lead to the walls of the fortress 
  coming down. Read more below.
   
  ✥
  SECRET PASSAGE. A secret passage runs 
  from a cave on the western side of Mount 
  Ora (location 1 on the map), leading to 
  an opening below a floor tile inside the 
  fortress’s old bronze gates (location #5 
  on the map). The secret passage is known 
  to Arvia of Crombe (page 43) and other 
  Crombe dwarves, as well as to Peyraman, 
  who is imprisoned in the dungeons (loca-
  tion #12 on the map).
   
  ✥
  SCALING THE WALLS. Very difficult and 
  very dangerous, but not impossible. See 
  page 185.
   
  ✥
  MAGIC. There are several spells that would 
  allow the adventurers to infiltrate the 
  fortress, for example, PORTAL, WITHER, 
  EARTHQUAKE and ANIMAL FORM (if they 
  were to transform into an animal that can 
  fly or climb).
   
  ✥
  MERIGALL. If the adventurers have 
  formed a pact with Merigall, it can 
  teleport them to its offspring, Hirena (see 
  page 189).
   
  ✥
  THE DRAGON SCARNE. If the adventur-
  ers have released the dragon Scarne (page 
  144), she can carry them to Vond and 
  drop them off inside the walls.
  THE BATTLE  
  OF VOND
  Getting through the city ruins and inside the 
  fortress of Vond is very difficult and danger-
  ous. The adventurers’ chances increase sub-
  stantially if they form an alliance with one or 
  more of the key players in the campaign, and 
  together with their allies, perform a large scale 
  assault on Vond.
  DIVERTING ATTENTION
  As long as the battle of Vond lasts, 
  the attention of the defenders is 
  diverted. This makes it easier for 
  the adventurers to sneak around 
  inside the fortress without being 
  discovered. More information on 
  this is found below.
  
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  179
  DEFENSE RATING
  Basic defense
  +12
  Rust Prince Kartorda participates in the defense
  +1
  Corpse Herder Brenziga participates in the defense
  +1
  General Manderel participates in the defense
  +1
  Krasylla participates in the defense as sarmog*
  +2
  *Krasylla’s effect is omitted in case of a thunderstorm
  ATTACK RATING
  Army of riders under Zertorme participates in the assault
  +4
  Army of dwarves participates in the assault
  +3
  Army of elven Redrunners participates in the assault
  +2 (+3 with Ents)
  Army of orcs participates in the assault
  +3
  King Algarod and his undead participate in the assault
  +2
  Virelda Bloodbeak joins the assault carrying Teramalda’s head.
  +2
  A titan from Pelagia is ordered to destroy Vond*
  +3 per titan
  The dragon Scarne is ordered to assault the fortress*
  +6
  The giant Scrome participates in the assault in its evil form
  +4
  The adventurers themselves participate in the assault
  +1
  The adventurers use the Weathermaster spell to cause a storm
  +1
  The adventurers use the sword Maligarn during the assault
  +1
  The adventurers lead the assault with the scepter Nekhaka
  +1
  The adventurers wear the crown Stanengist with all its stones
  +2
  The adventurers release Blood Mist in Vond
  +2
  Krasylla as sarmog joins the adventurers’ forces**
  +2
  *The dragon Scarne and the titans from Pelagia only participate in the first turn of the battle. 
  **Krasylla’s effect is omitted in the case of a thunderstorm.
  Even if such an assault fails to tear down the 
  walls of the fortress it creates a diversion that 
  makes it easier for the adventurers to sneak 
  into the fortress and track down Zytera.
  THE ASSAULT
  The assault on Vond is way too extensive to be 
  played out in detail. Rather, it sets a background 
  for the players’ infiltration of the fortress.
  
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  Technically the battle is handled like an assault 
  on a Stronghold (see page 175 in the Player’s 
  Handbook), but the players roll for the attack-
  ers and you, as GM, roll for the defenders. The 
  Attack and Defense Ratings, however, are cal-
  culated in a different way.
  Vond’s Defense Rating starts at 12, mod-
  ified by the adjacent table. The initial Attack 
  Rating of the attackers depends on what forces 
  they have been able to amass for the assault. 
  Consult the tables on the previous page and to-
  tal the modifiers for Defense and Attack.
  LOSSES
  The battle is played out in turns, just like 
  battles at a Stronghold. However, you don’t 
  have to roll precisely every Quarter-hour 
  – instead, roll for the battle when it is dra-
  matically appropriate to increase pressure on 
  the adventurers. Both attackers and defend-
  DEFENSE 
  RATING 
  REACHES
  EFFECT
  9
  Small groups of attackers crest the walls, where desperate battles are 
  fought against the defenders. The adventurers can accompany these 
  attackers, but will have to scale the walls themselves.
  6
  Attackers have infiltrated the fortress in several places. The adventurers can 
  climb the walls with the help of ladders or grappling hooks (Gear Bonus +2).
  3
  The Rust Gate or a part of the wall falls to the ground with an enor-
  mous bang. The attackers storm through the breach and go head to 
  head with the defenders. The adventurers can now rush inside Vond, 
  but risk being discovered and attacked.
  0
  The attackers storm the fortress of Vond. The defending forces flee or 
  are struck down to the last man. The adventurers can move through 
  Vond without risk.
  ers take losses as per the rules for battles at a 
  Stronghold – Attack and Defense Rating de-
  crease one step respectively for every x that 
  the opponent rolls.
  ATTACKERS: For the attackers, you are free 
  to describe losses as you please, depending on 
  who participates in the battle. Assume that the 
  attackers will give up and flee when the total 
  Attack Rating has been halved, unless the walls 
  of Vond crumble during the same turn. When 
  the attackers have fled, the attention of the 
  defenders is no longer diverted, which makes 
  it harder for the adventurers to move about in 
  Vond (see below).
  DEFENDERS: Losses for the defense of Vond 
  have specific effects, as per the table above. 
  Note that the description may need to be ad-
  justed depending on who participates in the 
  assault.
  
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  181
  THE FORTRESS OF VOND
  Beyond the ruins of the city lies the main fortress 
  of Vond at the base of Mount Ora. Despite the 
  impressive masonry, it is said that the Crombe 
  dwarves demolished all of the underground pas-
  sages that made up the heart of the fortifications 
  before they fled. Just like the city ruins, the fortress 
  is crawling with Iron Guards, demonic creatures 
  and Rust Brothers. Whatever your intentions 
  may be, your goals won’t be easy to achieve.
  BACKGROUND
  The Crombe dwarves once guarded the Shadow-
  gate Pass against Aslene from the fortress of Vond 
  on Mount Ora, but during the Alder Wars the 
  surrounding city was razed and the fortress was 
  captured by the Alderlanders. Since the Alder-
  lander army, in turn, was crushed, the Butcher 
  of Aslene, the demon Krasylla, has settled in the 
  fortress along with demon-tainted Rust Brothers 
  and the Iron Guard – the Rust Church’s order 
  of warrior monks. Vond is the hub of cultivation 
  of demon-tainted creatures. In the mogarium 
  at the peak of Mount Ora, Zytera and Merigall 
  conduct their research.
  MOVING ABOUT IN 
  THE FORTRESS
  The fortress of Vond is very well guarded, and 
  it isn’t easy for the adventurers to move about 
  inside the walls without being discovered. Iron 
  Guards patrol the area day and night.
  Every time the adventurers move to a new 
  location on the map, or every Quarter Hour 
  that they remain still, they have to roll for 
  STEALTH. Roll this as an opposed check against 
  the Iron Guards. On a failure, the adventurers 
  are discovered and are immediately attacked. 
  Iron Guards usually patrol in pairs. If combat 
  ensues, this will be discovered by other Iron 
  Guards in D6 minutes. At that point, the 
  alarm will sound and the adventurers will be 
  chased by dozens of Iron Guards.
  The adventurers must also make a STEALTH 
  roll against the Rust Brothers if they enter 
  buildings where any are present. Discovery has 
  the same effect as above.
  There are two ways for the adventurers to 
  make it easier on themselves to avoid being dis-
  covered: they can disguise themselves or they 
  can divert the attention of the Iron Guard with 
  an attack on the walls. They can also do both.
  DISGUISE
  If the adventurers get their hands on the garb 
  of the Rust Brothers, they can easily disguise 
  themselves, which is made simpler by the fact 
  that Rust Brothers often wear masks. If the ad-
  venturers are disguised, they only need to make 
  STEALTH rolls if they do something out of the 
  ordinary (like going somewhere Rust Brothers 
  don’t normally go) or when they run into Rust 
  Brothers within NEAR distance.
  
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  1
  2
  4
  5
  3
  7
  6
  
  vond
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  VO
  N
  D
  6
  8
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  9
  11
  10
  
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  184
  DIVERTING MANEUVERS
  If the walls of Vond are attacked by a large-scale 
  assault (see above), the Iron Guard will be sum-
  moned to the walls instead of patrolling the 
  area. This means that adventurers inside the 
  fortress don’t risk being discovered by them. 
  However, groups of anxious Rust Brothers (D3 
  in number) will move about the fortress, and 
  the adventurers must make STEALTH rolls as 
  above against them instead. The Rust Broth-
  ers lack the skill SCOUTING and are significantly 
  easier opponents in battle.
  EVENTS IN VOND
  To spice up the adventurers’ visit to Vond you can, when you want to, roll on or 
  choose events from the table below.
  D6
  EVENT
  1
  THE BELL TOLLS. An alarm bell tolls in the fortress and patrols of soldiers run 
  criss-cross patterns in search of intruders that have made their way inside. 
  It doesn’t necessarily mean that the adventurers have triggered the alarm or 
  that there actually are any intruders.
  2
  THE PRISONERS. Ten miserable prisoners, bound by chains in a line, are led 
  from the fortress up towards Zytera’s mogarium to become parts in demonic 
  creations.
  3
  EXECUTION. The deep sound of drums reverberates across the area. At a stone 
  altar, a few Rust Brothers stand, next to Iron Guards lined up behind some ten 
  prisoners in dirty clothes. The knights raise their swords and let them fall as 
  one across the necks of the prisoners. The drums fall silent.
  4
  EXPLOSION. A massive boom is heard, and then the ground shakes as if from a 
  powerful explosion. A pillar of smoke rises from one of the towers and a large, 
  gaping hole is visible in the stone wall behind it. It is a Rust Brother sorcerer 
  who has failed with an experiment, after which a violent explosion has de-
  stroyed two floors of a tower and killed a dozen Rust Brothers and servants.
  5
  LESSER DEMONS. A few lesser demons (roughly the size of squirrels) make life 
  miserable for the adventurers. They crawl inside their clothes, climb into 
  their hair and poke them in uncomfortable places, all the while laughing 
  coarsely with their squeaky voices. One of the demons can become friends 
  with an adventurer that doesn’t mistreat it, the rest mainly live to cause 
  trouble.
  6
  THE MADMAN. A man with bloodshot eyes and a bushy beard grabs hold of one 
  of the adventurers and croaks warnings about the end of the world and “the 
  spider in the tower.” The man is the former commander of a unit of imprisoned 
  Alderlander spies who has gone mad from torture and torment. Maybe he can 
  regain his sanity for an instant?
  
  vond
  185
  LOCATIONS
  Listed below are the most important locations 
  in the fortress of Vond.
  1. THE SECRET PASSAGE
  Halfway up the barren mountain you see a rocky 
  crevice that leads to a cramped and dark cave. 
  If you hadn’t known what to look for, you would 
  never have noticed it.
  In a hidden crevice on the west face of Mount Ora 
  is a secret tunnel, several hundred meters long, that 
  ends under a floor tile inside the old bronze gates in 
  the fortress (location #5 on the map). Read more 
  about the secret passage on page 187.
  2. THE RUST GATE
  You stand in front of a rusty, but hideously im-
  mense, iron gate that appears to be the only way 
  inside the fortress of Vond. On the top of the wall 
  by the gate are several Iron Guards keeping watch. 
  Two are riding on demonic creatures. The walls 
  of the fortress are as tall as ten men and well 
  maintained. The battlements and towers are 
  manned by crossbowmen and war machines. 
  Judging by the smell, you realize that they are 
  ready with boiling oil to counter their enemies, but 
  what army would dare to attack Vond?
  The gate has an Armor Rating of 20 and can 
  withstand 100 points of damage before shatter-
  ing. To even approach the gate, the adventurers 
  must succeed with a STEALTH roll, however. 
  Failure means that they are discovered by the 
  Iron Guards on the wall. They immediately 
  open fire with their crossbows, upon which 
  the Iron Guards riding on the winged beasts 
  descend. In addition, reinforcements are sum-
  moned to the gates.
   
  ✥
  THE CATAPULT. There is also a catapult at 
  the top of the wall that can hurl stones at 
  attackers. It takes three people to fire the 
  catapult, and it requires a slow action to 
  reload. The range of the catapult is LONG. 
  On a successful attack an area as large as a 
  zone in battle is hit, meaning that a group 
  of people within NEAR distance from each 
  other are struck. Roll for each target with 
  ten Base Dice (Weapon Damage 2, blunt 
  trauma).
   
  ✥
  CLIMBING. Climbing the walls is FOR-
  MIDABLY difficult (–3) and in addition 
  to that, the climber will be discovered 
  immediately and fired upon by the knights 
  on the wall. It is not possible for the 
  adventurers to use STEALTH at the same 
  time as they are climbing (unless they’ve 
  transformed into a small animal by using 
  the ANIMAL FORM spell).
   
  ✥
  BOILING OIL. As if that weren’t enough, 
  the Iron Guards on the battlements can 
  release boiling oil over attackers at the 
  base of the wall. It takes two people to 
  perform the attack. The oil covers an area 
  as large as a zone in battle, meaning that 
  adventurers within NEAR distance from 
  each other will be hit. Roll for each target 
  with twelve Base Dice (Weapon Damage 2, 
  non-typical damage). There is enough oil 
  for three attacks.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Seneschal Mordarga and 
  twelve Iron Guards keep vigil on the 
  
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  186
  battlements. Additionally, an Iron Guard 
  riding on a gryphon and another riding on 
  a wyvern (see the Bestiary in the Game-
  master’s Guide for stats) guard the gate. 
  More Iron Guards will be summoned if 
  the gate comes under attack.
  3. ASSEMBLY HALL
  Inside the inner gates stands a large, square struc-
  ture with rusty iron pillars and marble walls.
  The house was once a workshop for dwarven 
  stonemasons, but now serves as the canteen 
  and assembly hall for the Iron Guards in the 
  fortress.
  A large blood willow that weeps blood-like 
  sap grows north of the assembly hall. The 
  roots are exposed around the tree where dead 
  or living prisoners are imprisoned by the tough 
  outgrowths. Singular corvids caw among the 
  branches, sometimes taking a bite out of the 
  victims. Seneschal Mordarga is the only one 
  who can command the tree’s roots.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The Raven Sister, Virnia, 
  lies beneath the blood willow, and there 
  are 4D6 Iron Guards inside the building 
  (unless the alarm has been triggered, in 
  which case the building is empty).
  4. KYBOS
  Flush to the mountain stands a massive, twen-
  ty-meter tall stone cube of red granite. Its single 
  entrance is flanked by torches on both sides.
  Kybos was a dwarven temple honoring the god 
  Huge, especially dedicated to the world-build-
  ing of the dwarves. Since it is shaped out of 
  solid, hard rock it was impossible to tear down, 
  so the Iron Guard use the amphitheater-like 
  interior of the stone as an arena for particu-
  larly spectacular fights. A challenge to fight in 
  Kybos can’t be refused, according to the Iron 
  Guards’ Code of Honor.
  IRON GUARD
  
  vond
  187
  are strange and for the most part unpleasant. Here 
  are cages with all sorts of demon-tainted creatures.
  Demon-tainted animals are either used in 
  battle on their own or as mounts for the Iron 
  Guard. A couple of Corpse Herders are here to 
  pacify ornery creatures with their jolts.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Four Corpse Herders, 2D6 
  demon-tainted animals. If need be, you 
  can randomize stats for the demon-taint-
  ed animals with the help of the tables on 
  page 81 and beyond in the Gamemaster’s 
  Guide. However, all the animals have four 
  legs or more in their basic form (for exam-
  ple, goat, lizard, wolf or spider) and all of 
  them lack Wits and Empathy.
  5. THE GATES OF THE  
  DWARVEN FORTRESS
  Two large bronze gates are set into the moun-
  tainside, the leftmost of which is twisted so that a 
  crack as wide as a man gapes open.
  Inside the gates, a stone hallway continues 
  some twenty meters into the mountain, be-
  yond which the hallway is completely caved in. 
  On the walls are drawn large numbers of doo-
  dles that mostly mock dwarves.
  Beneath a floor tile inside the bronze gates 
  is a secret passage that leads to a rocky crevice 
  on the west face of Mount Ora (see above).
  6. BARRACKS
  A number of more recently constructed log bar-
  racks have been raised in the open space. Between 
  them runs a stream of fresh water. Many Iron 
  Guards mill about among the barracks. Beyond 
  them is a passage to higher ground.
  The members of the Iron Guard are housed in 
  the barracks. The officers live in the houses by 
  the training grounds. Drinking water is drawn 
  from the stream that gushes down the mountain 
  and runs through the barracks area. It escapes 
  through a grating beneath the wall to the south.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: D66 Iron Guards (unless the 
  alarm has been triggered, in which case this 
  area is empty).
  7. DEMONARIUM
  From the northern end of the barracks area, one can 
  hear peculiar snarls, howls and clicks. The scents 
  
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  188
  8. TRAINING GROUNDS
  In an open, levelled area human-shaped wood 
  and straw figures have been raised for combat 
  training. There are also different targets for 
  archery and a riding arena. A couple of fancier 
  housing barracks, an armory and a larger stone 
  building border the area. Stairs lead up towards 
  a balustrade. In the south, there are gates into 
  the mountain. The officers of the Iron Guard 
  live in the barracks here. Grandmaster Manderel 
  and his closest officers live on the top floor of the 
  guardhouse, however. The gates to the south lead 
  to Krasylla’s lair. A couple of knights stand at the 
  gates, but only Rust Brothers and those who are 
  to be sacrificed to Krasylla ever go inside.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Two Iron Guards keeping 
  watch. Unless the alarm has been triggered 
  there are 2D6 Iron Guards practicing on 
  the grounds.
  9. THE GUARDHOUSE
  An old and sturdy stone house with slanting walls 
  stands flush to the mountain. Two knights in ceremo-
  nial garb with rusted plate armor stand outside the 
  gates. The entire ground floor appears to be a large 
  gymnasium filled from floor to ceiling with benches, 
  dolls and primitive mechanisms on wooden axles. 
  Water from the stream gushes along the west wall. 
  Stone steps lead down there. Large spiral staircases 
  lead up to the top floor at the far end of the room.
  Controls in the wall over by the spiral staircase 
  trigger the training mechanisms in the room, 
  causing them to flail about with blades and 
  cudgels, shoot spears and so forth. All of it is 
  powered by hydraulics in the stream. If the ad-
  venturers are chasing someone, he can release 
  all the controls at the same time, turning the 
  room into a deathtrap. Every person in the 
  room then suffers an attack with eight Base 
  Dice (Weapon Damage 2, roll D3 to determine 
  if the attack inflicts slash wounds, stab wounds 
  or blunt force) every round. The attack can be 
  DODGED or PARRIED.
  An additional mechanism at the top of the 
  stairs causes chains with sharpened weights to 
  spin around the center of the staircase all the 
  way up. Traditionally, officers must climb the 
  stairs as proof of their abilities once appoint-
  ed. If the mechanism is triggered, everyone on 
  the stairs suffers an attack with ten Base Dice 
  (Weapon Damage 2, slash wounds) every round. 
  The attack can be DODGED but not PARRIED.
  THE DEMON PRINCE’S WISH
  Krasylla is allied to Zytera and wor-
  shipped by the order of the Rust Brot-
  hers as a demon god. But the demon 
  isn’t satisfied with the current state of 
  affairs – he wants to be free and rule 
  the Forbidden Lands alone. Krasylla 
  views the adventurers as enterprising 
  insects that can be used to create 
  problems for Zytera, and would gladly 
  make a bargain with them. His ulterior 
  goal is to find the contract that binds 
  him to Zytera and then once and for 
  all slay the magical beast. Read more 
  about this on page 37.
  
  vond
  189
  At the top of the stairs are the rooms of the 
  higher officers, the command center and the 
  drawing room. Grandmaster Manderel is usually 
  here, unless the alarm has been triggered. From 
  the drawing room, a staircase leads up the moun-
  tain to the wardroom and continues on to the 
  shrine. A path also leads to the raised walkway 
  above the Cauldron of Torment (see below). The 
  knights usually gather at the training grounds 
  each morning, at which time Grandmaster 
  Manderel addresses them from the balcony.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Two Iron Guards keep watch 
  outside. Grandmaster Manderel and D6 
  other officers from the Iron Guard are on 
  the top floor unless the alarm has been 
  triggered. Merigall’s daughter, Hirena, 
  serves as steward in the wardroom.
  10. KRASYLLA’S TOWER
  The wide corridors in the mountain have par-
  tially caved in, but the dwarven craftsmanship 
  is plain to see. Peculiar smells and other, some 
  visible some not so much, substances drift along 
  stagnant passages as if fear itself has manifested 
  in want of other presences. The tower that has 
  been built directly against the mountain has nei-
  ther doors nor windows and doesn’t appear to be 
  otherwise connected to the fortress, either. Some 
  sticky, organic fluid of indeterminable scent leaks 
  out between the cracks at ground level.
  Krasylla is rumored to be Zytera’s demon prince 
  confidant and a terror from the Alder Wars who 
  is supposed to have single-handedly devastat-
  ed Aslene. None but the selected and prepared 
  priests enter the mountain. They keep to the 
  side room closest to the gate. Near the entrance 
  to Krasylla’s chamber is a prison cell for those 
  who are to be delivered as food for the demon.
  The entrance to the chamber is a rotating 
  drum with a hidden time-lock set to between 
  three and five minutes, that is driven by quick-
  silver. The one being rotated into the chamber is 
  at the mercy of Krasylla, who occupies approxi-
  mately half of the space in the form of a shape-
  less mass that wears the features of the last per-
  son the demon devoured. Beyond the chamber is 
  a stone tower in which Krasylla builds himself 
  up to sarmog – a higher form of demon.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The demon prince Krasylla. 
  D6 prisoners in the prison cell. Two Rust 
  Brothers are usually stationed outside.
  11. ARMORY
  Several weaponsmiths work in a generously sized 
  armory with two chimneys under the command 
  of a blind dwarf. Outside the building are stacked 
  raw materials. The building appears to not only be 
  a workshop but also to be of religious significance – 
  you see soldiers and priests praying outside.
  Master Tyrser of Vond is a dwarf of the Crombe 
  clan. He is a very skilled weaponsmith whose 
  mind has been clouded by imprisonment with 
  the Urhur orcs, who blinded him and sold him 
  to Vond. He is now completely obsessed with 
  his work, and harasses his smith apprentices 
  relentlessly. He doesn’t understand that he is 
  working for the enemy, but lives in a world of 
  his own. Iron Guards and Rust Brothers revere 
  the armory as holy since iron is worked in the 
  most exquisite way in the building.
  
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  190
  In the caves inside the armory, large 
  amounts of weapons of all kinds are stored. 
  Behind a locked door are special weapons. Only 
  Master Tyrser and Grandmaster Manderel 
  have the keys to this room. As an example, Pey-
  raman’s Arrow of the Fire Wyrm is here (see 
  Prisoner Cells and Merigall’s Lair).
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The dwarven smith Tyrser 
  of Vond. D3 Iron Guards and D6 Rust 
  Brothers on a temporary visit.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: Outside the armory are D66 
  units of IRON ORE, D66 units of IRON, 2D6 
  units of WOOD and 2D6 units of LEATHER. 
  In the caves behind the armory are D6 of 
  all COMMON weapons, shields and suits of 
  armor found in the Player’s Handbook, 
  D6–3 of all UNCOMMON items and D3–2 
  of all RARE ones. Locked in the chamber 
  behind the armory (the door has Armor 
  Rating 12 and can withstand 40 points of 
  damage) are a number of well-forged weap-
  ons. Roll D6–4 each for broadsword, long-
  sword, two-handed sword, morningstar, 
  warhammer, battleaxe and two-handed 
  axe. The Gear Bonus of the weapons is one 
  step higher than normal, and each weapon 
  is worth twice as much. In addition, there 
  is an artifact here in the form of an Arrow 
  of the Fire Wyrm (see page 128 in the 
  Gamemaster’s Guide).
  12. THE DUNGEONS
  Rust Brothers and Corpse Herders move in and 
  out of a heavily guarded gate in the mountainside. 
  Wretched cries and more desperate screams can be 
  heard from the depths within.
  The dungeons are used for three things: to keep 
  the creatures that are going to be sacrificed to 
  the gods Rust and Heme; for those that are to 
  be delivered as food for Krasylla; and to keep 
  prisoners of war for interrogation. The farthest 
  back in the dungeons sits the Crombe dwarf 
  Peyraman, who has come to Vond to slay Kra-
  sylla. If the adventurers talk to Peyraman, he 
  will insist that they free his partner, the Aslene 
  woman Viseria. Peyraman can reveal the func-
  tion of the Arrow of the Fire Wyrm.
  In addition to the narrow cells are two cav-
  erns. They serve as rooms for preparation and 
  interrogation with instruments of torture.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The dwarf Peyraman, D6 
  Rust Brothers, D6 Corpse Herders.
  13. HOUSE OF CHAINS
  A larger stone house seems to make a peculiar jan-
  gling noise and when you peek through the gates, 
  you see chains hanging from the ceiling all over. 
  Naked people, covered in rust, move among the 
  chains in various forms of dance and prayer.
  The House of Chains is the headquarters of 
  the Rust Brothers in Vond. The entire ground 
  floor is used for initiation and purification 
  before misgrowth. Various batteries of chains 
  can be lowered with control wheels set in the 
  walls – most are just rusty iron chains, while 
  others have sharp barbs, are coated in poison 
  or charged with crackling energy from Zytera’s 
  mogarium at the peak of the mountain. Adepts 
  are expected to endure or avoid the more un-
  pleasant chains to prove themselves worthy of 
  greater misgrowth.
  
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  At times, singing groups of adepts in robes 
  move from the House of Chains up to the mo-
  garium to gain Zytera’s favor and be fitted with 
  demonic limbs.
  The higher priests dwell on the upper floor of 
  the house. The prayer rooms and dormitories can 
  be found here. Rust Prince Kartorda has a suite 
  of his own for the occasions when he visits Vond.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: D66 Rust Brothers. Rust 
  Prince Kartorda, unless alarm is triggered.
  14. CAULDRON OF TORMENT
  Stakes with cuffs have been raised from the bot-
  tom of a natural stone cauldron in the upper end 
  of the fortress. Balustrades line the cauldron, from 
  where priests look upon the people chained to the 
  stakes to be lashed. Above the cauldron is a temple 
  building flanked by statues of Rust and Heme.
  The Aslene woman Viseria has been brought 
  here from the dungeons. Just like her partner, 
  Peyraman, she refuses to cooperate with adven-
  turers unless they promise to free Peyraman.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: 3D6 Rust Brothers, Viseria.
  15. CHAPEL OF THE GODS
  A malodorous, smaller stone building with a sin-
  gle room appears to be mostly filled with blood, 
  sawdust and iron filings sprinkled across various 
  tools and weapons. The building is flanked by idols 
  depicting Rust and Heme.
  The building is a chapel dedicated to Rust and 
  Heme. The Rust Brothers often perform blood 
  sacrifices over the holy metal to appease the gods.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: 2D6 VALUABLE finds.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: 2D6 Rust Brothers.
  MONSTERS  
  AND NPCS
  Creatures and non-player characters that can 
  be encountered in the fortress of Vond are de-
  scribed below.
  GRANDMASTER MANDEREL
  The commander of the Iron Guard is Grand-
  master Manderel, a scarred war veteran as 
  well as an ordained Rust Brother. Manderel 
  is just as proficient at fighting with his two 
  extra misgrown arms as he is with the ones he 
  was born with. Additionally, he has an extra 
  eye in the back of the neck and is capable of 
  wielding magic. The silver veins that are in-
  laid in Manderel’s face absorb magic and serve 
  as a shield against it. You can see a picture of 
  Manderel on page 197.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 5, Scouting 3, Lore 2, Insight 
  3, Manipulation 3
  TALENTS: Path of the Blade 3, Firm Grip 2, 
  Cold Blooded 2, Steady Feet 2, Sixth Sense 2
  REPUTATION: 6
  GEAR: Two-handed sword, plate armor, 
  great helm, PRECIOUS find
  
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  192
  MISGROWN: Manderel has four arms and an 
  extra eye at the back of the neck. Because 
  of this, he gets to draw three initiative 
  cards at the start of combat, choose the 
  best two, and perform actions on both.
  MAGICAL SHIELD: The silver veins in 
  Manderel’s face act as the spell DISPEL 
  MAGIC with Power Level D6. No Willpo-
  wer Points are needed. The effect only 
  affects magic directed at Manderel’s 
  person.
  SENESCHAL MORDARGA
  Mordarga was a priestess of the goddess Heme 
  when she was touched by a vision, and instead 
  picked up the sword to defend the fortress and 
  became one of the highest officers of the Iron 
  Guard. Mordarga cares for the blood willow 
  that grows next to the assembly hall, since 
  she claims that it is Heme sprung into wood. 
  Mordarga ritually scratches her arms and face, 
  keeps her head shaved clean of hair and eye-
  brows, but is free from demonic misgrowths. 
  Aside from her skill in battle, she is able to call 
  the roots of the blood willow from the soil to 
  snare and attack enemies while within the vi-
  cinity of the tree.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 5, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 5, Lore 2, Insight 3, Manipu-
  lation 3
  TALENTS: Path of Death 2, Path of the Blade 
  2, Firm Grip 2, Fast Footwork 2
  REPUTATION: 2
  GEAR: Longsword, plate armor, closed 
  helmet
  BLOOD WILLOW ROOTS: If Mordarga is within 
  SHORT distance of the blood willow, she can 
  perform an additional slow action every 
  round. With the extra action Mordarga 
  can cause the roots of the blood willow to 
  attack an adventurer within SHORT distance 
  of the blood willow with ten Base Dice and 
  Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). If the attack 
  succeeds, the adventurer is GRAPPLED. 
  RUST BROTHERS
  Vond is the headquarters of the Rust Brothers, 
  and it shows. Rust Brothers in robes draped 
  with metal move about all over the area. Gen-
  erally they don’t expect an outsider to even be 
  able to enter the area and can therefore be sur-
  prised quite easily.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Move 1, Marksmanship 2, 
  Lore 3, Survival 1, Insight 2, Manipulation 1, 
  Healing 2
  TALENTS: Path of Healing, Path of Shifting 
  Shapes or Path of Sight (rank 2)
  GEAR: Staff, dagger, D6 copper
  MISGROWN: Many Rust Brothers are 
  misgrown. In most cases the effects are 
  cosmetic, but you can give some of the 
  Rust Brothers unique abilities. Roll on the 
  table to the right.
  
  vond
  193
  IRON GUARDS
  The order of the Iron Guard is the military 
  branch of the Rust Church and answers direct-
  ly to Rust Prince Kartorda. The knights gener-
  ally do battle on foot. Some ride on demonified 
  animals. Normally there are a total of about 
  one hundred Iron Guards in Vond. More are 
  patrolling the city ruins or out on punitive ex-
  peditions in the Forbidden Lands.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Might 2, Endurance 2, Melee 4, Move 
  2, Marksmanship 3, Scouting 2
  TALENTS: Path of the Blade or Path of the 
  Enemy 2, Threatening 1, Cold Blooded 1
  GEAR: Longsword or flail, heavy crossbow, 
  chainmail or plate armor, great helm, large 
  shield, combat trained horse, one VALU-
  ABLE find
  CORPSE HERDERS
  Anywhere there are demons and undead in 
  Vond there are also the Corpse Herders. They 
  are dressed in their strange, metallic uni-
  forms, marred by scars and wounds, and with 
  their Rods of Ungrounding ready to strike any-
  one who shows the slightest hint of curiosity 
  or independent will.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Might 3, Melee 2, Lore 2, Manipula-
  tion 2, Animal Handling 2
  GEAR: Rod of Ungrounding (stats like a 
  staff but with Weapon Damage 2), dagger, 
  studded leather armor
  KRASYLLA
  Entering Krasylla’s chamber, one is greeted 
  ABILITIES OF THE MISGROWN
  D8
  ABILITY
  EFFECT
  1
  Four arms
  May perform one additional slow or fast action each 
  round with the extra pair of arms.
  2
  Eyes in the back 
  of the neck
  Bonus +2 to all attempts at detecting a sneak attack or an 
  ambush.
  3
  Fangs
  Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound) as well as Lethal poison 
  with Potency 6.
  4
  Claws
  Weapon Damage 2 (slash wounds).
  5
  Tentacles
  Bonus +2 to all attempts to GRAPPLE.
  6
  Ulcerous
  Contact is contagious, with a Virulence rating of 6.
  7
  Wings
  Can fly, Movement Rate 2
  8
  Roll twice
  –
  
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  194
  by various smells that rise from a gigantic, 
  pulsating and veined mass, the upper section 
  of which vaguely resembles a humanoid form 
  with shifting features. Among the scents are 
  also inciting and inviting components which 
  makes the impression even more disturbing. 
  Organic, chomping sounds mingle with the 
  creature’s dark and warped voice. The arms that 
  hang beside the too large head are mostly for 
  decoration, since Krasylla can summon tenta-
  cles at will to ensnare his visitors.
  You can find stats for Krasylla on page 38.
  RAVEN SISTER VIRNIA
  Sister Virnia lies naked, fatally mangled and im-
  prisoned by the roots of the blood willow outside 
  the assembly hall. The woman bears wounds 
  from being whipped, and her hair is partially 
  ripped off. She asks only to be given the feath-
  er of a raven (see the Events, below). If Virelda 
  Bloodbeak (see page 40) is accompanying the ad-
  venturers, she will demand that they aid Virnia.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4
  SKILLS: Melee 2, Move 2, Lore 3, Survival 2, 
  Healing 3
  TALENTS: Path of Shifting Shapes 2
  GEAR: None
  HIRENA
  The demon Merigall has a daughter in Vond, 
  normally serving as steward in the wardroom 
  or the guardhouse. Hirena resembles Merigall, 
  with short, blonde hair and yellow eyes, and is 
  tall and very beautiful. She doesn’t understand 
  who she is, having only vague memories and 
  being burdened with an inner existential dark-
  ness, and lacks friends. Raised as a soldier she 
  is able to fight, but does so without conviction; 
  most of all she hungers for a meaningful exis-
  tence. Merigall can teleport to her and truly 
  loves her as its daughter.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Move 2 
  TALENTS: Knife Fighter 2
  GEAR: Dagger, leather armor
  PEYRAMAN
  A group of dwarven Crombe warriors have sworn 
  to reclaim Vond and slay the demon Krasylla, 
  whom they see as the sworn enemy of their clan. 
  The mission didn’t go very well and the group 
  has been all but wiped out and the leader, Peyra-
  man, has been captured. He is in the dungeons. 
  If you want, you can let the adventurers meet 
  some other Crombe warriors in the vicinity of 
  Vond. They may know more about the fortress 
  and the secret passage to the old caves.
  
  vond
  195
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Might 2, Melee 4, Lore 2, Insight 3, 
  Manipulation 1
  TALENTS: Path of the Shield 2, Melee Charge 
  2, Axe Fighter 2
  GEAR: –
  VISERIA
  The Galdanes of Aslene hate the demon Kra-
  sylla and call him the Butcher of Aslene. The 
  horse-woman Viseria and her comrades were 
  allied with Peyraman’s Crombe warriors, but 
  shared their fate. She is in the Cauldron of Tor-
  ment. The two are in love, and their main goal 
  is to free the other. Viseria brought a holy Arrow 
  of the Fire Wyrm from the volcano Horn, but 
  didn’t have time to fire it at Krasylla before be-
  ing captured. She knows that the arrow is stored 
  in the weapon storage behind the armory.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 5, WITS 3, EMPATHY 4
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Marksmanship 4, Move 3, 
  Insight 2, Healing 2, Animal Handling 4
  TALENTS: Path of the Plains 2, Horseback 
  Archer 2, Fast Shooter 2
  GEAR: –
  VIRDUR STONEBROW
  Virdur is second-in-command in Peyraman’s 
  group, and may attempt a desperate rescue of his 
  leader via the old dwarven gates. Virdur got his 
  nickname after an injury to the head, in which 
  his forehead was replaced with metal plates.
  STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Might 4, Melee 3
  TALENTS: Firm Grip 2, Unarmed Warrior 2
  GEAR: Warhammer, large shield, plate ar-
  mor, closed helmet
  EVENTS
  Below is a selection of events that may occur 
  while the adventures are inside the fortress 
  of Vond.
  THE RAVEN SISTER
  The Raven Sister Virnia, who lies fatally 
  wounded and imprisoned by the blood willow, 
  gets hold of the feather of a raven – either be-
  
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  196
  cause the adventurers answered her plea, or 
  because a feather floats down from the birds 
  in the tree. She utters a prayer to the Raven 
  god upon which the feather dissolves into 
  black mist which disperses in the wind. Short-
  ly thereafter, hundreds of ravens come flying. 
  They fall upon Virnia and devour her piece by 
  piece in a matter of minutes before taking off.
  The event catches the attention of the 
  Iron Guards or the Rust Brothers (if the Iron 
  Guards are occupied at the wall), and may lead 
  to the presence of the adventurers being re-
  vealed.
  If the adventurers gave Virnia the feather, 
  the three largest ravens will proclaim “Lead 
  us in our vengeance” in unison, and obey the 
  adventurers. If Virnia got hold of the feather 
  on her own, the unkindness of ravens will at-
  tack anyone they come across in the fortress, 
  including the adventurers, and mainly aim for 
  the eyes.
  The unkindness counts as a swarm and has 
  the same stats as bats (see page 127 in the Gam-
  emaster’s Guide) but have a Strength of 10.
  DEMONIC BIRTH
  A giant vat, roughly 15 meters in diameter 
  and filled with a viscous, green fluid stands 
  surrounded by scaffolds and ramps filled with 
  Rust Brothers and Iron Guards. It appears as if 
  they are waiting for something, and their atten-
  tion is fixed on the fluid in the vat. Suddenly, 
  something rises above the surface, a huge and 
  strange body. An unnatural cry echoes across 
  the landscape after which a demonic creature 
  slowly rises from the sludge. The surrounding 
  Rust Brothers hug each other and congratulate 
  their colleagues on a successful birth. Yet an-
  other guest from Churmog has been born into 
  this world.
  Randomize the demon’s abilities and stats 
  with the help of the tables on page 81 and be-
  yond in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
  BOLTS OF LIGHTNING
  The weather suddenly shifts with remarkable 
  speed. The sky above Vond is filled with dark 
  clouds and thundering flashes strike the peaks 
  above the fortress. The energy of the thunder-
  storm can be seen dancing down the tower at 
  the top of the mountain. Rust Brothers and 
  knights don’t seem to pay any attention to the 
  extreme weather.
  THE COMMANDO UNIT
  A suicide commando unit of twenty Crombe 
  dwarves and Galdane warriors suddenly charge 
  from the secret passage by the dwarven gates 
  (location #5 on the map). Their main mission 
  is to find and free Peyraman and Viseria, but as 
  a secondary goal they want to kill as many offi-
  cers of the Iron Guard as they can. The group 
  is led by Virdur Stonebrow. If the adventurers 
  were unaware of the secret passage, they may 
  now discern its existence. The attack also serves 
  as a distraction, which might help the adven-
  turers if there isn’t a battle being fought at the 
  walls (see above).
  MANDEREL’S SPEECH
  Grandmaster Manderel gathers a larger force 
  on the training grounds to raise their morale 
  
  vond
  197
  with a rousing speech. This may mean that the 
  area is difficult to pass through, but may also 
  be a distraction in which the guards are tempo-
  rarily removed from their posts. 
  THE SARMOG  
  AWAKENS
  If the adventurers defeat or 
  severely 
  wound 
  Krasylla, 
  the transformation to the 
  demon’s next stage will be 
  accelerated. A nearby tow-
  er will begin to shudder, 
  after which large blocks of stone fall to the 
  ground and land with heavy thuds. In that 
  moment, something incredible happens – the 
  tower transforms into what appears to be an 
  immense living creature. It is Krasylla 
  in sarmog form, who has transferred 
  his life-force to the demonic mass 
  in the tower. The stones of the 
  tower become the demon’s 
  armor and Krasylla is 
  now 
  more 
  powerful 
  than ever. Read more 
  about Krasylla and sar-
  mog on page 37.
  GRANDMASTER  
  MANDEREL
  
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  198
  MERIGALL’S LAIR
  Above the fortress of Vond, you reach a passage 
  made of stone that continues up the southern slope 
  of Mount Ora. It ends at a marble staircase that 
  leads up to a partially ruined pavilion higher up 
  on the mountainside. The building curves around 
  the upper crest of the stairs, which are surrounded 
  by the remains of gardens and fountains.
  BACKGROUND
  The exotic mountain pavilion was constructed 
  in the elven style for the dwarven king Tande-
  lon of Crombe about 650 AS, and oversees the 
  fortress of Vond and its city from the south-
  ern slope of Mount Ora. King Alvagard of Al-
  derland lived in the building for a short while 
  during the war against the humans, at which 
  time it was left deserted. The last couple of 
  hundred years, the demon Merigall has used 
  the remaining parts as its residence.
  LOCATIONS
  Listed below are the most important places in 
  and around Merigall’s lair.
  1. MARBLE STAIRCASE
  A worn and cracked, almost one hundred meters 
  long marble staircase leads up to the pavilion on 
  the mountainside above the fortress of Vond. You 
  notice how the steps are scored and notched by 
  countless ironshod boots.
  The staircase ends in a passage under the cen-
  tral structure of the pavilion. There was once a 
  gate of which only the hinges remain. You pass 
  directly on to the passage up towards Zytera’s 
  mogarium. There are doors to the guardroom 
  and the studio, as well as a spiral staircase that 
  leads up to Merigall’s chambers.
  On the staircase, twenty meters from the 
  pavilion, a perceptive adventurer can divine a 
  MOVING ABOUT IN MERIGALL’S LAIR
  Merigall’s lair is a secluded part of 
  Vond. There are only a few guards up 
  here, and few Iron Guards and Rust 
  Brothers move about in the area. If 
  the adventurers have come this far, 
  they no longer risk being discovered 
  by the Iron Guard.
  secret door in the wall to the left of the stair-
  case. It is actually a forgotten defense mech-
  anism. If the adventurers pry away the right 
  stone, the whole wall will crumble and stone 
  blocks will roll down the stairs.
  If Merigall is in the pavilion, the demon is 
  probably waiting for the guests on the balcony 
  outside its chamber. Merigall will tell them 
  that it has waited for them, and invites them 
  to come inside for a simple meal.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Merigall, if the demon isn’t 
  in its chambers.
  
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  7
  vond
  199
  2. THE ROAD TO ZYTERA’S  
  MOGARIUM
  Beyond the pavilion you see how the paved road 
  sharply twists up the mountainside to an ominous 
  castle, the contours of which are outlined against 
  the thunderclouds beyond when the walls are lit 
  by lightning.
  3. GUARDROOM
  The stone chamber was once beautiful, but the 
  frescoes on the walls are flaky and bleached. A 
  crack in the outer wall has been sealed with tar 
  oakum and moss. There are a couple of bunks, ta-
  bles and simple chairs in the room.
  A couple of Rust Brothers live in this room, 
  mainly serving as errand boys to Merigall, 
  since the demon doesn’t need any protection.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: D6–3 Rust Brothers.
  4. STUDIO
  The room is full of painting tools and partially fin-
  ished paintings. Some depict strange landscapes 
  that you have never seen, and many of the motifs 
  have disturbing details like a blue and white baby 
  thrown behind a chair or a man chopping off his 
  own hand.
  A covered portrait depicts a beautiful, dark 
  elven woman with a snare for a necklace. The 
  picture depicts Viridia, whom Merigall loved 
  a long time ago, and who still dwells in the 
  MERIGALL’S LAIR
  ENTRY LEVEL
  
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  200
  emerald Gall-Eye in the sword Maligarn. 
  Merigall can tell them the legend, if the ad-
  venturers ask. Another painting shows twelve 
  beings of various kin and ages, each of whom 
  bears a resemblance to the others. These are 
  Merigall’s offspring in the Forbidden Lands.
  5. MUSIC ROOM
  In the room are several musical instruments, of 
  which one is a larger piece with sheets of metal 
  that chime when thrummed. There are also two 
  beds here, as well as wardrobes with childrens’ 
  clothes and toys.
  The instrument is a plectron, like the one in 
  the temple yard at Haggler’s House.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Merigall’s children, Morel-
  de and Migalda.
  6. GUESTROOM
  Another perfumed room with a large bed, ward-
  robes, fires in two fireplaces and benches with 
  various equipment that appears to be have taken 
  from a brothel.
  Merigall may be found in this bed with a 
  couple of naked humans, some of which are 
  demon-tainted.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Erosia
  8
  9
  MERIGALL’S LAIR
  SECOND FLOOR
  
  vond
  201
  7. CAVED-IN ROOMS
  There is only debris here.
  8. MERIGALL’S CHAMBERS
  From a spiral staircase, you reach a large and 
  warm octagonal hall. The air is heavily scent-
  ed and the walls are dressed in red hued velvet 
  that has been draped around paintings. An 
  open fire burns in the fireplace and a couple of 
  naked people, a man and a woman, stand by 
  a wall. A narrow ditch carved from the floor 
  runs roughly a meter from the wall, filled with 
  a purple-green mass that appears to be alive. In 
  the center of the room is a padded bench, with a 
  snare hanging above. There is also a desk and 
  shelves with scrolls of parchment in the cham-
  ber. Mounted on the walls are ornamented ser-
  pentine weapons.
  This is Merigall’s chambers, the closest thing 
  the demon has to a home. The humans are 
  stuffed, beautiful specimens that Merigall 
  felt it was a shame to let go to rot. The demon 
  speaks fondly of them as former lovers. The 
  mass in the ditch consists of rare dancing mog 
  from Churmog. By touching it in specific plac-
  es in a specific rhythm, the ripples can be made 
  to assume exciting shapes and colors.
  The scrolls of parchment deal exclusively 
  with history and legends. A larger piece of parch-
  ment is a decently accurate map of the Forbid-
  den Lands. Candelabras with wax candles are lit 
  in the evening. Merigall often sits and sleeps 
  on the padded bench, and then places the snare 
  around the neck so that the body doesn’t wan-
  der off. To the south is a balcony. The paintings 
  depict red scenes from Churmog or beings of 
  different kin who all resemble Merigall – these 
  are the demon’s offspring, and the adventurers 
  may have encountered some of them.
  Merigall may be in the room, on the bal-
  cony or in the guestroom with company. The 
  demon will not fight, but wants to make some 
  kind of deal. Merigall will fight if attacked, but 
  will teleport away if the battle goes badly.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Merigall
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: Three magical artifacts with 
  a serpentine theme are mounted on the 
  walls. All of the artifacts are described in 
  detail in the Gamemaster’s Guide and on 
  cards in the deck of cards for Forbidden 
  Lands. Merigall can give one or more 
  artifacts to the adventurers, depending 
  on what the demon wants them to do. 
  Note that the adventurers don’t have to 
  come to this location. Merigall can give 
  them a weapon in another location if it is 
  motivated. If you have already introduced 
  these artifacts in your campaign in a 
  different way, you can scratch them from 
  this location.
  AN ARROW OF THE FIRE WYRM: Marks 
  those who participated in the devastation of 
  Aslene to the god Horn. Leads the Fire Wyrm 
  Erinya to the guilty. The arrow is specifically 
  aimed at Krasylla.
  THE SPEAR IVELDE: The spear that sows dis-
  cord can be used to make the statues in Zytera’s 
  Mogarium (see page 205) destroy one another 
  until only the one containing Merigall’s life 
  essence remains. Merigall does not realize this 
  itself.
  
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  THE BROADSWORD ASINA: The sword does ad-
  ditional damage against all demons and can cleave 
  Zytera into its two parts, Zygofer and Therania.
  9. CHAPEL
  Half the room lacks a ceiling and under the ceil-
  ing that remains are stored stacks of roofing tiles. 
  Presumably, the room was going to be repaired 
  but that never came to pass. The room appears to 
  have been a chapel to the dwarven god Huge, for a 
  broken statue of the god lies on the floor.
  It is completely true that the room originally 
  served as a chapel to the dwarven god Huge, 
  but it has gone to ruin over the centuries.
   
  ✥
  TREASURES: A coffer is hidden under a 
  stone tile in the floor. The coffer contains 
  a PRECIOUS find with the oddity “Dwarven 
  heirloom” (see page 193 in the Gamemas-
  ter’s Guide).
  MONSTERS  
  AND NPCS
  Creatures and non-player characters that 
  can be encountered in Merigall’s lair are de-
  scribed below.
  THE DEMON MERIGALL
  The demon Merigall is one of the key players 
  in the campaign and is described on page 35. 
  You can find a picture of the demon on page 11.
  MORELDE AND MIGALDA
  Morelde is a blonde ten-year-old boy and Mi-
  galda is a dark-haired twelve-year-old girl, 
  both of whom are children of Merigall. They 
  are both noticably beautiful, with yellow 
  eyes, and resemble one another, but there is 
  something incomplete about them, as if they 
  haven’t been completely “finished” and an ob-
  server can’t really be sure if they are humans, 
  dwarves or half-elves. They are very open 
  towards strangers, happy, and appear to be 
  oblivious to the world outside the pavilion.
  The children are being cultivated to be de-
  ployed somewhere in the Forbidden Lands, but 
  Merigall hasn’t decided where yet and neither has 
  MERIGALL’S GIFT
  Merigall is the eternal schemer and 
  will try to use the adventurers in the 
  way that benefits the demon most. 
  Merigall is very interested in what 
  Krasylla has told them, and makes no 
  attempt at hiding the disgust it feels 
  for the demon prince. Merigall’s goal 
  is to be free of Zytera’s control, and 
  needs to drink its life essence from 
  one of the stone guardians in Zytera’s 
  mogarium. Merigall will gladly give 
  the adventurers gifts in the form of 
  the magical weapons that the demon 
  has collected over the years (see the 
  event Merigall’s Supper, below).
  
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  it imprinted them for a location, which  is why 
  they appear somewhat incomplete. Merigall will 
  become the mortal enemy of anyone who hurts 
  them or any other of the demon’s offspring. 
  Either one of the children can, like Hirena, 
  be brought forth as food for Krasylla to kindle 
  Merigall’s hatred against the larger demon.
  STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Move 2
  TALENTS: –
  GEAR: Elegant clothes
  EROSIA
  Erosia is a demonic creature that Merigall 
  has constructed for the sole purpose of am-
  orous endeavours at home in the pavilion, 
  when more exciting company is unavailable. It 
  mostly looks like a flesh-colored, shapeless toad 
  the size of a horse and is comprised of parts, 
  mostly human, cobbled together with demon-
  ic mog. Erosia may appear grotesque, painted 
  and attired with a number of limbs and organs, 
  but if one can look past the big picture it is pos-
  sible to find a certain beauty and grace in the 
  individual parts. The creature is always friend-
  ly and inviting and won’t defend itself even if 
  attacked, in which case it will cite poetry about 
  the beautiful mortality of life. It has mastered 
  several musical instruments and other arts. 
  The personality of the creature changes to suit 
  the visitor.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 5
  SKILLS: Lore 4, Performance 4
  TALENTS: –
  GEAR: –
  CAPTAIN KARDUNE
  Kardune is an Iron Guard, a hardy warrior with 
  an austere beard. In secret, he wanted to become 
  an artist and comes from one of the villages clo-
  se to Groveland Woods. He therefore enjoys be-
  ing with Merigall, and is also the demon’s lover. 
  As a teenager, Kardune was forced to join the 
  army when his village couldn’t pay its annual 
  tithe. The captain has declined misgrown extra 
  limbs and the other officers look down on him 
  because of this. Kardune suspects that the times 
  are changing, and he can turn on the Rust Brot-
  hers if he sympathizes with the adventurers. 
  See the event “The Iron Guard,” below.
  STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Crafting 2, Marksmanship 
  2, Scouting 2, Lore 1
  TALENTS: Path of the Blade 2
  GEAR: Longsword, dagger, chainmail, VALU-
  ABLE find
  THE REDRUNNER HIZGELE
  Hizgele loved the elf Megonda Mard (see page 
  210), who has been kidnapped by Zytera’s under-
  lings. Hizgele suspects that it is already too late 
  to save her and has also allowed himself to be 
  captured. He plans to detonate his heart ruby in 
  front of Zytera to wound or preferably kill the 
  creature. Hizgele is lean and wiry with long, 
  fair hair and tatoos that depict winding plants. 
  He wears only a piece of cloth around his torso, 
  is bloody, but unmoved by pain or cold.
  
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  204
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 4, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Marksmanship 4, Survival 2
  TALENTS: Pain Resistant 2
  GEAR: –
  EVENTS
  Below are a number of events that can occur in 
  Merigall’s lair.
  THE PRETEND ADVENTURERS
  Morelde and Migalda suddenly surprise the 
  adventurers, threateningly but playfully, the 
  boy with a wooden sword and a shield and 
  the girl dressed up as a fairy with a wand and 
  dress strewn with stars. They live in their 
  own world, and Merigall has played games 
  with them where they pretend to be “adven-
  turers”. Neither of them possess any skill in 
  combat or magic.
  THE IRON GUARD
  Iron Guard Captain Kardune arrives at the 
  pavilion with urgent information for Meri-
  gall on the state of matters. He is under pres-
  sure, and is not amused to find strangers in 
  the area.
  THE DAUGHTER’S RETURN
  The steward Hirena (see page  194) comes 
  to the pavilion with a message for Merigall 
  from Grandmaster Manderel, requesting the 
  demon’s presence at a counsel in the guard-
  house of the fortress. The children Morelde 
  and Migalda see her as their older sister, and 
  one can immediately spot the similarities 
  they share.
  THE REDRUNNER
  A couple of Rust Brothers are bringing a 
  screaming elven Redrunner through the pas-
  sage under the pavilion up towards Zytera’s 
  mogarium. The elf calls himself Hizgele, and 
  has been looking for the missing Megonda 
  Mard (see page 210).
  MERIGALL’S SUPPER
  Merigall invites the adventurers to supper 
  with it in its chambers. Here they are of-
  fered, more or less bizarre delicacies from 
  both this and other worlds. To accompany 
  the food, they are treated with nectar wine 
  which tastes sweet and lovely and makes the 
  adventurer discover an intense love both 
  for life and Merigall (the demon gets +2 to 
  MANIPULATION against those who drink the 
  wine). During the meal, Merigall explains its 
  role in Zytera’s plans, and laments that ev-
  erything has gone wrong. The demon offers 
  an alliance to anyone ready to kill Zytera and 
  offers the adventurers the magical weapons 
  at its disposal (see page 201) to achieve that 
  goal. The negotiations can sour – if the ad-
  venturers choose to decline Merigall’s pro-
  posal, the demon will be wroth and BEFOUL 
  the food in an instant. Merigall will then 
  cast PARALYZE and TERROR before fleeing to-
  wards Zytera’s mogarium.
  
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  ZYTERA’S MOGARIUM
   
  From the bridge beyond the palace of the dwar-
  ven prince you see the peak of Mount Ora, but 
  the scene could just as well originate in an alien 
  and terrifying demonic world. From the black 
  cliff giving off a metallic gleam rises a spiral 
  tower whose silver battlements exchange bolts 
  of lightning with the dark thundercloud over-
  head. The upper levels of the tower pulsate and 
  swell, as if they were formed from living flesh 
  instead of rock. 
  BACKGROUND
  Zytera spends most of his time in the mogar-
  ium to experiment with mog – the living de-
  monic substance from the world of Churmog. 
  It is raw mog in different forms that coat the 
  upper levels of the tower. Zytera has managed 
  to open a protonexus – a primitive opening to 
  Churmog – at the top of the tower. With the 
  help of the Corpse Herder Brenziga, he keeps 
  a thundercloud locked above the area to supply 
  power for the experiments. Zytera’s spider body 
  climbs up and down the mountain from the 
  balcony when the creature wants to leave the 
  mogarium.
  LOCATIONS
  Listed 
  below 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  import-
  ant 
  locations 
  in 
  Zytera’s 
  mogarium. 
  1. TRANSFORMARIUM
  The path beyond the bridge writhes up towards a 
  building at the base of the tower. Statues of both 
  Rust and Heme stand to either side of the portal, 
  surrounded by braziers in which red fires burn. 
  Misgrown Rust Brothers are gathered in clamor-
  ous worship and self-flagellation beneath a balco-
  ny. Their bodies are bloodied. A number of other 
  priests of Rust walk among them.
  In the transformarium, dedicated Rust Broth-
  ers receive their extra limbs and deformities. 
  Zytera comes to look upon them from the bal-
  cony and passes down limbs prepared in mog 
  to the priests who attach them to the worship-
  pers. The six cells in the building hold devotees 
  recovering after the process, and frequently 
  some prisoner used for raw material.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: 2D6 demonified Rust Broth-
  ers, D3 other Rust Brothers, D3–1 prisoners 
  from the Forbidden Lands (maybe someone 
  the adventurers have met before?).
  2. GUARDIAN CHAMBER
  A large hall filled with statues holding stone 
  weapons opens up inside the gate. They are all 
  facing towards you. Some skeletons lie on the floor.
  In the guardian chamber are a dozen stone 
  statues that wake up and attack anyone who en-
  ters while not wearing a silver hauberk. Howev-
  er, if the spear Ivelde (see page 135 of the Gam-
  emaster’s Guide) is thrown among them, they 
  
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  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10
  ZYTERA’S MOGARIUM
  
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  will start destroying one another until only 
  one remains – the one who carries the brass 
  receptacle containing Merigall’s life essence as 
  its heart (see page 37).
  The guardian room can be bypassed if one 
  scales the balcony from the transformarium.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Twelve stone guardians.
  3. VIVISECTION ROOMS
  A narrow building bridges a chasm. Windows 
  are open along its sides. The smell of decay is 
  heavy. You can hear someone crying.
  These rooms hold dissection tables with fetters 
  and the remains of dissected bodies. A couple of 
  youths are imprisoned in a cell. They can tell of 
  how other prisoners have been butchered alive by 
  Brenziga, Zytera and their living silver skeletons.
  4. THE LIMB PATCH
  The stench of decay is almost unbearable beyond 
  the staircase. You hear strange scrapings and 
  squelches coming from the rooms.
  In these various rooms are roughly sorted 
  limbs from both animals and humans. Organ-
  ic masses of mog hang down from cracks in 
  the ceiling and in through the windows. Many 
  of the limbs appear to be alive, and twitch or 
  slither when someone enters. The hand room 
  contains some thirty severed, living arms that 
  collectively attack anyone who enters, stran-
  gling and scratching. The arms technically 
  function as a swarm (see page 127 in the Gam-
  emaster’s Guide) with Strength 8. The swarm’s 
  attacks have Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). 
  In the northernmost room are decapitated 
  heads, some of which can talk. They are more 
  or less insane. One head, belonging to a sor-
  cerer, casts the spell PUPPETEER (Power Level 
  5) on the first being who enters the room and 
  tries to compel the victim to attack her friends.
  The southern rooms hold wooden bunks 
  with fetters for dissection and a silver anvil with 
  a silver hammer for shattering elven rubies.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The freak Mard is also in 
  the room, and may try to contact the 
  adventurers (see the event “Mard,” below).
  GASEOUS MOG
  The gaseous mog found in Brenziga’s 
  suite acts as a poison with Potency 6. 
  Everyone within NEAR distance is 
  afflicted.
   
  ✥
  FULL EFFECT: The victim suffers 
  1 point of damage to Empathy 
  each round until she’s broken. 
  Additionally, she immediately 
  develops a misgrowth and must 
  roll on the table for abilities of 
  the demon-tainted (see page 193). 
  The effect is permanent.
   
  ✥
  LIMITED EFFECT: The victim suffers 
  1 point of damage to Empathy 
  and develops a temporary mis-
  growth. Roll on the table as for 
  the full effect, but the effect goes 
  away after a Quarter Day.
  
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  5. BRENZIGA’S SUITE
  Above the stairs is a locked, silver-plated gate. In-
  side is a beautiful suite where someone obviously 
  lives – a fire is burning in the fireplace and a de-
  canter of wine has been prepared. The contrast to 
  the disgusting rooms encountered before is almost 
  terrifying.
  The silver pattern of the gate is electrically 
  charged and yields a powerful jolt if the adven-
  turers touch it (deals 1 damage to Strength, 
  non-typical damage). The room is inhabited 
  by the Corpse Herder Brenziga and a few of 
  Corpse Herders of lower rank. They operate 
  the lightning set-up of the tower, direct the 
  silver skeletons and help Zytera conduct the 
  anatomical experiments.
  In a wooden rack on the table three glass 
  orbs containing shimmering fluids can be 
  seen. If they break, gaseous mog gushes out 
  and afflicts everyone within NEAR distance. 
  See the adjacent boxed text.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: The Corpse Herder Brenzi-
  ga, two Corpse Herders of lower rank.
  6. SUITE OF THE SILVER 
   SKELETONS
  Above the stairs the air tastes like metal and stings 
  the nose. Crackling sounds can be heard from the 
  rooms where fleshy masses hang in through win-
  dows and through holes in the walls and ceiling. 
  Here and there, the mass exhibits tentacles or fas-
  tened human limbs. There are a number of large, 
  shimmering silver skeletons in these rooms.
  Five silver skeletons are used as aides in the 
  tower, and they mostly dwell in this room. 
  Some ten charged rods sit in the rack, where 
  they absorb power from the thundercloud via 
  silver cables. The skeletons can heal themselves 
  with the rods and will gain power if they are 
  used against them.
  The spiral staircase leads up to the bases of 
  the two northern silver spires of the building 
  where thunder roars.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Five silver skeletons.
  7. THE WALL OF FLESH
  Above the staircase the passage is narrow, since a 
  fleshy substance wells forth from the rooms to the 
  right. Various body parts thrash and move on the 
  surface. It smells horrible, and every so often you 
  can hear thundering sounds after which the en-
  tire mass shudders as if in terror.
  The mass can be pushed aside with jolts from 
  the silver rods in the suite of the silver skele-
  tons, but is not aggressive. Both these rooms 
  are completely filled with fleshy mog and limbs 
  in preparatory training.
  8. BALCONY
  You reach a square corner room where the west 
  wall has been completely removed. The wind 
  howls past you. Outside, the mountain drops 
  straight down and is coated in clinging mog. Along 
  the walls are a number of buzzing silver beams, 
  and a silver skeleton lies against one of them.
  The room is kept free of mog since this is 
  where Zytera leaves and enters the tower. The 
  
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  beast can climb up and down the mountainside 
  with ease. The silver beams along the walls are 
  laden with power from the thundercloud to 
  keep the area free of mog. The silver skeleton 
  has become addicted to the power of the light-
  ning and is usually found lying entwined with 
  the beam and doesn’t care about anything else.
   
  ✥
  CREATURES: Zertorme or Redwing can 
  appear here. See Events.
  9. THE PILEUM OF THE TOWER
  The upper plateau of the tower appears to be  cov-
  ered by flesh-colored tissue, that has assumed a 
  varied and lively form. It slithers, pulsates, moves 
  and thrashes intrusively everywhere. Many ten-
  tacles are aggressively curious. Large parts of the 
  ceiling have caved in so that you can see the sky 
  overhead. Four thirty-meter-high silver steeples 
  rise from the four corners of the tower. Every so 
  often, a deafening crack is heard when lightning 
  strikes one of them from the thundercloud above, 
  and a shimmering light creeps along the surface.
  Mog becomes so intrusive that the adventurers 
  must either chop it to pieces with a weapon or 
  keep it at a distance with the silver rods from 
  the suite of the silver skeletons (they can be 
  recharged in the room). The narrow space due 
  north has a number of hands mounted on it 
  that will attack anyone who tries to push past 
  them. The hands act as a swarm (see page 127 
  in the Gamemaster’s Guide) with Strength 7.
  10. PROTONEXUS
  The center of the tower’s pileum holds an enor-
  mous silver bowl in which can be seen a mass that 
  rapidly changes color and has a slithering form to 
  it. Through holes that appear among the billow-
  ing folds you can sometimes glimpse a red, alien 
  light and occasionally even views of alien land-
  scapes. The mythical creature called Zytera stalks 
  around the bowl.
  This is most likely where the final showdown 
  against Zytera will take place. This can happen 
  in many ways, but read more on that in “The 
  Final Showdown”, below.
  MONSTERS 
  AND NPCS
  Creatures and non-player characters that can 
  be encountered in Zytera’s mogarium are de-
  scribed below.
  ZYTERA
  Zytera is one of the key players in the campaign 
  and is described in detail on page 29. There you 
  can also find a picture of the creature.
  CORPSE HERDER BRENZIGA
  Brenziga is the most distinguished Corpse Herd-
  er in the Rust Church. She is completely loyal 
  to Zytera, whom she believes to be the greatest 
  genius the world has ever seen. She is ruthlessly 
  dedicated to her research, seeking to animate the 
  dead and attach the organs and abilities of the liv-
  ing to creatures with the demonic substance mog 
  
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  210
  under the guidance of her master. Her special-
  ty is to dissect living creatures and to bring life 
  to organs and new creations with the electricity 
  that is channeled from the thundercloud above 
  the mogarium. She also oversees the practical 
  matters when Rust Brothers are equipped with 
  misgrown appendages in the transformarium. 
  Brenziga has severe burns from a multitude of 
  accidents, but she wears these scars with pride. 
  She is accompanied by two Corpse Herders that 
  serve as her assistants, and she also frequently 
  makes use of silver skeletons for manual labor.
   
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 5, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Lore 4, Healing 5, Insight 3, Manipu-
  lation 2
  TALENTS: Path of Death 3, Path of Blood 2
  REPUTATION: 4
  STONE GUARDIANS
  These large statues of stone represent legend-
  ary dwarven warriors. They lack Wits and 
  Empathy and are immune to all attacks that 
  damage these attributes.
  STRENGTH 12, AGILITY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 4
  ARMOR RATING: 10 (stoneskin)
  GEAR: Battleaxe
  SILVER SKELETONS
  These undead monstrosities are large skeletons, 
  perhaps those of ogres, whose bones have been 
  lined with silver. The fingers taper off to sharp 
  silver claws and the living eyes of beast or man 
  have been mounted in the eye sockets. The eyes 
  are wetted by rolling back on a regular basis, 
  instead of blinking. The skeletons carry silver 
  rods in their hands that flash with electricity. 
  These are used to direct mog tissue.
  STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 3, Scouting 2
  GEAR: Claws (Weapon Damage 2, slash 
  wound), silver rod (Weapon Bonus +2, 
  Weapon Damage 2, damages Agility in-
  stead of Strength)
  BONY: Arrows and POINTED weapons can 
  never cause more than 1 point of damage 
  in a single attack.
  MARD THE FREAK
  The elven healer Megonda Mard, a peaceful 
  Melder, was brought as a prisoner to Zytera’s 
  mogarium about a year ago. Her ruby was torn 
  from her chest and shattered so that the sor-
  cerer could use the shards as the spark of life in 
  his miscreations. A flake of the ruby fell into a 
  crack, however, and from this the freak Mard 
  has been reformed. Mard looks like an abortive 
  
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  human fetus, hairless with a big head, incom-
  plete limbs and her features in disarray – it is 
  easy to mistake her for a demonified monster.
  Mard is the size of a monkey and just as ag-
  ile, so she can climb around between the floors 
  on the outside of the tower. Mog instinctly re-
  tracts from her. Her mind and speech are both 
  rudimentary. Mard is skittish, but can sense 
  good intentions. She doesn’t know what she is 
  or what she is supposed to do, but mostly waits 
  for someone who can love her. Hizgela and 
  Redwing have come to rescue her and if she 
  sees them, her memory will partially return.
  STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 5, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
  SKILLS: Melee 4, Move 3, Insight 4
  HEALING: Mard automatically recoves 1 
  point of lost Strength each round. 
  MALINA REDWING
  The keen-eyed Redrunner Malina Redwing has 
  a terrible temper and hates and despises every-
  one who isn’t a full-blooded elf. Hizgele, whom 
  she harbors an unrequited love for, has tried to 
  convince her to try to rescue Megonda Mard, 
  who possesses unique knowledge of healing, 
  from Zytera’s grasp and she has reluctantly 
  agreed. She had already had thin wings grown 
  between her feet and arms so that she appears 
  to be a crossbreed between a bat and a flying 
  squirrel, and can glide on the winds.
  The wings have thin veins filled with 
  blood all over and appear to blaze red at a dis-
  tance. Redwing wears leather armor and is a 
  good marksman even on the move, but she is 
  almost useless in melee. She isn’t aware that 
  Hizgele intends to sacrifice himself to exact 
  revenge on Zytera, and would object fiercely 
  if she found out. The two signal each other 
  through the bays of howler rats.
  STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 5, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
  SKILLS: Melee 1, Move 4, Marksmanship 4
  TALENTS: Fast Shooter 2
  GEAR: Longbow, dagger, leather armor
  WINGS: Malina can fly SHORT distance with 
  a Movement Rate of 3. She must land after 
  each round of movement.
  EVENTS
  Below are a number of events that can occur in 
  Zytera’s mogarium.
  ZERTORME’S ARRIVAL
  Zertorme arrives at the tower via the balcony 
  for the showdown with his father and sister. 
  Note that Zertorme can be overtly or secretly 
  allied with the adventurers, Zygofer, Therania, 
  
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  212
  Merigall or someone else, regardless of how he 
  has acted previously in the game. See page 42 
  for more details.
  REDWING
  Redwing tries to alight on the balcony (see 
  location #8 on the map), but lands badly and 
  damages one of her wings. She asks the adven-
  turers to find Megonda Mard, whom she has 
  been sent to rescue from the tower, and also 
  to keep an eye out for Hizgele. According to 
  Redwing, Mard is supposed to possess powers 
  of healing. The adventurers may have caught 
  sight of a human-sized bat with blood-red 
  wings near Vond previously, before she lands 
  on the balcony. If Redwing is healed, she can 
  glide to safety from the mogarium with Mard 
  and one other person.
  MARD
  The freak Mard cautiously approaches the ad-
  venturers if their intentions are good. For add-
  ed enjoyment, you can let them glimpse the 
  grotesque features of the creature before the 
  encounter.
  THE DEMONIC CREATURE
  A half-finished demonified creature with lots 
  of limbs, as angry as it is terrified, has es-
  caped and crawling, attacks everything in its 
  path with improvised weaponry. Two silver 
  skeletons and a Corpse Herder are chasing it. 
  The creature shouts confused and disjointed 
  phrases like, “Don’t go near the geezer with 
  the gurdy!”, “Blunder with the blind otter!”, 
  and “Eight and seven make me fifteen… 
  Catch the wig!”
  TENTACLES
  Tentacles of mog shoot out from cracks in the 
  walls when the adventurers pass by and attack 
  them with nine Base Dice. The adventurer who 
  gets struck by a successful attack is additionally 
  GRAPPLED and suffers 1 point of damage every 
  subsequent round until she breaks free. A ten-
  tacle has Strength 3.
  THE FINAL  
  SHOWDOWN
  The encounter with Zytera at the Protonexus 
  is the climax of the campaign. It can happen 
  in many different ways and may include Me-
  rigall, Zertorme, Zygofer and Therania or 
  others. What happens depends in large part 
  on what has happened previously in the cam-
  paign, and what alliances the adventurers 
  have formed.
  Stanengist probably plays a crucial part in 
  the finale – Zytera wants Stanengist and by 
  
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  now, the adventurers hopefully know that the 
  crown will drive Zytera insane if he puts the 
  crown on either of his heads.
  If the players haven’t already figured out 
  what they want to do, you should encourage 
  them to do so now. Their decisions here and 
  now will have lasting consequences for the For-
  bidden Lands. If they destroy Zytera, the role 
  of the demonic ruler of the Forbidden Lands 
  will be taken over by Krasylla.Exactly what 
  happens in the final showdown with Zytera is 
  up to you. Here are just a few possibilities:
   
  ✥
  Zytera dies, upon which the protonexus 
  runs amok and becomes an uncontrolled 
  portal for demonic invasion.
   
  ✥
  Zytera knowingly transforms the proto-
  nexus into an uncontrolled nexus.
   
  ✥
  Zygofer and Therania are cut from Zytera’s 
  body with the sword Asina.
   
  ✥
  Zygofer’s lock of hair (from Martea in 
  the Stoneloom Mines) is thrown into the 
  protonexus, causing Zygofer to be slain by 
  demons.
   
  ✥
  A severed Zygofer crawls into the protonexus 
  and disappears – for now.
   
  ✥
  Stanengist is thrown into the protonexus or 
  nexus, at which time the portal closes.
   
  ✥
  Merigall steals the emerald Gall-Eye and 
  escapes to resurrect its beloved Viridia.
   
  ✥
  Zytera finds out that Merigall helped his 
  wife, Martea, escape and wants to exact 
  revenge on the demon.
   
  ✥
  Merigall’s life essence is poured into the 
  ocean or killed with acid and lye.
   
  ✥
  Krasylla’s contract is stolen from Zygofer by 
  Merigall, Therania or the adventurers.
   
  ✥
  Krasylla becomes sarmog.
   
  ✥
  Merigall steals Krasylla’s contract from 
  Zytera and gives it to the adventurers to win 
  Krasylla’s support.
   
  ✥
  Krasylla eats one of Merigall’s offspring and 
  Merigall finds out. This causes Merigall to 
  want to kill Krasylla with an Arrow of the 
  Fire Wyrm.
   
  ✥
  Krasylla is marked with an Arrow of the 
  Fire Wyrm and the Fire Wyrm Erinya 
  devours the demon.
   
  ✥
  Arvia Hugedottir has the Galdane rider 
  Viseria killed out of jealousy.
   
  ✥
  The Galdane riders become aware of the 
  murder of Viseria and turn on Arvia and 
  the dwarves.
   
  ✥
  Empress Soria gathers an orcish horde that 
  marches on Vond.
   
  ✥
  Kalman Rodenfell falls in love with 
  Merigall.
  
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  214
  AFTERMATH
  This night also passed. Hiriam Harsta leaned heavily 
  on her sword, her weapon as bloody as her armor. She 
  saw the sun rise beyond Shadowgate Pass in the east, and 
  the mist after all seemed less dense than the day before. 
  From Aslene, a low rumble from the fire mountain 
  Horn hailed her.
  A
  fter the showdown with Zytera, the 
  Raven’s Purge is over – but that 
  doesn’t mean that the adventurers 
  have reached the end of their journey! Far 
  from it!  Their actions have big consequences 
  for all of the Forbidden Lands, which can lead 
  to plenty of exciting new adventures.
  CONSEQUENCES
  Summarized below are the possible conse-
  quences of the actions of the adventurers 
  during Raven’s Purge.
  RETURN OF THE  
  DRAGON SCARNE
  If the adventurers freed the dragon mother 
  Scarne from the adventure site Stonegarden, 
  the dragon will emerge from the ground – 
  mark the location with a crater on the map. 
  She will attack the homeland of the Crombe 
  dwarves and may obliterate the clan’s dwell-
  ings, after which she’ll settle down in the 
  mountains north of the Forbidden Lands to 
  breed a new tribe of dragons worthy of the 
  name.
  RETURN OF THE BLOOD MIST
  If the adventurers manage to give the Blood-
  lings their self-confidence back at the adven-
  ture site Haggler’s House, the mists may 
  have been re-established in some hexagons 
  of the map. The adventurers may have placed 
  it as a line of defense around their Strong-
  hold. The GM can decide how large areas of 
  the map that are covered with Blood Mist at 
  night might be. 
  
  aftermath
  215
  aged to outmaneuver all the key players, it is 
  instead they that set the tone.
  ZYTERA
  Zygofer and Therania loathe one another and 
  only one of them, if either, will survive Ra-
  ven’s Purge. The survivor will revert to human 
  shape through rituals. If Zygofer has survived, 
  his head may be fused to his daughter’s body. 
  If Therania has survived, she’ll steal the lower 
  body of some suitable woman.
  The survivor will command the Rust 
  Brothers, continue their research on demons, 
  the substance mog and the undead and, in the 
  long term, want to exterminate all other kin 
  in the Forbidden Lands as well as conquer Al-
  derland.
  ZERTORME
  If Zertorme comes to power, possibly together 
  with Merigall, he will seek to create a human 
  kingdom in the Forbidden Lands dominated 
  by Ailanders and Aslenes. He will persecute 
  and seek to obliterate the Rust Church and kill 
  all demons. The Raven Sisters will become the 
  central religion, and fire shrines to the Aslene 
  god Horn will also be erected.  In time, Zer-
  torme will want to invade Alderland.
  If Zertorme comes to power together with 
  his sister Therania, they will create a human 
  kingdom of mixed religions, but Therania will 
  eventually dominate her brother and twist the 
  development according to her plans in which 
  Rust Brothers and demons remain since “they 
  are needed to fight enemies and traitors who 
  intend to destroy the country.”
  THE EVIL SCROME
  If the evil eye of the giant Scrome finds its 
  way back to him in the adventure site Vale 
  of the Dead (page 231 in the Gamemaster’s 
  Guide), from that point forward he will ter-
  rorize the land by trampling villages and 
  crushing caravans. If the adventurers re-
  stored the eye, he will leave them and their 
  properties alone.
  THE PROTONEXUS RUNS AMOK
  If Zygofer has died without the protonexus in 
  Vond being sealed, it will transform into an un-
  controlled portal to demonic worlds. Demons 
  of all kinds will then swarm around Vond and 
  escape into the Forbidden Lands while all the 
  surrounding nature destabilizes as it did before 
  in Shadowgate Pass.
  KRASYLLA AS SARMOG
  If Krasylla has assumed the more powerful de-
  monic form of sarmog, he leads his own army 
  of demons. Krasylla claims to want to domi-
  nate the Forbidden Lands, not to rule it but to 
  be its mightiest creature and to enjoy his domi-
  nance. He wants to ravage and hunt humans as 
  delicacies, preferrably allied to someone who’ll 
  deal with more tedious chores.
  THE KEY PLAYERS
  The key players that dominate the Forbidden 
  Lands after the campaign will make their 
  mark on the land. If the adventurers have man-
  
  chapter 14
  216
  ARVIA OF CROMBE
  If the Crombe dwarves in an alliance with the 
  adventurers succeed in slaying Krasylla and re-
  claiming Vond, they will form an alliance with 
  the Aslenes and Ailanders and create a militant 
  nation of humans and dwarves. Zertorme can 
  lead the humans, but if he is allied with his sis-
  ter Therania, the dwarves will have her mur-
  dered since they won’t tolerate either demons 
  or Rust Brothers in the Forbidden Lands.
  EMPRESS SORIA OF URHUR
  If the adventurers have allied with the orcs, 
  and with their help managed to defeat Zytera 
  and the Rust Brothers, Empress Soria will 
  rally the orc clans under her husband with the 
  help of the Viraga. The orcs will experience a 
  golden age, but the nation is fragile and will 
  most likely fall apart as soon as the emperor 
  couple die.
  KALMAN RODENFELL
  If the adventurers manage to defeat Zytera, 
  the Rust Brothers and the demons in Vond 
  through an alliance with the elven Redrun-
  ners, they will try to restore the old kingdom 
  from before the Alder Wars. They will secretly 
  try to decrease the number of humans in the 
  Forbidden Lands by using their nature magic 
  to decrease the kin’s fertility and let them die 
  off. The elves are in no rush and see no moral 
  issues with this solution.
  
  THE STANENGIST CROWN
  It is said that the first six elves of the Forbidden Lands – the ones who planted the trees, 
  drew the furrows of the rivers and gave the animals their home – after completing 
  their mission, had their rubies gathered in the royal crown, Stanengist, the name of 
  which means “The Hanging Stones.” In the crown they rested deservedly, but at the 
  same time, kept watch over their creation and gave advice to their descendants. For a 
  long time, the crown was worn by the kings of the land and granted them the power to 
  keep the kingdom intact, but sometime right before the humans arrived in Ravenland, 
  the thief Merigall stole three of the stones from Stanengist, and the land has been sunde-
  red ever since. Whoever re-assembles the stones in the crown and places it on her head 
  shall according to legend gain the power to rally all kin and rule over the Forbidden 
  Lands. The stonesinger Brander of Bynd is said to have received a vision from the god 
  Huge in which he saw the lost stones set into the scepter of a king, the jewelry of a queen, 
  and a sword that slays giants.
  THE MALIGARN SWORD
  In days past, the bloodthirsty giant Scrame ravaged the land. The stories tell of how 
  the shieldmaiden Viridia slew him with the sword Maligarn – the Giant Slayer. She 
  received help from Scrome, the giant’s brother, whose reward was to be appointed 
  guardian of the gate where the deceased enter the underworld. But Viridia sustained 
  such grave wounds during the battle against Scrame that she died soon after. The eme-
  rald that had made up her heart was set into the crown, Stanengist, but is later said to 
  have been moved to the sword Maligarn. The weapon has been lost for a long time.
  legends
  217
  
  THE NEKHAKA SCEPTER
  It is said that Algared, the first king of Alderland, was so wise and good that the gods 
  turned his heart into a ruby after his death. Algadan, son of Algared, had his crafts-
  men carve the scepter Nekhaka with three pendants from the golden alder trees of 
  the royal palace and set his father’s ruby into the scepter. Nekhaka was carried by the 
  Algarian dynasty for generations, but was lost in Ravenland when the last regent, 
  Algarod, was slain with all his men by the demonic hordes of the sorcerer Zygofer. The 
  elven elders instead claim that Algared was an elf disguised as a human and that his 
  ruby heart was one of the six stones in the crown, Stanengist.
  THE BLOOD STAR CLOAK CLASP
  The story goes that the elven princess Iridne fell in love with the orc chieftain Horena, 
  but that her father and his high council were appalled, for the elves saw the orcs as an 
  impure and inferior kin. Iridne was forbidden all contact with Horena, stripped from 
  her flesh, and her burning heart was set into the crown Stanengist to cool off. When 
  the princess defied her father in the name of love and re-assumed flesh, he equipped 
  a ship to carry his daughter across the oceans to keep her away from Ravenland until 
  Horena had passed away. When Iridne heard her father’s decision, she chose to take 
  her own life rather than be separated from her love. She had her ruby heart set into 
  the cloak clasp Hemella – the Blood Star – which, in secret, was brought to Horena 
  by her faithful handmaiden. Iridne’s father was furious and went to war against the 
  orcs to reclaim Iridne’s heart, but the power of love within the Blood Star strengthened 
  Horena so that the war became long and bloody. It is said that Iridne’s cruel father had 
  the orc chieftain whipped to death after defeating him, but the cloak clasp Blood Star 
  has been lost ever since.
  legends
  218
  
  ZYTERA
  They say that the sorcerer Zygofer, during the final battle of the Fourth Alder War, 
  summoned a demonic horde that slaughtered King Algarod and the Alderlander 
  army. To consolidate the alliance, Zygofer and his daughter, Therania, agreed to being 
  merged with a demon prince to form the man-spider Zytera, whom the Rust Brothers 
  still venerate as the prophet of the god Rust. Allegedly, Zytera still rules the holdfast 
  of Vond, from which the monstrosity sends out the unnatural demonic creatures that 
  haunt the Forbidden Lands.
  MERIGALL
  The name Merigall soars like a vague shadow with yellow eyes across the Forbidden 
  Lands. No one know who the creature is or even if it is a woman or a man. Maybe 
  there are several Merigalls, for the creature has been spotted in places far and wide 
  from one day to the next. The young are seduced in castles as well as cottages so that the 
  yellow-eyed offspring of Merigall can be found in the most distant regions and among 
  all kin. Some believe the creature to be a demon, others revere it as a god, for the truth 
  is that it is as likely to help those who encounter it as it is to destroy them.
  KRASYLLA
  At the end of the Alder Wars the demon prince Krasylla stood bereft of a way home to his 
  native world of Churmog. They say that Zytera made a deal with the terrible creature 
  then, giving it sanctuary in Vond in return for guarding Shadowgate Pass against the 
  Aslene that Krasylla himself had ravaged. It is whispered that the human sacrifices that 
  the villages are forced to provide to the Rust Brothers become sustenance for Krasylla and 
  that the demon nowadays lies fat and immobile in the interior of the castle.
  legends
  219
  
  VIRELDA BLOODBEAK
  The Ailander Raven Sisters are known as a peaceful sisterhood. They discreetly help 
  the villagers with the art of healing and spells for the harvest, but are hunted relent-
  lessly by the servants of the Rust Church. Sister Virelda Bloodbeak is not like other 
  Raven Sisters. With her bushy white hair she is supposed to have started out as one of 
  the goddess Heme’s Sisters, but is said to have changed sides after an epiphany. She is 
  said to have slain tens of the Iron Guard and their demons, and some even claim that 
  she has faced Teramalda’s burning armor in battle.
  ZERTORME
  Zertorme is said to be the sorcerer Zygofer’s very own son. When the father caught Zer-
  torme snooping about in his demonic grimoires he is supposed to have torn the face off 
  his son, as beautiful as he was skilled in magic, as punishment. Zertorme then fled east 
  to ally with his father’s enemies. From the plains, he is said to lead his armies with a 
  masked visage and to have gathered the horse clans from Aslene, who believe him to be 
  the prophet of the volcano god Horn and the future savior of Aslene, under his banner.
  ARVIA OF CROMBE
  The dwarven princess Arvia stands outside the kinship of the clan, for it is told that 
  she was born after her childless mother fornicated with a stone statue and thereafter 
  promised all of her offspring to the god Huge. They say that Huge marked Arvia for 
  feats of war and sacrifice for his own glory at her birth. Dwarves fear and are ter-
  rified of the woman, but respect her all the same as one chosen by the gods.
  legends
  220
  
  EMPRESS SORIA OF URHUR
  It is whispered among the Isir and the drifters that the orc empress Soria is actually a 
  learned human female who has nestled herself in with the Urhur clan in the fortress 
  of Eye of the Rose to undermine their war-like manhood. With fair words and elegant 
  seduction she has ensnared Emperor Hroka completely, whose warriors have even been 
  made to eat leavened bread! The emperor is said to have given his spouse an invaluable 
  cloak clasp in which is set a living elven ruby.
  KALMAN RODENFELL
  Almost all of the ancient and learned elves are said to live deep in northern forests of 
  the Forbidden Lands or even to have retreated into the mysterious Stillmist as rubies, 
  but Kalman “The Aurochs” Rodenfell is supposed to have kept his interest for the living 
  world to this point. As one of the commanders of the Redrunners, he is said to lead the 
  fight against demons, humans and other intruders in the land. They say that his feet 
  are rooted like trees and that he sleeps standing in the blood of his enemies so as to draw 
  nourishment and knowledge from them.
  RUST PRINCE KARTORDA
  The leader of the Rust Church is said to live in Vond or Haggler’s House, and is feared 
  across the Forbidden Lands. His two faces, which are said to see all and know all, mir-
  ror the dual nature of the prophet Zytera. Some whisper that the Rust Prince is the old 
  god Guard incarnate – the all-seeing guardian of all change, of all that comes and goes, 
  the guide for travel between sleep and waking, between life and death. It is through the 
  agency of Kartorda that the dead are said to live on, and the Rust Brothers have become 
  something betwixt humans and demons.
  legends
  221
  
  GRINDBONE
  Hunters whisper of Grindbone, the village of slavers and thieves that lies beyond the forest. 
  Many have heard the cry of the village’s mill from the river but few have dared to ap-
  proach. It is said that the millstones grind the souls of the enslaved to dust since slaves have 
  no use for spirituality. Some come to Grindbone through compulsion, others in exultation. 
  There, those captured by the cruel arrive. From there, those sold by the greedy leave.
  RAVENHOLE
  It is said that the dwarves mined all the blue marble to be found in the Ravenhole 
  quarry and then left the site, at which time the ogres moved in. One thing is certain:  
  every full moon, a din rises from the immense stone cauldron, a noise that causes ani-
  mals to stampede for miles around. No one in their right mind approaches Ravenhole 
  while the ogres hold their wild feasts.
  AMBER’S PEAK
  It is whispered that the half-elf Zertorme was one of the first generals of the monster 
  Zygofer, but that he was disgusted by the villain’s tyrannical rule and joined the Elven-
  spring of the eastern Forbidden Lands to fight his former master. When the fleeing 
  horse-people arrived during the wars, Zertorme allowed them to stay on the plains in 
  exchange for their submitting to his commands during the wars, and because of this, the 
  riders hold him in the highest regard.
  A melancholy has fallen over Zertorme ever since the Blood Mist lifted. He is said to 
  have retreated to the old ruined fortress of Amber’s Peak, where magical flames burn 
  ever stronger. People say that the sorcerous Zertorme is trying to tame fire itself in order 
  to turn it against Zytera, but many villagers are terrified as the number of fires around 
  Amber’s Peak have increased. On the few occasions when Zertorme has appeared pu-
  blicly, he has been wearing a mask that is said to hide a burn that he incurred during his 
  studies of the fire.
  legends
  222
  
  EYE OF THE ROSE
  The orcs of the Forbidden Lands have sought their place in the world ever since they 
  were sent to war against the humans and were then abandoned by the elves and dwar-
  ves. Many of them live bitter lives as miscreants and robbers in the forests, but word is 
  now spreading that an orc leader is holding court in the abandoned elven fortress of the 
  Eye of the Rose. He is said to call himself Emperor Hroka the First and the Greatest. 
  Merchants who’ve visited the place whisper that the emperor has bought a priceless 
  ruby that he intends to bestow upon his spouse so as to prove his worthiness as emperor.
  PELAGIA
  The humans are said to have first tread the soil of Ravenland at Pelagia. According 
  to the druids, here the winds of the land are born between the four holy monoliths to 
  be loaded with rain so that the clouds can carry water to the fields and forests. In these 
  days, expectations are high at the temple of Pelagia. The temple is supposed to have 
  been granted another gift, an occurrence that, according to legend, has only happened 
  four times before, a gift that only the worthy can claim. What it contains or how it is 
  claimed is difficult to say.
  STONEGARDEN
  It is said that the moon, stunned by the beauty of Stonegarden, will stay a while in its 
  course above Stonegarden. At some time in their lives, most dwarves go on a pilgrimage 
  there as the site is considered by all except the Crombe dwarves to be the dwarves’ place 
  of origin in the world. This year’s Veneration of the Earth in the impregnable fortress 
  of the Iron Hounds looks to be the most extraordinary event in years. It is said that 
  the royal children of Belderan have come to privately discuss their father’s succession. 
  Their mute ancestors have risen from the depths, for below Stonegarden lie the forbid-
  den grottoes leading to the elder layers of the world.
  legends
  223
  
  STONELOOM MINES
  Some say the Meromannian dwarves abandoned the Stoneloom Mines after the Third 
  Alder Wars, but the truth is that they were eaten by something that moved into their 
  home. Rumors whisper that the mad wizard Zygofer cursed his family as they fled his 
  ever more frightening presence. Tainted by a demonic infection, his daughter, Marga, 
  sought shelter among the dwarves in the Stoneloom Mines, where she turned into a 
  monster and consumed her hosts. None have dared enter the caves since.
  HAGGLER’S HOUSE
  One does not like to mention Haggler’s House, the goddess Heme’s greatest temple in the 
  Forbidden Lands, for many have lost their loved ones in its domain. Yet people go on 
  pilgrimage at the yearly harvest feast to honor the bloody mother, for those whose idols 
  have not been blessed by the priests can expect failed crops, disease and famine in the 
  coming year. Survival in the harsh west is paid with sacrifice: crops, silver, young blood 
  and the bodies of dead kin. This particular year, the 300th anniversary of the birth 
  of Zytera and the Rust Brothers, is celebrated with an even more lavish sacrifice. It is 
  rumored that the messenger of the gods will visit the temple in person and speak to the 
  people about the country’s future.
  VOND
  The fortress of Vond was once the Crombe dwarves’ strongest fortress in Ravenland. 
  The largest part of the fortifications is supposed to have been situated below ground, 
  but was razed by the dwarves when they were driven away. It is rumored that it is 
  the Butcher of Aslene – the demon prince, Krasylla – that now rules over the fortress 
  that guards the pass beneath the shimmering metal slopes of Mount Ora. The ruins of 
  the city of Vond surround the area. The ruins, as well as the fortress, are most likely 
  crawling with Zytera’s troops, along with the fanatical worshippers of Rust and demo-
  nic creatures, but few who have been brought here have ever returned to testify. The 
  peak of Mount Ora is crowned by Zytera’s living palace, where even demons dare not 
  venture. Lightning strikes incessantly between the tower steeples and the dark clouds 
  that circle the area.
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  224
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Forbidden Lands (Year Zero Engine) [multi]/Forbidden Lands Adventures/Forbidden Lands Adventure Ravens Purge.pdf