TEXT: ®
  
  A Campaign Sourcebook by Mike Mearls
  Requires use of Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved, published by Malhavoc Press 
  Requires use of the Dungeons & Dragons® Third Edition Core Books, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  This book utilizes updated material from the v. 3.5 revision.
  Additional Credits
  Editing: Carrie A. Bebris  •  Proofreading: Scott Holden-Jones  •  Production: Sue Weinlein Cook
  Cover Illustration: J. P. Targete  •  Interior Illustrations: Scott Purdy and Patrick Keith
  Cartography: Ed Bourelle  •  Creative Director: Monte Cook
  Cover Design: Peter Whitley  •  Interior Page Design: Lisa Chido
  For supplemental material, visit Monte Cook’s Website:
  <www.montecook.com>
  ®
  MONTE COOK'S ARCANA EVOLVED:
  RUINS OF
  INTRIGUE
  
  2 RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  Introduction: Adventure Awaits
  What’s Inside?............................................................4
  How Will This Book Improve My Game?..................5
  Adventure Keywords?................................................5
  Using This Book.........................................................6
  Chapter One: Background and History
  A Brief History of Serathis ..................................7
  The Night of Revelation ...................................7
  Sidebar: The Akashic Memory.............................8
  First Moves.........................................................8
  The True Story of the Builders........................9
  Campaign Themes..................................................10
  Boomtown..........................................................10
  Classic Adventure.............................................10
  Mystery ..............................................................10
  Map: Serathis.....................................................11
  Political Intrigue .............................................11
  Strange Magic...................................................11
  Bringing the Characters to Serathis.................12
  Lure of Adventure ............................................12
  Quest’s End........................................................12
  The Villain ........................................................12
  Adventure Design.................................................12
  Everyone (and Everything) Has a Secret ........13
  Sidebar: Keeping the PCs in Serathis...............13
  Sample Adventure .............................................13
  Campaign Checklist .............................................14
  Politics ..............................................................14
  Economics..........................................................17
  Monsters of Serathis...........................................18
  Akthar................................................................19
  Rock Bat ............................................................21
  Ru-Akthar..........................................................22
  Spined Hound....................................................24
  Chapter Two: The Safe Quarter
  Factions Within the Safe Quarter .....................27
  The Giants.........................................................27
  The Dragon.......................................................30
  Agents of Chaos...............................................34
  Key Sites in the Safe Quarter ............................36
  The Giants’ Hold..............................................36
  Map: The Safe Quarter ....................................37
  The Dragon’s Wing...........................................42
  Quick Locations...................................................46
  Inns....................................................................46
  Ruins .................................................................46
  Table of Contents
  Malhavoc is a registered trademark and Arcana Evolved is a trademark owned by Monte J. Cook. Sword & Sorcery and the Sword & Sorcery logo are trademarks of White Wolf
  Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. “d20 System” and the “d20 System” log0 are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used according to the
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  by permission of Wizards of the Coast. Subsequent versions of this product will incorporate later versions of the license, guide, and document.
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  logos and identifying marks and trade dress, such as all Malhavoc Press product and product line names including but not limited to Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved, The Diamond Throne, Ruins of
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  TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
  Shops.................................................................46
  Taverns..............................................................47
  Monsters in the Safe Quarter ...........................47
  Adventures in the Safe Quarter ........................48
  Chapter Three: The Slums
  Factions Within the Slums .................................49
  The Blood Hook Gang .....................................49
  The Crusaders...................................................51
  The Merchants’ Guild......................................53
  Key Sites in the Slums.........................................54
  Map: The Slums.................................................55
  The Rest of the Slums.........................................62
  Monsters in the Slums........................................63
  Chapter Four: The Barrens
  The Terrain...........................................................65
  Flora .................................................................65
  Foliage ..............................................................66
  Heat...................................................................67
  Insects...............................................................67
  Water ................................................................67
  Underforest.........................................................67
  Map: The Barrens.............................................68
  Factions Within the Barrens ..............................69
  Bonecrackers ...................................................69
  Leatherwings....................................................69
  Longeyes............................................................70
  Stonefangs........................................................70
  Treerunners......................................................70
  Key Sites in the Barrens......................................70
  Monsters in the Barrens ....................................78
  Chapter Five: The Forest of Towers
  Factions Within the Forest.................................80
  The Huntsmen...................................................81
  The Winged Golem...........................................82
  The Towers ...........................................................82
  Tower Design....................................................83
  Dangers in the Towers ....................................84
  Key Sites in the Forest of Towers......................84
  Map: The Forest of Towers..............................85
  Monsters in the Forest of Towers .....................91
  Appendix
  Keyword Reference .............................................93
  Open Game License..............................................94
  symbols, designs, depictions, illustrations, maps, and cartography, likenesses, poses, logos, or graphic designs, except such elements that already appear in final or draft versions of the d20 System
  Reference Document or as Open Game Content below and are already open by virtue of appearing there. The above Product Identity is not Open Game Content.
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  portions of this book are hereby added to Open Game Content and if so used, should bear the COPYRIGHT NOTICE “Ruins of Intrigue ©2005 Monte J. Cook.” This material is protected under the copyright
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  This document is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental.
  Check out Sword & Sorcery online at <www.swordsorcery.com>.
  
  4 RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  From the towering mountains of the Bitter Peaks to the haunted wastes of Verdune, the Lands of
  the Diamond Throne offer a multitude of sites for adventure. This book focuses on one such place:
  the ruined, forgotten city of Serathis. Emerging into the world like an iceberg looming in the mist,
  Serathis appeared within the fabric of the akashic memory wholly formed, as if it had hidden in
  plain sight. Undisturbed by outsiders for centuries, it is a treasure house of ancient magic, gold,
  gems, and other riches. But Serathis also offers deadly threats in a measure equal to its wealth.
  Adventure Awaits
  R
  uins of Intrigue provides a complete framework for
  a Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved campaign. It is
  designed to contain a multitude of stories, from
  treasure hunters in search of their next big haul to political
  maneuvers that tread the careful balance between the pow-
  ers that claim the city: the Hu-Charad giants and the mighty
  dragon Krovacatharis. Many of the nonplayer characters
  (NPCs) and mysterious sites harbor secrets that you can
  change to fit your needs—select from the options given in
  each description or create your own. In any case, the ruins
  are never the same each time you run a campaign here.
  WHAT’S INSIDE?
  Ruins of Intrigue is broken up into five chapters, the bulk of
  which describe the city district by district.
  Chapter One: Background and History
  The book begins with an overview of the city, including its
  past and possibilities for its future. This section also explains
  how you can use this book to create a campaign. Five sug-
  gested campaign themes demonstrate how to use the NPCs,
  creatures, and locations present within the city. Four new
  monsters round out the section.
  Chapter Two: The Safe Quarter
  Living beneath the weight of an uneasy truce, the dragons and
  giants who came to Serathis share a small section of the ruins
  that has been tamed and partially rebuilt. Dubbed the Safe
  Quarter, this place offers refuge from monsters and traps—
  but also holds plenty of political intrigue, opportunistic
  thieves, and scheming, ambitious power brokers.
  Chapter Three: The Slums
  Wrecked and ransacked, the area known as the Slums sits
  just outside of the civilized Safe Quarter. So named because
  its buildings are crumbled ruins and the treasure pickings
  are slim, the Slums serve as a home to those who choose to
  avoid the Safe Quarter’s politics. It also harbors a host of
  lesser monsters. While popular wisdom maintains that the
  Slums hold little treasure, a few hidden caches remain
  undiscovered—with comparatively little competition for
  them.
  Chapter Four: The Barrens
  Overrun with swamps, forests, and streams, this lush section
  of the ruins earned its name not because it is devoid of life,
  but because treasure hunters consider it a daunting region
  empty of easy treasure. Rife with monsters, including a vari-
  ety of aberrant monstrous beasts created by the city’s
  Builders, the Barrens holds many secrets that only a diligent
  adventuring band might uncover.
  INTRODUCTION:
  
  5
  INTRODUCTION: ADVENTURE AWAITS
  Chapter Five: The Forest of Towers
  A prime location for treasure seekers and adventurers, the
  Forest of Towers is a collection of cyclopean ruins and
  strange sites that pulse and throb with magical energy.
  Many of the treasure seekers in Serathis consider this their
  primary destination. While you might find gold and jewels
  scattered about the floor of an open tomb or ruin, there are
  plenty of strange monsters and murderous thieves in this
  region as well.
  Appendix: Keyword Reference
  A brief appendix sorts the adventure locales in this source-
  book by type and difficulty of challenge.
  HOW WILL THIS BOOK
  IMPROVE MY GAME?
  Ruins of Intrigue is designed to make it as easy as possible to
  run an entire campaign or simply a single adventure of
  Arcana Evolved. Nearly every location site and NPC has sev-
  eral secrets and plots surrounding it. To make this book as
  flexible as possible, none of the secrets has a single, defini-
  tive answer. For example, the spy who works in the Safe
  Quarter’s most popular bar might pass information to the
  giants, the dragons, or a strange cabal of spellcasters. His
  motives (and employer) may change and his place in the city
  might shift to accommodate your needs. If the player charac-
  ters (PCs) need a contact to put them in touch with the
  giants, he spies for the giants. If you want the PCs’ enemies
  to ambush them in town, he informs on the party. Since
  Arcana Evolved does not use an alignment system, an NPC’s
  personality might require only minor adjustments to fit the
  different roles he can fill.
  Using Ruins of Intrigue, you can create adventures much
  faster than normal. With the framework of a focused setting
  to work with, you already have the supporting cast, and per-
  haps even the central villains and NPCs, that you need to
  create a scenario. If you lack the time needed to produce a
  campaign from scratch, Ruins of Intrigue can shoulder the
  creative burden, help spark ideas, and make running a game
  faster and easier than ever.
  ADVENTURE KEYWORDS
  The key to Ruins of Intrigue lies in its flexibility and the utili-
  ty invested in each NPC and location. Rather than present
  each character or site in the form of a travel guide or sum-
  mary, it seeks to engage you, the DM, as a creator and
  designer. For example, in addition to notes on an NPC’s per-
  sonality, goals, and options for alliances and secrets, the text
  explicitly addresses how the NPC can work in your game.
  The same basic presentation applies to locations in the
  About the Author
  Mike Mearls has worked as a freelance roleplaying game designer
  since 1999. This prolific writer maintains a high volume of work
  without compromising quality, which has won him a place on many
  gamers’ lists of favorite designers. 
  Buoyed by positive reaction to his first d20 works, he went on to pro-
  duce material for the leading RPG publishers, including AEG, Atlas
  Games, Decipher, Fantasy Flight, Fiery Dragon, Goodman Games,
  Mongoose Publishing, Necromancer Games, and others. His previous
  Malhavoc Press titles include Legacy of the Dragons and Book of
  Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions (both with Monte Cook),
  Mystic Secrets: The Lore of Word and Rune, and The Book of Iron
  Might. His work also appears regularly in Dragon® Magazine. 
  About the Illustrators
  From the time he first picked up a comic book, cover artist Jean
  Pierre Targete knew what he wanted to become. J. P. grew up in
  Miami, FL, where he began drawing at the age of five. He later
  attended New York City’s School of Visual Arts. For the last 14 years
  he has created covers for Avon, Berkley/Ace Ballantine, Bantam, Tor,
  and a host of other publishers. In 2000 his cover painting “Circle at
  Center” for the book by Douglas Niles won a Chesley Award for best
  paperback cover. J. P. works and lives in Southern California.
  Check out his art book Illumina: The Art of J. P. Targete, published
  by Paper Tiger, and visit his website at <www.targeteart.com>.
  If you like d20 System products, chances are you’ve run across the
  creative work of writer, illustrator, and cartographer Ed Bourelle
  before. His artwork and maps have appeared in products from
  Malhavoc Press, Bastion Press, Fantasy Flight Games, Mystic Eye
  Games, Sovereign Press, Sword & Sorcery, and more. He has previ-
  ously detailed the Lands of the Diamond Throne with maps in
  Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved, Legacy of the Dragons, and Mystic
  Secrets: The Lore of Word and Rune. Learn more about him at
  <www.skeletonkeygames.com>.
  Scott Purdy, a UK-based illustrator, has a great love of dark fantasy,
  horror, evil, and all things tentacular. His work appears in books
  from such publishers as Paradigm Concepts, Malhavoc Press,
  Bastion Press,  Goodman Games, Mongoose Publishing, and many
  others. He wills clients his way if they have need of nasty critters to
  bring to life. You can see more of Scott’s work in The Book of Iron
  Might and at his website: <www.scottpurdy.net>.
  Malhavoc Press
  Malhavoc Press is game designer Monte Cook’s d20 System imprint
  devoted to the publication of unusual magic, monsters, and evoca-
  tive game elements that go beyond traditional fantasy. Malhavoc
  Press products exhibit the mastery of the d20 System rules that only
  one of its original designers can offer. 
  Coming soon, look for Wolfgang Baur’s The Book of Roguish Luck,
  a sourcebook for characters who prefer stealth and guile. Also com-
  ing soon is Transcendence, an Arcana Evolved player’s companion
  by Mike Mearls.
  Current titles are available to purchase in either print or electronic
  (PDF) format at <www.montecook.com>.
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  ruins. A series of keywords allows you to quickly identify how
  you can use the various individual pieces presented here.
  These keywords have no game mechanics effect. Instead,
  they work a bit like a simple script that you can develop to
  form an adventure.
  In its most basic form, a roleplaying game (RPG) adven-
  ture consists of two things: the goal the players must meet
  and the obstacles that prevent them from achieving it.
  Those two things might be as simple as the treasure the
  adventurers want and the monster that guards it.
  Other times, the goal might be less concrete.
  The characters might need to forge an
  alliance between the dragons and giants
  to stop some terrible evil, but politics,
  infighting, and the disruptive efforts
  of a band of spies prevent them.
  Furthermore, you need a hook to
  start an adventure, something that
  makes a goal worth striving for. For
  some players, the promise of treas-
  ure and experience is enough to set
  them on an adventure. Other players
  may need a logical, compelling reason
  for the characters to risk their lives. A hook
  answers the question, “Why are we doing
  this?” Like a fishing hook, it catches the characters
  and pulls them into the adventure.
  The keywords play into this basic structure. They allow
  you to use a nonplayer character or site in a variety of
  ways. For example, the NPC spy mentioned above could
  function as a hook, a goal, or an obstacle. As a hook, she
  might give the PCs some important information that starts
  them on a quest. As a goal, she might have the information
  the players need, and so may have been kidnapped and
  need rescuing. As an obstacle, she could spy on the charac-
  ters and report their actions to their enemies. In each case,
  she has the same basic personality and the same statistics,
  but her role may alter her attitude and outlook. In Ruins of
  Intrigue, you receive options for all three roles.
  All relevant keywords for a locale or nonplayer character
  appear in parentheses in the headline. Look for complete
  information on the adventure keyword system, along with
  guidelines on how to use it, in Chapter One. An index to
  the keywords appears in the Appendix.
  USING THIS BOOK
  Ruins of Intrigue is a campaign sourcebook
  for use with Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved
  and all d20 System fantasy products.
  Damage reduction and space/face stats
  are provided for both the v. 3.0 and
  3.5 versions of the game. Ruins of
  Intrigue refers to spells, feats, and
  other rules presented in Monte Cook’s
  Arcana Evolved and the three Core
  Rulebooks: the Player’s Handbook,
  DMG, and MM.
  Bonus source material and ideas to aug-
  ment the information in Ruins of Intrigue
  appear on Monte Cook’s website. To find the
  links to these free web enhancements, visit the book’s
  product page online at the following Web address:
  <www.montecook.com/Ruins>.
  This sourcebook is protected content except for items
  specifically called out as Open Game Content in the legal
  statement on the table of contents pages. For full details,
  please turn to the Open Game License in the Appendix.
  Open content is not otherwise marked in the text of this
  book.
  6
  
  7
  T
  his book is built to ease the process of crafting
  adventures in a setting that is limited in size but
  deep in possibilities. Whether the characters are
  1st-level neophytes making their first moves into the world
  or 25th-level legends who contend with epic threats, Ruins
  of Intrigue offers NPCs, plot ideas, and background infor-
  mation you can use to create challenging stories for them.
  This book presents the city of Serathis in four distinct parts,
  each with a basic theme you can use to create adventures. For
  example, the Forest of Towers (see Chapter Five) gives you a
  haunted, mysterious city where the characters can contend
  with the strange monsters and powerful magic left behind
  by the mysterious Builders. The Barrens, the stretch of wild,
  overgrown swamps and forests detailed in Chapter Four,
  gives you the opportunity to create wilderness adventures
  where the characters plunge into the wilds in search of treas-
  ure. The twin and competing districts in the Safe Quarter—
  the Giants’ Hold and the Dragon’s Wing (see Chapter Two)—
  provide plenty of intrigue and roleplaying opportunities, as
  the dragon Krovacatharis and a powerful contingent of giants
  wrestle for control of the city and its treasures. Meanwhile,
  both groups work to ensure that hostilities never erupt into
  outright fighting. After all, there’s more profit in unearthing
  treasures than in waging an exhausting, pointless war.
  This initial chapter has a number of main sections. The
  first part looks at Serathis in the context of the Lands of the
  Diamond Throne, providing background information on the
  city’s origins and its role in the world. Another section
  explains the adventure keyword system used to mark people,
  places, and things in the city. The keywords streamline the
  process of adventure design, allowing you to make the most
  of this book’s flexibility and the story threads embedded
  within these pages. Other sections detail campaign themes
  and PC hooks. The chapter wraps up with a handful of new
  monsters.
  A BRIEF HISTORY OF SERATHIS
  While the city’s history stretches back through the ages,
  the folk of the Diamond Throne have known of Serathis
  for less than a year. In terms of creating adventures, the
  city’s history is meant to give you some ideas on how its
  origin and purpose can affect the adventures you design.
  The past shapes the present, and, in turn, helps determine
  the future.
  The Night of Revelation
  The city of Serathis sprang upon the world in a single, 
  startling event known as the Night of Revelation. On that
  night, akashics across the world experienced what could
  only be compared to finding an object that you overlooked
  time and again, even though it stood in plain sight. Every
  akashic became aware of a sudden tremor in the collective
  memory and the rise of a large, important set of memories
  Ruins of Intrigue serves as a cookbook for creating adventures and campaigns within the Diamond
  Throne setting for Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved. To mark the transition to this new version of the
  game, this book presents you with a complete set of tools for creating an entire campaign from scratch.
  Background and
  History 
  Chapter One:
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  8
  concerning an ancient, ruined city named Serathis. They saw
  visions of dozens of towers that rose hundreds of feet in the
  air, all clustered together like a stony forest. They glimpsed
  strange, feral creatures stalking through dank swamps and
  gloomy forests that ringed endless avenues of collapsed
  buildings. The memories were obviously incomplete. No
  clues appeared concerning the city’s history before it fell
  into ruin, and no trace existed of the folk who created it.
  Most puzzling of all, every sign indicated that Serathis
  lay in a valley high in the Bitter Peaks. A cursory inspec-
  tion of maps and atlases revealed that the valley had been
  explored in the past, yet not a single explorer remarked on
  the ruins. A detailed analysis of journals, maps, and the
  akashic memory revealed a disturbing conclusion. Some
  force had misled every group of explorers. What they had
  thought were throughways through the city’s unseen loca-
  tion were illusions or tricks of the mind that caused them
  to backtrack over other paths. The city was there, but
  somehow it had remained hidden to all outsiders.
  The mysterious creatures responsible for creating the
  city became known as the Builders. Whatever their nature,
  they had taken great joy in crafting a vast array of wonders.
  The surviving structures were far larger and more elabo-
  rately designed than some of the greatest architectural
  feats of the Diamond Throne. Strange creatures wandered
  the ruins, the obvious results of ancient breeding or magi-
  cal experiments. Bizarre fields of energy flashed and
  glowed in the night, suggesting that the Builders had
  achieved equal mastery in the arcane arts. In many areas,
  whole precincts remained intact. Fired by the prospect of
  untold riches waiting for an intrepid explorer to uncover
  them, treasure hunters, adventurers, and agents for dozens
  of nobles, trading houses, and organizations streamed into
  the area.
  First Moves
  Both the giants and the dragons sent expeditions to the
  ruins, with each side following what has come to be seen
  as their typical methods. The initial wave of explorers met
  monsters, traps, and other dangers that quickly whittled
  down their numbers. In some cases, the akashic memory
  proved unreliable (see sidebar). This startling revelation
  helped cool off the initial rush into the city, though it
  merely turned it from a deluge to a minor flood.
  The giants sought to ensure that the ruins posed no
  threat to the surrounding regions. Worried that deadly
  monsters could inhabit the place or that powerful, destruc-
  tive artifacts hidden there could fall into the wrong hands,
  Lady Protector Ia-Thordani dispatched a small, elite force
  to establish a beachhead in the ruins and bring law and
  order to them. Led by Eia-Perren, a powerful champion of
  magic, and a team of akashics known as the Sentinels, the
  giants quickly built a small fortress amid the ruins. They
  kept tabs on the explorers who visited the place, and slowly
  established the rule of law. While many explorers at first
  resisted this intrusion, they soon recognized that the giants
  offered safety and stability. For most treasure seekers, the
  riches lying in wait among the ruins were worth the hassle
  of Hu-Charad interference.
  However, the situation quickly veered toward chaos
  when a massive fortress appeared overnight within sight 
  of the giants’ settlement. Built by the cunning dragon
  Krovacatharis the Seeker, this place served as a headquar-
  ters for the wyrm and his dracha followers. Using a power-
  ful artifact, he erected his fortress and built protective
  walls around the area he planned to settle. Krovacatharis
  did not (and still doesn’t) care about ruling over folk who
  settle in his domain. He wants the magical items, treasure,
  and rare items hidden with the ruins and nothing else.
  Furthermore, he suspects that the giants want to uncover
  artifacts that they can use against dragonkind. 
  In time, the giants and the dragon have come to a détente.
  While neither side trusts the other, they recognize that they
  can achieve more if they are on at least neutral terms. While
  both sides plot and jockey for position, they have agreed to
  divide the settled area in two. Newcomers are welcome to
  take up residence in the strictly patrolled Giants’ Hold or the
  relatively anarchic Dragon’s Wing. Krovacatharis has agreed
  that the giants may enforce the law of the Diamond Throne
  within the Wing, but he requires that the Hu-Charad ask his
  permission before entering his territory. While the two sides
  conduct a shadowy competition to uncover artifacts and dis-
  cover the city’s secrets, they have made some efforts to work
  together to deal with emerging threats. In truth, both sides
  want to ensure that the city poses no threat to the land.
  However, their mistrust of each other and greed for gold and
  power prevent them from achieving a lasting alliance.
  > > > > >
  The Akashic Memory
  Many akashics have trouble delving into their memories to
  access information about Serathis. Either they find nothing they
  can use, or the lore they uncover proves untrustworthy.
  Whenever akashics use their delve into collective memory ability,
  they cannot investigate events that occurred more than 200
  years ago within the city. Furthermore, there is a 25 percent
  chance that an event more than five years in the past has been
  altered within the memory. In that case, the akashic finds incor-
  rect or misleading memories.
  As DM, you can freely alter the memories and lore available for
  a site within the ruins, or a creature found there, to better fit
  the needs of your campaign. However, try not to do this too
  often. If you render the akashic’s abilities useless, the players
  might feel cheated. Make this strategy something to use perhaps
  two or three times in a campaign. In addition, the players
  should know about the strange effect the ruins have on their
  characters’ memories.
  
  9
  The True Story of the Builders
  The mystery of the Builders is one of the key themes of the city of
  Serathis. As evidenced by the ruins they left behind, the Builders
  were powerful spellcasters, masters of architecture, and experts in
  runes and ceremonies. They called creatures from other worlds,
  created undead monstrosities, and even forged new creatures.
  Many believe that they were somehow connected to the dramojh,
  as their propensity for creating new life offers a possible link.
  Others believe that the Builders were actually dragons. While the
  cyclopean structures indicate that the builders might have been
  much larger than human-sized, the interiors of their buildings are
  typically sized for a creature as tall as a giant or slightly larger.
  Only the smallest dragons could make use of these domiciles.
  The Builders were, in fact, dramojh. They were among the very
  first of these creatures, forged with the tenebrian seeds by the
  mighty dragon Nithogar. Knowing that his fellow dragons would
  object to his experiments, Nithogar conducted them high in the
  Bitter Peaks. To keep his secret creations safe from discovery, he
  used a powerful, world-altering ritual to drop an arcane veil over
  the valley where he worked and where his experiments grew. Trails
  shifted to lead explorers away from the mountains. The akashic
  memory changed to hide the first memories of the dramojh and
  their city. In time, even the dramojh forgot about Serathis. Many
  of them considered it nothing more than a myth, and none of the
  original Builders survived the purging of their race. In the after-
  math of their conquest, a few sought the mythical place, but most
  of them assumed it was destroyed long ago.
  Under Nithogar’s tutelage, the secret valley where his children
  lived slowly transformed into a great city. The dramojh of Serathis
  erected many of the buildings, such as the great Forest of Towers,
  simply to demonstrate their skill at magic and engineering. In other
  places, they forged new life—first steps toward giving birth to the
  horrors that plague the lands of the Diamond Throne to this day.
  The Builders’ reign came to an end with the destruction of the
  first dramojh. Millennia before the arrival of the giants on these
  shores, the gods of the Denotholan (see Monte Cook’s Arcana
  Evolved, Chapter Ten) destroyed them, including all who inhabited
  Serathis; the vast majority of dragons never learned of the city’s
  existence. While the gods’ vengeful power ended that period of the
  dramojh threat, it left the city they inhabited intact. Nithogar faded
  into the mists of history, but the city he built remained—along with
  the strange creatures the dramojh had forged.
  In time, other creatures managed to overcome the mighty ritual
  magic that cloaked Serathis. Each year, its strength faded until it
  wore out altogether. Even the original ceremony was not powerful
  enough to erase the city from the akashic memory forever. Instead,
  information about Serathis warped, changed, and faded into obscu-
  rity as it entered that collective. When the ritual’s power was com-
  pletely exhausted, the images and thoughts of Serathis seemed to
  spring wholly formed into the akashic memory—but in truth, they
  were always there. They simply had been hidden. Unfortunately,
  many of the memories had altered during the course of the 
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  10
  centuries; the ritual’s intense magical pressure caused
  them to bend and tear. Thus, akashics must cope with
  inaccuracies and lies that have bled into their memories.
  The ancient dramojh presence within the city and the
  efforts of the dimension-traveling Nithogar mean that the
  ruins play host to more planar creatures, aberrations, and
  monstrous animals than normal. The akthars were original-
  ly created to serve the dramojh as slaves. The purple
  worms at one time delved passages and tunnels beneath
  the earth. These creatures, and many others, reverted to
  savagery due to their many years of isolation and the fun-
  damentally malevolent powers used to forge them.
  The dramojh—always bitter, jealous, and competitive—
  took great pains to ward their treasures and works from
  each other. The many traps and puzzles found in the city
  trace their roots back to these creatures’ sense of paranoia.
  Other areas of strange magical effects and mysterious idols
  or construction grew from the dramojh’s first attempts to
  understand the world around them. Their experiments in
  magic, architecture, religion, and other areas reflect their
  youth and ambition. Without a culture or tradition of
  magic and exploration to grow into, they had to invent
  their own—with strange, often incomprehensible results.
  CAMPAIGN THEMES
  The city of Serathis is designed to accommodate a wide
  range of roleplaying stories, but its strengths play to a few
  different themes and campaign ideas. This section provides
  an overview of those themes and shows how the city sup-
  ports them.
  Boomtown
  The ruins of Serathis provide an unparalleled opportunity
  for the bold, ambitious, and motivated to strike it rich
  overnight. A single lucky discovery in the ruins can net an
  explorer hundreds of thousands of gold pieces in magical
  items and ancient treasures. By the same token, an alleged
  treasure may turn out to be counterfeit or worthless.
  Peddlers sell maps that supposedly point to hidden caches,
  while hucksters pose as guides who offer to lead their
  marks through the ruins and to the prime areas for treas-
  ure hunting. While the giants work to keep the criminals
  in check, the ruins are too big for a police force to lock
  them down completely. Scams, assaults, and even murders
  are all too commonplace.
  The ruins should have the wild feel of a frontier town.
  The characters might meet a grubby prospector, only to see
  him leaving town the following day clad in the finest silks,
  accompanied by dozens of servants and hangers-on, and
  leading a small caravan carrying off his treasures. Prices
  fluctuate wildly as goods trickle in from the outside world.
  A simple shovel might be worth hundreds of gold pieces as
  a freak storm or a bandit raid prevents supply shipments
  from making it to the city.
  Classic spaghetti Westerns show the popular-culture
  view of the frontier. Though the reality is not quite so
  romantic or adventurous, such films can offer guidance on
  how to present a boomtown setting to the characters in
  concrete, practical terms.
  Classic Adventure
  Deadly traps await the unwary. Fearsome monsters lurk
  around every corner. In plunging into the ruins, the char-
  acters may have to work their way through a classic dun-
  geon environment to uncover an ancient secret or recover
  a magical talisman. The ruins give you the perfect explana-
  tion for almost any dungeon. The Builders may have
  secreted a treasure trove within an ancient tomb, leaving
  behind traps and guardians to watch over it. A gang of
  minotaurs descends from the mountains, taking over a 
  section of the ruins and robbing explorers. The player
  characters must penetrate the monsters’ lair and defeat
  them.
  You can look at the ruins as one enormous dungeon. The
  Slums could represent Levels 1 through 8; the Barrens,
  Levels 9 through 16; and the Forest of Towers, the final
  areas in the dungeon. Perhaps a powerful undead magister
  awakens in the heart of the ruins, marshals a variety of
  monsters under its banner, and claims Serathis as her own.
  The player characters might have to fight their way across
  the city, slowly destroying the magister’s supporters before
  tackling their foe. Meanwhile, the dragons and giants are
  too absorbed in their petty political games to notice the
  threat, or perhaps the PCs are the chosen heroes of one or
  both sides.
  Fantasy novels provide a lot of inspiration for this type
  of adventure, particularly titles based on game settings.
  They feature high adventure, colorful villains, and protago-
  nists that neatly map to heroic personalities.
  Mystery
  The sense of mystery within the ruins can add a layer of
  wonder and curiosity to your games. While this book
  details the background and history of Serathis for you as
  the DM, your players and their characters know little (if
  anything) about it. Emphasize the unusual architecture,
  the peculiar layout, and the bizarre creatures of the ruins.
  The characters could adventure here for years without
  learning all the secrets of its true nature. Try to extend this
  strange, baffling aura to the treasures the characters find.
  A magical sword might be made from obsidian and carved
  with curious, indecipherable runes. Alter the descriptions
  of classic or even new monsters, making the characters
  always feel a bit unsure about what they face.
  > > > > >
  
  11
  The best mysteries are woven in a framework of plausi-
  bility or suggest several possibilities. Don’t mistake ran-
  dom, capricious, or nonsensical events for the mysterious.
  Usually, it’s best to have an explanation for your own refer-
  ence, even if the player characters never discover it. This
  method helps you keep an eye on the consistency, plausi-
  bility, and framework of a mysterious event, site, or person.
  Best of all, you can compare the real answer to the theo-
  ries that the players devise. Sometimes making the PCs’
  answer the real solution works out well, as your players
  might ascribe sinister or deadly motives to an event that
  had a mundane or innocent genesis. Don’t be afraid to
  change the stuff that happens off stage or behind the
  scenes to make your game more interesting.
  Literature from the golden age of fantasy—the early days
  before the rise of J. R. R. Tolkien—can provide you with a
  lot of fodder for this tone and feel. The works of Robert
  Howard, Fritz Leiber, and Clark Ashton Smith abound
  with strange magic and mysterious references to unguess-
  able cults and powers. The old writer’s trick of creating
  references and allusions to colorfully named gods, demons,
  and worlds helps build a sense that the characters have
  only a limited view of a small part of reality.
  Political Intrigue
  The giants and the dragon Krovacatharis are bound by a
  strained, unsteady peace. Both sides realize that there’s
  more profit in détente than in open warfare, but each
  maneuvers to gain the upper hand. The two sides have
  almost diametrically opposed views on the ruins. The
  giants want to gain control of them to prevent powerful
  artifacts from falling into the wrong hands. They see the
  ruins as a potential danger to the entire land, one that
  must be controlled. The dragon Krovacatharis (and by
  extension, all of dragonkind) cares little for the place.
  Krovacatharis pursues treasure and the spoils of conquest;
  only his prestige and several favors from his allies have
  prevented other dragons from lairing here. He wants free
  trade, rapid expansion, and a thorough looting of the
  place. The faster the exploration, the greater the benefit he
  nets from his head start.
  If you want to run a game that focuses on the politics
  and economics of the ruins, particularly their impact on
  the Diamond Throne as a whole, the tension in Serathis
  serves you well. Both factions are designed with options
  that allow you to designate either, both, or neither as
  antagonists or allies for the PCs. For example, the giants
  want the city’s treasures for themselves. Not only do they
  see the treasures as dangerous, but they also secretly worry
  that the folk under the giants’ rule may use the items to
  become more powerful. Rather than risk a verrik, litorian,
  or human challenge to their grip on power, they clamp
  down on the flow of items and confiscate anything that
  could pose a threat. If something dangerous does arise in
  the ruins, the Hu-Charad might unwittingly work against
  the PCs’ efforts to contain the hazard. By the same token,
  the giants’ work could be all that stops unspeakable evil
  from spreading across the land. As with almost everything
  presented here, you have the final say in how things really
  work within Serathis.
  Our own world history offers plenty of inspiration for
  political campaigns of intrigue. Try to examine eras where
  modern political leanings might not color your impression of
  the different groups or parties involved in a power struggle.
  On the other hand, if you want a more black-and-white view
  of politics (or if you have no strong allegiance to the right
  or left), you can draw on your own impression of current
  events.
  Strange Magic
  One of the biggest themes running throughout Ruins of
  Intrigue is the idea of strange, wondrous magic that seems
  to violate or transcend the established rules. The Builders
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  12
  wrought their spells in the ancient days; they had access to
  lore that faded from the world long ago. Strange constructs,
  regions where bizarre effects are normal, and structures
  and memorials that hum with unguessable energies are the
  norm here. You can arrange for strange events such as
  meteor showers, or elaborate magical traps and puzzles, by
  leaning on this explanation. Much of the fun in a roleplay-
  ing game comes from the fascinating environments that the
  characters explore. By drawing on the city’s mysterious past
  and the powerful magic that surges through it, you can cre-
  ate vistas bound only by the limits of your imagination.
  For example, gravity might work in reverse within a great
  stone hall. Perhaps the dramojh built the hall to test a
  magical theory or demonstrate their mastery of a spell. In
  either case, the structure may host an entire community of
  monsters and plants that have adapted to the environment.
  A band of clever robbers might use it as a base, relying on
  their relative comfort within the environment to defeat
  their foes. You can use the strange magic feature of the
  city to design countless weird places.
  Fantasy roleplaying game material from the early 1980s
  often proves a particularly good source of ideas for bizarre
  magical traps, weird chambers and locations within dun-
  geons, and other inspirations.
  BRINGING THE CHARACTERS TO SERATHIS
  Before you can design adventures within the ruins, you
  need to consider how and why the player characters arrive
  there. A backstory helps justify the action for the first few
  adventures in a campaign, buying you time to more thor-
  oughly develop your game while the PCs meet villains and
  make friends with sympathetic NPCs that you can use to
  move the action along. A few basic storylines offer good
  kick-off points for a campaign within the ruins.
  The city’ exact location within the Bitter Peaks is left
  vague to allow DMs more latitude in fitting it into their
  campaigns.
  Lure of Adventure
  The characters are simply young adventurers out to prove
  themselves, and the gold rush atmosphere of Serathis
  attracts them all to the same place. This hook supposes
  that the PCs are already in town; you need to create a
  compelling reason for them to work together. Perhaps they
  were hired by the same merchant to work as guards, or
  they each have one piece of a map that leads to a treas-
  ure. 
  You can then twist this hook to keep them involved in
  the city: The merchant who hired them might turn up
  murdered, and the characters have to clear their names;
  the map points to a powerful artifact that a malevolent
  NPC has already unearthed.
  Quest’s End
  If you already run an Arcana Evolved campaign, the char-
  acters find themselves pursuing a villain to the ruins. You
  could introduce Serathis to the campaign using the back-
  ground given above as a backdrop. While the PCs adven-
  ture elsewhere, they hear news of Serathis and the discov-
  eries made there. Eventually, they must pursue an enemy
  to the city, track down an item hidden within the ruins, or
  act as agents of the giants or dragon to help advance their
  liege’s cause.
  The Villain
  The PCs have a vested interest in an important nonplayer
  character in town who has wronged them in the past or
  whom they suspect of a villainous plot. The characters
  might arrive in town with a few details about their target,
  but they soon find that taking him on directly is impossible.
  Perhaps he is too well-connected, with allies among the
  giants or the dragon who can protect him and punish those
  who anger him. The player characters must find a way to
  stop the NPC. You can build an entire campaign around
  this hook, or you can use the built-in antagonism to drive
  the first few adventures while the PCs get to know the
  ruins and uncover more adventure hooks there.
  ADVENTURE DESIGN
  As discussed in this book’s introduction, Ruins of Intrigue is
  built to make adventure design as easy as possible. A system
  of adventure keywords, along with an appendix organizing
  them by page number, type of keyword, and applicable 
  levels, helps you create a story as quickly as possible. The
  keywords assume that there’s a basic, easy formula for an
  adventure:
  Hook + Goal + Obstacles = Adventure
  The hook catches the player characters’ interest, the goal
  gives them something to pursue, and the obstacles repre-
  sent the monsters, dangers, NPCs, and other barriers they
  must overcome. To create an adventure, you simply need
  to find a hook within the city, choose a goal, and place
  obstacles in front of that target.
  Every NPC, important site, and notable object in the
  game is marked as a hook, goal, or obstacle. Some might
  carry more than one designation. In addition, the listings
  note whether the component is appropriate for low-level
  (1st–5th), mid-level (6th–12th), or high-level (13th–25th)
  characters. For example, a nonplayer character marked as
  a Hook (Low Level) is an appropriate hook for a party of
  low-level characters. A site, place, or thing with the “Any
  Level” tag works for PCs of any level.
  The strength of this system lies in the organizational
  framework it offers. It does not force you to use an NPC
  > > > > >
  
  13
  or site in a specific way. Instead, it makes referencing this
  book easier while providing a clearer context for how a
  nonplayer character or a place fits into the campaign.
  Obviously, not all of the hooks, goals, and obstacles
  present in the city are listed here. You can create plenty of
  worthy foes and strange places to fit into the landscape.
  The adventure keyword system serves as a reference and a
  tool for adventure design—it is not meant to replace your
  own creativity.
  Everyone (and Everything) Has a Secret
  Ruins of Intrigue presents multiple backgrounds for non-
  player characters and locales, and many of them harbor a
  secret: a single, important fact unknown to most people.
  This secret does not change an NPC’s outward appearance
  or action—you can use the same basic personality and 
  statistics for a character who, in another Serathis cam-
  paign, might have vastly different motives.
  A secret usually has at least two variants; each variant
  presents a different spin on the secret. By altering a few
  key details, you can adjust the ruins to fit the needs of
  your campaign, or swap things around as you run new par-
  ties of adventurers through the ruins. A secret’s variants
  might represent a temporary alliance, allowing you to
  shake things up as the city develops. You could also change
  an NPC’s name and personality if you decide to use a dif-
  ferent secret. For example, a bartender’s secret may be that
  he is a spy for the giants. Later in the campaign, you
  decide you want to use one of his alternate secrets—that
  he poisons the drinks he sells to help a group of bandits
  steal treasure from adventurers. The old spy might retire or
  die, opening the way for the new bartender and his secret.
  This book presents them as alternate versions of the same
  NPC, but you can easily use them as two different charac-
  ters.
  The secrets are meant to make this setting as flexible as
  possible. Rather than weigh you down with details, many
  of which might never come into play, they provide a variety
  of options from which you can pick and choose to make
  your game more fun. You might postpone selecting an
  NPC’s secret for a while, as you wait to see the role he can
  play in the campaign. Since the secrets have little effect on
  a person’s outward actions or a place’s position in the
  ruins, you can change them or select them as needed.
  Not all of the secrets are mutually exclusive. In some
  cases, you can use more than one secret with a single
  character or place. 
  This idea of options and secrets runs throughout the
  book. Before running a campaign in Serathis, consult the
  campaign checklist starting on page 14 for descriptions of
  the topics, groups, and locations that can play a critical
  role in your game. The checklist also provides a good
  overview of people and places that you might want to par-
  ticularly note while reading this book.
  Sample Adventure
  This sample scenario illustrates the process of building an
  adventure: how you can select different pieces from this
  book and weave them together into a narrative whole. This
  particular adventure is designed for low-level characters.
  Recall the basic formula: Hook + Goal + Obstacles =
  Adventure. To start with, we need a hook. The Tower of
  Boundless Knowledge in the Safe Quarter (see Chapter
  Two) is a good excuse for almost any sort of adventure.
  The characters could seek out an artifact for the akashics
  who live there.
  The Slums provide a variety of foes. The bandits at the
  Court of Statues (see Chapter Three) have a propensity for
  kidnapping. Maybe they’ve seized one of the akashics from
  the Tower of Boundless Knowledge while she was explor-
  ing the ruins. Saving her becomes the PCs’ goal.
  We also need a strong obstacle: an opponent who can try
  to prevent the PCs from rescuing the akashic. Think of this
  component as a series of challenges the player characters
  must overcome to reach the adventure’s climax. The ban-
  dits at the court might serve as an adequate enemy, but let’s
  go for something else to make life interesting. The dragon’s
  minions always offer a threat—perhaps they, too, seek the
  akashic. The inshons that infest Stonepile Lake (see
  Chapter Three) also make good enemies. Plus, you can use
  their introduction as a springboard to further adventures. 
  Since the dragon’s agents are involved in this storyline,
  the giants might work against them—helping (or perhaps
  inadvertently hindering) the PCs’ efforts. Tarashkar the
  Pursuer (see Chapter Two) could prove a useful ally, espe-
  cially with his outrider camp in the Slums providing the
  player characters a place to rest in the wilderness.
  With our pieces chosen, the basic situation looks like
  this:
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
  Keeping the PCs in Serathis
  At some point in your campaign, the characters might want to
  leave Serathis, or an adventure could carry them beyond the ruins.
  The players might want a change of pace, or you could have an
  idea for a desert or ocean-based adventure that wouldn’t fit in
  Serathis. There’s no reason why the player characters can’t come
  and go as they please. The key lies in finding compelling reasons
  for the characters to head back into the ruins. An old enemy might
  become active once again, or the characters might hear news that a
  friend is in trouble in the city. While the PCs are away, the city
  continues to grow and develop. The events that transpire provide a
  natural impetus to pull the characters back into the ruins, espe-
  cially if they have a continuing relationship with friends and ene-
  mies made there.
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  14
  The akashics of the Tower of Boundless Knowledge ask
  the PCs to track down a missing explorer, Arndra, who was
  last seen heading out to the Slums with a few mercenaries
  to explore an ancient, ruined forge. In truth, she was kid-
  napped by the bandits based at the Court of Statues on
  orders from the dragon’s minions. Meanwhile, the inshons
  in the Slums have grown more restless than normal. They
  have swarmed from their caves and made several attacks
  against explorers and other monsters. The outriders need
  help defeating this incursion.
  The adventure might develop with the characters enter-
  ing the Slums and falling under attack by inshons. The
  party learns that the outriders need help fighting off the
  amphibians; in exchange, they may provide information on
  the kidnapping. If the PCs help them, their commander,
  Tarashkar the Pursuer, gives them a lead on the bandits.
  Meanwhile, the bandits hold onto Arndra in hopes of
  extorting more money from the dragon’s minions. The play-
  er characters must rush to the Court of Statues, uncover
  the bandits’ lair before the dragon’s followers get there,
  and defeat the kidnappers. To complicate matters, the PCs
  may find themselves allying with the bandits when the
  dragon’s warriors arrive and attempt to seize Arndra by
  force. 
  Future adventures could follow up on such questions as:
  Why is Arndra so important to the dragon? Does the forge
  she wished to explore hold some hidden power? Are the
  PCs now marked as the dragon’s enemies . . . and could
  the giants use them as pawns in their power struggles?
  CAMPAIGN CHECKLIST
  Before running an extensive campaign in Serathis, consid-
  er a few important issues. Some options within this book
  are too important to leave unresolved until later in the
  campaign. In some cases, the characters may have to deal
  with a group or individual early on—for example, both the
  giants’ and the dragon’s intentions and policies will proba-
  bly affect your first few game sessions set in Serathis. In
  other cases, certain choices might subsequently alter a
  variety of locations and NPCs. This section provides an
  overview of the major issues that you should look at before
  starting a campaign. It breaks them down into two cate-
  gories: politics and economics. Both have a major impact
  on the Safe Quarter and the activity of outsiders in the
  city. In addition, several other topics important to specific
  areas of the ruins are covered in the appropriate chapters.
  Politics
  The political factions within the city—namely, the giants
  and the dragon Krovacatharis—help to influence the tone,
  feel, and direction of your campaign. If the characters
  need a patron or ally, you can modify either group to serve
  as a conveniently heroic, benevolent faction. The two sides
  could have the best interests of the world in mind, or they
  could be self-interested, greedy, and ambitious. Their true
  motives and plans are up to you.
  Ruins of Intrigue offers you three ways to use both the
  giants and the dragon within your campaign: as friendly,
  neutral, or hostile entities. You select the option that best
  matches the direction you want your campaign to take.
  These labels should help you choose secrets and options
  that reflect each faction’s general attitudes. You don’t have
  to select all the options that fit into those categories, but
  they are designed to work together.
  The Giants
  The giants’ presence within the city serves as a civilizing
  force. The Hu-Charad drove back the monsters that infest-
  ed the Safe Quarter and established the first settlement.
  The giants form the most potent military power in the
  region. The giant, sibeccai, and human mercenaries under
  their command are powerful enough to hold back mon-
  strous incursions and command respect from even the
  dragon Krovacatharis and his minions. Few break the
  giants’ laws without good reason and/or without taking pre-
  cautions to avoid capture. However, the giants’ motives for
  their mission might not be entirely noble. To understand
  the giants’ involvement in the city, one must know why
  they have taken an active role here.
  If the Giants Are Friendly Figures . . .
  The giants are here because of their sense of duty. They
  consider it their responsibility to ensure that the magic with-
  in the city and the monsters that dwell here remain con-
  tained. If a powerful artifact or some other relic lies within
  easy grasp of evil or greedy hands, it could spell disaster for
  the land. Any monsters that lurk here must be defeated
  before they can travel to civilized regions. The giants take an
  active, sometimes smothering role in keeping the peace
  within Serathis, but they care little for interfering in the
  trade and recovery of relics and treasure. Their actions
  sometimes anger treasure hunters and merchants who want
  only to make a profit, as the giants seize potentially danger-
  ous items and place a 10 percent tax on valuables taken
  from the ruins. However, they also provide security, rescue
  parties, and other life-saving services. The typical adventurer
  might, over a tankard of ale in the security of the Safe
  Quarter, complain about the giants’ interference, but in the
  ruins he is glad to know that Hu-Charad patrols are on hand
  to defeat the monsters that emerge from the earth.
  With the “friendly” option, the giants aim to allow
  explorers as much latitude as possible while keeping the
  Diamond Throne’s safety and security intact. Adventurers
  find the giants valuable (if at times overbearing) allies who
  > > > > >
  
  may need help in securing a dangerous relic, beating back
  a ferocious monster, or capturing a wanted criminal. The
  giants genuinely want to maintain the peace while allowing
  honest folk to make a living in the trade of relics and
  magic items. The majority of citizens see the giants’ works
  as a positive, beneficial undertaking. About 75 percent of
  the folk in the Safe Quarter support them, though the rest
  chafe under the restrictions and resent the giants’ interfer-
  ence.
  If the Giants Are Neutral Figures . . . 
  The giants have established the Safe Quarter to bring stabil-
  ity and security to Serathis . . . but, truth be told, they
  would much rather attend to more pressing issues. The
  dragons are a continual, simmering threat, and the city’s
  appearance has done nothing but disrupt the peace and
  invite a host of potential problems to the region. The giants
  strictly control trade and aggressively govern explorers and
  treasure hunters. They charge exorbitant taxes on items
  taken from the ruins and frequently forbid all travel to areas
  they deem too dangerous for others. The giants’ concern
  spills over into arrogance and a patronizing attitude. The
  Hu-Charad in the ruins believe the other races could never
  be trusted to manage Serathis without unleashing a disaster
  or turning the place into a pit of decadence and villainy.
  In this case, the giants care little for adventurers. They
  would prefer that visitors keep away from the ruins, and
  they are willing to throw their military might behind seal-
  ing off areas and controlling commerce and exploration.
  Explorers must register with the giants in order to access
  the ruins legally, and adventurers must pay a 25 percent
  tax on the value of any items they recover from the city. In
  addition, the giants seize any suspicious or potentially dan-
  gerous objects, particularly magic items that adventurers
  recover.
  Under this scenario, the giants use active patrols to clear
  out ruined areas and hunt down illegal explorers. They
  want to empty the city as quickly as possible to erase the
  threat it might pose. Half the citizens of the Safe Quarter
  consider the giants too controlling and aggressive. The
  other half might chafe under the restrictions but see them
  as a necessary evil. Smuggling and crime run high, prima-
  rily due to the high taxes and the giants’ rigorous, often
  zealous, enforcement of them.
  If the Giants Are Hostile Figures . . .
  With this option, the giants are an oppressive force in the
  city. While their actions stem from a desire to keep the
  peace, in practice they seek to prevent litorians, humans,
  verrik, and other non-giants from profiting from the ruins.
  They impose a 50 percent tax on goods taken from the city
  and seize all magic items that adventurers find. The Hu-
  Charad aggressively patrol the Slums and parts of the
  Barrens. In time, they hope to extend the Safe Quarter far-
  ther into Serathis, cutting off the dragon Krovacatharis’
  access to the city and forcing the wyrm to accede to their
  demands. They see Krovacatharis as a destabilizing threat
  who seeks only to uncover weapons and lore that could be
  used against them. If they can defeat him through either
  open combat or treachery, they leap at the chance.
  15
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  16
  With this option, the giants take their role as caretakers to
  an extreme. They seek to smother all opportunity that the
  ruins present, keeping for themselves any wealth and magical
  power found within them. While their conduct may seem
  driven by greed, the giants simply believe that the other races
  are incapable of using the power and wealth available here in
  a responsible, intelligent manner. They see themselves as
  saviors, even if their actions paint them as opportunistic
  dictators. This tendency might stem from a few local com-
  manders, overzealous security efforts, or a genuine rise of
  tyranny. Perhaps with the return of the dragons, the giants
  hover between their desire to serve as guardians and the
  tempting call of Chi-Julud, the ceremony that turns them
  into a lethal, implacable fighting force. This simmer-
  ing aggression boils over in the giants’ politi-
  cal, economic, and legal policies.
  The Dragons
  As a group, the dragons see
  Serathis as a potential treasure
  trove of gold, magic, and lore,
  yet only a single dragon openly
  dwells here. The dragons
  would have preferred to arrive
  in Serathis with a much
  greater force, but the highly
  organized Hu-Charad estab-
  lished a settlement long before
  the dragons could make their
  first move. Capricious, splintered,
  and quarrelsome, the dragons spent
  precious days and weeks in debate. In
  the interest of preventing open fighting—
  a struggle that could damage the ruins and
  spoil everyone’s profit—they prefer to allow their 
  representative, Krovacatharis the Seeker, to guard their
  interests and compete with the giants.
  Krovacatharis the Seeker possesses a variety of psionic and
  precognitive abilities. His mastery of ancient lore is second to
  none, and his great age puts him in an excellent position to
  call in favors, promise rewards, and otherwise convince the
  other dragons with an interest in the ruins to steer clear of
  them, at least for a short time. Krovacatharis hopes that this
  breathing room will give him the time he needs to gain an
  insurmountable lead in political and economic influence with-
  in the area. The other dragons see him as convenient bait: 
  If the ruins prove a worthless diversion, only Krovacatharis
  must pay for his folly; should Serathis yield tremendous
  wealth and power, they can step in and profit with him.
  As with the giants, the true motives behind the dragons’
  actions can change to fit your view of Serathis and your
  own Arcana Evolved campaign.
  If the Dragon Is a Friendly Figure . . .
  The dragons sent only a single one of their kind to keep
  the peace and ensure that the ruins remained an econom-
  ic, academic, and arcane windfall rather than a battle-
  field. They respect Krovacatharis for his cunning, fore-
  sight, and shrewd business sense. While he tends to
  ignore others’ problems in favor of his own, he sees that
  stability, peace, and safety will help keep Serathis a prof-
  itable place. Thus, he seeks to ensure that trade remains
  unmolested and that artifacts and wealth flow to the right
  people. While the giants use overt shows of power to earn
  respect and keep the peace, Krovacatharis employs more
  subtle methods. Exploiting his contacts among the crimi-
  nals and smugglers in the city, he arranges for assassi-
  nations, raids, and other attacks on malevolent
  groups who promise to upset the city’s
  delicate balance.
  Krovacatharis sees the giants’ love
  of order, the myriad regulations
  they use to control the ruins,
  and their sometimes patronizing
  attitude toward others as a
  sickening display of power. He
  prefers practical (though not
  always righteous) methods for
  dealing with problems. In his
  view, a quiet, fast, and efficient
  solution, such as a few adven-
  turers slipping into an evil spell-
  caster’s lair to silence the villain
  once and for all, is preferable to
  something showy and potentially
  destructive.
  Through his agents, Krovacatharis hires
  adventurers to deal with the threats he perceives with
  his psionic and magical talents. He casts his eye far and
  wide, both to help in his drive to accumulate wealth, and
  to discover and eliminate problems before they can fester.
  Those who work for him rarely know their patron’s true
  identity. Krovacatharis prefers to remain anonymous
  unless the situation demands otherwise.
  With respect to the giants, he works within their laws
  when it suits him but typically sees them as too slow to
  deal with problems. He tries to remain on their good side,
  but gladly deals with outlaws, smugglers, and other crimi-
  nals who can help him wage his secret war.
  With Krovacatharis as a friendly entity, 25 percent of the
  people in town like and trust the dragon. Another 50 per-
  cent see him as a neutral party or as just another business-
  person. The final 25 percent views him as a malevolent
  force that hides behind a mask of friendship.
  > > > > >
  
  17
  If the Dragon Is a Neutral Figure . . .
  Krovacatharis is an opportunist and a realist. He sees that
  keeping the giants happy, or at least content, is the best way
  to ensure that he can continue the variety of smuggling
  operations he has founded within the city. His widespread
  servants form a sprawling network of eyes and ears that help
  him keep a close handle on events within the ruins. If
  adventurers uncover an interesting item, his agents are the
  first to make a pitch to buy it. Krovacatharis carefully avoids
  embroiling legally recognized or innocent explorers or
  adventurers in any rough business. He knows that, should
  the giants find conclusive evidence of wrongdoing on his or
  his followers’ parts, they will move to shut him down or
  drive him from the city. If push comes to shove, he avoids a
  direct confrontation. At his heart, he is a coward.
  Krovacatharis has his claws in organized crime, smug-
  gling operations, and other illegal ventures, primarily
  because he knows he can throw his weight around and
  intimidate his business partners without fear that they
  might turn to the giants for help. He has no particular
  bent toward crime. Instead, he sees it as the most viable,
  practical path to getting what he wants. The giants have
  too strong a grip on everything else for him to compete
  with them.
  When it comes to the player characters, Krovacatharis
  sees them as potential tools. He may send agents to feel
  out their motives and plans. If the PCs seem shady enough
  to work with them, he offers generous bounties in return
  for tomes of knowledge, magical items, and interesting
  relics. He may decide to approach only a single character
  or a subset of the party, particularly if the group contains
  any giants or overly righteous crusaders.
  In this option, about half the people in the Safe Quarter
  see Krovacatharis as an unsavory criminal element—but
  ultimately a harmless one who has little effect on their
  lives. He poses no threat, but no one trusts him. A quarter
  of the folk see him as just another businessperson, while
  the rest consider him a threat to peace and safety.
  If the Dragon Is a Hostile Figure . . . 
  Krovacatharis is but the first of the dragons who plan to
  arrive in the city. He considers the giants a stain upon the
  continent and intends to drive them back to the sea. With
  the help of a small cabal of other wyrms, he intends to
  remake the dramojh and use them as allies in a war of
  conquest targeted against both the giants and the dragons
  who would oppose this plot. He funds research and expedi-
  tions into the ruins in hopes of uncovering the secret of
  Serathis, and of finding clues to the dramojh’s origin and
  creation.
  Krovacatharis works with the criminal element to hide
  his plans from the giants. He knows that he must maintain
  a harmless façade to hold them at bay, but he carefully
  balances it by casting himself as a greedy collector in
  search of nothing more than rare art objects and interest-
  ing magic items. The giants keep a careful watch on him,
  but over time their vigilance grows slack in the face of
  more pressing issues. He intentionally allows the giants to
  plant spies and informants among his followers, feeding
  these marks a steady stream of information that paints him
  as vain, self-absorbed, and ultimately irrelevant to the
  giants’ plans.
  In this situation, the general population regards
  Krovacatharis in the same way as if he were a neutral fig-
  ure (see above). However, the criminals who operate in the
  city are more dangerous, aggressive, and well organized
  than normal. Krovacatharis takes care to recruit a useful
  selection of spellcasters, killers, sages, and other experts to
  keep his operation running smoothly. His personal servants
  form an elite cadre of shock troops that handle his most
  pressing business.
  Economics
  To reflect the boomtown economy of the ruins, consider
  how businesses fare here. If relics and treasure are com-
  mon, the Safe Quarter is a prosperous, bustling place.
  Merchants crowd its streets, and crime remains on the
  periphery. On the other hand, if the treasure hauls prove
  too small or difficult to find, the settlement lurches toward
  unrest and crime. Mercenaries and adventurers who came
  here seeking a fortune find only frustration. Muggings,
  assault, and robbery are commonplace. In between these
  two extremes, the settlement is a rough-and-tumble place.
  You can shift the economic status of the ruins over time
  to reflect the rise (and eventual fall, as the ruins are loot-
  ed) of the trade in gold, gems, and ancient relics. The Safe
  Quarter may begin its life as a tough border settlement,
  experience a boom of prosperity, and then slowly dwindle
  to a ghost town as the treasure dries up.
  A Prosperous Serathis
  Treasure flows from the ruins like a river of gold, promising
  to turn even a neophyte adventurer into a merchant prince
  overnight. Except for pickpockets and confidence men,
  criminals tend to avoid operating in the Safe Quarter. Most
  of the bandits and predators work in the ruins, ambushing
  careless adventurers. Prices surge to 150 percent of their list
  value as inflation soars. With treasure and gold so common,
  prices steadily escalate. Ostentatious displays of wealth are
  common within the Safe Quarter, and rival merchants go to
  great lengths to outdo their rivals.
  In a prosperous situation, political intrigue and competi-
  tion to loot the ruins runs rampant. The giants and the
  dragon Krovacatharis struggle to gain control over the sea
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  18
  of treasure beyond the Safe Quarter’s walls, while crimi-
  nals and merchants vie to establish a foothold in what
  could become an economic powerhouse for the next sever-
  al years. Adventures dealing with espionage, diplomacy,
  and intrigue work best against this backdrop.
  An Average Serathis
  The Safe Quarter is relatively quiet, but outright attacks and
  robberies are more common here than in more civilized
  areas. Most folk openly carry weapons to discourage attacks.
  Prices hold steady at list cost. While treasure flows from the
  ruins, it has the same effect as any other trade good or com-
  modity within a large settlement. The Safe Quarter has a
  rough-and-tumble feel but exhibits clear signs of slowly
  becoming more civilized.
  This setting allows for a mix of intrigue and high adven-
  ture. The characters can make a fortune in the ruins if
  they manage to outdistance their competitors. Tension
  between the giants and the dragon simmers. Most compe-
  tition focuses on recovering treasures and finding valuable
  sites rather than direct political and economic struggles
  within the Safe Quarter. The PCs might face a variety of
  enemies within that nominally safe area, particularly ban-
  dits and criminal rings who try to snatch treasure from the
  hands that discovered it.
  A Desperate Serathis
  The promises of easy treasure and wealth have failed to
  match the realities of life in Serathis. Penniless wanderers
  line the streets, desperate for a few coins to finance a trip
  home. Others turn to strong drink to soothe their worries.
  Crime runs rampant, and the giants are sorely pressed to
  maintain order. All travelers entering the Safe Quarter must
  show that they have the money to afford lodging for at least
  one week. They are given a pass for a seven-day visit, and
  the town guard may eject anyone whose pass has expired.
  This option is a good choice for campaigns that empha-
  size a more dire, dangerous feel. Criminals lurk around
  every corner, as many of the warriors and explorers who
  came to the city in search of wealth turn to crime. Politics
  and jockeying between the giants and Krovacatharis fall to
  the wayside as both parties try to salvage something valu-
  able from the situation. The characters are probably free to
  do as they please in the ruins, as the giants are too busy
  trying to maintain peace in the Safe Quarter. Bandits gath-
  er at the edge of the civilized area, victimizing honest
  explorers and adventuring parties. Fugitives and others
  might see the ruins as a convenient place of refuge. A des-
  perate economic situation is great for low-level adventures
  that focus on people and threats that come to the ruins,
  rather than the ones that arise within it.
  MONSTERS OF SERATHIS
  The dramojh experiments in creating life gave rise to several
  new types of monster within the city. In addition to detailing
  them, this section starts off with some guidelines for adding
  monsters from non-core rulebooks to the campaign. In addi-
  tion, each of the next four chapters ends with a section
  describing the monsters prevalent in that part of town.
  Always bear in mind that Serathis should present a 
  feeling of mystery, discovery, and strange magic. The
  “Campaign Themes” section above discussed some of the
  concepts the city is designed to support. A wide variety of
  monsters for your adventures can do a lot to add layers of
  interest to your game. Monster books unfamiliar to your
  players can help heighten a feeling of suspense. An exotic
  setting should have odd creatures and unusual foes for the
  adventurers to face.
  As much as possible, steer clear of creatures that are an
  established part of a different setting or that the players have
  faced before. Serathis is a good place to introduce a few out-
  siders as opponents, but if you use ice devils, pit fiends, and
  other creatures from the core rules, the players may already
  be thoroughly familiar with them. Not only will they recognize
  the monsters’ abilities, but those creatures have backgrounds
  and contexts that are well known to many gamers. It’s hard
  to build mystery if the players already know a creature’s ori-
  gins and place within an abyssal or infernal hierarchy.
  Magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, and aberrations
  make excellent foes in Serathis. Mine your monster books
  for them, since they generally possess strange forms,
  bizarre powers, and difficult-to-predict tactics. With the
  dramojh’s proclivity for spawning new life, you can easily
  explain any of these creatures’ presence within the city.
  Try to avoid using humanoids as mindless enemies.
  Intelligent creatures should fight for a good reason. Bandit
  gangs and other marauders offer an easy way to incorporate
  such foes at a variety of levels. The more powerful bandit
  gangs tend to prey on travelers and search for treasure in
  the city’s inner precincts. Less experienced raiders keep to
  the Slums.
  The occasional outsider, elemental, and undead creature
  helps play up the sense of wonder, but try not to overuse
  them. Reserve outsiders in particular for special encounters,
  particularly bizarre areas, and other noteworthy episodes.
  Including the undead can be fun, and it’s easy to explain
  why they linger in the ruins, but try not to overuse them.
  Plants and animals make great foes that reflect that dan-
  gers of the natural world. Shambling mounds thrive in the
  Barrens, while a pack of wolves can track the characters
  for days in the Slums. These encounters remind the char-
  acters that, while the shell of an ancient civilization might
  surround them, the ruins are as much a wilderness as the
  mountains that loom nearby.
  > > > > >
  
  19
  Akthar
  Medium Monstrous Humanoid
  Hit Dice: 2d8+6 (15 hp), dying/dead –4/–16
  Initiative: +1
  Speed: 30 feet, climb 20 feet
  AC: 14 (+1 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 13
  Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
  Attack: Club +4 melee (1d6+2) or javelin +3 ranged 
  (1d6+2)
  Full Attack: Club +4 melee (1d6+2) or javelin +3 ranged 
  (1d6+2)
  Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet
  (Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet)
  Special Attacks: Coordinated tactics
  Special Qualities: Clan mark, collective body, collective 
  mind, darkvision 60 feet
  Saves: Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +5
  Abilities: Str 14, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 12
  Skills: Climb +6, Listen +4, Spot +4, Tumble +3
  Feats: Two feats (see text)
  Environment: The ruins of Serathis
  Organization: Pair, swarm (2–8), warband (4–16), 
  village (20–120)
  Challenge Rating: 1
  Treasure: Standard
  Advancement: By character class
  Level Adjustment: +2
  The deadly akthars may seem relatively weak at first
  glance, but do not be deceived. These creatures are about
  as strong and tough as giants, plus they have tremendous
  psionic abilities. Akthars can telepathically communicate
  with the other members of their clan across a great dis-
  tance, allowing them to coordinate attacks with deadly pre-
  cision. More importantly, akthars form a collective pool of
  talents and abilities. Once one akthar masters a talent, all
  the akthars within a short distance also gain it. In essence,
  a lone akthar has at its disposal all of the abilities and tal-
  ents of its tribe. Needless to say, this advantage makes any
  akthar a deadly enemy.
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  20
  Akthars are a race of vaguely simian humanoid creatures.
  They display a broad range of characteristics, but in general
  they have short, coarse fur, long arms, bowed legs, and
  pointed ears. Their eyes are black orbs set in their skulls,
  and they usually have long, jagged claws and sharp fangs.
  However, they rarely use these natural weapons in combat.
  Aside from those shared traits, akthars display a dramat-
  ic range of fur colors, patterns, and other mutations. Each
  akthar tribe or family group shares a few distinctive fea-
  tures, such as a deformed left ear, bright green fur, or extra
  fingers. These traits breed true and mark the psionic con-
  nection between a family’s members. Only akthars from
  the same clan gain the benefits of their shared psychic
  abilities. When akthars from two clans interbreed, the
  resulting creature is always a twisted abomination known
  as a ru-akthar (described later in this chapter).
  Combat
  Akthars always try to attack in a group of at least four.
  Unless an individual akthar is highly trained or tougher
  than normal, it prefers to fight with the comforting pres-
  ence of its clan’s collective consciousness. Akthar clans
  tend to mold their battle strategies based on the talents
  they have mastered.
  Coordinated Tactics (Su): The akthars’ powerful psy-
  chic connection allows them to fight effectively as a team.
  An akthar gains a +1 bonus to its attack rolls for each
  akthar from its clan that is adjacent to the enemy it
  attacks. An akthar’s opponent never receives a cover bonus
  if another akthar from the clan is present. Akthars never
  suffer the penalty for firing into melee if their target’s
  opponents are all akthars from their clan. Note that these
  advantages do not apply with respect to akthars from other
  clans. Akthars do not share these links across family lines. 
  Clan Mark (Ex): All akthar clans have a distinctive
  physical mark that showcases their clan membership.
  Regardless of the mark’s exact type, an akthar possesses
  only one. In game terms, this trait can appear in variety of
  forms.
  Some clan marks give an akthar a +4 competence bonus
  to a single skill or the subskills covered by a single skill
  type, such as Perform or Knowledge. For example, a clan
  of scholarly akthars might have enlarged brains that give
  them a +4 bonus to all Knowledge checks. An akthar must
  spend ranks on the skill as normal in order to attempt it
  trained, if applicable.
  The clan mark can also give an akthar an alternative
  movement mode, a creature subtype, or the ability to cast
  a 0-level spell once per day (caster level 1st) with
  Charisma as the spellcasting key ability.
  Collective Body (Su): As a free action, an akthar can
  absorb an injury suffered by another member of its clan.
  The akthar selects a fellow clan member within 60 feet
  and heals it of 2d6 points of damage. The akthar using this
  ability immediately takes an equal amount of damage. An
  akthar can use this ability once per hour. Akthar warbands
  love to set up healers in hiding on the fringes of a battle-
  field.
  Collective Mind (Su): Akthars can delve into each
  other’s minds to share their special talents and abilities
  over a short range. An akthar gains the feats and skill
  ranks of all its fellow clanfolk within a 100-foot radius.
  The akthar must possess the prerequisites for any feats it
  gains, and if it lacks any, it cannot use the feat. Akthars
  cannot use feats gained in this manner as the prerequisite
  for other feats acquired via this ability.
  An akthar gains the highest skill ranks that any single
  individual can contribute. For example, three akthar war-
  riors have 2, 3 and 6 ranks in Swim. All of the akthars
  would enjoy 6 total ranks, the highest single rank total
  available, when using this ability. The warriors with 2 or 3
  ranks would not permanently add the bonus ranks they
  gained to their standard ranks. The warrior with 6 ranks
  would not gain the ranks from the other two warriors,
  since they have fewer ranks.
  Akthar Origin
  The dramojh originally crafted akthars to serve as their pri-
  mary slaves and helpers. The dragon scions were too con-
  sumed by their magical research and investigations into
  arcane matters to bother with training a large force of
  slave labor to maintain the city. They considered creating a
  race of slave masters, but their initial results proved too
  independent and willful to control easily.
  They solved their problem by crafting the akthars. Since
  these creatures can share memories and skills across short
  distances, a dramojh keeper needed to teach only one akthar
  how to maintain a forge or how to slaughter and prepare a
  herd animal. The skills the akthar learned would flow to its
  fellows, allowing them to help in the task at hand with little
  supervision. Furthermore, punishments against lazy or slop-
  py workers resonated throughout the assembled workers,
  making it far easier to keep them in line.
  The dramojh developed several varieties of akthar, each of
  which shared a separate pool of memories and knowledge.
  The dramojh found that if the akthars grew too numerous,
  exceptional individuals within a group would become more
  intelligent and eventually pose a threat to the dramojh’s
  iron rule. Thus, they bred and sculpted akthars into a mul-
  titude of clans, each of which was unable to breed with the
  other without creating a fearsome, terrible creature inimical
  to all akthar life. The wily dramojh, in turn, used these
  creatures, ru-akthars (see page 22), as bestial guards to
  watch over akthar camps and run down any escapees.
  > > > > >
  
  21
  Akthar Society
  Akthars are organized into small clans based on their
  unique markings and ability to breed true. They usually
  adapt to areas that allow them to take advantage of their
  special talents. For example, a clan with long, strong limbs
  that make its members excellent climbers may dwell
  among the trees. Another clan that excels at mining may
  burrow tunnels into the earth.
  Akthars in Serathis
  Akthars are found primarily in the Barrens. They hunt and
  fish within that wilderness area to support themselves and
  fight to defeat any visitors who may pose a threat to their
  territory. Akthars sometimes enter the Slums in search of
  treasure or to prove their bravery. Such akthars tend to be
  more vicious and aggressive than normal specimens. Akthars
  generally dislike all outlanders, and they pose a serious
  threat to any expedition into the ruins. See “Factions Within
  the Barrens” in Chapter Four for more on this race.
  Akthar Characters
  Most akthars are warriors. These creatures generally lack
  the cultural sophistication to follow other classes, aside
  from expert and commoner. A few akthars, particularly
  those bred to excel at intellectual skills, may possess magi-
  cal abilities learned from the dramojh and passed down
  through the generations.
  Running Akthar Encounters
  Keeping track of all the skills and feats available to
  akthars may prove troublesome. When using these crea-
  tures in an encounter, it helps to list all of the feats they
  collectively possess (including feats available through mul-
  tiple akthars). When an akthar dies or falls unconscious,
  remove a number of feats at random from this list equal
  to the total that the fallen akthar contributed to the pool.
  Rock Bat
  Small Magical Beast
  Hit Dice: 1d10+1 (6 hp), dying/dead –2/–13
  Initiative: +6
  Speed: 10 feet, fly 80 feet (perfect)
  AC: 19 (+1 size, +6 Dex, +2 natural), touch 17,
  flat-footed 13
  Base Attack/Grapple: +1/–5
  Attack: Wing +8 melee (1d6–2)
  Full Attack: Wing +8 melee (1d6–2)
  Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet
  (Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet)
  Special Attacks: Darting grab, severing strike
  Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet
  Saves: Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +1
  Abilities: Str 6, Dex 22, Con 13, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 8
  Skills: Listen +3, Spot +3
  Feats: Flyby Attack, Weapon Finesse
  Environment: The ruins of Serathis
  Organization: Flock (3–60)
  Challenge Rating: 1/2
  Treasure: Standard
  Advancement: Medium (2–6 HD); Large (7–12 HD)
  The vicious rock bat is a continual thorn in the side of
  adventuring parties within the ruins of Serathis. Although
  individually these creatures prove relatively weak, in great
  numbers they can wreck havoc on even the most heavily
  armed and armored expedition. Their sharp wings, stunning
  reflexes, and attraction to shiny objects combine to make
  them a deadly peril. Even if a flock of rock bats fails to slay
  an adventurer, it may carry away the supplies and items
  that she needs to make the trip back the Safe Quarter.
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  22
  The typical rock bat is about 3 feet long. It has a rough,
  dark grey hide and long, leathery wings. The outer, leading
  edge of each wing has a long, sharp, bony ridge that can
  slice through flesh. A bat attacks by swooping toward an
  opponent and cutting into it with its wings. Despite their
  name, rock bats are not true bats. They have normal eyes
  and rely on sight to guide them. Their heads and bodies
  have a batlike appearance—hence the name.
  Combat
  Rock bats usually avoid humans and other large prey.
  Normally, they attack small herd animals, rabbits, and sim-
  ilar creatures. However, they harbor an insatiable desire
  for shiny, metallic items and other debris. Like many of the
  creatures found in Serathis, rock bats are more intelligent
  than typical wild animals. To lure a mate to her cave or
  nest, a female bat attempts to attract the male with metal
  items strewn about her territory. Thus, the bats sometimes
  attack travelers because of the glint of a metal buckle on a
  backpack or the flash of light off a breastplate.
  A rock bat makes full use of its Flyby Attack feat, swoop-
  ing to strike and darting beyond the reach of a sword or
  claw before its opponent can retaliate. Unfortunately, if a
  rock bat attacks a humanoid, it is either too hungry to
  break off the fight or consumed with desire for the metal
  object its opponent carries.
  Darting Grab (Ex): All rock bats are adept at grabbing
  small items and soaring into the sky without slowing down.
  In place of an attack, a rock bat may pick up an item while
  using its Flyby Attack feat. If the rock bat tries to grab
  something that a target carries in its hand, it provokes an
  attack of opportunity and must succeed in an opposed
  Strength check to wrest the item away.
  Severing Strike (Ex): A rock bat may choose to attack a
  belt strap, belt, or similar item to knock the object from a
  character’s possession. It may attack any item that a target
  wears on its body without provoking an attack of opportu-
  nity. This benefit does not apply to an item a character
  carries in hand. A rock bat usually uses this ability to cut
  loose a belt pouch or similar item in order to carry off a
  shiny item.
  Trained Rock Bats
  Several falconers in the city of Serathis have managed to
  capture and train rock bats. These creatures serve as
  guards and couriers, as they can be taught to carry mes-
  sages from one place to another. Rumors abound of a gang
  that keeps a large number of these creatures and sends the
  bats against caravans. The swarm swoops down to carry off
  coins, gems, and other small trinkets, which the bandits
  later scavenge from them. Sometimes, this gang weakens
  the supports on a bridge, causes a rockslide, or prepares
  some other obstacle that topples a cart or wagon and sends
  treasure spilling across the trail for the bats to pick up.
  Rock Bats in Serathis
  Rock bats are found almost everywhere in the city, though
  they never seem to venture far beyond its limits. Swarms
  of these creatures are a consistent threat from the Safe
  Quarter out to the Forest of Towers. They are a particular
  menace within the Slums, as they seem to prefer the
  ruined avenues to the shady trees of the Barrens.
  Ru-Akthar
  Large Magical Beast
  Hit Dice: 8d10+40 (84 hp), dying/dead –6/–20
  Initiative: +0
  Speed: 40 feet
  AC: 15 (–1 size, +6 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 15
  Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+18
  Attack: Claw +14 melee (1d8+6)
  Full Attack: 2 claws +14 melee (1d8+6) 
  Space/Reach: 10 feet/10 feet
  (Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/10 feet)
  Special Attacks: Death spasm
  Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, mindsense 100 
  feet, scent, tenacious fighter, tremorsense 60 feet
  Saves: Fort +11, Ref +6, Will +5
  Abilities: Str 22, Dex 10, Con 20, Int 6, Wis 17, Cha 12
  Skills: Climb +11, Jump +12
  Feats: Fast Healer, Power Attack, Sunder, Weapon Focus 
  (claws)
  Environment: The ruins of Serathis
  Organization: Solitary, pair, mating group (2–8)
  Challenge Rating: 6
  Treasure: Standard
  Advancement: Large (9–12 HD); Huge (13–18 HD)
  The ru-akthar is a horrifying beast that fights with mindless
  fury. It combines some of the psionic talents native to the
  akthar race (see above) with a warped, deceptively powerful
  physique. When enraged, its razor claws can tear through
  bone and muscle with ease. As a ru-akthar suffers injuries,
  its psionic talents allow it to transform its pain into raw
  anger. While other creatures may become weaker as a battle
  wears on, a ru-akthar gains power and ferocity.
  A ru-akthar looks like a massive, hunched, apelike creature
  covered with thick, matted hair. Hooks within its hair catch
  twigs, leaves, and other debris, forming a crude but effective
  camouflage screen. A ru-akthar usually walks on all four
  limbs. It uses its arms for balance as it moves, but in battle
  it rears back on its legs and slashes wildly with its claws.
  The first ru-akthar arose when akthars of different clans
  mated. The offspring of any such union is always a ru-
  > > > > >
  
  23
  akthar. Ru-akthars also breed true. Once a year, the ru-
  akthars in an area gather to fight over the right to take the
  available females as mates. The males battle to the death,
  ensuring that only the strongest males survive to propagate
  the species. Explorers take care to avoid areas where ru-
  akthars gather for these duels, as they are even more
  aggressive and bloodthirsty than normal during this period.
  In the wild, ru-akthars usually stake out a section of a
  forest and defend it against all intruders. They are omnivo-
  rous, and usually subsist on roots and insects. They attack
  akthars on sight, as the dramojh crafted them specifically
  to keep those creatures cowed. They have a variety of
  supernatural abilities that allow them to track foes. Once
  they used these talents to hunt down escaped akthars, but
  now they use them with equal skill against humans, sibec-
  cai, and other humanoids.
  Combat
  A ru-akthar relies on its brute strength to defeat its ene-
  mies. Once engaged in battle, it fights to the death.
  Death Spasm (Ex): When a ru-akthar dies, its body
  expels its death energy in one final, vicious spasm. The ru-
  akthar’s body emits a blast of negative energy in a 30-foot
  radius. All creatures in this area must make Fortitude saves
  (DC 18) or suffer 4d6 points of damage, or half damage on
  a successful save. In addition, creatures that fail this save
  suffer a –1 penalty to Constitution for the next hour.
  Mindsense (Su): A ru-akthar enjoys an ability similar to
  an akthar’s talent to form a collective body of memories
  and skills. The ru-akthar can sense the presence of a living
  mind within 100 feet. It lacks the refined ability to access
  a creature’s thoughts or delve into its memories, but it can
  detect the stir and whisper of psychic energy. The ru-
  akthar is automatically aware of the exact location of any
  living creature that comes within this ability’s range.
  Furthermore, it never suffers a miss chance due to con-
  cealment against such targets.
  Tenacious Fighter (Ex): The ru-akthar’s injuries merely
  enrage it, granting it increased power and physical
  strength. When reduced to half or fewer of its maximum
  hit points, it gains a +4 bonus to Strength for 10 minutes.
  A ru-akthar continues to fight when it is disabled. When in
  this state, the Strength bonus it gains from this ability
  increases to +8. It dies as normal.
  Ru-Akthar Encounters
  As vicious, territorial creatures, ru-akthars serve as excel-
  lent beasts for a random encounter, a difficult battle while
  traveling from one point to another, or as guardians in a
  long-abandoned ruin. A spellcaster might use his magic to
  disable a ru-akthar, transport it to a treasure cache or
  some other area he wants to guard, and allow the creature
  to recover from the spell. Most ru-akthars lack the intelli-
  gence to make their way back to their home territories. If
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  24
  the creature’s new home has enough food and water, it
  claims it as its new domain.
  Akthars fear and loathe these creatures. A few mer-
  chants have attempted to capture and train ru-akthar cubs,
  and in a few cases they have succeeded. Needless to say,
  these ru-akthars command tremendous prices, as the
  akthars continue to raid and harass expeditions.
  Ru-Akthars in Serathis
  Ru-akthars are found almost exclusively within the
  Barrens. The akthars announce these monsters’ hunting
  grounds with skulls and other markers. The recent influx
  of explorers has seemingly disturbed these creatures’ natu-
  ral order. Several of them have wandered into the Slums,
  and an enraged ru-akthar has attacked the Safe Quarter’s
  walls on three separate occasions.
  Spined Hound
  Small Magical Beast
  Hit Dice: 2d10+4 (15 hp), dying/dead –3/–14
  Initiative: +6
  Speed: 40 feet
  AC: 17 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 13, 
  flat-footed 15
  Base Attack/Grapple: +2/–1
  Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+1)
  Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+1)
  Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet 
  (Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet)
  Special Attacks: Piercing howl, spines
  Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, scent
  Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +2
  Abilities: Str 12, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 8
  Skills: Survival +7
  Feats: Improved Initiative, Track
  Environment: The ruins of Serathis
  Organization: Solitary, pair, pack (3–12)
  Challenge Rating: 1
  Treasure: Standard
  Advancement: Medium (3–6 HD); Large (7–12 HD)
  A spined hound is a small, vicious creature that excels as a
  guardian, tracker, and companion. Bred by the dramojh in
  the ancient days to serve as faithful pets and sentinels,
  these creatures were quickly captured and domesticated by
  the explorers and adventurers in Serathis.
  Spined hounds are named for the distinctive, spiky frill
  that runs along the length of their backs. The typical
  hound looks like a cross between a canine and a lizard. It
  has a rough, scaly hide and a flexible, serpentine tail. A
  spined hound barks and acts much like a dog, and in the
  wild these creatures hunt in packs like wolves.
  > > > > >
  
  25
  Combat
  A spined hound prefers to use simple and straightforward
  tactics in combat. The hounds generally attack in packs,
  using the advantage of numbers to overwhelm their ene-
  mies. They dash around and beneath their opponents, will-
  ingly exposing themselves to attack in order to strike from
  all sides. Their spines allow them to force their way
  through their foes, as the jagged edges stab and slice any-
  one who tries to halt them.
  A pack of hounds usually saves its piercing howl for a
  single large opponent or occasions when the pack faces a
  foe that presents a much more difficult challenge than the
  hounds anticipated.
  Piercing Howl (Su): A pack of hounds can create a ter-
  rible howl that causes sonic damage in a limited area. As a
  standard action, a group of hounds can simultaneously
  unleash the howl. Any creature within 10 feet of a hound
  taking part in this attack must make a Fortitude save 
  (DC 13) or suffer 1 point of sonic damage per hound that
  howls. A successful save cuts the damage in half. The
  hounds that participate in this attack must all be within a
  single 30-foot-radius area. A hound can use this ability (in
  other words, join in a collective howl) once per day.
  In addition to this attack, a single hound’s cry is a shrill,
  screaming yowl. Any sleeping creature (regardless of whether
  the sleep is natural or magically-induced) within 100 feet of
  a spined hound awakens if the hound uses a standard action
  to howl. The hound can use this ability at will.
  Spines (Ex): The hound’s spines make a useful weapon
  in close combat. A hound may move through a space occu-
  pied by any creature that is at least one size category larger
  than itself by using its spines to ward back its foe. The tar-
  get creature can choose to stop the hound. In this case,
  the hound’s move immediately ends but the target suffers
  1d3 points of damage from the spines. A hound can move
  through only one opponent’s space in this manner per
  round. If a hound ends its movement in the same space as
  an enemy, that opponent may place the hound in any free
  space adjacent to him.
  Domesticated Spined Hounds
  Hunters and explorers prize spined hounds for their scent
  ability and howl. Many hounds are trained to howl when
  strangers approach a camp or watch post, allowing them to
  raise an alert and awaken the guards. Since spined hounds
  were bred specifically as servants, anybody attempting to
  train one receives a +4 competence bonus to Handle
  Animal checks. Spined hounds count as domesticated
  creatures for purposes of that skill, even if they grew up
  in the wild.
  Spined Hounds in Serathis
  Spined hounds are most common the Barrens, particularly
  in the deep, dry, forested areas. Attempts to domesticate
  them have helped spread them across the entire city, and a
  few packs of escaped hounds now roam the Slums. Spined
  hounds have even begun to show up across the Diamond
  Throne lands. Owning a spined hound has become some-
  thing of a fad among the rich and important. 
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  26
  T
  he Safe Quarter is divided into two areas: the
  Giants’ Hold, ruled by giants who represent the
  Diamond Throne, and the Dragon’s Wing, run by a
  mighty dragon known as Krovacatharis the Seeker. A great
  barrier known as the Peace Wall separates these two dis-
  tricts. The two sides each carved out small settlements that
  quickly grew toward each other, as the few mountain paths
  from civilization led to only one small area in the ruins.
  While the giants had a head start, Krovacatharis possesses 
  a powerful artifact known as the Lathe of Ages. With it, he
  can build an entire castle in the space of a day, though he
  must conserve the artifact’s power, lest it crumble to dust.
  The dragon and his followers, though fewer in number,
  established a safe, secure fortress in a short time, compen-
  sating for the giants’ early lead. In the interest of maintain-
  ing the peace, the dragons and the giants reached an accord.
  Krovacatharis used his artifact to build the Peace Wall and
  strengthen both sides’ fortifications as a gesture of good will.
  Most of the Safe Quarter is a hodge-podge of ruins,
  restored buildings, and new structures. In most cases, new
  residents pick a ruined building, clear it of debris, and scav-
  enge or buy building material to make it habitable. Thus, a
  city block might consist of a general store, a few structures
  rebuilt as private homes, and several ruins that have been
  picked clean of usable bricks. In some cases, newcomers
  have built wholly new structures to serve their needs.
  Merchants in particular needed to erect buildings that would
  serve as stores or workshops, as any ruins were too scattered
  or too damaged to adapt to such uses.
  The Safe Quarter has evolved into a patchwork of buildings.
  While most folk cluster together for protection and security, a
  few lone wolves pick areas far from the crowds. Aside from the
  market and the cluster of general stores and trading posts, the
  quarter shows little planned development. Most newcomers
  simply pick a promising ruin, pay a tax for the right to settle
  here, and go to work repairing it. To avoid property disputes,
  the giants keep a record of who settles where, but the dragon
  Krovacatharis cannot be bothered with such trivialities.
  Thus, turf battles occur all too often in the Dragon’s Wing.
  The giants and the dragon’s soldiers eradicated the vast
  majority of monsters in the quarter, but some still stalk the
  night. The guards investigate every murder with care to rule
  out the possibility that a killing heralds the arrival of a new
  creature in the quarter. House-to-house searches are not
  uncommon, as the giants work to ensure that a ruin’s inhabi-
  tants have neither died nor left the area. Monsters some-
  times tunnel under the walls, while passages and dungeons
  are said to lie hidden beneath the streets. The characters
  might stumble into a strange, subterranean realm via a for-
  gotten tunnel in the building they chose as their own, while
  a simple excavation to expand a cellar’s storage space could
  unleash a mob of undead beasts.
  Overall, the Safe Quarter has a slightly chaotic air to it.
  Despite the giants’ best efforts, the settlement shows nothing
  resembling a pattern in its development. 
  The social, economic, and political center of the ruins, the Safe Quarter is so named for the obvious
  reason that, compared to the rest of Serathis, it offers a relatively peaceful harbor in the face of the mon-
  sters, weird magic, and other threats that stalk the ruins beyond. Yet for all the physical safety it offers, it
  is a hornet’s nest of criminals, political jockeying, and power struggles. The foes one finds in the Safe
  Quarter may not fight with weapons or spells, but they are just as dangerous as rampaging monsters or
  a mob of savage akthar warriors.
  The Safe Quarter
  Chapter Two:
  > > > > >
  
  27
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER TWO: THE SAFE QUARTER
  FACTIONS WITHIN THE SAFE QUARTER
  The giants and the dragon Krovacatharis constitute the two
  most important factions within the Safe Quarter, but a vari-
  ety of other groups and individuals operate here as well.
  The Giants
  Eia-Perren leads the Hu-Charad faction. She and her troop
  of highly trained giant warmains, sibeccai totem warriors,
  and human mercenaries form a potent fighting force. While
  they could defeat Krovacatharis’ forces in open combat, they
  would rather avoid suffering unnecessary casualties and leav-
  ing themselves vulnerable to bandits, monsters from the
  ruins, and other threats. As a champion of magic, Eia-Perren
  would prefer to keep the ruins as intact as possible.
  The giants’ primary strength lies in their soldiery. These
  fighting units form the Safe Quarter’s guard. The typical
  guard unit consists of five 1st-level warriors, a 2nd-level war-
  main, and sometimes a 2nd-level magister, mage blade, or
  other spellcaster. These soldiers are a mix of giants, humans,
  sibeccai, and a sprinkling of litorians.
  The outriders are an elite cavalry unit commanded by
  Tarashkar the Pursuer, a sibeccai wolf totem warrior. These
  mounted soldiers engage in long sweeps of the ruins, searching
  for and destroying monstrous threats, bandits, and other men-
  aces. While powerful in battle, they are too few in number to
  effectively police the entire area. Still, many explorers and treas-
  ure hunters owe their lives to the outriders’ timely intervention.
  The Throne’s Eyes, a small cabal of spellcasters and spies,
  serves as Eia-Perren’s core of magical and espionage support.
  Commanded by a mysterious figure known as The Speaker,
  the Eyes provide combat spellcasting, infiltrate the Dragon’s
  Wing, and go undercover to watch over smugglers, criminal
  gangs, and other unsavory elements. Though few in number,
  they form a potent force. “The Eyes are watching” is a com-
  mon admonishment to speak quietly or otherwise keep some-
  thing secret.
  The attitude of many NPCs described here depends on
  the role you have chosen for the giants, per the Campaign
  Checklist in Chapter One.
  Eia-Perren, Lady Steward of the Giants’ Hold 
  (Hook, Obstacle; Any Level)
  Eia-Perren sees herself as a warrior who struggles against
  ignorance, fear, and superstition. As a champion of magic,
  she sees the ruins as not only a martial challenge but an
  intellectual challenge to understand and unlock. If one dis-
  counts her armor, then her plain looks, simple robes, and
  thoughtful expression cast her as a sage rather than a war-
  rior. She speaks in careful, measured tones, as she prefers to
  find and use the exact, perfect word to carry her meaning.
  When dealing with any problem, she demands evidence
  rather than emotional appeals. She freely uses divination
  magic to uncover as many facts as possible before issuing a
  judgment or making a decision. While this process is fair
  and impartial, days or weeks might pass before the issue is
  resolved because she refuses to act on insufficient informa-
  tion. Only in times of urgency or obvious crisis does she
  move ahead without a thorough understanding of an issue.
  Secret: Eia-Perren gained this post over other command-
  ers with more battlefield experience. How and why?
  (1) Despite her lack of combat experience, Eia-Perren’s
  knowledge and respect for learning make her an excellent
  candidate to lead. The riddle of the ruins gnaws at her mind.
  If she had her way, she would surrender all her responsibili-
  ties and focus her energies on delving into the ruins’ past.
  Through intermediaries, she sponsors adventuring parties,
  sometimes even unlicensed or criminal ones, to investigate
  mysterious areas and recover ancient books and inscriptions.
  (2) Eia-Perren is overworked and has difficulty managing
  her command. She is far more of a historian than a warrior,
  even as a champion, and lacks the skills needed to be an
  effective leader. She is a figurehead and her warriors a distrac-
  tion to cover for a small, secret group of giant agents who lurk
  within the ruins. The clever giants use Eia-Perren’s presence
  to distract the dragons and their other enemies. In truth, the
  elite team of warriors and explorers seeks out powerful magic
  and rare, valuable relics. You can use Orn-Tharzad’s band of
  warriors (see Chapter Five) as this secret group, if you wish.
  (3) Cold, distant, and uncaring, Eia-Perren believes that
  no one aside from giants should have a chance to explore the
  ruins. From her study of history, she thinks that no one else
  is capable of managing the magic and wealth found there
  without touching off a war or some other catastrophe. She
  looks the other way as her underlings plant evidence on non-
  giants and otherwise take steps to hinder them in the ruins.
  Of course, to avoid a revolt, she takes care to mask this
  racist tendency, but it has a clear effect on her decisions.
  Perhaps it may boil over in the face of a crisis.
  Eia-Perren, female giant champion 10 (magic): CR 10; Medium
  giant; HD 10d10+20 (85 hp); Dying/Dead –3/–15; Init –1;
  Speed 20 feet, base 30 feet; AC 23 (–1 Dex, +10 armor, +4
  shield), touch 9, flat-footed 23; Base Attack +10; Grapple
  +13; Attack +16 melee (2d6+5, +2 greatsword); Full Attack
  +16/+11 melee (2d6+5, +2 greatsword); SQ Call or imbue
  shield, call upon the power, call or imbue weapon, heartening
  cry, focused devotion, lesser magic touch, familiarity with
  magic, greater magic touch; SV Fort +9, Ref +3, Will +8; 
  Str 16, Dex 8, Con 15, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 13.
  Skills: Diplomacy +16, Knowledge (ceremony) +16, Knowledge
  (history) +19, Knowledge (magic) +19
  Feats: Eidetic Memory, Skill Application (Diplomacy and
  Bluff), Skill Focus (Knowledge [history]), Skill Focus
  (Knowledge [magic]), Weapon Focus (greatsword).
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  28
  > > > > >
  Call or Imbue Shield (Sp): Eia-Perren can summon a shield
  appropriate to her size and emblazoned with the symbol of
  magic. No one can take this shield from her against her will,
  although it can be dispelled. The shield has a +3 enhance-
  ment bonus, lasts for 10 minutes, and can be called once
  per day. She can instead use this ability to increase the
  enhancement bonus of her own shield by +1.
  Call Upon the Power (Su): Eia-Perren calls upon the power
  of magic to gain a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and
  Constitution for up to 10 rounds. She can do this three
  times per day as a free action.
  Call or Imbue Weapon (Sp): Eia-Perren can summon a melee
  weapon she is proficient with, filled with the power of
  magic. No one can take the weapon from her against her
  will, although it can be dispelled. The weapon has a +3
  enhancement bonus, lasts for 10 minutes, and can be called
  once per day. She can instead use this ability to increase her
  own weapon’s enhancement bonus by +1.
  Heartening Cry (Su): When Eia-Perren gives a battle cry as a
  free action once per day, all allies within 30 feet of her gain a
  +1 morale bonus to attack rolls, saving throws, and checks
  for 10 rounds. Those under the effects of an unwanted
  enchantment can make another saving throw to throw it off.
  Focused Devotion: Eia-Perren is a champion of Serathis.
  Lesser Magic Touch (Sp): Once per day Eia-Perren can cast any
  0-level or 1st-level simple or complex spell with verbal compo-
  nents only (caster level 10th, save DCs are Charisma based).
  Familiarity With Magic (Su): Eia-Perren gains a +2 compe-
  tence bonus to all saving throws against spells and spell-like
  and supernatural abilities (including magic items) and a +2
  competence bonus to AC against spells with attack rolls.
  Greater Magic Touch (Sp): Once per day Eia-Perren can cast
  any 2nd- or 3rd-level simple or complex spell with verbal com-
  ponents only (caster level 10th, save DCs are Charisma based). 
  Possessions: +2 greatsword, +2 great shield, +2 plate armor.
  Tor-Irlan, Commander of the Guard 
  (Obstacle, Any Level)
  A bald, scarred, imposing figure, Tor-Irlan has seen fighting
  across the realm. He follows in his parents’ footsteps as a
  warmain in service to his people. Time and again, he volun-
  teered for hazardous duty in dangerous areas. If the forces of
  the Diamond Throne have marshaled their strength for battle
  in the past 30 years, Tor-Irlan has been there. Now facing
  retirement, he sees his stint in Serathis as the final chapter of
  a long, storied career. His age prevents him from walking on
  patrols with his men, but he is a canny, able administrator. In
  many cases, Eia-Perren defers to his military experience.
  Secret: In the final stages of his career, how does Tor-
  Irlan face retirement?
  (1) Bitter, angry, and disappointed as his career grinds to
  an end, Tor-Irlan seeks any opportunity to lead his troops
  into battle personally. The giant is overzealous in calling out
  the guard, and even the slightest disturbance could provoke
  an overly violent response. Tor-Irlan is spoiling for a chance
  to go out in a blaze of glory, and he secretly sends out troops
  who are supposed to maintain security in town to patrol the
  ruins. Sometimes, they grant their enemies a chance to gath-
  er their forces as the patrols wait for Tor-Irlan to arrive on
  the field and personally lead them into battle.
  (2) Tor-Irlan believes that he must do what he can to
  leave behind a positive legacy. He has a soft spot for way-
  ward criminals and others to whom fate has dealt a cruel
  hand. Several times, he has taken in a ruffian and tried to
  reform him. The kindly Tor-Irlan, perhaps blinded by nostal-
  gia and his genuine desire to reform others, could be a
  helpful patron for young adventurers, or maybe a canny
  group of bandits could turn his soft heart to their advan-
  tage.
  (3) The real Tor-Irlan died shortly after arriving in the
  ruins. He has since been replaced by a doppelganger, one
  that serves the Agents of Chaos (see page 34). The motives,
  plans, and actions of this creature depend on the order’s
  aims, as the creature serves it with utter fidelity. In any case,
  the commander of the watch is a secret dagger buried right
  next to the heart of the Hu-Charad defenses.
  Tor-Irlan, male giant warmain 8: CR 8; Medium giant; HD
  8d12+27 (91 hp); Dying/Dead –4/–17; Init +4; Speed 20
  feet, base 30 feet; AC 24 (+10 armor, +3 shield, +1 natural),
  touch 10, flat-footed 24; Base Attack +8; Grapple +12;
  Attack +14 melee (1d12+11, +1 dire greataxe); Full Attack
  +14/+9 melee (1d12+11, +1 dire greataxe); SA Crushing
  blow; Hero Points 1; SV Fort +9, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 18,
  Dex 10, Con 17, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 14.
  Skills: Intimidate +13, Knowledge (engineering) +11. 
  Feats: Exotic Armor Proficiency, Exotic Weapon Proficiency
  (heavy), Improved Initiative, Iron Flesh, Power Attack,
  Sturdy, Weapon Focus (greataxe), Weapon Specialization
  (greataxe).
  Crushing Blow (Ex): Once per day, Tor-Irlan can channel
  great physical power into a single blow in melee combat. A
  normal hit inflicts damage as if it were a critical hit—even if
  striking a foe normally immune to critical hits. On a critical
  hit, increase the critical’s multiplier by +1. 
  Possessions: Articulated plate, +1 great shield, +1 dire greataxe.
  Tarashkar the Pursuer, Outriders Commander
  (Hook; Any Level)
  This sibeccai warrior is young, proud, fierce, and ambitious.
  He leads the giants’ cavalry and regularly makes long patrols
  out into the ruins. He sees this posting as a chance to
  impress his fellow sibeccai and make a name for himself as
  one of the great warriors of his generation.
  
  29
  Secret: Tarashkar is here to advance his reputation. He
  sees the giants as useful only for the opportunity they pro-
  vide him to achieve greatness. 
  (1) Tarashkar resents the current peace. He wants the
  chance to slay Krovacatharis and actively works behind the
  scenes to ignite a war between the giants and the dragon. 
  (2) Sometimes Tarashkar goes out in secret in search of
  adventure. In disguise, he travels with adventurers for a few
  days at a time each year. If the player characters come across
  him, they can win his friendship if they impress him with
  their honor and combat prowess.
  Tarashkar the Pursuer, male sibeccai totem warrior 2 (wolf)/
  warmain 4: CR 6; Medium humanoid; HD 2d10+4d12+28
  (68 hp); Dying/Dead –5/–18; Init +5; Speed 50 feet; AC 17
  (+1 Dex, +6 armor), touch 11, flat-footed 16; Base Attack +6;
  Grapple +10; Attack +12 melee (2d4+6, masterwork fal-
  chion); Full Attack +12/+7 melee (2d4+6, masterwork fal-
  chion); Hero Points 1; SV Fort +11, Ref +4, Will +4; Str 18, 
  Dex 13, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 12.
  Skills: Handle Animal +6, Ride +10, Sneak +10 (+9 with
  armor), Survival +7. 
  Feats: Cleave, Fleet of Foot, Improved Initiative, Lightning
  Reflexes, Power Attack, Sturdy, Weapon Focus (falchion),
  Weapon Specialization (falchion).
  Possessions: Masterwork falchion, +2 chain shirt, necklace of
  fireballs (type I).
  The Speaker, Leader of the Throne’s Eyes 
  (Hook, Obstacle; Any Level)
  The shadowy figure known as the Speaker is a mirage, an
  illusion created to strike fear into the criminals in Serathis. In
  truth, the Throne’s Eyes report directly to Lady Protector Ia-
  Thordani. They exist in several independent cells that work
  toward separate goals. One group may track smugglers, while
  another seeks out an artifact that prophecies claim will bring
  woe and ruin to the land. Several members of the Eyes are
  allowed to adopt the Speaker’s identity, though all take care
  to mask their voices, figures, and looks to keep the ruse
  secret. The criminals and outlaws in Serathis have enough
  respect for the Eyes and their mysterious leader that the mere
  threat of the Speaker’s appearance is enough to cow them.
  Secret: What exactly are the Eyes up to in Serathis? Why
  the secrecy?
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER TWO: THE SAFE QUARTER
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  30
  > > > > >
  (1) The Eyes are an attempt by some rogue faction within
  the court of the Diamond Throne to subvert Lady Protector
  Ia-Thordani. Using treachery and deception, they have man-
  aged to plant their agents in the ruins under the guise of an
  official, though secret, mission. In truth, the Eyes work to
  gain control of the criminal gangs and funnel powerful
  magic into their shadowy masters’ hands.
  (2) There really is a Speaker, though age and failing
  health prevent him from entering the ruins. He is a human
  greenbond named Earrel Starspeaker, and he receives
  prophetic dreams involving the ruins and an apocalyptic
  event. The Eyes work to decode his visions and discover the
  deadly threat that they presage. 
  (3) The Eyes claim to use stealth and secrecy against
  smugglers and bandits, but they are little more than a secret
  police force. They quietly put most of their effort into keep-
  ing track of non-giants who enter the ruins.
  Other Giant Nonplayer Characters (Any Level)
  The following NPCs represent standard characters one
  might encounter on the giants’ side of the Peace Wall.
  Typical Giant Soldier, giant war1: CR 1/2; Medium giant; HD
  1d8+2 (8 hp); Dying/Dead –3/–14; Init –1; Speed 20 feet,
  base 30 feet; AC 16 (–1 Dex, +6 armor, +1 natural), touch
  9, flat-footed 16; Base Attack +1; Grapple +4; Attack and
  Full Attack +4 melee (2d6+4, greatsword) or +0 ranged
  (1d6+3, throwing axe); SV Fort +4, Ref –1, Will +1; Str 17,
  Dex 8, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 8.
  Skills: Handle Animal +3, Intimidate +3, Ride +3. 
  Feats: Iron Flesh, Power Attack.
  Possessions: Greatsword, banded mail, throwing axes (2).
  Typical Sibeccai Soldier, sibeccai war1: CR 1/2; Medium
  humanoid; HD 1d8+2 (8 hp), Dying/Dead –3/–15; Init +2;
  Speed 20 feet, base 30 feet; AC 15 (+2 Dex, +3 armor),
  touch 12, flat-footed 13; Base Attack +1; Grapple +3; Attack
  and Full Attack +3 melee (1d6+2, short sword) or +5 ranged
  (1d8, longbow); SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +1; Str 14, Dex 15,
  Con 15, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 8.
  Skills: Spot +3
  Feats: Fleet of Foot, Weapon Focus (longbow).
  Possessions: Short sword, masterwork longbow, arrows (40),
  studded leather jack.
  Typical Giant Officer, giant warmain 2: CR 2; Medium giant;
  HD 2d12+6 (26 hp), Dying/Dead –3/–14; Init –1; Speed 20
  feet, base 30 feet; AC 18 (–1 Dex, +8 armor, +1 natural),
  touch 9, flat-footed 18; Base Attack +2; Grapple +5; Attack
  and Full Attack +6 melee (2d6+4, greatsword) or +1 ranged
  (1d6+3, throwing axe); SV Fort +5, Ref –1, Will +1; Str 17,
  Dex 8, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 8.
  Skills: Handle Animal +4, Intimidate +4, Ride +4. 
  Feats: Cleave, Iron Flesh, Power Attack, Sturdy.
  Possessions: Masterwork greatsword, banded mail, throwing
  axes (2).
  Typical Giant Spellcaster, giant magister 2: CR 2; Medium
  giant; HD 2d6+4 (13 hp), Dying/Dead –3/–14; Init +0; Speed
  30 feet; AC 11 (+1 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 11; Base
  Attack +1; Grapple +2; Attack and Full Attack +2 melee
  (1d6+2, staff); SQ Magister’s staff, spells; SV Fort +2, Ref +0,
  Will +4; Str 12, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 8.
  Skills: Concentration +7, Knowledge (magic) +7, Knowledge
  (runes) +7, Spellcraft +7.
  Feats: Combat Casting, Iron Flesh.
  Spell Slots: 5/3
  Spells Readied (7/4; save DC = 12 + spell level): 0—detect
  creature, detect magic, disorient, door warning, read magic,
  saving grace, touch of nausea; 1st—conjure energy creature I,
  fireburst, magic armor, mudball.
  Possessions: Magister’s staff, robes.
  The Dragon
  Since his arrival within the ruins, Krovacatharis the Seeker
  has established himself as perhaps the single most powerful
  creature in the region. Only the giants’ superior armed
  forces and tight organization prevent him from controlling
  the ruins. That the giants have not made an attempt to
  drive him away speaks volumes of his magical power and
  mastery of ancient lore. The dragon’s agents have uncovered
  several hidden treasure caches that other explorers missed,
  earning him instant respect from merchants and treasure
  hunters while establishing him as a major player in the
  region’s economy. Many traders prefer to deal with him, as
  he is far more liberal than the giants in choosing both allies
  and wares. Rumor has it that if an item is stolen and sold
  anywhere in the ruins, Krovacatharis learns of it within a
  few hours.
  Krovacatharis’ minions consist primarily of well-trained
  dracha warriors who provide the muscle and military power
  for his rule. The Dragon’s Claws form the main body of his
  warriors. They patrol the chaotic Dragon’s Wing district as
  it pleases them, leaving most settlers and merchants there
  to act as they wish. The Dragon’s Shadow, a secretive group
  of akashics, spellcasters, and elite soldiers, serves as Krova-
  catharis’ personal guards, special operations force, and secret
  police. The dragon prefers to use his military might with a
  surgeon’s precision. The Dragon’s Shadow identifies and
  locates a target, and the Claws hammer it into submission.
  Most of the time, Krovacatharis focuses his forces on recal-
  citrant crime lords and others who cross him. Sometimes,
  his soldiers venture into the ruins to secure a rich or well-
  guarded treasure.
  
  31
  In addition to his formally recognized followers,
  Krovacatharis has a virtual death grip on many of the crimi-
  nal gangs and cartels in town. From prostitution to gam-
  bling, he has a claw in everything. Several gangs owe him
  allegiance and work to further his aims in return for protec-
  tion and favored treatment.
  As with the giants, the personalities and motives listed
  here must be filtered through the general attitude you have
  chosen for Krovacatharis from the Campaign Checklist in
  Chapter One.
  Krovacatharis the Seeker 
  (Hook, Obstacle; Any Level)
  Krovacatharis traces his ancestry to an ancient clan of black
  dragons, but his line long ago shifted into something much
  different. His ancestors developed overly large heads, pulsing
  dual brains, and dozens of eyes located along their bodies.
  Krovacatharis’ prodigious intellect drives him to seek new
  lore and experiences with the same almost manic enthusi-
  asm as a starving man at a banquet.
  Krovacatharis’ love of material wealth rivals his curiosity
  and intellectual ambitions, and the ruins offer the prospect
  of sating both drives. He spends his days poring over maps
  and ancient texts that he has accumulated over the years. As
  soon as he deciphers the location of a treasure trove or hears
  rumors of an important find, he dispatches his agents to
  investigate it. Using a variety of secret tunnels dug beneath
  the Dragon’s Wing and into the ruins beyond, he can move
  men and materials without alerting the giants.
  Krovacatharis and his minions see the ruins as a source of
  profit. They want to turn a practical benefit from it and fre-
  quently fund small bands of adventurers who seek out and
  recover lost objects that the dragon in turn sells. This
  approach has proven remarkably effective in luring freelance
  treasure hunters to his banner. While his methods might be
  mercenary, his followers have uncovered far more areas and
  explored more precincts than those hired by the giants. For
  anyone willing to work with a shady, powerful being who
  could destroy them at the slightest provocation, the dragon
  makes a profitable business partner.
  Krovacatharis’ most treasured possession is the Lathe of
  Ages, an artifact that can create stone and wood structures in
  mere minutes. He has used its might to build an elaborate,
  comfortable lair that rivals the most elegant and luxuriously
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER TWO: THE SAFE QUARTER
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  32
  > > > > >
  appointed mansions of the rich and powerful. While
  Krovacatharis may long for knowledge and wealth, he pays
  careful attention to his appetites for food, fine drink, and
  physical comfort. He uses his appreciation of fine things to
  his advantage. Many of his business partners mistake his love
  of comfort and expertise in cuisine and expensive wines as a
  sign of softness or a vapid personality—much to their regret.
  Secret: Why has Krovacatharis come to the ruins?
  (1) In his dreams and visions, Krovacatharis sees a power-
  ful figure writhing within a sphere of utter darkness. After
  consulting his enormous library, he believes that the ruins
  are the final resting place of a mighty extraplanar entity that
  he can bind to his will and use to uncover the ruins’ secrets.
  He sends his agents to gather relics and clues needed to find
  and free this being. See “The Great Black Cyst” in Chapter
  Five for more information.
  (2) Krovacatharis wants to found his own kingdom. He
  believes that, over time, he can establish himself as a force
  to be reckoned with in the mountains. He plans to use the
  profits from the ruins to hire enough mercenaries to drive
  out the giants and claim the ruins and the region around it,
  establishing himself as a king.
  (3) Krovacatharis always lived within the ruins. He is
  effectively immortal due to the power of the artifacts he has
  built up. He spent many centuries sleeping or absorbed in
  the multitude of books and arcane items he uncovered here
  in the wake of the dramojh’s absence. In truth, he is the
  dragon Nithogar (see Chapter One). He knows the real story
  behind the ruins and works to ensure that his most powerful
  relics, and those created by his dramojh, stay out of the
  hands of the Hu-Charad and other outlanders. The long
  years have robbed his memory of the details concerning the
  city, forcing him to do research and hire mercenaries. The
  other dragons sent him dracha warriors and defer to him
  based on his expertise and reputation.
  Krovacatharis the Seeker, Colossal dragon (fire): CR 28; HD
  44d12+484 (770 hp), Dying/Dead –12/–33; Init +4; Speed
  30 feet, fly 50 feet (poor); AC 42 (–2 size, +12 natural),
  touch 2, flat-footed 42; Base Attack +44; Grapple +78;
  Attack +54 melee (4d10+18, bite); Full Attack +54 melee
  (4d10+18, bite), +52 melee (4d8+9, 2 claws), +52 melee
  (2d10+9, 2 wings), +52 melee (4d8+27, tail slap);
  Space/Reach 30 feet/20 feet, 30 feet with bite (Face 40 feet
  × 80 feet); SA Breath weapon (70-foot fire cone, Reflex DC
  41, 24d10 damage), crush (4d10+27, Reflex DC 43), tail
  sweep (40-foot radius, 2d10+27, Reflex DC 43), frightful
  presence (DC 43); SQ Blindsense 60 feet, darkvision 120
  feet, DR 20/+3 (or 20/magic), dual brain, immune to fire,
  paralysis, and sleep, SR 43, see power, tremorsense 400 feet,
  water breathing; Hero Points 2; SV Fort +35, Ref +23, 
  Will +35; Str 47, Dex 10, Con 33, Int 40, Wis 33, Cha 32.
  Skills: Appraise +62, Bluff +58, Diplomacy +58, Knowledge
  (ancient history) +62, Knowledge (architecture) +62,
  Knowledge (ceremony) +62, Knowledge (cosmology) +62,
  Knowledge (dangerous beasts) +62, Knowledge (engineering)
  +62, Knowledge (geography) +62, Knowledge (magic) +62,
  Knowledge (nature) +62, Knowledge (religion) +62, Knowledge
  (runes) +62, Knowledge (science) +62, Listen +58, Sense
  Motive +58, Spellcraft +62, Spot +58, Use Magic Device +58. 
  Feats: Battle Mage, Blood as Power, Cleave (and Improved),
  Creator Mage, Dragon Magic, Expertise, Improved Disarm,
  Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Modify Spell,
  Multiattack, Power Attack, Power of the Name, Slippery
  Mind, Quicken Spell, Unraveling Mage.
  Dual Brain (Ex): Krovacatharis has two brains, allowing him
  to take an additional standard action each round. His two
  minds work together to process information and commit
  actions with far more speed and coordination than a crea-
  ture with merely one brain.
  See Power (Su): Krovacatharis can see energies as if with a
  continual detect magic spell, affecting everything that they
  can see. He need not concentrate to use this ability, nor wait
  3 rounds to get the full range of possible information. 
  Spellcasting Ability: Krovacatharis has the spellcasting ability
  of a 25th-level magister. Due to his enormous brainpower
  and mental capacity, he has all simple and complex spells
  readied at all times. Unlike other dragons, he uses
  Intelligence rather than Charisma to determine his bonus
  spells and spell DCs. Save DC 25+spell level.
  Spell Slots: Unlimited/unlimited/unlimited/10/9/9/8/8/7/6/6
  Hl’ra’knar (Hook, Obstacle; Any Level)
  The dracha warmain in charge of the Dragon’s Claws,
  Hl’ra’knar is a simple, brutish warrior who lacks the imagina-
  tion and cunning to play at politics. Indeed, Krovacatharis
  selected him for this post precisely because Hl’ra’knar excels
  at following orders and lacks the charisma or vision to bend
  or break them. For his part, Hl’ra’knar prefers simple, direct
  strategies when dealing with opponents. In some ways, he has
  grown lazy of late, as the opponents Krovacatharis sets him
  against are usually no match for the warriors he commands.
  Secret: How does a simpleton maintain command?
  (1) While Hl’ra’knar is a faithful subordinate, the officers
  beneath him are self-serving, ambitious, and greedy. Krova-
  catharis lacks the patience to peer too deeply into the Claws’
  ranks, leading to corruption. Hl’ra’knar tends to stay in his
  quarters if there is no direct need for him to command the
  men, creating opportunities for junior dracha officers to
  extort protection money from criminals and merchants in the
  Dragon’s Wing or launch their own raids and expeditions
  into the ruins. The PCs might find themselves battling sol-
  diers of the Claw who work outside of Krovacatharis’ author-
  ity, perhaps inadvertently touching off a major confrontation
  
  33
  within the ruins. The place could teeter toward war, with
  Krovacatharis remaining blissfully unaware until the stakes
  get high enough to demand his attention.
  (2) Even dragons make mistakes, and Hl’ra’knar’s appoint-
  ment shows that Krovacatharis placed too much stock in his
  follower’s loyalty over his ability to lead. The Claws are
  plagued by ineptitude, and the Dragon’s Wing slides into
  chaos because they are unable to organize into an effective
  force. Strange cults, criminals, and others begin to gather
  there. The player characters may find that the Claws need
  good leaders, and perhaps they can fill that role informally
  right under the dragon’s nose.
  Hl’ra’knar, male evolved dracha 6/warmain 3: CR 9; Medium
  humanoid; HD 3d12+6d8+50 (105 hp), Dying/Dead –6/–20;
  Init +2; Speed 40 feet, fly 40 feet (perfect); AC 26 (+2 Dex,
  +6 armor, +2 shield, +6 natural), flat-footed 22, touch 12;
  Base Attack +7; Grapple +11; Attack +14 melee (1d8+8, +2
  dire warhammer); Full Attack +14 melee (1d8+8, +2 dire
  warhammer) and +9 melee (1d6+4, bite) and +9 melee
  (1d8+2, claw) or +14/+9 melee (1d8+8, +2 dire warham-
  mer); SA Breath weapon, pounce; SQ Darkvision 60 feet; 
  SV Fort +12, Ref +5, Will +3; Str 19, Dex 14, Con 21, Int 7,
  Wis 10, Cha 11.
  Skills: Intimidate +9. 
  Feats: Bite, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (heavy), Improved
  Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, Sturdy, Tough Hide,
  Weapon Focus (warhammer).
  Breath Weapon (Su): 9d6 acid in a 30-foot cone, Reflex save,
  DC 21, for half damage, usable three times per day.
  Possessions: +2 chain shirt, +2 dire warhammer, heavy shield,
  400 gp.
  Kerlon’a (Hook, Obstacle; Any Level)
  This savvy, cunning dracha female serves as the head of the
  Dragon’s Shadow. A skilled magister, she considers herself
  superior to other dracha because of her talent with magic. In
  her eyes, magic is the defining trait that separates the mun-
  dane from the great. For this reason, she slavishly devotes
  herself to Krovacatharis. His mastery of magic and cunning
  earned her respect, and, in turn, the trust he placed in her
  solidified her loyalty.
  Kerlon’a is cruel, cunning, and vicious. No plan is too vio-
  lent or treacherous for her tastes, and she delights in watch-
  ing her victim’s illusions fade as her betrayal causes his ruin.
  The Shadow follows her lead, using deception, threats, and
  cruelty to achieve its aims. Krovacatharis ensures that his
  followers handle only thieves, adventurers, and smugglers
  who are unlikely to seek aid from the giants.
  Secret: With treachery her forte, why does Kerlon’a
  remain faithful to Krovacatharis?
  (1) Krovacatharis owns the essence of her soul, having
  imprisoned it within a talisman when she tried to betray
  him. Recognizing her as too valuable to cast aside, he now
  enjoys a magical hold over her. This grip is far from perfect,
  and Kerlon’a may secretly hire adventurers to recover and
  destroy the talisman, opening the way for her to betray and
  perhaps kill Krovacatharis. The dragon hides the talisman
  deep within the ruins, as she would easily learn of any hid-
  ing place within the Dragon’s Wing.
  (2) Kerlon’a is the true driving force behind the dragon’s
  plans. Krovacatharis cares for nothing aside from his own
  goals and personal appetites. Thus, Kerlon’a wields consid-
  erable influence over the dragon’s followers. As Krovaca-
  tharis retreats into his personal feuds and research, she
  becomes the de facto leader of the dracha in Serathis, help-
  ing to aggravate tensions between her camp and the giants.
  (3) Kerlon’a is a double agent. The giants believe that she
  has betrayed the dragon to them, but in truth she merely
  plays the two sides against each other. She may remain faith-
  ful to Krovacatharis if doing so proves profitable, or she
  might set both sides against each other by passing along
  false information and perhaps touching off a war. With both
  sides battered and weak, she believes she can seize power.
  Kerlon’a, female dracha magister 7: CR 7; Medium humanoid;
  HD 7d6+7 (37 hp); Dying/Dead –2/–13; Init +2; Speed 30
  feet; AC 15 (+2 Dex, +2 natural, +1 deflection), touch 13,
  flat-footed 13; Base Attack +3; Grapple +3; Attack and Full
  Attack +3 melee (1d6, staff); SQ Darkvision 60 feet, glide,
  familiarity with magic, magister’s staff, spells; SV Fort +3, Ref
  +4, Will +7; Str 10, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 8.
  Skills: Concentration +11, Knowledge (geography) +13,
  Knowledge (magic) +13, Knowledge (nature) +13, Spellcraft
  +13.
  Feats: Battle Mage, First Strike, Hunter Mage (humans), Point
  Blank Shot, Weapon Focus (ranged touch attacks).
  Familiarity With Magic (Ex): Kerlon’a gains a +2 competence
  bonus to saving throws against spells and spell-like and
  supernatural abilities and a +2 competence bonus to AC
  against spells requiring attack rolls. 
  Spell Slots: 7/5/4/4/3
  Spells Readied (9/7/5/4/3; save DC = 13 + spell level): 0—
  detect creature, detect magic, disorient, door warning,
  enchanting flavor, hygiene, read magic, saving grace, sense
  thoughts, touch of nausea; 1st—conjure energy creature I,
  fireburst, magic armor, mudball, precise vision, stone blast,
  touch of pain; 2nd—blinding light, eldritch web, gusting
  wind, lesser battle healing, protective charm; 3rd—blast of
  castigation, flight, illusory creature, protection from elements;
  4th—conjure energy creature IV, greater enhance magic flow,
  wall of ice.
  Possessions: Magister’s staff, ring of protection +1, ring of
  jumping, chime of opening.
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER TWO: THE SAFE QUARTER
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  34
  > > > > >
  Valdra Longclaw (Obstacle; Low Level)
  This female litorian represents one of the typical criminals
  who operate under Krovacatharis’ blessing. An iron witch and
  warmain, she leads a small band of tough litorian warriors
  who act as enforcers and mercenaries. Her gang keeps watch
  over several tunnels that run from the ruins into the Dragon’s
  Wing, charging a toll to smugglers and adventurers who wish
  to enter the city without catching the giants’ attention. 
  While the gatekeeping business is profitable, Valdra
  desires something more. Krovacatharis’ agents pass along to
  her descriptions of items they want stolen or people they
  want killed or kidnapped. If Valdra or her followers
  encounter these targets, they track them into the ruins or
  city and attack them when the opportunity presents itself.
  Valdra also engages in smuggling on the side, moving liquor
  and narcotics into the city and selling them through contacts
  in a variety of taverns and inns.
  Secret: What are Valdra’s long-term plans?
  (1) Valdra slowly builds a network of informants and spies
  while occasionally engaging in attacks and robberies that
  Krovacatharis does not authorize. With the money, she slowly
  hires litorian mercenaries and workers to build a tunnel lead-
  ing to a cave network beneath the mountains. Her followers
  will gather in the cave and launch a single, devastating attack
  on the Safe Quarter, defeating both factions and carrying off
  the treasures there. 
  (2) The attacks and robberies only serve to keep Valdra
  happy. In truth, several of her followers are spies in
  Krovacatharis’ employ. They keep track of everything that
  moves through the tunnels. In turn, the dragon uses this
  information to help dominate the criminal cartels.
  Valdra Longclaw, female litorian iron witch 2/warmain 2: 
  CR 4; Medium humanoid; HD 2d6+2d12+15 (43 hp),
  Dying/Dead –4/–16; Init +1; Speed 20 feet (base 30 feet);
  AC 22 (+1 Dex, +9 armor, +2 shield), touch 11, flat-footed
  21; Base Attack +3; Grapple +6; Attack and Full Attack +8
  melee (1d8+4, +1 battleaxe); SQ Spells, witchery, hail of
  metal; SV Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +4; Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16,
  Int 11, Wis 13, Cha 10.
  Skills: Bluff +4, Disguise +4, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (engi-
  neering) +5. 
  Feats: Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Sense the Unseen,
  Sturdy, Weapon Focus (battleaxe).
  Witchery (Iron Witch): If attacked by a ranged or melee
  weapon containing iron, Valdra gains a +1 luck bonus to
  Armor Class. 
  Hail of Metal: Once per day as a standard action, Valdra sum-
  mons a swirling cloud of jagged metal 20 feet across. It
  appears anywhere within 100 feet of her. All within the area
  suffer 3d6 points of damage (Reflex save, DC 12, for half).
  Spell Slots: 3/2
  Spells Readied (4/2; save DC = 11 + spell level): 0—bash, canny
  effort, ghost sound, scent bane; 1st—animate weapon, mudball.
  Possessions: +1 battleaxe, dagger, +1 plate armor, heavy shield.
  Agents of Chaos
  Wherever money and power cross paths, there will always be
  those who seek to use treachery, murder, and intimidation to
  get what they want. The Agents of Chaos are a small band of
  criminals who work together in an uneasy alliance to siphon
  money, treasure, and magic from the pockets of merchants
  and adventurers. They are notable for being the only crimi-
  nal cartel that has wholly avoided Krovacatharis’ influence.
  While other gangs have been forced to pay respect to the
  dragon, the Agents of Chaos are too powerful and organized
  to serve as the wyrm’s lackeys. Instead, they do as they wish
  and work with Krovacatharis when they see him as an asset.
  Luckily for the peace and stability of Serathis, their propen-
  sity for bullying and robbing the dragon’s nominal allies pre-
  vents anything more than an occasional alliance.
  When dealing with outsiders, the Agents of Chaos wear
  masks and voluminous robes to conceal their true forms:
  mojh spellcasters and akashics, and a variety of strange mon-
  sters and intelligent beasts. While other criminal groups lack
  the magical and martial firepower to compete with
  Krovacatharis’ cartels, the Agents of Chaos have crushed
  every group that has defied them. They believe that if they
  can recover several powerful items from the ruins, they can
  defeat even the giants and Krovacatharis’ forces.
  Xarthran (Obstacle; High Level)
  An undead mojh magister, Xarthran is the driving force
  behind the Agents of Chaos. Xarthran wages a one-mojh war
  against the dragons, as the magister expected to be afforded
  a place of honor and respect among their kind when they
  returned to the land. Instead, Xarthran was branded an out-
  cast and pariah for having become undead. With a position
  of power and honor denied, the mojh decided to carve its
  own empire. Xarthran’s cruel handling of anyone suspected
  of treachery helps ensure that the magister’s grip on power
  remains strong.
  Secret: How does Xarthran intend to seize more power? 
  (1) The mojh seeks knowledge of the tenebrian seeds and
  plans to use them to sculpt an army of powerful beings, per-
  haps even replicating the dramojh, to conquer the land. To
  this end, Xarthran’s followers in the Agents of Chaos work
  to recover ancient relics and strong magic in return for
  money and power. 
  (2) Xarthran and the Agents hire adventurers to explore
  regions in the ruins and recover items. Slowly but surely,
  these unwitting servants have brought back the pieces of a
  mighty artifact that, when assembled, could grant Xarthran
  godlike powers. The Agents’ criminal schemes serve only to
  
  35
  build up money to hire mercenaries and test the giants’ and the drag-
  on’s level of preparation.
  Xarthran, undead mojh magister 12: CR 13; Medium undead (corporeal);
  HD 12d12 (82 hp); Init +4; Speed 30 feet; AC 19 (+3 Dex, +2 armor,
  +3 natural, +1 dodge), touch 14, flat-footed 15; Base Attack +6;
  Grapple +7; Attack +7 melee (1d6+1, staff); Full Attack +7/+2 melee
  (1d6+1, staff); SQ Familiarity with magic, distinct voice, magister’s
  staff, spells, darkvision (60 feet) ; SV Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +10; 
  Str 12, Dex 18, Con —, Int 22 (24), Wis 14, Cha 15.
  Skills: Concentration +15, Decipher Script +22, Intimidate +17,
  Knowledge (ceremony) +22, Knowledge (magic) +22, Knowledge
  (runes) +24, Knowledge (science) +22, Spellcraft +22. 
  Feats: Brandish Magical Might, Corrupt Mage, Defensive Stance,
  Energy Mage, Lightning Reflexes, Psion, Tough Hide, Unraveling
  Mage.
  Familiarity With Magic (Ex): Xarthran gains a +2 competence bonus to
  all saving throws against spells and spell-like and supernatural abilities
  and a +2 competence bonus to Armor Class against spells requiring
  attack rolls. 
  Distinct Voice (Su): If the mojh wishes, anyone within 100 feet can
  hear Xarthran—regardless of the ambient noise—even when it is
  whispering. 
  Possessions: Magister’s staff, bracers of armor +2, cloak of arachnida,
  necklace of fireballs (type IV), headband of intellect +2.
  Spell Slots: 8/7/7/5/4/4/3
  Spells Readied (9/8/7/6/5/4/3; save DC = 17 + spell level): 0—bash,
  canny effort, detect creature, detect magic, disorient, ghost sound, seeker,
  sense thoughts, touch of nausea; 1st—animate weapon, charm, com-
  pelling command, distraction, glamour, mudball, touch of pain, veil of
  darkness; 2nd—cloak of darkness, icebolt, lesser ability boost, muddy
  ground, see invisibility, scream, silent sheath; 3rd—dispel magic, elemen-
  tal attack from within, greater compelling question, hand of battle, slow,
  sorcerous blast; 4th—gaze of terror, greater enhance magical flow, stami-
  na to defense, wall of ice; 5th—enfeebled mind, lesser dominate, scrying,
  spell resistance; 6th—coma, greater resilient sphere, security.
  Selsarras (Obstacle; Medium Level)
  The vicious slassan Selsarras dwells in a network of tunnels and
  caves in the mountains just outside the Safe Quarter. From there, he
  serves as the connecting link between the Agents of Chaos within the
  city and their allies in the world beyond. Furthermore, Selsarras
  commands bandits and horrid monsters that raid caravans and help
  fund Xarthran's plans with the money, weapons, and supplies taken
  from their victims.
  Selsarras is cruel and brutal. He obviously plans to unseat
  Xarthran, but the undead mojh is still too powerful for him to crush
  directly. Selsarras uses a variety of well-paid agents to form his own
  crime cartel, a new, rising power in the city.
  Secret: Why would a slassan work with humanoids? 
  (1) After the other members of his cabal were slain, Selsarras bare-
  ly managed to escape his own demise. Desperate for allies, he
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  36
  > > > > >
  chanced upon Xarthran and pledged his loyalty to the
  undead mojh. In truth, Selsarras hopes to find others of his
  own kind and turn the Agents of Chaos into a tool for profit. 
  (2) Selsarras believes that Xarthran is a reincarnated
  dramojh overlord. By tracking down texts and ancient tomes
  from the ruins, he believes he can build enough evidence to
  draw hundreds of monsters to the mojh’s banner. Like many
  religious fanatics, Selsarras is willing to die for his master, as
  are the devotees he has brought into the fold.
  For encounters with Selsarras, use the standard slassan
  statistics from Chapter Twelve: Creatures in Monte Cook’s
  Arcana Evolved.
  Vardallian (Obstacle; Low Level)
  Vardallian is typical of the Agents’ lower-ranking followers.
  He works for Selsarras, though that creature uses a variety
  of ruses to conceal its identity from him. Vardallian seeks out
  rookie adventurers and newcomers to the city, offering them
  well-paying contracts to track down relics, explore areas of the
  city, and otherwise recover treasure for the Agents. He is a fat,
  jovial, balding human with a distinctive curled moustache.
  Secret: Is Vardallian aware of the Agents’ true mission? 
  (1) Down on his luck, Vardallian managed to secure this
  position by stealing a few rare items and selling them to a
  merchant who works for the Agents. A bit self-centered, he
  cares nothing for the Agents’ plans but might take a liking to
  adventurers who listen to his advice and serve him well. He
  could unwittingly help author the Safe Quarter’s demise. 
  (2) Vardallian knows a fair amount about the Agents’
  plans, and he takes care to personally eliminate or arrange
  for the deaths of adventurers who might learn too much.
  Somewhat paranoid, he has been known to send reliable
  workers into a death trap simply to ensure that no one draws
  too close to the truth. 
  Vardallian, male human exp1: CR 1/2; Medium humanoid; HD
  1d6+1 (7 hp), Dying/Dead –2/–12; Init +1; Speed 30 feet;
  AC 13 (+2 Dex, +1 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 11; Base
  Attack +0; Grapple +0; Attack and Full Attack +0 melee
  (1d4, dagger); SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +4; Str 11, Dex 14,
  Con 12, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 15.
  Skills: Appraise +6, Bluff +9, Diplomacy +9, Gather
  Information +6, Innuendo +6, Listen +5, Sneak +6, 
  Spot +5. 
  Feats: Iron Flesh, Skill Focus (Bluff), Skill Focus (Diplomacy).
  Possessions: Dagger, thief’s tools.
  KEY SITES IN THE SAFE QUARTER
  The settlement is divided into two sections: the Dragon’s
  Wing and the Giants’ Hold. Each side presents a stark con-
  trast in life among the ruins. Thus this section is broken into
  two parts, one for each major area within the quarter.
  The Giants’ Hold
  The area of the Safe Quarter held by the Hu-Charad shows
  the results of long months spent clearing rubble and rebuild-
  ing crumbling ruins. It also reflects a strong police presence.
  A curfew forbids anyone from walking the streets after night-
  fall, while many sites are roped off from public access. With
  so few sages and adventurers possessing the proper permits,
  and with many of the licensed explorers off delving in the
  ruins, these places remain largely untouched. In some cases,
  however, opportunistic thieves have descended upon them
  and stripped them bare.
  During the day, the Giants’ Hold is orderly though
  bustling. People on the street tend to be quieter and less
  outgoing when compared to the folk who live in the Dragon’s
  Wing, as the giant guards who patrol the street cast a long
  shadow. By night, that peaceful quiet turns into a foreboding
  sense of pending doom. With the streets empty due to the
  curfew, the place is silent save for the occasional clatter of
  armor and weapons as a patrol moves through the area. Even
  the taverns and inns are relatively subdued. Many of them
  have built courtyards ringed by tall walls to allow customers
  to stretch their legs and breathe fresh air without violating
  curfew, but these areas, too, stand empty. Many folk prefer
  the chaotic Dragon’s Wing to escape this oppressive—though
  sometimes necessary—measure.
  In the section that follows, the number of each locale cor-
  responds to a site on the map on the next page.
  1. Castle Vanguard (Any Level)
  The headquarters for the giants in Serathis consists of an
  imposing stone fortress set atop the tallest hill in the Safe
  Quarter. Giant and sibeccai guards maintain constant watch
  over the walls, and the imposing iron gates remain closed at
  most hours of the day and all night. The conditions inside
  the castle are confined and utilitarian at best, as Eia-Perren’s
  forces were pressed to construct the fortress as quickly as pos-
  sible. This place feels much more like a military barracks than
  the center of government. Eia-Perren’s audience hall is small
  and cramped, while in some places water seeps through the
  ceiling and forms small puddles in the floor. The giants were
  forced to trade quality for speed in building this place, and
  visitors cannot help but compare Castle Vanguard to Krova-
  catharis’ richly appointed, elegant quarters (see page 42).
  Visitors to the castle are required to carry passes at all
  times, as security here is tight. Most of the guards know each
  other by sight, and laborers from outside the Hu-Charad ranks
  always work with a giant or sibeccai guard watching them.
  Secret: Why is security so tight here? 
  The castle is slowly crumbling and exhibiting structural defi-
  ciencies that the engineers never predicted. They suspect sabo-
  tage, but in truth, the ground beneath the castle shifts and
  moves. Something enormous sleeps within the hill—perhaps
  
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  38
  > > > > >
  it will awaken soon. Oddly enough, the activity of the thing
  within the hill seems tied to the harmony sphere located with-
  in the Concert Hall in the Forest of Towers (see Chapter
  Five). If the thing awakens, it could collapse the castle—and
  the giants’ presence here.
  2. The Cracked Wheel (Hook, Obstacle; Low Level)
  Named for the broken wagon wheel used to denote its
  entrance, this hidden tavern is the unofficial meeting place
  for the renegades, smugglers, and thieves who operate in the
  ruins. The Cracked Wheel occupies the cellar of a crumbled
  ruin. Only the presence of a broken wagon wheel wedged
  among the stone blocks of the wreckage marks its location.
  A series of curtained booths and alcoves partitions the
  Cracked Wheel. The bartender—a litorian named Redclaw—
  and a staff of human and litorian bouncers keep the peace.
  The Cracked Wheel’s main claim to fame (and the true
  secret behind its success) lies in the hidden passages and
  chambers that honeycomb its walls. Redclaw and his men
  have uncovered a maze beneath the city. Using these tun-
  nels, they can infiltrate many of the ruins located through-
  out the Giants’ Hold, the Dragon’s Wing, and beyond. They
  use these corridors primarily to smuggle goods in and out of
  the ruins, and many smugglers live within the passages.
  While undead creatures and other monsters sometimes
  plague the maze, the criminals and adventurers who use
  them consider the secret passages much safer than a trip
  across the ruins under the giants’ watchful eyes.
  Secret: Whom does Redclaw support? 
  (1) He works with Valdra Longclaw—and, by extension,
  Krovacatharis—and is more loyal to her than to the dragon. 
  (2) He is an ally of the Agents of Chaos. 
  (3) Greedy and ambitious, Redclaw allies with whoever
  offers him the largest bribe at the moment.
  3. Grazard’s Emporium (Hook; Low Level)
  The mojh Grazard runs a shop that serves as a popular desti-
  nation for expeditions returning from the ruins. Grazard deals
  in curios in bulk, selling them to merchants from across the
  land as souvenirs, knickknacks, and baubles. Thus, many
  explorers sell off unremarkable or relatively cheap items to
  the mojh merchant. Grazard drives a hard bargain, and
  speaks with a voice like sandpaper, but he handles goods
  most others see as a waste of time. Nobles and merchants
  sometimes request items with a specific look that makes
  them fashionable or popular. Sometimes Grazard hires
  adventurers to scavenge for items needed to fill orders.
  Secret: Grazard’s operation is a front for some other activ-
  ity, but what? 
  (1) Grazard disguises expensive items as cheap junk to
  complete sales in secret and thus avoid taxes. 
  (2) Grazard secretly sells poisons, narcotics, and even slaves.
  (3) Grazard regularly cheats customers, buying magical or
  rare items for a few silver pieces, and, in turn, reselling them
  to the highest bidder. 
  4. The Guard Tower (Hook, Obstacle; Any Level)
  Named for its location within a five-story tower chosen for its
  solid construction and good repair, this inn is one of the most
  popular destinations for travelers who visit the Giants’ Hold.
  The proprietor, a quickling faen named Lerra Silverstreet,
  was one of the first merchants to arrive in the city, and her
  contacts across the continent enable her to stock her larder
  with a staggering variety of delicacies. Her kitchen produces
  the best cuisine in the city, and her finely appointed inn has
  grown to include several buildings near the original tower.
  Lerra gained her prominent position by swearing loyalty to
  the giants. She passes along to them any news she hears—
  and, as she operates the most popular destination for revel-
  ers in the city, any rumor worth hearing passes through her
  establishment. In return for this surreptitious spying, Lerra
  receives priority on caravans to the city. Even military supply
  wagons have space set aside for her orders.
  Secret: Why does Lerra spy for the Hu-Charad? 
  (1) She is a wanted criminal who, in return for her free-
  dom, does their bidding. 
  (2) She is loyal to the Diamond Throne and actively works
  to turn in unsavory characters. 
  (3) She is an utter mercenary who works for whoever can
  help her business the most.
  5. Market Square (Any Level)
  If you need to buy anything in Serathis, chances are you can
  find it in Market Square. From wooden stalls open year-
  round to itinerant vendors who lay down a carpet or blanket
  and spread their simple wares upon it, a wide range of mer-
  chants and items await. 
  The market is a chaotic maze. Despite the giants’ best
  efforts to parcel out space and rent it to licensed sellers,
  there are simply too many businesspeople eager to make a
  fortune here. Peddlers, dealers, traders, and others come
  from across the continent to sell their merchandise, as
  rumors outside the city speak of fabulously wealthy adven-
  turers eager to spend cash on anything from fine silken
  clothes to simple camping gear. A merchant might offer rare
  perfumes and fine clothing, while the stall next to him sells
  shovels, torches, and trail rations. This eclectic mix shows
  that everyone, high born or low, prosperous or desperate, can
  hearken to Serathis’ call.
  Here, the characters can buy anything presented in the
  equipment lists in Chapter Six of Arcana Evolved. In addi-
  tion, any magic item with a list cost of 1,000 gp or less is
  always available here. More expensive items require the serv-
  ices of a specialist. As a rule of thumb, the characters must
  
  39
  make a Gather Information check (DC 10 + the item’s value
  divided by 500) to find a magic item for sale. You can also
  allow the player characters to find something automatically if
  they have contacts with an NPC smith, merchant, or some-
  one else with access to magic items.
  The market is too large and varied to detail at length.
  Instead, use the following profiles of merchants to populate
  the stalls and peddlers the party visits. These descriptions
  make no mention of a merchant’s goods, allowing you to use
  them for whatever the PCs seek.
  Drena Coincatcher (Female Loresong Faen): Drena is a
  wandering peddler. She specializes in recovering and repair-
  ing broken items and sometimes explores the ruins in search
  of potentially valuable items. Occasionally, she comes across
  strange relics that she modifies or simply cleans up before
  selling. She lacks any knowledge of magic or the Builders,
  sometimes leading her to sell rare or exquisite items for a
  fraction of their true worth. She spreads a blanket on the
  ground and arranges her goods upon it.
  Grazthralk (Mojh): Oily, treacherous, and cunning,
  Grazthralk offers shoddy goods but uses keen bargaining abil-
  ities to garner excellent prices for them. Many of the mer-
  chant’s offerings are gaudy or expensive-looking, but they are
  no better (and often worse) than cheaper wares.
  Pardalla (Male Human): Pardalla hails from the south.
  He complains bitterly of the cold, wet weather in the moun-
  tains, and his sour, pessimistic mood extends to his business
  dealings. He has a small wooden stall in the market.
  Ter-Pendar (Male Giant): Quiet, thoughtful, and slow to
  anger, Ter-Pendar is known as a careful bargainer who does
  his best to match his customers with the goods they want. He
  has a large tent with his merchandise arranged in it. He hires
  criers to spread news of his latest wares through the market, a
  move that sometimes angers his neighboring merchants.
  6. Museum of Antiquities (Hook; Medium Level)
  Catering to newcomers, visiting merchants, and nobles, the
  museum aspires to respectability but wallows in crass com-
  mercialism. The human Rebella Linsdottir maintains this
  place, filling it with strange objects taken from the ruins,
  plus a multitude of stuffed and preserved monsters and
  beasts. While she makes some attempt to catalog and study
  the objects, she has found that horrid beasts draw in far
  more visitors. Thus, she pays well for any monstrous corpses
  brought to her in relatively good condition.
  Unfortunately, Rebella tends to embellish the truth. She
  may take several creatures and carefully remove parts from
  them to form one hideous superbeast to place on display. She
  concocts elaborate stories regarding the monster’s origin and
  habits, usually focusing on lurid details of its eating and mat-
  ing rituals to keep crowds coming back for more. Her willing-
  ness to bend the truth extends throughout most of her col-
  lection, and she recently began publication of a series of
  chapbooks that purport to reveal and explain many of the
  mysteries hidden within the ruins.
  Secret: Rebella respects the dragon Krovacatharis and des-
  perately hopes to convince him to endorse her museum, as
  the giants see her as nothing more than a charlatan. Does this
  affect her business? 
  The dragon might feed her false information to throw
  adventuring parties off the track of an important item or rich
  treasure. He might then alternate blatant lies with equally
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  CHAPTER TWO: THE SAFE QUARTER
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  40
  > > > > >
  outrageous truths, helping to ensure that no one will compete
  with his agents for treasure in the ruins.
  7. The Rat’s Nest (Hook; Low Level)
  A stain on the Giants’ Hold in Hu-Charad eyes, the Rat’s
  Nest is a haven for the criminals, smugglers, and rough-and-
  tumble adventurers who make the settlement their home. It
  is a ramshackle building barely restored from its ruined con-
  dition. In some areas, gaping holes in the ceiling allow rain
  and snow to fall through to the taproom.
  The Rat himself is a mangy, flea-ridden sibeccai who owns
  and runs the place. He wears an eye patch studded with
  small gems and walks with a pronounced limp. Any news
  that spreads among the local thieves and smugglers soon
  passes through the Rat’s Nest.
  The Nest’s main attraction is a series of curtained booths
  that ring its second floor. Here, mercenaries can meet with
  their clients in relative peace and quiet. If needed, the Rat
  can arrange for clients to use one of the secret entrances to
  the booths. Along with a curtain hung to shield the mysteri-
  ous party from nosy observers, this ensures that a patron can
  keep his identity hidden from his clients as well.
  Secret: Why do the giants allow this place to stay open? 
  (1) The giants use it themselves to hire mercenaries and
  explorers to foil Krovacatharis’ plans. This place provides
  them with a convenient buffer against the dragon’s accusa-
  tions. 
  (2) The giants have closed down the Rat’s Nest several
  times, but the wily Rat manages to avoid directly breaking
  any laws. Using his stash of money and network of contacts,
  he opens a new bar in another ruined block soon after his
  release. The Nest’s old sites may hide buried treasures or
  clues left by the Rat’s former clients.
  8. The Silver Anvil (Hook; Low Level)
  The Silver Anvil is the busiest smithy and weapon shop in
  the Safe Quarter. The smith Ern-Haffren (giant 9th-level
  magister) is an expert at his craft. He forges weapons, armor,
  and tools to order, making him popular with adventurers
  who need custom items to cope with underground passages
  and teetering ruins. Ern-Haffren sees these requests as chal-
  lenges to his skill and ingenuity. He loves nothing more than
  to design and build a clever device that exactly meets his
  client’s needs. He was drawn to Serathis by the obvious
  demand for items and tools—and by rumors that strange and
  wondrous metals and materials had been unearthed here.
  Thanks to his magical skill, Ern-Haffren possesses the tal-
  ents needed to forge a variety of enchanted weapons. He
  might craft items for adventurers in return for rare metals
  and other materials that could improve his craft.
  Secret: Ern-Haffren currently works on an important,
  powerful item that he keeps carefully hidden. By night, his
  hammer and bellows echo through the neighborhood, indi-
  cating that whatever it is, he spends hours laboring over it
  after sundown. What is this item? 
  (1) It is a deadly spear baneful to all dragons—and to
  Krovacatharis in particular. The giants plan to keep it as a
  failsafe, but if Krova-catharis learns of it, the tenuous politi-
  cal situation between the two factions may fall to pieces. 
  (2) Ern-Haffren hopes to build a large flying device that
  would make travel in the ruins faster and easier. He intends
  to use it to recover rare stone and metal from the ruins, but
  a gang of smugglers might have different plans for it.
  9. Tower of Boundless Knowledge 
  (Hook; Any Level)
  A small group of akashics has established this center of
  study and learning to better understand the strange phenom-
  ena that cloaked this city from their memory. Managed by
  Sivalion (verrik 11th-level magister) and his assistants, the
  Tower of Boundless Knowledge has quickly become the cen-
  ter of learning and research within the ruins. Sivalion sees
  that all are welcome here, though known criminals are asked
  to leave before the akashics call the guard.
  The tower is surrounded by a large well-tended garden.
  Here, scholars, akashics, and other seekers meet to debate
  the city’s history and share what they have learned. A small
  outdoor amphitheater, restored from a previous ruin, serves
  as a popular site for lectures and discussions. A dormitory,
  kitchen, and a few private residences for Sivalion and other
  scholars also surround the tower.
  The tower serves as a large library, with each floor holding
  progressively rarer and more exotic tomes. The first two
  floors are open to the public, while a visitor must produce a
  special pass to access the third floor. The fourth floor is
  locked and magically warded; only visitors accompanied by
  Sivalion can consult its tomes.
  Sivalion is cold, distant, and acid-tongued. He has no
  patience for outlanders; he prefers that visitors read the
  books offered to them, perhaps engaging the lesser akashics
  in debate, but otherwise leave their troubles and political
  affiliations at home. He is dedicated to keeping the akashics
  of this Tower above any power struggles or threats that don’t
  involve them directly.
  Secret: Why does Sivalion restrict access to the top floors? 
  (1) The akashics have pieced together some of the truth of
  the ruins’ history, and they fear that someone may use that
  knowledge to seek out and awaken any surviving dramojh or
  powerful, deadly artifacts.
  (2) Several akashics have been kidnapped and books
  stolen from this place. 
  (3) Based on Sivalion’s research, a strange creature within
  the ruins can drain an akashic’s mind to increase its own
  knowledge. This villain or monster, whatever it is, is after
  
  41
  something hidden in the ruins that the akashics’ research has come
  close to revealing.
  10. The Tumble (Obstacle, Goal; Medium Level)
  The section of ruins known as “the Tumble” remains untouched. The
  collapsed roofs and fallen walls are a jumble of stone blocks and
  wooden beams. Residents of the Giants’ Hold tend to avoid this area,
  as it has a sinister reputation. Supposedly, small humanoid figures
  caper and dance here after dark, and some citizens have reported
  bizarre noises and lights emanating from the area.
  At night, a malevolent force stalks the Tumble. The creature, a ghost,
  seeks an item held somewhere inside the ruins. It uses its incorporeal
  ability to slide through the wreckage and rest within its lair, an ancient
  tomb beneath the rubble. This monster has thus far avoided any direct
  confrontations with patrols, but it gladly hunts and slays lone travelers.
  The giants, who have yet to corner it, issue vague warnings of its
  actions but simply know too little to keep the population informed.
  Some of the commoners agitate for action, and Eia-Perren faces
  mounting pressure to find and slay the creature.
  Secret: What is the ghost’s nature? 
  (1) It wants an item buried within the cellar of the Guard Tower
  (see Area 4) and may frontally assault the inn to get it. 
  (2) Lord Valdren (see Area 14) uncovered several items from this
  ruin and knows the spirit’s connection to them. He hopes to pass
  them along to a business rival through an agent, indirectly using the
  ghost to destroy his competitors. 
  (3) The ghost is a hoax created by a clever gang of thieves dwelling
  within a hideout in the ruins.
  The Ghost, male human undead war5: CR 6; Medium undead (incorpore-
  al); HD 5d12 (42 hp); Init +1; Speed fly 30 feet (perfect); AC 13 (+1
  Dex, +2 deflection), touch 13, flat-footed 12; Base Attack +5; Grapple
  +6; Attack and Full Attack +8 ranged (1d8+1, light crossbow) or +8
  melee (1d6+3, short sword); SA Energy drain; SQ Incorporeal, dark-
  vision 60 feet, unnatural aura, sunlight powerlessness, undead traits;
  SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 15, Dex 13, Con —, Int 8, Wis 12,
  Cha 14.
  Skills: Hide +9, Intimidate +10, Listen +9, Ride +9, Search +7, Spot +9. 
  Feats: Natural Archer, Rapid Reload, Weapon Focus (light crossbow),
  Weapon Focus (longbow).
  Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by the Ghost’s incorporeal touch
  attack receive a negative level (Fortitude save, DC 14, to remove). 
  Unnatural Aura (Su): Animals (and sometimes children) can sense the
  Ghost’s unnatural presence at 30 feet. They do not willingly come
  nearer than that, and they panic if forced to do so, remaining panicked
  while within that range.
  Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex): The Ghost becomes utterly powerless in
  natural sunlight and flees from it. If caught in sunlight, it cannot attack
  and can take only a move action or a standard action but not both.
  Possessions: +1 light crossbow, +1 short sword (these “ghostly” weapons
  allow the Ghost to inflict damage as it would have in life, as if it still
  had a Strength score).
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER TWO: THE SAFE QUARTER
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  42
  > > > > >
  11. Watchman’s Post (Hook; Any Level)
  The formidable Ker-Tholar (giant 7th-level warmain) found-
  ed the Watchman’s Post as a private adventurers’ club. He
  trolls bars and pubs through the Safe Quarter, seeking out
  explorers who maintain a high moral character and are
  courageous in the face of danger. He questions their associ-
  ates, watches them from a distance, and eventually offers
  them membership in the Watchman’s Post if they prove
  worthy. Ker-Tholar’s standards are high, and many explorers
  mistake this place for an elite social club. Nothing could be
  further from the truth.
  Ker-Tholar spent long years adventuring throughout the
  Diamond Throne. He considered himself a caretaker—a role
  too important to leave to something as impersonal as a gov-
  ernment or bureaucracy. He wandered the region in search of
  threats to the land and its people, defeating anything from a
  horde of monstrous beasts plaguing villages to greedy tax col-
  lectors who overcharged the peasants. As a hero for the com-
  mon people, he saw firsthand how his actions improved the
  world. In his old age, he is no longer fit for questing, but he
  can pass on his wisdom to a new generation of adventurers.
  Ker-Tholar believes the ruins are a flashpoint for trouble,
  and he wants to ensure that there are brave men and women
  here to contend with any problems. Using informants in the
  giant and dragon leadership, along with friends in the crimi-
  nal underworld, he keeps an eye out for potential problems.
  If he uncovers something, he in turn alerts the members of
  the Watchman’s Post or calls them to a general meeting. In
  this way, the splintered bands of explorers and adventurers
  can respond to threats that may escape others’ notice.
  The Watchman’s Post is a large fortified mansion. The first
  floor has a kitchen, bar, and several meeting rooms. The sec-
  ond and third floors are set aside for a library, a scale model
  of the mapped areas of the ruins, and dormitories.
  Membership costs 10 gp per month.
  Secret: For whom does Ker-Tholar work? 
  (1) He is an agent for the giants and helps them keep con-
  trol of the area through his recruitment practices and by tar-
  geting monsters and threats that Eia-Perren’s government
  cannot afford to handle. 
  (2) He is a freelance operative who believes that the situa-
  tion will soon spin beyond the giants’ or the dragon’s control.
  If both groups falter, he plans to use his followers and his
  reputation to set himself up as a benevolent dictator until
  either side can restore order.
  The Dragon’s Wing
  For all the complaints lodged against the strict Hu-Charad
  rule, a visitor need only look upon the Dragon’s Wing to see
  how much worse things could be. Choked with rubble,
  restored in only the few areas used by Krovacatharis and his
  dracha followers, and overrun with criminals, treasure
  hunters, and mercenaries, the Dragon’s Wing is a place
  nobody visits without a sword or axe at the ready. While the
  giants see it as their duty to watch over the territory they
  claimed, Krovacatharis cares nothing for the ruins he con-
  trols. Aside from pursuing his own interests in recovering or
  buying rare items and magical devices, he pays little mind to
  the people who dwell under his nominal rulership. His
  dracha warmains make a show of patrolling the streets about
  once per week. While murder and other capital crimes may
  draw an investigation, most offenses go unreported or are
  turned over to the giants for follow-up.
  Despite these problems, the Dragon’s Wing continues to
  thrive. Smugglers and merchants willing to work with
  Krovacatharis dwell here, usually in ruins converted into small
  armed camps. In the areas directly adjacent to Krovacatharis’
  fortress (Area 12), taverns, shops, and a few inns enjoy the
  dracha’s protection. These businesses pay an unofficial tax in
  free food, drinks, and gifts to the dragon’s followers, as only
  such bribes maintain the dragon’s protection.
  The Dragon’s Wing has been thoroughly plundered, but in
  some areas a few ruined buildings have escaped looting.
  Krovacatharis sometimes sends out teams of workers to ran-
  sack a building that he believes remains untouched. The folk of
  the Dragon’s Wing know to steer clear of these pillaging par-
  ties, but that doesn’t prevent them from swarming over a ruin
  before the workers can get to it. Sometimes, the mere rumor
  that Krovacatharis is interested in a random pile of rubble can
  cause a small army of looters to descend upon it. More than
  once, such frenzied searches have devolved into full-scale riots
  that push the normally uncaring dragon to intercede lest his
  holdings crumble around him at the hands of a raging mob.
  In theory, the laws of the Diamond Throne extend to the
  Dragon’s Wing. In practice, the Hu-Charad must rein in their
  caretaking instincts and allow Krovacatharis to do as he
  pleases. The giants have sent their warriors into this section
  of the Safe Quarter several times to apprehend criminals and
  murderers, but always with the dragon’s express permission.
  The peace between the two parties hinges on the freedom of
  each to do as it wishes within its own territory. While the two
  sides may wage a shadowy war of espionage and smuggling,
  they take care to avoid any direct confrontations. Neither side
  has a decisive edge in an open struggle. At least, not yet.
  12. The Dragon’s Lair (Any Level)
  This sprawling fortress serves as Krovacatharis’ personal home,
  audience chambers, and barracks for his followers. It is exquis-
  itely carved from gleaming white marble. Leering gargoyles,
  colorful flags, and stained glass windows with decorative pat-
  terns decorate its exterior. Dracha guards patrol the walls at all
  hours. The black iron gate remains closed throughout the day
  and night, for only those on official business with the dragon
  earn entrance. Finding a way to contact the dragon, or his
  
  43
  representatives in the criminal underworld, is the first test to
  determine whether a petitioner is worthy of an audience.
  The Dragon’s Lair is richly appointed. Thick, expensive
  carpets cover the floors, while jeweled chandeliers provide
  light. All of the passages and most of the doors are sized for
  a dragon, giving most visitors the feeling that they may have
  shrunk when they passed through the outer gate. Relatively
  small, human-sized furniture placed next to divans and
  couches sized for a dragon contributes to this effect.
  Krovacatharis intentionally ordered that nothing sized for a
  giant, not even a simple chair, be placed within his fortress.
  Krovacatharis’ personal audience chamber showcases his
  many treasures. Gold relics hang from the walls or stand
  upon marble pedestals. Magical lanterns cast steady, bright
  light designed to accentuate the gleam of silver, diamonds,
  and emeralds. Krovacatharis takes great pains to impress his
  wealth and power upon visitors. Despite his obvious shows
  of wealth, not a single thief has succeeded in carrying away
  his possessions. Rumors whisper of otherworldly, invisible
  creatures that stand guard. Visitors to the Dragon’s Lair
  report strange drafts, doors that open and close of their own
  accord, and other mysteries that defy simple explanation. In
  truth, the guards on duty within the castle’s interior use
  rings of invisibility to conceal their presence. While this tac-
  tic has a practical benefit, the dragon simply wished to pre-
  vent the presence of heavily armed guards from ruining his
  home’s aesthetic appeal.
  In addition to the main castle, the Dragon’s Lair consists
  of five barracks, a small office for Krovacatharis’ business
  associates, and a large kitchen complex used to feed the sol-
  diers and provide food for the dragon’s occasional feasts.
  Secret: Rumors persist that something strange wanders
  the corridors of the Dragon’s Lair. 
  While the invisible guards may contribute to these stories,
  there is something more sinister at work. In using the Lathe
  of Ages to build his castle, Krovacatharis unwittingly
  unleashed its curse. Several earth elementals of various sizes
  entered the world due to the tremendous magical energy
  used by the artifact. These creatures are malevolent and
  murderous. They snatch and kill travelers near the castle,
  and at least three times they have killed lone dracha within
  the fortress. Krovacatharis has kept these events quiet to
  avoid drawing the giants into his private matters.
  13. Peace Wall (Any Level)
  The Peace Wall symbolizes the contrasts and strain between
  the two halves of the Safe Quarter. It is a featureless grey
  brick wall that runs between both settlements. It lacks battle-
  ments, stairs, and other fortifications. Simple metal gates
  control travel from one side of the city to the other. On the
  giants’ side, armed guards watch over the entrances, while
  work crews regularly wash the wall and repair any damage.
  On the dragon’s side, the gates are deserted and the wall is
  filthy, cracked, and in some places crumbling.
  Guards usually walk patrols along the wall’s base to watch
  out for anyone who tries to use a rope or magic to cross it. On
  the giants’ side, residents are forbidden to build dwellings with-
  in 30 feet of the wall. On the dragon’s side, crude huts and
  occupied ruins crowd against the wall. Folk in the Dragon’s
  Wing sometimes climb these ruins to walk along the wall’s top
  and move within the Wing, much to the giants’ displeasure.
  Secret: Does Krovacatharis have something up his sleeve
  with the wall? 
  (1) The wall is a magical construct built by his artifact, the
  Lathe of Ages. He can employ it to destroy the wall with a
  single command and plans to use this ability to launch a 
  surprise attack if necessary.
  (2) The wall has several secret passages built into it. A few
  gangs who know the passwords for these doors, along with
  Krovacatharis’ spies, use them to move between the Safe
  Quarter’s two halves.
  14. Lord Valdren’s Camp 
  (Hook, Obstacle, Goal; Medium Level)
  Lord Valdren, a well-known treasure hunter and explorer,
  makes his home in this block of ruins. He and his mercenar-
  ies, artisans, and followers have turned the area into a forti-
  fied complex with extensive repair work. Thick brick walls
  surround the place, and the streets and alleys between the
  ruins have been cleared of rubble and debris. This place con-
  sists of a barracks, a warehouse, stables, visitor’s quarters, a
  number of private homes for servants and important follow-
  ers, and Lord Valdren’s personal mansion.
  Lord Valdren is renowned for his greed. A human akashic,
  he uses his knowledge to locate and recover ancient treas-
  ures. He then sells them to the highest bidder, often hosting
  auctions within his camp that attract some of the wealthiest
  folk within the city. He takes care to maintain good relations
  with the giants and the dragon, but prefers to live within the
  Dragon’s Wing to avoid the giants’ interference.
  Valdren is suave, sophisticated, and friendly. He hosts
  some of the most popular parties and celebrations within the
  city, and it is a testament to the social power he wields that
  merchants and politicians come here after dark despite the
  camp’s location within the Dragon’s Wing. The characters
  could attend a masquerade ball here that gives them the
  chance to meet a variety of movers and shakers within
  Serathis.
  While Valdren presents a friendly, affable front, in truth he
  is cold-hearted, self-centered, and amoral. He will do any-
  thing, up to and including murder and kidnapping, to
  acquire a relic he wants. His band of well-paid, loyal war-
  riors (a group known as the Black Cloaks) carry out his wish-
  es. As far as most folk are concerned, the Black Cloaks are
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER TWO: THE SAFE QUARTER
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  44
  > > > > >
  merely another gang of robbers and thugs. No one aside
  from the dragon Krovacatharis, who frequently works with
  Valdren in his schemes, knows that the Cloaks serve Valdren.
  The giants have their suspicions, though, and they might
  hire adventurers to break into Valdren’s quarters or otherwise
  infiltrate them in search of evidence.
  Secret: Does something more than greed drive Valdren? 
  He suffers from a strange, magical disease that slowly
  pushes him toward madness. When lucid, he is a kindly,
  good-hearted man, but when his insanity overtakes him he
  becomes a maniacal, greedy fiend. He hopes to find a cure
  within the ruins, but his evil half recruited murderers, ban-
  dits, and other scum simply to gather wealth. If cured, he
  could provide tremendous help to his rescuers.
  Lord Valdren, male human akashic 6: CR 6; Medium
  humanoid; HD 6d6+12 (38 hp), Dying/Dead –3/–15; Init
  +7; Speed 40 feet; AC 17 (+3 Dex, +3 armor, +1 dodge),
  touch 14, flat-footed 13; Base Attack +4; Grapple +5; Attack
  and Full Attack +6 melee (1d6+1, masterwork short sword)
  or +8 ranged (1d8+1, +1 longbow); SA Sneak attack +1d6;
  SQ Delve into collective memory, minor battle memory, per-
  fect recall, skill memory; Hero Points 1; SV Fort +4, Ref +5,
  Will +6; Str 12, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 15.
  Skills: Appraise +13, Bluff +12, Diplomacy +12, Disguise +12,
  Intimidate +12, Knowledge (dangerous beasts) +18,
  Knowledge (history) +18, Knowledge (runes) +18, Listen
  +10, Sense Motive +10, Sneak +12, Spot +10, Tumble +12.
  Feats: Born Leader, Defensive Stance, Fleet of Foot, Improved
  Initiative, Intuitive Sense.
  Skill Memory (Su): Three times per day, after a full round of
  concentration, Lord Valdren gains a +2 bonus to a single
  skill check attempted the next round.
  Perfect Recall (Ex): Lord Valdren gains a +4 bonus to any
  Knowledge check made without using skill memory or any
  Intelligence check to remember something. 
  Delve Into Collective Memory (Su): Six times per day, Lord
  Valdren may take 10 minutes to make a check with a +10
  bonus to see whether he knows a particular bit of information. 
  Minor Battle Memory (Su): Once per day, after concentrating
  for 1 round, Lord Valdren gains a +3 competence bonus to
  attacks and damage and a +3 dodge bonus to AC for 6 rounds.
  Possessions: Masterwork short sword, masterwork studded
  leather jack, +1 longbow, arrows (20), bag of holding (type I).
  15. Spire Town (Obstacle; Low Level)
  This collection of partially rebuilt ruins serves as a magnet
  for the thieves, bandits, fences, and others who make their
  homes within the Dragon’s Wing. It grew from a set of
  ancient, crumbling towers that were clustered together far
  enough from Krovacatharis’ lair to avoid the dragon’s inter-
  ference. 
  Over time, the mercenaries and thieves who live here
  slowly built up the ruins, fixing the towers, crafting bridges
  between them, and clearing out the basements and passages
  within them. No one purports to own this area, and one’s
  ability to claim and hold a dwelling is restricted only by one’s
  skill at arms and magic.
  Outlanders come here in search of experts who can help
  on an expedition, armed warriors willing to work for anyone
  
  45
  as long as the price is right, fences with connections to
  smugglers, and other criminals. A variety of folk who wish to
  remain hidden within the city also make their homes here.
  In addition to the dozen towers found here, Spire Town
  has spread to include tumbled ruins, alleys, and a small
  plaza that holds a tent city and an open market. The area’s
  exact layout changes on an almost weekly basis, as newcom-
  ers displace former residents and modify their dwellings.
  Walls rise, temporary dwellings fall, and merchants come
  and go with wagons of cheap goods, ale, and food for sale.
  Nobody enters here without a weapon or a few bodyguards,
  as the place has a deserved reputation for housing the city’s
  most desperate, unscrupulous thieves.
  Secret: The labyrinthine passages of Spire Town hold a
  variety of rumors and secrets. 
  (1) Supposedly, a powerful magister sealed off a few cham-
  bers with a mighty spell before leaving on an expedition to
  the ruins. The magister never returned, but his treasure and
  magic items remain hidden somewhere within Spire Town. 
  (2) A shadowy government of thieves and beggars runs
  Spire Town and knows everything that happens here. Anyone
  who can find the court of the beggar king, a chamber hidden
  somewhere beneath the spires, can request an audience for
  the right price. 
  (3) Rumors abound that a plague has broken out in Spire
  Town, but it has yet to spread beyond this place.
  Typical Bandits, Smugglers, and Other Scum, male and female
  humans war1: CR 1/2; Medium humanoids; HD 1d8+2 (10
  hp), Dying/Dead –3/–15; Init +2; Speed 30 feet; AC 16 (+2
  Dex, +2 armor, +1 shield, +1 natural), touch 12, flat-footed
  13; Base Attack +1; Grapple +2; Attack and Full Attack +2
  melee (1d6+1, scimitar) or +2 melee (1d8+1, longspear) or
  +4 ranged (1d8+1, longbow); SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +1;
  Str 13, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10.
  Skills: Hide +4, Intimidate +4, Listen +3, Spot +3. 
  Feats: Iron Flesh, Natural Archer, Weapon Focus (longbow).
  Possessions: Scimitar, longspear, longbow, arrows (40), leather
  jack, light shield.
  Typical Thief, male or female human exp1: CR 1/2; Medium
  humanoid; HD 1d6 (4 hp), Dying/Dead –1/–10; Init +6;
  Speed 30 feet; AC 15 (+3 Dex, +2 armor), touch 13, flat-
  footed 12; Base Attack +0; Grapple –1; Attack and Full
  Attack –1 melee (1d4–1, dagger) or +2 ranged (1d8, light
  crossbow); SV Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +3; Str 8, Dex 15, 
  Con 10, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 12.
  Skills: Appraise +6, Bluff +5, Disable Device +8, Listen +5, Open
  Lock +8, Search +6, Sleight of Hand +6, Sneak +9, Spot +5. 
  Feats: Improved Initiative, Skill Application (Disable Device,
  Open Lock), Skill Focus (Sneak).
  Possessions: Dagger, light crossbow, bolts (10), leather jack.
  16. The Tunnels (Obstacle; Low Level)
  This location marks a variety of ruins within the Safe Quarter
  that offer access to the tunnels and passages beneath the
  streets. Many of these tunnels connect to the Slums (see
  Chapter Three), while a few are rumored to extend through
  the ruins. The tunnels lack a map for two reasons. First,
  they are a twisted maze of caves, carved passages, and cham-
  bers. None can guess their true extent. Second, without a
  map, you are free to design the tunnels as you wish. Chapter
  Three includes an overview of important and interesting
  locations within the tunnels. This section covers how the
  tunnels interact with the Safe Quarter.
  Smugglers, criminal gangs, adventurers, and the dragon all
  compete for space within the tunnels. The dragon would love
  to map them out and use them to help funnel treasure and
  magic items into his coffers, but the tunnels are too large and
  sprawling for him and his followers to control fully. While in
  some zones the dragon’s followers, such as Valdra Longclaw
  (see page 34), control a few useful tunnels, in many areas
  they are little more than monster-infested dungeons. Many
  strange creatures—some crafted by the Builders, others that
  entered the tunnels from the realms below—lurk within these
  chambers. Sometimes they enter the Safe Quarter and prey
  on travelers, merchants, and unwary adventurers.
  The tunnels serve as the backbone for the local smuggling
  operations. Anyone who managed to gain control of them
  would have access to the entire Safe Quarter and could earn
  tremendous profits through illegal trade. The giants wish to
  shut down the tunnels, but they face enough threats from
  the surface world that their plans are little more than wish-
  ful thinking at this point.
  Entering the tunnels is illegal in the Giants’ Hold. The
  entrances the giants have discovered are closely guarded or
  sealed. In either case, the giants try to keep the openings
  secret so as to prevent people from blundering into them.
  There are likely more tunnels into the Giants’ Hold than
  have been discovered. Krovacatharis tries to take similar
  measures within the Dragon’s Wing, more out of a desire to
  prevent others from profiting from the tunnels than a wish
  to keep commoners safe.
  17. Verral’s Trading Post (Hook; Any Level)
  The trader Calton Verral (8th-level human unfettered) has
  made a large fortune offering rope, shovels, trail rations, and
  other supplies to explorers who visit the ruins. Working with
  his two sons, Garrik (3rd-level human mage blade) and Aron
  (2nd-level human unfettered), he has cemented his place as
  the top trader in town. He was one of the first merchants to
  set up shop, and through crafty maneuvering and cutthroat
  business deals he fought his way to the top. If you need any-
  thing, Calton probably stocks it or can have it on his shelves
  within days.
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER TWO: THE SAFE QUARTER
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  46
  > > > > >
  The secret to Calton’s success is twofold. He and his sons
  own a pair of trained griffons, enabling them to transport
  small, valuable items over great distances in a relatively short
  time. Originally, they planned to use their mounts to explore
  the ruins. After an encounter with the winged golem in the
  Forest of Towers (see Chapter Five), they decided to seek a
  more sedate lifestyle. Unfortunately for their competitors, the
  same daredevil attitude and pronounced violent streak that
  pushed the Verral clan into adventuring followed them into
  their business life. They intimidated several merchants into
  leaving town, burned down the shops of a few others, and bla-
  tantly stole from still more. Krovacatharis found the Verrals’
  actions amusing, and their ability to track down almost any
  goods made them useful. The Verrals fence stolen items and
  artifacts; Krovacatharis is now their number one customer.
  While the Verrals do business in the rough Dragon’s Wing,
  their selection, prices, and ability to deliver almost anything
  make their shop a popular destination for many adventurers.
  With their griffons, they can avoid the giants’ watchful eye
  and deliver goods to far-flung buyers. Only the dragon’s pro-
  tection keeps them above the law’s grasp.
  The Verrals’ store is a more of a fortress than a simple gen-
  eral store. The proprietors face thieves and other threats on a
  regular basis, causing them to hire a number of mercenaries
  and reinforce their holdings to ward off an open attack.
  Secret: Why hasn’t Krovacatharis simply forced the
  Verrals to work for him, as he has done with other criminals?
  (1) The Verrals’ griffons are magical creatures summoned
  with a ring. Their rivals would do anything to steal this item,
  as would Krovacatharis, and the characters may find them-
  selves working to protect it or seize it. 
  (2) During their adventuring days, the Verrals found a pow-
  erful weapon that could slay Krovacatharis. The dragon plots
  to steal it, but until then he must cope with their demands.
  (3) The Verrals’ independence is a carefully constructed
  ruse to help draw out the dragon’s opposition. The Verrals
  make overtures of alliance against the dragon to newcomers,
  helping to smoke out or entrap foes.
  QUICK LOCATIONS
  This section presents a few generic locations that you can
  use to fill out the Safe Quarter or react to unexpected devel-
  opments in the game. For example, the player characters
  might decide they need to get to the closest weapon shop to
  stock up on arrows. The locations listed below have just
  enough description to enable you to run a short encounter
  or spark your imagination to provide greater detail.
  Inns
  Unless the characters purchase a place to live, while staying
  in the Safe Quarter they’ll need to rent a room or seek out a
  vacant ruin.
  The Golden Crown is widely known as the finest inn in
  Serathis. It features luxurious suites, hot water baths, and a
  dining room that offers some of the best cuisine available in
  the city. It caters to giants, especially nobles and merchants
  from the Lands of the Diamond Throne. If the characters
  are dressed in dirty or coarse clothing, the burly (though
  polite) doorman may escort them out.
  The Slumbering Serpent, a basic hostel, offers clean,
  simple rooms at a rate of 5 sp per night. Owned and operat-
  ed by a small family of faen, it features several faen-sized
  rooms and is popular with those diminutive folk. The
  Serpent derives its name from the human-sized statue of a
  dragon that stands in its courtyard.
  Terzel’s Rest, a teetering, wooden structure, rents rooms
  for the bargain rate of 1 sp per night. You get what you pay
  for: It is plagued with fleas and other bugs, and many of its
  residents are thieves or worse. Rumor says the owner some-
  times uses his master key to rob folk with a lot of money or
  who are too drunk to notice the intrusion. Terzel, a male
  human with a flat, squashed nose and scars on his face and
  arms, is a small-time smuggler and fence. He uses the Rest
  as a front for his criminal business.
  Ruins
  The ruins within the Safe Quarter consist primarily of stone
  and clay bricks. Many of the structures are up to three stories
  tall, and most have a basement level. Any ruins that still have
  intact chambers are occupied—unless stories of hauntings,
  strange monsters, or thieves have deterred settlers. The giants
  make no claim to own these ruins. Instead, anyone who per-
  sonally occupies a ruin for a year and repairs it to an intact,
  habitable state receives a deed of ownership from the
  Diamond Throne. While many unscrupulous settlers and
  traders have attempted to claim large swaths of ruins, the
  Hu-Charad rules have prevented most major abuses.
  The ruins that remain empty usually have extensive roof
  damage, collapsed chambers, and other features that make
  them difficult to repair or worthless even as temporary shel-
  ter. The poor and desperate folk who dwell within the most
  battered ruins usually lack the money and skill needed to
  repair their dwellings, but this doesn’t prevent them from
  fighting to keep control of their holdings.
  If the characters invest 1,000 gp and one month of work,
  they can repair a 40-by-40-foot ruin to a state that meets the
  giants’ standards. They probably need to invest money in
  locks and other useful equipment to fortify their holding.
  Consult the price lists in Chapter Six of Monte Cook’s
  Arcana Evolved for information on such gear.
  Shops
  These shop descriptions omit specific wares offered, allowing
  you to use the locations for a variety of needs.
  
  47
  Brenec’s is named for its owner: a fat, balding, beady-eyed
  human male. The wares are arranged chaotically, and busi-
  ness is obviously poor. Brenec has a heavy gambling debt,
  and takes out his anger and frustration on customers with
  his impatient, rude comments.
  Ladragos’ shop has no goods readily available. The sibeccai
  Ladragos works as a broker and purchasing agent who fills
  orders given to him by adventuring companies and expedi-
  tions. In return for a commission, he finds bargains on goods,
  buys items in bulk, and so on. The characters can save 10
  percent on any purchase they make through him for items
  worth 1,000 gp or less, but he requires a week to deliver the
  goods. Customers must pay half the total price ahead of time.
  Olta’s Shop is run by Olta Starseeker, a female quickling
  faen, along with a multitude of her cousins, aunts, uncles,
  and other relatives. The family specializes in delivering
  items, making this place a chaotic jumble as faen rush in
  and out with goods. The characters may have to step careful-
  ly as the faen scramble about.
  Tyralath’s specializes in rare and difficult-to-find goods.
  The mojh owner Tyralath, however, keeps these items in a
  locked room in the rear while displaying a variety of cheap,
  simple goods in the store’s front room. To gain access to the
  back, the player characters must demonstrate to Tyralath
  that they are serious about buying something, as the mojh
  has no patience for browsers. Tyralath might be involved in
  smuggling and fencing relics or could be simply paranoid.
  Zar-Tartalion’s is owned by a shrewd investor and an
  aggressive negotiator. The giant Zar-Tartalion loves to bar-
  gain, and he might indulge his love by insisting that the PCs
  barter for whatever goods they buy. He is not so dense that
  he holds up a time-pressed group, but if he can find an
  excuse to dicker over a price, he does so.
  Taverns
  At some point, the characters may need to track down
  rumors, hear the latest news in town, or simply rest after a
  daunting adventure.
  The Grinning Boar, owned by the giant Rea-Salvaria, is
  popular with giants, sibeccai, and their allies. Half the tables
  and the entire place’s architecture are proportioned for the
  Hu-Charad. The crowd is usually subdued, and the regulars
  help Rea-Salvaria handle any troublemakers and drunks.
  Due to its security and good food, many choose it for quiet
  meetings.
  Grom’s Pit, built by the litorian Grom Skullcracker, occu-
  pies the cellar of an old ruin. Grom rents out the ruins upstairs
  and hosts a boisterous tavern and fighting pit in the basement.
  Contestants wrestle, challenge each other to lift granite blocks,
  and throw axes at targets while onlookers wager on the out-
  come. Many adventurers come here to seek out worthy com-
  patriots or recruit mercenaries for an expedition.
  The Rusty Nail—battered, teetering, and in desperate
  need of a new coat of whitewash—is frequently the site of
  brawls, knife fights, and even the occasional murder.
  Smugglers and thieves congregate in this dive, relying on the
  Nail’s owner, a one-eyed, surly human male named Garza, to
  help them find buyers for stolen goods or clients in need of a
  mercenary or hired killer.
  The Spinning Star is a sign of civilization’s march forward
  amid the ruins of Serathis. Master chef Paidra Volkamp has
  made the Spinning Star the most popular eatery for the rich
  and powerful. As a human, Paidra can navigate the treacher-
  ous social waters between the giants and the dragon, allow-
  ing her to cater to both sides. If the player characters must
  meet with a rich or important person, the Spinning Star
  might host their rendezvous.
  MONSTERS IN THE SAFE QUARTER
  While the Safe Quarter provides a haven for adventures, it
  has its threats and dangers. Thieves and cutpurses are com-
  mon here, and most wise explorers know that carrying a
  treasure back to the city, selling it for a good price, and hold-
  ing onto the profits can be as difficult as evading the traps
  and monsters that guarded it. The monsters listed here are
  taken from the MM and Chapter Twelve of Arcana Evolved.
  Chorrim: A small party of chorrim exiles petitioned and
  received permission from Krovacatharis to settle in the
  Dragon’s Wing. However, these supposed exiles are actually
  spies sent to determine the ruins’ wealth and resources.
  While the chorrim have little chance of mounting a military
  campaign across hundreds of miles of enemy territory, they
  hope to ally with the dragons against the giants. The Hu-
  Charad feel understandably uneasy about the chorrim pres-
  ence in the city, and they may need adventurers to discredit
  the exiles or drive a wedge between them and the dragon.
  Doppelgangers: Drawn by rumors of great wealth hidden
  in the city, a small clutch of doppelgangers has taken root in
  the Safe Quarter, where they mingle with explorers, mer-
  chants, and commoners. Slowly but surely, these monsters
  have gathered intelligence on the criminal gangs, the giants,
  and the dragon. They may strike an alliance with a willing
  party, but more likely they may slowly kill and replace the
  leading members of a powerful crime syndicate.
  Gargoyles: Normally, gargoyles lack the intelligence need-
  ed to use complex tactics, but recently an evolved individual
  (with Intelligence 12) has led his pack into the Safe
  Quarter. The gargoyles use their ability to hide among the
  ruins to rob buildings from above. In the dead of night, they
  fly onto the roof, descend into a building, loot and kill as
  they please, and fly off into an empty, wrecked stone build-
  ing. If these creatures are not stopped soon, one of the pow-
  erful gangs in the city might form a deadly alliance with
  them.
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER TWO: THE SAFE QUARTER
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  48
  > > > > >
  Goblins: These vermin cause a continual problem for the
  Safe Quarter. Before the giants arrived, hordes of goblins
  teemed in the area. Now, they dwell in the tunnels beneath the
  streets. They multiply there, and soon the fungi, insects, and
  other foodstuff in the passages will be insufficient to support
  them. Hunger and anger at the intruding humanoids may drive
  the goblins to swarm up from below to destroy all in their path.
  Medusas: Rumor has it that a lone medusa lurks some-
  where within the Dragon’s Wing. While investigators have
  failed to find any evidence of its presence, the tales persist.
  Originally, a gang used this story to discourage people from
  snooping into the ruins where it hid its loot. Recently, how-
  ever, a band of medusas that sneaked into the city heard the
  rumors and decided to search the ruins to see whether oth-
  ers of their kind indeed dwell within the Safe Quarter.
  Rhodin: A small group of rhodin has taken over a section
  of the Dragon’s Wing. The creatures work as mercenaries for
  Krovacatharis (or whoever else is willing to pay them) and
  have brought their females and young to live here while the
  males seek employment. Rumor has it that the rhodin
  arrived early and settled into a ruin that holds several intact
  treasure vaults. The rhodin, too simple to uncover the
  caches, are oblivious to them. A thief could slip into this
  armed camp and find the vaults beneath it, but the rhodin
  are too great in number to be attacked head-on. More than
  100 warriors dwell here.
  Trolls: The mountains around the ruins host several troll
  packs, and on multiple occasions these brutes have descend-
  ed from the slopes to raid the Safe Quarter. Rumor has it
  that the Agents of Chaos have used magic and bribes to hire
  several trolls as mercenaries.
  ADVENTURES IN THE SAFE QUARTER
  The Safe Quarter might seem like a strange place to set
  adventures, especially since the ruins just beyond the walls
  offer an entire metropolis filled with traps, monsters, weird
  magic, and treasure. However, if you want to run a game
  that emphasizes intrigue, politics, and roleplaying, this area
  of the city offers an excellent choice of venue.
  The Safe Quarter is designed to provide a good mix
  between the dangers of the frontier and the safety of civiliza-
  tion (along with the restrictions that come with it). The
  characters don’t have to worry about random attacks by
  packs of hungry monsters, but they cannot simply do as they
  wish. In the Giants’ Hold, Eia-Perren’s soldiers may arrest
  the player characters for recklessly casting spells or attacking
  another person without provocation. In the Dragon’s Wing,
  the characters might anger Krovacatharis and his minions if
  they disrupt trade or injure the wrong person. The usual
  tools of many adventurers—violence and powerful spells—
  are strictly regulated and discouraged within the bounds of
  civilization.
  The simmering hostilities between the giants and
  Krovacatharis constitute the primary conflict in the Safe
  Quarter. Depending on how you present the two sides, the
  characters might work for one party to prevent the other
  from gaining too much power, unearthing a mighty artifact,
  or achieving a monopoly on trade. The characters could also
  become trapped between the two sides, forced to find a way
  to prevent them from descending into open warfare. In this
  case, the dragon and the giants might be too absorbed in
  their own goals to take active steps to defuse any tension.
  The Agents of Chaos offer a third choice of antagonist: an
  ambitious, malevolent group that the characters can strive
  against throughout their adventuring careers. They make a
  good opponent if you want to avoid a dragon-versus-the-
  giants plotline, or if you would rather present both of those
  groups as essentially neutral parties. The characters might
  have to forge an alliance with both sides against the Agents,
  especially since the sinister, secretive group may operate
  beneath the giants’ and the dragon’s notice.
  Thieves, smugglers, and monsters hiding within the Safe
  Quarter also pose a threat to adventurers. The characters
  may have to fight off crooks hired to steal an artifact they
  unearthed, or a group of innocent merchants may need pro-
  tection against a criminal cartel that attempts to extort
  money from them.
  Hidden threats give you the chance to mix action with role-
  playing. A corrupt giant might accept bribes and aid felons,
  requiring the player characters to gather evidence to bring to
  Eia-Perren. (The characters cannot simply kill the offenders
  or otherwise mete out their own justice, as they would then
  face criminal charges themselves.) Many of the NPCs pre-
  sented in this chapter have a sinister option for their secret,
  giving you plenty of opportunities to pit the characters against
  a foe who uses subtle tactics against them.
  The tunnels offer an obvious location for dungeon adven-
  tures, pitched battles against monsters, and struggles against
  bandit gangs and criminal cartels. The characters might be
  hired to map out a section of the tunnels, perhaps stumbling
  across a plot by Krovacatharis to slip spies and hired thugs
  into the Giants’ Hold. Strange monsters from deep within the
  earth might send scouting parties to the tunnels, requiring
  the player characters to defeat this menace while convincing
  the people above that the threat is real. Merchants and
  traders, eager to keep business flowing into the city, might
  write off the threat as an attempt to disrupt commerce.
  The key to designing adventures in the Safe Quarter is adding
  a touch of civilization. If the player characters must worry about
  breaking the law or angering powerful nobles, merchants, and
  politicians, you have the proper tone. Emphasize roleplaying
  and negotiation options, along with the typical combat and
  problem-solving avenues. If the characters have to think before
  drawing a sword or launching a spell, you’ve got it right.
  
  49
  Chapter Three:
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER THREE: THE SLUMS
  O
  verlooked by both the giants and the dragon, the
  Slums are considered a rundown, worthless band
  of crumbled buildings that exist merely to force
  explorers to waste time and effort crossing them to reach
  more promising regions. However, though ignored by most
  adventurers, the Slums harbor a variety of secrets that a per-
  ceptive, diligent party could quietly unearth to its profit while
  waves of other treasure-hunters compete for the easier-to-
  find riches of the Barrens and the Forest of Towers (see
  Chapters Four and Five).
  Compared to other sections of the ruins, the Slums are
  safe and easy to navigate. The giants and the dragon’s fol-
  lowers have slain most of the dangerous monsters once
  found here. While bandit gangs and other threats still per-
  sist, they are too few in number to threaten the heavily
  armed and armored treasure caravans that set out from the
  ruins’ interior. Small bands of explorers can survive in the
  Slums, provided they have weapons and spells at the ready.
  The Slums are a good place for inexperienced explorers to
  begin their careers, as they can learn the basics of survival
  without fear of stumbling upon a terrible monster or horde
  of akthars.
  Currently, the Slums fall beneath the notice of most of
  Serathis’ powerful factions. They consider the limited treas-
  ure here too difficult to unearth, especially compared to
  other areas, and the bandit gangs have learned the hard way
  to keep a low profile. A foray of giants or dracha would con-
  stitute major news, and their mere appearance would drive
  most brigands into hiding. Many criminals, fugitives, and
  others who wish to be left alone have found it easy to disap-
  pear within the Slum’s teetering ruins. While this may
  change as the Safe Quarter’s population threatens to spill
  into this region, for now the Slums provide a haven for out-
  casts of all sorts.
  FACTIONS WITHIN THE SLUMS
  While the Safe Quarter plays host to the important political
  factions within the ruins (along with a few groups possess-
  ing the skill and power needed to remain hidden amid their
  enemies), the Slums host several outlaw bands, independent
  factions, and other groups that prefer freedom over safety.
  The Blood Hook Gang
  A fearsome band of outlaws and murderers, the Blood Hook
  Gang was thought to have been hunted down and destroyed
  by the Hu-Charad. A small corps of its members survived,
  however, and swore revenge. The Blood Hook Gang earned
  its name for the gruesome torture it inflicted on its foes.
  The bandits hung the bodies of their victims from crude,
  iron hooks dangling from the ruins. These grim signs, left
  alongside roads and trails in the Slums, struck such terror
  Just outside the Safe Quarter’s walls, the district known as the Slums has earned its name. The undesirable
  folk—those too poor, mad, or independent to cope with life under the giants or the dragon Krovacatharis—
  make their homes here. Life in the Slums is difficult at best, as the giants only rarely patrol the area. Bandit
  gangs openly pillage, while monsters spill from the ruins to attack settlers. The Slums also earned their
  name due to the poor pickings in treasure: This area saw the first sustained, intensive effort to plunder
  vaults, explore ruins, and strip city blocks of their wealth. Even in the early days, the Slums offered few
  riches. Sages believe this area once served as a residential district for slaves, workers, or commoners.
  The Slums
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  50
  into explorers and travelers that most gladly paid the gang’s exorbitant
  “protection” fees rather than face a painful death. The giants, eager to
  make an example of the most notorious gang in the city, launched a
  full-scale military campaign against it. While the Blood Hooks fought
  capably, the soldiers offered far more daunting opposition than the
  simple mercenaries and explorers they normally preyed upon. The
  giants demolished the Blood Hooks’ lair with catapult fire and killed
  the few bandits who tried to stand and fight.
  Currently, the Blood Hooks work to marshal their strength and
  recruit new members. Many of the gangs in the Slums, awed by the
  Blood Hooks’ reputation and eager to become part of a legend, have
  joined with them to form a new, more powerful band that works in
  secret from small camps in the Slums. Soon, they will launch a new
  wave of attacks on merchants and explorers. They have quietly estab-
  lished underground camps in the ruins and employ several spies in
  the Safe Quarter, measures they believe will help them defeat the Hu-
  Charad when they meet in battle again.
  Unknown to the Blood Hooks’ surviving members, the giants have
  tracked their growth and plan to send spies into the bandits’ ranks.
  Perhaps a band of adventurers—one too new to have a 
  reputation in town—would serve this need perfectly.
  Grothnak Blooddrinker (Obstacle; Medium Level)
  A fearsome litorian warrior, Grothnak Blooddrinker was the Blood
  Hooks’ original leader. He bitterly hates the giants for the defeat they
  handed him, and he endlessly plots to defeat them. He harbors a per-
  sonal grudge against Tarashkar the Pursuer (see Chapter Two), whose
  outriders dealt the initial, crippling blows to the Hooks. Grothnak
  sees the gangs and bandits as the instrument of his vengeance. He
  wants to forge them into a unified fighting force, and secretly builds
  his army to sweep over the Safe Quarter to pay his enemies the
  vengeance they deserve. Driven, maniacal, and utterly amoral, he sees
  others as mere pawns in his bloodthirsty game. However, his hunger
  for revenge sometimes clouds his judgment. A wily spy could easily
  deceive him by playing along with his mindless hate.
  Secret: How did Grothnak survive? 
  (1) The Blooddrinker only recently earned his name, as each day he
  commits a ritual that requires him to drink the blood of an intelligent
  creature. In truth, he is now a vampire. The Master of Black Rock
  Tower, a ruined castle in the Barrens (see Chapter Four), placed the
  curse of vampirism upon Grothnak, binding him as a servant. He is
  now the lord’s war chief. 
  (2) Krovacatharis’ agents may have rescued Grothnak. The dragon
  keeps close tabs on the bandit chief and plans to use him either to
  defeat the giants or as a convenient offering of good faith. Krovacatharis
  can use his information to lead the Hu-Charad directly to Grothnak’s
  secret camp, should he need to do so. In this case, Krovacatharis might
  underestimate Grothnak’s cunning and his fighting prowess.
  Grothnak Blooddrinker, male litorian vampire unfettered 7: CR 9;
  Medium undead (corporeal); HD 7d12 (51 hp); Init +10; Speed 40
  feet; AC 32 (+6 Dex, +6 armor, +6 natural, +3 dodge [unfettered AC
  > > > > >
  
  51
  bonus], +1 deflection), touch 20, flat-footed 23; Base Attack
  +7; Grapple +13; Attack +15 melee (1d10+10, masterwork
  dire light mangler) or +13 melee (1d6+9 and energy drain,
  slam); Full Attack +15/+10 melee (1d10+10, masterwork
  dire light mangler) or +13/+8 and +13 melee
  (1d10+10/1d10+7, two masterwork dire light manglers) or
  +13 melee (1d6+6 and energy drain, slam); SA Sneak attack
  +1d6, blood drain, dominate, energy drain; SQ Parry, parry
  ranged attacks, +3 AC, children of the night, alternate form,
  DR 10/+1 (or 10/silver and magic), fast healing 5, gaseous
  form, cold and electricity resistance 10, spider climb,
  immune to spells and effects that normally affect undead,
  vampire weaknesses, undead traits (but can suffer critical
  hits); SV Fort +3, Ref +14, Will +3; Str 22, Dex 22, Con —,
  Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 17.
  Skills: Escape Artist +16, Jump +16, Sense Motive +10, Sneak
  +24 (+23 with armor), Spot +22, Tumble +16.
  Feats: Alertness, Ambidexterity, Combat Reflexes, Dodge,
  Exotic Weapon Proficiency (heavy), Exotic Weapon
  Proficiency (light), Fleet of Foot, Improved Initiative,
  Lightning Reflexes, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus
  (light mangler), Weapon Specialization (light mangler).
  Blood Drain (Ex): Grothnak can suck blood from a living vic-
  tim with his fangs after a successful grapple check. If he
  pins the foe, he deals 1d4 points of Constitution drain each
  round he maintains the pin. On each successful drain, he
  gains 5 temporary hit points.
  Dominate (Su): Grothnak can crush an opponent’s will just by
  looking into his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack,
  except that he must use a standard action, and those merely
  looking at him are not affected. Anyone he targets must suc-
  ceed at a Will save (DC 17) or fall instantly under his influ-
  ence as though by a dominate person spell (caster level
  12th). The ability has a range of 30 feet.
  Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by an attack from
  Grothnak’s natural weapons receive two negative levels
  (Fortitude save, DC 17, to remove). For each negative level,
  Grothnak gains 5 temporary hit points. He can use this abil-
  ity once per round.
  Parry (Ex): In melee combat, Grothnak can add a +2 bonus to
  his Armor Class against a single opponent in a given round.
  Parry Ranged Attacks (Ex): Grothnak can add a +2 bonus to
  his Armor Class against a single opponent who is using
  ranged attacks against him in a given round.
  Children of the Night (Su): Once per day Grothnak can call
  1d6+1 rat swarms, 1d4+1 bat swarms, or a pack of 3d6
  wolves as a standard action. The creatures arrive in 2d6
  rounds and serve him for up to one hour.
  Alternate Form (Su): As a standard action, Grothnak can
  assume a new shape, similar to polymorph at caster level
  12th, except he regains no hit points for changing form and
  may choose only  bat, dire bat, wolf, or dire wolf form.
  While in the alternate form, Grothnak loses his natural slam
  attack and dominate ability but gains the natural weapons
  and extraordinary special attacks of his new form. He can
  remain in that form until he assumes another or until the
  next sunrise.
  Gaseous Form (Su): As a standard action, Grothnak can
  assume gaseous form at will (caster level 5th), but can remain
  gaseous indefinitely with a fly speed of 20 feet (perfect).
  Spider Climb (Ex): Grothnak can climb sheer surfaces as
  though with a spider climb spell.
  Possessions: Masterwork dire light manglers (2), +2 chain
  shirt, ring of protection +1, cloak of resistance +1.
  The Crusaders
  Currently, the secretive group of vigilantes known as the
  Crusaders consists primarily of a strange mix of fanatical war-
  riors who seek any opportunity for a fight, vengeful survivors
  who have lost friends or loved ones to bandit raids, and ruth-
  less adventurers who see the giants and Krovacatharis as part
  of the problem rather than a solution to the general state of
  lawlessness that plagues Serathis. Rife with sadists, murder-
  ers, and others who kill for the sheer joy of it, the Crusaders
  pursue a twisted shadow of their original purpose.
  The Crusaders were founded by a small band of explorers
  and adventurers who believed the Slums and the ruins
  beyond needed an elite cadre of warriors who could strike
  at bandit camps with speed and devastating force. The
  founders relied on an informal network of support and
  pledges of allegiance. Whenever one member needed help,
  the others rallied to him. Unfortunately, the alliance quickly
  devolved into bickering and infighting. A few disputes over
  treasure and heavy losses incurred due to poor teamwork
  and treachery led to the original Crusaders’ dissolution.
  Tol-Bandari (Hook, Obstacle; Medium Level)
  A few of the founding Crusaders, led by a fanatical champi-
  on of justice named Tol-Bandari, recruited penniless merce-
  naries, homeless folk from the Safe Quarter, and other dregs
  to continue the fight against lawlessness. The giant Tol-
  Bandari had once been a well-respected bounty hunter and
  defender of the weak, until a severe head injury left his wits
  addled. He grew paranoid and now suspects that evil taints
  the hearts of almost everyone he meets. The giant receives
  vague dreams and visions that he interprets liberally, giving
  him an excuse to pick a fight with any group that his follow-
  ers encounter—which means that, in practice, the
  Crusaders attack almost at random. 
  The giant has gathered many killers and sadists to his
  group, though a few grief-stricken, vengeance-minded war-
  riors also follow him. In most cases, his followers have lost a
  loved one or friend to unknown assailants. Vulnerable, con-
  fused, and swayed by the wild-eyed, charismatic giant, these
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER THREE: THE SLUMS
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  52
  mournful warriors come under his influence with alarming ease and
  vent their frustrations against the bandits as a group.
  Tol-Bandari absolutely refuses to attack other giants unless they
  attack first or guard someone he believes deserves death. Thus, the
  giants’ patrols have yet to launch a sustained effort to pursue him.
  Many of the innocent expeditions that die at his hands are written off
  as victims of bandits or monsters.
  The Crusaders could cause tremendous problems for the charac-
  ters if Tol-Bandari judges them guilty of some crime. Relentless,
  fanatical in battle, and willing to throw their lives away in the name
  of their leader, the Crusaders could pose a continuing menace. They
  often work in small groups spread across the ruins. These warbands
  range from murderers who kill all in their path to mobs of poorly
  armed peasants who attack in waves.
  Secret: Who controls Tol-Bandari? 
  A vampire—the Master of Black Rock Tower, a ruined castle in the
  Barrens (see Chapter Four)—sends dreams and visions to Tol-
  Bandari that drive him to attack certain caravans and explorers.
  These targets carry artifacts and magical items that the vampire
  desires. His agents within the Crusaders carry them away from the
  battlefield and deliver them to the Master. If the PCs could somehow
  destroy the vampire, the giant might once again become a force for
  good. Until then, the Master uses Tol-Bandari as his puppet.
  Tol-Bandari, male giant 3/champion 5 (justice): CR 8; Large giant; HD
  3d10+5d10+32 (80  hp), Dying/Dead –5/–18; Init –1; Speed 20 feet,
  base 30 feet; AC 20 (–1 Dex, –1 size, +10 armor, +2 natural), touch 8,
  flat-footed 20; Base Attack +7; Grapple +12; Attack +13 melee (2d8+8,
  +1 greatsword); Full Attack +13/+8 melee (2d8+8, +1 greatsword);
  Space/Reach 10 feet/10 feet (Face 5 feet × 5 feet); SA Blast of castiga-
  tion, touch of justice; SQ Call shield, call upon the power; SV Fort
  +11, Ref +2, Will +6; Str 21, Dex 9, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 16.
  Skills: Intimidate +14. 
  Feats: Iron Flesh, Power Attack, Stomp, Tough Hide, Weapon Focus
  (greatsword).
  Blast of Castigation (Sp): Tol-Bandari can cast blast of castigation once
  per day, caster level 5th (save DC 16). 
  Touch of Justice (Sp): Five times per day, Tol-Bandari can touch anoth-
  er intelligent living creature and learn the most unjust thing that crea-
  ture has done. This standard action requires a touch attack. The sub-
  ject can make a Will saving throw (DC 18) to resist. If the creature is
  shown to owe a debt of justice, Tol-Bandari gains a +1 bonus to dam-
  age rolls against that creature henceforth.
  Call Shield (Sp): Tol-Bandari can summon a shield appropriate to his
  size and emblazoned with the symbol of justice. No one can take this
  shield from him against his will, although it can be dispelled. The
  shield has a +2 enhancement bonus and lasts for five minutes; it can
  be called once per day.
  Call Upon the Power (Su): Tol-Bandari calls upon the power of justice
  to gain a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and Constitution for up
  to 5 rounds. He can do this five times per day as a free action.
  Possessions: +1 greatsword, +2 plate armor.
  > > > > >
  
  53
  The Merchants’ Guild
  The Merchants’ Guild is a small but growing union of the city’s smaller,
  less prominent traders, merchants, and independent treasure hunters. As
  the Hu-Charad and the dragon gained control of the Safe Quarter, they
  used their political power to tax trade (in the giants’ case) or used intimi-
  dation and criminal contacts to seize control of independent merchants
  (in Krovacatharis’ case). Only the richest, most powerful merchants, or
  those with political and social connections to the city’s new ruling par-
  ties, avoided this fate. Even the giants are susceptible to political maneu-
  vers and bribes, and they allow merchants and treasure seekers they per-
  ceive as allies and helpers to operate with minimal interference. 
  Formed to serve as a buffer and unifying force between the business-
  people who came to the city and the political powers that control the
  ruins, the Merchants’ Guild promised to give the minor traders a pow-
  erful voice. While alone the traders lacked the money and power to
  make a difference, together they could compete with the mightiest mer-
  chant houses. However, both the giants and the dragon worked to sub-
  vert, control, and direct the guild’s efforts. They wisely saw that the
  Merchants’ Guild could become a powerful force in the city and moved
  to control or defeat it before it grew into a threat. Unfortunately, other
  factions also sought the guild’s demise. Several criminal groups, includ-
  ing the Agents of Chaos (see Chapter Two), infiltrated the guild under
  the guise of honest merchants and treasure seekers. A few of the initial
  members were no more than plants or puppets of one group or another.
  The genuine merchants wanted the guild to take a more active role
  in securing their rights; the Hu-Charad, the dragon, and others hoped
  to bend its members to support them. Pulled in a variety of directions
  and lacking a clear mandate for its goals and organization, the nascent
  Merchants’ Guild remained suspended in a state of flux for several long
  months. Finally, disgusted by the internal politicking and pressure from
  outside groups, the loresong faen Rael Pinchcoin and several other
  prominent merchants pulled up their homes, entered the Slums, and
  established a small guild settlement there. Too insignificant to buy
  influence with the dragon or the giants, these independent traders
  believe the Safe Quarter no longer holds a place for them. In the Slums
  they may have to fend for themselves, but at least here they have the
  freedom to do as they please.
  The guild currently stands at an important crossroads in its existence.
  While the giants and Krovacatharis consider it an upstart rebel group,
  both sides think it will collapse due to internal bickering and the loom-
  ing threat of monsters and bandits. Perhaps the efforts of the charac-
  ters or their intercession on one group’s behalf could tip the balance of
  power within the guild. Regardless of its final fate, the guild represents
  a thus far untapped source of economic and social power if it can unite
  the merchants and treasure hunters of Serathis.
  Should the guild become viable and manage to turn its initial settle-
  ment into a prosperous trading center, the dragon and the giants may
  have no choice but to treat the group as an equal.
  Rael Pinchcoin (Hook; Low Level)
  A loresong faen who makes a good living as a merchant dealing in shov-
  els, picks, rope, and other treasure-hunting tools, Rael Pinchcoin is a
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER THREE: THE SLUMS
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  54
  cold, calculating businessman who distrusts both the dragon
  and the giants in Serathis. He hopes to unify the merchants
  and treasure hunters who do business in the city, creating a
  guild that could establish a better balance between the mer-
  chants with political connections and those with the drive
  and business sense to turn a profit. Rael needs adventurers
  and other independent operators to help establish Foothold,
  the guild’s settlement in the Slums (see below). Bandit
  attacks, prowling monsters, and thieves all threaten to
  destroy the settlement. The giants may send help if Foothold
  enters dire straits, but Rael knows that such protection may
  simply place him beneath their rule.
  Secret: What does Rael want to accomplish with the guild? 
  (1) Rael seeks personal power and hopes to set himself up
  as a petty dictator once Foothold flourishes. 
  (2) Rael is an honest, forthright person who truly wants
  what’s best for his fellow merchants. 
  (3) Rael is loyal to the giants, who see the guild as a use-
  ful tool to use against the crime syndicates and merchants
  that Krovacatharis controls.
  KEY SITES IN THE SLUMS
  The Slums are a jumble of ruined buildings, a few intact
  (but almost invariably looted) structures, and several park-
  like areas of scraggly trees and stunted grasses. Travel is
  generally safer here than in the inner areas of the ruins, but
  dangerous nonetheless. Bandits and thieves abound, as do
  outcasts from the city and monstrous creatures. A few odd
  cults dwell here, pursuing their strange goals and practicing
  bizarre rituals beyond the interference of others.
  The number of each locale described below corresponds
  to an area on the map on page 55.
  1. Court of Statues 
  (Obstacle, Goal; Low Level)
  The long, broad avenue known as the Court of Statues was
  once a park. A few gnarled trees still grow here, and the
  buildings that flank the avenue remain in relatively good
  condition. Almost a dozen statues of various humanoids and
  animals dot the area, along with the smashed rubble of a
  dozen more. Rumor has it that a clutch of medusas lives
  here, but this is merely a story. In truth, a small band of rob-
  bers lurks in the ruins and spreads the tale to drive off
  unwelcome visitors. (The band established the Court of
  Statues as its base after mistakenly attacking and seizing a
  shipment of goods bound for a Safe Quarter noble’s statue
  garden.) The giants have yet to investigate this place, as they
  have few confirmed medusa sightings and many other more
  aggressive threats to cope with.
  A human named Darthal Underbridge leads the gang.
  Darthal is smart enough to raid caravans and expeditions far
  from his gang’s base, preferring to keep the Court of Statues as
  a bolt hole to escape pursuit. Most trackers and mercenaries
  refuse to enter the “dangerous” area, believing that Darthal’s
  gang simply knows a safe way through the court or has bribed
  the medusas. No one suspects that he makes a base here.
  Secret: Why does Darthal go to such extreme measures
  to hide the lair? 
  Darthal learned long ago that he could make far more
  money kidnapping and ransoming hostages than by simply
  stealing from his victims. Thus, his gang specializes in seiz-
  ing explorers and others with wealthy friends or relatives.
  He takes care to avoid grabbing anyone who is important
  enough to drag the giants into the situation. The characters
  may have to rescue one of his victims. In this case, play up
  the court’s reputation to build anxiety among your players.
  Darthal Underbridge, male human unfettered 5: CR 5; Medium
  humanoid; HD 5d8+15 (49 hp), Dying/Dead –3/–15; Init +8;
  Speed 30 feet; AC 20 (+4 Dex, +4 armor, +2 dodge [unfet-
  tered AC bonus]), touch 16, flat-footed 14; Base Attack +5;
  Grapple +7; Attack and Full Attack +7 melee (1d6+3, +1
  rapier) and +6 melee (1d4+1, masterwork dagger), or +9
  melee (1d6+3, +1 rapier), or +10 ranged (1d8, masterwork
  longbow); SA Sneak attack +1d6; SQ Parry; SV Fort +3, Ref
  +8, Will +2; Str 14, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10.
  Skills: Bluff +8, Climb +10, Disguise +8, Escape Artist +12,
  Gather Information +8, Sneak +12.
  Feats: Ambidexterity, Improved Initiative, Slippery Mind, Two-
  Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (rapier).
  Parry (Ex): In melee combat, Darthal can add a +1 bonus to
  his Armor Class against a single opponent in a given round.
  Possessions: +1 rapier, masterwork dagger, masterwork long-
  bow, arrows (20), +1 studded leather jack, dust of illusion.
  2. Foothold (Hook; Any Level)
  Foothold, a settlement atop a low hill, has a population of just
  over 200, including 50 mercenaries who serve as a defense
  force. Wells dug into the ground provide plenty of water,
  while supplies arrive via heavily guarded caravans and through
  the tunnels that run beneath the Safe Quarter and the Slums.
  The Merchants’ Guild, a consortium of independent traders
  (see page 53), governs Foothold. Any person who pays the
  250-gp yearly dues for guild membership and who establish-
  es a home within Foothold’s walls gains the right to partici-
  pate in monthly meetings and to vote on spending, political
  policy, and expansion plans. Any member of the guild can
  put forth a proposal to be voted upon by the membership.
  Each year, the guild elects a board of five supervisors. These
  officers submit a general budget, run meetings, and hire
  mercenaries, artisans, and others to help manage Foothold.
  The guild built Foothold on the site of a ruined castle,
  using its tumbled bricks and stone blocks to construct a
  stout wall that surrounds the hill’s crown. Guild members
  > > > > >
  
  55
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER THREE: THE SLUMS
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  56
  have since added several structures, including warehouses,
  private homes, barracks for the soldiers, and a town hall.
  The settlement has also attracted a number of treasure
  hunters interested in exploring the Slums in greater depth.
  Though they are not merchants, these newcomers have peti-
  tioned for membership in the guild. The guild has decided
  that any individual who renders it a service, such as defeat-
  ing bandits or monsters that threaten Foothold, can earn the
  right to become a full voting member of the community.
  Currently, Foothold desperately needs adventurers and
  mercenaries to cope with the variety of threats arrayed
  against it. The nefarious Agents of Chaos (see Chapter Two)
  hope to subvert and gain control of the guild by placing
  infiltrators into its ranks, while bandit gangs and monsters
  in the Slums see Foothold as a ripe target. The guild needs
  adventurers to root out monsters, defend expeditions, and
  explore and map the areas around Foothold.
  3. The Gold Run (Obstacle; Low Level)
  The Gold Run, a narrow but fast-flowing river, extends from
  Stonepile Lake (see Area 9) in the Slums all the way north
  to the edge of the Forest of Towers. Many explorers prefer 
  to canoe or raft to the Barrens and Forest of Towers rather
  than journey overland. The settlers at Foothold make a good
  profit by offering such craft and supplies for sale.
  Travel on the river is by no means safe or easy, though it
  is safer than the overland route. Giant aquatic animals,
  sahuagin, and other threats lurk beneath the water. In a few
  areas, the river runs beneath bridges and towering ruins that
  offer perfect places for ambushes. One band of thieves uses
  grappling hooks to slow down rafts before rappelling down
  to attack. A powerful magister, eager to hijack a boat that
  carried a magical item he desired, used wall of stone to form
  an impenetrable barrier just above the water line. Needless
  to say, the water route may be faster, but it leaves explorers
  vulnerable to attack.
  4. House of the Voice 
  (Goal, Obstacle; Medium Level)
  This jumbled pile of ruins seems no different from the wreck-
  age that surrounds it, save for the single stone plinth that rests
  atop it. The bandits in the area claim that this place shelters
  an oracle. Supposedly, the spirit of a great sage rests within
  the ruins. Those who call out to the spirit can ask its advice
  or learn the locations of treasure caches and other secrets of
  the city—if they agree to present the offerings it requests.
  The “spirit” is actually a dark naga that slithers along the
  open passages and crevices within the tumbled rocks. It
  lives in a series of chambers beneath the ruins that connects
  to the surface through several narrow passages. While these
  holes are too small for a human, and cramped even for a
  faen, the serpentine naga can navigate them easily.
  The naga is named Narajanara. The dramojh who created
  the city kept him as a pet and scribe. Narajanara took part
  in the ritual used to block the city from the akashic memory.
  Afterward, he remained in a state of suspended animation
  until recently, as the power of the ceremony began to fail.
  While he remembers little of his masters, he was entombed
  with many books and tomes that describe the city. Thus, he
  can provide accurate information on treasure hoards and
  other important finds. At night, he slithers through the ruins
  in secret, searching out components and materials he needs.
  Secret: What is Narajanara after? 
  The naga seeks to complete a ritual that will grant him
  tremendous magical power. (In game terms, he would imme-
  diately gain 15 levels of magister.) Using this magic, he would
  escape the ruins. Others might seek to steal this ritual from
  him. Narajanara was bound to his master, a strange creature
  trapped within a great, black cyst. See Chapter Five for more
  information about the cyst and the terrible secrets it hides.
  For encounters with Narajanara, use the standard dark
  naga statistics from the MM.
  5. Inshon Caves (Obstacle; Low Level)
  Marauding inshons infest the caves scattered near and on
  Stonepile Lake and the Gold Run river. For years, these
  creatures dwelled contentedly within the ruins, living off the
  wild animals and fish that once thrived here. How the
  inshons first came to settle within the ruins, none can say.
  Many sages believe these inshons, like the akthars, were the
  result of a breeding experiment conducted by the Builders.
  Now, the inshons attack all folk they encounter, from
  heavily armed caravans to ragged bands of desperate thieves.
  The giants have made several forays against these creatures,
  smashing a number of their larger settlements but failing to
  erase them utterly. Adept at defending their flooded caves,
  the inshons are so firmly entrenched that nothing short of a
  full offensive could dislodge them.
  The inshons within the Slums display several unusual
  traits. They use intelligent tactics and gleefully carry treas-
  ure and useful tools from the battlefield. Unlike other
  inshons, they are more than mindless, destructive beasts.
  Oddly enough, inshons encountered far from these caves
  devolve back to their simple, primitive ways. Even inshons
  that acted with simple intelligence near the caves become
  senseless brutes if they are carried away from the area.
  Deep within the inshons’ caves dwells a horrid creature
  named Phargaryn. This strange beast is a throbbing blob 
  of ectoplasm with a thick, viscous membrane and a dozen
  brains floating within its inner mass. Thousands of years ago,
  the dramojh developed Phargaryn as a holding mechanism
  for the brains of experimental subjects. Over time, these
  brains fused their personalities together into one gestalt
  being. The dramojh intended to study this new being, but
  > > > > >
  
  57
  the gods’ vengeance upon them brought that plan to an end.
  Phargaryn possesses tremendous psionic abilities, which it
  uses to control and direct the inshons. The creatures bring
  it food and defend it against intruders.
  Secret: What are Phargaryn’s plans? 
  (1) The creature is afraid of newcomers to the ruins. It
  uses the inshons to defend its territory, but if a party of
  adventurers could somehow establish communications with
  it, Phargaryn is eager to sue for peace. Curious and driven
  to learn more about the world beyond the ruins, it could
  become an important asset in uncovering the city’s secrets
  and bringing peace to the river area. 
  (2) Phargaryn wishes to drive the giants and dragon from
  the city. It sees itself as the true inheritor of the dramojh’s
  secrets. It experiments on the inshons to create a lethal
  psionic disease that wastes away its victims’ minds, slowly
  driving them insane. If the disease spreads into the popula-
  tion, it could cause mass rioting and a complete collapse of
  civilization in the Safe Quarter. Should the disease spread
  beyond the ruins, it could threaten to the entire continent.
  Phargaryn: This strange beast is different from most other mon-
  sters, so a standard statistics block does not apply to it.
  Phargaryn is the equivalent of a CR 15 creature. Once per
  round, it can cast a single 7th-level or lower simple or com-
  plex spell (DC 15 + spell level) as a 14th-level magister with
  the Psion feat. This spell targets any creature within sight of
  its pulsing mass. Any creature with an Intelligence of 8 or
  less that spends more than two days within 100 feet of this
  being falls under its control (no save).
  Phargaryn can be killed only by fire, cold, or electricity. It
  must suffer more than 200 points of damage from such
  sources in order to be destroyed, and it heals damage at the
  rate of 10 points per hour. Other sources fail to affect it; it
  is immune to all mind-affecting spells and abilities, and to
  other spells or attacks that fail to inflict electricity, fire, or
  cold damage. It always succeeds at its saving throws against
  spells or abilities that could damage it.
  6. Outrider Camp (Hook; Low Level)
  Tarashkar the Pursuer (see Chapter Two) maintains a small
  camp here. He and his outriders represent the giants’ pri-
  mary force within the Slums. Too few in number to main-
  tain a presence throughout the entire area, they instead use
  a semi-random pattern of armed patrols to hunt down ban-
  dits and slay troublesome monsters.
  Tarashkar’s men are more than simple soldiers. They must
  act as bearers of the law, much like the town guard. Each
  day, they resolve disputes between caravans and weigh evi-
  dence to decide whom to take into custody. Technically, the
  outriders are not supposed to attack an opponent unless they
  have a compelling reason to use violence. Like the town
  guard within the Safe Quarter, they cannot simply attack
  anyone who seems suspicious. The bandits and gangs in the
  Slums take advantage of this restriction, and many of them
  disguise themselves as merchants or adventuring parties.
  Tarashkar is always on the lookout for adventurers and
  others who could help him maintain the peace. He needs
  informants and scouts that he can trust to give him reliable
  information about threats in the ruins. The sibeccai gladly
  takes on as new outrider recruits any volunteers who prove
  themselves capable with a weapon or magic. Tarashkar
  sometimes invites promising candidates to his camp, offer-
  ing them a safe place to rest in the hope that he can win
  them over as scouts.
  Eia-Perren (see Chapter Two) has granted Tarashkar the
  authority to deputize recruits, giving them the power to
  enforce the law and arrest criminals. If the characters
  impress him with their skill and daring, he may recommend
  them as agents of the Diamond Throne to Eia-Perren. In
  that case, the characters could be recruited to handle
  important, sensitive business on behalf of the Hu-Charad.
  They might have to infiltrate a cult to detain its leader, track
  down a dangerous artifact, or even serve as double agents to
  spy on Krovacatharis and his minions.
  Consult Chapter Two for more information on how
  Tarashkar and his outriders might fit into the political
  schema of the Diamond Throne.
  7. The Pyramid
  (Obstacle, Goal; Medium Level)
  This monument—a 30-foot-tall black stone pyramid with a
  continuous band of runes etched in silver about 10 feet
  above the ground—stands out in the otherwise wretched
  Slums. Many sages and mystics have tried to decipher the
  writing, but none has succeeded. A Decipher Script check
  (DC 35) reveals the strange runes as messages of warning,
  dire predictions of doom, and pleas for the viewer to leave
  the area as quickly as possible.
  The pyramid is the sole surviving sign of the gods’
  destruction of the dramojh who lived here. The gods of the
  Denotholan could barely control the baneful energies they
  unleashed: To simply contain them required five times the
  strength it took to summon them. Many, though not all, of
  the creatures that dwelled in Serathis perished. The pyramid
  represents the last remaining vessel of this divine energy. At
  one time, it stood over 100 feet tall, but each day it grows
  smaller as the power within it harmlessly dissipates. Within
  two centuries, it will completely disappear.
  The monument’s power, though ebbing, still poses a
  threat. Any creature within 300 feet of the pyramid must
  make a successful Fortitude save or suffer 2d6 points of sub-
  dual damage. A creature can suffer this damage once per day.
  Any creature foolish enough to touch the pyramid suffers
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER THREE: THE SLUMS
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  58
  4d6 points of damage from the negative energy it transmits.
  A creature can take this damage once per round.
  Dead flies, wolves, and the dried husks of other wild ani-
  mals cluster around the pyramid. Despite the obvious signs
  of hazard, a small band of humans led by a mojh named
  Andarian dwells in the ruins near the pyramid. These mad-
  men worship the pyramid, believing it offers a gateway to
  another world of heavenly delights. Andarian claims to have
  traveled there several times to deliver cult members to this
  paradise. In truth, the mojh slays the poor dupes and hides
  the bodies. The cultists under Andarian’s control work to
  prove their purity and dedication to their leader by obeying
  the mojh’s every command.
  The cultists have set up a camp in a fortified ruin just
  beyond the range of the pyramid’s damaging effect. Andarian
  possesses the spellcasting abilities needed to feed the
  cultists and fight off any attackers, helping to cement the
  mojh’s status as their leader. The cult usually sends prophets
  and speakers into the city, and a few of these wild-eyed,
  fanatical envoys have even departed for points beyond
  Serathis. Every week, a few more desperate recruits, eager
  to find relief from the hardship and misery of their lives,
  filter into the camp.
  Secret: Does Andarian have a goal beyond living off the
  cultists’ hard work? 
  The mojh has unearthed ancient texts that seem to indi-
  cate that it could gain control of the pyramid’s magic with a
  powerful ritual. If Andarian can send a steady stream of
  intelligent beings into the pyramid over time, the charismatic
  leader can complete the ritual and gain the ability to manip-
  ulate the energy within it. Using its power, Andarian could
  take control of the ruins, if not the lands beyond. Luckily,
  the pyramid is small enough that the same ritual could also
  be used to dissipate its energies ahead of their natural decay.
  Andarian, mojh magister 8: CR 8; Medium humanoid; HD 8d6
  (37 hp), Dying/Dead –1/–11; Init +2; Speed 30 feet; AC 16
  (+2 Dex, +2 armor, +1 natural, +1 dodge), touch 13, flat-
  footed 13; Base Attack +4; Grapple +4; Attack and Full
  Attack +4 melee (1d6, staff); SQ Familiarity with magic,
  magister’s staff, spells; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +9; Str 10,
  Dex 14, Con 11, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 15.
  Skills: Alchemy +15, Concentration +11, Decipher Script
  +15, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (ceremony) +15,
  Knowledge (runes) +17, Search +15, Spellcraft +15.
  Feats: Battle Mage, Defensive Stance, Energy Mage,
  Expertise, Resistance to Magic.
  Familiarity With Magic (Ex): Andarian gains a +2 compe-
  tence bonus to saving throws against spells and spell-like
  and supernatural abilities and a +2 competence bonus to
  AC against spells requiring attack rolls.
  Spell Slots: 7/5/4/4/3
  Spells Readied (10/7/6/5/4; save DC = 14 + spell level): 0—
  detect creature, detect magic, disorient, door warning, lesser
  repair, lesser telekinesis, read magic, saving grace, sense
  thoughts, touch of nausea; 1st—conjure energy creature I,
  fireburst, magic armor, mudball, object loresight, safe fall, veil
  of darkness; 2nd—cloak of darkness, drain away speed, gust-
  ing wind, lesser battle healing, levitate, location loresight;
  3rd—conjure repast, dispel magic, flight, greater compelling
  question, suggestion; 4th—dimensional door, energy attack
  from within, gaze of terror, greater telekinesis.
  Possessions: Magister’s staff, bracers of armor +2, robe of
  bones, necklace of fireballs (type I), pipes of the sewers.
  8. The Square (Any Level)
  A common jumping-off point for expeditions, the Square offers
  access to several avenues and pathways into the ruins. During
  the day, merchants sometimes set up shop here under heavy
  guard. They offer their goods to those who live beyond the
  walls or to expeditions that have forgotten a few key items.
  Over time, explorers have repaired many of the buildings
  that surround the Square. These structures offer a refuge from
  rampaging monsters and other threats. The bandits dare not
  settle here, for this place is too heavily traveled and too close
  to the Safe Quarter to the south to avoid the giants’ wrath.
  The Square also provides a popular meeting place for illic-
  it deals and other business best done at night and away from
  prying eyes. It offers both parties neutral ground (or at the
  very least, equal opportunity to sow the area with snipers
  and thugs). Such meetings usually take place in the center
  of the Square, away from the surrounding buildings. On at
  least one occasion, blood rivals have scheduled conferences
  with potential allies on the same night, leading to an
  impromptu, pitched melee.
  9. Stonepile Lake 
  (Obstacle, Goal; Medium Level)
  This petite lake offers fresh, potable water for adventuring
  parties. However, a few creatures have been spotted within
  it. The small river (the Gold Run) that extends from here to
  the inner ruins serves as a convenient waterway for adven-
  turing parties (see page 56).
  Stonepile Lake gained its name from the large columned
  ruin at its center. Perhaps at one time this place stood atop
  an island, but it is currently flooded. None has entered this
  ruin and lived to tell the tale, making it a tempting destina-
  tion for adventurers. The ruin was once the private domain
  of a dragon that lived within the city during its height. The
  upper levels (dragon-sized chambers, passages, and gal-
  leries) long ago surrendered their treasures to the lake’s
  currents. The lower levels—still intact—contain passages
  and rooms proportioned for humans, having once been
  used for servants’ quarters and storage space. A small tribe
  > > > > >
  
  59
  of sahuagin dwells within these corridors. With more expe-
  ditions navigating the Gold Run to reach the deep ruins,
  these predators have grown fat and rich off their attacks.
  10. Temple of the Idol
  (Obstacle, Goal; Low Level)
  This stretch of ruins looks much like any other area within
  the Slums, save for its small, intact shrine dedicated to an
  unknown god. A poorly carved statue dominates the shrine’s
  inner fane. It has a vaguely four-armed humanoid shape, but
  lacks further detail. The place is always clean and in good
  repair, and visitors report that someone works to clear out the
  surrounding rubble and restore the buildings. Several expe-
  ditions to this temple have disappeared without a trace, but
  subsequent sweeps by giant and sibeccai warriors revealed
  nothing. It was as if the expeditions vanished into thin air.
  In truth, this area poses a grave, hidden threat. A being of
  pure psionic energy known as Sheltum lurks within the stat-
  ue. By night, it can possess and kill any creature that sleeps
  near it. Over time, it has gathered a small host of servitors
  to do its bidding. The energy creature believes that it can
  build a mobile body from wood, bone, and flesh. Thus, it
  bids its followers to dig through the surrounding ruins for
  materials suitable to its purpose. 
  Sheltum lacks an understanding of organic life. It often
  works its slaves to death, though it has learned to allow
  them to eat as needed. Usually, it bids them to devour the
  weakest laborers among its minions.
  Sheltum also has little concept of the world around it; 
  it comes from a very different plane of existence. In the
  ancient days, the dragon Nithogar captured it and forced it
  into the statue. Nithogar intended to use Sheltum to power
  a ritual, but those plans evaporated in the aftermath of the
  gods’ destruction of the dramojh and the dragons’ departure
  to the Unknown West. Since then, Sheltum has waited for
  the opportunity to escape.
  Secret: What does Sheltum want? 
  Sheltum seeks a powerful host body. It must be built to
  certain specifications in order to both contain its energy and
  break the arcane matrix trapping it in the idol. Once its fol-
  lowers complete its body, it attempts to possess a dragon or
  some other Huge creature. (Smaller creatures cannot con-
  tain its energy.) With its psionic abilities, Sheltum might be
  able to masquerade in its new identity without risking dis-
  covery. Power, wealth, and other material rewards could
  keep it happy or allow it to research a way home.
  Sheltum: Sheltum assumes the abilities and powers of whatever
  creature it possesses. The target creature must make a Will
  save (DC 18) or become possessed. A possessed creature
  falls under Sheltum’s complete control as the alien being’s
  personality displaces its target’s mind. Sheltum has
  Intelligence 20, Wisdom 24, and Charisma 20. Use these
  stats in place of the target creature’s abilities.
  Sheltum can attempt to possess a creature once per round as a
  standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportu-
  nity. It must be able to see its target. While in its energy
  form, Sheltum cannot interact with physical objects, nor
  can attacks, spells, or abilities injure it.
  Spells and abilities that prevent mind control or possession
  block Sheltum’s ability to possess a creature. Sheltum dies 
  if the idol is destroyed while it is trapped inside.
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER THREE: THE SLUMS
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  60
  11. Tower Rock (Goal; Low Level)
  A tall, crumbling tower sits atop the highest point in the
  Slums. From here, a sharp-eyed watcher could follow the
  progress of anyone in the Slums below. Needless to say, this
  place has seen many battles fought to control it. Bandit
  gangs keep scouts here to look for caravans, while several
  times the giants and the dragon have attempted to take and
  hold the tower. However, this place lies too far from the
  Safe Quarter’s walls to make any long-term occupation fea-
  sible. The time, energy, and effort required to defend and
  supply it would drain resources away from other, more
  pressing areas. While the Hu-Charad sometimes dispatch
  patrols to Tower Rock, more often than not it is controlled
  by whichever bandit chief has the upper hand. The Blood
  Hooks and the Crusaders have fought several pitched battles
  to possess it; bones, shattered weapons, and other debris
  serve as a testament to the continuing struggle.
  Most of the gangs that have controlled this place use a
  system of mirrors to flash messages across the ruins. Three
  quick flashes of sunlight might indicate a caravan, while
  another coded burst of flashes broadcasts the target’s loca-
  tion. Many bandit gangs assign a sentinel to watch the
  tower. A flurry of activity alerts them that something is
  afoot, and a lucky group of marauders might stumble upon a
  pitched battle between a caravan and raiders, allowing the
  latecomers to finish off both exhausted sides.
  The characters might be hired to help guard an expedition
  sent to demolish the tower (when the merchants decide that
  it proves too useful for the bandits in the ruins). They might
  come here to find a location drawn on an ancient map, as
  the aerial view of the city gives them the perspective they
  need to pinpoint a site. If the characters battle against
  raiders in the Slums, their enemies might use the tower to
  coordinate a deadly attack against them or their camp.
  12. The Tunnels
  (Obstacle; Low to Medium Level)
  While the tunnels serve as a useful tool in the Safe Quarter,
  they constitute the lifeblood of many bandit gangs and iso-
  lated settlements in the Slums. Thieves use the tunnels to
  hit targets in the Safe Quarter and disappear back to their
  lairs in the ruins. Some expeditions pay tolls to the gangs
  and factions that control the tunnels, ensuring their ability
  to travel deep into the ruins in relative peace and safety.
  The tunnels mark the sites of some of the fiercest fighting
  in the Slums, as gangs strive to control the pathways into
  the Safe Quarter and out to the Barrens. The dragon
  Krovacatharis desperately wants to seize control of the
  underground passages to cement his hold on smuggling
  within the city. The giants send the occasional war party
  into the tunnels but have made little effort to invade or con-
  trol them.
  Several interesting sites and features lie within the tun-
  nels of the Slums; DMs can place them where desired on
  the map. The passages here are more chaotic and dangerous
  than the ones beneath the Safe Quarter (see Chapter Two).
  The Cathedral: So named because of its great vaulted
  ceiling, the Cathedral has served as a base for many smug-
  glers. Its central location, access to a variety of regions, and
  large size make it an ideal target for anyone who seeks to
  take and hold the tunnels. However, its sinister reputation
  and strange atmosphere prevent most folk from lingering
  here for long. Several bandit gangs, including an expedition
  funded by Krovacatharis, have tried to claim this place.
  Each group has met a bloody end in a vicious melee that no
  one—neither attacker nor defender—survived. Debris from
  these pitched battles, such as shattered weapons, broken
  shields, and other refuse, litters the floor.
  The Cathedral is decorated in a strange bone-and-skull
  motif. Bones taken from a variety of creatures (many impos-
  sible to identify) are sunk into the plaster at its ceiling. The
  columns that run down the center of this long, rectangular
  site have an assortment of skulls embedded into their rock.
  Light sources of all types, whether mundane or magical,
  cast radiance to only half their normal range.
  The Cathedral once played host to a range of necromantic
  rituals and experiments. A small sect of akthar slaves, eager
  to throw off their dramojh masters, met here to confer with
  the spirits that would one day become their gods. This place
  still resonates with the loathsome residue of their rituals,
  and the enduring negative energy has a strange effect on liv-
  ing things.
  Any living creature that attacks an opponent in the
  Cathedral must make a Will save (DC 20). On a failed save,
  the creature attacks the nearest living being, whether friend
  or foe, for the next 2d6 rounds. The mind-affecting energy
  infesting this place thrives on death and chaos. It can warp
  a living creature’s brain to help sate its hunger for slaughter.
  Dragon’s Paths: The walls along one area of the tunnels
  are covered with a thick, viscous black material that seeps
  from cracks and forms rainbow-hued smears on the puddles
  and small pools here. When exposed to fire, it bursts into
  flame. Several bands of explorers have inadvertently caused
  fires with exposed torches and other flames, sparking rumors
  that a dragon or some other fire-breather dwelled here.
  Most explorers skirt around the Dragon’s Paths, as goblins
  and other creatures lurk nearby. Even a well-equipped and
  armed band of warriors could suffer defeat if its enemies
  were to take advantage of the strange, fiery liquid. Most trav-
  elers, particularly those carrying treasure back to the Safe
  Quarter, avoid this place.
  A group of bandits known as the Flamebearers collects the
  flammable stuff in large sacks, handling it carefully to con-
  struct firebombs for use against enemies. A firebomb
  > > > > >
  
  61
  requires a ranged touch attack against a target. It has a range
  increment of 5 feet, and inflicts 2d6 points of fire damage on
  its primary target and 2 points of splash damage. The target
  catches fire per Chapter Eight: Glossary of the DMG.
  Anyone standing on a space covered by the black material
  suffers 2d6 points of fire damage should a flaming torch be
  thrown into his or her space. This bonus damage also
  applies to the targets of spells that specifically note that they
  ignite combustible materials. In either case, the creature
  catches fire per Chapter Eight of the DMG. Weaker crea-
  tures gain the greatest benefit from these rules, as their rela-
  tively feeble attacks become more powerful if they use
  torches and burning material against the player characters.
  Troll Den: A number of trolls have claimed an area of the
  tunnels, using it as a lair to launch raids and attacks on
  passing caravans. Most of these creatures descended into
  the city from the surrounding mountains. 
  Smugglers and travelers avoid this area, as the hungry
  trolls attack almost anyone who penetrates their domain. A
  desperate band of criminals might risk passing through here
  to discourage pursuit. A group wishing to remain hidden
  from prying eyes can travel through the den with little worry
  of encountering spies or lookouts, as long as they can cope
  with or evade the trolls.
  Waterways: Many of the tunnels once served as sewer
  channels, and in these areas water and debris flood the pas-
  sages. While difficult to travel through, they often prove
  safer than other passages. Goblins, thieves, and other
  threats usually avoid waterways, though aquatic creatures
  from the Gold Run sometimes slip down into the tunnels to
  prey upon rats, goblins, and travelers.
  The waterways are roughly 10 feet high and half-flooded
  with water. Giants and other tall creatures must crouch low
  in their canoes and rafts, and even shorter humanoids may
  have trouble fighting within the tight confines.
  A gang of faen smugglers uses the waterways to move
  through the ruins. They generally allow visitors to pass for a
  10-gp toll per person, but they are too few to enforce the fee
  against those who would rather fight than pay. When the
  faen do face an opponent here, they use their smaller size to
  their advantage, as taller foes must crouch down to fight. In
  addition, several sprytes in their gang swoop among their
  foes, attacking from the rear with weapons and spells.
  Creatures in the waterways suffer a –2 penalty to attacks
  per size category above Small while they are on rafts or in
  canoes, as the cramped space makes fighting difficult.
  13. The Witch’s Grove (Hook; Low Level)
  The small, stunted forest known as the Witch’s Grove offers
  a green spot amid the endless avenues and cluttered ruins of
  the Slums—but it is hardly a pastoral paradise. Among these
  trees, strange birds whistle and hoot, snakes squirm under-
  foot, and clouds of black, biting flies hover. The air feels
  noticeably warmer and humid, as if a small pocket of tropi-
  cal air lingers here through the year. The trees are the home
  of the green hag Yalanara, a hideous crone as knowledgeable
  and crafty as she is cruel and capricious.
  Yalanara was one of the first akashics to learn of the city.
  Realizing that Serathis could become an important turning
  point in the history of the realm, she traveled here with her
  small coterie of followers and learned much before the
  giants and Krovacatharis arrived. In many ways, she consid-
  ers other folk latecomers who have trampled over her
  chance to unlock the city’s mysteries.
  Yalanara relies on her servant, an intelligent troll named
  Gromsh, to handle visitors. Gromsh has sworn to avoid
  instigating violence while in service to the hag, and he takes
  pains to demonstrate his civilized manners in his stilted,
  broken Common. He is a powerful warrior, as many bands
  of raiders have learned to their dismay. Usually, a flash of
  coins proves enough to gain an audience with Yalanara.
  Those who confer with the hag can receive her advice and
  insight into events in the ruins, purchase poisons or potions
  from her, and pay for her analysis of a recovered map, relic,
  or other obscure item. Her advice always comes at the cost
  of a favor, though she accepts coins for poisons and magic
  items. Usually, she requires seekers to complete some task
  for her. The request might be as simple as driving away a
  gang of inshons that have plagued her forest, or as involved
  as journeying into the Forest of Towers to steal a gem from
  a treasure hoard. Once this service is completed, Yalanara
  pays her end of the bargain.
  Secret: Why does Yalanara remain in the ruins? 
  (1) The hag waits for several others of her kind to arrive
  and form a covey. With the help of Gromsh, she hopes to
  recruit a small horde of trolls to conquer part of the ruins and
  claim them as a settlement in the same manner as the giants
  and Krovacatharis control portions of the Safe Quarter. In the
  meantime, she slowly builds up favors with adventuring par-
  ties, merchant companies, and other groups. She plans to
  cash in these loyalties when she makes her bid for power. 
  (2) Yalanara serves as an agent of Krovacatharis. The drag-
  on grants her access to his libraries and bids his servants
  obey her. In return, she acts as the head of his operations in
  the Slums. Nothing happens here without the hag’s knowl-
  edge, and that information, in turn, filters to the dragon.
  She secretly employs several harpies and a pack of litorian
  mercenaries to help her fulfill this mission.
  Yalanara, green hag akashic 5: CR 10; Medium monstrous
  humanoid; HD 9d8+5d8+14 (85 hp), Dying/Dead –2/–12;
  Init +5; Speed 30 feet, swim 30 feet; AC 22 (+1 Dex, +11
  natural), touch 11, flat-footed 21; Base Attack +12; Grapple
  +16; Attack +16/ melee (1d4+4, claw); Full Attack +16/+16
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER THREE: THE SLUMS
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  62
  melee (1d4+4, 2 claws); SA Spell-like abilities, weakness,
  mimicry; SQ Darkvision 90 feet, SR 18, skill memory, per-
  fect recall, delve into collective memory, object loresight
  1/day, tongues 1/day; SV Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +11; Str 19,
  Dex 12, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 14.
  Skills: Concentration +12, Knowledge (ceremony) +10,
  Knowledge (history) +13, Knowledge (runes) +9, Listen
  +16, Sneak +14, Spot +16, Swim +17. 
  Feats: Defensive Roll, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative,
  Sense the Unseen, Skill Application (Listen, Spot).
  Spell-Like Abilities: At will—dancing lights, disguise self, ghost
  sound (DC 12), invisibility, pass without trace, tongues, water
  breathing. Caster level 9th. The save DC is Charisma based.
  Weakness (Su): Yalanara can weaken a foe with a special
  touch attack. The opponent must succeed at a Fortitude
  save (DC 16) or take 2d4 points of temporary Strength
  damage. The save DC is Charisma based.
  Mimicry (Ex): Yalanara can imitate the sounds of almost any
  animal found near her lair.
  Skill Memory (Su): Twice per day, after a full round of con-
  centration, Yalanara gains a +2 bonus to a single skill check
  attempted the next round.
  Perfect Recall (Ex): Yalanara gains a +1 bonus to any
  Knowledge check made without using skill memory or any
  Intelligence check to remember something. 
  Delve Into Collective Memory (Su): Five times a day, Yalanara
  may take 10 minutes to make a check with a +6 bonus to
  see whether she knows a particular bit of information. 
  Possessions: Lens of detection, bag of tricks (grey).
  THE REST OF THE SLUMS
  While the most significant areas of the Slums are detailed
  above, they form only a small part of a region of great width
  and breadth. To help you fill in the blanks, this section pres-
  ents a variety of sample ruins. The ruins, organized into city
  blocks that you can use for any unlabeled block on the map
  on page 55, provide a basic overview of the terrain and some
  ideas for monsters that could live there.
  The Battlefield: A skirmish recently took place here, and
  the bodies of the fallen (along with spent arrows, broken
  weapons, and other debris) still litter the streets. The charac-
  ters may have to help the survivors fight off a bandit strike,
  or both sides could be equally villainous. They might team
  up against the PCs or each ask for help. In either case, the
  sounds of fighting could attract bandits looking for an easy kill,
  wild animals looking for an easy meal, or some other threat.
  The Black Towers: The buildings in this block are carved
  from a black rock that resembles obsidian. Compared to the
  dull greys and browns of the rest of the ruins, it stands out
  like a stain on the city’s landscape. Many travelers avoid this
  area because of its sinister reputation. Several expeditions
  bound for the towers failed to return.
  The four towers all occupy one corner of the block and
  stand four stories (40 feet) tall. They have no doors or win-
  dows along their bases, but each has a broad platform that
  hangs over the top. The towers are slick and smooth (Climb
  check, DC 20), and climbing along the upper lip of the plat-
  form to reach the top proves a daunting task (Climb check,
  DC 25). The platform has a single open hole that reveals the
  tower’s hollow interior. A sole spiral staircase winds its way
  down the inside of the tower.
  Any creature that can climb or fly could make good use of
  the towers. These beasts might leave the tower to hunt at
  night and return at dawn, making it difficult for any pursuers
  to track them. The harpies mentioned on page 64 might dwell
  here, or a pack of monstrous spiders could fill the towers with
  thick webs in order to nest. In any case, climbing or flying
  creatures could prove a difficult challenge to the characters
  as they scale the tower or descend the narrow stairs. At the
  bottom of each tower lies a trap door leading down to a small
  complex of passages and chambers. This dungeon, which
  connects all four towers, contains undead creatures, ele-
  mentals, and other monsters summoned and bound to guard
  it by its original creator, a powerful dramojh spellcaster.
  Collapse: The street here has buckled and collapsed,
  revealing a passage into the tunnels below the Slums. A
  powerful monster may have wandered out of this pit to seek
  prey, or a gang of bandits might watch over the hole to
  ambush travelers who move above or below ground. At
  night, a PC without darkvision could blunder into the hole,
  forcing the group to scramble into the tunnels to recover
  him. If the PCs travel below ground, they may have to pick
  another route if the collapse cuts off their planned path.
  Contagion Alley: A gang of bandits buried its treasure
  here and spread rotting food, spoiled meat, and other dis-
  gusting trash across this block to discourage travelers from
  venturing into the area (and to draw wild animals to act as
  natural guards). Rather than rely on a map or other marker,
  the thieves simply trust their noses to show them the path.
  Anyone entering this area must make a Fortitude save (DC
  15) or become nauseated due to the stench. A nauseated
  creature can do nothing but take a single move on its action.
  Creatures that succeed at this save become sickened, suffer-
  ing a –2 penalty to all attacks, damage, checks, and saves.
  Any type of wild animal, such as dire rats, would fit per-
  fectly in this area. The bandits also might choose to recover
  their treasure just as the characters try to explore this place.
  Echo Court: This strange courtyard rests between a set of
  pristine ruins that draws bandits, settlers, explorers, and
  others who seek a secure place for the night. A strange mag-
  ical effect causes all sound to bend, warp, and echo. Sonic
  spells that deal damage cause +1 point of damage per die in
  this area. All Listen checks here suffer a –5 penalty. (Assess
  this penalty after confirming whether the unadjusted check
  > > > > >
  
  63
  succeeded. If the check failed only after applying this penal-
  ty, the listener hears the noise but judges it to come from
  the opposite direction.)
  The Hostel: One of the buildings in this block has been
  repaired and fortified. The doors and windows are locked,
  and signs suggest a recent occupant. If the characters break
  into the place, they find supplies, furnishings, and spare
  weapons neatly arranged inside the building. The residents
  may be away for a day or two, they may have left the ruins,
  or they might have met their ends on their most recent
  expedition. The PCs could find a safe refuge here but,
  should the owners return, they might not appreciate the
  intrusion. The characters also could find themselves in the
  midst of a difficult situation if the folk who built this place
  are smugglers, agents for the giants or the dragon, or mem-
  bers of a strange cult with sinister aims.
  The Pits: This block has seen several attempts to excavate
  a treasure supposedly buried here. The buildings remain rel-
  atively intact, but the streets and several of the buildings
  have wide ditches up to 20 feet deep. Tools, wheelbarrows,
  and other remnants of the work teams lie scattered about.
  Piles of dirt hinder clear views of the area, and tarps cover
  several of the pits to keep them dry. Characters can climb
  the dirt piles at half speed. Any creature that suffers damage
  while on a pile must make a successful Balance check (DC
  10) or tumble down the side, falling prone at the pile’s edge
  and taking 1d6 points of subdual damage for every 20 feet it
  falls. The pits range from 10 to 20 feet deep; those covered
  by tarps require a Search (DC 5) or Spot (DC 10) check to
  notice them.
  This area is a favorite ambush site for bandits. A sentinel
  keeps watch from the tallest building in the area. When a
  group of travelers approaches, the thieves hide within the
  pits and in the buildings around the excavations.
  The Planks: This entire block was once one large build-
  ing. The streets approaching it actually lead to openings in a
  tunnel constructed within the building. Over time, half the
  structure has collapsed, leaving its north half intact but its
  southern portion bereft of exterior walls. The bricks and
  stone have cut off the streets around here. However, a band
  of explorers recently built several simple but stout plank
  bridges and ramps that allow travelers to walk from the
  ground to the second, third, and fourth floors of the build-
  ing. In several areas where the floor has collapsed on the
  upper levels, plank bridges cross the gaps.
  These bridges could serve as an elaborate trap. The drag-
  on Krovacatharis works with a group of thieves who hide in
  the area. They duck behind the rubble and wait in the shad-
  ows for a group to ascend the building, then dash out to
  remove the plank bridges and leave their foes stranded. In
  return for a toll or a bribe, the thieves replace the bridges
  and allow travelers to continue. If their victims prove unwill-
  ing to negotiate, the thieves use their bows and throwing
  knives to “reason” with them.
  The Well: At one time, this block may have supplied fresh
  water to many residents of this section of the city. A large
  central square hosts a recently dug, wide-mouthed well
  (complete with a wooden crank and a large bucket). The
  well drops down about 60 feet to a pool of cold, fresh water.
  About halfway down the shaft is a small ledge with a
  secret door. The ledge requires a Spot check (DC 20) to
  notice, and the door is well hidden (Search check, DC 25).
  Beyond is a small complex that consists of an entry room,
  two bedchambers, a storage chamber, a large main room
  with a fire pit, and a hidden passage that runs up into the
  ruins one block from this area.
  A small cabal of fugitive spellcasters dwells here. Led by a
  woman named Fenora Drake (7th-level human magister),
  these conspirators act as a small but powerful gang of ban-
  dits. They use their spells to slip into camps and carry off
  valuable treasures, particularly magical items, spell catalysts,
  and materials useful for rituals. The group has dubbed itself
  the Shadow Circle. Thus far, they have proven too stealthy
  for anyone to even guess that they operate in this area. As
  long as the pickings remain easy and their lair a secret, they
  will continue to prey upon travelers.
  The buildings surrounding the Well are half-collapsed,
  with all but one reduced to their ground floors. A sole build-
  ing still rises two floors above the rubble-littered streets. The
  streets here prove difficult to navigate. Aside from a single
  narrow path that winds along them, the roads are choked
  with rubble and debris that reduce a creature’s speed by half.
  MONSTERS IN THE SLUMS
  A variety of beasts lurks in the slums, though compared to
  the rest of Serathis’ ruins they are few in number and rela-
  tively weak. The giants have made several forays into the
  Slums to defeat particularly powerful and deadly beasts, but
  a few such monsters remain in hiding. The primary threat
  comes from thieves and bandits.
  Akthars: The brutal, vicious akthars (see Chapter One)
  have scattered tribes within the Slums. Most of these
  humanoids prefer the comforting swamps and forests of the
  Barrens, but their enemies have forced a few tribes out. The
  akthars within this region are even more bloodthirsty and
  violent than their cousins in the Barrens. Smugglers and
  explorers have learned to avoid the areas they claim. The
  giants have had to dispatch forces to eliminate troublesome
  akthars on multiple occasions. Several bandit chiefs have
  launched attacks on akthar villages to gather slaves, which
  they then sell to other chieftains or force to excavate ruins
  for treasure. These miserable wretches are sent into teeter-
  ing ruins and other dangerous areas, as their masters simply
  capture more workers to replace any losses.
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER THREE: THE SLUMS
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  64
  Ankhegs: Ankhegs pose a continuing threat to travelers in the
  streets of the Slums and the tunnels below them. Colonies from the
  Barrens have migrated to the Slums, where they burrow beneath
  occupied ruins—loosening the soil and causing the structures above
  to collapse. Rumors abound that a renegade greenbond known as the
  Lifekeeper controls these monsters. From her lair within the Barrens
  (see Chapter Four), she tries to drive civilized folk out of the city. Her
  followers, akthar warriors who obey her every whim, seek to destroy
  any relics, magic items, and coins they find to help remove any allure
  the ruins hold for outlanders.
  Girallons: Increasingly, girallons have become a threat to travelers
  in the Slums. Rumor has it that a merchant sought to sell tamed
  girallons to adventuring parties. When he found no takers for his
  wares, he simply let the creatures loose in the Slums and returned
  home. Whatever the case, bandits in the Slums consider a captured,
  trained girallon a sign of status and power.
  Golems: Experienced adventurers know of Stomper, an iron golem
  that marches through the ruins on a regular circuit. Stomper earned
  his nickname due to his heavy footfalls that alert travelers to his pres-
  ence. Provided that they avoid his path, Stomper never makes an
  aggressive move against strangers. He attacks only creatures who are
  on the streets he walks or who lurk in buildings along his route. He
  never strays from his route—even if he hotly pursues an opponent, his
  quarry can escape by turning left at an intersection where Stomper
  always goes right. Bandit gangs try to drive or lure inexperienced rivals
  or panicked foes into Stomper’s path. Maps of his full route command
  50 gp each, but counterfeits and fakes litter the marketplace.
  Harpies: A few harpies live in the Slums. These terrible creatures
  bitterly compete for treasure and hunting grounds, and several of
  them have tried to form alliances with the bandit gangs to defeat their
  enemies. At least one of the harpies is rumored to serve Krovacatharis
  as a mercenary. She spies on travelers in the Slums and reports back
  to him every few days.
  Minotaurs: A small tribe of minotaurs dwells within the Slums.
  Known as the Axebearers, these aggressive, powerful humanoids hire
  themselves out as guides and mercenaries to the merchants and
  explorers traveling through the region. While the Axebearers charge
  exorbitant fees for their services (around 150 gp per day), the other
  gangs and criminals in the ruins avoid them. The Axebearers have
  taken great pains to run down and brutally slaughter any gangs who
  have attacked or harmed their members. Most travelers know that an
  Axebearer not only serves as an able fighter against monsters, but his
  or her presence drives off all but suicidal raiders.
  Spined Hounds: Small packs of vicious spined hounds (see Chapter
  One) sometimes prowl the Slums in search of an easy meal. Merchants
  who specialize in beasts of burden, guard animals, and other trained
  creatures sometimes hire adventuring bands to track down and cap-
  ture spined hound cubs, as they make excellent trackers and fighting
  beasts. The spined hounds hunt with uncanny intelligence and tacti-
  cal coordination, as befits a species with innate psionic abilities. They
  may bark and howl to drive their quarry toward a waiting ambush or
  coordinate to launch an attack from several directions at once.
  > > > > >
  
  65
  Of all the precincts of Serathis, the Barrens have perhaps the most misleading name. Consisting of an
  overgrown, wild forest with trees that soar a hundred feet into the air, and a swamp thick with flies and
  dangerous monsters, the immense Barrens separate the profitable areas of the ruins from the relatively
  poor Slums. The first treasure seekers named this area the Barrens under the mistaken belief that,
  since it apparently lacked ruins, it held little of interest. To these first explorers, this area was a
  nuisance that blocked their access to the richer, more enticing Forest of Towers.
  The Barrens
  Chapter Four:
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER FOUR: THE BARRENS
  I
  n truth, the Barrens contain a multitude of treasure
  houses and ruins. However, these sites require time and
  effort to unearth. A sprawling graveyard haunted by
  undead and angry spirits offers richly appointed burial
  chambers and important archaeological finds to those who
  can defeat its restless guardians. Small settlements, some
  inhabited by trolls and other monsters, remain hidden with-
  in the thick forest and mire. In some areas, the savage
  akthars (see Chapter One) gather in tribes. These degener-
  ate creatures, whom some believe descended from the
  Builders or a slave race that toiled under their rule, attack
  treasure hunters with religious fanaticism. Luckily, they
  rarely leave the Barrens, but that provides little comfort to
  the explorers who must traverse this forbidding landscape.
  THE TERRAIN
  The thick, lush forests and the dank swamps that fill this
  area are obviously supernatural in nature. The air is always
  warm and comfortable, and small rainstorms erupt on a
  regular basis. Bitter cold may cloak the surrounding moun-
  tains, but the forest always remains comfortably warm. A
  wide variety of plants and animals thrives, providing akthars
  and other beasts with plenty of food and resources. Many
  large, dangerous creatures can survive here because of the
  forest’s bounty.
  The terrain, however, presents a daunting barrier to many
  expeditions. The warm, humid air can sap a warrior’s
  strength. The thick clouds of flies that fill the air at night
  sometimes carry diseases. The dense foliage makes it diffi-
  cult to notice an opponent or a trap before it is too late. The
  forest has grown unchecked for countless centuries; it does
  not yield to civilized folk without a fight.
  When running adventures in the Barrens’ forests, you can
  use the following optional terrain rules to reflect the dan-
  gers inherent to this environment. In addition, Chapter
  Three: Adventures of the DMG has a variety of rules that 
  you can use to model the environment. In some cases, the
  new rules given here provide an alternative to the core rules.
  Flora
  The strange, sometimes dangerous trees and plants of the
  Barrens pose an intimidating barrier to explorers. Many of
  the trees stretch 100 feet into the air and have trunks a
  dozen feet wide. In many ways, this entire area is an enor-
  mous biological experiment gone haywire. The dramojh used
  it as a testing ground to determine the success of their living
  creations. The forest has long since outgrown its original
  bounds, and many of the trial creatures still run rampant.
  Several of the plants require special rules to reflect their
  strange abilities.
  Use the following plants to spice up an encounter area, to
  make the party’s trail more difficult to follow, or to show off
  how alien and dangerous the Barrens can be.
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  66
  Burrow Root
  This hideous carnivorous plant lurks just below the surface of the forest
  floor. Experienced adventurers can spot its presence by the smooth, flat
  patch of dirt that covers it (Survival check, DC 15, or Spot check, DC
  25, to notice). A creature that steps on a burrow root must make a
  Strength or Dexterity check (DC 15) to avoid becoming entrapped. A
  trapped character cannot move and loses his Dexterity bonus to Armor
  Class. He can escape with a Strength check (DC 15) as a standard
  action. The burrow root merely waits for its victim to fall prey to a ran-
  dom predator, then lives off the rotting flesh and bones left behind.
  Large predators and akthar hunters learn to lurk near these plants, as
  they provide easy meals.
  Hook Vines
  These blood-drinking plants are found in small batches throughout the
  Barrens. Their roots bore into the trunks and branches of tower trees
  (see below) and hang down to the forest floor. When a living creature
  passes near a hook vine, it lashes out like a tentacle. It has a +4 attack
  bonus and inflicts 1d2 points of damage. The vine sinks its hooks into
  its target, drawing blood as nourishment. A hook vine can lash out in
  this manner once per minute.
  Maiden’s Hair
  Named for its appearance, the maiden’s hair plant floats on the water
  like a bundle of thin, wispy tendrils—almost like a woman’s long hair
  as she swims underwater. Maiden’s hair floats in the swamps of the
  Barrens, adrift in the stagnant, fetid water. It normally feeds on fish,
  slapping at them with a paralytic venom and entangling them in its
  vines to feed on their blood. Usually, the fish swim away weaker for the
  experience but still alive.
  When a humanoid creature swims or trudges through the water near
  a maiden’s hair plant, it reflexively lashes out, attacking with a +4
  bonus. If it hits, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 13) or
  become paralyzed for 1d4 minutes and fall prone. Though the tendrils
  are too weak to feed on a humanoid, a character could easily drown
  even in shallow water as he collapses into the mud. Use the drowning
  rules as normal. A paralyzed character can hold his breath as normal. As
  with burrow roots, akthar hunters and large predators lurk near patches
  of this plant to feast on its victims.
  Tower Trees
  Tower trees cover the vast majority of the Barrens. These mighty plants
  soar up to 150 feet in the air and have a diameter of about 10 feet at
  the base of their trunks. Tower trees grow throughout the forests and
  swamps in this region. Their aggressive growth long ago drove away
  many of the smaller varieties of trees.
  Foliage
  The dense branches and leaves provide concealment in the Barrens.
  Too light to deflect attacks, they can make it difficult to sight an oppo-
  nent. This miss chance due to concealment depends on one’s range to a
  target.
  > > > > >
  
  Range
  Concealment
  0–10 feet
  0%
  11–20 feet
  25%
  21–40 feet
  50 %
  41–60 feet
  75%
  61+ feet
  100%
  Heat
  Consult Chapter Eight: Glossary of the DMG for complete
  details on the effects of heat dangers, or use these optional
  rules. Every six hours, require each character to make a
  Fortitude save with a Difficulty Class determined by the cur-
  rent weather. Characters take a penalty to this save equal to
  the armor check penalty for their armor. Heavier armor caus-
  es discomfort, as well as trouble keeping cool and heat
  exhaustion. In addition, characters suffer a –2 penalty to the
  Fortitude save if they engage in strenuous activity (such as a
  long march or a battle) during the six-hour period.
  Characters who rest or sleep need not attempt this save. A
  creature with any sort of fire resistance automatically suc-
  ceeds at this save.
  On a failed save, a character suffers 1 point of temporary
  Strength damage, which can be healed normally or by rest-
  ing for eight hours and receiving enough food and water as
  normal. 
  Save DC
  Weather Conditions
  15
  Mild heat
  20
  Severe heat
  25
  Intense heat
  +5
  High humidity
  Insects
  A wide variety of biting and stinging insects swarms in the
  Barrens. These creatures crawl between armor plates, bur-
  row into backpacks, and otherwise make life miserable for
  adventurers and travelers. Some of these creatures carry dis-
  eases. Luckily these illnesses are rarely life threatening, but
  they can prove troublesome.
  For each day spent in the Barrens, there is a 20 percent
  chance of exposure to swamp fever. Affected characters
  develop shakes, a persistent cough, and high fever. While
  characters can push aside these symptoms and continue to
  function, they suffer persistent weakness and nausea.
  Swamp Fever: Infection DC 15; Incubation 1d3 days; Damage
  1 point of Strength.
  In addition to the risk of disease, in some areas the flies
  are so thick that they swoop into one’s eyes, buzz into one’s
  mouth, and crawl into gaps in armor. In this case, characters
  must make a Fortitude save each round (DC 15) or suffer a
  –2 penalty to attacks, checks, and saves. Only living creatures
  are susceptible to this effect. Thick clouds of flies capable of
  conferring this penalty usually dwell within the wet, dank
  areas of the Barrens’ swamps or its thickest, darkest forests.
  Water
  The water in the swamps ranges from a few inches to several
  feet deep. In some areas, not even a giant can walk through
  the swamp without encountering water that reaches over her
  head. Walking through water reduces a creature’s speed by
  half for knee- to waist-high water; by one-quarter if it is any
  deeper. A creature can attempt to swim in water that is at
  least waist deep.
  UNDERFOREST (OBSTACLE; MEDIUM LEVEL)
  The massive tower trees that soar high in the air also burrow
  well down into the ground, where their roots must find pur-
  chase deep within the rock and dirt. Over the many years that
  the forest has thrived on the surface, its roots have slowly
  bored a massive series of natural caves and passages within
  the earth. Every year, the roots plunge deeper, and as they
  push and compact the soil, they leave behind open spaces.
  The Underforest is a foreign realm that has barely seen
  any visitors. Passages to its depths abound within the
  Shadowreach (see Area 9, page 75), but a few caves, sink-
  holes, and other paths dot the rest of the Barrens. In many
  areas, the Underforest connects to the vast series of caverns
  that spreads out beneath the Bitter Peaks. Creatures come
  and go through this network, and some have ascended to the
  surface to carve out a habitat in the ruins.
  A traveler to the Underforest might think he has stumbled
  into an alien world. The roof is a tangle of roots that forms a
  massive net. Rocks and dirt honeycomb the ceiling; the cave
  walls are similarly adorned. Disturbances in the forest above
  sometimes send debris tumbling to the floor. Roots crisscross
  the open caverns, forming a network of broad pathways that
  humanoid creatures can use to climb up to the surface or
  travel above the cavern floor.
  The surface of the Underforest ranges from great plains of
  soft, spongy fungus and woody tangles of roots to hard-
  packed soil and tumbles of rocks that have been slowly
  crushed and scattered by the encroaching roots. A strange
  assortment of mushrooms and lichen populates this area.
  Many of these mushrooms are parasites that live off the
  trees’ roots, while others are subterranean species that have
  established themselves here. The hangman’s lantern is the
  strangest mushroom species within the Underforest. It con-
  sists of a central stalk with several small tendrils that end in
  bulbs filled with a glowing fluid. The lights lure moths and
  other insects into the bulbs, where they become caught in
  the sticky fluid and feed the mushroom. The liquid sheds
  light in a 20-foot radius and shadowy illumination out to 40
  feet. It lasts for 24 hours after it is taken from the hang-
  man’s lantern.
  67
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  CHAPTER FOUR: THE BARRENS
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  68
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  69
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  CHAPTER FOUR: THE BARRENS
  The Underforest holds several mysteries. The most impor-
  tant of these is the small, ruined town of Tarthalas. Centuries
  ago, a small akthar band known as the Rockshapers descended
  into the Underforest to escape the intertribal struggles of their
  race. The Rockshapers were the only akthar tribe to value his-
  tory and knowledge that had to be stored outside of the collec-
  tive memory. Akthar lore tells of how the Rockshapers sought
  to duplicate the Builders’ deeds and magic. Whatever resulted
  from their efforts, the Rockshapers’ small city now lies aban-
  doned. Explorers have yet to discover Tarthalas, but it holds the
  answers to many of Serathis’ mysteries—if anyone can survive
  reaching it. The Rockshapers used their magic to leave
  behind magical wards, traps, summoned elementals, and
  other dangers. Currently, a powerful medusa mind witch
  occupies the area with a small army of goblin slaves and
  cyclops warriors that serves her every whim.
  Strange creatures lurk throughout the Underforest. Many
  of the aberrations crafted by the dramojh fled here to escape
  the sun’s glare. They wandered deep into the earth.
  Eventually, some emerged across the continent, but most
  remained in the Underforest. Ankhegs and purple worms
  help expand the Underforest with their burrows, while black
  puddings and gray oozes consume all signs of life from the
  caverns they swarm through. Tribes of goblins thrive here.
  Like rats, they burrow into the walls and dirt, forming large
  mounds more like nests than proper strongholds. In many
  cases, the goblins serve as a source of food and slaves for the
  more intelligent creatures that lurk within the Underforest,
  such as manticores, medusas, and cyclopses.
  FACTIONS WITHIN THE BARRENS
  The Barrens are too wild and dangerous to support any large
  settlements, but many of the monsters found here form their
  own communities. While the Safe Quarter—and, to a lesser
  extent, the Slums—lies within reach of the giants’ legions
  and the dragon’s spies, the ruins from the Barrens north to
  the Forest of Towers are too dangerous and distant from civi-
  lization’s grasp for them to control. Monsters can gather in
  large numbers and build fortifications. The akthars are pow-
  erful, as they are numerous and smart enough to organize
  themselves into villages and fortresses. Unfortunately,
  akthars are savage, vicious creatures that react violently to
  even the briefest intrusion into their territory. Some sages
  believe that a dedicated attempt to establish diplomatic ties
  with the akthars could bear fruit, but thus far few people
  have had the patience to make an effort. In most cases, the
  profits available elsewhere in the ruins offer a more interest-
  ing and satisfying challenge, but a few magisters and green-
  bonds seek a better knowledge of akthars.
  Though akthars were once slaves to the dramojh, they
  remember nothing of their former state. Since akthars rely
  on a sustained collective memory for the skills and talents
  they need, they place little value in history. After all, learning
  and passing along the stories of the elder days has little value
  when one can simply pluck memories from other members
  of a clan. Akthars rarely keep track of history beyond a gen-
  eration or two. Aside from their traditions and the critical
  skills necessary for survival, they see no point in it. Thus,
  they prove useless to those gathering information about the
  ruins’ history or the location of ancient sites.
  Akthars are organized into clans, each with its own territo-
  ry and villages. These clans fight against each other for ter-
  rain, food, and other resources. The influx of adventurers,
  merchants, and treasure seekers has done little to divert
  their rivalries. Instead, akthars attack everyone—akthar and
  intruder alike—with equal ferocity.
  The following akthar clans are active within the Barrens.
  Each tribe occupies a village as indicated by its letter on the
  Barrens map on the previous page. The “clan mark” header
  beneath each clan’s summary lists its members’ distinctive
  features and bonuses. More tribes live within the Barrens
  than are listed here; these are simply notable or unique.
  Others may remain in hiding or have slain or captured any
  explorers that have come into contact with them.
  A. Bonecrackers
  The horrific Bonecracker akthars are the most degenerate
  and violent of their kind. They practice cannibalism and
  hunt other akthars for sport. They believe that if they eat a
  creature’s body, they gain the strength and power it held in
  life (in the same manner that akthars share knowledge and
  talents among their kind). These creatures dwell in the deep-
  est regions of the swamp. They live in crude huts supported
  above the water on long wooden poles. The hunters among
  them adorn themselves with piercings, usually bones and
  bone fragments taken from their enemies, and wear face and
  body paint in bone patterns.
  The Bonecrackers cultivate patches of maiden’s hair (see
  page 66) in their hunting grounds and around their villages.
  They worship the spirits of the water, a pantheon of dozens
  of gods that they believe live in a realm beneath the mud.
  They offer captives as sacrifices to these deities by placing
  them in narrow wooden cages and lowering them into the
  water to drown. The Bonecrackers devour these victims in a
  great feast after they are sacrificed.
  Lately, these akthars have begun to use canoes and small
  rafts to attack travelers who attempt to cross the swamp.
  They employ ropes and crude grappling hooks to entangle
  their quarry’s boat and either capsize or board it.
  Clan Mark: The Bonecrackers have webbed fingers and
  toes, and are utterly hairless. They gain a +4 competence
  bonus to all Swim checks.
  B. Leatherwings
  While few in number, the Leatherwings form a relatively
  powerful tribe. They excel at training and handling animals
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
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  > > > > >
  and monstrous beasts. They command a variety of strange
  creatures as minions and pets. Their most fearsome allies are
  their war wyverns: creatures captured, trained, and bred to
  serve as mounts. 
  Leatherwing wyvern riders soar above the Barrens in
  search of victims. They pose perhaps the greatest continuing
  threat to explorers in the area, for travelers can often spy
  their flights of two to eight wyvern riders in the sky. Luckily
  the thick tree canopy hinders their ability to track down their
  targets, and they loathe flying beneath the branches of the
  tower trees. The Leatherwings sometimes fly to the Slums
  for a quick raid, but they avoid the Safe Quarter since a
  giant magister once blasted one of their riders from the sky.
  The Leatherwings make their camp atop a series of low
  hills near the Forest of Towers. One of their important ritu-
  als of adulthood requires a young akthar to venture into the
  Forest of Towers and return with a notable relic or treasure.
  Of all the akthars, the Leatherwings are the most familiar
  with the regions around the Barrens. On a few rare occa-
  sions, they hire themselves out as guides. Their services are
  quite valuable, for few know the Forest of Towers as well as
  these akthars.
  Clan Mark: The Leatherwings have large yellow eyes and
  long, snoutlike noses. They gain a +4 competence bonus to
  all Handle Animal checks, as their slightly improved senses
  of sight and smell allow them to better read a beast’s emo-
  tions and mood.
  C. Longeyes
  The Longeyes are so named because of their large, bulbous
  eyes that glow in the dark with soft blue radiance. Their skin
  is dark blue, as is their thin, fuzzy fur. They are quiet, shy,
  and prefer to remain isolated from their kin. These akthars
  dwell in the Shadowreach (the densest area of the forest) in
  hollows carved from the lower trunks of the enormous tower
  trees. They use ladders to access their homes, and pull them
  up into their dwellings when enemies draw near.
  Of all the akthar clans, Longeyes are the most likely to
  welcome strangers. Once butlers and maids to the dramojh,
  they were designed with passive, fawning personalities.
  They have fared poorly in the wilds and have ventured into
  the Shadowreach to avoid contact with the other clans
  (especially the Stonefangs, who favor them as slaves). The
  undead from Black Rock Tower (Area 10; see page 75) fre-
  quently raid their villages, carrying them off for food and
  sport. Their prophecies speak of a group of strangers from
  beyond the forest who will defeat their enemies and lead
  them into a new golden age. You can sculpt this prophecy
  to conveniently fit the party.
  Clan Mark: The Longeyes have darkvision with a range
  of 120 feet. They also gain a +2 competence bonus to all
  Perform checks. Among their kind, they value singing, story-
  telling, and music.
  D. Stonefangs
  The most powerful tribe in the Barrens, the Stonefangs occu-
  py a fortress carved into a cliff face high above the forest. A
  waterfall cascades down the mountainside near this castle,
  providing the Stonefangs with a ready source of water and
  fresh fish. From their inaccessible fortress, the Stonefangs
  raid the lowlands and take captives that they cast off the cliff
  as a sacrifice to their god, a being of air and watery mist
  known as Siffaris. The Stonefangs are the only tribe to use
  the wheel, and their slave carts frequently carry captives
  from other clans up long ramps to their aerial redoubt.
  Clan Mark: The Stonefangs gain a +4 competence bonus
  to all Craft skills. They were once used as skilled laborers,
  and their talents allow them to craft weapons, armor, and
  fortifications far superior to those of their brethren. The
  average Stonefang warrior wears beastscale armor and 
  fights with a masterwork battleaxe and a heavy shield.
  E. Treerunners
  The Treerunners live in a series of wooden platforms erected
  atop several of the tallest trees in the forest. They hunt birds
  and harvest fruit that hangs high in the trees. An intricate
  series of vine bridges and swinging ropes enables them to
  move swiftly through the trees; adventuring bands have
  learned to watch the branches above them, for many expedi-
  tions have met their end in a Treerunner attack launched
  from above. These akthars consider land-bound creatures
  inherently inferior beings. They exhibit no compunction
  about taking slaves or murdering other humanoids in their
  sleep.
  Clan Mark: The Treerunners have long, powerful arms and
  nimble legs that grant them a climbing speed of 20 feet. They
  can move among the trees with ease and rely on this ability
  to escape from their enemies or assault them from above.
  KEY SITES IN THE BARRENS
  Popular opinion holds that the Barrens are nothing more
  than worthless swamp and forest, a daunting barrier meant
  to prevent adventurers from reaching the treasure-rich
  Forest of Towers. Most explorers try to follow the paths
  through this region and avoid any trouble. Unfortunately for
  them, the creatures of the Barrens have an unnerving ten-
  dency to cluster near these trails in search of an easy meal.
  Few paths remain safe for long, and the wilderness remains
  too daunting for a military expedition to pacify it.
  The number of each locale described below corresponds to
  an area on the map on page 68.
  1. Bones of the Old One 
  (Goal; Medium Level)
  According to rumor, the site known as the “Bones of the Old
  One” possesses potent magical energy. Supposedly, it once
  hosted many great ceremonies of the Builders. Two 5-foot
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR: THE BARRENS
  stone slabs support a broad, smooth granite altar 20 feet
  long and 10 feet wide. Its surface is utterly flawless despite
  the efforts of countless weapon blows and spells. The altar
  stands on a hill, resting atop its crest.
  Two concentric rings of standing stones surround the cen-
  tral altar. The first ring consists of six stones evenly spaced
  around the altar at a distance of 100 feet, about a third of
  the way down the hill’s slope. A second ring of 12 stones
  stands 300 feet away at the base of the hill. Even though
  this site lies deep within the heart of the tower tree forest,
  only grass and patches of weeds grow upon the hill.
  The dramojh used this place to conduct a variety of rituals
  that created the environmental conditions that allow the
  Barrens to thrive. Despite the area’s high altitude in the
  mountains, it remains impervious to cold air and snow.
  Storms slide around this forest because of the protection
  granted by this site and many other, much smaller, ones
  scattered throughout the forest and swamp.
  Secret: What sort of magic does this place hold?
  Anyone who sacrifices 100 HD worth of living, intelligent
  creatures here during a single ritual can gain control over
  the flow of energy that protects the Barrens. A new master
  could modify the weather patterns within 100 miles by
  thought alone, or concentrate the energy that protects the
  area and use it to cast any 7th-level or lower spell at will.
  The secret of the ceremony needed to complete these sacri-
  fices lies hidden within the House of the Voice in the Slums
  (see Chapter Three). Perhaps the naga Narajanara plans to
  complete this ghastly ritual and seize control of the ruins in
  the name of his ancient masters.
  2. The Burrowpatch (Obstacle; Medium Level)
  The Burrowpatch is a massive, sprawling plant that grows
  deep within the heart of the Barrens. It resembles a cross
  between a tree and a bramble bush. It has thick, woody
  branches that turn and curl within its mass, while its upper-
  most levels are thick with leaves. The Burrowpatch rises
  above the trees and has expanded to engulf many of the trees
  around it. As this plant grows upward to reach the sunlight,
  it must spread outward to support its increasing weight.
  The Burrowpatch earned its name for the labyrinthine net-
  work of chambers and tunnels within its mass. While the
  plant’s thorny branches can prove a daunting obstacle, a
  tenacious explorer can push her way into the plant’s interior.
  The open spaces within the Burrowpatch are large enough
  to serve as dwellings, and a number of clear passages and
  shafts provide access up, down, and around its bulk. In
  essence, the Burrowpatch is a gigantic, living building.
  Several merchant companies have toyed with the idea of
  establishing a fortress inside this plant. Its woody exterior
  surface and its barbed thorns provide a natural defense,
  while the narrow passages would require only a few dozen
  soldiers to protect one section. However, a variety of preda-
  tors and dangerous creatures live within this structure. Giant
  spiders, centipedes, and other vermin nest within, waging
  fierce battles for territory. Humans and other intruders pro-
  vide welcome snacks for these vicious beasts.
  Secret: Can anyone penetrate this hazardous site?
  A bandit gang has claimed the uppermost levels of the
  Burrowpatch. The members use a number of trained hippo-
  griffs to patrol the Barrens and swoop down on potential tar-
  gets. From their position atop this plant, they are almost
  
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  beyond assault. A band of clever adventurers might be able to
  climb up through the Burrowpatch and attack the bandits from
  below—if they can fight their way past the vermin, the bandits’
  traps and guards, and the other creatures that live here.
  3. The Forest of Eyes
  (Obstacle; Medium Level)
  Rumors abound within the Barrens of strange sites and
  bizarre creatures, but few of these stories live up the truth of
  the Forest of Eyes. The trees in this section of the Barrens
  are faintly sentient. Greenbonds claim that they feel as if all
  of the trees constantly watch any animal that enters this
  place, and even the least perceptive explorers feel a disquiet-
  ing sense of being observed. It is obvious that something
  strange has taken hold of this area, as the trees here are
  much smaller than the enormous tower trees. In many ways,
  this forest resembles the trees and terrain found outside of
  the ruins—yet for its vague familiarity, it stands out as an
  eerie, frightening place.
  While the forest appears to be just like any other woodland,
  it is actually a single creature. All the trees in this area sprout-
  ed from a lone, massive plant creature that grows deep below
  the ground. Every tree is much like a tentacle that it uses to
  absorb sunlight from the sky and water from the ground.
  This great being has no name, and it has only a limited
  concept of animal life. It exhibits a variety of strange abilities
  that allow it to interact with humanoids. It can spawn
  humanoid eyeballs and a mouthlike orifice in any of the trees
  that comprise its body, but these talents typically horrify and
  scare off the creatures to whom it attempts to speak. Most of
  the time, it remains content to silently watch the creatures
  that enter its domain, merely observing their actions.
  Sometimes, though, it cannot resist the urge to question the
  strange beings it sees. Other times, hunger pushes it to lash
  out and devour animals that intrude on its territory.
  Long ago, the dramojh crafted the Forest of Eyes as one of
  their greatest experiments. They disappeared well before the
  forest was complete, allowing it to progress on its own. For
  many centuries it slumbered, but the recent influx of explorers
  and adventurers has awakened it. Without the dramojh’s twist-
  ed guidance, it has developed an independent personality,
  and it has little concept of how to handle other creatures. 
  Some of the akthars in the Barrens worship the Forest of
  Eyes as a god. They leave offerings at the woods’ edge, gifts
  that the trees gather and absorb out of a mixture of curiosity
  and hunger.
  Use the statistics for treants in the MM to reflect the for-
  est’s treelike tendrils and tentacles. They can move along the
  ground but are unable to move outside of the forest.
  Secret: The forest’s obvious secret lies in its attitude and
  plans as the city changes. Left to its own devices by its cre-
  ators, it could develop a benign, malevolent, or diffident per-
  sonality as you wish. 
  A benign forest may see humanoids as interesting new
  friends with whom to interact. It remains silent while it tries
  to learn how to communicate, and its first attempts to estab-
  lish contact could be mistaken for aggressive moves. For
  example, it might grab a human and shake him with a tree’s
  lower branches in a fumbling attempt to shake hands.
  Some folk may perceive the forest as a threat or believe
  that it hides treasure and ruins beneath its roots. Expeditions
  sent in search of the treasure could burrow into the earth,
  enraging the creature and driving it to attack all who enter
  its domain. It might push its roots and tendrils beyond its
  previous borders, seeking to invade the Safe Quarter and
  drive all humanoids from the city once and for all.
  If the forest remains quiet, it might slumber for long peri-
  ods of time. The tendril trees that grow above it might act on
  their own, striking at creatures that attempt to light fires or
  attacking and killing wild animals so that their decaying
  corpses can add nutrients to the soil. In this case, the forest is
  a potentially dangerous area whose threat ends at its borders.
  4. The Great Mire (Obstacle; Medium Level)
  The Great Mire, a broad expanse of swamp, covers the middle
  portion of the Barrens and serves as a backbone to the diffi-
  cult terrain that hinders access to the Forest of Towers near
  the Barrens’ northern edge. The Great Mire consists of tower
  trees scattered against a backdrop of ankle- to waist-deep
  water. Here and there, ruins rise above the water. Most of
  the notable treasures and structures on the surface rotted
  away long ago, but flooded, mud-choked chambers beneath
  the water may yet hold riches.
  During the day, the mire appears covered in a thin, wispy
  haze. The flies and mosquitoes grow so thick here that they
  fill the air like a single, enormous swarm. Travelers tend to
  carry netting and other gear to protect themselves from the
  disease-ridden insects.
  The trees vary from dense growth to relatively open
  expanses. Travelers usually avoid the thicker areas, as dan-
  gerous creatures lurk within them. On the open swamp, it is
  difficult for a dinosaur or a shambling mound to surprise an
  adventuring party.
  Most travelers use skiffs and rafts to navigate this region.
  Many boats have a small lean-to or tent built atop them, as
  the crossing can sometimes take more than a day, depending
  on weather conditions. Long wooden poles guide the crafts
  through the water, making for steady, relatively safe progress
  but difficult work. The stagnant water poses little threat of
  carrying travelers off course or swamping their decks.
  The dense areas of trees range from essentially watery for-
  est to small, isolated islands in the muck. The tower trees’
  thick roots form a honeycomb layer of dry dirt and rocks.
  Predators often use these plots of dry ground for nests.
  Secret: In a few areas, bandit gangs operate as pirates on
  the waters of the Great Mire. 
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR: THE BARRENS
  These pirates outfit their rafts for war. Rams, ballistas, and
  even the odd light catapult allow them to sink a party’s trans-
  port and scour the murk for the treasures that spill into the
  water. These gangs usually claim a small island and fortify it
  with a stockade to ward off predators. Many times, the
  hunters become the hunted as shambling mounds and other
  monsters overwhelm and destroy these camps. Some scav-
  engers watch for swamp pirate camps, for they can prove
  rich finds if and when they fall.
  5. Headtaker’s Lair (Obstacle; High Level)
  The first travelers in the Barrens learned to avoid the region
  of the forest south of the Great Mire and west of the Gold
  Run. If the severed heads of akthar warriors left dangling
  from tower trees failed to persuade them, the slow accumu-
  lation of human, sibeccai, litorian, and verrik heads warned
  those who came after.
  The terrible cyclops known as Headtaker dwells within
  this region. He slaughters anyone who enters his territory
  and strings up his victims’ heads as a warning to other
  intruders. While stories circulate about Headtaker’s true
  nature and the reason for his bloodthirsty displays, no reli-
  able witness has come forward with the truth.
  Secret: Headtaker was once a normal cyclops. 
  This cyclops dwelled in the Barrens with others of his kind
  until he and his fellows decided to explore the Forest of
  Towers. There, they came across an ancient vault buried
  deep within the ruins of a great edifice. A ghostly, horrific
  beast emerged from the vault.
  This creature was the spirit of the last dramojh, a being
  that journeyed to a different world when the gods destroyed
  its race. When it returned, its physical body was gone. The
  dramojh was forced to remain in its energy state within the
  vault that housed the gateway to the other world. Over the
  years, it slowly slipped into madness. In its energy form, it
  could not manipulate physical objects such as the door that
  sealed the vault shut. When the cyclopses opened the cham-
  ber, it attacked and slaughtered all of them except the one
  that it possessed: Headtaker.
  Since then, Headtaker has wandered the land. The dramojh
  energy form strengthened the cyclops as it merged with it,
  making the brute immune to the ravages of old age. He pos-
  sesses a fearsome combination of a cyclops’ physical power
  and a skilled dramojh’s spellcasting ability. However, the
  dramojh spirit within Headtaker’s body is utterly mad. It
  lashes out at all humanoid creatures, as it believes that the
  dramojh were defeated by humans or a similar race.
  Headtaker offers one tremendous benefit to anyone who
  subdues or somehow calms him: He remembers everything
  about the original city of Serathis. The dramojh spirit within
  him has perfect recall of the layout, the location of various
  treasures and powerful artifacts, and the original uses of a
  variety of structures. If the player characters need to uncover
  a secret about the city, they might have to interact with
  Headtaker in order to learn it.
  Headtaker, male cyclops war4: CR 14; Huge giant; HD
  20d8+140 (260 hp), Dying/Dead –8/–25; Init +4; Speed 40
  feet; AC 28 (–2 size, +8 natural, +3 armor, +1 deflection, +8
  insight), touch 18, flat-footed 20; Base Attack +16; Grapple
  +33; Attack +26 melee (2d8+18, masterwork huge great-
  club); Attack +26 melee (2d8+18, masterwork huge great-
  club) or +14 ranged (2d8+16, thrown rock); Full Attack
  +26/+21/+16/+11 melee (2d8+18, masterwork huge great-
  club) or +14 ranged (2d8+16, thrown rock); Space/Reach 10
  feet/15 feet; Face 10 feet × 10 feet; SA Magical talents, rock
  throwing, rock thrust; SQ Fast healing 5, low-light vision,
  hard to control, magical talents, SR 24; SV Fort +25, Ref +10,
  Will +10; Str 32, Dex 10, Con 25, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 8.
  Skills: Climb +18, Listen +16.
  Feats: Cleave, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (heavy), Improved
  Initiative, Power Attack, Power Charge, Resistance to
  Poison, Stomp, Stunning Blow.
  Magical Talents (Su): As the fusion of cyclops body and
  dramojh soul, Headtaker gains a +8 insight bonus to AC and
  a +4 insight bonus to all saves, for his dramojh essence has
  the supernatural ability to detect and react to danger faster
  than his mortal body. His arcane nature grants him spell
  resistance and fast healing.
  Headtaker also can create bolts of magical energy. His lim-
  ited intellect restricts his dramojh occupant to simple, brute
  force applications. Three times per day, Headtaker can chan-
  nel a blast of raw arcane power in a 50-foot line; it inflicts
  15d6 points of damage after a successful ranged touch attack.
  Rock Throwing: Cyclopses have a +2 racial bonus to attacks
  made with a thrown rock. These rocks weigh 60 to 80 lbs.
  and have a range increment of 120 feet. Headtaker can
  throw these rocks up to five range increments.
  Rock Thrust: Rocks hurled straight by a cyclops fly with such
  force that you should treat them as an area attack—a line
  100 feet long and 5 feet wide. Anyone in this area must make
  a Reflex saving throw (DC 18) or suffer the thrown rock
  damage (2d8+17). A successful save results in no damage.
  Hard to Control (Ex): Cyclopses gain a +4 racial bonus on sav-
  ing throws against enchantments. Diplomacy or Intimidate
  checks on Headtaker carry a +4 circumstance modifier.
  Possessions: Masterwork huge greatclub, hide armor, ring of
  protection +1.
  6. Oldron’s Bridge 
  (Hook, Obstacle; Medium Level)
  The human Oldron believes that if he could build a series of
  bridges and roads through the Barrens, he would make a for-
  tune charging tolls. Thus far, he has constructed one bridge.
  The simple, half-completed wooden structure spans a sec-
  tion of swamp near the terminus of the Gold Run. 
  
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  Unfortunately, the concentration of workers and mercenar-
  ies has proven too tempting for shambling mounds and other
  predators to pass up. Oldron’s work crews have suffered
  tremendous losses, and his money has steadily dwindled.
  Broke and desperate, he hopes to find investors to help him
  finish his dream.
  Oldron is a middle-aged human with grey hair, a slight
  paunch, and weathered, tanned skin. He has a fanatic’s gleam
  in his eye, as he believes that despite desertions among the
  work crews and other setbacks, he still will succeed. Oldron
  sometimes travels to the Safe Quarter to recruit newcomers
  to the city as workers and guards, as no one else believes his
  stories of the easy money he has supposedly made off his first
  bridge. In truth, it is in poor shape and no experienced treas-
  ure hunters use it—but no lie is too big for him when it
  comes to bringing in a new crop of rubes.
  Oldron functions as a story hook that can push the char-
  acters into more trouble than they anticipated. Low-level
  characters might find themselves trapped in the Barrens
  with the near-delusional Oldron, forced to watch over an
  obviously doomed project.
  Secret: Why does Oldron continue to work on this futile
  endeavor? 
  (1) He could be slightly mad—the failure of his business
  snapped his mind. He plans to build his bridges and roads,
  even if he has to do it himself. If the player characters work
  with him, his growing madness may turn tragic. 
  (2) He might count Krovacatharis as an ally. The dragon
  wants to complete the road with the Lathe of Ages, but he
  needs Oldron to finish a pathway across at least half the
  Barrens; the artifact may become strained and ruined if
  Krovacatharis demands too much from it.
  7. Peldrenford (Goal; Medium Level)
  A few burnt ruins just east of the Gold Run mark the desert-
  ed settlement of Peldrenford. The tiny village sprang up less
  than a year ago as a way station for explorers traveling the
  Gold Run aboard rafts or canoes. The original settlers are
  gone, but the ruins remain a popular place to make camp
  during the treacherous passage to the Forest of Towers.
  Unfortunately, Peldrenford attracts ambushes. Akthars
  often congregate nearby, eager to attack expeditions and
  carry off slaves, metal weapons, armor, and other loot. The
  original settlement fell when an akthar clan managed to lure
  several dinosaurs from the swamps to this place. The settlers
  had no idea that such terrible monsters lurked in the fens.
  The dinosaurs attacked, the akthars raided the damaged vil-
  lage, and the settlers met their doom.
  8. Rock Castle (Goal; Medium Level)
  Deep within the forested part of the Barrens north of the
  Great Mire stands a fully intact castle, a fortress built with
  great stone slabs and mortar that has withstood the assault
  of time. The castle reflects Hu-Charad work, as it was built
  with the careful expertise of that folk. Yet no signs of the
  giants themselves remain, nor does the castle offer any clues
  to its history. The first explorers who discovered it found
  only empty chamber after empty chamber. No furnishings,
  decorations, or other vestiges of habitation remained. It was
  as if a group of giants came to the Barrens, built a castle,
  and left before they had a chance to inhabit it.
  Rock Castle holds little place in history, and the few stories
  of its possible origin offer contradictory details. Some tales
  suggest that a group of strange beings known as the sky gods
  descended from the heavens, built the castle, and left.
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR: THE BARRENS
  According to this story, the castle is an offering to some
  unknown entity that will one day return to claim it. Akthar
  lore claims that the sky beings were madmen who sought to
  trap the sun itself within the castle, and akthars thus avoid the
  fortress. No tales describe the creators’ physical appearance.
  Explorations of Rock Castle have so far turned up nothing
  of note. The stronghold is a popular destination for explorers
  making their way to the Forest of Towers, for it is safe,
  secure, and relatively easy to defend. A few bandit gangs
  have attempted to take and hold it, but in time adventurers
  and explorers always organize to attack and drive them out.
  Currently, a woman named Synthraroia (12th-level verrik
  akashic) controls the castle. She and a small band of verrik
  warmains, magisters, and akashics occupy the place, con-
  ducting a thorough investigation of it. To keep visiting
  explorers out of their hair (and deflect interest in areas they
  have closed off for examination), they offer food, fresh water,
  and comfortable bedding to visitors at no charge, with the
  stipulation that no one may remain in the castle for more
  than three days without Synthraroia’s permission. Thus far,
  this arrangement has worked out well.
  Secret: What do the verrik seek? 
  Rock Castle may hold an important clue in identifying the
  Builders and unlocking the mystery of Serathis. The castle
  was built by a small group of Hu-Charad magisters who mas-
  tered time travel. They shifted back to the past and, as they
  explored the ruins, built the castle to serve as their home.
  Unfortunately, they were slain during their adventures. The
  verrik now seek to unlock the secrets of time travel. They
  believe that a time-travel-enabling artifact—or, at least, the
  plans and details of the rituals needed to build one—lies 
  hidden somewhere within the castle. When they discover it,
  they plan to travel back to the era before the Curse of Xyphon
  befell them (see Chapter Ten in Arcana Evolved). They hope
  that, in doing so, they can either remove the curse from
  themselves or counter its effects on their people as a whole.
  9. The Shadowreach 
  (Obstacle, Goal; Medium Level)
  The forest of the Shadowreach grows thick in the northwest-
  ern Barrens. The branches form an almost impenetrable tangle
  high above the forest floor, casting everything below it into
  deep gloom. Even at the height of day, this place is bathed in
  the faint red glow of dusk. Only from about two hours before
  to two hours past noon does the light become bright enough
  to provide any useful illumination: You can see as normal to a
  range of 30 feet; creatures 30 to 60 feet distant enjoy 25 per-
  cent concealment, and beyond that, all vision is obscured.
  The rest of the day and night, darkness cloaks the entire area.
  The ecosystem resembles an underground realm more
  than a forest. Great stalks of fungi sprout from the black,
  loamy soil. Giant insects, particularly spiders, thrive. A sym-
  phony of bizarre lights glows in the darkness, as swarms of
  fireflies, strange lichen, and other underworldly creatures
  light up the night. The illumination is too feeble to see by,
  but its array of colors and the shadows it casts lend the for-
  est a ghostly appearance. Rumors persist that a horde of
  ghosts waits here, guarding the burial mound of some great
  akthar leader, but these stories have never been confirmed.
  Use creatures native to subterranean environments to
  create encounters and adventures in this region. When the
  feeble sunlight does manage to penetrate the gloom, most
  typically underground beasts retreat to shallow caves and
  burrows to escape the light.
  The Shadowreach remains relatively unexplored. The
  majority of adventurers avoid it, as its many dangerous crea-
  tures pose a daunting challenge with little potential reward.
  A number of ancient ruins rest undisturbed, most notably
  Black Rock Tower (detailed below). 
  Secret: In several areas of the Barrens, sinkholes open 
  up to vast networks of caves and passages in the ground.
  More entrances to the Underforest (see page 67) lie in the
  Shadowreach than in any other spot. The openings allow easy
  access to that subterranean realm, but also work both ways—
  they provide subterranean beasts with paths to the surface as
  well. Several times, hordes of monsters have erupted from
  the Shadowreach to maraud the surrounding area.
  10. Black Rock Tower
  (Obstacle, Goal; High Level)
  The sinister Black Rock Tower rises from the surrounding
  Shadowreach like a relic from a forgotten age. Akthars avoid
  the place at all costs. At first, explorers thought to use this
  fact to their advantage—until many parties who wandered
  close to Black Rock Tower were never heard from again. A
  few expeditions have managed to make a cursory survey of
  the region around the spire. Their discoveries suggest that a
  series of ancient graveyards and crypts surround the castle.
  Unsurprisingly, bands of undead sometimes march from this
  place to attack akthar settlements and travelers.
  This lone tower is crafted from (as one might guess) black
  rock. The hundreds of tombstones and crypts surrounding it
  mark the burial ground of an ancient human city that stood
  here even before the Builders laid the first stones of Serathis.
  The dramojh preserved Black Rock Tower, the sole surviving
  structure of that human town, to study its architecture. Its
  strange black rock resembles no known mineral, while its
  architecture surpasses anything found in the Diamond
  Throne today. The tower is gently curved like the letter C, its
  six stories offset so that the uppermost level has a crystal
  floor that looks down on the courtyard and levels below.
  A mighty human vampire lord named the Master has taken
  Black Rock Tower as his home. The Master is perhaps the
  strongest akashic on the continent today. Obsessed from a
  young age with learning the fundamental workings of the
  world, he embraced vampirism as a sure path to immortality
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  76
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  and won his independence by destroying the monster that created him.
  With the tapestry of eternity laid before him, he sought to uncover all
  the secrets the world offered. He scoured the continent, copied, bor-
  rowed, or stole books of lore, and slowly unlocked mystery upon mystery.
  Yet one goal remained beyond his grasp: Here and there, he found refer-
  ences to Serathis within books compiled by dramojh sages. He could not
  rest until he found the place or proved it was nothing more than a myth.
  During the giants’ battles against the dramojh, he took advantage of
  the chaos of war to slip into a dramojh fortress and steal several
  ancient tomes of lore concerning the legends of Serathis. While the
  dramojh sages had failed to decode the hints and references to the
  city, he succeeded. The Master found Serathis with the help of a pow-
  erful ritual that allowed him to pierce the veil dropped over memories
  of the city. He now dwells within Black Rock Tower and finds the
  Shadowreach an ideal environment for him—the sun never reaches
  the forest floor near his abode.
  Over the years, the Master has explored and researched almost
  every ruin within the city. A few secrets remain beyond his grasp, prin-
  cipally the riddle of the cyst (see Chapter Five) and the secrets of
  Nithogar, the dragon responsible for traveling to other worlds and cre-
  ating the dramojh. The Master still pursues these puzzles, but the
  arrival of outsiders in the ruins has thrown his efforts into disorder.
  The Master sees the giants, the dragon, and the explorers who
  stream into Serathis as intruders in his private domain. He bade his
  undead servants to slay them, but then realized that killing too many
  might draw the giants’ attention to his fief. Thus, he now pursues a
  different strategy: He hopes to remain hidden, or at least quiet enough
  to avoid attention, while working to solve the last of his puzzles. To
  this end, he plans to develop a network of spies and informants within
  the city to intercept or foil any expeditions aimed at penetrating his
  fortress or driving him from the ruins.
  The Master is by no means murderous or malicious—just supremely
  self-centered, caring only for completing his quest for knowledge. He
  could serve as a patron for the party of player characters, as his knowl-
  edge of the ruins is second only to that of the Builders themselves. He
  might use the PCs to investigate distant ruins or explore an area
  before large numbers of greedy treasure hunters can strip it of value
  and scatter the relics or tomes he seeks.
  Should adventurers enter his territory, he may send a zombie or sim-
  ilar undead servant with a message inviting them to an audience in
  Black Rock Tower. If the player characters accept, you can use the
  Master as a source of adventures and quests. He tries to hide his vam-
  pirism and makes no hostile move against the player characters. He
  needs agents, and whether through alliances or force he intends to
  ensure that any changes in the ruins pose no threat to his work.
  Secret: What is the Master’s true purpose? 
  (1) He may simply believe he can no longer freely move about the
  ruins. As a vampire, he risks attacks from overzealous explorers or patrols
  dispatched by the giants. He would make an ideal ally for Krovacatharis,
  and could tip the balance of power between the two groups. 
  (2) He could seek to attain the dramojh’s hideous powers, such as
  traveling to other planes or learning to sculpt living creatures into new
  forms. Whether this pursuit leads to good or ill is up to the DM.
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR: THE BARRENS
  The Master, male vampire akashic 25: CR 27; Medium undead
  (corporeal); HD 25d12 (200 hp); Init +10; Speed 40 feet; AC
  45 (+6 Dex, +9 natural, +2 dodge, +5 insight, +9 armor, +4
  deflection), touch 27, flat-footed 32; Base Attack +18; Grapple
  +24; Attack +28 melee (2d6+13, +4 keen greatsword) or +24
  melee (1d6+6 and energy drain, slam) +29 ranged (1d8+9, +3
  composite longbow); Full Attack +28/+23/+18 melee (2d6+13,
  +4 keen greatsword) or +24 melee (1d6+6 and energy drain,
  slam) +29/+24/+19 ranged (1d8+9, +3 composite longbow);
  SA Blood drain, children of the night, dominate, create spawn,
  energy drain, sneak attack 3d6, minor battle memory, spell
  memory, greater spell memory, memory of one’s own weakness;
  SQ Alternate form, DR 15/+2 (or 10/silver and magic), fast
  healing 5, gaseous form, cold and electricity resistance 10,
  spider climb at will, skill memory, perfect recall, delve into
  collective memory, creature loresight 6/day, object loresight
  6/day, defensive focus, lesser delve into personal memory,
  impersonate, location loresight 6/day, feat memory, greater battle
  memory, greater delve into personal memory, steal identity,
  memory of one’s own thoughts, memory of one’s own presence,
  memory of one’s own intentions; immune to spells and effects
  that normally affect undead, vampire weaknesses, undead traits
  (but can suffer critical hits); SV Fort +9, Ref +19, Will +21;
  Str 18 (24), Dex 22 (26), Con —, Int 23, Wis 18, Cha 22.
  Skills: Appraise +16, Bluff +42, Decipher Script +16,
  Diplomacy +30, Disable Device +34, Disguise +16, Escape
  Artist +18, Forgery +16, Intimidate +36, Knowledge (cere-
  mony) +22, Knowledge (dangerous beasts) +22, Knowledge
  (dragons) +22, Knowledge (geography) +22, Knowledge (his-
  tory) +22, Knowledge (nature) +20, Knowledge (runes) +20,
  Knowledge (science) +20, Listen +42, Open Locks +24,
  Search +38, Sense Motive +40, Sneak +44, Spot +34,
  Tumble +36, Use Magic Device +26.
  Feats: Ability Focus (dominate), Alertness, Combat Reflexes,
  Defensive Move, Defensive Stance, Dodge, Exotic Armor
  Proficiency, Expertise, Fleet of Foot, Improved Disarm,
  Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes,
  Opportunist, Paralyzing Blow, Speed Burst.
  Languages: Aquan, Common, Celestial, Giant, Infernal,
  Sylvan, Undercommon.
  Alternate Form (Su): As a standard action the Master can
  assume a new shape, similar to polymorph at caster level
  12th, except he regains no hit points for changing form and
  may choose only bat, dire bat, wolf, or dire wolf form. While
  in the alternate form, the Master loses his slam attack and
  dominate ability but gains the natural weapons and extraordi-
  nary special attacks of his new form. He can remain in that
  form until he assumes another or until the next sunrise.
  Battle Memory, Minor and Greater (Su): Once per day, after
  concentrating for 1 round, the Master gains a +3 competence
  bonus to attacks and damage and a +3 dodge bonus to AC. In
  addition, three times per day after such concentration, he
  gains +5 bonuses. The bonuses remain for 25 rounds.
  Blood Drain (Ex): The Master can suck blood from a living
  victim with his fangs after a successful grapple check. He
  drains 1d4 points of Constitution each round he maintains a
  pin, gaining 5 temporary hit points on each successful drain.
  Children of the Night (Su): Once per day the Master can call
  1d6+1 rat swarms, 1d4+1 bat swarms, or a pack of 3d6
  wolves as a standard action. The creatures arrive in 2d6
  rounds and serve him for up to one hour.
  Create Spawn (Su): A humanoid or monstrous humanoid slain
  by the Master’s energy drain rises as a vampire spawn 1d4
  days after burial. If the vampire instead drains the victim’s
  Constitution to 0 or lower, the victim returns as a spawn if it
  had 4 HD or less and as a vampire if it had 5 HD or more.
  Delve Into Collective Memory (Su): 25 times per day, the
  Master may take 10 minutes to make a check with a +31
  bonus to see whether he knows a particular bit of information.
  Delve Into Personal Memory, Lesser and Greater (Su): Once
  per day as a standard action the Master can mentally learn the
  one-word answer to a question from a creature within 25 feet.
  The creature can attempt a Will save (DC 28). One addition-
  al time per day he can also gain an answer of up to 25 words.
  Dominate (Su): By looking into the eyes of a foe within 30
  feet, the Master can make the foe fall instantly under his
  influence as though by dominate person (caster level 12th).
  This is similar to a gaze attack, except he must use a stan-
  dard action, and those merely looking at him are not affect-
  ed. Targets must succeed at a Will save (DC 30) to avoid.
  Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by the Master’s natural
  weapons receive two negative levels (Fortitude save, DC 28,
  to remove). For each negative level, the Master gains 5 tem-
  porary hit points. He can use this ability once per round.
  Feat Memory (Su): Once per day, after 1 round of concentra-
  tion, the Master can use an ability normally gained as a gener-
  al feat (for which he meets the prerequisites) for 25 rounds.
  Gaseous Form (Su): As a standard action, the Master can
  assume gaseous form at will (caster level 5th), but can remain
  gaseous indefinitely with a fly speed of 20 feet (perfect).
  Impersonate (Su): At will, the Master can impersonate other
  creatures’ mannerisms, speech patterns, knowledge, and
  overall demeanor, adding a +5 bonus to Disguise checks.
  Memory of One’s Own Intentions (Su): As a free action, the
  Master gains a +5 insight bonus to AC against all attacks he
  is aware of made by one foe within 100 feet.
  Memory of One’s Own Presence (Su): As a free action, the
  Master knows the exact location of any thinking being with-
  in 30 feet. He cannot be flanked and never loses his
  Dexterity bonus to attacks from foes within 30 feet.
  Memory of One’s Own Thoughts (Su): As a free action once
  per round, the Master can use the spell read mind at will on
  any creature within 25 feet (but only on one mind at once).
  Memory of One’s Own Weakness (Su): The Master gains a +2
  insight bonus to all attack and damage rolls on a foe within 30
  feet and treats such foes as if they have no Dexterity bonus.
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  78
  Perfect Recall (Ex): The Master gains a +6 bonus to a Knowl-
  edge check or an Intelligence check to remember a thing. 
  Skill Memory (Su): 12 times per day, after 1 round of concentra-
  tion, the Master gains a +8 bonus to a skill check next round.
  Spell Memory and Greater Spell Memory (Su): The Master
  can cast any simple spell of up to 7th level and any spell of
  up to 9th level (twice per day each). Save DCs are Intelligence
  based; caster level 25th. 
  Steal Identity (Su): For six hours once per day, the Master can
  impersonate any intelligent creature who is alive or has ever
  lived without ever having been near that creature. This func-
  tions like impersonate, except with a +10 Disguise bonus.
  Possessions: +4 keen longsword, +3 mighty (+6) composite
  longbow, arrows (20), +5 reflecting Devanian chain shirt,
  ring of freedom of movement, ring of protection +4, major
  cloak of displacement, gloves of dexterity +4, belt of giant
  strength +6, amulet of natural armor +3.
  11. Wardens’ Reach (Obstacle; Medium Level)
  The last band of trees that separates the Forest of Towers
  from the Barrens hosts some of the most dangerous creatures
  in Serathis. A small band of dark wardens—fearsome giants
  who have sworn to protect and nurture the natural wilder-
  ness—have gathered here to encourage the Barrens’ growth
  and expunge the ruins from the valley. They see Serathis as a
  stain on the natural world, and they aspire to eventually undo
  the strange magic that allows the Barrens to grow. Until then,
  they hope that the trees will spread to annihilate the build-
  ings, ruins, and other blemishes on the land. One day, they
  have sworn, the mountain shall be made whole.
  The dark wardens (see Chapter Twelve: Creatures in
  Arcana Evolved) prove vicious foes because they consider no
  tactic dishonorable. Early in the ruins’ development, five
  wardens appeared before Eia-Perren and Krovacatharis with
  their list of demands. They claimed that the influx of treas-
  ure hunters and adventurers would make an already dire sit-
  uation worse; the magic and relics within the ruins are the
  mountain’s bounty, and as such they should remain undis-
  turbed until nature reclaims them. Needless to say, neither
  party listened. Spurned by the powers-that-be, the dark war-
  dens have chosen to undertake a guerrilla war against treas-
  ure hunters and adventurers who enter the ruins. They
  chose the Barrens as their initial base of operations because
  it offered ideal terrain for ambushes and similar attacks, as
  well as cover against attempts to hunt them down.
  A charismatic female giant named Eue-Ilthar leads the
  dark wardens. She is a judgmental fanatic with little patience
  for those who try to justify efforts to pillage the land of its
  resources. While she and her fellow dark wardens are by no
  means bloodthirsty murderers, they tend to attack first and
  ask questions later. Eue-Ilthar possesses no formal title or
  position. She is first among equals, but the other dark war-
  dens defer to her experience.
  Usually, dark wardens work alone, and these crusaders are
  no exception. Each of them watches over a part of the
  Wardens’ Reach to form a sort of net that catches many par-
  ties bound for the Forest of Towers. They prefer to use tac-
  tics that draw in greedy and destructive souls. For example,
  they might leave a modest treasure chest of coins buried in
  a shallow pit—along with a small earthen jug filled with 
  poisonous gas produced by fermenting berries. Someone 
  digging into the pit risks smashing the jug and unleashing
  the poison. The dark wardens also use other tactics (such as
  covering trinkets in blood or mucous taken from diseased
  animals) to wage a subtle war against their enemies. They
  tend to directly attack only groups that openly strike wilder-
  ness animals or despoil the trees and terrain.
  Secret: What drew the dark wardens to the city? 
  They traveled here due to a traumatic vision Eue-Ilthar
  witnessed of a terrible, destructive artifact that would spread
  fire across the forests of the world. She hopes to prevent
  anyone from finding it, or to uncover it herself in order to
  destroy it. Unfortunately, she does not trust the dragon or
  the giants enough to confide in them. If the characters can
  establish friendly relations with her and her followers, they
  might be able to help her avert a disaster. Otherwise, the
  wardens may seek help when it is nearly too late.
  MONSTERS IN THE BARRENS
  The Barrens host larger and more dangerous monsters than
  those found in the southerly reaches of the ruins. Without a
  concerted effort to eradicate particularly menacing beasts,
  they continue to thrive—and the stream of adventurers and
  explorers through the area only provides even more food to
  sustain them. Few trails last long in the Barrens, for the
  monsters stalk roads and paths for easy prey.
  Akthars: These creatures offer an obvious challenge to
  adventurers. The five clans described earlier in this chapter
  exemplify what the player characters may encounter, but they
  are by no means the only ones in the Barrens. Since the tribes
  have such a wide range of talents and dispositions, you can
  use them in a number of ways. Akthars might ally with the
  PCs, treating them as strange—but potentially useful—guests.
  Other akthars are little more than bloodthirsty savages.
  Cyclopses: A number of these brutes wander the Barrens
  in bands that hunt dinosaurs for food and take akthars as
  slaves. They are lazy and overconfident, as befits creatures
  that for decades have been among the mightiest in the
  region. Sometimes akthars hire them as mercenaries with
  bribes of gold and other valuables. The cyclopses rarely place
  themselves in danger for their patrons, but they are too confi-
  dent to allow puny humanoids (like PCs) to intimidate them.
  Dinosaurs: Akthars rightly fear—and, in some cases, 
  worship—dinosaurs, for they are the undisputed kings of the
  Barrens’ ecosystem. Tyrannosaurs prowl the forests, striding
  among the tower trees in search of a meal. Elasmosaurs glide
  > > > > >
  
  79
  along the swamps, snatching fish from the waters and aggres-
  sively defending their hunting grounds. Packs of deinonychuses
  and megaraptors compete for food throughout the region, turn-
  ing areas that seemed safe into hunting grounds overnight.
  Inshons: Several tribes of inshons dwell within the
  swamps. Though akthars attack them whenever they cross
  paths, the inshons multiply too rapidly for their enemies ever
  to exterminate them fully. The appearance of explorers and
  adventurers in the region has proven a boon for these crea-
  tures: The akthars have focused their efforts against the out-
  landers, allowing the inshons to multiply unchecked.
  Rock Bats: More common in the Barrens than in other
  districts, rock bats (see Chapter One) nest in upper branches
  or sheer cliff faces. Normally, they hunt in large numbers.
  Some akthar clans leave out shiny rocks and other trinkets
  that attract the creatures. When the rock bats swoop in to
  claim the items, the akthars emerge from hiding to fell them
  with spears and arrows. Sometimes, expeditions become
  caught in the crossfire of these traps.
  Ru-Akthars: These vicious creatures have slowly spread
  across the Barrens. Although akthars hunt them when they
  can and enforce cultural strictures against interclan breed-
  ing, the original population of ru-akthars (see Chapter One)
  has managed to grow over the years. Ru-akthars pose a dead-
  ly threat due to their territorial nature. An expedition might
  suffer an attack through no fault of its own, as it stumbles
  across a ru-akthar’s hunting grounds.
  Shadow Trolls: A number of shadow trolls live within the
  Shadowreach and the Underforest. These creatures entered
  Serathis through unknown passages deep within the moun-
  tains. They prefer to remain at the periphery of most events,
  but rumors abound that they plan to rally a large horde of
  monsters within the earth and attack the city from below.
  The shadow trolls in the city are merely scouts charged with
  mapping out the region and planning the first attacks. 
  Shambling Mounds: Within the swamps of the Barrens,
  shambling mounds emerge as one of the most fearsome nat-
  ural predators. These creatures exhibit strange behaviors.
  Deep within the swamp, they have gathered rocks and debris
  to form a crude shrine. Once per year, more than 100 sham-
  bling mounds gather in this spot, swaying back and forth
  while humming an unearthly song.
  Spined Hounds: Spined hounds (see Chapter One) wan-
  der the forests of the Barrens in large packs. Once they catch
  the scent of a potential meal, they track it down relentlessly.
  Spined hounds tend to pursue a target until a more appealing
  one presents itself. Many expeditions have been forced to
  dump their treasures in order to outrun these creatures, as
  they will chase their prey to the very edges of the Barrens.
  Trolls: Several tribes of trolls wander the swamps, raiding
  akthar villages for food. Defeating a troll is a sure way to
  help convince an akthar clan to at least refrain from immedi-
  ate violence, as those creatures detest and fear trolls.
  Will-O’-Wisps: Throughout the swamps, will-o’-wisps pro-
  vide spectral radiance by night. At least one appears to travel-
  ers each night in the swamps. Will-o’-wisps tend to be more
  common in areas of sunken ruins and other hidden caches,
  leading akthars to consider them ghosts of the Builders
  Wyverns: These winged predators nest in the upper reach-
  es of the tower trees and range across the ruins in search of
  meals. Wyverns have no use for treasure, and their victims’
  weapons, armor, and coins sometimes rain down upon the
  forest floor. The Leatherwing akthar clan (see page 69) cap-
  tures and tames young wyverns to use as mounts.
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  CHAPTER FOUR: THE BARRENS
  
  E
  ncircled by the Barrens, the Forest of Towers looms
  in the distance, visible from almost any spot in
  Serathis. Its siren’s call draws explorers, yet many
  who seek their fortunes here find only death and misery. The
  site of many of the most important and profitable expeditions
  into the city of Serathis, it also harbors the most menacing
  guardians and dangerous traps. Many vaults and structures
  within it remain intact—along with protective measures left
  behind by the Builders. Furthermore, caverns beneath the
  towers allow creatures from the depths of the earth to roam
  the area. Experienced treasure seekers know that smashed
  walls, shattered treasure vaults, and other signs of activity
  could point to the presence of terrible monsters from the
  darkness beneath the earth.
  The Forest of Towers is intended for 5th-level and higher
  player characters. Lower-level characters may find its mon-
  sters and opponents simply too tough for them to handle.
  Most exploration parties employ dozens of mercenaries,
  freelance spellcasters, and other experts to defend them; for
  a group as small as an adventuring party, skill and power
  must take the place of numbers.
  The Forest of Towers gained its name for good reason.
  Walking through it is indeed akin to taking a stroll through a
  cyclopean stone forest. The towers soar more than 100 feet
  into the air, some rising above even the monstrous trees of
  the Barrens. To the residents of the Diamond Throne, this
  place represents an architectural marvel. Not only are the
  buildings far larger than one commonly sees, but the sheer
  number of towers forms a metropolis that could rival a mod-
  ern city. Some sages estimate that the towers contain several
  thousand rooms and chambers in total. The Forest promises
  to remain a viable location for treasure hunters for decades to
  come, and many groups scramble to mark out their territory
  in hopes of establishing salvage operations that will yield prof-
  its for many years. Thus, the stakes are high in the Forest.
  This section details a few of the towers and some portions
  of this region. In addition, it provides lists of ideas and loca-
  tions you can insert as desired. In many ways, the entire for-
  est is one enormous, aboveground dungeon. However,
  unlike the typical dungeon, it is an active, living area. New
  teams of explorers establish camps every day, while monsters
  crawl from the sinkholes and passages that honeycomb the
  ground. Each tower possesses some unique trait that sets it
  apart from the rest. After all, these structures required
  tremendous amounts of time and energy to complete, and
  the Builders undertook their design and creation with care
  and a sense of artistry. These are unique works of art rather
  than mass-produced dwellings.
  FACTIONS WITHIN THE FOREST
  Few permanent camps exist within the Forest of Towers.
  The region’s deadly monsters simply number too many and
  pose too continual a threat toward any attempt at building a
  proper settlement. Hidden supply caches dot the region, but
  no one has succeeded in maintaining a proper base. The
  Beyond the tumbled wreckage of the Slums, past the deadly terrain of the Barrens, lies the Forest of
  Towers. Named for its many intact buildings and soaring, at times awe-inspiring, architecture, this
  region of Serathis is reputedly the most dangerous but profitable area to explore. A multitude of treas-
  ure caches awaits discovery—if adventurers can first overcome the traps, guardian monsters, and other
  defenses that protect them. Creatures from the surrounding mountains seek shelter here, and thieves,
  smugglers, and other interlopers prey on the explorers who plumb the Forest’s depths. These marauders
  gather in small bands to steal the artifacts and wealth that others risked their lives to recover.
  The Forest of Towers
  CHAPTER FIVE:
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  80
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  81
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  CHAPTER FIVE: FOREST OF TOWERS
  groups that operate here rely on mobility and secrecy to survive. The
  giants and the dragon Krovacatharis have yet to send military forces,
  as distance and the great danger involved in such a trip discourage
  the deployment of troops. A patrol would be isolated from its head-
  quarters, and many of the creatures that lurk in this area could
  destroy the unit single-handedly.
  The Huntsmen (Obstacle; High Level)
  A small group of highly trained, powerful giants continually plagues
  explorers and adventurers. Time and time again, the Huntsmen have
  descended upon an expedition, defeated its guards, and seized the
  treasures it carried. The Huntsmen are renowned for striking at just
  the right time to disrupt guards and sweep in for an easy victory.
  Many times, their opponents surrender and allow the giants to take
  what they want before the fight starts. Luckily, the Huntsmen
  restrain themselves when it comes to fighting, allowing victims to
  escape unharmed if they simply turn over a few choice bits of treas-
  ure, and leaving opponents alive when possible. Many items stolen by
  the Huntsmen later turn up in the Safe Quarter’s markets, yet no one
  has managed to track down the fences and smugglers they work with.
  Orn-Tharzad, a mighty giant warmain, leads the Huntsmen. A
  skilled warrior and master tactician, he uses superior planning and
  cunning ambushes to defeat his enemies. He has never been seen
  without his armor, and he wears a tall horned helmet at all times.
  The other giants in Orn-Tharzad’s warband adopt similar dress. Even
  the magister in their ranks wears a mask and thick robes to conceal
  his (or her) identity. Many suspect that the Huntsmen walk openly
  through the Safe Quarter, confident that their disguises protect their
  true identities.
  Secret: What are the Huntsmen’s goals? 
  (1) They are a special, elite unit of warriors tasked with tracking and
  slaying powerful monsters in the ruins and recovering magic items and
  relics that interest the Hu-Charad leaders in Serathis. The Huntsmen
  wear disguises in case a veteran or akashic recognizes their faces and
  realizes their true alliance. The giants risk tremendous political damage
  if the truth behind these raiders came out. After all, their race is sup-
  posed to be a force for law and order. If they resort to such low-handed
  tactics to secure magical items and keep the peace, the folk in Serathis
  and elsewhere have a good reason to mistrust them. 
  (2) The Huntsmen are an independent gang organized by the dragon
  Krovacatharis—the dragon’s personal enforcers and treasure hunters.
  Sometimes, Krovacatharis journeys with them in the ruins, using magic
  to conceal his flight to the Forest when he meets them. Krovacatharis
  insists the Huntsmen remain disguised, as he plans to use them as an
  elite commando unit to infiltrate and launch a surprise attack against
  the giants if the two sides ever go to war.
  Orn-Tharzad, male giant warmain 14: CR 14; Medium giant; HD
  14d12+45 (165 hp), Dying/Dead –4/–17; Init +4; Speed 20 feet (base
  30 feet); AC 32 (+17 armor, +3 shield, +2 natural), touch 10, flat-foot-
  ed 32; Base Attack +14; Grapple +19; Attack +25 melee (1d10+14, 
  +1 dire waraxe); Full Attack +25/+20/+15 melee (1d10+14, +1 dire
  waraxe); SA Crushing blow, combat rites; SQ Armor specialization; 
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  82
  > > > > >
  SV Fort +13, Ref +5, Will +7; Str 20, Dex 10, Con 17, 
  Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 14.
  Skills: Intimidate +19, Knowledge (engineering) +19,
  Knowledge (history) +19, Ride +17.
  Feats: Cleave, Exotic Armor Proficiency, Exotic Weapon
  Proficiency (heavy), Improved Initiative, Iron Flesh, Power
  Attack, Sense the Unseen, Sturdy, Sunder, Tough Hide,
  Weapon Focus (waraxe), Weapon Specialization (waraxe).
  Crushing Blow (Ex): Once per day, Orn-Tharzad can channel
  great physical power into a single blow in melee combat. A
  normal hit inflicts damage as if it were a critical hit—even if
  striking a foe normally immune to critical hits. On a critical
  hit, increase the critical’s multiplier by +1. 
  Combat Rites: Orn-Tharzad can activate two 1st-rank combat
  rites per day (see Chapter Nine in Arcana Evolved).
  Possessions: +5 articulated plate, +1 heavy shield, +5 keen dire
  waraxe, bag of tricks (rust), cape of the mountebank, cloak of
  resistance +1.
  Winged Golem (Goal, Obstacle, High Level)
  The winged golem is one of many mysteries found within the
  ruins, but of all the enigmas he is perhaps the most celebrat-
  ed. Almost every expedition to the Forest of Towers sees this
  10-foot-tall stone statue gliding through the air in the distance.
  From collected reports of adventurers and treasure hunters,
  the golem possesses a humanoid shape and resembles a
  human wearing scale armor and an open-faced, winged helm.
  Two shiny, metallic wings sprout from its back, enabling it to
  soar through the air with incredible speed.
  An ancient construction of the Builders, the winged golem
  was designed to serve as a scout and watcher, and it contin-
  ues to fulfill its final orders despite the thousands of years
  that have passed since its creation. Each day, it flies through
  the towers and notes the movement of explorers, monsters,
  and other creatures. It surveys the buildings and terrain, not-
  ing any changes and marking the passage of days. At night, it
  returns to a chamber hidden high atop one of the towers.
  There, it records all it has seen on an endless roll of parch-
  ment. It places its report inside a large storage chamber and
  rests to prepare for its next reconnaissance mission.
  Anyone who found the winged golem’s secret lair would
  uncover a tremendous windfall. While its oldest records have
  long since crumbled into dust, its more recent logs provide
  detailed information on everything that has happened in the
  ruins. Unfortunately, the winged golem could never give up its
  cache without a fight. Its favorite tactic: grabbing an oppo-
  nent, flying high into the sky, and dropping her to her death.
  Secret: What is the winged golem’s attitude toward adven-
  turers? 
  (1) The golem is an intelligent construct that wants to be
  freed of its responsibility. An akthar tribe once uncovered the
  wand used to command the golem, and it now rests in the
  ruins of their city, Tarthalas, within the Underforest (see
  Chapter Four). If the PCs free the golem, it gladly turns over
  the information it has and tells them the city’s true history. 
  (2) As a dramojh construct, the winged golem is utterly
  evil. It was ordered to unleash unspeakable horror upon the
  world if outlanders conquered the Forest of Towers. If more
  than 100 humans, giants, or other folk establish a settlement
  in this region, it unleashes a massive swarm of 1,000 black
  puddings held in a stasis vault within the ruins. These crea-
  tures swarm like locusts across the land, destroying all in
  their path unless the winged golem is stopped.
  The Winged Golem: CR 14; Large construct; HD 18d10+30
  (129 hp); Init +6; Speed 30 feet, fly 80 feet (perfect); AC 33
  (+2 Dex, +22 natural, –1 size), touch 11, flat-footed 31;
  Base Attack +13; Grapple +27; Attack +24/+24 melee
  (2d10+11, 2 slams); Space/Reach 10 feet/10 feet (Face 5
  feet × 5 feet); SA Breath weapon; SQ Construct traits, 
  DR 20/+2 (or 15/adamantine), darkvision 60 feet, immunity
  to magic, low-light vision; SV Fort +6, Ref +10, Will +7; 
  Str 33, Dex 14, Con —, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 10.
  Skills: Knowledge (history) +23, Listen +22, Sense Motive
  +22, Spot +22.
  Feats: Cleave (basic and improved), Flyby Attack, Improved
  Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Sunder,
  Weapon Focus (slam).
  Breath Weapon (Su): 10-foot cube, cloud of poisonous gas
  lasting 1 round, free action once every 1d4+1 rounds; initial
  damage 1d4 Constitution, secondary damage 3d4 Consti-
  tution, Fortitude save, DC 19 negates. The save DC is
  Constitution based. 
  Immunity to Magic (Ex): The winged golem is immune to any
  spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addi-
  tion, certain spells and effects function differently against
  the creature, as noted: A magical attack that deals electricity
  damage slows the winged golem (as the slow spell) for 3
  rounds, with no saving throw. A magical attack that deals
  fire damage breaks any slow effect on the golem and heals 
  1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage the attack
  would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause
  the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any
  excess as temporary hit points.
  THE TOWERS
  Towers soar into the air like the massive trees of the
  Barrens, creating a forest of stone and brick. Cobblestone
  streets, in many places pockmarked with craters and with
  debris that has tumbled from the towers, form a vaguely
  gridlike pattern. The Forest of Towers is a breathtaking sight
  for the people of the Diamond Throne. The energy, time,
  and expertise needed to build it dwarfs the skills of the
  greatest stonemasons of the land. 
  While this place is a wonder to behold, it presents a variety
  of dangers to the unwary. Deadly creatures and cruel robbers
  
  lurk in the shadows. Rocks tumble down to the streets as
  the towers slowly yield to the ceaseless assault of time and
  ruin. Bizarre magical effects run rampant, the last signs of
  the great power wielded by the Builders in the ancient days.
  This place is the ultimate destination for countless adven-
  turers, but for all too many it proves their final one.
  The streets vary from clear, cobblestone ways to choked
  piles of smashed rock and masonry. The towers range from
  wholly intact to crumbling, and in several cases have col-
  lapsed into utter ruin—smashing into their neighbors as
  they fall and triggering a chain reaction of destruction. In
  the early days of exploration, a few adventuring parties
  found out the hard way that the upper stories of some tow-
  ers teeter on the brink of collapse.
  The towers range from 5 to 15 levels tall. They are general-
  ly about 50 feet wide by 50 feet long, though these dimension
  vary. Their interiors usually have 10-foot-wide doorways and
  15-foot-tall ceilings. Though some folk believe that the
  Builders were giants or an offshoot of that species, the
  strange furnishings that survive to this day fail to support that
  conclusion. The chairs are wide, round stools; tables and beds
  are usually wide, round, and built low to the ground. In some
  areas, human-sized chambers and furnishings suggest that
  the Builders either lived alongside humanoids or kept them
  as servants and slaves. Usually, these quarters are set apart
  from the primary, well-appointed chambers of a tower.
  Roughly two dozen towers survive intact; another dozen
  more have sustained severe structural damage. This chapter
  describes some of these buildings starting on page 86. The
  remainder are left for you to design and fill with traps, mon-
  sters, and other threats. To help you in this task, this section
  provides basic information and ideas for the towers.
  Tower Design
  As originally constructed, each tower served as a dormitory-
  style home for a single clutch of dramojh. When Nithogar
  created these monsters, he relied on the first generation to
  teach subsequent ones the basic skills and talents he had
  given them. The dramojh were malevolent, greedy, and self-
  centered. When cramped into small quarters, these qualities
  would eventually lead to infighting and conflict unless the
  elders gave their children an outlet for their ambition. By
  placing the dramojh in close quarters, Nithogar ensured that
  either they would have to aid each other, or the younger
  generations would gather and seize the magical and mun-
  dane treasures the older ones had accumulated. 
  Stone gargoyles, bas-relief carvings, and other decorations
  cover the exterior of most towers. The ground floor usually
  has one main entrance with a pair of grand doors, plus
  smaller side and back entrances intended for slaves and
  other workers. Windows commonly dot the first few floors
  but become increasingly rare at higher levels. The dramojh
  never had a particular love for sunlight, and most preferred
  privacy and security to comfort. Small ducts about as wide
  as a human fist brought fresh air to these levels.
  The lower levels of a tower might hold slave quarters 
  but mainly boast large, impressive ballrooms and atriums
  designed to awe and impress visitors. The dramojh engaged 
  in vicious competitions for social prestige, primarily to curry
  favor with Nithogar. Architects and mages who could produce
  the most interesting and unique work earned the dragon’s
  respect and admiration. Like children fighting for a parent’s
  attention, the dramojh struggled with each other for
  Nithogar’s attention. Thus, public rooms typically have soar-
  ing, vaulted ceilings, columns with elaborate bas relief carv-
  ings, colorful murals, wondrous sculptures, balconies with
  intricately carved railings, and other elegant details. Gold and
  gems cover many of these features, and most are still intact.
  The dramojh took care to place a multitude of minor magical
  traps on these displays to discourage vandals. These treasures
  are usually valuable, but many expeditions lack the magical
  resources needed to liberate them without serious injury.
  A tower’s middle levels usually served as living quarters
  for slaves and dramojh alike. One or two sets of stairs lead
  from the lower floors to these private quarters. One stairway
  serves the dramojh quarters, while the second one heads to
  the smaller slave quarters. Slaves had no direct passageway
  to the dramojh living areas, so two separate zones exist on
  each of these floors.
  While the slaves lived in cramped dormitories, the dramojh
  enjoyed more spacious accommodations. Even so, not all
  dramojh enjoyed equal status, and the proportion of space
  allotted to slave and dramojh quarters shifted from floor to
  floor. The lowest levels of dramojh quarters are smaller, with
  more space set aside for the separate slave quarters, while
  on the upper levels each dramojh had a complete floor to
  itself. This arrangement reflects the social and political
  ranking of a dramojh. The higher one lived in a tower, the
  more important, powerful, or accomplished a dramojh was
  in the eyes of its fellows. Thus, a tower’s higher living areas
  tend to hold superior treasures and wondrous magic, as the
  more experienced, wealthier dramojh dwelled there. These
  elites were always wary of their lesser kin, as theft and sabo-
  tage were both common methods of discrediting rivals. They
  therefore frequently placed traps, bound elementals, raised
  undead creatures, and called outsiders to defend their
  homes. In many cases, these guardians remain in place.
  The uppermost levels of the towers housed laboratories and
  libraries. Needless to say, they hold the most valued treasures
  and relics. These places were usually sealed from the outside,
  with nothing more than narrow air ducts allowing physical
  access to them. To the dramojh, learning the spells (such as
  teleport or incorporeal form) needed to access these rooms
  was an important rite of passage. Only those who displayed a
  mastery of magic were allowed to enter the upper levels of the
  towers. Most adventuring parties lack the resources needed to
  83
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  CHAPTER FIVE: FOREST OF TOWERS
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  84
  > > > > >
  enter these chambers, leaving them relatively intact.
  Unfortunately for any party that might find its way in, the
  ever-paranoid dramojh left behind undead creatures, ele-
  mentals, traps, and other hazards to deal with intruders.
  The libraries, workshops, and other upper chambers host-
  ed elaborate magical experimentation. Strange, twisted crea-
  tures still slumber in tanks designed to nurse them into
  being. The characters might unwittingly allow a new breed
  of horrific monster to escape into the world, or they could
  face some of the first—and most powerful—abominations
  that the dramojh crafted. A doomsday artifact might lay on 
  a table just waiting for someone to come along and use it
  toward an evil end. The dramojh experimented in a wide
  range of areas. The Builders were, in a way, superior to the
  dramojh that followed them: They cared little for anything
  beyond the acquisition of knowledge and the accumulation
  of arcane might. No risk was too great for them in these
  pursuits.
  A tower’s roof usually slopes to a single, central point to
  prevent intruders and flying creatures from perching atop
  the building. Since the dramojh were skilled in magic and 
  in taming creatures, some towers have small platforms and
  structures mounted on their upper levels to house flying
  monsters or to host open-air experiments. Some remain
  intact, but few allow access to a tower’s interior.
  Many towers have subterranean levels. These chambers
  typically served as storage for food, tools, weapons, armor,
  and other bulky supplies. Beneath the towers lay extensive
  crypts, as most dramojh were buried in opulent chambers
  that reflected their material wealth and skills. While few of
  these burial chambers remained undisturbed for long (a dead
  dramojh’s rivals would descend upon its grave to steal what-
  ever wealth they could), some treasure remains. Undead
  creatures and burrowing monsters live in the crypts. Finally,
  some dramojh built secret lairs beneath the towers, places
  where they could conduct work away from the eyes of their
  elders and rivals. When they wanted to make a bid to slay an
  elder and seize power, they used spells, beasts, and magic
  items developed in these hidden chambers.
  Dangers in the Towers
  Many of the towers’ greatest threats are subtler than rampag-
  ing, twisted abominations, undead creatures left imprisoned
  in tombs for centuries, and deadly traps left to defend
  ancient treasures. The dramojh pushed the science of magic
  to the breaking point. Often, their creations were unstable or
  gathered magical energy that they could barely control.
  Countless objects were developed with fell purposes in mind,
  leaving them useful only as tools of destruction. This section
  provides you with a variety of dangers that you can place
  within a tower or use as models for your own creations.
  A laboratory contains a variety of glass jars, all sealed
  with a waxy substance. The dramojh who worked here
  investigated diseases, and he collected specimens within
  these containers. A rash explorer might smash a few and
  touch off a deadly plague that sweeps across the city.
  Perhaps the cure is hidden somewhere in the tower where
  the sickness originated.
  A sword floats within a misty sphere of energy. The
  blade crackles and sparks with arcane power. Moving the
  sword triggers a curse: A host of spectral undead creatures
  (use wraiths or something suitable to the party’s level) tracks
  down the culprit to reclaim the sword and return it to its rest-
  ing place. Even if defeated, these relentless creatures keep
  coming back—they re-form 48 hours after they are destroyed.
  A desperate merchant might sell the weapon to the characters
  for a low price, leaving them to discover its grim secret.
  Perhaps the party needs to use the sword to complete a spe-
  cific task or slay an enemy before destroying or returning it.
  Undead creatures infest a whole tower, working in
  concert toward some terrible goal. The place is in pristine
  condition, as the undead repair any damage, but they also
  use coordinated tactics and the aid of several powerful
  undead warriors and spellcasters to slay all who attempt to
  enter the place. Those killed in this manner become undead
  creatures themselves, either put to work repairing the place
  or fighting to defend it. Judging from the amount of dirt and
  rock the undead carry from the tower and deposit in a near-
  by ruin, they must be engaged in a massive excavation. The
  undead were long ago placed here by a powerful spell that
  serves as a failsafe defensive mechanism. They seek to
  unearth an artifact buried deep beneath the tower, a device
  that even the dramojh feared. If they unearth it, they will
  use it to unleash a magical cataclysm that destroys every-
  thing within 100 miles. 
  Stone and iron golems have grown sentient in the years
  since they were crafted and left to maintain one of the towers.
  Not once have they stepped outside, as they were ordered
  never to leave their tower, and in time the outer world began
  to take on a mythic quality to them. They wish to die, but
  their design does not allow them to opt for suicide. Instead,
  they seek to become organic in nature so that their bodies
  can finally wither and decay. They cover themselves in the
  flesh and bones of the intruders they have slain in hopes that
  their metallic or stone bodies will slowly transmute into flesh.
  KEY SITES IN THE FOREST OF TOWERS
  The Forest of Towers holds a variety of intriguing locations.
  Here, the dramojh completed their finest artistic works,
  their most intricate magical experiments, and their greatest
  architectural designs. It was the center of their culture, a
  crucible that gave birth to some of the greatest arcane and
  intellectual discoveries of the age.
  Few dull or plain structures exist. The dramojh expressed
  their greatness in their creations, primarily to demonstrate
  their superiority over their fellow dramojh. Nithogar, to spur
  
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  competition, taught them to continually battle for dominance
  in all areas. The dramojh saw all pursuits, from magic to art,
  as a tool for establishing themselves as superior to others.
  They waged subtle wars against each other, relying on assas-
  sination, sabotage, and similar tactics to wreck their rivals’
  works or steal information they needed to improve their own.
  This legacy of competitive research remains within the ruins
  in the form of traps, summoned creatures that wait for
  intruders to violate the sanctums they guard, and gold and
  magic items left sealed within vaults and treasure chests.
  The numbers in the descriptions below correspond to
  sites on the map on the previous page. Not all the buildings
  in this district are described in detail. Use the guidelines
  above for planning, creating, and stocking these areas and
  others you invent for your campaign.
  1. The Concert Hall (Goal; High Level)
  The Concert Hall stands in sharp contrast to the terrible
  monsters and frightening magic present within the Forest of
  Towers. This gleaming structure consists of a rainbow-hued
  pattern of red, gold, green, and blue quartz, glass, and crys-
  tal. Within it, dozens of glass spheres, each about 2 feet in
  diameter, hang suspended from the ceiling by coiled lengths
  of silver chain. Whenever a living creature touches one of
  the glass spheres, it sounds a musical note. A creature can
  produce music by touching several glass spheres in quick
  succession, with the tones blending into wondrous har-
  monies. As the music builds, waves of light pour from the
  spheres to create phantasmagoric scenes. Many of these
  visions draw on a viewer’s hidden desires, and each observer
  sees a different vision. The sound and sights combine to
  produce an almost narcotic experience, with participants
  riding a wave of euphoria. Some explorers have starved to
  death here, content to enjoy the illusions and allow their
  cares to fade away. Such trivial concerns as hunger, pain, or
  a pressing mission disintegrate in the face of the pleasure
  and comfort that the Concert Hall offers.
  Small parties of decadent nobles journey to this place,
  escorted by guards who keep watch for monsters and use
  earplugs to avoid this site’s allure. While their charges wallow
  in the music and sights, the guards remain outside. They
  watch for any potential threats and drag the revelers away
  from the hall when they are in danger from thirst or hunger.
  Anyone who enters the hall and touches one of its glass
  spheres must make a Will save (DC 20) or become caught
  up in the images and sounds that this place creates. Those
  within the hall or who enter after the music has begun must
  also make this save. A deaf creature or one with earplugs
  automatically succeeds at the saving throw. Those who fail
  the save remain rooted in place, trapped within an intricate
  web of audio and visual hallucinations. They lose their
  Dexterity bonus to Armor Class and can take no actions. A
  creature in this state can be led a distance equal to its speed
  each round without resistance. The hall’s magical influence
  counts as a mind-affecting power.
  The dangerous allure of this place has thus far concealed
  the Concert Hall’s true value. Mercenaries are content to
  make easy money off decadent nobles who have become
  addicted to the experience, and few sages or adventurers
  have attempted to explore this place. But the Concert Hall
  is actually a potent artifact—the Harmony Sphere—that,
  when properly manipulated, can attune itself to a variety of
  different worlds. Nithogar used this place to shift between
  the planes. He realized that planar travel required an artifact
  that size of a building, a structure that would obviously be
  difficult to hide from his enemies and rivals. Thus, he creat-
  ed a system of musical tunes and notes required to align the
  artifact with a destination. The strange, addictive images
  result when the artifact cannot create a bridge to another
  world. It delves into the consciousnesses of those present
  within its chamber and builds miniature worlds within each
  person’s mind. In this manner, Nithogar trapped those who
  attempted to use his artifact.
  The tunes and songs needed to create a portal were lost
  long ago. Only a mighty akashic could unearth them, as
  Nithogar left few, if any, written references. However, a
  party of nobles could accidentally create a gateway to anoth-
  er world. They might require a rescue, or they could unleash
  a strange creature upon the ruins.
  Secret: The mercenaries who bring nobles to the Concert
  Hall use aerial mounts to transport their clients. With such
  mounts, they could make more money as messengers, scouts,
  or treasure hunters. They in fact work for Krovacatharis, who
  plans to cultivate addiction in several important nobles, mer-
  chants, and others that he has not yet swayed to his cause.
  2. The Great Black Cyst 
  (Obstacle, Goal; High Level)
  In the center of the Forest of Towers stands a wide, low
  building. Unlike its neighbors, it is short, square, and ugly
  to behold. It is 20 feet tall, 100 feet long, and about 50 feet
  wide. A side of broad, shallow stairs leads down to a pair of
  massive bronze double doors. Judging from the lack of
  seams and joints on its surface, this building was carved
  from a single, titanic block of granite.
  The interior of this building is one room. Dust hangs
  thick in the air, and, except for a few explorers from outside
  the ruins, no living thing has entered here since the
  Builders disappeared. In the center of this chamber stands
  the greatest mystery of the ruins: the Great Black Cyst.
  Anyone who observes the cyst for long sees it pulse, shiv-
  er, and sometimes move slightly. Streaks of greenish-black
  energy slither over its surface, though these fade as quickly
  as they appear. The cyst is an utter enigma. The akashics
  plumbed the depths of their collective memory and came to
  a startling conclusion. There were no memories of the cyst
  
  from before its recent discovery in the ruins because, as far
  as they can see, no one had ever encountered it. The cyst
  either came to be within the near past, or it has remained
  utterly undisturbed.
  Some hints of the cyst’s nature come from the akthars.
  Those humanoids refuse to go anywhere near it. A few
  greenbonds who have observed the akthar report that they
  consider the cyst an anathema. Among several tribes, speak-
  ing of the cyst is considered taboo. They even have a short,
  simple ritual used to ward off the ill luck associated with
  speaking of it.
  Secret: What is the cyst? The answer to this question can
  help shape your entire campaign.
  (1) The cyst is a natural byproduct of the planar energies
  that ebb and flow through the Forest of Towers. Just as a living
  creature’s wound forms a scab to stop the flow of blood and
  promote healing, the cyst results from a natural process by
  which the cosmos heals the firmament of reality. Perhaps
  Nithogar’s travels to other worlds stretched and pulled too
  much at the planar boundaries. As the damage heals, the cyst
  serves to protect and obscure the site of the most traumatic
  damage. Anyone who tampers with the cyst risks meddling
  with the nature of the cosmos. A curious magister might try to
  probe the cyst, causing it to collapse and create a planar insta-
  bility. The giants and the dragon may have to work together to
  rally their spellcasters and heal the damage. The PCs might
  have to step in to convince both sides to set aside their rivalry
  and deal with the problem before it spreads out of control.
  (2) While Nithogar traveled to many alien realms, some-
  times inhabitants of those places followed him back to this
  world. The cyst contains a terrible, powerful being that tried
  to push through the boundary between worlds. This creature
  was so utterly alien that its physical and psychic form
  caused the cosmos to warp, shift, and form the cyst around
  it. The creature calls itself Margrag. Slowly but surely, it
  metamorphoses into a body that can exist within the bounds
  of this world. Until then, it casts a psychic net across the
  ruins. Perhaps the Opal Tower (see Area 6, page 89) is
  merely a reflection of its thoughts—a thinking building long
  ago turned into a vessel for Margrag’s ambition.
  (3) The cyst is a maze, a magical construct erased from
  the akashic memory by Nithogar. The dragon wanted to
  ensure that no one aside from his closest assistants learned
  of the cyst’s true nature, lest they threaten its existence. A
  powerful being from another dimension chased Nithogar to
  this world. The dragon could not defeat the creature, a
  being of pure darkness called Shadarna, but he managed to
  trap it within a series of intricate folds in the fabric of space
  and time. To this day, Shadarna continues to patrol the
  maze, desperate to find the exit that leads to this world.
  With the aid of the proper ritual, creatures from this plane
  can enter the dark, nightmarish world of the maze. It con-
  sists of hundreds of miles of dull stone passages. Strange
  planar creatures—such as shadows, nightwalkers, and other
  beings of utter darkness—stalk these halls. Anyone who
  enters the maze risks leading Shadarna to its exit. Once in
  this world, Shadarna manifests as an enormous creature
  that runs rampant across the countryside. (Use the MM sta-
  tistics for the tarrasque, except that it can be destroyed by
  casting purge akashic memory once it has take damage equal
  to its hit point total.) Expunging Shadarna from the world’s
  memory symbolically destroys it.
  3. The Fire Tower
  (Obstacle, Goal; High Level)
  The Fire Tower pulses and surges with blazing energy. The
  Builders crafted it by funneling elemental flames into a
  structure constructed from pure magic. The walls are made
  of flames held within walls of force. Many of the interior
  chambers flicker with a variety of colors. Green flames dec-
  orate chambers set aside for rest and relaxation, an angry
  red fire pulses in the workshops, and a soothing blue flame
  floods the slave quarters.
  Aside from this unusual material, the tower follows the
  basic layout described earlier in this chapter. As a nexus of
  fiery energy, it has a few unique traits. The energy that
  surges and flows from it attracts fire elementals. They tend
  to cluster in this region of the ruins, and small groups of
  them defend the tower from all visitors. To these elementals,
  this is a sacred, important site that draws a strange sect from
  their home world to worship it. The fire elementals believe
  the tower is a great god of their kind. They communicate
  with it and present burnt offerings (usually the ashes of crea-
  tures burned alive) by throwing them into the main entrance.
  Thus far, no one has managed to penetrate the tower’s
  outer defenses. The elementals number many, and their
  leaders are among the largest of their kind.
  Secret: Why are the elementals attracted to this place? 
  One of their gods really is trapped within the tower, but
  they lack the magical power to free it. In time, more and
  more elementals make pilgrimages to this site. Unless some-
  one enters the tower and somehow sends the god back to its
  home plane, the elementals might slowly overrun this part
  of the ruins.
  4. The Floating Tower 
  (Obstacle, Goal; High Level)
  A testament to the magical power and strange research con-
  ducted by the Builders, the Floating Tower is a five-story edi-
  fice that levitates 40 feet off the ground. From a distance, it
  blends in with the rest of the towers, save that a perceptive
  viewer might notice that it seems to bob and lean in the wind
  ever so slightly. A series of chains crafted from steel secures
  the tower in place. Each link measures more than 8 inches
  thick, and eight of these chains run from the tower’s sides 
  to a circle of anchors around its base. Unlike some other 
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  towers, the Floating Tower has several windows along its sides,
  and doors set into its roof and the lower surface of its base.
  The tower is three stories tall, with a sealed stone chamber
  at its center. This chamber has no entrance or exit; one can
  penetrate it only with the help of magic. Within it is a pulsing,
  surging sphere of pure elemental earth that operates as a gravi-
  ty well. Any creature that steps into the chamber immediately
  falls into the sphere and into the elemental plane of earth.
  Within the Floating Tower, gravity works differently than
  normal. The gravity well inside it pulls everything toward the
  tower’s center. This effect takes hold as soon as a creature
  touches the tower’s outer surface. Thus, outside the tower,
  you could walk up its sides or upside-down across its bot-
  tom, but if you were to break contact with its surface by
  leaping into the air, you would tumble down to the ground.
  The tower’s interior consists of a smaller, tower-shaped
  stone box floating within it, and a second (even smaller) box
  floating within the first. The latter—the innermost box—is
  the stone chamber that holds the gravity well. The space
  between the largest interior box and the tower itself is divid-
  ed into rooms. Because of the central gravity well, each
  chamber’s innermost wall serves as its floor, and its outer-
  most wall serves as its ceiling. Thus, to an outside viewer,
  people in rooms located below the gravity well would appear
  to be standing upside-down, those in rooms to its sides
  would appear to be standing on the walls, and those in rooms
  above the well would appear to have normal orientation.
  Within the tower, this unique gravity effect takes hold even
  if a creature or object does not touch the floor. Therefore, 
  a dropped item always falls toward the center of the tower.
  However, this effect is warped enough that a creature can
  pass from room to room without continually being pulled
  toward dead center. Shafts and ladders carved into the floor
  allow access to different areas of the tower. 
  Secret: The Floating Tower exists in a state of flux. The
  gravity it produces waxes and wanes. Sometimes it pulls
  objects from the ground toward it. Other times, the inner
  gravity fails and sends creatures tumbling to their doom.
  5. The Ghost Tower 
  (Obstacle, Goal; High Level)
  During the day, the Ghost Tower looks much like the struc-
  tures that surround it. Few traits distinguish it from the
  other towers, save for the windows that dot its sides. Those
  who have entered it describe halls and passages bare of fur-
  nishings or decoration. A thick layer of dust coats everything.
  At night, the Ghost Tower offers a much different picture.
  Strange, pulsing lights erupt from its windows. Ghostly
  humanoid forms caper and dance atop its roof and in the
  streets near its base. The sound of eerie laughter fills the
  air, and otherworldly music echoes through the ruins.
  In ages past, the slaves who lived in this tower rose up in
  a revolt and slew their masters. In a single night, they put
  the dramojh to the sword with help from the rivals of the
  tower’s residents. This turn of events enraged Nithogar, who
  worried that the rest of the slaves in Serathis might use the
  event as a rallying point to destroy his creations or at least
  hinder their development. The dragon knew that time was of
  the essence, and he did not wish to waste time putting down
  an uprising by puny humans. Thus, he drew upon his magi-
  cal talents to unleash a terrible spell upon the tower’s slaves.
  All within this place were slain, but their spirits were forever
  bound to the site. (See the stats for the incorporeal undead
  template in Chapter Twelve: Creatures of Arcana Evolved.)
  
  6. The Opal Tower (Obstacle, Goal; High Level)
  Named for the bands of opal gemstones set in rings around its surface,
  the Opal Tower is home to a small cabal of verrik spellcasters. They
  keep to themselves save for the occasional invitation they send to a pow-
  erful spellcaster or notable personage in the Safe Quarter. One of the
  first groups to penetrate the ruins, the verrik cleared the Opal Tower of
  traps, monsters, and other threats. They claim the place as their home
  and now conduct a variety of experiments and research here. To the out-
  side world, they are an eccentric (though powerful) group of scholars
  and mages; popular belief assumes that those summoned to the Opal
  Tower spend their time gaining arcane talent and uncovering rich
  caches of gems and treasure. However, the truth is far more sinister.
  The Opal Tower is one of the dramojh’s greatest creations. It
  attunes and focuses the psychic energy present in Serathis. Originally,
  the dramojh who created it believed he could delve into the thoughts
  of the city’s inhabitants and bend them to his will. Instead, the tower
  developed in a frightening and bizarre manner. Rather than soak up
  the psychic energy and channel it to the dramojh, it absorbed this
  power into its structure. Slowly, the tower began to change. The
  impressions of hundreds of living dramojh, all plotting, scheming, and
  dreaming, combined to form a single, gestalt personality. The building
  had literally come to life.
  The dramojh intended to test their new, unwitting creation, but soon
  after its “birth,” they were destroyed. The building slipped into a deep
  trance as it pondered its existence and attempted to puzzle out the
  meaning of the world. It was like a newborn child first encountering
  reality. Much of what it saw confused it, and organic beings proved too
  troublesome to understand. After a few centuries of inner thought, it
  awakened and turned its attention to the outside world. It observed the
  akthars, watched the purple worms and other monsters that wandered
  the ruins, and found that it could see and hear anywhere across the city.
  For decades, the sentient tower remained fascinated by what it saw.
  Akthar clans fought for dominance, monsters stalked the ruins, and
  the majesty of the dramojh slowly faded into ruin. The tower learned
  that it could send energy out to the minds of living creatures to affect
  their actions or even inhabit their bodies for short periods of time. It
  used this tool to understand how living beings saw the world and expe-
  rienced reality, but it soon concluded that it liked an enormous, rocky
  shape much better than a frail flesh and blood one. The Barrens were
  an utter mystery to the tower, as it could not peer into their borders
  nor could it force its way into the trees’ forms. It spent endless hours
  watching the Barrens from a distance, eager to learn anything. Over
  the years, though, its interest slowly died away.
  With the coming of the giants and the dragon to Serathis, it found
  something worth investigating. The new creatures had far more tools,
  tricks, and surprises than did the simple akthars. Their magic fascinat-
  ed the tower, and when a small band of verrik spellcasters entered the
  ruins, it reached out, slipped into their leader’s mind, and directed her
  to take up residence (with the rest of the cabal) in the Opal Tower.
  The Opal Tower can control one living creature of up to Huge size
  at a time. Its target must be within the city’s boundaries, and the vic-
  tim gains a Will save (DC 25) to resist the control. It takes the tower
  72 hours to focus its energy to seize a creature’s mind. The victim’s
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  personality slides into a deep slumber while the tower ran-
  sacks its memories. The tower can maintain this control
  indefinitely, but if the victim’s body leaves the city, the tower
  immediately surrenders its grip. When they regain control of
  their bodies, the tower’s victims remember everything they
  were forced to do.
  In addition, the Opal Tower has used the verrik cabal to
  construct a chamber in the uppermost level that allows it to
  seize control of multiple creatures, though each of these vic-
  tims must be within the tower at the time of the possession.
  In this way, the tower has gained control of the entire cabal.
  Tricking the verrik into believing that the chamber is merely
  a meditation room, it invited each individual into it alone
  and slowly took over his mind. Visitors to the tower experi-
  ence a similar conversion. Each creature that spends at least
  eight hours in the chamber must make a Will save (DC 25)
  or come under the tower’s control as described above. The
  tower can control up to 100 HD of creatures (in addition to
  the cabal of verrik) at one time. The affected creatures must
  stay within 100 miles of the tower. If a creature moves
  beyond that point, the tower loses control of that creature.
  Otherwise, the tower retains control until it voluntarily
  releases its victims.
  A great crystal sphere hidden within the tower’s roof serves
  as a focus and container for its consciousness. Should it be
  destroyed, the tower’s spirit will dissipate and free its thralls.
  Secret: What is the Opal Tower’s goal? 
  (1) As the tower gains control of more people in town, it
  finds that widening its conscious network becomes addic-
  tive. The cacophony of sensory input, experiences, and emo-
  tions has kept it more engaged and excited than anything
  else it has ever witnessed. If left unchecked, it slowly claims
  control of more and more people until it can use its pawns
  to lead a revolt. It plans to seize control of everyone within
  the city forcibly. Once it completes this task, it may plot to
  extend its reach beyond the ruins. 
  (2) The tower might simply be curious about the interac-
  tion between large numbers of intelligent humanoids. It
  pokes, prods, and experiments using its thralls. For example,
  it might use one of its minions to start a bar brawl that
  erupts into a riot. The tower fails to understand the linger-
  ing anger and damage it causes. It acts like a kid playing
  with an ant farm. Someone must either destroy it or teach it
  to treat living creatures with respect.
  7. The Pit (Obstacle; High Level)
  The yawning black hole known as “the Pit” seems to open
  into infinity. Stones and other debris tossed into it fail to
  make noise. A few rare explorers who have dropped down
  into it using ropes report that it is at least 100 feet deep,
  and one magister claims to have used magic to fly almost
  500 feet down before turning back. There, he found a
  strange, flexible layer of material that proved immune to his
  spells. It resembled a spider’s web, but it hummed with
  magical energy and showed not even the slightest scratch
  from his spells and attacks. Frustrated, the magister depart-
  ed. Few others have followed in his steps as other, more
  pressing issues face the ruins.
  The Pit is actually a long shaft that leads deep into the
  world. From Serathis, it extends almost 1,000 feet to a mas-
  sive cavern that measures a mile across. Here, the dragon
  Nithogar crafted the first dramojh, using the tenebrian seeds
  
  and his own draconic essence in a ritual to build those
  vicious creatures. Massive vats dot the cavern’s base, while
  huge pillars scribed with runes extend from floor to ceiling.
  Anyone who spends at least one week inspecting the pillars
  and who succeeds at a Knowledge (runes) check (DC 30)
  could unlock the secret of creating the dramojh. All the
  devices and materials required are still here, along with the
  ceremony needed to open a dimensional portal and call forth
  more subjects for the unnatural process. All that’s required
  are the tenebrian seeds . . . and a willing dragon. Such a
  wyrm could easily begin construction of a great army.
  Secret: Both the giants and the dragon know of this place’s
  existence. While neither side admits it, they race to claim it. 
  The giants hope to destroy the pillars and forever purge
  Nithogar’s lore from the world, while Krovacatharis dreams
  of leading the dramojh to once again reclaim the continent
  for dragonkind. However, both parties have yet to locate the
  cavern. They know that Nithogar’s workshop exists, but not
  its location. Its discovery could lead to open warfare.
  Perhaps Nithogar himself still lives, thanks to his powerful
  magic. He may not take kindly to those who seek to usurp
  his power or destroy his greatest work.
  8. Rock Piles (Obstacle, Goal; High Level)
  Time, weather, and other factors have conspired to send
  many a tower crumbling into ruin. Sometimes, as a tower
  collapses, it slams into its neighbors and touches off a chain
  reaction of destruction. Now rock piles, rubble, wreckage,
  and smashed buildings rest where towers once stood. These
  areas are dangerous, as the rubble can shift to catch travel-
  ers in a landslide or send them tumbling into a deep cavity
  in the wreckage.
  However, the treasures and relics held within the collapsed
  towers still wait for intrepid adventurers to uncover them. As
  added enticement, many of the traps and summoned crea-
  tures that once protected these caches were destroyed in a
  tower’s collapse, leaving only the difficult work of pushing
  aside rock and ruin to uncover the riches hidden within.
  Purple worms and other subterranean creatures frequent-
  ly lair within the wreckage. Some of these beasts burrow
  holes just below the surface at the edge of these zones.
  When prey wanders by, the worms leap out to devour it. In
  other areas, undead creatures, oozes and slimes, and other
  threats still prowl the wreckage. A team of workers might
  unearth something far deadlier than the gold and jewels
  they seek.
  Walking across the collapsed towers proves difficult at
  best. Creatures move at half their normal speed and cannot
  run. During combat, a creature must make a Balance check
  (DC 15) each time it moves or it falls prone in the space it
  occupied before it began its move. Gaps and pits are spread
  throughout the ruins. A reckless explorer could easily plunge
  deep within the rubble.
  Secret: The characters may unearth a map that points to
  the location of a powerful artifact or rich treasure, only to
  find that the tower that once held it has fallen into ruin.
  The gaps and nooks in the ruins can form a sort of network
  of passages and rooms, though the cramped conditions
  make fighting difficult. Creatures suffer a –2 penalty to
  attacks, checks, and Reflex saves for each size category
  above Tiny. They move at half speed, while in many areas
  Large creatures simply cannot fit into the ruins.
  Incorporeal creatures, Tiny creatures, and similar foes
  make deadly opponents in these ruins. While the player
  characters must squeeze through narrow, unstable openings,
  these monsters can easily maneuver and attack.
  9. Temple Row (Goal; High Level)
  A series of small stone buildings arrayed along a single
  avenue on the east end of the Forest, Temple Row gained its
  name for the curious statues that stand before each of the
  buildings. The first explorers to this region assumed that the
  Builders dedicated this place to their gods, though the
  buildings’ crumbling condition suggested otherwise, espe-
  cially compared to the enduring architecture of other areas
  of the Forest of Towers.
  In truth, these chambers held the lore collected by the
  dragon Nithogar and passed to the first dramojh. The statues
  indicated which topics a library covered, such as biology,
  astronomy, or magic. Faced with the task of educating an
  entire new race, Nithogar decided that the best way to
  strengthen his creations was to allow those with the ambition
  and intellect to initiate their own studies to survive. Every
  year, any dramojh unable to demonstrate mastery of a new
  subject were destroyed by the same claws that created them.
  In this way, the dramojh learned to value self-education.
  The libraries long ago fell into ruin. They were some of the
  first buildings raised within Serathis, and Nithogar cared
  more for haste than quality in assembling them. The dramojh
  stole many of the books as time passed, both to use them in
  their work and to deny others access to them. 
  Secret: A few valuable volumes may still lie within these
  chambers. Secret rooms inside each library hold the impor-
  tant and rare books that Nithogar set aside for the dramojh.
  To ensure that only the worthiest dramojh found them, the
  dragon protected them with traps, puzzles, and guardian
  creatures.
  MONSTERS IN THE FOREST OF TOWERS
  A number of aberrations, outsiders, and other terrible crea-
  tures stalk the Forest of Towers. The dragon Nithogar con-
  ducted many experiments in traveling to other worlds, and
  the fruit of this research survives in the strange creatures
  dwelling here. Some beasts found the terrain to their liking
  and adapted to their new home, while others travel dimen-
  sional pathways that remain open despite the long years.
  91
  > > > > >
  CHAPTER FIVE: FOREST OF TOWERS
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  92
  > > > > >
  Elementals: Elementals of all types are common, as
  Nithogar left behind a number of tiny dimensional vortices
  that allow these creatures to travel to and from their home
  planes. The elementals rampage across the city like a pack
  of wild animals, sweeping away those before them. Often,
  the elementals really are little more than the equivalent of
  wild animals. However, a few intelligent elementals have
  found their way into Serathis. Intrigued by the magical
  power the ruins hide, they work in small groups to drive off
  humanoids and establish control of the area. The same ritu-
  al that kept the city from the akashic memory also worked
  to keep the vortices closed. The elementals are as new to
  the city as the humanoids they compete against.
  Ghouls: The ghoul population in the Forest of Towers
  grows steadily, as these monstrosities add to their ranks
  unfortunate merchants, adventurers, and treasure seekers
  who enter the region. The ghouls dwell in burrows dug
  within the ground. Purple worms find their undead flesh
  unpalatable, so the ghouls avoid those creatures with ease.
  Some adventurers specifically target ghoul barrows for exter-
  mination, as the worms tend to avoid them even after the
  ghouls are gone.
  Outsiders: The same magic that allows elementals to
  pierce the planar veil also brings outsiders to this region of
  the city. With a few modifications, you can use demons, dev-
  ils, and other creatures of the outsider type in the Forest of
  Towers. Remove all spells, abilities, and other effects (such
  as damage reduction) that are tied to alignment. If possible,
  change an outsider’s physical appearance and name so that
  the players cannot easily identify it. Using the standard array
  of demons and devils in your game could hurt the tone and
  remove some of the features that make Monte Cook’s Arcana
  Evolved unique. Finally, try to give each outsider a unique
  personality and set of motives. It is better to use these crea-
  tures as villains and important, powerful monsters rather
  than as a horde of weak ones to hack through. Outsiders in
  Arcana Evolved are relatively rare—make their appearances
  in your game special. (For more guidance on this topic, see
  the “Outsiders on Serran” section in Chapter Ten and the
  “Outsiders in the Diamond Throne” sidebar in Chapter
  Twelve of Arcana Evolved.)
  Purple Worms: The scourge of the Forest of Towers,
  purple worms gather here in great numbers for some rea-
  son, and often burst from the ground to crawl along the
  streets and pursue bands of explorers. The confluence of
  magical energy serves as a powerful lure to the creatures;
  they cannot resist its siren’s call. The worms might leave
  the area if someone destroyed a few magical items left
  behind in several of the towers. Perhaps the dramojh exper-
  imented with a device that called and bound these crea-
  tures, as they tend to leave the towers and other structures
  alone.
  Slassans: A nest of slassans hides within the region. The
  creatures arrived soon after the city first appeared within the
  akashic memory, and since then they have sought out hints
  and relics that could allow them to return the dramojh to
  this world. This cabal hopes to bring their ancient creators
  back to smash the giants and regain control of the conti-
  nent.
  
  ANY LEVEL
  Castle Vanguard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
  The Dragon’s Lair  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
  Eia-Perren, Steward of Giant’s Hold (Hook, Obstacle)  . . . . .27
  Foothold (Hook) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
  The Guard Tower (Hook, Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
  Hl’ra’knar (Hook, Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
  Kerlon’a (Hook, Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
  Krovacatharis the Seeker (Hook, Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
  Market Square  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
  Other Giant NPCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
  Peace Wall  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
  The Speaker, Leader of the Throne’s Eyes (Hook, Obstacle)  .29
  The Square  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
  Tarashkar the Pursuer, Outriders Commander (Hook) . . . . . .28
  Tor-Irlan, Commander of the Guard (Obstacle) . . . . . . . . . .28
  Tower of Boundless Knowledge (Hook)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
  Verral’s Trading Post (Hook) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
  Watchman’s Post (Hook)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
  LOW LEVEL (1ST–5TH)
  Court of Statues (Obstacle, Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
  The Cracked Wheel (Hook, Obstacle )  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
  The Gold Run (Obstacle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
  Grazard’s Emporium (Hook)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
  Inshon Caves (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
  Outrider Camp (Hook)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
  Rael Pinchcoin (Hook) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
  The Rat’s Nest (Hook)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
  The Silver Anvil (Hook)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
  Spire Town (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
  Temple of the Idol (Obstacle, Goal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
  The Tunnels (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
  Tower Rock (Goal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
  Valdra Longclaw (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
  Vardallian (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
  The Witch’s Grove (Hook)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
  MEDIUM LEVEL (6TH–12TH)
  Bones of the Old One (Goal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
  The Burrowpatch (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
  The Forest of Eyes (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
  The Great Mire (Obstacle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
  Grothnak Blooddrinker (Obstacle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
  House of the Voice (Goal, Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
  Lord Valdren’s Camp (Hook, Obstacle, Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . .43
  Museum of Antiquities (Hook)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
  Oldron’s Bridge (Hook, Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
  Peldrenford (Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
  The Pyramid (Obstacle, Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
  Rock Castle (Goal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
  Selsarras (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
  The Shadowreach (Obstacle, Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
  Stonepile Lake (Obstacle, Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
  Tol-Badari (Hook, Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
  The Tumble (Obstacle, Goal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
  The Tunnels (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
  The Underforest (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
  Wardens’ Reach (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
  HIGH LEVEL (13TH–25TH)
  Black Rock Tower (Obstacle, Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
  The Concert Hall (Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
  The Fire Tower (Obstacle, Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
  The Floating Tower (Obstacle, Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
  The Ghost Tower (Obstacle, Goal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
  The Great Black Cyst (Obstacle, Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
  Headtaker’s Lair (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
  The Huntsmen (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
  The Opal Tower (Obstacle, Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
  The Pit (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
  Rock Piles (Obstacle, Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
  Temple Row (Goal)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
  Winged Golem (Goal, Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
  Xarthran (Obstacle)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
  APPENDIX: KEYWORD REFERENCE
  For ease of reference, every person, place, or thing assigned a “hook,” “obstacle,” or “goal” keyword is
  listed here in alphabetical order, organized by the level of play for which each is intended.
  Keyword Reference 
  Appendix:
  93
  
  RUINS OF INTRIGUE
  94
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright
  2000–2005, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  d20 System Reference Document Copyright
  2000-2005, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.;
  authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip
  Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David
  Noonan, Rich Redman, and Bruce R.
  Cordell, based on original material by 
  E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  Ruins of Intrigue Copyright 2005 Monte J.
  Cook. All rights reserved.
  
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  In this
  no ble,
  giant-ruled
  land,
  ex plo re the reaches o f the Flo ating Fo rest. D isco ver the
  inco mparable beauty o f the magical C rystal Fields.
  Learn the secret o f the Go d-K ing o f the verrik  peo ple.
  But beware the military might o f the cho rrim and the
  fiendish po wers o f the shado w tro lls. 
  T he material in this 
  ex citing new so urcebo o k  
  fro m 3rd E ditio n
  co designer M o nte C o o k
  builds o n the rules in
  Arcana Unearthed. In
  these pages yo u’ll find:∑  
  •8 new prestige classes; 
  •12 new mo nsters;
  •D o zens o f new magic
  items; and
  •A  gazetteer o f the 
  Arcana Unearthed
  setting— the lands o f 
  the D iamo nd T hro ne
  ∑ 
  R eq uires the use o f the
  Dungeons & Dragons® T hird 
  E ditio n C o re Bo o k s, published
  by Wizards o f the C o ast®.
  R eq uires the use o f Monte
  Cook’s Arcana Unearthed, 
  published by M alhavo c
  P ress. 
  ®
  R eq uires the use o f the Dungeons & Dragons® T hird E ditio n C o re Bo o k s, published
  by Wizards o f the C o ast® . R eq uires the use o f Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved, 
  published by M alhavo c P ress. Free bo nus material at www.mo nteco o k .co m
  © 2005 M o nte J. C o o k . Dungeons & Dragons is a registered trademark  and the d20 System lo go , d20 System, and Wizards o f
  the C o ast are trademark s o f Wizards o f the C o ast Inc., a subsidiary o f H asbro , Inc. Arcana Evolved is a trademark  and
  M alhavo c is a| registered trademark  o f M o nte J. C o o k . T he Swo rd & So rcery lo go  is a registered trademark  o f White Wo lf
  P ublishing, Inc. A ll rights reserved.
  T he ruins of Serathis lo o m high in the mo untains. Only recently unco vered, this ancient
  city draws many to  its shattered streets in search o f treasure and adventure. Giants and
  drago ns sq uare o ff o n o ppo site sides o f the ruins, each seek ing to  ho ld the city and its
  wealth. T he winds of war ho wl in the distance. V ast wealth and terrible monsters await!
  Ruins of Intrigue is an inno vative appro ach to  adventure creatio n. It pro vides a detailed,
  mo dular o verview o f Serathis. M ajo r NP C s and lo catio ns have sets o f o ptio nal secrets and
  variants, mak ing every campaign different. A  rich array o f ideas, plo ts, and vying factio ns
  gives yo u varied ideas fo r creating adventures. Just pick  a ho o k , cho o se a go al, select an
  o bstacle, and yo u’re ready to  go . Suitable fo r Arcana Evolved characters o f all levels.
  PDF Version 1
  March 2005
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Sword & Sorcery/Arcana Evolved Ruins of Intrigue.pdf