TEXT: KEO7-04 
   
   
   
   
  Castlefall 
  A One-Round D&D® LIVING GREYHAWKTM  
  Keoland Regional Adventure 
  Version 3.3 
   
  by Charles R. Skidmore 
  Reviewer: Keoland Triad 
   
  Circle Reviewer: Steven Conforti 
  Godakin Keep was once the spearhead of Keoland’s imperial ambitions. From its courtyard countless 
  soldiers have marched, bringing the illumination of the Lion Throne throughout the Sheldomar Valley. 
  Now in times of peace it serves as a nearly forgotten outpost, an old warhorse put to pasture, a 
  punishment for those sent to serve there. A month after a request for additional soldiers was denied, all 
  communication from the Keep has ceased. Finally, a tensquad of Royal Standards sent to investigate 
  returns a message. “Godakin is liberated, next the liberation of the oppressed begins. Woe to those who 
  oppose.” 
  A spear, resharpened, now points inward. 
  A Keoland regional adventure for APLs 6-12, and Part Two of the To the Last Man Standing series, and 
  sequel to KEO6-04, Old Sins Cast Long Shadows. 
  Note: This adventure will be of particular interest to members of the Silent Ones and members of the 
  Keoish Military. This adventure is considered Reporting for Duty for Royal Standards and Mercenaries 
  (Hospitaliers/Justice Blade/Lion Braich/Mountain Lions/Stargazers) 
   
   
  Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
  ® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and the new DUNGEONS & 
  DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. 
   
  This game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without permission of 
  Wizards of the Coast. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 SYSTEM license, please visit 
  www.wizards.com/d20. 
   
  This is an official RPGA
  ® play document. To find out more about the RPGA and to learn more on how you can sanction and run 
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game events of all sizes, visit our website at www.rpga.com. 
   
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, GREYHAWK, LIVING GREYHAWK, D&D REWARDS, RPGA, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc, in the US and other countries. This material is 
  protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork 
  contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. 
  Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. © 2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc and the 
  adventure author or authors. 
   
  Visit the LIVING GREYHAWK website at www.rpga.com. 
  For questions specific to this document and your region please e-mail your triad point of contact (POC) at 
  keolandpoc@adelphia.net.  For LIVING GREYHAWK campaign questions email rpgahq@wizards.com. 
  
  RPGA SANCTIONED PLAY 
  Most likely you ordered this adventure as part of 
  an RPGA even from the RPGA website, or you 
  received it from your senior gamemaster. To play 
  this adventure as part of the LIVING GREYHAWK 
  campaign—a worldwide, ongoing D&D campaign 
  set in the GREYHAWK setting—you must sanction it 
  as part of an RPGA event. This event could be as 
  elaborate as a big convention, or as simple as a 
  group of friends meeting at the DM’s house.  
   
  To sanction an RPGA event, you must be at 
  least a HERALD-LEVEL gamemaster. The person 
  who sanctions the event is called the senior 
  gamemaster, and is in charge of making sure the 
  event is sanctioned before play, runs smoothly on 
  the date sanctioned, and then reported back to the 
  RPGA in a timely manner. The person who runs 
  the game is called the table Dungeon Master (or 
  usually just DM). Sometimes (and almost all the 
  time in the cases of home events) the senior 
  gamemaster is also the table DM. You don’t have 
  to be a HERALD-LEVEL GM to run this adventure if 
  you are not the senior GM.  
   
  By sanctioning and reporting this adventure 
  you accomplish a couple of things. First it is an 
  official game, and you can use the AR to advance 
  your LIVING GREYHAWK character. Second player 
  and DMs gain rewards for sanctioned RPGA play 
  if they are members of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 
  REWARDS program. Playing this adventure is worth 
  two (2) points.  
   
  This adventure retires from RPGA-sanctioned 
  play on December 31, 2007.  
   
  To learn more about the LIVING GREYHAWK 
  character creation and development, RPGA event 
  sanctioning, and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS REWARDS, 
  visit the RPGA website at www.rpga.com. 
  PLAYERS READ NO 
  FARTHER 
  If you are planning on playing this adventure, stop 
  reading now. The rest of the information in this 
  adventure is for the DM only. If you read farther 
  than this section, you’ll know too much about its 
  challenges, which kills the fun. Also, if you’re 
  playing this adventure as part of an RPGA-
  sanctioned event, reading beyond this point 
  makes you ineligible to do so.
  PREPARING FOR PLAY 
  To get the most out of this adventure, you need 
  copies of the following D&D books: Player’s 
  Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the 
  Monster Manual.  
  Throughout this adventure, text in bold italics 
  provides player information for you to paraphrase 
  or read aloud when appropriate. Sidebars contain 
  important information for you, including special 
  instruction on running the adventure. Information 
  on nonplayer characters (NPCs) and monsters 
  appear in abbreviated form in the adventure text. 
  Full information on NPCs and monsters are given 
  in the Appendices.  
  Along with this adventure you’ll find a RPGA Table 
  Tracking sheet. If you’re playing this adventure as 
  part of an RPGA-sanctioned event, complete and 
  turn in this sheet to your senior GM directly after 
  play. You’ll also find a LIVING GREYHAWK 
  Adventure Record (AR).  
  LIVING GREYHAWK LEVELS 
  OF PLAY 
  Because players bring their own characters to 
  LIVING 
  GREYHAWK 
  games, 
  this 
  adventure’s 
  challenges are proportionate to the modified 
  average character level of the PCs participating in 
  the adventure. To determine this modified Average 
  Party Level (APL) follow the steps below: 
  1. Determine the character level for each of the 
  PCs participating in the adventure. 
  2. If PCs bring animals that have been trained for 
  combat (most likely dogs trained for war), 
  other than those brought by virtue of a class 
  ability (such as animal companions, familiars 
  paladin’s mounts) or the warhorse of a 
  character with the Mounted Combat feat, use 
  the sidebar chart to determine the number of 
  levels you add to the sum of step one. Add 
  each character’s animals separately. A single 
  PC may only bring four or fewer animals of 
  this type, and animals with different CRs are 
  added separately.  
  3. Sum the results of step 1 and 2, and divide by 
  the number of characters playing in the 
  adventure. Round to the nearest whole 
  number. 
  4. If you are running a table of six PCs, add one 
  to that average. 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 1 
  
  Throughout this adventure, APLs categorize the 
  level of challenge the PCs face. APLS are given in 
  even-numbered increments. If the APL of your 
  group falls on an odd number, ask them before the 
  adventure begins whether they would like to play a 
  harder or easier adventure. Based on their choice, 
  use either the higher or the lower adjacent APL. 
   
  APL also affects the amount of experience 
  and gold a PC can gain at the end of the 
  adventure. If a player character is three character 
  levels or more either higher or lower than the APL 
  at which this adventure is being played, that 
  character receives only one-half of the experience 
  points and gold for the adventure. This simulates 
  the fact that either the PC was not challenged as 
  much as normal or relied on help by higher-level 
  characters to reach the objectives.  
   
  Furthermore, a PC who is four or more levels 
  higher than the highest APL supported by the 
  adventure may not play the adventure. 
   
   
  LIVING GREYHAWK adventures are designed for 
  APL 2 and higher. Four or five 1st-level characters 
  may find the challenge of an APL 2 adventure 
  difficult. Suggest the following to these groups to 
  help increase their chances of success:  
  1. Enlist a sixth player. 
  2. Advise characters to buy riding dogs to help 
  protect them, and fight for them. 
  TIME UNITS AND UPKEEP 
  This is a standard one-round Regional adventure, 
  set in Keoland.  Characters native to Keoland pay 
  one Time Unit per round, all others pay two Time 
  Units per round. 
   
  Adventurer’s Standard Upkeep costs 12 gp 
  per Time Unit.  Rich Upkeep costs 50 gp per Time 
  Unit.  Luxury Upkeep costs 100 gp per Time Unit. 
  Characters that fail to pay at least Standard 
  Upkeep will retain temporary ability damage until 
  the 
  next 
  adventure, 
  must 
  buy 
  new 
  spell 
  component pouches and healer’s kits, and may 
  suffer other in-game penalties (or possibly gain in-
  game benefits) as may be detailed in this 
  adventure. 
   
  A character who does not pay for at least 
  Standard Upkeep may also avoid the above-
  described penalties by living off the wild.  If the 
  character possesses four or more ranks in the 
  Survival skill and succeeds at a Survival check 
  (DC 20), the character will heal temporary ability 
  damage as if he or she paid for Standard Upkeep, 
  may refill spell component pouches and healer’s 
  kits, and may restock up to 20 arrows or bolts if 
  the character has at least four ranks in Craft 
  (bowmaking).  The player is allowed to Take 10 on 
  this roll. 
  # of Animals 
  Mundane 
  Animals Effect 
  on APL 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  1/4 & 1/6 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  1 
  1/3 & 1/2 
  0 
  0 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  6 
  7 
  8 
  5 
  5 
  7 
  8 
  9 
  6 
  6 
  8 
  9 
  10 
  CR of Animal 
  7 
  7 
  9 
  10 
  11 
   
  More information about Lifestyle and Upkeep 
  can be found in the “Lifestyle and Upkeep” section 
  of Chapter 3 of the LIVING GREYHAWK Campaign 
  Sourcebook. 
  ADVENTURE BACKGROUND 
  Godakin Keep lies on Keoland’s northwest border, 
  shared with Sterich. During the height of Keoland’s 
  imperialistic years, it served as the spearhead for 
  troops moving throughout the expanding empire. 
  Since the sundering of the empire into the nations 
  of the Sheldomar, it has served as a garrison 
  without much to protect. Soldiers who find a way 
  to anger their superiors often find their way to 
  “Godsawful 
  Keep” 
  until 
  they 
  can 
  redeem 
  themselves.  
  The Garrison is responsible for many miles of 
  borderland, and routine patrols often take a tenday 
  or more. Since the troubles in Sterich, there has 
  been the occasional problem with brigands or 
  stray monsters, but other than that the land 
  remains idyll. 
  In the late months of CY 596 a powerful force has 
  stricken down the Keep and prevented any word 
  from leaving its walls. The entirety of the Garrison 
  has been killed or subverted to a dark purpose: 
  the utter destruction of the Kingdom of Keoland. 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 2 
  
  An unknown and powerful entity has banded 
  together several disparate types of dangerous 
  forces and used them to wipe out the garrison at 
  Godakin and begin its transformation into the first 
  bastion of a new Empire, carved from the meat of 
  the old. 
  The keystone of this entity’s plan lies underneath 
  the foundations of Godakin itself, for despite its 
  good use of the surrounding terrain, the keep is 
  situated poorly. The reason for this is that during 
  Keoland’s expansionistic imperial era, a powerful 
  artifact was discovered in the newly expanded 
  province and was deemed too important to move. 
  The Silent Ones, operating under their mandate to 
  protect the kingdom, decided that the best way to 
  protect the artifact from prying eyes and grasping 
  hands was to create an extradimensional space, 
  and place the artifact within the space, along with 
  a guardian. (This ritual was the correctly cast 
  version of the spell that removed Ultholme from 
  Keoland in KEO6-04 Old Sins Cast Long 
  Shadows) This space was named the Vault of the 
  Hollow. 
  Once the Vault of the Hollow was created, the 
  Silent Ones contracted with a powerful force of 
  good, an old brass dragon named Illiasnirath.who 
  agreed to guard the artifact for the Silent Ones in 
  exchange for certain concessions, the most 
  important being the cessation of all hostilities 
  against metallic dragons within Keoland, and the 
  right to maintain a roost for any of Illiasnirath’s 
  bloodline within the kingdom. 
  The artifact itself is a mighty longbow constructed 
  from the vilest of materials, human bone and 
  sinew. The wielder of this bow was a powerful 
  warrior priest of Gruumsh named Naillek who led 
  the last organized goblinoid resistance to the 
  burgeoning Keoish Empire along the western 
  border. When Naillek was felled in battle, he laid 
  his curse upon his favorite weapon, calling upon 
  Gruumsh to cover land in which the weapon next 
  saw daylight in a thousand years of darkness. 
  When the Silent Ones were unable to destroy the 
  bow, they instead created the Vault of the Hollow. 
  The Vault follows one of the immutable laws of 
  magic; that is, all locks must have a key. In this 
  case, the key is that those who seek to open the 
  Vault must be doing the will of the King of Keoland 
  and then they must pass a Trial of Entry. 
  Since the invading forces are unable to open the 
  Vault themselves, they have created a plan. By 
  allowing word of the Godakin Keep’s troubles to 
  reach the King’s ears, he will undoubtedly send a 
  reconnaissance force to investigate. This force will 
  be allowed to open the Vault, retrieve the artifact, 
  and then come under attack. 
  By the time the heroes become involved in this 
  adventure, King Kimbertos has already sent a 
  small detachment of Keoish Royal Standards to 
  Godakin 
  in 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  reestablish 
  communications. With their failure, he decides to 
  call on the sort of people who guided him to his 
  return to the Lion Throne; adventurers. 
  At the time of the beginning of this adventure, 
  Godakin Keep has been completely overrun by 
  several disparate factions all welded into a 
  formidable fighting force by this unknown hand. 
  Among the forces are mercenaries, a large tribe of 
  orcs 
  recently 
  forced 
  from 
  their 
  ancestral 
  homelands in the Jotens, some giants dissatisfied 
  with the peace in Geoff, and a magically created 
  race known as the Marru. 
  The Marru comprise the backbone of the forces in 
  Godakin Keep. They are a formidable race of 
  creatures that were created ages ago and who 
  mostly dwell in deep deserts. The leader of the 
  forces 
  of Godakin Keep has reached an 
  agreement with this ancient race that will allow 
  them a substantial holding of their own in the new 
  Empire to be cut from Keoland’s corpse. 
  ADVENTURE SUMMARY 
  In the Introduction the heroes find themselves 
  thrust into the heart of the action. Using a powerful 
  magical device, Archmage Lashton allows them to 
  relive the last few minutes of the lives of the ill-
  fated tensquad of Royal Standards sent to 
  Godakin. The heroes experience the deaths of the 
  tensquad firsthand and see some of what has 
  befallen Godakin Keep. 
  In Encounter One the heroes awaken from the 
  effects of the Lashton’s device and are ushered 
  into the presence of King Kimbertos, who charges 
  them with scouting Godakin Keep and doing 
  anything in their power possible to disrupt the 
  events there while buying time for Keoland to 
  organize its troops. To this effect, he and Lashton 
  have come up with a plan. If the heroes can gain 
  access to the catacombs underneath Godakin, 
  they can release a pair of great stone plugs that sit 
  below the water table of the Javan River. 
  Shattering these plugs will flood the Keep, a last 
  ditch function that was built into the Keep during 
  its construction.  
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 3 
  
  In Encounter Two the heroes are teleported to the 
  outskirts of Godakin Keep by Lashton where they 
  will bear witness to the drastic changes the Keep 
  has undergone. The Keep is in disrepair and a 
  foreign banner flies from its walls. The heroes 
  begin 
  traveling 
  towards 
  the 
  catacombs 
  by 
  searching for an escape passage that runs from 
  an external graveyard under the walls. 
  In Encounter Three the heroes discover the 
  passage that leads to catacombs and deal with 
  some of the guardians left in place. 
  In Encounter Four the heroes move through the 
  catacombs and search for the stone plugs while 
  avoiding the keep’s new occupants 
  In Encounter Five the heroes destroy one of the 
  stone plugs, alerting the denizens of the Keep to 
  their presence. The heroes are now being actively 
  searched for as they make their way towards the 
  second plug. 
  In Encounter Six the heroes encounter the seal to 
  the Vault of the Hollow, being “guarded” by a 
  Hound Archon. They must choose to either enter 
  the Vault or press on to destroy the second plug. If 
  they enter the Vault, the heroes proceed to 
  Encounter Seven. If they choose to avoid the Vault 
  and destroy the second plug, the heroes proceed 
  to Encounter Eight. 
  In Encounter Seven the heroes breach the Vault of 
  the Hollow and meet with the guardian, Illiasnirath. 
  They learn of the Vault’s purpose and must earn 
  the dragon’s trust. The occupying creatures force 
  their way into the Vault of the Hollow and the 
  heroes are entrusted with the artifact as they 
  witness Illiasnirath’s death and the Wyrd makes 
  an immediate appearance. 
  In Encounter Eight the heroes race against time 
  and overwhelming enemy forces to reach and 
  destroy the stone plug, causing the foundations of 
  Godakin to flood and buying time for Keoland to 
  rearm itself.  
  In Encounter Nine the heroes must flee Godakin 
  Keep ahead of some surviving occupiers and 
  bring their news to Niole Dra. 
  PREPARATION FOR PLAY 
  This adventure is designed differently than many 
  others. Instead of following one linear track, or 
  allowing the players to choose from two separate 
  tracks, it is a combination of these. The adventure 
  follows a linear plot and then suddenly asks the 
  heroes to choose one of two mutually exclusive 
  paths. As the choice is unexpected it is vital that 
  you allow the players to choose entirely for 
  themselves the path they take. 
  Have each hero write down his or her worst fear 
  on a piece of paper and pass it to you discreetly. 
  Any hero who attempts to open the Vault of the 
  Night will have to combat their worst fear while 
  opening the Vault in Encounter Six. 
  INTRODUCTION 
  The 
  sound 
  of 
  your 
  labored 
  breathing 
  reverberates off the cracked stone walls 
  surrounding you as you and the surviving 
  members of your squad run as fast as possible 
  while carrying the weight of your wounded. 
  From behind comes the sound that feels like it 
  has begun to drive a wedge into your spine. 
  You have been hearing it for the last two days 
  almost constantly as you and your detachment 
  have been the mouse to the cat beneath the 
  battered walls of Godakin Keep. The sound 
  can only be described as a chorus of hyena-
  like cackling considering the source it comes 
  from. 
  Behind you, less than a quarter mile through 
  the low tunnels, the sounds of combat join the 
  sounds of madness. Andrigen and Jesper are 
  fighting a rearguard action to buy the rest of 
  you time to flee these cursed catacombs. 
  “Left,” calls Corporal Rictlin as the remains of 
  your squad approaches a T intersection. Scout 
  Thar quickly moves into the lead as you and 
  the rest of your battered squad round the 
  corner. The air suddenly seems to get cold and 
  damp and you can all see that the walls here 
  glisten with moisture. Within another fifty feet 
  the corridor makes a sharp right and Scout 
  Thar rushes ahead and rounds the corner first. 
  What next greets your ears is the simple sound 
  of human agony and despair. Rounding the 
  corner yourselves you see that Scout Thar has 
  dropped to his knees in the center of a cul-de-
  sac. A bright shaft of sunlight pierces down 
  from hundreds of feet overhead. The worked 
  corridor ends abruptly in a stone seal. Graven 
  in the seal is an onyx lion rampant surrounded 
  by an army of ruby gemstones set in a shield 
  pattern. The heraldry of the Empire of Keoland. 
  “Tra-trapped,” whispers Thar from his knees, 
  panting with effort. Battle Adept Waverly 
  gently kneels and rests the motionless form of 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 4 
  
  Private Tocss against the wall, shaking his 
  head grimly. 
  “Tocss is gone,” announces Waverly while 
  pulling down his faceplate and drawing his 
  cudgel.  
  Laughter. Your eyes meet those of your squad 
  as you turn to face the curve in the corridor. 
  Large forms stride into the circle of light. They 
  have the proportions of men, but the faces of 
  wolves or jackals. The laughter comes from 
  their mouths as they advance towards you, 
  their swords stained deep red. 
  They are coming, and you are trapped. A voice 
  rings from beyond your torchlight. 
  “Godakin is liberated, next the liberation of the 
  oppressed begins. Woe to those who oppose.” 
  This section is designed to be a quick and efficient 
  slaughter of the heroes, who are witnessing the 
  battle through the eyes of the Royal Standards 
  beneath Godakin Keep. Have the heroes place 
  themselves on the map in DM Aid #1. The forces 
  opposing the players are contained in Appendix 1 
  – Introduction.  
  Avoid getting too bogged down here. This 
  introduction is designed to get the players right 
  into the action and to give them a taste of the 
  overwhelming odds that will crush them if they 
  make poor decisions during the adventure. The 
  introduction is designed to take 30-45 minutes at 
  most. If the heroes are starting to be successful, 
  add more waves of the Marru until they are 
  overwhelmed. If the heroes attempt magical 
  escape their spell will succeed but as they escape 
  they will get a clear mental image of the 
  destruction of the squad of Royal Standards. 
  When most or all of the players are all dead, read 
  the following: 
  The howling of laughing jackals is the last 
  sound you hear as the swords slide from your 
  flesh.  
  ENCOUNTER 1: A RUDE 
  AWAKENING 
  This encounter takes place immediately after the 
  introduction and details the events that brought the 
  players here. 
  Mercifully, the dream-nightmare ends. Your 
  eyes open and you are in your own body, not 
  that of some poor doomed soul. Sitting up, you 
  see that you and several other people are all in 
  a large circular room adorned with the heraldry 
  of the Kingdom of Keoland. You are seated in 
  comfortable chairs and a fine sheen of sweat 
  has broken out on your skin despite the cool 
  air. 
  Standing in the middle of the room on a 
  ceremonial dais are two figures, one middle 
  aged male and one younger female. They are 
  dressed in simple robes and between them 
  floats a glowing blue orb the size of a 
  pumpkin. As you clear your eyes, you see 
  tendrils of smoke leave your bodies and enter 
  the orb. The orb stops glowing and gently 
  comes to a rest at the feet of the young 
  woman. 
  “Now you see why I called you here.” 
  The woman speaks with an authority that 
  belies her years. 
  “I thank you for submitting to that, I know it 
  could not have been pleasant for you. You may 
  find your memory a bit hazy for a day or so but 
  we needed you to see exactly what my 
  apprentice and I were able to divine. The men 
  and women you saw were Keoish Royal 
  Standards, the bravest and the best our 
  Kingdom has, and they were ruthlessly 
  slaughtered. 
  Please, come with me, your further service to 
  the Kingdom is required.” 
  The woman is the archmage Lashton, cloaked in 
  illusions. Any heroes with the capability of seeing 
  through illusions will be able to discern his true 
  form, more of a middle aged man. The middle 
  aged man with Lashton will remain silent the entire 
  time. 
  If the heroes begin to ask questions or refuse to 
  move, Lashton will ask that they indulge him for 
  another few minutes and that all will be explained. 
  Violence 
  of 
  any 
  sort 
  will 
  lead 
  to 
  dire 
  consequences. 
  Lashton will lead the heroes through a single iron-
  barred door and down a hallway that is plushly 
  carpeted. At the end of the hallway are a quartet of 
  liveried Royal Standards and a woman wearing a 
  sigil of the National Academy of Wizardry. Lashton 
  will nod at the guards and move though another 
  door into a finely appointed sitting room. The 
  guards will wave the heroes through without 
  saying anything. 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 5 
  
  The sitting room is large enough to accommodate 
  ten or so comfortably. There are racks of books in 
  a massive bookcase and a map of the Kingdom of 
  Keoland on one wall. A central table is loaded with 
  fresh fruits and cheeses. Lashton will ask the 
  heroes to make themselves comfortable and will 
  step out through a second door, saying that he will 
  return shortly. 
  This is a good point for any heroes who do not 
  know each other to introduce themselves. At this 
  point the heroes have complete recollection of 
  their deeds up until early this morning. The last 
  thing they recall before waking with Lashton is that 
  they each received a summons asking them to 
  come to a Royal Standard guardpost. On the table 
  near the fruits is a draft of the summons they 
  received. This is Player Handout Two. The 
  heroes have exact copies of this summons in 
  amongst their gear. 
  Allow the heroes a few minutes to introduce 
  themselves and make conversation. When there is 
  a lull, Lashton will return. 
  The second door to the room opens suddenly 
  and the young woman strides back in. 
  Carefully peering at each of you, she turns to 
  the door and bows. Entering on her heels is a 
  man whose face is on many of the coins even 
  now sitting in your purses. King Kimbertos 
  Skotti walks into the room, his bearing full of 
  purpose and his head held high. A simple 
  golden circlet rings his head. A sword is belted 
  at his hip and a pair of golden rings on his 
  right hand fairly emanate power.  
  Hard grey eyes stare at you each in turn. Up 
  close, you can see that premature crow’s feet 
  line the king’s eyes and more than a few of the 
  hairs on his head have gone grey. King 
  Kimbertos holds out his hand in greeting. 
  “The Kingdom thanks you for your speedy 
  reply to my summons. Sit.” 
  The King gestures to the chairs around the 
  room. 
  “We have been poor hosts, I’m afraid. Lashton 
  here tells me that the spell you agreed to 
  submit to has allowed you to see the fate of 
  squad Voss. As you know, it is not a pretty 
  sight.” 
  King Kimbertos beckons to the woman. 
  “Lashton, bring in Perrinac.” 
  The door opens again, admitting a tall man of 
  pure Suel descent. His hair is so blonde that it 
  is nearly white, and his eyes are a watery blue. 
  His skin is so fair that you can see the blue 
  veins beneath even from across the room. He 
  is wearing the dress uniform of a Royal 
  Standard, with two loops of gold braid around 
  his right shoulder. He swiftly kneels before 
  King Kimbertos, his head bowed. With a gentle 
  touch, King Kimbertos ushers the man to rise. 
  “Friends, allow me to introduce Field Marshal 
  Perrinac 
  Rhola. 
  Perrinac, 
  explain 
  the 
  Kingdom’s needs.” 
  Perrinac sketches a bow to you and speaks. 
  His tone quickly shows that he a man 
  accustomed to having his commands obeyed, 
  and quickly. 
  “I am a Field Marshal in his Majesty’s Royal 
  Standards; I am in command of the 3rd Flennite 
  Infantry and the 1st Mareman Skirmishers. It is 
  part of my responsibility to garrison the 
  western marches.”  
  Field Marshal Perrinac strides over to a map of 
  Keoland hanging on the wall. On the far 
  western border, along the Javan River is a 
  thick black square. Written underneath you 
  can clearly see the words “Godakin Keep” 
  written. 
  “This is Godakin Keep. Established during the 
  reign of King Tavish, it served as a spearhead 
  for Keoland’s imperialistic ambitions. From it, 
  sorties were launched into lands that are now 
  known as the Yeomanry, Sterich, and the Gran 
  March. As the Empire shrank and our borders 
  became peaceful it became less necessary. 
  For the last fifty years it has served as little 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  garrison 
  for 
  those 
  Royal 
  Standards who have erred, but not badly 
  enough 
  to 
  warrant 
  their 
  expulsion 
  or 
  incarceration. In short, it’s a Royal Standard’s 
  last chance for redemption in the eyes of his 
  commanders. 
  A month ago, I received a communiqué from 
  the commander of Godakin Keep, Marshal 
  Praal. He has a garrison of four hundred 
  troops in Godakin currently, although the keep 
  is capable of housing four times that without 
  strain. 
  His 
  missive 
  was 
  rambling 
  and 
  disjointed, asking for another thousand troops 
  to increase his garrison. At the time, I thought 
  he had simply drunk too much while spilling 
  his thoughts to paper.  
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  We sent squad Voss, one of my best 
  skirmisher squads, to Godakin to investigate. 
  You saw how they ended.” 
  King Kimbertos clears his throat and speaks. 
  “Our situation on the western border is 
  tenuous, to say the least. Keoland has much of 
  the bulk of its troops abroad, and if something 
  has caused Godakin Keep to come to duress, 
  then we are in dire straits indeed. We have 
  thousands of troops waging war against 
  Turrosh Mak and thousands more marching to 
  Bissel to repel a Ketite invasion. To our south, 
  the Scarlet Brotherhood has stepped up their 
  harassment of Westkeep and the waters of 
  Gradsul, and in our heartland we have the 
  blighted wasteland of Linth where more of our 
  Royal Standards have been assisting the 
  rebuilding there.  
  In fact, the only sizeable friendly force near 
  Godakin Keep is the few Royal Standards 
  stationed in Cryllor and the mercenary houses 
  that Count Manz uses to police his lands. 
  Other than that, the Kingdom is stripped bare.  
  This brings you to your task. You are to travel 
  to Godakin Keep and scout the castle. Should 
  there be friendly forces there, you are to unite 
  with them and provide a detailed accounting of 
  Godakin’s recent history for me. If Godakin 
  Keep is troubled, or in the hands of an enemy 
  force, you are to travel through the catacombs 
  underneath it and flood it. Lashton has more 
  information on that.” 
  Lashton nods to you and with a simple pass of 
  his hands a mirage floats before your eyes. 
  You see a stone seal blocking a hallway. 
  Graven in the seal is an onyx lion rampant 
  surrounded by an army of ruby gemstones set 
  in a shield pattern. The heraldry of the Empire 
  of Keoland. You recognize this as the location 
  squad Voss made its final stand. 
  “Godakin Keep actually resides below the 
  water table of the Javan River to the west. In 
  order to build the Keep, a pair of stone seals 
  were laid and infused with magic. These seals 
  keep the catacombs and lower levels of 
  Godakin from flooding. If Godakin is held by 
  an enemy force, destroying these seals will 
  render Godakin useless to them.” 
  King Kimbertos looks each of you over again. 
  “I know this is a lot to take in, but the Kingdom 
  of Keoland needs your action right now. If 
  something has befallen Godakin, we need time 
  to marshal our forces. Do you have any 
  questions?” 
  The heroes have just absorbed a massive amount 
  of information, and none of it is good for the 
  Kingdom. Internal strife or political maneuvering 
  are to be expected in Keoland but to have 
  something like this occur is unheard of. The 
  heroes likely have more than a few questions. 
  • 
  “How will we get to Godakin?”  
  “Lashton 
  will 
  arrange 
  for 
  magical 
  transportation that will deliver you near 
  Godakin Keep. After that, you walk.” 
  • 
  “Why aren’t you using more Royal 
  Standards for this?” 
  “At this point we need skills that Royal 
  Standards simply may not possess. One group 
  has already failed. Secondly, because if there 
  are friendly Royal Standards still alive within 
  Godakin and you destroy the seals, they will 
  likely die in the aftermath. This is not an order I 
  wish to be made public knowledge.” 
  • 
  “How do we destroy the seals?” 
  “Archmage Lashton will provide you with a 
  pair of scrolls. Reading these scrolls at the 
  seals will erode them, allowing the Javan to 
  enter.” 
  • 
  “If we destroy the seals, won’t we drown? 
  How are we supposed to get out?” 
  “The destruction of the seals won’t cause the 
  river to rush in immediately. They will 
  gradually decay. You should have at least an 
  hour to make your way from the catacombs.” 
  • 
  “Why 
  were 
  these 
  seals 
  ever 
  implemented?” 
  “They were created to allow the Keep to be 
  built in the first place. What we intend to do 
  was never the goal of the seals.” 
  • 
  “Pay me!” 
  King Kimbertos eyes you askance. “You have 
  my word you will be paid what you are worth. 
  Or do you not trust the word of the ruling 
  monarch of Keoland, shield of the Lion Throne, 
  defender of the Dreadwood and Knight-
  Temporal of the celestial Host?” 
  • 
  “Have you scried the area?” 
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  “We have tried, but all scrying of Godakin has 
  met with failure, as has all attempts to teleport 
  directly within its walls. It is as though it does 
  not exist on this plane any longer.” 
  Eventually the heroes should agree to undertake 
  this mission for the Kingdom. If the heroes are 
  unnecessarily rude, forget their station, or do 
  something that endangers the King, the adventure 
  is over for them.  When the heroes are ready to 
  go, they will be given whatever provisions they 
  need from royal stores, or allowed to purchase 
  anything they desire per LGCS rules.  
  ENCOUNTER 2: 
  DISLOCATED 
  This encounter is brief and takes place when 
  Lashton teleports the heroes to the outskirts of 
  Godakin Keep. He will then give them a pair of 
  scrolls capable of destroying the stone seals, and 
  point them in the direction of a known escape 
  tunnel from Godakin Keep. The heroes will see 
  Godakin Keep for their own eyes and realize that 
  something is horribly amiss there. 
  If the heroes arrange for their own teleportation to 
  Godakin, you will have to paraphrase this area 
  heavily and ensure the heroes speak to Lashton 
  and get the scrolls. 
  You are all once again gathered after obtaining 
  supplies from the royal quartermasters. The 
  archmage Lashton, wearing his own skin for a 
  change, bids you to all join hands. He makes 
  several simple gestures and mouths a few 
  words, and then your stomachs collectively 
  plummet. The world blurs around you, goes to 
  pure white light, and then snaps back to 
  reality. As your vision clears itself, you see 
  that you are now standing in a small clearing 
  of a light growth deciduous forest. The 
  clearing is marked with six stone columns all 
  bearing the Keoish lion. 
  Archmage Lashton reaches into a small bag on 
  his waist and pulls out a bundled sheaf of 
  paper. 
  “These are a pair of scrolls empowered with 
  the 
  ability 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  stone 
  seals 
  underneath Godakin. They require no arcane 
  aptitude to use, as all the magic needed is 
  contained within the words themselves. Use 
  these if you must, but if you can avoid doing 
  so it would be preferred.” 
  Lashton will give the scrolls to whoever seems to 
  be in charge and then tell the heroes that when 
  their task is complete they should return here. This 
  location will be under constant scrying by the NAW 
  and when the heroes arrive here, there will be a 
  team sent in to teleport them away. 
  Lashton points westward, “about a quarter of a 
  league will lead you to a road. That road runs 
  through the Royal Army graveyard and into 
  Godakin Keep proper. If the Keep is unable to 
  be entered conventionally, you are to search 
  for the tomb of Jeslin Proudlin. She was a 
  wizard of much repute who died and was 
  interred near Godakin Keep. Under her casket 
  is a stairway leading to a tunnel. It was 
  designed as an escape route or to ferry 
  supplies into the Keep if it were ever taken 
  under siege.  
  At this point the heroes are on their own. Lashton 
  will answer what questions he can but he will not 
  be able to go any further or assist them any more. 
  When the heroes travel west they will find 
  Lashton’s directions to be correct. They will 
  emerge from light forest onto a road that runs 
  SE/NW. The road is packed dirt and wide enough 
  for a wagon to pass in each direction. Any hero 
  who wishes to make a Track check may do so.  
  DC 10: This road is hard packed dirt and has seen 
  recent signs of improvement/excavation. It rained 
  within the last day or so but the road has dried 
  quickly. 
  DC 15: Numerous wagons and foot traffic have 
  passed in each direction within the last two days. 
  The wagons are all drawn by horses who are well 
  shod and taken care of, and the foot traffic is a mix 
  of people wearing soft traveling shoes and metal 
  armor. 
  DC 20: The wagons traveling westward were all 
  heavily loaded, the wagons moving eastward were 
  all much lighter. 
  DC 25: Moving westward there are a few pieces of 
  discarded gear such as might be worn by 
  guardsmen or soldiers. An empty backpack and a 
  broken longsword are among the trash left by the 
  side of the road.  
  DC 30: A single track at one of the bends in the 
  road is almost obscured by all of the traffic. It looks 
  like it belongs to a bird, but it is at least six feet in 
  length and clawed. The track faces westward and 
  several of the trees in the immediate vicinity have 
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  hd deep gouges cut into their bark, such as a bear 
  might do to mark its territory. 
  Assuming the heroes move westward, either on 
  the road or off it within an hour the following 
  occurs: 
  Through the light treeline ahead you can see a 
  pall of smoke rising from the west.  
  At this point the heroes are an hour’s walk (three 
  miles) from Godakin Keep. Higher level heroes 
  may choose to use overland flight or other means 
  of travel to advance towards Godakin. However 
  they do so, when they travel the two and one-half 
  miles they will get a sight of Godakin Keep.. Since 
  there are no problems with visibility, the heroes 
  can see quite a long ways. 
  The smoke continues to thicken as you move 
  westward. Almost three miles from where you 
  first noticed it, you are finally able to see the 
  source of the smoke; Godakin Keep itself. 
  Several strings of light grayish smoke rise 
  from its towers and walls, mingling to form a 
  darker plume that stains the sky. Even from 
  this distance you can see that there does not 
  appear to be any fire currently, rather the place 
  seems to be smouldering.  
  The Keep itself is massive, with training 
  grounds and a large cemetery ahead of you. A 
  large central structure rises at least ten stories 
  above ground level, a head poking above the 
  smoke drifting about it. Atop the main tower 
  flies a green banner.  
  Finally, the road leading to the Keep is lined 
  with stakes. They are set in pairs at even 
  intervals all the way to the gatehouse. On top 
  of each stake is a grinning skull leering from 
  under a Keoish warhelm. 
  At a half mile distance the heroes cannot make out 
  what the banner is, but should any hero be able to 
  see great distances or use means to get a better 
  view of the banner, it is a black mailed fist 
  superimposed over a rampant lion on a green 
  field. The walls and towers are all visibly damaged 
  although there does not appear to be any 
  movement visible.  
  Heroes who want to land in the Keep or move 
  through the front gates should be cautioned. 
  Something is obviously very, very wrong here. A 
  foreign banner flies above the Keep and the road 
  is paved with the skulls of Royal Standards. 
  Adjudicate foolhardy heroes as the case warrants. 
  ENCOUNTER 3: THE TOMB 
  OF JESLIN PROUDLIN 
  At this point the heroes should be interested in 
  entering the Keep unobserved. To this end they 
  should remember the directions Lashton gave 
  them and begin to search for the tomb of Jeslin 
  Proudlin. 
  Jeslin Proudlin was a Silent One and she was the 
  primary architect of the Vault of the Hollow. After 
  its construction, she was reportedly killed at 
  Godakin Keep and interred with full honors.  
  The base time to find Jeslin’s tomb is eight hours. 
  This can be reduced by an hour for each 
  successful Search check DC APL + 2 that the 
  heroes succeed on.  
  The heroes will be unmolested while they search 
  for the tomb.  
  Hours of searching have finally paid off. The 
  tomb of Jeslin Proudlin stands before you. 
  Two massive stone doors seal the entrance, 
  and a heavy dark iron chain is wrapped around 
  handles sunk into the door. A heavy lock of the 
  same metal clasps the chain. 
  The metal itself is mithril. The lock can be opened 
  with a successful Open Lock check DC APL + 4 
  or by any other means.  
  The 
  crypt 
  of 
  Jeslin is large and well 
  ornamented. It is a circular room lit with 
  torches that give no heat and glow with an 
  unearthly blue flame. The walls are carved out 
  into six alcoves, within each alcove stands a 
  suit of plate armor. In the center of the room 
  on a large black stone slab lies a single coffin. 
  The floor is littered with bones, piled high like 
  snow drifts in the corners. 
  The map of Jeslin’s tomb is DM AID 2.  
  The heroes may wish to make Search checks. 
  Search 
  DC 10: A thick coating of dust rests on everything. 
  Nothing appears to have been disturbed in here in 
  many years. The suits of armor each have an 
  engraved handprint in the middle of their 
  breastplate. 
  DC 15: A plaque is mounted above each alcove. 
  They read “Nyhan”, “Malv”, “Lorgyr”, “Mandros”, 
  “Luschan” and ‘Sanduchar” in common.  
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  DC 20: There is fine lettering on the sides of the 
  coffin in the center of the room. It reads “The hand 
  of the King of Kings paves the way of things.” 
  If any hero starts taking 20 on a Search check, 
  combat begins. 
  The coffin is a simple riddle designed to prevent 
  anyone from accessing the secret passage 
  underneath the tomb. 
  When the heroes have been in the room for five 
  minutes, unquiet spirits will rouse from their resting 
  places in the bones and attack them. If the heroes 
  are able to solve the riddle and open the 
  passageway before five minutes is reached, 
  reward experience for this encounter as if it were 
  defeated. 
  APL 6 (EL 9) 
  Bleakborn (2): hp 52; see Appendix 1 
  APL 8 (EL 11) 
  Bleakborn (4): hp 52; see Appendix 2   
  APL 10 (EL 13) 
  Evolved Entropic Reaper: hp 142; see 
  Appendix 3. 
  APL 12 (EL 15) 
  Evolved Boneyard: hp 127; see Appendix 4. 
  Tactics: This combat is fairly straightforward. At 
  APL 6 and 8 the Bleakborn will seek to overlap 
  their auras of cold and take down weak looking 
  opponents first if possible.  
  At APL 10 the Entropic Reaper will simply attempt 
  to kill and kill again. 
  At APL 12 the Boneyard will attack the player 
  furthest into the room and then move to other 
  targets. 
  In no case will the undead leave the crypt. At 
  APLs 6 and 8 the Bleakborn may be permanently 
  destroyed through the application of positive 
  energy (either through the use of a turning attempt 
  after they are below 0 hp, or through outright 
  destruction of their bodies). If the heroes lack this 
  ability, allow them to make a Knowledge 
  (Religion) check DC 12. Success indicates that 
  they can determine that removing the Bleakborn 
  from the crypt itself will also permanently destroy 
  them. 
  The Riddle 
  In order to open the hidden passage the heroes 
  must solve this small riddle. The riddle states “The 
  hand of the King of Kings paves the way of 
  things.” The correct answer to this riddle is Nyhan, 
  who is the first King of Keoland. This knowledge is 
  available to any hero who makes a Knowledge: 
  Sheldomar Valley check DC 10. 
  The correct way to solve the riddle is to have a 
  hero place their hand in the engraved spot on the 
  breastplate of the suit of armor reading “Nyhan”. If 
  the heroes place their hand in the wrong slot, they 
  receive an electrical jolt for APLxD4 damage with 
  no save. 
  When the heroes complete the puzzle, the coffin 
  slides aside and reveals a path downward.  
  If the heroes are unable to piece together this 
  small puzzle, more brutish methods of opening the 
  secret passage will work as well. 
  ENCOUNTER 4: THE INNER 
  CATACOMBS 
  This encounter lets the heroes see some of the 
  creatures that have moved in under Godakin Keep 
  and move towards the first of the stone plugs that 
  needs to be destroyed.  
  The passageway underneath the tomb is dank 
  and dark. Empty wall sconces line the walls 
  and dust and cobwebs cover every surface. 
  The passage itself is wide enough for a pair of 
  horses to walk abreast but the ceiling is too 
  low for them to be ridden. Fifty feet into the 
  tunnel a set of rail lines begins. Mounted on 
  the rail line is a rusted mine cart. 
  The mine cart is unusable barring magical repairs. 
  This corridor was designed to be able to evacuate 
  a large amount of material or personnel in case of 
  siege. It has clearly seen no use at all. The 
  corridor runs well over a thousand feet in a 
  straight line and then ends at a solid wall. The 
  mine tracks run into and under the wall.  
  A Search check DC 15 + APL will reveal a small 
  notch cut into one of the side walls of the passage. 
  Within the notch is a small lever. Pulling the lever 
  will cause the wall to swing aside noiselessly. 
  The stone door slides wide soundlessly, 
  showing you a T-shaped corridor running 
  north and south. A set of iron rail lines runs 
  along the passageway.  
  From the north you can see the glow of 
  torchlight. The south is completely dark. 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  A Search check DC 30 will let the heroes find a 
  cunningly hidden junction in the rail lines. If 
  someone knew how to operate the system, they 
  would be able to move a mine cart in any direction 
  here. The lines that run under the wall appear to 
  be undisturbed for a very long time. It appears as 
  though this spur has not been used recently. 
  A Listen check DC 15 + APL will let the heroes 
  hear what sounds to be a dull muted roar coming 
  from the northern passage. If the heroes move 
  north, adjust the DC of this check down by 1 for 
  every 10 feet traveled. 
  The door closes automatically unless the heroes 
  jam it open somehow. A Search check DC 20 
  reveals the mechanism required to open the door 
  from this side. 
  If the heroes travel north 100 feet they will move 
  into a cell block area. 
  Moving north, you begin to see a row of cells. 
  Solid iron bars and heavy built in locks form 
  sturdy cages. Another hundred feet ahead of 
  you the passageway curves to the east. 
  The cell block is empty. If the heroes made it this 
  far 
  without 
  hearing 
  the 
  dull 
  roaring, 
  they 
  automatically hear it now, as well as the clang of 
  metal on metal. 
  Around the bend is a horrible sight under Godakin 
  Keep. A large amphitheatre sits, and is filled with 
  hundreds of the marru the heroes saw in the 
  introduction. In the center of the structure is a 
  flattened sand arena where two humans are 
  chained together. Wearing the livery of the Keoish 
  Royal Standards, they are fighting several large 
  lizard-like creatures for the amusement of the 
  crowd. 
  There is a single exit further east, but to cross 
  through it would be impossible without being seen. 
  Attacking the marru in an effort to free the Royal 
  Standards is a heroic but utterly futile idea. If the 
  heroes are foolhardy enough to think that they can 
  take on hundreds of assailants of unknown power, 
  this is the end of their adventuring career. 
  If the heroes choose to watch they can do so 
  without fear of being caught. The marru are far too 
  interested in their sport to pay attention to their 
  surroundings. The Royal Standards will win their 
  fight against the lizards in about two minutes, and 
  then be dragged out of the arena by a team of 
  large marru. The marru will then start making 
  obvious preparations to leave from both passages. 
  If the heroes slip away they will not be caught. 
  When the heroes move south past the secret 
  door, proceed to Encounter Five. 
  ENCOUNTER 5: THE FIRST 
  SEAL 
  Moving south past the secret door leads the 
  heroes to a T junction. They will immediately 
  recognize this area from the Introduction. To the 
  east lies the seal where squad Voss died, to the 
  west lies the unknown. If the heroes move west, 
  proceed to Encounter Six. 
  The air suddenly seems to get cold and damp 
  and you can all see that the walls here glisten 
  with moisture. Within another fifty feet the 
  corridor makes a sharp right turn. The thick, 
  coppery scent of recently spilled blood is rich 
  in the air. 
  When the heroes move around the corner: 
  A bright shaft of sunlight pierces down from 
  hundreds of feet overhead. The worked 
  corridor ends abruptly in a stone seal. Graven 
  in the seal is an onyx lion rampant surrounded 
  by an army of ruby gemstones set in a shield 
  pattern. The heraldry of the Empire of Keoland. 
  Six bodies lie on the floor in dried pools of 
  their own blood. 
  The remains of squad Voss is around the corner, 
  laying where they died in the Introduction. The 
  bodies have been stripped of visible arms and 
  armor. 
  If the heroes Search the bodies, they will find that 
  each member of the squad still has a golden 
  medallion around their neck with the Keoish Lion 
  on it. If the heroes take them, they receive the AR 
  item A Servant of the Empire. 
  The seal itself is inherently valuable. Anyone who 
  succeeds at an Appraise check DC 20 will value 
  the rubies as being worth 100 gold per ruby, and 
  there are well over a thousand rubies set into the 
  stone. The onyx itself is valuable but too unwieldy 
  to transport easily. Any hero who chooses to take 
  some rubies gains the AR item Stealing the Seal. 
  The seal can be destroyed by reading Lashton’s 
  scroll. When the heroes do that, please read or 
  paraphrase the following: 
  The words pour from your mouth and 
  suddenly the seal of the Empire of Keoland 
  runs like water down the walls. The gems and 
  onyx melt into unidentifiable slurry and flows 
  away into the rocks. The air immediately 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  becomes even colder and you can hear an 
  audible dripping begin. 
  The heroes are in no danger here with only one 
  seal destroyed. When the heroes proceed 
  westward, move to Encounter Six. 
  ENCOUNTER 6: WELCOME 
  TO THE VAULT 
  Until this encounter, everything has probably been 
  going as the heroes might expect. At this point 
  they will stumble across Godakin’s true purpose 
  and will be forced to decide if they should 
  investigate the vault or attempt to destroy the 
  second seal. 
  From this encounter the heroes will move to 
  either encounter 7 or 8. They cannot complete 
  both. It is imperative that you allow the heroes 
  to make up their own mind without influence 
  as to which choice they make. 
  The western spur of the corridor runs for an 
  astounding distance without interruption. The walls 
  are coated with a thick layer of slimy lichen and 
  the air temperature continues to drop to almost 
  freezing. After a mile or more of walking 
  underground, the heroes will reach the Vault’s 
  antechamber and meet its “guardians”. 
  The corridor continues, seemingly endless. 
  Without warning, a bright flare of light washes 
  down the hall and the sudden sound of pitched 
  combat rushes over you. High pitched hyena-
  like howling that sounds all too familiar to you 
  reverberates down towards you. The light and 
  sound is no more than a quarter mile ahead of 
  you. 
  The heroes are heading to a cunning trap, 
  although the purpose of the trap is not to harm 
  them but rather to use them as a tool to open the 
  Vault of the Hollow. No matter how fast the heroes 
  travel they will arrive at the antechamber in time to 
  watch the following. 
  From your vantage point you see that you are 
  entering on the second story of a large carved 
  room. Immediately your eyes are drawn to a 
  huge pair of doors that are a rich golden color 
  and are covered in crackling blue runes. 
  In front of the door a pitched melee is taking 
  place. A single man dressed in ornate full plate 
  with a closed helm wields a wickedly serrated 
  greatsword against three creatures the size of 
  ogres, but with a dog’s head instead of a 
  man’s. The floor around the combatants is 
  littered with smaller dog-man corpses. 
  The armored figure moves with lightning 
  speed as it dives into a roll to avoid the swing 
  of a massive sword that carves a divot from 
  the floor where it lands. Regaining his feet, the 
  armored figure leaps forward, neatly severing 
  the neck of one creature and then following 
  through with a massive overhead blow that 
  fells a second. 
  Unfortunately, the third dog-man has perfect 
  position to attack, and he slams a diamond 
  studded maul into the flank of the armored 
  man. The man is lifted into a glorious arc 
  which is arrested by his sudden collision with 
  the wall. Even from this distance you can see 
  the blood spout from behind the man’s visor. 
  The greatsword slides to the floor as the dog-
  man lifts his maul for the killing blow. 
  At this point the heroes may act in order to 
  heroically save the life of the armored warrior. If 
  they do not, the marru brings his maul down but 
  does not strike the armored figure. If the heroes 
  act, have them roll their attacks and damage, have 
  the marru take heroically appropriate damage and 
  then die. If the heroes have a bad round of 
  attacks, the armored figure on the floor will use the 
  distraction they present to recover his sword and 
  kill the marru. 
  A hallowed hush falls over the chamber as the 
  armored figure regains his feet. He drags his 
  greatsword over to a small pedestal littered 
  with the remains of a destroyed statue that 
  stands in front of the golden doors and sinks 
  into a kneeling position without saying a word. 
  Heavy labored breathing resounds from his 
  helmet and you can see that blood drips from 
  his visor. 
  The room has at least ten dead marru in it; some 
  have been dead for at least a few days. There is 
  another pair of exits from the antechamber, north 
  and south. Allow the heroes to approach the 
  armored figure at their leisure. When they address 
  him, he will speak. 
  Heaving deep breaths, the man in front of you 
  stands as you address him.  
  “Beware, intruders. Are you here to defile the 
  secrets of the Vault of the Hollow? I am bound 
  to tell you that I must slay you if your intent is 
  not honorable.” 
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  As it speaks, the man lifts his visor and you 
  can clearly see his features for the first time. 
  His face is not that of a man, but that of a 
  wolf’s. Deep auburn fur rings bright blue eyes. 
  One of his fangs is sheared off and his face is 
  matted with drying blood. 
  The man is actually a Hound Archon named 
  Gustavren the Packmaster. 
  GUSTAVREN THE PACKMASTER 
  Thousands of years ago Gustavren was created 
  by the gods to serve and protect their interests. 
  His particular duty was the stewardship of a 
  valuable icon of the deity Kord. For ages 
  uncounted Gustavren did his duty ably and was a 
  defender of the icon and its faithful worshipers. 
  The terms of Gustaveren’s stewardship were such 
  that he was never allowed to directly view the 
  Kordite icon.  
  Unfortunately for Gustavren he was cursed with 
  an insatiable curiosity. For many years he was 
  steadfast and true until he was “befriended” by a 
  wizard of some power who desired the icon for 
  himself. The wizard tricked Gustavren into 
  breaking his oath of service and Gustavren fell 
  from grace. When he returned to his native plane 
  of Acheron, Gustavren was named a traitor and he 
  and his pack were cast out. 
  Gustavren and his pack have thrown in with the 
  mysterious forces that have taken over Godakin 
  Keep. Their plan is to lure the heroes into a false 
  sense of security and then allow them to open the 
  Vault. After the Vault is opened, the forces of the 
  invaders will be alerted and move to capture the 
  relic within the vault. 
  Gustavren will warm up to the heroes as soon as 
  they start talking, as part of this ploy. Gustavren 
  wears an Amulet of Proof against Detection and 
  Location and will not submit to any sort of magical 
  questioning or truth divination. Since the heroes 
  will not have the required time to develop a frame 
  of reference as described in the PHB, Sense 
  Motive checks will not reveal that Gustavren is 
  deceiving the heroes in any way. Gustavren is an 
  outsider whose facial features are not something 
  the heroes are used to deciphering. Allow the 
  heroes to make Sense Motive checks if they insist, 
  but he will avoid lying to them and will not take any 
  action that requires him to make a Bluff check 
  against the heroes.  
  Gustavren is an exceedingly intelligent outsider. If 
  asked, he will tell the heroes that he is a guardian 
  of the Vault and that he does not know what lies 
  inside. He will relate the noble parts of his history 
  and tell the heroes that the marru are desecrators 
  and nothing more.  
  Below is a sample of questions the heroes might 
  ask Gustavren. Use these answers as a template, 
  building on them from there as necessary. 
  “Who are you? 
  “I am Gustavren the Packmaster. I am a Hound 
  Archon and I am tasked the guarding of this 
  Vault.” 
  “Vault?” 
  “This is the entrance to the Vault of the Hollow, 
  created by agents of Keoland many years ago 
  and secluded here.” 
  “What is inside the Vault?” 
  “I do not know, exactly. A guardian of some 
  sort, 
  doubtless…and 
  something 
  worth 
  protecting. I am forbidden to enter.” 
  “Why are you forbidden to enter?” 
  “I am simply a guardian, not a keeper.” 
  “What are these creatures that are infesting 
  Godakin Keep?” 
  “They are an ancient race known as the Marru. 
  They were created by wizards in search of 
  power. The Marru freed themselves from their 
  bondage by slaying their masters. They are an 
  ancient race, one that seeks only power.” 
  “…and how do you know the Marru?” 
  “Hound Archons know the Marru because they 
  were built in our image by those who wanted 
  our allegiance but were not pure enough to 
  warrant of it. They are a perversion, and they 
  seek our extinction as we seek theirs.” 
  “What do the Marru want with the Vault?” 
  “I’d imagine simply plundering and pilfering 
  whatever lies within.” 
  “Have you seen a [description of the second stone 
  seal] around here?” 
  “Yes. It is that way (pointing to another exit 
  from the room) although I’d say perhaps you 
  have a more important purpose here now.” 
  Gustavren knows exactly how thin a line he walks 
  with lying to the heroes and so he will do his best 
  to avoid directly lying to them about anything, 
  rather changing the subject or deflecting their 
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  suspicions if possible. He will ask pointed 
  questions about the heroes’ purpose here, 
  attempting to put the onus of explanation upon 
  them as well as gathering information about what 
  the kingdom of Keoland is aware of in Godakin. 
  Heroes who are in possession of divinatory 
  magics will find that they function as per PHB 
  rules. If the heroes use such magics and uncover 
  Gustavren’s lies, he will teleport without error 
  away from the combat and run to tell his masters. 
  If the heroes appear inclined to ignore the Vault of 
  the Hollow, or appear as though they would rather 
  investigate the second seal and then return, 
  Gustavren will attempt to persuade them to take a 
  look at the doors and pass the test that will gain 
  them entry. Read the text below. 
  “Wait mortals. I sense within you no abiding 
  evil and so I must speak my mind. The Marru 
  have only begun sending patrols this far into 
  the warrens but soon they will realize that 
  those that come here don’t come back. I am 
  not confident that I will be able to defend this 
  entrance for much longer. 
  I know you were likely not sent here with the 
  Vault in mind, or likely even told of its 
  existence and yet I judge the Vault is likely 
  more important than your errand. I implore you 
  to consider attempting the trial of entry. I 
  would not have whatever lies within this Vault 
  fall into the hands of the Marru.” 
  Astute heroes who actually do have some form of 
  taint of evil might notice that Gustavren is 
  incorrect. He no longer has the ability to divine 
  alignment, it was lost when he was declared 
  traitor. 
  At this point the adventure splits into two paths, 
  wholly 
  determined 
  by 
  the 
  heroes’ 
  actions. 
  Although they do not know it, they will only have 
  time to complete one of their goals here. They will 
  either have time to investigate the Vault or they 
  will be able to travel to and destroy the second 
  seal. 
  It is vitally important that you do not attempt to 
  sway the decision of the heroes artificially as the 
  critical events for this adventure will directly affect 
  the kingdom of Keoland greatly.  
  If the heroes attempt the Trial of Entry, continue 
  with this encounter. If the heroes move to 
  investigate the second stone plug, proceed to 
  Encounter Eight. 
  THE TRIAL OF ENTRY 
  The Trial of Entry is the key to the lock the Silent 
  Ones placed on the Vault of the Hollow when it 
  was created. In order to pass the trial the applicant 
  must first be a servant of the Keoish Empire (of 
  which the heroes are by dint of their errand here) 
  and then they must submit to a test of their will. 
  The applicant attempting the Trial must stand 
  before the door to the Vault and place his hands 
  on the great golden wheel that seals the vault. 
  Then, using either strength of arms, personality or 
  strength of will, they must pry open the door while 
  facing their worst fears. 
  The mechanics of the test are fairly simple. The 
  attempting hero makes an attribute check using 
  their highest ability modifier. This represents the 
  hero using their most powerful ability during the 
  trial. 
  The Trial lasts for five rounds, and each round the 
  DC of the check gets tougher. Failure to succeed 
  on the check inflicts subdual damage on the hero 
  attempting it. If the hero lasts five rounds without 
  falling unconscious they are successful. If the hero 
  releases 
  his 
  hold 
  on 
  the 
  wheel 
  or 
  falls 
  unconscious, they fail. 
  When the heroes examine the door: 
  Centered in the massive doors at waist height 
  is a single golden wheel that resembles a gear. 
  You can see handholds running the entire 
  circumference of the wheel. Engraved above 
  the wheel are the words “Persevere. The brave 
  do not fear the grave. Strong in arms or will or 
  personality, all are equal before the Vault. Five 
  turns brings surcease. Persevere.” 
  The glowing blue runes on the door seem to 
  crackle eagerly as you examine the wheel. 
  The runes are indecipherable, although they look 
  quite menacing. Touching any part of the door 
  other than the wheel yields no results. 
  When a hero tries the wheel the five round trial 
  begins: 
  (Round one) 
  As soon as you grasp the wheel, your vision 
  blurs and fades. You feel the cool metal of the 
  wheel in your palms but your eyes now see 
  nothing but water. You are submerged in a 
  rushing river and a pair of strong hands holds 
  you under the surface. Your lungs feel as 
  though they are about to burst with pressure. 
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  Will you turn the wheel, or will you release it 
  and push your assailant off you? 
  If the hero turns the wheel, they must make a 
  check. The DC for round one is 10. Success 
  means the hero takes no damage. If the hero fails, 
  they take 1 subdual damage for every point by 
  which they failed.  
  (Round two) 
  The river is gone, replaced in the single click 
  of the wheel beneath your hands. Now you sit 
  atop the back of a horse. With a jolt the horse 
  is slapped out from under you and you fall, 
  only to be arrested by the rope tying you to a 
  sturdy tree branch above you. You are being 
  hanged for heresy! Will you turn the wheel or 
  release it and cut the rope? 
  If the hero turns the wheel they must make a 
  check. The DC for round two is 12. Success 
  means the hero takes no damage. If the hero fails, 
  they take 2 subdual damage for every point they 
  failed by. 
  (Round three) 
  The rope is gone, replaced in the second click 
  of the wheel beneath your hands. Now you are 
  seated at an immense dining table, guests in 
  each direction as far as the eye can see. They 
  are all laughing and having a grand time as 
  your eyes bulge. The poisoned quail you ate is 
  burning through your system. Will you turn the 
  wheel or release it and drink the restorative 
  elixir you keep on your belt for such 
  treachery? 
  If the hero turns the wheel they must make a 
  check. The DC for round three is 14. Success 
  means the hero takes no damage. If the hero fails, 
  they take 3 subdual damage for every point they 
  failed by. 
  (Round Four) 
  The dining hall is gone, replaced in the third 
  click of the wheel beneath your hands. Now 
  you are laying on your back and being carried 
  in a glass coffin through the streets of your 
  hometown. The eyes of all are downcast to 
  mourn the passing of such a great hero. Will 
  you turn the wheel or will you reach out and 
  shatter the glass before they bury you alive? 
  If the hero turns the wheel they must make a 
  check. The DC for round four is 16. Success 
  means the hero takes no damage. If the hero fails, 
  they take 4 subdual damage for every point they 
  failed by. 
  (Round Five) 
  The glass coffin is gone, replaced in the fourth 
  click of the wheel beneath your hands. 
  At this point you should improvise some sort of 
  test based on the greatest fear that the attempting 
  hero passed to you in the preparation for play 
  section. Alternately, you may read the following: 
  All around you is void, stars and more stars 
  shine uncounted, an endless distance away. 
  You feel shackles attached to your ankles, and 
  their mere presence seems to lull you towards 
  unending slumber, forgotten by all those who 
  you would rule. Will you turn the wheel, or will 
  you reach down and sunder the shackles 
  binding you? 
  If the hero turns the wheel they must make a 
  check. The DC for round five is 15. Success 
  means the hero takes no damage. If the hero fails, 
  they take 5 subdual damage for every point they 
  failed by. 
  Failure or releasing the wheel: 
  Unable to continue, your hands release from 
  the wheel and you fall to your knees, sweating 
  with the exertion of the Trial. You are unworthy 
  to open the vault. 
  Success: 
  With a fifth and final click, the wheel turns 
  completely and the pressure you felt building 
  up within you is released. The blue runes on 
  the door flare brightly and fade away, but not 
  before leaving etchings on your hands. 
  The hero who attempted to open the vault and 
  succeeded receives the AR item Vault Master. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 7: THE 
  GUARDIAN ILLIASNIRATH 
  This encounter takes place when the heroes 
  breach the Vault of the Hollow after completing the 
  Trial of Entry. This encounter is designed to be 
  roleplaying intensive as the heroes will have the 
  opportunity to interact with a dynamic force of 
  good, an old brass dragon.  
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  Notes on the Vault of the Hollow 
  The Vault of the Hollow is a precisely constructed 
  extradimensional space. It occupies its own cyst 
  adjoining the Prime Material plane, and its only 
  entrance is through the doors in Encounter Six.  
  The doors to the vault can only be opened, as 
  mentioned, by someone in service to the King of 
  Keoland who passed the Trial of Entry. The doors 
  do not automatically swing shut behind the heroes, 
  but if the heroes close the doors before entering 
  the mists, Gustavren and his pack will not be able 
  to enter. When the heroes leave the vault, you will 
  have to make ad hoc changes as Gustavren and 
  his pack attack. If this occurs, have Illiasnirath 
  accompany the heroes out of the mists, so that he 
  will see the form of Sullinax and ask the heroes to 
  recover his artifact. 
  All magic that attempts to cross the boundaries of 
  the plane will fail. Teleportation and other magic 
  work normally within the plane, but do not function 
  attempting to leave the plane. Any attempt made 
  to magically dispel an illusion spell will fail. 
  Attempts to disbelieve can still be made if desired. 
  The instant anyone attempts the Trial of Entry; the 
  old brass dragon Illiasnirath becomes aware of the 
  attempt. He will immediately cloak himself in 
  defensive magics and illusion so that he appears 
  as a young human male dressed in the manner of 
  a wizard. He will await the entry of anyone who 
  opens the doors at the central table of the room. A 
  map of the Vault is DM AID #3. 
  The doors to the Vault swing inward in silence. 
  Ten feet of hallway continues past the doors, 
  and ends abruptly in a solid wall of steam. 
  The steam is not harmful in any way; it is simply 
  the barrier between the material plane and the 
  Vault plane.  
  Stepping into the mist, it seems to reach out 
  for you with hungry tendrils. Milky white in 
  color, it obscures your vision totally and your 
  stomach lurches slightly. It feels as though 
  one step has brought you uncounted leagues. 
  With a second step the mists release you and 
  you stand in the center of a massive room, 
  easily hundreds of feet in length and width. 
  The walls are worked stone of the finest order, 
  and the ceiling is lost to your sight, hundreds 
  of feet above your head. 
  The part of the room in which you stand is a 
  library wing of which any noble would be 
  proud. Twenty or more freestanding racks are 
  filled to capacity with leather-bound tomes.  
  Beyond the aisles of books you can see a large 
  table, such as might be suitable to plan a 
  conference of war. Standing behind the table is 
  a man dressed in long elegant red robes 
  decorated with black lions rampant. He eyes 
  you expectantly and suspiciously. A warm 
  golden glow suffuses the room from behind 
  the man. 
  Illiasnirath will await the approach of the heroes 
  expectantly. If hailed, he will silently beckon the 
  heroes closer. When they approach: 
  Approaching, you can make out more details 
  about the man. His hair and skin are dusky in 
  color and his features bear a decidedly Keogh 
  cast. A crown floats above his head, and it 
  appears to be made of dancing flames with a 
  single large opal amidst the fire. Bejeweled 
  rings adorn each finger and a slender staff 
  leans against the table within arms’ reach.  
  From here you can make out the far wall of the 
  room, several hundred feet distant, and the 
  source of the warm golden light. Hundreds of 
  floating balls of fire line the wall and their light 
  is reflected to you off of an astounding amount 
  of golden coins. Piled high like the fabled 
  snow drifts of the land of the snow barbarians, 
  the coins fill the entirety of the end of the 
  room. 
  The man bows to you and speaks in a dry and 
  dusty voice. 
  “Greetings. It is well that you have passed the 
  Trial of Entry for I have not seen visitors in 
  many years. Now, why do you dare trespass 
  upon this ground set aside? Is it that you are 
  thieves or is it that you are here for another 
  matter? I offer you seating and refreshments at 
  no obligation to thineselves.” 
  The man gestures simply and all the chairs 
  surrounding 
  the 
  table 
  slide 
  out 
  to 
  accommodate recipients. 
  Before the heroes’ eyes, the table becomes laden 
  with all manner of foods, from simple fare to rare 
  delicacies. The food is entirely substantial and any 
  hero who partakes in it receives the benefit of a 
  heroes feast spell without the usual required 
  consumption time. 
  Illiasnirath will begin to prod the heroes for the 
  reasons for their entry into the Vault. Illiasnirath’s 
  only goal is to protect the artifact he guards from 
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  being removed from the Vault. To this end he was 
  installed as the guardian of the Vault in exchange 
  for his bloodline forever being allowed to roost 
  within Keoland without being hunted.  
  Illiasnirath is every bit the brass dragon as 
  described in the Player’s Handbook and the 
  Draconomicon. He is loquacious, possessed of a 
  razor-sharp wit, super-intelligent and incredibly 
  deadly. When he speaks he speaks in grandiose 
  terms, uses flamboyant hand gestures, and 
  generally makes a spectacle of himself. In his 
  human guise this manifests as exhibitions that 
  make him appear to be a powerful wizard. Flashes 
  of light and fire accompany his exclamations and 
  rolls of distant thunder accompany his laughter. In 
  his natural form this is even more outlandish and 
  he will turn and twist in a manner to best show the 
  firelight off his scales and jewelry. 
  Illiasnirath’s speech patterns are a bit antiquated 
  as well. He frequently starts sentences in oblique 
  and complicated manners. For example, instead of 
  saying “I am a dragon who is here to guard this 
  vault as a payment for a service,” he will say 
  something to the effect of “It is my lot in this 
  wonderful wyrm’s life to labor here intensely as the 
  guardian of Oerth’s most profound treasure.” 
  Illiasnirath is an encounter that the heroes should 
  savor and remember long after this adventure is 
  complete.  
  Illiasnirath has been starved for conversation for 
  several hundred years. He will immediately begin 
  plumbing the heroes for information on the outside 
  world and will devour all the knowledge the heroes 
  give him eagerly. In return he will rapidly open up 
  to the heroes asking him questions. The only 
  matter he will refuse to discuss is the exact nature 
  of the artifact he is here to guard. He will not 
  describe it, detail its workings, or reveal its location 
  (until later in this encounter). 
  ATTACKING ILLIASNIRATH 
  If the heroes are foolish enough to engage hostile 
  actions against Illiasnirath he will immediately 
  resume his true form and allow the heroes a 
  chance to halt their actions. Any hero foolish 
  enough to prosecute offensive action against an 
  old brass dragon is immediately considered killed 
  and 
  recoverable. 
  Illiasnirath 
  is 
  detailed 
  in 
  Appendix 5 – All APLs. As a CR 17 encounter, 
  he is easily capable of destroying all but the most 
  formidable opponents outright. While an extremely 
  powerful table of “heroes” might be able to kill 
  Illiasnirath if it were played out, he is not an enemy 
  to be killed for greed or hubris. Allow the heroes a 
  chance to rethink their actions and then show no 
  mercy. 
  ILLIASNIRATH’S TRUE FORM 
  Once the heroes have started to gain Illiasnirath’s 
  trust, he will hold up his hand as if asking for a 
  pause in the conversation and then shift back to 
  his true form for comfort. 
  There is no blur, no distortion, no running of 
  one set of features to the next. It is simply the 
  blink of an eye and the man before you is 
  gone. In his stead is the enormous serpentine 
  form that can only be associated with that of a 
  dragon. At least fifty feet long, it also stands 
  over twelve feet tall. Short, raylike wings start 
  at the shoulder and run the entire length of the 
  body down the tail. Even curled tightly, the 
  wingspan is at least forty feet wide. 
  A massive smooth headplate holds eyes that 
  are molten red with only the tiniest of pupils 
  still visible. The air suddenly becomes tinged 
  with the smell of hot metal. The light of the 
  chamber suddenly seems many times brighter 
  as it plays off the wonderful burnished brass 
  scales covering Illiasnirath’s body. 
  CONVERSATION POINTS  
  Detailed below are certain points that are of 
  particular interest to Illiasnirath and he will speak 
  about at length if given the opportunity. This list is 
  intended to be malleable, skip items or add items 
  depending on the time allowances of the 
  adventure and the mood of the table. 
  • 
  The state of the Empire of Keoland (As 
  Illiasnirath will refer to it) – in particular 
  such details as who is the King, recent 
  events in the region, and relations with 
  other nearby nations. Some of these 
  nations were not even formed when 
  Illiasnirath became the guardian and he 
  will eagerly lap up any information. 
  • 
  The state of the Silent Ones. Do they still 
  exist? What are they up to? Illiasnirath’s 
  bargain was with that order and so he is 
  eager to learn of their current situation and 
  if they are still honoring their end of the 
  bargain they struck. 
  • 
  The events in Godakin Keep (if the heroes 
  tell him of the troubles). Illiasnirath will 
  seem untroubled by any change in 
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  ownership of the lands above, confident 
  that the Trial of Entry will “keep the riffraff 
  out”. If pressed, he will elaborate that the 
  nature of the Trial is such that only 
  carriers of his bloodline and those in 
  service to the Empire may breach the 
  seal. 
  If 
  the 
  Marru 
  are 
  mentioned, 
  Illiasnirath will expound upon them, telling 
  the heroes everything they may wish to 
  know on the manner of this magically 
  created race. The heroes are considered 
  to know everything detailed in Sandstorm 
  about the Marru. This will be noted on the 
  AR as the item Desert Dissection. 
  • 
  The state of magic in general. As a 
  dragon, Illiasnirath is intricately bound to 
  the weave of magic and longs to hear 
  stories of its use and misuse.  
  • 
  Other dragons. Illiasnirath hungers for 
  knowledge of any of his progeny that the 
  heroes may have heard about (he will take 
  any rumors about the lair of a brass dragon in 
  Keoland as a good sign) or encountered. In 
  particular Illiasnirath will want to discuss the 
  prophet Aulicus (the black dragon that 
  delivered the Prophecy of Azmarender to King 
  Kimbertos in Niole Dra). Aulicus was hunted 
  and killed at the order of King Kimbertos, and 
  then resurrected as a foul Dracolich before 
  being destroyed again. This knowledge is 
  available to the heroes with a Knowledge 
  (Metaregion 1) check DC 10. If informed 
  about this, Illiasnirath will be horrified and will 
  say the following. 
  “The 
  Dragonkind 
  Prophet…was…was 
  slain? At the behest of the King? Oh no. 
  No, no, no, no! That is wretched, horrible 
  news! The blackest of foul acts! Does he 
  not KNOW what purpose the Dragonkind 
  Prophet serves? Oh, your King has 
  brought doom upon you all. Your King has 
  become common, fearing that which he 
  does not control.” 
  This is a good point to segue into the second part 
  of this encounter. Illiasnirath will immediately begin 
  a hurried preparation of defenses for the Vault, 
  clearly suddenly afraid. He will explain to the 
  heroes. 
  “Your King. It rings too true to be anything but. 
  His fall is coming, and it is dragging you with 
  it. 
  Wait. It is that I recall something you said now. 
  What exactly was outside my doors?” 
  If the heroes tell Illiasnirath that a Hound Archon 
  stood guard outside he will suddenly stop all 
  movement and preparation. 
  “There were no Hound Archons set to guard 
  my doors. There was a single animated statue 
  of a dragon.” 
  At this point the forces of the invaders will break 
  through into the Vault. If the heroes follow a 
  wandering conversation track with Illiasnirath you 
  may have to paraphrase the above. 
  The forces invading the Vault are the face of good, 
  twisted and turned. Gustavren and his pack of 
  Hound Archons lead the way, followed by Sullinax, 
  a depraved spawn of Illiasnirath. 
  SULLINAX 
  Sullinax first appears as a human male wearing 
  heavy armor and carrying a wicked sword. In 
  reality he is a blue dragon, and he carries 
  Illiasnirath’s bloodline within him. When Illiasnirath 
  was a young dragon he was mentally controlled by 
  a much older and more powerful female blue 
  dragon named Verillianethess. Verillianethess 
  chose to keep Illiasnirath as a pet and guardian 
  rather than destroying him outright. Reveling in the 
  revulsion Illiasnirath felt, Verillianethess forced 
  Illiasnirath to mate with her and much to her 
  eternal regret, it bred true. When the clutch of 
  eggs hatched, Illiasnirath was finally able to break 
  free of Verillianethess’ control and kill her, 
  destroying most of the clutch as well. Sullinax 
  survived. Although this background will not be 
  completely revealed now, it will be important again 
  in the future. 
  In all forms and respects, Sullinax is a blue 
  dragon, the exceptions being cosmetic only. When 
  Sullinax is in his draconic shape, his scales are a 
  mixed mottle of blue and brass colors, although 
  his other defining characteristics (wing length, 
  horn 
  size, 
  etc) 
  are 
  entirely 
  blue 
  dragon 
  determined.  
  It is Sullinax’s pure desire to kill his father out of 
  revenge.  
  GUSTAVREN AND HIS PACK 
  As noted in Encounter Six, Gustavren is a 
  renegade Hound Archon. His pack follows him 
  utterly and without question. They are Hound 
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  Archons 
  and 
  are 
  detailed 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  appendices per APL. 
  As renegade Hound Archons, the pack no longer 
  emits an aura of protection versus evil, their DR is 
  now 10/magic and their alignments are lawful 
  neutral. They are otherwise unchanged. 
  THE RENEGADES ENTER 
  Immediately after Illiasnirath remarks that he has 
  no external guardians that are Archons, the 
  renegades will enter the vault. This has been 
  made possible by the entry of the heroes and the 
  presence of Illiasnirath’s bloodline in Sullinax. 
  The mist parts as though recoiling in horror 
  and the sound of mailed feet on flagstones 
  rings through the vault. Gustavren walks 
  boldly forward, a pack of his followers behind 
  him. His voice rings out, loud and harsh. 
  “Your 
  stewardship 
  here 
  is 
  at 
  an 
  end, 
  Illiasnirath.” 
  The Brass Dragon laughs aloud, fire crackling 
  along his teeth. 
  “So few? Your entry is unwelcome here, fallen 
  one. The heavens will rejoice that I clean the 
  planes of your stain of treachery.” 
  Suddenly, Illiasnirath stops, and his massive 
  nostrils twitch and heave. His scales ruffle up 
  and clack loudly in a wave down his back. A 
  tall man steps sideways out from the pack. He 
  is dressed in armor burnished to the same 
  color as Illiasnirath’s scales, and wears a 
  bright blue floorlength cloak. His eyes burn a 
  bright indigo visible even from across the 
  room.  
  Illiasnirath sighs a deep breath and his eyes 
  dim. His head swivels down to face you, 
  coming close enough that his whisper reaches 
  your ears. 
  “To my horde you must run, search for the 
  ivory pillar and take the velvet parcel it 
  contains. It must not see the light of day. You 
  must flee with it; to your King you must take it, 
  no matter how you manage it. Failure will 
  doom you for a thousand years. 
  Allow me some words of advice, free of any 
  obligations, manlings. If it is that you should 
  ever have a child that hates you,” Illiasnirath’s 
  eyes cross the room, seeking the indigo eyed 
  stranger, “never let it live long enough to steal 
  a name.” 
  The stranger snarls ferally and his armor 
  ripples and distorts. Mottled blue and brass 
  scales cover the twisted form of a dragon 
  almost as large as Illiasnirath. Lightning 
  crackles about its horn as it launches towards 
  Illiasnirath. The pounding sound of plate feet 
  rushing towards you is all the warning you 
  have before Gustavren and his pack are upon 
  you. 
  APL 6 (EL 9) 
  Fallen Hound Archons, Male Outsider Ftr1: 
  hp 42; see Appendix 1. 
  APL 8 (EL 11) 
  Fallen Hound Archons, Male Outsider Ftr3: 
  hp 58; see Appendix 2. 
  APL 10 (EL 13) 
  Fallen Hound Archons, Male Outsider Ftr5: 
  hp 76; see Appendix 3. 
  APL 12 (EL 15) 
  Fallen Hound Archons, Male Outsider Ftr7: 
  hp 94; see Appendix 4. 
  Due to the immense nature of the Vault you will 
  only be able to represent small parts of it to the 
  heroes at any given time. This fight can be difficult 
  to keep track of if the heroes split off, if necessary 
  use another map section to keep track of heroes 
  moving away from the combat.  
  Tactics: Gustavren and the pack will use their 
  mobility to their best advantage. If a hero moves to 
  retrieve something from the dragon’s hoard, they 
  will all teleport next to that hero and attempt to 
  steal it from him (killing/disarming as necessary) 
  and then teleport to the boundary and run out. If a 
  pack member retrieves the artifact and enters the 
  Prime Material his first action will be to teleport far, 
  far away. 
  After the heroes have fought Gustavren and his 
  pack, they have the opportunity to take the artifact 
  Illiasnirath was sent to guard and witness 
  Illiasnirath’s death. 
  THE ARTIFACT  
  In the center of Illiasnirath’s horde is a single ivory 
  pillar. Atop this pillar rests a parcel five feet in 
  length, two feet wide, and two feet deep. Despite 
  its size, it weighs under a pound. The only 
  obstacle in moving the parcel is the physical size 
  of the parcel. A character could easy sling it under 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  one arm, only to find it potentially a hazard in tight 
  quarters. 
  The entire parcel is wrapped in black velvet and 
  bound with golden cord. It radiates no magic.  
  If a hero at any point removes the velvet, read the 
  following: 
  Removing the velvet, you hear a distant and 
  anguished woman’s scream. A pair of bright 
  red eyes float in the air above you and then 
  fade away, dissipated by the ether. From the 
  parcel falls a longbow made of bone and tied 
  together with sinew. 
  If the heroes open the parcel, note it in the critical 
  events. When the heroes are done with the 
  combat, they witness the following. 
  Wheeling above you, the two dragons turn and 
  twist for position. Blood falls like rain and you 
  can see that both dragons are carrying 
  incredible wounds. The air crackles with 
  lightning as the blue unleashes a powerful 
  forked bolt that takes Illiasnirath full in the 
  chest. Illiasnirath responds by diving down 
  and latching on to the blue, biting savagely 
  and raking with his claws. 
  The two gigantic dragons hurtle to the ground 
  and impact in a horrible cracking of stone and 
  bone. The shelves of the library collapse and a 
  huge dust cloud wafts up. 
  With 
  a 
  horrible 
  groan, 
  a 
  single 
  form 
  disentangles itself from the pile. It raises a 
  long sinewy head and swivels in your 
  direction. Leaning forward, you can see its 
  color. 
  Blue. The air crackles with electricity as you 
  hear the sharp inhalation of breath. A forked 
  lightning bolt leaps from the dragon’s mouth 
  and arcs towards you, then suddenly bends 
  sharply down and dissipates harmlessly. 
  The mist near the doors clear and you see a 
  single man dressed in white robes. His face is 
  covered with an ornate black iron mask. In his 
  right hand he carries a staff shaped like a 
  divining rod.  
  “I know not your name, Dragon, but you have 
  invaded the protected ground of the Silent 
  Ones for the last time. Prepare for your doom.” 
  The figure turns his head to you. 
  “Flee, friends. I don’t know how you came 
  here, but this is not a sight for your eyes. Take 
  your burden to the King, and let it not see the 
  light of day. Flee east to the catacombs and 
  look for the glowing symbol of the Lion. Take 
  the path and run.” 
  Roaring in anger, the blue dragon lashes at the 
  lone figure, and the sounds of combat are 
  joined. 
  The heroes should use this opportunity to flee. If 
  they are stubborn enough to attempt to join the 
  fight, start hitting them with lightning bolts until 
  they get the idea and flee. 
  ENCOUNTER 8: THE 
  SECOND SEAL 
  This encounter takes place if the heroes decide to 
  ignore the Vault of the Hollow and attempt to 
  destroy the second seal. The passage from 
  Encounter Six continues, this time sloping 
  downward far under the water table of the Javan 
  river. Unfortunately for the heroes, the invaders of 
  Godakin Keep have set up an armory near the 
  location of the second seal and the heroes will 
  have to either force their way through the area or 
  sneak through with guile. Added to the mix is the 
  fact that the marru have captured and enslaved 
  several Royal Standards to make them work in the 
  armory. The heroes will have a series of important 
  decisions to make. 
  Leaving the strange doors behind you decide 
  to continue your assignment to destroy the 
  second seal. The passage from the vault room 
  continues and begins to slope downward 
  sharply. The air becomes musty and damp, 
  with condensation openly running down the 
  walls as you descend. 
  A large chamber opens ahead of you. 
  Wavering torchlight reaches your eyes, and 
  you can see rows upon rows of crypts, and an 
  endless sea of bones strewn about the floor. 
  This chamber is a large burial area for Royal 
  Standards who were killed in the line of duty at 
  Godakin Keep. The walls are honeycombed with 
  burial niches for the soldiers, each with a bronze 
  nameplate underneath. The niches have all been 
  ransacked and looted, the bodies forming a 
  horrible detritus that lies across the entirety of the 
  floor. 
  The bones are all very old, some well over a 
  hundred years. If he heroes make a Search check 
  DC 15 + APL they will find a small gold ring that 
  has been overlooked by the invaders. It is worked 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 20 
  
  with the Keoish crest and chased with diamonds. It 
  radiates a faint aura of abjuration magic. If the 
  heroes take the ring, it is noted on the AR as 
  Ringfinders. 
  The lone feature of the room that is not despoiled 
  is a central dais with twelve stone biers upon it. 
  Half the biers appear to have statues carved into 
  them, such that they appear to be laying down. 
  The other half are uncarved. Any hero that 
  examines the biers closely will be able to 
  recognize that the statues very closely resemble 
  the faces of the dead members of squad Voss. 
  The only other exit from the room leaves south, 
  and continues towards the armory and slave pens. 
  THE ARMORY AND SLAVE PENS 
  This area is detailed as DM AID #4. The area near 
  the walls by the dashed lines is all considered 
  heavy shadows, with many things to hide behind. 
  The armory is a massive complex that was 
  designed to be able to create arms for Godakin 
  Keep should the Keep ever become besieged. 
  The marru have begun using it to turn out large 
  quantities of their own weapons and are using the 
  surviving Royal Standards as brute labor. 
  The slave pens themselves are a series of storage 
  rooms that have had all useful materials removed 
  from them. The surviving Royal Standards are 
  living in conditions of absolute squalor, barely fed, 
  living in their own waste and disease, and forced 
  to perform hard labor until they die.  
  Guarding the slaves is a sizeable force of Marru.  
  The corridor levels out, and about two hundred 
  feet of you it takes a sharp turn to the east. 
  You can hear what appears to be the sound of 
  hammer and anvil and see the dull glow of 
  forgelight against the wall. The edges of the 
  room are heaped in shadow and the sounds 
  here are quite loud. 
  The heroes can approach without being spotted. 
  When they reach the corner they will see the 
  following. 
  At the corner you see another massive 
  underground room. This one is quite obviously 
  a forge and it is quite obviously in use. Long 
  chains run to several dirty humans who are 
  laboring at the forges. Throughout the south 
  end of the room are more of the dog men that 
  you saw fighting in front of the golden doors. 
  They are clearly watching the humans and 
  forcing them to work. Piles of curved blades 
  are accumulating on mine carts throughout the 
  room. A human overseer dressed in robes 
  laughs with several of the slavemasters. 
  The room has exits at the three other cardinal 
  points. Heavy mine cart tracks leave to the 
  north, to the east is a huge set of dusty doors 
  that are partially open, darkness looms 
  beyond. To the south is a heavy barred door 
  with a large padlock on it. 
  The number of marru present depends on the 
  APL, but at each APL it should be clear that a 
  direct assault will be very difficult, if at all possible. 
  The heroes have several options here.  
  • 
  Direct assault. Begin combat, the heroes 
  gain an automatic surprise round. Use the 
  “Full guardroom” APL block listed below. 
  This fight is well above an APL+4 
  encounter at every APL. Sometimes 
  charging blindly forward is a bad idea. 
  • 
  Distraction. If the heroes attempt to draw 
  off some of the guards, allow them to 
  create a plan and attempt to execute it. As 
  stated in the opening text, the corners of 
  the room are shadowed and the sound of 
  the work is loud. The heroes have plenty 
  of opportunity to sneak into position in 
  order to execute a distraction. If they do 
  so, several of the guards will leave to 
  investigate the distraction, leaving less to 
  fight. If the heroes then attack use the 
  “Distracted guardroom” APL block listed 
  below. 
  • 
  Stealth. If the heroes attempt to sneak 
  past the marru it will actually be quite 
  simple. Have the heroes make Hide and 
  Move Silently checks and apply a -10 
  modifier to the marru’s Listen and Spot. 
  The heroes will be able to then investigate 
  the exits if they desire. Simply put, the 
  marru present are concerned only with 
  their charges. If detected, the heroes will 
  have to fight the Distracted Guardroom 
  stats below, while half the force runs to 
  get reinforcements. Getting the Royal 
  Standards out from the southern room via 
  stealth is also possible, but in order to free 
  the slaves actually working, the heroes 
  must use another tactic.  
  • 
  Bluffing/Intimidating/Diplomacy. 
  Fortune 
  favors the bold. If the heroes appear 
  unexpectedly and attempt to face down 
  the marru they may make an Intimidate, 
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  Page 21 
  
  Bluff or Diplomacy check in order to get 
  the marru to act as desired. The DC for 
  any of these checks is 12 + APL. 
  • 
  Waiting. If the heroes wait ten minutes, 
  half the guards will gather up a shipment 
  of arms and push it out the north door. 
  The remaining guards are contained in the 
  “Distracted guardroom” APL. 
  There are several other things to note in the room, 
  possibly of value when the heroes are determining 
  their plan. A Track check DC 15 will tell the 
  heroes that the vast majority of the foot traffic 
  leaves this room to the north, and that the eastern 
  and western spurs appear to be almost entirely 
  unused. 
  A Profession: Blacksmith or similar check DC 15 
  will inform the heroes that the arms being created 
  are of substandard quality. The arms are bastard 
  swords and scimitars. No armor is being forged.  
  A Knowledge: Sheldomar Valley check DC 10 
  will identify the tattered remains of Royal Standard 
  uniforms on the laboring slaves. 
  A Spot check DC 15 will let the heroes see that 
  there are moving figures through the glass window 
  on the south door. 
  The north exit moves 200’ and then climbs a steep 
  set of stairs, mine cart tracks run up the stairs. 
  Stationed on the stairs are ten pairs of marru 
  guards, all facing downwards and staring at stark 
  attention. If the heroes are foolish enough to begin 
  combat with these guards, they will meet with 
  certain death. Luckily for the heroes, the sound 
  from the armory will drown out any sounds of 
  combat that make it this far and the hallway is still 
  quite easy to hide in, allowing them to retreat 
  easily. 
  If the heroes gain access to the southern room, 
  they will see the slave pens. 
  A thick pane of glass rests in this door, and 
  through it you can see a storage room that has 
  been converted to a horrible purpose. Filthy 
  rags line the floor and are piled in corners, and 
  the 
  haggard 
  faces 
  of 
  enslaved 
  Royal 
  Standards peer out at you. 
  There are thirty Royal Standards who are still 
  alive, including the group working at the forges. 
  Ten of them are on death’s door and will require 
  help in order to be able to leave. Any amount of 
  magical healing will make them ready to walk. 
  The ranking survivor of the Royal Standards is 
  Captain Wilter. He is a stocky man of mixed 
  descent and he will eagerly latch on to any attempt 
  to escape presented to him.  
  Captain Wilter is quite a find for the heroes 
  because he has detailed knowledge of the goals 
  the heroes are after as well as knowledge of 
  another escape tunnel leading from Godakin. If the 
  heroes promise to attempt to escape with the 
  Royal Standards, he will tell them everything he 
  knows. He does not know how long he and his 
  men have been prisoners; he simply knows that 
  they have been fed three times. If he is asked 
  what happened to Godakin, he will relate the 
  following. 
  “I was asleep when it happened. Alarm bells 
  started ringing and we tried to muster quickly, 
  thinking it a drill. It was still dark but we 
  quickly saw it was no test. These things were 
  inside the walls, butchering and killing without 
  abandon. I gathered a knot of resistance and 
  we tried to fight our way to Marshal Praal. As 
  we moved though to the inner tower, we saw 
  that 
  almost 
  the 
  entire 
  keep 
  had 
  been 
  butchered. We fought our way to the Marshal’s 
  suites, thinking to get him and escape. 
  What we found was death. We entered his 
  suites and the Marshal was unharmed, but he 
  was sitting with some of the creatures as if in 
  council. He ordered us to lay down our arms 
  and surrender, and we refused. We were 
  overwhelmed between two forces, and I 
  personally saw Marshal Praal slay several 
  Royal Standards.  
  Marshal Praal has committed high treason, and 
  I believe it was his actions that led to this Keep 
  being overwhelmed with no word reaching out. 
  We must escape and bring the warning to the 
  king.”  
  Captain Wilter knows that beyond the eastern 
  passage is the second seal. Even if the heroes 
  don’t bring it up, he will surmise that they are after 
  the seal. 
  “That eastern passage, I know what is down 
  there. These creatures sent a sortie down there 
  once, and none came out alive and sane. 
  There’s a stone seal down there, and it is part 
  of the Keep’s last line of defenses. If we were 
  ever overrun, the Captains were supposed to 
  destroy it. If we destroy it, I know a hidden exit 
  though the catacombs that will take us up 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 22 
  
  under the walls and into the fields. We can 
  make for Cryllor from there.” 
  The secret passage mentioned is detailed in 
  Encounter Nine. 
  If the heroes engage in combat with the Marru in 
  the room, use the following statistics. If the heroes 
  bypass the marru, consider this encounter 
  defeated and reward full XP.  
  Full Guardroom 
  APL 6 (EL 10+) 
  Ginder, Human Wizard 9. hp 50. See 
  Appendix 1. 
  Marrusaults (2), Grimhand, Fekken hp 45, 
  See Appendix 1 
  APL 8 (EL 12+) 
  Ginder, Human Wizard 9. hp 50. See 
  Appendix 2. 
  Marrusaults 
  (6), 
  Grimhand, 
  Fekken, 
  Render, Hoothorn, Sidewinder and Tinnan, 
  hp 45, See Appendix 2 
  Marrutact (2), Efflex and Oberon, hp 38, see 
  Appendix 2 
  APL 10 (EL 14+) 
  Ginder, Human Wizard 11. hp 61. See 
  Appendix 3. 
  Marrusaults 
  (6), 
  Grimhand, 
  Fekken, 
  Render, Hoothorn, Sidewinder and Tinnan 
  Fighter 2, hp 62, See Appendix 3 
  Marrutact (2), Efflex and Oberon, hp 58, see 
  Appendix 3. 
  APL 12 (EL 16+) 
  Ginder, Human Wizard 13. hp 72. See 
  Appendix 3. 
  Marrusaults 
  (6), 
  Grimhand, 
  Fekken, 
  Render, Hoothorn, Sidewinder and Tinnan 
  Fighter 4, hp 85, See Appendix 3 
  Marrutact (2), Efflex and Oberon, hp 80, see 
  Appendix 3. 
  Distracted Guardroom 
  APL 6 (EL 9) 
  Ginder, Human Wizard 8. hp 50. See 
  Appendix 1. 
  Marrusaults (2), Grimhand, Fekken hp 45, 
  See Appendix 1 
  APL 8 (EL 11) 
  Ginder, Human Wizard 9. hp 50. See 
  Appendix 2. 
  Marrusaults 
  (3), 
  Grimhand, 
  Fekken, 
  Render, , hp 45, See Appendix 2 
  Marrutact, Efflex, hp 38, see Appendix 2 
  APL 10 (EL 13) 
  Ginder, Human Wizard 11. hp 61. See 
  Appendix 3. 
  Marrusaults 
  (3), 
  Grimhand, 
  Fekken, 
  Render, Fighter 2, hp 62, See Appendix 3 
  Marrutact, Efflex, hp 58, see Appendix 3. 
  APL 12 (EL 15) 
  Ginder, Human Wizard 13. hp 72. See 
  Appendix 3. 
  Marrusaults 
  (3), 
  Grimhand, 
  Fekken, 
  Render, Fighter 4, hp 85, See Appendix 3 
  Marrutact, Efflex, hp 80, see Appendix 3. 
  When the heroes travel the eastern path: 
  The eastern passage is almost entirely choked 
  with debris, requiring you to travel single file 
  past it. A short walk leads you to the second 
  seal. Littered around the seal on the floor are 
  several dessicated corpses of the dog-men 
  overrunning Godakin Keep. 
  When the heroes read the second scroll: 
  The words pour from your mouth and 
  suddenly the seal of the Empire of Keoland 
  runs like water down the walls. The gems and 
  onyx melt into unidentifiable slurry and flows 
  away into the rocks. The air immediately 
  becomes even colder and you can hear an 
  audible dripping begin. 
  Suddenly the ground itself begins to shake. 
  The walls begin to leak noticeable amounts of 
  water, it quickly pools around your feet. It 
  appears as though Lashton’s estimation of 
  your available time might be incorrect 
  The heroes will undoubtedly want to escape at this 
  point. Proceed to Encounter Nine.  
  ENCOUNTER 9: ESCAPE 
  FROM GODAKIN KEEP 
  This encounter can take place multiple ways and 
  may require a fair bit of ad hoc adjustments to 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 23 
  
  tailor it to your party. This encounter will occur 
  directly after encounter 7 or 8, meaning that the 
  heroes can either choose to investigate the Vault 
  or to complete the destruction of the second seal. 
  There are two reliable exits from underneath 
  Godakin Keep. The first is the way the heroes 
  came in, and the second is a secret passage from 
  the catacombs found in Encounter Eight. If the 
  heroes return to the way they came in: 
  The passage you entered through lies open, 
  and the open sky beckons you.  
  If the heroes enter the catacombs detailed in 
  Encounter Eight after either Encounter 7 or 8, they 
  will see a large blue glowing lion hovering over the 
  statuary. As they enter the room, a section of the 
  catacombs will swing wide, revealing another 
  passage. Read the following. 
  The catacomb here is littered with debris and 
  trash. Several stone statues rest on biers in 
  the middle of the room. A large glowing blue 
  sigil that looks like a lion rampant floats over 
  the statues. As you enter the room a concealed 
  door 
  slides 
  upwards, 
  revealing 
  a 
  dark 
  passageway. 
  This passage leads from Godakin Keep up 
  through the tomb of the Righteous Cloaker Lord, 
  Sigmisund Roal. He was a Knight of the Watch 
  buried at Godakin after many years of loyal 
  service. 
  As the heroes move through the crypt: 
  A ghostly form materializes before you as you 
  move towards daylight. It stares unseeingly 
  through you and speaks. 
  “When the king becomes common, 
  Ruled by the desires of his lesser, 
  An ancient foe returns to master the land. 
  And end to all beginnings, and a beginning to 
  the end, 
  A bright-scaled horror unearths all secrets. 
  The reborn lion rules with iron,  
  forged into a great and terrible sword. 
  A great disappearance heralds the final act 
  The curtain falls on king and country,  
  The end of days sees the walls raised  
  Failure of the will leads always to slavery.” 
   
  CONCLUSION A: FAILURE 
  Something within you was lacking. Whether it 
  was your mind, or your strength or simply your 
  faith, what you brought to Godakin was not 
  enough for the tests you faced. If the gods are 
  merciful perhaps your children will not bear 
  the stench of your failure so that they may 
  cleanse your family’s name.  
  CONCLUSION B: 
  DESTROYING BOTH SEALS 
  Retreating from the battered shell of Godakin 
  Keep, you watch with interest as your 
  handiwork takes effect. The ground around the 
  base of the walls seems to visibly sag and 
  bend, finally sinking several feet. The walls 
  themselves crumble and crack, toppling in 
  almost every place. A huge pillar of smoke and 
  dust wafts up as the majority of Godakin Keep 
  settles 
  several 
  feet 
  blow 
  its 
  original 
  foundation. Anything alive under there now 
  won’t be for very long.  
  As the smoke begins to clear you can see that 
  one 
  structure 
  stands 
  defiant 
  of 
  your 
  demolition. The main tower rises angrily 
  amongst the ruin, its green banner flapping 
  defiantly, if dirtied, in the morning light. 
  CONCLUSION C: 
  BREACHING THE VAULT 
  AND RETRIEVING THE 
  ARTIFACT 
  Fleeing from the beehive of Godakin, you carry 
  your burden from the Vault of the Hollow. 
  Unfortunately you were unable to complete 
  your appointed task and sabotage the seals 
  underneath Godakin Keep, and so it shall 
  remain a bastion for the evil that now inhabits 
  it. 
  However, you have stolen a prize from that 
  evil, and at the command of the dragon 
  Illiasnirath you bear it to the King of Keoland. 
   
  The End 
   
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 24 
  
  EXPERIENCE POINT 
  SUMMARY 
  To award experience for this adventure, add up 
  the values for the objectives accomplished. Then 
  assign the experience award.  Award the total 
  value (objectives plus roleplaying) to each 
  character. 
  Encounter 0: Introduction 
  Witness the fate of squad Voss. 
   
  APL 6: 180 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 240 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 300 xp. 
   
  APL 12: 360 xp. 
  Encounter 3: The Tomb of Jeslin Preoudlin 
  Defeat or Avoid the restless dead that have taken 
  root in the Tomb. 
   
  APL 6: 270 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 330 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 390 xp. 
   
  APL 12: 450 xp. 
  Encounter 7: The Vault 
  Prevent Gustavren the Packmaster or his allies 
  from retrieving and fleeing with Illiasnirath’s 
  artifact. 
   
  APL 6: 270 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 330 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 390 xp. 
   
  APL 12: 450 xp. 
  Encounter 8: The Second Seal 
  Defeat or Avoid the Marru and destroy the Second 
  Seal 
   
  APL 6: 270 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 330 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 390 xp. 
   
  APL 12: 450 xp. 
  Story Award 
  Either Retrieve Illiasnirath’s artifact or destroy the 
  second seal. 
   
  APL 6: 180 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 240 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 300 xp. 
   
  APL 12: 360 xp. 
  Discretionary Roleplaying Award 
   
  APL 6: 180 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 240 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 300 xp. 
   
  APL 12: 360 xp. 
   
  Total possible experience 
   
  APL 6: 900 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 1,125 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 1,350 xp. 
   
  APL 12: 1,575 xp. 
  TREASURE SUMMARY 
  During 
  an 
  adventure, 
  characters 
  encounter 
  treasure, usually finding it in the possession of their 
  foes.  Every encounter that features treasure has a 
  “treasure” section within the encounter description, 
  giving information about the loot, coins, and magic 
  items that make up the encounter’s treasure. 
   
  The loot total is the number of gold pieces each 
  character gains if the foes are plundered of all their 
  earthly possessions.  Looting the bodies takes at 
  least 10 minutes per every 5 enemies, and if the 
  characters cannot take the time to loot the bodies, 
  they do not gain this gold.  If you feel it is 
  reasonable that characters can go back to loot the 
  bodies, and those bodies are there (i.e., not carted 
  off by dungeon scavengers, removed from the 
  scene by the local watch, and so on), characters 
  may return to retrieve loot.  If the characters do not 
  loot the body, the gold piece value for the loot is 
  subtracted from the encounter totals given below. 
   
  The coin total is the number of gold pieces each 
  character gains if they take the coin available.  A 
  normal adventuring party can usually gather this 
  wealth in a round or so.  If for some reason, they 
  pass up this treasure, the coin total is subtracted 
  from the encounter totals given below. 
   
  Next, the magic items are listed.  Magic item 
  treasure is the hardest to adjudicate, because they 
  are varied and because characters may want to use 
  them during the adventure.  Many times characters 
  must cast identify, analyze dweomer or similar spell 
  to determine what the item does and how to 
  activate it.  Other times they may attempt to use the 
  item blindly.  If the magic item is consumable (a 
  potion, scroll, magic bolts, etc.) and the item is used 
  before the end of the adventure, its total is 
  subtracted from the adventure totals below. 
   
  Once you have subtracted the value for 
  unclaimed treasure from each encounter add it up 
  and that is the number of gold pieces a characters 
  total and coin value increase at the end of the 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 25 
  
  adventure.  Write the total in the GP Gained field of 
  the adventure certificate.  Because this is a 
  Regional 
  adventure, 
  characters 
  may 
  spend 
  additional Time Units to practice professions or 
  create items immediately after the adventure so this 
  total may be modified by other circumstances. 
   
  L = Looted gear from enemy; C = Coin, Gems, 
  Jewelry, and other valuables; M = Magic Items. 
  Encounter 3: 
  APL 6: L: 0 gp, C: 1,500 gp, M: (0 gp). 
  APL 8: L: 0 gp, C: 2,000 gp, M:  (0 gp). 
  APL 10: L: 0 gp, C: 3,000 gp, M:  (0 gp). 
  APL 12: L: 0 gp, C: 5,000 gp, M:  (0 gp). 
  Encounter 7: 
  APL 6: L: 0 gp, C: 1,500 gp, M: 4 +1 
  Breastplate (675g ea), 4 +1 greatsword(1175 
  ea). 
  APL 8: L:0 gp, C: 2,000 gp, M: 4 Mithral Full 
  Plate +1 (5750), 4 +1 greatsword (1175 gp). 
  APL 10: L: 0 gp, C: 3,000 gp, M: 4 Mithral Full 
  pLate +1 (5750), 4 +1 greatsword (1175 gp). 
  APL 12: L: 0 gp, C: 5,000 gp, M: 4 Mithral Full 
  Plate +1 (5750), 4 +1 Frost greatsword (3175 
  gp). 
  Encounter 8: 
  APL 6: L: 4,900 gp, C: 2,500 gp, M: 3 +1 
  Great Falchions (3,450 ea), 2 Headband of 
  Intellect +2 (4,000 ea), Gloves of Arrow 
  Snaring (4,000) Cloak of Resistance +2 
  (4,000),item (X gp). 
  APL 8: L: 4,900 gp, C: 2,500 gp, M: 3 +1 
  Great Falchions (3,450 ea), 2 Headband of 
  Intellect +2 (4,000 ea), Gloves of Arrow 
  Snaring (4,000) Cloak of Resistance +2 
  (4,000),item (X gp). 
  APL 10: L: 5,500 gp, C: 5,200 gp, M: 3 +1 
  Great Falchions (3,450 ea), 2 Headband of 
  Intellect +2 (4,000 ea), Gloves of Arrow 
  Snaring (4,000) (X gp), Gauntlets of Ogre 
  Power (4,000), Cape of the Mountebank 
  (10,080). 
  APL 12: L: 8,600 gp, C: 8,800 gp, M: 3 +1 
  Great Falchions (3,450 ea), 2 Headband of 
  Intellect +2 (4,000 ea), Gloves of Arrow 
  Snaring (4,000) gp), Gauntlets of Ogre Power 
  (4,000), Cape of the Mountebank (10,080) 
  Stone Salve (4,000), Staff of Fire (17,750). 
  Total Possible Treasure (Maximum Reward 
  Allowed) 
  APL 6: L: - gp, C: - gp, M: - gp – Total: X gp 
  (900 gp). 
  APL 8: L: - gp, C: - gp, M: - gp – Total: - gp 
  (1,300 gp). 
  APL 10: L: - gp, C: - gp, M: - gp – Total: - gp 
  (2,300 gp). 
  APL 12: L: - gp, C: - gp, M: - gp – Total: - gp 
  (3,300 gp). 
  ITEMS FOR THE 
  ADVENTURE RECORD 
  Special 
  A Servant of the Empire: You have recovered 
  the personal insignia of a Royal Standard lost in 
  combat. For returning this, the Royal Standards 
  will honor you until the end of your days. You 
  receive a +4 recognition bonus to all social 
  interactions within Keoland. You are given 
  insignias of your own in recognition of your efforts 
  to bring rest to the fallen. 
  If you choose, you may spend an additional 2 TU 
  and 4,000 gp at the end of this adventure. If you 
  do so, the insignia you wear becomes enchanted. 
  Three times, when you fail a Will save, a Lion’s 
  Roar will bellow, allowing you to reroll the failed 
  save. This item takes up a neck slot. When the 
  three rerolls are used, the insignia becomes 
  nonmagical.  
  Stealing 
  the 
  Seal: 
  The 
  Audacity! 
  Before 
  destroying one of the seals you secreted some of 
  the gems on your person. You gain APLx100 gold, 
  which is considered as though you sold an item. 
  This theft comes with a price of its own, however. 
  For the next 10 TU, all reflex saves you attempt 
  receive a -2 profane penalty. 
  Desert Dissection: You have a full working 
  knowledge of Marrutacts and Marrusaults. You are 
  considered to know all general details of these 
  creatures. In addition, your spells and weapons 
  are more potent against these creatures. You 
  receive a +2 knowledge bonus to all weapon 
  damage rolls and a +1/die damage bonus to all 
  magic damage rolls against these creatures.  
  Ringfinders: You have found a powerful magical 
  trinket that somehow the Marru missed while in 
  Godakin Keep. Shortly after you acquire this ring, 
  you are approached by members of the Silent 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 26 
  
  Ones, who thank you profusely for your efforts and 
  remove the ring from your personage. In return, 
  the Silent Ones make a small gift to you. The next 
  ring you purchase form any source costs 2,000 gp 
  less. This may not be used for any ring that uses 
  necromantic magics. 
  • 
  Ring of Instant Escape (Adventure; Complete 
  Mage) 
  • 
  Staff of Night (Adventure; Complete Mage) 
  • 
  +1 Animated Tower Shield (Adventure; DMG) 
  • 
  Ring of Adamantine Touch (Adventure, Magic 
  Item Compendium) 
   
  Vault Master: You have grasped the Wheel of the 
  Vault and it is by your efforts alone that the Vault 
  of the Hollow was opened. Your arms are now 
  covered with blue runes that seem to squiggle and 
  squirm. Once per adventure you may call upon the 
  powers within the runes to aid you in your 
  struggles as an immediate action. This manifests 
  as a +4 Draconic bonus to any single die roll you 
  are about to make. If you have the Draconic 
  Heritage feat and any further [Draconic] feats, you 
  gain an additional +1 to this roll for each feat you 
  have. Using this effect causes a very visible glow 
  to light up around you, so be wary where you 
  choose to use it. 
  APL 12 (all of APLs 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 plus the 
  following): 
  • 
  +1 Explosive Spiked Chain (Adventurey; 
  Complete Warrior) 
  • 
  Chime of Interruption (Adventure; DMG) 
  • 
  Amulet of Proof against Detection and 
  Location (Adventure; DMG) 
  • 
  Ring of the Forcewall (Adventure, Magic Item 
  Compendium) 
  Item Access 
  • 
  Rod of Sure Striking (Adventure, Magic Item 
  Compendium) 
  APL 6 : 
  • 
  Dust of Dispersion (Adventure; Complete 
  Arcane) 
  • 
  Pick of Piercing (Adventure, Magic Item 
  Compendium) 
   
  • 
  Instrument 
  of 
  the 
  Bards: 
  Doss 
  Lute 
  (Adventure; Complete Arcane) 
  • 
  Lance of the Last Steed (Adventure; Complete 
  Warrior) 
  • 
  Bracers of Blinding Strike (Adventure, Magic 
  Item Compendium) 
  • 
  Rapidstrike Bracers (Adventure, Magic Item 
  Compendium) 
   
  APL 8 (all of APLs 2, 4, 6 plus the following): 
  • 
  +1 Exit Wound Composite Longbow (+6 Str) 
  (Adventure; Complete Warrior) 
  • 
  Sacred 
  Scabbard 
  (Adventure; 
  Complete 
  Warrior) 
  • 
  Rod of Fury +1 (Adventure; Complete Arcane) 
  • 
  +1 Mithral Full Plate (Adventure; DMG) 
  • 
  Skirmisher Boots (Adventure, Magic Item 
  Compendium) 
  • 
  Ring of Vengeance (Adventure. Magic Item 
  Compendium) 
   
  APL 10 (all of APLs 2, 4, 6, 8 plus the following): 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 27 
  
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 28 
  
       APPENDIX 1 – APL 
  6 
   
  ENCOUNTER 3 
   
   
   
   
  B L E AK B O R N   
  CR  7 
  Medium Undead 
  NE Medium Undead 
  Init +3; Senses Listen +12, Spot +12 
  Languages Common, Molian 
  AC 27, touch 13, flat-footed 24 
   (+3 dex, +14 natural) 
  hp 52 (8 HD)  
  Fort +2  Ref +7, Will +8 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee  Slam +10 (1d6+9+2d6 cold) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +4; Grp +12 
  Atk Options  
  Combat Gear none 
  Abilities Str 22, Dex 16, Con -, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 15 
  SQ Contingent Healing 10, darkvision 60ft, fire lover, 
  undead traits, +2 turn resistance  
  Feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Lightning Reflexes 
  Skills Diplomacy 6, Hide +11, Intimidate +10, Listen 
  +12, Search +10, Sense Motive +8, Spot +12, 
  Survival +2 (+4 following tracks) 
  Possessions none 
  Cold to the Touch (Su): The touch of a bleakborn 
  deals 2d6 points of cold damage. Each 3 points of 
  cold damage dealt heals a bleakborn of 1 point of 
  damage. If this mount of healing would cause a 
  bleakborn to exceed its full normal hit point total, it 
  gains any excess as temporary hit points. These 
  temporary hit points last for up to one hour. Anyone 
  who hits a bleakborn in melee also takes 1d6 points 
  of cold damage, unless weidling a reach weapon. 
  Contingent Healing: A bleakborn only heals when in 
  range of a living creature that it can affect with its 
  heat-draining aura. Even if brought to 0 hit points or 
  less, a bleakborn eventually healsif a living creature 
  at some future date wanders within 30 feet of the 
  bleakborn’s remains, automatically triggering its heat 
  draining aura. As long as affected creatures are 
  within its heat draining aura, a bleakborn’s contingent 
  healing remains active. A bleakborn does not have 
  immunity to cold. While a bleakborn doesn’t take cold 
  damage from its own abilities, it can take cold 
  damage from another of its kind.  
  Create Spawn (su): Any humanoid slain by a bleakborn 
  becomes a normal zombie in 1d4 rounds. These 
  spawn are under the command of the bleakborn and 
  remain enslaved until destruction. They do not 
  posess any of the abilities they had in life. 
  Fire Lover (Su): A magical fire attack heals a 
  bleakborn. Each 3 points of fire damage dealt heals a 
  bleakborn of 1 point of damage. If this mount of 
  healing would cause a bleakborn to exceed its full 
  normal hit point total, it gains any excess as 
  temporary hit points. These temporary hit points last 
  for up to one hour. A bleakborn makes no saves 
  against fire effects. 
  Heat Draining Aura (Su): All living creatures (except 
  those immune to cold damage) that approach to 
  within 30 feet of a bleakborn are subject to its heat 
  draining aura. Victims must make a DC 16 Fortitude 
  save. If they fail, they take 2d6 hit points per round as 
  their living heat is sucked away, but if they succeed 
  they lose only 1d6 points per round that they remain 
  in the radius. Should a bleakborn kill a humanoid 
  creature with its heat draining aura, the victim rises 
  again as a bleakborn spawn. The save DC is 
  charisma based.  
   
   
  ENCOUNTER 7 
   
   
   
   
  F AL L E N  H O U N D  AR C H O N  (4) 
  CR  5 
  Male outsider Ftr1 
  LN Medium outsider (Archon, Extraplanar, Lawful) 
  Init +4; Senses Listen +10, Spot +10 
  Languages All 
  AC 25, touch 10, flat-footed 19 
   (+6 armor, +9 natural) 
  hp 42 (7 HD)  
  Fort +8 (+12 vs. poison), Ref +5, Will +6 
  Speed 30 ft. breastplate +1 (6 squares) 
  Melee +1 greatsword +10/+5 (2d6+4 / 19-20, x2) and 
  bite +5 (1d8+2) or Bite +9(1d8 + 2) and Slam +4 
  (1d4+1) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +7; Grp +9 
  Atk Options Spell-like abilities 
  Combat Gear breastplate +1, +1 greatsword 
  Abilities Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 12 
  SQ Aura of Menace, change shape, damage reduction 
  10/magic, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to electricity and 
  petrification, scent, spell resistance 17, teleport, 
  tongues  
  Feats Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Track, Blind-
  Fight 
  Skills Concentration +10, Diplomacy +4, Hide +9*, 
  Jump +16, Listen +10, Move Silently +9, Sense 
  Motive +10, Spot +10, Survival +10* (+12 following 
  tracks) 
  Possessions combat gear 
  Spell-like abilities: at will—aid, continual flame, 
  message (caster level 6th) 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 29 
  
  Aura of Menace (Su): A righteous aura surrounds 
  archons that fight or get angry. Any hostile creature 
  within a 20-foot radius of an archon must succeed on 
  a Will save to resist its effects. The save DC varies 
  with the type of archon, is Charisma-based, and 
  includes a +2 racial bonus. Those who fail take a -2 
  penalty on attacks, AC, and saves for 24 hours or 
  until they successfully hit the archon that generated 
  the aura. A creature that has resisted or broken the 
  effect cannot be affected again by the same archon’s 
  aura for 24 hours. Will DC 16 negates. 
  Change Shape (Su): A hound archon can assume any 
  canine form of Small to Large size. While in canine 
  form, the hound archon loses its bite, slam, and 
  greatsword attacks, but gains the bite attack of the 
  form it chooses. For the purposes of this ability, 
  canines include any doglike or wolflike animal of the 
  animal type. 
  Fallen from Grace: As a celestial who has been cast 
  out, the Fallen Hound Archon has lost all alignment-
  dependent special abilities that depend on a good/evil 
  axis. The Fallen Hound Archon has had its DR 
  changed to 10/magic and has lost the ability to detect 
  evil and the ability to project an aura of protection 
  from evil. 
  ENCOUNTER 8 
   
   
   
   
  G I N D E R,  W I Z8(C O N J U R E R) 
  CR  8 
  Male human Wiz8 
  NE Medium humanoid 
  Init +5; Senses Listen +3, Spot +3 
  Languages Common, Marru 
  AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11 
   (+1 dex) 
  hp 47 (8 HD)  
  Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +9 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee Staff +4 (1d8) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +4; Grp +4 
  Atk Options Spells 
  Combat Gear Headband of Intellect +2, Cloak of 
  Resistance +2, Gloves of Arrow Snaring, Robes, 
  Quarterstaff, Spellbook, Spell Components. 
  Abilities Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 14, Cha12. 
  SQ none  
  Feats Improved Initiative, Empower Spell, Spell Focus 
  (Evocation), 
  Improved 
  Counterspell, 
  Improved 
  Toughness. 
  Skills 
  Concentration 
  +15, 
  Craft 
  (Alchemy) 
  +13, 
  Knowledge (Arcana) +16, Knowledge (History) +16, 
  Listen +3, Search +6, Spellcraft +18, Spot +3 
  Possessions combat gear.
   
  Spells Prepared (4/7/5/4/3/, save DC = 15 + spell 
  level +1 if Evocation school): 0 – Detect Magic x2, 
  Read Magic x2; 1st – Magic Missile x2, Tenser’s 
  Floating Disk, Mage Armor, Comprehend Languages, 
  Detect Secret Doors; 2nd – Glitterdust x2, Web x2, 
  Scorching Ray; 3rd – Fireball x2, Stinking Cloud, Sleet 
  Storm; 4th – Dimension Door, Empowered Scorching 
  Ray, Evard’s Black Tentacles;  
   
  Spellbook: 
  Forbidden 
  Schools: 
  Illusion, 
  Necromancy 0 – All; 1st – Magic Missile, Tenser’s 
  Floating Disk, Identify, Mage Armor, Mount, Unseen 
  Servant, Comprehend Languages, Detect Secret 
  Doors; 2nd – Glitterdust, Web, Scorching Ray, Gust of 
  Wind, Shatter; 3rd – Fireball, Stinking Cloud, Sleet 
  Storm, Tongues, Dispel Magic; 4th – Dimension Door, 
  Evard’s Black Tentacles, Fire Shield, Otiluke’s 
  Resilient Sphere, Mass Enlarge Person; 5th – Wall of 
  Stone, Cone of Cold, Sending;. 
   
  M AR R U S AUL T 
  CR  5 
  NE Large monstrous humanoid 
  Init +1; Senses Listen +7, Spot +3 
  Languages Common, Marru 
  AC 23, touch 10, flat-footed 22 
   (+1 dex, +8 armor, +5 natural, -1 size) 
  hp 45 (6 HD)  
  Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +5 
  Speed 20 ft. Full Plate (4 squares) 
  Melee Great Falchion +11/+6 melee (1d12+7/18-20) 
  and bite +5 melee  (1d8+2); 
  Ranged none 
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. 
  Base Atk +6; Grp +15 
  Atk Options Pounce, Howl of Defiance 
  Combat Gear Possessions: Full Plate, Great Falchion.  
  SS Great Falchion – Sandstorm page 96-97 
  Abilities Str 20, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 14 
  SQ none  
  Feats Cleave, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Great 
  Falchion), Great Fortitude, Power Attack, Weapon 
  Focus (Great Falchion) 
  Skills Listen + 7, Search +1, Spot +3 
  Possessions combat gear.
  Howl of Defiance (Su): Once per day, a marrsault 
  can loose a terrifying howl as a free action. All 
  creatures except other marrusaults within 30 feet 
  must succeed on a DC15 Will save or become 
  fatigued. Those within 10 feet who fail their save 
  become exhausted. The save DC is Charisma-
  based 
   
  Pounce (Ex): If a marrusault charges, it can make 
  a full attack, including its bite attack 
   
  Ferocity (Ex): A marrusault is such a tenacious 
  combatant that it continues to fight without penalty 
  even while disabled or dying 
   
  Marruspawn Traits 
   
  Discriminating Hearing (Ex): A marruspawn can 
  hear across great distances with ease, gaining a +4 
  racial bonus on Listen checks. A marruspawn’s 
  hearing is so sensitive that it can sense the presence 
  of most creatures merely by the sound of their 
  breathing, their heartbeat, or their movement if they 
  are within 30 feet. 
   
  When a marruspawn detects a noise, the exact 
  location of the source is not revealed – only it’s 
  presence 
  somewhere 
  within 
  that 
  range. 
  A 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 30 
  
  marruspawn can take a move action to note the 
  direction of the sound. Whenever a marruspawn 
  comes within 5 feet of the source, it can pinpoint the 
  sound’s location. Undead, constructs and other 
  creatures that have no metabolism are not subject to 
  being detected by discriminating hearing unless they 
  move – in any round when they move, they are 
  detected by the sound they make while moving 
  through the air or shuffling along the ground. Only 
  incorporeal creatures are completely undetectable, 
  unless they wish to be detected. 
   
  Resistance to Dessication (Ex): Centuries of life 
  in the waste afford marruspawn the ability to cope 
  with thirst and reduced fluid intake. A marruspawn 
  thus gains resistance to dessication damage 10. 
  Whenever a marruspawn is subject to magical 
  dessication damage, that damage is reduced by 10 
  before being applied to the marruspawn’s hit points 
   
  A marruspawn also takes no nonlethal or lethal 
  damage from failing Constitiution checks to avoid 
  becoming dehydrated, although it still might become 
  fatigued if it fails a check. If a marruspawn ever 
  becomes dehydrated, whether due to natural causes 
  or another effect (such as a spell), it needs to drink 
  only a mouthful of water to lose that condition. A 
  marruspawn also requires only half as much water in 
  a day as is normally required for a creature of its size. 
   
  Resistance to Fire (Ex): Bred to withstand magic 
  artillery, a marruspawn enjoys an inborn resistance to 
  fire 5 
   
  Low-Light Vision (Ex): A marruspawn can see 
  twice as far as humans in conditions of poor 
  illumination 
   
  Languages: Marru. 
   
  Possessions: Full Plate, Great Falchion.  SS Great 
  Falchion – Sandstorm page 96-97 
   
  Description: Jacketed in coal-black full plate and 
  clutching a prodigious scimitar, this jackal-headed 
  humanoid looks like a juggernaut of death. 
   
   
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 31 
  
  APPENDIX 2 – APL 8 
   
  ENCOUNTER 3 
   
   
   
   
  B L E AK B O R N   
  CR  7 
  Medium Undead 
  NE Medium Undead 
  Init +3; Senses Listen +12, Spot +12 
  Languages Common, Molian 
  AC 27, touch 13, flat-footed 24 
   (+3 dex, +14 natural) 
  hp 52 (8 HD)  
  Fort +2  Ref +7, Will +8 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee  Slam +10 (1d6+9+2d6 cold) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +4; Grp +12 
  Atk Options  
  Combat Gear none 
  Abilities Str 22, Dex 16, Con -, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 15 
  SQ Contingent Healing 10, darkvision 60ft, fire lover, 
  undead traits, +2 turn resistance  
  Feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Lightning Reflexes 
  Skills Diplomacy 6, Hide +11, Intimidate +10, Listen 
  +12, Search +10, Sense Motive +8, Spot +12, 
  Survival +2 (+4 following tracks) 
  Possessions none 
  Cold to the Touch (Su): The touch of a bleakborn 
  deals 2d6 points of cold damage. Each 3 points of 
  cold damage dealt heals a bleakborn of 1 point of 
  damage. If this mount of healing would cause a 
  bleakborn to exceed its full normal hit point total, it 
  gains any excess as temporary hit points. These 
  temporary hit points last for up to one hour. Anyone 
  who hits a bleakborn in melee also takes 1d6 points 
  of cold damage, unless weidling a reach weapon. 
  Contingent Healing: A bleakborn only heals when in 
  range of a living creature that it can affect with its 
  heat-draining aura. Even if brought to 0 hit points or 
  less, a bleakborn eventually healsif a living creature 
  at some future date wanders within 30 feet of the 
  bleakborn’s remains, automatically triggering its heat 
  draining aura. As long as affected creatures are 
  within its heat draining aura, a bleakborn’s contingent 
  healing remains active. A bleakborn does not have 
  immunity to cold. While a bleakborn doesn’t take cold 
  damage from its own abilities, it can take cold 
  damage from another of its kind.  
  Create Spawn (su): Any humanoid slain by a bleakborn 
  becomes a normal zombie in 1d4 rounds. These 
  spawn are under the command of the bleakborn and 
  remain enslaved until destruction. They do not 
  posess any of the abilities they had in life. 
  Fire Lover (Su): A magical fire attack heals a 
  bleakborn. Each 3 points of fire damage dealt heals a 
  bleakborn of 1 point of damage. If this mount of 
  healing would cause a bleakborn to exceed its full 
  normal hit point total, it gains any excess as 
  temporary hit points. These temporary hit points last 
  for up to one hour. A bleakborn makes no saves 
  against fire effects. 
  Heat Draining Aura (Su): All living creatures (except 
  those immune to cold damage) that approach to 
  within 30 feet of a bleakborn are subject to its heat 
  draining aura. Victims must make a DC 16 Fortitude 
  save. If they fail, they take 2d6 hit points per round as 
  their living heat is sucked away, but if they succeed 
  they lose only 1d6 points per round that they remain 
  in the radius. Should a bleakborn kill a humanoid 
  creature with its heat draining aura, the victim rises 
  again as a bleakborn spawn. The save DC is 
  charisma based.  
   
  ENCOUNTER 7 
   
   
   
   
  F AL L E N  H O U N D  AR C H O N  (4) 
  CR  7 
  Male outsider Ftr3 
  LN Medium outsider (Archon, Extraplanar, Lawful) 
  Init +4; Senses Listen +11, Spot +11 
  Languages All 
  AC 28, touch 10, flat-footed 19 
   (+9 armor, +9 natural) 
  hp 58 (9 HD)  
  Fort +9 (+13 vs. poison), Ref +6, Will +7 
  Speed 30 ft. mithral full plate +1 (6 squares) 
  Melee +1 greatsword +14/+9 (2d6+6 / 17-20, x2) and 
  bite +8 (1d8+3) or Bite +12(1d8 + 3) and Slam +7 
  (1d4+1) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +9; Grp +12 
  Atk Options Spell-like abilities 
  Combat Gear mithral full plate +1, +1 greatsword 
  Abilities Str 16, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 12 
  SQ Aura of Menace, change shape, damage reduction 
  10/magic, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to electricity and 
  petrification, scent, spell resistance 19, teleport, 
  tongues  
  Feats Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Track, Weapon 
  Focus (Greatsword), Blind-Fight, Improved Critical 
  (greatsword) 
  Skills Concentration +10, Diplomacy +4, Hide +9*, 
  Jump +16, Listen +11, Move Silently +9, Sense 
  Motive +10, Spot +11, Survival +10* (+12 following 
  tracks) 
  Possessions combat gear 
  Spell-like abilities: at will—aid, continual flame, 
  message (caster level 6th) 
  Aura of Menace (Su): A righteous aura surrounds 
  archons that fight or get angry. Any hostile creature 
  within a 20-foot radius of an archon must succeed on 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 32 
  
  a Will save to resist its effects. The save DC varies 
  with the type of archon, is Charisma-based, and 
  includes a +2 racial bonus. Those who fail take a -2 
  penalty on attacks, AC, and saves for 24 hours or 
  until they successfully hit the archon that generated 
  the aura. A creature that has resisted or broken the 
  effect cannot be affected again by the same archon’s 
  aura for 24 hours. Will DC 16 negates. 
  Change Shape (Su): A hound archon can assume any 
  canine form of Small to Large size. While in canine 
  form, the hound archon loses its bite, slam, and 
  greatsword attacks, but gains the bite attack of the 
  form it chooses. For the purposes of this ability, 
  canines include any doglike or wolflike animal of the 
  animal type. 
  Fallen from Grace: As a celestial who has been cast 
  out, the Fallen Hound Archon has lost all alignment-
  dependent special abilities that depend on a good/evil 
  axis. The Fallen Hound Archon has had its DR 
  changed to 10/magic and has lost the ability to detect 
  evil and the ability to project an aura of protection 
  from evil. 
  ENCOUNTER 8 
  G I N D E R,  W I Z9(C O N J U R E R) 
  CR  9 
  Male human Wiz9 
  NE Medium humanoid 
  Init +5; Senses Listen +3, Spot +3 
  Languages Common, Marru 
  AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11 
   (+1 dex) 
  hp 50 (9 HD)  
  Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +10 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee Staff +4 (1d8) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +4; Grp +4 
  Atk Options Spells 
  Combat Gear Headband of Intellect +2, Cloak of 
  Resistance +2, Gloves of Arrow Snaring, Robes, 
  Quarterstaff, Spellbook, Spell Components. 
  Abilities Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 14, Cha12. 
  SQ none  
  Feats Improved Initiative, Empower Spell, Spell Focus 
  (Evocation), 
  Improved 
  Counterspell, 
  Improved 
  Toughness, Quicken Spell. 
  Skills 
  Concentration 
  +16, 
  Craft 
  (Alchemy) 
  +14, 
  Knowledge (Arcana) +17, Knowledge (History) +16, 
  Listen +3, Search +6, Spellcraft +18, Spot +3 
  Possessions combat gear.
   
  Spells Prepared (4/7/6/5/4/3, save DC = 15 + spell 
  level +1 if Evocation school): 0 – Detect Magic x2, 
  Read Magic x2; 1st – Magic Missile x2, Tenser’s 
  Floating Disk, Mage Armor, Comprehend Languages, 
  Detect Secret Doors; 2nd – Glitterdust x2, Web x2, 
  Gust of Wind, Scorching Ray; 3rd – Fireball x2, 
  Stinking Cloud, Sleet Storm, Dispel Magic; 4th – 
  Dimension Door, Enlarge Person, Mass Empowered 
  Scorching Ray, Evard’s Black Tentacles; 5th – Wall of 
  Stone, Cone of Cold, Quickened Magic Missile 
   
  Spellbook: 
  Forbidden 
  Schools: 
  Illusion, 
  Necromancy 0 – All; 1st – Magic Missile, Tenser’s 
  Floating Disk, Identify, Mage Armor, Mount, Unseen 
  Servant, Comprehend Languages, Detect Secret 
  Doors; 2nd – Glitterdust, Web, Scorching Ray, Gust of 
  Wind, Shatter; 3rd – Fireball, Stinking Cloud, Sleet 
  Storm, Tongues, Dispel Magic; 4th – Dimension Door, 
  Evard’s Black Tentacles, Fire Shield, Otiluke’s 
  Resilient Sphere, Mass Enlarge Person; 5th – Wall of 
  Stone, Cone of Cold, Sending;. 
   
  M AR R U S AUL T 
  CR  5 
  NE Large monstrous humanoid 
  Init +1; Senses Listen +7, Spot +3 
  Languages Common, Marru 
  AC 23, touch 10, flat-footed 22 
   (+1 dex, +8 armor, +5 natural, -1 size) 
  hp 45 (6 HD)  
  Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +5 
  Speed 20 ft. Full Plate (4 squares) 
  Melee Great Falchion +11/+6 melee (1d12+7/18-20) 
  and bite +5 melee  (1d8+2); 
  Ranged none 
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. 
  Base Atk +6; Grp +15 
  Atk Options Pounce, Howl of Defiance 
  Combat Gear Possessions: Full Plate, Great Falchion.  
  SS Great Falchion – Sandstorm page 96-97 
  Abilities Str 20, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 14 
  SQ none  
  Feats Cleave, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Great 
  Falchion), Great Fortitude, Power Attack, Weapon 
  Focus (Great Falchion) 
  Skills Listen + 7, Search +1, Spot +3 
  Possessions combat gear.
  Howl of Defiance (Su): Once per day, a marrsault 
  can loose a terrifying howl as a free action. All 
  creatures except other marrusaults within 30 feet 
  must succeed on a DC15 Will save or become 
  fatigued. Those within 10 feet who fail their save 
  become exhausted. The save DC is Charisma-
  based 
   
  Pounce (Ex): If a marrusault charges, it can make 
  a full attack, including its bite attack 
   
  Ferocity (Ex): A marrusault is such a tenacious 
  combatant that it continues to fight without penalty 
  even while disabled or dying 
   
  Marruspawn Traits 
   
  Discriminating Hearing (Ex): A marruspawn can 
  hear across great distances with ease, gaining a +4 
  racial bonus on Listen checks. A marruspawn’s 
  hearing is so sensitive that it can sense the presence 
  of most creatures merely by the sound of their 
  breathing, their heartbeat, or their movement if they 
  are within 30 feet. 
   
  When a marruspawn detects a noise, the exact 
  location of the source is not revealed – only it’s 
  presence 
  somewhere 
  within 
  that 
  range. 
  A 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 33 
  
  marruspawn can take a move action to note the 
  direction of the sound. Whenever a marruspawn 
  comes within 5 feet of the source, it can pinpoint the 
  sound’s location. Undead, constructs and other 
  creatures that have no metabolism are not subject to 
  being detected by discriminating hearing unless they 
  move – in any round when they move, they are 
  detected by the sound they make while moving 
  through the air or shuffling along the ground. Only 
  incorporeal creatures are completely undetectable, 
  unless they wish to be detected. 
   
  Resistance to Dessication (Ex): Centuries of life 
  in the waste afford marruspawn the ability to cope 
  with thirst and reduced fluid intake. A marruspawn 
  thus gains resistance to dessication damage 10. 
  Whenever a marruspawn is subject to magical 
  dessication damage, that damage is reduced by 10 
  before being applied to the marruspawn’s hit points 
   
  A marruspawn also takes no nonlethal or lethal 
  damage from failing Constitiution checks to avoid 
  becoming dehydrated, although it still might become 
  fatigued if it fails a check. If a marruspawn ever 
  becomes dehydrated, whether due to natural causes 
  or another effect (such as a spell), it needs to drink 
  only a mouthful of water to lose that condition. A 
  marruspawn also requires only half as much water in 
  a day as is normally required for a creature of its size. 
   
  Resistance to Fire (Ex): Bred to withstand magic 
  artillery, a marruspawn enjoys an inborn resistance to 
  fire 5 
   
  Low-Light Vision (Ex): A marruspawn can see 
  twice as far as humans in conditions of poor 
  illumination 
   
  Languages: Marru. 
   
  Possessions: Full Plate, Great Falchion.  SS Great 
  Falchion – Sandstorm page 96-97 
   
  Description: Jacketed in coal-black full plate and 
  clutching a prodigious scimitar, this jackal-headed 
  humanoid looks like a juggernaut of death. 
   
  M ARRUTACT 
  CR  5 
  NE Medium monstrous humanoid 
  Init +5; Senses Listen +8, Spot +0 
  Languages Common, Marru 
  AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 
   (+1 dex, +4 natural, +4 mage armor) 
  hp 38 (7 HD)  
  Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +9 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee staff +8 melee (1d6) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. 
  Base Atk +6; Grp +15 
  Atk Options Pounce, Howl of Healing 
  Combat Gear Staff, Robes 
  Abilities Str 11, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 16 
  SQ Spell Resistance 16  
  Feats Combat Expertise, Dodge, Improved Initiative. 
  Skills Concentration +11, Hide +11, Knowledge 
  (arcana) +14, Knowledge (history) +14, Knowledge 
  (geography) +14, Listen +8, Spellcraft +16, Survival 
  +4(+6 to avoid getting lost or avoid hazards) 
  Possessions combat gear.
       Howl of Healing (Su): Once per day, a marrutact 
  can loose a regenerative howl as a free action. All 
  marruspawn pledged to the howling marrutact within 
  30 feet heal 3d8+5 points of damage. Those within 
  10 feet heal and extra 1d8+1 points of damage. 
       Spells: A marrutact casts spells as a 5th level wizard 
       Marruspawn Traits 
       Discriminating Hearing (Ex): A marruspawn can 
  hear across great distances with ease, gaining a +4 
  racial bonus on Listen checks. A marruspawn’s 
  hearing is so sensitive that it can sense the presence 
  of most creatures merely by the sound of their 
  breathing, their heartbeat, or their movement if they 
  are within 30 feet. 
   
  When a marruspawn detects a noise, the exact 
  location of the source is not revealed – only it’s 
  presence 
  somewhere 
  within 
  that 
  range. 
  A 
  marruspawn can take a move action to note the 
  direction of the sound. Whenever a marruspawn 
  comes within 5 feet of the source, it can pinpoint the 
  sound’s location. Undead, constructs and other 
  creatures that have no metabolism are not subject to 
  being detected by discriminating hearing unless they 
  move – in any round when they move, they are 
  detected by the sound they make while moving 
  through the air or shuffling along the ground. Only 
  incorporeal creatures are completely undetectable, 
  unless they wish to be detected. 
   
  Resistance to Dessication (Ex): Centuries of life 
  in the waste afford marruspawn the ability to cope 
  with thirst and reduced fluid intake. A marruspawn 
  thus gains resistance to dessication damage 10. 
  Whenever a marruspawn is subject to magical 
  dessication damage, that damage is reduced by 10 
  before being applied to the marruspawn’s hit points 
   
  A marruspawn also takes no nonlethal or lethal 
  damage from failing Constitiution checks to avoid 
  becoming dehydrated, although it still might become 
  fatigued if it fails a check. If a marruspawn ever 
  becomes dehydrated, whether due to natural causes 
  or another effect (such as a spell), it needs to drink 
  only a mouthful of water to lose that condition. A 
  marruspawn also requires only half as much water in 
  a day as is normally required for a creature of its size. 
   
  Resistance to Fire (Ex): Bred to withstand magic 
  artillery, a marruspawn enjoys an inborn resistance to 
  fire 5 
   
  Low-Light Vision (Ex): A marruspawn can see 
  twice as far as humans in conditions of poor 
  illumination. 
   
  Languages: Marru, Common. 
   
  Spells Prepared (Caster level 5th) (X/X/X, save DC 
  = 14 + spell level): 0 – Daze, Disrupt Undead, Mage 
  Hand, Resistance; 1st – Mage Armor, Magic Missile 
  x2, True Strike; 2nd – See Invisibility, Mirror Image 
  Scorching Ray; 3rd – Fireball, Dispel Magic 
   
  Spellbook: 0 – Daze, Disrupt Undead, Mage Hand, 
  Resistance; 1st – Mage Armor, Magic Missile x2, True 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 34 
  
  Strike; 2nd – See Invisibility, Mirror Image Scorching 
  Ray; 3rd – Fireball, Dispel Magic 
   
  Possessions: Staff, robes.  
   
  Description: This tall, gaunt humanoid wears sand-
  brown robes and a voluminous hood that fails to hide 
  its jackallike visage. Wielding a staff intricately carved 
  to resemble a slender double helix, the creature 
  commands respect with its mere presence. 
   
   
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 35 
  
   APPENDIX 3 – APL 10 
   
  ENCOUNTER 3 
   
   
   
   
  E V O L V E D  E N T R O P I C  R E AP E R 
  CR  13 
  Medium Undead 
  CE Medium Undead (Extraplanar, Chaotic) 
  Init +6; Senses Listen +26, Spot +26 
  Languages common, abyssal, celestial 
  AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 18 
   (+2 dex, +9 natural) 
  hp 142 (19 HD)  
  Fort +17, Ref +8, Will +13 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee Large Scythe +13/+8 (2d6+19 plus entropic blade 
  / 19-20, x4) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +9; Grp +19 
  Atk Options Spell-like abilities 
  Combat Gear none 
  Abilities Str 31, Dex 14, Con -, Int 11, Wis 20, Cha 17 
  SQ Damage reduction 10/cold iron and lawful, 
  darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 10, master of the 
  scythe, spell resistance 22, undead traits  
  Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (Scythe), 
  Improved Toughness, Improved Initiative, Power 
  Attack, Cleave, Whirlwind Attack 
  Skills Concentration +23, Listen +26, Spot +26, 
  Knowledge (planes) +23 
  Possessions combat gear 
  Spell-like abilities: 1/day – plane shift cone of cold DC 
  18. Caster Level equals the entropic reaper’s HD. 
  The Save DCs are charisma based. 
  Entropic Blade (Su): An entropic reaper confers the 
  entropic blade property upon any weapon it wields—
  usually a normal scythe. An entropic Blade functions 
  in all ways like the kind of weapon it is, with the 
  following addition. Any time the entropic blade 
  successfully deals damage the victim must make a 
  DC21 Fortitude save or be overcome with searing 
  pain, as the victim’s form melts, flows, writhes, and 
  boils. During this entropic state, the victim cannot 
  cast spells or use magic items, and it attacks blindly, 
  unable to distinguish friend from foe (-4 penalty on 
  attack rolls an d 50% miss chance, regardless of the 
  attack roll). Each round spent in this entropic state, 
  the victim takes 1 point of Wisdom drain from mental 
  shock. If the victim’s Wisdom score falls to 0, it 
  discorporates into nothingness.  
       A victim can gain control over itself by taking a 
  standard action to attempt a DC 21 Charisma Check. 
  Success renders the victim immune to the entropic 
  state for 1 minute. On a failure, the victim can still 
  repeat this check each round until successful. The 
  entropic state is not a disease or a curse, so it is hard 
  to remove. A shapechange or stoneskin spell does 
  not cure an afflicted creature but fixes its state for the 
  duration of the spell. A restoration, heal or greater 
  restoration spell removes the affliction (though a 
  separate restoration spell is necessary to remove any 
  drained points of wisdom). The save DC is Charisma 
  based. 
   
  Master of the Scythe (Su): The entropic reaper is a 
  master of the scythe, and gains the ability to wield a 
  weapon one size larger than normal. It also treats the 
  scythe as if it were a mighty cleaving weapon, 
  allowing it to make one additional cleave attempt in a 
  round.   
  ENCOUNTER 7 
   
   
   
   
  F AL L E N  H O U N D  AR C H O N  (4) 
  CR  7 
  Male outsider Ftr5 
  LN Medium outsider (Archon, Extraplanar, Lawful) 
  Init +4; Senses Listen +11, Spot +11 
  Languages All 
  AC 28, touch 10, flat-footed 19 
   (+9 armor, +9 natural) 
  hp 76 (11 HD)  
  Fort +10 (+14 vs. poison), Ref +7, Will +8 
  Speed 30 ft. mithral full plate +1 (6 squares) 
  Melee +1 greatsword +16/+11/+6 (2d6+8+1d6 frost / 17-
  20, x2) and bite +10 (1d8+3) or Bite +14(1d8 + 3) and 
  Slam +9 (1d4+1) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +11; Grp +14 
  Atk Options Spell-like abilities 
  Combat Gear mithral full plate +1, +1 frost greatsword 
  Abilities Str 16, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 12 
  SQ Aura of Menace, change shape, damage reduction 
  10/magic, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to electricity and 
  petrification, scent, spell resistance 21, teleport, 
  tongues  
  Feats Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Track, Weapon 
  Focus (greatsword), Improved Critical (greatsword), 
  Weapon Specialization (greatsword) 
  Skills Concentration +10, Diplomacy +4, Hide +9*, 
  Jump +18, Listen +11, Move Silently +9, Sense 
  Motive +10, Spot +11, Survival +10* (+12 following 
  tracks) 
  Possessions combat gear 
  Spell-like abilities: at will—aid, continual flame, 
  message (caster level 6th) 
  Aura of Menace (Su): A righteous aura surrounds 
  archons that fight or get angry. Any hostile creature 
  within a 20-foot radius of an archon must succeed on 
  a Will save to resist its effects. The save DC varies 
  with the type of archon, is Charisma-based, and 
  includes a +2 racial bonus. Those who fail take a -2 
  penalty on attacks, AC, and saves for 24 hours or 
  until they successfully hit the archon that generated 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 36 
  
  the aura. A creature that has resisted or broken the 
  effect cannot be affected again by the same archon’s 
  aura for 24 hours. Will DC 16 negates. 
  Change Shape (Su): A hound archon can assume any 
  canine form of Small to Large size. While in canine 
  form, the hound archon loses its bite, slam, and 
  greatsword attacks, but gains the bite attack of the 
  form it chooses. For the purposes of this ability, 
  canines include any doglike or wolflike animal of the 
  animal type. 
  Fallen from Grace: As a celestial who has been cast 
  out, the Fallen Hound Archon has lost all alignment-
  dependent special abilities that depend on a good/evil 
  axis. The Fallen Hound Archon has had its DR 
  changed to 10/magic and has lost the ability to detect 
  evil and the ability to project an aura of protection 
  from evil. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 8 
  G I N D E R,  W I Z11(C O N J U R E R) 
  CR  11 
  Male human Wiz11 
  NE Medium humanoid 
  Init +5; Senses Listen +4, Spot +5 
  Languages Common, Marru 
  AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11 
   (+1 dex) 
  hp 61 (11 HD)  
  Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +11 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee Staff +5 (1d8) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +5; Grp +5 
  Atk Options Spells 
  Combat Gear Headband of Intellect +2, Cloak of 
  Resistance +2, Gloves of Arrow Snaring, Robes, 
  Quarterstaff, Spellbook, Spell Components. 
  Abilities Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 14, Cha12. 
  SQ none  
  Feats Improved Initiative, Empower Spell, Spell Focus 
  (Evocation), 
  Improved 
  Counterspell, 
  Improved 
  Toughness, Quicken Spell, Silent Spell. 
  Skills 
  Concentration 
  +18, 
  Craft 
  (Alchemy) 
  +16, 
  Knowledge (Arcana) +19, Knowledge (History) +18, 
  Listen +4, Search +7, Spellcraft +20, Spot +5 
  Possessions combat gear.
   
  Spells Prepared (4/7/6/6/5/4/2, save DC = 15 + 
  spell level +1 if Evocation school): 0 – Detect Magic 
  x2, Read Magic x2; 1st – Magic Missile x2, Tenser’s 
  Floating Disk, Mage Armor, Comprehend Languages, 
  Detect Secret Doors; 2nd – Glitterdust x2, Web x2, 
  Gust of Wind, Scorching Ray; 3rd – Fireball x2, 
  Stinking Cloud, Sleet Storm, Dispel Magic x2; 4th – 
  Dimension Door, Enlarge Person, Mass, Empowered 
  Scorching Ray, Evard’s Black Tentacles, Otiluke’s 
  Resilient Sphere; 5th – Wall of Stone, Cone of Cold, 
  Quickened Magic Missile, Feeblemind; 6th – Acid 
  Fog, Chain Lightning 
   
  Spellbook: 
  Forbidden 
  Schools: 
  Illusion, 
  Necromancy 0 – All; 1st – Magic Missile, Tenser’s 
  Floating Disk, Identify, Mage Armor, Mount, Unseen 
  Servant, Comprehend Languages, Detect Secret 
  Doors; 2nd – Glitterdust, Web, Scorching Ray, Gust of 
  Wind, Shatter; 3rd – Fireball, Stinking Cloud, Sleet 
  Storm, Tongues, Dispel Magic; 4th – Dimension Door, 
  Evard’s Black Tentacles, Fire Shield, Otiluke’s 
  Resilient Sphere, Enlarge Person, Mass; 5th – Wall of 
  Stone, 
  Cone 
  of 
  Cold, 
  Sending, 
  Feeblemind, 
  Telekenesis; 6th – Acid Fog, Chain Lightning 
   
  M AR R U S AUL T,  F TR2 
  CR  7 
  NE Large monstrous humanoid 
  Init +1; Senses Listen +7, Spot +3 
  Languages Common, Marru 
  AC 23, touch 10, flat-footed 22 
   (+1 dex, +8 armor, +5 natural, -1 size) 
  hp 62 (8 HD)  
  Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +5 
  Speed 20 ft. Full Plate (4 squares) 
  Melee Great Falchion +15/+10melee (1d12+10/15-20) 
  and bite +5 melee  (1d8+5); 
  Ranged none 
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. 
  Base Atk +8; Grp +18 
  Atk Options Pounce, Howl of Defiance 
  Combat Gear Full Plate, Great Falchion +1, Gauntlets 
  of Ogre Power.  SS Great Falchion – Sandstorm page 
  96-97 
  Abilities Str 20, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 14 
  SQ none  
  Feats Cleave, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Great 
  Falchion), Great Fortitude, Power Attack, Weapon 
  Focus (Great Falchion) Improved Critical (Great 
  Falchion). 
  Skills Listen + 7, Search +1, Spot +3 
  Possessions combat gear. 
  Howl of Defiance (Su): Once per day, a marrsault 
  can loose a terrifying howl as a free action. All 
  creatures except other marrusaults within 30 feet 
  must succeed on a DC15 Will save or become 
  fatigued. Those within 10 feet who fail their save 
  become exhausted. The save DC is Charisma-
  based 
   
  Pounce (Ex): If a marrusault charges, it can make 
  a full attack, including its bite attack 
   
  Ferocity (Ex): A marrusault is such a tenacious 
  combatant that it continues to fight without penalty 
  even while disabled or dying 
   
  Marruspawn Traits 
   
  Discriminating Hearing (Ex): A marruspawn can 
  hear across great distances with ease, gaining a +4 
  racial bonus on Listen checks. A marruspawn’s 
  hearing is so sensitive that it can sense the presence 
  of most creatures merely by the sound of their 
  breathing, their heartbeat, or their movement if they 
  are within 30 feet. 
   
  When a marruspawn detects a noise, the exact 
  location of the source is not revealed – only it’s 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 37 
  
  presence 
  somewhere 
  within 
  that 
  range. 
  A 
  marruspawn can take a move action to note the 
  direction of the sound. Whenever a marruspawn 
  comes within 5 feet of the source, it can pinpoint the 
  sound’s location. Undead, constructs and other 
  creatures that have no metabolism are not subject to 
  being detected by discriminating hearing unless they 
  move – in any round when they move, they are 
  detected by the sound they make while moving 
  through the air or shuffling along the ground. Only 
  incorporeal creatures are completely undetectable, 
  unless they wish to be detected. 
   
  Resistance to Dessication (Ex): Centuries of life 
  in the waste afford marruspawn the ability to cope 
  with thirst and reduced fluid intake. A marruspawn 
  thus gains resistance to dessication damage 10. 
  Whenever a marruspawn is subject to magical 
  dessication damage, that damage is reduced by 10 
  before being applied to the marruspawn’s hit points 
   
  A marruspawn also takes no nonlethal or lethal 
  damage from failing Constitiution checks to avoid 
  becoming dehydrated, although it still might become 
  fatigued if it fails a check. If a marruspawn ever 
  becomes dehydrated, whether due to natural causes 
  or another effect (such as a spell), it needs to drink 
  only a mouthful of water to lose that condition. A 
  marruspawn also requires only half as much water in 
  a day as is normally required for a creature of its size. 
   
  Resistance to Fire (Ex): Bred to withstand magic 
  artillery, a marruspawn enjoys an inborn resistance to 
  fire 5 
   
  Low-Light Vision (Ex): A marruspawn can see 
  twice as far as humans in conditions of poor 
  illumination 
   
  Languages: Marru. 
   
   
   
  Description: Jacketed in coal-black full plate and 
  clutching a prodigious scimitar, this jackal-headed 
  humanoid looks like a juggernaut of death. 
   
  M ARRUTACT,  W I Z2 
  CR  7 
  NE medium monstrous humanoid 
  Init +5; Senses Listen +10, Spot +0 
  Languages Common, Marru 
  AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 
   (+1 dex, +4 natural, +4 mage armor) 
  hp 58 (9 HD)  
  Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +12 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee staff +8 melee (1d6) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. 
  Base Atk +6; Grp +15 
  Atk Options Pounce, Howl of Healing 
  Combat Gear Staff, Robes, headband of intellect +2 
  Abilities Str 11, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 16 
  SQ Spell Resistance 16  
  Feats Combat Expertise, Dodge, Improved Initiative, 
  Scribe Scroll, Improved Toughness 
  Skills Concentration +13, Hide +13, Knowledge 
  (arcana) +16, Knowledge (history) +16, Knowledge 
  (geography) +16, Listen +10, Spellcraft +118, 
  Survival +6(+8 to avoid getting lost or avoid hazards) 
  Possessions combat gear. 
       Howl of Healing (Su): Once per day, a marrutact 
  can loose a regenerative howl as a free action. All 
  marruspawn pledged to the howling marrutact within 
  30 feet heal 3d8+5 points of damage. Those within 
  10 feet heal an extra 1d8+1 points of damage. 
       Spells: A marrutact casts spells as a 5th level wizard 
       Marruspawn Traits 
       Discriminating Hearing (Ex): A marruspawn can 
  hear across great distances with ease, gaining a +4 
  racial bonus on Listen checks. A marruspawn’s 
  hearing is so sensitive that it can sense the presence 
  of most creatures merely by the sound of their 
  breathing, their heartbeat, or their movement if they 
  are within 30 feet. 
   
  When a marruspawn detects a noise, the exact 
  location of the source is not revealed – only it’s 
  presence 
  somewhere 
  within 
  that 
  range. 
  A 
  marruspawn can take a move action to note the 
  direction of the sound. Whenever a marruspawn 
  comes within 5 feet of the source, it can pinpoint the 
  sound’s location. Undead, constructs and other 
  creatures that have no metabolism are not subject to 
  being detected by discriminating hearing unless they 
  move – in any round when they move, they are 
  detected by the sound they make while moving 
  through the air or shuffling along the ground. Only 
  incorporeal creatures are completely undetectable, 
  unless they wish to be detected. 
   
  Resistance to Dessication (Ex): Centuries of life 
  in the waste afford marruspawn the ability to cope 
  with thirst and reduced fluid intake. A marruspawn 
  thus gains resistance to dessication damage 10. 
  Whenever a marruspawn is subject to magical 
  dessication damage, that damage is reduced by 10 
  before being applied to the marruspawn’s hit points 
   
  A marruspawn also takes no nonlethal or lethal 
  damage from failing Constitiution checks to avoid 
  becoming dehydrated, although it still might become 
  fatigued if it fails a check. If a marruspawn ever 
  becomes dehydrated, whether due to natural causes 
  or another effect (such as a spell), it needs to drink 
  only a mouthful of water to lose that condition. A 
  marruspawn also requires only half as much water in 
  a day as is normally required for a creature of its size. 
   
  Resistance to Fire (Ex): Bred to withstand magic 
  artillery, a marruspawn enjoys an inborn resistance to 
  fire 5 
   
  Low-Light Vision (Ex): A marruspawn can see 
  twice as far as humans in conditions of poor 
  illumination. 
   
  Languages: Marru, Common. 
   
  Spells Prepared (Caster level 7th) (4/6/4/3/2, save 
  DC = 15 + spell level): 0 – Daze, Disrupt Undead, 
  Mage Hand, Resistance; 1st – Mage Armor, Magic 
  Missile x4, True Strike; 2nd – See Invisibility, Mirror 
  Image, Scorching Ray x2; 3rd – Fireball x2, Dispel 
  Magic. 4th – Wall of Ice, Enervation 
   
  Spellbook: 0 – Daze, Disrupt Undead, Mage Hand, 
  Resistance; 1st – Mage Armor, Magic Missile x2, True 
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  Strike; 2nd – See Invisibility, Mirror Image Scorching 
  Ray; 3rd – Fireball, Dispel Magic, Lightning Bolt. 
  Major Image 4th – Wall of Ice, Enervation 
   
   
   
   
   
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  APPENDIX 4 – APL 12 
   
  ENCOUNTER 3 
   
   
   
   
  E V O L V E D  B O N E Y AR D 
  CR  15 
  Huge Undead 
  CE Huge Undead 
  Init +6; Senses Listen +25, Spot +25 
  Languages common, abyssal, terran 
  AC 31, touch 10, flat-footed 29 
   (+2 dex, +21 natural, -2 size) 
  hp 127 (17 HD)  
  Fort +7, Ref +9, Will +15 
  Speed 20 ft. (4 squares) 
  Melee Bite +16 (2d8+15 plus bone subsumption / 19-20, 
  x4) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft. 
  Base Atk +8; Grp +27 
  Atk Options  
  Combat Gear none 
  Abilities Str 33, Dex 14, Con -, Int 18, Wis 20, Cha 20 
  SQ Damage reduction 10/-, darkvision 60 ft., fast 
  healing 10, immunity to cold, spell resistance 24, 
  undead traits  
  Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Critical 
  (Bite), Improved Toughness, Improved Initiative, 
  Lightning Reflexes 
  Skills Balance +22, Climb +30, Hide +22, Jump +30, 
  Listen +25, Move Silently +22, Search +24, Spot +25 
  Possessions none 
  Spell-like abilities: 1/day –cone of cold DC 20. Caster 
  Level equals the Boneyard’s HD. The Save DCs are 
  charisma based. 
  Bone Subsumption (Su): Whenever a boneyard 
  successfully bites a foe, the victim must make a DC 
  22 Fortitiude save (except for undead victims, which 
  make Will saves). The Save DC is Charisma based. 
  On a failed save, the victim’s bones begin to melt 
  away from the body to meld with the form of the 
  boneyard. The victim takes 2d4 points of damage to 
  Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength. This ability 
  works only on creatures that posess a skeletal 
  structure. 
   
  Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a boneyard 
  must hit a Large or smaller opponent with its bite 
  attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free 
  action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it 
  wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can 
  try to subsume all the bones in a victim’s body. 
  Summon Skeletons (Su): A boneyard can summon 
  undead creatures from its own bones once per day: 
  3-6 troll skeletons or 2-4 yound adult red dragon 
  skeletons. The undead arrive in 1d10 rounds and 
  serve for one hour or until they are reabsorbed back 
  into the boneyard.   
  Utter Subsumption (Su): If a boneyard wins a grapple 
  check after using its improved grab ability, it attempts 
  to pin the target on its next action. A boneyard that 
  begins a turn with a victim still pinned and that makes 
  one more successful grapple check automatically 
  tears every bone from the victim’s body, instantly 
  killing the victim. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 7 
   
   
   
   
  F AL L E N  H O U N D  AR C H O N  (4) 
  CR  7 
  Male outsider Ftr7 
  LN Medium outsider (Archon, Extraplanar, Lawful) 
  Init +4; Senses Listen +11, Spot +11 
  Languages All 
  AC 28, touch 10, flat-footed 19 
   (+9 armor, +9 natural) 
  hp 94 (13 HD)  
  Fort +10 (+14 vs. poison), Ref +7, Will +8 
  Speed 30 ft. mithral full plate +1 (6 squares) 
  Melee +1 greatsword +19/+14/+9 (2d6+8+1d6 frost / 17-
  20, x2) and bite +12 (1d8+3) or Bite +16(1d8 + 3) and 
  Slam +11 (1d4+1) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +13; Grp +16 
  Atk Options Spell-like abilities 
  Combat Gear mithral full plate +1, +1 frost greatsword 
  Abilities Str 16, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 12 
  SQ Aura of Menace, change shape, damage reduction 
  10/magic, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to electricity and 
  petrification, scent, spell resistance 23, teleport, 
  tongues  
  Feats Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Track, Weapon 
  Focus (greatsword), Improved Critical (greatsword), 
  Weapon 
  Specialization 
  (greatsword), 
  Greater 
  Weapon Focus (greatsword), Combat Expertise 
  Skills Concentration +10, Diplomacy +4, Hide +9*, 
  Jump +18, Listen +11, Move Silently +9, Sense 
  Motive +10, Spot +11, Survival +10* (+12 following 
  tracks) 
  Possessions combat gear 
  Spell-like abilities: at will—aid, continual flame, 
  message (caster level 6th) 
  Aura of Menace (Su): A righteous aura surrounds 
  archons that fight or get angry. Any hostile creature 
  within a 20-foot radius of an archon must succeed on 
  a Will save to resist its effects. The save DC varies 
  with the type of archon, is Charisma-based, and 
  includes a +2 racial bonus. Those who fail take a -2 
  penalty on attacks, AC, and saves for 24 hours or 
  until they successfully hit the archon that generated 
  the aura. A creature that has resisted or broken the 
  effect cannot be affected again by the same archon’s 
  aura for 24 hours. Will DC 16 negates. 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  Change Shape (Su): A hound archon can assume any 
  canine form of Small to Large size. While in canine 
  form, the hound archon loses its bite, slam, and 
  greatsword attacks, but gains the bite attack of the 
  form it chooses. For the purposes of this ability, 
  canines include any doglike or wolflike animal of the 
  animal type. 
  Fallen from Grace: As a celestial who has been cast 
  out, the Fallen Hound Archon has lost all alignment-
  dependent special abilities that depend on a good/evil 
  axis. The Fallen Hound Archon has had its DR 
  changed to 10/magic and has lost the ability to detect 
  evil and the ability to project an aura of protection 
  from evil. 
  ENCOUNTER 8 
  G I N D E R,  W I Z13(C O N J U R E R) 
  CR  13 
  Male human Wiz13 
  NE Medium humanoid 
  Init +5; Senses Listen +6, Spot +7 
  Languages Common, Marru 
  AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11 
   (+1 dex) 
  hp 72 (13 HD)  
  Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +13 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee Staff +6/+1 (1d8) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +6; Grp +6 
  Atk Options Spells 
  Combat Gear Headband of Intellect +2, Cloak of 
  Resistance +2, Gloves of Arrow Snaring, Cape of the 
  Mountebank, Staff of Fire (31 Charges) Robes, 
  Quarterstaff, Spellbook, Spell Components. 
  Abilities Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 21, Wis 14, Cha12. 
  SQ none  
  Feats Improved Initiative, Empower Spell, Spell Focus 
  (Evocation), 
  Improved 
  Counterspell, 
  Improved 
  Toughness, Quicken Spell, Silent Spell, Widen Spell. 
  Skills 
  Concentration 
  +20, 
  Craft 
  (Alchemy) 
  +18, 
  Knowledge (Arcana) +21, Knowledge (History) +20, 
  Listen +6, Search +9, Spellcraft +22, Spot +7 
  Possessions combat gear.
   
  Spells Prepared (4/7/6/6/6/5/3/2, save DC = 
  15 + spell level +1 if Evocation school): 0 – Detect 
  Magic x2, Read Magic x2; 1st – Magic Missile x2, 
  Tenser’s Floating Disk, Mage Armor, Comprehend 
  Languages, Detect Secret Doors; 2nd – Glitterdust 
  x2, Web x2, Gust of Wind, Scorching Ray; 3rd – 
  Fireball x2, Stinking Cloud, Sleet Storm, Dispel 
  Magic x2; 4th – Dimension Door x2, Mass Enlarge 
  Person, Empowered Scorching Ray, Evard’s Black 
  Tentacles, Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere; 5th – Wall of 
  Stone, Cone of Cold, Quickened Magic Missile x2, 
  Feeblemind; 6th – Acid Fog, Chain Lightning, 
  Dispel Magic, Greater; 7th – Summon Monster VII, 
  Widened Evard’s Black Tentacles 
   
  Spellbook: 
  Forbidden 
  Schools: 
  Illusion, 
  Necromancy 0 – All; 1st – Magic Missile, Tenser’s 
  Floating Disk, Identify, Mage Armor, Mount, Unseen 
  Servant, Comprehend Languages, Detect Secret 
  Doors; 2nd – Glitterdust, Web, Scorching Ray, Gust of 
  Wind, Shatter; 3rd – Fireball, Stinking Cloud, Sleet 
  Storm, Tongues, Dispel Magic; 4th – Dimension Door, 
  Evard’s Black Tentacles, Fire Shield, Otiluke’s 
  Resilient Sphere, Mass Enlarge Person; 5th – Wall of 
  Stone, 
  Cone 
  of 
  Cold, 
  Sending, 
  Feeblemind, 
  Telekenesis; 6th – Acid Fog, Chain Lightning, True 
  Seeing, Greater Dispel Magic; 7th – Summon Monster 
  VII, Delayed Blast Fireball, Forcecage 
   
  M AR R U S AUL T,  F TR4 
  CR  9 
  NE Large monstrous humanoid 
  Init +1; Senses Listen +7, Spot +3 
  Languages Common, Marru 
  AC 24, touch 10, flat-footed 22 
   (+1 dex, +9 armor, +5 natural, -1 size) 
  hp 85 (10 HD)  
  Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +5 
  Speed 20 ft. Full Plate (4 squares) 
  Melee Great Falchion +18/+13 melee (1d12+13/15-20) 
  and bite +11 melee (1d8+6) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. 
  Base Atk +10; Grp +21 
  Atk Options Pounce, Howl of Defiance 
  Combat Gear Full Plate +1, Great Falchion +1, 
  Gauntlets of Ogre Power.  SS Great Falchion – 
  Sandstorm page 96-97 
  Abilities Str 24, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 14 
  SQ none  
  Feats Cleave, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Great 
  Falchion), Great Fortitude, Power Attack, Weapon 
  Focus (Great Falchion) Improved Critical (Great 
  Falchion) Weapon Specialization (Great Falchion). 
  Skills Listen + 7, Search +1, Spot +3, Climb +3 
  Possessions combat gear. 
  Howl of Defiance (Su): Once per day, a marrsault 
  can loose a terrifying howl as a free action. All 
  creatures except other marrusaults within 30 feet 
  must succeed on a DC15 Will save or become 
  fatigued. Those within 10 feet who fail their save 
  become exhausted. The save DC is Charisma-
  based 
   
  Pounce (Ex): If a marrusault charges, it can make 
  a full attack, including its bite attack 
   
  Ferocity (Ex): A marrusault is such a tenacious 
  combatant that it continues to fight without penalty 
  even while disabled or dying 
   
  Marruspawn Traits 
   
  Discriminating Hearing (Ex): A marruspawn can 
  hear across great distances with ease, gaining a +4 
  racial bonus on Listen checks. A marruspawn’s 
  hearing is so sensitive that it can sense the presence 
  of most creatures merely by the sound of their 
  breathing, their heartbeat, or their movement if they 
  are within 30 feet. 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
  Page 41 
  
   
  When a marruspawn detects a noise, the exact 
  location of the source is not revealed – only it’s 
  presence 
  somewhere 
  within 
  that 
  range. 
  A 
  marruspawn can take a move action to note the 
  direction of the sound. Whenever a marruspawn 
  comes within 5 feet of the source, it can pinpoint the 
  sound’s location. Undead, constructs and other 
  creatures that have no metabolism are not subject to 
  being detected by discriminating hearing unless they 
  move – in any round when they move, they are 
  detected by the sound they make while moving 
  through the air or shuffling along the ground. Only 
  incorporeal creatures are completely undetectable, 
  unless they wish to be detected. 
   
  Resistance to Dessication (Ex): Centuries of life 
  in the waste afford marruspawn the ability to cope 
  with thirst and reduced fluid intake. A marruspawn 
  thus gains resistance to dessication damage 10. 
  Whenever a marruspawn is subject to magical 
  dessication damage, that damage is reduced by 10 
  before being applied to the marruspawn’s hit points 
   
  A marruspawn also takes no nonlethal or lethal 
  damage from failing Constitiution checks to avoid 
  becoming dehydrated, although it still might become 
  fatigued if it fails a check. If a marruspawn ever 
  becomes dehydrated, whether due to natural causes 
  or another effect (such as a spell), it needs to drink 
  only a mouthful of water to lose that condition. A 
  marruspawn also requires only half as much water in 
  a day as is normally required for a creature of its size. 
   
  Resistance to Fire (Ex): Bred to withstand magic 
  artillery, a marruspawn enjoys an inborn resistance to 
  fire 5 
   
  Low-Light Vision (Ex): A marruspawn can see 
  twice as far as humans in conditions of poor 
  illumination 
   
  Languages: Marru. 
   
  Description: Jacketed in coal-black full plate and 
  clutching a prodigious scimitar, this jackal-headed 
  humanoid looks like a juggernaut of death. 
   
  M ARRUTACT,  W I Z4 
  CR  9 
  NE medium monstrous humanoid 
  Init +5; Senses Listen +10, Spot +0 
  Languages Common, Marru 
  AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 
   (+1 dex, +4 natural, +4 mage armor) 
  hp 80 (11 HD)  
  Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +13 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee staff +9/+4 melee (1d6) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. 
  Base Atk +9; Grp +15 
  Atk Options Pounce, Howl of Healing 
  Combat Gear Staff, Robes, headband of intellect +2 
  Abilities Str 11, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 18, Cha 16 
  SQ Spell Resistance 16  
  Feats Combat Expertise, Dodge, Improved Initiative, 
  Scribe Scroll, Improved Toughness. 
  Skills Concentration +15, Hide +15, Knowledge 
  (arcana) +18, Knowledge (history) +18, Knowledge 
  (geography) +18, Listen +10, Spellcraft +20, Survival 
  +8(+10 to avoid getting lost or avoid hazards);  
  Possessions combat gear. 
       Howl of Healing (Su): Once per day, a marrutact 
  can loose a regenerative howl as a free action. All 
  marruspawn pledged to the howling marrutact within 
  30 feet heal 3d8+5 points of damage. Those within 
  10 feet heal an extra 1d8+1 points of damage. 
       Spells: A marrutact casts spells as a 5th level wizard 
       Marruspawn Traits 
       Discriminating Hearing (Ex): A marruspawn can 
  hear across great distances with ease, gaining a +4 
  racial bonus on Listen checks. A marruspawn’s 
  hearing is so sensitive that it can sense the presence 
  of most creatures merely by the sound of their 
  breathing, their heartbeat, or their movement if they 
  are within 30 feet. 
   
  When a marruspawn detects a noise, the exact 
  location of the source is not revealed – only it’s 
  presence 
  somewhere 
  within 
  that 
  range. 
  A 
  marruspawn can take a move action to note the 
  direction of the sound. Whenever a marruspawn 
  comes within 5 feet of the source, it can pinpoint the 
  sound’s location. Undead, constructs and other 
  creatures that have no metabolism are not subject to 
  being detected by discriminating hearing unless they 
  move – in any round when they move, they are 
  detected by the sound they make while moving 
  through the air or shuffling along the ground. Only 
  incorporeal creatures are completely undetectable, 
  unless they wish to be detected. 
   
  Resistance to Dessication (Ex): Centuries of life 
  in the waste afford marruspawn the ability to cope 
  with thirst and reduced fluid intake. A marruspawn 
  thus gains resistance to dessication damage 10. 
  Whenever a marruspawn is subject to magical 
  dessication damage, that damage is reduced by 10 
  before being applied to the marruspawn’s hit points 
   
  A marruspawn also takes no nonlethal or lethal 
  damage from failing Constitiution checks to avoid 
  becoming dehydrated, although it still might become 
  fatigued if it fails a check. If a marruspawn ever 
  becomes dehydrated, whether due to natural causes 
  or another effect (such as a spell), it needs to drink 
  only a mouthful of water to lose that condition. A 
  marruspawn also requires only half as much water in 
  a day as is normally required for a creature of its size. 
   
  Resistance to Fire (Ex): Bred to withstand magic 
  artillery, a marruspawn enjoys an inborn resistance to 
  fire 5 
   
  Low-Light Vision (Ex): A marruspawn can see 
  twice as far as humans in conditions of poor 
  illumination. 
   
  Languages: Marru, Common. 
   
  Spells Prepared (Caster level 9th) (4/6/4/4/3/2, save 
  DC = 15 + spell level): 0 – Daze, Disrupt Undead, 
  Mage Hand, Resistance; 1st – Mage Armor, Magic 
  Missile x4, True Strike; 2nd – See Invisibility, Mirror 
  Image, Scorching Ray x2; 3rd – Fireball x2, Dispel 
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  Magic. 4th – Wall of Ice, Enervation, Ice Storm 5th – 
  Transmute Rock to Mud, Cone of Cold 
   
  Spellbook: 0 – Daze, Disrupt Undead, Mage Hand, 
  Resistance; 1st – Mage Armor, Magic Missile x2, True 
  Strike; 2nd – See Invisibility, Mirror Image Scorching 
  Ray; 3rd – Fireball, Dispel Magic, Lightning Bolt. 
  Major Image 4th – Wall of Ice, Enervation, Ice Storm; 
  5th – Transmute Rock to Mud, Cone of Cold 
   
   
   
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  APPENDIX 5 – ALL APLS 
   
  ENCOUNTER X 
   
   
   
   
  Name, Gender Race ClassLevel: Size Type; CR 
  X; HD XdY+Z; hp X; Init +X; Spd X ft.; AC X, touch 
  X, flat-footed X (+X source, +Y source); Base 
  Atk/Grp: +X/+Y; Atk +X melee (Dam plus Effects, 
  Source) or +Y ranged (Dam plus Effects, Source); 
  Full Atk +X melee (Dam plus Effects, Source) or 
  +Y ranged (Dam plus Effects, Source); SA X, Y, Z; 
  SQ X, Y, Z; AL X; SV Fort +X, Ref +X, Will +X; Str 
  X, Dex X, Con X, Int X, Wis X, Cha X.  Non-Core 
  Source of Creature/Prestige Class/Template, page 
  X. 
   
  Skills & Feats: Skills; Feats.  AbbreviationNon-
  Core Source of Feat. 
   
  Ability (Ex/Sp/Su): Description. 
   
  Languages: Languages. 
   
  X Spells Known/Prepared (X/X/X, save DC = 
  X + spell level): 0 – X; 1st – X; 2nd – X; 3rd – X; 4th – 
  X; 5th – X; 6th – X; 7th – X; 8th – X; 9th – X.  
  AbbreviationNon-Core Source of Spell. 
   
  *Domain spell. Domains: X (Y), A (B). 
   
  Spellbook: 0 – X; 1st – X; 2nd – X; 3rd – X; 4th – 
  X; 5th – X; 6th – X; 7th – X; 8th – X; 9th – X. 
   
  Possessions: Possessions.  AbbreviationNon-Core 
  Source of Item. 
   
  Description: Description. 
  ENCOUNTER X 
   
   
   
   
  Name, Gender Race ClassLevel: Size Type; CR 
  X; HD XdY+Z; hp X; Init +X; Spd X ft.; AC X, touch 
  X, flat-footed X (+X source, +Y source); Base 
  Atk/Grp: +X/+Y; Atk +X melee (Dam plus Effects, 
  Source) or +Y ranged (Dam plus Effects, Source); 
  Full Atk +X melee (Dam plus Effects, Source) or 
  +Y ranged (Dam plus Effects, Source); SA X, Y, Z; 
  SQ X, Y, Z; AL X; SV Fort +X, Ref +X, Will +X; Str 
  X, Dex X, Con X, Int X, Wis X, Cha X.  Non-Core 
  Source of Creature/Prestige Class/Template, page 
  X. 
   
  Skills & Feats: Skills; Feats.  AbbreviationNon-
  Core Source of Feat. 
   
  Ability (Ex/Sp/Su): Description. 
   
  Languages: Languages. 
   
  X Spells Known/Prepared (X/X/X, save DC = 
  X + spell level): 0 – X; 1st – X; 2nd – X; 3rd – X; 4th – 
  X; 5th – X; 6th – X; 7th – X; 8th – X; 9th – X.  
  AbbreviationNon-Core Source of Spell. 
   
  *Domain spell. Domains: X (Y), A (B). 
   
  Spellbook: 0 – X; 1st – X; 2nd – X; 3rd – X; 4th – 
  X; 5th – X; 6th – X; 7th – X; 8th – X; 9th – X. 
   
  Possessions: Possessions.  AbbreviationNon-Core 
  Source of Item. 
   
  Description: Description. 
  ENCOUNTER X 
   
   
   
   
  Name, Gender Race ClassLevel: Size Type; CR 
  X; HD XdY+Z; hp X; Init +X; Spd X ft.; AC X, touch 
  X, flat-footed X (+X source, +Y source); Base 
  Atk/Grp: +X/+Y; Atk +X melee (Dam plus Effects, 
  Source) or +Y ranged (Dam plus Effects, Source); 
  Full Atk +X melee (Dam plus Effects, Source) or 
  +Y ranged (Dam plus Effects, Source); SA X, Y, Z; 
  SQ X, Y, Z; AL X; SV Fort +X, Ref +X, Will +X; Str 
  X, Dex X, Con X, Int X, Wis X, Cha X.  Non-Core 
  Source of Creature/Prestige Class/Template, page 
  X. 
   
  Skills & Feats: Skills; Feats.  AbbreviationNon-
  Core Source of Feat. 
   
  Ability (Ex/Sp/Su): Description. 
   
  Languages: Languages. 
   
  X Spells Known/Prepared (X/X/X, save DC = 
  X + spell level): 0 – X; 1st – X; 2nd – X; 3rd – X; 4th – 
  X; 5th – X; 6th – X; 7th – X; 8th – X; 9th – X.  
  AbbreviationNon-Core Source of Spell. 
   
  *Domain spell. Domains: X (Y), A (B). 
   
  Spellbook: 0 – X; 1st – X; 2nd – X; 3rd – X; 4th – 
  X; 5th – X; 6th – X; 7th – X; 8th – X; 9th – X. 
   
  Possessions: Possessions.  AbbreviationNon-Core 
  Source of Item. 
   
  Description: Description. 
   
   
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  DM AID: MAP #1 – THE FIRST SEAL 
   
   
   
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  DM AID: MAP #2 – THE TOMB OF JESLIN PROUDLIN 
   
   
   
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  DM AID: MAP #3 – THE VAULT OF THE HOLLOW 
   
   
   
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  DM AID: MAP #4 – THE SLAVE PENS 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  DM AID: NEW RULES 
  NEW TEMPLATES 
  Evolved Undead (Libris Mortis page 99) 
   
  An evolved undead is an undead whose body is flushed with more negative energy due to an 
  exceptionally long lifetime. Any undead may gain this template, and in doing so, it retains all its previous 
  abilities, but becomes more powerful than before. 
   
  “Evolved undead” is an acquired template that can be added to any undead with an Intelligence score 
  (referred to hereafter as the base creature). An evolved undead uses all the base creature’s statistics and 
  special abilities except as noted here. This template does not alter the creature’s type. 
   
  Note: Unlike most templates, an evolved undead can potentially acquire this template more than 
  once, evolving more with each application 
   
  Armor Class: The base creature’s natural armor bonus improves by 1. If the creature is incorporeal, 
  its deflection bonus to AC improves by 1. 
   
  Special Attacks: An evolved undead retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains 
  one spell-like ability from the following list. You can choose this ability from the list below, or roll 
  randomly. The spell-like ability gained herein can be used once per day. If the undead already has the 
  indicated ability, it gains another use; if it already has the ability as an at-will ability, choose another 
  ability. The spell-like ability has a caster level equal to the evolved undead’s HD (if the caster level is too 
  low to cast the spell in question, choose another). The save DCs are Charisma-based. 
  1 
  Circle of death 
  2 
  Cloudkill 
  3 
  Cone of cold 
  4 
  Confusion 
  5 
  Contagion 
  6 
  Creeping doom 
  7 
  Greater dispel magic 
  8 
  Greater invisibility 
  9 
  Haste 
  10 
  Hold monster 
  11 
  See invisibility 
  12 
  Unholy blight 
   
   
  Special Qualities: An evolved undead retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains 
  the one described below. 
   
  Fast Healing (Ex): An evolved undead gains heals 3 points of damage each round so long as it has at 
  least 1 hit point. 
   
  Abilities: An evolved corporeal undead gains +2 Strength and +2 Charisma. An evolved incorporeal 
  creature gains only +2 charisma 
   
  Organization: An evolved undead usually becomes a leader among those of its kind 
   
  Challenge Rating: Same as Base Creature +1 
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  Level Adjustment: Same as Base creature +1 
  NEW MONSTERS 
  Marrusault (Sandstorm, page 171) 
  Large Monstrous Humanoid  
  Hit Dice: 6d8+18; hp 45 
  Speed: 20 ft (Full Plate) 30 ft base. 
  Armor Class 23, touch 10, flat-footed 22 (+5 natural, +8 armor, +1 dex, -1 size) 
  Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+15 
  Attack: Great Falchion +11 melee (1d12+7/18-20) or Bite +10 melee (1d8+5) 
  Full Attack: Great Falchion +11/+6 melee (1d12+7/18-20) and bite +5 melee  (1d8+2) 
  Space/Reach: 10ft./10ft. 
  Special Attacks: Howl of Defiance, pounce 
  Special Qualities: Ferocity, Marruspawn traits 
  Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +5 
  Abilities: Str 20, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 14 
  Skills: Listen +7, Search +1, Spot +3 
  Feats: Cleave, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (great falchion), Great Fortitude, Power Attack, Weapon Focus 
  (great falchion)  
  Environment: Warm Deserts 
  Challenge Rating: 5 
  Treasure: Standard 
  Alignment: Usually Neutral 
  Advancement: By character class 
  Level Adjustment: +2 
   
  In ancient days, armies of marrusaults darkened the once-green plains, fighting for the will of the marru. 
  Bred for fighting, each marrusault knows its worth in any conflict. Hardy survivors, marrusaults eked out 
  existence where many of the weaker or more specialized spawncrafted creations of the marru perished 
  with heir masters. Still, a marrusault depends on the equipment and other resources it gains from 
  swearing service to a marrutact. Sometimes a marrusault goes rogue – these creatures often find death 
  in the waste, their bones posing a mystery to travelers who come upon them. 
  Individually, marrusaults are known for the ability to withstand wounds that would drop a lesser creature. 
  Of course, such fortitude is another gift of spawncraft. 
   
  Like all marruspawn, a marrusault relies on its discriminating hearing to pinpoint hidden enemies. Once 
  identified, a marrusault uses its howl as it pounces on its target, bringing its mighty blade to bear 
   
   
  Howl of Defiance (Su): Once per day, a marrsault can loose a terrifying howl as a free action. All 
  creatures except other marrusaults within 30 feet must succeed on a DC15 Will save or become fatigued. 
  Those within 10 feet who fail their save become exhausted. The save DC is Charisma-based 
   
  Pounce (Ex): If a marrusault charges, it can make a full attack, including its bite attack. 
   
  Ferocity (Ex): A marrusault is such a tenacious combatant that it continues to fight without penalty 
  even while disabled or dying. 
   
  Marruspawn Traits 
   
  Discriminating Hearing (Ex): A marruspawn can hear across great distances with ease, gaining a 
  +4 racial bonus on Listen checks. A marruspawn’s hearing is so sensitive that it can sense the presence 
  of most creatures merely by the sound of their breathing, their heartbeat, or their movement if they are 
  within 30 feet. 
   
  When a marruspawn detects a noise, the exact location of the source is not revealed – only it’s 
  presence somewhere within that range. A marruspawn can take a move action to note the direction of the 
  sound. Whenever a marruspawn comes within 5 feet of the source, it can pinpoint the sound’s location. 
  Undead, constructs and other creatures that have no metabolism are not subject to being detected by 
  discriminating hearing unless they move – in any round when they move, they are detected by the sound 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  they make while moving through the air or shuffling along the ground. Only incorporeal creatures are 
  completely undetectable, unless they wish to be detected. 
   
  Resistance to Dessication (Ex): Centuries of life in the waste afford marruspawn the ability to cope 
  with thirst and reduced fluid intake. A marruspawn thus gains resistance to dessication damage 10. 
  Whenever a marruspawn is subject to magical dessication damage, that damage is reduced by 10 before 
  being applied to the marruspawn’s hit points 
   
  A marruspawn also takes no nonlethal or lethal damage from failing Constitiution checks to avoid 
  becoming dehydrated, although it still might become fatigued if it fails a check. If a marruspawn ever 
  becomes dehydrated, whether due to natural causes or another effect (such as a spell), it needs to drink 
  only a mouthful of water to lose that condition. A marruspawn also requires only half as much water in a 
  day as is normally required for a creature of its size. 
   
  Resistance to Fire (Ex): Bred to withstand magic artillery, a marruspawn enjoys an inborn resistance 
  to fire 5 
   
  Low-Light Vision (Ex): A marruspawn can see twice as far as humans in conditions of poor 
  illumination 
   
  Marrutact (Sandstorm, page 171) 
  Medium Monstrous Humanoid  
  Hit Dice: 7d8+7; hp 38 
  Speed: 30 ft. 
  Armor Class 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (+4 natural, +4 mage armor, +1 dex, -1 size) 
  Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+7 
  Attack: Masterwork Staff +8 melee (1d6) 
  Full Attack: Masterwork Staff +8/+3 melee (1d6) 
  Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft. 
  Special Attacks: Howl of Healing, spells 
  Special Qualities: Marruspawn traits, spell resistance 16 
  Saves: Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +9 
  Abilities: Str 11, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 16 
  Skills: Concentration +11, Hide +11, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge (history) +14, Knowledge 
  (geography) +14, Listen +8, Spellcraft +16, Survival +4(+6 to avoid getting lost or avoid hazards) 
  Feats: Combat Expertise, Dodge, Improved Initiative.  
  Environment: Warm Deserts 
  Challenge Rating: 5 
  Treasure: Standard 
  Alignment: Usually Neutral 
  Advancement: By character class 
  Level Adjustment: +3 
   
  Howl of Healing (Su): Once per day, a marrutact can loose a regenerative howl as a free action. All 
  marruspawn pledged to the howling marrutact within 30 feet heal 3d8+5 points of damage. Those within 
  10 feet heal and extra 1d8+1 points of damage. 
   
  Spells: A marrutact casts spells as a 5th level wizard 
   
  Marruspawn Traits 
   
  Discriminating Hearing (Ex): A marruspawn can hear across great distances with ease, gaining a 
  +4 racial bonus on Listen checks. A marruspawn’s hearing is so sensitive that it can sense the presence 
  of most creatures merely by the sound of their breathing, their heartbeat, or their movement if they are 
  within 30 feet. 
   
  When a marruspawn detects a noise, the exact location of the source is not revealed – only it’s 
  presence somewhere within that range. A marruspawn can take a move action to note the direction of the 
  sound. Whenever a marruspawn comes within 5 feet of the source, it can pinpoint the sound’s location. 
  Undead, constructs and other creatures that have no metabolism are not subject to being detected by 
  discriminating hearing unless they move – in any round when they move, they are detected by the sound 
  they make while moving through the air or shuffling along the ground. Only incorporeal creatures are 
  completely undetectable, unless they wish to be detected. 
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  Resistance to Dessication (Ex): Centuries of life in the waste afford marruspawn the ability to cope 
  with thirst and reduced fluid intake. A marruspawn thus gains resistance to dessication damage 10. 
  Whenever a marruspawn is subject to magical dessication damage, that damage is reduced by 10 before 
  being applied to the marruspawn’s hit points 
   
  A marruspawn also takes no nonlethal or lethal damage from failing Constitiution checks to avoid 
  becoming dehydrated, although it still might become fatigued if it fails a check. If a marruspawn ever 
  becomes dehydrated, whether due to natural causes or another effect (such as a spell), it needs to drink 
  only a mouthful of water to lose that condition. A marruspawn also requires only half as much water in a 
  day as is normally required for a creature of its size. 
   
  Resistance to Fire (Ex): Bred to withstand magic artillery, a marruspawn enjoys an inborn resistance 
  to fire 5 
   
  Low-Light Vision (Ex): A marruspawn can see twice as far as humans in conditions of poor 
  illumination. 
   
  Languages: Marru, Common. 
   
  Typical Spells Prepared (Caster level 5th) (X/X/X, save DC = 14 + spell level): 0 – Daze, Disrupt 
  Undead, Mage Hand, Resistance; 1st – Mage Armor, Magic Missile x2, True Strike; 2nd – See Invisibility, 
  Mirror Image Scorching Ray; 3rd – Fireball, Dispel Magic 
   
  Spellbook: 0 – Daze, Disrupt Undead, Mage Hand, Resistance; 1st – Mage Armor, Magic Missile x2, 
  True Strike; 2nd – See Invisibility, Mirror Image Scorching Ray; 3rd – Fireball, Dispel Magic 
   
  Bleakborn (Libris Mortis, Page 86) CR 7 
  Medium Undead 
  NE Medium Undead 
  Init +3; Senses Listen +12, Spot +12 
  Languages Common, Molian 
  AC 27, touch 13, flat-footed 24 
   (+3 dex, +14 natural) 
  hp 52 (8 HD)  
  Fort +2  Ref +7, Will +8 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee  Slam +10 (1d6+9+2d6 cold) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +4; Grp +12 
  Atk Options  
  Combat Gear none 
  Abilities Str 22, Dex 16, Con -, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 15 
  SQ Contingent Healing 10, darkvision 60ft, fire lover, undead traits, +2 turn resistance  
  Feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Lightning Reflexes 
  Skills Diplomacy 6, Hide +11, Intimidate +10, Listen +12, Search +10, Sense Motive +8, Spot +12, Survival +2 (+4 
  following tracks) 
  Possessions none 
  Cold to the Touch (Su): The touch of a bleakborn deals 2d6 points of cold damage. Each 3 points of cold damage 
  dealt heals a bleakborn of 1 point of damage. If this mount of healing would cause a bleakborn to exceed its full 
  normal hit point total, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. These temporary hit points last for up to one 
  hour. Anyone who hits a bleakborn in melee also takes 1d6 points of cold damage, unless weidling a reach 
  weapon. 
  Contingent Healing: A bleakborn only heals when in range of a living creature that it can affect with its heat-draining 
  aura. Even if brought to 0 hit points or less, a bleakborn eventually healsif a living creature at some future date 
  wanders within 30 feet of the bleakborn’s remains, automatically triggering its heat draining aura. As long as 
  affected creatures are within its heat draining aura, a bleakborn’s contingent healing remains active. A bleakborn 
  does not have immunity to cold. While a bleakborn doesn’t take cold damage from its own abilities, it can take cold 
  damage from another of its kind.  
  Create Spawn (su): Any humanoid slain by a bleakborn becomes a normal zombie in 1d4 rounds. These spawn are 
  under the command of the bleakborn and remain enslaved until destruction. They do not posess any of the abilities 
  they had in life. 
  Fire Lover (Su): A magical fire attack heals a bleakborn. Each 3 points of fire damage dealt heals a bleakborn of 1 
  point of damage. If this mount of healing would cause a bleakborn to exceed its full normal hit point total, it gains 
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  any excess as temporary hit points. These temporary hit points last for up to one hour. A bleakborn makes no 
  saves against fire effects. 
  Heat Draining Aura (Su): All living creatures (except those immune to cold damage) that approach to within 30 feet 
  of a bleakborn are subject to its heat draining aura. Victims must make a DC 16 Fortitude save. If they fail, they 
  take 2d6 hit points per round as their living heat is sucked away, but if they succeed they lose only 1d6 points per 
  round that they remain in the radius. Should a bleakborn kill a humanoid creature with its heat draining aura, the 
  victim rises again as a bleakborn spawn. The save DC is charisma based.  
   
  Evolved Entropic Reaper (Libris Mortis, Page 98) 
  CR 13 
  Medium Undead 
  CE Medium Undead (Extraplanar, Chaotic) 
  Init +6; Senses Listen +26, Spot +26 
  Languages common, abyssal, celestial 
  AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 18 
   (+2 dex, +9 natural) 
  hp 142 (19 HD)  
  Fort +17, Ref +8, Will +13 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee Large Scythe +13/+8 (2d6+19 plus entropic blade / 19-20, x4) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. 
  Base Atk +9; Grp +19 
  Atk Options Spell-like abilities 
  Combat Gear none 
  Abilities Str 31, Dex 14, Con -, Int 11, Wis 20, Cha 17 
  SQ Damage reduction 10/cold iron and lawful, darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 10, master of the scythe, spell resistance 
  22, undead traits  
  Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (Scythe), Improved Toughness, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Cleave, 
  Whirlwind Attack 
  Skills Concentration +23, Listen +26, Spot +26, Knowledge (planes) +23 
  Possessions combat gear 
  Spell-like abilities: 1/day – plane shift, cone of cold DC 18. Caster Level equals the entropic reaper’s HD. The Save 
  DCs are charisma based. 
  Entropic Blade (Su): An entropic reaper confers the entropic blade property upon any weapon it wields—usually a 
  normal scythe. An entropic Blade functions in all ways like the kind of weapon it is, with the following addition. Any 
  time the entropic blade successfully deals damage the victim must make a DC21 Fortitude save or be overcome 
  with searing pain, as the victim’s form melts, flows, writhes, and boils. During this entropic state, the victim cannot 
  cast spells or use magic items, and it attacks blindly, unable to distinguish friend from foe (-4 penalty on attack rolls 
  an d 50% miss chance, regardless of the attack roll). Each round spent in this entropic state, the victim takes 1 
  point of Wisdom drain from mental shock. If the victim’s Wisdom score falls to 0, it discorporates into nothingness.  
       A victim can gain control over itself by taking a standard action to attempt a DC 21 Charisma Check. Success 
  renders the victim immune to the entropic state for 1 minute. On a failure, the victim can still repeat this check each 
  round until successful. The entropic state is not a disease or a curse, so it is hard to remove. A shapechange or 
  stoneskin spell does not cure an afflicted creature but fixes its state for the duration of the spell. A restoration, heal 
  or greater restoration spell removes the affliction (though a separate restoration spell is necessary to remove any 
  drained points of wisdom). The save DC is Charisma based.  
  Master of the Scythe (Su): The entropic reaper is a master of the scythe, and gains the ability to wield a weapon one 
  size larger than normal. It also treats the scythe as if it were a mighty cleaving weapon, allowing it to make one 
  additional cleave attempt in a round.   
   
  Evolved Boneyard (Libris Mortis, page 89) 
  CR 15 
  Huge Undead 
  CE Huge Undead 
  Init +6; Senses Listen +25, Spot +25 
  Languages common, abyssal, terran 
  AC 31, touch 10, flat-footed 29 
   (+2 dex, +21 natural, -2 size) 
  hp 127 (17 HD)  
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  Fort +7, Ref +9, Will +15 
  Speed 20 ft. (4 squares) 
  Melee Bite +16 (2d8+15 plus bone subsumption / 19-20, x4) 
  Ranged none 
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft. 
  Base Atk +8; Grp +27 
  Atk Options  
  Combat Gear none 
  Abilities Str 33, Dex 14, Con -, Int 18, Wis 20, Cha 20 
  SQ Damage reduction 10/-, darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 10, immunity to cold, spell resistance 24, undead traits  
  Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Critical (Bite), Improved Toughness, Improved Initiative, Lightning 
  Reflexes 
  Skills Balance +22, Climb +30, Hide +22, Jump +30, Listen +25, Move Silently +22, Search +24, Spot +25 
  Possessions none 
  Spell-like abilities: 1/day –cone of cold DC 20. Caster Level equals the Boneyard’s HD. The Save DCs are charisma 
  based. 
  Bone Subsumption (Su): Whenever a boneyard successfully bites a foe, the victim must make a DC 22 Fortitiude 
  save (except for undead victims, which make Will saves). The Save DC is Charisma based. On a failed save, the 
  victim’s bones begin to melt away from the body to meld with the form of the boneyard. The victim takes 2d4 points 
  of damage to Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength. This ability works only on creatures that posess a skeletal 
  structure. 
   
  Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a boneyard must hit a Large or smaller opponent with its bite attack. It can 
  then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple 
  check, it establishes a hold and can try to subsume all the bones in a victim’s body. 
  Summon Skeletons (Su): A boneyard can summon undead creatures from its own bones once per day: 3-6 troll 
  skeletons or 2-4 yound adult red dragon skeletons. The undead arrive in 1d10 rounds and serve for one hour or 
  until they are reabsorbed back into the boneyard.   
  Utter Subsumption (Su): If a boneyard wins a grapple check after using its improved grab ability, it attempts to pin 
  the target on its next action. A boneyard that begins a turn with a victim still pinned and that makes one more 
  successful grapple check automatically tears every bone from the victim’s body, instantly killing the victim. 
   
   
   
   
  NEW WEAPON 
  Great Falchion (Sandstorm, page 97) 
  Exotic Weapons 
  Cost 
  Dmg (S) 
  Dmg (M) 
  Critical 
  Range 
  Weight 
  Type 
  Great Falchion 
  100g
  p 
  1d8 
  1d12 
  18-20/x2 
  -- 
  12 
  Slashing 
   
  This heavy executioner’s sword has the same basic profile as a falchion, albeit with a much greater blade 
  surface. Because it is an executioner’s weapon, it is often crafted as a masterwork weapon, marked with 
  a royal seal, and created with one or more gems in the hilt. 
   
   
   
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  PLAYER HANDOUT #1 – TITLE 
   
   
   
  KEO7-04 Castlefall 
   
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  CRITICAL EVENT SUMMARY: KEO7-04 CASTLEFALL 
  1.  Did the heroes recover the Keoish Medallions from the first seal?  
   
  Yes 
   
  No 
   
  2. Did the heroes fight the residents of Jeslin’s Tomb,? 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Yes 
   
  No 
  3. Did the Heroes enter the Vault of the Hollow? (if Not, proceed to Q4) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Yes 
   
  No 
   
  If so, list the hero name who succeeded at the Trial of Entry: 
   
  4. Did the Heroes destroy the second seal? 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Yes 
   
  No  
   
  5. If the heroes destroyed the second seal, did they rescue the captive Royal Standards? 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Yes 
   
  No 
  6.   If the heroes visited the Vault, did they kill Gustavren the Packmaster? 
   
  7.Did the heroes remove the velvet from the parcel? 
   
   
  Notes: (Add anything that happened that might be considered out of the ordinary – Strange occurrences, 
  results that may not fit the above, etc): 
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Living Greyhawk/Modules/Keoland/597/Normal Scenarios/KEO7-04 - Castlefall (APL 6-12)/KEO7-04 - Castlefall.pdf