TEXT: An adventure for 6-8 characters for Level 3-5 for Old School Essentials
  Deluxe Version
  
  Author: PrinceofNothing
  Editing/Layout/Mapping: Malrex
  Cover Artist: Chris Cold
  Interior Art: Chris Cold (pg. 39, 46), Eray Erkoc (pg. 11, 13, 33, 34, 35, 43, 48, 49), Gilgangarmi
  (pg. 8, 30), James Vail (pg. 22, 53)
  Special Thanks: Keith Hann for layout editing and Ray Weidner, Peter McDevitt, Tamás Illés,
  and Shuffling Wombat for editing, and ‘Anonymous Donor’ for mapping
  Author’s Note
  Internalized conflict externalized as war.
  Hymning thy rebellion Lucifer morning star.
  Bringer of light, forever shrouded by night.
  I am hell, a sulphurous lake of fire and suffering.
  My blackened heart is a writhing mass of poisonous snakes.
  Grotesquely slithering as I slowly shed my dying skin.
  In darkness.
  Thou shalt come unto me.
  In darkness.
  Thou shalt worship me.
  In darkness.
  Thou art mine eternally
  - Celtic Frost, Synagogue Satanae
  Two Long Years.
  To my readers, my publisher, my loved ones and all you victims of the Post-Truth Age. I wish
  you courage and strength in the coming darkness.
  Old-School Essentials is a trademark of Necrotic Gnome. The trademark and Old-School
  Essentials logo are used with permission of Necrotic Gnome, under license.
  The Palace of
  Unquiet Repose
  2
  
  Barthélemy “Skender”
  Alezandaru
  John Krieg
  Mike Harvey
  Roger Rebisz
  David Eitelbach
  George Sedgwick
  Steve J Jones
  Mirko Froehlich
  Squeen
  Gaftin Broadtree
  Michael Stevens
  Jim Zorn
  Jacob Forsman
  Shennessy2424
  Turan Holland
  Richard Mundy
  David Cinabro
  Michael G. Wallace
  Robdog
  GoB
  Thief of Whispers
  Graves
  Chris Brant
  TerribleSorcery
  Leopold Goldimire
  Bíró Ádám
  James M. Brigham
  Feldenthorne
  Keith Nelson
  Mark Erickson
  Chris Hall
  RasheedKnox
  Casper Tybjerg
  Zaquery Booth
  Brother Tom
  Filthy Monkey
  Jonathan Miller
  Daniel Eastland
  Shawn Stoll
  Joe, The Inconsistent
  Paladin
  Particularist
  SliverHanded
  Poppy Haralson
  Andrew Henderson
  Flypirat
  Gabor Lux
  Timo van Balen
  Shuffling Wombat
  Ferdi Smit
  J Potter
  Michael Joseph
  Desrochers
  Luca Lettieri
  Jonathan Beeler MD
  John Johnson
  Iain T.
  Blayne Wilson
  Martin St-Laurent
  Francesco Paparelli
  James "Squiggy"
  Whitchurch
  Takahiro Hashinaka
  Sébastien L'Heureux
  Rich Miller
  Diederik van Arkel
  Levy Keen
  David A. Murphy
  Phill
  Marc Gillham
  Jon Hastings
  Redfuji6
  Anne Cooper
  Guppy
  Mark Featherston
  Trevor Bramble
  Christopher Marvin
  Jeff Dahlstrom
  Sean Poynter
  Jake Parker
  Sir Robert Bombalier
  Gábor Csomós (Chomy)
  Matt Trussler
  Rudy Randolph
  Johnny F. Normal
  Daniel Watkins
  -
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  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  Introduction
  4
  I. Sphinx Entrance
  8
  II. Fissure Entrance
  13
  III. The Black Shore
  15
  IV. The Necropolis
  20
  V. The Palace of Unquiet Repose
  28
  VI. Palace, Second Level
  40
  VII. Conclusion
  43
  Appendix A: Factions
  45
  Appendix B: New Magic Items
  52
  Appendix C: Horrors of the Age of Dusk
  54
  Appendix D: The Age of Dusk
  57
  Appendix E: Tzyanese Inscriptions (Player’s Handout)
  58
  Appendix F: Necropolis Map
  59
  Appendix G: Overview Map
  60
  Appendix H: Legal
  61
  3
  
  Introduction: Ages past, the Tzyan region ruled
  earth and sea by sorcery and fear. So potent were
  its arts, so bottomless its depravities, that it would lay
  siege to the very gates of Heaven! Greatest of all
  Tzyan rulers was Uyu-Yadmogh, First among Princes,
  Devourer of Children. Now Tzyan is dust and its
  atrocities long forgotten. But in the darkness
  something lingers…
  A great quake splits the rock asunder. Hushed
  whispers in begrimed taverns speak of a necropolis,
  deep within the wastes, dedicated to a Sorcerer’s
  hubris. Soothsayers tell fortunes of riches untold,
  knowledge best kept secret, and evil that never
  sleeps but rages eternal within a prison of rotting
  flesh. Those that would help themselves to the
  palace's treasures had best move swiftly. Others are
  coming. Riches, Madness and Death await…in the
  Palace of Unquiet Repose.
  Summary: Palace of Unquiet Repose is a Sword &
  Sorcery adventure for characters of levels 3-5. The
  PCs journey into the wasteland and discover the
  buried Necropolis of the Sorcerer Uyu-Yadmogh,
  unearthed by a Great Quake. Once the PCs arrive,
  they may enter through a fissure in the rock or via a
  hidden tomb complex. Once they reach the
  Necropolis proper, they will no doubt encounter at
  least one of several factions trying to gain entrance
  into the Palace.
  An important part of the Palace of Unquiet Repose
  is the interplay between and within these factions.
  As such, the referee is encouraged to run them in a
  way that facilitates interaction, not simply combat.
  Two of the factions want to enter the palace but
  do not know how, while the third wants to prevent
  anyone from defiling their sacred place. Have
  faction members negotiate, offer truces, take
  prisoners for interrogation and be open to alliances,
  at least in the short term. Once they get within
  grasping range of Uyu-Yadmogh’s treasures, it’s a
  different story.
  This adventure originally takes place in the Age of
  Dusk setting (see Appendix D, pg. 57) but can be
  placed in any campaign that has in its distant past
  an empire of evil sorcerers so powerful they
  contested with the gods themselves. References to
  Nzembar, Sybarra and other ancient empires can
  be replaced with suitable analogs or omitted
  entirely.
  It is recommended to read the different Appendices
  before running the adventure. Please refer to
  Appendix A: Factions (pg. 45) for notes on each
  faction in this adventure, Appendix B: New Magic
  Items (pg. 52) for new treasures and Appendix C:
  Horrors of the Age of Dusk (pg. 54) for the eldritch
  monstrosities that dwell within the Palace.
  Beginning the Adventure: The Age of Dusk is an
  unforgiving setting with scarce resources and
  populated by many dangerous creatures. It is
  suggested the GM implement the various wilderness
  rules for the process of traversing the Glass Wastes to
  the extent he deems necessary.
  The adventure begins in the City of Iotha, Pearl of
  the Desert, the last city along the caravan route that
  leads from the City-States of Gal’alor across the
  Glass Wastes to distant Muir, bringing spices and
  blocks of marble. There are no other major
  settlements for hundreds of miles in all directions. The
  city represents a last chance for the party to
  purchase equipment, gather information and hire
  henchmen before the adventure commences.
  Adventure Hooks:
  1. The thief, Orestes the Cunning, claims to have
  stolen a map to the lost library of Anaraxes, said to
  contain all the knowledge of pre-Calamity Times. He
  is looking for hired muscle in retrieving it. His map is
  poorly translated and leads to the Palace of Unquiet
  Repose instead.
  2. One of the characters is haunted by horrific visions
  of anthropophagy in darkness and feels an
  inexplicable call leading him/her into the
  wastelands in the west. Resisting the call only makes
  the visions worse. Whenever the character travels in
  the direction he/she is instead struck with
  premonitions of certain doom.
  3. The astrologer Orixerxes has wrested the location
  of the Palace from a dying star and offers his weight
  in gold and three of his daughters to anyone who
  can bring him the grimoire of Uyu-Yadmogh (The
  Tome of Iron and Glass, pg. 53).
  PALACE OF UNQUIET REPOSE
  4
  
  4. A steely-eyed bursar of the Sial-Atun offers 100 gp
  for each of the deserter’s heads that are brought
  back to him. When asked about the reward for live
  prisoners, he merely stares blankly. The deserters
  were last seen heading southwest into the wastes.
  Anyone who can bring them to justice is owed a
  favor from the Sial-Atun.
  5. The Great Quake was felt in every brothel and
  wine shop in the city! A nobleman claims to have
  seen a great plume of dust arise, far in the Glass
  Wastes, through his contraption of cut glass.
  Ridiculous of course. His offer of a gold piece per
  day to investigate is too good to pass up, however.
  A whore does not pay for herself, goes the saying.
  6. A desperate soothsayer seeks in vain to solicit the
  help of fighting men to destroy an evil 'thought long
  dead.' Men scoff. 'The world is full of such terrors.
  What harm can one more inflict?' The softness of
  her skin and the promise of her caresses is
  something to be considered, however...
  (She is Khabareth Who Comes Before, one of the
  Nine (see Appendix A, pg. 50), and seeks to use the
  PCs as pawns in her bid for Uyu-Yadmogh's power).
  7. Avoiding all fanciful tales of buried ruins filled with
  ancient riches, the sensible course was to take a
  job as caravan guards. However, a terrible storm
  lays waste to the caravan, stripping flesh from
  bone. Emerging from the sand, spitting and
  coughing, miraculously unscathed, the imperious
  glare of a great stone Sphinx greets the bewildered
  party. It seems that the rumors were not so fanciful
  after all.
  8.  A band of fanatics (3d6 of 0th level) have
  glimpsed visions of the Tree of God, deep within the
  desert, and set out to find the place of salvation.
  They offer the party 100 gp each to escort them
  into the desert. Half of them perish in the desert
  before they reach the destination of their quest: the
  Palace of Unquiet Repose.
  ROLL
  WHISPERS AND LIES HEARD IN WINESHOPS AND OPIUM DENS
  1
  The earth trembled and shook. The gods are angry with us!
  2
  Be wary of the Sial-Atun, for they are ruthless and invincible in battle. Those who surrender to them
  are mutilated and left to die in the desert.
  3
  The Glass Wastes were once the site of an empire, so horrible none dare remember it.
  4
  Riches are sometimes found in the desert, but nothing good comes of them. Be wary.
  5
  This place is so ancient even the curses are rotting with age.
  6
  Sial-Atun mercenaries were seen heading into the desert. Now the city is crawling with them
  clamoring for their heads.
  7
  Tzyan was dead before they laid the very stones of this place. But its servants still live among us,
  hiding in shadows, passing on terrible secrets from father to son.
  8
  Underneath the sands lies a city made of marble and quartz, filled with riches beyond your wildest
  dreams!
  9
  They say the Tree of God has appeared in the Wastes. Many once journeyed into the desert to find
  it. They are all dead now.
  10
  Foul necromancy can make cages to hold even the soul. But there is always a price for such things.
  11
  They say the weaponry of Tzyan can draw blood even from gods.
  12
  My grandfather once found a carved bead in the sands. Protected him from the evil eye and the
  curses of witches!
  13
  They say the Glass Wastes are lifeless. Would that it were so! The Dusk Stalker comes with the setting
  sun and craves the skins of men!
  14
  Only fools go into the desert with few. My cousin knows reliable porters! (see Scoundrels and
  Cutthroats Table)
  15
  The mad race of Tzyan hated gods and worshiped only their own greatness.
  16
  A prince once held sway over these lands, and his knowledge was greater than all the wise men of
  this Age combined.
  17
  A prince once held sway over all these lands, and his evil was greater than all the devils of this Age
  combined.
  18
  That slovenly drunk Jaffa stills owes me 10 gp. Punch him for me if you see him.
  19
  Your mother is the most skillful prostitute in all the brothels of Iotha. I visit her every day! (characters
  begin play during tavern brawl).
  20
  I once saw a wise man walk barefoot over a pool of mercury. He never got sick!
  5
  
  #
  SCOUNDRELS AND CUTTHROATS (HENCHMEN)
  HIRING FEE
  1
  Shing the Many-Tongued: AC 9 [10]; HD ½; hp 3; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon);
  THAC0 20 [-1]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D14, W15, P16, B17, S18 (NH); ML 6; AL N; XP 5
  ● Read languages at 90% (as thief).
  ● Scholar in countless tongues, etched upon his wrinkled form in green ink. INT 15.
  ● Lotus addict.
  Starting fee of
  50 gp and 25
  gp per day.
  Accepts IOUs
  at 20% interest.
  2
  Ulo & Orm: AC 9 [10]; HD ½; hp 4; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 +2 or by weapon +2); THAC0 20
  [-1]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D14, W15, P16, B17, S18 (NH); ML 6; AL N; XP 5
  ● STR 17, INT 6.
  ● Porters. Twin brothers like giants clumsily sculpted from primordial granite.
  ● Fight only in self-defense. One is mute, the other is stupid as an ox.
  Starting fee 10
  gp and 5 sp
  per day.
  3
  Velos the Liar: AC 5 [14]; HD 5*; hp 14; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 17
  [+2]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P11, B14, S13 (T 5); ML 7; AL C; XP 225
  ● DEX 15, CHA 13.
  ● Leather armor, twin throwing daggers +1, rapier and a pouch filled with nine human
  ears (dried).
  ● Face hidden behind smirking theater mask of pewter and tin (15 gp).
  ● Infamous cutthroat and deserter from distant Gal’Alor. Murderous hatred for Sial-
  Atun.
  50 gp and a
  share of the
  treasure.
  4
  Old Jaffa: AC 8 [11]; HD 1; hp 3; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 19 [+0]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D13, W14, P13, B16, S15 (T 1); ML 6; AL C; XP 10
  ● An aging loon and lecherous drunk, with debts in the hundreds of gold pieces.
  ● Has lice (save vs death each week or contract lice. -1 to hit and hear noise until
  Cure Disease is cast or bath is taken).
  ● Attempts to rob the party and desert at earliest opportunity.
  He vows to
  serve for food
  and a warm
  bed.
  5
  Khyfett: AC 5 [14]; HD 2; hp 15; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 19 [+0]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F 2); ML 8; AL L; XP 20
  ● STR 15, DEX 17, CHA 13.
  ● Intricate chainmail, spear and shield.
  ● Countless ritual scars give him a formidable aspect. Amiable but a born and ruthless
  killer.
  Starting fee 25
  gp and a full
  share of the
  treasure.
  6
  Cent: AC 9 [10]; HD 3*; hp 5; Att 1 x dagger (1d4); THAC0 19 [+0]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D13,
  W14, P13, B16, S15 (MU 3); ML 7; AL C; XP 50. Spells: Detect Magic, Sleep, Mirror Image
  ● INT 18, CHA 18.
  ● Can prepare a special divination variant of Curse that requires an hour’s worth of
  consulting astrological charts and the name of the target to take effect, but may be
  cast anywhere within 20 miles of the target.
  ● An abrasive and foul-mouthed adept of the assassin-mathematicians of the Three-
  and-Twenty-Seven and connoisseur of fine poetry. His constant sneering
  condescension and predictions of cryptic doom lower morale of all other
  henchmen by -1.
  100 gp hiring
  fee and full
  share of
  treasure.
  7
  Bolos of Ursk: AC 4 [15]; HD 2; hp 16; Att 1 x weapon (1d8 +3); THAC0 19 [+0]; MV 120’
  (40’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F 2); ML 8; AL L; XP 20
  ● STR 18, DEX 14, CON 16.
  ● Iron breastplate etched with poetry, scimitar and shield.
  ● Fat eunuch. A desultory and slovenly companion, fond of poetry and sweetmeats.
  ● Berserker fury in battle (battle rage +2 to hit and damage).
  50 gp and a
  half share of
  the treasure.
  8
  Rastlir of Muir: AC 4 [15]; HD 4*; hp 20; Att 1 x mace (1d6); THAC0 19 [+0]; MV 120’ (40’);
  SV D11, W12, P14, B16, S15 (C 4); ML 8; AL C; XP 125. Spells: Cause Light Wounds,
  Darkness, Cause Fear; Hold Person, Silence 15’ Radius
  ● WIS 18, DEX 8, CHA 11.
  ● Wears plate despite the scorching heat and wields a mace.
  ● A prophet of the enigmatic Silent God. Shrouded in veils. Understands common but
  speaks only the unpronounceable tongues of distant Muir.
  ● Hideously burned face with diamond teeth (250 gp) beneath veil.
  ● Can cast one extra 1st and 2nd level spell.
  ● Secretly a cultist of Tzyan. The Ninth of the Nine (see Appendix A, pg 48).
  150 gp and a
  share of the
  treasure. Allies
  with the Nine
  against the
  PCs if it
  becomes an
  issue.
  Continued
  6
  
  The Location of the Palace: The Palace’s
  location is a week’s travel on foot from the great
  city, across the savage dunes of the Glass Wastes.
  The surrounding terrain is devoid of water and
  characters foraging for food have only half the
  normal chances of success.
  Welcome to the Age of Dusk!: Each time the
  characters cross the desert between Iotha and the
  palace there is a 33% chance they are tracked by
  the two dusk stalkers (Appendix C, pg. 54)
  inhabiting the region. The stalkers hide by day
  (being near impossible to find in the desert) and
  only come out at dusk. Dusk stalkers are cunning
  and prioritize attacking spell-casters, archers, those
  with infravision and other targets of opportunity
  over heavily armored fighting men. If the party
  chooses to flee and escapes, the stalkers
  systematically destroy any equipment in their
  campsite before they begin stalking them again
  until they reach the palace or the City of Iotha.
  (2) Dusk Stalker: AC 5 [14]; HD 5*; hp 27, 23; Att 2 x
  claw (1d6), 1 x bite (1d10); THAC0 14 [+5]; MV 120’
  (40’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (3); ML 9; AL N; XP
  225
  ● Dusk stalkers are very silent, attaining surprise on
  a 4 out of 6.
  ● Emits blood-curdling shriek when it first attacks.
  Save vs. paralyzation or stunned for 1 round.
  The First Night: One of the stalkers approaches
  200 yards from the camp and utters hideous
  keening shrieks throughout the night, keeping the
  party from resting (and thus regaining any spells).
  Clever PCs might elect to plug their ears, which is
  effective in canceling out the noise, but also means
  they have only a 30% chance to awaken from any
  noise during a night-time assault.
  ● Approaching the stalker causes it to flee into
  the sands (90% chance of evasion), unless the
  PCs are stealthy and avoid using light sources.
  The other stalker is hidden and observes the
  camp, and is only discovered if PCs use
  divination magic or have infravision.
  ● Sending three PCs or less without light (for
  whatever suicidal reason), the second stalker
  attempts to ambush them while the first one
  joins the fray when it hears the shrieks of its
  mate. It plans the ambush as close to its mate
  as possible.
  ● If driven off, the dusk stalker resumes its shrieking
  from a different location after 2d6 turns.
  The Second Night: The first stalker resumes its
  shrieking. Attempts to ignore it cause the second
  stalker to attempt sneaking closer to the camp to
  kill one of the pack animals, horses, henchmen or
  porters, before fleeing back into the desert towards
  its mate. It has the usual chances of moving silently
  and surprise.
  9
  Hakir the Mazhurian: AC 5 [14]; HD 1; hp 7; Att 1 x dagger (1d4 +1); THAC0 19 [0]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F 1); ML 7; AL N; XP 10
  ● STR 13, DEX 15, CON 13
  ● Leather armor and wickedly curved pair of daggers.
  ● While Hakir is in the party it is possible to forage for food in the wastes and the party
  consumes only half the amount of water.
  ● Offspring of a chance coupling between a prostitute and a desert nomad.
  Abrasive and boisterous.
  Asks for 200
  gp (but can
  be
  bargained
  down to as
  little as 30)
  and a share
  of the
  treasure.
  10
  The Red Dervishes: AC 6 [13]; HD ½; hp 3; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 20
  [-1]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D14, W15, P16, B17, S18 (NH); ML 6; AL N; XP 5
  ● Leather armor, scimitar, shortbow and shield.
  ● Caravan guards or swords-for-hire for the feuds of petty princes and fat merchants.
  They eagerly draw blood but don’t follow/enter into any dungeon.
  ● A minimum of 6 must be hired, a max of 20.
  ● Led by a Captain.
  (1) Captain: AC 6; HD 2; hp 12; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 19 [0]; MV
  120’ [40’); SV D12, W 13, P 14, B 15, S 16 (NH); ML 8; AL N; XP 20
  ● Leather armor, scimitar, shortbow, and shield.
  3 gp per
  month per
  Dervish. 20
  gp per
  month for
  the
  captain.
  7
  
  ● Both stalkers otherwise follow the tactics of the
  previous night.
  ● Any ambush that is successful by the stalkers
  causes them to leave the flayed and mutilated
  body as a trophy for the PCs to find on their
  journey towards the palace.
  The Third Night: Assuming the party prepares
  for a night assault, post guards and even construct
  fortifications, both stalkers remain silent and avoid
  the party for one night, only observing.
  The Fourth Night: No noise. At midnight, prior to
  the changing of the guard (if the PCs follow a
  certain routine), one stalker, draped in the skin of its
  kill if applicable, attacks people on watch with a
  blood-curdling shriek (normal chances of surprise),
  the other follows one round later from the opposite
  side of the camp. If the stalkers survive, they
  attempt to ambush the PCs the next day.
  THE BASIN
  The trail eventually leads to a basin (300’ wide, 50’
  deep at its center) surrounded by bulwarks of
  ancient, sand-scoured siltstone. The occasional
  fossilized ammonite and trilobite loom from the
  splintered rock. A basalt sphinx of monstrous aspect
  emerges hideously from piles of rubble (see I.
  Sphinx Entrance). A careful search of the basin
  reveals a man-sized fissure (see II. Fissure Entrance,
  pg. 13). Refer to Appendix G: Overview Map, pg.
  60.
  I. SPHINX ENTRANCE
  Inside the Sphinx: The air inside the Sphinx is
  thick with ancient dust and dry as the desert, but
  offers a welcoming coolness from the scorching
  heat outside. Stone is grey basalt, weathered by
  great age. Any torches sputter and burn with thick
  smoke. Passages are 10’ wide and 15’ high unless
  otherwise stated.
  Wandering Encounters: There are no
  wandering encounters through the Sphinx Entrance
  or the Fissure Entrance.
  1. Sphinx: Eroded by the ages, the malevolent
  visage of some ancient prince gazes down
  imperiously from a monstrous body of ancient
  stone. Part great cat, part dragon, part scorpion,
  unearthed by the quake, it seems poised to strike at
  any moment.
  ● There is a faint glow coming from the sphinx
  revealed by attempts to cast Detect Magic.
  ● A block in the cyclopean masonry can be
  wedged out, serving as a secret door. Halved
  chances of detecting secret doors because of
  the subtlety of its construction. A Detect Magic
  or similar spell reveals the stone radiates less
  magic than everything else, making it stand out
  clearly.
  8
  
  9
  
  ● The seams are filled with grit, requiring a
  successful Open Doors or some subtle craft to
  open (i.e. pouring precious water or grease into
  the seams).
  2. Secret Entrance: The entrance is a 3’x3’ shaft that
  leads down at a 45 degree angle, becoming
  narrower in places where the stone has given way.
  The shaft is filled with gravel, sand, and debris.
  ● Wearing anything heavier then leather inside
  the shaft is impossible as characters quickly
  become wedged/stuck and may suffocate if
  they persist in attempts to do so. Armor or
  backpacks may be pushed in front or dragged
  behind.
  ● Area A: The shaft becomes a 30’ vertical drop.
  ● Area B: The shaft levels off until it becomes
  horizontal, at which point there is a trap (see
  below).
  ● Trap: A single pressure plate on a level section
  of the shaft remains intact. Each PC has a 2-in-6
  chance to trigger the trap until its sprung
  causing a collapse that inflicts 2d10 damage
  and forcing the character to save vs. breath
  attacks or become pinned under the rubble,
  with suffocation setting in after 10 turns.
  Characters may attempt an Open Door check
  to dig themselves free but need three
  successful checks to do so. Characters may
  add the STR bonus of anyone aiding them to
  their Open Doors checks, with a minimum of +1.
  Every time the character attempts to dig himself
  free, he expends an additional turn of air.
  3. The Fate of Traitors: A sliding panel gives way into
  a massive circular chamber. A 9’ deep pit occupies
  the center of the chamber. The walls are covered
  with faded murals and several stone tables are
  placed about the room facing the pit.
  ● The pit is littered with blackened bones.
  Characters rooting through the bones feel
  increasingly uneasy, as if the spirits of the victims
  seek to drag them off to share their nightmarish
  fate. Persistent characters find a blackened ring
  of orichalcum carved in the shape of a serpent
  devouring its own tail (375 gp). Anyone putting
  it on is cursed to relive the agonies of the victims
  in their dreams, gaining no rest and regaining
  no spells, and losing 1 hp every night until they
  are treated with a Remove Curse spell.
  ● The artwork is detailed to the point of obsession.
  It’s possible to make out expressions and other
  minute details on even the smallest images.
  Anyone who speaks Tzyanese or can otherwise
  understand the hieroglyphics on the murals
  gains additional information. Recurring
  elements are the ancient Tzyanese, a giant
  figure with the trappings of a king or high-priest
  (The Master), and an unearthly cathedral-like
  structure of jagged crystal (The Weapon).
  ● North Wall: Men are cast into a great pit, to
  burn alive while others watch. The Master
  towers over all men, directing the butchery.
  The Weapon in the upper right corner
  (small) [written: the Fate of Traitors].
  ● West Wall: Men are made to watch as the
  Master devours women and children. The
  Weapon in the upper right corner (small)
  [written: The Key to Salvation].
  ● East Wall: Armies of wiry men march under
  banners of impaled deities. Arrayed against
  them are golden warriors with animal faces
  led by the Sun and the Moon. Strange
  cathedral-like structure in the back
  (prominent) [written: Against the Golden
  Host].
  ● South Wall: Procession of the Master and his
  servants in desperate flight, a massive
  cathedral-like structure looming over all
  (overwhelming) [written: That Which Comes
  After].
  ● On one table: Curved knife of black steel,
  inscribed with hieroglyphics. This sacrificial knife
  is made of alloys that can only be forged in
  absolute darkness. It harms creatures that can
  only be harmed by magical weapons but offers
  no bonuses to hit or damage. Intoning the
  chants engraved on the blade while cutting the
  hieroglyphs into his/her palm, the wielder may
  ask a single question as though it were a
  Contact Higher Plane spell (as though the
  caster was asking six questions). This power may
  be used once per week and the wielder takes
  1d3 damage that cannot be healed with
  magic.
  4.  Sand Trap: An ornate stone basin on the north
  wall is filled to the brim with gold coins. The ceiling is
  domed, reaching 15’ high and the walls of the
  chamber are covered with leering stone faces with
  gaping mouths. There is a narrow, 5’ tall stone block
  in the corner of the room.
  ● Trap: Around the basin is a pressure plate on the
  floor that lowers a 3’’ thick stone slab over the
  entrance (2-in-6 chance of setting off), sealing
  off any possibility of escape. Dusty sand begins
  pouring into the room from mouths in the walls.
  PCs have two turns before the room is filled with
  sand.
  ● Perceptive players may note that the top of the
  dome is above the level of any of the mouths.
  Continued
  10
  
  The stone block can be moved but only has
  room for two characters, at best. Clever players
  might try to sit on each other’s shoulders. Allow
  this, but call for DEX checks if the character on
  top is particularly heavy or carrying a full
  backpack.
  ● The basin is wide enough to accommodate two
  more characters.
  ● The room fills with sand to a height of 10’.
  Anyone who has not found a means to elevate
  themselves is subject to suffocation. One turn
  later, surviving characters hear muffled rumbling
  and slits in the floor open to drain away the
  sand. The stone slab blocking entry may be
  raised by a switch in a concealed panel in the
  basin.
  ● There are 297 ‘coins’ in the basin that are
  earthen-work coated with gold paint, worth ½
  cp each.
  5. Faithful Companions: The center of the chamber
  is dominated by a grotesque altar of gilded bone.
  Surrounding the altar are dozens of corroded pikes,
  each with a gilded skeleton impaled upon it. All
  skeletons are missing their right hand. Faded murals
  cover each of the walls.
  ● There is 10,000 gp worth of gilded bone in the
  altar and the skeletons in the chamber.
  Removing it and carrying it across the desert will
  be a challenge as the molten metal has
  welded the bones onto the pikes and the alloys
  are heavy (total weight 20,000 gp).
  ● The bones carry the animating force of the
  Azarog (see Appendix C, pg 54)and destroying
  the bones is the only way to kill it permanently.
  This is not easy! The bones must be utterly
  pulverized and the alloy is malleable rather than
  brittle. Carrying a complete skeleton beyond
  the Black Shore and into the Necropolis causes
  the Azarog to animate it.
  Animated Skeleton: AC 1 [18]; HD 4; hp 25; Att 1 x
  fists (1d6); THAC0 16 [+3]; MV 60’ (20’); SV D10, W11,
  P12, B13, S14 (4); ML 12; AL C; XP 75
  ● Studying the formation of the pikes reveals
  them to form a complicated Tzyanese glyph, its
  meaning somewhere between Guardian,
  Legion and Spirit. It is pronounced ‘Azarog.’
  ● As Area #3, one who speaks the Tzyanese
  tongue or can otherwise understand the
  hieroglyphics gains additional information from
  the murals.
  Continued
  11
  
  ● North Mural: Servants look on as the Master
  devours women and children. A closer look
  reveals their faces show not horror but
  gratitude [written: Loyalty’s Reward].
  ● West Mural: Tzyanese funeral procession. The
  spirits of the fallen are dragged into a
  Thousand Hells to be rent by cackling
  demons whilst wrathful gods look on from on
  high [written: The Malice of the Divine].
  ● East Mural: Hundreds toil as the Master
  directs their efforts. A city is built
  underground, mirroring the city above
  [written: As Above So Below].
  ● South Mural: Twenty-seven servants are
  impaled and gilded, their spirits bound
  together into a single form standing vigil
  over the palace [written: Faithful
  Companions].
  6. Pots: This chamber is unadorned and holds a
  variety of ceramic urns, jars, and pots.
  ● There are a total of 54 pots. Most of them are
  empty or their contents have long since spoiled
  or evaporated.
  ● There are two jars that still contain usable lamp
  oil, sufficient for 36 hours of illumination. The oil
  burns smoky, emitting a sulfurous stench (-1 to
  chances to surprise).
  ● Inside one of the jars is a desert scorpion who
  has found its way in (standard chances for
  surprise). The scorpion’s sting (HD ½, AC 8, MV
  60) deals only 1 point of damage but anyone so
  struck must save vs. poison or die in 3 turns
  unless treated.
  (1) Scorpion: AC 9 [10]; HD 1 hp 1; Att 1 x sting (1 +
  poison); THAC0 19 [0]; MV 60’ (20’); SV D 14, W15,
  P16, B17, S18 (NH); ML 5; AL N; XP 5
  7. The Judgment of Uyu-Yadmogh: The passage has
  a series of five alcoves on either side. Each alcove is
  filled with 9’ tall statues with three heads. Each
  head is the Master’s, wearing a different,
  inscrutable expression. All hold heavy stone maces
  and hammers as if preparing to strike down anyone
  who passes between them.
  ● Trap: The third pair of statues has a pressure
  plate between them that triggers a scything
  blade trap at knee level (2-in-6 chance to
  trigger for 2d6 damage). Once triggered, a
  second trap activates and thick acidic fog
  starts pouring from each of the statue’s mouths,
  expanding to fill the entire hallway.
  ● The acid fogs damage increases over time as
  the room fills up: 1st round: irritating stinging
  sensation, 2nd round: 1 damage, 3rd round: 1
  damage, 4th round: 2 damage, and 5th round+:
  4 damage per round. Wet rags over the face
  and other exposed limbs halves the damage.
  The size of the reservoir is considerable. The fog
  starts filling up the tomb at five, 10’ squares per
  turn, but is exhausted after 10 turns. After 10
  turns, the fog dissipates after an additional turn.
  ● Yet another Trap: Between the 5th pair of statues
  is a 20’ deep pit trap (2-in-6 chance for
  triggering for 2d6 damage). Particularly cruel
  referees might call for saving throws every
  round to see if any rope used to hoist
  characters up is affected by the acid. Polearms
  or ten-foot poles are sturdy enough to resist the
  acid long enough to remain unaffected.
  8. Exit:  The double door is set in the naked rock,
  man-high, of tarnished, ancient bronze. Faded
  imagery can barely be made out on the surface.
  ● The faded imagery is a series of man-like
  images superimposed over each other. Faint
  hieroglyphs describe each shape as a distinct
  part of the Soul, attaching esoteric properties to
  each that are utterly incomprehensible.
  “Ancient traps are but the
  first, the most lenient, of my
  guardians.”
  12
  
  Adventurers exploring the basin in the vicinity of the
  sphinx eventually discover a deep fissure in the
  rock. The sheer surface of the fissure plunges into
  pitch blackness (80’ deep). A search reveals piton
  markings on the rock face as well as the nearby
  ashes of a dung-fire several days old. The rock face
  can be climbed by making a successful DEX check
  (thieves are automatically successful).
  1. Unwelcome Visitors: The fissure gradually levels
  off into a rocky passageway. Nearby is a camp—
  bedrolls, a stained cask, two coils of rope, three
  backpacks, and the remains of a campfire. Six
  corpses are spread around the camp in a circle,
  their throats severed and their chests wrenched
  open. There are no signs of struggle.
  ● The cask is full of precious water (five days for
  four people). The backpacks contain cloaks,
  twenty iron spikes, a hammer, five flasks of oil,
  and flint and steel.
  ● Five of the corpses are natives, dressed in
  homespun tunics. The only one who shows any
  signs of struggle wears ornate splint mail, a
  curved knife on his belt, and a sword half drawn
  beside him. There is a composite bow and a
  quiver with 20 arrows at his feet. All corpses are
  less than a day old. Examination reveals each
  corpse has had its heart removed.
  2. Totem: The passage widens out into a cavern.
  The air is still, dry and thick with the dust of ages.
  Footprints disturb the thick layer of dust, knee-high
  in places, leading across a buried path towards the
  east. A row of worn statues, man-high, stand on
  either side of the path. The sagging, mutilated
  corpse of a great beast is impaled on a spear
  beside the path.
  II. FISSURE ENTRANCE
  13
  
  ● Moving through this chamber faster than
  walking kicks up clouds of dust and PCs must
  make a save vs. poison or start coughing for 1d3
  rounds, causing -1 to attack rolls,10%
  spellcasting failure and making surprise
  impossible. Those taking precautions (wet rags
  over their mouths etc.) are unaffected.
  ● The statues are sculpted according to an utterly
  alien aesthetic and portray the same cruel,
  handsome sorcerer. Observation reveals the
  statues once had something embedded in
  them. Meticulously searching every statue
  reveals one still contains a globe of amber
  containing a long extinct insect (200 gp).
  ● The impaled corpse is a cross between a
  predatory bird and a bear. The corpse has
  been mutilated: its eyes have been gouged out
  and its tendons cut. Its mate is still alive Area #3.
  3. Dust: The cavern widens further into a veritable
  lake of dust. As one strays from the path the dust
  deepens. A faint glint of gold or jewels can be seen
  coming from the east.
  ● Off the path, the dust becomes deeper, quickly
  coming up to the character’s waist (half
  movement, -2 to hit with two handed weapons,
  no dexterity bonus to AC).
  ● Anyone approaching the glint sees a gold
  amulet peeking through the dust. The medallion
  is ancient, depicting a beautiful maiden driving
  a blade into her heart (350 gp).
  ● Attempting to grab the amulet means the dusk
  stalker leaps from its hiding place underneath it
  with an ear-piercing shriek, achieving surprise
  on a 4 in 6! It is unaffected by the dust clouds.
  (1) Dusk Stalker: AC 5 [14]; HD 5*; hp 24; Att 2 x claw
  (1d6), 1 x bite (1d10); THAC0 14 [+5]; MV 120’ (40’);
  SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (3); ML 9; AL N; XP 225
  ● Dusk stalkers are very silent, attaining surprise on
  a 4 out of 6.
  ● Emits blood-curdling shriek when it first attacks.
  Save vs. paralyzation or stunned for 1 round.
  4. Doors: Great doors of unknown alloys hang wide
  open on massive hinges, revealing an immense
  darkness beyond. Inscriptions mark both sides of
  the doors. The doors are far too heavy to move by
  human hand (20,000 lbs each). The phosphorescent
  outline of some foreboding, alien city can be made
  out in the distance (see III. The Black Shore, pg. 15).
  ● Examination reveals there is no sign of forced
  entry.
  ● The inscriptions are in Tzyanese (see Player’s
  Handout, Appendix E, pg. 58).
  “Beyond These Gates Lies A
  Fate Unimaginable; Free
  from the Fires. Eternal Un-
  life. Horror Absolute.”
  14
  
  Either passage eventually enters a vast cavern that
  holds a sight of alien wonder and terrifying beauty,
  emerging upon a rocky beach of petrified trees
  and black sands. Rising from a lake of shimmering
  quicksilver and misty vapors, back-lit by eerie witch-
  light, the Palace of Unquiet Repose stands
  monstrous vigil over a city of the dead.
  The Vapors: The Palace of Unquiet Repose is
  surrounded by a lake of mercury. The air above
  and within 30’ of the lake is filled with noticeable,
  thick inebriating vapors. For every two turns of
  exposure, a saving throw vs death must be made
  (with a +2 for anyone protecting their face). Failure
  means the character takes a -2 to all attack rolls
  and saving throws until taken out of the fog. A
  second failure increases this penalty to -4. A third
  failed saving throw means the character loses
  consciousness.
  Conditions on the Lake: Even with adequate
  light sources, characters cannot see further then 30’
  because of the thick vapors rising from it.
  Characters can walk on the lake (mercury is 13x as
  dense as humans) at half their normal movement
  speed. However, those that attempt to cross the
  lake in this manner risk coming in contact with
  mercury and contracting mercury poisoning! After
  a turn of contact, characters must make a saving
  throw vs poison or become weakened and feverish
  (halve strength score until cured) after an hour until
  treated with a Neutralize Poison spell or a week of
  rest in an area with clear air. Wearing thick boots or
  other footwear provides a +2 bonus to the save.
  Drinking mercury has the same effect as a turn of
  exposure (at -4 to save).
  Wandering Encounters: A 2-in-6 chance every
  three turns signifies an encounter.
  III. THE BLACK SHORE
  ROLL
  ENCOUNTER
  NOTES
  1
  (2d4) Sial-Atun Patrol (see Appendix A, pg. 45): AC 5 [14]; HD 3*;
  hp 17; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 19 [+0]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F 3); ML 9; AL C; XP 50
  ● Gilded chain mail, spiked helmet, round shield, pole arm, long
  bow, 20 arrows, longsword, dagger, and gruesome battlefield
  trophies.
  They are on edge and demand the
  party to surrender. Refusal is met
  with lethal force.
  2
  Escaped Slave: AC 9 [10]; HD ½; hp 3; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by
  weapon); THAC0 20 [-1]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D14, W15, P16, B17, S18
  (NH); ML 4; AL N; XP 5
  ● Pledges loyalty to the party if they protect him from his cruel
  masters.
  Three Sial Atun (stats above) arrive 5
  rounds later. They demand the party
  to kill the escapee, hand him over to
  be punished or face their murderous
  wrath. If the party complies, they are
  willing to parlay with them.
  3
  Heart-wrenching keening emanating from Area #7, pg. 19.
  4
  Disturbing mental tugging sensation in the direction of the Palace.
  5
  One character receives a vision.
  A coffin filled with serpents, coiled
  around each other in mortal
  combat. The coffin is sealed shut.
  6
  One of the characters steps onto a skull, joint, finger bone or rib
  buried in the beach. Loud crunching noise alerts any nearby
  creatures to their presence. How many more lie beneath…who
  can say?
  15
  
  16
  
  1. Cavern Entrance: Into the immense natural
  archway of the cavern are carved tens of
  thousands of impossibly minute reliefs of men
  undergoing unspeakable tortures and performing
  all imaginable obscenities. A pathway of intricately
  carved stone slabs leads to a pebbled beach.
  Scattered across the beach are petrified tree
  stumps sticking from the ground like fingers of bone.
  A massive statue (Area #4, pg. 18) rises from the
  lake, its right hand held up as if to arrest progress.
  ● Each pebble is actually a cut semi-precious
  stone carved with glyphs worth 5 cp. Each
  weighs as much as a gold piece. They are
  without number, the beach contains enough
  wealth to raise an empire. In addition, each of
  the stones emits a small anti-magic field.
  Anyone attempting to cast spells on the beach
  suffers a 20% chance to miscast.
  ● Carrying at least 300 stones gives spell-caster
  bearers a 10% spell failure chance and grants
  +1 on saving throws vs. spells. Carrying 600+
  makes spellcasting impossible; anyone casting
  a spell within 10’ of the bearer suffers a 20% spell
  chance to miscast, and the bearer gets a +2 to
  all saving throws vs. spells; magic items carried
  on the person become nonfunctional, and are
  eventually destroyed (after weeks of exposure
  to the nullifying enchantment).
  2. Sial-Atun Base Camp: Rocks are piled up in this
  alcove, forming a crude defensive bulwark.
  Beyond, armed men in gilded mail sit desultorily
  around a smoky fire.
  ● Caltrops are strewn before and behind the
  barricade (20’ length). Anyone moving through
  the caltrops without precaution takes 1d2
  damage per 10’ and must save vs. breath
  attack or have their movement slowed by 1/3
  until they receive magical healing.
  ● The rocks provide a +2 bonus to AC to anyone
  taking cover behind them. A 3’ deep trench
  dug in front of the bulwark means the barricade
  can only be surmounted on a successful
  Climbing or DEX check. Anyone doing so
  forgoes his DEX bonus to AC for that round.
  Anyone attempting to surmount the rocks must
  succeed at a DEX check or Climb Walls and
  forgo any Dexterity bonus to AC that round.
  ● Two Sial-Atun (see below) halt anyone
  approaching within 60’, alerting the rest of the
  camp. They are willing to negotiate but offer
  combat if challenged. They are wary of
  treachery.
  ● While fighting, two Sial-Atun may collapse the
  barricade upon PCs in the trench inflicting 2d4
  damage and pinning them beneath the rock
  unless they succeed at a saving throw vs breath
  attack. This creates a 10’ hole in the barricade.
  ● Once the alarm is sounded, the rest of the
  camp mans the barricade in 1d4 rounds,
  targeting spell-casters with arrow fire and
  massing to fight off anyone trying to rush the
  barricade with spears. Sergeant Crasse fires
  arrows and directs the men whilst the veteran
  Siradar attacks the strongest fighter.
  ● An underground spring provides sufficient water
  for the Sial-Atun to survive.
  Negotiation: These men are the frustrated rear
  guard of the Sial-Atun. Wiry, hollow-eyed killers, their
  lack of supplies, promised treasure and the evils of
  this place have frayed their normally unflappable
  nerves. They are 9 men, currently led by Sergeant
  Crasse.
  Why they are here: These Sial-Atun have been led
  to the Palace by Captain Sarakhar with promises of
  infinite riches and godlike might. Instead they find
  only ennui and ancient horror while they wait for
  their comrades to return. The captain has gone into
  the city along with the rest of the men.
  Co-operation: Sergeant Crasse knows he might
  earn redemption if he delivers the head, eyes and
  tongue of Captain Sarakhar to the Grand-Master of
  the Sial-Atun. He is willing to work with the party to
  that end and can be relied upon. His men are
  ambivalent, torn between loyalty to their Sergeant
  and fear and awe of the veteran Siradar.
  17
  
  Clean-shaven, hair locked in a single braid running
  down the back of his skull, badge of rank is
  tattooed on his brow. His eyes are hard and
  penetrating. Calculating, slow to act, but utterly
  committed once he does. His faith in his captain
  has been broken by the evil of this place. Now he
  wants merely to escape with his honor intact.
  Sergeant Crasse: AC 2 [17]; HD 5*; hp 31; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 17 [+2]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D10, W11, P12, B13, S14 (F 5); ML 10; AL
  C; XP 225
  STR 16, INT 13, WIS 11, DEX 12, CON 15, CHA 11
  Equipment: Plate mail with hideous face embossed
  on front, shield, longsword, longbow, (14) arrows,
  dagger, silver statue of entwined courtesans (44
  gp).
  A veteran of many campaigns, skin tempered by
  sunlight, hard weather and a thousand scars. His
  eyes are alight with fanaticism. To see him is to
  know no act is beyond him. So much blood has
  been shed by his hands he exudes almost palpable
  menace. The men fear and venerate him.
  Veteran Legionary Siradar: AC 1 [18]; HD 6*; hp 38;
  Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 17 [+2];
  MV 120’ (40’); SV D10, W11, P12, B13, S14 (F 6); ML
  10; AL C; XP 350
  STR 13, INT 14, WIS 8, DEX 15, CON 16, CHA 16
  Equipment: Plate mail, shield, spiked helmet,
  polearm, long bow, 20 arrows, longsword, dagger,
  necklace of scrimshawed finger bones (children’s).
  (8) Sial-Atun: AC 5 [14]; HD 3*; hp 17; Att 1 x weapon
  (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 19 [+0]; MV 120’ (40’);
  SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F 3); ML 9; AL C; XP 50
  Equipment: Gilded chain mail, spiked helmet, round
  shield, polearm, longbow, 20 arrows, longsword,
  shield, dagger, and gruesome battlefield trophies.
  3. Bone Barge: A barge is stranded upon the
  pebbled beach, its ghostly paleness stands in bright
  contrast to the surrounding gloom.
  ● The barge is constructed of human bone and
  large enough to carry a dozen men. The bone is
  brittle with age: 30% chance it collapses
  halfway if used to cross the lake. Those taking
  care to shore up the barge (extra lashing of
  rope, carpentry, and/or thief skills) reduces this
  chance by 10%.
  ● Note: The Sial-Atun notice PCs who investigate
  the barge and won’t be surprised. They alert the
  camp.
  4. Statue: Looming over the lake, the 45’ tall basalt
  statue of Uyu-Yadmogh with its right hand upraised
  is a monument to power, arrogance, and evil.
  ● Closer inspection reveals a fine web of cracks
  running through the statue. A faint aura of evil
  and sorcery is all that remains of Uyu-Yadmogh's
  greatest protection, now defunct.
  5. Hidden Path: Two weathered stone pylons on the
  beach mark the beginning of the trail, buried
  beneath the sand. There is writing on the pylons in
  Tzyanese. “Those Liberated From the Judgment of
  Heaven may pass through the Gate of the Host
  Incarnadine.”
  ● A pathway of stone runs 8 inches under the
  mercury lake, invisible, unless carefully probed
  for, all the way up to the city. Those passing
  over it can travel at normal speed and are not
  subject to mercury poisoning. The path leads to
  IV. The Necropolis, Area #1, pg. 22.
  6. Shrine to Uyu-Yadmogh: Two chimeras of god,
  scorpion and lion carved from gleaming black
  stone flank the stair entrance of this oppressive
  shrine. Five statues bearing great urns upon their
  shoulders surround a circular podium. A hundred
  carved faces stare dolorously from walls of ash-grey
  stone.
  Note: Powerful servants of Lawful deities (paladins,
  clerics etc.) sense an aura of immense evil
  emanating from the shrine.
  ● The urns contain the powdery residue of
  unspeakable substances. Anyone “baptizing”
  himself with the dust is completely
  undetectable to – and cannot be targeted by -
  magical creatures, the undead, death magic,
  magic that targets the spirit and divination
  magic for 24 hours. The soul-quenching residue
  has the side-effect of requiring a saving throw
  vs. death. Failure results in a loss of one point of
  CHA permanently. Divine spell-casters lose the
  ability to cast spells for this period and might
  require atonement afterward. Unwilling targets
  require a saving throw vs breath attack to avoid
  the effect. Enough powdery residue in the urns
  remains to baptize three people.
  ● There is a feeling of palpable horror when
  approaching one of the urns containing a
  different residue. Touching the residue causes a
  faint numbness in the fingertips. Baptizing
  anyone with it means they must make an
  immediate saving throw vs death at -4 or have
  their flesh melt off their bones in a puddle of
  black ichor, causing instant death.
  18
  
  7. Vitrified Garden: The beach gives way to a grove
  of dead things. Great fossilized oaks, twisted in all
  manner of hideously animalistic shapes, cover the
  area under a canopy of skeletal limbs. The ground
  is covered with fine ashes and coal dust. A bloated
  tree in the center oozes night-black ichor from
  countless knots across a pile of human skulls layered
  at its base.
  ● The shadowy ichor is mildly corrosive and sticks
  like glue. Touching it with unprotected hands
  inflicts a point of damage for 1d3 rounds.
  Ingenious PCs might harvest enough of the
  material to make crude (but deadly!) missile
  weapons. A fist-sized projectile is clumsy (like
  throwing a sack of glue) at -2 to hit but a
  successful hit inflicts 1d6 damage for 1d3 rounds
  against living creatures and lower the targets
  AC and attack rolls by 2. There is enough ichor
  for 4 projectiles, unless PCs think to chop open
  the tree, in which case there is enough for 20
  projectiles (chopping into the fossilized wood
  takes about an hour per 10 doses and the noise
  triggers a wandering monster check).
  ● One of Uyu-Yadmogh’s surviving concubines, a
  Nzembarian construct known as a Glass
  Concubine, escaped the initial purge and now
  hides in the grove, wallowing in loneliness and
  misery. It attempts to lure any man it sees with
  her plaintive song.
  (1) Glass Concubine: AC 5 [14]; HD 3*; hp 20; Att 1 x
  fist (1d12); THAC0 16 [+3]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D12,
  W13, P14, B15, S16 (F 3); ML 9; AL C; XP 100
  ● PCs looking at the Glass Concubine must make
  a save vs. spell or be charmed.
  ● +1 weapons needed to hit.
  ● Treasure: The Many-Angled Instrument of
  Ethereal Imprisonment containing an Empty
  Man (see Appendix: B pg. 52, and C pg. 54), a
  heavily decayed suit of ancient plate mail of
  Karaashi Steel (if mended it functions as non-
  magical Plate Mail +1), a tarnished silver circlet
  shaped like a snake devouring its own tail with
  an empty eye socket (87 gp), 123 gp in
  currency of long dead empires (brass and
  molybdenum pieces) and an astonishing
  number of horrifically maimed skeletons.
  ● The Sial-Atun have lost several men exploring
  the grove and now avoid it. If looked for, their
  weapons and armor can be found littering the
  grove.
  “A vast shore of black sand,
  each pebble carved by the
  hands of a master sculptor.
  Only a thin membrane;
  underneath it ageless,
  unfathomable, eternal
  horror.”
  19
  
  Rising from the lake like some pelagic horror, the necropolis is a replica of Uyu-Yadmogh’s city in life, recast in
  terracotta and basalt. Doorways are skewed, angles are jagged and rooftops and towers are slanted. Every
  inch of the city is covered in hieroglyphics and sculpture, layer upon layer upon layer. There is a psychotic
  beauty to the place, a reflection of the madness of its inhabitants.
  Buildings are sized according to the stature their inhabitants had in life. Entire blocks are barely knee-high, their
  inhabitants less than nothing in the eyes of the Master. Domiciles of the nobility are half-size, complete with
  gardens of finely sculpted stone. Temples, monuments, barracks and fora can be seen erupting from the
  mercury fog, immensities of stone. The palace towers over all, an opulent monstrosity in jagged basalt and
  crimson marble.
  The thoroughfares and alleyways of this dead city are filled with clay statues. The subjects of Uyu-Yadmogh,
  belonging to him in death as they did in life. A lithe, graceful people in long, flowing robes of clay, some with
  ornate scars or other decorative mutilations, their expressions are beautiful in repose and monstrous in anger.
  Calm serenity is interspersed with bestial hatred, mad hunger and wracking agony.
  Nothing can be heard in the city but silence.
  Referee’s Notes: Movement in the city can take place on the boulevards, streets, alleys, and even stepping
  over some of the knee-high building replicas (half movement rate). It is even possible to force a way though
  the terracotta walls at half movement speed. However the noise causes a wandering monster check every
  turn with no chance of surprising the monster because of the racket. If PCs desire, they can attempt to carefully
  navigate a path between or through windows, doorways, alleyways, buildings or roofs with a quarter of their
  normal movement speed.
  IV. THE NECROPOLIS
  20
  
  Areas #4, #6 and #10 can be seen from anywhere
  in the city.
  The city is home to several factions (see Appendix
  A: Factions, pg.45), each searching for a means of
  egress into the Palace. It is recommended to study
  each entry before running this part of the
  adventure.
  Haunting the streets of the necropolis is the Azarog
  (see Appendix C, pg. 54), a mighty guardian of
  Uyu-Yadmogh. Trapped between the nullifying
  sorcery of the pebbles on the beach and the wards
  surrounding the palace, it has stalked the city,
  raging in silence, since its monstrous birth. The
  recent conflicts have given it access to the bodies
  that are its limbs.
  Wandering Encounters: A 2-in-6 chance every 6
  turns signifies an encounter.
  ROLL
  ENCOUNTER
  NOTES
  1
  The Azarog (see Appendix C,
  pg. 54).
  Corpses within 120’ of the PCs are animated immediately as per the
  Animate Dead spell. Depending on the situation, the Azarog might try
  to attack from ambush, burst through the terracotta walls of a dwelling,
  hurl shards of pottery, attack suddenly as the PCs are rifling through
  their equipment, etc. If no corpses are present, the Azarog follows the
  PCs for 1d6 turns, with an eerie sensation of being watched being the
  only indication that anything is wrong.
  2
  1d6 Walking Dead: AC 8 [11];
  HD 2; hp 12; Att 1 x weapon
  (1d8 or by weapon); THAC0 18
  [+1]; MV 60’ (20’); SV D12,
  W13, P14, B15, S16, (1); ML 12;
  AL C; XP 20
  For type, roll 1d4. 1. Sial-Atun
  2. Follower of Father 3. Mummified husk 4. Mixed group.
  3
  2d6 Sial-Atun (see Appendix
  A, pg. 45): AC 5 [14]; HD 3*;
  hp 17; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or
  by weapon); THAC0 19 [+0];
  MV 120’ (40’); SV D12, W13,
  P14, B15, S16 (F 3); ML 9; AL C;
  XP 50
  ● Gilded chainmail, spiked
  helmet, round shield,
  polearm, longbow, 20
  arrows, longsword,
  dagger, and gruesome
  battlefield trophies.
  The Sial-Atun are on patrol. If the PCs are not accompanied by any
  Sial-Atun from the beach they assume they are hostile and attack on
  sight. They accept offers of surrender and bring any prisoners to their
  camp for interrogation.
  4
  1d6 Children of the Tree (see
  Appendix A: Factions, pg. 46)
  The Children of the Tree move through the city via hidden passages
  and tunnels and will try to remain unobserved (standard Hide in
  Shadows percentage chance). If the PCs are unknown, they attempt
  to make peaceful contact. If the PCs have refused their offer of
  alliance, they evade them on subsequent encounters. If the PCs are
  hostile, they cast missiles or pieces of statuary from rooftops, set
  primitive deadfalls or attempt to sabotage or steal unattended
  equipment before retreating. They attack directly only if the PCs are
  low on hit points, exhausted, or similarly weakened.
  Continued
  21
  
  5
  The Nine (roll d10)
  1. Thousand Faced Prince in disguise.
  2. The Follower in Darkness in shadows.
  3. The Eye of Tzyan reasonable, surrenders to save life, awaits
  rescue and attempts to extract information.
  4. The Invisible Sword runs, turns and kills with gaze if necessary.
  5. The Walker in Dreams always encountered in spirit form. Body
  is hidden within one mile (guarded by one other roll again).
  6. Khabareth Who Comes Before challenges to a riddling
  contest, uses paralysis touch only when threatened.
  7. The Shaper of Things to Come threatens, shapes stones and
  houses into walls, armor, and weapons.
  8. An Unbearable Thing, Drawn From Beyond Final Night, Given
  Hatred and Substance. Attacks.
  9-10.  Roll Twice and combine results.
  Refer to Appendix A: Factions, pg. 48
  for stats.
  6
  Roll Twice. Parties have stumbled on each other 1d4 rounds
  ago.
  1. Gate of the Host Incarnadine: A great gate of
  worked stone provides access into the city. One of
  its giant doors has fallen inward. Faded carvings of
  Uyu-Yadmogh leading his re-animated hosts
  against the animal-headed construct legions
  decorate the other. An armored body dangles
  from a rope tied to the top of the gate.
  ● Cutting the corpse down without somehow
  arresting its fall causes it to splatter on the floor,
  creating enough racket to prompt an
  immediate wandering encounter check.
  ● The corpse is a Sial-Atun soldier who carries
  chain mail of exquisite craftsmanship (AC 4), a
  masterwork dagger, a pouch with a garnet (135
  gp, shatters if corpse falls) and the mummified
  hand of a child. The corpse is less than two days
  old.
  2. Gate of the Path Sinister: A gateway of stone
  beckons, its double doors wide open as if in
  invitation. Flanking the gate, twin sphinx statues with
  Uyu-Yadmogh’s face glare down upon would be
  trespassers. One raises a hand as if in rebuke. The
  other raises both hands palm-up, as if in
  expectation of a gift. Two bone barges are tied to
  the dock.
  ● Trap: A 2-in-6 chance that a PC stepping
  through the gate steps on a pressure plate,
  triggering a scythe trap in the stone threshold.
  The blade is made of Sybarran Steel, attacks as
  a 6 HD creature (THACO 14 [+5]), inflicts 2d8+2
  damage, and is a Sword of Sharpness. The
  Sword of Sharpness has a blade so keen that on
  a natural roll of 20 on a d20 it has a chance to
  sever a random appendage.
  ● The trap’s blade can be pried or chiseled free if
  the stones are removed (successful pickpocket
  roll or Open Doors check or be cut for 1d4
  22
  
  damage). The blade is +2 to hit and damage
  but lacks a hilt. Any sturdy make-shift hilt is
  ruined in 1d20 attacks and holding the naked
  blade means the wielder suffers 1d4 damage
  each time he attacks. A custom hilt with
  special adhesives or similar alchemical
  ingredients eliminates this effect.
  ● Placing at least 20 gp of weight in the cupped
  hands of the sphinx disables the trap with an
  audible click as they lower, barely perceptible.
  3. Gate of Darkness Absolute: This gate is made of
  featureless black stone that seems to consume any
  light that shines on it. The gatehouse shows no
  ostentation of any kind.
  ● Close investigation of the gate reveals murky
  forms shuddering and writhing within the
  material of the gate as though from very far
  away. Perhaps it is merely a trick of the light?
  ● The material of the gate is utterly cold to the
  touch (1 hp damage touched for a prolong
  period of time) harder than diamond and
  cannot be scratched, burned or marred in any
  way.
  4. Forum: This structure, open to the sky, consists of
  great circular benches split surrounding a podium
  below. The forum is bisected by two stairways,
  whose steps seem fit for giants. Several corpses are
  placed on the benches. A throne of corroded iron
  with a man on it dominates the podium.
  ● A cruel jest of the Sial-Atun, the man is Alon,
  follower of the Silver Tree. He has been beaten
  savagely (1 hp left) and impaled upon the
  throne (which holds many vicious hooks).
  ● Unless the characters are particularly stealthy,
  Alon shouts for help when he sees anyone
  entering the forum.
  ● The Azarog frequents this area (70% chance)
  and is free to animate all 12 of the corpses
  (marked by an ‘X’). It waits until the characters
  attempt to free Alon before animating them.
  Alon does not know this.
  ● Hooks in the back and armrests of the throne
  inflict 1d6 points of damage to anyone sitting
  on the chair, with an additional 1d6 for
  attempts to tear oneself free. Carefully
  extracting someone from the throne of hooks
  requires the assistance of a thief or someone
  with at least 14 DEX. A failure inflicts 1d6 points
  of damage to the person impaled on the
  hooks.
  ● Alon (0th level human) is grateful to anyone
  who frees him and tries to get the characters to
  join the Children of the Tree (see Appendix A:
  Factions, pg. 46).
  5. Sial-Atun Territory: The narrow streets are
  blocked with walls of collapsed masonry. Only a
  single entrance allows access to this region. Debris
  litters the streets, making passage uneasy. In a
  cluster of buildings, their inner walls knocked out to
  make a single structure, the Sial-Atun make their
  base camp.
  ● This area is the base camp of the Sial-Atun (see
  below).
  ● Movement through this area is at half speed
  because of difficult terrain.
  ● Unless meticulously concealed, visitors to this
  area are quickly detected. Anyone not in the
  company of the Sial-Atun or allied to their
  cause are fired upon by 1d4 Sial-Atun, who
  alert the rest of the company by shouts (1d6
  rounds to mobilize). Standard encounter roll if
  the PCs attempt to negotiate after that.
  23
  
  24
  
  (22) Sial-Atun: AC 5 [14]; HD 3*; hp 17; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 19 [+0]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F 3); ML 9; AL
  C; XP 50
  Equipment: Gilded banded mail, spiked helmet,
  round shield, polearm, longbow, 20 arrows,
  longsword, shield, dagger, and gruesome
  battlefield trophies.
  The regal features of an aristocrat with the
  flattened nose of a pugilist. His gilded plate mail is
  adorned with the severed heads of generals and
  lords. His helmet is shaped in the image of the
  Harrow King Skraegh-Hai, First Lord of the Legions.
  He laughs easily and his voice is clear. His eyes are
  black pits. He fights as though in a dream, every
  languid strike landing with deadly, artery-opening
  precision. All the world is a game to him.
  Captain Sarakhar: AC 2 [17]; HD 6*; hp 46; Att 1 x
  longsword (1d8 +3) and 1 x Nzembar’s Kiss (1d4 +4);
  THAC0 17 [+2]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D10, W11, P12, B13,
  S14 (F 6); ML 10; AL C; XP 350
  S 18, I 13, W 12, D 14, C 15, Ch 15
  Equipment: Plate mail, longsword, longbow, 20
  arrows, throwing knives, gilded skulls of lords and
  generals (500 gp total), and Nzembar’s Kiss.
  Negotiation: Captain Sarakhar is willing to entertain
  offers of temporary truce, provided the characters
  have not killed any of his men. There are enough
  riches for everyone in the palace, says he. He is
  searching for means of entering the palace (see
  Palace of Unquiet Repose, Area #1, pg. 32) and
  suspects the Children of the Tree might have a way.
  He has not been able to find the hideout of the
  Children of the Tree. He offers a safe place to rest if
  the characters co-operate. He attempts to slay the
  characters once they are no longer useful.
  Current status: The Sial-Atun have been led here by
  Captain Sarakhar, following promises of untold
  riches. Instead they have found horror, ambush and
  death in the streets of the Necropolis. These men
  are wary, tired and on edge. They entered the city
  four days ago.
  What they know: The captain warns the characters
  away from the trap in Area #1 (Palace, Halls of
  Devouring Death, pg. 32). They explain that the
  hallway kills anyone passing through. They have
  discovered that bodies are animated by the
  Azarog and have adopted a practice of
  dismemberment to prevent this.
  The Nine: The Sial-Atun are not yet aware of the
  presence of the Nine.
  6. Monument to Hunger: Visible from far off, a
  monument looms out of the darkness, a barbed
  terracotta spire, accessible by a single portal in the
  shape of a gaping maw.
  Inside is a circular pit, its depths lost in darkness.
  Terracotta statues are frozen in the act of casting
  livestock, valuables and newborns into the pit.
  ● The pit is seemingly bottomless and continues
  downward for many miles, possibly forever.
  ● Among the clay valuables there is some actual
  gold and silver, passed over by looters. A turn of
  dedicated searching reveals several necklaces
  of gold shaped like cartilage worth a combined
  4d100 gp.
  25
  
  ● This is where the Nine (pg. 48) make their home.
  At any time there are at least two present while
  the others are out exploring.
  ● Unless previously encountered, An Unbearable
  Thing, Drawn From Beyond Final Night, Given
  Hatred and Substance will be here, held in
  reserve until the Cultists are sure of the strength
  of their adversaries.
  Negotiation: The Nine are looking for a way into the
  Palace, and seek to obtain the Tome of Iron and
  Glass that holds the secrets of Ancient Tzyan. They
  are loyal to themselves and abandon even their
  comrades to save their own skins. They are willing to
  co-operate getting rid of the Sial-Atun, and offer
  any treasure, besides the Tome of Iron and Glass.
  The Nine ask for a proof of allegiance from any
  potential allies. Something precious must be cast
  into the pit.
  Current Status: They entered the city two days ago,
  using the Key to the Ninth Heart, a sorcery of
  translocation still tied to Uyu-Yadmogh’s rotting
  spirit. They are patient, willing to wait. They have not
  yet managed to breach the palace, knowing full
  well the lethal sorcery that guards its entrance.
  What they know: They have been able to avoid the
  Sial-Atun until now. They suspect the wards in The
  Hallway of Devouring Death (see V. Palace, Area
  #1, pg. 32) are fading and suggest feeding it with
  sacrifices will cause them to collapse, at least
  temporarily. They suspect the Children of the Tree
  might have some other means of entering the
  palace. They avoid at all costs the garden in Area
  #8, with superstitious fear.
  7. Vae Victis: In the center of this plaza, a gigantic
  severed head perches like some vast marble
  boulder. A vision of beauty, with full hair like a lion’s
  mane, alabaster flesh and regal features, marred
  by milky, blind eyes. Great orichalcum bolts are
  driven through its neck into the firmament and
  expressions of anguish and madness dance upon its
  face. It stirs to the sound of footsteps within a
  hundred feet, aware of all that transpires. A shard is
  embedded in its forehead, the wound weeping
  golden ichor down its face.
  ● This head is one of the Lesser Gods, fallen in
  battle against the Tzyanese. The sorcery of the
  Tzyanese has preserved a vestige of its former
  divinity. If questioned, it repeats its oracular
  prophecies endlessly in impossibly deep,
  droning lamentations (roll d10).
  ● If the party offers some sort of prayer to
  Tarsonus, Lord of Dreams, no matter how
  sincere, he stirs from his madness. If they remove
  the shard and let him die, he answers a single
  question truthfully as per Contact Higher Plane.
  ● The shard is a Deiophage, a weapon of living
  crystal made to wound the divine. It acts as a
  Dagger +2 and can harm any creature, even
  gods. The wielder must save vs death after
  each combat the weapon is used. Failure
  means minute filaments have grown into the
  character’s hand. At this point the weapon can
  still be wrenched free (1 point of damage) and
  relinquished.
  ROLL
  CRYPTIC PHRASES
  1
  On the Plains of Sianroth we fought the host
  and reaped a bountiful harvest of men…
  2
  A Thousand Times A Thousand in number…
  3
  I am Tarsonus, Lord of Dreams and Visions,
  my eyes see future and past…
  4
  They contested us with weapons of glass
  and the bodies of our brothers and sisters…
  5
  A Pillar bright as the Sun lanced down from
  the heavens and heralded in the last age…
  6
  There can be no escape from the roiling
  maelstrom, the endless fire, the infinite
  hunger…
  7
  The Prince of Hunger shall writhe divided in
  his tomb for an Age…
  8
  Trapped in a prison of flesh he gnaws and
  scratches unto himself…
  9
  My head was taken by the hand of my
  brother…
  10
  …On the Plains of Sianroth we died in the
  birth of a sun...
  26
  
  ● If the weapon is wielded a second time and the
  save is failed, the bond is permanent until a
  combined Curse Disease and Remove Curse is
  cast. Every subsequent failed save means the
  loss of a point of CON. The CON loss is
  permanent until the Deiophage is removed. If
  the character’s CON reaches 0 he becomes a
  mindless undead creature.
  8. Gardens: The Gardens are an unnervingly
  beautiful place of terracotta trees and obsidian
  flowers, surrounded by 20’ walls of sculpted basalt.
  Hedges of mica and granite and winding pathways
  restrict vision to a maximum of 30’.
  ● Attempting to move through the foliage
  requires immense delicacy (either a Move
  Silently check or a DEX check at -4), or one risks
  cutting oneself on the obsidian petals for 1d2
  damage and provoking an immediate
  wandering monster check (noise).
  Interior: In the center of the gardens stands a crystal
  tree glowing with a numinous pale radiance, its
  tangled branches seeming to shift in and out of
  sight as the characters behold it. A strange,
  prismatic fungus covers part of its stem. A feeling of
  immense tranquility pervades wherever the tree
  can be seen.
  ● Violence within sight of the Tree is impossible.
  Any impulses of rage or hostility are instantly
  quenched before they can be converted into
  action. Only An Unbearable Thing and anyone
  wielding The Infinite Dart is immune to this effect.
  ● The fungus functions as a ration and can sustain
  a character for quite a while. Anyone eating
  the fungus is nourished as if eating a full meal
  and bombarded with visions (roll d4):
  1. An infinite storm of fire, writhing and
   
  twisting, wherein the damned suffer for all
   
  eternity. The PC is suspended just  above it,
   
  the heat searing flesh and singing hair.
  2. A vast marble table decked out with fine
   
  cloth, golden cutlery and trays of steaming,
   
  red meats. You can smell it but you can’t
   
  quite put your finger on what it is.
  3. Darkness. The character’s limbs are
   
  bound with chains, each one yanked in
   
  different directions by unseen, screaming
   
  phantoms.
  4. Within a black fortress on a foreboding
   
  mountain crag, a battle is taking place
   
  between soldiers wearing the same livery.
   
  Some hold the walls against the army
   
  outside, others are fighting among
   
  themselves within the castle walls. Some
   
  merely wail and beat their chests.
  ● This is the location of the Children of the Tree
  (see Appendix A: Factions, pg. 46). Unless the
  PCs take care to approach cautiously, the
  Children flee as the party blunders through the
  gardens.
  Negotiation: The Tree prevents all violence within
  sight of it. The Children are eager to gain new
  converts in this hell and ask that characters partake
  of the fruits of the sacred tree and swear allegiance
  to the Father.
  Current Status: They have been dwelling in this city
  for decades, fed by the growths of the tree,
  basking in its light, and keeping evil at bay for the
  price of a child per year at the directions of the
  Father. The newcomers are clearly hostile and must
  be driven off, made to join the Children, or killed.
  What they know: The Children know the location of
  both the Sial-Atun, the Nine and the Azarog. They
  also know the location of a hidden passage into
  the Palace of Unquiet Repose (see Area #9 and V.
  Palace, Area #24, pg. 39).
  If they kill the Father: The character doing so
  receives immediate knowledge:
  ● By the gift of an eye (-2 to ranged attacks
  permanently) he can gain mastery over the
  Infinite Dart, a weapon cast from the branch of
  the Tesseract Tree.
  ● A character may also devote himself to the
  Tesseract Tree by crucifying himself upon it for
  1d6 days. This is very dangerous (-2 CON
  permanently, and a save vs death or die from
  the exertion, -2 penalty if no one feeds the
  character while he dangles from the tree,
  wracked by visions). The result might be worth it.
  The character is enlightened with knowledge
  27
  
  about the beginning and end of the universe
  and his/her WIS is immediately raised to 18. From
  thereon out, he can call upon the reality
  altering power of the Tesseract Tree once per
  year. Treat this as a Wish.
  9. The Face in the Wall: This structure seems a
  meditation hall of sorts. The stonework deadens all
  sound, making the interior deathly quiet. Every inch
  of the walls is covered with overlapping and
  interlocking geometric figures.
  ● If meditated on for a full turn, the character
  discerns the Face of Uyu-Yadmogh within the
  overlapping lines. Pressing both eyes at the
  same time opens the mouth to reveal a crawl
  way that leads into the Palace (see V. Palace,
  Area #24, pg. 39).
  10. Gate to the Palace of Unquiet Repose: The
  towering Palace holds a grotesque bulwark of
  crimson marble and obsidian, dotted with all
  manner of hideous gargoyles. From its impregnable
  walls looms a carved gate, the height of ten men
  and wider still. A gaping hole has been molten into
  its orichalcum hide.
  ● Entering the gate leads one inside the Palace.
  See V. Palace, Area #1, pg. 32.
  V. THE PALACE OF
  UNQUIET REPOSE
  A baroque monstrosity hewn from basalt, obsidian
  and crimson marble, every square inch covered in
  reliefs and figurines, super-imposed over one-
  another as if capturing all possible facets of their
  nature. It seems fit for giants, with hallways 20’ wide
  and lined with great columns holding up a ceiling
  beyond the range of torchlight. A deathless stillness
  permeates the place like a shroud, the air seems
  almost frozen. Footsteps seem unnaturally loud.
  Even whispers echo throughout the palace,
  distorted and amplified.
  Referee’s Notes: The Palace is a gigantic
  structure, dwarfing any normal keep or fortress. Its
  walls are 210’ high, the towers at each corner 60’
  beyond that. The statuary is impregnated with
  enchantments that prevent the inside of the
  palace from being scried, viewed via Clairvoyance
  or penetrated via Ethereal Travel, Astral Projection
  or Teleportation.
  There are several ways to enter the palace:
  A) The front entrance at Area #1 is the most direct
  route. Take into account that if the curse is disabled
  or the means of bypassing it is discovered, the Sial-
  Atun and/or the Nine attempt to enter the palace.
  B) The secret entrance in IV. Necropolis, Area #9,
  pg. 28 leads to Area #24, pg. 39.
  C) The walls may be easily climbed with a
  successful DEX check for every 100’climbed. The
  roof of the palace is solid granite, difficult to walk
  upon because of ridges and chasms of crimson
  and ebony statuary (move at half speed). Those
  setting foot on the roof provoke the ire of its
  guardians. After 1d6 turns, the marble and obsidian
  run like wax, forming a Spire Guardian every round
  until there are no more characters on the roof.
  Spire Guardian: AC 5 [14]; HD 4; hp 14; Att 2 x claw
  (1d3), 1 x bite (1d6), 1 x horn (1d4); THAC0 16 [+3];
  MV 90’ (30’) / 150’ (50’) flying; SV D8, W9, P10, B10,
  S12 (8); ML 11; AL C; XP 75
  ● Blend in with stone: May be overlooked or
  mistaken for inanimate statues.
  ● Can only be harmed by magical attacks and
  +1 weapons
  ● Unaffected by Sleep or Charm spells.
  28
  
  29
  
  However, there is an entrance in the partially
  collapsed eastern spire (near Area #3 and #4). This
  entrance is covered in slavering mouths similar to
  Area #1 Hallway of Devouring Death, but the magic
  has been ruined. Steps creak and groan with each
  step. The stairwell collapses (33% chance) if trod
  upon by someone heavily encumbered (MV 20’ or
  less), dropping the character 40’ down for 4d6
  damage. Anyone within 10’ must make a DEX
  check to avoid the same fate.
  Inside the Palace: Unless they take suitable
  precautions (removing their boots, binding their
  weapons etc.), all attempts to Move Silently within
  the palace are at -10% and all chances for players
  to surprise are at -1.
  Empty Chambers: There are several chambers
  in the palace that are not keyed. Use the following
  description: Cracked marble, murky obsidian and
  seething, scarlet stone are all that remains of this
  ancient hall, its furnishings long turned to dust.
  Wandering Encounters: Every 6 turns there's a 2
  in 6 chance of an encounter. If the PCs have
  entered the palace unbeknownst to either the Sial-
  Atun or the Nine, roll 1d6. If either of them knows,
  roll 1d8. If they don't know, there's a 2 in 6 chance
  every 8 hours they find out.
  ROLL
  ENCOUNTER
  NOTES
  1
  Diorag the Breaker (see Area #11, pg.
  35).
  Ignore, unless party has encountered Diorag inside Area #11
  first. If in an area where Diorag cannot move, distant discordant
  clanging of great spectral gongs are heard instead. 0 level
  henchmen and animals must roll morale or flee in either case.
  2
  (1d6) Guardians of Uyu-Yadmogh: AC
  7 [12]; HD 5; hp 30; Att 1 x weapon
  (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 15 [+4];
  MV 120’ (40’); SV D10, W11, P12, B13,
  S14 (5); ML 9; AL C; XP 225
  ● Leather and cudgel.
  ● Has Level 5 thief skills.
  ● Each of Uyu-Yadmogh’s
  guardians carries d6 x d6 semi-
  precious gemstones (50 gp)
  embedded in their flesh.
  The Guardians will always attempt to attack by ambush,
  targeting the least protected character.
  3
  The Horror: The character with the
  lowest WIS score receives visions of
  some indescribable horror writhing in
  a room of red marble.
  Every time this encounter is re-rolled, the same character is
  affected and the horror becomes more pronounced. The third
  time he must roll a saving throw vs spell. Failure means the
  character becomes possessed by the will of Uyu-Yadmogh,
  causing him to perform the most detrimental act possible at an
  inconvenient time (e.g. try to stab one of his allies, drop the only
  lantern, warn enemies before an ambush etc.) whilst shrieking
  ‘PRINCE OF SORCERERS! SAVE US FROM THE ETERNAL FIRES!’ in
  Tzyanese.  Every time this encounter is rolled, the character must
  make another saving throw until he leaves the palace.
  4
  (2d6) Guardians of Uyu-Yadmogh: AC
  7 [12]; HD 5*; hp 30; Att 1 x weapon
  (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 17 [+2];
  MV 120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P11, B14,
  S13 (T 5); ML 9; AL C; XP 225
  ● Leather and cudgel.
  ● Has Level 5 thief skills.
  ● Each of Uyu-Yadmogh’s
  guardians carries d6 x d6 semi-
  precious gemstones (50 gp)
  embedded in their flesh.
  This larger pack attempts to subdue one character and carry
  him off to Area #5 (pg. 32) to be sacrificed 2 hours later. Two
  Guardians will drag the unconscious character off while the rest
  holds off the party before making a retreat 1d6 rounds later.
  Continued
  30
  
  5
  (1d2) Children of the Tree: AC 9 [10];
  HD ½; hp 3; Att 1 x weapon (1d4 or by
  weapon—club, shards of pottery);
  THAC0 20 [-1]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D14,
  W15, P16, B17, S18 (NH); ML 12; AL N;
  XP 5
  ● Very stealthy and knowledgeable
  of the area. Children receive +2 to
  surprise rolls and are only surprised
  on a 1.
  Hanging up stone amulets to ward against evil. Flee if the
  characters seem hostile.
  6
  Phantom: Different images appear for
  1d4 rounds before dissipating
  abruptly.
  1. Tzyanese sorcerer preparing to sacrifice a young boy with
  wavy-bladed dagger.
  2. A handsome prince, garbed in robes of scarlet silk, sitting
  before a great silver platter heaped with steaming red flesh.
  3. Thugs, hands full with looted jewels, chased down by grim-
  faced soldiers and slain.
  4. A momentary glimpse of Diorag the Breaker (see Area
  #11, pg. 35).
  7
  2d6 Sial-Atun (see Appendix A): AC 5
  [14]; HD 3*; hp 17; Att 1 x weapon (1d6
  or by weapon); THAC0 19 [+0]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16
  (F 3); ML 9; AL C; XP 50
  ● Gilded chain mail, spiked helmet,
  round shield, pole arm, long bow,
  quiver with 20 arrows, longsword,
  dagger, and gruesome battlefield
  trophies.
  Attack without mercy if not already allies. If there are any
  remaining, 6 Sial Atun will be stationed at the front entrance
  to guard the exit.
  8
  1d6 of the Nine
  The Nine kill if they can, and buy time with negotiation if they
  must. If Khabareth is with this party, then An Unbearable
  Thing (pg. 51)  will be there also, waiting in shadow.
  31
  
  “Down the winding crevasse,
  across the glimmering sea, he
  made himself a cage in marble
  and ruby; a distillery for
  aeons of madness and
  suffering.”
  1. Hallway of Devouring Death: A dark hallway,
  walls, ceiling and floor carved with gaping mouths,
  beckons. The air within seems to tremble and
  crackle. A withered husk, still clutching a spear, lies
  several feet into the hallway.
  ● Trap: Any living creature passing 12’ down the
  passage who is not carrying any of the anti-
  magic pebbles, under the effect of a Non-
  detection spell or baptized (see III. The Black
  Shore, Area # 6, pg. 18) begins to hear the
  ominous sound of drawn breath from the
  mouths. If the character takes a single step
  more, the mouths draw the life from the
  creature and they must make a successful
  saving throw vs. death at -4 or die a shrieking
  death and crumble into dust as their essence is
  pulled from them in a thousand directions.
  ● The wards grow old: If a creature succeeds at
  the saving throw vs death or after 10 HD worth
  of creatures have been devoured in this fashion
  the crackling in the air fades and the trap is
  rendered harmless for 24 hours. It cannot be
  disarmed but may be dispelled (CL 10th).
  ● The husk is of a Sial-Atun soldier. Besides the
  normal equipment, he carries 7 gp and 5 sp.
  2. Atrium. The floor is composed of red and black
  tiles of marble and basalt. Every inch of the walls is
  covered with grotesque imagery of visionary
  craftsmanship: Tzyanese, dragons and images of
  Uyu-Yadmogh writhe in torment as skeletal shapes
  burst from their bodies like butterflies from a
  cocoon.
  3. Chamber of Willing Sacrifice: The carven imagery
  takes on an increasingly manic tone, with the
  graven shapes overlapping and blurring into each
  other. In the center of the chamber, a golden
  statue of Uyu-Yadmogh looms over a plain,
  hexagonal altar of unadorned basalt.
  ● The statue is made of solid gold (worth 10,000
  gp) but weighs a ton. Individual pieces may be
  chipped off at the rate of one chunk worth
  10d10 gp per turn. Roll for wandering monsters
  unless the players are particularly quiet.
  ● The altar has a flat tetrahedral shape in the
  center, discolored with ancient vital fluids.
  4. Chamber of Devouring: Every inch of the floor,
  walls, and ceiling is carved with various shapes and
  sizes of eyes and fanged mouths. A 15’ tall crimson
  marbled statue of Uyu-Yadmogh towers over the
  room, inhumanly distorted with multiple sets of eyes
  glaring from an elongated skull. A carved crown of
  jutting, sparkling diamond thorns rests on an angry
  brow.
  ● Subtle eye blinks, twitches and movement
  occur out of the corner of one’s eyes while
  walking through or staying within the chamber.
  ● Round 4: The fanged maws begin to salivate,
  leaving precious dampness that collects on the
  floor.
  ● Round 8: The mouths begin gnashing their teeth
  and tongues lick their chops.
  ● Trap: After 1 full turn, characters still inside
  chamber take 10d10 damage as the ceiling,
  walls, and floor bulge inward and they are
  devoured by carven mouths. Those reduced to
  0 hp are completely devoured, leaving no
  trace of themselves or their equipment.
  ● Diamonds can be collected by one person at
  one diamond per round (200 gp ea).
  5. Siren Chamber: The chamber resembles an
  atrium for an emperor’s harem. Everywhere there is
  statuary of pink-quartz depicting slant-eyed
  Nymphs cavorting obscenely with men, lions and
  hulking, muscle-bound satyrs. The walls, floor and
  ceiling are white marble impregnated with sinuous
  strands of crimson and scarlet. A dull iron gate
  covered in thorns and screaming mouths leads to
  the east.
  ● The statues are valuable (15 pieces 3d6 x1,000
  gp each) but must be removed carefully to
  avoid damage and weigh 20,000 gp each. If
  the statues are broken up, the chunks may be
  sold for a hundredth of the gold piece value
  (and 3x their gp value in weight).
  32
  
  6. Siren Chambers II: The chamber is a grotesque
  fusion of harem parlor and tomb. In the center
  stands a vast bed of quartz and marble, with
  gossamer sheets and draperies of finely spun gold.
  Three sensuous shapes can be dimly glimpsed
  behind them, bent over a reposing form.
  Angelically beautiful reliefs of men and women with
  bodies wracked by decay behold the tableau with
  inscrutable faces. A gate of scarlet granite,
  sculpted with scenes of paradise, faces out of the
  opposite wall.
  ● The figure on the bed is the rotting corpse of a
  Child of the Tree. He has been impaled through
  the chest with a Nail of Heaven.
  ● Nail of Heaven: This 4-sided spike is covered in
  Tzyanese glyphs and about the length of a
  man's forearm. It functions as an active
  immovable rod on anything that it has been
  stabbed through (it does not need to penetrate
  the material, can also be stabbed through an
  iron hoop or a link of chain). It can be
  deactivated by the person who originally
  placed it with a touch, and will revert to normal
  on his death.
  ● Behind the draperies are three Glass
  Concubines (cursed). One is a draconic
  centaur with the lower body of a dragon. Unlike
  regular glass concubines, the centaur
  Concubine attempts to persuade charmed
  victims to recline on the bed. The next round it
  attempts to impale them with the Nail of
  Heaven. Victims get a saving throw vs spell to
  break free of the enchantment. PCs failing their
  save are impaled on the bed and killed
  instantly.
  ● Once combat is finished, anyone wishing to
  return to the first siren chamber (Area #5) must
  make a saving throw vs spell at +4. If they fail,
  they are unable to leave the room of their own
  volition.
  ● The Scarlet Gate is carved with scenes of
  unholy bliss, metamorphosis and an eternity free
  from the judgment of heaven. A vermilion glow
  can be seen coming from beneath the door,
  and mocking sensuous laughter and unearthly
  chimes can be heard from within. A thick,
  soporific musk threatens to overwhelm the
  players. Anyone examining the door must make
  a saving throw vs spell at +2 or be compelled to
  open the door.
   (2) Glass Concubine: AC 5 [14]; HD 3*; hp 20; Att 1 x
  fist (1d12); THAC0 16 [+3]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D12,
  W13, P14, B15, S16 (3); ML 9; AL C; XP 100
  ● PCs looking at the Glass Concubine must make
  a save vs. spell or be charmed.
  ● +1 weapons needed to hit.
   (1) Draconic Centaur Glass Concubine: AC 5 [14];
  HD 5*; hp 28; Att 2 x fist (1d12); THAC0 16 [+3]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (5); ML 9; AL C;
  XP 525
  ● PCs looking at the Draconic Glass Concubine
  must make a save vs. spell or be charmed.
  ● +1 weapons needed to hit.
  7. Siren Chamber III: Nothing can be seen beyond
  the door except for a blinding, vermilion glow.
  ● Anyone staring into the glow must make a
  saving throw vs spell or step into the chamber.
  Any companions averting their eyes or making
  their saving throw have one more round to haul
  the character out. After the round is over,
  affected characters either disappear within the
  glow and/or the gate closes and a scream of
  unutterable horror issues from within. The
  character is very dead.
  8. Intersection: The walls are covered with carvings
  of the Tzyanese bowing down before strange
  shapes with skin like armor and the faces of long-
  extinct animals. In another mural, the Tzyanese are
  shown to sit at the feet of the Gleaming Ones,
  receiving knowledge and wisdom. In the last panel,
  the gleaming shapes battle monstrous figures (the
  gods?), while one of them is seen to spirit the
  Tzyanese away, protecting them from the ensuing
  violence.
  ● Anyone searching the east wall of the hall for
  two rounds finds a single gemstone, covered in
  dust, lying in the corner (75 gp).
  9. The Interior Guard: A great marble hall contains
  rows of carved sepulchers of worked obsidian,
  edges sharp like razors, gleaming from the light
  source. Alcoves on both sides of the room stretch
  off into the darkness. Faint glimmers can be
  discerned within.
  ● The Sepulchers: 46 in total, each carved from a
  single block of obsidian. These may be chiseled
  open with the appropriate equipment. Forcing
  them open takes 6 turns for 1 person (3 turns for
  2, 2 turns for 3 etc. to a minimum of 1 turn). The
  noise provokes a wandering monster check
  each turn.
  ● Anyone not taking suitable precautions (thick
  gloves, padded armor, eye protection etc.)
  must make a saving throw vs death or be struck
  by the shards (1d3 damage, blinded on a roll of
  three damage). Inside each tomb is a skeleton,
  hideously distorted, bedecked in crumbling
  finery and obscene jewelry of long-forgotten
  alloys worth 2d6*100 gp.
  33
  
  34
  
  ● In each alcove is a Guardian of Uyu-Yadmogh.
  The gleaming comes from precious stones
  embedded in their mummified flesh. Touching
  them doesn’t rouse them. Damaging any of
  them or trying to pry out the gemstones arouses
  all 20 instantly. Molesting the tombs means the
  guardians stir after a turn and attempt to sneak
  up on the tomb robbers and perform a sneak
  attack.
  (20) Guardians of Uyu-Yadmogh: AC 7 [12]; HD 5;
  hp 30; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0
  15 [+4]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D10, W11, P12, B13, S14
  (5); ML 9; AL C; XP 225
  ● Leather and cudgel.
  ● Has Level 5 thief skills.
  ● Each of Uyu-Yadmogh’s guardians carries d6 x
  d6 semi-precious gemstones (50 gp)
  embedded in their flesh.
  10. Firmament: A great pillar of orichalcum, carved
  with devotional chants to Uyu-Yadmogh, is sunk into
  the earth, bearing the weight of the palace.
  ● This pillar is strong enough to hold any weight, or
  resist any terrestrial force (see Diorag, Area #11).
  If it is somehow destroyed (magical rust, the
  touch of a Wolf of Final Night or a Disintegration
  spell) the palace walls begin to crack, ominous
  groans of stonework, and shaking eventually
  leading to the palace collapsing in 1d6 turns,
  burying everything inside under hundreds of
  tons of rock.
  11. Throne Room: An immense hall with gilded pillars
  and titanic marble steps lead to a golden gateway
  high above. A monstrous throne of jagged glass, fit
  for a giant, perches on the second step. Chained
  to its base with adamantium linkages of prodigious
  size through its flesh is a musclebound giant, with
  skin of pale alabaster, unmarked save for a wound
  over its heart. A dim spark of divinity still lingers in its
  dead flesh and its face is masked with the golden
  likeness of Uyu-Yadmogh.
  ● The hulk is Diorag the Breaker, re-animated
  corpse of the Demi-God of Strength. The
  adamantium chain allows him to move 1,000
  feet from the throne (see dotted circle on
  map). He attempts to seize and tear asunder
  any intruders in the palace. Once Diorag has
  encountered the first intruders it attempts to
  pursue any survivors and appears on the
  random encounter table.
  ● Behind the throne is a great gateway that leads
  to a stairway leading below (see Second Level,
  pg 40).
  Diorag the Breaker: AC 5 [14]; HD 20; hp 145; Att 1 x
  tear asunder (3d8); THAC0 6 [+13]; MV 60’ (20’); SV
  D2, W2, P2, B2, S4 (20); ML 12; AL C; XP 2,000
  ● See Appendix C, pg. 54.
  Diorag the Breaker seems much too formidable for
  a low or even mid-level party to overcome. This is
  intentional. The PCs either have to lure him away
  from the throne-room while some sneak in, trap him
  somehow, or find a means to kill him (good luck).
  The dotted line on the map is a rough indication of
  Diorag's range of movement. His chain is
  approximately 1,000’ long. Some referee's
  discretion is necessary to determine whether Diorag
  can reach certain areas. Clever attempts by the
  PCs to shorten or tangle Diorag's chain should be
  rewarded (see pillars in Areas #10 and #13). Unless
  Diorag's chain is permanently shortened (see Nail of
  Heaven, pg. 33) it generally takes Diorag 1d4 turns
  to untangle himself. If the PCs linger in an area just
  beyond Diorag's reach he is intelligent enough to
  backtrack and try a different route.
  12. Chamber of Tribute by Conquest: The room is
  dominated by another statue of Uyu-Yadmogh, less
  human now, his robes bedecked with severed
  heads, his face and body warped and distorted, as
  if about to burst from internal energies, stands
  before a gnashing altar of teeth and fangs. Faint
  glimmers come from the rows of alcoves in the
  eastern and western wall.
  35
  
  ● Within each alcove is a Guardian of Uyu-
  Yadmogh.
  ● Unless molested or attacked, they don’t stir
  immediately. Even prying out their gems does
  not cause them to stir.
  ● They stir slowly, 2d6 turns after the PCs have left.
  If the PCs have taken any gemstones they track
  them unerringly throughout the palace and
  attack with overwhelming force. Otherwise they
  attempt to set up an ambush.
  (20) Guardians of Uyu-Yadmogh: AC 7 [12]; HD 5;
  hp 30; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0
  15 [+4]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D10, W11, P12, B13, S14
  (5); ML 9; AL C; XP 225
  ● Leather and cudgel.
  ● Has Level 5 thief skills.
  ● Each of Uyu-Yadmogh’s guardians carries d6 x
  d6 semi-precious gemstones (50 gp)
  embedded in their flesh.
  13. Orichalcum Pillar: This room is similar to Area #10
  (pg. 35) containing the Orichalcum Pillar.
  14. The Opening of the Third Way: A vision of hell. A
  cavernous room bisected by a great pit filled with
  solid electrum. Faces and arms stick from the mass,
  frozen in postures of agony.
  ● The pit is filled to the brim with electrum and
  bodies. Electrum can be chiseled and scraped
  loose with the appropriate mining tools at a rate
  of 100 ep per turn. The noise provokes a
  wandering monster check every turn.
  ● Examining the pit, a strange amulet in the
  shape of an eye is found on one of the
  sacrifices. If chiseled free (1 turn) and worn, it
  can turn back any spell cast at its bearer upon
  its caster three times before it turns to dust.
  15. Larder: The floor of this chamber is littered with
  hundreds of bones, splintered and ruined. The walls
  and ceiling are stained with ancient viscera, some
  patches still fresh. Hooks of pitted iron, stained with
  centuries of bloodshed, dangle from the ceiling.
  ● Two of the Sial-Atun, partially skinned, partially
  devoured, dangle from meat hooks by their
  ankles.
  ● Amid the bones lie the riches of prior
  adventurers. A turn of careful searching reveals
  3,017 cp, 217 sp, 43 gp, and a scroll of Invisibility
  inscribed upon a piece of amber (25 gp). Unless
  the PCs are particularly careful, the cracking of
  bones make enough noise to provoke a
  wandering monster check.
  16. Fine Dining: A cramped, dark room holds a
  crude stone table and chair, dimly lit by three
  candles held in a devil-faced candelabra. A
  stained golden platter is topped with a severed,
  half-eaten human hand. Golden knives, forks,
  chisels, hammers and other, less discernible
  instruments are scattered across the table in aimless
  fashion. Beyond the chamber looms a doorway
  covered in obscene graffiti.
  ● Demented humming can be heard from the
  next chamber (see Area #17).
  ● The candelabra is worth 30 gp, the platter 15 gp
  and the instruments 10 gp respectively, triple
  that to an anthropophage or affluent ghoul.
  ● The graffiti contains the Tzyanese glyphs for
  ‘zero’, ‘guardian’ and ‘chaos.’ The rest is half-
  intelligible obscenities.
  17. The Master of Ceremonies: A massive, circular
  chamber, every inch covered with overlapping
  layers of obscene graffiti and esoteric sorcerous
  symbols. A dim stench of carrion permeates the
  very air. A towering, stick-thin giant garbed in
  tattered ceremonial rags, all but its shriveled lips
  obscured by a massive headpiece of jewel-inlaid
  platinum, mutters garbled incantations as it traces
  uneven circles in gore from a great brass cauldron.
  ● The Master of Ceremonies retains some dim
  spark of sentience after countless ages. He
  mistakes the PCs for Tzyanese servants and
  inquires (in grating, half-demented Tzyanese) as
  to the safety of the palace, the state of the
  Master’s Ritual, news of the Enemy, etc. If the
  PCs can answer him he asks them whether they
  have steeled their souls for becoming one with
  The Master, asking for their names so he can
  ‘immortalize’ them. Characters giving their
  names feel resigned to some nameless, hellish
  fate (immune to fear for the duration of their
  stay in the Palace), but automatically fail their
  saves against Uyu-Yadmogh’s soul-devouring
  attack (see Area #26, pg. 41).
  ● If the PCs ask questions or don’t participate in
  the charade, the Master of Ceremonies utters a
  low wailing moan (that provokes a random
  encounter check 1d6 rounds later) and then
  attempts to spatter any characters with
  handfuls of gore from the cauldron, spitting half-
  coherent curses and blasphemies.
  ● Any characters hit by the gore must save vs
  breath attack or be cursed, taking a -4 to all
  attack rolls and saving throws until the curse is
  removed by Remove Curse.
  36
  
  ● If the cauldron is destroyed or the Master is
  blocked from it, he attacks with desiccated
  claws of bone.
  ● The Master’s ceremonial crown is worth 3,000
  gp, he bears a dull iron Ring of Protection +1 on
  one hand and in one fold of his tattered robe
  are the Valegrotic Sheafs.
  ● The brass cauldron is worth 25 gp (or thrice that
  to an anthropophage or necromancer) but
  weighs over 2,500 gp. Any character sampling
  its contents is automatically cursed.
  (1) The Master of Ceremonies: AC 3 [16]; HD 5*; hp
  28; Att 2 x claws (1d6 + paralysis); THAC0 14 [+5]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D10, W11, P12, B13, S14 (5); ML 10; AL
  C; XP 400
  ● On successful attack, save vs paralysis or be
  paralyzed for 1d6 turns.
  ● Immune to poison, and Charm, Hold, and Sleep
  type spells.
  18. Sartoom: The floor of this room is covered with
  black and red tiles in a checkerboard pattern. The
  walls and ceiling are covered with polished silver
  mirrors. Four square columns hold up the flat ceiling.
  In the center stands a vast 10’ globe of mirrored
  black glass. A man-sized crate of rough wood lies 3’
  into the room, open on its side. There is not a hint of
  dust anywhere.
  ● The Sartoom is a creature from the remotest
  dimensional abysses. It cannot perceive
  angular shapes. Any exposed curve (i.e. round
  shield, human flesh, concave surface) that
  enters the room is targeted by a glowing ray of
  light. It can target up to three creatures at one
  time, per round. Those struck must save vs
  wands or be disintegrated. Divine creatures or
  anyone making their saving throw takes 5d6
  damage instead. Hiding behind a rectangular
  tower shield, underneath a crate or otherwise
  concealing non-angular surfaces protects
  anyone from being perceived by the Sartoom.
  The material of the Sartoom is virtually
  indestructible but disintegrates if slain.
  The Sartoom: AC -4 [23]; HD 9; hp 72; Att 3 x
  disintegration beam (save vs. wands, disintegrate or
  take 5d6 damage); THAC0 12 [+7]; MV 0’ (0’); SV
  D8, W9, P10, B10, S12 (9); ML 12; AL C; XP 2,100
  ● 90% Magic Resistance.
  19. Terrible Weapons: Rows of shadowed alcoves
  holding suits of night-black armor and blades of
  black glass loom like mouths, some holding little
  more then piles of dust. The air resounds with faint
  murmurs and smells and tastes of iron. Light sources
  (mundane) flicker and are dimmed, creating many
  shadows.
  ● There are three intact suits of armor and five
  intact two-handed weapons still in the room.
  ● Suits of Armor: Unhallowed suits of full plate, with
  serrated vambraces and ornate, spined
  helmets. They are enchanted suits of plate,
  imbued with the imprisoned spirits of Tzyanese
  generals. The suits function as Sentient Swords
  (see Sentient Swords in Old School Essentials,
  Classic Fantasy Rules Tome). Each has different
  abilities:
  ● Tzarikol the Forsaken: Dull Black Plate Mail +2,
  bearer immune to fire and disintegration, INT 12,
  Ego 12 communication by empathy. Goal:
  Lead an army of followers against Uyu-
  Yadmogh (or other great foe if Uyu-Yadmogh
  has been destroyed). Lose a point of WIS every
  day the armor is worn (returns at rate of 1x per
  day once removed). Characters reduced to 0
  WIS become mindless shells for the armor to
  inhabit. Armor cannot be taken off while under
  its influence.
  ● Nimic the Betrayer: Scintillant black Plate Mail
  +1, bearer Detects Invisible, Secret Doors and
  Traps. Casts Charm Monster 1x/day.
  Communication by empathy. INT 10, Ego 10.
  Goal: Betray closest ally during critical moment.
  Lose 1 CHA per day while worn (restored at a
  37
  
  rate of 1 per day if removed). If removed, all
  targets that have been under the influence of
  the armor’s Charm Monster ability are
  immediately freed of the charm and now hate
  the bearer with a burning intensity (+2 to hit and
  damage, ML 12 against wearer of the armor).
  ● Vecsash the Anointed: Spined and barbed suit
  of Plate Mail + 4. Suit answers questions as
  Commune 1x/day and communicates by
  speech. Act as Strength 25 for 10 rounds 1x per
  day. INT 12, Ego 12.  Goal: To anoint itself with
  the lifeblood of the nearest creature with every
  sundown. A control check is needed otherwise
  bearer fights as a 14th level Fighter while under
  direct control of the armor.
  ● The Swords: All five swords are Deiophage
  Weapons. Two-handed weapons +1 of black
  and violet crystal. Can harm creatures that
  need +5 weapons to hit. Wounds inflicted by
  the Deiophage cannot be healed by magic or
  regeneration. INT 12, Ego 10. Communication
  by empathy. Goal: To slay the divine and their
  servants. Anyone who dies wielding a
  Deiophage is immediately animated as a wight
  under the influence of the Deiophage. All
  blades are Cursed. A control check is required
  to retreat or surrender in battle with the divine or
  their servants.
  20. Unto Eternity: A vast hall of crimson marble and
  obsidian. Rows upon rows of terracotta figures
  frozen in positions of attention, khopesh swords
  poised to strike down unwary intruders. A blood-red
  stone statue of Uyu-Yadmogh, 25’ high, towers over
  them. He has four faces and eight arms, as though
  four images of him were transposed over one
  another.
  ● Fighting in this room has a 15% chance each
  round to topple and shatter one of the statues
  with a stray shot or blow, provoking an
  immediate wandering monster check.
  ● Clever players might want to rig the statue of
  Uyu-Yadmogh to topple onto something (i.e.
  Diorag). Rigging it in this fashion requires 1d2
  turns and a dwarf, thief or someone with
  knowledge of architecture and stone working
  tools (chisel, hammer etc.). Toppling it on a
  target takes one full round, normal chances to
  hit by the character with no bonuses (treat
  target as AC 9 [10]) and deals 6d6 damage
  and the target is stunned for 1d6 rounds (save
  vs breath for half damage and only 1 round of
  stunning).
  21. The Shield of a Thousand Mirrors: A great room,
  with floor, ceiling, and pillars of polished obsidian
  reflecting the distorted images of the PCs. A
  looming archway in the distance reveals dimly
  twinkling riches.
  ● When anything steps into the room, an
  identical shape steps forth from the reflective
  surface one round later, with the initial
  reflection no longer visible. This effect works on
  all inhabitants of the palace.
  ● The shape has identical statistics to the
  creature in the room at the moment of
  duplication, including all equipment, active
  enchantments, current hit points and so on.
  The copy selects the original as its primary
  target. Other characters can hurt the copy.
  Anyone entering the room, attacking from
  outside the room or otherwise interfering with
  the combat spawns a similar mirror image in
  the room one round later.
  ● Destroyed copies shatter into a thousand
  shards of obsidian with a horrifying shriek, along
  with all of their equipment. The original now
  casts no reflection in the obsidian. After 24
  hours, this effect resets.
  ● The Guardians of Uyu-Yadmogh (Appendix C,
  pg. 56) are compelled to avoid this place.
  ● The archway exists only in the mirror and
  reveals piles of gold without number. Only
  characters whose reflections have been slain
  can enter the Vault of Uyu-Yadmogh (Area
  #22) by stepping through the wall.
  22. The Vaults of Uyu-Yadmogh: A mirrored cube
  filled with boundless riches. Mirrored walls and
  ceilings reflect whatever light source the characters
  have dimly through clouded obsidian. Breath fogs
  in the air and armor is soon covered by a thin layer
  of hoarfrost.
  ● Those without cold protection (thick hides or
  Resist Cold) must make a CON check or take 1
  damage per turn while inside the vault.
  ● Mountains of coins totaling 3,356,000 cp,
  520,000 sp, and 120,000 gp. Among them are
  scattered 10d20 gemstones worth 100-1,000 gp,
  a Nzembarian Concubine, 5d10 platinum plates
  engraved with the lamentations of the Turanian
  Kings (2,000 gp each), an orichalcum cauldron
  studded with gemstones (25,000 gp, weight
  50,000 gp, gems can be pried out for 10% of
  value), the lost Book of the Tso (worth 2,000 gp
  to a scholar or despot), the Jade Seal of Great
  Karaash (grants the holder dominion over the
  ancient (and xenophobic) empire of Karaash,
  priceless but worth 5,000 XP until discovered it is
  a clever forgery!), the Iron Scepter of Skraegh-
  38
  
  Hai (rod of well-crafted iron, apparent worth
  100 gp, actual worth 15,000 gp) and a clay
  tablet inscribed with a map to the sunless halls
  of King Sazedun the Accursed.
  ● The Greatest Treasures of the Tzyanese:
  The Rod of Obliteration: Brass rod with
  screaming devil face attached. Fire rays of
  force dealing 1d6, 2d6 or 3d6 damage,
  depending on the number of charges
  expended.  Attack rolls are at +3 to hit. (14
  charges)
  ● The Unerring Bow of Isarion: A bead of dark
  green glass, etched with minuscule runes. When
  grasped, it conjures forth a bow of radiant bars
  of coherent light that fires arrows of light. The
  bow is +5 to hit and damage. As long as the
  wielder of the bow hits his target he may make
  another attack in the same round. The bow
  never runs out of ammo. No protection on earth
  or in the heavens is proof against the Bow of
  Isarion. Mortals using the bow more then once
  per week during a combat must save vs death
  or lose a point of CON permanently. They may
  still use the bow even if they fail the saving
  throw. Note: The bow is scattered amid the
  coins and is either picked up accidentally (1%
  chance per full sack of treasure), if the entire
  hoard is somehow carried off or it can be
  detected if a Detect Magic is used.
  ● The Osseous Ring: A ring of scrimshawed bone
  in the form of a serpent swallowing its own tail.
  One doom (one type of damage, calamity,
  spell or device) is warded from the player. The
  PC is totally immune to it, taking no damage,
  and suffering no ill effects from it. At night, he
  may whisper another doom to the ring if he no
  longer fears the old one. The ring is cursed.
  While wearing the ring the wielder takes -2 to all
  saves and ages 1 year per week. Currently the
  doom is drowning.
  ● Anyone staying inside long enough for the
  Shield of a Thousand Mirrors (Area #21) to reset
  is attacked inside the vault by a double-
  strength evil twin.
  23. The First Vessel: A vast marble slab, 9’ high and
  18’ long, molded in the shape of Uyu-Yadmogh,
  dominates the room. Murals of an obscene
  paradise populated with cavorting abominations
  decorate the walls. The stone sorcerer glares
  upwards, his face a rictus of triumphant disdain.
  ● The marble slab is a tomb that can be broken
  open with a crowbar, a hammer and chisel,
  and a combined STR of 25. The tomb contains a
  giant body of Sybarran Steel, etched with
  baleful hexes, its arms and legs bound with
  manacles of adamantium. A death mask of
  finest platinum looks upon you with regal
  disdain from three sides of its face. The
  manacles may be opened with a successful
  Open Locks at -20% or a Knock spell.
  ● The body may be possessed by any
  disembodied spirit (Empty Man, Azarog, etc.) in
  one turn. It functions identically as a earth
  elemental (HD8*). Its fists count as Sybarran
  Steel and can harm creatures invulnerable to
  normal weapons. The body is an imperfect
  replacement for a living body. Any possessing
  spirit loses 1 HD per day as part of their
  substance leaks away into the afterlife. The
  possessing spirit only notices after it has already
  lost a HD.
  ● The three death masks may be pried or
  knocked off, revealing a pitted iron skull
  beneath. They are worth 500 gp each.
  Removing the death mask prevents the body
  from being possessed, or if it is already
  possessed, traps the possessing spirit inside until
  it is restored.
  ● The nature of the First Vessel may be discerned
  by any wizard or cleric of at least 4th level with a
  successful INT check or whatever the referee
  deems suitable.
  24. Secret Outside Access: This hidden panel leads
  to a tunnel underneath the palace, that ends in
  Area #9 (pg. 28) in the Necropolis.
  39
  
  Those passing through the gateway to descend to
  the second level notice something is off
  immediately. Carvings and glyphs have splintered
  or run like molten wax. Marble is scorched and
  bones lie scattered across the area, blackened
  and splintered. It is deathly cold; breath fogs, sweat
  freezes, torches are dimmed. Something terrible has
  happened here.
  Referee’s Notes: There are no random
  encounters on this level. All normal illumination has
  only half the normal range and burns twice as fast.
  Characters not protected from the cold (magic or
  protective clothing/furs) must save vs breath attack
  or take a point of cold damage each turn they are
  not moving or fighting.
  Diorag: Diorag doesn’t pursue characters into the
  Second Level. If characters ran past him he waits in
  the Throne Room until they emerge. If the
  characters have snuck past him or led him astray
  without trapping him, there is a 1-in-6 chance every
  turn he returns to the Throne Room. Characters
  wanting to escape have to find a means of getting
  past him again.
  25. Apotheosis Chamber: Statuary has been
  shattered and strewn about the ruined chamber.
  Half of a granite altar is embedded in the marble
  wall, surrounded by shards and broken masonry.
  The blackened silhouettes of men in postures of fear
  or anguish are burnt into the walls. Tiny ingots of
  gold, molten into the rock, gleam from all over the
  chamber. A massive gateway, its bas-reliefs turned
  to molten illegibility, stands open at the far side.
  ● The gold may be hewn from the rock at 1d6 gp
  worth of gold per turn, for a total of 300 gp.
  VI. PALACE, SECOND LEVEL
  40
  
  26. The Throne of Uyu-Yadmogh: Columns of basalt,
  cracked with great age, soar upwards and
  disappear into the darkness. The walls are jet black
  obsidian, drinking in light. The ground is strewn with
  a layer of bones; skulls, rib-cages, and femurs. An
  orb, containing dimly glowing crimson smoke,
  stands in the center of the chamber, gripped in a
  clawed pedestal. On the far side is a vast, bladed
  throne of jagged black obsidian. Upon it is chained
  a many-headed giant with shackles of rune-scribed
  metal, its skeletal form pierced by spears and
  arrows and garbed in the rotting vestments and
  tarnished jewels of a dozen emperors. A great tome
  bound in iron and glass is clutched in its lap.
  ● This is Uyu-Yadmogh, Prince of Tzyan, Arch-
  mage, Devourer. Its trunk-like limbs are
  composed of many arms and legs, fused
  together by blasphemous sorcery. Skulls and
  arms stick from a distended latticework of ribs.
  Its body is draped in rotting finery that once
  would have beggared a kingdom. In its ten-
  fingered hands is clutched The Tome of Iron and
  Glass.
  ● Uyu-Yadmogh has sought to escape
  damnation by merging his soul with those of the
  relatives he consumed. This process was
  partially successful, and the Thing that was
  once these souls can no longer pass through
  the Gates of Heaven nor Hell. Even if its physical
  body is destroyed, it would simply reform on the
  Throne in 1d6 days. Throne, Body, Spirit: all are
  part of Uyu-Yadmogh.
  ● Uyu-Yadmogh attempts to recruit the PCs to
  guard him from any of the other factions that
  seek his secrets. It speaks with the voice of a
  sociopathic choir, sometimes contradicting his
  earlier pronouncements, sometimes urging
  himself to slay the intruders. It explains that it
  committed its atrocities only to escape the
  Judgment of Heaven. Though the Gods are
  long Dead, The Judgment of Heaven is Eternal.
  He urges characters to look into the Subterrene
  Fire and see for themselves what Judgment
  awaits them.
  ● The Subterrene Fire: Wrenched from divine
  sockets by the evil of Tzyan, those that peer into
  its awful depths see before them the
  unspeakable torments suffered by the damned
  in the afterlife. An eternity of unimaginable
  agony awaits all those that violate the tenets of
  the divine. Depending on how virtuous the PCs
  have been (referee’s discretion), they might see
  themselves, their families and all their forefathers
  among the countless victims.
  ● Uyu-Yadmogh offers a method of escape. He
  explains that his own form of immortality has left
  him in a state of eternal wretchedness scarce
  better then hell, but that there are remnants of
  Old Tzyan that might offer a solution still (Vaults
  of Oblivion). He offers this knowledge freely
  once the heads of the Sial-Atun, and the Nine
  have been offered up to him.
  Refusal: PCs who refuse Uyu-Yadmogh’s
  recruitment or attempt to take the Tome of Iron and
  Glass are in for a fight. Uyu-Yadmogh can be
  attacked as an object (AC 5 [14], HD 15, hp 190).
  He cannot move from his throne, but he has two
  methods of attack.
  ● Animation: Each round, Uyu-Yadmogh
  animates the dead from among the bodies on
  the floor (roll d6 each round). These bodies are
  sustained by the will of Uyu-Yadmogh and his
  destruction ends them:
  1-3. 1d6 Skeletons: AC 7 [12]; HD 1; hp 6; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 19 [0]; MV 60’
  (20’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (1); ML 12; AL C; XP
  10
  ● Undead: No noise until attacking. Immune to
  effects that affect living creatures (i.e. poison).
  Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading
  spells (i.e. Charm, Hold, Sleep).
  4. Wight: AC 5 [14]; HD 3*; hp 19; Att 1 x touch
  (energy drain); THAC0 17 [+2]; MV 90’ (30’); SV D 12,
  W13, P14, B15, S16 (3); ML 12; AL C; XP 50
  ● Undead: No noise until attacking. Immune to
  effects that affect living creatures (i.e. poison).
  Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading
  spells (i.e. Charm, Hold, Sleep).
  5. Wraith: AC 3 [16]; HD 4**; hp 25; Att 1 x touch (1d6
  + energy drain); THAC0 16 [+3]; MV 120’ (40’) /240’
  (80’) flying; SV D10, W11, P12, B13, S14 (4); ML 12; AL
  C; XP 175
  ● Undead: No noise until attacking. Immune to
  effects that affect living creatures (i.e. poison).
  Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading
  spells (i.e. Charm, Hold, Sleep).
  6. Spectre: AC 2 [17]; HD 6**; hp 36; Att 1 x touch
  (1d8 + energy drain); THAC0 14 [+5]; MV 150’ (50’) /
  300’ (100’) flying; SV D10, W11, P12, B13, S14 (6); ML
  11; AL C; XP 725
  ● Undead: No noise until attacking. Immune to
  effects that affect living creatures (i.e. poison).
  Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading
  spells (i.e. Charm, Hold, Sleep).
  ● Skulls: His countless skulls seek to drink the
  character’s souls. Each round, one PC must
  succeed at a saving throw vs death or lose one
  experience level.
  Continued
  41
  
  42
  
  ● Uyu-Yadmogh has traditional undead
  immunities and can only be harmed by magical
  weapons of +2 or greater. The Infinite Dart, or an
  Unbearable Thing can slay him permanently.
  ● He cannot be turned.
  ● Uyu-Yadmogh carries on his person twenty
  necklaces each worth between 1d4 +1×1000
  gp, which may be snatched away from him
  with a successful pick pockets check at -20% (or
  at referee’s discretion, a DEX check). Anyone
  failing this roll is raked by his many clawed
  hands (Att 1d6 claws (1d6); THACO 12[+7]). The
  tome may be snatched in the same manner
  with the same repercussion. Other methods like
  shooting the tome from his hands with some sort
  of missile (AC 3 [16]), might also be successful at
  the referee’s discretion.
  ● The Tome of Iron and Glass contains all the
  secrets of Uyu-Yadmogh.
  Dead Gods? In the Age of Dusk setting, all of the
  gods were slain in a terrible battle with the Tzyanese
  and their hideous Weapon, a nightmarish Artifact
  God. Though dead, the hell the gods made for
  sinners is very much still there, and the Tzyanese
  were doomed to it for their crimes. If your setting still
  has gods and you don’t want them dead, do not
  panic! You can simply have Uyu-Yadmogh’s gods
  be long dead or forgotten, but not your gods, and
  the whole thing goes off without a hitch.
  “And so it was they left, backpacks
  bursting with ancient riches, with
  shriven souls, eyes haunted by the
  memories of dead companions and
  backs bent under the weight of a
  terrible burden; a deal struck in a
  lightless vault, and the promise of
  salvation from a fire ever-hungry,
  that burns but never devours, in the
  cavernous deeps beneath the roots
  of the world.”
  VII. CONCLUSION
  There are several possibilities for a follow-up. It is
  very likely that the characters do not survive Palace
  of Unquiet Repose, for it is indeed a very
  challenging adventure, even for experienced
  adventurers. Should they be skilled enough make it
  to Uyu-Yadmogh, it is possible they deem their
  chances too low and run with what loot they can
  carry and decide to stay the hell away from the
  palace and its bottomless horrors, and more power
  to them. In the event that they do not, here are
  some things you might want to consider.
  The Promise of Uyu-Yadmogh: If the characters do
  decide to co-operate with Uyu-Yadmogh, they are
  most likely damned souls (and if they were not
  before, they are certainly now), interested in the
  salvation he promises. In this case the Tome he
  carries holds a place that represents their best
  hope. The Vaults of Oblivion, raised by the Tzyanese
  in the time of the Cataclysm, are a sanctum truly
  beyond salvation, an outpost erected in the
  fathomless emptiness of the darkness at the End of
  Time, where eternity itself has broken down. In this
  case, the forthcoming module by the Merciless
  Merchants should prove to the prospective GM’s
  taste. For those of shorter time-preference, I fear
  that they will have to come up with the place
  themselves, which should be a challenge every bit
  as formidable to the skills of the GM, as the
  preceding adventure was to the skills of the players.
  I offer as hints and guidelines only the following. 1)
  The Vaults were originally erected by a coven of
  tzyanese arch-mages and their followers 2) They
  have been there so long they have likely forgotten
  the outside world even exists and 3) they have bred
  for aeons for evil and magical ability until they are
  no longer human. Good luck.
  If the characters steal the tome: This is entirely within
  the spirit of the game and should earn an
  approving, if stern, nod from the GM. The
  characters might not even know of the potential to
  escape the just rewards of their ignoble lifestyle!
  Instead the promise of vaults of ancient sorcery,
  forged with knowledge long since lost should
  provide enough motivation for any adventurer
  worth their lamp oil.
  If the characters kill Uyu-Yadmogh: While it is
  unlikely, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility
  that the characters manage to co-operate with
  one of the factions and kill Uyu-Yadmogh. Perhaps
  they armed a company of Sial-Atun with the living
  armory of the Tzyanese?!? Perhaps they confront
  him, armed with the Infinite Dart and the help of the
  43
  
  Nine! Perhaps they unleash the Empty Man into the City and he confronts Uyu-Yadmogh with an army
  composed of Children of the Tree, with all the sorcerous ability of the Nine welded into them. Very exciting! In
  this case they will likely seek to plunder the Vaults of the Palace for every last penny, or even seek to carry off
  the entire beach! In this case the GM should remember several things:
  1) There exists a whole plethora of Encumbrance rules and rulings that the merciful GM may enforce at his
  leisure, to force the players to make hard choices when deciding what material they will carry on their backs in
  the two-week slog across the searing hot desert.
  2) It is very possible that as soon as they return, their success will attract the attention of all manner of fortune
  seekers, criminals, bandits, covetous palace officials, sorcerers, scam-artists, gold-digging whores, looters,
  vengeful Sial-Atun, cultists, pilgrims, religious fanatics and assorted ne’erdowells! If the PCs attempt to cart off
  the entire Beach…By all means let them! Have they dealt with the Azarog it is meant to contain? If not then I
  encourage the GM to extrapolate the consequences of its escape as liberally as he deems fit, and remember
  that the soil of the Wastes hides the bones of countless thousands.
  3) The GM may deem that the Palace is itself sustained by Uyu-Yadmogh’s lingering Will and his death means
  that it will slowly begin to collapse. The dramatic GM might elect to have the palace begin to collapse mere
  moments after he has uttered his last words, making for a daring escape and mere rounds to collect one’s loot
  before the entire edifice sinks beneath the quicksilver lake and is buried under tonnes of rock. Alternatively, the
  GM might elect to wait until the PCs have gathered up their hard-earned loot and set out for the road back
  before triggering a strategic earthquake and bury the whole under the sands that it came from.
  In any case, with the plethora of factions, entities and cursed magical artifacts, I have little doubt the GM worth
  his salt may conceive all manner of exciting follow-up adventures. And send us a line at
  {themercilessmerchants@gmail.com} to let us know if it was to your liking.
  -Signed Your Prince,
  19th of October, 2020, The Netherlands
  44
  
  Faction 1: Sial-Atun
  Deserters
  “Tempered by atrocity, all
  that is soft and pliable in men
  has been burned from them.
  Men cast in the mold of
  weapons, with hard eyes and a
  killer’s grace.”
  The Sial-Atun (‘The Knife Palm’) are the greatest
  warriors the world has ever seen. Men shudder at
  the sight of their gilded mail and impassive, cold
  eyes and tremble at their calculated atrocities.
  Taken as children, only one in three survives their
  initiation. They are sackers of cities, slayers of babes
  and architects of massacres. They are masters of
  the blade, the bow and the knife in the dark. Their
  signature move is the open handed strike that rips
  out the throat. For a king’s ransom they can be
  turned against any foe and erase him from the
  world in a storm of blood and butchery. The only
  sins they know are failure, fear and disobedience.
  Driven by nightmarish visions of a blood-soaked
  paradise under the sand, Captain Sarakhar forsook
  his oaths, risking a death by unutterable torments,
  and led his company into the wastes with promises
  of boundless wealth. Half of his men died of sun,
  thirst, or by their comrade’s hands in rebellion.
  The Sial-Atun within the necropolis grow restless and
  volatile. They have found many horrors and little of
  wealth, strangled sentries are found at night and
  they are starting to suspect this undertaking was not
  sanctioned by the Grandmasters. Only the
  presence of Siradar and Captain Sarakhar keep
  them in check. If both should perish, the rest would
  fall upon themselves unless they were given a
  chance for strong leadership.
  (30) Sial-Atun: AC 5 [14]; HD 3*; hp 19; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 19 [+0]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F 3); ML 9; AL
  C; XP 50
  Equipment: Gilded banded mail, spiked helmet,
  round shield, pole arm, long bow, 20 arrows,
  longsword, shield, dagger, and gruesome
  battlefield trophies. Ability scores are above
  average, the weak do not survive initiation.
  Tactics: The Sial-Atun fight in disciplined formations,
  favoring hand to hand combat. Spell-casters or
  ranged combatants are targeted by longbow.
  Particularly capable combatants are swarmed
  without mercy. If possible they attack from ambush.
  Challenges for one-on-one combat are accepted
  only if they are reasonably certain they will succeed
  (same HD or lower). Any captives are bound,
  questioned and left to wander the desert with their
  eyes and tongue cut out. They are fanatically loyal
  and will ally with the characters only if the PCs can
  convince them Sarakhar or Crasse is a traitor.
  NPCs:
  The regal features of an aristocrat with the
  flattened nose of a pugilist. His gilded plate mail is
  adorned with the severed heads of generals and
  lords. His helmet is shaped in the image of the
  Harrow King Skraegh-Hai, First Lord of the Legions.
  He laughs easily and his voice is clear. His eyes are
  black pits. He fights as though in a dream, every
  languid strike landing with deadly, artery-opening
  precision. All the world is a game to him.
  Captain Sarakhar: AC 2 [17]; HD 6*; hp 46; Att 1 x
  longsword (1d8 +3) and 1 x Nzembar’s Kiss (1d4 +4);
  THAC0 17 [+2]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D10, W11, P12, B13,
  S14 (F 6); ML 10; AL C; XP 350
  S 18, I 13, W 12, D 14, C 15, Ch 15
  Equipment: Plate mail, longsword, longbow, 20
  arrows, throwing knives, gilded skulls of lords and
  generals (500 gp total), and Nzembar’s Kiss.
  Captain Sarakhar is looking for a way into the
  Palace and attempts to use the PCs to achieve his
  aims if he finds them impressive. He cares nothing
  for his men and doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice them if
  it means survival or reaching the palace. He has
  tried to torture a means of bypassing the Hallway of
  Devouring Death from the Children of the Tree but
  this has been unsuccessful.
  APPENDIX A: FACTIONS
  45
  
  Shaven like his kin, hair locked in a single tail running
  down the back of his skull, one side of his face is
  marked by a gruesome scar. A badge of rank is
  tattooed on his brow. His eyes are hard and
  penetrating. Calculating, never quick to act, but
  utterly relentless once he does. His faith in his
  captain has been broken by the evil of this place.
  Now he wants merely to escape with his honor
  intact.
  Sergeant Crasse: AC 2 [17]; HD 5*; hp 31; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 17 [+2]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D10, W11, P12, B13, S14 (F 5); ML 10; AL
  C; XP 225
  STR 16, INT 13, WIS 11, DEX 12, CON 15, CHA 11
  Equipment: Plate mail with hideous face embossed
  on front, shield, longsword, longbow, (14) arrows,
  dagger, silver statue of entwined courtesans (44
  gp).
  Sergeant Crasse is convinced his Captain betrayed
  all of them and will be the death of the Sial-Atun.
  He wants to dispose of him so he can assume
  command and order his men to withdraw. The only
  problem is the veteran legionary Siridar is fanatically
  loyal to the captain, and both would have to die in
  order for his plan to work. He attempts to recruit any
  PCs to his cause if he finds an opportunity.
  A veteran of many campaigns, skin tempered by
  sunlight, hard weather and a thousand scars. His
  eyes are alight with fanaticism. To see him is to
  know no act is beyond him. So much blood has
  been shed by his hand he exudes almost palpable
  menace. His comrades look upon him with fear and
  awe.
  Veteran Legionary Siradar: AC 1 [18]; HD 6*; hp 38;
  Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by weapon); THAC0 17 [+2];
  MV 120’ (40’); SV D10, W11, P12, B13, S14 (F 6); ML
  10; AL C; XP 350
  STR 13, INT 14, WIS 8, DEX 15, CON 16, CHA 16
  Equipment: Plate mail, shield, spiked helmet,
  polearm, long bow, 20 arrows, longsword, dagger,
  necklace of scrimshawed finger bones (children’s).
  Siradar is fanatically loyal to Captain Sarakhar and
  balks at nothing, not even the murder of his fellow
  Sial-Atun, if it is at his command.
  Faction 2: The Children of
  the Tree
  “True faith burns in their
  hearts; searing, tempering
  but never consuming. All
  that they are has been shaped
  to fit the mold set out by
  their Father.”
  The Sial-Atun were not the only ones lured to the
  palace with visions of paradise. Long years ago, the
  Father led his flock across the sands and discovered
  a passage, now collapsed. When they had no
  more light and men were being taken in the
  darkness, they found the Tesseract Tree. For long
  years they have lived in the stone garden,
  nourished by the fungus growing on its skin and
  protected by its silvery light. They believe it is the
  Tree of God, and to bask in its rays is to be assured
  of paradise.
  46
  
  The Children are emaciated fanatics, clothed in
  threadbare rags, pale and half blind from their long
  existence in darkness. They follow their master
  without question and don’t hesitate to lay down
  their lives at his command. They know the city and
  have learned to avoid its many perils, even
  discovered the secret passage into the Palace (see
  IV. Necropolis, Area #9, pg. 28 and V. Palace, Area
  #24, pg. 39). Some are aging and sick from the
  vapors of the lake, others young, hairless and wiry.
  (53) Child of the Tree: AC 9 [10]; HD ½; hp 4; Att 1 x
  clubs, shards of pottery (1d4); THAC0 20 [-1]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D14, W15, P16, B17, S18 (NH); ML 4; AL
  N; XP 5
  ● Surprise on 4-in-6.
  Tactics: Sheltered, most all but oblivious of the
  outside world, the Children are no hardened
  soldiers. A lifetime of skulking in the darkness has
  honed their senses to a razor’s edge and they are
  cautious to the extreme. They never use torches
  and pass through the city in pairs of two, navigating
  by touch or the dim phosphorescence of the
  palace. If at all possible they attack from ambush
  with thrown shards of pottery, dead-falls, darts or
  attempt to set the Azarog upon their enemies. To
  protect the father they would willingly lay down
  their lives. Even extreme torture doesn’t cause them
  to reveal the location of the Tesseract Tree or the
  secret entrance into the palace.
  The Children desire only to be left alone with the
  Tessaract Tree.
  NPCs:
  Tall like a scarecrow, tattered robes enfolding a
  skeletal husk, this wiry ancient seems animated with
  an unnatural vitality. A single wild green eye staring
  out of a skull-like face seems to gaze into your soul
  and his melodic voice ensnares your senses.
  Father: AC 9 [10]; HD 1; hp 5; Att 1 x clubs, shards of
  pottery or Infinite Dart (1d4 or 2d6); THAC0 20 [-1];
  MV 120’ (40’); SV D14, W15, P16, B17, S18 (NH); ML
  12; AL N; XP 10
  ● Infinite Dart treats opponents as AC 9 [10]. See
  Appendix B, pg 52.
  Once a philosopher, renowned in the cities of the
  east, he is now only the Father. Drawn by visions of
  immortality and vast wealth, long years in the
  darkness and the horror have driven him mad. In
  dreams he speaks with the thing called Uyu-
  Yadmogh. In exchange for a single life every year,
  his Children are allowed to roam the city
  unmolested.
  The Father is the absolute ruler of the Children and
  his word his law. He wields the Infinite Dart, a branch
  of the Tree that is the only weapon that can be
  used while in its presence. The voices of Uyu-
  Yadmogh whisper to him in dreams. The unrest near
  the palace have only exacerbated his madness.
  Every day, roll 1d6 for his attitude towards the party.
  1. Benevolent: thinking the PCs emissaries of
   
  Uyu-Yadmogh, he renders what aid he can,
   
  fawning obsequiously (knows the secret
   
  entrance to the palace, see IV. Necropolis,
   
  Area #9 pg. 28).
  2. Bellicose: Attempts to lead the party in a
   
  campaign to destroy one of the rival factions:
  1. The Sial-Atun
  2. The Tzyanese
  3. The Azarog
  4. The hated Uyu-Yadmogh
  5. His own flock
  6. Genocidal Crusade.
  3. Treacherous: Provides advice but attempts to
  lure the party into a trap that means their
  doom.
  4. Paranoid: Suspecting treachery, he attempts
  to lure the invaders away from the Tree and
  have them pelted with shards of pottery (1d4
  damage) until death follows.
  5. Salvation: Uyu-Yadmogh calls for a sacrifice.
  He incites one of his followers to give up their
  child and bring it into the palace (see V.
  Palace, Area #17-Master of Ceremonies, pg. 36)
  to appease his hungry lord.
  6. Madness: Many voices whisper. Foaming at
  the mouth, the Father writhes and shudders in
  epileptic seizures while his flock tends to him.
  (10% chance he dies)
  47
  
  Faction 3: The Nine
  (Cultists of Tzyan)
  “It is not physical hardship
  but knowledge that has
  changed these ones. All the
  myriad drives of humankind,
  subsumed into a holocaust of
  monstrous ambition. There
  is nothing they will not do to
  slake their thirst for power.”
  When Tzyan fell, not all of its lore was forgotten.
  Some have preserved its ancient knowledge and
  dream of its return. These are the Nine: scholars,
  criminals, necromancers, slavers, killers and
  prophets of the blackest hearts. The transgressions
  they have committed would make hardened killers
  whimper. They can be bargained with but never
  trusted. Inside the palace there is knowledge that
  they crave. They seek the Weapon that Burned the
  World.
  They entered the city but days ago, using the Key
  to the Ninth Heart, a ritual of translocation still tied
  to Uyu-Yadmogh’s rotting spirit. They are patient,
  willing to wait. They have not yet managed to
  breach the palace, knowing full well the lethal
  sorcery that guards its entrance. Each is loyal only
  to themselves and will abandon their comrades to
  save their own hides.
  Only eight of the Nine are described here: Rastlir of
  Muir lurks in Iotha as a spy, and as such, the PCs
  may never meet him. Each of the Nine has a
  unique ability and their own tactics.
  48
  
  NPCs
  How does one describe a thousand faces? His
  mimicry is so total even part of him forgets. Only the
  eyes retain their knowing malice.
  1. Thousand Faced Prince: AC 6 [13]; HD 4; hp 15;
  Att 1 x The Nightblade of Ion (1d4+1) or throwing
  knives (1d4); THAC0 19 [0]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D13,
  W14, P13, B16, S15 (T 4); ML 10; AL C; XP 175
  ● Level 4 thief abilities.
  ● Disguise: Can alter appearance at will (the
  ability does not radiate magic).
  Equipment: Dark leathers, silver bracelet of
  screaming maidens (150 gp), The Nightblade of Ion,
  and three throwing knives.
  Tactics: If the Nine are aware of the PCs and
  following them, he takes the shape of one of their
  confidantes or allies, such as a Child of the Tree,
  and attempts to join the party. He then attempts to
  kill one in their sleep, vanish and repeat the gambit
  days later. If the party is on guard, he attempts to
  sow dissension between the PCs and their allies.
  An absence wrapped in black silk. A non-being.
  The Follower’s voice is a mesmerizing sub-vocal
  whisper. Always it seeks to lure people to their
  doom, dealing only the final blow.
  2. The Follower in Darkness: AC 2 [17]; HD 2; hp 8; Att
  1 x dagger (1d4); THAC0 19 [0]; MV 120’ (40’); SV
  D13, W14, P13, B16, S15 (T 2); ML 7; AL C; XP 35
  ● Level 2 thief abilities, however 100% Hide in
  Shadows.
  ● Can teleport between two shadows as per
  Dimension Door (50’ range) at will.
  ● Can track as a Level 10+ Ranger.
  Equipment: Robe of black silk, dagger, Cask of
  Unknowing, and platinum ring inset with jet (100
  gp).
  Tactics: As soon as the PCs are discovered and
  determined to be a significant threat, the Follower
  stalks them unerringly. It reveals itself if it means it
  can lure the PCs into a hazardous location. If they
  get into a fight, it attempts to backstab, then use
  Dimension Door to get away.
  A beautiful golden, hairless child, one of its eyes is
  an orb of absolute blackness. Great robes of purple
  and gold wrap her slender form in billowing folds.
  She never lies but is always evasive, inscrutable.
  3. The Eye of Tzyan: AC 9 [10]; HD 1; hp 3; Att 1 x
  dagger (1d4); THAC0 19 [0]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D13,
  W14, P13, B16, S15 (T 1); ML 5; AL C; XP 16
  ● Level 1 thief skills.
  ● Ability to detect lies.
  Equipment: Silk robes, dagger, Seven Rings of
  Sybarr, a ruby-cut toe ring (75 gp).
  Tactics: The child is frank, attempting to strike an
  alliance with the PCs and learn as much as she can
  while revealing as little of the Nine’s goals as
  possible. She runs from all fights. When the PCs are
  dealing with the Nine, the Eye is there, reading the
  motions of their soul.
  A compact man of confident bearing, adorned
  with worn leather armor and many chipped
  throwing knives. His helmet is featureless brass
  polished to a mirror-finish save for diamond- and
  cross-shaped eye-holes. A sickly eldritch glow seeps
  from the cross-shaped hole.
  4. The Invisible Sword: AC 5 [14]; HD 6; hp 24; Att 1 x
  throwing knives (1d4 + poison); THAC0 17 [+2]; MV
  120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P11, B14, S13 (T 6); ML 8; AL
  C; XP 500
  ● Level 6 thief skills.
  ● Gaze attack, save vs. petrification or take 4d6
  damage (celestial fire burns the character from
  inside!).
  ● Envenomed knives with serpent venom, save vs.
  poison or lose 2d4 STR over 3 turns. A Neutralize
  Poison restores the lost points immediately,
  otherwise they return at a rate of 1 per day).
  Equipment: Leather and throwing knives coated
  with serpent venom.
  Tactics: As soon as the PCs are identified as a
  threat, it is the Invisible Sword who accompanies
  one of the other Nine, throwing knives at maximum
  range and skulking away, only revealing his gaze
  when they face him in melee. The Invisible Sword
  can take damage if it meets its own gaze, but
  blocks the cross-shape with his left hand and
  attempts to flee if confronted with a reflective
  surface.
  49
  
  An emaciated old man, eyes sewn shut. Serrated
  glyphs are carved into his forehead, throat, solar
  plexus, heart, stomach and groin. Guttural rasp. Wry
  sense of humor.
  5. The Walker in Dreams: AC 9 [10]; HD ½; hp 4; Att
  see below; THAC0 20 [-1]; MV 60’ (20’); SV D14, W15,
  P16, B17, S18 (NH); ML 4; AL C; XP 6
  Equipment: Tattered midnight robes, silver rope belt
  and silk slippers.
  Special: The Walker in Dreams can, after half an
  hour of chanting, liberate his supple body from the
  prison of his flesh. This supple body is ethereal, can
  fly at 90’, has 30 hp, AC 7 [12] and can only be
  harmed by magic or magical weapons. It can
  perceive, touch, and be touched by incorporeal
  creatures. The Walker’s normal body is reduced to
  a comatose state while this occurs, and only by
  touching his supple body can the Walker re-enter
  his physical body. In his supple body, he can enter
  anyone’s dream to communicate with them or
  disrupt it dealing 1d10 damage to the character
  and preventing him from gaining any benefits of
  rest (such as regained spells). If the target makes its
  saving throw vs. spells the Walker in Dreams is
  immediately sent back into his physical form and
  loses half his hit points. The state can last for 8 hours.
  The Walker in Dreams is accompanied by a
  muscular war dog fitted with chain barding that he
  can possess and control as an extension of himself.
  If the war dog is slain, the Walker in Dreams must
  make a saving throw vs. death or lose half his hit
  points.
  (1) War Dog: AC 7 [12]; HD 2+2; hp 15; Att 1 x bite
  (1d6); THAC0 17 [+2]; MV 180’ (60’); SV D 12, W13,
  DP14, B15, S16 (1); ML 8; AL N; XP 25
  Tactics: Once the Nine are aware of the PCs, the
  Walker follows them, enters their dreams to find out
  what they want and uses his dream disrupting
  ability if they refuse to tell him.
  A Lady of almost agonizing beauty, with long raven
  hair, garbed in gossamer rainments half of crimson
  and half of gold. Her hands and lips are decorated
  with intricate tattoos. She is fond of riddles and
  paradoxes of all kinds. A desiccated finger dangles
  between her breasts on a cord.
  6. Khabareth Who Comes Before: AC 8 [11]; HD 3;
  hp 12; Att 1 x staff (1d6); THAC0 19 [0]; MV 120’ (40’);
  SV D13, W14, P13, B16, S15 (MU 3); ML 6; AL C; XP 80.
  Spells: Charm Person, Sleep, Web
  ● Touch and kiss cause paralysis (save vs. death
  to avoid) once per day.
  Equipment: Robes, staff, desiccated finger inscribed
  with occult symbols. It is the fetter by which the Wolf
  of Final Night is bound to this world. Should it be
  destroyed, the Wolf is sent back to the End of
  Time—see #8 Tyzan Cultist), and the Weavestone of
  Sybarra.
  Tactics: Khabareth attempts to seduce one of the
  PCs with the aim of feeding him to The Wolf of Final
  Night. Khabareth rarely leaves the presence of the
  Wolf of Final Night and enters direct combat with
  the PCs only if all of the Nine are threatened.
  Khabareth is fond of riddles and enjoys a riddle
  challenge. Some options include:
  "Graceful I am,
  though fierce in close-quarters,
  If you keep me in your heart,
  You will perish"
  - A Knife
  "Cold Am I,
  Though Long in the Making,
  I am served by Friends,
  But never appreciated"
  - Betrayal.
  50
  
  A squat, fat man, with smooth olive skin like a seal
  and beady eyes in his expressionless face. His
  strangler’s hands seem too large for his body and
  are eerily graceful, like spiders. His ornate armor is
  sculpted of clay and stone, but hinders him naught.
  7. The Shaper of Things to Come: AC 3 [16]; HD 8;
  hp 55; Att 1 x by weapon (by weapon); THAC0 14
  [+5]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D8, W9, P10, B10, S12 (F 8);
  ML 10; AL C; XP 1,200
  Equipment: Clay and stone armor (AC 4, collapses
  into inert clay upon his death).
  Special: The Shaper of Things to Come can shape
  stone and clay at will, causing it to form weaponry,
  flow like water or part. 7x per day, the Shaper can
  use this ability to create weapons from stone (which
  function as +1 but shatter on an attack roll of 5 or
  less), raise bulwarks (as per Wall of Stone) or pass
  through stone and clay as though it were water (as
  Pass-Wall).
  A special powder (7 doses) blown through a straw
  allows him to animate any statue (see Living Statue,
  Old-School Essenstial Core Rules). Terracotta statues
  are similar to stats of Crystal Living Statues. The
  Shaper uses this dust in case of an emergency.
  Tactics: The Shaper is the second one of the Nine
  who does not fear direct combat. He attacks from
  unexpected angles, passing through stone to
  attack from surprise, and uses Wall of Stone to
  separate PCs in narrow alleyways. If reduced below
  half hit points he flees, moving through solid rock,
  most likely losing the PCs unless they have some
  means of following him.
  A horror from the End of Time. Its shape is a
  monstrous silhouette etched in absolute blackness.
  Its touch is oblivion and the cold of all things
  ending.
  8. An Unbearable Thing, Drawn From The End of
  Time, Given Hatred and Substance (Wolf of Final
  Night): AC 0 [19]; HD 8; hp 43; Att 2 x claws (2d6);
  THAC0 12 [+7]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D8, W9, P10, B10,
  S12 (8); ML 10; AL C; XP 2,850
  Special: The creature is a Wolf of Final Night, a
  destroyer of All That Is. It is incorporeal, immune to
  spells and cannot be harmed by anything less than
  +2 weapons. Any wielder that successfully strikes it
  must save vs breath attack (gaining a bonus for
  each +1 of the item) or the weapon disintegrates. It
  regenerates 1 hp per round until its destroyed. Its
  claws are proof against any sorcerous protection
  and inflict 2d6 points of damage. The wounds do
  not heal as long as it dwells upon the world. Anyone
  killed by a Wolf of Final Night is erased from
  existence, all memory of him vanishing alongside his
  body, with no resurrection possible(short of divine
  intervention or a carefully worded Wish).
  The Wolf was called by Khabareth Who Comes
  Before and if the talisman is destroyed it must save
  vs spell each round or return to the End of Time. If
  Khabareth is killed it must save at +2 or return to the
  End of Time. It cannot move more then 200’ from
  the Talisman that binds it.
  Tactics: Khabareth keeps the creature back as a
  last resort. If she is directly threatened it sallies forth
  from some dark corner and attacks, destroying all
  before it. She has only limited control over it and
  fears it, as is only right.
  51
  
  Cask of Unknowing
  A cursed urn of coarse grey stone and cryptic,
  murky carvings. After their first encounter with the
  bearer of this object, any character must save vs.
  spell or be automatically surprised the next time
  they meet, their memories of the bearer snatched
  by the Cask. Anyone carrying the Cask must make
  a save vs. death each week or lose a point of CHA
  permanently as the Cask scratches and gnaws at
  the fabric of their being. Anyone reduced to 0 CHA
  becomes a non-being, forgotten by friends and
  foes alike, unable to interact with others or gain
  followers, automatically gaining surprise and hiding
  in shadows at 50%.
  The Infinite Dart
  A slim branch from the Tesseract Tree, infused with
  silvery light. Its branches seem to split and divide
  until they appear as little more than a silvery mist.
  The Infinite Dart can only be wielded by someone
  who has given his eye to the Tesseract Tree.  The
  dart strikes unerringly at the heart, treating all
  creatures as AC 9 [10] and dealing 2d6 damage.
  Used against the undead, or divine beings, it deals
  double damage and instantly kills most weak
  undead (skeletons, zombies, etc.) The dart can be
  recovered after use.
  Nzembar’s Kiss
  This needle-thin dagger of elegant manufacture
  virtually ignores plate and chain, able to slip in-
  between links or greaves easily. The blade acts as a
  Dagger +2. Once per day, the first time the weapon
  draws blood, its target must save vs paralysis or be
  paralyzed with ecstasy for 1d4 turns.
  The Many-Angled Instrument of Ethereal
  Imprisonment
  A basalt pyramid, covered in the glyphs of long
  dead Sybarr. The instrument was a potent weapon
  against its many esoteric enemies. Directing the
  Instrument against an incorporeal or possessed
  creature forces the creature (or possessor) to make
  a save vs death or be imprisoned within the device
  as a Magic Jar. Creatures who can possess multiple
  targets simultaneously are only fully trapped if they
  possess no other hosts; otherwise the Instrument
  counts towards their maximum number of hosts. It is
  perfectly possible such creatures must be
  imprisoned multiple times and will take up as many
  slots as they possess creatures.
  The device can hold a theoretically infinite number
  of incorporeal creatures within its fractal
  geometries. In reality, every imprisoned creature
  after the first adds a 5% cumulative chance of
  failure after each use, to a maximum of 75%. Upon
  failure the device does not function and 1d4
  APPENDIX B: NEW MAGIC ITEMS
  52
  
  inhabitants are immediately released, with any
  possessor creatures directed at the nearest suitable
  host as per a Magic Jar spell.
  Anyone versed in both sorcery and the language of
  Sybarr can read the glyphs on the Instrument and
  figure out a means of communicating with the
  inhabitants inside by concentrating. Some
  Instruments contain spirits thousands or tens of
  thousands of years old. If desired, the bearer of the
  Instrument can elect to free a specific spirit at any
  time, or direct a possessor spirit to a host (save vs
  spell to avoid if unwilling).
  The device can perform any one function only
  once per turn.
  The Nightblade of Ion
  The Nightblade of Ion is a slender blade of utmost
  darkness, impossible to find on one’s person. Utterly
  silent, it doubles the wielder’s Move Silently chances
  when used to cut throats or backstab asleep
  victims. The Nightblade of Ion acts as a Dagger +1.
  Seven Rings of Sybarr
  These ornate rings are beautifully crafted and
  lavishly with minute engravings of lords and ladies
  suffering terrible calamity. Each ring is forged for
  one of the concubines of the Sybarran Emperors
  and protects against a specific doom, only once. If
  the event would kill the bearer of the ring it is
  instead negated and the character is fully healed
  and spirited out of danger to the nearest safe
  location, after which the ring crumbles to dust. The
  Dooms are: Drowning, Strangulation, Poison,
  Suicide, Burning, Level Drain and any Doom (the
  Greatest ring).
  The Tome of Iron and Glass
  The Grimoire of Uyu-Yadmogh’s wicked line. A
  storehouse of lost arcane knowledge dating back
  long ages, it is literally priceless to anyone who can
  decipher its cryptic utterings.
  Written in old Tzyanese, this tome contains 5d10
  spells of levels 1-6. It also contains the 7th level spells
  Prismatic Storm, Litany of Memetic Erosion, the
  Indigo Castigation and an imperfect version of an
  immortality ritual (Transcending the Fetters of
  Mortality) that seems to work but instead destroys
  the ritualist and permanently blinds anyone within
  50’ if cast (save vs breath attack to avoid blinding).
  These 7th level spells may not be memorized but
  can be cast as if from a scroll after following the
  instructions and chanting for an hour. The Prismatic
  Storm functions as a Prismatic Spray but the area of
  effect is a 10 mile cone. The Indigo Castigation
  permanently alters any 20  1x1 mile squares so any
  organic creature within them must make a saving
  throw vs death every turn or permanently lose a
  point of CON. The Litany of Memetic Erosion will
  erase a single name, notion or idea from the
  collective memory of the world (no saving throw).
  Each of these greater incantations can be cast
  only once.
  Written within is a complete method of entering the
  Vaults of Oblivion and a map of the Recursive
  Labyrinth leading to the Weapon (coming soon
  from Merciless Merchants!).
  Valegrotic Sheafs
  The Valegrotic Sheafs are three pieces of thick
  vellum, each containing one painting. The user of
  the sheafs can ‘pull out’ the art on the page (one
  full round) and it turns into a living creature for 1d4
  turns. The creatures obey simple commands
  (attack, fetch, follow, guard, etc.). After the
  duration has expired the painting collapses into a
  pool of mixed paint. The sheafs may only be used
  once before their magic is lost.
  Sheet 1: (1) Silver Beetle: AC 3 [16]; HD 3+1; hp 23;
  Att 1 x bite (2d6); THAC0 16 [+3]; MV 150’ (50’); SV
  D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (1); ML 9; AL N; XP 50
  Sheet 2: (1) Crimson Lion: AC 6 [13]; HD 5; hp 30; Att
  2 x claw (1d4+1), 1 x bite (1d10); THAC0 15 [+4]; MV
  150’ (50’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (3); ML 9; AL N;
  XP 175
  Sheet 3: (2) Amber War Dogs: AC 7 [12]; HD 2+2;
  hp 15; Att 1 x bite (1d6); THAC0 17 [+2]; MV 180’
  (60’); SV D 12, W13, DP14, B15, S16 (1); ML 8; AL N;
  XP 25
  Weavestone of Sybarra
  The Weavestone of Sybarra is an object of ancient
  might. It can absorb up to 7 spell levels per day and
  convert these into any spell the caster knows as
  though he were casting a spell. Spell-casters
  become aware of the Weavestone and its power
  whenever it is used if within 200’. Any spell caster
  can attempt to usurp control of the Weavestone on
  an opposed casting level test (both wielder and
  usurper roll a d10 and add their caster level). The
  winner can then direct and control the stone, the
  loser takes 2d6 damage. Spell-casters may attempt
  to assert control as often as they desire.
  53
  
  The Azarog
  AC 9 [10]; HD 8; hp 60; Att see below; THAC0 n/a;
  MV 120’ (40’); SV D 8, W9, DP10, B10, S12 (8); ML 12;
  AL C; XP 2,300
  An ancient horror, the result of Uyu-Yadmogh’s
  research into the soul and the nature of damnation.
  A chimera of spirit, soul and sorcerous substance, it
  exists partially in all realms and fully in none. A
  tortured non-being, it can invest corpses with a
  fragment of itself, yet remain whole.
  The Azarog can animate any corpse within 120’ of
  itself as a maximum hit point zombie (see Zombie,
  Core Rules) that do 1d6 extracold damage on
  touch. Each zombie is under the control of the
  Azarog and cannot move beyond 120’ of its
  physical location. There is no other limit to the
  amount of bodies the Azarog can animate or
  control at the same time. Bodies thus animated are
  wreathed in colorless fire that saps heat from the
  air.
  The Azarog is invisible in its normal form. It is almost
  impossible to destroy, taking no physical damage
  from spells or weaponry with a few exceptions. It
  can be turned as special, more powerful undead
  (referee’s discretion). It may be targeted with a
  Dispel Magic as a 20th level spell, which disrupts it
  until it reforms in one day. It is vulnerable to any
  containment an incorporeal creature would be
  vulnerable to. It cannot pass through magical
  barriers, anti-magic fields, or anything that would
  bar passage to an ethereal creature. The
  destruction of the remains that brought it forth
  destroys it permanently.
  Diorag the Breaker
  AC 5 [14]; HD 20; hp 145; Att 1 x tear asunder (3d8);
  THAC0 6 [+13]; MV 60’ (20’); SV D2, W2, P2, B2, S4
  (20); ML 12; AL C; XP 2,000
  The height of three men, a mindless husk still
  endowed with traces of lingering divinity, the
  corpse of Diorag the Breaker is terrifying to behold,
  a lifeless Atlas animated with idiot fury. All
  combatants under 3rd level must make an
  immediate morale roll upon entering combat with it
  or flee in mortal terror.
  Diorag attacks by grabbing his opponents and
  ripping them apart.  Its flesh may only be pierced
  by weapons that can slay deities (Sybarran Steel, a
  Deiophage weapon or +3 and higher). It has 25%
  magic resistance, is immune to Polymorph,
  petrification, non-magical fire and has all the
  regular undead immunities. Diorag regenerates 1
  hp per turn. It cannot run or charge, only lumber
  and crawl.
  Diorag is secured to the throne via adamantium
  chains that are virtually unbreakable. It may move
  anywhere to the limit of its chains (1,000’) as
  indicated on the map.
  Dusk Stalker
  AC 5 [14]; HD 5*; hp (22); Att 2 x claw (1d6), 1 x bite
  (1d10); THAC0 14 [+5]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D12, W13,
  P14, B15, S16 (3); ML 9; AL N; XP 225
  Feral descendants of the horrid soldiers of
  unspeakable wars, the dusk stalkers prowl the
  wastes, leaving behind no trace, shrieking for blood
  and souls. A nightmarish crossbreed between bear
  and predatory bird, the stalker combines the
  ferocity of a wild animal with the dispassionate
  cunning of a man. Dusk stalkers are particularly
  hated for their tendency to wrap themselves in the
  flayed hide of their human prey. They kill sadistically
  and leave the corpses for the vultures.
  Dusk stalkers can be unearthly silent if they wish and
  attain surprise in a 4-in-6 chance. When it first
  attacks, it emits a blood-curdling shriek that freezes
  men in their tracks. Anyone within earshot must
  save vs paralyzation or be stunned for 1 round.
  Empty Man
  AC as host; HD as highest HD of host; hp as host; Att
  as best of host; THAC0 as best of host; MV as host;
  SV as best of host; ML 12; AL C; XP varies, as highest
  level host
  Abominations of Sorcery, Mind and Flesh, the Empty
  Men are weapons of the wars of ages past. The
  Empty Man is a band of men fused together
  telepathically until each body has access to the
  total experience, knowledge, languages and skills
  of the whole. Each body perceives what the whole
  perceives. Individual bodies may be lost, but these
  can always be replaced. While once human,
  APPENDIX C: HORRORS OF THE AGE OF DUSK
  54
  
  functional immortality, the long weight of
  accumulated memory and a thousand lifetimes of
  murder has rendered the minds of these creatures
  utterly inhuman. Cold, ruthless, speaking in dead
  tongues and pursuing ends whose origins have long
  turned to dust, they have erased almost all
  evidence of their existence over the long ages.
  Anyone who knows of them hunts them with a
  zealous hatred.
  The Empty Man is a minimum of 1 and a maximum
  of 10+1d10 creatures. Each host attacks, saves and
  has the hit points, all the special abilities and
  arcane caster level of the best of its hosts. If for
  example The Twin Eyes of Iadon consists of a 4th
  level fighter (18 hp before becoming conjoined)
  and a 6th level wizard (15 hp before becoming
  conjoined), both hosts have 18 hp, can use the best
  saves of either class, attack as a 4th level fighter and
  can cast spells (with normal restrictions) as 6th level
  wizards, using the same spell pool (so even an
  Empty Man that consists of multiple wizards can
  only cast as many spells as the highest level wizard
  among them, across all of its hosts). If it loses a host,
  half its knowledge is lost (so the death of a 4th level
  fighter means each of the Empty Man’s hosts still
  retains the skills of a 2nd level fighter). Only the
  death of all hosts kills an Empty Man. Hit points are
  tracked separately for each host!
  An Empty Man can incorporate a new vessel into
  itself by a process that takes an hour and requires
  the host to be immobilized. The host must succeed
  at a saving throw vs spell or become co-opted. The
  Empty Man may retry this possession attempt two
  more times, each time inflicting a cumulative -2 on
  the save. If the host resists the third time, he cannot
  be affected for 24 hours. Empty Men that attempt
  to incorporate more than their maximum fracture
  into two separate Empty Men (divide the hosts
  among them equally).
  Empty Men can never be detected unless by
  special training or certain, rare artifacts. An Empty
  Man’s distributed consciousness renders it immune
  to charm, domination and similar enchantment
  spells. Attempting telepathy on one invites an
  immediate possession attempt (save vs spells at +2
  to avoid).
  The records of fallen Sybarra speak of the Hollow
  Emperor, a creature who had tied the monarchs,
  generals and princes of twenty-six kingdoms into a
  single terrifying dominion.
  Glass Concubine
  AC 5 [14]; HD 3*; hp 20; Att 1 x fist (1d12); THAC0 16
  [+3]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F 3);
  ML 9; AL C; XP 100
  ● PCs looking at the Glass Concubine must make
  a save vs. spell or be charmed.
  ● +1 weapons needed to hit.
  Automatons of impossible, lascivious beauty, with
  nubile shapes of azure glass, luscious locks of spun
  electrum and platinum and perfect enameled
  faces. Creations of the long-lost artificers of
  Nzembar, the Glass Concubine was forged to fulfill
  any carnal desire. To look upon one is to be lost in
  perfection (save vs spell or be charmed).
  To enjoy the tender caresses of these creatures is to
  enjoy bliss itself. A night with a Glass Concubine
  functions as a Potion of Heroism for the next day
  (the effect is potent but once per week, though
  their owners likely indulge in their ministrations with
  much greater frequency!). In the Age of Dusk, a
  merchant prince or petty king gladly pays one’s
  weight in gold for such a device.
  A number of these automatons were forged in the
  wake of the Doom of Nzembar by mad, vengeful
  artificers. Their caresses inflict excruciating agony
  on living beings (1d12 damage) but they are utterly
  captivated by any creature they encounter. In a
  cruel twist of the Artificers, the agonies they
  inevitably inflict bring them great anguish, causing
  them to wail in despair or recoil in horror every time
  they hit, only to renew their amorous offensive
  seconds later. Charmed victims do not resist their
  touch, even though the agony is no less severe for
  them.
  Though killing the creatures destroys much of its
  delicate beauty, the alloys and wires can be sold
  as raw materials for 2,000 gp. Killing one while
  inflicting hardly any damage (a +5 dagger
  delicately inserted under the jaw) means the body
  is worth 10,000 gp instead.
  55
  
  The Guardians of Uyu-Yadmogh
  AC 7 [12]; HD 5; hp 30; Att 1 x weapon (1d6 or by
  weapon); THAC0 15 [+4]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D10,
  W11, P12, B13, S14 (5); ML 9; AL C; XP 225
  ● Leather and cudgel.
  ● Has Level 5 thief skills.
  ● Each of Uyu-Yadmogh’s guardians carries d6 x
  d6 semi-precious gemstones (50 gp)
  embedded in their flesh.
  To hunt down his wayward family members, Uyu-
  Yadmogh hired bands of ruthless thugs and killers.
  Little did they know they would serve him beyond
  death. Their mummified hides embedded with the
  gemstones of their reward, they guard the Palace
  with the tools of their ignoble trade.
  They have all the abilities of a 5th level thief and
  attempt to attack by stealth and trickery, targeting
  the most vulnerable. Their desiccated flesh is
  vulnerable to fire (+1 to damage per die, -2 to
  saves).
  The greed that motivated them in life still has a
  potent hold on them. Anyone fleeing from the
  Guardians can automatically cause them to drop
  pursuit by dropping at least 100 gp worth of
  precious goods. They target the most wealthy
  accoutered characters first.
  Each of Uyu-Yadmogh’s guardians carries d6 x d6
  semi-precious gemstones (50 gp) embedded in
  their flesh.
  56
  
  The Wolves of Final Night
  AC 0 [19]; HD 8; hp 43; Att 2 x claws (2d6); THAC0 12
  [+7]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D8, W9, P10, B10, S12 (8); ML
  10; AL C; XP 2,850
  The End of Time. When all suns have burned out, all
  matter turns to ash and heat is but a memory.
  Things haunt the Final Night. Terrible Things.
  The Wolf of Final Night is a Nightmare from Beyond
  the End of Time. Its shape is a monstrous silhouette
  etched in absolute blackness. Its touch is oblivion
  and the cold of all things ending. They can be
  called and bound but they can never be con-
  trolled. Not for long.
  There is no protection from the Wolves. Their touch
  penetrates any defense, even divine immunity, and
  inflicts 2d6 damage that cannot be reduced as the
  substance of the creature is erased. While the Wolf
  is within the continuum, these wounds cannot be
  healed. If a creature is destroyed, it is erased from
  living memory. It cannot be brought back unless
  someone somehow remembers what was lost.
  Wolves are incorporeal, immune to spells and can
  be harmed only by magic weapons. Any wielder
  that strikes it must save vs death (with the item’s
  bonus to the save) or his weapon disintegrates. It
  regenerates 1 hp per round until it is destroyed.
  They can move through lead, thick stone, or any
  substance normally impermeable to incorporeal
  creatures at 5’ per turn. A Protection from Evil spell
  keeps them at bay.
  If they are called to the Temporal Plane they must
  be bound to an object. Anyone with the object
  can control one. If the object is destroyed, the Wolf
  must save vs spell each round or return to the End
  of Time. If its summoner is killed it must save vs spell
  at +2 or return to the End of Time. It cannot move
  more then 200’ from the talisman. This is deliberate.
  Other methods of summoning the Wolves exist.
  These methods are destroyed, and all who know of
  them are killed by powers aware of the Wolves’
  existence.
  APPENDIX D: THE AGE
  OF DUSK
  These are the last tales of humankind. It is an age of
  great wonder and dying sorcery. The world writhes
  and spasms in the aftermath of the wars of ages
  past. Magic itself is now a tattered thing, twisted for
  millennia into shapes ever more complex and
  potent. It heaves and quakes under the strain,
  bringing mutation and madness to lands barren
  with generations of brutal conflict. But in its death
  throes it is at its most vibrant and powerful.
  The corpses of Gods, shattered and broken, drift
  and coalesce within the Tempest or lie pristine upon
  the hot sand, untouched by the ages. A furious
  storm of eldritch energies convulses on the site of
  their demise, vomiting forth amalgamations of half-
  remembered legends that poison the world with
  their very existence. The murder Weapon still stands
  upon a desert of glass, half-sentient fragments of its
  components prowling its innards while undying
  guardians slay all that seek to unearth the
  blasphemous knowledge that forged it.
  Great spires, like jagged teeth, stand amidst the
  savaged lands, their undying inhabitants warring
  ceaselessly for the magical energy that sustains
  them. For miles around these cities, the essence of
  life is leeched from the very air to sustain their
  endless struggle till the world itself is ruin and the
  bloated sun goes dark. Creatures terrible and
  bizarre, nightmare soldiers from the unfathomable
  wars of eons past, walk the wastes baying for blood
  and souls.
  Mankind is as it ever was, fractious and struggling,
  yet unbowed, trapped in an endless violent cycle
  of growth, stagnation and collapse. But the cycle
  has run its course, and all things must end. This is the
  last age, the greatest age, an age of heroes and
  villains like gods born anew, of fire and blood and
  the ringing of swordplay, of sorcery and
  abomination. Not for humanity the quiet dwindling
  of old age and the gentle death in bed. Mankind
  dies on its feet, screaming and bellowing, spitting at
  the onrushing tide of Final Night as it devours all.
  These are the tales of the Age of Dusk.
  57
  
  Here lies Great Uyu-Yadmogh
  Prince of Princes
  Lord of High Sorcery,
  Devourer of Souls
  Let Him rest in blessed Oblivion,
  Free of the Judgment on High
  His Guardians eternal
  His Treasures untouched
  His Knowledge Forgotten
  A thousand curses on those that would disturb His Slumber,
  May their flesh be pierced with a thousand needles,
  May their eyes be charred with boiling lead,
  May their bones be broken by stone and hammer,
  May their throat be burned with molten glass,
  May their soul be savaged by the Final Ones,
  May they be (the list continues on...)
  APPENDIX E:  TZYANESE INSCRIPTIONS
  58
  
  APPENDIX F: NECROPOLIS MAP
  59
  
  APPENDIX G: OVERVIEW MAP
  60
  
  No portion of this document, The Palace of Unquiet Repose, can be
  published, sold, or duplicated in any format without the express written
  permission from The Prince of Nothing, Malrex (Aaron Fairbrook)  and The
  Merciless Merchants © 2020.
  Product Identity:  The following items are designated Product Identity, as
  defined in Section 1(e) of the Open Game License Version 1.0a, and are
  subject to the conditions set forth in Section 7 of the OGL, and are not
  Open Game Content: all trademarked items, all artwork and diagrams,
  dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, new monsters (Azarog,
  Diorag the Breaker, Dusk Stalker, Empty Man, Glass Concubine,
  Guardians of Uyu-Yadmogh, Uyu-Yadmogh, Wolf of Final Night), logos,
  and trade dress.  Items previously designated as Open Game Content or
  are in the public domain do not fall under this designation of Product
  Identity.
  Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see
  above), the game mechanics of this game product and are Open Game
  Content, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a Section 1(d).
  No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the
  Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich
  Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John
  D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E.
  Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  Old-School Essentials is a trademark of Necrotic Gnome. The trademark
  and Old-School Essentials logo are used with permission of Necrotic
  Gnome, under license.
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC.
  System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast,
  Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney
  Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell,
  Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary
  Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  The Palace of Unquiet Repose, Copyright 2020, Prince of Nothing, Malrex
  and the Merciless Merchants.
  APPENDIX H: LEGAL
  61
  
  1
  The Screaming
  Caverns
  Author: PrinceofNothing
  Editor/Mapper/Layout: Malrex
  Artist: Eray Erkoc, Maciej Zagorski–The Forge Studios
  Old-School Essentials is a trademark of Necrotic Gnome. The trademark and Old-School
  Essentials logo are used with permission of Necrotic Gnome, under license.
  
  2
  
  3
  Introduction: For decades, Iotha has known a
  terrible foe. The Maimed One, a horror of
  blackened gold and half-molten talons, plagues
  the desert, unearthing tombs and carrying off
  travelers to its horrible Screaming Caverns. Each
  year the city appoints champions to deal with the
  horror. Thus far, none have succeeded.
  Summary: This adventure is about hunting and
  slaying a formidable foe in its den. However, this is
  more then just a simple monster hunt! There are two
  complications; There is a second creature in the
  caverns, and each of the creatures can ONLY BE
  HARMED IN ONE SPECIFIC MANNER (see New
  Monster section at end). The PCs will need to be on
  their guard, piece together rumors, clues and
  riddles to figure out the weakness of each specific
  creature. One possible source of information is the
  legendary Hero SHIGEK THE PURPLE, who fought the
  creature many years back and was supposedly
  slain after a grievous battle.
  Getting the PCs involved:
  1. In the streets of Iotha they are accosted by the
  beggar Alheem. He is a Mazhurian, outcast for his
  crippled physique, and he has seen the creature’s
  weakness in a vision. Only those wearing imperial
  purple can split its impenetrable hide. The Elders
  spit at his council. Desperate, he seeks the help of
  outsiders to slay the creature that plagues his tribe.
  Success would mean he gets to be Elder, and the
  tribe would owe a favor to the PCs.
  2. The famous courtesan Jain the Beautiful, fair
  beyond the dreams of mortal men, rumored to
  carry the blood of Sybarrese emperors in her veins,
  has offered to share the bed of anyone who brings
  her the head of the Maimed One. Already dozens
  have marched into the wastes, and none have
  returned.
  3. Blood debt: Within decrepit drinking halls a
  haggard drunk accosts the characters. He and his
  comrades faced the Maimed One, and only he
  survived. His wits have been all but destroyed by
  palm wine and Lotus dust, and his formidable arms
  have been pawned off for mere silver, but he yet
  retains his knife of Sybarran Steel (treat as +2),
  which he will give away if the PCs swear to avenge
  his comrades, so he may die peacefully. Give the
  characters two extra rumors. He swears (wrongly)
  the knife can harm the Sial-Atramentar.
  4. After the PCs have been imprisoned (this will
  happen sooner or later, trust me) they are visited by
  the Vizier of Tasheek Val Amaranth the Ever-
  Glorious, Emir of Iotha! He promises them freedom if
  they will consent to slay the creature and bring him
  its indestructible body, for the Emir’s coronation
  day is coming up, and those without a suitably
  impressive gift risk execution. He is willing to pay
  them 1,000 gp each if they are successful and
  threatens immersion in boiling lead if they fail or
  refuse.
  Rumor Table (2d8):
  Information is more important in Screaming
  Caverns then in other adventures. Feel free to dole
  out an extra rumor to put the PCs on their toes if
  you feel they have earned it. Every character starts
  out with one rumor, and for every 5 gp the PCs
  spend carousing they get another one.
  THE SCREAMING CAVERNS
  An Adventure for 4 -8 characters of  Level 3-5
  ROLL
  RUMOR
  2
  Twenty years ago the terror came to Iotha. Some nights it digs up corpses in the tombs outside of the
  city. Those that are brought back destroy all that they hold dear in life! (T)
  3
  Every year they send seven men, but they never return. Only Shigek the Purple succeeded in
  wounding the creature outside of the city walls, or so he claimed. When he laid down to rest after his
  battle at sundown, he was carried off in the night. (T)
  4
  The creature is actually two bandits, dressed up in golden armor! You fools! The people that are
  brought back from the tombs do not look dead! (F)
  5
  No mortal weapons can harm the Maimed One. Shigek knew of a way, but all other ways fail. It is
  invulnerable! (T)
  Continued
  
  4
  Finding More Information: It is quite feasible
  the PCs are stumped in their initial attempts to
  destroy the creature. If they find sufficient hints as
  to the true nature of the creature from inside the
  cavern (Area # 4 or 5) they can learn enough
  details from a seer or sage who is sufficiently well
  versed in ancient legend to identify things
  (standard consultation fees apply!).
  “The creature is one of the Sial-Atramentar, a
  servant of the Gods. Maimed and driven mad by
  the wounds it sustained on the Plains of Sriatus, it
  lives a cursed immortal existence. It is said the
  fearful gods gave each a single weakness so they
  could never turn against them. But what that
  weakness is, only the gods know, and where they
  are no one knows!”
  If the PCs copy the writing on the mural in Area # 5,
  the Sage Ioranthus will recognize it, but reveals the
  weakness of the Maimed One only, for an equal
  share of the treasure.
  “This one was once Asiremdishibon, a great
  teacher and a healer, who walked these lands
  when they were still green. He was said to surpass
  men in all deeds, mental and magical. Only in the
  hours of twilight was he ever bested by men in
  games of physical or mental prowess.”
  If the PCs ask about Shigek instead, they learn that
  he was indeed a warrior of almost legendary
  prowess, but that he too consulted the Oracle, and
  after that spent nearly all his fortune on a cloak of
  the finest imperial purple.
  Consulting the Oracle: If the PCs are feeling
  divinely inspired, they might try their luck at the
  Oracle of Iotha. The Oracle, after receiving a
  donation (minimum 25 gp) and inhaling the burned
  vapors of the desert lotus, offers the following
  prophecy:
  Sriatus’s Misbegotten Progeny,
  Once loyal servants now set free,
  More than it seems yet less then three,
  One blinded by Man, one crippled by Calamity
  Doom on those who fight in the sun,
  Death on those in night’s dark abode,
  All but the colors of Emperors shun,
  Only then on the warrior is victory bestowed
  One of these methods is sure to bring weal,
  One of these methods will bring certain defeat,
  But which is one is which I shall not reveal,
  Yet each of these ways you will have to repeat
  There are two bits of information that might be
  relevant. 1) The Oracle has revealed the same
  prophecy to Shigek. 2) Sriatus is the field where the
  gods met the Tzyanese in battle (any scholar or
  priest will know this).
  The Champions of Iotha: Seven heroes have
  been selected to deal with the threat. They are
  promised an outrageous sum (4,000 gp each) if
  they succeed. Failure means death. They know
  where the creature lairs. Use Reaction Rolls
  normally. If they are unimpressed by the PCs they
  refuse their assistance, but might hire them as
  drovers or baggage-carriers. A bribe (100 gp or
  more) always convinces them to let the heroes sign
  up.
  6
  It is simple! The creature is not harmed by steel weapons and tears through metal like papyrus! Only
  wood can harm it! (F)
  7
  The creature lairs nearby, in a cave filled with the screams of dying men. (T)
  8
  Shigek the Purple blinded the creature when he fought it at sundown, that is why it only goes out at
  night! (T/F)
  9
  I tell you there are two of them! How could Shigek wound it direly yet be carried off in the night? (T)
  10
  The Vizier’s wife is a real slut. You can get her for only coppers. (F)
  11
  The Mazhurians send warriors to kill it too, around this time. Even in this they seek to better us. (T)
  12
  The Cavern is a doorway to hell. Do not enter it! (F)
  13
  The Screaming Caverns must be filled with riches. Even if it had nothing, the armor of twenty times seven
  men! A king’s ransom! (T)
  14
  The Oracle of Iotha answers all questions. (F)
  15
  Only the bravest youths of Iotha are selected to become Champions. (F)
  16
  Water is so scarce in the waste, if you spit in a Mazhurian’s face he will take it as a compliment. (F)
  
  5
  If the PCs are hostile, the Champions might
  threaten violence. Iotha takes the death of its
  champions on the onset of the hunt VERY
  SERIOUSLY and will insist that the PCs take their
  place. A retainer, beloved mount, or prized
  possession will be held hostage to ensure the PCs
  do not run. If all else fails, remind the PCs that Iotha
  is the only civilized settlement within weeks of
  travel.
  The Champions leave in two days. If the PCs do not
  ally with them, they will surely meet them at the
  entrance of the Caverns. If the PCs elect to await
  the outcome of the confrontation, all of the
  Champions except Tion the Archer and Dingol the
  Lame die in the first confrontation.
  #
  CHAMPIONS
  NOTES
  1
  Dingol the Lame: AC 9 [10]; HD 0; hp 3; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d6); THACO 20 [-1]; MV 120’ (40’); SV
  D14, W15, P16, B17, S18 (NH); ML 5; AL N; XP 5
  ● Rags, club
  Watery eyed beggar. Signed on for a bottle of date-
  wine (with the promise of a second bottle).
  2
  Khalid Shigh: AC 1 [18]; HD 5; hp 31; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d8); THACO 17 [+2]; MV 90’ (30’); SV
  D10, W11, P12, B13, S14 (F5); ML 9; AL L; XP 300
  ● Chain mail with Orichalcum Links in pattern of
  Screaming Face (Chain +1) , shield, scimitar,
  spear, dagger.
  ● Special: three doses of blade venom (save vs.
  death or die in 3 turns), two doses of blade
  venom antidote.
  Arrogant young braggart. Quick to challenge
  characters to a duel, calling them cowards if they
  refuse. Offers the anti-dote in exchange for a sworn
  oath to serve him if he succeeds in poisoning one of
  the PCs. Wears an embroidered purple cloak (1,000
  gp) that he swears is the only way to harm the
  creature. If the Maimed One is killed, he attempts to
  leave early and claim all the glory for himself.
  3
  Hazraman the Stone Man: AC 3 [16]; HD 3; hp 35;
  Att 1 x weapon (1d10); THACO 19 [0]; MV 60’
  (20’); SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F3); ML 11; AL L;
  XP 35
  ● Plate mail, halberd.
  Good-natured Karashite. Elaborate caste-tattoos
  cover skin. Gold rings in nose, brows, lips (50 gp).
  Was picked for being a foreigner. Is content to
  follow orders.
  4
  Hadran the Wise: AC 7 [12]; HD 0; hp 5; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d4); THACO 20 [-1]; MV 120’ (40’); SV
  D14, W15, P16, B17, S18 (NH); ML 7; AL L; XP 5
  ● Robes, dagger.
  Sage. (Falsely)Sentenced for Necromancy. Does not
  know any magic but can supply 1d4 rumors worth of
  information.
  5
  Tion the Archer: AC 2 [17]; HD 2; hp 11; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d6); THACO 19 [0]; MV 90’ (30’); SV
  D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F2); ML 8; AL C; XP 20
  ● Banded armor, longbow, longsword, dagger,
  six arrows of Sybarran Steel (+1).
  Cheerful sociopath. Volunteered. Never takes off
  grinning demon mask. Offers to knife Shigh in his
  sleep if the PCs take charge.
  6
  Arhdan the Wise: AC 6 [13]; HD 4; hp 7; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d4); THACO 19 [0]; MV 120’ (40’); SV
  D13, W14, P13, B16, S15 (MU4); ML 8; AL C; XP 125.
  Spells: Magic Missile, Sleep, Invisibility, Web
  ● Robes, Amulet of Protection +1, dagger,
  Potion of Gaseous Form.
  Hedge-sorcerer. Bald, piercing grey eyes. (Correctly)
  sentenced for Necromancy. Offers to join up with
  the PCs if they can think of some way to get out of
  the ordeal. Knows just enough to be terrified.
  7
  Settra the Fearless: AC 5 [14]; HD 1; hp 8; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d4); THACO 19 [0]; MV 90’ (30’); SV
  D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F1); ML 12; AL L; XP 19
  ● Special: Fearless.
  ● Chain mail, 2-handed sword, dagger.
  Supremely confident. Beautiful man. Impetuous.
  Joined on a dare. Unlike any other henchman, he
  gladly volunteers for any suicidal idea the PCs can
  come up with.
  
  6
  IOTHA
  Some referee’s might want to get right down to the
  action, others like a little bit of fleshing out. Feel free
  to alter this or tailor it to fit your home campaign
  setting.
  Iotha is constructed around a lush oasis and is
  situated on the trade route between the city states
  of Gal’Alor in the south and the Free City of Muir in
  the north. It serves as the primary hub for all traffic
  between the two regions, which has made it
  scandalously wealthy.
  Almost 20,000 souls make Iotha their home,
  surrounded by golden minarets, marble domes and
  terraced gardens.  It is ruled by a succession of
  despots who care nothing for the huddled masses
  that make up the bulk of its population and use
  brute force and cruelty to keep order. While no one
  bats an eye if the adventurers kill a commoner (as
  long as it is not in broad daylight), anyone harming
  a merchant, especially a foreign merchant, is
  punished harshly. All goods from the Classic Fantasy
  Rule’s Tome (see Equipment) are available, at 150%
  of the listed price. Rations are double the price,
  unless the merchant knows and is friendly with the
  buyer.
  THE SCREAMING CAVERNS
  A week’s travel by foot from Iotha lie the Screaming
  Caverns. There is a 1 in 6 chance for each day of
  travel of an encounter from the Screaming Caverns
  Encounter Table.
  The Mazhurians avoid the Caverns except on holy
  missions. The clearing around the entrance is
  littered with bent swords, rags, splintered pole arms
  and all manner of detritus from many hard fights.
  There are no bodies. The irregular winding passages
  can be anywhere from 10’ wide and 20’ high to as
  little as 3’ wide.
  Fighting the Sial-Atramentar: A PCs first
  instinct might be to enter the caverns, heedless of
  preparation, and trust on luck and daring to win the
  day. While this means they have their heart in the
  right place, this behavior is dangerous in this
  adventure. If the Maimed One is rolled on the
  Wandering Encounter Table, it means it has heard
  the PCs and always approaches them from a
  direction nearer to the entrance, so as to cut off
  escape. Consider the following:
  ● At least three dead bodies or loud noises (war
  horns or drumming) lures the creature out
  (morale check). In its madness it has forgotten
  its weakness so this WILL work during twilight.
  ● 50% chance it leaves its lair after sundown (it
  has forgotten its weakness but it keeps to its
  habits). 15% chance it leaves on a long journey
  for the tombs outside the city walls.
  ● Anyone wearing a purple cloak will be the
  focus of its ire. It was Shigek, garbed in purple
  cloak, who wounded its mate.
  ● If the party faces the Maimed One with
  overwhelming numerical superiority and it knows
  it can be hurt during twilight it must check
  morale or flee, attempting to avoid
  confrontations during twilight hours from thereon.
  
  7
  ROLL
  ENCOUNTER
  NOTES
  1
  Half-mad screaming prayers for
  deliverance resound through the
  caverns.
  “Tree of God, please deliver us. Let us die! Give us mercy etc.
  etc.”
  2
  Wandering resurrected ones, in a
  daze. (roll type: 1. Sybarran Empire
  men 2. Mazhurians 3. Mercenaries 4.
  Adventurers).
  These men have attempted to fight the Horrors and have fallen,
  only to be brought back by the Maimed One. They act as
  Hasted for every two rounds and as Slowed for every other 2
  rounds, the obscene nature of their rebirth having misaligned
  them with this plane. They seek to destroy what they valued
  most in life, once they achieve this they will collapse into a pile
  of goo.
  1. 1d6 Sybarran Empire Men: AC 2
  [17]; HD 2; hp 11; Att 1 x weapon
  (1d8); THACO 19 [0]; MV 90’ (30’); SV
  D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F2); ML 9; AL
  L; XP 20
  ● Sybarran Steel mail (as Chain +1),
  Sybarran Steel sword (as Sword
  +1), 1d10 pp each.
  Tall, dressed in tattered robes, with faces caked with old gold-
  leaf and braided beards. The Sybarran Steel Mail and weapons
  they bear is still as keen as the day it was forged. They bear their
  suffering with dignity.
  They  plead with the PCs in their Ancient Tongue to fall back or
  suffer their own fate, but will not otherwise take violent action. If
  the characters seem civilized, they ask that a pyre be prepared
  for them, so they may be destroyed utterly, and their nightmare
  can finally end. Anyone armed with weaponry crafted by the
  Great Sybarran Empire causes them to attack, howling with
  uncontrollable rage. Their empire has long since fallen, and thus
  their torment continues.
  This ENCOUNTER OCCURS ONLY ONCE.
  2. 2d6 Mazhurians: AC 7 [12]; HD 1;
  hp 5; Att 1 x weapon (1d4); THACO 19
  [0]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D12, W13, P14,
  B15, S16 (F1); ML 8; AL L; XP 10
  ● Rags, stones, clubs, and 1d6 sp
  each.
  Wiry. Dressed in stained, filthy robes. Eyes stained with kohl. They
  clutch stones and broken weapons. They wander as if in a
  daze.
  If they encounter the party they demand a weapon or piece of
  intact armor, but allow them to pass unmolested if they do so. If
  there are Mazhurians present they fall on them with great
  hatred, seeking to tear them limb from limb. These men retain
  no memory of their Clan and thus wander these cursed
  caverns, seeking for some clue to their ancestry. If the PCs
  somehow figure out where they are from, they can persuade
  them to leave the caverns, to seek out those from where they
  came from, and destroy them.
  3. 1d10 Mercenaries: AC 7 [12]; HD 1;
  hp 5; Att 1 x weapon (by weapon);
  THACO 19 [0]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D12,
  W13, P14, B15, S16 (F1); ML 8; AL N; XP
  10
  ● Tattered leather armor, rapier or
  longsword, halberd, stones,
  hammers, and 1d6 gp
  (forgotten).
  Tattered Leather. Masks of tarnished bronze. Wherever
  epaulettes or ornaments were they have ripped them off. They
  wield bent hammers or rocks. Fine weapons dangle at their
  sides, forgotten even in the fray.
  They seek gold, and to destroy it. They allow PCs to pass
  unmolested if they give any gold they have to them, so they
  can smash it with their weapons, or melt it over their fires, and
  spill it in the sand. They break off pursuit to smash any coins the
  characters leave behind.
  Wandering Monsters Table (1 in 6, roll every Turn):
  
  8
  1. Hell’s Doorway: Screamed prayers on the wind. A
  great mouth set within the rock, the stone around it
  is shaped into unsettling geometric shapes. From
  the stone protrude hands, heads, and arms.
  ● Smashing the stone reveals bones and scraps of
  rotting flesh/meat inside.
  2. Battle site: Torn bodies, splintered shields, bent
  swords and stones painted red with viscera are
  scattered about the area. The outline of monster
  footprints, like the talons of a vast eagle can be
  dimly spotted in the clotted gore.
  ● In their pouches is collected a scattered 35 sp,
  and 14 gp. In a man’s right boot still holding one
  half-rotted foot is a gemstone worth 50 gp.
  3. The “Hive”: Every inch of the cavern is a
  disjointed, sculpted mess of cubes, tetrahedrons,
  and dodecahedrons. Not a single formation of
  natural rock remains. Screaming men are
  entombed in the stone, only glimpses of naked
  flesh, faces and arms,  are observed amid and
  protruding from the rock. They moan piteously or
  cry out for deliverance.
  ● Most of the men are mad, but some still retain
  enough sanity to communicate.
  ● One is the the merchant Kismet.
  Kismet: AC 9 [10]; HD 1; hp 7; Att 1 x weapon (by
  weapon); THACO 19 [0]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D12, W13,
  P14, B15, S16 (F1); ML 5; AL L; XP 10
  ● Kismet tells PCs what he knows of the Maimed
  One, but only if they chisel him free (takes three
  turns and makes so much noise it doubles the
  chance of a random encounter). He urges the
  party to flee, but joins them if they insist on
  staying. He pays them 100 gp each upon his
  safe return in Iotha.
  ● His discussions with other inmates have taught
  him much. He reveals two things; 1) The
  Maimed One has dragged many men dressed
  in robes of purple to be entombed here. The
  creature never had any visible injuries.  2) There
  are two creatures, the Maimed One who can
  bring men back from death, and the Many-
  Faced One who can shape stone like water.
  4. Adventurers (see Notes).
  Familiar faces, locked in torment, in tattered rags, bearing
  broken weapons.
  Use this encounter if the PCs have previously lost henchmen,
  retainers or any other type of NPC, or have discovered and
  defeated a rival NPC party. It is 50% likely the adventurers retain
  any special equipment they possessed. If this is not applicable,
  they encounter Shigek the Purple instead (see Area #4).
  3
  2d6 Mazhurian Hunting Party: AC 7
  [12]; HD 1; hp 5; Att 1 x weapon
  (1d6); THACO 19 [0]; MV 120’ (40’);
  SV D12, W13, P14, B15, S16 (F1); ML
  8; AL L; XP 10
  ● Padded robes, short swords,
  darts, and 1d6 gp each.  They
  are led by a Champion.
  Champion: AC 4 [15]; HD 3; hp 17;
  Att 1 x weapon (1d4+1); THACO 19
  [0]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D12, W13,
  P14, B15, S16 (F3); ML 10; AL L; XP
  50
  ● Suit of tanned dusk stalker hide
  (Leather +1), shard of
  indestructible black glass (as
  Dagger +1), scrimshawed
  bone jewelry (species
  unknown, 150 gp).
  Wiry men, almost desiccated beneath thin brown robes the
  color of the waste, with skin grey as ash and eyes of flint. Voices
  are guttural rasps.
  The leader walks with his face uncovered. Eye-sockets are
  painted with red kohl. Ritual scarring on cheeks.
  4
  The Maimed One (see New
  Monster).
   If this result is rolled it attempts to (75%) approach from the
  direction of the entrance.
  
  9
  4. Shigek the Purple: A solitary figure stands in the
  middle of the cavern, illuminated by a single
  candle. A crude art piece of a great tree is painted
  on a cavern’s rock face with viscera. Torches,
  candles and flasks of oil lie strewn throughout the
  cavern.
  ● 13 torches, 34 candles and 8 flasks of oils are
  strewn throughout the cavern. No other
  possessions remain.
  Once a Slayer of Monsters, now a protector, twisted
  in half-life. His gold-embroidered cloak of purple is
  tattered and threadbare and his eyes are glazed.
  His smile is kind. Atrocity has become a close
  companion to him, and he has learned to accept it
  as one would a mad child. He attacks ferociously,
  with complete disregard for defense.
  Shigek the Purple: AC 9 [10]; HD 7; hp 43; Att 1 x
  weapon (1d8+1); THACO 14 [+5]; MV 120’ (40’); SV
  D8, W9, P10, B10, S12 (F7); ML 10; AL L; XP 850
  ● Str 15 Dex 17 Con 13 Int 13 Wis 5 Cha 13
  ● Special; Shigek gets a +2 bonus to attack and
  suffers a -2 penalty to AC when he attacks.
  ● Singer (+1 scimitar, every blow is an ululating
  prayer to Old Gods), threadbare purple cloak
  (gold embroidery worth 75 gp), dried Scorpion
  Amulet (negates three Polymorph spells on the
  bearer, then turns to dust).
  This is the legendary hero Shigek the Purple. By the
  hideous inversion of the resurrection process, he
  must protect both Sial-Atramentar with his life, but is
  under no obligation to kill to do so. He will ask the
  characters to leave and only resorts to violence
  when all other options are exhausted. He does not
  hurry overmuch and gladly converses with the
  characters if that gets them to leave without
  violence. Though he never directly reveals the
  weaknesses of his masters, he answers any
  questions of his fate or anything that is in the cave.
  Continued
  
  10
  If Shigek is killed, there is a flat 25% chance he will
  be returned to life every day as long as The
  Maimed One is still alive. He does not resent the
  PCs for his death if they meet again.
  5. Shrine: A magnificent bas-relief, partially
  obscured with thick dust, covers the east and
  western walls.
  ● The craftsmanship is super-humanly precise.
  ● East: A hundred god-like figures; tall and
  glorious, lead their million-strong legions of
  animal-headed soldiers against hordes of
  wretched men and sorcerers, driving them
  before them.
  ● West: Dust covers most of the carving. The bas-
  relief shows a terrible fire devouring the gods
  and the bulk of their host, and only a few of the
  host remain, terribly maimed, fleeing into the
  depths of the earth. One falcon-headed statue
  bearing a hook-shaped staff is prominently
  among the survivors, limping and malformed.
  ● If the dust is brushed away; a second figure,
  four handed, many headed, is unveiled.
  ● The information on this mural should be
  enough to learn the true nature of the
  adversary if a sage is consulted. A rubbing
  of the key elements or a very careful
  description suffices for a sage to glean the
  information.
  ● If the west relief is removed in full and
  transported, while protected from the
  elements, it would fetch a considerable sum
  (2,000 gp). A trained stone-mason and at
  least ten man-hours would be needed to
  chisel it free, with 50% - each point of
  dexterity of the highest score among the
  workers that the bas-relief is destroyed in the
  process. Those thinking of cutting it out in
  smaller slabs lower its value by 25% but
  reduce the base chance to 30%.
  6. Inner Sanctum: The entire cavern has been
  sculpted into grotesque cubic shapes. No stalactite
  or boulder is left untouched. Strewn throughout are
  countless coins, segments of masonry, broken pillars
  and pieces of statues.
  ● The Many-Faced One is here and attacks
  immediately.
  ● Every round of combat has a 25% chance of
  bringing the Maimed One into the fray in 1d4
  rounds if it is still alive. If the Many-Faced One is
  slain before the Maimed One arrives, it enters
  the chamber 1d10 rounds after its death, and
  gains +2 to hit and damage due to berserk fury.
  ● If the party takes the time to gather all the
  coins, they find a total of 5,000 cp, 15,000 sp,
  2,000 ep, 2,000 gp and 500 pp in the
  denominations of empires, many long gone.
  Mixed between the coins can be found a
  several cut amethysts (50 gp, 100 gp, 250 gp,
  and 500 gp) and a torque of Sybarran Steel
  worth 1,000 gp. Other treasure includes a
  broken two handed sword with an ornate hilt
  (100 gp) that is actually set with a precious
  stone that acts as a Scarab of Protection. A +1
  Spear made from the tooth of some long-
  extinct behemoth, a knife of purple glass (as
  Deiophage weapon), the Golden Mail of
  Isarithon (Cursed chain mail, always AC 9) and
  a set of jade platters (300 gp and any poison set
  upon them are neutralized).
  CONCLUSION
  In the event that the heroes discover the weakness
  of BOTH the creatures and slay them, they gain
  great fame, and can expect the gratitude of the
  city from thereon out. Not only do they receive
  1,000 gp per person, but from thereon out all
  merchants within Iotha will offer them a 10%
  discount on anything they buy within the confines
  of the city.
  If the heroes only manage to slay the Maimed One
  they can expect a similar reward, as the city only
  knows of one of the creatures. However, at some
  later date, when it is most inconvenient, the Many-
  faced One will show up to avenge its mate.
  If the heroes are so foolish as to slaughter the Many
  Faced One but leave the Maimed One alive it will
  hunt them to the ends of the earth. Put it on any
  overland encounter table and dungeon table until
  it is dealt with.
  
  11
  The Sial-Atramentar
  The Gods are dead but their presence lingers.
  When they burned on the plains of Sriatus, now a
  terrible desert of Glass, their million-fold host of
  golden servants burned with them. They were the
  Sial-Atramentar, however not all perished with their
  masters. Maimed and maddened, they fled
  yowling into the depths of the earth to nurse their
  wounds and their bitter rage. Great statues of
  unbreakable adamant, with heads of beasts and
  heroes and graceful long limbs, now they are
  corroded, deformed, their chiming voices like
  tearing metal. Horrors all but a few have forgotten.
  The Aegis: So that they could be their invincible
  soldiers, the Gods gave unto each of the Sial-
  Atramentar the Greater Aegis, rendering them
  proof against all harm. But fearing rebellion, each
  of them was given a single flaw in their
  impenetrable defenses.
  The Sial-Atramentar have 100% magic resistance
  and can only be wounded by Deiophage
  weapons, divine creatures or weapons of +4
  enchantment or above. If the conditions of their
  flaw are met, these protections do not apply.
  Very often the Sial-Atramentar are not privy to their
  flaws. Only 1 in 10 knows its weakness and retains
  enough sanity to act intelligently upon it. It is often
  the doom of such creatures that they give hints to
  their weakness in the very actions they take to
  protect themselves. Otherwise divination or some
  very rare few scholars are able to find the
  weakness. It is up to the GM to arbitrate if any
  particular case meets the conditions.
  Special Attacks: The Sial-Atramentar were once the
  servants, warriors, bodyguards, healers and scholars
  of the gods. Most retain the abilities that they were
  endowed with to carry out those tasks, often
  twisted or damaged in the Calamity that took their
  masters from them. Unerring arrows of light, visages
  that turn men to stone, skin hot like the surface of
  the sun or the ability to raise great storms, these are
  but a smattering of the powers at their disposal.
  NEW MONSTER
  #
  Sample Flaws
  1
  May only be struck by men of royal blood (specific bloodline for high-ranking Sial-Atramentar).
  2
  May only be struck by siblings, man and woman, striking simultaneously.
  3
  May only be struck by those facing the creature naked.
  4
  Only impious men can harm the creature.
  5
  May only be wounded by men under the effect of strong drink.
  6
  Only cowards can harm the creature.
  7
  May only be struck while immersed in the water of the seas.
  8
  Can be struck while neither inside nor outside.
  9
  Can only be struck while it is under conditions of extreme emotion (reverence, awe, anger).
  10
  Can only be wounded by the extremely beautiful (or people that appear to be so).
  11
  Can only be wounded by those who are ugly.
  12
  Only during a full moon can it be slain.
  13
  Can only be harmed in sequence, by people riding or carrying various exotic animals (i.e. tiger, then
  dromedary, then elephant. If an error is made the cycle resets).
  14
  Any two conditions, even if seemingly contradictory.
  15
  Can be wounded but those slaying it must profess sincere regret at the deed or else they turn into the
  creature over a period of 1d10 days.
  16
  Can only be entombed in molten gold, will remain dead for as long as condition persists.
  17
  Every blow or spell must be accompanied by several sentences of ritual denouncement, in Old
  Sybarrese, in iambic pentameter.
  18
  Immune, but any mistletoe thrown at it acts as a +5 Spear. Displays general antipathy to forests.
  19
  Can only be wounded by another of its kind. Hates its kind.
  20
  Can only be killed by a meteor.
  
  12
  The Maimed One (Asiremdishibon)
  AC 5 [14]; HD 5; hp 33; Att 2 x crushing blow (1d8);
  THACO 14 [+5]; MV 60’ (20’); SV D10, W11, P12, B13,
  S14 (5); ML 9; AL C; XP 425
  Once a great healer and scholar, now a maimed
  monster that brings ruin to those it once healed. 14’
  tall, with skin of blackened gold, one side is
  deformed like molten wax. It limps and lumbers,
  and its graceful limbs lash out with the force of a
  battering ram.
  The Maimed One can only be harmed in the hours
  of twilight, from the second that the sun touches
  the horizon to the moment the last sliver of sunlight
  falls upon the earth in whatever region it dwells. It is
  vulnerable both outside and inside while structures
  last, it does not need to see the sunlight.
  It retains parts of the gift of healing. It may return
  any creature back to life with the following
  changes: the creature loses one point of Con, its
  alignment is reversed (L now becomes C), it acts as
  if hasted for two rounds and slowed for the next 2
  rounds and it attempts to destroy or undo anything
  it valued in life, be it people, objects or even an
  abstract concept. If it ever achieves this goal it
  dissolves into a puddle of protoplasm, its unlife at
  an end. Note: These creatures are not considered
  undead and can’t be turned.
  In addition, it may inflict Cause Serious Wounds at
  will. There is a 15% chance this acts like a Cure
  Serious Wounds instead.
  The Many-Faced One
  AC 5 [14]; HD 4; hp 28; Att 4 x crushing blow (1d4);
  THACO 16 [+3]; MV 120’ (40’); SV D10, W11, P12,
  B13, S14 (4); ML 9; AL C; XP 300
  Once a great builder, with the power to shape-
  stone with a thought, it stands 12’ tall. Its silver skin is
  unblemished, its six arms and three faces are those
  of heroes. Its eyes have been marred by vicious
  cuts that split the silver. It moves very carefully,
  cocking its head to catch the faintest noise.
  The Many-Faced One can be harmed only by
  those wearing robes or cloaks of imperial purple. No
  other color will suffice. Purple is an expensive dye,
  and depending on the region such an object costs
  at least 100 gp to procure, or might be unavailable
  entirely!
  The Many-Faced One wields the Gift of the
  Anagakhorem, shaping stone like wax. It can use
  Move Stone (as Move Earth but on Stone), Passwall
  and Transmute Rock to Mud and its reverse at will. If
  it hits a target, it attempts to entomb them in a
  nearby rock-face. The creature must make a saving
  throw vs petrification or be entombed in the rock. It
  requires 1d4 turns to chisel those entombed (two
  turns if one person is working or one turn for two
  people working). Every hour creatures remain
  immured they must save vs death or take 1d6
  points of damage.
  In addition to its vulnerability, the Many-Faced One
  is blind, taking a -2 penalty to all attack rolls, with an
  additional -2 penalty if it is deafened (loud noises or
  a silence spell will suffice).
  Not for us the quiet dwindling of old age
  Not for us the gentle death in bed
  Mankind dies on its feet
  Screaming and bellowing.
  
  13
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  System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the
  Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich
  Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell,
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  LEGAL
  
  Requires Old-School Essentials Core Rules.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Old-School Essentials BX Essentials/Old-School Essentials Adventures & Settings/The Palace of Unquiet Repose Deluxe (OSE).pdf