TEXT:            ~Scions of Adartu~
                           ~Swords and Secrets in Dipur~
  The World of Xoth is copyright (C) 2008-2016, Morten Braten and Xoth.Net Publishing. It is used in 
  this work with permission
  Overview
  The characters are caught up in a plot to oust the Khazistani rulers from the city of Dipur. The 
  plotters are the 'Scions of Adartu', a clandestine group who work towards the return of an exiled a 
  Royal family. First, the characters must enter the deserted tower of a Sorceror and then inﬁltrate 
  the catacombs of the long abandoned temple of Baal Khardah to retrieve an ancient scroll.The 
  situation becomes somewhat more complicated when the 'Kardeslik', agents of the Khazistani 
  rulers, become involved. There are several characters and locations referred to in the adventure 
  whose descriptions and statistics can be found in the PDFs for Dipur - Gateway to the East and 
  Shadow of the Ragged King. Each of these is hosted by Morten/Thulsa on xoth.net publishing.
  • A Glossary can be found on the ﬁnal pages of this adventure giving the names of all persons in 
  the adventure, accompanied by a very brief description.
  THE BLOOD QUEEN OF ADARTU
  Lakarsha ﬁrst reigned in Dipur some six hundred years ago, when it was still known as Adartu. The 
  wife of King Jalmesh, she was a vain woman of middling years who desperately wished to regain 
  the beauty she had been renowned for in her youth.
  Her servants journeyed far and wide in search of an answer to this most pressing of issues and 
  ﬁnally, one returned bearing some musty scrolls from a hidden temple on the mountain plateau of 
  Ong.
  These parchments, The Elder Scrolls of Xarozh, described a ritual that would grant her both 
  eternal youth and beauty. She quite happily murdered the virgin girls that the ritual required, both 
  bathing in and consuming their lifeblood to attain immortality. In doing so, she achieved what she 
  sought but became something less than human in the process, a blood drinking demon who would 
  go on to murder her own husband and steal the crown of Adartu for herself.
  She was feared and worshipped as a Goddess of Blood and Death, to the consternation of the Cult 
  of Baal Khardah who found that their power was greatly diminished in Adartu.
  The monstrous sacriﬁces of young virgins continued, fuelling the Dark Queen's undying beauty and 
  the folk of Adartu became notorious as slave raiders, desperately trying to appease their undying 
  ruler. The victims of her unatural thirst were doomed to return from beyond the grave as ﬂesh 
  eating revenants, destined to serve their mistress in perpetuity and the palace, on it's rocky perch, 
  became a place of blood soaked nightmare.
  Lakarsha had ruled for almost three hundred years when the priests of Baal Khardah ﬁnally ended 
  her reign as Blood Queen. Her place in the crypt of her murdered husband had lain vacant for 
  centuries and the Priests of the Sun God had secretly excavated a further chamber behind it. They 
  stormed the Royal Palace and put her mortal followers to the sword before dealing with such ghoul 
  spawn as she had created. Finally, they imprisoned the Queen herself within a stone sarcophagus, 
  a slim skewer of silver hammered through her heart to keep her pinned in place while they worked 
  potent sorceries to imprison her. Finally the casket was sealed with molten silver and a fake 
  sarcophagus and body placed in the outer part of the tomb. The fake sarcophagus was likewise 
  sealed with silver and etched with fake copies of the sorcerous wards that held the undead Queen 
  captive.
  
  Scions of the Line of Tamnesh since the Sack of Adartu
  King Nahaburam(Died at the Battle of the Oxartus), Queen Naramuti(Fled with children) 
  King Nabaram. The First Exile King married Princess Golamar of Belthaar
  King Golkaram. The Second Exile King married Princess Belteshi of Hamgatana
  King Golkaresh. TheThird and 'current' Exile King is unmarried and with no successor.
  THE EXILE KING
  A hundred years have passed since the Battle of the Oxartus River and the death of King 
  Nahaburam of Adartu. Queen Naramuti ﬂed with her infant child Naharam, over the Kharjah Pass, 
  to the city of Belthaar and the protection of her brother, King Golshattar. She assumed for her son, 
  the title of Exile King and until the day she died, she sponsored revolts and plots against the 
  Khazistanis who had dared to rename her City of Adartu as Dipur.
  Three generations have passed and the Khazistanis yet rule in Adartu. Golkaresh, the great 
  grandson of Queen Naramuti and as yet unmarried, holds the title of the current Exile King.
  His cousin, King Simashattar is becoming increasingly agitated by the presence of Golkaresh in his 
  city. He is currently involved in a war with the cities of Zhaol and Ghezath and rumours of an 
  impending invasion by the Khazistanis are rife. Golkaresh fears that his royal cousin 'might' just sell 
  him to the Khazistanis in order to avert, or at least delay, such an event. He has already made an 
  approach for sanctuary to another cousin, King Baalturam of Hamgatana. Baalturam, however, has 
  his own problems with the threat of expansionist Taraam and does not wish to invite the enmity of 
  Khazistan as well. Thus Golkaresh's plea has been refused and the Exile King faces the very real 
  prospect of being left without sanctuary.
  Twenty years have passed since his father, Golkaram, planned and executed the successful 
  assassination of the Khazistani Satrap of Dipur through his agents, the Scions of Adartu. The 
  popuar uprising that was supposed to accompany this action was poorly supported and sporadic. 
  The Black Guard and Khazistani Lancers swept through the city streets, leaving that rising in 
  tattered bloody ruins. Now Golkaram, like his grandfather before him, has gone to the afterlife and 
  every plot contrived since then has been an abject failure, the plotters meeting a grisly fate in the 
  Square of the Grand Souk, torn asunder by wild horses. 
  The recent arrival of Narek Ghul at the court in Belthaar has given the Exile King new hope. Even if 
  this newcomer's plans seem tinged with madness, Golkaresh has reached the point of desperation 
  and is willing to throw in his lot with the Sorceror.
  
  THE NECROMANCER
  Many years before our tale begins, a youth named Valni was made apprentice to a sorcerer of 
  Dipur named Xantalos. This sorceror, a Lamuran, made his home in a high tower of green stone, 
  surrounded by a walled garden that lay on the edge of the Square of the Grand Souk. He was 
  greatly feared by the folk of the city and they avoided the tower and his garden as much as was 
  humanly possible. 
  An orphan and street urchin, desperation had led Valni to attempt to plunder the wealth of the 
  Sorceror's tower. He had been captured by the demonic guardians of the tower and only the 
  misanthropic Sorceror's need for a servant had given the boy's life some worth.
  For more than a decade Valni served Xantalos as an errand boy and cook, gleaning some little 
  knowledge and skill from merely observing his master. Finally, the old man noticed Valni's aptitude 
  for the dark arts and his, decades long, training as an apprentice began.
  Xantalos had long been researching the legend of Lakarsha, the Blood Queen of Adartu, when one 
  day he suddenly packed a satchel and departed the city with his apprentice in tow. The Sorceror 
  had ﬁnally deduced the whereabouts of the fragments of the Elder Scrolls of Xarozh and was 
  setting off to obtain the ﬁrst of them from the Great Temple of Baal Khardah in Hamgatana.
  The Lamuran perished in his attempt to obtain the fragment, slain by the warrior priests of that 
  temple, but the devious Valni managed to evade a similar fate to his master and escaped with the 
  ancient manuscript still intact.
  A second fragment of the ancient manuscript was known to have been passed down through the 
  generations of the Royal Line of Tamnesh Adartu and thus it was that Valni journeyed to Belthaar 
  to seek an audience with Golkaresh. He assumed the name Narek Ghul and convinced the Exile 
  King that he should part with the scroll, claiming that he had no desire for temporal power and 
  wished only to study the secrets therein. In return for the use of his fragment, Narek Ghul claimed 
  that he would use the Blood Queen as a weapon to oust the Khazistani invaders and return 
  Golkaresh to his rightful place upon the throne of Adartu. Golkaresh knew full well the legend of his 
  ancestor and secretly dreaded what might happen upon her return, but Narek Ghul was persuasive 
  and managed to convince him that as a master of the Necromantic arts, he possessed the power 
  and ability to bend Lakarsha to his will.
  PROPOSED ADVENTURE PATH
  Scene1) 
  The adventure will commence in the Square of the Grand Souk in the city of Dipur. It is Market day 
  and the square is thronged with people. The PCs are taking in the sights and sounds of the square 
  and they are likely to encounter Farozh the Madman(see his description in Dipur- Gateway to the 
  East). 
  They are hailed by Rostam Baros, the barber surgeon. He is looking for men to help out an 
  associate of his to carry out a rather delicate and somewhat dangerous job and they (The PCs) 
  look like exactly the fellows he needs.
  As they are talking, a group of masked men burst into his tent. There is one for each of the player 
  characters and another for Rostam Baros.
  After the ﬁght, Rostam compliments them on their skill and tells them that they should meet with a 
  man named Jarku at the Inn of the Gilded Palm that evening. Then he tells them to make 
  themselves scarce. The Black Guard will be along promptly and he can most likely get himself, but 
  not necessarily them, out of trouble.
  The attackers are hired thugs, sent by Arbeletu, to kill Rostam for selling information to Lady Miru 
  of the Kardeslik. (Use Jahwar's Thugs stat block from 'The Necromancer's Knife' in SGB). It should 
  be noted that Rostam has no idea who the Kardeslik are, or even of their existence. He simply 
  sells tidbits of information to a courtesan named 'Lady Miru' and believes that she requires it for 
  purposes of blackmail. Why else would a wealthy courtesan require such knowledge? Arbeletu 
  does not believe that the Barber is not involved with the Kardeslik and is hell bent on his demise.
  
  Scene 2) 
  At the inn of the Gilded Palm the characters ﬁnd themselves fawned over by a pretty, plump and 
  rather buxom serving wench named Arbeletu. Observant characters will notice that they are being 
  glared at by a 'down at heel' looking Susrahnite in faded merchant garb. The fellow is Dalram Baal, 
  brother of a wealthy local merchant, but who has fallen upon hard times.
  If they sit in the taproom, they will witness a slightly overweight Susrahnite remonstrating with 
  several villainous looking Zorabis about their presence. While nothing to do with this adventure, 
  this little tableau might serve to introduce the proprietor, Aram Anshal, to the characters and lead to 
  a potential introduction to Haram Baal(The Shadow of the Ragged King) or Borak 
  Cham(Dipur:Gateway to the East)
  If they ﬁnd themselves in the dining room they are likely to observe a beautiful, dark haired, woman 
  dining alone. A stocky Nabastissean looms in the background. (These are Lady Miru and Dolthas, 
  her bodyguard and occasional lover.) Observant characters may notice that the woman seems 
  more interested in the goings on around her than in her meal and that she, in turn is being watched 
  closely by the rather buxom serving wench. As soon as she realises that Arbeletu is watching her, 
  Lady Miru rises and throws several silver coins onto the table before departing hastily.(Lady Miru is 
  an agent of the Satrap's Mother and actively working against the Scions of Adartu. Although she 
  has no further role to play in this adventure, her stats and those of her bodyguard are provided.)
  A man in tatty brown robes and a wide brimmed straw hat sits alone in a dark corner of the 
  Taproom, curiously avoided by all others. This is Narek Ghul, the Necromancer. He will not make 
  contact with the characters before Jarku has met with them and assessed their suitability for the 
  task at hand.
  It is at this point that Jarku will arrive. He has been briefed by Rostam as to whom he is to meet. 
  He tells the characters that he is acting as a procurer of services for a wealthy patron and they 
  have been highly recomended to him by Rostam Baros. His patron needs to hire men to enter the 
  Garden of Xantalos and break into the Sorceror's tower to remove any guardians that remain 
  within. Narek Ghul wishes to claim the tower for his own, but the previous resident was rumoured 
  to be a Necromancer of great power. If they prove up to the task, further employment awaits them 
  for the same patron with a pouch containing 50 gold coins each as their payment.
  If the characters can enter the tower, search it thoroughly and survive encounters with the 
  remaining guardians, they will ﬁnd Narek Ghul waiting outside for them with their payment. This is 
  to provide a test of their capabilities and to leave the Tower suitable for habitation by it's new 
  master.
  Scene 3)
  After leaving the tower, the characters follow Narek Ghul back to the Gilded Palm where they are 
  taken into the cellars to attend a secret meeting of the Scions of Adartu. It is at this point that they 
  ﬁnd that they are to be initiated into the group. Fate however has a further hand to play.
  The roles played by the main NPCs will become readily apparent as Arbeletu leads the group to 
  reafﬁrm their vows of loyalty to the Exile King and secrecy. Jarku glares at Dalram malevolently 
  and he, in turn, glares at any PC who may have taken Arbeletu's fancy. There are roughly a score 
  of young men gathered in the cellar to hear the latest commands of the Exile King, as delivered to 
  them by his messenger, the sorceror Narek Ghul.
  
  The characters may well be very unhappy about having to join this organisation, they know nothing 
  about it after all. They need not fear though, because the 'cavalry'(of sorts) is about to arrive.
  Just as the characters are informed that they too will have to be initiated as members of the Scions 
  and take the 'Oath of the Bloody Red Hand', the meeting is interrupted by the news that the Black 
  Guard have surrounded the Gilded Palm.
  Most of the Scions charge up the stairs into the inn and a bloody ﬁght ensues as the Black Guard 
  attempt to force their way inside. Arbeletu, Dalram, Jarku, Narek Ghul, the characters and several 
  others depart the cellar by means of the secret passage that leads into Jamukha's Ostlery. 
  However, it soon becomes clear that there are Watchmen stationed all around and any escape will 
  probably involve having to ﬁght a number of them.
  A patrol of ﬁve guardsmen will intervene as the group exits Jamukha's Stables and they will have 
  to be dealt with quickly, before they can raise the alarm and alert a further two patrols who rush to 
  their aid from nearby.
  The characters should be urged not to become embroiled in a stand up ﬁght at this point. They are 
  horribly outnumbered by the watchmen and are likely be killed or captured as further patrols arrive 
  to support their fellows. The statistics for the Black Guard can be found in the PDF for Dipur - 
  Gateway to the East.
  Scene 4)
  In the shadowy alleys of the Dives, the small group of fugitives huddle and wait for the hue and cry 
  to abate. It is the dead of night and Narek Ghul has convinced the remnant of the Scions that they 
  must carry out the Exile King's plans this very night. By morning, the Khazistanis will have tortured 
  their identities out of any prisoners from the Gilded Palm and if the characters want to be paid, then 
  they too will have to comply. Much to his annoyance, Arbeletu insists that Dalram and she will also 
  enter the Temple of Baal Khardah. Jarku will return to watch the Gilded Palm and seek to contact 
  any others who might have avoided capture. Although jealous that Arbeletu has chosen Dalram to 
  accompany her into the temple, his sense of self preservation makes him amenable to the plan.
  There are ﬁve Back Guards (a standard watch patrol from Dipur - Gateway to the East), guarding 
  the main entrance to the Temple. They are not particularly observant and a couple of them are 
  dozing on the steps of the great pyramid. Attempts to sneak up on them are quite Simple(+20%). 
  Fights between the various gangs of the city are commonplace in the Square of the Grand Souk. 
  Even the great plaza before the Temple of Baal Khardah has seen it's fair share of nocturnal strife. 
  Any struggle that involves the characters will not attract any more than momentary notice from 
  others in the immediate vicinity, before they decide that it is none of their business. Although the 
  characters will not be aware of this, it will be dawn before a relief patrol discovers the bodies(or 
  lack thereof) at the Temple entrance and raises the alarm.
  
  WHAT COMES AFTER...
  Depending on the needs and wishes of the Gamesmaster for his Adventure or Campaign, entering 
  the Temple of Baal Khardah and it's crypts could produce all manner of dire consequences for the 
  player characters.
  Releasing the Blood Queen from her torpor is the endgame for the Scions of Adartu and despite 
  the obvious madness of such a course of action, everything they do will be aimed towards 
  advancing this cause. Killing Lakarsha at this point will be difﬁcult, but not impossible and will 
  certainly be easier to do than if and when she eventually recovers her sanity.
  Narek Ghul cares not whether the quest to resurrect the Blood Queen succeeds or fails. Should 
  she be slain, he will be delighted as long as he can get his gnarled hands on the last fragment of 
  the Elder Scrolls of Xarozh. If she survives he truly believes that he can control her, for a time, so 
  long as his hirelings can keep her occupied long enough for him to employ his magicks.
  Should he be successful in both raising and controlling the Blood Queen, he returns to the Tower of 
  Xantalos and sets about duplicating the ritual from the Elder Scrolls of Xarozh. 
  The characters will then be tasked with delivering the news of Lakarsha's resurrection to 
  Golkaresh. King Simashattar III will be overjoyed to learn that his cousin will be leaving Belthaar 
  and will reward them handsomely for delivering the happy tidings. 
  They may well now have to escort the now somewhat reticent King Golkaresh back to Adartu/Dipur 
  and an unknown fate at the hands of his risen ancestor.
  The Vizier, Wo Peng, has consecrated his own place of power in the abandoned temple. Anyone 
  who touches the Jade Dragon statuette will release the guardian and will have a serious problem 
  their hands. 
  If they somehow defeat the guardian, the statuette will reappear. If picked up again, it will collapse 
  into a mound of green dust that stains the thief's hands indelibly. This will alert Wo Peng and Ku 
  Kao Chou to the fact that their temple is compromised. They will most likely blame the treacherous 
  Azam (see the Shadow of the Ragged King) and will immediately set out to have the Khazrajite 
  murdered. Balchak's Black Guard will be ordered to scour the city to locate and detain a man with 
  green hands.
  Should the characters be foolish enough to linger within the temple or crypts after the sun rises, the 
  dead, or missing, guards will have been discovered. The characters will have to face down scores 
  of Khazistani soldiers as the Kardeslik, under the Lady Ekrimala, swarm into the temple to deal 
  with the remaining Scions of Adartu. Fortunately, there is a second, as yet, undiscovered secret 
  passage leading from the catacombs to a small cave near the banks of the Oxartus river. This was 
  the escape route used by the Priesthood and the Royal family when they abandoned Adartu to go 
  into exile a century earlier.
  Following the night's events, surviving members of the Scions of Adartu are rounded up and 
  incarcerated beneath the Black Kasbah to await their eventual execution. Jarku will keep a low 
  proﬁle for a time before resuming his business as a lotus peddler. He seems to have avoided the 
  attentions of the Kardeslik for the time being, or has he possibly cut a deal to keep his freedom?
  
  The Sign of the Gilded Palm
  The Street of the Desert Gate is the main thoroughfare from the Desert Gate to the Square of the 
  Grand Souk. In the daylight hours it is thronged with travellers, traders and farmers, making their 
  way to the Square from villages of the Oxartus valley.
  The Gilded Palm, located on the Street of the Desert Gate, was once renowned as the ﬁnest 
  establishment in all of Dipur. The owner and head cook is Aram Anshal, a Susrahnite and a close 
  personal friend of Haram Baal(see The Shadow of a Ragged King). Such is it's reputation that 
  wealthy travellers are, or at least were, happy to pay over the odds to sample the culinary delights 
  on offer here.
  The truth is that the inn's fortunes are now very much in decline. The frescoes upon the interior 
  walls are old and faded and it has been several years since the outer walls have seen a coat of 
  whitewash. The whole place has an air of faded splendour about it, even the bronze ﬁxtures have 
  greened with age and the gold leaf has been picked off. The staff has been reduced to four 
  employees and these have not seen pay in months.
  The inn can cater for up to a dozen guests at any time, though these days Aram is lucky to have a 
  half that number at any given time. The quality of the food has declined as Aram uses cheaper 
  sources, lesser cuts of meat and skimps on portions. To make matters worse, there are always 
  several Zorabi rogues sitting in the Taproom, looking suspicious and making the clientele ill at 
  ease.
  Aram has an agreement with Jamukha the Ostler, whose stables lie directly behind the inn. A 
  nights stay at the Gilded Palm thus includes stabling and fodder for a single steed or camel.
  A number of young Susrahnites have taken to holding meetings in the cellar of the Gilded Palm. 
  They are the sons of local merchants and Aram has been led to believe that they are forming a 
  Mercantile Cartel. He does not know that they are, in fact, seditious rebels. He is unaware that 
  Arbeletu, his maid, is their leader and that the handful of staff who have remained are actually loyal 
  to her and not him. Still, they pay in silver and Aram does not question their need for secrecy.
  A secret tunnel has been excavated, without Aram Anshal's knowledge. It leads from the cellar and 
  surfaces in one of the horse stalls of Jamukha's Ostlery. Jamukha, a native of Sarnad, has been 
  paid well, in Susrahnite gold, for his silence.
  
  The Tower of Xantalos
  Narek Ghul has no interest whatsoever in the aspirations of the Scions but believes that these loyal 
  servants of the Exile King may prove useful to his schemes at a later time.
  His scheme is to recruit a motley assortment of adventurers to help him gain access to the Tower 
  of Xantalos. He is aware that the tower is trapped and that it's guardians, if they are yet bound 
  there, are likely to be ravenous.This test is merely to check the suitability of the characters for the 
  main part of his plot, which is to gain access to the Catacombs beneath the Temple of Baal 
  Khardah and locate the lost crypt of Lakarsha.
  Once Narek Ghul has assessed the abilities of the characters, he will make further plans with the 
  Scions. Their leader, Arbeletu, will make arrangements for her followers to distract the Black 
  Guards on watch at the Temple of Baal Khardah to allow the characters and the Necromancer to 
  gain entrance.
  Narek Ghul never reveals that he once resided in the tower but, instead, pretends that he has 
  merely heard that it was once the abode of a powerful magician,but is now long abandoned. He 
  tells the Player Characters of great wealth and knowledge that is rumoured to lie within, waiting for 
  those with the wit and courage to enter the tower and obtain it.
  The tower itself looms over the southern edge of the Plaza of Baal Khardaah. It is over a hundred 
  and ﬁfty feet tall and constructed of green stone. Local legends have it that the sorcerer who dwelt 
  within was a demonologist and necromancer of great power, who summoned forth the Ifreeti of the 
  mountains to build the tower in the space of a single night. There are none left alive in Dipur who 
  are aged enough to conﬁrm or deny this local legend.
  The high wall that surrounds both tower and garden is, likewise, constructed of the same green 
  stone. The wall is some twelve feet high, it's parapet three feet wide. Those attempting to scale the 
  wall will ﬁnd it's surface to be glassy and lacking in toe or hand holds. It would be a difﬁcult 
  Athletics Test(-20%) to scale it without the aid of an accomplice or appropriate climbing gear.
  Ne'er do wells dare not even approach the walls since the disappearance of Ûtesh the 
  Silvertongued, a master thief who had bragged of how he would enter the tower to obtain both it's 
  secrets and it's treasures.
  People tend to walk on the other side of the street as they pass the garden wall. There are 
  whispers that the garden itself hungers and that it sends vines like ropey tendrils over the wall, in 
  the dead of night, to snatch up any unwitting drunk that strays too close. Many folk know of 
  someone who has witnessed this very occurrence. Actually ﬁnding someone who has witnessed 
  this ﬁrst hand is a different matter entirely.
  A) The gardens behind the wall are overgrown, the trees choked with vines and creepers, it's 
  pathways blocked by thorny briars. Although these may present some minor obstacle to intruders, 
  they are of no danger beyond the scratches of a few thorns and the fear of possible poisoning.
  The skeletal remains of a man lies amidst the brambles on the path to the tower, it's clothing 
  ragged and rotting. The bony ﬁngers are festooned with rings of silver and gold and a curve bladed 
  dagger is clutched in the right hand.
  These are the remains of Ûtesh, a thief who attempted to enter the Tower and was bitten by a 
  Jadebacked Cobra, a perfectly natural but deadly denizen of the Garden of Xantalos.
  The truth of the matter is that the stories regarding the garden are without foundation. There are 
  neither supernatural entities nor man eating plants among the horticultural denizens of the garden. 
  The tales of snaking tendrils snatching drunks from benighted streets are wildly imaginative but 
  completely untrue. Even the scratching thorns that the characters may have some concerns about 
  are merely a harmless nuisance.
  
  JADEBACKED COBRA
  • The Jadebacked Cobra is a standard Venomous Snake as found in the Monsters of 
  Legend publication.
  THE LOWER LEVEL OF THE TOWER
  The lower part of the tower is squat and copper domed, about twenty yards high and of a similar 
  diameter. The walls of the keep are of the same green stone as the wall that surrounds the garden. 
  Two rows of narrow, night black, window slits at roughly thirty and forty feet above the ground circle 
  the building. The lower windows open into the cavernous lower hall and the upper windows, into 
  the living quarters. An open topped and crenellated bastion extends a further ﬁve yards from the 
  eastern wall, overlooking the Square of the Grand Souk. Reaching the windows or the bastion will 
  be no mean feet without the appropriate climbing gear and will require a Formidable Athletics 
  Test(-80%) to scale the tower's smoothed and polished surface.
  Attempting to gain access to the tower through the window slits will not be easy. They are 
  extremely narrow and only unarmoured characters of size 14 or less will be able to squeeze 
  through to the interior.
  Above the dome, the tower extends another thirty yards to the pointed tip of a copper spired 
  minaret. The same blackened window slits dot the walls of the tower and surround the minaret. 
  At the base of the tower, at it's southern face, lies the main entrance. A door of imported hardwood, 
  carved with the leering faces of demons, blocks the portal.
  There is a keyhole and a heavy door ornament, cast in bronze to appear as the many eyed head of 
  a spider acts as the knocker. 
  (The keyhole may be picked. The door is not magically sealed but it does require a successful 
  Mechanisms roll(Hard -40%) to pick the lock.)
  Depending on whether the attempt to enter the Tower of Xantalos is made during daylight hours or 
  in the dead of night will determine the visibility within.
  Little light enters through the window slits, even in daylight(-40%) and it is pitch black within during 
  the hours of darkness(-60%).
  The adventure assumes a night time entrance and the characters will most likely require a light 
  source in order to function with any degree of competence, once within. Brass lanterns are hung 
  upon the walls but the oil is long since degraded tonthe point of being useless.
  Immediately beyond the door is a 10ft square ﬂagstone platform. To the west of the platform, a 
  ﬂight of stone steps descends as it follows the curve of the wall to the packed earth ﬂoor of a pit 
  some ﬁfteen feet below. The ﬂoor is littered with old bones, picked clean of any and all meat. 
  Although some of these are the skeletal remains of vermin, they are mostly the remains of adult 
  human beings. In the days before Xantalos abandoned his tower, these remains could have been 
  animated to create up to a score of skeletal guardians. The walls of the pit have several weapons 
  racks attached. These are hung with bronze swords, greened with verdigris. 
  Assuming that the characters have a source of light, they can see quite easily that a second 
  platform juts out from the eastern wall of the tower. It is reached by a ﬂight on stone steps on it's 
  northern side. A wooden door is set into the wall near the base of the steps. Beyond this door, a 
  switchback ﬂight of steps leads down to the cellars and dungeons.
  It is here, in the main chamber of the lower tower, that the guardian is to be found. 
  
  SPIDER FIEND
  As well as studying necromancy, Xantalos was also a devotee of the cult of Yot Kammoth and a 
  demonologist of some ability. Before leaving to search for the fragments of the Scrolls of Xarozh, 
  he bound a spider demon as guardian of his tower. This spider ﬁend remains there to this day, 
  feeding on vermin and the rare intruder that dares to enter.
  The creature has spun a massive web that ﬁlls the vaulted upper spaces of the main entrance hall 
  and spends most of it's time lurking there.
  The creature has a torso as big as a horse and each of it's eight legs is longer than a man is tall. It 
  is jet black in colour with multiple eyes that glitter green when light hits them.
  The creature will leap down from the darkness to strike from ambush if given the opportunity.
  • Stats for the Spider Fiend are those of the Medium Giant Spider from Monsters of Legend 
  except that it should have an additional 2 pts of armour on each location to reﬂect it's 
  demonic heritage.
  THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE TOWER
  The upper levels of the tower are accessed by a ﬂight of carved steps of green stone. These steps 
  spiral up to a wide landing with a broad central pillar. A door leads into the interior of the pillar and a 
  ﬁnal ﬂight of steps that spirals up to the summoning room and the shrine to Yot Kammoth that lies 
  in the minaret, far above the city streets. All internal doors are constructed of green stained 
  hardwood and furnished in bronze. They are all locked and will require a success on a Routine 
  Mechanisms Test to open them. 
  Both the stairs to the lower and upper levels of the tower are trapped with mundane traps. The ﬁrst 
  trap is on the thirteenth step from the top of the lower ﬂight of stairs. It can be spotted with a 
  Difﬁcult(-20%) Perception Test and then disarmed with a Routine Mechanisms Test. This trap 
  looses a ﬂight of 4 small darts at the person who sets it off. Once these darts were poisoned but 
  time has rendered the venom impotent. This trap is little more than an irritant. Each dart does D2 
  damage to a random location.
  The second and much more dangerous trap is on the landing of the ﬂoor where Cantalos' living 
  quarters were located. The 5ft square area marked with a C) in the middle if the landing is actually 
  a pit where the ﬂoor will fall away to deposit any unwary trespassers into the web if the Spider 
  Fiend, some 10 feet below. A bronze winch upon the wall of the central column is the only obvious 
  clue. Winding this winch using a Routine Athletics Test will return the ﬂoor to it's previous position. 
  If the winch is somehow jammed, it will prevent the trap from being sprung.
  A Hard(-40%) Perception Test is needed to spot the pit trap. If noticed and avoided, a Very 
  Easy(+60%) Mechanisms Test can be used to disarm it.
  The fall into the spiders web will cause no damage but will mean that an a Athletics Test must be 
  succeeded at each round as one of the trapped Character's Combat Actions to enable that 
  character to act with his other actions. Thus is a major problem if the characters have not already 
  dealt with the Spider Fiend.
  Area D) An ornate, high backed, chair and a polished wooden lectern are the only contents of this 
  room. Further investigation will reveal that there is a circular hole in the seat of the chair and that a 
  small brass bucket is placed beneath it. No one has lived in the tower for years and the bucket is 
  empty.
  Area E) Dusty wooden shelves line the walls of this room. Leather bound books and scroll cases 
  are crammed onto the shelves. None of these are mystical tomes. There are the history books and 
  treatises that Xantalos studied in his efforts to locate the Elder Scrolls of Xarozh. The books here 
  are worth 5000 Gold Coins, a Prince's Ransom, if they can be removed and a suitable purchaser 
  located.
  
  A heavy wooden desk and chair sit in the middle of the room atop an old and threadbare rug that is 
  of Taraamite origin.
  Area F) A door leads from the library into a room wherein sits a wooden bed and a chest of 
  drawers with an ornate, silver framed, mirror atop it. There is little of any interest in thus room.
  Area G) the door to this chamber is locked with a far superior lock than those on the other doors of 
  this level. It will require a successful Hard(-40%) Mechanisms Test to gain entrance to this room. 
  This is the treasure chamber of Xantalos. A fortune in green gems, gold and silver is strewn about 
  the ﬂoor of this room. The characters are likely to try grab a handful of gems and coins for their 
  trouble. Narek Ghul will have little concern about this and fully expects the characters to do so. A 
  secret door allows exit to the central landing. It can be spotted with a Hard(-40%) Perception Test. 
  The secret door cannot be accessed from the landing.
  Area H) An empty room.
  Area I) This was once the sleeping quarters and study for Xantalos' young apprentice. It is empty 
  save for a small wooden table, a three legged stool and a rickety cot bed. The interior walls are 
  covered in scratch marks, mystical formulae and symbols, etched there in years past by Narek 
  Ghul himself.
  Area J) This small room contains a wooden plank with a hole in it. The bench sits upon two stone 
  blocks and a small brass bucket is placed beneath the hole. No one has lived in the tower for years 
  and the bucket is empty.
  The Dungeon Level
  Accessible through a wooden door and switchback stair, the dungeons of the tower are a further 
  twenty feet below street level. The central area of the dungeon level contains a well. The entrance 
  to the well is covered by a hinged bronze grate and locked with a deadbolt and padlock. The key to 
  the padlock hangs upon a brass peg near the door of a small storeroom. The well itself drops a 
  further ten feet down to a small stream that feeds the wells of the Square of the Grand Souk. There 
  are also several cells. These contain nothing save for mouldering bones and bronze manacles 
  attached to the walls. These poor fellows were bought by Xantalos from the Black Kasbah for 
  sacriﬁcial offerings to Yot Kammoth and simply left to starve to death when he departed to look for 
  the Elder Scrolls of Xarozh.
  The Summoning Chamber
  Atop the tower, high above the city, is the copper domed minaret that was once the ritual 
  summoning chamber of Xantalos and his shrine to Yot Kamoth. This chamber is accessed by a 
  stairwell in the centre of the ﬂoor and is 30 feet across and a similar height to the highest point of 
  the dome. Arched windows with copper lattices surround the chamber, their bases at a height of 
  four feet from the ﬂoor. The ﬂoor is marked with mystical signs and symbols, a summoning circle to 
  the west, a protective circle to the east. A green stone altar with a copper bowl and serrated knife 
  sit to the north and a green stone post, topped by a large disc of jade, surmounted by a black 
  spider symbol sits to the south.
  
  The Temple of Baal Khardah
  On the northern edge of a grand plaza, where the Street of the Desert Gate meets the Square of 
  the Grand Souk, stands the abandoned Ziggurat of Baal Khardah. Following the slaughter of King 
  Nahaburam and his army on the banks of the Oxartus, the cult fell into disfavour with such few 
  nobles as remained in the city. The Sun God's few remaining followers retreated through secret 
  ways and ﬂed over the Kharjah Pass, accompanied by Queen Naramutu and the remnants of the 
  Royal Family. 
  For almost a hundred years this temple has lain vacant, frequented only by pigeons and other 
  vermin, it's upper levels gathering dust, the frescoes cracked by the passage of time and defaced 
  by occasional intruders. A patrol of the Black Guard maintain a vigil over the barricaded Temple 
  entrance, by order of the Vizier. Invariably these are men of Captain Balchak's command. Their 
  orders are that no one may enter, on pain of death.
  There are boys from 'the Dives' who regard spending a night in the 'haunted temple' as a rite of 
  passage and there remains yet the occasional thief who dreams of ﬁnding a forgotten cache of 
  hidden treasure but, it is generally accepted that such treasures as were not carried off into exile 
  by the priesthood were looted by the Khazistanis many years ago.
  Access to the temple is via the ascension of a ﬂight of steps up the side of the terraced pyramid. At 
  the summit of the steps, the entrance to the temple has been barricaded with a wall of mud 
  bricks(AP8, HP50). Beyond this wall, an aged brick walled tunnel leads into the darkness of the 
  temple's interior.
  The tunnel ends, after a short distance at a pair of Bronze portals. The portals are secured with a 
  heavy iron chain and a large iron padlock. Beyond these lies the temple itself. The green coated 
  remnant of a bronze chain and padlock lies discarded upon the ﬂoor of the main hallway. There are 
  several side rooms, including a small shine before a further doorway leads to a carved stone stair 
  that curves down into the darkness.
  At the foot of the stair, some 50 feet below the earth, a further pair of tall bronze portals hang 
  askance upon broken hinges. These are greened with a patina of age and beyond them lies a long, 
  pillared, chamber, 80 feet long by 30 feet wide. At the far end of the room are a second set of 
  identical bronze portals. The pillars are of red sandstone from the Al Khazi desert and the ﬂoor is a 
  mosaic of tiles depicting the Sun God in all his glory. Many of the small tiles that make up the 
  mosaic are missing or broken. Similar frescoes adorn the walls of this great hall, faded by time or 
  defaced by the invaders. A layer of dust coats the ﬂoor, disturbed by the passing of several sets of 
  feet.
  Beyond the second set of bronze portals is the shrine of Baal Khardah, where the old Kings of 
  Adartu once came to make sacriﬁce. The great golden statue which sat proudly behind the stone 
  altar was dragged off and melted down to pay the looters of the Khazistani horde. The marble 
  plinth it sat upon is cracked and damaged. It is currently covered by a cloth of green silk, marked 
  with strange sigils and inscriptions in some mystical language. A large pentagram, inside a circle, 
  surrounded by a triangle has been painstakingly painted onto the ﬂagstones. Strange mystical 
  symbols are inscribed in regular patterns within the larger shapes.
  
  A Jade Statuette of a Taikangese Dragon sits on the plinth, surrounded by silver candlesticks and 
  assorted magical apparatus. The altar has channels carved into it which are stained brown with the 
  blood of sacriﬁcial victims.
  The ﬂooring of the shrine is of red sandstone ﬂags, many of which are cracked or broken and the 
  wall paintings are faded with age. The pillars that support the ceiling are of the same red 
  sandstone as the ﬂags.
  • Two archways, on opposite sides of the main chamber lead to a corridor that surrounds the the 
  central chambers on three sides. The ﬂoors are red sandstone ﬂags and the walls are of packed 
  earth. More than a score of burial chambers are accessible by 5ft wide arched doorways. Each of 
  the chambers contains the shattered remnants of stone sarcophagi that were smashed open by 
  Khazistani looters. Bleached skulls, desiccated bones and mouldering cloth are strewn across 
  the various ﬂoors but anything of worth is long since gone.
  One chamber contains a pair of smashed sarcophagi, but only the mouldering bones of a single 
  corpse. One of the sarcophagi is the fake that was created to create a veil for Lakarsha's tomb. 
  The other is empty, the remains of Lakarsha's husband, King Jalmesh having long since become 
  dust. The chamber has a secret door built into the rear wall. It leads to the, as yet, undisovered 
  burial chamber of Lakarsha. Finding the secret door requires a Hard(-20%) Perception roll if a 
  character is actively seeking it or a Formidable(-80%) to 'notice' something that leads to the 
  doorway's discovery.
  
  Lakarsha - Blood Queen of Adartu
  For almost three hundred years Lakarsha has lain in torpor, imprisoned in the pitch black of the 
  crypts under the Temple of Baal Khardah. At ﬁrst her mind was ﬁlled with nothing but hatred and 
  thoughts of revenge but now the loneliness and incessant, maddening hunger, have all but 
  shattered her sanity. If released, she will be a wild and feral thing, gaunt and emaciated, her urge 
  to feed making her all but incapable of rational thought and only the employment of mighty 
  sorceries might possibly restrain her.
  The following stats reﬂect her in her newly awakened state. It is likely that if she is not dealt with 
  immediately that she will eventually become a serious threat in the region, a beautiful, vampiric, 
  witch queen.The Statistics for Int and Cha reﬂect Lakarsha when ﬁrst awakened and after she has 
  come to her senses.
  Strength)       21       Combat actions.    3/4            1-3     Right leg   4/6
  Constitution) 14        Strength Adj         +D4.          4-6      Left Leg    4/6
  Size)             12        Improvement Adj -1/+1          7-9      Abdomen  4/7
  Intelligence) 6/20      Magic Points.       6/20         10-12    Chest       4/8
  Power)          16        Movement            10m         13-15    Right Arm 4/5
  Dexterity)      23        Strike Rank         15/22        16-18    Left Arm   4/5
  Charisma).  6/18                                                    19-20    Head        4/6
  Common Skills. 
  Athletics 75%, Brawn 73%, Evade 69%, Perception 80%, Persistence 80%, 
  Resilience 70%, Stealth 80%, Unarmed 80%
  Advanced Skills 
  Survival 65%, Track 60%
  Equipment - None
  Weapon      S      R       Damage       AP/HP     Range       Special
  Bite               T      S       D4+D4        As Head.     Na              Na 
  Claw             M     M       D6+D4.       As Arm         Na              Na
  Tactics - Wild and Feral, incapable of tactical decisions beyond ripping out throats and hungrily 
  feeding. Will generally, therefore, go for 'Choose Location' and select Head with her bite attack.
  Combat Style - Frenzied Attack (tooth and claw). 90%
  Shriek (as per Ghoul Howl in Monsters of Legend). 100%
  Traits - Demonic Aura - 4AP No effect on Encumbrance or Strike Rank, negated by Fire. or Silver.
  Drain Blood - See Vampire description in Monsters of Legend
  Sense Life - See Vampire description in Monsters of Legend
  Wall Walking - See description in Monsters of Legend
  Special Ability - Create Spawn of Lakarsha 
  Any victim slain by the bite of the Vampire Queen, whose corpse is not completely destroyed, rises 
  from the grave as a ghoulish revenant three days after their death. These are similar to standard 
  ghouls as per Monsters of Legend. They are effectively immortal, drawn to their mistress' side like 
  moths to a ﬂame and will guard her throughout eternity unless their bodies are destroyed. 
  Special Ability - Unholy Speed
  In the ﬁrst round of any combat, Lakarsha gains a bonus of +2 to her initiative test.
  
  Special Ability - Terrifying Countenance
  Such is the frightful appearance of Lakarsha that even heroes can be unmanned by the very sight 
  of her. In the ﬁrst round of any encounter, characters must make a Hard(-40%) Persistence test to 
  take any action, apart from immediate ﬂight, until the following round.
  
  Narek Ghul - Susrahnite Necromancer (Moderate Taint)
  Narek Ghul is growing older and becoming inﬁrm, his body corrupted by the sorcerous power he 
  wields. He fears that death will soon take him and whether, or not, the Exile King ever attains 
  power in Dipur is an irrelevance to him. Narek Ghul seeks only the means to regain and retain his 
  youth.
  He has taken up residence at the Gilded Palm and revealed himself, but not his plans, to Arbeletu 
  of the Scions of Adartu. Twisted of limb and gaunt of appearance, Narek Ghul hobbles along with 
  the use of a staff as a crutch. Sorcery has corrupted his body as well as his soul. His eyes are 
  black ringed and he has skin the colour of faded parchment. His greasy grey hair is thinning and 
  his torso is covered with tattoos, a ritual spell of some sort. His teeth are blackened and his breath 
  is foul, but he uses cosmetics, loose clothing, a broad brimmed hat, herbal pomanders and 
  perfumed potions to disguise these defects and deformities.
  He is aware that Lakarsha was some manner of blood drinking ﬁend and he believes that she is 
  likely to be ravenous if awoken from her torpor. The third and ﬁnal fragment of the manuscript that 
  he requires is believed to be located in the sarcophagus alongside the imprisoned Vampire Queen. 
  It is not his intention to revive her unless absolutely necessary to the completion of his own plans. 
  However, should it become a necessity, he will have need of several dupes to fend off her rage and 
  sate her hunger, while he attempts to dominate her with his sorcerous powers.
  Str)    8               Combat actions.      3              1-3 Right Leg 0/6
  Con) 16              Damage Mod         Na.            4-6 Left Leg   0/3
  Siz)   13              Improvement Mod Na             7-9 Abdomen 0/7 
  Int).   18              Magic Points          18          10-12 Chest      0/8
  Pow) 18              Movement             4m          13-15 Right Arm 0/5
  Dex)   8               Strike Rank           13           16-18 Left Arm   0/3
  Cha)   9                                                            19-20 Head 0/6
  Common Skills
  Athletics 46%, Culture(Adartani) 66%, Evade 36%, First Aid 68%, Inﬂuence 57%,
  Insight 56%, Language(Susrahnite) 93%, Lore(Dipur) 76%, Perception 55%, 
  Persistence 84%, Resilience 73%, Sleight 48%, Stealth 63%
  Magical Skills
  Grimoire(Tattoos of Oloth Dai) 57%, Grimoire(Book of Xantalos Zul) 75%, Grimoire (Elder Scrolls 
  of Xarozh) 46%, Grimoire(Staff of Xantalos) 61%, Summoning 44%
  Advanced Skills
  Courtesy 37%, Craft(Potions) 47%, Healing 44%, Language(Demonic) 62%, Language(Khazi) 
  65%, Language(Taikangian) 49%, Language(Taraam) 43%, Lore(Atropopaics)53%, 
  Lore(Philosophy) 63%, Lore(Theology) 71%, Lore(Undeath) 65%, Mechanisms 52%, Meditation 
  53%, Oratory 33%, Streetwise 46%
  Equipment - musty brown cloak and robes, broad brimmed straw hat, the Staff of Xantalos, curved 
  dagger and lock picks, sling bag containing assorted magical paraphernalia, two fragments of the 
  Elder Scrolls of Xarozh, the Book of Xantalos and the Tattoos of Oloth Dai. A pouch containing 
  gems to the value of 50 gold coins and sixteen silver coins.
  
  Tactics - Feigned Incompetence and treacherous backstabbing.
  Weapon            Size       Reach     Damage    Ap/Hp    Range       Special
  Long staff            M              L             D6           4/9         na       Stun Location
  Curved Dagger    S              S           D4+1         6/8         na             Bleed
  Weapon Styles
  Competent Traveller (Longstaff, Dagger) 66%
  Special Item - The Staff of Xantalos
  This is an enchanted item, created by the Sorceror Xantalos in the days before he began to obsess 
  about eternal life. It functions as a Longstaff in combat and has a small black crystal, the size and 
  shape of a man's thumbnail, embedded beneath the leather of it's handgrips. This functions as a 
  Magic Point Store, capable of retaining 5 Magic Points
  Special Item - The Book of Xantalos
  (Abjure Food, Abjure Water, Damage Resistance, Demon's Gate, Regenerate, Tap(Pow), Wrack)
  Special Item - The Elder Scrolls of Xarozh * (Dominate(Undead),The Blood is the Life)
  Special Item - Tattoos of Oloth Dai*(Bone Dance)
  * The Spells contained within these Grimoires are from the 'Blood Magic' expansion for Legend, 
  from SGB, or have been created speciﬁcally for this adventure.
  
  Arbeletu - Susrahnite Leader of the Scions of Adartu
  Arbeletu is a Susrahnite maidservant at the Inn of the Gilded Palm. She is plump with a pretty face, 
  a winning smile and a pleasant demeanour that disguises the fact that she is an accomplished 
  schemer and merciless killer. She is the leader of a group of Susrahnite rebels who gather 
  infrequently at the Inn of the Gilded Palm to plot the downfall of their Khazistani overlords.
  She is currently involved in a clandestine relationship with Dalram Baal, brother of the popular and 
  wealthy merchant, Haram Baal. She does not love him, of course, but sees in him an opportunity to 
  gain the possible support of his sibling. This has caused no little jealousy among her followers, 
  most notably in Jarku who was previously her lover and trusted right hand. 
  Arbeletu's major weakness is in her absolute conﬁdence that she can wrap men around her little 
  ﬁnger. She is seemingly oblivious to the danger posed by alienating Jarku and revels in his 
  jealousy.
  Str).   10            Combat actions.       3             1-3.    Right Leg.   0/5
  Con). 14            Damage Mod.         Na            4-6.    Left Leg.     0/5
  Siz).   11            Improvement Mod.  +1            7-9.   Abdomen.    0/6 
  Int).    15            Magic Points.           14         10-12. Chest.          0/7
  Pow). 14            Movement.               8m        13-15. Right Arm.    0/4
  Dex).  12            Strike Rank.              14        16-18. Left Arm.      0/4
  Cha).  15                                                          19-20. Head.          0/5
  Common Skills
  Athletics 45%, Brawn 37%, Culture(Susrahnite) 87%, Dance 55%, Evade 53%, 
  Evaluate 44%, First Aid 36%, Inﬂuence 51%, Insight 62%, Lore(Dipur) 57%,
  Perception 49%, Persistence 49%, Resilience 53%, Sing 47% , Sleight 77% , Stealth 54%
  Advanced Skills
  Acrobatics 34%, Commerce 57%, Courtesy 66%, Culture(Khazistani) 47%, Disguise 39%,
  Healing 31%, Lang(Khazi) 50%, Lore(Carnal Arts) 69%, 
  Lore(Scions of Adartu) 49%, Lore(Poisons) 43%, Lore(Kardeslik) 37%, 
  Mechanisms 55%, Oratory 48%, Seduction 58%, Streetwise 67%.
  Equipment - Winning smile, a buxom physique and somehat revealing apparel. Assorted daggers 
  and Alchemical compounds from SGB as required. A score of other remaining members of the 
  Scions of Adartu, including Dalram Baal and Jarku. Several hundred silver coins and several dozen 
  gold coins are secreted beneath a ﬂoorboard in her quarters.
  Tactics - Despite her outwardly pleasant and ﬂirtatious demeanour, Arbeletu is vindictive and 
  murderous. She prefers to strike from surprise, although she is a capable enough opponent in a 
  stand up ﬁght. Arbeletu uses poisons and sleeping draughts to great effect in her role as a servant 
  at the inn.
  Weapon.              Size.    Reach.    Damage.     Ap/Hp.     Range.    Special
  Curved Dagger.     S.            S.         D4+1.          6/8.           na.         Bleed
  Weapon Style
  Death's Sweet Embrace (Dagger, Thrown Dagger) 75%
  
  Dalram Baal - Susrahnite Agent of the Scions of Adartu
  Dalram is the elder brother of the wealthy merchant, Haram Baal(see Shadow of the Ragged King 
  for stats). He has recently made several poor decisions regarding his own investments and ﬁnds 
  himself near destitute. He is sour faced and resentful of his brother's business acumen and easy 
  charm, but currently resides at his brother's villa and is wise enough to realise that dutiful Haram 
  has provided him with a home. He hopes that upon Haram's return from Zul Bazzir, he might 
  discuss a loan to ﬁnance a further mercantile venture to redeem his recent losses.
  While there is an obvious family resemblance between Haram and Dalram, it has been lessened 
  somewhat by Dalram's growing addiction to Lotus. His face is pinched and drawn with dark rings 
  around the eyes and his build is spare. His is from a respected family and he would not be caught 
  dead in any of the Lotus Dens of the city and thus it was that he met with his supplier, a weasel 
  faced rogue named Jarku, at the Inn of the Gilded Palm.
  It was here that he found himself seduced by Arbeletu and embarked upon a torrid affair that has 
  seen him drawn him into the machinations of the Scions of Adartu. Arbeletu has convinced him that 
  he will be high in the favour of the Exile King upon his return and the lotus addled mind of Dalram 
  has failed to truly comprehend the risks of getting involved with this group, or that his dalliance with 
  Arbeletu has earned him the enmity of Jarku.
  Str).   11         Combat actions.        2               1-3.   Right Leg. 0/5
  Con). 11         Damage Mod.          Na              4-6.    Left Leg.  0/5
  Siz).  12          Improvement Mod.  +1               7-9.   Abdomen. 0/6 
  Int).   12          Magic Points.            13.           10-12. Chest.        0/7
  Pow).13         Movement.               8m            13-15. Right Arm. 0/4
  Dex). 12         Strike Rank.              12            16-18. Left Arm.   0/4
  Cha). 14                                                           19-20. Head.        0/5
  Common Skills
  Athletics 36%, Brawn 33%, Culture(Susrahnite) 69%, Drive 42%, Evade 37%, 
  Evaluate 41%, Inﬂuence 32%, Insight 35%, Lore(Dipur) 54%, Perception 49%,
  Persistence 53%, Resilience 44%
  Advanced Skills
  Commerce 35%, Courtesy 56%, Culture(Khazistani) 44%, Gambling 32%, 
  Lang(Khazi) 51%, Oratory 37%, Streetwise 36%, Survival 33%
  Equipment 
  Slightly threadbare clothing that was once of excellent quality. A notched scimitar hangs, in a 
  scabbard, from his belt. He has sixteen silver coins in his belt pouch, representing the pitiful 
  remains of his wealth.
  Tactics - Dalram is a much better ﬁghter than his younger sibling and is certainly no coward. He is 
  defensively minded though and will tend to favour parrying incoming blows rather than making 
  attacks of his own. If Arbeletu is endangered he will ﬂy into a murderous rage and launch a furious 
  assault upon her attacker.
  Weapon.       S.     R.     Damage.      Ap/Hp.    Range.     Special
  Scimitar.        M.     M.         D8.            6/10.        Na.           Bleed
  Weapon Style 
  Competent Swordsman (1H Sword) 85%
  
  Typical Scion of Adartu (Rebels with a Cause)
  The members of the Scions of Adartu are a mixed group of young and ambitious Susrahnite 
  merchants. Some are misty eyed romantics, ﬁghting to return their rightful liege lord to his throne. 
  Others are highly pragmatic individuals who hope to beneﬁt in wealth and inﬂuence from the return 
  of the Exile King to the throne of their city state.
  Str).   11           Combat actions.       2          1-3.   Right Leg. 0/5
  Con). 11           Damage Mod.         Na         4-6.   Left Leg.   0/5
  Siz).   12          Improvement Mod. +1          7-9.   Abdomen. 0/6 
  Int).    12          Magic Points.          13        10-12. Chest.       0/7
  Pow). 13          Movement.              8m       13-15. Right Arm. 0/4
  Dex). 12           Strike Rank.            12        16-18. Left Arm.   0/4
  Cha). 14                                                       19-20. Head.       0/5
  Common Skills
  Athletics 34%, Brawn 30%, Culture(Susrahnite) 64%, Drive 42%, Evade 27%, 
  Evaluate 44%, Inﬂuence 35%, Insight 29%, Lore(Dipur) 51%, Perception 46%,
  Persistence 41%, Resilience 37%
  Advanced Skills
  Commerce 44%, Courtesy 58%, Culture(Khazistani) 41%, Gambling 28%, 
  Lang(Khazi) 51%, Oratory 33%, Streetwise 38%, Survival 29%
  Equipment 
  Tactics - For the most part, the Scions of Adartu are not overly accomplished warriors and though 
  they ﬁght bravely, they do so without any really skill or tactical nous. Many of them are fanatical 
  and will ﬁght to their inevitable death, but there are others who will break and ﬂee at the ﬁrst 
  opportunity.
  Weapon.    S.    R.    Damage.    Ap/Hp.    Range.    Special
  Scimitar.      M.   M.         D8.          6/10.        Na.        Bleed
  Weapon Style - Scimitar 50%
  
  Rostam Baros - Barber Surgeon and Vendor of Information
  Rostam Baros is a squat, rotund, fellow with a bald head and a bushy red beard. He operates his 
  business from a large striped tent on the Square of the Grand Souk. Although he is a Khazistani by 
  birth, the colour of his beard suggests that he may also have some Tharagian ancestry.
  He is a loud and boisterous fellow, likeable and with a bellowing laugh. He has an immense 
  capacity for food and drink.
  As well as cutting the hair and shaving the beards of his customers, Rostam Baros can pull rotten 
  teeth, stitch wounds and set broken bones. He learned his trade in the mercenary camps of the 
  Padishah's army.
  Rostam Baros overhears many conversations among his patrons and is a gatherer of important 
  information. He sells suitable tidbits to the Lady Miru, but he does not know her to be an agent of 
  the Kardeslik. Likewise, he is held as a valuable source of information by both Captain Balchak of 
  the Black Guard and Jarku of the Scions of Adartu.
  Str).   13         Combat actions.      3                  1-3.    Right Leg. 0/6
  Con). 16         Damage Mod.       +D2                4-6.    Left Leg.   0/6
  Siz).  14          Improvement Mod. +1                 7-9.   Abdomen. 0/7 
  Int).   13          Magic Points.          12              10-12. Chest.       0/8
  Pow).12          Movement.              8m             13-15. Right Arm. 0/5
  Dex). 12         Strike Rank.            13               16-18. Left Arm    0/5
  Cha). 13                                                            19-20. Head.       0/6
  Common Skills
  Athletics 45%, Brawn 47%, Culture(Khazistani) 67%, Evade 44%, Evaluate 45%, 
  First Aid 67%, Inﬂuence 56%, Insight 52%, Lang(Khazi) 85%, Lore(Dipur) 66%, 
  Perception 65%, Persistence 44%, Resilience 54%, Sing 37%, Sleight 42%, Stealth 41%
  Advanced Skills
  Courtesy 51%, Craft(Barber Surgeon) 62%, Culture(Susrahnite) 39%, 
  Culture(Zorabi) 31%, Gambling 44%, Healing 55%, Lang(Susrahnite) 51%, 
  Lang(Zorabi) 53%, Lore(Kharjah Pass) 44%, Lore(Khazistan) 49%, Lore(Susrah) 38%, 
  Mechanisms 37%, Seduction 35%, Streetwise 52%, Survival 41%
  Equipment - Pavilion tent(8 person tent), merchant quality clothing in garish colours. Leather 
  Hauberk, Yataghan and curved 'Jambiya' dagger. Healers kit, First Aid Kit, Folding Razor, soap, 
  towels and cloths. 6 gold coins in a money belt and 14 silver coins in a belt pouch.
  Tactics - Rostam Baros is not as young as he once was and attempts to avoid combat where 
  possible. He is, however, a very competent warrior who ﬁghts in the aggressive style that is typical 
  of his people.
  Weapon.                S.      R.      Damage.      Ap/Hp.     Range.      Special
  Yataghan                M.      M.      D6+2             6/10.          Na.          Bleed
  Curved Dagger.      S.       S.      D4+1.              6/8.          Na.          Bleed
  Weapon Style
  Khazistani Bravo (1H Sword and dagger) 75%
  
  Jarku - Adartani Petty Criminal and Scion of Adartu.
  Jarku is a darkly handsome Adartani rogue with a silver tongue and a black heart. His long dark 
  hair is held back from his face by a strip of red silk tied at the nape of his neck and his eyes ﬂit from 
  side to side, as if he is constantly nervous. Of course, given Jarku's chosen profession it is hardly 
  surprising that he is constantly wary of his company and surroundings.
  Jarku is a conﬁdence trickster and a lotus dealer in that order. His customers often believe that 
  they are buying lotus powder from him, but in reality they are most likely buying something that 
  merely looks like lotus powder.
  Until lately, Jarku was the lover of Arbeletu and the second most powerful voice among the Scions 
  of Adartu. Jarku cannot accept that Arbeletu is only using Dalram Baal as a means to an end and 
  his hate for the Merchant who has taken his place in his woman's bed is all consuming, to the 
  extent that he might very well betray the Scions to take his revenge upon the Susrahnite dog.
  Str).   14         Combat actions.      3           1-3.   Right Leg. 0/6
  Con). 12         Damage Mod.       +D3         4-6.   Left Leg.   0/6
  Siz).   15         Improvement Mod. +1          7-9.   Abdomen. 1/7 
  Int).    14         Magic Points.          13       10-12. Chest.       1/8
  Pow). 13         Movement.              8m      13-15. Right Arm. 0/5
  Dex).  15        Strike Rank.          15(14)   16-18. Left Arm.    0/5
  Cha). 13                                                    19-20. Head.         0/6
  Common Skills
  Athletics 45%, Brawn 46%, Culture(Susrahnite) 79%, Evade 63%, Evaluate 42%, Inﬂuence 50%, 
  Insight 33%, Lore(Dipur) 58%,Perception 47%, Persistence 50%, Resilience 55%, Sleight 80% , 
  Stealth 53%
  Advanced Skills
  Commerce 37%, Courtesy 43%, Culture(Khazistani) 47%, Lang(Khazi) 50%, Lore(Carnal Arts) 
  69%, Lore(Scions of Adartu) 38%, Lore(Poisons) 43%, Lore(Kardeslik) 29%, 
  Mechanisms 57%, Seduction 51%, Streetwise 69%.
  Equipment - Leather Corselet, a Curved Dagger and a pair of Shortswords, 1 Dose of Blinding 
  Powder(SGB), 2 Doses of Dreaming Powder(SGB), 3 Doses of Red Lotus/Ghoma Weed(SGB), 
  several hired thugs.
  Tactics - Jarku talks a good ﬁght but is a coward who will abandon anyone and anything to save 
  his own skin. He is competent with his twinned blades and prefers to strike from behind. He will 
  generally interpose one of his hired minions between himself and any danger.
  Weapon.               Size.       Reach.      Damage.      Ap/Hp.     Range.      Special
  Curved Dagger.       S.              S.       D4+1+D2.         6/8.          Na            Bleed
  Shortsword              M.              S          D6+D2.           6/8           Na.      Bleed/Impale
  Weapon Styles
  Twin Blades - 77% (Shortsword in either hand)
  Dagger - 67%
  
  Lady Miru - Adartani Courtesan and Agent of the Kardeslik
  An extremely attractive Adartani woman, Miru was raised as a slave in the household of a wealthy 
  Susrahnite merchant. The dreadful abuses she endured at the hands of the despicable swine 
  taught her to hate men and drove her to seek solace among the 'Six Armed Sisters' of Nakhramat.
  It was in the Temple upon the Rock that she was befriended and mentored by Lady Ekrimala. She 
  was taught how to use her womanly wiles for both her own advantage and that of the 'Six Armed 
  Sisters' and then initiated into a shadowy group known as the 'Kardeslik', spies for both Ekrimala 
  and the Khazistani authorities.
  She now affects the role of the Lady Miru, an expensive courtesan who is independently wealthy 
  and lives in a villa in the richest part of the city.
  Her clothing is extremely well made and never too revealing, her jewellery discreet and tasteful. 
  Her jet black hair is always coiffured in the latest styles and she wears just the right amount of 
  makeup. She is accompanied by Dolthas, her Nabastissean bodyguard and has been tasked by 
  her mistress with locating and destroying the Scions of Adartu.
  Str).  10         Combat actions.      3             1-3.     Right Leg.  0/5
  Con).12         Damage Mod.         Na.          4-6.     Left Leg.    0/5
  Siz). 13          Improvement Mod. +1             7-9.    Abdomen.  0/6 
  Int).   15         Magic Points.          14           10-12. Chest.         0/7
  Pow).14         Movement.              8m          13-15. Right Arm.   0/4
  Dex). 13         Strike Rank.            14           16-18. Left Arm.     0/4
  Cha). 17                                                        19-20. Head.         0/5
  Common Skills
  Athletics 41%, Brawn 33%, Culture(Khazistani) 87%, Dance 61%, Evade 73%, 
  Evaluate 44%, First Aid 36%, Inﬂuence 67%, Insight 68%, Lore(Dipur) 63%,
  Perception 49%, Persistence 49%, Resilience 53%, Sing 47% , Sleight 77% , Stealth 54%
  Advanced Skills
  Courtesy 69%, Culture(Susrahnite) 47%, Disguise 39%, Healing 31%,
  Language(Susrahnite) 55%, Lore(Carnal Arts) 69%, Lore(Scions of Adartu) 32%, Lore(Poisons) 
  43%, Lore(Kardeslik) 79%, Mechanisms 46%, Oratory 53%%,
  Seduction 70%, Streetwise 67%.
  Equipment - comfortably furnished villa, four servants and a bodyguard. Clothing and costume 
  jewellry to suit every event and occasion, dagger, shortsword, several doses of blade venom. 
  Several doses of assorted ingested poisons. 30 silver and 16 gold coins.
  Tactics - Miru uses her womanly wiles to manoeuvre her enemies into a position of weakness 
  before striking. She will often feign helplessness to gain advantage but is really an accomplished 
  ﬁghter, backstabber and poisoner, all learned as part of her training for the Kardeslik.
  Weapon.              Size.      Reach.      Damage.      Ap/Hp.     Range.     Special
  Curved Dagger.     S.             S              D4+1.          6/8.           na.          Bleed
  Shortsword.           M.             S.                D6.           6/8.           na.      Bleed, Impale 
  Weapon Style
  Kardeslik (Dagger, Shortsword) 78%
  
  Dolthas - Nabastissean Bodyguard
  A stocky and mostly silent fellow, clean shaven with long hair in oiled ringlets that are tied loosely 
  at the nape of his neck. He wears a hauberk and bracers of rigid leather armour under a loose 
  ﬁtting robe of rust red wool that can be discarded, at a moment's notice, to reveal the twin 
  shortswords that are scabbarded at his waist. He has been hired, by persons unknown, to act as 
  Lady Miru's personal bodyguard and he has become completely enamoured of his charge, to the 
  point where he will happily give his life for hers.
  Str)   16          Combat actions.       3                1-3    Right Leg 0/6
  Con) 16          Damage Mod.         Na               4-6    Left Leg.   0/6
  Siz)   12          Improvement Mod. Na                7-9   Abdomen  2/7 
  Int)    12          Magic Points.          13              10-12 Chest        2/8
  Pow) 13          Movement.              8m             13-15 Right Arm  2/5
  Dex) 15           Strike Rank.         14(12)           16-18 Left Arm.   2/5
  Cha) 11                                                             19-20 Head         0/6
  Common Skills
  Athletics 49%, Brawn 56%, Culture(Nabastissean) 82%, Evade 41%, Evaluate 33%, 
  First Aid 36%, Inﬂuence 34%, Insight 44%, Language(Nabastissean) 75%,
  Lore(Nabastis) 75%, Perception 38%, Persistence 46%, Resilience 61%, Stealth 48%
  Advanced Skills
  Courtesy 37%, Culture(Khazrajite) 44%, Culture(Susrahnite) 38%, Disguise 28%, 
  Healing 28%, Language(Khazrajite) 51%, Language(Susrahnite) 55%, Lore(Carnal Arts) 29%, 
  Lore(Scions of Adartu) 28%, Lore(Kardeslik) 38%, Mechanisms 46%, 
  Streetwise 67%
  Weapon          Size      Reach       Damage      Ap/Hp      Range      Special
  Shortsword        M             S               D6             6/8            na       Bleed, Impale 
  Weapon Style
  Twin Blades (Shortsword in either hand) 95%
  Tactics - Dolthas will defend his mistress even to the cost of his life. Should any harm befall Lady 
  Miru he will hunt down and kill the perpetrators without mercy.
  Special Ability - Self Sacriﬁcing
  Dolthas never leaves his mistress' side if combat ensues. If forced to do so by a Knockback, he 
  may immediately expend a Magic Point to ignore said Knockback. He may choose to intervene 'at 
  any time' during an attack on her. By spending a Magic Point, he can make a Parry on her 
  behalf(even if she has already made and failed an Evade or Parry roll herself). The result of the 
  attack is then ﬁgured against him rather than Lady Miru. There is no limit to the number of times he 
  can do this in a round apart from the availability of Magic Points and the ability has no effect on his 
  own Combat Actions. He can also use this Heroic Ability to throw himself in the path of arrows and 
  other missiles.
  
  The Jade Dragon Guardian
  Strength).      39.         Combat Actions.      3.              Tail.                       1-2. 8/11
  Constitution) 14.          Damage Modiﬁer.+2D8.           Right Hind Leg.     3-4. 8/11
  Size).             39.         Magic Points.          17.             Left Hind Leg.       5-6. 8/11
  Intelligence). 11.          Movement               6m.            Torso.                   7-14. 8/12 
  Power).         17.          Strike Rank.           +12.            Right Front Leg  15-16. 8/11
  Dexterity).     13.                                                            Left Font Leg.     17-18. 8/11
  Charisma).    11.                                                            Head.                 19-20   8/11
  Traits - Darksight, Demonic(2AP), Irridescent Scales (6AP), No Armour Penalty, Formidable 
  Natural Weapons
  Skills - Athletics 80%, Brawn 75%, Evade 65%, Inﬂuence 60%, Persistence 61%, Resilience 52%
  Combat Style - Bite 85%
  Weapon.     Size.    Reach.    Damage.    Ap/Ap
  Bite.               H.          VL.      D10+2D8.    8/11
  The creature is draconic in appearance, long and sinuous with slender arms and legs. A pair of 
  horns sweep back from it's head, lying almost ﬂat along it's body. It's great fanged maw is 
  surrounded by a mass of waving black tendrils, giving the appearance of a beard and moustaches 
  while longer tendrils crown it's head and stretch down between it's shoulder blades. It's eyes are 
  opalescent and more tendrils grow above them to give the impression of eyebrows. It's scales 
  shimmer with irridescence in the light of the braziers that illuminate the great hall and the scent of 
  Jasmine, Lime and Ginger hangs heavy in the, previously musty, air.
  
  Glossary 
  Adartani - the mongrel race of mixed Khazi and Susrahnite blood that makes up nearly two thirds 
  of the population of Dipur.
  Adartu - the old Susrahnite name for the City of Dipur
  Arbeletu - the leader of the Scions of Adartu.
  Dalram Baal - down at heels merchant and brother to Haram Baal(see Shadow of the Ragged 
  King)
  Dolthas - Nabastissean mercenary. Currently employed as a bodyguard by the Lady Miru.
  Ekrimala - mother of the Satrap of Dipur, High Priestess of Nakhramat and founder of the 
  Kardeslik.
  Jarku - a lotus peddler and member of the Scions of Adartu. Previously the lover of Arbeletu, his 
  jealousy over her relationship with Dalram Baal may bring about all their downfalls.
  Kardeslik - spies in the service of the Khazistani authorities. Kardeslik means 'Brotherhood' in the 
  Khazi tongue but it is actually a misnomer as both male and female agents are to be found.
  Lakarsha - the Blood Queen of Adartu, a blood drinking demon in human form.
  Miru - 'Lady Miru' is an Adartani Courtesan who is also an agent of the Kardeslik.
  Narek Ghul - a Necromancer who seeks eternal life and uses his links to the Scions of Adartu to 
  advance his plans.
  Rostam Baros - a barber in the Square of the Grand Souk. He is a vendor of information of other 
  services.
  Scions of Adartu - a shadowy group of Susrahnite rebels and insurrectionists.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Conan RPGs/Other Sword & Sorcery/Xoth/the Scions of Adartu Adventure.pdf