TEXT: Horrors of Penance
  1
  Dedications
  Dedicated to all the late-night odd noises and moving shadows that I swear are just the cats. –klm
  To all those nights spookin’ with the gang. –blh
  Bastion Press and the Bastion Press logo are trademarks, and Oathbound is a registered tradermark owned by Bastion Press, Inc. All Bastion characters, character names, and the
  distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks owned by Bastion Press, Inc. ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used
  according to the terms of the d20 System License version 3.0. Dungeons & Dragons and Wizards of the Coast are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and are used
  with permission. A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com. © 2003 Bastion Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. by Walsworth Publishing of
  Marceline, MO.
  Open Content: Only materials indicated in Section 15 of the Open Gaming License on the last page of this PDF are considered Open Content. All other content is Product Identity
  and copyrighted by Bastion Press, Inc.
  Horrors of Penance
  by Brannon Hollingsworth & Ken Marable
  Table of Contents
  Tying Up Loose Ends .........................................32
  The Plot Thickens ................................................32
  Anelie’s Tomes.....................................................33
  The Fires of Damnation ......................................34
  Facing the Devil ...................................................36
  Conclusion 1: Playing into
  the Devil’s Hands.........................................36
  Conclusion 2: Refusing to Play the Game .......37
  Final Battle............................................................39
  Conclusion ............................. 41
  Totembound Soul ................................................42
  Statistics for NPCs...............................................43
  Further Adventures – A
  Coven of Ideas .................. 46
  The Flesh Gatherers ............................................46
  The Empty City....................................................47
  Plague of the Penitent .........................................47
  Bloodlord Thrall ..................................................47
  Brotherhood of the Bane ....................................48
  Curse of the Decaying Flesh ..............................48
  March of the Beasts .............................................48
  Rain of Blood........................................................48
  Restless Spirits .....................................................49
  The Thirteen .........................................................49
  The Brood .............................................................49
  The Mist ................................................................49
  Horrors of Penance ................... 1
  Introduction ........................... 2
  Adventure Preparation ........................................2
  Scenario 1: Craving Darkness ........ 3
  Background ............................................................3
  The Initial Trap ......................................................5
  Main Floor (Level 2)..............................................7
  Second Floor (Level 3) ..........................................9
  Observatory (Level 3) .........................................13
  Basement ...............................................................14
  Conclusion ............................. 18
  Statistics for NPCs...............................................18
  The Lectors ...........................................................18
  Allies......................................................................19
  Monsters ...............................................................20
  Scenario 2 - Totem ..................23
  Background ..........................................................23
  Synopsis ................................................................23
  The Ritual .............................................................23
  Character Hooks ..................................................24
  The Death of Samuel Viss ..................................25
  Clue Checklist ......................................................26
  Visiting Aunt Anelie ...........................................27
  The Deadpit ..........................................................28
  A Slew of Swarms ...............................................30
  Design
  Brannon Hollingsworth and Ken Marable
  Editor
  Robert Vaughn
  Art Director
  Jim Butler
  Cover & Interior  Artist
  Jesse Mohn
  Cartographer
  Jeremy Simmons
  Typesetter
  Jack Gray
  Oathbound Concept
  Greg Dent, Jim Butler, and Todd Morasch
  
  Horrors of Penance
  2
  Introduction
  The Forge is a place of extremes. Newcomers to the
  Forge soon learn that every perception, every emo-
  tion and every sensation that they experience here is
  hammered into its most acute and intense manifes-
  tation by the unique properties of the plane. Fear,
  while often overlooked, is one such emotion, and
  there is no other place in the known universe where
  fear can be as concentrated or palpable as on the
  Forge. This product focuses on that single aspect and
  offers adventures and adventure ideas that delve into
  the fear-invoking and truly horrifying side of the
  great City of Penance, the largest settlement on the
  Forge.
  Horrors of Penance includes two complete adven-
  tures specially designed to spawn feelings of fear,
  disgust, and horror in the characters and to send shiv-
  ers down the players’ spines. The Forge is home to
  the mightiest of heroes; it takes a great deal to instill
  fear into such stalwart and heroic hearts.
  Horrors of Penance begins with Craving Darkness,
  an adventure for characters of 10th level. While
  traveling through the Undercity, the characters find
  themselves in a centuries old mansion that has been
  cursed and plunged into utter darkness. Even the
  most powerful mortal spells can only barely pierce
  the seething darkness. The characters are forced to
  traverse the maze-like rooms and corridors blindly
  as they seek their way out again. This task alone
  would prove difficult enough, were it not for the pair
  of undead lectors (Oathbound, p. 335) that continually
  stalk them and the many insidious these villains
  have placed.
  Second, Horrors of Penance offers up Totem, an
  adventure for characters of 17th level. The simple
  totems of a kindly old lady seem to ease the pain of
  grieving families. Unbeknownst to them, these
  totems also act as a doorway for a powerful devil.
  Now that the door is open, a rash of horrific and
  puzzling murders breaks out and the characters soon
  find themselves facing angry mobs, plagues of
  insects, and finally a pit fiend in his own lair. All of
  these obstacles must be overcome if they are to save
  both Penance and the souls of their departed loved
  ones.
  Lastly, Horrors of Penance provides a Coven of
  Ideas, a selection of thirteen horror-themed
  adventure seeds meant to be planted in the most
  twisted corners of your imagination. These seeds can
  serve as the inspiration for any number of other
  possible adventures that will immerse the characters
  even deeper into the dark places of Penance.
  Adventure Preparation
  As these adventures are intended to be used in the
  Oathbound campaign setting, it is highly recom-
  mended that the GM possess the book Oathbound:
  Domains of the Forge.  With a little work, though, a
  GM should be able to adapt the encounters to an-
  other setting. In such a case, all that is required to
  use these adventures are the three core d20 rulebooks.
  All non-player character (NPC), monster and item
  statistics have been provided at the end of each ad-
  venture in an abbreviated form or in the adventure
  where appropriate. When necessary, the proper re-
  source is clearly referenced. In addition, Minions, e-
  Minions (or Minions: Rebirth), Arms and Armor, and
  Spells and Magic, all from Bastion Press might also
  prove useful. These tomes contain the expanded ver-
  sions of many of the creatures, items, and spells men-
  tioned within.
  It is highly recommended that the GM read over
  each adventure fully and have a keen and clear
  understanding of the events that are about to unfold
  before running it. Both are fairly non-linear, and
  what happens in one moment or location will
  dramatically affect what occurs in other times and
  places.
  Note that text that appears in shaded boxes is
  considered player information, which you can read
  aloud or paraphrase as appropriate.
  Lastly, it is the goal of the adventures herein to
  inspire a healthy dose of fear and trepidation in your
  players. Establishing and maintaining an
  atmosphere of creepiness and uncertainty is essential
  to achieve that goal. GMs might consider any
  number of “real world” alterations to the typical
  gaming ambiance to keep their players on edge, a
  factor which will naturally bleed over into their
  characters’ moods and actions. Some tips and tricks
  are listed here as an initial source of inspiration:
  Take advantage of a stormy night for your
  gaming session and use the storm as emphasis in
  your game. Draw audio and visual examples from
  the impressive and awe-inspiring show that is going
  on around you.
  Turn off all of the lights and play by only the light
  of a few candles. Use the reduced light to show the
  players how their characters see their surroundings.
  Select a new and unfamiliar location for your
  gaming session. The experience of being in a strange
  locale will help considerably in setting your players
  (and their characters) on a fear-stirred edge. We’re
  thinking more along the lines of someone’s basement
  or an isolated cabin than of a gaming store, which is
  pretty far from “eerie”.
  Play moody and eerie background music. Music,
  especially when played at very low volume, becomes
  
  Horrors of Penance
  3
  an almost subliminal force that will heighten the
  levels of suspense and tension around the gaming
  table.
  Scenario 1
  Craving Darkness
  An adventure for 10th level characters, wherein a
  house cursed in darkness holds captives, deadly
  traps, and two ravenous undead.
  Background
  The legendary magic sword Red Shard traveled
  through the seven domains of Penance until it was
  picked up on the fields of Arena by Purepath, a haze
  warrior. It served him well for decades as he wan-
  dered the Forge on a variety of adventures. Time
  eventually caught up with Purepath, and he trav-
  eled to the great city of Penance to retire. With the
  riches gained from a lifetime of adventures, he pur-
  chased a fine estate where he lived until his death at
  a ripe old age. The mighty sword Red Shard, a friend
  as much as a weapon, was displayed in honor upon
  a wall. No one could find Red Shard among
  Purepath’s belongings when he died, nor had he com-
  municated a desire to bestow it upon any heir. After
  ferocious searching, all interested parties, both foul
  and fair, gave up. The house was abandoned and the
  city grew up over it.
  Red Shard remained hidden in the house, though,
  and waited for someone to come and claim it.
  After discovering a mention of the sword and the
  haze’s home in ancient annals, a group of delvers
  decided to make the trek into the Undercity for the
  weapon and any other treasures that might be found
  within the old warrior’s estate. It turned out to be a
  difficult expedition, and the group almost turned
  back several times. Thanks only to the urging of two
  strong-willed party members (Bolthor, a male orc,
  and Sissel, a female human) did the group press
  onward.
  Whether it was the maddening depths of the
  Undercity, or a problem deep within their minds that
  had been lingering for quite some time, the deeper
  they traveled, the more obsessed the two became.
  Obstacles of the journey and the rest of the group’s
  trepidation only pushed them further. Finally they
  found the home and began exploring it…and
  discovered they were too late. Perhaps lost to
  another group of delvers, or magic, or the Queen
  herself – the sword appeared to be gone and with it
  went Bolthor’s and Sissel’s sanity. They believed the
  rest of the group had somehow duped them and
  retrieved the sword without their knowledge. They
  would not listen to reason as they exploded into a
  furious rage and began slaying their companions.
  The party’s ceptu cleric was the last to fall, and with
  her dying breath she called upon her god to curse
  the two betrayers and murderers.
  Though her deity had no power in the Forge,
  something that many consider a myth answered the
  call: the palethian (Oathbound, p. 144).
  Bolthor and Sissel were killed in a flash of intense
  evil and the house filled with a dark curse that
  blinded any who enter. Because they so coveted an
  item of magical power, Bolthor and Sissel’s
  punishers thought it just that they be animated as
  the undead creatures known as lectors. Such beings
  usually roam the Undercity, attuned to and attracted
  by items that are cursed or imbued with negative
  energy. These two were inflicted with an additional
  ironic and darkly humorous punishment: forever
  hungering for items of negative energy, they were
  bound to the scene of their crime and, unbeknownst
  to them, to the location of a powerful weapon of
  positive energy. The proximity of Red Shard would
  cause them an eternal pain that they would never
  understand. So they remained and sought solace for
  their pain by preying upon unwary explorers for
  several centuries, satiating their hunger for cursed
  items with whatever these unlucky souls brought
  with them.
  Of course, anything so unusual as a darkness-
  flooded mansion was bound to draw attention,
  especially one with a link to the fabled Red Shard.
  Rafter after rafter, delver after delver traveled to the
  cursed home, seeking the truth and the wealth
  behind the house and its rumored treasures. The vast
  majority of them met nightmarish ends at the hands
  of the covetous, vicious lector couple.
  Finally, Einian Quickfinger, a dwarven rafter and
  part-time trap maker that stumbled onto the house,
  managed to elude the lectors for a time through the
  creation of impromptu traps made from the
  belongings of past victims. His delaying tactics
  caught their attention, so when they inevitably
  caught him, they spared his life. They kept him as
  both a toy and a servant, forcing him to set traps in
  several of the rooms to ensnare other visitors.
  Einian has been recreating and setting traps for
  almost a year now. He has hopes that some group
  will arrive and help him to escape and to destroy
  the lectors, if possible. His hopes were almost made
  reality when a week ago a powerful group of rafters
  entered the house. Encountering the deadly traps,
  they tried to avoid them by digging out through the
  basement. Unfortunately a monstrous jaggon had
  made a lair near the cursed darkness and it was into
  this very lair that the delvers dug, releasing the
  creature into the basement, where it immediately
  
  Horrors of Penance
  4
  attacked the group. Einian does not know for certain,
  but he suspects that one of the party might still be
  alive down there. What the dwarven trap-maker
  does know for sure is that the jaggon is still down
  there – and is growing hungry.
  Synopsis
  As the characters are traveling through the Under-
  city, they come across the “entrance” to the cursed
  mansion, which is a pit that drops the characters into
  the midst of the house. Chances are that not all of the
  characters will fall prey to the trap. However, the lec-
  tors encourage Einian to yell for help and lure would-
  be rescuers to their doom.
  After entering the darkness, the characters must
  make their way out by passing through several
  trapped rooms and survive multiple hit and run
  attacks from the lectors. There are three possible
  allies they can find in this home in their attempts to
  destroy the lectors and survive to see light again.
  There is Einian who is more than willing to destroy
  the lectors (and in fact will not leave the house
  knowing they are still around). Also, a valco
  paladin named Sorib lak Haran is trapped in the
  basement with the jaggon. Lastly, an ort named
  Mafuane is inside the house terrified at what it has
  stumbled onto. It will gladly help anyone who can
  guide it out of the darkness.
  Character Hooks
  The hook for this adventure is quite easy to inte-
  grate into any campaign – simply get the party into
  the Undercity. Their reason for entering the Un-
  dercity can be literally anything: they can be there
  in search of an item, to map a certain region, on a
  task for a bloodlord (or other important individual),
  or merely passing through on their way to another,
  ultimate destination (if used in this last manner, it
  would be very simple to insert Craving Darkness
  as an extended “Side Trek” adventure). Whatever
  their mission is, it should not be so urgent that they
  are unwilling to take an impromptu trek to assist
  someone in need.
  Alternatively, their purpose there could be tied
  more directly to the background of this adventure.
  Perhaps they could have come to this area in search
  of Red Shard or they may be searching for someone
  who entered the house recently, such as Sorib lak
  Haran’s party or possibly Einian himself.
  Another variation is that the characters are
  hired to investigate the death of the original
  adventuring party (the one composed of Bolthor
  and Sissel before their cursed deaths). Perhaps one
  of the party member’s relatives is continually
  haunted by dreams of her death, or perhaps one
  of the current characters is a descendant of one of
  the original party members and themselves are
  plagued by these dreams. If this hook is used, it could
  make the final confrontation with Bolthor and Sissel
  all the more dramatic and fear inspiring, especially
  if one of the characters is a direct descendant of what
  is now an evil undead abomination!  With this as
  the adventure’s background, the adventure could be
  simply started with the handing down of a family
  heirloom that leads to an investigation via city
  records or a divination into who these past
  adventurers were and what they were looking for.
  In the end, all that is truly necessary to begin this
  adventure is that the party be traveling through the
  Undercity. GMs are welcome to use as much or as
  little of this information as they wish.
  The Darkness
  The curse placed upon the house goes beyond a mere
  magical darkness. It was crafted by the palethian as
  a bitter and ironic metaphor for the blindness that
  Bothor and Sissel exhibited in the insane slaughter
  
  Horrors of Penance
  5
  of their party. It generally blinds any creature in the
  house. This is not to say that creatures with alterna-
  tive forms of vision are unaffected; the curse simply
  smothers and makes useless a creature’s main sen-
  sory apparatus. Indeed, creatures that do not nor-
  mally rely on vision may never have experienced
  blindness before and may be even more severely
  panicked by finding themselves thus affected. Nor-
  mal vision, lowlight vision, and darkvision are use-
  less. A haze’s mindsight is similarly “blinded”, as is
  a grimlock’s blindsight. A creature with vision and
  the scent ability, for example, would lose vision but
  retain the their secondary ability to pinpoint other
  creatures by smell; on the other hand, a creature that
  has no eyes and relies almost entirely on scent would
  have that sense “blinded”. As explained in the DMG,
  blindness has the following effects:
  •
  50% miss chance in combat
  •
  loss of positive Dex bonus to AC
  •
  movement at half speed
  •
  -4 on Search and most Str and Dex based
  skills (GM’s discretion)
  •
  Spot checks or other visual based
  activities are impossible
  •
  Opponents receive a +2 on their attacks
  against the blinded character
  Trying to pierce or dispel the darkness is nearly
  impossible. Mundane light sources do not work. A
  light spell only illuminates a 1’ radius, and daylight
  only creates a 5’ radius. Remove blindness/deafness and
  remove curse allow any creature to “see” again with
  its main sense, but only to a distance of 5’ and only
  for a duration of 10 minutes/level (identical to a
  daylight spell). True Seeing will allow any creature
  to “see” within the house normally.
  Other spells that enhance a creature’s main
  sensory system, like a spell specifically for hazes that
  improves their mindsight, may work at the GM’s
  discretion; ideally, however, no spell effect other
  than true seeing should allow a creature any greater
  visibility than daylight does for vision-based
  creatures.
  In order to try and dispel any of the darkness, a
  dispel magic check (DC 26) must be made. If the dispel
  attempt succeeds, for every point above 26, a 10’ by
  10’ section can temporarily be “seen” normally (there
  are no natural light sources here, so creatures relying
  on vision would have to illuminate it by some other
  means). However, the darkness returns at rate of 5’
  by 5’ every 10 minutes. Light within the mansion
  simply seems to grow dimmer every moment.
  A limited wish, wish, miracle, or other similarly
  extremely powerful spell will allow an entire floor
  to be illuminated, but darkness will encroach at same
  rate as above. Only once the Forge has been rid of
  the foul pair of lectors can anyone permanently
  remove the darkness from the house.
  A Note on Room Descriptions
  The bold italicize text descriptions of the rooms as-
  sume that the characters cannot “see” and try to con-
  vey the sensations experienced by secondary senses.
  One of the primary means of exploring blindly is with
  the tactile sense. Therefore, do not read certain sec-
  tions of the descriptive text aloud until the charac-
  ters feel their way over to the object described.
  Obviously, if the characters are able to muster
  some reasonable means of illumination, then the ob-
  jects can be described without the characters having
  to physically come in contact with them. Feel free to
  embellish the descriptions with details of how all of
  the furniture and other décor are mildly lavish, but
  very old. Occasional damage can be detected from
  the various fights that have occurred within this
  house, but unless otherwise mentioned, no bodies
  are present.
  Also, the entire house is thick with the musty
  aroma of a house several centuries old mixed with
  the metallic scent of blood from the lectors’ many
  victims. Most of the walls and floors are stained with
  the lifebloods of countless races, a sign of the
  inhabitants’ violent reception of guests. All floors
  other than the basement, the floorboards will creak
  as people walk across them (causing a –5
  circumstance penalty on all Move Silently checks).
  Lastly, all windows throughout the house are
  broken with some shards of glass remaining along
  the edges. The lectors can navigate through them
  easily without injury. Others who try to feel their
  way through the window opening take 1d4 points
  of slashing damage from the broken glass.
  The Initial Trap
  At some point while traveling through the Under-
  city, read the following:
  As you emerge from a small winding cav-
  ern, your shadows stretch out before you onto
  what was once a main city street. There seem to
  be several openings and archways leading fur-
  ther into the maze, but every one you investi-
  gate reveals only a dim, shadowy pocket that is
  sealed with rubble and stone after only a few feet.
  Only the countless tiny tunnels marring the
  walls and ceiling of your subterranean road seem
  to progress very deeply, and they are no wider
  than a picker’s slender fingers. This once proud
  thoroughfare is the only reasonable path along
  which to progress, but it is far from pleasant.
  The statues lining the road leer at you with an
  ancient haughtiness. The dust puffing up from
  your footsteps seeps beneath your clothes and
  armor to scrabble at your flesh. Based on the lack
  
  Horrors of Penance
  6
  of supports, the area around you should have col-
  lapsed along with everything else; it seems al-
  most as if some foul presence keeps the passage
  open out of spite. Your footsteps echo as if you
  were in a tomb, and the passage continues for-
  ward in a straight line for as far as your light
  can reach.
  Hopefully the characters are on edge, expecting
  a possible attack from the shadows and not focusing
  on searching the ground before them. The lectors
  have created a 10’ x 10’ pit trap here to catch
  passersby. It stretches across most of the width of
  the tunnel, and the tight confines of the passage tend
  to ensure that at least one member of any passing
  group will fall in.
  Pit Trap (60 ft. deep): CR 6; no attack roll
  necessary (damage special, see below); Reflex save
  (DC 20) avoids; Search (DC 30); Disable Device (DC
  20). The trap automatically resets itself after being
  triggered. The pit is roughly 60' deep and funnels
  into the top of the former elevator shaft of the house.
  Characters that cannot stop their descent drop into
  Area 1 on the main floor, where they are
  automatically engulfed by the gelatinous cube at the
  bottom of the shaft (MM, p. 145). This is a mixed
  blessing; characters take less damage by the
  cushioned landing, as if falling into water (1d6
  subdual and 2d6 normal damage from this height).
  On the other hand, they are now engulfed by a
  hungry ooze. Because the cube’s entire body is a
  mindless and primitive sensory organ, it is
  uninhibited by the cursed darkness.
  Development: Whether one of the characters
  actually falls into the pit or not, a series of ropes and
  bells alert those within that the trap has been
  triggered. Einian begins yelling for help from where
  he is chained in the house. For characters that fall,
  skip to the main floor (Level 2) below. For those that
  did not fall, use the Open Elevator Shaft section that
  follows.
  As the floor panel begins to swing back into
  place, you hear the distant cry of a male voice,
  possibly dwarven. “Help me!! Please somebody!!
  If anyone is there, please help!! I’m trapped down
  here! Help!!!”  As the panel closes, the muffled
  pleas continue, more desperate, from deep within
  the pit.
  Trying to communicate with the dwarf is
  difficult. If anyone yells down to him, he will
  honestly yell back that he can barely hear them and
  can’t make out what they’re saying. This is because
  of the acoustics of the shaft, which the lectors altered
  to hamper attempts at two-way communication.
  Sense Motive checks (DC 14) reveal that Einian does
  seem trustworthy, if exceedingly desperate, and is
  not enchanted in any way. Even though the lectors
  demand that he cries for help whenever the trap is
  sprung, he does desperately want help.
  Open Elevator Shaft
  Characters that avoid falling into the pit trap will
  have to negotiate a 30’ descent before entering the
  house itself. The walls of the pit for those first 30’ are
  smooth stone with no handholds, and will either re-
  quire a rope (Climb check DC 15) or some sort of
  magic to get down. After 30 feet characters will en-
  ter the cursed darkness as the pit opens into the house
  elevator shaft. If they are climbing, read the boxed
  text below. If they are flying or levitating down and
  not feeling the sides of the shaft, they be completely
  unaware of the spiders. They will be level with the
  observatory (Level 4) after 40 feet but won’t be able
  to find an opening until they reach the second floor
  (Level 3) at 50 feet. See map 1 for a cross-section of
  the pit/elevator shaft.
  As you touch the wall, you feel the squish of
  some sort of insect or other extremely small crea-
  ture under your hand, and then all around you
  the walls erupt in scurrying and shifting. A chill
  runs down your spine as you feel dozens upon
  dozens of tiny legs crawling over your hand –
  over and under your clothing and armor – like a
  writhing blanket sliding over your arm and onto
  your body.
  The walls of the elevator shaft are covered with
  hundreds of spiders of the normal, non-monstrous
  variety. Characters reaching into or climbing
  through the shaft will be immersed in them. Treat
  the spiders as a permanent, stationary summon swarm
  from a 9th level caster. There is an additional effect,
  however: the feeling of being covered in spiders is
  so horrifying that a character must make a Will save
  to do anything, including climbing, other than
  fighting them off.
  Once within the shaft, characters will find knot-
  ted ropes hanging from the walls. They originally
  served the purpose of moving the elevator, but can
  now serve to aid the characters in climbing up or
  down the shaft (DC 5). However, tiny shards of bro-
  ken glass and metal have been strewn through the
  ropes, so characters suffer the equivalent of caltrop
  attacks while climbing the ropes (melee attack at +0,
  shield, armor, and deflection bonuses to AC do not
  count, though gauntlets provide a +2 bonus to AC).
  If damaged, the character’s movement is not im-
  paired (as per actual caltrop damage), but all attacks
  
  Horrors of Penance
  7
  are at –2. Further, some skills that rely heavily on the
  character’s hands may be aversely affected at the
  GM’s discretion.
  Main Floor (Level 2)
  1. Former Elevator Shaft
  If a character falls into this area or descends under
  their own power, read the following:
  As you drop, you note a change in the sur-
  rounding darkness. The inkiness of the shaft be-
  comes all-consuming, growing so black that you
  almost feel it pressing in against you. You are
  only able to consider this for a moment before
  you fall feet-first into a strange substance, far
  thicker than water but not altogether solid. Al-
  most immediately after being encased in the stuff
  you feel a sharp burning sensation as your flesh
  is eaten away.
  Creatures: The lectors were quite happy when a
  gelatinous cube happened upon their pit trap. It fell
  to the bottom of the shaft and landed atop the old
  elevator (which now rests in the basement). The ooze
  is trapped by the shaft’s metal framework on the
  main floor of the house; while it would eventually
  shrink and escape through the 5-foot
  opening, the lectors make sure to give
  it enough food that it maintains its
  healthy 10-foot size. Creatures of
  medium-size or smaller who fall down
  the shaft are entirely absorbed by the
  cube. Larger creatures are only partially
  absorbed.
  Absorbed characters who resist
  paralysis may make a grapple check to
  move through the cube. If they win the
  opposed grapple check, the amount
  they win by is the distance in feet they
  can travel - up to half of their normal
  movement rate. It is also important to
  remember that characters whose heads
  are still within the cube cannot breathe
  or speak and drowning rules (see DMG,
  p. 85) soon come in to play.
  Gelatinous Cube: hp 69; see MM p.
  145.
  Development: Any sounds of
  movement, especially combat, alert the
  lectors that they have guests to attend
  to. Sissel will quietly drop onto the main
  floor via the hole in the northeast corner
  of the covered porch. Bolthor will wait
  and listen to determine where the
  characters go. If they move onto the second floor first,
  he will stay on the covered porch and perform hit
  and run attacks on the party. If they go to the first
  floor, Sissel will make hit and run attacks from the
  covered porch, and Bolthor will go up to third floor
  to knock Einian unconscious before moving back
  down to assist Sissel in the attacks.
  See the Northeast Bedroom (Level 3, Area 5) on
  the second floor for more information on the lectors’
  tactics.
  If the characters manage to destroy the gelatinous
  cube, they discover that it was resting on the top of
  the elevator car, which long ago fell to the basement
  level. There is a hatch in the top of the elevator car
  leading down into the elevator itself, and through
  that into the basement. Small sized creatures can fit
  through the hatch with a simple Climb check (DC
  10), failure meaning they fall to the floor of the car
  taking 1d6 points of subdual damage. Medium sized
  creatures must make an Escape Artist check (DC 15)
  in addition to the Climb check in order to fit through.
  The opening is simply too small for large-sized
  creatures.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  8
  2. Southwest Sitting Room
  The velvety texture of the couches in this
  room is occasionally marred by cuts in the fab-
  ric where the stuffing now puffs through. The
  wood is nicked and scarred as if someone whiled
  away many hours poking at it with a knife.
  Along one wall is a small, rickety, wooden
  desk with a single drawer on the front. The desk’s
  surface is covered with a combination of fine dust
  and rough, granular sawdust.
  There are three couches in this room arranged in
  a rough circle. Along the north wall sits a desk.
  Opening the drawer will release a club trap that may
  target any 4 people in the room (see below). The
  rough sawdust on the desk is from the continual
  resetting of the trap and may alert the characters that
  something is amiss.
  Hanging Club Trap: CR 4; +10/+10/+10/+10
  melee (1d10+2 per hit); Search (DC 20); Disable
  Device (DC 25).
  3. Southeast Sitting Room
  The velvety texture of the couches in this
  room is occasionally marred by cuts in the fab-
  ric where the stuffing now puffs through. The
  wood is nicked and scarred as if someone whiled
  away many hours poking at it with a knife.
  Along one wall is a small, rickety, wooden
  desk with a single drawer on the front. The desk’s
  surface is covered with a layer of fine dust. On
  the other side of the room are two doors, one very
  solid and laden with several locks.
  This room is nearly identical to area 2, however
  it is not trapped. The windows are more open here
  to give the lectors easier access. The cloak closet
  (Area 4) is thoroughly locked by several deadbolts
  and key locks placed by Einian, but not to protect
  anything valuable; the lectors commanded him to
  do so merely as a ruse to delay adventurers. The
  lectors have the keys embedded in their hideous
  skeletons. Picking the locks requires three separate
  Open Lock checks (DC 25, 30, and 30).
  Development: If characters stay here and take
  the time to pick the locks to the cloak closet (Area
  4), one or both of the lectors will attack according to
  their standard tactics.
  4. Cloak Closet
  As the door finally opens, the musty odor of
  rotted clothing crawls over you like a brood of
  carrion crawlers. This is an old closet, nothing
  more. The hooks for cloaks and coats hang empty,
  the moldy piles of fabric beneath them the only
  evidence of their original purpose.
  5. Kitchen
  In this area, it seems that everywhere you
  go, you note numerous drawers hanging open.
  Above them rests a smooth, cold, stone counter.
  The kitchen includes a number of small traps.
  Within each drawer and every few feet along the
  wall are small spring-loaded blades. Anyone
  reaching into the drawer or along the wall risk
  having a finger or even hand severely damaged, if
  not severed.
  Traps: CR 2; + 4 melee (1d4); Search (DC 10),
  Disable Device (DC 20); on a critical there is a 50%
  of losing a finger and 10% chance of losing an entire
  hand.
  6. Banquet Hall
  The unmistakable stench of a rotting corpse
  overpowers all other scents. It is not difficult to
  find the source: a sticky, cold, humanoid shape.
  As your hands tentatively trace its length, you
  find, to your horror, that one of its sides seems
  far too pliable and riddled with gaps and holes.
  There is a fireplace on the eastern wall of this
  room. Small creatures may use it to travel between
  floors with a Climb check (DC 15). Medium-sized
  creatures must make an Escape Artist check (DC 15)
  in addition to the Climb check, and large creatures
  simply cannot fit. In order to enter at all, however,
  one must first remove the metal fire grate with a
  Disable Device check (DC 23 to remove it silently,
  DC 13 will remove it with a loud grating noise).
  There are three corpses in this room – all of them
  grimlocks that followed the trail of Sorib lak Haran’s
  party into the house a day behind them. They had
  heard that the party planned to explore a magically
  darkened mansion in the undercity, and decided that
  with their blindsight they’d either be able to beat
  them to the best loot or perhaps even murder and
  loot the party themselves. To their surprise, they
  became as blind as any human when they feather fell
  down the shaft. They only survived a few minutes.
  Two were killed by Sissel directly while the third
  ran blindly across the room into a sword trap in the
  western half of the floor.
  Traps: Dozens of swords, polearms, and other
  bladed weapons have been stuck in the western half
  of the floor with the points up. Creatures are often
  driven across this room into them, or they fall from
  
  Horrors of Penance
  9
  area 6 of the second floor onto them. Characters
  feeling their way through the room must make a
  Reflex save (DC 15) to avoid taking 1d6 points of
  damage. Otherwise, whether moving at higher speed
  or falling, use these statistics:
  Bladed Floor Trap: CR 4; +10 melee (1d6 blades
  for 1d8+4 points of damage per successful hit);
  Search (DC 5); Disable Device (DC 10). At the GM’s
  discretion, melee attacks against running characters
  may receive a +2 circumstance bonus per 5 feet of
  movement moved.
  7. Lounge
  Thousands of sharp splinters of wood are all
  that remain of what you can only assume was
  once the furniture in this room. They cover the
  floor, making crunching noises as you step and
  rolling under your feet like severed fingers. In
  one corner of the room, you find a pile of larger
  pieces of splintered wood. Beneath it, you detect
  something smooth, cool, and large - perhaps a
  chest.
  Treat this room as being covered in half-strength
  caltrops: +0 melee per five feet traveled (no damage,
  reduces movement by ¼, characters receive +2 AC
  for soft-soled boots, +6 AC for steel-shod boots).
  The metal chest is in the southwest corner of the
  room where one of the lectors can easily reach
  through the window to grab anyone in front of it.
  Bolthor and Sissel use the chest to store assorted less
  valuable knick-knacks and trinkets they find on their
  victims. All of the true valuables they collect are
  stored in their room (Level 3, Area 5). The chest is
  trapped with a poison needle trap containing carrion
  crawler brain juice.
  Trap: CR 5; +8 melee (1 plus carrion crawler brain
  juice: contact, DC 13, paralysis for 1 hour/0); Search
  (DC 30); Disable Device (DC 30).
  8. Covered Porch
  The air here seems slightly different here, less
  claustrophobic and musty. While the floor still
  feels stable, it creaks more loudly and feels some-
  what . . . hollow? The near wall is comprised of
  rough, slightly warped wood that smells of moldy
  water. As you feel out for the opposite wall, you
  feel nothing but sharp barbs and blades.
  This 15 foot wide porch encircles the entire house
  and is also drenched in the cursed darkness; the ef-
  fects of the curse end just outside of the porch. How-
  ever, looking out from the porch towards the “non-
  cursed” area will not reveal any light from beyond.
  One must be outside the area of the curse in order to
  see more than a few feet. Light sources and magical
  effects near the edge will illuminate their full range
  outside, but are still limited inside (creating an ob-
  long area of illumination).
   There are numerous 1’x 1’pillars lining the porch
  and supporting the roof above. Strung between these
  pillars from floor to ceiling are lines of barbed wire
  strung throughout with small, sharp objects: shards
  of glass, knives, broken bones, stakes, and metal and
  wood slivers. It is impassable without removing or
  cutting through several feet of the barbed wire
  (hardness 5, 12 hp/foot).
  Casually touching the wall of sharp objects
  without adequate protection causes 1d4 points of
  damage. Walking into it or being knocked into it
  causes 2d4 points of damage, and the character must
  make a Reflex save (DC 15) to avoid becoming
  entangled. To remove oneself takes either a Strength
  check (DC 15) or an Escape Artist check (DC 20).
  Merely attempting a Strength check to remove
  oneself causes an additional 3d4 points of damage.
  An unsuccessful Escape Artist check causes 2d4
  points of damage, where as a successful Escape
  Artist check only causes 1d4 points.
  Though unlikely, anyone specifically inspecting
  the ceiling in the northeast section will find the 10’ x
  10’ opening up to the next floor. Give characters
  passing directly underneath a Listen check (DC 25)
  to notice a change in the acoustics.
  Development: The lectors can typically be found
  on the porch either at this level or the one above.
  They move silently around to the rooms observing
  the characters and striking and retreating quickly.
  Often they will climb along the barbed wall instead
  of walking along the creaky floor. They particularly
  like to grab the last member of a passing group,
  whom they then carry into the house to be killed
  and looted as quickly as possible.
  Second Floor (Level 3)
  1. Former Elevator Shaft
  The elevator shaft opens upward, providing access
  to the pit shaft. Reference the Open Elevator Shaft
  section for information on the spiders and ropes lo-
  cated here. The shaft used to open onto the observa-
  tory, as well, but the lectors sealed that floor off to
  prevent their pet trapmaker, Einian, from being eas-
  ily found and rescued. The only entrance to the ob-
  servatory now is through their lair (Area 5, Level 3).
  The shaft would provide access downward to the
  main floor (Level 2) were it not for the gelatinous
  cube filling the area and forming the semblance of a
  floor. Please note, however, that the gelatinous cube
  supports no weight and trying to step on it will drop
  
  Horrors of Penance
  10
  the character to the main floor (see Area 1, Level 2).
  Bear in mind as well that characters standing near
  the second floor section of the elevator shaft may face
  attacks from the gelatinous cube’s pseudopods.
  Gelatinous Cube: hp 69; see MM p. 145.
  2. Southwest Bedroom
  A Search check (DC 10) reveals some bits of wire
  across the doorway attached to three levers. While
  these wires and levers do not actually do anything,
  they should keep the characters investigating long
  enough for a lector to attack. If the characters believe
  that the wires and levers have a purpose, a Disable
  Device check (DC 20) will prevent the levers from
  being “tripped”. If the initial Search check succeeds
  by 15 or more, the characters realize the wires and
  levers are pointless.
  If they proceed further into the room, read the
  following:
  You locate two pairs of furniture, probably
  some sort of wooden dressers, one tall and slen-
  der and the other short and squatty. You also
  encounter the remains of a bed. It seems to have
  all but turned to dust, the bits of decaying mat-
  tress clinging to your hand like damp pieces of
  dead flesh.
  Creatures: An ort Undercity druid
  named Mafuane is hiding in this room.
  It fell into the house a couple weeks ago
  and fortunately, due to its unique physi-
  cal structure, it landed on but was not
  automatically engulfed by the gelati-
  nous cube. Despite its hard-won expe-
  rience battling  Undercity menaces, it
  was quickly overwhelmed with terror
  by the sudden trap, the acidic cube, and
  the stalking lectors.
  Terrified and blind, the ort quickly
  crawled out and managed to pass
  through the trip wires in the doorway
  of this room. Bolthor searched for the
  creature that had triggered the initial
  (entryway) trap, but did not recognize
  the “pile of garbage” within this room
  as a living thing. Thinking it was
  another false alarm (for there are some,
  especially 
  animals 
  and 
  small
  humanoids large enough to set off the
  trap but too small for the cube to leave
  anything behind).
  Mafuane has remained in this room
  since then, listening to the lectors hunt
  down and kill several more hapless
  victims. Needless to say, the ort has
  grown extremely paranoid, and is terrified of
  anything it hears approach.
  Creature: Mafuane, Ort Clr7, hp 54.
  Development: Mafuane will remain motionless,
  though a Listen check (DC 15) will alert the
  characters that there is something moving in the
  room. It is Mafuane quivering in fear. If a character
  succeeds at the Listen check by 5 or more, he can
  determine that the sound is coming from beneath
  the bed. If the characters investigate, read the
  following:
  Underneath the bed, you hear a rustling
  noise, akin to a faint shuffling of paper. You can
  smell the distinct, sickly sweet aroma of rotting
  garbage coming that direction.
  If anyone touches the ort, it will immediately
  explode into attacks with its tendrils while screaming
  in total horror to be left alone, as well as for whatever
  is attacking it to show mercy. Mafuane will not press
  any attacks, but will stay in place and attack anything
  that comes near it. It is possible to talk the ort down
  from the attacks with a Diplomacy check (DC 18) or
  through magical means. If the characters promise to
  help the cleric get out of the house, it will gladly
  accompany them. At first it will be hesitant to enter
  into combat with either lector, but will help the
  characters if they press their attack.  After all, it
  
  Horrors of Penance
  11
  would prefer they not be killed, leaving it all alone
  with the lectors (who would then be aware of its
  presence).
  3. Southeast Bedroom
  You have to step up slightly in order to enter
  this room. Feeling around, you notice that the
  walls and floor are bare and relatively smooth to
  the touch.
  The slight step up is due to floor being a false one.
  A thin layer of loosely connected boards gives way
  when 400 pounds of weight is placed on it, drop-
  ping the characters a few feet onto a lowered floor
  below. Within this shallow pit is every single
  tanglefoot bag that has entered this mansion. While
  not inherently dangerous, the trap can be danger-
  ously debilitating while the lectors press their assault.
  Trap: CR 5; no attack roll necessary; Search (DC
  27); Disable Device (30); Reflex save (DC 20) avoids;
  characters who fall in are automatically hit by, and
  fail their reflex saves against, 1d4 tanglefoot bags.
  4. Hallways
  There are numerous sharp and rusty nails sticking
  up through the floorboards within the hallways of
  this floor of the mansion. GMs should treat the en-
  tire area as if covered with caltrops. Also, the floor is
  slicked with blood from recent victims. Treat as a non-
  magical version of grease spell (Reflex save: DC 15).
  If characters fall prone, they suffer 1d10 points of
  damage from nails and may be infected by a disease
  (Filth Fever – Injury; Fort save DC 12; incubation
  period 1d3 days; effects 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con).
  5. Northeast Bedroom
  Both doors into this room are well locked (Open Lock
  DC 40) and solid (hardness 5, 20 hp, Break DC 25).
  As you begin to enter this room, your foot
  slips on some small, loose, smooth objects on the
  ground. A momentary clinking noise seems to
  indicate that you have just stepped on a large
  amount of coins. The welcome sound of spilling
  riches is suddenly torn asunder by a pair of ear-
  piercing shrieks. Tearing through your mind, the
  high-pitched, droning scream echoes through the
  house; there is little doubt than everyone and ev-
  erything within a mile knows exactly where you
  are at this moment.
  Unlike most lectors, these two are cursed to
  remain in one place and have therefore made this
  room into a lair for themselves. When they are not
  stalking prey in the house or overseeing Einian’s
  resetting of the traps, they lounge here among the
  former belongings of their victims. Nearly
  everything here is imbued with the fear and terror
  of their owners’ last moments, which the lectors can
  taste and revel in. Anything more valuable to the
  lectors, like items that have histories of evil acts, have
  been incorporated into the villains’ skeletal bodies.
  Characters’ movement is halved (in addition to
  the movement penalty imposed by the darkness) if
  they wish to maintain stable footing. Moving any
  faster requires a Balance check (DC 15).
  One shrieker fungus and two violet fungi guard
  each entrance in to this room (one group by the door
  to the hallway, another group by the door to the
  covered porch).
  Shrieker Fungus (2): hp: 16, 15 (see MM, p. 93).
  Violet Fungus (4): hp: 19, 19, 18, 17 (see MM, p.
  93).
  There is also a crate in the southeast corner of
  the room that contains twenty monstrous centipedes.
  Bolthor and Sissel like to use these to help poison
  the crossbows on the third floor. The vermin will
  attack anyone who opens the unlocked chest that
  they are kept in, and then attempt to flee in any
  direction possible.
  Tiny Monstrous Centipedes (20): hp: 1 (see MM.
  p. 207)
  Finally, this room contains a trap door in the
  southwest corner that leads up Einian’s room in the
  observatory. Once the Shrieker Fungus is destroyed,
  characters may make a Listen check (DC 10) to hear
  the dwarf calling for help from above. Two-way
  communication is fairly easy here, and the dwarf
  will be able to guide them to the trap door. If Einian
  has been knocked unconscious by the lectors, the
  trap door is not terribly difficult to find with a Search
  check (DC 10) due to the rope dangling from its
  handle. If the trap door is opened, a rickety set of
  folding stairs opens along with it.
  Tactics (for Bolthor and Sissel, the lectors): Both
  lectors prefer hit and run attacks. They will start off
  on separate floors so that they can readily get at the
  party wherever they are. However, if it looks as if
  the characters are intent on remaining on a single
  floor, the lectors will converge on them, typically
  from different directions and angles in order to keep
  them off balance.
  For their initial attack, the lectors will move in,
  strike one or two characters and then quickly retreat
  in order to gauge the party’s threat potential. Keep
  in mind that they may use the Move Silently skill as
  soon as they step back into the darkness by moving
  at half speed. After withdrawing, they will move as
  quietly as possible on the covered porch and observe
  the characters. If one passes close to a window or is
  delayed somewhat apart from the group (such as
  by one of the traps), one of the lectors will strike and
  try to drag the character out onto the porch. It will
  
  Horrors of Penance
  12
  then try to carry the character at least a quarter of
  the way around the house where it will meet the
  other lector to finish off the character and take his or
  her belongings. Sissel prefers to use her net to snag
  the character, whereas Bolthor is more brutal in
  striking the character as hard as possible with his
  ring of the ram before grappling and dragging her
  away.
  If the lectors hear the shriekers, they will both go
  to windows outside their room and attack anyone
  inside. They are willing to fight to the death to
  protect their treasure, but would prefer to force
  characters to flee. Furthermore, they still try to drag
  characters out onto the porch in order to further
  separate and confuse the party. If the characters
  leave this particular room, the lectors will not pursue
  immediately; first they will make sure the room is
  relocked and no characters are hiding inside.
  Treasure: There are heaps of mundane items,
  clothing, and gear here; characters enterprising and
  greedy enough to haul it all out might fetch
  anywhere from 500 gp to 2,000 gp for the lot of it.
  None of the treasure here is cursed as is normal with
  a lector’s belongings, but does seem somehow . . .
  unpleasant. The following monetary and magical
  treasure is spread out over the floor of this room: 25
  pp, 3800 gp, 12,500 sp, 11 gems (500 gp, 200 gp, 2 x
  100gp, 6 x 50 gp, 10 gp), potion of reduce, potion of
  invisibility, potion of spider climb, wand of cure light
  wounds (27 charges remaining), wand of daylight (3
  charges remaining), and a Horn of Fog. The command
  words for the wands are inscribed on their surfaces,
  the cure light in common and the daylight in valco.
  Clever PCs might discover these words by feeling
  them with their fingertips. The Horn of Fog, while its
  effects are not very noticeable to the blinded PCs,
  might be a useful tool for evening the odds against
  the lectors.
  Development: Because of the shaft-like
  construction of the fireplace, it is possible for small
  creatures to use it to travel between floors. Medium-
  sized creatures must make an Escape Artist check
  (DC 15) to climb through, and large creatures simply
  cannot fit. In order to enter at all, however, one must
  first remove the metal fire grate with a Disable
  Device check (DC 23 to remove it silently, DC 13
  will remove it with a loud grating noise). Once the
  grate is removed, accessing the main floor or the
  basement can be accomplished by climbing down
  (Climb DC 20) through the fireplace shaft. Climbing
  up the chimney is considerably more difficult, as this
  space is used by the lectors to dispose of the corpses
  not used to feed Einian or the gelatinous cube. The
  bodies, once stripped of all of their goods and
  valuables, are shoved up into the chimney. It is
  currently full of diseased, rotting corpses (and even
  a few skeletons which have been forced out the top
  and now litter the roof). Anyone entering or
  searching the chimney risks becoming infected with
  the disease known as the shakes (Fort DC 13, 1 day
  incubation, 1d8 Dex). Upon the initial discovery of
  the fireplace, read the following:
  Tentatively sliding your hands along the
  wall, you eventually discover a section of stones
  roughly cemented together. After about a foot of
  stone, there is an abrupt opening in the wall.
  If they search or otherwise reach into the
  fireplace, read the following:
  A few feet beyond the yawning void in the
  stone wall you soon discover a similar one, which
  seems to form a backing of sorts. The echoing
  sounds of your breath and a fairly steady draft
  of cooler air inform you that the opening seems
  to form a shaft reaching into the floor. Reaching
  up, however, your blood freezes as you grasp the
  familiar but deathly cold shape of a humanoid
  hand.
  The hand is a part of the lowest body in the chim-
  ney, and is attached to a silver that has been here for
  over a month. Removing the body requires a Strength
  check (DC 15). All of the silver’s gear has been added
  to the lectors’ loot or the traps. Removing other bod-
  ies is possible, but the DC steadily increases by two
  for every 5’ traveled up the shaft. If all of the bodies
  are removed (20’ to reach the top of the house), a
  character may attempt to climb out (DC 20). Con-
  tracting the shakes remains a danger, and the Fort
  save DC listed above increases by 2 for every 5’ trav-
  eled.
  6. Northwest Bedroom
  The creaks and groans of the floor beneath
  your feet echo through this room. The wall
  around the doorway feels rough, as if someone
  or something has repeatedly clawed the wood
  from about chest high all the way to the floor.
  The entire floor of this room has been removed
  except for a 5’ x 5’ section directly in front of the door.
  That section has been hinged so that it feels like the
  rest of the floor until someone puts his or her weight
  onto it. At that point it will drop that person onto the
  blade trap in the Banquet Hall below.
  Trap: CR 4; no attack roll necessary (1d6), +10
  melee (1d6 blades for 1d8+4 points of damage per
  successful hit); Search (DC 20), Disable Device (DC
  20); Reflex DC 20 avoids.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  13
  7. Covered Porch
  This area is identical to the covered porch on the main
  floor save for the 10’ x 10’ opening in the northwest.
  Characters failing to notice it with a Search check (DC
  10) must make a Reflex save (DC 15) or fall to the
  main level and take 1d6 damage.
  Observatory (Level 3)
  The stench of filth, waste, and rotting meat
  pours over you. Moving into this room, you also
  hear the familiar sound of breathing. Given its
  slow and steady nature, you wonder if the indi-
  vidual breathing is even conscious.
  If the characters move around the room, they can
  find the following (either read it all at once, or in sepa-
  rate groups as the characters move around the room):
  Portions of the room are full of loose bits of
  clothing, waste, and various ropes, chisels, scraps
  of wood, small hammers, and other tools. You
  find the gruesome remains of a half-eaten corpse
  that may have once been an elf. Also, you find
  first one, then several crossbows. Each crossbow
  is aimed towards the center of the ceiling and
  has a light chain leading directly up.
  This is where the lectors keep Einian. He is
  suspended from the ceiling 10 feet off the ground
  by chains attached to each of his limbs.
  Unfortunately for Einian, the chains are also attached
  to twelve crossbow traps – all pointed directly at him.
  Einian Quickfinger: Dwarf Rog10, hp 21 (82
  max).
  There are twelve nearly identical traps here –
  crossbows all aimed at Einian. Nine of them are light
  crossbows (one of them a +2 light crossbow) and three
  of them are heavy. Additionally, Unbeknownst to
  Einian, the lectors like to dribble monstrous
  centipede poison on the bolts (Fort DC 11, 1d2 Str,
  1d2 Str); pick 1d6 crossbows at random to have been
  poisoned. Any strong movement of any of the chains,
  whether by Einian or a PC, causes all of the
  crossbows to be triggered.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  14
  Trap: CR 10; ranged attack +10 (3
  heavy crossbows, 1d10 each), +10 (8
  light crossbows, 1d8 each), +12 (+2
  light crossbow, 1d8+2); Search (DC 10),
  Disable Device (DC 25). Each
  crossbow requires a separate Disable
  Device check.
  Development: 
  When 
  the
  characters arrive, Einian is lost in a
  deep, semi-conscious slumber. If
  woken up (gently so as not to trigger
  the trapped crossbows), he can help
  talk any characters through disabling
  the traps. However, they will need to
  convince Einian that they are skilled
  enough to attempt disabling these
  traps. Have Einian and one character
  that is attempting to convince him of
  her skill make opposed Disable
  Device checks (which represents the
  two of them arguing over the
  intricacies and subtleties of traps). Other
  characters may provide a +2 circumstance
  bonus by succeeding at a Bluff (DC 20) or
  Diplomacy (DC 20) roll. If the characters win
  the check or fail by 5 or less, Einian will talk the
  characters through disabling the traps as quickly as
  possible.
  If the characters fail by more than 5, Einian will
  tell them not to try to disable the traps. He will give
  them as much information as possible about the
  lectors, the traps in the house, and means of escape,
  and will plead with them to get away and bring back
  help. If the characters insist on trying to disable the
  traps anyway, Einian will begin shouting for the
  lectors. After all, the dwarf would much rather the
  lectors dealt with any incompetent rescuers than
  having them botch the disable attempt and end his
  life. While Einian despises his existence here, he is
  at his core a survivor (in truth, to have gone through
  all that he has and still live, he would have to be)
  and is not about to give up his one hope of seeing
  the light of day and the death of his captors.
  If Einian assists a character by trying to talk him
  or her through disabling the trap, the character gains
  a +5 competence bonus to each check.
  Basement
  The good news is that the lectors have no way of get-
  ting into the basement; the many blades and trinkets
  jutting from their skeletal bodies make it impossible
  for them to fit down the chimney or the trap door in
  the top of the elevator. This should therefore be a
  safe place for the characters to lick their wounds, re-
  memorize spells for those that don’t need spellbooks
  or have some way of illuminating them, and plan
  their escape or assault. The bad news is that the base-
  ment is already occupied by a being arguably as dan-
  gerous as the undead harriers above.
  1. Elevator
  If the characters descend to the basement through
  the trap door in the top of the elevator (which as-
  sumes they must have destroyed the gelatinous
  cube), they will enter into this room.
  Fragile, musty cloth that may have once been
  quite expensive lines this small chamber. On one
  side is a pair of folding doors that are currently
  closed. To the right of these doors is a small, cold
  metal cone jutting out of the wall. As you trace
  the length of the cone with your hands, you find
  that it connects to a small, pliable tube that dis-
  appears into the wall at a downward angle.
  The elevator came to rest here in the basement,
  and now supports the bulk of the gelatinous cube. If
  not for the metal skeleton of the chamber and its
  metal roof, the gelatinous cube would have long ago
  dissolved it entirely. There is an exit panel in the
  
  Horrors of Penance
  15
  ceiling of the elevator, but characters must
  either pass through or move the gelatinous
  cube for it to be of any assistance to them.
  What remains of the elevator’s ropes, the
  bulk of which were long ago dissolved by
  the gelatinous cube, dangle just above the
  horrid cube; if they were somehow
  reattached to the elevator’s pulley system
  or replaced with new ropes or chains, such
  as via a Knowledge (engineering) skill check
  (DC 19), the elevator could again work
  normally.
  The metal cone and tube assembly is a
  device which was used by individuals using
  the elevator to communicate with the
  servants in the basement Pull Room (Area
  2), who would then move the elevator to the
  appropriate floor.
  2. Pull Room
  Thick, braided strands of coarse rope
  snake their way across the well worn floor.
  You soon find that you must walk carefully
  to avoid tripping over their entangled
  masses.
  The ropes that lie on the floor within this room
  wend their way through a series of pulleys, and were
  once used by servants to pull the elevator to different
  floors. If the ropes above the elevator are somehow
  repaired or replaced (see Area 1 for details),
  characters may move the elevator up with a Strength
  check (DC 30). Multiple characters may pull on the
  ropes at once, stacking their bonuses. If the elevator
  happens to be located on a floor other than the
  basement, or is raised by the characters, lowering it
  again requires a lower Strength check (DC 20) in
  order to ease it down without damaging the
  mechanism. If it is damaged, another successful
  Knowledge (engineering) check (DC 15) will fix it
  again. A series of locking mechanisms throughout
  the system keep the elevator from slipping, which
  at least makes sure falling damage is not an issue.
   3. Vault Entry
  The interior of this small, cool room is made
  of a smooth stone rather than the wood found
  throughout the rest of the house. On the far wall
  stands an impressive metal door inlaid with
  strange etchings and what seems to be an entire
  series of bas relief embellishments.
  The etchings and embellishments are decorative only
  and detail a few of Purepath’s adventures through-
  out Penance.
  The metal door (hardness 10, 60 hp, Break DC
  30) is locked (DC 30) and protected by a magic missile
  trap that will fire at anyone attempting to open it.
  Trap: CR 5; no attack roll necessary (5d4+5); Search
  (DC 26); Disable Device (DC 26). Unlike the
  mechanical traps throughout the house, this trap
  resets itself immediately.
  4. Vault
  Similar to the small chamber before it, this
  entire room is made of smooth stone. Well-carved
  and sanded wooden shelves line three of the four
  walls, all of them empty. In the rear of the vault,
  a lone pair of ornamental hooks, crafted from the
  fluted horns of some massive creature, is
  mounted; it seems from their placement that they
  were used for supporting an object in an obvi-
  ous place of honor.
  All the loot from the vault was removed and
  stored in the lectors’ room shortly after they took up
  residence here. However, unknown to them, there is
  a secret compartment within the vault in the floor of
  the northeastern corner. It requires a Search check
  (DC 30) to detect, and is again trapped (an additional
  Search check is required to detect the trap once the
  compartment has been found). The secret compart-
  ment is lined with lead and contains a permanent
  miniature antimagic field, both of which prevent find-
  ing it by magical means.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  16
  Chain of Lightning Trap: CR 12; individual
  opening compartment (12d6) and others in room
  (6d6); Reflex save (DC 19) for half; Search (DC 31);
  Disable Device (DC 31). Anyone of neutral good
  alignment can open the compartment without
  triggering the trap. This trap resets once the
  compartment is closed.
  Treasure: In the truest twist of irony, Red Shard
  never left the house. Shortly before Purepath died,
  he conversed with the mystical blade and they
  determined that no worthy heir had been found.
  They did not want one of Purepath’s servants or
  associates to take the cherished weapon as bounty.
  Therefore, Purepath placed the sword within this
  secret compartment in the hope that the proper
  individual would someday come, retrieve it, and
  wield it in the name of good. The sword, being
  virtually immortal, could wait (for more
  information, please see the “Statistics for NPCs”
  section for details on Red Shard).
  It was hidden in this compartment with magical
  wards to prevent the detection of its presence via
  magic. Bolthor and Sissel were so embroiled into
  their own manic fears and steeped in paranoia that
  when they found the sword missing, they instantly
  assumed that their companions had betrayed them.
  In reality, that which they so desired was just a few
  inches below their feet.
  Lastly, the fluted horn hooks are hand carved
  from the horns of a massive gnarl, and worth
  approximately 600 gp to a collector or other
  interested party.
  5. Guards’ Barracks
  If the PCs have been in Room 9, describe this as a
  very similar room. If they have not, read the follow-
  ing:
  In direct contrast to everything else you have
  encountered in this abysmal place, almost noth-
  ing seems disturbed within this room. A thick
  layer of throat-coating dust lines what can only
  be various pieces of furniture, many of which
  are on the verge of falling to pieces.
  Seven beds and small wooden lockers fill this
  room. Searching this area (DC 22) will reveal a few
  weapons and other seemingly personal items still
  hidden within beds or under floorboards.
  Treasure: 50 gp, longsword, (rusted but
  functional), shortswords x 3 (each slightly rusted but
  functional), shortbow, 10 arrows, and a light mace
  +1.
  6, 7, 8. Storage
  Rough wooden crates bound shut with rope
  and moldy, rancid sacks occupy this space. The
  sheer volume of dust in here burns your nose
  and stings your eyes.
  Creatures: In Room 7 a small pack of dire rats is
  hiding from the jaggon; they attack anything that
  moves.
  Dire Rats (8): hp 5 (see MM, p. 56).
  9. Servants’ Quarters
  If the PCs have been in Room 5, describe this as a
  very similar room. If they have not, read the follow-
  ing:
  In direct contrast to everything else you have
  encountered in this abysmal place, almost noth-
  ing seems disturbed within this room. A thick
  layer of throat-coating dust lines what can only
  be various pieces of furniture, many of which
  are on the verge of falling to pieces.
  Fourteen beds and wooden lockers fill this room.
  Searching it (DC 25) will reveal various trinkets,
  personal belongings, and even a spellbook hidden
  throughout.
  Treasure: 5gp, 20 sp, 40 cp, a fine silk wedding
  gown carefully stored within a cedar-lined trunk
  (worth 120 gp), scarab of golembane (flesh), arcane
  spellbook containing: arcane eye, black tentacles,
  comprehend languages, detect thoughts, fly, gaseous form,
  ghost sound, magic mouth, magic weapon,
  prestidigitation, and sepia snake sigil, as well as 5 pages
  of gibberish where the last owner (who was
  apparently not a spellcaster but inherited the book
  from her father) tried to learn how to write the
  magical runes.
  10. Rubble
  The walls and floor in this area have been
  torn asunder violently. Boards, stonework, and
  even metal rafters from below the house form a
  twisted mound here. Raspy breathing seeps up
  from the mound.
  Creatures: A valco paladin named Sorib lak
  Haran is trapped beneath this confusing mishmash
  of rubble. He was part of a group that recently be-
  came trapped within the mansion and attempted to
  dig their way out. Their digging soon unearthed the
  lair of a jaggon that had been attracted by the cursed
  darkness. The wizard of that doomed party managed
  to partially seal off the tunnel in a cataclysmic spell,
  but the jaggon had already made its way into the
  basement. The paladin was trapped in the rubble,
  
  Horrors of Penance
  17
  both of his legs broken, and forced to listen to the
  dying screams of his comrades as the Jaggon tore
  them apart.
   Sorib quickly discovered that as long as he
  remained motionless and buried out of reach, the
  foul creature could not detect his presence. Since that
  terrible day, the paladin has only been able to keep
  himself alive through magic and by his valco ability
  to gain nutrition from nearly anything, even passing
  insects and moldy rations. Despite his best efforts,
  he cannot get himself out. Sorib has been able to keep
  tabs on the movements of the monster from the
  sounds it makes, and has thus been able to pick and
  chose the most opportune times for making the slight
  movements required for casting his spells.
  The paladin is hesitant to attempt to fully heal
  himself for several reasons, the greatest of which is
  that even at full health, he could not remove the
  boulders atop him or face the beast single handedly.
  Also, he fears that casting a healing spell while still
  under the boulders would either cause his leg bones
  to set improperly, or worse, simply cause them to
  be broken again (a painful experience that he is not
  eager to repeat). However, Sorib is quickly growing
  desperate.
  If he hears anyone entering or approaching the
  area, he will try to warn them of the creature and of
  his presence, though he will try to do so without
  alerting the jaggon if the awful beast has not already
  sense the newcomers.
  Sorib lak Haran: Valco Pal9, hp 74 (max hp 92).
  Development: It will take approximately ten
  minutes to extract Sorib from the rubble without
  additional injury. Magical means or careful
  engineering can speed this up at the GM’s discretion.
  If the jaggon from the Work Area (Area 11), has not
  been dealt with, it will definitely come to investigate
  any movement within the rubble, and will hungrily
  attack any creature it can locate.
  Sorib is able to cast spells from where he is, but
  is also blind like most creatures within the cursed
  mansion. He will do everything he can to assist the
  party if they are attacked by the jaggon. Sorib
  believes the best thing he can do is cast spells to boost
  the party in their fight, but he is willing to risk
  offensive spells against the jaggon if the fight is going
  badly and the characters need the assistance.
  A Search check (DC 17) in the rubble reveals an
  opening to the area below the house. Without any
  attempts at widening it, only small creatures can
  currently get through, but a successful Craft
  (stonemasonry) check (DC 14) or Knowledge
  (engineering) check (DC 14) and 1d10+5 rounds can
  safely widen it for to allow for the passage of
  medium to large sized creatures. Failing either check
  by more than 5 will simply collapse the rubble even
  further, causing 2d6 bludgeoning damage to anyone
  working on the rubble or trapped beneath. This also
  has the unfortunate side effect of destabilizing the
  rubble and raising the DC for safe digging by 2.
  Beneath the rubble, the darkness curse continues
  ten feet into the ground itself and outwards to the
  mansion’s perimeter. The area that can be accessed
  beyond the darkness seems to be a former apartment
  building that was once three stories high; several
  passages exit from it into the mazelike paths of the
  Undercity.
  11. Work Area
  If the PCs have descended via the fireplace, they will
  emerge in the center of the work area. Adjust the
  boxed text appropriately.
  The strange echoing sounds of your breath
  and your footfalls inform you that this room is
  substantially larger than most others you have
  explored thus far. What seem to be the broken
  remnants of various tools and splintered work
  benches are scattered throughout the room.
  Creatures: The jaggon that Sorib lak Haran’s
  group accidentally released into the house remains
  here while it waits for prey to enter the basement.
  While its blindsight is affected by the curse, its
  secondary means of locating prey, tremorsense, is
  working just fine. Anyone managing to fly or levitate
  is effectively invisible to the creature, but anyone
  touching a wall or floor is immediately pinpointed.
  If it hears any noise or detects any movement, it will
  quickly move to investigate and attack. Of course,
  its horrific appearance will not affect blinded PCs;
  those that have managed to push the darkness back
  with magic may prefer blindness to the sight of the
  hideous beast that lunges at them from the shadows.
  Jaggon: hp 129 (see Oathbound, p. 533).
  Tactics: The jaggon is both at an advantage and
  disadvantage within the cursed mansion. On one
  hand, it can fully “see” in this cursed darkness but
  on the other, it cannot detect anything more than 60
  feet away. Therefore, as long as characters are quiet
  in what they do, the jaggon will not know of their
  existence unless they come within 60 feet of it.
  Currently, the jaggon lies in wait in the
  southeastern corner, hoping to hear Sorib so it can
  pinpoint his location. In this position it will not be
  able to detect characters coming in through either
  the elevator or the fireplace chimney. As long as
  characters stay in the western and northern halves
  of the basement and remain fairly quiet, it will most
  likely not know they are there (although the
  characters are very likely to hear the jaggon moving
  around).
  GMs can elect to have the jaggon move around
  the room, as it is constantly hungry and could be
  patrolling for vermin to eat; if it comes within range
  
  Horrors of Penance
  18
  of the characters or if they make any sort of
  movement that it might detect (such as a cascade of
  falling rubble), it will immediately dive in and attack
  with a ferocity born of unending hunger. After its
  first kill, the jaggon will try to drag the body off to
  consume it, but if the party presses the attacks, the
  creature will stay and fight to the death.
  Conclusion
  Even with the lectors destroyed, the memory of that
  dark day is permanently stained upon the mansion.
  The curse of darkness will remain in perpetuity a
  miracle, wish, or other powerful magic manages to
  dispel it, or perhaps if some truly heroic, sacrificial
  or good deed is performed in that area. Until that
  time, the vacant and blood-stained mansion may at-
  tract other nefarious occupants who will undoubt-
  edly put the vile curse to use for their own devious
  means.
  Statistics for NPCs
  The Lectors
  Note: The Lectors listed here are variations on the
  normal undead creature listed on p. 335 of Oathbound:
  Domains of the Forge. Slight changes have been made
  to individualize the villains and reflect the fact that
  they retain unique characteristics from their previ-
  ous existences. If either one is defeated, GMs should
  feel free to describe a variety of mundane and magi-
  cal objects implanted on and entwined within their
  bodies. Anything magical should be a cursed item,
  either from the DMG or the GM’s imagination, and
  even mundane items should have a feeling of un-
  ease or bit of bad luck about them. Indeed, an object
  found in the lectors’ skeletal forms could be the hook
  to another adventure.
  Bolthor: Male Lector; CR 12; Medium-size
  undead; HD 10d12; hp 110; Init +5 (Dex); Spd 30 ft,
  climb 20 ft.; AC 31 (+6 Natural, +5 profane, +4 Dex,
  +5 armor, +1 enhancement); Atk +15 melee (1d8+10,
  2 claws), +13 melee (1d6+8, bite); SA curse; SQ
  greater darksight (60’), profane aura, sense bad juju,
  undead; AL NE; SV Fort +8, Ref +13, Will +12; Str
  20, Dex 20, Con -, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 15.
  Skills and Feats: Hide +6, Intimidate +5,
  Knowledge (arcana) +2, Listen +10, Move Silently
  +16, Open Lock +5, Search +2, Spellcraft +2, Spot
  +8; Dodge, Mobility, Multiattack, Power Attack,
  Spring Attack.
  SA – Curse (Su): Anyone bit must make a Will
  save (DC 17) or be cursed (as bestow curse) – the lector
  chooses which of the three standard curses at the
  time of biting. Bolthor prefers the -4 penalty on all
  attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, and skill
  checks because of the overall weakening effect it has
  on his opponents.
  SQ – Greater Darksight: Lectors can see through
  magical darkness to a range of 60 ft. Normally this
  would be limited by the darkness curse, but Bolthor
  and Sissel can see to the full range of their darksight
  – perhaps so that they will always see the cage they
  are trapped within.
  SQ – Profane Aura (Su): A profane aura appearing
  like flames around the lector’s head provides a +5
  bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws,
  and Armor Class (included above).
  SQ – Sense Bad Juju (Su): Lectors can sense items
  that have an evil taint (GM’s discretion) within 100
  ft., and feels a tug in the direction of the item.
  SQ – Undead: Immune to mind-influencing
  effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and
  disease. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage,
  ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive
  damage.
  Possessions: +1 chain shirt of silent moves, ring
  of the ram (22 charges remaining).
  Notes: Bolthor’s orcish heritage follows him even
  into undeath. He is dense, brutish, and violent. He
  is also very covetous of his ring of the ram, assuming
  that everyone, even Sissel, means to steal it. He
  knows that its power is limited but is too stupid to
  have counted the number of charges expended, and
  therefore uses its power only when faced with
  extremely powerful opponents. He prefers to use
  spring attack on opponents in any case, especially
  those that have some form of illumination, as it
  allows him to watch their terror as his hideous
  skeletal form leaps into the light, claws at them, and
  then disappears . . . possibly with one of their fellow
  party members in his clutches.
  Sissel: Lector; CR 12; Medium-size undead; HD
  10d12; hp 110; Init +5 (Dex); Spd 30ft, climb 20 ft.;
  AC 27 (+6 Natural, +5 profane, +5 Dex, +1 Dodge);
  Atk +16 ranged touch (net); or +14 melee (1d8+9, 2
  claws), or +12 melee (1d6+7, bite); SA curse; SQ
  greater darksight (60’), profane aura, sense bad juju,
  undead; AL NE; SV Fort +8, Ref +13, Will +13; Str
  18, Dex 20, Con -, Int 16, Wis 12, cha 17.
  Skills and Feats: Hide +10, Intimidate +6,
  Knowledge (arcana) +13, Listen +13, Move  Silently
  +20, Open Lock +10, Search +14, Spellcraft +13, Spot
  +13; Alertness, Dodge, Expertise, Exotic Weapon
  Proficiency (net), Multiattack.
  SA – Curse (Su): Anyone bit must make a Will
  save (DC 17) or be cursed (as bestow curse) – the lector
  chooses which of the three standard curses at the
  time of biting. Sissel prefers the -6 penalty to an
  ability score, namely Dexterity. This decreases their
  
  Horrors of Penance
  19
  AC significantly, making it easier for her to catch
  them within her net, as well as making it more
  difficult to escape it.
  SQ – Greater Darksight: Lectors can see through
  magical darkness to a range of 60 ft. Normally this
  would be limited by the darkness curse, but Bolthor
  and Sissel can see to the full range of their darksight
  – perhaps so that they will always see the cage they
  are trapped within.
  SQ – Profane Aura (Su): A profane aura appearing
  like flames around the lector’s head provides a +5
  bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws,
  and Armor Class (included above).
  SQ – Sense Bad Juju (Su): Lectors can sense items
  that have an evil taint (GM’s discretion) within 100
  ft., and feels a tug in the direction of the item.
  SQ – Undead: Immune to mind-influencing
  effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and
  disease. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage,
  ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive
  damage.
  Possessions: +1 net, boots of elvenkind.
  Notes: Sissel lets Bolthor do most of the hand-to-
  hand fighting and distraction, while she attempts to
  quietly net someone that is further away from the
  party and drag them through a nearby door or
  window. She prefers to attack from the same level,
  as she isn’t strong enough to haul trapped creatures
  up from above. She is also fairly intelligent, and uses
  her lector-granted Spellcraft and Knowledge
  (arcana) to guess what magic items, tactics, and
  spells a party will most likely use after watching
  them in action for a few rounds.
  Allies
  Einian Quickfinger: Male Dwarf Rog10; Medium
  Humanoid ; CR 10; HD 10d6+30; hp 21 (82 max); Init
  +2; Spd 20; AC 12; Atk +8 base melee, +9 base ranged;
  SQ: Darkvision (Ex), Dwarven traits (Ex); AL N; SV
  Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +2; Str 12, Dex 14, Con 16, Int
  17, Wis 9, Cha 9.
  Skills and Feats: Appraise +11, Balance +12, Climb
  +11, Craft (Carpentry) +5, Craft (Metalworking) +5,
  Craft (Stonecarving) +3, Craft (Stonemasonry) +3,
  Craft (Trapmaking) +16, Craft (Weaponsmithing) +3,
  Decipher Script +7, Disable Device +14, Hide +9,
  Intuit Direction +3, Listen +3, Move Silently +8,
  Open Lock +10, Profession (Armorsmith) +1,
  Profession 
  (Blacksmith) 
  +1, 
  Profession
  (Metalworker) +1, Profession (Miner) +1, Profession
  (Stonemason) +1, Profession (Weaponsmith) +1,
  Search +16, Spot +9, Use Magic Device +12, Use Rope
  +15; Blind-Fight, Dodge, Endurance, Skill Focus:
  Craft (Trapmaking).
  Notes: Einian is a survivor above all. Escaping
  from the mansion intact is more important to him
  than getting back at the lectors and, indeed, more
  important to him than the lives of his rescuers. He
  holds bitter hatred for his captors, but recognizes
  that escaping and coming back with the appropriate
  help, prepared with the proper spells and
  equipment, is the best way to accomplish his
  vengeance. If he cannot talk the party into leaving
  by the quickest route possible, he may attempt to
  escape on his own. He might not be above betraying
  the party if he can broker a deal with the lectors,
  and if he can be convinced that they’ll stick to the
  bargain.
  Mafuane: Male Ort Clr7; Medium Aberration; CR
  5; HD 7d8+7; hp 54; Init +2; Spd 30, Burrow 5; AC 14
  (+3 natural, +1 Dex); Atk tentacle slam +5/+5/+5/
  +5 (5 ft. reach), or +5/+5 (10 ft. reach) or +5 (15 ft.
  reach); dmg 1d3 plus 1d4 acid; SA – Corrosion,
  spells; SQ – Malleable; AL CG; SV Fort +6, Ref +3,
  Will +8; Str 11, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 17, Cha 10.
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +6, Heal +5, Hide
  +7, Move Silently +1, Sense Motive +3, Spellcraft +2;
  Blind-Fight, Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item.
  SA – Corrosion (Ex): Can choose to secrete acid
  (1d4), can apply to object struck (especially armor)
  SQ – Malleable (Ex): can flex body into unusual
  proportions (10 ft. by 10 ft. sheet few inches thick, 3
  ft. sphere, 20 ft. long cylinder few inches thick),
  spring new appendages: 4 x 5 ft. long, 2 x 10 ft. long,
  or 1 x 15 ft. long tentacles.
  Domains: Protection, Travel
  Spells Prepared (Clr 6/5/4/2/0): 0 - create water,
  detect magic, detect poison, light, purify food and drink,
  resistance; 1st – bless x2, obscuring mist, protection from
  evil, shield of faith; 2nd – find traps, lesser restoration,
  silence, sound burst; 3rd – daylight, summon monster
  III.
  Notes: Mafuane is an ort, a shapeshifting race of
  subterranean creatures that live beneath Penance
  (see Oathbound, p. 336). He is a courageous wanderer
  of the Undercity, protecting those in need and
  ferreting out dangerous creatures. That is, he was . .
  . until yesterday. After falling down the pit, being
  partially corroded by acid, and stalked by vicious
  lectors, he is now a nervous wreck with little more
  courage than the pile of garbage he resembles. He
  will be of little use to the party until someone goes
  unconscious or is snatched away by the lectors, at
  which point his protective instincts will kick in. From
  that point on, he will be a courageous asset to the
  party. His bravery will become so strong, and his
  shame at his previous behavior will be so deep, that
  he will go so far as to give his life holding off the
  lectors so that the characters may escape.
  If asked about his religion, Mafuane will neither
  be able to confirm nor deny any connection between
  
  Horrors of Penance
  20
  it and Israfel, Queen of Penance. He simply refers to
  a connection his people have with the “keening”,
  some sort of beautiful sound that only they can hear.
  It is to this “sound of the maker” that they pray, he
  says, and from this that they receive their spells.
  Keep in mind that the spells listed above
  represent Mafuane’s repertoire after having spent
  some on healing and some trying to pierce the
  darkness. He will be able to regain spells several
  hours after the characters find him, having been too
  flustered previously to pray for more.
  Red Shard: +2 intelligent keen falchion; Speech –
  common and draconic; PA – Spider climb for 20
  minutes on wielder 1/day, wielder gains uncanny
  dodge (as a 5th-level barbarian); AL NG; Int 12, Wis
  9, Cha 15.
  Appearance: Red Shard is named for its blade,
  which is comprised of a strange obsidian-like
  crimson stone. Its pommel is polished ivory with a
  carving of a humanoid with tentacles sprouting from
  its face at the bottom.
  Sorib lak Haran: Male Valco Pal9; Medium
  Humanoid; CR 9; HD 9d10+18; hp 92; Init -2; Spd
  20; AC 17; Atk +13 base melee, +7 base ranged; +15
  (1d8+6, Adamantine Battleaxe); AL LG; SV Fort +12,
  Ref +3, Will +8; Str 18, Dex 6, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 16,
  Cha 15.
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +8, Diplomacy +6,
  Heal +15, Knowledge (religion) +2, Listen +5, Spot
  +5; Alertness, Great Fortitude, Leadership, Power
  Attack.
  Spells Prepared (Pal —/2/1): 1st – Create Water,
  Cure Light Wounds; 2nd – Delay Poison.
  Possessions: Adamantine Battleaxe; Light
  crossbow; Dagger; Silvered dagger; Short sword;
  Masterwork banded mail; Large mithral shield; Bag
  of holding (Bag 1); Ring of Minor Elemental Resistance.
  Notes: Sorib is an honorable Valco who did
  everything he could to help his previous party, but
  now realizes that pragmatism is the only thing that
  will get him out of this situation. He will do
  everything he can to help a party that rescues him.
  That does not mean, however, that he does not have
  a strong need to avenge his previous party and a
  moral obligation to destroy the lectors, if he can. If
  he believes he can do this with the party’s help, he
  will attempt to convince the party that the lectors
  must be destroyed before they depart. He realizes
  that some of them may die before the battle is
  through, but feels that it is worth it. If the party
  refuses, he will be disappointed but will accompany
  them in their escape. He will not, ironically, be as
  courageous a defender as Mufuane; if the party will
  not focus on destroying the lectors, he feels it is his
  duty to get out and bring back a party that will
  obliterate this mansion and its evil occupants. He
  will do his share of the fighting, but will not give his
  life so that others may escape.
  Monsters
  Dire Rats (8): CR 1/3; Small animal (3 ft. long); HD
  1d8+1; hp 5; Init +3 (Dex); Spd 40 ft., climb 20 ft.; AC
  15 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +1 natural); Atk +4 melee (1d4,
  bite); SA disease; SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort +3, Ref +5,
  Will +3; Str 10, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 4.
  Skills and Feats: Climb +11, Hide +11, Hide +9,
  Move Silently +6; Weapon Finesse (bite).
  SA—Disease (Ex): Filth fever (bite, Fortitude save
  (DC 12), incubation period 1d3 days; damage 1d3
  temporary Dexterity and 1d3 temporary
  Constitution.)
  Gelatinous Cube: CR 3; Huge ooze; HD 4d10+36;
  hp 69; Init -5 (Dex); Spd 15 ft.; AC 3 (-2 size, -5 Dex);
  Atk +1 melee (1d6+4, slam and 1d6, acid); SA engulf,
  paralysis, acid; SQ blindsight, ooze, transparent; AL
  N; SV Fort +5, Ref -4, Will -4; Str 10, Dex 1, Con 19,
  Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1.
  Skills and Feats: None.
  SA - Engulf (Ex): Although it moves slowly, a
  gelatinous cube can simply mow down Large or
  smaller creatures as a standard action. It cannot make
  a slam attack during a round in which it engulfs.
  The gelatinous cube merely has to move over the
  opponents, affecting as many as it can cover.
  Opponents can make opportunity attacks against the
  cube, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving
  throw. Those who do not attempt opportunity
  attacks must succeed at a Reflex save (DC 13) or be
  engulfed; on a success, they are pushed back or aside
  (opponent’s choice) as the cube moves forward.
  Engulfed creatures are subject to the cube’s paralysis
  and acid, and are considered to be grappled and
  trapped within its body.
  SA - Paralysis (Ex): Gelatinous cubes secrete an
  anesthetizing slime. A target hit by a cube’s melee
  or engulf attack must succeed at a Fortitude save
  (DC 16) or be paralyzed for 3d6 rounds. The cube
  can automatically engulf a paralyzed opponent.
  SA - Acid (Ex): A gelatinous cube’s acid does not
  harm metal or stone.
  SQ - Blindsight (Ex): An ooze’s entire body is a
  primitive sensory organ that can ascertain prey by
  scent and vibration within 60 feet.
  SQ - Ooze: Immune to mind-influencing effects,
  poison, 
  sleep, 
  paralysis, 
  stunning, 
  and
  polymorphing. Not subject to critical hits.
  SQ - Transparent (Ex): Gelatinous cubes are hard
  to see, even under ideal conditions, and it takes a
  successful Spot check (DC 15) to notice one.
  Creatures who fail to notice a cube and walk into it
  are automatically engulfed.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  21
  Jaggon: CR 10; Large Aberration; HD 12d8+48;
  hp 129; Init –1 (Dex); Spd 30 ft., burrow 20 ft.; AC 18
  (+1 Dex, +8 natural, -1 size); Atk +13 melee (3d10+5,
  bite), and +11 melee (1d4+2, sting and poison); SA
  blindsight, horrific appearance, poison; SQ
  immunities, resistant to blows, tremorsense; AL NE;
  SV Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +7; Str 21, Dex 12, Con 19,
  Int 6, Wis 9, Cha 7.
  Skills and Feats: Hide +7, Jump +8, Listen +8, Move
  Silently +10, Spot +8; Alertness, Multiattack.
  SA – Horrific Appearance (Su): The sight of a jaggon
  is so revolting that anyone who sees one must make
  a Will save (DC 15), or be weakened suffering 1d6
  points of temporary Strength damage. Those who
  succeed at the save cannot be affected by the same
  jaggon’s horrific appearance for an entire day.
  SA – Poison (Ex): Creatures struck by antennae
  must make a Fortitude save (DC 18) or experience
  vivid hallucinations (equivalent to the spell
  confusion) for 2d6 minutes.
  SQ – Blindsight (Ex): With their antennae, jaggons
  can ascertain all foes within 60 ft. Beyond that
  distance, they are blind.
  SQ – Immunities (Ex): Jaggons are immune to gaze
  attacks, visual effects, illusions, sonic attacks, sonic
  spells, and all other attack forms that rely on sight
  or sound. They are still susceptible to scent-based
  attacks.
  SQ – Resistant to blows (Ex): Due to their thick,
  rubbery hide, and near lack of vital organs, physical
  attacks deal only half damage to jaggons.
  SQ – Tremorsense (Ex): Jaggons can sense the
  location of anything moving within 60 ft. that is in
  contact with the ground.
  Monstrous Centipede, Tiny (20): CR 1/8;Tiny
  Vermin ; HD 1/4d8 (Vermin); hp 1; Init +2; Spd 20;
  AC 14; Atk -3 base melee, +4 base ranged; +4 (1d3-5,
  Bite); SA: Poison (Ex); SQ: Vermin; AL N; SV Fort
  +2, Ref +2, Will +0; Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int —, Wis
  10, Cha 2.
  Skills and Feats: Climb -1, Hide +14, Spot +4;
  Weapon Finesse.
  SA – Poison (Ex): Fort DC 11, Initial and
  Secondary 1 Dex.
  SQ – Vermin: Immune to mind-influencing
  effects.
  Shrieker Fungus (2): CR 1; Medium Plant; HD
  2d8+2 (Plant); hp 11; Init -5; Spd AC 13; Atk +1 base
  melee, +1 base ranged; SA: Shriek (Ex); SQ: Plant;
  AL N; SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will -4; Str —, Dex —, Con
  13, Int 1, Wis 2, Cha 1.
  SA- Shriek (Ex): Movement within 10 feet cause
  to emit piercing shriek for 1d3 rounds.
  SQ – Plant: Immune to mind-influencing effects,
  poison, 
  sleep, 
  paralysis, 
  stunning, 
  and
  polymorphing. Not subject to critical hits.
  Violet Fungus (4): CR 3; Medium Plant ; HD
  2d8+6; hp 19; Init -1; Spd 10; AC 13; Atk +3 melee
  (1d6+2, 4 Tentacles); SA: Poison (Ex); SQ: Plant; AL
  N; SV Fort +6, Ref -1, Will +0; Str 14, Dex 8, Con 16,
  Int 2, Wis 11, Cha —.
  SA – Poison (Ex): Tentacle, Fort DC 14, Initial and
  Secondary – 1d4 temporary Strength and 1d4
  temporary Constitution.
  SQ – Plant: Immune to mind-influencing effects,
  poison, 
  sleep, 
  paralysis, 
  stunning, 
  and
  polymorphing. Not subject to critical hits.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  22
  
  Horrors of Penance
  23
  Scenario 2 - Totem
  An adventure for 17th level characters, wherein seem-
  ingly innocent remembrances of lost loved ones se-
  cretly open a doorway for a bloodthirsty devil.
  Background
  “Aunt” Anelie likes helping families in pain. She used
  to care for the ill with poultices and simple spells;
  but nothing could help those experiencing the ulti-
  mate pain, the loss of a loved one. A decade ago she
  found something in her mother’s notes that would
  do just that. She found a ritual that allowed her to
  create totems to take away the grief of losing a loved
  one. While many are initially suspicious of the aged
  matron, eventually, most discover that she can in-
  deed comfort them far more than anyone else, and
  hanging the unusual-looking totem in their home
  seems to be a small price to pay in order to continue
  that sense of comfort.
  Unbeknownst to Aunt Anelie, she is merely the
  pawn of a great evil. The ritual she uses to create the
  totems does indeed ease suffering, but only as a
  byproduct. A family’s grief seems to lessen because
  the spirit of their departed is still there with them. The
  ritual traps the newly departed spirit to the totem
  itself. Additionally, the totem and the spirit trapped
  within are now bound to the ritual’s creator, a devil
  named Cernu’ba’donn. This vile pit fiend developed
  the ritual, then made sure that it was found by
  someone with just enough ability to perform it, but
  not enough to understand it. Aunt Anelie was that
  unfortunate individual.
  Cernu’ba’donn’s goal was to enter the Forge to
  harness its power and, if possible, destroy and take
  the place of one of the Seven. He would then use his
  nearly unlimited power to turn an entire domain of
  Penance into his personal vision of hell. The totems
  were his key to entering: with every totem Anelie
  created, a new soul was bound to the fiend. When
  he amassed 1,000, he would have the raw materials
  necessary to teleport his entire citadel to the Forge
  in any location he chooses.
  Last week, Aunt Anelie created her thousandth
  totem and gave Cernu’ba’donn began the final phase
  of his plan to open a doorway into the Forge.
  Families are already being found slaughtered in their
  homes, and the only link appears to be the kind and
  matronly Aunt Anelie. The characters are drawn into
  this bewildering tangle of clues and must discover
  the dark truth behind the totems.
  Synopsis
  The characters become involved in this adventure to
  investigate the unusual circumstances surrounding
  the death of Samuel Viss. Whatever their initial pur-
  pose for becoming concerned with this murder, they
  soon learn that it is far more than a mundane killing.
  As the search progresses more gruesome murders
  occur. Soon, the few common aspects of each death
  begin to emerge from the eerie backdrop: that each
  of the dead had lost someone close to them; that each
  of the dead had visited Aunt Anelie; and that each of
  them had possessed one of her totems. These clues
  quickly lead them to Aunt Anelie, but once they ar-
  rive they do not encounter the serial killer that they
  seek.
  Aunt Anelie is initially brusque with the
  characters – after all, she has only been trying to
  assuage peoples’ grief and would never harm
  anyone. Once she realizes that the victims were all
  her customers and understands the painful deaths
  they must have suffered, she agrees to help. The
  fiend Cernu’ba’donn learns of these attempts to foil
  his plans and sets out to eliminate those who behind
  them, beginning with Aunt Anelie. Before her
  untimely demise, however, the matron is able to
  devise a clue that will help the characters destroy
  the fiendish threat.
  The characters must then make a painful decision:
  destroy the totems, and therefore damn each of the
  1,000 souls to eternal torment, or let the pit fiend
  into the Forge. The characters must simultaneously
  deal with a riotous mob stirred up by a local
  inquisitor. As powerful members of the community,
  attention turns to the characters to make the decision
  – destroy the totems and damn their loved ones, or
  attempt to slay one of the most powerful beings in
  the Abyss?
  The Ritual
  No matter what the characters decide to do, the re-
  sult will probably not be what they expected.
  Cernu’ba’donn is, after all, a devil, and therefore a
  master of misdirection and deceit. The characters will
  eventually learn that he must harness 1,000 souls to
  enter the Forge; what they will not discover without
  clever and persistent research is that his ritual will
  have the most powerful result if he also sacrifices
  those souls through the destruction of their totems.
  Completing the ritual in this manner would allow
  him to not only enter the Forge, but also to bring his
  fortress and his minions with him and to designate
  their arrival in an unclaimed canton within Penance.
  He would instantly attain bloodlord status thanks to
  the population of devils he would control, would be
  
  Horrors of Penance
  24
  protected by the Queen’s laws, and
  would be able to begin his conquest of
  the Forge . . . legitimately. Luckily for
  the citizens of Penance, he cannot com-
  plete the ritual in this manner himself;
  the souls must be both bound and de-
  stroyed on the plane he wishes to en-
  ter.
  How to accomplish the totems’
  destruction without doing it himself?
  Why, by making the local populace
  terrified of them, of course. First draw
  attention to the totems with seemingly
  random and evil murders. Then leave
  difficult clues for the heroic defenders
  of Penance or the leaders of the riotous
  mob, either one, to follow. Trick them
  into thinking they’ve uncovered his
  weakness, then let them do the work:
  destroy 
  the 
  totems, 
  thereby
  completing the ritual for him. If
  everything goes according to
  Cernu’ba’donn’s plan, the righteous
  heroes of Penance won’t stop to
  wonder why the devil drew attention
  to his totems in the first place.
  On the other hand, careful and
  extremely moral characters might
  refuse to destroy the totems either
  because they uncover the secrets of
  Cernu’ba’donn’s plan or because they
  realize that the spirits within would
  then be obliterated. The alternative is
  less ideal for the pit fiend but will do in a pinch: 666
  hours (or 27 days) after the 1,000th soul is bound to a
  totem, Cernu’ba’donn will be able to teleport, alone,
  anywhere in Penance that he wishes. This would
  give him the flexibility and time to remain hidden
  while he amasses power and minions. Additionally,
  the souls bound to the totems would be consumed
  during the teleportation, their remains taking form
  as demonic creatures under Cernu’ba’donn’s
  control.
  Obviously, neither of these options is in the
  interest of the characters or the well being of the
  Forge. It is up to the heroes to decide which is the
  lesser of the two evils, or to find another alternative.
  Character Hooks
  There are several ways to involve the characters in
  this adventure beyond the classic motivations of
  bloodlord request, professional curiosity, or heroic
  obligation. GMs should feel free to use any of the
  ideas below, or one of their own devising, to put the
  characters in the middle of the tale.
  Grief stricken: The characters themselves have
  recently lost a loved one (perhaps even an old party
  member) and seek to assuage their feelings of
  remorse and grief. They journey to Aunt Anelie in
  order to receive one of her totems and as a result
  become deeply embroiled in this twisted and bizarre
  adventure. GMs are encouraged to, if this hook is
  used, to make the decision of whether or not to
  destroy the totem towards the end of the adventure
  particularly personal.
  Eyewitnesses: The characters become involved
  because they are nearby when Samuel Viss is literally
  eaten alive. As material witnesses, they will
  undoubtedly be questioned by the bailiffs and could
  even become suspects. For those PCs that need an
  additional bit of prodding beyond threat of
  punishment, the bailiffs can announce that a hefty
  reward hangs in the balance for any who can assist
  with the more “challenging” aspects of the
  investigation.
  Should either self-preservation or the reward be
  a major motivating factor for the party, GMs may
  wish to consider and plan for the party’s reaction to
  the “big question” at the end of the mod: to destroy
  
  Horrors of Penance
  25
  the totems or face Cernu’ba’donn. If the party is
  particularly mercenary, they may not care one way
  or the other about damning 1,000 souls to eternal
  torture and servitude; but you can bet those souls
  will care, and revenge is a very strong motivator . . .
   Pall bearers: Samuel Viss could easily be a close
  friend, family member, confidant, informant, or
  business associate of the characters and they feel that
  it is only right that they attend his last rites. While
  there, they pick up the whispered rumors that some
  foul sorcery had something to do with the man’s
  sudden and horrific death and that somebody should
  do something about it; the characters become those
  “some bodies”. Alternatively, the characters need
  not be personally involved with the man, but instead
  the bloodlord (or other powerful individual) with
  which they are affiliated was, and he sends the
  characters in his stead.
  Similar circumstances: Perhaps the characters
  hear about Samuel Viss’ death and it rings a bell;
  something they have recently seen, experienced, or
  investigated is strikingly similar. Seeking a possible
  connection and additional clues, or perhaps desiring
  to lend their recently gained expertise on the subject
  to the investigation, they quickly become embroiled
  in the strange events.
   Arcane interest: The characters are interested in,
  for any number of reasons, the totems Aunt Anelie
  uses to draw the grief away from those she helps.
  Perhaps they desire to learn as much as they can
  about the totems and the ritual used to create them
  in order to lessen other emotions, like anger or fear
  or even happiness. Perhaps they desire to use the
  totems for a ritual or spell that they are researching,
  or they might even discover that the totems have
  something to do with traveling to and from other
  planes and wish to use them escape from the Forge.
  Bug collectors: A local wizard, cleric, or druid is
  deeply interested in the weeping beetles that Aunt
  Anelie uses in her totem-creation rituals and sends
  the characters to fetch some. However, once the
  characters arrive, they quickly learn of the nefarious
  nature of the ritual (and possibly the beetles as well)
  and take it upon themselves to investigate further.
  The Death of Samuel Viss
  While the characters are assumed to arrive on the
  scene of Samuel Viss’ death sometime after it has
  occurred (and because of the fact that it is treated as
  a crime scene) there is a certain amount of back-
  ground information required to make this encoun-
  ter run smoothly. GMs are advised to use the clue
  checklist featured within this section to make certain
  that they at least attempt to deliver as many of the
  hints as possible. In order to get the characters inter-
  ested in the investigation, as well as prevent them
  from becoming frustrated with it, communicating the
  essential elements of the scene, and doing so clearly,
  is paramount.
  Samuel Viss’ twin brother, Sallous, was killed
  nearly a decade ago in a construction accident.
  Samuel took the untimely death of his brother
  poorly, and eventually visited Aunt Anelie, the local
  wisewoman, for herbs and medicines to ease his
  suffering and sleeplessness. He became the first
  recipient of one of Cernu’ba’donn’s totems.
  Soon after it was placed within his small, simple
  home, Samuel began to feel the grief seep from his
  soul and he slowly got better, returning to his normal
  daily activities. He came to cherish the totem as a
  keepsake of his beloved brother. Ten years later, fate
  came full circle. As Cernu’ba’donn felt the 1,000th
  soul to bind to him, he became able to control the
  totems and cast spells through them. The lawful but
  corrupt pit fiend decided that since Samuel was the
  first to purchase a totem, he should also be the first
  to be killed by one.
  Cernu’ba’donn commanded the totem to use its
  summon swarm ability (see Appendix) while the man
  slept. The insects engulfed Samuel and slowly ate
  him alive. The man was awake and aware
  throughout but could not struggle or call out because
  of the paralyzing effect of the insects’ venom. There
  is little doubt that it was a horrendous death. Once
  their ghastly task was complete, the insects literally
  vanished into the woodwork, leaving only a neatly
  stripped skeleton in their wake. While every insect
  that bit Samuel died, there were hundreds left over
  to carry away their fellows’ remains with them into
  the walls.
  As a result, the crime scene is remarkably bare
  and devoid of evidence and there are no witnesses
  whatsoever, as nothing out of the ordinary was seen
  or heard. Once the characters arrive at the scene, read
  the following to the players:
  As you step into the simple but well kept one-
  room dwelling, an overpowering stench invades
  your nostrils. For no reason that you can dis-
  cern, the scent suggests death. It is not the typi-
  cal cloying smell of decaying flesh and gas-
  bloated organs; rather it is as if pure and abject
  fear had taken the form of an odor and is radiat-
  ing from the walls and floors around you. All
  within the small home seems orderly and nor-
  mal with the exception the complete skeleton on
  the small, rustic bed. It is lain out as in a pose of
  sleeping or resting. The bones gleam as if recently
  polished and the skull lies in a neatly formed
  depression on the straw-filled pillow. The only
  sound, other than your short, shallow breath-
  
  Horrors of Penance
  26
  ing, is the steady tap-tap of a fat, shiny fly try-
  ing to escape the confines of the room via its
  single, smoky glass window.
  Clue Checklist
  There are no witnesses to the murder. Neighbors
  and locals interviewed reveal nothing, Sense Motive
  checks (DC 20) show that they are hiding nothing, or
  if they are hiding something, it has little to do with
  Samuel’s death. Further, Gather Information checks
  (DC 15) reveal that for the most part, Samuel was
  well liked by most folks, that he was a quiet fellow
  that mostly kept to himself (he was an artist) and
  that he had no known enemies or dealings with shady
  characters. Other than the extreme grief with which
  he responded to the death of his brother a few years
  back, no one can remember anything remarkable
  about him.
  There is no sign of forced entry. Any Search
  checks (DC 20) reveal that the single door and
  window of the dwelling have seen nothing more
  than normal use. A Knowledge (Architecture) check
  (DC 15) denotes that no signs of recent repair exist
  on any of these portals either. However, a Search
  check of DC 30 reveals that the walls of the dwelling
  have an unusual feature – they are nearly, but not
  totally, hollow, almost as if they are honeycombed
  with very small passages. Any sort of demolition
  will reveal this to be the case, as the wooden walls
  (and even portions of the floor) are riddled with tiny
  tunnels, such as the kind used by wood boring
  insects. A subsequent Knowledge (Nature) check
  (DC 20) reveals that while wood boring insects are
  common in this area, an infestation of this magnitude
  would have likely been noticed long before it became
  this severe. Further, there would be a very likely
  chance of infestation in the nearby homes as well
  and if checked, there is no indication to be found in
  any of the surrounding dwellings.
  The skeleton appears human and is totally
  intact.  A Heal check (DC 20) reveals that either the
  skeleton was once a living being, or that the
  individual that placed it here had an inordinate
  amount of skill and knowledge about the body and
  its structure. Further, the bones seem to have been
  polished to a high sheen, not from buffing but rather
  from a more organic process. A Search check (DC
  30) reveals minuscule scrapes and scours in the bones
  from the insects’ mandibles, while a Search check
  (DC 35) reveals what appear to be a few dark specks
  on the skull. A subsequent Knowledge (Nature)
  check (DC 20) can confirm that these are, in fact parts
  of insects (a shred of a wing, a chip of a piece of
  exoskeleton, part of an antenna or leg, etc.).
  Nothing seems to have been ransacked or out
  of place. A Search check (DC 10) brings to light the
  fact that at first glance, nothing seems to have been
  ransacked, misplaced, or stolen (apparently, Samuel
  was a very tidy individual). However, those that
  succeed at Wisdom check (DC 20) or a Spot check
  (DC 30) will notice that the strange, folksy looking,
  stick-cloth-and-straw figure hanging over the bed
  seems to stand out from the victim’s other
  possessions. Despite even the closest examination,
  however, this particular totem remains completely
  inert, simply staring back at the characters with its
  beetle-shell eyes.
  The results of any divination spells cast are
  cryptic at best. Essentially, they reveal that someone
  named Cernu’ba’donn forced someone named
  Sallous to kill Samuel. A legend lore or similar spell
  cast on the name “Cernu’ba’donn” reveal only vague
  references to a powerful outsider that should be
  closely watched and feared. Following up on the
  name Sallous with neighbors will quickly reveal that
  this was the name of Samuel’s brother who was
  supposed to have died several years ago. One
  neighbor, a crotchety old frey named Curdle, is quite
  sure that Sallous is dead, having watched him be
  interred 10 years ago along with Samuel (of course,
  it will take a bribe of at least 500 gp and a Diplomacy
  check of DC 25 to get him to admit this, as interring
  the dead without a permit is a crime in Penance. See
  the sidebar “Things To Do In Penance When You’re
  Dead” for more information).
  Development: There is little else that can be
  gleaned from this encounter, with a couple of
  exceptions: general information about the totem and
  Sallous. If the characters ask the bailiffs or the locals
  about the totem, most of them can direct the PCs to
  Aunt Anelie as the maker of these “Weeping Beetle”
  totems. In fact, they can inform the characters on the
  general purpose of the totems, Aunt Anelie’s
  affiliated history with them and provide them
  directions to her hovel, which lies only about one
  day’s travel (on kithback) from Samuel’s home.
  If questions about Sallous are raised, things get a
  great deal more confusing for the characters. First,
  the characters must determine whom to ask about
  Sallous. They will not immediately know to ask
  Curdle about anything, and he does little but mutter
  and stare at the characters from his front porch.
  Gather Information checks (DC 20) will reveal “that
  old cat across the street has been here the longest.”
  A Gather Information check of DC 25 will allow the
  characters to actually track down some of Samuel’s
  old friends, who will be far more willing to help the
  characters than Curdle. Even they will require some
  prodding (Bluff or Diplomacy check DC 18) before
  divulging information; this DC will be lowered by 2
  if the characters can assure the friends that they are
  
  Horrors of Penance
  27
  sad to hear about Samuel’s death and are
  investigating his murder at least in part to make sure
  he is avenged. If successful in questioning these
  friends, the characters will learn some good news
  and some bad; they will learn the location of Sallous’
  body so that they can investigate it, but they will
  also discover that the location happens to be in a
  dangerous part of the Undercity.
  GM Note: Due to the very nature of the
  investigation, the remainder of the adventure
  greatly depends on the choices the
  characters make and clues they
  decide to pursue. In order to
  account 
  for 
  this
  dynamically branching
  nature 
  of 
  the
  investigation, the
  following several
  encounters (up to,
  but 
  not
  i n c l u d i n g
  “Facing the
  D e v i l ” )
  should be run
  in 
  whatever
  order the GM, or the
  flow of play, determines.
  For ease in game play,
  each encounter, as
  written, assumes no
  prior knowledge of any
  other encounter. At the
  end of each encounter, a
  list 
  of 
  “Alternative
  Outcomes” 
  are
  presented to aid the GM
  in running the event.
  They 
  are 
  based 
  on
  information that the characters might have at the
  beginning of the encounter.
  Visiting Aunt Anelie
  It is crucial that at some point the characters visit
  Aunt Anelie. In fact, as the investigation proceeds,
  all signs begin to point to her. At worst she could
  become the prime suspect of the murders and at best
  she could be considered a valuable information
  source and witness.
  Aunt Anelie lives in a tiny, humble hovel with
  only her hundreds of “Weeping Beetles” to keep her
  company. It is obvious to any who enter that the aged
  woman does little other than care for the beetles,
  meticulously craft cages for them to live in, and craft
  the totems for which she is known. Aunt Anelie
  herself is barely taller than four feet tall, and with
  her frame stooped and bent from her advanced
  years.
  The beetles themselves are utterly ordinary
  creatures. Their carapaces are a shiny black and their
  single unique characteristic is that they often make
  a tiny, “weeping” sound by emitting short bursts of
  air through openings in their
  thorax. While this gives these
  beetles their name, druids and
  sages agree that this is merely a
  mating or communicative call
  and provides no mystical or
  magic powers.
  When the characters initially
  visit Aunt Anelie, read the
  following:
  The tiny hovel in
  which Aunt Anelie re-
  sides looks as if it could
  easily collapse in the
  next big storm. Crafted
  from a patchwork collec-
  tion of cast off parts and
  pieces of other struc-
  tures, it is hobnailed to-
  gether by a variety of
  means: ropes, nails, mor-
  tar, and mud. Upon enter-
  ing, the interior strikes
  you as quite similar to the
  exterior: piles of miscella-
  neous and unidentifiable
  junk lying, standing, and
  even plastered to the walls
  – it is almost too much to
  take in at once. One common
  theme does scream forth from
  the chaos, however: Aunt Anelie’s her beetles and
  her totems.
  Hanging from the low slung, sloping roof are
  hundreds of tiny, hand made cages – in each are
  a pair of strange looking beetles scurrying tire-
  lessly. You occasionally detect a small sound, like
  a child’s whispered weeping, emerging from the
  cages.
  Between the beetle cages hang small, folksy
  looking totems, all in varying stages of comple-
  tion. The totems are composed of sticks, straw,
  cloth, and hair, all sewn loosely together in a me-
  ticulous manner; some of the more complete to-
  tems possess pairs of blank, staring eyes made
  from the shells of the caged beetles.
  Aunt Anelie, her back to you, stands before a
  massive, hand carved cupboard that looks like it
  has been handed down for generations. She is
  nearly doubled over working on yet another to-
  
  Horrors of Penance
  28
  tem, and does not look up but instead calls in a
  voice that sounds like a crow’s croak. “Welcome,
  childs. Have yous come to rid your hearts of
  grief?  Aunt Anelie can helps yous, that’s for
  sure.”
  Aunt Anelie assumes that the characters have
  come to purchase one of her totems, and it takes
  some time before her aged and feeble mind can be
  coaxed out of its single-minded path and on to the
  subject at hand. However, once the characters are
  able to make Aunt Anelie understand what has
  happened, she expresses true remorse; it is obvious
  that she has seen far too much death in her years
  and would welcome a time without its presence.
  It is apparent that Aunt Anelie has no knowledge
  about these deaths and any Sense Motive checks (DC
  20) confer that she has nothing to hide. Any rash
  accusations against the aged woman rile her ire and
  she becomes slightly defensive on the subject, at least
  for a while. She eventually offers to assist the
  characters, obviously wanting to help end the
  suffering that she has so long railed against. She tells
  the PCs that she has some helpful “rituals” and
  “meditations” that she must perform, but they must
  be done in private. She will patiently and truthfully
  answer any and all questions put to her (unless the
  situation is slightly different, at which point GMs
  should refer to “Alternative Outcomes” as listed
  below), but then will kindly ask the characters to
  depart and return on the morrow.
  If a character happens to cast detect magic while
  in Aunt Anelie’s hovel, the cupboard and a half
  dozen of the more finished totems radiate magic. If
  asked about the cupboard, Aunt Anelie will only
  state that it is her property, “an heirloom (which she
  pronounces “hair-lum”) from my mother and her
  mother a’fore her…” she will not allow the characters
  access to it under any circumstances.
  GM Note: GMs might want to vary the amount
  of time Aunt Anelie needs to complete the rituals
  and meditation, depending on which scenarios have
  already transpired and what sort of pacing they
  desire. Don’t make the characters wait all night if
  the Cernu’ba’donn is due to arrive in 4 hours, for
  instance.
  Alternative Outcomes
  Characters describe Samuel’s body or the unusual
  clues found within his home. Aunt Anelie seems all
  the more interested in performing her rituals and
  meditations to learn the truth.
  Characters describe other deaths related to the
  totems: Aunt Anelie tries to hurry the characters
  along – she seems worried that something might be
  terribly wrong. A Sense Motive check (DC 20) does
  not detect anything nefarious in her demeanor, just
  that she is scared and wants to be alone.
  Characters suggest that the totems have
  something to do with the deaths: Aunt Anelie
  admits that this is possible, but that she must perform
  her rituals and meditations to be sure. If it is the case,
  she admits that time is of the essence to prevent more
  murders. She further adds that destroying the totems
  should end the threat, but is surprised that they are
  powerful enough to cause so much damage. She is
  unsure how the ritual that she performs on the
  totems could imbue them with that much power.
  Characters admit that they have been “attacked”
  by one (or more) of the totems: Aunt Anelie will
  act completely surprised and a bit frightened; she
  will ask the characters to tell her in precise detail
  about the incident(s) and then tell them that they
  must leave, or they might be in danger. She whispers
  for them to come back when she is finished with her
  rituals and mediations and she will have additional
  information for them.
  The Deadpit
  If the characters elect to descend into the local
  Deadpit in search of clues about Sallous Viss, they
  soon find themselves thrust into a nightmarish land-
  scape littered with the corpses of Penance’s dead. A
  massive chasm measuring roughly 500 yards in cir-
  cumference, located half within a canton and half
  within the wrack and covered by a thin layer of re-
  built city, this Deadpit spirals deep into the Under-
  city in a slowly collapsing combination of rope
  bridges and tunnels. Its walls and pathways are lit-
  erally honeycombed with slowly decaying bodies.
  Deadpits are not Penance’s top spots to visit.
  Visiting the Deadpit it should make a striking
  and lasting impression upon the characters. Read
  the following to the players:
  Long before you reach its edge, the foul stench
  of the Deadpit reaches out to smother you. The
  thick, nauseating smell seems palpable all around
  you, making you gag involuntarily and your eyes
  stream with bitter tears. Echoing cries of mourn-
  ers, their voices magnified and carried aloft by
  the natural, giant amplifier in which they trod,
  reach your ears, sounding more like the unholy
  wailing of banshees or spirits than the living.
  The sounds drift past you from below and seem
  to hover near the ceiling, seeking egress into the
  city above.
  Your hear the creaking of ropes as you near
  the edge and notice several grief stricken figures
  clothed in ragged, dark colored robes climbing
  the ancient, rickety rope and bone bridges out of
  
  Horrors of Penance
  29
  the mammoth chasm now before you. Some are
  well-armed and look as if ready for trouble; oth-
  ers wear little more than rags. As they pass you,
  looking like strange, pale faced, and tattered black
  birds, you notice that one of them holds some-
  thing familiar – one of the beetle-eyed totems said
  to be crafted by Aunt Anelie. A shiver runs down
  your spine, but you cannot tell if it is due to the
  glassy-eyed stare of the totem or the cold draft
  that has begun to stir in the Undercity about
  you.
  The Deadpit: Overview
  The Deadpit is a spiderweb of rope bridges, hastily
  and haphazardly strung together and patched over
  the years with whatever was handy at the time.
  Merely walking along these uneven, angled, and
  wobbly rope passageways requires frequent Balance
  checks (DC 15) and occasional mysterious gusts of
  wind from below will force characters on them to
  make Reflex saves (DC 20) or fall off.
  Many of these bridges are well known by the
  locals to be thoroughly unstable, and yet no one will
  attempt to remove the unstable parts, for fear of
  bringing the entire interconnected tangle down upon
  their heads; they simply stay away from the unsound
  parts, taking circuitous paths to get where they need
  to go. Detecting these unsteady portions requires a
  Spot check (DC 25), Search check (DC 15), or a
  Knowledge (Architecture) check (DC 15). Some GMs
  may elect to allow a Rope Use check (DC 15) as well
  to discern this information.
  This knot of rope bridges exists for the sole
  purpose of providing a means to traverse the gulf of
  space between the hedging walls of the Deadpit
  itself, wherein the dead are interred. Their paths are
  occasionally interrupted and added to by debris and
  collapsed tunnels falling in from above, creating an
  unstable and confusing web. Most parties will
  simply elect to fly, but even then the bridges and
  tunnels will create obstacles and obscure their view,
  making travel difficult.
  Tombs of various sizes, shapes, and types mar
  the sides of the Deadpit as far down as the eye can
  see. They range from well-crafted stone coffins set
  into deep depressions to crudely preserved bodies
  placed into simple, shallow holes.  Thousands of
  creatures, from minor undead to gigantic vermin,
  scuttle about the walls in search of flesh whether
  living or dead.
  Countless sets of wooden stairs and platforms,
  ropes, rope ladders and hanging scaffolds line the
  stone walls like vines on a rotten tree, obviously used
  Things To Do In Penance When You’re Dead
  There’s plenty of room in Penance, but most of it’s in the wrong places: either in the lost Undercity
  or out in the wrack. Truly accessible space is constantly fought over by the bloodlords and their
  teeming masses, and therefore there’s little room for the dead. Unless, of course, you can pay.
  At the high end of the burial spectrum, the wealthy may have access to their church’s
  mausoleums or to family burial chambers on their own property. At the lowest end are the folk
  who have to simply cart their loved ones’ bodies to the edge of the plateau and dump them.
  Finally, most folk just pay the handful of silver it takes to have the bodies destroyed at the local
  crematorium. After all, this is the Forge, where beings focus on being alive, not being dead.
  But there are those few aberrations in society who feel that they have to hang on to their loved
  ones and can’t bear to see them go hurtling over the edge of the plateau, nor consumed by fire. Yet
  they can’t afford to inter the bodies in outrageously expensive burial chambers, nor will most
  bloodlords allow bodies to be kept on private property nor amassed in any business or public area
  without appropriate permits . . . to do so would be to invite plague, poor sanitary conditions, and
  the occasional undead menace.
  So those who believe strongly in burial are forced to go underground, so to speak. Throughout
  Penance there are Deadpits, pieces of the Undercity that are recently covered over but that the
  local bloodlord hasn’t noticed yet or can’t be bothered to patrol. They are, as with any part of the
  Undercity, filled with dangerous creatures, hard to navigate, and unstable. But it is there that the
  desperate go to bury their dead. Some say these Deadpits are only visited by those who are so
  miserable at losing their loved ones that they wish to join them; there are plenty of predators in
  such places, both living and dead. Others say that the bloodlords know about them, but keep them
  open as a source for corpses should they ever have need of an undead army.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  30
  to aid in the creation process of these tombs. There
  are several locations scored deep into the rock walls
  where weary mourners can stop their journey to the
  bottom of the Deadpit, sit and rest for a while, and
  then continue. Many of these spots, as well, contain
  tunnels and passageways that wind back into the
  walls of the Deadpit, where new tombs are formed
  as well as into the pathways of the Undercity.
  While the characters are exploring the Deadpit,
  the opportunities for encounters are plentiful. The
  high-level parties that this adventure is designed for
  will inevitably wade through most of the minor
  undead and scavengers here; simply describe those
  encounters in cinematic style, but do not let them
  pass by unnoticed. These hives of death are scattered
  throughout Penance, and the endless swarms of
  undead and dark creatures should promote a feeling
  of weariness, hopelessness, and a corrupt city being
  gnawed from the inside out. A few of the more
  challenging encounters below should be played out
  to give the PCs a chance to stretch their sword arms.
  Feel free to create appropriate backgrounds and
  specific settings for any such encounter.
  GM Note: Fully 90% of the bodies the characters
  see within the Deadpit are host to Death’s Bloom.
  GMs should see the entry in Minions for further
  details on this plant and its possible encounter and
  post-encounter applications.
  Death’s Bloom (varies): CR 1; hp1.
  Deadpit Random Encounters
  Solitary advanced (12 HD) Allip
  2-4 advanced (10 HD) Belkers
  2-4 advanced (13 HD) Bodaks
  2-5 advanced (9 HD) Carrion Crawlers
  Solitary advanced (12 HD) Choaker
  7-12 advanced (10 HD) Cloakers
  6-10 advanced (12 HD) Howlers
  2-4 advanced (16 HD) Mohrgs
  6-10 advanced (14 HD) Mummies
  3 advanced (12 HD) Night Hags on advanced (10
  HD) Nightmares
  Solitary advanced (12 HD) Black Pudding
  6-11 advanced (9 HD) Shadows
  6-15 advanced (6 HD) Skum
  6-11 advanced (10 HD) Spectres
  2-4 advanced (12 HD) Umber Hulks
  12 Vampire Spawn
  20 advanced (3 HD) Vargouilles
  2-4 advanced (12 HD) Will-o’-Wisps
  6-11 advanced (10 HD) Wraiths
  2-5 colossal Zombies (at the bottom of the
  Deadpit)
  The Search for Sallous
  Cernu’ba’donn is watching the party via scrying and
  spies. If the characters have come this far, he worries
  that they may be clever enough to figure out his en-
  tire plan and prevent it. Once they investigate Sallous’
  body it will be a short jump to realizing that his spirit
  is trapped in the totem. Therefore, he has arranged
  for a surprise for the characters.
  Even with directions from Samuel’s friends, the
  characters soon find that it is a difficult task
  navigating the bewildering, three dimensional maze
  created by the Deadpit’s rope bridges and tunnels.
  Further, since the vast majority of all who come here
  either do not plan to return (because they are dead)
  or they already know where the body they seek is
  interred (because they placed it there), there is little
  need for any sort of guide or overseer. Even with
  location and divination spells, it will be difficult to
  figure out how to choose the right path to take. That’s
  where Oed comes in.
  Oed is an old, leprous faust that lives within the
  Deadpit. He makes his living preying on the weak
  and the grief stricken, demanding “taxes” of those
  that come here to bury their dead before he allows
  them to pass unhindered. Mostly a creature of bluff
  and talk, Oed rarely harms anyone, but only because
  there is little need to do so. In this case, however,
  Oed is being well paid by Cernu’ba’donn to make
  sure the characters never find the body . . . and to
  ensure that the characters’ bodies are never found,
  either. He knows that he can’t take the party in a
  direct fight, but he knows the Deadpit better than
  any living creature. He plans to offer his services as
  a guide and collapse a large section of tunnel or
  rubble on the party when they least expect it, then
  finish off the survivors. Assume that he can lead the
  party into a collapsible area that is equivalent to a
  Crushing Wall Trap, which he will set off at the
  beginning of his ambush.
  Trap: CR 10; no attack roll necessary (20d6);
  Reflex save (DC 20) avoids if in the front or back of
  the party; Search (DC 20); Disable Device (DC 25);
  Rafters of 3rd level or higher, as well as dwarves with
  at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (engineering) or
  anyone else with at least 8 ranks in Knowledge
  (engineering) may notice the trap with a Spot check
  (DC 30).
  Let the party wander for a few hours, and deal
  with an encounter or two before encountering Oed.
  He will offer his services in exchange for magical
  items or scrolls (he does not want to be burdened
  with coins) worth at least 2,000 gp; the party will be
  able to haggle him down to 1,000 gp. Without Oed’s
  assistance, the faust will be happy to point out, the
  search for Sallous’ body could easily take up to 3d4
  days.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  31
  Oed: Veiled Faust Rog9/Rafter3/Assassin3, hp
  80.
  Whether or not they take Oed up on his “business
  proposition” or not, he will attempt to ambush them
  at some point during the search for the body.
  Assuming he fails, the party will eventually dig its
  way through a dizzying numbers of rotting corpses,
  ancient skeletons, silent tombs and slithering
  monstrosities to the final resting place of Sallous
  Viss. Both the description of the dead man and his
  burial place exactly match that given to the
  characters by Samuel Viss’ neighbors and all clues
  indicate that the fellow has not, in any way
  imaginable, recently been up and about killing folks.
  From the state of the body’s decomposition, it is
  apparent that Sallous has been dead for several years
  and he could not have been responsible, corporeally
  at least, for his brother’s death. Because his soul is
  bound, no form of communication or resurrection
  of Sallous is possible. Divination spells will reveal
  relevant information as to the location of the soul,
  and how it got there, as a GM determines
  appropriate.
  A Slew of Swarms
  The day after the investigation begins with Samuel’s
  strange death, the characters should learn of some
  additional and equally disturbing deaths in the area.
  The occurrences of these subsequent deaths are com-
  pletely optional, but it would be advisable to run at
  least one of the following scenarios in order to rein-
  force the clues gained earlier in the investigation, to
  drive home the horrific nature of these deaths and
  the individual orchestrating them, and to heighten
  the senses of fear and trepidation hopefully imparted
  upon the PCs. By this point in the adventure, much
  of what the characters have learned might still seem
  mostly happenstance and haphazard; these encoun-
  ters can be used to help connect the dots, so to speak.
  While it is perfectly viable for GMs to run all of
  these scenarios, they should keep in mind that this
  adventure’s pacing and its mood of slowly building
  suspense is crucial to its overall “creepiness”. With
  that in mind, GMs should strive to not bog their
  characters down with too much tedious
  investigation during play if they notice that the
  overall feel of the session is suffering. From this point
  on in the adventure, GMs are given complete leeway
  to determine which skills the PCs need to use and
  what DCs they must meet in order to gain required
  information; if the PCs are on the “right track,”
  there’s no need to give them additional help. If they
  don’t seem to be making the connections, however,
  make sure to ask for skill checks that the characters
  can succeed at. After all, Cernu’ba’donn is causing
  the murders, and he wants the characters to follow
  his trail so his plan can come to fruition. For ease, a
  “Clue Summary” is provided at the end of each
  murder scene entry, so that GMs can have a checklist
  of sorts to make sure that characters are hopefully
  getting all of the required pieces of the puzzle.
  The Second Murder
  Dymara Stonebreath, a barked dwarf, is found dead,
  her mouth, nose and throat nearly ripped to shreds
  by her own bloody fingers. Dymara recently lost a
  co-worker, another dwarf by the name of Colys
  Longbeard in a freak mining accident; she also had
  visited Aunt Anelie within the last three months with
  the purpose of obtaining one of her totems.
  Her death was actually caused by a massive
  swarm of insects flooding down her nose and mouth,
  suffocating her. The bailiffs, however, are calling this
  death a “freakish suicide”. Telltale signs of the actual
  reason for her death can be located by sharp-eyed
  PCs – crushed and blood-soaked insects can be
  discovered lining her swollen and bloody esophagus
  and nasal passages and the floor all around the
  dwarf’s corpse is marred by hundreds of small
  “greasy spots”. Apparently, the feisty dwarven lass
  managed to squish a large portion of her attackers
  before they killed her, but the devil-called vermin
  consumed their own dead before departing the
  scene. The totem in at this scene hangs above the
  Dymara’s doorway, facing inward, looking over the
  scene with its cold, beetle-shell eyes.
  Clue Summary: Obviously, the connection to
  Aunt Anelie and the totem should be noted by the
  PCs, however, the presence of the crushed insects
  within Dymara’s throat and nose as well as the
  “greasy spots” at this murder scene should
  strengthen the initial suspicion spawned by the
  “insect parts” found around and underneath the
  skeleton of Samuel Viss or in the other murders.
  The Third Murder
  Gayomard of the Gray Quill, a quiet, bookish hu-
  man sorcerer is found burned to a crisp in his own
  home.  Several years ago, Gayomard’s parents passed
  away (of natural causes) and to alleviate his grief, he
  purchased two totems from Aunt Anelie.  Having
  forgotten about the totems long ago, Gayomard was
  taken totally by surprise when two massive insect
  swarms descended upon him from his closet (where
  the totems were stored).  Reacting instinctively,
  Gayomard tried to destroy his attackers with a burn-
  ing hands spell, and set his book- and scroll-filled
  house ablaze as a result.
  The insects that were not incinerated in the initial
  blast attacked the sorcerer, who fell victim to a hold
  
  Horrors of Penance
  32
  person cast by Cernu’ba’donn through one of the
  totems, leaving his half-eaten and burnt corpse
  standing like an ash statue amongst the smoking
  ruins of his home. His face is frozen in a horrific
  charred mask of fear and his arms are raised as if
  blocking an unseen attacker.
  The totems were completely undamaged by the
  flames despite being in the midst of the fire. This
  should be an initial hint to the PCs that they will
  need to research other methods if they wish to
  destroy the totems. In fact, any damage-dealing or
  destructive divine spell cast by a non-evil spellcaster
  will affect the totems, from as lowly as a shatter or
  sound burst to as dramatic as a flame strike.
  Clue Summary: Again, the link to Aunt Anelie
  and her totems should be strengthened at this
  murder scene. In fact, it should be even further
  emphasized by the fact that the only thing that was
  unscathed by the blaze was the totems. While the
  fire at this scene removed all traces of the insects, it
  is fairly obvious that fire alone was not responsible
  for all of the damage caused to Gayomard’s corpse.
  Further, the evidence of some form of spell casting
  (as the hold person spell will remain for some time
  until its duration lapses) should add an entirely new
  and bewildering aspect to the investigation.
  The Fourth Murder
  The horrible scene at Lady Kumare’s home is enough
  to shatter the heart of even the most cold-blooded
  stone giant. Lady Kumare, a dover noble well known
  in and around the city of Penance, is found dead in
  the same room as her infant child. The mother ap-
  pears untouched, but the child is little more than a
  desiccated shell, drained of all fluids and internal
  organs.
  Both deaths were caused by an insect swarm cast
  by Cernu’ba’donn, but only one was in a direct
  fashion, the other was completely unexpected and
  indirect. A swarm of spiders (as well as other insects
  that feed primarily upon the bodily liquids of their
  prey) descended upon the newborn, drawing all of
  her precious fluids from her as she slept. The foul
  creatures were long gone by the time the mother
  awoke from her nightly slumber and came in to
  check on the child. Seeing her baby in this truly
  dreadful state, Lady Kumare died instantly, her heart
  shocked into silence and stillness.
  Lady Kumare had recently lost one of her two
  twins in childbirth; to ease both her and the
  perceived suffering of her baby girl, she purchased
  nearly a score of totems from Aunt Anelie and hung
  them in the child’s room over her crib. Of special
  note with this particular murder, an Ort witness
  named Dolyup, who resides beneath the Kumare
  residence, in the Undercity, noted a frighteningly
  inordinate number of huge spiders dropping out of
  the ceiling, and scurrying down the walls sometime
  in the wee hours of the morning.
  Clue Summary: The presence of several totems
  at this murder scene should be a clarion call to the
  characters to pay a visit to Aunt Anelie, if they have
  not already done so by this point. Additionally,
  characters examining the corpse of the child may
  note the numerous tiny welts from the spider bites.
  Tying Up Loose Ends
  There are, of course, several spells or magical devices
  the characters could use during the course of the in-
  vestigation to speed things along considerably. Spells
  like speak with dead or resurrection could dramatically
  shorten the amount of investigation required by the
  characters. If the PCs decide to raise Samuel or any
  of the other victims from the dead, be sure to have
  them give an account in agonizing detail of their
  painful death.
  There is little doubt that the ranting of a recently
  deceased man about being eaten alive by a mass of
  swarming bugs will do little more than reinforce and
  supplement the skin-shivering eeriness required for
  the adventure. Even if the victims (or their bodies)
  are somehow spoken with, there is little more
  information that they can give the characters than
  the characters can discover for themselves by
  gathering and piecing together all of the various
  clues left for them.
  One important note, however, is that due to both
  the mysterious ritual used to bind an individual to
  a totem and the infernal, foul magics used by
  Cernu’ba’donn to then bond all of the totems
  together, spells such as raise dead and resurrection are
  ineffective on individuals bound to the totems (such
  as Sallous, Gayomard’s parents, etc).
  The Plot Thickens
  Once GMs feel that the characters have sufficiently
  covered the bases and are ready to propel them into
  the next phase of the adventure, they should either
  hear from (or initially visit) Aunt Anelie. If the PCs
  are making a return trip to the aged woman, then
  please proceed with this encounter. However, if this
  is their first meeting with Aunt Anelie, the encoun-
  ter should play out as presented previously.
  Once the characters return to Aunt Anelie’s
  residence, they are met with something wholly
  unexpected – Aunt Anelie is dead, lying half eaten
  in a pool of her own blood and entrails. Upon their
  entry, read the following aloud:
  
  Horrors of Penance
  33
  The all-too-familiar, tangy scent of blood as-
  sails your nostrils as you shove open the door.
  Something impedes the door’s ability to open,
  something piled on the far side, but you finally
  heave it inward. Your mind reels in horror and
  disgust as you see what preventing the door from
  opening fully – Aunt Anelie’s body, half con-
  sumed, lying in a pool of her own viscera and
  lifeblood. Her still dead eyes stare up at you and
  you notice that a large hunk of her scalp is bare
  and bloody; her blood and organs stick to your
  feet…
  Other than this horrific and nauseating detail, the
  tiny hovel is precisely as it was upon their earlier
  visit except that the beetles are all gone. Search
  checks will reveal that large portions of the beetles
  lost antennae, legs, and other portions of their
  anatomies escaping from their custom made cages.
  A Knowledge (Nature) check can confirm any
  suspicions that this is abnormal behavior for insects
  of any kind.
  Anyone paying particular attention to what is left
  of Aunt Anelie’s body may make a Search check to
  note two perplexing details: in her left hand, Aunt
  Anelie has a huge mass of hair torn from her own
  head and her right hand, stained dark brown with
  dried and spattered blood, lies beside three letters
  badly scrawled on the floor. A Decipher Script check
  is required to make out the letters, which are written
  together in the form of a word, are “lum”. Putting
  these two clues together provides not only the
  location of some valuable information, but also the
  word which allows one to access its hidden location
  – “heirloom”.
  If the characters spoke at any length with Aunt
  Anelie previously then they will likely deduce that
  her heirloom cupboard is the source of the
  information.  The cupboard itself is magical (mostly
  protective spells against age, wear, and damage) and
  trapped against any not of Anelie’s bloodline with a
  forbiddance spell; all that is needed to bypass the spell
  (if it is not disabled) is speaking the word “heirloom”
  just before opening it.
  Trap: CR 10; Greater Glyph of Warding: forbiddance;
  only those of chaotic neutral alignment may access
  the cupboard or affect its contents; caster level 16.
   Once the characters gain access to the cupboard,
  they find several ancient and well kept books, all
  dealing with subjects pertaining to herbal remedies,
  the duties of midwives, spiritual growth through the
  administration of potions and poultices, as well as a
  book of rituals which claim to bleed away or infuse
  certain emotions into individuals.  While it is
  apparent that the books are normally kept neatly
  stored, they are all scattered hither and yon without
  any rhyme or reason.  The ritual book lies atop the
  haphazard pile and a Search check within this well
  read and dog-eared book will reveal a hastily
  scrawled note from Aunt Anelie in the inside cover.
  A Decipher Script check is required to read it and
  confirms that it was recently written.  The note
  contains the following message:
  far worse than I had feared…sacred mothers
  help me…if I would have only known, I would
  never have given so many…the totems are a
  doorway to evil and death…please forgive me
  sacred 
  mothers, 
  I 
  only 
  wanted 
  to
  help…destroying the totems the only way to free
  the souls and close his doorway…but the door-
  way is open…its already open….
  why…why…why…why was I such a fool???
  my dear sacred mothers, why…why did I not
  see?  why did I give so many??  what has IT
  done…what has it done to them…what has it
  done to my poor people, my totems, my
  beetles…my…beetles….sacred mothers….my
  beetles….
  To any reading the message, judging from the
  handwriting, it is apparent that the message ended
  abruptly. Of course, Anelie’s understanding of the
  text is incomplete. Characters that read the tome and
  use appropriate bardic lore checks, divination spells,
  or Knowledge (arcana) checks will realize that
  destroying the totems will not actually free the souls,
  but will destroy them completely. They will also
  learn, if given time, several alternatives that can be
  used to deal with the menace.
  But that will have to wait, for while the characters
  are reading the note from Aunt Anelie,
  Cernu’ba’donn, through one of the dozen totems
  hanging from her ceiling, uses create undead to
  animate the aged matron’s half-eaten body as an
  advanced (10 HD) wraith. Cernu’ba’donn then casts
  the following spells on the body, hopefully without
  the PCs becoming aware of it: magic circle against
  good, improved invisibility, unholy aura and desecrate.
  The wraith then attacks, gaining surprise on the
  unsuspecting characters.
  Once combat is joined, the wraith that was once
  Aunt Anelie continues to attack until totally
  destroyed and Cernu’ba’donn continues to throw
  spells each round, each time alternating from which
  totem the spell originates.
  Totem (12): CR 2, immune to most normal attacks
  and spells, against divine spells of 2nd level or higher
  they have a hardness of 2 and 4 hp.
  Tactics: Cernu’ba’donn can only use one totem
  at a time for focusing his spell-like abilities.
  However, he can (and does) move his focus from
  totem to totem as a free action, and will use a
  different totem every round. His tactics at this point
  vary; if he believes the characters will take Aunt
  Anelie’s note at face value and begin hunting down
  
  Horrors of Penance
  34
  and destroying totems, he will attack them to harm
  but not to kill (or at least not kill all of them), simply
  providing incentive for them to carry on and having
  a bit of fun as well. If, on the other hand, the
  characters seem intent of scrutinizing the book and
  doing further research, he will attack with all of his
  available resources. He will start off with a creeping
  doom spell in hopes of killing the characters and
  destroying all evidence that way. After that, he will
  focus on various damage causing abilities like
  summon swarm in conjunction with hold person. He
  will focus his strongest efforts on the character
  holding the book that contains the ritual. If the
  characters create a lasting flame source with one of
  their spells, he will immediately use pyrotechnics to
  attempt to destroy the book. If the characters cannot
  figure out how to destroy the totems or refuse to do
  so, escape is always an option: Cernu’ba’donn cannot
  harm them after they move beyond the range of his
  spells.
  GM Note: It is completely conceivable that the
  characters are unable to piece together the puzzle
  left for them by the dying Aunt Anelie. If this is the
  case, then an alternate method for delivering the
  same information would be to allow the characters
  to perform a Search check of her hovel. Success in
  this search reveals a secret compartment located
  beneath one of the floorboards; within this
  compartment are two scrolls, with the following
  spells: protection from evil x 2, aid, holy aura, mass heal,
  speak with dead x 2, consecrate. With these scrolls in
  hand, they should be able to speak with the body of
  Aunt Anelie, which can tell them the same
  information (and possibly a little more) as that to be
  gleaned from the cupboard.
  Alternatively, some GMs may wish for the
  characters to unlock the puzzle of the cupboard and
  find the scrolls, which is perfectly acceptable as well.
  Anelie’s Tomes
  It will take a character an entire day to find the rel-
  evant information within Aunt Anelie’s family tomes.
  They contain a maddening variety of herbal cures,
  folklore, spellcasting rituals, and family history. A
  Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (arcana) check
  (DC 25) will reveal how the basic totem-binding ritual
  works and the consequences to the souls trapped
  within if the totems are destroyed. It will addition-
  ally take a Knowledge (planes) or bardic lore check
  (DC 30) to unearth the truth behind the ritual as it is
  explained in the adventure introduction. Finally,
  characters may try to find an alternative to the two
  options presented. Difficult Knowledge checks (DC
  35) on the appropriate subjects, bardic lore checks,
  and powerful divinations will reveal that there are
  indeed two less heinous but equally dangerous op-
  tions.
  The first, and probably safest option for the
  characters but most immediately dangerous for the
  citizens of Penance, is to use the link between the
  totems and Cernu’ba’donn to draw him and his
  fortress into the city of Penance into a canton of their
  choosing. The ritual requires both an arcane caster
  and a divine caster, each of which must devote a 7th
  level spell slot to the ritual. It has a preparation time
  of 1 day and a casting time of 1 hour. If they were to
  choose a canton that is currently held by a living
  bloodlord, Cernu’ba’donn would have to overcome
  that bloodlord by force of arms to gain bloodlord
  status and come under the protective laws of the
  Queen. Meanwhile, the adventurers and whatever
  allies they could muster might be able to destroy
  the pit fiend. The down side to this option is that
  Cernu’ba’donn would feel the ritual pulling him to
  Forge as soon as it began, and would perform a
  counter-ritual that would drag his fortress and
  thousands of his minions along with him to the
  Forge. Even if an army were amassed to fight those
  minions, the lives of thousands of everyday citizens
  would probably be swept up in the conflict.
  The second option, which would be the most
  dangerous for the PCs but the least dangerous for
  their friends and fellow residents of Penance, would
  be to use the link between the totems and
  Cernu’ba’donn to travel to his plane and kill there.
  They would be on his home turf and in an alien
  environment where magic and the laws of reality
  might not exist the way they expect . . . but there
  would be no collateral damage to innocents, and they
  would have the advantage of surprise. The travel
  ritual also requires a day of preparation and 1 hour
  to cast, though it only requires 6th level spell slots
  from both an arcane and a divine caster.
  Both options use the totems as a material
  component, and must therefore be done within 50’
  of one of the totems. GMs should use their discretion
  when determining how Cernu’ba’donn would
  respond to the rituals they are using, what sorts of
  offensive spells he might cast to disrupt them, if any,
  and what effect the PC’s defenses (placing the totem
  in a secure container, making sure it is silenced or
  protected from scrying, surrounding it with an
  antimagic field, etc.,) would have on his ability to
  do so.
  The Fires of Damnation
  During the time that the characters have conducted
  their investigation, a similar one has been underway,
  conducted by the tyrannical and haughty inquisitor
  
  Horrors of Penance
  35
  
  Horrors of Penance
  36
  Dalmott Raa. Dalmott Raa is a severely thin picker,
  with a neck that seems far too long for his skinny
  frame and an odd-looking, oval shaped head (even
  for a picker). Small, beady eyes, a thin, and a slit for
  a mouth complete his visage. One would think that
  an individual that was so unfortunate looking could
  have little long lasting effect on people. Sadly, how-
  ever, this is not the case.
  The truly evil picker exudes some sort of
  perverted and powerful charisma from his very
  pores, drawing simple-minded people to his side like
  moths to a flame. He is a master of doublespeak and
  fabrication and is somehow able to twist every
  situation to his favor. Dalmott was a rogue and a
  scoundrel for a long time, haunting Penance’s streets,
  stripping those he encountered of their valuables,
  their pride, and often much more. That was, at least,
  until Dalmott found religion.
  Dalmott’s chosen patron is Hillengall, Lord of
  Peaks and Valleys. The god’s teachings consist of a
  bewildering collection of teachings on fate,
  punishment, and rewards, all of which Dalmott use
  to turn any situation to his benefit. Dalmott saw
  immediately that a high-ranking position within the
  church and an unquestioning flock of his own was
  precisely what he needed to set himself up for life.
  In no time at all, Dalmott had just that: a temple of
  his own creation. He became its first and foremost
  inquisitor, converting all available souls for their
  own good.
  Dalmott’s motivations are many: wealth, glory,
  power, and in fact a true devotion to his deity;
  granted, that devotion exists merely in the hopes that
  he himself will be rewarded, but it is earnest
  nonetheless. So when he heard the tales of the totem
  murders, he quickly grasped at them for many
  reasons. On the one hand he wishes to retain his
  power of his flock, and knows that it wanes without
  some impending “valley” or threat to keep them
  afraid. On the other, he sees a true threat to his flock
  from these grisly attacks and entertains images of
  himself as the savior of his people from the murders.
  Finally, he believes that this may be a test from
  Hillengall and wishes to face it head-on.
  Through his contacts and his clergy, Dalmott
  learned that the totems were somehow involved
  with the deaths. He was quick to make the logical
  connections and denounce the items, calling them
  the work of evil and dark powers. It was not long
  before the temple filled with the rumblings of a riot.
  Dalmott now leads his fanatical followers from
  house to house, calling for all totems “to be cast into
  brimstone and flame and purged from the face of
  the Forge forever more!” He and his followers will
  have already collected several dozen of the totems
  by the time the PCs hear of the mob.
  The mob and characters may interact in any
  number of ways, depending on the approach the
  characters have decided to take. If they are
  researching the totems, the mob will surround the
  library or establishment the characters are in and
  demand that they turn over any writings on the
  material. If they already plan to destroy the totems,
  the mob will demand that the characters help them,
  and accuse the characters of collecting them for their
  own nefarious purposes. If the characters have
  spread the word that the totems must not be
  destroyed, the mob will opine that the characters are
  the evil behind them and must be killed or tortured.
  Finally, if the characters are performing the ritual to
  bring the pit fiend into the forge or to travel there
  themselves, the mob will assault them beginning in
  the first hour to attempt to stop it.
  Dalmott Raa: Foul Picker, Rog2/Clr4/
  Inquisitor10, CR 16, hp: 60.
  Dalmott’s Lieutenants: 10 4th lvl Clerics of
  Hillengall
  Dalmott’s Mob: 120 1st level commoners
  Development: Dalmott already has the crowd in
  a state of enrapture. He has used all of his Inquisitor
  prestige class abilities (see Oathbound, p. 52) to
  “program” his mob toward violent ends, including
  creating martyrs.
  Facing the Devil
  The characters’ choices throughout the adventure
  will inevitably lead them to an ultimate decision re-
  garding the totems and Cernu’ba’donn. Their choices
  may lead to them facing the devil himself, something
  he does not desire but is prepared to deal with, or
  they might actually help the pit fiend in his designs
  and end up facing only a minor threat as their “re-
  ward.”
  Conclusion 1: Playing into
  the Devil’s Hands
  Path A: Inaction
  Whether the characters actively prevent the totems
  from being destroyed or simply do not finish their
  investigation in time, some of the totems survive.
  Cernu’ba’donn’s ritual reaches completion, and he
  teleports into the Forge on the 666th hour since the
  bonding of the 1,000th soul. There is neither fanfare
  nor warning associated with the event, and no
  scrying or divination spell will reveal the location of
  the fiend. However, sometime after the teleportation,
  the characters will begin hearing rumors of attacks
  and even assassination attempts by unknown de-
  
  Horrors of Penance
  37
  monic assailants. Soon after they will be attacked
  themselves by the creatures: a group of Totembound
  (see NPC statistics), 1 for each PC, sent by
  Cernu’ba’donn. The attack will occur while the char-
  acters are resting, if possible; if not, while they are
  weakened from a previous fight. The encounter is a
  punishment from Cernu’ba’donn for foiling his op-
  timal plan and a “reward” for assisting in his sec-
  ondary one. The characters have proven themselves
  powerful, capable, and most importantly, easily
  manipulated. Such a group would make ideal ser-
  vants for a devil. It is all the warning they will re-
  ceive that Cernu’ba’donn has entered the Forge and
  may have plans for them . . .
  Path B: Destruction
  If the characters decide to round up and destroy all
  of the totems, or simply do no prevent Dalmott from
  doing so, you may “fast forward” through the ac-
  tual destruction process. If the PCs are doing it, de-
  scribe the time-consuming, tiring, and down-to-the-
  last-minute challenge in making sure they are all ac-
  counted for, fighting off Cernu’ba’donn’s spells and
  attacks (half-hearted ones, of course, though the PCs
  would not know that) from the totems themselves,
  and finally destroying the last hoard of them en-
  masse. Describe the appropriate howling of pain as
  the souls are destroyed, the supposed angry raving
  from Cernu’ba’donn (Sense Motive checks might be
  appropriate), the flash of bright light as the magic is
  released . . . and then silence. Let the characters re-
  joice in their success for several moments. Then, tell
  them they hear screams . . . and laughter.
  Assuming the PCs are in Penance at the time, they
  will be able see Cernu’ba’donn’s hive-like fortress
  quite clearly, towering over the ruins of the nearest
  unclaimed canton. Swarms of devils already circle
  above the skies about it, creating an impenetrable
  wall of sentries. Most importantly, of course, are the
  humanoid figures flying, charging, and chewing
  their way outward from the canton in a gigantic ring
  of death. They are the after-affects of the ritual, the
  remains of the souls that were destroyed along with
  the totems. And they are angry. While
  Cernu’ba’donn and his devils are official citizens of
  Penance and will remain safely law-abiding in their
  new canton, the Totembound are soulless abyssal
  monstrosities that are out of his control, constructs
  more than anything else, that plan to reave, rape,
  and kill anything in their way. For some reason, large
  bands of them seem particularly interested in the
  characters. The PCs will have one round to prepare
  before the wave of Totembound hits them; assume
  that they face a new group (1 for each PC) every
  minute until they have faced 5 such groups or they
  escape. Meanwhile, the other 900-odd Totembound
  kill thousands and lay waste to countless cantons
  throughout Penance.
  Bloodlords and citizens throughout Penance will
  swear vengeance upon the new devil bloodlord, but
  with their armies and probably champions
  destroyed by the Totembound attack, most will be
  in no position to challenge him for some time.
  Neither will appealing to the Queen accomplish
  much, as he has broken none of her laws. Unable to
  take out their grief and anger on the devil himself,
  who knows what would happen if the PCs were
  linked to the devil’s arrival . . .
  Conclusion 2: Refusing
  to Play the Game
  Path A: Drawing the Devil
  The characters may decide that they need to stop the
  pit fiend’s plans, but that they cannot do so on their
  own. In this case, summoning the devil to the Forge
  in a place of their choosing is probably the best op-
  tion. The only limitation to the location is that it must
  be somewhere within the city of Penance (because
  Penance was the location of the original binding of
  the souls). It is up to the characters to choose whether
  it be somewhere in the Undercity, in the wrack, or
  even in an occupied canton; if the latter, it is also up
  to the character whether or not to inform the
  bloodlord that Cernu’ba’donn is coming. Wherever
  they choose, the characters must spend both the full
  day of preparation and the full hour of casting in that
  location.
  Once the summoning is complete, read the
  following (with changes as necessary depending on
  location):
  As the dark ritual is completed, a single drop
  of blood runs out of the totem before you. When
  it hits the ground, it seems to spread out not as
  blood, but a small growth of veins. The veins
  grow at a phenomenal pace, spreading outward
  and taking root in the ground as a small round
  pod starts to emerge from their center. Abruptly,
  the pod bursts forth in size. While the truth is
  that it is growing more rapidly than is physi-
  cally possible, you feel instead as if you are be-
  ing rushed forward toward an immense sphere
  that has always been here, waiting for some
  threshold to be crossed. Everything surround-
  ing it is battered and destroyed as the sphere
  grows.
  The characters need to make a Reflex save (DC
  20) to avoid being smashed between the pod and
  their surroundings (such as wagons, walls, and other
  structures) as the pod grows to enormous
  
  Horrors of Penance
  38
  proportions. Anyone failing takes 10d6 points of
  bludgeoning damage, -1d6 for every 10 feet away
  from the totem they were when the ritual was
  completed.
  As suddenly as it began, the pod stops grow-
  ing after it reaches a towering height. Before you
  is a sphere nearly 200 feet in height floating above
  the ground, its bulk apparently supported by the
  vein-like growths reaching up to it from the
  ground below. The sphere’s surface is hive-like,
  filled with hundreds of swollen pustules. Upon
  closer examination, it can be seen that within
  each of the inflamed growths a humanoid being
  writhes, trapped.
  Neighboring buildings lie demolished, as
  crowds of people flee through the streets to avoid
  this horrific, nightmarish structure.
  Because of his prior warning, Cernu’ba’donn will
  have surrounded his fortress with thousands of his
  minions. Assume that the characters have full
  concealment from the remains of whatever
  structures were destroyed in the pod’s growth. From
  their hiding spot they will see a full retinue of devils,
  everything from lemurs to gelugons, roaming the
  land and air within a hundred yard radius around
  the fortress. What occurs next depends on the plans
  the characters have made. If they’ve mustered allies
  to help them fight the pit fiend, assume an all-out
  battle begins between the characters’ allies and the
  devils. The fight should allow the characters to
  proceed unseen to Cernu’ba’donn’s sphere. When
  they get there, proceed to Entering the Hive, below.
  Path B: Paying the Devil his Due
  If the characters use the ritual to travel to
  Cernu’ba’donn’s plane, they will arrive just outside
  the fiend’s lair. From the moment they arrive, they
  will have exactly ten minutes before they are pulled
  back by the strong bindings that the Forge has upon
  all who dwell there. The following alterations to
  magic will be in effect:
  •
  All spells with the good, healing, and
  chaos descriptor are cast at a –2 caster
  level.
  •
  Spontaneous healing spells (converting
  other spells to healing spells) require a
  Concentration check (DC 30).
  •
  All chaotic or good beings take 1 point
  of negative energy damage each round
  they are on the plane; beings that are
  both chaotic and good take 2 points of
  negative energy damage each round.
  For each Knowledge (planes) check (DC 25) the
  PCs make before traveling to the plane, they will
  learn of one effect, starting with the 10 minute time
  limit.
  The PCs appear in a cleft in the ground, hidden
  from view of passing devils. Once they have a chance
  to orient themselves and take in the area around
  them, read the following:
  You stand in a small depression in the middle
  of a vast landscape consisting of mounds of blood-
  red moss and small depressions like yours that
  resemble gigantic burst pustules on the flesh of
  the land. The ground itself is comprised of a yield-
  ing substance that resembles flesh, blood, and
  plasma, though beneath that you can hear and
  feel the cracking of what sounds like piles of in-
  sect exoskeletons. The sky is a sickly yellow with
  a spattering of gray storm clouds that appear in
  the shapes of shifting faces caught in the throes
  of pure agony. In the far distance, you see hordes
  of pallid, pathetic creatures consuming what
  limbs, heads, and organs they can tear from their
  companions. The sounds of their feasting and
  their screams are all too clear.
  Your destination is impossible to miss. The
  vast plain is broken only by a sphere nearly 200
  feet in height, floating above the ground, appar-
  ently supported by vein-like growths reaching
  up to it from the ground below. The sphere’s sur-
  face is hive-like, with hundreds of swollen pus-
  tules filling its surface. It appears there is a hu-
  manoid being trapped inside each of the inflamed
  growths.
  If the characters keep to the cover of the mounds
  of moss and the depressions, as well as take at least
  minor measures to disguise themselves (cover
  themselves in blood or moss to blend in, use
  invisibility or disguise spells, etc) they should be able
  to get to the sphere undetected. If they are otherwise
  brazen or idiotic, they will manage to attract the
  attention of the devils and destroy their only
  advantage in this situation: surprise. In such a case,
  let the characters get within 200 feet of the sphere
  through sheer luck and surprise before the devils
  are alerted. At that point, they will be assaulted by 4
  cornugons, followed the next round by 2 gelugons
  and 2 erinyes, followed the next round by 4 hellcats
  and 4 barbazus. If they don’t get the message that
  they are overmatched and need to get to the sphere
  immediately, feel free to overwhelm them with devils.
  Assuming they manage to reach the sphere, whether
  by sneaking or fighting their way through, proceed
  to Entering the Hive, below. If they were attacked
  in the process, Cernu’ba’donn and his minions will
  begin the combat with any possible preparatory
  spells already cast.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  39
  Final Battle
  Entering the Hive
  The characters can climb the veins that support the
  sphere (which contain flowing blood and pus) quite
  easily within just a few moments (Climb DC 15).
  Upon closer examination of the pustules lining the
  outside of the sphere, they will be able to see a hu-
  manoid in each one, their faces and bodies seemingly
  comprised of a riot of insects. The first one they en-
  counter, assuming they start at the bottom, presses
  its face against the wall of its prison and says in a
  wailing voice of desperation, “Samuel!”
         Canny PCs will realize that these are the
  souls that are bound to the totems, and this one in
  particular is Samuel’s long-dead brother, Sallous. If
  the characters respond to the trapped soul, it will
  continue to rave madly at them until they call it by
  name. Once they’ve done so, they will be able to have
  an at least somewhat sane conversation with it. It
  will seem very intent on describing the decade of
  terror and pain it has endured and will constantly
  demand rescue. A Diplomacy check (DC 30)
  followed by an explanation that they are here to
  destroy its tormentor, Cernu’ba’donn, and avenge
  its brother Samuel, will calm the soul sufficiently
  that it will “invite” the characters through its pustule.
  While it cannot escape, it can allow others to pass
  through without Cernu’ba’donn being alerted.
  This encounter tests the PCs’ patience and
  wisdom. They will need to use up valuable time
  speaking to Sallous to enter the hive undetected;
  however, if they do not stop and speak with him,
  they will have to cut their way through his or another
  pustule to gain entrance. Doing so will pit them
  against the pustule’s resident Totembound (see NPC
  statistics) as well as alert Cernu’ba’donn and his
  minions of the intruders and give them a full round
  to prepare for the assault.
  Cutting through or piercing any of these pustules
  is a standard acting and is quite easy with any
  weapon. Opening a pustule will reveal an ovoid
  interior approximately 10 feet in diameter. The
  resident Totembound will immediately attack
  anyone attempting to gain entrance if they have not
  been invited. Although the Totembound attacks, it
  is apparent in what remains of its face that there is
  no malice, but merely demonic compulsion. These
  poor souls have no choice in what they are doing,
  but retain enough of their consciousness to suffer
  the horror of their condition and their actions.
  Creatures: Totembound - CR 12, hp 144.
  Tactics: The Totembound will first unleash its
  insect swarm attack. After that it will attack with its
  poisonous claws and bite focusing on a single
  opponent at a time. The Totembound will not leave
  the pustule willingly. Cernu’ba’donn needs and
  binds them there to maintain his connection to the
  totems. Each one that is destroyed or removed
  weakens, but does not break, his connection with
  the Forge.
  Development: Cernu’ba’donn will know the
  moment someone enters his lair - even the outer
  shell. He will immediately send his lemures and
  cornugons in that direction to meet them once they
  enter the inner sanctum. Cutting through the other
  side of the pustule to enter the inner sanctum is also
  easily accomplished as a standard action.
  Inside the Hive
  The interior of the sphere is open, vast, and
  dripping. The sphere here is somewhat less than
  100 feet in radius, with the same swollen pus-
  tules lining the inside. Thick veins cover the skin
  of the interior, circulating blood up from a deep
  pool in the bottom of the sphere to the top, where
  it drips down in a constant crimson drizzle.
  A web of walkways composed of bloody, rot-
  ted flesh lie horizontally on a fairly level access
  to meet in a center platform. Countless beetles,
  ants, centipedes, and other insects crawl through
  the fleshy pathways, darting in and out of black-
  ened holes rotted and eaten into them. Reaching
  up from the pool of blood is a long shaft of the
  same porous flesh that pierces the center plat-
  form, and ends in a fleshy throne about 10 feet
  above the platform. Sitting upon the throne is
  the most purely evil being you’ve ever seen. Its
  bat-like wings folded about it like a cloak, cov-
  ered in the dripping blood and crawling insects
  that are the lifeblood of this hellish plane, it stands
  suddenly and peers intently about it.
  Cernu’ba’donn knows that you’re here.
  If the characters cut their way through one of the
  pustules, Cernu’ba’donn and his minions have taken
  whatever preparatory measures they can and will
  have moved towards the area the characters will
  enter from. If they negotiated their way through, the
  first three PCs that enter the inner sanctum will have
  free partial actions as a surprise round before
  Cernu’ba’donn and his minions realize they are
  there. The web-like walkways provide at least half
  cover to the surprised devils.
  Due to the blood and the uneven surface of the
  walkways, moving at anything more than half speed
  on them requires a Balance check (DC 15 for moving
  across a slippery uneven floor - each move action
  requires a separate check). A successful check allows
  the character to move at normal speed. Attempting
  a charge or double move incurs a -5 penalty on the
  
  Horrors of Penance
  40
  Top View of the Hive
  Side View of Hive
  
  Horrors of Penance
  41
  check. Failing by 4 or less means the character has
  used up that move action and has not gone
  anywhere. Failing by 5 to 9 means the character falls
  prone where she stood. Failing by more than that
  amount means the character has slipped off of the
  walkway and fallen to the pool of blood below.
  Thankfully, the bloody pool is not deep and the
  character can climb out quite easily; she will,
  however, have to deal with regaining her footing on
  the walkways while being attacked by a mob of
  lemures that gladly leap down to assault her.
  Climbing the sides of the sphere is fairly easy (DC
  10) thanks to the abundance of think veins to act as
  footholds and handholds.
  Creatures: Cernu’ba’donn is lounging inside the
  sphere with his personal retinue of guards (or food,
  depending on his mood):
  Cernu’ba’donn: CR 16, hp 152
  Gelugon: CR 13, hp 144
  Cornugon (2): CR 10, hp 106, 106 (one with a ring
  of force shield)
  Lemures (13): CR 1, hp 9
  Tactics: Cernu’ba’donn will instruct his minions
  to charge into combat while he and the gelugon hang
  back and cast bolstering spells on themselves. The
  dim-witted lemures will be the first to attack, herded
  forward by the cornugons like cattle. Once the
  lemures engage the characters in combat, the
  cornugons will not hesitate to get into the action as
  well. After prepping themselves, the gelugon and
  Cernu’ba’donn will attack from a distance with their
  spell-like abilities. Other than the lemures, the devils
  are willing to coordinate summoning other devils,
  so that, for example, one cornugon protects the other
  while it summons reinforcements. The gelugon and
  Cernu’ba’donn will coordinate their summoning as
  well. All devils will attempt to summon the most
  powerful fiend possible.
  Cernu’ba’donn and the gelugon are not afraid of
  unleashing area of effect spells that will harm
  lemures as well. They will try to avoid the cornugons
  - only because they are a more suitable buffer, but
  will include them in the area as well. If the characters
  take the fight to Cernu’ba’donn or destroy the
  cornugons, Cernu’ba’donn will gladly meet them in
  melee with his +3 huge unholy keen spiked chain.
  Cernu’ba’donn has faced enough would-be heroes
  to know that their weapons tend to be the focus of
  their magical and offensive power, and so generally
  uses his spiked chain to disarm them as they come
  through his 20 foot reach. If a weapon should fall, it
  has a 50% chance to land on a walkway and a 50%
  chance to fall into the pool of blood at the bottom of
  the sphere.
  Cernu’ba’donn will call for reinforcements from
  outside the sphere throughout the fight, but the
  Totembound forming the walls of the sphere will pre-
  vent any from entering. Whether the PCs negotiated
  with them or not, they recognize that their tormen-
  tor is being threatened, and will do their best to make
  sure no devils can come to his aid. Because his sphere
  is his source of power, he will not retreat, preferring
  instead to fight to the death with the logical assump-
  tion that his minions will soon breach the sphere and
  come to his aid. His organized and evil mind simply
  cannot comprehend the force of will that the tor-
  mented and extremely chaotic Totembound bring to
  bear when keeping the devils from doing so.
  Treasure: In addition to the devils’ individual
  possessions, the pool of blood contains 500 pp, 760
  gp, a carved bone statuette (50 gp), a ceremonial
  electrum dagger with a star ruby in the pommel
  (1600 gp), a solid gold idol (10 lb.)(1000 gp), potions
  of blur, clairaudience/clairvoyance, hiding, and
  spiderclimb, a +3 buckler, a +4 warhammer of disruption,
  a scroll of holy word, a gem of brightness, a staff of
  woodlands (42 charges remaining), boots of levitation
  (with a pair of humanoid feet still in them), and the
  following gems: amber (100 gp), black pearl (500 gp),
  bloodstones (50 gp x 2), red tears (1,000 gp), and
  white pearls (100 gp x 3).
  Conclusion
  With (hopefully) the death of Cernu’ba’donn, the
  souls of the totembound are released to their appro-
  priate afterlife.
  As Cernu’ba’donn dies, you see in every swollen
  node of the shell, the creature trapped within flails
  about for several moments as if electrocuted. They
  beat against the sides of their cells wildly before sud-
  denly bursting into a swarm of insects. The insects
  quickly dissolve into dust, leaving nothing behind.
  You feel an immense wave of warmth flow through
  you, almost knocking you off balance. An almost elec-
  tric charge dances across your skin as a thousand
  souls that were trapped are instantly released for their
  eternal rest. The sphere begins to deflate around you,
  and you are buried in torrents of blood and pus.
  When you can finally clear the film from your eyes,
  you find yourself standing in a pool of the stuff just
  outside the Hub Tavern. What bits of
  Cernu’ba’donn’s fortress that traveled with you to
  the Forge quickly drains away into the Undercity.
  The sun shines on several bewildered and disgusted
  faces as a crowd gathers to stare at the grisly sight
  your party makes. As the last of the blood drains
  away, you see that it was not all that followed you
  back: beneath it was a pile of riches and items, now
  revealed. Granted, you’re not being given a hero’s
  welcome, and few are aware that you saved thou-
  sands of souls, both dead and living, from an exist-
  ence of abyssal torment. But no one is trying to kill
  
  Horrors of Penance
  42
  you, you’ve got a pile of treasure for your troubles,
  and the Hub Tavern stands before you, eager to
  accept its prodigal adventurers home.
  Totembound Soul
  Medium-size Outsider (Evil, Chaotic)
  Hit Dice: 12d10 (114 hp)
  Initiative: + 3 (Dex)
  Speed: 30 ft.
  AC: 23 (+3 Dex, +10 natural)
  Attacks: 2 claws +13 melee, bite +11 melee
  Damage: claws 2d8+7, bite 3d6+3 and poison
  Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
  Special Attacks: Energy Drain, Insect Swarm, Poison, Soul Ex-
  change
  Special Qualities: Devil or Demon Qualities, Damage Reduc-
  tion 20/+2
  Saves: Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +11
  Abilities: Str 25, Dex 17, Con —, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 8
  Skills: Climb +12, Jump +12, Listen +10, Move Silently +10,
  Spot +10.
  Feats: Blind-Fight, Cleave, Multiattack, Power Attack
  Climate/Terrain: Any
  Organization: Varies
  Challenge Rating: 10
  Treasure: None
  Alignment: Always chaotic evil
  Advancement: 13-17 HD (Medium), 18-24 HD (Large), 25-30
  HD (Huge).
  When a dearly loved family member or friend dies,
  it is possible to ease the grief of those left behind by
  creating a special totem that has, at its core, a single
  Weeping Beetle. With this totem representing the
  dearly departed, the grief is magically eased. How-
  ever, there is far more to this ritual than most are
  aware.
  The deceased being’s soul becomes bound to a
  powerful outsider named during the ritual that cre-
  ates the totem. Part of the soul becomes trapped
  within the totem while the rest resides on its master’s
  home plane. If encountered there or if certain factors
  of the ritual are completed, the soul may take on solid
  form. Such creatures, called Totembounds, may be
  mindless servants, compelled intelligent beings, or
  ravaging monsters, depending on the conditions
  under which they were bound and the details of the
  ritual. All of them, however, are driven insane by
  their binding.
  Totembound appear roughly as they did in life.
  Their flesh is grey and flaky and composes a shell
  less than an inch thick that crumbles under hard
  enough blows. Their eyes and mouths are gaping,
  empty sockets. In the case of Cernu’ba’donn’s
  Totembounds, looking into those sockets would re-
  veal swarms of transparent, writhing insects within.
  These insects are the remains of the Totembound’s
  soul; the creature can spew forth swarms of these as
  a spell-like ability. Other masters might have more
  of a penchant for flame, frost, acid, mud, etc.
  If reduced to 0 hp, the Totembound crumbles to
  dust and reforms 24 hours later in its master’s lair.
  The only way to permanently destroy a Totembound
  is to destroy its master, which will set the trapped
  spirits free to proceed to the afterlife they deserve.
  Combat
  Energy Drain (Su): Creatures struck by the claw
  attacks of a Totembound must make a Fortitude save
  (DC 16) or suffer 2 negative levels.
  Insect Swarm (Sp): This spell-like ability func-
  tions as creeping doom but is only ¼ of the size - in-
  flicting 250 hp of damage and covering a 10' by 10'
  area. The swarm lasts for 5 minutes.
  Poison (Ex): Totembounds that succeed at a bite
  attack attempt to breathe their dark innards into the
  victim. This “poison” inflicts 1d8 Dex and 1d6 Str  as
  initial and secondary damage (Fort save DC 17 ne-
  gates).
  Soul Exchange (Su): If a Totembound kills a crea-
  ture, what remains of its soul will filter into the new
  body within 1d4 rounds. Upon completion, the
  victim’s body will be healed to 1 hp and the
  Totembound, now in a new body and thinking itself
  free, will probably attempt to flee. Unfortunately, the
  soul is neither coherent nor healthy enough to con-
  tinue to exist without its master. The body slowly
  
  Horrors of Penance
  43
  withers and collapses into dust in 1d6 hours, the re-
  mains of the soul that inhabit disappearing into
  oblivion. The victim whose body was stolen takes
  the place of the old Totembound, forming for the first
  time in its master’s lair 24 hours after its death.
  Statistics for NPCs
  Cernu’ba’donn: Male Pit Fiend; CR 16; Large Out-
  sider (Evil, Lawful); HD 13d8+65; hp 152; Init +1; Spd
  40 ft., fly 60 ft. (average); AC 31; Atk +22/+17/+12
  melee (2d6 + 10 [18-20], +3 huge keen unholy spiked
  chain) and +14 melee (1d4+3, 2 wings) and +14 me-
  lee (2d6+3, bite) and +14 melee (2d4+3, tail), or +19
  melee (1d6+7, 2 claws) and +14 melee (1d4+3, 2
  wings) and +14 melee (2d6+3, bite) and +14 melee
  (2d4+3, tail); SA: Fear aura, spell-like abilities, im-
  proved grab, constrict, summon devils; SQ: devil
  qualities, DR 25/+2, SR 28, regeneration 5; AL LE;
  SV Fort +13, Ref +9, Will +12; Str 25, Dex 14, Con 21,
  Int 20, Wis 18, Cha 16.
  Skills and Feats: Bluff +17, Climb +20,
  Concentration +19, Disguise +17, Hide +4, Jump +19,
  Knowledge (arcana) +20, Listen +20, Move Silently
  +17, Search +21, Spellcraft +21, Spot +20; Combat
  Reflexes, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (spiked chain),
  Improved Critical (spiked chain), Improved
  Initiative.
  SA - Spell-Like Abilities: At will — animate dead,
  blasphemy, charm person, contagion, create undead,
  desecrate, detect good, detect magic, dispel magic, hold
  person, improved invisibility, insect plague, magic circle
  against good, major image, polymorph self, pyrotechnics,
  suggestion, summon swarm, teleport without error (self
  plus 50 pounds of objects only), unholy aura, and
  unhallow; 1/day- creeping doom, and symbol (any).
  These abilities are as the spells cast by a 17th-level
  sorcerer (save DC 13 + spell level). Once per year a
  pit fiend can use wish as the spell cast by a 20th-
  level sorcerer.
  SA - Fear Aura (Su): As a free action, a pit fiend
  can create an aura of fear in a 20-foot radius. It is
  otherwise identical with fear cast by a 15th-level
  sorcerer (save DC 19). If the save is successful, that
  creature cannot be affected again by that pit fiend’s
  fear aura for one day. Other devils are immune to
  the aura.
  SA - Poison (Ex): Bite, Fortitude save (DC 21);
  initial damage 1d6 temporary Constitution,
  secondary damage death.
  SA - Disease (Su): Even if an affected creature
  saves against the poison, it must succeed at a
  Fortitude save (DC 14) or be infected with a vile
  disease called devil chills (incubation period 1d4
  days, damage 1d4 points of temporary Strength).
  SA - Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the
  pit fiend must hit a Medium-size or smaller
  opponent with its tail slap attack. If it gets a hold, it
  can constrict.
  SA - Constrict (Ex): A pit fiend deals 2d4+10
  points of damage with a successful grapple check
  against Medium-size or smaller creatures.
  SA - Summon  Devil (Sp): Twice per day a pit fiend
  can automatically summon two lemures, osyluths,
  or barbazu, or one erinyes, cornugon, or gelugon.
  SQ - Immunities (Ex): Devils are immune to fire
  and poison.
  SQ - Regeneration (Ex): Pit fiends take normal
  damage from holy and blessed weapons of at least
  +3 -enchantment.
  SQ - Resistances (Ex): Devils have cold and acid
  resistance 20.
  SQ - See in Darkness (Su): All devils can see
  perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created
  by deeper darkness spells.
  SQ - Telepathy (Su): Devils (except lemures) can
  communicate telepathically with any creature within
  100 feet that has a language.
  Possessions: +3 huge keen unholy spiked chain, boots
  of speed.
  Dalmott Raa: Male Foul Picker; Rog2/Clr4/
  Inquisitor 10; CR 16; Small humanoid (reptilian); HD
  2d6+ 14d8 - 16; hp 52; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 18 (+3
  natural, +2 Divine Knowledge, +1 Size); Atk +14/
  +9/+4 melee (1d6 +1, masterwork sickle); SQ - detect
  magic, enhanced memory; AL LE; SV Fort +11, Ref
  +14, Will +21; Str 12, Dex 10, Con 9, Int 18, Wis 17,
  Cha 24.
  Skills and Feats: Appraise +9, Bluff +23,
  Concentrate +12, Diplomacy +32, Disguise +12,
  Escape Artist +5, Gather Information +26, Hide +16,
  Intimidate +26, Knowledge (religion) +21, Listen +8,
  Move Silently + 5, Open Lock +5, Pick Pocket +5,
  Search +9, Sense Motive +18, Spot +8, Use Magic
  Device +10; Combat Casting, Iron Will, Leadership,
  Spell Focus (Enchantment), Spell Penetration.
  Gifts: Charm.
  SQ-Detect Magic (Sp): A picker can detect magic,
  as the spell, at will. This works as if cast by a wizard
  of level equal to the picker’s hit dice.
  SQ - Enhanced Memory (Ex): A picker can recall
  with great precision every detail that it knows about
  any object of interest that it has seen, heard of, or
  read about. This only applies to items; its memory
  is normal in regards to everything else.
  Domains: Luck, Protection.
  Spells Prepared (Clr 6/7/6/6/4/4/3): 0 - Detect
  Magic x2, Detect Poison, Light, Purify Food and
  Drink x2; 1st - Bane, Cause Fear, Sanctuary (d),
  Doom, Obscuring Mist, Protection from Good,
  Random Action; 2nd - Calm Emotions, Desecrate,
  Enthrall, Hold Person, Aid (d), Silence; 3rd - Animate
  
  Horrors of Penance
  44
  Dead, Bestow Curse, Blindness/Deafness,
  Invisibility Purge, Protection from Elements (d),
  Remove Blindness/Deafness; 4th - Air Walk,
  Freedom of Movement (d), Inflict Critical Wounds,
  Tongues; 5th – Spell Resistance (d), Greater
  Command, Mark of Justice, Summon Monster V; 6th
  - Greater Dispelling, Mislead (d), Word of Recall.
  Devil, Cornugon (2): CR 10; Large Outsider (Evil,
  Lawful); HD 11d8+33 (Outsider); hp 106; Init +1; Spd
  20ft., Fly, Average 50 ft.; AC 25; Atk +15/+10/+10
  (1d4+5, 2 Claws; 1d4+2, Bite; 1d3+2, Tail); or +15/
  +10 (1d4+5, Bite; 1d3+2, Tail); SA: Spell-like abilities,
  Fear aura, Stun, Wound, Summon devils; SQ:
  Damage reduction, Regeneration, Resistance: Spell,
  Resistance: Acid, Resistance: Cold, Immunity: Fire,
  Immunity: Poison, See in darkness, Telepathy; AL
  LE; SV Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +9; Str 21, Dex 12, Con
  17, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 14.
  Skills and Feats: Bluff +14, Climb +16,
  Concentration +15, Hide +7, Listen +14, Move
  Silently +14, Search +14, Sense Motive +14, Spot +14;
  Cleave, Power Attack, Sunder.
  SA - Spell-Like Abilities: At will: animate dead, charm
  person, desecrate, detect good, detect magic, detect
  thoughts, dispel chaos, dispel good, magic circle against
  good, major image, produce flame, pyrotechnics,
  suggestion, and teleport without error (self plus 50
  pounds of objects only); 3/day-fireball and lightning
  bolt; 1/day-wall of fire. These abilities are as the spells
  cast by a 12th-level sorcerer (save DC 12 + spell
  level).
  SA - Fear Aura (Su): As a free action, a cornugon
  can create an aura of fear in a 5-foot radius. It is
  otherwise identical with fear cast by a 12th-level
  sorcerer (save DC 17). If the save is successful, that
  creature cannot be affected again by that cornugon’s
  fear aura for one day. Other devils are immune to
  the aura.
  SA - Stun (Su): Whenever a cornugon hits with a
  whip attack, the opponent must succeed at a
  Fortitude save (DC 17) or be stunned for 1d4 rounds.
  SA - Wound (Su): A hit from a cornugon’s tail
  attack causes a bleeding wound. The injured creature
  loses 2 additional hit points each round until the
  wound is bound (a DC 10 Heal check) or the creature
  dies.
  SA - Summon devil (Sp): Once per day a cornugon
  can attempt to summon 2d10 lemures or 1d6 barbazu
  with a 50% chance of success, 1d6 hamatulas with a
  35% chance of success, or another cornugon with a
  20% chance of success.
  SQ - Immunities (Ex): Devils are immune to fire
  and poison.
  SQ - Regeneration (Ex): Cornugons take normal
  damage from acid, and from holy and blessed
  weapons of at least +2 enchantment.
  SQ - Resistances (Ex): Devils have cold and acid
  resistance 20.
  SQ - See in Darkness (Su): All devils can see
  perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created
  by deeper darkness spells.
  SQ - Telepathy (Su): Devils (except lemures) can
  communicate telepathically with any creature within
  100 feet that has a language.
  Devil, Gelugon: CR 13; Large Outsider (Evil,
  Lawful); HD 12d8+60; hp 141; Init +1; Spd 40; AC
  28; Atk +17/+12/+12 (1d8+6, 2 Claws; 2d4+3, Bite;
  3d4+3, Tail); or +17/+12 (2d4+6, Bite; 3d4+3, Tail);
  SA: Spell-like abilities, Fear aura, Cold, Summon
  devils; SQ: Damage reduction, Regeneration,
  Resistance: Acid, Resistance: Cold, Resistance: Spell,
  Immunity: Fire, Immunity: Poison, See in darkness,
  Telepathy; AL LE; SV Fort +13, Ref +9, Will +14; Str
  23, Dex 13, Con 21, Int 22, Wis 22, Cha 16.
  Skills and Feats: Bluff +16, Climb +20,
  Concentration +20, Disguise +17, Jump +19,
  Knowledge (arcana) +20, Listen +22, Move Silently
  +16, Search +20, Sense Motive +20, Spellcraft +20,
  Spot +22; Alertness, Cleave, Dodge, Power Attack.
  SA - Spell-Like Abilities: At will-animate dead,
  charm monster, cone of cold, desecrate, detect good,
  detect magic, fly, magic circle against good, major
  image, polymorph self, suggestion, teleport without
  error (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), unholy
  aura, and wall of ice. These abilities are as the spells
  cast by a 13th-level sorcerer (save DC 13 + spell
  level).
  SA - Fear Aura (Su): As a free action, a gelugon
  can create an aura of fear in a 10-foot radius. It is
  otherwise identical with fear cast by a 13th-level
  sorcerer (save DC 19). If the save is successful, that
  creature cannot be affected again by that gelugon’s
  fear aura for one day. Other devils are immune to
  the aura.
  SA - Cold (Su): A hit from a gelugon’s tail or spear
  attack induces numbing cold. The opponent must
  succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 21) or be affected as
  though by a slow spell for 1d6 rounds.
  SA - Summon Devil (Sp): Once per day a gelugon
  can attempt to summon 2d10 lemures or 1d6 barbazu
  with a 50% chance of success, 2d4 osyluths or 1d6
  hamatulas with a 35% chance of success, or another
  gelugon with a 20% chance of success.
  SQ - Immunities (Ex): Devils are immune to fire
  and poison.
  SQ - Regeneration (Ex): Gelugons take normal
  damage from holy and blessed weapons of at least
  +2 enchantment.
  SQ - Resistances (Ex): Devils have cold and acid
  resistance 20.
  SQ - See in Darkness (Su): All devils can see
  perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created
  by deeper darkness spells.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  45
  SQ - Telepathy (Su): Devils (except lemures) can
  communicate telepathically with any creature within
  100 feet that has a language.
  Devil, Lemure (13): CR 1; Medium Outsider
  (Evil, Lawful); HD 2d8; hp 9; Init +0; Spd 20; AC 13;
  Atk +2 base melee, +2 base ranged; +2 (1d3, 2 Claws);
  SQ: Damage reduction, Resistance: Spell, Mindless,
  Immunity: Fire, Immunity: Poison, Resistance: Acid,
  Resistance: Cold, See in darkness; AL LE; SV Fort
  +3, Ref +3, Will +3; Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int —,
  Wis 11, Cha 5.
  SQ - Immunities (Ex): Devils are immune to fire
  and poison.
  SQ - Mindless (Ex): Lemures are immune to all
  mind-influencing effects.
  SQ - Resistances (Ex): Devils have cold and acid
  resistance 20.
  SQ - See in Darkness (Su): All devils can see
  perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created
  by deeper darkness spells.
  Oed: Male Metabolized Faust; Rog9/Rafter3/
  Assassin3; CR 18; Medium-size Humanoid; HD
  9d6+3d8+3d6+45; hp 119; Init +11; Spd 80 ft; AC 28
  (+8 Dex, +6 natural, +2 studded leather of shadowy silent
  moves); Atk +22/+18/+13 melee (1d6+8, +4 short
  sword), or +19/+15/+10 ranged (1d8+6, +2
  masterwork mighty comp longbow), or +14/+14 (1d8+4,
  claws), +9 (2d4+2 bite); SQ: darkvision, scent,
  evasion, uncanny dodge, sneak attack 7d6, death
  attack (DC 13), spells, poison use, +7 save vs. poison,
  extra partial action; AL NE; SV Fort +10, Ref +25,
  Will +8; Str 18, Dex 27, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 14.
  Skills and Feats: Appraise +2, Balance +18, Bluff
  +22, Climb +4, Craft (maps) +4, Disable Device +12,
  Hide +38, Innuendo +5, Intimidate +6, Intuit
  Direction +4, Jump +34, Knowledge (arcane) +4,
  Listen +5, Move Silent +32, Open Lock +14, Pick
  Pocket +12, Read Lips +4, Search +4, Spot +5, Tumble
  +21, Use Magic Device +7; Dodge, Improved
  Initiative, Mobility, Quickdraw, Spring Attack,
  Weapon Finesse (short sword).
  Possessions: +4 short sword, +2 masterwork might
  comp longbow, ring of jumping, ring of feather falling;
  bag of holding (Bag 3), +2 studded leather of shadowy
  silent moves, cloak of resistance +3, potion of cure serious
  wounds, potion of improved invisibility, potion of gaseous
  form, scroll of dimension door, two gems worth 600 gp
  each.
  Wraith of Aunt Anelie (base): CR 5, double xp;
  Medium Undead; HD 10d12 (Undead); hp 64; Init
  +7; Spd 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (good); AC 15 (+3 Dex, +2
  deflection); Atk Incorporeal touch +8 melee (1d4 and
  1d6 permanent Con drain); SA: Con drain, create
  spawn; SQ: Undead, incorporeal, +2 turn resistance,
  unnatural aura, daylight powerlessness; AL LE; SV
  Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +9; Str –, Dex 16, Con –, Int 14,
  Wis 14, Cha 15.
  Skills and Feats: Hide +11, Intimidate +10, Intuit
  Direction +6, Listen +17, Search +10, Sense Motive
  +8, Spot +17; Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat
  Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus:
  (incorporeal touch).
  SA—Constitution Drain (Su): Living creatures hit
  by a wraith’s incorporeal touch attack must succeed
  at a Fortitude save (DC 14) or suffer 1d6 points of
  permanent Constitution drain.
  SA—Create Spawn (Su): Any humanoid slain by
  a wraith becomes a wraith in 1d4 rounds. Spawn
  are under the command of the wraith that created
  them and remain enslaved until its death. They do
  not possess any of the abilities they had in life.
  SQ—Unnatural Aura (Su): Both wild and
  domesticated animals can sense the unnatural
  presence of a wraith at a distance of 30 feet. They
  will not willingly approach nearer than that and
  panic if forced to do so; they remain panicked as
  long as they are within that range.
  SQ—Undead: Immune to mind-influencing
  effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and
  disease. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage,
  ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive
  damage.
  SQ—Incorporeal: Can be harmed only by other
  incorporeal creatures, +1 or better magic weapons,
  or magic, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage
  from a corporeal source. Can pass through solid
  objects at will, and own attacks pass through armor.
  Always moves silently.
  SQ—Daylight Powerlessness (Ex): Wraiths are
  utterly powerless in natural sunlight (not merely a
  daylight spell) and flee from it.
  Wraith of Aunt Anelie (all spells active): CR 12;
  Medium Undead; HD 10d12 (Undead); hp 74; Init
  +7; Spd 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (good); AC 17 (+3 Dex, +4
  deflection); Atk Incorporeal touch +9 melee (1d4+1
  and 1d6 permanent Con drain); SA: Con drain, create
  spawn; SQ: Undead, incorporeal, +5 turn resistance,
  unnatural aura, daylight powerlessness, SR, improved
  invisibility; AL LE; SV Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +14; Str
  –, Dex 16, Con –, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 15.
  Skills and Feats: Hide +11, Intimidate +10, Intuit
  Direction +6, Listen +17, Search +10, Sense Motive
  +8, Spot +17; Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat
  Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus:
  (incorporeal touch).
  SA—Constitution Drain (Su): Living creatures hit
  by a wraith’s incorporeal touch attack must succeed
  at a Fortitude save (DC 14) or suffer 1d6 points of
  permanent Constitution drain.
  SA—Create Spawn (Su): Any humanoid slain by
  a wraith becomes a wraith in 1d4 rounds. Spawn
  are under the command of the wraith that created
  them and remain enslaved until its death. They do
  not possess any of the abilities they had in life.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  46
  SQ—Unnatural Aura (Su): Both wild and
  domesticated animals can sense the unnatural
  presence of a wraith at a distance of 30 feet. They
  will not willingly approach nearer than that and
  panic if forced to do so; they remain panicked as
  long as they are within that range.
  SQ—Undead: Immune to mind-influencing
  effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and
  disease. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage,
  ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive
  damage.
  SQ—Incorporeal: Can be harmed only by other
  incorporeal creatures, +1 or better magic weapons,
  or magic, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage
  from a corporeal source. Can pass through solid
  objects at will, and own attacks pass through armor.
  Always moves silently.
  SQ—+5 Turn Resistance: Combined effect of
  natural turn resistance the desecrate effect.
  SQ—Daylight Powerlessness (Ex): Wraiths are
  utterly powerless in natural sunlight (not merely a
  daylight spell) and flee from it.
  SQ—Spell Resistance: SR 25 against good spells
  and spell cast by good creatures.
  SQ—Strength Damage: Any successful melee
  attack against the wraith causes the attacker to
  receive 1d6 points of temporary strength damage
  (Fortitude save DC 21 negates).
  SQ—Improved Invisibility: All attacks against
  wraith have 50% miss chance, all attacks by wraith
  gain +2 to hit, all enemies lose their Dexterity bonus
  (if positive) to AC.
  Further Adventures –
  A Coven of Ideas
  This section presents thirteen suggestions for further
  horror-themed adventures in the world of the Forge.
  These ideas are just that, ideas; the GM should feel
  free to add, drop, or change any element as his whim
  dictates.
  The Orphanage of the Exiles
  The Lost City of Penance is well known as the refuge
  of the outcasts of society. Populated with exiles, mis-
  creants, social abominations and far worse, it is a
  place where few seeds dare tread. A year ago, a large
  section of the wrack was obliterated in a massive fire
  – good riddance to those it killed, many said. Few in
  Penance mourned the huge death toll in the Lost City
  that day.
  One in Penance mourned, however, and still does
  – a monk in the Great Archive by the name of
  Thymtoff has become haunted by dreams of the
  dying children in the Cofferdam Orphanage, which
  was burned to the ground in the great fire. The
  Cofferdam had long been an institution within the
  Lost City (it had existed nearly 500 years before the
  fire) as a home to the outcast and forgotten children
  of Penance – the waifs of the exiles, the abandoned
  of the miscreants, and the forgotten of the social
  abominations. These ghostly children now plague
  the dreams of Thymtoff, and they are beginning to
  plague the dreams of others. Other monks within
  the Great Archive have begun suffering, and
  whatever foul vapor infests the Archive seems to be
  spreading to the wrack as well.
  The characters, seeking a valuable piece of
  information from the Archive, learn of this situation
  when the monks, sleep deprived, simply cannot help
  them find what they seek. Only by helping the
  monks rid themselves of these tormenting
  nightmares can they help themselves. The answers
  can only be uncovered at the nightmares’ source –
  the ruins of the Cofferdam. There, the characters will
  uncover horrible secrets about the orphanage and
  its proprietors. Will they be able to escape with this
  important knowledge or will they fall prey to the
  lonely and vengeful spirits that reside there? It is
  said that children can be so cruel . . .
  The Flesh Gatherers
  Throughout the streets of Penance gangs of frey with
  strangely marked and dyed pelts, seeming no more
  than hoodlums, are savagely attacking random citi-
  zens. They appear from the shadows of alleys and
  deserted buildings to descend upon unwary indi-
  viduals. The oddity is that they never rob these vic-
  tims or even set out to kill them, but always cut a
  body part off of the victim and then vanish into the
  darkness as quickly as they appeared. Sometimes it
  is a finger they claim, sometimes a foot, or ear, and
  unfortunately the occasional head. They always seem
  to know which “piece” of the victim they want when
  they attack.
  Behind this madness are the insane arcane
  experiments of a frey shaman known only as
  WhiteEye, called thusly for his cataract-filled blind
  eyes. Apparently, WhiteEye is intent on assembling
  an army flesh golems built from the still-living flesh
  of these victims. The frey shaman believes that not
  only will the golems be even more potent than those
  normally created, but that they will also give him
  control over those whose flesh they bear. While this
  seems like the babble of one who has lost his wits,
  those wounded by the frey are starting to have
  strange dreams of doing things they would normally
  never do; while in his fitful sleep, WhiteEye has
  prophetic dreams that tell him the race and body
  
  Horrors of Penance
  47
  part that his gang must gather next. His insanity will
  eventually lead him to produce a golem that will
  incorporate his own brain, the “perfect” immortal
  body with which to lead his armies.
  The Empty City
  A teleport attempt interacts strangely with the weave
  of reality that makes up the Forge and deposits the
  characters into what seems to be Penance, but is en-
  tirely abandoned. Every street, both in the unclaimed
  and claimed territories, is utterly vacant. Even the
  citadel of Queen Israfel seems oddly quiet with the
  ever-present bridge golems missing.
  The reason for this is completely up to the GM.
  Perhaps it is a parallel version of the Forge created
  for some insidious arcane reason. Perhaps a
  powerful mage, extra-planar creature, or even deity,
  needs this “perfect model” of the city in order to gain
  control over it. The characters, because they have
  inadvertently stumbled upon it, must now be
  eliminated.
  Alternatively, it may be the far future after the
  citadels have been unlocked, the imprisoned god
  freed eons ago. With their god free and their oaths
  broken, the Black Flock had no reason to remain or
  to pull fresh beings into the Forge. Without the
  power of the Seven and the unnamed god to keep
  their world alive, the residents lived short hopeless
  lives and the entire population died off, neither food
  nor magic nor energy left to keep their world going.
  The plane is left empty, but the characters must find
  a way to return home.
  Or perhaps everything is perfectly normal, and
  the problem lies with the characters. They may be
  “out of phase” in some unusual “bordering plane”.
  However, they are not alone here and have caught
  the attention of the locals, a race of hideous creatures
  that reside in this plane and stalk those in the normal
  world.
  Plague of the Penitent
  A small bloodhold has been plagued with a terrible
  disease that appears to have a 100% mortality rate.
  Those infected progress rapidly through phases of
  intense pain caused by horrifying larva-filled boils.
  Whether it is merciful or not, the victims are driven
  insane before they succumb to the disease and so far
  magic has not revealed the cause of the disease nor
  been able to stop its steady advance.
  Panic begins to spread and the characters are sent
  in to keep the peace (and do a little investigating
  before the disease spreads to their home bloodhold).
  Many begin to believe that the disease is a curse from
  the gods and only the impure are infected. As with
  all fanatical religious beliefs, however, the definition
  of impure continues to shift as even the pious become
  infected.
  Neighboring bloodlords take a more practical
  than theological interest in the plague: they want it
  to remain in its current bloodhold at all costs.
  Banding together, they seal off the area both
  physically and magically in hopes that the disease
  will run its course like any other plague.
  Unfortunately, the few peacekeepers, including the
  characters, are quarantined as well. Somehow, they
  must now survive the plague and as well as tension
  that is growing into outright anarchy.
  Bloodlord Thrall
  A powerful bloodlord has become the thrall of a
  vampiric psionic savant known as DarkThought.
  Now the nightmarish creature pulls the strings of the
  bloodhold, giving orders that border on breaking the
  Queen’s laws. All throughout the bloodhold, people
  begin disappearing and no one seems to be asking
  any questions.
  As agents of a neighboring bloodlord or
  alongside of a force of bailiffs, the characters are
  asked to investigate these strange occurrences and
  locate the missing individuals. As they journey into
  the bloodhold, they find that all within it seem to
  shun the light and prefer to talk with them at night.
  Additionally, every man, woman, and child seems
  obsessed with a new drink that has taken the
  populace by storm. Strong smelling and vicious, it
  is repulsive to the characters, until they happen to
  try it – at which point they too begin to change.
  Exactly what is happening is up to the GM to
  decide, but it is safe to say that a vampiric
  community, or some would even call it an army, is
  growing within Penance. Whether the vampire
  simply seeks a few cantons to remake in its own
  image or desires something far grander is unknown.
  Brotherhood of the Bane
  A cunning group of lycanthropes of several breeds
  have come together under the name the Brotherhood
  of the Bane. Their goal is to take over Penance and
  make it their capital; their method of attack is two-
  fold.
  First, they begin causing a rash of murders in such
  a manner as to incriminate certain individuals that
  have taken the Focus of the Beast. The bodies from
  these murders disappear shortly afterward. The
  Brotherhood is actually not killing them, but rather
  attacking, infecting them with lycanthropy and then
  causing them to appear dead for a short period
  through alchemical means. As soon as it’s safe,
  
  Horrors of Penance
  48
  agents of the Brotherhood sneak back, retrieve their
  new recruits, and take them to a safehouse to “re-
  educate them” until their transformation is complete.
  Secondly, they have begun making dark pacts
  with some choice abyssal lords, promising the
  undying servitude of their growing gang of minions
  if assistance will be given in their ultimate battle. It
  is only after their dark army has grown to epic
  proportions that the battle can begin: the
  Brotherhood of the Bane wishes to fight Israfel
  herself. With an entire city of their brothers at their
  side, backed by the might of the Abyss, how can they
  lose?
  Curse of the Decaying Flesh
  The characters are sent to collect treasure from an
  ancient tomb deep in the Undercity. Once they re-
  turn victorious and give the agreed-upon portion to
  whomever sent them, they begin having serious
  problems - their extremities seem to be decaying
  away before their eyes. Their finger and ear tips are
  slowly withering and turning to dust. They soon
  learn (from nightmares, investigation, and so on) that
  there was a curse on the tomb that can only be lifted
  by gathering all of the items they took (or perhaps
  one particularly powerful item) and returning them
  to their original locations.
  However, the individual who sent them had prior
  knowledge of the curse and the threat it would pose
  to those who raided the tomb. He has now vanished
  and has sold off a large number of the items. The
  characters must track down the belongings and get
  them back by any means possible (often from the
  owners who either refuse to give up their newly
  gained treasures or are only willing to sell them at
  an exorbitantly steep price). All the while the
  characters are slowly and painfully deteriorating.
  March of the Beasts
  Word has traveled across the plains to the city of Pen-
  ance of a horde of massive undead creatures that are
  destroying village after village, town after town
  across the domain. The horde is composed of gar-
  gantuan animals and creatures that have become
  zombies, ghouls, and wights. Nothing has yet slowed
  their dread advance. A vast swath of devastation,
  disease and undeath marks their path; they are
  headed straight for Penance.
  Whether these mind-boggling creatures are
  directed by some fell necromancer, or are mindlessly
  running rampant, gathering together only out of
  some deep seated herding instinct is not known.
  What is known is that every being they come in
  contact with contracts a foul disease or becomes an
  undead abomination themselves. The bloodlords of
  Penance begin to fear that if the horde of undead
  creatures does not trample the city to the ground
  that the aftershocks of disease and the undead host
  will decimate it for sure.
  The characters are sent as an advance scouting
  party that must try to deduce the origins of and
  perhaps a solution to this foul threat before more
  communities (Penance among them) are wiped from
  the face of the world.
  Rain of Blood
  Soothsayers and prophets across the city of Penance
  begin declaring that the end of the world is near.
  Much like they have since the city’s founding, the
  citizens of Penance simply ignore them – until the
  sky turns black and the rain begins.
  A constant rain of warm blood begins and shows
  no sign of ending – the warm rain collects and slowly
  begins to rise, threatening to flood homes and
  businesses. Before long, the Wellspring itself
  becomes tinged with crimson and it is then that the
  creatures begin to rise. Creatures that defy mortal
  description, composed of pure blood, erupt from the
  bloody liquid and drag people down to their dooms.
  There is no sign of the kidnapped victims, and even
  giants are being pulled down into pools of blood no
  deeper than a child’s bath, vanishing without a trace.
  Panic erupts throughout the city and no one
  knows the reason for the never-ending blood rain.
  Has some powerful wizard cast a curse upon the
  entire city?  Is Israfel or one of the avatars angry and
  out to destroy them all?  Is this an invasion of some
  unknown creature from the depths of hell?
  Whatever the cause, only the mightiest of heroes can
  begin to explore the cause let alone have a hope of
  stopping the flood of blood.
  Restless Spirits
  During the course of their adventuring, the charac-
  ters must destroy an enormously powerful artifact
  (it could be the scepter of the necromancer ruler of
  an Undercity cult, the phylactery of a lich-lord, or
  the clockwork heart of some mind-bogglingly com-
  plex dread siege engine). Doing so results in a mas-
  sive explosion of divine and/or arcane energy that
  utterly destroys the artifact, but also literally blasts
  the characters’ spirits right out of their bodies (alter-
  natively, it could also completely destroy their bod-
  ies as well).
  As ghosts, the characters soon learn that they
  have only a finite amount of time before they must
  either merge with the great beyond (and whatever
  destiny awaits them) or return to the material world
  
  Horrors of Penance
  49
  and reclaim their lives there; they soon discover,
  however, that only children or animals can see them
  and these individuals are typically frightened of
  them. Now they must either track down their
  physical remains (or if their bodies were destroyed,
  discover some way to reform them) and enter into
  them before their time literally runs out.
  The Thirteen
  A cabal of evil beings informally known as
  the Thirteen have acquired several cantons and
  established themselves as their bloodlords. Not
  coincidentally, each of their domains is positioned
  upon a particular magical nexus. The Thirteen
  plan on carrying out an enormously complex and
  formidable ritual that will conjoin the powers of
  the nexuses and the life energy of the 13,000 in-
  nocent residents of their cantons, unleashing a
  terrible evil upon the Forge.
  Whether it is a plot to create a massive portal to a
  nightmarish realm and plunge the entire city into
  incarnate chaos, or a plan to use the ritual to cover
  the Forge in darkness and place an unnamed god of
  absolute evil upon a throne formed from the Sevens’
  bones, there is only one thing that is for certain – it
  will spell doom for Penance and the Forge as it is
  currently known. Unless, of course, the characters
  can unravel the conundrum of the Thirteen and undo
  their abominable plot.
  The Brood
  Pets, livestock, familiars and animals of all kinds are
  disappearing. There seems to be little rhyme or rea-
  son to the disappearances but soon thereafter, a rash
  of attacks by unusual beasts begins to plague Pen-
  ance. Eyewitnesses and victims describe the feral at-
  tackers as “normal critters all stuck together and with
  their body parts switched.”
  Investigation by the characters soon uncovers
  that the nightmare brood of creatures is only the tip
  of the proverbial iceberg. An insane cult of half-breed
  and abomination wizards, sorcerers, priests, and
  druids have taken it upon themselves to re-craft the
  world in their own likenesses; too long has the world
  been ruled by the weaker, “chaste ones”, now is the
  time for the stronger creatures, or the Taint, as they
  call it, to rule. The characters soon learn that this
  cabal has amassed an entire army beneath the streets
  of Penance – an army of horrific, twisted creatures
  that are bent on revenge for their former
  mistreatment and hungering for the taste of blood.
  The Mist
  An unusually thick mist settles over the city of Pen-
  ance, penetrating even into the most well built struc-
  tures with its cold, clammy fingers. At first it is merely
  a nuisance and a novelty. Slowly, as the weeks pass
  and there seems to be no sign of the mist departing,
  it begins to have another effect altogether.
  Folks begin to board themselves up in their
  homes, refusing to go to work, or even to the market
  in fear of the omnipresent mist and the “foul vapors”
  that swirl within its cold, wet confines. Before long
  the entire city grinds to an oppressive halt, and
  Penance, whether it knows it or not, falls under siege
  by an enemy it cannot face. Starvation and disease,
  coupled with the apathetic and superstitious
  behavior of the inhabitants, threaten to consume all
  within weeks.
  A mysterious “benefactor of the city” calls in the
  characters and equips them with unusual breathing
  devices of an ancient and powerful design and asks
  them to find the source of the mist and vanquish it
  utterly. However, once the mist detects the actions
  of the characters, it begins to defend itself, striking
  with thousands of invisible hands and mouths. The
  characters have marked themselves as threats and
  now find themselves surrounded by an enemy the
  size of a city. They must find its weakness or perish
  within it.
  
  Horrors of Penance
  50
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  Oathbound: Horrors of Penance Copyright 2003, Bastion Press, Inc.
  System Reference Document Copyright 1999, 2000 Wizards of the Coast,
  Inc.
  All artwork and graphic elements are Product Identity of Bastion Press,
  Inc. and are not Open Game Content. The following text excerpts of
  Oathbound: Horrors of Peaance are considered Open Game Content. Sec-
  tions not listed are not Open Game Content.
  Declaration of Open Game Content: The totembound soul monster
  (pages 42-43); .Statistics for NPCs (pages 43-47).
  Designation of Product Identity: The following are considered Prod-
  uct Identity: Abbydon, Anvil, Arena, Athra, Aunt Anelie, Bactiran, Bar-
  bello, Beacon, Belus, Bathkol, Black Flock, Briseis Sigurne,
  Cernu’ba’donn, Colopitiron, Dalmott Raa, Deisic, Domains of the Forge,
  Eclipse, Feathered Fowl, Graftz, Grey Stranger, Grinder, Hammerfall,
  Israfel, Izuron Zul, Kallina, Kiln, Koron, Lost Knight, Lucius Tristram,
  Miradel, Narcis, Nemamiah, Ness Panthus, Noflex, Oath of Binding,
  Oathbound, Odyar Khan, Oed, Orif’elle, Ozaroth, Pandarus, Penance,
  rang blade, Razor Cyrene, Razor Krug, Sath, Seer of the Wellspring,
  Sestos Malvacius, Seth Drannos, the Seven, Shallaver, Shallinathos,
  Sheffus, Silumj, Sirilis, Sovereign, Utopia, Verdane, Wellspring, Wild-
  wood, Yazarak, Zilkuss. All Proper Nouns (people, places, and things)
  presented in Open Content are considered Product identity.
  OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
  The following text is the property of Wizards of the
  Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast,
  Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.
  1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark
  owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Ma-
  terial” means copyrighted material including derivative works and
  translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modi-
  fication, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, com-
  pilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be
  recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce,
  license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or other-
  wise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic
  and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the
  extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an
  enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly iden-
  tified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work
  covered by this License, including translations and derivative works
  under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e)
  “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and
  identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters;
  stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, lan-
  guage, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses,
  concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio
  representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchant-
  ments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities;
  places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or su-
  pernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and
  any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Prod-
  uct identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifi-
  cally excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means the logos,
  names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to
  identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to
  the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Us-
  ing” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and
  otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You”
  or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
  2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that
  contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be
  Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to
  any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or
  subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself.
  No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Con-
  tent distributed using this License.
  3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indi-
  cate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
  4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this
  License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-
  free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use,
  the Open Game Content.
  5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing
  original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Con-
  tributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights
  to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
  6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NO-
  TICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT
  NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or
  distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the
  copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original
  Open Game Content you Distribute.
  7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity,
  including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly li-
  censed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each ele-
  ment of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility
  or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in con-
  junction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly
  licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such
  Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Oathbound (d20)/Oathbound Horrors of Penance.pdf