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  Second Edition
  By Mikko Kallio
  Lord of the 
  Black Sands
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  LEVEL 16  
  (DC 35)
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  Paizo Inc.
  7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120
  Redmond, WA 98052-0577
  paizo.com
  AUTHOR
  Mikko Kallio
  ADDITIONAL WRITING
  Andrew Mullen, Nathan Reinecke, 
  David Schwartz, and Scott Young
  DEVELOPERS
  Ron Lundeen and Patrick Renie
  DESIGN LEAD
  Mark Seifter
  EDITING LEADS
  Avi Kool and Lu Pellazar
  EDITORS
  Judy Bauer, Leo Glass, Patrick Hurley, Avi Kool, 
  Kieran Newton, Lu Pellazar, and Eric Prister
  COVER AND PAGE BORDER ARTIST
  Miguel Regodón Harkness
  INTERIOR ARTISTS
  David Astruga, Olivier Bernard, Vlada Hladkova, 
  Jason Juta, Artur Nakhodkin, Ian Perks, and 
  Sandra Posada
  ART DIRECTION
  Sonja Morris and Sarah E. Robinson
  CREATIVE DIRECTOR
  James Jacobs
  PUBLISHER
  Erik Mona
  Lord of the Black Sands 
  2
  by Mikko Kallio
  Chapter 1: Into the Black Desert 
  4
  Chapter 2: Cradle of Worms 
  24
  Chapter 3: City in Dust 
  42
  Shraen Gazetteer 
  60
  by Mikko Kallio
  Cults of the Darklands 
  66
  by Scott Young
  Adventure Toolbox 
  72
  by Mikko Kallio, Andrew Mullen, Nathan Reinecke, David Schwartz, and Scott Young 
  Blightburn Sickness 
  73
  Rituals and Spells 
  73
  Xulgath Survival Gear 
  75
  Urdefhan Tools of War 
  76
  Ammut 
  77
  Blightburn Genies 
  78
  Golem, Obsidian 
  80
  Iffdahsil 
  81
  Urdefhan 
  82
  Vitalia 
  84
  Xulgath Deepmouth 
  85
  Dyzallin Shraen 
  86
  War Champion Kharostan 
  88
  Qormintur 
  90
  Adventure Path 5 of 6
  LORD OF THE BLACK SANDS
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  16
  The heroes should reach 16th level by the start of Chapter 2.
  15
  The heroes begin this adventure at 15th level.
  17
  The heroes should reach 17th level by the start of Chapter 3.
  Chapter 1: Into the Black Desert ............................. 4
  Magically transported to the caves of the Darklands, the heroes must 
  make their way through dangerous tunnels to the enormous Vault of 
  the Black Desert. There, they negotiate passage with the bloodthirsty 
  urdefhans of the Spear Hill cult.
  Chapter 2: Cradle of Worms ..................................24
  The heroes penetrate a strangely verdant region of the Black Desert where 
  immense cave worms dwell. By following clues left behind by a long-dead 
  explorer, the heroes can make their way to the pyramid of Xul-Khundur. 
  There, they learn the aeon orb they seek is gone, taken away to the city of 
  Shraen by a powerful spellcaster who left several formidable guards behind.
  Chapter 3: City in Dust ..............................................42
  The heroes arrive in the city of Shraen, which is ruled by undead drow 
  but not entirely inhospitable to traders and entertainers. The heroes work 
  to earn influence in the city, gaining permission to enter the Forbidden 
  District and assault Dyzallin Shraen’s tower. But the cunning mummy 
  spellcaster is ready for the heroes, and they must overcome his guards and 
  traps to claim the aeon orb.
  Advancement Track
  “Lord of the Black Sands” is designed for four characters.
  AWAY FROM HOME
  This adventure marks the first time 
  the heroes have been away from 
  the Circus of Wayward Wonders 
  for an extended period. In a sense, 
  they’re leaving home for the first 
  time. However, the circus themes 
  prevalent throughout the Extinction 
  Curse Adventure Path are still on 
  display here: the heroes can use 
  their entertainment skills to impress 
  violent warlords and infiltrate an 
  evil city. They’ll also come across 
  a bizarre panoply of entertainers 
  whom they can attempt to bring 
  back to the surface if they choose. 
  The heroes have seen much of 
  the brutal violence of xulgaths in 
  the last four adventures. Although 
  there aren’t any xulgaths to fight in 
  this adventure, the heroes can learn 
  much about the ancient culture 
  the xulgaths lost. They witness 
  the enormity of the desolation 
  Aroden wrought in stealing the 
  aeon orbs from Vask, since they 
  are forced to experience the lethal 
  blightburn radiation the aeon orbs 
  no longer repel. The heroes may 
  have a desire to undo this damage 
  by reversing Aroden’s theft, but 
  they should come to realize that 
  the subterranean wasteland has 
  reached its own equilibrium, and 
  removing the aeon orbs from 
  the Starstone Isles would mean 
  dooming the people there to live 
  amid a terrible desolation.
  The heroes should reach 18th level by the time they complete the 
  adventure.
  LORD OF THE 
  BLACK SANDS
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  To give life to the Starstone Isles almost 5,000 years 
  ago, Aroden traveled to a subterranean vault called 
  Vask. It was a verdant place, populated by xulgaths 
  who believed the riotous jungle was a mirror of 
  Gluttondark, the Abyssal realm of their patron god, 
  Zevgavizeb. Aroden took five of the six life-giving orbs 
  in Vask. He left one orb behind, thinking it would be 
  sufficient to maintain the ecosystem there. He brought 
  the other five to the surface, installing them in his aeon 
  towers and naming them the aeon orbs. 
  Aroden never realized that without the orbs, Vask 
  was fundamentally ill-suited to sustain life. The rocks 
  surrounding the vault emit a deadly radiation called 
  blightburn sickness. The six orbs, together, could keep 
  this radiation at bay and allow Vask to flourish, but 
  the single orb Aroden left behind wasn’t sufficient. 
  Soon, nearly the entire vault was reduced to a blasted 
  wasteland of dark sand. Known thereafter as the Vault 
  of the Black Desert, the massive cavern contained only 
  one area suitable for life: the jungle surrounding the 
  pyramid of Xul-Khundur. While it’s able to sustain 
  life, the jungle is far from hospitable—it has become a 
  spawning ground for cave worms of all types, and so is 
  no less dangerous than the rest of the vault.
  Denizens of the Black Desert
  Though conditions are hostile, the Black Desert is not 
  without inhabitants. The drow elves of House Shraen, 
  after being exiled from their home city for worshipping 
  Urgathoa and engaging in rites even other drow found 
  distasteful, discovered the vault. By the time they’d 
  reached it, none of the exiled drow had survived as 
  living beings; the most powerful and crafty among 
  them had achieved immortality through undeath, and 
  those who couldn’t had become food for those who 
  did. The drow liches, ghosts, graveknights, mummies, 
  CHAPTER 1:  
  INTO THE BLACK DESERT
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  and other more nefarious creatures who came to the Black Desert founded 
  a new home amid the ruins the xulgaths had been forced to abandon. 
  They named this city—filled with monumental pyramids and cyclopean 
  architecture—after the name of their exiled house, Shraen. 
  The exiled undead drow began to create a home that provided the 
  amenities of drow society they had lost. They acquired finery, artwork, and 
  vast armies of retainers and slaves from traders hungry to acquire the relics 
  the drow found in the ruins. Shraen has grown into a city where the dead 
  rule vast stables of living slaves and host traders, scholars, slavers, and 
  entertainers from across the Darklands. Beyond the backstabbing endemic 
  to the evil city, the residents of Shraen have many foes. Urdefhans—
  violent bloodsucking humanoids whose necromantic affinity provides 
  them immunity to blightburn radiation—live in the surrounding desert. 
  The urdefhan cults covet the city of Shraen, but even their greatest war 
  champions have failed to conquer the drow’s armies of slave soldiers. The 
  urdefhans and drow have fought their ongoing war for millennia with 
  little change; the urdefhans continue to roam the desert, and the drow rule 
  their city.
  Dyzallin in the Cradle
  The Cradle of Worms, the jungle territory surrounding Xul-Khundur, 
  remains unconquered territory. The drow of Shraen make occasional raids 
  to capture young cave worms, which they magically train as beasts of war. 
  The urdefhans, accustomed to the vast emptiness of the desert, find the 
  strangely fecund jungle disturbing. 
  Recently, a brilliant drow mummy named Dyzallin Shraen endeavored 
  to learn more about the Cradle of Worms, hoping to improve the city’s 
  magical training techniques and gain an advantage over his political rivals. 
  Dyzallin uncovered lore of a life-giving orb at the pyramid of Xul-Khundur, 
  at the Cradle’s heart. He mounted an expedition to the pyramid with his 
  loyal seneschal Qormintur and a small army of soldiers and servants. 
  Dyzallin recovered the orb, but he couldn’t discover a method to tap into 
  its magic. Two months ago, he brought the orb back to Shraen, leaving 
  Qormintur to continue research at the pyramid. Dyzallin’s failure to 
  activate the orb stems from a fundamental misunderstanding about its 
  nature; he believes it was created to conjure and control cave worms, given 
  its location at the center of the Cradle of Worms. He has only recently 
  started to understand that the orb’s ability to energize life of all kinds 
  makes it far more powerful—and far more useful to his plots—than he 
  initially assumed.
  The Heroes’ Mission
  In the previous adventure, the heroes arrived at the Tower of Empty 
  Stones—the fifth and final aeon tower—only to find its aeon orb missing. 
  The tower was occupied by a group of nature priests, led by a wise half-
  elf woman named Unakite. She explained that she and her companions 
  are part of a larger network of nature priests called the Circle of Stones, 
  and that members of this circle unlinked the aeon orb from this tower 
  and removed it a decade ago. Although most members of the Circle of 
  Stones wanted to remove the orb, Unakite and a few others realized that 
  the land would wither if they removed the artifact granting it life. This 
  disagreement resulted in a schism, and Unakite’s faction, who now call 
  themselves the Empty Stones, remained behind. The Empty Stones didn’t 
  CHAPTER 1 SYNOPSIS
  The heroes meet with the nature 
  priests of the Empty Circle, who 
  warn the heroes of the many 
  dangers they’re likely to face in 
  the Vault of the Black Desert. The 
  priests then teleport the heroes as 
  close to the Black Desert as they can 
  manage. The heroes must navigate 
  several Darklands passages before 
  emerging into the desert proper, 
  where massive cave worms and 
  even deadlier threats await them. 
  While traveling across the desert, 
  the heroes draw the attention of 
  the urdefhans of the Spear Hill cult. 
  The heroes have an opportunity to 
  earn the respect of the urdefhans in 
  a blood-soaked feast. The urdefhan 
  warlord, Kharostan, seeks the 
  heroes’ aid in determining why his 
  hated enemies, the drow of Shraen, 
  have shown a recent interest in the 
  Cradle of Worms.
  CHAPTER 1 TREASURE
  The permanent and consumable 
  items available as treasure in 
  Chapter 1 are as follows.
  • +3 greater striking hand crossbow
  • +2 greater resilient splint mail
  • anchor spear
  • blightburn ward
  • deathcap powder
  • flame navette
  • ghost bolt
  • ghost dust
  • greater marvelous medicines
  • greater staff of the black desert 
  • high-grade cold iron shield 
  • major antiplague
  • stone bullet
  • viper’s fang
  • wand of blightburn blast
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  know the location of the aeon orb, but they had full 
  access to the records left behind in the aeon tower 
  (which stretched back five millennia, to Aroden’s 
  time). The Empty Stones spend much of 
  their time trying to preserve the natural 
  area around what became known as 
  the Tower of Empty Stones, but they 
  aren’t powerful enough to hold back 
  the 
  creeping 
  environmental 
  decay 
  spreading across the area.
  Although Unakite can’t help the 
  heroes recover the orb taken away 
  by the Circle of Stones, her research 
  has uncovered another lead: a sixth 
  orb remains in the Vault of the 
  Black Desert.
  MEETING THE EMPTY 
  STONES
  When the heroes are ready 
  to begin this adventure, 
  Unakite sends a messenger to 
  Willowside to request their presence. 
  At the tower’s entrance, she greets them 
  warmly and with notable enthusiasm. The last 
  time the heroes visited the Tower of Empty Stones, 
  its few internal chambers seemed small and cramped. 
  This time, Unakite reveals the entirety of the interior 
  to them: an extensive complex of libraries, indoor 
  gardens, living quarters, and shrines. More than a 
  dozen nature priests live here, all of them ready to help 
  prepare the heroes for their journey.
  To get this adventure underway, read or paraphrase 
  the following.
  Unakite, leader of the nature priests called the Empty 
  Stones, proffers a gracious welcome. She presents a 
  buffet of simple foods and clean water in a spacious stone 
  meeting room in the Tower of Empty Stones.
  “Welcome back. We’ve performed quite a lot of 
  research since we last met, and we have much to 
  share. First, it has become clear to all of us that your 
  task—bringing together the energies of five aeon orbs 
  in Aroden’s sanctum in the Kortos mountains—is of dire 
  importance; indeed, it might be the most vital act for the 
  Starstone Isles since Aroden first raised them from the 
  sea. The livelihood of every growing thing on the islands 
  is in your hands. 
  The orb that once shone from this tower is gone, but we 
  know of another. Aroden originally discovered six orbs; 
  he brought five up from the depths, but left the sixth in 
  its massive subterranean vault. If you can recover that 
  orb, you’ll have the five reflections you need. 
  “I know that your task requires only that you collect the 
  orb’s reflection, but we beg you to find a way to physically 
  bring the orb here, where we can install it in this tower. I 
  hope we’ve shown we would be worthy custodians. 
  “But regardless of your choice, we will help 
  you reach this last orb so you can complete 
  your vital task.”
  Unakite introduces the heroes to three 
  other robed nature priests: an elderly 
  human man named Zargun, an enthusiastic 
  halfling woman named Nepheline, and a 
  serious human man named Cerussite. 
  Each has led an aspect of the research. 
  Zargun, a scholar and amateur 
  alchemist before becoming a nature 
  priest, knows about the highly 
  radioactive blightburn crystals 
  and has read a fragmentary 
  chapbook called Farwalker’s 
  Travels that details a lucky 
  explorer’s 
  journey 
  from 
  the 
  surface to the Vault of the Black 
  Desert and back again. Nepheline, who 
  studied at the Magaambya academy, knows 
  much about both arcane and primal magic. Cerussite is 
  an expert on creature lore and has studied the threats 
  the heroes might face in the vault. 
  The priests bring out their research notes to talk 
  through the dangers with the heroes. Zargun leads the 
  discussion, but the others interject to answer questions 
  as appropriate. 
  “Having studied ancient writings, we know the aeon orb 
  is in a massive underground cavern that holds the Black 
  Desert. It is impossibly vast, more than two hundred miles 
  across and nearly a thousand miles wide. There is no sun 
  there, but there is light. Dangerous green blightburn 
  crystals twinkle from the cavern’s ceiling like poisonous 
  stars. They emit a deadly radiation that suffuses the 
  entire vault; you must be prepared to withstand the 
  sickness it inflicts.
  “A lush valley called the Cradle of Worms stands in the 
  west; it is the only place where plant life can grow in the 
  Black Desert. Ancient texts say the orb was enshrined in a 
  pyramid there called Xul-Khundur, which would explain why 
  this area is so green, despite the wasteland that surrounds 
  it. We know little of Xul-Khundur; in a fragmentary journal 
  called Farwalker’s Travels, the location is described, 
  although cryptically.” Zargun opens a scroll with his 
  creaking knuckles, clears his throat, and recites: “The Azure 
  Eye, Sunken Titan, and Crown of Teeth each gaze upon the 
  legendary Xul-Khundur, but none can see it completely.” He 
  Zargun
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  shrugs and continues. “We’re certain the things mentioned 
  in the poem are landmarks or locations that can help 
  you find Xul-Khundur.”
  Some questions the heroes might 
  ask, and the researchers’ answers, 
  are as follows.
  How do we get to the Black 
  Desert? 
  Nepheline 
  answers: 
  “The Vault of the Black Desert 
  is weeks—or perhaps months—
  away by foot. And few passages 
  underground are safe. It’s much faster 
  to teleport there. Unfortunately, the 
  blightburn crystals that permeate the 
  vault make teleportation erratic, or even 
  impossible. The closest I can get you is a 
  cavern called Crystal Hall, some 50 miles 
  away from the vault. I’ve only seen it in 
  divinations, but it looks very pretty! 
  From Crystal Hall, you’ll follow a 
  long passage leading to the Vault 
  of the Black Desert. It’s still a journey 
  of a few days, but that’s much better than 
  months!” If the heroes still have Thessekka’s ring of 
  stoneshifting (Pathfinder #153: Life’s Long Shadows 
  69), Nepheline can attune it to Crystal Hall with a 
  special ritual. This enables the wearer to activate the 
  ring and travel to or from Crystal Hall (which is much 
  more than 100 miles away), transport up to a dozen 
  willing creatures who are touching at least one other 
  traveler, and bring extradimensional spaces. If they 
  don’t have the ring of stoneshifting, Nepheline offers 
  her own greater knapsack of halflingkind, attuning the 
  fifth compartment of the knapsack in a similar way. 
  She makes it clear to the heroes that she doesn’t want 
  her knapsack damaged, and that she expects it back.
  How do we find the Cradle of Worms? Nepheline 
  answers: “It’s described as being a valley of greenery 
  amid the desert, so it’s likely hard to miss. Maps place 
  it about 150 miles southwest from where the arrival 
  passage opens into the Vault of the Black Desert.”
  What creatures might we face? Cerussite grimly 
  fields this question. “Few things you’ll meet are 
  friendly. Cave worms, fungi, and far stranger 
  creatures lurk within the tunnels and vaults of Orv. 
  Desert-dwelling cults of war-like, bloodsucking 
  humanoids called urdefhans live there as well. But 
  worst are the rumors of an amorphous creature 
  called Iffdahsil. Descriptions of it are muddled at 
  best, as we are aware of no one who has encountered 
  it and survived. Sources agree that if you hear a 
  burbling, maddening cry, you should run—and 
  not look back!” The heroes can attempt Recall 
  Knowledge checks to learn details about cave 
  worms (Pathfinder Bestiary 56) or 
  urdefhans (Pathfinder Bestiary 2 
  272). 
  Learning 
  more 
  about 
  Iffdahsil requires a successful 
  DC 47 Occultism check, and 
  success reveals only that the 
  creature may be some unique 
  form of shoggoth (Bestiary 
  293). With a successful DC 
  20 Society check, a hero also 
  recalls that a city of drow elves 
  called Shraen sits somewhere in 
  the Black Desert; a critical success 
  reveals that the drow of Shraen are all 
  undead and venerate Urgathoa.
  Can we have that journal? Zargun isn’t 
  willing to let the heroes have the priests’ 
  partial copy of Farwalker’s Travels, 
  but he lets them peruse it. There 
  isn’t much more in it than Zargun 
  described, but a hero who examines it 
  and succeeds at a DC 34 Society check 
  to Decipher Writing realizes that Farwalker actually 
  visited each landmark described in the journal, and the 
  author implies that they left clues at the sites for future 
  travelers to find.
  Treasure: In anticipation of the deadly blightburn 
  sickness, Zargun provides the heroes with eight vials 
  of major antiplague. He warns the heroes that eight 
  vials will almost certainly not be enough, and suggests 
  they ration it or provide it to the least hardy among 
  them. If any of the heroes have the Alchemical Crafting 
  skill feat, he also provides the formulas for moderate, 
  greater, and major antiplague so they can craft more.
  FAREWELL TO THE CIRCUS… FOR NOW
  The Empty Stones send the heroes to the Darklands 
  as soon as they are ready to go. The heroes can’t take 
  the Circus of Wayward Wonders into the Black Desert 
  with them, so they’ll have to leave them for an extended 
  period of time. The NPCs who have proven themselves 
  the most reliable—such as the Professor—assure the 
  heroes that they’ll keep everything running smoothly 
  in Willowside until their return. If the heroes don’t 
  believe Willowside is a good place for an extended 
  circus stay, the circus might instead travel to the large 
  town of Diobel on the western coast of the Isle of 
  Kortos. The circus will be heading that direction at the 
  start of the next Adventure Path volume, Pathfinder 
  Adventure Path #156: The Apocalypse Prophet, so 
  sending the circus there a bit early is fine.
  Nepheline
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  Crystal Hall
  Nepheline transports the heroes via teleport to the 
  Crystal Hall, situated in the long tunnel that leads to 
  the Vault of the Black Desert. This passage is more 
  than 200 miles long and connects the vault to the 
  Midnight Mountains much further to the north, but 
  the heroes arrive 150 miles from the southern end—
  this is as close to the Vault of the Black Desert that 
  teleport can reach. 
  FEATURES OF CRYSTAL HALL
  The ceiling is approximately 40 feet high throughout 
  the three separate chambers of Crystal Hall. The 
  cavern is filled with unusual crystalline formations—
  in particular, sharp and slender crystals called needle 
  grass sprout from parts of the cavern floor (as marked 
  on the map on page 9). Needle grass is difficult 
  terrain for anyone walking through it (creatures with 
  the earth trait ignore this difficult terrain). Larger 
  crystals (Hardness 14, HP 50) are 20 feet high, 
  provide cover, and can be climbed with a successful 
  DC 30 Athletics check. 
  Some of the crystals emit light, and most are highly 
  reflective, filling the area with dim light. The crystals 
  also emit and amplify sounds in unpredictable 
  ways, making it difficult to hear normal speech. 
  Creatures must succeed at a DC 30 Perception check 
  to distinguish speech unless adjacent to the speaker. 
  Furthermore, creatures must succeed at a DC 5 flat 
  check when attempting to Cast a Spell with a verbal 
  component or the action is disrupted. Because sounds 
  are amplified, Stealth checks to Sneak take a –4 
  circumstance penalty.
  A1. CAUTHOOJ NEST 
  LOW 15
  The sparkle of thousands of colorful crystals illuminate 
  this spacious cavern. Strange echoes fill the air, and even 
  the faintest drips of water and the whispers of invisible 
  air currents are amplified a thousand-fold. A sound 
  strangely reminiscent of wind chimes permeates the 
  chamber, producing a mournful melody.
  If the heroes teleport to the location indicated 
  by the Circle of Stones, they arrive in this crystal-
  encrusted cave with several crystal pillars and a few 
  areas of needle grass. A giant bluish crystal leans 
  against a larger red crystal, forming a ramp to the 
  top of another large red crystal, this one covered with 
  a nest made of sticks, strips of fungus, and bones.
  Creatures: A family of Darklands cauthoojs—a 
  darker-feathered, meaner offshoot of the species—
  BLACK DESERT
  BLACK DESERT
  A
  100 MILES
  100 MILES
  25 MILES
  25 MILES
  = 
  = Urdefhan Camp
  Urdefhan Camp
  CRADLE OF WORMS
  CRADLE OF WORMS
  B
  To Midnight Mountains
  To Midnight Mountains
  Rivet Face
  Rivet Face
  Spear Hill
  Spear Hill
  Sandstriders
  Sandstriders
  Scorpion Eaters
  Scorpion Eaters
  Ashen Skull
  Ashen Skull
  Shraen
  Shraen
  C
  Crown of Teeth
  Crown of Teeth
  Sunken Titan
  Sunken Titan
  Xul-Khundur
  Xul-Khundur
  Azure Eye
  Azure Eye
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  have made their nest in this cave. The birds are 
  protective of the eggs in their nest, and after 
  exchanging confused looks as they notice the heroes 
  suddenly appearing in the area, they excitedly attack 
  to catch an easy meal. The cauthoojs have long 
  since adapted to their noisy environment and take 
  no penalties when using their auditory and sonic 
  abilities (in fact, the sounds they make become even 
  more nightmarish because of the strange echoes 
  within the cavern). Each cauthooj is immune to the 
  warbling songs of the others. A cauthooj reduced to 
  fewer than 40 Hit Points flees Crystal Hall.
  ELITE CAUTHOOJS (3) 
  CREATURE 13
  Pathfinder Bestiary 6, 55
  Initiative Perception +24
  Treasure: Three cauthooj eggs rest in the nest 
  atop the red crystal. Infused with crystal pieces and 
  remarkably durable, each egg is worth 1,500 gp.
  A2. EARTH DEN MODERATE 15
  Embedded gems and crystals 
  cover the walls of this cavern. 
  If any light source sheds bright 
  light in the cavern, creatures 
  within the area of bright light 
  are dazzled while in the bright 
  light and for 1 round thereafter.
  Creatures: A blightburn genie 
  named Pashfet has made her 
  lair in this cave. Pashfet lived in 
  the Black Desert for millennia, 
  but after a disagreement with 
  her kin on how to deal with 
  some duergar travelers moving 
  through their realm, she was 
  exiled. Soon after, Pashfet snuck 
  back into the genie camp and 
  murdered her most vocal rival, 
  but was caught in the act. She 
  was stripped of much of her 
  power and driven from the 
  Black Desert entirely. She now 
  resides in this cave, nursing her 
  grudges and hoping to regain 
  some of her lost power.
  When she notices the heroes, 
  Pashfet rouses from her bout of 
  self-pity long enough to question 
  the heroes about who they are 
  and why they’ve come. Their 
  arrival gives her some hope; if 
  she can defeat creatures as powerful as the heroes, 
  she might be able to restore some of her lost strength. 
  She plans to question them briefly before killing them. 
  Although her blightburn radiation aura is suppressed 
  when the heroes arrive, she reactivates it as soon as 
  she attacks.
  Pashfet’s initial attitude is unfriendly, but if it’s 
  improved, she can tell the heroes in general terms 
  about the urdefhan camps, the Cradle of Worms, and 
  Shraen. She hasn’t been to any of those locations, as the 
  blightburn genies live primarily in the deepest desert, 
  but she knows what the heroes can expect in each. She 
  also knows about the fungus-filled Iridescent Garden 
  further south and about the ruined xulgath outpost at 
  the mouth of this tunnel, although she knows nothing 
  about their occupants—she moved through both areas 
  too quickly when she was driven here. 
  PASHFET 
  CREATURE 17
  Female weak ararda (Pathfinder Bestiary 6, page 79)
  Initiative Perception +29
  CRYSTAL HALL
  CRYSTAL HALL
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  A1
  A1
  A2
  A2
  A3
  A3
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  Treasure: Many of the gems and crystals on the 
  walls are valuable. Heroes that Search the area can 
  identify two crystals that function as stone bullets and 
  another that functions as a flame navette. Extracting 
  any of these three magical crystals requires 10 minutes 
  and a successful DC 32 Crafting check; on a critical 
  failure, the item is ruined.
  XP Award: If the heroes gain useful information 
  from Pashfet and avoid fighting her, award them XP 
  as though they had defeated the genie in combat.
  A3. THE SINGING CAVERN
  As the heroes get closer to this area, the chime-like 
  tune echoing through Crystal Hall gets louder and 
  a strange light appears, pulsating rhythmically with 
  the melody.
  Creatures: The chime is produced by a unique earth 
  elemental that formed in this cavern. The creature 
  was originally a sod hound and was slain by passing 
  explorers, but its essence reformed in the crystals near 
  the site of its destruction. It now resembles a large 
  jackal made of several gleaming crystals. As it moves, 
  the crystals rub together and make the chiming tune. 
  The crystal jackal is a playful but cautious creature; it 
  knows the genie in area A2 is hostile and thus spends 
  its time here. When the heroes arrive, it assumes the 
  genie has been defeated or driven off. It lopes up to 
  the smallest hero and cavorts playfully, chimes 
  ringing loudly as it bounds about. The crystal 
  jackal defends itself if attacked, but attempts to 
  flee as soon as it’s seriously injured.
  CRYSTAL JACKAL 
  CREATURE 3
  Sod hound (Pathfinder Bestiary 146)
  Initiative Perception +9
  Befriending the Crystal Jackal: 
  The heroes might want to keep 
  the elemental as a companion 
  or even as an addition to the Circus of 
  Wayward Wonders. The crystal jackal is only slightly 
  more intelligent than an ordinary animal, and it can 
  be convinced to follow a character with appropriate 
  training or if offered gifts of bite-sized gems. A hero 
  must succeed at a DC 34 Nature or Survival check 
  to convince the elemental to accompany them. 
  Offering a gem of any value for the crystal jackal 
  to eat provides a +1 circumstance bonus to this 
  check. On a success, the creature generally tags 
  along but does its best to stay out of fights. On 
  a critical failure, the crystal elemental uses Earth 
  Glide to flee and doesn’t return. If the heroes bring 
  the elemental back to their circus with them, the 
  heroes gain access to the Crystal Jackal trick on the 
  inside cover of this adventure.
  XP Award: Award the heroes 30 XP if they 
  convince the crystal jackal to leave its cavern and 
  accompany them. 
  Iridescent Garden
  After traveling approximately 20 miles south 
  from the Crystal Hall, the heroes arrive in a 
  fungus-infested section of the tunnel where patches 
  of small, bell-shaped mushrooms glow in the dark. 
  Pashfet
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  This underground garden contains towering fungi 
  and a few dangerous creatures. 
  FEATURES OF THE IRIDESCENT GARDEN
  Many of the species of fungi in this region are 
  bioluminescent, so the entire cavern is dimly lit. The 
  ceiling is 60 feet high in most places, but it’s only 10 
  feet high in the small cave to the northeast (area B2). 
  The largest mushrooms (shown in green on the map 
  on page 12) are sturdy enough for Medium or smaller 
  creatures to walk on—they form platforms of sorts, 
  and their stalks provide cover. Climbing to the top 
  of a mushroom requires a successful DC 20 Athletics 
  check. Smaller mushrooms grow in three-foot-high 
  patches. These squares are difficult terrain and allow a 
  Large or smaller character to Take Cover.
  The water in the cavern is fed by a small 
  underground stream and is 30 feet deep. It is almost 
  still, requiring only a DC 15 Athletics check to Swim 
  in it, and is covered with a gently undulating bed of 
  glowing spores.
  As the heroes enter the spacious and damp cavern, 
  read or paraphrase the following.
  A placid but deep pond divides this large cavern into two 
  halves. On both sides, giant mushrooms grow as tall as 
  thirty feet from the ground, reaching halfway to the top 
  of the cavern. The walls and ceiling of the western half of 
  the cavern are covered in vines. On the eastern side of the 
  water, the forest of mushrooms is even denser.
  B1. ENTANGLED CAVERN 
  MODERATE 15
  The western side of the cavern contains several 
  patches of smaller mushrooms and a few enormous 
  mushrooms that tower over the smaller patches. 
  Heroes who succeed at a DC 20 Nature check to 
  Recall Knowledge know that the mushrooms aren’t 
  dangerous to touch, but they are toxic when ingested. 
  Dozens of vines are firmly attached to the ceiling, 
  their lower ends dangling 20 feet above the ground. 
  Climbing a vine requires a successful DC 12 Athletics 
  check. There are enough vines to allow creatures to 
  swing across the pond in the middle of the cavern, so 
  long as they gain some height first by climbing atop 
  one of the large mushrooms. 
  Creatures: Two of the vine-covered clusters of rocks 
  near the center of this area are actually bloodthirsty 
  plant creatures known as wemmuths. The wemmuths 
  prefer to lie still until the heroes are close enough 
  for them to attack in melee range. If a hero spots the 
  wemmuths while evaluating the fungi here, they can 
  use Nature or Survival for initiative in this encounter, 
  if they choose.
  WEMMUTHS (2) 
  CREATURE 15
  Pathfinder Bestiary 326
  Initiative Stealth +30
  Treasure: A hero who spends an hour harvesting 
  the most dangerous parts of the mushrooms in the 
  chamber and succeeds at a DC 32 Nature or relevant 
  Lore check gathers enough ingredients to craft two 
  doses of deathcap powder poison (Core Rulebook 
  551). Unless it’s used within a week, the poison in the 
  mushrooms loses its potency.
  B2. CAVE OF VISIONS
  This small cave is full of vividly colorful mushrooms 
  with strange shapes. The mushrooms pulse and undulate 
  rhythmically, as if dancing to an inaudible tune.
  The dancing mushrooms in the cave release 
  clouds of spores at irregular intervals, which cause 
  hallucinations in living creatures. Heroes who Search 
  the cave notice numerous traces of past visitors, 
  including remains of blocks of incense, bone fetishes, 
  and similar items of spiritual significance. There are 
  also nonsensical scribblings on the walls in many 
  different languages, particularly in Aklo, Elven, and 
  Undercommon. If the heroes study the scribblings 
  and succeed at a DC 34 Occultism or Religion check 
  to Decipher Writing, they can guess that sapient 
  creatures sometimes use the cave in rituals, religious 
  rites, and other spiritual activities.
  The wemmuths and gogiteths in the Iridescent 
  Garden avoid this chamber because its ceiling is too 
  low for their liking and they’re suspicious of the 
  powerful spores, which makes it a relatively safe place 
  for the heroes to rest.
  Fungal Spores: The fungus releases spores that make 
  the air in the cave mildly toxic. Creatures entering 
  the cave must succeed at a DC 32 Fortitude save 
  or be stupefied 3 and fascinated by the mushrooms 
  for as long as they stay in the cave, and for 1d4 
  rounds thereafter. A creature who fails the check 
  also experiences a supernatural vision manifesting 
  as short flashes of strange vignettes: a nightmarish 
  tide of undead xulgaths cresting over the creature 
  experiencing the vision like a gruesome wave; the 
  image of a burning triangle with countless eyes; and a 
  dead drow, their body wrapped in linen and face cast in 
  shadow, speaking strange words. You should feel free 
  to tailor other unusual and disturbing premonitions to 
  each hero who experiences them.
  After this strange series of visions, creatures can 
  also focus on their past, enhancing the clarity of a 
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  single memory, as modify memory. A hero might use 
  this ability to attempt a single skill check to Recall 
  Knowledge about a past event, such as to evaluate 
  a missed clue from earlier in this Adventure Path. A 
  character can benefit from this effect no more than 
  once per day. 
  Treasure: On the floor sits a strange staff that has 
  a small metal hook on one end and a length of chain 
  on the other. A deep gnome pilgrim created the largely 
  useless item after experiencing a wild hallucination in 
  the cave, but then left it here. Lying next to the staff 
  is a shoulder satchel that contains 150 gp worth of 
  rare incense and a strange puzzle box. The puzzle box 
  weighs 1 Bulk and provides a continually replenishing 
  supply of herbs, adhesives, healing clay, and gauze 
  as its various compartments are opened, shut, and 
  rearranged. The puzzle box functions as a greater 
  marvelous medicines.
  XP Award: If a hero successfully Recalls Knowledge 
  to gain past insight when under the effect of the spores, 
  award the heroes 10 XP.
  B3. MUSHROOM FOREST 
  MODERATE 15
  In the eastern part of the cave, the forest of mushrooms 
  becomes even thicker. Although there are several 
  phosphorescent mushrooms here as well, a few tall 
  stalks of black creepers fill the area with stripes of 
  shadow. Stealth checks made to Hide in this area gain 
  a +2 circumstance bonus. Anyone who Searches this 
  side of the cavern spots the tracks of numerous large, 
  spiderlike creatures.
  Creatures: A group of gogiteths settled in the 
  mushroom forest. When they’re not out hunting in the 
  forest, they usually lurk inside their individual nests, 
  which are concealed by clusters of mushrooms. When 
  they notice the heroes’ arrival, they emerge from their 
  nests to attack.
  GOGITETHS (5) 
  CREATURE 12
  Pathfinder Bestiary 183
  Initiative Stealth +21
  Treasure: One of the gogiteth nests holds a tattered 
  sack with a +3 greater striking hand crossbow 
  loaded with a ghost bolt, and a book called Orvian 
  Mushrooms. This rare book is filled with lore and 
  illustrations about a few dozen different types of 
  Darklands fungi and is worth 500 gp.
  Ruined Outpost
  The entrance to the Vault of the Black Desert at the 
  end of the long tunnel is the site of an ancient xulgath 
  outpost. Though now only crumbling ruins, the outpost 
  IRIDESCENT GARDEN
  IRIDESCENT GARDEN
  1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
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  XULGATH OUTPOST RUINS
  XULGATH OUTPOST RUINS
  1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
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  B1
  B1
  B2
  B2
  B3
  B3
  C1
  C1
  C2
  C2
  C3
  C3
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  has a bleak and bloody history. Read or paraphrase the 
  following when the heroes reach the vault.
  Ancient stone ruins stand where the tunnel opens into a 
  vast vault of black sand. Many broken sections of defensive 
  walls and the remains of a gate hanging ajar mark an 
  outpost from a bygone era. Far above, glimmering lights 
  twinkle like stars in a subterranean parody of a moonless 
  night sky.
  During the heyday of the xulgath kingdom of 
  Vask, xulgaths built many outposts, watchtowers, 
  and other stone structures to guard their territory 
  against wandering monsters, enemy xulgath clutches, 
  serpentfolk, and other humanoids. A fortified xulgath 
  outpost once stood here, but after millennia of neglect, 
  it lies in ruins.
  FEATURES OF THE RUINED OUTPOST
  The ceiling and upper battlements of the outpost are 
  long gone. The structure is open to the vault above, 
  which is hundreds of feet high even here, at the vault’s 
  edge. The remains of the upper levels now litter the 
  area of the ruined outpost, with chunks of crumbling 
  stone protruding from the black sand. These patches 
  of fallen stone are difficult terrain. The remaining 
  outpost walls are 15 feet high. 
  The most dangerous threat inside the Vault 
  of Black Sand is the radiation from the crystals 
  twinkling high above. Creatures entering this area 
  must immediately attempt a saving throw against 
  blightburn sickness (page 73).
  C1. THE XULGATH GATE
  Though the outpost’s northern wall has crumbled 
  to rubble in many places, a lonely gate still hangs 
  inside a mostly intact stone doorway. Two statues 
  flank the gate, each fifteen feet tall. The heads 
  of both statues are missing, but their bodies 
  resemble xulgath warriors holding spiked clubs 
  and standing at attention.
  Although this area seems abandoned, it 
  contains a cunning trap set by the creatures 
  lurking deeper in the ruin.
  Trap: A stone rod is hidden just beneath 
  the black sand between the statues. 
  Anyone disturbing the sand here causes 
  the rod to shift and the stone doors of the 
  gate to fall outward. The falling doors 
  narrowly miss the xulgath statues, but 
  crush anything else in between them.
  IMPAIRED TELEPORTATION 
  In addition to emanating blightburn sickness (page 
  73), blightburn crystals make teleportation magic 
  unreliable throughout the Vault of the Black Desert 
  and within several miles of its connecting passages. 
  Blightburn crystals attempt to counteract any effect 
  with the teleportation trait. This attempt normally uses 
  a counteract modifier of +25 and has a counteract level 
  of 8, although these numbers can vary based on the 
  density of blightburn crystals in the area. A counteracted 
  teleportation effect usually fails, but sometimes shunts 
  the target to an unexpected or dangerous place instead, 
  at your discretion.
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  CRUSHING GATE TRAP 
  HAZARD 16
  TRAP
  Stealth DC 42 (master) to spot the triggering rod beneath 
  the black sand
  Description A hidden stone rod causes two immense stone 
  doors to fall forward from their gate, crushing anything 
  beneath them. The doors also fall forward if touched.
  Disable Thievery DC 42 (expert) to secure the doors in 
  place without triggering the trap
  AC 40; Fort +32, Ref +25
  Hardness 26; HP 104 (BT 52); Immunities critical hits, 
  object immunities, precision damage
  Gate Collapse � (attack) Trigger The stone rod is moved 
  or either door is touched; Effect The two falling doors 
  deal 6d12+35 bludgeoning damage (DC 37 basic Reflex 
  save) to all creatures within 15 feet of the gate. On a 
  failure, a creature is also pinned beneath the door and 
  immobilized until the door is moved (DC 34 Athletics) or 
  destroyed; each door has the same AC, Fortitude save, 
  Hardness, and Hit Points as the trap itself. On a critical 
  failure, the creature is trapped in such a way that it can’t 
  attempt to free itself. Moving or destroying one door 
  doesn’t help free anyone trapped by the other door.
  Thunderous Noise: If the trap triggers, the noise 
  alerts the irlgaunts elsewhere in the outpost. They 
  scuttle into position to ambush foes that move deeper 
  into the ruins.
  C2. CRUMBLING BUILDINGS 
  MODERATE 15
  The foundations of the old outpost are still visible on the 
  ground, and broken walls outline where the buildings and 
  rooms once stood. The ruins are full of rubble and broken 
  stone. Various markings—some carved into the stone and 
  some painted upon it—adorn what is left of the walls.
  This outpost consisted of multiple smaller buildings 
  around a long central hall that funneled visitors into or 
  out of Vask. Countless travelers have passed through 
  since the xulgaths abandoned the vault thousands of 
  years ago, and some have left the graffiti and carvings 
  that remain here. Most are crude depictions of 
  Darklands creatures, such as snake-headed humanoids 
  and gaunt humanoids with long, lolling tongues. Some 
  graffiti hints at past tragedy, such as “Pravvi, if you see 
  this, we had to go on without you” written in Dwarven 
  and “The blightburn makes me so weak; must rest” 
  written in Undercommon.
  Buried Records: Piles of stone tablets still remain 
  half-buried in the sand, written in Draconic. A hero 
  who can read Draconic and succeeds at a DC 25 Society 
  check to Decipher Writing realizes the records describe 
  ancient battles, troop strengths, and provisions. A 
  relatively intact set of stone tablets relates the story 
  of 50 xulgaths who defended the outpost against an 
  assault of nearly a thousand morlocks. The morlocks 
  had been commanded by their serpentfolk masters to 
  take the outpost no matter the cost. When xulgath 
  reinforcements arrived a week later, they found no 
  sign of the morlocks. A handful of xulgaths were still 
  positioned on the walls, clad in their battle gear, but 
  when the new troops inspected them more closely, they 
  found the remaining defenders had died of starvation 
  and exhaustion.
  Creatures: Four spiderlike monstrosities called 
  irlgaunts settled in these ruins over the past few 
  years, preying upon travelers. They don’t get along 
  well and frequently fight with each other, retreating 
  to different corners of the ruins after skirmishes. 
  They work together only to reset the trap in area C1 
  as needed, or when they hear victims approaching. 
  An irlgaunt reduced to fewer than 30 Hit Points flees, 
  and the creatures prefer to scramble up the cavern 
  wall to the north rather than flee to the south, as they 
  know the corpse pit there is dangerous.
  IRLGAUNTS (4) 
  CREATURE 13
  Pathfinder Bestiary 2 148
  Initiative Perception +24
  Treasure: The irlgaunts don’t have much interest in 
  treasure, so items left behind by their previous victims 
  are still scattered around the ruined buildings. Heroes 
  searching the area can discover a diamond pendant 
  bearing the crystal skull symbol of the daemon 
  harbinger Aesdurath (worth 880 gp), a greater staff of 
  the black desert (page 76), and a wand of blightburn 
  blast (page 73). 
  C3. CORPSE HEAP 
  SEVERE 15
  Not only xulgaths have fought and died in this ruined 
  outpost. Thousands of years after the xulgaths left the 
  vault, the slave armies of Shraen and the urdefhans of 
  the Black Desert still fight over this outpost as part 
  of their unending war. The drow were the first to 
  consider the location’s strategic importance, placing 
  an army of a hundred enslaved humanoids to protect 
  it. The urdefhans of the nearby Spear Hill cult were 
  unwilling to tolerate enemies stationed so close to 
  their territory. They rallied two other cults to join the 
  attack, crushing the slave army with overwhelming 
  force. After the battle, however, they had little interest 
  in maintaining a strong garrison, and the drow soon 
  retaliated. The outpost has changed hands more than 
  a dozen times in the intervening years, though since 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  the latest massacre two decades ago, both sides have 
  abandoned the outpost.
  As a result of the frequent battles, a gruesome heap 
  of corpses—both skeletal and partially decomposed—
  has accumulated in the sands just to the south of the 
  ruined outpost. 
  Creatures: The countless corpses that have 
  accumulated here over millennia are charged with 
  necromantic energy. When the heroes arrive, a portion 
  of the corpses heave up into a warsworn that lurches 
  out of the corpse pile to attack. Two rounds later, a 
  second warsworn manifests and lumbers free to join 
  the fight as well. Both pursue foes that flee and fight 
  until destroyed. 
  WARSWORNS (2) 
  CREATURE 16
  Pathfinder Bestiary 323
  Initiative Perception +27
  Treasure: While most of the equipment worn by 
  the bodies is broken beyond repair, the heroes can 
  salvage an ivory-handled ceremonial rapier worth 
  1,400 gp, a buckler adorned with emeralds worth 750 
  gp, a high-grade cold iron shield, two identical suits of 
  +2 greater resilient splint mail with carvings of four-
  fingered fists, and an anchor spear (page 75) with a 
  viper’s fang affixed to it.
  Welcome to the Black Desert
  After passing through the ruined outpost, the heroes 
  have entered the Vault of the Black Desert, called 
  Vask before the removal of most of its life-giving 
  orbs turned it into an irradiated wasteland. The vault 
  stretches more than 1,000 miles end-to-end. The 
  terrain is largely featureless desert covered in black 
  sand, but seismic waves within the vault’s walls, 
  ceiling, and floor cause air currents that form dunes 
  and other features typical of aboveground deserts, 
  such as quicksand. The ceiling is 3,000 feet high in 
  all outdoor encounter areas. Like stars in the sky, 
  thousands of blightburn crystals glow a virulent 
  green, twinkling in the vault’s ceiling.
  The heroes have only a rough indication of a 
  direction to travel to reach the Cradle of Worms; 
  the nature priests of the Empty Circle described its 
  location as about 150 miles southwest of the entrance 
  passage. The heroes might have divinations or other 
  abilities that pinpoint the Cradle of Worms’s location.
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  WORM HUNTING GROUNDS 
  LOW 15/EXTREME 15
  Shortly after the heroes enter the Black Desert, they 
  attract the attention of dangerous native creatures. 
  Three purple worms that hunt in the area are the 
  first to notice the heroes; however, a much greater 
  threat also lurks beneath the black sands: the undead 
  shoggoth Iffdahsil. 
  For desert encounters in this area, use either of the 
  maps on page 15 or any general terrain map, such 
  as Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Basic or Pathfinder Flip-Mat 
  Classics: Desert.
  Creatures: A trio of purple worms ambushes 
  the heroes as they travel. The hungry worms don’t 
  have much in the way of tactics, attacking the 
  fleshiest-looking creatures first. At the start of each 
  round of combat, each hero can attempt a Perception 
  check to notice strange tremors, as if something 
  significantly larger were burrowing beneath the 
  desert—telltale signs that herald the arrival of the 
  undead horror Iffdahsil. On the first round, the DC of 
  the Perception check is 50, and each round thereafter, 
  the DC decreases by 5. The cave worms don’t notice 
  Iffdahsil’s pending arrival. 
  PURPLE WORMS (3) 
  CREATURE 13
  Pathfinder Bestiary 56
  Initiative Perception +20
  Terror of the Black Sands
  No living being knows who or what created the 
  horrifying monster called Iffdahsil, though scholars 
  in Shraen suspect it originally came from the Sightless 
  Sea, only for something in Vask to transform it into an 
  undead monstrosity. Iffdahsil has hunted throughout 
  this area for millennia, and since Aroden removed the 
  majority of the aeon orbs from the vault, it has been 
  able to roam freely in the Black Desert. Although it’s 
  usually encountered in the northeastern portion of 
  the vault, Dyzallin’s retrieval of the last orb from the 
  Cradle of Worms seems to have attracted its attention. 
  Iffdahsil has been sighted recently in many places 
  around the western Black Desert, where it has attacked 
  urdefhans, purple worms, and other creatures more 
  frequently than ever. Iffdahsil’s precise connection to 
  the orbs is a mystery, but it can detect when those with 
  a resonant reflection—such as the heroes—are near. 
  Creatures: Iffdahsil surfaces near the heroes on the 
  third round of their combat with the purple worms. It 
  immediately engulfs any surviving purple worm; if that 
  worm is currently grappling a hero or has Swallowed a 
  hero Whole, the hero is immediately released, shoved 
  free by Iffdahsil’s sudden constriction of the worm. 
  The heroes can see the engulfed worm through the 
  shoggoth’s amorphous form and hear its shrieks of 
  terror as it dies. 
  Any heroes who experienced a vision of a burning 
  triangle covered in eyes while meditating in the Cave 
  of Visions (area B2) and who becomes doomed by 
  Iffdahsil’s aura immediately understands that the 
  image represented this horror before them.
  In the first 2 rounds after it appears, Iffdahsil simply 
  glares at the heroes (and digests the purple worm, if it 
  engulfed one). If the heroes seriously harm it during 
  this time, or after the 2 rounds of observation are over, 
  Iffdahsil attempts pseudopod Strikes against the heroes 
  but doesn’t Grab or Engulf them; it is not certain what 
  to make of creatures with resonant reflections and is 
  hesitant to consume them. If the heroes flee, Iffdahsil 
  watches them for a moment from afar, then burrows 
  into the ground, choosing not to pursue.
  IFFDAHSIL 
  CREATURE 21
  Page 81
  Initiative Perception +38
  Iffdahsil’s Return: This encounter with Iffdahsil 
  causes each hero to be affected by the nightmare 
  spell (DC 44 Will), through which the heroes see a 
  burning triangle covered in numerous eyes. For any 
  hero that became doomed 3 and drained 3 as a result 
  of Iffdahsil's aura of annihilation, a critical failure on 
  this save causes them to instantly die and disintegrate 
  into black sand, as though they were still affected by 
  the aura.
  Although Iffdahsil’s curiosity has been temporarily 
  satisfied by this close observation of the heroes, you 
  might decide to have Iffdahsil return any time the 
  heroes are traveling across the Black Desert. The heroes 
  should feel the same trembling of earth that heralded 
  the monster’s initial arrival. Iffdahsil shouldn’t be 
  used against the heroes for long—it works best as a 
  reminder of the powerful and inscrutable creatures 
  that lurk deep beneath the world.
  Killing the Unkillable: If the heroes manage to 
  defeat Iffdahsil, even if it doesn’t stay dead for long, 
  its psychic scream of defeat echoes across the black 
  sands. The urdefhan war champion Kharostan and the 
  drow of Shraen know that the undead beast has been 
  killed and, when they meet the heroes, they assume 
  these newcomers might have played a role. The heroes 
  gain 10 Respect Points (page 18) and 10 Influence 
  Points (page 44).
  Urdefhan Territory
  Much of the Vault of the Black Desert is claimed 
  by cults of urdefhans, bloodthirsty humanoid 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  warmongers who regularly consort with daemons. 
  The urdefhans in this region are loyal to war 
  champion Kharostan of the Spear Hill cult. Kharostan 
  has ordered his raiders to seek slaves and food in the 
  desert wastes and bring what they find back to the 
  Spear Hill camp.
  Unless the heroes take extraordinary care to stay 
  undetected, the urdefhans catch wind of the heroes’ 
  presence shortly after their encounter with Iffdahsil. 
  The following two encounters occur while the heroes 
  are traveling. Unless they are traveling particularly 
  quickly, these encounters should occur about a day 
  apart from each other. 
  You can use the Desert Dunes map on page 15 for 
  the first encounter and the Desert Ridge map for the 
  second. Alternately, you can use any general terrain 
  map for desert encounters, such as Pathfinder Flip-Mat: 
  Basic or Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Desert.
  HUNTER ASSAULT 
  SEVERE 15
  A large party of mounted urdefhan 
  hunters spies the heroes from the air, 
  spotting them from a long distance if the 
  heroes are carrying any light sources. The 
  urdefhans ride on skavelings, the enormous 
  undead bats of the Darklands. When the 
  heroes stop to rest—or sooner, if it 
  seems like the heroes are likely 
  to outpace the hunters—these 
  urdefhans attack. They prefer 
  to approach by flying low, 
  behind the cover of dunes, so 
  they can catch their targets 
  by surprise.
  Creatures: Eight urdefhans 
  on skaveling mounts assault 
  the heroes. They attack quickly 
  in large numbers to intimidate 
  their victims into surrendering or 
  scattering so they’re easier to pick off one by 
  one. The urdefhans start by attacking with 
  their longbows while mounted, but dismount 
  to face off in melee against any heroes who look 
  physically unimposing. They spread out their attacks 
  as much as possible, as they don’t want any enemies 
  to escape. 
  The skavelings fight as the hunters command, 
  even until destroyed, but the hunters aren’t so single-
  minded. A hunter reduced to fewer than 30 Hit Points 
  attempts to flee, doing so on the back of a skaveling, 
  if possible. A skaveling whose rider is killed breaks off 
  from combat and flies back to the Spear Hill camp at 
  top speed.
  URDEFHAN HUNTERS (8) 
  CREATURE 12
  Page 81
  Initiative Stealth +26
  SKAVELINGS (8) 
  CREATURE 5
  Pathfinder Bestiary 2 241
  Initiative Perception +15
  Captives: If the heroes capture and interrogate a 
  hunter, the urdefhan tells them about the Spear Hill 
  camp, and that their war champion Kharostan has 
  ordered the cult’s warriors to take slaves. A captured 
  urdefhan can also provide general information about 
  the urdefhans of the Black Desert. None of these 
  hunters have been to the Cradle of Worms or Shraen, 
  but they know a little bit about each: that the Cradle 
  of Worms is a huge forest in the desert that contains 
  many cave worms and old ruins, and that Shraen is the 
  home of the undead drow whose forces have clashed 
  with the urdefhans for many generations.
  Heroes captured by the urdefhans are stripped of 
  their gear, bound, and escorted back to the Spear Hill 
  camp. Kharostan wants to speak with them before 
  deciding whether his people will eat them.
  Respect Points: If the heroes defeat the raiders, 
  they gain 1 Respect Point (see the sidebar). 
  Urdefhan Hunter
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  If they do so within three rounds, they gain 1 additional 
  Respect Point.
  DAEMON AMBUSH 
  SEVERE 15
  If the heroes survive the hunter attack and leave 
  evidence of their victory (either because one or 
  more hunters or skavelings escape, or if they don’t 
  bother to conceal the bodies after the fight), rumors 
  of a tough group of surface-dwellers start spreading 
  among the urdefhans. Kharostan sends a group of 
  urdefhan spellcasters, called dominators, to test the 
  heroes’ abilities. These urdefhans prepare an ambush 
  someplace they can remain hidden, such as behind a 
  low ridge of black stone.
  Creatures: Three dominators (Gyrtir, Wurtruk, 
  and Zellix) are accompanied by an astradaemon that 
  aids the Spear Hill urdefhans from time to time. The 
  astradaemon is the primary melee combatant of this 
  group. When the heroes approach, the astradaemon 
  flies out to attack, doing its best to grab the heroes and 
  devour their souls as quickly as possible. 
  Meanwhile, the dominators argue about whether 
  the astradaemon should get all the credit for killing 
  these powerful intruders. After 2 rounds, Gyrtir and 
  Wurtruk decide to join the astradaemon in the attack, 
  cresting the ridge to cast spells such as disintegrate and 
  phantasmal killer against the heroes. Zellix is more 
  circumspect and simply watches to see how her allies 
  fare, preferring not to get involved in this fight at all if 
  she can help it.
  The astradaemon relies upon its Essence Drain to 
  regain its strength when injured and fights until slain. 
  Gyrtir and Wurtruk surrender once either of them is 
  reduced to fewer than 40 Hit Points, yielding to the 
  heroes’ might. The urdefhans also surrender if the 
  heroes kill the astradaemon, no matter how much 
  damage they’ve taken.
  ASTRADAEMON 
  CREATURE 16
  Pathfinder Bestiary 73
  Initiative Perception +28
  URDEFHAN DOMINATORS (3) 
  CREATURE 14
  Page 83
  Initiative Perception +26
  The Dominators’ Offer: If the heroes are victorious, 
  the urdefhans acknowledge their might. Zellix speaks 
  with the heroes, either because Gyrtir and Wurtruk 
  have been shamed by their defeat at the heroes’ hands, 
  or because the heroes killed them. Zellix speaks in 
  whichever language the heroes seem to understand: 
  “Well fought. Our illustrious leader, war champion 
  Kharostan, grants you an audience in our camp at 
  Spear Hill. Follow us.” The dominators have skaveling 
  mounts hidden behind the dunes, which they ride 
  while escorting the heroes to the Spear Hill camp.
  The heroes might refuse to follow the urdefhans, 
  or insist on knowing more about Kharostan or Spear 
  Hill first. The dominators don’t have much patience 
  for explanations; to them, an audience with a war 
  champion is a reward on its own that only fools 
  question. If the heroes won’t accompany them, the 
  urdefhans simply leave.
  Respect Points: If the heroes defeat the daemon, they 
  gain 1 Respect Point; if they do so within 5 rounds, 
  they gain 1 additional Respect Point. 
  If the heroes spare Gyrtir and Wurtruk after 
  defeating them, they gain 1 Respect Point.
  Treasure: The astradaemon bears a single crystal 
  with the residue of a departed soul inside. This crystal 
  functions as a ghost dust talisman.
  XP Award: If the heroes find a diplomatic solution, 
  award them XP as though they defeated the dominators 
  in battle.
  Spear Hill Camp
  On a mesa rising from the black sands of the desert, 
  houses of dark stone stand within a perimeter fence of 
  large spikes of metal held together by massive lengths 
  of chain. At uneven intervals, stone towers rise around 
  the perimeter. Bodies at various stages of decay hang 
  impaled on the fence.
  Long ago, urdefhans migrated into the Black 
  Desert and tried to take the city of Shraen from the 
  undead drow, hoping to use it as a base of operations 
  for conquering the Darklands. Despite centuries of 
  warfare, the drow have held their ground, and the 
  urdefhans inhabit only fortified encampments like 
  this one across the Black Desert. In recent years, after 
  Kharostan defeated the previous war champion Urserf, 
  Spear Hill has become the largest and most prestigious 
  of the urdefhan cults.
  RESPECT POINTS
  The urdefhans of the Black Desert respect bravery and 
  viciousness. Actions the heroes take that impress the 
  Spear Hill war champion Kharostan earn the party a 
  certain number of Respect Points. You should keep track 
  of the Respect Points the party earns; alternatively, you 
  can have the players track their own Respect Points, 
  although players shouldn’t know specific benchmarks or 
  the effects they bring.
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  More than 200 urdefhans live in the camp, most 
  of them capable warriors. If the heroes enter the 
  camp on peaceful terms or as prisoners from a 
  previous encounter, urdefhan guards take the heroes 
  to a guarded house where they can rest. One of the 
  urdefhan guards speaks some Common and tells 
  the heroes, “Rest, surface-dwellers. The great War 
  Champion Kharostan wants to talk to you, but 
  before that, he’s throwing a feast. You’ll join. Don’t 
  disappoint him.”
  Begin the Feast of Blood encounter when the heroes 
  are rested and ready.
  FEAST OF BLOOD
  When the heroes and urdefhans are ready, the guards 
  bring the heroes to the center of Spear Hill camp. Read 
  or paraphrase the following as the urdefhans’ blood 
  feast begins.
  As patrols return to the camp on their ghoulish bats, 
  everyone in the camp starts preparing for a feast. While 
  urdefhan raiders haul in strange-looking animals they’ve 
  captured and bound with steel chains and manacles, other 
  urdefhans start lighting big fires in large stone fire rings 
  and passing around lit torches for everyone. Seers toss 
  white powder into the flames as they pass by, making the 
  fires crackle and burn brighter and higher. Grim duergars 
  haul out long tables and benches to form a giant ring 
  around the fires.
  A steady beat rises above the din of expectant urdefhans 
  in the camp as drummers begin to pound enormous kettle 
  drums constructed from skin and sinew. The music is a 
  cacophonous din, rising and falling erratically. Skavelings 
  tethered to tall steel poles start shrieking as if to 
  accompany the music.
  The urdefhans prepare a cauldron of boiling blood 
  and wine, which they pass around for their warriors 
  to drink. The eager warriors howl as the hot liquid 
  burns their mouths and throats. They don’t press the 
  heroes to drink the boiling blood, but a hero who does 
  so takes 2d6 fire damage (DC 29 basic Fortitude save) 
  and can attempt a DC 34 Intimidation check to show 
  bravery while doing so. A hero who critically succeeds 
  at the Fortitude save gains a +2 circumstance bonus 
  to this Intimidation check, while a hero who critically 
  fails the save takes a –2 circumstance penalty instead. 
  The party gains 1 Respect Point for each hero who 
  critically succeeds at the Intimidation check and loses 
  1 Respect Point for each hero who critically fails the 
  Intimidation check. 
  Excited by the pain, the urdefhans break into 
  frenzied dancing. Performers with their faces painted 
  with blood step out of the shadows, grab torches, and 
  start waving them around.
  Soon, more duergar slaves carry giant plates laden 
  with a wide variety of food: dark sausages, roasted 
  meat with oozing blood, fried scorpion tails, worm 
  flesh boiled in blood, and other, even more unusual 
  dishes. The urdefhans look at the food hungrily, but 
  they wait to partake until their war champion formally 
  begins the feast.
  As they wait, sporadic brawls break out among the 
  urdefhans, warriors launching themselves at others 
  and wrestling each other to the ground. Some even 
  bare their two-bladed rhoka swords, engaging in 
  impromptu duels with blows of lethal force.
  After these initial festivities, War Champion 
  Kharostan emerges from one of the largest tents in the 
  camp. Read or paraphrase the following.
  A large urdefhan, nearly two heads taller than the rest 
  of his kin, strides forward and sits upon a throne of 
  iron. Behind the throne is a twenty-foot-tall iron spike, 
  and hanging from it is an impaled, largely decomposed 
  urdefhan corpse. The crowd begins to settle as they see 
  their leader arrive. Once everyone is silent, the large 
  urdefhan stands and raises a cup of blood wine in toast. 
  In a booming voice, he shouts, “You like to eat and drink 
  and fight? You want a feast? Yes? I’ll give you a feast!” 
  The urdefhans start to cheer and roar, and the feast 
  begins in earnest.
  Participating in the Feast: The heroes can join 
  activities and attempt associated skill checks as 
  detailed in the exploration activities below. Although 
  the heroes can’t yet meet with Kharostan, as he is too 
  busy coordinating the feast to spare time for them, it’s 
  clear the war champion is keeping his eye on them. 
  Kharostan is obviously pleased each time the heroes 
  succeed at one of the activities like a true urdefhan, 
  roaring with mirth. When they fail, he is grim and 
  mocks their failure. 
  Each hero may participate in up to three of the 
  following exploration activities throughout the course 
  of the celebration. If no heroes choose to participate in 
  a particular activity, the urdefhans grumble about how 
  the surface-dwellers are being cowardly, and they lose 
  1 Respect Point.
  BANQUET OF BLOOD AND VENOM
  EXPLORATION
  MANIPULATE
  POISON
  When Kharostan gives the word for the feast to begin, the 
  urdefhans dig into the food that has already been brought 
  out. Nearly all the food is laden with or boiled in blood, 
  and many dishes are strange and sometimes venomous 
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  dishes—such as roasted scorpion tails. You can either choke 
  down this unsavory food by attempting a DC 34 Fortitude 
  save, or pretend to eat it by attempting a DC 34 Stealth 
  check to Conceal an Object. 
  Critical Success Gain 2 Respect Points.
  Success Gain 1 Respect Point.
  Failure Lose 1 Respect Point. If you used Fortitude, you 
  show visible discomfort and become sickened 1.
  Critical Failure As failure, but you lose 2 Respect Points and 
  cannot attempt to retch to recover from this sickened 
  condition until after the feast is over.
  FERVENT DANCE
  EXPLORATION
  MOVE
  VISUAL
  Many urdefhans dance wildly, shaking and thrashing 
  about forcefully and seemingly without control. Attempt 
  a DC 34 Acrobatics, Athletics, or Performance check. If 
  your signature trick has the dance trait, you can attempt 
  to Perform a Trick instead, with a DC of 30.
  Critical Success Gain 2 Respect Points.
  Success Gain 1 Respect Point.
  Critical Failure Lose 1 Respect Point.
  FIRE JUGGLING
  EXPLORATION
  MANIPULATE
  Some urdefhans are juggling torches and breathing fire. 
  Attempt a DC 34 Acrobatics or Performance check. If 
  your signature trick has the fire trait, you can attempt to 
  Perform a Trick instead, with a DC of 30.
  Critical Success Gain 2 Respect Points.
  Success Gain 1 Respect Point.
  Critical Failure Lose 1 Respect Point, and become clumsy 1 
  until the feast is over due to a bad burn.
  IMPROMPTU WRESTLING
  EXPLORATION
  MANIPULATE
  Urdefhan warriors continue to face off in impromptu 
  wresting duels. Attempt a DC 34 Athletics or Intimidation 
  check to challenge a warrior to a duel and defeat them.
  Critical Success Gain 2 Respect Points.
  Success Gain 1 Respect Point.
  Critical Failure Lose 1 Respect Point.
  MUSICAL CACOPHONY
  AUDITORY
  EXPLORATION
  MANIPULATE
  The urdefhans play drums, shout, and make other sounds 
  in the style of traditional urdefhan music. Attempt a DC 
  34 Performance or Society check. If your signature trick 
  has the musical trait, you can attempt to Perform a Trick 
  instead, with a DC of 30.
  Critical Success Gain 2 Respect Points.
  Success Gain 1 Respect Point.
  Critical Failure Lose 1 Respect Point.
  After the Feast: Once the feast is over, regardless of how 
  well or poorly the heroes performed, Kharostan invites 
  them to meet with him in the camp’s largest building 
  (see Meeting Kharostan below). The unusual structure 
  is a ruined storehouse that the Spear Hill cult built its 
  encampment around; long ago, a scout discovered this 
  building and brought it to the attention of the cult’s seers, 
  who declared it an auspicious site. When several durable 
  and ancient spears were found inside, all urdefhans of 
  the cult agreed it was lucky. Since then, the structure has 
  served as the personal domicile of the war champion, and 
  each war champion has reinforced and expanded upon 
  it. This is where War Champion Kharostan lives, meets 
  with his council, and receives guests.
  XP Award: Award the heroes 10 XP for each Respect 
  Point they earn at the feast (to a maximum of 160 XP). 
  Don’t deduct XP for lost Respect Points.
  MEETING KHAROSTAN 
  A group of urdefhan warriors stops abruptly in front of a 
  house built from irregular pieces of stone and held together 
  by some kind of cement and bands of iron. “Go in,” one of 
  the warriors commands. Inside the house, torches placed 
  in black iron sconces illuminate a large stone bed covered 
  with pelts from strange beasts. Many heads adorn the 
  walls, some from animals and monsters and others from 
  urdefhans and other humanoids.
  The large urdefhan from the feast is sitting on a throne 
  of iron opposite the entrance. He motions at much smaller 
  stone stools near the door. “I am Kharostan, the war 
  champion of this cult. Sit. We must talk.”
  Three gaunt urdefhans stand near Kharostan’s throne. 
  One with bulging eyes speaks: “War champion, don’t let 
  these outsiders fool you. They bring with them lies, only 
  lies. Cut off their tongues and send them away.” A second 
  daemon-binder, this one hunched and long-fingered, says, 
  “We should torture them for information and then kill 
  them.” A third one, this one with a long, lolling tongue, 
  says, “We should send them to Shraen to spy for us. No 
  one will suspect these surface-dwellers work for us, and if 
  they die, no one cares.”
  Kharostan stands up and waves his hand dismissively at 
  his advisors. “I’ve heard your advice. Now, go! Leave!” The 
  binders each bow hastily and force a toothy smile before 
  leaving. “Good,” Kharostan mutters, “now I can hear my 
  own thoughts. Tell me who you are.”
  Allow the heroes to introduce themselves. After each 
  introduction, Kharostan acknowledges any successes 
  that hero had during the feast and follows up with a 
  probing question such as, “And why will your name 
  live on after your death?” or “And what makes your 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  enemies fear you most?” After each hero has made an 
  introduction, Kharostan gets to the point of this visit.
  “I have a few tasks in mind for you. 
  First of all, I have a prisoner: a 
  soldier of Shraen, our ancestral 
  enemies. I want to find out if 
  you’re any better at talking to 
  him than my warriors and binders. 
  They weren’t able to get anything 
  useful. I want to know two things: 
  How are the forces of Shraen planning 
  to attack our camps next, and why did 
  they send a group of their people to 
  the Cradle of Worms?”
  If the heroes have accrued 
  at least 10 Respect Points, 
  Kharostan adds the following.
  “So far, I’m impressed with you. If 
  you manage to break the prisoner, 
  I’ll give you two necklaces that should 
  protect you against the crystals in the vault’s 
  ceiling. Will you persuade the prisoner to speak?”
  If the heroes have fewer than 10 Respect Points, 
  Kharostan instead adds the following.
  “So far, I’m not impressed with you. Don’t disappoint me. 
  Make the prisoner speak.”
  Regardless of how many Respect Points the heroes 
  have accrued, Kharostan doesn’t take lightly any 
  comments or questions that belittle his ability to lead 
  his cult or defeat his enemies. The first time the heroes 
  say something offensive, Kharostan flies into a rage, 
  extolling his combat prowess and daemonic powers. 
  He finishes the rant with a stern warning that the 
  heroes would do well not to anger him again, before 
  visibly calming down and continuing the discussion. 
  If the heroes anger him again, he draws his sword and 
  attacks. His advisors also rush in to aid him, eager to 
  prove their loyalty in front of their warlord.
  If the heroes agree to meet with the prisoner, proceed 
  to the Interrogating the Prisoner encounter below.
  Refusing the Task: If the heroes refuse to meet with 
  Kharostan’s prisoner, they lose 2 Respect Points. If this 
  brings them to fewer than 10 Respect Points, Kharostan 
  deems them unworthy of his presence and calls in his 
  advisors and warriors to kill them. Kharostan doesn’t 
  fight unless attacked, as he considers the contemptible 
  heroes to be beneath him. 
  If the party still has at least 10 Respect Points 
  after refusing to speak with the prisoner, Kharostan 
  waves a hand dismissively and says, 
  “Disappointing. I expected better 
  of you. But let’s talk about the 
  main task I have in mind.” 
  Skip 
  the 
  Interrogating 
  the 
  Prisoner encounter and move to 
  Kharostan’s Mission.
  Creatures: The war champion 
  Kharostan is accompanied by three 
  urdefhan dominators. These are his 
  counselors, 
  crafty 
  spellcasters 
  named Kurgulf, Phigarix, and 
  Rakwerf. 
  The 
  dominators 
  wait outside the tent with 
  two hunters and prepare to 
  charge back into the room 
  upon 
  Kharostan’s 
  command. 
  In 
  the 
  presence of Kharostan, 
  the dominators and hunters don’t 
  back down from a fight. 
  KHAROSTAN 
  CREATURE 16
  Page 88
  Initiative Perception +29
  URDEFHAN DOMINATORS (3) 
  CREATURE 14
  Page 83
  Initiative Perception +26
  URDEFHAN HUNTERS (2) 
  CREATURE 12
  Page 82
  Initiative Perception +26
  XP Award: If the heroes deal peacefully with 
  Kharostan and don’t start a fight, award them 30 XP.
  INTERROGATING THE PRISONER
  In exchange for the urdefhans’ hospitality and safe 
  passage through their territory, Kharostan wants the 
  heroes to interrogate a tiefling named Khufar (N male 
  tiefling warrior, DC 28 Perception, DC 30 Will), a 
  slave soldier captured during a skirmish between the 
  urdefhans and Shraen forces. Urdefhan hunters take 
  the heroes to the building in the Spear Hill camp 
  where Khufar is imprisoned.
  Khufar is a broad-chested tiefling with large 
  eyes, long black hair, and dark, curving horns like 
  a ram’s. The urdefhans haven’t been kind to Khufar 
  in captivity; the tiefling looks weak, with fresh 
  wounds on top of old scars that crisscross his body. 
  Khufar
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  Khufar speaks Elven and Undercommon. He can also 
  communicate in halting Common, but if the heroes 
  must rely on Common, their checks to interact with 
  Khufar take a –4 circumstance penalty because of the 
  language barrier.
  Khufar responds to everything with “I don’t know 
  anything, go away.” This answer is just a mantra 
  of sorts to keep him focused and his interrogators 
  distracted, so as to avoid giving away anything. It is 
  evident that he’s scared.
  A hero who studies Khufar and succeeds at a DC 
  25 Medicine check to Recall Knowledge or Perception 
  check to Sense Motive realizes that the soldier has been 
  subjected to physical and psychological punishments 
  throughout his life and, as a consequence, is much less 
  likely to respond to threats or violence than kindness. As 
  the urdefhans have learned, Khufar is nearly impossible 
  to intimidate; the outcome of Intimidation checks 
  against him are one degree of success worse than the 
  result rolled (successes become failures, for example).
  However, Khufar responds much better to kindness. 
  Getting Khufar to open up requires a successful DC 
  30 Diplomacy check to Request information, or a DC 
  28 Deception check to Lie to him. Tending to Khufar’s 
  wounds aids these checks; he has taken 60 damage, 
  and every 10 HP the heroes heal reduces the DCs for 
  Diplomacy or Deception checks used against him by 1. 
  Heroes who fail can try again, but a critical failure on 
  either type of check results in Khufar refusing to talk 
  to them.
  The heroes might have other ways to get 
  information, such as enchantment or mind-reading 
  magic. Kharostan did not intended for the heroes to use 
  these methods for this task and finds them distasteful 
  (he distrusts even the magic his advisors use), but so 
  long as they get results, Kharostan doesn’t mind.
  If the heroes convince Khufar to talk, he can provide 
  the following information. Khufar can reveal general 
  facts about Shraen (see Chapter 3 and the Shraen 
  Gazetteer beginning on page 60).
  Who do you serve? “Zavizik Shraen, of the Red 
  Circus. He's my master. I’m one of his house guards.”
  What’s your rank and mission? “I’m just a house 
  guard, but I was randomly assigned to a scout patrol. 
  Bad luck for me. Raiders attacked us, killed everyone 
  else but me. Then they made me walk back here—must 
  have been over 100 miles, maybe 150.”
  How are the drow planning to attack the urdefhans? 
  “How else? Slaves like me. Zyra and Nyrinda Shraen are 
  in charge now, have been expanding the slave stables for 
  years. They’re worried about the urdefhans, so they send 
  house guards like me out with the scouting patrols.”
  Why did Shraen forces go into the Cradle of Worms? 
  “I don’t—I haven’t even heard of such a thing. It must 
  have been an independent operation kept out of the 
  public knowledge on purpose. No one in my unit ever 
  mentioned anything like that. Please believe me.” If the 
  heroes succeed at a DC 30 Perception check to Sense 
  Motive, they are confident Khufar knows nothing.
  Reward from Kharostan: If the heroes report back 
  to Kharostan any information they get from Khufar, 
  the warlord provides them with two blightburn 
  wards (page 73). The heroes also gain 4 Respect 
  Points. However, they lose 2 Respect Points if they 
  suggest that Kharostan free Khufar; Kharostan 
  doesn’t like being told what to do with prisoners, 
  and Shraen prisoners know too much about the 
  Spear Hill camp. If the heroes fall below 10 Respect 
  Points here, Kharostan attacks (as Refusing the Task 
  on page 21). 
  XP Award: Award the heroes 30 XP if they get useful 
  information from Khufar.
  KHAROSTAN’S MISSION
  Most importantly, Kharostan wants to know why 
  a force from Shraen recently entered the Cradle of 
  Worms. If the heroes failed to get information from 
  Khufar (or didn’t try), then Kharostan tires another 
  method. If the heroes successfully interrogated 
  the tiefling, they learn little other than that the 
  mission wasn’t common knowledge, and Kharostan 
  still wants to know more. In either case, read or 
  paraphrase the following when the heroes return to 
  speak to Kharostan.
  Kharostan sits on his throne, scratching the translucent 
  flesh of his cheek in thought. After a brief silence, he 
  speaks: “I know a group of drow and their slaves went into 
  the Cradle of Worms a few months ago. I want you to find 
  out what the drow are doing there. Judging by the direction 
  you’re traveling, that’s where you’re headed, too. You will 
  help me, and I will help you. One of my hunters, Thaxon, 
  will accompany you to the Cradle of Worms. Her presence 
  guarantees that my raiders, or those from other cults, will 
  not attack you. Once you are done, she’ll report back to me. 
  That’s all. In exchange for your service, we’ll grant you safe 
  passage through our territory.”
  If the heroes have accrued at least 10 Respect Points, 
  Kharostan adds the following.
  “You’ve already impressed me more than I expected from 
  surface-dwellers. You are free to go if you do not want 
  my aid, and you can leave this camp as my allies. But if 
  you accept the task and Thaxon brings news back to me, I 
  promise to reward you even further.”
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  If the heroes have fewer than 10 Respect Points, 
  Kharostan instead adds the following.
  “Since you have failed to impress me, you have no choice. 
  Accept this task or die.”
  If the heroes manage not to anger the warlord, they 
  can ask him questions. The following are answers to 
  questions the heroes are likely to ask.
  Where can we find the Cradle of Worms? “The 
  reeking valley of the worms lies 145 miles to the 
  southwest of our camp. That place is different. So 
  full of life. Plants, beasts. We hunt along its edges but 
  don’t go in. We like the open desert; our hunters are 
  unparalleled here.”
  Have you heard of the Azure Eye, the Sunken Titan, 
  or the Crown of Teeth? “They sound familiar. Once 
  you reach the Cradle, you can see some prominent 
  landmarks even from afar. The eye must be a lake. The 
  titan sounds like an old monument buried in the sand. 
  The crown is an old ruin, perhaps.”
  What do you know about Xul-Khundur? “We’ve 
  heard stories about it. They say the place contains 
  many ancient secrets, and there is something powerful 
  there. It would not surprise me if our enemies from 
  Shraen are seeking it.”
  What can you tell us about the Black 
  Desert? “Our cults have been living here 
  for millennia, but there are stories that 
  go back even more, to times before 
  we arrived. They say it wasn’t always 
  like this. This vault was once a green 
  place, full of life. Something changed, 
  and all of that burned to ash. That has 
  given us a place to claim as our own.”
  What can you tell us about the drow of Shraen? 
  “The worm food drow of Shraen, I’ll spit upon their 
  graves. We’ve warred with them for centuries. 
  The drow are few in number. However, 
  whenever we attack, the drow hide behind 
  their many slaves, who die for their masters. The 
  cowards also use some accursed magic to control 
  purple worms. And the high walls and old magic of 
  Shraen keep us from claiming our deserved victory! 
  But we’ll fight a hundred wars and kill their slaves by 
  the thousands if that’s what it takes! We will eradicate 
  the drow and claim Shraen as ours!”
  Have you seen xulgaths around here? “Those 
  reeking lizard-people? They don’t come here often. 
  The crystals burn them, so they can’t survive in the 
  desert very long.”
  Development: If the heroes accept Kharostan’s task, 
  a warrior named Thaxon joins the party. Thaxon is an 
  urdefhan hunter (page 82) with the elite adjustment 
  (Pathfinder Bestiary 6). She doesn’t talk much, prefers 
  to stay out of the way, and primarily contributes to 
  fights by attacking with her bow from a safe distance. 
  She knows a lot about creatures native to the Black 
  Desert, and she can reveal a single detail about each 
  creature of the desert that the heroes encounter.
  XP Award: Award the heroes 30 XP for accepting 
  Kharostan’s mission and receiving further information 
  from him about it.
  Thaxon
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  As the heroes set out from the Spear Hill urdefhan 
  camp, they must travel more than 100 miles across 
  a trackless desert to reach the Cradle of Worms. 
  Assuming the heroes either negotiated with the 
  urdefhans or gave them a show of force to prove 
  that they're best left alone, they can travel through 
  urdefhan territory safely. If the heroes circled around 
  urdefhan territory, consider adding one or two desert 
  encounters involving elementals, golems, or undead.
  Exploring the Cradle
  When the heroes reach the Cradle of Worms, they get 
  their first look at the startlingly verdant area from 
  atop a large ridge. Read or paraphrase the following.
  Under the alien starlight of the blightburn crystals in the 
  ceiling of the Vault of the Black Desert lies the jagged, 
  miles-long valley known as the Cradle of Worms. The slopes 
  and edges of the valley floor are bare, covered in the same 
  desolate sand found throughout the rest of the Black Desert. 
  But a few miles inward, grasses and weeds emerge from 
  cracked earth, and further still, shrubs, trees, and other 
  leafy plants spring from moister sand. At the center of the 
  valley, the terrain is thick with vegetation, the massive trees 
  creating an impenetrable canopy above a sprawling jungle.
  The xulgaths of Vask believed that this sunken part 
  of the vault mirrors certain geography of Zevgavizeb’s 
  Abyssal realm of Gluttondark, making it sacred. Until 
  recently, the only orb that Aroden didn’t remove 
  from Vask hung atop a pyramid hidden in the jungle, 
  nurturing the life in the valley. Although Dyzallin 
  Shraen recently took the orb away to Shraen, the green 
  bounty hasn’t yet been materially impacted.
  The vegetation in the central jungle looks notably 
  different from typical forests on Golarion; it includes 
  CHAPTER 2:  
  CRADLE OF WORMS 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  fern trees and other plants that no longer—or never—grew on the planet’s 
  surface. A hero who succeeds at a DC 35 Nature check identifies the jungle 
  here as primeval and wild.
  The heroes’ next task is to reach “legendary Xul-Khundur,” a place 
  cryptically hinted at in ancient texts, to find the missing aeon orb. But 
  the pyramid of Xul-Khundur is obscured by the central jungle’s thick 
  vegetation, and searching blindly across dozens of square miles would be 
  an exercise in futility.
  Thankfully, 
  Farwalker’s 
  Travels 
  lists 
  three 
  landmarks, 
  albeit 
  cryptically—a massive stone hand, three jutting stones that resemble a 
  crown of teeth, and an island in the middle of a lake—that narrow this 
  search considerably. The three landmarks are visible from most locations 
  within the Cradle of Worms. Each of the locations contains a clue about 
  Xul-Khundur’s location, as detailed in the following three encounters. If 
  the heroes find all three clues, they can dramatically narrow their search 
  and discover that the pyramid is located south of the river, within a few 
  miles of the tallest tree in the jungle, and within a ring of seven tall hills. 
  This limits the area where Xul-Khundur can be to only a few square miles, 
  and the heroes automatically find the pyramid within a day of searching 
  this smaller area. If the heroes attempt to find Xul-Khundur with only 
  two clues, they must succeed at a DC 37 Nature or Survival check as 
  an exploration activity, taking 1d4 days per check. Furthermore, the 
  heroes should have encounters with dangerous denizens of the area—
  predominantly cave worms—during their days of searching. The heroes 
  can’t triangulate the location of Xul-Khundur with only one clue. 
  The Cradle of Worms is trackless jungle that is denser near the center. 
  For the purposes of overland travel, the wooded area between the barren 
  outer ring and central jungle reduces travel times by half. The central 
  jungle reduces travel time to one-third normal speed.
  FARWALKER’S CLUES
  The hints Farwalker left behind at each landmark are intentionally 
  cryptic, and guessing what the riddles mean may be fun for some groups 
  but annoying for others. As the GM, you have different options for how 
  to handle the riddles. One option is to let the players try to figure them 
  out and help them only if they are unable to guess where their destination 
  is after they’ve found all three clues. Alternatively, you can skip the 
  deduction altogether and just assume the heroes automatically notice the 
  geographical features in the Cradle of Worms referenced by the clues.
  THE AZURE EYE 
  MODERATE 16
  A small, round island sits at the center of an eye-shaped lake, the pristine 
  turquoise waters sparkling with the reflections of the crystals in the vault’s dark 
  ceiling. Reeds, ferns, and fragrant water lilies grow along the eastern shore of 
  the island, while the western half is bare of vegetation. The crumbling ruins of 
  a small building stand at the island’s center. The air is rich with scents wafting 
  from the vegetation. Other than a gentle breeze moving the leaves and creating 
  subtle ripples across the water’s surface, everything on the lake is still and calm.
  One of the most beautiful locations in the Black Desert, the Azure Eye is 
  a lake within the central jungle of the Cradle of Worms. The water in the 
  lake comes from natural springs in the hills to the east, and it’s clean and 
  CHAPTER 2 SYNOPSIS
  Having contended with cave-dwelling 
  monsters, Iffdahsil, and urdefhan 
  raiders, the heroes set off toward the 
  Cradle of Worms—a lush valley within 
  the otherwise lifeless Black Desert. 
  Once there, the heroes investigate 
  three ancient sites that give them 
  hints about Xul-Khundur’s location. 
  When they find the pyramid, they 
  discover that Dyzallin Shraen has 
  already taken the final orb. The 
  heroes must explore the pyramid and 
  fight Dyzallin’s minions and other 
  horrific creatures to find out where 
  the orb was taken.
  CHAPTER 2 TREASURE
  The permanent and consumable 
  items available as treasure in 
  Chapter 2 are as follows.
  • +2 greater striking composite 
  shortbow 
  • +2 greater striking shortsword
  • +2 greater resilient standard-grade 
  mithral breastplate
  • +1 resilient bone armor 
  • +1 striking spear
  • adult blue dragon’s breath potion
  • belt of giant strength
  • bloodletter
  • bracers of armor type II
  • greater comprehension elixir
  • greater demon mask
  • greater messenger’s ring 
  • greater potion of flying
  • greater salamander elixir 
  • greengut
  • major cognitive mutagen
  • major elixir of life
  • potion of tongues
  • scroll of disintegrate
  • scroll of freedom of movement
  • scroll of massacre
  • scroll of stoneskin (6th)
  • scroll of wall of stone
  • true staff of healing
  • truesight potion
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  SUNKEN TITAN
  SUNKEN TITAN
  1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
  1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
  D1
  D1
  CROWN OF TEETH
  CROWN OF TEETH
  1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
  1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
  AZURE EYE
  AZURE EYE
  1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
  1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
  XUL-KHUNDUR
  XUL-KHUNDUR
  1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
  1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
  D2
  D2
  D3
  D3
  D4
  D4
  D5
  D5
  D6
  D6
  D7
  D7
  D9
  D9
  D10
  D10
  D11
  D11
  D12
  D12
  D13
  D13
  D14
  D14
  D15
  D15
  D16
  D16
  XUL-KHUNDUR TIER 1
  XUL-KHUNDUR TIER 1
  XUL-KHUNDUR TIER 2
  XUL-KHUNDUR TIER 2
  XUL-KHUNDUR TIER 3
  XUL-KHUNDUR TIER 3
  XUL-KHUNDUR TIER 4
  XUL-KHUNDUR TIER 4
  To D3
  To D3
  To D4
  To D4
  To D4
  To D4
  Down
  Down
  Up
  Up
  Down
  Down
  Up
  Up
  Up
  Up
  TIER 1
  TIER 1
  TIER 2
  TIER 2
  TIER 3
  TIER 3
  TIER 4
  TIER 4
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  D8
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  good to drink. Reaching the island isn’t difficult, and 
  swimming across poses little trouble (DC 10 Athletics 
  check to Swim). 
  Xulgaths built the small but luxurious house on the 
  island as a retreat for artists, but only ruins remain. 
  Restless Spirits: Many restless spirits of creatures 
  who have died on the island have converged as a haunt. 
  While it is not entirely hostile or evil, the collective 
  consciousness of the haunt is frustrated that it’s stuck 
  on the island with no one to keep it company. Since the 
  spirits can’t create anything new, they want nothing 
  more than to witness new stories or entertainments.
  As the heroes approach the ruined house, they hear 
  voices whispering in numerous overlapping languages. 
  The voices ask “Who are you?” and “Why are you 
  here?” If the heroes respond politely, a ghostly shape 
  manifests within the ruined house. Its form shifts 
  constantly between that of xulgaths, drow, humans, 
  and others, while its voice changes with the shift in 
  form. The spirits are initially friendly, and the heroes 
  can ask them a few questions, though the haunt’s 
  collective consciousness is quite confused and unable 
  to give the heroes much coherent information. 
  Example questions and their answers are as follows.
  Who are you? Multiple voices start speaking: “We 
  are Aznanek. We are Katuhsil. We are Vengorai.” Then 
  many voices start talking over one another, and it 
  becomes impossible to make out individual names.
  What is this place? “This is our home. Travelers call 
  the lake the Azure Eye. Our house is a place for artists 
  and storytellers. Isn’t that why you came here?”
  What is the Crown of Teeth? or What is the Sunken 
  Titan? Multiple voices start speaking, “It sounds 
  familiar! It’s that way! No it’s that way! Have any of 
  us been there? I have not. I remember it well.”
  Where is Xul-Khundur? Many voices gasp in 
  unison. “Xul-Khundur! So many have come here to 
  find it. We did too. We never found it! But we did! 
  We can’t find our way back. The answer is somewhere 
  here! Look around!”
  What do you know about Shraen? “We are from 
  Shraen! No, we are not from Shraen! They’re all dead 
  there! Too dangerous—do not go there!”
  Once the heroes have finished asking questions, or 
  if they aren’t interested in asking any questions in the 
  first place, the spirits become louder and more excited. 
  “Come, show us something new! Tell us a story! Please 
  entertain us! We are all artists and entertainers here, as 
  are you, or you wouldn’t be here! What can you do?” 
  If the heroes refuse, the spirits become more insistent 
  and their voices become angrier. 
  To entertain the spirits, a hero can attempt a DC 
  37 Performance check or can perform their signature 
  trick (assuming the hero has at hand anything needed 
  for this trick). Each hero can attempt to entertain 
  the spirits only once; if they try to perform again, 
  the spirits complain loudly, “No, it was already your 
  turn!” If the party fails two attempts, or if any single 
  hero critically fails a check, the spirits are displeased. 
  They shout, “A waste! You have wasted our time!” 
  and the haunt activates. Otherwise, the spirits return 
  to their torpor and the heroes can freely explore the 
  island and the building. 
  Hazard: If the heroes anger the spirits, they unleash 
  the following haunt.
  HOST OF SPIRITS 
  HAZARD 18
  COMPLEX
  HAUNT
  Stealth +35 (expert)
  Description A host of angry spirits inhabiting the ruined 
  house attempts to drag living creatures closer and crush 
  them to death.
  Disable DC 43 Religion (master) to exorcise the spirits or DC 
  45 Deception (master) to trick the spirits into departing
  Embrace of Death � (attack, death, necromancy, occult) 
  Trigger A creature that has angered the haunt begins its 
  turn within 50 feet of the ruins of the house; Effect The 
  haunt attempts a ghostly hand Strike against the target 
  creature, and then rolls initiative.
  Routine (3 actions) For each of its actions, the trap attempts 
  a ghostly hand Strike against a different creature within 
  50 feet of the ruins of the house (if there are fewer than 
  3 creatures, the haunt doesn’t use its remaining actions). 
  Melee ghostly hand +35, Damage 2d10+10 negative plus 
  ghostly grip
  Ghostly Grip A creature outside the house that takes 
  damage from the host of spirits’ ghostly hand Strike 
  must succeed at a DC 42 Reflex save or be pulled 
  directly into the house. If there is a wall in the creature’s 
  path, that section of wall is destroyed, and the creature 
  takes an additional 3d12 bludgeoning damage. The 
  haunt’s ghostly hand Strike also deals an additional 6d6 
  bludgeoning damage to a target already inside the house 
  (DC 42 basic Fortitude save). 
  Reset The haunt ends 1 round after no creatures are within 
  50 feet of the house. The haunt resets after 1 day.
  River Clue: The ruined stones all bear overlapping 
  scribbles, drawings, and other notes carved ages ago. If 
  the heroes spend 10 minutes studying the carved notes 
  and succeed at a DC 33 Perception check, they find a 
  note written in Common by Farwalker. It reads: “Keep 
  your eye on the three-fingered hand! Now observe the 
  arm—the legendary Xul-Khundur lies to the right.” This 
  carving is directly below an open window that looks 
  east over three rivulets from the hills, which converge 
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  into a stream that flows into the lake. This inflow 
  vaguely resembles an arm with three fingers. This clue 
  means that Xul-Khundur must be south of the river. If 
  any hero critically succeeds at entertaining the spirits, 
  the spirits manifest just long enough to point out this 
  “arm” to the hero before fading away again.
  XP Awards: If the heroes appease the spirits without 
  triggering the haunt, award them XP as though they 
  had defeated it. 
  Award the heroes 30 XP for finding the river clue.
  CROWN OF TEETH 
  MODERATE 16
  Amid a landscape of black dunes, three curved rock 
  formations shaped like a carnivore’s teeth rise from the 
  sand, their tips coming together more than six hundred feet 
  above the ground. Everywhere near the rock formations, 
  the surface of the desert is perforated by gaping tunnels. 
  Between the tunnels, long swaths of sand have been 
  flattened, as if something huge crawled on its belly across 
  the surface of the desert.
  Since primordial times, the area near the Crown 
  of Teeth has served as one of the largest cave worm 
  spawning grounds on Golarion. The worms gather 
  near the enormous rocks and burrow under the sand, 
  forming a mazelike network of tunnels containing 
  chambers of packed earth that shelter worm eggs. 
  Eggs in these chambers mature in relative safety until 
  they’re ready to hatch. After hatching, the young 
  worms burrow their way out of the chambers and 
  start looking for their first meal—or get eaten by 
  vicious desert predators.
  The cave worms here have seasonal mating habits; 
  different species of cave worm come to the Crown of 
  Teeth at different points of a cycle driven by seasons 
  that don’t correspond with any on the surface. When 
  the heroes arrive at the Crown of Teeth, crimson 
  worms—the largest and most dangerous species 
  of cave worms—are currently in the midst of their 
  breeding season. 
  No check is necessary to understand that the huge 
  tracks are made by immense cave worms, but with a 
  successful DC 33 Nature or Survival check, a hero 
  identifies that more than a dozen such worms have 
  passed through the area in the past few weeks. 
  Anyone who succeeds at a DC 30 Perception check 
  notices a flat rock wedged between the tips of the 
  three immense stones. Heroes must succeed at a DC 
  35 Athletics check to Climb to ascend the Crown of 
  Teeth, although high-level characters likely have many 
  different ways to reach the top of the 600-foot-tall 
  stones. At the top of the Crown of Teeth is a relatively 
  flat rock about 20 feet in diameter, lodged between the 
  tips of the three teeth. The upper surface of the rock 
  is covered with carved pictures and text. The majority 
  of the writings are in Draconic or Undercommon and 
  relate cave worm mating habits, including notes about 
  their breeding seasons, tunnels, and egg chambers as 
  described above.
  Creature: As the heroes approach, a crimson worm 
  moves toward them, tunneling underground. At first, 
  it’s difficult to notice the approaching worm, but 
  characters who succeed at a DC 35 Perception check 
  note the telltale rumbling from the worm’s tunneling 
  1 round before it surfaces. Once the crimson worm 
  appears in the following round, it attacks any creatures 
  it sees and attempts to swallow as many victims as it 
  can. Fiercely defensive of its unborn spawn, the crimson 
  worm withdraws only if reduced to 30 HP or fewer.
  If the crimson worm can’t detect any creatures when 
  it bursts from the ground, or if its prey flees out of 
  reach of its melee attacks or breath weapon, it roars 
  menacingly and dives back beneath the sand. 
  CRIMSON WORM 
  CREATURE 18
  Pathfinder Bestiary 59
  Initiative Perception +25
  Hills Clue: Among the carvings on the rock atop 
  the Crown of Teeth is a single sentence in Common 
  that stands out as the most recent inscription. This is 
  Farwalker’s clue. 
  “The seven embrace the eighth. I came across this phrase 
  while studying ancient scrolls. I knew it referred to the 
  legendary Xul-Khundur, but I never understood its meaning 
  until I looked east.”
  From the high vantage point, the heroes can see 
  the tops of seven hills within the valley’s central 
  jungle, which form a rough arc. As the clue suggests, 
  Xul-Khundur is located somewhere within that arc. 
  Xul-Khundur isn’t visible from here, but this clue 
  narrows down its location.
  XP Award: Award the heroes 30 XP for discovering 
  the hills clue.
  SUNKEN TITAN 
  MODERATE 16
  A massive clawed hand built from stone rises from the 
  black sands of the desert encroaching along the edges 
  of the lush valley. The surface of the stone monument is 
  marred with cracks, and it looks as though the hand was 
  once part of a larger statue. Tufts of purple and brown 
  grass grow in patches near the hand.
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  Though the statue originally depicted an influential 
  xulgath leader, the hand raised in greeting is all that 
  remains above the surface, the rest having sunk 
  beneath the sands over millennia. It’s easy to see that 
  the hand must be part of a larger monument, and a 
  hero who succeeds at a DC 35 Society check deduces 
  the statue depicts a xulgath and must be more than 
  300 feet tall. 
  Creature: An ancient ammut named Nefrethut 
  lives near the statue, spending countless hours lying 
  beneath the sands, dreaming idly as she remains alert 
  for unwary travelers or desert creatures. Although she 
  is largely immune to the blightburn crystals of the 
  Black Desert, long-term exposure to the radiation has 
  turned her usual green-yellow hide into an unpleasant 
  mottled purple. Black bile drips from her maw of 
  saw-like teeth, and clouds of black dust emerge as 
  she breathes.
  Nefrethut waits until the heroes approach the 
  immense stone hand, burrowing up through the sand 
  into a space adjacent to at least one hero. The ammut 
  fights with a zeal inspired by her great hunger, and during 
  the fight, she contacts the heroes telepathically with 
  grim utterances such as, “Don’t resist. Your souls 
  are mine.” However, the 
  ammut values her 
  life enough to 
  know 
  when 
  the odds are 
  against her. If 
  Nefrethut decides 
  the heroes are too tough to defeat (such as if she’s 
  unable to seriously hurt them over a few rounds, or if 
  she’s brought to fewer than 50 Hit Points), she attempts 
  to bargain, forcing a toothy smile and saying, “We need 
  not fight. I have information I’m sure you need.” If the 
  heroes are unwilling to talk, she flees.
  NEFRETHUT 
  CREATURE 18
  Female ammut (page 77)
  Initiative Perception +30
  Talking with Nefrethut: The following are answers 
  to questions the heroes are likely to ask. Nefrethut 
  speaks in a hissing, whispering voice.
  Who are you? “I am Nefrethut. My kind are 
  called ammuts, and for more than three thousand 
  years, I’ve called this desert my home. I once lived in 
  a land you perhaps know as Osirion, but I no longer 
  remember my time there, it was so long ago. Now, 
  I eat the souls of those who come here.” Forcing 
  another smile, she continues, “But I’ll make an 
  exception for you.”
  What’s that hand? “Once, very long ago, a large 
  statue of an ugly lizard stood here, but the sands of 
  the Black Desert have claimed all of it except that 
  hand. The people of the desert call it the Sunken Titan. 
  Travelers sometimes carve words onto its surface.” 
  Nefrethut sneers and continues, “That is, the ones that 
  make it to the top before I kill them.”
  Where is the Crown of Teeth? “That’s where the 
  great worms of the Black Desert breed. The place is 
  easy to find—it is where three colossal rocks meet, 
  each shaped like a tooth.”
  Where is the Azure Eye? “It is a lake within the 
  central jungle, with an island in the middle. I hear the 
  water is pristine, and everything there looks beautiful. 
  But don’t let your eyes fool you—it is a place of magic, 
  where spirits flock like maggots to a carcass.”
  Nefrethut
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  Where is Xul-Khundur? “Xul-Khundur? I believe it 
  to be a structure of some kind; perhaps a pyramid, 
  like those that dotted the sands of Osirion in my time 
  there. It is rumored to be hidden somewhere in the 
  Cradle of Worms; I do not know where. I suspect it is 
  somehow connected to that stone hand.”
  What do you know of the urdefhans? “I don’t know 
  much about them. The ugly creatures rarely come 
  here. Not that I care, their souls taste terrible.”
  What do you know about Shraen? “Shraen is a long 
  way from here. The drow jealously guard the place, 
  and I’m not interested in those soulless creatures 
  anyway. The drow didn’t build it, however. The city is 
  several thousand years old, at least as old as that hand.” 
  Nefrethut pauses for a moment, then continues. “A 
  large group of creatures from Shraen studied the stone 
  hand several months ago. Drow and their minions, I 
  suspect. I don’t know what they were looking for—
  Xul-Khundur, perhaps—as they escaped me before I 
  could even get close to them.”
  Pteranodon Clue: A successful DC 30 Athletics 
  check to Climb is required to ascend to the palm of the 
  hand. There, as with the rock atop the Crown of Teeth, 
  phrases in Daemonic and Undercommon are carved 
  into the stone. The carvings are simple, mostly noting 
  directions or mocking the now-fallen xulgath statue 
  and empire. A sheet of durable leather is wedged in 
  between two of the fingers, and anyone standing in the 
  palm can easily remove it. Written by Farwalker, the 
  leather bears the following note: 
  “The pteranodons of the jungle nest on the tallest tree 
  in the Cradle, but elsewhere, there are none. An ancient 
  scroll claimed that visitors to Xul-Khundur were greeted 
  by shrieking dinosaur birds that glided above that place, so 
  Xul-Khundur must be within a few miles of the tree!”
  Xul-Khundur must be somewhere within a few 
  miles of the tallest tree in the jungle, which helps the 
  heroes narrow down the pyramid’s location.
  XP Award: Award the heroes 30 XP for discovering 
  the pteranodon clue.
  Xul-Khundur
  Thousands of years ago, xulgaths settled in the deep 
  jungles of Vask, in the region now called the Cradle 
  of Worms. They cleared a large area of vegetation, 
  brought in thousands of tons of quarried stone, and 
  built a massive pyramid called Xul-Khundur. 
  Xulgath witch-priests would perform unholy rituals 
  to Zevgavizeb in the shrine at the top of the pyramid, 
  while the lower levels housed living quarters, storage, 
  and other facilities. 
  When the xulgaths finished the construction of 
  the pyramid, they placed one of the orbs atop it. The 
  xulgath builders understood the orbs’ significance 
  in protecting the vault against the toxic effects of 
  blightburn crystals, but knowledge of their purpose 
  was gradually lost, and later generations of xulgaths 
  revered them as relics given by Zevgavizeb in ages past.
  More recently, while studying ancient texts he had 
  acquired from a traveling merchant, the drow mummy 
  Dyzallin Shraen discovered obscure references to 
  the orb at Xul-Khundur. After extensive research, 
  he determined Xul-Khundur’s location and recently 
  mounted an expedition to the pyramid with a 
  contingent of his house guards and other minions. 
  Dyzallin’s seneschal, a duergar named Qormintur, 
  led Dyzallin’s forces into the pyramid and cleared the 
  interior of most of its hostile creatures so Dyzallin 
  could take the orb. When Dyzallin and his personal 
  guard returned to Shraen two months ago with the 
  orb, he left Qormintur in charge of the forces he left 
  behind. Qormintur still studies the pyramid, hoping to 
  unearth secrets that can help Dyzallin’s research.
  FEATURES OF XUL-KHUNDUR
  Xul-Khundur is about 200 feet on a side and over 100 
  feet tall. The zenith of the pyramid is a shrine, with 
  four levels below. The upper three levels have ceilings 
  20 feet high, while the ceilings in the lowest and largest 
  level reach 40 feet. Doors in the pyramid are made of 
  heavy stone and are unlocked, although they require a 
  firm push to open. The pyramid interior is unlit except 
  where indicated. Heroes who successfully Track within 
  the pyramid find ample evidence of recent movement 
  throughout, most notably from Qormintur’s heavy 
  boots. 
  D1. COURTYARD 
  MODERATE 16
  A stepped pyramid of majestic proportions rises nearly 
  to the treetops of the primeval jungle surrounding it. Two 
  staircases with moss-covered steps angle up and across 
  the east face, converging forty feet above. From there, a 
  single staircase leads up to the top level, some one hundred 
  feet above the jungle floor, which houses a small shrine 
  open to the air. Two doorways on the east face of the third 
  level afford entrance to the pyramid’s interior.
  The monumental step pyramid once stood at the 
  center of a large xulgath settlement. Anyone who 
  succeeds at a DC 30 Religion check (or an applicable 
  Lore check) to Recall Knowledge deduces that the 
  pyramid was once a center of religious life and an 
  important monument of a pious community, while 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  anyone who succeeds at a DC 25 Perception check 
  spots half-buried foundations and tumbled stones 
  nearby, suggesting a tall stone fence once surrounded 
  the pyramid, and that dozens—or even hundreds—of 
  smaller stone buildings once stood around it. If the 
  result of this Perception check is 45 or higher, the hero 
  also notices the undead creatures lurking in the jungle.
  Creatures: A pair of lesser deaths loyal to Dyzallin 
  Shraen lurk here. These creatures were once elves, 
  as their lean frames and pointed skulls suggest, 
  but they have forgotten their mortal origins. They 
  hide patiently in the jungle around Xul-Khundur, 
  attacking only when discovered or if anyone begins 
  to ascend the pyramid. The undead focus their attacks 
  on whichever hero looks weakest. Loyal to Dyzallin 
  and determined to let no one pass, the creatures fight 
  until destroyed.
  LESSER DEATHS (2) 
  CREATURE 16
  Pathfinder Bestiary 197
  Initiative Stealth +35
  D2. SHRINE TO ZEVGAVIZEB 
  MODERATE 16
  A set of stairs leads up to the highest terrace of the 
  pyramid, upon which stands a roofless stone temple. 
  At the center of the shrine lies a heavy stone slab with 
  a round cavity the size of a human’s head carved into its 
  center. Around the hole, several carvings depict xulgaths 
  performing various religious tasks. Behind the stone slab 
  stands a twenty-foot-tall obelisk bearing a carved symbol 
  in the shape of twisted tentacles that end in vicious talons. 
  The top of the pyramid is badly scarred, as though from 
  thousands of ancient lightning strikes.
  For millennia, an aeon orb floated above the obelisk, 
  suffusing the Cradle of Worms with its life-giving 
  energies 
  and 
  causing 
  frequent 
  thunderstorms. 
  Generations of ancient xulgaths believed the orb to be 
  a gift from Zevgavizeb, and showed honor to the orb 
  by making countless sacrifices when the storms were at 
  their fiercest. The orb hung here until 2 months ago—
  struggling to provide life, along with the increasingly 
  rare storm—when Dyzallin Shraen transported it to 
  his tower in Shraen.
  The taloned tentacle is the religious symbol of 
  Zevgavizeb, which the heroes have likely seen many 
  times at this point. The carvings on the stone slab 
  depict ritual sacrifices. The largest of them shows a 
  xulgath priest holding a still-beating heart toward a 
  glowing orb floating above a large obelisk. In their 
  other hand is an obsidian blade, and next to them lies 
  a dying xulgath placed on a sacrificial stone. It is clear 
  that the carving depicts rituals that once took place in 
  this very shrine, and that the glowing orb is one of the 
  aeon orbs. There’s no indication from the carvings as 
  to why the aeon orb is no longer here.
  Numbers carved on the stone give a sense of the scope 
  of sacrifices made here. A successful DC 30 Religion 
  or relevant Lore check when studying the carvings 
  indicates that sacrifices performed in Zevgavizeb’s 
  honor were an integral part of everyday life for the 
  xulgaths. Sacrificing prisoners of war and animals was 
  a common practice, as was sacrificing other xulgaths. 
  The carvings further detail the role of sacrifice in 
  xulgath society: the xulgaths believed that if sacrifices 
  were not supplied for the gluttonous Zevgavizeb, 
  their hunts and harvests would fail, diseases would 
  infest the community, and Zevgavizeb might arrive to 
  devour his unworthy followers. These sacrifices were 
  performed during thunderstorms that centered on the 
  top of the altar, which were very frequent. 
  The altar hides a secret passage underneath it, which 
  any hero who Searches the area finds automatically; 
  moving the massive stone slab requires that creatures 
  with a combined Strength score of 30 or higher spend 
  1 minute pushing the slab. Doing so reveals a hole 8 
  feet in diameter that leads down to the Chamber of 
  Blood (area D3).
  Creatures: Two obsidian golems guard the shrine, 
  each crudely carved to resemble large xulgaths. These 
  golems have stood watch over this spot since the days 
  of the xulgaths and attacked Dyzallin’s forces when 
  they arrived here. Dyzallin worked quickly to disrupt 
  their magical programming, which put the golems 
  back at attention but in his service. They activate again 
  when anyone who isn’t wearing a religious symbol of 
  Zevgavizeb enters the shrine. Once activated, they 
  still don’t attack anyone openly bearing Zevgavizeb’s 
  symbol. The golems fight until destroyed, but they 
  don’t pursue foes who flee from the area. 
  OBSIDIAN GOLEMS (2) 
  CREATURE 16
  Page 80
  Initiative Perception +28
  Treasure: A serrated blade called bloodletter lies 
  on the sacrificial stone. It is a gloom blade with its 
  fundamental rune upgraded, making it a +3 greater 
  striking shortsword.
  D3. CHAMBER OF BLOOD 
  MODERATE 16
  Hundreds of blood-stained skulls sit in uneven piles around 
  the edges of this room, rising above a layer of blood a few 
  inches deep that shifts and churns slowly. The walls are 
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  covered in rivulets of wet blood, and the air in the room 
  smells overwhelmingly of iron.
  This secret room served as storage for the discarded 
  heads and hearts of sacrificial victims, which xulgath 
  alchemists and witch-priests used for ritualistic 
  purposes. Strong necromantic magic in the room 
  prevents the blood from drying out, but this magic 
  hasn’t preserved the heads themselves, which have 
  been reduced to skulls over the intervening years. 
  The opaque blood is only a few inches deep around 
  the edge of the room where the skulls are piled (this 
  area is treated as difficult terrain), but in the center 
  of the room, it conceals an 8-foot-deep pool (heroes 
  must succeed at a DC 20 Athletics check to Swim 
  to pass it, due to the churning currents). Stone steps 
  lead down into this pool, but they aren’t visible under 
  the blood.
  A thick knot of spiderwebs 15 feet wide is tucked 
  in the upper northwest corner of this room, between 
  the walls and the ceiling. It contains enough space for 
  a large creature to fit, if snugly. This cocoon is one of 
  the vampire drider Zinogyvaz’s coffins; if the heroes 
  defeat her in area D8 (page 35), she retreats here. A 
  hero who studies the coffin and succeeds at a DC 35 
  Religion or relevant Lore check realizes this cocoon 
  functions as a restorative coffin for a vampire. 
  Creature: Foul magic and alchemical substances 
  used in xulgath rituals have given rise to a vitalia, 
  an aberrant life form with an affinity for blood. 
  The creature resembles a giant, blood-red sea jelly 
  shaped like an oversized heart. When the heroes 
  enter the chamber, the vitalia is hiding in the blood, 
  but it attacks as soon as any hero disturbs the pool’s 
  surface. Protective of its lair, the creature fights 
  until destroyed. 
  VITALIA 
  CREATURE 18
  Page 84
  Initiative Perception +30
  Treasure: The body of the vitalia holds five rubies 
  shaped like blood drops. The heroes can recover them 
  once it’s slain; each ruby is worth 700 gp.
  D4. GUARDROOM 
  MODERATE 16
  Dried xulgath corpses clad in bone armor sit motionless 
  around a table at the south end of this long room. On the 
  walls, carvings show xulgath warriors capturing or brutally 
  killing animals, humanoids, and other xulgaths. Another 
  image on the wall shows bound captives with terrified 
  expressions kneeling before a stone slab.
  Long ago, elite warriors known as the Raptor 
  Guard stood watch in this room, protecting the 
  pyramid and the resident priests with their lives. Only 
  the most prestigious warriors were allowed to join the 
  Raptor Guard. They emulated velociraptors in battle, 
  using group tactics and incredibly fast attacks. Before 
  xulgaths left the pyramid and the vault of Vask, the 
  witch-priests of Xul-Khundur sacrificed a number 
  of these elite warriors and turned them into undead 
  wights. The witch-priests also created vicious weapons 
  from the bones of other dead warriors for the undead 
  Raptor Guard to use to perform their eternal duty of 
  guarding the pyramid.
  The xulgaths in the wall carvings wear similar armor 
  to that of the Raptor Guard in this room. It’s therefore 
  easy to identify the carvings as presenting the brutal 
  day-to-day activities of these guards: slaughtering 
  enemies and capturing captives for sacrifices at the top 
  of the pyramid.
  Creatures: Dyzallin used his magic to subvert the 
  loyalty of the Raptor Guards here; they continue to 
  guard this room as before, but don’t attack Qormintur 
  or anyone who arrived with her. The wights initially 
  remain motionless but rise to attack 3 rounds after 
  an unauthorized creature enters this room, or when 
  any creature takes a hostile action against them. The 
  wights fight until destroyed. If the heroes flee, two 
  wights remain here on guard while the rest pursue.
  RAPTOR GUARD WIGHTS (6) 
  CREATURE 13
  RARE
  NE
  MEDIUM
  UNDEAD
  Variant wight (Pathfinder Bestiary 332)
  Perception +22; darkvision
  Languages Draconic, Necril, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +24, Athletics +27, Intimidation +27, 
  Stealth +24, Survival +22
  Str +8, Dex +5, Con +3, Int +0, Wis +3, Cha +4
  Items +1 resilient bone armor (as hide armor), greater 
  demon mask in the form of a dinosaur-skull helm, +1 
  striking spear
  AC 34; Fort +26, Ref +23, Will +21
  HP 240, negative healing; Immunities death effects, 
  disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious
  Death Stench (aura, olfactory) 30 feet. A creature that 
  enters the area must attempt a DC 32 Fortitude save. 
  On a failure, the creature is sickened 2 and doomed 1 for 
  as long as it is sickened; on a critical failure, the creature 
  is instead doomed 2 for as long as it is sickened. While 
  within the aura, the creature takes a –2 circumstance 
  penalty to saves to recover from the sickened condition. 
  A creature that succeeds at its save is temporarily 
  immune to any creature’s death stench for 1 minute.
  Attack of Opportunity � 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  Speed 25 feet
  Melee � spear +27 (magical), Damage 2d6+14 piercing 
  plus drain life and terror master
  Melee � claw +26 (agile), Damage 3d6+14 slashing plus 
  drain life and terror master
  Melee � jaws +26, Damage 3d8+14 piercing plus drain life 
  and terror master
  Ranged � spear +24 (magical, range increment 20 
  feet), Damage 2d6+14 piercing plus terror master and 
  hungry spear
  Drain Life (divine, necromancy) When the Raptor Guard 
  wight damages a living creature with a melee Strike, 
  the wight gains 13 temporary Hit Points and the target 
  creature must succeed at a DC 
  32 Fortitude save or become 
  drained 1. Further damage dealt 
  by the wight increases the drained 
  condition by 1 on a failed save, to a 
  maximum of drained 4.
  Hungry Spear (divine, necromancy) The 
  Raptor Guard wight’s ranged spear Strikes 
  apply drain life, but the wight doesn’t gain any 
  temporary Hit Points if the attack hits.
  Terror Master As long as the Raptor Guard wears its 
  dinosaur-skull helm, its Strikes deal an additional 1d10 
  negative damage, or an additional 2d10 damage to 
  frightened creatures.
  Wight Spawn (divine, necromancy) A living humanoid 
  slain by a Raptor Guard wight’s melee Strike rises as a 
  wight after 1d4 rounds. This wight spawn is under the 
  command of the Raptor Guard that killed it. It doesn’t 
  have the drain life or wight spawn abilities and is clumsy 
  2. If the creator of the wight spawn dies, the wight 
  spawn becomes a full-fledged, autonomous wight; it 
  regains its free will, gains the drain life and wight spawn 
  abilities, and is no longer clumsy.
  D5. STOREROOM
  Various items lie on stone shelves built into the walls 
  of this room: statuettes, chalices, and other mundane 
  items marked with ominous symbols. Carvings on the 
  walls show a xulgath wearing a robe of knobby hide and 
  holding a dagger in their hand. Another xulgath pours 
  an unidentifiable liquid from a vial onto the blade of the 
  dagger, giving the weapon a radiant glow.
  Xulgath witch-priests stored religious items in this 
  room. Most bear the religious symbol of Zevgavizeb, 
  as depicted on the obelisk in the shrine (area D2). 
  Before performing religious rituals in the shrine, 
  they used this room to dress, cast spells, and select 
  tools appropriate for the occasion, such as sacrificial 
  blades for cutting out a victim’s heart or large axes 
  for decapitation.
  Treasure: The treasures in this room are neatly 
  sorted. On the top shelf are four vials containing an 
  adult blue dragon’s breath potion, a greater potion 
  of flying, a potion of tongues, and a truesight potion. 
  A piece of parchment near the potions has Dwarven 
  writing on it identifying each of the potions; these 
  were inventoried by Qormintur shortly after she 
  arrived, but she left them here. 
  The second shelf from the top contains scrolls 
  stored in tubes carved from bone: a scroll of 
  disintegrate, a scroll of freedom of movement, a scroll 
  Raptor Guard Wight
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  of stoneskin (6th), and a scroll of wall of stone. Similar 
  to the note on the top shelf, a piece of parchment lists 
  the contents of each scroll, again in Dwarven.
  The third shelf has miscellaneous items on it: body 
  paint for rituals that has dried to powder but is worth 
  5 gp for its lustrous color, an obsidian cup shaped like 
  a xulgath claw holding the bottom half of a large egg 
  (worth 125 gp), and a religious symbol of Zevgavizeb 
  carved from bone and studded with small opals (worth 
  150 gp).
  D6. TRADE ROOM 
  Wall carvings show xulgaths trading gold disks, dinosaur 
  horns, jewelry, and vases for other valuables and 
  commodities. Dozens of small gems are embedded in 
  the wall carvings, some portions of which are gilded to 
  highlight them. Opposite the door, behind a large stone 
  table with a grid carved on it, three coffers sit against the 
  wall, all with their lids smashed open. Uneven rows of 
  stone tablets sit on shelves built into the walls.
  The heroes can determine that the stone tablets 
  are ancient records of trade deals, taxes, and other 
  transactions with a successful DC 30 Society check or 
  any relevant Lore check; a hero who can read Draconic 
  gains a +5 circumstance bonus to this check. It seems 
  the xulgaths used gold disks, weapons, meat, gems, 
  fruit, fish, quarried stone, and other commodities in 
  a sophisticated system of barter, one more advanced 
  than many surface civilizations of the time.
  During Xul-Khundur’s heyday, the site’s witch-priests 
  also served as administrative officials for the xulgath 
  empire, collecting taxes and transferring property. 
  This room was the site of these exchanges, and high-
  ranking members of xulgath society would come to 
  negotiate building projects and other important deals 
  with the clergy. The witch-priests became very wealthy 
  from their role in these negotiations, and Xul-Khundur 
  prospered as a result. 
  The forces from Shraen smashed open and looted 
  the coffers here, but the witch-priests knew better 
  than to keep all their valuables in obvious places. Two 
  secret compartments, each several feet square, are 
  built into the walls of this room. The compartments’ 
  doors are hidden behind the stone tablets on the 
  shelves. Locating them requires Searching the room 
  and succeeding at a DC 35 Perception check. 
  Hazards: The xulgath witch-priests designed an 
  insidious curse to afflict thieves. Anyone opening 
  either of the two secret treasure compartments triggers 
  a trap set by the witch-priests; there is one trap on 
  each compartment.
  WITCH-PRIESTS’ CURSE (2) 
  HAZARD 18
  CURSE
  MAGIC
  TRAP
  Stealth DC 42 (expert)
  Description Anyone who opens a secret compartment is 
  subjected to a powerful curse.
  Disable DC 39 Thievery (legendary) to carefully remove the 
  bone fetish that holds the curse.
  Hex of the Bloody Thief � (curse, divine, necromancy) 
  Trigger A creature opens a secret compartment; Effect 
  The creature must succeed at a DC 38 Will save or 
  be subjected to the witch-priests’ curse. Whenever a 
  cursed creature takes at least 10 piercing or slashing 
  damage from a single attack, it also takes 3d6 persistent 
  bleed damage. In addition, the cursed creature regains 
  only half as many Hit Points as normal from all healing. 
  The effect is permanent unless removed by magic.
  Reset The trap resets if both secret compartments are shut.
  Treasure: One secret compartment holds 57 gold 
  disks worth 10 gp each and eight gem-studded dinosaur 
  skulls worth 200 gp each. The other compartment 
  holds a set of five bronze plates carved with obscure 
  religious symbols and Draconic script. The plates are 
  worth 15 gp each. A hero who succeeds at a DC 35 
  Religion or Society check to Decipher Writing realizes 
  that four of the plates relate the story of a human 
  outsider who stole all but one of Vask’s life-giving 
  orbs. The only orb the human didn’t steal was the one 
  in Xul-Khundur, which was initially a boon for the site 
  but soon became a problem as the rest of Vask died. 
  The final plate isn’t part of this story; it functions as a 
  scroll of massacre.
  The most obvious treasure remaining in the room 
  are the gems and gold leaf embedded in the walls. A 
  few hours of diligent scraping recovers 300 gp of loot 
  from the walls.
  D7. BARRACKS
  Weapon racks line the walls of this room. Most stand empty 
  or contain crumbled weapons made of bone or obsidian, but 
  a few steel weapons remain. Between the weapon racks 
  are stone beds and simple furnishings. Carvings on the wall 
  show xulgath warriors wrestling, honing the blades of their 
  weapons, and fighting jungle dinosaurs.
  Warriors of the Raptor Guard trained and rested 
  in this room whenever they weren’t guarding the 
  pyramid, out hunting, or fighting wars for the xulgath 
  empire. Anyone who Investigates the armaments and 
  succeeds at a DC 30 Society or applicable Lore check 
  (such as Military Lore or Weapon Lore) recognizes the 
  sophisticated weapon-craft of the xulgaths.
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  Treasure: The surviving weapons are made of steel 
  and bear mismatched patterns and strange designs, 
  indicating that they aren’t of xulgath manufacture. None 
  of the surviving weapons are magical, but a belt of giant 
  strength hangs on one of the weapon racks, covered with 
  ages of dust.
  D8. SERVANT QUARTERS 
  MODERATE 16
  This room contains stone tables, long benches, and bunks 
  made of stone. Carvings on the walls depict xulgaths 
  performing various everyday tasks: training dinosaurs, 
  felling trees, and exploring dense jungles. Above them is 
  a carving of xulgaths planning and building houses made 
  of stone blocks, including the great terraced pyramid of 
  Xul-Khundur. Higher still on the wall are ranked groups of 
  warriors, and above them are carvings of xulgath priests 
  wielding sacrificial daggers.
  Xulgath artisans and builders dedicated to the 
  service of the pyramid’s clergy lived in this area. The 
  room is still in reasonably good shape. The placement 
  of the professions in the carvings isn’t accidental; it 
  indicates that while witch-priests and warriors were at 
  the top of the Xul-Khundur social hierarchy, builders 
  and scholars were also respected.
  Creatures: Some of the troops Dyzallin left behind 
  for Qormintur to command are stationed here, 
  and they attack as soon as they see intruders. These 
  creatures, called death driders, all fight until destroyed. 
  The leader of these undead monstrosities is Zinogyvaz, 
  a drider vampire who keeps her “coffin” hidden away 
  in the Chamber of Blood (area D3). If she is reduced 
  to 0 Hit Points, the vampire escapes to that location 
  to rest. Unless the heroes find her and destroy her, she 
  returns when she can to surprise the heroes.
  ZINOGYVAZ 
  CREATURE 16
  UNIQUE
  CE
  LARGE
  UNDEAD
  VAMPIRE
  Female vampire drider priest (Pathfinder Bestiary 159, 318)
  Perception +28; darkvision
  Languages Elven, Necril, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +28, Athletics +26, Deception +28, 
  Intimidation +28, Religion +33, Society +26, Stealth +28
  Str +5, Dex +7, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +7, Cha +6
  Items bracers of armor II, +2 greater striking composite 
  shortbow (20 arrows), religious symbol of Urgathoa
  Children of the Night (divine, enchantment, mental) As 
  vampire, but hunting spiders or spider swarms only.
  AC 39; Fort +26, Ref +27, Will +30
  HP 240, coffin restoration (as vampire), fast healing 20, 
  negative healing; Immunities death effects, disease, 
  paralyze, poison, sleep; Weaknesses vampire weaknesses; 
  Resistances physical 20 (except magical silver)
  Mist Escape � As vampire.
  Speed 30 feet, climb 30 feet
  Melee � fangs +32, Damage 4d6+15 piercing plus Grab 
  and vampire drider venom
  Ranged � composite shortbow (deadly d10, magical, 
  propulsive, range increment 60 feet, reload 0), Damage 
  3d6+13 piercing 
  Ranged � web +32 (range increment 30 feet), Effect web 
  trap
  Divine Prepared Spells DC 37, attack +29; 7th finger 
  of death, mask of terror; 6th true seeing, vampiric 
  exsanguination; 5th shadow blast, spiritual guardian; 
  4th harm, freedom of movement, spell immunity; 
  3rd blindness, crisis of faith, vampiric touch; 2nd 
  false life, silence, spiritual weapon; 1st alarm, ray of 
  enfeeblement (×2); Cantrips (8th) guidance, know 
  direction, sigil
  Divine Innate Spells DC 37; 4th darkness; 3rd dispel 
  magic, levitate; 2nd darkness (at will), faerie fire (at 
  will); Cantrips (8th) dancing lights, detect magic 
  Change Shape � (concentrate, divine, polymorph, 
  transmutation) As vampire, but hunting spider or spider 
  swarm only, and Zinogyvaz keeps her fangs and web 
  Strikes in either form.
  Create Spawn (divine, downtime, necromancy) As vampire.
  Drink Blood � (divine, necromancy) As vampire. When 
  Drinking Blood, Zinogyvaz regains 24 Hit Points and 
  may inject the victim with vampire drider venom.
  Turn to Mist � (concentrate, divine, transmutation) As 
  vampire.
  Vampire Drider Venom (poison) Saving Throw DC 35 
  Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 3d8 
  poison damage and enfeebled 2 (1 round); Stage 2 4d8 
  poison damage and paralyzed (1 round)
  Web Trap A creature hit by Zinogyvaz’s web attack is 
  immobilized and stuck to the nearest surface (Escape 
  DC 35).
  DEATH DRIDERS (3) 
  CREATURE 13
  UNCOMMON
  CE
  LARGE
  UNDEAD
  Variant driders (Pathfinder Bestiary 159)
  Perception +24; darkvision
  Languages Elven, Necril, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +30, Athletics +28, Intimidation +24, 
  Stealth +30
  Str +6, Dex +8, Con +4, Int –1, Wis +5, Cha +4
  AC 34; Fort +24, Ref +26, Will +23
  HP 235, negative healing; Immunities death effects, 
  disease, paralyze, poison, unconscious
  Sack of Spiders � Trigger The death drider is reduced to 0 
  Hit Points; Effect The death drider explodes in a shower 
  of spiders. Each adjacent creature must succeed at a 
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  DC 31 Reflex save or take 3d6 piercing damage and be 
  exposed to death drider venom.
  Speed 30 feet, climb 30 feet
  Melee � fangs +27, Damage 4d6+13 piercing plus death 
  drider venom
  Ranged � web +27 (range increment 30 feet), Effect 
  hungering web
  Death Drider Venom (poison) The drained condition 
  persists after the poison’s duration ends; Saving Throw 
  DC 32 Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 
  2d8 poison damage and drained 1 (1 round); Stage 2 3d8 
  poison damage and drained 2 (1 round); Stage 3 4d8 
  poison damage and drained 2 (1 round)
  Hungering Web A creature hit by a death drider’s web 
  attack is immobilized and stuck to the nearest surface 
  (Escape DC 31). Each round thereafter until it breaks 
  free, the creature takes 3d6 piercing damage (DC 31 
  basic Reflex save) and, on a failed save, is exposed to 
  death drider venom.
  D9. PRIESTS’ QUARTERS
  Several rounded stone beds fill the northern part of this 
  room. The tables, chairs, and other furniture are also neatly 
  crafted from stone. Statuettes adorn small niches built into 
  the walls, and carvings on the walls show xulgath priests 
  performing various religious duties: curing diseases, 
  collecting taxes, sacrificing creatures, and performing 
  rituals. On the ceiling above, a large carving shows a 
  stylized map of the Vault of 
  the Black Desert with six 
  softly glowing orbs, one of which 
  is over the site of the Cradle of 
  Worms. A stone desk contains an 
  open book and a large metal cage 
  about three feet square. A mass of slimy 
  purple flesh sits within the cage.
  The orbs give this room a soft glow of dim 
  light. The room once belonged to the priests serving 
  under the pyramid’s high priest. Qormintur has been 
  using it as her private quarters, though she spends most 
  of her time in the lower levels. 
  An open book, obviously newer than the other 
  features of this room, lies open on the table. The book 
  contains Qormintur’s personal notes about Dyzallin’s 
  research. She writes with a special ink made from the 
  burned carcass of a drakauthix (Bestiary 129) that is 
  invisible to normal vision but appears silvery to creatures 
  with darkvision. The text is also written in an esoteric 
  shorthand, so reading it requires a successful DC 30 
  Occultism or Society check to Decipher Writing 
  (DC 25 if the hero can read Dwarven).
  If the heroes successfully decipher the 
  book, they learn it is the diary of a duergar 
  servant named Qormintur, who departed 
  from the city of Shraen two months ago. 
  A dangerous journey through urdefhan 
  territory took her to a valley dozens of miles 
  long, and eventually she and her master—
  who isn’t named in the book—discovered 
  a terraced pyramid with the help of 
  three landmarks. They claimed an orb, 
  which the duergar’s master obviously 
  considered the reason for his 
  visit. Qormintur explored the 
  Zinogyvaz
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  pyramid, and  she took the orb to one of the lower 
  levels, where her master continues to research it. (This 
  final entry is out of date, as Dyzallin has already left 
  with the orb before the heroes arrived.)
  The rest of the notebook contains personal entries. 
  Anyone reading the book can learn that Qormintur 
  spent most of her life in Shraen but never felt she 
  belonged there. She felt her destiny lay elsewhere, 
  and that every day spent with the “dead folk” was 
  a step away from avenging those who wronged her 
  long ago.
  The cage contains a runt purple worm, about 7 
  feet long, coiled up snugly. Dyzallin found the worm 
  while studying cave worms near the Crown of Teeth, 
  and he used it in his experiments to study the aeon 
  orb’s ability (or lack thereof) to control cave worms. 
  He soon realized that the worm has too playful a 
  disposition and would not allow him to gain any real 
  insights on cave worm behavior, so he left it behind 
  when he returned to Shraen.
  A sign on the cage reads “Wurples,” the name 
  Qormintur gave the creature. Much to Qormintur’s 
  annoyance, the worm lets out sad whimpers if kept in 
  its cage for too long. If set free, the worm happily hunts 
  moles and other small animals but always returns to 
  its cage after eating. 
  On the table next to the book is a tin box containing 
  scraps of spicy, dried drakauthix flesh. This is 
  Qormintur’s favorite snack. It is, unfortunately, just 
  out of Wurples’s reach.
  Acquiring Wurples: Wurples the runt cave worm 
  immediately befriends anyone who lets it out, and 
  thereafter follows that person’s general instructions. 
  Wurples doesn’t participate in combat, but you can 
  use the statistics for a giant centipede with a 
  burrow Speed of 20 feet if necessary. Because 
  Wurples is so easy to train, it makes a 
  good addition to the Circus of Wayward 
  Wonders. Wurples and its cage together 
  weigh 2 Bulk. Wurples grows very quickly, 
  but it never loses its playful demeanor 
  or dislike of combat. If the heroes bring 
  Wurples with them, they gain access 
  to the Runt Cave Worm trick on the 
  inside cover of this adventure.
  Treasure: Sitting on the table 
  next to Qormintur’s notebook is 
  an obsidian inkwell full of invisible 
  drakauthix ink (worth 250 gp) and 
  a dose of greengut (page 75).
  XP Award: Award the heroes 30 XP 
  if they befriend Wurples with the intent to put the 
  runt cave worm in their circus. 
  D10. LIBRARY
  Thousands of stone tablets and numerous scrolls of vellum 
  are stored on bookshelves and scattered across stone 
  tables in this room. Carvings on the walls depict xulgaths 
  in robes carvings words onto stone tablets and other 
  xulgaths studying similar tablets.
  Reading the Tablets: This room contains several 
  hundred stone tablets, many of which have broken 
  into pieces. A hero who spends 2d4 hours studying 
  the tablets can attempt a DC 30 Religion, Society, or 
  relevant Lore check to Decipher Writing (DC 25 if the 
  hero can read Draconic). On a success, the hero pieces 
  together one of the following stories they haven’t yet 
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  learned about Vask’s history. On a critical success, the 
  hero pieces together two stories. On a critical failure, 
  the hero inadvertently drops or destroys a tablet, 
  keeping them from learning one of the stories they don’t 
  already know.
  Arrival in Vask: According to a quasi-historical 
  account dating back to a time before the rise of great 
  human civilizations, the xulgath deity Zevgavizeb 
  led the xulgaths to Vask and showed them six orbs 
  with amazing life-giving powers. At that time, the 
  entire vault of Vask was a primeval jungle, similar to 
  Zevgavizeb’s realm of Gluttondark.
  Building the Empire: After their arrival, the 
  xulgaths built many great edifices and monuments in 
  Vask, sometimes building over still-older ruins. The 
  Pyramid of Xul-Khundur was but one of many of 
  the great wonders of Vask, though since its purpose 
  was to house one of the life-giving orbs, it was one 
  of the most important. The xulgath empire spanned 
  nearly the entire vault, and despite many wars against 
  serpentfolk and other creatures of the Darklands, the 
  empire thrived for millennia. 
  End Times: The end came very suddenly. An outsider, 
  a thief from the world above, took the life-giving orbs, 
  and slowly but surely, all life in the vault shriveled into 
  black sand. The xulgaths died by the thousands, and 
  the last ones that remained stayed in the Cradle of 
  Worms, where the remaining orb still sustained life. 
  In the end, the remaining xulgaths sealed the pyramid 
  and used primal magic to make the sacred place 
  disappear amid dense jungle so that no one would 
  find it again. This last bit is likely a fabrication, as the 
  heroes are well aware that overgrowth, and not any 
  primal magic, prevents Xul-Khundur’s easy discovery.
  XP Award: Award the heroes 10 XP for each story 
  they discover.
  D11. BATHS 
  LOW 16
  The door leading into this room from the south, as well 
  as the north wall of the staircase leading down to this 
  room, have the words “Do Not Disturb the Water” 
  painted in Undercommon. Qormintur put up these 
  warnings to keep the Shraen forces from disturbing 
  the azure worms living in this room. Anyone who 
  succeeds at a DC 25 Perception check also spots 
  salt sprinkled among the dust and loose stones at 
  the room’s entrances. This is an alchemical salt that 
  Qormintur believes repels worms. A successful DC 35 
  Crafting or relevant Lore check when examining the 
  salt realizes it’s likely to repel aquatic animals. 
  Most of this room is submerged. The upper rims of two 
  large bathing pools protrude from the surface of the cloudy 
  water, along with the tops of a few tables. Stairs ascend 
  from the water in the northeast corner of the room and 
  a ledge to the south bears a double door. Carvings on the 
  walls of this room show xulgaths relaxing, talking to one 
  another, and engaging in other leisurely activities.
  Used for private relaxation, this room once 
  contained two large, square baths and several tables 
  and chairs. The pools were once fed by a sophisticated 
  plumbing system that brought in clean water from a 
  spring below, heated it, and carried away wastewater. 
  This plumbing system is now inoperable, resulting 
  in water that is cloudy and cold. One of the pools is 
  broken and has leaked 2 feet of water into the rest 
  of the room, making it difficult terrain for Medium 
  or larger creatures and greater difficult terrain for 
  Small creatures. Creatures that are even smaller must 
  Swim (DC 15) to move through the water. Creatures 
  can navigate this room by leaping from the rim of the 
  pools to the tables or the ledge. Doing so requires a 
  successful DC 20 Acrobatics check to Balance.
  Creatures: Two azure worms entered the pyramid 
  through passages connected to the spring, pushing 
  their way through the floor. The worms attack any 
  creatures they detect. An azure worm flees if reduced 
  to fewer than 50 Hit Points.
  AZURE WORMS (2) 
  CREATURE 15
  Pathfinder Bestiary 57
  Initiative Stealth +25
  D12. MEDICINE STORAGE 
  MODERATE 16
  This room is a mess of rubble and broken pottery. Faint 
  smells float in the air: honey mixed with the musty scent of 
  leaves and mushrooms. Carvings above empty wall niches 
  show xulgaths using sticks to extract and jar secretions 
  from plants, beetles, and frogs. At the southern end stands a 
  lifeless, bizarre tree with sharp roots and leafless branches.
  Ancient xulgaths stored all manner of medicinal 
  items in this room. A hero who is trained in Medicine 
  or who succeeds at a DC 20 Medicine check identifies 
  that the xulgaths in the carvings are crafting herbal 
  medicines to stanch bleeding, disinfect wounds, and 
  treat ailments.
  This room’s former organization is now in shambles, 
  as the room’s occupant raged against being abandoned 
  many years ago. The room is difficult terrain for 
  Medium and smaller creatures.
  Creature: The ancient xulgaths made a deal 
  with a powerful quelaunt. In exchange for keeping 
  patients docile during complicated procedures, the 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  quelaunt could gorge itself on the terror of dying 
  sacrificial victims. Bound to this chamber ever since, 
  the nameless quelaunt—whom the xulgaths called 
  Hollow Hush—spent many years in torpor. The Shraen 
  forces that entered the room were careful not to wake 
  it, but inadvertently broke the warding keeping it here. 
  It stands at the south end of the room, its featureless 
  head nearly at the ceiling, its limbs wrapped around 
  itself to appear as a strange, alien tree. When a creature 
  spends more than 1 round in the room, the quelaunt 
  awakens, unfolding itself and realizing that it is no 
  longer trapped. It utters telepathic whispers such as “so 
  hungry” and “you cannot escape.” Its hunger compels 
  it to fight to the death. Hollow Hush is indiscriminate 
  in its feeding, so clever heroes might pit it against other 
  enemies, such as the azure worms in area D11, and thus 
  escape its psychic predations.
  HOLLOW HUSH 
  CREATURE 18
  UNIQUE
  CE
  LARGE
  ABERRATION
  Variant quelaunt (Pathfinder Bestiary 273)
  Perception +33; tremorsense (imprecise) 60 feet
  Languages Aklo (can’t speak any language); 
  telepathy 100 feet
  Skills 
  Athletics 
  +32, 
  Deception 
  +35, 
  Intimidation +35, Medicine +33, Occultism 
  +31, Stealth +31
  Str +6, Dex +5, Con +4, Int +5, Wis +7, Cha +9
  AC 41; Fort +31, Ref +30, Will +35 (+37 vs. emotion effects)
  HP 355; Resistances mental 20
  Speed 40 feet; air walk
  Melee � claw +35 (agile, magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 
  3d10+14 slashing
  Occult Innate Spells DC 42; 9th unfathomable song; 7th 
  crushing despair (×3), warp mind (×3); 4th restoration; 
  3rd fear (at will); 2nd hideous laughter; Constant (4th) 
  air walk
  Emotional Focus Hollow Hush can cast the following cleric 
  domain spells as 9th-level occult innate spells at will 
  without spending Focus Points: blind ambition (Core 
  Rulebook 389), captivating adoration (Core Rulebook 
  389), and delusional pride (Core Rulebook 391).
  Emotional Frenzy � Hollow Hush casts up to three 
  spells chosen from its at-will innate spells and its 
  emotional focus spells.
  Feed on Emotion � (attack, emotion, incapacitation, 
  mental) Frequency once per round; Effect Hollow 
  Hush feeds on the emotional unrest 
  of a single creature within 30 
  feet that’s currently affected by 
  an emotion effect. The target must 
  succeed at a DC 41 Will save or take 
  5d10 mental damage and be stunned for 
  1 round. If the target fails its saving throw, Hollow Hush 
  regains the same number of Hit Points and Feed on 
  Emotion does not cost Hollow Hush an action, allowing 
  it to use another action this turn.
  Rapid Strikes � Hollow Hush attempts three claw 
  Strikes, each against a different target within reach. 
  The multiple attack penalty applies to each attack, but 
  increases only after all the attacks have been made.
  Spiral of Despair � (emotion, mental) Trigger A creature 
  fails a saving throw to resist one of Hollow Hush’s 
  Hollow Hush
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  innate spells or emotional focus spells; Effect As Hollow 
  Hush invades the triggering creature’s mind and plants 
  the seeds of negative emotions, it also strips away the 
  target’s feelings of hope or positivity. Hollow Hush can 
  immediately end a single emotion effect from which the 
  triggering creature is benefiting. 
  Treasure: Healing supplies are hidden amid the 
  rubble. A hero can attempt a DC 25 Perception check 
  for every 10 minutes spent Searching the room. On a 
  success, the hero finds one item from the following list 
  (two items on a critical success): a greater salamander 
  elixir, a major elixir of life in an alabaster bottle worth 
  800 gp, and a true staff of healing.
  D13. FOOD STORAGE
  Carvings on the walls of this room show xulgaths hunting 
  dinosaurs and harvesting fruit and berries.
  Most of the food once stored here rotted away long 
  ago, although it’s clear upon examination that the 
  xulgaths used alchemical preservatives. 
  D14. WINE STORAGE
  Dozens of clay vases stand on stone shelves built into the 
  walls and in racks standing on the floor. Some are cracked 
  open or smashed into pieces, while others remain sealed 
  with black wax around heavy lids. 
  Xulgaths learned the art of making wine from 
  fruit and berries and became very fond of it, not 
  only for culinary and recreational purposes but also 
  for religious ones; ancient xulgaths of Xul-Khundur 
  imbibed large amounts of wine to honor their 
  gluttonous deity, Zevgavizeb. Qormintur has been in 
  this room several times to retrieve vases of ancient 
  wine for herself.
  Treasure: Although many of the vases that 
  were originally stored here have been removed or 
  broken, a few of them have survived the intervening 
  millennia. Heroes who Search this chamber find five 
  vases containing wine that is still potable, thanks to 
  alchemical preservatives. The wine in those vases was 
  made from jungle berries and dezullon juices and is 
  particularly strong. Each vase is worth 500 gp.
  D15. FEAST HALL 
  MODERATE 16
  Four long stone tables dominate this room, though parts of 
  them have crumbled onto the floor. Carvings on the walls 
  depict xulgaths wearing bone and gold jewelry. They sit 
  around a stone table, gorging upon a flayed but still-living 
  quadruped dinosaur with a long neck and an even longer 
  tail. Several round bottles of volcanic glass also sit on the 
  table in the picture.
  In honor of their hungering god, high-ranking 
  xulgaths celebrated successful hunts and religious 
  festivals with feasts in this room.
  Creatures: Four golems that Dyzallin left behind 
  as Qormintur’s bodyguards are stationed in the feast 
  hall. These golems are sculpted to resemble armored 
  drow warriors carrying elven curve blades.
  DROW BODYGUARD GOLEMS (4) 
  CREATURE 14
  Variant elite iron golems (Pathfinder Bestiary 6, 188)
  Initiative Perception +23
  Melee � iron sword +30 (forceful, magical, reach 10 feet), 
  Damage 3d10+14 slashing
  Treasure: Various ancient kitchen utensils are lying 
  about on the tables and in other parts of the room. 
  Most are broken or are otherwise of no value, but 
  some of the surviving utensils hint at the opulence that 
  was once standard here. Anyone Searching the area 
  finds four cups, made from xulgath skulls with rubies 
  for eyes, worth 250 gp each; a set of jade spoons and 
  goblets worth 800 gp; a drinking vessel made from a 
  triceratops horn with a golden stand worth 500 gp; 
  and three obsidian bottles inlaid with golden script 
  worth 150 gp each.
  D16. HIGH PRIEST’S QUARTERS 
  SEVERE 16
  This luxurious apartment has three ascending levels. The 
  room is decorated with ornately carved stone benches, 
  desks of polished granite in beautiful colors, and 
  ornamental columns with carvings of religious imagery. 
  Notes, maps, and plans have been laid out across the 
  desks. The double doors leading out of this room are 
  elaborately carved with a single twisting tentacle ending 
  in a sharp talon.
  The pyramid’s highest-ranking priest lived in this 
  room. The high priest of Xul-Khundur was one of 
  the most influential people of the ancient xulgath 
  empire, who commanded hundreds of subjects—
  witch-priests, warriors, and commoners alike. As 
  many different xulgaths occupied this lofty position, 
  this room was used by many xulgaths throughout 
  Xul-Khundur’s history. This room sometimes held 
  personal slaves, extensive collections of musical 
  instruments, or fine pottery, but its last occupant 
  removed nearly all items of value from it. An old 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  enchantment on the room’s door to ensure privacy 
  obscures any noise from the feast hall outside.
  After Dyzallin’s forces seized the aeon orb from the 
  shrine at the top of the pyramid (area D2), Dyzallin 
  brought the orb here to study it. Most of the notes, 
  maps, and plans scattered around the desks relate to the 
  orb, but they are haphazardly organized; Qormintur 
  has been cross-checking and annotating them. These 
  notes refer to the author—Dyzallin Shraen—many 
  times, so if the heroes haven’t yet realized who led the 
  forces that recently came to the pyramid, these notes 
  make his identity clear.
  Reading the Notes: A hero who spends 2d4 hours 
  studying the notes can attempt a DC 27 Arcana, 
  Occultism, or relevant Lore check to Decipher Writing 
  (DC 22 if the hero can read Elven or Undercommon). 
  On a success, they discover one of the following 
  pieces of information that they haven’t yet acquired. 
  On a critical success, the hero discovers two pieces 
  of information. On a critical failure, the hero 
  misunderstands a passage—you should provide a false 
  piece of information of your own invention. 
  Plans for the Orb: One year ago, Dyzallin wrote, 
  “The mysterious orb is mentioned in many ancient 
  texts, and I’m sure it’s somehow connected to the 
  history of this vault. There must be something about 
  the orb that makes the worms thrive. My enemies can’t 
  know what I’m looking for. Qormintur has proven 
  her discretion time and again, so she’ll lead my forces 
  at the pyramid. If I can amplify and change the orb’s 
  power, I can seize control of the cave worms in Shraen. 
  And once I control the worms, I can overthrow my 
  rivals in the city. Zyra and Nyrinda won’t realize 
  what’s happening until it’s too late.”
  Unlocking its Power: Three months ago, Dyzallin 
  wrote, “I have the orb, but the stubborn thing won’t 
  reveal its power to me. Qormintur can proceed to clear 
  the other chambers here in the pyramid. There must 
  be an answer here somewhere. The xulgaths harnessed 
  the orb to serve their primitive religion, so they must 
  have known how to access its powers. Their secrets 
  will be mine.”
  Dyzallin Departs: Two months ago, Dyzallin wrote, 
  “The small worm proved to be a disappointment. It 
  lacks the natural instincts of cave worms, and the orb 
  doesn’t seem to have any effect on it. I must return 
  to Shraen to continue my studies in my laboratory. 
  I’ll leave Qormintur in charge of the pyramid; 
  she can continue to unearth whatever secrets the 
  pyramid still harbors. I leave the worm for her 
  personal amusement.”
  Creatures: Dyzallin’s seneschal Qormintur is 
  usually in this room. She runs the operations at the 
  pyramid while Dyzallin is away, continuing to study 
  the pyramid’s secrets. It has been several months since 
  Dyzallin’s departure, and Qormintur hasn’t heard back 
  from her master. She is starting to doubt whether the 
  orb can control the worms after all, and she’s reaching 
  the same conclusion that Dyzallin made quite some 
  time ago—that the secrets of the orb aren’t actually 
  here in Xul-Khundur at all.
  Qormintur isn’t alone here. An elite iron golem 
  remains near at hand to serve as her personal 
  bodyguard, and four undead driders attend to any 
  errands around the pyramid that Qormintur doesn’t 
  want to handle personally. None of these companions 
  are interesting conversationalists, and the once-diligent 
  duergar is now making only a token effort to maintain 
  the appearance of working toward Dyzallin’s goals. 
  Most of the time, she is keeping herself slightly 
  inebriated with ancient wine taken from the cellar 
  (area D14).
  The heroes’ sudden arrival offers a welcome 
  change of pace for the bored Qormintur, who 
  looks strangely delighted to see them. In Dwarven, 
  she utters, “Finally, a challenge,” before starting to 
  toss bombs at the heroes. The other creatures rush 
  to engage the heroes, screening Qormintur from 
  the intruders. Qormintur hurls bombs with vigor, 
  heedless of whether she catches her allies in the splash 
  if it means she can catch multiple enemies. The golem 
  and the undead driders all fight until destroyed, but 
  the duergar isn’t so willing to die for her master. If 
  Qormintur is reduced to fewer than 60 Hit Points 
  and all of her guards are destroyed, she surrenders. 
  She flatly refuses to return to Shraen—as she knows 
  the gruesome fates that await traitors—but she tells 
  the heroes what she knows about Dyzallin’s plans in 
  exchange for her freedom. 
  QORMINTUR 
  CREATURE 16
  Page 90
  Initiative Perception +29
  DROW BODYGUARD GOLEM 
  CREATURE 14
  Page 40
  Initiative Perception +23
  DEATH DRIDERS (4) 
  CREATURE 13
  Page 35
  Initiative Perception +24
  Treasure: Qormintur keeps a major cognitive 
  mutagen here in case she needs it during her research.
  XP Award: Award the heroes 10 XP for each piece 
  of information they discover from Dyzallin’s notes.
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  In Xul-Khundur, the heroes learned that Dyzallin 
  Shraen took the aeon orb from the pyramid to the 
  city of Shraen. The heroes must travel approximately 
  300 miles east across the Black Desert and enter the 
  ominous, ruined city of Shraen to confront Dyzallin.
  If the heroes successfully negotiated with war 
  champion Kharostan in Chapter 1 and agreed to let 
  Thaxon accompany them during their exploration of 
  the Cradle of Worms, Thaxon departs when the heroes 
  start their journey toward Shraen. Before leaving, she 
  says, “Kharostan will be pleased when I tell him of 
  Xul-Khundur. May your journey be successful.”
  Two days after she leaves, a group of urdefhans 
  mounted on skavelings approaches the heroes openly. 
  Thaxon is among them. She presents the heroes with 
  a gift from Kharostan: three exquisite necklaces of 
  mithral and platinum. Each bears the image of a fly 
  escaping a spider’s web. 
  “Urdefhans have long warred against the drow of Shraen 
  and are not welcome there. But we know what they value, 
  and these necklaces were once theirs. You will need items 
  to trade to establish yourself in the city. The drow will find 
  these desirable.”
  Thaxon doesn’t realize that the necklaces are more 
  than they appear to be. Kharostan’s dominator advisors 
  have magically altered the necklaces to be receptive to 
  their Eyes of the Enthralled ability (page 83), allowing 
  them to spy on Shraen remotely. The dominators hope 
  the heroes sell the necklaces in Shraen so that the 
  enchanted jewelry might end up in the hands of—or, 
  better yet, around the throats of—influential drow. 
  This magical tampering has been carefully concealed 
  to avoid raising suspicions. The necklaces don’t register 
  as magical to a detect magic spell of less than 10th level, 
  although spells designed to pierce illusions (such as true 
  CHAPTER 3:  
  CITY IN DUST
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  seeing) or rituals such as legend lore can reveal that a recent magical effect 
  allows distant creatures to observe the area around the necklaces. 
  The 
  journey 
  to 
  Shraen 
  is 
  straightforward. The heroes 
  soon spot trails in the desert 
  worn 
  down 
  by 
  passing 
  caravans. 
  You 
  can 
  place 
  additional encounters on the 
  way, or the heroes can reach 
  Shraen without incident. 
  Treasure: Each of the three 
  necklaces is worth 250 gp for its 
  excellent craftsmanship; they are particularly prized 
  in the Antiquities Quarter of Shraen (page 64).
  Shraen
  Shraen is an ancient city originally built by xulgaths 
  seven millennia ago. Once known as Xul-Varathun, 
  the city was the first and greatest xulgath stronghold 
  in Vask. When the vault of Vask became an irradiated 
  desert, the city was abandoned until the exiled drow 
  house of Shraen arrived 4,000 years ago. The undead 
  drow remain the undisputed masters of the city.
  Architecturally, the city is a blend of xulgath construction like that 
  at Xul-Khundur, drow-designed towers, crude slave-built fortifications, 
  and ancient styles strangely similar to ancient Osirian necropolises. Each 
  of these styles is separated by millennia, giving the city an unusually 
  timeless aesthetic.
  Although the majority of Shraen’s inhabitants are living creatures—
  primarily duergar, deep gnomes, and other subterranean ancestries—the 
  few drow on the streets command a palpable aura of authority. Most of 
  these drow are obviously undead, and even those who seem alive are most 
  often undead masquerading as the living for their own purposes. Enslaved 
  humanoids are, by far, the most numerous of the city’s inhabitants, 
  constantly at work building walls, repairing buildings, hauling goods, 
  keeping the city clean, and performing other tasks the drow consider 
  beneath their status. Slaves accompanying their drow masters are seen as 
  little more than cattle, providing precious blood and delicious life force 
  for the hungry dead.
  The overall attitude of most in Shraen is one of numb resignation. 
  The slaves endure their drudgery with little hope of change; merchants 
  transact their business with little delight; and the drow are, for the most 
  part, unwilling to upset the status quo. Most living creatures are afflicted 
  to some degree by blightburn sickness.
  For a city of the undead, Shraen is surprisingly accommodating to the 
  living. The city’s Central District is filled with inns, restaurants, shops, 
  and tenements used by the city’s living inhabitants. Only urdefhans, 
  ghouls, and other enemies of Shraen are forbidden to enter the city (and 
  are attacked on sight). Foreigners aren’t uncommon, so residents are used 
  to gruffly warning newcomers about activities that might get them in 
  trouble. Unless the heroes go out of their way to cause mayhem or pester 
  the aristocratic drow, they can spend time in Shraen largely unbothered. 
  More information on Shraen can be found in the gazetteer (page 60).
  CHAPTER 3 SYNOPSIS
  After searching the 
  pyramid of Xul-Khundur, 
  the heroes know they 
  must travel to Shraen 
  to get the aeon orb from 
  the undead drow Dyzallin 
  Shraen. Once in Shraen, the 
  heroes soon learn Dyzallin is 
  feared and respected in the city, but 
  he also has many rivals. They can 
  negotiate with Dyzallin’s enemies to 
  gain valuable information, resources, 
  and other help in defeating the drow 
  mummy. The heroes can then 
  storm Dyzallin’s tower and 
  claim the aeon orb.
  CHAPTER 3 
  TREASURE
  The permanent and consumable 
  items available as treasure in 
  Chapter 3 are as follows.
  • +3 greater striking dancing ghost 
  touch rapier 
  • +2 greater resilient standard-grade 
  elven chain 
  • +2 greater striking hand crossbow 
  • brimstone fumes
  • circlet of persuasion
  • dispelling sliver
  • life’s last breath
  • major healing potion 
  • nightmare vapor
  • purple worm venom
  • reflecting shield
  • scroll of heroism (9th)
  • scroll of maze
  • scroll of unrelenting observation 
  • wand of manifold missiles (7th)
  Shraen Necklace
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  ARRIVAL
  As the heroes come within sight of Shraen, read or 
  paraphrase the following.
  In the distance, a city of tall spires, pyramids, and 
  numerous faint but colorful lights rises far above the 
  seemingly endless expanse of black sand. Large portions 
  of the ancient-looking city lie in ruins, but some districts 
  appear to have been partially rebuilt. Even now, scores 
  of people are repairing defensive walls in some of the 
  best-preserved districts of the city. Lumbering zombies 
  carry heavy loads of building materials, while living slaves 
  wearing painful-looking chokers work together to place 
  heavy stone blocks into broken walls. 
  A duergar caravan riding on giant beetles enters the city 
  gate above a rocky stream bed. A group of ten guards is 
  standing at the gates—some alive, some plainly undead. 
  The guards stop the caravan, then quickly wave it in.
  If the heroes approach the gates, one of the living 
  guards (a scarred human named Jerthross) greets them. 
  He speaks Undercommon at first, but switches to 
  Common if the heroes don’t seem to understand.
  “Come on, get in, don’t tarry now. We want to keep this 
  area clear so we can close the gates if the daemon-spawn 
  bastards attack again. First time here, no? Are you here 
  for slaves? Art, antiques, artifacts? Or are you performers, 
  perhaps? Right this way, get in already! Remember to 
  stay within the Central District if you’d like to continue 
  breathing. The drow and their agents are always looking 
  for reasons to make more corpses—they get more zombie 
  slaves that way.”
  If the heroes question the guards, Jerthross agrees 
  to talk to them once they’ve passed through the city 
  gates. Other guards within the city can also answer 
  the heroes’ inquiries. The following are answers to 
  questions the heroes are likely to ask.
  What are the city districts? “You really aren’t from 
  around here, are you? Breathers like you and me 
  aren’t allowed to walk freely. Not to mention that 
  you’re also outsiders. We have to stay in this Central 
  District. It’s not so bad; there's markets, shops, and 
  even entertainment. It’s the administrative center, too. 
  The city’s leaders spend much of their time in the 
  Central Pyramid. The Lost District is the abandoned 
  neighborhoods to the north and west. The Forbidden 
  District is to the east, and it’s where most of the drow 
  in charge live. Unless you’re a drow, you don’t go 
  there. Outside of them, it's only influential traders or 
  performers who get official permission to enter.”
  Who are the leaders of Shraen? / Who are Zyra and 
  Nyrinda Shraen? “Zyra and Nyrinda Shraen are the 
  drow sisters who run this city. Almost nothing happens 
  without their say. They reside in the Central Pyramid. 
  You can see the tip of it from here—nice, eh?”
  Where does the slave trade happen? “The House of 
  Chains in the Central District is where they sell slaves 
  from the corrals.”
  Where can we trade in art, antiques, or magic items? 
  “The Antiquities Quarter in the Central District is 
  where you can buy and sell all kinds of wares.”
  Where can we perform for an audience? “Ooh, 
  performers, eh? There’s an amphitheater called Red 
  Circus in the Central District. They stage gladiatorial 
  fights with slaves and beasts from the corrals, perform 
  plays, and provide other entertainment there.”
  Where can we find Dyzallin Shraen? “Dyzallin 
  Shraen? Yeah, you’re probably talking about the 
  mummy in his high tower. You can see it from here. 
  Very tall. You won’t get anywhere near it, though, 
  as it’s located in the Forbidden District. You’d need 
  official permission; they attack intruders on sight.”
  INFLUENCE POINTS
  When the heroes arrive in Shraen, they are considered 
  by the drow to be not only outsiders, but also inferior 
  because they’re living creatures. They’re only tolerated 
  because they bring in wealth and knowledge. 
  Influence Points measure how well the heroes are 
  received by the undead society of Shraen. The party 
  starts with 0 Influence Points and can earn more 
  though trade and successful performances, as indicated 
  in individual areas. At your discretion, you may award 
  Influence Points for other actions favored by the city’s 
  dignitaries. The heroes can gain Zyra and Nyrinda 
  Shraen’s permission to take action against Dyzallin 
  Shraen only once they have 13 Influence Points. 
  Additionally, the locals in the Central District are more 
  respectful toward the heroes as the party earns more 
  Influence Points, as described below.
  Fewer than 4 Influence Points: Non-drow look away or 
  stare in disdain and have an initial attitude of unfriendly. 
  The heroes are beneath the notice of the drow.
  5–9 Influence Points: Non-drow are curious about the 
  heroes and have an initial attitude of indifferent. The 
  heroes remain beneath the notice of the drow.
  10–14 Influence Points: Non-drow consider the heroes 
  good people to know, and have an initial attitude of 
  friendly. Drow might occasionally nod a greeting, but 
  have an initial attitude of unfriendly.
  15 or More Influence Points: Non-drow remain friendly, 
  and drow have an initial attitude of indifferent.
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  ACQUIRING INFLUENCE
  The heroes should soon realize that they must 
  earn an audience with the city’s 
  leaders, to gain access to Dyzallin's 
  tower and move against him. They 
  must accumulate enough Influence 
  Points to do so, and this should 
  guide their activities in Shraen. The 
  heroes can visit the following useful 
  locations in any order. 
  THE ACHING BONES
  The Aching Bones provides some of the best 
  food, drink, and lodging in the Central District; 
  travelers looking for a place to stay are 
  directed to this sprawling inn and 
  tavern. Its construction is as 
  much of a melange as the rest 
  of the city; its stone floor is 
  gouged with old grooves of 
  inscrutable purpose, its stone 
  walls carved with xulgath 
  iconography, and its roof 
  made of expensive imported 
  wood. The inn’s proprietor, 
  Haminkar Onshan, is a grim 
  dhampir known for his gallows 
  humor. He provides accommodations for comfortable 
  or fine costs of living (Core Rulebook 294). Haminkar 
  is used to directing newcomers around the city and can 
  share the same information as the guard Jerthross (page 
  44). Haminkar can also discreetly let the heroes know 
  the sort of reputation they have in the city (letting them 
  know the effects of their current number of Influence 
  Points), help guide the heroes to locations where they 
  might earn more influence, and inform them when 
  they’ve earned enough influence for an audience at the 
  Central Pyramid. Haminkar doesn’t want to run afoul 
  of the drow rulers of the city, however, so he makes 
  it very clear that heroes who run into trouble aren’t 
  welcome in his establishment.
  THE RED CIRCUS
  One of the main attractions in the Central District for 
  locals and visitors alike is the amphitheater known 
  as the Red Circus. When the heroes approach the 
  Red Circus for the first time (and each pay the 5 gp 
  entrance fee), read or paraphrase the following.
  Larger than the biggest big top, the Red Circus stands out 
  among the Central District’s buildings. The gigantic oval 
  bowl is built into multiple tiers that contain hundreds of 
  seats, and it’s currently hosting a gladiatorial match. The 
  audience roars as two warriors—a nimble dero and a warty, 
  purple-skinned troll—face off against each other. The dero 
  seems to be the better combatant, ducking and 
  dodging the troll’s huge claws with ease. 
  Suddenly, as the smaller fighter is launching 
  into a series of attacks, the troll trips on 
  his own feet and accidentally crushes 
  the smaller combatant beneath a flailing 
  fist, ending the fight in a splatter of blood and 
  cheers from the audience.
  The arena master, Zavizik Shraen, is a 
  lich, but he uses illusions to appear alive, 
  in the form of a beautiful, youthful drow 
  gentleman. He recognizes the heroes 
  as newcomers and greets 
  them politely. Zavizik 
  realizes they’re likely 
  skilled combatants—
  can
  groups
  few
  survive the trek to 
  Shraen without some 
  skill—but
  martial
  he’s positively delighted if he learns 
  that the heroes are also circus performers. 
  Zavizik makes elaborate promises of the 
  riches and fame that the heroes can earn in his arena 
  and provides them opportunities for performances 
  and gladiatorial fights.
  Performances
  The heroes can Earn Income in the Red Circus, 
  either by using Performance or a trick check of the 
  hero’s signature trick (to represent Performing the 
  Trick multiple times for a variety of audiences). 
  These are 17th-level tasks with a DC of 36, and 
  each run of performances takes a week of downtime. 
  Multiple heroes can Earn Income in the Red Circus 
  simultaneously. These checks not only earn currency 
  but also Influence Points based on the total amount 
  earned by the entire party in the Red Circus, as follows. 
  After earning 5 Influence Points in this way, the heroes 
  can earn more money but not further Influence Points.
  Total Income Earned 
  Influence Points
  300 gp 
  1
  600 gp 
  2
  900 gp 
  3
  1,200 gp 
  4
  2,400 gp 
  5
  XP Award: Award the heroes 30 XP for each 
  Influence Point earned.
  Zavizik Shraen
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  Gladiatorial Fights 
  Zavizik usually organizes fights between slaves 
  and horrific creatures, but traveling fighters also 
  occasionally battle in his arena.
  Creatures: The heroes can choose to fight a gang of 
  captured urdefhan raiders who fight in exchange for 
  their freedom, a pair of specially-bred gogiteths, or a 
  single mukradi. The heroes can fight each group only 
  once and must also determine how many heroes will 
  participate in each encounter: the party earns more 
  Influence Points if they win with fewer participants. 
  Heroes who aren’t in the fight can cast preparatory 
  spells that last through the battle, but if they cast spells 
  or attack during the fight, they’re considered to be part 
  of the fight for determining Influence Points earned. 
  The heroes should not know at which point a fight no 
  longer wins them Influence Points.
  URDEFHAN HUNTERS (4) 
  CREATURE 12
  Page 82
  Initiative Perception +26
  Influence Points The heroes earn 2 Influence Points 
  for defeating these foes if only one of them fights, 1 
  Influence Point if two heroes fight, and no Influence 
  Points if more than two heroes fight.
  ELITE GOGITETHS (2) 
  CREATURE 13
  Pathfinder Bestiary 6, 183
  Initiative Perception +23
  Influence Points The heroes earn 3 Influence Points 
  for defeating these foes if only one of them fights, 2 
  Influence Points if two heroes fight, and 1 Influence 
  Point if more than two heroes fight.
  MUKRADI 
  CREATURE 15
  Pathfinder Bestiary 239
  Initiative Perception +24
  Influence Points The heroes earn 4 Influence Points for 
  defeating this foe if only one of them fights, 3 Influence 
  Points if two heroes fight, and 2 Influence Points if more 
  than two heroes fight.
  XP Award: Instead of the usual XP awards for 
  defeating these foes, award the heroes 30 XP for each 
  Influence Point earned.
  Returning Khufar
  It’s unlikely that the heroes were able to get the tiefling 
  soldier Khufar out of the Spear Hill camp; Kharostan 
  has no reason to let the prisoner go, no matter how 
  good his relationship with the heroes is. But if the heroes 
  were able to liberate Khufar in some way and bring him 
  back here to the Red Circus, Zavizik greets the returned 
  Khufar like a prodigal son. Although this seems like 
  a happy reunion, Zavizik wants to keep Khufar close 
  until he can trawl the tiefling’s memory for any scrap of 
  information about the Spear Hill camp—information 
  he intends to sell to Zyra and Nyrinda Shraen.
  Regardless, the heroes receive 3 Influence Points for 
  returning Khufar to Zavizik.
  Other Performers
  Once the heroes have earned at least 5 Influence 
  Points in the Red Circus, some of the other performers 
  begin to warm up to them. Two of them, in particular, 
  consider throwing in their fortunes with the heroes.
  Rotglimmer is a fungus leshy whose spore clouds 
  have euphoric, hallucinogenic effects. He’s been 
  successful in gladiatorial matches so far, but only 
  because he’s been matched against foes susceptible to 
  his spores. He’s heard rumors that Zavizik is planning 
  to match him against a golem, and he worries he’ll lose. 
  Rotglimmer doesn’t have much hope of navigating 
  the Black Desert alone, so he’s eager to leave with 
  the heroes. If they ask Rotglimmer to wait for them 
  when they go off to the Forbidden District, he does 
  so, but if the heroes take more than 3 days to return, 
  Rotglimmer is killed in battle with the stone golem. If 
  the heroes bring the leshy back with them, he’s happy 
  to entertain crowds with silly jigs and euphoric spores; 
  the party gains access to the Tumbling Toadstool trick 
  on the inside cover of this adventure.
  Xhamlach is a caligni stalker who has worked in 
  the Red Circus as an acrobat, dancer, and aerialist for 
  nearly a year. Her natural wanderlust compels her to 
  seek out new opportunities, and she latches onto the 
  heroes as people who can provide a new outlet for her 
  talents. Xhamlach is also an inveterate libertine, and 
  she’s exhausted the opportunities for lovers in the Red 
  Circus—another fine reason, she thinks, to move on. 
  If it helps her cause to attach herself romantically to 
  a hero, Xhamlach attempts to do so. She’s unlikely to 
  simply stay put until the heroes come back for her, as 
  Rotglimmer does, and might follow the heroes around 
  when they leave the Red Circus. If the heroes accept 
  Xhamlach into the Circus of Wayward Wonders, they 
  gain access to the Shrouded Aerialist trick on the inside 
  cover of this adventure.
  XP Award: Award the heroes 30 XP for each 
  performer who joins their circus.
  ANTIQUITIES QUARTER
  The mercantile heart of the Central District is the 
  Antiquities Quarter. Here, the heroes find many small 
  shops with owners interested in buying and selling almost 
  every kind of item imaginable, including ones that most 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  cities consider immoral or illegal. Although items up to 
  15th level are for sale anywhere in the Central District, 
  items up to 18th level are available in the shops 
  of the Antiquities Quarter (including the 
  items and spell scrolls from the Adventure 
  Toolbox beginning on page 73), as long as 
  the heroes spend some time hunting around 
  and succeed at a DC 34 Society check.
  The party can earn Influence Points 
  as canny traders by doing business in 
  the Antiquities Quarter. Each item they 
  purchase for at least 4,000 gp earns 
  1 Influence Point. They can also gain 
  Influence Points for selling certain items, 
  as follows. 
  • The heroes earn 1 Influence Point for 
  each blightburn ward they sell, as 
  these items are particularly useful. 
  • The heroes earn 1 Influence 
  Point for each item they sell 
  for at least 1,000 gp that 
  wasn’t acquired in Shraen; 
  expensive foreign items are 
  valued for their rarity.
  • The heroes earn 1 Influence Point 
  for each of the drow necklaces 
  acquired 
  from 
  Thaxon 
  that 
  they sell, as these have historical 
  and sentimental value to House 
  Shraen. If the heroes identified the enchantment 
  the urdefhans placed on the necklaces, they’re 
  worth even more, as canny buyers can use them to 
  mislead their urdefhan enemies. In this case, each 
  necklace sells for 500 gp rather than 250 gp and 
  earns the heroes 2 Influence Points rather than 1.
  The heroes can earn up to 8 Influence Points in 
  the Antiquities Quarter. After that, they’ve firmly 
  established themselves as big spenders (although they 
  can continue to buy and sell goods).
  A lanky drow vampire named Lavikar Shraen owns 
  at least some portion of every shop in the Antiquities 
  Quarter, and he claims to gain as much nourishment 
  from making a good deal as he does from drinking 
  blood. If the heroes gain at least 5 Influence Points in 
  the Antiquities Quarter, Lavikar introduces himself 
  and asks the heroes their business, although he doesn’t 
  expect the heroes to tell him the truth. He answers 
  their questions, as follows. 
  What do you know about Dyzallin Shraen? “He often 
  sends an aide here to buy magic items, particularly 
  rarities. His duergar seneschal Qormintur usually took 
  care of that for him, but I haven’t seen her for months 
  now. He’s been asking about particular kind of magical 
  orbs, but as much I hate to admit it, my knowledge has 
  its limits. He’s been holed up in his tower, and I expect 
  he’s working on some new breakthrough in 
  his arcane research.”
  How can we find Dyzallin? 
  “I think he’s mostly been in his 
  tower this past month. Unless 
  he shows up here in the Central 
  District, you have to find a way 
  to enter the Forbidden District. 
  Zyra or Nyrinda are probably 
  the only ones who can help you 
  with that.”
  Can you get us an audience 
  with Zyra and Nyrinda Shraen? 
  “I know Nyrinda and will let her 
  know you wish to meet with 
  her and her sister. However, 
  I alone am not powerful 
  enough 
  to 
  persuade 
  them, so I suggest you 
  also try to befriend other 
  influential House members. 
  Talk to Zavizik at the Red Circus.”
  XP Award: Award the heroes 10 XP 
  for each Influence Point they earn in the 
  Antiquities Quarter.
  THE HOUSE OF CHAINS
  The slave market known as the House of Chains in 
  the Central District is one of Shraen’s main attractions 
  for unscrupulous visitors. Read or paraphrase the 
  following if the heroes enter the House of Chains.
  A steady stream of undead drow with their retinues of 
  enslaved house guards and servants walk through the 
  House of Chains, a multi-level structure with numerous 
  arcades lined with holding cells, most filled with creatures 
  of every sort. Lines painted on the ground warn visitors 
  against going too near the cages.
  A slaver’s assistant beckons to visitors, shouting, 
  “Looking for strong laborers? Come this way! Looking 
  to bolster your house guard with fearless fighters? Or 
  gladiators for the Red Circus? Right that way! House 
  servants, entertainment, or cattle? Over there!”
  The slaves here are all pitiable and terrified, and 
  most are drained and sickened from blightburn 
  sickness. In this dire circumstance, their only hope is 
  to enter the service of someone who will keep them 
  healthy. A bestial-looking drow wight named Caiborn 
  Shraen is in charge of the House of Chains. To gain an 
  audience with Caiborn, the heroes may need to feign 
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  an interest in buying or selling slaves; Caiborn likes to 
  meet all new customers in person. The following are 
  the wight's answers to questions the heroes are likely 
  to ask.
  What do you know about Dyzallin Shraen? 
  “Dyzallin? Why are you asking about him? He’s 
  dangerous, so don’t be fools. Unlike his political rivals, 
  he can easily get rid of you.”
  How can we find Dyzallin? “You won’t, unless you 
  get invited to the Forbidden District. Your best bet is 
  to talk to Zyra and Nyrinda in the Central Pyramid. 
  But if you want my advice, you should get out of 
  Shraen before you get yourselves killed.”
  Can you get us an audience with Zyra 
  and Nyrinda Shraen? “I’ll let them 
  know you’re interested in 
  meeting them, but that’s as 
  far as I’ll go. It’s up to 
  you to ensure you’ve 
  got a good enough reputation 
  that they’ll agree to see you.”
  Shajrah the Shifter: When 
  the heroes visit the House 
  of Chains, a middle-aged 
  human woman named Shajrah notices 
  them and tries to get their attention. Shajrah is from 
  the surface, and she recognizes the heroes as fellow 
  surface-dwellers. She encourages the heroes to free 
  her, insisting that she has several useful skills, although 
  she’s plainly suffering from blightburn sickness. If 
  the heroes press Shajrah for more information, she 
  admits to being a doppelganger who was captured 
  by slavers elsewhere in the Darklands. She hasn’t yet 
  revealed her nature to her captors in the hopes she can 
  use her abilities to escape. Shajrah is a rarity among 
  doppelgangers, in that she has some rakshasa heritage 
  and isn’t limited to humanoid shapes. She can Change 
  Shape into Large or smaller animals, appearing as any 
  of the forms accessible through the aerial form and 
  animal form spells. Unfortunately, she can’t shrink 
  small enough to escape her cage and isn’t skilled 
  enough to pick the cage’s superior lock.
  The heroes might have any number of methods to 
  free Shajrah once they know her secret (for example, 
  having her transform into a harmless-looking animal 
  and insisting the prisoner has escaped, or having her 
  resemble one of the city’s drow). These efforts generally 
  require a successful DC 34 Deception check, although 
  you can modify this DC (or even do away with a 
  skill check entirely) if the heroes devise a particularly 
  cunning plan. The most straightforward method to free 
  Shajrah might be to pay for her freedom under the guise 
  of purchasing her as a slave; Caiborn insists he won’t 
  sell Shajrah for less than 2,000 gp, but with a successful 
  DC 36 Deception or Diplomacy check, a hero can 
  convince him to reduce the price to 400 
  gp because of her ill health.
  Shajrah is grateful to the 
  heroes for rescuing her, no 
  matter how they do so. 
  If she learns the heroes 
  run a circus, she asks to 
  be a performer. Shajrah 
  is happy to wait in 
  Shraen for the heroes to 
  conclude their business 
  and is very grateful if 
  the heroes can cure her 
  blightburn 
  sickness. 
  If the heroes accept 
  Shajrah into the Circus 
  of Wayward Wonders, they 
  gain access to the Amazing 
  Transforming Woman trick 
  on the inside cover.
  XP Award: Award the 
  heroes 30 XP if Shajrah joins 
  their circus.
  MEETING ZYRA AND NYRINDA SHRAEN
  The drow lich Zyra Shraen and her sister, the drow 
  vampire Nyrinda Shraen, rule the city. They have the 
  final word on most important decisions and matters 
  that concern the whole city, such as coordinating 
  the city’s efforts to exterminate the urdefhans, who 
  frequently attempt to take the city by force. They have 
  many rivals in Shraen, and Dyzallin is one of the most 
  powerful among them.
  Sooner or later, the heroes are likely to seek 
  an audience with Zyra and Nyrinda, particularly 
  when they learn that Dyzallin is working against 
  them and that they need the rulers’ permission to 
  enter the Forbidden District. The sisters reside in 
  Shraen’s Central Pyramid, which serves as the city’s 
  administrative center. Although they each have homes 
  in the Forbidden District as well, they are rarely there.
  As the heroes approach the Central Pyramid, guards 
  quickly move to prevent them from entering. The 
  guard unit includes nine enslaved warriors conditioned 
  to fight without fear and a graveknight captain named 
  Finzad Shraen. The warriors aren’t powerful enough 
  to challenge the heroes, but if you need statistics for 
  Finzad, use those of a Shraen graveknight (page 52) 
  with the elite adjustment (Pathfinder Bestiary 6). 
  Finzad demands that the heroes state their business. 
  If they ask for an audience with Zyra and Nyrinda, 
  Caiborn Shraen
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  or insist that they have important information for the 
  rulers, the captain’s response depends on how many 
  Influence points the party has accrued so far.
  Less Than 8 Influence Points: “They have no time for 
  mortals who aren’t influential traders or entertainers. 
  Go away.”
  9–12 Influence Points: “They’ve heard about you, 
  but they’re quite busy right now. Come back later.” 
  A hero must succeed at a DC 50 Diplomacy check to 
  gain admission, with a circumstance bonus equal to 
  the number of Influence Points the party has accrued.
  13 or More Influence Points: “They’ve been 
  expecting you. Follow me.” The heroes gain admission 
  without needing a Diplomacy check.
  When Finzad escorts them into the Central 
  Pyramid, it’s clear that the pyramid is so large and 
  labyrinthine that the heroes wouldn’t be able to 
  find the leaders on their own. Read or paraphrase 
  the following.
  Within a massive pyramid built from large blocks of 
  stone, long corridors lead into a spacious round chamber 
  decorated with dark-hued furniture. Unusual art carved 
  from smooth blue-black rock is displayed on tables and 
  in curved alcoves. A strange, dim light radiates from 
  globes in the ceiling, bathing the room with a pleasant 
  semi-darkness. Smoke billows forth from unseen holes 
  in the floor, but there’s no acrid smell to go along with it; 
  rather, a sweet scent fills the room. A drow woman walks 
  through the mist with a stiff gait. Her face and body are 
  largely skeletal, her skin thin, parchment-like, and drawn 
  tight around her bones. Two dots of red light peer from 
  her otherwise-hollow eye sockets.
  A shadowy mass of swirling smoke materializes near 
  her, coalescing into a striking drow woman wearing a 
  dark gray silk dress with web-and-skull patterns. Her 
  features look similar to her withered peer, but she looks 
  very much alive, with a warm purple blush on her smooth 
  blue cheeks. Runes tattooed in silvery ink adorn her face 
  and arms. As her lips part to speak, she reveals long, 
  needlelike fangs.
  “I am Nyrinda Shraen, and this is Zyra. You have nerve to 
  come here, mortals. But you have some important business 
  that concerns us? Speak up and be quick about it!” To her 
  right, the skeletal drow nods silently, and the red dots of 
  light from her skull flash momentarily.
  Zyra and Nyrinda Shraen are busy with their 
  administrative duties and are working to preserve 
  their position as leaders of Shraen, but they 
  already suspect the heroes oppose one of their 
  greatest rivals, Dyzallin, and are therefore 
  willing to hear them out. Persuading the two 
  undead leaders to help requires the heroes show that 
  Dyzallin is planning something to upset the status 
  quo in Shraen. Dyzallin’s notes from Xul-Khundur 
  demonstrate this, or the heroes can convince the 
  sisters that Dyzallin is a threat with a successful DC 
  35 Deception or Diplomacy check.
  If the heroes were unable to decipher Dyzallin’s 
  notes or are hesitant to tell the truth, the sisters 
  demand more information. Nyrinda angrily says, “We 
  already know you’re looking for Dyzallin. And why 
  Zyra Shraen
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  exactly is that? What has he done this time? And how 
  does it benefit us if we help you?”
  If the heroes still refuse to give any information, 
  Zyra says to her sister, “If they have nothing useful 
  on Dyzallin, they’re no use to us.” Nyrinda nods and, 
  before dismissing the heroes, growls, “Do not return 
  unless you know something useful.”
  If the sisters are satisfied with the heroes’ answers, 
  read or paraphrase the following.
  Upon hearing of Dyzallin’s treachery, Nyrinda seethes with 
  rage. Ever calm, Zyra speaks: “It is true; what they tell 
  us aligns with what our spies have already said. Dyzallin 
  disappeared without an explanation for several months, 
  and now we know why. He must be stopped, and what 
  better way to do that than to let these mortals do it for 
  us?” Nyrinda steels herself and agrees. “It is decided. 
  We’ll give you a magical seal bearing the symbol of House 
  Shraen. With the seal in your possession, you may enter 
  the Forbidden District. The district guards will know you 
  belong there. Do not be fools and abuse this gift; our laws 
  still apply, and I’m sure many of our kin would love to snuff 
  out your mortal lives if you make a wrong move.”
  Treasure: The seal functions as a dispelling sliver, 
  but the heroes would be wise to avoid using it until 
  their business in the Forbidden District is complete.
  Dyzallin’s Tower
  Eventually, the heroes must confront Dyzallin Shraen 
  in his tower in the Forbidden District to claim 
  the aeon orb. If the heroes bear the seal Nyrinda 
  Shraen provided, they can enter and travel within 
  the Forbidden District safely, so long as they don’t 
  cause any damage or attack any drow in the open. 
  If the heroes are unable to gain an audience with 
  the sisters or are unwilling to seek influence in the 
  city, they may have to enter the Forbidden District 
  without permission. This route may involve fighting 
  or sneaking past waves of powerful district guards 
  who aid Dyzallin.
  Dyzallin built his tower nearly 4,000 years ago, 
  using slave labor and magic to take stone and other 
  building materials from the city’s ruined portions and 
  work them into a tower 350 feet tall that rises high 
  above the city’s skyline. Despite its irregular and top-
  heavy appearance, the tower has stood for millennia.
  E1
  E1
  Down
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  Up
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  E2
  E2
  E3
  E3
  E4
  E4
  E5
  E5
  E6
  E6
  E7
  E7
  Up
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  DYZALLIN’S TOWER
  1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
  
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  FEATURES OF DYZALLIN’S TOWER
  The tower has seven floors, from the luxurious 
  lounge on the ground floor for entertaining guests to 
  Dyzallin’s laboratory at the top. Each floor is a single 
  open area with a 40-foot-high ceiling and a sweeping 
  spiral staircase connecting the levels to each other. 
  These steep stairs are difficult terrain. Climbing the 
  tower’s rough stone walls requires a DC 25 Athletics 
  check to do so, although the tower doesn’t have any 
  points of entry other than the front door. The rooms 
  in the tower are illuminated with pale blue and 
  violet lights that provide normal light.
  If the heroes attempt any method of entry other 
  than just walking in through the doors (such as 
  making a hole in the side of the tower), guards 
  in the Forbidden District interfere. Even if they 
  have a seal, the guards remind the heroes that 
  they aren’t allowed to break into buildings or 
  destroy property.
  E1. ENTRANCE HALL 
  MODERATE 17
  The dark iron double door to the 
  tower opens magically when the 
  heroes approach, as Dyzallin’s 
  arrogance and curiosity compels 
  him to let the heroes enter. He’s 
  convinced they’re looking for the orb, 
  which means he might be able to get some 
  useful information from them about it. 
  Flanked by two rows of columns, a red carpet 
  on the floor leads from the door to a spiral 
  staircase at the northern end of the room. Red 
  and gray banners hang from each column. Two 
  comfortable-looking curved sofas with red silk 
  pillows have been placed near the staircase, and 
  a large mirror facing the entrance is mounted 
  on the wall next to the staircase. Glass cabinets 
  framed in black steel stand against the west 
  and east walls of the room, holding strange, 
  spider-shaped art pieces with bodies built 
  from skulls and legs built from humanoid 
  bones. Four skeletons wearing ice-crusted 
  suits of armor stand motionless in the 
  corners of the room, each with a rapier 
  pointed upward in one hand and a 
  hand crossbow pointed downward 
  in the other.
  Dyzallin expects his guests to wait in this 
  entrance hall until he welcomes them to the 
  upper levels of the tower. The mirror in the 
  entrance hall is a magic device that Dyzallin 
  uses to talk with visitors. If removed from the wall, the 
  mirror loses its magic.
  The skeletons are Dyzallin’s graveknight guards. 
  They know he wants to speak with these intruders, so 
  they don’t attack (or even move) until Dyzallin gives 
  the signal or they are attacked.
  Dyzallin Appears: Shortly after the heroes enter 
  the tower, Dyzallin Shraen uses the magic mirror to 
  project an image of himself in the entrance hall.
  The air within the entrance hall ripples, and a handsome 
  drow man steps out of the mirror on the wall near the 
  staircase. Pieces of the skin on his face and arms 
  begin to flake away as he moves, revealing the 
  dried husk of a skull and withered flesh, 
  but magic seems to repair his skin as 
  it decays. While angrily glancing 
  around the entrance hall, he 
  demands answers in a cold 
  voice. “I know you’ve been 
  looking for me. I know you’re 
  here for the orb. Who are 
  you? Why is the orb so 
  important to you?”
  Shraen Graveknight
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  If the heroes  choose to answer his questions, 
  Dyzallin listens patiently, hoping to learn something that 
  might help him unlock the aeon orb’s secrets, or to help 
  him overcome the heroes if they decide to fight him for 
  it. If the heroes ask him questions, Dyzallin isn’t willing 
  to reveal anything except that he needs the orb for his 
  research. If the heroes attack the image, he gives them a 
  disappointed and incredulous look and says, “Are you 
  serious? This is an illusion, you daft sacks of flesh!”
  As soon as it seems the heroes have nothing more 
  to say that would benefit Dyzallin, he commands 
  his guards to attack. His image steps back into the 
  mirror, and the reflection briefly changes to show 
  Dyzallin’s laboratory. A hero who succeeds at a DC 36 
  Perception check gets a good idea of the general layout 
  of Dyzallin’s laboratory, including the aeon orb in the 
  sphere of crackling energy.
  Creatures: At Dyzallin’s command, the drow 
  graveknights standing in the corners of the room step 
  forward to attack. These guards fight until destroyed.
  SHRAEN GRAVEKNIGHTS (4) 
  CREATURE 15
  CE
  MEDIUM
  UNDEAD
  Drow graveknight (Pathfinder Bestiary 190)
  Perception +26; darkvision
  Languages Elven, Necril, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +31, Intimidation +27, Religion +24, 
  Stealth +27
  Str +4, Dex +8, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +3, Cha +6
  Items +2 greater resilient standard-grade elven chain, hand 
  crossbow (10 bolts), main-gauche, purple worm venom 
  (2), rapier
  AC 37; Fort +25, Ref +27, Will +26; +1 status bonus to all 
  saves vs. magic effects, +2 status bonus to all saves vs. 
  mental effects
  HP 295, negative healing, rejuvenation; Immunities cold, 
  death, disease, paralyzed, poison, sleep, unconscious; 
  Resistances positive 30
  Sacrilegious Aura 30 feet. As graveknight, but with a +24 
  counteract modifier.
  Attack of Opportunity �
  Speed 30 feet
  Melee � greater frost rapier +31 (cold, deadly 2d8, disarm, 
  finesse, magical), Damage 3d6+14 piercing plus 1d6 cold
  Melee � greater frost main-gauche +31 (agile, cold, disarm, 
  finesse, magical, parry, versatile S), Damage 3d4+14 
  piercing plus 1d6 cold
  Melee � fist +29 (agile, cold), Damage 3d6+10 piercing 
  plus 1d6 cold
  Ranged � greater frost hand crossbow +31 (cold, magical, 
  range increment 60 feet, reload 1), Damage 3d6+14 
  piercing plus 1d6 cold and purple worm venom
  Divine Innate Spells DC 36; 4th darkness (at will); 2nd 
  faerie fire (at will); Cantrips (6th) dancing lights
  Devastating Blast � (arcane, cold, evocation) As 
  graveknight, but 8d12 cold and DC 36.
  Graveknight’s Curse As graveknight, but DC 36.
  Heart-Seeking Strike � The Shraen graveknight 
  Steps once then Strikes with its rapier. A creature 
  damaged by the attack must attempt a DC 36 Fortitude 
  save. On a failure, the creature takes 4d6 persistent 
  bleed damage. On a critical failure, the attack pierces 
  the creature’s heart, and the creature dies. 
  Quick Draw � The Shraen graveknight draws a 
  weapon, then Strikes with it.
  Ruinous Weapons As graveknight.
  Weapon Master As graveknight.
  Treasure: One of the gruesome spider 
  sculptures in the cases is squatting over an 
  Stabbing Sentinel
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  iron flask shaped like a pair of warrior angels standing 
  side by side. The flask has two compartments, each 
  accessed by screwing off one of the angel’s heads, 
  although they’re positioned such that a drinker can’t 
  drink from both compartments at the same time. Each 
  compartment contains a major healing potion.
  E2. HALL OF STATUES 
  MODERATE 17
  Many statues carved from stone stand in dynamic 
  postures in this hall. They depict animals, drow, driders, 
  and humanoid creatures of different kinds. Niches built 
  into the walls contain busts depicting drow, most bearing 
  expressions of agony or abject shame.
  This is the first of many halls that Dyzallin built to 
  show off his many victories. Here, he keeps sculptures 
  that depict enemies he has defeated. Some of the statues 
  are sculptures, while others are actually the bodies 
  of defeated enemies turned into stone in their last 
  moments before death. Heroes who succeed at a DC 
  32 Perception check can distinguish between the two. 
  On a critical success, the hero realizes that the statues 
  that were once living creatures have all had their chests, 
  skulls, or other vital parts hollowed out, such that 
  restoring them to flesh doesn’t restore them to life.
  Hazards: Two of the petrified creatures bearing 
  weapons are cleverly concealed traps that lash out 
  whenever a living or undead creature stands adjacent 
  to them.
  STABBING SENTINELS (2) 
  HAZARD 18
  MAGICAL
  MECHANICAL
  TRAP
  Stealth DC 45 (master)
  Description A petrified creature momentarily animates 
  to attack an adjacent creature.
  Disable DC 40 Thievery (master) to remove the animating 
  magic without triggering the trap, or dispel magic 
  (8th level; counteract DC 38) to counteract the 
  animating magic
  AC 41; Fort +36, Ref +27
  Hardness 30; HP 120 (BT 60); Immunities critical hits, object 
  immunities, precision damage
  Animated Attack � (attack, necromancy, transmutation) 
  Trigger A living or undead creature moves within 5 feet of 
  the stabbing sentinel; Effect The stabbing sentinel animates, 
  making one Strike against the triggering creature. 
  Melee blade +38, Damage 6d12+40 piercing plus 
  petrification overcharge
  Petrification Overcharge On a critical hit, the target is 
  petrified for 1 round. Additionally, if another stabbing 
  sentinel has already been triggered, that sentinel 
  immediately resets. If no other stabbing sentinels have 
  been triggered, then another random statue in the room 
  becomes infused with animating magic and becomes 
  another stabbing sentinel hazard (to a maximum of four 
  at a time).
  Reset The magical energy that animates the statue builds 
  up again over 24 hours and the trap resets.
  Creatures: A unique adamantine golem guards 
  this floor. Designed and built by Dyzallin and a 
  Dyzallin’s Golem
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  rival whom Dyzallin later murdered and turned into 
  a statue here, the golem is remarkably compact. It 
  usually stands idly at the far end of the room, but 
  upon noticing the heroes, a menacing red light ignites 
  behind the automaton's artificial eyes as it attacks. 
  The golem fights relentlessly but has no tactical 
  acumen; it simply attacks the nearest foe and fights 
  until destroyed.
  DYZALLIN’S GOLEM 
  CREATURE 18
  Variant adamantine golem (Pathfinder Bestiary 189)
  Initiative Perception +26
  Compact The adamantine golem has been built to resemble 
  a bulky drow elf in full plate armor. It is Large in size and 
  its fist Strike has a reach of 10 feet.
  Treasure: One of the busts resembles an unusual 
  humanoid creature with insect-like features, including 
  two huge, spherical eyes. These spheres are each 
  stoppered glass bottles that pop out of the bust’s eye 
  sockets. One contains a dose of brimstone fumes and 
  the other contains a dose of nightmare vapor. 
  E3. HALL OF MIRRORS 
  MODERATE 17
  The walls of this hall are covered in mirrors, and the 
  granite floor is polished to a mirror sheen. Some of the 
  mirrors are physically or magically warped to make 
  reflections look thinner, taller, shorter, more beautiful, or 
  more hideous.
  A testament to Dyzallin’s vanity, every surface and 
  object in the Hall of Mirrors is some kind of mirror. 
  The four freestanding mirrors in the center of the 
  room are enchanted to make observers look more 
  beautiful than they really are, and these are Dyzallin’s 
  favorites. These beautifying mirrors also function as a 
  surveillance system for Dyzallin to monitor guests. He 
  can use them to project an illusory image, just like in 
  the entrance hall (area E1). When the heroes enter the 
  room, but before they’ve gotten far enough into the 
  room to activate the trap, Dyzallin speaks through 
  the mirror to express his anger.
  The air in the room ripples as the drow from the entrance 
  hall once again appears, stepping through one of the 
  mirrors in the center of the room. With a fierce scowl, he 
  shouts, “Fools! Mortals! What are you trying to achieve? 
  You’ll die here, and I’ll make mindless puppets out of your 
  bodies. You will never get the orb. It is mine! I have already 
  harnessed its power, and soon nothing can stop me! This 
  city will be mine!” After the furious rant, the elf steps back 
  into the mirror and vanishes.
  As before, anyone who succeeds at a DC 36 
  Perception check catches a glimpse of Dyzallin’s 
  laboratory. This time, the electric field around the orb 
  is stronger. 
  Hazard: One of the mirrors in the room is a 
  powerfully evil magic mirror capable of absorbing 
  creatures and replacing them with evil duplicates. If 
  the mirror successfully absorbs a hero, the resulting 
  evil duplicate seems jubilant at having crossed over. 
  The duplicate mocks the heroes as they fight and tells 
  them that they won’t see their friend again.
  IMPERIOUS DARKSIDE MIRROR 
  HAZARD 19
  COMPLEX
  MAGICAL
  MECHANICAL
  TRAP
  Variant darkside mirror (Pathfinder Core Rulebook 528)
  Stealth +32 (legendary) to notice that the mirror isn’t a 
  regular mirror
  Description This magic mirror replaces characters with evil 
  duplicates from another dimension.
  Disable DC 42 Thievery (legendary) to retrieve a creature 
  from the mirror within 10 minutes of the switch (possible 
  only if their mirror duplicate is dead), DC 47 Thievery 
  (master) to permanently disable the mirror once all 
  mirror duplicates are dead, or dispel magic (9th level; 
  counteract DC 40) to counteract the mirror for 1 minute 
  and prevent additional replacements from appearing 
  during that time.
  AC 41; Fort +32, Ref +27
  Hardness 1; HP 4 (BT 2); the mirror can’t be damaged while 
  any mirror duplicate is alive
  Reflection of Evil � (arcane, conjuration, teleportation) 
  Trigger A non-evil creature is reflected in the mirror; 
  Effect The mirror absorbs the creature into the mirror, 
  replacing it with an evil mirror duplicate (DC 42 Reflex to 
  avoid being absorbed into the mirror), and rolls initiative.
  Routine (1 action) The mirror absorbs another reflected 
  creature into the mirror (DC 42 Reflex) and replaces it 
  with a mirror duplicate. Mirror duplicates act on their 
  own initiative, using the same statistics as the original 
  creature, but with an evil alignment (changing only 
  abilities that shift with the alignment change).
  Mirror duplicates are legendary in Intimidation 
  and are permanently quickened, but they can use this 
  additional action only to Demoralize. 
  A mirror duplicate can spend 3 actions in contact 
  with the mirror to return to its original dimension and 
  release the creature it duplicated, but most mirror 
  duplicates prefer not to.
  Reset The mirror is always ready to absorb creatures into 
  another dimension. 10 minutes after a creature is sucked 
  into the mirror, if an ally doesn’t rescue the creature 
  using the Thievery skill, the creature reaches the mirror 
  dimension, where it could be captured or killed. In the 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  mirror dimension, it counts as a mirror duplicate, so the 
  denizens of the other dimension can’t destroy the mirror 
  on their side while the absorbed creature is there. These 
  dimensions are alternate realities, not planes, so even 
  rituals like plane shift can’t reach them.
  Treasure: One of the standing mirrors in the 
  northeast corner of the room is actually a reflecting 
  shield mounted on a stand. A successful DC 31 
  Perception check while Searching this room is 
  required to notice it, as it blends in so well with the 
  other mirrors here.
  E4. HALL OF VOICES 
  MODERATE 17
  Slender columns form a ring around a low, round platform 
  that nearly fills this room. The walls bear a pattern of 
  concave indentations. Even the faintest sounds here 
  resonate and become clearly audible.
  This room is intended for musical performances, 
  one of Dyzallin’s idle interests. Dyzallin selected the 
  materials for the interior walls carefully to enhance 
  the room’s acoustic qualities, and he used magic to 
  further improve the sound. Creatures in the room gain 
  a +2 circumstance bonus to auditory Performance 
  checks and take a –4 circumstance penalty to Stealth 
  checks to Sneak or Hide.
  Creatures: The restless spirits of two drow sisters, 
  Ciza and Nihiris Shraen, inhabit this floor. They 
  became banshees after their deaths during House 
  Shraen’s exodus to the Black Desert. They were 
  betrayed by a faction within the house, and to this 
  day, they remain unsure who arranged their murder. 
  Although the sisters now serve Dyzallin, they’ve 
  come to suspect that the Sunscar Oath faction 
  he leads was actually to blame. Dyzallin 
  has been coy about denying his faction’s 
  involvement, which makes them 
  all the more convinced he was 
  somehow involved. Although 
  the banshees hate all living 
  things, they hate Dyzallin 
  even more. They are willing 
  to talk to the heroes if it 
  seems they can be used to get 
  some overdue revenge.
  Initially, the banshees are 
  curious about the heroes, 
  who are obviously unusual 
  visitors 
  even 
  by 
  Dyzallin’s 
  standards. The sisters are no 
  fools; they recognize that the 
  heroes are unannounced guests and thus likely to be 
  Dyzallin’s enemies. Regardless, they are willing to talk 
  for a few minutes if the heroes understand Elven or 
  Undercommon, answering questions about the city of 
  Shraen. However, they give only vague answers about 
  Dyzallin, his powers, and his research on the orb he’s 
  recently acquired. They are quick to anger if the heroes 
  ask about their deaths; even millennia later, the subject 
  is still hard for them.
  After talking with the heroes for a few minutes, 
  Ciza reminds her sister that they should kill the 
  heroes. But Nihiris offers to let the heroes pass if 
  they can defeat the sisters in a musical contest, and 
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  Ciza enthusiastically agrees. The heroes must choose 
  two among their number to enter the contest: one 
  to face off against Ciza and the other to oppose 
  Nihiris. The winners of those pairings will then face 
  off against each other in a final contest. Any musical 
  performance will suffice, as will any signature trick 
  with the musical trait. Ciza sings and Nihiris plays 
  a ghostly instrument similar to a violin. If the heroes 
  can convince the banshees to perform before the 
  contest starts, a successful DC 31 Perception check or 
  Performance check indicates that Nihiris is a slightly 
  better performer.
  Ciza and the hero competing against her perform 
  first; each attempts a Performance check to Perform 
  (or takes the Perform a Trick action with a musical 
  trick). The contestant with the higher total is the victor; 
  the hero wins in the event of a tie. If the hero wins, all 
  heroes (including the current performer) can attempt 
  a DC 26 Perception check to Sense Motive before the 
  next contest begins; on a success, the hero realizes that 
  the sisters are angry at the loss. On a critical success, 
  the hero realizes that if Nihiris doesn’t win the next 
  contest, the banshees will become angry enough to call 
  off the contest and immediately attack.
  Nihiris and the hero competing against her perform 
  second. If Ciza and Nihiris both lose in the first round, 
  they grow angry and accuse the heroes of cheating.
  If only one hero won in the first round, they compete 
  against the victorious banshee to determine an ultimate 
  victor. If the hero wins the second competition, the 
  banshees are true to their word and let all the heroes 
  pass by safely.
  The banshees attack out of wounded pride if they 
  both lose the first round, and out of smug superiority 
  if they both win the first round or if one of them is the 
  ultimate victor. 
  In any fight, whether the heroes engaged in the 
  competition or not, Nihiris fights until destroyed, 
  but Ciza has a stronger sense of self-preservation. If 
  reduced to fewer than 60 Hit Points, she either flees or, 
  if the heroes engaged in the musical competition, she 
  surrenders as described below.
  CIZA AND NIHIRIS (2) 
  CREATURE 17
  Female banshee entertainers (Pathfinder Bestiary 34)
  Initiative Perception +32
  Languages Elven, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +31, Intimidation +32, Occultism +25, 
  Performance +28 (Ciza) or +30 (Nihiris)
  Ciza Surrenders: If Ciza surrenders, she asks the 
  heroes more about where they learned their craft, and 
  where they perform. She misses singing in the salons of 
  the great drow cities and would give nearly anything to be 
  the center of attention like that again. The heroes might 
  offer Ciza a role in the Circus of Wayward Wonders, even 
  though she’s an evil and dangerous creature. If they do, 
  she promises to be on her best behavior at all times. She 
  doesn’t enjoy travel, but she agrees to possess the sword 
  on the table and remain there until the heroes return 
  to their circus (or until it’s clear they’ve abandoned her 
  somewhere else). If the heroes bring Ciza Shraen back to 
  their circus, they gain access to the Heart-Stopping Music 
  trick on the inside cover of this adventure.
  Treasure: A +3 greater striking dancing ghost touch 
  rapier rests on a table in a fine scabbard. If used against 
  Dyzallin while Ciza inhabits it, her rage makes it a 
  major striking weapon for the duration of the combat.
  XP Award: If the heroes win the competition and 
  avoid fighting the banshees, award them XP as though 
  they had defeated the banshees in combat. Award the 
  heroes 30 XP if Ciza Shraen joins their circus.
  E5. HALL OF BONES 
  LOW 17
  In this grisly chapel, artistically arranged bones and skulls 
  form decorations and furnishings. A chandelier of bleached 
  bones and garlands of skulls hang from the ceiling. In the 
  center of the room is an altar made of stacked bones, and 
  behind it stands a statue of a female drow, skeletal from 
  the waist down and wrapped in tattered rags. The walls are 
  covered with ornamentation and artistic designs, all made 
  of bone.
  The Hall of Bones is principally a grisly monument 
  to Dyzallin’s power and cruelty, showcasing the 
  bones of his countless slain enemies. A close 
  inspection reveals that the room contains remains 
  from thousands of different creatures. Dyzallin isn’t 
  particularly religious, but he understands the value 
  of keeping a shrine to Urgathoa in Shraen. He long 
  ago conscripted the service of a skulltaker named 
  Bonewhisper, which takes the form of the altar and 
  the statue behind it. When Dyzallin wants to tap into 
  the creature’s wisdom (to address a thorny research 
  problem, for example), he comes here and feigns 
  thoughtful prayer—but, in fact, he’s simply accessing 
  the creature’s vast knowledge. 
  Creature: When the heroes enter the room, the bones 
  of the statue and altar both shuffle and recombine 
  themselves over 1 round into Bonewhisper’s natural 
  form. The skulltaker commands the heroes to depart, 
  lest their bones share the walls with so many others 
  who have failed to defeat Dyzallin Shraen. If the heroes 
  don’t leave, Bonewhisper’s ominous manner allows it 
  to use Intimidation for initiative.
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  Bonewhisper can use its Splintered Ground ability 
  on any surface in this room, as the bones here are so 
  prevalent. It fights until destroyed.
  BONEWHISPER 
  CREATURE 18
  Skulltaker (Pathfinder Bestiary 300)
  Initiative Intimidation +35
  E6. HALL OF SWORDS 
  MODERATE 17
  This chamber looks like a ballroom, though nearly 
  everything in it is made from artistically arranged weapons: 
  ceiling supports made of fused swords; wall hangings made 
  of pikes and whips woven together; and ugly, bladed pieces 
  of art sitting on small tables crafted from round shields of 
  dark steel.
  This room celebrates Dyzallin’s victories over 
  enemy troops both within and beyond Shraen. 
  Dyzallin sees warriors as vastly inferior to 
  spellcasters, and he’s put these hundreds of 
  weapons on display to mock the futility of 
  opposing him. Most of the weapons are 
  rhoka swords taken from urdefhans, 
  slender elven swords and daggers, or 
  crude blades once wielded by the slave 
  armies of other Shraen factions.
  Creatures: Dyzallin has called and 
  bound a marilith named Elshekor to 
  serve as captain of his graveknight guards. 
  He has promised to release the creature from 
  servitude if she kills a thousand enemies for 
  him. With no choice but to do Dyzallin’s bidding, 
  the marilith attacks the heroes as soon as she 
  realizes the tower is being invaded. Each time 
  she manages to kill or incapacitate an enemy, she 
  counts aloud how many creatures she has slain for 
  Dyzallin so far, starting the combat with the heroes 
  at 954. Elshekor fights tenaciously to the death, 
  viewing the heroes' mercy as simply an extension 
  of her sentence.
  The marilith commands a squad of two drow 
  weapon masters who were turned into graveknights 
  to extend their service. They are loyal and fight until 
  destroyed. 
  ELSHEKOR 
  CREATURE 17
  Female marilith captain (Pathfinder Bestiary 81)
  Initiative Perception +30
  SHRAEN GRAVEKNIGHTS (2) 
  CREATURE 15
  Page 52
  Initiative Perception +26
  Treasure: One of Dyzallin’s greatest trophies can 
  be found in this room—the sword of a slain urdefhan 
  warlord called life’s last breath (page 76).
  E7. DYZALLIN’S LABORATORY 
  SEVERE 17
  This level of the tower is much larger than the ones beneath 
  it, and the many mirrors on the walls make it look even 
  larger. Old tomes, strange potions, and fantastical devices 
  Elshekor
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  of many types and sizes sit on tables in the room, along 
  with herbs and alchemical reagents that emit a bewildering 
  array of scents. Near the north wall, behind the laboratory 
  equipment, sits a large hexagonal pedestal attached to the 
  floor; the pedestal is covered with strange symbols that 
  glow intensely with pulsating energy. Floating ten feet 
  above the pedestal, an aeon orb hangs suspended in the 
  air, rotating slowly around its own axis.
  The top floor of the tower is Dyzallin’s magical 
  laboratory, where he conducts experiments and spends 
  most of his time (especially recently). The laboratory 
  contains books and sophisticated equipment suited 
  for many fields of scientific and magical research. 
  Having access to the books and equipment in the lab 
  grants a +2 circumstance bonus to checks to Recall 
  Knowledge with Arcana, Crafting, Nature, Occultism, 
  and Religion.
  Dyzallin placed the orb on a pedestal imbued with 
  telekinetic magic that holds it suspended in the air 
  at a height of 15 feet. A nimbus of crackling energy 
  surrounds the orb to a radius of 15 feet, as Dyzallin 
  has worked to recharge its storm-related energies 
  and enhance its life-giving powers. The orb deals 2d8 
  persistent electricity damage to a creature the first 
  time it enters this area, but the creature can leave and 
  reenter the area without taking damage thereafter. A 
  layer of moss and fungus grows over the pedestal, a 
  testament to the life-giving power of the orb even here, 
  in a city of the dead.
  In the course of his experiments, Dyzallin has 
  connected his own essence to that of the orb. This has 
  caused his formerly desiccated appearance to take on 
  a new, fleshier health and has given him new magical 
  abilities. In addition to gaining the orb’s resonant 
  reflection, he can summon creatures of elemental 
  storms from the orb. This effect has the conjuration 
  and summoning traits, and it requires an envision 
  activation, which Dyzallin can do from anywhere 
  in the room. Doing so summons an elite uthul that 
  follows Dyzallin’s orders (a summoned uthul isn’t a 
  minion, and it gains its full complement of actions). He 
  can have up to two uthuls summoned at a time, up to a 
  maximum of four uthuls each day. A creature adjacent 
  to the aeon orb can attempt to reverse the conjuring, 
  causing a summoned uthul to disappear; doing so 
  requires an envision activation while touching the 
  orb and succeeding at one of the following: a DC 36 
  Nature check or a DC 41 Arcana or Occultism check.
  Creatures: Dyzallin Shraen is in his laboratory, 
  ready to defend the orb at all costs. He knows of 
  the heroes' presence and has spied on them from his 
  tower’s mirrors long enough to have a good sense of 
  their general tactics and abilities. When the heroes 
  arrive, read the following.
  The undead drow that appeared on the floors below stands 
  within the sphere of electricity around the aeon orb. He 
  speaks in a terrifyingly cold voice. “Such stubbornness and 
  arrogance! Since you’re here, you can tell me more about 
  the orb’s secrets. But I don’t need you alive for that. So die.”
  Dyzallin begins combat by casting time stop, using 
  his actions to do the following.
  • He first calls forth two uthuls from the orb.
  • He casts true seeing on himself.
  • Finally, he casts mislead to fool the heroes about 
  his exact position.
  Dyzallin prefers casting spells that target large 
  groups, 
  such 
  as 
  overwhelming 
  presence 
  and 
  phantasmal calamity, from a safe distance. He fights 
  until destroyed.
  The uthuls engage in melee range, doing their best 
  to keep foes from reaching Dyzallin. The uthuls fight 
  until destroyed, when they pop with a crackle of 
  static electricity.
  DYZALLIN SHRAEN 
  CREATURE 19
  Page 86
  Initiative Perception +32
  THUNDERSTORM DEFENDERS (1–4) 
  CREATURE 15
  Elite uthul (Pathfinder Bestiary 6, 317)
  Initiative Perception +22
  Treasure: Dyzallin has had millennia to acquire 
  the rarest and most expensive equipment for his 
  laboratory. His collection of esoteric devices is worth 
  2,550 gp in total, but together they weigh 15 Bulk. A 
  book stand bears a tome containing the three occult 
  rituals Dyzallin knows: commune, legend lore, and 
  terminate bloodline (page 74).
  Resonant Reflection
  When Dyzallin is defeated, his connection to the 
  orb is severed. He loses his resonant reflection and 
  all heroes in his laboratory gain it. This resonant 
  reflection, the reflection of storms, uses the rules for 
  resonant reflections provided on page 57 of Pathfinder 
  Adventure Path #151: The Show Must Go On. A hero 
  who later joins the campaign can receive this resonant 
  reflection by touching the aeon orb.
  Any creature with the reflection of storms can 
  pick up and move the orb. It's 3 feet in diameter but 
  is surprisingly light, weighing only 1 Bulk. This orb 
  doesn’t revolve around a point like the other aeon orbs 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  imbued with Aroden’s magic do (as Aroden himself 
  added this feature). Instead, it rotates slowly on its axis 
  when unattended. Having the orb doesn’t provide any 
  special benefit; its magic is in providing its resonant 
  reflection to the heroes.
  REFLECTION OF STORMS RESONANT REFLECTION 17
  AIR
  ELECTRICITY
  MAGICAL
  TRANSMUTATION
  Your body is inured to the devastation inflicted by natural 
  forces. You gain resistance to electricity damage equal 
  to your level. You don’t treat wind as difficult terrain 
  or greater difficult terrain while flying, and you can’t 
  be moved by wind unless you choose to be. You gain 
  a +1 status bonus to saves against primal magic. In 
  addition, you can absorb this reinvigorating energy 
  into your body to gain the following effect.
  Activate � envision; Frequency once per day; 
  Effect You cast moment of renewal (self only) 
  as an 8th-level divine innate spell and regain 
  1 Focus Point. 
  XP Award: Award the heroes 80 XP for obtaining 
  the reflection of storms. 
  Conclusion
  When the heroes have defeated Dyzallin Shraen and 
  gained the orb’s resonant reflection, they can return 
  to the surface. What they do with the orb is up to 
  them; the nature priests at the Tower of Empty 
  Stones would like to re-install in their tower, but the 
  heroes can choose to return it to Xul-Khundur or 
  even leave it in Dyzallin’s tower. Wherever it is, the 
  orb gradually encourages life to thrive in the area. 
  Keeping it hidden at the top of one of Shraen’s tallest 
  towers allows it to spread its revitalizing magic—
  along with the occasional thunderstorm—through 
  the city of the dead, slowly changing the timeless city 
  in ways the current rulers are unlikely to appreciate. 
  Back in Willowside, the heroes can reconnect with 
  the Circus of Wayward Wonders. Everyone in the 
  circus rejoices as the heroes return. Any shows the 
  circus put on without the heroes were only adequately 
  successful, allowing the circus to break even on 
  its expenses; thus, even if only for financial 
  reasons, the performers are glad to have 
  the heroes back. They welcome any new 
  additions to the circus that the heroes 
  befriended in the Darklands, although 
  some (such as the banshee Ciza Shraen) are 
  met with ill-disguised trepidation.
  Having acquired the resonant reflections 
  of five aeon orbs, the heroes are now stronger 
  than ever. It’s time to rest and recuperate, 
  but the threat that Sarvel Ever-Hunger presents to 
  Absalom and the Starstone Isles is far from over. 
  In the next and final installment in this Adventure 
  Path, “The Apocalypse Prophet,” the heroes venture 
  to a fortress called the Verdant Beacon to reenergize 
  the aeon orbs and prevent Sarvel from triggering the 
  extinction curse.
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  SHRAEN 
  GAZETTEER
  Located in the heart of the vast, irradiated wasteland 
  known as the Black Desert and ruled by undead drow 
  who revere the deity Urgathoa, Shraen is a city few 
  sane beings would willingly enter. The bizarre city is 
  built in a style similar to Ancient Osirion, but xulgaths 
  actually built the city more than 10,000 years ago, 
  predating the rise of Osirion by thousands of years. 
  Only about 200 drow of House Shraen remain, and 
  the majority of Shraen’s residents are slaves. The city is 
  constantly threatened by warlike urdefhan cults who 
  dwell in the deserts surrounding the city, and tensions 
  continue to rise within its walls. Many factions of the 
  ruling family have started to doubt their chances of 
  survival under the city’s current leadership.
  Shraen welcomes Darklands visitors both living 
  and undead, particularly traders and performers. Its 
  reclusive, immortal drow inhabitants understand that 
  their existence hinges on their ability to adapt to threats, 
  and for that reason, they see trade with other Darklands 
  communities as vital (though not with urdefhan and 
  ghouls, who are forbidden from entering the city due to 
  long-standing rivalries with the ruling drow). 
  History
  The ancient xulgaths of Deep Tolguth, in contrast 
  to their more barbaric modern kin, are believed to 
  have been incredibly intelligent and cunning. They 
  spread their burgeoning empire to neighboring Orvian 
  vaults more than 10,000 years ago, including the 
  jungle-choked vault of Vask. They constructed their 
  first community beneath a blazing orb that shone like 
  a beacon.  Combining the names of the Varathos and 
  Karathun rivers that cradled the spot, the xulgaths 
  called their growing community Xul-Varathun. This 
  foothold enabled their expansion into the rest of Vask.
  The xulgaths’ reign over Vask came to a sudden end 
  when Aroden removed five of the six orbs from the 
  vault, including the orb that resided in Xul-Varathun. 
  Without the orbs’ protection, blightburn sickness 
  swept devastation over Vask. The xulgaths died or 
  scattered to other vaults. Black sands encroached 
  upon Xul-Varathun, but the city was too large for the 
  deserts to claim it entirely.
  In 820 ar, the now-ruined city was discovered and 
  inhabited by a group of drow from House Shraen, cast 
  out from Zirnakaynin, who turned to undeath to survive 
  the perils of their exile. They established their own city 
  in the xulgath ruins and named it after themselves. 
  Apart from the construction of new defensive walls and 
  a few buildings, the city hasn’t seen many changes in 
  the past 4,000 years. Other than occasional internal 
  strife, the drow’s main political and strategic concern 
  has been securing trade arrangements and pushing 
  back the urdefhan tribes that have migrated into the 
  Black Desert. The urdefhans claim that their control 
  of Shraen is foretold in prophecy. Despite mounting 
  numerous attacks against the city, the urdefhans have 
  accomplished little more than the slaughter of countless 
  enslaved soldiers, whom the drow can replace relatively 
  easily. Regardless, the urdefhans haven’t stopped their 
  attacks. In fact, with rumors of the coming of an 
  urdefhan messiah spreading throughout the Darklands, 
  more urdefhan tribes than ever are migrating into the 
  Black Desert from neighboring Orvian vaults. So far, no 
  urdefhan leader has been able to deliver on the prophetic 
  promise, but under strong leadership, the tribes could 
  form a force strong enough to crush Shraen. The drow 
  are painfully aware of the growing threat, and their 
  leaders—Zyra and Nyrinda Shraen—work to gather 
  more intelligence and bolster their slave armies.
  Government
  When the House Shraen found the ruins of the ancient 
  xulgath city of Xul-Varathun, only about 200 of the 
  drow remained, profoundly divided into six rival 
  factions that tolerated one another only because their 
  survival was at stake. Many high-ranking nobles had 
  perished during the exodus, and Shariza Shraen, the 
  highest-ranking member of the Urgathoan clergy and 
  leader of the White Shrouds faction, assumed leadership 
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  500 FEET
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  of the divided house. The walls of the secluded city 
  offered the fugitives much-needed respite, but as soon 
  as the Shraens realized they were no longer vulnerable 
  to outside threats, discontent started to emerge, and 
  internal power struggles threatened to tear the house 
  apart. A faction known as the Sisters of Oblivion 
  assassinated Shariza and declared themselves the new 
  rulers of Shraen. Despite alliances and other deals made 
  before the coup, the other five factions united to destroy 
  the Sisters of Oblivion shortly thereafter.
  In the aftermath of the coup and the destruction of 
  the Sisters of Oblivion, many nobles in Shraen wanted 
  to place themselves in control the city, but none of the 
  remaining five factions would agree to submit to the 
  rule of another. The city was on the brink of a civil 
  war when sisters Zyra and Nyrinda Shraen tricked 
  the faction leaders into a meeting in the city’s Central 
  Pyramid. Commanding a group of powerful golems 
  they had discovered inside the pyramid, the sisters 
  captured the leaders and coerced them to sign a pact 
  granting all factions equal rights and responsibilities, 
  and setting the sisters up as the city’s leaders. A few 
  prominent nobles—in particular Dyzallin Shraen—
  opposed the pact, but lacked sufficient support to 
  take any action against the new leaders. Zyra and 
  Nyrinda have proven to be shrewd leaders, and as 
  a consequence, the political landscape in Shraen has 
  remained nearly unchanged for millennia.
  Technically, Zyra and Nyrinda have the final say in 
  all decision-making in Shraen, though in practice they 
  have neither the time nor interest to be involved in 
  everything. Individual drow nobles wield significant 
  power, and the various factions within House Shraen 
  are allowed to conduct trade, start building projects, 
  and execute other activities without official approval 
  from the city’s leaders. However, the sisters always 
  weigh in on any matters that affect the city as a whole. 
  When deciding on a controversial issue that might 
  provoke the ire of multiple factions, the sisters retain 
  the option to call a vote. The five faction leaders first 
  cast their votes, after which Zyra and Nyrinda declare 
  the outcome.
  The faction leaders meet only when the situation 
  demands it, and at times, several years or even decades 
  have passed between meetings. Within the last decade, 
  however, urdefhan activity has greatly increased in 
  the Black Desert, and the leaders have been forced 
  to spend more of their time and resources dealing 
  with the problem, including repairing and adding 
  defensive walls and recruiting soldiers for their slave 
  army. Shraen’s slave population has nearly tripled as 
  a result, bringing an influx of slavers, free traders, and 
  entertainers to the city. To maintain a semblance of 
  control over an ever-expanding population, the Shraen 
  government exercises control over healing magic in 
  the city—particularly access to remove disease and 
  restoration, which help to mitigate the effects of 
  blightburn sickness among the living.
  Locations in Shraen
  Shraen is divided into three distinct areas. Most visitors 
  see only the Central District, where the city’s trade 
  takes place. The Central District is also the only part 
  of Shraen formally open to visitors. The Forbidden 
  District to the east is where the city’s undead drow 
  and their slaves reside, though many of the nobles also 
  have property and residences in the Central District to 
  entertain visitors or meet with others, so they can keep 
  their private holdings in the Forbidden District better 
  defended. Finally, large portions of Shraen lie in ruins 
  to the west and north—residents often send slaves 
  there to scavenge building materials for defensive 
  fortifications or new construction in the other districts, 
  but avoid it otherwise because strange monsters haunt 
  its avenues. Many secrets also lie buried in these ruins, 
  which are collectively known as the Lost District.
  SHRAEN 
  SETTLEMENT 15
  NE
  TOWN
  Ruined city claimed by undead drow and their slaves
  Government Nyrinda Shraen, Zyra Shraen (overlords)
  Population 1,633 (18% duergars, 16% morlocks, 14% 
  deep gnomes, 12% drow, 11% zombies, 7% deros, 
  22% other ancestries)
  Languages Elven, Undercommon
  Religions Urgathoa
  Threats blightburn radiation, drow plots, rogue cave 
  worms, urdefhan assaults 
  Prohibited Enemies Ghouls and urdefhans are 
  prohibited in the city and attacked on sight.
  Rule by the Dead Undead drow rule Shraen with an 
  iron fist; no one gains power without their leave.
  Nyrinda Shraen (CE female drow vampire 19) is one 
  of Shraen’s two scheming rulers. She orchestrates a 
  network of spies to watch the city’s many enemies.
  Sirian Shraen (LE female drow graveknight 18) 
  commands the city guard and army. He is one  of the 
  few non-spellcasting drow in Shraen. 
  Zavizik Shraen (LE male drow lich bard 18) is 
  the master of the Red Circus arena and the head of 
  Shraen’s entertainment scene.
  Zyra Shraen (NE female drow lich conjurer 20) is 
  Shraen’s other ruler. She focuses her efforts on growing 
  the city’s slave population to supplement its defenses.
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  CENTRAL DISTRICT
  The following are locations in the Central District.
  1. Alabaster Gate: Built from stone 
  bleached white as bone, the Alabaster Gate 
  is the main entrance to Shraen. A number 
  of smaller gates have existed along the 
  city’s walls throughout its history, but 
  most of them have long since collapsed 
  and 
  been 
  replaced 
  with 
  sturdier 
  defenses, or else are not in public use.
  2. Pyramid Plaza: This large plaza in 
  front of the Central Pyramid is a popular 
  place for locals and visitors alike to 
  gossip and mingle. Obelisks standing 
  in the plaza bear faded records of the 
  xulgath empire, written in Draconic. 
  Public announcements, executions, 
  and punishments are sometimes 
  carried out in this plaza.
  3. Central Pyramid: When the 
  drow fugitives of House Shraen 
  first arrived in the ruined city, they 
  sought refuge within this pyramid’s 
  sturdy walls, and the massive building 
  still serves as the settlement’s core. 
  Most of the inhabitants have since moved to private 
  residences, but the pyramid continues to house 
  Shraen’s administration and defense and also serves as 
  the seat of power for Zyra and Nyrinda Shraen. The 
  largest building in Shraen by volume and also one of 
  the tallest, the pyramid can be seen from virtually any 
  part of the city. The locals often use it as a landmark 
  when giving directions to visitors.
  4. Red Circus: A popular entertainment venue, 
  the Red Circus (page 45) caters to many tastes, 
  from artistic to outright bloodthirsty. Arena master 
  Zavizik Shraen (LE male drow lich bard 18) 
  welcomes entertainers of nearly all stripes—from 
  gladiators to orators and other performing artists. 
  The place is equally popular with undead locals and 
  living visitors, who can enjoy spectacularly gory 
  and unrestrained displays of violence that would be 
  illegal in most other cities.
  5. House of Chains: Shraen’s biggest slave market 
  sells creatures of many Darklands ancestries, including 
  calignis, deep gnomes, deros, drow, duergars, dwarves, 
  morlocks, urdefhans, and xulgaths. Humans and other 
  unlucky surface-dwellers also occasionally end up in 
  the House of Chains (page 47).
  6. Antiquities Quarter: The area known as the 
  Antiquities Quarter (page 46) houses many shops that 
  buy and sell art, jewelry, magic items, old books and 
  maps, and other rare and valuable items. 
  7. The Aching Bones: This large inn provides food, 
  drink, lodging, and entertainment primarily 
  for living customers. The owner, Haminkar 
  Onshan (N male dhampir tavern keeper 
  12), is known for morbid jokes and 
  puns. The food at The Aching 
  Bones (page 45) is much 
  better than anywhere else in 
  Shraen, and mercenaries and 
  wealthy visitors know better 
  than to eat at any of the 
  cheaper and smaller taverns 
  nearby—in Shraen, one can 
  never be sure where their food 
  comes from.
  8. 
  Ghostguard 
  Base: 
  These 
  ancient barracks serve as the 
  headquarters of a mercenary 
  company that hires both 
  living and undead soldiers 
  to fight alongside Shraen’s 
  slave army. Living warriors who 
  wouldn’t be welcome in Sirian Shraen’s 
  ranks often find employment here. The company’s 
  insignia—a black banner featuring three blood drops 
  under a white crescent—is widely known.
  FORBIDDEN DISTRICT
  The following are locations in the Forbidden District.
  9. House of Flies: This large temple, originally 
  dedicated to Zevgavizeb, was converted to a temple 
  of Urgathoa when the Shraens took hold of the city. 
  Decorated with insect-shaped motifs and art, the 
  temple is also home to thousands of Orvian rot flies, 
  which happily buzz around the worshippers. The 
  hedonistic Matriarch Ciniena Shraen (NE female 
  bodak priest of Urgathoa 16) is in charge of the temple.
  10. Dyzallin Shraen’s Tower: The upper parts of 
  Dyzallin’s tower (page 50) are visible from virtually 
  any location within Shraen, as it is one of the city’s 
  tallest buildings. As his research nears its conclusion, 
  Dyzallin spends more and more time in his libraries 
  and laboratories.
  11. Food Factories: Because Shraen supports a 
  growing slave population, and because living traders 
  and mercenaries from other cities are increasingly 
  common, the city must produce food. These dubious 
  facilities provide for the city’s needs but spark many 
  unpleasant rumors about where the meat and other 
  ingredients originate.
  12. The Eternally Dead: Undead members of House 
  Shraen who are permanently destroyed are buried in 
  a cemetery called the Eternally Dead. Some of the 
  Nyrinda Shraen
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  tombs in the cemetery instead function as prison 
  cells, restraining undead creatures as punishment. 
  Some of the deepest tombs are incredibly old, dating 
  back to the time of the xulgath empire, and no 
  one, living or undead, has set foot inside them for 
  5,000 years.
  13. Cave Worm Enclosures: Unlike the other parts 
  of the Forbidden District, these four enclosures 
  are outside the city walls; however, they are just as 
  off-limits to visitors as the rest of the district. Each 
  enclosure was constructed from gigantic stalagmites 
  and reinforced with powerful magic. The drow 
  capture young worms from the fringes of the Cradle 
  of Worms and bring them back to Shraen to train 
  them as mounts for envoys, scouts, and attack units. 
  The drow use specialized howdahs built to let them 
  ride both above and below the desert’s surface, and 
  these howdahs are kept in the worm enclosures.
  14. Slave Corrals: Slaves captured in raids or bought 
  from foreign traders are kept in these tightly secured, 
  enclosed areas—each of which is large enough to 
  contain thousands of creatures—and forced to 
  endure untold horrors. From the corrals, slaves are 
  sent to the House of Chains to be sold, to the Red 
  Circus as entertainment, to the Central Pyramid to be 
  conditioned for war or labor, or to the House of Flies 
  to be sacrificed in religious rituals.
  LOST DISTRICT
  The following are locations in the 
  abandoned parts of the city known as 
  the Lost District.
  15. The Putrid Lair: A group of ghoul 
  spies from Nemret Noktoria are squatting 
  in the basement of a collapsed palace 
  called the Putrid Lair. Hoping that the 
  urdefhan tribes may one day be strong 
  and coordinated enough to pose a 
  serious threat to Shraen, the ghouls 
  patiently work in secret to weaken 
  the city’s fortifications to collapse 
  them at a critical moment.
  16. Buried Temple: In a 
  massive collapsed temple 
  to Zevgavizeb that once 
  stood as tall as the House of 
  Flies, several demons bound to the 
  Glutton in the Dark still wait for their 
  deity’s command to emerge and do his 
  bidding. They eagerly feast on anyone foolish enough 
  to venture into the crumbling ruins.
  17. Home of the Lost: A few members of the city’s 
  vanquished sixth faction, the Sisters of Oblivion, hid 
  in an old granary, avoiding the obliteration carried 
  out against the rest of their order. They now operate 
  in secret as a rebel faction and welcome outcasts 
  from other factions into their schemes. Led 
  by Varaenn Shraen (LE female wraith 
  sorcerer 17), the group uses proxies 
  and double agents, including living 
  dupes, to weaken the other factions 
  and reclaim their role in the city.
  18. The Drowned Tunnels: Slaves 
  who came to scavenge stone and 
  other building materials in this area 
  found an old network of tunnels 
  running under the city. The secret 
  passages lead in and out of the 
  city, which might allow invaders to 
  sneak into Shraen if unmonitored. 
  However, 
  the 
  mazelike 
  tunnels 
  occasionally 
  and 
  spontaneously 
  fill with brackish water, the result 
  of an errant magical effect that 
  irregularly misfires.
  19. Quickdeath Rivers: The rocky 
  riverbeds that once surrounded the 
  city are lower than the surrounding desert 
  and are filled with an invisible, odorless 
  gas called quickdeath. Quickdeath is heavier 
  than air and is quite toxic; living creatures who 
  blunder into these riverbeds can’t breathe and find 
  their senses instantly dulled. 
  SHRAEN’S FACTIONS
  House Shraen is divided into the following five factions.
  Bone Lilies: Master assassin Alisira Shraen (NE female 
  drow assassin 17) is a master of disguises, and few know 
  whether she is alive or undead. Many Bone Lilies are 
  assassins, entertainers, or poets.
  Dream Spinners: The sadistic Zihain Shraen (CE 
  male drow vampire 16), leads the information brokers, 
  illusionists, and artisans of the Dream Spinners.
  Order of the Scales: The slaver Jirazai Shraen (NE male 
  drow mohrg alchemist 17) leads the mercantile Order of 
  the Scales and its slave traders, archivists, and architects.
  Sunscar Oath: The Sunscar Oath’s leader, Dyzallin 
  Shraen (page 86), is obsessive in his schemes to defeat 
  his political rivals. The faction deals primarily in rare 
  magic items, ancient texts, and secrets.
  White Shrouds: Led by Larielle Shraen (LE female 
  drow banshee high priest of Urgathoa 19), the White 
  Shrouds are fanatical followers of Urgathoa. Most of 
  Urgathoa’s priests in Shraen belong to this faction.
  Haminkar Onshan
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  CULTS OF THE 
  DARKLANDS
  Even in the deep and lightless places of Golarion, there 
  are those who yearn for an even deeper darkness. Not 
  all drow are content to serve their demonic masters 
  and plot against rival clans; not all duergar revel in 
  Droskar’s toil or embrace slavery. Surface dwellers 
  often think of Darklands societies as monolithic 
  groups composed of stereotypical individuals, but 
  the truth is that even in the world’s cold depths, all 
  societies have those who deviate from their culture’s 
  moral and religious norms. Often these outsiders 
  lead isolated lives, operating on the fringes of their 
  civilizations for as long as they are tolerated or can 
  survive. Occasionally, such rebels find safety in 
  numbers, attracting others who share their heretical 
  views or who simply seek a different life. As they grow 
  bolder and more confident, these groups often become 
  rebels (if their differences are political), fanatics (if 
  religion is their motivator), or both.
  While the word “cult” can have many connotations, 
  for the purposes of this article, a cult is defined as 
  a group of like-minded religious devotees of a rival 
  power (such as a deity or powerful extraplanar being) 
  that actively works against the predominant faith of 
  the local society. Some duergars who have turned away 
  from Droskar to secretly worship an empyreal lord 
  may be heretics, but in this context they only become 
  a cult once they also start working to undermine their 
  clan’s plans and further their own agenda. 
  Not all cults are adversarial; some can be malicious 
  or benign. This is especially true in the Darklands, 
  where the most powerful societies often worship 
  evil entities, and it is the fringe cults that seek to 
  bring peace or goodness to their kin. Other times, 
  Darklands cults might still have vile agendas, but since 
  they are aligned against the greater power structures 
  of their people, they might serve as accomplices of 
  convenience to outsider adventurers.
  The following pages explore four Darklands-based 
  cults and their leaders, detailing their history, goals, 
  and the methods by which they achieve such goals.
  Other Cults of the Darklands
  Besides the four groups detailed here, many other 
  cults exist, living among the various societies of 
  the Darklands. 
  Scattered across and under Golarion, a number 
  of heretical sects and alchemical cabals have 
  independently discovered a possible link between the 
  legendary black blood of Orv and a toxic seepage 
  called blackfrost, found in the polar expanse of the 
  surface world. These unaffiliated thinkers each believe 
  that both toxic substances are signs that Rovagug’s 
  prison within Golarion is failing. Over the millennia, 
  forbidden writings and suppressed research on the 
  possible connection have been circulated, annotated, 
  lost, and rediscovered. These insights were eventually 
  compiled into a loose collection of pages known as the 
  Scrolls of Asheyen. Followers of Asheyen collect, study, 
  and even consume both blackfrost and black blood. 
  With many independent groups across the Darklands 
  and even some dwelling in the frigid overland of the 
  Crown of the World, these motley deviants could be 
  shaped into a powerful, world-spanning threat if led by 
  a charismatic leader.
  Even relatively benign communities within the 
  Darklands are not immune to the corruption of deviant 
  beliefs. The secretive svirfneblin-ruled city of Dwimovel 
  in Nar-Voth has long been regarded as a safe haven for 
  wayward surface-dwellers and Darklands asylum seekers, 
  and yet amid this oasis of peace lurk betrayers willing 
  to risk everything for a chance at immortality. Believing 
  the cost of undeath too high, the Cult of the Forever Mind 
  seeks a different path toward life everlasting: alchemical 
  preservation of the body, followed by transfer of the 
  mind to a new vessel when preservation fails. This cult 
  has seen a number of leaders come and go over the past 
  few years. The current leader, a calculating worshipper of 
  Haagenti named Pitir Gimmenthal, has thus far avoided 
  the fate of her forebears by allowing trusted underlings 
  to test the first doses of unproven concoctions rather 
  than sample them herself.
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  The surface nation of Osirion is an ancient land whose 
  fortunes have ebbed and flowed throughout the ages. 
  At several key points in its history, the appearance of 
  a single powerful figure altered the nation’s fate. The 
  first pharaoh Azghaad, aided by the god Nethys; the 
  Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues; the Incorruptible Pharaoh 
  An-Hepsu XI; and many others changed the course of 
  Osirion’s history, for good or ill. Yet few know of the 
  malignant, omnipresent influence that has pulled strings 
  in Osirion since time immemorial: the Outer God known 
  most commonly as Nyarlathotep. 
  Alone among the Outer Gods, Nyarlathotep deigns 
  to interfere with the doings of mortals both above and 
  below Golarion’s surface. For reasons unknown, the 
  dread being has taken a particular interest in the progress 
  of Osirion and its people. In his aspect known as the 
  Black Pharaoh, he has appeared to many of the ancient 
  land’s leaders—some whisper that he was even behind 
  the ascension of the current Ruby Prince. However, even 
  the most far-out conspiracy theorists fail to imagine that 
  Nyarlathotep’s missionaries work not only above the 
  sands, but also deep below them.
  Centuries ago, a Zirnakaynin native named Mafaere 
  Almonsyn of House Dolour rose to considerable status 
  within her house. Yet on the eve of her ascension to 
  power, a rival house’s assassin ingloriously took her 
  life while she slept, helpless. Her rage transcended the 
  natural order, and Mafaere rose as a ghost to seek 
  vengeance on her betrayers. She nearly obliterated 
  the rival house, but one of their number, a lowly 
  housemaid named Falaim, managed to escape, seeking 
  refuge from the hungry spirit in a place few drow 
  would even dream of fleeing to: the world above. 
  Specifically, Falaim hid herself among the trade 
  caravans and nomads of the Osirian desert, where she 
  met a Vourinoi elf who helped her turn her life around 
  and atone for her past deeds.
  Mafaere raged at her own failure and nearly 
  destroyed herself in agony. But where she saw despair, 
  an insidious deity saw opportunity. The ghost-witch 
  claims that Nyarlathotep himself came to her in her 
  moment of need, appearing in another of his aspects, 
  this one known as the Faceless Sphinx. The Outer God 
  informed Mafaere that she would complete her quest 
  for revenge, and would also usher in a new era of 
  darkness for all who opposed House Dolour. But first, 
  the Sphinx said, Mafaere had to perform a few minor 
  tasks to demonstrate her worthiness. The first of these 
  “minor tasks” was to indoctrinate the leaders of Sothis 
  into the church of Nyarlathotep and turn the entire city 
  into a vassal state to the dread deity.
  Fully embracing her new patron, Mafaere began to 
  infiltrate and influence Osirion, first appearing to key 
  figures through their dreams. She recruited fellow drow 
  from her former house, and these agents visited the surface 
  world too, providing material aid and support to those 
  who espoused the Faceless Sphinx’s foul doctrine. At the 
  same time, Mafaere cultivated a network of influential 
  drow in every house and family of Zirnakaynin. These 
  drow turned from their demon lords to the worship of 
  Nyarlathotep and hid in plain sight among their kin. 
  Each of these agents works to hasten the return of the 
  Outer Gods by following Nyarlathotep’s cryptic and 
  sometimes contradictory commands.
  Yet as the centuries have gone by, Mafaere has grown 
  restless. While Osirion’s fortunes have ebbed and 
  flowed according to Nyarlathotep’s whim, the Outer 
  Gods have not yet returned to crush Falaim and her 
  descendants as Mafaere was promised. Now, Mafaere 
  is gathering her forces to strike at the surface world on 
  her own. Soon she will have the means to systematically 
  hunt down and destroy the Vourinoi nomads she 
  believes house her ancient enemy, and none know 
  where her ambitions might take her from there.
  Cult of the Faceless Sphinx
  SECRET INFLUENCERS OF OSIRION’S PAST AND PRESENT
  Core Belief The return of the Outer Gods will destroy the cult’s enemies
  Leader Mafaere Alonsyn (CE female drow ghost witch)
  Typical Members drow, drow slaves (especially orcs, kobolds, 
  and calignis)
  Objects of Worship inverted ankh, black stone statuettes of the 
  Faceless Sphinx
  Sect Locations Delvingulf, Sothis, Zirnakaynin
  Typical Ritual ceremonies during eclipses, living sacrifices
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  Duergar who worship Droskar are often prolific 
  slavers who make their beliefs known throughout 
  their Darklands. Most of these devotees are content 
  to enslave any weaker creatures and working them to 
  death building cities or temples, but this cruelty was 
  not enough for Starig Ironwhip, a slave-master who 
  dwelled in the duergar fortress city of Hagegraf. Starig 
  saw slavery as the highest form of control and power, 
  and he spent years searching for ways to enslave 
  ever-more-powerful creatures. Traditional means 
  of coercion—physical punishment and emotional 
  abuse—could take him only so far. To his increasing 
  ire, Starig could command his slaves to do many 
  things, but rarely to execute the one act he desired 
  most from them: their own demise. His truest dream 
  was to enslave others so absolutely that they would 
  end their own lives for him, and to achieve this dream, 
  he turned from the realm of the physical world to the 
  study of magic.
  When Starig began neglecting his toils for Droskar 
  in favor of his research, his clan called him to account 
  for his actions, then branded him a traitor and a heretic 
  and banished him forever. This betrayal wounded 
  Starig deeply, and he lashed out in anger at those he 
  believed wronged him, using his new magic against his 
  own kinsfolk. When he left Hagegraf, several of the 
  clan’s elders lay dead by their own hand, and the clan 
  chieftain accompanied Starig as a mindless slave.
  Starig wandered for years through the Darklands, 
  accumulating an ever-growing retinue of magically 
  enslaved minions and cowed allies. In time, he could 
  no longer rely on subtle tactics of collecting more 
  chattel through infiltration or subterfuge. With his 
  retinue now several hundred strong, Starig and his cult 
  descended on settlements in waves of chaos.
  This brazen tactic wasn’t always successful. Three 
  years after his initial exile, Starig made an ill-conceived 
  attempt to infiltrate the ruined dwarven fortress of 
  Krba, now ruled by deros and their morlock allies, and 
  he barely escaped the doomed invasion with his life.
  Forced to start again, Starig wandered Nar-Voth and 
  slowly rebuilt his slave army. He needed a safe haven to 
  protect his flock, he realized—a place where he could 
  shepherd his army and perfect ever-more-powerful 
  methods of mental and spiritual domination. It was 
  then that he heard the first whispers of a voice both 
  silky and barbed, gentle yet dangerous. The voice—
  which he believes belongs to a qlippoth lord known 
  as Isph-Aun-Vuln—led him to an ancient temple and 
  commanded him to restore it in her honor.
  Through the guidance of Isph-Aun-Vuln, the Feaster 
  Within, Starig gleaned secrets of psychic domination 
  that had previously seemed impossible. His zeal was so 
  absolute that Starig gave himself over to his new deity 
  in a horrific ritual, allowing her tentacle to guide his 
  hand in an invasive operation akin to a self-lobotomy. 
  Afterward, Starig’s fanaticism dimmed to cold, 
  calculated execution of his patron’s whims.
  In the decades since Starig claimed the Temple 
  of Exalted Subjugation and gave himself over to 
  Isph-Aun-Vuln, the slaver has transformed the temple 
  ruins into a veritable fortress and research laboratory. 
  His addiction to enslaving weak creatures and forcing 
  them to destroy themselves has grown; most of his 
  slaves end their own lives within a week of their 
  enslavement. This army of expendable slaves includes 
  morlocks, deros, xulgaths, and any Nar-Voth travelers 
  unfortunate enough to cross paths with his band of 
  so-called Headmasters. At the behest of his qlippoth 
  master, Starig rarely employs traditional means of 
  enslavement; rather, he prefers parasitic infestation, 
  especially with a unique breed of burrowing worms 
  that can dig into victims’ skulls and turn them into 
  unwavering allies.
  The Headmasters
  SLAVERS OF THE MIND, DESTROYERS OF THE FLESH
  Core Belief The path to greatness is paved with the skulls 
  of the enslaved
  Leader Starig Ironwhip (NE male duergar spellsword)
  Typical Members evil air elementals, exiled duergar, slavers 
  Objects of Worship standing stones draped in chains
  Sect Locations Temple of Exalted Subjugation in Nar-Voth
  Typical Ritual forced self-sacrifice of possessed victims 
  (usually by falling from a great height)  
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  In the Darklands realm of Sekamina stands the pinnacle 
  of ghoul culture: the great undead city of Nemret 
  Noktoria. Here, ghouls who believe in the importance 
  of long-term goals over immediate gratification 
  have constructed a city that is part-necropolis and 
  part-metropolis—a haven for undead who aspire to do 
  more than submit to their own mindless hunger.
  Nevertheless, hunger for flesh is a fact of life in 
  Nemret Noktoria, a fact cemented by the city’s 
  governance: rule by a theocratic council of staunch 
  Kabriri devotees. For many citizens, the demon lord of 
  ghouls represents the apex of ghoul achievement and 
  everything that a ghoul can aspire to. But for some, this 
  dread demigod serves only as a reminder of the vileness 
  of ghouls’ reprehensible reliance on living flesh to 
  survive. To these heretics, Kabriri holds no more appeal 
  than a blood-stained mirror; even if it does show one’s 
  reflection, the image is permanently marred by the most 
  violent, depraved aspects of the ghouls’ society.
  Such was the case for a xulgath-turned-ghoul named 
  Shallistra, a former champion of Zevgavizeb. After her 
  clutch was wiped out by ghoul assassins and she was 
  transformed into one of their kind, she abandoned her 
  faith but maintained a strong sense of spirituality. On 
  the eve of her thirtieth birthday—a sacred day among 
  her xulgath clan, marking the transition from adult 
  to elder—Shallistra heard the first whispers of an 
  otherworldly voice that would change her life.
  According to the voice, it was Shallistra’s divine 
  charge to lead ghouls out from under the shadow of 
  their own death, specifically by eradicating the practices 
  of necrophagy and cannibalism. When she saw a divine 
  sign—a lone white owl that flew between the city’s 
  lazurite columns until it dropped dead without cause 
  at her feet—she took up her patron’s mantle with zeal.
  It has been 10 years since her awakening, and now 
  Shallistra and several other reformed ghouls lead a 
  formidable cult of nearly a hundred insurgents from 
  the heart of Nemret Noktoria. Hiding in plain sight, 
  they meet in secret cellars or discreetly marked safe 
  houses and call themselves Tanagaar’s Arrows, since 
  Shallistra believes the empyreal lord Tanagaar was 
  the one who first spoke to her a decade ago. Many 
  of her fellow leaders and supporters claim to have 
  heard their own divine voices of varying descriptions. 
  Rather than dividing the mystery cult, the group’s 
  variety of spiritual experiences has only strengthened 
  their bond and reinforced their view that they are 
  acting in pursuit of a worthy goal, one that will result 
  in the uplifting of thousands of their fellow ghouls 
  from demon worship and bring the dawn of a new 
  age for Nemret Noktoria.
  Members of Tanagaar’s Arrows target established 
  political or religious leaders who reinforce Nemret 
  Noktoria’s foul maxims. Like trained birds of prey, the 
  cultists coordinate their attacks and strike only when 
  success is assured, descending upon a single target 
  in a flock of no less than a dozen, each cultist laying 
  a single blow with their chosen weapon (typically a 
  dagger, short spear, or kukri). Tanagaar’s Arrows 
  have no need for a calling card; the mark of their 
  assassinations is distinct enough to sow dread into 
  even the most coldhearted of their enemies.
  Despite their relative success so far, Shallistra 
  believes that she and her followers could always be 
  doing more, and they never turn down allies who prove 
  their good intentions. Tanagaar’s Arrows especially 
  try to recruit new members from the surface world. 
  Shallistra claims that she will not rest until Nemret 
  Noktoria is freed from Kabriri’s shackles, but the cult 
  leader’s fervor has weakened recently. Unknown to her 
  allies, she has become deeply ill, and it is only a matter 
  of time until she must pass the torch of leadership to 
  a new noble soul.
  Tanagaar’s Arrows
  TALONS OF THE REDEEMER
  Core Belief Desecrators of the dead shall be punished 
  with obliteration
  Leader Amerces (LG female xulgath ghoul assassin)
  Typical Members heretical ghouls, reformed cannibals
  Objects of Worship ornate blades, bird feathers and claws
  Sect Locations Nemret Noktoria, sanctified graveyards 
  Typical Ritual a dozen or more cultists stab their 
  enemy simultaneously
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  Only the nearly immortal can understand the ennui 
  that takes root after centuries of existence. Long-lived 
  peoples normally find ways to keep themselves 
  occupied during their twilight years: surface-dwelling 
  elves hone magic and study lore, while the political 
  machinations of the drow provide never-ending 
  distraction for the leaders and sweet death for the 
  losers. For urdefhan, however, the inherent conflict 
  of being living creatures devoted to the extermination 
  of life preys on the mind. Many urdefhans become 
  addled by boredom, further losing themselves in the 
  chaos of battle and becoming mindless extensions 
  of the brutality they inflict. Others develop bizarre 
  obsessions, take up hedonistic lifestyles fraught with 
  personal peril, or voluntarily isolate themselves on 
  the outskirts of their cult’s territory. For urdefhans 
  who manage to keep their wits about them, though, 
  a strange phenomenon often occurs: the pursuit of the 
  kill becomes a pursuit of the reason for killing.
  These rare urdefhans learn to see beyond the veil 
  of physical reality and into the deeper truths of the 
  universe. Urdefhans who wander the wastes of the 
  Vault of the Black Desert long enough claim to witness 
  impossible phenomena or glean incomprehensible 
  knowledge. More than one urdefhan has returned to 
  their cult with eyes newly opened, spewing forth the 
  dogma of a deity known as Azathoth, the Outer God 
  that seeks to unravel all of creation. To these chosen 
  few, Azathoth is the ultimate expression of the urdefhan 
  and daemonic goal of destroying all life. They see 
  themselves not as victims of the very life they seek to 
  eradicate, but as prophets whose purpose is to unravel 
  the world itself, and thus every living soul in it.
  Numerous sects of Azathoth-worshipping urdefhans 
  have formed over the years. Most are squashed out 
  by their more traditional kin as soon as they are 
  discovered, but remnants of these cults remain, and 
  some have even managed to cling to their tenuous 
  foothold in the Black Desert of Orv. These survivors 
  research and experiment in search of ever-greater 
  truths, tirelessly searching for forgotten tomes of 
  eldritch lore or even developing means of communing 
  with the Dark Tapestry on their own. Sometimes, such 
  divinations reveal the presence of other like-minded 
  urdefhans, who in turn are recruited to the scattered 
  cult informally known as “the Unravellers.”
  The urdefhan mystic Naghul leads one such cabal. 
  Centuries ago, after experiencing a series of visions 
  and sharing his newfound Azathothian dogma with 
  his cult, Naghul had to fight to escape his murderous 
  kin, who saw his new religion as nothing short of 
  betrayal. After his mind was finally shattered by a 
  brief glimpse at the true form of Azathoth, Naghul fled 
  into the deepest vaults of Orv and established a small 
  stronghold filled with deadly traps and guardians. 
  From here, he continues to observe the Dark Tapestry 
  to glean his master’s guidance, constantly seeking a 
  way to destroy the urdefhans—whom Naghul regards 
  as unworthy of taking part in the coming apocalypse—
  and then the entire Material Plane.
  As they work towards the unraveling of the world, 
  Azathoth’s urdefhan followers eschew any material 
  trappings. They wear no armor and wield no weapons, 
  depending on divine or occult spellcasting to smite 
  their enemies. Some even remove elements of their 
  own bodies, replacing skin and muscle with sheathes 
  of pure negative energy, exposing their organs and 
  skeletons for all to see. On these exposed bones, the 
  urdefhans carve runes of power that enable them to 
  duplicate the effects of wands, scrolls, and even staves. 
  Others find ways to adopt the amorphous forms of 
  oozes, their idealized form of life. The most powerful 
  Unravellers even find ways to shed their physical 
  bodies, becoming partially or fully incorporeal.
  The Unravellers
  CLARIONS OF CHAOS
  Core Belief Through chaos the world is undone
  Leader Naghul (CE male urdefhan doomsday prophet)
  Typical Members ancient urdefhan, incorporeal undead, 
  sentient oozes
  Objects of Worship star-shaped crystals, wind instruments
  Sect Locations scattered caverns throughout Orv 
  Typical Ritual performance of atonal music accompanied by 
  destruction of art objects
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  ADVENTURE 
  TOOLBOX
  Blightburn Sickness
  The ceiling of the vault of the Black Desert is studded 
  with deadly crystals that glimmer like stars above the 
  dark sands. These crystals are radioactive and flood 
  the vault with lethal energy. Creatures other than those 
  native to the vault or who have survived there for a 
  long time develop a disease called blightburn sickness.
  BLIGHTBURN SICKNESS 
  DISEASE 15
  UNCOMMON
  DISEASE
  Creatures native to the Black Desert are immune, as are 
  creatures who are affected by blightburn sickness but 
  recover from it. The target can’t recover from the disease’s 
  drained or sickened condition except by magic.
  Saving Throw DC 32 Fortitude; Onset 1d4 days; Stage 
  1 drained 1 (1 day); Stage 2 drained 1 and sickened 1 (1 
  day); Stage 3 drained 2 and sickened 2 (1 week); Stage 
  4 drained 3 and sickened 3 (1 month); Stage 5 increase 
  drained condition by 1 (1 year)
  The surest way to avoid contracting blightburn 
  sickness is by wearing a blightburn ward, a piece 
  of protective jewelry often found among urdefhans’ 
  gear or for sale in Shraen.
  BLIGHTBURN WARD 
  ITEM 13
  UNCOMMON
  ABJURATION
  INVESTED
  MAGICAL
  Price 2,300 gp
  Usage worn necklace; Bulk —
  This heavy iron necklace is decorated with tiny gems 
  that resemble the stars in the ceiling high above the 
  Vault of the Black Desert. While you have invested this 
  item, you cannot contract blightburn sickness. It doesn’t 
  cure blightburn sickness if you already have it, but the 
  disease’s stage can’t progress while you wear it.
  Rituals and Spells
  The undead drow of the Darklands city of Shraen 
  have devoted many lifetimes to magical research. The 
  following spells are often used by drow in Shraen and 
  the Black Desert. These drow jealously guard such 
  spells, so they’re are unlikely to be available for prices 
  measured only in gold.
  BLIGHTBURN BLAST 
  SPELL 7
  UNCOMMON
  DISEASE
  EVOCATION
  Traditions arcane, occult, primal
  Cast � somatic, verbal
  Area 15-foot cone
  Saving Throw basic Fortitude
  You channel a blast of powerful blightburn radiation from 
  your hands. You deal 4d6 poison damage to creatures in 
  the area. Creatures who fail their save are afflicted with 
  stage 1 of blightburn sickness (see above; on a critical 
  failure, the creature moves immediately to stage 2). The 
  level of blightburn sickness caused by this spell is equal 
  to twice the spell’s level, and the disease’s save DC uses 
  the caster’s DC.
  CONTROL SAND 
  SPELL 7
  UNCOMMON
  EARTH
  EVOCATION
  Traditions arcane, primal
  Cast � somatic, verbal
  Area 5-foot emanation
  Duration sustained up to 1 minute
  You whip up a small sandstorm around your body. When a 
  creature starts its turn in the area or moves into the area, 
  it must succeed at a Fortitude save or become dazzled for 
  as long as it remains in the area; it is then temporarily 
  immune to this dazzling effect for 10 minutes.
  Choose one of the following additional effects when 
  you cast this spell. On subsequent rounds, you can switch 
  to a different effect once per round as a free action 
  triggered by sustaining the spell.
  • Sand Shield You create a magical shield made of 
  sand. The sand shield provides no benefit to AC, but 
  it does allow you to use the Shield Block reaction 
  (Core Rulebook 266) and acts as a shield for this 
  purpose. The sand shield has Hardness 14, 21 Hit 
  Points, and no Broken Threshold; when the shield’s 
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  HP are reduced to 0, you can’t use its Shield Block 
  reaction again until the next time you Sustain the 
  Spell and choose the sand shield effect.
  • Sandblast You direct a jet of sand at a single target. 
  One creature of your choice within 30 feet takes 8d6 
  slashing damage (basic Reflex save). On a critical 
  failure, the creature is also dazzled for 1 minute.
  • Sandstorm The area of the spell expands to a 30-foot 
  emanation, and any creature that starts its turn in 
  the area or moves into the area takes 6d4 slashing 
  damage (basic Reflex save) and must hold its breath 
  or begin suffocating (Core Rulebook 478).
  Heightened (+1) Increase the sand shield’s Hardness by 2 
  and its Hit Points by 1, the sandblast damage by 1d6, and 
  the sandstorm damage by 1d4. 
  PILLARS OF SAND 
  SPELL 5
  UNCOMMON
  CONJURATION
  EARTH
  Traditions arcane, primal
  Cast � material, somatic, verbal
  Range 120 feet
  Duration sustained up to 1 minute
  You raise one or more pillars of solid sand from the earth. The 
  total height of the pillars is 30 feet, which must be used 
  in 10-foot increments (for example, you could create three 
  10-foot-tall pillars, one 20-foot-tall pillar and one 10-foot-tall 
  pillar, or one 30-foot-tall pillar). Each pillar is 5 feet by 5 feet in 
  length and width. The pillars must be conjured on a relatively 
  flat area of natural earthen terrain such as sand, dirt, stone, 
  or clay. Regardless of the terrain, the pillars are always made 
  of tightly compacted sand particles that together become as 
  hard and solid as stone (DC 15 Athletics to Climb). 
  If a creature occupies the space where you cast this 
  spell, it is carried upward atop the pillar. The creature can 
  attempt a Reflex save (DC equal to the caster’s spell DC); 
  on a success, the creature can either attempt to Grab an 
  Edge or move into an adjacent unoccupied square. If the 
  pillar would rise higher than the ceiling, it firmly abuts 
  the ceiling but does not rise any higher. A creature caught 
  between a pillar and a ceiling takes no damage (subject 
  to GM discretion, such as is in the case of stalactites or 
  other hazards) but becomes immobilized. The creature 
  can attempt an Escape check to free itself, but it must 
  thereafter Grab an Edge, Climb down, or fall from the top of 
  the pillar. The Grab an Edge and Escape DCs are the same 
  as the Reflex save.
  As part of your action to Sustain the Spell, you can 
  choose to either destroy one of your pillars, causing it to 
  immediately crumble into nothing, or create a new pillar, 
  as long as doing so wouldn’t exceed the total number of 
  feet of pillar you can create. You can Sustain the Spell 
  two or more times on a single turn to destroy or create 
  a pillar.
  Heightened (+1) The total height of the pillars increases 
  by 10 feet, but must still be used in 10-foot increments 
  (this also increases the total number of pillars that can be 
  created by one). 
  TERMINATE BLOODLINE 
  RITUAL 6
  UNCOMMON
  NECROMANCY
  Cast 1 day; Cost a bodily sample from the target, and 
  valuables belonging to the target worth a total value of 
  100 gp × the spell level × the target’s level; Secondary 
  Casters 3
  Primary Check Occultism (master); Secondary Checks 
  Society
  Range 10 miles; Target 1 creature of a level no greater than 
  double the terminate bloodline ritual’s level
  Mighty drow noble houses, including House Shraen, use 
  this ritual to stamp out fledgling noble houses before 
  they rise to power. At the ritual’s completion, you place a 
  contagious wasting disease upon the target creature with 
  the intention of ending their familial bloodline. 
  The ritual is easiest to cast on a subdued target, typically 
  a low-ranking member of the targeted family bloodline who 
  is kidnapped and has their memory wiped. If the target 
  is conscious when the ritual is cast, the target attempts 
  a Fortitude save against the ritual’s DC; on a success, the 
  ritual fails. Otherwise, the target is automatically affected 
  by the dying bloodline disease.
  Dying Bloodline (curse, disease) Failing or critically 
  failing this disease’s Fortitude save causes the disease 
  to progress to the next stage as normal; however, 
  succeeding or critically succeeding at the save 
  has no effect. The disease can be removed only by 
  first successfully counteracting the curse and then 
  counteracting the disease; Level equal to twice the 
  ritual’s level; Stage 1 carrier with no effect (1 month); 
  Stage 2 fatigued (1 week); Stage 3 fatigued and drained 
  1 (1 day); Stage 4 fatigued and drained 3 (1 day); Stage 
  5 death
  Every member of an infected creature’s immediate family 
  (blood relationship or parent or child) that comes into 
  physical contact with that infected creature must attempt 
  a Fortitude save or contract the disease.
  Critical Success The creature does not contract the disease 
  and does not need to attempt further saves when coming 
  into physical contact with that particular creature (the 
  creature is not immune to the disease, however, and 
  must attempt a save as normal if it comes into physical 
  contact with a different infected family member).
  Success The creature is not affected but must attempt 
  another save the next time they come into physical 
  contact with that particular infected creature.
  Failure The creature contracts the disease and can spread 
  it in the same way as the original target.
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  Xulgath Survival Gear
  Owing to their inhospitable habitats in the Darklands, 
  xulgaths have devised a number of unique survival 
  tools, alchemical concoctions, and magic items to 
  ward off predators or otherwise make their lives easier.
  ANCHOR SPEAR 
  ITEM 13 
  UNCOMMON
  MAGICAL
  TRANSMUTATION
  Price 2,800 gp
  Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk 1
  The tip of this +2 greater striking spear is large and wickedly 
  barbed, and the haft is inlaid with fine silver lines that run the 
  length of the weapon. Wielded by specially trained xulgath 
  cavalry, anchor spears are used to prevent the escape of 
  gogiteths or other monsters capable of climbing or burrowing.
  Activate � command; Effect The anchor spear extends 
  into a +2 greater striking longspear or back to its 
  original form as a +2 greater striking spear.
  Activate � command; Frequency once per 10 
  minutes; Trigger You damage a 
  creature using the anchor spear; 
  Effect The spear embeds itself into 
  the creature, and the spear’s haft 
  splits along the silver lines to become a 
  series of hooks attached to a thin but strong 
  cable. As long as the anchor spear remains 
  embedded in the creature, any time the 
  creature burrows or climbs, it treats normal 
  terrain as difficult terrain and difficult terrain 
  as greater difficult terrain. The creature can 
  spend an Interact action to attempt a DC 32 
  Athletics check to remove the spearhead.
  Critical Success The anchor spear is removed, 
  becomes broken, and falls to the ground in the 
  creature’s space.
  Success The anchor spear is removed, the creature 
  takes 1d8 piercing damage, and the spear falls to the 
  ground in a random space adjacent to the creature.
  Failure The anchor spear remains in place, and the 
  creature takes 1d8 piercing damage.
  Critical Failure As failure, except the creature takes 2d8 
  piercing damage. 
  CAVE WORM REPELLENT 
  ITEM 13+
  UNCOMMON
  ALCHEMICAL
  CONSUMABLE
  Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk L
  Activate 1 minute (Interact)
  Cave worm repellent is a highly noxious oil that can be 
  applied to a creature or sprinkled in a circle around a 10-foot-
  radius area. In either case, after it is applied, it lasts for 24 
  hours or until it is scrubbed clean with 1 minute of work.
  When applied to a creature, the repellent causes cave 
  worms of the indicated type to avoid attacking that creature 
  in melee as long as they have something else nearby to 
  attack. The repellent does not deter a cave worm from making 
  ranged attacks against a coated target. If no creatures are 
  within a cave worm’s reach and it wants to approach and 
  make a melee attack, it approaches and attacks a non-coated 
  creature if it can without spending more actions to do so.
  If the coated creature is swallowed by the designated 
  type of cave worm, the cave worm must succeed at a 
  Fortitude save or involuntarily regurgitate the swallowed 
  creature on the next round (a single action).
  When sprinkled around an area, cave worm repellent 
  negates any chance of a random encounter with the 
  particular type of cave worm in that area, as the creatures 
  purposefully avoid the affected area.
  Other types of repellent that function similarly to this 
  one might exist at the GM’s discretion. Uncommon or 
  rare creatures are typically much harder to repel, and 
  repellent against them might necessitate harvesting 
  ingredients from the creatures themselves (such as the 
  creature’s liver or a certain gland). 
  Type purple worm repellent; Level 13; Price 
  550 gp
  Type azure worm repellent; Level 15; Price 
  1,100 gp; Craft Requirements The initial 
  raw ingredients must include an azure 
  worm’s scale.
  Type crimson worm repellent; Level 18; 
  Price 4,500 gp; Craft Requirements 
  The initial raw ingredients must 
  include a crimson worm’s liver.
  GREENGUT 
  ITEM 17 
  UNCOMMON
  ALCHEMICAL
  CONSUMABLE
  POISON
  Price 2,500 gp
  Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk L
  Activate � Interact
  This watery, mint-green emetic of xulgath design is often 
  carried in a delicate obsidian vial or other fragile container. 
  In the unfortunate circumstance that a creature has been 
  Swallowed Whole by another creature, the swallowed 
  creature can break open a vial of greengut to immediately 
  induce vomiting. The swallower must succeed at a DC 40 
  Fortitude save or take 18d6 poison damage and possibly 
  vomit the contents of its stomach.
  Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
  Success The creature takes half damage.
  Failure The creature takes full damage, is sickened 1, 
  and vomits up any and all creatures Swallowed Whole 
  on its next turn (a single action, which also allows it a 
  Fortitude save against the sickened condition), as well 
  as any stones or other objects it swallowed.
  Critical Failure As failure, but the creature takes double 
  damage and is sickened 2.
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  Urdefhan Tools of War 
  The rhoka sword (page 83) may be urdefhans’ most 
  iconic example of warfare technology, but these 
  warmongers have developed a wide variety of tools and 
  weapons with which to engage their many enemies.
  BOMBER’S SADDLE 
  ITEM 13
  UNCOMMON
  COMPANION
  INVESTED
  MAGICAL
  Price 2,800 gp
  Usage worn saddle; Bulk 2
  Developed by urdefhans for their skaveling mounts 
  but quickly copied by other races’ cavalry, this leather 
  saddle is made from cave worm hide and is designed 
  to fit a variety of flying steeds. In addition to a seat for 
  the rider, the bomber’s saddle has a bomb compartment 
  situated underneath the mount. The compartment can 
  hold up to six alchemical bombs of light or negligible Bulk.
  Activate � Interact; Effect You drop a single item from the 
  saddle’s compartment, which falls to the ground below. If 
  the item is a bomb, make a ranged Strike with it.
  Activate � Interact; Requirements The saddle’s 
  compartment is loaded with two to six bombs; Effect 
  You drop the saddle’s entire payload, scattering the 
  bombs below. Make a single ranged Strike against an 
  AC of 10. The AC increases by 1 for every 5 feet above 
  the target area you are. On a failure, the bombs fly away 
  wildly and deal no damage. On a successful attack roll, 
  the bombs fall and shatter, starting in the target area 
  and moving in a line of 5-foot spaces up to 30 feet 
  long for six bombs, one bomb per space. The bombs 
  don’t directly hit any creatures; instead, creatures take 
  splash damage from the bombs as usual, but combine 
  the splash damage from multiple overlapping bombs 
  together before applying weaknesses or resistances. 
  Apply any effects normally applied to splash damage 
  when throwing a bomb (such as the effects of the 
  Calculated Splash feat). 
  HEEDLESS SPURS 
  ITEM 15 
  RARE
  ABJURATION
  MAGICAL
  Price 5,200 gp
  Usage worn anklets; Bulk L
  These wicked-looking spiked metal wheels fit around the 
  ankles and jingle when the wearer walks, imposing a –1 
  item penalty on Stealth checks. If used as a weapon, they 
  are treated as a spiked gauntlet.
  Activate � Interact; Frequency once per 10 minutes; 
  Requirements You are riding a mount; Effect You kick 
  both spurs into your mount’s flank. Your mount takes 
  2d6 persistent bleed damage and gains the quickened 
  condition for 1 minute or until the persistent bleed 
  damage ends, whichever comes first. It can use the extra 
  action only to Stride.
  LIFE’S LAST BREATH 
  ITEM 18
  UNIQUE
  EVIL
  MAGICAL
  NECROMANCY
  Price 23,500 gp
  Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk 2
  The twin serrated blades of this legendary rhoka sword 
  (page 83) are dull black and constantly drip with blood. 
  Life’s Last Breath is said to have been forged centuries ago 
  for an unknown urdefhan general and has since fallen into 
  the hands of countless other powerful urdefhan warlords.
  Life’s Last Breath is a +3 greater striking unholy 
  wounding rhoka sword with the following special 
  abilities.
  Activate � command; Frequency once per day; Trigger 
  You successfully Strike a creature with Life’s Last 
  Breath; Effect You cast a 9th-level paralyze spell on 
  the target.
  Activate � envision; Frequency once per 10 minutes; 
  Trigger You successfully Strike a creature with Life’s 
  Last Breath; Effect The target must succeed at a DC 
  38 Fortitude save or take 4d6 negative damage; you 
  gain an equal amount of temporary Hit Points that 
  last 1 minute.
  Success The target is doomed 1 and takes half damage.
  Failure The target is doomed 2 and takes full damage. 
  Critical Failure The target is doomed 2, drained 1, and 
  takes double damage.
  STAFF OF THE BLACK DESERT 
  ITEM 12+ 
  UNCOMMON
  DIVINATION
  MAGICAL
  STAFF
  Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk 1
  This rough metal staff is pitted and sandblasted, 
  with thousands of nigh-imperceptible sand crystals 
  embedded in its surface. While carrying the staff, you 
  gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Occultism checks to 
  identify aberrations and oozes native 
  to the Darklands.
  Activate Cast a Spell; Effect You expend 
  a number of charges from the staff to cast a spell 
  from this list.
  Type staff of the Black Desert; Level 12; Price 1,850 gp
  Cantrip know direction
  1st create water, purify food and drink, unseen servant
  2nd darkvision, endure elements
  3rd earthbind, neutralize poison, wanderer’s guide
  4th air walk, hallucinatory terrain, rope trick
  5th pillars of sand (page 74), veil
  Type staff of the Black Desert (greater); Level 16; Price 
  9,500 gp
  6th purple worm sting, summon entity
  7th blightburn blast (page 73), control sand (page 73), 
  unfettered pack
  Craft Requirements Supply one casting of all listed levels 
  of all listed spells.
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  77
  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  AMMUT DIET
  In an article published in volume 36 
  of the Pathfinder Chronicles, Tarana 
  Geshepalamori recounts surviving 
  an ammut attack after the beast 
  dismissed her as “a bland soul.” She 
  subsequently interviewed the fiend, 
  who shared that an ammut “tastes” 
  souls in much the same way a chef 
  tastes the elements of a dish; the 
  most delectable souls are those that 
  have faced (or, especially, inflicted) 
  great suffering and evil.
  Ammut
  These chimeric, desert-dwelling fiends have massive bodies that are part 
  hippopotamus, part large cat, and part crocodile. Though they devour souls 
  for sustenance, ammuts are infamously picky eaters; most will only eat 
  experienced adventurers or, for a special treat, particularly evil creatures, 
  passing over common folk or those whose mettle has never been tested.
  Only a few ammuts are known to exist, and most dwell in Osirion. 
  However, recent expeditions into Orv’s Vault of the Black Desert have 
  uncovered the existence of ammuts in this region, as well.
  AMMUT 
  CREATURE 18
  RARE
  NE
  HUGE
  FIEND
  Perception +33; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 30 feet, true seeing
  Languages Celestial, Infernal; telepathy 100 feet
  Skills Athletics +34, Intimidation +33, Occultism +29, Religion +32, Stealth +35
  Str +8, Dex +7, Con +9, Int +3, Wis +6, Cha +7
  AC 41; Fort +35, Ref +27, Will +28
  HP 350; Immunities evil; Weaknesses good 20; Resistances fire 20, poison 20 
  Speed 50 feet, burrow 30 feet
  Melee � claw +32 (agile, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d8+16 slashing 
  plus wasting wound
  Melee � foot +30 (deadly d10), Damage 4d8+12 plus stunned 1 
  (DC 38 Fortitude negates)
  Melee � jaws +32 (reach 15 feet), Damage 
  3d12+16 piercing plus Improved Grab
  Divine Innate Spells DC 37; 6th dominate; Constant 
  (6th) detect alignment (evil only), true seeing
  Breath Weapon � (curse, divine, evocation, 
  fire) The ammut exhales a blast of flame that 
  deals 18d6 fire damage to all creatures in a 30-
  foot cone (DC 37 basic Reflex save). The ammut can’t 
  use their Breath Weapon again for 1d4 rounds.
  Devour Soul (curse, death, divine, 
  necromancy) A creature whose 
  HP drops to 0 while 
  swallowed by an ammut 
  has its soul consumed, 
  as well as its body. The 
  creature dies instantly 
  and cannot be brought back 
  to life except by miracle, wish, or similar magic.
  Fast Swallow � Trigger The ammut Grabs a creature; Effect The ammut uses 
  Swallow Whole.
  Swallow Whole � Large, 3d12+8 bludgeoning, Rupture 32
  Wasting Wound (curse, divine, necromancy) A creature dealt damage by an 
  ammut’s claw Strike must succeed at a DC 37 Will save or become enfeebled 
  1 and drained 1 (or enfeebled 2 and drained 2 on a critical failed save). The 
  conditions cannot be mitigated until the curse is removed, and the curse 
  cannot be removed until all damage dealt by the claw Strike is healed. Each 
  day, a creature afflicted with wasting wound must attempt another saving 
  throw; on a failed save, the values of its enfeebled and drained conditions 
  each increase by 1. If the victim dies while cursed, its soul is destroyed, 
  as per the ammut’s devour soul ability.
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  OTHER BLIGHTBURN GENIES
  In addition to muurfeli and arardas, 
  other blightburn genies can also be 
  found in the Black Desert, including 
  black, doglike efreet called suayiks 
  and laanums, amorphous marid-like 
  horrors with the heads of powerful sea 
  serpents. Darklands equivalent of jann 
  may exist, though they supposedly 
  only appear to the hopelessly lost.
  Blightburn Genies
  Before the Black Desert became a barren sandscape, cultures with grand 
  magical traditions lived under its soaring roof. These communities eventually 
  left the vault or died out, but the genies they summoned remained and became 
  warped by the region’s pervasive blightburn radiation. Now, these “blightburn 
  genies” have bodies with features mirroring those of beasts that dwell in dark 
  places, and their elemental lineages have been irreparably corrupted.
  MUURFELI
  Whereas typical djinn can cleanse or clear areas with their arcane winds, the 
  air magic of muurfeli is tainted by the Black Desert’s noxious radiation and 
  mixed with the realm’s ambient fetid winds.
  MUURFELI 
  CREATURE 16
  RARE
  CN
  LARGE
  AIR
  ELEMENTAL
  GENIE
  Perception +30; darkvision, detect magic
  Languages Auran, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +33, Arcana +27, Athletics +31, Deception +28, 
  Stealth +31
  Str +7, Dex +9, Con +5, Int +5, Wis +3, Cha +6
  Items +2 greater striking scimitar
  AC 39; Fort +25, Ref +31, Will +27
  HP 300; Weaknesses cold 10; Resistances fire 15, 
  poison 15 
  Firedamp Winds (air, aura) 30 feet, DC 33. Swirling 
  winds of noxious, flammable gas surround a muurfeli. 
  An open flame, spark, or similar fire effect in the area 
  causes an explosion that deals 20d6 fire damage to 
  all creatures in the aura (including the muurfeli) and 
  temporarily disables the aura for 1 minute. When the 
  muurfeli takes damage from an ability with the water 
  trait or fails a saving throw against a water effect, their 
  firedamp winds aura is disabled for 1 minute. A creature that enters or begins 
  its turn in the aura must attempt a Fortitude save.
  Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
  Success The creature is sickened 1.
  Failure The creature is sickened 2.
  Critical Failure The creature is sickened 2 and fatigued.
  Speed 35 feet, fly 50 feet
  Melee � fist +29 (agile, finesse, magical, nonlethal, reach 10 feet), 
  Damage 3d10+15 bludgeoning plus 2d6 poison
  Melee � scimitar +31 (forceful, magical, reach 10 feet, sweep), Damage 
  3d6+17 slashing plus 2d6 poison
  Ranged � fetid winds +31 (air, evocation, magical, poison, range increment 
  20 feet), Damage 2d8+7 bludgeoning plus 2d8+5 poison
  Arcane Innate Spells DC 36; 7th cloudkill; 5th illusory creature; 4th burning 
  hands (at will), gaseous form, invisibility (at will, self only); 2nd enhance 
  victuals (at will); Constant (4th) detect magic
  Change Shape � (arcane, concentrate, polymorph, transmutation) The muurfeli can 
  take on the form of an owl. The owl form always looks the same, but the muurfeli 
  can choose to become either Tiny or Small in this form. This transformation 
  doesn’t change their Speed or the attack and damage bonuses of their Strikes, 
  but might change the damage type their Strikes deal (typically to slashing).
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  ELEMENTAL FUSIONS
  Genies of the Black Desert do not 
  personify the four elements of the 
  Elemental Planes as they do elsewhere 
  in the cosmos. Rather, blightburn 
  genies combine their innate elemental 
  powers with the features of the desert 
  to summon powerful, perverted 
  versions of natural phenomena such as 
  electric sandstorms or acid rain.
  ARARDA
  Shaitans corrupted by the Black Desert’s blightburn become scorpion-like 
  arardas. While other earth genies sparkle with the iridescence of gemstones 
  and evoke the power of the earth itself, arardas use their connection to the 
  ground to harness the might of electricity. Arardas are so infused with this 
  radioactive crystal that their mere presence is toxic to most living creatures.
  ARARDA 
  CREATURE 18
  RARE
  LE
  LARGE
  EARTH
  ELEMENTAL
  GENIE
  Perception +31; darkvision, detect magic, tremorsense (imprecise) 60 feet
  Languages Terran, Undercommon
  Skills Athletics +35, Black Desert Lore +27, Deception +30, Intimidation +30, 
  Nature +33, Survival +33
  Str +9, Dex +6, Con +7, Int +3, Wis +7, Cha +6
  Items +2 greater striking maul
  AC 43; Fort +33, Ref +30, Will +31
  HP 280; Immunities disease; Weaknesses sonic 20; Resistances electricity 20
  Blightburn Radiation (abjuration, arcane, aura, disease) 60 feet. Blightburn crystals 
  infused into an ararda’s body attempt to counteract any teleportation spell 
  moving into or out of the aura’s emanation (counteract check +31; 7th level). 
  In addition, any creature that starts its turn within the emanation is exposed 
  to blightburn sickness (page 73). The aura is blocked by lead sheeting, 1 foot 
  of stone, or large force effects (such as a wall of force, but not a shield spell). 
  An ararda can suppress their aura with an action that has the concentrate trait.
  Charged Earth (electricity) Any creature that hits an ararda with an unarmed attack 
  or touches the ararda takes 2d8 electricity damage. Weapons 
  that hit an ararda also take 2d8 electricity damage.
  Speed 30 feet, burrow 45 feet, fly 20 feet; earth glide
  Melee � maul +35 (magical, reach 10 feet, shove), 
  Damage 3d12+17 bludgeoning
  Melee � sand fist +35 (agile, earth, electricity, 
  magical, nonlethal, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d8+17 
  bludgeoning plus 2d8 electricity and blightburn 
  sickness (page 73)
  Ranged � sand spear +32 (earth, electricity, 
  magical, range increment 30 feet), Damage 
  4d8 piercing plus 2d8 electricity and 
  blightburn sickness (page 73)
  Arcane Innate Spells DC 37; 7th chain 
  lightning, flesh to stone; 6th veil (self 
  only), wall of stone; 5th stone shape 
  (at will); 4th gaseous form (self 
  only), glitterdust (×3); Constant 
  (4th) detect magic
  Change Shape � (arcane, concentrate, 
  polymorph, 
  transmutation) 
  As 
  muurfeli, but with the appearance 
  of a Tiny or Small scorpion 
  (rather than owl) and piercing 
  damage for their Strikes (rather 
  than slashing).
  Earth Glide As shaitan (Pathfinder 
  Bestiary 164).
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  80
  GLASS AVATARS
  Demon worshippers in particular 
  show a strong propensity toward 
  creating obsidian golems, often 
  designing these constructs in the 
  image of their patron demon lord.
  Golem, Obsidian
  The art of golem animation is not limited to societies with access to 
  expensive crafting materials or a long history of arcane mastery. Among 
  the resource-poor xulgaths who dwell in the Darklands, especially those 
  hardy clutches that call the Black Desert their home, obsidian is one of the 
  most common crafting materials available. Combine this ingredient with 
  a powerful spellcaster and the xulgath tradition of inflection—magically 
  warping and working normally inflexible stone—and the end result is an 
  obsidian golem. 
  OBSIDIAN GOLEM 
  CREATURE 16
  UNCOMMON
  N
  LARGE
  CONSTRUCT
  GOLEM
  MINDLESS
  Perception +28; darkvision
  Skills Athletics +33
  Str +9, Dex +6, Con +5, Int –5, Wis +0, Cha –5
  AC 40; Fort +29, Ref +24, Will +26
  HP 230; Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued, 
  fire (see below), healing, magic (see below), mental, necromancy, nonlethal 
  attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, unconscious; Resistances physical 15 
  (except adamantine or bludgeoning)
  Assimilate Lava An obsidian golem that submerges itself in lava or magma takes 
  no damage from it, and for as long as it remains submerged, it becomes 
  slowed 2 and gains fast healing 15.
  Golem Antimagic harmed by sonic (8d10, 2d10 from area or persistent 
  damage); healed by cold (area 2d10 HP); slowed by fire
  Vulnerable to Shatter Casting a shatter spell on an obsidian 
  golem affects the golem normally, but also causes 
  jagged chunks of obsidian to flake off its body. The 
  squares on which the golem was standing (or 
  the squares below it, if it was flying) become 
  difficult terrain.
  Speed 25 feet, fly 25 feet
  Melee � fist +33 (deadly d10, magical, 
  reach 10 feet, versatile S), Damage 
  4d10+15 piercing
  Melee � wing +31 (agile, deadly 
  d10, 
  magical, 
  reach 
  10 
  feet, versatile S), Damage 
  3d10+15 piercing
  Ranged � obsidian sliver 
  +32 (deadly d8, magical, 
  range increment 30 feet, 
  versatile 
  S), 
  Damage 
  4d8+15 piercing
  Fling 
  Shards 
  � 
  The 
  obsidian golem slings 
  razor-sharp shards of 
  itself in a 15-foot cone. 
  Creatures in the area take 4d8+9 slashing damage (DC 37 basic Reflex save).
  Shred Armor An obsidian golem’s body is so sharp that it tears through armor 
  like a knife through butter. Whenever the golem scores a critical hit with a fist 
  Strike against a creature wearing non-adamantine armor, the creature’s armor 
  becomes broken.
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  MYSTERIOUS ORIGINS
  Iffdahsil’s path to undeath is 
  unknown. Many believe Iffdahsil 
  can consume and incorporate 
  the souls and minds of its 
  victims, which might explain its 
  spellcasting powers and relatively 
  advanced intellect, though this also 
  gives rise to more unanswerable 
  questions about its horrific nature 
  and unknowable goals.
  Iffdahsil
  The slithering horror known as Iffdahsil is an undead shoggoth that has 
  haunted the vault of the Black Desert for millennia. Drow legends in particular 
  tend to feature Iffdahsil, terrifying the elves from a young age.
  IFFDAHSIL 
  CREATURE 21
  UNIQUE
  CE
  GARGANTUAN
  ABERRATION
  UNDEAD
  Perception +38; darkvision, lifesense (imprecise) 60 feet, scent (imprecise) 60 
  feet, tremorsense (imprecise) 60 feet
  Languages Aklo, Necril
  Skills Athletics +40, Intimidation +36
  Str +11, Dex +9, Con +10, Int +0, Wis +8, Cha +7
  AC 43, all-around vision; Fort +39, Ref +36, Will +35; +1 status to all saves vs. 
  magical effects
  HP 380, fast healing 30, negative healing; Immunities blinded, controlled, 
  critical hits, deafened, death effects, disease, paralyze, poison, precision, sleep, 
  unconscious; Weaknesses good 20; Resistances acid 20, cold 20, physical 15 
  (except magical silver), sonic 20
  Aura of Annihilation (aura, necromancy, occult) 60 feet, DC 45. A creature 
  entering or starting its turn in the aura that fails at a Fortitude 
  save becomes doomed 1 and drained 1. If the target was 
  already doomed or drained, the values of these conditions 
  increase by 1, to a maximum of doomed 3 and drained 
  3. A creature that dies while doomed 3 and drained 3 in 
  this way disintegrates into black sand.
  Unkillable (necromancy, occult) Unlike most undead, 
  Iffdahsil isn’t destroyed at 0 HP. Iffdahsil’s fast 
  healing continues to function normally, though on any 
  round it begins its turn at 0 HP, it is enfeebled 4 and 
  slowed 1 until the start of its next turn. While Iffdahsil is at 0 HP, 
  it can be killed permanently only by simultaneously exposing it to direct 
  sunlight (or a 10th-level sunburst spell) and casting a miracle or wish 
  spell (or similar magic) directed at destroying it.
  Speed 40 feet, burrow 40 feet, climb 25 feet
  Melee � pseudopod +38 (magical, reach 30 feet), 
  Damage 5d10+21 piercing plus Grab
  Occult Innate Spells DC 42; 9th overwhelming 
  presence; 8th disappearance (at will; self only), 
  hallucination; 7th hallucinatory terrain
  Constrict � 3d10+17 piercing
  Eat Away A creature that begins its turn inside 
  Iffdahsil takes 10d6 negative damage. Iffdahsil 
  gains temporary HP for 1 minute equal to half the 
  damage dealt.
  Engulf � DC 43, 10d6 negative, Escape DC 43, 
  Rupture 45
  Tentacular Burst � Iffdahsil deals 8d8 piercing 
  damage to each creature in a 10-foot emanation 
  (DC 43 basic Reflex save) and can also 
  attempt to Grab any creatures who 
  critically fail their save as a free action. 
  Iffdahsil is then flat-footed until the start 
  of its next turn.
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  ALTERNATE URDEFHAN MOUNTS
  Urdefhans use skavelings 
  (Pathfinder Bestiary 2 241) as 
  mounts most of the time, but they 
  aren’t picky, using any beast that can 
  be broken and trained. Giant lizards, 
  pterosaurs, and even Darklands-
  dwelling manticores all serve as 
  urdefhan mounts, on occasion.
  Urdefhan
  Urdefhans believe themselves to be spawn of the First Horseman of the 
  Apocalypse, who planted them on the Material Plane to serve as harbingers 
  of the end times. These warmongering humanoids live in groups called 
  cults in the Darklands vaults of Orv. 
  More details on urdefhans and statistics for the urdefhan warrior and 
  urdefhan tormentor (which are referenced throughout the following stat 
  blocks) can be found in Pathfinder Bestiary 2 (page 272).
  URDEFHAN HIGH TORMENTOR
  An urdefhan cult’s best tormentors can advance to become truly formidable 
  daemon summoners.
  URDEFHAN HIGH TORMENTOR 
  CREATURE 10
  NE
  MEDIUM
  HUMANOID
  URDEFHAN
  Perception +22; greater darkvision
  Languages Aklo, Daemonic, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +18, Crafting +19, Intimidation +21, Occultism +22, 
  Religion +22
  Str +5, Dex +2, Con +3, Int +1, Wis +6, Cha +3
  Items +1 striking warhammer
  AC 30; Fort +19, Ref +16, Will +22
  HP 195, negative healing; Immunities death effects (except necrotic 
  decay), disease, fear; Weaknesses positive 10
  Necrotic Decay (death, negative) As urdefhan warrior, but 10d6 negative damage 
  and DC 29.
  Speed 25 feet
  Melee � warhammer +21 (magical, shove), Damage 2d8+11 bludgeoning
  Melee � jaws +21 (agile), Damage 3d6+11 piercing plus wicked bite
  Divine Innate Spells DC 30, attack +22; 5th banishment, summon fiend (daemons 
  only); 4th acid arrow, phantasmal killer, spiritual weapon; 3rd harm (×2), 
  paralyze (×2); 2nd darkness, death knell, false life, silence; 1st feather fall 
  (self only), grim tendrils, ray of enfeeblement (×2)
  Divine Rituals DC 30; daemonic pact
  Stoke the Fervent � (auditory, divine, emotion, mental) As urdefhan 
  tormentor, but the status bonus to attack and damage rolls is +4, the 
  status bonus to saving throws is +2, and the status penalty to AC is –2.
  Wicked Bite As urdefhan warrior, but DC 29.
  URDEFHAN HUNTER
  Urdefhan hunters serve as their cults’ trappers, hunters, and 
  poachers. Many urdefhan hunters use skavelings to traverse the 
  massive caverns of the Darklands and scout for prey.
  URDEFHAN HUNTER 
  CREATURE 12
  NE
  MEDIUM
  HUMANOID
  URDEFHAN
  Perception +26; greater darkvision
  Languages Aklo, Daemonic, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +24, Nature +23, Religion +21, Stealth +26, Survival +25 
  (+27 to Track)
  Str +4, Dex +6, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +5, Cha +1
  Items +1 striking composite longbow with 50 arrows, +1 striking rhoka sword
  AC 34; Fort +20, Ref +26, Will +23
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  RHOKA SWORD
  For convenience, the statistics for 
  urdefhans’ unique weapon, the rhoka 
  sword, are reprinted here. These 
  uncommon advanced weapons cost 
  4 gp, deal 1d8 slashing damage, 
  have 2 Bulk, and require 1 hand to 
  use. Rhoka swords are in the sword 
  group and have the fatal d10 and 
  two-hand d12 traits.
  HP 190, negative healing; Immunities death effects (except necrotic decay), 
  disease, fear; Weaknesses positive 12
  Necrotic Decay As urdefhan warrior, but 12d6 negative damage and DC 32.
  Speed 30 feet
  Melee � rhoka sword +24 (fatal d10, magical, two-hand d12), Damage 2d8+10 slashing
  Melee � jaws +22 (agile), Damage 3d6+10 piercing plus wicked bite
  Ranged � composite longbow +26 (deadly d10, magical, propulsive, range 
  increment 100 feet, reload 0, volley 30 feet), Damage 2d8+4 piercing 
  Divine Innate Spells DC 29, attack +23; 4th death knell; 3rd feather fall (at will, 
  self only), ray of enfeeblement
  Deadly Aim � (open) The urdefhan hunter makes a ranged Strike at a –2 penalty. 
  The urdefhan deals 4 additional damage with this Strike.
  Double Shot � Requirement The urdefhan hunter is wielding a ranged weapon with 
  reload 0; Effect The urdefhan hunter makes two Strikes with the required 
  weapon at a single target. These Strikes both count toward the urdefhan’s 
  multiple attack penalty, but the penalty doesn’t increase until both 
  attacks are resolved.
  Mounted Bow Expert Urdefhan hunters can make composite longbow 
  Strikes while mounted.
  Wicked Bite As urdefhan warrior, but DC 32.
  URDEFHAN DOMINATOR
  Urdefhan dominators control the minds of others to glean useful 
  secrets and gain an advantage against their enemies.
  URDEFHAN DOMINATOR 
  CREATURE 14
  NE
  MEDIUM
  HUMANOID
  URDEFHAN
  Perception +26; greater darkvision
  Languages Aklo, Daemonic, Undercommon
  Skills Crafting +24, Daemon Lore +24, Intimidation +26, Religion +29, 
  Stealth +25, Survival +27
  Str +4, Dex +5, Con +3, Int +4, Wis +7, Cha +6
  Items +2 striking rhoka sword
  AC 35; Fort +25, Ref +25, Will +29
  HP 250, negative healing; Immunities death effects (except 
  necrotic decay), disease, fear; Weaknesses positive 15
  Necrotic Decay As urdefhan warrior, but 15d6 negative damage and DC 34.
  Speed 25 feet
  Melee � rhoka sword +26 (fatal d10, magical, two-hand d12), Damage 
  2d8+10 slashing
  Melee � jaws +26 (agile), Damage 4d6+10 piercing plus wicked bite
  Divine Innate Spells DC 35, attack +29; 7th dimensional lock; 6th disintegrate, 
  dominate (×2); 5th banishment, command, prying eye; 4th phantasmal 
  killer (×2), read omens, spiritual weapon; 3rd harm (×2), paralyze (×2); 2nd 
  darkness, death knell, false life, silence; 1st feather fall (self only), grim 
  tendrils, ray of enfeeblement; Cantrips (7th) chill touch, divine lance, forbidding 
  ward, telekinetic projectile
  Eyes of the Enthralled � Requirement The urdefhan dominator has a creature 
  dominated with its dominate innate spell; Effect The urdefhan taps into the 
  dominated creature’s sight, hearing, and any other senses it has. The urdefhan 
  can change back and forth from its own senses to the target’s senses as a single 
  action, which has the concentrate trait.
  Wicked Bite As urdefhan warrior, but DC 33.
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  LIVING LIVERS
  A vitalia’s ability to filter and purify 
  even days-old blood makes them 
  highly sought after by certain 
  powerful individuals, especially frail 
  leaders or moguls in pursuit of eternal 
  youth, vampires, or other creatures 
  with sanguinary predilections.
  Vitalia
  Foul occult magic, rare alchemical reagents, and copious amounts of spilled 
  blood are the keys to creating a vitalia—also known as a heart horror—
  though thankfully the exact means of their creation has been long forgotten. 
  Now, most vitalias now come into being by sheer accident. This unusual 
  life-form cannot live without regular contact with blood, much like how 
  fish cannot live long outside of water. Because of this, vitalias are rarely 
  found outside the lairs of mad alchemists or wizards, living in pools 
  of the life-giving substance. Physically, a vitalia somewhat resembles a 
  blood-red giant jellyfish, though it also bears some semblance to a giant 
  human heart.
  VITALIA 
  CREATURE 18
  RARE
  N
  LARGE
  ABERRATION
  AQUATIC
  MINDLESS
  Perception +30; bloodsense (precise) 30 feet, tremorsense 
  (imprecise) 60 feet, no vision
  Skills Athletics +33
  Str +7, Dex +5, Con +9, Int –5, Wis +0, Cha +0
  Bloodsense The vitalia can detect any creatures that have 
  a heartbeat.
  AC 39; Fort +35, Ref +25, Will +24
  HP 425, fast healing 20; Immunities bleed, mental, sleep, 
  unconscious, visual; Weaknesses piercing 15
  Blood Eruption � Trigger A creature lands a critical hit 
  with a melee Strike against the vitalia; Effect The vitalia 
  sprays blood at the triggering creature. The creature must 
  succeed at a DC 39 Reflex save or become dazzled for 1 
  round (or blinded for 1 round on a critical failure).
  Speed 15 feet, swim 30 feet
  Melee � vein +33 (magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 4d8+15 
  bludgeoning plus Grab
  Ranged � blood squirt +33 (acid, magical, range increment 40 
  feet), Damage 3d10 bludgeoning plus 3d10 acid
  Occult Innate Spells DC 36; 8th vampiric exsanguination; 6th 
  status (at will), vampiric touch
  Constrict � 4d8+10 bludgeoning, DC 37
  Forced Transfusion � Requirements The vitalia is grabbing a 
  creature; Effect The vitalia inserts some of its veins into the 
  grabbed creature and pumps violently, rapidly exchanging 
  the victim’s blood with its own. Any diseases or poisons 
  affecting the vitalia can be transmitted to the target 
  creature, which must make a saving throw as though it had 
  just been targeted with the original affliction. The inverse is true 
  as well; the vitalia must successfully save against any diseases or 
  poisons affecting the target or contract the affliction.
  Sanguine Rain � (necromancy, occult) Frequency once per day; Effect The 
  vitalia pumps copious amounts of blood into the air, creating a cascading rain of 
  vital fluids in a 15-foot emanation. All creatures in the area are concealed from 
  one another. A creature that benefits from consuming blood (such as 
  bloodseekers or vampires) gains fast healing 10 while in the 
  area. While in the area, a creature taking persistent bleed 
  damage cannot end that condition, even if it spends actions to attempt a 
  flat check to do so. The rain lasts for 1 minute.
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  OTHER XULGATH RELIGIONS
  Zevgavizeb is the most popular 
  deity among xulgaths—particularly 
  in the largest and most successful 
  clutches—but other demon lords 
  and deities are worshipped as 
  well. Among Golarion’s major gods, 
  Pharasma, Rovagug, and even Erastil 
  are known to answer the prayers of 
  xulgath devotees.
  Xulgath Deepmouth
  Xulgath deepmouths wield the powers of the Abyss against their clutch’s 
  enemies and invoke righteous fear in their followers. The vast majority 
  of deepmouths worship demon lords, most commonly Zevgavizeb. 
  Scalescribing—the warping of xulgath flesh into imitations of Abyssal 
  script—is a widespread practice among deepmouths, enabling them to 
  channel the power of the Abyss through their fanatical devotees’ own bodies.
  XULGATH DEEPMOUTH 
  CREATURE 12
  UNCOMMON
  CE
  MEDIUM
  HUMANOID
  XULGATH
  Perception +26; darkvision
  Languages Draconic, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +22, Crafting +22, Diplomacy +25, Intimidation +25, Medicine 
  +25, Religion +25, Society +22
  Str +2, Dex +4, Con +2, Int +4, Wis +7, Cha +5
  Items +1 striking spiked gauntlet, +1 hide armor, bone religious symbol of 
  Zevgavizeb, material component pouch
  AC 33; Fort +18, Ref +22, Will +25
  HP 215
  Stench (aura, olfactory) 30 feet. As xulgath warrior (Bestiary 336), but DC 28.
  Speed 25 feet
  Melee � spiked gauntlet +21 (agile, free-hand, magical), Damage 2d4+6 piercing
  Melee � jaws +20, Damage 2d6+6 piercing
  Melee � claw +20 (agile), Damage 2d4+6 slashing
  Divine Prepared Spells DC 33, attack +27; 6th divine wrath, harm (×6), repulsion 
  (×2); 5th heal (×2), ravening maw (Pathfinder Adventure Path #153 67); 4th air 
  walk (×2), enervation; 3rd heroism, meld into stone, vampiric touch; 2nd status 
  (×3); 1st protection, ray of enfeeblement (×2); Cantrips (6th) chill touch, daze, 
  detect magic, shield
  Cleric Domain Spells 3 Focus Points, DC 33; 6th commanding lash (Core 
  Rulebook 390), vibrant thorns (Core Rulebook 399)
  Rituals consecrate, commune
  Devourer’s Dictum � (concentrate) The deepmouth warps part of a 
  scalescribed creature’s flesh into a mouthed tentacle, then wills it 
  to lash out. The deepmouth makes a jaws Strike that originates 
  from any living scalescribed creature within 120 feet; this 
  Strike also has reach 15 feet and deals an additional 
  2d8 negative damage. If the Strike originates from 
  a creature other than the deepmouth, that creature 
  triggers reactions as though it had made 
  the Strike.
  Scalescribe (manipulate) With 10 
  minutes of work, a deepmouth 
  can carve a magical rune called 
  a scalescript on the flesh 
  of a living, willing xulgath 
  (including the deepmouth 
  itself). A creature cannot 
  be inscribed with more than one scalescribe rune at a time, and 
  a deepmouth can create and maintain no more than three 
  scalescripts at a time. If the deepmouth Scalescribed itself, it 
  can provide material and somatic components while Casting a 
  Spell without a free hand.
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  DYZALLIN SHRAEN
  Dyzallin Shraen wants nothing more than bring the city of Shraen under his sole 
  control. Having secured the aeon orb that Aroden left behind, Dyzallin labors to 
  unlock its secrets.
  When House Shraen was exiled from Zirnakaynin for 
  vile religious practices deemed unsavory even by other 
  drow, Dyzallin Shraen sought a new home with the 
  rest of his clan. Many drow perished along the way, 
  including several of Dyzallin’s relatives and rivals. 
  Because the survival of the house was at stake and 
  House Shraen didn’t balk at the idea of raising their 
  fallen as undead, many of his rivals returned—often 
  more powerful than before. By the time the exiled 
  drow house discovered the ancient xulgath city that 
  would bear their name, the living among them had 
  become an underprivileged minority. 
  While Dyzallin was one of the few who had survived 
  the deadly exodus, in the end, he too chose undeath, 
  deeming life detrimental to his quest for power. 
  Leveraging all his connections within his faction, the 
  Sunscar Oath, Dyzallin acquired a set of scrolls detailing 
  a secret method of attaining immortality through 
  mummification atop a specially prepared mirror. 
  More powerful than ever before, the newly undead 
  Dyzallin swiftly accumulated wealth and influence, 
  rivaling even Zyra and Nyrinda Shraen, the city’s 
  leaders. He isn’t yet ready to challenge the status quo in 
  Shraen, but he believes his time is near at hand.
  Dyzallin has recently focused his attention on the 
  magic orb he learned about in Xul-Khundur. He initially 
  thought the orb was designed to control cave worms; 
  this power alone he might have leveraged into a plot to 
  surprise and eliminate his rivals. But he learned the orb’s 
  true purpose, and believes that its life-giving energies 
  might allow him to utterly destroy the undead kin who 
  stand in his way. He has acquired the orb’s resonant 
  reflection, and as a curious side effect, his rotten skin is 
  beginning to heal, and he feels more energetic than he 
  has in millennia. Convinced of the orb’s power, Dyzallin 
  believes it is only a matter of time before he unlocks its 
  magic and gains control of Shraen.
  Campaign Role
  As the current keeper of the aeon orb that the 
  heroes seek, Dyzallin has unwittingly become the 
  adventure’s main antagonist. Until the heroes arrive 
  in Shraen and start causing trouble, Dyzallin isn’t 
  even aware of them; even while they’re in Shraen, 
  Dyzallin is too involved in his research to spare them 
  much attention. When the heroes finally assault his 
  tower, he arranges for the most powerful defense he 
  can muster. Dyzallin isn’t interested in why the heroes 
  want the orb, and he’s prepared to keep it from them 
  at any cost.
  Because of Dyzallin’s mirror rejuvenation ability, 
  it’s likely he survives the encounter with the heroes. 
  After his defeat, the eternally patient mummy starts 
  anew, determined to find another way to gain control 
  of Shraen. If the heroes angered him enough, he might 
  pursue them to the surface, only to discover the other 
  aeon orbs there for the taking. Dyzallin could become 
  a significant threat to the Starstone Isles and might 
  return as an ongoing threat to the heroes. 
  DYZALLIN SHRAEN 
  CREATURE 19
  UNIQUE
  NE
  MEDIUM
  MUMMY
  UNDEAD
  Male drow mummy mage (Bestiary 136, 240)
  Perception +32; darkvision
  Languages Abyssal, Common, Elven, Necril, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +31, Arcana +33, Deception +38, 
  Diplomacy +34, Intimidation +36, Occultism +35, 
  Religion +28, Shraen Lore +31, Society +33, Stealth +31
  Str +2, Dex +6, Con +4, Int +6, Wis +3, Cha +9
  Items circlet of persuasion, +2 greater striking hand 
  crossbow (10 bolts), scroll of heroism (9th), scroll 
  of maze, scroll of unrelenting observation, wand of 
  manifold missiles (7th)
  AC 42; Fort +30, Ref +32, Will +33; +1 status to all saves 
  vs. magical effects and positive effects, +2 status to all 
  saves vs. mental effects
  HP 380, negative healing; Immunities death effects, 
  disease, 
  paralyzed, 
  poison, 
  sleep, 
  unconscious; 
  Weaknesses fire 15; Resistances electricity 20
  Mirror Rejuvenation (divine, necromancy) When Dyzallin is 
  destroyed, necromantic energies rebuild his body inside 
  the mirror in his laboratory over the next 1d10  days. 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  His re-forming body is visible in the mirror, but the 
  mirror can’t be destroyed while he is re-forming unless 
  a consecrate ritual is first cast upon it. Once Dyzallin’s 
  rejuvenation is complete, he steps out of the mirror. 
  Utter Despair (aura, divine, emotion, enchantment, fear, 
  incapacitation, mental) 30 feet. Living creatures are 
  frightened 2 while in Dyzallin’s utter despair aura. They 
  can’t naturally recover from this fear while in the area 
  but lose the frightened condition immediately upon 
  leaving the area. When a creature first enters the aura, 
  it must succeed at a DC 39 Will save (after taking the 
  penalty from being frightened) or be paralyzed for 1d4 
  rounds. The creature is then temporarily immune to the 
  paralysis caused by the utter despair aura for 24 hours.
  Attack of Opportunity � Dyzallin can use Attack of 
  Opportunity when a creature within his reach uses 
  a concentrate action, in addition to the usual trigger. 
  He can disrupt triggering concentrate actions, and he 
  disrupts actions with a successful attack 
  roll, not just a critical success.
  Speed 25 feet
  Melee � fist +34 (agile, finesse), Damage 4d10+12 
  bludgeoning plus insidious mummy rot 
  Ranged � hand crossbow +36 (range increment 
  60 feet, reload 1), Damage 3d6+12 piercing plus 
  insidious mummy rot
  Occult Spontaneous Spells DC 41; 10th (1 slot) time 
  stop; 9th (4 slots) dispel magic, foresight, overwhelming 
  presence, telepathic demand; 8th (4 slots) magic 
  missile, phantasmal calamity, scintillating pattern, 
  uncontrollable dance; 7th (5 slots) duplicate foe, 
  paralyze, visions of danger, warp mind; 6th (4 
  slots) feeblemind, mislead, repulsion, true seeing; 
  5th (4 slots) dispel magic, hallucination, shadow 
  blast, synaptic pulse; 4th (4 slots) clairvoyance, 
  fly, read omens, suggestion; 3rd (4 slots) blindness, 
  clairaudience, dispel magic, nondetection; 2nd (4 
  slots) augury, blur, hideous laughter, invisibility; 1st 
  (4 slots) charm, floating disk, illusory object, item 
  facade; Cantrips (10th) detect magic, ghost sound, 
  mage hand, read aura, sigil 
  Divine Innate Spells DC 41; 8th moment of renewal; 2nd 
  darkness (at will), faerie fire (at will); Cantrips (10th) 
  dancing lights
  Occult Rituals DC 41; commune, legend lore, terminate 
  bloodline (page 74)
  Channel Rot (divine, necromancy) Dyzallin can deliver 
  insidious mummy rot through any weapons he wields.
  Familiar Dyzallin has an undead raven named Grimbeak 
  as a familiar. Grimbeak can fly, has negative 
  healing, shares all of Dyzallin’s immunities, 
  and grants him an additional 7th-level spell 
  slot (already incorporated into the stat block).
  Insidious Mummy Rot (curse, disease, divine, necromancy) 
  This disease and damage from it can’t be healed until the 
  curse is removed. A creature killed by this curse turns 
  to sand and can’t be resurrected except by a 9th-level 
  resurrect ritual or similar magic; Saving Throw DC 39 
  Fortitude; Stage 1 carrier with no ill effect (1 minute); 
  Stage 2 15d6 negative damage and stupefied 2 (1 day)
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  WAR CHAMPION 
  KHAROSTAN
  Kharostan is a half-daemon urdefhan and the primary leader of the largest urdefhan 
  settlement in the Black Desert. The urdefhans say an astradaemon lives in the left side 
  of his body, giving him his great strength and strange abilities.
  Kharostan grew up knowing he bore the blood of 
  daemons; he was much bigger than other young 
  urdefhans, and his anger gave him undeniable strength. 
  Yet he saw his potent daemonic blood as a curse. His 
  back and limbs were plagued by terrible aches and he 
  was often overwhelmed by rages and visions he didn’t 
  understand. No one dared mock him to his face, but 
  behind his back, young urdefhans and adults alike 
  called him names and questioned his competence.
  Once Kharostan became an adult, he announced his 
  intention to claim the throne of the Spear Hill cult, 
  challenging Urserf to single combat. Much to Urserf’s 
  dismay, none of the cult’s daemon-binders objected, 
  and Urserf grudgingly accepted the challenge to save 
  face. Kharostan was too fast and strong for the old 
  war champion, and he quickly defeated and killed him.
  Upon claiming his position as the Spear Hill cult’s 
  war champion, Kharostan made many lofty promises 
  to his subjects—he pledged to unify the urdefhans of 
  the desert and take the city of Shraen from the undead 
  drow. But years have passed, few of his promises have 
  been realized, and Kharostan now finds his position 
  increasingly tenuous. No urdefhan is strong enough to 
  challenge him alone, but he knows he must fulfill his 
  promises, and quickly, to avoid unifying his foes.
  Kharostan loves to fight, slaughter, and take slaves, 
  but to him, death and destruction are only a means to 
  an end. He dreams of a future where his people can 
  rise above endless warfare and become something even 
  stronger. As is traditional for many war champions, 
  Kharostan has a trio of dominators who act as his 
  personal advisors, though he doesn’t trust them. The 
  advisors seldom agree with one another, and while 
  Kharostan listens to each one carefully, he usually 
  chooses a solution that combines the best ideas of 
  the three rather than siding with one advisor over 
  the others. When the three advisors agree, Kharostan 
  completely disregards their advice. 
  In addition to being much larger than other 
  urdefhans, Kharostan bears a mismatched appearance. 
  The left side of his body is clearly more muscular than 
  the right side, which is strong but sinewy. He is blind 
  in his right eye, and black blood constantly oozes from 
  its corner. He wears only loose strips of cloth wrapped 
  around his body beneath piecemeal armor, intentionally 
  leaving much of his transparent skin exposed.
  Campaign Role
  Kharostan is suspicious of intruders within his 
  territory and has instructed the Spear Hill warriors 
  to capture any humanoids or beasts worth taking as 
  slaves or using for food, and to kill the rest. When he 
  learns of a group of surface-dwellers who defeat his 
  hunters and daemons with relative ease, however, he 
  becomes curious. 
  Kharostan is something of an unlikely ally for the 
  heroes. He is willing to ally with strangers because 
  he is desperate to gain information about the drow’s 
  interest in the Cradle of Worms. But if the heroes anger 
  him, he goes to great lengths to obtain revenge. 
  KHAROSTAN 
  CREATURE 16
  UNIQUE
  NE
  LARGE
  FIEND
  HUMANOID
  URDEFHAN
  Male urdefhan war champion (Bestiary 2 272)
  Perception +29; greater darkvision, true seeing
  Languages Aklo, Common, Daemonic, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +28, Athletics +31, Black Desert Lore +25, 
  Crafting +25, Intimidate +28, Religion +27, Stealth +28, 
  Survival +29
  Str +6, Dex +6, Con +4, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +4
  Items +1 striking composite longbow (40 arrows), +2 greater 
  striking rhoka sword (page 83), studded leather armor
  AC 38; Fort +28, Ref +30, Will +25
  HP 280, negative healing; Immunities death effects, 
  disease, fear; Weaknesses positive 15
  Necrotic Decay (divine, necromancy, negative) When 
  Kharostan dies, his daemon-tainted flesh quickly rots 
  away and sublimates into a foul-smelling gas that fills a 
  10-foot emanation around his body. All creatures within 
  the area take 20d6 negative damage as their flesh 
  curdles and rots as well (DC 37 basic Fortitude save).
  Attack of Opportunity �
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  Speed 30 feet, climb 30 feet
  Melee � rhoka sword +32 (fatal d10, magical, reach 10 
  feet, two-hand d12), Damage 3d8+12 slashing 
  Melee � jaws +31, Damage 3d8+12 piercing plus wicked 
  bite 
  Ranged � composite longbow 
  +32 
  (deadly 
  d10, 
  magical, 
  propulsive, range increment 
  100 feet, reload 0, volley 30 
  feet), Damage 2d8+9 piercing
  Divine Innate Spells DC 37; 2nd 
  death knell; 1st feather fall (at will, 
  self only), ray of enfeeblement; 
  Constant (8th) true seeing
  Devastating Strikes Kharostan’s melee 
  Strikes ignore 10 points of a creature’s 
  resistance to physical damage.
  Furious Sprint � (rage) Kharostan Strides up 
  to five times his Speed in a straight line. He 
  can increase the number of actions for this 
  activity to 3 in order to Stride up to eight 
  times his Speed in a straight line instead.
  Rage � (concentrate, emotion, mental) 
  Requirements Kharostan isn’t fatigued 
  or raging; Effect Kharostan gains 30 
  temporary Hit Points that last until 
  the rage ends. While raging, he deals an additional 12 
  damage with melee attacks and takes a –1 penalty to AC. 
  Kharostan can’t use concentrate actions except Seek and 
  actions with the rage trait. The rage lasts for 1 minute, 
  until there are no enemies Kharostan can perceive, or 
  until Kharostan falls unconscious. Once the rage ends, 
  Kharostan can’t Rage again for 1 minute.
  Reckless Abandon � (rage) Trigger Kharostan’s turn begins 
  and he has 140 or fewer Hit Points; Effect Kharostan 
  throws caution to the wind to finish the fight. He gains 
  a +2 status bonus to attack rolls, a –2 status penalty to 
  AC, and a –1 status penalty to saves. He can also make 
  a Wicked Bite each time he damages a creature with 
  his jaws Strike, in addition to the usual once per round 
  usage for a free action. These effects last until 
  his rage ends or he has more than 140 Hit 
  Points, whichever comes first.
  Wicked Bite � Trigger Kharostan damages a 
  creature with a jaws Strike; Frequency 
  once per round; Effect Kharostan’s bite 
  leaves the victim’s flesh translucent 
  around the site of the injury. He chooses one 
  of the effects below, each of which requires the 
  damaged creature to attempt a DC 37 Fortitude save. 
  If the jaws Strike was a critical hit, the creature takes 
  both effects, rolling the saving throw once and using the 
  result for both effects.
  • Drain Blood Kharostan drinks some of the victim’s 
  blood. On a failed save, the victim is doomed 1 and 
  drained 1, and Kharostan regains 20 HP (on a critical 
  failure, the creature is doomed 2 and drained 2, and 
  Kharostan regains 40 HP). 
  • Drain Vitality (necromancy) Kharostan draws out 
  some of the creature’s vital essence. The creature 
  becomes enfeebled 2 for 1 hour on a failed save (or 
  enfeebled 3 for 1 hour on a critical failure).
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  90
  QORMINTUR
  As the seneschal of the influential drow mummy Dyzallin Shraen, Qormintur administers 
  most of her master’s business transactions and assets. She is Dyzallin’s trusted ally, and 
  upon his departure, she continues to study the ruins of Xul-Khundur on his behalf.
  When Qormintur was just 10 years old, her family 
  decided to sell their business in a small duergar 
  settlement and look for new opportunities in the 
  Darklands city of Hagegraf. A few days after departing, 
  duergar slavers attacked their caravan, murdered 
  her father, and captured everyone else. Qormintur 
  was sold as a slave in Shraen, and she never found 
  out where her mother or siblings were taken. She did 
  discover, however, that one of her father’s business 
  rivals had blackmailed her parents to leave, and the 
  same duergar had arranged for the slavers to attack 
  the caravan. The memories of that betrayal and the 
  loss of her family still haunt her, and her deepest desire 
  is to get her revenge.
  When she arrived in Shraen, Qormintur was first 
  taken to the city’s slave pens to be sold as a laborer, 
  personal attendant, or fodder for one of Shraen’s undead 
  nobles. Despite the hopelessness, fear, and anxiety she 
  witnessed in the slave pens of Shraen, her spirit never 
  broke. When she was brought to auction, a sadistic 
  vampire named Zihain Shraen attempted to purchase 
  her (and likely make her one of his many playthings). 
  The mummy Dyzallin Shraen outbid the vampire; 
  Qormintur believes that pity or compassion caused 
  Dyzallin to save her from a fate worse than death, but 
  in truth, Dyzallin simply wanted to spite Zihain.
  During her first few years as Dyzallin’s slave, the 
  ancient drow never failed to remind Qormintur that 
  he had saved her, and that her life was his to take if 
  she ever disobeyed him. At first, Qormintur resented 
  Dyzallin, but as years turned into decades, a strange 
  bond of mutual trust formed between the soulless 
  drow and the young duergar. In a city where trust was 
  a commodity harder to come by than adamantine or 
  diamonds, Dyzallin formed a bond with his servant. 
  Dyzallin kept her close to him and encouraged her 
  personal interests in alchemy. As a reward for her 
  service, Dyzallin has promised to transform her into 
  a mummy. So far, she hasn’t considered the offer very 
  seriously; after all, at barely a century old, she’s young 
  for a duergar.
  Appearances matter in Shraen, so despite Qormintur’s 
  trusted position, Dyzallin still makes her display her 
  slave brands on her forearms. As Dyzallin’s seneschal, 
  Qormintur takes care of many administrative tasks 
  for him, including buying and selling magic items 
  and other slaves. This position has often put her 
  into contact with the same duergar slavers who once 
  brought ruin to her family. For now, she is forced to 
  hide her feelings, but when the opportunity presents 
  itself, she will not hesitate to exact her revenge. She is 
  more than capable of doing just that—Qormintur is 
  a potent combat alchemist and often leads Dyzallin’s 
  forces against urdefhans and other threats. Dyzallin 
  tasked Qormintur with marshalling his forces from 
  Shraen to the lost pyramid of Xul-Khundur, and with 
  securing the site so Dyzallin could study the magic orb 
  at the pyramid in peace. After Dyzallin returned to 
  Shraen with the orb, Qormintur organized guards and 
  has continued her master’s research to unearth more 
  of the pyramid’s secrets. This research hasn’t met with 
  many results so far, and Qormintur is starting to get 
  bored and to wonder whether she’s been abandoned. 
  Despite her loyalty to Dyzallin, Qormintur is painfully 
  aware that she doesn’t really belong in Shraen, but also 
  that she can never return to her people. Now that she 
  has spent time outside of Shraen and out of Dyzallin’s 
  domineering presence, a new thirst for independence is 
  brewing inside her.
  Qormintur is a lean, young duergar woman who 
  wears a fine blue cloak over beautifully crafted mithral 
  armor. Her forearms bear sinister-looking brands that 
  match those on her armor and cloak; these brands 
  mark her and her equipment as property of Dyzallin. 
  Her eyes are cold and betray a hint of sadness.
  Campaign Role
  If Qormintur survives the encounter with the heroes, she 
  tries to warn Dyzallin about their interference. If you 
  decide to add a greater challenge to the climactic battle, 
  she can fight alongside Dyzallin in his tower (replacing 
  one of the uthuls accompanying him). If the heroes 
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  LORD OF 
  THE BLACK 
  SANDS
  Chapter 1:  
  Into the Black 
  Desert
  Chapter 2:  
  Cradle of  
  Worms
  Chapter 3:  
  City in Dust
  Shraen 
  Gazetteer
  Cults of the 
  Darklands
  Adventure 
  Toolbox
  capture Qormintur, she might suggest they offer to trade 
  her for the orb. Of course, Dyzallin won’t give up the orb 
  for Qormintur; when he refuses, she could have a change 
  of heart and side with the heroes if they have treated her 
  well. Finally, if the heroes are remarkably persuasive, 
  they might convince Qormintur to abandon Dyzallin’s 
  cause and leave the Black Desert to find a new home. 
  QORMINTUR 
  CREATURE 16
  UNIQUE
  LE
  MEDIUM
  DUERGAR
  DWARF
  HUMANOID
  Female duergar seneschal (Bestiary 138)
  Perception +29; darkvision
  Languages Common, Dwarven, Elven, Undercommon
  Skills Acrobatics +29, Crafting +32, Deception +25, 
  Occultism +28, Shraen Lore +28, Society +30, Stealth 
  +27, Survival +27
  Str +2, Dex +5, Con +3, Int +6, Wis +3, Cha +1
  Items expanded alchemist’s tools, +2 greater resilient 
  standard-grade 
  mithral 
  breastplate, 
  greater 
  comprehension elixir, infused reagents (12), greater 
  messenger’s ring, +2 greater striking shortsword 
  Infused Items Qormintur carries the following infused 
  items: 6 greater acid flasks, 6 greater alchemist’s fires, 2 
  major antidotes, and 2 greater elixirs of life. These items 
  last for 24 hours, or until the next time Qormintur makes 
  her daily preparations.
  AC 39; Fort +28, Ref +30, Will +26; +2 status on all saves 
  vs. magical effects
  HP 295; Resistances poison 15
  Iron Mind Qormintur automatically disbelieves all illusions 
  of 8th level or lower.
  Juggernaut When Qormintur rolls a success on a Fortitude 
  save, she gets a critical success instead.
  Light Blindness
  Speed 20 feet
  Melee � shortsword +32 (agile, finesse, magical, versatile 
  S), Damage 3d6+11 piercing 
  Ranged � acid flask +32 (range increment 60 feet, splash 
  10 feet), Damage 7 acid damage plus 3d6 persistent acid 
  damage and 9 acid splash damage
  Ranged � alchemist’s fire +32 (range increment 60 feet, 
  splash 10 feet), Damage 3d8+6 fire plus 3 persistent fire 
  and 9 fire splash
  Occult Innate Spells DC 35; 4th invisibility (self only); 2nd 
  enlarge (self only)
  Bomber When throwing an alchemical bomb with the 
  splash trait, Qormintur can choose to deal splash 
  damage to her primary target only, rather than 
  dealing the usual splash damage.
  Dire Warning � (auditory, concentrate, emotion, 
  linguistic, mental) Qormintur reminds others of 
  the punishments Shraens mete out for failure. 
  Qormintur and all allies within 60 feet of her 
  gain a +1 status bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls 
  until the end of Qormintur’s next turn.
  Quick Bomber � Qormintur Interacts to draw an 
  alchemical bomb, then Strikes with it.
  Sticky Poison � (manipulate) Requirements Qormintur is 
  wielding a piercing or slashing weapon and has a free 
  hand; Cost 1 batch of infused reagents; Effect Qormintur 
  applies reagents to the weapon. The weapon deals an 
  additional 2d10 poison damage for 1 minute.
  Uncanny Bombs Qormintur’s range increment for bombs 
  is 60 feet. She reduces any circumstance bonus to the 
  target’s AC from cover by 1, and she automatically 
  succeeds at the flat check when she targets a 
  concealed creature.
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  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. 
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  Open Game License v 1.0a © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  System Reference Document © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors: Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip 
  Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  Pathfinder Core Rulebook (Second Edition) © 2019, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Stephen 
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  The Book of Fiends © 2003, Green Ronin Publishing; Authors: Aaron Loeb, Erik Mona, Chris Pramas, and Robert 
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  Mullen, Nathan Reinecke, David Schwartz, and Scott Young.
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  Next Month
  THE APOCALYPSE PROPHET
  by Lyz Liddell
  Now bearing all five aeon orb reflections, the heroes can 
  ascend to Aroden’s bastion high in the Kortos Mounts. 
  There, the xulgath high priest begins the extinction 
  curse ritual that threatens the lives of millions!
  ARTIFACTS OF ARODEN
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  Dredge up relics of the past and priceless treasures left 
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  The legendary mountain range at the center of the Isle 
  of Kortos holds monstrous denizens, local legends, and 
  countless opportunities for exciting adventures.
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  Don’t miss out on a single Adventure Path volume—
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  92
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  BASED ON MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT AND PLAYTEST FEEDBACK FROM MORE THAN 125,000 
  GAMERS, THE NEW PATHFINDER RULES ARE EASY TO LEARN AND EXCITING TO MASTER! THIS INDISPENSABLE VOLUME 
  CONTAINS ALL RULES PLAYERS AND GAME MASTERS NEED TO START THEIR ADVENTURES.
  Core Rulebook
  HARDCOVER $59.99 and Deluxe Hardcover $79.99
  © 2020, Paizo Inc. Paizo, the Paizo golem logo, Pathf nder, and the Pathf nder logo are registered trademarks of Paizo Inc.;
  the Pathf nder P logo, Pathf nder Adventure Path, Pathf nder Roleplaying Game, and Pathf nder Lost Omens are trademarks of Paizo Inc.
  Second Edition
  paizo.com/pathﬁ nder
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  MORE THAN 400 OF FANTASY’S FIERCEST FOES FILL THIS GIANT COMPENDIUM OF THE MOST POPULAR CREATURES IN THE 
  PATHFINDER RPG! FROM FAMILIAR ENEMIES LIKE ORCS AND DRAGONS TO NEW BEASTS LIKE THE NIGHTMARISH NILITH, 
  THIS TOME IS CRAWLING WITH CREATURES PERFECT FOR YOUR PATHFINDER ADVENTURES!
  Bestiary
  HARDCOVER $49.99 and Deluxe HARDCOVER $69.99
  paizo.com/pathﬁ nder
  © 2020, Paizo Inc. Paizo, the Paizo golem logo, Pathf nder, and the Pathf nder logo are registered trademarks of Paizo Inc.;
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  Second Edition
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  THIS COMPREHENSIVE HARDCOVER OVERVIEW OF THE WORLD OF PATHFINDER PROVIDES EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW 
  FOR A LIFETIME OF ADVENTURE IN THE AGE OF LOST OMENS. THE GOD OF HUMANITY IS DEAD AND PROPHECY IS BROKEN, 
  LEAVING HEROES JUST LIKE YOU TO CARVE THEIR OWN DESTINIES OUT OF AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE!
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  GAMEMASTERY GUIDE
  GAMEMASTERY GUIDE
  HARDCOVER $49.99 and Deluxe Hardcover $69.99
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  Second Edition
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  Learn to build adventures, campaigns, and the denizens and treasures that lurk within.
  Make the game your own with variant rules like dual-class characters and free archetypes.
  Explore new types of magic items like artifacts, cursed items, and relics that scale with 
  your character.
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  Find more than 80 new NPCs to use in your game, from guards to assassins.
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  paizo.com #36304379, Tom Muzyka <tom.muzyka@gmail.com>, Dec 10, 2020
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  LEVEL 16  
  (DC 32)
  TR
  A
  ITS
  :
  AUDIEN
  C
  E, M
  AGICAL
  CHECKS: ARCANA +24, 
  DECEPTION +26
  SHE
   CA
  N CH
  AN
  GE H
  ER 
  SHA
  PE, 
  BU
  T 
  N
  O
  T
  JU
  ST T
  O T
  RICK
   TH
  E A
  UDIE
  NC
  E!
  SH
  E TA
  KES 
  TO 
  THE 
  AIR 
  AS 
  A BI
  RD
  , 
  PR
  AN
  CES
   AS 
  A GR
  EAT 
  CAT
  , AN
  D D
  ELI
  GH
  T
  S
  AL
  L W
  ITH 
  HER
   EFF
  ORT
  LES
  S C
  HA
  NG
  E
  S!
  LEVEL 17  
  (DC 36)
  TRAI
  T
  S
  : AGI
  LE, 
  EMOTION
  , 
  MA
  GICAL,
  MUS
  I
  C
  AL
  C
  H
  E
  C
  K
  S:
   IN
  TIM
  IDA
  TION
   +32
  ,
  OC
  CU
  LTISM +25
  A GH
  OS
  T 
  F
  R
  O
  M BEYO
  ND WITH SO
  NGS
   SO
  MO
  UR
  N
  F
  UL 
  YOU’LL WITNE
  SS WH
  AT
  LIE
  S 
  B
  E
  YO
  ND THE VEIL 
  OF LIFE
  !
  LEVEL 16  
  (DC 35)
  TR
  A
  I
  T
  S:
  AGILE
  , 
  IN
  JURY
  C
  HE
  CKS
  : ACR
  OBAT
  ICS 
  +2
  8,
  AT
  HLE
  TICS
   +26
  FRO
  M
   T
  HE S
  HADOWED PLACES 
  D
  EE
  P
  UN
  DE
  RG
  ROU
  ND COMES THIS ACR
  O
  B
  AT
  ,
  DANCE
  R, 
  AND
   AERIALIST WITHOUT 
  E
  QU
  AL
  !
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  paizo.com/pathfinder
  Printed in China. 
  Adventure
  T
  he quest for the mystical aeon orbs leads the heroes to the Vault of the Black Desert, a 
  vast underground cavern where bloodthirsty, fiend-worshipping warriors clash against 
  a necropolis of undead drow elves. In the long-abandoned ruins of a forgotten empire, 
  the heroes uncover an insidious plot to seize control of the cavern and bring devastation 
  and ruin beyond its sandy wastes! The Extinction Curse Adventure Path continues with 
  “Lord of the Black Sands,” an adventure for 15th- to 17th-level characters.
  Desert of Endless Night
  Desert of Endless Night
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pathfinder/2nd Edition/Adventure Paths/Extinction Curse/PF 2E - Extinction Curse AP - Part 5 of 6 - Lord of the Black Sands {PZO90155}.pdf