TEXT: Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
  ® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and the new DUNGEONS & 
  DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. 
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  CORS6-02 
   
   
  PITS OF AZAK-ZIL 
   
  A One-Round DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® LIVING 
  GREYHAWK™ Core Special Adventure 
  Version 1 
   
  APLs 2-8 
  by Chris Chesher and Bruce Paris 
  Circle Reviewer: Creighton Broadhurst and Stephen Radney-MacFarland 
  Playtesters: Gordon Smith, Rod Bruce, Tim Pitcock, Russ Stanley, Nick Lane, and Josh Flint 
   
   
  An old dwarven mine, buried deep in the Abbor-Alz and infested with undead, holds many treasures. Most prized of 
  these are deposits of precious metals brought by a falling star said to be purer than any other in the Flanaess. Now 
  powerful forces struggle for control of the mines, but with whom will you side? A one-round Core Special adventure set 
  in the Bright Desert and the Abbor-Alz for characters level 1-15 (APLs 2-16). Part eight of “Blight on Bright Sands.” 
   
  Sources: COR3-13 Traitor’s Road [Paul Looby], COR5-06 Blood on Bright Sands [Creighton Broadhurst], COR5-09 
  Gateway to Bright Sands [Theron Martin], COR5-11 Dark Deceit on Bright Sands [Chris Chesher], COR5-17 Time’s Tide 
  on Bright Sands [Bruce Paris and James Dempsey], COR5-20 Phantoms on Bright Sands [Tom Kee], CORS5-02 Mines of 
  the Eye [Creighton Broadhurst and Paul Looby], COR6-02 Rallying Point for Bright Sands [Chris Chesher and Greg 
  Marks], Sandstorm [Bruce R. Cordell, Jennifer Clarke Wilkes and JD Walker] and Greyhawk Adventures [James M. 
  Ward], Dungeon Master’s Guide II [Jesse Decker, David Noonan, Chris Thomasson, James Jacobs, Robin D. Laws].
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 1 
  RPGA ® SANCTIONED 
  PLAY 
  Most likely you ordered this adventure as part of an 
  RPGA even from the RPGA website, or you received it 
  from your senior gamemaster. To play this adventure as 
  part of the LIVING GREYHAWK campaign—a worldwide, 
  ongoing D&D® campaign set in the GREYHAWK setting—
  you must sanction it as part of an RPGA event. This event 
  could be as elaborate as a big convention, or as simple as a 
  group of friends meeting at the DM’s house.  
   
  To sanction an RPGA event, you must be at least a 
  HERALD-LEVEL™ gamemaster. The person who sanctions 
  the event is called the senior gamemaster, and is in 
  charge of making sure the event is sanctioned before 
  play, runs smoothly on the date sanctioned, and then 
  reported back to the RPGA in a timely manner. The 
  person who runs the game is called the table Dungeon 
  Master (or usually just DM). Sometimes (and almost all 
  the time in the cases of home events) the senior 
  gamemaster is also the table DM. You don’t have to be a 
  HERALD-LEVEL GM to run this adventure if you are not 
  the senior GM.  
   
  By sanctioning and reporting this adventure you 
  accomplish a couple of things. First it is an official game, 
  and you can use the AR to advance your LIVING 
  GREYHAWK character. Second player and DMs gain 
  rewards for sanctioned RPGA play if they are members of 
  the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS REWARDS program. Playing 
  this adventure is worth two (2) points.  
   
  This adventure retires from RPGA-sanctioned play 
  on December 31, 2007.  
   
  To learn more about the LIVING GREYHAWK 
  character creation and development, RPGA event 
  sanctioning, and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS REWARDS, visit 
  the RPGA website at www.rpga.com.  
   
  Players Read No Farther 
  If you are planning on playing this adventure, stop 
  reading now. The rest of the information in this 
  adventure is for the DM only. If you read farther than this 
  section, you’ll know too much about its challenges, which 
  kills the fun. Also, if you’re playing this adventure as part 
  of an RPGA-sanctioned event, reading beyond this point 
  makes you ineligible to do so.  
   
  Preparing for Play 
  To get the most out of this adventure, you need copies of 
  the following D&D rule books: Player’s Handbook, 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual.  
   
  Throughout this adventure, text in bold italics 
  provides player information for you to paraphrase or read 
  aloud when appropriate. Sidebars contain important 
  information for you, including special instruction on 
  running the adventure. Information on nonplayer 
  characters (NPCs) and monsters appear in abbreviated 
  form in the adventure text. Full information on NPCs 
  and monsters are given in Appendix 1. For your 
  convenience, that appendix is split by APL 
   
  Along with this adventure you’ll find a RPGA 
  Session Tracking sheet. If you’re playing this adventure as 
  part of an RPGA-sanctioned event, complete and turn in 
  this sheet to your senior GM directly after play. You’ll also 
  find a LIVING GREYHAWK Adventure Record (AR).  
   
   Living Greyhawk LEVELS 
  OF PLAY 
   Because players bring their own characters to LIVING 
  GREYHAWK games, this adventure’s challenges are 
  proportionate to the modified average character level of 
  the PCs participating in the adventure. To determine this 
  modified Average Party Level (APL) follow the steps 
  below: 
  1. Determine the character level for each of the PCs 
  participating in the adventure. 
  2. If PCs bring animals that have been trained for 
  combat (most likely dogs trained for war), other than 
  those brought by virtue of a class ability (such as 
  animal companions, familiars paladin’s mounts) or 
  the warhorse of a character with the Mounted 
  Combat feat, use the sidebar chart to determine the 
  number of levels you add to the sum of step one. Add 
  each character’s animals separately. A single PC may 
  only bring four or fewer animals of this type, and 
  animals with different CRs are added separately.  
  # of Animals 
  Mundane 
  Animals Effect on 
  APL 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  1/4 & 1/6 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  1 
  1/3 & 1/2 
  0 
  0 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  6 
  7 
  8 
  5 
  5 
  7 
  8 
  9 
  6 
  6 
  8 
  9 
  10 
  CR of Animal 
  7 
  7 
  9 
  10 
  11 
  3. Sum the results of step 1 and 2, and divide by the 
  number of characters playing in the adventure. 
  Round to the nearest whole number. 
  4. If you are running a table of six PCs, add one to that 
  average. 
   
  Throughout this adventure, APLs categorize the level of 
  challenge the PCs face. APLs are given in even-numbered 
  increments. If the APL of your group falls on an odd 
  number, ask them before the adventure begins whether 
  they would like to play a harder or easier adventure. 
  Based on their choice, use either the higher or the lower 
  adjacent APL. 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 2 
   
  APL also affects the amount of experience and gold a 
  PC can gain at the end of the adventure. If a player 
  character is three character levels or more either higher 
  or lower than the APL at which this adventure is being 
  played, that character receives only one-half of the 
  experience points and gold for the adventure. This 
  simulates the fact that either the PC was not challenged 
  as much as normal or relied on help by higher-level 
  characters to reach the objectives. 
   
  Furthermore, a PC who is four or more levels higher 
  than the highest APL supported by the adventure may 
  not play the adventure. 
   
  LIVING GREYHAWK adventures are designed for APL 
  2 and higher. Four or five 1st-level characters may find 
  the challenge of an APL 2 adventure difficult. Suggest the 
  following to these groups to help increase their chances 
  of success:  
  1. 
  Enlist a sixth player. 
  2. 
  Advise characters to buy riding dogs to help 
  protect them and fight for them. 
   
  TIME UNITS AND UPKEEP 
  This is a one-round Core Special adventure, set in the 
  Bright Desert and Abbor-Alz. All characters pay 2 Time 
  Units except for characters with the Bright Lands as their 
  home region who pay 1 Time Unit. 
   
  Adventurer’s Standard Upkeep costs 12 gp per Time 
  Unit. Rich Upkeep costs 50 gp per Time Unit. Luxury 
  Upkeep costs 100 gp per Time Unit. Characters that fail 
  to pay at least Standard Upkeep will retain temporary 
  ability damage until the next adventure, must buy new 
  spell component pouches and healer’s kits, and may 
  suffer other in-game pEnallanties (or possibly gain in-
  game benefits) as may be detailed in this adventure. 
   
  A character that does not pay for at least Standard 
  Upkeep may also avoid the above-described pEnallanties 
  by living off the wild. If the character possesses four or 
  more ranks in the Survival skill and succeeds at a DC 20 
  Survival check, the character will heal temporary ability 
  damage as if he or she paid for Standard Upkeep, may 
  refill spell component pouches and healer’s kits, and may 
  restock up to 20 arrows or bolts if the character has at 
  least four ranks in Craft (bowmaking). The player is 
  allowed to Take 10 on this roll. 
   
  More information about Lifestyle and Upkeep can 
  be found in the “Lifestyle and Upkeep” section of Chapter 
  3 of the Living Greyhawk Campaign Sourcebook. 
   
  ADVENTURE 
  BACKGROUND 
  In mid-Flocktime of CY 198, the Great Kingdom was 
  astounded by a ball of fire which appeared over the Oljatt 
  Sea, passed over Sunndi, Idee, South Province and 
  Onnwal, and vanished somewhere beyond the Sea of 
  Gearnat. It was visible as far south as the Olman Islands 
  and as far north as Eastfair and Rel Mord, and was cause 
  for wonder and concern even in those prosperous and 
  confident times. Selvor the younger, after careful 
  extrapolation to its origin in the constellations, declared 
  the shooting star to signify “wealth, strife, and a living 
  death.” The pronouncement caused a panic in certain of 
  the larger cities, particularly Rauxes, where a number of 
  prominent nobles took the pronouncement to be a signal 
  for the end of the world, or at least of an era, and created 
  several disturbances. Accordingly, when after several 
  years the predicted events failed to make themselves 
  evident, Selvor was banished from his post and from the 
  court, and held by his colleagues as a laughingstock. 
  There matters were to lie for more than 300 years, while 
  chaos enveloped the greater part of the Flanaess and few 
  had the time or patience to study the work of a 
  discredited astrologer. 
   
  It was in 514 that Jemrek Longsight, a dwarven sage 
  who as a child had been greatly impressed by the 
  phenomenon undertook a study entirely opposite to 
  Selvor’s: using records of the falling star’s flight she traced 
  it not back to its origin but downward to the Oerth. 
  Longsight’s calculations showed a landing along the 
  eastern edge of the Abbor-Alz, between the Bright Desert 
  and the Nesser River. On the basis of previous instances 
  of shooting stars and their tangible results, Longsight 
  predicted a great deposit of pure metals at the site: 
  certainly iron, and possibly gold and mithral as well. The 
  direction of Jemrek Longsight’s study has often been 
  sighted as evidence that dwarven habits of mind persist 
  even in those who choose the most undwarven 
  occupations. 
   
  Longsight’s announcements resulted in a flurry of 
  activity on the part of all the political interests in the 
  region. All over the Iron League there was a ferment of 
  alliance, miss-alliance, and reliance between the dwarven 
  clans and other groups preparing expeditions. The 
  Herzog of South Province sent forth a large group of 
  warriors and prospectors, reportedly with orders to return 
  with news of the deposit or not at all. The Principality of 
  Ulek took an interest, as did Almor, Nyrond, and the 
  Duchy of Urnst, and trading houses from the Wild Coast 
  and even Greyhawk and Dyvers. Even the rulers of the 
  Pomarj, then new to their power, sent an ill-prepared 
  company of orcs, goblins, and ogres. As these varied 
  forces converged on the area delineated by Longsight, 
  chilling tales of murder, treachery, and bloody massacre 
  began to make their way back to the outside world. Soon 
  the weaker forces turned back for lack of supplies or 
  manpower. The Pomarjis were slaughtered by a 
  temporary alliance of dwarfish interests. Nyrond and 
  Urnst were unexpectedly impeded by the inhabitants of 
  the Celadon, who did not desire such activity near their 
  lands. The Herzog’s troops disappeared into the Bright 
  Desert and were never seen again. All parties were 
  harassed by the natives of the Abbor-Alz, who as always 
  resented intrusion, and by the Sea Princes, who were 
  attracted to the supply ships. 
   
  After half a decade of struggle, the house Highforge, 
  one of the more prominent dwarven clans in Irongate, 
  emerged as discoverer and holder of the starstone’s 
  wealth. A port was established on the waterless coasts 
  where the Abbor-Alz touches the Bright Desert, and a 
  secret trail was established leading inland. Highforge and 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 3 
  its allies maintained thorough secrecy, and for good 
  reason: iron, platinum, gold, mithral, and adamantite 
  began to pour out into the Flanaess through a carefully 
  guarded harbor. Few have reported concerning the mine 
  inland, but from peripheral comments it appears that the 
  dwarves discovered a broad depression of fused and 
  shocked rock marking the landing point of their prize 
  and established themselves in a nearby mesa from which 
  they coordinated a well-planned mining operation. They 
  dug deep artesian wells and established cisterns. The 
  mine and settlement they called Azak-Zil, or Pureheart. 
   
  For five years the coffers of Highforge swelled with 
  wealth; there were disruptions in metal markets as far 
  away as Rauxes. Then, abruptly, the flow was cut off. The 
  port city of Zarak remained, but communications with 
  the mines ceased and probes into the interior found the 
  roads to be erased and the dust storms to be intolerable. 
  Members of a powerful expeditionary force disappeared 
  suddenly and silently at night, even from guard tents. 
  Clan Highforge, after expending much of its considerable 
  fortune in an attempt to re-find and retake the mines, 
  took heed of unfavorable auguries and abandoned the 
  effort. Zarak too was abandoned. 
   
  Since the failure of Azak-Zil most dwarven clans 
  have declared the folly of meddling with “things from the 
  sky.” Not a few suppose that the mine was visited by a 
  curse, either by something imported from the heavens or 
  by something wakened by the shooting star or the 
  activity of the miners. Many have cited nomad legends 
  that an ancient nonhuman people dwelt in the mesas of 
  the southern Abbor-Alz and still guard them. 
   
  Only one individual has claimed to have found the 
  site of the mines since their abandonment: one Pont 
  Sandmorg of Narwell. Sandmorg’s account would place 
  the mesa on the eastern slope of the hills, facing the 
  Bright Desert, about a hundred or more miles inland. 
  There was a poisonous salt lake filling part of the nearby 
  depression, and there were hills of tailings from extensive 
  mining operations, and plain evidence of a dwarven cliff-
  city could be seen on the south face of the mesa. 
  However, Sandmorg and his men were content to raid a 
  few ingots from a former roadside depot. Their number 
  had been depleted by native tribes and by packs of 
  unusually ferocious and cunning ghouls, and they turned 
  back after “a most horrible howling, like a thousand 
  jackals which, emanated from the city that night, and a 
  most foul apparition which appeared to the men on 
  watch.” Attempts to duplicate Sandmorg’s route have 
  either resulted in failure to find the mine or failure to 
  return at all. 
   
   
   
  CLAN HIGHFORGE 
  In 519 CY, Clan Highforge discovered one of the richest 
  mineral deposits known on Oerth, only to abandon it five 
  years later. Exactly what drove away one of the mightiest 
  dwarven clans from such wealth is something they have 
  refused to comment on. 
   
  Adventurers sponsored by Clan Highforge returned 
  to the ruins in 591 CY to retrieve a dwarven artifact lost in 
  the area. They discovered that stories of great armies of 
  ghouls and ghasts working the mines were indeed true. 
  These brave individuals barely escaped with their lives 
  and returning to civilization spread stories of what they 
  had seen. They had not though managed to explore the 
  deepest (and presumably richest) parts of the mines; the 
  vast numbers of undead and the harsh environment 
  conspiring to halt the exploration.  
   
  BLIGHT ON BRIGHT SANDS 
  Events in several other of the “Blight on Bright Sands” 
  plot arc affect the events detailed within this adventure. A 
  brief summary of these events and discoveries is 
  presented below. 
   
  CORS5-02 The Mines of Eye 
  In the early months of 595 CY an unusual number of 
  sightings of duergar in the Abbor-Alz close to the Hardby 
  Pass were reported. From the barbarians of those lands, 
  came tales of great battles beneath the hills. On its own, 
  this would be nothing strange for such wilderland, were 
  it not for a chilling discovery several years before. 
   
  Some years before, a company beholden to the 
  paladin Karistyne discovered the battered and scorched 
  bodies of a Baklunish man and a Tiger Nomad woman 
  washed up along the banks of the Storm Run. The 
  Bakluni had on him a set of scrolls and notebooks. It took 
  Karistyne’s folk some time to decipher them, but they 
  revealed that the man was He Chak, an apprentice to 
  Rary the Traitor. His master had sent him to liaise with 
  and lend aid to the ruler of the duergar named “the Mines 
  of the Eye.” The reason for Rary’s interest in the duergar 
  was unclear from He Chak’s writings. 
   
  The Mines of the Eye: The only duergar 
  stronghold of any significance in the Abbor-Alz, the 
  Mines of the Eye are unusual because the undisputed 
  ruler of the mines is Father Eye, who, as his name 
  suggests, is a beholder of great power. Though his 
  motives are unknown, he took control of the duergar 
  over a decade ago. Since then the dark dwur have grown 
  steadily in strength. This has in part been due to the 
  determination of the duergar who see the Abbor-Alz as 
  part of their ancient birthright. However, it is also due to 
  the alliance between Father Eye and another recent and 
  enigmatic arrival to the Bright Desert – Rary the Traitor.  
   
  Rary provided Father Eye with magical aid to fend 
  off his rivals in the UnderOerth – both his own kind and 
  a loose alliance of illithids, dwelling deep beneath the 
  hills. Several of the Traitor’s apprentices, including the ill-
  fated He Chak, have dwelt within the Mines, lending 
  their assistance and knowledge to Father Eye, as well as 
  reporting back to their master on the goings on in the 
  mines.  
   
  In return, Rary has asked for little – until he took a 
  sudden interest in the Pits of Azak-Zil. In repayment for 
  his aid against Father Eye’s enemies, Rary, through his 
  apprentice Turav, asked Father Eye to send an expedition 
  of duergar to occupy Azak-Zil and reopen the mine there. 
  Given the wealth of the site, the duergar have needed 
  little persuasion. 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 4 
   
  The duergar made extensive preparations to do just 
  that but these were interrupted when several adventuring 
  groups – sponsored by Karistyne – invaded the mines. 
  Many duergar and several important leaders were slain in 
  the assault. Father Eye himself survived, but his plans to 
  reoccupy the Pits of Azak-Zil were destroyed. 
   
  COR5-11 Dark Deceit on Bright Sands 
  Adventurers exploring the Deep within the tunnels and 
  passages riddling Dagger Rock adventurers in the employ 
  of Karistyne found a scroll crafted from the skin of a gold 
  dragon. Upon the parchment was written a prophecy of 
  dark portent. Lacking the necessary knowledge and skills 
  Karistyne sent the parchment to a trusted ally so that the 
  truth of the matter could be discerned.  
   
  The answer she received was shocking. The 
  parchment dealt with a method of unmaking the 
  scorpion crown! While it did not describe the actual 
  method by which the crown could be unmade it did list a 
  number of items that would be of use in the ritual. One of 
  these items was described as the “purest star metal” while 
  others seem to be relics of the ancient civilizations that 
  once held sway over the region.  
   
  This dual discovery raises a sinister proposition. It is 
  possible that Rary seeks the means to undo the scorpion 
  crown. What the results of this mighty undertaking 
  would be are unknown. Given however that the crown 
  was the agent of Sulm’s fall and is said to imbued with the 
  essence of Tharizdun himself the massive release of 
  magical energies caused by its destruction could devastate 
  much of the region. Alternatively, Rary might seek 
  dominion over the scorpion crown. If he gained such it 
  might give him control over the fearsome manscorpions 
  dwelling in the deep desert. Such a force under his 
  command would dramatically shift the balance of power 
  in the region. 
   
  Whatever Rary’s plan for the scorpion crown, 
  Karistyne and other powerful good-aligned figures seek 
  to stymie his schemes. They are intelligent people 
  however and realize that any frontal assault on Rary 
  would be suicidal. Thus, they have hit upon the plan of 
  denying Rary the items he needs to enact whatever ritual 
  he is planning.  
   
  Previous and subsequent adventures in the “Blight 
  on Bright Sands” plot arc deal with their attempts to 
  collect these items and Rary’s burgeoning influence in 
  areas bordering the Bright Lands. 
   
  ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS 
  In 520 CY the dwarven Clan Highforge founded a 
  mining colony in the Abbor-Alz named Azak-Zil or “Pure 
  Heart”. This colony started mining a giant pit that was 
  formed by a falling star. While the existence of the colony 
  was no secret in the Flanaess, its exact location was.  
   
  A more public port and outpost was set up in the 
  Abbor-Alz called Zarak. This was the supply link between 
  Azak-Zil and the rest of the Flanaess.  
   
  Then in Ready’reat 525 CY, all contact was lost with 
  Azak-Zil. Numerous rescue missions were launched, but 
  all failed. 
   
  After many years of trying, Clan Highforge gave up 
  on reclaiming the Pits of Azak-Zil. That is, until now. 
   
  Rary the Traitor has need for a large amount of 
  thinaun ore and he knows that what he seeks can be 
  found in Azak-Zil. Lady Karistyne has learned of Rary’s 
  interest in the ore and has used her influence to convince 
  Clan Highforge to try once again to reclaim the Pits of 
  Azak-Zil. In exchange for some secret concessions, the 
  dwarves have agreed to give over rights of the thinaun to 
  the lady paladin and in exchange, she will help the 
  dwarves reclaim Azak-Zil. 
   
  Thus three patrons all need adventurers to travel into 
  the Pits, each with a different goal.  
   
  The Pits of Azak-Zil are swarming with powerful 
  ghouls and ghasts, and to make matters worse, the area is 
  cursed. Any who die there who do not have their soul 
  protected right away, rise as a ghoul or ghast in less than 
  an hour and are forever lost as their soul becomes trapped 
  in thinaun deposits deep below the Oerth. 
   
  But the rewards are worth the risks. 
   
  Introduction: There are two version of the 
  introduction. The first is for those playing this adventure 
  under strict time restraints. The second is for homeplay 
  or those with flexible schedules. 
    
  Encounter 1 The Surface of Azak-Zil: The 
  PCs arrive in the hidden valley that holds Azak-Zil. There 
  are several locations the PCs can visit, but the main pit is 
  off limits- it is the entry point for the High APL version 
  and far too dangerous for lower level characters. These 
  PCs need to head for the entrances leading into the mesa. 
    
  Encounter 2 The Great Hall: The largest 
  entrance into the mesa leads into the great hall of the 
  dwarven cliff city. It is here that the Great Doors keep out 
  the ghouls who would love to suck the marrow out of all 
  the bones in the city. The remains of all past rescue 
  parties are here. They never succeeded at breaking down 
  the doors. Now vermin live in the rubble and bats dwell 
  among the great pillar-statues. 
   
  Encounter 3 The Guard Posts: On either side of 
  the Great Hall are small rooms with murder holes. The 
  defenders here put up a good fight, but died many years 
  ago. One of these two rooms holds a secret door that leads 
  into the city. 
   
  Encounter 4 The City Corridors: In the city 
  proper, well crafted halls lead like arteries to the different 
  rooms that make up the city core. Signs written in 
  dwarven still hang here, directing visitors about the city.  
   
  Encounter 5 The Secret Tunnel: This tunnel 
  and its failed trap give the PCs silent entry into the city. 
   
  Encounter 6 The Privies: The secret tunnel exits 
  here. The walls of the different stalls have some clues 
  written on them. Access to the sewer can be gained here. 
  The key to the vault is hidden in the sink. 
   
  Encounter 7 Admin: This was the nerve center of 
  Azak-Zil. Now it is trashed. An important journal can be 
  found here as well as the vault. 
   
  Encounter 8 The Apartments: This collection 
  of rooms was home to the Thane of Azak-Zil. A toy 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 5 
  belonging to his son and the Charter of Azak-Zil can be 
  found here. 
   
  Encounter 9 The Guard Barracks: This room is 
  a testament to the ultimate fate of the defenders of Azak-
  Zil. 
   
  Encounter 10 The Shrine: This was the 
  secondary temple of Azak-Zil. Here the last remaining 
  cleric tried to save the souls of the dwarves who were 
  both doomed and damned. A letter can be found here 
  explaining how to circumvent permanent death while 
  here.  
   
  Encounter 11 The Miners’ Barracks: A large 
  pack of ghouls have congregated here, assuming the PCs 
  have not attracted them elsewhere. 
   
  Encounter 12 The Cart Park: Here the PCs can 
  obtain an animated cart to carry them and their loot 
  around.  
   
  Encounter 13 The Collapsed Tunnel: In the 
  last days of Azak-Zil the Lower Thane ordered all major 
  infested area’ sealed. That included the primary upper 
  mine.  
   
  Encounter 
  14 
  Keys 
  and 
  Cartage: 
  The 
  bounding keys need to operate the animated carts in 
  encounter 12 can be found here, as well as some other 
  minor dangers. 
   
  Encounter 15 The Round About: Some of the 
  animated ore carts are malfunctioning. If the PCs aren’t 
  in ore carts of their own, these “rogue” carts attack them. 
   
  Encounter 16 Dead End East: This tunnel used 
  to connect to the primary upper mines, that is, until some 
  other adventurers collapsed it to re-seal in the hordes of 
  ghouls living there. 
   
  Encounter 17 Side Tracked: This is the first of 
  three possible encounters with a rival adventuring group. 
  This group can have a different patron, depending on 
  who the individual PC’s serve. This group can only be 
  encountered once. If they have already been met 
  elsewhere, there is a ghoul pack waiting here. 
   
  Encounter 18 Pretty Crystals of Distraction: 
  Once the PCs get past the ghoul pack that lives here, they 
  can look at the reflections of trapped souls in the crystal 
  formations, and waste some of their limited time. 
   
  Encounter 19 The tunnel of Hate: Another 
  side tunnel, another ghoul pack. This one has a pool 
  charged with negative energy and some ioun stones at 
  the bottom.  
   
  Encounter 20 The Roadblock: A pack of nasty 
  ghasts have set up a roadblock along the rail system to 
  catch whatever comes by. Nearby is a shelter for miners 
  in case of cave-in with some magical goodies. 
   
  Encounter 21 An Aside: Yet another dead-end 
  tunnel filled with ghouls. This time, if the PCs use up 
  their time and resources, they gain the treasure of some 
  dwarven heroes who did not fair so well. 
   
  Encounter 22 The Sorting Elemental: At its 
  height, Azak-Zil was served by many bonded earth 
  elementals who sorted through the vast piles of ore to 
  separate the different precious metals. Now, only one 
  survives, and he’s not happy about it. The PCs have a 
  chance to feed him his “back pay” and send him on to 
  better opportunities.  
   
  Encounter 
  23 
  More 
  Adventurers: 
  See 
  encounter 17 for details of this encounter. 
   
  Encounter 24 Going down the Drain: As the 
  PCs trudge around the sewer and drainage system, they 
  risk arsenic poisoning, but it is an excellent way of 
  getting to places without constantly battling ghouls. 
   
  Encounter 25 Alternate Adventurers in the 
  Sewers: See encounter 17 for details as it’s just a repeat. 
  If no adventurers here, then there is no combat. 
   
  Encounter 26 The Bottom Feeders: As the PCs 
  roam around the sewers, they come across the creatures 
  that keep the place neat and tidy. 
   
  Encounter 27 The Gauntlet: Some PCs will 
  want to take the direct route in, through the dumping 
  tunnels leading into the processing area. Each of these 
  tunnels is guarded by a spell turret trap and a portcullis.  
   
  Encounter 28 The Refinery: This is the final 
  combat. Here the PCs defeat the dwarven mummies who 
  refine the different ores on behalf of the lich far below. 
  There are pallets with refined ingots of many metals here, 
  some of them very rare and valuable. It’s up to the PCs to 
  figure out what happens to the supply of thinaun. 
   
  Conclusion: The PCs are rewarded depending on 
  who their patron was. 
   
  PREPARATION FOR PLAY 
  In CORS5-02 Mines of the Eye PCs could have picked up 
  the following AR item: 
   
  Of the Discovery and Loss of Azak-Zil: This 
  leather-bound tome was written by Folinaar Ironforge of 
  Highgate and recounts somewhat melodramatically the 
  expedition to discover the legendary Pits of Azak-Zil, the 
  operations by the Clan Highforge there, as well as the 
  ultimately tragic and vain attempts of the members of the 
  clan to discover what became of the mines, when all 
  contact was subsequently lost with them. The tome is 
  illustrated with a number of detailed maps showing the 
  location of Azak-Zil. Rary’s apprentice Turav has made 
  some notes detailing an inventory of equipment required 
  for an overland expedition to Azak-Zil.  
   
  Effect: If the PCs have this entry, 
  they 
  automatically gain a roll of 20 for all listed knowledge 
  skill checks about Azak-Zil in the introduction.  
   
  INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE 
  DUNGEON MASTER 
  The Pits of Azak-Zil is one of the most (if not the most) 
  dangerous dungeons within the Abbor-Alz mountain 
  range. It is swarming with ghouls of unusual power and 
  ability, as well as a good deal of other dangers. 
   
  Time is not on the side of the PCs. There are far more 
  threats within the pits than a party has time and resources 
  to deal with, thus each party needs to use cunning as well 
  as brawn to complete their missions and escape. 
   
  Depending on which mission the different PCs take, 
  there are different locations within the dungeon that 
  must be visited and completed in order to succeed at the 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 6 
  given mission. It is up to the party to figure out the best 
  way to those locations. For every mission area, there is 
  more than one path to reach it.  
   
  Any party that tries pure brawn (with no cunning), 
  taking every challenge that runs past them, is sure to find 
  themselves swamped with ghouls and quickly running 
  out of time.  
   
  THE TAINT OF AZAK-ZIL 
  Azak-Zil is cursed with undeath. More than just gold, 
  mithral, adamantine and thinaun was borne to Oerth in 
  198 CY. Buried deep within the shooting star was a two-
  foot long ellipsoid of bluish metal. This fell metal radiates 
  a powerful necromantic field that corrupts those slain 
  within a five-mile radius. Darkness bolsters this effect, 
  which in turn causes it to bolster the undead which it 
  creates. (Greyhawk Adventures first listed these powers.) 
  Another side-effect of this is that the souls of the slain are 
  trapped in the thinaun deposits through the mines – 
  denying the departed their final rest. 
   
  Characters should realize at some point that the 
  “infection” of the slain is actually not a disease, but a 
  supernatural effect generated by something in the area. 
  No character is immune to this effect. If any character 
  actually dies (is reduced to -10 hp or less) while on the 
  lower mine level and the body is left in the mines that 
  character rises as an undead a short time after death. The 
  type of undead which the PC becomes depends on her 
  level: 
   
  Up to 10th Level: Ghoul (hp 13; Monster Manual 
  119). 
   
  11th Level: Ghast (hp 29; Monster Manual 119). 
   
  12th Level: Mummy (hp 55; Monster Manual 190). 
   
  What Happens After Dark?  
  Darkness falls at approximately 5pm. After this time, all 
  undead within the mine complex gain the following extra 
  abilities (on top of those already described): 
   
  +3 profane bonus to turn resistance  
   
  An additional temporary 2 hp per HD. These hit 
  points last until dawn.  
   
  Cure for Undeath 
  All these methods must be completed within five 
  minutes of the unfortunate’s death. If the corpse is not 
  successfully treated within five minutes, only its 
  destruction stops it from rising as an undead 1d6x10 
  minutes after death. 
   
  Casting a bless, aid, prayer or gentle repose onto 
  the body. 
   
  Returning the slain individual to life. 
   
  Completing a special ritual. A prayer of rest and 
  protection must be said over the corpse while it 
  is anointed with one vial of holy water in a 
  pattern relevant to the god being invoked. The 
  individual completing the ritual may call on 
  either his, or the slain individual’s deity. This 
  ritual is represented by five consecutive full-
  round actions finishing with a DC 20 
  Knowledge (religion) check. Laymen PC’s gain a 
  +2 competency bonus if they are invoking their 
  own divine patron. Failure to successfully 
  complete the ritual still consumes the vial of 
  holy water. A new vial of holy water is needed 
  for each repeated attempt on the same corpse. A 
  PC may retry as many times as they like, as long 
  as the follow the procedure. 
   
  NOISE DANGERS 
  Because the PCs are greatly outnumbered and pressed for 
  time, the PCs might have occasion to bring unwanted 
  attention towards themselves.  
   
  The type of attention the PCs bring to them varies. 
  When the PCs do something ‘loud’ check the encounter 
  text to see if it specifically refers to what encounter might 
  be called towards them.  
   
  For instance, if the PCs are in encounter 2 and make 
  noise, the ghoul pack from encounter 11 comes to 
  investigate. If, however, that ghoul pack is destroyed and 
  the PCs make noise again, the random ghoul pack listed 
  below investigates.  
   
  Each incident of ‘noise’ should be a separate 
  occurrence. For example, breaking down a door counts as 
  one occurrence, each individual attempt however is not 
  an occurrence. 
   
   Take into consideration attempts by the PCs to 
  disguise their noise. For example, casting a silence spell 
  then breaking down a door is a good countermeasure. 
   
  These random combats are worth full XP, but the 
  PCs can never gain more than the maximum allowed for 
  the listed APL of the adventure. 
   
  Random Ghoul Pack 
   
  APL 2 (EL 2) 
   
  d Ghouls (2): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 4) 
   
  d Ghouls (4): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 6) 
   
  d Ghouls (8): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 8) 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 180; see Appendix. 
   
  FAST START 
  INTRODUCTION  
  This adventure has two versions of the introduction. Both 
  are more complicated than most adventure beginnings, 
  but this version is much shorter. 
   
  Use this version of the introduction if you are 
  running this at a convention with a set time limit of five 
  hours or less. 
   
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 7 
  CHOOSING SIDES 
  The first step that must be taken is having each player 
  decide for whom their PC is acting. The PC has no prior 
  knowledge about the mission or the rewards before 
  selecting. This represents their patron summoning them 
  and then sending them on the mission where they meet 
  up with the other PCs. 
   
  Explain the above to the PCs then ask each one of 
  them to pass you a note listing one of the factions listed 
  below. 
   
  Rary: A PC could choose Rary if they feel akin to 
  what they’ve learned about his politics in previous 
  adventurers or if they’ve earned the displeasure of Lady 
  Karistyne. 
   
  Lady Karistyne: A PC could choose Lady 
  Karistyne if they have stayed in her good graces and wish 
  to see her political goals flourish. A PC cannot choose 
  Lady Karistyne if they have earned her disfavor. 
   
  Clan Highforge: This is the dwarven clan that 
  founded the now lost Pits of Azak-Zil. Though they have 
  had business dealings with many factions, they 
  themselves are politically neutral and in the market to 
  hire some adventurers. 
   
  Once each player has secretly informed you of their 
  choice, give each a copy of their briefing (Handout 1, 2, or 
  3). Once that is done, continue: 
   
  You have all gathered in the recently reclaimed 
  outpost town of Zarak in the Abbor-Alz 
  Mountains. Construction is rampant as dwarves 
  crawl over everything like vermin with chisels 
  and mortar. 
   
  One of the Clan Chiefs addresses you just 
  before you are to leave for the Pits, “Arrive at 
  the mesa valley by dawn, do not enter during 
  the dark hours. Leave before nightfall - the 
  walking dead number in the hundreds so take 
  no chances. Find out what happened to Azak-
  Zil and return with evidence. Stay within the 
  mesa, do not venture into the deepest mines, as 
  more powerful adventurers have been sent 
  there.” 
   
   In short, the different PCs, regardless of the faction they 
  have signed up for, have been taken into the hire of the 
  dwarves of Clan Highforge.  
   
  Those PCs working solely for Clan Highforge 
  receive the full reward of the dwarves, while those just 
  paying lip service receive only half reward (see the 
  conclusion). 
   
  Regardless of who they are working for, the PCs are 
  given Handout 4 that shows the general breakdown of 
  the different sectors of the cliff city and upper mines of 
  Azak-Zil. Clever PCs can use this to plot the best possible 
  locations and paths to get their objectives. 
   
  To reiterate what the dwarves of Clan Highforge 
  want from the PCs: 
   
  Find out what happened to Azak-Zil. 
   
  Bring back any proof in the form of 
  documentation, survivors, and so on. 
   
  Search only the upper mines and city, as a 
  different adventuring group has been sent to 
  investigate the depths of the pit.  
   
  Bring back the Ceremonial Shield upon which 
  the Azak Zil’s charter is written.  
   
  Do not stay past dark. 
   
  A runner arrives and speaks with the dwarven 
  headsmen for a moment than runs off. The 
  dwarf turns to you and says, “I have just been 
  informed of a change in plans. A large storm is 
  set to move in. Normally, I’d postpone the 
  mission, but we can’t afford any more lost time 
  in this race to reclaim our stake. There is still 
  enough time for you to get there and still have 
  12 good hours of sunlight before you need to 
  head back to avoid the full force of the 
  sandstorm amongst the valleys. Now, go with 
  haste!” 
   
  This time limit gives the PCs 12 hours of in-game time to 
  investigate the Pits of Azak-Zil before the terrible storm 
  comes and covers up the landscape as well as traps the 
  PCs as they need to wait out the weather. 
   
  After those 12 hours, move to the conclusion and 
  end the adventure. From here, the PCs travel for a day or 
  so and end up at the Pits at dawn. 
   
  INTRODUCTION: FULLY 
  INTERACTIVE 
  Use this version of the introduction if you are running 
  this as a home play with very relaxed time limits. 
   
  The first step the Dungeon Master must take is to 
  figure out where the personal allegiances of the PCs fall. 
  Once this has been done, separate the PCs into groups 
  based on their allegiance and brief each group separately. 
  If this format is not suitable for your playing venue, it is 
  recommended you use the quick start option. 
   
  Ask each player to write down a piece of paper which 
  of the following patrons their PC leans towards: 
   
  Rary and his purported goal of restoring the 
  Bright Lands into lush greenery and his claim of 
  supremacy over those Bright Lands.  
   
  Lady Karistyne and her purported altruism in 
  stopping what she claims as evil (PCs who have 
  earned the disfavor of Lady Karistyne can not 
  use this option). 
   
  The Dwarves of Clan Highforge who are 
  politically neutral but are in need of adventurers 
  to reclaim what is rightfully theirs.  
   
  Once you know who everyone is working for, ask only 
  those who wish to work for Rary to stay at the table and 
  all others to leave for a short time. Do not advertise who 
  this faction is and ask the others not to discuss their own 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 8 
  choices among themselves. Set aside no more than ten 
  minutes for the interaction with Rary’s supporters. 
   
  Once done, repeat this process next with the Lady 
  Karistyne, and then those working directly for Clan 
  Highforge. 
   
  Below are the different sections for the faction 
  briefings. 
    
  Development: Once the PCs have completed this 
  section, inform the PCs that travel without incident to 
  the dwarven outpost of Zarak. There they join with other 
  adventurers being hired by Clan Highforge. 
   
  WORKING FOR RARY 
  Hardby, the City of the Scorned. Within its 
  walls is the Inn of the Spotted Cow, and within 
  those walls are you.  
   
  You are just finished a supper brought for 
  you by Eiazir of the Muddled Tongue, servant 
  of Rary, Monarch of the Bright Lands. This 
  engagement is all business as he explains what 
  your mission is. 
   
  PCs working for Rary, Monarch of the Bright Lands, are 
  approached by Eliazir Razeem Azam’ut of the Muddled 
  Tongue while they are in Hardby. He asks them to 
  explore Azak-Zil for his master, who seeks a supply of 
  thinaun. To do this, the PCs are to infiltrate the 
  adventuring parties being sent out by the dwarven Clan 
  Highforge.  
   
  At this point, paraphrase Handout 1. When done, 
  give a copy of the handout over so that the PCs have 
  something to reference during their mission. 
   
   
  k Eliazir Razeem Azam’ut of the Muddled 
  Tongue (NE male human wizard 14). 
   
  Physical Description: A stout man clad in fine 
  Bakluni garb, Azam’ut seems to shine with a preternatural 
  youthful radiance, which is both striking and fearful to 
  behold. After a journey to places unknown this 
  apprentice, who is highest in the Traitor’s affections, 
  returned 
  with 
  an 
  eerie 
  otherworldly 
  beauty, 
  a 
  countenance that is both pleasing and unnerving, skin 
  that glows faintly and a silvery tinge to the whites of his 
  eyes. He has a fine eye for detail and is always 
  meticulously dressed in the finest Bakluni silk robes. In 
  many ways he is the perfect contrast to his scholarly 
  master, appearing striking, worldly and urbane. 
   
  Background and Personality: The half-Paynim 
  bastard son of a Lopollan spice merchant, Azam’ut had a 
  hard life until his ‘gifts’ earned him the attentions of the 
  kind and gentle Rary. Recognizing Eliazar’s potential, 
  Rary took him from the indignity and humiliation 
  heaped upon him by his father, training him as his 
  apprentice. After the archmage’s recovery from his death 
  at Vecna’s hands their relationship became more divisive 
  as time wore on. As the outbreak of war wracked the 
  continent, Eliazar left to explore the planes seemingly 
  disaffected with his master.  
   
  A year later Azam’ut returned, changed somehow by 
  his wanderings in far off and unspoken places. While he 
  had seemed unhappy with his master and his decisions 
  Azam’ut retook his place in Rary’s counsel. The Traitor 
  saw the change that had occurred in his young 
  apprentice, and valued his worth as an emissary. After 
  aiding Rary in his treachery by destroying Tenser’s clones 
  he became the voice for the Empire of the Bright Lands. 
   
  Of all Rary’s followers, Azam’ut is feared second only 
  to Robilar. It is whispered amongst Rary’s norkers and 
  dervish followers that some unknown force touched 
  Azam’ut in his journeys. They bestowed upon him the 
  epithet “Azam’ut of the Muddled Tongue”, a name he 
  now uses, as his voice is said to command men against 
  their will, one of many skills he doubtless gained on his 
  peculiar pilgrimage. He has a particular hatred for Tenser. 
   
  WORKING FOR KARISTYNE 
  The walls of Lady Karistyne’s castle stand tall 
  and firm among the Abbor-Alz Mountains. You 
  are greeted heartedly as you pass through its 
  gates. With the flare of an honor guard, the 
  paladin Lady Karistyne comes forth to greet 
  you.  
   
  “Thank you for coming so quickly. I have 
  need of your services and there is little time to 
  spare. Hear what I have to say then head to 
  Zarak.” 
   
  PCs working for Lady Karistyne, are summoned to her 
  castle in the Abbor-Alz. She asks them to explore Azak-
  Zil and prevent anyone from obtaining any thinaun from 
  the pits. To do this, the PCs are to join up alongside the 
  other adventurers who are traveling to Zarak and then on 
  to the Pits of Azak-Zil. 
   
  At this point, paraphrase Handout 2. When done, 
  give a copy of the handout over so that the PCs have 
  something to reference during their mission. 
   
  k Lady Karistyne (LG female human paladin 15). 
   
  Appearance: Karistyne is a soft-spoken woman, 
  who, thanks to an elixir of longevity, looks to be in her 
  late thirties, though chronologically she is 48. Her blonde 
  hair comes from her mother, a daughter of one of the 
  Great Families of Hardby. From her father, a Nyrondese 
  knight-errant, she has inherited her olive complexion, 
  her black-brown eyes, her prodigious build and her blade. 
  She is oft seen clad in her blue-tinted half-plate with her 
  greatsword, Wyrmtide (Dragon’s Death in Old Oeridian), 
  strapped across her broad back. When not expecting 
  battle, the lady of the Abbor-Alz favors white robes 
  emblazoned with her coat of arms: a golden sword, point 
  down, set between two silver lightning bolts on a blue 
  and gold field). The lightning bolts symbolize Karistyne’s 
  devotion to Heironeous, the Archpaladin. 
   
  Character: As a servant of Heironeous, Karistyne 
  views it as her sacred duty to take up arms to drive evil 
  from the Abbor-Alz and ensure the safety of the goodly 
  folk of the hills. She is renowned as a keen dragon hunter 
  and is rumored to have slain seven wyrms with the aid of 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 9 
  her companions. In the past, she took a keen interest in 
  obscure Sueloise deities, particularly the cult of a lesser-
  known snake goddess whose name has apparently been 
  lost in the mists of time. Of late, however, Karistyne has 
  turned her attention towards the Bright Desert and the 
  lengthening shadow cast by Rary the Traitor.  
   
  Karistyne can sometimes come across as quite 
  arrogant in this assertion and she brooks no interference 
  in achieving her goals. She detests the Free City of 
  Greyhawk, seeing the Oligarchy as weak and corrupt. She 
  has particular disdain for Nerof Gasgol, the Lord Mayor 
  of Greyhawk City and refers to him as “the robber baron”. 
  However, she has great respect for the Mountaineer 
  Militia of Greyhawk, though she now looks to make 
  alliances with other powers to ensure that the 
  independence of her holdings from the Domain of 
  Greyhawk. Karistyne has been seen recently in Hardby, 
  where she is thought to have met with, among others, the 
  Justicar Deirdre Longland. She is also rumored to have 
  contacts with the Archmage Tenser.  
   
  Karistyne is renowned for her tolerance and is a 
  friend to most good-aligned faiths – a fact borne out by 
  her choice of companions. She believes herself to be 
  bound by ancient codes of hospitality. No-one in need is 
  ever turned away from her castle gates, but if possible, she 
  tries to personally detect evil upon visiting guests during 
  an audience. Any bearing the taint of evil are either sent 
  away or detained at the lady’s pleasure. 
   
  WORKING FOR CLAN HIGHFORGE 
  The warm day has come nearly to a close as you 
  sip a cool drink within one of the many taverns 
  of Hardby, City of the Scorned. A swarthy-
  looking female dwarf approaches you and offers 
  to buy you another drink if you hear her out. 
   
  “I am Jemrek Longsight. In 514 CY I 
  plotted the course of a falling star. My clan 
  sent an expedition to set up a mining colony 
  and founded Azak-Zil. A few years later, the 
  Pits of Azak-Zil were lost overnight and my 
  father along with it. Now its time to reclaim 
  those lost souls. Will you help us?” 
   
  PCs that are not allied with Rary or Karistyne (or are 
  impartial to both) are approached by Jemrek Longsight, 
  daughter of Hur-Korog (the last Mine Warden of Azak-
  Zil). 
   
  In the name of Clan Highforge, she requests that 
  suitable adventurers travel to the dwarven outpost of 
  Zarak, before joining with other adventurers to 
  investigate the Pits of Azak-Zil. 
   
  Jemrek is guilt ridden for her part in discovering the 
  location of the Pits and the sudden and tragic loss of life 
  assumed to have happened. Thus, she is personally 
  recruiting adventurers to Highforge’s cause.  
   
  At this point, paraphrase Handout 3. When done, 
  give a copy of the handout over so that the PCs have 
  something to reference during their mission. 
   
  k Jemrek Longsight (NG female dwarven expert 10). 
   
  Appearance: Jemrek is a swarthy-looking female 
  dwarf with a sincere countenance. She appears as if she 
  spends more time gazing at the stars, than looking at the 
  world around her, or taking care of her appearance in 
  particular. 
   
  Character: She is kindly and caring. She thinks 
  more of others than herself. She is bitterly sorry about 
  her research which led to the ill-fated expeditions. Apart 
  from the information above, Jemrek knows very little 
  about the Pits. She has never been there and, after the 
  deaths of her clansfolk, she tries not to dwell much on 
  the subject matter. 
   
  Most of these expeditions were lost, and many good 
  dwarves never returned. She blames herself for the 
  deaths of so many dwarves. Most of all, she wept for her 
  father, Hur-Korog, who led the expedition (and became 
  the Mine Warden) and was never seen again.  
   
  Jemrek hopeful that her father might either still be 
  alive; or that his remains can be collected from Azak-Zil. 
  She is interested in seeing as many souls put to rest as 
  possible, not just her father’s. 
   
  SUPPLEMENTAL: 
  ARRIVING IN ZARAK 
  Use this section after both versions of the introduction. 
   
  You have gathered in the recently reclaimed 
  outpost town of Zarak in the Abbor-Alz 
  Mountains. Construction is rampant as dwarves 
  crawl over everything like vermin with chisels 
  and mortar. 
   
  One of the Clan Chiefs addresses you just 
  before you are to leave for the Pits, “Arrive at 
  the mesa valley by dawn, do not enter during 
  the dark hours. Leave before nightfall; the 
  walking dead number in the hundreds, so take 
  no chances. Find out what happened to Azak-
  Zil and return with evidence. Stay within the 
  mesa, do not venture into the deepest mines, as 
  more powerful adventurers have been sent 
  there.” 
   
  In short, the different PCs, regardless of the faction they 
  have signed up for have been hired by the dwarves of 
  Clan Highforge.  
   
  Those PCs working solely for Clan Highforge 
  receive the full reward of the dwarves, while those just 
  paying lip service receive only half reward (see 
  conclusion). 
   
  Regardless of who they are working for, the PCs are 
  given Handout 4. It is a map that gives a general 
  breakdown of the different sectors of the cliff city and 
  upper mines of Azak-Zil. Clever PCs can use this to plot 
  the best possible locations and paths to get their 
  objectives. 
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 10 
  LEARNING MORE: AZAK-ZIL 
  Before they set out the PCs may try to find out more 
  about Azak-Zil. Use this section to adjudicate the results 
  of their action.  
   
  Azak-Zil 
  Knowledge (geography) 
  DC 
  Information 
  5 
  The Pits of Azak Zil are hidden within the 
  Abbor-Alz 
  10 
  The Abbor-Alz near the Bright Desert is filled 
  with mesa’s and valleys, themselves subject to 
  sand storms and very little rain. 
  15 
  Dwarves are not native to this part of the 
  Abbor-Alz. 
  18 
  Nomads and Hill people are native to this part 
  of the Abbor-Alz. 
   
  Azak-Zil 
  Knowledge (architecture) 
  DC 
  Information 
  5 
  Typical of dwarves, stone is common but 
  expect little wood.  
  10 
  Cisterns are used to store drinking water, but 
  mining facilities produce dirty water that 
  needs to be drained away. 
  15 
  Azak-Zil is known to have an impressive great 
  forge 
  and 
  accompanying 
  ore 
  refining 
  facilities. 
  18 
  Dwarven Cliff cities usually have sturdy 
  defensives so they can last a long time in case 
  of siege, but they’ll also have alternate exits in 
  case the dwarves need to sally forth. 
   
  Azak-Zil 
  Knowledge (history) 
  DC 
  Information 
  5 
  Azak-Zil was founded in 520 CY by Clan 
  Highforge after a gold rush of sorts by many 
  different dwarven clans and other nations 
  (including humanoids from the Pomarj).  
  10 
  The port outpost town of Zarak was set up to 
  provide supply and shipping for Azak-Zil 
  while the actual path to the city was kept 
  secret. 
  15 
  Azak-Zil became a large colony and by 525 CY 
  its population had swelled to nearly 2,000 
  dwarven souls. Contact was lost nearly 
  overnight; the only survivors were completely 
  insane babbling about flesh-eating dwarves 
  and mass insanity. 
  18 
  By 535 CY, and after many rescue attempts 
  that all totally failed, Clan Highforge cut their 
  losses and abandoned Zarak. 
   
  Azak-Zil 
  Knowledge (local-core) 
  DC 
  Information 
  5 
  The local nomads and hill people swear the 
  Pits of Azak-Zil are cursed. They refuse to go 
  within five miles of the site. They further 
  claim that all that die there rise as undead. 
  10 
  Azak-Zil (or ‘Pureheat’ in Dwarven) is said to 
  be the biggest and richest rare ore deposit on 
  Oerth.  
  15 
  The council of Clan Highforge issued a 
  charter to the mining colony right away and 
  placed one of their nobles as Thane, replacing 
  Hur-Korog as expedition leader. Due to his 
  expertise, Hur-Korog became the Mine 
  Warden. 
  18 
  Clan Highforge has bargained away the rights 
  to a rare ore found in the pits called thinaun. 
  The rights to this metal has gone to Lady 
  Karistyne though it’s unknown what she 
  plans to do with it. 
   
  Azak-Zil 
  Knowledge (nobility) 
  DC 
  Information 
  5 
  The noble line of the dwarven Clan 
  Highforge controls the rights to Azak-Zil. 
  10 
  The council of Clan Highforge issued a 
  charter to the mining colony right away and 
  placed one of their nobles in as Thane (Ulfgar 
  Highforge), 
  replacing 
  Hur-Korog 
  as 
  expedition leader. Due to his expertise, Hur-
  Korog became the Mine Warden. 
  15 
  While most dwarves in the colony kept their 
  family at home, Thane Ulfgar Highforge 
  brought his wife and two young children with 
  him. 
  18 
  There was suggested scandal when Jonnena 
  Ironforge was placed into colony operations 
  as Lower Thane (third in command). Many 
  suggested this was political maneuvering by 
  the House Ironforge who once fought for 
  power of the Clan against the now ruling 
  Highforge.  
   
  ENCOUNTER 1: THE 
  SURFACE OF AZAK-ZIL 
  The secret road from Zarak brings you into the 
  hidden valley of Azak-Zil. To the south is the 
  deep pits forbidden to you and to the east are a 
  handful of buildings. 
   
  The road continues to the northeast as it 
  passes by vast piles of tailings and then winds 
  up the side of the north mesa. The road stops in 
  front of three large entrances into the side of 
  the mesa. 
   
  There are four areas of interest here, but only two are 
  beneficial to the party. The hot sun beats down on this 
  entire area and shallow sand blows around dead rocks. No 
  life of any sort can be found in this valley during the day. 
  It’s only at night that activity flourishes like a desert in 
  springtime.  
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 11 
  THE PIT 
   The road forks off to the south as it enters the depths of 
  the Pits of Azak-Zil. The road then starts a slow wind 
  down to mine entrances and the poisonous salt lake.  
   
  The twisting road reveals tools and other mining 
  paraphernalia scattered on the ground as if dropped by 
  teamster workers at quitting time. 
   
  The PCs have been warned that this path is far too 
  dangerous for them. This leads into the deep mines of 
  Azak-Zil.  
   
  It is certain death for low-level PCs to venture into 
  the poisonous gas that fills the pit, and any PCs 
  bullheaded enough to try should be warned off with the 
  nausea effects of the gas, and if they insist on the perilous 
  venture, then they proceeded at their own risks.  
   
  If a PC really wants to go down into the pit, they 
  should be playing at a high level table. Consult the 
  relevant text of the APL 10 version of this Core Special. 
   
  THE SURFACE BUILDINGS 
  The eastern portion of the valley contains three separate 
  groupings of stone buildings. These are simple but sturdy 
  structures. They once acted as day structures for the 
  workers, tool sheds, ore storage, and clerk’s offices. Now 
  they are empty. 
   
  It takes about an hour to properly search all of the 
  buildings. Doing so reveals the following; 
   
  Though the sandstorms have erased much of the 
  evidence 
  from 
  even 
  inside 
  these 
  stone 
  buildings, massive amounts of spilled (dwarven) 
  blood still stains the floors and walls of these 
  areas of last stand. 
   
  Empty tool cribs match the items that can be 
  seen strewn about in the pit.  
   
  From most of the areas used as store houses, 
  drag marks can be found leading both to the 
  cliff city entrances and down into the pits.  
   
  In one of the ransacked storehouses, a lone crate 
  lies under some debris. In that crate are 10 lbs. 
  ingots of silver, each worth 50 gold pieces. The 
  exact number of ingots depends on the APL. 
    
  Treasure: Search the stone houses. 
   
  APL 2: Coin: 50 gp  
   
  APL 4: Coin: 150 gp  
   
  APL 6: Coin: 200 gp  
   
  APL 8: Coin: 250 gp  
   
  THE TAILINGS 
  The tailings are piles of rock that are the remains of dug 
  out tunnels within the mines. As the rock is dug, it was 
  placed in animated mine carts that took the tailings to the 
  edge of the mesa and unceremoniously dumped it over 
  the side.  
    
  The tailings piles now stretch 1,000 feet along the 
  mesa and reach nearly 100 feet to the cliff edge. 
   
  It is DC 10 to climb the tailings, but a failure of 5 or 
  less means the climber has created a slide and takes 1 
  point of damage per 10-foot slid until they reach the 
  bottom.  
   
  At the top of the tailings, PCs can find the five 
  tunnels and their respective metal cart tracks that lead 
  into the mesa (and Encounter 28).  
   
  To the east, along the cliff, is a rough path that leads 
  to the main entrances into the city. Cutting across this 
  path are two separate trickles of water that come out of 
  tiny-sized holes in the mesa wall. These are the drains for 
  the water runoff (Encounters 25 to 27). They eventually 
  run over the side and into the tailings where the water 
  eventually evaporates.  
   
  None of the tailings have any ore of value.  
   
  THE CLIFF CITY 
  The secret road from Zarak twists and turns through the 
  valley and eventually makes it’s way up the side of the 
  mesa and past three great cave entrances, each smaller 
  than the last.  
   
  After 40 feet these cave entrances lead to encounters 
  2, 12 and 13 respectively. The two smaller caves have 
  mine cart tracks leading to the edge.  
   
  Each cave entrance has bold dwarven writing over 
  the arch. The writings from largest cave to smallest are: 
   
  “Welcome to Pure Heart, ruled by Highforge but 
  blessed by the Soul Forger.” 
   
  “Processing and Secondary Mine” 
   
  “Primary Upper Mine” 
   
  ENCOUNTER 2: THE 
  GREAT HALL 
  Before you is a great hall some 60 feet long, 35 
  feet wide, and easily 65 feet or more high. Four 
  great ornate columns are spaced about the 
  middle and two broken stone doors pierce the 
  sides of the hall. A great double door takes up 
  the entire north end of the hall. 
   
  The floor of the hall is littered with debris 
  both wooden and stone. The entire hall is filled 
  with a strong smell of ammonia. Broken and 
  corroded weapons of dwarven make litter the 
  ground as do many wriggling insects. 
   
  The true height of the hall is 75 feet but this can only be 
  determined if a PC has a way of shedding illumination 
  onto the ceiling.  
   
  Housed among the rough sections that connect the 
  columns to the ceiling are colonies of bats (the exact 
  number APL dependant). These bats have been warped 
  by the aura of evil that surrounds Azak-Zil and are thus 
  rather blood thirsty.  
   
  If the bats are disturbed (such as shining light on 
  them, or throwing something at the ceiling) they attack. 
  Searching through the debris on the ground also triggers 
  a bat attack. 
   
  The ornate columns are each sculpted into the form 
  of a different dwarf. Despite its decoration, each column 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 12 
  is a load bearing structure; the loss of all four would bring 
  the hall down.  
   
  The first column is shaped to represent Moradin the 
  Soul Forger, chief god of the dwarves. A DC 10 
  Knowledge (religion) check reveals this. 
   
  The second statue represents Hyrald Highforge, said 
  to be the founder of the dwarven clan Highforge. A DC 
  20 Knowledge (history) reveals this. 
   
  The third statue represents Thane Ulfgar Highforge, 
  founder of Azak-Zil. A DC 15 Knowledge (nobility) 
  reveals this. 
   
  The fourth statue represents a generic dwarf 
  outfitted not in regal wear or combat gear as the other 
  statues, but in simple mining gear.  
   
  Forty feet up the fourth statue is a concealed door 
  within the tangled beard of the dwarf miner. Once found 
  and opened, it reveals a small hiding spot big enough for 
  a dwarf to hide in while lying down. As well, there are spy 
  holes to observe everything going on in the Great Hall. 
  This was part of the defenses and was used to spy on 
  traffic coming in and out and to raise an alarm should 
  things be amiss. 
   
  Scrawled in chalk, a message in Dwarven is on one of 
  he walls. It reads: 
   
  “My food is gone and water nearly out. My hope 
  for a rescue has diminished with my supplies. 
  Those things that were once my friends 
  constantly patrol but they can’t get past the 
  great doors. I know not of their fate but they 
  are my only chance. Once this patrol leaves, I 
  shall sneak down to the secret tunnel and 
  rejoin those who are trapped in the city. Jhourn 
  Silentbeard.” 
   
  The debris on the ground is the remains of furniture, 
  statues, and war supplies brought in from the many 
  attempts to retake the city. Each time the dwarves 
  attempted to burst through the gate their efforts 
  summoned packs of superior ghouls and ghasts that 
  attacked from outside (since the dwarves figured the sun 
  would keep them safe) and overrun the pinned dwarves. 
   
  The ammonia smell comes from the bat droppings 
  that litter the debris. The wriggling insects are many 
  overgrown varieties that have crawled out of the drainage 
  system, or were transported along with the dwarven 
  rescuers.  
   
  Only at APL 8 is there a threat from the insects, and 
  even then its just one vermin. One centipede has grown 
  to gargantuan size and is not pleased with being 
  disturbed.  
   
  There is little left among the debris of value as the 
  ghouls destroy any equipment they do not take. 
   
  Once sturdy (but now broken) stone doors lead to 
  encounter 3 on both the east and west sides of the Great 
  Hall. 
   
  The Great Door is designed to slide along tracks built 
  into the east and west walls. The door has a special 
  barring mechanism on its far side. The door can only be 
  properly unlatched from the inside. 
   
  The door is partially damaged from the previous 
  attempts at smashing it down. As well, the damaged 
  remains of a handheld battering ram can easily be found 
  among the debris 
   
  Combined with the previous damage to the door, the 
  PCs can break open the door with some effort, but doing 
  so takes time (one hour) and the noise attracts the ghoul 
  pack in encounter 11. (If the PCs have left by the time 
  they arrive the ghouls patrol the city until they find the 
  PCs). The sounds of that combat alerts a random ghoul 
  pack from deeper in the mines. (They attack from 
  outside). See ‘Noise Danger’ in for details on the random 
  ghoul encounters. 
   
  This door’s bar and locking mechanism has been 
  repeatedly damaged. 
   
  s Damaged Stone Door: 8 in. thick; hardness 8; 
  hp 100; AC 5; DC 30 Break; Open Lock DC 30. 
   
   
    
  APL 2 (EL 2) 
   
  d Bat Swarm: hp 13; MM 237. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 4) 
   
  d Bat Swarm (2): hp 13 each; MM 237. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 6) 
   
  d Bat Swarm (4): hp 13 each; MM 237. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 8) 
   
  d Bat Swarm (4): hp 13 each; MM 237. 
   
  d Gargantuan Monstrous Centipede: hp 272; 
  MM 286.  
   
    
  Tactics: The hall has a smooth stone floor covered with 
  light rubble (DMG 60). Where marked on the map, the 
  rubble changes to dense rubble.  
   
  Once disturbed, the bats continue to harass the PCs 
  as long as the PCs stay within the Great Hall. If the PCs 
  retreat from the Great Hall, either back outside or into 
  one of the side doors, the bats return to their nesting area 
  on the roof.  
   
  The bats are capable of going out into the open air 
  and sunlight, they just choose not to unless compelled to 
  do so (forced out, threaten out, magically moved, and so 
  on). 
   
  For those PCs wondering, these are normal bats that 
  have been corrupted by the evil energies of the Pits. In 
  combat they bite, scratch, and tangle themselves up in the 
  PCs’ hair. 
   
  The bats and centipedes do not coordinate attacks, 
  nor do they attempt to fight each other, but should the 
  centipede find itself in a bat swarm, it is subjected to the 
  damage the same as a PC. The centipede does not attack 
  the bats back. 
   
  Treasure: Dwarven siege supplies found in debris, 
  including a portable ram.  
   
  APL 2: Loot: 2 gp. 
   
  APL 4: Loot: 8 gp. 
   
  APL 6: Loot: 20 gp. 
   
  APL 8: Loot: 40 gp. 
   
  Development: The largest factor here is the 
  amount of disturbance and noise the PCs make. The noise 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 13 
  made 
  fighting 
  the 
  bats 
  and 
  centipede 
  (unless 
  exceptionally loud) does not alert the ghouls beyond as 
  they are used to the sound of the bats swarming and the 
  Great Hall is still fairly isolated for sound. 
   
   
   
  ENCOUNTER 3: THE 
  GUARD POSTS 
  EASTERN GUARD POST 
  Past the broken stone door is a 10-foot-by-10-
  foot room with smashed weapon racks and the 
  remains of a small cot. Murder holes in the wall 
  beside the door give views into the middle of 
  the Great Hall. 
   
  Like its counterpart, this guardroom had a bed and rack 
  for weapons and shields. During the initial uprising, the 
  two dwarf team tried to take out as many ghouls as they 
  could with their crossbows, not realizing the extent of the 
  situation. Eventually the ghouls smashed down the door 
  and added the defenders to their ranks. 
   
  In the north east corner of the room is a concealed 
  panel. The panel is made of wood and is designed to look 
  like part of the wall. It can be found with a DC 15 Search 
  check.  
   
  Behind the wooden panel is a small compartment 
  that has been sealed with a mixture of sand and sealant. 
  The dwarven phrase, “In Case of Calamity, Smash Silica” 
  is written on the sand covering. 
   
  Hidden in the compartment is an adamantine 
  warhammer stamped with Highforge’s sigil.  
   
  Treasure: Gained from looting the concealed 
  compartment. 
   
  All APLs: Magic: adamantine warhammer (251 gp). 
   
   
  WESTERN GUARD POST 
  Past the broken stone door is a 10-foot-by-10-
  foot room with smashed weapon racks and the 
  remains of a small cot. Murder holes in the wall 
  beside the door give aim to the middle of the 
  great hall. 
   
  This room is identical to the Eastern Guard Post except 
  that it has no hidden warhammer. In the northwest 
  corner however is a superior secret door requiring a DC 
  22 Search check to locate. It is locked. 
   
  s Secret Stone Door: 2 in. thick; hardness 8; hp 
  60; AC 5; DC 20 Break. Open Lock DC 25. Search DC22. 
   
   
  The secret door leads to encounter 5. The presence of this 
  secret passage was known only to the city defenders and 
  its top administrators. The tunnel itself had many uses. 
   
  Development: Smashing through the secret door 
  is a noise violation. It automatically alerts the ghouls of 
  encounter 11. If those ghouls have already been alerted, 
  there is a 50% chance of a random ghoul pack being 
  drawn to the PCs.  
   
  ENCOUNTER 4: THE CITY 
  CORRIDORS 
  The air of the city corridors is stale and rank 
  with decay. The walls and floors are covered in 
  ash or perhaps dust except where long dried 
  blood has splashed the walls or pooled on the 
  floor. 
   
  The obvious debris of battle litters the 
  floors as do the occasional gnawed bone. On 
  the far wall is a blood-scrawled message in 
  Common.  
   
  “We can not escape death here. It hungers 
  for us. Our souls are damned for our greed.” 
   
  This encounter covers all the quality crafted corridors 
  that form the main artery of the cliff city of Azak-Zil. In 
  theory, this complex would be much larger with several 
  levels, but such complexity can not be covered in this 
  adventure.  
   
  The dust that covers the walls comes from the stone 
  particles that filled the corridors when several sections of 
  the city were purposefully collapsed in an attempt to 
  contain the outbreak of undeath. These collapsed 
  corridors led to larger sections of the city.  
   
  Treat the majority of the corridors as having light 
  rubble. This can either be the remains of combat and 
  other dwarf-made objects destroyed in the struggles, or 
  from chunks of rock from the collapses.  
   
  Many dwarves fell to the ravages of an ever 
  increasing number of ghouls and ghasts within these 
  corridors. Not all of these victims were turned into 
  ghouls. Some were ripped apart and consumed by the 
  ravenous undead, and thus thoroughly gnawed dwarf 
  bones litter the halls, having been dropped after all the 
  meat and marrow was gone.  
   
  If the PCs have created a noise danger and previously 
  alerted the ghouls of encounter 11, then they might be 
  waiting in ambush around a corridor (or several 
  corridors), unless it’s a ghoul mob, which is just too 
  worked up and hungry to formulate an ambush. 
   
  SECONDARY GREAT GATES 
  These two sets of doors are of similar design to that of the 
  great gate leading to Encounter 2, but of smaller scale. 
  These two doors are also undamaged and cannot be 
  opened as easily as the main great gates could from the 
  outside. 
   
  However, from the inside, these doors can be 
  unbarred in just 1d4 minutes of effort.  
   
  If these doors are left open by the PCs, ghouls that 
  get drawn to them for noise take full advantage of the 
  open gates. If left shut, the ghouls do not think to try the 
  gates. 
   
  STREET SIGNS 
  Dwarves being the orderly creatures they are, have carved 
  sign posts at most intersections and outside of doors, 
  designating what the area is.  
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 14 
   
  The signs are all written in Dwarven.  
   
  Development: There are no extraneous noise dangers 
  in the city corridors. PCs who yell, break down an 
  interior door, and so on automatically bring to them the 
  ghoul pack in Encounter 11 (assuming its not already 
  alerted or on the way). These kinds of disturbances do not 
  draw a random ghoul pack from deeper within the mines. 
   
  If the PCs open the secondary Great Gates, there is a 
  50% of alerting the ghoul pack in Encounter 11. If that 
  pack is already alerted or has been dealt with, there is a 
  25% per gate of drawing in a random ghoul pack from 
  deeper in the mines. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 5: THE 
  SECRET TUNNEL 
  This natural passageway winds through the 
  rock of the mesa. A stone mortar archway sets 
  itself out from the norm some 20 feet in. A 
  single stone is missing from the archway only 
  to be found on the ground with a rope attached 
  to it. 
   
  This stone archway in the middle of the otherwise natural 
  tunnel was meant to be a temporary safety measure by the 
  dwarven defenders of Azak-Zil. 
   
  Given time, a properly designed foolproof collapsing 
  tunnel (one that would take out the entire tunnel) was to 
  be installed.  
   
  What the city had at the time of its fall was an 
  archway that supported a purposefully weakened section 
  of natural stone set to go off if a rope (that was attached to 
  the key stone) was pulled from the city side of the tunnel. 
   
  Unfortunately, the trap as it was failed to go off as 
  rigged. The rope did pull out the key stone, but the due to 
  misplaced rubble above in the weakened natural stone, 
  the tunnel did not collapse. 
   
   When the PCs arrive, they are met with a very 
  delicate situation. The whole ceiling is ready to give in if 
  the archway structure or the debris filled hole above it is 
  disturbed. 
   
  There is no surprise trigger to this trap. The PCs have 
  no fear of trip wires or pressure plates. The only way to 
  set off this danger is to poke at it themselves. 
   
  The rope that is attached to the key stone (that is 
  lying on the floor below the arch) runs up to eyelets 
  attached midway along the wall and lead back through a 
  small hole in the wall leading into the private privy area 
  of encounter 6. 
   
  Trap: The PCs and their curiosity are their worst 
  enemies here. Only their actions set off this danger. 
  Careful investigation won’t do it, but careless or 
  deliberate poking does. 
   
  If set off, the cave-in has a bury zone of 10 ft. radius 
  and a slide zone of 5 ft extending beyond the bury radius. 
  (See Dungeon Master’s Guide 66 for details on handling a 
  cave-in.) 
   
  a Cave-In: CR 8(0); mechanical; location trigger, 
  no reset; Bury zone DC 15 Reflex save for half 
  (8d6+buried, collapse); (all targets in 10-foot radius of 
  archway); Slide zone DC 15 Reflex save avoids 
  (3d6+buried, collapse); (all targets within 5 feet. of the 
  outer edge of the Bury zone); Search DC 5; Disable 
  Device DC 40.  
   
  Development: If the collapse is triggered, a 10-foot 
  wide blockage of compressed stone fills the tunnel. It 
  needs to be dug through to by-passed. This is not an easy 
  or quick process, though magic might come in handy. 
   
  The collapse itself does not alert any ghouls (as they 
  come to expect tunnel collapses from time to time), but 
  digging through a blockage has a 50% chance of alerting 
  the nearest pack of ghouls (those in Encounter 11, or a 
  random ghoul pack from the mines). 
   
  ENCOUNTER 6: THE 
  PRIVIES 
  The air here is near putrid and irritates the 
  eyes. A 5-foot-by-10-foot chamber has several 
  dwarf-sized privy seats with small holes leading 
  into the darkness below.  
   
  The chamber has a sturdy looking stone 
  door and much written on the walls in quickly 
  scrawled Dwarven.  
   
  There are three ways for the PCs to enter this room. The 
  first is through the secret door that leads into the locked 
  private privy of the dwarven defenders of Azak-Zil (the 
  city guards), the second is through the normal entrance 
  that leads into the corridors of the city, and the third is up 
  through the holes that lead out of the sewers.  
   
  If the PCs arrive via the secret entrance into the 
  locked private privy, read the above box text as is, but add 
  in that the door is locked (which can be done from either 
  side). 
   
  If the PCs enter from the city corridors, modify the 
  read aloud text so that it reflects entering a communal 
  antechamber that leads to the four doors of the individual 
  privy chambers (though one being locked and much 
  more secure than the others). 
   
   If the PCs enter through the sewer holes in the 
  floor, determine which privy they come up in and modify 
  the box text as need. 
   
  THE LOCKED PRIVY 
  This privy was reserved for the dwarven defenders (city 
  guards) of Azak-Zil. Only they and the high ranking 
  administration could use these facilities.  
   
  The door leading to the communal antechamber of 
  this privy is of reinforced stone, but the lock can be 
  accessed from both sides. A swinging shutter blocks both 
  key holes to prevent peeping when not in use. 
   
  The secret door is only disguised from the privy side, 
  not from the tunnel side.  
   
  Like the other privies, each seat has a small hole 
  beneath it in the floor. Small-sized creatures can fit 
  through, but Medium creatures need to squeeze. It is a 10 
  foot drop to the murky sewers below.  
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 15 
   
  Like the other privies, the walls have carved and 
  chalked messages. All the messages are in Dwarven but 
  most have little relevance to the PCs. A few notes that do 
  take interest are: 
   
   
  “Dwarven Defenders Only! If you’re not 
  part of the city guard, then GET OUT!!” 
   
  “Long Live Thane Ulfgar! Long Live Clan 
  Highforge!” 
   
  “Lower Thane Jonnena doesn’t know how to 
  wield a hammer and his grand sire had to get 
  him his position.” 
   
  PCs who climb down into the sewer muck and beat a DC 
  25 Search check find a key that had been dropped long 
  ago and was too heavy to float away. The key opens the 
  privy doors. 
   
  s Locked Stone Door: 4 in. thick; hardness 8; hp 
  60; AC 5; DC 28 Break. Open Lock DC 25. 
   
  s Secret Stone Door: 2 in. thick; hardness 8; hp 
  60; AC 5; DC 20 Break. Open Lock DC 25. Search DC22. 
   
  THE REGULAR PRIVIES 
  These privies are for use of the regular city dwellers. 
  These are the facilities that serve the main city area. Each 
  barracks section has its own (though the tunnels leading 
  to those areas have been collapsed and are not included in 
  this adventure). 
   
  Each privy here has a stone door but these three 
  doors do not have locks.  
   
  Like the other privies, each seat has a small hole 
  beneath it in the floor. Small-sized creatures can fit 
  through, but Medium creatures need to squeeze. It is a 
  10-foot drop to the murky sewers below. 
   
  Like the other privies, the walls have messages 
  applied with either carvings or chalk. All the messages 
  are in Dwarven but most have little relevance to the PCs. 
  A few notes that do take interest are: 
   
  “Don’t feed the elementals; it’s a waste of good 
  gemstone. We need them to work! “ 
   
  “Bjorn Stockstinger wears a fake beard!” 
   
  “Whoever stole the bonding-key to my 
  assigned cart is going to get a pickaxe right 
  between his kobold loving eyes!!!” 
   
  “Mine Warden Hur-Korog is a sellout! He 
  refuses us our profit by not selling the new rare 
  ore. Stockpiling of the refined ingots brings us 
  no bounty for our hard work collecting it.” 
   
  “Something evil is in the air. Its growing 
  like a drum beat from deep within the pits.” 
   
   
  s Stone Door: 4 in. thick; hardness 8; hp 60; AC 5;  
    
  THE COMMUNAL ANTE 
  CHAMBERS 
  An alcove on the east wall has a water basin 
  shaped like an otyugh. Its wide open maw is 
  filled with thick murky green water. 
   
  This area connects all four privy doors to the door leading 
  back into the city.  
   
  On the east wall, half recessed into an alcove is a 
  stone water basin designed to look like an otyugh. Its 
  open maw is the washbasin and the water comes out its 
  three tentacles. By pushing down on one of its eyes 
  repeatedly, water is pumped from a reservoir out of the 
  tentacles, into the basin. To return the water to the 
  reservoir, the other eye is pumped to create a vacuum. A 
  DC 12 Knowledge (engineering) or a DC 15 Intelligence 
  check confirms this with a cursory investigation. 
   
  Only some of the liquid in the water basin/open 
  maw is stagnant water. The rest is dormant green slime. 
  In its dormant state, it has turned from bright green to a 
  dullish murky green. It also does not move towards 
  movement, but if food (metal or organics) comes in 
  contact with it, the green slime awakens and clings to 
  whatever disturbed it. 
   
  This patch of green slime deals 1d6 points of 
  Constitution damage per round while it devours flesh. 
  On the first round of contact, the slime can be scraped off 
  a creature (most likely destroying the scraping device), 
  but after that it must be frozen, burned or cut away 
  (dealing damage to the victim as well). Anything that 
  deals cold or fire damage, sunlight or a remove disease 
  spell destroys the green slime.  
   
  Against wood or metal, green slime deals 2d6 points 
  of damage per round, ignoring metal’s hardness but not 
  that of wood. It does not harm stone. (See DMG for more 
  information). 
   
  The green slime can be bypassed by using the 
  vacuum function of the water basin and draining the 
  water and slime into the internal reservoir.  
   
  Once the slime is gone (dead or drained) the PCs 
  find a non-magical stone ring with an odd pattern of 
  diamonds set into it. This ring came from the dissolved 
  hand of Lower Thane Jonnena when he first discovered a 
  green slime infestation in the basin.  
   
  Treasure: Searching the water basin. 
   
  All APLs: Coin: 100 gp. 
   
  Developments: Breaking open the locked stone 
  door (either forcing it open or digging through it) 
  automatically attracts the attention of the ghoul pack in 
  encounter 11. If either the Great Gates to the hall or the 
  secondary Great Doors to the mines are open, there is a 
  25% chance of attracting a random ghoul pack if the 
  ghoul pack from encounter 11 has already been alerted. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 7: ADMIN 
  A pair of stone double doors hangs open, as if 
  broken inward by great force. Inside is a 10 
  foot-by-20-foot, tapestry-draped room filled 
  with the remains of desks, chairs other clerking 
  tools. 
   
  In the far corners are two ornate wooden 
  doors. The north door has the title Thane 
  carved into it and the south door has similar 
  markings, but instead says Mine Warden. 
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 16 
  This is the administration area of Azak-Zil. The area held 
  the offices for Thane Ulfgar Highforge, Mine Warden 
  Hur-Korog Farsight and Lower Thane Jonnena Ironforge 
  (not to be confused with Highforge, the ruling family of 
  the clan). 
   
  The north door leads to the Thane’s office, the south 
  door to the Mine Warden’s office and this middle area 
  was the work area of the Lower Thane and his team of 
  clerks. 
   
  The tapestry is splashed with blood and other signs 
  of being witness to battle. The scenes depict Highforge’s 
  rise to power and has no bearing on this adventure.  
   
  WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE 
  Azak-Zil did not fall overnight. Evil crept from the 
  depths, and this is the tale of woe that is Azak-Zil. 
   
  Deep within the pits, a new type of ore was found, 
  one with strange properties. Not long after that, bad 
  things started to happen around the mines. Accidents 
  increased, clerics were haunted by dreams of dread and so 
  on.  
   
  First the Mine Warden, then the Thane himself 
  spent more and more time investigating the goings on 
  deep within the mine. There was a strong worry that the 
  miners might unearth some long buried evil (as is a 
  frequent fixture in many dwarven tales), but the recovery 
  of the fallen star’s wealth was too tempting, too thrilling. 
   
  With the Thane and the Warden increasingly busy, 
  this left Jonnena Ironforge more and more time to work 
  his administrative talents (or what he thought was talent). 
  He began to draft rules, regulations, schedules and 
  contingency plans for all occasions. His superiors left 
  him to these things for Jonnena was the grandson of an 
  allied clan’s noble line.  
   
  Then the day came that marked the swift end of the 
  pits. A miner died in an accident in the deep mines. His 
  body rose as a ghoul not long after and managed to kill 
  several of those attending his body. They all rose as 
  ghouls as well.  
   
  Dwarven ghouls and ghasts were being reported 
  from all over Azak-Zil, but mostly in the deep mines. The 
  Thane and the Mine Warden led a large contingent of the 
  city guards down to deal with the matter, but they were 
  never heard from again.  
   
  Jonnena enacted one of his contingency plans and 
  started ordering strategic junctions within the mines to 
  be collapsed in an effort to stop the spread of the ‘undeath 
  disease’.  
   
  This plan might have worked had the rising ghouls 
  been caused by touch infections. As it was, just about 
  anyone who died of anything rose as a ghoul (or ghast) a 
  short time later.  
   
  Starting to panic, Jonnena ordered the final part of 
  his plan into action. The last dwarves collected in the 
  main city section and sealed themselves in. The great 
  doors were shut and barred and the two tunnels leading 
  off 
  to 
  the 
  larger 
  living 
  areas 
  were 
  collapsed. 
  Unfortunately, none of this helped. 
   
  It wasn’t long before there were deaths from battle 
  wounds and stress related in-fighting. Hope ran out long 
  before the food did. 
   
  The above was all written down by Jonnena but his 
  journal was torn apart and spread around. A careful 
  search of the room reveals the highlights as Handout 5. 
   
  THE VAULT 
  Concealed behind the tapestry on the east wall is a vault. 
  This vault is opened by a special key, of which there are 
  only three copies. The key comes in the form of a stone 
  ring with gems of the proper cut and positioning. By 
  placing the finger with the ring and turning it in the slot, 
  the vault unlocks. 
   
  The Thane, the Warden and the Lower Thane all had 
  this key ring. Jonnena lost his just before the final fall of 
  the city sector when he went to go clean up in the privy 
  area and lost his hand to a green slime infestation. 
   
  The vault is reinforced with adamantine and is very 
  sturdy. It is possible to pick, but not an easy task 
  (depending on the APL, some tumblers were not reset 
  when it was closed last). 
   
  s Vault: 4 in. thick; hardness 12; hp 120; AC 5; DC 
  40 Break. Open Lock DC 22+APL. 
   
  Inside the vault is a small amount of treasure as well 
  as the bodies of two dwarven children, a girl and a boy, 
  equivalent to eight human years in age. The children take 
  up the majority of the space in the vault (thus there was 
  no room for the charter). Both children are dressed in 
  noble outfits and have the mark Moradin’s death rites 
  upon their foreheads (they were blessed and anointed 
  with holy water and coal salve soon after their death, and 
  thus saved from undeath). The bodies were placed with 
  care in the vault to protect them from the hunger of the 
  ghouls.  
   
  These are the children of Thane Ulfgar and were 
  placed in here by Jonnena as a last act of contrition for his 
  failures to the Thane and Azak-Zil. 
   
  Treasure: Gained by opening and looting the vault. 
   
  APL 2: Coin: 200 gp; Magic: brooch of shielding 
  (125 gp). 
   
  APL 4: Coin: 300 gp; Magic: brooch of shielding 
  (125 gp), periapt of health (616 gp). 
   
  APL 6: Coin: 400 gp; Magic: brooch of shielding 
  (125 gp), periapt of health (616 gp), gem of brightness 
  (1,083 gp). 
   
  APL 8: Coin: 500 gp; Magic: brooch of shielding 
  (125 gp), periapt of health (616 gp), gem of brightness 
  (1,083 gp), stone of good luck (1,666 gp). 
   
  THE MINE WARDEN’S OFFICE 
  This 10-foot-by-10-foot office seems to have 
  been spared most of the destruction the other 
  offices suffered. An ornate wooden desk sits in 
  the middle of the otherwise sparse office. A 
  rack of keys rests on the wall behind the desk. 
   
  Closer inspection of the ornate wooden (and thus 
  expensive and a sign of rank) desk reveals its drawers 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 17 
  have been emptied and most of the parchments have 
  been taken away.  
   
  The few scraps of documents that are left hold little 
  important or relevance to the situation at hand (knowing 
  that the price of imported foodstuffs going up two copper 
  pieces per unit doesn’t lend much insight into an 
  uprising of the undead), but collecting them up to be 
  handed over to those in Zarak won’t hurt either. 
   
  The Key Rack 
  A row of pegs with labels holds the keys (or the space 
  where the key would go) for the more important sections 
  of the mining facilities. Unfortunately for the PCs, few of 
  these keys are going to do them any good. 
   
  The keys that are missing are the ones that the Mine 
  Warden took with him when he and the Thane went to 
  investigate the outbreak in the deep mines of the Pits. 
   
  Keys that are present: Family Barracks doors 1 
  through 7, Bachelor miner’s barracks doors 1 through 15, 
  Shipping/Receiving Cargo Lockup, Administration, 
  Chapel;, Tailing tunnels 1 through 5, and Refinery door. 
   
  Keys that are missing: Main Elevator, Temple, and 
  Forge.  
    
  THE THANE’S OFFICE 
  This once ornate office now appears to be the 
  remains 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  battlefield. 
  The 
  fine 
  tapestries barely cling to the walls and pickaxe 
  marks scar the walls and desk.  
   
  Anything of importance here has been collected up and 
  placed in the vault. Unfortunately, a group of misfit 
  mercenary dwarves from another clan became held up 
  with the last survivors. 
   
  In a fit of uncharacteristically dwarven madness and 
  desperation, this small group of renegade dwarves tried to 
  hack their way through the Highforge survivors, steal 
  what they could and escape. 
   
  They discovered the secret entrance into the Thane’s 
  apartments and intended to sneak in that way, but were 
  stopped here in the office and battle ensued.  
   
  It’s mainly because of these slayings that the ghoul 
  infestation started up so quickly in the enclosed space. 
   
  The east wall of the office has a secret door that leads 
  to the Thane’s private apartments. The door is intact 
  (unlike so many other doors). 
   
  s Secret Stone Door: 2 in. thick; hardness 8; hp 
  60; AC 5; DC 20 Break. Search DC 20. 
   
  Development: 
  Smashing 
  open 
  the 
  vault 
  automatically attracts the ghouls from Encounter 11. If 
  they have been alerted already, a random ghoul pack is 
  drawn from elsewhere. If the ghouls have no access to the 
  city sector, they wait outside of it for their meal to come 
  to them. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 8: THE 
  APARTMENTS 
  These chambered apartments have been terribly 
  ransacked. The rooms have the trappings of a 
  children’s play area, a sitting room, a master 
  bedroom and a study. 
   
  The smashed in stone doors has the 
  dwarven words, ‘YOU FAILED US!’ written in 
  blood. 
   
  THE NURSERY 
  This room was the nursery for the noble children. The 
  boy and girl children were named Danfar and Dagnal. 
   
  These children survived the first outbreaks, but 
  when things started to look hopeless, the remaining 
  cleric of Moradin and the Lower Thane used some of the 
  little remaining holy water and proceeded to put the 
  children to final rest with blessings to stop the undeath, 
  in hopes they could be saved later if Moradin wished it. 
   
  The children left behind their few playthings. The 
  only item of interest and value to the PCs is the magic 
  that radiates from toy. This toy was a gift from to young 
  Danfar from his far off noble family. 
   
  If the PCs can complete the child’s play, they earn 
  the magic item that teleports in. The toy cannot be 
  broken open to get the prize, as it’s not stored there. 
   
  This device is the size of a child’s desk and has 
  a lever to wind its gears. A small dwarven 
  mallet is connected by silk rope to the device. 
  Six holes space around the top of the device 
  and carved objects are held firmly in the holes.  
   
  Inscribed on the side in dwarven is, “To 
  Danfar Highforge, make us proud some day”. 
   
  When wound up, little heads start popping up at random 
  from the holes, one at a time. These intricately carved 
  heads are supposed to represent elves.  
   
  If the PC uses the dwarven mallet, they must make 
  six attack rolls hitting AC 20, succeeding at least four 
  times. The PCs cannot use their Strength bonus for this, 
  as this would destroy the toy.  
   
  The first time the game is won, a magic item appears 
  (see treasure listing). The game itself detects as moderate 
  conjuration magic. 
   
  Each PC only gets one attempt. If they fail, they 
  magically know that they must wait another full day 
  before they can attempt to win a prize again. 
   
  The device is heavy, bulky and not easy to move 
  around. If PCs insist on taking the item with them, the 
  DM should modify noise dangers to fit the situation.  
   
  Treasure: Gained by winning at the child’s play. 
   
  APL 2: Magic: elemental gem (any) (188 gp). 
   
  APL 4: Magic: elemental gem (any) (2) (188 gp 
  each). 
   
  APL 6: Magic: elemental gem (any) (3) (188 gp 
  each). 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 18 
   
  APL 8: Magic: elemental gem (any) (4) (188 gp 
  each). 
   
  THE SITTING ROOM/STUDY 
  If examined, these two common room shows signs that a 
  fair number of people used it to live in for a several days. 
   
  In fact, this is exactly what happened. During the 
  wait, fear and paranoia were rampant and the dwarves 
  huddled together in certain ‘safe’ zones in the city 
  section. As those safe zones diminished, a large group of 
  dwarves moved into the Thane’s apartments.  
   
  These sub-rooms hold nothing of value, except that 
  the east wall of the study has an intact secret door that 
  leads to the Thane’s office.  
   
  s Secret Stone Door: 2 in. thick; hardness 8; hp 
  60; AC 5; DC 20 Break. Search DC 20. 
   
  THE MASTER BEDROOM 
  This room contains the tattered remains of an 
  ornate dwarven bed. The mattress moves and 
  writhes by some unseen force beneath the 
  covers. 
   
  Above the headboard is ceremonial dwarven 
  shield with the crest of Clan Highforge and the 
  Seal of Azak-Zil. 
   
  The bed is writhing because of all the blood and guts that 
  soaked into it so long ago, and it has become the home to 
  a thriving colony of insects and fungus. None of these 
  vermin and fungi is a danger to the PCs. 
   
  The ceremonial shield hanging on the wall at the far 
  side of the is the Charter of Azak-Zil and one of the items 
  the dwarves of Clan Highforge have requested be 
  retrieved.  
   
  The shield is ceremonial and ornate and on the 
  inside written in Dwarven is the longwinded Charter of 
  Azak-Zil. Nothing written in it has any bearing on this 
  adventure. It just states that the high council of Clan 
  Highforge has granted the title of Thane to Ulfgar 
  Highforge, and that Azak-Zil is a fully represent part of 
  Clan Highforge and the rights that go along with that.  
   
  The shield itself is a +1 steel heavy shield, but its 
  resale value as a magic item is not listed here because this 
  item must be returned to Clan Highforge. 
   
  Development: There is nothing in this encounter, 
  including the child’s toy that creates an unusual amount 
  of noise risk. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 9: THE 
  GUARD BARRACKS 
  Past the broken down door are bunks and 
  looted footlockers. Half-empty weapon racks 
  line the walls. The dwarven spears and axes 
  that do remain have seen better days. 
   
  There is little of interest in this room. Most of these 
  soldiers went into the deep mines with the Thane and 
  never returned.  
   
  The weapon racks contain an assortment of dwarven 
  made short spears, axes and warhammers. Despite the 
  rust and dirt, they are perfectly usable for combat.  
   
  Treasure: Loot the racks. 
   
  All APL 2: Loot: 60 gp. 
   
  Development: Moving around the weapons on 
  the rack creates a fair bit of noise. If the weapons are 
  looted by the PCs, there is a 25% chance of alerting the 
  ghouls in encounter 11 (if they haven’t been already).  
   
  Note, that this noise does not summon a random 
  ghoul pack from elsewhere as the noise does not travel 
  that far. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 10: THE 
  SHRINE 
  This 
  15-foot-by-10-foot 
  room 
  is 
  clearly 
  dedicated to Moradin. Busts and carvings, some 
  still intact, decorate the walls. On the altar is 
  an open leather-bound book. 
   
  A shrine to Moradin, the Soul Forger, this room is not to 
  be confused with the great temple deeper in the pits (in 
  the high level APL version). This is a small shrine for the 
  daily blessings, as opposed to the massive ceremonies 
  held at the great temple. 
   
  This was one of the points of final stand for many of 
  the dwarves as the remaining cleric of Moradin had 
  figured out how to stop the dead from rising again as 
  ghouls. 
   
  Within the open book are the last few notes about 
  the strangeness that went on here. These notes are 
  replicated in Handout 6 and describe some of the effects 
  and the cure for the undeath plaguing the mines.  
   
  THE ALTAR 
  The altar has a small closed compartment (not hidden, 
  just out of the way). Inside is the last remaining vial of 
  holy water the cleric had. It was placed here for 
  emergency incase something happened to the cleric and 
  the holy water he carried with him.  
   
  All of the valuable treasures have been looted (but 
  not ransacked) when some renegade dwarves tried to 
  escape the city sector. 
   
  The entire room is under the effects of a consecrate 
  spell that is permanent, but this by itself does not protect 
  against risk of undeath.  
   
  Any PC who prays to Moradin at the altar receives a 
  feeling of strength and calm, but leave the PC guess to its 
  actual game mechanic effect (there is none). 
   
  ENCOUNTER 11: THE 
  MINERS’ BARRACKS 
  Unlike many of the other doors you have seen, 
  this door is intact and closed.  
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 19 
  This is the smallest living barracks in the city sector. It’s 
  also the only one that was not collapsed in an effort to 
  stem the undead infection. The remaining ghouls have 
  retreated to their bunks, in mockery of their life, to sleep 
  and await their next victims.  
   
  If the PCs have been silent all this time, they come 
  across these ghouls lounging in a motionless state, as if 
  sleeping.  
   
  If the PCs have made enough noise (see “Noise 
  Dangers”) the ghouls won’t be here, because they have 
  already headed out seeking the PCs.  
   
  Once disturbed (even by opening the door), the 
  ghouls fly into a bloodthirsty rage. At low APLs, it’s just a 
  handful of ghouls, but at higher APLs, there are fifty 
  ghouls per mob. In the cases of mobs, the ghouls have 
  flopped on top of each other in piles as they ‘sleep’, 
  waiting for more food to come along. 
   
  APL 2 (EL 4) 
   
  d Ghouls (4): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 6) 
   
  d Ghouls (8): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 8) 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 180; see Appendix. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 10) 
   
  d Ghast Mob: hp 183; Appendix 1 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 183; Appendix 1 
   
  ENCOUNTER 12: THE 
  CART PARK 
  The 15-foot wide tunnel is bright with sunlight 
  streaming in from outside. Iron rail tracks for 
  mine carts start here and travel deep into the 
  mesa in several directions.  
   
  A side rail has three empty carts collecting 
  dust, though the creaking sound of carts can be 
  heard from far down the passages. 
   
  This is where ore and ingots were rolled out of the mine 
  on animated carts along a rail system that goes through 
  most of the mine. This particular track goes north into 
  the secondary section of the upper mine before heading 
  to central processing. It also has a track that leads off to 
  the tracks that led off to the main upper mines. 
   
  There is a collection of side tracks intended to house 
  unused carts. 
   
  Normally, the animated carts just roll around doing 
  whatever it is they do. If two get in each other’s way, one 
  of them moves itself off the track (a slow process) and lets 
  the other pass, and then hops back on the tracks and goes. 
   
  THE WAITING CARTS 
  The three carts waiting here each need a special key to 
  bind them to the instructions of an operator. Those keys 
  can be found in Encounter 14. Once the PCs have the 
  keys, they can ride the carts into the mines. 
   
  A PC riding in a mine cart does not create a noise 
  danger for traveling close to a ghoul pack, as the ghouls 
  are used to hearing the sounds of the mine carts. 
   
  When the PCs investigate a cart read the following: 
   
  The cart is empty, but looks to be able to safely 
  carry two crouching medium-size humanoids. 
  There is a small panel built into the cart near 
  the front with a slot, some arcane runes and 
  some dwarven words. 
   
  A successful DC 15 Knowledge (arcana) reveals that this 
  is actually an animated cart that is dormant until it is 
  activated by a key being placed in the slot. 
   
  Each cart has a specific number, and needs a key 
  corresponding to that number. A command can only be 
  given when the operator is in physical contact with the 
  key in the slot. Among the list of dwarven words are the 
  basic commands it can be given, but only by the person 
  ‘bounded’ to the cart.  
   
  All commands must be given in dwarven.  
   
  Stop 
   
  Go 
   
  Turn Right 
   
  Turn Left 
   
  Go to <Location, official name> 
   
  ENCOUNTER 13: 
  COLLAPSED TUNNEL 
  Sunlight from outside shines down this 10-foot 
  wide tunnel far enough to reveal a solid 
  looking cave-in. 
   
  The double tracked rails are mangled as 
  they disappear under the debris. 
   
  This double tracked tunnel led to the primary upper 
  mine, but the dwarven defenders of Azak-Zil by order of 
  the Lower Thane collapsed it. With the speed of the 
  outbreak, and the loss of contact with the Thane and 
  Mine Warden, it was decided it would be better to 
  contain the (misconceived) physical outbreak of undeath, 
  by collapsing key sections. There sections were usually 
  large areas that had only one exit. The theory was that 
  once the problem was understood and outside help 
  arrived, the closed off sections could be reopened and 
  cleansed one section at a time. 
   
  PCs examining the collapse are able to tell it was 
  intentional, but hurried and happened some 80 years ago 
  (the time period of the fall of Azak-Zil). 
   
  Development: Unless the PCs start protracted 
  digging, there is nothing here that has an unusual noise 
  danger. If the PCs somehow trigger a noise danger here, 
  it attracts the attention of the ghouls in Encounter 17, 18, 
  or 19. 
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 20 
  ENCOUNTER 14: KEYS 
  AND CARTAGE 
  This 20-foot-by-15-foot chamber was clearly a 
  loading area until it was ransacked. Two rail 
  tracks lead into the room and stop near raised 
  loading areas. A door leading farther into the 
  mesa is broken open revealing a collapse. 
   
  Debris of what was once cargo fills the 
  room. 
   
  Searching reveals piles of broken wooden pallets, spilled 
  boxes of nails, chains, block and tackle, and an assortment 
  of other loading equipment. 
   
  The PCs are bound to be disappointed when the only 
  cargo they find is a knocked over pile of tin billets that 
  was getting ready to be shipped out the day of the disaster 
  (the shipping paper work is still attached).  
   
  Leaning awkwardly against a wall is a shelving unit 
  with some vials of acid (six in total). The toppled shelf is 
  obscuring a key rack that has the three bonding keys for 
  the mining carts in encounter 12. 
   
  Each key has a specific number on it and matches up 
  with a specific cart.  
   
   
  Traps: Whichever PC searches the area of the fallen 
  shelf (choose randomly if the PCs are all just searching 
  generically), determine if they discover the precarious 
  shelves in time (DC 15 Search check). If not, they need to 
  make a Reflex save to avoid the falling vials.  
   
  Knocking over the vials makes them crash loudly to 
  the ground and the crash echoes deep into the mesa. 
   
  a Falling Vials: CR 1/2; mechanical; touch 
  trigger, no reset; glass vials shatter when triggered (listed 
  ghouls alerted 50% chance) and splashing acid, reflex save 
  avoids (DC 15 Reflex save or 6 points of acid damage); 
  Search DC 15; Disable Device DC 10.  
   
   Development: If the vials hit the ground and 
  shatter, the noise has a 50% chance of attacking one of the 
  ghoul packs from 17, 18 or 19. If all of those packs have 
  been alerted already, use a random ghoul pack. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 15: THE 
  ROUNDABOUT 
  The tunnel opens up into a large round room 
  some 30 feet in diameter. The rail tracks form 
  into a circle that loops the room and branches 
  out into three more tunnels. 
   
  Mining carts circle the tracks under their 
  own power. 
   
  If all the PCs are riding in mine carts, and stay in them 
  around these other carts, then the circling carts stay 
  peaceful and keep riding around. 
   
  If any of the PCs are on foot, the mine carts stop for 
  one round (as if appraising the situation) then 
  immediately head towards the PCs in a hostile fashion. 
   
  The carts attack, and keep attacking until the PCs are 
  either dead, or riding in a controllable mine cart (only the 
  three carts from Encounter 12 are controllable, the rest 
  have had their bonding keys broken off in the slot). The 
  carts chase the PCs for as long as there is track to ride on, 
  though the carts are not limited to being on the tracks 
  (they can get off and travel at a much reduced moment 
  rate) 
  but 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  consider 
  none-tracked 
  rooms/tunnels their territory. 
   
  APL 2 (EL 2) 
   
  d Medium Animated Cart: hp 31; Appendix 1 
   
  APL 4 (EL 4) 
   
  d Medium Animated Cart (2): hp 31 each; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 6) 
   
  d Medium Animated Cart (4): hp 31 each; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 8) 
   
  d Medium Animated Cart (8): hp 31 each; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
   
  Tactics: The carts are mindless and are just 
  following orders. All their bonding keys have been 
  broken off in the slots and are not repairable, nor can the 
  PCs operate these carts.  
   
  The carts advance on the PCs, attacking anyone not 
  riding in a cart. The carts move quite quickly when on the 
  rails, but if need be, they can move off the rail, but at a 
  greatly reduced speed. The carts do this if that is the only 
  means of reaching the PCs to attack. 
   
  The carts only chase the PCs through tunnels and 
  rooms that have tracks in them. For example, the carts 
  would stop short of going down the tunnel that leads to 
  Encounter 21. Once the PCs are out of sight, the carts go 
  back to their circling.  
   
  Development: Fighting the carts does not create a 
  noise danger because the ghouls are used to the mine cart 
  noises, and that the mine carts once in a while attacks a 
  ghoul if it gets too close. But, if a DM feels the PCs are 
  making an unusually amount of noise during the combat 
  (lots of yelling, loud bursting spells, and so on) there is a 
  25% chance of attracting one of the nearby ghoul packs 
  from Encounters 17, 16, or 19. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 16: DEAD 
  END EAST 
  This 
  tracked 
  tunnel 
  disappears 
  under 
  a 
  mangling cave-in. The dust from the collapse 
  still lingers in the air. 
   
  This tracked tunnel led to the primary upper mines. Its 
  collection of tunnels and veins are much more extensive 
  than what the PCs are seeing in the secondary mines.  
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 21 
   
  When the PCs arrive, they find that this cave-in is 
  recent (dust still hangs in the air), perhaps happening 
  within the last few hours.  
   
  Originally, the dwarves had a certain critical points 
  rigged to collapse upon triggering, and this was such a 
  location. It was collapsed as Azak_Zil fell. But then the 
  ghoul dwarves dug themselves out, but it wasn’t a very 
  good job. Support beams were installed, but it became 
  very susceptible to re-collapse. 
   
  A few hours ago, the rival adventurers set off the 
  second cave-in. It was deliberate to seal up the largest 
  portion of ghouls while they plundered the depths of the 
  pits. 
   
  Development: There is nothing here that would 
  case an unusual noise danger, but if ghouls are attracted 
  here, they come first from encounters 17, 18, or 19 before 
  a random ghoul pack is used. 
    
  ENCOUNTER 17: SIDE 
  TRACKED 
  Read the below text after the PCs have gone 20 feet past 
  where the tunnel branches between going to this 
  encounter and Encounter 18.  
   
  An intermittent trail of still drying blood leads 
  east along the rail tracks.  
   
  This encounter location serves a double purpose. There 
  are three areas in this adventure where the PCs can meet 
  up with rival adventurers, but it’s the same group and the 
  PCs only encounter them once. 
   
  If this is the first time the PCs meet up with the 
  adventurers, run this encounter as listed. If the PCs have 
  already encountered the adventurers, run this as the 
  listed ghoul pack encounter.  
   
  Encounters 23 and 25 refer back to this encounter 
  for the details of dealing with the NPC adventurers. 
   
  If the adventurers are here, PCs can attempt DC 15 
  Listen checks to pick up the heavy breathing and 
  occasional whisper between the adventurers. 
   
  If its ghouls, they are standing up, leaning against 
  walls and so on, in their dormant state as they await either 
  the next meal, or for the command to resume work. 
   
  As the PCs get closer to the end chamber of this 
  tunnel, read the following; 
   
  The tunnel ends in an oddly shaped chamber 20 
  ft. at its widest part. Four humans of varying 
  heritage carefully and silently examine a tunnel 
  that has long since collapsed.  
   
   
  These are adventurers sent in by the rival patron. Which 
  patron they specifically serve depends on who the 
  adventurers agreed to serve when they excepted the 
  mission in the introduction. 
   
  Count up the number of Lady Karistyne supporters 
  and the number of Rary supporters. Count Highforge 
  supports as Lady Karistyne supporters in this case. 
   
  If there are more Rary supporters in the party, this 
  NPC party works for Lady Karistyne. If there are more 
  Lady Karistyne supports, this party works for Rary. 
   
  All of the alignments in the stat blocks are listed as 
  chaotic neutral, but depending on who they serve, the 
  NPCs have a slightly tendency towards good or evil (but 
  not enough to change the alignment).  
   
  WE SERVE LADY KARISTYNE 
   If the NPC adventurers serve the paladin Lady Karistyne, 
  they are a secondary party that was sent out as a backup 
  incase her other agents did not meet up in Zarak. 
   
  The NPCs start out as Indifferent to the PCs (which 
  changes to Hostile automatically if any of the PCs admit 
  they are working for Rary). This attitude can be changed 
  with a Diplomacy check (PH 72) after ten rounds of 
  conversation. 
   
  If the group becomes hostile it attacks, attempting tp 
  kill all who claim support of Rary, and subdue anyone 
  who appears to serve good (they could be duped, or in 
  disguise, and so on).  
   
  If the group stays indifferent, they keep their 
  weapons at the ready, but have a hushed chat with the 
  PCs. The group is not looking for friendly company right 
  now, nor to discuss their mission past, “we are here to 
  serve Lady Karistyne, leave us be”. 
   
  If the group becomes Friendly, they offer to tell a 
  little more of their tale. They still keep their resources to 
  themselves unless it’s obvious a PC is in dire straights 
  (such as unconscious, or less than 10 hp left). They go on 
  to tell the PCs that they are here to stop agents of Rary 
  from stealing the thinaun.  
   
  If the group becomes Helpful, and the PCs have four 
  or less living party members in the group, the NPCs offer 
  to have one of their own join up for the remainder of the 
  adventurer as a cohort. This does not change the effective 
  APL of the adventure. If at any time, the cohort finds out 
  he has been tricked, he immediately attacks the Rary 
  supporter(s) and fights to the death. 
   
  WE SERVE RARY 
  If the NPC adventurers serve Rary they are a secondary 
  party that was sent out as a backup incase his other agents 
  did not meet up in Zarak. 
   
  The NPCs start out as Unfriendly to the PCs (which 
  changes to Hostile automatically if any of the PCs admit 
  they are here working for Lady Karistyne). This attitude 
  can be changed with a Diplomacy check (PH 72) after ten 
  rounds of conversation. 
   
  If the group becomes hostile, it attacks, attempting 
  kill all who claimed support of Lady Karistyne, and 
  subdue anyone who appears to serve Rary (they could be 
  duped, or in disguise, and so on).  
   
  If the group stays Unfriendly, they keep their 
  weapons at the ready, offering only small bits of 
  information laced with rude slurs. If the PCs give them 
  an excuse, combat starts.  
   
  If the group becomes Indifferent, they keep their 
  weapons at the ready, but have a hushed chat with the 
  PCs. The group is not looking for friendly company right 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 22 
  now, nor to discuss their mission past, “we are here to 
  serve Rary and restore the Bright to its past greenery, 
  leave us be”. 
   
  If the group becomes Friendly, they offer to tell a 
  little more of their tale. They still keep their resources to 
  themselves unless it’s obvious a PC is in dire straights 
  (such as unconscious, or less than 10 hp left). They go on 
  to tell the PCs that they are here to stop agents Lady 
  Karistyne who might harm the thinaun supply.  
   
  If the group becomes Helpful, and the PCs have four 
  or less living party members in the group, the NPCs offer 
  to have one of their own join up for the remainder of the 
  adventurer as a cohort. This does not change the effective 
  APL of the adventure. If at any time, the cohort finds out 
  he has been tricked, he immediately attacks the Lady 
  Karyistine supporter(s) and fights to the death. 
   
  THE BACKSTORY 
  This tale is relatively accurate for both versions of the 
  NPC adventuring party. It’s up to the DM to determine 
  how much information the NPCs give out depending on 
  the interaction attitude. 
   
  The adventurers collected in Zarak and headed out a 
  few days before the PCs. They explored around the 
  outside of Azak-Zil looking for information and clues. 
  They observed the nighttime work of ghouls as they 
  worked the pits as if they were still alive.  
   
  Then, an hour or so before dawn, all the undead 
  dropped what they were doing and headed back inside. 
  The adventurers followed.  
   
  For several hours now, the adventurers have been 
  skulking around, being quiet as possible to avoid bring 
  the attention of all the ghouls and monsters of this place. 
  They even re-collapsed the tunnel at encounter 16 after 
  they explored the primary upper mine and didn’t find 
  what they were looking for. 
   
  For the Rary agents, their mission is to prevent any 
  danger to the thinaun supply and try and smuggle out 
  enough to complete the ritual Rary wants to do to restore 
  the Bright Desert to its green lushness once again. 
  They’ve been told to look for refined ingots as opposed to 
  raw ore.  
   
  For the Lady Karistyne agents, their mission is to 
  make sure the thinaun does not fall into the hands of 
  Rary. They need to either destroy the thinaun or render it 
  unattainable in the near future. 
   
  Both groups are wary of imposters and treachery. As 
  well, they want to work separately to cover more ground 
  and incase one group fails, there’s still a back up. 
   
  APL 2 (EL 2) 
   
  d Feng: male half-orc barbarian 1, hp 14; Appendix 
  1. 
   
  d Xargun: male human (Baklunish) rogue 1, hp 8; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  d Rhyeh: male human (Flan) cleric 1, hp 10; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  d Enallan: male human (Flan) wizard 1, hp 5; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 4) 
   
  d Feng: male half-orc barbarian 2, hp 23; Appendix 
  1. 
   
  Xargun: male human (Baklunish) rogue 2, hp 14; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  d Rhyeh: male human (Flan) cleric 2, hp 17; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  d Enallan: male human (Flan) wizard 2, hp 9; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 6) 
   
  d Feng: male half-orc barbarian 4, hp 23; Appendix 
  1. 
   
  d Xargun: male human (Baklunish) rogue 4, hp 
  14; Appendix 1. 
   
  d Rhyeh: male human (Flan) cleric 4, hp 17; 
  Appendix 1 
   
  d Enallan: male human (Flan) wizard 4, hp 20; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 8) 
   
  d Feng: male half-orc barbarian 6, hp 59; Appendix 
  1. 
   
  d Xargun: male human (Baklunish) rogue 38, hp 
  14; Appendix 1. 
   
  d Rhyeh: male human (Flan) cleric 6, hp 45; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  d Enallan: male human (Flan) wizard 6, hp 25; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  Treasure: 
  Loot 
  from 
  the 
  adventurers. 
  Unfortunately, Enallan has hidden his spellbook at the 
  adventurer’s camp and thus the PCs do not find it here. 
   
  APL 2: Loot: 120 gp; Coin: 40 gp. 
   
  APL 4: Loot: 84 gp; Coin: 40 gp; Magic: +1 rapier 
  (193 gp), ring of protection +1 (166 gp). 
   
  APL 6: Loot: 80 gp; Coin: 40 gp; Magic: +1 
  breastplate (112 gp), +1 greataxe (193 gp), cloak of 
  resistance +1 (83 gp), ring of protection +1 (166 gp). 
   
  APL 8: Loot: 90 gp; Coin: 40 gp; Magic: ring of 
  protection +1 (166 gp), cloak of resistance +1 (83 gp), +1 
  chain shirt (104 gp), +1 rapier (193 gp), +1 full-plate (220 
  gp), ring of protection +1 (166 gp), +1 morningstar (192 
  gp), lesser metamagic rod of silent spell (250 gp). 
   
  ALTERNATE GHOUL PACK 
  Use this if this encounter is just another ghoul pack 
  waiting to feast on the PCs’ entrails. 
   
  APL 2 (EL 4) 
   
  d Ghouls (4): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 6) 
   
  d Ghouls (8): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 8) 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 180; Appendix 1. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 10) 
   
  d Ghast Mob: hp 183; Appendix 1. 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 180; Appendix 1. 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 23 
   
  ENCOUNTER 18: PRETTY 
  CRYSTALS OF 
  DISTRACTION 
  The walls of this tunnel are filled with geodes 
  and crystals of brilliant colors. Ghostly images 
  dance from one facet to another. Dwarven 
  ghouls linger here, some still holding picks.  
   
  The rail tracks lead under another long-
  collapsed tunnel. 
   
  The ghouls here are just as bloodthirsty as rest of their 
  undead brethren and when they notice the PCs they 
  attack.  
   
  What’s interesting about this place is the crystals are 
  contaminated with traces of thinaun and are now 
  reflecting images of the souls who are trapped in the 
  deeper pits.  
   
  The souls are not aware of the PCs, but their silent 
  moans of despair go out to anyone who might be 
  listening. The images flicker around, no single soul 
  staying in the same place for long.  
   
  Any PC who touches the crystals can feel the 
  vibrations of the moans and magically can make out what 
  the souls are moaning about. 
   
  “Flee! Leave this cursed place. All who die here 
  shall become trapped like us. Down in the deep 
  mines, where the pit is most foul the ore is bad, 
  the ore steals our souls. Destroy the ore, save 
  us, mix the ore with liquid blessings of the 
  Soul Forger, and let no others be trapped!” 
   
  Destroying the crystals here only stops the souls from 
  expressing themselves.  
   
  In the far corner, among a large pile of bones, are the 
  remains of some dwarven heroes who tried to put a stop 
  to this madness.  
   
  APL 2 (EL 4) 
   
  d Ghouls (4): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 6) 
   
  d Ghouls (8): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 8) 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 180; Appendix 1. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 10) 
   
  d Ghast Mob: hp 183; Appendix 1. 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 180; Appendix 1. 
   
  Treasure: Loot the remains of the dwarven heroes. 
   
  APL 2: Magic: eyes of the eagle (208 gp). 
   
  APL 4: Magic: eyes of the eagle (208 gp), lion’s 
  shield (764 gp). 
   
  APL 6: Magic: eyes of the eagle (208 gp), lion’s 
  shield (764 gp), figurine of wondrous power (ivory goat) 
  (1,750 gp). 
   
  APL 8: Magic: eyes of the eagle (208 gp), lion’s 
  shield (764 gp), figurine of wondrous power (ivory goat) 
  (1,750 gp), ring of protection +4 (2,667 gp), ring of 
  sustenance (208 gp). 
   
  ENCOUNTER 19: THE 
  TUNNEL OF HATE 
  Ahead the rails disappear around another bend. 
  The sound of slowly dripping water echoes 
  from up ahead.  
   
  At the far end of this tunnel, about 10 feet after the rail 
  tracks end, there is a pond built up from water dripping 
  through the rocks above. The water is tainted with 
  negative energy and evil. Anyone touching the water 
  (and for every round exposed to the pond) suffers one of 
  the below effects determined randomly. 
   
  1-2: cause minor wounds; CL 1; DC 10. 
   
  3-4: cause light wounds, CL 1; DC11. 
   
  5: cause moderate wounds; CL 3; DC12. 
   
  6: cause serious wounds; CL 5; DC14. 
   
  Note: For APL 2, subtract 1 from the dice roll, with 0 
  being only minor irritation to the skin.  
   
  A DC 25 Search check of the murky water reveals a 
  stash of gems, some of which are magical ioun stones.  
   
  Resourceful PCs can use detection magic to narrow 
  down the search area for the magic items, thus reducing 
  the amount of time needed to physically search the 
  murky water. 
   
  But before the PCs can get to any of these treasures, 
  they have to do away with the pack of ghouls that linger 
  here. 
   
  The danger of the pond adds +1 EL to the encounter 
  (as reflected in the listings). 
   
  APL 2 (EL 3) 
   
  d Ghouls (2): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 5) 
   
  d Ghouls (4): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 7) 
   
  d Ghouls (8): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 9) 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 180; see Appendix 1. 
   
  Treasure: Loot the pond. 
   
  APL 2: Coin: 400 gp; Magic: ioun stone (clear) (333 
  gp). 
   
  APL 4: Coin: 400 gp; Magic: ioun stone (clear) (333 
  gp), ioun stone (dusty rose) (416 gp). 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 24 
   
  APL 6: Coin: 400 gp; Magic: ioun stone (clear) (333 
  gp), ioun stone (dusty rose) (416 gp), ioun stone (pale 
  blue) (666 gp). 
   
  APL 8: Coin: 400 gp; Magic: ioun stone (clear) (333 
  gp), ioun stone (dusty rose) (416 gp), ioun stone (pale 
  blue) (666 gp), ioun stone (orange) (2,500 gp). 
   
  ENCOUNTER 20: THE 
  ROADBLOCK 
  The rail tracks lead on for a while through the 
  mesa until up ahead there is a small barricade 
  of overturned carts and furniture blocking 
  further moment. Dwarven figures skulk around 
  in the dark and enter from under a stone 
  archway clad side passage. The stench in the air 
  is terrible. 
   
  This is a roadblock setup by dwarven ghasts. They have 
  used the furniture of a safety-room to help construct it. 
  The safety-room is a reinforced structure where dwarven 
  miners go in case of collapse. It is equipped with 
  provisions and emergency supplies, enough to wait for 
  rescuers to dig them out.  
   
  The blockage needs to be cleared before the mine 
  carts can get past it. PCs on foot can simple climb over it 
  or walk around its edges. 
   
  APL 2 (EL 4) 
   
  d Ghoul: hp 13; MM 119. 
   
  d Ghast: hp 29; MM 119. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 6) 
   
  d Ghasts (3): hp 29 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 8) 
   
  d Ghasts (6): hp 29 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 10) 
   
  d Advanced 12 HD Ghasts (6): hp 111 each; 
  Appendix 1. 
   
  The safety-room has a small collection of potions among 
  its mundane equipment. 
   
  Treasure: Loot the safety room. 
   
  APL 2: Loot: 30 gp; Magic: potion cure light wounds 
  (3) (4 gp each). 
   
  APL 4: Loot: 30 gp; Magic: potion cure light wounds 
  (3) (4 gp each), potion of remove paralysis (25 gp). 
   
  APL 6: Loot: 30 gp; Magic: potion cure light wounds 
  (3) (4 gp each), potion of remove paralysis (25 gp), oil of 
  daylight (62 gp). 
   
  APL 8: Loot: 30 gp; Magic: potion cure light wounds 
  (3) (4 gp each), potion of remove paralysis (25 gp), oil of 
  daylight (62 gp), potion of good hope (87 gp).  
   
  ENCOUNTER 21: AN 
  ASIDE 
  This side tunnel breaks off from the main 
  tunnel and has no rail tracks leading into it. It 
  seems to turn more cavernous as it bends out of 
  sight. 
   
  There is the sound of movement from down 
  this direction accompanied by the occasional 
  sound of metal on rock. 
   
  Down this tunnel, some of the ghouls are still slowly 
  digging. They lack purpose and direction and are making 
  next to no progress. Their attentions and hunger turn 
  towards the PCs as soon as the opportunity presents itself. 
   
  At the far end of the cave are the remains of some 
  dwarven heroes who did not dish out the justice that had 
  hoped for during the undead uprising.  
   
  APL 2 (EL 4) 
   
  d Ghouls (4): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 6) 
   
  d Ghouls (8): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 8) 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 180; Appendix 1. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 10) 
   
  d Ghast Mob: hp 183; Appendix 1. 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 180; Appendix 1. 
   
   
  Treasure: Loot the remains of the dwarven heroes. 
  (Unfortunately all their magical items have already been 
  picked clean by the mine’s denizens but a small bag of 
  gems remains). 
   
  APL 2: Coin 280 gp. 
   
  APL 4: Coin 974 gp. 
   
  APL 6: Coin 1,666 gp. 
   
  APL 8: Coin 3,292 gp. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 22: THE 
  SORTING ELEMENTAL 
  Up ahead, the rail tracks move through an open 
  space flanked by tall piles of raw ore.  
   
  As the PCs either pass by, or start searching through the 
  raw ore, they disturb the last remaining earth elemental 
  here.  
   
  Normally, a cart would come through here and 
  bonded earth elementals would sort the ore under the 
  guidance of a few dwarven mine masters. Now, the only 
  thing left here working is a rather irate earth elemental 
  (size dependent on APL). As well, it’s not happy that it’s 
  been attacked by the ‘new dwarves’ that roam the mines 
  and all of its lesser earth elemental friends have been 
  destroyed. 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 25 
   
  Now the earth elemental spends its time hidden 
  away in the piles of ore, only coming out to attack if 
  people get too close and stay too long.  
   
  A vaguely humanoid shape with red gem eyes 
  begins to emerge from the ore pile. It stares at 
  you all intently before taking a menacing step 
  towards you. 
   
  The elemental starts off Unfriendly towards the PCs. If 
  the PCs take no hostile action (defensive actions are 
  okay), they have one round to start diplomacy (with the –
  10 modifier). Offering a gem of any sort right away gives a 
  +5 modifier. 
   
  If the PCs can bring its attitude up to Indifferent, the 
  elemental croaks out in Terran, “gems, feed me gems”. If 
  the PCs give 50 gp per APL in gems, the earth elemental 
  becomes friendly.  
   
  Once Friendly or Helpful, the earth elemental asks 
  for 100 gp times APL in order for it to be set free from its 
  bonding. If the PCs do so, it becomes Helpful (if not 
  already). If given the gems, it offers to accompany the 
  PCs for one combat before it leaves.  
   
  Once at Friendly or higher, the earth elemental 
  answers questions if asked in Terran (the only language it 
  speaks). 
   
  Who are you? “I am Cipikmotoc, last of the 
  enslaved earth elementals of Azak-Zil. I stay 
  here until I am fed enough gems as pay and 
  grant me my agreed freedom. Before, I would 
  pick them out of the ore I sorted, but now they 
  have stopped coming.” 
   
  What happened here? “The mine changed 
  management. These new dwarves fought with 
  the old. Now the new stay and the old are no 
  more. The new dwarves attack me from time to 
  time, but they are too weak to hurt me.” 
   
  Why do you want gems? “Under our feet, under 
  these mountains of raw ore, is a sigil carved 
  into the ground. I may not leave this area until 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  a 
  pre-specified 
  total 
  of 
  gemstones. I would feed on them as I sorted 
  the ore for the old dwarves, but now the new 
  dwarves do not bring as much gem ore to these 
  piles. If you feed me the remaining amount, I’ll 
  be free to leave. I won’t return to my home 
  plane for an hour. I would be honored to do 
  you a service for releasing me.” 
   
  What is this ore? “This is the raw ore that came 
  mostly from these upper mines, though some of 
  it comes from the deep mines. It is filled with 
  copper and gold, tin and platinum. It used to be 
  filled with gems, but not anymore.” 
   
  Where is the thinaun? “That ore has a peculiar 
  scent to it. It is not in its pure form, it has been 
  fused, tainted by something else. There is none 
  of it in these piles. The old dwarves had me 
  collect it all together for them long ago. It was 
  taken to the refinery and I have seen none of it 
  since.” 
   
  Will you help us? “Free me and I shall aid you 
  in one combat or minor task before my hour is 
  up and I peacefully transcend back to my own 
  plane.” 
   
  If the PCs change the attitude of the elemental to 
  Friendly or better they gain the AR entry for peaceful 
  contact with an elemental. 
   
  APL 2 (EL 3) 
   
  k Medium Earth Elemental: hp 30; MM 97. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 5) 
   
  k Large Earth Elemental: hp 68; MM 97. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 7) 
   
  k Huge Earth Elemental: hp 152; MM 97. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 9) 
   
  k Greater Earth Elemental: hp 199; MM 97. 
   
   
  THE IRON GRATE 
  South and east of the piles of ore is a rusting 
  iron grate in the floor. It as no lock, but its 
  thick latch is rusted shut. Ten feet below is a 
  dark tunnel with a trickle of shallow water 
  running off of the ore piles. 
   
  This gate leads to the drainage system. It can be bashed 
  open, but doing so creates a noise danger. 
   
  s Rusty Iron Grate: 2 in. thick; hardness 8; hp 40; 
  AC 5; DC 20 Break. 
   
  Development: The sounds of combat with the 
  elemental (or just talking with it) do not draw the 
  attention of the ghoul packs as their used to other ghouls 
  occasionally attacking it for little reason. 
   
  Smashing open the grate on the other hand does 
  present a noise danger. There is a 50% that bashing open 
  the grate attracts the ghoul pack from either encounter 23 
  or 21 (in that order of preference). If those encounters 
  have been triggered already, use a random ghoul pack. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 23: MORE 
  ADVENTURERS 
  In the center of a large open chamber 
  movement flitters about an overturned mine 
  cart. More carts move along a network of rail 
  tracks under their own power. 
   
  This encounter location serves a double purpose. There 
  are three areas in this adventure where the PCs can meet 
  up with rival adventurers, but it’s the same group and 
  they are only met in the first such area entered. 
   
  If this is the first time the PCs meet up with the 
  adventurers, run this encounter as listed. If the PCs have 
  already encountered the adventurers, run this as the 
  listed ghoul pack encounter.  
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 26 
   
  If the adventurers are here, PCs can discern the four 
  figures not to be dwarves.  
   
  If its ghouls, they are investigating the cart as they 
  await either the next meal, or for the command to resume 
  work. 
   
  As the PCs get closer to the end chamber of this 
  tunnel, read the following; 
   
  Four humans of varying heritage carefully and 
  silently examine an overturned mine cart. 
   
  They turn to give you a weary eye. 
   
  For all other information to run this encounter refer to 
  encounter 17. 
   
  ALTERNATE GHOUL PACK 
  Use this if this encounter is just another ghoul pack 
  waiting to feast on the PC’s entrails. 
   
  APL 2 (EL 4) 
   
  d Ghouls (4): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 6) 
  d Ghouls (8): hp 13 each; MM 119. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 8) 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 180; Appendix 1. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 10) 
   
  d Ghast Mob: hp 183; Appendix 1. 
   
  d Ghoul Mob: hp 180; Appendix 1. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 24: GOING 
  DOWN THE DRAIN 
  The air is this narrow passage smells terrible, 
  but the water ranges only from 3 inches to 1 ft. 
  in depth. At times the walls must be squeezed 
  past, while in others it is wide enough to 
  slouch by. 
   
  This is the sewer/runoff water system for both the 
  processing area and part of the city barracks. The system 
  is more expansive than shown here, but tunnels have 
  been collapsed when the barracks areas were sealed. 
   
  This run off system of narrow tunnels always has 
  shallow poisonous water within. Decanters of endless 
  water are used in the processing areas and the ore piles 
  collect moisture and it is this that contaminants the water 
  making it harmful to humanoids. 
   
  As well, bacteria and mold have developed in the 
  stagnant sections of water ever since the number of 
  decanters was reduced when the mines were suddenly 
  shut down. 
   
  With access to the smelting area, it is conceivable 
  that a sneaking adventurer party could infiltrate the 
  refinery and get out with little fuss.  
   
  The only water left in the system is from the build up 
  of one decanter that was not sealed properly and is 
  leaking. What water that needs to, trickles out of the 
  mesa through Tiny-sized tunnels. 
   
  Needless to say, none of the water is fit for drinking, 
  and exposure to the skin has its risks as well. 
   
  WATER DANGERS 
  Anyone drinking the water is exposed to arsenic poison. 
   
  Anyone who is merely exposed to the water (touches 
  skin, or soaks into clothes that touch skin) is exposed to 
  arsenic for every hour (or fraction of hour) of contact 
  with the skin. Prestidigitation can dry the clothes to 
  prevent further contact, but once contact is made, after an 
  hour, the Fort save must be rolled. 
   
  a Arsenic: Ingested DC 13; Initial 1 con, 
  Secondary 1d8 Con. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 25: 
  ALTERNATE 
  ADVENTURERS IN THE 
  SEWERS 
  Up ahead the tunnel widens as it attaches to a 
  now empty and neglected cistern. Four humans 
  of varying heritage carefully and silently 
  examine the cistern. 
   
  They turn wearily towards you. 
   
  There are three areas in this adventure where the PCs can 
  meet up with rival adventurers, but it’s the same group 
  and only the first encounter counts. 
   
  If this is the first time the PCs meet up with the 
  adventurers, run this encounter as listed. If the PCs have 
  already encountered the adventurers before, there is 
  nothing interesting in the cistern. 
   
  If the adventurers are here, PCs can discern the four 
  figures not to be dwarves.  
   
  For all other information to run this encounter, refer 
  to Encounter 17. 
   
  Development: Ghouls do not normally come 
  down here. If the PCs foolishly left the access open for 
  ghouls, its possible noise might attract some down, but 
  for the most part, the PCs are relatively save from ghoul 
  attack in these sewers. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 26: THE 
  BOTTOM FEEDERS 
  Up ahead the water becomes its deepest and the 
  tunnel its widest as a sudden and close 
  movement catches your eye. 
   
  The creature(s) here depends on APL, but it’s the 
  guardian of the sewer. It feeds off everything that comes 
  down here, and it’s been a while since it had a good meal.  
   
  Allow the PCs to make Spot checks against a Hide 
  check for the given monster. Those who fail are 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 27 
  surprised. The exception to this is for the gray ooze (see 
  tactics). 
   
  The water here is 1-foot deep.  
   
   APL 2 (EL 2) 
   
  d Crocodile: hp 22; MM 271. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 4) 
   
  d Gray Ooze: hp 31; MM 203. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 6) 
   
  d Gray Ooze (2): hp 31 each; MM 203. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 8) 
   
  d Hellwasp Swarm: hp 93; MM 239. 
   
  Tactics: At APL 2, the crocodile is simple to run. It 
  keeps moving forward and biting. It never gives up and 
  never surrenders. 
   
  At APL 4 and APL 6 the gray oozes are transparent 
  and thus have their own special hiding ability.  
   
  At APL 8, there is a small hive in the wall of the 
  tunnel and the hellwasps swarm out of it filling the 
  tunnel. The hellwasps do not pursue the PCs out of the 
  sewer tunnels. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 27: THE 
  GAUNTLET 
  Five tunnels with rail cart tracks lead from the 
  ledge of the mesa into a large open area inside 
  the mesa. At the far end of each tunnel is a 
  portcullis blocking off access to the chamber 
  inside the mesa.  
   
  The danger of each of the five tunnels is the same. They 
  all have identical traps on them and each have a lever-
  controlled portcullis that blocks entry.  
   
  TUNNELS AND PORTCULLISES 
  The tunnels have a rail track that leads under the closed 
  portcullis. The portcullises each have their own lever 
  situated on the wall beside past the tunnel (usually 10 ft. 
  over, but its marked on the map).  
   
  Iron Portcullis: 2 in. thick; hardness 10; hp 60; 
  AC 5; DC 25 Break. (DMG 45). 
   
  Traps: A spell turret is a highly dangerous magic 
  trap that blurs the line between trap and construct. 
   
  A spell turret is generally located at one end of a long 
  hallway and is mounted on the ceiling. When inactive, 
  the turret merges with the material of the surface on 
  which it is mounted and cloaks itself with a nondetection 
  spell to hide its magical aura. A spell turret has a visual 
  trigger utilizing true seeing to a range of 120 feet down 
  the given corridor (not into the room). This turret has 
  been programmed to recognize any dwarves (even 
  undead ones) as friends. Creatures the spell turret 
  recognizes do not trigger it by approaching within 120 
  feet nor does the spell trigger ever target them once 
  activated. If a spell trigger casts an area spell, recognized 
  targets might accidentally suffer the effect of the spell if 
  they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.  
   
  If a spell turret detects an unrecognized target, it 
  immediately activates. When it does, it emerges from the 
  ceiling quickly. The turret is shaped like a stone 
  crossbow. 
   
  Once activated, a spell turret immediately begins 
  casting one of the four spells stored within it at the rate of 
  one spell per round, pausing only on every fifth round to 
  magically repair 4d8+20 points of damage to itself. 
   
  A turret targets the closest unrecognized creature, 
  and has 180-degree arc of fire down the corridor. A spell 
  turret’s caster level is equal to that of the minimum level 
  required to cast the spells stored in it.  
   
  The order in which a turret casts its spells is set; it 
  cycles through them in the same order each time.  
   
  APL 2 (EL 2) 
   
  a Spell Turret: CR 2; Diminutive magic device; 
  visual trigger (true seeing); automatic reset; four different 
  spells effects cast once per round in set order, no spells 
  cast every fifth round but spell turret self-repairs 4d8+20 
  hp; AC 7; hardness 5; hp 200; Search DC 26; Disable 
  Device DC 26; 
   
  Spells (in order; CL 1st): magic missile; ray of 
  enfeeblement; sleep; color spray. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 4) 
   
  a Spell Turret: CR 4; Diminutive magic device; 
  visual trigger (true seeing); automatic reset; four different 
  spells effects cast once per round in set order, no spells 
  cast every fifth round but spell turret self-repairs 4d8+20 
  hp; AC 7; hardness 5; hp 200; Search DC 28; Disable 
  Device DC 28 
   
  Spells (in order; CL 5th): lightning bolt; ray of 
  exhaustion; dispel magic; hold person. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 6) 
   
  a Spell Turret: CR 6; Diminutive magic device; 
  visual trigger (true seeing); automatic reset; four different 
  spells effects cast once per round in set order, no spells 
  cast every fifth round but spell turret self-repairs 4d8+20 
  hp; AC 7; hardness 5; hp 200; Search DC 30; Disable 
  Device DC 30. 
   
   
  Spells (in order; CL 9th): cone of cold; hold monster; 
  cloudkill; waves of fatigue. 
   
  APL 8 (EL8) 
   
  a Spell Turret: CR 8; Diminutive magic device; 
  visual trigger (true seeing); automatic reset; four different 
  spells effects cast once per round in set order, no spells 
  cast every fifth round but spell turret self-repairs 4d8+20 
  hp; AC 7; hardness 5; hp 200; Search DC 32; Disable 
  Device DC 32.  
   
  Spells (in order; CL 13th): power word blind; delayed 
  blast fireball; greater shadow conjuration (chain lighting), 
  waves of exhaustion. 
   
  Development: This is not the first time the spell 
  turrets have been set off. Small animals occasionally try to 
  penetrate the pits this way and the ghouls know there is 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 28 
  little of anything left of the animal by the time they get 
  there so they don’t bother investigating noise from here. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 28: THE 
  REFINERY 
  THE OUTER DOORS 
  A pair of sturdy 5-foot wide and 7-foot tall 
  stone doors bars further progress. Engraved 
  upon them is the picture of a smelter pouring 
  liquid metal into square molds. Heat and noise 
  radiates from behind the door. 
   
  Rail tracks disappear under the door. 
   
  There are two sections to this encounter. The first is the 
  combat. The mummies must be dealt with before the PCs 
  can properly handle their mission (unless the PCs are 
  very stealthy, careful, and lucky). 
   
  These doors lead to the smelting room, which is the 
  center of the refining process. The heat that radiates off 
  the doors is warm to the touch but not harmful. The noise 
  is the sound of machinery and blast furnaces. 
   
  These doors can be picked, smashed or opened using 
  a key (found in the Mine Warden’s office). The trench 
  that allows the tracks under the door is too tight a fit (less 
  than an inch clearance) to be useful for a PC (though a 
  familiar might have some luck). 
   
  Breaking down (but not picking or unlocking) these 
  doors has a 100% chance of summoning a ghoul pack 
  from encounters 23 or 21 (in that order). If those ghoul 
  packs have been triggered already, use a random ghoul 
  pack. 
   
  s Sturdy Stone Door: 8 in. thick; hardness 8; hp 
  100; AC 5; DC 30 Break. Open Lock DC 30. 
   
  THE SEWER ENTRANCE 
  The tunnel ends with an iron grate in the roof. 
  Water trickles down from above. Heat and 
  noise wash over you from the machinery and 
  molten metal in the room above. 
   
  An alternate way of entering the final combat is to sneak 
  in through the floor. The gate is just as rusty as the last 
  one, but there no chance of attracting attention due to all 
  the noise that is coming off the machinery. 
   
  s Rusty Iron Grate: 2 in. thick; hardness 8; hp 40; 
  AC 5; DC 20 Break. 
   
  THE GREAT SMELTING POT 
  Modify the following text for APLs 2 to reflect a single 
  dwarven mummy operating the machinery.  
   
  A giant pot tips and pours molten metal into 
  square molds, stone wheels squeeze molten 
  metal into billets and water from decanters on a 
  wall fills the room with steam as it quench 
  hardens the metal.  
   
  All the while dwarves wrapped in resin-
  soaked linen tend to the machinery and collect 
  the final product that joins the various types of 
  metal piles at the back of the room. 
   
  A rail track leads to an empty elevator 
  shaft. 
   
  The dwarves and their resin-soaked linen are actually 
  mummies. The resin is so that they don’t immediately 
  burst into flame when they get near something hot, but 
  other than that it does not have a game mechanic effect. 
   
  These undead dwarves take orders from the lich 
  down below and process the important ore that is sent up 
  to them. It’s placed in the smelter with all the other 
  ingredients (to get out impurities) and eventually 
  separated and either stored or sent down the elevator as 
  needed. 
   
  Treat the areas on the map marked as machinery as 
  difficult terrain. 
   
   
  THE COMBAT 
  Once the PCs have made themselves known, the 
  mummies drop what they are doing and converge on the 
  PCs. The mummies try to stay clear of the machinery and 
  fire dangers.  
   
  APL 2 (EL 5) 
   
  d Dwarven Mummy: hp 55; MM 190. 
   
  APL 4 (EL 7) 
   
  d Dwarven Mummy (2): hp 55 each; MM 190. 
   
  APL 6 (EL 9) 
   
  d Dwarven Mummy (2): hp 55 each; MM 190. 
   
  d Mummy Knight: male dwarven mummy 
  fighter 2; hp 90; Appendix 1. 
   
  APL 8 (EL 11) 
   
  d Dwarven Mummy (4): hp 55 each; MM 190. 
   
  d Mummy Knight: male dwarven mummy 
  fighter 4; hp 105; Appendix 1. 
   
  CHOICES 
  This section deals with the most important part of the 
  adventure; what to do with the thinaun? 
   
  In the back of the room there are several pallets of 
  ingots, more than the PCs could hope to carry (regardless 
  of strength). There is plenty of gold and silver, three 
  ingots of star metal, six ingots of adamantine, six ingots of 
  mithral and 12 ingots of tainted thinaun and six ingots of 
  thinaun stamped ‘purified’.  
   
  For those working for Rary, it is a simple process of 
  walking out with the ingots of thinaun.  
   
  For those working for Lady Karistyne, this place 
  must be put out of action for a while (long enough to 
  deny Rary easy access to the thinaun) and little or none of 
  the thinaun makes it out. 
   
  To accomplish this, the thinaun could be thrown 
  into the smelter and an amount of holy water that is less 
  or more than the number of ingots poured in. The 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 29 
  positive energy of the holy water mixes with the negative 
  energy of the tainted thinaun and there is a reaction. The 
  entire contents of the smelter turn to coke (a form of 
  coal) rendering it useless to Rary.  
   
  If the number of bottles of holy water equals exactly 
  the number of ingots, the thinaun is purified and can be 
  poured out into ingot molds to cool.  
   
  Another possibility is to throw the thinaun into the 
  smelter, then uncap all three decanters of endless water. 
  They start to pour down the shaft and the water level rises 
  high enough that it touches the bottom of the smelter 
  and the sudden contact cracks the metal case and dumps 
  its molten load into the cold water and there is an 
  explosion of steam destroying everything in the room 
  and denying Rary a supply of thinaun for some time to 
  come.  
   
  Allow other inventive solutions to this problem to 
  also succeed. 
   
  Treasure: Looting the room.  
   
  All APLs: Coin: 2,000 gp; Magic: decanter of endless 
  water (3) (750 gp each). 
   
  Each PC who takes an ingot of star metal, 
  adamantine, mithral and untainted thinaun gains enough 
  to have three items built (see the AR and treasure section 
  for more details). 
   
  Development: Once the PCs have what they’ve 
  come for, it’s either time to escape or to investigate 
  further parts of the mine.  
   
  CONCLUSION 
  There are three possible conclusions here dependant on 
  for whom the PC(s) worked. 
   
   
  RETURN TO ZARAK 
  Use this conclusion for all PCs and then proceed to either 
  “Return to Castle Karistyne” or “Return to Ul-Bakak.” 
   
  As 
  you stumble 
  into Zarak through the 
  beginnings of what promises to be a monster 
  storm a cheer goes up. The dwarves of Clan 
  Highforge start chanting your name and heap 
  praises on you except for one dwarf who yells 
  in an angry tone, “Thanks a lot, you just lost me 
  30 gold pieces!” 
   
  The 
  dwarven 
  headsman 
  greets 
  you 
  personally and asks for a full accounting of 
  your adventure. 
   
  If the PCs have brought back any of the following, they 
  earn the reward listed in the first paragraph of the “Favor 
  of Clan Highforge:” 
   
  The bodies of the Thane’s Children 
   
  Handout 5 
   
  Handout 6 
   
  The Charter 
   
  Additionally if they retrieved any mithral, adamantine, or 
  green starmetal they gain access to the relevant sections 
  of the “Favor of Clan Highforge” AR entry.  
   
  Finally, if the PCs had no other patron they gain 
  access to the following items:  
   
  Belt of dwarvenkind (Core; DMG) 
   
  Belt of giant strength +4 (Core; DMG) 
   
  RETURN TO CASTLE KARISTYNE 
  Use this conclusion if the PC worked for Karistyne. 
   
  As you approach the castle of Lady Karistyne 
  peasants 
  are 
  singing 
  and 
  drummers 
  are 
  drumming and her men at arms fire arrows 
  with colored streamers. After all the fan fare, 
  the paladin greets you herself. 
   
  “You have done better than I had hoped. By 
  denying Rary the thinaun he so desperately 
  craves, he cannot take easily take the next step 
  in his evil plans. Now we must be wary of him 
  collecting thinaun from the more remote 
  sources, one small nugget at a time.” 
   
  If the PCs have succeeded in their tasks they gain the 
  “Favor of Lady Karistyne” AR reward. PCs gaining 
  Karistyne’s favor cannot also receive Rary’s favor. 
   
  If they failed, Karistyne is very disappointed in them 
  and they do not receive her favor. 
   
  RETURN TO UL-BAKAK 
  Use this conclusion if the PC worked for Karistyne. 
   
  A squadron of Payim riders greets you as you 
  approach Ul-Bakak. They escort you to a tent 
  decorated with finery. Eliazir Razeem Azam’ut 
  of the Muddled Tongue, Rary’s chosen man, 
  eagerly holds out an open empty chest. 
   
  “Please place the thinaun in here. We have 
  much to celebrate. My master will be very 
  pleased. You have done a fine thing this day. 
  Soon all this sand shall be dripping with water 
  and shaded by lush greenery. It shall be a 
  paradise 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  Restorer 
  of 
  Righteousness would envy.” 
   
  If the PCs have succeeded in their tasks of bringing back 
  12 or more ingots of thinaun, they gain the “Favor of 
  Rary” AR reward. PCs gaining Rary’s favor cannot also 
  receive Karistyne’s favor. 
   
  If they failed, Eliazir is very disappointed in them 
  and they do not receive the Favor of Rary. 
   
   
  CAMPAIGN 
  CONSEQUENCES 
  This adventure has Campaign Consequences. That is the 
  results of the event will directly affect the long-term 
  future of the campaign. To this end, please send the 
  answers 
  to 
  the 
  questions 
  below 
  to 
  creighton@greyworks.co.uk. Only you can keep the 
  campaign dynamic! 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 30 
   
  1. 
  Who did the different PCs serve? 
  2. 
  Which patron got their mission accomplished? 
  3. 
  Was tainted thinaun delivered to Rary’s agents 
  or was it all pure? 
  4. 
  Were the bodies of the Thane’s children 
  recovered? 
  5. 
  If at all, how was the source of thinaun shut off? 
  6. 
  Did any of the PCs do anything unusual or 
  memorable? 
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 31 
  EXPERIENCE POINT 
  SUMMARY 
  To award experience for this adventure, add up the values 
  for the objectives accomplished. Then assign the 
  experience award. Award the total value (objectives plus 
  roleplaying) to each character. 
   
  Special Note: There are more encounters in this 
  adventure than there would be in a normal adventure. No 
  matter how many encounters are defeated however the 
  PCs may not gain more XP than those totals listed under 
  “Total Possible Experience.” 
   
  Multiple Encounters: Noise Danger 
  APL 2  
  60 XP  
  APL 4  
  120 XP  
  APL 6  
  180 XP  
  APL 8  
  240 XP 
   
  Encounter 2: The Great Hall 
  APL 2  
  60 XP  
  APL 4  
  120 XP  
  APL 6  
  180 XP  
  APL 8  
  240 XP 
   
  Encounter 11: The Miner’s Barracks 
  APL 2  
  120 XP  
  APL 4  
  180 XP  
  APL 6  
  240 XP  
  APL 8 
  300 XP 
   
  Encounter 15: The Round About 
  APL 2  
  60 XP  
  APL 4  
  120 XP  
  APL 6  
  180 XP  
  APL 8  
  240 XP 
   
  Encounter 7: Side Tracked (Adventurers) 
  APL 2  
  60 XP  
  APL 4  
  120 XP  
  APL 6  
  180 XP  
  APL 8  
  240 XP 
   
  Encounter 7: Side Tracked (Ghoul Pack) 
  APL 2  
  120 XP  
  APL 4  
  180 XP  
  APL 6  
  240 XP  
  APL 8  
  300 XP 
   
  Encounter 
  18: 
  Pretty 
  Crystals 
  of 
  Distraction 
  APL 2  
  120 XP  
  APL 4  
  180 XP  
  APL 6  
  240 XP  
  APL 8  
  300 XP 
   
  Encounter 19: The Tunnel of Hate 
  APL 2  
  60 XP  
  APL 4  
  120 XP  
  APL 6  
  180 XP  
  APL 8  
  240 XP 
   
  Encounter 20: The Roadblock 
  APL 2  
  120 XP  
  APL 4  
  180 XP  
  APL 6  
  240 XP  
  APL 8 
  300 XP 
   
  Encounter 21: An Aside 
  APL 2  
  120 XP  
  APL 4  
  180 XP  
  APL 6  
  240 XP  
  APL 8 
  300 XP 
   
  Encounter 22: The Sorting Elemental 
  APL 2  
  90 XP  
  APL 4  
  150 XP  
  APL 6  
  210 XP  
  APL 8 
  270 XP 
   
  Encounter 
  23: 
  More 
  Adventurers 
  (Adventurers) 
  APL 2  
  60 XP  
  APL 4  
  120 XP  
  APL 6  
  180 XP  
  APL 8  
  240 XP 
   
  Encounter 23: More Adventurers (ghoul 
  pack) 
  APL 2  
  120 XP  
  APL 4  
  180 XP  
  APL 6  
  240 XP  
  APL 8 
  300 XP 
   
  Encounter 25: Alternate Adventurers in the 
  Sewers (adventurers) 
  APL 2  
  120 XP  
  APL 4  
  180 XP  
  APL 6  
  240 XP  
  APL 8  
  300 XP 
   
  Encounter 26: The Bottom Feeders 
  APL 2  
  60 XP  
  APL 4  
  120 XP  
  APL 6  
  180 XP  
  APL 8 
  240 XP 
   
  Encounter 27: The Gauntlet 
  APL 2  
  60 XP  
  APL 4  
  120 XP  
  APL 6  
  180 XP  
  APL 8 
  240 XP 
   
  Encounter 28: The Refinery 
  APL 2  
  150 XP  
  APL 4  
  210 XP  
  APL 6  
  270 XP  
  APL 8  
  330 XP 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 32 
   
  Discretionary Roleplaying Award 
  APL2  
  180 XP  
  APL4  
  270 XP  
  APL6  
  360 XP  
  APL8  
  450 XP 
   
  Story Award: Primary Mission Success 
  APL2  
  180 XP  
  APL4  
  270 XP  
  APL6  
  360 XP  
  APL8  
  450 XP 
   
  Total Possible Experience 
   
  APL2  
  900 XP  
  APL4  
  1,350 XP  
  APL6  
  1,800 XP  
  APL8  
  2,250 XP 
   
  TREASURE SUMMARY 
  During an adventure, characters encounter treasure, 
  usually finding it in the possession of their foes. Every 
  encounter that features treasure has a “treasure” section 
  within the encounter description, giving information 
  about the loot, coins, and magic items that make up the 
  encounter’s treasure. 
   
  The loot total is the number of gold pieces each 
  character gains if the foes are plundered of all their 
  earthly possessions. Looting the bodies takes at least 10 
  minutes per every 5 enemies, and if the characters cannot 
  take the time to loot the bodies, they do not gain this 
  gold. If you feel it is reasonable that characters can go 
  back to loot the bodies, and those bodies are there (i.e., 
  not carted off by dungeon scavengers, removed from the 
  scene by the local watch, and so on), characters may 
  return to retrieve loot. If the characters do not loot the 
  body, the gold piece value for the loot is subtracted from 
  the encounter totals given below. 
   
  The coin total is the number of gold pieces each 
  character gains if they take the coin available. A normal 
  adventuring party can usually gather this wealth in a 
  round or so. If for some reason, they pass up this treasure, 
  the coin total is subtracted from the encounter totals 
  given below. 
   
  Next, the magic items are listed. Magic item treasure 
  is the hardest to adjudicate, because they are varied and 
  because characters may want to use them during the 
  adventure. Many times characters must cast identify, 
  analyze dweomer or similar spell to determine what the 
  item does and how to activate it. Other times they may 
  attempt to use the item blindly. If the magic item is 
  consumable (a potion, scroll, magic bolts, etc.) and the 
  item is used before the end of the adventure, its total is 
  subtracted from the adventure totals below. 
   
  Once you have subtracted the value for unclaimed 
  treasure from each encounter add it up and that is the 
  number of gold pieces a characters total and coin value 
  increase at the end of the adventure. Write the total in 
  the GP Gained field of the adventure certificate.  
   
  Loot = Looted gear from enemy; Coin = Coin, Gems, 
  Jewelry, and other valuables; Magic = Magic Items.  
   
  Encounter 1 
  APL 2: Coin: 50 gp  
   
  APL 4: Coin: 150 gp  
   
  APL 6: Coin: 200 gp  
   
  APL 8: Coin: 250 gp  
   
  Encounter 2 
  APL 2: Loot: 2 gp. 
   
  APL 4: Loot: 8 gp. 
   
  APL 6: Loot: 20 gp. 
   
  APL 8: Loot: 40 gp. 
   
  Encounter 3 
  All APLs: Magic: adamantine warhammer (251 gp). 
   
  Encounter 6 
  All APLs: Coin: 100 gp. 
   
  Encounter 7 (The Vault) 
  APL 2: Coin: 200 gp; Magic: brooch of shielding (125 
  gp). 
   
  APL 4: Coin: 300 gp; Magic: brooch of shielding 
  (125 gp), periapt of health (616 gp). 
   
  APL 6: Coin: 400 gp; Magic: brooch of shielding 
  (125 gp), periapt of health (616 gp), gem of brightness 
  (1,083 gp). 
   
  APL 8: Coin: 500 gp; Magic: brooch of shielding 
  (125 gp), periapt of health (616 gp), gem of brightness 
  (1,083 gp), stone of good luck (1,666 gp). 
   
  Encounter 8 
  APL 2: Magic: elemental gem (any) (188 gp). 
   
  APL 4: Magic: elemental gem (any) (2) (188 gp 
  each). 
   
  APL 6: Magic: elemental gem (any) (3) (188 gp 
  each). 
   
  APL 8: Magic: elemental gem (any) (4) (188 gp 
  each). 
   
  Encounter 9 
  All APL 2: Loot: 60 gp. 
   
  Encounter 17 and 23 
  APL 2: Loot: 120 gp; Coin: 40 gp. 
   
  APL 4: Loot: 84 gp; Coin: 40 gp; Magic: +1 rapier 
  (193 gp), ring of protection +1 (166 gp). 
   
  APL 6: Loot: 80 gp; Coin: 40 gp; Magic: +1 
  breastplate (112 gp), +1 greataxe (193 gp), cloak of 
  resistance +1 (83 gp), ring of protection +1 (166 gp). 
   
  APL 8: Loot: 90 gp; Coin: 40 gp; Magic: ring of 
  protection +1 (166 gp), cloak of resistance +1 (83 gp), +1 
  chain shirt (104 gp), +1 rapier (193 gp), +1 full-plate (220 
  gp), ring of protection +1 (166 gp), +1 morningstar (192 
  gp), lesser metamagic rod of silent spell (250 gp). 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 33 
   
  Encounter 18 
  APL 2: Magic: eyes of the eagle (208 gp). 
   
  APL 4: Magic: eyes of the eagle (208 gp), lion’s 
  shield (764 gp). 
   
  APL 6: Magic: eyes of the eagle (208 gp), lion’s 
  shield (764 gp), figurine of wondrous power (ivory goat) 
  (1,750 gp). 
   
  APL 8: Magic: eyes of the eagle (208 gp), lion’s 
  shield (764 gp), figurine of wondrous power (ivory goat) 
  (1,750 gp), ring of protection +4 (2,667 gp), ring of 
  sustenance (208 gp). 
   
  Encounter 19 
  APL 2: Coin: 400 gp; Magic: ioun stone (clear) (333 gp). 
   
  APL 4: Coin: 400 gp; Magic: ioun stone (clear) (333 
  gp), ioun stone (dusty rose) (416 gp). 
   
  APL 6: Coin: 400 gp; Magic: ioun stone (clear) (333 
  gp), ioun stone (dusty rose) (416 gp), ioun stone (pale 
  blue) (666 gp). 
   
  APL 8: Coin: 400 gp; Magic: ioun stone (clear) (333 
  gp), ioun stone (dusty rose) (416 gp), ioun stone (pale 
  blue) (666 gp), ioun stone (orange) (2,500 gp). 
   
  Encounter 20 
  APL 2: Loot: 30 gp; Magic: potion cure light wounds (3) 
  (4 gp each). 
   
  APL 4: Loot: 30 gp; Magic: potion cure light wounds 
  (3) (4 gp each), potion of remove paralysis (25 gp). 
   
  APL 6: Loot: 30 gp; Magic: potion cure light wounds 
  (3) (4 gp each), potion of remove paralysis (25 gp), oil of 
  daylight (62 gp). 
   
  APL 8: Loot: 30 gp; Magic: potion cure light wounds 
  (3) (4 gp each), potion of remove paralysis (25 gp), oil of 
  daylight (62 gp), potion of good hope (87 gp).  
   
  Encounter 21 
  APL 2: Coin 280 gp. 
   
  APL 4: Coin 974 gp. 
   
  APL 6: Coin 1,666 gp. 
   
  APL 8: Coin 3,292 gp. 
   
  Encounter 28 
   
  All APLs: Coin: 2,000 gp; Magic: decanter of endless 
  water (3) (750 gp each). 
   
  Total Treasure Possible 
  The DM should note that a few of the treasure hauls 
  which form part of this tally may never actually be found 
  by the characters in the course of the adventure. The DM 
  should be cautious when considering “over the cap” gold 
  allowances. 
  APL 2: 900 gp 
   
  APL 4: 1,300 gp 
   
  APL 6: 1,800 gp 
   
  APL 8: 2,600 gp 
   
  ITEMS FOR THE 
  ADVENTURE RECORD 
  APL 2 
   
  Adamantine warhammer (Adventure; 3,012 gp; 
  DMG). 
   
  Brooch of shielding (Core; DMG) 
   
  Elemental gem (any) (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  Eyes of the eagle (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  Ioun stone (clear) (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  Decanter of endless water (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  Belt of dwarvenkind (Core; DMG) 
   
  Belt of giant strength +4 (Core; DMG) 
   
  APL 4 (all of APL 2 plus the following): 
   
  Periapt of health (Core; DMG) 
   
  Figurine of wondrous power (ivory goat) 
  (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  Ioun stone (dusty rose) (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  APL 6 (all of APLs 2-4 plus the following): 
   
  Gem of brightness (Core; DMG) 
   
  Ioun stone (pale blue) (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  Oil of daylight (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  APL 8 (all of APLs 2-6 plus the following): 
   
  Stone of good luck (Core; DMG) 
   
  lesser metamagic rod of silence (Adventure; 
  DMG) 
   
  ring of protection +4 (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  ring of sustenance (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  Ioun stone (orange) (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  Potion of good hope (Adventure; DMG) 
   
  Special AR Items 
  w Favor of Clan Highforge: In exchange for your 
  unwavering loyalty, the dwarves grant you Core access to 
  one armor or weapon upgrade of your choice from tables 
  7—5, 7—6, 7—14 or 7—15 in the DMG. Additionally 
  they make the following special materials available to 
  you: adamantine, mithral and starmetal. You may forge up 
  to three items—weapon, shield, or armor— to which you 
  have access from the materials below. Alternately, you 
  can use the starmetal ingot three times to satisfy the 
  starmetal dependency feature of the Green Star Adept 
  prestige class (CA 41). (Such use counts as creating one 
  item for each starmetal dependency satisfied). 
  Mithral Ingot:  
  Adamantine Ingot:  
  Green Starmetal Ingot:  
  Standard LIVING GREYHAWK rules apply and you must 
  pay all normal costs for all the above rewards. 
   
  w Favor of Rary: You have satisfied the needs of Rary 
  and furthered his cause. In gratitude, Rary grants you 
  Core access to any one minor or medium wondrous item 
  from table 7—29 in the DMG. You must indicate the 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 34 
  item you desire (but not necessarily buy it) within 1 year 
  of the date on this AR. You must pay all normal cost and 
  all usual LIVING GREYHAWK restrictions apply. 
  Core Access: _____________________________ 
   
  Favor of Lady Karistyne: You have thwarted evil and 
  obeyed the lady paladin’s orders. In exchange, she grants 
  you Core access to the following items: manual of gainful 
  exercise +1, manual of quickness of action +1, manual of 
  bodily health +1, tome of clear thought +1; tome of 
  leadership and influence +1, tome of understanding +1. 
  You may only buy two of these. 
   
  Friendly Contact with an Elemental: You have 
  made friendly contact with an earth elemental from the 
  plane of earth. 
   
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 35 
   
   
  APPENDIX 1: APL 2 
  ENCOUNTER 17, 23 AND 25:  
   
  d Feng: male half-orc barbarian 1; CR 1; Medium 
  humanoid (orc); HD 1d12+2; hp 14; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; 
  AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +1; Grp +6; 
  Atk +7 melee (1d12+7, greataxe) or +3 ranged (1d8, 
  composite longbow); Full Atk +7 melee (1d12+7, 
  greataxe) or +3 ranged (1d8, composite longbow); SA 
  rage 1/day; SQ fast movement, illiteracy,; AL CN; SV 
  Fort +4, Ref +2, Will -1; Str 20, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 6, 
  Wis 8, Cha 6. 
  Skills and Feats: Listen +3, Tumble -1; Weapon 
  Focus (greataxe). 
  Rage (Ex): 1/day; 7 round duration— hp 16; AC 
  15, touch 10, flat-footed 13; Grp +8; Atk +9 melee 
  (1d12+9, greataxe); Full Atk +9 melee (1d12+9, greataxe; 
  Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +1; Str 24, Con 18. 
  Possessions: 
  chainmail, 
  greataxe, 
  composite 
  longbow with 20 arrows. 
   
  d Xargun: male halfling rogue 1; CR 1; Small 
  humanoid (halfling); HD 1d6+2; hp 8; Init +8; Spd 20 
  ft.; AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +0; Grp -3; 
  Atk +3 melee (1d4+1, masterwork rapier) or +6 ranged 
  (1d4, masterwork shortbow); Full Atk +3 melee (1d4+1, 
  masterwork rapier) or +6 ranged (1d4, masterwork 
  shortbow);SA sneak attack 1d6; SQ trapfinding; AL CN; 
  SV Fort +3, Ref +7, Will 0; Str 13, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 8, 
  Wis 8, Cha 9. 
  Skills and Feats:  Balance +8, Bluff +3, Escape 
  Artist +8, Hide +12, Listen +5, Spot +3, Tumble +8; 
  Improved Initiative. 
  Possessions: 
  masterwork 
  studded 
  leather, 
  masterwork rapier, masterwork shortbow. 
   
  d Rhyeh: male human cleric 1 (Kurell); CR 1; 
  Medium humanoid (human); HD 1d8+2; hp 10; Init +0; 
  Spd 20 ft.; AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 18; Base Atk +0; 
  Grp +3; Atk +4 melee (1d8+3, masterwork morningstar) 
   or +0 ranged (1d8, light crossbow); Full Atk +4 melee 
  (1d8+3, masterwork morningstar) or +0 ranged (1d8, 
  light crossbow); SQ spontaneous casting, turn undead 
  2/day; AL CN; SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +5; Str 16, Dex 
  10, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 8. 
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +9, Spellcraft +3; 
  Power Attack, Skill Focus (Concentration). 
  Spells Prepared (3/2+1); base DC = 13 + spell level); 
  0–guidance (3); 1st–bless, doom, *entropic shield. 
  *Domain Spell. Domains: Luck (1/day reroll), 
  Trickery. 
  Possessions: splint mail, heavy steel shield, 
  masterwork morningstar, light crossbow. 
   
  d Enallan: male elf wizard 1; CR 1; Medium 
  humanoid (elf); HD 1d4+1; hp 5; Init +7; Spd 30 ft.; AC 
  13, touch 13, flat-footed 10; Base Atk +0; Grp -2; Atk -2 
  melee (1d4-2, dagger)  or +3 ranged (1d8-2, longbow); 
  Full Atk -2 melee (1d4-2, dagger) or +3 ranged (1d8-2, 
  longbow); SQ spells; AL CN; SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will 
  +1; Str 6, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 8. 
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +5, Decipher 
  Script +9, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Knowledge (religion) 
  +9, Listen +1, Spellcraft +9, Spot +1; Improved 
  Initiative , Scribe Scroll. 
  Languages: Common, Draconic, Elven, Gnoll, 
  Goblin, Orc, Sylvan. 
  Spells Prepared (3/2: base DC = 15 + spell level): 0–
  acid splash, daze, resistance; 1st–grease, magic missile, 
  sleep. 
   
  Possessions: dagger, longbow with 20 arrows. 
   
   
  ENCOUNTER 15: THE ROUND 
  ABOUT  
  d Ore Cart: Animated Object; CR 2; Medium 
  construct; HD 2d10+20; hp 31; Init +0; Spd 70 ft. 
  (wheels); AC 14 (+4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14; 
  Base Atk +1; Grp +2; Atk: +2 melee (1d6+1, slam); Full 
  Atk: +2 melee (1d6+1, slam); SQ construct traits, 
  darkvision 60 ft., hardness 5, low-light vision; AL N; SV 
  Fort +0, Ref +0, Will -5; Str 12, Dex 10, Con --, Int --, 
  Wis 1, Cha 1. 
  Skills and Feats: none 
   
  Rail Tracks (Ex): This creature has its full speed 
  of 70 ft. only when moving along rail tracks. When it 
  needs to move off the rails, its speed is reduced to 10 ft.  
   
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 36 
  APL 4 
  ENCOUNTER 17, 23 AND 25:  
   
  d Feng: male half-orc barbarian 2; CR 2; Medium 
  humanoid (orc); HD 2d12+4; hp 23; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; 
  AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 17; Base Atk +2; Grp +7; 
  Atk +9 melee (1d12+7, masterwork greataxe) or +5 
  ranged (1d8, masterwork composite longbow); Full Atk 
  +9 melee (1d12+7, masterwork greataxe) or +5 ranged 
  (1d8, masterwork composite longbow); SA rage 1/day; 
  SQ Fast Movement, illiteracy, uncanny dodge; AL CN; 
  SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will -1; Str 20, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 6, 
  Wis 8, Cha 6. 
  Skills and Feats: Listen +4, Tumble +1; Weapon 
  Focus (greataxe).  
  Rage (Ex): 1/day; 7 round duration – hp 27; AC 
  15, touch 10, flat-footed 13; Grp +9; Atk +11 melee 
  (1d12+9, greataxe); Full Atk +11 melee (1d12+9, 
  greataxe); Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +1; Str 24, Con 18. 
  Possessions: masterwork breastplate, masterwork 
  greataxe, masterwork composite longbow with 20 
  arrows. 
   
   
  d Xargun: male halfling rogue 2; CR 2; Small 
  humanoid (halfling); HD 2d6+4; hp 14; Init +8; Spd 20 
  ft.; AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +1; Grp -2; 
  Atk +4 melee (1d4+2, +1 rapier) or +7 ranged (1d4, 
  masterwork shortbow); Full Atk +4 melee (1d4+2, +1 
  rapier) or +7 ranged (1d4, masterwork shortbow); SA 
  sneak attack 1d6; SQ evasion, trapfinding; AL CN; SV 
  Fort +3, Ref +8, Will 0; Str 13, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 8, 
  Wis 8, Cha 9. 
  Skills and Feats: Balance +11, Bluff +4, Escape 
  Artist +9, Hide +13, Listen +6, Spot +4, Tumble +9; 
  Improved Initiative.  
  Possessions: masterwork studded leather, +1 
  rapier, masterwork shortbow with 20 arrows. 
   
  d Rhyeh: male human cleric 2 (Kurell); CR 2; 
  Medium humanoid (human); HD 2d8+4; hp 17; Init +0; 
  Spd 20 ft.; AC 19, touch 10, flat-footed 19; Base Atk +1; 
  Grp +4; Atk +5 melee (1d8+3, masterwork morningstar) 
  or +1 ranged (1d8, light crossbow); Full Atk +5 melee 
  (1d8+3, masterwork morningstar) or +1 ranged (1d8, 
  light crossbow); SQ spontaneous casting, turn undead 
  2/day; AL CN; SV Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +6; Str 16, Dex 
  10, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 8. 
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +10, Spellcraft +4; 
  Power Attack, Skill Focus (concentration).  
  Spells Prepared (4/3+1); base DC = 13 + spell level); 
  0–guidance (3), resistance; 1st–bless, cause fear, doom, 
  *entropic shield. 
  *Domain Spell. Domains: Luck (1/day reroll), 
  Trickery. 
  Possessions: 
  half-plate, 
  heavy 
  steel 
  shield, 
  masterwork morningstar, light crossbow with 20 bolts. 
   
  d Enallan: male elf wizard 2; CR 2; Medium 
  humanoid (elf); HD 2d4+2; hp 9; Init +7; Spd 30 ft.; AC 
  14, touch 14, flat-footed 11; Base Atk +1; Grp -1; Atk -1 
  melee (1d4-2, dagger)  or +5 ranged (1d8-2, masterwork 
  longbow); Full Atk -1 melee (1d4-2, dagger) or +5 
  ranged (1d8-2, masterwork longbow; SQ spells; AL CN; 
  SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +2; Str 6, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 
  20, Wis 8, Cha 8. 
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +6, Decipher 
  Script +10, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge 
  (religion) +10, Listen +1, Spellcraft +12, Spot +1; 
  Improved Initiative, Scribe Scroll. 
  Languages: Common, Draconic, Elven, Gnoll, 
  Goblin, Orc, Sylvan. 
  Spells Prepared (4/4: base DC = 15 + spell level): 0–
  acid splash, daze (2), resistance; 1st–color spray, grease, 
  magic missile, sleep. 
  Possessions: dagger, masterwork longbow with 20 
  arrows, ring of protection +1. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 15: THE ROUND 
  ABOUT  
  d Ore Cart: Animated Object; CR 2; Medium 
  construct; HD 2d10+20; hp 31; Init +0; Spd 70 ft. 
  (wheels); AC 14 (+4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14; 
  Base Atk +1; Grp +2; Atk: +2 melee (1d6+1, slam); Full 
  Atk: +2 melee (1d6+1, slam); SQ construct traits, 
  darkvision 60 ft., hardness 5, low-light vision; AL N; SV 
  Fort +0, Ref +0, Will -5; Str 12, Dex 10, Con --, Int --, 
  Wis 1, Cha 1. 
  Skills and Feats: none 
   
  Rail Tracks (Ex): This creature has its full speed 
  of 70 ft. only when moving along rail tracks. When it 
  needs to move off the rails, its speed is reduced to 10 ft. 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 37 
  APL 6 
   
  ENCOUNTER 17, 23 AND 25:  
   
  d Feng: male half-orc barbarian 4; CR 4; Medium 
  humanoid (orc); HD 4d12+8; hp 41; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; 
  AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 18; Base Atk +4; Grp +9; 
  Atk +11 melee (1d12+8, +1 greataxe) or +7 ranged (1d8, 
  masterwork composite longbow); Full Atk +11 melee 
  (1d12+8, +1 greataxe) or +7 ranged (1d8, masterwork 
  composite longbow); SA rage 2/day; SQ fast 
  movement, illiteracy, trap sense, uncanny dodge; AL 
  CN; SV Fort +6, Ref +3, Will 0; Str 21, Dex 14, Con 14, 
  Int 6, Wis 8, Cha 6. 
  Skills and Feats: Listen +6, Tumble +2; Power 
  Attack, Weapon Focus (greataxe). 
  Rage (Ex): 2/day; 7 round duration – hp 49; AC 
  16, touch 10, flat-footed 16; Grp +11; Atk +13 melee 
  (1d12+10, +1 greataxe); Full Atk +13 melee (1d12+10, 
  +1 greataxe); Fort +8, Ref +3, Will +2; Str 25, Con 18. 
  Possessions: 
  +1 
  breastplate, 
  +1 
  greataxe, 
  masterwork composite longbow with 20 arrows. 
   
  d Xargun: male halfling rogue 4; CR 4; Small 
  humanoid (halfling); HD 4d6+8; hp 26; Init +9; Spd 20 
  ft.; AC 19, touch 16, flat-footed 19; Base Atk +3; Grp 0; 
  Atk +10 melee (1d4+2, +1 rapier) or +10 ranged (1d4, 
  masterwork shortbow); Full Atk +10 melee (1d4+2, +1 
  rapier)  or +10 ranged (1d4, masterwork shortbow); SA 
  sneak attack 2d6; SQ evasion, trap sense, trapfinding, 
  uncanny dodge; AL CN; SV Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +1; 
  Str 12, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 9. 
  Skills and Feats: Balance +14, Bluff +6, Escape 
  Artist +12, Hide +16, Listen +8, Spot +6, Tumble +12; 
  Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse. 
  Possessions: masterwork studded leather, +1 
  rapier, masterwork shortbow with 20 arrows. 
   
  d Rhyeh: male human cleric 4 (Kurell); CR 4; 
  Medium humanoid (human); HD 4d8+8; hp 31; Init +0; 
  Spd 20 ft.; AC 21, touch 11, flat-footed 21; Base Atk +3; 
  Grp +6; Atk +8 melee (1d8+3, masterwork morningstar) 
  or +3 ranged (1d8, light crossbow); Full Atk +8 melee 
  (1d8+3, masterwork morningstar) or +3 ranged (1d8, 
  light crossbow); SQ spontaneous casting, turn undead 
  2/day; AL CN; SV Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +7; Str 16, Dex 
  10, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 17, Cha 8. 
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +12, Spellcraft +6; 
  Power Attack, Skill Focus (Concentration), Weapon 
  Focus (morningstar).  
  Spells Prepared (5/4+1/3+1); base DC = 13 + spell 
  level); 0–guidance (3), resistance (2); 1st–bless, cause 
  fear, doom, *entropic shield, magic weapon; 2nd– 
  deific vengeance (2), invisibility*, silence. 
  *Domain Spell. Domains: Luck (1/day reroll), 
  Trickery. 
  Possessions: 
  full-plate, 
  heavy 
  steel 
  shield, 
  masterwork morningstar, light crossbow with 20 bolts, 
  ring of protection +1, 
   
  d Enallan: male elf wizard 4; CR 4; Medium 
  humanoid (elf); HD 4d4+7; hp 20; Init +7; Spd 30 ft.; 
  AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 11; Base Atk +2; Grp +0; 
  Atk +0 melee (1d4-2, dagger)  or +6 ranged (1d8-2, 
  masterwork longbow); Full Atk +0 melee (1d4-2, 
  dagger)  or +6 ranged (1d8-2, masterwork longbow); SQ 
  spells; AL CN; SV Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +4; Str 7, Dex 
  16, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 8. 
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +8, Decipher 
  Script +12, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Knowledge 
  (religion) +12, Listen +2, Spellcraft +14, Spot +3; 
  Improved Initiative, Scribe Scroll, Toughness.  
  Languages: Common, Draconic, Elven, Gnoll, 
  Goblin, Orc, Sylvan. 
  Spells Prepared (4/5/3: base DC = 15 + spell level): 
  0–acid splash, daze (2), resistance; 1st–cause fear, color 
  spray, grease, magic missile, sleep; 2nd–glitterdust, 
  Tashia’s hideous laughter, web. 
  Possessions: dagger, masterwork longbow with 20 
  arrows, ring of protection +1, cloak of resistance +1. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 15: THE ROUND 
  ABOUT  
  d Ore Cart: Animated Object; CR 2; Medium 
  construct; HD 2d10+20; hp 31; Init +0; Spd 70 ft. 
  (wheels); AC 14 (+4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14; 
  Base Atk +1; Grp +2; Atk: +2 melee (1d6+1, slam); Full 
  Atk: +2 melee (1d6+1, slam); SQ construct traits, 
  darkvision 60 ft., hardness 5, low-light vision; AL N; SV 
  Fort +0, Ref +0, Will -5; Str 12, Dex 10, Con --, Int --, 
  Wis 1, Cha 1. 
  Skills and Feats: none 
   
  Rail Tracks (Ex): This creature has its full speed 
  of 70 ft. only when moving along rail tracks. When it 
  needs to move off the rails, its speed is reduced to 10 ft. 
   
  ENCOUNTER: VARIOUS 
  d Ghoul Mob; CR 8; Gargantuan undead (mob of 
  Medium undead); HD 30d8; hp 180; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; 
  AC 10, touch 8, flat-footed 8; Base Atk +15, Grp +28, 
  Atk mob (5d6 plus ghoul fever and paralysis); Full Atk 
  mob (5d6 plus ghoul fever and paralysis); Space/Reach 
  20 ft./0 ft.; SA expert grappler, ghoul fever, paralysis, 
  trample; SQ darkvision 60 ft., mob anatomy, undead 
  traits, +2 turn resistance; AL CE; SV Fort +9, Ref +11, 
  Will +17; Str 13, Dex 15, Con --, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10. 
  Skills and Feats: Balance +6, Climb +5, Hide +6, 
  Jump +5, Move Silently +6, Spot +5, Improved Bull 
  Rush, Improved Overrun, Multiattack.  
  Expert Grappler (Ex): A mob can maintain a 
  grapple without penalty and still make attacks against 
  other targets (normally, attacking other targets while 
  grappling imposes a -20 penalty on grapple checks). A 
  mob is never considered flat-footed while grappling. 
  Ghoul Fever (Su): Disease, Fortitude DC 25, 
  incubation period 1 day, damage 1d3 Con and 1d3 Dex. 
  The save DC is Charisma-based. An afflicted humanoid 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
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  who dies of ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next 
  midnight. A humanoid who becomes a ghoul in this 
  way retains none of the abilities it possessed in life. It is 
  not under the control of any other ghouls, but it 
  hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like a 
  normal ghoul in all respects. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice 
  or more rises as a ghast, not a ghoul. 
  Mob Anatomy (Ex): A mob has no clear front 
  or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject 
  to critical hits or sneak attacks. A mob cannot be 
  flanked, tripped, grappled, or bull rushed. Unlike 
  standard swarms, mobs are made up of relatively small 
  numbers of individual creatures, so spells or effects 
  that target specific numbers of creatures can have an 
  effect on a mob. Each specific creature that is slain, 
  disabled, or otherwise incapacitated by spells or effects 
  that target specific creatures bestows two negative 
  levels on the mob. A mob that gains negative levels 
  equal to its Hit Dice breaks up as if reduced to 0 hit 
  points. Negative levels gained in this manner are not 
  the result of negative energy (and thus cannot be 
  blocked by death ward or removed by restoration), but 
  never result in permanent level loss. A mob takes half 
  again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that 
  affect an area, such as splash weapons and evocation 
  spells. Although mobs are treated as one creature, it 
  sometimes becomes necessary to determine the fate of 
  a specific individual caught up in the mob. If a mob is 
  dispersed by nonlethal attacks, there are no casualties. 
  If the mob is dispersed by lethal attacks, assume that 
  30% of its number are slain and 30% are reduced to 0 hit 
  points. To determine a specific individual’s fate, simply 
  roll d%: a result of 01-30 indicates death, 31-60 indicates 
  the victim is reduced to 0 hit points, and a roll of 61-100 
  indicates the victim escapes relatively unscathed. 
  Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a ghoul must 
  succeed on a DC 25 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 
  1d4+1 rounds. Elves have immunity to this paralysis. 
  The save DC is Charisma based. 
  Trample (Ex): A mob that simply moves over a 
  creature and doesn’t end its movement with that 
  creature in one of its occupied squares can trample the 
  creature. A trampled creature takes 2d6+1 points of 
  damage. The victim can either make an attack of 
  opportunity against the mob or make a Reflex save (DC 
  26) to take half damage. 
   
  Turning Weakness: For the sake of turning, 
  treat this as a collection of base HD ghouls. For each 
  individual ghoul turned, apply –2 negative levels to 
  this mob. A mob that reaches negative levels equal to 
  its HD breaks up. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 28: THE RUMBLE IN 
  THE REFINERY 
  d Mummy Knight: dwarf mummy fighter 2; CR 7; 
  Medium undead; HD 8d12+3 plus 2d10; hp 90; Init +0; 
  Spd 20 ft.; AC 24, touch 10, flat-footed 24; Base Atk +6; 
  Grp +13; Atk +14 melee (1d6+10 plus mummy rot, 
  slam); Full Atk +14/+9 melee (1d6+10 plus mummy rot, 
  slam); SA despair, mummy rot; SQ damage reduction 
  5/-, darkvision 60 ft., undead traits, vulnerability to fire; 
  AL LE; SV Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +8; Str 24, Dex 10, Con -
  -, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 15. 
  Skills and Feats: Climb +7, Hide +5, Listen +8, 
  Move Silently +5, Spot +8, Alertness, Cleave, Great 
  Fortitude, Power Attack, Toughness, Weapon Focus 
  (slam). 
  Despair (Su): At the mere sight of a mummy, 
  the viewer must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or be 
  paralyzed with fear for 1d4 rounds. Whether or not the 
  save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again 
  by the same mummy’s despair ability for 24 hours. The 
  save DC is Charisma based. 
  Mummy Rot (Su): Supernatural disease – slam, 
  Fortitude DC 16, incubation period 1 minute; damage 
  1d6 Con and 1d6 Cha. The save DC is Charisma based. 
  Unlike normal diseases, mummy rot continues until 
  the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or is cured. 
  Mummy rot is a powerful curse, not a natural disease. A 
  character attempting to cast any conjuration (healing) 
  spell on a creature afflicted with mummy rot must 
  succeed on a DC 20 caster level check, or the spell has 
  no effect on the afflicted character. To eliminate 
  mummy rot, the curse must first be broken with break 
  enchantment or remove curse (requiring a DC 20 
  caster level check for either spell), after which a caster 
  level check is no longer necessary to cast healing spells 
  on the victim, and the mummy rot can be magically 
  cured as any normal disease. An afflicted creature who 
  dies of mummy rot shrivels away into sand and dust 
  that blow away into nothing at the first wind. 
  Possessions: chain shirt. 
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
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  APL 8 
   
  ENCOUNTER 17, 23 AND 25:  
   
  d Feng: male half-orc barbarian 6; CR 6; Medium 
  humanoid (orc); HD 6d12+12; hp 59; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; 
  AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 18; Base Atk +6/+1; Grp 
  +11; Atk +13 melee (1d12+8, +1 greataxe) or +9 ranged 
  (1d8+4, masterwork composite longbow (+4 Str)); Full 
  Atk +13/+8 melee (1d12+8, +1 greataxe) or +9/+4 
  ranged (1d8+4, masterwork composite longbow (+4 
  Str)); SA --; SQ Fast Movement, illiteracy, rage 2/day, 
  trap sense, uncanny dodge, improved uncanny dodge; 
  AL CN; SV Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +2; Str 21, Dex 14, Con 
  14, Int 6, Wis 8, Cha 6. 
  Skills and Feats: Listen +8, Survival +0, Tumble +3; 
  Power Attack, Weapon Focus (greataxe), Reckless Rage  
  Rage (Ex): 2/day; 8 rounds duration – hp 77; AC 
  14, touch 8, flat-footed 14; Grp +14; Atk +16 melee 
  (1d12+11, +1 greataxe); Full Atk +16 melee (1d12+11, 
  +1 greataxe); Fort +11, Ref +5, Will +4; Str 27, Con 20;  
  Possessions: 
  +1 
  breastplate, 
  +1 
  greataxe, 
  masterwork composite longbow (+4 Str) with 20 
  arrows, +1 cloak of resistance. 
   
  d Xargun: male halfling rogue 6; CR 6; Small 
  humanoid (halfling); HD 6d6+12; hp 38; Init +9; Spd 20 
  ft.; AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 20; Base Atk +4; Grp +1; 
  Atk +11 melee (1d4+2, +1 rapier) or +11 ranged (1d4, 
  masterwork shortbow); Full Atk +11 melee (1d4+2, +1 
  rapier) or +11 ranged (1d4, masterwork shortbow); SA 
  sneak attack 3d6; SQ, evasion, trap sense, trapfinding, 
  uncanny dodge; AL CN; SV Fort +5, Ref +11, Will +2; 
  Str 12, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 9. 
  Skills and Feats: Balance +16, Bluff +8, Escape 
  Artist +14, Hide +18, Listen +10, Spot +8, Tumble +14; 
  Improved Initiative, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon 
  Finesse. 
  Possessions: +1 studded leather, +1 rapier x2, 
  masterwork shortbow with 20 arrows. 
   
  d Rhyeh: male human cleric 6 (Kurell); CR 6; 
  Medium humanoid (Human); HD 6d8+12; hp 45; Init 
  +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 22, touch 11, flat-footed 22; Base Atk 
  +4; Grp +6; Atk +8 melee (1d8+3, +1 morningstar)  or +4 
  ranged (1d8, light crossbow); Full Atk +8 melee (1d8+3, 
  +1 morningstar)  or +4 ranged (1d8, light crossbow); SQ 
  spontaneous casting, turn undead 5/day; AL CN; SV 
  Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +8; Str 14, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 8, 
  Wis 16, Cha 14. 
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +11, Spellcraft +8; 
  Divine Metamagic (Quicken Spell), Power Attack, 
  Quicken Spell, Weapon Focus (morningstar)., 
  Spells Prepared (5/4+1/4+1/3+1); base DC = 13 + 
  spell level); 0–guidance (3), resistance (2); 1st–bless, 
  cause fear, doom, *entropic shield, resurgence; 2nd—
  deific vengeance (2), *invisibility, silence, spiritual 
  weapon; 3rd–blindness, prayer, *protection from 
  energy. 
  *Domain Spell. Domains: Luck (1/day reroll), 
  Trickery. 
  Possessions: +1 full-plate, heavy steel shield, +1 
  morningstar, light crossbow with 20 bolts, ring of 
  protection +1. 
   
  Tactics: He has enough turn attempts to use 
  Divine Metamagic Quicken once (on any spell). 
   
  d Enallan: male elf wizard 6; CR 6; Medium 
  humanoid (elf); HD 6d4+6; hp 25; Init +7; Spd 30 ft.; 
  AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 11; Base Atk +3; Grp +1; 
  Atk +1 melee (1d4-2, dagger) or +7 ranged (1d8-2, 
  masterwork longbow); Full Atk +1 melee (1d4-2, 
  dagger) or +7 ranged (1d8-2, masterwork longbow); SQ 
  spells; AL CN; SV Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +5; Str 7, Dex 
  16, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 8. 
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +10, Decipher 
  Script +14, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge 
  (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (religion) +14, Listen 
  +3, Spellcraft +16, Spot +3; Empower Spell , Improved 
  Initiative, Point Blank Shot , Precise Shot , Scribe 
  Scroll. 
  Languages: Common, Draconic, Elven, Gnoll, 
  Goblin, Orc, Sylvan. 
  Spells Prepared (4/5/4/3: base DC = 15 + spell 
  level): 0–acid splash, daze (2), resistance; 1st–cause fear, 
  color spray, grease, magic missile, sleep; 2nd– 
  glitterdust, scorching ray, Tashia’s hideous laughter, 
  web; 
  3rd–fireball, 
  haste, 
  empowered 
  ray 
  of 
  enfeeblement. 
  Possessions: dagger, masterwork longbow, ring of 
  protection +1, cloak of resistance +1, lesser metamagic 
  rod of silent 
   
  ENCOUNTER 15: THE ROUND 
  ABOUT  
  d Ore Cart: Animated Object; CR 2; Medium 
  construct; HD 2d10+20; hp 31; Init +0; Spd 70 ft. 
  (wheels); AC 14 (+4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14; 
  Base Atk +1; Grp +2; Atk: +2 melee (1d6+1, slam); Full 
  Atk: +2 melee (1d6+1, slam); SQ construct traits, 
  darkvision 60 ft., hardness 5, low-light vision; AL N; SV 
  Fort +0, Ref +0, Will -5; Str 12, Dex 10, Con --, Int --, 
  Wis 1, Cha 1. 
  Skills and Feats: none 
  Rail Tracks (Ex): This creature has its full speed of 
  70 ft. only when moving along rail tracks. When it 
  needs to move off the rails, its speed is reduced to 10 ft. 
   
  ENCOUNTER: VARIOUS 
  d Ghoul Mob; CR 8; Gargantuan undead (mob of 
  Medium undead); HD 30d8; hp 180; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; 
  AC 10, touch 8, flat-footed 8 ; Base Atk +15, Grp +28, 
  Atk mob (5d6 plus ghoul fever and paralysis); Full Atk 
  mob (5d6 plus ghoul fever and paralysis); Space/Reach 
  20 ft./0 ft.; SA expert grappler, ghoul fever, paralysis, 
  trample; SQ darkvision 60 ft., mob anatomy, undead 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 40 
  traits, +2 turn resistance; AL CE; SV Fort +9, Ref +11, 
  Will +17; Str 13, Dex 15, Con --, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10. 
  Skills and Feats: Balance +6, Climb +5, Hide +6, 
  Jump +5, Move Silently +6, Spot +5 , Improved Bull 
  Rush , Improved Overrun, Multiattack.  
  Expert Grappler (Ex): A mob can maintain a 
  grapple without penalty and still make attacks against 
  other targets (normally, attacking other targets while 
  grappling imposes a -20 penalty on grapple checks). A 
  mob is never considered flat-footed while grappling. 
  Ghoul Fever (Su): Disease, Fortitude DC 25, 
  incubation period 1 day, damage 1d3 Con and 1d3 Dex. 
  The save DC is Charisma-based. An afflicted humanoid 
  who dies of ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next 
  midnight. A humanoid who becomes a ghoul in this 
  way retains none of the abilities it possessed in life. It is 
  not under the control of any other ghouls, but it 
  hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like a 
  normal ghoul in all respects. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice 
  or more rises as a ghast, not a ghoul. 
  Mob Anatomy (Ex): A mob has no clear front 
  or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject 
  to critical hits or sneak attacks. A mob cannot be 
  flanked, tripped, grappled, or bull rushed. Unlike 
  standard swarms, mobs are made up of relatively small 
  numbers of individual creatures, so spells or effects 
  that target specific numbers of creatures can have an 
  effect on a mob. Each specific creature that is slain, 
  disabled, or otherwise incapacitated by spells or effects 
  that target specific creatures bestows two negative 
  levels on the mob. A mob that gains negative levels 
  equal to its Hit Dice breaks up as if reduced to 0 hit 
  points. Negative levels gained in this manner are not 
  the result of negative energy (and thus cannot be 
  blocked by death ward or removed by restoration), but 
  never result in permanent level loss. A mob takes half 
  again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that 
  affect an area, such as splash weapons and evocation 
  spells. Although mobs are treated as one creature, it 
  sometimes becomes necessary to determine the fate of 
  a specific individual caught up in the mob. If a mob is 
  dispersed by nonlethal attacks, there are no casualties. 
  If the mob is dispersed by lethal attacks, assume that 
  30% of its number are slain and 30% are reduced to 0 hit 
  points. To determine a specific individual’s fate, simply 
  roll d%: a result of 01-30 indicates death, 31-60 indicates 
  the victim is reduced to 0 hit points, and a roll of 61-100 
  indicates the victim escapes relatively unscathed. 
  Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a ghoul must 
  succeed on a DC 25 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 
  1d4+1 rounds. Elves have immunity to this paralysis. 
  The save DC is Charisma based. 
  Trample (Ex): A mob that simply moves over a 
  creature and doesn’t end its movement with that 
  creature in one of its occupied squares can trample the 
  creature. A trampled creature takes 2d6+1 points of 
  damage. The victim can either make an attack of 
  opportunity against the mob or make a Reflex save (DC 
  26) to take half damage. 
   
  Turning Weakness: For the sake of turning, 
  treat this as a collection of base HD ghouls. For each 
  individual ghoul turned, apply –2 negative levels to 
  this mob. A mob that reaches negative levels equal to 
  its HD breaks up. 
   
  d Ghast Mob; CR 8; Gargantuan undead (mob of 
  Medium undead); HD 30d8+3; hp 183; Init +0; Spd 20 
  ft.; AC 13, touch 9, flat-footed 10; Base Atk +15, Grp 
  +30, Atk mob (5d6 plus ghoul fever and paralysis); Full 
  Atk mob (5d6 plus ghoul fever and paralysis); 
  Space/Reach 20 ft./0 ft.; SA expert grappler, ghoul 
  fever, paralysis, stench, trample; SQ darkvision 60 ft., 
  mob anatomy, undead traits, +2 turn resistance; AL CE; 
  SV Fort +9, Ref +12, Will +17; Str 17, Dex 17, Con --, Int 
  10, Wis 10, Cha 10. 
  Skills and Feats: Balance +7, Climb +9, Hide +8, 
  Jump +9, Move Silently +8, Spot +6 , Improved Bull 
  Rush, Improved Overrun, Multiattack, Toughness.  
  Expert Grappler (Ex): A mob can maintain a 
  grapple without penalty and still make attacks against 
  other targets (normally, attacking other targets while 
  grappling imposes a -20 penalty on grapple checks). A 
  mob is never considered flat-footed while grappling. 
  Ghoul Fever (Su): Disease, Fortitude DC 25, 
  incubation period 1 day, damage 1d3 Con and 1d3 Dex. 
  The save DC is Charisma-based.  
  Mob Anatomy (Ex): A mob has no clear front 
  or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject 
  to critical hits or sneak attacks. A mob cannot be 
  flanked, tripped, grappled, or bull rushed. Unlike 
  standard swarms, mobs are made up of relatively small 
  numbers of individual creatures, so spells or effects 
  that target specific numbers of creatures can have an 
  effect on a mob. Each specific creature that is slain, 
  disabled, or otherwise incapacitated by spells or effects 
  that target specific creatures bestows two negative 
  levels on the mob. A mob that gains negative levels 
  equal to its Hit Dice breaks up as if reduced to 0 hit 
  points. Negative levels gained in this manner are not 
  the result of negative energy (and thus cannot be 
  blocked by death ward or removed by restoration), but 
  never result in permanent level loss. A mob takes half 
  again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that 
  affect an area, such as splash weapons and evocation 
  spells. Although mobs are treated as one creature, it 
  sometimes becomes necessary to determine the fate of 
  a specific individual caught up in the mob. If a mob is 
  dispersed by nonlethal attacks, there are no casualties. 
  If the mob is dispersed by lethal attacks, assume that 
  30% of its number are slain and 30% are reduced to 0 hit 
  points. To determine a specific individual’s fate, simply 
  roll d%: a result of 01-30 indicates death, 31-60 indicates 
  the victim is reduced to 0 hit points, and a roll of 61-100 
  indicates the victim escapes relatively unscathed. 
  Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a ghast must 
  succeed on a DC 25 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 
  1d4+1 rounds. Even elves can be affected by this 
  paralysis. The save DC is Charisma based. 
  Stench (Ex): The stink of death and corruption 
  surrounding these creatures is overwhelming. Living 
  creatures within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 25 
  Fortitude save or be sickened for 1d6+4 minutes. A 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 41 
  creature that successfully saves cannot be affected 
  again by the same mob’s stench for 24 hours. A delay 
  poison or neutralize poison spell removes the effect 
  from a sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to 
  poison are unaffected and creatures resistant to poison 
  receive their normal bonus on their saving throws. The 
  save DC is Charisma based. 
  Trample (Ex): A mob that simply moves over a 
  creature and doesn’t end its movement with that 
  creature in one of its occupied squares can trample the 
  creature. A trampled creature takes 2d6+1 points of 
  damage. The victim can either make an attack of 
  opportunity against the mob or make a Reflex save (DC 
  28) to take half damage. 
  Turning Weakness: For the sake of turning, 
  treat this as a collection of base HD ghasts. For each 
  individual ghast turned, apply –2 negative levels to this 
  mob. A mob that reaches negative levels equal to its 
  HD breaks up. 
   
   
  ENCOUNTER 20: THE ROADBLOCK 
  d Advanced 12 HD Ghast; CR 5; Medium undead; 
  HD 12d12+3; hp 111; Init +3; Spd 30 ft.; AC 21, touch 
  12, flat-footed 18; Base Atk +6; Grp +9; Atk +9 melee 
  (2d6+3 plus paralysis, bite); Full Atk +9 melee (2d6+3 
  plus paralysis, bite) and +7/+7 melee (1d4+1 plus 
  paralysis, 2 claws); SA ghoul fever, paralysis, stench; SQ 
  darkvision 60 ft., undead traits, +2 turn resistance; AL 
  CE; SV Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +10; Str 17, Dex 17, Con --, 
  Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16. 
  Skills and Feats: Balance +16, Climb +7, Hide +16 
  Jump +16, Move Silently +12, Spot +11; Ability Focus 
  (paralysis), Armor Proficiency (light), Improved 
  Natural Attack , Multiattack , Toughness.  
  Ghoul Fever (Su): Disease - bite, Fortitude DC 
  19, incubation period 1 day, damage 1d3 Con and 1d3 
  Dex. The save DC is Charisma-based. 
  Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a ghast’s bite or claw 
  attack must succeed on a DC 19 Fortitude save or be 
  paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds. Even elves can be affected 
  by this paralysis. The save DC is Charisma based. 
  Stench (Ex): The stink of death and corruption 
  surrounding these creatures is overwhelming. Living 
  creatures within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 19 
  Fortitude save or be sickened for 1d6+4 minutes. A 
  creature that successfully saves cannot be affected 
  again by the same mob’s stench for 24 hours. A delay 
  poison or neutralize poison spell removes the effect 
  from a sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to 
  poison are unaffected and creatures resistant to poison 
  receive their normal bonus on their saving throws. The 
  save DC is Charisma based. 
  Possessions: chain shirt. 
   
  ENCOUNTER 28: THE RUMBLE IN 
  THE REFINERY 
  d Mummy Fighter: dwarf mummy fighter 4; CR 9; 
  Medium undead; HD 8d12+3 plus 4d10; hp 105; Init 
  +4; Spd 15 ft.; AC 27, touch 10, flat-footed 27; Base Atk 
  +8; Grp +15; Atk +16 melee (1d6+12 plus mummy rot, 
  slam); Full Atk +16/+11 melee (1d6+12 plus mummy 
  rot, slam); SA despair, mummy rot; SQ damage 
  reduction 5/-, darkvision 60 ft., undead traits, 
  vulnerability to fire; AL LE; SV Fort +8, Ref +3, Will +9; 
  Str 24, Dex 10, Con --, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 16. 
  Skills and Feats:  Climb +4, Hide +0, Listen +8, 
  Move Silently +0, Spot +8, Alertness, Cleave, Great 
  Fortitude, 
  Improved 
  Initiative, 
  Power 
  Attack, 
  Toughness, 
  Weapon 
  Focus 
  (slam), 
  Weapon 
  Specialization (slam). 
  Despair (Su): At the mere sight of a mummy, 
  the viewer must succeed on a DC 17 Will save or be 
  paralyzed with fear for 1d4 rounds. Whether or not the 
  save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again 
  by the same mummy’s despair ability for 24 hours. The 
  save DC is Charisma based. 
  Mummy Rot (Su): Supernatural disease – slam, 
  Fortitude DC 17, incubation period 1 minute; damage 
  1d6 Con and 1d6 Cha. The save DC is Charisma based. 
  Unlike normal diseases, mummy rot continues until 
  the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or is cured. 
  Mummy rot is a powerful curse, not a natural disease. A 
  character attempting to cast any conjuration (healing) 
  spell on a creature afflicted with mummy rot must 
  succeed on a DC 20 caster level check, or the spell has 
  no effect on the afflicted character. To eliminate 
  mummy rot, the curse must first be broken with break 
  enchantment or remove curse (requiring a DC 20 
  caster level check for either spell), after which a caster 
  level check is no longer necessary to cast healing spells 
  on the victim, and the mummy rot can be magically 
  cured as any normal disease. An afflicted creature who 
  dies of mummy rot shrivels away into sand and dust 
  that blow away into nothing at the first wind. 
  Possessions: half-plate. 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 42 
  APPENDIX 2: NEW RULES ITEMS 
  FEATS 
  Divine Metamagic  
  Complete Divine 
   
  You can channel energy into some of your divine spells 
  to make them more powerful. 
  Prerequisite: Ability to turn undead or rebuke 
  undead. 
  Benefit: When you take this feat, choose a 
  metamagic feat. This feat applies only to that 
  Metamagic feat. As a free action, you can take the 
  energy from turning or rebuking undead and use it to 
  apply a Metamagic feat to spells that you know. You 
  must spend one turn or rebuke attempt, plus an 
  additional attempt for each level increase in the 
  Metamagic feat you’re using. For example, Jozan the 
  cleric could sacrifice three turn attempts to empower a 
  holy smite he’s casting. Because you’re using positive or 
  negative energy to augment your spells, the spell slot 
  for the spell doesn’t change. 
  Special: This feat may be take multiple times. 
  Each time you take this feat choose a different 
  Metamagic feat to which to apply it. 
   
  Reckless Rage  
  Race of Stone 
  You are considered extreme even among other barbaric 
  warriors, and you enter a deeper state of rage than 
  others. 
  Prerequisites: Con 13, rage ability. 
  Benefit: Whenever you activate your rage ability, 
  you take an additional -2 penalty to your Armor Class, 
  but you gain an additional +2 bonus to Strength and 
  Constitution. These bonuses and penalties stack with 
  the effects of rage, greater rage, and mighty rage. 
   
  SPELLS 
  Deific Vengeance 
  Spell Compendium 
  Conjuration (Summoning) 
  Level: Cleric 2, Purification 2 
  Components: V, S, DF 
  Casting Time: 1 standard action 
  Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels) 
  Target: One Creature 
  Duration: Instantaneous 
  Saving Throw: Will half 
  Spell Resistance: Yes 
   
  This spell deals 1d6 points of damage per two caster 
  levels (maximum 5d6), or 1d6 points per caster level 
  (maximum 10d6) if the target is undead. 
   
  Resurgence 
  Spell Compendium 
  Abjuration 
  Level: Blackguard 1, cleric 1, paladin 1 
  Components: V, S, DF 
  Casting Time: 1 standard action 
  Range: Touch 
  Target: Creature touched 
  Duration: Instantaneous 
  Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless) 
  Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless) 
   
  The subject of a resurgence spell can make a second 
  attempt to save against an ongoing spell, spell-like 
  ability, or supernatural ability, such as dominate 
  person. If the subject of resurgence is affected by more 
  than one ongoing magical effect, the subject chooses 
  one of them to retry the save against. If the subject 
  succeeds on the saving throw on the second attempt, 
  the effect ends immediately. Resurgence never restores 
  hit points or ability score damage, but it does eliminate 
  any conditions such as shaken, fatigued, or nauseated 
  that were caused by a spell, spell-like ability, or 
  supernatural ability. If a spell, spell-like ability, or 
  supernatural ability doesn’t allow for a save (such as 
  power word stun), then resurgence won’t help the 
  subject recover. 
   
  SPECIAL MATERIALS 
  Thinaun 
  Complete Warrior 136 
   
  This dark, glittering steel alloy holds an attraction to 
  souls recently released fro their bodies. Obviously, this 
  has application for melee weapons. If a thinaun melee 
  weapon is touching a creature when it dies, that 
  creature’s soul is sucked into the weapon rather than 
  passing on to its final reward> The sould remains in the 
  thinaun weapon until the weapon is destroyed or 
  another creature dies while touch the thinaun weapon 
  (the new soul displaces the old one). Raise dead, 
  resurrection, and similar spells won’t bring back a 
  creature whose soul is trapped by a thinaun weapon 
  unless the caster has the weapon in his possession. 
  Because the soul is nearby, fewer material components 
  are required for such spells: reincarnation, raise dead, 
  resurrection, and true resurrection require half as 
  much of the relevant material component (unguents or 
  diamonds) to cast if the soul is within the thinaun 
  weapon. 
   
  A thinaun weapon captures a soul from anyone 
  killed while touching the weapon. This means that if 
  the thinaun weapon’s wielder dies, her weapon 
  captures her soul. 
   
  Only melee weapons made primarily of metal can 
  be crafted as thinaun weapons. 
   
  Type of Thinaun Weapon 
   
  Cost 
  Modifier 
  Light weapon 
  +10,000 gp 
  One-handed weapon, or one head of a 
  double weapon 
  +15,000 gp 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 43 
  Two-handed weapon, or both heads of a 
  double weapon 
  +20,000 gp 
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 44 
  HANDOUT 1 
  The following is the mission briefing for those working for the Archmage Rary, Monarch of the Bright Desert. 
   
  You are contacted by Eliazir Razeem Azam’ut of the Muddled Tongue, a trusted agent of Rary. He explains that your 
  services are needed for a delicate mission to aid Rary to restore the Bright Desert to its former state. 
   
  Rary requires at least 12 standard ingots worth of the rare ore called thinaun. This is equivalent to 2,200 lbs. (or 
  1 ton) of raw thinaun ore (with the impurities yet to be separated).  
   
  Research has indicated that such a supply of ore can be found in the Pits of Azak-Zil, a former dwarven mining 
  colony. 
   
  The colony operated for five years. Then overnight, all contact was lost between the Pits and the port city of 
  Zarak (a dwarven outpost set up to supply the new colony). 
   
  All rescues attempts met with disaster. 
   
  Over the years, the secret trail to Azak-Zil became lost and the dwarves of Clan Highforge abandoned their 
  port outpost.  
   
  Over the years, scattered reports have told tales of hoards of powerful and numerous dwarven ghouls mining 
  the pits at night.  
   
  Recently, the dwarves of Clan Highforge have returned to the port outpost of Zarak and are seeking 
  adventurers to investigate the ruins. 
   
  We have reason to believe that Lady Karistyne has made a deal with Clan Highforge to offer support in 
  exchange for the rights to the thinaun.  
   
  Your mission is to travel to Zarak and allow yourself to be recruited along with other adventurers in order to be 
  sent to the Pits of Azak-Zil. Once there, collect the required amount of thinaun and bring it back to me at Ul 
  Bakak.  
   
  You shall be well rewarded for this.  
   
  The thinaun supply now belongs to Lady Karistyne, so have no worries about offending the dwarves of Clan 
  Highforge with its loss.  
   
  By all reports, the Pits of Azak-Zil are incredibly dangerous. Spend only the daylight hours there, investigate 
  only the upper mines located in the mesa, never go into the deep pits and never ever stay after dark. Figure out 
  where to find the thinaun, and then get out.  
   
  The upper section of the Pits of Azak-Zil is said to be very, very large, with a cliff city built into the mesa and 
  mining and refining facilities. Try not to get lost or distracted. 
   
  The sudden appearance of so many undead must mean a great source of power. But unless you feel yourself 
  worthy enough to tame that power, I would recommend caution with your lives. The mission is more 
  important than foolhardy greed.  
   
  When at Zarak, the dwarves of Clan Highforge will incorporate you into an adventuring group. They are 
  sending out search parties to discover what caused Azak-Zil to fall, and to reclaim some sort of charter written 
  on the back of a shield. This makes the perfect cover for your mission.  
   
  Return immediately with the thinaun after leaving Azak-Zil. 
   
   
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
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  HANDOUT 2 
  The following is the mission briefing for those working for Lady Karistyne, Paladin of the Abbor-Alz. 
   
  You are contacted by Lady Karistyne, enemy of Rary and patron of good adventurers. She explains that Rary the Traitor 
  is trying to obtain a large supply of a rare metal called thinaun. The source of this thinaun is the Pits of Azak-Zil. In 
  exchange for an undisclosed prize and an offer of aid, Lady Karistyne has obtained the rights to the thinaun within the 
  Pits of Azak-Zil from the dwarves of Clan Highforge who founded the mining colony. Rary the Traitor must be stopped! 
   
  Rary requires a large amount of thinaun, but the exact amount is uncertain, though it’s thought to be at least 5 
  standard ingots (but some suspect it’s probably three times that amount).  
   
  Research has indicated that such a supply of ore can be found in the Pits of Azak-Zil, a former dwarven mining 
  colony. 
   
  The colony operated for five years. Then overnight, all contact was lost between the Pits and the port city of 
  Zarak (a dwarven outpost set up to supply the new colony). 
   
  All rescues attempts met with disaster. 
   
  Over the years, the secret trail to Azak-Zil became lost and the dwarves of Clan Highforge abandoned their 
  port outpost.  
   
  Over the years, scattered reports have told tales of hoards of powerful and numerous dwarven ghouls mining 
  the pits at night.  
   
  Recently, the dwarves of Clan Highforge have returned to the port outpost of Zarak and are seeking 
  adventurers to investigate the ruins. 
   
  Your mission is to travel to Zarak and assist the dwarves of Clan Highforge as they gather up adventurers to 
  investigate the lost mines. Support them in their cause for they are allies, but keep your eye on the more 
  important task of not allowing Rary to obtain any thinaun. You shall be well rewarded for this.  
   
  Lady Karistyne owns the right to that ore. Seal it up, destroy it or otherwise deny it to Rary. Try to keep the 
  damage to the dwarven property to a minimum, but if it must be done, Lady Karistyne shall lend her support 
  and resources to soothing the anger of Clan Highforge in that event.  
   
  By all reports, the Pits of Azak-Zil are incredibly dangerous. Spend only the daylight hours there, investigate 
  only the upper mines located in the mesa, never go into the deep pits and never ever stay after dark. Figure out 
  where to find the thinaun, then get out.  
   
  The upper section of the Pits of Azak-Zil is said to be very, very large, with a cliff city built into the mesa and 
  mining and refining facilities. Try not to get lost or distracted. 
   
  Its very disturbing that so many could die so quickly, so be very careful in this cursed place. Do not gamble 
  lightly with your souls for I wish to see you all again. 
   
  When at Zarak, the dwarves of Clan Highforge will incorporate you into an adventuring group. They are 
  sending out search parties to discover what caused Azak-Zil to fall overnight, and to reclaim the ceremonial 
  charter of Azak-Zil entrusted to Thane Ulfgar, lord of Azak-Zil. Help where you can, but remember your 
  primary goal. 
   
  Return immediately with news of the destruction of the thinaun supply. 
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
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  HANDOUT 3 
  The following is the mission briefing for those working for the dwarves of Clan Highforge. 
   
  You are contacted by Jemrek Longsight, the original dwarf to calculate the location of the Pits of Azak-Zil by plotting 
  the landing spot of a strange falling star in 514 CY. She is also daughter of Hur-Korog the leader of the expedition and 
  Mine Warden of the Pits of Azak-Zil (second only to Thane Ulfgar). 
   
  She explains that a secret deal has been made between Clan Highforge and Lady Karistyne in regards to recovering 
  the Pits of Azak-Zil. Part of that deal is that all claims to a rare metal called thinaun in the mine is given over to the 
  paladin to do with as she pleases.  
   
  The dwarves of Clan Highforge have returned to the abandoned port outpost of Zarak and are in the process of 
  rebuilding it. The clan is looking for brave adventurers to be sent from Zarak, along the secret road leading to the Pits of 
  Azak-Zil and investigate it.  
   
  The Pits of Azak-Zil is a former dwarven mining colony. 
   
  The colony operated for five years. Then overnight, all contact was lost between the Pits and the port city of 
  Zarak (a dwarven outpost set up to supply the new colony). Jemrek’s father was lost along with the colony. 
  There were no known survivors. 
   
  All rescues attempts met with disaster. 
   
  Over the years, the secret trail to Azak-Zil became lost and the dwarves of Clan Highforge abandoned their 
  port outpost.  
   
  Over the years, scattered reports have told tales of hoards of powerful and numerous dwarven ghouls mining 
  the pits at night.  
   
  Your mission is to travel from Zarak and enter the upper mines of Azak-Zil. Discover what happened to make 
  the colony disappear overnight. Bring back the Charter of Azak-Zil (it’s shaped like an ornamental shield), as it 
  is a representation of the honor of Clan Highforge. Assuming the worse, bring back the bodies of Thane Ulfgar 
  Highforge and his noble family. They must be placed to rest among their noble ancestors.  
   
  Lady Karistyne owns the right to the thinaun ore, try to respect that.  
   
  By all reports, the Pits of Azak-Zil are incredibly dangerous. Spend only the daylight hours there, investigate 
  only the upper mines located in the mesa, never go into the deep pits and never ever stay after dark. Figure out 
  what happened, find some evidence, then get out before it’s too late.  
   
  The upper section of the Pits of Azak-Zil is very large, with a cliff city built into the mesa and mining and 
  refining facilities. Try not to get lost or distracted. 
   
  Its very disturbing that so many could die so quickly, so be very careful in this cursed place. Do not gamble 
  lightly with your souls. 
   
  Here in Zarak, we have made peaceful contact with some of the local tribesmen. They claim the area around 
  Azak-Zil to be cursed and refuse to go within five miles of it. They claim all who die there rise as a creature of 
  the night within an hour’s time, or less. 
   
  Please be respectful of the city and mines, but do what you must. Please be respectful of the fallen, but as part of 
  your reward, please take what you will butt we have first right of refusal on all treasure.  
   
   
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
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  HANDOUT 4 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 48 
  HANDOUT 5 
  This is a collection of pages from a ledger/journal that 
  has been torn asunder. Only the most ‘recent’ pages are 
  represented here. It is written in Dwarven. From the 
  desk of Lower Thane Jonnena Ironforge; 
   
  Ready’reat 2nd, 525 CY: I’ve had to place six more 
  miners on report today. They were stumbling around 
  drunk outside the Administration Office. That just 
  won’t do. As a group they make my 30th reporting. The 
  Mine Warden has had his fair share of troubles down 
  in the deep mines. Veit Soulstroker says something is 
  wrong with the air and water. He claims some mystic 
  mumbo-jumbo about ‘dark spirits’ and ‘negative 
  energy’. Why can’t he just say the place is cursed like 
  every other damn fool? 
   
  Ready’reat 3rd, 525 CY: Azak-Zil has taken a 
  step in the right direction. Since the Thane and the 
  Mine Warden are more and more occupied with the 
  goings on down in the deep mines, they’ve granted me 
  permission to enact a few small changes. The first is a 
  measure to ration out the spirits. The barracks have 
  been far too rowdy. The second is my ingenious plan 
  for defensive procedures for the entire city to follow in 
  case of attack. I even have it worked out into variations 
  depending on what is doing the attacking. I have every 
  countermeasure thought out. My third is another 
  stroke of genius. The Thane mentioned at meal that he 
  was worried about what might be lurking in the 
  shadows. Well, I have put him at ease. I have a 
  contingence plan for internal strife and plague. By next 
  week, the sappers will have all key tunnel junctions 
  rigged for collapse which will allow all the sickness to 
  be contained and dug out one by one. 
   
  Ready’reat 7th, 525 CY: We had yet another 
  problem with the thinaun. This time, the miner in 
  question was (and I’m not making this up!) licking one 
  of the ingots. He kept muttering something about it 
  tasting like souls. It took six dwarves to subdue him. 
  He’s under the care of Veit Soulstroker now. I’m 
  beginning to think the Mine Warden was right when 
  he suggested we hold back on shipping most of the 
  thinaun. Once we figure out all its properties, we can 
  sell it for even more! 
   
  Ready’reat 13th, 525 CY: Veit Soulstroker is 
  starting to cause trouble again. I’m told he was causing 
  a fuss in the Refinery room. The workers didn’t know 
  what to say to the cleric when he started ordering them 
  to stop production and load up some of the thinaun. 
  Seems Veit claims the metal to be evil, or tainted (just 
  say cursed!!!) and that he’s managed a way to ‘purify’ six 
  of the ingots, but destroyed fourteen of them while 
  experimenting. That’s coming out of his percentage! 
  We’ll have no more of that till I talk to the Thane. 
   
  Ready’reat 15th, 525 CY: There was an 
  accident in the deep mines this morning. Several 
  miners killed. They’ve been taken to be put in state till 
  a proper funeral can be held tomorrow. This is the 
  worse accident yet and it’s not helping morale and 
  rumors with it being the thinaun vein that caused the 
  accident. 
   
  Ready’reat 15th 525 CY Supplemental: It’s 
  the middle of the night and something is going on. The 
  shift captain reports the miners that died earlier today 
  have jumped up off the slabs and are running amuck 
  killing his men. The Mine Warden has called out the 
  Defenders and the Thane is preparing to lead a team to 
  investigate this. I’ve heard of stories of digging too 
  deep and unleashing something, but I’ve never heard 
  of one dwarf trying to eat another. That’s just not right. 
   
  Ready’reat 16th 525 CY: Everything is very 
  bad. I haven’t had time to write, but I think it’s a good 
  thing to make a record of events just in case. All 
  contact has been lost with the Thane and Mine 
  Warden. The deep mines are in complete chaos. The 
  dead keep rising up and consuming the flesh of the 
  living. It must be some form of contagion transferred 
  by touch. We’ve tried sending runners to Zarak but 
  each time, the runners get picked off by the running 
  dead now lurking among the valley. They seem to be 
  streaming out of the pits, even in the daylight. I’ll wait 
  a few more hours, and then I’ll start to follow the 
  contingence plan. I’ll stop the spread of the disease by 
  caving in the access from the largest sections as they 
  seem to be the most infested. 
   
  Ready’reat 17th 525 CY: We are sealed in, and 
  just in time too. The primary upper mines had become 
  overrun. Over a hundred dwarves have succumbed to 
  his plague. With both main doors sealed to stay 
  separated and enough food and water to last us until we 
  are reported overdue.  
   
  Ready’reat 19th 525 CY: I’m getting reports 
  that I have a lot less dwarves here than I thought. It 
  seems a large number of cowards looted what they 
  could and escaped out the secret tunnel. I’ve ordered 
  the rope pulled. With that access point sealed, there’s 
  no chance of contagion.  
   
  Ready’reat 20th 525 CY: They’re trying to get 
  in. They are constantly banging at the doors, 
  scratching, moaning, they know we are in here, they 
  want to feed on us. I hope rescue comes soon. 
  Meanwhile, I have Veit constantly going on about his 
  crazy mystic theories involving the plague. He can’t 
  seem to understand that we’re safe in here. 
   
  Ready’reat 21th 525 CY: A disgrace to 
  dwarven kind! That group of mercenaries from Clan 
  Copperstream just tried to rob the Thane’s apartments! 
  We caught them in the Thane’s office trying to use the 
  secret passage. They killed several of our auxiliary but 
  we have them cornered. It won’t be long now. 
   
  Ready’reat 22th 525 CY: It’s all gone wrong! 
  The dead are rising, but there was no contamination! 
  Veit says our souls are being stolen and negative energy 
  is leaking into the corpses. He’s devised a way to stop 
  this but it has to be administered within the first five 
  minutes of death. 
   
  Ready’reat 23rd 525 CY: All hope is lost. The 
  looting broke out again, and they retreated to the main 
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 49 
  barracks, but now the dead control those areas. We are 
  collapsing the tunnels, and I pray to the Soul Forger we 
  get them all trapped. For the record, I take full 
  responsibility for this next part. I cannot allow the 
  Thane’s children to have their souls stolen or their 
  bodies desecrated. With the help of Veit Soulstroker, 
  we are going to put them to sleep and give them the 
  blessing of the Soul Forger. Once done, we shall seal 
  their remains into the vault. Since most of the treasure 
  was looted, there is enough room, but not enough for 
  the Charter. It will have to stay where it hangs. I trust 
  that the Soul Forger will decide if the children are to be 
  returned to this world, or to be reforged by him.  
   
  Ready’reat 24th 525 CY: My hand…it took my 
  hand….it took the key to the vault too…my hand, it 
  ate it right off… 
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
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  HANDOUT 6 
  The following is a hastily scribed letter written in Dwarven. 
   
  I swear upon the Soul Forgers Beard, that everything I, Veit Soulstroker write here to be true and my last wishes. 
   
  I don’t have much time now. I should have been writing this all down before, but there was not time. 
   
  If you are a rescuer, this is important: you are not safe here. There is a negative energy influx that is affecting the new 
  type of ore. For some reason, the thinaun is absorbing the negative energy and what’s worse, it is some how collecting 
  the souls of the dying. The spirits of the dead are not making it to the anvil of the Soul Forger. I suspect their being 
  collected somehow deep below.  
   
  I don’t know what to do about the thinaun that is still in the veins, but I have found that the ingots can be purified. 
  If the ingots are thrown into the furnace and one bottle of holy water per ingot is mixed in, there is a chance that the 
  pour will produce an untainted ingot. But if you use even one bottle less than the amount of ingots in the mix, then all 
  of it turns to dust. Perhaps this is the best choice. I’d hate to see what would happen in this negative energy influx was 
  spread with those corrupted ingots. There are six purified ingots left. I’m conducting an experiment to see if the 
  negative energy will re-contaminant the purified ingots. 
   
  At first we all assumed the undeath was being spread by a supernatural disease, like that of a wight’s theft of life 
  force. But this is not the case. When in range of the influx, any soul leaving a body is diverted, trapped elsewhere, and 
  the mortal husk is infused with negative energy. The cause of death is irrelevant. I still haven’t figured out if there is a 
  malign intelligence or force of will behind all this or if it’s all ‘random’.  
   
  When a dwarf dies, it’s important to help his soul pass over within the first five minutes of death. Any longer than 
  that and there is no hope. I have discovered two ways that do not desecrate the body and shall allow for the soul to be 
  returned to the body later with powerful prayer.  
   
  The first method is to invoke the Soul Forgers magic to protect the body with either bless, aid, or a general prayer. 
  Though I have not tried it, I suspect putting the body into a gentle repose would also work.  
   
  If you are a laymen or a cleric without the proper magic prepared, invoking the Soul Forgers attention with the 
  proper rites and devotion should do it. You must concentrate hard and truly give in to the will of the Soul Forger. Repeat 
  the Prayer of Passing and the Prayer For the Dying. To properly charge the rites, a full bottle of holy water is needed. Use 
  it to anoint the body during the prayers. Use it all. Thirty seconds of this is all you need. If you did it right, the soul shall 
  pass on and the body shall not rise as undead.  
   
  I hope I have done the right thing with this. I helped put the children of the Thane into a final sleep. They went 
  peacefully. I have anointed them and they will not rise as undead and their souls are already playing amongst the Soul 
  Forgers ore piles. Their bodies have been laid to rest inside the vault. Even after we fall, no ghoul shall feast on them. If 
  the Soul Forger wills it, they can be returned to life.  
   
  Please forgive me for my part in this failure. Pure Heart should never be reclaimed. 
   
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 51 
  DUNGEON MASTER’S MAPS 
  CITY SECTOR 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 52 
  MINES SECTOR 
   
  
  CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil 
   
  Page 53 
  PROCESSING SECTOR 
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Living Greyhawk/Modules/Core Specials/596/CORS6-02 Pits of Azak Zil/CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil Low.pdf