The Troupe in Yellow

 

Art by Nottsuo, source

This post has been inspired by R W Chambers' story, The King in Yellow, which involves a fictional book that causes obsession and insanity in those who read it. This is my attempt to bring that idea into Mystara. 

The Troupe

Wandering around the Known World, particularly Darokin, Karameikos, Ierendi and Thyatis, there is a troupe of theatrical performers dressed in predominantly yellow costumes who call themselves the Troupe in Yellow. Although they are capable of a wide repertoire of performances, they do have one special performance, a play called The King in Yellow, that they only put on before they leave town. Those who watch the play are never the same again, and the Troupe in Yellow will pack up and leave before the authorities realise what has happened. 

The play is not just a performance - it is an incantation that places a most malevolent charm on those who watch it. Those of Lawful and Neutral alignment will suffer terrible fears and nightmares and will often go mad (save vs Spells to avoid insanity). Those of Chaotic alignment wil become fascinated, obssessed even, with the play, its characters and its meaning. They want to know more about the King in Yellow and get to know him, even serve him if they can (save vs spells, but this time to avoid a compulsion similar to a Geas spell). Thus the seeds of a cult of Chaos are planted every time the Troupe in Yellow performs this fiendish play. 

The Troupe in Yellow is currently 20 strong, with 5 performers and various followers assisting behind the scenes (what would today be called road crew). They travel in five caravans drawn by horses of bad temperment - the villagers who are visited quickly learn to leave the horses alone. The senior members are:

• Valderion: human male, 14th level cleric, align Chaotic
  Str 10, Int 16, Wis 17, Dex 10, Con 14, Cha 16
  Valderion is tall, handsome, mysterious and clearly the leader of the troupe. Though usually dead calm, there are moments when provoked when he turns into a raging maniac. 
• Camilla: human female, 11th level cleric, align Chaotic
  Str 11, Int 14, Wis 18, Dex 12, Con 10, Cha 17
  Camilla is Valderion's consort and also  the chief scribe: when not performing or practicing, she is carefully making copies of the book to pass onto willing disciples. She genuinely believes she is actually the reincarnation of the character she plays. 
• Cassilda: human female, 10th level fighter, align Chaotic
  Str 16, Int 14, Wis 12, Dex 15, Con 14, Cha 15
  Cassilda is young, blonde and apparently naive, but is actually a master manipulator and deceiver, as well as being lethal in a sword fight. 
• Castaigne: human male, 12th level mage, align Chaotic
  Str 12, Int 16, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 15, Cha 14
  Castaigne is Valderion's understudy and personal assistant. He has various strange delusions that he usually keeps hidden from even the other performers, but he believes he is next in line to the Empire of Thyatis. 
• Mr Wilde: Male Gnome, 8th level Trickster, align Chaotic
  Str 10, Int 18, Wis 14, Dex 16, Con 13, Cha 6
  An ugly and malformed gnome, Mr Wilde is in charge of the road crew. He keeps an angry black cat that seems to attack everyone (including Mr Wilde). 

These senior members all act their parts on stage, and during the final performance of their stay it is Valderion who takes the role of the King in Yellow and thus is key to the malevolent sorcery that the performance conjures. The crew behind the stage are all capable at handling themselves (all minimum of 4th level, various character classes and races) and are all willing followers of the King in Yellow. 

The Troupe has attracted the attention of the authorities as survivors of their visits sane enough to give coherent accounts have been able to alert others of the troupe and what it is capable of. The troupe and its play is now outlawed in Karameikos, Thyatis and Ylaruam but communicating the warnings and descriptions is not easy. Thus the troupe will avoid the large cities where they may be recognised and caught and instead stick to rural areas and small villages where ignorance and isolation allows them to move freely. 

The Book of the King in Yellow

Nobody is entirely sure where the book of the King in Yellow came from or when or by whom it was written. Some say it was created by a Prince of Chaos, while others of more erudite learning say it may have come from the far north in Norwold, perhaps from the Arvorians who are twisted enough that they would enjoy that sort of play. Although the book and the play do not specifically describe or promote the worship of Chaos, it still reeks of corruption and horror. The book is as outlawed as the Troupe in Yellow

Valderion, the leader of the troupe, holds the master original of the book. This contains the play script itself as well as various essays on the background to the play. It is possible to create copies in a similar method to how mages can copy spells from one spellbook into another. It is laborious and prone to error but it has been done enough times that the troupe has sometimes given a copy to enthusiastic converts to the court of the King in Yellow. There is known to be a copy in the hands of a powerful mage in Hattias, southern Thyatis and another was believed to have travelled to Vlaad in Ierendi. An individual who reads the book will suffer the same consequences as those who have watched the Troupe in Yellow perform the play, thus even copies of the damned book will cause madness and obsession. Those who try to perform the play from a copy will be far less effective than the Troupe in Yellow but some of the dweomer can still be conjured - all the audience still suffer the same effects but with +4 bonus to their saving throws to avoid the madness and compulsion.  

In the back of the book are a series of essays that describe the lost city of Carcosa, where the play is set. It will quickly become clear from the multiple moons and dark stars (whatever those might be) that this Carcosa is far in time and distance from Mystara. And yet the writer insists they have visited it and beheld its terrifying majesty. Furthermore they say that the King in Yellow still holds court after millenia of rule. Whether the King in Yellow is a title passed down to successors or perhaps is a being that does not age as mortals do is unclear. 

One powerful cleric of the forces of Law (Juliannus of Lucinius) who read a seized copy and somehow managed to avoid the worst effects came to the conclusion that the original book was written by the King in Yellow himself as a ploy to gather followers and disrupt his foes. Juliannus also postulated that the King in Yellow is a powerful supernatural being of utter Chaos, similar to or perhaps one of the dreadful beings worshipped by the Arvorians of Norwold. Before he died after a fall from the top of his temple (some say an accident, others say suicide) Juliannus insisted that a taskforce of lawful clerics should be established to counteract this pernicious and curse-inflicting book and those who promote and recite it. He saw it as a plague, a moral infection that would incapacitate or subvert all those who came into contact with the main vectors - the Troupe in Yellow.  Only the Order of the Amethyst Rose paid any attention to Juliannus while he was still alive, and we all know what happened to them. 

The Great Waste of Sind: A Quick Overview

What is officially said

 My two main sources for the Great Waste of Sind are X4: Master of the Desert Nomads and Champions of Mystara: Explorer’s Manual. X6: Quagmire includes a bit of the Great Waste but does not really deal with it. . 

Sind in the real world is a province of India that borders on Pakistan and includes part of the Thar Desert (not to be confused with the Orcs of Thar). This may have inspired Mystaran Sind. I am also looking at Arabian desert and Gobi Desert for ideas and inspiration.

X4 is set in the Great Waste and is less of a guide to the area and more of an encounter-based adventure where the encounters are not tied to particular hexes but happen at the DM’s discretion. Nonetheless features and encounters are indicative of the rest of the Great Waste. It also has a small section set in the Salt Swamp which includes a very tricky encounter with an evil spirit called The Malakaz. 

Inhabitants of the Great Waste and Nearby

New monsters: 

• Leucrotta (borrowed from AD&D), 
• Lamara from Creature Catalogue or else replace with Lamia from AD&D.
• Desert Hobgoblins? New subrace with greyish-black skin and black hair. They are nomadic and often partake in banditry and raiding settlements. The Master of Hule and his chaotic forces have tenuous agreements with the various desert hobgoblin tribes but these are often broken. They sometimes have hyenas as hunting animals and guards, and their strongest leaders will ride hyaenodons (dire hyenas) into battle. 
• Desert Worms (subrace of purple worms)

Established B/X D&D monsters:  

• Bhuts (X4 & Creature Catalogue), 
• Nagpas (X4 & Creature Catalogue) 
• Scorpionmen (Rules Cyclopedia) 
• Blue Dragons (Basic Rules) 
• Sis’thik (desert lizardmen from Creature Catalogue) 
• Desert Leviathans (borrowed from Dune and statted in Creature Catalogue). 
• Elves & gnolls are found under the surface of the Plain of Fire (the northern part of the desert). Graakhalia has 7 pages in Champions of Mystara and is home to the Gruugrakh gnolls & Sheyallia Elves. I prefer the idea of rather than a truly mixed society, they are two separate cultures that have come to an uneasy truce.  Most of the gnolls have become neutral with a druidic slant, but a few remain dangerously chaotic. The underground realm beneath the Great Waste (including Graakalia and also less civilised cavern networks) could really be a post in itself. 
• There are also gnoll tribes, some of which wander the Great Waste itself but other gnolls stay on the more hospitable borders including the Barren Plain and Konumtali Savannah, venturing into the harsher waste when a suitable target (such as a passing caravan) presents itself. They are far more closer to normal gnolls than the Gruugrakh gnolls of Graakhalia and are nearly always chaotic. They, like desert hobgoblins, sometimes strike deals with the Master of Hule and his minions. 

There is also a salt marsh, savannah, hills, oases and a river running through Sind. All of these will have their own ecologies and inhabitants. 

The Great Waste in General

Natural living things are fairly sparse - the vast majority of the Great Waste is rocky desert with outcrops, canyons and occasional hills. There are some hardy desert plants but even these are not in abundance but are found in slightly cooler shady places where sunlight is moderate not scorching, such as cliff overhangs and between boulders.  

Oases are few and far between. The Twin Oases in the southwest and Kesret Oases in the middle are the two marked on the map. 

It is tempting to try to shoehorn excuses for lots of encounters into here but maybe this is not sensible. Perhaps this is better left mostly empty. Few monsters, settlements and other encounters. This really is quite barren. The environment becomes the real challenge: Dehydration, sunburn and disorientation become the predominant threats to adventurers. 

Although such geographic areas are not given level ranges for characters in the same way that modules are, I would consider it too dangerous for low-level PCs - it is not just the monstrous encounters that mean X4 is recommended for PCs of mid level (6th-9th). Having access to the 4th level cleric spell Create Water is a game-changer and could make the caster popular with NPCs. 

Besides, Graakhalia is part of, or at least connects to, the Shadowdeep, Mystara's underdark, so there are plenty of caves to explore there. And there may be a few desert ruins - proto-Hulean outposts and settlements abandoned as the desertification of the land intensified. These ruins are much sought after by various creatures, few of them pleasant. Bhuts, Nagpas, undead such as wights & mummies and monstrous forces of Hule can all be found in these ruins. The Evil Abbey and the Buried Temple from X4 are typical ruins. 

It’s a big area. 39 hexes x 24 miles/hex = 936 miles across in the middle. There is a caravan track across, and this will have more encounters. X4 explores this, with the option of PCs joining a caravan for part of the journey. Assuming land travel at 24 miles per day, this means crossing the desert will take 39 days. The caravan trail does pass through the two oases mentioned, but even so that’s over a week without natural water between oases. Clerics who can create water will be appreciated.  Failing that, camels (who need less frequent water) are preferable to horses for this journey.  

This is between Hule and Sind, so there will be patrols and merchants from both realms. During X4 & X5 there will also be armies marching across. What about Glantri and Darokin? There could well be travellers from these and other nations further east if they have reason to travel to Hule. The Serpent Peninsula is large enough that to sail around its southern tip would take as much time as to travel the Great Waste on camel.

Cartography by Thorfinn Tait, source

https://mystara.thorfmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/champions-great-waste-24.png

All in all I think this could be a great place for mid and high level adventures and I may come back to it and its bordering regions in future posts. 

Constructs of the Shielded Fortress

Introduction

These are 4 new creatures for the B/X edition of D&D. Although they have been created with the Shielded Fortress of Hjaal in mind, they can be used elsewhere. I feel they are best suited for ruins of lost empires, still guarding the remains of their creators. I have assumed that the process for creating these constructs has been lost to time, but it is possible that the formulae may be discovered (perhaps in the same ruins that hold these constructs), and a talented and resourceful mage (or perhaps cleric) could create new creatures.

 Jade Serpent

Armour Class	2
Hit Dice	8* (36hp)
Movement	120ft
THAC0	12
Attacks	1 bite / 1 tail
Damage	2d4 + poison/1d10 + crush
No. Appearing	1
Morale	12
Save As	F8
Treasure	See below
Alignment	Neutral
Intelligence	3 (Semi)
Size & Type	Large Construct
XP Value	1200

The method of creating these green crystalline guardians are long forgotten along with so much of Mogreth sorcery though a few functioning specimens can still be found among the ruins of Mogreth culture. They appear as jade statues of huge snakes and of rough finish approximately 30ft long. Jade serpents can sense hidden and invisible creatures due to heightened sensitivity to vibrations, and sound. Jade serpents can attack with both their fangs and lashing tails. If a creature is bitten by a jade serpent, they must make a saving throw vs poison or die in 2d4 turns. In addition, any creature of Large size or smaller hit by the jade serpent's tail must make a save vs Paralyis or be grappled by the serpent's tail. If grappled the creature will automatically take another 1d10 crushing damage per round, cannot move away from the jade serpent and any bite attacks by the jade serpent will be at +4 to hit against the grappled target. Jade serpents are invulnerable to normal weapons - magic weapons (+1 or better) or spells are needed to damage it. As a construct the jade serpent is immune to poisons, disease, energy drain, Sleep, Charm and other mind-affecting spells. If the jade serpent is destroyed it is shattered but 2d10 pieces of jade each worth 1d6 x50gp can be found. 

Turquoise Living Statue

Armour Class	3
Hit Dice	4+4* (22hp)
Movement	150ft
THAC0	15
Attacks	1 headbutt
Damage	1d6+1
No. Appearing	1d4
Morale	12
Save As	F4
Treasure Type	See Below
Alignment	Neutral
Intelligence	3 (Semi-)
Size & Type	Medium Construct
XP Value	200

The Turquoise Living Statue is a strange construct of bygone ages. It resembles a quadrupedal statue made of chunks of turquoise and held together by grey cement with a large round head. It can gallop along faster than a human and it can charge any opponent if it has 20ft or more of straight running distance at the start of its round. Charging gives the turquoise living statue +2 to hit and double damage (2d6+2 bludgeoning). Furthermore anyone hit by the charge must also make a save vs paralysis or be knocked 10ft away and prone. The turquoise living statue once per day can emit an aura of lethargy instead of attacking with its headbutt: Anyone within 30ft must save vs spells or be affected by a Slow spell for 2d4 turns. It will sometimes use this after charging into a group of opponents. As constructs, Turquoise living statues are immune to Sleep, Charm and other mind-affecting magic, disease & poison. Should a turquoise living statue be destroyed, it will collapse into bluish-green dust but amongst the dust there may be 2d10 pieces of turquoise worth 1d6x10gp each. 

Bone Rattler

Armour Class	6
Hit Dice	6+4* (31hp)
Movement	150ft
THAC0	14
Attacks	2 bites or 1 rattle
Damage	2d6/2d6 or special
No. Appearing	1
Morale	12
Save As	F6
Treasure Type	None
Alignment	Neutral
Intelligence	1 (animal)
Size & Type	Medium Construct
XP Value	750

These creatures look like undead snakes but are in fact constructs formed from the bones of giant rattlesnakes. Bone rattlers are immune to non-magical weapons (+1 or better weapons or spells needed to hit). They usually attack with their fangs and retain the frightening speed of living rattlesnakes, striking twice per round. Fortunately their venom glands are no longer present (any flesh is removed in the construction process) and any residual venom has dried up in their fangs. However, they have still retained the rattle on the end of their tails and instead of biting a bone rattler may rattle its tail. Any creature within 30ft that can hear must save vs spells or be gripped by a magical fear and will attempt to flee the bone rattler for 1d6 turns (moving at maximum speed away from the encounter, preferably back the way they came). If a creature successfully saves, they are temporarily immune to the rattle effect for the rest of the day. As constructs, bone rattlers are immune to Sleep, Charm and other mind-affecting magic, disease & poison. They cannot be turned by clerics. 

Beryl Golem

Armour Class	2
Hit Dice	10* (45hp)
Movement	90ft
THAC0	10
Attacks	2 fists
Damage	3d6/3d6
No. Appearing	1
Morale	12
Save As	F10
Treasure Type	See Below
Alignment	Neutral
Intelligence	10 (Average)
Size & Type	Large Construct
XP Value	1600

Beryl golems are powerful creatures created by ancient and forgotten magic rituals. They appear as vaguely humanoid statues of bright green crystal standing about 9ft tall but without any apparent facial features or even clearly defined head. As with other golems they are immune to non-magical weapons and can only be hit by weapons of +1 or better enchantment or by magic spells. They attack with their massive jagged fists inflicting 3d6 bludgeoning damage with each strike.  They have the ability to Dimension Door 3 times per day to a distance of 240ft from their current location. As constructs, beryl golems are immune to Sleep, Charm and other mind-affecting magic, disease & poison.  If a beryl golem is defeated, it shatters into green dust though a search will reveal 2d10 pieces of beryl worth 1d6x100gp each. Unlike many of the constructs here, beryl golems are surprisingly intelligent at least in terms of tactics and strategy. They are given standing orders (such as "Guard this location and attack any non-serpent-folk who enter here") and will obey them but have a certain discretion about how they go about their duties.   

Descent into Avernus Homebrew #2: The Passage through the Abyss

The Passage Through the Abyss 

This was completely unexpected on my part, but there is no clearly given way for characters to get down from Elturel (floating half a mile above the surface of Avernus) down to the ground. There are the massive chains from the foundations of the city to the ground but these seem like a death trap, doing damage every turn and with the risk of falling so I’m gad my players did not try them. I actually gave them a few options including a mechanical oversized hand-glider but they came up with their own. They had already rescued Ulder Ravenguard from the Grand Cemetery chapel, and there is a portal to the Abyss, specifically to the Endless Maze, Baphomet’s layer. The PCs decided that there must be other portals from the Abyss to the surface of Avernus and they just needed to venture into the abyss and find another portal to Avernus. I was not expecting this. But at the same time I was willing to go along with it as they were clearly not confident about my giant mechanical glider.

My version of the Endless Maze is not the same as canon (there is a description of this layer in 3.5E Fiendish Codex II: Hordes of the Abyss)  but it worked well enough. The surface is a dark and foreboding forest, inhabited by fiendish dire beasts including fiendish aurochs (who the PCs mistook for gorgons - I did not bother to correct them).  Underneath the forest floor is the actual labyrinth, a classic dungeon though with more turning passageways and fewer rooms. Here is the map I did:

1 sq: 10ft

In the top right of the map is the chasm - this is the precipitous way down from the forest floor into the labyrinth proper. Although the chasm itself is extremely deep, there are  ledges about 30-50ft below the top which, as can be seen, sometimes connect to the labyrinth. The PCs rappelled their way down to the ledge and the entrance to the labyrinth. 

There was a lot of combat but not all encounters were violent. As well as dealing with minotaurs and demons as befits Baphomet’s layer of the Abyss, there were also cultists and planar creatures with specific agendas. 

In room 8 on the map there is a Molydeus demon called Falco who appears as an imposing human. He is interested in prosecuting the Blood War, so messing around with the devils of Hell and their plans to consume Elturel sounds like a good idea. He will thus offer to help the PCs navigate the maze to the exit portal. In return for this, the PCs must slay the Hezrou demon guarding an item known as the soul stone, which Falco wants to possess. I had written some lore about the soul stone being the crystallized remains of a fallen chaotic evil demigod but the PCs didn’t ask too much about it - the soul stone was just another McGuffin. Falco is aided by a chaotic evil tiefling warlock (fiend patron, level 6) called Kayaphass. Kayaphass ended up acting as local guide at Falco’s behest. 

Some monsters have been borrowed and converted from other editions (converting from 3rd edition is relatively quick and simple), particularly the Molydeus and the Ghour.  

The key to the map is summarised as:

1. 3 minotaurs
2. Gas trap - Con save DC 14 or 2d6 poison damage per turn. 
3. 3 bulezau demons
4. Kayaphass’ chamber - 6th level warlock
5. Empty
6. Empty
7. 1 Vrock
8. Falco the Molydeus demon
9. 1 Hezrou demon guarding the soul stone + treasure (10,000sp, 4,500gp, 600pp)
10. Portal to surface of Avernus + 2 minotaurs + 1 minotaur boss
11. 1 ghour demon
12. 4 bulezau demons

As it happens the PCs slew the bulezaus in room 3, the hezrou in room 9 and the minotaurs in room 10, and encountered but did not fight the vrock in room 7. I’m glad they did not find the ghour in room 11 - although it might fit thematically, it was a lot more powerful and could have ended with TPK. I may have been easy on the PCs providing them with a local guide, but I really did not have the appetite to have them getting lost in what really is an Endless Labyrinth instead of getting on with rescuing the city of Elturel. Note that the map I’ve done does have passages leading off the edges to unmapped areas. Although possible to go off this map, I’m relieved that the PCs stayed within it. Anyway the PCs passed through the portal in room 10 and found themselves on the ground level of Avernus. In the distance there was a hill shaped like a giant monstrous hand, up against which was nestled a settlement with a wall of scrap iron. Welcome to Camp Knucklebone.  

New Monsters 

The Molydeus demon is found in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes for 5E (so I won’t give its stats here), but I don’t have that book so I adapted its stats from the 3.5E book Fiendish Codex: Hordes of the Abyss (2006). Similarly the Ghour as adapted from its entry in the 3E book Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerun (2001). Both are very powerful, so I’m glad the PCs did not get into a fight with either. 

The minotaur boss is based on the standard minotaur from the 5E Monster Manual with improved hit dice and represents a tough and experienced tribal chief among minotaurs. The bulezau demons are found in the back of Descent into Avernus. 

Demon, Ghour (Huge Outsider, Chaotic Evil)
AC 25, Speed 40ft, HP 150 (12d8+96) 

Str 25 (+7), Dex 8 (-1), Con 26 (+7), Int 15 (+2), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 15 (+2)
Saves: Str & Con
Skills: Stealth
Senses: Darkvision 120ft, Tracking by scent, passive perception 15
Languages: Abyssal, Giant, Telepathy
Immunities: Poison & Electricity
Resistance: Fire, Cold, Acid, non-magical weapons

Challenge 12 (8,400xp)
Actions & Attacks:

Multi-Attack Horn & Claw 

Horn attack: melee +12 to hit for 1d8+7 piercing

Claw attack: melee +12 to hit for 2d6+7 slashing

Roar: 1/day all creatures within 30ft must make DC 15 con save or be stunned for 1d4 rnd and deafened

Breath Weapon: Noxious Gas (10ft x 10ft x 30ft long), DC 20 Dex save or 2d6 Str damage

Spell-like Abilities (DC 18 for saves): Blasphemy (at will), Chaos Hammer (at will), Deeper Darkness (at will), Greater Teleport (at will), Maze (3/day), Fear (3/day), Confusion (3/day)

Source: Monsters of Faerun (3E) (artist C. Critchlow)

Minotaur Boss (Large Monstrosity, Chaotic Evil) 

AC 16, Speed 40ft, HP 102 (12d10+36)

Str 20 (+5), Dex 10 (+0), Con 16 (+3), Int 8 (-1), Wis 16 (+3), Cha 12 (+1)

Skills: Perception (+7)

Senses: Darkvision 60ft, Passive Perception 17

Languages: Abyssal

Challenge: 5 (1800xp)

Actions/Attacks:

Greataxe: Melee +8 to hit for 2d12 slashing damage

Gore: melee +8 to hit for 2d8+5 piercing damage

Charge: If minotaur boss moves at least 10ft straight towards target and hits with gore attack, the gore does an extra 2d8 damage and target must make DC 14, Strength save or be pushed 10ft and knocked prone

Reckless: Minotaurs can gain advantage on melee attack rolls but also melee attacks against it also have advantage.  

The Shielded Fortress of Hjaal

Sketch done by passing adventurers

This ancient fortress is found in the depths of the Great Marsh of Soderfjord. It dates back to before even the Nithian Empire, and was created by the strange Mogreth reptilian culture of lizard-folk and serpent-folk. It is surrounded by a powerful forcefield, a dome about 300 yards in diameter, that acts in a similar way to a Wall of Force spell, preventing creatures from entering or leaving the dome. Unlike a Wall of Force spell, this forcefield also seems to prevent teleportation and Dimension Door spells from bypassing it.  On the perimeter of the dome are six obelisks, each about 50ft high and engraved with glowing hieroglyphs and runes. Those mages and scholars who have passed by are sure that the obelisks are involved in maintaining the forcefield, and that if the obelisks were somehow deactivated or destroyed, the forcefield would collapse and the fortress could be properly investigated. 

In fact the fortress may be of Mogreth origin but the obelisks were created by the Nithians to quarantine the fortress and prevent the creatures therein from emerging. This arrangement has held for the last two thousand years but now an ambitious chaotic sorceress wants to get inside and will do whatever it takes to seize the treasures and arcane secrets for herself. 

Naztherane and the Tablets

Naztherane  has set up camp on an island in the swamp about a mile from the fortress perimeter. After a brief attempt at brute force (using summoned water elementals, charmed hill giants and various battering rams and other devices) she realised that the obelisks could not be knocked over or undermined - they were locked in place by the forcefield they generated.. She has been deciphering the glowing hieroglyphs on the obelisks and has noticed that as well as the hieroglyphs there is also a socket in each obelisk for a tablet - magical keys for six locks as it were. She has already acquired three of the tablets which bear cartouches of the Nithian mages that established the obelisks and forcefield. That leaves three more which, according to her divination, are scattered across the Known World in places once colonised by the Nithians - one is on the Isle of Dawn, another deep beneath Minrothad City and a third one somewhere on the Thyatian island of Hattias. The first three have been acquired by a combination of archaeology (the first was in Nithian ruins in the north of Ylaruam), trading (the second was bought from a curio shop in Glantri City) and brute force (ambushing and killing treasure hunters who found the third tablet on the Karameikian coast not far from Rugalov). 

Naztherane has divined the general location of the three missing tablets and is organising expeditions led by her lieutenants and apprentices to get hold of them. If she gets hold of all six tablets she will be able to deactivate the six obelisks and the forcefield will disappear. Naztherane keeps the first three tablets in Leomund’s Secret Chest, so her camp followers can’t steal them. 

Naztherane and her followers

Naztherane: human female, Magic User 12, align Chaotic,
Str 8, Int 17, Wis 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Cha 14
Equipment: Ring of Protection +2, Bag of Holding, Spellbook, Wand of Acid Arrows (8 charges), Dagger +1, Wand of Negation (10 charges)
Naztherane will try to assess other people in the marsh (such as PCs) and will usually present herself as a neutral scholar, studying these strange obelisks and the fortress they protect. She may try to use the PCs to find the missing tablets, promising significant rewards of gold and magic items, though always accompanied by one of her apprentices to make sure the job is done. If the PCs already possess a tablet and she finds out, she will do whatever it takes to take the tablet for herself, whether it be bribery, fraud, threats or straightforward attacking the PCs  and taking it off their dead bodies (as she did it before in Karameikos).  Or she might make a deal with the PCs and then screw them over once she has the tablet. 

Zeekeel: human male, Magic User 6, align Chaotic
Str 11, Int 16, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 14, Cha 13
Equipment: Wand of Magic Missiles (15 charges), Spellbook, Dagger
Zeekeel is Naztherane's first apprentice. He is as ambitious and duplicitous as his tutor and is infatuated with her and as such is very loyal to her and a bit jealous about other apprentices. He will be protective of her around adventurers he does not trust. 

Damro: human male, Magic User 5, align Neutral
Str 8, Int 16, Wis 13, Dex 15, Con 9, Cha 9
Equipment: Spellbook, Dagger, Wand of Webs (5 charges)
Ambitious and eager to learn secrets and arcane knowledge but  he is becoming less happy with the unpleasant methods used by the group. He knows that Maygalli feels the same way but is less vocal about his concerns. 

Tannishree: human female, Magic User 5, align Chaotic
Str 10, Int 15, Wis 7, Dex 13, Con 13, Cha 10
Equipment: Spellbook, Dagger +1, Ring of Levitation
Unstable and possibly psychopatic. Naztherane views Tannishree as useful for doing dirty work such as murder and torture. Although Tannishree is ambitious, she has the attention span of a squirrel. 

Muhamrar of Ylarum: human male, Fighter 7, align Neutral
Str 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 15, Cha 14
Equipment: Scale Mail +2, Shield +1 Scimitar +1 +3 vs elementals
Muhamrar is loyal and fierce. He is nomimally a follower of the Eternal Truth but is really motivated by money, which Naztherane has promised lots of. He commands 10 warriors, his hired blades:
Hired Blade: human fighter 2, align Neutral, equipment: Scale mail, scimitar, shield, 2 javelins. 

Maygalli: human female, Cleric 6, align Neutral
Str 10, Int 12, Wis 16, Dex 8, Con 14, Cha 10
Equipment: Banded Armour +1, Mace +1, Shield, Holy Symbol, 
Maygalli worships knowledge, and reveres the Nithian deity Thoth. She wants to investigate the fortress for academic purposes and initially believed that was Naztherane's intention as well. But she is getting quite concerned with Naztherane's methods and has twice expressed worry about excessive violence and treachery. She suspects Damro feels the same way. 

Gorff: Male troll. align Chaotic. Charmed by Naztherane and completely loyal to her. Useful in dealing with other trolls and scaring away monsters of the marsh. Gorff also has some native knowledge of the surrounding marshland. 

Inside the Fortress

The Mogreth lizardfolk and serpentfolk who created this fortress used it as a major centre of military and economic activity until the collapse of the Mogreth civilization. 

Crucially this fortress also contains two magic portals to other worlds. One is to Shegdreth, the Slithering Realms, a whole world overrun by the serpent folk. The other is to an unknown world that is cold, dark and populated by undead. The Nithians tried to close or destroy these portals but could not, and found that creatures, both reptilian and undead, kept wandering out of them into the fortress. This is why the obelisks and forcefield were created - to keep the inhabitants on the other side of the portals from taking over the whole marsh and then threaten the rest of Mystara. 

Monsters found in the fortress include:

• Undead Serpentfolk
• Undead Lizardfolk, particularly Mogreth Lizard-Zombies
• Live serpentfolk and lizardfolk guarding the portal to the Slithering Realm
• Random undead creatures from portal to undead world
• Undead reptilian creatures
• Constructs including Jade Serpents, Turquoise Living Statues and Bone Rattlers

There are also various traps dotted around the fortress, especially along routes the serpentfolk anticipated intruders would follow. Some can be deactivated if the password in the old Mogreth language is spoken, but it is unlikely that random adventurers would know this unless they searched for clues elsewhere in the fortress. 

Treasure is a mixture of old Mogreth coinage and gems (the fortress was also used by the Mogreth equivalent of tax collectors), Mogreth magic items (the armour may be fitted for reptilian forms but many of the weapons and magic-user items can be used by humans) and the library. The library is not exactly a conventional treasure - it is a vast collection of papyrus scrolls that have survived for over a millenium. Only some of those scrolls are directly useable by magic users, though those that are will often have long-forgotten spells unknown to even the wizards of Glantri or Alphatia. The great majority of the scrolls are of Mogreth history, religion and culture, plus some administrative record-keeping. These are of great interest to scholars and sages, but not to most adventurers. 

Geomorphs part 3

This post is really a follow-on to the first and second posts I have done about geomorphs, and is really to expand the collection of 190ft x 190ft geomorphs that I started with those posts. I have tried to keep these geomorph tiles interesting with pits, statues, pools, secret doors and the like but at the same time I hope they are all still reusable. I'm sure that the more distinctive layouts of some of these will be recognisable to players who encounter the geomorph more than once (such as Geo17 room 1 with its 4 large pools and trap in the centre). I still hope that this will not break the verissimilitude of wandering through the composite dungeon. 

 

Law, Chaos and Further Ideas

This post is really in response to listening to the most recent episode of one of my favourite D&D Youtubers - Daddy Rolled A One. In his latest video he talks about alignment particularly in the early editions of the game and it has got me thinking about alignment, cosmic forces and related stuff in my Mystara campaign as I have been presenting it in my blog. 

As regular readers know, this campaign primarily uses the Moldvay Basic & Cook/Marsh Expert rules. As such it has generally used the single-axis three alignment system of Law, Neutrality and Chaos. Furthermore, I have already established that these are not just shorthand for behaviour but are vast cosmic forces battling for control of reality. The forces of Law and Chaos are inspired by the fiction of Poul Anderson and Michael Moorcock, and went on to influence Warhammer Fantasy as well as D&D. 

Daddy Rolled A One suggests that alignment should not be about individual behaviour and ethics but about which side you take in this cosmic struggle. Law and Chaos should be divorced from Good and Evil. This is somewhat at odds with Moldvay Basic where it says on page B11 that "Lawful behaviour is usually the same as behaviour that could be called "good"". Conversely it also says "Chaotic behaviour is usually the same as behaviour that could be called "evil".  So how do I want to handle this? 

This does bring me to various posts on this blog, particularly about the Heldannic Knights of the Iron Eagle Monastery and the theocracy in the Ylari city of Abbashan where there are NPCs who strongly believe in law and order yet are really thoroughly unpleasant to others (either subordinates or those outside their organisation). Here the Basic D&D alignment system might not seem to work, and the AD&D alignment system of Good and Evil being independent of Law and Chaos becomes very useful and I have described such NPCs as being Lawful but  in terms of AD&D they are Lawful Evil. Conversely there are NPCs and creatures that could be considered chaotic good - the creatures that are almost openly stated in the rules as being Chaotic Good are the Djinn from the Rules Cyclopedia. In the Cook Expert set they are given Neutral alignment, but in the Rules Cyclopedia they are officially Chaotic, but with the descriptive caveat that "Djinn are basically good-hearted, in spite of their Chaotic alignment". I'm sure many DMs would treat other NPCs and monsters such as Pegasi, Storm Giants, Werebears and others that are Chaotic Good in AD&D the same way - benevolent but not necessarily bothered with rules and authority.  

My way of resolving this? "Lawful behaviour is usually the same as behaviour that could be called "good"". Usually, not always. This gives me enough lee-way to argue that lawful creatures can occasionally be evil and chaotic creatures can occasionally be good. So where do they fit in the grand clash between the cosmic forces of Law and Chaos? Their alignment in terms of Law and Chaos still stands. The cosmic powers are not as worried about individual morality as some might think, as long as mortal beings are fighting for one side or the other (even if unwittingly). This goes back to the old definition of alignment - not about individual behaviour but allegience. What team are you on in this cosmic struggle?

This may result in strange and perhaps awkward team-mates. A cleric of the Church of Law fighting a cult of Chaos may well find help from a Heldannic Knight, but then be shocked when the knight executes prisoners without trial. Chaotic sylvan creatures such as satyrs might well love freedom and individuality and might be just as opposed to ugly and uncaring civilization imposing its order on their idyllic wilderness as the brutal and savage orcs, but that does not mean that the two groups get along with each other even though they are both fighting for the forces of Chaos. 

In this campaign I don't envision cosmic forces of Good and Evil like in Tolkein's Middle Earth or AD&D. These are choices for individuals. However, I do envision that a lot of creatures that are on the side of Law will have benevolent tendencies and most creatures on the side of Chaos are malevolent. Chaotic good and lawful evil are relatively rare but not impossible. In fact when they do occur, I will typically say so in their stats or descriptions. If I just say that a creature is Lawful then it is reasonable to assume I am thinking of Lawful Good or Lawful Neutral. Similarly most creatures I say are Chaotic will be effectively Chaotic Evil unless I say so otherwise. 

Just to really complicate things I could say that just because a creature is aligned to Law or Chaos does not necessarily mean their behaviour is that obvious. Chaotic creatures are capable of being logical, restrained and organised. Lawful creatures are capable of being impulsive, selfish and tempermental. The way I have envisioned Arvorians is that although they worship beings of utter Chaos and are therefore aligned to Chaos, their behaviour is closer to AD&D's idea of Neutral Evil - capable of organisation, rules and society where convenient, but devoid of compassion or empathy and relishing cruelty and power. 

So what do the forces of Law and Chaos stand for? What do their most prominent champions believe in? Here I think I will revert back to the Moldvay Basic descriptions of Law, Chaos and Neutrality. 

Law (or Lawful) is the belief that everything should follow an order and that obeying rules is the natural way of life.  Lawful creatures will try to tell the truth, obey laws, and care about all living things. Lawful creatures always try to keep their promises. They will try to obey laws as long as those laws are fair and just. 

Chaos (or Chaotic) is the opposite of Law. It is the belief that life is random, and that luck and chance rule the world. Everything happens by accident and nothing can be predicted. Laws are made to be broken as long as a person can get away with it. It is not important to keep promises and lying and telling the truth are both useful. 

Neutrality (or Neutral) is the belief that the world is a balance between Law and Chaos. It is important that neither side get too much power and upset this balance. The individual is important but so is the group; the two sides must work together.

 I am reminded that way back in the early days of this blog I wrote a post about unaligned creatures. Although I have not used that term for many years, I believe the idea that some creatures (druids, blue dragons, actaeons and the like) are deliberately neutral is entirely reasonable - such creatures will strive for balance and try to curb the excesses of both Law and Chaos.  And there is also the notion that there are many creatures that are either uncaring about Law and Chaos or even simply not aware of Law and Chaos, particularly those of such low intelligence that they cannot make ethical decisions (animals, vermin and the like are effectively unaligned). I probably won’t try to reintroduce the term Unaligned when dealing with the alignment of monsters and NPCs on this blog: I reckon I will simply describe them all as Neutral. But there is a range of attitudes within neutrality that DMs should be aware of. 

Leaders of the Arvorians

The Hierarchy of Factions

The City of Madness is the foremost city of the Arvorians, and also the city most likely to be encountered by player characters. Although the Arvorians are chaotic in many ways, they are also intelligent and realise that they need at least some stability within their cities to survive, function and work towards their long-term goals. Thus there is some social structure among this ancient and decadent race in the form of an informal hierarchy of groups.

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  The top of this pyramid is the High Council, led by the High Councillor herself. There are 13 seats on the High Council and together they resolve some (but not all) conflicts between factions or groups, and generally intervene in matters affecting the City of Madness as a whole. 
• The Noble Houses are, as the name suggests, the aristocracy among the Arvorians and their retainers and followers. They answer only to the High Council. The size of each house varies but the larger ones can command 15-20 nobles and perhaps 200-300 Arvorian troops, plus goblinoid auxilliaries. 
• The Temples are dedicated to both the Great Old Ones (unfathomable alien beings of utter Chaos) and their harbingers and intermediaries, the Scions of the Outer Dark. The vast majority of Arvorians associated with these temples are Eldritch Crusader cults, with clerical spells appropriate to their chosen patron. 
• The Arcane Schools are where Arcane knights among the Arvorians are taught about magic use. Some are independent, but others are part of noble houses or associated with temples. These arcane schools, as might be expected, are repositories of spells, magic items and erudite knowledge that human mages from Glantri or Alphatia would pay any price to get hold of. 
• The Merchant Houses are focused on trading and craftsmanship. Although most Arvorians look down on physical labour, those that do become artisans are often linked to merchant houses who can act as guilds or corporations. Merchant houses often have their own security, such as a company of mercenaries, to protect their senior staff and business interests. 
• Arcane Knight Companies are groups of Arvorian arcane knights who train to work and fight together, either using physical weapons or magic to destroy their opponents. In the City of Madness some of these companies are raised and maintained by noble houses, while others are independent and often act as mercenaries. A few are linked to a Temple, or an Arcane School.

Below these there are the common Arvorians, who have no particular claim to authority or status. Although an individual Arvorian may become skilled in combat and magic, it is by joining one of the above groups that they can acquire status and recognition among their peers. Of course these groups are more likely to recruit common Arvorians who show talent and prowess.  

Arvorians rely heavily on slavery. Most of the time these are orcs, goblins and captured humans. However, occasionally an Arvorian is reduced to a slave - to proud Arvorians this is seen as a fate worse than death. Enslaved Arvorians can expect no better treatment than a human or orc slave, and given the Arvorian propensity for cruelty and domination this is harsh indeed. 

Non Player Characters of the High Council 

Shebbrethaa Zuun the High Councillor: Female Arvorians, Chaotic, 23rd level Eldritch Crusader
Str 10, Int 19, Wis 19, Dex 13, Con 12, Cha 16
Incredibly old but kept alive and active by dark necromancy.
She remembers the fall of Arvoria and of Blackmoor thousands of years ago.
Inscrutable, dispassionate and of few words.
All fear her and most respect her. She has had philosophical and religious disagreements with Remulon but she still keeps him on the High Council. 
As the High Councillor she has the final say in any matter and keeps other council members in line (especially Remulon). 
She only intervenes if something seriously threatens her, the running of the High Council or the City of Madness as whole. 

Murlanthia Kaelex, Duchess of House Kaelex: Female Arvorian, Chaotic, 20th level Arcane Knight
Str 16, Int 18, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 14, Cha 16
Experienced ruler and politician who rules House Kaelex, the largest noble house in the City of Madness.
Focused on power struggles within the city and among Arvorians, particularly in keeping House Kaelex on top.
Not that bothered about the Scions of the Outer Dark or religious matters which annoys some council members
House Kaelex and her personal stronghold is deep within the bowels of the City of Madness.
In personal combat she prefers to fight with magic, only resorting to melee if desperate. 

Remulon Ustarres, Patriarch of the Temple of E'hillit: Male Arvorian, Chaotic, 19th level Eldritch Crusader  

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Str 18, Int 13, Wis 18, Dex 8, Con 15, Cha 17
Fanatically devoted to his patron and always pushing hard to release the scions from their imprisonment. 
One of the driving forces behind Arvorians across Norwold gathering Eldritch Crystals. 
Cares nothing for mortals. Even other Arvorians are expendable tools. 
He has had serious disagreement with some other High Council members, some of whom think he is mad. Given his patron, this may be true. 
He has plans to become a Chaos Prince which will involve driving a lot of mortals mad. He is considering how to summon an avatar of his patron E'hillit in the middle of a human city such as Alpha. 

Maedrix Shadrinn, Duke of House Shadrinn: Male Arvorian, Chaotic, 19th level Arcane Knight
Str 15, Int 19, Wis 13, Dex 12, Con 10, Cha 17
Something of an Arvorian nationalist and wants the Arvorian Empire to rise again, Perhaps with him at its head? 
Has made diplomatic efforts towards other houses within the City of Madness and even houses in other Arvorian Cities. He wants Arvorians to be united against other races, especially humans. 
He is skeptical about releasing the Scions of the Outer Dark, and will not help Remulon. This has caused tensions., 
A very capable strategist and tactician, he has led Arvorian forces to many victories. 
He sees Murlanthia Kaelex as a worthy rival and peer. 
House Shadrinn is generally considered the third most powerful noble house in the city, after House Kaelex and House Norgolreen. 

Darnisaide Kruth, Patriarch of the Temple of Tallassia: Male Arvorian, Chaotic, 21st level Eldritch Crusader
Str 10, Int 14, Wis 19, Dex 12, Con 18, Cha 18
More pragmatic than Remulon. He sees the Scions as a source of personal and political power. 
He is head of the Temple of Tallassia in the City of Madness and wants to expand its influence. 
Darnisaide is also interested in the outside world beyond the City of Madness and even beyond Norwold and the ruins of old Arvoria. 
He has sent a number of spies and scouts out and is always open to reports from Arvorian outposts and expeditions who have encountered humans, elves and the like. 
One of his spies, Akranthis, has infiltrated nearby Agthand's Bastion. Darnisaide sees the bastion itself as of little consequence, and is confident it could be destroyed with ease but he is intrigued by this Alphatia that the human wizards speak of. 

Voldenni Scarramos, Mistress of House Tashael: Female Arvorian, Chaotic, 19th level Eldritch Crusader
Str 15, Int 17, Wis 16, Dex 12, Con 10, Cha 16
Head of Merchant House Tashael, the most powerful merchant house in the City of Madness. 
She has made her fortune primarily in slavery, the main stock in trade for House Tashael.
Voldenni took over House Tashael after the unfortunate death of Master Tashael from a brief but violent illness that some say was poisoning. 
Voldenni can be horribly sadistic with slaves under her control, particularly humans. The main reason she does not cripple and kill more slaves is they then cease to be saleable. 

Nicodellios Astrollos, Master of Jade Skull School:  Lich (former male Arvorian), Chaotic, 22nd level Arcane Knight
Str 15, Int 19, Wis 14, Dex 10, Con -, Cha 12
One of several Arvorian liches to openly walk in the City of Madness. Feared by nearly all Arvorians. 
Nicodellios is believed to be about 1000 years old and he talks about the fall of Nithia as if he remembers it clearly. He will concede he is not as old as the High Councillor and she is the one council member he truly respects. 
Nicodellios is the head wizard and researcher at the Jade Skull School, an Arcane School that has stayed independent although it maintains friendly ties to House Shadrinn The school has about 80 members, including researchers, tutors and senior students. 
Nicodellios himself is a skilled alchemist and when not at the High Council or dealing with running the Jade Skull School he will spend time in his extensive alchemical laboratory deep inside the City of Madness.
The experiments he conducts in the name of research are often lethal or painful for the test subjects, of whom he requires a steady supply. He thus has an arrangement with Voldenni Scarramos for slaves to use in his experiments.