Nehirill’s Tower

 Nehirill's Tower is in the Selenica Pass, just inside the Ylari border. Although now named after its current owner, it is much older than her, constructed by a wizard of Ylaruam who wanted to conduct his research in peace but still have some connection to civilization. On the outside it is a relatively conventional if rather tall and impressive tower standing about 200ft high and with a mostly square base and tower shape. There are known to be 4 human inhabitants although nobody outside the tower knows if there are any more, human or otherwise. 

Travellers who have approached the tower have been warded off by elementals (usually earth or air), sometimes accompanied by a human mage, one of Nehirill’s apprentices. One foolish adventuring band thought that there were riches and magic in the tower to plunder, and tried fighting their way past a pack of elementals. They were stopped in their tracks by a second wave, this time of constructs including a bone golem and a pair of iron living statues. The two survivors (out of an initial six) were escorted back to the main road and informed that next time there would be no survivors. A less violent encounter was had by an enthusiastic merchant of Selenica who wanted to show the wizards her wares. She was informed by an apprentice mage (with two earth elementals at his side) that they did not conduct trade at the tower, but they would meet her at the nearby village of Orstinel if she was serious. She did stay at Orstinel for a few days before deciding her prospective customers were a no-show, and headed back to Selenica. However, before she left, she did talk to locals and found that the apprentice with a scarred face did sometimes turn up, perhaps once a month, for supplies. 

The Human Inhabitants

Nehirill

15th level magic user, human female, align Chaotic
Str 6, Int 18, Wis 10,  Dex 11, Con 13, Cha 11

Equipment: includes Dweomersilk Robe of the Arcane Scholar, Wand of Paralyzation, Dagger +2, Ring of Telekinesis + other items
Nehirill is originally from Glantri, and moved away after falling afoul of a more senior mage (an unfortunate episode involving stealing valuable spell components and attacks on each others’ apprentices). While on her way to Ylaruam she encountered Elshar who had already taken over this tower but was looking for an apprentice, and Nehirill was accepted.  Nehirill is not interested in rules or ethics, and certainly not in society or other people’s welfare. However, she is very interested in spell research as well as the construction of magical servants. Despite her alignment she is not interested in either the cosmic forces of Chaos or the associated cults - being Glantrian she considers all religions and cults to be tedious god-bothering. She simply does as she wishes, which most of the time is continuing her former mentor’s investigations into dimensional magic. She has considered dismissing her apprentices but she realises that she needs some sort of connection with humanity, and she can just about tolerate her apprentices - although there is a selection process and a number of former apprentices could not handle her. 

Vantheen

10th level magic user, human male, align Neutral

Str 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 12, Cha 14

Equipment: includes Staff of Summoning Elementals, Dweomersilk Robe of Protection +2, Wand of Illusions

Vantheen is Nehirill’s right hand man and majordomo. He ensures that things run smoothly at the tower, and is often the first to investigate intruders and visitors near the tower. He has been Nehirill’s apprentice for over 10 years and although the relationship has been strained (he is among the first to admit she can be difficult to deal with) he is still loyal and is adept at taking her behaviour in his stride. 

 

Dormith the Scarred

9th level magic user , human male, align Neutral

Str 11, Int 17, Wis 10, Dex 14, Con 13, Cha 9

Equipment: includes Libram of Golem Construction: Bone Golems, Libram of Living Statue Construction: Iron Living Statues. 

Dormith is instantly recognisable by the disfigured left side of his face, a result of an unfortunate encounter with green slime. Dormith hails from Thyatis and is an escaped slave - part of his enthusiasm in learning magic is to make sure he can defend himself from such treatment and never be a slave again. He has taken on the role of cook and provisioner, and is the most likely of the humans here to visit Orstinel, with horse and pack mule, to buy food and other supplies. As such he is also the most socially aware and despite his acid-scarred face he often gets on well with those who he does business with. 

Duggoon MacCraddock

9th level magic user, human male, alignment Chaotic

Str 14, Int 18, Wis 9, Dex 10, Con 12, Cha 13

Equipment: Wand of Magic Missiles, Ring of Protection +2, Amulet of Construct Control

Duggoon is from Glenmoorloch in Glantri and has known Nehirill for a long time, having fled Glantri together after an attempt to acquire spell components did not go to plan. He has a remarkable affinity for constructed beings, particularly golems and living statues, and Nehirill appreciates this (fewer humans for her to deal with). He understands Nehirill well, and sometimes can cope with her character quirks better than Vantheen or Dormith.  He has also helped  Vantheen deal with intruders (monstrous or humanoid),  and can bring his bone golems to assist alongside Vantheen’s elementals. 

Dimensional Magic and the Tower

Nehirill’s mentor was Elshar the Explorer, a leading researcher into Dimensional Magic, and she put this into practice in the renovation of the tower when she took it over. The first two floors are relatively conventional (for a wizard’s tower) but the higher up one goes, the stranger the architecture becomes. Selected visitors who have been allowed onto the third floor say that it is bigger on the inside than the outside while the fourth floor is utterly bizarre, with infinite staircases that loop back on themselves and gravity acting in odd directions, built with the help of a Glantrian architectural mage, Maurice Esher. In the centre is incredibly weird shifting cube that Nehirill calls a tesseract - she hopes to create a whole new laboratory based on this tesseract shape. According to Dormith (while drunk in a tavern in Orstinel) the fifth floor has numerous rooms that are actually pocket dimensions that, if in just 3 dimensions, would overlap and conflict with each other. The top floors are locked and even the apprentices are only rarely allowed in by Nehirill. Here are the World Portals, somehow made permanent by Elshar the Explorer. The exact number of portals are unknown but at least 3 have been confirmed by the apprentices, with signs over the portals bearing the names Tekumel, Kaelaross and Dying Earth. There may be many more portals as the top floors are considerably more expansive and convoluted than the outer walls of the tower would suggest. 

Player Characters and the Tower

Under normal circumstances the tower is somewhere to be left alone - Nehirill prefers it that way. However, the PCs may well want access to either things within the tower, or perhaps the portals that lead to other worlds. The two main ways through to the tower are by brute force or by negotiation: brute force would require enough combat power to overcome golems, elementals and high level mages - possible at Companion level (14th level +) but not ideal. Negotiation is far more interesting, and although Nehirill is not happy dealing with greedy, stupid adventurers, there are possible situations where she would consent. 

• Nehirill wants the adventurers to do something beyond the portals for her that she is not happy doing herself or even delegating to her apprentices. This could be something very risky, or something that mages are not good at. 
• Nehirill has gone through one of the portals and has not returned as expected. The apprentices could seek out adventurers to find and rescue or retrieve Nehirill while they maintain the tower. 
• Nehirill wants something done in the rest of Mystara (eliminating a threat from Glantri, retrieving a valuable tome from Norwold, or finding a rare spell component in Alphatia). In return she will grant the PCs a one-time use of one of the World Portals (return trip optional). 

It is unlikely that simple bribery with gold or gems will persuade Nehirill to allow adventurers in to her precious, private abode. An unexpected offer of a powerful magic item or spellbook might change her mind, but she is wary enough that unless she has dealt with these adventurers before, she won’t trust them. Approaching via an apprentice such as Vantheen is possible and the apprentices will do their own investigating and divination to assess whether the request is in good faith or treacherous. Even if Nehirill trusts the adventurers, using the world portals will not be a free gift. 

Image by M C Escher, source

Foul things under Retebius: The Two Cults of Chaos

The city of Retebius, in northeast Thyatis, is a busy city of 16,000 souls.Most of them are decent enough, law abiding and living their lives. There are of course the criminal elements, which the authorities are always trying to catch and suppress. And then there are the followers of Chaos, those who are wicked, desperate or insane enough to throw their lot in with the forces of evil and damnation. They gather around two main cults in Retebius, the Wavy Blade and the Soul Breakers.

The Wavy Blade 

The Wavy Blade has 10 members as fully dedicated cultists plus 20 hired help, and started in Retebius about 70 years ago (around the time Korobdor mansion was attacked and the survivors fled to Retebius).

The dedicated cultists are nihilistic haters of civilization and would like to see Retebius burn, as long as they don’t get caught. Caution and self-preservation are useful attributes in this secretive cult.The hired help are just greedy and cynical, and will generally do what they are paid to do. The acknowledged leader of the Wavy Blade is Zeshin Silverbrow, with Baelforg Korobdor as the deputy. They have a cell-like structure inasmuch that the hired help often only know their immediate paymasters in the cult. When all the dedicated members meet, they wear cloaks and masks, though those who have been in the cult for a while will usually find out who the others are.

In terms of monstrous muscle, the cult relies on animated dead controlled by the senior cultists. There are also a pack of harpies who do not live in the city but fly in from remote islands off the eastern coast of Thyatis. Rooftop meetings at midnight typically happen every waning crescent moon where the cultists strike deals with the harpies.

The full members of the cult are: 

• Arrafan Herria - MU4, assistant mage 
• Baelforg Korobdor - Clr5, exiled nobleman 
• Maechell - Th4, barmaid in Shield of Honour Inn 
• Mortellia Korobdor - Ftr4, exiled noblewoman 
• Reshtivan - Ftr4, adventurer and mercenary 
• Captain Ursain - Ftr5, Captain in the city guard 
• Tavronell Shorebreeze - Th5, ship’s captain and occasional pirate 
• Therabaid Bluehammer - Dw4, Jewelcrafter & member of the dwarf council 
• Tormbol Highpick - Dw4, dwarf legal clerk at law court 
• Zeshin Silverbrow - Clr6, Merchant 

All are of chaotic alignment but are capable of hiding this from casual observation - they prefer to blend in with the rest of the cityfolk.

The hired help include 7 guardsmen (courtesy of Captain Ursain), 3 members of the local thieves guild and some of the less reputable adventurers and mercenaries who hang around Retebius looking for work.

The Wavy Blade does not have a classic secret lair but uses the members’ houses instead. This is less dramatic but much more civilized and convenient. Baelforg Korobdor’s home has a locked cellar in which he has a shrine to his dark patron, and this is where both high-level discussions and nastier, more brutal rituals take place, but there is just the one room in the cellar, and no monsters or traps guarding it.

The activities of the Wavy Blade mostly revolve around undermining the city by posting notices with false accusations against lawful members of the city, by slowing down or derailing the process of justice (Tombol Highpick’s specialty) and making trade difficult and expensive. Occasionally the cult will do something drastic like assassinating an official or burning down an important building but they will always try to pin the blame on other folks (such as the thieves guild or reckless adventurers, nicknamed ‘Murder Hobos’). The Wavy Blade cultists may believe wholeheartedly in chaos and the downfall of civilization but they have no intention of dying for their cause. They will justify this to each other by saying that staying alive means they can continue to cause trouble and advance the cause of Chaos for another 70 years.

Other activities include protecting their secrecy and recruiting new members (often using the hired help status as a testing stage before becoming fully initiated). As well as contact with a band of harpies, the cultists are believed to have chaotic allies in the mountains to the north on the border with Ylaruam. 

The Soul Breakers 

Activities - Brutal murders & expanding their base in the sewers, robbery to acquire supplies & money, causing terror in townsfolk

Members - 20 members including the 5 seniors listed below, plus various monstrous allies and mercenaries.  

• Raeshad the Unforgiven (Ftr4 human male) is the most senior fighter in the cult and as such maintains command (or at least intimidation) over the other chaotic fighters. 
• Melhania the Huntress (Ftr3 human female) is the main raid leader of the cult and is most familiar with the city above ground. She occasionally travels the city in daylight, dressed as an adventurer and acting the part. 
• Orgolo the Foul (Clr5 human male) is the leader of the cult and the most powerful cleric, and is primarily responsible for animating the undead in the sewer. 
• Melbeek the Sadistic - (Clr4 human male) speaks the languages of Lizardfolk and Troglodytes, and as such is important in keeping the reptilian hired muscle under control.  
• Gemella the Brutal (Clr3 human female) is responsible for recruitment and training of new human cultists.  She is considering approaching some gladiators in the city. 

The statistics and descriptions for these villains are in a scenario I will be detailing shortly, as they have made their lair in the sewers and are usually found there.

Whereas the Wavy Blade are subtle, the Soul Breakers are violent and terrifying. They are far more likely to show their true colors and will frequently attack civilians if they can get away with it. Their general strategy is to cause panic and fear in the city of Retebius and hopefully drive the citizens away, allowing the forces of Chaos to take over the city. The human members of the Soul Breakers despise the law, and want to break it as openly and shockingly as possible - murder, robbery and arson are typical activities.

As well as human members, the Soul Breakers also have a band of troglodytes and chaotic lizardmen who live in the sewers with them, and the chief cleric Orgolo the Foul has animated various zombies and skeletons to bolster their forces, with instructions to attack any humanoids not wearing unholy symbols of Chaos. 

Events, Situations and Hooks

The remains of a junior cleric of Law are found on a rooftop. He was investigating activities of the Wavy Blade so the members asked the harpies to take care of him. However, before he died, he confided to his clerical brethren about his suspicions of a cult of Chaos in Retebius colluding with harpies and other chaotic creatures. Also witnesses did not see anything but heard strange, enchanting singing the previous night.

A human chaos cultist (a male warrior) from the Soul Breakers has been found dead in the street at dawn. His tattoos and unholy symbol clearly show his allegiance. The previous night he and two of his fellows made the mistake of trying to mug and murder Baelforg Korobdor who used chaotic clerical powers to slay this cultist and drive the other ones off. Baelforg has informed the rest of the Wavy Blade cult that he suspects another chaotic cult has set up in Retebius, though the Soul Breakers do not yet realise they have rivals already in town - they simply encountered a target who defended themselves with magic. 

A patrol of the city watch was too late to stop a citizen being murdered in an alleyway but pursued the perpetrators (who appeared human) until they lost them. As far as the city watch is concerned the assailants disappeared into thin air but one member of the pursuing watchmen reckons the murderers went down a drain into the sewers. When the officer responsible for the sewers (Corporal Mermivar) was asked, she gave assurances that the sewers were not suitable for a criminal hideout.

One of the warehouses near the docks has been looted and burned. A symbol of Chaos has been painted onto the walls in red paint, and hundreds of golds worth of merchandise stolen. This has sent the merchants into a panic, demanding that the city authorities and the city watch protect their businesses. This was actually the work of the Thieves’ Guild who are now fencing the stolen goods, in revenge for the death of one of their members at the hands of the Soul Breakers.

A fisherman rowing past the sewer outlet on a moonlit night swears he saw lizardmen emerging from the outlet. He did not stay around but rowed away as fast as possible. But that same night a farmer in a nearby hamlet says that three of his sheep were stolen, with reptilian tracks around his farmyard and heading back to Retebius.

Out of the Abyss Svirfneblin and Derro NPCs

Art by Russ Nicholson from
AD&D 1st Edition Fiend Folio

 I’ve written up the following stat blocks for Svirfneblin and Derro NPCs who are tougher, more capable or more talented than the average of their race. 

Deep Gnome Svirfneblin

The basic Svirfneblin stat block is from the 5E Monster Manual (2014) and these are my variants. 

The Burrow Warden and Burrow Warden captain are the elite soldiers and guards of deep gnome society. Although now few in numbers in Blingdenstone after the drow attack, they are recruiting new members. 

The Stonespeaker and Elder Stone Speaker are the clerics of the deep gnomes and in Blingdenstone most of them follow Entemoch. 

Svirfneblin Burrow Warden

Small Humanoid (Gnome), Neutral Good

AC 16 (Chain Mail), HP 21 (3d10+6), Speed 20ft, Base Profic Bonus +2

Str 15 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), Con 14 (+2), Int 12 (+1), Wis 10 (0), Cha 9 (-1)

Skills: Investigation +3, Perception +2, Stealth +4

Senses: 120ft Darkvision, Passive perc 12

Languages: Gnomish, Undercommon, Terran

Challenge 1 (200xp)

Stone Camouflage: Svirfneblin has advantage to Stealth checks when in stony terrain

Gnome Cunning: Svirfneblin has advantage to Intelligence, Wisdom & Charisma saves vs magic 

Innate Spellcasting: Svirfneblin can cast the following 

At Will: Non-Detection (self only)

1/day: Blindness/Deafness, Blur, Disguise Self

Gear: Chain Shirt, War Pick, Dagger, 2 poisoned darts

Actions: 

War Pick, melee attack at + 4 to hit for 1d8+2 piercing damage

Poison Dart: missile attack (range 30ft/120ft) at +4 to hit for 1d4+2 piercing and target must make DC 12 Con save or be poisoned for 1 minute

Bonus Actions: 

Second Wind. The svirfneblin burrow warden can regain 1d10+2hp, usable 1/day 

Dagger, melee attack at +4 to hit for 1d4 +2 piercing damage (offhand) 

Svirfneblin Burrow Warden Captain

Small Humanoid (Gnome), Neutral Good

AC 16 (Chain Mail), HP 52 (7d10+14), Speed 20ft

Str 15 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), Con 14 (+2), Int 12 (+1), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 10 (0)

Skills: Investigation +3, Perception +2, Stealth +4

Senses: 120ft Darkvision, Passive perc 14

Languages: Gnomish, Undercommon, Terran

Challenge 3 (700xp)

Stone Camouflage: Svirfneblin has advantage to Stealth checks when in stony terrain

Gnome Cunning: Svirfneblin has advantage to Intelligence, Wisdom & Charisma saves vs magic 

Innate Spellcasting: Svirfneblin can cast the following 

At Will: Non-Detection (self only)

1/day: Blindness/Deafness, Blur, Disguise Self

Gear: Chain Mail, War Pick, Dagger, 2 poison darts

Actions: Multi-attack - burrow warden Captain can attack twice per turn with war pick

War pick, melee attack at + 5 to hit for 1d8+2 piercing damage

Poison Dart: missile attack (range 30ft/120ft) at +5 to hit for 1d4+2 piercing and target must make DC 12 Con save or be poisoned for 1 minute

Bonus Actions: 

Second Wind. The burrow warden captain can regain 1d10+6hp, usable 1/day 

Dagger, melee attack at +5 to hit for 1d4+2 piercing damage (offhand) 

Svirfneblin Stonespeaker

Small Humanoid (Gnome), Neutral Good

AC 15 (Chain Shirt), HP 16 (3d6+6), Speed 20ft, Base Profic Bonus +2

Str 15 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), Con 14 (+2), Int 12 (+1), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 9 (-1)

Skills: Investigation +3, Perception +2, Stealth +4

Senses: 120ft Darkvision, Passive perc 12

Languages: Gnomish, Undercommon, Terran

Challenge 1 (200xp)

Stone Camouflage: Svirfneblin has advantage to Stealth checks when in stony terrain

Gnome Cunning: Svirfneblin has advantage to Intelligence, Wisdom & Charisma saves vs magic 

Innate Spellcasting: Svirfneblin can cast the following 

At Will: Non-Detection (self only)

1/day: Blindness/Deafness, Blur, Disguise Self

Clerical Spellcasting, using Wisdom (Save DC 12, +4 to hit with spells):

(spells here are the default and can be changed to other clerical spells as needed

1/turn Cantrips: Guidance, Sacred Flame, Light 

1/day 1st level: Cure Wounds, Bless, Create Water

Gear: Chain Shirt, War Pick, 2 poison darts, holy symbol

Actions: 

War Pick, melee attack at + 4 to hit for 1d8+2 piercing damage

Poison Dart: missile attack (range 30ft/120ft) at +4 to hit for 1d4+2 piercing and target must make DC 12 Con save or be poisoned for 1 minute 

Svirfneblin Elder Stonespeaker

Small Humanoid (Gnome), Neutral Good

AC 15 (Chain Shirt), HP 33 (6d6+12), Speed 20ft, Base Profic Bonus +3

Str 15 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), Con 14 (+2), Int 12 (+1), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 9 (-1)

Skills: Investigation +3, Perception +4, Stealth +4

Senses: 120ft Darkvision, Passive perc 14

Languages: Gnomish, Undercommon, Terran

Challenge 2 (450xp)

Stone Camouflage: Svirfneblin has advantage to Stealth checks when in stony terrain

Gnome Cunning: Svirfneblin has advantage to Intelligence, Wisdom & Charisma saves vs magic 

Innate Spellcasting: Svirfneblin can cast the following 

At Will: Non-Detection (self only)

1/day: Blindness/Deafness, Blur, Disguise Self

Clerical Spellcasting, using Wisdom (Save DC 12, +5 to hit with spells):

(spells here are the default and can be changed to other clerical spells as needed)

1/turn Cantrips: Guidance, Sacred Flame, Light 

1/day 1st level: Cure Wounds, Bless, Create Water

2nd level: Hold Person, Prayer of Healing, Silence

3rd level: Dispel Magic, Daylight, Meld Into Stone

Gear: Chain Shirt, War Pick, 2 poison darts, holy symbol

Actions: 

War Pick, melee attack at + 5 to hit for 1d8+2 piercing damage

Poison Dart: missile attack (range 30ft/120ft) at +5 to hit for 1d4+2 piercing and target must make DC 12 Con save or be poisoned for 1 minute 

Derro

Derro don’t really have a society, more of a mob mentality twisted by various forms of insanity. The basic derro is described on p224 of Out of the Abyss, and their sorcerous spellcasters, the Derro Savants, are on p225. The Derro Stabber and Derro Murderer here are talented in stealth and ambush tactics rather than sorcery, and will try to sneak attack any opponents. They have no formal training, but hone their vicious skills by trial and error, and by killing anyone they think they can get away with. 

Derro Stabber 

Small Humanoid (derro), Chaotic Evil

AC 13 (leather armour & dex bonus), HP 13 (3d6+3), Speed 30ft, Basic Profic Bonus +2

Str 9 (-1), Dex 14 (+2), Con 12 (+1), Int 11 (0), Wis 5 (-3), Cha 9 (-1)

Skills: Stealth +6

Senses: Darkvision 120ft, passive perc 7

Languages: Dwarvish, Undercommon

Challenge: ½  (100xp)

Insanity: Derro has advantage on saves vs charmed or frightened

Magic Resistance: Derro has advantage on saves against spells & magical effects

Sunlight Sensitivity: Derro has disadvantage on attack rolls and perception checks while in sunlight

Sneak Attack: Once per turn if derro stabber has advantage on to hit roll or an ally of the derro is within 5ft of target and the derro stabber does not have disadvantage, it can do extra 2d6 damage (same damage type as weapon being wielded), 

Gear: Leather armour, shortsword, light repeating crossbow, 10 bolts

Actions:

Shortsword: melee attack at +4 to hit for 1d6 +2 piercing damage

Light Repeating Crossbow: Ranged attack (40ft/160ft) at +4 to hit for 1d8 +2 piercing damage

Bonus Action: Cunning Action. Derro stabber can take a bonus action to make a dash even if in combat, or to Disengage. 

Derro Murderer

Small Humanoid (derro), Chaotic Evil

AC 14 (leather armour & dex bonus), HP 27 (6d6+6), Speed 30ft, Basic Profic Bonus +3

Str 10 (0), Dex 16 (+3), Con 12 (+1), Int 11 (0), Wis 5 (-3), Cha 9 (-1)

Skills: Stealth +9

Senses: Darkvision 120ft, passive perc 7

Languages: Dwarvish, Undercommon

Challenge: 2  (450xp)

Insanity: Derro has advantage on saves vs charmed or frightened

Magic Resistance: Derro has advantage on saves against spells & magical effects

Sunlight Sensitivity: Derro has disadvantage on attack rolls and perception checks while in sunlight

Sneak Attack: Once per turn if derro murderer has advantage on to hit roll or an ally of the derro is within 5ft of target and the derro stabber does not have disadvantage, it can do extra 3d6 damage (same damage type as weapon being wielded) , 

Gear: Leather armour, shortsword, light repeating crossbow, 10 bolts

Actions:

Shortsword: melee attack at +6 to hit for 1d6 +3 piercing damage

Light Repeating Crossbow: Ranged attack (40ft/160ft) at +4 to hit for 1d8 +3 piercing damage

Bonus Action: Cunning Action. Derro murderer can take a bonus action to make a dash even if in combat, or to Disengage.