Scenario #8: The Lost Forge of Power

 

Art by Larry Elmore from Companion Rules

This is a short adventure for a party of characters of levels 5-7 set in Rockhome.

A forge of power is a dwarven artifact that both offers clerical magic and also greatly assists dwarven smiths in forging magic weapons, armour and other mystic items such as the fabled Dwarven Lens. They are rare, and greatly sought after. In Rockhome there are seven great clans of dwarves - all but one have their own forges of power - only the Wyrwarf clan lacks one. Although a forge of power is not the defining point of whether a clan of dwarves is recognised as such, it certainly improves their standing and reputation. The Wyrwarf clan leaders feel they ought to have one, if only to shut up the more haughty clans such as Torkrest and Burhrodar. 

Thus when old archives were rediscovered in a forgotten basement in Dengar (the dwarves' capital city) that pointed to a forge of power last claimed by a clan over 570 years ago, the members of Wyrwarf knew they needed to act before the forge's location became widely known. The clan seniors are looking for a team of adventurers find this Forge of Power and claim it for the Wyrwarf Clan. The Lost Forge is located in the southwest mountains of Rockhome near the source of the Evemur River and about 30 miles southwest of Karrak Castle. 

There are other motives for investigating this location besides the ambitions of the Wyrwarf Clan: Firstly local cults of chaos and chaotic humanoids have been wielding surprisingly good quality weapons and armour of dwarvish craftsmanship - disrupting their supply of equipment would reduce their ability to attack civilised folk. Secondly a dwarf expert smith by the name of Barador was kidnapped from Torrak Sorros about a month ago and the captors and poor Barador were seen heading northeast. Retrieving him alive would earn favour with the dwarves of Torrak Sorros. 

Here I am only going to detail the level with the actual forge. Other levels, such as a surface level with ruins exposed to the weather or an upper dungeon level could be added by DMs if they wish.  I will assume that the PCs only find a large set of double doors set into the mountainside, with stairs leading down to area #1. 

1. Entrance and Trading Hall: Empty apart from smashed market stalls. This is where traders would come and sell iron ore and coal, and buy finished iron items. 
2. Guard Post: 3 Chaos Dwarf Guardians have their quarters here. 
3. Empty
4. Iron Ore stores. This room contains a pair of average-sized hellhounds who are in league with the chaos dwarfs. Also this room contains large piles of iron ore - to the untrained eye it looks like large piles of dull grey rocks but those who know mining and metallurgy will recognise haematite. 
5. Smelting Furnaces: This room is dominated by two huge furnaces, each about 15' across and still burning hot. This is because each one contains a captive fire elemental (AC 2, Mv 120', HD 8, hp 36, THAC0 13, Att 1 fiery fist for 1d8, Save F8, Ml 12, Align Neutral, XP 1200, magic weapons needed to hit, immune to fire damage) . Also in this room are 4 chaos dwarf smiths who will attack intruders. If the fight is not going the chaotic dwarves way they may get desperate enough to unleash the elementals from their furnaces - each furnace has a large door on the side that can be opened if needed.There is also a chest here that contains various semiprecious stones found by the dwarf workers as they break up the ore before feeding it into the smelters. The chest contains 95 gems that are on average worth 50gp (4750gp for whole chest), and are a mix of Dioptase, Citrine and Zircon (roll 2d4 x10gp for value of any one gem). 
6. Forge worker's quarters: This room has 4 beds and a table with chairs. The forge workers are in room 5. 
7. Jail cell: This room is locked from the outside and contains a dwarf, Barador (AC 9, Mv 60', HD Dw3, hp 4 (normally 12), THAC0 17, Att 1 fist for 1, Save Dw3, Ml 5, Align Neutral, XP 75). He is unarmed and seriously weakened. He is being held by the chaos dwarves because of his knowledge of smelting and smithing and they have tortured him for it. If rescued and returned to a normal dwarf settlement he will offer to become the PCs' own blacksmith (as a hireling but for half usual pay).  
8. Slag heap. In this room there is a starving rust monster.(AC2, Mv 120', HD 5, hp 10 (25 when fully fed), THAC0 15, Att 1 feeler for special, Save F5, Ml 12, Align Neutral, XP 300, Rusting attack: Any character that is hit by a rust monster's feeler will have one metal item (armour, weapon or shield) instantly corrode and disintegrate. Magic items have a 10% chance per "+" of avoiding this effect, and if they do not, rather than instantly disintegrating the item loses a + until it becomes a non-magical item that the rust monster will destroy with its next hit)  It has been surviving on scraps of iron discarded along with the slag (the waste matter from smelting). It will attack anyone wearing metal armour. The slag heap itself is just pale gray rubble like crumbly concrete. 
9. The Forge of Power. This room is dominated by the great forge ensconced into the east wall with elaborate and ancient carved stones, still roaring away. There are also 3 anvils set into the floor and many blacksmithing tools lying around including hammers, tongs and punches . In here are 3 chaos dwarf smiths, assisted by an iron living statue . 
10. Master smith's quarters: Here is Volshrok, master of these chaotic dwarves, and he will attack intruders without hesitation: AC 2, Mv 60', HD Dw6, THAC0 13, Att 1 battleaxe +1 for 1d8+3, Save Dw6, Ml 11, Align Chaotic, XP 350, equipment: Dwarf-sized Plate Mail +1, Battleaxe +1. He also has a box of treasure under his bed which holds 2500sp, 1200gp, 360pp and, most valuable of all, 7 ingots of pure Mithril worth 1000gp each (weighing 50 coins each). 
11. Coal and Charcoal store. There is over a ton of  fuel piled up on the floor here, some in burlap sacks, the rest just loose on the flagstones.
12. Food stores & dining area: This room has no monsters but has a table with 6 chairs around it, all at dwarf height. At the east end of the room are piles of boxes and barrels with various edible provisions - the equivalent of 30 standard ration meals. There are some cooking pots, and the dwarves use the Forge of Power as an oversized stove. 
13. Junior Smith's quarters: This room holds 2 chaos dwarf smiths plus 1 chaos dwarf guardian, as well as 5 beds
14. Quenching Room: This room is where red-hot iron and steel is plunged into the central cooling pool in the middle. This is filled with dirty water and is 5' deep, with a 2' high stone wall around the rim. In here are 2 chaos dwarf smiths and a pet hellhound of average size.
15. Finishing Workshop: Around the walls of this room are large workbenches laden with whetstones, grinding wheels, leather and leatherworking tools for handles, tree branches and carpentry tools for hafts. This room is well lit thanks to a Continual Light spell in the centre of the ceiling. There are 3 chaos dwarf smiths and 2 chaotic dwarf cultists (chaotic dwarf clerics) (AC 4, Mv 90', HD DwC3, hp 10, THAC0 18, Att 1 warhammer for 1d6 or spell, Save Dw3, Ml 10, Align Chaotic, XP 75, equipment: dwarf-sized chain mail, warhammer, shield, unholy symbol, 20gp each, spells: Cure/Cause Light Wounds, Light/Darkness) 
16. Workers' quarters: There are no monsters here, just 4 beds. 
17. Shrine of Chaos: This room is dominated by a mural of a strange fiery demonic figure with dwarves bowing down before it. This is the quarters of the Chaos Dwarf Curate (AC 1, Mv 90' HD DwC5, hp 19, THAC0 16, Att 1 mace+1 for 1d6+2 or spell, Save Dw5, Ml 11, Align Chaotic, XP 300, equipment: dwarf-sized Plate Mail +1, mace+1, shield, unholy symbol. Spells: Hold Person, Bless/Blight, Cure/Cause Light Wounds, Detect Magic). He has a bed beneath which is a loose flagstone. Lifting up the flagstone reveals a small hole containing a sack with the curate's treasure: 2600gp and 600pp
18. Finished Items Storage. This room is guarded by an iron living statue and a chaos dwarf guardian. It contains an unusual treasure - a large stash of finished and saleable weapons and suits of metal armour arranged on wooden racks as found in the table below
    

    Type	Quantity	Value each	Total value (gp)
    Battleaxe	20	7	140
    Mace	8	5	40
    Metal Shield	15	10	150
    Dwarf-sized Chain Mail	5	40	200
    Dwarf-sized Banded Armour	3	50	150
    Dwarf-sized Plate Mail	4	60	240
    Shortsword	10	7	70
    Normal Sword	6	10	60
    Hand Axe	10	4	40
    Warhammer	10	5	50
    Dagger	5	3	15
    		Grand total	1155

Commonly used stats

Chaos Dwarf Guardian: AC 2 (Plate mail), Mv 60', HD Dw5, hp 27 , THAC0 15  Att 1 battleaxe for 1d8+1, Save Dw5,Ml 10, Align Chaotic XP 225 Equipment: dwarf-sized plate mail, battleaxe, 2d6pp

Chaos Dwarf Smith: AC 5, (chain mail), Mv 90'. HD Dw3, hp 16, THAC0 17, Att 1 hammer for 1d6_1, Save Dw3, Ml 9, Align Chaotic, XP 75,  Equipment: dwarf-sized chain mail, warhammer, 3d6gp

Hellhound (average): AC 4, Mv 120', HD 4, hp 18, THAC0 16, Att 1 bite for 1d6 or breath weapon, Save F4, Ml 9, Align Chaotic, XP 125, Breath Weapon: Hellhound can breathe fire at an opponent for 4d6 fire damage, range 10', usable on 1-2 on d6 each round. Successful save vs dragon breath halves damage. 

Iron Living Statue AC 2, Mv 30', HD 4, hp 20, THAC0 16, Att 2 fists + special for 1d8/1d8, Save F4, Ml 12, Align Neutral, XP 125  Metal absorption: If a character hits the iron living statue with a non-magical metal weapon, the character must make a save vs spells or else the weapon is partially absorbed by the statue, and cannot be used again until the living statue is killed

Southwest Rockhome

Southwest Rockhome is similar to other parts of the dwarven realm - settlements in lowlands near the lake, surrounded by mountains that according to the gazetteer map seem devoid of interesting sites. However, as I concluded with Karameikos, an absence of interesting sites on an official map does not mean there is nothing there, only that it is up to the DM to decide what places there are to be discovered. 

Greenston (population 6000 and detailed here) and Evemur (population 12,000) are both substantial towns - Evemur is close to being a small city, and the fertile lowlands outside both their walls are put to good use by farmers. Karrak Castle (pop. 2500) stands guard over the main road into Makistan and then into the rest of Ylaruam. The Darokin Tunnel runs from the hills outside Greenston all the way across the border into Darokin, emerging in the mountains near to Fort Hobart, not far from both the dreaded Orclands and Alfheim.

My ideas for the area

Map based on original cartography by Thorfinn Tait (source)

Note that the dwarf strongholds have the title Torrak - this is from the dwarf language section in Gaz6, combining the dwarf word Tor (for strong) and Rak (castle) and is a common word to describe dwarf strongholds.

Agate Delve is a large cavern inhabited by a family of stone giants. They leave other creatures alone, but their home is littered with semiprecious agate stones, thus making it a tempting target for thieves and other trespassers. The stone giants consider Agate Delve to be an ancestral home and should be respected - thieves are dealt with harshly. There are also lone stone giants in the area who occasionally visit Agate Delve. Right at the back of Agate Delve there is said to be a crystal cave with a portal to the Elemental Plane of Earth. 

Dalsorris Tower: This is a wizard tower built on top of an abandoned dwarf stronghold. The human wizard, Dalsorris, is still very active, and will regularly patrol around his lair mounted on a griffon. He is territorial and does not like intruders but otherwise leaves dwarves and other folk alone. Dalsorris is something of an enigma - nobody knows why a human wizard has settled here or where he is from, or what he is doing. 

Geth-Orggor is a large limestone cave-system that has been taken over by a tribe of 20 hill giants and 50 ogre followers. Dwarves give this location a wide berth as the giants and ogres attack dwarves on sight. An armed expedition to drive out the giants and ogres has been suggested several times but never actually carried out. Scouts have reported the giants have domesticated some dire wolves and brown bears.   

The Lost Forge is where a Forge of Power, unclaimed by any clan, lies forgotten 

Torrak Halstoron: This is an abandoned stronghold that used to hold 200 dwarves of the Bluehammer family. However, about 50 years ago it was infiltrated by a cult of chaotic dwarves who tried to murder the leaders and enslave the rest. Many of the family heads were killed but most of the dwarves escaped to Greenston. Reclaiming Halstoron would be an admirable task. Torrak Halstoron is haunted by dwarven spirits, not malevolent undead but the trapped souls of dwarf citizens who were murdered by treacherous chaotic dwarves. They can be laid to rest by giving their mortal remains a proper dwarven burial. 

Torrak Sorros: This dwarf stronghold has 250 members of the Gneisscracker family and unusually also 150 gnomes. They are nominally loyal to the Torkrest clan but are quite slow in paying taxes and fealty to the clan chiefs. 

Torrak Tellis: This dwarf stronghold is home to the Copperhelms, a family nearly 300 strong and loyal to the Torkrest clan. They are renowned for the quality of their crossbows and ballistas which they sell at a premium price. Some of their crossbows are enchanted. 

Torrak Trugdon: This is set into the walls of the river valley and includes an outside village with a stone wall. The family here, the Hornhelm, is part of the Wyrwarf clan and has 270 members. Living with them in the surface village are 120 humans and 50 halflings. They specialise in farming and herding sheep and goats. Although the meat, cheese, leather and wool they provide is appreciated by other dwarves, their professions are not considered to be traditionally dwarvish. 

Image by Chris-Karbach, source

Torrak Veig: This dwarf stronghold is home to the Grayquartz family who have specialised in both mining coal (very useful for smelting metals as well as cooking food and keeping homes warm) and brewing malt beer. The stronghold has 160 members and all are loyal to Syrklist Clan.

Zepharan's Roost: Zepharan is the dwarven name to a large red dragon that has made his lair here. Although several ventures to slay the dragon and loot his gold have been launched, none have been successful and only a few badly burnt survivors returned. They say he has a number of hellhounds guarding his lair, but his wealth is truly astonishing. 

Zugguth Peak: This is a goblin stronghold dug deep into a mountain top. They have excavated extensive warrens and the approach to the top is littered with rubble from their digging. Nobody knows exactly how many goblins there are but they are skilled at constructing traps including hidden pits and tripwires unleashing poisoned darts. It is believed the goblin tribal leader is in contact with important warlords in the Broken Lands and the Orclands. 

Koriszegy Keep

 

art by andreasrocha, source

Official Version

Koriszegy Keep is only one of two ruins to be described in Gaz1: The Grand Duchy of Karameikos, making it one of the few official dungeons to exist in the Grand Duchy. In the Gazetteer it gets a short write-up.

"Koriszegy Keep: One of the famous haunted places of Karameikos is Koriszegy Keep, which was once the seat of power of the Traladaran Koriszegy family. As legend has it, some 200 years ago a great calamity befell the Koriszegys, breaking down their walls and destroying their family, and people who wander too close to the ruin often disappear. The legend is true; those centuries ago, the head of the family tried to forge a pact with evil forces and, for his trouble, was changed into a vampire - but cursed so that he could never leave his own castle for more than a day."

 The gazetteer goes on to detail 8 areas on two simple maps. 

This Blog's Version

In my version of Mystara I will keep the background but expand the site so that it becomes a proper dungeon. 

The vampire is Baron Balthazo Koriszegy, and as the gazetteer says, he tried to make a pact with dark forces of Chaos. In his arrogance he demanded more power than would be offered to chaos warriors, chaos clerics or twisted summoners. He thought that as the ruler of south-western Traldar he should be entitled to becoming a Chaos Prince. The powers of Chaos had a different opinion. 

As he was transformed into a vampire, a massive lightning storm erupted over the castle, shattering walls, turrets and windows. In his rage and frustration of what was happening to him the newly vampiric Balthazo Koriszegy went on a bloodthirsty rampage through the castle, killing all those who did not flee. He slew his own wife and eldest son, while his two young daughters escaped with their nanny to the relative safety of Luln. It is believed they renounced the Koriszegy name and thus the lineage ended. 

In matters of architecture Koriszegy Keep has been left in ruins. As well as the main keep there is an outer wall with various towers and turrets and a gatehouse, all of which are in serious disrepair. Although some of them still have roofs, Balthazo does not consider these outer buildings sufficient shelter from sunlight, and only visits them at night. The main keep is still intact below the uppermost floor and sunlight cannot reach the first three storeys. Beneath the keep there are the dungeons, excavated by animated undead under the direction of the Baron after his transformation. 

Baron Balthazo Koriszegy is quite mad and perpetually dreams of conqering southern Karameikos, which he sees as reclaiming his original lands and maybe adding some more by right of conquest. Those who dispute his claim or point out that he is trapped in his castle will provoke a murderous rage. At other times he is consumed by a deep melancholy and self-loathing for what he did to his loved ones and his current predicament. He wanders the dungeons and at night the parapets of the keep muttering and berating himself. His attitude towards visitors is normally paranoid defensiveness combined with a thirst for blood - he generally attacks first and asks questions (usually to himself) later. There are occasions when he actually wants to talk to mortals, usually for information or some transaction: companionship no longer interests him. During such meetings he can maintain a veneer of aristocratic respectability and decorum for a while but he finds this difficult to maintain as the night draws on. More than two hours in the company of mortals and he starts twitching and salivating, trying to keep his savage impulses under control. 

However, as the gazetteer mentions he cannot be away from Koriszegy Keep when dawn comes - he must sleep in his own home during the day. It is a compulsion similar to a Geas spell that he must obey and if he is visiting a nearby town during the night, he will always depart with enough time to reach his home before dawn. Luln, Radlebb Keep and Fort Doom are all within a night's travel but Specularum and Threshold are safe from his visits. He tends to feed once per month, and may either visit one of the nearby settlements, or snatch travelling victims off the road. His resting place within the keep is the family crypt where his main coffin is inside a stone sarcophagus with a stone lid that requires a combined strength of 19 to move. There is also a small hole in the side of the sarcophagus and the baron can get through this either in bat form or in gaseous form. He also has back-up coffins stashed around the keep and dungeon in case the crypt is discovered by his enemies. 

He has minions, both living and undead. He has not yet created any other vampires but his family slain during his initial rampage have become wraiths, haunting the keep and seeking targets to vent their pain and despair. Many of his faithful servants have become ghouls while his guards have become wights. Nobody is sure why he has not created new vampires from his victims. Perhaps he does not want any rivals, only lesser undead as servants, or maybe there is an aspect of the curse that means unlike normal vampires he cannot infect others with the curse of vampirism.  He has used his necromantic magic to animate various skeletons and zombies including some types not seen before.  

He has a few human followers who act as his agents and spies in living settlements such as Luln and Radlebb Keep who report to him, though only briefly (they know he starts getting hungry after more than an hour in the presence of fresh blood). He also has a loose alliance with a band of werewolves that live in the local woods. Their ability to appear human during the day makes them useful for infiltrating villages and towns. However, they can be rebellious and argumentative, so the Baron keeps them at arm's length. They are also aware that Baron Koriszegy is not entirely sane, and although they go along with his fantasies of conquest, they are well aware this will not actually happen.

In terms of combat stats there are several options:

• The Basic D&D option which has just one stat block for vampires, and Baron Koriszegy conforms to the statistics for a standard vampire. 
• AC 2, HD 9**, Mv 120'/Fly 180', Att 1 touch  + special, Damage 1d10+ energy drain, Save F9, Ml 11, Align C, XP 2300, spec abil: 
• polymorph to bat or wolf at will, 
• gaseous form, 
• attack drains 2 levels per hit, 
• immune to non-magical weapons, 
• Charm Person as gaze attack at -2 to save vs spells
• Summon Bats, Giant Bats, Rats, Giant Rats, Wolves & Dire Wolves (each once per day) 
• regenerate 3hp/rnd, forced into gaseous form at 0 hp
• undead immunities (immune to mind-affecting spells, poison, disease & death magic)
• The AD&D option which allows certain vampires to retain spellcasting abilities they had in life. If this is the case, Baron Koriszegy has the spells of a 10th level magic user, but otherwise uses the stats given above.
• The Van Richten option, which draws from the 2nd Edition AD&D book Van Richten's Guide to Vampires where the older the vampire is, the more powerful it gets. At over 200 years old, Baron Koriszegy would be considered to be in the Old category. Stats would be AC 2, HD 10+2,  Mv 150'/fly 180', Att 1 touch  + special, Damage 1d10+ energy drain, Save F10, Ml 11, Align C, XP 2300, +2 or better magic weapons to hit, special abilities as above. He also casts spells as a 10th level magic user. 

art by Bill Willingham

From Mystara to Tekumel: B/X Adventures in the Empire of the Petal Throne

I am aware that this blog is focused on Basic & Expert D&D and the world of Mystara (the Known World from the Expert set) so I will try to make this post a one-off. 

I reckon that the original Empire of the Petal Throne (EoPT) rules are close enough to B/X that it does not take much to convert or mash-up the two sets of rules. They are both derived from Original D&D, and as such have stats such as descending AC, Hit Dice, movement. I myself have the magenta rulebook (pictured above) so I will be working from that as the EoPT rules. 

Character classes in EoPT are Warrior, Magic User and Priest - these can considered equivalent to the Fighter, Magic User and Cleric classes of B/X. However, the treatment of spells is quite different. Here in EoPT rather than memorising and preparing spells in a Vancian way, priests and MUs have skills.  These are far fewer in number than B/X spells, though they are mostly usable once per day, becoming reusable after a rest. These skills are (in order of escalating power):

Magic User:

• Control of Self
• Illusion
• Clairaudience
• Clairvoyance
• Telekinesis
• Astrology
• Medium
• Nature Control
• Necromancy
• Control Underworld Creatures
• The Gray Hand

Priest:

• Know Two Modern Languages
• Know Two Ancient Languages
• Production of Light
• Detect Good/Evil
• Cure Light Wounds
• ESP
• Telepathy
• Protection From Evil/Good
• Cure Serious Wounds
• Control Person
• Remove Curse
• Revivify

Then there are the Bonus Spells, and I believe that priests and MU share the same list of bonus spells, split up into 3 groups of escalating power. How the DM wants to handle this is up to them. Personally I would ignore the skills-based magic of EoPT and give spellcasters of Tekumel the Vancian spells of B/X. Although this is quick and easy, I admit one loses some of the EoPT flavour. Perhaps some of the skills and bonus spells could be converted into B/X spells?

Thieves are conspicuous by their absence in EoPT. Are they just hiding in the shadows? Personally I would allow thieves to operate within Tekumel as normal. However, they are socially and legally in a tenuous position, so they do not make their presence known to the authorities and keep their activities as discrete as possible. They operate from the shadows, both figuratively and literally. Nonetheless I can see other DMs disallowing thief characters in order to maintain the Tekumel flavour.

Non-human races is where things get rather weird. Tekumel is intended as a deliberate break from the traditional inspirations of D&D. There are no dwarves, elves or halflings - instead there are a variety of alien races, ranging from the vaguely humanoid (Pygmy folk, Hlutrgu) to the utterly bizarre (Ahoggyas). From what I can tell, there are no rules for players to use these alien races as PCs. Although outside the scope of this post, I am sure it is possible to create rules to use them. Since B/X uses race-as-class, I would suggest that each race that the DM approves of should be given its own class. In fact, such races need not be limited to just one class - my own variation of B/X gives elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings a spell-casting class and a non-spellcasting class each. However, for a brand new world I would not try to introduce a whole slew of classes at once but perhaps create and introduce them one at a time perhaps testing them out as NPCs before allowing players to use them as PCs. 

Alignment is close to B/X D&D, with Stability and Change replacing Law and Chaos, and each side having 5 greater gods and 5 lesser gods.This shows the common roots of these games in OD&D.  Treating Law as Stability and Chaos as Change should be feasible. I get the impression that while Change definitely has evil tendencies, Stability is not always as benevolent as B/X Law - in AD&D terms Change is Chaotic Evil, while Stability is more Lawful Neutral. 

Movement is measured in inches, which hark back to OD&D's origins as an offshoot of Chainmail wargaming rules, and thus the measurement in inches would be on a tabletop with miniatures, not in the game world. But this can easily be multiplied by 10 to get the B/X movement in feet/yards.

Saving throws are against four categories:

• Poison
• Spells
• Paralysis/Hypnosis
• Eyes (see below)

These have some equivalence with B/X although fudging with unusual cases may be required. 

There are other rules, the majority of which are close enough that conversion should not be a problem.

The World of Tekumel 

Tekumel is alien and bizarre, in its wildlife, its culture, its languages, its architecture and so many other aspects. As I mentioned before, it is a deliberate avoidance of the Tolkein-based tropes and archetypes that had already (1975) become well-established in D&D. No Greek, Norse, Celtic or Egyptian mythological creatures such as dragons, centaurs, goblins or medusae. Instead Tekumel is an alien planet, settled by humans millenia ago and then catapulted out of Earth's universe into a different universe where magic works. There is a gradual shift between the earth-based species introduced by humans and the native wildlife, a sort of ecological war of attrition. 

Getting there is up to the DM, but there are various methods, including Spelljamming, World Portals, being transported by curses or Wish spells. 

Mundane equipment that new adventurers might buy is quite different due to the absence of iron, bronze or other metals Instead arms, armour and tools are fashioned from Chlen hide, great armoured beasts domesticated by humans.

Magic items have a different range and include magical books (not listed in B/X but touched on in AD&D) and Eyes (small, gem-like devices that offer a particular effect each, such as the Eye of Aerial Excellence that allows the user and some companions to fly). 

 Language is one area that I am not brave enough to delve into fully. The author, MAR Barker, like JRR Tolkein, used his fantasy setting as a basis for an entire fantasy language, Tsolyani. I admit that I just use it for proper names (individuals, settlement names etc) and alien species. Mind you, I suspect most fans of Tolkein are not fluent in Elvish. Barker also devised Tsolyani script, the fictional world's alphabet, which I am not going to learn, but it definitely adds to the world's sense of depth and otherness. 

Dungeons and the Underworld in Tekumel have a unique premise that I like but is difficult to implement in Mystara. Every few centuries, cities in the Empire of the Petal Throne are expected to undergo a process of Dintlana, or Renewal. This involves covering over the entire surface of a city and building on top of the covered remains. Although the lower buildings and their cellars and basements are supposed to be filled in, this is not always done properly, and chambers are buried deeper and deeper as the centuries and millenia progress. 

Culture is very much centred on tradition, rituals and rigid social structure of great and ancient empires (which fits in with the alignment system of Stability vs Change), the greatest of which is Tsolyanu, the titular Empire of the Petal Throne. It is loosely inspired by various Meso-American (who also did not use iron until Europeans came along) and south Asian cultures but then very much goes off in its own direction. 

Monsters include unique types of undead, as well as weird and inhuman intelligent races and animals, few of which resemble species on Earth (and then it is probably coincidence). Demons are mentioned but not really described though I'm sure a motivated DM could introduce them with appropriate stats. Turning undead is not mentioned as far as I can tell, so whether B/X clerics can have any effect on Tekumel undead is up to the DM. 

Clearly I have only given the briefest glimpse of this vast and fascinating world. Much more information is available both in the published game books available on DriveThruRPG, and  the Tekumel Foundation, as well as fan-generated material on the web. 

As far as this blog is concerned, I probably won't do more articles about EoPT/Tekumel - there is plenty of scope for more material, adventures and grand vistas on Mystara But as far as I cam concerned Tekumel is still in the same fictional multiverse as Mystara, and if your players are getting bored with the same old dwarves, elves and goblins, you can shake things up by dropping them into the great city of Jakalla with its sprawling underworld beneath. 

Art by Jeff Dee, source

 

The Abandoned Palace of Al'Jaboorzi

artist unknown, source

This massive edifice was once the palace of a powerful but frivilous emir who spent his realm's wealth creating this palace in the middle of the desert. Al'Jaboorzi may have been the legitimate ruler of Abbashan but he was by no means a good ruler - this now-crumbling manse stands as testimony to his foolishness. 

The palace is located about half-way between Abbashan and Jaboor in the Emirate of Abbashan and was constructed between 805AC and 817AC, It was an active, thriving palace for only 10 years before being caught between a three-way battle between the forces of Al-Kalim on their war of conversion and conquest, Thyatian forces trying to hold onto their territories and Alphatian raiders just trying to cause havoc. There were running skirmishes through magnificent halls, luxurious dining rooms and once-peaceful courtyards. Soldiers charged, mages cast powerful spells and clerics healed the injured and joined in with the melee, while palace servants ran for their lives. After several weeks the palace was partially looted by the various forces and then abandoned, leaving the dead where they lay.

Various groups have moved in and tried to claim ownership of the palace, but it is so vast and sprawling that it would take a regiment to properly occupy and control this ruin. The Whip-scorpion Raiders, a band of human bandits and brigands have made the northwest corner their base. This has one major asset - a well for drinking water, and the Whip-Scorpions guard it jealously. These bandits will raid caravans and travellers between Jaboor and Abbashan. Interestingly they have occasionally traded some of their water if force of arms is not appropriate for dealing with others. Also some regularly disguise themselves as normal traders and travel in pairs to both Abbashan and Jaboor to gather information. 

Higher up, in the towers and minarets, a necromantic priest of Chaos is believed to have re-animated and summoned various types of undead, including those slain during the palace's demise. Anyone venturing higher than the 5th floor will encounter skeletons, zombies and even skeletal giant rats. Lower down in the southwest corner there are a number of gnoll bands that have formed a loose coalition, though given their in-fighting they cannot be considered a single group.  They hate and despise all humans and will skirmish with the Whip-Scorpion Raiders. 

There are many parts of the palace that are left to vermin and wildlife, as well as strange monsters that have wandered in. One of the minarets has become the lair to a family of desert wyverns (slimmer, pale brown but mostly the same as normal wyverns) that roam the desert looking for sheep, camels and the occasional lone human. 

The wealth that the Palace of Al'Jaboorzi contains can only be guessed at. Although partially looted during the battle that ended its time as a proper palace, many items of value were left behind - either they were too bulky or were not recognised as valuable. The current inhabitants have more time to examine the contents, at least within the territories they control, and both the Whip-Scorpion bandits and the gnoll packs have accumulated considerable wealth from the palace interior, supplemented by raiding and robbing travellers. 

The Port Town of Jaboor

 

Image by Flaviobolla, source

Jaboor is a port town on the east coast of Ylaruam, in the Emirate of Abbashan, with a current population of 4500. As well as a port for ships to load and unload, there is also a marketplace and a huge mosque to Al-Kalim and The Eternal Truth that dominates the skyline with its four minarets.

There are tensions within the population. Until seven years ago (AC993) Jaboor was an independent sheikdom that paid fealty to the Sultan in Ylaruman city. Although not huge or an economic powerhouse, it was prosperous in its own local way, trading with many other nations and towns on the Sea of Dawn.  

Then the town was taken over by the Emir of Abbashan, who has different ideas about governance.  The Emir and his court are not cosmopolitan traders but culturally Alasiyan, desert nomads. They tend to be more religious, conservative and wary of outsiders than their coastal countrymen. 

This is exemplified by Al-Fassaad - a clique of conservative guardsmen drawn from the desert nomads who have taken it upon themselves to be the moral guardians of Jaboor. Al-Fassaad is not an official organisation - more of an informal society within the town guard. They disapprove of many things including foreigners, luxury, greed, laziness, impiety and anything about sex.  They can harass or prosecute people they disapprove of  and have shoved merchants and foreigners around and even knocked over merchant stalls of they view the wares as decadent or sinful. Al-Fassaad is not just in Jaboor but has supporters in Abbashan and Fabia as well, but in Jaboor they have become more obvious because there are more people and things for them to get angry about. There are even rumours about Al-Fassaad tipping off desert bandits about merchant caravans travelling between Abbashan and Jaboor, especially if Al-Fassaad thinks that Abbashan would be better off without whatever is being traded. 

The counterpoint to Al-Fassaad is House Paranthi, a collection of merchant traders that started as a family business but now has non-family associates. They take a very different view and consider the desert nomads and Al-Fassaad as interfering fanatics. House Paranthi does business with a wide range of buyers and suppliers, including those in other Ylari cities (Surra Man Raa, Tameronikas & Cubia), Thyatis (Tel Akbir and Retebius), the Northern Reaches (Soderfjord city) and even further across the seas, to the Isle of Dawn, Norwold and the Sea of Dread. House Paranthi is observant of the Eternal Truth enough to stay out of trouble but no more than necessary. House Paranthi is primarily a business, and does what is necessary to both protect its interests and make money. They feel harassed by Al-Fassaad and would look kindly on any adventurers who could undermine or discredit these over-zealous town guards. 

The Sheik of Jaboor feels miserable and dejected. He believes that he has become merely a figurehead, obliged to pass on the orders from Abbashan. Although he does not believe he can successfully rebel and break away, he is looking for something to bolster his authority and standing especially with the Emir. However, there is intrigue among his inner circle. His treasurer has been compromised by a Thyatian agent who found evidence of accounting irregularities. The treasurer is now suggesting that Thyatian assistance might help against the dominance of Alasiyan nomads and is also encouraging increased trade with Thyatis. Meanwhile his wife's maid is actually an agent for the Emir in Abbashan - currently the maid is simply listening in and passing information back to the Emir but could do more if ordered to.    

As well as factionalism and intrigue within the town there are some external threats that are less subtle:

• A pack of gnolls has set up camp a few miles out of town in a desert cave. As well as gnoll warriors and a gnoll shaman, they have tamed a pack of giant hyenas (stats as worgs). 
• A small oasis has become the home of human bandits led by a Twisted Summoner who also has his own  contingent of summoned monstrous minions. Two of the bandits regularly enter Jaboor disguised as desert nomads, and gather information about targets for the bandits, as well as buying supplies that could not be stolen.  
• A wadi has become the lair of a particular breed of basilisk that is slightly less lethal than others of their kind - their gaze only paralyses, rather than petrifies. But their touch or bite still turns victims to stone. A sage in Jaboor is fascinated by these reports and would pay hansomely for a basilisk corpse, preferably undamaged, so that the biological causes of these changed abilities can be investigated. 
•  Out to sea both mermen and human fishermen have clashed with a colony of crabmen. Although not exactly evil, they are voracious and are destroying the local fishing stocks. The crabmen have set up residence in underwater caves set into chasms along the sea floor. The fishermen want the crabmen destroyed, while the mermen are looking for a more peaceful resolution. 
• Out in the desert towards Abbashan there is the abandoned Palace of Al'Jaboorzi, a huge ruin that is now home to bandits, gnolls, necromancers and worse. 
• There are rumours in town of a chaotic cult that worships snakes. At least some of the cultists are believed to be humans within town. The authorities in Ylaruam city are sending a cleric of the Eternal Truth, Reverend Tormond, to investigate. 

Scenario #7: The Glowing Gemstone

Background

This is a short adventure for characters of levels 1-2, and is intended to get PCs involved in the strange goings on in Norwold. 

Maevig Trostober (human female, T2, neutral) is a wandering trader, visiting the new colonies, Alpha, the Hin in Leeha and the elves of the woodlands. Recently on one of her trips out into the forests she bought an unusual amulet off a trapper who had found it in some ancient fortification while wandering in the woods. The centerpiece of the amulet is an emerald-green gem that glows. This makes it both very pretty but also raises questions about its true nature. 

However, on her way back she and her pack mule were waylaid by a band of orcs. She escaped with her life, but her mule was not so lucky. She has lost nearly everything except her life but has eventually reached the safety of Barathmir. Once there she asks around for adventurers to help her retrieve her valuable from the orcs. From Maevig's description of her robbers, the captain of the guard (Gunningham) confirms these sound like orcs that have become bolder in their raids, not just stealing livestock but also killing shepherds and farmers. Dealing with these orc raiders now would prevent further damage and death. 

The orcs' lair can be found not far from where Maevig was attacked, 5 miles from Barathmir, with the entrance being a cottage-like building set up against a hillside, with the sides merging into the sloping ground. 

The amulet contains a green-glowing eldritch crystal, one of the ancient power sources that the Arvorians used to power their magic and rituals. However, it is very dangerous, emitting magical radiation that corrupts and mutates nearby creatures. The amulet is constructed and enchanted to contain the corrupting radiation from the crystal - as long as it is within the amulet, the eldritch crystal is relatively safe. The orc shaman of the tribe did not know this until he found out the hard way that he should not remove the crystal from its containing amulet. He and two other orcs have now become mutants - however, the shaman has now put the crystal back into the amulet.  

Key to Map

(note that stats used more than once - orc and orc leader - are given at the bottom of this key). 

1. Entrance hall: No monsters but trapped with a tripwire across the floor near the entrance door linked to a series of bells. This will alert the orcs in the guard posts (areas 2 & 3 who will investigate). 
2. North guard post: 3 orcs (hp 6, 3, 5)
3. South guard post: 2 orcs (hp 2, 5)
4. 2 orcs (hp 4, 2) + 1 orc leader (hp 8). They will let the other orcs in areas 2 & 3 investigate any alarm in area 1, but will  emerge and join in if their fellow orcs yell for help.  
5. 4 giant ferrets (AC 5, Move 150', HD 1+1, hp 5, 6, 3, 3, THAC0 19, Att 1 bite for 1d8, save as F1, Ml 8, Align N, XP 15 each). These ferrets are partially tamed by orcs but will attack any other humanoids. They are not yet trained enough to guard the entrance. 
6. Living chamber: 10 orcs (hp 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) are gathered around a campfire with a roasting pig on it. 
7. Empty
8. Training hall: 4 orcs (hp 5, 7, 5, 3) + 1 orc leader (hp 8) are using spears and hand axes against wooden dummies. There are also some wooden training weapons on hooks on the wall. 
9. Orc chief's lair: Orc chief (AC 5, Mv 90', HD 4, hp 15, THAC0 16, Att 1 weapon for 1d6+2, Save as F4, Ml 10, Int 10, Align C, 75xp) who wears a chain mail shirt and wields a magical mace +1. In a chest in the corner is the tribe's main treasure: 800gp, 5500sp and 4 amethyst gems worth 100gp each. 
10. Second living chamber holds 6 orcs (hp 7, 4, 6, 6, 2, 3) and 8 crude straw mattresses on the floor where orcs sleep. 
11. Store room: This room contains various boxes and barrels of food and drink. Most of it is of little value (maybe 5sp each for barrels of salted meat) but among them is a cask of fine Thyatian wine worth 200gp to a connoiseur. Also here is a bundle of furs and hides seized from Maevig by the orcs. The bundle weighs 500cn/50lb and is worth 300gp in total. Generous characters might hand this back to Maevig. 
12. Rubbish dump: 9 giant rats (AC 7, Move 120', HD 1/2, hp 2 each, THAC0 20, Att 1 bite for 1d3, save as F1, Ml 8, align C, XP 7 each). This room is absolutely foul with piles of filth in the corners. The rats are defensive - they won't attack intruders immediately but will try to scare humanoids away but will retaliate if attacked or intruders won't leave. There is nothing of value here.  
13. Shaman's shrine: This room contains the mutated orc shaman (AC 6, Mv 120', HD 2, hp 10, THAC0 19, Att 2 weapons for 1d6/1d6, or spell, Save as C2,  Ml 8, align C, XP 30). The shaman is clearly not normal, having sprouted both a third leg and a third arm (which wields his second weapon). His studded leather armour has been heavily modified to accommodate this new body. In addition one side of the shaman's face is covered in gross warts and pustules. Despite this the shaman can still cast spells and has prepared both Darkness and Cure/Cause Light Wounds.  In the northwest corner there is the shaman's shrine and idol of a fierce orcish warrior deity. Around the idol's neck is the amulet with its glowing eldritch crystal. In addition the shaman has his own  treasure in a sack behind the idol: 2300sp, a jade gem worth 300gp and a bejeweled silver dagger (non-magical but still effective against creatures vulnerable to silver weapons) worth 300gp. 
14. Mutant orcs. These 2 orcs were assisting the shaman when he briefly released the eldritch crystal from the safety of the amulet, and have shared similar afflictions. Brakk now has 9" tusks sprouting from the side of his mouth which he is learning to use in combat. He also now has a mane of shocking green hair. Voss has been reduced in height due to his legs suddenly shrinking to half their normal size but he is also covered in crocodile-like scales that give him additional protection. 
    Brakk (mutant orc): AC 6, Mv 90', HD 1 , hp 6, THAC0 19, Att 1 weapon/1 tusk for 1d6/1d3, Save as F1, Ml 8, align C, XP 10. Brakk wields a hand-axe and has studded leather armour, and has 10sp treasure.
    Voss (mutant orc): AC 4, Mv 30', HD 1, hp 6, THAC0 19, Att 1 weapon for 1d6, save as F1, Ml 8, align C, XP 10, Voss wields a mace and uses his new mutated hide instead of armour. He has 15sp treasure. 
15. Slave quarters: 10 kobolds (AC 7, Mv 60', HD 1/2, hp 3 each, THAC0 20, Att 1 dagger for 1d4, Save as NM, Ml 6, align C, XP 5) + 3 orcs (hp 4, 3, 5) as guards. Despite their lowly status, the kobolds have been allowed to have any copper pieces the orcs come across and as such they have accumulated 760cp which they keep in a earthenware vase in a corner. There are also various food scraps and pieces of bedding and dirty blankets. 
16. 1 giant toad (AC 7, HD 2+2, hp 11, THAC0 18, Att 1 bite for 1d4+1 or tongue for special, Save as F1, Ml 6, align N, XP 35. It has a sticky tongue that can shoot out to 15' and drag dwarf-size or smaller creatures to it to be bitten. On a to hit roll of 20 small prey will be swallowed whole, taking 1d6 damage each round thereafter. The kobolds in area 15 are rightly terrified of this creature and refer to it as "the slimy death". There are 3 kobold skulls and assorted small bones around the toad's lair as well as a single small amber gem worth 50gp. 
17. Empty
18. Empty
19. 2 giant bats (AC 5, Mv fly 180'/crawl 30', HD 2, hp 6, 9, THAC0 18, Att 1 bite for 1d4, save as F1. Ml 8, Align C, XP 20 each). The bats can come and go using a vertical chimney that connects this cave to the outside. 

Commonly used stats: 

 Orc (normal):  AC 6, Move 90', HD 1, THAC0 19, Att 1 spear for 1d6, Ml 8, Align C, XP 10 each
Equipment: Leather armour, shield, spear, 10sp each

Orc leader: AC 6, Move 90', HD 1 (8hp) THAC0 19, Att 1 axe for 1d6+1, Ml 8, Align C, XP 15 each

Equipment: Leather armounr, shield, hand axe, 20sp each

Conclusion

Successfully retrieving the amulet with the glowing crystal will earn a reward from Maevig of 600gp to be shared among the party. 

If the PCs were so foolish as to open up the amulet and remove the gem then the mutations that affect the PCs are up to the DM (both Gamma World and Warhammer Realms of Chaos offer ideas for mutations). A generous DM may allow the mutations to be undone with a Remove Curse spell or something more powerful (such as Restoration or Regeneration spells). 

The amulet will generate a lot of interest from the more learned and erudite members of Barathmir, especially Sorsoni the Mysterious and also Father Rythorn. When asked (either by PCs or by Sorsoni), Maevig reveals that she bought it from a trapper called Berresford who operates in the woods north of Barathmir. Sorsoni suggests that this Berresford should be asked to point the way to the ruins in which he found the amulet. This course of action would require a party of brave volunteers to go into the woods and find this trapper....

New Undead Creatures

 Bloated Zombie

Image by JamesDenton, source

Name	Bloated Zombie
Armor Class	7
Hit Dice (Avg hp)	2 (9hp)
Movement	60’
No Attacks	2 claws
THAC0	19
Damage	1d4/1d4
No Enc	1d4
Save as	F2
Morale	12
Alignment	Chaotic
Treasure	nil
Size/Type	Medium Undead
Intelligence	0 (non-)
XP value	30

Bloated zombies are similar to normal zombies except for their bloated, distended tissues under their greenish skin, especially around the abdomen. While still animated they fight much like normal zombies, losing intiative and attacking last with their rotten hands. When they are slain, however, they explode in a disgusting and messy way, spraying anyone in a 10' radius (including anyone in melee range) with gangrenous acidic fluids. This causes 1d6 acid damage to each creature in range.

Bloated zombies are not immune to each others' acidic fluids, so one exploding may cause another nearby bloated zombie to explode – possibly setting off a vile chain reaction. As they are mindless and have no sense of self-preservation they will not avoid this.
Like other zombies, bloated zombies are undead, and thus immune to charm, sleep and other mind-affecting spells, as well as poison and disease. They can be turned as if they were ghouls.

Bone Warrior

image by reaper78, source 

Name	Bone Warrior
Armor Class	5
Hit Dice (Avg hp)	3 (14hp)
Movement	120’
No Attacks	1 weapon
THAC0	17
Damage	1d8+1
No Enc	1d6
Save as	F3
Morale	12
Alignment	Chaotic
Treasure	nil
Size/Type	Medium Undead
Intelligence	3-4 (semi-)
XP value	35

Bone warriors are the animated remains of experienced fighters, and some skill seems to have somehow lingered in the bones. Bone warriors are superior in combat to normal skeletons. It is unknown exactly how clerics of Chaos manage to create these variants, but even casual observation shows that they move in a more steady and purposeful way than other animated undead. Bone warriors wear armour and some sort of weapon, usually a sword. They are often found in small squads, assigned specific duties too important to be left to normal skeletons. Their modicum of intellect is used in combat for tactics that normal skeletons would not think of. Bone warriors are undead and thus immune to charm, sleep and other mind-affecting spells, as well as poison and disease. They can be turned as wights by clerics.

Skeletal Rat

source

Name	Skeletal Rat
Armor Class	7
Hit Dice (Avg hp)	1/2 (2hp)
Movement	90’
No Attacks	1 bite
THAC0	20
Damage	1d3
No Enc	2d10
Save as	NM
Morale	12
Alignment	Chaotic
Treasure	nil
Size/Type	Small Undead
Intelligence	0 (non)
XP value	5

Skeletal rats are the animated remains of giant rats, and are about the size of small dogs. Although one on its own is little threat to a party of adventurers they are nearly always found in packs up to 20 strong, and as such they may overwhelm with sheer numbers. They are created using dead giant rats and a cleric with Animate Dead spells and as such are usually found in chaotic temples or cursed crypts. They have a tendency to attack and kill any living thing, even living giant rats. 

Like other skeletons, skeletal rats are undead, and thus immune to charm, sleep and other mind-affecting spells as well as poison and disease. 

Zombie Wolf

Image by EedenArtwork, source

Name	zombie wolf
Armor Class	6
Hit Dice (Avg hp)	3+2
Movement	120’
No Attacks	1 bite
THAC0	17
Damage	1d6+1
No Enc	1d6
Save as	F3
Morale	12
Alignment	Chaotic
Treasure	nil
Size/Type	Medium Undead
Intelligence	0 (non-)
XP value	50

Zombie wolves are the animated remains of wolves, coyotes and large domestic dogs, created by chaotic and despicable spellcasters using Animate Dead spells. Although they attack slower than living wolves (like other zombies they attack last in each round), they can still lope around as fast as a human can run, and therefore are used when humanoid zombies are too slow. Zombie wolves are of course undead and thus immune to charm, sleep and other mind-affecting spells, as well as poison and disease. They can be turned by clerics as if they were ghouls.

The Lost Treasure of Captain Grigorivic

 Captain Grigorivic was one of the great pirates of the Sea of Dread a hundred years ago. From AC 891 to AC 920 he was the scourge of the seas, raiding Karameikos, Thyatis, Minrothrad and the Five Shires in his ship the Bloodied Rose. He and his crew accumulated a king's ransom in treasure - some say worth half a million gold pieces. 

In 919 he buried a large amount on an island off the Serpent Peninsula - not just some simple pit, but a carefully constructed vault built into a repurposed native temple. There were certain puzzles and traps set with specific solutions by his most trusted crewmen. Once they had set all the traps, Grigorivic killed them to keep them silent. He was the only one who knew how to circumvent the traps. 

Flint's Treasure, Jul 13, 2018 by OliverInk

He and the rest of his crew sailed away, with Grigorivic creating his own map to find the same island and native temple. Grigorivic continued his reign of piracy on the high seas in the Bloodied Rose for another year until AC 930 when his luck ran out. While trying to reach the port of Vlaad the Bloodied Rose ran into the reefs northeast of Fletcher Island and was wrecked. Captain Grigorivic went down with the ship along with with his map to the island and the native temple. 

The wreck of the Bloodied Rose is dangerous to anyone venturing inside. First of all it is under 50 feet of seawater, with only the top of the mast sticking above the waves at low tide. Anyone going down to the wreck had either be able to breathe underwater or be really good at holding their breath. Captain Grigorivic is still in charge, this time as a wight, commanding a quite literal skeleton crew with the bo'sun' and first mate as ghouls. The local wildlife is not too friendly either, with bull and mako sharks patrolling the area. However, should adventurers find their way into the captain's cabin they will find his chest which contains a decent amount of treasure in itself (acquired in the year after burying his main hoard). More importantly they will find the map that leads to the island. 

The wreck of the Bloodied Rose has been discovered by local fishermen who in turn alerted Darionus Astor, a merchant of Darokin based in Athenos who specialises in salvaging from wrecks. His team, based on the ship The Valiant Porpoise, used their Helmets of Water Breathing to dive down. They managed to confirm the identity of the ship but were then attacked by the undead crew. One diver was killed, another was injured and had to be pulled back to the Valiant Porpoise by the other two surviving divers while being chased by sharks who sensed blood in the water. 

After retreating back to Athenos for resupply and academic research, Darionus has decided the Bloodied Rose is worth another attempt, this time with adventurers who can fend off any monstrous threats. Darionus is willing to split the treasure but as a classic Darokinian he will try to negotiate the best deal, although he will refuse to help the adventurers if his cut is less than 30%. Given the treasure map could lead to much greater riches, the PCs could accept this split. 

The Town of Barathmir

 

based on original by sixinchnails, source

This is a small town on the north coast of the Great Bay of Norwold, situated between the dominions of Panteria and Latela.  Interestingly it is not ruled as a dominion by some powerful warlord or former adventurer with pretensions of nobility. It is mostly self-governing though with obvious fealty to the King in Alpha. 

Barathmir has a population of 660, mostly human but with some hin (halflings) and elves. There are also sometimes visitors including local tribal elves and lupins. 

The town economy relies on a combination of fishing, forestry and hunting for meat, fur and leather but is always looking out for new resources to exploit. As the map above shows, the town has a substantial wooden palisade studded with watchtowers, and a decent port complete with harbour wall. 

Significant buildings numbered on the map are:

1. The Mayor's Residence. 
2. The Chapel of Law
3. Farnath's Forge (local blacksmith)
4. The Town Well (principle source of fresh water)
5. The Iron Halberd Inn
6. The Gatehouses
7. The Bay Watchtower
8. The Merchant-Traders' Guild
9. The Warehouse

History: Barathmir was founded about 60 years ago as a trading outpost and has slowly developed since then. It suffered near-catastrophe several times in its history, including the dread winter of 955AC when half the population died of starvation or cold but the residents could not flee because the bay had frozen. The giant attack of 979AC saw  a band of 7 hill giants rampage through the town, killing the then governor and anyone who opposed them, destroying the local barracks and seizing dozens of sheep and cows. Ulquolor the Usurper was a mage exiled from Glantri for various crimes who arrived in 981AC (the townsfolk were still rebuilding from the giant attack) and took over the town as his own private fief for several weeks. Several fishermen escaped across the bay to Alpha and returned with an elderly couple who turned out to be Alphatian mages on a retirement cruise around the Alphatian Empire. One Feeblemind spell later and order was restored.

Diplomacy & Relations: The leaders of Barathmir try to maintain a good relationship with Alpha and will regularly pay taxes but otherwise they try to stay neutral in matters of Thyatis vs Alphatia. 

Trade with the local elves ensures some goodwill and communication. Although the elves are unlikely to risk themselves if Barathmir is under attack, they will at least try to warn the town. In return the townsfolk try to be restrained and respectful around lumber and forestry.  

Similarly there is a local tribe of Malamute lupins who are usually friendly but do warn the townsfolk about overhunting.  

The town is aware that it is between Panteria and Latela, both of which are described in Vaults of Pandius. With Panteria firmly loyal to Alpha and Latela being an outpost of Thyatian subversion and greed, the leaders of Barathmir fear the town may be the focus of a subtle but dangerous power struggle between agents of the great empires. 

Defences: As a rugged frontier town, Barathmir has a militia system where every man between 18 and 40 is expected to train with weapons every week. This has produced a pool of 120 1st level fighters, no standard equipment but usually spear, shortbow and maybe leather armour. In addition, the mayor has a professional bodyguard of 20 swordsmen (human F3). Finally there are various NPCs with levels in adventuring classes, including clerics in the Chapel of Law and a maybe a wizard visiting from Alphatia. 

Notable residents include:

• Mayor Osquith (human male MU3, neutral, Str 8, Int 14, Wis 7, Dex 12, Con 10, Cha 10) is not a very effective ruler - he seems perpetually out of his depth with almost any significant decision. He relies heavily on those around him. He is the third son of a mage and minor aristocrat in Alpha who basically asked the king to give the job to his rather useless son. 
• Captain Gunningham (human female, F5, lawful, Str 14, Int 12, Wis 11, Dex 10, Con 14, Cha 13) is in charge of defence and policing. Although technically subordinate to the mayor, she really has free reign. Fortunately she takes her responsibility seriously and wants to protect the town and keep it safe. 
• Mellissa Wazzak (human female, MU4, chaotic, Str 7, Int 16, Wis 13, Dex 10, Con 10, Cha 13) is one of the principle merchants in town and organises a lot of the trade with other settlements along the bay, including Alpha. She is self-serving and greedy. She is also a part-time agent for the rulers in Latela, but only when they pay her enough.  
• Sandrina the Surfwatcher (human female, C3, neutral, Str 10, Int 12, Wis 16, Dex 8, Con 13, Cha 10) is a cleric of a neutral Exalted patron of the seas and sailors. She has taken up residence in the Bay Watchtower and has built up a small congregation among the fishermen and caravel sailors.
• Sorsoni the Mysterious (elf male, elf spellsword 5, neutral, Str 8, Int 16, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 9,  Cha 14) is considered the most knowledgeable of the townsfolk. In matters of lore, magic, legend and monsters he is almost a sage.  
• Father Rythorn (human male, C4, lawful, Str 10, Int 11, Wis 15, Dex 7, Con 16, Cha 11) is the chief cleric in the Chapel of Law. He sees his two main duties as firstly protecting and helping the community of Barathmir, and secondly detecting and investigating the forces of Chaos that may lurk in the region. 
• Ribbari Buttonjacket (halfling male, H3, neutral, Str 9, Int 10, Wis 12, Dex 13, Con 14, Cha 15) is the landlord of the Iron Halberd Inn, the only place in town that offers accommodation to strangers. Ribbari is generally easy-going and friendly, but he does expect payment and can get very angry if he thinks customers are taking his hospitality for free.