Dark Clouds Gather (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Module UK7)

An Adventure for 5-8 Characters, Level 7-9

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Adventure Module for 5-8 Characters of Levels 7-9

CONTENTS 2

DARK CLOUDS GATHER

2 3

From the D.irk Pa51 Thp Adventure Abbreviations

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T H E DARK SKY (Map M: areas l-6/Maps 2 & 6: areas FI-F9) 4

Recrnt Events T h e Scarralrre

7

CREDITS

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THUNDER ON T H E MOUNTAIN (Map M - areas 7-9/Map 8)

Storyline: Jim Bamhra, Phil Gallaghrr & Grarme Morris Editing & Production: TSR U K Design Team Art: Brian Williams Cartography: Paul Ruiz Playtrsting: Pat Whitchcad, Gerard Loncrg-an, Matt Connrll, Sirve Watrrs & Rob Martinsen

I1

Tikka-ti-jarra T h r Eagles

13 14

T H E PEAKS OF L I G H T (Map M: areas 10-12 Maps 10 & 11: airas E l -E8 & T L T 6 ) T h e Journvy Mount Edrrglow Devral's Island T h e Crystal Citadel Leaving Mount Ederalow

14 15 17

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MAPS

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DEATH I N T H E SKIES (Map C .areas Cl-CZ3)

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23 23

T h e Cloud Castle T h e Approach Inside the Castle Aftermath PULL-OUT SHEETS

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24 28

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MODULE FOLDER

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(hetwcen pages 14 & 15)

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS NEW MONSTERS Ba'atun Ycsorkh Pahych Soul Beckoner WANDERlNG MONTERS THE SKYFISH

OUTSIDE Map M: CLOIJDSCAPE MOUNTAINS INSIDE Map 2: LIJRNESI.YE 6: FANJYR WAY-STATION 8: TIKKA-TI-JARRA 10: SILVER MINE I I: M O U N T EDERGLOW & T H E CRYSTAL CITADEL Man C: T H E CLOUD CASTLE

I I1 I1 111 111 IV IV I1 you h a w any qurs~ion~ t e g a n l i n ~rhir 01 any othrr TSRO pioducl. plrasr write to: T S K , Inc. PO6 756 Lake Geneva WI 13147

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T S R U K Ltd. T h r Mill, Rathmorr Road Cambridge CBI < A D llniwd Kingdom

nirtributed IO the book tiadr i n Ihr I!nilcd Stair. b y R a n d o m Hourr, lnc, arid tn Crrrsd;, hv R a n d o m Hniirr 01 Canada, Lcd. Dmrllmred to tlic toy and hobby trade by regional dirttibutrns. Diruibutcd m ilir U o i w d Kmgdmn hy J.SR IIK Lrd. ISBN 0-8ROJR-2%-R 9151

TSR, Inc. PRODUCTS OF VOUR IMAGINaTION"

This is an ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS@module for 5-8 characters of levels 7-9. T h e adventurr takes plare in and around the Cloudsrapr Mountains: a large snow-covered mountain rangr, cut by a single pass - the Scarrahere.

FROM THE DARK PAST In ages past, when the land was young and the dwarves had not yet emerged from beneath the mountains, the Arch-mag? Devral creatrd a wondrous citadel for herself, high in theCloudscapeMountains. With her mighty magics, Devral transformed the ice on Mount Ederglow into a crystal citadel with walls as hard as sicel. Isolated from the rest of the world, Devral and her assistants researched dccp into magical flight. Thry made many amazing discoveries which cu1minatf.d in the construction of the skyfish - a n incredible flying device in the form of a giant manta ray (see Pull-out Sheet IV). One day Devral's researches were interruptrd by threedesperate aarakoaaenvoys. In anguished tones, they begged her aid against "the snow demons'' - fearsome white, winged creatures who had becn attacking their nests and slaying aarakocra without merry. Devral listened closrly to their taleand resolved to help the birdfolk. Over the next few days she cast many powerful spells and discovered that thr snow demons were called ba'atun (pronounced "hah-TOON") and were led by an evil, hlack female named Yesorkh Pahyeh, who had the power to possess other crraturcs (see Pull-out Sheet 111).

The Freeing of Yesorkh One fateful day thirty years ago, a young cloudgiant ralled LactiIan "horrowrd" the gem (without his parents'knowledge) and, while using i t in a game, accidently rolled itoffthesideof thccloud. Upon hittingthe ground, the gem shattered, and Yesorkh Pahyeh was frce! At once she sped to her ancient lair, whereaclutchof ba'atun eggs had bren carefully stored centuries before.

Devral quickly devised a plan to defeat the ba'atun andcalled upon a familyofneutral good cloud giants to help her. T h e cloud giants were more than willing to rid the mountains of the ba'atun menace. Moving their flying cloud castle under cover of night, the giants led the aarakocra assault on the ha'atun. As Yesorkh attempted to possess one of thr giants, Devral swept in on her magical griffon (see arra T3) and cast a trap the soul spell, imprisoning the black ha'atun within the confines of a magical gem. Without their leader, the ha'aiun were soon destroyed. T h e aarakocra returned to their peaceful existencr and, over ihecenturies, the terror of the ha'atun was forgotten.

The Darkness Spreads

Already venerable, Devral guarded the gem imprisoningYesorkh, but as her timegrew near, she gavr it io the cloud giants for safe keeping. For over twenty fivr centuries the gem lay hidden in the depths of the giants' stronghold, hut with the passing of time, the giants' memorics of the ba'atun dimmcd. Finally, the gem's function as a prison faded from thrir minds altogether, anditcame to brconsidcrrdasjustanother valuahle stone.

It was a rimplr matter for Ycsorkh to possess an unsuspcrting merchant, and in this guise she was able to possess Lachlan, now an adult cloud giant. Lachlan had inhcriied thc castlr from his parents and i n his form, Yesorkhdiscovered that shecould control the cloud castlr and through it, certain aspects of the wrather. Gradually t h castle ~ lost its whit? glow while the clouds surrounding i t brcamr dark and oppressive.

Having no idea of the length of her imprisonment, Yesorkh's greatest fear was that Devral still lived. So she hatchrd the eggs and hid from the world while thc ha'atun grew to maturity. In the darkness of her ancient lair she nurtured her anger, reliving the humiliation of her defeat. Long she brooded on how to exact her vengeanceandpunish the hated aarakocra, but at last ihr ba'atun WCR ready, and Yesorkh's plot could be put intoaction .....

2 DARK CLOUDS GATHER (From the Dark Past)

W i t h llic giants' castle i n her power,

Ycsorkh/I.achlan's attention has turned to the anrakocra. Rrrently, three aarakorra nests have been destroyed and the remainingaarakocra now live in fear of thr "wil" giant and his dark, sinister castle. Fear also grips the human villagc-ers of Lurneslyc (arra 2). For the dark clouds call to mind a n ancient prophecy of "dark demons from the sky", related by a parchmrnt in the possession of Bernhardt, the head cleric of the villaxe is?? Pull-out Sheet I), In order to turn the frightened human populace against thc aarakocra. Yesorkh's minions have attacked caravans travelling through t h r Scarrabrre Pass, and have left aarakocra corpses amid thr carnage, as though thc birdfolk were the aggrcssors. T h e discovery of thesr corpsrs Ird Rernhardt to bclicvr that the aarakocra arr ihe demons of which his parchment foretold. ,Meanwhilr Kirraka, the head shaman of the aarakocra, after consuming some magiral, trance-inducing Charrak seeds (see page I I ) has expcricnrtd a vision in which a mysterious group of adventurcrs appeared to him. Convinced that these adventurers air the key to the aarakocra's survival he has setit an aarakocra envoy, Tcho'eh (pronounced "rho-AY"), in srarch for them i n the lowlands. But thr lowlands are no longcr safr for thc birdfolk. Yrsorkh's policy to incriminateand isolate the aarakocra has worked well. frar now

Aerial Combat Monsters likely to I C involved in aerial combath;tvethreehit point totalslistedfor them, e.%.h p 12/6/3. T h e first figure is the creature's normal hit points; the figurc aftrr the slash shows at which point i t becomes unable to continue stahlr flight and is forcrd to land; and the third figure shows at what point the creature simply plummets from the sky (see DMG pi3). T h e figoresallow for the fact thatfcathrred wings (cf. aarakocra) arc harder to damage than membranous ones (cf. ba'atun).

ABBREVIATIONS In this module, thc statistics of moilstem and non-player characters have been standardised. T h e information is given after the monster'dNPC's name, as follows:

grips thrvillagersof L u n r r s l y r ~ n dthr. best a n aarakocra can hope for is a quick and painless death.

THE ADVENTURE T h e adventure begins near the village of Lurneslye on the road leading to the Scarrabere Pass. In the village, the adventurers have the opportunity to rescue Tcho'eh, the innocent aarakocra envoy from the clutches of the over-zralous Bernhardt. Tcho'eh will attempt to recruit the adventurers' aid against the "evil" cloud giant and his castle, and will lead them toTikkati.jarra, the home of the aarakocra. Working on information from the aarakocra shaman and a group of giant eagles, the party will beable tolocateDevral'sancient crystal citadel at Mount Ederglow. T h e citadel contains Devral's magical, flying skyiish. By recowring this fantastic artifact the adventurrrs will be able to take on Yesorkh Pahyeh in her usurped cloud castle. and banish thr dark clouds forever.

Running the Adventure There are several ways of starting the adventure. For example, the party could he simply travcllingalons the road to Lurneslye on thr way io soniewhere else. Alternatively, they might be following rumours that there are bandits in the Scarrabere, or

perhaps tradesmen in a nearby town h m e asked them to discover why a number of merchant caravans have not arrived.

As in any role-playing adventure, players' actions can lead to unpredictable results, and it may be necessary to adapt the adventure to suit your players. T h e characters have plenty of opportunities to deviate from the proposed course of the adventureor even toabandon theaarakocra to their fate. 11is u p to yon as DM, as 10 how much influence you bring to bear in order to avert this, taking particular account of thealignmentsof the characters. In various places the flow of the adventure is dependent on the actions of certain NPCs. You should use these NPCs to guide the adventurers. If, as might happen, this dors not work out, you must find an alternative means of continuing the adventure. For example, if Tcho'ch is killed in Lurneslye, another aarakocra envoy should meet the charactrrs to guide them to Tikka-ti-jarra.

AC =Armour Class; MV = Movement Ratc; MC = Manoeuvrability Class (see DMG p50); H D = Hit Dice (monsters) or Class/ Level (NPCs only); hp = current hit points (figures in brackets indicate maximum hit points of wounded crcatures); #AT = Number of attacks; D = Damage caused by attacks; SA/SD = Special Attacks and/or Special Defences; MR =Magic Resistance; Int = Intelligence (monsters and minor NPCs only); AL = Alignment; xp = Experience Points awarded for overcoming. T h e following additional abhrrviations are used:

C = Cleric; F =Fighter; MU = Magic User; S = Strength; I = Intelligence; W = Wisdom; D = Dexterity; C = Constitution; Ch = Charisma; MM = AD&D@Monster Manual; MMII = Monster Manual 11; FF = FIEND FOLIO@ tome; BHB = AD&D Players Handbook; DMG = AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide. THACO = To Hit Armour Class Zero. This is thr roll on a d20 needed by a creature to hit an opponent with AC 0 (see DMG p196215). In most cases, the roll needed to hit other armnur classes = THACO minus AC. Some creatures, whose hit probability is very low, have been given a THACO of20', and you should consult therelrvant tables (see DMG p74-5) to find the rolls needed to hit other armour classes.

Weather and Visibility During the adventure the sky will grow increasingly dark as the black clouds spread ovrr the mountains. By thr time the party meets the dwarves nrar Mount Edcrglow(areal0-page15)theskyshould heamassof hillowingblackclouds, brokrn occasionally by a flash of lightning. T h e encroaching darkness should he used to add to thr module's atmosphere and to spur the party on.

BOXED SECTIONS include that insormation which the characters would get from the first sight of an area or room. Y o u may either paraphrase or read them outas written. In cases where player characters would instantly recognisr the monsters seen, you should of course substitute the monsters' name(s) for the description given.

DARK CLOUDS GATHER (The Aduenture/Abbreviatio~) 3

RECENT EVENTS Lurneslye (see Map M and Map Z), is a small farming villagr governed by a group of clerics of lawful neutral alignment. Clearly visible from Lurnrslye are the Cloudscapr Mountains. Normally picturesque, with silvery-white clouds blowing along theirpeaks, the mountains now have a dark and sinister appearance. Large black clouds cast an ominous shadow over the land; a shadow which is growing visibly day by day. T h e clerics and villagers tear thearrival ofwingeddemons (as foretoldin a n ancient prophecy), and the discovery of aarakocra corpses in thr Scarrabere has intensified this fear (see T h e Darkness Spreads - page 2). T w o days before the party arrives in Lurneslye, Tcho'eh, an aarakocra envoy, was captured and brought before Bernhardt. After briefly interrogating Tcho'eh, Bernhardt became convinced that he was a

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T H E DARK SKY (Recent Evenis)

demon in disguise. Bernhardt hasorganiscd a public trial of the 'demon', to take place on the day of thc party's arrival. This trial will see him demanding the maximum penalty under the law - death by burning. People are flocking to the village squarc to hear the 'drmon' confess to its sins, and to watch Bernhardt banish the dark clouds.

the text. T h c actions and pcrronalitics of rhrsr NPCs should br used to cncourage the characrers LO become involved in the adventure and, it is hoprd, rescue Tcho'eh. If all else fails, Asdos can be relied upon to brg the party to intervene. Ham u p this section as much as you like and above all, enjoy yourself!

Important NPCs

The Trial

This section is designed 10 introduce the players to the adventurr. Some of the background information which is vital to the successful running of this section, is only to be found in the details of the thrre major NPCs describcd on the Pull-out Sheet (between pages 14 and 15). These characters are Brmhardt, the bead clrric of Lurneslye; Tcho'eh, the aarakocra envoy; and Asdos, a visiting neutral good cleric. You should refer to Pull-out Sheet I whenever thesecharacters are mentioned in

T h e villagers, normally a simple, ppareloving folk, are afraid and vrry cxritablr. Bcmhardt, convinced that Tcho'eh is a demon, intends to carry out the law to the Irtter and burn him - preferably after be has obtainrd a full confession. In this he has the full support of thevillagers. During thr proceedings there will be numerous shouts ot "Burn it, it's a demon", "Pluck its feathers, makeit squawk", a n d s o o n , as the crowd is swept along by Bernhardt's rhetoric.

IJnless the adventurers intervcnr, Tcho'eh will be hurnrd by Bernhardt. Intervention can vary from attempting to argue with Bernhardt, to outright violence. Arguing with Bernhardt is difficult, for hr will not be persuaded that Tcho'ch is anything but a demon. Violent solutions to thr prohlrm will result in a bloodbath, as the crowd surges forwards t o enswe that the law is enforced.

NOW. o n r of them ha5 been caueht and "Bernhardt will soon sori i t out and

remove the dark clouds." The farmer "knows" that the demons have wings, although he has nevcr sren onc. If questionedfurther, hisimagination will get the hettcr of him. He will describe them as "black with evil cyes, sharp teeth and fangs, and a thirst for human blood." His children will grow vcry scarrd during his dcscription and thr youngest will start to cry.

Trial by Combat Acrording to the law of Lurneslyc, it is thc right of any crrature on trial io prove its innocence bycombat-b fighitothedeath (or unconsciousness) bctween two npponents; either the accused and the accuser or appointed champions. This law is strirtly adhered to and, once demandrd, cannot he avoided. If a n adventurer demands this right, the crowd will be reluctant initially, but a few will take u p the call and it will gradually spread until all are in favour.

If the characters do not read the notice, you should draw their attention to an identical notice further along the road. T h e Notice

A hand-written notice has been nailed to a tree proclaiming today's interrogation:

PUBLIC EXAlMINATION OF THE DEMON BY THE

1. A Farmer Comes lo Town

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T h e ruad rounds the hill, rrvealing the villagr ahead. Sounds of merriment and thr Irantir ringing of a cracked hcll are clearly audible. T h e main street, with its rolourfril confusionof bright huntingandmoving people, stands in stark contrast to the dark sky. O n both sides of the street, trades-people ply their wares from small booths. Cries of "lucky talismans, guaranteed good luck", and "beautiful ribbons, who will buy my bright ribbons", rise above the noise of the crowd. There are six vendors here, selling trinkets, ribbons, pies, beer, cheese and swectmeais, all a t very reasonable prices most of thr goods on sale are priced at a Irw copprr pirccs. Most people are heading down the street to the village square.

The Square (Map 2) T h e middle of thc village is filled with rvcitedly chauering pcople, who jostle each other for a view of a large wooden platform at one cnd of the square. Just discernible through thr ciowd is a largr, werwcight, redrobed figure standing on thr platform byastoutpost. H e h o l d s u p a p a i r o f tongs with bright hlue feathers grasped in them and grins broadly. He speaks, but his words are lost in the excited crirs of the crowd. h few feet in front of you, a grey-haired old woman scrceches. "Pluck its feathers, Bernhardt. Show i t , ii don't scare us." Bernhardt turns and you briefly glimpse a figure tied LO the post. T h e cleric moves towards i t and a cry of agony follows, but is drownedalmost immediately by ihr roar of the crowd.

Start ihe adventure at thc point marked 1 on Map M, whcrr a rough trail meets the main road to Luineslye:

While you have been travelling towards the village of Lurneslye, thr sky has grown darker. T h e thin w h i t e c l o u d i which previously streaked the bright blue sky have given way to a large grey smudge which masks the light. Judging by the clouds hanging over the moontains, a fierce storm is on its way. From the woods emcrges an aged tram of horscs pulling a creaking and decrepit wagon. A man and woman stare in surprise, while three childrcn in the back of the wagon giggle at you. By the wagon is a tree with a notice nailed to it. T h e family in the wagon are from one of the outlying farms and are on their way to Lurneslyr for thr trial. They will hail the adventurersand.rskiftheyaregoingtothe trial, indirating I he noiicr by the tree if the adventurers look puzzled. If the approaching storm is mentioned, they will tell the adventurers that i t has been gathering over thcmountainsfrir3weeksandis"thcwork of demons." Tht.se demons have also been "raiding caravans and attacking travellers."

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Bernhardt is ceremoniously plucking Tcho'eh the aarakorra, attended by Pcnryk and Grunh, two third level clerics, and by Murdoch, the temple's champion (see page 6 and Map 2).

2. Arrival at Lurneslye T h e characters will arrive in Lurnerlye shortly after Bernhardt brgins his public questioning of the aarakorra. T h e villagers, despite their fcar, arc in a festive mood, believing that a solution is a i hand:

T h e characters will br unablc to see any more of theprocerdings without sccuringa betier viewpoint for themselves by either elbowing their way through the crowd (2 rounds), or by employing magical means. Shouting from the bark of the crowd will not have any effect on the proceedings, as rharactets will not br heard by those on the platform.

T H E DARK SKY (areas I and 2) 5

Whrn the chararters get a &ai platform:

\

iew of the

Tizd to the pole is a sorty-looking man-like crrature, now looking rather like a half-plucked chicken. Around its clawed feet lies a mass of bright blue plumage and tears of agony run down its hooked beak. Bernhardt moves forward saying, "Now demon, what are you doing here?" With a mighty tug he plucks another feather. much to the crowd's delight. T h e birdman slumps forward, apparently dead. Grasping it by the beak, Bernhardt savagely pulls back its head. "So you refuse io cooperate, do you?"

Should the party initiatr combat or cast offensive sprlls, the crowd will surge forward andattack until 50of their number have been killed or inrapacitatrd, at which point thPy will flee. During combat, the clerics (Brmhardt, Penrykand Grunb) will rast sprlls from the safety of thr platform. PenrykandGruuh: AC5(rhainmailunder red robes); MV 9"; C3; h p 8, I I ; #AT I; D 2-7 (mace);SA/SD Spells; Int Ave; AL LN; Size M; xp 157, 169 THACO 2 0 PHB. Spells: First level: bless, detect magic Second level: hold person Crowd (120 villagers): AC 1 0 MV 12": FO; h p 4 each; # A T 1; D 1-4 (dagger) or 1-6 (club); Int Avc: AL N; Size M; xp 9 each; THACO 20*.

Trial by Combat Asdos InteRUptS After Id4 rounds, Asdos will inteivene in an attempt to stop the "trial", hut he will be prevented by a couple of over-zealous crowd members:

, Ashoutof, "Stopthisbarbarism! Let it go. It has done you no harm." comes from the middle of the crowd. There, a n old man in sky blue robes is pushing his way through the mob. Before he gets very far he is dragged to theground, kickingandscreaming by those around him. Asdos will be lrft unconscious and bleeding on the ground. He will recover consciousness after I round. Unless the adventurers have already gone to his aid, Asdos will soon notice their presence and push through the crowd towards them. After hurriedly introducing himself, Asdos will explain the local custom of trial by combat and suggest that one of the characters champions the aarakocra's cause, "lest a great injustice take place" (see Trial by Combat - below).

Interrupting the Trial If the party intervenes, Bernhardt will demand to know who they are. H r will accuse the characters of being in league with the 'demon' and will attempt to stir u p the 'mob'against them.Thecrowdwill boo and jeer the advrnturers hut will not attack without good cause.

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T H E DARK SKY (area 3)

If pressed, Bernhardt will reluctantly agrre to a trial by combat. T h r rules of thc combat aresimple: no magicofany kind is allowed and neither armour nor shield is permitted. Any nnn-magical weapon may be used. Bcfore the combat begins, a detect magicspell will berast by oneoftheclerics on the character's weapon. If it is magical, the character will be given a second rhance tocomply, and failure todo so will result in thecrowd attarking(seeab0vr). Opponents fight until either unconscious or dead; an acrused character who wins (or whose champion wins) is proved innocent, defeat means thr defendant is guilty as charged. Having agreed to a trial by combat, Bernhardt will present his champion, Murdorh, and aspacewill beclcaredin the square for the fight to take place. Murdoch: AC 8 [dextrrity 16); MV 12": F5: h p 35; #AT 1; D 2-8 + 5 (broad sword plus strength): S18/91%,15, W8, D16, C14, Ch8; AL N; Size M: xp 360 THACO 14; PHB. If Murdoch is defeated, Bernhardt will storm off to his temple and the crowd will slowly disperse. T h e characters and Asdos will be able to relrasc Tcho'eh and tend to his wounds (see NPCs - Pull-out Sheet I) without any interference. Defeat for the character means that onlyextrememeasures can save the aarakocra's life.

Tcho'eh's Tale When rescued, Trho'eh is badly wounded and weak from ill-trratment. Once tended to, he will rrcount the following:

"My peoplr live in the Cloudscape Mountains, soaring o n the high winds. All was wcll until the giant ram? in hiscastle, turning theclouds black and spitting lightning on o u r nests. His power is great and w e cannot stand brfore the might of his rloud c a s k . "We aarakocra, who normally have no dealings with you people, nred aid. Alone, we frar we will be destroyed. Already thrre of our nests have bren laid to wastcand even now ourrhicksgo hungry. Comewith me to our nest at Tikka-ti-jarra. Our shaman, Kirraka,sawyouinavisiorr and sent me to find you. You are s u r l y the ones of whom he spoke, the ones chosen by the great sky god to save us." Tcho'eh will tell the party that the first attacks weir about thrce weeks ago, shortly after the sky bcgan to darkrn. T h e cloud giant in his rastlc usually attacks at night, and so far, thrce nests havr been destroyed (these were some miles south of rhr Scarrabrrc and are not shown on Map M). I t is only a matter of time before Tikka-tijarra (page 11) is attacked. If askcd, Tcho'eh will promise monetary rewards: the aarakocra have many "large, bright, shiny stones" t h ~ ycould give the party. Should the playrrs be reluctant to accompany him to Tikka-ti-jarra. Tcho'eh will cnconrage good aligned chararters by pointingout how the littlcchicks aregoing hungry because thr hunters arc rither returning with no foodor arenotretaming atall. "Thinkof all thenestlings; thcywill die without you." If pressed, he will promise great rrwards, believing that Kirraka can fulfill this vromise.

3. The Shrine of Asdos After thr trial by combat, Asdos will suggest that thr adventurrrs and Trho'ch journey with him to hisshrine(area3. Map M),sincc i t is on the way to ihr aarakocra nest. If the characters choose to .go, the journey to thr shrine will be uneventful. Theshrineisasimplestone buildingset30 yards from the road. Insideare three rooms; a small arra with an altar, a mom for travellers to rcst for the night, and Asdos' private quartrrs. Although simple, the shrine is well kept and comfnrtablr.

THE SCARRABERE T h e Scarrabere is the only pass over the Cloudscape Mountains for hundreds of miles north or south. Until recently it was a major route, but the number of merchants using it has decreased considerably following the ba'atun attacks. Tcho'eh will lead the adventurers from Asdos' Shrine (ama 3) into the Scarraberr towards Fanjyr Way-station (area 6). T h e road through the pass is between 20 and 30 feet wide:

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Thefoothillsslowlygive way tohigh towering crags that seem to reach u p to the heavens. Grey and black billowing clouds are silhouetted against whitr snow-capped slopes. Occasionally, rays of sunlight flash through the clouds as thcy scrape their way across the peaks. Ahrad, the road climhs u p into the mountains, following the course of a chattering stream. I

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T h r road climbs steadily into the mountains, flanked by cheer rock walls. Numerous bouldcrs and rocks lie scattered cither side of the mss.

4. The Destroved Caravan U p ahead, dark ravens flap into the air, cawing loudly as you travel through the pass. Thcy soon disappear from iiew and you make out the grisly remnins of dead horses and mulcs lying strewn across the road. In a snarling defensivr ring around the bodies is a pack of huge wolves. T h r 1 I dire wolves will block the party's progress and attack anyone who approaches within 20 yards, or if they are attacked. 11 dire wolves: 4C 6 ; MV 18"; HD 3+3; h p 15 carh; #AT I;D 2-8; Int Semi; AL N; SireM; xp 120edch;THACO 16; MM(IO1). T h e caravan was attacked2 days ago by the ba'atun. Tberearr 12 d a d mules and threr dead horses here; their packs and saddlebags have all been removed. By the horses and mules are the week old corpses of threc aarakocra. If a speak with dead spell is usrd, the partycm learn that theaarakocra are from one of the destroyed nests and were

killed by "white demons" from the cloud castlr. T h e disparity between theage of the aarakocra corpses and that of the animal carcasseswill beobvious to theadventurers and will support Tcho'ch's tale.

popular? was rilhri killed or imprisoned, with therxception ofthe blacksmith Fedor Roblyn. Fedor fled at the time of the attack and is now living rough (see area F9). Since Lode Burwell passed through, the station has been occupied by a band of humanoids led by a giant two-headed troll and two hill giants.

5. The Fur Trader Here the adventurrrs will encounter Lode Burwell, a fur trader from Melmond

Arrival at Fanjyr

A horseman is riding down the pass towards you. Behind him are three mules, and a dog trots at his horsr's heck. Heprers cautiously all around as though experting an attack. Clenched in his hand is a large doublesidcd axe, and a small buckler covers his right fore-arm. Originally a fighter, Lode now makes his living buying furs at Melmond and selling them at Lurneslye. He is a ruggcd outdoor man, wary of strangers, but loyal to those he considers his friends. When the characters first meet Lode, he is travelling from Melmond to Lurneslye with his mules and his war dog Fahs. If approached. he will talk to the party, but stay alert for any sign of dangcr. Lode is anxious to continue on his way and is obviously nervous but trying not to show it. Lode Burwell -Fur Trader, Human, Male AC8(fursandbuckler);MV12";F2; h p 15; # A T 1; D 2-9 (battle-axe + strength) or 1-4 (light crossbow); 517, 113, W9, DH, C15, Ch12; AL N; THACO 18/19, Lode thought little of the dark clouds or the rumours of the pass being unsafe until he passed through Fanjyr (area 6) a day ago. He was disturbed greatly by thc destruction thrre: the inn, thc smithy and thr shrine had all been burnt down. Therr was no sign of life and no corpses either. He now thinks that the dark clouds have something to do with it, for they seemed a lot darker over the station. If asked, he will draw a sketch map for the party, showing the locations of the buildings, but he is unaware of the underground passages (areas F7-8).

6. Fanjyr Way-Station (areas Fl-F9) Twodays before the party'sencounterwith Lode, Fanjyr was attacked by a force of ba'atun from the cloud castle. T h e whole

You should read thc following when the party is about 200 yards from the wall: As you round a bend in the road, a battlementrd stone wall comes into view. O n the Irft-hand side, a domed tower rises above the wall, commanding a fine view of the road. T h e ground drops rapidly away from thr tower down to thestream, a n d o n the other side a shew rock face rises above thr battlcmented wall. T w o large wooden doors pierce the wall, providing the only entrance to the area brhind. From behind the wall. smokr spirals lazily upwards to mingle with the low lying clouds.

T h e smoke comcs from the humanoids' campfires, but at this distance, the party will not be able to tell its source. If the characters observe thr gatehouse windows they will see a few vague shadowy shapes moving around inside. Theseare the gnolls inareaFZh, but thepartywillnotbeablcto trll this without approaching the arrow slits and looking inside. Approaching the Gatehouse T h e humanoids at Fanjyr have not posted any guards and are not expecting an attack. Bushes and boulders line the east wall of the road. Providing the adventurers make no unnecessary noise and stay close to the east sidr of thc pass, they will be able to reach thr gatehouse undetected. Even if they decide to travel straight along the road from the point whcre they saw the tower, there is only it 50%chance each round that the adventurers will be seen, because of the unnatural darkness of the lowering clouds.

If the humanoids in the gatehouse spot the party on the road, they will raisc the alarm by ringing thr hell in thr tower, and the rest of the monsters in the way-station will move to defend thr southern gatehouse.

T H E DARK SKY (The Scanabere: areas 4-6)

7

Once the alarm is raised, the 1,ughears at the smithy (F3) and the monsters at thr inn (F4) will rush to attack after 1 round. T h e gnolls in thr northrrn gatehousr (F6) will not leave their position.

FI. T h e Gates T h e gates are made of oak. reinforced by strong metal bands. They are secured by a heavy oaken bar on the northrrn side. Breaking the gates open will cause a very loudcrashandwillal~rtboth theoccupants of the gatehouse and the bugbears at the smithy (area F3). View of the Courtyard When the courtyard becomes visible to character: T h e buildings of Fanjyr have been reduced to black ruined shells. T h e deepening gloom is barely allcviated by two smoky fires burning amidst the rubblc. Around thr closer 01 these, a dozen humanoids laugh and talk in harsh voices. Further away, large hulking shapes are silhouetted against the walls ofaruined building. T h e dull, irregular dong of a bell blowingin the windis barely audible above thc sound of evil laughter washing out from the tower.

F2. T h e Southern Gatehouse T h e arrow slits on the middle floor of the gatehouse are only 6 inches wide, but the top-floor windows are 2 feet wide. A large bell issuspendrdfrom theceilingof the top floor. Each tloor (other than the ground) has a 5-foot-square opening in the middle through which runs the bell ropr, allowing the bell to be rung from any floor. T h e monsters will attack the party on sight, only remembering to ring the alarm hell on the 2nd round. a. Top Floor T h i s is the location for one of Fanjyr’s two alarm bclls; the other is in the northern gatehouse. T h e room is presently unoccupied. A large iron bell is suspended from the ceiling by a rope. T h e stcnch of the troll on the bottom floor reeks throughout the tower.

8

b. Middle Floor This was the barracks for thc galrhouse’s troops and is now occupied by five gnolls and an ogre. They are prrsrntly drinking wine (from thc inn) and tellinggnoll-type jokes. Unless the party is making unnecessary noise, this group of monsters will be surprised automatically. 1 ogre:AC5; MV9”; HD 4 + l ; hp24; # A T 1; D 1-10; Int Low; AL CE; Size L; xp 2 1 0 THACO 15; MM(75). 5 gnolls: AC 5; MV 9”; H D 2; h p IO each; #AT I;D 1-8 (battlc-axe);Int Low; AL CE; Size L; xp 48 each; THACO 16; MM(46). c. Ground Floor This was whrre tolls were levied on travellers and merchants passing through Fanjyr. Thedoor to thegatepassagestands slightly ajar. From the room comes the sound of bugbear conversation and the stench of troll. Inside are three bugbears and a troll.

1 troll: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 6+6; h p 48; #AT 3; D 5-8/5-8/2-12; SA/SD Regenerates 3 h p per round 3 rounds after bring damaged; Int Low; AL CE; Size L; xp 909 THACO 13; MM(97). 3 bugbears: AC 5; MV 9”; H D 3+1; h p 15 each; #AT I; D 2-8 ( m o r n i n g stars); Int Low; AL CE; Sire L; xp 195 each; THACO 16; MM(12).

Scattered around the room are a few smashed barrels, a broken table, some vellum scrolls, and five shields (one of which is a shield +2). By the door is a set of srales for weighing goods. Concealed behind a loose stone- in a firrplace is a locked wooden box. T h e box is trapped with a poison needle in the lock (save YS. Poison or die) and contains a potion of poison (red, smells of strawberries), a potion of heroism (blue, tastes of onions) and a potion of speed (white, tastes bittcr). In thr south-west corner, under a pilr of ripped u p sacks and broken wooden coffcrs, is a trapdoor leading to the cellar. d. Cellar T h e tolls collected from oassine merchants and travellers were kept herealong with the garrison’s supplies of arrows, spears and sparc armour. T h e room has been looted and all the treasure taken. Two hundred arrows, 12 short bows and 30 spears are all that remain. T h e door in thr north wall is not locked or trapped and leads to the undcraround passageway. The humanoids have not ventured down it sinrr encountering thc soul beckoner at area F8.

F3. T h e Smithy and Stables Arounda campfiresit a groopof bugbears. They will automatically spot any intruders who comr within I O yards, and will raise the alarm and rush to attack. 11 bugbears: AC 5; MV 9”; H D 3 t l ; h p 15 each; #AT 1; D 1-8 (battlr-axe); Int Low; AL CE; Size L; xp 195 each; THACO 16: MM(12). 1bugbear leader: AC 4; MV 9 H D 4; h p 23; # A T I ; D 2-9 (longsword): Int A x ; AL CE; Sire L; x p 227; THACO 15; MM(12).

F4. T h e Inn T h e inn is a burnt out shell; thr two upper floors have collapsed and only the cellar rrmains intact. This is accesscd by a trapdoor in the floor. Sitting around the open trapdoor, drinking beer from barrels looted from the cellar are the following monsters: 1 giant two-headed troll: AC 4; MV 12”; HD I O hp60;#AT4:D 1-6/1-6/1-10/1-10; SA/SDRrgcnrrate I hpperr0und;IntAve; AL CE; Sire L; xp 2640; THACO I O FF(90). 2 hill giants: AC 4; MV 12”; H D 8+1; h p 38 each; #AT I ; D 2 - 1 6 SA/SD Hurl rocks for 2-16; Int Low: AL CE: Sire L: XD 1856each: THACO 12; MM(45). 2 eiant trolls. AC 4; M V 12”: HD 8: h n 38 each; # A T 1; D 2-16; SA/SD Regcn’rrate 2 h p prr round; Int Low; AI. CE; S i x L; xp I105 each; THACO 12; FF(90). 4 trolls: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 6+6; h p 33 each; #AT 3; D 5-8/5~8/2-12; SA/SD Regenerate 3 h p per round 3 rounds after being damaged; Int Low; AL CE; Size L: xp 789 rach; THACO 13; MM(97). 8 oeres: AC 5: MI‘ 9”; H D 4+1: h o 19 each; #A? I ; D 1-10: Int LOW; AL cE; ~ i i L; e xp 185 each; THACO 15; MM(75).

T h e noise made by this group can br heard dearly from the gatehouse. If the alarm is raised, they will run howling to thc attack, with the gianl two-headed troll in the lead. Nearhy are three sacks containing 232Ogp. 1740gp and 450pp respectively. a. Under the Inn T h e cellar under the inn contains 300 b o t t l r of win? (valur - d10+15gpeach)and eight b a r d s of beer. One of the barrels is a secret door leading to the underground passage (areas F7-8). It is opcned by turning the spigot on the front 01 the barrel.

T H E DARK SKY (Fanjyr Way-Station:arms FI-F4a)

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ego of 8 (total pcrsorrality score - 21; see DMG p167). T h e blade is inscribed with r u n e which a read magic s p ~ lwill l reveal to br two command words - "Zharr" and "Parr". T h r formrr causes the sword to burn with flickering red flames, and the latter confers magical flight on the wielder for 1 hour per day (MCB). Maraghur can detect evil in a 1" radius, and will use its empathy to makr its owner aware of this.

F5. Wayside Shrine Theshrine wasdedicated to travellers hut is now cornplctely ruined. N o items of value remain, and 2 turns of searching will only reveal the rrmnanis of a shattered statue.

F6. T h e Northern Gatehouse T h e northern gatehouse has exactly the samelay-outas thesouthernone.Itisin the same state of disrepair, having been ransacked by the hunianoids and the ba'atun hefore them. Thete is no trcasuie hidden anywhere in the building. O n thc ground floor arc ten gnolls plus their leader. If the alarm is raised, these gnolls will stay here and lire arrows from the windows at anyone approaching the gatehouse.

IO gnolls: AC 5; MV 9"; H D 2; h p 10 each; #AT I or 2; D 1-8 (battle-axe)or 1-6 (Ion% bow); In1 Low; AI. CE; Size L; xp 48 each; THACO 16;MM(%). 1 gnoll leader: AC. 5; MV 9"; HD 3; hp 16; #AT 1; D 2-8 (morning star); Int Ave; AL CE; SizeL; xp60;THACO 16; MM(46). T h e northern gati's were smashed oprn by the humanoids and are hanging off their hingcs.

Under Fanjyr Running underneath and betwcen the gatrhousrs is a IO-foot-high tunnel which connects thrm with the inn. T h e tunnel system was used to move mrn-at-arms between the buildings. During the ba'atun attack, Zolbak, a soul heckoner (see New Monsters - Pull-out Sheetlll) escaped from its centuries-old prison under the shrine and fled into the tunnrl system. T h e soul brckonerd~dnotl~avetowaitlon~beforea gnollfellvictim ti,it,anditsstrengthgrew.

F7. Evil Whispers... From the darkness wafts the fetid smell of death m d decay. Water runs in greasyrivuletsdown thewallsand flowsacross thi:floor. Achilldraught blows out of the darkness, a whisper hinting of rvd and sinistrr forczs lurking in the shadows. It grows stronger and shapes itself into words within your mind. "Come. Comc to me, my pretties. Come to Zolhak, for 1 am lonely and in need of company.''

F9. T h e Mad Blacksmith F8. Horror in the Dark Zolbak waits here for prey. There is only a 10% chance of the characters seeing it. unless they use a continual light spell (cf. Shadow - MM p86). Zolhak will attack the first character to enter the room, gaining a bonus of +4 to hit if the character has been affected by its whisper: Achilling sensation sprcads through your hody. In front of you, dark shadows coalesce to take on solid shape. A creature stands therr, its black eyes stare out of a grey mass of putrefaction. Long, cracked fingernails reach out as the creature's face splits in a horrid grin. 1 soul heckonet: AC 2; MV 6"; HD 6 initially; h p 30; #AT 2; D l - 6 / I - c SA/SD Whispering, wailing, enrrgy drain, magic or silver weapons to hit; Int High; AL NE; Sire M; xp 525; THACO 13 initially; New Monster (Poll-out Sheet 111).

Each energy level it drains results in it growing by one hit die until it reachrs a maximum of 10HD. Thesoul beckonercan presently he turned by a cleric as a vampire. With every two additional hit dice gained, it becomes harder to turn. With 8HD it is turned as a ghost, hut when it achicves lOHD it ran no longrrgrow and turns as a lich. T h e soul heckonrr's face will rapidly take on the appearance of the character(s) from which it succeeds in draining an energy level, and the characters will see i t grow stronger as it hrcomes more solid, If the characters flec, Zolhak will not leave the tunnels. In the room with it is a dead goo11and a clerical scroll with restoration, tongues, cure serious wounds, and neutralise poison spells. Inanold, filthysackisMaragbur,aneutral good bastard sword +I, Flame Tongue. It has an intelligencr of 13 (empathy) and an

Half-a-mile past thr way-station the party willcatchsightoIthenowderangcdFanjyr blacksmith, Fedor Rohlyn, standingon the road. He will immediately dash behind a boulder. When the adventurers invustigate, however, he will usphisamuletofblinking (see below) and appear behind them. Fedor Roblyn: AC IO; MV 12"; FO; h p 4; # A T 1; D 1-4 (dagger); SA/SD Amulet of blinking (src below); Int Low; AL N; Size M: THACO 20": D M G . T h e ba'atun attack on Fanjyr has left the poor man completely insane. H e now has an involuntary twitch which means there is a 50% chance each round that Fedor will wink and thus "blink out", reappearingat random (see PHB p72). Fedor, in his befuddled state does not realis? that he is "blinking" and so is unahlr to explain it. He will, however be very upset if the amulet is taken from him. Thrrharactcrswill notgetanycoherentor spccific information from Frdor. If questioned, he will become very agitated and rave, saying, "Grrat, white, winged crcatures they wrre... T h e snow and ire.... But they're dead nou,...everyone's drdd ...the white furry beasts ... and the darkness...the clouds, the trrrible black clouds..." Hewillcontinucin thisvein forsomrtime, repeating himself and talking nonsensr. He will becomr rnorc and more aaitated until, in an attempt to demonstrate the ba'atun attack, hr will throw himself off the road, plunging to his death some 500 feet below. T h e amulet of blinking appears as a jewelled silver amulet (value - 500gp). T h e wearer can cause the amulet to function as a blink spell (PHB p72) for 1 turn, by saying the command word "Yoborr". Thereaftrr, he or she is ahlr to hlink out, simply by winking. When the adventurers first se? Fedor, thc amulct has 8 chargps and each turn of usr exprnds 1 charge.

T H E DARK SKY (Fanjyr Way-Station: arem FS-F9) 9

THUNDER ON THE MOUNTAIN From Fanjyr, Tcho'eh will lead theadventurers into the Cloudscape Mountains to the aarakocra nest of Tikka-ti-jarra (area 8). Here they will be attacked by a force of ba'atun from the cloud castle. Following this attack, one of the aarakocra shamans will experience a vision, in which the existence of the "skyfish" (see Pull-out Sheet IV) is revealed to him. T h e shaman will urge theadventurers toseek theskvfish out.

7. The Windy Gulley Ten miles past Fanjyr, Tcho'eh will lead thr advepturers off the road into a steepsided gulley (area 7). T h e gulley is guarded by ten aarakocra flying high overhead, hidden within the clouds. T h e aarakocra are, not surprisingly, very wary of strangers and, upon seeing an obviously tortured aarakocra with the party, they will mistakenly assume the adventurers are raiders. Immediately, they will fly above the clouds to summon two air elementalsand then twoofthem will fly offto Tikka-ti-jarra. Once summoned, one of the elementals will beinstructed toformintoa whirlwind and sweep through the party to cause a distraction, while the other attacks the party in its normal form: T h e pathway zig-zags for many miles, leading you higher into the mountains. Around yon, rock walls rise impressively to meet towering snow coverrd peaks. From furrhpr u p the gorge comes the sound of howling winds. The wind increasrs in intensity, whipping itself into a towering tornado over 150 Ieet tall. Rocks and bushes are sucked upwards, caught in the wind's fury as it swiftly sweeps down the gulley towards you.

2 air elementals: AC 2; M V W'; I+U 16; h p 100 each; # A T I; D 2-20 (t4 vs. aerial opponents); SA/SD Whirlwind, +2 weapon to hit; Int Low; AL N; Sire L; xp 4350 each;

THACO 7 (6"s. aerialopponents); MM(37). T h e whirlwind formed by the first air In whirlwind form, the first elemental will elemental is a 160-foot-high cone, 60 feet sweep away and kill all creatures below 3 wideat the topand tapering to20feetat the hit dice and inflict 2-16 hit points of bottom. T h e air elemental will appear at a damage to any non-aerial creature in its distance of 320 yards from the adventurers. Itwillsweepthrou~hthepartyatthccndof path. After sweeping through the party, it will return to the elrmental plane of air. the round, avoiding Tcho'eh. Tcho'eh will instinctively fling himself to one side as the In the round following the attack by the air elemental approaches. Any characters whirlwind, the second air elemental will who follow him will not beattacked by the attack the party. T h e elrmental will return elemental.

to i t , o w n plane if reduced IO 20 h i t points or w h m dismissed by the aarakocra. At the same time, four aarakocra will swoop down to carry Tcho'eh to safety. T h e aarakocra carrying Tcho'eh will fly upwards at 18" movement ratc. If thry are attacked by th? adventurrrs, the other six aarakocra will dive, each hurling two javelins (at +4 to hit/double damage) in a n attempt to drive the party back. 8 aarakocra: AC 7; MV 6"/56" (MC:C); H D 1+2; h p 8 each; # A T 2 D 2-8/2-8 (javelins); SA/SD Summon air eleniental and dive; Int Avc; AL NG; Sizc M; xp 44 each; THACO 18; FF(8).

10 T H U N D E R O N T H E MOUNTAIN (area 7) -

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The Parley One to three rounds after being "rescued', Tcho'eh will convince the aarakocra of their mistake. They will dismiss the air elemental and attempt to parley with the adventurers. They do not speak the common tongue and will rely on Tcho'eh to translate for them. As Tcho'eh begs the party to forgive his people, his "rescuers" will look uncomfortable and stare at the ground. After Tcho'eh has explained the situation, one will fly off to give word of the heroes' approach, while another offers to escort Tcho'eh and theparty toTikka-tijarra. T h e others will return to their sentry duties. Shouldall theaarakocra heslain by the party, the two who flew off earlier will return after 4 hours to seek the party out. Explaining their mistake, they will offer to guide the adventurers to Tikka-ti-jarra.

TIKKA-TI-JARR A Tikka-ti-jarra ("Place of the High Wind", see Map M - area R), is the largest aarakocra nest in the Cloudccape Mountains and the site of the Temple of the Sky (see Map 8). T h e temple has p e a t significance tor the aarakocra of thi, area, and is a natural place for them to congregate in times of danger. Neither the temple nor Tikka-tijarra are accessible without the power of flight.

8. Welcome to Tikka-ti-jarra Air Lift

Jirriock will land after rheothers, andgreet the characters in the common tongue. Jirriock will offer to transport the characters to the nest, 1000 feet above. Each aarakocra can carry 150 pounds and they will combine to carry heavy characters. T h e party will first be taken to the aarakocra temple to meet Kirraka, the aarakocra shaman (see T h e Temple of the Sky - below). T h e meeting will he intrrrupted, however, by a ba'atun attack from the cloud castle (see Raid on Tikka-ti-jarra - page 12). Inhabitants There are 45aarakocra (including the three shamans) at Tikka-ti-jarra. Of these, five are refugees from the nests destroyed by the ba'atun. T h e statistics of the aarakocra to be found at Tikka-ti-jarra are given on page 12. Conditions are rather cramped at the moment, and many of the aarakocra have little more shelter than an overhanging cliff-face. Most communal activities take place in the air or around the temple, with the aarakocra only returning to their individual ledges to roost. T h e more commodious ledges often have small hollows in the cliff wall and are decorated with feathered wall-hangings, elaborate paintings of abstract designs and even the occasional animal pelt. Both males and females take turns at feeding the chicks and incubating the eggs which are kept in feather-lincd nests.

T h e aarakocra carry you swiftly u p the cliff face to a gulley where coloured banners dance lightly in the air. Excited aarakocra chatter loudly, and watch you from ledges around the gulley walls. From further u p the cliff face, beams of light shoot into the sky, bathing the low dark clouds in a n iridescent glow. T h e light swings in an arc sending luminous patterns dancing across the sky. T h e aarakocra take you towardsitandsoon youseeatall reardtop-shaped structure on a lofty ledge. From i t comes the toll of a bell and through its numerous openings sweep beams of light. Shortly you are standing at one of these openings. Inside the structure, a brilliant carpet covers the floor. Flying down towards you is a hirdman with bright red feathers. He lands and bows to you. "Welcome flighrlessones. I am Kirraka, shaman of the people of the wind. Welcome to the sky temple of Tikka-ti-jarra." T h e bright light comes from a continual light spell cast on a gem suspended from the ceiling by a silver thread. A large silver mirror hangs next to the gem and when spun, reflects the light through the many openings. Hanging at the top of the s t r u c t u r ~is a silvrr temple bell. Perches are setaroundaround thewallsandareusedby worshippers at the temple.

As the characreis climb further u p the gorge, the sky will become even more overcast, as a n oppressive electrical storm builds. T h e black clouds obscure the sun and reduce visibility to 50 yards. T h e aarakocra will lead the party along the gorge to where it ends at a waterfall. Here the characters will be met by eight aarakocra led hy Jirriock (see page 12), a lesser aarakocra shaman: Steep rock walls mark the end of the gorge. A watrirfall thunders ahead, sending white spray into the air. Overhead, hewy black clouds hang in thesky, blockingout thesunlight. T h e beat of wings signals thearrival of a group of aarakocra. T h e bright red leader swoops, rolls and climbs through theairwhile theothers land at the base of the cliff.

The Temple of the Sky This is where the party is brought on first arriving at Tikka-ti-jarra. T h e shamans of the temple are ahle to enter a trance-like state by eating the seeds of the magical plant Charrak which sends them visions. It wasin oneof thesevisions that Kirraka, the shaman, saw the adventurers and then sent Tcho'eh to find them. Charrak grows wild around Tikka-ti-jarra and only affects aarakocra. Continued usage of Charrak turns aarakocra plumage a bright red colour. T h e temple is 100 feet high, formed from numerous blocks of stone into a large lattice-work with many openings, which range in size from as little as 1 inch to 10 feet across. T h e temple itself resembles a teardrop in shape, and is built on a 100foot-wide, overhanging ledge:

With KirrakaisIkarrika, a lesseraarakocra shaman. Kirraka will greet theadventurers, thanking them profusely for havingcome, and willofferthemseatson thesoft feather carpet. Ikarrika, Jirriock, Tcho'eh and two aarakocra will settleon convenient perches, and the other aarakocra will return to the ledges of Tikka-ti-jarra. T h e shamans' statistics are to be found on page 12. Kirraka will tell the characters: - he has seen the adventurers in a vision and believes them to be thesaviours sent by Chikurra, the aarakocra god . the aarakocra are being systematically wiped out by a n evil cloud giant, with the aid of white demons from his cloud castle - the cloud castle looks like a large black cloud which floats high above the mountains - t h e aarakorra are poor by human standards but they can give the party

THUNDER ON T H E MOUNTAZN (Tikka-ti-jarra:area 8) 11

riglit fir? opal gems (value - 500gp each), five pieces of delicate golden ~ and two jewellery (value - 7 5 0 % each) potions of flying (purple, tastes acidic) from the temple’s sacred repository.

All characters in the temple must makr a saving throw vs. Breath or be hit by falling debris for 2-8 points of damage. T h e continual light gem is destroyed and, through the temple roof, thecloudcastle is now visible:

Before Kirraka can impart any more information, Tikka-ti-jarra will be attacked by thecloudcastleandaswarm of ba’atun.

T H E STRIKE FORCE Through a gaping hole in the roof, you see a huge black cloud high overhead, crackling with electricity. Deep mocking laughter booms from it as swarms of white, winged creatures emerge. T h e winged demons drop swiftly towards you and a blood-curdling screech fills the air.

Raid on Tikka-ti-jarra T h e attack force consists of a ba’atun swarm(seePul1-outSheetI1). Theraid will commence over the ledges and quickly spread to the temple. One flight of ha’atun will attack the ledges, while the other, led by the swarm leader, attacks the temple. Mostof theaarakocraon theledgeswill flee and be pursued by a ba’atun squad, while theothersquadgoes to theaidof theswarm leader at the temple. T o assist you in running this battle the most likely course of events is outlined below: Round 1. Thecloudcastleappearsover the ledges and releases a flight of ba’atun. Round 2. T h e aarakocra on the ledges flee; three head towards the temple. Round 3. T h e three aarakocra arrive at the temple with tbr cloud castle close behind. Yesorkh/Lachlan casts a lightning bolt spell at the temple from the castle. Round 4. Yesorkh/Lachlan departsTikkati-jarra in the castle. T h e second flight of ba’atun leaves the castle and attacks the temple. Round 9. T h e ba’atun attacking the temple arereinforced by oneof thesquads from the ledges. Round 10. Having regrouped and summoned an air elemental, five aarakocra arrive with it at the temple.

5 aarakocra: AC7; MV G”/96” (A*[::(;); HD 1+2; h p 8 each; # A T 2; D 2-8/2-8 (javelins); SA/SD Summon air elemental a n d dive; I n t Aye; AL NG; Size M; THACO 18; FF(8).

Yesorkh/Lachlan will depart with the castle, confident that her troops will destroy the aarakocra. Whatever the outcome of the raid, the castle will not return; surviving ba’atun will rendezvous with the castle some 5 miles to the south east. T h e characters have 1 round to act before the ba’atun reach them. During this time they will not be subject to the effectsof the screech since they will be out of range. However, before initiative is rolled for the following round, all characters must make a successful saving throw vs. Spells (at +4) or be affected by the ba’atun screech and he unable to act through fear.

T h e swarm leader will hang hack using spells and missiles, while the rest of the ba’atun dive to attack. When all leaders of higher rank than wing sergeant are killed, the ba’atun will flee. Arriving in Round 4 1 swarm leader: AC 1; MV 9”/21” (MC:C); H D 7; h p 42 ; #AT 1 or 3; D 3-8 + 4-16(ice j a v e l i n + s t r e n g t h ) o r 3-8/3-6/3-6: SA/SD Screech, ray of cold, ice shards; Int Except; AL LE; Size M; xp 1211; THACO 1I; New monster. 1 flight leader: AC 3; MV 9”/21” (MC:C); H D 5; h p 22; # A T 1 or 3; D 2-7/2-5/2-5; SA/SD Screech, ice shards, web sling (3 shots); Int Very; AL LE; Size M; xp 303; THACO 15; New Monster. 2 wingsergeants: AC4; MV9”/21”(MC:C); H D 3; h p 16 each; #AT 3; D l-6/l-4/l-$ SA/SD Screech Int Ave; AL L E Size M, xp 208 each; THACO 1 6 New monster. 16 ba’atun: AC 4; MV 9”/21” (MC:C); HD2+1; h p 12each;#AT3;D l-6/l-4/l-% SA/SDScreech;IntAve; ALLE;SizeM;xp 196 each: THACO 16;New monster.

T H E SHAMANS Kirraka - Chief Aarakoaa Shaman AC 5 (ring of protection +2); MV 6”/36” (MC:C); H D 7; h p 41; #AT 2; D 2-8/2-8 (javelins); SA/SD Spells, summon air elemental and dive; Int Ave; AL NG; Size M; THACO 13; FF(8). Spells (cast as a 7th level cleric): First level: cure light wounds, light, protection from evil Second level: resist fire x2, speak with animals Third level: dispel magic, prayer Fourth level: nentralise poison Languages spoken: aarakocra, common, giant eagle and neutral good

Arriving in Round 9: 1 flight leader: AC 3; MV 9”/21” (MC:C); HD 5; h p 22; #AT 1 or 3; D 2-7/2-5/2-5; SA/SD Screech, ice shards, web’sling (2 shots); Int Very; AL LE; Size M; xp 303; THACO 15; New monster. 1 wing sergeant: AC 4; MV 9”/21”(MC:C); H D 3; h p Ifi; # A T 3; D 1-6/1-4/1-4; SA/SD Screech; Int Ave; AL LE; SiLe M; xp 208; THACO 16;New Monster. 8 ba’atun: AC 4; MV 9”/2l” (MC:C); HD2+1; h p 12each;#AT5;D l-6/l-4/l-4; SA/SD Screech Int Ave; AL L E Size M, xp 196 each; THACO 16;New monster.

Arriving in Round 10: Lightning Strikes

As a result of the poor visibility, the aarakocra will be surprised by the sudden arrival of the cloud castle, and the ba’atun willeasilywin thebattlefortheledges.The adventurers will first know about the attack when the sky grows very dark and three breathless aarakocra burst into the temple. Almost simultaneously. Yesorkh/ Lachlan’s lightning bolt blows the roof off.

Jirriock & Ikarrika (lesser shamans): AC 7; MV 6”/36” (MC:C); HD 5; h p 22 each; #AT 2; D 2-8/2-8; SA/SD Spells, summon air elemental and dive; In; Ave; AL NG; Sire M; THACO 15; FF(8). Snells (cast as 5th level clerics): First level: cure light wounds, light, remove fear Second level: chant, resist fire, speak with animals Third Icvel: cure disease

.

,

12 THUNDER ON T H E MOUNTAIN (Raid on Tikka-ti-jarra)

1 air elemental: AC 2: MV 36” (MC:A); HD 16; h p 102; #AT I ; D 2-20 (+4 YS. aerial opponmts): SA/SD Whirlwind, +2weapon

tohit;IntLow;ALN;SizeL;THACO7(6 vs. aerial opponents); MM(37). 5 aarakocra: AC 7; MV 6”/36” (MC:C);

H D l+2; h p 7 each; #AT 2; D 2-8/2-8; SA/SD Summon air elemental and dive; Int Ave; AL NG; Size M; THACO 18; FF(8).

Aftermath T h e ba’atun will cause great destruction, leaving only ten survivors (six male and four female) plus any from the temple. Following the destruction of the temple, Kirraka or one 01 the lesser shamans will seek guidance in the spirit world and consume some Charrak seeds (see Temple

shamans. T h e fugitive aarakocra will have settledtherein2daystimeandthisiswhere the adventurers are to return with the skyfish.

THE EAGLES The Storm Breaks

ottheSky-pageII).Forthenext2hourshe will rxperiencea vision which hewill later relate to the adventurers:

f “Deep have1 questedwithin thespirit world; I have travelled further than ever hefore. T h e way was dark and unsteady. Black clouds obscured the light and howling winds brought snow and ice to weigh my wings. As they grew hewier, I strayed oitrn from my flight; at times I dived towards the ground, at others I was buffeted by evil winds. Soarinpahove me was a creature of blackness, so hugeit filled theskyandblockedout the light. My sight went and my wings froze. T h e icy air ripped through my frsthers as I plummeted downwards. “Suddenly I was caught, strong talons grasped me and carried me far through the darkness. Then a light pierced the darkness, a shining tower of ice thrusting through a frozen lake. I started to fall, hut now my wings responded and I saw my saviour, a great eagle swoop towards the tower and disappear inside. Before I could follow, the lake cracked and a strange silver fish flew into the sky. High it flew, banishing the darkness with its glow. Light returned and hope grew in me and then the vision faded.” T h e shaman will do his utmost to urge the party to seek out the “skyfish”, as he considers it to be a crucial element in the struggleagainst thecloudgiant. Hecannot explain why, hut he knows that his vision of it is a sign from his god, Chikurra. T h e presence of the giant eagle in the vision will he seen by the shaman as a sign that these wise bird, should he consulted. Providing theadventurers agree, oneof the shamans will journey with the party to the Giant Eagles’ Aei ie (area 9). T h e surviving aarakocra will organise the burning 01 their deadandwill then IeaveforTchitchikwaaka (“The Last Refuge” - Map M, area lZ),aneventpreparedforinadvance by the

At any convenient point on the journey between Tikka-ti-jarra and the Aerieofthe Eagles, a thunder storm will occur and the party will beattacked by a lightningquasielemental. If possible, this encounter should occur shortly after the characters camp in the open for the night. T h e storm should build u p slowly, with the sound of thunder constantly moving closer until: L i g h t n i n g arcs across the sky, lighting the white slopes of the mountain. T h e wind drops and the air becomes heavy and still, Overhead, small halls of lightning dance across the sky, and then suddenly dart towards you, leaving a zizzling trail of sparks behind. T h e lightning quasi-elemental will “arc” towards anyone wearing metal armour. inflicting 1-619 points of damage on a successful to hit roll. Around it are three globes of ball lightning which will each discharge for 1-6 points of damage on a character in metal armour. In following rounds, the quasi-elemental will “arc” randomly tocharacters in metal armour. In addition, it will create one globe of ball lightning per round for the next 6 rounds. 1 lightning quasi-elemental: AC 2; MV 18” plus arc u p to G”(MCA); HD 9 h p 62;#AT 1; D 1 - 6 t 9 SA/SDBall lightning, t l weapon to hit; MR Special; Int Low; AL N(C); Size S; xp 1930; THACO 12; MMII(IO3).

When the quasi-elemental is hit by a weapon made of conductive material, the wielder receives an electrical shock for 1-4 points oi damage. T h e creature is immune to electrical attacks; takes half damage from fire and acid; full damagr from cold; 1-8pointsofdamagepergallonofwater or double normal damage. After 5 rounds (or earlier if desired), rain will begin to fall. Thequasi-elemental will quickly dissipate and return to its own plane. T h e torrential rain and thunder will continue until the morning, interrupting characters’ rest and affecting their recovery

of spells (see DMG p40). In the morning the sun will shine briefly before the dark clouds again block out the light.

9. Giant EagIes’ Aerie T h e giant eagles nest just below thr snowline on Mount Denscar (area 9). T h e aerie itseli is only accessible to flying creatures. Onemilrfrom theaerie theparty will encounter a giant eagle: Plummeting down from the high peaks is a giant eagle. It breaks its flight and lands smoothly on a ledge abovr you. T h e giant eagle will fly down to the adventurers and, using its telepathy, will greet them, before asking what they are doing in the vicinity of Mount Denscar. T h e eagle will also inform them that he cannot permit them t o g o u p themountain. T h e eagle will listen closely to what the characters say. If the shaman’s dream is recounted, the eagle will confirm that the “tower of ice” is known and will give directions to Mount Ederglow (area 11). Withitswing, theeaglewill point towards the glowing peaks of the mountain. Barely visible through the dark clouds, the peaks are nevertheless unmistakeable. T h e eagle does not know of the skyfish and will say that the “towcr of ice” is unoccupied. T h e great mage who lived there died long ago. T h e eagle will look puzzled if the cloud giant is mentioned, hut will not comment on it. Shortly after giving directions to Mount Edrrglow, the giant eagle will offer to take the aarakocra shaman to the Council of the Eagles. T h e characters will not be invited to the council. Before leaving, thr aarakocra shaman will again urge the adventurers to seek out the skyfish and take it to Tchitchi-kwaaka (area 12). Neither the giant eagle nor the aarakocra shaman will return.

If the adventurers attempt to approach the aerie, they will he met hy two giant eagles whowillpolitelyask them to leave. Failure todoso,will hringanattackbyall 16giant eagles.Theeagleswil1 fight tothedeathin defence of the sanctity of their homc. 16 giant eagles: AC 7; MV 3”/48” (MCD); HD%hp19/4/Oeach;#AT3;D 1-6/1-6/2-12; SA/SD Dive; Int Ave; AL N; Sire M; xp 226 each;THACO 15; MM(36).

T H U N D E R O N T H E MOUNTAIN (The Eagles: area 9) 13

Mount Ederglow is easy to find; except during blizzards (sre below), its peaks are always visible. During their journey, the adventurers will meet a band of dwarvrs at odds with a group of frost giants. In return for aid, the dwarves will offer to show the party to a cave (area E3)which leads to the frozrn lake in the centre of the mountain.

14

Aftercrossing thelake, thecharactersarrive at the crystal citadel s e n by the shaman in his vision. T h e top floor of the citadel hasa teleport to a force dome on the lake bed protecting the skyfish. After leaving the mountain in the skyfish, the party can journey to Tchitchi-kwaaka where the assault on thecloudcastleis to beplanned.

T H E PEAKS OF LIGHT (The Journey)

THE JOURNEY Natural Hazards Shortly after leaving Mount Denscar (see area 9), th? pass will lead the adventurers above the snowline where adverse weather conditions (see below) will beencountered.

~

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS form and will not be persuadrd otherwise. Hewillshow thepicruretotheadvrnturers in support of hisargument. Bemhardt does not know of thr picture's origins. Bernhardt cannot a trial by combat and, if Murdoch hischampion w 61. is defratrd. . (..D a._ hc will be powerless to prevent the advcnturers from freeing Tcho'eh.

champion. If necessary he will fight himsrlt. He dorr not wish thr villagers or the clerics to be harmrd, and will condemn a n y s u g g r s t i o n s that m i g h t lead to unncccssary hloodshed. IITcho'eh is heed. Asdor will suggest that the party lraves Lurneslyc as soon as possible and journeys to his shrine (area 3). He will not arcompdny the advmturers beyond that point.

s') I W D C Ch

I:, 17

13 8 14

CIcri4. 5; AL:I.N Age: 55 Height: 5'11" Weight: 2841bs

SprI I.s/Level 1st level: 5 2nd level: 5 3rd level: 2

Spells: First level: command, curelisht wounds x2, protection from evil, sanctuary Second level: augury, - . hold person x2, know alignment, silence 15' radius Third Icvel: feign death, prayer I

AC 4 (banded mail under robes);'MV 9"; C5; h p 22; # A T 1; D 2-7 (mace); xp 407; THACO 1 8 PHB.

Appearance: grossly overweight with a lonc creasy ., . black beard. He has a piercins, almost manic ,tare and suffrrs from bad breath. Personality: Brmhdrdt is the head cleric of Lurneslye and 1s both feared and respected by thevillagers He is by nature brnral, but he will not put his own life in danwr. Should a combat occur, Bernhardt will woid melee, preferrina to cast spells from a distance. If att,rcked,.he will ;ast a feign death spell. Aims: Bernhardt wishrs todestroy Tcho'eh, for he truly believes him to be a demon, rcsponsible for the dark clouds. He has a page from a n ancirnt book which shows a picture of Yesorkh Pahyeh, the black ba'atun (cf. the lront cover of theis modulr). Underneath the picture is written "The winged ones shall return when the s k y darkens and thc sun is blotted out." T h e book was written shortly after Yrsorkh Pahych was imprisoned by Devral (see From the Dark Pas1 - page 2) and forrtells that one day the ba'atun menace will return. T h e book was destroyed long ago bv Bernhardt's oredecessors. but this vacc . . wds kept as a reminder thdl thc temple needs to bcevei watchfulof evil. Bernhardt 1s convinccd that this is Trho'ch's true

S Y I 14

W D C Ch

17 4 6 8

Cleric 3 ALNG Age: 75 Heieht: 5'7" Weight: 991bs

Spel ls/Level 1st Icvel: 4 2nd level: 3

Spells: First Irvel: bless. command. cure lieht wounds, light Second level: augury, hold person, speak with animals

-

AC 1 0 MV 9"; C3; h p 4 (7); #AT 1; D 1-6 (staff);THACO 20; PHB. Appearance: Asdos is pale and thin. He wears sky blue robes and leans heavily on his staff for support. Personality: Asdos is a true son of his religion, whose drity is the god of the sky. He believes in freedom tempered by law for all non-evil crcatures. Hr has a small wayside shrine by the mountains (area 3), visited by travellrrs and the occasional aarakocra. Aims: Asdos can be usrd as a means of ensuring that the party intervenes in the trial (page 6). Normally a quict retiring character, he has been incensed by news of the trial and has travelled to Lurneslye to try and stop it. He understands that the villagers are not evil, but are frightened by the dark clouds, and sec the aarakocra as a scapegoat. Asdos knows of thr custom of trial by rornbdtandwill try topersuadrone of theadventurrrs to become thcaarakocra's Pull-out Sheer 0 TSR Inc , All rights reserved

Tcho'eh (aarakocra envoy): AC 7; M V 6"; H D 1+2; h p 1 ( I O ) ; #AT 2; D l-3/1-3; Int Ave; AL NG; Sire M; TNACO 18; FF(8). Appearance: Tcho'eh's plumage is normally bright hluc with yellow and black markings on his wings and head. Tcho'eh's wing feathrrs have brrn pluckrd and he will be unable to fly until they have grown back in 3 months.

hardt has left him rdthrr nervous. He is one of the frw aarakncra capahle of speaking and understanding the common tongue. So when Kirraka, the aarakocra shaman, had a vision of a group of adventurers who could save the aarakocra from theattacks of the cloud giant, Tcho'eh was chosen and sent to find them. Aims: Tcho'ch will do his utmost to persuade the adventurers to accompany him hack io Tikka-ti-jarra, the aarakocra nest. Hc will lcad the party into the Scarrdbere (thr pars through the Cloudscapr Mountains) and u p into the mountains to Tikka-ti-jarra. When the party reaches Fanjyr Way-station (see page 7). Tcho'ch will suggest that he waits outside until the adventurers have "cleared thr way." Unaccustomed to fighting on the ground, he will avoid combat if at all possible. He cannot he persuaded to go undrrground, and will not cvcn enter buildings. T h e sight of the aarakorra corpses in the pass (area 4) will visibly upset him.

Pull-out Sheet I /

NEW MONSTERS Ba'atun

Flight leaders have an armour class of 3, a n d 5 hitdicr.Aflighr leader'sstrcngthand s k i l l g i v c s h i m a t l bonustodamagronall attacks. A flight lradcr carries a sling and three web stones, which, upon hitting a crratureor surface, createsmall stickywebs in a fivdoot-diamPtrr aira (similar to a web spell, see PHB p72, but needing no anchor points, duration 3 turns). Oncr pcr day, a flight kdder can fire shards of ice from his hand, at a creature u p to 5"away. T h e shards cause 2d8 points of damage (make a saving throw vs. Brrath for half damagr).

FREQUENCY: Very Rare NO. APPEARING: 8-64 plus lenders ARMOUR CLASS: 4 MOVE: 9"/21" (MCrCj H I T DICE: Ztllvariable % I N L A I R : 10% TREASURE TYPE: E , 0 1x51 NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 DAMAGE/A TTACK: 1-6/1-4/1-4 SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below SPECIAL DEFENCES: See below MAGIC RESISTANCE Standard INTELLIGENCE: Average to genzus ALIGNMEN C L a w f u l Evzl SIZE: M (5'9" t a l l j PSIONIC ABILITY: N i l Attack/defense modes: N i l LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: Variable ~

History: From where the ha'atun first came no one is sure. Some claimed they werc dcmons made from snow, while others thought they were exiles, banished from a frozen parallel world. What little is known to a few erudite sages, is that several millcniaago thry arrived in thr Cloudscapr Mountains with their constant companions -death and destruction. For a briefpcriod it looked as though the mountains and surrounding lands would fall to their onslaught. An alliance between the aarakocra, thr cloud giants and the arch-mage Devral halted the ba'atun attacks and succeedrd in imprisoning thrir leader Yesorkh Pahyeh (see From the Dark Past - page 2). During the following centuries the days of thr ba'atun terror were forgotten. Now they have returnrd, and are once again prrparing to spread their evil. Appearance: Ba'atun have large white, batlike wings. Thcir fur is an icy blue colour and thry have red romps. Facially, ba'atun resemble baboons with long snouts and sharp fanged teeth srt in red maws. Their eyes arc bright blue and red rimmed. T h e ha'atun have their own language and arc not normally able to speak anything else (alignment tongue excepted). ____

Attacks: Ba'atun hitc wirh their sharp vicious teeth(l-6)andrendwith theirdirty claws (l-4/1-4). Thry are not able to attack mor? than onc target prr round. When attacking. ba'atunrmita loud pirrcinpand chilling screech which affects all creatum within 60 feet. Creatures hearing the screech must save vs. Spells at +4 or be struck by fear and unable to take any offensive actions tor I round. Each round that thr screeching lasts, characters must make a successful saving throw (before initiative is detcrmined) to br able to art. Only o n r saving throw prr round is required, nn matter how many ba'atun thcrc are. Ba'atun make all saving throws YS. cold attacks at +2, and take either half or no damage from such attacks. They are allowed a saving throw against ice storm sprlls, with success rcsolting in half damage. Against fire attacks, ba'atun have a penalty of -2 to saving throws. Organisation: Ba'atun are organiscd into squads of 8, carh led by a 3 hit dice wing srrgeant. T w o squads form a [light (Ird by a flight Iradrrj, and two flights make u p a swarm (led by a swarm Irader).

Swarm leaders have 7 hit dice, armour class I , and a +2 bonos on to hit and damage rolls. A swarm leader usually carries 1-3 ice javelins, which arc considrrrd to be +2 weapons for purposes of creatures hit only by magical wrapons. and which do Id6 points of damage against small creaturrs and Id8 against large. In addition, a successful hit causes theweapon toexplode in a volley ol icy splinters which inflict an extra 2dR points ofdamagr to all within I O frrt of the blast (make a saving throw vs. Brcath for half damage; creatures wearing magical arinour takc half or no darnage). A5 well as being ablr to fire shards ol ice from their hands (cf. flight leadcrsj, swarm leaders have the ability, once per day, to crrarearayolcold.Therayisaconr50feet longand20wideat the base, andcauses3dR points of damage to all crratures within it. A successful saving throw vs. Breath results in half damage.

Ba'atun clerics: A ba'atun lair will usually have a tcmple wherr bloody ritrs arc celebrated regularly by a ba'atun high prirst. T h e high priest has theahilitiesofa 7th level ckriu and can create a ray of cold and icr shards onrr per day (ser ahovej. In addition to the high prirst, therr will hr a 4th levrl priest arid 2-5 2nd level acolytes (2tl HD). Ba'atunrletirsshave their heads, exposing t h r pink skin beneath. Thry also colour thrir bodim with blood-redochrc to intimidarr thrir memies.

~

SUMMARY OF BA'ATUN ATTACKS TYPE

THACO

DAMAGE

I6 16 15

ld6/ld4/ld4 ld6/ld4/ld4 ld6+1/ld4+1/ld4+l

normal ba'atun wing sergeant flight leader swarm leader

Pull-out Sheet II

11

AC

4 4 3 ld6+2/Id4+2/ld412 I

ICE SHARDS COLD RAY (Ranqe/AolE/Dmgj (Conr sxe/Dmgj

5"/5 fret/2d8 5"/5 fretAd8

50' x 20'/3d8

WEB STONES (Rdngr/AofF/Drtn)

ICE JAVELIN (Range/Dmgj

16"/5'diam./3 turns -

-

-

6"/ 1d6+2d8 (ice splinters)

Yesorkh Pahyeh T h e ba’atun leader Yesorkh Pahyeh, is an “albino”with a blackcolouration. Sheisa 9th level ma+ user who has the powrr of possession oncc per wrrk (cf. magic jar spell - PNR p81). Using this power, Yesorkh is able to possess the body of any creature within 1” which fails its saving throw vs. Sprlls (wisdom bonuses apply). Ycsorkh is able to cast spells as long as the possrssed crmturc has a humanoid Sorm. Any special abilities of the possessed creature are usablc by Ycsorkh. She cannot call upon the exact memories of the creature, though certain things will he known to her.

Any affectcrl creaturc remains possessed until Yesorkh returns to her own body or posscsses another creature. When rcturning to her own body, Yesorkh’s life-essencecan be seen in the form of a shadow-like figore which movm at 48” (even through solid matter) and cannot be harmrd. Yrsorkh can be driven from hrr victim by an exorcism spdl or by the castingof a remove cursesprll by a clerirof 8th levcl or higher.

When abandoned by Yesorkh, her victim will collapse i n a stdte of shock for 1-10 turns. While Possessing Lachlan (cloud giant): AC 2; MV 15”; HD l2+7; h p 74; #AT 1; D 6-36; SA/SD hurl boulders for 2-24, only surprised on a 1, Irvitate; Int Genius; AL LE; Size L (19’); xp 4000 (for driving Yesorkh from Lachlan’s body):THACO9: MM(44). Clothing/protection: Robes; jewelled headband(valuc - 10000gp)with matchinaearrings (value - 600Ogp the pair). Spells Memorised (C=castingtime, R= range, D= duration) First level: charm person (C Is; R 12”), magic missile x2 (C Is; R 15”), ventriloquism (C Is; R 6”; D I l r ) Second Irvel: darkness 15’ radius (C 2s; R 9”; D 19r), invisibility (C 2s; D Special), mirror image (C 2s; D 181) Third level: haste (C 3s; R 6”: D 12rj, lightning bolt (C 3s; R 13”), protection from normal missiles (C 3s; D 9t)

Special attacks: ice shards and cold ray (sce Ba’atun - Pull-out Sheet II), wall of ice (as 9th level magir user, once per day) Languages: Bi’atun. rommon Note: Yesorkh will leave Lachlan’s body when it is rrduccd to 25 or lcss hit points. In Ba’atun Fonn: AC -2; MV 12”/24”; HD 9; h p 53; #AT 3; D 3-8/3-6/3-6;SA/SD S p e l l s etc.; Int Genius; AL LE; Size M; xp 2836; THACO in. Clothing/protection: cloak of protection +Z;amulet of shielding (same as brooch of shielding - 31 charges); ring of fiie resistance. Spdls/special attackdlanguages: as abovc.

capable of draining u p to twornergy levels and gaining 2 HD and thc extra hit points.

Soul Beckoner FREQUENCY: Rare NO. APPEARING: 1 ARMOUR CLASS: 2 MOVE: 6” H I T DICE: Variable ( i n d a l l y 4 ) % I N L A I R 20% TREASURE TYPE: E NO. O F AITACKS: 2 DAMAGWVITACK: 1-611-6 SPECIAL ATTACK: sfe below S P ~ C I A LDEE-ENCES: +I magical, silver weapons to hit MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard INTELLIGENCE: H i g h ALIGNMENT Neufral Evil SIZE: M PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil Attack/Drfense Modes: Nil LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: Variable

Fourth levcl: dimension door (C Is; D Special), minor globe of invulnerability (C 4s: D 91) Fifth lev& monstersummoninglII lC5s; R 5”; D 13r)

A soul beckoner is normally found underground where i t waits for prey to come within 24” of it. I t then lures them with whispers. Charactrrs hearing the whispers must make a saving throw vs. Spells (wisdom bonuses apply) or be drawn towards the crrature. A successful saving throw negates the whisper and results in thr character h e x i n g an eerie wailing sound. T h e character must then save vs. Spells or flcr in terror for 2-5 rounds. Creaturrs drawn to a soul beckoner are attacked (at + 4 ) , and a successful hit breaks theenchantment of the whisper. Otherwise, victims are allowed a saving throw every round tocsrapr thecrraturc’s enchantment, withacumulativpbonrrsof +2perround.A silence 15’ radius spell will prevent the effects of both the whisper and the wail.

01

This undcad creature’s appearance is

initially similar to a shadow, bring 90% undetectableunlessin brightlight(seeMM p86). As it drains energy levels, it takes 011 the features of its victims, coming tn resemble thrm in form. It alsogrows more solidandlarger. When first encountered, it will have 4 hit dire. For each enerxy level that it drains, it will become a hit die stronger, g.iining the extra hit points, and

A soul beckoner is turned by a cleric a n i n r t c i d chancc o l hitting opponrnth, commt.nsurate with its new hit dice. This crratureattackswith twoclaws causing 1-6 points of damage each and also draining one energy lev4 with each .succexsjul attack. In 1 round a soul beckoner is

according toitscurrent numberofhitdire. With 4 HD a soul beckoner is turncd as a spectre on thr clerics affrcting undead table. With rvery additional 2 HD it becomes increasingly difficult to turn: 6 HD as a vampire, 8 HD as a %host,until it achieves IO HD at which point it turns as a lich, but ran no longer grow.

Pull-out Sheet I l l

WANDERING MONSTERS Whenever the party is on the move in the wilderness, check for wandering monsters twice each day and once each night by rolling Ids. Thereisavaryingchanceofan encounter, as shown in the table opposite. T h i s table also shows which die to use in determining the type of encounter. Wandering monsters will be encountered atarangeof30-120yards(3d4xIO)on the road, and at 20-80 yards (2d4 x IO) in the mountains.

die roll 1

Location

T H E SKYFTSH

Encounter Occurs O n

Die

1 or 2

d8

Road/ T h r 5c Mountains (brlnw snowline) (abotc snonlinr)

I , 2 or 3

d10+3

Monster Moeni.inlinnp12-5~.AC:~MV 15":ND3+1;l~pl5rach;itAT3;D l-3/1-3/1-6;

rprised only on a I ; Int Semi: AL N: S i x R.1; 2

Wraiths(1-2):AC4; MV 12"/24"; HD5+3; hp30each; # A T 1; D 1-6 SA/SD Energy drain, d v e r or magical weapons to hit; MR Immune to sleep, charm, poison, paralysis etc.; Int Very; AL LE; Size M; xp'755 each; THACO 15; MM(102).

3

rytons (2-5) AC I . MV 12"/21" (MC b,HD'4. h u 2dearh: t A SA/SD 2ttdck at t2, nretls t I or hrtter wrapon to hr hit: lnt Ave; AL CE: SiTe M; xp 230 pa( h, T'IIACO IS; MM(7X).

4

Trolls (1-4): AC 4; MV 12"; H D 6+6 h p 40 each; #AT 3; D 5-8/5-8/2-12; SA/SD Multiple targets, regenerate 3hp/ro;nd; Int Low: AL CE; Size L; xp 845 each:THACO 13; MM(97).

T h e creation of the skyfish was Devral's greatest achievement. It is a magical vehicle shaprd likr a hugr, silvery manta ray which can both f l y and travel undrrwatrr. Theskyfishis50fret long(rxc1uding thr tail which is 20 fret long) and GO frrt wide. The movements of the skylish can hr controlled by a magic user or illusionist using commands such as "go", "stop", ''up", "down", "right" or "left". T h e skyfish can travel at u p to 15" whether in a i r or water, and is manoeuverahilty class D. Travelling at less than 3"will causr it to dive until the speed is increased. The skyfish can carry u p to 12 people inside the oak-panelled cockpit in its back. Thereisa benchrunningall theway round the inside of the cockpit. When appropriate, the skyfish'spassengers are protected by the equivalent ol resist cold and water breathing spells. T h e cockpit provides 50% :over (+4 to AC - see DMG p64). The following command words, when spoken by a magic user or illusionist, mivate the secondary functions of the ikyfish: 'fil" - firer an 8d6 lightning bolt spell

~

6

MV I C HD 8tZ; h p 5Cfeicfi; AL CE; Sirc 1L; xp 2000 c,ach;T H n C O 12: MM(45).

". . ._ - - .Ettins (1.2): AC 3; h l V I T ; n u Iu; n p b3 eacn; # A I 2 ; u z - l b / 3 - l x ; SA/SD Surprised only on a 1; Int Low; AL CE; Size L: xp 2860 each; THACO 1 0

.ram the lelt eye at a specilied target (range 12"; once per day only). 'fir" - lires an 8d6 lightning bolt spell 'rom the right eye at a specified target range 12"; once per day only).

MM(40). % magic user or illusionist can also direct

he tail to attack any creature behind the ,kyfish, but the rharacter must concentrate in this to the exclusion ol any other tctions. T h e tail strikes with a THACO 01 12 and does 2.16 hit points of damage. 3reatures hit by the tail mustmakeasaving hrow vs. Paralysationorbeatunnedfor 1-4 .ounds.

2-16 Int Semi; AL N; Sir? L: x p 795 B

Devil does ( 2 - 5 ) : AC 6 ; M V 30"

3

E); Sire 1.; xp 395 cadi; TIIACO 13; MMM(I01). 10

Bear,northern(I-Z):AC6MV 12"//9";HD8+8; h p 5 0 #AT3:D 1-10/1-10/2-12: SA/SD H u g for 3-18. fight for 2-5 rounds after being brought to 0 to -12 hp; Int Semi; AL N; Size L: xp 1500 each; THACO 12; MMII(I6).

li

(2-5):-AC6; MV 15"; H D 4+4;.hp 25; # A T 2; D I-6/l-fi: SA/ 2-16, cause paralysis, tiearl) inrisiblr, itnp?rvious to mld: Int A xp 560 each; THACO 15: .MM(103).

12

Frostgiants(1-3):AC4;MV 12";HD 10+1;hp52;iiAT 1; D4-24:SA/SDHurlrocks for 2-20, impervious to cold; Int Ave; AL CE; Size L; xp 2978 each; THACO IO: MM(44).

I

:MV 15"/30"; HD 7t3; hp43; #A D 1-8, SA/SDFnrrqydrain. t l or better wrapon t o hrhit; MR I m n i u n r to sleep,^:harm, potson, p.tral\si\el( , lnt Hixh; h L LE; S i x M: x p 2080: 'I'HACO 13: t M M

Pull-out Sheet IV

The skyfish has the equivalent of 16 hull Ioints (see DMG p54), and is immune to iormal or magical fire. I t is very old, >owever,and will begin todrcay as soon as t leaves the force dome, losing 1 hull point ,er day. Chis process 01 decay can be neither halted iorreversed. Aftrrlosing-3 hull points, the kyfish will no longer have its silwry ustie, and after losing 10 points thr decay "ill be clearly visible (in the lorm of small .racks, crumbling edges ctc.). Once the kylish rrachrs zero hull points, it will no onger operate and will crumblc into dust wer a period of another 10 days.

Pull-out Sheet 0 TSR Inc.,All rights reserved /

It is assumed that there is adequatr sheltcr availahle(in the formof cavesoroverhangs) should the adventurrrs seek to avoid the worst of the we.rther.

In plarrs. rhr characters will be crossing areas covered in i c e Under normal conditions, this poses no major problem, but chnracters flp-hting or running on the ice must roll their dexterity or less on Id20 or lose their halance and fall. T h e adventureis will encounter one of the natural hazards listed below each time they entrr a hex marked with an appropriate symbol. If the [,arty takes precautions, thr cffectsmaybrnrgatrd/reducedat thr DM's discretion: Icy Winds T h e pass narrows to form a natural wind tunnel, and the advcnturrrs find themselves faced by a howling gale. Visibility is reduced to 10 feet and thedriven snowflakcs muse any exposed flesh to sting painfully. Movement arainst the wind is at % thr normal rate. Ice Stretch T h r party's progrcss is blocked by an ice firld or small glacier. T h e ice here is constantly shifting and there is a dangrr of falling into a snow-covered cirvassc. Roll Id6 for each character crossing the icr; a result of 1 mems that the character falls into a 20-foot-deep crevasse and takes 2d6 pointsof damage.Therest of the party will be ablr to pull fallen comrades to safety without difficulty. Avalanche Banks of deep mow lie on the slopes above the pass in this hex and, if passing normally through it, the party has a 25% chance of causing an avalanche. This chance is reduccd to 10%if the advrnturers avoid making loud noisrs. An avalanche will cause 4d10 points of darnage to all party membrn (make a save vs. Wands for half damage) and it will takr 2d6+2 hours for them to re
srquent turn that the charactrr will lind another patty mrmher. Characters i n shrlter takr no damage but, when the blizzard subsides, they must spend Id4tI hours digXing their way out of the drifted snow.

10. The Dwarves of Shabrund 9 frost giants: AC 4; MV 12"; H D 10+4;

T h e dwarven Kingdom of Shabrund lirs many hundreds of miles to the north of Mount Ederglow, hut even there, legends are known of the powrr and wcalth of Devral. Three months ago, a group of dwarves from Shabrund journeyed here, lured by tales of gold and gems. They set u p camp in a cave (area ]Oh), and started mining a rich seam of silvrr. A weck ago, thrdwarves wcreattacked by a handof frost giants and winterwolves. Ten dwarves wew killed and the rest forced to flee to a new camp whirh overlooks the valley through which the party will travel. a.

h p 52 each: #AT I; D 4-24;SA/SD Hurl rocks for 7-20, impcrvious to cold: In1 Avr; AL CE; S i x L; xp 2178 each; THACO 10; MM(44). 5winterwolves:AC5;MV18';HD6:hp30 each; # A T 1; D 2-8: SA/SD Frost breath for 6-24, impervious tocold; Int Ave; ALN(E); S i x L; xp 395 rach; THACO 13; MM(101). Inside the cave is the giants' treasure. There are thrrc bags containing a total of 8530gp; a pile of silver ingots (equivalmt of 200,OOOsp); and a caskrt containing scven gems (\,aloe- SOOgpeach). apotionofspeed (white with blur flecks, bitter tasting), a scroll with a trueseeing spcll and a wandof f i x (34 charses).

Meeting with the Dwarves

When thepartycomcsintoview,Barrukthe chief of the dwarves - will approach the adventurers and attempt to enlist their aidagainst thegiants. Thcdwarves have no "spare" gold with which to reward the party, but will a g x e to share equally any treasure which the frost giants may have. They will also offer to guide thr party to the cave (area E3) which they belicve to be the entrance to Mount Edrrglow (the dwarvrs do not know ahout the remorhaz). T h e dwarves rstimate that thrrr are hall-adozen giants and four wolves. They know thc l a y o u t of the minr (srr Map lo), so it will be possible to plan thcassault carrfully. Barruk - Dwarf Fighter, Male, Level 7 AC 0 (plate +Z and shield); MV 6"; F7; h p 68; PAT 3 R ; D 3-10 (battle-axe +e); SA/SD As std for levrl, race and abilities; AL N; Size S; S 15, I 12, W 8, D 14, C 16, Ch 15; THACO 12 PHB. 5 mountain dwarves: AC 2; MV 6"; F3;

Blizzard Snow starts to fall and, as the wind builds up, i t becomes obvious that a blizzard is developing. T h e storm lasts for ld6 hours. Unless the adventurers take shelter, they eachsufferZpointsofcolddamageperturn and theirmowment isreducedtoNnorrna1. Visibility is rvduced to 2 feet and, unless they are roped together, the adventurers will be separated. If this happens, there is a IO% chance per character in each sub-

yarrl.5 of thc c'avr, unIc.is suitable precautions have brcn taken.Theirfirst action will he to throw rorks at any attackrr and they will only summon their comrades if unable to dtafeat the attackers after 3 rounds. T h e other giants and wolves will arrivr 2 rounds after bring summoned.

h p 18 each; #AT I: D 1-8[battlc-axe)/l-6 (spear); SA/SD As std for level and race; Int Very; AL N; S i x S ; THACO 18; PHB. b. The Silver Mine There will always he two giants and two wolves on guard outsidf the cave. Despite the poor visibility, the guards will spot anyone who approaches to within 100

MOUNT EDERGLOW T h e twin peaks of Mount Ederglow (area 11 on Map M)are joined by two rugged, impassable ridges which enclose a howllike valley (see Map 11). In thr bottom of this natural basin is a frozen lake, and in the centre of this i n thr island on which Derral made her home. T h e i m o n the two peaks glows constantly with the radiance from the crystal citadel on the island, just as thewaxaroundthetopofacandleglows with the light of the flame inside. A ravine (area E2) cuts part way through the wrstern face of the mountain, and a C ~ V C at the head of thr ravine provides the only route through thr mountain wall to the shores of the lake

El. Winged Death I There is no colour in this valley of ice, only thc stark contrast of white slopes and black clouds. You hear only the unremitting wail of the piercing wind. Then, the sound changes, growing into a long reric screech. Out of the blackness swoop five huge, winged creatures, their hooked beaks snapping hungrily and their powerful claws slicing the chilled air.

T H E PEAKS OF LIGHT (area lO/Mount Ederglow: area E l ) 15

These cieatuics arc flying polar owlbears, descended from the products of one 01 Devral’s ancient experiments (seeFrom the Dark Past - page 2j.

5 flying owlbears: AC 5; MV 12”/15” (MC:E); H D 5+2; h p 24 each; # A T 3;

-

D 1-6/l-6/2-12; SA/SD H u e for 2-16; Int Low; AL N; Size L; x p 417 each: THACO 15; MM(77 - adapted).

111 at 1 1 th level of sprll use, and the vial contains a potion of super-heroism (grren, smells of camphor).

T h e passage on the eastern wall of the cave is clearly visible, but is blocked by 8 feet of ice which the adventurers will need to remove before they can continue.

The Frozen Lake (Map 11)

Ice Passages EZ. Fiery Death In this ravine, strong winds continually blow any loose snow into swirls and billows (visibility 20 feet). T h e cave at the end of the ravine is the lair of two remorhaz. Oneof thesewill beencountered 100 yards from the cave mouth: T h e ravine is filled with billowing snowflakes which enclose you like a swirling fog. A sound like the hiss of steam comes from upahead, followed by the rapid beat of leathery wings. Suddenly, lowering above you is a creature out of nightmare. Its faceted white eyes glarr malignantly, and as it snakes forwards, huge clouds of steam billow u p from its glowing, red-hot back. This maleremorhaz will retreat to thecave (area E3) when reduced to 12 hit points or less. At the cave, it will fight to the death alongside its mate. Z remorhaz: AC 0/2/4; MV 1‘2‘; HD 9 h p 41 each; #AT I;D 6-36; SA/SD Swallow whole, melts non-magical weapons; MR 75% Int Animal; AL N; Size L (27’ long); x p 2356 each; THACO I 2 MM(82).

thc box is oprncd. Any cha~arterhit must make a saving throw vs. Poison or br paralysed until the poison is neutralisrd. Inside the box are 11 gems (value - IOOgp x6, 500gp xS), a potion of levitation and a periapt of proof against poison +2.

T h e passages through the mountain (see Map 11)have been created by white worms (thearcticequivalent of purple worms) and arecoatedina three-inch-thick layerof ice.

ThrlakeiscoveredtoadepthofZOfeetbya mist which reduces visibility to 30 feet. Each turn there is a 1 in 6 chance that the ice will crack beneath one of the characters. T h e character must make a dexterity check or fall intotheicywaters, takingld8points of cold damage per round.

E4. White Worms E5. T h e Second White Worm Beyond the wall of ice, a tunnel slopes downwards towards an icy chamber wherr huge icicles hang down from the ceiling. Numerous circular passages lead off in all directions, andoneeven goes through theroof. In thecentreof thechamber, ten or so fat furry snakes writhe around a small heap of white rocks. T h e I 1 furry snakes are young white worms, 5 feet long and 1 foot in diamrter. They will attack the party on sight, fighting until destroyed. T h e immature worms cannot poison their prey with their stingers, hut these are capable of inflicting 1-2 points of damagr. T h e “white rocks” are actually whole and broken rggs. Each round(forthenext4roundsjawhiteworm will hatch and join the melee. 15 young white worms: AC 6; MV 6”; H D 1+4: 1 1 ~ 8 e a c h ; # A T 2D2-5(bite)/l-2 :

T h e passage opens onto the shore of a frozen lake in the bottom of a crater-like valley. T h e lake lies benrath a laycr of dense mist which covers it like a blanket. In the centre of the valley, a lofty crystal tower risesclrarof themist, bathingtheicy slopes with a pulsating glow. You have hut a momrnt to take in the scene before thr ice near the shore bursts upwardb, and a huge white worm rears u p from the water. This white worm is returning to the ice passages and will attack until destroyed. 1 white worm: AC 6; MV 9”; HD 15; h p 70; #AT 2; D 2-24/2-8; SA/SD Swallow whole, poison; Int Non; AL N; Size L (50’ long); xp 6300; THACO 8 MM(80).

E6. T h e Fog Beast Lying amongst a pile of animal bones in the remorhais cave are two remorhaz eggs (value - 5000gp each), 800pp in a broken pot, I9 gems (value - IOOgp x10,500gp x5, IOOOgp x3,5000gp X I ) ,and a carved ivory scroll tube (value - 300gp). T h e tube is trapped. It is lined with a highly inflammable mawrial and has two pieces of flint concealed in the top. As thr top is unscrewed, the flints will spark and the material will ignite in a blinding flash. Unless the trap is disarmed, the tube will explode, inflicting IOpointsoffiredamage to anyone within 5 feet (halved by a successful saving throw vs. Breath) and destroying itscontents. T h e tubecontains a scroll and a vial. T h e scroll has the magic uscr spells haste and monster summoning

16

After 5 rounds of combat, the floor of the cavern will be shaken by the approach of a parent worm. In the next round, it will burst through the floor and attack the characters until it is destroyed, pursuing any fleeing foes. In the confines of thr passages, it cannot use its stinger. 1 white worm: AC 6; MV 9”: HD 15; h p 83; # A T 2; D 2-24/2-8; SA/SD Swallow whole, poison; Int Non: AL N; Size L (50’ long); xp 6560; THACO 8; MM(80).

In the worm’s stomach is a platinum box (value - 9OOOgp). T h e box is locked and trapped. Unless disarmed, the trap fires three poisoned darts (THACO 13) when

T H E PEAKS O F LIGHT (areas E2-E6)

As they walk into the mist on the lake, the party will lose sight of the crystal citadel, but itsglow will still bevisible. Just as they catch their firstglimpseoftheislandinthc centre of the lake, the adventurers will be attacked by an ildriss. T h e ildriss will gain surprise on a roll of 1-5 on ld6: T h e light from the column is now closer and the fog momentarily thins to reveal that the column stands on a n island. As you watch, the mist ahead turns pale yellow and solidifies into a nightmarish beast with three malignant red eyrs.

1 ildriss: AC 2; MV 3" (as rolling fog); HD 4; h p 28; #AT I ; D 3-12; SA/SD +2 or better weapon to hit, immune to airhased/affecting spells; Int Low; AL NE; Size M; xp 385; THACO 15; MMII(73).

DEVRAL'S ISLAND Buildingsoncecoveredrnost of this island, but in the centuries following Devral's passing, all but the crystal citadel have fallen into ruin. T h e mist covering the island is as dense as that on the lake (i.e visibility 30 feet):

I

I As the island shore rises from the lake, the m i v thins a little and you can see that the island is covered by theshattered remainsof buildings. A thin layer of ice covers the broken masonry and crunches underfoot.

fountain is next to the spriggans' lair ;and, if the adventurers go with them, they will be ambushed there. If they fail to convince the party, the spriggans will fleeinto themist. After this, the whole group will stalk the party, stealing anything they can andwaitingfoor a good opportunity to attack.

E7. Icy Fountain Even if the spriggans do not lead the party here, the fountain will easily be found if the ruins are searched

A fountain stands in the centre of a ruined courtyard. A frozen jet of water arcs from the mouth of a golden fish and into an ice-filled basin. T h e outside of the basin bears a bas-relief sculpture of some kind, hut thedetailsareobscured bya thick layer of ice,

The Spriggans Living in the riiins is a band of spriggans. They will first attack the adventurers in giant form and then attempt to overcome them with guile by reverting to their smaller form.

T h e spriggans live in the cellar of the buildingin which the fountain stands.The group (with the exception of any leading the party) will be hidden around the courtyard when the party arrives. Those in a position to do so will backstab, while the rest assume giant sire and attack.

Ambush! T h e spriggans will ambush theadventurers as soon as they enter the ruins, gaining surprise on a roll of 1-3 on ld6. They will attack in their giant form and retreat into themistassoon as theadventurersretaliate. To avoid leaving a trail, they will m o w along the tops of the broken walls. 9 spriggans: AC 3 (5); MV 9" (15"); H D 4 (8+4); h p 15 (40) each; #AT 2; D 1-6 (short

s w o r d ) / l - 4 ( d a g g e r ) o r 2-8/2-8; SA/SD Change size, spells; Int High; AL C(E); Sin, S or L x p 1400 each; THACO 15 (IZj; MMII(II3). T w o turns afier retreating, three of the spriggans will return in their small form, claiming to h t ~gnomes searrhing for the "wizard's gold". They will warn the party about the "evil giants" on the island and offer to co-operate with the adventurers T h e spriggans will tell the adventurers about the "deadly green mist" around thr citadel (see area E8) and will offer to show the party the lountain (area E7) which is "the only clue, we've found so far". The

T h e sculpture around the fountain portrays the skyfish (see Pull-out Sheet IV) flying ahove the crystal citadel. Riding in the skyfish is a female magic user. In the sculpture, the lake is not frozen, the mountain slopes are free of ice and snow, and the citadel is shown standing on level ,ground (not on a mound as it currently appears to be - see E8). T h e door at the base of the citadel is carefully sculpted. T h e cellar entrance to the spriggans' lair is clearly visihk. It is dimly lit by a small, glowing glasstrel rod ( 3 inches x H inch) proppeduponashelf.0neendoftherodis shaped like a fish's head. T h e rod is the magical key for opening the door to the crystal citadel (see area E8). T h e cellar contains thespriggans' bedding, their cooking equipment and some sparc weapons. Their treasure- is hidden under a loose stone in the floor, and consists of 4320gp, 2500ep, 2000sp, 3 pieces of gold and diamond jeweller? (valur - SOOOgp each), a potion of polymorph self (blue, tastesolmenthol), and twopotionsof extra healing (red, taste like brandy).

THE CRYSTAL CITADEL T h e crystal citadel (see Map 11 -Detail 2 ) towersoverthcruins, Itwan boiltbyDevral using a material similar to glassteel, but made from ice. Like glassteel, thr material is as strong as steel. For the purposes of attempts to dispel magic, all magical effects inside and outsidr the tower are regarded as 18th level mapic. Themagicoftheicewallscannot be dispelled.

E8. Approaching the Tower Ahead you can clearly see the source of the pulsating light. It is a slender,

icy tower which stands o n a low moundsurrounded by a n unnaturallooking bank of green mist. T h e lightshinesfromasourcewithin the tower, near the top, and bathes the lake and surrounding peaks. Above, the darkclouds are hardly touched by its radiance. T h r tower stands on a level platform of rock, but snow and ice have built u p around its base, giving the impression that it stands on a mound. T h e green mist is I0 feet high and extends 50 feet from the citadel. Characters breathing the mist suffer2-8 points of damage per round (no saving throw). A slow poison spell will reduce this LO 1 point per round and a gust of wind spell (or similar) will clear the mist for I hour. T h e outside of the tower is smooth to the touch and very cold, the same temperature as the surrounding snow. Close inspection of the walls will reveal that (.hey have the appearance of ice but are very tough. Balls and shafts of coloured light may be seen moving upanddown inside thc translucent walls. T h e secret door to T 3 cannot be found or opened from the outside. T h e mound of snow and icr is 12 feet high (2 fret above the grern mist), and the adventurers will be able to find the door to TI by digging. T h e sculpture on the fountain (area E7) should serve as a clue to the door's location. and a true seeing s p ~ l l will reveal the door. Provided that the characters dig next to the tower, they can avoid contact with the magical mist, since itisdensraiidwillnotdriftup themound. Snow may be cleared at a rate of 100 cubic feet per man-hour.

T H E PEAKS OF LIGHT (Devral's Island: area E7/The Crystal Citadel: area E8) 17

__--

--__

T h r door is 0 1 the same material as the walls and will not he immediately apparent. Asearch willautomatically findit after 1 turn, however, and the characters will noticc a H-inch-diameterhole in thecentre. T h e door is wizard locked but will open if the rod from th? spriggans' lair (area E7) is inserted into thr holr and twisted.

Inside the Citadel (areas Tl-T6) Devral always flew or levitatedwhilein thc citadel and so there are no stairs (the stairs in room T 1 are an illusion). T h e bottom floor (area TI) is magically heated, and light from the teleporter in room T 5 radiates throughout the tower providing good lighting in each room. Within the citadel arc four coloured spheres (areas TI-4). These werecreated by Devral and perform various specialist tasks. They have AC 0; h p 12; MV 15"; and will vanish if subjected to a successful dispel magic spell. T h e spheres were tuned to Dcvral's psyche and theadventurrrs will not he able to control the operations of the spheres except as specified in each case. An identify spell will only reveal that they are some form of control device. T1. Chamber of Welcome

T h e door to the tower swings open, revealing a strange, silent chamber beyond. After the bitingcoldoutside, the room is pleasantly warm. Deep within the translucent walls, patterns of light pulsateandswirl. A staircase of shimrneringcrvstal leads u p tn an opening in the translucent ceiling. Floating down through it is a sparkling silver hall which regards you with a single, golden eye. T h r silver ball is one of Devral's magical spheres. It will approach to within I O feet of the adventurm and say: "Welcome to the citadel of Devral. Please hand your cloaks totheservantsand takeascatwhile1 inform my mistress of your prrsmce." T h r hall will then vanish, and three unseen servants will begin tugging at the adventurrrs' cloaks, while scats (one for each character) form magically out of the wall and hover at a convenient height. At the same time, a table will rise u p from the floor with acrystal decanter(va1ue-50Ogp) full of fine wine, and a crystal goblet lor each character (value - 1OOgp each).

18

T H E PEAKS O F LIGHT (The Crystal Citadel: area TI)

T h r sphere ancl unseen servants will not react in any way if the characters do not comply with the sphere's requests. Devral, ofcoursc,islongdrad,andsoitiruptothe characters how long they wait before starting to explorc. T h e room beooinesnoticeablycoolerasonr approaches the illusionary stairs, since they conceal an icy 20-foot-deep pit. At the bottom of this is a IO-foot-deep pool of water covered by a sheet of ire. Characters falling into the pit take 2d6 points of damage as they smash through the ice into the water, which inflicts Id8 points of cold damage per round. T h e pit is fed by a 6inch-diameter
Glowing lights run across thecurved contours of ihis room and pulsate in rythmic paiterns across the floor. Hovering in the centre of the room is a black and silver hall which slowly floats towards you. J

Room TZa is the initial lay-out and room TZb is the changed shape (.?re below). T h e black and silver sphere will float towards the adventurers when they enter, and hover near them. While they remain on this floor, the sphere will follow them around, and when they leavr, it will return to the ccntre of the room. T h e room is Dwral's laboratory, but at first sight it will appear to be an empty chamber, sina: the equipment has been melded into the walls along with the products of someof herexperiments. These experiments ran only be activated by touching the floating ball with the palm of the hand. Devral could exercise full control over the lab through the sphere, but each time a character touches it there will be a random outcome. Roll Id6andconsult the following table:

RANDOM LABORATORY EVENTS Die Roll

Event (Detailed below)

1

Room Changes. Room Glows Icy Blast. Black Globe. Green Gas. Hidden Compartments.

2 3 4

5 6

When thc iadwntuiers rntm, a rcd and yellow sphrrr will float u p out of the floor and hovernrar to them. It isoperaled in the same way as t h r o n e in the laboratory (area T2). T o find the result of touching it, roll Id4 and consult the following table:

2 Room Glows: T h e floors, walls and ceilinp all berin to slow. T h e light will

GRIFFON ROOM RANDOM EFFECTS

1

,

the room will again start to glow, hut with a different colour (yellow or red, for example). Thiscyclewill onlystopwhen a die roll calls for this event a second time. 3 Icy Blast: A blast of icy air shoots out fromawall, striking oneoftheadventurers (chosen at random), and inflicting 2-12 points of cold damage (halved-by a successful saving throw YS. Breath).

T2. Laborator)

\

1 Room Changes: In 1 round, thc walls warp and bend into a new layout (shown a s room T Z b ) . Any characters standinp in the places where new walls form will be pushed aside without harm. If this event occurs a second time the room will revert to its previous shape.

4 Black Globe: Hidden hatches slide across all exits from the room which bpcomes totally dark (impenetrableeven by infravision). Liqht returns to [he room as the darknes's coa?exces into aglobe looking exactly like a sphere of annihilation. T h e g l o k floats towards a randomly determined character and cannot be controlled in any way. I t will avoid contact with the walls and if it touches acharacter (or is touched), it will explode with a burst of harmless sparks. T h e hatches will then open.

GreeoGas:Theroomslowly fills witha ereen mist Dourinr through holes in the Leiling. It ldoks like that outside the tower but is harmless. It will clear after 3 rounds. 5

6 Hidden Compartments: T h e first time this occurs, a silver sphere floats out from the wall and opens to reveal a ring of warmth and two potions of cold resistance (red, tasting of peppermint - same effect as the clerical resist cold spell). T h e second timr, a similar sphere appears, revealing a potion of flying (colourless and tasteless). Further rolls will only open emply spheres.

T3. T h e Glass Griffon

A life-size glass griffon stands in the centreof thischamber.Thewallsare as clear as purest crystal and give a magnificent view across the valley ahovc themist. Itissnowing, and the gently falling snow sparkles in thc light from the top of the tower.

~~

Die roll 1

2

3 4

~~

~

Effect T h e sphrre suddenly glows hot and the character touching it suffers 2-5 points of damage. T h e large secrct door slowly opens, letting the falling snow drift into the room. T h e secret door closes. A magical circle appears on the floor around the griffon (see below).

T h e magical circle appears as a web of fine silvery threads within the translucent floor. Evenly spaced around the circle are words written in magical script. These are the command words for the griffon. Dumo - the griffon statue shrinks until it is 9 inches high. Emla - the griffon statue grows to full size (if shrunk). Imfa - the cyes glow red and provide the rider with infravision (IYrange), speaking the command word again cancels this. "Flas - turns the griffon statue into a living griffon. %lis - turns thegriffon backintoaglass statue. T h e command words marked with a "*" have n o effect until the magical bridle from the force dome (area T6) is fitted to the griffon. Without the bridle, the griffon cannot be moved from the magical circle, nomatterwhat itssi2e.Oncethebridleisin place, thegriffoncanbe turnr,d to fleshand ridden. T h e character who fitted the bridle will have no difficulty controlling the griffon in flight and will be able to fight and cast spells normally. T h e griffon can be turned to flesh only once per day and always appears with full hit uoints. If it is wounded to 10 hit ooints or lessitwill turn toglassandbear itsrider safely to the ground (as a ring of feather falling). Should the griffon be killed, i t will become forever a small qlass - statue, hut i t will always give the same protection to its bearer as a ring of feather falling.

T H E PEAKS OF LIGHT (The Crystal Citadel: areas TZ-TJ) 19

1 griffon: AC 3; MV 12”/30” (MC:C/D); H D 7; hp 40/10/0; # A T 3; D1-4/1-4/2-16 Int Semi: AL N; Size, L; THACO 13; MM(50).

‘The book on the lectern has also hcrn munched by thr worms but is not totally destroyed. It has a white dragon-hide cover which has withstood the attacks of the worms, but they havedestroyedlargesections of the text.

T4. Munching Worms A trapdoor closes off this level of the tower. It is neither locked nor trapped: This room was clearly the library of some very learned person. Bookcases crammed with ancient tomes and scrolls line the walls, and a lectern dominates thecentre of the floor. By the lectern stands a highly ornate wooden chair.

A red sphere floats in the centre of the room. This is the control device for Devral’s scrying system which allowed her to view any room in the citadel from here. Touching the sphere will cause a n image of the entrance hall (Tl)to appear in the Centre of the room. Placing a palm against the globe will alter the image; roll Id6 and consult the following table:

RANDOM IMAGES Die Roll

1

2 3 4

5 6

Image T h e Entrance Hall (area T I ) . T h e Laboratory (area T2). T h e Glass Griffon (area T3). T h i s turns off the globe, touching itagainwillgiveaviewofareaT1. T h e Teleport Room (area T5). T h e Force Dome (area T61.

Unfortunately for the characters, bookworms have been feedingin this library for centuries, and the faint soundnf munching can just he heard. All the hooks and scrolls areriddledwith holesandruined.Thereis, however, a large amethyst (value - 500gp), evidently usedasapaperweight, restingon top of a pile of worm-eaten parchment.

T h e first part of the book contains various notes on Devral’s experiments and refers to her work on breeding flyingpolar owlbears - a cross between polar bears and giant owls. Next comes a section relating to the ha’atun. Most of i t is destroyed, leaving only the following fragments: “...demonic white winged creatures are the scourge of the Cloudscape M o u n tains. N o one issafe from their ... (a few lines h a w hem eaten here). Their black leader Yesorkh Pahyeh is u most evil creature, able to pas ... (the text has bern chewed through) ..any w h o approach her. (a few more lines have been obscured) T o this end, I have trapped her soul and placed it (the rest is obscured) that it m a y never again bring pestilence...” T h e final pages deal with the creation of the skyfish (see Pull-out Sheet IV). From these, only the following may he gleaned:

“...magical fish, flies through the sky ... (there is a gap here) ...i n the whit? column u n d u the dome of power. “Dom” removes the dome and frees the fish. “Fil” and “fir”fire the light from its eyes. Given a direction it will go...” T h e “whitecolumn” refers to the teleporter in room T5, and “dom” is the rommand word for raising the force dome in T6. Unless they specifically examine it, the adventurers will not noticr that the room’s ceiling (the floor of T5j is made of ire.

T h e column is guarded by a n ice paraelemental which will emerge from it and attack if the column is touched. If the characters flee, the ice para-elemental will not follow thrm hut will return to the teleporter column. 1 ice para-elemental: AC 3; MV 6”; H D 12; h p 48; # A T 1; D 3-36; SA/SD Radiates cold 10’ radius (D I-4per round); Int Low; AL N; Size L x p 3570; THACO 9; MMII(98).

T h e ire para-elemental will take no damage while it remains in contact with the icy floor,andeven firewill notdamageit.The ireof the floor will hemeltedifafire-based spell such as fireball or flame strike is used in the room. A lighting bolt spell directed at the floor will shatter it. If the ice floor is melted or shatterrd, all creatures i n the room (including the paraelemental) will fall into the library (area T 4 ) below, taking 2d6 points of damage, unless thry make a saving throw vs. Breath. Those who s a w will manage to grasp one of the glassteel supports which are wide enough (1 foot) to walk on. Once the floor has brrn destroycd, thc para-elrmmtal can be harmed, and fire-based attarks will inflict double damage. Until the para-elemental is kilkd, thr white column will he solid to the touch; afterwards, it will tee1 cold and insuhstantial. Characters or objects entering it will be be trleported to the force dome (area T6) on the bed of the lake.

Under the Lake T5. Death O n Ice

There is a 95% chance that one of the characters exploring the room (the character with most scrolls, spell hooks, maps etc.) will be surprised and attacked by two of the bookworms. 20 bookworms: AC 2 or 9 MV 12”(3”); H D !4; h p 2 each; #AT Nil; SA/SD surprise;

Int Non; AL N; Sire S; xp 9 each; THACO N/A; MMII(21).

20

T h e air i n hrre 1s noticeah1.i cooler. ‘ I h r floor to this chamber is made from ordinary ice reinforcedwith glasstcel struts which support the decorativecirclr of gold (value - 1000gp). Characters fighting or running in here must make a dexterity check or slip on the ice and fall. T h e white column is a trlcportation device.

T H E PEAKS OF LIGHT (The Crystal Citadel: areas T4-T6)

T6. T h e Force Dome Devral’s magical skyfish is housed under a permanent, 30-foot-high, dome-shaped wall of force on the bottom or the icc laker 80 feet below- the surface. T h e dome is covered with mud, and can only br found by a careful srarch of thr lake bed, hut the party can gain direct access to the dome by means of the teleport device in thr crystal citadel (room T5). T h e teleporter will take the adventurers to the platform at the northern side of the domr. (Stepping onto

thc platform at the southern side of the dome will teleport characters back to room T 5 in thr citadrl): Enfolded by the column of light, your body s ( T r n S to surge upwards until suddrnly you find yourself on a shining platform benrath a large murky-brown dome. O n the far side of the chamber is a similar platform, but covering most of the circular floor is a hugr, silvery fish shaped likc a giant manta ray. I t is perfectly still, hut sccms too life-like to be a statu? - this must hr thr skyfish of which the aarakocra shaman spokc. T h e skyfish is fully desvrihrd on Pull-out Sheet IV. Lyinr: on thr bcnch inside the skyfish's cockpit is the silver bridle needed to animate and control the glass griffon (see area 73). Opening the Dome T h c command word "dom" (see pagr 20) opens or closrs the dome as appropriate: f

I

T h e dome shimmers and slowly brgins to dissolve from thc bottom up. Whrrr the bottom of thr domc used to be, murky water now gushrs into the ronm. Carried in by the torrent are four green, scaly creatures, whose sharp teeth glint in the light. L

I

T h e water is ics rold, but the skyfish will protect thosr within i t (see Pull-out Sheet IV). Those outside i t will suffer Id8 points of cold damase per round. Characters inside theskyfishwill hrableto brcathrthe water but those outside will start to drown 1 round after the dome is opcned T h e creatures swept in with the water are scrags. They will reach the characters and attack in the round following the opening of the dome. 4 scrags: AC 3; MV 3"//15"; H D 5+5; h p 30

each; #AT 3; D 2-5/2-5/3-12; SA/SD Rcgeneratcs 3 hp/round if immersed in water; Int Low; AL CE; Size M; xp 640 each; THACO 13; MMII(121). Closing the Dome Lowering the domc takes 2 rounds. In the the third round, all water within the lowel-ed dome will be emelled.

T h e skyfish will h a w no difficulty in smashing its way through the ice covering the lake. With the skyfish in their possession, the adventurers are likely to leave Mount Ederslow. Three hours after doing so, they will be attacked by a squad of ba'atun: Mile after mile, the strange flying fish carries you smoothly through theair. Brlowyouandoneithersidc, the snow-covered mountain slopes appear dirty and grry beneath the unbroken black clouds. A chilling s c r a m breaks the silence and echoes around the mountains. Looking u p you see snow demons diving out of the dark clouds.

Ahead, a n aarakocra flies u p towards you, with hope and awe i n its eyes. Soon, i t is joined by others who gather round to sreet you and direct you into a flat-bottomrd golley. Including thr ragle and aarkocra already with the party, thrrc are three giant eagles hcre, six male aarakorra and four females, plus any survivors from the attack on thr temple at Tikka-ti-jarra (sre past- 12). After the adventurers land thr skyfish, Kirraka (or one of the othcr shamans) will formally wrlcome them and dcrlarc the skyfish to he a gift from the gods anda great aid to lifting"thecursrof thrcloudgiant". H e will then call a council of those present to decide what is to be done.

Threaglerwillrxplain that i n formcrycars the cloud giant had welromrd them at his castle and that he was a good, if reclusivc, creaturc who had nevrr hrcn seen in thr company of "snow demons" or any other evil beasts. During the attack on the aerie, thry had had a clrar view of the giant 1 wing sergeant: AC 4; M V 9"/21"(MC:C); leading theassault, and areconvinced that HD 3; h p 16/8/4; #AT 3: D l-6/1-4/I-4: itisthesameoncthattheyknrw.Ifso,heis SA/SD Screech; Int Ave; AL LE; Size M; as greatly changed as the castle, which has xp 208; THACO 16; New monster. become dark and foreboding where pre8 ba'atun: AC 4; MV 9"/21" (MC:C); viously i t had hren silvrry white. HD 2+l; h p l2/6/3cach; #AT3; D l-6/l-4/ 1-4; SA/SD Screech; Int A x ; AL LE; Size M; T h e eagles will urge an assault on the xp 196 each; THACO 16: New monstrr. rastle, but will add that the giant should only be killrd il absolutely nccessary. T h e The ba'atun will flee once half thcir aarakocra will support them emphatically number havrbeen killed. T w o roundsafter and, if the characters agree, sa-outs will be they flee, the ba'atun will be interceptcd by s m t to locatr the castle. threeaarakocraandagiant eagle. TheaaraYou shouldallow theparty enough time to kocra and thr ragle will dive into thc attack, and quickly slay the ba'atun. T h e heal wounds and so on before the scouts eagle and aarakocra will then join thc return (at least 12 hours later). When they do return, it is with bad news. T h e castle is party. Thry will tell the characters that, approaching Tchitchi-kwaaka and will following a ba'atun attack on the aeric of arrive in an hour - two at the most. the eagles (in whirl, all but thrcc giant eagles wrre slain) and the destruction of the villages of Lurneslyc and Melmond, the If the adveniurers attack, they will be acompanird by all the eagles and by five of eagles have joined theaarakocraat Trhitrhithe aarakocra males. T h e shaman(s), kwaaka ("The Last Refugr" - see arra 12). females and any other males will flee. T h e The group will explain that they had been aarakocra fear Fxtinction, and the shaman serking the adventurers in order to guide will be reluctant to commit more than five them to the refuge where a council of war to the assault. Hc will explain that the five will be held. males will br able to summon an air elemental to aid the attack. If the advent u x i s are not willing to attack thc castle, 12. Tchitchi-Kwaaka thr aarakocra and ragles will flre. T h e cloud castle will rampaxe across the Tchitchi-kwaaka is in a narrow gulley countryside, terrorising the lands to the with many ledges, and its floor is just wide wcst. Good ctiaractrrs who flre should be rnough toallow thr adventurrrs to land the penaliscd appropriately by the DM. skyfish safely: T h e ba'atun will reach the party after 1 round.At thestartofthesrcondround, the adventurers must make a saving throw vs. Spells at +4 or be affected by the screech of thr ba'atun.

T H E PEAKS OF LIGHT (Leaving Mount Ederglow/area 12) 21

22 DEATH IN T H E S H E S

~

I

cloud giant Lachlan (sce Yeiorkh Pahyeh - Pull-out Sheet 111) and will defend the castle aided by the ba’atun and various other creatures.

THE CLOUD CASTLE Although the cloud giant’s castle seems at first sight to be madc of stone, and the cloudon which it rests rrscmhles a thunder cloud, both an’ composed of a magical material which combines the properties of water vapour and rock in an amazing way. This material hisnoweight, but itsdensity can be changed to become as hard as stone, fluid as water, o r as insubstantial as mist. Thecloudandthecastleconstituteasingle entityandanypart which is separatedfrom the rest will immediately hreak u p and vanish. An air rlemental can disperse any misty componmt of the cloud and pass through any fluid part, but cannot pass through solid rloud material. T h c cloud castle often drifts on the wind, but the giant can make it move in any direction desired at a rate of u p to 6”. Originally, both cloud and castle were silvery white, but when the cloud giant Lachlan was possessed by the black ba’atun Yesorkh, she rained control of these and theybegantoclrangetoadarkgrcy. Now it is only the higliest points of the castle that still retain their original white colour. TIieulouditselfismostlysolid, witha thin (3 feet thick) layerof misty materialaround it. Only the part immediately beneath the castle (containing the rooms of the cellar and crypt levels) is permanently fixed. By concentrating, Yesorkh/Lachlan can cause material lrom therest ofthecloud to billow upand solidifyaround thecastlr, effectively shielding it from attack. Toallow defenders to make sallies, Yesorkh/Lachlan can make trmporary tunnels appear through the cloud. Patches of craa-kling lightning constantly flash around the surface of the cloud, effectively creating a wall of lightning around the castle. Any characters entering anareaof lightningwill suffer Ild6points ofdamage(makea saving throwvs. Wands for half damage). There is no nerd to land on the clouds surface, however, and the lightning is easy to avoid, and docs not occur within 100 feet of thr castle.

,

,

It is u p tn you exactly how to r u n this part of the attack on the cloud castle. If desired, the attack can he displayed using the air combat rules (DMG - p49-53) with suitable figures or tokens on a sheet of hex paper. I f so, you should not forget that the cloudcastle will be moving at 6”perround. atalirightof500feetabovethrpeaksofthe Cloudscape Mountains. T h e castle is manoruvrability class E. Alternatively, if it is assumed that the skyfish and castle will he heading straight towards each other, the simplified sequence of events given in the following tablr may he used. T h e events are described fully below.

APPROACH T O THE CASTLE RND 1

4

5

7 8 9 10

EVENT Party sees castle (range - 1 mile) & reconnaissance patrol (range 1200 yards) Party sets 2nd wave of ba’atun leaving castle Reconnaissance patrol reaches skyfish 2nd wave reaches skyfish Final wave leaves castle Final wave reaches skyfish Skyfish reaches castle

‘The advrnturers, thr aarakocra and the eagles will automatically spot the cloud castle bearing down on Tchitchi-kwaaka. They will see it at a range of about a mile: T h e sound of thunder rumbling through the darkening clouds grows louder and louder. Ahrad you see a dark cloud, surrounded bv toneues of lightning, bearing relentlessly towards you. Soon the whole sky seems to be lit u p by flashes of lightning which silhouettea groupof . . creatures winging in your direction. I

Y

J

This reconnaissance squad of ba’atun is 1200 yards away. They are led by a flight leader. They will attack on sight, but will flee once half of their number have been killedordisabled. Ifpssiblethey will join u p with the second wave (see below). During aerial combat the ba’atun will spread out, in order to minimise thr effects of any spells cast against them. 1 flight leader: AC 3; MV 9”/21” (MCC); HD 5; h p 22/11/6 # A T I or 3; D 2-7/2-5/ 2-5;SA/SD Screech, iceshards, websling(3 shots); Int Very; AL LE; Sire M; xp 303; THACO 15; New monster. 1 wing sergeant: AC 4; MV 9”/21” (MCC); HD 3; h p 16/8/4; # A T 3; D l-6/1-4/1-4; SA/SD Screech; Int Ave; AL LE; Size M; xp 2 0 8 THACO 16; New monster. 8 ba’atun: AC 4; M V 9”/21” (MC:C);

The Attackers For convenience the statistics of the creatures accompanying the party are summarised below:

The Second Wave 3 giant eagles: AC 7; MV 3”/48” (MC:D); HD 4; h p l9/4/0 each; #AT 3; D 1-6/1-6/ 2-12; SA/SD Dive; Int Ave; AL N; Size M; THACO 15; MM(36). 5 aarakocra: AC 7; MV 6”/36” (MC:C); HD l t 2 ; h p 8/2/0 e a c h #AT 2; D 2-8/2-8 SA/SD Summon air rlemental and dive; Int Ave; AL NG; Size M; THACO 18; FF(8).

As soon as they see thecloud, the aardkorra will summon a n air elemental to aid in the assault. 1 air elemental: AC 2; MV 36” (MC:A); H D 1 6 h p 8 0 #AT I; D 2-20 (+4 vs. arrial

opponents); SA/SD Whirlwind, +2 weapon to hit; Int Low; AL N; Size L; THACO 7 (6 YS. aerial opponents); MM(37).

A second wave of ba’atun (a swarm leader and a flight) will leave the castle 3 rounds after the adventurers first sce the reconnaissance party (see above). Any survivors from the lattcr will try to ioin this second group.The ba’atun will attackuntilall but six of them have been killed or disabled. I swarm leader: AC 1; MV 9”/2I”((MC:C); HD 7; hp42/21/1 I; #AT I o r 3 ; D 3 - 8 + 4 1 6 (ice javelin x3 + strength) or 3-8/3-6/3-6; SA/SD Screech, ray of cold, ice shards;

Int Except; AL LE; Size M; xp 1211; THACO I I; New monster. 2 wing sergeants: AC 4; MV 9”‘/21”(MC:C); HD3; h p 16/8/4each;#AT3; D l-6/1-4/1.4; SA/SD Screrch; Int Ave; AL LE; Size M; xp 208 each; THACO 16; New monster.

DEATH I N T H E SKIES (The Cloud Castle/The Approach) 23

'I : : :<, , li, d i ~ ~ m \ r iLi nAi , i t t i $ < h i i i g (iii~ I r i ~ i t ~ SIR r ~ , l ~ . I - ~ ; S ~ / S D S ~ ~ ( . ~ ~ ~ Al.l.l<; , : I * ISIi.x Z h lV;~ ; w1I1 cast hcr lightning bolt sprll a t a n y ;ail t h v p t i y will Ik iiblr t o tlrf~rit Yerorkh elemental t h a t approachcs thc castlc, xp 196 rach: THACO 16; New monster. without killing Lachlan. W h m this avoiding the manticores if possible. If this happrns, rcad the following: does not stop it, she will cast both her magic missile spells (if necessary) and thrn Closing In ThPgiant's hugr framr shuddersand throw rocksat thcelementalsorany rnemy crratures within range, rollaprcs. But thr battle is not won Alarmed by the continucd advancc of the yet. Evrn brfvre thr body hits the adventurers, Yesorkh/Lachlan will cause Before any rlementals or thc party can the cloud to cntold thc castlc and thcn floor, trndrils of black vapour hegin reach her, Yesorkh/Lachlanwill fleedown toseepfrom thrgiant'slimhs.Asyou harden into a protective shield: the stairs to C6, relyingon thr hill giants to watch, thcy rapidly take on thr form covcr her retreat. of a black "snow dcmon". Translucent and srnokr-like, thr loathAs you draw near to the cloud, the T h e only suitahle landing place on thc some apparition spreads its wings castle comes into clear view. T h e rdStkfnr theskyfishis thcroofgarden (Cl), and is gonr. topmost points gleam with a silvery radiance which seems to defy the hut it could hr landed anywhere on the s u r r o u n d i n g cloud which w i l l have oppressive blackness of its lower solidified by this time. If they land on the Suggested actions for Yesorkh/Lachlan are wallk. As you watch, thecloud brlow givcn at thc various points where the party cloud, thr advrnturers will be able to enter the castle begins to spread upwards, the castle through thc windows of Lachwill meet hcr. Thrsc are only suggestions, enveloping the lower walls. Ian's chamber (C2j or of the Study (C3). howrver, and you bhould feel free to make changrs in response to particular circumstances. In particular, Yesorkh/Lachlan's By the time thr skyfish arrivrs, all but the 1 swarm leader: AC 1; MV 9"/21" (MCC); H D 7; hp42/21/11: #AT 1 or3: D 5-8t 4-16 highestpoints (areas C1-3) and thesouthern spclls charm person, darkness 15' radius rntrance to thrcellarlevel will brmclosed. (ice javelin t strength) or 3-8/3-6/3-6; and invisibility are not allocated to any specific encounter, and may br used as Yesorkh/Lachlan will leave these parts SA/SD Srreerh, ray of cold, ice shards; appropriate. Int Except; AL LE; Size M; xp 1211; open to allow her third and final waYe of THACO 11; New monster. defenders to llood out. This final wave 2 flight leaders: AC 3; MV 9"/21" (MC:C); consists of three manticores (which will issup from the cellar entranrr) and a swami H D 5 ; h p 22/11/6 each; #AT 1 or 3; The Castle D 2-7/2-5/2-5; SA/SD Scrccch, ice shards, of ba'atun (which will lrave via area C3). 'The walls and floors of the castle are made web sling (3 shots); Int Very; AL LE; Size After themanticoresrmcrge from lhccrllar M; x p 303 each; THACO 15; New monstm of solid cloud material. They are prrmalevel, Ycsorkh/Lachlan will seal off the nently fixed in thcir currrnt form and 4 wing sergeants: AC 4; MV 9"/21"(MC:Cj; passage behind them. HD3;hp16/8/4each:#AT3;D1-6/1-4/1-4: cannot he manipulated or altrred by YesorkhMFS/Lachlan. If the castlr is SA/SD Screech; Int Ave; AL LE; Size M; xp T h e ba'atun will start to emerge when the 208 rach; THACO 16: New monster. damaged in any way, thr damag? will br skyfish is ahout 200 yards from the castle, rrpairrd at oncc by cloud material flowing 32 ba'atun: AC 4; MV 9"/21" (MC:C); hut i t will take 1 round for them to get into into the gaps and then hardening. H D 2 t l ; hp12/6/3each;#AT3;D 1-6/1-4/ formation. During this time they are more 1-4; SA/SD Scrcech; Int Avc; AL LE; S i x vulnerable to fireball and lightning bolt 'The rooms in the castle are 40 feet high, M; xp 196each; THACO 16; New monster. spells than they are when spread out in except for the grand hall ( C 6 ) which is 3 manticores: AC 4; MV 12"/18" (MC:E); attack formation. twice this. Each staircase has two sets of H D 6 t Y ; h p 32/16/8 each; # A T 3; D 1-3/ steps; giant-sired ones (3 feet high) which 1-3/1-8;SA/SD 6 tail spikes (range 18"; T h e manticores will be hidden by the occupy most of the width, and normal ones D Meach: 4volleys); Int Low; AL LE; Size enfolding cloud until the round after they (for thegiant's human servants)which run L; xp 781 each; THACO 13; MM(65). first emerge. Their size and strength (6+3 in a 5-foot-widr strip down one side. hit dice) enable them to hit air elemcntals (ser DMG p75), unlike the majority of the Most of the doors in the castle consist of ba'atun. T h e manticores will therrforr "scrrens" of opaque, liquid cloud matti'r. concentrate their attacks on any air They d o not open, and creatures simply Once the adventurers reach the castle, elementals. walk through them (the screens reform Yesorkh/Lachlan's strategy is to avoid after the creature has passed). There is no physical combat if possible while attempWhen the thc adventurers approach to need to makc an "opm doors" roll, but the tingtoweardown thepartywithaseriesof within 100 yards of the top of the castle, doors mask sound in the same way as attacks. Each time, the party encounters thry will beattacked by rocks hurled by the ordinary doors. Somrdoors i n thrcastle a w her, Yesorkh/Lachlan will attcmpt to flee hill giants (THACO 12; D 2-16) in rooms madc of solid cloud material, and are before the adventurers can defeat her. CI and C3. treated as normal doors. If Lachlan's body is rrduced to 25 or fewer Yesorkh/Lachlan will he standing in the By the time that the adventurers rrach it, hit points (or ifit isincapacitated by means tower by the roof garden (area C1) as the the lower floors of the castle will be of a hold monster spell, for example), adventurers clnse in. She will have already enclosed by solid cloud material. With the Yesorkh w i l l abandon i t (see Yesorkh cast her protection from normal missiles I , ,

~

I

INSIDE THE CASTLE

24

DEATH I N T H E S H E S (Inside the Castle)

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w ~ n d o i \ r lo<>hi1s OUI 1 1 o m 11w liiiililiiig will br blocked 'iy asolid,wall o f d a r k q c ) cloud. Asaresult, itisquitrdarkinsidrthe castle (as on a very ovcrcast day).

Thecourtyards(arcasC8andCll) h a w n o t hrcn fillrd with solid cloud, but are enclosed by it and arc vcry misty.

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bottom o f a n nnlochcd and otherwisc empty iron-hound rhrst is a hook, bound in ba'atun skin, which tells the history of the ha'atun (see From the Dark Past - pagc 2).Beingin thechest, this bookwillsurvive any fireball or lightning bolt spells cast into tberoom, hut thehookson theshelves will all be destroyed.

CI. Roof Garden C4. Nurser) This flat, open roof garden is now covered in a mass of dead flowers and rotten vegrtation. It offers an ideal landing-site for the skyfish ( x e Closing In - page 24). There is a small towcr looking onto the gardcn, from where Yesorkh/Lachlan will watch the assault on the castle. She and a hill giant hodyguard will throw rocks and/or cast spc11s as appropriatr (see Closing In - p'ige 24). Yesorkh/Lachlan will flee heforeanyoneenters this rhamher, leaving thr hill giant to cover hcr rrtrcat. 1 hill giant: AC 4; MV 12"; H D 8+2;h p 44; # A T I ; D 2-16; SA/SD Hurl rorks for 2-16; Int Low; AL CF.; Size L; xp 1928; THACO 12; MM(45).

T h e small towcr contains a pile of rocks (for the giants I O throw) and some giants i x gardrn tools.

C2. Lachlan's Chamber This room was lormerly the bedchamber of Lachlan aiid his consort. It is now the barracks for one of the flights of ha'atun. T h e matticss from thr bed is missing, and wall hangings and items of giant clothing are being used as sleeping mats by the ba'atun. Under one of these mats are two ice javelins and a web stone (see Pull-out Sheet 11). C3. Study Therrisahillgianthere.Hewil1 haveheen throwing rocks at the approaching adventurers (see Closing In - page 24) and will attack them when they land. 1 hill giant: AC 4; MV 12"; H D 8t2;h p 44; #AT 1; D 2-16; SA/SD Hurl rocks for 2-16; In1 Low; AL CE; Sire L; xp 1928: THACO 12; MM(45).

This chamber was Lachlan's study and there are nunierous hooks on shelves

This rhamhrr was the nursery of thc cloud giant's children. Thrrc arc threr ogres here. As the advrnturerr rnter the room, one of throgres will launch a giant spinning top (4 feet across) at them. T h e spinning top will sweep through the party causing 1-12 points of damage to d4+1 characters. T h e damagr is negated by a succcssful saving throw vs. Breath. T h e ogres will then rush to attack. 3 ogres: AC 5; MV 9":H D 4+1; h p 21 each; #AT I ; D 1-10; Int Low; AI. CE: Sire L; xp 195 rach; THACO 15; MM(75).

Thc room is cluttered with oversized children's toys; a rocking horst-, a large play pen and numerous rag and wooden dolls. All of thesc items have been dcspoilrd by theogrrsandhillgiants. Theogres h a w becnplaying with thrrocking horaeand its rocker? arr broken. Piles of rubbish littrr the placr a n d ohsccnitier h a v e b r r n scrawled on the walls. There arc two giant children's cots and five rough mattwsxs strewn over the floor. C5. Musk Room

A huge harp lies thrown in one corner of this former music room. It is made from ebony inlaid with silvrr, and has a man's face carved on the front. I t is rather scratched in places and some of its silver strings have been broken. This instrument is both highly magical and vrry intelligent. When th? party enters, it will call for help and ask to he stood upright. Its name is Silsellay and, if the adventurers help it, it will he most grateful and will point out a secret compartment under the bottom step of the stairs leading to the room. Inside the compartment are two bottles each c o w taining a potion of extra healing (red, tastes of cherries) and one containing a potion of heroism (orange, tastes of limes). T h e harp will also try to answer any questions the charactrrs ask. Silsellay knows the following:

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Silsellay is a very valuable instrument (value - 1OOOOgp) since it can play tunes by itself, sing, and even tell jokes. It will object to all attempts to remove it from the castle, and will refuse to play if abducted. C6. Hall Assuming that Yrsorkh has not been fnrccd to leave Lachlan's body (see pagc 24), she will be waiting here for the party. Otherwise, thehall will hecmptyandyoushould amrnd the following description: T h e giant's hall, massive by normal standards, stretchrs before you, dominated by a table higher than a man and with chairs to match. High to the right thcre is a drafening bcllow. You look u p to mwt the menacing gaze of a TOW of enormous beasts. T h e “enormous beasts" are only stuffed hcads h u n p up as hunting trophies. T h e bellow is a distraction produccd by Yesorkh/Lachlan (who is on the balcony, hiding behind thc bannistrr) using a ventriloquism spell. It will give hcr 1 round of surprise over the party. T h e balcony is 50 feet above thc floor. Hiding in thc laboratory (C7) are two verbeeg who will rush out and attack the party (using the round of surprise if applicable). They will attack whether or not Yesorkh/L.achlan is here, but if present, she will cast haste on thcm as they emerge. 2 verbeeg: AC 4; MV 18" (or 36"); HD 5t5; h p 30 each; # A T 2 (or 4); D 5-10 (spear & strength); SA/SD Spear range 7"; In1 Ave; AL N(E): Size L; xp 455 each: THACO 13; MMIl(69). Yesorkh/Lachlan will attack the adventurers with a magicmissilespell (if shestill has nnr) and will then throw rocks.

DEATH I N T H E SKIES (areas CI-C6) 25

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Likc dcstruction incarnarc, the siani towcrs above you. His features rontortintoaleerofpureevilas heraises another rock. His eyes bulge - l i t with a diabolical madness - and foaming saliva speckles his lips. If the verbeeg are killed, or if the party seems likely to reach her on the balcony, she will flee to area C20 on the cellar level via the stairs in either room CI2 or C13. Once on the cellar level, she will seal the stairs behind her with a wall of ice spell. c7. Laboratory T h i s room is being used by Yesorkh/ Lachlan as a laboratory. Various pieces of alchemical equipment havr been srt u p on benches, and there are hundreds of vials, jars, bottles and so on. Most of these contain harmless alchemical liquids but there is a cauldron of a huhhling. black, viscous liquid which is a drug which Yesorkh/Lachlan is using on the young cloud giants imprisoned in the torture chamber (area C17). There is enough for four giant's doses or 12 normal doses. Anyone drinking a dose of the liquid must make a successful saving throw vs. Poison at -5 or fall asleep for 12 hours. T h e drug's effects can be removed hv a neutralise poison spell

C8. Herb Garden T h i s garden is normally open to the sky, but now it is enclosed by solid cloud material, leaving an open space 50 feet high, filled with a dense mist which reduces visibility 40 feet. It was once a well-kept garden of giant herbs, hut will now seem more like a tangled jungle to the adventurers. Movement will be at half the normal rate as the adventurers must hack their way through uprooted plants and clinging tendrils. C9. Kitchen

Yesorkh/Lachlan and her high priest, Kahshesh Qahir, have cast animate dead spells on some of their victims, including the cleric Bernhardt (see NPCs - Pull-out Sheet I). If Bernhardt was killed by the characters, you will have to amend the following boxed description:

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thr villagers from Lurnrslyr shulflc slowly towards you. Skin hangs loosrly from their bodies and thrir eyes stare blankly ahead. Gesticulating behind the approaching undead, are two red, snow demons with pink heads. T h e eight zombies will attack until dcstroyrd. T h e ba'atun are a priest and an acolyte.They willcastsilence 15'radius (at any character who looks like a spellcaster) and cause fear spells respectively, hefore attarking. When reduced to 8 or fewer hit points, or if the acolyte is killed, thr priest will castadarknessspell andattempt toflee down the stairs towards the temple (area C21) where Kahshesh Qabir awaits. 8 zombies: AC 8: MV 6"; HD 2; h p 8 each; #AT 1; D 1-8; SA/SD Always strike last; MR Immune to sleep, charm, holdand cold-based spells; Int Non; AL N; Size M; xp 36 earh; THACO 16; MM(103). 1 ba'atun Driest: AC 3: MV 9"/21": HD 4: h p 2 2 ; '#AT 3; D 1 - 6 / 1 - 4 / 1 - 4 ; SA/SD Screech; Int Very: AL LE: Size M; xp 350 THACO 15; New monster. Spells Memorised: First Level: cause fear, cause light wounds, darkness Second Level: resist fire, silence 15' radius 1 ba'atun acolyte: AC 4; M V 9"/21"; HD 2 t l ; hD 12; #AT 3: D 1-6/1-4/1-4; SA/SD Screech; Int Ave; AL LE; Size M; xp 251; THACO 16; New monster. Spells Memorised: First Level: cause fear, cause light wounds

Onachainaroundtheneckofeachrlericis a gold and silver unholy symbol (value 150gp) in the form of a clawed hand crushing a skull. T h e kitchen contains ampleevidenceof the disgusting eating habits of the castle's current occupants. Thrown in a corner is a large silver membrane, which is part of a silver dragon's wing (see area CIS). CIO. Hallway Anogreandsix hohgohlinsguard thestairs here. Once three or more have been killed, the survivors will attempt to retreat to area C20 on the cellar level.

26 DEATH IN T H E SIUES (areas C7-Cl4)

TH:\C:O 15; XlM(7.5). 6 hobgoblins: AC 5; MV 9"; H D 1+1; h p 6 each; #AI' 1; D 1-8 (long sword); Int Ave; AL LE; Size M; xp 32 each; THACO 18; MM(52)

Along o n r wall is a row of large potted plants. One of these is a form of poison ivy. Any charactcr touching i t must make a saving throw vs. Poison or take 2d8 points of damage from contact poison. Under the soil in the pot are six gems (value - IOOOgp each). C11. Entrance Courtyard

Like the herb garden (area C8), this courtyard is normally open to the sky hut is now enclosed by solid cloud material, leaving a n open space 40 feet high. T h e solid material comes right u p to the ornate wrought-iron gates. T h e courtyard is filled with dense mist (visibility 40 feet). In the centre is a fountain which spouts fluidcloud material rather than water.

ClZ. Servants' Quarters T h e furniture here is all human-sized as this room formerly housed Lachlan's human servants. Like the other rooms which are occupied by Yesorkh/Lachlan's mercenaries, it is in a terrible state. Broken furniture litters th' floor, and thrre is a severed aarakocra head on a table. C13. Guest Chamber Smashed furniture and torn wall-hangings cover the floorof thisonce fineguest room. Now a barracks for some of Yesorkh's humanoid mercenaries, it contains nothinc of interest. C14. Annushka's Room This was the room of Lachlan's eldest daughtcr, Annushka. It contains a bed, a dressing table, some chairs, and a mirror on the east wall. T h e ba'atun who sleep here have ripped the stuffing from the huge mattress to use as bedding. A large wooden chest on the north wall is rmpty, and the clothes it contained are strewn across the floor. T h e place is filthy and smells dreadful.

C15. Cellar This was the food and wine store for the castle. Mostof ihestoreswereconsumedby Yesorkh/Lachlan's mercenaries, buta considerable amount has rnded u p on the floor, trampled into a slushy mess. A drcp basin against the eastern wall is fed by a constant stream of pure water, condensed from the cloud. C16. Captive Spotted Lions Since possessing the body of Lachlan, Yesorkh has-tried to win the loyalty of the two spotted lions which were Lachlan's pets. T h e lions could sense that their master had changed, however, and rrfused to be pacified. Three days ago Yesorkh/ Lachlan gave u p and left them here to die of thirst. When the door is opened, the lions will drag themselves slowly towards the party, whining plaintivrly. If water is given to them, they will recover hit points at a rate of 2 pcr turn and will join u p with the adventurers.

2spottedlions:AC5/6;MV1"(15");HD6+2 h p 3(30) each; #AT 3; D 1-4/1-4/1-12; SA/SD Rake for 2-8/2-8; Int Semi; AL N; Sire L; THACO 20 (13); MM(61). C17. Torture Chamber

Chained to thi, far wall of this cell are Lachlan's son and youngest daughter Achim and Maira. They have bren starved and tortured. T h e mutilated corpsrof their elder sister Annushka lies slumped against the east wall. Achim and Maim have also been drugged (see area C7) and will be unconscious for a further 7 hours, unless revived by a neutralise poison spell. If their injuries are cured, they will do all they can to hrlp the party toridthemstleof intrudcrs.Theyare convinced that their father has been cursed or possessed and will violently oppose any efforts to kill him. They will see the necessity of subduing him, however, and will help in this, even if it means injuring the cloud giant.

2 young cloud giants: AC 2; MV 12"; HD 9+3; h p I (46) each; # A T 1; D 3-18; SA/SD Throw rocks for 2 - 1 6 In1 Very; AL NG; Size L; THACO 12; MM(44).

Yesorkh/Lachlan's three manticorc allies livr herc. Scattered amongst the human andaarakocra bones that litter the floorare 1985gp, 4352ep and 7219sp. C19. Dragon's Lair A 30-foot-longdragon skeleton (lying on a mound of treasure) is all that remains of Flavius, a young silver dragon. Shortly after Yesorkh possessed Lachlan, sheentered thischamber andstrangled the surprised Flavius. T h e ba'atun, being very fond of dragon steaks, have since stripped Flavius' body to the bone. T h e dragon's hoard has bren ransacked, and the choicest treasures have been placrd in area C23. All that remains are 5000cp, 7000sp, 45ep and 2gp. C20. Storage Chambet This chamber holds numerous items, damaged beyond repair. Scattered across the floor are broken furniture, torn and soiled bedding, broken candles, smashed platesandsoon. T h e south end of theroom is filledwith non-magical armsandarmour looted from the ha'atun's victims. Unless Yesorkh has been forced to leave Lachlan's body, she will be found here. She will throwrocksatthepartyandfightuntil Lachlan is reduced to 25 or fewer hit points. She will then flee Lachlan's body (ser Inside the Castle - page 24). C21. The Temple T h e stairs to the temple are trapped with a glyph of warding spell which inflicts 14 points of electrical damage (halved by a successful saving throw vs. Spells) on anyone passing the half-way point. T h e temple contains two ba'atun clerics and 12 skeletons. By the time the party gets to the foot of the stairs, the high priest Kahshesh Qabirwill havecastaprotection from good spell and the acolyte a cause light wounds spell. Thereare threeskeletons in eachofalcovcs A, B, C and D. T h e clerics are in C, and as the skeletons move to attack, the ba'atun acolyte will begin to scrrrch. Characters must save vs. Spells at ( t 4 ) or he affrcted. Kahshesh Qabir will then cast a darkness spellatthefootof thestairsinanattemptto disorientate the adventurers.

11IvII,~. 5xvcrt ; w d sickly s m ~ 1 1h;lngs heavy in the air ot this rhnmbrr. Dominatingit isa tall,white,diabolical statue, streaked red and brown. T h e statue's faceted ryes stare malignantly at you, and from a bowl held in its hands, black smoke spirals upwards. In front of the statue is a huge pile of giant skulls and bones. Along each wall, passages lead into darkness from which a dozen white skclctal figures are emerging. T h e statue is a crude representation of a n ice drvil (see MM p22), carved from quartz and has no special properties or powers. T h e red and brown streaks are bloodstains and the bowl in its hands burns pungmt, black incense. 12 skeletons: AC 7: MV 12"; HD I; h p 6 each; #AT I ; D 1 - 6 SA/SD Take Xdamage from edged weapons; MR Immune to sleep, charm, hold and cold-based spells; Int Non; AL N; Sire M; xp 20 each: THACO 19; MM(87).

1ba'atun highpriest: AC I ( - l ) ; MV9"/2I"; H D 7; h p 42 ; #AT 3; D 3-8/3-6/3-6; SA/SD Screech. ray of cold, ice shards; Int Except; AL LE; Size M; x p 1486; THACO 13; New monster. Spells Memoriscd First Level: cause fear, cure light wounds, darkness Second Level: augury, hold person, resist fire Third level: cause blindness, cause disease Fourth Level: protection from good 10' radius (already cast) 1 ba'atun acolyte: AC 4 (2); MV 9"/21"; H D 2+l; h p 12; #AT 3; D 1-6/1-4/1-4; SA/SD Screech; I n t A v e ; A L L E ; Sire M; xp 251; THACO 16; New monster. Spells Memorised First Level: cause light wounds (already cast), cure light wounds

T h e acolyte wears a gold and silver unholy symbol (valuc - 150gp) a n d Kahshesh Qabir wears one encrusted with gcms (value - IOOOgp), both are in the form of a clawed hand crushing a skull. Kahshesh Qabir also has a ring of feather falling and a scroll with the spells: dispel evil, protection from evil 10' radius and raise dead. T h e alcoves originally held the remains of Lachlan's ancestors, but these are now piled in front of the statue. In alcove F are

DEATH I N T H E SKIES (areas C15-C21) 27

C22. Yesorkh's Resting Place T h e final confrontation with Yesorkh takes place h u e , in the room where her body has been lying since she possessed Lachlan. Yesorkh has cast her monster summoning 111 spell to summon three giant lizards. She has also cast her minor globe of invulnerability and is currrntly casting mirror image:

C23. Treasure Chamber This chamber contains the mass of wealth and goods looted from caravans in the Scarrahrre and thcchoicest items from the silver dragon's hoard:

Finally cornered, the black snow dcmon stands snarling at the far side ofthisroom, shrouded hyashimmering globe. Even now she is not cowed, for hetween you and her crouch three enormous lizards their forked tongues darting maliciously. With a wicked hiss the IiZards move to attack and suddenly there are four black snow demons!

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evil, ESP, inrisihility, knock, mirror image, web, wizard lock Thitd Icvel: dispel magic, explosive runes, gust of wind, haste, lightning bolt, protection from normal missiles, suggestion Fourth level: dimension door, fire trap, minor globe of invulnerability, wizard eye Fifth level: animate dead, hold monster, monster summoning 111

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damageona20;IntNon;ALN;SireL(15' long); xp 185 each; THACO 16; MM(61). Yesorkh has no intention of fighting to the deathandwill attempt toescapeif seriously threatened (e.g. if she has used up her spells and victory is not clearly in her grasp). She will use her dimension door spell to pass through the bottom of the cloud and flee (see Yesorkh and the Ba'atun - below). T h e room contains a couch covered in furs (value - 2OOOgp) on which Yesorkh's body has h e n lying. Underneath the couch is a locked chest containing Yesorkh's spell hooks. Opening the chest activates a fire trap which inflicts ld4+9pointsofdamage in a 5-foot-radius (halved by a successful saving throw vs. Spells). T h e hooks are wrapped in the skin of Lachlan's consort, Reina. Each book is protected by an explosive runes spell. When read, the runes detonate for 6d4+6 hit points of damage, the reader grts no saving throw, but characters within I O feet may make a save vs. Spells to halve the damage. T h e book will be destroyed in the explosion. Spell Books: First Icvel: burning hands, comprehend languages, detect magic, magic missile, protection from evil, read magic, sleep, ventriloquism

- a large chrst filled with poison gas (all within 10 feet mustmakea saving throw vs. Poison or suffer 2d8 points of damage) which holds: a druidic scroll with the spells commune with nature, hold animal, hold plant, plant door; 2 potions of fire resistance (pale blue, taste of apples); a suit of leather armour +2;3 javelins of lightning; a largeshield +2; 3 large shields + I ; and a pair of bracers of defencelessness (apparmtly bracers of defence - AC4) - fourchestseachcontaining3000gp;one containing 2500ep; a sixth with 2OOOOsp and one with 1250pp - a platinum casket (valur - 2OOOgp)containing 50 gems (value - 75gp each) - 40 flasks of rare wine (value - 150gp each) in wicker baskets - 50 crates of silks, furs and fine clothing (value - 500gp per crate) - 10 sacks of rare spices (value - 300gp each) - t w o sacks of fine leather hoots (total value - 750gp). including a pair of bootsofdancingwhich will apparently function as if boots of speed - a fine, silver-inlaid, mahogany jewellery box (value - 750gp) containing: a diamond tiara (value - 15000gp); a diamond necklace (value - 7500gp); a pair of ruby earrings (value - 2500gp each); a diamond bracelet ( v a l u e . IOOOOgp); and 30 pieces of assorted jewellery (necklaces, pendants, bracelets etc.) worth 700gp each.

AFTERMATH After Yesorkh has been defeatedor has fled, the enfolding solid cloud will roll back from the castle, which will regain its white

28 DEATH I N T H E SKIES (areas CZZ-C23/Aftermath)

I l I I i ? . t I H &*rL < l<>lld,O \ < ' I 1 1 N n10,111t,i1115 will disprur iind a bCdUtifu1 blur sky will herald thr rnd of the ha'atun menace. A little later, the aarakocra who fled Trhitchikwaaka will arrive at the castle. Overjoyed with the success of thr adventurers, they will thank them profusely for all they l i a ~ c done on their behalf.

If Lachlan has

been rescued by the adventurers, h r will present them with gifts from his secret trcasury, hidden deep in the cloud. Only Lachlan knows where this chamber is and only hc can enter it. Lachlan's gifts consist of:

- 8 large emeralds (value - 2OOOgp each) - fi\,e pieces of gold jewellery studded with gems (value - 8OOOgp each) - a staff of the serpent (python) - a ring of wizardry: doubles numhrr of second levcl spells (eight charges) ashortsword +2(+3when hackstabbing).

In addition, Lachlan will offrr to transport the adventurers to anywhere they wish to go (within reason), and will promise i o come totheiraidifeverthey shouldneedit. In token of this he will give the party a cloud gem: a spherical, faintly glowing white gem with permancntly swirling cloudy vapours in i t s centre (valuc 30000gp). If they stare into the gem and speak Lachlan'sname, thecloudgiant will travel to the aid of the adventurers. He will do this three timesonly, afterwhich hewill consider his debt repaid.

If Lachlan

has been killed, his son Achim will inhrrit thc castle. He will undcrstand the actions of the adventurers hut will bear them little good will. Hewill allow them to keep any treasure from C23, but will desire them to he on their way very soon.

O n no account should the characters be able totakecontrolof thecastle.Ifnocloud giants remain on the cloud i t will slowly turn into a normal cloud with no magical properties. This process will take 1 week.

Yesorkh and the Ba'atun If Yesorkhescaprsfrom thecastle, you have thechoiceof whethrrornot tocontinue the adventure. Yesorkh could simply hide away, never to he seen again by thr adventurers. Alternatively, after a break of some months or even years she could emerge once more at the head of yet another evil army!

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