AD&D - OA3 - Ochimo, The Spirit Warrior (1e) (lvl 5-7)

Official Game Adventure

Ochimo
The Spirit Warrior

by Jeff Grubb

Table of Contents

Introduction to Shou Lung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 1: The Invitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 2: The Voyage to Akari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 3: Akari Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 4: Opawangchicheng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Chapter 5: The Dead Lands . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
New Monsters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6
Pregenerated Player Character Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21-28

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by Random House Inc. and in Canada by Random
Editing: Mike Breault House of Canada Ltd. Distributed to the toy and
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This adventure is protected under the copyright
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PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATIONT

Introduction

Previous adventures in the Oriental Ad- (The latter are referred to as “nonmen” and mented about his empty larder in the
ventures series have been set in the nation denied a place in the Bureaucracy). winter months. Four of the travelers, de-
of Kozakura. This adventure introduces spite their weariness, set out into the cold
the PCs to a larger nation across the Ce- The present efforts of the emperor to re- and brought back a bounty of game. The
lestial Sea, the nation of Shou Lung (liter- cover and restore old and buried riches second four, despite their weariness, went
ally, “Receiver of the Dragon”). It is stems not from a desire to expand the power into the valley and returned with a rich har-
of the state, but to demonstrate yet again the vest of rice and nuts and roots. The last of
assumed that those involved are either na- shining glory of the Shou Lung people. the nine travelers, despite his weariness,
tives of Kozakura or gajin (outsiders) to the went into the innkeeper’s kitchen and pre-
world of Oriental Adventures. To the Shou Lung, the people of Koza- pared dinner for the travelers, the inn-
kura are little more than well-meaning bar- keeper, and his family. After the meal, the
Though the adventure does not reach the barians, objects of pity, rather than rivals nine preserved a large amount of the meat
boundaries of the continent Shou Lung or enemies. When playing natives of Shou and fish and fruit and nuts to help the fam-
dominates, a knowledge of the people, his- Lung as NPCs or PCs, keep in mind that ily in the cold months.
tory, religions, and government of Shou this innate superiority is reinforced in all
Lung will prove invaluable to the DM. things. While a citizen of Shou Lung will The poor innkeeper was beside himself
not insult a lesser being (honor forbids with joy at the aid of these strangers, and
Shou Lung is the oldest, largest, most making fun of the unfortunate), a self-
civilized, and most powerful of the nations satisfied tone is recommended when deal- at the close of the meal offered the trav-
ing with others. elers a gift. It was then that the innkeeper
of Kara-Tur. Its history dates back over 26 revealed himself to be one of the old gods.
centuries through eight ruling dynasties. MYTHOLOGY OF He was leaving this place, he said, leaving
Despite the long history of Kara-Tur, nu- SHOU LUNG
merous wars, plagues, revolutions, and the land his fellow gods had brought from
the recent succession of its southern prov- When the world was new, the land of the dragons. He delivered the land to
inces, the empire remains a vigorous, dy- Shou Lung burned like the heat of a steel these nine to rule until they chose to pass
namic, and well-governed state. blade newly pulled from the forge. It was it to another. When the travelers left the
the abode of dragons and other great inn, they were recognized everywhere
The human races of Shou Lung are beasts of all shades and shapes. The pas- they went as the masters of the land. The
taller and more muscular than those of Ko- sage of these mighty creatures across the Nine Travelers became known as the Nine
zakura, as their ancestry including a earth cooled the lands somewhat, but the Great Sovereigns, and ruled the land
strong mixture of former barbarians from ground was still so hot that nothing else called Shou Lung (Receiver of the Dragon,
the north, south, and west. The long per- could live on it. for 30 cycles of years.
iod of continuous government, coupled
with excellent communication and sys- It was then that the gods first came to Finally, after ruling 30 cycles of years,
tems of travel, has led to a general blend- Shou Lung, cooling the hot land with their the Nine Great Sovereigns returned to the
ing of racial features. Thus a Shou Lung footsteps. In the wake of the gods came site of the inn where they received their
citizen from the Maritime Provinces would animals and plants and nonmen and men. rulership. The inn was gone, but a peas-
be unnoticed in a way station on the Chu- The dragons and other great beasts re- ant’s hut stood in its place. The peasant,
kei Plateau, save for his odd and barely spected the wishes of the gods; some re- one Nung Fu, did not recognize the nine
understandable accent. treated to the hot lands of the south or the
icy reaches of the north, while many re- great lords, for they were wearing their
Natives of Shou Lung also tend toward mained to advise the newcomers. traveling clothes rather than the fineries of
facial hair more than Kozakurans, though emperors, and bid them in. Nung Fu fed
shaving becomes a rage every hundred For the longest time thereafter, the gods the great lords, dipping freely into his own
years or so in the old capital. The current walked on Shou Lung and wrought many meager winter stocks.
fashion among upper circles is for both deeds. Yet they succeeded too well in
men and women to wear their hair in long their attempts to cool the land. It now be- At the close of the meal, the Nine Sover-
braids decorated by steel pins, while men came colder than they wished, so that eigns offered the peasant a gift, which he
keep their beards and moustaches well- many left and others hid themselves away gratefully accepted, expecting only a serv-
trimmed. Folk of the lower classes usually in remote hermitages. Men found the ice to help him replenish his stock. To
have their hair cropped short. cooler air more pleasing, and many petty Nung Fu’s surprise, the Sovereigns took
kings and potentates claimed the land from beneath their robes their emblems of
Natives of Shou Lung differ from the rest when the gods withdrew. High Office and laid them on the ground at
of the world primarily in how they perceive
It happened that nine weary travelers Nung Fu’s feet. Nung Fu was taken to the
themselves. They fervently believe that stopped at a remote inn. They were re- courts of the Nine Sovereigns and pre-
theirs is the finest civilization ever to grace ceived by the poor innkeeper, who la- sented as the emperor of all of the known
the globe, and that lesser states and races lands, the first lord of the first dynasty.
should recognize this obvious fact. This atti-
The Nine Sovereigns then became the
tude makes them condescending toward Nine Travelers again. Some say that the
other nationalities and nonhuman races Nine faded into the air. Others contend

2

that the Nine followed the gods into other fed by all the major rivers in Shou ance of the Giants in Grey—huge hu-
realms. It is also said that the Nine still tra- Lung under the sway of the Emblems manoid figures dressed in concealing
vel throughout the empire to ensure that of Imperial Authority. grey cloaks and accompanied by thick
the rulers remember Nung Fu and that 411 (-766): Surrender of the Grey Owl fog. A massive earthquake destroys
innkeepers treat their guests well. Tribes in the north secures the present
northern boundary of the empire. the province they are sighted in soon
HISTORY 413 (-764): Agents of the emperor Chin after their appearance.
discover the Impossible Palace of Sil- 830 (-347): The last of the Ho Dynasty is
The history of Shou Lung is dated from humbled before the armies of the mar-
the recognition of Nung Fu as the first em- ver Domes in the northeast of Arkarin
peror of Shou Lung by the Nine Great Sov- Province. itime Karatin Province. The warlord of
ereigns. The ability of scholars to discern 420 (-757): Destruction of the Black that province ascends the throne as
the truth regarding the story above is ham- Leopard cult’s temple at the mouth of the first Emperor Chin of the Hai
pered by four factors: All writings of that the Fenghsintzu River ends resist- (Ocean) Dynasty.
time are of great age; the Imperial Bu- ance in the southern provinces (later
reaucracy recognizes the emperor’s an- to become T’u Lung). The leader of 856 (-321): Discovery of Wa by Cham Ko
cestors as gods, and as such discourages the Black Leopard cult is not found Hag, the Mariner.
inquiry; as one of the imperial preroga- and is rumored to have been de-
tives, the founder of a new dynasty may stroyed by his own summoned crea- 858 (-319): The Giants in Grey are
expunge all records that are untrue in his tures. sighted in the Imperial Compound.
opinion; inquiries into the mysteries of the 440 (-737): Teachings of the Path of
deified ancestors of the throne have often Enlightment first appear in the stone 859 (-318): The first Emperor Chin and
met with puzzling failures and unex- bluffs above the mouth of the Hungtse his household die from the Ivory
plained disappearances. River. The meter-high characters are Plague. The emperor’s young grand-
blasted into the solid granite by red- son survives, as does the emperor’s
Some dynastic founders left all as be-
fore, others expunged all reference to per- dish lightning during a firestorm wit- sister. She masquerades as the em-
sonal enemies or their own humble nessed throughout the continent. peror, aided in this ruse by the bu-
origins, while a few have attempted to de- Though the skies are ablaze with light, reaucracy and various good spirits,
stroy full bodies of knowledge. The scribes the vegetation and people near the until the grandson is old enough to
of Chin Hu, first of the Kao Dynasty, quote
him as follows: “All knowledge must come Hungtse are unharmed. The ances- rule. The emperor’s sister then re-
from my rule, as all streams come from the tors of the emperor are said initially to veals her true identity and flees the
mountain fastness.” refute these teachings. city, never to be seen again. Her rule is
580 (-597): The last Emperor Chin of the now recognized as that of the second
Timeline of Shou Lung Li Dynasty dies without heir. Defying
his ancestors, he passes on the affairs Emperor Chin, and her grand nephew,
Dates are taken from the Year Zero, the of office to his wu jen advisor, a fol- the third Emperor Chin of the Hai dy-
reported ascendency of Nung Fu. The no- lower of the Path of Enlightenment. nasty. From this time on, if no male
tations in parentheses are the correspond- The advisor becomes the first Em- heirs are of age, it is custom for a suit-
ing dates on the Kozakuran calendar, peror Chin of the Ho (Peace) Dynasty.
which dates from the ascendency of the 581 (-596): First Emperor Chin of the Ho able female heir to rule until a male
emperor Mori, who is described in Shou Dynasty proclaims the “Organization heir comes of age. The ruler is re-
Lung texts as a lesser barbarian prince. ferred to as emperor, regardless of
of Thought,” in which he seeks to sex.
0 (-1177): Ascendency of Nung Fu make the Path of Enlightenment the 970 (-207): Pirate activities in the Celes-
221 (-956): Death of Nung Fu. His great- only faith of Shou Lung. The Time of tial Sea result in proclamation by the
Contentions begins, as rival faiths bat- sixth Emperor Chin of the Hai Dynasty
grandson becomes the first Emperor tle each other in the bureaucracy, of the “Scattering of Winds,” de-
Chin of the Li Dynasty (Dynasty of among the populace, and finally on
Might). battlefield as temple militias contest in manding the warlords of Wa swear fe-
382 (-795): Unification of the western small civil wars. alty to the emperor. They refuse, and
provinces under the Emblems of Im- 601 (-576): The Impossible Palace of the the emperor begins massing his fleet.
perial Authority, the emperor’s sym- Silver Domes disappears. That which 975 (-202): Multiple attacks against the
bols of office. remains is renamed “The Field of Bur-
395 (-782): Crushing of the Sea Lords’ nished Bronze.” various strongholds of Wa result in
Revolt in Karatin Province consoli- 630 (-547): The first Emperor Chin perishes capture of the north and south. The
dates power beneath the Emblems of mysteriously, along with his son. The sixth Emperor Chin moves against the
Imperial Authority. grandson becomes the second Emperor center with land armies and the collec-
408 (-769): Seventh Emperor Chin of the Chin and announces “The Time of tion of his fleets.
Li Dynasty declares “Gathering of 976 (-201): Death of the sixth and last
Waters,” an attempt to bring the land Sharing Meals.” Temple militias are out- Emperor Chin and his court in the last
lawed and religious freedom encour- battle of Wa. While the land armies
aged. The Path of Enlightenment
remains the official religion. overrun the Wa forces, the emperor’s
703 (-474): The first recorded appear- fleet runs aground on reefs hidden by
the dweomercraft of the opposing war-
3 lords’ wu jen. The ship’s pilot, a gajin

named Rourke, recovers the Em-
blems of Imperial Authority, but is
slain upon return to the Imperial City.
The Emblems disappear and the

Black Cycle of Years begins.

980 (-197): The Giants in Grey are re- the Kao Dynasty, faced with defeat in 2294 (1117): Two of the concubines of
ported throughout the known empire. Wa, declares “The Unleashing of the thirteenth Emperor Chin of the La
Crops fail as a blight strikes the Shackles.” Wa is recognized as an in- Dynasty give birth within hours of each
coastal lowlands. dependent state, and the tattered re- other (the emperor is otherwise child-
mains of the Shou Lung Regiment of less and without heir). Factions begin
985 (-192): A criminal family in Kai Shan the Grey Blossom are withdrawn from gathering over the succession.
seizes control of their city, declaring Wa. Many monuments are erected in
their own sovereignty. Such city-states the capital declaring the wondrous 2312 (1135): The seventh and last Em-
are common in the Black Cycle, but Kai peror Chin of the La Dynasty dies with-
Shan survives semi-independent to this nature of the emperor as the sage
day, as it aided and supported Wo Mai, a emancipator of noble foreign peoples. out recognizing either son as heir. The
noble from a neighboring province, in 1761 (584): The Sixteenth Emperor Chin provincial armies and bureaucracy fa-
his adventures. of the Kao Dynasty declares “The Re- vors Shin Lou, while the southern no-
vealing of Scrolls.” The discussion of bles and courtiers back the more
1004 (-173): The Impossible Palace of knowledge is encouraged, and many malleable Shin Gisen. War breaks out
the Silver Domes reappears for a per- rival schools are established. The sci- and the La Castle and the new Impe-
iod of two weeks, then disappears. ences of Astronomy, Alchemy, and rial Capital are burned.
Geomancy are in a golden age. 2315 (1138): The Battle of Crimson
1010 (-167): End of the reign of the Cop- Priests of the Path of Enlightenment
per Demon of Tros, who held a large are dispatched to the far reaches of Wheat. Shin Ginsen’s forces are de-
section of the west in his thrall for eight the globe, setting up shrines as far stroyed, but the victorious Shin Lou’s
years, ruling the land in a brutal fash- forces are too weak to pursue. Shin
ion. The beast is slain by the Seven away as Kozakura. (In Kozakura, the Lou returns to the old capital with the
faith is known as the Way of Enlight- Emblems of Imperial Authority and
Heroes and the Seven Nonmen. Wo ment, much to the mutual embarrass- becomes the first Emperor Chin of the
Mai is reported as one of the Heroes. ment of Shou Lung followers of the Kuo (Nation) Dynasty. His first direc-
1025 (-152): The Black Cycle of Years Path of Enlightenment, and its rival tive is to offer to supporters of Shin
ends with the coronation of Wo Mai, a faith, the Way).
1810 (633): The Impossible Palace of the Ginsen “The Choice of Blades”: Die
noble claiming descent from Nung Fu Silver Domes reappears briefly, but or flee to the south to the strongholds
himself. Wo Mai recovers the Em- disappears again before investigation held by Shin Ginsen’s nobles.
blems of Imperial Authority from the may be made. 2316 (1139): Shin Ginsen is proclaimed
crypts beneath the lmperial City, ral- 1881 (704): The Wasting Sickness Emperor in Chia Wan Ch’uan, and is
lies the armies and other nobles, and sweeps the continent. In dealing with recognized as the first Emperor of the
crushes the rebellious outlying prov- the emergency, local lords are Lui (Green) Dynasty. Shou Lung at-
inces. Wo Mai becomes the first Em- granted more power in the bureauc- tempts to put down the uprising, and
peror Chin of the Kao (High) Dynasty. racy, particularly in the hard-hit south- fails, in the first of the Uncountable
ern provinces. Wars between the two countries that
1072 (-105): The second Emperor Chin 1920 (743): Invasion of the Southern Bar- continue for the next 250 years.
on his ascendency declares the barians. Levies and mercenary forces 2384 (1207): Shin Lou dies after 70 years
“Spreading of Knowledge” also of the southern lords exceed those of on the throne, and is given the deific
known as the “Opening of Wa.” Wa the emperor in the ensuing battles. name of Ying (Eagle). Shin’s son be-
survived the Black Cycle in a state of The southern barbarians retreat after comes the second Emperor Chin.
guerilla warfare against stranded the disappearance of their leader. 2390 (1213): The second Emperor Chin
Shou Lung governors. Orders are 2011 (834): The Impossible Palace reap-
given to pacify and redirect the popu- pears, then disappears again with a dies of old age and is given the deific
lation in Shou Lung ways. party of investigators inside. name of Tz’u Wei (Hedgehog). His
2050 (873): The last ruler of the Kao Dy- grandson takes the throne as the third
1177 (01): Ascension of Mori, first em- nasty and his family perish in a fire that Emperor Chin.
peror of the Kozakuran people. sweeps the old Imperial City. His third 2430 (1253): The third Emperor Chin
cousin Ton Bor becomes the first em- dies and is given the deific name Pao
1330 (153): Invasion of the Horse Barbar- peror of the La (Wax) Dynasty. The (Panther). He is succeeded by his
ians. The fifth Emperor Chin of the reigns of this emperor and those that wife, who rules as the fourth Emperor
Kao Dynasty routs them in the Battle follow in his dynasty are controlled by Chin until his son comes of age.
of the Silver Grasslands. rival factions and secret societies, and 2432 (1255): The fourth Emperor Chin
the name of the dynasty has been steps down and retires to a monas-
1384 (207): The mariner Wan Ko Hei dis- given to it by the successor Kuo Dy- tery. Upon her death 30 years later
covers Kozakura, and is presented to nasty to reflect the malleability of its
Emperor Koshu at the Kozakuran cap- rulers. (Its own name was Yin [Silver], she is given the deific name Yeh Ying
ital at Fukama. but that name has been eradicated (Nightingale). Her son becomes the
from all tomes in the empire, and only fifth Emperor Chin.
1501 (324): The Wa warlords overthrow survives in records in Kozakura and 2456 (1279): The fifth Emperor Chin dis-
the rulership of their Shou Lung gover- other lesser states.)
nors, destroying many things Shou tinguishes himself in battle against the
Lung in the ensuing rebellion. Civil 4 pirates of the Celestial Sea, sacking
war rocks the island for more than 200 several havens of the pirates, includ-
ing the one located on Akari Island.
years before a stable government Wa, also hurt by pirate raids, recog-
emerges, but the various petty war-
lords of Wa present a unified front
against the “outland invaders.”
1503 (326): The twelfth Emperor Chin of

nizes Shou Lung claims to small is- the sky throughout Shou Lung roiled and “possible” and “not proven” verdicts.
lands in the Celestial Sea. bubbled like boiling blood. Other faiths The Way is more of a philosophy than
2500 (1323): The fifth Emperor Chin dies tend to downplay this explanation, but the
in a hunting accident. His grandson inscriptions remain to this day, unaffected an organized religion. Its shrines tend to
becomes the sixth Emperor Chin. The by the passage of time. These inscriptions resemble hermitages and its few temples
deceased emperor is given the deific are the goal of many a pilgrim. are organized as large, ornate monas-
name Yeh T’u (Hare), giving rise to teries teaching a variety of subjects. Key
speculation that he was assassinated A form of the Path of Enlightenment is to the understanding of the Way is the con-
by a jealous relative. also the official faith of the imperial family cept that all beings in the cosmos affect,
2543 (1366): The sixth Emperor Chin and thus the nation. The government en- and are similarly affected, by all others.
dies of old age, and is given the deific courages the veneration of past genera- The ideas of good, evil, Law, and Chaos
name Ch’uan (Dog) for his faithful tions, in particular the past imperial lines, are merely outside labels applied to basic
service to the memories of his forbear- as guardians of the Path. Upon death, an forces in the universe, forces that may be
ers. His son becomes the seventh Em- emperor is elevated to a deific position manipulated to desired ends.
peror Chin. along with his ancestors, and given a new
2561 (1384): The seventh Emperor Chin name (usually that of an animal). The Way recognizes both shukenja and
dies mysteriously in his sleep. He is wu jen classes as priests, and powerful
given the deific name Hsiao (Owl). His The current emperor confers with his or positions within the faith may be occupied
son becomes the eighth Emperor Chin her predecessors in the Heart of the Place by mages as often as priests with little det-
of the Eighth Dynasty of Shou Lung. Most Secret, and should be able to call rimental effect on the entire faith. Much of
2589 (1412): The Eighth Emperor Chin upon not only members of his own dy- what is known in the sciences and magery
announces the “Gathering of Pearls” nasty, but earlier dynasties as well. (The has resulted from the investigations of fol-
as a goal of his reign. Plans are set in dead are assumed to be more interested lowers of the Way. Despite the recognition
motion to recover lost artifacts and in maintaining the nation of Shou Lung of the Path of Enlightenment as the official
books. Excavations begin in cities that than in settling old scores, and thus may religion, posts within the bureaucracy in-
have been noted as capitals. Old terri- be relied upon for accurate advice.) volving mysticism or science are often
tories to the north and west are filled by followers of the Way.
brought back under imperial control. The Path of Enlightenment is the best-
Contacts with Wa and Kozakura are organized and wealthiest of the three ma- THE GOVERNMENT
expanded. The nobles of T’u Lung jor faiths. Most temples found in Shou
fear that this is an attempt to isolate Lung are of this faith (though there are oc- OF SHOU LUNG
their nation in the world.
2599 (1422): The Puissant Department casional temples of the Way, various As has been noted above, the bureauc-
of Joyful Rediscovery charges the Ko cults, and the Nine Travelers). Path of En- racy of the Shou Lung government wields
family with the task of turning Akari Is- lightenment temples are of two varieties: great power. It is the bureaucracy that has
land into a maritime colony and for- official and unsanctioned. Official temples given the nation of Shou Lung its contin-
ward base for his Magnificent and Just ued existence through two and a half mil-
Majesty’s Fleet. are monitored by the Department of Ce- lennia, through plague, war, the ending of
2607 (1430): The events of this adven- lestial Supervision for their actions, land dynasties and the founding of new houses
ture take place. grants, and support for the imperial family. of rulership. The bureaucracy is more than
Unsanctioned temples of the Path of En- a large force of scriveners and clerks: it is
FAITH IN lightenment tend to be smaller and more a political force on a par with the emperor
fiercely independent, and they encom- or his royal court, and is a more powerful
SHOU LUNG pass a wide variety of views. voice than the noble families.

There are three primary religions in The Nine Travelers may be the oldest The bureaucracy maintains the daily op-
Shou Lung. The Path of Enlightenment, faith in Kara-Tur. Over the centuries it has erations of an empire that spans from the
the Nine Travelers, and the Way. In addi- resisted many attempts to reduce or elimi- Koryaz Mountains in the north to the hostile
tion, there are a number of lesser cults, nate its role. It remains. a popular faith state of T’u Lung thousands of miles to the
and profusion of minor deities similar to among the lower classes, in particular the south. The emperor rules over this land, and
some of the Eight Million Gods of Koza- merchants and those seeking to improve his word is law. But the bureaucracy gov-
kura. their position through civil examination, as erns the land, and in this role is collectively
its basic tenet is that the lowest commoner more powerful than any dynasty. The bu-
The teachings of the Path of Enlight- can become emperor. (This attitude, while reaucracy runs the empire on a day-to-day
enment were said to be revealed first in the commended by the nobility, is not neces- basis, converting the emperor’s maxims into
Hungtse River provinces of Shou Lung, sarily encouraged.) reality. The bureaucracy sees that fields are
and indeed some of the basic teachings planted and harvested at the proper times,
have been inscribed in meter-high letters The followers of the Nine Travelers be- that food and other goods are moved to ar-
in the granite bluffs overlooking that river. lieve that all of the Nine are powerful be- eas of need, and that knowledge is acquired
Old histories say that the basic precepts ings, but each sect has a different opinion and controlled. All these responsibilities
were carved by bolts of red lightning while as to which is the true leader of the Nine. make the bureaucracy a powerful entity, but
Often miraculous events are attributed to an entity that owes its full allegiance to the
one of the Nine, and such claims always throne.
bring out a Board of Inquiry from the Local
Department of Certainty and Historic
Worth. The department has yet to deter-
mine the truth of any such manifestations,
though it has an extremely long list of

5

Any native-born inhabitant of Shou ists in these four ministries, but the power SHOU LUNG NAMES
Lung may apply to the bureaucracy and they wield gives the throne its complete
take the examination for Civil Service. For- control over the nation. As in most of Kara-Tur, an individual
eigners may be extended this honor at the may be known by many names in the
request of the Royal Court, and those fa- Every citizen of the nation of Shou Lung
vored by the emperor may be given bu- owes his ultimate allegiance to the em- course of his life. Natives of Shou Lung
reaucratic positions without any testing. peror. The emperor has the final say in all may receive a childhood name, then
Applicants who receive high scores on matters. The bureaucracy and the court choose their common name upon reach-
these examinations are quickly recruited exist as advisors and tools for his rule. A ing adulthood. They may receive a nick-
into the bureaucracy, albeit in low-ranking strong emperor will wield these tools to name for a stunning victory (or defeat),
positions. Once an initial position is se- great effect, while weak or foolish rulers and may give another name in order to
are molded by them. deal with unknown individuals without loss
cured, a would-be bureaucrat may move of honor. After death, a spirit name is com-
upward (or downward—each ministry and The emperor chooses his own succes- monly given.
department has its own methods of deter- sor from among the suitable candidates,
mining merit and advancement, and all usually the male progeny of the emperor Shou Lung names are usually short syl-
are willing to clear deadwood to improve by his empress or concubines. If no male lables, unlike the ornate, mouth-filling
performance). candidate is of age (18 years), a female names of Kozakura. The family name al-
relative may serve as emperor, provided ways precedes the individual names, so
No individual in the bureaucracy holds that as soon as a suitable candidate is of that “Ko Lei Minh” is westernized as “Lei
ultimate power, not even the provincial age, she steps aside. (Aged male emper- Minh, of the house Ko.” This emphasizes
governors. Power is shared by ministries ors may resign their offices and retire as the importance of family and heritage in
well, though this is less common.)
with overlapping portfolios. This prevents Shou Lung society.
extensive abuse in the system. Also, the Should no choice be made (a common Upon ascending to the throne, each em-
emperor may reorganize the bureaucracy event for unpopular monarchs), the eldest
at his whim, eliminating offices that are no child is given precedence (though there peror takes the name Chin while he or she
may be rival claimants as well). Finally, if is ruling. Hence the references in the time-
longer needed, and rewarding those indi- there are no suitable heirs, the dynasty is
viduals of merit who have shone in his all- at an end. After a small period of turmoil as line to “The fifth Emperor Chin of the Kao
wise and penetrating eyes. The emperor various candidates press their claims, a Dynasty,” for example. Often a new em-
may create new ministries of the bureauc- new dynasty begins. The Royal Court of peror will seek to eradicate or modify ear-
racy by proclamation, such as the current the last emperor must approve of the first lier histories that reveal his or her earlier
“Gathering of Pearls” announced by the ruler of the new dynasty (this is often done
current emperor. at the point of a sword). The bureaucracy common name. Only a few such names
is charged with the task of keeping the em- are known of early emperors, and those
The ministries created by the “Gather- pire running until such matters work them- only because the person had become leg-
ing of Pearls” proclamation have been in selves out. There have been eight endary in some way before taking the
existence for 10 years, and include the De- dynasties in Shou Lung’s history; each
partments of Reclamation, Old Magery, has been approved by the Royal Court (or throne.
Dead Dialects, Rediscovery and Exploita- its survivors). Upon death, the former emperor is

tion, Extinct Beasts, and Lost Treasures. The noble class in Shou Lung is the given a deific name and a secret name by
Some of these departments are far older weakest part of the government, a typical his successor. The deific name is used in
than 10 years, but have been gathered to- warlord wielding less power than, say, the references to the former emperor in histo-
gether under one ministry with this procla- Minister of the Official Faith. The nobles ries and blessings, while the secret name
mation. Often several generations of have their private militias, but are ex- is used by subsequent emperors to invoke
capable bureaucrats will pursue the same pected to act in conjunction with provincial and ask advice of the spirit of the past
task, shifting from one department to an- governors when the realm is threatened.
other as the political winds shift. ruler. This name is kept secret to avoid
In periods of emergency, the nobles are misuse of the spirit of the dead.
Offsetting the considerable power of the invested with additional powers by the em-
bureaucracy is the emperor, his Royal peror and may be mobilized to remove in-
Court, and the noble class. The emperor effective or corrupt local rulers. The
oversees the bureaucracy with the aid of strongest of these nobles are sometimes
his advisors and holds ultimate power able to retain these prerogatives tong after
over the rulings and actions of those within the need has passed. This ability to as-
the bureaucracy. The Royal Court in- sume power is severely limited, as a pre-
cludes the heads of the various bureau- vious rise in power of the noble class led to
cratic ministries, as well as the Minister of the separation of T’u Lung. Bureaucrats in
War, Minister of Sea, Minister of State, Shou Lung point to T’u Lung’s internal
and Minister of Magic. These ministries strife as proof of the dangers of letting no-
are responsible for the specialized the- bility gain too much power at the expense
of the crown and the state.
atres of the imperial army, imperial navy,
foreign politics, and all organized magical 6
research and discovery. Their positions
are filled by candidates of the emperor’s
choice. More corruption than is normal ex-

Chapter I: The Invitation

Background for the DM prepared a base for their eventual return to his overgrown temple complex.
to the continent. The Black Leopard Priest Two hundred years ago, other bands of
In this adventure, the players undertake ordered construction of a huge temple
a task for a Shou Lung merchant clan. The complex in the depths of the forest. pirates used Akari Island as a base, spur-
task requires a trip to the island of Akari ring Shou Lung into action. Under an
and exploration of the island. This back- The exiled cult thrived for several gener- agreement with the Shogun of Wa, Shou
ground explains some of the plots and rea- ations, always ruled by the Black Leopard Lung could claim the Prioto Islands if they
sons for the things that occur in this Priest, who extended his life by fell wizard- crushed the pirate menace. The Shou
adventure. ries. Finally, the Black Leopard Priest sac- Lung navy routed the pirate fleet but, upon

The islands of the Prioto chain lie 900 rificed his own people for immortality. He pursuing them back to Akari, found the
miles due south of the island-nation of Ko- became the Opawang, the Dead Spirit fleet at anchor and the pirate settlement
zakura. Akari is the largest of the chain, a King, and his temple-city became Opa- abandoned. It was assumed that the pi-
chunk of tropical forest 90 miles wide by wangchicheng. rates fled inland, but no trace of them was
120 miles long. The island has no native found. The claiming of the island was duly
population, but it has been settled four Sixteen centuries ago, the island was recorded and lost amid bureaucratic pa-
times in known history. Each of the first used as a base by pirates raiding mer- perwork in the years that followed.
three settlements disappeared mysteri- chant vessels in the Celestial Sea. These
ously, and. the fourth is in danger of failing first pirates were unaware of the temple- Ten years ago, his Most Serene and
as well.
city deep in the heart of the jungle. They Powerful Highness, Emperor Chin, eighth
The first settlement of Akari was at- used the island only as a base from which ruler of the Kuo Dynasty, made a procla-
tempted over 2,000 years ago. The forces to strike fat merchants from Shou Lung mation, called the “Gathering of Pearls.”
of the Shou Lung Empire destroyed the and Wa. The pirate base was abandoned In that proclamation Chin noted that for all
temple of the Black Leopard cult, ending during the Black Cycle of Years, amid ru- the riches of the nation of Shou Lung, and
all effective resistance along the southern mors of mysterious disappearances and the respect it inspired throughout the
border. The leader of that cult, the Black hauntings. It was at this time that the Dead known world, much that had been discov-
Leopard Priest, escaped with a large num- Spirit King, his wisdom in the dark arts ered or gained in the past two thousand
ber of followers to Akari Island, where they years had been lost, stolen, or not devel-
grown great, first created his Ochimo, or oped. To this end, he authorized the crea-
spirit warriors. The Ochimo were created tion of a new ministry and invested
from those pirates who ventured too close

7

it with the power to examine old records ern neighbor. It could also be due to for- lose your services to another for the
and hunt down those pieces and posses- eign agents from Wa seeking to upset the time being. Our family has been doing
sions of the past now lost. plans of the Empire. Finally, it could be business with a family named Ko. They
something dangerous on the island are foreigners, from the Shou Lung em-
In their examinations, the researchers of itself—evil spirits, perhaps in league with pire. In our dealings, our clan has in-
one of the above groups. curred a large debt. In payment of this
the Department of Records Most Ancient debt, they have asked for the use of an
came upon an agreement from 250 years The Ko patriarch. now demands that adventurous retainer for a period of no
ago, from the reign of the fifth emperor of the action be taken to preserve the colony and longer than three months. I have
Kuo Dynasty. According to this manuscript, the honor of the family. The family has to agreed and selected you, most brave
the shogun of Wa requested aid from the date kept their difficulties hidden from the and respected of your peers, to be that
emperor in dealing with the pirate menace. bureaucracy, but they have little time be- retainer. You will carry the honor of the
fore their problems are revealed. Fortu- family with you on this mission.”
In return, the shogun offered to recognize nately, the family has many contacts
sovereignty of Shou Lung over some small outside of Shou Lung itself. The family The master provides a statement of re-
islands southeast of Wa, claimed by Shou plans to call in favors to recruit outlanders, lease and the address of the house of the
Lung during the reign of the last emperor of preferably Kozakurans or western barbari- Ko clan, with the note that the character
the Hai Dynasty. ans, to investigate the Island. should arrive around sundown and will be
prepared to move directly from there.
The clerks verified the claim that the Event 1: The Call of the Ko Clan More details, says the master, will be
emperor was the rightful ruler of the made clear at that time.
Priotos and Akari Island. His serene maj- The purpose of this event is to direct the
esty in turn ruled that it was in Shou characters to a meeting with Ko Mei Kho, Protestations by the character are over-
Lung’s best interest to cultivate and de- leader of the Ko family in the PCs’ town. ridden by the master; it is clear the charac-
velop the island, both as a trading base This may be any town in Kozakura the PCs ter has no choice in the matter other than
with Wa and Kozakura, and as a distant frequent, though a seaport is best. outright refusal (one of the disadvantages
friendly anchorage for the fleet. The task of a rigid system of organization). Outright
was routed through the esteemed Bureau There are two versions of this event, refusal results in the loss of 5 points of
one for characters with masters or family honor and probable expulsion from the
of Expedient Development and was as- ties, such as samurai and most Oriental clan or stronghold.
signed to a merchant clan, the Ko family. Adventures player characters, and a sec-
ond version for those without conventional Repeat the above procedure for each
The Ko had supporters in the bureauc- ties, such as ronin and gajin. character who owes allegiance to an NPC,
racy as well as being moderately rich by changing the details to fit the situation.
their trading throughout the maritime First Version: This version is suitable Make it clear that the character’s master
provinces and to far-off lands. Contracts for a PC who primarily has family ties or apparently has as little choice in the mat-
were drawn up, colonists recruited, boats owes his allegiance to other masters at the ter as the character. (This is true in light of
hired, and an expedition set forth. This start of the adventure. In a group of such the power the Ko family wields in the local
characters working in conjunction with area.) Award 1 point of honor for a quick
was eight years ago. masterless characters, this version may and enthusiastic response.
The Shou Lung colony was an initial be used to give those characters with mas-
ters permission to go off adventuring. Second Version: Masterless players,
success. Settling at three areas on the is- such as gajin, may be brought in by other
land, the Ko looked forward to likely pro- Take each player with a character who PCs introduced through the first version,
motion within the government. owes fealty to a higher NPC aside and or they may have their own encounter that
read him the following boxed text. Ignore leaves them in debt to the Ko family.
That rosy prospect changed when the the sections in parentheses as they are in-
Dead Spirit King became aware of in- cluded as notes to the DM for dealing with Such players begin the adventure in
vaders to his island home. Though none of different situations. that haven for unemployed adventurers,
the newcomers know of the temple-city of the inn. Use the typical town inn and
Opawangchicheng, the Dead Spirit King You receive a message to present house on page 142 of the Oriental Adven-
has dispatched his Ochimo to drive the cu- yourself to your master (or clan head, tures source book for the layout for this en-
rious away from the hinterland. daimyo, etc.) as soon as possible. Hur- counter. The characters are on the
rying to the meeting, you are escorted veranda outside their inn room, while the
The Ochimo succeeded too well. Ap- into a quiet room far from the noise and drunken swordsmen they will encounter
pearing individually on various nights to bustle of the rest of the building. are lounging in the courtyard.
the settlers, the spirits have stricken the
peasant colonists with such fear that they You are received by the master, and The courtyard is fairly empty on this
are afraid to till their fields or mind their an- at once you can tell there is something
imals. The settlers believe that there is a disturbing him. His face is drawn and cloudy afternoon, save for the occa-
single spirit haunting their land—they re- tense, and you have a sinister suspi- sional servant bustling by, your own
fer to all the hauntings as the responsibil- cion that something is amiss. A servant group, and another large group of
ity of one Ochimo. brings tea and cakes and withdraws. swordsmen, apparently ronin. The
swordsmen are seated at the far end of
The Ko family is stricken with fear as “My loyal retainer (relative, pupil,
well, though for different reasons. For etc.),” he begins, “I fear that I must
some reason, someone wishes them to fail
in the mission. The Ko are suspicious of 8
everyone: The haunting could be the re-
sult of a rival family trying to orchestrate
their fall, or it could be the act of agents
from T’u Lung, Shou Lung’s hostile south-

the courtyard, and have been drinking perience points if they do so without draw- tain you. Good Day.” With a curt bow
heavily throughout the day, their decla- ing their blades or inflicting lasting he retreats with his militia carrying his
rations of fearlessness and fighting damage. At the end of the fourth melee drunken grandsons, leaving the man in
skill becoming comically louder and round, read the following: red robes behind.
more exaggerated with each cup of
wine. The largest of the swordsmen You have matters well in hand when The man in the red robes requests that
swaggers over to you. there is a sudden commotion from out- the characters meet at the house of the
side the courtyard. Suddenly a large merchant Ko at sunset. The merchant is in
As DM, you should know which member number of leather-armored militia-men need of adventurers of renown and will
of your group will most readily‘ rise to the fill the entrance way, led by a pay well for their services. They should be
challenge of a swaggering, overblown respectable-looking grey-haired man in prepared to leave from the area soon after
bully. Go ahead, pick him or her. Roll dice flowing robes. the meeting. The man in red robes does
to make it look fair, but pick someone who not give his name, only that he is a repre-
would react most violently to this bully. One of the wounded bullies looks at sentative of the merchant Ko Mei Kho,
the grey-haired man and says “Hello, who has interest in the players that ex-
The drunken swordsman towers over grandfather.” tends to offering them protection from the
you and shouts in a loud, drunken local headman. The mysterious individual
voice, “Who is the greatest swordsmen The grey-haired man is Kirioshi, the lo- notes that the headman has a long mem-
in these parts?” cal shoya (headman) of this part of town, ory for insults and will make life unpleas-
responsible for keeping the peace. He is ant if they remain in the area long. He then
If the player buckles under and agrees aware of his grandson’s drunken habits, leaves as well, making sure the character
that the bully is the greatest swordsman in but still holds the player characters re- know the address for the meeting. (If the
these parts, reduce that character’s honor sponsible for what has transpired. This in- characters are a suspicious lot and follow
by 1 point and the bully goes to the next cludes property damage and payment for the man in red, he goes immediately to the
character. If all the characters agree to the any curative magics necessary (including address he gave them).
bully’s prowess, the bully’s companions raise dead, if need be). The headman also
(five including the bully) join in the fun, sets a ridiculously high fine for the charac- Event 2: House Ko
pushing the characters around and pick- ter’s actions. Suggestions that the
ing a fight. drunken grandsons are responsible are The characters may go straight to the
true but insulting to the headman, anger- house of Ko following their assignment (or
Any answer other than the one the bully ing him further and upping the fine. The their rescue), or they may find out through
wants will drive him wild, and he will un- bullies insist that the fight broke out when their contacts and sources something
sheathe his sword, backed up by his four one of the party insulted the family’s name about the Ko family. The following infor-
companions. An attempt at a psychic duel and heritage. mation is commonly available:
automatically succeeds against the drunk. Headman Kirioshi (6th-level bushi)—AC • The Ko are a large family of merchants
However, “staring down” the drunken 4; MV 12”; hp 40; #AT 3/2; Damage 1d8 that specializes in trading by sea.
swordsmen results in him immediately go- (tau-kien); specialized in tau-kien • They are natives of Shou Lung.
ing for his swords. • Shou Lung is a large empire across the
Twelve Militia Men (1st-level bushi)— Celestial Sea. The Ko are said to be well-
Once either side draws weapons and AC 6; MV 12”; hp 7 each; #AT 1; Damage placed in the government there.
battle seems likely, the large, drunken 1d8 (tau-kien) • The leader of the Ko clan in this part of
thug should shout “I will show you what it Kozakura is Ko Mei Kho, who maintains a
is to meddle with the kin of Headman When the player characters seem just proper minka (common house) near the
Kiroshi!” and with that he leaps into battle. about ready to run through the headman shoreline. Ko Mei Kho has a number of
and take to the hills, read the following. servants and is as well-respected as one
Five Drunken Ronin (3d-level samurai) of his type (a foreign merchant) can be.
—AC 5; MV 12”; hp 17 each; #AT 1; Things look increasingly difficult, and • Family Ko has a reputation for honesty
THAC0 16; Damage 1d10 (katana; +1 for the surviving bullies are smiling in its dealings.
level) through blood-stained lips, when a
small figure in bright. red garb moves More digging (such as through yakuzan
The ronin are drunk, so reduce their through the crowd. With a motion of his contacts) will reveal the following:
chances to hit by -1. The lead bully uses his hand he summons the attention of the
ki power to increase his strength to 18/00 in headman and the two enter into a quick • Ships owned by the Ko family have
his first round, while the others do so in the consultation in low voices. The head- been in and out of the port continually in
following round. man seems irritated by what the one in the last few months, their cargos hidden
red robes has to say, but bows deeply and their crews tight-lipped about their
If fighting breaks out (or the bullies start and turns to the characters. destination.
pushing the characters around), the ser- • Another such ship is at anchor and set
vants flee the area for the main house. The “There seems to be an error on our to sail tomorrow.
innkeeper dispatches a runner for the lo- part,” says the headman. “Word has
cal authorities, and help arrives four me- reached my ears that you are in service
lee rounds after the fight breaks out. of the merchant Ko, and he will vouch
for your innocence in this unfortunate
The player characters should be able to matter. There is no further need to de-
handle these rowdies. Award double ex-

9

• Ko Mei Kho is a master at moneylend- the price!” among the colonists. (Note that the stated
ing, trading, and influence peddling: Most If a player character speaks Shou Lung mission is to end the hauntings—if this re-
middle class and lower families owe Ko in quires destruction of the Ochimo, the
some way or another. and reveals as much to Ko Mei Kho, the player characters have permission of the
• Ko Mei Kho is responsible for his fami- large merchant will smile at the character Ko family to do so.)
ly’s reputation for honesty in this region. and speak more politely in their presence
He is honest to the point of tactlessness, from then on. Otherwise he will remain Payment: Travel to and from Akari paid
but will honor any agreement struck. gruff and doubtful of the player’s abilities, for by the clan Ko, as are room and board
• The Ko family are descendants of the though Kihei will remove most of the edge for up to three months. Forgiveness of all
first Shou Lung to arrive in Kozakura and from his words. debts incurred by the player characters or
be presented to the emperor. their families, plus reduction of any out-
Ko Mei Kho speaks to Kihei, who in turn standing charges (within reason—they
At the proper time, Ko Mei Kho receives tells you, “You have been called to- cannot arrange the forgiveness of one re-
his guests. gether to investigate strange occur- sponsible for the death of the shogun’s
rences in one of Shou Lung’s island heir), plus either 200 ch’ien or a miscella-
You are greeted outside the house by a colonies. The natives report odd haunt- neous magical item, plus 40% of all trea-
servant. You step through a low door- ings and strange visions, and the col- sure discovered and the first four out of
way into the lower earth-floored portion ony is failing as a result of this every 10 magical items. (This last is
of the minka. Before you the northern superstition. We have chosen you be- negotiable—Ko will settle for giving the
part of the room is a wooden floor cause of the nearness of this port to the players 75% of the treasure and the first
raised two feet off the ground, leading colony, and the reputation of its adven- six of every 10 magical items).
to the upper portion of the house. turers. The trip will involve a short sea
Seated on the platform is a large man in voyage through well-known waters. Why the player characters: The nature
sky-blue robes, fine silver needle-work You begin tomorrow morning and will of this mission must remain secret. Opera-
decorating the hem and sleeves with be gone no longer than three months. tives of the rival government of T’u Lung
clouds and fantastic creatures. To his Are you interested in such a challenge? may be behind these apparitions. The Ko
right stands a lean, small man in red family also has rivals in the imperial bu-
robes. Wise players should have a few ques- reaucracy who will use their difficulties as
tions at this point. Kihei will not translate political fodder.
The small man is person who appeared questions in Kozakuran to his lord, but will
at the inn. The seated man is Ko Mei Kho. for other tongues. Ko Mei Kho will answer Will Ko Mei Ko be accompanying the
questions in Shou Lung through his inter- characters?: Ko will scoff at this idea—he
Ko Mei Kho speaks only in Shou Lung, preter. Following is the bulk of the knowl- has a business to run. Both he and Kihei
his words interpreted by his aide into Ko- edge they will impart: will remain behind to make arrangements
zakuran or, if need be, western common. for the characters’ return. They will put the
Ko Mei Kho understands Kozakuran per- Location: The island is Akari. It is about characters in the capable hands of the
fectly, but this is not immediately appar- 900 miles south of Kozakura. It is the rec- captain of the vessel Joyful Spring with a
ent. His first words to his aide are “They ognized property of the empire of Shou letter of introduction to the colonial gover-
do not look that bright. Get started.” Lung. nor at Akari, Ko Lei Kho (a distant cousin,
but a capable man, Ko Mei Kho explains).
The red-robed man bows to you. “Wel- Nature of the Hauntings: The settlers
come to the honorable house of Ko, are spread among three small towns in the On other matters, use the information
merchant of Shou Lung,” he says. “I northern, southern, and western coasts. provided in the background of Shou Lung
am Kihei Zaicho, interpreter and aide to at the start of this book. If the matters are
my Lord Ko Mei Kho. You have been Each town records a slightly different fully outside Ko Mei Kho’s area of knowl-
asked here to undertake a adventure apparition, but always a warrior. The edge, merely state that he is a humble
that will bring great joy to your people, northern capital of Tai Ko tells of a rider in merchant dealing with forces beyond his
great honor to your family, and great full samurai armor mounted on a dark everyday existence. Neither Ko Mei Kho
riches to those among you who wish it. horse galloping through the town, accom- nor anyone living on Akari Island is aware
If any of you are unwilling to undertake panied by a pride of great ebon cats. The that there is more than one spirit warrior.
such an adventure, please depart at western port of Shu Lan sends report of a Furthermore, none know of the existence
this time, as my Lord Ko Mei Kho has ghostly warrior and a band of skeletal de- of the Dead Spirit King, or the temple-city
sufficient clerks and greengrocers al- mons laying invisible siege to the city. The of Opawangchicheng.
ready in his employ.” southern town of Tai He has seen a spec-
tral samurai stalking through the fields While the players are making their inqui-
Ko Mei Kho waits for any backsliders to and the crops fail in those fields. Those ries, have each one roll a 10-sided die, one
slink out, at loss of their honor, then barks who have contested the apparitions have at a time. The first time a 1 is rolled, take
out a long string of Shou Lung words. disappeared without trace. The people that player aside, and read the following:
Strictly translated, he says, “Let us see if call this ghost Ochimo (the spirit warrior).
they remain after you have explained the While your compatriots are asking Ko
problem! And do not let them haggle about Exact Mission: To investigate these Mei Kho about this mission, a small
hauntings, determine their cause, and movement at the corner of your eye
rectify the situation so that the Ochimo no catches your attention. There, by the
longer visits settled areas. Shou Lung at- corner of the window, you catch sight of
tempts have been hampered by a lack of a small form dressed in black.
adventurous attitude and experience

10

The small form in black is Kitashi, a ya- row fire, though this would require an thumbprints into the warm wax. (Ko Mei
kuza who is gathering information for her expert shot to hit at night (-2 to all other Kho uses a seal with the symbol of his fam-
clan to sell. Rumors have been flying that modifiers for range). If caught or injured, ily, a bird in flight.) Ko Mei Kho advises the
the Ko clan is involved in a secret major she will throw down her weapons and sur- characters to spend the night in his guest
enterprise. Kitashi is assigned the task of render. She is only doing her job, and sees
finding out the nature of that enterprise. no point in dying for it. Ko Mei Kho will rooms for immediate departure. If they
charge Kihei with keeping the young ya- leave the building to tie up personal er-
Kitashi (2d-level)—AC 8; MV 12”; hp 12; kuza out of circulation until the mission is rands, they are not to mention the nature
#AT 1; THAC0 20; Damage 1d4 (dagger), well underway. (Nasty DMs may wish to of their work to anyone.
send the young yakuza along for the voy-
1d4 (shuriken), 1d4 (tetsu-bishi); S 12, I age. She will try to suck up as much infor-
15, W 10, D 15, Cn 17, Ch 17, Cm 18 mation as possible, then jump ship as
soon as feasible and sell her information.)
Kitashi will leave her cover as soon as
the meeting breaks up, or if she is con- Should the yakuza escape, the plan of
vinced she is discovered. Sudden commo- the Ko family is sold to others, and repre-
tion proves to her that she is discovered sentatives of T’u Lung soon find out. Cer-
and she flees. If no player rolls a 1, then
she remains undetected and escapes with tain events are noted by the phrase “Run
the information. this event if the T’u Lung are aware of the
player’s mission.” These occur only if the
Upon leaving cover, she scatters her yakuza discover the player characters’
bag of 10 tetsu-bishi on the ground before mission. Opawang is already aware,
the door, in order to slow up pursuit. She through mystical means, that the invaders
of his island are planning to send more
then heads for a bolt-hole prepared for her powerful forces to investigate. He is un-
in the back of an inn. It takes her five
rounds to reach this bolt hole through the aware of their exact nature and names
narrow, winding streets of the town. If she and is trying to uncover this information.

reaches the inn, she literally disappears Once the players run out of questions
and makes good her escape. (and perhaps deal with the snooping ya-
kuza), Ko Mei Kho directs Kihei to draw up
It is possible to catch the yakuza, either the contract, into which the characters will
if the one who spots her is quiet and does place their inkan (personal seals) or
not alarm the others (Kitashi cannot see
into the room, only listen from her posi- 11
tion). She may be brought down with ar-

Chapter 2: The Voyage to Akari

The ship is called the Joyful Spring and hold in each of the fore and aft sections, Events
is over 100 feet from flat-faced stem to two large masts, and a rear rudder. The
equally abrupt stern. It is a typical Shou Joyful Spring’s cargo consists of farming Each day, roll 1d10 for an event.
Lung trading ship. With the last good- and construction tools and textiles. The 1-7 Uneventful
byes said, anchor is lifted and the ship has a hull value of 31 points. 8-9 Becalmed
proud sampan sets sail for the south. 0 Event
On the receding dock you see a pair of The ship’s captain is Toyo Otomoto, a If an event is called for, roll on the follow-
figures, a small one in red and a large Kozakuran in the employ of the Ko family. ing chart.
one dressed in sky blue. Then the Toyo is a seasoned sea-traveler, and 1 Navigation Problem
morning mists roll in and hide the town 2 Negotiation Problem
behind you. boasts that he has never lost a ship. The 3 Pirates
pilot is Ko Tan Mih, a distant relative of Ko 4 Agents of T’u Lung
As promised by Ko Mei Kho, the trip to Mei Kho. Ko is responsible for the ship’s 5 Good Omen
Akari Island is along routes well-traveled course and is Otomoto’s second in com- 6 Foul Omen
by Ko traders supplying the island colony. 7 Ocean Storm
The ship will travel along the coastline to mand. The remainder of the crew consist 8 Lung Wang Dragon
the southern-most point of Kozakura, then of eight sailors. Treat all as 0th-level hu- 9 Foul Omen
due south to reach the Prioto chain. While mans for combat and saving throws. The 10 Ghostly Warning
traveling along the coast a pilot’s book is crew is well-paid by the Ko for their work
used to navigate. This tome details the and will not mutiny. Event Explanations
coastline’s familiar features, towns, and
reefs. Once in the open ocean, the ship’s Under the best of conditions, the trip Becalmed: The winds drop and the
pilot must negotiate with the sea spirit folk takes 15 days from the southernmost tip of ship does not make any significant head-
that inhabit the depths. Kozakura, plus whatever time the ship re- way toward its goal. This is usually a tem-
porary condition. One day is added to the
The Joyful Spring is 100 feet in length quires to reach that point.. The ship does voyage’s duration. No other events.
and 15 feet across at its widest. It has a not make any landfalls on the Kozakuran
coast. The ship can cover about 80 miles Good Omen: The crew spots dolphins
in a day and a night. This mileage may be

altered by events that occur along the
way, The total trip time should not be more
than 30 days.

12

or flying fish, driftwood, or sea birds. Ev- than gold or gems. Can any of you treat this encounter as pirates.
eryone works harder, spurred on by feel- help?” The ship appears as a smaller, lighter
ing that today is a perfect day. The time of
the voyage is reduced by one day. If this These sea spirit folk are intrigued by the junk bearing down on the ship. There is a
reduces the voyage time to 0, then landfall Kozakuran ways, in particular such arts as crew of 25 fighters, one high-level leader,
is made this day. calligraphy, poetry, noh, origami, and tea and four wu jen. The wu jen are charged
ceremony. A character proficient in any of with protecting their own craft and scut-
Foul Omen: Dark clouds gather, light- these peaceful areas may attempt to im- tling the Joyful Spring.
ning plays along the horizon, or the ship press the sea spirit folk’s daimyo to allow
sails through an area red with blood. The safe passage. Base chance of success is 25 2d-level sohei—AC 8; MV 12”; hp 15
crew spots a large dead sea creature be- a roll of 11 or less on 1d20, modified by the
ing torn at by sharks and sea wolves. number of proficiency slots taken in the each; #AT 1; Damage 1d6 (kris) 1d8
There is muttering among the crew and appropriate area. If a spirit folk PC per- (short bow, leaf head arrow, and three fire
much checking on lucky charms and reli- forms the task, add a +1 bonus to the roll, arrows); proficient in kris and short bow,
gious symbols. The voyage is prolonged while a sea spirit folk PC who performs the short bows are their weapon of choice
by one day. task gains a +2 bonus.
One leader (6th-level kensai)—AC 3;
Navigation Problems: There is some- Success indicates that the sea spirit MV 12”; hp 49; #AT 3/2; Damage 1d8+2
thing wrong with the everyday operation of lord is impressed and allows the ship to (wakizashi)
the junk, and the captain asks the player- pass without further incident. The individ-
characters for aid. ual who demonstrated the proficiency is Four 5th-level wu jen—AC 10; MV 12”;
awarded 100 XP and a point of honor for
When this encounter is rolled, the rud- his actions. Failure indicates that the sea hp 12 each; #AT 1; Damage 1d4 (dagger)
spirit lord was unimpressed, and the char- Spells:
der has become damaged during the pre- acter loses a point of honor. 1st level: elemental burst, hail of stones,
vious evening. Would the players aid in
repairing it? If no one has any of these peaceful skills magic missile
(or will not admit to them), the sea spirit 2d level: animate water, fire shurikens
It is a simple matter to repair. A volun- folk, sullen and disappointed, grant the 3d level: fire rain or animate fire
teer is lowered on a rope to replace the ship passage for twice the normal tribute.
broken panels of the rudder. These may The next day the ship is becalmed in addi- The wu jen have identical spells, except
be easily replaced, and a character with tion to any other event. at the third level. Two of the wu jen have
sailing craft proficiency can automatically
make the repair. Others are required to roll Any further rolls calling for this event are fire rain and two have animate fire.
below their Dexterity scores on 1d20 to treated as ghostly warnings. The agents of T’u Lung have orders to
successfully replace the broken panels.
Pirates: This encounter occurs in the sink the ship carrying the Shou Lung mer-
The character who goes over the side daylight. A small junk is spotted at a dis- cenaries (the player characters). As soon
notices that the broken panels have a tance of a quarter-mile, seeking to match as they close to missile range, the sohei
large oval break with serrated edges, as if course with the PCs’ ship. The ship car- archers loose three volleys of flaming ar-
a massive pair of jaws attacked the ship ries a crew of 30 pirates, looking for fat rows in hopes of starting fires on the ship.
while everyone slept. Cruel DMs would merchant ships to raid. The wu jen cast elemental burst and ani-
mention a sudden burst of bubbles in the mate fire to increase the damage of the
water behind the character, but there is no 29 pirates (1st-level bushi)—AC 8; MV blaze. Hail of stones is to hamper Shou
danger here. If a player character makes 12”; hp 6 each; #AT 1; Damage 1d8; AL Lung attempts to fight back, though the
the repair, raise his honor by 1 point. NE spell does not affect the ship. Magic mis-
sile is reserved for opposing wu jen and
The second time this event is rolled, One pirate leader (5th-level bushi)—AC other obvious spell-casters. See page 54
treat it as a negotiation problem. 6; MV 12”; hp 35; #AT 1; Damage 1d8; AL of the DMG for effects of fire on ship hulls.
NE
Negotiation Problem: When this Finally, once their missile weapons
event is called for, the ship has a slightly The pirates have no magic-users, and have been exhausted, the T’u Lung
different problem. The pilot has trouble will heave to and change course if the Joy- agents board the ship and slay the crew
dealing with undersea natives, and needs ful Spring shows that it has powerful wu and characters. The T’u Lung junk has a
the characters’ help. On this occasion, the jen or other spell-casters on board. hull value of 15.
sea spirit folk leading them through this
stretch of water want something more If the pirates succeed in taking over the If the T’u Lung burn the PCs’ ship, they
than ordinary tribute. Joyful Spring, they will hold the surviving depart without boarding, as they are un-
characters captive below decks, finally willing to risk being caught in the blaze.
Captain Otomo approaches you, his pi- setting them adrift near an small island. Survivors of the attack can hang on to
lot in tow. “I’ve got a problem,” he The island is deserted, but a passing ship driftwood and other flotsam. Another ship
heading for Akari will rescue the PC in will pass in two days and provide rescue.
says, “This stretch of ocean is con- 1d10 days.
trolled by a band of sea spirit folk who There is only one attempt by the T’u
wish for more than standard tribute for T’u Lung Agents: This encounter oc- Lung to foil the mission at sea. If this event
safe passage. Strange folk, these spir- curs in daylight, but only if Ko’s plan to
its. Anyway, they are interested in ex- send adventurers on this ship is known to is rolled again, treat it as a ghostly warn-
amples of land-dweller culture other the T’u Lung (if, for example, the yakuza ing.
Katashi escapes). If this has not occurred,
Ocean Storm: A huge storm, the trail-
13 ing edge of a typhoon-like squall, is head-

ing dead on the course of the Joyful
Spring. The captain asks the players how
much of a rush they are in to reach Akari. If
they wish, he will try to brave the storm,
but he would prefer to minimize damage to

the ship and run before it. board. It gathers the treasure and departs, You are awakened in your hammocks
If the players opt to run before the leaving those survivors on their own. by the shouts and eerie singing. Along
the starboard side of the ship there is a
storm, the ship suffers no damage but If the characters lie to the lung wang, bright light hovering on the surface of
1d10 days are added to the voyage as the make a reaction roll for the creature. On a the water. In the center of this light is a
pilot tries to discover where they are and positive reaction roll, the dragon believes tall woman dressed as a samurai in
how to return to course. the story and retreats beneath the waves. white armor. She speaks softly but her
Otherwise it blasts the lying character and words carry across to the ship.
If the players opt to challenge the storm, those within 10 feet of him with its steam
breath. “I come to warn you,” says the ghostly
they gain a day on the voyage, but risk los- figure, “of the danger you are approach-
The dragon also accepts payment in the ing. You go to fight a foe greater than you
ing the ship. Any characters with sailing performance arts, including noh and po- know. Know that only in his homeland
craft proficiency are asked to aid with the etry reading, from those talented enough may he be fully defeated.”
rigging and rudder, while the others are or- to have these proficiencies. Attempts to
dered below. Individuals topside stand a 1 pay the dragon in this coin are always suc- The apparition has been sent by higher
cessful, but the lung wang holds the boat powers to encourage the player charac-
in 20 chance of being washed overboard for a full day to appreciate the full impact ters to hunt out and slay the Opawang.
in the storm. The ship itself stands a 1 in of the performance. It lets the ship go the This spirit remains and answers three
10 chance of breaking up under the strain next morning. questions with 100% veracity. The an-
and suffers 1d10 points of hull damage if it swers are short, either “Yes,” “No,” or
Lung wang (sea dragon)—AC 0; MV “That is unknown.” Upon answering the
survives. If the ship breaks up, see the res- 3”//9”; HD 13; hp 52; #AT 3; Damage third question, the apparition and the ball
cue notes under the T’u Lung agents 1d12/1d12/6d6; SA breath weapon, rams of light disappear. If the spirit is attacked in
event. for 2d8 points of hull damage any way, it immediately winks out.

Tien Lung Dragon: The ship comes to Ghostly Warning: This encounter oc- Treat this event as a good omen if rolled
curs at night. Read the following to the again.
a thundering and lurching halt, and all players.
characters must roll less than their Dexter-
ity on 1d20 or be thrown to the deck. A 14
long serpentine head reaches over the

side of the ship and a deep reptilian voice
roars, “I am the ruler of these depths! How
dare you sail over my domain without
proper tribute?”

The creature is a young adult sea
dragon and is not a native to this area (else
the Joyful Spring would have brought
more pearls and other similar treasure for
barter).

The sea dragon’s offer is very simple:
All the Joyful Spring’s treasure (a chest of
pearls and small gems used to buy guid-
ance and safe passage from undersea
peoples) is to be dropped over the side, or
the dragon destroys the ship. The captain,
aware of the player characters’ positions
as agents of the Ko family, turns the mat-
ter over to them. If the players refuse to
deal with the matter their characters lose
honor (1 point) and the captain orders the

goods cast overboard.
If the treasure is dropped overboard, the

sea dragon lets the ship pass. However,
without proper fare to pay guides and un-
derwater tolls, the ship has to depend on
more primitive methods of travel. Roll
twice for events every day (two becalmed
results are counted as single day be-
calmed).

If the characters attack the lung wang,
they enjoy one round of surprise, then the
creature retreats beneath the waves. If
they succeeded in subduing the beast, it
does not return. Otherwise the creature
remains underwater and rams the ship
every other round for 2d8 points of hull

damage until the treasure is tossed over-

Chapter 3: Akari Island

The map on the gatefold cover shows the thick jungle with a dense underbrush of encounters on Akari Island:
dimensions of Akari Island. The players briars, tangles, and weeds. This under- Forest terrain (including the beach): En-
should make landfall at the port of Tai Ko growth only vanishes at the sides of the
in the north (see Event 1); two mountain ranges that erupt out of the counter on 1 in 10, check four times per
day (morning, evening, midnight, and pre-
Akari is a semi-tropical island warmed jungle, but these mountains are equally dawn)
by the southern currents that wash around rugged and dangerous. Treat these ter-
it. It has extensive reefs on its western and rains as rugged for purposes of move- Mountain terrain: Encounter on 1 in 10,
southeastern shores, but there are four ment, with the additional maximum of 12 check two times per day (morning and
safe harbors of sufficient depth to allow night)
merchant shipping. At three of these sites miles per day.
the Shou Lung settlers have built the The ancient, road running into the inte- River Travel: Encounter on 1 in 12,
towns of Tai Ko, Tai He (in the south), and check four times per day (morning, noon,
Shu Lan (in the east). The fourth safe har- rior is only slightly better than the wilder- evening, and midnight—the last may be
bor was the site of the old pirate lair. The ness itself, and the new settlers are for the surrounding terrain if the party
rotting buildings of that lair can still be unaware of its existence: It is made of camps at the riverside that evening)
seen from the sea, and the new settlers great flat stones carved from the moun-
consider it haunted. tains, though now small trees and brush Cultivated Terrain near the Shou Lung
have grown up in the cracks, thrusting colonies and the barren area around Opa-
Where the land meets the sea there is a them askew. Treat the road as rugged ter- wangchicheng: There are no random en-
band of pure white sand, between 10 and rain, with a maximum of 18 miles that can
50 yards across, that runs the perimeter of be covered in a single day. counters in these areas.
the island. This beach is the primary mode
of land communication between the three River movement is possible at three
cities, and appears continually churned by
the passing of feet and hooves. Movement hexes per day when moving upstream,
and nine per day moving downstream.
along the beach is as for normal terrain Rivers in mountain hexes are impassable,
(see page 58, DMG). as they are a continual series of cataracts
and waterfalls..
The interior of the island consists of a
Wilderness Encounters on Akari Is-
land: Use the following tables for random

15

Wilderness Encounter Charts River Encounters rockfalls inflicting 1d10 points of damage
to all on the mountain. These greater nat-
(Roll 1d12 and 1d8, add together) 2 1d6 Giant Water Spiders (MM) ure spirits are less powerful than Harooga
3 1d6 Giant Cranes (MMII) herself, being of 8 to 10 HD. They are
Forests 4 1d4 Giant Dragonflies (MMII) aware of Harooga’s plight, but cannot tell
5 1d6 Hippopotamus (MM) the player characters for fear that some-
2 1d4 Giant Spitting Snakes (MM) 6 1d2 Giant Snapping Turtle (MM) thing will happen to her.
3 1d6 Black Leopards (MM) 7 Blockage in Stream
4 1 Bajang* (OA) 8 1 Giant Catfish (MMII) Island Serpents: These may be en-
5 1d2 Jishin Mushi (OA) 9 1d3 Giant Crayfish (MM) countered in Event 6. If this event has not
6 1d2 Island Serpents (page 48) 10 1 Giant Carp (OA) yet occurred when this result is rolled, use
7 1d4 Huge Spiders (MM). 11 1 Lesser Nature Spirit* (OA) that event instead of a normal encounter.
8 1d2 Giant Bumblebees (MMII) 12 1d3 Crocodiles (MM) Otherwise the party encounters one or
9 1d6 Huge Centipedes (MMII) 13 1d3 Giant Water Beetles (MM)
10 1d6 Large Spiders (MM) 14 1d3 River Dolphins (MM) more island serpents. These serpents try
11 1 Lesser Nature Spirit* (OA) 15 1d4 Common Kappa (OA) to be helpful, unless the party has at-
12 1d6 Goblin Rats (OA) 16 1d2 Giant Crocodiles (MM) tacked their kind previously, in which case
13 1d4 Boring Beetles (MM) 17 1 Behemoth (MMII) the serpents are wary of the PCs.
14 1 Bisan* (OA) 18 1d6 Giant Frogs (MM)
15 1d4 Jiki-Niku-Gaki* (OA) 19 1 Vampiric Kappa (OA) Spirits of the Air: Spirits of the air are
16 1d4 Giant Centipedes (MM) 20 1 Chiang Lung (OA) detailed in the Legends and Lore tome and
17 1d2 Giant Spiders (MM) their abilities summarized here. Spirits of
18 1 Greater Nature Spirit* (OA) Encounters marked by an asterisk are the air reside in the high mountains of
19 1d2 Gi. Constrictor Snakes (MM) greater and lesser spirits that inhabit the Akari, and serve specific missions for the
20 1d4 Giant Frilled Lizards (MM) island. They all owe their fealty to the Opa- Opawang, on the behest of their own mas-
wang, who holds the greater spirit of the ter in the Celestial Bureaucracy. Spirits of
Mountain Terrain island (Harooga) captive. Evil spirits at- the air have black skin, bat wings, clawed
tack party members, while good and neu- feet (which they use in battle) and the
1 1d4 Common Oni* (OA) tral spirits offer no help. All spirits will lie to head of a monkey with long tusks.
2 1d4 Tigers (MM) the player characters about the existence
3 1 Spirit of the Air (see following) of Opawangchicheng and the Opawang, Spirits of the Air: AC 4; MV 12”//24”;
4 1d4 Wolves (MM) saying that the Ochimo are the main HD 11; hp 50; #AT 2; Damage 2d10/2d10;
5 1d10 Hsing-sing (OA) cause of evil sendings on the island. Special defense, +1 or better weapons to
6 1d2 Jiki-niku-gaki* (OA) hit
7 1 Island Serpent (page 32) Monster entries are marked according
8 1d4 Giant Spiders (MM) to source: Monster Manual (MM), Monster River Dolphins: These dolphins have
9 1d2 Goblin Spiders (6 HD) (OA) Manual II (MMII), or Oriental Adventures longer snouts and paler flesh than stand-
10 1d6 Large Spiders (MM) (OA). DMs without these books may re- ard dolphins, but are otherwise identical.
11 1 Lesser Nature Spirit* (OA) place monsters listed with those of their
12 1d6 Black Leopards (MM) own choice, keeping in mind the strength Dragon Horse: This creature may only
13 1d6 Goats (MMII) of the party and its abilities. be encountered in the mountains, and is
14 1d4 Giant Stags (MM) an observer for the forces men call good
15 1 Dragon Horse (MMII) Lesser Nature Spirits: These spirits within the Celestial Bureaucracy. As such,
16 1d4 Giant Owls (MM) are tied to the area they inhabit (those in he is most careful not to arouse the atten-
17 1 Greater Nature Spirit* (OA) the forest to a particular tree, those en- tions of the Opawang, or to obviously aid
18 1 Shikki-Gaki* (OA) countered in a river to a section of the river the player characters. If properly ap-
19 1d6 White Tigers (MM) or an island, and those in mountains to a proached, he may provide helpful hints
20 Small Abandoned Shrine cavern, rockfall, or ancient patch of (“What you seek lies at the center of the
brush). Nature spirits in their good aspect center,” or “Defeat the servants to
remain in hiding, their presence revealed weaken the master.”). He will not provide
only by the distant sound of voices or aid beyond these hints.
pipes in the wind. When in their evil as-
pect, the Opawang commands the spirits Blockage: The stream or river is
to confront or impede the adventurers. clogged by a flow of dead wood, or further
passage by boat is blocked by a falls, mak-
Greater Nature Spirits: These spirits
include those of the mountains of Akari. ing a portage (if possible) necessary. If the
They manifest themselves as large faces characters try a portage, reduce their fur-
in the sides of mountains, and they call ther progress that day to one mile, and roll
upon the characters to identify themselves for an encounter in the surrounding ter-
or face the mountain’s wrath. If in their rain.
good aspect, mountain spirits will accept
the word of the party. If in their evil aspect Chiang Lung: The river dragons are
(or if no answer is given), the spirits cause basically aligned towards good. They are
also disgusted by the Opawang and his
16 actions, though they have taken no action
other than to retire to the bottoms of their
rivers, occasionally rising from their sulk-
ing to protest to the Celestial Ministry of
Storms. They might aid the party, if prop-

erly approached and offered something manor. You follow the youth up a steep spirit appears alone, yet after every visita-
they value (which would include treasure hill to the largest (and highest up) house tion, a tree or field is found to be withered
as well as services or performances). This in town. As you approach, a door slides and unable to yield its crop.
aid could include ferrying the characters open and a mariner in a dark uniform
to the edge of the grey waste surrounding steps out. He glowers at you beneath fur- • This spirit appears the same in all
Opawangchicheng or any other reason- rowed brow, then heads down the hill. A three cases, and eyewitnesses who have
able request that is within their power to servant motions you to enter. been to all three cities will say that it is one
grant. spirit. These witnesses include Ko Lei Kho
The governor’s house is in a distinctly himself and his scribe, Wai Chi. The spirit
Small Abandoned Shrine: The char- Kozakuran style, the result of importing
acters find a small shrine dedicated to Ha- foreign carpenters from the island nation is called appears as a masked samurai, in
rooga, now overgrown with vines and for the settlement. Use the Reception Hall ghostly white armor, and is called Ochimo
weeds. The shrine is not inhabited by any of Minor Daimyo on page 142 of Oriental (the spirit warrior).
spirits, though the carvings refer to Ha- Adventures for encounters in this area.
rooga as the “mightiest of the mighty Is- • Ochimo has appeared off and on since
land Spirits.” If the characters clean up You are ushered into the outer recep- the colony was founded. In the past two
the shrine, they will receive a +1 on all tion hall of the governor and made com- years, with the expansion of the. grazing
saving throws involving Opawang and the fortable. For being far removed from lands and the clearing of more jungle,
Ochimo for the remainder of the adven- the circles of the world, the house these visitations have become continual.
ture. This bonus is awarded only once, re- seems well-furnished and comfortable.
gardless of the number of small shrines After a brief period, the panels to the re- • Ochimo appeared in Shu Lan the last
encountered and repaired. ception room north of you slide open, night and should appear in Tai He this
revealing a large man in sky blue robes night and in Tai Ko the next night.
Note on Flying Encounters: There may sitting on a mat of woven straw. To his
be those capable of flying long distances. left is a thin, worried-looking scribe. Ko Lei Kho pauses and asks for ques-
Any encounter in flight has a chance of be-
ing a spirit of the air summoned by the He speaks to you in fluent Koza- tions or comments from the players. The
Opawang to deal with these invaders kuran; “I welcome you to our family’s following information must be pried out of
(80%), or the Ochimo of Air with a spirit of humble undertaking, and hope that you the governor.
the air (20%). may be able to aid us in finding a solu-
tion to our dilemma.” • There have been attempts to appease
EVENTS the spirit through shrines and offerings.
The man in sky blue is Ko Lei Kho, There has been no success, as such
Event 1: Landfall cousin of the man who hired the player shrines are toppled and their offerings
characters. He closely resembles his scattered.
This event occurs on the last day of the cousin. However, appearance is their only
sea trip to Akari. Run this event instead of similarity. Where Mei Kho is blustery, • There has been a previous attempt to
making a check for encounters. brash, and honest, Lei Kho is self- discover the source of the haunting. A so-
effacing, modest, and very, very suspi- hei of great renown from Wa was hired. He
After a long journey at sea you finally cious of everything around him. He is not said that there was a great imbalance on
arrive at Tai Ko, capital of the Shou above withholding information from the the island and a vast evil as well. He disap-
Lung colony on Akari. The capital is the player characters, and unless asked direct peared while journeying into the interior
northernmost of three small settle- questions, will not volunteer information. from Shu Lan.
ments on the island and is the size of a
small town on Kozakura. The houses Ko Lei Kho will outline the problem, fill- • Several brave villagers tried to chal-
are a mixture of familiar Kozakuran and ing in any details that the early briefing
more blocky Shou Lung designs, and with his cousin may have missed: lenge the Ochimo in combat. They were
the harbor holds a half-dozen ships, destroyed by the haunting. The one living
most of which fly the pennant of House • The health and well-being of the col- witness said that the Ochimo turned the
Ko, though there is a large merchant ony is being threatened by the hauntings villagers to dust and ate them. That wit-
ship that flies the symbol of a trading of a hostile spirit. ness lives in Shu Lan.
house from Wa (this last is told you by
the captain, who seems unsettled by • This hostile spirit appears once every • The spirits of the island are even shift-
the Wa ship’s presence). three days in each town, terrifying the lo- ier and more irresponsive than those
cal populace. found in civilized lands. It is impossible to
You debark and a runner is dispatched get a straight answer out of them regard-
to announce your arrival to the colonial • In Tai Ko, the spirit rides through the ing the hauntings.
governor. In the time it takes to unload city on a black horse with a dozen black
your gear, the breathless youth returns hounds alongside. • The villagers are in terror. Production
and informs you that the governor, Ko Lei is far off projections. This can only be hid-
Kho, will receive you as soon as possible, • In Shu Lan on the western coast, the den from the capital for a short time. The
and that you will be initially billeted at his spirit appears leading an army of human characters must find a solution to this
skeletons that shriek and gibber in the problem before it ruins the Ko family repu-
moonlight. tation.

• In Tai He, on the southern coast, the • The Ochimo is erratic in its appear-
ances, sometimes skipping a town or dis-
17 appearing for a week or two, only to return
and wreak extra havoc.

• There have been disappearances of
townspeople, livestock, and local spirits.
Whether these are connected is unknown,
but every disappearance, lost item, or mis-
fortune is blamed on the Ochimo.

• The man leaving the house as the PCs Two ninja on the roof dust the room with gather whatever information they see fit to
entered is Captain Okasha, a trader from a sleeping powder, while a third comes up help them, in their dealing with the
Wa. His ship was damaged in a storm and from the floor. Any character who is awake Ochimo. The governor’s scribe, Wai Chi,
he is making repairs. He will be gone in a must roll a saving throw vs. poison. Failure is to accompany them.
few days. means the character falls asleep.
The characters may investigate in Tai
Ko Lei Kho dismisses questions he A character who is unaffected by the Ko or explore the island or travel to an-
thinks out of the scope of the characters’ sleeping poison will see the following: other city as they see fit, but Wai Chi re-
investigations. This includes inquiries as minds them that the Ochimo will appear
to the nature of the island’s settlement as Silently, a floorboard moves in the
an outpost for the empire, its business northeast corner of the room. A black- that evening.
dealings and amount of goods shipped, garbed head pokes out and surveys the
and local matters such as the nature of the surroundings. The figure then ambles The town of Tai Ko is relatively small, no
Wa mariner. Ko Lei Kho then asks the out of the crawl space beneath the more than two dozen permanent buildings
player characters various questions. The house. in all. Of these, one is an inn, one a store,
scribe, Wai Chi, writes down the answers. one the office of harbormaster, and one a
If the characters discovered the loose shrine of the Path of Enlightenment. The
What are your names? floorboards and had them sealed, the others are private residences or store-
Where are you from? ninja drops from a small opening in the houses. in the harbor are about a half-
What is your plan to defeat the Ochimo? roof. dozen ships, including the Joyous Spring
The players may answer the first two and the Wa merchant ship.
questions as they see fit. Record their re- Should the characters unaffected by the
sponses for use in Event 4 in this chapter. sleep poison attack; the ninja’s comrades If the characters do not have a set objec-
The third question is the one that Ko Lei quietly drop through the ceiling to aid their tive in their investigations, Wai Chi leads
Kho is interested in. He is pretty desper- comrade. Resolve combat normally. At-
ate, so any reasonable sounding plan re- tempts to rouse the others prove futile— them on a merry chase throughout the cul-
ceives his support. If the player characters the powder automatically deepens the tivated areas of the Tai Ko colony. He
have no plans other than to investigate fur- slumber of those already asleep. points out overturned shrines, areas
ther, Ko Lei Kho notes that the characters where the Ochimo was supposed to per-
have three nights to come up with some- Should the watcher remain immobile
thing before the Ochimo returns. He then and just observe, the ninja approaches a form some incredible stunt, such as
motions a servant to take them to their sleeping character, raises a long dagger breath fire or turn into a night-black owl, or
rooms. and drives it into the wood planking of the where some buildings are to be built in the
floor. The ninja leaves the way he came. If future, once the characters have taken
Event 2: The T’u Lung Ninja attacked, the three ninja fight to the death. care of the Ochimo. This has all the charm
of a guided tour of any small town. Wai Chi
Run this event on the first night the char- Ninja/Bushi (3): AC 8; MV 12”; 4th- shows them the spot where several vil-
acters stay in the governor’s house. level ninja/5th-level bushi; hp 28, 29, 30; lagers were destroyed by the Ochimo be-
#AT 1; Damage 1d8+1 (ninja-to +1) or
You are shown into a bare room 20 feet 1d4 (nekode) fore an eyewitness (that eyewitness is
one a side, one of the guest rooms in named Po Manh, and lives in Shu Lan
the house. The northern wall slides The characters find a note on the end of down the coast). Wai Chi spends most of
away to a veranda overlooking the town the knife: In very crude Kozakuran letters the morning showing various local sites;
and. harbor. These sliding partitions it reads: “Leave this island or die.”
may be secured by strong slats of concentrating on the town only in the after-
wood. If caught and revealed, the ninja is not noon.
anyone the characters know. Other than
Ask the players what they are doing. A the note and knife, the ninja carries noth- The Shrine: One of the larger build-
cursory search shows that the room can ing. ings in Tai Ko (though smaller than the
easily be secured from. inside along all governor’s mansion) is the shrine of the
sliding walls. In addition, Ko Lei Kho can If these T’u Lung ninja attack, the mari- Path of Enlightenment. The shrine is
provide bells to hang on the walls to reveal, ner from Wa is secretly their agent, his maintained by a 3d-level shukenja named
any movement. If the characters find se- boat their base. If the T’u Lung are un- Ki Bohr.
cret doors, they notice some loose flooring aware of the characters presence in Akari,
in the northeast corner of the room (leads the Wa mariner is what he appears to be, a Ki Bohr lives in terror of the Ochimo. It
outside if the PCs check). The players may foreign tradesman. was he who tried to appease the spirit
wish to set up watches for the evening. through offerings and sent to Wa for the
Event 3: Investigations sohei to investigate. Ko Lei Kho blames
If the T’u Lung are unaware of the play- him for the failures and the priest wishes
er’s mission, then the night passes with- On the morning of following their arrival to make good. He will provide any aid he
out incident. If the T’u Lung are aware of (whether they encounter the ninja or not), can without leaving Tai Ko. He has in his
the player characters, they send a set of the characters are roused by the servants possession a scroll with three raise dead
ninja assassins to scare off or neutralize of Ko Lei Kho. The master has business spells—a gift from his superiors in the
the PCs. elsewhere in the colony (he is inspecting Maritime Provinces.
plans for a palisade to be placed around The Inn: Here the characters en-
the city, but that is none of the character’s counter the Wa merchant captain,
concern), but the characters are informed Okaska. If the characters were attacked
they have free run of the town, and may by the T’u Lung ninja, Okasha’s boat is
their base. The ninja are now disguised as
ordinary seamen (if they escaped the at-
tack on the PCs), but their equipment is

18

aboard the merchant ship. Okasha is fully evil, but a lack of good—the forces of evil The scroll contains the answers to the
aware of the ninja’s presence, as he was are expanding into a emptiness (this re- questions Ko Lei Ko asked in Event 1
told to fake the damages to his ship in or- flects the fact that Harooga is held hos- about the characters’ names and back-
der to put into port at Tai Ko. tage). Attempts to contact greater spirits grounds. If the Ochimo escapes with the
are completely ignored—no greater spirit scroll, the Opawang has it in two days. If
If the T’u Lung are unaware of the player on the island will answer to such a sum- the player gave their characters true
characters’ activities on Akari, then Okasha mons. Attempts to contact lesser spirits names (those names on their character
is exactly what he seems—a foreign trader will find such creatures unwilling to con- sheets, as opposed to a false name or
whose ship encountered difficulties at sea verse and even more mysterious than they nickname), Opawang sends nightmares
and put in at the first safe harbor. usually are. They will hint at dangers in the (the reverse of dream vision) to the maxi-
hinterland of the island, but will not men- mum number of characters possible each
In either case, Okasha has a low opinion tion the Opawang or let on that he is the night. In these nightmares, each PC is lost
superior of the Ochimo. and alone in a huge alien temple, chased
of governor Ko, and will tell the player by unliving foes of various types.
characters as much, describing Ko as a Event 4: Challenge of the Ochimo
mean-spirited, cheap, lying, under- When the characters arrive, Wai Chi is
handed, tyrannical little tin demi-god who The players may make various plans to handing over the scroll to the Ochimo (Wai
thinks only of profit. The fact of the matter confront the Ochimo on the following Chi hopes this will appease the spirit into
is that Ko is charging a great deal more night, so the DM should be prepared to leaving). If the characters do nothing in the
modify the information in this section to next round (the Ochimo is about 50 feet
than market value for iron bolts and fas- match their intentions. from the edges of the lit field), the servant
teners for repairs in hope of forcing of the Opawang attacks the governor’s
Okasha to sell Ko his goods (silks and stat- Night falls in Tai Ko and the town shuts scribe with his spirit capture attack. Read
uary from southern Shou Lung), and this down for the haunting of the Ochimo. the characters the following:
dealing is primarily responsible for Doors and windows are shut, lights are
Okasha’s poor opinion of Ko. doused, and charms and inscriptions As you watch, the Ochimo and the
set around the houses. The only lights small scribe face each other. Suddenly
If the characters befriend Okasha, he in the area are the dull red glows of the small man stiffens and his flesh
will offer to sell them a parang (machete) dying cooking fires and the lanterns in turns grey and grainy. The scribe then
that he claims is magical, has seen many the governor’s manor atop the hill. crumbles into dust. The Ochimo in-
battles, and has been in his family for hales the former scribe’s dusty form
years. A detect magic reveals that the first As the last of the shutters are low- through the holes in his mask. This en-
claim is true, while a know history shows it ered in town, word reaches you of the tire process takes but a few seconds.
Ochimo’s appearance. A panicky run- There is nothing left of Wai Chi, only
to a powerful blade used by both pirates ner tells you the creature waits in the the ghostly samurai and his horse and
and merchants at sea (the know history meadow east of the town, and that Wai cats.
will also show the blade was won by Chin, the governor’s scribe, is already
Okasha in a game of chance). Okasha there, observing the spirit’s actions. The scribe counts as a 1st-level spirit,
so the Ochimo may only absorb nine more
wants 30 ch’ien for it, but he will settle for The runner is not willing to return to the before it reaches capacity and has to re-
20. The blade is a parang +3. meadow, but gives the PCs directions. As turn to the Opawang. The Ochimo prefers
the characters approach the area, read to battle other fighter-types (samurai, so-
The Store: The store carries most of the the following to them. If any of the charac- hei, bushi, or barbarians) and let his cats
standard Oriental Adventures equipment, at ters head for the meadow on horseback, circle around to attack the party’s spell-
the Ochimo is mounted. Otherwise it is on casters. If there are mounted characters
three times the standard price (except for foot. This is the Earth Ochimo that haunts and they attack on horseback, the Ochimo
food, which is produced locally). The shop- Akari Island. responds in kind, otherwise it attacks the
keeper is Ko Shu. He replies to complaints characters on foot. Note the results of at-
about his prices by stating that they were set You approach the field and see it illumi- tempts to “psychic duel” this creature in
by his father, governor Ko Lei Kho. nated by torches on the perimeter. In the monster description on page 47.
the middle of the field stands a tall pow-
The Harbormaster’s Office: This erful, ghostly figure: the Ochimo. With The Ochimo fights until it has drained at
wood and stone building is the repository him is a horse of deepest ebon and be- least eight levels of spirits into itself, or it is
of most of the colony’s accounts, as well hind him in the shadows are a number reduced to 15 or less hit points. Then it
of large, cat-like forms. seeks to detach itself from any remaining as-
as records of ships coming and going for sailants, recall its ebon hunt (on the com-
all three settlements. The place is a mass Dwarfed by the samurai in his white ar- mand word they return to small figures and
of papers parchments, and scrolls, and mor is a small figure in red robes: the fly into a pouch on his side), and fly away at
appears to be in total confusion. In reality, scribe, Wai Chi. Wai Chi has a scroll in top speed. It engages those who can match
his hands, which he is offering to the its speed in combat once they are out of
it is in a state of total confusion, ‘and the Ochimo. bowfire range from the others, otherwise it
harbormaster Ko Chi would be lucky to heads to Opawangchicheng.
find the plaque from his father Ko Lei Kho 19
investing him with the position. After about

an hour’s searching, Ko Chi could locate
information about current ships in the har-
bors, including the Wa merchant vessel
Spring-blown Wind, under Captain

Okasha and bound for Kozakura.
Use of Magic: A detect evil will reveal a

vague feeling of malefic force at work
throughout the island. A detect harmony
on the area will show not an overwhelming

If the Ochimo is slain, its spirit leaves lanterns to dance in the branches and does not want to talk about giving the
this plane as a great cat. The ebon hunt the tent’s coverings to bow and strain characters permission to leave the island,
become small figurines in the grass, and and their fasteners. There is a great much less reward them, until the Ochimo
the armor and weapons of the creature will cracking as if thunder is overhead and is defeated. Any officials will entertain the
remain. Any spirits captured by the the screams of evil spirits flying low idea that there are more than one Ochimo
Ochimo (including the scribe Wai Chi, who overhead. or that it serves a higher evil force, but
is tossed into a stockade if he lives) are re- they hold the characters to the letter of
leased and restored to their original The creatures flying over the festivities their agreement to “defeat the evil that is
bodies. Run Event 5, The Celebration, the are three spirits of the air (see page 16 for threatening the Shou Lung colonies on
next evening. stats) sent by the Opawang to show his ire Akari Island.”
at the slaying of one of his Ochimo. Above
Event 5: The Celebration the head of the table, 30 feet in the air, is Event 6: The Island Serpent
the figure of the Air Ochimo blades drawn.
Run this event the day following the de- Run this event the first time the charac-
feat of the first (and only, as far as the vil- Needless to say, at the appearance of ters encounter an island serpent (see
lagers know) Ochimo. This event is likely the spirits and the Ochimo (thought dead), page 48) from the random encounter
to occur in Tai Ko, but may occur in any of pandemonium breaks out among the vil- charts, or as the morning encounter of the
the three cities. It only occurs if the char- lagers as everyone seeks a safe sanctuary party’s second day in noncultivated ter-
acters defeat one of the Ochimo while it is from the creatures. The tarps are ripped rain.
haunting a settlement. (Should the char- from their moorings and go sailing off, and
acters make landfall and immediately lanterns fly off the trees. On the third You are about to break camp when
plunge into the hinterland in search of the round, the winds build to the effect of a di- nearby bushes rustle. There is a pause
source of the evil, this event does not oc- vine wind in the area; flattening buildings, then a huge serpentine head rises out
cur.) capsizing ships, and inflicting 1d10 points of the brush and regards you.
of damage per turn. Flight and missile
You are awakened by the sounds of combat are impossible for those on the Wait for the players to determine any
frantic activity, the clatter of hammers ground, as is spell-casting. actions (drawing weapons, casting spells,
and the shouts of workmen. News of running away, etc.).
your exploit has spread through the vil- Characters who have aerial abilities or
lage with the first rays of dawn, and the magic that enable them to rise above the The serpent’s eyes have a glazed look
people of the settlement intend to winds (about 20 feet high) before the third to them; it seems to be looking for
honor their rescuers with a lavish feast. round will be able to engage the air spirits something in particular among you Fi-
Already great fires have been started to or Air Ochimo in combat. The Air Ochimo nally, the beast opens its mouth, and
roast fish and entire pigs for the festi- prefers to fight one-on-one, using his spirit asks, in a high piping voice, “Are you
val, while others are constructing a capture ability to ensnare the opposition. If heroes?”
great tent-like frame and covering it multiple characters elude the windstorm
with canvas, hanging lanterns on every and try to engage, the Ochimo retreats, If the characters deny that they are he-
nearby tree. leaving the spirits of the air to fight. roes, the island serpent apologizes for the
inconvenience and slithers back into the
This activity continues throughout the Air Spirit Stats (see page 16). forest.
day. Wherever the characters go that day In all likelihood, the characters are
in the colony, they are hailed as great he- trapped on the ground by the windstorm, If the characters attack the snake, it
roes, saviors, and wise counselors of Gov- unable to use their abilities to harm the fights back to the best of its abilities. In fu-
ernor Ko. Even non-player characters spirits or the Ochimo. The windstorm lasts ture encounters with other island ser-
whom the player characters may have of- for five rounds. On the fourth round the pents, the creatures are spotted trying to
fended will admit that they were wrong spirits of the air and the Ochimo depart, avoid the party, though they may be con-
and the PCs are great guys after all. and the winds die down in the fifth round, versed with by the contact lesser spirit
leaving a broken town badly battered by spell.
This should make the players mildly high winds (collapsed buildings, fallen
suspicious. And rightly so. trees and branches, fires blown out of con- If the characters admit they are heroes,
trol, etc.). the serpent says that it has a tale to tell,
The night of the celebration is filled with If matters are not bad enough, reports but only to heroes.
fine food, the most excellent of the is- come in from the other two colonies that
land’s wines, and wondrous fireworks. not only has the Ochimo not been
You are toasted again and again as the stopped, but that matters have worsened.
heroes of the island, and you receive The creature now appears every other
small gifts from the town’s craftsmen night and creates vast havoc in its wake.
and farmers. The governor (or mayor, for other towns)
is less than pleased. Not only have the
At the height of the festivities, how- player characters failed to defeat the
ever, a great wind arises coming from Ochimo, they have made matters worse
the interior of the island, causing the by enraging the spirit warrior so that it is
more vicious than ever. The governor Ko

20

Kotaro Taro Personal Honor: 26 justices performed against nature in gen-
Alignment: Chaotic Good eral and rivers in particular. Dam-builders
River Spirit Folk Proficiencies: Chijiriki, tetsubo, katana, of the area have been ambushed more
6th-level Kensai dagger, agriculture, horsemanship, swim- than once when Taro felt that their actions
ming would extensively weaken the power of his
ST16 IN11 WI16 DX15 family. Taro does not back down from
CN12 CH12 CM12 Equipment: Chijiriki, tetsubo +1, ka- challenges; he wishes to prove his mettle
tana, robe (kisode), outer robe (ho), san- against human fighters to increase his
Hit Points: 32 dals, two coarse blankets, lacquered prestige along the river.
Weapon: Chijiriki chopsticks, goza, iron pot, tinder box, to-
AC: 6 bacco pipe, 1/2 lb. tobacco, two weeks Taro and his family were placed in great
#AT: 3/2 ricecake danger by a drought two years back, and it
Initiative Bonus: +2 was only through the engineering efforts
To Hit Bonus: +2 Background: Taro is the first son and of a Shou Lung merchant named Ko that
Damage Bonus: +3 scion of the Kotaro clan, a respected fam- all survived. The family patriarch still
Surprised: 1 in 6 ily with river spirits in their heritage. Early maintains the family river-bank farm, and
Ki: Max. damage (6/day) in his youth, his river was strengthened by Taro and his his brothers, sisters, aunts,
a new stream far upriver, increasing his and uncles roam the area looking for ways
Special Abilities: Lower water 10’ (1/ generation’s power and making them to improve their family’s lot.
day), +2 save vs. water-based attacks, no wilder and more uncontrollable. Taro
adjustment to save vs. fire-based attacks, sought to direct his strong new-found ©1987 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved.
+1 on all other saving throws, +2 on psy- emotions into mastering the chijiriki, the
chic duel vs. non-kensai, immune to fear, chained spear. Soon he was among the does not seek to harm, only to enlighten
mediation finest of his family and set out for the world her opponents to the fact that a female
of men to prove his abilities against the mage may be as deadly as a male. Many
Birth: Middle-class (well-to-do farmers) best. male fighters have been less than pleased
NPC React Mod: 20% with this discovery and as a result Kiku
Ancestry: Grandfather works small farm Taro has a wild temper and is easily has relocated her base of operations sev-
Family Honor: 10 riled by perceived injustice, primarily in- eral times (twice as a result of besting the
eldest of a local daimyo).
Akana Kiku Equipment: Gunsen, 12 shuriken of
venom, charm of protection from fire, mir- Kiku’s weakness is for bright clothing
Human (female) ror of enlightenment, straw hat, straw rain- and objects—flowers, gems, and shining
7th-level Wu Jen cape (mino), outer robe, silk vest, silk robe metal. Her interest is temporary, and she
(kosode), sash, tabi, sandals, loincloth, often gives her new possessions to a
ST9 IN14 WI13 DX10 cat, wicker backpack, lacquered chop- friend or ally a few weeks after acquiring
CN6 CH17 CM8 sticks, bamboo tea ceremony set, ink, them. She is as a result rather poor and al-
brush, inking stone, 20 sheets writing pa- ways interested in making her mark by
Hit Points: 26 per (various colors and patterns), one lb. capturing a large treasure haul that will en-
AC: 10 assorted spices, one lb. tea, one lb. rice, able her to purchase a manor and begin
Favored Weapon: Gunsen (+1 to hit) 12 sticks of incense, small gong, three her own school.
Ki: +3 to initiative (1/day), first level spell fishhooks, 10 feet of cord and all neces-
at maximum effect (1/day) sary spell components
Chance to Know Spell: 55%
Min/Max Spells per Level: 6/9 Background: Kiku learned her initial
Specialization: Wood/Nature Element spells at the feet of the Grey Master of
(+1 to effect, -1 on saving throw rolls) Okazara. Upon his death three years ago,
his pupils scattered to the four winds, and
Special Abilities and Taboos: Speaks Kiku set out to work her spells to the good
tengu and oni, +20% on tengu and oni re- of the populace.
actions, cannot drink alcoholic beverages,
cannot ride animals Kiku must always deal with a definate
prejudice against women in the coastal
Alignment: Good Neutral territories of Kozakura. She has as a result
Personal Honor: 22 developed a tendency to seek to humble
boastful males in general, and male fight-
Proficiencies: Gunsen, shuriken, herb- ers in particular. The culture-bound, petri-
alist, dance, calligraphy, etiquette, paint- fied attitudes of the samurai are
ing particularly vulnerable to her attacks. She

2 1 ©1987 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Spells Known: 3d Level: Scry
Wood Shape
1st Level: Animate Wood Face
Elemental Burst Haste
Warp Wood Magnetism
Know History Memory
Message
Read Magic 4th Level: Elemental Turning
Prestidigitation Plant Growth
Polymorph Other
2d Level: Animal Companion Remove Curse
Invisibility Transfix
Knock Vengeance
Rope Trick
Smoky Form 22
Vocalize

Hoshin Proficiencies: Spear, boku-toh, calligra- val warlord; Hoshin was a pirate whose
phy, religion, navigator, poetry ship ran aground on the rocks, leaving him
Human (Male) the sole survivor; Hoshin is an impostor
5th-level Shukenja Equipment: wand of wonder, seal of seeking to use the shrine as a shield for
vigor, spear, boku-toh, cotton robe, loin- his illegal activities as a yakuza or ninja;
ST12 IN10 WI17 DX13 cloth, haramaki, sandals, wicker back- Hoshin is one of the lost sons of the sho-
CN9 CH8 CM14 pack, bamboo chopsticks, alms bowl, ink, gun, children who were hidden away at
brush, inking stone, 12 sheets of red pa- birth for fear of harm at the hands of rival
HP: 21 per, five sheets of yellow paper, four factions.
AC: 9 sheets of white paper, jingasa, wooden
Spell Bonus: 2 1st level, 2 2d level, box of sake, 1/2 lb. tea, three lbs. rice, two Hoshin has. let all these rumors exist,
Ibs. assorted dried vegetables, prayer acting neither to quell them nor encourage
1 3d level beads, small bell, small gong, small drum, them. Some think this is from vanity, but in
10 sticks of incense, holy symbol truth Hoshin does not know his own ori-
Special Abilities: Purification ritual 25%, gins; his life began at the doors of the tem-
meditation Background: “Where Hoshin goes, ru- ple in that thunderstorm. He is curious
mors follow” is a saying heard in the halls about his true origins, but it is not an over-
Martial Art Style: Soft Push style, AC 5, of the local Temple of the Way of Enlight- riding concern to him.
#AT 1, Damage 1d3, Hand (Special Ma- enment. Hoshin first appeared at that tem-
neuvers of Style: concentrated push, all- ple’s doorway as a youth, at the height of a What is an overriding concern is the
around sight, sticking touch, mental thunderstorm, and when taken in showed health of his temple. He is a mid-level
resistance, one finger, blind fighting, leap, a great familiarity with both combat and re- priest with a strong background in poetry,
speed, levitation) ligion. Where he got this background, as well as being one of the best fighters
none can say, for Hoshin speaks naught of among his fellow priests. He has been of-
Special Maneuvers Known: concentrated his life before coming to the temple. Ru- ten asked to travel through the hinterland;
push mors, of course, abound—Hoshin was a spreading the word of the Way of Enlight-
samurai who had to flee his household af- enment. His one eventual goal is to make
Ki: +3 to saving throw (5/day) ter falling in love with the daughter of a ri- a pilgrimage to Shou Lung, where the
Personal Honor: 27 teachings of the Way of Enlightenment are
Alignment: Good Lawful carved by great forces in granite cliffs.

©1987 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Zezen Washio Proficiencies: Katana (specialization), Background: Washio is of the noble
daikyu (specialization), horsemanship, house Zezen, one of the smaller noble
Human (male) calligraphy, painting, poetry, wakizashi, houses located in the mountain vales of
6th-level Samurai trident Kozakura. He has been trained from early
age in the respected arts of warfare. As
ST13 IN15 WI13 DX10 Equipment: +1, +3 vs. missiles ring mail the eldest son of an eldest son, Washio
CN14 CH14 CM10 (in the Shou Lung fashion), +3 trident (IN carries the family’s name and tradition
15, detect magic 1” radius, detect large into every battle.
HP: 35 traps 1” radius, detect precious metals 2”
AC: 6 radius, semi-empathy, Ego 6), ring of The family has a long and illustrious his-
#AT: 3/2 swimming, katana of quality (family heir- tory. They fought with honor in the Battle
Damage: +2 loom), wakizashi, daikyu, four armor of Falling Water 70 years ago, allied with
piercer arrows, eight leaf head arrows, 10 the powerful lowland Hirimaki clan. Since
Ki: 18/00 Strength for 1 round (6/day) standard arrows, one humming-bulb ar-
Special Abilities: Surprised on 1 in 6, im- row, one frog crotch arrow, quilted outer that time, several of the family’s daughters
mune to fear, cause fear in 1 HD or less robe, silk robe, cotton trousers, fur vest, have married into a powerful foreign mer-
creatures short jacket, wooden clog sandals, sash, chant family, the Ko clan. Finally, the fami-
gloves, straw hat, horse, riding saddle, ly’s founder was the famous Zezen Ito,
Birth: 10th Rank saddle blanket, bit and bridle, small sad-
NPC React Mod: 40% dle bags, small metal mirror, small quality who penned the Great lnterpretation of the
Ancestry: Ancestral Alliance, Ancestral chest, lacquered chopsticks, ink, brush, Way of Enlightenment.
Alliance, Famous Holy Man inking stone, 10 sheets standard paper,
hooded lantern, two flasks of oil, two Given his illustrious forebears, Washio
Birthright: Weapon of quality (katana), 1 weeks ricecake, 1/2 lb. dried fish, two Ibs. is an unlikely figure. Short in height and
share of his grandfather’s farm (producing pickled vegetables, two Ibs. dried mush- temper, he would rather relax at an inn
16 ch’ien per year) rooms and wooden campaign flask of with sake than lead charges for opposing
Family Honor: 29 sake warlords.
Personal Honor: 40

23 ©1987 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Toipeye Personal Honor: 7 children who grow up to be powerful and
respected princes and great heroes.
Korobokuru Proficiencies: Nagimaki (specialized), Toipeye feels that, given his less-than-
6th-Level Bushi weaponsmith, armorer, bowyer, parang, gracious looks and temperament, he
sling, swimming, gaming, hunting should become the greatest hero of his
ST15 IN9 WI17 DX17 people: respected, well-loved, honored
CN14 CH8 CM4 Equipment: +2 parang, six +2 frog wherever he goes.
crotch arrows, nagimaki, sling, 30 bullets,
HP: 44 do-maru, kote, hanburi, outer robe Toipeye for the moment wants to work
AC: 3 (happi), cotton trousers (hakama), small himself back into his family’s good graces.
#AT: 3/2 wicker backpack, common tools, tinder His last meeting with the clan ended when
Reaction/Attacking Adj: +2 box, flint and steel, tobacco pipe, two Ibs. a minstrel sang of his most recent adven-
Ki: +2 levels for 1 turn (1/day) tobacco, three Ibs. rice, one week’s rice- tures in a comic light, emphasizing the
cake, two jars sake, and one lb. salted fish similarity of Toipeye nose to a malformed
Special Abilities: +3 to saving throws potato. The minstrel recovered from his
vs. magical attacks and poison; +1 to hit Background: Even among his own fam- wounds, but the family was shocked by
bakemono, goblins, goblin rats, and hob- ily, Toipeye is regarded as an outcast, Toipeye’s actions. He is looking for a way
goblins; -4 to be hit by giants, oni, ogres, chiefly for his looks and actions. Toipeye to show them he is a great hero.
ogre magi, and titans; infravision; 66% is a graceless creature, well known for his
chance to recognize plants and animals; ability to say the most tactless thing at the ©1987 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved.
32% chance pickpocket, 20% chance find most critical time. Regardless of his place
goods in small village, 25% medium vil- or position, Toipeye is singularly unattrac- Imo’s restlessness is also the result of a
lage, 30% large village, 40% small town, tive. More than one boastful bully has re- map left him by his father. This map is sup-
60% large town, 90% city; able to find em- ferred to Toipeye as “bucket-head” or posed to be to the lair of a great creature
ployment, food, and shelter something similar. These fools do so only that is afraid of cats. This creature, once
once, for Toipeye is a wicked fighter. vanquished, will flee the area, leaving the
Birth: Outcast one who defeated it great treasures and a
NPC React Mod: 5% Toipeye has been brought up on the huge castle (either above or below the sur-
Family Honor: 3 fairy tales of his childhood, tales of ugly face, the legend is fuzzy on this point.) Imo
still hunts for the landmarks from that
Askoro Imo Proficiencies: No-daichi (2-hd. sword map.
specialization), wakizashi, daikyu, car-
Cat Hengeyokai penter, swimming, weaponsmith, bowyer,
4th-level Bushi armorer

ST14 IN12 WI11 DX12 Equipment: +3 no-daichi, hankyu, 20
CN14 CH12 CM13 standard arrows, four leaf head arrows,
quiver, haramaki-do, sune-ate, hanburi,
HP: 35 loincloth, sandals, goza, five torches, two
AC: 7 jars of beer, five Ibs. of rice, one jar of pick-
#AT: 1 les, and a fishing net
Ki: +2 levels for 1 turn (1/day)
Background: Imo is a drifter, moving
Special Abilities: Cat form: Damage from place to place and selling his serv-
1d3, AC 9, Move 12”) Infravision, speak ices to the highest bidder. He has held
with animals, hp 18; Bipedal form: lnfra- many good jobs over the years, but a rest-
vision, speak with animals; Human form: less fever burns within him; he desires to
understands animal speech; 28% chance see new things, meet new people, and
pickpocket; 20% chance find goods in vanquish new foes. He has never stayed
small village, 25% medium village, 30% in one spot more than a year.
large village, 40% small town, 60% large
town, 90% city; able to find employment, lmo’s restlessness is only matched by
food, and shelter his enthusiasm for the job at hand. Finish-
ing the job quickly is more important than
Personal Honor: 21 making sure that the job is done in its en-
tirety. If a structure falls down, Imo ration-
alizes, he will be able to rebuild it in the
time he saved by doing it hastily in the first
place.

25 ©1987 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Motoharu Kaijitsu Ninja and Yakuza Abilities: HS 25%; MS Kaijitsu fears two things: Being discov-
33%; F/RT 30%; CW 87%; Dis 28%; OL ered by the world as a ninja (which would
Human (Male) 37%; TW 30%; PV 9.5’; Fall 10’; Esc 18%; ruin his criminal career and shorten his
4th-level Yakuza/3d-level Ninja Invest (2 blocks) 32%; PP 45%; Bs x2 mortal life), and dying (which is tied to the
first fear). He has discovered he can toler-
ST17 IN15 WI10 DX15 Equipment: tetsubo of quality, +3 ate a low level of pain before succumbing,
CN8 CH16 CM12 leather armor, potion of polymorph self, and while quite brave, is unwilling to die
ring of fire resistance, outer robe, cotton for his fellow party members. He tries to
HP: 18 trousers, cotton robe, black cotton ninja avoid dying by what he calls “intelligent
AC: 6 suit, sandals, tabi, wicker backpack, placement in combat.”
#AT: 1 coarse blanket, hooded lantern, 10’ cord,
Ki: Hold breath for 3 rounds (1/day), 1/2 five eggshell grenades (two dust, one This placement works as follows: Par-
damage from attack (4/day) flashpower, two pepper), metsubishi, ties of adventurers are good things, as
thieves’ picks and tools, one lb. pepper, they provide multiple targets to be hit in-
Special Abilities: Two contacts, able to one lb. chile powder, 50’ silk rope, one sig- stead of Kaijitsu. When battling creatures
call upon his brethren (kyodai-bun, 1/ nal rocket, one iron pot, three Ibs. rice, one with swords, or clubs, being in the second
level), +10% on encounter reactions not lb. dried flower buds, one jar pickled rank allows him to return fire with mini-
involving social position plums, and 1/2 lb. dried tofu sheets mum damage. When battling spell-
casters, however, the thick of the party is a
Birth: Middle Class Background: Kaijitsu balances his dou- guarantee to join the spirit world, and
NPC React Mod: 20% ble life as the ninja “lto” and his yakuza when fighting wu jen and their ilk, discre-
Birthright: None background with great care, always mak- tion is the wisest course and “they cannot
Ninja Family Honor: 8 ing sure that when acting in one degree he hit what they cannot see” the best advice.
Adopted Yakuza Family Honor: 10 has an alibi in the other. To date this has
Personal Honor: 18 worked admirably, and Kaijitsu has been ©1987 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved.
able to use his yakuzan contacts to help in
Proficiencies: Tetsubo, ninja-to, kusari- advancing the fortunes of his ninja family
gama, wakizashi, reading/writing, gam- and vice versa.
ing, shuriken, iaijutsu (ninja-to)
(Year 1 of Kozakuran calender)
A Short History of 1384 Discovery of Kozakura
Shou Lung 1503 Twelfth Emperor Chin of the Kao

Year Event dynasty declares Wa an indepen-
0 Ascendency of Nung Fu, first dent state, removes Shou Lung
ruler of Shou Lung forces
221 Foundation of the Li Dynasty 1881 Wasting Sickness in the South
1920 Invasion of Southern Barbarians
382- Shou Lung defeats Western under the Python King
420 provinces, Sea lords, Grey Owl 2050 Foundation of La Dynasty
2312- Dynastic War for throne
People, and Black Leopard Cult 2316
440 Appearance of the teachings of 2315 Foundation of Kuo Dynasty
2316 Creation of T’u Lung
the Path of Enlightenment First of the Uncountable Wars
580 Foundation of the Ho Dynasty 2456 Wa recognizes Shou Lung
581 Time of Contentions begins
630 Time of Contentions ends claims on Akari and the Prioto Is-
830 Foundation of the Hai Dynasty lands
856 Discovery of Wa 2589 Emperor Chin declares Gather-
859 The Ivory Plague ing of Pearls
970 War Declared on Wa
976 Black Cycle of Years Begins 2599 Family Ko is given authority to
1010 Reign of the Copper Demon of colonize Akari

Tros 2607 The present year
1025 Black Cycle of Years ends with

the coronation of Wai as the first
emperor Chin of the Kao Dynasty
1177 Ascension of Mori in Kozakura

27 ©1987 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved.



The Tale of the Island Serpent the Dead Spirit King. It is positively loqua- what exists outside their own area, save
What I am about to say may or may not cious in comparison with the other spirits that Shu Lan lies a day’s hard ride to the
of the island, but answers questions in south along the coast.
be true, for if it were true this island and all terms of possibilities. For example:
who still live on it would be in great danger, 2. City of Shu Lan
and the spirits would be unable to warn Q: Where is the temple of the Opa-
people of it. Since this would be a warning wang? Shu Lan is about half the size of Tai Ko.
in such a case, it may or may not be true. The city is protected on one side by a nar-
A: It may or may not be found by the row, deep branch of the Shu River and on
There may or may not be a great evil river that runs into Tai He. the other three sides by tall palisades. The
wrapped about the heart of this island, like palisades were erected at the order of the
a great snake constricting a wild pig be- Q: How do the Ochimo destroy people? mayor of the town, Ko Mihn Gi. Mayor Ko
fore devouring it. This evil may or may not A: They may or may not actually destroy is the younger brother of Governor Ko
be native to this land, and may or may not people, rather they may or may not re- and, while the mayor feels his brother’s
be old beyond all normal span of years, move the spirits of those who do or do not handling of the Ochimo is far too mild
such that this evil may or may not remem- make eye contact with them. given the seriousness of the situation,
ber the reigns of the first families to rule The island serpents want to help the family loyalty prevents him from speaking
Shou Lung. party and see Harooga restored, so they out too loudly.
do not lie. Their limitations prevent them
This ancient evil may or may not be from telling the entire truth, shrouding The settlers around Shu Lan are herds-
alive, and it may or may not seek to extend every answer in doubt. men as well as farmers, and a large sec-
its life at all costs. This includes harvesting An island serpent will join the party if tion of the cultivated area around Shu Lan
the lives and spirits of other living things asked, but the party must carry the crea- consists of uplands suitable for grazing.
as a farmer harvests his rice. Indeed, to ture or be slowed by its movement. No is- The Ochimo and its phantom army some-
this ancient evil, all other life may or may land serpent will enter the wasted land times scatter these herds in their assaults,
not be considered as rice—dumb plants around Opawangchicheng, nor will any forcing the townspeople to spend much
that exist only to be slaughtered. such creature be encountered there. time gathering them together again.

This ancient evil may or may not have its Encounter Areas on The village is dominated by a few per-
lair in a ruined temple its followers built in Akari Island manent buildings clustered around a cen-
the eldest of days. It may or may not be tral square. In this square is a large bell
known as the Dead Spirit King, the Opa- 1. City of Tai Ko whose toll can be heard along the breadth
wang, and its city may or may not be Opa- of the peninsula. This bell is sounded one
wangchicheng. The city of Tai Ko is the capital of the hour before nightfall, and failure to be in-
Shou Lung colony on the island. It should side the palisade is punishable by stiff
If this Opawang did exist, then it may or be the characters’ first landfall, and fines.
may not have made itself servants, which events 1-4 and probably 5 occur there.
men might call spirit warriors. If this Opa- The city is built on a low hill overlooking a The permanent buildings in the town in-
wang did exist, it might capture the great broad, deep harbor. The harbor is fed by clude the mayor’s house, the store (with
spirit of the island herself and force all the River Ko that runs north of the city. Tai the same costs as that in Tai Ko, as well as
other spirits of Akari in its thrall. It is fortu- Ko is the main port of the colony, and all a 50% chance of being out of any nonfood
nate that this is only a tale, for were it the ships are expected to report there and item), and an inn. The remainder of the
truth, then no greater spirits would answer gain a permit from the harbormaster. town consists of lean-tos and other tempo-
the summons of mankind, and lesser spir- rary structures. These dwellings are
its would be even more evasive than Tai Ko consists of a handful of perma- where most of the farmers and herdsmen
usual. nent buildings, the most impressive of live. They are required to sleep in the pali-
which is the manor of Governor Ko. The sade until the mayor’s brother can deal
The Opawang, if there was such a foul manor is situated at the top of the hill, and with the Ochimo problem.
creature, might hold the greater spirit in a the rest of the town is below it toward the
prison of glass in the heart of the heart of harbor. In addition to the manor, perma- The front steps of the inn is the normal
its domain, where none may reach save it- nent buildings include the store, inn, har- place to find Po Manh, one of the few eye-
self and those that would follow it. The bormaster, and shrine to the Path of witnesses to a slaying by an Ochimo. Po
Opawang would then terrorize the lands Enlightenment, The remainder are ware- lived in Tai Ko until one night he and some
with its servants, having them bring it the houses for trade. friends came upon the Earth Ochimo and
spirits of others to feed its hunger. It might its ebon hunt. Po took refuge in a tree, but
then desire to expand its dominion to other About half the Shou Lung population his comrades, strengthened by strong
islands, until it rules all it could grasp. lives in Tai Ko and in the farmland around wine, challenged the Ochimo. According
it. There are a large number of family to Po, the Ochimo turned his friends to
It is very fortunate indeed that this is a farms in the cultivated areas of Tai Ko. dust, then inhaled that dust into its mas-
tale, for if it were true, then heroes would sive lungs.
be needed to defeat the master of the The ordinary farmers have no desire to
Ochimo and release the spirit of the is- fully explore the island. This is a combina- Po moved to Shu Lan, but has taken to
land. Heroes such as yourselves. This tion of the typical Shou Lung acceptance drink himself. His story is filled with elabo-
may or may not be my tale. of the world as it is, plus the fact that any rations about the size of the Ochimo (as
who have gone exploring have failed to tall as a mountain) and its power (it shook
The island serpent is a fragment of the come back. They are notably ignorant of the earth as it moved). Po also tells any
spirit of Harooga, the spirit of Akari Island,
and is less restricted by the strictures of 29

who listen that there lives a greater evil in have not yet been affected by the attacks the town. The characters may approve or
the heart of the island—a giant lizard that of the Ochimo. They grumble loudly about decline with no loss of honor, but three
walks on two legs and breathes a stream the failure of the Ko family to deal with the spirits of the air and the Air Ochimo (if he
of blue-white flame. On calm nights you problem, though they believe Mayor Ki is still lives) attack the village the evening fol-
can hear its cries in the jungle. This last is handling it as well as can be expected. It is lowing the defeat of the Fire Ochimo. This
a delusion encouraged by his drinking, but possible, if the characters really need to attack levels trees, flattens the wooden
players may make of it what they will. escape the island, that the fishermen of houses and the scaffolding of the new
Tai He can provide them with passage into temple, and rips the roofs off the stone
If the characters are in Shu Lan when the main merchant routes. buildings.
the Ochimo is supposed to visit, the mayor
insists the characters camp outside the Tai He contains a small huddle of nonde- 4. Lesser Akaris
palisade and protect the city. The Ochimo script stone buildings in the center of the
appears soon after sunset. It is the Water town, consisting of the mayor’s house/town These are smaller islands to the west of
Ochimo, with 20 skeletons controlled by hall, store (prices as in Shu Lan), and ware- Akari Islands. They are also called the
its talisman of the restless dead. The skele- houses. The remainder of the structures are Steaming Isles because of their volcanic
tons come from the deserted pirate haven temporary, but of higher quality than those nature.
up the coast, and attack any found outside of the other two towns. There is a flurry of ac-
the palisade (if the characters manage to tivity at the site of a new temple of the Path of Characters who land on the Lesser
stay inside, the skeletons will keep their Enlightenment (Ki feels that the best method Akaris encounter the greater nature spirit
distance). The skeletons are armed with of dealing with spirits is to bring in higher of those islands within 1-6 turns. These vol-
parangs (1d8), and rotting pellet bows forces as soon as possible). canic spirits are small (8 HD) in compari-
(1d4+1). The Water Ochimo engages the son with Harooga, the spirit of Akari, but
most powerful magic-using character, The citizens of Tai He seem more ad- as they are not directly on the island, they
even entering the palisade to do so. The venturous and curious than those of the are less restricted in what they may tell
Ochimo fights until it has drained eight other two towns (perhaps because no citi- player characters. Even so, they are very
levels of spirits (if townspeople help, count zen has lost his life to the Ochimo). Only mysterious about the entire situation, out
them as one level each). here do the characters have a chance to of respect for the Opawang’s power and
hire 0th-level humans as porters or what the Dead Spirit King could do to Ha-
If the Ochimo is defeated, a festival is guides. They can also hire a boatman to rooga.
arranged similar to Event 5. Suspicious take them in his shallow-bottomed boat
players may encourage the populace to upriver into supposedly haunted territory. They tell inquiring characters that a vast
show moderation in their preparations and darkness lies on Akari Island, a darkness
to tie everything down. The people obey If the characters wait for the Ochimo to from outside. It has been there for some
the outlanders’ wishes and follow any sug- appear here, it climbs the sloping sides of time, but has become dangerous only re-
gestions. The evening of the celebration the plateau, stopping only to slay a pear cently. This power, which they refuse to
sees an attack by three spirits of the air tree with the wither spell held in the ring. (If name, has the spirit of the island in its
and the Air Ochimo. If the Air Ochimo has the characters have already slain one or power. They do confirm that this darkness
been slain, only the three spirits attack— more Ochimo, the Fire Ochimo is armed is the power behind the Ochimo.
the important thing is to convey to the with seven magic missile spells in its ring
party that its task is not yet finished. rather than the usual two magic missiles The Lesser Akari spirits do not have any
and wither spell.) information on how to defeat the Opawang
3. Town of Tai He or its minions. They respond very testily to
The Ochimo does not immediately at- questions they cannot answer, and if
The town of Tai He is situated on a small tack the party, but rather hangs back on badgered (or attacked at their first appear-
plateau above the mouth of the Hung Se the borders of the light cast by the bonfires ance), they create a minor eruption in the
river. Its peoples cultivate the rich slopes (the Fire Ochimo is vulnerable to his own vicinity of the PCs, inflicting 1d10 points of
of the plateau, and maintain several large element, and thus is somewhat cautious). damage from burning lava per turn until
orchards as well as maintaining a large the characters depart.
fishing fleet in the harbor. The rich arbors If the characters choose to attack at a
have suffered the most from the onslaught distance with missile weapons and spells, Spirits of the Lesser Akaris (greater spir-
of the Fire Ochimo. the Ochimo retreats into the darkness, if its): AC 2; MV 12”; HD 8; hp 32; #AT 2;
possible. It returns the fire with the magic Damage 1d10/1d10; Trea. Type H; SA
The town is well-protected naturally, missiles in its ring, concentrating on those Spell Use; SD Spell Use, +4 weapons to
and the town’s mayor, Ki Mor Sha (Gover- with bows and the spell-casters who have hit, immune to fire spells.
nor Ko’s brother-in-law), maintains nightly cast spells against it. If a character closes
watches on the plateau’s edge, maintain- with Ochimo, it will not use his magic mis- 5. The Fallen Bridge
ing large bonfires for the watchers. He has siles until the character is slain, or the
left specific orders that none are to chal- Ochimo is down below half of its original The player characters can encounter
lenge the mysterious spirits. The Ochimo hit points. It will then use the ring in com- this bridge either by accident or by follow-
seems to be content to destroy the or- bat and will attack multiple attackers using ing the river or the ruined road.
chards at the rate of one tree per evening. the magic missile spells in the ring. As al-
ways, the Ochimo tries to spirit capture his Before you lies a great arched bridge,
Tai He has a large number of people opponents. now in ruins, its main span transform-
who make their living by fishing along the ing the river below into a series of cata-
southern bank of the island. These folk Should the characters defeat the
Ochimo, Mayor Ki will suggest a small cel-
ebration at his home for the clan leaders in

30

racts. Trees overgrow each side of the fairly shallow and has no other exits.) encounter, the party is attacked by 1d4 gi-
bridge, and in the shadows of these The goblin rats hold a deep hatred for ant rats.
trees you see figures moving.
the Opawang and his servants, the Giant Rats: AC 7; MV 12”//6”; HD 1/2;
The ruined bridge is the lair of three Ochimo. The characters may deal with the #AT 1; Damage 1d3; SA Disease
common oni. One watches the ap- goblin rats, but only if the oni is not
proaches on either side of the road, while present. The goblin rats, if approached 8. The Grey Waste
the third waits in the shade beneath the ru- correctly, cheerfully inform the players
ined arch by the river. The ruined bridge is that the road going the other direction You hack your way out the last of the
50 feet above the river and was originally leads to the Dead Spirit King’s temple. jungle to find a swampy plain spread
100 feet across, though now the central 20 They refer to the Opawang as the “Ugly out before you. The ground is perfectly
feet are missing. Cat Priest,” given his origins as the priest level for miles before you, as if a mighty
of the Black Leopard Cult. hand had smoothed it and planted it
The oni seek to waylay and slay the with low, scruffy plants and a couple
party. The oni closest to the party’s line of The goblin rats spirits (with the oni) were stringy-looking trees. A foul-smelling
approach polymorphs itself into the form responsible for the death of the sohei from mist rises from the wet plains, creating
of an Ochimo (though it gains none of the Wa. The sohei’s armor and weapons still a close fog in the area. For a moment
Ochimo’s abilities). The other two become lie in the back of the cave, and include a the fog parts and there, on the limits of
invisible and fly down to fight the party tetsubo +3, a haramaki +1, and a string the horizon, you see the image of a
while the party concentrates on the of noisome spirit chasers. large building, miles off. Then the mists
pseudo-Ochimo. close and you are left with foggy out-
Goblin Rats (20): AC 7; MV 9”; HD 3; lines of your surroundings.
If two of the oni are slain, the third uses hp 12 each; #AT 1; Damage 1d8; Size S;
his cloud trapeze to flee to Area 6 and rally SD Shapechange; MR 10% The building is Opawangchicheng
the goblin rats there. home of the Dead Spirit King. If the char-
7. The Pirate Haven acters are traveling by the ruined road,
The oni have a large iron chest in the movement is at normal speed through this
rubble beneath the bridge. In this chest The path along the beach swings wide wasted land. If the party is wading through
the oni keep 200 tael, 4 ivory statues of de- of the ocean at this point, passing the marsh, the terrain is considered rug-
mons (nonmagical, worth 100 tael each), among the trees over a high ridge. On ged for movement purposes.
and a flute of blasting (as horn of blasting). the beach you see the rotting ruins of a
small town. Most of the houses have The region of the grey wastes is under
Common Oni (3): AC 4; MV 9”; HD 8; been blown down and the docks have the absolute control of the Opawang. Be-
hp 40, 43, 45; #AT 2; Damage 3-10/3-10; long since rotted away. In the center of tween his control of Harooga and the spir-
SA Spell Use the ruined village there is a single stone its of the air, little occurs without his
shelter still standing. knowledge. All spells and magical items
6. The Goblin Rats’ Lair that involve flying or travel through the air
Any native with the characters refuses (including cloud trapeze but excluding lev-
The winding mountain road ends in a to go near this place—it is the old haven itation do not function within the bounda-
shallow cavern. The rear of the cavern for the pirates who operated out of Akari ries of the waste. The area gives off a
cannot be seen, but there is a circle of Island, and is reputed to be haunted. slight magical aura as a result.
nine large stones in the center of the
cavern mouth. The area around the The characters can easily make their One of the stunted trees nearby is the
stones has been cleared recently. way to the ruins. They find most of the home of a bajang, enslaved by the Opa-
buildings blown down and anything of wang with the task of attacking intruders
The circle of nine stones is an ancient value long since stripped by later vandals. into his domain. The creature first appears
shrine to the Nine Travelers, as old as those There are two items of interest in the old to the party in the fog in its wildcat form
still found in the Shou Lung. It has long been village. foretelling foul fates to the party if they pro-
occupied by a band of goblin rats. ceed. Then the bajang attacks. It has no
The community graveyard has been de- treasure.
If the oni from Area 5 reached this area, spoiled, as if a large mole was looking for
it and the rats have set up an ambush. food there. The earth is badly turned and Bajang: AC 2; MV 12”; HD 6; hp 36;
There are 20 goblin rats in all, and 10 of the few stone crypts therein are open and #AT 2; Damage 1d4/1d4; SA Spell use
them are waiting on each side of the road, empty. The Ochimo has commanded poison; MR 10%
hiding in the underbrush in rat-form. The these skeletons (with his talisman of the
surviving oni is invisible and armed with a restless dead) to attack Shu Lan. 9. Fishing Spiders
tetsubo +3 by the cavern entrance.
The stone shelter was apparently a Ahead of you the river forks, the main
If the oni did not reach this area, then shrine, though to what god is beyond flow coming from the east and joined by
most of the rats are in the cavern, save for knowing. There are three words inscribed a mountain stream to the northwest.
a pair on patrol. They are in were-rat form in Shou Lung on the inside western wall: On the near shore is a disturbance and
on either side of the cavern, armed with Ochimo (Spirit Warrior), Opawang (Dead the sounds of splashing. Looking in
tetsubos. A rat on the right side has a Spirit King), and Opawangchicheng (City that direction, you see a group of spi-
small horn, which calls the remainder of of the Dead Spirit King).
the rats out of the cavern. (The cavern is
Each turn the characters remain in the
area, roll for an encounter. If there is an

31

ders hauling something out of the river what men (and not-men) are doing in the
in their webs. The white form of their jungle. It confirms the existence of a
catch, a river dolphin, thrashes in their wasted desert farther up the river, domi-
nets. nated by a great temple. From this temple
come the spirit warriors. The river dolphin
There are three giant spiders here, act- asks the party if they want his help in re-
ing under the direction of a goblin spider to turn for rescuing him.
snare his evening meal. If undisturbed,
they slay the river dolphin in five rounds. Should the party agree to that help,
White Sun dives beneath in the waves. In
Goblin Spider: AC 4; MV 18”; HD 8; hp 1d10 rounds, the river dragon (chiang
33; #AT 2; Damage 1d8/1d8; MR 20%; SA lung) raises its head out of the water and
grasp; SD +1 or better weapons to hit; regards the characters with a baleful eye.
Size L “One of my servants,” he bellows, rain
clouds streaming from his nostrils, “in-
Giant Spiders (3): AC 4; MV 3” * 12”; forms me ye wish passage to the wasted
lands. Is this true?”
HD 4+4; hp 18, 20, 23; #AT 1; Damage
2d4; SA Web, poison; Size L Unless it is attacked, the chiang lung
ferries the characters to the edge of the
River Dolphin (White Sun): AC 5; MV wasted lands. Beyond this it will not go,
30”; HD 2+2; hp 18; #AT 1; Damage 2d4; but the dragon tells the party that the road
SD Save as 4th-level fighter; Size M to the east is the safest method of passing
through the marsh.
The goblin spider and its co-workers are
occupied with their intended meal and are Chiang Lung (River Dragon): AC 2; MV
surprised if the party attacks. The goblin 12”/18”//24”; HD 10; hp 60; #AT 3; Dam-
spider and two of the giant spiders move in age 1d6/1d6/3d12; MR 10%; SA oriental
to attack the characters, while the third dragon abilities, spell use
spider spends two rounds making sure the
dolphin is securely netted, then joins the 10. The Gargantua
fray.
You are traveling along the borders of
Neither the goblin spider nor the giant the island with little difficulty when you
spiders can swim. They drown in two notice some large dead trees slightly
rounds if forced into the river. So many inland. These trees are grey-white and
large trees overhang the river that, should shaped like curved spears, without foli-
the players attempt a rescue from the age or branches. As you approach
other bank, the spiders race across the closer, you realize that these are great
branches overhead and attack. bones from some monstrous creature.

If vanquished, forced into the water, or The bones are of a humanoid gargantua
left without allies, the goblin spider deals that washed ashore in a great storm some
for its life, promising great treasures in its time ago. If the characters investigate,
lair if the party spares its miserable life. they also discover a huge skull, 15 feet
The creature speaks both Shou Lung and high, covered with vines and flowers.
Kozakuran, in addition to its normal vari-
ety of languages. The skull is the home of a family of large
poisonous lizards. These creatures have
If spared, it leads the characters away brightly-mottled skin and are about five
from the river and to its lair. Around its un- feet long. They are native to the Akari Is-
derground home are the lairs of three lands, but rare even here. The Shou Lung
more giant spiders with similar stats to settlers know they are poisonous.
those found by the river. They attack the
party and the goblin spider makes a break Sunset Lizards(4): AC 6; MV 15”; HD 2;
for its lair. If the goblin spider is slain, the hp 8, 9, 12, 14; #AT 1; Damage 1d6; SA
giant spiders flee. The goblin spider, once poison
in its lair, takes a back exit, leaving behind
most of his treasure. The lair of the sunset lizards is inside
the skull of the gargantua. There are a
The goblin spider’s lair consists of a many bones of animals and curious ex-
large pile of dolphin bones and other plorers, and among the debris are 250
refuse. In the debris the characters will tael, a set of Shou Lung-style chain +2
find a ring of fire resistance. and a do-maru of healing.

The river dolphin, named White Sun 32
among his people, is very grateful to be
cut from the spiders’ webs. It speaks a
number of languages, including Koza-
kuran (though in a halting manner). It asks

Chapter 4: Opawangchicheng

The city of the Dead Spirit King is an oasis 1. The Main Causeway good condition. Most of these statues,
of green in the mist-ridden Grey Wastes. including those at the end of the stairs
All limitations to the Grey Wastes (includ- The roadway almost disappears in the and supporting the railings, are of
ing flying) apply to Opawangchicheng, un- marsh that surrounds the temple of the small, slender panthers and leopards.
til the final death of the Opawang. Dead Spirit King. The forbidding build-
ing looms ahead of you in the fog; tall A pair of cat statues at the base of each
The temple is reached via a spur run- grey spires carved with ornate statues side of the stairs are the homes of stone
ning due north from the northwest-to- and figures thrust into the mist over- spirits (four in all). These spirits animate
southeast road through the wasted land. head. You see three concentric square their statues if anyone passes their guard-
Should the party approach from another walls to the temple, each corner deco- posts. The stone spirits are of the small va-
direction, they find the ground increas- rated by low spires. Four tall, ornate riety.
ingly swampy and treacherous. Within spires rise from the corners of the inner
100 yards of the temple, there is a 1 in 10 wall, and within the inner wall is the Small Stone Spirits (4): AC 5; MV 12”;
chance per round of encountering a sink- temple itself, a huge spire rising 150 HD 2; hp 12, 10, 10, 9; #AT 1; Damage
hole or patch of quicksand. Either causes feet above you. The three stone arches 1d8; SD elemental burst spells heal them;
the lead character or characters to sink to of the temple’s main entrance loom di- AL NE
waist depth for 1d4 points of damage, but rectly before you.
quicksand also causes a character to con- 3. Southern Wall Passage
tinue to sink at the rate of 1/2 foot per The outer wall of the temple was built for
round. Individuals whose encumbrance defense—a massive square of undecor- This passage is dark as it lacks light
enables them to swim may make their way ated stonework, 860 feet on a side. The holes in either wall. The southern wall
to the borders of the quicksand without in- stones are ancient and covered with a apparently was decorated by some
cident. Those who continue to sink must gummy lichen, but pose no trouble to bas-relief, but it has since been de-
shed their additional encumbrance (con- those who can climb walls (treat as a faced, literally gouged out of the wall.
sidered lost) or be rescued by others (an slightly slippery surface). If the PCs walk The floor is littered with stone dust and
unencumbered character may rescue an around the perimeter of the wall, they find rubble.
encumbered character). other entrances (labeled Room 5 on the
map), but the ground is treacherous (1 in The bas-relief, which was duplicated on
The Dead Spirit King is monitoring the 10 chance of the ground giving way into pit both sides of the passage, once depicted
progress of the invaders, both through his of quicksand). the rise and flower of the small empire of
contacts with spirits and the scrying de- the the Black Leopard Cult in what is now
vice in his lair (Room 52). Those who decide to scale the walls are southern Shou Lung. The Opawang had it
attacked by a pair of thousand-year bats. removed as it showed his humble and an-
The Opawang lives on the captured One bat lives in each small tower over the cient origins as well as the invasion of the
spirits and life essences of others. If a corners of the outer wall. The thousand- Shou Lung and the burning of the original
character is slain and his body left behind year bats have wingspans of 16 feet and temple.
for any length of time, the Opawang cap- conform to the stats of a mobat.
tures the deceased’s spirit and places it in 4. Inner Corner Rooms
one of his gem-containers. Any attempts Thousand-year Bats (Mobats): AC 2 (7
to raise such a character are fruitless un- in crowded conditions, 10 on the ground); There are four such rooms, one inside
less the Opawang has been defeated. MV 3”/15”; HD 6; hp 36 each; #AT 1; each corner of the outer wall. They are all
Damage 2d4; SA Screech (save vs. para- basically the same.
The Opawang never leaves his central lyzation or no actions), range 20 feet, sur-
temple, unless there is only one character prise on 3 in 6; AL N(E) This room has been swept clean and is
left in the party. The Opawang then hunts empty save for a large stone coffin in
that character down (with his Ochimo, if 2. Entrance to Outer Wall the center. The massive stone lid is off
they still live). The Opawang first tries to the coffin and laid carefully to one side.
quell and compel the character into an alli- The three arches open into a spacious The coffin is also empty. The walls are
ance, then possess him. Killing the PC is a entrance hall that is dominated by a bare of decoration, save for a column of
last resort. A character defeated by the wide stone staircase along the north half-circles carved into the wall. The
Opawang is destined to be a Ochimo and wall. These stairs lead up to a balcony semi-circles lead up the wall to a stone
is removed from play. The character may from the three archways. A passage plug in the ceiling.
escape the Opawang only by leaving the along the inside wall runs to the east
temple-city entirely. and west. The entire entrance are is
decorated with finely carved statues of
The Opawang sends nightmares to any stone, slightly weathered but still in
magic-using character in the party while
he is in the temple. The Opawang only
does this to characters outside the temple
if he knows their names (Event 4 in Chap-
ter 3).

33

The room was once the final resting faced headdress. The scowling shaman chards at one time in the distant past.
place of some important follower of the carries a rod with a carving of a cat. The Beneath these trees you see dark cat
Black Leopard Priest. The remains were ships land on the shores of a strange is- shaped forms resting.
used in some fell experiment of the Opa- land, and the priest is shown bowing be-
wang’s. fore a beautiful female in robes (Harooga). There are a total of 30 black leopards
scattered along the perimeter of the first
The half-circles form a ladder leading to The next hundred feet of wall show the inner ring. There are 3d4 in sight at any
a stone plug that may be moved by a char- people traveling to the interior of the island one time, but if there is a disturbance (a
acter of 18 Strength. Once the plug is and constructing a large city, In the center fight, some meat dropped into their pen),
pushed up, a passageway is revealed. The of the city, a huge temple complex (the another 1d6 arrive every two turns.
passageway leads to the roof of the outer Opawangchicheng) is built. The priest is
wall and a small spire that is home to one shown speaking with spirits, gods, and Black Leopards (30): AC 6; MV 12”; HD
of the four mobats (see Area 1 for stats). If lower creatures as the bas-relief moves 3+2; hp 18 each; #AT 3; Damage 1d3/
the bat of that tower still lives, the creature northward. Then, according to the bas- 1d3/1d6; SA rear claws for 1d4/1d4; SD
screeches to halt the intruders and then relief, the priest (shown with his head- surprised on 1 in 6
flies off. The bat has no treasure. dress but without his rod) attains a state of
ultimate grace and brings all of his people The leopards have no treasure, but
5. Corner Entrances to live within his being. The city around the there are four newly-weaned cubs playing
temple complex crumbles, leaving the in one of the stairwells (see Area 10).
There are four such entrances, one at temple alone on a flat landscape.
each corner of the outer wall. They are 9. The Leopard-Lord
similar in their description. The arrival of pirates is shown next,
along with the creation of great warriors If the characters check the doors enter-
The entrances to these rooms appear to (the Ochimo) to fight these invaders. Fi- ing into this area, they discover that the
be typical arches similar to those at the nally the pirates surrender to the will of the entrances were once archways, but are
main entrance. A detect traps will reveal Black Leopard Priest, shown as the same now blocked by doors with heavy oak bars
that the areas above the doorways and 10 figure despite the obvious ages that have on the passage-way side.
feet into the room are trapped. passed. The final carvings show the hunt-
ing and capture of the radiant woman who Opening the doors leads into a depres-
When a character walks into an area greeted the priest and his people. She is sion 20 feet below the surface of the
marked by an X, a hinged floor opens onto carved as she is imprisoned in a glass plain. Stairs lead to the north and
a 20-foot-deep pit at his feet. At the same crypt. At this point, the last 20 feet of the south. The far wall sprouts a still-active
time, large stone blocks above the doors ornate carving is left blank—recent events fountain. Vines climb up the stone-
drop down to close the two outside en- have not yet been recorded. work. Resting by the fountain’s pool is
trances to the room. The drop is controlled the largest black cat you have ever
by grooves in the side that slow the blocks 7. The Northern Bas-Relief seen. He regards you with bored indif-
enough to enable characters in the door- ference.
way time to escape to one side or the This passage is similar to that depicted
other. Have the characters roll 1d20 in Area 6, and is similarly unoccupied. The This is the leader of the black leopards
against their Dexterity: failure indicates bas-relief along the entire northern wall of the temple. He will not join the other
the hem of a robe or back of a sandal is deals with a single subject: the resplen- leopards on the plains, but if his followers
caught in the door. dent greatness of the Opawang. His city is are slain or the cubs (Area 10) taken, he
portrayed as a perfect temple, and to the will follow and try to slay the party.
The stone blocks weigh 1,000 pounds sides, spirits, tribal men, pirates, ancient
(10,000 gp) each. The hinged pits remain Shou Lung generals, greater and lesser The leopard does not move to attack,
open once sprung. The bottoms of the pits spirits, and minor deities are shown pay- but growls menacingly if anyone enters
are littered with skeletons of goblin rats ing homage to the power and prestige of his area. If anyone tries to use the stairs,
and snakes. If the refuse in the pit in the the Opawang. he roars, summoning 1d6 black leopards
southeast corner is searched, an adven- from Area 8. If the characters attack him or
turer’s skeleton is found to be wearing a The Opawang’s own form occupies the his followers, he fights back.
ring of protection +1. center of the north wall: a calm-faced ruler
with multiple arms, each arm holding a The leopard-lord is basically lazy—well
6. Passage of History scroll, sword, wand, or scales. The face it- fed by the Opawang and unconcerned
self is a foot across, and is carved of a sin- that the characters may be there to de-
There are two identical passages on the gle piece of milky white chalcedony set stroy his master. (He is sure that the Opa-
eastern and western sides of the outer into the wall. The face is worth 100 ch’ien, wang can destroy them, and nobody
wall. The passages are lit by small holes for it is a perfect carving of quality. informed him to expect invaders.) If spo-
near the ceiling of the inner wall. The out- ken to, he is willing to deal with the party in
side portion of the passage is decorated 8. First Inner Ring: The Plains exchange for safe passage to one of the
with ornately carved bas-reliefs. Both sets corner terraces of the middle wall (Area
of bas-reliefs tell the same story, running The land between the outer and middle 17). The leopard-lord is partial toward red
from south to north. walls is a dusty plain, dotted with meat, but appreciates fine art, particularly
twisted trees that may have been or- any that involve cats.
The southernmost section begins with
the flight of many ships across the ocean, 34 The Leopard-Lord: AC 2; MV 12”; HD
led by a tribal priest wearing the a leopard-

6; hp 36; Size L; #AT 3; Damage 1d6/1d6/ Shukenja Spells: the effects of a stinking cloud spell while
1d10; SA rear claws for 1d6; SD surprised 1st Level: cause light wounds, omen they are in this room. There is nothing of
1 in 6; AL N 2d Level: chant, hold person value within the masses of rotting fruit and
The spirit naga fights with a -2 penalty other foodstuffs.
10. Leopard Nursery
to hit and does not use magical spells that 16. Entrance to the Middle Ring
This area is similar to Area 9: a de- affect others (it cannot see to target its
pressed stairwell with a fountain on the far spells). The naga’s blindness is magical in You enter a large room lit by four stag-
wall. The grounds here are used by the nature, and may be cured by the cure gered skylights. Three archways lead
leopards as a nursery. There are four blindness or similar clerical spell. If the to large halls to the south, while stairs
black leopard cubs playing by the foun- party does this, the spirit naga will serve ascend to the north, east, and west.
tain. When the party opens the door, they as an ally for 10 turns, after which it will The northern staircase is open to the
freeze and watch the humans (they have leave. sky, and vines hang down along the
never seen a live human before, nor has sides of the wall. On the floor are four
anything else ever threatened them). 13. Hall of Meditation separate inlaid rings of green, blue, yel-
low, and red stone.
The leopard cubs have no attacks ex- This is the easternmost of the three
cept for a playful nip that inflicts no dam- halls that connect the Outer Wall to the All surviving Ochimo are in their respec-
age. They are 3 HD, and have 6 hit points Middle Wall. This long, 20-foot-high tive circles: red for earth, yellow for fire,
each. If the PCs do not attack, they regard room is lined from front to back with tall blue for air, and green for water. If the
the characters with curiosity. If the PCs at- statues of cat-faced men; the statues Ochimo have perished, this room is
tack, they flee up the staircase. are 15 feet high. The room is lit by open empty.
skylights in the roof. The floor is bare
In 1d6 rounds an adult leopard appears and the room otherwise unoccupied. The Ochimo are charged with the task
at the top of the stairs. If the characters of preventing entrance into the middle
have the cubs, the leopard attacks, its The statues are nonmagical, but the ring. This is their starting area, but if the
snarl summoning 1d6 additional leopards northern archway has a trap laid by the party enters the middle ring by another
every two rounds. If the cubs are slain (or Opawang’s minions. Those entering the means, the Ochimo track the PCs down in
captured by the party), the leopards show last 10 feet of the northern arch have a 1d6 turns. Attempts to go over the rooftops
no mercy. If the party retreats back into statue topple onto them. Characters in are thwarted by flying Ochimo.
the Inner Ring without replacing the oak that area must make a saving throw vs.
bar, the leopards break through in one death or receive 3d10 points of damage. 17. Terrace Guard Posts
turn and follow the scent of the party,
tracking them through the temple. (The 14. Hall of Convocations There are four of these posts, one at
leopard-lord is among them if the cubs are each corner of the middle wall. Each is a
captured or killed). The leopards pursue This centermost hall is similar to that of 35-foot-high terrace without a railing. The
until either they or the party are slain, or the Hall of Meditation. Cat-headed statues uneven settling of the stones provides a
the cubs, if still alive, are released. line the walls, with two particularly large crude set of steps that any character may
ones flanking the northern passage. use without difficulty.
11. Abandoned Shrine Benches, now reduced to rotting wood,
are piled in the southern corners. The area The archway of each terrace leading
The shrine has been long abandoned. is lit by skylights 20 feet above the party. into the middle ring is guarded by two
There is no treasure here, but 1d6 leop- yuan-ti half-breed mummies. These
ards are resting here at any time. At the The two cat-headed statues at the end snake-headed creations are the results of
north end of the shrine is a statue of a are the homes of two large stone spirits. the Opawang’s early experiments in life
kneeling man with a leopard’s face. These spirits animate their statues when and death. They may be turned by gajin
the characters enter the room. They can- clerics and affected by holy water. The
12. Abandoned Shrines not pursue the characters out of the room. yuan ti mummies have all the advantages
and limitations of their yuan ti background
This area is similar to Area 11, save that Large Stone Spirits (2): AC 1; MV 6”; and present undead condition.
no leopards or any other creatures are HD 6; hp 34, 36; #AT 1; Damage 3d8; Size
lurking within. Behind the leopard-man L; AL NE Yuan Ti Mummies (8 total): AC 3; MV
statue is a secret door leading down to a 9”; HD 7; hp 35 each; #AT 2; Damage
hidden room. The hidden room is the 15. Hall of Offerings 1d10 (snake-head bite), 1d12 mummy
prison of a blinded spirit naga. touch; MR 10%; SA disease, fear; SD un-
This hall is similar to the previous two, affected by sleep, charm, and hold; may
Spirit Naga: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 9; hp and its walls are likewise dotted with all be slain by raise dead, affected by fire as
24; #AT 1; Damage 1d3; SA Poison, Spell manner of statues of cat-headed men. mummy AL CE
Use; AL CE This hall has become a dumping ground
Wu Jen Spells: for the nonvaluable junk that has accumu- The mummified yuan ti remain in the
lated over the years. The stench is almost shadows of outside the archway. They at-
1st Level: hail of stones, magic missile, overpowering, even from the doorways. tack anything that enters the corner ter-
spider climb, wall of fog Individuals passing through here must races or the corner balconies (Area 18).
make a saving throw vs. poison or suffer The yuan ti mummies have no treasure.
2d Level: invisibility, phantasmal force
3d Level: protection from normal mis- 35

siles

18. Corner Balconies Area 19B is the home for a troop of the creatures). These monsters surprise
screaming monkeys. These creatures are the party 75% of the time.
There are four such locations, one on not hostile, but when surprised let out a
each inside corner of the middle wall. loud screeching howl. This noise is likely Giant Mantises (6 total): AC 3; MV 6”/
to attract the attention of a giant mantis 12”; HD 10; hp 45 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2d6
The corner of the wall is taken up by a 60% of the time (it will arrive in 1d6 or 2d6+1; SA surprise 3 in 4, vise-like grip
wide covered balcony, facing inward rounds). The monkeys flee into the jungle (2d6 damage, 19 Str. to break loose); AL N
toward the huge garden that occupies if the party explores their balcony. Their
the second ring. The garden is a lush lair contains some bright stones, including 22. Garden Overlooks
undergrowth rivaling the jungles of three gems worth 10 ch’ien each.
Akari itself, and you can see brightly The passage ends at an open platform
colored birds flash from tree to tree and Screaming Monkeys (20 total): AC 9; with paths leading to the east and west
hear the chatter of wild monkeys. Ris- MV 12”; HD 1/2; hp 3; #AT 1; Dmg 1d2; and stairs up to the north. The stone
ing at the outer corner of the inner wall Size S; AL N banisters are overgrown with trailing
is a long, wide stairway leading up to a vines. The space between the middle
terrace atop the inner wall. The balcony Area 19C is littered with animal and hu- and inner walls is filled with a vibrant
itself is dominated by two large statues man skeletons around its perimeter, and growth of jungle that threatens to over-
of kneeling men with cat faces. Oppo- the railing of the balcony is overgrown with take the stonework here. To the east
site the balcony, a small unrailed ter- plants having cup-shaped, poisonous and west small enclosures are entirely
race overlooks the dusty plains of the flowers. These are twilight blooms. The overtaken by the vines.
first ring. passage of nearby creatures causes their
cups to tilt, dropping a deadly contact poi- The two enclosures (22A and 22B) have
Those entering this area may be at- son on their prey. stone roofs supported by massive
tacked by the yuan ti mummies from Area columns. The areas are wrapped in vines
17 (should any remain there). Passing Among the refuse, the party will dis- and undergrowth, so those wishing to en-
through along the passageway does not cover a wakizashi +1, +2 versus smaller ter here must cut through the underbrush.
attract the mummies’ attention, but stop- than man-sized creatures and a sphere of
ping to investigate the balcony or statues frost resistance (a black pearl that func- The enclosures are similar in layout and
does. The level of the second ring garden tions like a cube of frost resistance). are dominated by tall statues of rearing
(Area 21) is five feet below the balcony. leopards with blue crystal eyes. These
Twilight Blooms (8 total): AC 8; MV nil; eyes are common quartz and of no value.
19. Side Balconies HD 3+8; hp 23 each; #AT 1; Dmg poison;
Size L; AL N 22A Eastern enclosure: Behind the left
There are four such balconies, two eye of the leopard statue is a small hollow
along the eastern western middle walls. Area 19D is unoccupied. holding a ring of invisibility.
The balconies face toward the garden.
20. The Northern Balcony 22B Western enclosure: The tangle of
The passage opens into a wide, cov- vines is the home of 10 large spiders.
ered balcony that is dominated by a The balcony is empty, but the rafters These drop on adventurers as they try to
seated statue of a leopard with a man’s and roof above it are the home of a colony make their way through the vines.
head. The statue is carved from dark of three giant owls. The owls only attack if
granite. The balcony overlooks a ver- the characters descend into the garden. Large Spiders (10): AC 8; MV 6” * 15”;
dant jungle that blossoms with strange HD 1+1; hp 6 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1; SA Poi-
flowers and is alive with life. About 40 Giant Owls (3): AC 6; MV 3”/18”; HD 4; son (save at +2); AL N
feet away looms the terrace of the in- hp 15, 17, 20; #AT 3; Dmg 2d4/2d4/
nermost of the temple’s three walls. 1d4+1; SA surprise on 1-5; AL N 23. Southern Terrace

The vines and other abundant life have 21. Garden of the Second Ring The stairway ends in a broad terrace
already began to to snake up onto the bal- upon which stands the inner wall of the
cony itself. The balconies provide save ha- The ring of land between the middle and temple. The terrace runs about 10 feet
ven for a number of creatures. inner wall is an overgrown garden filled out from the wall, forming a broad path-
with colorful plants and butterflies. There way around the inner wall. The terrace
Area 19A holds the lair of four huge, are six vine-covered staircases leading is earth paved with large stones. The
mottled spiders. The fur of these tarantula- from this jungle up to the terrace of the in- effects of the passing years are clear:
like creatures is dark brown dappled with ner wall 20 feet above. the ground has settled dramatically, so
bright green. They attack any who intrude that the paving stones look like frozen
upon their lair. Passage through the jungle is restricted waves. To the east and west the rail-
to 3”/round maximum. In addition, move- ings of the terrace have long since
Huge Spiders (4): AC 6; Move 18”; HD ment through the jungle attracts the atten- fallen into the jungle below.
2+2; hp 10, 12, 13, 15; #AT 1; Damage tion of the true rulers of this part of the
1d6; Size M; SA poison (+1 bonus to sav- temple: the giant mantises. The eastern and western edges of the
ing throws), surprise on a 1-5 in 6, leap 3” terrace are so unstable that sufficient
on prey There are six such creatures here, huge weight (100+ Ibs) will cause that section
monsters that eat any intruders upon their of the terrace to collapse into the jungle
territory. They are extremely territorial, so below, delivering 2d10 points of damage
that if a party defeats one giant mantis,
they will not encounter another within 150
feet of the battle (but if they move beyond
this range, they stumble upon another of

36

to those caught in the slide. The sound of ways leave the hall from the east, west, cret doors to find). Once the mechanism is
the slide will attract the attentions of a gi- south, and north. depressed, the entire wall slips into the
ant mantis (from Area 21) should one still ground, opening Area 29.
survive in the garden near the slide. This inlaid pattern is a magical trap that
has the effects of the illusionist spell hyp- 28A. Old Quarters: The door to this
24. Great Steps notic pattern. All who enter the room must room has been swollen shut by time and
make a saving throw vs. spell, and those moisture. Reduce the standard dungeon-
There are four such locations, one at who are studying the pattern must make door opening chances by 1 when opening
each corner of the terrace. These are the save with a -2 penalty. Those who fail this portal. The furnishings within look lux-
broad banks of stone steps, tilted at odd to save are transfixed for 10 rounds or until urious and ancient. Old tapestries and
angles by earth eroding beneath them and attacked. A maximum of 50 levels may be pelts hang on the wall. These are so rotted
overgrown by vines and weeds from the captured in this fashion. Spirits and spirit that a single touch causes them to crum-
jungles below. Characters climbing the folk are unaffected by this trap. If a charac- ble into dust. Similarly, the wood of the
steps must roll a successful Dexterity ter saves (or the spell is broken by an at- sleeping platform and chairs and woven
Check on 1d20 or take 1 point of damage tack, he can never be affected by the bamboo of the sleeping map have rotted
from some mishap, rock slide, or toppled pattern again. to uselessness. There is no treasure here.
stone. This roll is ignored if the characters
take care in climbing the steps or use Two rounds after the characters enter 28B. Guard Post: In the unlikely event
climb walls abilities. this area, the large stone spirits emerge that the Ochimo are still in existence by
from their hiding places in Area 27 and at- the time the characters reach the inner
The shaded area of the terraces near tack. The large stone spirits each attack ring, the Ochimo of Earth (if he lives) waits
these stairs represent unstable areas of one target at a time, concentrating on here to attack those who invade his spire.
the terrace. Too much weight (100+ Ibs) those that have made their saving throws.
on these areas causes them to slide into 28C. Current Quarters: The door to this
the jungle below, inflicting 2d10 points of 27. Stone Spirits in Hiding room is covered with beaten bronze and
damage to those caught in the slide (any- inscribed in its panels with great words of
one within five feet from the edge), plus This U-shaped room is unoccupied save the Ochimo’s deeds in a dead language
the effects of attracting a giant mantis. for two large stone statues hidden in the (the tongue of the Black Leopard cult). Be-
southern forks of the U. These statues are yond the door is a spartan room with a
25. The Ruined Statues of huge samurai without faces, armed with sleeping mat and a simple stool. There are
stone swords. The statues are the homes no other furnishings. Across the far wall is
There are two such locations, one on of two large stone spirits. These spirits ani- the lampblacked figure of a large black
the east and one on the west side of the mate their statues if there are characters cat.
terrace. They have similar descriptions. caught by the hypnotic pattern in Area 26,
or if characters open the door into Area 45. 29. Crypt of the Ochimo
This large room was apparently domi-
nated at one time by a statue of yet an- Large Stone Spirits: AC 1; MV 6”; HD Read this to the players if they open the
other great cat. All that remains are the 6; hp 48, 47; #AT 1; Dmg 3d8; AL NE secret door:
bottom half of statue; the head and front
paws rest on a pile of stone rubble. 28. Spire of the Earth Ochimo The panel slips into the floor and you
are immediately struck by a gust of an-
The head and front paws of the broken The southeast tower of the inner wall is cient air and dust that pillows out of the
statue in each room are occupied by stone the central quarters of the Earth Ochimo room before you. The dust clears to re-
spirits of medium size. These spirits, three when in Opawangchicheng. The cross- veal a most ancient room, unlit and un-
per room, attack the characters if they in- roads of the southern and eastern pas- disturbed for centuries. The room
vestigate the rubble or try to leave the sages are dominated by a large statue. contains four large stone crypts, their
room. The spirits attack by bouncing their tops sealed by thick glass.
stone forms across the floor and slamming The statue before you rises some 30
them into their opponents. feet from its pedestal. It is a representa- Beneath the glass are the remains of
tion of a southern barbarian with long the original beings that became the
Medium Stone Spirits (three per room): moustache and beard. He wears a Ochimo. The corpses of three men and a
AC 3; MV 6”; HD 4; hp 16, 18, 21; #AT 1; woman lie here. Their physical remains
Dmg 2d8; Size M; SD elemental burst crude form of leather armor and has a are withered and dry, but through the
heals; AL NE glass you can see rich jewelry and rings on
hood made of a leopard skin thrown their remains.
26. Patterned Entrance back over his shoulders. He carries a
crude machete in his left hand. The in- The crypt is guarded by a lu nat, a lazy
The floor of this entrance hall is of black scription on the base reads, in Shou spirit that will let the characters tap around
polished stone inlaid with bands of sil- Lung: “Earth.” on walls, investigate the carvings on the
ver. These bands form a sweeping pat- crypts, and move around the room freely,
tern that is disquieting to the eye but The figure faces northwest, the direc- watching them from his invisible vantage
seems to form some message. Arch- tion of the inner temple but also of a secret point some 20 feet above them. Should
door. The door’s mechanism is located di- anyone try to break or remove the glass,
rectly under the statue’s gaze (locate se- the nat drops down from his perch and at-
tacks the offenders (bringing with him his
37

invisible cloud of disease). 30B. Guard Post: Should the Ochimo Each of the 12 middle chests contains
Lu Nat: AC -2; MV 9”; HD 8; hp 41; of Water survive by the time the players spears of ivory carved from the tusks of el-
reach the inner wall, he is found here and ephants, narwhales, and other fabulous
#AT 3; Dmg 1d8/1d8/1d4; Size M; SA dis- attacks those who invade his spire. creatures. There are 20 ivory spears in
ease, spell-like abilities; SD can only be hit each chest, each worth 100 tael on the
by +3 or better weapons, immune to poi- 30C. Current Quarters: The door to this market (50 tael if more than 20 spears are
son and disease, suffers half damage room is covered with eaten bronze and in- sold at one time). Each chest of ivory
from electricity and fire, spell-like abilities; scribed with long testimonies of the great spears weighs 100 Ibs.
AL CE deeds of the Ochimo in life, written in the
tongue of Wa. Beyond the door is a spar- Each of the 12 upper chests is relatively
The gems and jewelry from each crypt tan room with a sleeping mat and a simple light (only 20 Ibs each) and contains Shou
are worth 150 ch’ien (600 ch’ien total). In stool. There are no other furnishings. Lung paper money from the reign of the third
addition, the female is wearing a bracelet Across the far wall is the figure of a black emperor Chin of the Hai Dynasty. This paper
of weakness (as the gajin ring of weak- cat is singed into the stone. money is over 2,000 years old and very, very
ness), complete with invisibility power. brittle. Any rough handling causes it to disin-
31. Treasure of the Ochimo tegrate. (In game terms, any harmful action
30. Spire of Water Ochimo directed against the character carrying this
Read this to the players if they open this paper money should necessitate a saving
The southwest tower of the inner wall room (and trip the crossbow trap): throw vs. crushing blow. Failure to save
was the central quarters of the Ochimo of means the money is reduced to so much
Water when in Opawangchicheng. The The panel slips into the floor to reveal scrap paper.)
crossroads of the southern and western a lightless room with very thick walls.
passages are dominated by a large statue. Dry air billows out of the revealed room, The paper money’s value is in direct
air unaffected by the dampness of the proportion to the amount brought out. The
The statue before you rises 30 feet temple, the wastes, and the jungle. In- paper money is bound in sheafs of 100
from its pedestal. It depicts the brash side the room, the four sides are cov- one-ch’ao notes. If a single bundle is
figure of a corsair, clean shaven and ered with shelves stacked three deep. brought back safely (and no others are
likely a native of Wa or Kozakura. He Upon each of these shelves are three thought to survive), the bureaucracy will
holds a chu-ko-nu (repeating cross- large chests, for a total of 36 chests in offer 4,000 ch’ien for it. Two perfect bun-
bow) in his weathered hands and has a all. There is a dead human form on the dles are worth only 2,000 each (4,000 to-
wakizashi on his belt. The inscription ground, its skin yellow and stretched tal). Three bundles are worth 1,000 each
on the base of the pedestal reads: tight over its bones with great age. (3,000 total). Four are worth 500 each
“Water” in Shou Lung. (2,000 total), and so on. There are 20 per-
The body is of a high-level ninja who fect sheafs (and a lot of scrap paper) in
The figure faces northeast, toward both sought to walk through the walls of this each chest. Bringing back a full chest in-
the inner temple and the secret door lead- place without disturbing the door. The tact would leave each bundle worth 8 fen,
ing to Area 31. The mechanism for activat- ninja had learned from spirits that walls and the whole chest worth about 1.6
ing the secret door is under the gaze of the were 10 feet thick. He did not learn that the ch’ao. The price of the money will never
statue. Activating the mechanism (by chests were mounted on the walls, provid- drop below one fen per bundle.
pushing a loose toggle stone) causes two ing another three feet of thickness. He lit-
things to happen. First the door slides into erally perished among the treasures he 32. Spire of the Fire Ochimo
the ground, opening Area 31. Next the had hoped to loot.
crossbow in the statue’s hands fires four The northeast tower of the inner wall is the
magic missiles at the intruder. The repeat- The entrance to the room is guarded by central quarters of the Fire Ochimo in the
ing crossbow is a separate carving in the two iron cobras, one to either side of the temple complex, as well as being the origi-
statue’s hands and radiates magic. door. Their instructions are to attack those nal quarters for the temple priests in earlier
who enter the doorway, and they are days. Where the northern and eastern pas-
30A. Old Quarters: The door to this armed with a very virulent poison (-2 pen- sages cross, there is a large statue.
room is rotted almost completely through; alty to saving throws).
any pressure causes it to collapse inward. The statue before you rises some 30
The room is laid out with pillows scattered Iron Cobras (2): AC 0; MV 12”; HD 1; feet from its pedestal. It depicts a bald-
everywhere, now moldy and wet. The hp 8 each; #AT 1; Damage 1d3; Size S; SA ing old man with a long grey beard. The
walls are covered with hide maps of the poison (-2 penalty to saves), three figure does not stoop with its great age,
known world, now faded almost to a point charges; SD save as 12th-level magic- but rather gazes clearly in the direction
of being blank. (Much careful work by one users against spells, immune to sleep, of the innermost temple to the south-
with tanning or calligraphy proficiencies charm, web and similar spells, hide as 8th- east and slightly upward. The man is
may bring back the colors—the maps level thieves; AL N dressed in the ornate robes of a high
would sell for five ch’ien in most of the dignitary. One hand clasps a scroll,
world, 10 ch’ien in Shou Lung.) On the far Each of the 12 lowest chests contains while the other is caught in mid-
wall hangs a chu-ko-nu similar to the stone 10 bars of smelted gold, each bar of 200 gesture, palm outward, in welcome.
version carried by the statue. The string is gold piece weight. Each bar is worth 1,000 The inscription on the base reads
broken and must be replaced, but the tael sold individually (however, putting “Fire” in ancient Shou Lung.
crossbow radiates magic, and is a chu-ko- more than five bars on the market in any
nu of accuracy +3. one town will drive the price down to 500
tael per bar).

38

The mechanism for the secret door can nated by a low table running the length of statues heaped on this pile.
be found by following the gaze of the the room. The table’s surface is badly 35D. Secret Treasure Room: The
statue. It is located in an ornate piece of warped by water damage coming from a
sculpture near the roof of the area, 40 feet massive hole in the ceiling above it. door to this room was originally protected
above the floor. Observers from the by a poison gas trap and an illusion. The
ground may notice that this stone is differ- 33B. Storage Area: Originally the poison gas has since evaporated away,
ent from the others around it, but activat- quarters for the temple’s architects, this but the illusion remains. Removing the
ing the secret door is another matter room contains a number of tools no longer poison trap does not affect the illusion,
entirely. Someone must climb up the in- used on the temple. They include boxes of thought the door is no longer trapped (ac-
wardly sloping walls, or a marksman must stone chisels and mallets, heavy iron pry- cording to detect traps spells). Once the
hit the stone (as an AC -3 target) with a bars (coated with rust), coils of rotted rope, door is opened, read the following:
stone or blunt arrow. If the mechanism is shovels, rakes, and other implements.
activated, the secret door slides into the The pile of rotted ropes is home to a family The hidden stone panel swings wide
ground to reveal a staircase leading down of five normal rats (AC 7, 1 hp each) in- and a billowing waist-high cloud of
to Area 43. fected with disease. greenish vapor pours into the room.
Wading through the mists is a huge cat-
32A: Old Quarters: The door to this 34. Visitor’s Quarters headed giant with a massive curved
room is quite thick and secure and has a sword.
wizard lock from an 8th-level wu jen on it. These rooms are identical.
The room behind the door is opulently fur- The cat-headed giant is the illusion. It
nished but heavily damaged by water This large room was once furnished in disappears in one round. Its purpose was
leaking through the roof. Puddles on the the style of Shou Lung, with great car- to draw attention away from the now-
floor have reduced the thick carpets to a pets and wall-hangings covering every harmless gas.
grey mush. The inner walls are lined with exposed surface of wall and floor. All
scrolls damaged beyond repair by water— that remains are burned fragments rot- The room behind the secret door is
these crumble into dust at the slightest ting from their hangings, and the furni- empty except for a single item in a glass
touch. On a small podium is a thick book, ture is little more than wet ashes. There case. This is a long ebony rod tipped with
inscribed with the following phrase in are also several blackened skeletons in the head of a black leopard. The rod was
some gajin tongue: Cormyr: The Forest this room. the Black Leopard Priest’s emblem of au-
Country. The pages have been reduced to thority, before he rejected his faith to be-
paste by the water dripping on the book. The Opawang had a unique method of come the Opawang. The rod radiates a
dealing with unwanted guests. There is strong magical aura, and if used against
The podium has a secret compartment nothing else of value in these rooms. the Opawang inflicts 2d10 points of dam-
lined with fur, which has reduced the ef- age (this is an enchantment provided by
fects of moisture. In this compartment is 35. Priest’s Quarters the Opawang’s former deity and disap-
another gajin book, a manual of puissant pears upon the Opawang’s death). In reg-
skill at arms. It is written in a strange This part of the temple complex was ular combat it inflicts 1d4 points of
tongue; to understand it, the reader must once the home of the priests who served damage. The rod is of fine workmanship
know some gajin language or be under a for generations under the Black Leopard and will fetch 50 ch’ien to those who do not
spell that permits the understanding of Priest before he fully became the Opa- know its background, but the Shou Lung
language. (A wu jen who scans this book is wang. The contents have been rear- Bureau of Reclamation and Rediscovery,
stunned for 1d6 turns, but he does not suf- ranged since that time. (or a sage with knowledge of the past) will
fer the loss of experience points.) offer 10 times than much.
35A: This room was originally a recep-
32B. Guard Post: If the Air Ochimo tion area for visitors. It has been swept 36. Spire of Air
survives by the time the characters reach clean of all furnishings, though there are
this spire, it is waiting here for them. Oth- obvious shadows where bases of large The northwestern tower of the inner wall
erwise the room will be empty. statues once rested. The door to 35B is was the quarters of the Air Ochimo in the
locked. complex. Where the passages meet, the
32C. Current Quarters: The door to party sees another great statue.
this room has been stripped of its bronze 35B: This was once the quarters of the
plates, though the bolts still jut out of the brethren of the temple, the low-level The statue before you rises some 30
wood. Beyond the door is a spartan room priests and their servants. It too has been feet from its base; it is carved to resem-
with a sleeping mat and a simple stool. stripped of all its furnishings. The door to ble a muscular woman. This woman is
There is an ornately painted and rendered 35C is locked and barred from this side. dressed in leather armor in a southern
drawing of a black leopard across the far style, and wields a nagimaki in both
wall. There are no other furnishings. 35C: This was the quarters of the high- hands. The inscription at her feet
est level priest who served the Black Leop- reads: “Air.”
33. Caretaker’s Quarters ard Priest. The Black Leopard Priest
himself used this room before becoming This statue represents the individual
These two rooms were originally the the Opawang. All of the furnishings in this whose spirit became the Air Ochimo. As
quarters for the temple’s architects and room, plus the furnishings from rooms with the other statues, this one faces to-
work crew supervisors. 35A and 35B, are piled against the south-
ern wall. There are simple tables, mats,
33A. Reception Area: This room was sleeping platforms, desks, and large
primarily used for meetings and is domi-

39

ward the temple and a secret panel at that government will pay 50 ch’ien for each be the fifth Ochimo, the Nature Ochimo.
corner. The secret door is not trapped, but such weapon in good condition; other Experiments to date had failed, and the
the first step leading down is. Anyone sources or collectors will pay 10 ch’ien. Opawang has had other matters on his
stepping on that first step causes the step mind with the arrival of the Shou Lung.
to sink and a razor-sharp pendulum blade 38. Wu Jen Quarters Neither figure nor armor radiate magic.
to swing across the step. Those on that
step suffer 1d8 points of damage and must This complex of rooms was used by the The room also contains a locked iron
successfully roll a saving throw vs. death alchemists, geomancers, and mages who box. This box holds the Opawang’s sor-
or fall down the remaining steps (for an ad- served the Black Leopard cult, aiding its cerous work book. The book is a foot
ditional 1d6 points of damage). leader to achieve immortality. square with a dragon’s head latch on one
side. The book is cursed such that any but
36A. Old Quarters: The door has been 38A. Wu Jen Parlor: This richly- the Opawang who open it must make a
removed from this room and the entrance furnished room retains all of its contents saving throw vs. spell or go insane for
bricked over. The mortar is old and crum- without decay (for this area is still used by 1d10 weeks. (Those insane imagine all
bling, so a few good kicks is enough to the Opawang). The furniture is of black manner of evil spirits streaming out of the
knock the wall in. Inside, the room is a riot polished wood and the carpets are thick pages of the book.) This curse may be
of green leaves and brightly colored and woven with intricate patterns. Vases temporarily negated for one day by a re-
flowers. The vines from the garden have and statuary fill niches carved in the north- move curse spell, or totally removed by the
reached this side of the inner wall and ern wall, and a raised wooden platform to same spell cast by a caster of 19th or
grown into the room through holes in the the south is flanked by ebony candles. The higher level.
room walls. Any furnishings that once air smells of ginger and incense.
stood in this room have long since been The Opawang’s sorcerous work book
reduced to mulch by the new plants. The three floor vases and four pieces of contains the following:
statuary are antiques, worth 100 ch’ien
36B. Guard Post: If the Ochimo of Air each to a collector (or the Shou Lung). The • The Opawang’s method of attaining
still survives, it is waiting here to attack candlesticks are worth 10 ch’ien each. immortality through the capture of the
any characters that enter this part of the The remaining material is of the finest spirits of others. The instructions are pur-
inner wall. quality, but will not bring high prices. posefully erroneous, so that those who at-
tempt it will be slain in the attempt.
36C. Current Quarters: The door to 38B. Wu Jen Quarters: This room is
this room is covered with sheets of beaten more spartan, as it was used by the wu jen • The creation of the Ochimo. These in-
bronze, inscribed in Shou Lung with the and his assistants when working. Several structions are complete, though they in-
great deeds of the Air Ochimo in life straw mats are rolled up in the corner, and volve evil and dishonorable practices.
(though not revealing her real name). Be- a number of dust-covered rice bowls are Also, the Opawang leaves out any expla-
yond the door is a spartan room with a piled by them. nation of controlling these Ochimo, so that
sleeping mat and a simple stool. On the far any created run amok.
wall a large leopard has been etched into 38C. Wu Jen Study: This room is filled
the surface of the stone in a primitive bas- with all manner of magical research de- • The Opawang’s spells. Though origi-
relief. There are no other furnishings. vices: divining rods of different materials, nally a tribal priest, the Opawang has
tuning forks, musical instruments, beak- learned wu jen spells. The spells in this
37. Guard Quarters ers, bottles, chemicals, pendulums, com- book may be learned by any wu jen of suf-
passes, oracle bones, bells, astronomical ficient level. They may also be cast di-
These rooms once housed the higher instruments, and various small pottery rectly from the book by sohei and
level fighters and protectors of the temple. jars containing dried spell components. shukenja of sufficient level (the latter
They have been empty since the Opa- There is nothing in this room that radiates caster has a 50% chance of erasing the
wang ascended to his present state. magic, however, only the tools to divine spell). These spells include the following:
and research magical items.
37A. Guard Quarters: The furnishings 1st Level: elemental burst, magic mis-
here have decayed into tatters and rub- The northern wall, containing the secret sile, water protection
bish. A chest filled with rotting clothes still door, is occupied by a large wooden rack
stands in the northwestern corner of the filled with scrolls and manuscripts. The 2d Level: ice knife, vocalize, wizard
room. At the bottom is a large key that un- last scroll on the third row of the rack does lock
locks the door to 37B. not move. If turned, it opens the secret
door behind it. The wall and scroll rack 3d Level: fire rain, improved phantas-
37B. Armory: The door to this room is swing out to reveal the secret room. mal force
locked, though the key may be found in
Room 37A. This room is filled with weap- 38D. Treasury of the Opawang: 4th Level: elemental turning, transfix,
ons used by the warriors and militia of the vengeance, wall of bones
temple in times of danger: tetsubo made The secret panel moves aside, reveal-
of dark wood, oddly-shaped naginata, ing a square room 20 feet on a side. 5th Level: conjure elemental
sickles, kama, and top-heavy parang. The center of the room is dominated by 6th Level: programmed illusion
Most of these are rotted or rusted beyond a large figure in white samurai armor, 7th Level: giant size
any salvation, but if the area is searched, armed with katana and wakizashi.
one of each type of weapon may be found The Opawang has had no need to learn
that is ancient but usable (-1 to hit, any The figure is a man-sized wooden spells since attaining his immortal state,
hit destroys the weapon). The Shou Lung model wearing armor of quality; this was to but has kept his book.

40 39. Fire Braziers

There are two such areas on the map, to
the east and west of the flooded third ring.

The descriptions are similar, though the the rising spire of the center of the tem- 43. Junkpile
characters are attacked by a fire elemen- ple.
tal only in one area. The path has been sloping downward
The cyclone is the Opawang’s gateway for a while, and you must be beneath
Through the archway ahead you see a to the lair of Akari’s air spirits. He may the third ring of the temple, the space
covered veranda with a broken stone summon them to aid him or to travel with between the inner wall and the central
railing. Beyond that railing a short span his Air Ochimo. Any individual who enters spire itself. Now you first notice the
of water separates the balcony from the the cyclone suffers 2d10 points of damage stench ahead. It is the sick, moldy
stonework that surrounds the center- from the buffeting of the wind. The victim smell of rotting fabric and freshly-
most spire of the temple. On the ve- then falls through the hole in the floor and turned earth. The passage widens out
randa itself, a large concave dish burns finds himself in the mountains east of Opa- into a high-ceilinged, 30-foot by 30-foot
with unearthly fire. wangchicheng. He is facing a hostile spirit room. The path winds among large
of the air. piles of debris, but scattered in these
These dishes are the Opawang’s steady piles there is a glittering as if precious
connection with the Elemental Plane of Four rounds after the characters enter stones lay hidden.
Fire and continue to burn even if im- this area, a spirit of the air appears out of
mersed in the water of the third ring. On the whirlwind and attack. Sealing the hole The glittering comes from curiously cut
the second turn after the characters enter, (with a wall of stone or one of the great diamonds littered among the debris and
a salamander appears in the flames. If not wain wheels from Area 40) not only cuts off refuse of millennia of life in the temple
provided with sufficient offerings (gems the portal, it causes all spirits of the air to complex. These diamonds are each about
are best), the creature attacks. flee the temple. This also lifts the ban the size and shape of an egg; they are hol-
against flying spells in the grey waste. low and part of the shell is broken with
Salamander: AC 5/3; MV 9”; HD 7+7; cracks radiating throughout.
hp 32; #AT 2; Dmg 2d6/2d6; SA Heat; SD Spirits of the Air: AC 4; MV 12”//24”;
+1 or better weapons to hit; AL CE HD 11; hp 50; #AT 2; Dmg 2d10/2d10; SD These diamonds are used by the Opa-
+1 or better weapons to hit wang to store spirits. The ones in the
In addition, two rounds after the sala- refuse pile are those that he has already
mander appears, 2d4 lacedons from Area 42. The Pool of the Third Ring emptied. The eggs are real diamonds, but
42 climb over the sides of the railing. so thin-skinned and flawed that each is
(These lacedons will attack earlier if some- The Opawang’s central spire is sur- only worth five ch’ien on the open market
one enters or tries to cross the water to the rounded on three sides by a large pool of (there are about 100 of these empty soul-
central temple.) green-grey water. This pool is just inches jars easily available, twice that number if
below the level of the stone paths that sur- the characters are willing to search
Pushing the dish of fire into the water round it, and several door open out from through the debris).
prevents the salamander from appearing the inner wall directly above the pool. The
(or forces it back to its own plane). The fire water is deepest near the inner wall (about Those stepping into the refuse arouse a
continues to burn and it scares off the 20 feet deep) and becomes shallower sleeping otyugh that lives there. The trem-
lacedons in that part of the pool, allowing (about 10 feet deep) toward the stairs sur- ors of passing feet usually mean that it is
safe passage. Moving the bronze dish rounding the central spire. feeding time, so the creature bursts out of
without adequate protection against the its hiding place beneath the debris and at-
intense heat results in 1d6 points of heat The pool is the home of more of the tacks with surprise.
damage per round. Opawang’s failed experiments: 30 lace-
dons (aquatic ghouls). These creatures Otyugh: AC 3; MV 6”; HD 8; hp 50; #AT
40. The Ruined Juggernaut are rarely fed and often end up as subjects 3; Dmg 1d8/1d8/1d4+1; Size L; SA dis-
in the Opawang’s experiments. ease; SD never surprised; AL N
This room is empty save for the remains
of another of the Opawang’s experiments. If the water is disturbed (by someone 44. The Black Well
This one involves creating an animated swimming, falling in, or trying to walk
wheeled statue with true intelligence. The across the water), 2d4 ghouls investigate This large, octagon-shaped room has a
remains of a great wain sit in the middle of on the next round. Every three rounds, single door to the north and four metal
this room, pieces of it smashed and bro- 1d6 additional ghouls show up after that if ladders leading up into the darkness.
ken off. The great cart’s wheels have been the disturbance continues. The room is lit by low fires set into the
removed and are stacked up against the eastern and western walls. These burn
eastern wall. These ghouls are greyish green in color without fuel. The center of the room is
and blend in well with the murky waters of occupied by a white-stoned pool filled
41. The Pillar of Air their homes. Their touch has no effect on to the rim with what appears to be a
spirits and spirit folk, but will affect other dark liquid.
You enter this roofed veranda to see a races. Individuals who are paralyzed while
spinning cyclone of air rising from a swimming drown in 1d6 rounds unless On closer examination, the dark liquid
hole in the floor. Beyond the balcony on they can breath water. turns out to be a semi-porous rubbery
all sides is a great pool of greenish wa- membrane. This enables passage into the
ter, and on the other side of the pool is Lacedons (30): AC 6; MV 9”; HD 2; hp 5 Opawang’s Dead Lands. An individual
each #AT 3; Damage 1d3/1d3/1d6; SA passing through the membrane must to-
paralyzation; SD undead, immune to
sleep, charm, and similar spells, may be
repelled by protection from evil; AL CE

41

tally immerse him or herself in the black doors to the north and south. The arch- their mouths if the doors are opened (fills
material before passing out the other side. ways lead out to water-covered balco- the 10-foot by 10-foot areas in front of the
The barrier is mildly impervious to spirits nies Standing before you is a horrid doors—those affected must roll a suc-
and the like, so spirits and spirit folk must creature of rotting flesh and bone, drip- cessful saving throw vs. poison or be
make a saving throw vs. spell to pass ping of earth from the tomb. This foul slain). If questioned, the doors admit to be-
through. Failing this save results in the being fills the room with a hideous ing trapped. They also extol the virtues of
spirit or spirit folk bouncing off the black stink. “Begone,” it croaks in a raspy the Opawang—he is all-powerful, all-wise,
membrane like it was a trampoline. For the voice, “you have no place here!” and and all-too-deadly for this group.
effects of characters and the Opawang begins to advance on you.
passing through the portal into the Dead The doors may be opened manually or
Lands, see Chapter 5. This is not an illusion—it is a clay golem by command from a distance. The doors
that has been modified to fit the Opa- cheerfully give the PCs the command
The metal ladders lead up to trap doors wang’s needs. The creation method was word if asked.
in Room 52. There is also a clear chute be- found in a gajin manual. The creature is a
tween the center of the floor in Room 52 clay golem in all ways, save appearance. 51. Fish in a Barrel
and the black well. This is part of the Opa- Its grey appearance is clay, not rotting
wang’s escape route from Room 52. flesh. The creature may be harmed by The floor of this room is inlaid in inter-
shukenja weapons which are magical, weaving patterns of blue, red, and grey
45. First Warning and by any type of earth wu jen magic. tiles. In the northwestern and north-
eastern corners are small tablets rest-
Opening the northern door, you see a Clay Golem: AC 7; MV 7”; HD 9: hp 50; ing upon pedestals. The doors from
large room laid with sea-green tiles. At #AT 1; Damage 3-30; SA haste; SD unaf- this room are to the east, west, and
the far end of the room, by the only fected by nonmagical non-shukenja weap- south.
other exit, the ghostly form of an old ons, unaffected by non-earth magic; AL N
man materializes. “I am the Opa- The entire northern wall is an illusion
wang,” says the form. “You must leave Should the characters flee out the arch- generated by the magics placed on the
my household or you will die.” ways, the golem will follow. If immersed in two tablets. It appears solid to sight and
the pool its features will melt, though no touch, but a character may walk through it
The ghostly figure is a programmed illu- other damage is inflicted. The lacedons without harm. The wall does not exist from
sion created by the true Opawang in order will attack the golem as well as the party. the other side; thus the Opawang in Area
to warn the PCs off. The figure remains for 52 has an unobstructed view of his foes.
two rounds then sinks into the floor. Ar- 48. The Pool’s Edge
rows and other missiles do not affect it, The Opawang is ready for the player
and spells (with the exception of dispel The ledge surrounding this part of the characters, having cast his defensive
magic or dispel illusion) are equally inef- temple is tilted downward, and its outer spells already (see Area 52). The Opa-
fective (the latter spells must contend with edges are beneath the water’s surface. wang opens up with a volley of magic mis-
the 18th-level caster). Any characters walking along this ledge siles fired through his illusionary wall,
are attacked by 1d6 lacedons from Area concentrating on obvious spell-casters
46. Rubble 42, with 1d6 more joining each round. The and the bearer of the leopard-headed rod
lacedons seek to grapple and drag the from Area 38D. The illusion is not dis-
There are two such rooms with similar characters into the water. pelled by firing the missiles through it, so it
descriptions. appears that the missile erupt from the
49. Trapdoors wall itself.
These rooms are filled with rubble and
fragments of old statues. There seem There are four such rooms in the central After a second volley of magic missiles,
to be remains of at least a dozen large complex, each with a metal ladder running the Opawang switch to three rounds of ele-
statues and a half-dozen small ones. down to Area 44 and each covered by a mental bursts targeted at the stone beneath
From the largest pile of rubble, the metal grill. The grill and ladder are magi- the most heavily-armored figure’s feet.
sightless eyes of a stone leopard re- cally trapped to deliver a shock of 2d6
gard you. points of damage to the first person to con- If the characters are still in this room af-
tact both grill and ladder and 1d4 points to ter five rounds of spell-casting, the Opa-
The statues are not magical in any way. anyone else on the ladder. In addition, wang casts slay living against the
They are the remains of cat statues that each character shocked must roll a suc- survivors. He maintains his onslaught until
the Opawang destroyed but never re- cessful saving throw vs. spell or fall to the there is one only remaining character or
moved. floor 50 feet below. the PCs leave this room (including through
the northern illusionary wall).
47. The Face of Opawang 50. Trapped Doors
The tablets record the great deeds and
The door opens to reveal a large room There are three such doors in the accomplishments of the Opawang. Also
with archways to the east and west and complex—on the northern, eastern, and described are his triumphs against the
western walls of Room 52. early Shou Lung Empire, his construction
of the city of Opawangchicheng, and the
These doors have a dim intelligence creation of his Ochimo.
and are trapped to fire poison gas from
The illusionary wall can be brought
down through disbelief, through a dispel

42

magic or true seeing, or by moving the tab- DM should keep track of how many spells
lets. of each level the Opawang uses.

52. The Lair of the Opawang The Opawang always seeks to keep his
vengeance spell operating. The venge-
The circular room is 50 feet across. In ance is tied to the casting of an unholy
the center is an eight-sided podium. word (the Opawang will cast no other 7th-
Seated on a black stone chair, facing level spells in this encounter). Upon his
you, is a man. His hair is jet black and death, the Opawang’s unholy word inflicts
he seems quite young, but his skin is the usual damage and also opens a pit be-
pale, almost waxy. He is dressed in neath the Opawang’s podium, dumping
robes but also wears the skin of a black all on the podium 50 feet into the black
leopard, its paws tied in front of him, well. The Opawang passes through the
and the head thrown back like a hood. black well and into his Dead Lands. If the
He is unarmed. To his right is a large Opawang’s remains are prevented from
hollowed stone set upon a tripod, to his passing through the portal, the creature is
left a large chest filled with flickering dead and cannot reanimate. The Opa-
gems. The room is entirely carved of wang will never leave his podium in final
white marble, and statues fill every combat, unless there is only one character
niche from floor to ceiling. left. He will seek to capture this individual
(by quell and possession) for use as an
This being is the Opawang (see the New Ochimo.
Monsters section for full stats). He ap-
pears to be unconcerned by the charac- Should the player characters defeat the
ters entrance. Opawang and prevent his remains from
falling into the black pool (by their heroic
The hollow stone on the tripod looks like actions, or by the wise act of covering the
a geode (a stone filled with crystals), and it pool earlier), the Opawang’s spirit is
radiates magic. The device is a gem of quickly seized by all the darker spirits that
scrying (treat as a crystal ball with clairau- he has been dealing with. The Dead
dience). This is one method that the Opa- Lands begin to crumble and disintegrate,
wang used to track the characters (the and Harooga is freed from her prison
other being reports from spirits in the tem- (though she is unaware of how she was
ple). The chest contains about 50 hollow freed). The temple shakes as the black
diamonds that still contain spirits. well shatters, and the spirits of those the
Opawang has captured but not consumed
The Opawang has been casting spells are freed. These spirits regain their corpo-
in preparation for this meeting since the real forms (this includes player-characters
characters arrived in Area 47 or 48. These captured by the Ochimo). Harooga and
spells and their durations are as follows: her freed spirits destroy the temple, giving
vengeance (18 rounds), mental strength characters only enough time to escape
(18 rounds), deflection (36 rounds), protec- with their lives.
tion from spirits (54 rounds), protection
from good (18 turns), immunity to weapons Should the PCs fail to stop the Opa-
(six rounds). wang’s remains from falling into the pool,
the Opawang enters his Dead Lands and
The Opawang casticates the characters waits for the characters there. Any charac-
as soon as they enter his central lair. He ters on the podium fall into the pool as well
tries to isolate each individual by a wall of and are transported to the Dead Lands.
bones cast around them, then casts ice Should the characters not pursue the
knives before reducing the remainder with Opawang, he will return to his domain at
smite and slay living spells. sunrise the next day and hunt the charac-
ters down.
If engaged in melee combat, the Opa-
wang casts harm, mental weakness, fa-
tigue, poison, and cause blindness,
according to the situation and the avail-
ability of spells. He only casts destruction
if there are two attackers left, as this ne-
gates his escape route.

The Opawang employs his other spells
dispel magic, vocalize, snake barrier, etc.
as the situation and spell limitations de-
mand it. Out of fairness to the players, the

43

Chapter 5: The Dead Lands

The Dead Lands are a pocket of extra- topped chunk of ground about 140 yards rooga manifests herself as a pure elemen-
dimensional space created by the Opa- long by 95 yards wide. The crystal dome is tal force.
wang as a storage place, recovery area, where the Opawang keeps Harooga pris-
and bolt-hole. It is not a plane or demi- oner. It is there that the Opawang flees if If the characters stumble into the Dead
plane in the standard sense, but is closer Lands before encountering the Opawang,
to the spaces created by gajin spells (e.g., he has been defeated by the characters. he is aware of the intrusion and follows in
Leomund’s tiny chest and Mordenkainen’s The borders of this extra-dimensional five rounds, first casting an invisibility to
magnificent mansion) than planar travel. enemies spell (the player characters qual-
All spells and magical items function in space drop off to unfathomable depths. A ify as enemies for invading extra-
this area as they do on the Prime Material gloomy light diffuses the sky above and dimensional space). The white pool
Plane. below the Dead Lands. A character who bubbles in the Opawang’s presence, but
steps off the edge of the cliff hangs in mid- the characters (unless they have detect in-
Any being that passes through the por- air, unable to get back without aid, unless visible or similar spells operating) notice
tal is subject to the following effects: he can extend his reach to grip onto the nothing else. The Opawang seeks to as-
• All damage is healed. edges of the world and pull himself back. sume giant size and reach his great sword
• Malefic spells are broken, including unseen before attacking.
blindness, disease (from spell only), and The portal in the shrine leads back to
curses. the Room 52. Those who have not spent at If the Opawang is slain, the edges of his
• Dead individuals are brought back to life least 24 hours in this dimension must roll a plain begin to crumble at a rate of 10 feet
with automatic success on the system per round. Harooga is freed by this deteri-
shock rolls. successful saving throw vs. spell when oration (if not already free) and escapes
• All spells and spell-like abilities are re- they enter the portal. Failure means that through the white portal (rising up through
charged. Items that function a limited they enter Room 52 but are unconscious the central shaft below Room 52 and tak-
number of times per day or week are reset. for 10 turns. ing the roof off that spire in the process).
• Those who have not passed through the The portal is the last area to be destroyed;
portal before are disoriented and stunned If he has already battled the characters, the characters should be able to escape
for 2d4 rounds after emerging. the Opawang flees to Harooga’s prison. back into the temple complex. With the de-
This takes two rounds. After this he casts struction of the Opawang and his pocket
The Dead Lands have one other special the following spells: mental strength, pro- dimension, the black well evaporates to
property: each round an unprotected tection from good, immunity to weapons, reveal a smooth stone surface.
character is in the Dead Lands, he loses 1 and giant size.
hit point. The Opawang gains any points If the characters are slain by the Opa-
lost in this fashion (the gained hit points This last is the most important spell. The wang, the Dead Spirit King reforms his
can bring his total above his initial hit Opawang casts it first if he is being closely Ochimo (perhaps using player characters
points). This effect is negated by protec- pursued. He becomes giant sized as the as the medium) and continues his reign of
tion from evil spells, protection from magic first members of the party approach him. terror against the Shou Lung colony. The
scrolls, and similar items. Spirits and spirit He then pulls the metal spire from the Ko family persists in believing that the
folk are not affected by this loss, ground and wields it as a great sword. It in- Ochimo is responsible for their ill fortune.
flicts 3d10+13 points of damage per The family searches for sufficiently power-
When the characters recover from their round. The Opawang remains giant sized ful individuals to deal with the creature be-
entry, read the following: for eight rounds before returning to nor- fore the government finds out. The PCs’
mal. During this time, he tries to slay the families lose 4 points of honor for the fail-
You awaken on a white floor in the mid- more powerful fighters with his sword. He ure of their chosen emissaries. The Opa-
dle of a circular room with a high, is 60 feet tall and has an AC of -5. Upon wang tightens his control over the spirits
arched ceiling. White statuary fills returning to normal size, he casts the rest of the island.
every nook and cranny of the room. of his spells and uses slay living, smite,
There is an exit in each of the four car- and magic missiles to eradicate his foes. If the characters drive the Opawang into
dinal directions. Beyond the archways his pocket dimension and do not pursue
leading out, you see a flat plain that The crystal dome is about 10 feet in di- him, the Dead Spirit King returns the
ends in a cliff’s edge in three direc- ameter and holds a beautiful female pris- morning following his flight. He hunts
tions. In the fourth direction, a crystal oner. This is Harooga, the Greater Nature down the characters and tries to destroy
dome rises next to a tall, metallic tower. Spirit of Akari Island. She cannot fight the them before they can return to civilization
In the center of the room is a black Opawang until she is freed. The crystal with news of his existence. The characters
stone pool containing a thick white liq- dome is AC 9 and withstands 30 points of become aware of his return when they are
uid. damage before shattering. Blunt weapons hit with a sudden spate of nightmares.
inflict double damage.
Physically, the Dead Lands are a flat, If the characters drive the Opawang into
If Harooga is freed, she immediately re- his dimension and seal the entrance, the
gains her powers and attacks the Opa- opening remains sealed for a year and a
wang with berserker fury (+2 to hit, day before the Opawang discovers how to
double damage). So great is her fury that
any who get in her way stand a chance of
being hit as well for normal damage. Ha-

44

return. Upon his return, he will resume his with a scroll containing several detect lie great task. They may be considered to
attacks with an eye toward destroying spells), the governor wants to hear all the have a contact with the Ko clan. Due to the
(rather than scaring off) the Shou Lung. details of story, especially concerning any paperwork involved, the character’s
The Ko family, now awash in praise for treasure the characters brought back. names are left off the reports to the Shou
their successful colony, summon the char- Governor Ko honors his agreement about Lung capital, listing their aid as “addi-
acters (or their worthy relatives or de- the split of the treasure and sends word tional help from mercenaries.” Thus the
scendents) to handle the matter. Harooga back to his brother (Ko Mei Kho) that the PCs’ claims to greatness would not be
remains the Opawang’s prisoner. quest has succeeded. given credence in Shou Lung. The players
may each ask for a magical item and the
If the characters free Harooga, she is The people of the settlements honor the Ko will find it to reward them. Common
very grateful and grants them one boon heroes with a series of banquets and cele- magical items (a katana +1) will be lo-
while they are on the island. This has the brations. These celebrations begin very cated in 1d10 weeks and delivered to the
effect of a wish spell, though it must be cautiously at first (given what happened character’s home. More rare items will
something that the spirit could supply. Any the first time they celebrated the defeat of take 2d10 weeks, and very rare or power-
magical item mentioned in this text, free the Ochimo), but soon get into full gear. ful items may never arrive, a lesser gift ar-
transport back to civilization, raising the riving instead within 2d10 weeks with 100
dead, or bringing from the depths of the In the depths of the jungle, Harooga is ch’ien. The players also gain 5 points of
earth a great gem worth 1,000 ch’ien are celebrating in her own fashion: by de- honor for defeating the Opawang and his
all within her abilities. If Harooga is not stroying the Grey Wastes and Opawang- spirit warriors.
freed by the direct actions of the charac- chicheng. Those PCs who return to the
ters breaking through her prison, she is area will find most of the evil spirits chased
well-disposed towards the characters, but out and the plains already overgrown with
grants them no boon. a rich variety of weeds, vines, and flowers.
The treasures the characters do not take
Destroying Opawang either in his tem- with them are cached away in half a hun-
ple or in his pocket dimension results in dred lairs on the island, while Harooga
the destruction of that extra-dimensional keeps the best for herself (at the DM’s
space (freeing Harooga) and eliminating whim, she might indulge herself by scat-
the effects of any spell of Dead Spirit King. tering fragments of the 2,000-year-old cur-
rency over the peasants’ celebrations).
If the characters return to the settle-
ments, they are called into conference Ko honors his agreement in full. Old
with Governor Ko. Accompanied by his debts are forgiven. The characters are
new aide, the Shukenja Ki Bohr (equipped given honor as if they had completed a

45

New Monsters

Opawang wu jen), magic missile (as wu jen), of the following day, when it is healed in
snake charm, trance, water protection full with the first rays of sunrise. (Thus if an
(Dead Spirit King) (as wu jen) Ochimo is slain the day before the Opa-
2d Level: aid, commune with lesser spirit, wang is encountered, the Opawang is
Frequency: Unique dream sight, ice knife (as wu jen), pro- healed by the time the PCs find him, but if
No. Appearing: 1 tection from spirits, vocalize (as wu jen), the Ochimo is slain on the day the Opa-
Armor Class: 0 warning, wizard lock (as wu jen) wang is encountered, the Opawang’s hit
Move: 12”/18” 3d Level: castigate, cause blindness (re- points are reduced by 15.)
Hit Dice: 18 (100 hit points) versed cure blindness), dispel magic,
% in Lair: 100% dream vision, fire rain (as wu jen), im- Finally, the Opawang has created a por-
Treasure Type: Unique proved phantasmal force (as wu jen), tal beneath his temple that enables pas-
No. of Attacks: 2 nightmare (reversed dream vision), levi- sage to the Dead Lands, where his power
Damage/Attack: 2d6/2d6 tate is increased. Upon entering this domain,
Special Attacks: See below 4th Level: elemental turning (as wu jen), all damage to him is healed and all spell
Special Defenses: See below fatigue (reversed endurance), poison use is returned to him. All invaders in his
Magic Resistance: 20% (reversed neutralize poison), protection domain lose 1 hit point per round, which is
Intelligence: Genius from good (10-foot radius), quell, snake added to his own hit points.
Alignment: Chaotic Evil barrier, transfix (as wu jen), vengeance
Size: M (as wu jen), wall of bones (as wu jen)
Psionic Ability: None 5th Level: air walk, commune with greater
Level/XP Value: 16,250 spirit, conjure elemental (as wu jen),
mental strength, mental weakness (re-
The Opawang is neither dead nor a verse mental strength), possess, slay
spirit. He is a 2,000-year-old man with living (reverse raise dead)
great magical power. The Opawang was 6th Level: force shapechange, harm (re-
once the Black Leopard Priest and led his verse heal), immunity to weapons, in-
cult’s followers against the expansion of visibility to enemies, programmed
the Shou Lung empire. The empire illusion (as wu jen), whither (reversed
crushed his army and burned his temples, quickgrowth), smite
but the Black Leopard Priest escaped to 7th Level: compel, giant size (as wu jen),
Akari Island with a large number of his fol- unholy word (reversed holy word), de-
lowers. There they built his city in the cen- struction (reversed resurrection), wind
ter of this rich land. walk

The Opawang appears to be a normal The Opawang does not need to study a
man of middle years with a waxy, almost spell book to cast these spells. He may
translucent complexion. Muscles and cast them at will, but is limited to the maxi-
bones can be seen beneath the skin in mum number of each level he can cast in a
bright light, and the Opawang’s eyes glow day.
with an an unearthly radiance when he is
angry (similar to the wu jen firey eyes The Opawang also has absolute control
spell—and with the same effect). over the spirits, greater and lesser on the
island of Akari. He holds the spirit of the is-
The Opawang wields a number of inher- land itself, Harooga, prisoner in his Dead
ent spell-like abilities he has developed Land domain. All spirits on the island of
over the years. Some are shukenja spells Akari are uncooperative to those other
he used in early life, while others are wu than the Opawang and his Ochimo. The
jen spells he has discovered and modified spirits will not reveal the existence of the
for his personal use. The Opawang’s spell Opawang, laying all blame on the Ochimo
use is as that of an 18th-level shukenja. (who are referred to as a single being).
This is by command of the Opawang.
Spells: 1234567
Level 7654331 The Opawang extends some of his abili-
#/Day ties to his Ochimo servants, such that they
may pass on to him the first 15 points of
The Opawang chooses his spells from damage inflicted on them in battle. This
the following list: damage to the Opawang lasts until dawn
1st Level: deflection, elemental burst (as
46

Ochimo An Ochimo may hold no more than 10 slain, any spirits captured by the Ochimo
Hit Dice of spirits (for ninja and multi- and not yet presented to the Opawang are
(Spirit Warriors) classed individuals, use an average of the restored to their original state. The armor
two levels). It may not absorb more than of the ghostly samurai falls to the ground
Frequency: Total of 4 this without returning to its master. (An with its weapons. The spirit of the Ochimo
No. Appearing: 1 Ochimo that has absorbed 5 HD of crea- can be seen briefly as a black tiger-
Armor Class: 1 tures may not absorb the spirit of a 6th- shaped form as it flees this plane.
Move: 12”/24” level character without first dispensing of
Hit Dice: 10 the levels within it. It may, however, ab- The Earth Ochimo possesses the ebon
% in Lair: 0% sorb the spirit of a 5th-level character.) hunt, a set of six magical figurines that,
Treasure Type: None once cast on the ground, become a jet-
No. of Attacks: 2 The following table lists the chance to black stallion (medium war horse) and five
Damage/Attack: 1d10/1d10 meet an Ochimo’s gaze in certain situa- black leopards, all of maximum hit dice,
Special Attacks: See below tions. The chance in other cases must be and capable of moving 18” per round. If
Special Defenses: See below decided by the DM using this list as a slain, the figures become broken and non-
Magic Resistance: 10% + special guideline. magical. If the bearer is slain, the crea-
Intelligence: Very tures return to their original magical state.
Alignment: Chaotic Evil Situation Meet Gaze? The ebon hunt maybe cast once per night.
Size: M Psychic Duel Automatic
Psionic Ability: None Completely Surprised Automatic The Fire Ochimo wears a ring of spells, a
Level/XP Value: 4,200 + 14/hp Surprised by Ochimo 8in10 form of the ring of spell storing. This ring
Viewing Ochimo 6in10 will only hold seven levels of spells at any
The Ochimo are the quasi-spirit crea- Attacking Normally 4in10 one time. It is currently filled with one
tions of the Opawang, the Dead Spirit Avoiding Gaze 2in10 magic missile spell placed there by the
King, and act as his messengers, ser- Attacking from Behind 1in10 Opawang (nine missiles for 1d4+1 points
vants, and warriors. Each appears identi- of damage each) and a wither spell.
cal to his brethren—a masked samurai The Ochimo have been ensorcelled by
warrior in full regalia. the Opawang to attack until they have cap- The Water Ochimo wears a talisman of
tured at least 8 HD of spirits. Until that time the restless dead. This device looks like a
Each Ochimo has the power of spirit the Ochimo fight without fear. While the small birds-foot charm on a leather thong.
capture. It may suck the life force of a spirit Ochimo prefer to capture spirits, they slay It forces spirits to animate the bones of
or physical entity into its body. The spirit is those they cannot capture. any long-dead humans and humanoids
saved for later use by the Opawang (who that are available (these are similar to
prolongs his life by consuming these spir- The four Ochimo are identical in ap- western skeletons, and may be turned,
its). The range of this form of gaze attack pearance, save for the magical items they though they are also affected by spells
is 3”. Any character who meets the gaze carry and a colored disk on each mask’s that deal with spirits). Up to 20 such skele-
of an Ochimo must roll a successful sav- forehead. The color of the disk identifies tons may be animated in a single day.
ing throw vs. death magic or have his spirit the elemental type of the Ochimo. The
sucked into the Ochimo. Earth Ochimo has a red disc, the Fire The Air Ochimo wields the blades of ex-
Ochimo yellow, the Water Ochimo green, cellent damage. These blades are a ka-
The visible effects of spirit capture de- and the Air Ochimo blue. The elemental tana and wakizashi that are +2 to hit, are
pend upon the type of Ochimo encoun- type of Ochimo affects its vulnerabilities unbreakable, and always inflict maximum
tered: and the visible effects of its spirit capture. damage. These blades were used by the
Black Leopard Priest’s best warrior in the
The Earth Ochimo seems to convert its Each Ochimo makes saving throws
target into fine sand, which is then drained against elemental attacks with a +2 bo- battle against the Shou Lung, but their ori-
into the Ochimo’s eyes. nus to the die, except for attacks of its gin predates that time. They radiate a
type. Attacks by a similar elemental force strong sense of evil, and those of good
The Water Ochimo converts its target are saved at a -2 penalty, and the alignment feel a need to destroy the
into a human-shaped vessel of water, Ochimo suffers +2 to each die of damage. blades and their wielder.
which is then sucked through the eye- An Ochimo is affected by elemental turn-
holes of the mask. ing against its type, but not by spells that These items are found among the armor
affect spirits. An elemental burst heals of the Ochimo if these creatures are slain.
The Air Ochimo blows a blast of air from 1d10 points of damage to an Ochimo. The armor of an Ochimo is always of ar-
the mouth of its mask. This reduces the mor of quality. Their katana and wakizashi
target to fine dust, which it inhales. The tie between the Ochimo and the are always unbreakable. These weapons
Opawang is very strong. The first 15 are also nonaligned, save for those car-
The Fire Ochimo fires beams of flame points of damage each day to an Ochimo ried by the Air Ochimo.
from the eyehole of its mask, converting inflicts no damage (weapons and magical
the target to a fine ash that is blown away. damage have no visible effects). This
damage is passed on to the Opawang,
In all cases, the Ochimo has captured who heals at sunrise. (If all four Ochimo
the spirit of the target. The Ochimo retains suffer damage in a single day, the Opa-
the spirit until it returns to Opawangchi- wang takes 60 points of damage, which is
cheng, where it turns the spirit over to the healed at the next sunrise). If an Ochimo is
Opawang. If the Ochimo is slain, all cap-
tive spirits are returned to their original
forms unharmed.

47

126). She is 70% magic resistant and in- that the other spirits on the island cannot
vulnerable to spells that affect her element be trusted, as the Opawang is holding Ha-
(water). She may cast the following spells, rooga hostage. The island serpents know
once per round; invisibility, polymorph self, Shou Lung, Wa, Kozakuran, and the
detect evil, detect good, detect magic, and tongue of the Black Leopard People.
detect harmony, as well as all spells in-
volving water. She may only be struck by Stone Spirits
weapons of +4 or higher.
(Lesser Spirits)
Island Serpents
Small Med Large
(Lesser Spirits)
Frequency: Rare V Rare V Rare
Frequency: Very Rare
No. Appearing: 1 No. Appearing: 1d8 1d4 1
Armor Class: 8
Move: 6” Armor Class: 53 1
Hit Dice: 3
% in Lair: 10% Move: 12” 6” 6”
Treasure Type: I
No. of Attacks: 1 Hit Dice: 24 6
Damage/Attack: 2d6 or 1d6
Special Attacks: Sleeping poison % in Lair: 100% 100% 100%
Special Defenses: None
Magic Resistance: Standard Treasure Type: QQ R
Intelligence: Very
Alignment: Neutral Good No. of Attacks: 11 1
Size: M
Psionic Ability: None Damage/Attack: 1 d 8 2 d 8 3d8
Level/XP Value: 160 + 3/hp
Special Attacks: See below
The island serpents appear as great
ghostly snakes, as long as python. Their Special Defenses: See below
large fangs do not retract, but rather jut
over the lower lips like a sabre-toothed ti- Magic
ger’s. The island serpents are the part of
Harooga’s consciousness that has not Resistance: 2 Stand 5%
been captured by the Opawang. They are
the only native spirits on the island that are Intelligence: Average
not controlled by the Opawang.
Alignment: Neutral Evil
The island serpents attack by constric-
tion for 2d6 points per round. They also Size: SML
bite for 1d6, the venom inducing sleep for
1d4+1 rounds in those who fail a saving Psionic Ability: None
throw vs. poison. They do not consume
Harooga human prey, preferring to use this poison Level/XP Value: Small: 36 + 2/hp
to sneak off into the underbrush.
Spirit of Akari Island Medium: 110 + 4/hp
(Greater Spirit) Island serpents are affected by all spells
that affect spirits and serpents, including Large: 425 + 6/hp
Frequency: Unique spells like snake charm and the like. They
No. Appearing: 1 may be hit by normal weaponry. Stone spirits animate the statues they
Armor Class: 2
Move: 12” If spoken with, the island serpents tell a live in, causing them to move in a certain
Hit Dice: 15 (115 hit points) story of a beautiful maiden of great virtue fashion. Small stone spirits are the most
% in Lair: 100% (Harooga) held by an undying warlord of graceful and, if the statue has wings, may
Treasure Type: H great evil at the heart of huge temple in the even fly at slow speed (3”). All stone spirits
No. of Attacks: 2 center of the jungle. The island serpents attack using their bodies as ramming
Damage/Attack: 1d10/1d10 call this warlord Opawang, the Dead Spirit weapons. If a stone spirit is slain, the
Special Attacks: See below King, and his city Opawangchicheng. statue it inhabits is reduced to dust.
Special Defenses: See below They tell the characters that the spirit war-
Magic Resistance: 70% riors serve him. The serpents also note Stone spirits are affected by all spells
Intelligence: Genius and are particularly vulnerable to spells in-
Alignment: Neutral Good 48 volving earth magic, against which they
Size: L save with a -2 penalty, and suffer +2 on
Psionic Ability: None each damage die. They are healed for
Level/XP Value: 10,400 1d10 points by the elemental burst spell.

Harooga is the nature spirit who con-
trols Akari Island. She is also the greatest
of the nature spirits of the Prioto Islands.
At the start of this adventure, she is held
captive by the Opawang in a large gem. By
holding Harooga hostage, the Opawang
controls the spirits of Akari Island.

Harooga has the powers of a greater
nature spirit (Oriental Adventures page