tsr09309 - Greyhawk - Vecna Lives

“Themorning after the Feast ofHi- “‘Oursagacious master,’ replied may turn out to be only rumors.
the barons, ‘we advise, and even Vecna Lives! is intended for a
mar, certain citizens ofFleeth came beg you, to accept the terms they
out of the town and entreated upon offer.’ But .the Whispered One did party of six to eight player charac-
the besiegers to speak with Lord not listen. That very day the ters. A balanced mixture of races
Vecna, the Whispered One, in his mangonels and war-wizards were and classes is recommended and
set up outside the walls. The as-
spidered pavilion. They told him sault went on for about five hours characters should be 12th to 15th
and then the wizened lord broke level (or the player should have
they were ready to place the city the walls of Fleeth with a wave of commensurate skill). Since Vec-
and all their possessions at his dis- his hand.
cretion, provided their lives were na’s powers can be adjusted to the
“Bythe dawn, the heads of citi- needs of your campaign, player
spared. The Whispered One replied zens were stacked before the burg- characters should have magical
that he could not agree to such ers. Their own wives and children items appropriate to your style of
terns,norindeed toany others,and stared at them foremost. This was play. It is not recommended that
that he would see the heads of all the humor of Vecna, and as his f i - any character begin the adventure
Fleeth stacked beforehim. nal cruelty, he allowed these bur-
ghers to depart in peace and possessing a n artifact or relic.
“Hearing his terrible utterance guaranteed their safety for the re- Successful completion of this ad-
on their fate, these same burghers mainders of their sorrowful lives.”
beseeched him to mercy, offering venture requires steely resolve and
-from The Chronicle of Secret
themselves if he would spare the Times by Uhas of Neheli steadfastness on the part of both
good people ofFleeth. Perhaps the players and DM. This is no surprise
Whispered One was amused, for Vecna Lives is a high-level adven- for the players-in any adventure
he ordered them to place one of ture for use with the AD&D@2nd
their number, his familx and Edition rules. In addition to the they expect to meet challenges that
slaves into Lord Vecna’shands. rules set, this adventure uses will test, even threaten, their exist-
many of the places and people de- ence. However, because of the high
“Lotswere taken and an upright scribed in the WORLD OF risk in this adventure, the DM must
burgher, Goodman Artau, called GREYHAWK@Campaign Set, the also be prepared to act boldly and
City of Greyhawk Boxed Set, and decisively.
his family from within the walls. the GREYHAWK Appendix to the
‘Join me, for the Great Lord has Monstrous Compendia. These In short, this adventure is meant
products are necessary to com- to kill characters. If you are a DM
granted us safety to leave this pletely use the material given who cannot bring himself to kill a
land,’ he told his wife, seeking to here. Also helpful are the player’s prized character or one
ease her mind. Reassured by his GREYHAWK@Adventures and
Manual of the Planes rule books. who can be pressured to “give a
gentle words, she and her children Although the adventure can be guy a break,” you must be extra
played without these products, strong when running Vecna Lives!
passed through the gate tojoin her you will find your task as DM Beginning with the opening
husband. Pleased, the Whispered much easier if both are available. scenes, player characters will die
One gave them all over to Kas the In addition, the Falcon’s Revenge, here! If you let characters off the
Falconmaster, and Flames of the hook, allowing them to survive
Hateful. Falcon adventures provide addi-
“For a day, the burghers tional material and background on when they should be dead, then
the city of Greyhawk and sur- the fear that is so important to this
watched Goodman Artau and his rounding lands. Hints and sugges- module will not be generated.
tions of what is to come appear in
family die at the hands of Kas. ?b this end, you must carefully
When at last it was done, the bur- consider whether you will allow
your players to use their favorite
ghers pleaded to take their leave, player characters in this cam-
certain their city had been saved. paign. If you do,you must be ready
to kill these characters-
But the Whispered One turned to sometimes coldly and harshly.
his barons and spoke to them. ‘My There are many opportunities for
lords,’ he said, ‘thepeople of this characters to die in this adventure
city are ready to surrender it at m y
discretion, on condition that their

lives are spared. However, I will
not make peace with them on
these terms, nor any others, ex-
cept with your consent.’

3

and some of them are quite arbi- for those times when you have to from one scene to the next affect
trary and may even seem unfair. “wing it.” Read the climax to this the mood of the tale. The example
Unless your player can accept the module before you start playing below highlights the difference.
death of a favored character, it the adventure-even if you don’t
may be best to use the player char- read anything else in advance. Example #1
This way you know what the big, Scene 1 :The heroes arrive in town
acters provided. final scene is. Then be careful that on a bright, sunny morning. They
The reason for all this emphasis you don’t top it earlier in the ad- find a carter to bring their gear to
venture. You don’t want the end to the castle of Count Draman, their
on character death is quite simple. be anticlimactic. host.
Vecna Lives! is meant to be a
nerve-wracking, even terrifying, To get the most out of this adven- Scene 2:The heroes arrive at the
castle and find their host dead, his
adventure. You want your players ture, you must work carefully to body pinned to a great chair by a
to be scared. One of the most build a suspenseful atmosphere thick spear.
frightening things in an AD&D@ for your players. While the basic
game is the complete destruction tension comes from the adventure Example #2
of a player character. Unless your itself, more has to come from you. Scene 1 : The heroes arrive in town
players feellike they could be anni- The most challenging adventure in the midst of a howling storm.
hilated at .any moment, they will in the world can be thoroughly There is no one in sight. Answer-
not get the full enjoyment Vecna boring if it isn’t told with enthusi- ing their calls, the carter refuses to
Lives! has to offer. asm. After all, being a DM is a lot of go out on such an ill-omened night
work. If you’re doing your job and the characters are forced to
The Horror of Vecna right, you should be exhausted at leave their gear in the village. They
the end of each gaming session. march through the pouring rain to
In many ways, VecnaLives! is like Count Draman’s castle.
a horror movie. Through your de- Surprise and Suspense
scriptions and the vivid Scene 2:The heroes arrive at the
It’simportant to know that there is castle and find their host dead, his
imaginations of your players, the a difference between surprise and body pinned to a great chair by a
adventure tries to evoke an atmos- suspense. Surprise, yelling “boo!’p thick spear.
phere of suspense and tension. In a to make someone leap out of their
horror movie,the director has ava- chair, is a useful technique, but Although both examples describe
riety of tools to help him scare you don’t mistake it for suspense. A the same events, each has a very
horror movie or adventure that re- different mood. The first creates
out of your seat-editing, music, lies on monsters leaping out from surprise, perhaps even mild
sound effects, make-up, lighting, around every corner quickly be- shock. There are no clues, no
and special effects. In addition to comes boring. Everyone starts to warnings of what is to come. The
these technical tools, he has the anticipate the next “boo!” second scene creates a sense of
full range of dramatic techniques foreboding and dread. The storm
used by all story-tellers- Surprise does have its uses, how- and the superstitious carter are
prologues, pacing, misdirection, ever, and can be a part of suspense. hints and suggestions of what is to
A good sudden scarewill make your come. Although cliche and obvi-
characterization, pathos, fore- players feel physically excited- ous, these clues make the players
shadowing, allusion, and more, all heart racing, rapid breathing, and watchful, perhaps even nervous.
building to a satisfying climax. hands shaking. However, these feel- Some other useful juxtapositions
ings will quickly pass if you haven’t include the following:
Like the director, you, the DM, built any suspense.
have a variety of tools and tech- VictoryDefeat:Allowing the player
niques at your disposal. You are in Order of Encounter‘@ characters to succeed against a
complete control of the story. Role- seemingly major villain, deadly
playing games have their own ver- When you are ready to play, plan trap, or a puzzle increasestheir con-
sions of special effects. Encounters your gaming sessions out in ad- fidence. This victory may be fol-
can be edited just like scenes in a vance. Try to plan out the se- lowed by a stinging defeat or the
movie. Furthermore, you, too, are quence of encounters. Each discovery that their accomplish-
a storyteller with all the tricks of encounter is like a movie scene. A ment was only a small part of some-
that trade. director puts the scenes of his thing greater and more powerful.
movie in a certain order do more
Since this adventure is already than to tell his story. The juxtapo- In this adventure, for example,
prepared, the basic plotting is sition of scenes and the change you might end a session with the
done for you. Still, since your
player characters could easily go
off the track, you should bear in
mind the elements of a good story

4

player characters discovering the intent on destroying the player Which creates more tension-the
characters. The laughter suddenly player characters open the door and
sword of Kas, which they will be- gives way to fear. discoverthe monsters, or the player
characters hear a strange noise on
lieve is the weapon needed to de- Mood the other side before they open the
door? In the second case, the play-
stroy Vecna. In the next session, A vital factor in building suspense ers suddenlystop and have tojudge
they confront Vecna with their is establishing the proper mood. the amount of risk. They know
treasured weapon, only to dis- You do this with words and de- something is there, but don’t know
cover it is ineffective against him. scriptions. Some of the examples what.
above have already shown this.
This technique must be used Mood is established through the The trick is to give your players
sparingly,however. You don’twant setting of the encounter and the hints that they are in danger with-
behavior of NPCs. Storms, suspi- out revealing enough for them to
to take away all your player’s ac- cious strangers, gloomy castles, avoid that danger. In movies, this
dark forests, and more are all fairly can be done by showing the audi-
complishments or they will get dis- standard horror devices to estab- ence the threat (themonsters lurk-
couraged. Wait until they are lish a mood. Unfortunately, they ing behind the door) but not
overconfident and cocky, then give are also heavily overusedand have showing it to the hero (about to
lost much of their impact. open the door). This is a little
them a reverse and it will remind harder in a role-playing game,
them that things are not as easy as Your task is to find ways to make since players are both audience
they seem. these elements fresh and exciting. and heroes.
You need to find ways to skew
InnocenceLEvil: This technique them off of player expectations. You can use foreshadowingtech-
does not involve throwing vam- You need to change the rules of the niques to some extent. Fleeting,
piric killer children at your player horror setting. incomplete, and inaccurate
glimpses of the major villains will
characters or having the sweet old For example, there is the stand- put characters on their toes. The
granny be an axe-murderer! You ard castle illuminated in the night characters can discover Vecna’s
by a bolt of lightning. It has been grim handiwork just moments af-
can, however, highlight the con- used so many times that it is some- ter the fact. Ancient manuscripts
trast between good and evil by thing of ajoke. Instead, you should suggest the full extent of Vecna’s
find something else to set the power. Even his Hand and his Eye,
placing two encounters back-to- mood. The castle is seen by day, in as powerful artifacts, only suggest
back. For example, the players ar- a cold, autumn drizzle. The walls
rive in a t a small hut where good have a greasy, wet sheen to them the full extent of Vecna’s power.
and honest folk greet them. These and the ivy’s green leaves are just
NPCs have no dark secrets or ulte- beginning to turn brown. It could wicks and TOOIS
rior motives and the characters be wintertime and the castle’s
learn useful information from roofs are covered in sooty snow Description and pacing are not the
while curving icicles hang from only tools you have to create ten-
them. Upon leaving, the player the eaves. It could be a wonderful sion. In a role-playinggame, there
spring day with a bright and shin- are a number of other things you
characters cross the ridge and de- ing castle, giving no hint of the can do to drive your players crazy.
scend into the gloomy valley domi- horrors that lay inside.
Timers and Stopwatches: If you
nated by the dark castle on the far Foreshadowing can, bring a kitchen timer or stop-
watch to your game. Be sure to put
side. The extreme difference in the Suspense is a form of fear. If your it where the players can see it.
players are not afraid, there can be Then, when the players are in the
two scenes highlights the danger no suspense. So, how do you make middle of a particularly tense situ-
that is always nearby. players afraid? ation, where fast decisions must
be made, start the timer. Give each
Humor/Rrror: Laughter, forced ?b make your players sweat, you player ten seconds (oreven less)to
or not, is an important release for must let them know they are in dan- say what he will do. Cut the player
suspense. Most good horror mov- ger before anything actually hap- off at the end of this time-even if
ies have some elements of fun in pens. B k e a standard dungeon- he’s still describing his actions-
delving situation-the monsters and go to the next player. Make
them-tense moments that build waitingon the other side of the door. sure they see the timer counting

up to ajoke. The line between com-

edy and terror is slim and laughter
can easily be turned to fear. Humor
causes players to lower their

guard, leaving them vulnerable to
new attacks. For example, the
player characters are attacked by
a bumbling band of cultists-the
villains fall down at inopportune
moments, get in each other’s way,
and even faint in terror. In the mid-
dle of this comic scene, the evil
ghost of Kas floats into the room,

5

offtheir seconds. For your part, try when you no longer need it. The Story of Vecna
Not everyone has access to CD
to resolve everything quickly, Vecna is very much a figure of
without delays. Keep this pace go- players and remotes. With plan- mystery. He dates back to a time of
ing until you reach a point where ning, a portable tape player can do near-prehistory in Greyhawk, be-
their characters can rest. the same thing. In this case you
will need to select not only the mu- fore the migrations, before the
Don’t do this too often. Timers sic,but also the order you will need wars between Sue1and Baklunish,
perhaps even before the ascend-
really increase the pressure the it in. Once you’ve done that, you ancy of the Suloise Empire itself.
players feel, so you should save can make a tape of the pieces you
this until you really need it. That need. Earphones (so you can cue He is a figure more of legend than
the tape to the correct spot during fact and, like all legends, there are
way, when it happens, they will play) are helpful.
feel the tension all the more. embellishments, exaggerations,
Finally, a pocket dictaphone distortions, contradictions, and
Lights: While it’s not recom- tape-recorder can be used the confusions attached to his name.
mended that you try to play by
candlelight (it’s too hard on the same way. The sound quality will The following information about
eyes for one thing), you can do not be the best, but most have a Vecna is a collection of truth, con-
cue feature that enables you to tradiction, and misinformation.
some simple lighting tricks while jump forward and backward on It’s not meant to give a precise
you play. Dimming the lights (if the tape quickly. Furthermore, background of this mighty arch-
you can record your own sound ef- lich. Instead, it represents the con-
you can) during scenes that build fects (includingdialogue). fusing picture the player
up to a major encounter can en-
hance to spookiness of the events. Good sources for sounds and characters are likely to gain if they
(It can also tip off your players that music are sound effects records, research Vecna’s history.

something is going to happen if movie soundtracks, and anthropo- In his time, Vecna was consid-
you use it more than once or logical folk recordings (“Chantsof ered the mightiest of all wizards,
twice.) the New Guinea ’hibesmen” or unsurpassed in his knowledge of
all the arcane arts. From the loneli-
Another trick is to turn out the other such “primitive” music). est chamber of a black tower, he
lights completely, plunging your ruled over a now-forgotten nation.
Some of these may be available at Some say his realm was beyond
players into unexpected but mo- your local library. the great mountains to the west.
mentary darkness. This obviously Another theory holds his tower
should be saved for those crucial Secrecy: A few minor precau- once rose from the very depths of
tions will go a long way toward the Nyr Dyv. A few writers even go
moments when the party is en- so far as to claim Vecna’sdominion
gulfed in darkness, knocked un- keeping your adventure suspense- extended over another plane and
ful. An often forgotten practice is that he was ultimately destroyed
conscious, etc. A flashlight can by a revolt of the greater powers
then be used to create special to simply keep the name of the ad- that dwelled there!
effects-although it is no more venture a secret. Don’t tell the
players they are playing an adven- Even in life, Vecna’s strictness
practical to play by flashlight than ture titled Vecna Lives! If you do, and cruelty were infamous. He
you can be sure those players who built a great kingdom based on his
by candle. know something of Vecna will sus-
Sounds: Music is an effective pect anything and everything. wizardly skills and his fiendish
While that might be good for a cruelty. Some tales claim he bred
way to build suspense, but it is while, it will ultimately spoil the entire villages like cattle, simply to
hard to use without the proper keep his foul laboratories supplied
adventure.
equipment. You simply cannot put If possible, keep this adventure with subjects for his experiments.
on a CD, tape, or record and let it Others describe military cam-
play while you game. You must be hidden-don’t even show your paigns where he annihilated entire
able to control the timing and players the cover. Plead innocence cities beneath tidal waves of rock
if they accuse you of using it. Make and earth. Old tales from the
choice of music. up a fake adventure name if they Duchy of Urnst even claim Vecna
CD players with remote control ask what they’re playing. Only af- was responsible for the creation of
ter the characters are well into the the Bright Desert!
are particularly useful for this. Be-
fore the session, select the CD or adventure (far enough that they With time, like all things human
CDs you think appropriate, noting can’t back out),should you spring (although some tales claim he was
down the track numbers. Write the true title and purpose on them.
these on a sheet of paper, including
the effect or mood they create.
Then, during play, you can use the
remote to key up the track you want
when you need it. The remote also
enables you to turn off the music

6

half-elven), Vecna grew old and As a sign of Kas’s authority (and he assumed the powers of a demi-
to protect his lieutenant from the god. The process took a long
neared death. The black oblivion intrigues of others), Vecna forged time-gathering his power, re-
the sword of Kas, a magical sponding to his worshipers, and
caused no terror in him, only an- weapon like none ever known. settling himself among the greater
ger and rage. He was determined ale-spinners say its iron was powers. Vecna persevered and
not to die and in his conceit came taken from the heart of a frozen eventually reached the point
to believe that immortality was not where he was accepted as a minor
star and forged in flames stolen demigod in the legions of evil.
merely possible, but was his right. from the sun. Though dull and un-
He began a seix c h for the ultimate adorned, it shimmered with evil. Guaranteed immortality, Vecna
power needeid to overcome the Its edge could bite any metal and was still not satisfied. With his
its blade never dulled. When K a s scheming mind, he has devised a
Greater Powei-,Death. wielded it, no man could with- plan to ascend to greater godhood
What hap1Iened next is not stand him. and humble his rival deities. With
his usual long patience, Vecna has
known for sur(e, as no witness from Fashioned by Vecna’s hand, the
this time set his words to parch- sword was evil, even when com- been working on this plan for cen-
pared to its creator. It whispered to turies. Working through his avatar
ment. AccorcLing to some tales, Kas in secret voices, feeding the
or others, the Whispered One has
Vecna amassc:d enough power to warrior’s pride and vanity. “You carefully found seven magical
are greater now than your master,”
confront his 07 vn death and forever it said. “You are the true ruler of all items. Each item has been placed
imprison it, thus escaping his his lands.” Slowly it seduced him, in a secret location, the position
doom. Accorcling to others, Vec- urging him to usurp Vecna’s
na’s pride a nId arrogance so of- strategic to his plans.
fended the Gr’eater Powers of the throne and send the arch-lich to These items, when fully pow-
outer planes that cursed him to death forever. And gradually K a s
dwell forever on the border be- came to believe its words. ered, will cast a mystical web of en-
tween life andI death, never again ergy over all of Oerth, cutting off all
At last, emboldened by the
to fully live or rest in tranquil sword’s sweet voice, Kas struck at other gods from their followers.Al-
death. A third version is that Vecna his lord. No man saw the battle, ready they are creating interfer-

found the seciret magic of life and but with its end Vecna’sdark tower ence on a local scale. Only Vecna
crumbled into dust, leaving only will receive the adulation of his
thus transforrned himself into the the sword and a pile of ash. The worshipers: the other gods will
most powerfulI of liches. body of Kas was never found. Of weaken and leave the path open
Vecna, all that remained were his
Whatever tlle method, there is lifeless Hand and Eye. for Vecna to rise to the fore. Then
no doubt that Vecna entered a new the Whispered One will open the
stage of his fioul history. Beyond In the millennium and centuries
that passed, these three objects gates of time and bring forth his
death, he became the greatest of have surfaced time and again, first faithful followers from the past.
all liches. Evc:n though his body Feeding on their devotions, Vecna
in one distant land and then an- will become the greatest of gods.
gradually wit1hered and decayed, other. Each time, their discovery
Vecna remained “alive” and con- brings great power and ultimately There is only one difficulty that
tinued to exp,and his evil domin- great woe, for the evil of their mas-
ion. So formj.dable and hideous ters still lingers within them. remains for Vecna-finding his
was his tempe‘rthat men feared to Eye and Hand. They are the final
speak his nanne. Lord Vecna was But the history of the artifacts is keys to fully empower the web, the
the Whisperec1 One, the Master of not all that remains to be told of final keys that open the gate of
the Spider TIirone, the Undying Vecna. His will, evil and perverted, time. He knows not where these
King, and the Lord of the Rotted was too powerful to be destroyed
are. In the final confrontation with
Tbwer. when his body perished. For un- Kas, when they were sundered
told centuries it drifted,refusing to
It was during this time that Kas surrender. Strangely, small traces from his body, the gods (perhaps
of power flowed to it, the energy of foreseeing his powers) hid them
the Bloody-Handed rose to the fore worshipers on Oerth. Even one as from his senses. Vecna cannot de-
among Vecna’:s lieutenants. As the depraved as Vecna attracted those tect their energies;he can only find
arch-lich’s boldy weakened, Kas who revered and adored him. them by seeing their effects on oth-
became his instrument of rule. ers, much like finding a boat by the
Though still SIipreme in his power, Gradually,Vecna’scult grew and
Vecna took less and less interest in wake it creates. ?bo many times he
the daily affairs of his kingdom.
K a s pronoun ced Vecna’s judg- has come close, only to have them
ments, presidied over the Council escape his grasp. This time, he is
in Vecna’s nanle, and heard the re- determined not to fail.
ports from Lor.d Vecna’s foul army.

7

Wherein the Circle After the players have chosen tainly have questions. Allow them
their characters, read the follow- to ask what they want. Answer
of Eight Begins a ing: their questions, within the limita-
Membership Drive tions and guidelines below.
V I ~ ,uic iiic ui a puwciiui W I L -
This short prologue sets the mood Where are we? Somewhere in
and tone for the rest of this adven- ard! A s a callow youth, you were the Kron Hills. Do not tell the play-
ture. In it, you will give out pregen- certain it was the life of luxury ers the precise location at this
erated player characters (all and excitement-easy living, time, since part of the adventure is
powerful wizards) and then, al- riches and power with the wave to discover what became of the Cir-
most as quickly, kill off the entire of a hand. cle of Eight-the players will know
party. Only after these wizards are they are all dead, but the second
dead will you introduce the regu- Of course, your old masters group of PCs will not know where
lar characters, the ones used for never told you about the other or how.
the rest of the adventure. part-the responsibility for lives
of entire villages, cities, even W h y are we here? Mor-
Although this seems extreme lands. Of course, it’s an honor to denkainen, leader of the Circle of
and unfair, you should play the be part of the Circle of Eight, Eight, sent you. The divinations,
prologue this way. By doing so, guiding and protecting while not precise, strongly suggest
you are going to make a very clear Greyhawk. Naturally, you have
point to your players-this module to do it all in secrecy, acting be- that some danger is building for
is dangerous! Especially since the hind the scenes so you don’t Greyhawk.
permanent characters are lower mock the mayor’s authority.
level than those who have been And equally naturally, you What is the danger? Nobody
slain! never get the credit. knows-and that is what’s worri-
some. Something of great power is
The Circle of Eight Now, through divinations (or affectingall divinations concerning
rather, their failure), you’ve the future of the City of Greyhawk.
Begin the adventure by giving sensed some great danger to It does not seem to affect divina-
your players copies of the Circle of Greyhawk. And not just you, ei- tions into other topics, only those
Eight character sheets (found at ther. All your fellow wizards a t concerning the fate of the city or
the back of this book).Explain that the Guild of Wizardry have the cause of the disruption.
they are about to begin a special sensed something ominous.
adventure, one that requires the Whatever it is, Mordenkainen, So why send the Circle of Eight?
skills and backgrounds of these leader of your circle, is worried. Anything powerful enough to dis-
player characters. (If this doesn’t He wants the best, the cream of rupt the divinations of the Circle of
work, do whatever you can to con- the crop, to investigate this
vince the players to accept these mystery. Eight must be investigated. If it is
characters and no others. You strong enough to interfere with
don’t want them using their own .Arf.ter reaa.i.ng t.ni.s .te.xt., t.ell. y.our your spells, then can anybody less
player characters at this time.) than the Circle of Eight hope to
players that their PCs are standing succeed? Furthermore, secrecy is
Allow the players to select their outside a small, forgotten mound vital. Mordenkainen and the other
favorite character from the Eight. in the Kron Hills west of wizards in Greyhawk are already
If you have fewer than eight play- Greyhawk. The wizards’ divina- having difficulty keeping the affair
ers, have each player choose one tions, communes, and other spells to themselves. If the priests get
character and set the others aside. have led them to this spot. They wind of it, who knows what panic
If you have more than eight play- know only a little-a great danger they might create? Finally,there is
ers (which is not recommended), is growing, one that will threaten a matter of honor. Should it get out
some players will have to sit and Greyhawk, and that this cairn is that the Circle of Eight cannot han-
watch at this time. Assure them connected to (butnot the source of) dle the problem, the prestige of the
that you will find a way to get them that danger. group is going to suffer a severe
into the game very shortly. blow.
A t this point the players will cer-
How did we find thisplace?After
setting out (in secret) from
Greyhawk, you have spent several

8

days homing in on this point. It and dirt into the tomb. Anyone be- would die of starvation. For addi-
has been something like a chil- neath a collapse suffers ldlO
dren’s game of hot or cold. Right points of damage. Fortunately, the tional safety, they sealed the
now, you are very hot. There is no tree roots keep such collapses from
doubt this cairn is somehow re- becoming worse. A collapse will mound with powerful enchant-
lated to your troubles. not block a passage, but charac-
ters must spend a round to cross it. ments, preventing the cruel lord
Whatdo we d o now?Well, proba-
bly, you should investigate the The entire mound radiates an from escaping.
mound. Don’t you agree? aura of magic. This is caused by
the magical protections that were He did starve to death, but that
The Mound placed on it (to keep its occupant
trapped inside.)In most of the pas- was f a r from the end of him. Al-
From the outside, this cairn (see
the Burial Mound map) appears to sages, the characters gain a +2 bo- though the Hand and Eye failed to
be a n unexceptional member of
that category. Standing in the cen- nus to saving throws, while evil save him from capture, their evil
ter of a wooded hollow, the mound creatures suffer a -2 penalty to
rises above the surrounding their attack rolls. This protective energies have transformed his
slough. The ground here is wet, modifier does not apply to the final
sucking and thick with moss, but chamber (Room 7),where the body into a quasi-lich state. Not a
is not hazardous to cross. strength of evil has been too
lich, since he lacks the necessary
The cairn rises to form an une- strong. Furthermore, once inside
ven mound 15 feet high on aver- the mound, characters cannot use magical formulae, Halmadar is a
age. The sides, once steep, are passwall, dimension door,
rounded and covered with moss teleport, or similar spells to es- gaunt, undying creature. He still
and vines. Several small saplings cape. These magical blocks were
have taken root there. The top is built to prevent the imprisoned oc- has flesh and bones, and his body
thick with plants, even massive cupant from leaving.
oaks, a testimony to the age of this has resisted decay, but the skin is
cairn. Along the southern edge, The Occupant of the
the earth has sagged and collapsed withered and drawn tight. At first
inward to reveal a root-choked pas- Mound
sageway lined with heavy blocks glance he looks like one of the
of stone. The mound is the grave of Halma-
dar the Cruel. Actually, he was not walking dead-grave pale and
The inside of the mound con- buried but interred alive by his fol-
tains a few simple passages and lowers. During his time, which bony. He is suspended, however,
chambers. These are all built from was more than a century ago,
megalithic stones, cunningly fit- Halmadar came into possession of between life and death. He is not
ted together. The ceiling slabs the Eye and Hand of Vecna. These
once had thick beams as addi- artifacts gave him, already a pow- an undead and so does not have
tional support. These beams have erful fighter, enough power to be-
long since rotted away. Many of the come the evil master of several their immunities or weaknesses.
ceiling stones are cracked by their counties to the north. The artifacts
own weight. These have been fur- further corrupted his already vile Nor is he alive, with all the benefits
ther weakened by the thick tangle spirit, transforming him from
of tree roots that have forced their merely cruel to sadistically evil. and problems that condition en-
way down from above. These roots
must be cleared away for charac- Finally his subjects could not tails. Furthermore, Halmadar is
ters to move through the passages. bear any more. After several un-
successful attempts, they man- completely dominated by the arti-
Furthermore, violence to the aged to drug their lord into a deep
slabs (sudden temperature shifts, sleep. Miraculously for them, the facts and believes himself to be
explosive forces, abrupt move- powers of the Hand and Eye sud-
ments, etc.) caused by magical denly failed at that point. Still, Vecna. He does not know his own
forces run a 10%chance of caus- fearing they would be cursed for
ing a collapse. The stone in a five- shedding noble blood, the conspir- name, and only responds to the ti-
foot area gives way, cascading rock ators choose instead to imprison
Halmadar within his own burial tle Lord Vecna. (Heis referred to as
mound. Here they assumed he
Vecna/Halmadar, hereafter.) The

artifacts, of course, sense other-

wise. The Eye and the Hand, their

powers restored, await something

or someone-the player

characters-to provide the key to

Vecna’s return.

Investigatingthe Mound

Even before the player characters

enter the mound, the adventure is

underway. VecndHalmadar is in-
stantly warned (through his fore-
sight) of the arrival of the Circle of
Eight. He immediately uses his
clairvoyance and ESP to investi-
gate the player characters. Vecnd
Halmadar can scan them before

they cast any spells (if they choose

to).The result for each character is
as follows:

Tenser-invisible, unreadable

Bigby-visible, unreadable
Otto-visible, readable

9



ankheg, and ceiling all come The pit averages 15feet deep, of stroyed, nor can spells such as
crashing down. The victim, which the bottom five feet is water. passwall or dimension door grant
ankheg, and anyone underneath The walls are nothing but crum- access through it. The enchant-
suffer Id 10 points of damage from bling dirt and even the stone fac- ment can be partially broken with
the falling stone. The ankheg ings of the old passage are a dispel magic, but the seal was
fights to the death. precariously balanced over the created by a 20th-level wizard.
hole. Attempting to climb around
The stone slab on the far side of the walls is very dangerous even Once the enchantment has been
the chamber was intended as the with the aid of spider climb or simi- removed, the stone can be de-
sarcophagus of Halmadar’s queen. lar spells. There is a 70% chance stroyed by any ordinary means.
With his hurried interment, it was the wall breaks away in pieces, Breaking the stone takes 10points
never used. The lid can be lifted off dropping the character into the of damage from a weapon or spell
by four strong men. Inside there is pool below. If this happens while causing siege damage. Otherwise,
nothing but dust and a few insects. the character is clinging to the spells can be used to open a route
stone facings of the old wall, the through the rock.
The passage to the heart of the block will also fall,alongwith most
mound is free of the tangling roots, of the ceiling here, causing 2d10 7. Vecna/Halmadar’s
cleared by the ankheg when it en- points of damage to the character.
tered the chamber. When the dirt settles, daylight Prison
shines through a hole to daylight
Ankheg (1): AC 2, underside 4; in the top of the mound. This room is by far the largest
MV 12, Br 6; HD 5 + 2 ; hp 30; in the mound. It is crammed
THACO 15; #AT 1; Dmg 3d6 Living at the bottom of the pit is with ancient burial offerings.
(crush) + l d 4 (acid); SA squirt a colonyof crystal ooze. It has lived These have long since corroded,
acid; SZ CH; ML 9; AL N here for years, thriving on the withered, and rotted, leaving
small animals, insects, and tree only ghost-like husks of what
Fire Toad (3):AC 10;MV 6, hop 6; roots that have tunneled down they once were. Piled haphaz-
H D 4 + l ; h p 2 2 , 2 0 , 1 5 ; T H A C O17; into the mound. In the murky wa- ardly along the walls are large
#AT 1; Dmg 2d8 (fireball);S A fire- ter at the bottom of the pit, it is
90%undetectable. pRoloc;u€:
ball; S Z s;ML 10;AL CN the BURIALmounb
Crystal Ooze (1):AC 8; MV 1,Sw
4. Magical map 3; HD 4; hp 18; THACO 17; #AT 1;
Dmg 4d4;SA poison;SD immune to
Cast upon the stonework floor acid, cold, fire, weapons cause less-
here is a modified forcecage. ened damage; SZ M; ML 10;AL N
Through the use of a wish, this
spell has been rigged to spring into 6. The Inner Seal
being if a human steps on the
space. Once up, the magical cage The hallway ends in another thick
remains until dispelled. slab of stone. It is heavily carved
with magical inscriptions. Read-
The cage can be detected by a ing these causes no harm to the
find traps spell or similar means. characters (although this requires
A s with the outer seal, it is natural a read magic spell),but it does re-
for the characters to assume the veal that a powerful protective seal
trap was built to keep intruders still functions on the stone. The
out, but again, it is intended to seal is a powerful protection de-
hold VecndHalmadar in, should vice, like none the characters have
he break through the inner seal. ever seen before. They might be
able to deduce the school of magic
5. Pit functioning here, but they cannot
learn its purpose without an iden-
The passage here is blocked tifyspell.
by a large, rough-sided pit. Ap-
parently a section of the old As long as the inscriptions re-
stone floor has caved in, leaving main, the stone cannot be affected
this gaping hole. Sludgy, black by magic or blows. It cannot be de-
water fills the bottom.

ll

pots with faded glazes, wooden You must control the upcoming coffin and kills the six least-
chairs that crumble at a touch,
and bronze art pieces, crusted in battle, since you want the player damaged player characters (held
green patina. Even the walls of
the chamber speak of past opu- characters to lose. On the first characters can be automatically
lence, since they are covered slain and the quasi-lich has two at-
with strange, clearly magical round, VecndHalmadar wins the tacks per round), breaking their
writings. A large stone platform initiative. (If you must, you can necks with the strength of the
fills one end of the chamber; justify this because of Vecna/ Hand of Vecna. He also makes
atop it is an elaborately carved Halmadar’s foresight and his in- three attacks with his eyebite, at-
sarcophagus. The wood has be- nate spellcasting ability, both of tempting to charm one or more of
gun to rot away, and a husk-like which give him the edge in this
corpse is visible through the the surviving characters.
holes in the side. battle. If he loses the initiative for Since the player characters are

The writings on the walls are any reason, remember that his frozen in time, describe the quasi-
similar in form and style to those lich’s movements as a blinding
found on the seal just breached. 70% magic resistance will shield blur. They hear a high-pitched
They radiate a powerful protection him from the PCs’ attacks. (It is cackling,like a record spinning too
from evil spell. This strong aura of strongly recommended that you fast. (“I’mVecna! Vecna! You fools
good is counter-balanced by the have released me!” or words to
immense evil of VecndHalmadar secretly roll the dice and then an- that effect.)
and the artifacts. Thus, most of the
room gives off no particular aura, nounce the attack had no effect.) When the spell wears off, six of
while the walls radiate faintly of Prior to the group’s entrance, the player characters drop to the
good and Vecna/Halmadar radi-
ates somewhat stronger of evil. VecndHalmadar used his eyebite ground, dead. The gargoyles are
The entire chamber radiates power (charm).VecndHalmadar’s not where they were when the bat-
magic. first action is to use his monster
summoning IVpower. This causes tle began. The gargoyles, outside
Unfortunately, the player char- three gargoyles to appear behind
acters are not likely to have time to the area of effect, have moved to
notice all this. As soon as the the party, blocking the exit. The surround the group as much as
group enters the room, Vecna/ player characters will hear a small
Halmadar attacks. He is the body click (thesnap of fingers)and then possible. Spellsplanned by the sur-
in the sarcophagus. suddenly the shuffling and roaring
vtvors may be cast into empty air.
the gargoyles. At this point, Vecnd In the following round, Vecnd

Halmadar has not revealed his Halmadar automatically gains the
presence. initiative,simplybecause he seems

In the next round, as the players to have appeared out of nowhere.

turn to deal with the monsters, He uses his instant death touch (no
Vecna/Halmadar uses his time saving throw) to slay another char-
stop power. Within its radius, it acter. He also makes his last eyebite
will affect all the player characters attempt to charm the remaining
(no saving throw). The effect lasts
character. Meanwhile, the gar-
for three rounds. In that time, goyles close in on the survivor.
VecndHalmadar bursts out of his
After this, VecndHalmadar uses

his cone of cold power (20d4+20

points of damage). If the character
is still standing after this attack, he
is subjected to a second cone, un-
less obviously immune to the first.
Should this be the case, Vecnd
Halmadar tries one of his other
attacks-either a touch to cause
serious wounds or disintegrate.

At some point, the player char-
acters may want to escape (proba-
bly after the quasi-lichhas handily

killed several of the party.) Unfor-

tunately, part of the same magic
that binds VecndHalmadar in this

chamber blocks the use of
passwall, dimension door, and

12

teleport SF
characters
can they us

To summ
the quasi-lic

Round 1:
moned and
hind play!
signals the 1
Round 2: (
actions. Chi
roll for ini
outcome, 7
first, using I

A. First
Vecna kills
tempts to c
move out of

B. Seconc
Vecna kills
tempts to cl

C. Third
Vecna kills
tempts to c

Sam.
Characte

stop and tal
Halmadar c
hind them.
to different
ters fall deai
Round 3:Cl-
prise. If not
state actio
rolled. Vec
Touches anc
goyles attac
(if gargoyles
Round 4:
rolled. Vecr
cone of cold
Rounds 5
VecndHalm
remaining c

Gargoyles I
HD 4 +4;hp

15;#AT 4; I:
SD + 1 or be

M; ML 11; A

Vecna/Hali
AC 0; MV 1:
5; #AT 2; Dn
Hand; SD E
SZ M; AL LE

A New Beginning magical items listed on their PCs’ cially urgent and will not leave their
sheets. Each character must make minds until they carry it out.
After you have destroyed the Circle do with what is given to him. Items
of Eight, you are ready to begin found during the course of the ad- Off to See the Wizard
again. Hand the player copies of the venture can be divided up as the
second set of pregenerated char- players wish. There’s only one difficulty with de-
acters-the Followers of the Eight. livering a mysterious message to a
The adventure will work best if each Once the players are comfortable reclusive and powerful wizard-
player takes the appropriatefollower with their new characters. vou can where do you find him? He doesn’t
of the wizard he just played. This advertise his location and he doesn’t
will strengthen the feeling of ur- .I like uninvited guests.

gency for the player, urgency to dis- begin the adventuire. Since the characters are friends of
cover just what did happen to his
previous character. The relation- You are peacefully going about the Circle of Eight, they are not with-
shipsbetween wizards and followers your afternoon business (what- out some information about Mor-
are given below. ever that might be). Even though denkainen and his habits. They
nothing has happened in the city, know he livesin a mountain castle far
Bigby-Ortux (paladin) you can feel an undercurrent of from Greyhawk and that he almost
Drawmij-Allentar (thief) tension. Your old companion (’Em- never visits the city he seeks to pro-
Jallarzi-Marial (mage) ser, etc.) has been particularly se- tect. Cymria remembers Mor-
Nystul-Yars (fighter) cretive of late, poking through old denkainen often spent his time at
Otiluke-Imiric (ftrhll) books and burying himself deep Tknser’s stronghold on the Nyr Dyv.
Otto-Johanna (priest) in the libraries of the city. Come to Without Tknser’s invitation, it would
Rary--Torik (priest) think of it, you haven’t seen him not be wise to go there.
Tknser-Cymria (ftr/mage) for a couple of days.
The best place to gain more infor-
Of course, players may want to All at once, fiery lances of pain mation is at the Guild of Wizardry.
change characters for a number of rip through your skull!The pain is (Completeinformation on this Guild
reasons. Allow this. Do not force any powerful, and in it you see a vi- and its members can be found in the
player to use a character he does not sion. City of Greyhawk Campaign set.)
feel comfortable with, if at allpossible.
Each character has a vision of the At the Guild, the Porters-the
After handing out the character death of his companion wizard. If gruff dwarven guards-allow only
sheets, have the players read through you can, describe to each player the Marial and Cymria (both Guild
the character backgrounds. It helps if death scene of his particular friend. members) to enter, politely greeting
each player then gives a brief descrip- Make them wrenching, but don’t them with “A fine day to you, Miss
tion of himself to the others, telling as ever give the players a clear descrip- Marial,”and “Theguildhallisbright-
much or as little as he cares to. Each tion of where or who killed the Circle ened by your presence, M i s s
character sheet also includes a listing of Eight. Cymria.” The remaining characters
ofthe character’sattitudes toward the are blocked at the door.
other members of the party. These are From the vision, the characters
meant to increase the role-playingas- are certain the Circle of Eight is If the mages try to bring in the rest
pect of the game. Players are not dead. At this point, the players may of the party, the Porter of the Watch
bound to these. Should the descrip- want their characters to get together says, “I’m very sorry, miss, but I
tions prove to be disruptive, you can so they can do something. This can don’t see them on the list of today’s
be done, but the player characters guests.” He reminds the mages that
ignore them. know each other only marginally, guests must be entered in the book
No equipment or money is given having met just a few times. These (behind him) by evening of the day
meetings were enough for each char- before. “And we can’t go changing
on the character sheets. Simply tell acter to form snapjudgments about the rules now.” He adamantly
your players they have sufficient the others. refuses to let the rest of the party in.
funds to buy any equipment they
need. (For larger items, such as After the pain subsides, the char- Your players should know better
ships, you may limit this to hiring acters receive no more visions. Nor than to try to forcetheir way in. If not,
the vessel and crew.)Likewise, each do they suffer any aftereffects. How- have them quickly captured or ren-
character has money on hand for ever, one image remains strong in dered helpless by strange and power-
daily expenses and reasonable their mind-the face of their dying ful magical effects (of your own
bribes. Players cannot shareor trade friend and the thought “Warn Mor-
denkainen!” This request is espe- devising).The porters will scowlat the
two mages and say, “I’m afraid this

14

will come up before the Membership discoveries. I talked this over with quested. If the characterscome back
Committee, ladies.” Jallarzi, and she agreed. I know in a few days, the librarian will have
the information.
Inside, the mages can seek infor- about her position on the Circle of
mation from a number of different Eight, you see. The next thing I lbbin Potriades: The half-deaf,
sources. These are the following: know, Mordenkainen has come from half-blind senior tutor has not seen
Mordenkainen for a long time. In
* General gossip his mountains to pay me a visit. He fact, he has no useful information at
* Kieren Jalucian, Master of the wanted to know everything we had all. Nonetheless, he will go on and on
learned. And now you say my be- about Mordenkainen to anyone who
Guild will listen.
loved Jallarzi might be dead....”
* Darnak Rhorshkan, Head Porter Heironymous Tigana, Kondra-
* Jawal Severnain, Librarian Kieren ends his story, slumped be- dis Bubka, and Ephraim Black-
* Kondradis Bubka, Mage of Ex- rod: These three have no useful
hind his great desk. For the moment, information concerning Mor-
change the will seems drained out of him. If denkainen.
the characters press him about find-
* Heironymous Tigana, Alchemist ing Mordenkainen, he rouses himself In the House of Boccob:The play-
* Tobin Potriades, Senior Tutor ers may decide to talk to Ravel
* Ephraim Blackrod, Master of and apologizes. “I forgot. Mor- Dasinder-either from talking to
denkainen gaveme this,”he says,tak- Darnak or from prior knowledge.
Ceremonies ing a ring from his desk. “He said I Whatever the reason, they first have
to arrange an interview. Few people
General Gossip: Spending the should use it when I have learned can just walk into the patriarch’s
afternoon mingling with the visiting more. Gather your friends tonight at quarters without permission. If the
wizards and senior students of the
University, you don’t really learn the Roc and Oliphant in Clerkburg. characters are coy about their rea-
much about Mordenkainen. Most of Then, we will see what happens.” sons, the patriarch’s aide will sched-
those you talk to have never met ule them to meet with Ravel in 2d6
him, although they have heard of With that, the interview is over. weeks. An appropriate bribe can re-
him. A few have seen him once or (TheRoc and Oliphant is locatedat duce this to ld4 weeks. If the charac-
twice,but it is always at least several ters mention their concerns about the
months ago. C 14on the City of Greyhawkmap. In Circle of Eight or Mordenkainen, the
description is given on page 71of the interview happens in 2d4 days; a
Kieren Jalucian: Surprisingly, Gem of the Flanaess book. Both of bribe after mentioning the Circle re-
the Master of the Guild makes time these are found in the City of sults in an appointment the next day.
in his busy schedule to meet with the
characters. (It seems he is a para- Greyhawk Campaign Set.) In the interview, Ravel carefully
mour of Marial’s friend, Jallarzi.) Darnak Khorshkan: The sturdy hears outthe characters’tales. He of-
The characters have met Jalucian fers little in the way of suggestions or
before and know he is normally a dwarven porter naturally knows Mor- advice, but he questions them in de-
carefree and friendly man. Today, tail about seemingly minute
denkainen, since no one enters the points-what time of day was it,
however, he seems worried and con- Guild without passing his gate. This what were the characters doing,
cerned. does not mean he will talk about the what did they seein the background,
wizard. Darnak does not tolerate idle what did they have for lunch, etc. In
Before offering anything, he wants the end,he tells them to meet him to-
to hear to the Characters’ reasons for gossip about those he sees or what morrow evening at the Roc and Oli-
seeking Mordenkainen. The news of they are doing. phant. There he may be able to give
Jallarzi’s apparent death comes as a them the answer they seek.
severe blow to him. He sags back in If the player characters can con-
his chair, barely able to suppress his vince Darnak they have important Heard it Through the
information for Mordenkainen, he Grapevine
tears.
After he regains his composure, will tell them to look up Ravel Dasin- If the characters don’t think to go
der, the Patriarch of Boccob. to the Guild of Wizardry or the Tem-
Kieren tells the characters what he ple (i.e., they ask their own contacts
knows. JawalSevernain:The head librar- or strangers on the street),the reac-
tion is “Mordenkainen who?” The
“It’sa great secret, you must under- ian is a surprising character-a rene- arch-mage is not well-known in the
stand. Only a few of us know, al- gade dark elf. Since the player city. At least one NPC will say, “You
though the rumors are spreading. It characters are not powerful mages, know, you ought to check with the
wasfirstnoticed about sixmonths ago Jawal only grudgingly agrees to see Wizard’s Guild.”
by Master Bubka. His superior identi- them. If he can be persuaded that
fication spell was acting strangely. their mission is important enough to
The subsequent investigation re- disturb him, he willingly cooperates.
vealed a number of our powerful divi- The head librarian remembers Mor-
nations were inexplicably failing. denkainen, of course, since he never

“We didn’t want to create a panic, forgets visits from the arch-mages.
so the Guild kept quiet about their The wizard stopped in recently to
study some old tomes. He has no idea
how to find Mordenkainen.

If the characters ask about the
books, Jawal says he will have to
check the files to see what was re-

15

Looking about the main salon,
the charactersdo not see their con-

tact (either Kieren or Ravel). It is
clear, however, that there are sev-
eral smaller rooms off the main sa-

lon. If they inquire with the
tavernkeeper or one of his work-
ers, they learn their host awaits
them in the Garden Room. If the
characters do nothing, eventually
their contact appears in the door-
way to the Garden Room and irri-
tatedly waves them over.

The Garden Room is a small,pri-
vate chamber. I t is dominated by a
scarred table and heavy, oak
chairs. Candle sconces provide a
flickering light. Bay windows, fit-
ted with small panes of leaded
glass, look out on the small
kitchen garden of the tavern. The
garden is thick with herbs, beans,
peas, and squash. A few flowers,
planted by the innkeeper’s wife,
give some color to the green. The
whole garden is enclosed by a
rough stone wall. A wooden gate
with a stone arch leads to the
street.

Seated at the head of the table, in

Roc anb Oliphant 1 . EntRance hati
2. main Room
One Squane equals I O Feet 3. pRlVdt€ Banquet Rooms
4. GdRben Room
5. kitchen

6. pantav
7. SERVdnt qUdRt€RS
8. mdSteRk PdRIOR
9. mdSt€Rk 6EbROOm
10. mastea’s antechamBeR
11. kitchen CjdRben
12. Chicken Coup
13. pRlVdt€. GdRbHl

a high-backed chair, is the charac- is severely cut. The figure glances U ~ I I K ~ ~ I I CI II SI L W ~ I I L SLU near LIIC
ters’ host (Kieren or Ravel). In at everyone in the room and finally
front of him is a decanter of plum returns to its summoner. “You PCs’ tales. When this is finished,
brandy, a half-filled cordial glass, a have learned something?” it asks he questions each character. Some
tray with several more glasses, in a solid, deep voice.
and a strangely carved ring. of his questions are odd, dealing
At this point, have the NPC turn with intimate details of the de-
Teleconferencing over the conversation to the player parted Circle members (“What
characters. The figure is a pro-
The mage (or patriarch) takes a jected image of Mordenkainen, was old Rary’s favorite color, any-
small sip of the brandy and mo- linked to the distant wizard way?”). He makes no attempt to
tions for the characters tojoin him. soften his blunt and skeptical tone.
through the ring. The real Mor- By these questions he is both get-
“I see you made it. Please fas- denkainen is somewhere in the ting more facts and testing the
ten the door and sit. You might Yatil Mountains. characters to see if they really are
enjoy this brandy: it’s particu- henchmen of the Circle of Eight.
larlygood.” He unstoppers the de- Mordenkainen is an impressive
canter and offers to pour a drink personage and he knows it. While Fortunately, the characters are
for those who want it. After you not vain or petty, he is not above able to answer his questions.
are all settled, he continues. using his reputation to awe others
After hearing all the characters
“I’vethought over your tale. I into obedience. He is also stub- can report, Mordenkainen stops to
must say, it does seem strange, born. During this interview, he ponder their words. At this time,
but with Mordenkainen, I’m not says little and offersless. If pressed the PCs can ask their own ques-
surprised. If what you say is on a point, he becomes more en-
true about the Circle of Eight, trenched. If insulted or irritated, tions. Most, Mordenkainen ig-
then the situation is very seri- he delivers an acidic tongue-
ous. I have decided Mor- nores. Again, should the
denkainen must know.” lashing. If the player characters characters be rude, insulting, or
are utter fools with no brains or re- incredibly dense, Mordenkainen
The PCs’ host then picks up the spect, he imperiously commands
ring and slips it on his finger. His them to investigate and icily ends simply ends the interview.
eyes close in concentration. the interview. If the player characters have not
Slowly a n image begins to form on
the opposite side of the table. It However, if the player charac- heard the explanation of recent
takes the shape of a n older man, events (seeKieren’s explanation in
dignified and serious. He is tall, ters keep their wits about them the previous chapter), Mor-
and his slightly graying black hair and show the proper respect, Mor- denkainen summarizes it now.
denkainen treats them as helpful
allies-but not equals. He listens To these sketchy facts, Mor-
to their tale and suggestions with denkainen adds his own findings.

an open mind. He shares informa- The strange events of the last six
tion he thinks the characters need months apparently have some-
to know. thing to do with the Eye and the

After he is introduced, Mor- Hand of Vecna and an astrological

alignment. How the artifacts fig-

ure in or what the alignment is, he

cannot guess. (As DM you can

17

.tle off a list of strange risings, discounts this one completely, Con 13,Int 15, Wis 17, Cha 7; AC
lings, and alignments of vari- since the Eye and the Hand of 3;MV 12;MU 5/P 9; hp 32; THACO
stellar bodies, if the characters Vecna should have no effect on 16;#AT 1;Dmg ld4; save vs. mind
,) Mordenkainen himself has such a power struggle. control +3; S Z M; ML 15; XP
i in the Guild’slibrary, looking 2,000; AL LE
books that might reveal more Mordenkainen wants the player
the subject. The Chronicle of characters to discover the fate of Wizard Spells: chill touch, protec-
ret Timeshas given some hints the Circle of Eight. Meanwhile, he tion from good, spook, ventrilo-
might yield more. will be spending his time investi- quism, flaming sphere, mirror
ordenkainen does not know gating the divination failure with image, haste
:re the Circle of Eight met their his spells and library resources. If Priest Spells: detect good, com-
ths. The only thing he suggests the player characters learn any- mand (x2), detect magic, curse
rat they were searching for the thing significant, they should tell (x2),hold person (x3), find traps,
either Kieren or Ravel. On no ac- know alignment, chant, animate
and the Hand. Further re- count should they spread the news dead (x2),cause blindness, abjure,
-chmay turn up more informa- to anyone else. “There is no point cloak offear,flame strike
about these artifacts. in causing a panic,” Mordenkainen
ne alarming note he adds is warns firmly. Magical Items: wand offear,potion
. the divination blackout-the of vitality
ire of those spells-is begin- The Attack
The Blood of Vecna (4):AC 5; MV
;to spread to other parts of While the characters are busy at 12; F5; hp 31, 27, 26, 25; THACO
th.He has had reports of simi- Mordenkainen’sinterview,cultists 16; #AT 1;Dmg 1d8; SZ M; ML 13;
of Vecna are moving to attack the XP 175 each; AL LE
x-oblemsfrom the Kingdom of tavern. Sent by VecndHalmadar
yondy and the Duchy of Urnst. (who backtracked along the trail Group 2 (atthe back door)
only bright spot is that, so far, left by the departed Circle of
strange blight on divination Eight), their instructions are to Almarth the Halt: AC 2; MV 12;F8;
slay whomever might interfere hp 47; THACO 13; #AT 3/2; Dmg
affected only those spells of with his plans. This includes the
level or higher. player characters and any NPCs ld8 + 1;SZ M; ML 14; XP 975; AL
ordenkainen suggests three present at the meeting.
jibilities for what is disrupting CE
divinations of Greyhawk. Each The cultists have carefully coor-
its own disturbing implica- dinated their attack, dividing Magical Items: stdimace, potion
themselves into three groups. The offire resistance
S. first, dressed in normal clothing,
has filtered into the main room af- The Fingers of Vecna (4;see end of
I Some powerful group is at ter the player characters entered. book): AC 7; MW 12;T4; hp 24, 17,
k, trying to isolate Greyhawk, They have taken seats around the 13, 11; THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg
iaps in preparation for a coup. hall, all where they can watch the ld8; S A Hide in Shadows 30%,
: conspirators know how to side rooms. The second group backstab x2; SZ M; ML 11;XP 175;
se the blackout using the items waits outside, near the kitchen en- AL NE
conjunctions described above. trance. Pulling up their cloaks,
,denkainen himself favors this they are mingled with the beggars Group 3 (in the garden)
who wait at the kitchen door for
’ry. scraps of food. The third group is The Eye of Vecna: AC 2;MV 12;HD
I The priests and citizens of leading the attack by crossing the 12, hp 49; THACO 9; #AT 2; Dmg
garden wall. They plan to burst ldlO (gaze);S A gaze; SD immune
yhawk have managed to offend through the windows and kill ev- to surprise, -1 to initiative; SZ M;
divinatory deities and are now eryone in the room. If the charac- ML 15;XP 6,000; AL LE
ters flee,the other two groups have
i g punished. The old mage orders to stop them. Magical Items: chime of interrup-
tion
sn’t consider this likely, since Group 1 (in the tavern)
-e are too many holes in the The Hand of Vecna: AC 0, MV 12;
c. He doesn’t see just how the Priest of Vecna (see cult descrip- HD 13; hp 71; THACO 7; #AT 3;
:, Hand and conjunctions tion at end of book):Str 14, Dex 7, Dmg l d 8 + 7 (x2), l d 1 0 + 7 ; S A
ild fit into this. “However, the

s,” he concludes, “are seldom

cal.”
) The realms of the greater
rers are themselves in turmoil,
king predictions on the fate of
th impossible. Mordenkainen

18

Strength drain; S Z M; ML 15; XP to flee, they can escape into the tan.
7,000;AL LE street. The cultists do not follow, The priest of Vecna has a ragged
ordered off by the Eye.
The Blood of Vecna (see end of sheet of scrip that is faintly magi-
3ook) (6):AC 5; MV 12; F4; hp 29, If the characters go out the back cal. On it are penned seven words
27,23,21,20, 18;THACO 17; #AT exit, the Fingers of Vecna are wait- in elaborate calligraphy. The writ-
1; Dmg ld8; SZ M; ML 12;XP 120 ing for them. All are attempting to ing is not a magical language (i.e.,
:ach; AL LE hide in shadows, but only one has it can be read by any character),
been successful. Almarth the Halt but the inking is magical in na-
When the cultists attack, the stands in the center of the street; ture. The writing style is distinc-
VPC contact (either Ravel or he issues a bold challenge to any tive and clearly that of a
lieren) immediately tries to get who try to pass. professional scribe. The words are
iway. He is not prepared to deal nonsense:
Mith a full-scale assault; after all, If the characters act boldly, they
>reyhawk is supposed to be a civi- can use the confusion caused by dalvlos
ized city. Whether he lives or dies the crowd to escape (if they so de- eurich’banhk
s of no importance to the adven- sire). The students boil out the hiiacsh
ure. He doesn’t do anything of door, scattering the Fingers. Al- lonte
:onsequence in the battle, since marth’s path to the player charac- maelfuer
le’s more concerned with escap- ters is blocked. As before, the Eye tomke
will call off any pursuit, confident cirnag
“€5 that the cultists can track at least
one of the player characters. Beneath the words are the sim-
The attack is launched by the ple instructions: “Recite but one
land, who tears through the win- If the characters stand and fight, word from the Book of Pain and
lows into the room. Immediately the Eye and the Hand are more only if you must.” If any word is
ollowing him, clambering over than happy to try to kill them all. read aloud, it glows and then fades
he sill, are the six cultists. The However, if the battle goes badly from the page.
5ye remains back in the shadowy for the villains-either is severely
larkness, attempting to feed on wounded or all their followers are These are words are taken from
he player characters. slain-they retreat. The two lieu- the Book of Pain, used to control
tenants are far too valuable to the the Hand. The words themselves
In the main room, the noise of priests of the cult. If the Eye or are not magical, but hearing any
he fight is barely noticeable. Only Hand is slain or flees. all other cult one of them triggers agonizing
i few folks near the door can hear members flee. magical tortures in the mind and
inything over the buzz of conver- body of the Hand. They must be
;ation and the wails of the piper. After the Battle spoken in his presence to have ef-
Nhile noticing it, these folks are fect. The words were magically
lot going to get involved. If the player characters win the conditioned into the Hand by his
fight, searching the bodies reveals makers. The priest was supplied
If the battle erupts into the main little of value (beyond the magical with the scrip, just in case the
’oom,those present flee. They are items listed). The Eye and Hand Hand became too difficult to con-
itudents, not warriors. Benches have nothing else of note. The Fin- trol.
opple as the scholars scramble to gers and Blood are likewise with-
;et out of the way. Because of the out identification. However, each If the player characters fled, they
general noise and confusion, the cult member wears a fetish around still were able to notice the strange
Ianic islimited to the area near the his neck-an upraised palm with talismans worn by the followers of
Iattle at first. I t quickly spreads an eye in the center. Vecna.
mtward like a wave, as the occu-
,ants of the tavern escape the If Almarth the Halt was encoun-
milding. The surging crowd uses tered, characters familiar with the
d1 the exits. criminal side of Greyhawk recog-
nize him. They don’tknow who he
The characters can attempt to is, but they remember seeing him
me the confusion to make an es- in some of the dives of the River
:ape. It takes the cultists in the Quarter, particularly the River Rat
nain room 2-4 rounds to get clear (location R7 on the City of
If the crowd. After this, they at- Greyhawk maps). Almarth is
ack the characters in earnest. If clearly a Rhennee, one of the
he player characters use the time gypsy river folk who ply the Selin-

19

CI. m

!d m

Research Greyhawk boxed set.j He nas little map) has a number of small and
highly specialized libraries, each
Up to now the characters have time for unnecessary requests and serving a different department.
been on the receiving end of a se- little patience with those he sees as
ries of strange messages and at- inferiors. The libraries are scattered
tacks. Now, they could let this go throughout the complex of build-
on forever, but it is more likely If the player characters have not
they will want to learn the identity been to see Jawal already, he is ings. Visiting each library takes a
of their informants and carry the cool and superior toward them. Af-
battle to their foes. They are going ter convincing him of their need, minimum of two hours, not in-
to have to do some detective work he reluctantly looks in the records.
to get their answers. If the characters are searching for cluding the time spent studying
a specific book, he can fetch it any books found there.
There are five main places to within an hour. Otherwise, if they
gather the information they are reading the records to see what To use the libraries, the charac-
need-the library of the Guild of others have taken out, Jawal will ters must first obtain permission
Wizardry, the library of Grey Col- need one to two days.
lege, the Great Library of from the Dean, Tomarkis Ancher-
Greyhawk, the temples of the city, The characters can cut through var. More administrator than
and the dives of the River Quarter. all Jawal’s officiousbureaucracy if
(Players may think of other useful they cite Kieren Jalucian’s sup- scholar, Tomarkis is a busy but
sources in addition to these.) At port of their researches. At this kindly old man. Once the charac-
each location, characters have the point, Jawal becomes noticeably
chance to learn answers to differ- more cooperative. Jawal is not ters make an appointment, he
ent questions. Some are the result afraid of the Master of the Guild, hears them out and, provided they
of obvious clues (the books con- but he holds Kieren in great re- are not insulting, grant them ac-
sulted by Mordenkainen and the spect. If the characters try to use
others),while others are more sub- Kieren’s name to threaten Jawal, cess to his libraries. However, he
tle (identifying the symbols the librarian unhesitatingly calls
through the temples). The infor- their bluff. Kieren comes down ab- does not allow them to remove
mation is given below according to solutely on the side of his trusted books from the college.
the location visited. fellow mage and is very irritated
that the characters would do such Getting permission is simplified
The Library of the a thing.
if the characters mention their
Wizard’s Guild Eventually,Jawal provides a list
of books recently requested by var- plans to either Kieren or Ravel.
Player characters are most likely ious members of the Circle. Both men are well-known to the
to come here to check the books re-
cently read by Mordenkainen. In Mordenkainen: The Chronicleof Dean. A brief note from either of
addition, they may also come Secret Times by Uhas of them is sufficient to cut through
across researches by other mem- Neheli
bers of the Circle of Eight. As be- any red tape.
fore, only Guild members and Rary: The Beasts of Humanity The college has libraries on the
their approved guests (24-hourno- by Balar, The Dragon-Scale
tice) are allowed in. lhme following subjects: Alchemy, Ar-

The Head Librarian for the Guild Jallarzi: Tkeatise on the Prac- chitecture, Economy, Engineer-
is Jawal Severnain. As noted be- tices of Hidden Ones
fore,he is a renegade dark elf, most ing, Geography, Healing, History,
comfortable in the quiet, gloomy Jawal will have one of his assist- Literature, Music, Painting, Sculp-
shadows of the musty book stacks. ants fetch any book the characters ture, and Theatre. Characters can
(Complete information on Jawal request from the list. visit any ones they wish.
can be found in the City of
Grey College Alchemy: Drawmij consulted
one text recently, A Rigorous and
This highly respected school (loca- Complete Peatise on the Theoreti-
tion C1 on the City of Greyhawk cal Applications of De-salinated
Waters in the Production of Po-
tions. The text is not useful in any
way to the current mission.

Architecture: Not visited.
ECQnQmyN: ot visited.
Engineering: Not visited.

Geography:;Several visits by
Otto and Otiluke are noted within

the past few months. The texts
consulted are the Gnomicspheris,
Imaginary Landscapes, and The

20

take the time to read a book in de-
tail. This takes considerably more
time: the reading time for each
book is given in the following de-
scriptions. If the book is read, the
character automatically learns
any useful information presented
in it.

Of course, to either scan or read,
the character must be able to read
the language in which the book is
written. Not all are written in the
same language. Some use obscure
and ancient dialects of current
tongues. This may affect the un-
derstanding of the text. The lan-
guage of the tome and any effect
this has is listed below.

The Books

The Beasts ofHumanity
Language-Old Oeridian
Reading Time-2-5 days

This work is a rambling encyclo-
pedia of the horrid perversions of
man. Described therein are many
fascinating monsters, all once hu-
man but now twisted, some acci-
dentally, some purposefully, by
powerful magic. The lineage of

several family curses is outlined. Kas. The account does not say rule and subsequent internment.
(Youmay wish to mention a family much about Lord Vecna himself, Timonas places Halmadar’s king-
Ravenloft, if you have you may except that he was a great and dom north of the Nyr Dyv, in the
wish to mention a family of the cruel sorcerer and that he was present-day Shield Lands. Of
RA’VENLOFT” Campaign setting, eventually brought down by Kas. Halmadar’s burial, Timonas sim-
if you have it.)The practices of se- However, it does describe some of ply notes that his tomb was hidden
cret cults are outlined. Among somewhere south of the great in-
these is a mention of the Eye and the powers and dangers of the land water. He speculates that the
the Hand. They are identified as Hand and the Eye, since these Eye and the Hand are still there.
“important tools of an unknown items fell into the possession of the
cult, symbolically associated with Neheli, at least for a short time. FZann-aerich’nyt
the founder of the religion.” A
rough sketch of the powers of each From all this, characters can Language-Flan
is also given. Reading Time- 1day
learn five powers of the Hand and
The Book of Stone three powers of the Eye. (You This small book is a simple geog-
raphy of the region. From it, char-
LanEcuaQe-Common should choose which ones to re- acters can learn that Flann-aerich
veal.) The history also hints at the
evil effects of the artifacts. Finally,
Uhas sDeculates on the method of

22

kRon hills Sketch map

short account of a minor event in more, only those with an Intelli- tionalist and not always accurate,
the early years, during the Expul- gence or Wisdom of 15 or greater but he writes with a good fire-and-
sion of Evil, the deliberate purging can draw anything meaningful out brimstone style.
of various evil cults and factions of this mishmash. If the reading
from the city. One group men- character qualifies, he finds a Among those evils he describes
tioned is the Cult of the Whispered chapter where the divinations of is the Cult of Vecna. Characters
One. Small but influential, the cult the world disappear as Magic (aliv- who read this pamphlet should be
was an extremely stubborn group ing being)dies, leaving only the art given a description of the cult and
to purge. Its strength resided in of subjective divination. In the its general goals. The cult is de-
two members, the Eye and the tale, the hero (such as there is one scribed at the end of this adven-
Hand, who were able terrorize the in this odd, little book) discusses ture.
citizenry. Only after much struggle the death of Magic with the Incom-
was the cult put down. The Eye plete Man-a character whose The n u e Relation of the N y r
and the Hand were never captured body is constantly div. -id_i.n_0g a_---n-_-d- -re- - D y v and the Lands Surround-
or killed. The cult's headquarters assembling during t:he course of
was never found. the conversation. ThLe Incomplete _i_n_@
0
Imaginary Landscapes --Man takes credit for the death Of
Language-Suloise Langu;age-Common
Reading Time- 1-4days Magic, which he broLiidbhLtauabyh-unL iit tn
make himself whole. Readinig Time-2-5 days
The small size of this book is de- This book is a scholarly gazet-
ceptive, for the material within its The Poems of Thalac Jiwo
pages is a complicated mixture of Language-Old Oeridian teer and history of the nations on
prophecy, fact, and metaphysical Reading Time- 1day the shores of the Nyr Dyv. Written
theory blended together under the by Norfil van Defflitter, it is part an
guise of fiction. To the reader, it is Written by Thalac Jiwo, also account of his travels and partly
never clear what meaning or inter- known as Thalac the Sighted, this his commentaries on the tales and
pretation is intended. Indeed, is a collection of prophetic poems. stories of the Nyr Dyv. Van Defflit-
readers cannot even agree on the Although his prophecies are ter's work is praiseworthy for its
contents. There is no question that thickly buried in riddles, word- thoroughness. Every tale that
the words remain the same, but play, and vague descriptions, reached his ears is dutifully noted
each reader structures the text to scholarly wizards agree that Tha- down.
meet his own expectations. lac was an amazingly talented and
accurate seer. Unfortunately, van Defflitter
This quandary is the heart of the would have profited from a greater
theory of subjective divination, the One of the last poems of the book dose of skepticism and a more or-
basis of Imaginary Landscapes. is suggestive of current events. In ganized mind. He seldom ques-
Vastly simplified, subjective divi- it, Thalac writes of a time when tions the truth or accuracy of the
nation proposes a m ~ f i i +~he~nml 7 sight pales, the key will turn in the stories he has heard. Worse still,
where what can locked gates of Time, and the halls van Defflitter launches into mad-
comes a potentia dening digressions whenever one
fore, by imag nf heaven xrrill hail a new7 kind Tn tale reminds him of another. For
futures, one is aci example, while writing about the
future events, thi
creating those e rhnnnpls nf the Artnnsnmv R i v e r
love this sort of s t

Imaginary Lanc
fore not a work of
diction of the futi
some of the eve
have already occ
book was written,
main fictitious, a
yet to occur, if the

Any character
book gets a hea

24

He even tentatively locates the any :1
?bmb of Halmadar with a simple proal
sketch map. This page shows actio e
signs of having been recently the a
traced. (Givethe players a copy of ful thlplc;J p1uv1uc dlU lJlllY I1 LIlC: e
the Kron Hills sketch map.) Fi- need is great-and the character e
nally, he suggests that the Cult of seriously considers conversion. cuinsrs!, ne aoes all ne can to help.
Vecna may still be active in parts of Neutral temples provide aid solely
the Kron Hills and the lands far- on the basis of need, although Unfortunately, his divinations are
ther to the northwest. characters have to provide some not useful. He knows nothing
sort of service to the temple, usu- about the Eye or the Hand, but
The Temples ally attendance at a set number of Ravel identifiesthe symbol as that
services or work among the poor of of the Cult of Vecna. He’s heard
Wise players should consider visit- the city. Chaotic temples provide some rumors of this evil group and
ing one or more of the temples in aid on the basis of personal charac- thinks it may be active among the
Greyhawk as part of their re- ter. Grasping, cynical, and insin- Rhennee.
searches. Unless they have been cere characters are apt to be
asleep, it should be clear to them turned away. Those helped must Fharlanghn (G13):The priests
that the characters have been at- make a public announcement of know nothing of the cult. If the
tacked by some sort of secret cult. the glories of the temple. Good
Certainly those who would be best temples are apt to be more helpful, charactersask the right questions,
informed about cults, particularly while neutral ones require the Adari Farwander (a gnome sage)
dangerous ones, are the openly characters to show cause. has heard disturbing stories com-
practicing priests of the city.
Different Faith: Characters of a ing from Osnabrolt. If the charac-
(As the DM, you may want to differentfaith can get help onlyfrom ters swear to investigate and
subtly suggest the player charac- temples of the same general align- return with more information, he
ters visit the temples if they do not ment. Even then, such aid is un- provides them with an accurate
think of it themselves. This is espe- likely. Character requests are likely
cially true if the player characters to be met by long sermons, lectures, map to the gnome warren.
have seen or saved the life of Ravel and pressure to convert. Priest PCs Heironeous (G14):A s champi-
Dasinder. As the patriarch of Boc- receive help only if their patriarch
cob, he can provide much useful makes a direct appeal to the other ons of justice, the priests here are
information.) temple. Since this involves begging ever watchful for the activities of
a favorfrom another temple,it is not
Not every temple is worth visit- something the patriarch will agree strange cults, especially after the
to lightly. Even then the appeal may recent business with the Spurned
ing, nor will the characters be not be granted. Cult of Iuz. Through their contacts
warmly greeted at every temple.
When making these calls, the pro- Information Gained with the city watch, the priests
fessed faith and alignment of the have heard reports of a strange
player characters and the nature What can be learned (if anything) cult matching the characters’ de-
of the temple’s deity both affectthe from each temple in the city is scription. The priests can arrange
outcome, as described in the fol- listed below. The temples are a meeting with deputy constable
lowing paragraphs: listed alphabetically, by the title of Barch Hillclimber, commander of
the deity worshiped (the temple’s
Same Faith: Characters who location on the City of Greyhawk the River Watch Station. The con-
are openly of the same faith as a map is given in parentheses). stable has more information.
temple can go to that temple and
ask their questions. The priests Beory (T11):The druids of Norebo (“26): The priests of
are helpful, attempting to answer Beory have no useful information
questions as completely as possi- concerning the Cult of Vecna. If Norebo have no useful knowledge.
ble. The character can even re- asked about events beyond Olidammara(T10):The priests
quest spells to obtain complete Greyhawk, they may tell of distur-
information, although a donation bances in the natural forces some- have seen the symbol carried by
to the temple will be required. (Div- where to the west and far the cultists. These were worn by
inations of 3rd level or greater will northwest.
not work, however.) some of the thugs of the River
Quarter. If a proper donation is
No Professed Faith: If the made, the priests remember one in
player characters do not follow particular, a Rhennee named
Yagos Slevak.

Pelor (G10):A s one of the im-
portant temples in Greyhawk, the
priestesses of Pelor try to stay up-
to-date on the events of the city. In
this they are greatly aided by the
close friendship between the high
matriarch, Sarana, and constable
Derider Fanshen. The priestesses

25

have seen the cult symbol before. is quite knowledgeable in the af- from the priest:3, who are normally
According to their sources, it is ac- fairs of the city. Unlike many other
tive somewhere in the River Quar- remarkably vvell-informed. Al-
patriarchs, he takes the time to though they ar‘econcerned by the
ter. This, combined with the personally meet with the player problems with divinations, their
recent destruction of the Spurned characters. Jerome identifies the deity has not revealed this as a
symbol as a secret cult active threat to the tc2mple. They recog-
Cult of Iuz, has the priestesses among the Rhennee. Further- nize the symbc)I as the Cult of the
worried over the increasing occur- more, he has heard tales of the Eye Eye and the Hand, a n evil group
and the Hand. He recommends the that has come 1to the fore since the
rences of evil cults within the city players carry their investigations
walls. to the River Rat (R7). If asked destruction of I;he Spurned Cult of
Iuz. The priests are confident the
Pholtus (R8): The priests of about the failure of divination
Pholtus know nothing useful. spells, his reasoned answer is that cult is no threal:,since St.Cuthbert
They are too absorbed in their this is a sign of conflict among the has not forew:irned them of any
preaching to pay attention to out- Greater Powers.
side events. If shown the symbol, danger. (In trul:h, these divinatory
they instantly decry it as evil, but St. Cuthbert (G4): The stout powers have bc:en masked by Vec-
they are too rigid and self- priests of St. Cuthbert do not pro- na’s machinati1ons.)
righteous to be of any help. vide information without first at-
tempting to convert player Trithereon (R14):Although
Ralishaz (S4): Those foolish charactersor, if followers,for repri- well-informed Iof goings-on in the
enough to visit the priests of Ra- manding them for backsliding. River Quarter., the priests and
lishaz succeed in alerting the Cult This always takes the form of a priestesses of Tkithereonare loathe
of Vecna. The priests claim to have long harangue and possibly a to help the pla:yer characters. The
no useful information, but in truth good, firm beating (if the priests heroes are clezuly in league with
can get away with it).If the charac-
have had some secret contacts ters are on good terms with the the tyrannical forces of the city,
with cult members. Any character priests, the beating can be seeking to oppr e s the individual
asking too many questions of the will of her citizens. While the
priests is cursed ( - 1 penalty to skipped. priests have nco love of evil, they
THACO and saving throws). This After enduring this treatment, are more outraged by the city’s
lasts until a remove curse is cast.
the characters learn only a little ban on evil cu.Its-since this vio-
Rao (R12):The kindly, quiet pa- lates individual will. If the charac-
ters can shour that the cultists
triarch of Rao, Jerome Kazinskaia,

26

themselves are tyrannical and op- end of this book). He will help the Bay, up the Selintan and the Neen,
pressive of free will (which should player characters find more infor-
not be too hard, if they think of it), mation among the dives of the and all along the coasts of the Nyr
the priests cooperate. River Quarter. Dyv. With the exception of
Greyhawk and a few other cities,
According to their information, Zilchus (G12):The priests of they make no settlements ashore,
the cult has been particularly ac- Zilchus know nothing of the cult or living entirely on their brightly
tive in the River Quarter, moving painted boats.
in on the territory of the now- strange events outside of
defunct Spurned Cult of Iuz. More Greyhawk. Upon learning the The Rhennee are an insular peo-
information might be had from the player characters are not wealthy, ple, isolated from foreigners by
Rhennee who congregate at the the priests want little to do with
River Rat, particularly from Yagos the group. walls of custom and ritual. They
Slevak. speak common and a variation of
The River Quarter thieves’ cant. They are clannish,
Ulaa (S10): Dwarves and showing loyalty to their kind in the
If the characters try to track down face of non-Rhennee. They do not
gnomes will have the greatest suc- the cultists who attacked them, recognize the laws orjustice of out-
cess when dealing with Guldan
Rockflint, matriarch of Ulaa. She the trail should lead, sooner or siders. They govern themselves
has no information about affairsin later, to the River Quarter, the and do not take their quarrels out-
the city. If asked about gnomes or seamy and rough portion of the side their clan.
affairs outside the walls, she has city. Drunks and gamblers mingle
more information. Her fellow freely with the prostitutes and The Rhennee do not have a for-
priests among the gnomes of the bully-boys;thieves and fences bra- mal government or ruler. Instead,
Kron Hills have reported strange zenly deal on the narrow side they are informally ruled by clan
streets. Constablesbreak up suspi-
outbreaks of a n evil madness. cious crowds while assassins ply heads, one male and one female.
Communications with Osnabrolt their trade in the next alley. Avari- Each family or family group rec-
have been broken. She can provide cious moneylenders watch while ognizes a “lord” or “noble,” nor-
accurate directions to the gnome their thick-skulled thugs exact mally a patriarch of the clan. He
warren if asked. overdue payments from the local orders migration routes and
shopkeepers. All this makes it times, passes judgments, and ap-
Xerbo (T14):This temple, de- home, sweet home, for the thrill-
voted to mariners and travelers, is seekers and adventurers of proves dealings with outsiders.
favored by the Rhennee. Many of Greyhawk. Each lord is supported by a matri-
the priests here are Rhennee and arch of the clan, a “wise woman.”
all have good contacts among the While in the River Quarter, nosy
river folk. Therefore, even the characters are going to attract the The wise women have special
priests of Xerbo are tight-lipped attention of the major power fac- powers of healing and divination.
and suspicious of nosy strangers. tions of the district-the Rhennee, Armed with these skills and tradi-
the Thieves’ Guild, the Beggars’
If the player characters make a Union, and possibly, the Shape- tion, they advise the lords. In
good impression, the priests prove changers. Complete information truth, few lords are foolish enough
on all these groups can be found in
to be good sources of information. the City of Greyhawk boxed set; to ignore the advice of their wise
They are familiar with the Cult of abbreviated information on each women, so, in a way, the matri-
Vecna, because it is gaining group is given below. In addition, archs are the true powers among
strength among their flock. The the PCs’ questions draw the atten- the Rhennee.
cult is active somewhere among tion of two other groups, the Cult
the river people, although they do of Vecna and the remnant of the Under the lords are the barge-
not think it is permanently based Spurned Cult of Iuz. masters. These men command in-
in Greyhawk. From the reports dividual boats. Each is considered
TheRhennee -The +-.’LA ,c the master of his ship, as long ashe
they have received, they believe Rhennee arc.A a XIUI- abides by the broader dictates of
the Eye and the Hand are powerful L l l u T ; UI the family’slord. The menfolk and
leaders of the cult. Apparently, boys are ranked next in status,
these two, and other cult mem- nomadic river gypsies located on while women and daughters are
bers, were smuggled into the city
from somewhere up north. the reaches of the Selintan River. above only outsiders in status.
The Rhennee are bound by ties
The priests introduce the player With their flat-bottomedkeelboats
characters to Avrel Riskar, a Rhen- of blood and honor. If a relative is
nee noble (see NPC descriptions at and barges, they range from the wronged or slain, guilt and inno-
cence matter less than revenge.
northern reaches of the Woolly Honor is as important as death.
Cowardice is the greatest crime of
all.

27

Player characters will quickly tion in the cu’lt) and recover his In addition, Yagos claims to have
iscover that questioning the Eye and Hand (the artifacts, not stumbled across a group of cultists
!hennee about anything is point- the monsters), When Vecna was in Verbobonc only a few months
:ss. It is worse than pointless if slain, his Eye and Hand were lost ago. Reluctant to return, he can be
he characters ask about fellow to him. Vecna the demigod cannot persuaded to take the group there
ypsies. If the players ask ques- locate these artifacts, as their ema- on his barge. He pretends to be
nations are somehow blocked fearful of the cult and insists on a
ions about Almarth the Halt or from him. The only way Vecna can
agos Slevak (both Rhennee), trace the artifacts is when some- hefty payment (in advance) for his
rord will get back to these men. one uses them to amass power. Al- services.
dithin l d 3 days, the NPC disap- though he cannot detect their
energies, he is wise enough to de- If the player characters expose
ears from Greyhawk, smuggled duce their presence from sudden Yagos as a cultist to the man’s fel-
ut on a departing Rhennee boat. changes in the balance of power low Rhennee, all sympathy for the
tuestions about the cult are met bargemaster disappears. The clan
throughout the Flanaess.
y dark glances or hasty gestures In the past, the demigod has sentences him to death and pre-
1 ward off evil. pares to take Yagos out in the river
come close to recovering them,
If the player characters are foolish only to have the artifacts disap- to drown him. Nothing the charac-
nough to use force,they can get the pear from sight. This time, with ters say can change this, however,
nswers they seek. However, their VecndHalmadar interfering in his they can get permission to ques-
ct triggers a blood feud. Thereafter, own cult, Vecna the demigod has tion the bargemaster. (The Rhen-
been able to move swiftly.
le party is subject to attacks by nee grimly offer to help make
bennee at any possible time. Such What the Rhennee Know Yagos talk.)
ttacks should be treated as ran-
General Questions: Talking to Yagos knows the location of the
om events. The attacks do not end any average Rhennee can get the cult temple in Verbobonc and can
ntil the characters are slain or they characters answers to some ques- guide the characters there. He has
re forced to make peace (which tions. If shown the symbols, the heard that something important is
hould not be easy). river folk shy away, muttering up at Osnabrolt in the Kron Hills.
The best method of getting infor- charms to ward off evil. The Cult of He has also been told by other cult-
the Seeing Hand (asthe Rhennee
iation from the Rhennee is call it) is an evil group. The cult ists that Vecna has returned. So
irough an introduction. Several isn’t active around here, but is long as he is useful, Yagos hopes to
sometimes found around Velver- stay alive. Therefore, he won’t re-
f the temples in the area can ar- dyva Bay on the Nyr Dyv. The veal exact locations, but insists on
mge this (see the earlier “Tem- Rhennee have also heard of the being taken as a guide. (Hewill, of
les” section).With the assistance Eye and the Hand (the monsters) course, try to escape at the first
f their guide, the player charac- from tales they use to scare their reasonable chance.) The players
:rs can discreetly ask their ques- children. They believe the Eye and must negotiate with the Rhennee
for Yagos’s life. They agree only if
ons. the Hand are real, though. Most the player characters travel on one
Regardless of their means of ob- suggest the player characters go to of their barges, so they can keep
lining information, the charac- Dyvers or Verbobonc if they want guard over the clan traitor.
to learn more. Finally, a few of the
:rs are eventually approached by Rhennee remember some old wiz- ’hrim Varostak: If the player
Rhennee, m r i m Varostak (see ards nosing around the waterfront characters rely on Tbrim Varostak
in recent weeks.
le “NPC” section). This old, peg- for answers, he disappears for the
:gged man claims to be a barge- Yagos Slevak: If the characters night. In the morning, a Rhennee
laster. He’s heard the characters are unaware of his position as a (later identified as Yagos) is found
cultist of Vecna, Yagos is certainly dead off one of the piers. Tbrim,
‘ere asking questions and has not going to tell them. He is helpful meanwhile, has gathered com-
3me forward to help-for a price, and cooperative,since he hopes to plete information (allthe facts that
f course. After coyly playing with lure the party into a trap well out-
ie player ’characters, mrim re- side of Greyhawk. He tells them Yagos knows). He insists on com-
eals the information given in the everything they could learn from ing along, to avenge the honor of
general questioning. the clan, and only gives his infor-
What the Rhennee Know” sec-
on. He wants the player charac- mation if this promise is made.
:rs along as patsies and covers for Graciously, ’krirn offers the use of
is own activities. his boat and crew for the journey.
mrim Varostak is actually the
vatar of Vecna. He is attempting Almarth the Halt: This tough
1 track down Vecna/Halmadar character meets the same fate as

vho has usurped the Voice’s posi-

28

Yagos, if the characters expose him the price ranges from 10to 50 gp. +2,longsword +1,wand ofpar-
to the Rhennee. At least he does If there is any stated connection to alyzation, ring ofinvisibility
not go down without a fight. Loyal an evil cult, the price immediately
to the end, he cannot be forced to jumps to 100to 500 gp. Imogen Gellet (humanfemale):
talk. At best, the player characters AC 3; MV 12; T9;hp 44; THACO
can confirm that Yagos is also a The beggars can locate Almarth 16; #AT 2 ( + 1 penalty to THACO
cult member-but only if they the Halt or Yagos Slevak in l d 3 on 2nd attack); Dmg l d 6 + 1 /
make Almarth think someone be- days. Both are staying in the back l d 4 + 1;SA Hide in shadows 60%,
trayed him. If they can mind probe rooms of the River Rat. Move silently 70%, Backstab x4,
him (by spells or devices), he poisoned weapons; SZ M; AL CE
knows as much as Yagos. In addi- The beggars have no luck find-
tion, Almarth smuggled the Eye ing any secret cultists or cult loca- Magical Items: leather armor + 1,
and the Hand into Greyhawk. tions in the city. They demand
their fee anyway. short sword + 1 , dagger + I ,
The Thieves’ Guild ring of fire resistance, boots of
Although the beggars cannot lo- elvenkind, dust of disappear-
This Guild in the River Quarter is cate the Eye or the Hand, they do ance
the largest in Greyhawk. Like all learn these creatures were smug-
Guilds, it is fiercelyprotective of its gled in by a Rhennee bargemaster. Harral Shastri (human male):
territory. If the player characters They know the River Rat and the AC 8; MV 12; M9; hp 34;THACO
start doing thief-like work, the Green Dragon Inn are two Rhen- 18;#AT 1;Dmg l d 4 + 2 ; SZ M; AL
Guild comes down hard, insisting nee hangouts. LE
on receiving its cut. Player charac-
ters asking questions attract no- The Shapechangers Spells: 4 lst, 2 2nd, 3 3rd, 2 4th, 1
tice, but the Guild does not take 5th
any action. This group cannot be contacted by
the player characters, since they Magical Items: ring of protection
Thief player characters can try are secret assassins. However, you +2, dagger +2, ring of free
the Guild for information. The may want to have the Shape- action, potion of extra-healing,
Guild offers no clues about the changersattack the player charac- wand ofmagic missiles, wand of
symbols or anything related to the ters as a random encounter. polymorphing
Cult of Vecna. I t has some idea of
what is happening, but the Guild Also known as the Polymorph The Cults
Master has no desire to embroil his Squad, the Shapechangers at-
organization in the matter. tempt to lure unsuspecting vic- When the PCs nose around the
tims into deadly ambushes. Once River Quarter, they automatically
The Guild knows more about they kill their marks, the group attract the attention of the few
Yagos Slevak. It has been watching polymorphs the bodies into bi- Vecna cultists in Greyhawk. At this
him for some time, concerned that zarre creatures, so they can sell time the cultists do nothing beyond
he is undertaking jobs that are the body parts to mages in need of discreetlykeeping tabs on the char-
properly Guild business. The strange spell components. acters. They are awaitingfurther or-
Guild doesn’t mind smuggling, ders from the Heart of Vecna.
but it believes Yagos has been roll- The Shapechangers are highly
ing a few drunks. From its obser- skilled at their work. If you do have At the same time, the charac-
vation, the Guild has learned them attack the characters, re- ters’ questions attract the atten-
Yagos belongs to a secret cult. member they are extremely cun- tion of the Spurned Cult of Iuz. The
Learning all this will cost the ning and skilled. If things go badly few followers of Iuz remaining
player characters, of course. for them, the group flees. There is (sincethe cult was recently purged
no profit in fighting to the last man from Greyhawk) a t first become
The Beggars’Union (or woman). alarmed, fearing the characters
are searching for them. Upon
This branch of the Thieves’ Guild Members of the group include learning that the characters are
specializes in information. It has the following NPCs: searching for Vecna, the Iuzists be-
many members in the River Quar- come intrigued. Eventually, acting
ter. The characters can hire it to Clannair Blackshadow(darkelf on orders from their master, they
Igather information for them. If no too start following the characters.
mention is made of the cult, the male): AC - 1; MV 12; F5/M8; hp Iuz hopes the player characters
Eye,the Hand,or the cult symbols, will lead him to the Vecna cult and
36; THACO 16; #AT 1; Dmg possibly even the two famous arti-
facts, the Eye and the Hand.
l d 8 + 1;SZ M; AL NE

Spells: 4 lst, 3 2nd, 3 3rd, and 2
4th

Magical Items: elven chain mail

29

At this point, the player characters their attention by NPC priests. * The same or another player
should have enough information
to begin their pursuit. They may * Non-Vecna priests recover character has a waking vision of
dawdle though, hoping to gain Vecna. A form, which the charac-
more facts or suspecting they have their spells at a slower rate. With ter knows is the arch-lich,appears
missed some vital clue. The follow- each passing week, it takes a n before him. Flanking Vecna are the
ing events are designed to spur hour more of rest to recover spells. Hand and the Eye. The lich points
them on and make them realize PC priests also notice that more his finger ominously at the charac-
the urgency of their mission. Do concentration is needed to acquire ter, causing an icy chill to sweep
the steps in order, but use them spells and receive the necessary through the room. With that, the
whenever you feel the players inspiration from their gods. apparition vanishes.
need a little prodding.
* Finally, the sky goes dull-not Tracking
Spell Failures
dark,just a hazy dull gray. The sun In addition to any research, the
* All priest divinations of 5th does not seem as bright as it once characters may ask around town
did, and the stars do not shimmer to see if anyone saw the Circle of
level or higher are guaranteed not as much at night. When this hap- Eight before they left. You may or
to function. Commune spells do pens, all communication with the may not want them to gain clues
not work, although commune with outer planes is severed. Vecna will this way. If the characters gather
nature still contacts the spirits of reign supreme. all their information on the street,
Oerth. The player characters may they will miss useful clues in the li-
not notice this immediately, but Sightings braries and temples. On the other
the priests of Greyhawk will. They hand, if they can’t learn anything
can inform the characters of this If your characters just aren’t get- on the street, they may feel frus-
latest development. ting your obvious hints, you can trated. The following are some of
spur them on with some vivid ap- the responses they can get to their
* Contact other plane inexplica- pearances by Vecna (or someone questions.
pretending to be Vecna) that will,
bly fails. This comes to the atten- with luck, get them moving. It is * “Circle of Eight? They fight in
tion of the players almost suggested you use these appear-
immediately,since the spell failure ances only as a last measure. They the arena, don’t they. No? Well,
causes consternation among the are somewhat heavy-handed and never heard of them then.”
wizards of Greyhawk. will detract from subtler parts of
the adventure. * “Oh, you mean that wizard fel-
* All spells involving astral and
* One of the rumors the charac- low who always hangs out around
ethereal travel fail. (This does not here. Well, I haven’t seen him for a
affect magical items.) Unlike the ters hear is that Vecna has been couple of weeks.”
failure of divinations, the closure sighted in Greyhawk. Like all ru-
of these planes is not likely to be mors, the sighting was made by a * “Of course, I remember the
noticed immediately. However, the “friend of a friend” and cannot be
player characters will hear of it confirmed. Characters may hear worthy mage. He was in only three
sooner or later, especially if they the same tale several times over, weeks ago, preparing for some sort
frequent the Wizard’s Guild. with the events slightly differentin of trip. No, he didn’t say where he
each telling. was going.”
* Priests discover their granted
* The most sensitive of the * “It seems to me that informa-
powers are behaving erratically.
There is a 30%chance the power player characters has a dream of tion like that ought to be worth
will fail-simply not be there- Vecna. In it, he sees a mummified something. Don’t you agree, gen-
when the priest calls upon his man, his left hand a withered tlefolk?”
power. This chance increases by stump, leading some evil ritual.
1% with every week that passes. The exact details of where or who * “I saw them hanging out near
This problem should be immedi- is present is not clear. The wor-
ately noticed by the player charac- shipers are chanting, “Hail, Lord the River Rat, down on the water-
ters. If not, it is quickly brought to Vecna,” over and over, leaving no front. Most unseemly place for men
doubt as to whom they are ad- of their stature, if you ask me.”
dressing.
* “I heard from a friend that they

left town-took a Rhennee boat
upriver. Those damn gypsies prob-
ably did your friends in.”

30

TraveIing depending on which Rhennee NPC A t first, the voyage on the Weep-
they have met: Avrel Riskar, Yagos ing Maiden seems normal enough.
At this stage in the adventure, the When the boat reaches the waters
player characters have accom- Slevak, or n r i m Varostak.
plished all they can in the city of As a noble, Avrel is the master of of the Nyr Dyv, however, this
Greyhawk. It should be reasona- changes. During a night when the
bly clear to them that further ad- several boats. For a price, he can barge is far from shore, Yagos or-
venturing must be done in lands easily arrange passage for the ders his crew to set upon the
far from the city walls. This is the player characters on one of his player characters. They try to cap-
only way for the characters to dis- ships. The boat used, a flat- ture the characters,truss them up,
cover what has happened to their bottomed barge, is named the and throw them overboard-after
masters. Gilfar.Its bargemaster, Andros Ja- stripping them clean, of course.
gosnich, is a coarse and hairy The crew does not want to kill the
Of course, your players may have man. Loud and boastful, he alter- characters on board, since this
missed your obvious hints and will nately terrorizes and cajoles his would mean bad luck. If the char-
want to keep scouring the city for
their foe. If the suggestions in the crew. Seldom sober, he never com- acters defeat the crew, the party
“Interlude” section have not spur- pletely loses his wits to drink. An- can take over the ship, although
red them to travel, you may have to dros is a skilled river pilot, greatly they can command the sailors
whack them over the head. Have respected by those Rhennee who only by force. The crew mutinies
%rim (Vecna’smanifestation)come know him. In their eyes, his behav- or jumps ship at the first chance.
up with a fantastic bit of informa- ior and faults are in no way unu-
tion pointing to Verbobonc, or let sual. Since the player characters Finally, the characters may take
one of the players receive a much are under his protection, the passage with lbrim Varostak. The
overdue note from his master, tell- peg-legged, old Rhennee com-
ing of his plans to travel to Osna- bargemaster forbids his crew to mands the Vaspar. His crew mem-
brolt. This ruins the mystery, but it steal anything from them. bers are quiet and mind their own
does get the group moving. business, although they watch the
If the characters take the Gilfar, player characterswith great suspi-
Getting There nothing truly unusual happens on cion. In truth, they are not Rhen-

Getting to Verbobonc or Osnabrolt their journey, except for random nee but freshwater scrags,
is no simple matter, for both places encounters. However, because of polymorphed into Rhennee form.
lie far from the walls of Greyhawk. their questions in Greyhawk, the Characters may notice that 'brim
Unless the player characters are crew has been infiltrated by as-
already familiar with the route, sorted cultists. The Cult of Vecna seldom has to give orders to his
they cannot travel alone, since has assigned one man to watch the crew, but when he does it is in a
they will quickly get lost. The strange language. Other clues can
same applies to magical travel, player characters. This is either also be noticed: their filthy habits,
particularly teleporting. Yagos Slevak (if he has not yet been grotesque meals, even their igno-

Checking with the usual sources approached by the player charac- rance of basic land-dweller cus-
fails to turn up any guides knowl- ters) or an unnamed Rhennee. He toms and practices (like
edgeable in the lands between fire-building or smoking).
Greyhawk and their destination. makes no moves against the
The characters do learn that the player characters unless he is cer- ’Ihrirn does not intend to harm
Rhennee regularly sail from tain of success. n r i m Varostak
Greyhawk to Verbobonc and other also finds a place among the crew. the player characters during the
cities on or around the Nyr Dyv. voyage, nor does he allow the
The characters will have no trou- If the characters are foolish and scrag crew to attack them. How-
ble finding a boat that is preparing accept passage from Yagos Slevak, ever, the scrags are bloodthirsty
to sail. There are three possible they sail on his boat, the Weeping monsters; if threatened, goaded,
boats the characters could take, Maiden. His barge is a crew of cut- or tempted, they attack the PCs.
throats, a disreputable batch of They are clumsy fighters in hu-
Rhennee, although they look to be man form (hence their worsened
honest and hard-working. While THACO),but they retain their trol-
none of them know of Slevak’srole lish invulnerabilities and regener-
as a cultist, they have no qualms ative power (in water only). If a
about serving under his evil com-

mand.

31

fight breaks out, Wrim uses what- #AT 1;Dmg ld6 +2; SA spells; S Z 16 Nixie Dragonfly,
ever force is necessary to end it.
Should one or two player charac- M; M L 15;AL CE; XP 2,000 giant
ters die in the process, he is not too nymph *
upset. Spells: Detect good, detect magic,
darkness (x2), know align- 17 Naga, water Naga, water
Should the player characters for ment, silence 15'r., slow poi-
some reason detect the true nature son, spiritual hammer, 18 Gar, giant Swanmay
of the crew, Wrim acts. He dispels continual darkness, glyph of
the polymorph spelland orders the warding,speak with dead, ab- 19 Dragonnel* Dragonnel*
scrags to capture the player char- jure, cure serious wounds,
acters, so he can learn everything flame strike 20 Water weird Water weird
they know by means of torture. If
the scrags are defeated, Thrim Magical Items: Mace +2,necklace * Found in the GREYHAWK@
flees magically. Vecna's manifesta- o f missiles, bracers of de-
tion does not wish to waste valu- fenseAC 5 Adventures Appendix to the Mon-
able energy fighting a small-time
group like the player characters. strous Compendium.

If the player characters take the Vaspar Crew ( 1 0 freshwater * * Rhennee barges vary in size
Gilfaror the WeepingMaiden,they scrags): AC 3; MV 3, Sw 15; HD
may discover that the Cult of Iuz 5 +5;hp 42.40, 39,37, 36,35,35, and crew. From 1 to 8 barges are
has also been busy. One of the crew 32,32,30;THACO 15(18when po-
members is a cult priest. Beryn lymorphed); #AT 3 (2 when poly- encountered. Use the following
'Blkin by name, he has orders to
spy on the characters to learn all morphed): Dmg ld4 + l / l d 4 + 1/ ranges to determine each barge's
they know about Vecna and the complement.
cult. Beryn takes care not to reveal 3d4 (ld4/ld4when polymorphed);
his priestly abilities. As a stranger, SA special;SD regeneration: SZ L; 1 bargemaster-dual-class
he is not well-liked by the rest of fighter (4-7)/thief(5-7)
the crew. ML 14; XP 650 each; AL CE
2-4 guards-dual-class fighter
Gilfaror WeepingMaiden Crew Encounterson the way (3-5)/thief(2-4)
(parenthesized alignments apply
to WeepingMaiden crew) The followingencounter tables are 13-24 folk-50% fighters (1-21,
40% thieves (1-4). 10%
15 normal sailors: AC 7; MV 12; used for the voyage from, dual-classed
HD l d 6 hp; hp 6 , 6 , 5, 5 , 5 , 5 , 5 , 4 , Greyhawk to Verbobonc (roll
3 , 3 , 3 , 2 , 2 ,1,1;THACO 20; #AT 1; 1 wise woman-see the City of
Dmg ld6; S A backstab x2, HS 2d10). Greyhawk set for more de-
20%,M S 25%;SZ M; ML 10;AL N tails
(NE);XP 35 each
2 female assistants to the wise
5 guards:AC 4; MV 12;F5; hp 47, woman
39, 38, 32, 24; THACO 16; #AT 1;
Dmg 1-8; S A backstab x2, HS - .2D10 Nvr Dvv Selintanl Rhennee are generally armed
25%,MS20%;SZM;ML12;ALN; Roll Velverdyva with battle axes and long swords.
XP 270 each In addition, 50% of the crew car-
2 Sea hag Greenhag ries spears, while the remaining
Andros Jagosnich (Gilfar):AC 3;
MV 12; F7/T5; hp 40; THACO 14; 3 Zombie, sea*Nymph 50% use heavy crossbows. Each
#AT 3/2; Dmg ld8; S A backstab barge has ld3 ballistae mounted
x3, HS 45%, M S 70%; SZ M; ML 4 Lacedon Lacedon fore and aft.
15;AL N; XP 975
5 Scrag Scrag The Rhennee generally do not
Beryn mlkin, Priest of Iuz: AC attack other Rhennee vessels, un-
5; MV 12; P9; hp 50; THACO 16; 6 Pike, giant Dragonfly, less the two clans are involved in a
blood feud. If this is the case, the
giant adult * encountered barge(s) attempt a
swift, short attack, hoping to kill a
7 Merrow Merrow
few of their enemy and escape.
8 Wrtle, giant lbrtle, giant

snapping* snapping*

9 Rhennee Rhennee

barge* * barge* *

10 Merchant Merchant

11 Pirate Pirate

12 Fisherman Fisherman

13 Spider, giant Crayfish,
water giant

14 Lamprey, Leech,

giant giant

15 Water beetle, Frog, giant
giant water

32

\

Verbobonc If the player characters are Long before the founding of the
searching for the cultists of Vecna, Viscounty,elves and humans lived
In Verbobonc, the player charac- consult the “Searching” section. in settlements along the river. Ver-
ters can either seek to learn more This tells where to find informa- bobonc was the greatest of the
information about the gnome war- tion and the reactions of various these, once the seat of an elven
ren of Osnabrolt or they can con- NPCs to the questions of the player principality. Although few elves re-
tinue in their tracking of the Vecna characters. main in the city since the wood-
cult. Either way, they come to the
attention of the Voice of Vecna,cur- In all cases, the cult knows the lands have been slashed back,
rently working out of this port city. player characters are in town. present-day human occupants
“The Cult Acts” section describes have carefully preserved the elven
If the player characters have how the cultists react to various work.
come in the company of Yagos courses of action the characters
Slevak, believing his promises to might take. The finest surviving example is,
expose the cult, you can skip to without a doubt, the palace of Vis-
“The Cult Acts” section. Although The City count Wilfrick of Verbobonc, ruler
he leads them into a trap, Yagos of the land. This is a large complex
does circumvent the need to scour Located on the shores of the of buildings and gardens, taste-
Verbobonc for clues. Velverdyva River,Verbobonc is the fully arranged to provide natural-
capital of the Viscounty of Verbo- seeming vistas from nearly any
If the player characters have ar- bonc. With a population of 11,000 window. Its construction is typical
rived in Verbobonc looking for humans and assorted gnomes and of most of the elven buildings of
more information about Osna- elves, Verbobonc hovers between a Verbobonc. The palace is graced
brolt, go to the “Gnomeburg” sec- large town and small city in size. by many slender towers joined by
tion. This part will tell them what The city is walled and well-
they can learn in Verbobonc about maintained, with many fine exam- airy, arched bridges. These peril-
the gnome warrens of the Kron ples of ancient elven architecture. ous trestles are braved only by the
Hills. nimblest humans, although elves
33
manage them with graceful ease.

Inside, the rooms and halls have Noble Lordship, the Viscount Gnomeburg
high ceilings, and the walls are Wilfrick of Verbobonc.Noted as be-
pierced by many windows. Hall- ing ajust and capable warrior, the If the player characters arrive in
ways are narrow and staircases Viscount Wilfrick has for the past Verbobonc looking for Osnabrolt,
are commonly built without banis- decade or more dealt with several the Rhennee of the city are of no
ters. Wood and very light-grained major threats to his realm. By far use. The characters will have to
stone are the common building the most notable of these were the find someone with knowledge of
materials. events surrounding the First and the gnomes. The gnomes live in-
Second Risings of the Temple of El- land, far from the territory of the
In general, the ruling class of emental Evil.
Verbobonc is disdainful of those barge clans.
without titles or position. Titles of Because these menaces struck Any player character with
nobility and rank matter greatly. so close to his capital, the viscount
Those without titles-gentlemen has maintained a well-disciplined knowledge of the region (a gnome
and peasants-are not unimport- and motivated army ever since. from the Kron Hills, a Velunan, an
ant, but they are simply not of the The bulk of his troops are elf from the nearby forests, etc.)
same social class. Wealth and mounted, and horsemen are knows that in Verbobonc, along
power have little to do with it. Fur- greatly respected throughout the the wall farthest from the river, is a
thermore, rank within the nobility land. In times of danger, the army gnome enclave called Gnomeburg.
isimportant. Those of lesser status The Rhennee are unfamiliar with
are expected to show deference to is supported by a well-trained that district. If the characters leave
their superiors. The orders of prec- peasant militia. Made up of mostly the Rhennee slums along the wa-
edence and terms of address are as good and lawful freemen, the levy terfront, they can easilyfind a mer-
follows (fromhighest to lowest): does not hesitate to muster in the
face of some threat to the Vis- chant to direct them to
Viscount-“His Noble Lordship” Gnomeburg.
Bishop-“Your Holiness” county.
Baron- “Your Prominence” Still, the player characters are Even if the characters do not
Lord Mayor-“Your Lordship” known about Gnomeburg, they
Knight Commander-“Most Hon- unlikely to meet the viscount, as can quickly learn of it if they en-
he is a busy man. Most of his time
orable Sir” is spent ruling and supervising his quire about gnomes. Most every-
Abbot-“Father Abbot” army. Unless the player characters one in Verbobonc knows of
Knight Banneret-“Right Honor- possess important credentials as Gnomeburg, though few have ever
ambassadors of a foreign land, visited it.
able Sir” Wilfrick simply does not have time
Knight Companion-“Most Wor- for them. If the characters don’t go inquir-
ing about gnomes, but they ask
thy Sir” The official the player charac- about Osnabrolt in the dock area,
ters are likely to meet is Bishop they eventually meet Oaklin, a
Use these rankings (and the half-elf. He is a member of the Cult
terms of address) to confound and Haufren of St. Cuthbert (see NPC of Vecna. More information about
harass your player characters. For Appendix), especially if they him and his actions is given under
example, a knight commander should need clerical aid. The en-
will probably be offended if the tire viscounty is his bishopric, “Searching” section.
characters call him “Right Honor- Gnomeburg is a small section of
able Sir Damfreis” and he will cer- thus making him second only to
tainly take offense if they don’t the viscount in power and influ- Verbobonc, tucked away in the
address him by his proper title at ence. While upright and good, he is shadow of the city wall. It is only a
all! perfectly aware of his power and few blocks of tiny, half-buried
has no qualms about using it. The structures, built in a style similar
Even the commoners of Verbo- player characters will only receive
bonc suffer from the arrogance of his aid and cooperationif they play to the gnome warrens of the Kron
class. Gentlemen do not associate by his rules. A great believer in the Hills. ’A-eesgrow thickly in this dis-
with simple peasants. Tradesmen protocol of his position, the bishop trict, almost disguising the gnome
are better than merchants, mer- receives only those of rank. Com- enclave as a park. Scattered
chants above common laborers. moners must normally make do throughout the wooded streets are
The Rhennee are outcasts, the by dealing with the lesser priests. a number of small inns and tav-
lowest of the low, even beneath the
beggars of Verbobonc. Untitled player characters will erns.
have to be very persuasive if they Only one of these, Kron Hall, is
The ruler of the Viscounty is His wish to see the bishop.
frequented by non-gnomes. All
other establishments have doors
too small and ceilings too low for
human comfort. Kron Hall is spe-
cially built for use as a meeting

34

place between the gnomes of stout club. She’lllash out at all in- If the player characters ask Miral
Gnomeburg and the big people- volved, giving good licks with her about Osnabrolt, she cheerfully
cudgel. Brawlersare thrown out. If gives them the information. She
humans, elves, and the other large sees no harm in being helpful, but
races. It is a quiet place, lacking need be, every gnome (and many having never been there, she can’t
the usual revelry of other taverns. of the big folk)in the place come to give accurate directions. She can
her aid. send for a gnome guide, if the
Local gnomes seldom go here, pre- player characters want one. The
ferring their own, more comfort- Miral is friendly but not gossipy. guide summoned, Vargannos
able establishments. Kron Hall is Part of her success comes from
frequented mainly by parties of ad- making connections between Ache-Feet, is a competent guide
gnomes and big folk. If you need a and can be hired for the journey at
venturers, out-of-towners, and good gem cutter, a goldsmith, or a a cost of 100gold.
those who have business with the guide to the hills, Miral can proba-
gnomes. At one table is a group of bly steer you to the gnome for the If the player characters ask or
human and gnome jewelers, dis- job. She avoids idle gossip, since talk about the Cult of Vecna, Miral
cussing an impending gem pur- it’s bad for business; asking too is not particularly interested. She
chase, while a t another a band of many questions about Gnome- listens politely like a good inn-
elven warriors visits an old gnome burg makes her clam up in suspi- keeper, but she won’t offer any
friend. cion. comments. Cutterfro doesn’t
know anything about such a cult,
Kron Hall is run by Miral Cut- Miral’s four teenage sons often and the whole thing smacks of gos-
terfro, an independent-minded work as runners, carrying mes- siping to her.
gnome. A good and gracious host- sages to the residents of Gnome-
ess, she runs Kron Hall with an burg. They know virtually every If the player characters press
iron grip. Her place is quiet and resident of every warren. There is their questions about Osnabrolt,
friendly and she makes sure it always at least one son availableto Miral becomes suspicious. This
stays that way. Veteran to many a act as a runner. They know to be much interest is just not healthy.
bar fight, she doesn’t allow any quick in their errands, but not so Although she’s never been there,
weapons in her establishment. If a quick that Miral can’t sell another she remembers some vague allu-
fight breaks out, she has no hesita-
tion about wading in with a good round of ale. sions to a great treasure stored in

35

Osnabrolt. Strangers asking for de- Vargannos is a soft-spoken Viscount of Verbobonc’s Mounted .
tails about the place sounds like gnome whose gentle demeanor
bad news to her. hides his combat skill. He speaks Borderers. (If any of the characters
little, seldom having much to say, are known to be titled, the officer of
If, by some chance, the player especially to strangers. He seems the watch is of equal or greater
characters can convince her of to constantly walk stoop- rank, if possible.)
their good intentions, she tells shouldered, his eyes cast to the
them the tale of the “sacred trea- ground. The characters are hustled to
sure of Osnabrolt.” According to the palace of the viscount, there to
the legend, a long time ago (by Searching be brought before the Provost of
gnome standards, making this a the City, His Prominence Rollo
very long time in human terms), a Most likely, t h t CII.AI~LLCIB~ I I I V C Augustin. The magistrate wants to
strange human strode into Os- know why the characters have
nabrolt. He was tall and gaunt, and in Verbobonc following the trail of been asking questions, what they
had only a single eye and hand. A s the Cult of Vecna. Finding the cult knew when they came, what they
was the custom then, the gnomes in Verbobonc is not going to be a have learned, and who told them.
guested him and, after feasting simple matter. The viscount and
and drinking, they set to games of bishop are both lawful and good, He is blunt and expects answers.
wrestling and strength. During and the bishop is particularly The characters cannot bargain
these, the stranger bested all the harsh in his suppression of evil re- with him. If the PCs are uncooper-
champions the gnomes had to of- ligions. Of course, the viscount, af- ative, he orders them imprisoned;
fer. When it was over,he drew out a ter the tribulations caused by the if the PCs are insolent, they are tor-
great sword, like none ever seen Temple of Elemental Evil, has no tured. If the PCs are cooperative,
before. love for the plottings of secret the provost’s mood gradually
cults. These factors have driven
“I have beaten you, every cham- the Cult of Vecna into hiding. eases, although he does not be-
pion who has come before me. For come friendly. Rollo insists the
this I have the right to lay a charge Searching for clues of the cult characters keep him informed of
upon you. This sword shall be everything they learn, suggesting
your bane and your strength. You must be done with great discre- there may be some benefit in it for
must guard it till it can be found tion. If characters begin openly them (besides avoiding jail). The
again.” With those words, he asking for knowledge of Vecna’s Right Honorable Sir Alfentrask is
thrust the sword into the earth of followers, they attract the atten- to be their contact.
the great hall, plunging his hand tion of three groups: the cultists
deep into the ground, till the hilt themselves, the priests of St. The meeting is not exactly futile.
could not be seen. With this, he Cuthbert, and the knights of the If the party was well-mannered
strode out the doors of the hall and viscount. None of these groups during the meeting with the pro-
vanished in the night, refusing the view their questions in a friendly vost, Right Honorable Sir Alfen-
hospitality that was offered him. light. trask (a lawful good chap),
suggests they investigate the old
Ever since, the fortunes of Osna- Once the cultists are aware of quarry south of town. According to
brolt have been dark. In peace, the the characters’ intentions, they his nephew, who runs a country
warren suffers-its crops do not send one of their number, Oaklin inn on the Lowroad nearby, there
grow and their craftsmen are ill- the Half-Elf (see NPC Appendix) to have been some strange mutila-
fated. In warlike spirit and martial befriend the party. Hisjob is to spy tions in the woods around the old
skill, however, there are none to be on the group, keep the cult ap- pit. It might just be an isolated
found better in all the hills. prised of their movements, and, band of goblins, but the knight
when eventually ordered, lead thinks it is worth looking into.
Vargannos Ache-Feet (gnome): them into the cultists’ trap.
AC 1;MV 6; F8; hp 45; THACO 13; Characters who ask Alfentrask
#AT 3/2; Dmg l d 6 + 2 (Str and The knights of Verbobonc be- where they can find possible cult-
magic): SD + 2 to magic and poi- have in a much more direct man- ists are given a list of inn and tav-
son saves; SZ S: ML 12; AL LG ner. At some point the characters
Magical Items: short sword + 1, receive a summons to appear in ern names. These include the Red
the court. I t is not a polite invita- Ox (near the waterfront), the Bris-
field plate + 1 (gnome-sized), tion delivered by a messenger, but tling Hedgehog (across from the
a command to make an immediate big tower just north of Gnome-
bag of holding, potion of appearance, backed up by a squad burg), the Scythe and Sheaf (afew
super-heroism of seven Gentlemen of the Watch blocks south of the 2adesmen’s
led by the Right Honorable Sir Al- Gate),and the Hanged Man (onthe
fentrask, a knight banneret of the
Torturer’s Square). The knight
does not know if there are any cult-

36

111111 L A I V V A I U I U V C V l " I V I . , * . " u y""'" J "'b"" J'" *",

invitation to meet with him for an Most of the patrons only watch the it should be short and easily
brawls, letting the tavern's bully completed in a single night.
afternoon soiree. The message is boys clear the brawlers from the Possibilities include breaking into
floor. Sometimes a spirited round a noble's villa, strong-arming a
delivered by a priest and a RSVP is of wagers is raised, but most of the merchant, shadowing someone, or
patrons do not care to waste their acting as bodyguards on a
expected. dangerous rendezvous.
money on gambling.
The soiree turns out to be more Each tavern requires several Knife Fight: A table near the
player characters is pushed aside
of a private tea than an afternoon nights of consecutive visits before or shoved over with a crash. "tvo
the characters can draw any con- men, who had been arguing
party. The bishop himself meets clusions concerning the clientele. before, go a t each other with
During these visits there is a 60% daggers. The owner shouts for
with the player characters. His chance something interesting or help in breaking up the duelists
unexpected happens. Use the fol- before someone gets killed and
concerns are the same as those of ruins his business. No one else is
lowing table to determine the going near the pair. The player
the provost: what do the charac- event, or you can create your own characters can get involved or help
unique encounter. out, as they see fit.
ters know and who told them?
Duelists (2):AC 7; MV 12;HD 2d4
While equally as hard and unyield- hp; hp 5,4;THACO 20:#AT 1;Dmg
ld4; SZ M; ML 13; AL CE; XP 15
ing as the provost, the Bishop can- each

not use the obvious threat of Raid: The Gentlemen of the
Watch burst into the tavern.
prison. Instead, he persuades re- Several customers duck out the
back or disappear into dark
luctant informants with offers of corners. The Watch are searching
for a thief. They examine
clerical assistance and threats of everybody and take a few outside
for questioning. One of those
its denial should they need aid in questioned could be the player
characters. The Watch are none
the future. Since the church of St. D20 Roll Event too gentle in their work.

Cuthbert is the dominant religion 1-5 Brawl Threats: One of the player
characters is accosted by a
in all of Verbobonc, these are no 6-8 Gambler drunkard. The NPC accuses the
player of some insult-a rude
idle threats. Characters who are 9-11 Gossip push, paying too much attention
to his woman (or her man), failure
not followers of St. Cuthbert can- 12 Job Offer to make a toast, or just looking
ugly. The NPC tries to pick a fight
not get aid without his word. Even 13-14 Knife Fight with the character. The drunk is
clearly outmatched, but will not
those who do hold to his religion 15-17 Raid stop. The fight is without weapons
unless the character draws a
can be excommunicatedat a word. 18-20 Threats weapon or several of the player

If the bishop feels the characters Brawl: A fight breaks out,

are basically upright people (andhe involving l d 4 + 1 NPCs. The

has a good sense for this), he, too, player characters are not involved,

will feed them a few droplets of in- although a chair may come

formation. He is not direct, since, if crashing their way. They can

the characters fail, he prefers that either stay out of it or join in. No

the church's role remain con- weapons are drawn unless the

cealed. Instead, he asks where the player characters do so first.

player characters are staying and Gambler: An open game of

then suggests, "You might try stay- chance (cards,dice, or whatever) is

ing at the Scythe and Sheaf Inn. starting up. One of the player

I've heard its a place well suited to characters is invited to join. One of

people such as you." He also men- players in the game is a professional

tions that the countryside, particu- with a gaming proficiency of +3.

larly the gnome settlements of the His adjusted proficiency check (for

Kron Hills, has suffered from evil in his skill)is 18.Given his high ability,

times past. If the characters don't the fellow attempts cheating only if

get his hint to visit the Scythe and his losses have been heavy. This

Sheaf, then he figures they are not does not happen too often.

the right ones for the job. Gossip: The player characters

The taverns mentioned by the pick up rumors from the barkeep

Right Honorable Sir Alfentrask are or barmaid.

37

characters gang up on the NPC. No tack the player characters openly. gins the second stage of his, and
one else moves to intervene, wait- Even ambushes on the back the cult’s, plan. OAklin knows per-
ing to see how the player character streets of Verbobonc are out of the fectly well what the player charac-
acquits himself. question. Instead they must lure ters are looking for (through the
the player characters out of the divinations of the cult’s priests),
Drunken Bully: AC 9;MV 12;HD city and into a trap. Their agent for but he can’t let the group know
l d 6 hp; hp 3; THACO 20; #AT 1; doing this is one of their members, this. Instead, the half-elf works to
Dmg 1-2 or ld8; SZ M; ML 15;AL get the heroes to tell him who and
CE; XP 15 an expert at cons and confidence what they are searching for. Only
games-Oaklin. Complete infor- after the characters have told him
The time spent in the Red Ox, they are searching for the Vecna
Bristling Hedgehog, and Hanged mation on the half-elf can be found cult does Oaklin bring up the sub-
Man, while perhaps lively, does not in the NPC Appendix. ject and tell them about the events
turn up any useful information. At at the old quarry outside town.
the Scythe and Sheaf the charac- If the characters arrive in Verbo-
ters may or may not spot cult bonc aboard Yagos’s or ’hrim’s If, for some reason, Oaklin fails
members. If they know Yagos barge, Oaklin finds the group on to get the characters to confide, he
Slevak, they will find him there. the waterfront shortly after they takes a third course, only slightly
With him is the young half-elf riskier. After showing them
Oaklin. They are in earnest discus- arrive. If ’hrim is with the group, around to various places where he
sion about something. After a he spreads word they are looking knows there is nothing to learn,
time, Yagos and Oaklin shake over for the cult regardless of what the Oaklin says he has some new infor-
something and then the half-elf characters do. (It is in the Vecna mation. Like a true informer, he
leaves. Oaklin is wary of being fol- haggles over the price. Once this is
lowed. Any characters trying it manifestation’sbest interests to lo- settled, the half-elf describes ru-
must either successfully hide in cate the cultists quickly.) mors he’s heard about an aban-
shadows (or move silently, the doned stone pit on the Lowroad
DM’s choice) or roll a successful In the initial meetings, Oaklin is out of town. Someone or some-
Dexterity check against half their coy, carefulnot to offer too much to thing has been killing animals up
normal attribute score. If the char- the player characters. He presents there, doing it in a particularly un-
acters successfully follow Oaklin, himself as a guide to the seamier pleasant fashion. The militia’s
go to “The Cult Exposed” section. sides of Verbobonc. Oaklin’s story poked around, but they haven’t
is that he’s heard from his Rhen- found anything. Oaklin has no
Likewise, the characters can at- nee friends that the player charac- idea if this is useful.
tempt to sweat the truth out of ters were asking questions. For a
Yagos. If promised his life, he folds couple hundred gold, the half-elf is If asked, Oaklin has no desire to
in quickly, telling the characters glad to work as a guide. go with the group to investigate. If
enough information to find the the characters force him or offer
cultists (see “The Cult Exposed”). Role-play Oaklin carefully. He more money, the half-elf accompa-
However, if left alive, he finds some doesn’t make extravagant prom- nies them.
way to get his revenge on the char- ises. He wants money for his guide
acters; it is, after all, in his nature service. He never mentions the Ambush a t the Quarry
to do so.
Cult of Vecna. He gives no hint of Oaklin’s instructions take the
If none of the characters recog- knowing what the characters want characters about 13leagues out of
nize Oaklin or Yagos, the half-elf Verbobonc (see the Verbobonc and
makes his move to befriend the in town. If the characters bring it Surrounding Lands map). The
party. If this happens, see “The up, he knows nothing-but he can quarry is about a league south of
Cult Acts” section. the Lowroad that runs from
check around. Most important, Dyvers to Veluna City. The road is
The Cult Acts Oaklin doesn’t pretend to be some- moderately well-traveled,carrying
local trade. Much more traffic sails
Whether or not the player charac- thing he’s not, and he doesn’t re- the Velverdyva River, especially
ters find the Cult of Vecna, the cult- veal all that he is. He is not a nice keel-boats hauling goods for the
ists are going to find them. person and knows there is no way large markets of Dyvers and
However, the cult’s survival in Ver- he can disguisethat. So instead, he Greyhawk. The way to the quarry
bobonc depends on secrecy. There plays the part of a two-bit hustler. is along an old, seldom-used trail.
is absolutely no way they will at-
Oaklin takes his time. He is per- Half a league before the trail is a

sistent but not too pushy. If the
characters refuse his help, he

waits, confident that they won’t
learn anything without him. After
a while, he repeats the offer and
he’ll keep this up until the charac-

ters either hire him or leave town.
Once Oaklin has the job, he be-

38

small country inn, the Rock Pow- the good limestone ran out, not be- Young Farmer (speaking some-
der Inn. Though not a dive, the cause there were any monsters. A
Rock Powder has seen better lot of people fell on hard times what breathlessly): “...along the
when the pit closed, so it’s natural old Wirthin trail, I found some
times. Built in the days when the the locals should look for some- blood. Big trail of it went off into
quarry was a thriving business, thing to blame. Even here, his own the wood, it did, toward the pit.”
the inn once housed journeyman inn, has had a tough go of it. (Gulpsdown more wine.)
Old Man: “Eh, how do you know?
stonemasons, engineers, and mer- Once Grammo realizes the char- That trail’s nowhere near the old
chants who had dealings at the pit. acters are adventurers intent on pit!”
Now, with the quarry abandoned, visiting the quarry, he makes them YoungFarmer: “I followed it. I had
it does a small trade with travelers an offer. He’s willing to give them a good sword with me, an’figured I
on the road. It also serves asa post- free food and lodging, but only if might find what’sbeen makingthe
house for the Viscount’s riders. they can come back with some trouble. With the rain, there’s no
The inn is run by Grammo Sax- telling how long that trail’d last-
inus and his wife, Ansrith. Their proof that the old quarry isn’t but when I got up on the ridge, I
daughter, Cylene, a pretty country haunted, cursed, or whatever. The could see lights down there, mov-
girl in her late teens, helps in the stories are putting off business. ing around. An’ there was this
public house. Grammo and Cylene Dispelling them would help not moaning noise. That was enough
are half-elves, his wife a full elf for me, I tell you! I lit out straight
from the Gnarley Forest. She only him, but all the people in this for here!”
area. Although it is a poor offer, Cylene (Standing beside them):
mostly stays out of sight, tending Grammo is sincere. “Oh, Dennis O’Berrin, you’re a
the inn’s kitchen gardens, while daring fool!What if something had
Grammo minds the public house. If Oaklin is accompanying the got you there?” (Theyoung farmer
blushes.)
Grammo is a good innkeeper. player characters, Grammo offers Old Man: “’Ibmorrow we’ll get our-
Those who want conversation get one final note before returning to selves up there, and we’ll. see if
it: those who want to be left alone his work. Discreetly he signals the
are left alone. He never comments most trustworthy-looking charac- your words are true.”
on his guests or neighbors. After ter aside. “I’ve seen that one be- Young Farmer: “What about the
fore,” Grammo confides, nodding militia? I could be to the city by to-
all, who wants the local innkeeper
saying bad things about them? toward Oaklin. “He’s a bad sort, morrow....”
Grammo is not hesitant to talk evil company. I wouldn’t travel
about other events that happen in Old Man: “Nae, the nobles won’t
the area, so long as they don’t in- with him if he paid me. I’m telling‘ be interested in the likes of you.
volve neighbors. you now so you’ll know.” After This is a local problem. We don’t
this, he says no more on the sub- need no outsiders.”
The strange deaths in the area ject.
If the player characters intrude
are valid topics of conversation. That evening the sky darkens on the speakers, the group gives
Something has been killing wild and a light drizzle begins to fall. sullen answers to their questions.
animals and livestock in the re- This weather continues all night. They clearly don’t want to talk
gion. While he hasn’t seen any of During the evening, several about the strange goings-on with
strangers. At best, the player char-
the bodies, the peasants have told freemen from the local farms come acters can get directions to the old
him the deaths weren’t caused by in for a draught of warm wine to Wirthin trail. No one is going to
animals. The good folk have tried take the chill off their bones. They guide them, certainly not on a
avoid the player characters and night like this, and their company
to catch the killer without any keep to themselves. is not welcome tomorrow.
luck. Most of the killings have been Grammo just shrugs that there’s
around the area of the old stone As it grows late, a young dairy- nothing he can do if the characters
quarry. The peasants won’t go man, his boots thick with mud, look his way.
there. According to their tales, the comes in out of rain. His thick hair

pit was abandoned after the ma- is plastered against his head and
sons dug down into the Underdark his clothes are soaked. He’sshiver-
and released things that weren’t ing but it’s not from the cold. His
supposed to live on the surface. wide eyes and pale face clearly
show that he is upset about some-
Grammo doesn’t believe a word
of this. A s he explains it, most thing. Hurriedlyjoining his fellows
everything unusual or evil that’s at a bench, the freeman gulps
found in the area is blamed on the down a flagon of wine. The player
old pit. The quarry closed because characters cannot help but over-
hear the conversation.

39



The Pit ing to the warm comfort and safety Most of the trail runs through
of the inn. Now the cultists are pre- woods. A t the edges, these woods
If the party has been sent by pared for the arrival of the player are thick with brush, particularly
Oaklin (or if he is with them), the characters. Sentries have been raspberries and grapevines. Far-
posted and the ambushers are in ther in, the forest floor opens up.
cultists are prepared. Continue position.
reading this section. If the group The trees are old, with large trunks
arrives without any cultist’s Key to the Quarry Ambush and spreading branches. Fallen

knowledge (i.e. they did not send Map branches, toppled trees, and small
them here), go to the “Caught Off ravines are the greatest obstacles
Guard” section. S (Sentry):One imp lookout, the
familiar of one of the priests, is off the trail.
The player characters should go posted at each marked position, 2. Game Trails: These narrow
to the quarry the night they hear watching for the arrival of the
the young farmer’s tale. If they player characters. There is a 15% paths cross the Wirthin trail at sev-
choose to stay in the inn, have one chance the imp is noticed if the eral points. They are broad enough
or more of the NPCs-probably group is actively lookingfor the en- to be mistaken for regular trails by
Grammo or Oaklin-point out that emy. If the characters are simply inexperienced woodsmen. Rang-
moving down the trail, they pass
the group may very likely miss its by without noticing the creature. ers can easily tell these are not hu-
only opportunity to find the cult. The imps have instructions not to man trails.
Others have been at the quarry in attract attention. Once the charac-
daytime, without success. Now ters have passed out of sight, the If the characters follow a game
imp telepathically alerts the trail, it twists and turns for 100 to
must certainly be the best, per- Thought of Vecna leading the am- 600 yards and then disappears.
haps only, time to go. bush. After sounding the alarm,
the imp follows the player charac- 3. Bloodstains: This is the spot
The way to the pit is slippery and ters, attempting to fly silently as it Dennis O’Berrin found. The rain
cold. Use the Quarry Ambush map does so. It stays out of sight of the has obscured the markings some-
for this part of the adventure. The characters, simply heading where what, but it is still clear that some-
low clouds blot out any light from it thinks the party went (i.e., to- thing died or bled heavily here.
the moon or stars, while the rain ward the pit).When the characters Rangers and others with tracking
reduces vision of all kinds. Light reach the ambush site at the proficiency have no trouble follow-
sources are effective to a maxi- quarry, the sentries are behind the
mum of 30 feet. Beyond this, the PCs, trying to block their escape. ing the trail of blood. I t plunges
landscape disappears in a haze. into the woods, going in a straight
Infravision is effective out to 40 Imp (1):AC 2; MV 6, F1 18 (A);HD
feet, beyond which the landscape 2+2; hp 13; THACO 19; #AT 1; line for the quarry. Characters
is veiled. If the characters are with- Dmg ld4; S A Special; SD Special; without tracking proficiency can
MR 25%;SZ T ML 9; AL LE; XP still follow the trail if they roll a
out light sources or infravision, 650 successful Wisdom check against
they suffer the full penalties for half their attribute score. The
darkness ( -4 penalty to attack 1. The Wirthin Trail: The trail modifier total for followingthe trail
rolls, saving throws, and + 4 pen- is nothing more than a narrow, are - 5 ( + 4for mud, + 2 for occa-
alty to Armor Class;no damage bo- muddy track that runs from the Lo- sional bloodstains, -5 for rain, -6
wroad, across a wooded ridge, and for lighting).
nuses for Dexterity or Strength in into a small farming valley beyond.
combat). The world is pitch black The branch from the Lowroad If the characters lose the trail,
and wet. is marked by a milestone
(“Verbobonc-40 leagues-May the they can still estimate the direc-
While the young farmer at the gods have grace on you, traveler”). tion to the quarry (provided they
inn was telling the truth, he did Once on the Wirthin trail there are have a compass or someone who
not know his story was being used no markers to indicate the correct can determine direction). They
to bait a trap for the player charac- route at any branches. Everyone
ters. The cultists purposefully left who takes the trail is assumed to must travel cross-country to reach
the trail for him to find. (Thedairy- know where they are going. their goal. Have characters who
man has a habit of taking that trail
to the inn for his nightly cup.)Like- become totally lost flounder about
wise, they arranged the lights and in the woods for a while until they
noise for his benefit. To top it all off, accidentally stumble on the pit.
the poor yokel was given ajolt of a Eventually the player characters
fear spell, just to give the story an should arrive at their goal.
extra convincing touch. The
farmer acted just as desired, flee- 4. The Uneasy Dead: A s a wel-
coming committee for the player
characters, the priests of Vecna
have animated the corpses of an

old graveyard near the quarry.

41

This cemetery was filled with the torch. With the use of some careful Use the Mist Hit Point Record to
bodies of those who died in the pit; staging and ventriloquism spells, keep track of each vampiric mist’s
consequently many of the skele- the ambushers are baiting a trap
tons are horribly broken and man- for the player characters. The am- current hit points and feeding
gled. They carry stonemason tools bushers are hidden elsewhere in state (use a pencil). Each time a
as weapons-singlejacks, mauls, the pit. mist is damaged in combat, sub-
chisels, and even wedges. The tract that number from both the
skeletons have orders to attack The scene has been created to
any creature that does not give the lure the characters within range of “Current hp” and “Max. hp” en-
secret signal of Vecna. Conse- a colony of vampiric mists that tries. Each time the mist causes
quently the skeletons have already dwells in the dark nooks of the old damage, add half the damage
slaughtered several animals that caused (round fractions down) to
wandered into the area. It is possi- quarry. These creatures were the the “Current hp” total. If a mist’s
ble the player characters could original cause of the strange “Current hp” total reaches 0 or
mistakenly assume the skeletons deaths in the area. Needing a trap, less, it is dead. If the “Current hp”
are the cause of the strange deaths the cultists have only embellished entry ever equals the “Max. hp”
in the area. However, examining on the activities of the mists, tele- entry, the creature has finished
any of their recent kills shows that pathically enlisting the coopera- feeding and tries to leave.
their handiwork does not match tion of these evil creatures.
the reports the characters have For example, in the first round
heard. When the characters move Mist #2 attacks. Unprepared, the
party causes only 4points of dam-
Skeletons (30):AC 7;MV 12:HD within 50 feet of the altar or pond, age. The creature’s “Current hp”
1; hp 5 each, THACO 19;#AT 1; the mists attack. The strongest is total drops from 14to 10,while its
Dmg ld6 (weapon);SD special; MR coiled around the altar, feeding on
special; SZ M; ML special; AL N; the carcass. Five others swirl “Max. hp” total drops to 20.On its
XP 65 each turn, the mist drains 5 points of
about the surface of the pond, agi- blood. It regains 2 points (5/2=
5. The False Ceremony: To
lure the characters into the trap, tated at being denied a portion of 2.5,rounded down to 2) to its
the cultists (under the direction of the meal. All swarm upon the “Current hp” entry, raising its to-
the Thought of Vecna) have pre- tal to 12 at the end of the round.
pared what seems to be an impres- player characters are quickly as
sive evil ceremony. At the bottom possible. 6a-6d. The Hidden Cultists:
of the pit, near the pool of stagnant Concealed in the rocks at the
water that fills the bottom, is a Each mist attacks until it is fully
group of hooded figures, holding sated. Once fed, it attempts to re- points noted are various members
torches around a central, blood- turn to its dark dens. If attacked of the Cult of Vecna. They stay hid-
stained altar-stone. The carcass of while retreating, the creature be- den until the characters are
a freshly killed deer is sprawled caught up battling the vampiric
across the block. Next to the stone comes enraged and fights to de- mists. As that battle winds down,
stands a lone figure in green and fend itself. None of the mists stop the cultists attack. The type and
red robes. He or she (since it is im-
possible to tell) seems to be presid- feeding until sated or killed. The tactics of each cultist is explained
ing over the ceremony. All the mists have no treasure, having fed under the letters below.
figures are standing stock-still. A up to now on wild animals.
droning chant rises from the A. The Thought of Vecna: This
group. Fog rises from the chill Mists, Vampiric (5): AC 4 (8 wizard priest is the leader of the
pond and swirls about the feet of when substantial): MV 12 (6when
the cultists. substantial); HD 3;hp 17, 14,14, ambush. A s such, his job is to di-
rect the other cult members
The figures are nothing more 12, 10;THACO special; #AT 1; through his spells. He does not
than scarecrows, draped with Dmg ld8; S A special; SD special:
black robes. Each figure has a MR special; S Z M; ML 14;AL NE; take an active part in the attack or
torch lashed to its crossbar, mak- XP 270 each reveal his position unless neces-
ing it look like a cultist holding a sary. Even then he only uses his
Mist Hit Point Record spells, attacking the characters
from a distance.
Leader Current Max.
Mist #2 B.TheBlood of Vecna:These po-
Mist #3 hP hP sitions are manned by fighters,
Mist #4 17 24 cast-offs from Verbobonc. Lifted
Mist #5 14 24
14 24 out of the gutters of Verbobonc by
12 24 the Thought of Vecna, these men
10 24 owe everything they now have to

the cult and will die defending it.
Their task is to rush the party. The

42

Blood have orders to ignore the dead, meld into stone, repel dead spell may allow the charac-
fighters and concentrate on spell- insects, tongues (reversed), ters to learn the information, pro-
casters.
flame strike vided the right questions are
C. The Peth of Vecna:These in-
vokers are carefully hidden in the asked.
jagged rocks of the old quarry. Blood of Vecna (5):AC 3; MV 12; The information to be gained
F7; hp 44,40, 39, 37, 33; THACO ranges from the obvious-the at-
When the battle begins, their task
is to snipe at the player characters, 14; #AT 3/2; Dmg ld8 + 1; S Z M; tackers are cultists of Vecna, the
hitting them with long-range ML 15; AL NE; XP 650 each
spells. Their initial attacks are quarry was a trap, the cult does
with area-effect spells, until the Magical Items: sword + 1 , ring of not use the quarry-to the not so
fighters close with the party. After protection + 1
this, the Teeth use individual tar- obvious-Oaklin and Yagos are
get spells, concentrating their fire
cultists, and the cult meets in a se-
on the fighters in the group. Since Teeth of Vecna (2):AC 10 (3 in cret basement of the Scythe and
each wizard is carefully hidden in
the rocks, he gains the benefits of cover); MV 12; W8 (invokers);hp Sheaf. Boastfully perhaps, the
75% cover ( -7 penalty to missile
attack rolls, + 7 bonus to saving 21, 20; THACO 18; #AT 1; Dmg prisoners announce that the char-

throws vs. spells causing damage). ld4; SA spells;SD spells;S Z M; ML acters are too late. Word has come
The Qeth hold their positions un-
til they no longer have effective 11; AL LE; XP 1,400each that Vecna has been reborn and is
spells or the player characters
charge them. Magical Items (each): potion of coming to Verbobonc tomorrow to
dimin ution
D. The Fingers of Vecna:Hiding restore his empire.
in rocks near each of the Teeth of Spells: magic missile (x3),spook, If the player characters lost the
Vecna is a halfling thief concealed
by a cloak of elvenkind. Through- ventriloquism (cast at start), battle and were captured, they
out the combat, these thieves do flamingsphere, darkness, 15’ have a sorry fate awaiting them.
not reveal themselves, unless the
Thought believes they are abso- r., detect invisibility (cast at Prisoners are bound and left at the
lutely needed. The duty of each
Finger is to protect the wizards. If start), web, fireball (x2), f l ~ edge of the pond, as food for the
the player characters come after
lightning bolt, Otiluke’s resil- vampiric mists. Every 12 hours,
the wizards, the thieves have or- ient sphere, shout, wall ofice the mists come out to feed, each
ders to let the group pass and then
attack the characters from the rear, creature draining 2 hit points of
backstabbing if at all possible.
ringers or vecna, nairiings (aJ: blood. After two days, Grammo
Thought of Vecna: AC 4; MV 12;
P9/W5; hp 32; THACO 16; #AT 1; AC 8; MV 12; T6; hp 28, 17; Saxinus, leading a band of locals,
Dmg ld4; S A spells; S A spells; S Z
M; ML 14; AL LE; XP 2,000 THACO 18;Dmg ld8; S A move si- bravely ventures out and rescues

Magical Items: dagger + 1 , staff of lently 45%,backstab x 3;S Z S;M L the survivors.

withering, ring of blinking, 10;AL NE; XP 420 If all the player characters are
bracers of defense AC 4, po-
tion ofhealing Magical Items: dagger + 1 , cloak of killed (and you still want to con-
Spells: Wizakd-alarm, message elvenkind (small size)
(x2),shield, ESE invisibility, tinue the adventure without start-
infravision (cast at start);
Priest-command, curse, de- After the Battle ing over),they can be resurrected,
tect magic, protection from
good, chant, hold person, provided their bodies are intact
heat metal, withdraw, feign
death, prayer, speak with If the ambushing fighters are all and resurrection survival rolls are
killed and the player characters made. In this case, Bishop Hau-
still seem to be in sound condition, fren, upon receiving a sketchy vi-
the Thought of Vecna calls off the sion sent with great effort by St.

attack. The invokers use their fly Cuthbert, recovered the bodies
spells and take to the air, followed and raised the characters. Now
by their imps. The Thought goes they are recovering in the temple
invisible and makes his way back of St. Cuthbert. The player charac-
to where his mount, a dragonnel, ters, of course, owe Bishop Hau-
is waiting. The Fingers slip back to fren a very, very big favor, and he’s
not one to forget that.
where their ponies are tied.
Should the player characters fail
If the player characters take any
prisoners, they can force them to to gain any information a t the
talk. Only the Thought refuses to quarry and return to town empty-
speak. All the others, motivated by handed, there are several ways to
the appropriate threats and prom- keep them moving forward. Oaklin
ises, reluctantly speak. ESP spells and Yagos are both in town, the
can be used to extract the same in- former at the Scythe and Sheaf,
formation from any attacker in- the latter among the Rhennee.
cluding the Thought. A speak with When found, either can be quickly

43

convinced to talk. They reveal the Caught Of1 The Cult Exposed
same information given above.
If the player characters manage to Using the information they have
Should the player characters to- find their way to the Rock Powder gained, the characters should be
Inn without alerting the cult, the ready to conduct a raid on the
tally miss all these opportunities, group can capture Oaklin, who is Scythe and Sheaf, for which they
there are still three possibilities re- arranging the trap, unprepared.
maining. If absolutely necessary, When the party arrives at the inn, may or may not want assistance.
Bishop Haufren or the Right Hon- Oaklin, who is staying there, be- Remind them frequently that
orable Sir Alfentrask can tell the comes noticeably nervous. He haste is of the utmost importance.
player characters his men have thinks the trap has been discov-
discovered the cult headquarters. ered and the player characters are If the characters have definite
Although easy, this is rather obvi- here to get him. When the group proof of the cult’s existence and ac-
ous and not recommended. Sec- goes out to investigate the old tivities, they can force an inter-
ond, 'brim Varostak finds the quarry, Oaklin follows. This time view with the provost. Confronted
player characters and guides them there is no ambush, although the by their proof, he orders a squad of
to the cult meeting. His excuse for vampiric mists are still present. 20 knights, led by the Right Hon-
helping the player characters is Still shaken by the presence of the orable Sir Alfentrask, to seize the
given in “The Cult Exposed” sec- characters, Oaklin attempts his cultists. The characters are al-
tion below. The third choice is to own ambush sometime while the
have the characters arrive too late. group is in the woods. If in danger lowed to accompany this group,
The Scythe and Sheaf is a smoking of death, Oaklin surrenders and, if but they are definitely not in com-
ruin, to the excitement of everyone questioned, gives the characters mand.
in town. The events given in “The the information outlined above.
Cult Exposed” section have al- Alternatively, the characters
ready occurred and are described 44 could approach Bishop Haufren
to the player characters by eyewit-
with their evidence. Proof of the
nesses. cult’sactivities raises in the bishop
a holy fury such that he assigns
four priests to accompany the
group to the tavern. The bishop

also alerts the provost, who sends Before the characters arrive at Even if the characters are alone,
the guard noted above, but the the tavern, they are approached by
characters remain in charge of the one more “ally”-’hrim Varostak. they need not fight the thugs. The
operation in this case. The old, peg-legged Rhennee has bully boys are armed only with
“...got a pretty good wind of what clubs. Any demonstration of suffi-
Gentlemen of the Watch (20): yer up to. I can see it in yer eyes. I cient force (such as drawn swords)
AC 7; MV 12; HD 1; hp 5; THACO wants to be there, ’cause I gots clears them off. The innkeeper,
20; #AT 1;Dmg ld8; SZ M; ML 13; who is not a cultist but has been
AL LG score to settle with them. ”has taking their pay, makes a half-
their lot what done this to me leg. hearted attempt to keep the char-
The Right Honorable Sir Alfen- So take me on, lords. I’m handy acters out of his basement.
trask: AC 0; MV 12; F8; hp 68; with a boathook an’yer won’thave However, he too is not going to
THACO 13; #AT 3/2; Dmg 2-8 +3 to watch after old lbrim, no sir.”
(strength and magic); SZM; ML Even if the characters refuse him, wait around for the law to arrive.
15;AL LG 'brim tags along behind, hobbling The basement of the tavern is
Magical Items: broadsword +2, after the group as quickly as he
can. Of course, -rim’s motives small and dark. There is narrow
field plate +2, brooch of are entirely different from what he
shielding path through the center of the
claims. floor, with hogsheads of cider,
Priests of St. Cuthbert(4):AC 2; Arriving at the Scythe and sacks of wheat, and piles of pota-
MV 6; P6; hp 31, 28, 27, 14; toes filling the rest of the space.
THACO 18; Dmg l d 6 + 1 ; S A Sheaf, the group must first get
spells; SZ M; ML 14; AL LN past the innkeeper and his bully Any character can follow the dusty
Spells: bless, command, cure light boys. If the Gentlemen of the trail that goes from the ladder to
Watch are with the group, this is
wounds, hold person, spirit- not a problem. A s soon as the the far wall. This wall is free of
ual hammer, withdraw, thugs see the law, the place clears. goods. Those who listen at the wall
prayer, remove curse hear distant chanting on the far
Magical Items: potion of extra- Fighting the player characters is side. Searching at it reveals a se-
healing (1each) one thing, but no one wants to be cret door that pivots open to reveal
a narrow, low-ceilinged tunnel.
caught by the law. The sound of chanting is quite

clear now.

The tunnel goes straight for a At this point, something hap- Hand of Vecna will function
short distance and then goes
pens, but the exact events depend against their true lord.
through various turns connected
by short sections of tunnel (see the on who is present. If the Gentle- “Fool!” bellows ’hrim, his voice
Cult Bmple map). A glow of light
comes from around the final bend. men of the Watch or the priests of far stronger than ever before. “You
There are no guards posted and
the characters can look around the St. Cuthbert are with the charac- thought you could claim the power
corner without being discovered.
ters, an attack is launched. The of Vecna with the mere Eye and
The temple is a large, low-
characters have no say in this. If Hand? I will not be usurped by a
ceilinged chamber, the cellar of an
old building long since built over the characters are alone and do not worm like you.” With that little
and forgotten. It is dimly lit by can-
attack, they are spotted by Vecnd speech, the manifestation strides
delabras standing in the corners.
The muddy floor is covered by Halmadar. Whichever happens, as up to VecndHalmadar and seizes
thick rugs; the dampness is caus-
ing them to mold slightly at the soon as the battle begins, the him. If the characters attempt to
edges. At the far end is a finely
carved but ill-used table that hooded figures reveal themselves. interfere, the manifestation pre-
serves as the temple’s altar. Set on
it is a statue of an upright hand Play this up for the dramatic im- vents them, although he uses only
clutching a glaring eye. The eye is
a large, yellow jewel of some type. pact. First have the high priestess non-lethal spells on the group. He

The chamber is filled with cult- turn, then the Hand followed by then removes the Eye and the
ists. The majority are simple wor-
shipers, standing with their backs the Eye. Finally, have Vecna/ Hand from Halmadar’s posses-
to the characters. These men and
women are dressed in a variety of Halmadar throw off his hood. Be sion. A s soon as this happens, the
clothes, but each wears a green
tabard emblazoned with the cult’s sure to describe him in the same imposter’s body decays and crum-
symbol. Three hooded figures,
terms as you used in the Prologue. bles, his postponed death sud-
clearly more important than the
rest, stand at the head of the Although the characters have denly overtaking him.
group, their backs to the player
never seen him before, the players As soon as ’hrim gets the Eye
characters. These three are Diraq
Malcinex, the Eye, and the Hand will remember Vecna/Halmadar and the Hand, his appearance
(provided neither the Eye nor the
and what he did to the Circle of changes. His peg-leg vanishes and
Hand was slain in the confronta-
tion at the Roc and Oliphant). Pre- Eight. This should make them his whole body is restored. He

siding over the congregation, scared, very scared. seems stronger and more vital
facing the tunnel opening, is a
fourth hooded figure, dressed in Allow the battle to go for several than before. ’Riumphantly turning

rich robes of green and red, em- rounds with VecndHalmadar do- to the player characters, 'brim
broidered in gold. His face cannot
be seen, but this is Vecna/ ing nothing but directing the cult- says, “Know, my allies, that I am
Halmadar. The possessed fighter is
just presenting himself as the re- ists. The point of this fight is not the true Vecna. Thanks to your
vealed god as the PCs arrive.
for the characters to defeat Vecnd a-i.-d- ., I s- hal~~~ l ~rei-g0n sum-eme in the
The worshipers are chanting
~
“Hail, Lord Vecna!” when the char-
acters arrive. If the group stops and Halmadar, but to set the stage for heavens.” He makes a move to de-

listens, it becomes clear the wor- ’hrim to reveal himself as the true stroy the characters (awave of his
shipers are not offering this as a
prayer but are addressing Vecnd Vecna. Wait until the battle has hand or the beginning of a splell)
Halmadar at the head of the altar.
reached a dramatic moment- and then stops. “No, I will not kill

when the characters are on the you. Let it be said that Vecna iis a

verge of defeat or when they are generous god. Indeed, becaime

about to face Vecna/Halmadar you have been such faithful I3er-

andrvrani-itLo o
himself. At this point, 'brim Varos- 1 ..41l mr.lrp y u uT.T,-.. gc ri-be qatr r

1 WUL iiianL

tak acts. powerful over all of the Flanaess.

Abruptly, in the middle of the Come to Tovag Baragu and collect

battle, In-im, his peg-leg thump- your reward!” With that, Vecna

ing across the carpets, strides past vanishes, teleporting away.

the battlers. The manifestation re-

leases his fear aura, driving back

the lesser cultists. The Eye and the

Hand instinctively recognize his

majesty and cower away from

him. If Diraq attacks, %rim para-

lyzes her with a touch. Only Vecna/

Halmadar remains to face him.

Desperately the possessed fighter

thrusts out his withered hand, at-

tempting to call up one of its awe-

some powers. Nothing

happens-neither the Eye nor the

46

0
0

Aftermath on %vag Baragu in the extensive li- age nomads hold the Stone Circles
braries of the city. to be holy ground. They take a hos-
Whether or not the characters tile view of strangers poking
were present, the events of what It turns out that among scholars around the pillars: only careful ne-
happened at the cult temple are of the arcane, Tovag Baragu is a gotiation has enabled explorers to
well-reported. Vecna has returned well-known place. That is, people investigate the site at all.
and has offered, or challenged, to
reward the player characters at a know where it is and know its pe- In the course of their investiga-
place called %vag Baragu. This is culiarities, but they do not know tions, the characters find a reason-
not a name known to the locals. why the site exists. (Complete in- ably accurate map to the Stone
formation on Tovag Baragu is Circles (see the Beyond the Cry-
Tovag Baragu stalmists map). While not detailed
found in the GREYHAWKOAdven- or precise, it will enable them to
There are three ways the charac- find their destination.
ters can learn about Tovag tures hardback book.)
Baragu-through the offices of Tovag Baragu, also known as the A Vision
Bishop Haufren, by consulting
with Mordenkainen, or by return- Stone Circles, is found on the shore If the characters have not been to
ing to the libraries at Greyhawk. of Lake Udrukankar, deep in the Osnabrolt and do not show any in-
heart of the Dry Steppes (west of tention of going, the following vi-
Fortunately, Verbobonc is not sion comes to the highest level
without its resources. Although the Crystalmist Mountains).Tovag priest in the group during his
the town cannot rival Greyhawk Baragu is a mysterious structure of sleep. When the character awakes,
for the excellence of its libraries, massive stone blocks set in five he remembers the details of the
Bishop Haufren does keep a stock concentric circles. It is unquestion- dream perfectly.
of ancient texts. If the characters ably ancient, although its precise
have had dealings with the bishop origins are unknown. Most You are standing at a cross-
already, they can go to him with roads in the middle of a dark for-
their problem. The bishop de- scholars believe it is the only sur- est. A wind is howling madly
mands some type of payment or viving relic of the Baklunish em- through the trees, but around
service for his help. If the charac- pire, the same that was destroyed you everything is still.
ters already owe him favors, they by the Invoked Devastation of the
must submitthemselves to a quest Suel. Certainly it must be a power- ’hrning around, you see an
before he will help. ful magical site to have survived old, feeble fighter supporting
what nothing else in all the Baklun- himself against the sign post.
If the characters have a method ish lands could withstand.
to contact Mordenkainen (by spell ’ b o signs point in different di-
only), they can present their prob- What makes %vag Baragu par-
lem to the old wizard. The ques- ticularly interesting are the rections from the post. One says
tion isn’t even difficult for him, strange magical powers it some- “Osnabrolt,” the other is blank.
since Tovag Baragu is practically times exhibits. Several explorers
in his back yard (at least on a geo- describe how it magnified distant “You must go. Find my sword.
graphic scale). He provides them With it you may find the way to
all the information they need to scenes, even scryed faraway defeat him.” The old fighter says
find the place. lands. It may produce some magi- no more, then fades into noth-
cal effect on local weather. These, ingness. Both arrows now point
If the characters return to though, are minor compared to the down the trail to Osnabrolt.
Greyhawk, they must do so quickly. powers that are only suggested at.
‘Meportation is the only practical If the players do not get the hint
method for travel in this case. If the It is believed that Tovag Baragu to go to Osnabrolt after all these
characters don’t have it, the bishop can create vistas of distant times clues, give up on them. They can
or provost will arrange it (for a and planes, even opening a gate- continue the adventure without
price).Once in Greyhawk,the group way between the stone circles and the sword of Kas (hidden in the
has no trouble finding information the scene viewed. How this partic- gnome warren) only to discover
ular process is activated or con- they really need it later on.
trolled, no one has ever learned.

As a final warning, most of the
travelers who have visited the
Stone Circleshave made comment

about the local tribes. These sav-

47

I