tsr09309 - Greyhawk - Vecna Lives

(busW s t OF the bavish)



nos Ache-Feet automatically han- she manages to retain most (if not acters do not believe in the same
all) of her diplomatic skill. She gods, he recognizes their goodness.
dles introductions for the player does not offer any details of what
happened here, but instead hears As Gudrune explains it, the disas-
characters. He is very concerned the characters out. Only after ter the characters see was wrought
weighing their words does she of- by one man, though he hardly
about what has happened here. fer any explanations of her peo- seemed a man. Several weeks ago
If the characters manage to dem- ple’s plight. he arrived during the night, de-
manding the warren submit to the
onstrate their good intentions, If the group offers clerical aid empire of Vecna. The council (of
(and they have made a good im- which she was a part) thought him
Maldo relents, allowing the group pression), Old Gudrune gratefully deranged and so refused. Further-
to enter the encampment. Maldo accepts, although she still refuses more, they were fearful of his mad-
leads them to the leader of the any healing until all others in the ness, and thus denied him the
community, Old Gudrune, a fe- camp are well. Maldo is ordered to hospitality that gnomes customar-
male gnome. Her hip broken in the take the healers to the sick and ily offer. With that, the creature
wounded. There are more than lashed out in fury. He alone devas-
disaster, Old Gudrune has refused enough injuries and diseases to ex- tated their warren, disintegrating
what little clerical aid there is, in- haust the spells of the characters. walls, freezing whole families, slay-
There are virtually no dead, since
sisting that others need curing all bodies were burned almost im- ing the guards, and summoningter-
more than she. The matriarch is mediately after death. These cre- rible monsters to attack them. Their
mations are a grim necessity. Only magic and weapons seemed power-
confined to a straw pallet under a one gnome priest survived: should less against this monster. In an in-
simple tent. Her brother, almost as plague break out this holy man stant, their homes were destroyed
old as she is, sits nearby brushing would be inadequate to halt the and their attacker gone.
spread of disease. The priest is
the flies away when she grows too grateful for any help the characters By the next morning, Gudrune
has an answer for the player char-
weak to care for herself. Right can offer; although the player char- acters. If they are searching for the
now, though, she is awake.
tomb, she describes another group
Old Gudrune is an exceptional
leader. She is both cunning and

diplomatic. Careful in her choice of
words, the matriarch seldom says

less than exactly what she means
but not so much as to reveal her
mind. Even now, in pain and grief,

01 humans (the Circle of Eight) It can be found high in the top of a and holy rituals the gnomes have
who passed through a month be- wind-battered tree, 100feet above devised over the years. These
fore. They, too, asked about the the ground. Climbing to the nest is
tomb, and were shown where it perilous, such that a Climbing preparations take several days.
lay. Shortly after their visit, this di- check must be made for every ten There is nothing that can be done
saster struck. Gudrune is sorry, feet above 60. The nest can also be to hurry the process, so the charac-
but she cannot fulfill the charac- reached by flyor levitation spells. ters should contemplate the vir-
ters’ request. However, the mother bird attacks
any person who comes close to her tues of patience during this time.
If the characters have not yet nest. These attacks are more Of course, occasional reminders of
heard the story of Osnabrolt’s sa- frightening than harmful, but the urgency of their mission won’t
cred treasure (see Chapter 5). they harming the mother does defeat
hear it now. Furthermore, there the purpose of returning the hurt either.
were conditions put on the hatchling to the nest. The first phase of the rituals is to
gnomes, supposedly uttered by
the stranger, setting the term of The second best option is to fast for 24 hours. During this time,
their duties. According to local tra- adopt the baby bird and care for it. the characters are allowed only
dition, the gnomes of Osnabrolt This is a responsibility not to be water in small sips. They are also
must guard the sword “until the taken lightly, since baby birds are required to bathe several times, as
needy come to the lame for aid.” very demanding. the gnomes furiously scour them
with pumice-like stones. They
The player characters can argue If the PCs return the bird to the
that now is that time: they are the nest or adopt it, they earn passing must all wear new garments, and
needy, Old Gudrune and her crip- grades on the test. so, when not bathing, the group
can be stitching together simple
pled village the lame. Decidedly bad choices include tunics from tent cloth.
The matriarch allows that this refusing the bird, abandoning it in
the woods (“It’ll take care of it- After fasting for 24 hours, the
may be true, but she is reluctant to self.”), casting spells on the little characters must purge their
end the duty with which she has creature (especiallyspells to speed bodies by sweating. The gnomes
been charged. The gnomes of Osna- its growth), trying to pass the have thrown together a simple
brolt believe the mysteriousguest to hatchling off onto another (suchas sweat lodge, built a fire, and have
have been somemalevolent god and a gnome child),or killing it. In any been heating stones for 12 hours.
of these cases, the group fails the At dawn the characters and Maldo
are still fearful of displeasing him. test. Gudrune will not show them are placed, naked, in the lodge. It is
Before Old Gudrune can give up the the location of the sword. No threat cramped, built more to gnome
sword, she puts the player charac- can make her reveal it. standards than human. A pit in
ters to a test. As is her way, she does
not tell the characters they are be- If the characters pass the test, the center is filled with heated
ing tested. Gudrune simply creates Gudrune summons the group rocks. Water is poured over these,
back into her presence. She
the conditions. thanks them for her kindness, “es- creating clouds of steam. All
Gudrune’s test is absurdly sim- pecially for the hatchling.” This is through the day water and hot
the first indication she gives of rocks are added to the pit, keeping
ple on the surface. While the group knowing about the bird. “After the lodge torturously hot. The
isin camp, a gnome dame presents careful consideration, I believe it is characters are required to stay in
them with a small mourning dove prudent to take you to our sacred the lodge until sundown.
hatchling. “We found this,” the treasure.” This is a solemn occa-
gnome says as she sets the sion for the gnomes, for, if Gud- The sweat lodge quickly be-
scrawny little bird at the group’s rune is right, it means the fulfill- comes a test of endurance. Every
feet. The gnome does not say any ment of a prophecy and their re- hour, each character must roll a
more than this. What is to be done lease from a task that has lasted Constitution check. The daylight
is up to the player characters. centuries
lasts 14 hours. If a check is passed,
While doing their work, the Getting IIVH.. .__ the character endures with no ill
gnomes are secretly watching the
player characters to see what they Before the characters are taken to effects.The first time a check fails,
will do. Just how the characters the sacred chamber (which sur- the combined effects of heat and
treat the hatchling determines vived the attack undamaged), they hunger give the character halluci-
whether or not they are shown must endure the purification rites nations. These are minor at first:
where the sword lies. sounds, voices, and apparitions
seen at the periphery of vision.
Searching for the hatchling’s
nest is the best possible response. Gradually the hallucinations be-
come more extreme: the character
has conversations with talking
worms, gets advice from birds, the

53

sweat lodge opens up and the char- “If I had not been so infirm, I, more. Before the eyes of the charac-
acter flies through the sky, and he ters, a uniquely wrought sword
may even see and talk with his an- too, would join you. Now, I give rises up out of the ground-the
cestors. The hallucinations are you over to my son, Maldo. He is sword of Kas (although hallucinat-
generally not frightening, nor are your guide from here.” With a tired ing characters might wonder if all
they bizarrely incoherent. In fact, wave of her hand, Gudrune orders this is really happening).
to the person experiencing them, Maldo to open the door.
they make perfect sense. The first time any character
For all its build up, the sacred touches the sword,he instantly suf-
The second time a character hall of Osnabrolt is a pretty plain fers 2d20 points of damage. There-
fails a Constitution check, he affair. Pulling the stiff door open, after that character can handle the
passes out. The heat has overta- Maldo leads the group into a large, sword without harm. Upon grab-
ken him. Thereafter, the character unfurnished chamber. It is little bing the hilt, the character’s mind
suffers 1 hit point of damage each is instantly filled with images.
hour. Any person removed from more than a hollowed-out cavern. Strongest of these is a feeling of
the sweat lodge before sundown is The floor and walls are bare dirt, bonding between the character and
not allowed into the sacred cham- the ceiling dirt supported by a the sword. They belong together.
ber. It is up to the conscious char- framework of beams and braces. A The other predominant image is
acters to decide if an unconscious few roots dangle from the ceiling. that of Vecna-the sword holds a
person should be removed. There are no furnishings, decora- burning desire to find and destroy
tions, or even trash. The room is the arch-lich. The sword seems
At sundown, the characters are filled with the power to eradicate
taken from the lodge and dressed barren. the corrupt fiend. Instantly the
in their new clothing. Each is “This is where it happened,” character can sense the general di-
christened with a new name (even rection Vecna in which can be
Maldo). These names usually re- says Maldo, indicating the room. found and knows if it is distant or
flect something seen or heard He steps aside, allowing the char- near. Right now Vecna is some-
while in the lodge. Thus a charac- acters a better view. There is no where very far to the southwest.
ter who hallucinated about wild sign of a sword. (For further explanation of the
dogs might be named Dog Man. sword of Kas’s powers, see the Ap-
With the new name comes adopt- When the characters ask about pendix.)

ion into the Osnabrolt clan. The the sword, Maldo points to the Since the sword has apparently
characters are honorary gnomes. floor. “He plunged it into the come to the hands of the player
Now, purified and ready, the char- ground there, burying it deep be- characters (something that has
acters are taken to the sacred hall. neath the earth.” He has no idea never happened before), Maldo
and the other gnomes can only as-
The Sword Of Kas? what the characters are supposed sume that the prophecy has been
to do now: he assumed they had a fulfilled.The characters are meant
The procession to the hall is a sim- to have the sword and are welcome
ple, yet solemn, affair. Leading the plan. to take it with them. A great feast
way is Qld Gudrune, carried on a Probably the characters will de- is prepared and the characters are
pallet. Behind her is Maldo carrying not allowed to leave until at least
a torch. The characters are each cide they must dig the sword up. If the next morning.
given a torch and expected to follow so, they must do it with their bare
him. Characters who were halluci- hands. Whatever they decide, just The Enemy
nating or passed out before are not before they do it, have each charac-
cured simply because they are out ter roll a Constitutioncheck. Make a It is during this feast that the camp
of the sweat lodge. They will still see show of noting their results. This is attacked by priests of Iuz. The
and hear things that are not there. check has no effect on anything, resident demigod of Oerth has
Exhausted characters must be sup- but, given the previous checks and been following the activities of
ported by others. None of the group Vecna with growing concern. Al-
shouldfeeltoo fitand strong after 14 hallucinations, it should add uncer- ready his minions have followed
hours in the steam bath. tainty concerning the events that and watched the player charac-
ters, for Iuz has determined they
The procession picks its way follow. Is this all real orjust another are central to the drama that is un-
through the rubble until it finally strange hallucination? folding. Now, just a little too late,
arrives at an old, age-stained door. Iuz has learned of the sword of
Gudrune is carried aside and from After the checks, tell the charac-
her pallet nods to the characters.
ters they hear a faint rumbling
noise. Listening carefully, it seems
to be coming from under their feet.
As the noise growslouder,the dirt in
one spot begins to tremble, bounc-
ing up and down as if it sat on the
skin of a drum. Suddenly it flies up-
ward, hit by something from below.

There is a glint of metal and then

54

Kas. He means to have it for his spiritual hammer, animate could care less about the player
own, ready for the upcoming bat- dead, blindness, continual characters. To Iuz the Old, the ad-
tle against Lord Vecna. darkness, abjure, cure serious venturers are nothing more than
wounds, flame strike
The attack is adirect assault on Magical Items: mace +2,necklace gnats. He does not fear the group
the camp. Believing the gnomes to ofmissiles, bracers ofdefense or anything they could do. He does
be in disarray and not aware of the AC 5 fear Vecna.
presence of the player characters,
the cultists plan to charge in and Subpriests (2):AC 6;MV 12;P6; hp Currently, the player characters
seize the sword. They do not antic- 32, 21; THACO 18; #AT 1; Dmg offer some hope of defeating
ipate strong resistance. l d 6 + 1; SA Spells, S Z M; ML 13; Vecna; however slim that chance
AL CE; XP 650 each might be. They still hold the sword
No special map is needed for the Spells: cause fear, cause light of Kas. If Iuz cannot have it, it
battle. Place or draw a number of makes sense to ally with those who
obstacles on the playing area- wounds, spittle, heat metal, do. Therefore, the priest of Iuz is
trees, tents, fires, and rubble. Put silence 15’ radius, spiritual willing to lend his support to the
the player characters and 12 hammer, continual darkness, player characters in the battle
gnomes near the center of the area. dispel magic against Vecna. In addition to his
Let the characters position them- Magical Items: # l-ring ofearth el- own spells, Beryn offers the con-
selves. After the characters are emental command, potion of siderable aid of the Cult of Iuz,
placed, the cultists attack all from fire breath (already in effect); should the characters desire it.
one direction. The spellcasters stay #2-cloak of arachnida,
back and attempt to use their gloves ofmissile snaring The player characters are going
spells, while their servants attack to be suspicious, even incredu-
in a grand melee. The cultists have Servants of Iuz (20 Orogs): AC lous. Who can blame them? A s
instructions to find the sword and 4; MV 6; HD 3; hp 23, 20 (x2), 19,
bring it back. Once the sword is demonstration of his honesty (in
spotted, they concentrate their at- 18, 17, 16, 15(x2),14, 13, 12(x2), this matter at least), Beryn will
tacks on that character. If possible, 11(x3),9 (x3),7; THACO 17;#AT 1; submit himself to a detect lie spell
the cultists snatch the weapon and Dmg ldlO (weapon); S A + 1 to to prove the sincerity of his words.
flee. damage; SZ M; ML 14; AL LE; XP The priest may even submit him-
65 each self to a quest spell, provided he
The cultists fight until they get can be convinced the caster will
the sword, all the servants are Gnomes (12):AC 4; MV 6; HD 1; not betray him by adding special
killed, their leader is killed, or his hp 8 (x3). 6, 5, 4 (x2) 3, 2 (x4); conditions or limitations. The only
morale is broken. The player char- THACO 20; #AT 1;Dmg ld6; S Z S ; condition Beryn allows is to not at-
acters may recognize the leader- ML 15;AL CG tack the characters until Vecna’s
Beryn ’lhlkin. He has been plans are thwarted. In exchange,
following the characters for some If the player characters capture
time and served aboard one of the any of the priests of Iuz, particu- the priest demands the same of the
Rhennee barges on the journey larly Beryn Blkin, they can read- characters, sworn on the most sol-
from Greyhawk to Verbobonc. In ily get answers to their questions. emn oath he can conceive. The
Curiously enough, the priests do priest does not hide the fact that
this encounter, he is wearing the not consider the player characters the alliance ends the minute this
bloodstained white robes of the (or the gnomes) enemies, only ob- goal is accomplished.
cult, identifying himself as a priest stacles to their goals. Now that
of Iuz. they have been defeated, Beryn If the characters agree, Beryn
Talkin (orany other priest) is quite keeps his word. The threat of
If the cultists escape with the willing to change his plans. Vecna is great enough to hold the
sword, the survivors make their chaotic to his word. Of course, the
way back to Verbobonc, there to Beryn proposes a deal. In ex- priest is not out to win a popularity
board a ship bound for Iuz. change for his freedom, Beryn of- contest. He takes some pleasure in
fers to ally with the player
Beryn Thlkin,Priest of Iuz: AC characters against Vecna. 21him, irritating, embarrassing, defying,
5; MV 12; P9; hp 50; THACO 16; this all makes perfect sense. Iuz and manipulating the player char-
(and his priests) have no love of acters. Furthermore, he is still cha-
#AT 1;Dmg l d 6 +3; S A Spells; S Z Vecna, and whatever the demigod otic and still evil. His solutions to
M; ML 15;AL CE; XP 2,000 is doing, it is a threat to Iuz’s cur- problems match his character-
Spells: cause light wounds, dark- rent power. On the other hand, Iuz
torture and death are far better
ness (x2),detect magic, chant, than kindness and mercy. Beryn is
silence 15‘ r., slow poison,
under no obligation to do things
according to the rules of good.

55

Across the Wdrld The Southern Route should take the time to scry the

There are several ways to get to the Stage Travel area. However,because of the pow-
Standing Stones, provided the Verbobonc-Enstad Time
characters have managed to learn Enstad-'Ringlt 3 days erful magical auras generated by
where this ancient ruin stands. 'Ringlee-Niole lays the Stone Circles, the spellcaster
The mode of travel chosen de- lays cannot scry the actual site itself.
pends on the means and clever- Niole Dra-Flen lays Instead, he must pick some land-
ness of the player characters. Flen-Istivin L days
Istivin-Crystalmist Mts. 2 days mark 2d6 miles distant. The spell-
Overland The longest, most dif- Across the Crystalmist
ficult, and most dangerous way to Mts. 9 days caster needs two days to study this
get to Tovag Baragu is by traveling Across the Dry Ste lays area carefully. If using teleport
cross country. If at all possible, char- Total lays without error, the chance in-
acters should find some other creases to very familiar.
method of travel. It will be difficult The Northern R, Travel
for the DM to maintain the suspense Time Via the Planes: If characters
of the pending confrontation with Stage get clever and use some sort of pla-
Vecna if the group takes eight differ- Verbobonc-VelunaCity 5 days nar travel (planeshift,astral spell,
ent game sessionsjust to get there. Veluna City-Mitrik etc.) to cut the time and distance
Mitrik-Thorriward 2' days
Still, the journey, or part of it Thornward-lLopolla Ll days from Verbobonc to Tovag Baragu,
may be unavoidable. There are Lopolla-Ulak;and they are in for a nasty surprise.
two basic routes that can be taken Ulakand-Kester t3 days
from Verbobonc. The first goes Kester-TovagBaragu lbvag Baragu is not just a series
south through friendly settled Total 1:1 days of stones, it is also a powerful arti-
lands until reaching the barrier of fact serving as a gate to other
the Crystalmist Mountains. These 7 days planes, worlds, and times. When
savage peaks must be crossed with 12 days
little benefit of trail or guide. Once 49 days activated, Tovag Baragu exists in
on the other side, the characters
continue their journey across the Clearly it would be desirable for all times and planes. Just as they
trackless lands of the Dry Steppes the characters to reach Tovag
until they reach Tovag Baragu. are about to reach their destina-
Baragu faster than either of these tion via planar travel, the group
The second route is longer, but
has the advantage of avoiding the routes allows. sees Tovag Baragu on their chosen
dangerous peaks of the Cry- Flying: If all characters can
stalmist. From Verbobonc, the plane. Standing in the center is
characters trek to Ket, then south- travel aboard a flying device such Vecna (see the scene described in
as a carpet of flying, have flying Chapter 9), having just activated
west to U11, and finally across the mounts, or are possessed of some
the Stone Circles. The demigod
Dry Steppes to their goal. While other flying ability, the trip can be sees the player characters and
avoiding the lands of giants and reduced to a straight-line journey.
the like, the route takes the char- The length of the trip for various gloatingly tells them they are too
acters through the hostile king- late. Soon his worshipers from the
doms of Ket, the Paynims, and U11. methods of flight is listed below.
past will pour into present-day
Each route is divided into stages Carpet ofFlying, Oerth, giving him the power to be-
and the travel time from place to
place is noted on the charts below. 1person 18 days come the supreme god of all
In addition, the typical encounter Greyhawk. (Notethat the sword of
table used for that part of the jour- Carpet ofFlying, Kas will be screaming for Vecna's
ney is noted. The characters are all blood by now.) After contemptu-
assumed to be mounted for this 4 person 32 days ously allowing the characters to
journey. enter the circle and attack him
Griffon 26 days (whereuponthe sword ofKasfails),
Vecna casts them all through one
Hippogriff 22 days of the archways with a wave of his
hand, sending the characters to
Pegasus 16 days
the Citadel Cavitius on the edge of
Teleportation: This is clearly the Negative Material plane. Infor-

one of the best methods to reach mation on the Citadel can be found
in Chapter 10.
the Stone Circles quickly. Unless

the character feels like teleporting

to an unknown destination, he

56



Tovag Baragu the ruin. A t 500 yards, the charac- tive, these can be opened by those
ters can be reasonably certain the
Upon reaching Tbvag Baragu, the figure is %rim Varostak,the Vecna who have the knowledge and
Stone Circles, the characters un- manifestation. As yet, he gives no power-and the restored Vecna
doubtably believe they are prepar- indication that he sees the player
ing to face the final battle against characters. The air shimmers be- has both. Once opened, these gate-
Vecna. They have tracked him tween several of the arches. Shad- ways can be used to view distant
down and they believe they have owy movements can be seen events and times and, in some
the means-the infamous sword of through these, but it is impossible
Kas. Unfortunately for them, noth- to make out any details. cases, pass between here and
ing could be further from the there (or now and then).
truth. Their quest to defeat Vecna At 100yards, the characters are
still has far to go. Still, this con- certain the figure at the center is When active, each gateway
frontation is important. Aside %rim. Unlike the old sailor they shows a scene of its destination. The
from learning the true extent of knew, this Turim, while still one- scene is visible only on the inside of
Vecna’s powers, the group is also legged, is energetic and vital. He is
made aware of his plans, and ulti- no longer stooped and moves the arch. When viewed looking to-
mately sent to the one place where about the center of the circle with ward the center of the Stone Circles,
they might find the true means to speed and grace. Turim still gives
defeat the evil demigod. no indication that he has noticed the gatewayseems to shimmerwith
the player characters.
Arrival distortion like a giant lens. Distant
Between the arches, more detail objects seem close, creating a tele-
Unless they employ planar travel is evident. There are five different
(whichhas the consequences noted scopic effect. Walking through an
in Chapter 8).the player characters scenes. Three show moving fig- active arch from the outside in has
face little opposition cross the Dry ures, one of them a large mass of no ill effect. The character suddenly
Steppe in search of Tbvag Baragu.
The fearsometribes of the steppe,so bodies. The fourth is black with seems to step through the picture-
often mentioned in explorers’texts, shimmering spots of light. The but not out of it.
are strangely absent. I t is only fifth scene is a greasy, dull gray,
within three miles of the Stone Cir- unrelieved by any features save an The result of walking into a
cles that characters encounter any occasional change in hue. scene depends on the status of the
of the tribesmen-and then there gateway. If it is only a window used
are hundreds of them. The nomads When the characters pass the for scrying, the character can step
have camped around the Stone Cir- first ring of the Stone Circles (see
cles. As the characters pass the Tovag Baragu map),have each through the gateway without
through, the nomads stand aside, character roll a Wisdom check. harm, although he feels a warm
making no effort to challenge the Those who succeed feel a subtle tingle over his skin. If the gateway
heroes. Instead, whole families look shift in their surroundings. Look- is fully opened as a door, anyone
toward %vag Baragu, expectantly ing about reveals nothing differ- stepping through the arch is in-
waiting for something. The area is ent, either within the circle or
strangely quiet with only occasional stantly transported to the place
whinnies breaking the silence. outside. A s the characters pass and time depicted. The gateways
through the rings, they can care- can be set to be one-way or full por-
When the characters are within fully examine the five scenes that tals. One-way portals are invisible
1,000yards of the Stone Circles, appear in the archways. The Vecna
they see a figure standing at the manifestation only reacts to the from the other side. Full portals
very center of the rings. It is appar- characters when they reach the create a doorway at the destina-
ently a human and sometimes center or attack him, whichever tion like the doorway here.
moves to one of the arches only to comes first.
resume its position at the center of Vecna has currently opened five
The Gateways
gateways, while searching for the
The arches of ’IbvagBaragu are ac-
tually doors to different times, right combination that leads to his
planes, and places. Normally inac- own age just moments after his
“destruction” by Kas. Most of
these gates are merely windows,
but a few are one-way portals.

A. Baklunish Capital: This
gateway seems to open automati-

cally whenever the Stone Circle is
activated. It is a one-way portal.
The scene shows a city of clearly
ancient design, lit by the moon,

58



stars, and torchlight. It rises up sive skull in the distance. This is “I seeyou have decided to accept
over the shore of a gently lapping the Citadel Cavitius, one of the my offer. I promised to reward you,
lake. Ships bob along the shore mysterious citadels on the edge of and I will.” %rim pauses with an
and occasional flying creatures the Negative Material plane. The
move across the sky. scene here is a one-way door. More evil smile on his face. “I will make
information about Citadel Cavitius any one of you my right hand, my
The city is the former capital of is given in Chapter 10.
the great Baklunish empire, voice on Oerth. Soon, when my
E. Empire of the Whispered worshipers step through from the
shown in the final months before One: This archway isjust forming past, I will be the greatest of all
the terrible Invoked Devastation as the characters arrive. Currently gods. Istus,Incabulos, and the oth-
brought down by the Suel wizards. it is only a window. (It takes sev- ers will be nothing next to Vecna.
eral time-consuming steps to open Join me and you will be more pow-
Characters who enter this time windows and transform them into
(the place is here, on the shore of gateways.) The scene shows the erful than you can imagine. If you
Lake Udrukankar) are immedi- remains of an immense palace, want this, all you need do is one
shattered and broken. The de- simple thing. Kill your friends. Do
ately suspected of being Suel struction could only have occurred
spies. Characters will discover moments before, since rubble is this and ultimate power is yours.”
strange magic, decadent societies, still crumbling away and people Vecna pauses to give each charac-
and an unwinnable war destined are running in confusion. Even in ter a chance to accept his offer. If
destruction, the palace looks both anyone does, he releases that char-
to destroy both Suel and majestic and corrupt. acter only. If the released character
Bakluna-but then the characters attacks Vecna, the manifestation
This is the palace of the Spidered destroys him utterly (he has the
already know that. Throne, the seat of Vecna’sancient spell power to do this easily). If no
B. Dorakaa: Being both powerful empire. The scene is moments af- one accepts his offer, Vecna sighs.
ter Vecna’s defeat by Kas. Vecna “Well, think about it,” he says, as
and prudent, Vecna is aware of the the manifestation plans to enter he casts a wall offorcearound him-
the past and summon his faithful self and then dispels any spells
threat Iuz the Old poses to his plans. followers into the future. When used to immobilize the characters.
this happens, Vecna will gain the
Therefore, he has opened a window powers of a greater god. This is He watches and waits to see what
(not a gate) onto Dorakaa, the capi- what the characters must try to the characters do next.
tal of Iuz’s realm. The city is a grim stop.
and filthy place. The streets are If any character accepts Vecna’s
filled with goblins and orcs. Skulls Dealing with Vecna offer and fulfills the grim condi-
seem to be the predominant motif in
architecture and decoration. This is Until the characters either attack tions, the adventure is over. Vecna
a land hostile to all that is good. For- %rim or speak to him, the avatar has won; he will become the sole
tunately for the characters, this is ignores them. He is occupied with
only a window and they cannot ac- magical rituals, working to open greater god of Greyhawk. He hon-
cidentally find themselves trapped the gateway to the past. A s usual, ors his promise, elevating the trai-
in Dorakaa. the characters are of no conse- tor to demigod status by creating a
minor cult centered around the
C. Ancient Flan: This scene is quence. character. The character is retired
another window, inaccessibleto the If the characters attack Vecna, from the campaign permanently
characters. It shows a strange land (asa demigod he is now under the
(one of the ancient empires of they have no luck. His magic re- control of the DM).
sistance (now 70%)blocks spells.
modern-day Keoland),again clearly Those who attack him physically, If all the characters refuse Vec-
of an older age. The people dress in he tries to paralyze with a touch. If
he must, Vecna casts nonlethal na’s offer, the manifestation casts
clothing long since out-dated, gar- spells to immobilize the player them through the gateway to Cita-
characters. del Cavitius, his personal prison.
ments today seen only in tomb “Since you refused me, you can
When given the opportunity to join K a s in eternal hell!” Vecna
paintings and ancient statues. Ra- speak (either when addressed or gloats as the group tumbles
cially they are similar in appearance after his has defeated most of the through the gate. To succeed in de-
group),Vecna makes an offerto the
to some Keolanders. There are players. feating Vecna, the group must find
many other clues that hint at their both the means to defeat him and a
ancient existence: chariots, bronze way to escape and return to Tovag
weapons, and strange races mingle Baragu.
among them.

D. The Citadel Cavitius: This

archway looks out over a grey,
gloomy expanse. At first it seems
featureless, but close inspection
reveals the dim outline of a mas-

60



Zitadel Cavitius Vecna has chosen to build his cit- of damage and the loss of one leve1

Rapped on the negative quasi- adel on the border between the (with appropriate loss of hit dict

plane of Ash and the Negative Ma- and abilities) for every round spent
I)lane ofAsh9the charactershavea . .mteraiga_ilc.ap*llaa*neev.i.cTehs,ronuegnha
C>IIhLLaI InL Ln ~tn lnc~rnh n x n tn Anfn-t spells an d uponwpreortr,eu-ci.tsepdel.o.lsn the plane. Onljr
LU s IPormea a such as negative
LU I L a i u LIUW uLicIaL

Vecna, if only they can find the leg- small pocket of solid matter and plane protection can prevent this

endary Kas and persuade him to fashioned it into Citadel Cavitius. damage. The plane of Ash drains

reveal his secrets. Before they can He then constructed a gateway, warmth from all who enter it,

use this knowledge, they must find and sealed both away from the causing 2d6 points of damage

a way to escape from Vecna’s eter- deadly effects of both the Ash and each round. Protection from cold

nal prison. Negative Material planes. This and similar spells can prevent this.

Arrival Again place is Vecna’sdomain. Citadel Cavitius is primarily

When the characters tumble At first sight, Citadel Cavitius used by Vecna as a prison. Here he

through the gate, they land in the can be seen only dimly through has sent those who have offended,
center of a group of stone rings
similar to those of ?bvag Baragu. the thick pall of gray ash. It looks attacked, or even hurt him. It suits

The only major difference here is like a giant human skull with the his corrupt and evil mind not to
that the stones, instead of gleam-
ing white, are gray columns of ash. cranium sliced away. The citadel is slay his enemies; instead he con-
The ground is covered in gray ash,
approximately six inches deep. dark and colorless, a slightly demns them to hopeless and un-

A shimmering field surrounds lighter gray than the dull haze of ending gloom. The gate to the
the area of the stones, making a
dome over the structure. This field the plane. Closer inspection sug- citadel is one way and the only es-
forms a long passage at one end,
an arched hallway that leads to gests that the citadel may not just cape is through spells or magical
Citadel Cavitius. The shimmering
field marks the limits of Vecna’s look like a skull, it may actually be devices that normally only Vecna
demi-plane. Within the field, air is
maintained and the thick veils of a skull of gigantic proportions. The possesses.
ash are held off. The field can be
crossed, but characters will find material and surface is just like Life iin the Citadel
life difficult, and possibly very
short. hevond the limits created bv bone, although on an immensely The fortress is occupied by per-

7 larger scale. The walls are haps 1,000 dreary souls, all the
victims of Vecna’s wrath. While a
bleached and weathered, although few of these have kept their spirit,
most have been crushed by the
no sun ever shines and no wind monotony and hopelessness of
their existence. More than a few
ever blows here. have gone quite mad and many
have deliberately walked beyond
The entire citadel, like the gate- the field to their death. The despair
of the prisoners is almost physical.
way, is surrounded by a shimmer- When Vecna visits, he thrives on
the emotions that charge the air.
ing field of force. A similarly
protected patp..i.-w...a y Like the citadel, everything
Ln Un~m~ LnLnLnL Lt Um thn about the prisoners is gray and

LLLL bleak. Their clothes are faded and
tattered rags, impregnated with
two places. 01itside the field, the gray ash. Their faces are pale and
dirty. mrches only dimly light the
dismal expanse of the plane is hovels. The only music heard is
mournful and dirge-like. No one
clearly seen.
smiles Nn nnp nlavs Thew in ng
Characters car1 ~ a v LcHC siucry
t
of the field at any time, venturing

Where the cnaracters nave arnvea out onto the planes of Ash or Nega-
is a special, small section of the
negative quasi-plane of Ash. Origi- tive Material as they wish. How-
nally, this piece was part of that
uniform and deadly wasteland, un- ever, this is likely to have dire and
distinguished from the surround-
deadly consequences. Neither
ing gray. Vecna took an interest in
this place and, over the centuries, plane has air. The ash of the quasi-

transformed the hostile e---’--- plane can be converted to air by
ment into his own private
and prison-Citadel Cavitiu means of spells, but no such mate-

rial exists on the Negative Material

plane. Both planes cause physical

CltAbd C~VItlUS

n

'/4rr = 10 yaRbs

zarre hell. It is perpetually cold treason. Sentence, unending im- ested in hearing any news of his
prisonment.’ He’s here, in the cita- evil master.
and dark. Most of the inhabitants del somewhere,” comments the
Doorkeeper. “That way into the Finally (andleast satisfying),the
are found on the streets or among citadel.” The old man points to a priest of Iuz, if he is with the group,
dark staircase that climbs upward suggests they seek out Kas. Try to
the ruins, scrounging for fungus to avoid using this option, since it
m.
eat and burn. Fires are built hap- er characters
rL cnaracLer apa~ric~icaiiiycai s
hazardly throughout the citadel: them out. After assuring them path, finding
there is no hope, he latter. The cit-
in the streets, alley they seek out Kas and tell him. The streets, alley-
treacherous lieutenant is con- dl fashioned
tops. Groups of 1( sumed by hate and would be inter- e material as
o urban plan-
huddle around the! ,and no map.
locate the an-
ing. More hellish ar keep asking
:information.
power of the Ne$ .eresting time
my of the peo-
plane leaks throug ven insane by
e. Their mad-
del, animating an many forms.
gentle, while
the bodies of those few have be-
ly waiting for
Shambling among explode. The
is can be used
zombies, skelet various NPCs

wights, even var is character is
E narrow clut-
nately for the livinj Ily waving a
: by the shoul-
draw their strengtl I his face, pre-
ruction of the
energies of the Ne 1 the signs in

plane, so they do r the weather,
If beasts. He
on the living. Sorr Great One will
ey must listen
gence and spend tl- n. (He knows
does not care
the living as if they
;.)
When the charat
s non-player
the Citadel, they r : a normal per-
:his prison al-
names entered in 3 the initial
:[email protected]
Doorkeeper. Dress :d b y hate for
Vecna and all those associated
robes, the Doorkee with the arch-lich. Any mention of

and officious old m enrages this NPC so much

high stool, a little that he attacks. All the while, the
madman rants about the plots and
front of him, the I

cally requests thl

crimes for his ledgc

cites the rules (

“There is only one

place,” he intone?

the desk at them. “

you will never esc

he pays no more at

Characters can a

inscribed in his le

keeper urges them

all hope is futile, bi

complies with theii

ask about Kas in p:

man pulls a musl

the shelf behind hi

ash away. Openin ___-

____pages, he cornmet--
one of the first. Slowly going

through the pages, he finds the en-

try and reads it aloud.

“’Kas of Tycheron, arrived last

day of the First Age. Crime, high

64

conspiracies the characters are violent. If they ’accept, he follows not lying, since he knows of the
weaving against him. He links along for about an hour until sword’s plane-shifting powers. He
them to Vecna, accuses them of something else catches his inter- does not have any intention,
treachery, and even confuses them est and he leaves.
with enemies and friends from his though, of bringing the player
own past. If restrained and dis- Pseudo-Vecna (1):AC 10;MV 12; characters back with him. His
armed, he slinks away. W12; hp 25; THACO 17; #AT 1;
Dmg ld4; SA spells; SZ M; ML 10; only concern is to escape Citadel
Madman (1):AC 7; MV 12;F5; hp AL CE; XP 4,000 Cavitius.
37; THACO 16; #AT 1; Dmg Spells: 4 lst, 4 2nd, 4 3rd, 4 4th, 4
If the characters foolishly give
l d 8 + 1; S Z M; ML special; AL N; 5th, 16th over the sword without first taking
some type of precautions, K a s
XP 175 Kas seizes it and uses the plane-
shifting power to escape. He does
The Hero: This lunatic, once an Eventually the player characters not go to Oerth (since the only
adventurer like the characters, are able to track down the mighty place not blocked by Vecna’sgrow-
has become convinced that he Kas. He resides in one of the oldest ing power is Tovag Baragu) but
fought his way into this citadel sections of the citadel. There he some other plane where Vecna will
(and was not imprisoned). The presides over a group of toadies not find him. The characters will
hero is supposedly here to defeat and undead, all of whom view him
the evil Vecna in a fittingly heroic as the master-and in a way he is, have to find some other way home.
duel. Consequently he spends his for Kas died long ago. The Kas that If the characters are wise, they
life searching for Vecna. He spurns remains is Kas the Vampire (see
the false Vecnas as illusions sent to the NPC Appendix). enforce their terms with real
fool him. If the characters mention threats against Kas’s life and
or ask about Vecna, the hero offers When the characters arrive, safety. The vampire has no desire
to join them. Whether or not they they must convince Kas to hear to be destroyed when escape is so
accept, he follows the group about, them out. The vampire cares noth-
lamely attempting to assist. He ing for them or their plight. If the close. If a realistic threat can be
cannot function as a team mem- group mentions Vecna and offers made, he fulfills the bargain. He
ber, and his only tactic is to charge, the chance to hurt the demigod,
screaming, “Death to Vecna!” If K a s becomes interested and de- tells them what he knows and uses
the characters attack him or try to cides to hear them out. the plane-shifting power to send
drive him away, the hero decides
they are in league with his arch- A s the characters tell their story, them back to Tovag Baragu.
enemy. Kas listens with mild interest. If Once the deal is made, Kas tells
they openly display the sword of
Hero (1):AC 2; MV 12; F9; hp 68; Kas or suggest that they have it, the group what he knows. It is re-
HD ld6 hp; THACO 12; #AT 3/2; his interest perks up. Only when ally very simple. The PCs cannot
Dmg ld8+2; S A long sword +2; they are finished with the story
S Z M; ML special; AL CN; XP 975 will K a s ask what they want. kill Vecna; he is immortal. Neither
can they use the sword of Kas
Vecna: This elf, an earlier victim If the characters ask for the se- against Vecna, as Kas learned long
of the Eye and the Hand, is still cret to destroying Vecna, Kas ago that it is ineffective. (Thechar-
convinced he is the true Vecna. His laughs. Vecna cannot be de- acters may already know this.) It
missing hand and eye he considers stroyed. His own failure is proof of was only through chance that he
a proof of his claim. None of this is that. However, he does have infor- was able to blast Vecna into the
aided by the fact that he is a com- mation he is willing to bargain for.
petent, though utterly insane, wiz- His price is steep-he wants the lowest reaches of the outer planes.
ard. He wanders the streets, sword of Kas. If the characters do Even then, Vecna’s evil survived.
muttering foul curses and off- not have it, they have nothing to According to Kas, the only hope
handedly blasting any who cross offer him. the characters have is to call upon
him. If the characters ask him another of Greyhawk who is the
about Kas, he launches into a vitri- The bargaining should be hard equal of Vecna. (If the characters
olic rant against the warrior and and furious. K a s wants only the can’t figure out this means Iuz,
then demands the characters lead sword. Nothing else will do. If the K a s will tell them.) Even then,
him to Kas. If they refuse, he gets characters demand more, he tells
the group that he, and only he, Vecna must be cast into the outer
can get them home-but to do it planes. That way, at least, the
he needs the sword of Kas. Kas is Whispered One will be out of the
way for a long time.

65

The FMal Confrontation too, seem drawn by %rim’s chant. everlasting evil. Paladins are in-
The first arejust preparing to step stantly stripped of their powers.
When the characters finally dis- They must undergo some fierce
cover an escape route from Citadel through the opening. atonement and quests, but once
Cavitius, they must face Vecna one When the characters appear, this is done they can be allowed to
last time. Overmatched by Vecna’s regain their status as true de-
power, the characters must call l r i m notes their arrival but does fenders of law and good.
upon the only other being able to not break his chant. So long as the
battle Vecna-the demigod Iuz. The Gods: The gods may inter-
While these two struggle, the char- characters do not interfere, he ig- fere if the characters refuse to call
acters must find a way to ensure nores them. Operations are at a upon Iuz directly. Summoning the
the safety of Oerth from either vic- last of their remaining power, all
tor. crucial stage right now. If the char- the gods of Greyhawk (finally per-
acters attempt to disrupt the cere- ceiving the threat Vecna poses)
Return Home mony,%rim uses the quickest and contact the player characters. In a
most effective spell possible to per- moment of revelation, the charac-
Because of Vecna’s increasingly manently eliminate the charac- ters realize they must call upon
powerful protections, the only Iuz. He is the only chance to stop
point the characters can return to ters. Death or destruction of the Vecna. The good gods do leave the
on Oerth is ?bvag Baragu, the evil group is his first choice, immobi- lingering suggestion that thwart-
demigod’s gateway to other lizing them second, and casting
worlds. No matter what method is the group back to Citadel Cavitius ing both Vecna and Iuz would be
used-plane shift, astral spell, best.
wish, magical device, or even forc- is third. Again, he should easily
ing the citadel gateway open-the have the power to accomplish his Finally, if all else fails (and the
characters return at night. The goals. DM doesn’twant Vecna to win),Iuz
stars and moon shine brightly simply appears. He has finally
overhead, gently illuminating the By this time the players should tracked down his enemy. This
landscape. A cool breeze plays be aware that the PCs lack the method is not particularly satisfy-
through the stones. ing since the characters did not do
power to defeat Vecna. ?b proceed anything to cause the appearance.
At the Stone Circles, little has any further they need help. Help
changed. The Paynims, sensing can come from many sources, The Battle of the
Vecna’s final deed, have drawn some good and others not so good.
closer to the center. A tribal chant, Demigods
praising the great lord, rises from Kas: He is no help at all. His only
their lips and fills the air. %rim concern upon arriving on Oerth is Whatever the means, Iuz the Old
Varostak still works in the center, to escape. Night will not last for- appears to challenge Vecna. This is
chanting a powerful spell. All his ever and he needs to find protec- a threat the avatar cannot ignore.
attention is directed toward a sin- The two confront each other and
gle gateway-the one leading to tion from the sun. His first choice begin a fierce battle at the center of
Vecna’s past, the ruins of the pal- is to disappear among the tents of the Stone Circles.
ace of the Spidered Throne. The the Paynims. If he cannot do this,
spell he chants is droning, hyp- he leaps through the gateway into Since this is the final battle, the
notic. It pulls at the characters, ancient Bakluna. A t least there it is climax of the adventure, the DM
drawing them toward the avatar. night and there is a large city should describe the duel in dy-
nearby. namic terms. The two demigods
Through the gateway can be do not simply cast spells at each
clearly seen a great mass of people. Iuz: Iuz is the most likely candi- other, they blast rays from their
They are all surging and milling hands, whirling disks fly from
forward, their attention focused on date to provide help, although the their fingers, explosions burst
the window as if they can see player characters may not want to among the stones, fiery balls
through into the present. They, do this. If Beryn, priest of Iuz, is scream through the air. In hand-to-
still with the group, he takes the hand struggle, their blows sound
decision out of the player’s hands like thunder in the sky. The un-
and calls upon his god. Iuz hears breakable stones of Tovag Baragu
and comes. If the player characters
break down and call, Iuz responds.

Good characters worried about
their alignment can be assured
that while this is a blot on their ca-
reers, it does not condemn them to

66

throw shards from the demigods’ (average); THACO 16 (berserk): acters live quiet lives. The best
strikes. Everything should be de- choice is to get rid of both Vecna
scribed in titanic terms. #AT 1;Dmg ld6 +2 (spear and ber- and Iuz, at least temporarily. The
malfunctioning Tovag Baragu of-
At the same time, the DM does serk);S Z M; ML 20: AL LE: XP 65 fers the best hope of accomplish-
not want the player characters re- ing this. If the characters can force
duced to passive bystanders dur- The only problem with fighting
ing the climax. I t is important that these berserkers is that Vecna the two battlers through one of the
the characters have some vital role seems to have an endless supply of gateways, the demigods are
in the final battle. Thus there are them. The characters’ efforts are plunged into a random plane.
several things the characters ultimately futile unless the gate- Weakened from their battle, it will
could or should accomplish to af- way can be closed, somehow. The be a long time before either can re-
fect the outcome. stones cannot be broken by any- turn.
thing within the characters’
First, although things seem to go powers. Their only hope is to phys- Forcing Iuz or Vecna through a
well for Iuz at the beginning of the ically block the gateway or have gate is no easy matter. The charac-
battle (he is, after all, a demigod Iuz try to damage the gate. ters have the advantage of sur-
and ’hrim is only an avatar), the
balance of power quickly starts to If the characters tell (by shout- prise, but even still it takes
swing the other way. Vecna is the ing) Iuz to damage the gate, he im- courageous action. Both demigods
better strategist and still has the mediately perceives their plan and must be grappled and overborne
powers of a lich. Worse still, with launches a spell (DM’s choice of through an adjacent gate. Those
each blow ’hrim seems to grow in whatever seems most colorful and grappling with Vecna must endure
strength. The gate he has opened appropriate) at the arch. (This the effects of his touch. Iuz has no
to the past is starting to function. damage can also occur acciden- such protections, but he is not an
Already Vecna’s worshipers are tally.) There is a resounding crack, easy target. The best time for the
stepping through. Upon entering followed by an enraged scream
the present, these men fall to their from Vecna. The stone of the gate- group to attack is when both demi-
knees in reverent prayer for their way splinters and the image in the gods are locked in hand-to-hand
god. It is up to the characters to arch suddenly scrambles (much combat. Then they can be hurled
block this conduit of Vecna’s like interference on a television as a pair through the gateway.
power. They must prevent more set). Indeed, all the gateways sud-
worshipers from entering the denly start to show random If the characters succeed in ex-
present. (If the characters don’t re- scenes, leaping to different planes, pelling the evil pair, the two plunge
alize this, Iuz directs a few blasts at times, and places without any con- into the darkness, howling and
the gate, killing some of the cult- trol. Tovag Baragu has been per- tearing at each other. A great gout
ists. If the group still does not manently damaged. The gateway of flame rushes up and bursts out
catch on, Iuz shouts, in a booming to Vecna’s time is closed. At the of the gate, sending a fiery blast 40
voice, to stop Vecna’s followers same time, the magical aura
from entering. Vecna will throw a shielding Greyhawk starts to feet long and ten feet wide. All
few magic missiles at the charac- weaken. Tovag Baragu was appar- within the area of the fire must roll
ters before being again distracted ently the key power source for the a saving throw vs. breath weap-
by Iuz.) shield. ons. Those who fail suffer 15d6

The worshipers are not lambs. Sometime during the fight, the points of damage. Those who save
Most are evil fighters whipped into characters should realize they have the damage reduced by half.
a berserk frenzy. They are not go- have a third problem. Even if the Thereafter, a similar gout of flame
ing to be denied. A fierce melee characters stop Vecna’s scheme, spurts from a randomly chosen
erupts around the gateway. At the they are still left with one, possibly gate every 3d10 minutes. Spout-
start of the battle, 20 warriors have two, enraged and evil demigods ing flame and randomly scanning
entered the circle. Each round five right in their laps. No sane charac- planes and times is how %vag
more cross through unless their ter should expect any rewards Baragu remains from now on.
bridgehead into the future is con- from the survivor! The characters
tained. The warriors fight to the must find a way to rid themselves Unnoticed in the fiery burst (the
death. of the danger.
characters easily had more than
Warriors of Vecna (20initially): Theoretically, the characters enough to attend to) two small ob-
AC 4; MV 12: F3 (average);hp 18 could simply run away. This is not jects hurtled through the gate to
a real solution, since neither demi- land in the tall grass some distance
god will be content to let the char- away-the Hand and the Eye of

Vecna.

67

When All’s Done venture or employment. Great op- strength, while the drow beneath
portunities will come their way. the peaks begin to expand onto the
There are two possible ways this Others will remember them in surface. The sun grows dimmer
adventure could end. Either the song. Life will be good. and nights become longer. Dark-
characters are victorious and have ness, both moral and physical,
defeated Vecna or they have failed Not all the gods love them. Vecna slowly stretches its fingers out
miserably, probably at the cost of and Iuz both violently hate the over the land.
their lives. Either result has reper- characters. Although they cannot
cussions for the player characters directly affect the player charac- In this grim world, there is
and possibly the world. ters, both try to manipulate events plenty of adventure for player
to the characters’ disadvantage. characters. As evil grows, valiant
The CharactersWin Player characters can expect fre- adventurers become more and
If the player characters succeed in quent ambushes by cultists, as more vital to stem the corrupt ad-
well as strange accidents and dan- vance. More and more terrors
their adventure, they have saved gerous coincidences. Between the must be defeated, kingdoms
attentions of good and evil gods, saved, and insidious villains fer-
the world from a terrible fate. Not life will not be dull for the group. reted out. In such a world, player
characters will seldom have time
only that, they have saved the Vecna Wins to sit back and relax.

gods themselves from overthrow It is entirely possible for the player
characters to lose, allowing Vecna
and destruction. Without neces- to emerge victorious. While this is
bad-very, very bad-it does not
sarily realizing it, the PCs have cause the end of the campaign.
Player characters can still have ex-
earned a reward from the deities citing and dangerous adventures
in Greyhawk.
themselves.
Vecna’s victory does change the
The gods being what they are, nature of Greyhawk dramatically.
First and foremost, the demigod is
they do not just appear and hand immediately elevated to the status
of Greater God (seethe Legends &
the players some wonderful trea- Lore hardback book for details).
All other gods are reduced by one
sure. They are much more subtle rank, so that Vecna is the only
Greater God in Greyhawk. Demi-
than all this. Such crass displays gods (except Iuz) wither and fade
for lack of power from their wor-
are not their style. Instead, each
shipers.
character receives some perma- With his ascendancy, Vecna ush-

nent reward that cannot be lost or ers in a new reign of terror over
Oerth. The forces of evil are given
stolen. The exact reward depends great rewards and powers, while
the defenders of good struggle to
on the DM, character, and cam- stem the tide. The Great Kingdom
becomes a resurgent force and be-
paign, but some suggestions are gins a march of conquest over the
good lands. The City of Greyhawk
given here. falls under the sway of evil oli-
garchs. The giants of the Cry-
* Luck in the form of a + 1 bonus stalmist Mountains grow in

to all saving throws and ability

checks.

* Immunity to fear
* A guaranteed resurrection the

next time the character dies (do

not tell the player).

* + 1 to prime requisite scores

* An increase in the number of

spells the character can know (not

memorize) per level
** + 1 bonus to all ability
A+ scores
1 bonus to THACO

Thereafter, the gods will operate
in more mysterious ways. The

characters will never lack for ad-

68

m

The Artifacts of Vecna The Eye has illully puwblu, iiag- nauu I C V C ~ I SILS iuii powers (DUE it
ments of the abilities once pos- is now in control of the character).
The artifacts of Vecna-the Eye sessed by Vecna. These are listed
and the Hand-are body parts of below. Those powers under “Con- The Hand of Vecna is even more
the powerful arch-lich Vecna. Im- stant Abilities” are revealed as powerful than the Eye. Only a few
mersed in evil and power, the Eye soon as any situation arises where of its powers are constant abilities.
and the Hand have continued to they would have an effect. The The majority are activated by sim-
exist long after the rest of Vecna character does not have to com- ple gestures or thoughts; no verbal
was presumably destroyed. As a mand these to function. The other or material componentsare neces-
part of his body, each still holds a powers must be discovered by in- sary. Thus, all uses of the Hand
portion of his tremendous will, the have no modifier to the initiative.
evil ambition that was powerful -7,.L;-d +L.^ .-.L.:1:L.--
enough to sustain his body for cen- Under “Invoked Abilities,” the
turies beyond its own death. This * Glassee-3 times ber day Hand gesture needed is listed with
willpower give the Eye and the * Domination-once per day each power.
Hand both their powers and their * Vision-once per week
dangers. Constant Abilities:
The Hand of Vecna
The Eye of Vecna * Immunity to magic missiles
This artifact was once the left hand * 19 Str in left hand
The Eye of Vecna appears to be of the powerful arch-lich Vecna. * Withering touch-causes 2d6
nothing more than a small with- Like the Eye, it is hardly imposing
ered pebble or clot. It radiates a or fearsome in appearance. It re- points of damage to plants and
powerful aura of magic, if this is sembles nothing more than a plant-based creatures
checked for. No indication of the black, withered hand, mummified
type of magic can be discerned. and claw-like.It radiates powerful, Invoked Abilities:
The Eye’s powers can be learned unidentifiable magic. There is no
only by trial and error, although it indication of good or evil- * Point index finger-light, at
will reveal its capabilities once it although, like the Eye, it is thor-
has successfully dominated its oughly evil. will
owner. The Eye is thoroughly and
irredeemably evil, but it does not TO be used, the Hand must be * Point two fingers-hypnotic
radiate evil if this is checked. placed on the stump of the left
arm. It instantly grafts into place pattern, three times per day
The Eye of Vecna can be used and thereafter cannot be removed
only after it is set in the empty eye- by any magical means (including * Point three fingers-color
socket of a humanoid creature. wish spells). Even the gods are
Once this happens, the Eye can be loathe to interfere with the impi- spray,five times per day
commanded to function. The ous magic of Vecna. Once at-
powers must be learned by guess- tached, the Hand functions * Point four fingers-cone of
ing or research if the character normally, although it always re-
hopes to use these. At the same mains black and withered. As with cold, 3 times per day
time, the Eye begins to exert its in- the Eye, the powers of the Hand
fluence over its owner. Once must be discovered through trial * Point five fingers-
placed, the Eye cannot be removed and error. Each use runs the risk of
by magical means. domination. If this happens, the disintegrate, once per day

The great danger of the Eye is * Touch with one finger-cause
that it will eventually dominate its
owner, first forcing its victim to light wounds, at will
obey the Eye’swill and finally con-
vincing the person that he is * Touch with two fingers-cause
Vecna.
serious wounds, five times per day

* Touch with three fingers-

remove fear, at will

* Touch with four fingers-

animate dead (touch only), three
times per day

* Touch with whole hand-

instant death, no saving throw

* Fist-extinguishes all fires,

normal and magical, at will

* Palm out-time stop, once per

day

* Thumb down-darkness, 15’

radius, at will

* Snap fingers-monster sum-

69

moning IV, three times per day Even elves and half-elves are sub- facts may not assert their control

* Wiggle fingers-audible gla- ject to this attack-their normal immediately). The domination

mer, five times per day abilities to resist charms do them lasts until the character can suc-

* Wave hand-animate object, no good in this case. cessfully break it, as per the guide-

three times per day If the domination is successful, lines of the spell.

The Resonating the artifact assumes control of the Each time the character breaks
Powers
player character. The artifacts are free from the artifact, he is weak-
One great secret of the Eye and the
Hand is the existence of additional evil and do all they can to further ened by the effort. His Wisdom de-
powers when the two artifacts are
brought together. So little is the cause of evil and self- creases by 2 points upon
known of this because it has al-
most never happened, no more aggrandizement, especially at the overcoming the domination effect.
than twice in the entire history of
the two artifacts. Of those in- expense of others. While in com- This loss cannot be restored by
stances, few records remain. (Treat
this as an exacting question with mand, the artifact has full knowl- any means short of divine inter-
non-existent resources if the ques-
tion is posed to a sage.) edge and control over all the vention, and, as with all things as-

When the same character has character’s normal abilities. It, of sociated with Vecna, even the ,gods
both the Eye and the Hand in
place, the following powers are course, has complete control over are loathe to interfere. Once a char-
gained:
its own powers. acter’sWisdom is reduced to 3, the
Constant Abilities:
The artifacts have the following artifact exerts complete control
* Detect magic
* Comprehend languages goals: over the character; escape is no
* Non-detection * Acquire more magical power- longer possible. Although the
* Protection from good
* 70% magic resistance the Eye and the Hand lust after mind of the character is reduced to

- - ...... magical spells and devices, even if that of pap, the artifact endows its

InvoKI ea Abilities: they are useless to the character. victim with a Wisdom of 15.

* ESE at will The rights of prior owners are not Along with the Wisdom comes a
* Control temperature, 10’ ra-
important. change in the character’s person-
dius (cold only), three times per ality. The victim’s habits, atti-
* Acquire temporal power-a
day
dominated character will seek to tudes, even mannerisms change to
Domination
establish his own empire. This will approximate those of the ancient
Using either the Eye or the Hand is
not without great risk. The fierce probably start small, but no deed arch-lich, Vecna. The dominated
energy that powers the artifacts is
strong enough to force the posses- is too heinous to reach this goal. character engages in intense
sor to act against his or her will. * Revenge on Kas-if anything scholarly research, avoids sun-
The artifact first dominates the
character and eventually imposes of K a s (Vecna’sformer lieutenant) light (althoughthis has no adverse
its own personality completely
over that of its owner. is known or exists, the artifacts effect), devises and sets in motion

Each time one of the invoked seek to find and destroy it. This in- the most arcane cruelties in the
powers of either artifact is used,
the character must roll a success- cludes any and all descendants of name of magical science, and ac-
ful saving throw vs. spell (with a
Kas. and the sword of Kas. natu- tively seeks out and destroys any
-2 penalty, -6 if both artifacts are
rally. potential threat or competition to
possessed) to resist domination.
* The Return of Vecna-the arti- his own power. The character de-

facts know Vecna lives (in some nies he is anyone other than

fashion) and can be returned. Vecna, although the artifacts con-

They force their owner(s)to begin tinue in their efforts to restore

gathering the materials and spells their true master.

needed to bring Vecna back to Destroying the
Artifacts
Greyhawk.
The Eye and the Hand of Vecna are
* Destruction of good-if noth- items that have existed for thou-
sands of years or even longer.
ing else, the artifacts attempt to Clearly, getting rid of these devices
is no simple task. I t will require ef-
cause whatever harm possible,
preferably wherever the blow to
faith and friendship will be most
keenly felt.

w irnin rnese guiaeiines, L I ~ C forts of heroic proportions on the
dominated character works as part of the player characters.
subtly as possible. I t is even possi-
ble for the character to be unaware No single method for destroying
the artifacts is given here. Even
of the domination (i.e., the arti- though this adventure takes place

70

in the WORLD OF GREYHAWK@ The Sword o b KaS and filled it with power.
campaign setting, artifacts are
The remaining significant artifact Eventually, K a s grew tired of his
personal things. Destroying an ar- in the story of Vecna is the sword of role as an underling. His pride and
tifact must be harder than your Kas. Fashioned by Vecna himself, arrogance grew until he believed
current characters can accom- this sword is a powerful weapon, he could rule in Lord Vecna’s
plish. Make them spend money although it may not be all the char- place. Urged on by his sword (asa
thing of Vecna’s it held a small part
and time learning the secret acters expect. of his ambitions), K a s led an as-
method needed. Make them travel The sword is a huge weapon, sault on the Spidered Throne.
far from their normal lands. Pose
fashioned along the lines of a two- Only then did Kas discover that
for them one or more seemingly Vecna had built safeguards into
impossible tasks-impossible for handed sword. The blade is six feet
long, while the hilt adds another the powerful weapon. Designed by
their difficulty or simply because two feet to the overall length. Any his own hand, the sword was pow-
they are completely illogical. In normal sword made to such pro- erless against Vecna, its maker.
short, have a lot of fun.
portions would be virtually un- Although Kas was somehow
Several suggested methods to manageable by a human, but the
magical endowments of the sword able to destroy Vecna’sbody in the
destroy the Eye and the Hand are ofKasallow it to be handled by any battle, the warrior was also annihi-
given below. Each clearly leads to warrior with grace and ease, albeit lated. Only the sword of Kas and
a n adventure you will have to ex- the Eye and the Hand remained.
pand upon. with two hands. However, in death Kas imparted
The blade is in the flame or wa- his rage and hatred of Vecna to the
* The Eye can only be destroyed sword-his contribution to the ar-
ter style, the edge of the blade rip- tifact’s personality.
in the heart of the Sea of Dust, pled with iridescent undulations.
where it must be roasted in the Since that time, the sword has
A vein of magically hardened gold surfaced throughout the Flanaess.
scorching flames of the oldest red forms the center spine. The hilt is Each time its wielder has risen to
dragon in all of Oerth. great power as a warrior, but he
wrapped in red leather, flecked
* The Hand must be carried to with gold. The guards are fash- has been obsessed with finding the
artifacts of Vecna. After reaching
the heart of the Positive Material ioned from polished pieces of uni-
plane by one who has never expe- corn horn. The pommel is a the highest peaks of his career, the
leering, bearded face, designed so warrior sets out on a quest in
rienced fear. There it must be it forms a small basket at the bot- search of Vecna, only to disappear
crushed by hand into powder. tom of the hilt. forever.

* Both artifacts can be destroyed The sword radiates magic, al- The sword ofKas can be used by
any of the warrior class. So power-
if they are shattered on the Golden though the type of magic changes
Forge at the Heart of the Sun. each time the sword is checked. It ful are the enchantments on it,
however, that when first touched it
* The Eye must be encased in does not radiate good or evil, al- causes 2d20 points of damage.
though the sword is thoroughly Thereafter the sword can be han-
volcanic glass from the
Hellfurnaces and then shattered evil. dled freely by that character. Al-
In some ways, the sword of Kas though evil, the sword of Kas
against the crystal sphere that en- makes no distinction according to
closes all of Greyhawk space (see is quite different from other arti-
the SPELLJAMMER” boxed set facts. Much like a standard intelli- alignment-all warriors who han-
gent sword, the sword of Kas
for details). dle it are eventually changed to
communicates telepathically with one degree or another.
* The Hand must be willingly its owner. Aside from a committed
desire to destroy Vecna and his ar- If the character is not killed by
fixed to the purest person in all the tifacts, the sword of Kas displays
no personality. It does reveal some initial contact with the sword, he
City of Greyhawk. remains its sole possessor until he
(but not all)of its powers. is slain or freely gives it over to an-
* The Hand must be given to the The sword of Kas was fashioned other person. The sword of Kas is
not a fickleweapon, as it functions
vilest, most corrupt person in all of during the height of Vecna’s power
Greyhawk. Though he will profit in unlife. Seeing that his empire for anyone who holds it. However,
from it greatly, after a time he will was growing too vast, Lord Vecna characters are not likely to give it
drain it of all its power. choose one of his faithful, Kas, to
away, since one of the detriments
Of course, you may find these serve as his right hand. To mark of the weapon is that it makes its
suggestions too simple for your the symbol of Kas’s office, the
player characters. In that case (or Whispered One fashioned a sword
if you simply have a better idea),
you are certainly welcome to cre-
ate an adventure entirely on your
own. This will ensure that your

campaign will be like no other.

71

owner possessive, forcing the Invoked Abilities: owner. While the sword of Kas
same loyalty as it gives. does not directly change a charac-
* & Shield, 3 times per day ter to evil alignment, it gradually
The other major problem with * & Fire giant strength (-4 bo- causes him to become possessive
the sword is its hatred of Vecna. nus to THACO, + 10bonus to dam- and greedy.As a result, the charac-
Normally this animosity lies dor- ter’sactions may indicate an align-
mant until the owner becomes age),lasts 1turn, 3 times per day ment change.

aroused against Vecna in some * Paralyze by touch ( -4 penalty The character will not voluntar-
way. That emotion triggers a reac- ily give up the sword for any rea-
tion in the sword. Slowly it begins to saving throw), 3 times per day son. Attempts by others to even
to feed that hatred with secret sug- touch the weapon are viewed with
gestions and urgings. Using its * Plane shift,once per day hostile suspicion and can even re-
sult in violence. Eventually the
powers, the sword attempts to lead The Drawbacks character becomes paranoid that
the character to Vecna (or his arti- everyone is after the sword of Kas.
facts)so the Whispered h e ’ s final As noted above, the sword o f K a s This obsession becomes such that
destruction can be wrought. has several limitations on its the character finds it impossible to
powers. I t temporarily loses all cooperate with anyone, even old
Unfortunately for its possessor, powers when within 60 feet of companions. Either he must live a
the sword of Kas cannot use its Vecna or one of the artifacts of cursed and lonely existence or the
powers against Vecna or the arti- Vecna. Nor do its powers function sword must be separated from
facts. Even though it has led brave to protect against attacks from him.
warriors to the goal more than Vecna at any range. The character
once (onlyto see them destroyed), is not immune to Vecna’s magic Destroying the Sword
the sword has no knowledge of its missiles, the sword does not pro-
vide its Defender abilities against For the same reasons listed under
own limitations. his attacks, it provides no warning the Eye and Hand of Vecna, no sin-
The sword of Kas has both con- through foresight when the Whis- gle, specificmethod is given for de-
pered One strikes, etc. stroying the sword ofKas. The DM
stantand invoked powers. Both sets can either use one of the methods
of powersare in effectonly while the The sword also seeks to control here or create one more appropri-
sword is gripped. The sword never its owner, forcing the person to ate to his campaign. Whatever the
reveals the existence of the constant seek out and destroy Vecna or any- method, it should be heroically dif-
abilities. With the exception of the thing related to him, until this ficult, an adventure to be remem-
Defender power (whichmust be dis- grows to a violent obsession. In bered.
this, it is the bane of the Cult of
covered by trial and error),the con- Vecna. This control is handled like * The sword ofKas must be cast
stant abilities automatically come that of other intelligent weapons,
into effect whenever the situation except that ldlO is added to the over the Waterfall of the Moon to
sword’s personality score each shatter on the rocks below.
arises. Of the invoked abilities, time a check is made. The sword of
those powers marked with an am- Kas has an Intelligence equal to 19 * The sword o f K a s is destroyed
and an Ego of 20. Once the sword
persand (&) are revealed to the seizes control of a character, the when Vecna is slain.
sword’s owner as soon as he holds possession cannot be broken by
the sword. Those powers not any means short of a wish. * The sword must be hammered
marked must either be learned by
trial and error or are called upon A more immediate problem for into a plowshare with the cudgel of
when the sword thinks appropriate. the sword’spossessor is its insatia- St. Cuthbert.
ble demand for blood. The sword of
Constant Abilities: Kas revels in violence and destruc- * The memory of Kas must be
tion. If not sated with fresh blood
* + 6Defender (asper the sword, every day, the sword immediately wiped from the minds of Oerth.
attempts to take control of its mas- When this happens, the sword
+ 4 defender in the DMG) ter. If successful, it forces the char- simply ceases to exist.
acter to kill something-whatever
* Double damage to outer planar is available, even other characters. The ideas here are only sugges-
If the character wins the personal- tions. The DM is welcome to create
creatures while on the Prime Mate- ity struggle, he can hold the sword any other method of destruction
in check for the day. he desires. Doing so will give your
rial plane campaign a unique character, set-
* Immune to fear spells Like all artifacts, the sword ting your world off from all others.
* slowly corrupts and influences its
* Immune to magic missiles
Immune to charm and hold

spells

* Pollutes holy water within 30-

foot radius

* Foresight

72

Vecna as Demigod ers would prefer stayed hidden. ing throw number of 4 in all cate-
Those who anger Vecna often find gories.
Relatively new to the ranks of dei- themselves betrayed and black-
ties, Vecna is seldom recognized as mailed, their darkest sins sud- Sensing Ability: Vecna knows
a demigod by any but his wor- denly known to those who can what is happening within one mile
shipers. Known as the “Whispered hurt them most. of himself or any worshiper.
One, Maimed Lord, Master of Se-
crets,” Vecna has a small but in- Statistics: AL LE; WAL any evil; Teleport: Vecna can teleport to
creasingly active cult in the lands AoC secrets & magic; S Y eye in any point on the same plane at will
of the Flanaess. Vecna is a patron hand and without error.
god of black secrets, especially
those magical in nature. Still, for See the AD&D@ 2nd Edition Vecna’s Manifestation
the majority of mortals, Vecna is Legends & Lore hardback book for
identified asa n arch-lich,although an explanation of the format and (20th-LevelWizard)
he transcended this paltry honor- abbreviations used here.
ific ages ago. Vecna’s manifestation takes the
Standard Divine Abilities: As a form of a middle-aged man
Although other gods might find demigod, Vecna automatically has marked by some crippling handi-
the lack of recognition displeasing, the following powers. These cap, usually a missing leg. He car-
the condition has, to now, suited powers do not apply to his mani- ries no weapon other than a simple
Vecna’sneeds and matches his se- festation. wooden crutch. He casts spells as a
cretive nature. He enjoys the posi- 20th-level wizard. Although mor-
tion of outsider among the great Communication: Vecna can tal in form, the manifestation re-
powers of the outer planes. Their speak to his followers (or others) tains many of the properties of
attentions are diverted elsewhere on another plane only through his Vecna’s previous incarnation as an
and he is allowed to continue his manifestation. arch-lich.
plans and schemes undisturbed.
Comprehend Languages: The Str 14* Dex 14* Con 18
Formerly a lich, Vecna has re- demigod speaks and understands Int 20 Wis 18 Cha 13
tained the horrid appearance of all languages. MV 9* SZ M (5”’’) MR45%*
these monsters. His body is mum- ACO HD 18* hp 116*
mified with patches of dry rot Granted Abilities: Vecna can #AT 1 THACO 10 Dmg ldlO
showing through the tatters he grant his priests (or,in special cir-
wears for clothing. His left arm cumstances, any worshiper) any * If Vecna has recovered his Eye
ends in a crumbling stump. Vec- spell or power up to 5th level.
na’s face is covered by a silken and Hand, these statistics for his
scarf, veiling his features under- Immortality:If destroyed, Vecna manifestation become Str 19,Dex
neath. reforms in ldlOO days. 17, MV 12, MR 70%, HD 20, hp
124
Role-Playing Notes Initiative: Vecna automatically
gains the initiative when fighting Special Att/Def:Vecna’smani-
Vecna prefers to act indirectly in mortals. festation can utilize all the powers
the affairs of men, guiding and of a normal lich at will. He can gen-
steering his followersto goals only Magic Use: Vecna can use any erate a fear aura, causing crea-
he understands. Nursed on treach- spell (wizard or priest) at will. tures of 5 HD (or levels) to roll a
ery and deceit, the Whispered One successful saving throw vs. spell
has no compassion for mortals, Magic Resistance: Vecna is 70% or flee for 5d20 rounds. His touch
even his own worshipers. Those resistant to mortal magic, 40% re- can chill, causing ldlO points of
who follow him must commit sistance to that from demigods, damage and paralysis until dis-
themselves to being utter pawns to and only 20% resistant to that pelled. He can be hit only by weap-
his schemes. Followers who serve from gods of greater stature.
him well are rewarded with knowl- ons of + 1or better enchantment.
edge, usually damning secrets oth- Multi-Bsks: Vecna can perform
any two actions at once without In addition to his magical resist-
any penalties. ance, Vecna’s manifestation is
immune to charm, sleep,
Planar navel: Vecna can move enfeeblement, polymorph, cold,
from plane to plane only by spells
or magical devices.

Saving Throws:Vecna has a sav-

73

electricity, insanity, and death These events, coupled with the re- tenants of the Heart of Vecna. They
spells. The manifestation cannot cent appearance of Vecna/ can also be directly commanded
be turned. As a wizard, he can cast Halmadar (who is not Vecna’s by the Voice of Vecna. The Eye and
spells as if 20th level (includingthe manifestation), have given Vecna the Hand are unique creatures-
restriction of spells per level), but and his cultists the opportunity to only one of each is in existence at
he does not need spell books or ma- strike. Now they are ready to in- any given time. Should one be
terial components. Vecna’s mani- crease their power, and that of killed, another can be created to
festation has access to all spells of their god, in a major way. take its place.
all schools.
The cult is rigidly organized into The Thoughts O f WCna
Finally, the manifestation (in a hierarchy of evil. Each cultist has
keeping with Vecna’s role as mas- a specific position and role, based After the Heart come the Thoughts
ter of secrets)can discover any per- upon his abilities and importance. of Vecna. The Thoughts of Vecna
sonal secret a character might Ostensibly, those of lesser position lead the Organs, the name for con-
have, He often uses this power to must defer in all matters to anyone gregations of worshipers. Since
keep worshipers in line and to of greater rank: the true matter is the cult is small, there is seldom
blackmail powerful figures. somewhat different, for the Cult of more than one Organ to a city or
Vecna is very lawful evil in out- area. The Thoughts wear robes
The Duties of the look. Thus all members seek to emblazoned with a pattern of light-
find some advantage over their ning bolts, signifying the devastat-
Priesthoo superiors-while also keeping ing power of thought.
their underlings in line. Secrets
Priests of Vecna are rare, primarily and blackmail are commonplace Within the Organ, there are sev-
due to the stringent requirements within the cult. eral priests, but only one Thought.
needed to qualify. However, the Traditionally, the highest level
priests have a large degree of free- Each hierarchy of the cult is priest of the Organ is the Thought
dom in their activities. Their most identified with a particular body of Vecna. All lesser priests are sub-
important duty is to recover the part. Some positions are unique, servient to him. The followers do
Eye and the Hand of Vecna, so either to a single priest, character, not contest the Thought’s posi-
these can be returned to their god. or monster. Some positions are tion, but, since they are evil, lesser
Beyond this, the priests are ex- open only to priests, while others priests have been known to black-
pected to collect and study strange are available to any character mail their superiors, particularly
magical items, destroy or weaken class. with the threat of exposure. This is
any threat to Vecna, and restore a dangerous business, since the
his empire for the day when he re- The Voice of Vecna Thought of Vecna may simply an-
turns. m i c e yearly they must sac- nihilate the challenger.
rifice large quantities of magical This is the highest position of the
items to Vecna. hierarchy, short of Vecna himself. The Memories of Vecna
There is only one who can claim to
Requirements: AB must be be the Voice, and that is Vecna’s The lesser priests of a given Organ
dual-or multi-classed mage/priest; manifestation. are known as the Memories of
AL LE, WP dagger, darts, mace, Vecna, for it is through them that
staff; AR: SP charm, combat, divi- The Heart of vecna the day-to-dayexistence of the cult
nation, elemental, necromantic, is assured. Thus they guarantee
protection, summoning: PW 1) Her Most Enigmatic Excellency, that his name will never be
command undead (using turning Sublime Mistress of the Whispered forgotten. The number of Memo-
tables); 5th) legend lore once per One, the Heart of Vecna is the high ries under a Thought depends on
day; TU nil priestess of the cult. Through her, the size and importance of that Or-
the commands of the Whispered gan. However, there is only one
The cult of vecna One are transmitted to the faithful. lesser priest of 5th level or greater
The current Heart of Vecna is in a given Organ. The Memories
Although the number of Vecna’s Diraq Malcinex of Ket (seethe NPC wear robes decorated with ab-
worshipers are few and their activ- Appendix). The Heart always stract designs.
ities secret, the Cult of Vecna is a wears a blood-red robe with no
potentially powerful force. Up to decorations on it. Although Memories are, by the
now, the cult has been held in law of the cult, bound in obedience
check by the more active Spurned The Eye and the Hand to the Thought, they are always
Cult of Iuz, but that group has suf- looking for ways to advance their
fered a series of recent setbacks. These two creatures (see the New own power. Deceit, betrayal,
Monsters Appendix) are the lieu-

74

blackmail, and assassination are still considered inleriors. .l'hey Ueaths, they are assured, will has-
lack the total commitment of the ten the coming of Vecna. When
all practices the priests use against Heart, Thcmghts, and Memories. that day comes, the faithful of his
Theyarec:illed upon to create any
one and another. To survive, suc:- special devices and spells that cult will be rewarded with domin-
mightben,eeded by the cult. ion over all the non-believers.
cessful priests use their powers to
gather secrets, act as spies for thei,r TheFlnglers ob Vecna Like the Fingers, the Blood of
higher-ups, and ruthlessly de211 Vecna mark themselves when on
with their enemies. As the Ma:ster of Secrets, Vecna's
second-molst important group of missions for the cult. In their case,
While these activities woulld laymen arc: thieves, known as the they smear red dye over their
make priesthood in the cult seern Fingers of Vecna. The thieves are faces, a symbol of their willingness
murderously short, the lawful nz1- re-sp_onsiblc:for carrying out many to die for the cult.
ture of the cult requires that anY "AI+ missions+L lhl Le rDnp-Lnbil- 1al1 of the cult.
evil deeds be subtly done. Once They are respcmsible for gathering The Spawn of Vecna
such machinations are exposec1, many of the secrets the cult uses to Tcohcm2 mleoanstl,.ool_fk- ,thth-eosceuletivsitls
blackmail officials. They also are the
the perpet_r-a-_t-o--r i-_s a-_t- b-e-s_ t- d--i_smD- a--c-e-t-l make payments to corrupt guards- and cor-
and mort: often eliminated by a men and terroirize upright citizens.
When on a mi$ssion for the cult, the rupt citizens and peasants who
clerical tribunal. Indeed the threat thieves dye tlheir fingers red, so
of exposure to the clerical courts is their victim vvi11 know who sent have joined in hopes of sharing in
used by superiors to keep the mem.L,-. ..
lesser pric:sts in line. the coming glory. Although lack-
The B I O O ~of Vec:na
ing in special abilities, the adula-
The third group of lelymen me the
The Teeth ob Vecna fighters. These characters are the tion of these people is necessary
Blood of Vecna. Most are highly
_.Of the lay dedicated to the cau - for Vecna to gain power. Viewed as
ready to die of it if the
none have his helpless children, these com-
n1mi.genmerb ers of the cult,
sr1 ar1 us mI t an meI, mon folk must be protected frc3m

mages and specialist wizards. all harm-unless Vecna orders oth-

These followers are known as the erwise. In many ways they are iso-

Teeth of Vecna, for their fearsome lated and protected from the E:vi1

bite-the magical spells they practices of the priesthood, sirice
m,.ere is no g- rea2ter crime m2 . an at-
carry. Typically attaining higher
LL-. ---ll--L ---tion
levels in wizardry than the dual- L--1-1-.+

class priesthood, the mages are

c

CLIMATEITERRAIN Any
FREQUENCY: Unique
ORGANIZATION:
Solitarykul-t
A
I
1;
7
A

NU. ArrEAKlNti: 1
ARMOR C L A S S 2
MOVEMIEN% 12

HIT DIClE: 12
THACO: 9
NO. OF ILmACKS 2
DAMAGIEIATTACK:
1-10IWI-eapon
SPECIAL AL IALILJ:
SPECIAL DEFENSES: tiaze

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Immune to surprise, - 1 to

SIZE initiative
MORALE Nil
XP VALUE
M (5‘-7‘tall)
Champion (
6.000

The Eye is one of the chief lieutenants of the buIL VGLllCL.

Although only one has ever been seen, it is impossible to be

certain that there is only one of these creatures. The Eye is a

creation of Vecna’s and, thus, it is entirely possible that more

than one exists.

The Eye stands seven feet tall. Once it was humai

become the Eye it has been transformed. Its head 1

replaced by a giant eyeball. Its body is slender and mov

quick, light grace. The Eye normally dresses in long gre

trimmed with red. Eyes, embroidered in golden thread, decorate Whatever the process is, it strips the Eye of all humanity. The
Eye feels no emotional bonds or noble virtues, and it displays
the hems. In public, it covers its robes with a gray cloak, and its several peculiar mannerisms. Limited precognition causes the
Eye to finish the sentences of others before they have a chance to
head is concealed by a deep hood. say them. The Eye surroundsitself by mirrors and is fascinated
by reflections. Sadistically cruel, the Eye purges its own pain
Combat: The Eye’s main purpose is not to fight, but to gain and frustrations on helpless victims.
information. It is not, however, without combat ability. The Eye
normally fights with a two-handed sword. It also keeps two dirks Accordingto the cult priests, the Eye’s purpose is to be Vecna’s
hidden, one strapped, hilt down, to each arm.In situations in senses on the Prime Material plane. The Eye has a limited
which it cannotuse the sword, it crosses itsarms,then whips out precognition (as described in the combat section) that is
the two daggers to fight two-handed. It is lightning quick (19 constantly in effect. It can use clairvoyance, detect magic, and
ffndtraps at will. The Eye automatically detects all illusions.
Dexterity) and astoundingly graceful.
The Eye has several powers derived from its transformation. The Eye’sprimary purpose is as psychic tracker for the priests
of Vecna. Once the Eye has seen an intelligent being-either
The least of these is that it cannot be surprised, as long as it is directly or through scrying-it can sense that creature’s aura
over large distances. The range depends on the abilities of the
awake. It gains a - 1bonus to all initiative rolls, from a limited player character. Those with no spellcasting ability can be
detected only within a one-mile radius. Those with any
form of clairvoyance. spellcasting abilities are detectable at a radius in miles equal to
their spell level. Thus a 12th level wizard (who is able to cast
It is the gaze power of the Eye that is most fearsome. The Eye spells up to 6th level)is detectable within a six-mileradius.
no longer eats in the normal sense, but it feeds on the souls of
others drawn in by its gaze. Each round, the Eye can use its gaze The Eye’s tracking ability is not infallible. Large
concentrations of magical energy can shield a target‘s aura.
attack on one target. Unless previously said to be avoiding the Artifacts, stockpiles of magical items, or even areas with a high
Eye’s gaze, the victim must roll a saving throw vs. death. Those preponderance of spellcasters all have this effect. For example,
simply entering the Guild of Wizardry is enough to block the
who succeed suffer no ill effect that round: those who fail are Eye’s tracking sense. In doubtful cases, the Eye must roll a
claimed by the Eye. Their life force is drawn into the Eye and successful saving throw vs. spell to retain the “scent.”

held there. (Thisis seen by others as a ghostly form being sucked The Eye is able to communicate telepathically with whomever
into the Eye.) The victim’s body falls inert. The Eye cannot it wishes.
consume its metaphysical prey until the body is destroyed, but
once that is done, the trapped life-force is devoured and can Ecology: The Eye is only one part of the Cult of Vecna. Because
never be recovered by any means short of divine power. of its peculiar properties and specialized creation, it is regarded
with awe by the rank and file. It is not a priest or part of that
If the Eye is slain, those life forces it has trapped but not priesthood,but rather a tool they created. It is utterly loyal to the
high priests of the cult and will take commands only from them.
devoured instantly return to their proper bodies. The Eye can
voluntarily release any undevoured life forces. As a side effect,

the Eye gains access to all the memories of those it traps.

HabitatISociety: The Eye is a creation of the wizard-priestsof
the Cult of Vecna. possibly through the intercession of Vecna
himself. The process of creating the Eye is unknown to all but

the highest ranking members of the cult, but it involveswish and
other high-level spells. Because the process is difficult,

time-consuming, and dangerous, there is believed to be only one
Eye at a time.

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any
FREQUENCY: Uniaue
-ORG~NIZATION: SoGary

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Anv
INTELLIGENCE: LOW (5-7)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMEN’I? Lawful r--:’

NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 0
MOVEMENaS 12

HIT DICE: 13
TMACO: 7
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8(x2,weapon) +

SPECIAL ATTACKS: 7/1-10+7
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Strength drain

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE:
Nil
ORALE: M (4’6,)
Champion (15-16)
XP VALUE: 7,000

The Hand is the second of the cult of Vecna’s two can maintain its grip from round to round, both
lieutenants, the other being the Eye. Like the Eye, the causing damage and draining Strength. Held
Hand is a created being, a human modified by characters can break free by rolling a successful
powerful spells to become what it is today. Only one Strength check. If a character is drained to 0 Strength
or less, he dies. Lost Strength is regained at the rate of
has ever been identified, and given the difficulty of one point per day.
creating the Hand, it is likely that only one exists.
Habitat/Society: The Hand was created, through
The Hand is a squat, heavily-muscled humanoid, spells, by the wizard-priests of Vecna. The process is
incredibly complex and torturously painful-indeed,
almost dwarven in size and shape. A s part of the so much so, that it peels the essence of humanity away
transformation, the Hand no longer has a head. from its subject. What is left is a barely intelligent,
Instead, a giant hand sprouts from its neck. There are bestial thing. Unable to speak, the Hand can only
no indications of mouth or sensory organs, yet the express its rages through mute gestures. Like the Eye,
the Hand is marked by strange behaviors. Fawning
Hand does not seem impaired for the lack of these. The submissiveness, gently stroking a friendly hand,
Hand dresses in a pleated kilt, decorated with colorful suddenly becomes hysterical rage, as he blindly flings
swirls and jagged stripes. A thick leather girdle, himself at walls. Even when calm, the Hand is never
still, trembling and twitching uncontrollably.
festooned with daggers, is its only other garb. In public
it wears a blue-green robe with a large hood. It grips an Since it lacks mouth and ears, the priests
communicate with the Hand via telepathy. Although it
embossed leather mask to hide its “face.” lacks sensory organs, the Hand is endowed with
magical senses equal to or slightly better than a
Combat: The Hand was intended to fight, to be the normal person’s. The Hand is immune to darkness,
blindness, deafness, and other attacks that would
muscle of the of the Cult of Vecna. It is well-suited to affect a normal creature’s sensory organs. A dispel
the task. The Hand has a 19 Strength ( + 3to attack magic renders it blind for one round.

rolls and +7 to damage). It fights with weapons in its Ecology: Among the cultists of Vecna, the Hand is
ranked after the high priests and the Eye. It is held in
two normal hands and crushes with the third, strange great fear by the cult’sfollowers,since it carries out the
appendage. pronouncements of the high priests, but its brute
physical quality does not inspire the icy terror of a
The Hand normally begins a battle by throwing more sinister being like the Eye.

daggers ( l d 4 + 7 points of damage), two per turn. It
carries 12 daggers on its belt. Just before closing for a
melee, it draws the two swords carried on its back. It
can fight with both of these with no penalty. The third

hand is used to seize and crush the opponent, causing
Id 10+7 points of damage with a successful attack
(andholding on to squeeze for the same damage each
round after a successful attack).

It is by this third attack that the Hand feeds. Lacking
a mouth, it finds nourishment by drawing the strength
from other things, living and non-living.Gripped in its

third hand, steel becomes brittle like glass until it

finally crumbles into dust. Living creatures lose ld6
points of Strength each round they are held. The Hand

fighter, Almarth has Avrel Riskar
1 evil soul. Far from
hed thief, he has mi- Male Rhennee
skills, as do all Rhen- 9th-Level Fighter/
any others of his clan,
not perfected these 12th-Level Thief
Neutral Good
loosesthe simpler ap-
C te force and violence Str 16 Int 14
Dex 13 Wis 16
L ig. In Greyhawk he Con 11 Cha 14

L ing by assault, mug- THACO: 12
AC: 0
C 3ery. Occasionally,he Hit Points: 57
,d arm to strong-arm
'1 Thieving Abilities:
-rlenders or work as a
t: PP OL FlRT MS HS DN C W RL
important thieves.
tr WL r / n i m u n u ~ iu iw nu narth is venal and sa- 49 60 44 59 49 40 65 40
41 32 26 37 36 37 60 0 n adhering to the tra- Magical chain
No Armor inee sense of honor. Backstab x 4
1 on love or kinship is
Magical Items: Staff-mace, po- Magical Items: scimitar + 1 ,
tion offire resistance a1lc11LOIIIII~;only fear of Rhennee
retribution keeps him from betray- chain mail +5,helm of telepathy,
Almarth, also known as the Halt ing his fellow boatmen. While ring of feather falling, potion of
for his game leg, is a tall, stocky hardly steadfast, he is most loyal rainbowhues, potion oflongevity
man. His complexion and build to those who appeal to his cruel
clearly mark him as one with Avrel Rskar is an elderly man, be-
Rhennee blood. His head is shaven sensibilities or those who hold
clean and he keeps it brightly pol- forth the greatest reward. He is not tween 60 and 70 years old. His true
ished. A jagged scar runs from the age is unknown, even to himself,
back of his neck to up above his left truly mercenary, however. For since calendars were never a strong
ear. He sports a thick, black mus- years he has been a dedicated cult point among his people. Although
tache and goatee. Gold-coin ear- member, not for pay or power, but stooped and slow-moving, he car-
rings dangle from his ears. He has because the preachings and prom-
a noticeable limp in his right leg, a ises of Vecna appeal to him. ries himself with great dignity. He
reminder of the time a giant al-
most shattered his right knee. With his distinctive appearance laughs often, showingbroad, toothy
smiles that wrinkle up his face and
Almarth dresses in the style of a and evil reputation, Almarth is
Rhennee noble, although he is not well-known throughout the water- close his eyes down to narrow
of that esteemed rank. His clothes
were clearly once expensive, but front district. He spends most of squints. His teeth are brown-black,
are now worn and faded. Ill-fitting his time at a quiet table in the since he is fond of chewing tamal
and mismatched, they were also River Rat or aboard his barge, leaves, grown in the lands of the far
clearly not tailored for him. Each moored at one of the decaying
piece was taken from his victims piers. Knowing his moods, the south. His conversations are laced
or stolen from a poorly guarded other Rhennee have little to do
laundry line. Almarth would never with spits he casually launches at
imagine paying for anything. with him: they even make signs to
ward off evil when he is around. the floor.His clothesare plain home-
These things do not bother Al- spun: he does not dress in the outra-
marth, but instead serve to swell
his black pride. geous attire of other nobles and

bargemasters.
Riskar is respected for his great

age, wisdom, and, to a lesser ex-
tent, his pilfering skill. There are
younger men more accomplished

r re-
For

all this and more, Avrel Riskar is BeWn Talkin access to the inner circles of the

considered one of the nobles of the Male Human cult, perhaps even to Iuz himself.
Rhennee. He heads a family of 176 9th-Level Priest of Iuz This makes him a formidable en-

souls and rules over seven barges: Chaotic Evil emy and rival, such that few cult-
Gilfar, Leaping Swan, Hake, Cor- ists dare cross him. Beryn knows
morant, Vendevic, Rusty Father, Str 14 Int 12 he has power, but he also knows
and Avrel, his flagship. Under his Dex 11 Wis 17 his special position is precarious.
rule the Riskar family has pros- Con 12 Cha 11 Should he fail on one too many
pered. His bargemasters are con- missions, he could quickly find
THACO: 16 himself in the Pits of Pain beneath
tent and his people well-fed. His AC: 5 Iuz’s palace.
granddaughters find good hus- Hit Points: 50
bands, and there is no shortage of Beryn is evil and not to be
eligible brides for his grandsons. Spheres: Combat, Divination (mi- trusted. He creates suffering and
All in all, life is good for the Riskar hardship for others, simply to see
nor), Guardian, Healing, Necro-
clan how they will react. Although cha-
mantic (minor),Summoning, Sun otic, he remains loyal to Iuz, parti-
Perhaps because of his wisdom, ally for the favors he has enjoyed,
Avrel has one trait, somewhat unu- (reversed); Additional spells- but more out of fear. He has seen,
sual for his people, that stands even supervised, some of the tor-
spittle *, cause fear,heatmetal, dis- tures Iuz’s misshapen mind has
above all others. The old noble has pel magic, true seeing, feeblemind, devised. Beryn has no desire to ex-
a strong sense of right and wrong, forbiddance,confusion perience these himself.
coming down almost always on Spells:6lst, 62nd,43rd,24th, 1
the side of right. Not only is he ex- 5th; spell selection varies Bishop Maufren
tremely honorable, according to Granted Powers: Change self
Male Human
the codes of the Rhennee, he also is once per day
concerned about the influences of Magical Items: Mace +2, neck- 13th-Level Priest of St.
lace ofmissiles, bracers of defense
evil and wrongdoing in the world. AC 5 Cuthbert
This is hardly enough to con- Lawful Neutral

vince him that thieving is dishon- Beryn Tmlkin is tall, muscular Str 12 Int 14
orable or evil, but he does have man with straight brown hair and Dex 10 Wis 17
Con 12 Cha 14
limits that are not shared by most handsome features. His broad
other Rhennee. He forbids killing shoulders and tanned skin seem to THACO: 12
except in fair battle. Theft from radiate his love of the outdoors. A AC: 6 ( - 1)
those in your trust is unpardona- believer in action and adventure, Hit Points: 52
ble. Providing aid to evil is also out- Beryn is an excellent choice as an
lawed on his barges. No one in the agent of the Cult of Iuz. Spheres:All, Charm,Combat (mi-

clan is required to fight evil, but he Although a priest of Iuz, Tmlkin nor), Divination, Healing, Necro-
does not allow his people to deal in does not fit within the normal hier- mantic, Protection (minor);
slaves, sell weapons to the orcs of archy of the cult. He performs spe-
Additional spells- beguiling *,
the Pomarj, smuggle spies of the cial missions for the cult, traveling
Great Kingdom, or shanghai inno- when and where he is needed. This create food and water, speak with
cents from the docks of Greyhawk. has provided him with the adven- plants, heroes’ feast, stone tell,
ture he craves, but it has slowed succor, dispel evil, symbol, holy
Perhaps this has hurt him finan- his advancement as a priest of Iuz. word
cially, but Avrel feels the cost is Spells (chosenas needed): 8 Ist, 8
Beryn seldom has time for the de- 2nd, 7 3rd, 4 4th, 2 5th, 2 6th
more than worth the inner votions and studies required. Granted Power: ESP once per
strength it has given his clan.
This does not bother Talkin, day
since his position giveshim special Magical Items (personal):mace of
disruption, bracers of defense AC
powers and privilegesover the reg-
ular members of the cult. When as- 6,fieldplate + 1, shield + 1, book of
signed a task, Beryn outranks all
local officials, even higher level infinite spells, philter of persua-
siveness, potion of fire resistance,
priests of local cells. He can com- potion ofextra-healing (x3),ring of
mandeer whatever resources he
needs. Furthermore, the priest has

79

earth elemental command, wand sible to gain access to the re- bishop, yet thesevery titles present
of size a1teration sources of the church. Even those no threat or cost tlo the church.
There is a growing contingent of
* Found in the GREYHAWK@ professing the faith are subjected
to proofs of their faith before aid is young knights in Verbobonc who
Adventures hardback book. rendered. A demonstration of feel some loyalty tc3 Haufren be-
faithfulness is useful in overcom-
Bishop Haufren of St. Cuthbert ing these obstacles. The most com- cause of his influenice in securing
is a short, overweight man in his mon form is a suitable donation
mid-50s. His heavy jowls and (and perhaps a penance) to the their appointments.
puffy cheeks belie the hard, un- church.
yielding gaze of his tiny eyes. His Dimq Malclnex
appearance makes him seem prof- For non-believers and those
ligate and debauched, but he is far Her Most Sublime Excellency,
from it. Haufren is a stern and without cash, Bishop Haufren has
barely yielding defender of the no qualms against using a quest the Heart of Vecna
faith, a product of his own severe spell, giving the characters a mis- Female Human
upbringing. He dresses in plain sion that furthers the goals of St. Priestess of Vecna
clothing and cuts his hair in a ton-
sure, giving him the appearance of Cuthbert. Non-believers naturally 16th-Level Cleric/
a simple monk. Simple, he is not. receive more arduous quests than 5th-Level Wizard
those of the faith-although back-
Haufren’s severity has made sliders are dealt with even more Lawful Evil
him ideally suited to his position
as one of the higher ranking offi- harshly. Str 9 Int 15
cials in the Order of Stars. As a The bishop also recognizes the Dex 9 Wis 18
bishop of the order, Haufren’s task Con 13 Cha 17
is to maintain the purity of faith usefulness of reward. Those who
and doctrine among the followers meet his demands-faithfulness, THACO: 10
of Saint Cuthbert. This he does AC: 0
with great efficiency. He is neither payment, or quests-are likely to Hit Points: 62
humble nor generous in his posi- receive the aid they sought. As the
tion; he is, indeed, considered im- Spheres: All, Charm, Combat,
perious and high-handed in his leader of the church in all the Vis-
dealings, but he has the power to county, the bishop’s resources are Divination, Elemental, Necroman-
be so. considerable. Healing,raising, div-
inations, and other spells are all tic, Protection, Summoning
Grumble as they may about his within his power. The temple has a Clerical Spells (Choose as
attitude, others in the church can needed): 9 lst, 9 2nd, 8 3rd, 7 4th,
find no fault with Haufren’s moral quantity of magical items and, 4 5th, 3 6th, 1 7th
character. There is no taint on the should the need be great, Haufren
bishop’s career and in several in- may provide these. Small items Granted Powers: Command un-
stances (during the First and Sec- dead (use the turning tables); leg-
ond Risings of the Temple of (potions, scrolls, and other things end lore once per day
Elemental Evil, in particular) he with single or very limited uses) Wizard Spells (choose as
has fulfilled his duties with admi- may be granted as rewards. More
rable zeal. Bishop Haufren hates powerful or permanent goods are needed): 4 lst, 2 2nd, 1 3rd
things evil as much as he hates sometimes, though rarely, loaned
heresy within the doctrine. Evil is to deserving souls. Of course, the Magical Items: ring of protection
a threat to the strength of the
church and must be ruthlessly bishop considers himself well +2,bracers of defense A C 2, robe
crushed before it weakens the faith within his rights to magically in-
of the St. Cuthbert’sfollowers. spect the character of the recipient of blending, girdle of fire giant
strength, wand ofearth and stone,
This crusading fervor of Hau- in these cases! dust ofillusion,scroll with banish-
fren’s can make him a very diffi- Furthermore, although he is not
cult man to deal with. Pagans ment, detect scrying, disintegrate,
(those who do not follow St. officially part of the government, finger of death, monster summon-
Cuthbert) find it virtually impos- Bishop Haufren’s word carries ing IV; phantasmal killer, and re-
much weight in the court. He can verse gravity
recommend individuals for knight-
hood, as a recognition of their serv- Diraq Malcinex is a young, self-
ices. Indeed, he is generous with assured woman, far younger than
one would guess for the leader of
knight bannerets and occasionally an evil secret cult. While many
even knight commander ranks. find this surprising, those who
This is more than kindness, it is know her do not find her success
unusual at all. They are perfectly
also wise policy. The recipients of ti- aware of her ambition, ruthless-
tles tend to be grateful to the

80

:SS, im d complete lack of con- blind her to other threats and dan- realm of Citadel Cavitius, Vecna’s
gers. Moreover, the feeling is not prison on the plane of Ash. There
iencc?. There is literally nothing mutual. While Vecna is quite Kas has languished ever since.
ie wil1not do to achieve her goals. pleased by the devotion of his high
3 det:d is too repellent for her priestess, he would have no Imprisonment has changed Kas,
stes: indeed, she enjoys what qualms about crushing her. mentally and physically. Where be-
hers would find perverse. forehe was consumed by pride and
Diralq is clearly of Baklunish Kas the Terrible ambition,Kas is now eaten by hate.
First and foremost he hates Vecna.
ood, with chestnut brown hair Male Vampire From there his rage extends to all
id golden-tan skin. Slightly taller
17th-Level Fighter who enjoy freedom and light. Now
an a1ferage height, she is slender he dreams of power, not to rule but
Chaotic Evil to destroy all he finds vile.
id wemil-proportioned. Diraq is per-
Str 18(76) Int 14 Physically, Kas has gone
Aly alware of the effect she has on Dex 15 Wis 8 through an even more drastic al-
ales, and she uses her looks and Con 18 Cha 15 teration. As he lived out the re-
mainder of his years, K a s was
ductiive talents to unhesitatingly THACO: 5 steeped in the energies of the Nega-
anipidate others. She is vain, but tive Material plane. Slowly these
bes hcx-best to conceal this, since Damage: 1d8 +4 accumulated and transformed
le knLows it would detract from
:r sedluctive charms. AC: 1 him. The energy ate out his body
Dirac1 is a user of other people. from the inside. Finally, it seized
Hit Points: 122 his heart and soul, but Kas did not
le hzis natural acting skills and
.n quickly leap from role to role, Special Attacks: Charm person die. Instead, K a s the Terrible was
ie mcIment pretending to be a vir- gaze ( -2 penalty to save); drain 2 transformed into one of the most
ous innocent and, in the next, levels per attack: gaseous form at fearsome of undead, a vampire.
:coming a terrifying fury. will; shapechange to bat at will;
While Diraq is cunning enough summon rats, bats, or wolves (not For centuries now, he has dwelled
possible at the Citadel Cavitius): in the citadel, locked in this undy-
dole out rewards and recognize spider climb at will. ing state. Sometimes the ancient
Yalty in her followers,she has no warlord wonders if this was Vec-
;efor such traits. Bonds of friend- Special Defenses: + 1 or better na’s ultimate irony-perpetual life
lip, fiamily, love, obedience, and weapons to hit; regenerate 3 hp imprisonment.
rvice! mean nothing to her. She per round; immune to poison, pa-
:ver 1:rusts and she never grants ralysis, sleep, charm, and hold More than once, when thinking
ercy. Those she saves from her of an eternity trapped in Citadel
rath are spared only because de- spells: half damage from cold and Cavitius, Kas has wanted to die,
electricity. but the energies of the plane have
royiri g them would cost her prevented that. If offered no escape
Once a warrior of legendary but destruction, he would take it. If,
Iwer. If she spares the life of an power and evil, K a s is remem- however, there is a chance he could
rant priest, it is only because she bered in the lands of Greyhawk for return to Oerth, then he would
)es not want to enrage his flock. only two things: his fantastic gladly live forever. Old ambitions,
ere he without such support, Her though perverted, die hard.
iblinle Excellency would strike sword and his spectacular demise
e off<mder down in an instant. In- at the hands of his master, the Since Kas never properly died or
:ed, I;hould his followers be few, arch-lich Vecna. This last is most was buried, he lacks one weakness
ie could very well destroy them possessed by normal vampires.
ong ivith the offending priest. ironic, for in his death the evil lord Never having a grave or coffin,K a s
If there is anything for which accomplished a deed of surpassing has no need to rest in one. If re-
iraq 1Malcinex feels passion, it is duced to gaseous form, he simply
xna. She more than any other heroism, ultimately for the good of
:sire:;her lord and his impending all Oerth. It was hardly what he in- retreats and hides somewhere un-
tended, since Kas’s goal was to til his corporeal form can be re-
turn. The perverse desires she
els tioward the arch-lich are as usurp the power of his corrupt stored.
ose tlo love as she will ever come.
lord. Thus it is said by the story-
hus, any who oppose or impede tellers that even from the hands of
:cna’s return will be crushed, if
le cain manage it. Her passion for great evil some good can come.
x n a is also Diraq’s greatest Kas did not die in that battle,
eakness, in that it can potentially
though. As a final act, Vecna
opened a gateway and cast his re-
bellious lieutenant into the bleak

81



Halmadar’s psyche has been ing madness with divinity. Clearly, likes to dress well, but he can sel-
driven into a dark and distant cor- to their minds, the great Vecna is dom find or afford new finery. His
ner of his own subconscious. In its
place is the fragmented, yet domi- far beyond their simple under- outfitsare strangely matched com-
nating, willpower of the ancient standings. Fear of his power has binations of new cloth and worn-
lich Vecna. The result has made long taught them to obey Vecna’s out, old clothes. No two pieces are
VecndHalmadar thoroughly, ma- alike, yet Yagos somehow puts it
niacally insane. slightest whim. together with a sense of style.

Consciously, the quasi-lich be- vagos Slevak Slevak travels among those who
lieves himself to be the great and dwell at the fringes of Rhennee
powerful Lord Vecna, the Whis- Male Rhennee society-the worst thieves, cut-
pered One, Lord of the Spidered 10th-Level Thief throats, robbers, gamblers, and
Throne. With the rudimentary un- con artists of that questionable lot.
derstanding possessed by the Eye Neutral Evil The majority of the Rhennee find
and the Hand, Vecna/Halmadar
tries to cloak himself in the trap- Str 10 Int 12 Yagos and his companions bad
pings of the old Vecna. Although Dex 17 Wis 12 company. Most bargemasters will
he has no ability to use them, he Con 16 Cha 8 not have him or his ilk on their
takes great interest in magical boats. He has an evil reputation
spells and items. He gathers and THACO: 16 and most simply shun him. Fortu-
pores through books he cannot AC: 6
read. He attempts to concoct magi- Hit Points: 58 nately for Yagos, there are a few
cal devices without knowing how. bargemasters and nobles among
He answers to no name but that of Thieving Abilities: his companions; the unscrupulous
Vecna. Zorran Sarraith (see the City of
PP OL F/RT M S €IS DN CW RL Greyhawk boxed set) is among
These same delusions create 76 7 0 52 70 62 40 85 20 these.
conflicts in his mind. He is not a Leather Armor
wizard and his failures to use mag- Backstab x 4 Yagos’s evil reputation is well-
ical powers only disorients his deserved, for not only is he a thief,
psyche further. He denies the ex- Magical Items: long sword + 3 i he is one of the leaders of the Cult
istence of Vecna the demigod and leatherarmor +2,iron bands ofBi-
seeks to seize control over the cult. of Vecna among the Rhennee.
He cannot understand why they larro,jewel offlawlessness,potion Yagos has control and influence
hail him as returned from the dead ofwaterbreathing,scroll with con-
or descended to Oerth. Already his jure elemental (air),demand, fore- over the Fingers of Vecna (see Ap-
deluded brain is creating rational- sight, meteor swarm, prismatic pendix 2) among the Rhennee, as
izations for these contradictions. wall, remove curse, Serten’s spell well as in Greyhawk and several
immunity (25% chance for incor- other coastal cities. In Greyhawk,
At the same time, Halmadar is these activities sometimes bring
not completely overcome. In mo- rect reading of any scroll) him into conflict with the Thieves’
ments of weakness, or when the
power of the artifacts is directed Yagos Slevak is an quivering, Guild. Up to now, he has been care-
outward, Halmadar’s identity oily little sycophant of a human ful not to be caught at anything.
struggles to reclaim its shell. The Without strong proof, the Guild
quasi-lich may be racked by being. He owes his successin life to
“snakes in its skull,”indecision, or his ability to wheedle, whine, and cannot act against one of the Rhen-
sudden changes in behavior (sud- grovel before those more powerful nee; it would precipitate a war be-
denly taking up a sword to use in a than himself, while at the same tween the two groups. The Guild
battle). Even in calm times, the time plotting ways to humiliate, would welcome any information
quasi-lich babbles to itself, the two they could use against Yagos, ei-
halves of its personality struggling betray, or backstab the target of ther to make him outcast among
for control or building elaborate his cringing affection. While he his own people or enrage the au-
explanations for all the inconsis- thorities of Greyhawk against him.
tencies of its “life.” seems comical and helpless, Yagos
is skilled and amoral enough to be
Vecna’s followers regard these a dangerous enemy.
outbursts with great awe, confus-
Yagos is a slightly built man, of
pale complexion (for the deeply
tanned Rhennee) and long, curly
dark hair. His nose is slightly bent
and one front tooth is cracked,
both broken long ago in a fight. He

83

egenerated ture *, fear, ice storm, Drawmij
tyer Characters
Leomund’s secure shelter,mi- 16th-Level Mage
1 sets of player characters are nor globe of invulnerability,
rided for this adventure. The monster summoning 11, poly- Neutral
: group, the Circle of Eight, is morph seZ solid fog, wall of
3 only in the Prologue. For the fire Hit Points: 44
lainder of the adventure, the 5th Level (5): Bigby’s fantastic
:le of Eight Henchmen (or your Str 7 Int 18
rem’ standard characters) are fencers *, Bigby’s interposing Dex 16 Wis 17
Con 15 Cha 9
i hand, Bigby’sstranglinggrip.
magic jar, stone shape, sum- Drawmij’s Traveling Spell
)r the Circle of Eight, an * after mon shadow, transmute rock Book:
to mud, wall ofiron (spells/day
spell name indicates that spell 6th Level (3): Bigby’s forceful
)und in the GREYHAWKOAd- hand, conjure animals, death 1st Level (5):Affect normal fires,
tures hardback book. spell, disintegrate, lower wa-
ter,part water, Pnser’s trans- cantrip, charm person, com-
e Circle of Eight formation, true seeing prehend languages, dancing
7th Level (3):Bigby’s grasping
‘bY hand, control undead, de- lights, Drawmij‘s beast of bur-
layed blast fireball, finger of
h-Level Mage death, limited wish, power den *, Drawmij’s light step *,
ttral word stun, reverse gravity,
Points: 46 teleport without error enlarge, grease, jump, protec-
8th Level (2): Bigby’s clenched tion from evil, read magic
9 Int 17 fist, Bigby’s most excellent 2nd Level (5):Alter selt continual
17 Wis 15 light, detect invisibility,Draw-
15 Cha 12 force sculpture *, monster
summoning VI mij’s adventurer’sluck, Dnaw-
by’s Traveling Spell Book:
9th Level (1): Bigby’s crushing mij’s breath of life, Drawmij’s
slls/day) hand, imprisonment, weird scent mask *, Drawmij’s swift

Level (5):Bigby‘s feeling fin- Magical Items: Bracers ofdefense mount *, invisibility, irrita-

gers *, burning hands, charm AC 5, ring ofprotection +3, boots tion, magic mouth, Melfs acid
of striding and springing, ring of
person, dancinglights, feather arrow, spectral hand, sum-
fall, hold portal, light, protec- mind shielding, wand offire, wand mon swarm, whispering wind
tion from evil, read magic, spi- of frost, scrolls of protection from 3rd Level (5):Blink, dispel magic,
der climb, spook, taunt acid, fire, werewolves, poison, and
d Level (5):Bigby’s silencing possession Drawmij’s marvelous shield *,
Drawmij’s iron sack *, flame
hand *, darkness 15’ r.. de- Bigby is a lean, severe-looking
man with brown hair and eyes. arrow, hold und ead. infra-
tect invisibility, ESP, fog Bigby is known for being too ner-
cloud, glitterdust, levitate, vous, too cautious, and too puri- vision, lightning bo1t, Melfs
rope trick, shatter, l2sha.s tanical. He strongly favors minute meteors, monster sum-
uncontrollable hideous defensive spells and items, believ- moning I, protection from nor-
laughter ing in safety before attack. He is
I Level (5):Bigby’s pugnacious quick to find fault with little things mal missiles, tongues, water
and can be difficult to get along breathing, wraithform
pugilist *, blink, clairaudi- with. However, his close friends
value him for his steadfastness 4th Level (5): Confusion, conta-
ence. fireball, fly,hold undead, and his sense of humor. gion, detect scrying, Drawmij’s
phantom steed, spectral force,
wraithform handy timepiece *, Drawmij’s
I Level (5):Bigby’s battering instant exit *, Drawmij’s pro-
tection from nonmagical gas *,
gauntlet *, Bigby’sforcesculp- Drawmq’s tool box *, emotion,

extension I, fire trap, monster
summoning 11, rainbow pat-
tern,remove curse, shout, wiz-

ard eye

5th Level (5):Airy water, animal
growth, cone of cold, conjure

84

elemental, contact otherplane, Jallarzi’s TravelingSpell Book: ber. Her long blond hair and tan
(spells/day) skin make her strikingly attractive
Drawmij’s flying feat *, send- and she could have more than her
ing, stone shape, summon 1stLevel (5):Burning hands, can- share of interested males to keep
trip, dancing lights, detect her company, if she wished. How-
shadow, telekinesis, trans- magic, detect undead, gaze re- ever, she is independent-minded
mute rock to mud, wall offorce flection, hold portal, light,
6th Level (3):Anti-magic shell, magic missile, mending, and not terribly interested in the
mount, read magic, shield, attentions of eager suitors. She is
chain lightning, conjure ani- shocking grasp more than capable of protecting
herself. As regards the old wizards
mals, control weather, Draw- 2nd Level (5):Alter self,continual of the Circle of Eight, she is not as
light, darkness 15’ r., ESP, confident or sure of her footing.
mij’s beneficent polymorph *, hypnotic pattern, knock, lo- Jallarzi is currently “on tria.1” as a
cate object, rope trick, shatter member. Furthermore, she is
Drawmij’s merciful metamor- keenly aware of the doubts of her
phoses *, legend lore, mislead, 3rd Level (5):Blink, delude, dispel status held by many in the Circle.
magic, fireball, flame arrow, She knows this is because she is a
monster summoning IV; part hold undead, infravision, woman, but she does not also real-
water, shades, stone to flesh lightning bo1t,phantom steed,
protection from normal mis- ize there are concerns about her
7th Level (2):Control undead, de- siles, slow, water breathing ability to maintain the Balance.
layed blast fireball, Drawmij’s
instant summons, duo- 4th Level (4): Charm monster, Jallarzi is not accompanied by
dimension, reverse gravity, contagion,improved invisibil- Edwina, her pseudo-dragon com-
teleport without error itx monster summoning II, panion, on this adventure. Edwina
phantasmal killer, plant
8th Level (1):Incendiary cloud, growth, polymorph other, refused to go, since Otiluke was
polymorph self, remove also taking part. (The wizard and
mind blank, trap the soul curse, shadow monsters, the pseudo-dragon do not get
solid fog, wall of fire, wall of
Magical Items: Cloak of the bat, ice, wizard eye along.)

ring ofprotection +3, dagger +3, 5th Level (4):Advanced illusion,
chaos, feeblemind, major cre-
chime of opening, figurine of won- ation, monster summoning
III, passwall, sending, tele-
drous power (serpentineowl),ring port, wall offorce, wall ofiron
of shooting stars, wand of magic
6th Level (2): Conjure animals,
missiles, wand ofpolymorphing disintegrate, geas, glassee,
mirage arcana, programmed
%11, slim and youthful-looking, illusion, transmute water to Nystul
Drawmij could easily have been a dust
charmer of women, were it not for 16th-Level Mage
7th Level (1): Charm plants, de- Neutral
his close-lipped nature. He is in- layed blast fireball, duo- Hit Points: 45
dimension, spell turning
tensely secretive, saying little Str 7 Int 18
about his opinions or his past. Magical Items:Bracers ofdefense Dex 10 Wis 17
Still, the reclusive Drawmij is a AC 2,ring ofprotection +2,staffof Con 15 Cha 15
good friend to many a rogue and striking, arrow of direction, boots
of elvenkind, cloak of elvenkind, Nystul is guarded by a permanent
minstrel. He has two passions- hat of disguise, rope of climbing, protection from evil spell.
one for the sea and all things con- ring offeatherfalling,wand offear,
nected to it (he spends most of his wand ofsecret door and trap detec- Nystul’s naveling Spell Book:
tion (spells/da.y)
time in the secluded depths of the
Jallarzi is the youngest and new-
ocean) and the other is an abiding est member of the Circle of Eight.
hatred of Jason Krimeah, Mage of She is also the only female mem-

the Valley.

Jallarzi Sallavarian 1st Level (5):Armor, audible gla-
mer, burning hands, change
14th-Level Mage self, detect magic, friends,
Neutral Good
Hit Points: 38 grease, jump, light, message,

str 10 Int 18 Nystul’s dancing were1,ight *,
Dex 18 Wis 17 Nystul’s flash *, read .magic,
Con 9 Cha 17
shield, ventriloquism
2nd Level (5):Alter selK darkness

15’ r., flaming sphere, .knock,

levitate, Melfs acid arrow,
Nystul’s blackrnote, Nystul’s
blazing beam, Nystul’s crystal

85

dagger, pyrotechnics, ray of given time, he can derive victory wall offorce, wall of stone
enfeeblement, spectral hand, from even the worst situation. 6th Level (3):Chain lightning,globe
summon swarm, web
3rd Level (5):Clairaudience, clair- Otiluke of invulnerability; lower water,
voyance, dispel magic, feign
death, fly, hold undead, infra- 16th-Level Mage mass suggestion, monster sum-
vision, invisibility 10’ r., non- Neutral moning IV Otiluke’s diamond
detection, Nystul’s crystal dirk
Hit Points: 39 screen *, Otiluke’s excruciating
*, Nystul’s expeditious fire ex- screen *, Otiluke’s freezing
tinguisher *, Nystul’s golden Str 5 * Int 17
revelation *, Nystul’s radiant Wis 8 sphere, part water, pro-
baton *, tongues, vampiric Dex 17 Cha 11 grammed illusion, shades
7th Level (2):Finger of death, lim-
touch Con 10
4th Level (5):Enchanted weapon, ited wish, monster summoning
Otiluke’s Traveling Spell Book:
extension I, fumble, improved (spelldday) V Otiluke’sdeath screen *. Oti-
invisibility,Nystul’s blacklight luke’sfireand ice *, power word
1st Level (5):Affect normal fires,
burst *, Nystul’s lightburst *, stun, prismatic spray; reverse
audible gramer, burning gravity; shadow walk, vanish
plant growth, polymorph self, 8th Level (1):Maze, Otiluke’s tele-
remove curse, shout, hands, cantrip, charm person, kinetic sphere,polymorph any
stoneskin, wizard eye color spray; feather fall,grease,
5th Level (5): Animal growth, object
domination, extension II. jump, Otiluke’s bubbling
Nystul’s enveloping darkness buoyancy *, Otiluke’s smoky Magical Items: Cloak ofprotection
+4,dagger +2,gauntlets ofkabold
*, Nystul’s radiant arch *, sphere *, read magic, spider power (increase Str to 9), horn of

seeming, sending, stone climb, spook blasting, ioun stone (increaseslevel
shape
6th Level (3):Disintegrate, geas, 2nd Level (5):Alterselt blur, deep- by 1to 16),necklace ofmissiles,pe-
mass suggestion, mislead, pockets, detect invisibility, riapt of proof against poison +2,
programmed illusion, trans- ESE fog cloud, forget, hyp- wand offxe, wand offrost
mute water to dust notic pattern, invisibility; irri-
7th Level (2):Control undead, de- Young, short, and puny, Otiluke
layed blast fireball, duo- tation, knock, locate object, has overcompensated for his draw-
dimension, power word stun, pyrotechnics, Otiluke’s boil- backs by being overly aggressive
reverse gravity; vanish and abrasive. Unlike the older and
8th Level (1): Incendiary cloud, ingoil bath *
mass charm, polymorph any contemplative members of the Cir-
object 3rd Level (5):Blink, clairvoyance, cle, Otiluke believes in the use of
delude, fireball, fly; gust of
Magical Items: Bracers ofdefense wind, hold person, hold un- offensive firepower. Uncertain of

AC 5, ring ofprotection +3, cloak dead, non-detection, Otiluke’s his standing in the Circle, he won-
acid cloud *, Otiluke’s force
of displacement, boots of levita- ders if it is only his political role as
tion, dust of disappearance, hat of umbre!la *, spectral force, an Oligarch of Greyhawk that
disguise, wand of enemy detec- causes the others to tolerate him.
tion, wand of illumination, wand suggestion, wraithform
o f illusion Otto
4th Level (5):Charm monster, di-
Gangly and plain, Nystul con- mension door, emotion, 14th-Level Mage/
siders himself a master of disguise. 5th-Level Priest
He is seldom seen in his true ap- Evard’s black tentacles, fire (DualclassIcurrently mage)
pearance, often using magic or charm, ice storm, Leomund’s Neutral (NeutralGood)
magical items to change his looks. Hit Points: 45
?b the distress of others in the Cir- secure shelter, monster sum-
cle, he is fond of puns and quips. moning 11, Otiluke’s resilient Str 16 Int 17
Still, Nystul has a keen mind for Dex 7 Wis 15
sphere, Otiluke’s steaming Con 15 Cha 16
battle tactics and believes that,
sphere *, phantasmal killer, Priest Spheres (5 lst, 4 2nd, 1
3rd):Astral, Charm, Combat, Divi-
polymorph other,rainbowpat- nation, Elemental, Guardian (mi-
tern, wall ofice nor), Healing (minor), and

5th Level (5): Animate dead, summoning
cloudkill, domination, hold

monster, Otiluke ’s dispelling
screen *, Otiluke’s electrical
screen *, Otiluke’s polar
screen, Otiluke’s radiant
screen *, seeming, shadow

magic, summon shadow,

86

Otto’s naveling Spell Book: Otto’s drums of despair *, Ot- * * * Only used in extreme emer-
to’ssilver tongue *, Otto’stonal
1st Level (5):Audible glamer, de- attack *, Otto’s tin soldiers *, gency
tect magic, detect undead, Otto’s warding tones *, plant
featherfall,friends,gaze reflec- growth, stoneskin Fat and overdressed, the curly-
tion, message, Otto’s chime of 5th Level (4): Advanced illusion, haired Otto likes to pass himself off
release *, read magic, spook chaos, domination, feeble- as a cheerful and outgoing mer-
mind, Otto’s gong of isolation chant, dealing in luxury items of all
2nd Level (5):Deafness, flaming *, summon shadow, wall of sorts. He has a great love of fine liv-
sphere, glitterd ust, knock, force ing, culture, and the arts. He is mu-
know alignment, levitate, mir- 6th Level (2): Anti-magic shell, sically trained and has a passion for
ror image, Otto’s soothing vi- chain lightning, legend lore, music. He commonly researches
brations *, Otto’s tones of lower water, project image, minor modificationsto spells,allow-
transmute water to dust
forgetfulness *, pyrotechnics, 7th Level (1):Charm plants, con- ing him to include music in their ef-
trol undead, delayed blast fire-
spectral hand, l2sha’s uncon- ball, finger of death, limited fects. A former priest of Roccob,
trollable hideous laughter wish, shadow walk Otto is now fully committed to the
arts of magic. He uses his priestly
3rd Level (5/10* *): Dispel magic, * * See ring of wizardry below powers (including weapons) only
when in dire peril or great need.
gust of wind, hold person, hold Magical Items: Footman’s flail
undead, infravision, monster Raw
summoning I, non-detection, + 3 * * * , boots of speed, bag of
Otto’scrystalrhythms *, Otto’s 23rd-Level Mal
holding (250 lbs.), medallion of Neutral
sure-footed shuffle *, protec- EST! ring offeather falling,ring of Hit Points: 50
wizardry (3rd-levelspells),wand of
tion from normal missiles, conjuration Str 7 Int 19
slow, tongues, vampiric touch Dex 11 Wis 19
4th Level (4):Detect scrying, ener- Con 12 Cha 16
vation, fear, fire shield,
Leomund’s secure shelter, mi-
nor globe of invulnerability

87

Rary’s Traveling Spell Book * : grate,globe ofinvulnerability, Tenser
mass suggestion, mislead,
(spells/day) part water, Rary’s urgent ut- 20th-Level Mage

1st Level (51: Affect normal fires. terance *- stone to flesh tnw Lawful Good
bu~
ariirriai curiirui, r i n g 01 mina af 1 V a . r C - r l &a- ..e -3 --I
cha
shielding, robe of stars, rod of be-
Pre guiling, wand ofparalyzation

ligl Rary is very much the reserved,
patient, and wise old wizard of
frie bards’ songs. He holds in his head
a great store of knowledge on all
gre subjects and is always interested Book:
maq in learning more. He is an expert
for( on Paynim lore as well as a re- Change
Rar spected figure among the tribes-
men. With his disdain for crude, ’ompre-
rea damage-causing magic in favor of kect Un-
more complex and subtle spells, Grease,
gra Rary has both impressed and Spook,
wal alienated many of the wizard com- f the Ti-
2nd Le munity.
qg Disc,
15 * Allowed additional spells, all
bil,
other abilities as per 20th-level
Pal wizard. ,t Invisi-
ms

knl )tic Pat-

cai s Acid

roL im Can-

ha, Spectral

mc ____-__ *, Ten-
I
3rd Level tal:~ l l ~ l fuils, pci rnaglc, ser’s Hunting Hawk *, Web,

fireball, flay, gust of wind, Wizard Lock

haste, hold person, infra- 3rd Level (5):Clairvoyance, Fire-

vision, invisibility lO’r., light- ball, Flame Arrow, Gust o f

ning bolt, monster Wind, Haste, Hold Person, In-

summoning I, protection from visibility 10‘ r., Leomund’s

normal missiles, slow, sugges- Tiny Hut, Protection from

tion, tongues, water breath- Evil, 10’ r., Tenser’s Deadly
ing, wraithform
Strike *, Tenser’s Eye of the
4th Level (5): Charm monster, Eagle *, Vampiric much

emotion, fear, ice storm, im- 4th Level (5):Contagion,Emotion,

proved invisibility, minor Evard’s Black Tentacles,Hallu-

globe of invulnerability,poly- cinatory Terrain, Minor Crea-

morph other,polymorph self tion, Rary’s Mnemonic
Rary’s memory alteration *,
Rary’s m i n d scan *, Rary’s Enhancer, Shout, Tenser’s
Flaming Blade *, Tenser’s Gi-
mnemonic enhancer, Rary’s ant Strength *, Tenser’s Run-
spell enhancer *, remove
ning Warrior *, Tenser’s Staff
curse, wall ofice, wizard eye ofSmiting *

5th Level (5):Cone ofcold, conjure 5th Level (5):Bigby’s Interposing

elemental, domination, Hand, Chaos, Demi-Shadow

feeblemind , hold monster, Monsters, Major Creation,

passwall, Rary’s mind shield Sending, Summon Shadow
*, Rary’s superior spell en-
hancer *, Rary’s telepathic 6th Level (4): Chain Lightning,

bond *, stone shape, teleport, Death Fog, Death Spell,

wall offorce, wall ofiron Eye bite, Reincarnation,

6th Level (5): Chain lightning, Shades, Tenser’s Pansforma-

death fog,death spell, disinte- tion

7th Level (3):Banishment, Charm Bonuses: + 3 bonus to saving tar will take what he needs when
Plants, Delayed Blast Fireball, throws vs. wands, staves, rods, he needs it.
Limited Wish,Mordenkainen ’s spells, and poison: + 1 to attack
Sword, Power Word Stun, Pris- rolls with thrown weapons and Attitudes Toward Other Hench-
matic Spray, Shadow Walk, slings men:
Statue, Teleport Without Error Special Abilities: Improved sur-
prise when alone, limited infra- Cymria-She’s got what it takes
8th Level (3):Bigby’s Clenched and you respect that. The tall elf‘s
Fist, Incendiary Cloud, Mass vision (30’),detect grade (75%), intriguing and, like you, under-
Charm, Maze, M i n d Blank, detect direction (50%),backstab stands how the world really works.
Monster Summoning VI, Poly- The pair of you could be an effec-
morph Any Object, Power x4, use maeical scrolls 125% fail- tive team.
Word,Blind ure)
Torik-The half-elf is a likeable
9th Level (2): Meteor Swarm, Thiei fellow and he’sfun to have around,
Power Word Kill, Weird, Wish but you wouldn’t want to count on
PP OL FlKT MS HS U N G W KL him in a pinch. The only followers
Magical Items: Ring ofprotection of Ehlonna you ever met were the
+3, cloak of displacement, staffof 65 80 80 65 80 35 75 40 marks, and they were always easy
thunder and lightning, amulet of 35 70 70 45 60 25 45 40 targets.
proof against detection and loca- No annor
tion, dust of disappearance, pearl Studded Johanna-For some reason, she
of the sirines, ring of fire resist- reminds you of Drawmij. You trust
ance, wand of enemy detection, Languages: Common, Halrling, L-r, even though your better in-
Zagyg’s spell component case (;obfin, -Gnome, Orc, Thieves’ stincts say you shouldn’t. For
(:ant now, you’re willing to give her the
knser is a medium-sized man, benefit of the doubt.
th brown hair and prominent 1Vlagical Items: Short sword + 2 ,
se. He is polite, quick-witted, (3rtux-You do not like him, but
d outgoing. He enjoys socializ- s5;etuenddseedrvlaenatthaenra.+a.r.2sp,eslc.rmoallgoifc, un- vn-11’11 work with him if you must.
po- Nobody is as good and pure as he
;when not on an adventure. He makes out to be-there must be
tion of clairvoyance some secret in his past. Now,
lieves in the cause of Law and wouldn’t it be interesting if you
bod, to the point where he will Standing 4’3”-tall for a could learn that?
force his will on others. TO the halfling-Allentar still has the
hers, he is something of a n characteristic plump shape of a Marial-You’ve seen her before,
irmist, always decrying the halfling. Born in the Flinty Hills, poking about Greyhawk in places
reat of evil in this quarter or that. Allentar was orphaned in his early where she has no business. Some
teens when raiders from the North of your friends told you she was
rcle of Eight Province of the Great Kingdom asking too many questions. Others
passed through their lands. Flee- claim she’sbeen helpful from time
enchmen ing their terror, he eventually to time-providing spell services
drifted down to the City of in exchange for information.
Ientar GrassfieId Greyhawk. There he went from What’s her game? I s she really
one con and mark to another. Only what she seems, or is she some-
___ale Halfling a fortunate meeting with Drawmij thing else? She might be working
(his hand was in wizard’s pocket) for the City Watch, one of the
L L i m r 1 c-r i\-.. changed the course of his life. guilds, or even one of the rival na-
Quickly becoming a ward, then tions that covet the city’strade.
r iu inr 1 1 friend of the wizard, Allentar has
:x 15 Wis 13 risen to be Drawmii’s trusted eves Imiric-You’ve seen the way that
bn 11 Cha 11 gnome watches you out of the cor-
i ner of his eye. It’s clear he doesn’t
like you at all. That little runt
( means trouble, but you’re not go-
ing to take the blame when it hap-
1ACO: 1.5 honor Inat centers arouna an urrer pens. You’ll let him make the first
loyalty to Drawmij, a man he sees move, but you’ll be ready.
2: 9 (4with magical armor) as saving him from ruin. This loy-
t Points: 42 alty doesn’t change his view to- Yars-Pure and simple, the
ward others or life, however. The dwarf scaresyou. You make a good

world is a mean, hard place. Allen-

89

show of being brave and defiant in great mage in his adventures. In ing afight. Still,you’re not going to
front of the others. Deep inside, Tenser, with his concern and curi- let him push you around.
though, you know that Yars’s osity for the woodland beings,
threats are more than just Cymria has found someone she Yars-You don’t like this boastful
boasting-he would use some can respect. little dwarf, especially not for the
truly barbaric punishment if he way he flaunts his elven cloak.
ever caught you. Attitudes IIbwardOtherHench- Still, you are not about to cross
men: him because there is no predicting
Cymria of Celadon how he will react. If he gets in trou-
Torik-Torik is a handsome and ble, though, you’ll let him sweat
Female Elf charming male and certainly before doing anything to help.
seems friendly enough, but he’s a
12th-Level Fighter/ half-elf. He’s almost too soft, too lmiric vbn Suss-Varren
11th-Level Mage compassionate. You’ve been
Chaotic Good taught it’s not right for humans Count of the Principality of
and elves to mingle so. It’s clear
Str 17 Int 16 that Torik has lost much of the true Ulek, Chamberlain of the Privy
elvish nature. Still, he seems to Council, Commander of the
Dex 15 Wis 14 like you and you really should try Suss March, Knight of the Or-
Con 12 Cha 8 to be nice to him. der of the Forge, His Shining
Servant
THACO: 9 Johanna-That old woman just Male Gnome
AC: 9 (2 in armor) has a way of making you nervous. 1lth-Level Fighter/
Hit Points: 44 It’s not like she has ever criticized 12th-Level Illusionist
Lawful Good
you or made any judgments, but
Bonuses: + 2 to attack roll with she’s always watching and asking Str 16 Int 14
sword or bow, + I to attack roll questions. She has this way of Dex 17 Wis 13
with all other weapons, + 1 dam- phrasing things, making you feel
like the daughter-and yet she Con 14 Cha 13
age can’t be any older than you!
Special Abilities: 90% resist- THACO: 10
ance to sleep and charm spells, Ortux-He’s a stiff-necked and AC: 7 (1 with shield and magical
infravision, chance of surprise self-righteous pain, and he tries armor)
when moving alone, secret door hard to avoid you. In fact, you’d be Hit Points: 53
detection offended if his efforts weren’t so
Languages: Elven, Common, self-conscious. There’s something Bonuses: +2 reaction adjust-
Nyrondese, Goblin, Orc, Gnoll charming about his stand- ment, + 1bonus to attack rolls vs.
Spells:4 lst,4 2nd, 4 3rd, 34th, 3 offishness. You don’t know why,
5th but you want to get to know the kobolds and goblins, + 2 bonus to
paladin better. attack rolls with missile weapons,
Magical Items: Bardiche +2, axe
Allentar-The halfling you un- + 1bonus to damage, -4 penalty
+2, scale mail +2, carpet offlying, derstand, which makes him easy
to like. He views things in a nice, to attack rolls of giant-type crea-
scroll of lightning bolt, scroll of simple and direct manner-that tures, +4 bonus to saving throws
you can relate to. Of course, you vs. wands, staves, rods, spells, and
shatter, fireshield, feeblemind,and don’t trust him at all, since he is a
Rnser’s transformation, scroll of thief. He may be friendly, but poison, +5 bonus to saving throws
you’re not turning your back on
protection from electricity,oil of f i - him. vs. illusions, - 1penalty to saving
ery burning,potion ofhealing
Marial-Somebody keep you throws of others vs. his illusions
Tall and thin, Cymria has a safefrom fools!How can anyone be Special Abilities: 3/2 attacks,
so utterly ignorant of the realities infravision (60’), detect grade
sharp, wolfish look that matches of the world? All you can say is (82%),detect unsafe construction
her hard-edged disposition. Al- that she had better stay out of your (70%), determine depth under-
way and not cause any trouble. ground (50%),determine direction
though she acts in the cause of underground (50%),20% chance
good, Cymria is noted for her lack Imiric-That one’s a tough little of magical item failure
of mercy and distrust of compro- bugger. There’s no secret he Languages: Common, Gnome,
mises. She prefers a quick and effi- doesn’t like you, but he’s not pick- Keolandish, Dwarf, Kobold, Bur-
cient solution to any problem. rowing mammal
Befriended by the outgoing Tenser,
Cymria has chosen to leave her

family and fellow elves to join the

90

Unavailable Schools: Necro- Attitudes ’IbwardOther Hench- Johanna
mancy, Invocation/Evocation, Ab- men:
juration Female Human
Cymria-The elf-woman is too
Spells *: 5 lst,5 2nd, 5 3rd, 5 4th, 14th-Level Priestess of Boccob
wild and cutthroat for your tastes.
5 5th. 2 6th There’sno doubt that she’scompe- Neutral

* One spell at each level must be tent, but her methods may cause Str 12 Int 12
as much damage as good. She Dex 10 Wis 18
of the illusion school. needs a firm hand to keep her un- Con 15 Cha 14
der control.
Magical Items: Short sword + I, THACO: 12
Torik-Even though he’s not a AC: 10 ( - 1in armor)
brigandine + 1, robe of blending, gnome, Torik’s a fine person, and Hit Points: 63
you’re glad to know him. He has a
periapt of proof against poison, good view of life and values the Bonuses: +4 bonus to saving
ring of animal friendship, scroll things that make a community throws vs. mental attacks, + 2 re-
with statue, potion of extra- strong. There are a number of action adjustment
healing Ehlonna’s followers in Ulek. Special Abilities: Sage abilities
You’ve a fair mind to offer him pa- in alchemy, astrology, metaphy-
Although his full title is impos- tronage if he would settle in your sics (plane of concordant opposi-
ing, this gnome far prefers the sim- lands.
ple name Imiric, or at most Lord tion), theology (of the Great
Imiric. He is about 100 years old. Johanna-The priestess may be Kingdom);able to use wands, crys-
His face is wrinkled and his neatly wise and learned, but she seems tal balls, and robes (except robe of
trimmed beard and hair are start-
ing to go white. Of late he has been too cold-blooded and emotionless the archmagi]
considering that it is time to settle for your tastes. It’s clear she con- Languages: Common, Suloise,
down and retire from the danger- Old Oeridian
ous life of adventuring. siders herself the leader, but you’d Spheres: Astral, Charm, Combat,
rather put your trust with Ortux. Divination, Elemental, Guardian
Although born into nobility, Im-
iric is no fop or pampered aristo- Ortux-Ortux is a strong and up- (minor), Healing (minor), Sum-
crat. He has earned his titles and standing man. While you doubt
offices through hard work and moning
cunning. Most of his adventuring you could ever be so hard on your- Spells: 8 lst, 8 2nd, 7 3rd, 6 4th, 3
has come while defendingthe Suss self, you admire it in the paladin. 5th, 2 6th, 1 7th
Marches against raiders from the To your mind, he’s the natural
Wild Coast and the Pomarj. He has Magical Items: Mace i 2 , plate
led several expeditions into these leader of this group. Should it mail +3, libram of vile darkness,
lands, sometimes punitive and scroll of aerial servant, wall of
sometimes to recover treasures come down to it, you’llbe ready to thorns, spike stones, control
lost when the Pomarj was overrun. side with him. winds, protection from evil 10’r..
It was during these expeditions and create food and water, scroll of
that Imiric met and befriended the Allentar-Halflings have always transmute rock to mud, conjure
wizard Otiluke. Imiric owes the
mage his life for more than one given you trouble. Either they hide fire elemental, speak with mon-
timely rescue. in their burrows like mice, afraid sters, wall of thorns, and word of
to fight for their land, or they’re recall: scroll of aid, fire trap, glyph
Now, though, Imiric is tired. Ad- lazy and shiftless.Allentar’sworse of warding, animal summoning I,
venturing has taken its toll-he
has yet to start a family or comfort- than some, but better than most. imbue with spellability,protection
ably enjoy the wealth he has gath- He’s good at what he does, it’sjust from lightning, and raise dead po-
ered. He worries that he’s that you don’t like thieves. tion of invisibility
neglected his domain and has not
served his subjects well. The only Marial-The wizardess promises Dignified and matronly, Jo-
reason he’s even here is that Oti- hanna is a tall, white-haired
luke may be in trouble. to be an entertaining companion. woman, quite proud of her 55
years. Dressed in the purple and
She knows so much about
Greyhawk that she must have gold robes of Boccob, she makes
lively stories of the city. You’lljust quite an imposing figure. Her
have to find a way to gain her con- strict, humorless demeanor only
adds to this impression.
fidence.
Yars-Would that you had a hun-

dred Yars! With dwarves such as

him, you could match the beasts of

the Pomarj for sheer ferocity. Un-
fortunately, you’ve only got one
Yars, but he may be enough for this

group!

91

Johanna is native to the Prelacy Allentar. You just hope she doesn’t Marial at first seems shy, some-
of Almor, where she is an impor- get herself in trouble. what introverted, but she secretly
tant official in the temples of Boc- lovesthe fast life of the big city. She
cob. She has served in the Imiric-Certainly the gnome is understands all the vices, seduc-
priesthood all her life. It was there tions, power ploys, and corruption
she first met and tutored Otto. good to have along-he’s strong of Greyhawk, yet she can be naive
Later, she was one of those who ad- and should hold his own in a fight. and gullible concerning the rest of
vised him to leave the temple. Jo- Still, you sense hostility and dis- the world. If a situation can be
hanna and Otto have remained compared to one in Greyhawk, she
close friends ever since. trust on his part. He may think understands it perfectly. If it is to-
he’s superior to the rest of the tally new and unique (and many
’Ibothers, this seems like an odd group with his titles and all. monster encounters are),she is in-
Mutt-and-Jeff combination: the experienced and often unsuspect-
epicurean mage and the dour, Yars-The dwarf is hopelessly ing.
strict priestess. In truth, Johanna
is much less formidable than the barbaric and you’re not likely to Marial is close friend of Jallarzi,
image she presents. Uncomforta- change that at all. It’s best just to who first came to Marial for advice
ble among strangers, she lowers leave him alone and point him in concerning the darker parts of the
her defenses among friends, be- the right direction when the battle city. Since their first meetings, Jal-
coming warmer and showing a sly begins. larzi has become fascinated by Ma-
sense of humor. rial’s paradoxical nature, while
Marial Marial eagerly listens to Jallarzi’s
Attitudes lbward Other Hench- tales of the greater world.
men: Female Human
12th-Level Wizard Attitudes lbward Other Hench-
Cymria-You have little opinion men:
of the elf beyond the curiosity of a Chaotic Good
sage. You are most interested in Cymria-The elf-woman is a n
what the elf can add to her profes- Str 7 Int 15 interesting study. In Greyhawk,
sional knowledge. Dex 14 Wis 14 you’ve met many who share her
Con 14 Cha 11 attitude. Most have come to bad
’Ibrik-The half-elf is fascinat- ends. It will be interesting to see if
ing. He’s certainly charming and THACO: 18 she winds up the same way.
pleasant company, even if he is a AC: 10
not up to your standards. After all, Hit Points: 29 Torik-You’ve never been partic-
he is a follower of Ehlonna and you ularly interested in men before,
really don’t know much about Languages: Common, Suloise, but Torik is fascinating. He’s
them. You look forwardto debating Old Oeridian, Wererat charming, kind, and so different
him on theological issues. Spells:4 lst, 4 2nd. 4 3rd, 4 4th, 4 from the hustlers and rakes of
5th, 16th Greyhawk. Maybe it’shis country
Ortux-The paladin is a good upbringing, but he seems so open
man, but what else could a paladin Magical Items:Bag ofbeans, ring and honest. He just might be
be? He is good friend to have, since enough to bring you out of your
his word is his bond. Still, paladins ofjumping,potion oflevitation, oil shell.
always seem to make trouble, so ofacid resistance
you must be watchful or there will Johanna-The priestess is like a
be dissension in the group. Marial was born in the City of lot of the priests you’ve know in
Greyhawk and there she’s spent the city-stuffy, rigid, and unyield-
Allentar-You don’t trust the all her life. The redhead has never ing. You find her type boring but,
halfling. It would be foolish, since felt the desire to travel beyond the fortunately,Johanna’s also a sage.
he is a thief. You don’t really like city walls. There is more than That at least gives you something
him either. He, on the other hand, enough adventure in the dark cor- to talk about. Still,there are others
ners of Greyhawk to satisfy her. in the group you’d rather spend
seems to treat you with great re- your time with.
spect. It’s best to keep things on a She has spent many hours among
professional level, since an angry the lowlife and scum of the city- Ortux-The paladin is a good
thief is a dangerous enemy. it’s exciting and full of danger. man. You know you can trust him,
What she needs to know of the rest but you can trust all paladins. At
Marial-The wizardess is a quiet of the world she can learn from first, you were ready to dismiss
one. She’s a bit wide-eyed and gul- books and travelers. While this has him as a self-righteous jerk, but
lible, but she seems sharp enough
given her some peculiar views con-
to hold her own against the likes of cerning the rest of the world, few
know more about the ins and outs
of Greyhawk.

92

something about the way he looks realness +4 (13 charges remain- Johanna-Even if she is a priest-
at Torik has got you wondering. ing), lyre of building, ring of ess of Boccob, she is certainly a
human influence,elixir ofyouth fine and admirable woman. In-
Maybe there’s more to the paladin
Bll, lean, and wiry, Ortux is not deed, you two have more in com-
than meets the eye. what most people expect of the he- mon than it would seem. There is
Allentar-In a way, the halfling roic paladin. He’s good-looking, even a chance she could learn the
but not stunningly handsome:
is no stranger to you. More than strong, but not muscular; and, true meaning of justice and good
while brave, Ortux is f a r from fool- from you.
once, you’ve seen him in the hardy. Still, he has a magnetic ap-
gloomy dens of Greyhawk. His peal that seems to flow from inside Allentar-The thief is your per-
name has come up from time to him. He acts and people believe. sonal challenge. It’s clear he’s
They know he can be trusted. Or- strayed into the paths of darkness
time, in relation to some note- tux finds it impossible to betray
the trust of others. He has worked more than once, but he’s not com-
worthy theft or disappearance. all his life in the cause of justice. pletely lost. There is still some
glimmer of nobility and goodness
You’d like to know more about Ortux is careful in his own life, to him. If you could bring that out
him, but up to now he’s always followinghis own code of puritani- and show him the benefits of his
managed to avoid you. cal laws. As a Knight of the Hart, good side, you might be able to
he does not drink, eats not to ex- save him yet.
Imiric-The little gnome is al- cess, never swears, and avoids all
temptations of the flesh. He was Marial-The wizardess seems
ways courteous and polite to you, not always so careful. To his eter- competent with her spells, but cer-
without being condescending. You nal shame, in his youth he sired a tainly less than worldly, She could
half-elvenson,Only the severest of easily get herself in trouble, so
can’t help but like him and it atonements proved him worthy of you’d better keep a watchful eye
paladinhood. Since then, he has
seems he likes you, too. been aided by his old companion, out for her.
Bigby, who, for a wizard, is not en- Imiric-The gnome you know
Yars-You can’t help noticing tirely bad.
that the dwarf keeps watching you can be trusted. He’s the type of
like a curious dog. You don’t know Attitudes %wardOtherHench- man (or gnome) who lives by his
what to make of him. You’ve never men: word and understands the differ-
met anyone as wild and uncivil- ence between good and evil. He
ized as him. Cymria-In her, it’s easy to see won’t flinch from dangerous work
how humans and elves differ.
Ortux the Hand Cymria may mean well, but she is either.
far from understanding the true Yars-When you look at Yars, he
Male Human meaning of good. She is a danger-
15th-LevelPaladin ous influence, best avoided when- gives you pause-is he what you
ever possible. might have become, a savage
Lawful Good killer? The more you’re with him,
Torik-Until now, you never be- the more you thank the powers
Str 15 Int 13 lieved yourself capable of jealously above for showing you the true
Dex 12 Wis 13 or envy. It was quite a surprise to light. You also pray they will give
meet Torik, a young man even you the strength and means to
Con 10 Cha 17 more likeable than yourself. At
first you almost succumbed to keep his bloodlust under control.
THACO: 6 envy for his natural grace, but
AC: 10 ( - 2 with magical armor even you find it hard to resist his
charm. Worse still, you can’t help
and normal shield) being reminded of your own sin
Hit Points: 70 every time you look at him. You
must work to be his friend and
Bonuses: +6 reaction adjustment hold no hate or jealousy toward Torik Red-Axesson of
him.
Special Abilities: +2 bonus to all Highf01Ik

saving throws; detect evil, 60’ r.; Male Half-Elf

immune to disease: heal 30 points 12th-Level Priest of Ehlonna*
per day; cure disease 3 times per
week; protection from evil, 10’ r.; Neutral Good
turn undead as a 12th-levelpriest
Languages: Common, Velondi Str 8 Int 9
Spheres: Combat, Divination, Dex 10 Wis 12
Con 15
Healing, Protection Cha 18

Spells (cast at 7th level): 3 1st. 2 THACO: 16
AC: 10 (5 in hide armor with
2nd, 13rd; 14th
shield)
Magical Items: Morning star + 1, Hit Points: 55

heavy lance + 1,plate mail ofethe-

93

I .*\I

--

Bonuses: +7 reaction adjustment school in Highvale, mostly to keep Attitudes ’IbwardOther Hench-
Special Abilities: 30% resist- him from the arms of milkmaids. men:
ance to charm and sleep spells, There he took to his education
infravision, secret door detection, and, while not brilliant, has man- Cymria-Thank heavens you
track as ranger of equal level, ani- aged to rise through diligence and live in Highvale! If all the elves of
mal friendshiponce a day at maxi- luck. In the pulpit, he is a mesmer- Celadon are like Cymria, what a
mum effectiveness izing speaker, what with his natu- grim and cold-blooded lot they
Languages: Common, Elven, Ve- ral charisma and good looks. Still,
londi, Halfling,Ancient Baklunish, he is not the quickest wit in must be. You try to be friends with
Druidic Highvale and he works best from a her and it’s not as if she doesn’t
Spheres: Animal, Combat, Crea- prepared sermon. He believes in like you, but shejust seems so stiff
tion (minor), Elemental (minor), the values set out by Ehlonna-
Healing, Plant, Sun, Weather harmony with nature, the cycle of and prideful. If she would just
Spells: 6 lst, 5 2nd, 5 3rd, 3 4th, 2 life, mercy, and compassion. loosen up a little, she could be a
5th. 2 6th much more attractive person, in-
Torik is a companion to the ven- side and out. Thank goodness
Magical Items: Spear + 1 , He- erable mage Rary. Rary often stops Ehlonna has taught you patience.
ward’s handy haversack, rope of by for news of the Vesve Forest or
entanglement, ring of mammal shares what he knows of events in Johanna-The matriarch re-
control the Yatil Mountains or Ket. More
than once Torik has gone adven- minds you of the old prelate of
Five foot seven, dressed in green turing on some special mission for Highvale. She’s just as firm and
robes and topped with a mop of the old mage.
curly red-blonde hair, Torik is as righteous as he was. You can’thelp
charming and handsome a priest * More information on Ehlonna addressing her as you did your old
as you’re likely to meet. The son of teachers. At least she has the glim-
a poor woodcutter and an elven can be found in the GREYHAWK@ merings of a sense of humor!
maid, Torik was sent to the temple Adventures hardback book.
Ortux-The paladin is a positive

stiff. You can tell he’s trying to be

nice, but it’s clear he doesn’t feel
comfortable around you. Does he

have something against Ehlonna?
Or is he just normally that way?
Since you must work together, it’s

94

best to overlook his formal tone. grade (82%),detect new construc- will mean the failure of the mis-
Allentar-Now there’s a fine ex-
tion (82%), detect sliding walls sion, you do not care what hap-
ample of a halfling gone bad. From
what you understand, the‘fellow’s (66%),detect stonework traps pens to her one way or the other.
had a tough life, though. You
should be sympathetic and under- (50%), determine depth (50%), ?iorik--The half-elf is too much
20%chance magical item failure of a weakling-always talking
standing. After all, that would be
the way of Ehlonna. Languages: Common, Dwarf, about his earth goddess. Still, he

Marial-She is definitely an odd Gnome, the Cold Tongue, Orc understand the ’Rue Way better
one. How can she know so much
about Greyhawk and yet so little than the others. You doubt he has
about the real world? She in-
trigues you. In fact, you’d like to Magical Items: Warhammer + 1, the guts for a real fight.
axe +2, arrows +2 (xlO), plate Johanna-Big words! This one
get to know her better, and show
her what she has missed by stay- mail + 1, cloak of elvenkind, po- always talks in big words, like
ing hidden behind the walls of the
city. tion of super-heroism, potion of these will do anything. She tries to
speed
Imiric-The gnome seems like a impress everyone, but she doesn’t
good sport-a little old and tired,
maybe. That hasn’t slowed him scare you.
down, though. Imiric never
brags-when he tells stories about Yars is a burly, thick-necked,and Ortux-This big one is a good
his adventures, you believe them.
All in all, he’s good company. hard-headed dwarf. His red hair warrior, but too careful. He always

Yars-You’ve seen a few dwarves and beard form a long, wild mane: worries about justice. Doesn’t he
like Yars before-wild things of the
deep mountains. They can be dan- combined with his bushy eye- understand that justice belongs to

gerous enemies, but if you can brows and bulging eyes, he looks those who win?
gain his trust, Yars will stand by
like nothing so much as a berserk Allentar-If this one lived in
you in the hottest fire. That’s just
the way these wild dwarves are. warrior. In this case, it is an accu- your tribe, the elders would have

rate judgment. Yars is as close to a cut off his hand and driven him

wild dwarf as can be found in the into the wilderness. That is the

city of Greyhawk. proper fate for thieves. The others

Yars hails from the Rakers, a seem to think he is necessary, but

wild and uncivilized mountain if he tries anything, you will treat

range near the Duchy of Tenh. It him as he deserves.

was there that he made the ac- Marial-The human woman is

quaintance of Nystul. It was the quiet and secretive. You cannot

wizard who brought the savage lit- guess what she is thinking. This is

tle warrior back to Greyhawk, per- not something you like.

haps to vex his friends. Whatever Imiric-The gnome has the

Yars Blud-Sigul the reasons, Yars has found the spirit of the ’Rue Way, even if he

Male Dwarf city to his liking-for now. does not know it. He understands
14th-Level Fighter
Yars is a savage and a brute by the importance of steel and the
Neutral civilized standards. He isblunt, ag- forge. He has been hardened in the
gressive, short-tempered, and di- fire. Perhaps you two can become

Str 18/55 Int 13 rect. For example, he boasts how blood kin.
Dex 12 Wis 10
Con 11 Cha 9 he got his cloak from a dead elf. He

has no patience with subtleties.

His own life revolves around a

THACO: 7 complex web of tribal supersti-
AC: 10 (1with magical armor and
normal shield) tions and taboos. In battle, he
Hit Points: 70
works himself into a bloodlust,

fighting on his own with little heed

for the actions of others. It is easy

Bonuses: + 3 bonus to damage, to believe him insane at such

+ 1 bonus to attack rolls vs. orcs, times: For all this, he is fearless

goblins, and hobgoblins, - 4 pen- and efficient.

alty to attack rolls of giant-types, Attitudes ’lbwardOther Hench-
+ 3 bonus to saving throws vs. men:

wands, rods, staves, spells, and Cymria-The elf-womanis a fool
for even thinking she can match
poison him in ferocity and skill. Unless it
Special Abilities: 2 attacks per
round, infravision (60’)d,etect

95