MAGICAL CHAOS TABLE
Employ the table below whenever magic or natural powers akin to magic are used in the Realms at any
point in this adventure.
The spells of Midnight, avatars, and Elminster are affected feast by Magical Chaos. They roll on this table
normally. All other beings roll with a modifier of -15% (since the Fall, Chaos has been increasing throughout
the Realms, so magic is less reliable than it was in Shadowdale). DMs should not feel bound by the results of
this table, and should indeed decide on a case-by-case basis whether spells function or not, to best suit play as
it unfolds (but dont reveal this to the players).
The DM should further modify percentile dice rolls as followers: for every experience level of the spellcaster
(magic items are considered 6th level, artifacts are 12th level), +1; if the spell or effect contributes to chaos or
drastic change of a given locale (e.g. fireball or polymorph spells), +12; and +4 if the spell (items and artifacts
cannot receive this bonus) is small and simple, such as a 1st or 2nd level spell or a cantrip. When the modified
score is determined, consult the table below:
Percentile Result
Score Spell rebounds on caster, with full effects (if impossible due to nature of spell, reroll).
01-19 Pit opens instantly beneath the caster (depth varies at DMs option); there is no other
20-23 spell effect.
Target of spell (or caster, if spell has no target) is instantly pelted with fiery, red flower
24-27 blossoms that materialize and vanish again 1 round later. Blossoms do no damage, but
prohibit accurate aiming of wands or missile weapons, and prevent reading of books,
28-31
32-35 scrolls, inscriptions, and the like.
Spell affects random creature or area (DMs option) rather than the intended target area.
36-39 Spell functions normally, but any material components are not consumed, and spell
knowledge is retained by the caster or the charge is retained by the item.
40-33 Spell functions normally but magical energy is released around the caster, healing any
injuries of any beings within 10 yards of the caster (includes fatigue, feeblemindeness,
44-47 etc.).
Total darkness and silence occur in a 30-yard radius about the caster, and last 2-8
48-51 rounds.
Reverse gravity (cf. spell) effect occurs in a 30-yard radius sphere about the caster, fast-
52-59 ing 1 round; caster included in the effect.
60-71 Shimmering colors dance and play in a nimbus around the caster, blinding caster and all
72-98 creatures within 20 yards for 1-4 rounds.
99-00 + Nothing happens; no spell effect occurs.
Nothing occurs; no spell effect, but spell knowledge or charge is not lost.
Spell functions normally.
Spell functions with maximum possible effects, full damage, maximum duration.
Special Effects Subtable
With any result on the above table, the DM can add to play excitement by adding one or more of the following
special effects (roll 1d12):
01: Earth tremor underfoot (minor, with rolling echoes).
02: Sun dims and then brightens again or a star falls.
03: Violent roaring or screaming sound.
04: Intense wave of heat (no damage) felt in the vicinity.
05: Non-harmful, oily green slime forms on everything within 120 yards.
06: Maniacal, echoing laughter is heard. Flowers fall from the sky.
07: Old, brittle bones (3d20) rain down for 2 rounds, in a 60 yards radius.
08: Caster and everything within 60 yards lose all hair; plants grow hair.
09: Harmless yellow-green and purple smoke rises from the ground.
10: Boulders rise, swirling in mid-air like leaves (2d12 impact damage).
11: Nearby tree is uprooted (indoors, rock or furniture moves by itself).
12: Whispering voice is heard, murmuring a random characters nameanda prediction about that
characters future (the DM can make it as specific as he wants; given the PCs circumstances, por-
tents of danger and doom would probably not be too far off...).
Tantras
Table of Contents
Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 1: Trial and Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chapter 2: Haste, Blood, and Moonlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 3: The Hand of Bane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 4: A Stormy Time in Scardale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapter 5: Gods and Assassins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chapter 6: To Be Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Non-Player Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Avatars of the Gods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
New Magical Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5
NewMonster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Map of Shadowdale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 8
Magical Chaos Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover
Physical Chaos Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover
Random Encounter Tables and
Monster Summary Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside gatefold
Credits
Design: Ed Greenwood
Editing: Anne Brown, Kim Mohan
Avatar Trilogy Coordinator: Jim Lowder
Cover Art: Clyde Caldwell
Interior Art: Karl Waller
Cartography: Dave, Dennis & Diesel
Typography: Gaye OKeefe
Keylining: Stephanie Tabat and Paul Hanchette
©1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd.
POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton
Lake Geneva
WI 53147 USA Cambridge CB1 3LB
United Kingdom
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, FORGOTTEN REALMS; PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION, and the TSR logo are trademarks
owned by TSR, Inc.
Distributed to the book trade in the United States by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and
hobby trade by regional distributors. Distributed in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd.
This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork
contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR, Inc.
9248 ISBN 0-88038-748-3
The One Who Is Hidden will in rounding the Godswar. Feel free to impro- (except for Helm, the god who guards the
anger cast the gods down into the vise to make the adventure exciting and Other Planes) and forced them down into
Realms. The gods will walk among enjoyable. If you read the entire module be- Faerun, there to remain until the tablets are
men, amid chaos of Art and nature, fore play to see what will occur, it will be returned to their rightful owner.
and there will be strife in Faerun. easy to see where there is ample room for
your own side adventures, and where and During this time of unrest, the gods are
From the Prophecies how the adventure herein can be tailored battling among themselves for control of
of Alaundo the Seer, into an existing campaign set in the Forgot- the world. Each deity takes the form of an
ten Realms. avatar-a physical, usually humanlike form
called the Wise. through which the deity can perform
Ability Checks actions and accomplish things on this plane
Notes for the of existence. Avatars are markedly weaker
Dungeon Master From time to time in this adventure an than the deities they represent, but are still
Ability Check is called for. The DM should fearsomely formidable-so much so that it
Tantras is the second of a trilogy of mod- roll 1d20 and compare the result with the might be suicidal for even a powerful group
ules that describe the strife, called by some appropriate ability score (Strength, Dexter- of PCs to try to combat one of them.
the Godswar, in The Forgotten Realms. ity, etc.) for the character in question. If the
roll is equal to or less than the characters Of great importance, in general terms, are
These modules loosely parallel the action ability score, the action succeeds. If the roll the concepts of magical and physical chaos.
described in the Avatar Trilogy (Shadow- is greater than the ability score, the action During this time of trouble, magic spells and
dale, Tantras, and Waterdeep) published by fails. magical items are liable to function improp-
TSR, Inc. It is not necessary that you or your erly or simply fail to work as they would
players read the novels before play, nor are The Setting have normally. Because deities are directly
the adventures outlined in the modules involved with the goings-on in the Realms
identical to action in the novels. Players This adventure is set in the continent of and are disregarding their usual responsi-
should use their own characters, though Faerun in the Forgotten Realms, specifically bilities, priest characters find that they are
several NPCs will prove to be valuable if not in the Dalelands, the area on and around unable to gain or regain any spells of 3rd
necessary. (The NPC Midnight must accom- the River Ashaba, and Scardale and Tantras, level or higher. And as if this magical up-
pany the party in order for the adventure to two cities on opposite shores of the Dragon heaval wasnt bad enough, the very land it-
be completed.) Reach. These areas are described in the self is in chaos; unpredictable and
boxed FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign unnatural effects may occur at any time,
The adventures in Tantras are perilous; a Set. DMs who place this adventure in other causing everyone to be on their guard even
party of lesser power may well not survive settings will have to modify the geography, more than usual. (See the tables on the in-
for long. Keep the party to a size that you NPC power groups, and gods used, but side cover of this module for more informa-
are comfortable with. If encounters are too should still be able to use this module. tion on magical and physical chaos.)
dangerous, allow the PCs to escape or avoid
them; PCs should be challenged, but not ca- The Story So Far How can this situation be corrected and
sually destroyed. the gods forced to go back whence they
This section is directed toward DMs who came? T h e p l a y e r characters have
How the Module is did not run Shadowdale, the previous mod- discoveredthrough research or hearsay`
Laid Out ule in this trilogy. This background informa- that, in some (as yet unexplained) way, the
tion will bring DMs up to date on the state of finding of two artifacts known as the Tab-
The adventures in Tantras are outlined in the world and the events that have tran- lets of Fate is the key to setting things right
chapters, with each chapter made up of sev- spired prior to the beginning of Tantras. again. They further know that one of these
eral events that occur in the order they are The DM should impart as much of this in- tablets can be found somewhere in the city
given (sometimes one follows immediately formation to players as he sees fit, but of Tantrasso traveling to that city should
after the previous one). A few sections are should be careful not to overdo it; some of be their first objective at the start of this ad-
labeled Offstage Eventsinformation the facts described below (such as the full
meant for the DMs eyes only, about facts effect and significance of magical chaos) can venture.
that will enable the DM (and players, if they be left for player characters to discover for Unfortunately, before that journey can
discover them) to understand more of the themselves as this adventure unfolds. (For
big picture about what is happening in instance, its okay to tell players that magic begin, there is a serious problem to take
this adventure and in other places in the is unreliable, but let priest PCs find out for care of. Midnight, a spellcaster of no small
Realms outside the immediate vicinity of themselves that they cant obtain anything
where the player characters are located. but low-level spells.) ability and a pivotal figure in the quest for
the Tablets of Fate, has been imprisoned
Any text that appears in a box is intended The chaos was triggered when Bane, the and charged with the murder of the great
to be read aloud to the players (or given di- God of Strife, and Myrkul, the God of the old sage Elminster. The player characters
rectly to them in summary form). The re- Dead, teamed up to steal the Tablets of Fate will fail in their mission if Midnight does not
maining information is for the DM, and from Lord Ao (the overlord of deities, usu- accompany them to Tantrasso the first
should only be revealed in response to PC ally referred to as The One Who Is Hidden). thing they must do is rescue her (and any
actions. In retribution for this act, Ao banished all of cohorts who may be imprisoned with her)
the deities from their otherworldly domains from the dungeon beneath the Tower of
The chapters describe the intended flow Ashaba in Shadowdale.
of the story. PCs have plenty of freedom as
to what they actually do in the chaos sur- Elminster disappeared at the climax of a
titanic battle in the Temple of Lathander be-
tween the avatars of Bane and Mystra, the
Goddess of Magic. Midnight was blamed for
his demise because she was present when
2
the battle took place, and no one else was General Advice ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®
left alive who could be held responsible or game, but is still easily playable by those
could exonerate her. Many residents of Sha- Players can quickly become bored with who are using the original game materials.
dowdale saw Elminster go into the temple even the most exciting battles and dilemmas
. . . but no one saw him come out. involved in saving the world if everything is Some of the more noticeable differences
tense, serious, and non-stop, hard-driving are changes in name only. The term magic-
In the Meantime . . . action. The dramatic impact of the wide- user has been replaced by mage (or in a
spread conflict and chaos afflicting the few places, the more general designation of
DMs who did run Shadowdale before be- Realms is heightened in play if the DM uses wizard). The cleric character class is
ginning this module should be aware that humor (and thus, pathos), and describes the now the priest class, although members of
Tantras assumes that the forces of Zhentil effects of war by concentrating on small de- that class are still usually referred to as
Keep were beaten back by Shadowdales de- tails and individual NPCs. clerics.
fenders (with the help of Harpers, the Mis-
tledale Lancers, and the Knights of Myth Guard against giving out too much infor- In the new edition of the game, the bene-
Drannor). If this seems an unlikely turn of mation, or too much of the wrong kind of fits of extraordinarily high ability scores are
events based on how the events of Shadow- information. It can be easy to overexplain, specifically described. Much of that infor-
dale actually transpired, then a further rea- robbing the events of this trilogy of their mation (with respect to Intelligence and
son for the defeat of Zhentil Keeps forces mystery-and worse, giving the players a Wisdom scores) is repeated in the section on
will have to be manufactured: perhaps sense that everything is predetermined: avatars of the gods (pages 42-44).
war parties of Hillsfar soldiers mounted an that fate controls all, and that the actions of
attack on the Zhentilar rear in the east, with the PCs, no matter how well orchestrated, Another significant change is in the pre-
Cormyrean raiders striking the western at- have no effect. Do not allow players to feel sentation of monsters. The description of
tack. Storm Silverhand might also appear, that everything will turn out as the gods in- the quelzarn (page 47), a new monster de-
leading Harper heroes to disrupt the orcs tended. A good DM will avoid this at all signed for this adventure, is identical in for-
attacking Shadowdale from the north. A costs; if saving the world becomes a big mat to the way monsters are presented in
DM can pick and choose from these causes yawn, what does one do for an encore? the new Monstrous Compendium series. Al-
of Zhentish defeat, or invent others to best though the information is organized differ-
suit an individual campaign. A Note About 2nd ently and has been somewhat expanded,
Edition AD&D® Rules nothing from the original format has been
omitted; everything that 1st Edition DMs
This adventure is written using the termi- are accustomed to seeing is still provided in
nology and rules of the 2nd Edition the new descriptive format. The page on
which the quelzarn description appears can
be photocopied and inserted in a Monstrous
Compendium binder if the DM so desires.
3
The adventure opens with the trial of any will not look or act all that kindly, however, here requires proof of guilt not merely
characters who participated in the great bat- and shortly, a guardcaptain will arrive. He angry condemnations. Think on that
tle in the Temple of Lathander that occurred will curtly order the PCs to accompany him. friends govern yourselves as you
at the end of Shadowdale, the first module in They will be led from the guardchamber, would be governed!
this trilogy. The accused group will include down corridors lined with guards, into the
Midnight, any PCs who were present for the high-ceilinged audience chamber of the The rangers dark glances at the PCs make
battle, and Adon (if he was with the party). Tower of Ashaba. it clear that he does not think them inno-
Kelemvor and Cyric (if they were part of the cent, by any means. He merely holds the be-
group) will not be among the accused. If the The chamber is crowded with people, lief that justice must prevail, no matter
players demand an explanation for this, the who look upon you with hard eyes and what the provocation. Mourngrym nods at
DM could hint that perhaps the two of them angry faces. Weapons are visible every- Florins words, and as the ranger with-
have friends in high places, or simply got where. You are led before an elevated draws with Sharantyr to guard the doors of
lucky; no one can say for sure what hap- throne. On it sits a tired, grim-looking the chamber, the lord of Shadowdale waves
pened during the time the PCs were stunned middle-aged man still clad in battered another murmur of angry comments and
by the explosion at the end of the battle. The and bloody plate armor. It is Mourn- oaths to silence.
text for Events 1 through 3 assumes that grym, lord of Shadowdale. He is drinking
Adon was with the party in the Temple of La- wine from a goblet; at your approach he We have heard wise counsel, fellow folk
thander; if this wasnt the case, then ignore waves it away, wipes his moustache wea- of the dale. It is justice that we allow
all references to what Adon does during the rily, and looks upon you all with cold those we accuse to speak in their own
trial and have him join Cyric in the rescue eyes. defense. I call upon them now to do so,
mission (Event 3). one at a time, as I direct. Out of respect, I
You live, outlanders, because I hold pray you do not shout or make comment
If this module is being used in campaign justice above all else in this dale-and upon what they say. If you have ques-
play but Shadowdale was not used to pre- only because of that. Elminster the sage tions, stand and raise your hand; speak
cede it, then Midnight and Adon are being was a friend good and true to all of us only when I acknowledge you.
held for the murder of Elminster. Skip here, and his Art was a strong defense
Events 1 and 2 and bring the player charac- against our enemies, always. Outlanders, you who stand charged
ters into the adventure by meeting a very if you do not answer the questions put to
persuasive Cyric, who hires them to aid him Now he is deadand you were found you, your very lives may fall forfeit. Had
in rescuing the imprisoned NPCs. Begin the in the temple where he met his end. You we priests enough on hand, and could
adventure with Event 3. stand accused of the murder of this good we trust Art as we have always done,
man. What say you, that you may keep your every word would be tested by
Regardless of whether they appeared in your own lives? Speak, and speak well magic. But since we cannot do that, we
Shadowdale or not, Adon, Cyric, and Kelem- or there will be more fallen in Shadow- must rely on our instinctsand we have
vor should be involved in this adventure, dale before this day is out! learned over the years to recognize a
and Midnight must be an NPC. These char- falsehood when we hear one. Bear that
acters are described on pages 40 and 41. Mourngrym is very angry, but deter in mind ere you bend the truth.
mined that justice be done. Others present
Event 1: Trial are less patient. They want Adon, Midnight The PCs will be allowed to speak freely. As
and any PCs who were taken with then they testify, the DM should play the role of
After the villagers entered the temple at slain on the spot, and without delay. A mur- various angry villagers (spouting off in dis-
the end of the battle, Adon, Midnight, and mured chant of Kill them! Kill them! be- obedience of Mourngryms orders) who ob-
any PCs found there were promptly re- gins from the back of the crowd. viouslv think the PCs are guilty.
lieved of their weapons and equipment. Mourngrym waves the angry mutterings to
They were taken to the Tower of Ashaba silence and calls upon Sharantyr to speak. Lhaeo, the mild-mannered scribe of Elmin-
and thrown into the main guardchamber on ster, will stand and be recognized at the end of
the ground floor. They are being watched at The lady ranger does so, calmly and simply the PCs testimony. He will remind everyone
all times by at least five grim folk who are stating the circumstances she observed when that Elminster has often vanished before,
obviously high-level adventurers. (Mid- she led the residents of Shadowdale into the sometimes for long periods, and that his great
nights pendant was destroyed when Mys- ruined temple. Then she will fall silent, not powers make his death at the hands of these
tra fell in the battle. The object plays no making any accusations. folk unlikely at best, if indeed he is dead.
further part in this adventure.)
Florin Falconhand, a ranger and one of the This will not make the villagers any less
The DM should make it clear that escape Knights of Myth Drannor, towering above angry. Their comments will come thick and
is impossible; locks cant be picked, the most in his hacked and spattered armor, will fast.
guards cant be overcome physically, and ask to speak. He will look at all present, slowly
any spells the PCs might try to use will fail and grimly, as he says: Whos to watch after my cattle, come
because of Magical Chaos. In any event, birthing-time?
Adon and Midnight will not try to escape If this is to be a home in which we feel
with the PCs, feeling that their chances of loved and safe among our neighbors, Elminsters power kept us safe gainst
coming out of this alive are better if they go and if it is to be a place where men love Zhentil Keep, it did! Whos to protect us
along with what their captors want, at least the rule over them and not go in fear of now, eh?
for the time being. it, then justice must be preserved at all
costs. And justice, I must remind all
PCs who try to escape or attack their cap-
tors will be magically restrained, but other-
wise not harmed in any way. Their captors
4
Better friend Ive never known, for all heavily, do any object to the verdict? impaled on sharpened stakes. Mourngrym
his high talk and hurling magic all about Are these folk innocent? lets the outburst rage for a time, long
the place! Hed not go off and leave us enough for him to establish what sentence
when the Zhentish have brought war to A warrior in battered plate mail steps the majority favors, and then waves the
our doors, and all! vanished, ayeat the from the middle of the crowd and speaks room to silence again.
hands of these butchers out. Midnights eyes flicker in recogni-
tion, but Adon remains stone-faced. When the lord of Shadowdale turns to
Death to them! None of you (the PCs) can recall having you again, his face is hard. This court of
DEATH! seen this man before. the people finds you guilty of the death
Kill them! KILL THEM! of Elminster of Shadowdale and senten-
Aye, kill the murderers! Innocent, guiltywho can say? he ces you to death at highsun tomorrow,
begins. Certainly not you, with not a by impalement. My guards will carry out
The room will erupt with shouts for the shred of evidence either way! Yet you the sentence in the Tower meadow. Your
PCs blood. Adon and Midnight will stand si- would slay these folk without pause. If lives can yet be spared in one way only: if
lent, and will bid any PCs who try to speak Elminster walks in here tomorrow, Elminster is seen in the dale before
or struggle free at this point to be quiet and whos to bring them to life again? Ive highsun tomorrow. Whatever your fate
still. Mourngrym will stand grimly, and walked these Realms a bit, and I tell you: may be, I suggest you begin praying
gradually the room will grow hushed. they hold fairer trials in Zhentil Keep. now.
The lord of Shadowdale looks slowly The speaker is Cyric, who is in disguise to He instructs the guards to take you
around before turning to fix you with an keep from getting into trouble for speaking away. As the guards move forward to ac-
angry stare. You who stand accused his mind. (Midnight thinks she knows who it company you, the lord of Shadowdale
have been found guilty by these good is, but will not reveal her suspicion.) His adds sternly to the crowd, Let no one
folk, here assembled. To them, I leave words are initially met with silence. Vil- move to insult or strike these prisoners.
your sentencing. lagers look at him for a breath or two, and Do not leave until my guards signal that
then the chants of Guilty! and Kill them! the way is clear. I want no escapes and
The lord of Shadowdale turns to the begin again. People shake their heads at no bloodshed. He turns away wearily,
crowd. Before you assembled here de- Cyric, who angrily turns his back. The and sits clown again as you are hustled
cide the fate of these murderers, he says shouts from the crowd get louder. Several out.
villagers cry for the criminals to be burned,
but a greater number demand that they be
5
The townspeople obey Mourngrym. In ing as a fighter, or a gem per person. (Cyric markec G on the map. Cyric will curtly tell
tense silence the PCs are rushed across a has a row of 12 large, milky blue sapphires, PCs not to go pillaging, reminding them that
hallway, with guards all around (at least value 1,000 gp each, stitched into the collar the only way to rescue the prisoners is to
twenty in number, all armed with spears, seam of his ragged cloak.) get in and out as quickly and as quietly as
swords, and war hammers), through a mas- possible. Stay together, he hisses fiercely,
sive iron door, and down a dark, steep flight If PCs accompany him, Cyric will wait un- and follow me! Then he charges into the
of stairs into the towers dungeons. til after midnight before assaulting the darkness.
tower. It is a dark, cloudy night (the moon
Event 2: will rise later, when the rescue party is in Cyric has no compunctions about slaugh-
Imprisonment the tower). Cyric will be dressed in dark tering guards. He will put them out of his
leather, fully armed and with all his other way in any manner necessary, as long as its
The DM should refer to the underground gear tied into a waterproof bundle, which quick, quiet, and will last until he expects to
level of the Tower of Ashaba map. The PCs he carries with him. be gone.
will be marched down the stairs to the large
cavern (area #2), where a smith, two dozen To reach the tower, Cyric will swim down All guards inside the tower are 1st level
soldiers, and two men in robes (a priest of the River Ashaba from just north of the Old fighters with 9 hp each, wearing chain &
Tempus, and a mage of minor power who Skull to the tower docks. There is a guard of shield (AC 4) and armed with spears, long
holds a wand ready in his hand) stand wait- twenty soldiers at the bridge where the swords, maces, and daggers. Each pair
ing. There, under the blaze of torches, the main road through the dale crosses the stands within 20 of a torch in a wall
PCs will be manacled in steel collars, wrist- river, and another watchpost atop the Old bracket; under each torch is an alarm gong.
lets, and ankle bands that lock together; Skull itself.
each requires two keys to open. If an alarm is raised, the entire guard con-
If the PCs are with Cyric, this should be a tingent of the aboveground section of the
Midnight will be gagged, her hands tower (48 1st level soldiers in chain mail)
wrapped tightly in cloth to keep her fingers tense skulk through the dark. The battle will arrive in waves of six, one group every
immobile, and her wrists lashed to her with Zhentil Keeps forces is still recent, and two rounds. The last two waves will be
waist behind her back, to prevent her from Shadowdale is alive with alert, patrolling armed with halberds, and will carry cocked
calling forth any spells. Any PCs who have soldiers in the night. and loaded crossbows. If an alarm is not
demonstrated spellcasting ability, or whose sounded, each stairway in the tower will
gear, symbols, or speech has led anyone of Cyric will direct the PCs to silently over- have two guards posted at the top of it.
Shadowdale to think them a spellcaster of power the guards at the boathouse (ground
any sort, will be treated similarly. An un- level, area #29). He will charge straight for The upper stories of the Tower of Ashaba
guent of herbs on the gags will cause all the alarm gong to see that no alarm is are home to many of the officials of Sha-
gagged prisoners to feel drowsy and weak raised. dowdale and members of their staffs. How-
(make a Constitution Check or fall uncon- ever, due to a general state of exhaustion
scious until the gag is removed). There are twelve guards in the boat- and losses suffered in the recent battle, the
house. All are 1st level fighters, wearing civilians who remain in the tower are asleep
The PCs will be dragged and half-carried chain mail (AC 5) and armed with spears, in their rooms and will not be roused by the
to separate cells and chained to ceiling-rings long swords, hand axes, and daggers. Each guards (who consider themselves capable of
therein. Then the guards will all depart, has 9 hp; all are alert and work well as a dealing with this intrusion). If the PCs enter
leaving the prisoners alone in the darkness. team. Two of them stand closest to the one of the guardrooms, they will run into a
One guard will be posted in the dark alarm gong on the east wall of the boat- force of six soldiers who will sound an
nearby, seated on a stool, to listen to what- house, just beside the door into the tower alarm and then attack. If they raid the
ever the prisoners who can speak might say proper that they are guarding. If they man- kitchen (area #6), theyll meet two fat,
to each other. age to ring it, the men at the two nearest middle-aged cooks (husband and wife) who
guardposts inside the tower will hear, ring will fearfully give them food before ducking
Event 3: Rescue their own gongs, and charge into the dock- out the slop-chute (area #7) into the night, in
by Night house to investigate. terror. (PCs must remove all their armor if
they want to follow.)
Cyric leaves the audience chamber along Regardless of how well the assault goes,
with the other villagers. They spill out onto Cyric will order at least two PCs (hirelings The DM must create an atmosphere of ex-
the meadow, many of them heading for the or minor NPCs accompanying the PC party citement as the PCs stealthily cut their way
Old Skull Inn and a much-desired drink or should be used, if such are along on this ad- across the towers ground floor and down
two, but Cyric quietly slips away and begins venture) to seize one of the boats. into the dungeons. If PCs take up the gear of
formulating a plan to rescue the prisoners. fallen guards and assume their posts, the
If Adon is not in the dungeon with the PCs, Cyric will select a 12-long, sturdy, plain imposture will not be discovered until the
Cyric will seek him out, and the two of them open wooden boat, flat-bottomed and well next shift reports for duty, in three hours
(with help from some anonymous and tem- used. This bargelike craft has three time.
porary hirelings) will carry off the rescue. benches, with oarlocks on the gunwales be-
side each seat, so that as many as six people After the rescuers reach the dungeon,
If the PCs are entering the adventure at can row it at the same time. He will order they will eventually have to encounter the
this point, Cyric will find and hire them, of- the PCs to provision it with oars, water six guards sitting in the large cavern (be-
fering them up to 500 pieces of gold, train- kegs, tarpaulins, and food from the stores in cause these men have the keys to the cells).
the boathouse. Cyric instructs them to pad- The guards are playing a dice game called
dle it out into the stream if they are discov- thabort: 2d6 are rolled six times, with the
ered, and then wait north of the bridge, as roller trying to roll every number from 1
close to the tower as possible, for his re- through 6 to collect half the bets, and the
turn. onlookers betting on how many rolls will be
needed to do this after two rolls have been
Cyric and any other PCs along on the ad-
venture will then slip into the tower. Pairs
of guards will be found at all the spots
6
made; those who guess right split the other cells and releases everyone. Out now! straits guilty, and put steel to them there
half of the pot. The guards are so deeply ab- he says in a loud whisper. Make for the and then, as you suggest? Id soon not
sorbed in the game that surprising and boat quick and quiet! have anyone to wake up in the middle of
overcoming them should not be difficult. the night, would I? You recognize the
Regardless of how cautious the assault quiet authority of this second voice; it is
Each guard has as many as three keys (de- party has been, they will be discovered by Mourngryms.
pending on how many prisoners are being restless, off-duty guards when they reach
held): a master door key (opens any cell) and the top of the dungeon stairs. An alarm is Event 4: Well Met
two manacle keys (but never both for the raised! by Moonlight
same set of manacles).
Guards will begin to arrive (six every two The boat rushes down the Ashaba, rock-
All the guards here are 3rd level fighters rounds, as previously noted). Cyric, Adon, ing and pitching in the strangely wild
with 20 hp, wearing chain mail (AC 5) and Midnight, and the PCs will be forced to flee waves. The roiling waters carry you
variously armed with whips, clubs, staves, down the Ashaba in the darkness swiftly into the broad expanse of the
and daggers. Against the wall behind them forthwith-or perish. millpond, and then something appears
lean six halberds, and on a stone shelf from the dark trees on your left.
nearby are 12 dusty steel vials, all stoppered Cyric will order the PCs to sink all those
with rocks and sealed with wax. One, boats, indicating the other craft in the It is a man in a dark robe, standing in
marked with a purple triangle, is a sleeping tower boathouse. This will cause a fight in the empty night air as though he is on
draught (for subduing stubborn prisoners). the moonlight as the PCs try to scuttle the something solid but invisible. He floats
Anyone so much as sipping it must save vs. boats and fight off the aroused guards of quickly toward you, raising a hand.
poison at -5 or fall asleep for 3d4 turns in a the tower. Guards will also come running Well met, he says softly. It is Lhaeo,
drugged slumber that wont be broken by from the encampment atop the Old Skull, Elminsters scribe. I have some things of
slapping, shouting, or attack. The effects armed with crossbows, long swords, and interest to you, and bring you the bless-
will be apparent 1d4 + 1 rounds after sam- spears to line the eastern bank of the river ings of Mystra in addition.
pling the potion, and are instantaneous south of the tower as the PCs escape. If the
when they do occur. PCs did not act quickly enough to scuttle the Lhaeo is protected by a wall of force, and
boats while Cyric, Adon, and Midnight ran floats upon an invisible disc of the same
The other vials are all potions of healing for the escape craft, they may be forced to material. He will be unharmed by all at-
that can restore 2d4+2 hp of damage run along the riverbank, zigzagging to avoid tacks, and will not retaliate. Regardless of
apiece. One (determine randomly) will crossbow-bolts and flying spears, and then PC reactions, he will cast a small, seemingly
cause the imbiber to radiate a bright green leap into the water and swim in order to limp sack down into the boat with the
faerie fire radiance for 2d4 turns. catch the stolen boat. The guards will words, May Art sustain thee, and then sim-
spread out to cover both banks of the river, ply vanish.
The alarm gong in the dungeon is cracked. preventing the escape craft from coming
Even when it was fully functional, its noise ashore until it is out of the dale. The sack is a bag of holding. In it are Mid-
never reached beyond the top of the nights spell books (as well as any spell
dungeon stairs (to reach this point of the As the boat moves past the bridge, the books or scrolls seized from PCs upon their
dungeon, Cyric or the PCs should have dis- guards there will peer out uncertainly at imprisonment); any essential weapons and
posed of any guards there already). One the shouting coming from the north, and gear that were confiscated from PCs when
round after any fight erupts in the cavern, a then will cast their spears down at the boat they were imprisoned; seven steel vials con-
seventh guard will enter the cavern from his passing beneath the bridge (A dozen will be taining potions of extra-healing (3d8 + 3 hp
post (sitting on a stool near the cells) with his thrown, at -2 to hit because of the dark- restored per vial); a robe of useful items
weapons ready and expecting trouble. ness. Characters who take refuge under the (DMs choice of optional contents, although
benches or beneath shields will be un- patches signifying gems and gold pieces are
Cyric will leave the cavern as soon as he harmed.) Guards will rush from the tower recommended); a rod of resurrection (only
can, with whatever keys the rescuers have to the bridge, shouting. 6 charges left); and a crystal sphere. This
claimed from the guards, and go to free the sphere is wrapped in a piece of soft hide, on
prisoners. (The DM, by deciding which The water is running with surprising which has been written: If this crystal shat-
guards are carrying which keys, can make speed. As the boat slips away down the ters, it has come within an arms reach of an
this process as laborious or as easy as he dark river, you hear a guard curse. item of Greater Art: an artifact, as the sages
wishes.) Cyric will be primarily interested call them, or one of the Tablets of Fate. Pray
in freeing Midnight (his longtime friend) Theyre getting away, gods blast them not for success, but make thine own.
and Adon (if he is imprisoned). He will ex- all! This is what comes of wagging jaws
hort Midnight to accompany him on a quest and holding trials and all, and not simply
for the Tablets of Fate, and she will agree to sinking steel into the lot of them without
go-but she will also insist (if Cyric seems delay! Guilty? Kill em then, I saydont
reluctant to do so) that he free all the PCs put it off til highsun tomorrow; it always
and allow them to come along. invites all this slaughter and getting us
out of bed in the middle of the night!
Midnight, rubbing her wrists and shak-
ing off her grogginess, gives Cyric an The soldier beside the complaining
earnest look. Well need all the help we guard replies softly, And what if I called
can get, she says. These others have en- every man or maid found in suspicious
dured much with me so far, and I will not
go on without them.
Cyric nods curtly, moves to the other
7
This chapter begins as the adventurers the pond. Their captain is a similarly equipped lawful
boat leaves Shadowdale. The area around this bridge is illuminated neutral half-elven female. She is a 3rd level fe-
male fighter named Sieran, and is armed with
The River Ashaba tends to be shallow by a circle of soft light. Amber faerie fire a mace of spellwarding (a new magical item;
(about 8 deep) and rocky-bottomed. Nor- spells have been cast on stones that are see page 45). She will use it to dispel or reflect
mally a placid, easily traveled waterway, the hung high in trees all around the guardpost, any magic cast at the guards.
Ashaba is currently feeling the effects of at least a hundred paces distant. The guards
physical chaos. The river is fast-flowing (as themselves are thus in gloom, looking out- If the PCs land to engage in combat, the
much as 120 feet per round) and, because of ward at softly lit surroundings. They have guards will fight to the death to hold the
its shallowness and rough bottom, very tur- lighted, hooded lanterns with them on the bridge, and will try to slay the attackers,
bulent. The DM should bear this in mind bridge. (If attacked by the PCs, they will cast taking no prisoners. The fury of their attack
when determining the fates of characters at least one of these down into the boat to il- should drive the NPCs (Cyric, Midnight, and
who enter the water. luminate it, possibly burning PCs and set- Adon) back to the boat; the PCs would be
ting afire flammable gear, such as scrolls wise to follow.
Some guidelines: Characters who strike and spell books.)
bottom will suffer 1d6 damage per occur- The guards will not leave their post to
rence, due to the rocks, but if not judged to The guards at the bridge have not heard pursue the boat, and if the PCs do not act
be seriously hurt can readily kick against of the escape, and will do nothing unless at- rashly, the boat should easily escape from
the bottom to propel themselves to the sur- tacked by those aboard the boat. They the vicinity of Shadowdale.
face in order to breathe. The fast-flowing wont know why a boat is traveling down
Ashaba will rapidly carry characters in the the treacherous river at night, but they OFFSTAGE EVENT
water downstream, but the boat, if deliber- wont be inclined to question whats going In Shadowdale, Mourngrym awakens a
ately propelled, can reach and outrun drift-
ing or struggling characters in 1d4 + 1 on. Then, by means of a magical message, sleeping Kelemvor (the battle companion of
rounds. A character in the water who is hit they will learn that the boat is to be Adon, Cyric, and Midnight) and convinces
by the boat suffers 1d4 damage and must stopped-but their orders come just a bit him to lead the hunt for the missing pris-
make a Constitution Check to avoid being too late, when the boat is several dozen oners. Mourngrym gives him gems worth
knocked senseless; drowning may follow if yards south of the bridge. 1000 gp per escaped prisoner to persuade
the character is unaided. him to take the job, and promises an addi-
Crossbow bolts will begin ripping tional 2000 gp per prisoner captured or
Any character in the water may meet through branches and leaves, hissing into proven killed when Kelemvor returns to
with any sort of fresh-water aquatic mon- the water all around the boat as the river Shadowdale. Cursing to himself, Kelemvor
ster; the chaos has stirred up life in the waters carry the craft into the deep woods. agrees to lead the pursuit. The lord of Sha-
Ashaba as well as its waves. Any sort of trea- As the guards get off their first volley of dowdale organizes a pursuit force of a
sure that floats (food, lightly loaded wooden crossbow fire, two of them will fire two dozen archers and a guide. With a hastily
crates, and the like) may be found in the wa- bolts enchanted with light spells past the eaten breakfast still warm in their stom-
ter or on the banks nearby. boat, aiming at the riverbanks as far down achs, they plunge into the woods, heading
the Ashaba as they can shoot, and by the south along the river.
The turbulence of the Ashaba creates light of these the guards will be able to fire
strong eddies or back-currents in addition at the PCs for two more rounds. Event 2: Wreck
to the main flow: the DM can introduce and Runes
whirlpools or undertows, or sweep a Characters not under cover in the boat
charactereven a non-swimmer-up into a will suffer damage from up to eight cross- The moon sails through scudding clouds
snag, or clear out of the water at a bend or bow bolts on the first round. Determine as you race down the Ashaba. You need
islet. The DM should batter the PCs with the randomly which characters have a chance your paddles to slow and steer the boat,
river, but not force them onto dry land or of being struck, then make attack rolls not to propel it. The water is rushing sea-
slay them outright. (THAC0 19) to see how many bolts cause ward with frightening speed, rocking
damage. (The guards are +1 to hit from the flat-bottomed boat from side to side
Event 1: Fast short range because of their skill.) as though it were a cork floating in a rain
Current to barrel during a storm. Several times
Freedom In the second round, as many as six bolts rocks grate and grind beneath you, mak-
will have a chance to hit unprotected char- ing the boat shudder for a moment be-
The River Ashaba has a fast, vicious cur- acters in the boat, but the guards attack fore the current whirls you forward.
rent that surprises everyone, rolls are made with a -2 penalty for me-
dium range (as the boat rushes on, getting The physical chaos affecting the Realms
Cyric mutters, Always placid, they said, farther away). In the third round, only four in this Time of Troubles has altered the nor-
all of them, and not everyone had reason bolts have a chance to hit (and will only do mally placid Ashaba in more ways than the
to lie . . . . This must be more of the doings so on a roll of 20, regardless of the targets speed of its flow, Strange creatures, not
of the gods! Armor Class). known to inhabit the river before now, lurk
in its depths. Physical chaos should also be
The PCs will swiftly outdistance their pur- There are 10 male guards at the bridge, all obvious in the surrounding lands (provide
suers as the boat rushes on across the mill- lawful neutral 1st level human fighters of examples from the table on the inside cover
pond and toward a bridge located south of AC 5 (chain mail), armed with crossbows (6 or of your own invention, to suit your cam-
bolts each), spears, daggers, maces, and
short swords. They all wear royal blue sur-
coats adorned with the badge of Shadow-
dale: a silver crescent moon, floating points
uppermost, upon which is superimposed
the silver, spiral outline of the lower of
Ashaba, which divides the crescent equally.
8
paign) as the boat rushes ahead. matter what visions or goals they might de- abandon the search for the tablets or even
For every turn that the boat is on the lude themselves into thinking they would to leave the river. The NPCs should stress
accomplish. that the river offers the fastest escape from
Ashaba after getting past the southern any pursuit from Shadowdale.
bridge, the DM should roll for an encounter, The other NPCs disagree. The chaos must
referring to the Aquatic Encounter Table if be stopped, they say. The world seems to be Whenever the council of war begins to
one is indicated. (The chance of an encoun- sliding into barbaric ruin, in which all life flag, or the PCs involved are beginning to
ter occurring is up to the DM, but it should will ultimately perish. The heroes know deduce some definite conclusions, the DM
be relatively highperhaps as great as 50% that they must return the tablets to the should read the following:
on every turn when a check is made.) Crea- Planes. Then Lord Ao will remove the gods
tures will be aggressive and a little bewil- from the Realms. Beneath you, there is a sudden, queasy
dered; most will fight to the death rather shudder. The boat has struck something
than fleeing if the battle goes against them. Cyric sees that his companions are as ada- yielding-something alive?
mant as he, and that if all of them persist in
As the boat rushes on through the night, disagreeing, they will still be arguing when An instant later, there is a powerful
PCs should be kept busy defending the boat the gods themselves sweep down to destroy surge beneath your feet. The boat rises
from rocks and overhanging banks with them. He makes one try to enlist Midnight sharply and tilts to one side. You hear a
paddles, polearms, or weapons. During this as a partner in a grand scheme to use the deep hissing from the water as the boat
perilous voyage, the DM should initiate a tablets together to establish a new, stable flips over. The creature sounds power-
frequently interrupted discussion of the kingdom. They can force a better order and ful, fearless, and terribly, terribly angry.
partys future and goals, by playing the nature upon the lands, not merely restore
parts of the three NPCs (Midnight, Cyric, the lifestyle. (Cyric really wants the tablets In the darkness, the boat has collided with
and Adon). in order to increase his personal power. He a large, snakelike water monster, a quelzarn
can then carve out a land of his own to rule, (a new monster; see page 47) having 8 HD
Any PCs present can take part in the and whatever happens, hell be set for life.) and 52 hp. Driven up the Ashaba by the
heated discussion. All the NPCs agree that chaos in the waters of the Dragon Reach
they must try to gain possession of the Tab- Midnight openly doubts his competence brought on by the Fall of the Gods, it is baf-
lets of Fate. Cyric is adamant that the tablets to do this, reasoning that Cyric has never fled and irritated, and welcomes this oppor-
be used for personal gain, on the theory made a decision in his life, and has no skill at tunity to feed and to lash out at something it
that he trusts himself (and his companions) command nor experience with decision- can fight. It will fight to the death, twisting
more than he trusts anyone else in Faerun. making; he has no business consorting with and wriggling to pursue PCs up onto the
He would prefer that he and his compan- godlike powers. banks if necessary. All characters will be
ions wield the powers of the tablets than
anyone else. After all, everyone else would PC involvement in the discussion should
try to use the tablets for personal gain, no be encouraged, but Cyric and Midnight
should be used to prevent any conclusion to
9
dumped into the cold, rushing waters of the place by boat; there are no tracks leading You all know what happened last night!
Ashaba. away into the woods). If no PCs recognize Cyric says, looking around at everyone.
the runes, have Cyric or Adon do so, and re- Im not going through that again, if we
When the party is dunked, all PCs must veal their knowledge to all. can avoid it. Lets land and make camp,
make a Dexterity Check to avoid being while we can still see to do so! What if its
struck by the boat, flying paddles, loose The PCs should be able to repair the boat a rock we hit next time-perhaps one
gear, or nearby drawn weapons, for 1d4 + 1 quickly. Allow all spell books and valuable with a dragon sleeping on it, or an orc
points of damage. gear, such as magical items, to be recovered patrol camped on it, eh?
(unless you think the PCs are relying too
The quelzarn has no treasure. In the fray, much on a particular item); later, the adven- Whether the party lands or not, it will be
the boat will be turned over and completely turers will need all the power they can mus- the next morning before the river carries
submerged by the quelzarns weighty coils. ter. If the PCs seem reluctant to resume them briefly out of the forest, into the open
The partys food, spell books, and other their voyage down the river, a sudden farmland of Mistledale. The low, half-
gear will all be lost in the water. Midnight shower (or two) of elven arrows out of the timbered buildings of Ashabenford loom
and Cyric, for all their impatience to get trees should persuade them back into the ahead as the churning river rolls down to
away from Shadowdale, will refuse to leave boat in haste, and on down the Ashaba. meet them. Read the players the following
the site of the battle until dawn allows them passage:
to recover all they can from the river bot- Event 3: Attack
tom. (Midnight will certainly recover her at Ashabenford The boat slows, striking the bottom now
spell book; the fate of all other gear is up to and then in a series of lurches and sud-
the DM.) As the boat continues down the river, the den jolts. You can see the stones on the
waters will become quick and turbulent bottom around you: the water is very
Midnight in particular will seem dazed again, and Cyric will sarcastically needle the shallow here. Ahead, you can see the
from the effects of the battle, perhaps hav- largely silent, withdrawn Adon, calling him ford itself, where the overland road
ing been buffeted by flying paddles, the a useless lump and a mouth to feed with crosses the Ashaba in a muddy dip. Men
plunging boat, or the like. She will not be no brain behind it. Midnight will tell him of the village stand watching.
able to think of any magical aids to recover sharply to Hold thy tongue! on two occa-
gear in the darkness (such as using light sions. The second time this occurs, read the You hear a shout from somewhere
spells cast on stones, etc.). If PCs do so, allow following: ahead, and men come running toward
them to benefit by gaining some time to eat you armed with long pikes, threshing
and dry out, but delay them until dawn by Cyric eyes Midnight thoughtfully, his flails, and boathooks. Somehow word
presenting them with a damaged boat to re- face expressionless. When he does has come from Shadowdale! Angry
pair. speak, his voice is low and soft, almost a farmers and villagers are hurrying to the
gentle whisper. And what of your Art, ford, to block your way.
The DM should refer to the Known Areas lady? What are you becoming, and what
Encounter Table (see inside cover) for night will you do with the power youve By all the gods, Cyric mutters, was
encounters along the riverbank, and if ex- gained? that old man loved so much all around
tensive swimming, wading, or diving oc- these lands? What did he do, give away
curs, the Aquatic Encounter Table should Midnight will say little, and appear to hon- gold to everyone? He looks around. Get
also be consulted. estly not know just what powers she has ready, all! he says. Be prepared to leap
gained. The DM should allow frank PC dis- out and fight them off! We may have to
At dawn, PCs will need to cut fresh sap- cussion of Mystras fate and the possible push the boat through. Take down any-
lings or branches for replacement paddles uses of Midnights power if players desire. one right in our path; mayhap we can
and poles (the originals having been either ram our way past the ford!
lost or splintered into uselessness in the Midnight will remind everyone that
wreck and battle). When they walk away Elminster told them the trail leads to Tan- Three Mistledale Riders lead the attack.
from the riverbank to find suitable pieces of tras, and add thoughtfully, I feel that well They are the only trained and equipped
wood, they will come upon a nearby clear- find one of the tablets there, somehow. warriors in Ashabenford at the moment:
ing in which the earth has been trampled the others are on patrol at either end of the
hard by many feet, somewhat recently. The day will pass with occasional monster dale, or have not yet returned from the bat-
attacks from the skies (stirges and the like) tle in Shadowdale. The Riders are on foot,
Two large boulders rise out of the tamped- or from the waters around the rushing boat and are all 3rd level neutral good fighters:
down earth in the center of this clearing. (use the Aquatic Encounter Table), and with
The boulders are dark, and smooth with shouts and (always failing to hit) arrows Belmargh, a tall man with a jet-black
age. On one has been carved an open hu- from unseen elves and men wandering in moustache and scale mail, AC 6, 27 hp;
man hand, fingers and thumb extended but the woods near the river.
held close together. On the other is an etch- Belmira, a broad-shouldered woman with
ing of a grinning human skull with a skeletal As the sun sinks low and darkness gathers fierce eyes and short red hair, clad in stud-
hand reaching from its mouth. under the trees, Cyric will insist on landing ded leather, AC 4 due to her Dex, 24 hp; and
and making camp for the night, setting out
Small stones nearby have been set into the guards and making as little noise and light Alasstan, a short, agile girl with long
earth in a giant ring, connecting the two as possible. brown hair, who wears no armor but is AC
boulders. On each stone is the twisted, 6 due to her 18 Dex, and has 21 hp.
blackened, waxy remnant of a burned-out
candle. All three Riders are armed with daggers
(1d4), throwing axes (1d6), long swords
Alert PCs should recognize these runes as
the symbols of the gods Bane and Myrkul,
which have apparently been linked to-
gether by worshipers in some sort of cere-
mony (the long-gone priests came to this
10
(1d8), and spetums (1d6+1). They will seek This area is wilder than the woods be- defy thee, damned Myrkul. He gestures,
to force the boat toward the western bank tween Shadowdale and Mistledale. The and the mist rolls back, revealing the en-
at the ford, concentrating on disabling spell- night will be full of strange rustlings and tire surface of the pool and the banks on
casters (such as Midnight), while the mer- creakings, eerie hootings and callings in the all sides.
chants with them swarm into the boat to try woods, and the adventurers will see far-off
to halt its progress. dancing lights (all harmless; either night- Then the staff in the mans hand
shine, a form of glowing moss, or witchfire, shakes as he shudders, hunches over in
There are 12 merchants, 8 of whom will luminescent wisps of marsh gas). The DM apparent agony, and whispers fiercely, I
actually dare to fight. Most are stout and should roll for random monster encounters defy thee-and to death return! Ye may
short, all are without armor, and all are once per turn, referring to the Wild Areas command in the Realm of the Dead, but
armed with daggers (1d4), clubs (1d6), or Encounter Table on the inside cover of this here . . . here I can withstand thy power!
staves (1d6). Treat all as 1st level fighters for module, to see what hunting menaces do ap- Do thy own villainy! Yeven defies thee!
attack purposes, but attach penalties for be- pear.
ing unorganized (getting in each others way The old man shakes, and his flesh
and making other mistakes so as to uninten- The night is chilly; dawn brings mist on crumbles away, the weight of the beard
tionally aid the PCs). They will not try to the river. It persists as the adventurers pulling his jaw off as his clothing sags
take any of the adventurers gear, seeking climb into the boat and are swept south- and disintegrates to reveal a kneeling,
only to capture or kill. They will shout in- ward once more. shaking skeleton. Before your eyes it
structions to one another, encouragement shatters, and crumbles, and is gone, leav-
to the Riders, and cries for help. The mer- The current is strong, tugging the boat ing only the staff, floating upright in the
chants include Kaulvaerus (a horse trader), this way and that, as you come out of the air. An instant later the staff sinks from
Lhuin (a leatherworker and saddlemaker), trees into open country. A bit later in the sight into the water, and there is only
Braunstar (a cooper and wheelwright), and day you round a bend in the river and mist around you once more.
the farmers Osbryn, Mhaerek, and come upon a large area of water, per-
Darnym. haps a small lake, entirely shrouded in Yeven dwelt here long ago. A mage of
mist. power, he worked many magics here, creat-
By dint of hard fighting (the DM can set ing (among other things) many gates to
the pace for this with Cyric and Midnight), The Pool of Yeven Cyric mutters other planes and skyships to sail the winds
the adventurers should be able to win past grimly, raising the pole he has been using of Faerun. In some mysterious way, much
the ford. Their attackers will run along the to guide the boat as if to ward off an un- of his power became linked to, or invested
banks for six rounds after the boat crosses seen attacker. Look sharp, everyone! in, the pool and its surroundings, and by
the ford, hurling clubs (a roll of 20 is re- This place is . . . not well regarded. this means he is able to appear to the adven-
quired for a hit that deals only 1d2 damage), turers, and defy the power of Myrkul to
and a hastily prepared firebomb (a flam- Before Cyric, Midnight, or anyone else control the dead.
ing cloak wrapped around a fist-sized rock has any opportunity to explain or impart
and hurled aboard). The DM should deter- any of the legends or reasons for the fey Others who have drowned or been buried
mine the effects of this last token of affec- reputation of the pool, a figure will loom out near here were not so lucky. Myrkuls
tion according to the presence and location of the mist. power raises them from the earth and the
of flammables (oil pots, parchment, etc.), in waters of the pool to attack the adventurers
the boat, as the Ashaba picks up speed again Out of the roiling mist appears the dark at this time. The god remains hidden, acting
and whisks the craft away. figure of a man in robes, trudging slowly from afar to animate 20 skeletons (7 hp
toward you-walking on the water! He each) and 10 zombies (8 hp each). They will
The PCs should be allowed to leave the wears tattered black robes and cloak, rise, dripping, from the water, each assem-
boat at the ford to engage in combat, but if and leans on a gnarled, bare, wooden bling horribly from separate body parts be-
they show intentions of stealing horses or staff. He is old, white-haired and long- fore the eyes of the PCs within 1 round tone
otherwise trying to end the river voyage bearded; as he draws nearer, you dis- free attack for any adventurer who seizes
here, the DM should do whatever is neces- cover that you can see through him. His the opportunity).
sary to get them back in the boat. (For in- eyes are filled with tears.
stance: physical chaos causes the ground to The adventurers will see them on the
heave up and crack open, making overland So much pain, he gasps. I had not banks of the pool, ripping up out of the
travel hazardous if not impossible; horses thought it would hurt this much. He earth in a macabre dance of disembodied
panic and run uncontrollably back toward draws himself up, in the empty air, and skulls, bones and body parts, coming to-
the river, calming down only after the PCs addresses you. Beware, heroes-to-be, gether in eerie silence to attack. The undead
have dismounted. The NPCs will use verbal he says. The Dark God, Bane, knows animated by Myrkul are unique in only one
threats or magical-but not physical-force your quest and where the first tablet way: they can walk on water, air, or any
to get the PCs to see the error of their ways.) lies. Even now, he takes another avatar. surface, to attack from whatever elevation
(and from whatever angle) they choose.
Event 4: Magic in Angrily, the old man continues. His They will march out across the pool to en-
the Mists ally, The Lord of Bones, seeks to destroy velop the boat.
you here, in my own pool! Beware the
The boat rushes on, through the great dead, for they are his to command . . . all Six of the zombies and 14 of the skeletons
Elvenwood, until night falls. Cyric will oversee save Yeven. wield rusting, crumbling blades. For every
the landing of the boat, and dragoon the PCs round of combat, each adventurer in the
into arranging armed watches for their night The old man gasps and seems to shiver. boat must make a Dexterity Check to avoid
camp, if the PCs do not voluntarily do so. For I am Yeven, and by my Art I . . . I being struck by a sword tip thrusting up
through the bottom of the boat. A failed
11
check means 1 hit point of damage suffered, merely an apparition. If darkness has fallen, characters to touch it will be instantly and
and a Strength Check must be made. A it will glow slightly with a green radiance. It painlessly cured of all physical damage (hp
failed Strength Check means the struck is a sign that the pool is under Yevens pro- losses), diseases, poison effects, insanity,
character suffers one of the following fates tection, and a hint to the adventurers to ex- mental control or compulsion of any sort
(DMs choice: determine by situation or roll amine the pools depths. (including existing geas or quest spells), con-
randomly): fusion, weariness, or feeblemindedness.
Any adventurers doing so (employing wa- Missing limbs or digits will be regenerated,
1. Character pinned in place for at least ter breathing and light and similar magics) scars and bruises will vanish, and so forth.
the next round (-4 penalty to AC, 1 addi- will find that the pool is about 40 feet deep
tional hp lost per round). in most parts and has a hard rock bottom, If Kelemvor is later brought to this statue,
strewn here and there with gravel carried the hands touch will cause him to briefly
2. Character falls heavily (any character down by the Ashaba. The racing current of become a panther, and will cure all of the ills
attack or spell in that round is lost or ru- the Ashaba does not affect the pools depths. listed above that he may suffer at the time,
ined, -2 penalty to AC for following Half buried in one gravel ridge is an ivory- but will not remove the curse. The statue
round). colored marble statue of a long-haired, will not in fact remove curse for anyone.
robed human.
3. Character stumbles and drops weapon The right hand will instantly, silently, and
or spell component, delaying any intended If investigated, the statue will be identi- safely recharge (restoring 2d6 charges) the
attack until next round. fied as a tall, slim woman, sculpted with first nine rechargeable magical items
hands outstretched. Where her face should touched to it. All items bearing a dweomer,
4. Character falls into another character be is carved the sign of a many-pointed star. including potions and scrolls, and artifacts
(if the second character is launching a spell She is 6 feet tall. even if they do not emit a dweomer, will
or wielding a weapon or magical item, de- glow with a faint blue-white radiance when
termine how this activity is affected, and if Upon hearing this description, Midnight touched to this hand, even after its recharg-
the falling character can be hit by the will whisper, Mystra! in awed recognition ing powers are exhausted.
weapon he fell into, make a normal attack and demand that the statue be hauled to the
roll to see if this occurs). surface. If the powers of both hands of the statue
are exhausted, the statue will slowly and si-
5. Character falls out of the boat (possible The DM should allow the PCs to do so, lently rise into the air by itself, levitate out
drowning, certain attack by undead, possi- dragging it toward the nearest shore in over the surface of the pool to the center,
ble loss of clothing, items, etc., as DM de- short dives if they lack ropes or other and then sink back under the waters. The
sires). means of shifting the statue; it weighs only image of Yevens staff will briefly reappear
about as much as five humans. over the spot where it disappears from
6. Character flails about wildly in pain view.
(possibly hitting a companion, but certainly Midnight stretches out a hand to the
ruining any attack or personal activity re- statue. Tentatively, almost reverently, An additional unadvertised power of the
quiring Dexterity, such as readying a she reaches out her fingers to touch its statue: magic cast or activated within 30 of
weapon, tying a knot, casting a spell, sorting star face. the statue receives a +30% bonus on the
through a pack, etc.). Magical Chaos Table. Magic cast or activated
There is a sudden blaze of blue-white 31 to 60 feet distant from the statue gets a
The undead will attack until destroyed; fire about Midnights fingers. Her hair 15% bonus.
the leaking boat will begin to fill with water stirs about her shoulders, and she laughs
as the Ashaba picks up speed again, pulling with delight. A kind gift indeed, Yeven! If the party tries to move the statue away
it toward the outflow at the lower end of she says to the empty air about. My from the pool to hide it, or tries to put it on
the pool. thanks! the boat (which will immediately begin to
sink under its weight) or otherwise remove
PCs who decide to land (Cyric, Midnight, Midnight seems invigorated and pos- it from the pool, read the following passage:
and Adon will be too wounded, preoccu- sessed of new power. She has actually been
pied, or dazed to argue or suggest anything; healed of all current physical damage, and A gentle, weary-sounding male voice
leave the decisions at this point to the PCs) has had spells magically restored to her speaks to you, from empty air:
to repair the boat will immediately face a mind, ready to cast anew. She has also in-
monster attack, from a thirst (hunting stantly and permanently gained an experi- Upon pain of Mystras doom, do not
flight, 4d6 in number) of stirges attracted by ence level, earning new spell ability and 4 move this, her image, from this place.
the sounds of battle. additional hit points. She will not speak of Loyal Yeven guards it, beyond death, and
this to any of her companions. wise Ashaba will rise up to aid him, if
Luckily for the adventurers, none of these you escape the pool. Other mages stand
stirges carry any infectious disease; unluck- Any PCs touching or closely examining behind them, gone from fair Faerun
ily for the adventurers, they are very the statue (Adon and Cyric will be reluctant with the passing years, but still sworn to
thirsty, and cannot be driven away. The ad- to do so) will find it to be without seams, serve Mystra.
venturers will be forced to kill them to be markings, latches, cavities, or any hidden
rid of them. openings. I stand with them; Azuth is my name.
I wish you well, if you mean well in this
Physical chaos will reign in the woods Merely touching either of the statues out- place. Know you that no magic may
around the pool the entire time that the ad- stretched, open hands will activate their harm or affect this statue, and no mortal
venturers are present, but it will not affect powers, however. Note that there are no in- may move it except the Magister and
the pool itself, once Myrkuls undead have structions or indications that one should do those Mystra herself gives leave to do so.
been destroyed. so; PCs will have to discover this. All others who do will find that all magic
they work, from this moment forth, is
Any PCs looking around, examining the The left hand functions seven times, and
pool, or keeping watch will soon notice its powers will then cease. The first seven
Yevens staff silently reappearing, floating
upright above the center of the pool. It will
make no sound or action, and is in fact
12
twisted and awry and works against sively and effortlessly, and then will calmly spellcasters). It can be removed, for service
their desires in the end. and sadly proclaim the following: I pro- to Mystra or her causes, by Azuth, any cur-
nounce Mystras Doom upon thee, Adon, rent Magister, or any who hold the power to
That is Mystras doom decreed by son of Phylicia and Abrasax, follower of do so from Mystra (e.g. Elminster, Khelben
The One Who is Hidden to outlast even Sune Firehair and so on for each member Blackstaff Arunsun, Alustriel of Silvery-
her passing. of the party trying to remove the statue or moon, The Simbul, Mystras successor, and
not actively speaking or working against the others as yet unrevealed).
Azuth (see page 42) will appear, floating in removal of the statue. (He will thus reveal
the air above the pool, if any of the adven- Midnight will be adamantly against the re-
turers persist. (Cyric, for one, is tempted to the deities and parentage of each party moval of the statue, and will not be cursed.
build a raft and take the statue away, but member involved to the rest of the party,
can readily be talked out of this; he will real- whether they want him to or not.) When he The statue itself turns (as a ring of spell
ize all too soon that the pool is a safer is done, he will stare steadily at the party, turning) all magic worked upon it 100%
hiding-place for the statue than anywhere and the statue will rise by itself and vanish back upon the caster/wielder (this includes
else.) into the pool, as described earlier. spell-like natural abilities).
Yeven, Ashaba (an expert at water magics, If the PCs persist or return to the pool in PCs will readily be able to find saplings,
who ultimately polymorphed himself into a reinforced strength later to seize the statue, bark, clay, and tree-gum near the pool to re-
water elemental and merged with the wa- Azuth will appear in order to prevent its re- pair their boat. Myrkul will not mount a sec-
ters of the river that bears his name, never moval with all of his power. ond attack upon them, but the DM should
to be seen again), and the other mages that roll on the Known Areas Encounter Table
Azuth mentions will not appear. Mystras Doom is simply the twisted once every three turns (once every two
magic that Azuth referred to. All magic (ei- turns at night) if the adventurers tarry
Azuth himself will not attack the party. If ther spell or item) ever wielded by a cursed here, and increase monster attacks steadily
PCs attack, he will avoid their attacks pas- character will be affected by magical chaos, if the adventurers try to leave the river to
even after the Time of Troubles is past travel overland.
(probably forcing a change of profession on
13
This chapter begins as the adventurers Magical chaos makes Bane mistrustful of away!
leave the Pool of Yeven, heading eastward his own still-weak magic (and that of the If PCs investigate, theyll find her strug-
down the roaring River Ashaba. Zhentarim and his loyal priests). He resolves
to sail to Scardale, taking a fleet of six small, gling to fight something that is shifting form
OFFSTAGE EVENTS fast ships so as not to alarm Hillsfar, into a likeness of . . . her! It is a dopple-
1. The posse from Shadowdale that is pur- Mulmaster, or Sembia into viewing this as ganger, with 30 hp, and it will escape when
an invasion and trying to stop his fleet. Mes- the party approaches. Its treasure is a foot-
suing the escaped prisoners, led by the NPC sengers are sent to Scardale to advise the long, tapering stick of wood (a now-
Kelemvor, makes very slow travel through garrison of Banes intended arrival, and to exhausted wand of illusion, which it used to
the woods. Upon reaching Ashabenford, order Midnight captured and brought to make its semblance as Elminster appear to
hearing of the battle, and that the boat Scardale as a prisoner, to await Bane. float in midair), a potion of healing, and two
passed through (Event 3 in Chapter 21, Ke- purses, torn from previous victims, contain-
lemvor realizes that theyll never catch up Event 1: An ing a total of 10 gp.
with the fleeing boat while traveling along Unexpected
the riverbanks, nor by taking to the water Visitor Event 2: Theln
themselves. His former companions have Roaringhorn
built up too much of a lead. This event can occur whenever the party
lands on the shore to make camp. (If the PCs Soon after the doppleganger attack, as
Their only hope of catching the fleeing ex- are resolved to sail right down the river night falls (and preferably when the party is
prisoners is by riding hard on the roads (via without stopping, the boat will spring leaks, on the riverbank, not sailing down the
The Standing Stone) to reach Blackfeather forcing a landing near dusk for repairs.) Ashaba), read the following passage:
Bridge, to wait for the boat there before the
boat passes it. Suddenly, a robed, bearded figure ap- A man steps out of the trees and hails
pears in midair, seemingly from no- you. Travelers! he calls in a deep voice
Even as he gives the orders and they start where. He smiles at you, and nods. You of grace and dignity. Well met! I am
off on the long, pounding ride, Kelemvor recognize . . . Elminster! Theln Roaringhorn, Servant of Lathan-
begins to have misgivings about catching his der. I come in peace, but being alone in
friends. Wrongly imprisoned, perhaps; and Looking none the worse for wear, he these dangerous times, I fear for my hide
if so, what did they do wrong in fighting says, Ah, there ye are! Fled fast enough, every night. Might I share your fire? I
their way to freedom? didnt ye? Quite a game Ive had, finding will work healing on any one amongst
ye. you who most needs it, if you will let me
2. Myrkul, God of the Dead, has aided his share your company until the morrow.
ally Bane. Helping Bane to reassemble his Elminster will step down from the air,
scattered energies into a ghostlike anima striding straight toward Midnight. The man is short but broad-
form, he has guided Banes anima to the shouldered. He wears the rose-pink
nearest powerful gathering of Banes priest- Good lady! Elminster says airily. Time robes of a priest of Lathander, and over
hood, at Zhentil Keep. has run on like a river, as they say, until it them rose-colored padded armor. From
has come upon a certain rock. A rock his belt swings an iron mace. His hands
There, Bane chooses to possess Fzoul where ye and I must sit down for a are empty. He wears a metal helm, and at
Chembryl as his next avatar (in part due to breath or two and have a little private his throat dangles the rose-colored disc
Fzouls Zhentarim links and knowledge, and talk. of Lathander.
partly to control, punish, and if necessary
eradicate him: Fzoul has been the least loyal If the PCs say, But youre dead! They ac- Theln Roaringhorn speaks the truth. He is
of Banes powerful priests in the Realms). cused us! or What happened at the tem- a wandering 6th level cleric of Lathander:
ple? or anything of the sort, hell merely AC 8; MV 12; hp 38; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+1
Bane wants to capture Midnight. He fears wave one hand and say calmly, Ah, yes. (mace); Str 14, Int 15, Wis 18, Dex 13, Con
and does not understand her growing Nasty business, that. (If no PC says any- 17, Cha 15; AL NG; THAC0 18. Theln is a
powers and her link with Mystra. He is sus- thing, the astonished Midnight will!) talkative, kindly, cultured man. For dona-
picious about her knowledge of the where- tions to Lathander, he will cast cure light
abouts of the Tablet of Fate that he hid, and Elminster will draw Midnight aside into wounds spells on additional party members
wonders if Midnight is an unwitting agent the trees, out of sight. She will go with him other than the one promised in return for
of The One Who Is Hidden, perhaps Aos willingly, waving away any PCs who try to the partys protective company overnight.
way of testing Bane to see if he is still fit to accompany them, or to follow and eaves-
be the Lord of Tyranny. drop. He is truly who he claims to be, and will
prove honest and trustworthy. His only pos-
Bane learns from Zhentarim spies that A minute or so later, shell scream. If the sessions are a cure light wounds (x4) scroll
Midnight has escaped from Shadowdale by PCs dont try to rescue her, therell be some slid down one boot and a purse in the toe of
boat down the Ashaba, and resolves to take fireballs and similar magic, and she will the other, which contains 1 pp, 4 gp, 12 sp,
custody of her personally when his forces come running, frightened and bleeding, and 1 cp (both of Thelns boots are much too
capture her and bring her to Scardale. back to the party, panting that He attacked large; the toe of the other is stuffed with
me . . . his hands . . . like claws! He . . . got clean, unused bandages).
Banes agents (the Zhentarim, in particu-
lar) have been ordered to seize control of Theln will heal a party member as prom-
Scardale, giving Bane a naval base from ised, suggest tutors in Scardale if asked (see
which to attack Tantras.
Before the Fall, Bane hid the tablet he had
stolen in the treasure chambers of the tem-
ple of Torm in Tantras: a perfect place, he
thought at the time, but one that is now im-
periled by Torms arrival in the city and
growing power.
14
Event 5 in Chapter 4 for a list of possible tu- Told us it was prophecy himself, words I believe all should hear this prophecy,
tors), and chat a lot. that came from The Hidden One. for times have turned dark indeed, and
all of good heart must work together or
Them was born in Waterdeep (of a noble Ever since, all of the most high and perish together in this twisting of magic,
family), and has spent many years traveling powerful of the followers of Lathander and whelming of beasts and stormfury
across Faerun in the service of Lathander, have been trying to learn who or what over all the lands. Hearken then, to the
God of the Morning. He has only recently this Hidden One is. Theyve got nothing words of Lathander:
arrived in the Dragon Reach area, and al- sure, for all their looking; even in
though he is both a curious and observant Candlekeep. Oh, they found one or two Pride will in time cause a terrible
man, he has not yet become familiar with whispers of the name, but no more; theft. Because of this sin, all the gods will
the area. nothing to tell us anything about who be cast down into Faerun. What was
this Hidden One might be, or was. taken must then be found, ere they can
Theln will recount rumors of the Zhen- return whence they came, and the
tarim taking power in Scardale (the place is Exist he must, for it came from the Realms return to peace.
full of mercenaries and Zhentilar soldiers; lips of Lathander himself. Hes never led
the garrisons left by Hillsfar, Sembia, and us false, and never will; and though even What will be stolen is twofold. One
Cormyr after the fall of Lashan seem to a priest might speak falsehood on occa- lieth hidden in a holy place in Faerun,
have disappeared). Them also has rumors of sion, I doubt that they reported this and one lieth near Faerun, in a place
Bane himself ruling Zhentil Keep, the god wrongly to us lesser of the faithful; they where the dead reign.
Torm ruling Tantras in person from his were too puzzled for that. If theyd lied
great temple there, thousands of ships de- to us, theyd have said something grand What was stolen must be recovered
stroyed in a great storm to the south cre- about their divining the true meaning of by mortal hands. If this recovery comes
ated by the goddess Umberlee, and Lathander, or about him imparting the to pass, the fallen shall rise, the land shall
Lathander himself walking the Realms in meaning of his words only to them. be restored, and two mortals shall be ex-
Tethyr or thereabouts. alted.
For good or ill, in the end they re-
If the PCs are polite and seem attentive, vealed all to us, and ordered all the faith- The DM should use Theln to answer any
Theln will lean forward after passing on the ful to seek far and wide across Faerun PC questions about Realms background in-
abovementioned gossip, and whisper: for news of this Hidden One. You formation and current events for which
wouldnt, perhaps . . . ? they need to know the answers.
Theres something more, too. Last win-
ter Lathander himself appeared to the Whether the PCs tell Theln anything Even if not asked about Scardale, Theln
faithfulin Soubar, it was, at a little about The One Who Is Hidden or not, Theln will assume that the adventurers are travel-
shrine thereand imparted a prophecy. will be eager to pass on the prophecy: ing there (after all, thats where the river
goes, and the lands around are filled with
15
small bands of armed men heading for Scar- or even tarry with them for a day. reach shore. During that time, they will face
dale: gathering Zhentilar troops, although If the PCs rob, delay, or harm Theln, the threat of damage from at least one ar-
Theln does not know this). He will suggest row per round, all of them fired at +2 due
that the party keep heads low and voices Theremen (a half-elven 4th level fighter) to good visibility and the high level of the
soft if they visit Scardale. If the PCs ask will arrive in the morning looking for him, archers, who are all skilled huntsmen, and
what he means, or for more information or with a mounted force of 14 men-at-arms due to the lowered maneuverability of the
suggestions, read the following: and 10 elven archers. Theremen Ulath is adventurers struggling in the water. (Swim-
the lord of Deepingdale, and is armed with a ming characters have a base movement rate
Soldiers are all over the place in the long sword, a long bow, and (among his of 40 feet per round, modified by encum-
scar right now, and the prudenteven, other shafts) six arrows +3. brance and the current.) The archers are all
ahem, prudent adventurers, if such 1st level fighters, AC 7 (studded leather ar-
existkeep themselves out of harms Event 3: mor) and 8 hp, and have a normal THAC0 of
way. Youd best find a place to lie low, or Bloodshed at
youll soon find yourselves wearing Blackfeather 20.
Zhentilar darkhelms and marching Bridge The archers will begin to fire shafts from
accursed-Bane-alone-knows-where, or
just bleeding in a gutter. This event occurs as the party, traveling their long bows as the boat overturns, care-
down the river toward Feather Falls, ap- fully aiming at individual targets in the wa-
Seek out the Spouting Fish. Its a place proaches Blackfeather Bridge
Friendly to travelers, even now, and they ter They fire two sheaf arrows each per
say little about who comes and goes, and In the distance you see the low grey lines round (1d8 damage per arrow), short range
where theyre from or who they bow to. of a massive stone bridge spanning the to 50 yards, medium range to 100, and long
Youve little enough choice, anyway; the river: Blackfeather Bridge. As the rush- range to 170.
Green Griffons a barracks, now, with ing Ashaba sweeps you closer, you also
the town full of Zhentilar soldiers, and see men standing on the bridge-men in Standing on the bridge beside them, Ke-
the Ashabenmouth Arms burned down armor. They have bows drawn and lemvor does nothing. He shudders and
a few rides back. Theres a tavern, too, aimed at you, arrows ready to fire! twists, his mind in turmoil as he watches his
the Singing Siren, if you dont mind friends in the water, and looks sidelong at
sleeping in the cellar or on the roof with Turn the boat! Cyric roars. Were
a lot of snoring drunks, but no doubt the but waiting corpses if we float right the archers calmly peppering them with
soldiers will be crammed into it every down into those shafts! Well all be slain, shafts. Then something inside him breaks.
night, if its still standing. No, its the Fish sure!
or nothing. With a sudden roar, Kelemvor turns into a
Cyric orders everyone to try to pole and panther and attacks the men from Shadow-
Youll find it on the north side of Suth paddle the boat, rushing on in the wild cur- dale. His transformation begins on the third
Street, about halfway up from the docks, rent, toward shore. All of the NPCs will try round of archery, and he attacks an archer,
between Sarkh Street and the Flameway. to do so (and so should the PCs; the DM in panther-form, during the fourth round.
It has a signboard out over the street, should make it clear that it is obvious from
and looks like its about to fall down. the twelve waiting, gleaming arrowheads To determine the number of arrows the
Green-tiled roof, porch with rotting that Cyric is right). Anyone trying to cast archers fire from then on, the DM should
boards, and pillars carved into mermaid spells will be promptly thrown to their use this guideline: any archer attacked by
and sea-serpent shapes, round window knees by the pitching of the boat (ruining Kelemvor directly in a round will fire no ar-
in the front door, of a-no, its probably the casting). rows at the adventurers (he may strike at
broken by now. Anywhether, youll find Kelemvor with one arrow or a dagger, or
Suth Street by bearing north from the In the confusion (regardless of PC hero- may stab with an arrow as if it were a dag-
Westmoot, just inside the gate. Go up ics), Adon accidentally tips the boat over, ger). In addition, one of three other events
Shawl Street-thats the one with all the spilling everyone into the dangerously will occur: (1) One or two additional archers
awnings-and look for where it splits, by rough waters. Valuable gear may well be will be distracted and automatically miss
a fountain of four dolphins. Take the left- lost, and all of the PCs face the possibility of with their shafts; (2) One or two other
hand street, and thats Suth Street. drowning (all of the NPCs will survive, al- archers will fail to get off one of their two
though the DM should not make this appar- shots; or (3) the archer(s) attacked by Ke-
If you come at it the other way, from ent immediately). lemvor will manage to fire only once in the
the docks, Suth Street comes out be- round at the panther troll 1d3 to determine
tween two dirty old warehouses. Right The Ashaba is especially shallow here (6 which result, or decide according to the sit-
by it, a loading-boom stands; a little deep) and rocky-bottomed. The notes that uation).
crane. Its the northernmost boom in the opened Chapter 2 regarding the river apply
harbor, the one closest to Harborwatch here. Characters who abandon themselves Kelemvor strikes the archers at +1 to hit
Keep. Oh, yes: the Keeps a round tower, to the water or are disabled will be swept for the first three rounds. Archers are slow
the biggest one in Scardale, and the only under the bridge in two rounds, and to react, and hampered in their movements
one that overlooks the harbor. whirled downstream for at least another by the narrow confines of the bridge, while
four rounds before fetching up against a standing with their fellows and holding long
The incredibly helpful Theln is in a hurry snag or being able to fight the current to bows, with quivers in the way.
to go westward, to Highmoon to an agreed-
upon meeting with his good friend There- Each archer has two quivers of 21 shafts
men. He will refuse to accompany the party, each. One, filled with the lighter flight ar-
rows (1d6 damage, range 7/14/21), is slung
on each archers back, and the other, con-
taining the sheaf arrows currently in use, is
leaning on the bridge parapet in front of
each archer, supported by poles cut for this
purpose, which the archers can snatch up
to use as quarterstaves when fighting Ke-
16
lemvor. Each archer also has two daggers, Seems that way does it not? Kelem- Event 4:
one at his belt and one in a sheath in his vors rough somewhat weak voice re- Darkness
right boot; a short sword; and his bow plies. Let me up will you? Pounces
(which does 1d3 damage when used as a
club). It is at this point when everyone will no- This event occurs when the PCs are
tice (if they havent already) that Cyric is no- camped after Event 3, just as darkness is
If a PC decides to engage an archer, he or where to be found. Adon, more pessimistic falling.
she must swim to the bank near the bridge than Midnight, will immediately assume the
and then charge the archers. This will re- worst. Midnight will be obviously saddened, A sudden snorting and flapping sound
quire at least five rounds. By that time, but successfully struggle to retain her com- comes from the gathering darkness
some of the archers will have fled back up posure (We have to expect this sort of overhead. Something small and gleam-
the road to their winded horses, and Kelem- thing; its a miracle none of us have gone ing hurtles down from the sky and shat-
vors raging attacks will have thrown the en- down before now.). Kelemvor, when he ters on the ground beside the fire. It was
tire bridge into confusion. comes to realize that the posse he led was a small glass sphere; now broken, it gives
responsible for Cyrics demise, will vent his off a greenish, coiling smoke.
At this pointunnoticed by any of the fury by hammering his fist against the
combatantsCyric swims to the northern bridge, but will as quickly recompose him- You hear the flapping of wings just
bank and vanishes straight into the woods. self. The PCs should be allowed to form above you; then three dark shapes
The other NPCs, when they notice Cyrics their own conclusions, but under no cir- plunge down out of the night sky!
absence after the end of the hostilities, will cumstances will the NPCs allow any attempt
assume that he has drowned and been to locate Cyrics body. (Whether we find his The assailants are three men in black,
swept downstream (and the PCs, having no body or not, were no better off than we are spiked armor which covers their faces.
reason to think otherwise, should agree already. There are better ways to use our They are riding pegasi (which have been
with this conclusion). time, Midnight will say.) charmed or otherwise pressed into service
as steeds for these evildoers).
When the bridge is clear of archers, or When discussion of this topic is closed,
when PCs have reached the bridge and en- Kelemvor will struggle up, look at the be- The foremost Pegasus will dive toward a
gaged the remaining archers, the panther draggled PCs and snort, and then say: PC, attacking with both of its hooves (1d8
will waver and stagger, and Kelemvor will damage each) at +2 to hit. If either of the
become human again, amid the spattered Best to get on with it. If you lot of he- hoof attacks does damage, the PC will be
gore, and promptly faint. roesll get the boat righted and gather knocked to the ground and unable to re-
some firewood, Ill take Adon here and cover before the Pegasuss rider dismounts
If the PCs try to pursue the archers who find us some food. Come on, dextrous and attacks.
fled up the road, they will find men and one!
mounts alike gone. If they consider leaving This black-armored man will strike at the
the river at this time, distract them with an Midnight chuckles. Now, now-at downed PC, or at any character who seems
immediate attack from the trees: least its always the same boat that gets to pose the greatest immediate threat
tipped over; you ought to be getting ac- except Midnight. He fights with a dagger
Out of the trees comes a flock of dark customed to fixing it by now. Haul away, and a black-bladed longsword simultane-
the lot of you, if you want to eat! ously. The blade of the sword is painted
heavily flapping things rusty red in hue with red runes, but neither weapon is magi-
with long needle-pointed beaks or stings As Kelemvor and Adon vanish into a small cal. The first strike of each weapon will de-
between their glittering yellow eyes. grove of trees nearby, Midnight will crisply liver normal damage plus require the struck
direct the PCs in standing watch, spreading victim to save vs. poison or be slowed for 1
Mystra save us! Midnight snarls. A out wet things on rocks and bushes to dry, round, and then fall into a deep, drugged
gathering wood, and so on. sleep (attacks, slapping, etc., will not
thirst of stirges! To arms! awaken) for 1-4 turns, due to a sleep-
Eventually, Kelemvor and Adon will re- inducing venom smeared on the blades.
The flock of stirges is 16 in number. As turn, Adon staggering as he drags a small
with the group encountered earlier, these boar while Kelemvor struts alongside him This attacker is Jhembryn Durrock, 7th
creatures are ravenously hungry and can- carrying a couple of freshly killed rabbits. level assassin: AC 4 (7); MV 12; hp 41; #AT 1;
not be driven off; they must be killed. Dmg by weapon type (+1 Str bonus); Str 17,
The DM should force the PCs to camp, Int 15, Wis 11, Dex 17, Con 16, Cha 4; AL LE;
After the PCs defeat the stirges, the boat due to damage of the boat, approaching THAC0 17 (including Str bonus). His black
and what gear can be found must be res- dark, and universal agreement against leather armor covers him completely ex-
cued. The boat has lodged against the pressing on among the NPCs (Knowing cept for his spike-booted feet, eyeslits, and
bridge pilings, which Adon will point out is what we know of Scardale, what need is breathing vents. On his breast is painted a
widely known to be the fate of all barges not there for haste now?) if necessary. crimson skull within a circle of red flames:
poled so as to prevent this, in normal times, the mark of Bane. The armor is studded
and everyone will be thoroughly soaked. with spikes. If Jhembryn smashes into a
Midnight and Adon will revive Kelemvor. character (normal chance to hit), his armor
When this is accomplished, read the follow- deals 1d4 damage, and if he embraces or
ing passage: pins a character (which he can choose to do,
Are you traveling with us, then? Mid-
night asks softly, as she and Adon bend
over the wan, blood-spattered warrior.
17
on an armor attack roll of 18 or higher), The third attacker is Brel Sejanus, a 5th Event 5: The
the armor does double damage. level assassin of Bane: AC 5 (7); MV 12; hp Flight
30; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; Str 15, Int
The glass sphere contained a gas that the 15, Wis 12, Dex 16, Con 17, Cha 7; AL LE; The assassins are skilled at kidnapping.
assassins are immune to, due to long expo- THAC0 18. He is armed with bolos (three When PCs revive, they will find themselves
sure and training. It expands to a 10-radius iron balls joined to an iron center-ball by too tightly bound and strapped to do more
globe on the round after it breaks, and a 20- three-foot lengths of thick, roped wire) than breathe. Spellcasters will be gagged
radius globe on the following two rounds, and a dagger. and stripped as well (to remove material
and then dissipates harmlessly, but anyone components).
within its effect for any of those three The bolos deal 1d6 impact damage to all S
rounds will be slowed (as the spell) for or M-sized creatures (1d4 to larger crea- Whether they were rendered uncon-
1d4+1 rounds and will thereafter fall tures), and can entangle a struck creature scious by the sleep poison or by a knockout
asleep. PCs are allowed a saving throw vs. or character, preventing movement or at- blow, each adventurer will awaken 3d4
tacks for 1-3 rounds, until the victim frees rounds after the pegasi head into the sky.
poison to avoid the effects. Kelemvor will go himself. The chance of entanglement is 80% Midnight and Adon (grateful to still be alive)
straight to sleep, automatically failing his for S-sized creatures, 60% for M-sized crea- will not struggle or protest. Kelemvor will
save if he is within the area of effect, and tures, and 40% for L-sized creatures (larger remain unconscious throughout the jour-
Midnight and Adon will have to save to creatures cannot be entangled, and in all ney that has just gotten under way. If any
avoid also falling victim to the gas. The sub- cases entanglement percentages are modi- PCs insist on trying to get away, the DM
stance will work through the skin; it need fied by -5% per point of Dex above 15). En- should make it obvious that escape is, for all
not be inhaled. tangled creatures must make a Strength practical purposes, impossible. The pegasi
Check to avoid falling. are at least half a mile up in the air by the
On the round after the attack of the first time anyone awakens. The assassins will
Pegasus, two more pegasi (with their riders) Both of the other assassins wear armor warn any PC who might attempt an escape
will land, targeting any obvious spellcasters identical to Durrocksarmor that cannot to cease such foolishness or be killed.
(except Midnight) in an attempt to ruin any be worn by someone it was not specifically
castings in progress. fitted to, or the spikes will catch on each To reinforce this advice, Durrock has a
other and soon tear the armor apart. wand of viscid globs (a new magical item;
The second Pegasus is ridden by Ulnar see page 45) in a sheath within easy reach of
Varro, a 6th level assassin: AC 4 (7); MV 12; The three assassins will strike at the PCs his saddle. He will use it to refasten any PC
hp 33; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type (+1 Str with practiced speed and skill, commanding whom he notices struggling or moving
bonus); Str 16, Int 14, Wis 12, Dex 17, Con their pegasi to strike from the air and dis- about suspiciously. (Normally, targets are al-
14, Cha 7; AL LE; THAC0 18. He is armed able anyone trying to escape. lowed a saving throw to dodge the globs,
with a scythe and a dagger. Treat Varros but the trussed adventurers will not have
special scythe as a khopesh sword with a 9 The assailants will swiftly overcome the this option.)
foot reach. It does 2d4 damage, and can party. The adventurers will be captured,
snag opponents. Snagged opponents can be knocked unconscious, and tightly bound. At If any PCs express an intention to struggle
pulled to the ground (Strength Check to Durrocks call, a number of other pegasi against the bond of the globs, the DM
avoid), which ruins attacks or spellcasting (equal to the number of adventurers, plus should forewarn them that their efforts will
for that round, and enables Varro to strike one or two others to carry the adventurers be useless. If they persist in trying, assess-
at +2 to hit on the next round. gear) will descend from the sky to transport ing 1 or 2 hp of damage per round (from
the captives. (These creatures may be sum- muscle tears, strains, and so forth) should
If snagged victims successfully resist be- moned earlier, if they are needed to help get the point across shortly.
ing pulled down, the snagging still prevents prevent any adventurers from escaping.)
them from attacking for 1 round. If Varros The PCs gear will be thoroughly searched
attack roll is a 19 or 20, he can disarm the and loaded aboard one or two of the extra
struck opponent, if desired, instead of snag- pegasi. All the captives will be allowed to
ging, or stab with the scythes point for max- keep is the clothing they are wearing.
imum damage of 8 points.
18
This chapter begins as the pegasi, after black-bladed long sword carved with red- age to get free of their cells and confront the
flying all night, get to Scardale at dawn, car- painted runes. It is nonmagical. The runes assassin guarding them (at night this will be
rying the adventurers. read, I serve no master but the one who Mornil), no alarm will be raised-thanks to
holds me, on one side, and, My point is al- Adon. The gentle, fumbling cleric knocked
Event 1: Arrival ways the most telling one in any dispute on his guard (Sejanus) cold with his chamber
the reverse. pot a bit earlier and escaped from his cell.
The captured PCs reach Scardale without He will show up at the alarm gong just be-
further incident. From the sky, many en- Ulnar Varro is the 6th level assassin: AC 4 fore Mornil gets there to ring it, and will
campments can be seen on the banks of the (7); hp 33; #AT 1; THAC0 18. He is armed knock the assassin cold with the hilt of the
Scar. The town itself is a hive of military ac- with a scythe and a dagger. Varros 9-foot dagger he stole from Sejanus.
tivity. scythe does 2d4 damage, and can snag op-
ponents (as described previously). If Adon does not appear under those cir-
Armored warriors on griffons patrol the cumstances, the escaping PCs will meet him
skies. They give the group of pegasi a wide Brel Sejanus is the 5th level assassin: AC 5 soon after they subdue Mornil themselves,
berth, and the assassins take the PCs down (7); hp 30; #AT 1; THAC0 18. He is armed and then all of the escapees will move to
to the Harborwatch Keep. There, the adven- with bolos (described previously) and a dag- free Midnight and the other imprisoned ad-
turers are separated, chained, bound (Mid- ger. venturers. (Kelemvor cannot be located at
night and all spellcasters treated as
described in Chapter 11, and imprisoned. Another character who will be assigned this time.)
to guard duty is Sar Mornil, a 5th level assas- If the PCs cannot get free, or do not try,
After arrival at the keep, the assassins will sin identical to Sejanus in all respects, ex-
remain fully armored and armed until the cept that he is armed with a club (1d6) and a Adon will show up just after dusk outside
Midnight and the PCs are secured (with the dagger (1d4). Lower in stature than the their cells, to knock Mornil cold and then
aid of no less than six Zhentarim wizards other three assassins, he will always work a free them with the keys he has seized from
armed with wands of paralyzation). night shift (so that one of the others can get Sejanus.
some rest).
The PCs will find themselves in adjacent Here we go again! Adon will say with a
cells, with barred fronts, no windows, and One assassin will be near most of the PCs smile. If the adventurers search their level
walls, floors, and ceilings of thick stone at all times, and will always be awake and al- of the keep, they will find many empty cells,
sealed long ago by molten glass poured over ert, possessed of cell door keys, and inclined and all of their comrades except Kelemvor.
them, which fused hard as it cooled. to use a ruthless method of dealing with There are no other prisoners in the keep.
noisy, disobedient, or menacing prisoners:
One assassin will remain on guard outside knocking them cold. Chained prisoners are They will also find the assassin Varro, sit-
these cells, out of the view of most of the im- automatically hit for full weapon damage ting guard beside Midnights cell. He will
prisoned PCs, but in front of the cells con- each round (count as subdual; if a victim is leap to his feet and run for the alarm gong
taining Midnight and any known or reduced to 0 hp, he falls unconscious for (which the PCs should guard with their
suspected PC spellcasters, where he will fo- 1d4 turns). The assassins are well practiced lives), and then try to slay as many of the ad-
cus most of his attention. At the time of in knocking humans senseless without per- venturers as he can.
Event 2, that assassin will be Varro. manently damaging them, but do not partic-
ularly care if they do harm the PCs. If the PCs overcome him and search fur-
Beside each guardpost and group of cells (However, they have instructions that the ther, they will find the only room on the
hangs an alarm gong, with a striking bar NPCs must be kept safe, especially Mid- level that allows them to escape (all the win-
dangling beneath it on a chain. (The bar is night.) dows are too narrow to slip out of): a guard-
not really necessary; the gong will sound if room commanding both the upward and
struck by anything.) The second assassin will be down another downward stairways.
corridor on the same level of the keep, at
The other assassins go elsewhere, to im- the cell containing Adon. The third one will In it are stored all of the adventurers
prison Adon alone (they judge him the be near another group of cells elsewhere in weapons, armor, and gear; a few loaves of
weakest character, most susceptible to tor- the complex, where Midnight and other bread; and ice-buckets containing earthen
ture). The Zhentarim wizards will take Ke- spellcasters are kept. The fourth assassin, jugs of milk. No guards are present, and if
lemvor out of the keep (to imprison him in a off duty and lightly asleep (he cannot be ap- the PCs do not make an undue amount of
special way so as to prevent his panther- proached without waking him), will be in a noise, they will be able to reclaim their pos-
form from aiding his escape). room which contains the only route up or sessions and make their way out of the
down out of this level of the keep. keep.
The assassins are fully described in the
preceding chapter (some of their specifics Event 2: Yet If any of the assassins are overpowered
are reproduced here for convenience). Another Wild and asked about Kelemvor, they will say
They will remove their helms when the Escape that hes where the PCs will never find
prisoners are safely secured, but otherwise him, taken elsewhere by Zhentarim wiz-
remain fully armed and armored (the This event begins during the first night af- ards of power for special imprisonment, to
charge or blow of an armored assassin does ter the adventurers arrive as captives in prevent his escape in panther-form.
1d4 damage; an embrace or pin deals dou- Scardale.
ble). The levels of the keep above and below
If the PCs devise plans of escape from the adventurers former cells are swarming
Jhembryn Durrock will be revealed as a their imprisonment, let them try to enact with Zhentilar soldiers, far too many to
huge, dark-skinned man whose flesh is these (but make sure they dont succeed be- fight. The PCs, Midnight, and Adon are
seared almost black. Burns have so disfig- fore nightfall). If one or more of them man- forced to slip out of the keep amid the many
ured his face that he has grown a thick excited comings and goings of the Zhentilar.
black beard and moustache. Jhembryn is
the 7th level assassin: AC 4 (7); hp 41; #AT 1; As they escape, the PCs will hear the fol-
THAC0 17. He is armed with a dagger and a lowing exchange between two Zhentilar
soldiers in a passageway of the keep:
19
Lord Bane himself is coming! told us about? The Spouting Fish? Lets Scardale; anyone who tries to leave, too!
aye; hes landed in the harbor already get to it. Everyonespeak, now, what- The darkhelms are also actively searching
ever you remember of his directions for spies from Cormyr and the northern
and on his way here! Tis said hes going Dales, have cut off all contact with Sembia,
to take personal custody of a prisoner in Whatever the PCs remember of Theln have asked merchants to volunteer cash
the town a she-mage! Roaringhorns directions (given in the pre- payments to support the creation of the
vious chapter), allow them to find the Spout- fleet, and so on-and everywhere honest
Many similar mutterings will be heard, ing Fish, even as Zhentilar patrols close in. folk go, there are soldiers spying on them as
but even if they tarry to listen, the adven- The DM should build an atmosphere of ten- well, like that idiot we threw out earlier.
turers will hear nothing useful about Ke- sion as a nighttime chase begins.
lemvors whereabouts and fate. If the PCs keep listening, or provide some
If they pass the Singing Siren on the way, recent news from outside, theyll also hear
When the adventurers reach the street they will find it a roaring, shouting tumult several local rumors. The DM may devise
outside the keep, read the following pas- of tankard-clashing, off-duty soldiers. The his own, or choose entries from the follow-
sage: signboard overhead crudely proclaims the ing list (all of which are essentially true):
inns rechristening as the Happy Harpy, and
You hear the clatter of booted feet hurry- it certainly sounds like theres a happy Scardale Rumors
ing on the cobbles. Hulass! Make all harpy or two singing inside. The celebrat- 1. The elves are returning to the Elven
ready! Lord Bane is in town and on his ing soldiers, who have overflowed into the
way here, to see the prisoners within! street, will eye the adventurers suspi- Court, bringing a great army of magical fly-
Rouse the lads! Hurry! ciously. If the PCs are careful, however, they ing ships and awesome lightning spells!
can use the large number of soldiers to tem-
Overhead, there is a dim flash of radi- porarily hide, to elude pursuing patrols. 2. Cormyr is preparing to invade the
ance. Looking up, you see a black pega- Dales. Troops are gathering in Tilvers Gap
sus turning in midair. On its back, a man Event 3: At the right now, and Mistledale will be the first to
in black robes leans down, wand spark- Sign of the fall. Whatever happens, Cormyr is deter-
ing in his hand. Spouting Fish mined to seize and hold The High Dale and
Archendale, which will mean eventual war
Another black horse turns in the air This event directly follows Event 2, when with Sembia!
nearby, ready to confront the other fly- the adventurers arrive at the Spouting Fish.
ing mount. All right, you hear the sec- 3. A huge flaming man, a hundred feet tall
ond rider say. Its only one of ours, The Fish looks just as Theln Roaringhorn or more, walked through Westgate last ride,
making ready for Lord Bane. described it (in the preceding chapter). setting many shops afire! It took eight
There are no soldiers in sight as the adven- mages to destroy it. Their spells kept going
Right, the rider of the first mount re- turers pick their way through the sodden awry. . . . No one knows where it came from.
plies, and they move on. Beyond them, garbage littering the street and go inside,
you see many other dark, flying shapes: 4. Mages are disappearing from all over
the night sky is full of patrolling crea- It is a dim, dingy place. The taproom is of the Dragon Reach lands, answering some
tures. dark, oiled wood, lit only by the sort of secret summons and traveling west.
hearthfire and by small candle-lamps. It Some say they are being lured to their doom
Assassins and Zhentarim wizards all is crowded, too, but everyone hunched by demons, or by undead Calishite sorcer-
over the place, Midnight hisses. Gods in the dark room seems to be muttering ers.
above and gods below, is there no end to to his neighbor. It is the quietest taproom
this? youve ever been in. Eyes look up as you 5. A lady who wept tears of fire wrestled
enter, and then flick away again, quickly. in the sky with a giant in armor, somewhere
Obviously, the adventurers are in great over Wyvernwater.
danger of being spotted and recaptured, The bald innkeeper, Hlund, will charge
and would be foolish to take to the roofs of the adventurers a silver piece per night, 6. The Zhentilar war-captain Helbronsar
the city or employ any means of flight. each, for their rooms and all meals (drinks is in town, looking for The Lost Sword of
extra). He is fat, moustachioed, soft-spoken, the Lion, a magical, kingly sword which
Lets get well away from our jail, any- and polite, but he will not be bargained Lashan the Dreamer searched for, but
way! Adon says heatedly. The adventurers away from his flat rate, and if asked about never found.
should skulk through the dark streets, as he possible tutors, or Harpers, or for news, or
and Midnight set a brisk pace across the about any other sort of information, he will 7. The Zhentarim are mustering a fleet of
town. If the PCs are alert, they will soon no- grin and nod and point to the crowded ta- ships, and have 2,000-3,000 soldiers in the
tice that they are being watched and fol- bles. Listen, and learn, hell say, and wink. dale already! It is said they plan to cross the
lowed (openly, but at a distance) by soldiers. Dragon Reach and attack the city of Tantras.
If the PCs do not watch behind them, Adon At the tables, the PCs will hear lots of an- Why? Not for us mere mortals to know!
will do so, and point out the soldiers. gry talk: the Zhentarim are starting to en-
slave non-soldiers who happen to be in 8. Myrkul, Lord of the Dead, has been
That settles it! We must find a place to seen in Zhentil Keep. His priests are gather-
hide, and soon! Midnight says. Ive no ing there, to work a great Death, as one of
wish to find myself tastefully attired in them screamed triumphantly while in his
whip-scars and chains, greeting Bane be- cups, at an inn in Ordulin.
fore dawn! What was that inn the priest
Someone approaches your table. Its a
dwarf hairy and unkempt. One eye is
hidden beneath a ragged black eyepatch;
his left arm is enfolded in a dirty sling.
You noticed him drinking at a nearby
20
table earlier, He staggers a little, as if here theyll be back to raid, later. Hell lead Two unshaven men lie on cots on the
drunk. But when he fetches up against them out into the night, and on to Event 4. far side of the room, battered armor
the end of your table, his remaining eye leaning against the legs of their beds.
is keen, and his low, husky voice is If the PCs refuse to have anything to do Both are bandaged; the bandages are
steady. with Sunrun, hell melt away into the dark- dark with old blood. One is asleep. The
ness. Later that night, the raid will begin, other smiles weakly at you, but says
Well met, travelers. What news of with over a hundred armed Zhentilar nothing. Sitting on a stool beside one
Shadowdale? storming the inn. In the midst of all the bed, stitching up a boot with nimble fin-
shouting and torch-waving, Sunrun will gers, is a handsome, mischievous-
Adon bristles, but says nothing. The pop up through a trap-door, and hiss to the looking blond youth. He nods an
dwarf, watching him, winks. I mean no adventurers, This way! Come, now! The eyebrow at you. Varden, at your serv-
mischief. But ye know how blunt time for foolishness is past! Hell then lead ice, he says wryly. Well met; all we have
dwarves can be, so Ill ask ye right out: them through a short, twisting crawl- herehe waves around at the empty
be ye friends or foes of Bane and the tunnel, out through many back streets, and roomis yours.
Zhentarim? on to Event 4.
Varden is a 4th level thief: AC 6 (10); MV
In the brief silence that follows, the Event 4: A 12; hp 22; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon (throwing
dwarf puts his free hand to his throat Revelation Or daggers, longsword, sap); Str 14, Int 16, Wis
and draws up something on a fine chain, Two 12, Dex 18, Con 16, Cha 16; AL CN; THAC0
until you see the gleam of a tiny pendant 19. He is a reckless, kindhearted rogue with
in his hairy hand: a silver harp. This event begins after Sunrun has led the an appetite for pranks and for lifting gems
adventurers down many a dark and stink- from rich ladies dresses. He, the two
If the PCs indicate that they are not ing alley of Scardale. The town seems alive wounded soldiers (Orbraun and Thalar,
friends of Bane, or seem reluctant to admit with marching Zhentilar patrols. Several both 4th level fighters), an aging con man
anything, the dwarf will tell them that he is times Sunrun hastens the PCs inside a door named Gratus (who knows Scardale like the
a foe of Bane, and offer to give them a hid- or swings open the shutters of a darkened back of his hand), the cat, and Sunrun are
ing place in the dale. window to leap inside, to hide from the all that is left of the Cormyrean garrison.
darkhelms. When Sunrun admits this, read the follow-
If the PCs say they support Bane, the ing:
dwarf will shake his head sorrowfully and Eventually, the PCs follow the dwarf into
go away. Before the adventurers retire for the depths of one of these darkened build- Why havent the Zhentilar slaughtered
the night or move on, however, hell return ings. you all long ago? Midnight asks curi-
to try again, obviously not believing them. ously, looking at them.
You are in a damp, empty, echoing place.
The dwarf will give his name as Sunrun. The faint scratchings of rats, scuttling Oh, well replies the dwarf. I rather
Anyone who speaks dwarvish will know out of your way, can be heard all about. expect thats not happened because of
that there is a famous dwarven drinking Show no light! Sunrun says warningly, me.
song, in which dwarves are blamed for one from the darkness ahead. See my harp?
ill after another and caught red-handed Follow it! Before your eyes, the dwarfs squat,
each time, whereupon they always claim hairy form twists and flows, colors scat-
that Sunrun (which means Nobody) is Straining your eyes, you can barely see tering across its moving surface like a
the culprit. a tiny, dull glow bobbing ahead. It must brief rainbow, and becomes taller and
be the dwarfs harp pendant. Mind your slimmer, until a young, dark-eyed
A few of the peace-garrisons installed in heads! comes the dwarfs voice again, woman in robes stands before you. She
Scardale upon the Fall of Lashan are still and you feel worn stone steps, descend- smiles. I am Sharoon, of the Harpers.
holding out, Sunrun tells the adventurers, ing into black nothingness. Some time ago Elminster asked me to
but they are unable to leave their wall tow- look out for you, if ever you came this
ers, around which thousands of Zhentilar The dwarf leads the adventurers along a way.
have camped. dripping tunnel with an uneven floor, warn-
ing them twice about not scratching their Sunrun is actually the human female
The Sembians and the men from Hillsfar faces on overhanging portculli, up and into 4th level illusionist Sharoon Themistyl: AC 6
are truly trapped, he says, but the tower a crumbling keep, lit by a few flickering (10); MV 12; hp 17; Str 14, Int 17, Wis 13,
that those from Cormyr hold is linked by an torches. Dex 18, Con 16, Cha 17; AL CG; THAC0 19;
ancient crawl-tunnel to an old warehouse in age 19. Among the Harpers, she is known as
the dingier streets. A yowl sounds from up ahead, and a Stormweather. She does not believe Elmin-
scrawny, smoky-grey cat trots forward ster is dead, and does not think the PCs are
If the PCs will help the few remaining Cor- to greet Sunrun. He scratches its head guilty of anything except defeating Bane (a
myreans disrupt the Zhentilar with a few without slowing; it turns to keep up with great feat in her book!).
attacks on the harbor, the barracks, and the him, as he leads you up a few old, sloping
assassins (those the PCs escaped from ear- steps into a room that smells of sickness. In return for helping her with a few
lier), Sunrun will hide the PCs, help them strikes against the Zhentilar, she will cast il-
with disguises, and help them get out of lusory disguises on the PCs if they want to
Scardale when they want to leave. go about the town, and can offer them tu-
The DM should strongly persuade the PCs
to go along with this way of getting out of
Scardale, reminding them of the Zhentish
aggressions they heard about earlier. If they
agree to follow the dwarf, hell nod and say,
Time to go, then. The Zhents followed you
23
tors (the thief, herself for illusionists, and promise (to Tempus, under oath) to bring Scardale. Some of these may be prompted
the soldiers for fighters). Midnight can train about the defeat of a single, stated foe, by the demands of tutors for the perform-
lesser PC wizards, and Sharoon knows (and within a certain time (which the PC can set). ance of specific services, and others by Sha-
can quietly contact) priests of Tempus, Ty- roon.
mora, Lathander, and Selune in the area Halath Mhaerim, 7th level wizard: AL
who will be willing to serve as tutors. NG; sleek, middle-aged, dignified but testy; 1. Slaying the key Zhentilar officer, the
highly skilled. Found in his second-floor gar- corrupt but wily Chelbeth Thund (8th level
Event 5: Sojourn ret above a grocers shop on Soulall Street. fighter, 66 hp), who has poisoned weapons,
in Scardale Expects payment (at least in part) in the and lots of treasure well hidden in the
form of magical items. house in which he entertains his mistress.
After Event 4, the DM may allow the party
some time in Scardale, perhaps to allow Sordrim Nund, 6th level thief: AL CN; a 2. Creating dissension in the Zhentilar
them training for level advancement, to bet- smooth-talking seller of footware whose ranks by killing mercenaries and Zhentilar
ter face the perils ahead, or else can rush shop is on the corner of The Anvil Run and soldiers and leaving the bodies fallen as
them on to Event 6. If the first option is Whelgars Way. Young, good-featured but though locked in combat with each other.
taken, some additional work will be neces- fairly ordinary in appearance; known to the
sary before play resumes, to flesh out the sailors (from whom he never steals) as a 3. Slaying a spy of Bane, or making the spy
suggestions given here. If the second option fence and a contact for shady business. appear to be a double-dealing traitor (there
is taken, the DM should use only the last of are almost two dozen trained spies of the
the adventures suggested below (the at- Adventures in Zhentarim in the city, mostly among the sail-
tempt to rescue Kelemvor). Scardale ors and mercenary warriors, but a few
among the merchants).
Potential Tutors Following are some suggestions for ad-
ventures that the party may have while in 4. Looking for Lashans lost treasury in
This list is only a beginning; DMs are en- the sewers beneath his old keep (still in the
couraged to alter the potential tutors listed hands of the Sembians, who have crossbow-
here, and to introduce tutors of their own armed guards and pit-and-portcullis traps
to fit the player characters in their own guarding this area. Observant explorers
campaign.
Ammethrine Nathyl, 6th level priest of
Tymora: AL CG; impish, mercurial, agile,
and smooth-tongued, famous for her dares
and her enjoyment of all-night dancing.
Found in the Lap of Luck, a small temple on
Dawnstar Street.
Belintar Sharnraven, 7th level ranger:
AL CG; tall, gaunt, and close-mouthed,
handsome, kind, and possessed of a long,
long memory. Found in a shambling
wooden house leaning against the town
wall. Belintar, the owner of the house, is
also the proprietor of a secret tunnel run-
ning from the woods under the wall into his
cellar. Harpers and other friends of Belintar
used this tunnel to get in and out of Scardale
during Lashans iron reign, and can use it
again now. Belintar will use it to take rang-
ers hes tutoring out into the woods for
training. The tunnel comes up into the side
of a cesspit, which is largely covered by a
manure pile in which Belintar grows mush-
rooms (which he sells to shops and restau-
rants around the town).
Brorin Hundegarl, 7th level priest of
Tempus: AL CN; battle-scarred, gruff,
brawling, and slow to fear. Found in the
House of Swords (a shop-sized shrine to
Tempus) in Laddath Street, where he lives
above the sanctuary. He expects payment in
the form of gold captured in battle, and a
22
will find handholds cut into the rock of the moving overland to Scardale, mustering for them), and Midnight will hesitate. He will
cesspit wall beneath the keep. Climbing the invasion. promptly see her and saunter over to join
them up the slimy glory-hole (privy) pas- the group.
sages into the upper levels of the keep, they Event 6: To Leave
will make a discovery just beneath Lashans at Last Midnight and Adon are suspicious that he
old room, now the bedchamber of the Sem- may be a spy for Bane, but Kelemvor
bian commander, an 11th level LN fighter Sharoon is too badly wounded to keep the quickly explains himself, and Sharoon
named Kadarach. It is a niche in the wall Zhentilar attackers at bay any longer. (Gra- seems to support his story.
containing a stone coffer. Within it are six tus must be put to bed in the house of a
potions of healing and a short sword +3. friendly goodwife and temporarily retired The same suspicions could be aimed at
from all adventuring.) She recommends all of us here and besides what does it
5. Appropriating a pay-chest or two from that the PCs try to escape from Scardale matter if he is? We've no time left now
a ship in the harbor while at the same time now, by ship: for arguing or for him to d anything to
setting fire to as many more ships as possi- stop us. The sailors can watch him.
ble, to hamper Banes plans to take Tantras. Its impossible, overland. The country-
The DM should refer to Event 6 in this chap- side is crawling with gathering Zhentilar, All head for the warehouse, emptying the
ter for details of the Zhentilar harbor and half the folk of the Dragon Reach garbage cart into the spot in the harbor that
guards. skulking about trying to dagger a few of the Zhentilar have been using these past
them here and a few of them there. The months (For that alone, the fisherman here
6. Trying to rescue Kelemvor. Sharoons Zhents even rule the sky: their griffons would cheerfully slit their throats, Varden
contacts find that he is being held in the cel- outmatch any Sembia can send almost says). This gives them a look at the harbor
lars of the house of Paerus, a grand struc- four to one. layout for that night. The sailors and Cap-
ture on Shindal Street, kept helplessly tain Mnester are there; everyone waits for
entangled in viscid globs (see the new magic No, take a ship, and try to hide among nightfall.
section) except for his head, and guarded by all the Zhent ships bustling about out
clerics and wizards of the Zhentarim. The there in the Reach right now. The Queen of the Night is a sagging, sway-
DM should make these guardians too nu- hulled, battered old craft which has obvi-
merous for the adventurers to handle. The sooner the PCs try to take a ship, Sha- ously seen better days. It is a merchant
roon advises, the better: the harbor will galley with twelve oars, a common type of
The attempt to rescue Kelemvor will fail, soon grow far more crowded and far better ship in these parts. It has two tattered, fan-
and the PCs will find themselves sur- guarded. She has a friend who captains a shaped sails, lateen-rigged on two masts.
rounded as the guards summon aid from small, battered galley, and wants to get out
the other Zhentilar and Zhentarim forces in of Scardale. He needs help in seizing his ship The Zhentilar are, in fact, a little unsure
the town. While the adventurers are fight- back from the Zhentilar. of its seaworthiness, and therefore havent
ing their way out, Sharoon and Gratus will charged ahead with plans to refit it or even
appear and show them a handy route The captain, Mnester (a LN 3rd level get aboard before necessary.
through the sewers. In the running fight, fighter with 25 hp, who fights with a battle
Sharoon and Gratus are badly wounded. axe), and his 12-man crew (1st level types As the PCs stealthily approach the ship by
who fight with cutlasses and belaying pins) night, read the following passage:
First Cyric, now you, Midnight tells Sha- are to be used to transport the Zhentarim in
roon grimly, as the adventurers drag their their planned invasion of Tantras, putting Two guards stop on the dock beside the
wounded rescuers away. Im not losing the ship at risk for no profit, and kicking a ramp that leads down to the Queen. One
anyone else I care for in all this, if I can help huge hole in the captains expected shipping murmurs something and waves his hand
it! (and smuggling) trade. The captain wants down at the listing boat.
out, but lacks the muscle to seize his ship.
OFFSTAGE EVENTS Perhaps the PCs . . . ? The other laughs, and replies, That
Bane bargains with the captured Kelem- thing? Look at her. . . if Talos so much as
Midnight will accept the mission of re- sneezes shell be on the bottom, still tied
vor, and cures him of the panther-curse, in claiming Mnesters ship and drag the PCs to the dock! Ill just make stone-troll-cold
return for Kelemvors agreement to help along. All of the NPCs will stress that to split sure Im somewhere far away when it
Bane capture Midnight and get the Tablet of up now is to court certain death. The Cor- comes time to load troops aboard her. . . .
Fate. myreans come along (Were coming too: Id rather take my chances with a row-
Sharoon says grimly), and the reinforced boat, if youd know truth!
Kelemvor has no intention of keeping his band of adventurers sets off through the
end of the bargain. He flatly refuses to even streets. They use clothes, crutches, and a The two guards are part of the night pa-
consider Banes plans for him unless Bane garbage cart to look like something other trol of harbor guards. This patrol consists of
cures him first and frees him. Willing ser- than armed-to-the-teeth troublemakers. a 5th level fighter (officer) in field plate, a
vants should be valuable, even to you, Ke- 6th level Zhentarim wizard, a 5th level
lemvor tells him. Slaves who hate and fear Although the DM should make the gaunt- cleric of Bane, 12 crossbowmen, and 15
you will turn on you the moment they spot let of Zhentilar patrols a tense passage, the spearmen. All are alert, stationed in groups
your weakness, and from what Ive seen adventurers should, in the end, reach an old of two and three, keeping a close watch on
and heard so far, you already have plenty of warehouse on the docks, and wait inside for all of the ships tied up at the docks. All will
those. Bane grins coldly, and cures him. nightfall. On the way, they will see Kelem- instantly be aware if one group of their
vor (whos been searching the streets for comrades is attacked.
Meanwhile, Cyric has become a
turncoat-joining the side of the Zhentilar- The officer or Black Sword is Albaer
and has made rapid progress through the
ranks. His cold-blooded strategic skill and
adroit fighting have earned him a promo-
tion to the command of Zhentilar armies
23
In the battle, the thief Varden must be
killed, Sharoon must vanish (so the DM can
use her later, if desired, but take her out of
the adventure now), and most of the captain
and crew perish or are captured as well.
The DM can retain what reinforcements he
thinks the PCs need. Midnight, Adon, and
Kelemvor must survive and get the ship un-
der way, rowing like madmen. Midnights
magic can be used to clear a path out of the
harbor.
It is deep night as the PCs slip past the pa-
trolling Zhentarim ships and get out into the
Reach.
Morndragon, who is armed with a bastard The (light) crossbowmen are all 2nd level Event 7: Battle
sword +2. NE fighters of 16 hp each. The spearmen
are all 1st level fighters of 9 hp each. Both Afloat
The wizard, Selcheth Yundael, has the fol- types of guards are also armed with daggers
lowing spells: 1st level: magic missile (x4; and short swords. As dawn comes, the breeze coming down
each spell creates 3 missiles); 2nd level: glit- from the northwest dies. The Queen of the
terdust, Melfs acid arrow; 3rd level: fire- Midnight will lead the attack if no PC is ea- Night becomes a rather large target wallow-
ball, lightning bolt. Selcheth also carries a ger to do so; otherwise, the DM should have ing in the light swell in the center of the
dagger and two scrolls, each bearing one her defer to the decisions and tactics of the Reach, all too exposed to the eyes of Zhen-
dispel magic spell. PCS. tarim on griffonback. Sure enough, a Zhen-
tilar patrol galley bristling with archers
The cleric, a Black Hand, has 17 wisdom When battle is launched, there will be in- soon appears, rowing steadily toward the
and is named Thorn Nuldue. He is armed stant mayhem, with 1d4 + 1 griffon- drifting slave galley. Battle erupts.
with a flail, a mace, and the following spells: mounted Zhentarim joining the fray in 4
1st level: command, cure light wounds rounds. Shouting Zhentilar soldiers, flam- The Zhentilar ship is a dromond (de-
(x4); 2nd level: aid (x2), charm person or ing crossbow bolts, light spells, patrolling scribed in the 2nd Edition Players Hand-
mammal, flame blade, heat metal; 3rd level: boats in the harbor converging on the com- book, page 70), with 60 rowers. It has 40
cause blindness, pyrotechnics. motion . . . PCs will face a lot of opposition. longbowmen aboard, all 2nd level fighters
with 18 hp each, leather armor (AC 8), and
daggers. There are also twelve 3rd level,
leather-armored (AC 8) fighters armed with
hammers and short swords, and a 5th level
Zhentarim wizard (with 17 hp, the same
spells as Selcheth in Event 6, above, minus
the lightning bolt, and the title of captain)
named Whaul Zormm. The ship also boasts
a battering ram.
The PCs will be forced to use their magic
and battle skills to fight off the galley or sink
it (they lack the numbers to crew it safely)
and escape.
If defeated, they will be held captive on
the galley, and it will turn back toward Scar-
dale, towing the Queen. Halfway back, a
seabird will fly past the ship, circle, and
then land in the rigging. The bird will turn
into its true formSharoon. She will cast
spells on the crew to aid the PCs in escaping,
and then fly raggedly off again, westward
back to land.
24
This chapter begins as the party reaches boom, hung with chains, which can be larger boats. Turn in I say!
Tantras. They, will find the city bustling with used to close off the harbor mouth in the Around the officer as he speaks a
activity: but will not be attacked as they en- event of an attack. Hard-eyed, watchful
ter the harbor. Everyone is too busy prepar- men in armor regard you from behind dozen archers come to look down at you
ing for war to bother with a lone ship that rows of crossbow-guns, set into walled and ready shafts to their bows.
harbor guards judge not to be a hostile ves- emplacements on either side of the har-
sel. bor mouth. The points of the quarrels Obviously, disobeying the order to turn in
teach of which is as long as a man is high) would be quick suicide; Adon and Midnight
OFFSTAGE EVENT turn slowly and silently as you pass, to al- will already be struggling to lift one of the
Cyric arrives in Scardale, leading a Zhen- ways point at you. The rocking swell of long oars on the deck, to fend off. As the
the Reach subsides into the more tran- boat approaches the spires, the seagulls
tilar force. To test this rising star in his quil chop of busy harbor water. shriek and flutter up into the air in a cloud
ranks, Bane has sent him (along with Dur- of dirty white feathers, wheeling and
rock, the assassin who led the assault on the Inside, ships are made fast to each screeching in alarm.
PCs) to Tantras, to kill Kelemvor for his other, sometimes six and seven vessels
treachery and to capture Midnight. Bane is deep, while shouting, sweating men on When docked, the boat will be met by
worried that the PCs are getting close to the the docks struggle with bollard-pulleys Tantran guardsmen: 30 men-at-arms (1st
Tablet of Fate. and swaying, rickety boom-cranes to un- level warriors of 7 hp each) in blued, oiled
load the ships. The place is a tumult of field plate (AC 2) decorated with the silver
Tantras rises above the eastern shore of loading and unloading, and everywhere wave and three stars of Tantras, and armed
the Reach on two hills. The higher of the one looks there are half-naked men glis- with spears, short swords, and daggers.
two, to the north, is thickly covered with tening with sweat; and unmoving, Leading them will be an officer in full plate
buildings, and an arm of land extends watchful men in full armor: the Tantran (AC 1) armed with a morningstar (2d4 dam-
down from it to partially enclose and guardsmen. age), flanked by two crossbowmen (light
shelter the citys fine harbor. High stone quarrels, 1d4 damage, range 6/12/18). The
walls protect the city from barbarian Ho, the ship! bellows one, from a officer will politely ask the adventurers to
and orc-horde raids; from within them, raised stone deck ahead of you. Lose disembark and identify themselves. Ten of
wisps of smoke rise here and there. The way-youre too fast in, by far! Fend you the guards will then search the ship. The of-
city is preparing for war. off from thesehe waves at three gi- ficer will ask the adventurers how long they
gantic, seagull-covered spires, rising are staying, warn them that if war should
The harbor is crammed with vessels. dark and glistening from the water come to the walls, they might not be able to
As you slip in, you pass under a gigantic and turn in here. That beyonds for leave, and their vessel might be seized for
25
defensive purposes. However, he invites at least a day, without asking prying ques- fare in the streets of Westgate between
them to enjoy their stay in Tantras, and (in a tions or snooping overeagerly into discus- merchant-house guards and cultists, who
lowered voice) says that the god Torm him- sions or inviting cellars. This way, they can are trying to seize all the goods they can
self is within the walls: in his temple, to be get to know Tantras before meeting back at from the warehouses of the city, to be used
precise, at the highest point on the hill the inn at the end of the day to compare im- as offerings to the Dead Dragons when they
there, hard by the north wall. pressions. come flying into the city to proclaim their
rule.
The guards will find nothing suspicious, The DM should consult the map of Tan-
and will allow the adventurers and all their tras provided in this adventure as the PCs 5. The seer Shuldo of Tharsult has told a
gear to pass into the city without comment conduct their search, bearing in mind that council of merchants that old prophecies of
or restriction. native Tantrans will be both very busy and the Shining South tell of a time when
unusually suspicious of strangers. An Dragon-Kings will rule many lands, and
The city is busy, but most of the activity is atmosphere of impending war hangs over dark sorcery will prevail. That time, Shuldo
indoors. The ringing clangor of smithy the city, as Tantras musters for an expected fears, is nigh: for has not all the Art of men
work, hammerings, and the like are every- attack from Zhentil Keep. Note that al- begun to cast awry?
where, and squads of soldiers in half-armor though priests of many religions are repre-
trot up and down the streets, led by shout- sented (Torm being paramount), there are 6. Sailors on the Shining Sea report seeing
ing Longswords (sergeants), to keep fit. no wizards of any sort to be found any- a great light in the west, a tongue of white
There are no guides to be found on the where in Tantras above journeyman (2nd flame leaping from the sea to the night sky
docks, and the PCs are free to wander. level), except for Midnight and any PC above. Judging by its location, it must have
mages. If PCs ask anyone about this, the re- originated on the island realm of Lantan,
Chaos and strife have come to the city. ply will be a stare, a slow shrug, and a brief, but no one has come from there recently to
Some shops are closed, and a few buildings Nobody knows. Just gone, all of them, and tell what it was, nor do natives of that land
have burned down. Where this has hap- not a word spoken. These be not safe times now trading in Calimshan and the Tashalar
pened, donkeys and sheep are tethered in the Realms, now. know what the light might be, or what it
amid the rubble, each watched over by could mean.
small, bored children. This livestock would As the PCs search, the DM can reward
normally be outside the walls, except on their queries and eavesdropping by impart- 7. A mad seer in Iriaebor, Chathalos Ord-
market days; war has indeed come to the ing entries from the Tantras Talk Table (be- grimmer, has spoken in a trance about a
eastern Reach. low), the statements in which are all precious thing, near lost . . . a Tablet of Fate
essentially true. DMs are encouraged to add in the hands of death. He has not regained
Whether the PCs explore the streets by to this list to adapt it to the color and action his senses since, and is near death. Iriaebor
themselves, or whether they ask for recom- of their own campaign, hinting at adven- is plagued by giant centipedes and carrion
mendations, the result will be the same: the tures they have arranged for future play. crawlers, who have swarmed up from
best inn in town is the Lazy Moon, on Shen- cracks and tombs to choke the streets, bat-
dle Street. Tantras Talk Table tling each other and all the folk of the city
1. Mages have disappeared-not just from mindlessly.
Any other inns that the PCs find will ei-
ther be full or taken over as barracks, with Tantras, but from all across the Reach-and 8. The waters of the Unicorn Run briefly
grizzled door wardens in Tantran livery are said to be gathering in Waterdeep. flowed black with blood, and then ran clear
who exhort the PCs to Join up! Wear the again. The sorceress Laeral, once leader of
blue and silver with pride! These days, its 2. The goddesses Beshaba (The Laughing the famous adventuring group known as
the duty of every jack and lass to defend Lady of Ill Luck) and Tymora (The Smiling The Nine, has since appeared in Scornubel
Tantras against the marauding beasts and Lady of Good Fortune), who some sages and Waterdeep.
worse! Torm himself watches over us!. claim to have once been one entity, Tyche,
are battling each other the length and 9. In Goldenfields, at the walled temple-
Event 1: All breadth of the North. Mountains have been farm of Chauntea, granary of the North,
Through Life We toppled, castles laid waste, and forests flat- High Priest Tolgar Anuvien lies near death,
Seek . . . tened, the trees split asunder like so much after personally battling Myrkul, God of the
kindling: and still the two fight on, shrieking Dead, who appeared in Goldenfields one
The PCs find lodging in the Lazy Moon like harpies and spitting lightning at each night surrounded by a skeletal host. Tolgar
(innkeeper: Faress, human male: group other! drove Myrkul out of the walls of his great
rate: 2 gp per day, all meals included but farm, but dealt him no great harm, as his
drinkables extra). Kelemvor crisply directs 3. Giant frogs have swarmed up out of the longtime companion (in The Company of
everyone to get a bath and sleep, and then harbor in Calimport and overrun the docks, Crazed Venturers), Malchor Harpell, has
meet in the taproom for a jaw wagging slaughtering thousands of sailors and slaves stated. Malchor arrived in time to rescue
and a full meal after he awakens them. and gorging themselves on the bodies, while Tolgar from death, and make certain
the satraps of the city have simply shut the Myrkuls defeat.
The other NPCs should agree. Any PCs doors of their tall, turban-topped towers
who are not tired will be curtly told to study and stayed inside, ignoring the carnage be- 10. The ice-locked realm of Sossal, north-
spells or ready their gear, but not to go any- low. The whole city is said to stink of car- east of the Bloodstone lands, has been
where on their own. rion in the heat of the sun, except for the rocked by great explosions that have shat-
richest quarters, where the slaves have tered the very glacier ice around it. The
When the party reassembles, Midnight been ordered to drench the trees, walls, cause of these blasts is unknown, but suspi-
will remind everyone that Elminster told and streets with the finest perfume to cover cions are that the Fall of the Gods has some-
them to seek one of the Tablets of Fate here. up the odors. thing to do with the matter; who knows
She advocates everyone splitting up into which gods may be battling each other
smaller groups and wandering the city for 4. The Cult of the Dragon claims that the there?
Wyrm-Rule is nigh, and there is open war-
26
Guards will prohibit entry into the Temple you wouldnt leave such a thing lying minstrel by nature.
of Torm to all who are not true believers of about for anyone to take, would you? Your real name, Kelemvor snarls, ad-
Torm (and able to prove it, by making offer-
ings, carrying Torms holy symbol, and hav- Midnight suspects shell need help to vancing on him. The young man hangs
ing knowledge of the liturgy and teachings claim anything with the degree of magical his head and coughs.
of his priesthood). If the PCs try to travel power that the tablet surely must have.
openly (without sneaking along side streets Midnight will announce that she wishes to Ah. Well. Yes. I did leave a little bit
and alleys, etc.), they will run into a cordon explore the streets of the wealthy folk that out, he admits, eyeing Kelemvors hand
of soldiers charged with keeping people out cloak the slopes of the hill which is crowned as it tightens on his sword hilt. Im . . .
of the southern end of the city (and away by the Temple of Torm. Read the following Wandering Minstrel! But you can call me
from the hill at the south end of town); all passage: Minstrel, for short. All my friends do.
streets beyond the Fountain of the Mermaid
(map location #6) are off limits to civilians, Someone is singing nearby. My nose may Midnight huffs in exasperation, but
since many of the buildings in this area have be old/My nose may be cold/But it can Kelemvor is more vocal. All right then,
been commandeered for use as armories smell right well/Still, sir! And it do smell/ young snaketongue, he says levelly.
and barracks for the newly reinforced Tan- Adventurers bold, laden with gold/ Adven- What brought you to Tantras? If you
tran army. turers bought, adventurers sold . . . can answer that one without clever eva-
sions, that is.
After a day of searching, the party will re- The singer is an enigmatic, smiling
assemble at the Lazy Moon. Searching the young man in homespuns, with a lute on Minstrel seems suddenly serious. Im
city for some clue to the location of the tab- his back. He grins at you merrily, blue- here because Ive always wanted to see
let seems like its going to be a slow, dusty grey eyes dancing. And here you are! the Great Bell. This is, after all, the City
process. he cries. Adventurers, just as my nose of the Bell.
thought! All swords and grim missions,
In all the tales, the dragon just stands and out-of-my-way-boy, Im-saving-the- What? Why? Midnight asks suspi-
waiting to be fought, the treasure at its world-today-boy! Well met! ciously.
feet, Kelemvor grumbles. Youd think
that if these tablets were so important, Kelemvor challenges the man suspi- Minstrel stares at her. What, your-
wed only have to find a cluster of bat- ciously. He merely grins and says: self? You havent seen the Bell of Aylen
tling gods or an unearthly glow or the Attricus yet? And you a mage, too!
like to find one of them, wouldnt you Im but a minstrel, big strong fighting-
now? But no . . thatd be too easy. . . . man! Surely you can defeat the likes of Minstrel will insist on showing the adven-
me-with your agile tongue, perhaps? turers around the city.
The DM should allow the discussion to
continue, using the NPCs to direct the flow Midnight laughs. You seem familiar. I can see someones going to have to do
of conversation, until the PCs agree to or Have we met? this properly! he says. You lot cant
are persuaded to make another effort to- even find the landmarks without help, it
morrow. Again, Kelemvor warns PCs The young man bows and winks. But seems!
against independent action, and any PCs of course, my lady! Many times! Youve
who try to set off on their own will find him promised to marry me twice or thrice Kelemvor, highly insulted at the way
waiting for them, watchful and unsur- or no, was that the other one with long he has been talked to, stalks off, mutter-
prised. dark hair and divine beauty? Yes, I ing that he is quite capable of finding his
rather think it might have been. . . . Well, own way around.
On the morrow, Adon insists on going off in that case, Im the one who stabled
on his own. (If any PCs protest or question your horse once or twice, and got Leave him be, says Midnight. He
this-since they havent been allowed to do walked on by you as you strode through knows where to find us later-and in the
the same thingKelemvor will growl some- the streets of Arabel, shining all over meantime, I think we should take advan-
thing like, Let him go. Hes too sullen to suit with blue-white light! tage of what this minstrel can tell us and
me anyway. Maybe being by himself for a show us. She smiles at the young man,
time will put him in a better mood.) (This strange story does make some and he returns her friendliness with a
sense to Midnight, who has begun to sus- sweeping bow.
The PCs, Kelemvor, and Midnight will go pect the true identity of the minstrel.
out as a group, orders Kelemvor, saying However, she is not sure enough of her Event 2: The
something about strength in numbers, in suspicions to reveal them to anyone else, Temple of Town
case we do discover something. For a and will feign ignorance if she is asked
slightly different reason, this decision suits about what the minstrel has said.) This event follows directly after Event 1.
Midnight just fine. Minstrel smiles at the PCs, waves his lute at
Midnight stares hard at him. And just the buildings all around, and says:
I need all of you as bodyguards, of what might your name be? she asks
sorts, Midnight tells you softly. If . . . softly. To understand Tantras these days, you
when . . . we do come across it, I expect must see the Temple of Torm first. Tis a
the tablet to be well guarded. After all, The young man bows again. Minstrel, grand thing to see, and Ill be proud to
he says innocently. Minstrel by name, take you there!
27
Minstrel will insist on guiding the PCs up Within, the PCs find a hive of activity. Men the layout, inner security, and true wealth
through rising streets of grand houses and scurry this way and that with barrows and or military strength of the temple, but he is
rich shops to the Temple of Torm. There, he hods of stone, rubble, and mortar. Dust is eager to (and the DM should use him to)
gets them through a guarded, high-arched thick in the air. Tapping noises can be heard pass on the following information.
iron gate, easily answering the queries of
the guards as to the tenets of Torms faith from several places. The temple is evidently The god Torm is here! His fall destroyed
(Never sleep without a watchful eye. Never being rebuilt. much of the temple in Tantras, but it is be-
leave a fault or gap in your armor or affairs ing rebuilt. He has proclaimed a new age of
for another day; fix it today, and youll A priest nearby, who is consulting a draw- stability and law for his followers, begin-
never be unready for danger. Guard the ing of this proposed side of the temple (all ning with his incarnation among them. All
weak, watch closely the stronger. A good obelisks and thrusting towers crowned through the mounting chaos in the Realms,
lock makes for honest guests.) and produc- with minarets), turns to look inquiringly at the faithful of Torm have worked on build-
ing a silver gauntlet of Torm when asked if the visitors. ing a new temple around their god and the
he bears Torms sign. golden, lion-headed statue that stood guard
He is Zaharen, a Lesser Eye (5th level within the door of the old temple. And the
If any PCs are watching Minstrel, they cleric) of Torm: AC 7 (10); MV 12; hp 37; #AT unenlightened have flocked to worship the
will see him draw up a neck chain, upon 1; Dmg by weapon (he carries a mace); Str Lord of Loyalty! Torm is the foundation of
14, Int 12, Wis 18, Dex 17, Con 16, Cha 14; law, order, and justice in these troubled
which are several holy symbols: the blood- AL LG; THAC0 18. Spells: cure light wounds times. His people must withstand those who
red sword of Tempus, the silver disc of Ty- (x2), detect evil, light, sanctuary; flame would tear asunder this rule of order for
mora, the wheat-sheaf of Chauntea, and so blade (x2), hear metal, hold person, spirir- their own gain and delight in destruction
on. Minstrels nimble hands slide them ual hammer; dispel magic, meld into stone. and suffering. These wreakers of havoc in-
down out of view until the gauntlet appears, clude the darkhelms and cruel mages of
whereupon he sweeps the other symbols up Note that while Torm is within the temple, Zhentil Keep, of course, but there will be
the chain (and over his shoulder out of others as well.
view, under his shirt) as he presents the all of Torms priests will have their magic
gauntlet of Torm for the guards inspection. work for full duration and effects. Midnight can sense powerful magic
within the inner temple: magic which she,
Minstrel smoothly introduces the PCs and If attacked, Zaharen can shout a warning as a nonbeliever, is not allowed to approach.
Midnight as visitors, supplicants if you will, to that will bring 20 or more lay worshipers The price of her entry is to fully, and for-
the temple of Torm the Mighty. He then hands and 15 or more priests on the spot within 5 ever, embrace the worship of Torm. Accord-
something to the guards (a thumb-sized ruby, rounds. (If magical silence prevails, Zaharen ing to Zaharen and other priests of the
if any PCs are looking) with the words, A can summon half that aid in the same time temple, worshiping Torm involves the re-
small, humble offering to further Torms great by hurling his mace through a great rose nunciation of her magic and the surrender
work. The guards allow them to pass. window which is under construction
nearby.)
Zaharen is eager for new converts and
glad to answer queries. He knows little of
28
of all her worldly goods, (especially magical Minstrel will sneak the party toward the fades away. She turns toward you smil-
items, books, and components) to the tem- hill by back streets. They are not seen by ing seems to exhale her held breath and
ple, a price Midnight will refuse to pay. soldiers, and soon reach the slope. looks around.
In the distance, the adventurers see that Ahead lady is something of interest to Suddenly she frowns. Wheres Min-
Adon has found his own way here, and is smil- you indeed: the local shrine of Mystra strel?
ing while he talks earnestly to a cleric of the Lady of Magic Minstrel says softly and
temple. If any PCs hail or try to approach him, leads the way up an old smooth-cobbled So other being will be able to feel the
Minstrel will subtly bar their way: street that dissolves into grass ahead. power pass into Midnight, nor will they be
able to touch her, drain the power, or pull
A man must find himself. Would you A smiling Minstrel kneels on the grass, in- her away from the bell as she touches it:
stand in his way and have him be for- dicating the shrine with a graceful wave of they will simply discover themselves held
ever half a man? his hand. It is simply the grassy crest of the immobile by an invisible wall of force. Nei-
hill, surrounded by an old, crumbling, knee- ther Midnight nor anyone else will be able
OFFSTAGE EVENT high stone wall. At its center stands a cylin- to make the bell ring or emit the slightest
On a deserted street in Tantras, Cyric and drical tower, made of stone blocks, rising sound at this time, no matter what they do
some 50 feet into the air. At the top, visible to it; pulling on the rope or striking the bell
the assassin Durrock find Kelemvor. Cyric between the stone pillars holding up the will simply have no effect.
hangs back to watch as the assassin pre- tower roof, hangs an apparently ancient
pares to attack Kelemvor. bell. The reason for Midnights question is that
in the excitement, as the blue glow sur-
Durrock is fast, but overconfident. Ke- Anyone who ducks through the small, rounded her, Minstrel (standing on the
lemvor appears unaware of his presence as open entrance at the base of the tower will ground outside the low stone wall) abruptly
he creeps closerand then Kelemvor see that a thick rope dangles down from the vanished into thin air. (If any players stated
calmly turns and runs him through when bell, ending about four feet off the ground. that their PCs were specifically watching
he is within steps of striking. An astonished A narrow stone staircase spirals up the in- Minstrel, thats exactly what the PCs see:
Cyric runs away, but not before Kelemvor side of the tower wall, ending at a small one moment hes there, and the next
recognizes him. landing about five feet below the bottom of blink!hes gone.)
the bell-close enough for someone stand-
Event 3: The Bell ing on this platform to reach up and touch An almightily puzzled Midnight comes
on the Hill the bell. back down the stairway and out of the
tower and walks slowly all around the hill.
This event follows Event 2 directly. After Midnight seems quietly awed by the sight
their conversation with the priests, Min- of the tower and the bell. Without asking Friends, Midnight says deliberately,
strel will softly advise the PCs, We could permission or waiting to see if anyone will frowning in her uncertainty, I wish I
come back another time, if youre especially follow her, she enters the tower and begins knew who or what Minstrel was. He
interested. Theyre rather busy now, and to ascend the stairway. (Walking is the only seems so damnably familiar. She sighs
weve attracted the attention of the temple way to approach the bell, since-as will be and looks around at you.
guards. Minstrel will point over his shoul- apparent if anyone tries-no magic of any
der; beyond, the PCs can see unsmiling sort will function within the confines of the Im beginning to be able to feel magic.
faces watching them steadily from small, low stone wall. If any PCs follow her, they It comes and goes: sometimes I know
arched windows set around the base of the will find that the stairway is too narrow for when magic is near. Its intensity, too, I
outer wall of the temple. two people to walk abreast, and the landing have some inkling of. And I cannot feel
at the top is only large enough to comfort- any more magic here.
Minstrel will then guide Midnight (with ably and safely hold two people at one time.)
the PCs, but without Adon, who has wan- Mystra left me a great gift, in this bell.
dered off deep into the temple, where Midnight climbs the stairs resolutely, Shes given me power, power I can still
guards and priests alike will forbid the PCs pauses briefly on the landing, and then feel burning within me. It is great,
to follow) all the way across Tantras, to the reaches out and touches the bell. It will friends, but it is not enough to be from
shrine of Mystra atop the hill at the south- seem like an old, cold, metal bell to any PC the tablet, even if a Tablet of Fate can be
ern edge of-the city. who touches it-but for Midnight, the expe- so transformed.
rience is quite unforgettable.
On the way, Minstrel warns the party: And yet the bell is the only thing Ive
She suddenly feels power surging into her yet found in the city that is at all magi-
One thing, friends: the soldiers have as she touches the bell, increasing her mas- cally powerful-except the magic I felt in
their barracks hereabouts. Common folk tery of magic. The DM should add a level to the Temple of Torm.
are not supposed to venture south of the Midnight immediately (she gains 4 hit points
fountain without approved business, and new spell use, with no training neces- And if Torm is within the temple, and
these days. But Ive noticed that if one sary) and read the following passage: the tablet is, toothen why hasnt he re-
avoids the fountain itself, around vealed this, or used the tablet to force his
highnoon, few folk seem to be around to Midnight touches the bell and gasps. A way out of the Realms, as Mystra tried to
watch. So, come you down this alley, and faint blue glow arises around her hands force her way out while we watched?
around here, and . . . and then seems to flicker around her. (This occurred in Shadowdale, the pred-
She stands taller and straighter as it ecessor to this adventure.) Cant the
gods feel the presence of tablets, or
know them when they see them? What
29
can Torm be doing? city walls, ysee. And . . . hem, thats all I sure death in this city, and might well do
Or, where else in Tantras is the tablet know. Good day. more harm than all the might of the
Zhentarim. We cannot proceed by raid-
hidden? Beneath the waters of the har- And with that the pipe returns to the ing the Temple of Torm.
bor, perhaps? Or in one of these thou- old mans mouth, and the door closes.
sands of homes and shops? Mystra aid us At that moment, Minstrel comes into
all! Midnight will not try to ask anyone else the taproom, arm in arm with Adon. The
about the bell, nor go in after the old man, cleric is laughing. You had us fooled in-
Midnight will discuss things freely with and will forbid the PCs to do so. She will set deed, old friend, he says, and Minstrel
the PCs for a short time at this point, but off toward the inn, frowning thoughtfully. grins at him in reply before turning his
then abruptly wince, and announce, Im. . . head to wink at all of you.
Im suddenly starving! I must eat! Let us go When the PCs arrive at the Lazy Moon, a
back to the Lazy Moon. But theres just one grim Kelemvor will be waiting for them. He Midnights eyes narrow and then sud-
thing I must do first! will tell them all about Cyric and the assas- denly become very bright. Elminster!
sin: she breathes. Elminster!
Midnight strides down the hill and knocks
on the door of the nearest shop. A curious, And when I stuck him, he was just open- Minstrel grins. Aye, lady. Well met, as
bewhiskered face, with pipe attached, looks ing his mouth to deliver his usual little they say. Now thy journey really begins.
out and blinks at her. homily . . . the words assassins whisper
in the ears of their victims, so that they Event 4: Reunion
Eh . . . howd ye get past the soldiers, all die knowing whos responsible . . . and and Disunion
of ye? Huh! Shields and swords and all; he said, For Ba! and then I got him. I
theyll be half screaming mad if they see know he was going to say, For Bane. Im This event follows directly after Event 3.
ye! afraid Cyrics a friend no longer, if its Still in his minstrel garb, but letting fall his
that master he serves. illusory youthful looks, Elminster plays
Midnight smiles. Yes, yes, I fear so. upon a small hand-harp as he sits down
Well be going back in a moment, but I We must watch sharp; hes lurking with the PCs, puts his feet up on an adjacent
must know one thing, first: this bell, somewhere in the city. Bane no doubt empty chair, and talks. As he plays on, oth-
here . . . how old is it? Who brought it wants me dead, for my treachery; ah, ers in the taproom slowly drift away, shuf-
here, and why? yes, I cheated Bane before he could cheat fling home or up to bed or off to do other
me, and no doubt hell have my death of tasks about the place, until Elminster and
Eh, lady, lady . . . theres some at goes it, before long, but he also wants this tab- the adventurers are quite alone (due to the
through life learning the answers to let were all after, and he wants a lady subtle magic of his harping).
fewer questions than that! Hold hard a called Midnight. And I, for one, aim to
moment, there! Well. . . hem, hem . . . the give him neither? The DM can use Elminster to explain any-
bell. The Bell of Aylen, folk call that. Who thing the PCs dont understand about the
put it there I couldnt tell ye. Its stood Kelemvor snarls silently at the tankard events that have befallen them, except that
there these hundred years past, before in his hand for a moment, and then lifts he will not talk about the recent events in-
there was a wall, I know that from the still-blazing eyes to look around at you. volving Cyric.
city records, when I worked down-and- So tell me, he prompts gruffly, the bur-
along. My father used to play around it den of your days doings. If PCs avoid asking Elminster things, have
when he was a youngling. And thats . . . the NPCs put questions to him. When the
a long time ago. Midnight will wave at the PCs to tell the old sage is asked about the bell (if the PCs
tale, breaking in only to say: dont do so, Midnight will), read the follow-
Aye, tis an old thing. Theres a tale or ing passage:
two about it, if I can just. . . ah, yes: only The tablet must be in the Temple of
a mage of great power can get it to ring, Torm. Or so I think, anyway. But I dont It is of the power of Mystra, Elminster
they say. Bit of a problem right now, if know how to be sure of that, or how to says softly. A great spell worked with
we needed it rung an all: there be no get it. Any ideas? the magic that slumbered here . . . until
mages in the city. Theyve all vanished, you, lady, came to claim it. I have been
belike, taken themselves off before the However, she will shake her head to any asked to say no more about it, by a
fighting gets here, I dont doubt! Thats plans the PCs come up with: greater one than I.
the problem with mages, ysee . . . they
never stand and fight with a sword, like, Were not snatching some bauble or ob- If asked about Shadowdale, Elminster will
but are always dancing around to burn vious treasure, Midnight says, exasper- reply:
thy rear . . . uh, hem, begging thy par- ated, but only looking for something
don, lady. that might not even be there, something Mourngrym and all are well, and re-
we are unsure of the protections upon building. The eyes and hands of Zhentil
Anyways, lady, that there bell, tis or the properties it might hold. An as- Keep are turned elsewhere; relative
said, will protect the entire city from all sault on the temple would mark us for peace reigns. If it makes thee all any the
harm for a whole day. It makes a sort of
barrier. The mage Alaskhon the Old
knew all about it, when he was still alive;
thats how they knew where to build the
30
happier neither he nor Lhaeo nor the You all know of the Black Brother. It has (At this precise momentunbe-
Harpers hold thee guilty for my death; I stood in hiding for as long as any of you knownst to the PCs at this time, but
have taken care of that. Ye must still an- can remember, for longer than the years which they will surely discover later
swer if ye return for what ye did to the even your oldest records recall. Know, every assassin in the Realms drops dead.
guards . . . . I would steer clear of the dale brethren, that I put it there. Long, long All of their souls now fill the great black
a few years yet if I were ye. ago I knew it would be needed. avatar of Bane.)
If asked about the Tablet of Fate, Elmin- Bane leans forward, eyes burning. Suddenly, the statue moves its hands
ster will say: The Brother is made of black glass, and turns. Banes avatar falls silent in
crafted by devils under my command. It mid-chant, mouth hanging limply open,
It is very near. If I knew precisely bears a special and very old spell, the and sags back upon the throne, drooling.
where, Id not be sitting here talking greatest of my working. . . the most per- The beholders glide out of the way, and
calmly to all of ye now. The other tablet ilous a god can ever undertake. It can the black glass juggernaut strides slowly
lies very far away, but its finding is swallow souls. They will give it life and and ponderously from the cavern, heed-
linked to the Sword Coast, near or in Wa- energy and power. The souls must all be less of the clerics it steps on.
terdeep, as far as I can learn. loyal to me, or at least my thinking, for
they must align under my command. You Elminster whistles a jaunty little tune
If a PC asks Elminster how he learned this must get those souls for me. and waves his hand. The crystal fades to
(or anything, for that matter): darkness, spins in midair, and then dwin-
Faint moans can be heard in the cham- dles, still spinning, until it is gone. He
By agreeing not to reveal my sources, ber. More than one of the black-robed comes here, the old sage says. Your
Elminster says dryly, and keeping that men is shaking. U-us, Dread Lord? one, turn to be heroes.
sort of promise these five hundred years braver than most, asks with white, trem-
and more, youngling. Conduct thyself Midnight is furious. This is all some
accordingly, and learn wisdom in thy bling lips. sort of game to you, isnt it? she spits at
turn. Bane smiles coldly. I am touched by him, eyes blazing. All across the Realms,
folk are dying, while you watch and flit
In answer to any queries about Banes your eager loyalty, all of you, he says here and there, humming and noting
present actions, read the following boxed thinly. No, you are too few to serve, al- things and enjoying the festival! All for
text. The DM should introduce this even if though you were my first choice. I shall your benefit, is it not? Youre no better
the adventurers seek to break off discus- need you to perform the necessary cere- than these swaggering gods, hurling
sions without bringing up this subject. mony, the Stealing of the Souls. power right and left with not a care for
any other creature! Your little vanishing
Elminster speaks with sudden urgency. There is an instant of heavy silence. act in Shadowdale nearly bought our
Hold! There is something of importance One of the priests faints, toppling silently deaths, on the spot! You hinted that if we
that ye must witness! Hush, all, and stay to the floor. His head strikes it with a hol- sought the tablets, wed best come to
still as death . . . and watch! low thud, and he lies motionless, a thin Tantras, and when we do, fighting and
ribbon of blood streaming slowly out- risking death all the way, you tell us that
He gestures, and then harps loud and ward from his body. Bane smiles again. there is something important we must
fast, casting a hand-sized crystal sphere see, and show us a deity talking about
into the air. It floats before you, growing The clerics of Myrkul, he explains, slaying thousands! That statue is on its
larger and brighter, as he plays on . . . are even now working a great Death way here, and no doubt you expect us to
and then, suddenly, you see images mov- Spell, one that requires knowledge of the stop it, dont you? You grinning old
ing within it: real names of all the assassins in Faerun. snake!
They will slay all the dark brothers in all
A cruel-faced, moustachioed man sits of Faerun for us, my brethren. We must Elminster smiles. Ah, spirit at last.
on a throne in a vast chamber with a pol- not. . . cannot . . . do less. You must steal Perhaps even enough. Well, Midnight,
ished black marble floor. His eyes burn those souls for me, and focus them here. what is the burden of thy wailing, truly?
like black flames, and you somehow Entertainment Ive given ye all, and to
know that this is more than a man: Bane At his gesture, a huge black statue spare. A little excitement, a few mo-
himself looks out of those eyes. wearing spiked armor (like the assassins ments of suspense to liven thy days, and
encountered earlier) descends slowly ye spit at me like a kitten. No gratitude,
Bane is softly explaining something to from the darkness overhead, sur- no delight in seeing me . . . ye wound me
a gathering of fearful men in the robes of rounded by four floating, spherical mon- deep, ye do indeed. This day finds ye all
high clerics of Bane. sters with eyestalks like coiling snakes alive and well, does it not? Yeve traveled,
around their uppermost curves, and and seen sights and breathed the air of
. . . This, my will, must be done. Your great single eyes and saliva-dripping far places, have ye not? What then irks,
diligent service alone can accomplish mouths below. They begin a rhythmic, so?
this, and you shall be rewarded for it. deep-voiced chanting.
Midnight shakes her fist at him. Being
Our friends of the many eyes will lead treated like trained dogs, gods frown on
the chant. Join in, all of you, my breth- you! Being sent hither and yon like igno-
ren. The time to serve me is now! Now! rant, unfeeling puppets, for no reason!
Now!
Elminsters eyes are steady upon hers.
The priests fearfully join their voices Was it really for no reason I directed ye
to that of Banes avatar, and swiftly, inex-
orably, the chanting rises into a fist-
shaking crescendo. A weird yellow-
green glow surrounds the statue.
31
here? Are ye that unseeing, indeed? Is it He gasps for breath again, looks The old sage closes his eyes, murmurs
for mere amusement that I battle gods around, and adds in lower tones, something, and gestures gently. For long
and race the lands over, burning what Spread the word, and rushes out. moments thereafter, he seems to sit listen-
unreliable Art I have left aiding this one ing to something no one else can hear.
and that, great and small? Is it for mere Midnight turns on Elminster. I sup- When he opens his eyes at last, he looks
amusement that I sit listening to thy pose this is another of the things you again at Midnight.
insults-I, who have shielded thee so have foreseen, or brought about? Well?
carefully as thy power grows? Learn to If you want me to follow your hints and I cannot be sure, though I seem to see
look, girl: learn to see! It is that under- pleas any longer, youd better tell me another giant, a golden colossus. . . but I
standing ye must nurture, even more more about this game youre playing . . . do sense great danger. When ye have
than knowledge and raw power of Art! now! Why does so much depend on me? used the Art as long as I have, ye will be
Ye must learn to see the true natures of What is all this about? Why are we here, able to feel its ebb and flow, as those
beings, before it is too late! and why is Torm calling all his wor- who wield it draw it in, hurl it forth, or
shipers together? twist it to their ends. A great tide is
Midnight stares at him, her face paling. drawing in about us, now. I fear a great
What do you mean? she whispers. If any PCs are worshipers of Torm, Mid- release of Art will come; something so
Shielded me? Why? night will forbid them to leave, as well as great as to destroy much that is near.
some of the inn staff who feel compelled to
Elminster sighs. Still, ye think only of heed the call, at least until the sage has ex- This city, for example. All the folk in
thyself, looking not to the needs and plained what is going on. it, including thyselves, for another. All
wants and plans of others. Look and lis- the trees and birds and growing things
ten, lady mage, and learn. Answers ye When people follow the bidding of for a long ride about; little things, as ye
hear but do not heed, sweeping on to mages and gods without asking ques- say. Mere details in this game I play, as
other things without thinking . . . so an- tions, Midnight says grimly, they tend you would have it.
swers I will not yet give. Look and learn, to get killed. If Im to learn wisdom, Id
for thyself. And learn wisdom, as quickly like to stay alive to do it. That will re- Elminsters lips twist sarcastically as he
as ye can. So much depends on thee. quire all of us together and healthy, so no looks at Midnight. I do know why Bane
running off anywhere, anyone, unless comes hither: he seeks to regain the tab-
At that moment there is a thunderous we all go, from now on. let he hid here earlier-ah, yes, it was
knocking upon the taproom door. A breath- he-and he seeks to force thee into open
less messenger bursts into the room. He is Elminster nods approvingly. Well said, battle, for it is Midnight now who in-
clad in nondescript hose and jerkin, but a lady. Ye see the difference, when ye trigues him, one mortal whose powers
gleaming gauntlet bounces from a chain think before rushing about doing things? and place in this chaos he does not un-
upon his chest. Splendid! As to thy questions, know ye I derstand.
am not all-seeing, nor infallible. I know
I seek the faithful of Torm! he cries, when not why Torm is calling on his faithful. I The tablet must be in the Temple of
he has breath enough to speak. All in this fear, however, that he will use their gath- Torm. I, too, have been searching the city
place who worship Torm, Lord of Loyalty, ered life-force in some way, perhaps to these last few days; I have come to the
Master of Duty, hearken! Torm himself battle the statue ye saw, that Bane com- conclusion that there is no other place it
commands you to come in haste to his tem- mands. I shall try to learn what I can. could be. They will be busy there now,
ple! Come to us, now, without delay! Torm scurrying to obey Torm. I can get ye in-
has need of you! side, and then, tis time to earn thy glory.
32
This chapter begins as Elminster tells the their motives for entering here? will be lost amid the Ethereal Plane for-
adventurers it is time for them to act. The Recent converts, Elminster answers ever.
DM should allow time for PC discussions
and preparation, and then run Event 1. smoothly, who have come to see that And with that, Elminster is gone, van-
loyalty to Torm offers the only hope for ished in an instant. You are alone in the
Event 1: Into the all of us. I have tested them and found depths of the Temple of Torm.
Temple them worthy. If you would also examine
them, I pray you do it quickly, so that we Event 2: Torm
When the PCs have prepared themselves may lend our strength to the ceremony. Tantras and the
for battle, read the following passage:
The guard hesitates only for a mo- Tablet
Elminster looks up from his harp, an in- ment, looking back over his shoulder to-
stant before any of you can interrupt to ward the interior of the temple. Your This event directly follows Event 1, after
tell him youre ready to leave. All pre- word is good, he says to Elminster. Elminster has left the adventurers in the
pared to be off bloodletting, then? Pass, and go directly forward to the Temple of Torm. The DM should be thor-
Swords sharp? Lets be on our way! large chamber, where Torm awaits. oughly familiar with this entire event be-
fore running it: there are many things to
Briskly he leads the way into the streets, Elminster smiles, nods, and strides into remember. Note that the magical defenses
seeking the Temple of Torm by the straight- the temple. You follow, leaving the guard of the Temple of Torm are not subject to
est route, ignoring the curious stares of Tan- behind. magical chaos at this time, with Torm in res-
tran guards and scurrying townsfolk alike. idence.
Along the way he explains to the group that Elminster will lead the adventurers
getting into the temple will be much easier straight into the temple, through areas #3 The adventurers will have to spend at
now than it was before-the followers of and #4 (see the map of the Temple of Torm). least some time exploring the interior of the
Torm are being called together for some ur- Despite the fact that the place appears all temple, and they should begin by heading
gent purpose, and the guards at the temple but deserted, he will urge his companions to north along the corridor that Elminster re-
arent likely to be too particular about refus- move quietly and carefully. The doors lead- vealed to them. Nowhere within the temple
ing entrance to anyone who wants to get in. ing from area #4 to #5 are slightly ajar, and will they encounter residents or guards (ev-
from within #5 the sounds of prayerful eryone has gathered in area #6 for the
Elminster leads you into an alleyway at muttering can be heard. Elminster halts in ceremony)except at the four entrances to
the base of the hill where the temple is front of the secret door along the north wall area #43. The fact that this place is still
located. Safe from prying eyes, he pulls a of area #4, opens it, and then turns to the guarded should be a tipoff that what they
bit of fleece and a pinch of sand from the party, speaking in a whisper: seek is within this chamber. When the PCs
pockets of his robe. He mutters a few syl- first pass by one of the entrances, read the
lables, waves his hands, and a minute Beyond those doors to the east lies the following passage:
later the sages body and face are tran- great chamber-if ye go there, ye will
formed into those of a strong young surely get caught up in the ritual. So we The inside of this diamond-shaped cham-
fighter, complete with a symbol of stop here; explore beyond this hidden ber is dimly lit. Just inside the entrance
Torms gauntlet dangling from a chain door, and let thy good sense be thy guide. you see a stern, motionless guard facing
around his neck. Am I not devastating? Now all stand still, for just a moment . . . away from the center of the room. You
he asks Midnight, flexing his biceps. Re- can make out the shapes of guards sta-
member now, everyone: when we ap- The old sage moves among you, touch- tioned at the other points of the diamond
proach the front gates of the temple, let ing each of you briefly, and one by one as well.
me do the talking. you wink out of sight. Invisibility will let
ye go where ye will, he says, but be The space between the guard and the
The sage strides on, with the adventurers sure to stay together-and move as qui- nearby walls is several feet wide, sufficient
in tow, and the group soon arrives at the etly as ye can; guards can hear even if for the adventurers to silently shuffle past
gates of the Temple of Torm. they cant see. When ye wish to be seen the guard in single file. The guard will not
again, say my name and the spell will be be aware of their presence unless they
The guard on duty smiles and holds up a broken. make noise or (of course) if they attack. If a
hand in greeting. Welcome, faithful! he guard is attacked or alerted, he wilt move
says, noticing the gauntlet symbol He reaches out and hands Midnight a away from the flagstone upon which he is
around Elminsters neck. Not a moment scrap of paper, adding these instruc- standing, and this action will set off an
too soonthe Ceremony of Power is tions: Open this, and read the word alarm that will bring the other three guards
about to begin. But holdthy compan- thereon only when you are ready to running to his aid.
ions bear no tokens of Torm. What be leave, and be sure all of ye are touching
each other, linked flesh to flesh. It will The guards are 6th level priests of Torm.
bring ye back to the inn. There is more All are AC 1 (full plate), and bear maces of
to do, for both ye and I, so rest assured I spellwarding (see New Magical Items, page
shall be waiting for ye, when ye come 45) as their only weapons. While they are
back. Mind ye, curb thy greed when ri- within this chamber, all priests of Torm able
fling the temple riches: this spell will al-
low ye to carry only one thing of magic,
each, above what ye already hold, or ye
33
to use the spell can call lightning as though a of Torm. ritual will come to a rousing climax.
storm were overhead. Each of these four Suddenly, off to the south, you can There is nothing invisible or hidden in the
priests has one call lightning spell, two dis-
pel magic, two flame blade, one withdraw, hear a rising, rolling chanting coming room. If the PCs investigate the mosaic, they
and two cure light wounds spells. from many throats. It grows louder, will find two hand-holds hidden in its de-
more insistent, and more exultant as you sign, disguised as joints of the gauntlet-
When the party advances into the cham- listen. covered hand.
ber, read the following passage:
Hurry! Midnight hisses suddenly. The entire palm of the gauntlet lifts noise-
The ceiling of this huge chamber is lost They may be coming in here, for all we lessly (one character with Str 16 or higher
in darkness overhead. The bare stone know! Hurry, and keep quiet! can pull it out) to reveal a shaft descending
floor has been polished smooth by many downward for thirty feet (2d6 falling dam-
feet, and swept clean of all dust recently. The chanting is coming from the High age to anyone pitching down; it has a
Holy Hall (area #6), where hundreds of wor- wooden ladder down one side) into a very
The room seems to be empty except for a shipers of Torm (clerics and nonclerics dimly lit opening below.
mosaic in the center of the floor worked alike) are gathered to hear the words of
in the image of the open-handed gauntlet their deity. In a short time (see below), this The shaft ends in a low, square, stone
chamber. Three large chests, the size of
wagon-trunks that merchants use (four of
them together fill the floor of a large
34
wagon), sit in a row upon the floor. A circle heard from above, and the sound of omi- the temple, causing many walls and ceilings
has been chalked around them, and the nous rumbling from outside this chamber to crack and collapse.
faint radiance in the small chamber (caused will begin. Two rounds thereafter, the ceil-
by a dim white faerie fire) emanates from ing of this chamber will collapse. Everyone in the small chamber when the
this. ceiling caves in must make a Dexterity
The Ceremony of Power was more than a Check or suffer 4d6 damage from falling
In the air above each chest float three dag- ritual. The avatar of Torm that was present rock (if the check is failed, save vs. petrifica-
gers, points downward, hanging unmoving in the temple (in the image of a handsome tion for half damage). Characters who take
in emptiness. Nothing else is visible in the man) drew upon the support of his wor- full damage are buried or pinned beneath
room. shipers, whose chants and supplications the debris, and must be freed by their com-
gave the avatar the power to possess a panions or perish.
DMs Note: great, lion-headed statue that stood within
From the moment the first PC sees this the High Holy Hall. As soon as the avatar Nothing will occur in the small room until
took this new form, it rose up and burst an adventurer touches or passes into the fa-
room, the DM should secretly keep track of through the ceiling of the temple (heading erie fire circle, which acts as a sort of elec-
real time, using a watch. After twenty-five off to join battle with the avatar of Bane). tric eye. At that time, the white radiance
minutes have elapsed, the chanting will rise Shock waves from this damage are quickly will instantly flare into brilliant light and
to a definite climax, then suddenly end. One spreading throughout the eastern part of change into the image of a huge spectral
round later, a great crashing noise will be
Ground Floor 13. Chancel. Closet containing holy (which are sold for a source of in-
symbols, sacred relics, and prayer- come).
Note: The descriptions given here scrolls. Off limits to all but clerics of 37. Weapons Workshop.
apply to the state of the temple in Torm. 38. Armory; the temples arsenal.
normal circumstances. Refer to the 14. Storeroom. Cutlery, dinner- 39. Smithy; two forges, worked by
text of the module for particulars ware, candles, often materials five strong priests.
that are true at the time this adven- needed to feed large numbers of 40. Hall Of Instruction. Classroom
ture is taking place. people. for lessons and meetings.
15. Vestry. Where clergy store their 41. Novitiate Quarters for all pos-
I. Guardpost. Three guards on robes and bless for ceremonies. tulants accepted for instruction in
duty at each post, all clerics of 4th- 16. Cooks Quarters. the clergy, and novice priests who
6th level in full plate (AC 1) and 17. Refectory (dining hall). watch over them; 12-16 persons
armed with maces of Spellwarding, 18. Guest Apartments. present at and time.
and iron staves (+1 on damage). 19. Spy Chamber (See #9). 42. Priests Dormer. Similar to #4I,
main (public) entrance is on west 20. Nave. Staffed by six guards. used by full priests (3rd to 5th level).
wall. 21. Service Entrance; locked door 43. The Overtomb. Chamber of soli-
guarded by six teeth of Torm. tude used for meditation and
2. Guardroom. Sleeping quarters, 22. Herbarium. prayer; always guarded by four vig-
occupied by 1d4 + 1 off-duty guards 23. Kitchen; visitors are not wel- ilant clerics (see text).
at all times. come. 44. Reliquary. The resting place of
24. Pantry (Meat and cheese). the temples most revered relic, a
3. Entry Hall. 25. Pantry (bread and vegetables). battered mace said to have once
4. Offeratorium. Lay worshipers 26. Wine Cellar. been wielded by Torm himself.
of Torm are barred entrance be- 27. Food Storage (dry goods). Guarded by a band of Torm spell, it
yond this area, where they can give 28. Food Storage (Seldom-used non- floats mysteriously in midair five
Offerings and receive blessings. perishables). feet above the floor.
5. Sanctum. Always staffed by a 29. Workshop. Broken and torn 45. Secret Side Entrance.
single priest kneeling in prayer. items repaired here.
6. High Holy Hall. Gathering place 30. Sanctuary. Prayer room, often The Undercellar
for clergy only. used as extra guest quarters.
7. Sacristy. Vestments and every- 31. High Priests receiving room; This area and the means of enter-
day items (chains, tables, etc.) stored locked and (usually) empty. ing it are detailed in the text. The
here; staffed by two junior priests. 32. High Priests Apartments; always small circle on the map shows where
8. Guest Apartments. very well guarded by magic. the vertical shaft comes out into the
9. Spy Chamber. Whenever #8 is oc- 33. Punishment Cell. chamber; the large circle around the
cupied, a priest is stationed here to 34. Proctors Quarters; second in chests is the area from where the fa-
eavesdrop ON visitors. command lives here. erie fire radiance emanates. The
IO. Chapel. FOR use by lay wor- 35. Upperpriests Quarters; shared ceiling in the room is 10 high. If any
shipers. by three powerful priests with at of the chests are dragged aside,
11. Confessional. least one of them herein at and time shallow graves will be found under-
12. Gates. Bars run from floor to 36. guardroom and weapons neath, containing nothing but the
ceiling; locks difficult to pick (-14%). room. Six guards watch over weap- bones of some very old priests of
1st level priests stationed inside ons crafted by temple workers Torm.
each gate to report on and who ap-
proach.
35
hand, enveloping the area. It is a Hand of sword +3, a dagger +2, longtooth, a it. Go! And I shall do what I must. . . . For,
Torm (a new priest spell, described in the brooch of shielding, a rod of cancellation (8 he adds with a crooked smile, I have
New Magic appendix beginning on page 45), charges) in a special protective case, and a played this game long enough that I be-
and it will constrict any adventurers within gem of brightness. gin to understand my part in it. He rises
the area of effect who do not have a holy with a gesture, and the harp and his
symbol of Torm in their possession. The spell triggered by Midnights reading robes vanish away, leaving him clad in
of the word on the piece of paper will bring what appear to be silver flames, flowing
Through the band, unaffected by its even dead characters back to the inn, as and rippling. Go, now! he says sternly.
magic, will flash the daggers, attacking any long as they are being touched by a living Tantras depends on thee! Fame awaits,
beings within the circle. They are teeth of character when Midnight reads the word. and the chance of living to eat a hot din-
Torm (also described in the New Magic ap- ner tonight, and other nights besides!
pendix). Each tooth strikes once per round, The NPCs will strictly adhere to Elmin- Ring the bell!
at one being, until that being leaves the sters warning about taking only one addi-
guarded area (the chalk circle). It cannot be tional magical item per person out of the The bell! gasps another voice. The
prevented from reaching a target, and dis- temple. Any PC who disobeys the restric- innkeeper, Faress, white and shaking,
pel magic will not cause it to cease in this tion, even unwittingly, will wind up fully stares at you open-mouthed from behind
case. A dispel magic cast on a tooth in this clad and with all gear, including the extra the bar. The bell must be rung? Hurry,
situation will cause it to become a +1 magic item(s), lost somewhere in the Ethe- thenhurry!
weapon, a second dispel magic will cause it real Plane.
to become nonmagical for attack purposes, Midnight nods, frowning. Right, then,
and a third dispel magic will slow the blades If a DM wants to be merciful, Adon can old sage. Your precious bell shall be
attacks to one per two rounds. Subsequent explain what he thinks happened to the rung. Why me, though? You are more
attempts to dispel magic will decrease the PC(s) upon the groups return to the inn, de- the master of Art than me, by far! Why
blades attacks to one every four rounds, scribed in the next event. Elminster will entrust this to me, if it is so important?
one every eight rounds, and so forth. sigh, shake his head, and mutter something Why cant you simply do it, and save us a
long and complicated indeed as he stares little excitement, this once?
The three chests are outwardly identical into a fist-sized crystal sphere plucked from
and unlocked. They are too heavy to lift midair. The character(s) will reappear sec- Elminster grins. And let thee go to thy
(empty weight more than 500 pounds) and onds later in the taproom, devoid of all graves never knowing the feel of saving
too large to be hauled out of the chamber clothing and possessions (the magic works the Realms? Nay; I be not that cruel. . . .
without destroying the ladder. The center only on living objects). Tis the greatest feeling in the world,
and southernmost ones contain some items lady! I cannot bring myself to rob thee of
of value (see below), but their latches are Event 3: Ringing it! As to why ye must, and not I . . . all will
trapped with sleep poison (save vs. poison the Bell be made clear in Waterdeep. He smiles
or fall unconscious for 4d4 rounds). and waves. Dont be long in getting
This event begins as the adventurers re- there, or yell miss all the fun! he says
The northernmost chest contains 36 cloth turn from the temple. Elminsters magic will and then he vanishes in a sudden flare of
bags, each one cylindrical, about two feet take them straight into the taproom of the blue light.
high and six inches in diameter. Thirty-five Lazy Moon, empty except for Elminster (sit-
of them contain 100 gold pieces each. The ting patiently at a table, with a tankard be- Faress bellows up the stairs, address-
thirty-sixth contains the Tablet of Fate. side him) and the astonished innkeeper. ing unseen tenants. The bell! The bell is
to be rung! Doom is upon us! He sees
The Tablet of Fate is of plain, weathered If Midnight is injured and the party has no you, still gathered in the room an instant
stone, two feet high, with rounded ends and means to deal with the problem, Elminster after Elminsters departure, and says,
edges. On its sides are engraved the names will speedily produce potions to see to her Tarry not, if you would be heroes! Ring
and symbols of the gods, and their divine healing. After the PCs have related their sto- the bell! Hurry! Hurry!
portfolios. It radiates no dweomer, but if ries and dealt with any necessary healing or
Midnight is still carrying the shatter-crystal redistribution of gear, read the following Outside, residents of Tantras are rushing
given to the adventurers by Lhaeo in Chap- passage: down the streets headlong, sprinting as if
ter 1, that crystal will shatter as soon as the their lives depended upon getting to the
lid of the northernmost chest is raised. Elminster coughs loudly. Are ye done, Temple of Torm before their next breath.
then? Finished plundering temples, and They will run over, around, or through any-
The southernmost chest contains loose all that? Theres more important things thing and everything in their way. PCs will
swords, maces, orbs, and scepters. All are to be about, ye know. . . . The old sage have to battle a path through them for the
richly chased and ornamented, and studded looks off into the distance casually. first 3 turns after Elminsters disappear-
with jewels. None are magical, although sev- ance, after which the city will be strangely
eral items in the chest have been imbued Midnight turns on him furiously. As if quiet except for a rising humming sound
with a Nystuls magic aura made everlasting we havent dared enough, while you sat coming from the general direction of the
by the application of a permanency spell. (If here tossing back ale! More important partially ruined Temple of Torm.
a PC detects for magic among the items in things to do? What else is it you want of
this chest and then takes a magical object us, then? If PCs wish to investigate this noise, read
away with him, he will discover later that the following:
his assumption was wrong.) Elminster sighs. There is one thing ye
could do, all of you. Get to the great bell
The center chest contains a similar collec- upon the hill. Midnight, ring it as soon as
tion of objects, among them eight items that ye can, and save all this city and those in
actually are magical: a staff of curing (21
charges), a rod of resurrection (14 charges),
a wand of wonder (50 charges), a short
36
Midnight says fiercely, Not now! What-
ever is going on, we shall seek to learn af-
ter we ring this bell! Irritating as that old
man may be, Ill grant hes learned some-
thing to stay alive five hundred years. It
the bell must be rung, we ring it, and
then I want some answers, by all the
gods, and if need be, from all the gods.
Come!
She sets a punishing pace, running hard Midnight screams Mystra preserve lightinglike energy glows around their
through the streets of the city. The DM us all! more in anger than in prayer and fists flaring as punches land. With each
should describe time-wasting obstacles charges toward the hill. blow the ground shakes even more and
such as abandoned carts blocking the way, buildings all around you shudder.
lost travelers asking directions, suspicious Before anyone can reach the base of the
Tantran guardsmen, persistent peddlers hill, vibrations will begin to move through At this point, some buildings will fall with
selling worthless amulets to save thy souls, the ground, coming from the north. within a roar burying terrified people running
goodfolk, now that the end of all worlds is at seconds, the shocks increase in intensity, to down adjacent streets.
hand! A panting Midnight, hair streaming the point where loose stone blocks are top-
behind her, remains at the head of the rac- pled from walls. Trees are heaved up and Come on! Midnight will shout grimly as
ing group. left canted at odd angles: buildings, wood she continues heading up the hill. Each
and stone alike, are twisted and broken; it is round there will be another tremor, requir-
Any attempt to use magic to shorten the as if the very ground has gone mad and is ing additional Dexterity Checks for any PCs
journey through the city, should fail: fly bent on destruction. who manage to remain standing.
spells will have only the effects of jump
magic, teleport spells will function only as The tremors and upthrusts are especially The juggernauts battle on, the destruc-
blink magic, in random (not always desir- powerful in the area right around the bell tion growing wilder: chain lightning leaps
able) directions, and so on. tower (but if anyone were on top of the hill, from them to rain down on tall buildings
they would see that the area inside the low and the ground, and wailing winds gust and
The noise to the north rises to a cre- stone wall is calm and unharmed). Any PCs buffet the city and the PCs. Cracks open in
scendo, and then suddenly ends. There is a who try to accompany Midnight in her the earth, swallowing horses and cityfolk in
flash of light in the air above the temple. At climb up the hill must make a Dexterity the streets below (the DM should threaten
this point, the characters magic should not Check or be thrown to the ground (1d6 the PCs with these fissures, but not harm
work reliably at all, and an electric tension damage; 1d3 rounds needed to regain ones any PCs). Everything rises to a shrieking cli-
will grow in the air. Short, blue bolts of feet). max, and then . . .
lightning can be seen arcing from building
to building. Some sort of charge is building While Midnight struggles to make her Midnight makes it to the top of the hill,
up. . . way up the hill, Adon will glance back over throws herself over the low stone wall, and
his shoulder. Look! he shouts to attract the staggers inside the bell tower. A moment
When the adventurers get within sight of PCs attention, and points toward the north: later she pulls on the ropeand it works!
the bell tower, read the following passage: The bell swings bath and forth its peals
Two juggernauts tower above the city causing a deafening noise. Any character on
Suddenly, just ahead, you see Tantran skyline, two glowing giants grappling the hill when the bell is rung must save vs.
guards with drawn weapons. Go no far- and punching each other like two huge spell or be stunned for 1d6 rounds. (Mid-
ther, one says grimly as they approach bullies brawling in a tavern. One is black, night will automatically fail her save). If any-
you, swords held menacingly. This area wearing the spiked armor of Banes as- one except for Midnight tugs on the rope,
is restricted to Tantran soldiers only. sassins; the other golden and lion- nothing will happen.
headed. As they smash each other,
In the next instant Elminster appears Immediately after the bell sounds, read
in a shimmer of light and waves his the following passage (for the benefit of any
hand. The guards fall senseless to the PCs who were not stunned):
ground.
Why dont you just ring the bell? Mid-
night screams at him, exasperated.
I cannot, he answers, in a voice that is
starting to fade away at the same time
that his form becomes blurred and in-
substantial. My power is akin to it; if I
touched it, the bell and I would destroy
each other. Something some folk would
welcome, I admit; but all of this city
would be riven with us. . . At that, his
body and voice both disappear.
37
There is a great flash of white light, and
an earth-shaking rumbling. Everyone is
thrown off their feet as the very earth
cracks open. Something silver and spar-
kling is rising into the air all around as
buildings leap into the air and begin to
fall, the world rocks, all people within
sight are thrown down, and birds tum-
ble helplessly past you, hurled out of the
air.
Through the rising, silvery radiance
(which begins to shimmer with rainbow
colors), you see the two juggernauts
slowly topple.
Slowly, ever so slowly, they fall from
view behind the glowing radiance. An in-
stant later, there is a shattering explo-
sion.
Bright light will temporarily blind any eral things. Within the city, in the spherical pieces of gold each, and a rod of beguiling
conscious PCs. Then they will be overcome, area of effect of the bell, all magic will func- with 29 charges. No priests of Torm seem to
knocked senseless by the discharge of en- tion normally (i.e., not subject to magical be left alive to explain things or offer resist-
ergy as the two colossi disintegrate. The av- chaos) for one day (24 hours to the minute ance to the party.
atars of Bane and Torm seem to have from the ringing of the bell).
vanished, probably consumed by the awe- If the PCs examine the gap in the wall or
come explosion. Although the city is damaged, the sur- specifically go seeking Elminster (where-
rounding land is blasted down to bare, upon they will be directed to the gap by an
A sphere of force created by the bell (that twisted, still-cooling rock, which has melted awed housewife), read the following pas-
will resist dispel magic and similar attempts and flowed in many places. Utter devasta- sage:
to breach it) will prevent anyone from leav- tion reigns in this area, and magic of any
ing Tantras for one day after the ringing of sort simply will not work. The minds of Elminster is standing atop the tumbled
the bell. The bell actually creates a shim- spellcasting characters will feel numbed blocks of a collapsed section of the city
mering, mist-veiled prismatic sphere of gi- and dazed while they are within this area, wall, looking grimly out over the devas-
gantic proportions, enclosing a spherical which extends for a radius of several miles, tation. He smiles at you and says, Ah,
wall of force and an anti-magic shell, these from a focal point just north of the city walls well done indeed. A little cataclysmic,
concentric spheres being protected both in- where the two juggernauts struggled. This perhaps, but it could not be helped.
side and out by spheres of spell reflection seared area will be magic-dead for 1d4 + 1 Other matters press now, so I must be
and spell turning. years. Inside and outside the city, there is no off. See ye all in Waterdeep! Mind ye
sign of the avatars of Bane and Torm. arent late! With a last smile and a wave,
Event 4: he vanishes into thin air.
Aftermath In the city, there is a great breach in the
north wall where the golden avatar of Torm Midnight looks wearily around at you.
When the PCs regain their senses, they made its way out of the city toward the ap- Well, she says in wry disgust, you
will be lying on the hilltop. Above them, the proaching juggernaut of Bane, crushing ani- heard the Great One. Lets get our gear
bells supports stand empty. The bell has mals and people underfoot as it went. The and get going.
vanished. surviving Tantran soldiers are busily filling
this gap with rubble. Kelemvor and Adon arrive at that mo-
Below the PCs lies a partially shattered ment. Did he say what I thought he
city. Some buildings have fallen. Many Soldiers are everywhere, working with did? Adon asks wearily. His hands and
streets are blocked with rubble. Dazed citi- renewed vigor now that the doom they robes are stained with blood that is not
zens are picking their way through the foresaw has been averted. They know well his own. Kelemvor just shakes his head.
wreckage trying to salvage what they can. that this Time of Troubles is not over, and
All is hushed. The air and ground are still. they are preparing for other attacks. Perhaps we could save time by sailing
to Suzail, or Westgate, says Midnight
Midnight will be dazed for a round or The Temple of Torm lies in ruin, shattered grimly, but Ive no wish to ride the
two. Kelemvor and Adon will see to her, de- and fallen. The golden avatar had burst waves an instant longer than I must,
cide that she will be all right, examine the carelessly out of it, weakening the struc- when Umberlee and who knows what
PCs to make sure they did not sustain mor- ture, and in the great blast that ended the other fallen gods or leviathans are lurk-
tal injuries (rendering what aid is neces- battle of the two juggernauts, the magic ing just below. It seems that the old sage
sary), and then crisply direct the PCs to see which held up the temple failed, and it col- wants us to see every hill and dale be-
to Midnights safety, while they go to help lapsed entirely. tween here and the Sword Coast, so we
tend the wounded. may as well get started.
If the PCs explore the ruins of the temple,
If the PCs explore, they will discover sev- allow them to find four potions of healing, a
mace + 1, seven cloth bags containing 100
38
Kelemvor agrees. I always wanted to west to the Bloodstone lands to the north. thing the PCs may find satisfying, too). A re-
see Waterdeep, he says sardonically. At the same time, renegade cults and fusal of the three NPCs to leave Tantras for a
How about you? time may force the PCs to stay, too, as raid-
priesthoods such as The Cult of the Dragon ing brigands, monsters, and Zhentarim be-
Ending the and the followers of Moander, as well as come suddenly too strong for the PCs to
Adventure thieves guilds and other clandestine organi- handle by themselves.
zations made suddenly desperate by the dis-
If this module is being played singly, or if appearance of their assassins, will mount Perhaps a Harper agent could also surface
the DM wishes to take play in a different di- confused, inept terrorist raids, sabotage at- to spy on the PCs, as a minstrel (who looks
rection at this time and not continue on to tempts, and vendettas everywhere in the suspiciously like Elminsters disguise, per-
FRE3, Waterdeep, then Midnight, Adon, and area, trying to further their own mysteri- haps because Elminster hastily copied his
Kelemvor should leave the PCs and head ous ends in the general confusion. appearance when searching for the PCs)
straight for Waterdeep. With them will go who follows the PCs around, asking them
the attention of Myrkul and Cyric, leaving The DM can guide the PCs as desired or about their adventures so as to make up bal-
the PCs to contend only with the risen Zhen- let them choose their own course of action, lads about their valor.
tilar, the ambitious Zhentarim, the wide- probably beginning with a voyage on The
spread chaos of Art and nature, and Sea of Fallen Stars to Sembia, Cormyr, or This Harper agent could be a helpful liai-
rampant bandits and looting. Westgate. An interesting campaign could son, leading PCs to potential tutors in the
arise out of the chaos that grips the land at city, or a Zhentarim who leads them into
In the Dragon Reach area, Sembia will this time. ambushes, or merely a bard full of local lore
move quickly to seize Scardale from the that may lead the way to side adventures
Zhentilar, and both Hillsfar and Mulmaster If play will continue with FRE3, Water- (finding a lost dragon lair and hoard, recov-
will try to exploit the lack of Zhentish naval deep, the PCs will set forth with Midnight,
superiority in the Moonsea by attacking her ering a smugglers cargo hidden in the
shipping, blockading her harbor, and mus- Kelemvor, and Adon on their voyage west- sewers of Tantras and guarded by now-
tering warriors for attacks upon her. ward. Be advised that Cyric, fourth of the hungry lizard men, uncovering a drow-led
Mulmaster will firmly block the northern NPC companions, is still alive, and will be plot to seize control of Tantras or at least
end of the River Lis by sinking old barges following the PCs with his own plans in most of its merchant fleet).
and rotting cogs and stationing six ships mind.
crammed with catapults and archers An entire campaign can be set up in Tan-
nearby. Passage from the Dragon Reach The events of Waterdeep will follow di- tras, with the DM shaping and detailing the
into the Moonsea will be temporarily impos- rectly after this module. If you do not yet city to his own ends as play develops (and
sible. have FRE3, delay the PCs and the three the shattered city rebuilds itself). If a DM
NPCs by handing them a temporary lack of desires to later continue on to the Water-
The trapped Zhentilar will try to break transportation (i.e., no boats remain intact deep module, of course the Zhentarim have
back through to the Moonsea, and the entire in the harbor after the great explosion). always wanted to control a port on the
region will rise in arms, from Cormyr in the This creates a chance to rest and recuperate Dragon Reach itself. They might well
(and perhaps find tutors to advance in choose to invade in force at this time, trying
levels), and a chance to allow Midnight to to take the city by stealth (and slay or drive
develop her newly found powers. Adon and out all adventurers who might thwart their
Kelemvor can help in tending the injured plans) where the force of Banes frontal at-
and rebuilding the city, to keep Tantras an tack, or the abortive invasion by their Zhen-
oasis of order and safety amid the strife and tilar soldiery, have failed.
chaos now widespread in Faerun (some-
39
This section describes four major non- bility, levitate, locate object, scare, shatter, abilities, such as immunity to normal weap-
player characters, one of whom (at least) be- wizard lock; clairaudience, clairvoyance, ons, apparently extend in a weakened form
came involved with the PCs in the previous feign death, fireball, fly haste, hold person, to his human shape. While he takes damage
module in this series, Shadowdale. They are infravision, material, suggestion, water from normal weapons, he regenerates from
the four main characters of The Avatar Tril- breathing; dimension door, enchanted their effects at the rate of 2 hit points per
ogy novels, and are described more fully in weapon, fire charm, fire shield, ice storm, round.
accessory FR7, Hall of Heroes. Leomunds secure shelter, massmorph,
polymorph other, polymorph self; 2 daggers Due to a twisted permutation in the fam-
It is recommended that all four of these (one at belt, one hidden in boot), staff, two ily curse, Kelemvor must be paid to per-
NPCs be used to accompany the PCs at vari- flasks of oil, one potion of healing in a steel form any deed not in his own best interest.
ous points in the adventureintroducing vial, and a pearl of power (allowing Mid- (The original lycanthrope could not take
them into the story as described in Chapters night to recall two 1st level spells), sewn money for any such altruism.) Otherwise,
1 and 3although technically, Midnight is into a garter worn beneath her robes. he becomes a panther until he drakes blood.
the only NPC who must be in the adventur-
ing party for the story of Tantras to unfold Midnight is a thin woman in her late 20s, Since Kelemvor cannot control his trans-
in proper fashion. with a slim, catlike body. She has jet black formation into a panther, his lycanthropy
hair, deep ebon or scarlet (depending on her rarely works to his advantage. In battle,
MIDNIGHT ARIEL mood) eyes, and darkly tanned skin. Her however, Kelemvors panther form is terri-
MANX hair reaches down to her waist, but Mid- fyingly vicious. The werepanther attacks as
night usually keeps it in braids. a 5 HD monster, striking with the claws on
Human Mage, Level 7 (at beginning of ad- its two front paws for 1d4 each, and biting
venture; becomes Level 8 in Chapter 2, Midnight was in her youth unruly, rest- for 1d8 damage. Moreover, the werepan-
Event 4, and rises to Level 9 in Chapter 5, less, argumentative, and bored. Her mer- ther is considered to have 18/94 Strength
Event 3, gaining 4 hp and increased spell ca- chant parents lacked, it seems, any for the purposes of attack and damage bo-
pacity each time) imagination or dreams. Midnight sought nuses (+2, +5).
Str 6 both, earning her nickname from her ex-
Int 16 cursions into the local night life, and it was The werepanther can only be harmed by
Wis 10 after a tryst with a conjurer named Tar that silver or magical weapons of at least +1 bo-
Dex 11 she then set her sights on magic. nus. It possesses keen night vision that en-
Con 10 ables it to see in near-lightless conditions,
Cha 17 She began to feel a presence observing acute hearing, and a precise sense of smell.
HP 9 (rising to 23, then to 27) her from time to time. When Sunlar, a high
Alignment: Lawful Neutral priest in the Deepingdale temple of Mystra, In appearance, Kelemvor is a muscular
Worships: Mystra, Goddess of Magic singled her out for special attention, he fu- and ruggedly attractive man in his early 30s
Armor Class: 10 eled her suspicions that she had been se- with long black hair.
Equipment: Spellbook containing armor, lected for some great destiny.
charm person, comprehend languages, Kelemvor is a mercenary who grew rest-
feather fall, magic missile, run, Tensers Midnight is outwardly scrappy and tough, less and came to Arabel (prior to the start of
floating disc, identify, read magic, shocking close-mouthed about her past and her FRE1, Shadowdale) in search of some-
grasp, sleep; continual light, darkness 15 powers. She enjoys being mysterious, and a thing-what, hes not sure, but something
radius, deeppockets, detect evil, ESP invisi- focus of male attentions-and she knows more than senseless killing. Born into a mili-
that some important destiny lies just ahead tary family, Kelemvor grew to hate his fa-
of her. ther, and ultimately slew Kendrel
Lyonsbane when he first became a were-
KELEMVOR LYONSBANE panther in a moment of extreme rage.
Human Fighter, Level 5
Str 17
Int 15
Wis 13
Dex 16
Con 18
Cha 14
HP 44
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Armor Class: 4
Equipment: Chain mail & shield, short
sword, bastard sword, lance, bow, dagger,
three potions of healing in steel flasks.
Kelemvor is a fierce fighter whose natural
fighting skills are more than a match for
most foes. He does not shy away from at-
tacking foes who outnumber him tenfold.
He is a werepanther, and his lycanthropic
40
CYRIC the end. He stole to support himself as he joyed idle luxury all too much. Seen as
event, journeying about the Dragon Reach weak-willed and overly concerned for his
Human Fighter/Thief: Character with Two and the ports of the Inner Sea. He returned appearance, but not enough concerned
Classes; 3rd level Fighter, formerly 5th level to Zhentil Keep to learn about his family. He with spending money wisely, Adon did little
Thief may have found his father, but that man in his youth.
was killed before Cyric had a chance to
Str 17 (+1 on attacks, +1 on damage) learn more about him. It was then that His father, increasingly angered, tried to
Int 11 Cyric decided he must abandon his life of educate his son in the ways of the world by
Wis 10 thievery. He became a fighter and worked sending him to far-off cities. On the night of
Dex 15 for causes he thought were just. He met and his 15th birthday, Adon had a sudden reve-
Con 15 befriended Adon and Kelemvor while lation. He revealed to his parents his incred-
Cha 15 vvorking as a guard in Arabel, desperately ible belief that Sune Firehair would raise
HP 14 afraid that someday his past might resur- him to divine power to be her consort upon
Alignment: Lawful Evil face. his attaining manhood. On the spot, he
Armor Class: 1(9) primly resolved to become a cleric.
Equipment: Plate mail, small shield, long ADON
sword, short sword, dagger, hand axe, coil Adon sees himself as a crusader, fighting
of 100 of black waxed rope, grapnel, 1 set Human Cleric, Level 5 injustice and indecency wherever he goes.
of thieves picks and tools hidden in a Str 11 He always has a cause, and reveres women
hollowed-out wooden crutch, 16 empty can- Int 9 to the point of quickly exasperating most he
vas sacks with leather thong drawstrings, 3 Wis 15 meets. Adon would like everyone in the
flasks of oil, 6 iron spikes, mallet, dark- Dex 12 Realms to care more for others, and came to
lantern, 12,000 gp in gems. Con 12 Arabel to see if he could begin to make a dif-
Cha 13 ference in this cruel, confusing world.
Born in the back alleys of Zhentil Keep, HP 25
Cyric never knew the names of his parents Alignment: Neutral Good After the events of Shadowdale, the first
(although he suspects his father was some- Worships: Sune Firehair module in this series, Adon experiences a
one of influence in the Zhentarim). One Armor Class: 2
morning his mother was found in the street Equipment: Plate mail, large shield, mace, sort of breakdown, and will often numbly
with her throat slit, and his father was no- war hammer, 2 vials of holy water, 3 flasks sit and do nothing unless goaded into action
where to be foundso Cyric, still a babe, of oil, a pack containing a wooden rack in by his companions. He will slowly come out
was sold to slavers. which are six glass vials-tall potions of heal- of this, noticeably improving in Chapter 4 of
ing), a scroll containing the spells command, this adventure, and coming fully to life in
He ended up with a wealthy family in detect evil, detect magic, protection from Chapter 5.
Sembia, but always felt out of place. Cyric evil and purify food & drink, and a note-
was always curious about far-off lands and book of mediocre love poems.
customs. After causing his Sembian foster
parents a great deal of grief, he ran away, An only child, Adon was born to wealthy
and nearly starved in the wilderness. and beautiful parents, Abrasax and Phyli-
Forced to steal to survive, Cyric reached a cia, both devout worshipers of Sune. Vain
city and eventually fell into membership in but plain, Adon lacked ambition-but en-
its thieves guild, where he remained for
four winters.
His love of traveling took him onward in
41
This section details the avatars of the gods display it. to less powerful versions of similar spells.
that play a part (directly or indirectly) in the HD: Hit Dice. The number of hit dice the
events of Tantras. These are but four of the The avatars likely to be encountered by
many avatars that have been cast down to avatar has. the PCs are these:
Faerun during the Time of doubles. Far THAC0: Acronym for To Hit Armor
less powerful than usual avatars assumed AZUTH (Demipower)
by divine beings, they are the result of pos- Class 0: the score needed on a 20-sided die
sessing human or humanlike bodies. These to hit an opponent who has an Armor Class AL: LN (NG); Symbol: A human hand, fore-
are the gods: no god has multiple avatars or of 0. The score needed to hit other Armor finger pointing upward, outlined in a nim-
a simultaneous existence on other planes Classes is easily calculated from this num- bus of blue fire.
during the time covered by this series of
modules. ber. Note that THAC0 does not take into ac- Azuth, the High One, is a mage of legend-
count adjustments to the attack roll due to ary power (the Elminster of his day) whose
The DM can freely modify the minor strength, skills, or magic. kindly and loyal aid to a succession of Magis-
powers of avatars used in play to explain ters led Mystra to offer him service. As her
spectacular magical effects, physical feats, SpA: Spell Ability. The class and level at trusty right arm, Azuth has served her
powers, and so on. Magic may have (tempo- which the avatar casts spells (M=mage; well.
rarily, at least) ceased to be reliable, but CL=cleric).
most deities are still the equivalent of at Appearing as a kindly but powerful old
least a 12th level mage, able to unleash full MV: Movement. How fast, in distance per man, with an imposing bearing, beard, and
magic. round, the avatar moves (F1=flying speed). agile physique, Azuth traveled about
Faerun serving Mystras ends with unshake-
Avatars can be slain, but unless energy AC: Armor Class. This is the avatars fron- able loyalty.
drain, wish spells, or similar magics are em- tal Armor Class, including dexterity, magi-
ployed to drain the avatars of their divine cal protections, and innate durability. The Azuths unambitious nature and relative
energy, magical safeguards prepared be- AC may be worse if the avatar is attacked familiarity with the Realms have allowed
forehand by most deities will enable them from behind or from the flank. him to weather the Fall with more serenity
to survive a death that destroys their than most deities, although the chaos affect-
physical form. However, the scattering of hp: The avatars hit points (always less ing all magic has made his mighty Art less
their energies may prevent them from tak- than those of the deity at full powers). reliable than usual. His actual magical
ing another avatar for 1d6 weeks or longer. strength has been reduced only slightly by
#AT: Number of Attacks. The number of The One Who Is Hidden, but Azuth is not
The DM should note that no glyph or sym- attacks the avatar can make in a single the sort to take advantage of this by wan-
bol magics have any effect on avatars (ex- round. tonly attacking other beings. Azuth is elu-
cept to attract their attention). All avatars sive and mysterious, and will seek to avoid
can hear their names spoken anywhere in Dmg: Damage. The hit points of damage most confrontations.
Faerun, along with the next nine words of inflicted by a single avatar attack.
the same speaker. Avatars also detect the HD 10; THAC0 14; SpA M 22; MV 14, Fl 16;
speakers voice-likeness, distance, and di- MR: Magic Resistance. The chance of a AC -5; hp 77; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6; MR 50%; SZ
rection (although they usually ignore the spell failing when used against the avatar. In M; Str 15, Int 23, Wis 19, Dex 18, Con 15,
ceaseless babble this creates in their minds). this adventure, this factor should be applied Cha 16, regenerates 1 hp/turn.
Many weapons can affect these weakened in addition to magical chaos. The deitys
avatars. normal MR is usually about twice as high as Symbol of Azuth
that of its weakened avatar.
Destroying an avatar may or may not de-
stroy the being; some deities will survive ap- SZ: Size. An avatar can cause the pos-
parent death in avatar form, existing as sessed body to grow larger (or shrink
entities akin to ghosts. Such ghostlike an- smaller) by 50% of its normal size.
ima forms cannot be turned, and can be-
come invisible at will. They can perform High Ability Scores: The 2nd Edition
magic, have a ghosts attacks, and have half Players Handbook gives details of the in-
the avatars hit points. creased powers and abilities conferred by
ability scores higher than 18.
It is recommended that the DM use direct
appearances in play by avatars sparingly; it For purposes of the avatar descriptions
is hard to excite or awe players whose char- below, note that high Intelligence confers
acters are battling the thirteenth or four- immunity to believing illusion/phantasm
teenth avatar of the day. spells, as follows: 19 Int results in automatic
disbelief of 1st level spells; 20 Int results in
Abbreviations disbelief of 1st and 2nd level spells, and so
on, up to 24 Int, which allows automatic dis-
AL: Alignment. Indicates the deitys be- belief of all illusion/phantasm spells of 6th
havior. A second listing in parentheses after level and lower.
the alignment indicates a deitys tendency to
stray from the primary alignment. Also, high Wisdom confers the ability to
throw off the effects of certain charm-like
Symbol: The sign by which the deity is magics and magical effects, as follows:
known; an avatar may or may not choose to
19 Wis: cause fear, charm person, com-
mand, friends, hypnotism
20 Wis: forget, hold person, ray of enfee-
blement, scare
21 Wis: fear
22 Wis: charm monster, confusion, emo-
tion, fumble, suggestion
23 Wis: chaos, feeblemind, hold monster,
magic jar, quest
Note that the above list assumes immunity
42
Symbol of Bane Myrkul, Old Lord Skull, often appears as a age, rather than engaging in face-to-face
flying, burning-eyed skull trailing a shad- combat. (In normal times, it is Myrkuls
BANE (Greater owy teardrop of ectoplasm. This is an un- way to quickly retreat to Hades if seriously
Power) limited range projected image; his avatar is threatened, by using one of his gates. These
full form-a cloaked, animated corpse. are permanent portals, set up long ago and
AL: LE; Symbol: A black human hand, The corpses used by Myrkul disintegrate usable by anyone; Myrkul cannot quickly
open but with thumb and fingers aligned to- rapidly, and so tend to be more skeletal than turn off a gate, but all are guarded by min-
gether, sometimes on a red field or sur- zombielike. The head of The Lord of Bones, ions loyal to Myrkul at the Hades end. Dur-
rounded by a nimbus of red flames. however, will always be a bare skull. ing the Godswar, The One Who Is Hidden
has turned all such gates into disruptive
Bane, The Black Lord, is a thoroughly evil Myrkul is in an uneasy alliance with Bane. traps for avatars; contact with them causes
and malicious being who revels in strife and Both know they cannot trust the other, but wrenching pain, and if the avatar persists in
tyranny. His actions were a major cause of both hope to emerge triumphant from the trying to pass through, through, dispersal
the Fall (although he does not realize that final confrontation, after they have de- of the avatars form.)
The One Who Is Hidden knows the full ex- stroyed the other gods. Both believe that if
tent of his deeds), and he sees the Fall as a they wrest the divine power from the ava- HD 18; THAC0 14; SpA M 23; MV 12, Fl 18;
rare opportunity to enforce his will upon tars they destroy, and wield the Tablets of AC -4; hp 136; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (+ 1 Str bo-
humans and gods alike, slaying those he can Fate together, they can destroy or at least nus) plus 1d4 chilling damage (see below);
and enslaving or duping the rest. defy The One Who Is Hidden, and emerge MR 45%; SZ M; Str 16, Int 18, Wis 23, Dex
as Rulers Of All. (Interestingly, this parallels 15, Con 25, Cha 9, regenerates 2 hp/round.
Bane often appears as a handsome, black- the prophecies of The Cult of The Dragon,
haired man of oily looks and a derisive, even which believes that dead dragons will even- Myrkuls chilling damage-which can be
cruel manner. He can change his appear- tually rule all of Faerun, and later, all other conferred by a bare-handed attack or a
ance at will to any other human form, but planes as well.) weapon blow-is identical in effects to a
will always favor black garments, hair or chilling touch spell: 1d4 damage (no save),
adornment. When angry, his eyes flicker as Myrkul has possession of one of the Tab- plus save vs. spell to avoid a l-point
red as fire. He is familiar with the Realms lets of Fate-being kept in the Realm of the Strength loss; lost Str returns at 1 point per
because of his love of meddling with affairs Dead (a region in Hades), where his own hour.
there, and will use this knowledge to full ad-
vantage as he seeks a military ascension to Symbol of Myrkul By touch Myrkul can also exercise addi-
seize power from The One Who Is Hidden. tional powers (usable in combination with
After all, who better than Bane should rule Castle of Bones is located. Myrkul is denied physical and chilling damage, if he desires).
all? And who stands to stop him? access to the Realm of the Dead at this time, He can animate undead indefinitely. If skele-
robbing him of much of his power (which tons or zombies, they obey him absolutely;
HD 19; THAC0 10; SpA M 21; MV 16, Fl 24; he has tended to invest in items), but he be- if of greater power, they must perform one
AC -3; hp 96; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (plus Str bo- lieves that The One Who Is Hidden does not service for him (treat as a command spell)
nus) + 2d6 tissue burn MR 40%; SZ M; Str know that the tablet is hidden there. and are then free-willed. He can also disrupt
17 (+ 1, + 1), Int 24, Wis 21, Dex 17, Con 19, Myrkul has also concealed the precise undead (destroying them instantly and for-
Cha 16, regenerates 2 hp/round. whereabouts of the tablet from Bane, just as ever, to dust that not even he can reani-
Bane has kept the precise hiding-place of mate), as he wills. Myrkul cannot by touch
MYRKUL (Greater the tablet in Tantras from him; thus the two seize control or command existing undead
Power) gods feel that they have protected them- above the power of skeletons and zombies;
selves enough to work together. he can influence only those undead he him-
AL: NE; Symbol: A skull or skeletal hand self animates.
(sometimes combined, with the hand issu- Myrkul is somewhat haughty. He thinks
ing from the mouth of the skull). nothing of lesser gods as well as no-account On living creatures, Myrkul can at will
cattle (mortal creatures). He will prefer to confer flesh rot, the mummy disease. It is
frighten or awe such personages (the PCs, fatal in 1d6 months, negates all cure
for example) by taunting them with his im- wounds spells, causes infected creatures to
naturally heal at only 10% of the normal
rate, and causes a permanent Charisma loss
of 1 point at the end of two weeks, and 1
point per two weeks elapsed thereafter.
Touched creatures are allowed a save vs.
poison to avoid, but must save again for
each touch that Myrkul makes.
A side effect of Myrkuls touch (make an
Intelligence Check to end this, checking
once per turn) is that living creatures see all
those around them as moving, talking,
clothed skeletons, and cannot see flesh (in-
cluding expressions, moving lips, etc.). This
does not mean that an adventurer will auto-
matically assume that his or her comrades
have become undead; the DM should simply
describe the effect to the player, and let the
player decide how the PC will react.
43
Symbol of Torm which does double damage against some Torms avatar lacks many of the gods
undead and other creatures which are powers but retains the abilities to, at will,
TORM (Demipower) from, or draw power from, the Negative feather fall, know alignment (60 radius),
Material plane. It can, upon command, shed detect invisibility, and use true sight, hold
AL: LG (LN); Symbol: A metal gauntlet light equivalent to full sunlight. This sunray portal, and without restriction pass or part
(that of a human right hand, fingers and power may be used only once per day, and all locks and wards (not, however, escaping
thumb together and pointing upwards, begins as a 10 radius globe centered trap effects). He acts at all times with per-
palm open), sometimes enclosed within a around the sword wielder, expanding 5 feet sonal free action (as the wearer of a ring of
triangle of bare-bladed swords. per round to a 60 radius globe. Thereafter free action does, free from hold, slow, and
it fades to a dim glow (suitable for illumina- similar magics, and natural or magical webs
The God of Duty, Loyalty, and Obedience tion only) which lasts another 10 rounds. or bonds). Torm is never surprised, and
is a great fighter the faithful war-arm of need nearer sleep. For all his talents, he is
Tyr, Lord of Justice. Unfortunately, Torm He also carries a short sword of
was separated both from Tyr and from his not all-knowing or a great strategist; his
own weapons and armor of power during quickness, a +2 magical weapon which strengths lie in diligence and attention, and
the Fall, left to his own devices. He decided strikes first in every combat round. he is unaware that a Tablet of Fate is hidden
that only through strict adhesion to law and in his own temple. i(Do not, of course, reveal
authorityhis owncould the Realms be Torm expects his faithful to obey him in- this to the players!)
freed of the chaos brought on by The Fall of stantly and without argument, because thats
the Gods, and he set about establishing or- what loyalty is all about (questions and sugges- HD 14; THAC0 13 (+3 Str bonus); SpA M
der from his temple in Tantras. In other tions are acceptable, as long as they dont in- 12, CL 18; MV 17, Fl 24; AC0; hp 112; #AT 1;
times, his dispassionate (some would say volve direct challenge or delay). He believes he Dmg 1d6 (+ 7 Str bonus); MR 30%; SZ M; Str
ruthless) rule might seem irksome in the ex- must enlighten nonbelievers, but will not co- 19 (+ 3, + 7), Int 18, Wis 19, Dex 18, Con 18,
treme but amid the chaos of Art and na- erce them into following his fill. If they Cha 15, regenerates 1 hp/turn.
ture, with half of Faerun risen in arms and refuse, they are nothing, and may be treated
strife, it was welcomed by many. People all as such by all thinking creatures.
around the Dragon Reach began coming to
Tantras, to join the faithful of Torm.
Torms present avatar (when he first
(comes to Tantras) is a fine-featured, fair-
haired man of firm speech, piercing grey
eyes, and a ready sword. Sear the climax of
this adventure, Torm draws additional
power from the fervor of his worshipers
and thereby takes a new form for his ava-
tar: that of a lion-headed warrior, in the im-
age of a statue that has been located in the
worship hall of his temple. (Statistics given
below are for this form, which has a better
armor class and more hit points than his hu-
manoid avatar.)
Able to see magical auras, upon his arrival
in Tantras he immediately appropriated the
finest weapon in his temple, a sun blade.
This is a bastard sword of +2 power, +4
against evil creatures (including avatars),
44
Spells second Strength Check to pass out of the Elminster does what he does. The spell is
guarded area at any other point except at Elminsters own invention, and one of the
Hand of Torm (Evocation) the one entered. Failure will cause the crea- magics he is most proud of devising.
ture to be paralyzed for 1 turn per level of
Sphere: Guardian the caster (or until freed by the caster, The Effulgent Epuration enables a wizard
Range: 40 yards whichever occurs first). to negate even the most powerful offensive
Components: V, S, M magical effects. When it is cast, silver)
Duration: 1 hour/level Any creature without a holy symbol of spheres about the size of the casters head
Casting Time: 5 Torm who attempts to pass an area guarded come into being, issuing from the casters
Area of Effect: 12-foot-radius sphere by a hand of Torm will be slowed so as to re-
Saving Throw: Neg. quire 2 rounds to enter or exit. Regardless hand and growing rapidly as they leave it.
of the Strength Check results, the intruder One sphere per level of the caster is pro-
This 4th level priest spell is an improved must also make a saving throw vs. spell for duced by this spell.
form of the wyvern watch magic. It was de- each round. A successful save means no
veloped long ago by priests of Torm, and is damage; failure indicates that a crushing, The caster can, at will, direct the spheres
often used to defend sacred areas (such as constricting force squeezes the intruder for to drift (at a maximum movement rate of 60
the treasure chambers in the temple in Tan- 1d6 points of damage in that round. Note feet per round) and move up to the limit of
tras). It may be used by worshipers of Torm that although observers will see the image the spell range. The caster cannot make the
anywhere in the Realms. of the hand closing about the intruder, a spheres invisible, or retain any for later for-
A successful casting of the spell causes a hand of Torm can constrict and hamper the mation; all of them come into being at the
shimmering, translucent image of a gigantic progress of more than one creature within time of casting, although they may be re-
gauntleted human hand to appear, cupped its confines at any one time. tained indefinitely for future use, floating
so as to define a spherical area. It is typically silently overhead.
used to guard that area against intrusion. Any number of creatures can be affected
Any sighted creature approaching the im- by a hand of Torm without dissipating or ex- Any sphere contacting an offensive magi-
age will readily see it. By careful prepara- hausting it. Dispel magic will destroy it in- cal effect (including area-effect magics, but
tion and combination with other magics, stantly. not passive barriers) will automatically ab-
the spell can be cast and kept in stasis until sorb the effect. Thus, when a sphere ab-
it is triggered by some other action (such as Elminsters Effulgent sorbs a fireball, the fireball does not blast or
what occurs in this adventure). Epuration deal damage, but merely turns silver in hue
and dwindles away to nothingness, robbed
The material component of the spell is the (Abjuration) of its magical energy.
priests holy symbol. Any creature bearing a
symbol sacred to Torm will be able to pass Range: 10 feet/level A sphere positioned so as to envelop an
through the hand (and the sphere it defines) Components: V, S item (such as a wand) will prevent the object
without effect. Any other creature who ap- Duration: 1 turn/level from functioning. The item will fire (ex-
proaches the guarded area will feel a warn- Casting Time: 1 pend charges) if so commanded, but its
ing prickling in the air, an almost electric Area of Effect: Special magical effect will not occur.
tension. Saving Throw: None
Note that anti-magic shell and similar
If the guarded area is entered, the intrud- This is the 9th level wizard spell used by spells are not harmed by the spheres of an
ing creature will feel a solid force resisting Elminster in the battle with Bane at the end epuration, but in turn can neither stop nor
its forward movement. The creature must of Shadowdale (FRE1), presented here for destroy such spheres. Prismatic spells of all
make a successful Strength Check to con- the information of DMs and players who sorts, whether barriers or not, are de-
tinue forward into the protected area, and a are interested in knowing more about how stroyed on contact with silver spheres (re-
gardless of the wishes of the caster of the
epuration).
Silvery spheres cannot be directly at-
tacked or moved. They have no solid, physi-
cal presence, and can pass through magical
and physical barriers alike as though such
barriers did not exist. The only way to af-
fect a sphere is to cast dispel magic or an of-
fensive spell directly at it; both tactics will
cause a sphere to exhaust itself dealing with
the magic.
Neither the caster nor anyone else can
harness the spell energies dissipated by the
spheres. Even the magic of deities or their
avatars can be affected by the silvery
spheres of an epuration.
Items
Mace of Spellwarding
XP value: 2,000
This +1 magical weapon appears as a
finely made mace wrought of one piece of
blued, oiled steel. In battle, it functions nor-
45
mally. If it touches any item or solid, nonliv- strike, it will blink away to attack any se- from striking. The wand can be used once
ing surface that bears a dweomer, the mace lected target creature up to 30 feet away, per round.
will glow with a magenta-hued radiance, striking and returning within a round. It
the intensity of the light increasing with the cannot be grasped while attacking or re- Solid items within the 5-foot-diameter
strength of dweomers contacted. turning, and will come to float beside its glob when it strikes its target are perma-
commanders shoulder. No living creature nently bound to one anotherhands to
The force of any spell, magical item, or ar- can travel with it, but hand-sized or smaller weapons, armor to bodies, and so on. The
tifact discharge directed at the bearer of a nonliving items strapped or tied to the blade specific effect on any character or creature
mace of spellwarding, or activated so that will be carried along with it. struck depends on the position and orienta-
its area of effect includes the mace or its tion of the characters body at the instant
bearer, will be sucked into the mace, in- It will obey only lawful good beings, and when the glob makes contact. A standing
stantly and harmlessly. This effect is audible will burn (for 1d2 points of damage per character will be rooted to the spot, but if
and visible, and entirely protects the bearer touch, or per round of continual contact) he was holding his weapon away from his
(even from such specifically aimed magics chaotic evil creatures upon contact. body (and if the attachment of armor or
as magic missile, charm magics, and the clothing to skin does not completely hinder
like). Absorption is involuntary, not selec- A tooth of Torm can also be commanded movement) he may still be able to use his
tively controllable. to guard. The commander holds the dagger weapon to defend himself. Globs are most
with its point toward the object or area to
For each level of spell absorbed (treat item be guarded (such as a door, altar, or arch- often used (as in this adventure) to firmly
functions as the level of the lowest equiva- way), positions it as desired, and then re- bind victims who have already been trussed
lent spell), a mace of spellwarding gains an leases it. The commander then repeats the up by ropes or chains, making escape virtu-
additional +1 bonus, lasting 6 turns. Bo- word guard continually until the dagger ally impossible.
nuses apply to both damage and attack rolls, has reached or is touching the area or ob-
and are cumulative. ject to be guarded. No amount of struggling will enable a
trapped character or creature to be free of
Upon exceeding a maximum of bonuses The dagger will then hover in place indefi- a glob; all that will happen, if the victim tries
(which varies from mace to mace; most nitely, until it is affected by dispel magic or hard enough, is minor damage (1 to 3 hp per
were designed to handle no more than 12 the guarded area is violated, whereupon it attempt) from strained or torn muscles. The
spell levels), a mace of spellwarding ex- will blink to the attack. The dagger will magic of a glob negates any contrary magic
pends its excess energy in a random tele- strike repeatedly, once per round, until the that might have been available to or in ef-
port. It always travels to a safe place (i.e., guarded object or area is no longer touched fect upon a targeted character or creature
neither high nor low for human-sized or disturbed, or until the dagger itself is de- (such as a ring of free action). A character
wielders) somewhere on the same plane, stroyed. (An intruder who flees empty- struck while flying or swimming will sink
but its destination cannot be foreseen or in- handed will thus suffer only a single attack slowly to the ground (taking no damage
fluenced in any way. from the dagger.) from the fall) and will not be glued to the
solid surface he comes in contact with, but
If no one is holding or carrying the mace Note that the commander of the dagger, may be frozen in position and unable to
when it overloads, it will simply vanish in a or any lawful good creature, will not cause move-which could be a serious problem
burst of magenta-and-white radiance. Any- the dagger to activate even if such a crea- for someone whose water breathing spell is
one holding (or touching a holder of) a mace ture does disturb or enter the guarded item
of spellwarding will be taken along on the or area. An avatar or high servant (being about to expire.
teleport (to a maximum of one creature per from another plane) of Torm will also not Dispel magic will cause a glob to vanish,
plus held by the mace at the time of over- cause a tooth of Torm to strike. The pres-
load, including the extra pluses the ence of all other worshipers of Torm who and ordinary alcohol will dissolve a glob; a
weapon could not handle). are not lawful good will cause the dagger to flask of wine contains enough liquid to undo
strike. the effects of two globs. The effect of the
A mace of spellwarding functions as a globs is not cumulative; a character already
normal weapon only (exhibiting no magical Any number of teeth can be combined to contained within one cannot be further af-
powers whatsoever) for one day after tele- guard a single object; it was common prac- fected by repeated applications of the
porting, and thereafter regains its +1 sta- tice of old to place a ring of teeth in the air magic.
tus and ability to spellward again. above a coffer containing temple treasures
each night, as an inner guard on the valu-
Tooth of Torm ables.
XP value: 1,000 Wand of Viscid Globs
This special sort of magical dagger, devel-
XP value: 750 gp
oped by priests and wizards loyal to Torm in Thought to be of drow manufacture, the
ages past, is customarily borne only by high-
ranking servants of the Lord of Loyalty. wand of viscid globs is used as a deterrent
or as a way to keep prisoners inescapably
It is a silver-bladed, +2 weapon that will bound. When it is activated, a sphere of
never tarnish, break, or lose its sharpness. magical energyappearing as a glob of
When grasped and commanded, it em- some unknown substanceis projected to-
powers the wielder to see invisible crea- ward an intended target within 60 feet. A
tures and objects within a 60-foot range. target that is able to move is allowed a sav-
This sight also shows the alignment auras ing throw vs. wands to dodge the glob, but
and dweomers of beings and items viewed. someone or something that is bound or oth-
erwise immobile cannot prevent the glob
A tooth of Torm is not wielded in battle,
but if released while under a command to
46
Quelzarn
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Tropical, subtropical, and temper-
ate fresh and salt water
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVE TIME:
DIET: Any
INTELLIGENCE: Carnivore
TREASURE: Low (5-7)
ALIGNMENT: J, K, L, N, Q
Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1 ceive a saving throw every second round against such magics (or
ARMOR CLASS: 5 spell-like natural or item powers) to break free of control. The in-
MOVEMENT: 6, Sw 20 terest of quelzarn in magic use, plus their shape and humanlike
HIT DICE: 5-10 eyes, sometimes causes them to be mistaken for nagas.
THAC0: 15 (5-6 HD),
13 (7-8 HD), Quelzarn roam great distances in their lives, and are thought to
NO. OF ATTACKS: 11 (9-10 HD) mate (they do so only seldomly) in deep undersea caves. They
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1 may cooperate with other creatures (in return for food), and will
SPECIAL ATTACKS: 3-12 never attack another of their kind. If one quelzarn encounters
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hold monster ability another while attacking prey, they tend to ignore each other and
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Immune to electrical attacks attack independently rather than fighting or closely cooperating.
SIZE: 40%
MORALE: G (up to 60 long) Ecology: Quelzarn have no distinct lairs. Any treasure found
XP VALUE: Very steady (13-14) within a quelzarn will be inorganic matter that has been swal-
lowed (such as coins and gems). The digestive juices of quelzarn
5 HD 1,250 slowly break down flesh, tissue, and even bone. The brain and
6 HD 1,500 cranial fluids of quelzarn have been found useful in the making
7 HD 1,750 of spell inks for slow and hold magics, and as a distillate in the
8 HD 2,000 manufacture of rings of free action. Quelzarn tissue is a useful al-
9 HD 2,250 ternative ingredient in the seasoning of wood to be used in the
10 HD 2,500 fashioning of wands of lightning. Quelzarn skin is leathery and
snakelike, but death or severing causes it to cease producing its
Quelzarn are giant, solitary water snakes found in both fresh and slimy coating. It soon shrivels into uselessness.
salt water. They are agile and swift hunters, and may be of magi-
cal origin. Greater Quelzarn
Quelzarn are eel-like in appearance, with mottled brown or These creatures are thought to be very rare or even extinct, but
green slimy skin that is extremely slippery. The slime enables are often referred to in Untherian hunting accounts of long ago.
them to breathe air through skin membranes, and is often home Larger than most quelzarn, they had an additional magical abil-
to mosses and weed. Quelzarn are usually 30-40 feet in length, ity; that of spell turning (as a ring of spell turning). They were
and have a spinelike fin running the length of their backs. Broad, cunning and highly intelligent, often luring hunting ships into
leaf-shaped fins cover their gills just behind their wide, toothed traps, and were known to ally with other marine creatures on oc-
jaws, and a quelzarns head sports a bony, fin-shaped crest. casion.
Combat: Quelzarn will eat anything living (and carrion if des- Copyright ©1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
perate). They spend their days cruising for meals, or drifting Permission is granted by the copyright holder to photocopy this page
while they digest one. Quelzarn can cast a 60-foot-range hold
monster spell once every turn. They use this in battle and to im- for personal use only.
mobilize prey. Quelzarn are highly resistant to the polluted wa-
ters of busy harbors and vast swamps alike. They have been
known to hold a sailor standing on a dock, and then rear out of
the water to drag him down.
Quelzarn bite for 3-12 damage, and are capable of swallowing
whole any creature of 4½ feet in height or less. (The victim, even
if held, is allowed a Dexterity Check to avoid this fate.) Swallowed
victims will drown in 6 rounds; they will find that the interior of a
quelzarn is AC 9, and inflicting 20 points of damage to one will
cause the creature to spit its victim(s) out. Swallowed victims suf-
fer only 1d2 points of damage from the creatures teeth. Angry
quelzarn are capable of vomiting a swallowed creature out in or-
der to bite it.
Habitat/Society: Quelzarn are thought to have a magical ori-
gin, perhaps the result of long-ago experimentation by mages of
Unther (certainly, the creatures were once hunted there for
sport). They have a natural magic resistance, and are entirely im-
mune to all electrical attacks, both magical and natural. Quelzarn
are attracted by magical attempts to control their wills, but re-
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FRE2 - Tantras
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