OFFICIAL GAME ADVENTURE

Curse ofthe Azure Bonds

TABLE OF CONTENTSCREDITSWriting: Jeff Grubb and George

MacDonaldWith the appreciated aid of:

Tracy Hickman (Chapter 11)Kate Novak (Appendices 1 and 2)Steve Perrin (Appendix 1)Jim Lowder (Appendix 1)

Editing: Kim MohanCover Art: Clyde CaldwellInterior Art: Dennis BeauvaisCartography: DieselTypography: Angelika LokotzKeylining: Cory Graham

Distributed to the book trade in the United States byRandom House Inc., and in Canada by RandomHouse of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobbytrade by regional distributors. Distributed in the UnitedKingdom by TSR UK Ltd. ADVANCED DUNGEONS &DRAGONS, AD&D, FORGOTTEN REALMS,PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION, and the TSRlogo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

These adventures are protected under the copyrightlaws of the United States of America. Any reproductionor unauthorized use of the material or artwork printedherein is prohibited without the express writtenpermission of TSR, Inc.

©1989 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TSR, Inc. TSR UK Ltd.POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry HintonLake Geneva Cambridge CB1 3LBWI 53147 U.S.A. United Kingdom

TSR, Inc.PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION�

Printed in the U.S.A.

ISBN 0-88038-606-1

9 2 3 9 X X X 1 5 0 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter 1: The Awakening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 2: Tilverton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 3: The Thieves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Chapter 4: The Sewers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 5: The Fire Knives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Chapter 6: Into the Realms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Chapter 7: Yulash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Chapter 8: The Temple of Moander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Chapter 9: Zhentil Keep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Chapter 10: The Temple of Baneand the Tower of Fzoul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Chapter 11: The Village of Hap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Chapter 12: Haptooth Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Chapter 13: Myth Drannor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Chapter 14: Tyranthraxus! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Appendix I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Major NPCs, magic items,and new monsters

Appendix II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Wilderness encounter tablesand players� maps

Curse of the Azure Bonds has a strangerhistory than most adventures createdfor the ADVANCED DUNGEONS &DRAGONS® role-playing game. Theadventure book you hold in your handsis based on the novel Azure Bonds, byKate Novak and Jeff Grubb, and set inthe sprawling FORGOTTEN REALMS™campaign setting. This adventure is alsotied directly to the Curse of the AzureBonds Computer Game, produced byStrategic Simulations, Inc., underlicense with TSR, Inc.

The result is the first “triple-play” sto-ry in TSR’s history—a novel forming thebasis for a role-playing adventure(something we have gotten very good atover the years) and a computer adven-ture game. The computer game and therole-playing adventure are closely tiedbut do not mimic one another—eachhas been designed for maximum enjoy-ment in its element.

We have done the computer-RPG tie-in before, of course; many of you arefamiliar with the earlier FORGOTTEN

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REALMS module, Ruins of Adventure,as well as its companion product, Pool ofRadiance, the first AD&D® computergame from SSI. Some of the places andpersonalities from Ruins of Adventureand Pool of Radiance reappear in thisproduct, and in some senses Curse is acontinuation of Ruins— but it is not nec-essary to have played the earlier modulebefore beginning to enjoy this one.

Likewise, playing the Curse of theAzure Bonds computer game (or readingthe novel) is not necessary before play-ing this adventure, though your enjoy-ment may be enhanced by picking up thecomputer game and/or the novel. By thesame token, the computer game and thisadventure are not duplicate productsdesigned for different mediums. Whilethe gaming products follow the same plotfor the adventurers, they are very differ-ent in the nature of monsters andencounters, as well as portrayal of themaps. A player of the computer game willget the feeling of his computerizedadventure through playing this adven-

ture, but he should not expect that thesame tactics that saved his characters inone situation will prove equally effectivein the other. This is provided only as awarning: both games are branches fromthe same tree, similar but not exact.

BackgroundAzure Bonds (the novel) is the story ofAlias, a warrior woman who awoke onemorning with a strange set of mystic tat-toos branded on her arm and a largelapse in her memory. She quickly dis-covered that the tattoos were magical innature and very dangerous. Theycaused her to perform actions againsther will (for example, she attacked ayoung noble named Giogi Wyvernspur,who had the misfortune to be doing avery good imitation of King Azoun ofCormyr). Her tattoolike brand was madeup of a number of smaller symbols, andwhat those symbols stood for indicatedthat an evil alliance of some sort wasresponsible for her condition.

Ordinary magical methods proveduseless for removing the brands, so Ali-as set out to discover who was responsi-ble for her curse. She was joined in herquest by three allies: Dragonbait, amute creature similar to a lizard man;Akabar, a merchant from the South withmoderate magical abilities; and OliveRuskettle, a halfling who claimed to be abard but seemed to be much more alongthe lines of a thief.

The adventurers passed throughmany perils (as is the lot of adventurers),including a battle with a crystalline ele-mental, a confrontation with a beastcalled a kalmari, a duel of honor with adotty old red dragon, and the freeing ofan elder god, Moander. Moander wasone of the individuals responsible forAlias’s curse, and with his defeat, hissymbol faded from her arm.

Alias and her companions were cap-tured by the evil alliance, and thesecrets of the brand and of her own ori-gin were revealed. The alliance respon-sible for her condition consisted of thefollowers of Moander (now broken inpower following the defeat of their god’sphysical form on this plane), a thieves’guild called the Fire Knives (which holdsa grudge against the King of Cormyr), anevil female mage named Cassana, a lichnamed Zrie Prakis, and a powerful entityfrom the Lower Planes named Phalse.

A second attempt to slay Dragonbaitand bind Alias to her masters resulted inthe destruction of Zrie Prakis and Cas-sana and the breaking of the power ofthe Fire Knives. Alias and her compan-ions tracked Phalse down to his extradi-mensional lair and destroyed him withthe aid of Elminster the Sage and theNameless Bard. The adventurers, wornand bloody but triumphant, returned tothe Realms and their own lives.

Those events took place during Mirtuland Kythorn (May and June), fourmonths ago. At about the same time, agroup of adventurers in Phlan, far northin the Moonsea, discovered the Pool ofRadiance and its malefic protector, thedaemon Tyranthraxus. The daemonwas defeated but not destroyed, histhreat to the North averted but notentirely eliminated. Tyranthraxusretreated and began to spin his plotsanew.

There were few survivors of the alli-

ance that created Alias’s bonds. Thegreat magic-wielders of the group—Zrie, Cassana, and Phalse—wereapparently dead. A few followers ofMoander and a smattering of FireKnives fled Westgate for safer havens tothe north. These fleeing minions were oflow level, but carried the tales of theAzure Bonds and their use in controllingothers. These survivors encounteredagents of Tyranthraxus, and a new plotbegan to form in the daemon’s mind.Gathering new allies in the form of theZhentarim and a renegade Red Wizardof Thay, Tyranthraxus formulatedanother plan for gaining power in theRealms.

As with the original alliance, eachmember of the New Alliance of theBonds has its own agenda for the use ofcontrolled characters. The Fire Knivesare still seeking the death of the King ofCormyr. The followers of Moander (nowcalled the Survivors of Moander) areseeking a reinstatement of their god.Zhentil Keep is looking for a way to turngood characters to evil acts, and seesthis bonding as a test case for thatexperiment. The renegade Red Wizardof Thay wishes to enlist the aid he needsto create another Flight of Dragons, sim-ilar to the one that ravaged the North afew years ago.

And Tyranthraxus sees the new bond-ing process as a way that he can createmultiple, living Pools of Radiance, allow-ing him to possess several individuals atonce and control them for his own ends.His rise in power thereafter will be expo-nential as his influence spreads, creat-ing his own army of minions whosesouls belong to him.

But Tyranthraxus is also afraid. In theDalelands exist magical items whichwere forged long ago to bring about hisinitial defeat. He chose his allies with aneye toward the fact that they arerumored to have these items, and seeksto have his agents (the player charac-ters) bring these items to him in his lair inMyth Drannor, so that he may destroythem. Then nothing will stop him fromhis domination of the Realms.

It is now the month of Marpenoth, alsocalled Leafall, which corresponds withOctober in our calendar. The trees of theDalelands are just beginning to turn arainbow of colors. Like the wheat and

the pumpkins, Tyranthraxus’s plan hascome to full ripeness. The Curse of theAzure Bonds has returned.

Running ThisAdventureThis adventure is designed for a party of4-8 characters, each of 6th-9th level. It isassumed in this module that the heroeshave previously gone through theadventures detailed in Ruins of Adven-ture, but this is not necessary for enjoy-ment of play.

The adventure may start in one of twoways, at the DM’s discretion or as dic-tated by circumstances. The first meth-od is to move the characters directly toChapter 2. The heroes awaken in theirquarters in Tilverton with a lapse of amonth in their memories, and withstrange blue tattoos branded on theirforearms. The heroes must discoverwhat has happened to them during thelost time.

Alternately, the DM can run throughthe events of Chapter 1, ending with theambush encounter in which the heroesare captured. This method works bestwhen playing the adventure in connec-tion with a long-standing campaign. Ithas the disadvantage that player char-acters, being a wise and crafty group,may elude multiple attempts to defeatand subdue them. If the player charac-ters prove to be too effective at eludingthe ambushes, the DM should feel freeto simply place the heroes at Tilverton,and let them try to account for the miss-ing time.

The Azure BondsThe player characters will be brandedby the markings of those who seek tocontrol their actions. These brandsappear as bright blue tattoos, usuallyinscribed along the sword arm of theindividual being controlled. The magicalarts of creating a living vessel to control,and of hiding the brands, are lost to thisNew Alliance of the Bonds. Tyran-thraxus wants the player characters toknow who is responsible for their brand-ing, as that will lead them first to hisallies (and their hidden magic) and sub-sequently to him.

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The tattoos—each character wears allfive of the mysterious images—are thesymbols of the various factions involvedin the curse, all placed against a darkerblue background of lines that appears tobe a mixture of thorning plants andwaves. Each of the symbols seems to bemade up of smaller, identical symbols.That is, the symbol of the Zhentarim isactually made up of a collage of smallerZhentarim symbols, each of which hasbeen reduced to a speck the size of apencil point.

The brands reflect light in the sameway that stained glass does, and theygive off a dull blue illumination of theirown, though this is noticeable only intotal darkness. In normal daylight, abrand may be mistaken for a “normal”tattoo, though one of extreme size andcomplexity.

er.* The character who has been brand-

ed must make a saving throw ver-

The Azure Bonds are magical anddangerous. They represent a linkbetween the characters and the NewAlliance of the Bonds. If any divinationspells are cast upon a bond, it will radi-ate a strong blue illumination, shootingbright rays into the air (treat as a lightspell, in particular if anyone is lookingdirectly at it). In addition, it will functionas a symbol of pain to the individual thedivination-type spell is cast upon. This“light show” and resulting effect is aphysical repulsion of those spells by thebonds. Divination spells will reveal noth-ing about the bonds or the Alliance.

Attempts to remove the bondsthrough magical or clerical means willbe resisted by the magics in the bonds.The bonds are 100 percent resistant tospells directed against them specifically(as opposed to spells that are directedagainst the individual who has beenbranded). Further, the bonds have theirown protections against being removed:

* A windstorm will start up in the areaoccupied by the spell caster whenremoval of a brand is attempted,whether from the arm of the spellcaster or another character. Looseobjects will be cast about, andthere is a 60 percent chance anobject will hit the caster, certainlybreaking the spell and possibly(DM’s judgment) harming the cast-

sus spells, or be overtaken by aberserker rage and a desire to slaythe spell caster. This rage will per-mit the character to snap normalbonds, and will last for 2-8 rounds.This effect does not occur if thespell caster is the target of his orher own magic.

Dispel magic and remove curse willnever have any effect on the brands,except to bring about the results men-tioned above. A limited wish spell (if suc-cessfully cast without the death of themagic-user) will remove one of themarks from one individual. A full wishspell will remove up to three of themarks. Short of these actions, the AzureBonds will prove extremely difficult todelete. Attempting to cut off the arm andregenerating it through magic will resultin the brands merely reappearing on thenew limb.

The Azure Bonds have been createdby a group of individuals we refer to asthe New Alliance of the Bonds (theirpredecessors from the novel carried nosuch high names, and were more cha-otic in nature). Each group belonging tothis alliance has its own reason for andits own methods of branding the charac-ters. The Azure Bonds will force thecharacters, to perform actions theywould otherwise not perform. The gen-eral goals of the members of the NewAlliance are:

* The Fire Knives seek the death ofKing Azoun IV of Cormyr. Playercharacters, because they havebeen branded with the Fire Knivessymbol, must make a saving throwversus spells whenever they hearthe sound of Azoun’s voice. Failureto save means that they will attackthe source of the sound until it isdestroyed, the character is dis-abled or killed, or the encounter isended in some other fashion.

* The Survivors of Moander wish tobring their lord, also known as TheJawed God, back onto this plane,from where he has been banishedsince the death of his mortal form.They want the characters to reachMoander’s temple beneath Yulash,where they will be slain and theirdeaths used to open the “worm-hole” to Moander’s plane.

* The Zhentarim see the characters

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as a test project, part of an experi-ment to determine the success offorcing good and neutral heroes toperform evil acts. If this experimentworks, the Black Network may cap-ture others and similarly brandthem. The Zhentarim have placedin their branding the desire for thePCs to commit random, evil acts,and ultimately to make their way toZhentil Keep to report. These ran-dom acts become more frequentand more severely evil as the groupnears Zhentil Keep. Opportunitiesto perform chaotic actions willappear throughout the text. Theywill affect single individuals, andnot the entire party.Dracandros the Mad, also knownas the Red Wizard of Thay, is cur-rently in disfavor with the other RedWizards. He feels that if he createsa great enough disaster in the

Dragon Reach area, he will beredeemed in the eyes of his fellowsand allowed to return to Thay. A fewyears ago, a Flight of Dragons fromthe North ravaged the DragonReach and the Dalelands. As aresult of being branded with hismark, the characters will answer tothe sound of Dracandros’s voicewhenever they hear it, and will becompelled to perform whatevertask he requires of them.

* Tyranthraxus seeks to destroythose magic items that could ban-ish him forever from the Realms,and to convert the player charac-ters to living Pools of Radiance,allowing him to increase his powerin the Realms. His intent is to leadthe characters to the various magicitems held by the other members ofthe New Alliance, and have thembring these items to him.

The effects of the compulsionsimplanted by the various members ofthe New Alliance are similar to those of aquest or geas spell. Ignoring the long-term compulsions (to go to a particularplace, such as Yulash or Zhentil Keep)will result in the characters feeling ill,losing one hit point per day because of awasting sickness for every day spentresisting these compulsions. Such pen-alties do not apply while the charactersare actively seeking out the individualsresponsible for their brandings.

The more short-term orders (such asslaying the King of Cormyr when a char-acter hears his voice) can be resist-ed if a character makes a saving throw.The magic of the bonds starts out verystrong, but weakens over time. To reflectthis, the first saving throw against anyspecific short-term order (likely to occurin Tilverton, where the party will encoun-ter King Azoun) is made at -6 to the die

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roll. The second such saving throw(whether against the same or a differentshort-term order) is made at -5, thenext at -4, and so on, until the penaltyis removed and player characters aresaving against spells as normal versusthe effects of the bonds. Note on a sepa-rate sheet of paper the number of timesa character has had to save against theeffects of the bonds. Making the savingthrow indicates that the individual hasresisted the effects of that particularorder—if the order is given again inanother encounter (or if the situationcausing that order arises again), thenanother saving throw is required.

When the characters are operatingunder a long-term compulsion or ashort-term order, the DM may eitherchoose to play the characters as NPCsuntil the moment passes, or may chooseto let the players continue to run theircharacters under the effects of theorder. Such activity may be detrimentalto the character’s continued good health(and thus against the basic nature of theplayer running that character), so in rec-ognition of a sincere and successfulattempt to role-play a character under apotentially harmful compulsion, the DMshould consider awarding bonus experi-ence points (100 xp per encounter issuggested) to any character whose play-er demonstrates this sort of good role-playing ability.

The members of the New Alliance,Tyranthraxus in particular, are unawarethat the effects of the bonds diminishover time. He feels that, given the char-acters’ prowess (experience levels), thechance of them breaking free of his con-trol is very small.

About the DalelandsMost of the action of this adventuretakes place in the northern parts of theDalelands. The name “Dalelands” isproperly used to refer to various allieddales that hug the borders of the ElvenWoods, but the term is often used in themore “civilized” areas of Cormyr andSembia to refer to their entire northernborder, reaching as far north as the city-states that border the Moonsea. Whilethese city-states are neither as small noras rural as the dales, and in fact areopenly hostile in some cases, the name

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has stuck in popular usage in the South.The dales themselves are rolling

farmlands, dotted with individual hold-ings and small family farms. Usuallyeach dale has a center of trade and gov-ernment. For example, Shadowdale’scenter of trade is at the Tower of Ashaba,and the town that has grown up around itis referred to as Shadowdale as well.Daggerdale’s center of trade is at Dag-ger Falls, at the town of the same name.Battledale’s trade center, on the otherhand, is the town of Essembra, safelylocated far from warring armies.

The Dalelands themselves were set-tled by an agreement between theDalesmen’s ancestors and the ElvenCourt, a large elven nation that occu-pied the forest the dales now surround.The elves permitted the Dalesmen,migrating from the east across theDragon Reach, to settle the borders oftheir forest, on the condition that theDalesmen not make further inroads intothe Elven Woods. The elves had alreadylost much of their forests to “civilized”men from Cormyr and Sembia, andsought the Dalesmen as a counterbal-ance to this threat.

The Dalesmen agreed, and theStanding Stone was erected to com-memorate the pact between man andelf. The calendar of DaleReckoningdates from the erection of that stone,and in the time since then, old daleshave been abandoned or destroyed andnew dales founded. In the area we arediscussing, the major dales are Dagger-dale, Shadowdale, Mistledale, and Bat-tledale.

Recently, the Elven Court has aban-doned the Realms entirely, retreating tothe elvish island nation of Evermeet.While some elves remain, the elvishnation that once dominated the forestand kept adventurers away from suchdangerous locations as Myth Drannorhas vanished virtually overnight. Adven-turers are just now beginning to discov-er that there are new places to delve fortreasure as a result of this relocation ofpower.

To the south of the Dalelands are thenations of Cormyr and Sembia. Theselands have regularly pushed their bor-ders northward, expanding their powerin a fashion that often brings them intoconflict with local forces. Most recently,

the King of Cormyr has sent troops toTilverton, bringing that city under Cor-myrian control. The reason for this intru-sion involves the king’s daughter, andthe player characters will becomecaught up in this plot in the first adven-ture of this module.

To the North of the Dalelands properare the city-states of the Moonsea.While not as unified as the southernnations of Cormyr and Sembia, thesecity-states are very powerful both inarmed force and in the strength of magicand adventurers they can claim.

The major cities of the western Moon-sea are Zhentil Keep and Hillsfar. Theformer is a multiwalled city dominatedby the Zhentarim, also known as theBlack Network. It is an evil town, filledwith informers and dark plots. Hillsfar islittle better, but for different reasons. Itseems to be run by more uncaring, mer-cantile forces, and its new ruler’s inten-tions toward the Dalelands remain amystery.

The cities of Phlan, Teshwave, andYulash are decimated ruins, only nowbeginning to recover from the effects ofwar, pestilence, and a plague ofdragons. A Flight of Dragons, a migrato-ry wave of the great lizards, passed overthe Dalelands several years ago, leav-ing great destruction in its wake.

Phlan is only now rebuilding from thedevastation, its recovery hampered bythe plots of Tyranthraxus, who was sub-sequently foiled by a company of braveadventurers. Teshwave fell to constantraiding by Zhentil Keep, and is now littlemore than a ruined way station, domi-nated by a garrison of Zhentil Keep sol-diers. Yulash is a contested city, itswreckage fought over by forces fromboth Zhentil Keep and Hillsfar.

Lastly, the independent town ofVoonlar lies between the Moonsea landsand the Dalelands. Independent inname only, the town is under the influ-ence of agents of Zhentil Keep. Theserulers have a more lenient attitudetoward their people than do the Keepersto the north, but still will not cross theirmasters. Voonlar has been a stagingarea for Zhentil Keep raids to the southand west.

For more information on these loca-tions, see Chapter 6.

In this chapter the heroes areambushed, captured, branded, andbrought to Tilverton.

Encounter 1This encounter may occur anywhere inthe Realms at that time-honored adven-turers’ gathering spot, the tavern. (It canbe assumed for PCs who have com-pleted Ruins of Adventure that thisencounter occurs in the now-domesticated city of Phlan.) Read thefollowing passage to the players:

The commons room is crowded, as isnormal in prosperous times when thetownspeople have benefited from theactions of wise and sure adventurerssuch as yourself. Mugs slosh withheady ale, and the cheers from a dartgame in the corner and the rattle ofdice echo across the bar.

You and your adventuring compan-ions are seated at one of the largerand more prominent tables, nursingyour own flagons of mead and ale.The past month has been quiet, andyour adventurer’s spirit is on the rise.Soon it will be time to quit this oasis ofrelative peace for new adventures.

You notice a tall, solemn-lookingman weaving his way across the tav-ern toward your table. It is quite clearthat he has drunk too much and ismaking forward motion only throughsheer force of will. You point him outto your companions, and your tablewatches him stride unsteadily for-ward. From his dress he is undoubt-edly one of the gentry, and on hissleeve he bears a patch showing apurple dragon, the symbol of thenation of Cormyr.

At last he stands before you. Hegoggles at your group, as if trying todispel any multiple images. “Ess-cuse me,” he begins. “I wonner if youwould be so kine as to help an envoyof Good King Azooon of Comeer, er,Cormyr.” He wobbles and waits for areply.

The man is Rastafan Dimetar, a cour-tier in the court of King Azoun IV of Cor-myr. Rastafan has two problems. Thefirst is obvious—he cannot hold his liq-

uor and has gotten himself absolutelyblotto in an evening’s carousal. His oth-er problem is that, in said carousal, hehas lost his purse, and the tavernkeeperis demanding payment before hedeparts. Rastafan, as he explains thispart of the problem, will motion over tothe bar, where an incredibly burly andformidable woman stands, rolling pin inhand.

“I tol’ the dear lady,” Rastafan con-tinues, pulling up a chair so he doesnot topple over, “tha’ you dear gen-tlepeople, respectable adventurersall, were friends and tha’ you wouldcover the debt. I can get the moneyeasley, er, eas-i-ly, but it’s at anotherinn. I was wonnering if you could len’me the money, to be quickly repaid,of course, of course, and get me outof this jam.”

What Rastafan owes the barkeep isnot a princely amount. Set a figureaccording to the wealth of the PCs. Iftheir pickings have been good of late,then Rastafan’s bar tab could be as highas a hundred gold pieces. If the playercharacters are currently tapped outthemselves, the debt is only a few goldpieces, but no matter how small, it ismore than Rastafan has at his disposal.

If the players kick in to help Rastafan,he will be very friendly and will offer tobuy them a round (with their money, ofcourse, but he says he will pay themback). He will also offer to them some“important news” that they could use.

If the players rebuff Rastafan, he willsit down among them and, in a conspira-torial whisper, offer them some “choiceinformation” that would make anyadventurer happy. Even if the heroes donot then “buy” the information, Rasta-fan will blurt it out, hoping to cadge a fewcoins in any way possible.

The “important news” is this: Lastyear, King Azoun’s youngest daughter,Alusair Nacacia, ran off. Suspicion ranhigh that Gharri of Gond, a cleric fromTilverton, was involved, and indeed thiswas the main reason that the king sentforces to Tilverton and then stationedthem there semipermanently.

This news has been on the grapevine,passed along in bards’ tales and adven-

turers’ legends, for the past few months.Rastafan’s news is that the king’sdaughter was spotted again in the areanear Tilverton not so very long ago,apparently making her way back to thecity. Yet, still no one has seen her there.The king has been sending out envoysto recruit adventurers to locate his run-away daughter.

Rastafan is one such envoy, and hasbeen given the authority to recruit true-hearted adventurers wherever he mightfind them, sending them to Tilverton tohelp scare up the missing princess. Hehas only his modest savings at anotherlodging, but can issue a letter of mark,instructing the bearer to be paid 1000 gpwhen the letter is presented to a respon-sible member of the Cormyrianbureaucracy.

If the adventurers are interested, hewill gladly issue such a letter of mark ifthey will pay off his bar bill and help himback to his own quarters. There he will,in defiance of normal human nature, payoff the bad debt to the heroes. Then hewill collapse in a drunken sleep untilmorning.

The journey to Tilverton may startanywhere in the Realms. If the heroeshave completed Ruins of Adventure, therecommended route is south from Phlanacross the Moonsea to Hillsfar, alongthe Southern Road past the StandingStone and through Mistledale, andfinally through Tilver’s Gap to Tilverton.The alternate route, through ZhentilKeep, is patrolled by Zhentarim forcesand as such has an evil reputation.

Use the wilderness encounter tablesin Appendix II to determine encountersin the wild en route to Tilverton. Two defi-nite encounters should be the onesgiven below: the meeting with the bard(the Nameless Bard) and the Ambush.Set the first one to occur on any eveningwhen the PCs are camping out in thewild. Set the second for a night after thatwhen the characters pass throughTilver’s Gap, Shadow Gap, or the Stone-lands en route to Tilverton.

Encounter 2This encounter passes on further infor-mation to the players, and sets up theinterest of Elminster in the player char-acters.

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The fire, built of dry and fallen wood,crackles merrily as your party beginspreparation for dinner. The sky isovercast and the land turns gray anddark earlier than normal. You postwatches to ward against monsters.

Give the players a chance to detailwho is on the lookout for evil creatures,and where they are. Ask one individualon watch to roll for surprise. If the char-acter is not surprised, read the follow-ing:

You see him before he sees you, a talllone figure with a backpack and astaff. He carries a sword at his sideand a yarting (an eight-stringed gui-tar) across his back. As you watch, helooks toward your position, shieldinghis eyes in the dying light of the day.Finally he cups his hands to hismouth and shouts, “Hello, the camp!Be you interested in a guest for yourevening meal?”

If the player characters do not reply, orreply hostilely, he will move on. If invitedto join the camp, he will do so.

If the chosen character fails his sur-prise roll, read the following:

The sky darkens and the last rays ofthe sun disappear, leaving the land-scape a rippling set of grays andshadows. You strain your eyes to dis-cern movement near the camp. Anycreature could creep up on your partythrough these shadows.

All is quiet; then a deep, melodiousvoice to your right says, “Looking forsomething in particular, or are youjust browsing?”

The speaker is the bard mentionedfrom the previous description. He tookadvantage of the watcher being off hismark by closing and inviting himself in.He looks nonthreatening (his sword isstill in his sheath), but if attacked he willteleport away (using his ring). If threat-ened, he will shrug his shoulders andwander off.

The Nameless Bard (19th level bard):AC 4 (bracers of defense); MV 12”; HD

10; hp 59; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8 (long sword);ring of teleportation; AL CG; THAC0 4.

The bard will not give his name.(“What do names matter, when mentake the names that please them?” hewill say, or “My name is unimportant; itis my tales that matter.”) He brings salt-ed rabbit meat for the stewpot and infor-mation “from throughout the Realms.”

The information is the important part,since this provides more news on theRealms and provides a basis for furtheradventuring. Here, in summary form,are the tales the bard tells:

* The daughter of King Azoun IV ofCormyr is still missing. She hasbeen said to have been spotted inWestgate, sailing with a group ofbrigands from the Pirate Isles, andit is thought that she has returnedto Tilverton. Rumor states that sheran off with the High Cleric of GondWondermaker, a priest namedGharri. The princess, Alusair Naca-cia, is the youngest and moststrong-willed child of the king, andhas been missing for more than ayear. It is said that a great reward isoffered by the king.

* Speaking of his majesty, the PurpleDragon of Cormyr will be arriving inTilverton in the near future. Theofficial word is that he will be meet-ing with town leaders about theoccupation of the city by Cormyriantroops, and offering the town thechance to join the nation of Cormyrproper. Scuttlebutt in the courts ofCormyr says, though, that his maj-esty is more interested in recover-ing his errant daughter.

* Tilverton is ruled by a council ofburghers, but the real power washeld, until recently, by the Lord ofTilverton, the cleric Gharri of Gond.He has disappeared as well, andmay have run off with the princess,or gone into hiding after the arrivalof the Cormyrians.

* Dragons are becoming more activein the lands surrounding the InnerSea. A great wyrm threatened thecity of Suzail and was later shotdown over Westgate, destroyingmost of the town in the process.More dragons have been spottedaround the Vale of Lost Voices, in

Battledale, and near Haptooth Hill.* The Iron Throne, a merchant com-

pany that may have been suppliedby the Zhentarim, closed off theShadow Gap for a short time, level-ing the inn that was at the Gap’screst. A band of noble adventurersdefeated the creature who held theinn, a kalmari, and since then anew inn has been erected on thespot. The new inn is called “TheGulp & Swallow.”

* The kalmari? It’s an evil creaturecreated by a hell-witch fromWestgate, now dead, though hercreatures live on. It is a huge blackcloud with a gaping mouth, and isoften cloaked in stolen humanflesh, looking normal until itchooses to destroy others. The RedWizards of Thay, the Zhentarim,and the Iron Throne all were said tohave these hell-creatures at theirdisposal.

* There has been another shake-outamong the Red Wizards of Thay,following another unsucessfulattack on the Witches of Rasha-mon. A number of powerful refu-gees are setting up power basesoutside of Thay.

* The Zhentarim is gathering itsforces again. The Zhentarim is agroup of mages, clerics, thieves,and fighters who are based inZhentil Keep and a few other out-posts, but who seek to dominatethe northern lands from Waterdeepto Moonsea. Already Teshwave is aruined heap thanks to these arm-ies, and Yulash, nearly destroyedby a Flight of Dragons a few yearsago, is now the site of a warbetween Zhentil Keep forces andthose of Hillsfar, the latter led bytheir crack Red Plumes troops.

* Many strong peoples oppose theZhentarim. One is a rumored bandof rangers, druids, and others, whoare called the Harpers. They havebeen secretive until recently, whenthey have been more active in thepolitics of the Dalelands.

* A huge monster has erupted out ofthe ruins of Yulash, apparentlysome abomination that had beentrapped there since before the cityitself was erected. It is said that the

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monster, a huge heap of vegeta-tion, was an incarnation of the deadgod Moander. It headed south outof that city into the Elven Woods,leaving a huge swath of destructionbehind it. The beast is rumored tohave been destroyed, or gated toanother part of the Realms.

* North of Moonsea, the city of Phlanis regaining its lost power. A group ofpowerful adventurers, conqueringmany great monsters, discoveredthe legendary Pool of Radiance anddefeated its guardian, the creatureknown as Tyranthraxus.

The bard will gladly pass on any or allof this information, as well as anythingthe DM wishes to add for his own cam-paign. He will in turn listen to what theplayer characters have to say (if any-thing), and add that to his tales. If askedto stay the night, he will offer to stand awatch. No matter what, when dawnbreaks the next morning, he will be gone.

If the bard is threatened, he will try to

leave peaceably. If attacked, he will usehis ring of teleportation to transport him-self to safety (either far from the party, orto Shadowdale if need be). His gear isprotected by a magic mouth spell, whichwill give an alarm should anyone try tosteal from him.

All of the bard’s information isstrained through his particular sources,in addition to his own censoring. It is trueas far as he knows, and as far as he seesfit to reveal. The Harpers, for example,are indeed a group of rangers, druids,and others. The “others” he does notmention are bards, and this NamelessBard is one of them. He is wandering thecountryside gathering information,which he will turn over to his ally Elmin-ster. If the heroes are open about them-selves (as they ought to be), the sagewill know a great deal about them whenthey encounter him later.

Encounter 3This encounter takes place near Tilver-

ton, and is geared toward overwhelm-ingly capturing the player characters sothey awaken in Chapter 2 with thebrands placed on them.

The basic contingent of the ambush-ing force consists of these adversaries:

9 thieves of the Fire Knives guild,each 9th level.

12 dark elf mercenaries hired by Dra-candos.

2 clerics of Moander, each 4th level.2 magic-users of the Zhentarim,

each 1st level.

The DM may strengthen the opposi-tion if the player characters are particu-larly powerful or have abilities thatwould defy normal ambushing.

The Fire Knives have been providedwith invisibility by the Zhentarim magesand silence, 15’ radius by the Moanderclerics. They carry swords tipped withdrow paralysis poison (effects describedbelow). If they attack by surprise, theyhave a chance of immediately knockingout each member of the PC party on the

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first round, according to the level of thedefender:

Defender Level Chance of KO0-1 95%2-3 90%4-5 80%6-7 70%8-9 55%

10-11 40%12-13 30%14-15 20%16-17 5%18+ 0%

There is no saving throw against thisimmediate knockout. It is used here asan idealized “perfect case,” with theintention that the player characters willbe captured, not killed. The above ruleof thumb is not recommended for every-day adventuring.

If the thieves fail to knock out theheroes in their first attack, or are detect-ed, they will fight normally.

Fire Knives thieves (9th level, 9): AC7; MV 12”; HD 9; hp 36 each; #AT 1;Dmg 1-8 + paralysis poison; AL LE;THAC0 16.

Drow Elf mercenaries: These 6th levelfighters will remain in the background,choosing to use their hand-held cross-bows in a fight. The quarrels are tippedwith the paralysis venom developed bythe drow, the same venom used to coatthe blades of the assassins. In normalcombat the venom forces the target tosave versus poison at -3 or fall asleepfor 10-60 rounds (at least for the dura-tion of the battle).

Drow Elf mercenaries (6th level fight-ers, 12): AC 3; MV 12”; HD 6; hp 45each; #AT 3/2 or 2; Dmg 1-6 (shortsword) or 1-4 (crossbow) + poison ineither case; AL CE; THAC0 16.

Clerics of Moander: These two low-level clerics were brought along to helpwith the silence spells and healing (ifnecessary) after the event. In addition tosilence 15’ radius, they each have twohold person spells to be used if a groupof individuals tries to break out. One car-ries a scroll inscribed with an unholyword, to be used as a last emergencymeasure.

Clerics of Moander (4th level, 2): AC2; MV 6”; HD 4; hp 24 each; #AT 1; Dmg

1-6 (mace); AL CE; THAC0 18.

Zhentarim mages: The Black Networkapparently cheated its allies; it promisedmagic-users but delivered two puny nov-ices. Each one packs a scroll, however,that he can read from, with the followingpowerful spells, which each may use athis discretion: stinking cloud, light,detect invisible, haste, protection fromnormal missiles (to be cast before thebattle), polymorph other, and time stop(a last resort).

The chance of any of these spells fail-ing is as normal, with the following advi-sory: if it is necessary for the plot tocontinue, the spell should succeed (theplayer characters may still attempt sav-ing throws).

Zhentarim mages (1st level, 2): AC 10;MV 12”; HD 1; hp 4 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 (dagger) + drow poison; AL LE;THAC0 20.

The ambushers’ plan is to attack theparty when camping, preferably in somedeserted area.

The thieves, rendered invisible andsilent, go in first, while the drow breakup into two contingents bracketing theparty. There will be a cleric and a magewith each side. The thieves will try totake out as many characters as possibleusing surprise, including any charactersstanding watch. The watch may roll forsurprise only to detect the drow andtheir clerics and magic-users. Unlessthey have magical abilities to detect theinvisible and silent thieves, they will notdetect them until the thieves attack.

Upon attacking, the thieves willbecome visible, but their silenced condi-tion 15’ around them will spoil spells thatrequire a verbal component if a PC triesto cast one within that area.

The thieves’ priority is the watch, andsleeping characters who look powerful(old mages, strong fighters, etc.). Thedrow mercenaries’ priority is mages,any members of the watch who haveavoided the initial assault, and any char-acters who are seeking to escape. TheZhentarim mages’ priorities are would-be escapees, and those who may beinvisible. The clerics of Moander are toround up escapees as well, and to bringon the heavy artillery if needed (if it lookslike even one PC is going to escape).

If the player characters somehow get

the better of the attacking force, theambushers will fight to the death (theyfear their own masters more than theydo the player characters). If apprehend-ed and questioned magically, they willonly confess to receiving orders fromtheir masters to meet with the others,ambush the characters, and deliverthem to Tilverton. This may set the char-acters on the road toward discoveringthese hidden masters without beingsaddled with the Curse of the AzureBonds—if, for some reason, the DMwould prefer playing through the eventsof the module without using the brandsand the compulsions.

If the player characters kill the attack-ing force or cause them to run off, theDM should try again with a strongerforce (adding giants with nets, perhapsa gorgon, or other powerful creatures,but not any of the named individualsfrom the other parts of this module).

The magic-users’ scrolls will not sur-vive the battle, either because they areused up or destroyed when their ownersdie. The drow venom will lose its effect24 hours after the battle.

Should one or two characters escapethe trap and seek to follow their friends,Tyranthraxus will discover their activi-ties and dispatch a small force (fourthieves, one cleric, one mage) to dealwith them. Heroes who join the adven-ture at a later point to locate their miss-ing comrades will find no trace of them(magically or otherwise) until they reap-pear in Tilverton, branded.

Finally, a word about what goes onbehind the scenes for two weeks after asuccessful ambush and capture. Thesurvivors among the ambushers deliverthe heroes to the depths of Tilverton, toa vault protected by the spells of Tyran-thraxus, where the Azure Bonds areplaced on them. The various survivingmembers of the ambushers are suppos-edly dispatched to far locations to avoidany connection with the incident. (Inreality, each faction of the New Alliancesends its survivors into combat againstthe others, in order to make sure thatthere are no leaks in their plans thistime. The result should be the eventualelimination of all the other parties in theambush.)

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By normal or DM-inspired means, theheroes have been captured and brand-ed with the Azure Bonds of the New Alli-ance. They awaken to discover theirplight and quickly become involved withthe Fire Knives, the King of Cormyr, andan unfortunate noble named GiogiWyvernspur.

Encounter 1Read the following passage to the play-ers:

You awaken to the sound of two dogsbarking and the evening hubbub ofwagons and carriages passing byyour window. You are resting on asimple straw tick covered with gray-ing sheets. You look around to findyour companions similarly laid out,and just now awakening. You remem-ber an attack, dark elves and figuresleaping out the shadows and appear-ing magically among your midsts.

Then nothing, a deep void of black-ness, until your awakening.

Your gear has been packed neatlybeside your bed. You reach for it,then stop—as you notice that yourentire right arm has been covered byan ornate, gleaming tattoo, markedwith strange and arcane symbols!

See the earlier section “The AzureBonds” (in the Introduction) for theappearances and effects of the sym-bols. All those who were successfullyambushed will awaken to find them-selves in this state—branded by theNew Alliance for mysterious purposes.

Some players may have read the nov-el Azure Bonds and/or played thecomputer-game version of this adven-ture. They should feel free to sharewhatever they know, considering it asknowledge gleaned from other sources(such as the Nameless Bard from Chap-

also be aware that not everything a play-er may have learned from the novel orthe computer game will be true in thecontext of this module.

All of the characters’ gear is present,with the following exceptions, if theyapply:

* Magical scrolls containing spells oflevel seven or higher have beenclaimed by Dracandros of Thay,and will be found with him at histower at Haptooth Hill. Dracandrosmay use these scrolls against theheroes at a later date.

* Devices or scrolls which raise thedead or wield esoteric healing abili-ties have been claimed by theMoanderites and/or the Zhentarim,and will be found at their locations.

* Rings and other devices whichallow wishes have been grabbed inthe name of Tyranathraxus, andwill be found among the treasure inhis lair in Myth Drannor, protected

ter 1). They (and you, the DM) should from magical detection.

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* All artifacts become the posses-sions of Tyranthraxus, by virtue ofhis being the most powerful mem-ber of the New Alliance. Alternately,the Mad Red Wizard Dracandrosmay have claimed these andalready shipped them to an agentin Thay, to use as a bargaining toolfor his return. The DM may use thisalternative if he wishes to continueadventures beyond the bounds ofthis module. The sourcebookDreams of the Red Wizards bySteve Perrin will be helpful for gain-ing further information on Thay.

* Scrolls which protect from posses-sion have been destroyed (perhapsthe player characters will find theirremains in a fireplace at theThieves’ Guild).

* Potions of human control and morepowerful magical rods, such as therods of rulership or beguiling, maybe in the hands of one of the morepowerful enemies or, at the DM’soption, may have been traded tosome other force in return forfavors, information, or supplies,putting the heroes on another mis-sion following this one to locate thelost items.

All other enchanted items remain withthe heroes, including magical weaponsand armor, “nonthreatening” rings,scrolls, and potions. The New Alliancewants the heroes to be as strong as pos-sible for the sake of completing theirmissions, and takes only those itemsthat it deems to be highly useful or dan-gerous.

The PCs’ room is the upper loft of TheWindlord’s Rest, an inn of good qualityin Tilverton. The Windlord’s Rest is athree-story inn near the heart of town,across from the Temple of Gond. Thetopmost floor was converted from anattic to one main room, with gabled win-dows providing light and an excellentview of the city.

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* Devices which contact or summoncreatures from other planes,including items of elemental sum-moning, efreet bottles, and djinnrings, have been claimed by theSurvivors of Moander, who intendto use them to pierce through theveil that separates the Realms fromMoander’s home.

Those looking out the windows to theeast will see the imposing edifice of theTemple of Gond Wondermaker to thenorth of the inn. It is appoaching midday,and the sounds of commerce, streettraffic, and general commotion reach upto the PCs’ ears. If the player charactersare familiar with Tilverton, they will rec-ognize where they are immediately.Also, any individual looking out the win-dow will catch sight of a splendid car-riage rounding the far corner,emblazoned with the Purple Dragon ofCormyr.

The stairs from the loft lead down tothe second floor, where there are indi-vidual suites, and finally to the commonroom of The Windlord’s Rest. It is herethat the characters will meet ThungorTriblane, the gnome who owns the inn. Ifthe characters make undue noise (likeshouts of pain from trying to remove thebonds), Triblane will come to them.

Thungor Triblane, gnome (former 3rdlevel illusionist): AC 10; MV 12”; HD 3;hp 10; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 (100 gold piecesin a sock, wielded as a blackjack); SAspell use; SZ S; AL LN; THAC0 20.

Thungor is a bit daunted by peopletaller than he, but is basically honestand stalwart. He will react positively iftreated well by the characters, but like awise old dutch uncle if the charactersare upset or angry (as well they shouldbe, having been ambushed, kidnapped,robbed, and branded). Thungor will fleeif attacked, shouting for the guard, ashis many loyal patrons rush to hisdefense.

Here’s what Thungor knows:

* Three days ago a gentleman in ared cloak, his face hidden by adeep hood, came to Thungor’s inn,The Windlord’s Rest, to rent the loftroom for a week. He paid inadvance.

* Two days ago, a larger party of red-hooded men came in, carrying thebodies and equipment of the party.They carried them up to the loft andlaid things out as they were whenthe characters awoke.

* The bodies did not look particularlywell off, and Thungor asked thehooded men where the adventur-ers came from. “We are a quiet,holy order,” said the lead red-hood.

“We found these people left fordead alongside the road,ambushed by brigands. We healedthem as best we could, thenbrought them here.”

* Thungor was still unconvinced, buta bag of gold quieted him at thetime.

* Since then, the adventurers hadbeen out like a light.

* He’s never seen the red-hoodsbefore or since.

* The date is a month after the char-acters’ ambush by the New Alli-ance.

* The characters had the blue doo-dads (his word) on their arms whenthey arrived.

* Their packs have not been dis-turbed, and nothing has been tak-en from them while the charactershave been here at The Windlord’sRest. (This last is a half-truth;Thungar took nothing, but didcheck out their possessions and inparticular their gold).

* Thungor swears all of the above istrue, “Cross my heart and mayGond turn me blue.”

Thungor wants to know if the charac-ters are involved with the visit of the Kingof Cormyr. It seems that Azoun himselfhas arrived in town. Officially he is hereto work out a defense treaty with Tilver-ton, but wagging tongues say that hiswayward daughter, Alusair Nacacia,was spotted in the area a few monthsback, and he and his pet wizard Vanger-dahast are here looking for her. Rumorhas it that the princess and the priest ofthe biggest temple in town had mutualinterests (Thungor’s words) and ran offtogether. Neither has been seen for ayear. The king is staying at the mansionof the Gunderstone family not far away.

As for the character’s brands,Thungor breezily suggests that thecharacters get them cured at the Templeof Gond, as if they were no more than asimple cold or a case of lycanthropy. Ifthe heroes have already caught on tothe painful consequences of trying toremove the markings themselves,Thungor will recommend the services ofa friend of his—Filani of Tantras, whohas taken residence in the city as asage, after fleeing legal problems in herhome city. (Filani is a friend of

TILVERTON1 Windlord's Rest2 Gindarstone Mansion3 Filani the Sage4 Temple of Gond5 Tilver's Palace (Abandoned ruins)6 Cormyr Stairs7 Market Stairs8 Tilver Stairs9 Upper City Gate10 Market

Thungor—they used to adventuretogether—and Thungor has alreadypassed on to Filani drawings of the sym-bols on the PCs’ arms and a reckoningof the amount of gold the heroes are car-rying.)

Encounter 2Encounters 2, 3, and 4 may occur in

any order, and do not necessarily needto occur at all. How the adventure pro-ceeds at this point depends on whetherthe characters decide to approach theking immediately (Encounter 2), to seekout the sage (Encounter 3), or to go tothe Temple of Gond Wondermaker(Encounter 4).

If the characters try to meet the king,they will be directed to the mansion ofthe Gunderstone family. This relativelyprestigious burgher clan has vacated itshome temporarily so that the accommo-dations can be used by the king and hiscourt.

The mansion has three entrances: themain one, a back entrance, and a ser-vants’ entrance. The carriage markedwith trappings and pennants of the Kingof Cormyr is parked by the backentrance.

Each of the entrances is watched overby three Comryrian guardsmen, armedwith long swords and carrying dragon-headed whistles on thongs around theirnecks. They are to forbid all entry intothe mansion to those without officialbusiness with the king.

Unfortunately, the guards do not havetheir stories coordinated. The ones atthe front door say that the king is outsightseeing in the city. The ones at theservants’ door say he is within, butmeeting with church officials. The threeguards at the back door by the carriagestate that the king is within, but resting,and not to be disturbed. The guards areofficious, polite, and abrupt in theiranswers. They will gladly take any mes-sages or pleas for the king, which theywill direct through His Majesty’s person-al secretary.

If the characters make any trouble,attack the guards, or try to force theirway through, the guards will sound theirdragon-headed whistles. Ten reinforce-ments of the guard will appear in 2rounds, and twenty more in 2 rounds fol-

lowing that. Individuals will be given achoice of surrendering and retreating orbeing arrested for disturbing the peace.

Cormyrian Guards (3rd level fighters):AC 2; MV 6”; HD 3; hp 18 each; #AT 1;Dmg 1-8; AL LG; THAC0 18.

return to Filani any number of times, butshe will only provide the information shehas on hand, and only at the pricedemanded.

Filani’s information is as follows:

If the heroes do make an appoint-ment, one will be set up for two dayshence—but it will not be kept (seeEncounter 5).

If the heroes stake out the building,after about an hour two men leave by theback door and climb quickly into the cabof the royal carriage. One is a paunchywizard dressed in robes, the other athin, foppish dandy who is sweating pro-fusely even in the cool air. They areVangerdahast and Giogi Wyvernspur.The former is the court wizard, the latter agadabout from Cormyr whose only nota-ble talent (in the context of this adven-ture) is his ability to mimic the king’svoice. The carriage will go from heredirectly to the scene of Encounter 5.

Encounter 3The sage Filani, recommended by theinnkeeper Thungor, lives in a modestthree-story home across from the Tem-ple of Gond Wondermaker.

Filani of Tantras (9th level magic-user,sage specializing in Politics and Histo-ry): AC 9; MV 12”; HD 9; hp 36; #AT 1;Dmg 1-4 (dagger); SA & SD spell use;AL N; THAC0 19.

Filani is a beautiful woman with darkhair bound up in white ribbons. Thungorhas warned her already about the char-acters, so she is ready to receive themwithout any difficulty.

Filani is a businesswoman, and inexchange for information and aid, shewill set a price in advance. She knowsfrom Thungor how much money theplayer characters are carrying, and herprice is 90 percent of that amount. Shewill not settle for less.

Further, she will not cast spells(“Casting spells on unknown runes is assmart as shoving your face into adragon’s throat,” she says coyly), direct-ing the characters toward the Temple ofGond if they are seeking that sort of aid.

If endangered, Filani will dimensiondoor to her own loft and summon theguard from there. The heroes may

* The first symbol, closest to eachcharacter’s wrist, is a daggerwrapped in flame—the emblem ofthe Fire Knives, an old thieves’guild that was based in Cormyr. Itran afoul of the king and his sup-porters, and as such was for themost part destroyed. Survivorsescaped to Westgate and to Tilver-ton, where they set up “guilds inexile,” working with the localthieves. The Westgate branch issaid to have been recent lydestroyed as well in a battle withadventurers. The Tilverton branchhas been seeking to control thelocal criminal scene for years. TheFire Knives’ hatred of King Azounremains unabated, and this is onereason why everyone is so security-minded in the city these days.

* The second symbol is that of thecult of a dead god, Moander, alsocalled The Jawed God. True wor-ship of the deity died out over athousand years ago, when elvenmages broke its temples andimprisoned the god. Since then,various crackpot groups havesought to revive the worship,always in an evil fashion. A talerecently come from the North saysthat an ancient temple was foundbeneath Yulash, and that a greatmonster was found there. Thebeast escaped, wreaking greathavoc among both the Zhentil Keepand Hillsfar forces.

* Speaking of Zhentil Keep, the thirdsymbol is the secret sign of theZhentarim, a fell and powerful orga-nization that operates throughoutthe North but whose base of poweris in Zhentil Keep. A coalition ofpowerful mages and clerics ofBane, the god of tyranny, the Zhen-tarim is ruled by Lord Manshoon, agreat wizard, and his assistant, theevil high priest Fzoul Chembryl.

* The fourth symbol requires somefurther research, for its precise sig-nificance is unknown. Its style, withangular jags and a flaming motif,

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suggests the emblem of the RedWizards of Thay. Their empire liesat the far end of the Sea of FallenStars, though they have agentsroaming throughout the land. Theydream of eventual conquest, butare continually wracked by internalconflict. Because of this infighting,while the Red Wizards are poten-tially more powerful than the forcesof Zhentil Keep, they are presentlyless effective.

* The fifth and last symbol seems tohave something in common withthat of Moander. The Jawed Godhas been long dead, but recentlynews of him has surfaced. So it iswith the representative of this sym-bol, which depicts the elvish runefor a name surrounded by flames.The name is that of the evilTyranthraxus—a monster thoughtto have been defeated by adventur-ers. However, his name is beingwhispered in certain dark placesonce again.

Players whose characters have bat-tled Tyranthraxus previously should beturning ashen at about this point.Indeed, if these heroes did fight Tyran-thraxus, this is the true reason that theywere chosen for this noble experiment.(If the heroes and Tyranthraxus arestrangers, then it was mere chance—the PCs’ misfortune—that put them intheir present situation.)

Filani has no other information athand, but points out that there is arenowned sage to be found on the roadto Zhentil Keep and Yulash: Elminsterthe Wise, of Shadowdale. Elminsterrarely sees visitors, but she will providea letter of introduction if the PCs wantone.

If the heroes want to try to have theirbrands removed, she recommends theTemple of Gond across the street.

Encounter 4The Temple of Gond is an imposingstructure which dominates the UpperCity of Tilverton. It is five stories highand very broad, such that it sits like abrooding dragon overlooking the city.The bulk of the interior is devoted to themain chapel, but small corridors line theperimeter, leading to small meeting

rooms, libraries, and areas for spellresearch.

Gond is the god of blacksmiths, artifi-cers, crafts, and construction, and histemple shows it. The walls are litteredwith clocks and other devices, contin-ually in operation. The floor reverber-ates from the effect of somesubterranean activity, and the ring of asmithy’s hammer can be heard in thedistance. The clerics of this faith carryhammers instead of the typical maces.

The former high priest of the templewas Gharri of Gond, the man who disap-peared (along with the king’s daughter)over a year ago. His subaltern, Burlan ofGond, now runs the temple until a newhigh priest is appointed. While Burlan isfairly powerful (12th level), he lacks boththe diplomacy and temporal power thatmade Gharri the controlling force thathe once was.

There is much rush and bother aboutthe hall, for the King of Cormyr and hiscourt wizard will be visiting fairly shortly,and all must be put into readiness.Burlan sees this as a chance to offsetthe rumors that Gharri ran off with Prin-cess Alusair Nacacia, and has little timefor other problems.

The heroes will be greeted by a lesserpriest and asked their business. Thepriest, Castar, will see little problem intrying to remove the runes and will usherthe heroes into a small room adjoiningthe main temple.

Castar will measure the runes, mak-ing notes for the temple’s library. He willask the going rate for a casting of dispelmagic (500 gold—he reads it from ascroll). He will ask for one of the heroesto volunteer.

When the magic hits them, the brandswill force their owner to react asdescribed in the earlier section “TheAzure Bonds”: by attacking the personcasting the spell. The hero will seek toattack physically, throttling the clericwith his bare hands if need be, until thefit passes. The other player charactersshould try to restrain the hero who isattacking.

Castar of Gond (3rd level cleric): AC 5;MV 12”; HD 3; hp 24; #AT 1; Dmg 2-5(hammer); AL N; THAC0 20.

Castar will try to flee if attacked, andother clerics will gather to protect their

own if the other characters do notrestrain their friend. If Castar is slain, acry goes up for the watch, and the playercharacters are treated as if they hadattacked the king (see Encounter 5below). If the affected PC is restrained,the urge to slay Castar will pass in a fewrounds, and everyone involved will cor-rectly assume that the brands, and notthe character himself, caused the hos-tile action. If they make proper apolo-gies (and promise never to return) theheroes will be let out of the temple with-out further incident.

As they leave, they will see a largecrowd gathering on the front steps of thetemple. A white carpet is being rolledfrom the entrance to the curb; obviously,the clerics are making final preparationsfor the king’s visit.

Encounter 5This encounter takes place after theheroes have visited the temple, or havefollowed the coach from the mansion tothe temple, or have visited the sage’shouse and decided to merely leavetown. Read the following to the players:

A large throng has gathered aboutthe stairs to the Temple of Gond. Thetwenty-three priests of the temple,dressed in their finery, bracket thestairs up the temple. Burlan, the cur-rent acting high priest, is at the top. Awhite carpet runs from the curb to thetemple’s mouth. The loyal and thecurious have gathered to meet theKing of Cormyr.

The royal carriage approaches,pulled by four white stallions. Pen-nants bearing the symbol of the Pur-ple Dragon fly in the wind. A patrol often horsemen precede the carriage,and ten other guards follow it.

Let the player characters determinewhere they are in the area. With thethrong of people, it will be impossible tomove very far or very fast (3” per turn fornow—but this will change when all heckbreaks loose).

The carriage pulls up, its interior darkand its blinds pulled. The door opensand the court wizard Vangerdahastclimbs out. The door swings shut behindhim. A hand, bearing a ring with the pur-

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ple dragon on it, appears from behindthe curtain, resting on the bottom of thewindow of the carriage door.

“Greetings, people of Tilverton, andmost worthy clerics of Gond Wonderma-ker, Smithy, and Artificer,” says themage. “I am Vangerdahast, personalwizard to our Royal Majesty King Azoun,the Purple Dragon of Cormyr. My lord istired from his long journey, and mustdecline Priest Burlan’s invitation to tourthe temple today, but His Majesty doeswish to address the crowd briefly. YourMajesty . . .” Vangerdahast motions tothe carriage and steps back.

What is occuring here is a sham forthe masses. The true king is in Tilverton,but in disguise, while a young lordnamed Giogi Wyvernspur has been per-suaded to masquerade as the monarch,imitating the king’s voice. Vangerdahasthopes that any assassins from the FireKnives will attack the false king andreveal themselves in that fashion. He isunaware of the New Alliance and theAzure Bonds, though he does know thatGiogi was almost slain several monthsago by the woman Alias, who wasbranded in a similar fashion.

Giogi’s speech goes something likethis: “Dear, dear people of Tilverton,brave souls who dare to challenge theuncivilized wastes beyond the Stone-lands, who rise above adversity toaccept the aid and protection of yoursouthern neighbor, I bring you greetingsfrom myself and my family. I wish tothank in particular the kind and graciouspriests of Gond Wondermaker, whosegifts and salutations have been greatlyappreciated, and I hope to tour yourtemple in the very near future.”

Giogi (imitating the king in a slightlynasal voice) will continue on in this vein,saying practically nothing of substance,but saying it in very proper style, for aslong as he can.

The player characters, however, havebeen branded with the compulsion toattack the source of the sound whenthey hear the king’s voice. Each of thePCs must make an immediate savingthrow versus spells at -6. Failure tosave means that the characters willdraw their weapons and try to slay thesupposed King of Cormyr.

If all of the characters make their sav-ing throws against the effect of the Fire

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Knives brand, Giogi’s speech will pro-ceed normally. Vangerdahast will decideto cast detect magic on the crowd (in thevicinity of at least one of the PCs) to seeif he can discern a threat to the “king.”The brands on the character(s) in thearea of effect of the spell will react asdescribed in “The Azure Bonds” sec-tion, giving off bright blue light and caus-ing great pain to the affected PC(s). Atthe DM’s discretion, the casting mightalso trigger an attack against Vangerda-hast (assuming that he would be instant-ly identified as the caster of the spell).Regardless of exactly what happens,these events should throw the area intoturmoil and get the PCs into trouble, justas if they had mounted an immediateattack against the “king.”

If one or more of the PCs draws aweapon or tries to cast a spell, the actwill cause an immediate panic. Thecrowd will bolt as soon as it becomesclear there is danger afoot. This scram-bling turmoil will ruin any spell-castingbegun in the first round thereafter, bothfor the characters and for Vangerda-hast. The royal carriage is of solid con-struction, but the doors can be easilyripped from the hinges, allowing quickaccess. As the characters attack, theywill hear Giogi Wyvernspur withinshouting—in his natural voice—“Oh,no! Not again!”

Vangerdahast’s first duty is to saveGiogi/Azoun. He will fight his way toGiogi’s side, grab him, and then dimen-sion door to a spot 100 feet west and 200feet in the air. With Giogi hanging ontohim for dear life, Vangerdahast will fol-low that with feather fall to bring theimpostor down to safety. When Giogi issafe (for the moment, anyway), Vanger-dahast will return to the fray but stay inthe background, letting the Cormyrguards handle the brunt of the fight.

The 20 guardsmen accompanying the“king” will dismount and attack as soonas the characters make their moves(there is nothing subtle about a chargingfighter with an axe heading for the royalcarriage). They will sound the alert, sothat in 6 rounds, another 20 guards willarrive, along with Vangerdahast, if hegot Giogi away safely.

As soon as Giogi disappears from theimmediate vicinity, the compulsion willleave the affected characters—but they

will still be facing 20 armed guards whowill want to arrest them for attackingtheir ruler.

Cormyrian Guards (3rd level fighters):AC 2; MV 3” (due to crowds); HD 3; hp18 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; AL LG; THAC018.

The guards will seek to bring the char-acters to zero hit points, but not to slaythem (so that they can be questioned lat-er). They will call for the assailants tosurrender. Thus, the heroes have threeoptions: fight, try to run, or give up.

If the heroes fight and defeat bothwaves of Cormyrian militia, they willhave a 1 in 6 chance of encountering 20more militiamen each turn until theyleave the city. After they defeat the firstgroup, a shady individual will beckon tothem from an alley. “Buddy,” he willhiss, “over here to escape the law.”

If the heroes fight and are defeated, orif they surrender, they will be taken tothe Burgher’s Court and thrown into thedungeon, in a common cell. Weaponswill be confiscated, and mages will beshackled. Toward evening, a stoneblock will move from the wall and ashady individual (the same one men-tioned above) will pop out, hissing,“This way to escape the law.”

If the heroes run (probably their wisestmove), they will succeed in escapingand will then encounter the same shadyindividual as they make their way out oftown. In this case (and the first case), theshady individual will beckon for them tofollow him down an open grating at theedge of a building. From there the grouppasses into the sewers.

Cutthroat McGill (5th level thief): AC6; MV 9”; HD 5; hp 17; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6;AL N; THAC0 19.

Once in the sewers (regardless of thesituation that got them there), the shadyindividual turns to them and says, “Par-don for the intrusion, but the name isCutthroat McGill. I wuz told to bring youto my boss’s place. We’re the Thieves’Guild around here. The real one, notthose scuzzy Fire Knives.” With that hepoints at the symbol on the character’sarms.

Cutthroat McGill leads the heroes downa short, straight stretch of sewer tunnel,having no branches to the left or right.Eventually they come to a large steeldoor blocking their path. McGill knockson the door three times, and the doorslowly rises.

This passage leads to the under-ground headquarters of the TilvertonThieves’ Guild, also known as theRogues of Tilverton. The door is raisedand lowered by two ogres from the quar-ters in room 1. The player characters areushered into the room marked G. Readthe following to the players:

Cutthroat McGill leads you into alarge, richly decorated room, thewalls dripping with expensive hang-ings and the floor awash in pillowsmade of exotic fabrics. Golden bowlsof oil dot the perimeter with wicks setin boats of silver, providing a dim lightto the room. Along the wall youentered are long benches on eitherside of the door, and seated on themare a group of scummy-lookingrogues who eye you suspiciously.The only other exit from the room is toyour left.

At the far end of the room is a lowdais upon which sits a grossly fatman in regal but tattered robes. Hemotions you to enter and be seated.

As the heroes make themselves com-fortable, the DM should make sure ofthe status of their weapons. Weaponsthat were lost as a result of their captureby the Cormyrians are returned at thistime, carried on pillows by beautifulwomen, and “peace-bonded”-tiedwith strings to prevent easy removal(untying a peace-bonded weapon takes1-4 rounds, or 3-6 if the characterattempting it is running at the time).Mages who have been shackled willhave their iron bonds removed, andtheir spell books and magic materialswill be returned to them. The weaponsand other items were “liberated” fromthe Cormyrians in the same fashion thatthe heroes were.

If any of the heroes are injured, serv-ing girls will bring potions of extra heal-ing (up to three) to aid the woundedindividuals.

After they have become settled, thehuge man on the far dais begins tospeak.

“Good evening, gentle adventurers,”says the large man on the dais. “Myname is Artur Grossman. My thievescall me Guildmaster to my face andthe Fat Man behind my back. I am theMaster of the Rogues of Tilverton. Ihave brought you here because wehave a matter of common interest.”

He points at one of you with apudgy, ring-laden hand. “You havebeen marked with the symbols of anevil alliance, one of which is veryunpleasant to our group. Many yearsback, the Fire Knives of Cormyr hadtheir power broken by His MajestyKing Azoun IV. They fled to the hinter-lands. Some came here, where theypetitioned my father, the former guild-master, for sanctuary. He granted it,and within the year he was dead fromtheir poisons.

“The Fire Knives are bullies, seek-ing only vengeance against the king.They hold the king’s missing daugh-ter, Alusair Nacacia, as bait to lurehim here and have their agents, youpeople, slay him. Normally, I wouldnot care one way or t’other, butshould the king die here today, all thethieves of Tilverton will suffer. Includ-ing my group.

“We suffer if the king dies. We alsosuffer if we oppose the Fire Knivesdirectly. They are small in number butpowerful in ability, and have many fellmagics at their beck and call. Theyhave allied themselves with a groupof misfit clerics from Yulash, who stillseek to bring their dead god, Moan-der, back to life. They talk with partsof the Black Network, the Zhentarim.They have struck a deal with a RedWizard named Dracandros, and theyhave contacted even worse powersthat we know little about.

“You have been brought to ourheadquarters for a purpose—to huntdown and destroy the Fire Knives,freeing the king’s daughter so he willtake her and go home, leaving ushonest thieves to perform our dailytasks. We will provide a map throughthe sewers to their hideout, which

used to be the home of my respectedfather.” He waves at another servinggirl carrying a scroll on yet anotherpillow.

“What say you, noble adventur-ers? True, I make no bones aboutbeing thieves, chiselers, and pettygrifters, but ours is a proud organiza-tion with small goals and strong civicpride. We do not wish to see Azoun orhis daughter or particularly Tilvertonhurt. Will you help us against agreater evil?”

The heroes may barter with Guild-master Grossman for what he has. Hecan offer up to 2000 gp as an addedinducement, plus all that the charactersfind within the Fire Knives’ hideout. Hewarns that the Fire Knives are of highlevel and use particularly formidablespell casters and monsters in their oper-ations. Further, though the map of thesewers is accurate, the map of the hide-out is probably not, since the Fire Kniveshave almost certainly moved some ofthe walls around since taking over.

Should the heroes refuse the offer,Grossman will sigh and say, “I am sorry.You realize that we cannot let you live,now, knowing what you know. I am verysorry.” He rings a small bell. There is aloud clamor as a general alarm soundsand the line of mercenaries behind thecharacters moves in to attack.

Should the heroes accept the offer,Grossman will provide the map, anddirect the woman bearing it, named Tha-lia, to lead the party to the exit from thekitchen storage area (room 16). As theyhead toward the exit on the southeastwall, there is a commotion from behindthe PCs. A group of Fire Knives, preced-ed by a tamed rust monster, breaks inthrough the iron door on the north wall.The mercenaries rush toward the door-way. “Run!” shouts Grossman to thecharacters, pulling himself to his feetand flinging a dagger into the midst ofcombat, skewering an enemy. “We canhold them off here!”

Guildmaster Artur Grossman (10thlevel thief): AC 4 (robes of defense, simi-lar to the bracers of the same name); MV6”; HD 10; hp 54; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA &SD thieving abilities; AL N; THAC0 16.

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Mercenaries of Tilverton (4th levelfighters, 10): AC 4; MV 12”; HD 4; hp 24each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 (two-handedbroad swords) or 1-8 (long swords); ALNE; THAC0 17.

Servants (zero-level humans, 7-12 innumber): AC 10; MV 12”; hp 3 each; #AT1; Dmg 1-2 (will flee unless cornered);AL N; THAC0 20.

Thalia (4th level thief, appearsdressed as servant): AC 7 (includingdexterity bonus); MV 12”; HD 4; hp 23;Dmg 1-4 (concealed dagger) or by otherweapon; AL N; THAC0 20.

If the DM wishes, Thalia will accompa-ny the heroes into the sewers and out ofTilverton, especially if any of the charac-ters has a charisma of 17 or higher(she’s a sucker for paladins). Grossmanis a nice guy, but a touch too sexist forThalia’s tastes.

Rust Monster: AC 2; MV 18”; HD 5; hp25; #AT 2; Dmg nil; SA rusts; AL N;THAC0 15.

Fire Knives (6th level thieves, 8): AC7; MV 12”; Dmg 1-8 (long sword); SAdrow paralysis venom on the blades; ALLE; THAC0 19.

Tilverton RoguesHeadquartersG. The Guildmaster’s Audience Hall. Asdescribed above. Secret door behindthe Guildmaster’s chair opens into Bar-racks #1 (room 4); reinforcements fromBarracks #1 and Barracks #2 (room 6)will come through here either to join theattack against the Fire Knives or againstthe heroes, depending on whether thePCs decided to accept the Guildmas-ter’s proposal.

1. Ogre Quarters. This is where theguild maintains the ogres who operatethe main door and are also used as“enforcers” with particularly hard-to-deal-with clients. There are six ogres inall, who work as teams of two in 8-hourshifts on door duty. The four ogres not

on duty at any given time will be sleep-ing, playing cards (with a 51-card deck)or generally lazing about. If combatbreaks out in room G, they will come tothe scene immediately, seeking to enterthrough the north doorway.

Ogres (6): AC 5; MV 9”; HD 4+1; hp16, 17, 20, 24, 25, 30; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10;AL CE; THAC0 15.

The ogres have 27 gold pieces—theirwinnings from card games with theguards in room 2.

2. Checkpoint #1. All three doors tothis room are normally locked. Thedoors have small sliding panels at eyelevel for the guards to check anyoneseeking to enter the area.

Currently, the west door (into room G)is open, the north door is locked, and thesouth door is closed but unlocked. Theroom has a simple table and two chairs.

Guards (2nd level fighters, 2): AC 3;MV 6”; HD 2; hp 18 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; AL N; THAC0 19.

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3. Treasure Room. This room, linedwith lead plates to deter treasurehunters and magical detection, has astone door that requires ogre power (or18 strength) to open. The room is linedwith shelves, upon which sit 100 smallgolden casks. The casks, collected byArtur Grossman’s late father, are worth1000 gp each—which makes them, atthis point in time, much more valuablethan their contents.

Fifty of the casks are empty, a sign ofhow low the fortunes of the nativethieves’ guild have sunk. Forty of theremaining ones contain 200 gp apiece,nine of them each contain 200 platinumpieces (called tricrowns in the Realms),and the last one holds an account bookwith a running summary of all the trea-sure the room has contained over theyears. The last few pages are coveredwith writing in red ink.

All the casks are similar in design,having been crafted by artisans of theTemple of Gond. Each one features apoisoned blade along the edge of therim, which will jut out and stab anyonewho lifts the lid (save versus poison ordie) unless a small stud on the left leg ofthe cask is pressed before the lid isopened.

4. Barracks #1. This simple room isfilled with ten bunk beds each with twolockers stuffed beneath. Twenty low-level thieves are housed here, ready toreinforce any battle in the Guildmaster’sAudience Room. There is a peepholealong the north wall into room G. Each ofthe lockers contain personal effects,and 1 in 6 will have something of worth(such as a gem of 100 gp value).

Thieves of Tilverton (2nd level, 20):AC 7; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 8 each; #AT 1;Dmg 1-6 (short sword) or 1-4 (throwndagger); SA thieving abilities; AL N;THAC0 20.

5. Sergeant’s Quarters. This room ismore ornate than a standard barracksroom. It has a few paintings on the wallthat until recently hung in GunderstoneMansion and other houses of the gentry.Four sergeants, Grossman’s right-handmen, have their quarters here. One willbe found in the training area (room 11),while the others will be on hand here.They will challenge any strangers and

attack anyone who tries to break into the 3+3; hp 21, 20; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8; AL Ntreasure room (room 3). THAC0 16.

Sergeants of The Guild (5th levelthieves, 3): AC 6; HD 5; hp 24, 26, 30;#AT 1; Dmg 1-8; SA thieving abilities; ALN; THAC0 19.

The north door is open, but the dooron the south wall is locked. Grossmancarries a key to the door, and there isalso one tucked behind the fish foun-tain.

6. Barracks #2. Similar in descriptionto barracks #1 (room 4), this area alsocontains 20 thieves who will rush intobarracks 4 and then into the Guildmas-ter’s hall to aid in any fight.

Thieves of Tilverton (2nd level, 20):AC 7; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 8 each; #AT 1;Dmg 1-6 (short sword) or 1-4 (throwndagger); SA thieving abilities; AL N;THAC0 20.

7. Checkpoint #2. Similar in appear-ance to checkpoint #1 (room 2), exceptthat both the west and north doors arelocked, and the guards will not openthem to anyone without authorization.

Guards (2nd level fighters, 2): AC 3;MV 6”; HD 2; hp 18 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; AL N; THAC0 19.

11. Training Area. This area is for thetraining of thieves in combat and otherarts. It is basically a bare rock floorsprinkled with sand. One sergeant andfive thieves are within, involved in atraining session. They are unaware ofany combat in the other parts of thecomplex. If the heroes break in, they willbe challenged, and if their answer isunsatisfactory, they will be attacked. Ifthe thieves are told the truth aboutwhat’s going on (the PCs’ mission andthe invasion of the Fire Knives), they willbe helpful, telling the individuals how toescape from the complex through theback hallway (room 19).

Sergeant of The Guild (5th level thief):AC 6; MV 6”; HD 5; hp 30; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; SA thieving abilities; AL N; THAC0 19.

8. Barracks #3. Similar in appearanceto the other barracks (rooms 4 and 6),this one has ten bunk beds as well. It isempty, its residents either out on variousmissions or in training in room 11.

Thieves of Tilverton (2nd level, 5): AC7; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 8 each; #AT 1; Dmg1-6 (short sword) or 1-4 (thrown dagger);SA thieving abilities; AL N; THAC0 20.

9. Baths. Steps lead down from thedoorway here into a wide, white-marbled pool. A fountain along the farwall shoots water in a spray across thepond. The area is empty.

12. Kitchen. This room contains longtables for preparing food for Grossmanand his men. A large fireplace domi-nates the southwest corner.

10. Guildmaster’s Quarters. This isGrossman’s home, and is even moresumptuous and tacky than his AudienceHall. A massive divan is tucked in the farnorth corner, and a fountain of a fishdominates the western wall.

Here also are Grossman’s pets, a pairof dire wolves he raised from pups. Theirnames are Fluffy and Bojangles, and hetreats them like puppies. (“Doespupple-wupples want din-din? Oh,pupple-wupples love din-din, don’tthey?”) If the heroes open either doorleading into this room, the wolves willgrowl, but will only attack if the heroesenter the room or attack them.

The kitchen is occupied by four cooks(zero-level humans). If the adventurersare accompanied by Thalia, the cookswill be properly deferential to theheroes. If not, the cooks will shout“Invaders!” and begin throwingthings—pots, pans, cabbage, hunks ofmeat, etc. These projectiles do no realdamage, but the cooks hope to drive theheroes out an exit—any exit. The DMshould play the cooks for laughs, and if itlooks like they will be slain, have themsurrender.

Dire wolves (2): AC 6; MV 18”; HD

13. Guildmaster’s Office. The office islit by a single large glass bowl of oil sus-pended above the doorway. The wallsare done in a mural showing a view ofTilverton similar to the one the playercharacters had from the window of theirloft back in the Windlord’s Rest.

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A massive desk and a massive chairdominate the room. The chair is mount-ed to the floor, and has three buttonsalong one arm. The first opens thesecret door behind the desk leading tothe library (room 17). The second dumpsthe bowl of oil down upon attackers inthe doorway, inflicting 1-6 points offlame damage per round. The thirdsends an alarm through the entire com-plex, telling all to gather in the office andthe library to deal with invaders.

The desk contains a copy of the mapshowing the route through the sewers tothe Fire Knives’ secret headquarters, aswell as a piece of paper with this writingon it:

Fire KnivesYulashBlack NetworkDracandos?

These words are in Grossman’shandwriting—the Guildmaster’s mus-ings on the sources of the heroes’brands.

Tucked in the lower right-hand drawerof the desk beneath some paperwork(mostly IOUs to the Temple of Gond), area dagger +3 and a pair of golden lionfigurines of wondrous power (see DMG,page 144). The command word for thefigurines, known only to Grossman, is“Leo.” The word is also carved into theunderside of the desk drawer, fromwhere it can be read if the drawer isremoved and turned upside down.

14. The Shrine. This simple room’sdoors are unlocked, and its furnishingsbare and sparse; a few benches acrossthe floor and an indentation on the farwall marked by the holy symbol of Mask,the god of thieves and intrigue. Thereare a few platinum coins scatteredbefore the shrine.

Those leaving an offering at theshrine will be +1 to hit against membersof the Fire Knives for the next day. Thosewho are foolish enough to take any ofthe donations already on the floor willsuffer a -1 to hit for the next day againstthe Fire Knives, and in addition will beunable to use thieving skills successful-ly during that time (a twig snaps, a pieceof loose plaster falls, or some other suit-able minor calamity occurs to automati-cally spoil any attempt).

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15. Servant Quarters. In this room areten bunk beds, used by the kitchencooks and the beautiful serving womenwho wait on Grossman hand and foot.There are four off-duty serving womenpresent, in various stages of dress. If theheroes break in, they will scream,shriek, and throw pillows. They are zero-level humans, nonhostile, and if threat-ened will surrender. They have notreasure.

16. Storage Room. This room con-tains barrels of flour, salted meat, andother groceries to keep the guild in stockduring a long siege. The south wall hasan open doorway leading to a staircasethat goes down into the sewers. How-ever, once the heroes use the stairs, thelast character in line will inadvertentlytrigger a mechanism that lowers a stoneslab from the ceiling, blocking the door-way behind them. All of the members ofthe guild except for one are aware of thismechanism, and will take steps (so tospeak) to keep from activating it if theycome this way. The exception isThalia—because Grossman, chauvinistthat he is, has ordered this informationto be withheld from her.

17. Library. Grossman is particularlyfond of his library, and would be asincensed if something happened to hisbooks as if something happened to histreasure or his wolves. The books are oftwo types—histories and bad poetry.Grossman especially likes the bad poet-ry.

Currently laid out on the table in thelibrary is a copy of “Runes Made Easy”by the Scribes of Candlekeep. If a char-acter examines the book, it will take 1-10rounds to discern some significant factabout the brands on the heroes’ arms.Roll separately for the time it takes tofind each particular fact, and reveal thediscoveries to the players in this order:

1. Fire Knives—an outlawed thieves’guild

2. Survivors of Moander—a deadgod’s cult

3. Dracandros—a Red Wizard of Thay4. Zhentarim—a secret society

No amount of reading will reveal any-thing about the fifth mark (the onerelated to Tyranthraxus), because it sim-

ply isn’t mentioned in the book.The volume belongs to Filani the

Sage (her name is on the inside cover),who has long since forgotten that she“lost” it. If it is taken out of the libraryand presented to her, she will reward thefinder with 200 gp—but if Grossmanfinds out it’s gone, the big man will benot at all pleased.

18. Armory. Here is where the guildkeeps weapons and armor. All sorts ofswords will be found here (up to three ofeach type), as well as three suits of platearmor and seven suits of leather armor.A broad sword +2 lies jammed behindsome chests, but nothing else in theroom is magical.

19. Hallway. The hallway south of thearmory leads to an open doorway, fromwhich a set of stairs descends into thesewers. As with the entrance from thestorage room (room 16), the step at thebottom of the stairs has a trip-stone,which will close the door behind theplayer characters after all of them haveentered the sewers.

The sewers of Tilverton are a long-standing complex, begun by varioushands and expanded over the years bygenerations of thieves, monsters, andcivil servants. As with most such con-structions, no single individual has a fullidea of what lurks beneath the surface,and weird life and societies flourishthere. The Fire Knives have establishedcheckpoints throughout the sewer andmaintain dominance over the region—but not even they, in all the years they’vebeen sequestered here, have botheredor dared to investigate every nook andcranny of the place.

The sewer tunnels themselves aremarked in gray shading on the map. Inaddition, the squares with a grid overthem represent areas where there is alow ceiling in a room or passageway.Creatures over 4’ in height suffer a -1to hit in these areas. Lastly, some areasare flooded up to knee height, halving allmovement through those regions.There are some open pits within thewater, and those who fall in stand achance of drowning unless they shedtheir armor.

Random EncountersRandom encounters may occur with thevarious denizens who occupy thesewers of Tilverton. Check for a randomencounter after every 40’ to 80’ of travelin the sewers (vary the distance to keepplayers guessing), or when the heroesenter one of the rooms off the sewersthat is not marked as the site of a specialencounter. Random encounters will nev-er occur within 20’ of a checkpoint.

Roll on the following table to deter-mine the nature of a random encounter.As always, the DM may increase ordecrease the number of monstersencountered to reflect the strength ofthe party.

d10 roll Encounter1 1-8 trolls2 1 otyugh3 1 gelatinous cube4 2-8 wights5 4-16 ghouls6 2-8 crocodiles7 1-3 giant crocodiles8 1-6 giant crayfish9 1 black pudding

10 2-20 Fire Knives members

Trolls: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 6+6; #AT 3;Dmg 5-8/5-8/2-12; SA infravision, mayattack separate targets; SD regenera-tion; SZ L; AL CE; THAC0 13.

Otyugh: AC 3; MV 6”; HD 7; #AT 3;Dmg 1-8/1-8/2-5; SA disease; SD neversurprised; SZ M; AL N; THAC0 13.

Gelatinous cube: AC 8; MV 6”; HD 4;#AT 1; Dmg 2-8; SA paralyzation; SDresistant to cold; immune to electricity,fear, hold, paralyzation, polymorph, andsleep-based attacks; SZ L; AL N;THAC0 15.

Wights: AC 5; MV 12”; HD 4+3; #AT1; Dmg 1-4; SA life drain; SD silver ormagic weapons to hit; immune to sleep,charm, hold, cold, poison, & paralysis;SZ M; AL LE; THAC0 15.

Ghouls: AC 6; MV 9”; HD 2; #AT 3;Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-6; SA paralyzation; SDimmune to sleep and charm magics; SZM; AL CE; THAC0 16.

Crocodiles: AC 5; MV 6”//12”; HD 3;#AT 2; Dmg 2-8/1-12; SZ L; AL N;THAC0 16.

Giant crocodiles: AC 4; MV 6”//12”;HD 7; #AT 2; Dmg 3-18/2-20; SZ L; AL N;THAC0 13.

Giant crayfish: AC 4; MV 6”//12”; HD4+4; #AT 2; Dmg 2-12/2-12; SZ L; AL N;THAC0 15.

Black pudding: AC 6; MV 6”; HD 10;#AT 1; Dmg 3-24; SA dissolve wood; SDimmune to cold, lightning,& physicalattacks; SZ M; AL N; THAC0 10.

Fire Knives members (4th levelthieves): AC 7; MV 12”; HD 4; #AT 1;Dmg 1-6 (no drow venom for theseguys); SA and SD thieving abilities; SZM; AL LE; THAC0 20. If no alarm hasbeen sounded in the sewers (see belowunder “Checkpoints”), the Fire Kniveswill be heading toward the TilvertonRogues’ headquarters, intending toattack from behind (if the opportunitypresents itself) and slay any strangersthey meet up with but will not be particu-larly watchful. The heroes may hidefrom them if they gain surprise, and thethieves will pass them by. If the alarmhas been sounded by any of the check-points, then the thieves will be activelyseeking the intruders and, if encoun-tered, they will not be able to be sur-prised or avoided.

Wandering monsters found in thesewers (including the thieves) will neverhave any treasure. Opponents encoun-tered in rooms will have a 40% chanceof possessing a chest or coffer of somesort containing 100-300 gp. There is a20% chance that any such chest istrapped with a poison needle.

Special EncountersCheckpoints. There are three FireKnives checkpoint locations along theroute from the Tilverton Thieves’ Guildto the Fire Knives’ hideout. Checkpointduty is generally an assignment givenas a form of discipline or punishment tothose who have displeased Radatha, theleader of the Fire Knives.

The thieves manning each check-point are based in the room (2, 4, or 9)adjacent to the checkpoint in question.There will always be at least two mem-bers of the checkpoint garrison standingoutside the door watching for intruders.Their torches, placed in wall sconces,will reveal their presence to those whoapproach, and allow the checkpointguards to see clearly up to 20’ away.

The Fire Knives have standing ordersto let nonhuman denizens pass withoutquestion; most such monsters are toostupid to pose a real threat to the FireKnives, and many of them possessgreat powers that could wipe out acheckpoint if any resistance wasoffered. The checkpoint guards will stopall human travelers, and will be espe-cially wary of anyone approaching fromthe direction of the Tilverton Thieves’Guild headquarters.

That notwithstanding, it is possible tobluster one’s way past the guards—theyhave drawn their assignments becausethey have offended Radatha in somesmall way, and they have no desire tofurther aggravate his displeasure.Someone claiming to be on some mis-sion on behalf of the Fire Knives, suchas spying on the Thieves’ Guild or evenbringing prisoners back from the raid,will be allowed to pass without causingthe guards to sound the alarm. (If itoccurs to them, the PCs could get pastall the checkpoints quietly by showingtheir brands, claiming them to be evi-dence of their connection with the FireKnives, and by passing off any unbrand-

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ed members of the group as prisoners.)The alarm is a large brass gong fitted

in a niche in the wall in each roomadjoining a checkpoint. If any personsencountered prove hostile or outwardlythreatening, the guards have strictinstructions to retreat into their roomand sound the gong. The noise will car-ry, so that each checkpoint farther alongthe corridor will hear it and pass alongthe alarm. This means, naturally, thatthe occupants of the Fire Knives hideoutwill be forewarned when the heroesapproach.

1. Garbage Disposal. This room isfilled with wet trash, such that move-ment is reduced by half when moving

through the muck. It is the home of Hap-py Hogun, the neo-otyugh the kitchencooks use as a midden and garbage dis-posal. All the kitchen wastes and

Happy Hogun, the neo-otyugh: AC 0;

unwanted items (sometimes including

MV 6”; HD 9; hp 65; #AT 3; Dmg 2-12/2-12/1-3; SA disease; SD never surprised;

dead bodies) are dumped here for Hap-

SZ L; AL N; THAC0 12.

py to take care of.

Hogun remains hidden in the tower-ing pile of garbage that dominates theroom, and is generally nonhostile, solong as no one tries to remove any of his“treasure.” Most of his riches consist ofthings such as old potato skins anddecaying cabbage. There is, however, a

ring of invisibility in the pile, which wasswallowed (for safekeeping . . .) by athief who later met an untimely end andwas dumped here. The ring will be found

If any of his treasure is taken, Hogunwill attack, retreating to his muck-pilesonly if the treasure is returned.

on a 1 in 10 chance per turn of randomsearching, or immediately if detect mag-ic is used to scan the premises.

2. Checkpoint #1. This is the check-point farthest from the Fire Knives’ hide-out, and as such is reserved for those onthe top of Radatha’s “list.” Threethieves are stationed here, all in the dog-house for holding out on Radatha’s cutof the loot. All three will be in the corridorto begin with, but if they are attacked,one will immediately run into the roomand strike the gong.

Checkpoint thieves (4th level, 3): AC7; HD 4; hp 29, 30, 34; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6;SA & SD thieving abilities; AL NE;THAC0 20.

The thieves have no treasure, andtheir room is a pit with two cots, a table,and single oil lamp. On the table is anote, in Radatha’s handwriting, whichreads as follows:

Checkpoint One—Be aware that we are launching a

cleansing campaign against the Tilver-ton thieves this date, following theirapparent interference with our attempton Azoun’s life.

Note also that we have captured animpostor pretending to be king, and are

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using him and the girl as bait to lureAzoun into ambush outside the citytonight.

Be on the lookout for suspicious char-acters, in particular the king’s pet mage.

Also on the table is a crude map show-ing the route from this checkpoint to thehideout (the guards want to be able toget back without getting lost or waylaidby a monster). The Fire Knives’ map isnot as detailed as that of the Tilvertonguild; most importantly, it fails to men-tion the secret door that leads into thehideout.

3. Troll Lair: This room is the base of apetty ruler of the sewers, a powerful troll.He and his followers seek to eventuallycast out all human interlopers andreclaim the underground for them-selves. These trolls will not communi-cate with humans before trying to slaythem. In addition to the lead troll, thereare four of his followers here, mountedon crocodiles. The crocodile cavalry willfollow the player characters if theyretreat.

Giant Crocodiles: AC 4; MV 6”//12”;HD 7; #AT 2; Dmg 3-18/2-20; SZ L; AL N;THAC0 13.

Trolls: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 6+6; #AT 3;Dmg 5-8/5-8/2-12; SA infravision, mayattack separate targets; SD regenera-tion; SZ L; AL CE; THAC0 13.

Troll Master: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 6+6;hp 54; #AT 3; Dmg 5-8/5-8/2-12; SAinfravision, may attack separate targets;SD regeneration; SZ L; AL CE; THAC013.

4. Checkpoint #2. This room is similarto room 2, and its occupants would rath-er be anywhere else but here. It has therequisite cots and table, plus an alarmgong, and in addition has a firepit, whichcontains the burned remains of a mes-sage similar to the one received by theguards in room 2. (A cruel DM maychoose to have the firepit also containthe remnants of some of the scrolls thePCs lost when they were ambushed bythe forces of the New Alliance.)

Two of the thieves are normal FireKnives members (identical to those inroom 2), but the third one was part of thegroup that ambushed the PCs before

they were branded. He is one of the fewsurvivors from that group, and fears forhis life because he knows all of the otherthieves from the ambush have beenkilled. If a conflict breaks out and he canescape, he will try to flee by running intothe room and going through the secretdoor behind the gong. If he is captured,he will volunteer to tell all he knows inorder to save his miserable hide. Whathe knows is this:

* Radatha has entered the FireKnives into a mystic alliance withZhentarim, drow, and priests ofMoander, all cooperating but stillintending to serve their own pur-poses.

* The brands are supposed to turnthe heroes into puppets that obeythe will of the alliance.

* There is a priest of Moander at theFire Knives hideout right now.

It is possible for the heroes to enterroom 4 through the secret door—butthey will have to be careful in order toavoid hitting the gong and saving theguards the trouble of sounding thealarm. If they enter the room quietly viathis route, all three thieves will be out inthe hall and may be taken by surprise.

Checkpoint thieves (4th level, 2): AC7; HD 4; hp 24 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA& SD thieving abilities; AL NE; THAC020.

Ambush survivor (9th level thief): AC7; MV 12”; HD 9; hp 36; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8;SA & SD thieving abilities; AL LE;THAC0 16.

The checkpoint thieves have no trea-sure. They are on good terms with theghast-lord in room 5, and often throwhim and his servants little tidbits fromtheir battles. Neither will come to the aidof the other, however.

5. The Ghast-Lord. This is the main lairof a colony of ghouls, led by a powerfulghast-lord who fancies himself king ofthe sewers. To that end he has fash-ioned a crude crown for himself andorders the other ghouls about. Naturally,he is an enemy of the other pretender tothis throne, the troll master from room 3.Trolls and ghouls will fight each otherwhen brought into contact.

Ghouls (14): AC 6; MV 9”; HD 2; #AT3; Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-6; SA paralyzation; SDimmune to sleep and charm magics; SZM; AL CE; THAC0 16.

Ghast-Lord: AC 4; MV 15”; HD 4; #AT3; Dmg 7-10/7-10/7-15; SA carrionstench, paralyzation; SD immune tosleep and charm magics; SZ M; AL CE;THAC0 12. The ghast-lord’s extraordi-nary combat powers come from thegauntlets of ogre power he wears, whichgive him +3 to hit and +6 on all damagerolls. Because of the gauntlets coveringhis hands, he can only paralyze on a biteattack. Two hits with his hands (claws) inthe same round indicate that he hasgrabbed and held his victim. In the fol-lowing round (unless the victim some-how gets away in the meantime), theghast-lord does not get his normal clawattacks but does get an additional +3 tohit on his bite attack.

6. The Beholder. Read the following tothe players:

You open the door to see a room lit bythe embers of a dying fire. Hoveringdirectly over the embers, its circularform made red by the glow from thefirepit, is a hulking sphere with slowlywrithing eyestalks protruding from it.The main eye is pointed toward theopposite door, and the creature hasits back to you.

The “beholder” is in reality a gasspore that has recently taken occupan-cy of this room, and is enjoying the heatof the fire that was made by the previoustenant. If the characters attack, it willexplode, inflicting 6-36 points of dam-age to anyone within a 20’ radius.

Gas spore: AC 9; MV 3”; hp 1; #AT 1;Dmg 6-36; SA explodes, disease; SZ L;AL N.

If the player characters do not botherthe gas spore, it will not explode.

7. Tombs. Once, a long time ago, thiswas an underground mausoleum, eitherbuilt here before the sewers were built,or placed here afterward by some para-noid family of Tilverton. The walls arewhite marble, and the room is set withdaises, upon which rest what were once

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caskets. The caskets are now nothingmore than rotting wood, having deterio-rated from the dampness, and thebones of the interred are scatteredthroughout the room.

This room is used as a dumpingground for the bodies of Fire Knives vic-tims. It is protected by four spectres,who feast on the last life energies of thedying, and then sell the bodies to theghast-lord (room 5).

Spectres (4): AC 2; MV 15”/30”; HD7+3; hp 34, 40, 45, 50; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8;SA energy drain; SD +1 or better weap-on to hit, immune to sleep, charm, hold,and cold-based magics; SZ M; AL LE;THAC0 13.

The Fire Knives (and the TilvertonRogues before them) have nevercleaned this room of its occupants. Bur-ied with the original inhabitants were400 gp and 5 pieces of jewelry worth1000 gp each. This treasure is still in theroom; all of it can be found in two turns ofrather distasteful searching.

8. Abandoned Shrine. The onlyentrance to this room from the sewers isthrough the secret door. As the heroesopen the door, read the following tothem:

The door swings inward on a rusty,halting mechanism. Swirls of dustrise in the still air, then settle to theground again. The floor is hard, dry,and covered with a thick layer of dust.Apparently, no one has been here foryears.

The room is furnished with rows ofdust-covered benches, all facing analcove to the west. The alcove holdsa small shrine dedicated to thethieves’ god, Mask. The shrine has abook upon it, flanked by two scrolls.On either side of the shrine are twohuge gray statues. Each statue hasthe mark of Gond on its forehead.

The statues are clay golems, createdby clerics of Gond to protect the Tilver-ton thieves’ original shrine. They willcome to life if anyone touches the bookor either of the scrolls.

Clay Golems (2): AC 7; MV 7”; HD 11;hp 50 each; #AT 1; Dmg 3-30; SA haste

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(once per day); SD immune to edgedweapons & missiles, immune to allspells except move earth, disintegrate,and earthquake; SZ L; AL N; THAC0 10.

The golems are normally brown in col-or, but the years of dust have given thema grayish pallor. As they move, for thefirst round, they will kick up a cloud ofdust that will cause any missile attacksto be at -2 to hit.

The golems will attack and follow any-one who desecrates the shrine, even ifthe book and/or scrolls are subsequent-ly returned. They will also come to life ifany of the crypts in room 10 are dis-turbed. They will not pass into areaswith low ceilings, but will walk throughdoors, destroying them as they pass.The golems will go out of control (cast-ing haste on themselves) five roundsafter they are activated.

The book is a manual of bodily health.The scrolls each contain two restorationspells. There is no other treasure in theroom. Characters who are smart willrefrain from investigating, and will presson with the mission at hand. Characterswho are less wise will end up fightingtwo clay golems.

9. Checkpoint #3. This area is similarto the previous two, save that the lodg-ings are moderately more comfortable,and its present guards are more numer-ous and have heavier firepower.

If the alarm has been sounded, theguards have moved a ballista from room9A into the hallway, and they will blastthe first thing that comes around the cor-ner. The ballista inflicts 2-12 points ofdamage, fires once every three rounds,and hits as a 4 HD monster.

If the alarm has not been sounded,the ballista is still in its closet in room 9A.The heroes may use the ballista if theycapture it, but it is bulky, slows move-ment to 3” for the two characters need-ed to pull it along, and takes 3 rounds toset up.

Checkpoint thieves (6th level, 5): AC7; HD 6; hp 35, 34, 30, 24, 20; #AT 1;Dmg 1-6; SA & SD thieving abilities; ALNE; THAC0 19.

The room has three cots, a gong, andfour chairs. If the alarm has not beensounded, two of the thieves will beinside the room sleeping. If the alarm

has been sounded, they will all be out-side deployed for combat, with the backrank set to fire arrows at the approach-ing heroes.

10. The Grossman Crypt. As with room7, the floors of this room are white mar-ble covered with a thick layer of dust.Drawers line the east and west walls.Each drawer is labeled with the name ofone member of the Grossman family.The bottom drawer on the west wall hasbeen pulled out and is empty—it is theone meant for Artur Grossman.

There are no monsters in the room,but if the characters open any of thecrypts, they will activate the clay golemsfrom room 8 (unless the golems havealready been defeated). The claygolems will burst through the door fromroom 8 in the second round after comingto life, and will come through the door-way into this room one round later.

The bodies in the thirteen occupiedcrypts are well-preserved but inanimate.Each has 200 gp worth of gems, jewels,and rings set about its person. One hasa scroll with a disintegrate spell on it.This will be found in the third cryptsearched (designed to occur at aboutthe time that the clay golems arrive).

The secret door on the far side of theroom is easily located from this side;anyone who takes as little as one roundto scan the room will notice it (no rollneeded). It opens into the storage roomof the Fire Knives hideout.

The secret headquarters of the FireKnives was at one time the main base ofthe Tilverton Thieves’ Guild, and thehome of the Grossman clan. The FireKnives have appropriated it in order tofurther their own power, bullying asidethe weaker Rogues of Tilverton.

The Fire Knives entered into the origi-nal Alliance of the Bonds in order toplace an agent into Cormyr who wouldslay the king, whom they hate. Theyhave entered into the New Alliance for asimilar purpose, but in this case theysought to bring the king to their newpower base, Tilverton, where their pup-pets (the player characters) could dealwith the matter under their watchfuleyes.

Their plan ran into difficulty becauseof the wisdom of Vangerdahast, theking’s wizard, who convinced His Maj-esty to arrive in disguise and to orderGiogi Wyvernspur, a petty noble whofancied himself a wit, to imitate the king.When the player characters attackedthe false king, the Fire Knives werefoiled again—at least for the moment.As the note in room 2 of the sewers indi-cates, Radatha has a backup plan, andby the time of the PCs’ arrival at thehideout, the new machinations are wellunder way.

While the heroes have been under-ground, the Fire Knives have succeed-ed in capturing Giogi from the “safe”location where Vangerdahast had squir-reled him away. (The wizard was notespecially wise this time; knowing thatGiogi’s cover had been blown and thusthat his continued usefulness was lim-ited, Vangerdahast was rather lax in set-ting up security precautions aroundGiogi’s quarters—and it was a quick andeasy job for the Fire Knives to abduct theman.) Now, holding both Giogi and theking’s daughter, Alusair Nacacia, theyhave sent a message to the kingdemanding that he meet them at a siteoutside the city. This, to the surprise ofno one, is meant as a setup for anambush.

In addition, the Fire Knives quicklydiscovered that their puppets had beencaptured by the Rogues of Tilverton,and out of blind revenge Radatha sent amajor force there to “cleanse” the rivalfaction from the face of the earth.

As a result of trying to accomplish too

much at one time, the Fire Knives arenowhere near full strength in terms ofmanpower stationed at the hideout.They are relying on their reputation andtheir checkpoint system to ensure theirsafety.

The entire complex is lit by oil lampsset into the sides of the wall at regularintervals, 7’ above the floor. The soleexception is the secret passage (room10) which is unlit and painted ebon blackalong its entire length. The secret doorswere manufactured by artisan-priests ofGond, and are of such excellent work-manship that the Fire Knives have yet todiscover the existence of the doors orthe network of passages concealedbehind them.

A continual guard is maintained atcertain locations, in particular theentrances to room 30, where Radatha isfound. A team of four 4th level thievesmay be found at each doorway. If thealarm has been sounded, the thieveswill be hostile and will fight to the deathto protect their master. If no alarm hasbeen sounded, it will be possible to blus-ter one’s way past the guards in a similarmanner to that described in the text forroom 2 of the sewers. In such a case, the4th level thieves will follow the charac-ters into room 30 to make sure they havetold the truth, and will be present to joinin the melee in that room if one occurs.

In addition, there will be regular par-ties of four thieves making patrolsthrough all the corridors and the bar-racks. The patrols have full permissionto investigate any open doors, and toslay those found within areas wherethey should not be. If no alarm has beensounded, there will be a 1 in 6 chanceper turn of the PCs encountering apatrol. If the alarm has been sounded,this chance rises to 2 in 6.

Fire Knives patrols and guards (4thlevel thieves, 4 per contingent): AC 7;MV 12”; HD 4; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA & SDthieving abilities; AL LE; THAC0 20.

In addition, if the alarm has beensounded, each patrol will have two hellhounds from the kennel (room 6).

If the characters are captured by theFire Knives, their weapons will be strip-ped from them and taken to room 30 forlater investigation and divvying upamong the followers of Radatha. The

characters will be thrown into the hold-ing pen (room 9), where Giogi Wyvern-spur is also held. Magic-users andsuspected thieves will be manacled;others will be bound with ropes. Eventu-ally they will be taken to room 30 (seethat text for further details).

If any of the Fire Knives escape afterencountering player characters, allactivity in the complex thereafter will beas though the alarm had been sounded.(There are no gongs here, but bad newsspreads fast.)

Only Radatha and his sorcerousassistant Kybor know the full story of theAzure Bonds. The leaders don’t want toslay their puppets unless it’s absolutelynecessary. So, on their orders, anyguards who run into trouble withintruders in the hideout should try tocapture the enemies and get them tosurrender, but if they start to take seri-ous losses, then they can attack to kill.

The Hideout1. Checkpoint A. This checkpoint isstaffed by six men who are spelled regu-larly. Their orders are to not permit any-one to roam freely through the complexexcept for Fire Knives members. Thenorth door is locked, and in addition hasa small sliding door set at eye level. TheFire Knives will open this slide to chal-lenge any persons who seek entrance.

Fire Knives guards (4th level thieves,6): AC 7; MV 12”; HD 4; hp 13, 14, 17,18, 20, 24; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA & SDthieving abilities; AL LE; THAC0 20.

If no alarm has been sounded, thecharacters can lie their way in by claim-ing to have a message for Radatha, tobe part of the Alliance, etc. Picking thelock and opening the door is seen as ahostile act, and the six soldiers willattack. If the characters behave suspi-ciously, the guards will ask for someconfirmation or reassurance that theyare familiar with the Fire Knives.

If the alarm has been sounded, thecharacters can still try to lie their way in.Their story will be accepted, they will beallowed in—and then they will beattacked. The checkpoint will have twohell hounds from room 4 in addition to itsfull manpower.

The thieves have 120 gp amongthem.

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2. Checkpoint B. Similar to checkpointA regarding procedure and number ofthieves and heroes available. In addi-tion, if the alarm has been sounded, thecaretaker from room 3 will be presenthere as well. If the alarm has not beensounded, but a fight breaks out, thecaretaker will enter and join the fray.

3. Caretaker’s Room. The caretaker isa hill giant who opens and closes thestone plug in room 5. He is big anddumb enough to challenge anyone whoenters his room whom he does not rec-ognize.

Hill giant: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 8+2; hp66; #AT 1; Dmg 2-16; SZ L; AL CE;THAC0 12.

The hill giant will come to the aid ofthe Fire Knives if a combat breaks out inroom 2 or in the hallway outside hisroom. Conversely, if the heroes reachroom 3 from elsewhere than room 2, theFire Knives in room 2 will hear the com-motion and come to investigate.

The hill giant has 1500 gp (his backpay) in a large chest, which he has tuck-ed in a hole near the ceiling, some 15’above the ground.

4. The Kennels. Anyone passing thisroom will hear the loud barks and yips ofthose found within. Upon opening thedoor, a character will be set upon by apack of hell hounds. The hell hounds arefriendly to the hill giant (who feeds them)and the Fire Knives, but will attack allothers they encounter.

There are a total of 15 hell hounds inthe complex, all of them 6 HD monsters.If the alarm has been sounded, some ofthem will have been removed from thekennel and stationed with the check-point guards and patrols (two hellhounds per group of guards or patrol-men).

Hell hounds (15): AC 4; MV 12”; HD 6;#AT 1; Dmg 1-10; SA breathe fire for 6points; SD locate invisible objects 50%of time; SZ M; AL LE; THAC0 13.

5. Entrance/exit. This room is domi-nated by a large iron spiral staircase thatwinds up 100’ to end in a huge stoneplug. There is nothing else in this room.

This is the main entrance into the FireKnives hideout, and opens onto a street

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adjoining one of the warehouses thatdot the Lower City of Tilverton. Normallya strength of 20 is required to move thestone plug, which is why this is one ofthe duties of the caretaker from room 3.Two men with 18 strength can alsoaccomplish the task; there is not enoughroom at the top of the staircase for threemen to apply themselves to the job atone time.

Currently, not even the hill giant canmove the plug—because the Royal Car-riage of the Purple Dragon of Cormyr isparked directly on top of it. None of theinhabitants of the hideout realize thisyet, but no one will be able to leave bythis route until after the encounter inroom 30 is over.

6. Storage Area. This old area is usedfor junk that Radatha has no use for, butdid not want to throw out. Primarily it istacky art and wall hangings left overfrom when the Fire Knives threw Gross-man and his bunch out of the hideout.These have been poorly packed, andmost of the items, particularly the car-pets and paintings, have sufferedsevere water damage.

Radatha and his Fire Knives do notknow about the secret door in the northwall that leads into the Grossman cryptin the sewers. Nor do they know aboutthe secret passage that lies to the south.This room is rarely searched and maybe used by the player characters as aplace to rest and heal themselves.

7. Guest Rooms. The reason thatroom 6 is rarely used is that room 7, towhich it attaches, is normally used tohouse the more inhuman guests of theFire Knives. Far from the beaten path,this place has some large, hastily lashedtogether beds and the basic amenities,without being too classy.

The current occupants of the roomare four hill giants, buddies of the care-taker in room 3, who came to Tilverton tovisit their city cousin. Since they arrived,they have been cooped up by the FireKnives until the business with KingAzoun is completed.

As a result, the hill giants are a littlestir crazy, and looking for a good rumble.Any character who does not look likeone of the Fire Knives is an open target(they know that beating on Fire Knives

will result in their friend the caretakergetting in trouble). If the charactersappear from room 6, they will be imme-diately attacked. If they enter the roomfrom the hallway, the giants will seek toconfirm their alliances before attacking.

Those listening in on the giants fromthe secret passage will hear them com-plaining, in giantish, about the small-ness of the portions at meals, thesullenness of the help, and the crampedconditions their buddy has to work in.Characters appearing from the secretdoor will also be rumbled, and if anygiants survive, they will tell the caretakerand the Fire Knives about “vermin” inthe walls.

Hill Giants (4): AC 4; MV 12”; HD8+2; hp 45, 50, 57, 58; #AT 1; Dmg 2-16;SA throw beer kegs (4 total) for 2-16points damage; SD none; SZ L; AL CE;THAC0 12.

The giants have 3000 gp on them.They know nothing about the otherinhabitants of the complex, save that the“Big Cheese” is meeting with someallies today.

8. Guard Room. This is the guardroom for the holding cell (room 9). Thisroom contains 6 guards, all of whom arefavorites of Radatha, and have beengiven these cushy positions as a result.

Guards (7th level fighters, 6): AC 2;MV 6”; HD 7; hp 68, 65, 60, 55, 54, 50;#AT 3/2; Dmg 1-8; AL LE; THAC0 14.

The guards are used to loud noises(they’ve been living next to giants for awhile), and are not really paying atten-tion to their prisoner, which means thatthe heroes may (with proper caution) beable to sneak the prisoner out withoutthem noticing. The guards will notice theescape in about an hour (6 turns) andset off the alarm. Those watching fromthe secret doors will find the guards sit-ting around, napping, and generallybeing unprepared for an invasion ofheroic figures from a hidden location.

If the heroes are captured somewhereelse in the hideout and put into the hold-ing cell, the guards will become muchmore active and attentive, and in addi-tion will bring in two of the hell hounds tosit at the doorway and watch the heroes.See room 9 for further information.

9. Holding Cell. This is the location ofGiogi Wyvernspur, who was captured bythe Fire Knives not too long after his bat-tle (such as it was) with the heroes. TheFire Knives are holding him to use forbargaining power to get to the king;alternatively, they may decide to torturehim if they decide he has informationthey can use.

If the heroes are captured by the FireKnives, they will be thrown into this cellwith Giogi, and Radatha will be notified.Two hell hounds will be positioned at theentrance, and they will howl if anyoneopens the secret door in the back, bring-ing the guards from room 8. Both guardsand hell hounds will attack. If the heroesdo not try to escape, the guards willcome for them and Giogi and take themat spearpoint to room 30, in about 10turns.

If the heroes defeat the guards fromroom 8, they will find the keys to unlockthis door on the guard’s bodies, andGiogi will be curled in a ball in the farcorner, sleeping fitfully.

If the heroes enter through the secretdoor, they will find Giogi napping as well.The guards in room 8 consider Giogi abit of a creampuff, and not worth theircontinued attention. Six turns after he isgone, they will discover him missing andsound the alarm.

Giogi’s reaction to the arrival of theplayer characters will be the sameregardless of how they arrive—he willthrow his hands up in front of his faceand say, “Don’t hit me!” Giogi has a his-tory of grievous run-ins with blue-marked individuals, which he will gladlyshare with anyone who does not take aswing at him.

The characters will not have a magi-cal compulsion to attack Giogi as longas Giogi does not do his impression ofAzoun. Giogi, knowing now more thanever that he is liable to be attacked whenhe does this impression, will not do it inthe presence of the heroes. This much,at least, he has learned in his dealings.

Giogi will join the party willingly inorder to escape the Fire Knives. Hewants to get out—quickly—more thananything, but if the subject of the prin-cess is brought up, he will say that hethinks she is being held elsewhere in thecomplex, in a similar sort of cell. In com-bat he will prove to be next to worthless,

trying to keep as far from the enemy aspossible.

10. Secret Passage. This hallway,which has remained undetected by theFire Knives, was used by the TilvertonRogues to spy on the various guestrooms and holding cells. It is paintedblack along its entire length and platedwith thin sheets of lead, to minimize thechance of its detection.

Each of the secret doors noted alongits length is easily found from the inside,because of the light that leaks throughthe small openings around the eyeholesand around the frames of the doors.Each door has an eyehole that lets anindividual see from the secret passageinto the room beyond. The eyeholes areclosed up by small plugs, which must beremoved (from the inside) before theview-hole can be used. Light comingfrom within the passageway may revealthe presence of the passageway tothose in the room beyond through theopen eyeholes (1 in 6 chance per occa-sion, if someone is concentrating onlooking at the wall of a room).

The secret doors are in excellentshape, having been countarbalancedand lubricated by clerics of Gond. Theywill open silently and allow individualsinside the passageway to surprise thosewithin the rooms on a 2 in 6 chance (1 in6 if hell hounds are present).

11. Guest Room. This guest room is inbetter condition than room 7, and isdesigned for human guests. Its tenantsat the moment are a priest of Moanderand his two bodyguards (who are all inroom 19 right now). Their room is emptyand locked from the outside. In addition,the priest has put glyphs of warding onboth of the exterior doors. Anyoneattempting to break into the room viaeither of these doors must save versusspells or take 14 points of electricaldamage.

However, the priest did not find thesecret doors. Characters may enter andleave the room freely through these.

The priest’s gear is laid out on a smalldesk. The paraphernalia includes extraspell components, a holy symbol ofMoander (a wand with a hand at the tip,with a fanged jaw inset in the palm), twopotions of healing, and some miscella-

neous papers. Among the papers is amap of Yulash, on which is indicated thelocation of the entrance to the hiddentemple of Moander.

12. Pantry. Here is where the food isstored for the Fire Knives kitchens. Mostnormal supplies, salted meats, and oth-er sundries can be found here. Thereare no monsters present, but the patrolsmake regular sweeps through this area.

13. Kitchen. This is a spacious andwell-equipped kitchen, suitable for pre-paring a meal for a small army. The firesare banked, most of the equipment isstowed where it belongs, and there areno cooks present. In fact, the FireKnives do not have cooks to preparelarge meals—because these people arenot an especially trusting lot, and onlyby cooking your own food can you beabsolutely sure of what you’re getting.There is no treasure in the room, but awide variety of knives and other imple-ments are easily available (for use asweapons, in a pinch). In the northeastcorner is a man-sized hole with a gratingover it. This leads down 20’ to a 10’ by10’ midden, occupied by an otyugh. Theotyugh will attack anything that comesits way.

Otyugh: AC 3; MV 6”; HD 7; #AT 3;Dmg 1-8/1-8/2-5; SA disease; SD neversurprised; SZ M; AL N; THAC0 13.

The only thing worth having in the ot-yugh’s garbage is a knife +2 that wasaccidentally thrown away.

14, 15, 16. Barracks. Each of theserooms has thirty cots scattered about it;these are where the thieves and guardsof the Fire Knives sleep. There has beensome attrition of the ranks recently, andin addition the Master Radatha has sentgroups out to battle the Rogues ofTilverton and to ambush the King of Cor-myr, so right now these three rooms areempty.

They are still subject to surveillanceby patrols, which roam through theareas looking for shirkers. If the alarmhas been given, patrolmen will beaccompanied by hell hounds.

A careful search of the rooms will turnup about 100 sp of treasure per turn, to amaximum of 1000 sp per room.

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17. Common Baths. A natural under-ground waterfall here has dug out asmall pool in the southern half of theroom. The Grossmans had set upstatues along the borders of the pool,but these have been knocked down bythe thieves and the room turned into acommon bathing area.

There are no monsters here, but thearea is regularly patrolled. If combatbreaks out, the area is very slippery,such that any character engaging insudden actions (such as movementsduring a round of melee) must make asaving throw versus wands to avoidbeing pitched to the floor.

18. Armory. This area is filled withwooden weapon racks, open chests thatonce held armor, and closets containingempty hooks. The armory has been vir-tually emptied because of the need forequipment needed to pull off the twocombat missions that were both sched-uled for today.

There are a handful of weapons left,and a little armor as well. If they searchthe room, the characters will find someor all of these items:

3 long swords2 broad swords

15 arrows but no bows1 crossbow5 daggers3 suits leather armor1 suit chain mail3 gray cloaks with hoods5 red cloaks with hoods

Also, partially concealed in one cor-ner is an empty box marked with thewords “drow venom—do not expose toheat, light, or fresh air” written in elvish,and marked with the symbol of Dracan-dros. The crate apparently held bottlesat one time, but is now empty and dis-carded.

The area has no monsters, but is sub-ject to examination by the regularpatrols.

19. Waiting Room. This well-appointed room is used by Radatha as aplace to let his guests cool their heelsbefore being summoned into his pres-ence. Low benches line the wall, andtapestries hang on all sides. Behind onetapestry is a secret door adjoining room

10. The wall hanging has eyeholes cutinto it to allow those within room 10 tosee out, but if the secret door is openedfrom outside room 19, the wall hangingwill bulge out, revealing the existence ofthe door to anyone who notices.

The carpet is well worn from the pac-ing of many feet, the most recent setsbelonging to the priest of Moander andhis two bodyguards. The priest is wait-ing here to meet with Radatha. Thepriest’s two bodyguards are charmedtrolls, who will defend him to the death. Ifthe heroes break in, the priest will havehis minions attack, and will try to escapeby either of the two western doors towarn Radatha and raise the alarm.

Priest of Moander (3rd level cleric):AC 3; MV 6”; HD 3; hp 18; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 (club); SA spell use; AL CE; THAC020.

Spells:

1st level commandlightsanctuary

2nd level hold personsilence 15’ radius

Trolls (2): AC 4; MV 12”; HD 6+6; hp37, 41; #AT 3; Dmg 5-8/5-8/2-12; SAinfravision, may attack separate targets;SD regeneration; SZ L; AL CE; THAC013.

The cleric will use hold person toensnare as many adversaries as he canin the doorway, and will also cast silenceif there are obvious spell casters in thegroup. He will leave his bodyguardsbehind to deal with intruders as he runsto report to Radatha—but see below forwhat happens if he is forced to flee intoroom 20.

20. Training Area. This area contains aset of bare mats strewn out on the floorfor practicing gymnastics and combatskills. In the far corner, standing with achain around its neck, is a large lion.

The lion is a beast domesticated bythe Fire Knives and used to train agentsin dealing with wild animals. The crea-ture will not attack Fire Knives or thosedressed like them. It will attack playercharacters, and the priest of Moander ifhe tries to escape this way. (If thisoccurs, the priest will run back into room19, bringing the lion behind him.)

An important fact, not immediatelynoticed by anyone who enters the roomfor the first time: The other end of thechain around the lion’s neck is notattached to anything, apparentlybecause the last people to use the roomforgot to anchor the chain again whenthey were through. As a result, the ani-mal can (and will) roam freely if attackedor disturbed. A character may be able tobring the lion under control by grabbingthe chain and yanking on it. The lion isaccustomed to being on a leash, and willbecome docile (relatively) if it thinks it isonce again tethered.

Lion: AC 5 (forequarters)/6 (hindquar-ters); MV 12”; HD 5+2; hp 40; #AT 3;Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-10; SA rear claws for 2-7/2-7; SD surprised only on a 1; SZ L; ALN; THAC0 15.

21. Guest Room. This room is current-ly not in use, and as such the dressersare empty, the beds are sheetless, andthere are no clean towels available. It isoccasionally used by the guards in room22 for on-duty naps, so there is a 50%chance that there will be a sleepingguard here. The guard will come to theaid of his fellows if a battle develops inroom 22, and likewise if there is a distur-bance here, the others will charge in tohelp.

22. Guard Room. This is a duplicate ofroom 8, where right now a group of eliteguards is protecting an important pris-oner in the holding cell (room 23). Thereare, at most, six guards present,although one of them may be napping(see room 21) when trouble breaks out.

Guards (7th level fighters, 6): AC 2;MV 6”; HD 7; hp 68, 65, 60, 55, 54, 50;#AT 3/2; Dmg 1-8; AL LE; THAC0 14.

These guards are more vigilant thantheir brethren in room 8. Those spyingon them will see that they are very ner-vous, and are keeping a close eye onthe prisoner in room 23. If the secretdoor is opened into room 23, they willnotice it in 1 round, and will quickly openthe cage (1 additional round) andcharge in. Though they do not know ofthe secret door, their vigilance ensuresthat they will not be surprised if heroessuddenly appear out of the woodwork(literally) to rescue their charge.

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The guards have a total of 100 gpamong them.

23. Holding Cell. In this room, behindthe locked and barred door to room 22,is the reason for the guards’ unease.Alusair Nacacia, Princess of the Realmof Cormyr, daughter of King Azoun IV, isheld captive here. She is not bound, andpaces the room waiting for a chance toescape.

When the princess left Cormyr shehad little in the way of talents and skills,but after more than a year on her own,she has developed into a fairly effectivethief. She has been waiting for theguards’ attention to drop so she can tryto unlock her prison door, but they havebeen too vigilant so far.

If the heroes battle the guards in room22, she will aid them in any way she can:trying to unlock the door, striking and/orholding guardsmen who are close to herto give the heroes a better shot at them,or, if all else fails, causing a generalruckus to try to distract one or more ofthe guards. If the heroes open the secretdoor, she will escape out that way withthem. Her departure will be immediatelynoted, and the cry will go up.

Alusair will thank the heroes if she isrescued, and then point out the way toRadatha’s lair. She wants the leader ofthe Fire Knives dead for kidnapping her.Alusair seems to have the steely deter-mination of her father, but in the pastyear has also gained a sense of unfor-giving bloodlust. She will demand aweapon from the party so she can fight,and will lead them to Radatha’s lair (orwill go alone, if they choose not toaccompany her).

24. The Sorcerer’s Library. Rooms 24,25, 26, and 27 have been designated byRadatha as belonging to his sorcerer,Kybor. Signs are posted on all the doorsto these areas from the corridor, reading“Wizard Territory—Keep out or Die!”Even Radatha does not disturb hismage when the spellcaster is in hisrooms.

Room 24 is the magician’s library. Asmall collection of scrolls and books islittered around on low tables. Kayborwas neither neat nor organized in hiswork. Several of the tables arescorched, and the manuscripts that

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were there have been reduced to ash bysome powerful source (see room 26).

Of the books that remain, many dealin potions and poisons, in particularthose potions that allow control over oth-ers. No formulas are given, and thepotions are described in general ways interms of effects and appearances. A fewother written items, of more recent vin-tage, show maps of Yulash and ZhentilKeep. One large map on the centertable, now mostly ash though its cornersare intact, was a map of the ElvenWoods.

There is no treasure in this room.

25. The Wizard’s Quarters. These areKybor’s living quarters. The room, unoc-cupied at present, is nicely decorated insomber reds and blacks. It contains abed with a comfortable mattress, a full-length mirror, and a large, spaciouscloset filled with colorful crimson robesand capes. Beneath the bed is a smallstrongbox containing 20 gems worth 50gp each. Beneath the mattress is also awand of wonder.

26. The Wizard’s End. This is Kybor’smagical lab, tucked in a far corner of thecomplex for two good reasons. First,Kybor likes his privacy. Second, if anexperiment goes awry, it will be a whilebefore any bad effects spread out of thewizard’s domain and into the rest of thehideout, which will give the occupantssome time to react.

There are magical runes inscribed onthe floor, and against the far wall is alarge table crammed with retorts andother alchemist’s gear. Along the southwall is a wine rack crammed with scrolls.

The place has been devastated. Theglassware has been smashed, and thescrolls almost completely reduced toashes, much like the books and maps inthe library (room 24). The body of Kyborthe sorcerer lies across the magical writ-ings on the floor, face up, his robescharred and his face twisted into anexpression of pure fear.

In Kybor’s tightly clenched right handis a scrap of paper ripped from a book,mostly scorched and unreadable, butstill clear in spots. On it is written thesign of Tyranthraxus, which is matchedboth by the player characters’ bondsand by the brand singed deeply into the

dead flesh of Kybor’s forehead.If the paper is examined closely, this

much can be discovered:

* Tyranthraxus ruled a great swath ofland long before the coming of theDalesmen to the North.

* He had bases in Phlan, in Yulash,in the Dragonspine Mountains, andin the Elven Woods, and foughtwith the elves often.

* He was driven from Yulash by theMoanderites, who carried a power-ful artifact, called the Gauntlets ofMoander, which chased thedaemon’s followers from the city.

* A second weapon was said to beable to discover Tyranthraxuswhen the daemon was in one of hismany disguises. This was the Helmof the Dragon, which was laterlinked to several ancient Flights ofDragons in legend, and was lost inthe Vale of Lost Voices.

* A third weapon, a sword said to bemade to slay him and him alone,was the Blade of Lathander forgedin the hearth of the morning sun.This was fought over by many fac-tions following Tyranthraxus’s ini-tial defeat, but was at last said tohave been stolen from ZhentilKeep, after which the boat carryingit sank in the Moonsea.

What happened here is that Kyborattempted to do a little research into hismaster’s powerful partner, and in returnTyranthraxus killed him and tried to burnall evidence that might be used againstthe daemon. (The attack was silent, sothat no one else in the complex is yetaware that something bad has hap-pened inside the lab.) All that survivedreasonably intact was this tightly crum-pled piece of paper, which Kybor rippedfrom one of the now-burned books in theIibrary.

Kybor is recently deceased—sorecently that a speak with dead spell willyield no information except for Kybor’sspirit screaming in fear and shouting“Tyranthraxus!” over and over againuntil the spell elapses.

All of Kybor’s magical scrolls havebeen destroyed save one, tucked into anook near the bottom of the rack. Thisone contains three spells: disintegrate,knock, and wizard lock.

27. The Wizard’s Treasure Room. Thislarge room contains Kybor’s treasurehoard, which consists of many rare andwonderful paintings (most of them takenfrom Grossman). There are about 3000gp worth of paintings here, thoughGrossman would want to pay at leasttwice that to get them back. There arealso three chests here, untrapped, eachwith 500 gp in it.

The treasure room is protected by aniron cobra, a magical automaton cre-ated by the Red Wizards of Thay.

Iron cobra: AC 0; MV 12”; HD 1; hp 8;#AT 1; Dmg 1-3; SA poison; SD unaffect-ed by charm, sleep, and webs, non-magical weapons inflict half damage,saves as 12th level magic-user; SZ S;AL N; THAC0 19.

28. Radatha’s Quarters. Even thoughhe is the head of a major thieves’ organi-zation (albeit one in exile), Radatha livesa spartan existence. This room containsnothing of note except a simple bed, a

small writing desk, a set of dresserdrawers along the far wall, and a sil-vered mirror hung over the location ofthe secret door. The door to room 29 islocked, and Radatha carries the key onhim.

29. Radatha’s Treasure Vault. Thisroom holds all the currency that Rada-tha has shaken down from the city ofTilverton in the years since he set up theFire Knives in exile here. There aretwelve large oak chests here, allwrapped with iron bands and sealedwith wax over the locks, into which ispressed the symbol of the Fire Knives.

All of these chests are trapped, suchthat when someone tries to unlock or liftone, or scrape the wax from a lock, thechest will explode, inflicting 2-20 pointsof damage to anyone within 10’. Thecoins within a chest will not be dam-aged, but other items may be (pendingthe outcome of saving throws).

Each of the chests holds 800 sp and200 gp. Tucked up into the lids of chests

3, 6, and 9 are magical scrolls. The firstis protection from lycanthropes, the sec-ond a scroll of three clerical heal spells,and the third a cursed scroll that causeseveryone within 20’ when it is opened tofight at -2 to hit until a remove curse iscast.

30. Radatha’s Lair: This is where theheroes, under one circumstance oranother, will encounter Radatha andcome to a conclusion about the first ofthe Azure Bonds. Who is present in thisroom and what they will be doing willdepend on how successful the heroeshave been to date.

Always in the room will be Radathaand his hand-picked honor guard of fivethieves and five fighters. The honorguard will be standing along the northand east walls as the characters enter.Radatha will be sitting on a throne in thesouthwest corner. On his right is anextremely large hell hound. On his left,an hourglass is nearly empty of sand.

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Radatha (13th level thief): AC 4(including dexterity bonus); MV 12”; HD13; hp 65; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA & SDthieving abilities, plus a brooch of shield-ing (makes wearer immune to magicmissiles); AL NE; THAC0 14.

Honor guard fighters (8th level, 5): AC2; MV 6”; HD 8; hp 78, 75, 70, 65, 64;#AT 3/2; Dmg 1-8; AL LE; THAC0 13.

Honor guard thieves (8th level, 5): AC6; MV 12”; HD 8; hp 46, 45, 40, 39, 30;#AT 1; SA & SD thieving abilities, back-stab; Dmg 1-6 (short sword) or 1-4(thrown dagger); AL NE; THAC0 19.

Hell hound: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 7; hp48; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10; SA breathe fire for7 points; SD locate invisible objects50% of time; SZ M; AL LE; THAC0 13.

In addition, these other individualswill be present, if the given circum-stance applies:

The Priest of Moander and his body-guards (from room 19), if they are stillalive.

The guards from rooms 8 and 22, ifthey are still alive.

Giogi Wyvernspur (from room 9), if heis not already with the player characters.He will be here as a prisoner, his handsbound with ropes.

Alusair Nacacia (from room 23), if sheis not already with the player characters.She will be here as a prisoner, her handsbound with ropes. She will be on theverge of untying the ropes when thecharacters arrive.

Any surviving patrols and/or check-point guards, with two hell hounds pergroup, will arrive in 2-4 rounds after amelee breaks out.

The hill giants from rooms 3 and 7 willsurrender peacefully once Radatha isdead. They are not involved with thematter at hand.

If no alarm has been sounded, Rada-tha will welcome the heroes into his lair.He is aware of who they are and canguess what damage they have probablycaused to get here. He will be calm andapparently friendly, and will tell them hewishes to explain a few things.

If the alarm has been sounded, Rada-tha will be less confident, knowing thatthe characters have fought their wayinto his room despite active opposition.As they enter, he will give his men an

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order to let the adventurers pass into hispresence. If the heroes do not attackRadatha, the guardsmen will fall backand let the leader go into his speech.

If the heroes are brought in chains toRadatha, the master of the Fire Kniveswill be supremely confident and gloatingas he haughtily explains his master planto them.

Radatha wants to deliver his speechno matter what the circumstances, inthe time-honored tradition of the badguy who gives out information when heknows the good guys are going to dieanyway. The heroes may set uponRadatha at any time during his speech,getting a free round of attacks on himand his people, but from that point for-ward they will lose any information theymight have gained from his monologue.

Radatha’s speech:

“First off, I’d like to thank you all foryour help, small though it be, in flushingout the imitator of King Azoun. With himidentified, it was much easier to locatethe true king and lay a trap for him—atrap that should be going off just aboutnow, I might add.

“A little background. Our group wasthrown out of Cormyr years ago by KingAzoun for being too bloody. For this rea-son we want him dead. As an example,no? Some fled to Westgate. A lot fledhere, with myself as their obvious leader.

“The lot that fled to Westgate, they fellin with some sorcerous types who cameup with a way to control people. Theexperiment was a disaster, wipingalmost all of them out, but some did sur-vive to make it back here with somepriests of Moander and part of the infor-mation for how to achieve this control.

“So I set about creating a New Alli-ance to slay King Azoun, among otherthings. I let some powerful folk at ZhentilKeep and elsewhere know what we had,and got their aid. We pooled ourresources and goals, and there you are!Guinea pigs for our new order!

“Now, you are tied to each of yourmasters by those bonds on your arms.We are the first and foremost masters, ofcourse, by virtue of where the mark ofthe Fire Knives is located on your arms.Only myself and my pet sorcerer, Kybor,can free you from the mark of the FireKnives. Either we can choose to do so,

or the marks would vanish upon thedeath of both of us. As you can see,Kybor is not present here, so slaying mewould avail you nothing.

“Now, we wanted you to slay the king,but made a mistake that the earlier,deceased Westgate branch alsomade—we outthought ourselves. Figur-ing that the king would travel in dis-guise, we designated the sound of hisvoice as the trigger for the assassina-tion. We were unaware of the existenceof the fop who could imitate the king’svoice.

“Now we had the means, but weneeded to create the opportunity. Lo andbehold—the princess, after a longabsence, suddenly reappeared. Wecaptured her, made it known to certainpeople that we had her, and waited forAzoun to take the bait—to come toTilverton to rescue his daughter.

“It would have worked, with the powerof the Moanderites and the Zhentarimand that Red Wizard and the FlamedOne, but the trap was sprung too soon.We had to do with brute force what wepreviously had to do with finesse.”

With that, Radatha walks over to thehourglass. The last of the sand is trick-ling through it. “We sent all availableforces to kill the king in an ambush, andanother group to silence the Tilvertonmob. We had hoped to capture youthere, but such was not to be. Now, withthe falling of these last grains, the king isdead, and we have no further need foryou. Therefore, I have one last order foryou — Shadantal! Kill each other!”

If the speech has been allowed to pro-ceed to this point, the characters will becompelled to attack each other unlessthey make their saving throws versusspells. If the princess is a prisoner, thenat this point (or earlier, if the speech isinterrupted) she slips her bonds, grabs adagger from a nearby guard, and flingsthe weapon at Radatha. “Kill him!” sheshouts. “Kill him and you’ll all be free!”

The scene degenerates into a free-for-all, with the following components:

Any uncontrolled characters (thosewho saved against the compulsion) plusGiogi and Alusair, versus . . .

Radatha, his honor guard, the hellhound, and any surviving guards, ver-sus . . .

The priest of Moander and the twotrolls, if they are still around (the priestwishes to keep the heroes from killingthemselves, for his group’s own pur-poses), versus . . .

The still-controlled characters, whowill attack the others in their party first,but if attacked by any other group willfight them as well.

Alusair will try to lead an attack onRadatha. While Radatha is correct insaying that only the deaths of himselfand Kybor will free the party, he isunaware that Kybor is already dead (seeroom 26).

The trolls, if still around, will square offagainst the hell hound—not by choice,but because the hell hound will instinc-tively know that they are the best targetsfor it to attack (since they are especiallysusceptible to flame).

The compulsion to slay their compan-ions will persist for 2-8 rounds for theaffected characters (roll individually foreach PC). When the compulsion is over,each will regain full control of hisactions. (Radatha could issue anotherorder, but he should be too busy fightingfor his life to take the time for that.)

After 2-8 rounds of combat, anyremaining guards and patrols in thecomplex arrive.

On round 5 of the combat, the roof ofthe room is blown away and the cavalryarrives. If the combat is over, they willcome to help clean up. They represent20 Cormyrian Elite Defense troops(descending by ropes), led by KingAzoun himself, and Vangerdahast, whodisintegrated the top of the building andnow levitates himself into the combat.

The king is shouting orders, and ifRadatha is still alive, any heroes whoare not presently controlled by theimpulse to slay each other must makeanother saving throw or suddenly turnand attack His Majesty. The Cormyriansand Vangerdahast will move to protectthe king from these interlopers. The kingwill recognize his daughter (if present)and seek to come to her aid, disregard-ing the advice and the actions of thosewho are trying to protect him.

When Radatha dies (one way oranother), all the heroes who are markedby the Azure Bonds must make a savingthrow versus spells (no modifier) or bestunned for a round because of a sud-

den sharp pain in their arms. They dis-cover that the symbol of the Fire Kniveshas vanished—and any compulsion thathad been still in effect (to slay each oth-er or to kill the king) has also ceased toexist.

Alternately, Radatha may be capturedand forced to voluntarily rescind his holdon the heroes. He will do so only to savehis own skin, and only after he is con-vinced that Kybor is dead.

AftermathThe battle of the Fire Knives will endwith the characters dead or victorious.Player characters who die in the battlewill be raised at the Temple of Gond freeof charge, on orders of the king. Thesame goes, of course, for Giogi and theprincess.

The king and his wayward daughterwill be tearfully reunited (he may saysomething about promising “no morearranged marriages”—alluding per-haps to the cause of her departure).Vangerdahast will have the Cormyrianforces spread throughout the complex,eradicating any form of resistance (andclaiming most of the remaining booty forthe treasury of Cormyr).

Throughout these concluding events,Vangerdahast will stay by the king’s sideand will remain incredibly suspicious ofthe characters. (His last encounter witha blue-marked warrior had a similar end-ing, and involved a dragon as well.) Hewill allow the characters to speak brieflywith His Majesty before hustling themoff to safety back at Gunderstone Man-sion. He will allow this only if the heroesdid not attack the king. If there were anyattacks, he will make sure that the kingand the princess are whisked away atthe battle’s close, and will only allow thePCs in the presence of the king if theyare supervised by a great number ofguards.

Once he learns the full truth about theheroes from Giogi and/or Alusair, theking will be very grateful to them. He willoffer whatever help he can give them intheir quest. (Vangerdahast harrumphs atthis, knowing that it is he who will have todo the work to back up such a promise.)The assistance may include some or allof the following aids:

* The heroes’ original weapons, ifthey had been lost, will be returnedto them.

* If the heroes have not yet visitedthe sage Filani, the king will providethem with a note, indicating that thefee for her services is to be chargedto the Cormyrian treasury.

* The heroes will be fully healedbefore they leave Tilverton.

* If the heroes failed to recover themap of Yulash (room 11) or Kybor’sscrap of paper (room 26), theseitems will be delivered to their roomat the Windlord’s Rest by a grum-bling Vangerdahast the next day.

* The king also extends a standingoffer for them to join him at his tablein Suzail . . . as soon as theyremove the rest of those ugly tat-toos, that is.

All is not sweetness and light, how-ever. Vangerdahast will have a pettyrevenge, instructing the guards at theTilverton gates to refuse the charactersreadmittance once they leave—“King’sOrders”—to prevent them from takinganother shot at His Majesty. And, ofcourse, the heroes still have to contendwith the other four Azure Bonds.

The heroes should finish this chapterwith the belongings they had when theyawoke in Tilverton, any treasure they’vegathered, the gratitude of the king of apowerful nation, and the need to make achoice about where to go next.

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The player characters end their encoun-ters with the king and his family prob-lems in possession of a number of cluesas to the location of their other masters.Most of the clues seem to point north: toZhentil Keep, the base of the Zhentarim,and to Yulash, the home of the Moan-derites. To the north also lies the homeof Elminster the Sage, who may be ableto place further information at the char-acters’ disposal.

From this point on, the characters aregenerally free to wander as they see fitacross the North. Short descriptions ofwhat the heroes will find at each locationare given below. Some of these placesare described in much more detail in lat-er chapters of this work.

Zhentil KeepThe agents of the Zhentarim are every-where in the lands they control, andthese agents are on the lookout for theadventurers to report their progress toFzoul Chembryl. This city is described indetail in Chapter 9.

YulashYulash is a contested city, split betweenthe forces of Hillsfar and those of ZhentilKeep. It is described in detail in Chapter 7.

HillsfarThis town has a temple of Chauntea,suitable training areas, and a variety ofstores. The residents’ attitude towardnonhuman races, in particular halflings,is rather hostile. The police force here isknown as the Red Plumes (see Chapter7 for details).

PhlanNo longer in ruins, the town is boomingin the wake of the first defeat of Tyran-thraxus and, if the heroes of this adven-ture are the same as from Ruins ofAdventure, they are regarded as favoritesons, rating the best rooms and themost discounted prices. However, thefact that characters wear the sign ofTyranthraxus is troubling to sometownsfolk, who whisper that these arefalse heroes, sent by Tyranthraxus togain revenge.

If the heroes are not those who earliersaved Phlan, the reaction of the peopleto the symbol of Tyranthraxus will be

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similar to that of the Hillsfarians toZhentarim—open hatred. The heroeswill be asked, politely but firmly, to leave.

There is a temple of Tyr Grimjaws,god of justice, here, as well as adequatetraining facilities and stores. The storesare a little behind the times, and themore esoteric items will be very expen-sive or unavailable.

TeshwaveTeshwave is a ruins under the control ofZhentil Keep. Formerly the seat ofTeshendale, the area was abandonedfifty years ago in the face of growingattacks against the villagers. There isnow a garrison of Zhentarim soldiershere. All goods cost twice their normalprice in Teshwave, and there are nosages worth speaking of.

There is a shrine to Bane here, but itwill refuse to aid all non-evil characters.The heroes may gain some aid bybrandishing the Zhentarim symbol. Ofcourse, a full report will be sent to Zhen-til Keep, and then the Zhentarim mas-ters will know where the heroes are.

Dagger FallsDagger Falls is the seat of Daggerdale.The residents have a reputation forbeing insular and hostile toward outsid-ers. This reputation is to some extentundeserved, since the outsiders theyare most hostile toward are the Zhen-tarim. The older residents still remem-ber when the forces of the BlackNetwork destroyed Teshendale, and it’sno secret that the Zhentarim are nowraiding the outskirts of Daggerdale aswell. For this reason, outsiders areassumed to be Zhentarim agents unlessotherwise noted.

The reception the heroes will get inDagger Falls is cool, turning to hostile ifthey still bear the marks of the Zhen-tarim on their arms. Fortunately, there isa reasonable voice in Dagger Falls, inthe person of Randall Morn, an adven-turer who may be able to provide infor-mation on the Zhentil Keep crew for theadventurers.

If the heroes prove to him that they arenot of the Zhentarim (by not trying to killanybody, for example), Randall will passon “common knowledge” of the Zhen-tarim and Zhentil Keep. Most of thisinformation is found in the introductory

sections of the chapter on the Zhen-tarim. He will also provide the adventur-ers with a map of Zhentil Keep.

There is no temple worth speaking ofin Daggerdale—that is, no organizedchurch that doles out healing services toadventurers. Prices of goods and serv-ices, while initially set at twice normal forstrangers, are negotiable.

ShadowdaleShadowdale boasts two temples, onededicated to Lathander, god of morning,and one for Tymora, goddess of goodfortune and adventurers. It is also thehome of Elminster, the master sage.

Elminster lives in a tower overlookingthe town, with a winding path leading upto the door and a big sign out front thatreads: “No trespassing! Violators shouldnotify next of kin. Have a pleasant day.”Beneath the sign is the symbol of thesage, a crescent moon and sphere.

Those trying the direct approach willfind Elminster unreachable. His scribeand secretary, Lhaeo, will ask the visi-tors to fill out forms and will be willing toset an appointment for several monthsin the future, but will have a variety ofreasons why the sage is not available atthe present time, such as:

* He is in the middle of an experi-ment.

* He is on an extended tour of thelower planes.

* He has just completed a battle witha type VI demon, and is not in thebest of moods.

* He has just finished destroying agroup of tattooed barbarians. Whatdid you say your problem was?

Elminster, however, is very interestedin the heroes’ plight. He has had reportsboth from the Nameless Bard (Chapter1) and from Vangerdahast, and is seek-ing to discover who is behind the brandsand what their true purposes are. Oncehe discovers this, he will send the infor-mation to the heroes by a dream (seeSpecial Encounter 2, below).

Shadowdale does have an excellentinn (the Old Skull), and the town’s storesare both reasonably priced and wellstocked, since they typically do a briskbusiness in the adventuring trade.

Clerics at the Temple of Lathander willbe able to pass on the story of the Blade

of Lathander, a legendary weaponwhich was said to be able to slay Tyran-thraxus. The sword was used to pressback Tyranthraxus’s attacks in theNorth. After the creature’s death, thesword passed from adventurer to adven-turer. At last it was stolen by agents ofthe Zhentarim and taken to the Templeof Bane in Zhentil Keep. Then, as a storyfrom a few years back relates, the swordwas stolen from the Black Network by ahalfling thief. The halfling escaped byboat, but his vessel was sunk in theMoonsea and the sword (so ZhentilKeep says) was lost.

MistledaleThe major town of this dale shares thedale’s name, and is situated at Asha-banford. It has good stores, but no sage.The residents are not terribly upset atthe sight of the Zhentarim brands, sincetheir relations with Zhentil Keep are coolbut not hostile.

EssembraThe “seat” of Battledale is locatedsome 30 miles from the dale itself, main-ly because Battledale has lived up to itsname and proved to be a regular battle-ground for human and inhuman forces.Essembra is a fortress town, with limitedaccess and vigilant guards. There is achurch of Tymora and a temple of Helmthe Watcher here, but no sage.

One bit of news that casual visitors willpick up readily in the bars is that a lot ofdragonish activity has been spottedaround Haptooth Hill. The dragons havebeen raiding supply wagons, and forcingthe farmers away from their harvests. Onerumor says a mad wizard is involved,another that undead creatures are there,and a third says that an abomination, simi-lar to that which came from Yulash, hasbeen hatched on Haptooth Hill.

Myth DrannorThe longtime capital of the ElvenNation, this ruins is now overrun withmonsters. (This area is the locale of theaction in Chapter 14.) Part of it is cur-rently the hiding place of Tyranthraxus,and the player characters should nottravel here until they have dealt with allof the other masters. If they set out forMyth Drannor before this time, they willbecome lost on their way through the

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woods and will pass out of the forest inanother direction.

If player characters somehow doreach Myth Drannor (for instance,through the use of magic which allowsfaultless tracking or automatic locationof a destination), they will find it girdedwith an impenetrable (no matter what)dome of force erected by Tyranthraxusto keep out interlopers. The dome will beintact until the PCs have found theBlade of Lathander, the Helm ofDragons, and the Gauntlets of Moander.Then and only then, Tyranthraxus willcreate an opening in the dome near theold graveyard.

VoonlarThis city is in most respects an indepen-dent entity, but it is politically under thecontrol of Zhentil Keep. There are tem-ples to Chauntea and Bane in this town,and shrines to Tempus, god of war, andLathander, god of the morning. No sageis available in this town, but its inns arefirst rate, and the prices are fair.

Should the adventurers pass throughVoonlar with the Azure Bonds displayedopenly, their presence will be noted bypriests of Bane, who will relay their infor-mation to Fzoul Chembryl at ZhentilKeep—and to his enemies at Mulmaster(see Special Encounter 1 below).

Moander’s RoadA major addition to the terrain in recentmonths, this is a huge plowed furrowthat begins at Yulash and runs southtoward Myth Drannor. The “road” is apath through the forest of toppled treesand uprooted earth. This is the swath ofdestruction left by the passing of theAbomination of Moander following itsescape from Yulash.

The road ends in a giant hill of debris,known as Moander’s Mound, which is theremains of the abomination left behindwhen its consciousness gated to else-where in the Realms. Those investigatingthe mound will discover that scavengershave made the Mound their lair. Amongthe monsters found there are:

A lair of 12 vulturesThree separate otyughsA neo-otyugh in lair with treasureA lair of three shambling mounds

There is a 1 in 6 chance of discoveringany of these creatures, one per hour, inthe mess. Those in lairs will have theirnormal treasure and magical items.

Shadow GapA new inn has been constructed in thisgap, the former one having been de-stroyed by the Iron Throne with the aid of akalmari. While there are no clerics orsages here, the heroes may rest the nightwithout danger of attacks by monsters.

WildernessEncountersFor general wilderness encounters inthe Realms, check the tables in Appen-dix II, referring to the area through whichthe heroes are traveling. Check forencounters three times per day andtwice during the evening. On a 1 in 6,there will be a random encounter. Incases where the heroes are occupyingtwo areas at the same time (such as aborder region), the DM may choose thetype of terrain the heroes take theirencounter from.

Special Encounters1. The Priests of BaneMany of the towns in Moonsea reachesare plagued by temples of Bane, an evilgod whose temporal base of power is inMulmaster, across the Moonsea. Themajor temple in the region is in ZhentilKeep, but there are also a temple inVoonlar and shrines in Teshwave andYulash. There was a temple in Phlan,and while this has been destroyed bybrave heroes, there are still survivingpriests in this area.

If the player characters appear in anyof the abovementioned towns and stillcarry the mark of the Zhentarim, theclerics will send off reports to Mulmasterand to Fzoul Chembryl in Zhentil Keep.They will have agents (1st level thieves)follow the PCs around the town. If cap-tured, the thieves will spill their guts, tell-ing the heroes they were hired by thelocal church of Bane.

If the heroes have had the mark of theZhentarim removed, the church of Banewill be hostile to them. In any town thatthe heroes enter which has an outpost of

City of Phlan1. Valjevo Castle2. Stojanow Gate3. Temple of Bane4. Podol Plaza5. Kuto's Well6. Cadorna Textile House7. Mantor's Library8. Valhingen Graveyard9. Sokol Keep

10. Mansions11. Kovel Mansions12. Civilized Phlan13. Thorn Island

Bane, they will be attacked by a revengesquad of clerics of Bane and their fol-lowers.

Cleric leader (5th level): AC 2; MV 6”;HD 5; hp 25; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA spelluse; AL LE; THAC0 18.

Spells:

1st level commandprotection from goodsanctuary

2nd level hold personresist firesilence 15’ radius

3rd level dispel magic

Fighter assistants (5th level, 5): AC 2;MV 6”; HD 5; hp 45, 40, 35, 30, 35; #AT1; Dmg 2-8 (broad sword); AL NE;THAC0 16.

Thief assistants (5th level, 5): AC 7;MV 6”; HD 5; hp 30, 38, 26, 24, 22; #AT1; Dmg 1-6 (short sword) or 1-4 (throwndagger); AL NE; THAC0 19.

The fighters will engage the charac-

ters head-on in an ambush situation,while the thieves will try to circle aroundfor backstabbing, or else remain in theback rank and throw their daggers. Thecleric will use hold person and silence15’ radius to harass the heroes, thenretreat under the cover of a sanctuaryspell if things are going against him.

The ambushers will be interested inslaying the heroes for their effronteryand leaving their bodies as a warning.

2. The SendingsFollowing their defeat of the Fire Knives,and following the defeat of each of thenext three opponents, the heroes will re-ceive a dream-sending courtesy of El-minster, who is motivating the party togather together the necessary tools todefeat the New Alliance and Tyran-thraxus.

The first dream comes to the charac-ters 2-8 days after they leave Tilverton,and before they reach Yulash, ZhentilKeep, or Haptooth Hill. Each followingdream will occur 1-3 days after the

defeat of another of the major parts ofthe alliance.

Read the players the following pas-sage in full on the occasion of the firstsending:

You are standing on a wide, flat plaincovered with swirling mist. As themist thins and parts, you see you arestanding on a great map of the North,in the location where your mortalbody rests.

There are others on the map now,regarding and taunting you, declar-ing you the puppet and they the mas-ters. These are your enemies, and inyour dream your face grows flushwith anger.

On the map, on the rise thathouses the ruins of Yulash, a cruelwoman with a bloodless face,dressed in white, laughs andbeckons you to come to her. Sheopens her hand, palm outward, toreveal a living mouth there, which

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snaps at you. At her feet are a pair ofsilver gauntlets, overgrown withtwisting, moving weeds.

To the north is a man standing onthe battlements of Zhentil Keep. He isdressed in the ornate battle armor ofa high priest of Bane. His face ismarked with ceremonial tattoos, andhe is dripping with jewelry. He carriesa jewel-encrusted mace, which hepoints at you, and in a low voice hecommands you to come hence tomeet your true masters. At his feetlies a great sword, whose bladeglows with the rosy light of dawn.

To the south cackles a bent oldman in the robes of a Red Wizard ofThay. Small dragons fly about hishead like buzzing gnats, and you seehe is wearing a circlet on his brow,with the image of the dragon in agreen gem at its front. The Red Wiz-ard laughs again and points at you,beckoning you forward. You see he

stands on the bare top of HaptoothHill, west of Essembra.

Behind the three, flaming in oneplace, then another, you see a great,shimmering pool. A being of pure fireappears, then disappears as the poolmoves elsewhere. To Phlan, thenHillsfar, then Tilverton, then the ElvenWoods. It speaks a single word,“Tyranthraxus,” and the heat grows.

You awaken in a cold sweat. Thiswas no ordinary dream, but somemessage from greater powers.

When the sending is repeated later, itwill have fewer parts, reflecting the factthat one or more of the Alliance mem-bers (Zhentil Keep, the Moanderites,and Dracandros the Red Wizard) havebeen defeated. As these events takeplace, delete the appropriate sectionsfrom later readings of this passage.Finally, the sending from Elminster willnot be seen again. In its place, when all

three other obstacles have been over-come, will be a sending from Tyran-thraxus. At that time, read this passageto the players:

You are standing once more upon thegreat, mist-covered map, but nowyou see that the edges are burning,their smoke turning the air aroundyou black.

Across the map rise the great spiresof Myth Drannor, ruined anddestroyed by age and the incursion offell creatures. From its northwesterncorner shoots a flame, which intensi-fies and forms a huge, manlike out-line. You know in your heart that this isTyranthraxus. The flame speaks toyou, with the intensity of a foundry’sfire:

“Come to Myth Drannor,” says theflame. “Bring my toys back to me.”

You awake, shaken by the vivid-ness of the dream. For good or ill,your future lies in Myth Drannor.

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Yulash is a large ruined city situated atopa great hill, the tallest piece of landbetween the River Tesh and the ElvenWoods. Long ago Yulash was an impor-tant city, but the Flight of Dragons ruinedmost of its buildings and drove much ofits people south to more civilized lands.The part of the city that survived becamea bone of contention between the powersof Hillsfar and Zhentil Keep. Both sidespoured manpower into the area, drivingoff the last of the citizens in a bloody warfor domination. The only people left inYulash now are the armies of ZhentilKeep and the Red Plumes, and adventur-ers and looters, whom both armies sen-tence to death upon capture.

And . . . the Survivors of Moander.Led by Mogion, a high priestess of

the cult, they have collected them-selves from throughout the Inner Sea,the last of the followers of Moanderknown to be anywhere in the Realms,to work a miracle.

They intend to break through the wallbetween the planes to free Moanderonce more, bring him bodily onto thisplane to wreak destruction on the landsof the Moonsea and turn the Elven For-ests into a huge, verdant, and treacher-ous jungle, all the while slaying anyonewho does not bow to his inhuman will.

The heroes will see Yulash about twodays before they reach it. The areaaround the city is a blasted plain filledwith the wreckage of battle—destroyedfarmhouses, overturned wagons, andthe skeletons of long-dead warriors leftfor the scavengers. The heroes will beable to get to the walls of Yulash easilywithout being detected.

There still seems to be conflict withinthe walls, and eldritch fires dance overthe ruined city during the night. Theplayer characters should be warned ofthis so they move with caution throughthe areas.

Getting into Yulash is not a majorproblem, since the walls are riddled withholes. All the holes in the Hillsfar sectorand the Zhentil Keep territories areguarded by patrols of the particular fac-tion. The main gate into the Red Plumeheadquarters (see the inset map of thesouthwest corner of the city) is guarded,but the other two entrances into the city(including the large one left by a passingabomination) are unguarded.

Random EncountersThe Red Plumes of Hillsfar control thesouthern areas of the city, and the areasoutside the gates to the east and west ofthe city. The Zhentil Keep forces controlthe northeast gate, and a good chunk ofthe downtown district. The remainder ofthe territory is an open war zone, whereforces from both sides are active indestroying each other.

Troop Reaction to Heroes: The armedforces of both Hillsfar and Zhentil Keepare common encounters in each occu-pied area. The soldiers’ reactions to out-siders are similar. In occupied areas,troops will call out for strangers to sur-render before attacking, and will takeprisoners if possible. In the War Zone,the operative procedure is to shoot firstand ask questions later. In the contestedarea, soldiers for either side will attackany individuals they spot who are notshowing the banner of the same side.

Discoveries Among the Ruins: Whilemoving through the city, player charac-ters may discover treasure left behindby previous occupants. For each build-ing searched, there is a 1 in 10 chanceof finding 30-120 gp (60%) or 1-10 gems(40%) worth 100 gp each. Anyonecaught appropriating such items is con-sidered a looter and is subject to beingshot on sight.

Encounter TablesIn either occupied area, there is a 1 in

6 chance per turn that an encounter willoccur—but regardless of the die rolls, afull hour (six turns) will never pass with-out some kind of occurrence.

In the War Zone, the per-turn chanceof a random encounter is 2 in 6, andsomething will happen at least onceevery half hour (three turns).

The DM may modify both of the abovestipulations to account for the party’sbehavior or current situation. If theheroes are holed up inside a ruinedbuilding, the frequency of encounterswould be lessened. If they’re walkingdown a street playing “kick the helmet,”or otherwise asking for trouble, then theconverse would apply.

If an encounter is indicated or dic-tated, roll on the table that relates to thePCs’ location and see the following textfor descriptions of the results.

Hillsfar Section

d10 roll Encounter1 Red Plumes patrol2 3-12 vegepygmies3 Little looters4 Major looters5 Red Plumes patrol6 1 giant slug7 1-8 trolls8 Zhentil Keep terror team9 Red Plumes deserters

10 Moander cultists

Zhentil Keep Section

d10 roll Encounter1 Zhentil Keep patrol2 1-2 shambling mounds3 Little looters4 Major looters5 Zhentil Keep terror team6 Zhentil Keep patrol7 1-8 trolls8 Zhentil Keep patrol9 Little looters

10 Moander cultists

War Zone

d10 roll Encounter1 Zhentil Keep patrol2 Red Plumes patrol3 Zhentil Keep patrol4 Red Plumes patrol5 Zhentil Keep terror team6 Red Plumes deserters7 1-8 trolls8 Little looters9 Major looters

10 Destroyed patrol

Encounter Descriptions

Zhentil Keep patrol: Twelve fighters of3rd level led by a 6th level fighter. One ofthe twelve will always be a Zhentarimagent. They will seek to pick off theiropponents from a distance if outnum-bered. Otherwise they will close andattack on foot.

Patrol leader (6th level fighter): AC 2;MV 6”; HD 6; hp 50; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8(long sword) or 1-6 (short bow); AL NE;THAC0 15.

Patrol members (3rd level fighters,12): AC 4; MV 6”; HD 3; hp 20 each; #AT1; Dmg 1-8 (long sword) or 1-6 (shortbow); AL NE; THAC0 18.

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Red Plumes patrol: Ten mounted fight-ers of 3rd level led by a 6th level fighter.They prefer to attack their prey in openareas, riding them down and strikingwith their spears. If the targets flee intothe ruins, they will dismount and follow.They ride medium war horses, which willattack if their riders are waylaid.

Patrol leader (6th level fighter): AC 2;MV 6” (18” mounted); HD 6; hp 50; #AT1; Dmg 2-8 (broad sword), 1-6 (shortbow), or 2-12 (with spear, charging); ALN; THAC0 15.

Patrol members (3rd level fighters,10): AC 4; MV 6” (18” mounted); HD 3;hp 20 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8 (broadsword), 1-6 (short bow), or 2-12 (withspear, charging); AL N; THAC0 18.

Red Plume war horses (11): AC 7; MV18”; HD 2+2; hp 14 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-3; SZ L; AL N; THAC0 16.

Little looters: A group of 2-12 2nd levelthieves prowling the wreckage of thecity for gold and magic that they can sellin Voonlar or Phlan. They will have 10-100 gp in treasure on them if defeated.They will try to flee farther into the ruinsafter their first member is slain.

Looting thieves (2nd level, 2-12): AC8; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 8 each; #AT 1; Dmg1-6; SA thieving abilities; AL NE; THAC020.

Major looters: Another group ofadventurers plundering the wreckage,but these looters pack more punch, andthe good-sized groups have no qualmsabout slaying the occasional patrol thatstumbles onto their activities. They arealso 2-12 in number, but one-third(round up) of any group of three or moreare 6th level magic-users with someheavy firepower spells. The remainderare 9th level thieves. A group of majorlooters will have 1000-6000 gp in trea-sure, mostly in gems and rare objects.

Looting thieves (9th level, 2-8): AC 6;MV 12”; HD 9; hp 28 each; #AT 1; Dmg1-6; SA thieving abilities; AL NE; THAC016.

Looting magic-users (6th level, 1-4):AC 10; MV 12”; HD 6; hp 18 each; #AT 1;Dmg 1-4 (dagger); SA spell use; AL NE;THAC0 19.

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Spells:

1st level

2nd level

3rd level

charm personmagic missile (x2)sleepinvisibilitystinking cloudprot. from normal missileseither lightning boltor fireball(50% chance of each)

Each magic-user will have his protec-tion spell in effect when encountered,because both sides in the war have mis-sile weapons.

Destroyed patrol: The heroes stumbleupon the remains of either a ZhentilKeep patrol or a Red Plumes patrol(50% chance of each). There will becopious dead bodies of men (and in thecase of the Red Plumes, horses), stillwearing their armor, but all valuableshave been stripped from them. Theheroes may salvage weapons but willfind it unwise to take anything else,since both sides have distinct uniformsand armor. They may later be attackedby one side for looking like the enemy, orby the other side for having looted thedead bodies of their comrades.

Zhentil Keep terror team: This is anelite unit, designed for making strikesinto the heart of Red Plume territory,destroying as much as possible, andsneaking out again. Favorite targetsinclude the Red Plume horses, whichthe Hillsfar troops use to great effect inmoving around the city.

The terror team specializes in hit-and-run tactics that are best accomplishedwhen the group is at or near fullstrength. If a team loses four members(or three magic-users), the others willbolt and run in different directions,intending to regroup and be reinforcedlater at the nearest Zhentil Keep out-post. This type of encounter will occurno more than once per day; if a later dieroll on the same day indicates anotherterror team, substitute either a RedPlumes patrol or a Zhentil Keep patrol,depending on the characters’ presentlocation, or roll again if the encounter isin the War Zone.

Terror team leader (9th level magic-user): AC 4 (bracers of defense); MV

12”; HD 9; hp 30; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 (dag-ger); SA spell use; AL LE; THAC0 19.

Spells:

1st level lightmagic missile (x2)sleep

2nd level invisibilitymirror imagerope trick

3rd level fireballlightning boltprot. from normal missiles

4th level polymorph otherstoneskinwall of force

When the mage is encountered, hisstoneskin and protection spells arealready in effect. If pressed, the wizardwill throw up his wall of force and fleewhile invisible.

Terror team members (6th levelmagic-users, 3): AC 10; MV 12”; HD 6;hp 18 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 (dagger); SAspell use; AL NE; THAC0 19.

Spells:

1st level charm person

2nd level

3rd level

magic missile (x2)sleepinvisibilitystinking cloudprot. from normal missileseither fireballor lightning bolt(50% chance of each for

each mage)

The spell casters’ protection spellswill be in effect when they are encoun-tered, since both sides in this war havemissile weapons.

Terror team members (4th levelthieves, 4): AC 6; MV 12”; HD 4; hp 20each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA thieving abili-ties; AL NE; THAC0 20.

Red Plumes deserters: This is a groupof Red Plumes who have decided theyhave had enough of the war, and intendto seek their fortunes farther south, aftera little recreational looting. They havethe manpower of a normal Red Plumespatrol (see above), but will attack underall circumstances, seeking to silenceany interlopers.

Moander cultists: A group of five fol-lowers of Moander making their way tothe hidden temple. If the heroes achievesurprise on the cultists and do notattack, they will be able to follow the cult-ists to the edge of the midden thatserves as the upper gate of their temple.The cultists have no treasure.

Moander cultist leader (4th level cler-ic): AC 2; MV 6”; HD 4; hp 21; #AT 1;Dmg 1-6 (club); SA spell use; AL CE;THAC0 18.

Spells:

1st level commandlightsanctuary

2nd level dust devilhold person

Moander cultist bodyguards (3rd levelfighters, 4): AC 3; MV 6”; HD 3; hp 20each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 (two-handedbroad sword); AL NE; THAC0 18.

Nonhuman encounters

Shambling mounds (1-2): AC 0; MV 6”;HD 10; hp 50 each; #AT 2; Dmg 2-16/2-16; SA suffocation; SD immune to fire,half damage from weapons and coldattacks, lightning hit adds +1 HD; SZ L;AL N; THAC0 10.

Giant slug: AC 8; MV 6”; HD 12; hp72; #AT 1; Dmg 1-12; SA spit acid; SDunaffected by blunt weapons; SZ L; ALN; THAC0 9.

Trolls (1-8): AC 4; MV 12”; HD 6+6;hp 30 each; #AT 3; Dmg 5-8/5-8/2-12; SAmay attack separate targets; SD regen-erate; SZ L; AL CE; THAC0 13.

Vegepygmies (3-12): AC 4; MV 12”;HD 2; hp 12 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SDpiercing weapons inflict only 1 point ofdamage per hit, immune to electricityand charm-type magic; SZ S; AL N;THAC0 16.

The Zhentil Keep ForcesIf the heroes are captured by ZhentilKeep forces, they will be taken to a“safe location” near the ruined templeof Ilmater (far from Zhentil Keep head-quarters). There they will be left withtheir weapons and told to wait. Thearresting force will then send a runner toZhentil Keep HQ with the heroes’

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descriptions and story.If the heroes still bear the sigil of the

Zhentarim, the runner will return in tenminutes with orders that the heroes arenot to be harmed, and should be escort-ed to the edge of the Zhentil Keepsecure zone. The leader of the ZhentilKeep patrol will note to the heroes that ifthey are found within Zhentil Keep terri-tory again, he will not guarantee beingable to stop his men from accidentallyshooting them as looters. This is a heavyhint, and what it means is that any Zhen-til Keep troops encountered from hereon in will attack first, rather than have todeal with the problem of waiting fororders from their higher-ups.

If any or all of the heroes do not havethe mark of the Zhentarim on their arms,a runner will return in ten minutes with asecond patrol of 10 soldiers. Bothpatrols will confer; then, drawing theirbows, they will open fire on the playercharacters from a distance of 30’.Orders have come down to the Yulashcommander that such individuals are tobe slain on sight.

A similar reaction should be expectedby those heroes who approach the Keepforces directly. They will be set aside in a“safe place” until their story is checked.If they bear the mark, they are warnedand escorted away. If they do not, theywill be slain as looters by a 2-patrolstrength firing squad.

Southwest Corner of YulashThe southwest corner of Yulash is in theRed Plumes’ “secure” zone. Theforce’s headquarters has been movedhere recently because of increasedactivity by the Zhentil Keep soldiers nearthe previous HQ site.

The locations marked “C” on the maprepresent checkpoint locations, wherepatrols of Hillsfar soldiers are stationed.These units are not mounted and thusthey do not carry spears, but they areotherwise just as formidable as the RedPlumes patrols that might be met else-where in the city. They will challengeanyone who comes within two spaces oftheir positions, and will attack those whodo not surrender. Those who surrenderare taken to area 3 for holding until thecaptain can talk to them.

Brigadier-Captain Lethbron-Stot isthe current commander of the Red

Plumes in Yulash. Called merely “TheCaptain” by his men, he is a stiff-necked, shortsighted martinet who livesby a rule book that probably does notapply to the battle they are fighting (onebig reason why the war is going againstthem and they are suffering desertions).The captain will be normally found inarea 1, though he will move to area 3 tointerrogate suspicious characters.

In the interview, the captain will startwith a neutral attitude toward the playercharacters—he’s gone through thisbefore, talking to would-be heroes whoare looting and calling themselvesadventurers. To determine the captain’sreaction to the PCs, have the playersspecify who the spokesman for thegroup will be in the interview with thecaptain; then roll 2d6 and refer to the listof results below after applying any modi-fiers that fit the situation. The modifiersare these:

- 1

- 1

+1

- 1

+1+1+1

- 1- 1

If the heroes are known to havekilled Red Plumes soldiers or arecarrying Red Plumes equipment.If the heroes are marked with thesymbol of the Zhentarim—or +1 ifthey have a good excuse ready(DM’s judgment) when askedabout the marks.If they submitted quietly when theywere accosted by the checkpointpatrol.If they were defeated in combatand dragged here.If the spokesman is lawful good.If the spokesman is a paladin.If the spokesman is a cleric ofChauntea.If the spokesman is a thief.If the spokesman is chaotic inalignment.

A modified dice roll of 4 or less indi-cates an unfavorable reaction. The cap-tain declares all the player characters tobe looters and orders them slain. He willthen return to his quarters while hisorders are carried out (unless he isattacked himself). All available forces inareas 1-6 will come to the attack. All RedPlumes patrols will attack the PCs onsight from this point on. If the heroesescape from the city, they will be auto-matically attacked by Red Plumespatrols in the wilderness and in Hillsfarwhenever they encounter them.

On a modified result of 5-9, the cap-tain remains neutral. He believes theirstory, but doesn’t give them any aid intheir mission. What he does is to issuethem a pass that allows them to movepast any Red Plumes checkpoints orpatrols provided that they are on theirway out of the Hillsfar-occupied part ofthe city. He does not want to see themagain in his part of town. If the heroesreturn, the captain’s next reaction checkis made at a -2 modifier (because theyhave bothered him again).

The captain has a positive reaction ifthe modified result is 10 or more. He isnow firmly on the characters’ side, andgives them some information that mayhelp them as well as him. He tells themthat he is concerned with strange deal-ings around the company midden (gar-bage dump), a great hole near theruined temple of Helm the Watcher. Hehasn’t been able to spare the manpowerto engage in treasure-hunting, but if theheroes would be interested, he wouldprovide a map to the midden, and theaccompaniment of a patrol as far as theentrance to the ruined temple.

Area Descriptions1. Captain’s Quarters. In this area is asimple desk and chair. A set of stairsleads up to a loft in the southern half ofthe room, and behind a wall in this ele-vated area are the captain’s cot and hispersonal effects. Hidden at the bottomof his pack is a particular memento ofthe Yulash campaign: a short sword +3with the hilt shaped like a mind flayer.

The captain is always present here,accompanied by two Hillsfar fighters,unless he is interrogating prisoners. Ifthe complex is assaulted, he will enterthe fray only if the heroes are being toosuccessful (after they have slain 10 ormore Red Plumes).

Brigadier-Captain Lethbron-Stot (12thlevel fighter): AC -2 (plate +4); MV 6”;HD 12; hp 93; #AT 3/2; Dmg 2-8 (broadsword); AL N; THAC0 9.

Red Plumes bodyguards (3rd levelfighters, 2): AC 4; MV 6”; HD 3; hp 20;#AT 1; Dmg 2-8 (broad sword); AL N;THAC0 18.

In addition to the magic sword, thecaptain has five trade bars of platinum inhis desk, worth 200 gp each.

2. Barracks. This four-story building ismissing its roof, but the bottom threefloors are the quarters for the on-handRed Plumes forces. There is a patrol (10men) quartered on each floor. At anygiven time, two of the patrols will be onduty and ready to respond instantly toan alarm, an order to mobilize, or thesight or sound of any obvious sign oftrouble; the other 10 men will be asleep.When an alarm is sounded, the two on-duty patrols will exit the barracks in thenext two rounds, but the men who weresleeping will need five rounds to get outof bed and jump into their gear.

Red Plumes soldiers (3rd level fight-ers, 30): AC 4; MV 6”; HD 3; hp 20 each;#AT 1; Dmg 2-8 (broad sword) or 1-6(bow); AL N; THAC0 18.

3. Jail. This is the most structurallysound building in the Red Plumescamp. Its walls are 3’ thick, and theenclosure is secured by a heavy irongrate. The captain conducts his inter-views (see above) from the other side ofthis grate.

When the jail is occupied (which isalmost always), a squad of five RedPlumes soldiers (see area 2 for stats) isstationed in the area outside the door.This squad will aid other units in sightwho have problems with invadingheroes or monsters.

4. Barracks. This is a two-story build-ing, of which only the bottom floor is inuse. The building houses two 10-manpatrols (see area 2 for stats) and sevenleaders (see below). If trouble breaksout in the open area adjacent to the bar-racks, one patrol and six of the leaderswill exit the building to fight with theintruders, while the last leader will takethe other patrol up to the ruined secondfloor to fire down on the melee. Theirstanding orders are to concentrate onvisible spell casters with their bowfire.

Red Plumes leaders (6th level fight-ers, 7): AC 2; MV 6”; HD 6; hp 50 each;#AT 1; Dmg 2-8 (broad sword), 1-6 (shortbow); AL N; THAC0 15.

5. Company Armory. This extremelydilapidated structure is missing half itsroof; the exposed portion is covered witha crude tarpaulin to keep out the rain.This is where the Red Plumes keep their

extra harness, swords, supplies,spears, and arrows.

The patrol stationed at the checkpointoutside the building is charged with pre-venting entry to the armory without thecaptain’s explicit permission. They willbe split into groups of five, watchingboth entrances.

The floor boards are weak in thesquare marked “T” (common knowl-edge to Red Plumes, who avoid it). Any-one entering that square will be pitchedinto a sub-basement 30’ below, taking 3-18 points of damage from the fall. Thereis no treasure in the armory.

6. Stables. This is where the horses ofthe Hillsfar Red Plumes are kept whenthey are being fed and rested. At anygiven time there are 40 medium warhorses here, tethered to pegs driveninto the ruined stone walls. The roof overthe enclosure was missing entirelywhen the Red Plumes occupied thisarea, but some timbers have beenrecently replaced, and now the easternhalf is under cover.

A patrol of Red Plumes soldiers will beon duty here, tending the horses. If thereis a disturbance in the immediate vicini-ty of the stables, they will grab theirweapons and arrive for the fray in 2melee rounds. They will not ride horsesinto a general melee, but if it looks likethe looters (that is, the player charac-ters) are going to escape, they willmount up, grab spears, and pursuethem.

Area 6A has a yellow ribbon stretchedacross the doorway and a sign reading“Warning! Structure Unstable!” nailedto the wall next to it. The sign is true—any who enter the square marked with a“T” will cause the northern wall to col-lapse, inflicting 3-18 points of damagefrom falling debris to anyone within 10’of the wall to the north, west, or south.

Because of this treacherous trap(which can be avoided, by those whoknow about it, by simply jumping acrossthe 10’ span), the room is also used as ahiding place for the company payroll—5000 gold pieces in 100-gp-value plati-num bars. The entire treasury is hiddenbeneath an overturned urn in the south-east corner of the area.

7. Ruined Tower: This building wasonce one of Yulash’s watch towers, 100

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feet tall, most of which is now scatteredon the hillside below. The building isnow open to the elements above the firststory. The floor near the northeast cor-ner is sagging badly, and if any weight ofmore than 100 pounds is placed upon it,the entire 20’-by-20’ section will fall 20’to a basement beneath, doing 2-12points of damage to anyone caught inthe collapse.

8. Ruined Smithy. This roofless build-ing was once an ironsmith’s shop. Theforge still stands along the north wall,though most of the other equipment hasbeen stripped by the Red Plumes.

A careful search of the room (requir-ing a full turn) will reveal that jammedinto the forge’s ruined chimney is anintact container holding a potion of giantstrength (roll for type).

9. The Potter’s Shards. This buildingwas once a pottery, though now the kilnis broken open and the room is litteredwith shattered clay pots.

Should the heroes investigate theroom, they will disturb 20 giant rats whomake these ruins their home.

Giant Rats (20): AC 7; MV 12”//6”; HD1/2; hp 3 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-3; SA dis-ease; SZ S; AL NE; THAC0 20.

10. The Shattered Inn. This buildingwas once an inn, the “Watchful Eye”(the sign is leaning against the wall justinside the north doorway). The roof ofthis two-story building is missing, but thestairs to the second floor are solid.

The second floor is the final restingplace for a dead fighter in chain mail +1,and the 20 giant rats who have strippedthe flesh from his bones (see area 9 forrat stats). The fighter is in the areamarked “T” on the second floor. If theheroes investigate the armored skele-ton, the rats will attack, streaming out ofthe ruined walls. The added weight ofmen and rats will cause the floor to startto fall in. In two rounds, the floor of thissection will collapse, inflicting 1-6 pointsof falling damage to those on it when itgoes and 1-10 points of fallen-upondamage to those directly below it. Therats, being rats, will be unharmed andstill in a nasty mood.

11. The Master’s Voice. This was oncea tavern, as suggested by the remains of

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a bar and the amount of shattered glass-ware in the area. Characters must movecarefully through the area or suffer 1-2points of damage per 10’ of movementfrom the glass shards. A sign hangingoutside identifies this as “The Master’sVoice, A Drinking Establishment ofQuality” (well, that’s what the sign says).

Behind a table propped against thesouth wall, a Red Plumes trooper is tak-ing an unauthorized nap. If the playercharacters make noise or search theroom, he will awaken and, drawing hisbow, rise and demand the characters’immediate surrender.

If the heroes produce a pass from thecaptain, the soldier will be mollified andlower his weapon. If not, he will call forhis comrades at the checkpoint outside,who will arrive in one round.

Red Plumes soldiers (3rd level fight-ers, total of 10): AC 4; MV 6”; HD 3; hp20; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8 (broad sword) or 1-6(bow); AL N; THAC0 18.

12. Bakery. This building was once abakery, and the ovens still stand alongthe north wall. The walls are sound here,and there are no monsters and onlyinfrequent patrols. If the heroes chooseto rest here, they will be undisturbed forat least 10 hours.

13. Ruined Stores. This building waswhole and sound until about fourmonths ago, when the Abomination ofMoander ripped off the eastern end. Thenortheast corner is still standing, but isvery shaky; anyone who enters that sec-tion of the area will take 2-12 points ofdamage from toppling masonry.

This building was once a store, andstill is littered with shattered crocks,scattered and rotted foodstuffs, and bro-ken gear. Anyone who enters the storewill be spotted by the Red Plumescheckpoint outside the southeast cornerof the store (the collapsed wall allowsthe patrolmen to see into this area). Thepatrolmen (see area 12 for stats) will callfor identification and/or surrender, andwill pursue anyone they perceive aspotential looters.

14. The Halfling Hermit. This two-storybuilding is missing its second floor butretains its roof, so that the ground floorin effect has a 20-foot ceiling. The build-

ing is the lair of a slightly addled halflingthief, who is hiding on a bit of thesecond-floor rafters in shadows, readyto trap any monsters who invade his turf.

The halfling is Burto Milibuck. Burtowas, ah, acquiring objets d’art from theruins about four months ago when thishuge moving mountain of garbage near-ly swept him up in its escape fromYulash. Since then, Burto has not beenright in the head, continually seeing veg-etable monsters everywhere, and layingtraps to destroy them. Here in his lair heis waiting for the monsters.

Above the area marked “T” in thisroom is an open-bottomed cage ren-dered invisible by a scroll spell that Bur-to read. The cage is suspended, andBurto has his hand on the release.When a monster (or characters) enterthat square, Burto will release the cage,which will become visible when it crash-es down upon and around the party.

Burto will shout at the trapped individ-uals to surrender, revealing himself fromthe shadows and carrying his bow. Hesays his arrows are tipped with deadlypoison, but the purple stuff on the tips isin reality grape preserves, which he hasa cache of up in his hideaway.

The cage is fairly light and can be lift-ed by a single person with a strength ofat least 12. Burto is further hampered byhaving only two arrows. After getting offhis second shot, he will throw his bow athis assailants (no damage) and seek toescape, either through an upstairs win-dow, or through the secret door to thenorth.

Burto is not evil, just confused. If he istalked to calmly and assured that noneof the party are vegetables, he will settledown and free the adventurers. He willeven join the party, if asked, but will runoff during their next encounter withvegepygmies, shambling mounds, orother plantlike monsters.

Burto has a short sword +2 in addi-tion to his arrows. In his cache he hasthree jars of grape preserves, and apotion of frost giant strength.

Burto Milibuck (insane 10th level half-ling thief): AC 5; MV 12”; HD 10; hp 40;#AT 1; Dmg 1-6 (arrows smeared withgrape preserves) or 3-8 (short sword+2); SA thieving abilities; SZ S; AL CN;THAC0 16.

15. Well Room. This building looks ingood shape, but is the home of a will-o-wisp, waiting for the unlucky to enter itslair. The floor is paving stone, and sec-tion of floor in the southeast corner is ona pivot so that it will tilt when anyonesteps on it, dumping the unsuspectingcharacter(s) into a well shaft 40 feetdeep. Victims take 2-16 points of abra-sion damage from the walls of the shafton the way down, and after they’vefallen 30 feet they plunge into a 10-foot-deep pool of smelly, stagnant water.

The will-o-wisp entices intruders intothe trap by hovering over the southeastcorner at eye level and changing itsappearance so as to look like a glowinggolden ring or halo (treasure!).

If the fall does not kill the victim(s), thewill-o-the-wisp descends into the pit andattacks normally, pulling the life ener-gies out of the trapped character(s). Itremains in the bottom of the pit until itsenses that any surviving occupants ofthe room have left, and then it ascends.The pivoting floor slab will swing back toits most stable (horizontal) position in 1-3 turns, thus resetting the trap. (If thewill-o-wisp has not left the well shaft bythe time this happens, the creature willbe caught inside the shaft—until thenext time someone steps on it.)

Will-o-wisp: AC -8; MV /18”; HD 9;hp 33; #AT 1; Dmg 2-16; SD becomeinvisible for 2-8 rounds, only affected byprotection from evil, magic missile, andmaze spells; SZ S; AL CE; THAC0 12.

If reduced to five or fewer hit points,the will-o-wisp will shoot out of the well(or out of the area, if it is attacked beforethe trap is sprung), seeking to escape.

The bottom of the well is littered withthe dead forms of those who have comebefore. Among the debris at the bottomof the stagnant pool are a long sword+1 and a wand of magic missiles withseven charges remaining.

16. Temple of Helm. This ruined build-ing was once a temple dedicated toHelm the Watcher. In the destructionwrought by the Flight of Dragons, part ofthe temple floor was blown away, reveal-ing a huge pit (area 17), which othernatives have been using as a garbagedump or midden.

As the heroes approach the temple

doors, they will hear the sounds of battlewithin: the ring of steel on stone, and theshouts of a woman warrior. If the heroesenter the fray, read the following to theplayers:

You see the broad expanse of thetemple, its litter and debris swept toone side. In the center of the room,surrounded by greenish vegetable-humanoids, are a woman and a lizardman, fighting back to back againstthe monsters. The woman is tall witha red cape and reddish blonde hair,and wields her weapon like a sea-soned professional. Her companionlooks like a misshapen lizard man,with too-short arms and a fin stickingout of the top of his head. At their feetlies the immobile body of a cleric inplate armor. Nearby is a very largehulk of rotting vegetation, to whichthe woman deals a death blow just asyou enter the room. There are about10 of the smaller vegetable monsterson the floor with the cleric, also immo-bile, but about 20 more are stillactive, pressing in on all sides.

The female warrior is Alias, whosebiography and statistics may be found inAppendix I. Her companion is Dragon-bait, a paladin of the extradimensionalrace of saurials, who is also detailed inAppendix I. The large hulk is the body ofa shambling mound, and the smallermonsters are vegepygmies.

Their companion on the floor is Mix-ilia, a cleric of Helm who contacted Aliasa month ago with troubling news: theCult of Moander was active again, andworking in Yulash to return Moander tothe Realms. Mixilia brought Alias here,but the group was ambushed beforethey could enter the secret temple. Mix-ilia was attacked and suffocated by theshambling mound while the vegepyg-mies tried to keep Alias and Dragonbaitoccupied. Alias did break away andmanage to kill the large monster, but notin time to keep Mixilia from expiring.

Now there are still 20 vegepygmies inthe room which must be dealt withbefore anything else can happen.

Vegepygmies (20): AC 4; MV 12”; HD1; hp 5 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SD pierc-ing weapons inflict 1 point of damage

per hit, immune to electricity and tosome charm- type magic; SZ S; AL N;THAC0 19.

If the player characters do nothing,Alias and her companion can deal withthe vegepygmies in about 20 rounds,taking about 10 points of damageapiece in the process. Dragonbait willheal Alias first, then himself. Eventhough these monsters are not particu-larly formidable, Alias will be not at allhappy that the PCs elected not to helpdispose of them. As a result, she will notaid the party hereafter.

If the heroes do chip in against themonsters, melee will proceed normally.Alias will wait until the end of the battleto make introductions. Dragonbait willcheck Mixilia’s body, and look up, shak-ing his head. Alias will ask if any of theheroes have the ability to raise dead. Ifthey do, and if Mixilia is raised, the clericwill act as guard at the top of the middenwhile the others descend (see the fol-lowing text). Otherwise Alias will put hisbody in a safe place, hoping to carry herfriend back to civilization later.

Dragonbait will examine the playercharacters using his shen- sight. If theheroes are not evil, he will give Alias asign that all is clear. If any of the playercharacters are evil, he will give his mis-tress a negative sign, and the pair willdisassociate themselves from the char-acters.

Assuming that the characters do helpdefeat the vegepygmies, and that noone in the adventuring party is evil, Aliaswill tell the story of what she is doinghere, and then expect the player charac-ters to do the same. For starters, readthe following to the players:

“First off, my name is Alias. This ismy companion Dragonbait. He’s nota pet, not a familiar, not a servant.He’s a saurial, the only one I know ofin the Realms. I’m an adventurer bytrade and disposition, usually fightingonly when called for, or to right somewrong.

“It’s the latter situation here.There’s a cult at work here, one thatworships an ancient and evil godcalled Moander. I was here a fewmonths back, and was responsiblefor accidentally freeing a part of it

45

from its imprisonment here. We killedthat part of it, called the Abominationof Moander, but not before it carvedup a large chunk of the forest to thesouth. Still, when it was gone, wethought that would be that.

“We were wrong. It seems thatthere is a temple complex down herethat I didn’t know about at the time,and the Survivors of Moander, asthey now call themselves, are gather-ing to try to bring back their lost god. Idon’t know how they’re going to do it,but I intend to stop them. You canhelp if you want. We can reach thetemple by going down through theold garbage dump to the southeast.

“My cleric friend Mixilia caught onto their activities and went looking forhelp. He found me and Dragonbait.We have a grudge against Moanderand his followers, and want to seethem put out of business for good.Care to help?”

If the heroes are haughty, conde-scending, or rude at this point, Alias willnot give them, or ask for, any more infor-mation. She will say, with some measureof disgust, that the heroes (not the wordshe would use) are on their own, sincethat’s the way they seem to want it. Thenshe and Dragonbait will pick up the bodyof Mixilia and appear to be preparing toget their cleric to safety. Rather thanovertly aiding the party from this pointforward, they will put their friend in asafe place once the heroes have beguntheir descent, and then they will followthe PCs secretly, intending to come totheir aid if the characters find them-selves overmatched.

If the heroes are friendly, Alias andDragonbait will join their party. Alias willdo all the talking for the two of them,while Dragonbait will apparently com-municate with her telepathically. Actu-ally the saurial communicates by meansof scents, a fact which Alias has becomeaware of, but which others may notnotice immediately.

If the heroes show their markings, Ali-as will look at them, curse, and tell themthe following:

“I’ve seen them before,” she says,rolling up her own sleeve to reveal aswirling patch of blue tattooed to herskin. “I carried marks like thosemyself, not too long ago. They aremagical slave-bonds of a sort, forcingthe. . . person . . . who wears them toperform certain actions against theirwill. It was such a marking that origi-nally brought me to Yulash, andcaused me to free Moander’s Abomi-nation. You may be similarly affected.

“I recognize Moander’s symbol,but the others are new to me. Let’ssee. . . that one looks like the sigil ofthe Black Network, based up in Zhen-til Keep. Nasty people, according to afriend of mine. The main point withthese symbols is that they can beresisted through a strong sense ofwill and identity. If you can force your-self to resist the attack, you can tri-umph over them.

“Another point. The markings areusually tied to a few individuals, suchas a powerful mage or leader of agroup. Kill this individual, and thebrand for that group falls apart.”

When the discussion is over, it will betime for the PCs to descend toward theunderground temple with or without Ali-as and Dragonbait. (If any Red Plumessoldiers have witnessed the foregoingscene, they will refuse to go into the pitwith the characters; they have a “liveand let l ive” attitude toward theMoanderites—fighting the Zhentil Keepforces is quite enough for now—andwon’t do anything to jeopardize that sta-tus.)

17. The Midden. After the appearanceof the Abomination of Moander, the RedPlumes took measures to secure thearea around the midden, which they hadpreviously used as a garbage dump. Butthey still wanted to dump things there(it’s a very deep hole, and perfect forsuch a purpose), so they erected astructure around it with only one man-sized opening, along the southeast wallleading to and from the rest of the ruinedtemple. This allows Moanderites tocome and go if they so desire (remem-

ber the “live and let live” policy), butprompts them to head away from theRed Plumes complex when they doemerge from the hole. And the Hillsfartroops still have access to the hole fordumping purposes.

The midden itself is a gaping hole200’ deep, with the bottom 30’ or sofilled with trash and refuse. Those whofall down the shaft will take only 4-32points of damage, but stand a chance ofsinking and drowning in the soft muckafter they hit. A stairway spirals downthe side of the shaft, but it is only wideenough for one person at a time, so thatany group of travelers must proceed insingle file.

At about 100’ down, there is a hole inthe wall along the midden. The remainsof a stone secret door still hang on itspivots. Within this passageway is theentrance to the temple of the Survivorsof Moander.

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The temple complex of Moander haslong been buried beneath the city ofYulash, formerly serving as a prison foran earthly incarnation of that god knownas the Abomination of Moander. Thecreature was freed recently and itsearthly form destroyed soon thereafter.Now Moanderite cultists from through-out the Moonsea Reaches have gath-ered together to try to bring their god’spower back to the Realms.

The heroes are intended by the Survi-vors of Moander to be used as sacrificialvictims in the main shrine (room 9). Tothis end, they do not want to slay theheroes, and will try to knock themunconscious in combat if forced to fight.Otherwise, they will flee back to room 9in hopes that the heroes will pursuethem there and enter the trap.

If any of the Moanderites are talked to,the occupants of the temple will wel-come the characters as conqueringheroes and tell them that everything willbe explained if the player charactersaccompany them to the main shrine,where they will meet with Mogion, theirleader. They will trap them there.

The Moanderites’ servants, however,are not so diplomatic, and will attack toslay the heroes whenever they areengaged in combat.

Room Descriptions1. Guard Post. This corridor is inscribedon both sides with twisted, convolutedcarvings, all of a violent and disturbingnature. The size of the carvingsincreases as the heroes move down thehall, as does their graphic and violentnature.

When the heroes reach the corner,they will see to the north a patrol of 10vegepygmies. The vegepygmies haveorders not to attack any party thatpresents the holy symbol of the Cult ofMoander (which the characters mighthave obtained from room 11 in the FireKnives hideout back in Tilverton). If theheroes have such a symbol, the mon-sters will let them pass. Otherwise, theywill attack.

The heroes may try to pass using therunes on their arms as a ticket in. Thevegepygmies will be confused (this is notan actual holy symbol), but will let thempass. The vegepygmies are all leader-types of higher hit dice than normal.

Vegepygmies (10): AC 4; MV 12”; HD4; hp 20 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SD pierc-ing weapons inflict 1 point of damageper hit, immune to electricity and charm-type magic; SZ S; AL N; THAC0 15.

The vegepygmies have no treasure.At area 1A the heroes will find a ruinedwall of blue-glazed brick. The brick isshattered and nonmagical, but if Alias ispresent, she will shudder visibly at thememory of what was once lockedbehind this wall.

2. Vegepygmy Garden. This is the bar-racks of the Moander cult’s vegepyg-mies. Several huge pots are set upalong the south walls, and a great plantis growing out of each pot. Hanging fromthe plants, like immature fruit, are clear-walled pods, within which are almostfully grown vegepygmies. Magicallamps set in the ceiling give this room areddish glow. The room is the home of25 vegepygmies, 5 of them leader-types. Also present are 5 thornies, thevegepygmy version of a war dog, whichwill aid their masters. If the invaders failto show the symbol of Moander, themonsters will attack.

Vegepygmies (20): AC 4; MV 12”; HD2; hp 12 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SD pierc-ing weapons inflict 1 point of damageper hit, immune to electricity and charm-type magic. SZ S; AL N; THAC0 16.

Vegepygmy leaders (5): AC 4; MV12”; HD 4; hp 20 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6;SD piercing weapons inflict 1 point ofdamage per hit, immune to electricityand charm- type magic. SZ S; AL N;THAC0 15.

Thornies (5): AC 3; MV 15”; HD 4; hp25 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-5; SA spines (seebelow); SZ M; AL N; THAC0 15. Thor-nies are covered with sharp spines (likethose of a sea urchin) that will inflict 3-12additional points of damage wheneverthe creature scores a regular hit in closecombat.

The vegepygmies will have a scatter-ing of 1000 gp, mostly in coins of lesservalue, among their gear. If the plants arenot chopped down, they will produce anew “crop” of vegepygmy leaders whowill track down the heroes for revenge.There will be 10 vegepygmies in thisnew crop.

3. Shambling Mound Quarters. Theseareas are where the cultists store theirother allies, a set of 6 shamblingmounds. These creatures are quite con-tent to be led about by the cultists forvarious purposes, because the cultistskeep them well fed and docile. For thisreason they will not attack immediately,but will fight back if hit first.

Shambling mounds (6): AC 0; MV 6”;HD 8; #AT 2; Dmg 2-16/2-16; SA suffoca-tion; SD immune to fire, resistant to cold,all weapons inflict half damage; suscepti-ble to plant control potions and charmplant spells; SZ L; AL N; THAC0 12.

If the creatures are left undisturbed,they will later be rounded up by the Moan-derites for the final conflict in room 9.

4. Food Storage. Here is a colony of12 shriekers raised as a food source forthe Moander cultists. They are nonhos-tile, but light within 30’ or movementwithin 10’ causes them to set off a hid-eous shrieking. The shrieking will causethe complex to be warned that there areinvaders in the area, and cause a groupof cultists to appear in 1-6 rounds. If theheroes had left the door to the sham-bling mounds’ quarters open as well,the shamblers will arrive in 2 rounds fordinner.

Cultists (3rd level fighters, 6): AC 8;MV 12”; HD 3; hp 14; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6(club); SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 18. If slainin an earlier encounter, these cultists willnot be present for the climactic fight inroom 9.

5. Preparation Room. This room isused by the Moanderites as a changingroom for putting on their holy robesbefore entering the shrine (room 9).There is a closet here with four hoodedrobes of Moander and masks (white withthe jawed palm emblem on the fore-head) in a small closet here. The robesprovide AC 8 to the wearer. Of moreinterest may be the materials left behindby the last group of cultists when theychanged: 5 suits of plate armor, 6 suitsof chain mail, 9 suits of leather armor, atwo-handed sword +1, 6 bows, 2 cross-bows, 40 arrows, 10 quarrels, a battleaxe +2, 5 long swords, 5 broad swords,a short sword +3, 12 daggers, and 25cloaks. The heroes may choose fromthe equipment here to rearm them-

47

selves for future combat.There are also three casks of wine

here, used for celebrations among thecultists. The wine may be used tonegate the sticky webs of the giant sun-dew in room 6.

6. Trash Control. The doors to thisroom open 10’ over the floor, so thatplayer characters who are not expectingthe drop must make a saving throw ver-sus wands or immediately fall 10’ for 1-6points of damage. The room is used asthe cultists’ garbage pit, where they dis-pose of dead monsters as well as indi-viduals they have captured and have nofurther use for. The room is also thehome of a giant sundew.

Giant Sundew: AC 7; MV 1”; HD 8; hp50; #AT 6 per target within range (5’);Dmg 1-3; SA suffocation, combat penal-ties; SD resistant to fire and missileattacks; SZ M; AL N; THAC0 12.

7. Mogion’s Quarters. These areMogion’s personal quarters. The high

priest herself will be found in the shrine(room 9) preparing for the sacrifice. Theroom is fairly empty, since Mogion hashad neither the time nor the desire torefurnish it. There is a simple bed, adresser and closet, and a small writingdesk in the room.

In the desk drawer is a special ringthat will protect the wearer and all within10’ of him or her from the stone guardianin room 8. On the desk is a letter, markedwith the symbol of the Zhentarim, thatreads as follows:

Most Respected Mogion of Moander:The Red Wizard Dracandros has pro-

vided a magical sending to me, alertingme that you are planning to exterminatethe subjects of our little test. While I real-ize that you are among the survivors ofnot only a banished god but an earlieralliance, I must protest strongly yourintention to eradicate our subjects beforethey are fully tested.

lf you carry out this mad plot and slayour pigeons, then Dracandros, myself,

and Lord T will all be forced to hunt youdown and slay both you and anythingyou choose to bring onto this plane. Donot doubt that we can do so. Rememberthat I represent a more active power thatis still at work in this part of the Realms,and will take poorly to your hostileactions. Once the subjects have beenfully tested, then we may slay them.

One more thing: I performed therequested research for you, and you arewrong. It is only the gauntlets, not theappearance of Moander himself, whichcan devour the Pool of Radiance. Thisfurther weakens your argument to bring“old moldy” back onto this plane.

Yours in darkness,Lord Fzoul Chembryl of Bane,

Zhentil Keep

8. Treasure Vault. Here is where thetreasure of Mogion and the Survivors isstashed, including treasures previouslyhidden elsewhere beneath the city, andgoods looted from above. The bootyincludes the following items:

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* 3 solid gold holy symbols of Helm,worth 1000 gp each.

* 10 Lantanese trade bars, worth 500gp each.

* A statue of a white owl, carved inwhale ivory, worth 700 gp.

* A chest filled with nonmagical cop-per rings. The rings have Nystul’smagic aura cast upon them, andwill radiate magic. The chest istrapped so that when it is opened,poison gas will fill a 20’-by-20’ area.

* 2000 gp in loose coins scatteredabout the floor.

* Any devices and items for raisingthe dead that may have been stolenfrom the player characters beforethey awoke in Tilverton.

* A stone statue of Dracandros, RedWizard of Thay, labeled as such atthe base. This statue is in reality astone guardian that was given toMogion by Dracandros as amemento, and which the wizardalso uses to spy on the evil cleric.The stone guardian will wait 5rounds after the door is opened,then will attack anyone in the roomwho is not protected by the specialring from room 7.

Stone Guardian: AC 2; MV 10”; HD4+4; hp 28; #AT 2; Dmg 2-9/2-9; SDdetect invisible objects; resistant toedged weapons, cold, fire, and electrici-ty; immune to normal missiles, poison,hold, charm, fear or paralysis. Vulnera-ble to stone to flesh, transmute rock tomud, stone shape, and dig spells; SZ M;AL N; THAC0 15.

9. The Shrine. Read the following pas-sage to the players when they enter:

This underground vault is lit by oillamps sitting in tall brass holders ateach corner. The center of the roomis slightly depressed and coveredwith soft moss, like a living carpet.The walls were once white marble,but now are tinged green by algae.

At the far end of the room is araised dais, behind which is a hugestatue of the jawed palm of Moander.Before this great symbol of Moanderis a small bench, upon which sits athin, skeletal woman. She is dressedin sickly white robes, and wears a

mask which covers her upper face.On the forehead of the mask isanother symbol of the jawed palm.She wears no armor, except for a setof heavy gauntlets which do not seemto fit with the rest of her outfit. Shemotions to you to come closer, andrises.

To each side of the woman are twomanlike brutes, similar to golems inappearance, except that they aregreen in color. Along the side wallsare a number of cultists, also dressedin sickly white robes. They carryclubs hanging from short chainsattached to their belts.

The woman is Mogion, the highest-ranking priest of Moander left in theRealms. Her stats and story are found inAppendix I and summarized here. Shewears the Gauntlets of Moander, whichprovide her with enhanced abilities (seeAppendix I).

The two creatures on either side ofher are algoids under her control. Theyare totally loyal and will die to defendher. They are already under the controlof the power of the gauntlets, and assuch cannot be charmed or held. Theywill only attack if Mogion herself isattacked and damaged.

Algoids (2): AC 5; MV 6”; HD 5; #AT 2;Dmg 1-10/1-10; SD immune to magicalfire and lightning, immune to edgedweapons of less than +2; vulnerable topart water and lower water; SZ M; ALCN; THAC0 15.

There are 20 cultists in the room,minus some or all of the six who mighthave been slain in room 4 when theshriekers sent off their warning.

Cultists (3rd level fighters, maximumof 20): AC 8; MV 12”; HD 3; hp 14; #AT 1;Dmg 1-6 (club); SZ M; AL CE; THAC018.

Assuming that the characters do notrush forward to attack Mogion or the cult-ists immediately, then the high priestspeaks:

Mogion smiles at your group andbeckons you forward again. “Wel-come, adventurers,” she states, her

voice a piercing whine. “I hope thatyou have suffered no hardship inreaching this hallowed spot, for youare to play an important role in thefuture of our faith. You are about tohelp us bring a dead god back to life.Come forward.”

Mogion wants the heroes to step for-ward onto the mossy mat, at which pointthe ceremony will begin. If the heroesseem hesitant, she will use the com-mand word for activating her part of theAzure Bonds (“Kitsath”) to force thecharacters forward.

If Alias and Dragonbait are present,they will be unaffected by the compul-sion, as will anyone else who makes asuccessful saving throw versus spells.The cultists will move in on those resist-ers, seeking to pummel them with theirclubs and force them onto the mossymat.

When four individuals marked withthe bonds are present on the mat (or themaximum number available, if fewerthan four have been branded), the sec-ond phase of the ceremony will begin.Mogion will motion with a gauntletedhand, and vines will twist out of themoss, hindering the characters on themat as if by an entangle spell. She willthen begin casting a spell given her byMoander, which, she is told, will bringhim into this realm. The marked heroeswere only needed to set off the spell;once they have been maneuvered ontothe mat (by guile or force) they maymove off it and the spell will continue.

Mogion will begin casting, which willhave two immediate effects: first, shewill be surrounded by a major globe ofinvulnerability, and though she may stillbe attacked physically, whoever does somust first get past the algoids. Second,those on the mossy mat must make asaving throw versus wands or immedi-ately fall unconscious. Those who areunconscious on the mat at the end of 6rounds must make a second savingthrow or be slain because of the effect ofthe special spell (see below).

Beginning the spell casting will breakthe hold of the compulsion on the affect-ed player characters, allowing them tomove and act normally. The cultists will

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try to keep the heroes penned in on themat, and new vines will grow each roundto keep the individuals entangled.

As soon as she starts casting the cer-emonial spell, Mogion will discover thatshe did not know the whole truth abouthow the magic works—but neither shenor anyone else will be able to stop thecasting from running its course once it isbegun. Read the following passage tothe players just after the casting begins:

The priestess Mogion makes a mys-tic gesture, suggesting that she hasstarted to cast a spell. Then, sudden-ly, she stops, arrested in her motionlike a puppet whose strings havebeen pulled taut. She begins to gag,and reaches toward her throat, claw-ing for air. She rips the mask from herface to reveal not a human face, butthat of some green monster, tendrilsgrowing in place of hair, her eyesturned the bright yellow of poisonousmushrooms, her teeth growing, asyou watch, wooden and sharp-pointed.

The transformation will take 6 rounds,at the end of which Mogion will be thenew vessel of Moander, a plant-monsterwhich will have the benefit of the Gaunt-lets it still wears. When the magic hasfinished its work, the vines reaching upfrom the mat will suddenly sproutblades, killing immediately any uncon-scious characters still on the mat, andinflicting 1-3 points of damage to anyoneconscious figures still fighting the cult-ists and the entangling vines.

Mogion will retain her original statis-tics (see Appendix I) until the casting iscompleted, at which point she will befully merged with Moander and very dif-ficult to slay.

Moander/Mogion: AC 0; MV 12”; HD20; hp 120; #AT 2; Dmg 3-30; SA Gaunt-lets of Moander; SD immune to light-ning, hit only by +2 or better weapons;heals damage when in contact with oth-er plants; SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 7.

Moander/Mogion will slay everyoneshe comes near who is not plantlike—she does not discriminate between cult-ists and members of the characters’party. If the heroes are slain (and theadventure ends here), Moander/Mogion

will seal off her complex and rest for ayear, before breaking out into theRealms for revenge against those whotried to destroy the deity the first time.

Should the heroes kill Mogion beforeshe completes the transformation, thecultists will flee in terror. The algoids willcontinue to attack until they aredestroyed. The fleeing cultists will try tocave in the path behind them, sealingthe heroes into the complex.

The cultists do not know about thesecret passage behind the dais, acti-vated by reaching inside the mouth ofthe statue and flicking a switch. The wallwill rise, showing a passage that leadsout to a drainage pipe outside thebounds of Yulash itself.

Once the group is free of Yulash, Aliasand Dragonbait will leave the party.They have had enough of Moander’splots, and are heading for Shadowdaleafter going back into the city briefly topick up their friend’s body. (If the charac-ters recovered some kind of device forraising the dead in the temple’s treasureroom, then the DM should give the partyextra credit for offering to help Mixilia, orfor simply giving the device to Alias forher to use. She will not ask for help,even if she knows that the heroes nowhave such an item.)

Before departing, Alias tells theheroes that if they ever need help in theform of information, there’s a goatherdin Shadowdale she knows who is fairlyknowledgeable (she means Elminster,of course).

If either Alias or Dragonbait isreduced to 0 hit points in the encounter,the affected character will immediatelybe surrounded by a bluish glow andinstantly healed back to full strength andconsciousness. (This was a gift fromElminster to save them from a certain-death situation.)

If the heroes defeat Mogion orMoander/Mogion, they should take thegauntlets. If they fail to do so, Alias willtake them, and, on a “random encoun-ter” a few days later, reappear to givethem back to the player characters. Shewill say that she took them to a friend ofhers to identify, and he suggested theybe given to the heroes. If pressed for theidentity of this “friend,” she will only saythat he is a goatherd . . . in his sparetime.

Zhentil Keep is a large, fortified city atthe mouth of the River Tesh. It is regard-ed by all within the Moonsea Reachesas an evil town, ruled by cruel tyrantsand home to bloodthirsty clerics andsadistic mages. It is the recognized seatof the Zhentarim, an organization ofmages, fighters, and some clericsformed to control a swath of land fromthe Moonsea to the Sword Coast.

One of the major factions in the Zhen-tarim is the clergy of Bane, led by FzoulChembryl, second in command of theBlack Network under Lord Manshoon.The leader of the network is not in Zhen-til Keep at the moment—he is off dealingwith a small rebellion at Darkhold, far tothe west of Cormyr. Fzoul is the effectiveleader of the Zhentarim here at ZhentilKeep at this time.

Now, while Fzoul is the leading patri-arch of Bane in Zhentil Keep, not all theclergy are in favor of Fzoul’s alliancewith the Black Network. These malcon-tents tend to be older, more reactionarypriests, and they echo the sympathies ofthe High lmperceptor of Bane, thehighest-level Cleric of Bane in the Moon-sea, who rules from far-off Mulmaster.

In normal times, Fzoul would have theopportunity to pursue his own pettyplots. But with the added responsibilityof keeping the Zhentarim running whileManshoon is away, he is stretched thin.Several agents of the High lmperceptorof Bane have been sent to Zhentil Keepto check on Fzoul’s fitness to rule. Oneof the agents is the High Inquistor, Gina-Ii. The other is Orox, a beholder chargedwith the task of destroying Fzoul if he isfound unfit.

The timing of the inquisition is misera-ble for the overloaded Fzoul. He had justpreviously engaged in joining the NewAlliance of the Bonds, promising the aidof the Zhentarim to that conclave, with-out telling Lord Manshoon. Fzoul’s ideawas to discover the secret of the bonds,and thereby turn the heroes into Zhen-tarim agents against their will. He haskept track of the heroes’ progressthrough the North by reports from hisagents, but he is positive that the ortho-dox Mulmaster faction is aware of theheroes as well, and will use them asproof of his unworthiness to remain in aposition of power.

The magical and clerical population ofZhentil Keep is therefore split into twocamps—those supporting Fzoul (calledthe Zhentarim in this chapter), andthose supporting the High lmperceptorand his agents (called the OrthodoxBanesmen, or Banesmen for short).

Making matters worse, there is athird faction at work in Zhentil Keep.The Keep is ruled in title if not in fact byLord Chess, a pompous, overweightdebaucher who cares little about whoruns the Zhentarim or the church ofBane, as long as he gets his cut of theaction. He controls the “official”patrols, little more than groups of bul-lies in uniform.

The city is a powderkeg, with differingfactions squaring off to fight for control.What could make matters worse? . . .

Encounter 1As the heroes are heading northward forZhentil Keep, roll as if for a randomencounter. Then read the following:

The road rises over a small hillock,and you hear ahead the sound ofmildly discordant music. On the hill’sfar side, you see a horse tethered to atree, and beneath it, strumming aneight-stringed guitar, a female half-ling. The halfling notices you andjumps to her feet, trying to wave youto stop.

The player characters may ride onpast, ignoring the halfling. They will notgain any information on the Keep, and amiffed halfling, when arriving at theKeep, will set them up anyway.

If they do stop, the halfling will ask theheroes for a favor. Her small horsepulled up lame, and she has a singingengagement in Zhentil Keep. Could theygive her a lift, either riding behind amember of the party or on a pack horse?

The characters can examine thehorse (“borrowed” from a passingnoble) and discover that it has no morethan a stone in its shoe, easily reme-died. The halfling will then join the partyanyway.

The halfling will give her name as Ste-vie Nickelplate, an aspiring bard. She isreally Olive Ruskettle, an all-too-famoushalfling thief whose story is told in

Appendix I. Olive has attained herdesire, to be identified as a singing tal-ent in her own right, but has found that itis not always desirable to be known in atown before you arrive there, so she hasadopted a new name.

If confronted by characters who haveheard of a halfling bard named OliveRuskettle, Olive will play dumb, thank-ing the heroes for the compliment.Olive, says “Stevie,” was her inspirationto become a bard, and she will rail on foraltogether too long about how virtuousand talented this Ruskettle is.

If among good-aligned characters,and still pressed, Olive will flip up hercollar, revealing a small silver pin show-ing the Moon and Lyre of the Harpers.“See this?” she whispers tightly, in aconspiratorial fashion. “It means I’mone of the good guys. Secret mission.Hush-hush. The name’s Stevie.”

The heroes will recognize the “secretsymbol” of the Harpers, a supposedlybeneficial group in the North. The truthof the matter is, Olive is only partially ona mission for the Harpers. That is, theHarpers don’t know about her mission,but if they did, she is sure they wouldapprove.

A fellow halfling, named Benjil Turcot,was the one who stole the Blade ofLathander and was later slain at sea bythe Zhentarim. The Zhentarim said theBlade was lost when the halfling’s shipwent down. Olive knows otherwise; theZhentarim have the weapon, and it ispresently in the possession of Fzoul.

Olive knows that if she steals theblade, Fzoul can’t complain openly,because he has declared it lost already.Since Fzoul has other troubles rightnow, this seems like an ideal time to pulloff the theft. And if the heroes help cre-ate a smokescreen, so much the better.

In the course of conversation, Olivewill pass on some or all of the followingfacts—claiming (truthfully) that hersources are very reputable.

* Zhentil Keep is ruled in name by abozo named Lord Chess, who ispretty ineffective. The real power isin the hands of the Zhentarim, whorule by terror and magic.

* Chess’s boys are pretty wimpy, butthere are a lot of them. If you runinto troops, act humble, or elseyou’ll be dragged to the magistrate.

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* The Zhentil Keep magistrates existfor one reason—to keep the localgallows and the Arena in business.They have a perfect record for con-victions.

* Manshoon runs the Zhentarim, buthe’s out of town. His toady, FzoulChembryl, is in charge. Fzoul’s thehead of the local church of Banethe Tyrant.

* Fzoul’s Zhentarim respect onlythose who are as sly as them-selves. You can get by with a glibtongue and a sense of dark humorwhen talking to them.

* Anyway, Fzoul’s bosses, out atMulmaster, are not happy aboutFzoul’s dealing with the Black Net-work. Serving two masters and allthat. So their forces are makingtrouble now that Manshoon is out ofthe picture, either to topple Fzoulfrom the church or make him lookbad to either of his bosses.

* The Mulmaster Faction are alsomembers of the Church of Bane,but they’re an orthodox group, andcall themselves Banesmen. Theirbase is the temple in the city, whileFzoul is pouting in his tower nextdoor to it.

* The Banesmen are just plain nasty.If you’re nice to them, however, andkeep a smile plastered on your kiss-er, they will let you pass.

* All the factions are said to be hiringout-of-town talent to deal with theiropponents, recruiting from Tesh-wave, Mulmaster, and Hillsfar. Iden-tifying yourself as being from one ofthose cities is good enough to starta fight in any bar in the city.

* Speaking of taverns and inns, thebest in the territory are located in theInner Quarter, near the Arena (andthe Temple of Bane, although shedoes not mention this). The For-eigners Quarter is the worst, wherethey charge triple and quadrupleprices for everything. The InnerQuarter charges double, but at leastthe food is of standard quality.

“Stevie” will deny knowing anythingabout the Blade of Lathander, and willask for the story about it if the subject isbrought up.

Olive will not mention which inn she’splaying at unless asked—it’s the

“Bruised Strumpet,” in the Inner Quarter.During the rest of the trip to Zhentil

Keep, Olive will remain with the partyand will help in combat as best she canwithout risking her neck. However, shewill not cook under any circumstances(she says she finds it degrading).

As soon as the party reaches ZhentilKeep, Olive will break off from the groupand become lost in the city crowds.From there she will quickly get in touchwith the various factions, telling eachthat the “hired muscle” from out of townhas arrived. The hired muscle she isreferring to are the player characters,who she hopes will serve as a distractionthat makes it easier for her to accom-plish her thievery.

Encounter 2

Zhentil Keep is a fortress town whichhas continually expanded to take inmore land within its huge black granitewalls. The current walls are some 40’tall, towering over all but the tallestbuildings within, and are continuallypatrolled.

There are two gates, north and south.The South Gate is at the end of a huge,well-fortified bridge spanning the RiverTesh, which also serves as the westernborder of the Zhentil harbor. The NorthGate opens on a well-beaten track thatleads north, eventually ending at the Cit-adel of the Raven.

Each gate is a monster of masonry,with a huge steel portcullis that may bedropped in a single round on ordersfrom within. (It is assumed that the char-acters will approach the South Gate, butthe following information applies to bothgates.)

There will be a patrol of guards at thegate, with two large bruisers interview-ing people who want to enter.

The bruisers sit at a table with sheetsof paper before them. One of them willask these questions of each visitor:

1. What is your name?2. What is your business here?3. Are you a follower of Bane?4. Are you from Hillsfar?5. Are you from Mulmaster?6. Are you from Teshwave?7. Are you wanted for crimes any-

where in the Moonsea?

8. Are you carrying any powerfulmagical items?

9. Have you ever fought againstZhentil Keep forces in an armedconflict?

10. Are you bringing in any fresh fruit?11. What was your name again?

Both bruisers write down the nameson their papers. For every “Yes”answer, bruiser #1 shakes his head andwrites something. For every “No”answer, bruiser #2 shakes his head andmakes a note on his paper. If asked, theywill state that the questions must beanswered before anyone is allowed intothe city. The procedure is strictly rou-tine, and the information is used to opena dossier on the respondents.

If the gate guards are attacked, thepatrol (treat as Zhentil Keep Troops fromRandom Encounter Tables) will answerthe attack, and the portcullis will ringdown. The heroes will have to try theother gate, or wait until the next shift totry to get into the city.

Olive Ruskettle’s answers to the ques-tions are:

1. Stevie Nickelplate2. Minstrel making an appearance3. No4. No5. No6. No7. Yes (and she goes on to refer to

the Ruler of Hillsfar as a “bucket-head”)

8. I wish9. No

10. No11. Stevie Nickelplate

Random EncountersZhentil Keep is a lawful, if evil, town.Most of the townspeople will try to shyaway from newcomers or strangers,since spies are everywhere and every-one is watched for potential subversion.Encounters will be with members of oneof the three factions currently compet-ing for control of the city.

Each three turns, there is a 30 percentchance of encountering one of thegroups. In the Inner Quarter, near theArena (and the Temple of Bane), thisincreases to a 30 percent chance everyturn. Encounters are not checked if the

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heroes are in shops or other buildings.When rolling for an encounter, roll a

ten-sided die to determine type: Add twoto the roll if the player characters are inthe Inner Quarter.

d10 roll Encounter (Factlon)1-5 Zhentil Keep troops (Chess)6-8 Zhentarim gang (Fzoul)9-12 Orthodox Banesmen (Ginali)

Zhentil Keep troops: These are the“peacekeeping forces” in ZhentilKeep—in reality, bullies in uniform. Atypical patrol numbers 12, made up ofthe following individuals:

3rd level cleric of Bane: AC 2; MV 6”;HD 3; hp 18; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 (mace); SAspell use; AL LE; THAC0 20.

3rd level fighters (10): AC 5; MV 12”;HD 3; hp 23 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8 (broadsword); AL LE; THAC0 18.Official spells of troop clerics:

1st level commandsanctuary

2nd level hold person

3rd level magic-user: AC 10; MV 12”;HD 3; hp 10; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 (dagger);SA spell use; AL NE; THAC0 20.

Official spells of troop mages:

1st level magic missile (x2)2nd level invisibility

The Zhentil Keep troopers have the“right” to stop and challenge anyone on

the street, to demand what they aredoing and where they are going. Theydo this in the most offensive way possi-ble, since “Treating an officer with disre-spect” is grounds for dragging theoffender before the Magistrate. If theheroes are anything but humble andmeek to the troopers, their honor will beoffended and they will start a fight.

If a fight breaks out, the cleric willwade in with hold person, then com-mand the lead character so affected to“Fall.” The mage will pop off both magicmissiles, then turn invisible (in order toescape and later bring reinforcementsand/or offer evidence). One fighter willsound a whistle (meaning “Battle inprogress—come quick!”), and all thefighters will advance to attack.

If the player characters defeat asquad of Zhentil Keep troops, but thealarm is sounded, all further encounterswith the troops will be hostile, and thenumbers will be doubled. (The heroesmay succeed in slaying everyone in thepatrol, but their descriptions will be turn-ed over to the Zhentil Keep officials byfrightened townspeople.)

If the heroes are defeated by thetroopers, or surrender to them, they willbe taken to the Magistrate.

If the heroes talk their way past thefirst group of Zhentil Keep patrolmen,one of them, apparently thicker than therest, will say to a companion, “Hey, Ithought the little shrimp minstrel saidthese guys were tough.” The otherguardsman will elbow him in the ribsand drag him out of earshot.

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Zhentarim gangs: These are made upof Fzoul’s people from the lower eche-lons of the Black Network, and aspiringwould-be members. They pack moremagic than a Zhentil Keep patrol, buthave less in fighting firepower. Gangs ofZhentarim challenge who they want,where they want, particularly keying onmembers of the Orthodox Banesmenparty. There are standing orders thatindividuals with unusual tattoos on theirarms are to be brought (alive) to Fzoul’sTower in the Inner Quarter.

Zhentarim gangs usually have from12-16 members, and can vary slightly incomposition. A typical group includesthese individuals:

3rd level fighters (4): AC 3; MV 6”; HD3; hp 23 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8 (broadsword); AL LE; THAC0 18.

4th level clerics (4): AC 3; MV 6”; HD4; hp 24 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 (mace)SA spell use; AL LE; THAC0 18.

Typical spells:

1st level commandprotection from goodsanctuary

2nd level hold personchant (one per group) orsilence 15’ radius

6th level magic-users (6): AC 10; MV12”; HD 6; hp 16 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4(dagger); SA spell use; AL NE; THAC019.

Typical spells:

1st level

2nd level

3rd level

armorcharm personmagic missile (x2)stinking cloudwebfireball orlightning bolt

(50% chance of each)prot. from normal missiles

(already in effectwhen encounter begins)

The DM may use other spells than theones listed if he so chooses. The fight-ing abilities of the Zhentarim gangs dif-fer from those of the troopers, mainly inthat they are more poorly organized. Ingeneral, the fighters will hold the adver-saries back while the clerics and magestry to neutralize the threat with holds,

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charms, and the web and stinking cloud.A silence 15’ radius is cast only if it willnot catch another friendly spell caster.

If the heroes are reduced to 0 hitpoints by the gang members or other-wise captured, they will be taken toFzoul’s Tower (see Chapter 10). Thegang will have at least one otherencounter while en route to the towerwith their captives (to make it interest-ing, they could meet a Zhentil Keeppatrol, or a group of Banesmen, or both),and there is a chance that the heroeswill either escape or fall into the hands ofa different faction in the process.

If the heroes defeat any Zhentarimgang, all other gangs they meet willattack first and ask questions later.

Banesmen: The most conservative ofthe followers of Bane, this group doesnot condone Fzoul’s actions with theZhentarim, especially the way he con-sorts with mages. The Book of Bane,their official history, depicts magic-usersin a particularly poor light.

Banesmen groups are made upentirely of clerics of Bane and merce-nary fighters. They concentrate on any-one and anything that seems to beoutside the realm of their tiny world-view. They are looking for individualsmatching the heroes’ description, andwill subject the player characters toharsh questioning on the street. As longas the characters are pleasant, respon-sive, and honest, the Banesmen will letthem pass.

Each group of Banesmen includes 15individuals—a leader referred to by theothers as “The Inquisitor” (he asks mostof the questions), plus equal numbers offighters and clerics serving under him.

6th level fighters (7): AC 4; MV 6”; HD6; hp 45 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8 (longsword); AL LE; THAC0 15.

5th level clerics of Bane (7): AC 2; MV6”; HD 5; hp 36 each; PAT 1; Dmg 2-7(flail); SA spell use; AL LE; THAC0 18.

Official church-prescribed spells:

1st level cause light woundscommand (x2)

2nd level hold person (x2)silence 15’ radius

3rd level paralysis (reverse ofremove paralysis)

7th level cleric: AC 1; MV 6”; HD 7; hp56; #AT 1; Dmg 2-7 (flail); SA spell use;AL LE; THAC0 16.

Official church-prescribed spells:

1st level commandpenetrate disguisesanctuary

2nd level detect charmenthrallknow alignment

3rd level dispel magicparalysis

4th level detect lie

The Banesmen have found outthrough a reliable (short and female)source that the Zhentarim were bringingin hired muscle with incredible abilities,and the patrols are on the lookout forsuch persons. The Inquisitor will ask thequestions, and as long as the heroes arestraight-faced and polite, the interroga-tion will be no more than a few short,blunt questions: “Who are you? Who doyou work for? What do you know of theZhentarim?” If the players make fun ofthe Banesmen, or answer in a less thandeferential manner, the Inquisitor willask his questions again, this timebacked up by a detect lie spell. If henotices the tattoos, he will cast a detectcharm on them, with the resulting fire-works as for any divination spell castupon the runes (see “The Azure Bonds”near the beginning of the module).

If the heroes are lying (or if there is anexplosion of blue light on the street), theBanesmen will attack, seeking to cap-ture the heroes to take back to the Tem-ple of Bane, and to twist from them theirsecrets, since they are obviously Zhen-tarim agents. If the heroes are reducedto 0 hit points or otherwise incapaci-tated, they will be brought to the Templeof Bane and an “audience” with HighInquisitor Ginali.

If the heroes defeat the Banesmen, allfuture encounters with them will be hos-tile. No questions will be asked, and theDM may replace the information-typespells in The Inquisitor’s repertoire withmore powerful offensive magics. TheBanesmen will attempt to bring theheroes to 0 hit points and drag them offto the Temple of Bane.

The Inner QuarterThe Inner Quarter is moderately cleanerthan the rest of the city, and as Olive said,the food is passable and the prices areonly high instead of stratospheric. TheTemple of Bane and Fzoul’s Tower arecovered in Chapter 10, and as such willnot be mentioned here. The importantsites are the taverns, shops, and mostimportantly, the Magistrate and the Arena.Taverns and Inns

The taverns and inns of ZhentilKeep’s Inner Quarter are expensive inprice and moderate in quality, asopposed to the rest of the city, whereprices are outrageous and quality ispoor. The taverns include:

The Axe and Minotaur (favored byZhentarim troops)The Roaring Dragon (a lively, honestplace)The Black Avatar (a place of darkdeals)The Whipwalker’s CloakThe Last Stop (favored by Zhentarimmages)The Gorey Eye-Beast (worst of a badlot)

The inns of the Inner Quarter include:Heroes’ Rest (cozy, but noisy)Oparil’s Tower (well decorated butpoorly maintained)The Bruised Strumpet (a truefleabag—and they’ve never heard ofStevie Whatserplate or Ruskittyeither; the last bard to sing there wasgutted for fun)

Shops and StoresMost of the stores throughout Zhentil

Keep are overpriced, charging what theycan get away with, especially to stran-gers. If trouble breaks out, Zhentil Keeptroopers will quickly arrive to deal withthe problem (that’s why the merchantspay protection money in the first place).

The shops will charge between twoand four times the fair value of an item(DM’s call—how much can you bleedthe characters for, how desperate arethey, etc.). Items confiscated by theMagistrate are immediately turned overto the individuals in charge of theseestablishments for resale. Any items theheroes have taken from them will showup in the marketplace soon afterward.

One shop should be noted—Kinterly’sMagics. One of the few recognized mag-

ic shops in the Realms, this place holdsno bargains. Under the sign of a pawn-broker, Kinterly offers free of charge totest any item for magical effect. If it ismagical, he will tell the customer it isnot, and will try to purchase it for a pit-tance. Kinterly will sell almost emptyitems such as wands and rings for full-charge prices, and will sell items suchas “dud scrolls” (look real, but don’twork) for full price. Kinterly is an 8thlevel mage with two fire giants as hisassistants, and he has a very good rela-tionship with the Zhentil Keep guard.The Magistrate

This four-story building of utilitarianred brick has similar cousins throughoutthe city. It is the home of the Inner Quar-ter’s Magistrate; Osconivon, a drunkensot who takes bribes from all prosecutorsand has a perfect record with his judg-ments. Most of his judgments, of course,are to send the offenders to the Arena.

If the heroes are hauled beforeOsconivon, they will be healed up to fullstrength (can’t have the monsters beat-ing on damaged goods) while he con-ducts the trial. If the heroes foughtZhentil Keep troops, they will have 50percent of all money on them confis-cated at the start, before any chargesare brought. The charge will be (if noth-ing else comes to mind) fomentingrebellion within the city walls. How dothe characters plead?

If the heroes plead guilty, all money andequipment is stripped from them, exceptfor one weapon. If they lose the Helm ofDragons and/or the Gauntlets of Moander,these will be returned to them later (see“Aftermath” in Chapter 10). They will besent to the Arena as prisoners, to defendthemselves as best they can.

If the heroes plead not guilty, the Mag-istrate will rule that the matter can onlybe settled by a “trial of guilt” in the Are-na. The heroes will be taken handcuffedto the Arena, but they will be allowed tokeep their gear and their remainingmoney. The Magistrate will then breakfor a liquid lunch.

Magistrate Osconivon is a 10th levelfighter, and will wield his gavel like aclub. His bailiffs are two stone giants,and there are three patrols of ZhentilKeep troopers on hand. The characterswill discover that their chances are bet-ter in the Arena.

The ArenaThe procedure for setting up and run-

ning Arena combats is as follows: Cap-tured heroes are placed in one of thepens on either side of the battlefield,watched over by guards, while a groupof mystery monsters are put into thepens on the opposite side. The heraldannounces the combat to the spectatorsin the stands. If the heroes win, they arethereby proved innocent. If they lose,they’re guilty anyway, and anyway they-’re in no shape to argue.

There will always be a number ofmonsters equal to the number of char-acters who were captured—but thatdoesn’t mean the fight will be a fair one.The type of monster may be chosen bythe DM from the following list, or may bedetermined randomly.

d10 roll Monster1-2 Ogres3-4 Minotaurs5 Trolls

6-7 Owlbears8 Griffons (wings clipped)9 Wyverns10 Gargoyles (won’t be used

against a group having nomagic weapons)

Ogres: AC 5; MV 9”; HD 4+1; hp 17each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10; SZ L; AL CE;THAC0 15.

Minotaurs: AC 6; MV 12”; HD 6+3;hp 27 each; #AT 2; Dmg 2-8 or 1-4; SZ L;AL CE; THAC0 13.

Trolls: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 6+6; hp 30each; #AT 3; Dmg 5-8/5-8/2-12; SA mayattack separate targets; SD regenera-tion; SZ L; AL CE; THAC0 13.

Owlbears: AC 5; MV 12”; HD 5+2; hp22 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/2-12; SAhug for 2-16; SZ L; AL N; THAC0 15.

Griffons: AC 3; MV 12”; HD 7; hp 28each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4/1-4/2-16; SZ L; ALN; THAC0 13.

Wyverns: AC 3; MV 6”; HD 7+7; hp35 each; #AT 2; Dmg 2-16/2-16; SA poi-son; SZ L; AL NE; THAC0 12.

Gargoyles: AC 5; MV 9”/15”; HD4+4; hp 24 each; #AT 4; Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-6/1-4; SD only hit by +1 or better weap-ons; SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 15.

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Bane’s temple in Zhentil Keep is calledthe Dark Shrine, and is one of mostimposing structures in the city. It is sixstories high, dominated by a greatcathedral that begins on the second sto-ry. (Only the first floor is important forthis adventure, and that area isdescribed below.)

Abutting the Temple of Bane is thetower of the Zhentarim leader, FzoulChembryl, whose eight-story residencelooms over even the temple. (Again,only the first floor is described in thisadventure, since the heroes will have noreason to explore the upper stories.)

The Temple of BaneThe Dark Shrine is the seat of Bane’spower in Zhentil Keep, and is currentlyin the hands of the Orthodox Banesmanunder the leadership of High InquisitorGinali, chosen representive of the Highlmperceptor of Bane in Mulmaster. If theheroes are defeated by the Banesmenin the city, they will be brought here. Ifthe heroes attempt to enter the buildingof their own free will, they may do so, butwill be surrounded by a patrol of Banes-men and ushered forcibly into the pres-ence of Ginali, who meets them(Encounter 1) in the Small Chapel on thefirst floor.

Encounter 1The Small Chapel is Ginali’s seat ofoperations, where he is conducting hisinvestigation into the fitness of Fzoul tobe the spiritual leader of Bane at thisend of the Moonsea. Ginali conducts his“investigation” by torturing and killingthose loyal to Fzoul that he captures. Heis aided in this by his assistant, Orox, abeholder who is currently elsewhere(but will turn up in time to deal withFzoul). No one outside of the Banesmenknows of Orox (the beholder wasbrought to the city in a crate), which isGinali’s secret weapon.

The Small Chapel is a large room,made larger by being stripped of itspews. The pews have been carried tothe former torture room, and the torturedevices that had been gathering dustwere exhumed and brought here—arack, an iron maiden, thumbscrews, andother gruesome items that Ginali uses

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for effect as much as for actual torture.Ginali sits on a small raised platform

in the center of the chapel, lit by a singleshaft of light from high up in the ceiling(regardless whether it is day or nightoutside). The light is bright, and pris-oners will be shoved into it at the foot ofthe dais. Ginali will make sure that theprisoners are chained before they arebrought into his presence.

In the shadows surrounding the lightsource, Ginali has three patrols of hisloyal Banesmen waiting. If a hero some-how escapes in his presence, they haveinstructions to slay the offender (and theoffender only—the others are to takethis as a lesson).

High Inquisitor Ginali (10th level clericof Bane): AC 0 (bracers of defense AC 2,ring of protection +2); MV 12”; HD 10;hp 67; #AT 1; Dmg 4-9 (mace +3); SAspell use; AL LE; THAC0 14.

Spells:

1st level cause light wounds (x2)commandcure light wounds

2nd level cause fear (x2)hold personsilence 15’ radius

3rd level cause blindnesscursespeak with dead

4th level cause serious woundsdetect liepoison

5th level flame striketrue seeing

6th level fighters (18): AC 4; MV 6”;HD 6; hp 45 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8 (longsword); AL LE; THAC0 15.

5th level clerics of Bane (18): AC 2;MV 6”; HD 5; hp 36 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-7 (flail); AL LE; THAC0 18.

Spells:

1st level cause light woundscommand (x2)

2nd level hold person (x2)silence 15’ radius

3rd level paralysis (reverse ofremove paralysis)

7th level cleric “Inquisitors” (3): AC 1;MV 6”; HD 7; hp 56 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-7 (flail); AL LE; THAC0 16.

Spells:

1st level cause light woundscommandcure light wounds

2nd level detect charmhold personknow alignment

3rd level dispel magicparalysis

4th level detect lie

Ginali will be seated on his high-backed throne like a pot-bellied spiderat the center of its web. He will tell thecharacters that they have been accusedof being lackeys of the unfit FzoulChembryl, and if this is true, then theyshould be destroyed. How, he asks, dothe accused plead?

If the heroes tell the truth about theircondition, Ginali will listen to the story infull. If a detect charm or dispel magic hasnot yet been cast on the brands, he willcast it at this time, with the usual results.However, Ginali is in no danger from anattack, because the victim (he willchoose one character for this examina-tion) will be in chains when this experi-ment is undertaken. Next, Ginali will trya true seeing, and the effect will makehim clutch his own head in pain.

If the heroes brazen it out and decideto say nothing, Ginali will tell them thatthey will speak, or he will feed them tohis pet, Orox. With that, he giggles.

If the heroes try to turn one evilagainst another, Ginali will sort out theirtrue intents by using detect lie. Similarly,if the heroes make up stories, Ginali willuse the detect lie spell. The heroes maytry to pass on some potentially usefulinformation, and if they are speaking thetruth, then Ginali will take all such ideasunder advisement. (For instance, if thePCs say that the halfling may be respon-sible for their problems, Ginali laterwill—unbeknownst to the heroes—order “Stevie” found and slain.)

Whatever the characters say or do,short of throwing their lives away inattack, Ginali will react the same in theend. He will choose one of the playercharacters at random, and his threeInquisitors will beat the character sense-less, down to 2 hit points, in front of theothers. Any other PCs who try to attackat this point will be set upon by the otherBanesmen and slain.

The player characters (including theunconscious one) will be dragged to oneof the two dungeons located on thislevel. They will be stripped of their armorand weapons, which will be placed inthe guard room, but the Banesmenwon’t bother to examine or confiscateincidental equipment that they mayhave stored in packs, pouches, belts,and so forth. A patrol of Banesmen willbe stationed outside the dungeon’sheavy wooden door.

Ginali is the epitome of evil. He is acreature without redeeming qualities,and should be played accordingly—cruel and literally uncaring.

Encounter 2The heroes remain trapped in thedungeon for about four hours. Duringthis time they may heal their wounded,try to escape their chains (held on bystandard locks, pickable by a thief withthe correct tools) and otherwise try toescape. The doors are solid oak without

windows, and are bolted and barred onthe outside as well as being locked.

If the heroes somehow break throughthe door, they will immediately encoun-ter the patrol of Banesmen stationedoutside. Their armor and weapons aretucked in the far corner of the guardroom, and they must fight as well as theyare able under the circumstances. Thechains with which they were bound willinflict 1-6 points of damage in combat.The Banesmen wiII fight to the last man.

If four hours pass without the heroeshaving escaped, read the players thefollowing passage:

There is a scratching at the door, fol-lowed by the throwing of the bolts,and the thunk of the heavy woodenbar being moved. (Here the DMshould pause to see if the charactersare taking any action.) A small handreaches around the corner, and thenthe red-haired head of a female half-ling comes into view. “Sorry,” says

the halfling with a smirk. “I was look-ing for the little halfling’s room.”

The halfling is Stevie/Olive Ruskettle,who has singlehandedly defeated theguard to help with the heroes’ escape.(Since she set them up in the first place,this only makes sense, but that finepoint of logic is lost on the members ofthe halfling race.)

The reason for her triumph is obviousin the next room—all of the Banesmenare asleep in the chairs, slumped over asumptuous meal. “I told everyone neverto let me cook,” Stevie says with a smile.The guards have been knocked out bypoisoned food. (“Drow venom—the lastof my supply,” she sniffs.)

The heroes have three choices. Theymay attempt to escape out the frontdoor; to do so, they must get pastanother patrol of Banesmen at theWatchpost by the exit. They may chooseto escape via the secret door that Olive

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found in the back of the temple. Or theymay try to hunt down and kill Ginalibefore taking either escape route.

If they choose the last option, they willfind the Small Chapel empty. Ginali willbe found in the High Priest’s Quartersbehind the Small Chapel.

The heroes will not encounter anypriests in the temple other than in partic-ular set locations. Most of the Banes-men are out in the city right now, exceptfor a handful in the temple complex.

Room DescriptionsThe Small Chapel: A large, empty room,lit by a single light source high above. Itwas here that Ginali initially “inter-viewed” the heroes, but on their secondapproach, it is empty except for sometorture devices ringing the light.

The Watchposts: There are two ofthese, one at the main entrance and onenear the entrance to the Small Chapel.Each is manned by a squad of Banes-men (see above for details; there will bethe usual 6 fighters, 6 clerics, and anInquisitor).

Stairs: These grand spiral staircaseslead up into the main cathedral, which isopened only on high holy days of Bane.The doors at the top are locked andbarred from the other side.

Torture Room: A musty room ofrecently disturbed dust, once holdingimplements of torture, now nearly filledwith stacks of pews that were ripped outof the Small Chapel.

Dungeons: These two cells and theguardroom adjacent to them aredescribed in Encounter 2 above.

Storage: These are filled with neatlystacked crates containing supplies forthe church, including dry foodstuffs,robes, metalwork, holy symbols, and thelike. In the first storage room the charac-ters check, there is also a very large boxwhich apparently (judging from thepacking material) held a huge sphere ofsome type. There is also a small pile ofdust next to it in an otherwise cleanroom. (The crate was used to bring inOrox the beholder to the Temple ofBane. The pile of dust was a worker whogot too enthusiastic with a pry bar.)

Anterooms: These two small rooms

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near the Small Chapel are “readyrooms” for the clerics for normal serv-ices. They have symbols of Bane on thewall, but otherwise nothing of interest.

Lower Priest’s Room: This was theoffice of Fzoul’s assistant—he has beenslain, and his office is now the home forthree Inquisitors, resting after a long dayof torturing.

7th level cleric Inquisitors (3): AC 1;MV 6”; HD 7; hp 56; #AT 1; Dmg 2-7(flail); AL LE; THAC0 16.

Spells:

1st level cause light woundscommandcure light wounds

2nd level detect charmhold personknow alignment

3rd level dispel magicparalysis

4th level poison

The Inquisitors will attack if any infi-dels enter their room. They will alsocome if Ginali reaches the bell-cord inhis office (see below) and summonstheir aid.

The Inquisitors have some 4000 gp in“flawed religious icons” in their room.

The High Priest’s Office: Fzoul madelittle use of this office when he ran thetemple, because his tower is right nextdoor. Ginali has set this up as his homefor the duration of his stay—which willbe a long one, since he has determinedFzoul to be unworthy. In the office is asimple cot, a large, ornate desk litteredwith papers, a globe of the knownRealms (including Kara-Tur), two over-stuffed easy chairs, and large symbolsof Bane sketched on each wall.

Ginali’s men will arrive in two rounds,if they are able. Ginali in the meantimewill try to hold the characters, using any

Ginali is here alone, seated in an easychair, taking a little wine. When the char-acters burst in, he will leap to his feetand run to the bell-cord hanging behindthe desk (this takes 1 round). He will pullthe cord (in round 2), summoning histhree Inquisitors from the Lower Priest’sRoom (if they are still alive). Then he willuse spells to attack the party as best hecan, seeking first to immobilize them,then to slay them slowly.

spells that he did not use in their pre-vious interview. Unless the charactershave rested and regained spells, he willbe reduced in power. If the heroes haverested, Ginali will be at full power.

Ginali is, like many evil men, a cowardat heart. If reduced to 10 hit points orless, he will fall to his knees and beg formercy. He will promise the heroes free-dom, riches, anything they desire, aslong as they do not harm him further.

If the heroes are soft-hearted enoughto spare this sadist, he will turn on themas soon as he gains sufficient man-power. Killing him now is the wisestcourse of action—which Ruskettle willrecommend, if she is present.

Treasure Vault: If someone presses asmall depression in the center of thesymbol of Bane inscribed on the westwall of Ginali’s office, the entire wall sec-tion will slip down, revealing a huge trea-sure vault—guarded by a beholder.

“Who dares to disturb my rest?”shouts the beholder. “You will feel myEye of Death!”

The beholder is an illusion, a joke onFzoul’s part to remind himself of thedeadly nature of riches. If the heroes actas though they believe the illusion (suchas by attacking it), the “beholder” is pro-grammed to send a single beam fromone of its eyes to hit one character atrandom. The victim must save versusspells or perish, literally “willing” him-self to death. The beholder will then giveout an evil laugh, and the image willfade.

The treasure of Bane is here, lootedfrom a wealthy town and donated bywell-off believers. There are 1000 tradebars worth 100 gp each, and threechests of gems (protected by poisonneedles on the hasps), each chest hav-ing 100 gems of 1000 gp value each.Holy statues of other gods, carved ingold, are stacked like cordwood—thereare 20 different statues, each worth 500gp each.

The Secret Passage: Down the hallopposite the last storeroom, Stevie/Olive shows the party a secret entrance

The treasure carries a curse, ofcourse, being from Bane’s own temple.The individuals who take treasure willbe -2 to hit and damage until theyreturn it or a remove curse is cast.

activated by pushing on a loose stonenear the floor. A small circular hollowappears in the wall, leading to a 5’ widetunnel. The tunnel emerges in the court-yard of Fzoul’s Tower (see below). Steviesays that she will be the last onethrough, to close it up, but unless theparty keeps an eye on her, she will leavethe group at this point (but will reappearlater). If the characters keep an eye onher, she will follow them for now, but willslip away at the next opportunity.

Fzoul’s TowerLord Fzoul Chembryl lives in a narrowseven-story tower adjacent to the Tem-ple of Bane. The tower has traditionallybeen the home of the individual who

runs the Church of Bane in ZhentilKeep, but has been in Fzoul’s hands forso long that it is now simply known as“Fzoul’s Tower.”

Only the first level of the tower isshown on the map. The upper levelscontain further living quarters, studies,storage areas, and research facilities.The top of the tower has a flat roof.

Room DescriptionsCourtyard: This area runs from the maingate to the the tower proper. It ispatrolled by a Zhentarim gang undernormal circumstances. It is here that thesecret passage from the temple (seeabove) comes out. A large outdoorshrine to Bane swings away from the

wall to reveal the passage behind it.Anyone who comes through the secrettunnel and exits here will be noticed bythe Zhentarim lackeys.

Stables: Fzoul keeps a number of fast,light horses here, in addition to anysteeds he picks up along the way. If theheroes were captured by the Zhentarim,they will find their mounts here, theirequipment untouched.

Guardroom: These are the ground-level quarters of the Zhentarim whopatrol the grounds. They also serve asfootmen, valets, and servants on thefirst floor.

Stairs: This spiral staircase leads upto the higher levels of the tower. Thesteps end at the second floor before ahighly magical door that will only open inthe presence of Fzoul, and only if thehigh cleric is not under duress or mentaldomination.

Feasting Hall: Here is where Fzouldoes most of his casual entertaining.There is a long table dominated at theend by a huge portrait of Fzoul, Man-shoon, and Chess as younger men. Atthe other end of the room is a large fire-place, over which hangs the Blade ofLathander, a broad sword with a blade ofruby quartz. A fire burns merrily. Adumbwaiter brings food and drink fromthe kitchens and cellars below the tower.

Fzoul’s Office: This is where Fzoulrelaxes and takes care of minor churchbusiness. The heroes will only reachhere if Fzoul himself is dead. There are

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trappings similar to those in the HighPriest’s Room of the temple: a desk, twooverstuffed easy chairs, a desk chair,and a globe of the known Realms. In thebottom drawer of the desk Fzoul keepshis incense of meditation (liberated fromthe temple before Ginali moved in); hehas a staff of the serpent (adder) stuck inan umbrella rack by the door.

Fzoul’s Laboratory: This cavernouslab is something out of an old tale of amad scientist. Stairs lead down to themain floor, which is cluttered withcounters packed with magical, activeequipment, and a great white table onpivots, large enough to strap a humanbeing down. There is the smell of a sum-mer storm in the air, and the room humswith eldritch energies. Small homoncu-lous creatures move along the counter-tops, measuring chemicals and readinggauges on equipment.

Encounter 1The heroes can enter the tower in one ofthree ways: They may enter freely and oftheir own will (this includes attemptingto break in). They may be brought here,subdued by the forces of a Zhentarimgang. Or they may escape to here fromthe Temple of Bane.

If the heroes enter by the front gate,they will be greeted by a Zhentarimgang. The gang will demand the reasonfor their presence. If they say they arehere to talk to Fzoul, a runner will besent to check with his lordship. He willreturn in five minutes, and the heroeswill be escorted into the Feasting Hall.Fzoul will be waiting for them there.

If the heroes show the Zhentarim sym-bols on their arms, they will be immedi-ately shown to the Feasting Hall.

If the heroes attempt to break in, theZhentarim gang will assume this is anassault from the Orthodox Bane factionand attack, seeking to keep the charac-ters alive for later questioning. They willcall in reinforcements if needed. If theheroes are airborne, they will call inthree wyverns to aid in repulsing theassault. When the heroes surrender orare reduced to 0 hit points, they will becaptured and taken to Fzoul in hisFeasting Hall.

If the heroes are brought defeatedinto the tower, they are placed in the

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Feasting Hall. The doors to both sideslock them in.

If the heroes escape from Ginali andthe Temple of Bane, they will emergefrom behind the shrine to find a Zhen-tarim gang waiting for them. Fzoul willbe with the gang. He will welcome theheroes to his humble abode, andinstruct the guardsmen to escort theheroes to the Feasting Hall. He will jointhem shortly. Unless the heroes attack,he will leave them to the guards. If theheroes do attack, trying to kill Fzoulimmediately, he and the guards willresist, aided by the three wyverns thatlive atop the tower. If Fzoul is slain at thistime, the Zhentarim will be demoralizedand retreat into the tower, letting theheroes escape. Lord Fzoul will be raisedat a later date, weakened in power andprestige, and angry at the heroes.

4; hp 24 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 (mace);SA spell use; AL LE; THAC0 18.

Standard spells:1st level command

protection from goodsanctuary

2nd level hold personchant (one per group)or silence 15’ radius

6th level magic-users (6): AC 10; MV12”; HD 6; hp 16 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4(dagger); SA spell use; AL NE; THAC0 19.

Standard spells:1st level

2nd level

3rd level

3rd level fighters (4): AC 3; MV 6”; HD3; hp 23 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8 (broadsword) or 1-6 (bow); AL LE; THAC0 18.

4th level clerics (4): AC 3; MV 6”; HD

armorcharm personmagic missile (x2)stinking cloudwebfireball orlightning bolt

(50% chance of each)prot. from normal missiles

(already in effect when encounter begins)

Wyverns (3): AC 3; MV 6”//24”; HD7+7; hp 63 each; #AT 2; Dmg 2-16/2-16;SA poison; SZ L; AL N(E); THAC0 12.

Once the heroes are escorted (inwhatever state) to the Feasting Hall,read players the following passage:

* Remove all curses and other malig-nant dweomers on the heroes. Thetwo exceptions to this are the cursefrom the temple’s treasure vault (hewill ask for his money back first),and the Azure Bonds themselves.

After doing all these things, he will sitat the head of the table and explain him-self. (Fzoul’s statistics and personalityare given in Appendix I.) Read the fol-lowing passage to the players:

A few minutes pass, and you lookabout the room. It is large, high-ceilinged, and apparently used forentertainment. A crystal chandelierhangs over a long oak table. At oneend is a portrait of three young men;one a slender cleric with ritual tat-toos, one a obvious spell caster, andthe third a portly, grinning fighter. Atthe opposite end is a fireplace. Asmall fire warms the room. Above thefire hangs a sword with a rosy blade,similar to the one shown in yourdreams.

“You people represent an experi-ment, and an investment. Some timeback, a consortium of individuals setabout creating the perfect tool, acombination assassin, spy, and war-rior. They succeeded in their crea-tion, but failed to control it, and itdestroyed them. There were survi-vors, however, and though they knewnot how to recreate the making of thebeing, they knew enough of the con-trolling bonds to form a new group.The bonds you wear are the symbolsof that new group.

The door to the south audiblyunlatches. A tall man dripping in fin-ery and jewelry enters, followed bysix Zhentarim fighters carrying traysas if they were servants.

“I am Fzoul Chembryl,” says theman. “You are my guests. Please bewelcome.”

If the heroes attack at any time duringthis encounter, they will have to contendwith Fzoul and five of the fighters. Thelast one will run out to summon thepatrol from the courtyard, which willarrive in 3 rounds. If the heroes slayFzoul, the mark of the Zhentarim will dis-appear from their arms, and any surviv-ing gang members will retreat.Otherwise Fzoul and the Zhentarim willfight on until all the characters are slain.

If the heroes do not attack immedi-ately, Fzoul will motion for them to makethemselves at home. Unless stopped,he will do (in the order given) the follow-ing things:

* Examine the Azure Bonds on eachcharacter.

* Ask about the circumstances thatcaused the missing bond(s) to dis-appear.

* Ask about their adventures.* Heal all characters who are dam-

aged, by means of potions of extra-healing served in fine crystalchalices. (“The chalice from thepalace holds the brew that is true.”)

“The various parties of this NewAlliance of the Bonds entered into itfor different reasons. Revenge, orcreating pawns to act certain ways. Ientered into it from curiosity. If thiswas a way to turn people against theirwills, then it could be a powerful forcefor the faction I represent.

“So I contributed my talents andthe talents of my network to the prob-lem. Now, my organization is besetby other problems right now, and per-haps you can aid me with them. I’vegot a rival here who is plaguing me,named Ginali. He wants both my lifeand my job. You may be the perfectpeople to deal with him. But first, Imust test the effects of our handi-work.”

He points at one of you. “Youthere,” he says. Now he points toanother. “Kill that one! Triambul!”

The hero so commanded must makea saving throw against spells or immedi-ately go into a killing rage, trying to slaythe indicated character. The other mem-bers of the party may throw themselvesin to prevent the attack, and the compul-sion will pass in 2-8 rounds.

If the hero makes his saving throw

and is unaffected, Fzoul’s eyebrows willrise and he will say, “Curious. Theeffects may not be long-standing. Willyou come to my lab? I have some equip-ment there that will help.”

If the hero does not make his savingthrow, Fzoul will note, “There was hesi-tation there, and the effect did not last aslong as desired. Hmmm. All right, willyou accompany me to my lab? I havesome equipment that may help.”

Fzoul does not think anything wrongof his action—he is evil, though not inthe same dogmatic sense as HighInquisitor Ginali.

If the characters follow Fzoul, he willlead them across the hall to the lab. IfRuskettle is still around, she will takethis chance to duck out. The heroes willhave the chance here (those toward theback of the procession) to grab theBlade of Lathander (it bears no magicalprotections, since everyone assumes itis at the bottom of the Moonsea). If theydo not take it, the next time they enterthe room, it will have been taken byRuskettle (see “Aftermath” at the end ofthis chapter).

Encounter 2Fzoul leads the characters into the lab.Small creatures scurry out of the way.The evil (though, at the moment, non-hostile) high priest chooses one charac-ter and examines the Azure Bonds witha number of lenses, magnifiers, andmagical “diagnostic” tools. The latter(being magical) will cause the runes toglow a bright blue, but since they do notemploy actual spells, will not set off thecustomary adverse effects.

About five minutes into this checkup,read the following to the players:

Fzoul turns to you as if to say some-thing, when suddenly there is a tre-mendous crash to the south. A largechunk of the southern wall has fallento the floor, revealing a gaping hole.Through the hole floats the impres-sive mass of an eye tyrant, a behold-er. “Fzoul Chembryl!” shouts thebeholder. “You have been foundguilty of heresy, and must bedestroyed. I am Orox, the engine ofyour destruction.” Other manlike fig-ures lurk behind the beholder.

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This surprise attack was made possi-ble by the fact that the beholder discov-ered the secret tunnel leading to Fzoul’stower. The monster and the otherinvaders followed the passageway untilthey were adjacent to the lab, and thenblasted through the wall.

Before all of the assailants can getinto the room and initiate combat, Fzoulwill quickly turn to the player charactersand say calmly, “I will make you a deal. Iremove the bonds on you, and you willfight these stiff-necked interlopers. Yesor no?”

If the heroes agree, Fzoul will utter afew words, and the symbol of the Zhen-tarim will fade from their arms withoutpain. Fzoul will then teleport to safety.

If the heroes do not agree, Fzoul willissue a compulsion through the bondsfor them to attack the beholder, and thenhe will teleport away. If the heroes defeatthe beholder and its allies, the symbol ofthe Zhentarim will disappear.

If the heroes start to argue, Fzoul willmerely teleport away. The beholder willattack the heroes. If the heroes win,Fzoul will honor his offer. Fzoul’sresearch, in any case, has convincedhim that the bonds are a temporary, sec-ondary control device, and he supposesthat there are better means availablethan they to influence people.

Orox the beholder will be accompa-nied by a group of Orthodox Banesmen.If Ginali still lives, he will be here as well(and Fzoul will point him out in particularwhen offering his deal).

Orox the beholder: AC 0 (body), 2(eyestalks), 7 (eyes); MV 3”; HD 10; hp30 (body); 15 (central eye); #AT 1; Dmg2-8; SA magic; SD anti-magic ray; SZ L;AL LE; THAC0 10.

High Inquisitor Ginali (10th level clericof Bane): AC 0 (bracers of defense AC 2,ring of protection +2); MV 12”; HD 10;hp 67; #AT 1; Dmg 4-9 (mace +3); SAspell use; AL LE; THAC0 14.

Spells:

1st level cause light wounds (x2)commandcure light wounds

2nd level cause fear (x2)hold personsilence 15’ radius

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3rd level Blindnesscursespeak with dead

4th level cause serious woundsdetect liepoison

5th level flame striketrue seeing

6th level fighters (6): AC 4; MV 6”; HD6; hp 45 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8 (longsword); AL LE; THAC0 15.

5th level clerics of Bane (6): AC 2; MV6”; HD 5; hp 36 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-7(flail); AL LE; THAC0 18.

Spells:

1st level cause light woundscommand (x2)

2nd level hold person (x2)silence 15’ radius

3rd level paralysis (reverse ofremove paralysis)

7th level cleric “Inquisitor”: AC 1; MV6”; HD 7; hp 56; #AT 1; Dmg 2-7 (flail);AL LE; THAC0 16.

Spells:

1st level cause light woundscommandcure light wounds

2nd level detect charmhold personknow alignment

3rd level dispel magicparalysis

4th level cloak of fear

The heroes, once their bonds areremoved, are under no compulsion tofight the beholder and its companions.They may run from the invaders, leavingthe Zhentarim on duty (along with anytroops Fzoul can muster) in a pitchedbattle for the tower. If the characters goback for the Blade of Lathander at thistime, they will find it missing. The heroeswill find their horses in the stables, andthey may make a hasty retreat.

If the heroes fight and defeat theBanesmen, and the symbol of the Zhen-tarim disappears, Fzoul will reappearand suggest that the heroes get out oftown quickly, as there will be fighting inthe streets by nightfall. Again, the Bladeof Lathander will be missing, thoughFzoul will blame the Banesmen, not theheroes and/or their allies.

AftermathFzoul speaks the truth: Zhentil Keep willbe alive with all three major factions,attacking at random, within two hours ofthe defeat of Orox and/or Ginali. If theheroes are still around, they will have tofight their way past doubled encountergroups of Troopers, Zhentarim, andBanesmen. These encounters will occurin the temple and the tower as well,since they are overrun with warringforces.

If the heroes escape with the artifactsthey arrived with, and with the Blade ofLathander, they will not see OliveRuskettle again. She escaped in theconfusion and is currently headingsouth to rejoin old friends.

If the heroes lost any artifacts in thecity, and/or escaped without the Blade ofLathander, read the following passageto the players:

You pass south from the city, smokeand flames already rising from itscentral towers. Up ahead is a lonetree, beneath which is tied a smallpony. Seated beneath the tree is afamiliar-looking halfling.

“Stevie” has the artifacts, of course,having stolen them from the people whostole them. She was caught by Elmin-ster, who has pointed out that the itemsare better off in the heroes’ hands thanhers, unless she wants to fight Tyran-thraxus by her lonesome. She will verysullenly, in the tone of a young personwho is being made to apologize, walk upto the party’s leader and say:

“I’m sorry you had any trouble backthere. I’d like to make it up to you by giv-ing you this.” She holds out the blade(and any other lost artifacts) for the char-acters to have. Then she turns away.The heroes hear her mutter loudly,“There. I did it. Happy now?” And thesky, as if in response, rumbles deeply.

Ruskettle will join the party if asked,but after two days she will set out on herown course, to Hillsfar or to the south(any direction the heroes are not going),doing whatever she needs to do to getaway without having to explain.

Hap does not appear on the main mapsof the North because it is a mere fly-speck, a collection of buildings tucked atthe base of the huge granite spur knownas Haptooth Hill. It was a peaceful vil-lage, trading with towns of more signifi-cant size, such as Essembra, andboasted not only a good inn but a fineshrine to Lathander as well.

Was . . . until the arrival of Dracan-dros.

Dracandros of the Crimson knew hewas the rightful ruler of Thay. His powerwas unquestionable and his word waslaw.. . or so he thought. His magical col-legues in Thay, however, had otherideas. Branded as mad by his fellows,he eventually was forced to flee acrossthe Inner Sea, deep into the forest nearEssembra.

Dracandros was undismayed by histurn in fortunes, however. He believeshe can cause a new Flight of Dragons toerupt, and use the great wyrms toinvade the Dalelands. With this devasta-tion proving his power and cleverness,

.he would return to Thay to regain his

To enact his plan, the Red Wizardplace among the wizards.

moved into a tower deep in the woodsnear the tiny village of Hap. He has setup a dracolich named Crimdrac as theruler of the town below. Through Crim-drac, Dracandros keeps order in thelands around the tower while he per-fects his scheme.

action will persuade the villagers.To begin this adventure, read the fol-

lowing passage to the players:

The instructions from Essembra areeasy to follow, as you move throughthe forest on thin, winding trails. Youseek the mountain spur called Hap-tooth Hill. Information indicates thereis a small village there, called Hap, atwhich you can reprovision and set upa base camp.

He was offered the chance to join theNew Alliance by Tyranthraxus. Dracan-dros joined immediately, hoping to usethe victims as bait in his plots.

The characters, of course, will need todiscover all of this during the course ofplay. Initially, they will encounter thetown and find it enslaved by the minionsof Crimdrac. Akabar, a good merchant,will help the adventurers gain the knowl-edge they need and assist them in free-ing the village if possible.

In order to free the village, however,the heroes must convince the townspeo-ple that the minions of Crimdrac can bedefeated. No words will suffice . . . only

As you move through the under-brush, a creeping sense of dreadbegins to grow within you. You have asense of having been here before, ofbeing familiar with this region,though you are strangers here. Thebrooding dread grows in the deepen-ing of the forest.

Finally you come to a hilltop clear-ing and have a splendid view of Hap-tooth Hill itself. A huge mountain ofgranite, it towers over the vale below.A few rooftops are visible through the

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trees, and the smoke of kitchen firesrises on the breeze. But the sense ofdread remains as you ride downtoward the village.

Hap is a small farming communitywhich now finds itself in the grip of fear.Though all too quiet in its outwardappearance, the town is ruled by what iscalled “The Horde.”

When the heroes enter the town, theywill find no one on the streets. The shut-ters and windows on all the houses aredrawn and locked. Rough cloth drapesbar the heroes from looking into build-ings without entering them.

Nothing will happen to the heroes onthe streets of Hap unless they upset orattempt to fight any of the minionguards.

If the players attempt to leave thetown again or if they attempt to rest any-where but at the inn (Encounter 4) or inthe temple (Encounter 6), they will havean encounter with minion guards as inEncounter 1 below.

Encounter 1The minion guards met in this encounterrepresent a small contingent of the totalgarrison for the town. The group con-sists of five dark elf fighters and a darkelf fighter/magic-user. There is a 10 per-cent chance in any given encounter thatone of the two efreeti commanders ofthe garrison will also be present with theencountered guards.

Dark elf town guards (5th level fight-ers, 5): AC 2; MV 12”; HD 5; hp 24, 18,16, 32, 19; AT 1; Dmg 1-8; SA spell use;MR 50%; AL CE; THAC0 16.

Spells (innate):dancing lightsfaerie firedarknessdetect magicknow alignmentlevitate

Dark elf town guard (4th level fighter/magic-user): AC 2; MV 12”; HD 4; hp 24;AT 1; Dmg 1-8; SA spell use; MR 50%;AL CE; THAC0 17.

If the characters manage to defeat allfour guard squads, then this encounterends. The remaining guards in the townwill flee back to the cave. Go to the After-math should this happen.

Encounter 2Spells:innate magic (see above)

This encounter will take place wheneverthe heroes enter one of the village’s

1st level charm personjumpmagic missile

2nd level invisibilityweb

Efreeti commander: AC 2; MV 9”/24”;HD 10; hp 52; AT 1; Dmg 3-24; SAbecome invisible, assume gaseousform, detect magic, enlarge, polymorphself, create illusions, create wall of fire,produce flame, pyrotechnics; SZ L; ALN; THAC0 10.

In their dealings with the heroes,these guards will assume that the playercharacters are merchants or farmers oftheir controlled area merely coming intotown to bring their tribute or for someother unsuspecting purpose. They willtaunt and bully the heroes, shovingthem about and generally laughing atthem. They may even do minor damageto the characters. This treatment will lastonly as long as the heroes display theproper groveling attitude toward theminion guards. The heroes’ conversa-tions with the guards must be along thelines of meek submissiveness, or theguards will become immediately suspi-cious of them.

If the heroes attempt to fight theguards (or if they anger the guards intoattacking them), one of them will soundthe alarm. Once the alarm is sounded,one additional group of guards willarrive each round on a roll of 1 or 2 on ad6 until three additional groups ofguards have arrived. If an efreeti has notarrived by the time the last group offighters comes, then an efreeti will bewith the last group.

The first group of guards will attack,yelling things along the lines of “Kill theintruders! Seal the town as Crimdraccommands!” Should the heroes be suc-cessful in killing several squads then thelatter squads will cry out, “At least wedie clean!” and “Better death than thepunishment of Crimdrac!”

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humble peasant cottages. The familieswho live there will leap to the corners ofthe room and cringe in fear from them.

Adventurers who attempt to parleywill get only fearful looks and waving-away motions from any peasants theyattempt to talk with. All these pitiful peo-ple will say to the characters—in hoarse,low voices—is that they should “Goaway before the Horde gets you!” If theheroes persist in questioning these peo-ple, they will only get more emphaticabout the player characters leaving andwill start to raise their voices. With eachrepeat of “Go away!” after their firstutterance, the townspeople will get a lit-tle louder, so that there is a cumulative5% chance per utterance that one of theminion guard squads will show up.

If this occurs, run Encounter 1 (seeabove) in this location. The peasants willrefuse to fight the guards or aid theheroes in any way until the player char-acters themselves prove that they canbeat the guards, either in Encounter 1 orEncounter 9.

Townspeople (zero-level fighters, vari-able number): AC 9; MV 12”; HD 1; hp 4each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL NG; THAC020.

If the heroes manage to defeat theminion guards, then the townspeoplewill be helpful. Go to the Aftermath.

Encounter 3Upon entering either the inn or the tem-ple shrine, the heroes will meet AkabarBel Akash.

Akabar’s statistics and backgroundare given in Appendix I. He has come tothis town as a merchant. Now he is frus-trated in his efforts to free these peoplefrom their enslavement, but does notwant to leave.

Akabar is sympathetic to the needs ofthe adventurers and will help them inany way he can. He will offer to join theparty (temporarily) any time after theheroes return to either the inn or theshrine for rest.

The great Akabar can converse onmany subjects. These, in particular, maybe of some interest to the heroes:

On the people: “They are deeplyafraid. They are starving. The terriblemonsters which have sealed this townfrom outsiders do not let the people

work their own fields. The people pray totheir gods to deliver them but feel help-less against the might of the evil ones.Should anyone show them that thesecreatures can be defeated, then surelythey would rise up against their oppres-sors and gain back their freedom oncemore.”

On safe places: “There are but twosafe places in the town: the inn and thetemple. Both of these places can giveyou sanctuary but little else until thepeople throw off their fears.”

On the minion guards: “The darkelves rest under the shade of our treesand walk freely the streets during theday. They often walk with men of magic,though it saddens my heart to think ofsuch things. They are commanded bytwo efreet with hateful fire for eyes. Yeteven these do not make me fear somuch as does the one they call Crim-drac. Though I have never seen thiscreature which seems to rule them,even those powerful and horrible efreetfear him.”

On the master of the evil: “I don’tknow about this terrible Crimdrac fellow,but I do know where he resides. It iscommon knowledge he rests in a cavernwithin Haptooth Hill itself. I can lead youthere, for it is far from this very spot.”

Neither Akabar nor any of the towns-people have heard of Dracandros of theCrimson. Akabar, if asked about thisname, suggests that Dracandros maybe another name for Crimdrac. No oneknow what Crimdrac looks like.

Akabar is a man of action. If he ispresent with the party while they are try-ing to fake humble peasantry, Akabarhas a 50 percent chance of getting fedup with it and causing a fight as inEncounter 1.

Encounter 4The Millery Inn, which services thetown, is a two-story structure with alarge common room on the main floor.

If the heroes enter the inn before theyhave routed the guards, they willencounter Akabar (see Encounter 3).They will find the bartender, Silas Genk,a man with staring eyes, standingbehind the bar. He will serve the heroeswithout anything except a hateful glare.

If the heroes enter the inn after defeat-ing the guards, they will find a grateful

Silas Genk. He will move quickly tothank the heroes for freeing his peopleand explain that he is not only the inn-keeper but the meister of the town. Hewill offer anything he can in the way offood and drink to the heroes, as well as aplace to rest. He will assure them that hecan keep the town safe for a few days . . .so long as the heroes can get into theforest and get rid of this “Crimdrac, who-ever or whatever that is.”

Silas Genk (3rd level fighter): AC 7;MV 12”; HD 3; hp 17; AT 1; Dmg 1-6; ALNG; THAC0 18.

Encounter 5As the characters go through a darkalley between the inn and the temple,they will spot a small door set into thewall of a building. On the door is a signreading “Round & Round.” The door issolid wood, wrapped with rust-eatensteel bands. It is locked shut. A crankhandle, easily movable, protrudes fromthe wall next to the door.

If the heroes turn the crank, it will pro-duce the tinny and slightly off-keystrains of the jack-in-the-box song.When it comes to the part where the boxopens up, the door will spring open—and at that instant, three copper-covered salamanders leap from a vat ofmolten copper just inside the door. Thesame event takes place if the door isunlocked or bashed open.

Salamanders (3): AC 5/3; MV 9”; HD7+7; hp 22, 28, 33; #AT 2; Dmg 2-12; SAheat; SD hit only by +1 or better weap-ons; SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 12.

In addition to the molten metal, theroom contains most of the treasure loot-ed from the townspeople: 10,000 sp and3000 gp. The only ones who can openthe door without causing the salaman-ders to attack are the efreeti com-manders—but they will never performthis service for anyone not allied withthem, even at the cost of their lives.

Encounter 6The temple, a shrine to Lathander, istended by Mumfrey Mimly, a priest of thedawn god. He, as the rest of the popu-lace, is scared of the guards and will notaid the players, other than offering them

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temporary sanctuary, until the guardsare routed from the town.

After the guards are taken care of,however, Mumfrey will be most helpful.

First and foremost, he will use thepowers of the shrine to heal charactersin need. The shrine contains a minorartifact, some “blood of Lathander”trapped in a bit of amber. This allows thechurch greater powers than normal, butwill only function for a cleric of thatshrine. The shrine will allow Mimly tocure critical wounds up to 4 times perday and raise dead once per day.

Mimly will also be able to identify theBlade of Lathander for what it is, andprovide some information on its historyand use.

Mumfrey Mimly (3rd level cleric): AC9; MV 12”; HD 3; hp 15; AT 1; Dmg 1-6;AL LG; THAC0 20.

Encounter 7The proprietor of this shop, known onlyas Thimberel, will literally hide behindhis massive store counter and not comeout until the guards are dealt with by theheroes. Should the heroes force Thim-berel to come out, he will start scream-ing hysterically . . . causing the guardsfrom Encounter 1 to arrive.

Still, Thimberel will talk with the playercharacters from under the counter, justso long as he doesn’t have to come out.He will deny any knowledge about whatis happening around the town or any-thing about the guards. He will say, how-ever, that “A fella was in here a minuteago asking the same things. He washeaded toward the inn.” Thimberel’shand comes out over the counter andwaves in the general direction of the inn.“Perhaps if you hurry you can find himthere! Better hurry!” Thimberel willrefuse to sell anything to the heroes,claiming he is “doing inventory” andcouldn’t possibly sell them anythinguntil later . . . perhaps in a week.

If the player characters have defeatedthe guards, Thimberel will come outfrom behind the counter with a greatsmile on his bookish face. He willrepeatedly wipe his gleaming bald headwith his handkerchief and will be willingto sell anything that the PCs desire fromhis store at a 10 percent discount. Hehas a stock of items which includes

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nearly anything from the Basic Equip-ment and Supplies Costs chart at theback of the Players Handbook which ispriced at less than 40 gp and which isnot armor or weapons.

Thimberel (1st level fighter): AC 9; MV12”; HD 1; hp 4; AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL NG;THAC0 20.

Encounter 8Two large bronze urns, each as tall as aman, stand in this room. These are thehomes of the two efreet which are run-ning the garrison in the town.

If neither efreeti has been encoun-tered prior to this time, then both will befound here. Otherwise one will be hereand the other will be with the remainingguards in the barn (Encounter 9). If oneof the efreeti has been killed, then theremaining efreeti will be in the barn.

Efreeti (1 or 2): AC 2; MV 9”/24”; HD10; hp 52 each; AT 1; Dmg 3-24; SAbecome invisible, assume gaseousform, detect magic, enlarge, polymorphself, create illusions, create wall of fire,produce flame, pyrotechnics; SZ L; ALN; THAC0 10.

Encounter 9If no alarm has been sounded, foursquads of dark elves are found herelounging in the darkness of this barn.They will laugh at the heroes as theyenter, bullying them and pushing themabout as the guards in Encounter 1 solong as the heroes remain meek andsubmissive. If the heroes resist at all, thedark elves will attack.

If the heroes have already routed thefirst wave of guards, then these foursquads will be found here listening totheir efreeti commander as he ralliesthem to attack the heroes in the street.

Dark elf town guards (5th level fight-ers, 5 per squad): AC 2; MV 12”; HD 5;hp 24, 18, 16, 32, 19; #AT 1, Dmg 1-8; SAspell use; MR 50%; AL CE; THAC0 16.

Spells (innate):dancing lightsfaerie firedarknessdetect magicknow alignmentlevitate

Dark elf town guards (4th level fighter/magic-user, 1 per squad): AC 2; MV 12”;HD 4; hp 24; #AT 1, Dmg 1-8; SA spelluse; MR 50%; AL CE; THAC0 18.

Spells:innate magic (see above)

1st level charm personjumpmagic missile

2nd level invisibilityweb

AftermathIf the heroes manage to defeat theguards in Encounter 1, then one of thevillagers will have seen the action andwill start shouting, “They did it! Theykilled the guards!” The people of the vil-lage will pour out into the streets, cheer-ing the heroes and saying such thingsas “We’re right behind you! Go get‘em!” They will start goading the heroesinto going to the barn to “Finish off thescum!”

If the heroes don’t go to the barn with-in a few turns, then the “barn” will cometo them. The remaining squads and theefreeti commander will emerge andchallenge the heroes. If the heroesdefeat the efreeti, the remaining darkelves will attempt to disengage and fleeinto the woods.

If the squads from the barn are defeat-ed or routed, then the townspeople willbreak into celebration. They will dancein the streets, and Silas will proclaim aday of celebration and thanks.

Akabar will come up to the heroesamid the shouts of the crowd. Clappinghis hand on the back of one of the playercharacters, he will laugh heartily andsay, “Well done! But now you must restand prepare, great warriors. A half-donetask is not done at all! Tomorrow we shallfinish the job, for I shall take you to thecavern of this Crimdrac and we shalldestroy him for good and all.”

A cheer goes up among the towns-people at this decision, and everyonetoasts the great heroes.

Allow the PCs to rest and reprovisionin the town before proceeding to thenext chapter.

To begin this adventure, read the follow-ing passage to the players:

Haptooth Hill rises like a huge gray-white tooth from the surroundinggreenery of the forest. Rubble leadsup to a near-vertical rise of hard,smooth stone. At the top of the hill isthe gleaming spire of a white tower.Huge dragons circle the tower likegreat birds of prey.

Haptooth Hill is the remains of anancient volcano that once stood here.The volcano itself has long since erodedaway, leaving the plug standing as a sol-itary monument to its existence. Theheroes find the entrance to the caverndescribed by the townsfolk of Hap easilyin the eastern face of the plug.

Heroes with mountain-climbing abili-ties and those who can fly are welcometo try to scale the exterior flanks of Hap-tooth Hill, but Dracandros has alreadywarned his dragons that enemy warriorsand wizards would be planning anattack. They will take any fliers orclimbers as enemies, and react accord-ingly. Two red dragons will be dis-patched to handle the interlopers.

Red dragons (2): AC -1; MV 9”/24”;HD 9; hp 36, 45; #AT 3; Dmg 1-8/1-8/3-30; SA breath weapon; SZ L; AL CE;THAC0 12.

The CavernsThe burrows beneath Haptooth Hillwere carved by draw interlopers, whoarrived by following natural dry lavatubes from deep below the surface. Thedrow came under the control of Crim-drac the dracolich, who holds them inhis sway. The drow and others in thecaverns have no loyalty to Dracandros,and if Crimdrac is slain, they will aban-don the tower.

The caverns resonate sound effectively,and the heroes will be aware of this asthey enter. They hear whispers, parts ofconversations, the tread of feet ahead, butthey see nothing immediately. This cutsboth ways, and while the heroes’ arrivalwill not be noticed, the sounds of battle willbe. If the heroes engage a group of drowguards, the other two patrols will arrive in1-4 rounds. If the combat continues for

more than two turns, Crimdrac will bearoused from his undeadly slumbers andwill come to investigate. If Crimdrac isengaged in combat, the drow will not fight,preferring to see how their master handlesthe intruders.

Area DescriptionsF. Drow Patrols. Characters will finddrow patrols at these locations. Thedrow will ask “Who goes there?” in aloud voice which reverberates down thehall. They will accept the word of anywho say that they are there to see Dra-candros, but will send a runner ahead. Ifthe heroes try to bluff their way past thedrow, the dark elves will allow them topass, and escort them to the tower.

Each patrol consists of 10 male fight-ers of 2nd level led by a 7th level drowfemale cleric. They are armed with drowswords and hand-held crossbows, butdo not have any of their drow venom.

Male drow fighters (2nd level, 10): AC4; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 16 each; #AT 1 or 2;Dmg 1-8 (sword) or 1-3 (crossbow quar-rel); SA spell use, +1 to hit from weap-ons; SD +2 on all saving throws; MR50%; AL CE; THAC0 18 (includingbonus).

Spells (innate):dancing lightsfaerie firedarkness

Female drow cleric (7th level): AC 2;MV 15”; HD 7; hp 40; #AT 1; Dmg 4-11(adamantine mace +3); SA spell use;SD +2 on all saving throws; MR 50%;AL CE; THAC0 16.

Spells:innate dancing lights

faerie firedarknessdetect magicknow alignmentlevitateclairvoyancedetect liesuggestiondispel magic

1st level blesscause light woundscommand

2nd level dust devilhold person

silence 15’ radius3rd level blindness

paralysis4th level protection from good

10’ radius

The drow are under orders to allowthose with business with Dracandros orCrimdrac to pass, and to slay all others.Nobody told them about these magicaltattoos.

1 & 2. Drow Quarters. Each of theserooms are the quarters of the drow at thethe guardposts. They contain sleepingmats and a few personal items. Eacharea also has a special item:

Area 1 has a collection of dark elfjewels, called quinarts, or “black tears.”They are worth 1000 gp each, and arescarce (and thus valuable) because ifthey are exposed to sunlight for morethan 1 round, they melt and becomeworthless.

Area 2 has a cauldron in it with anancient drow mage-woman bent over it,feeding mushrooms into the pot. She isArcanali, a “retired” and slightly addledold drow, who is responsible for brewingup drow venom. The drow have none onhand, since Dracandros has been tak-ing it all (with Crimdrac’s blessing) andselling it to other members of the Alli-ance. She is bitter about the situation.

If the heroes befriend her (she maynot know about previous battles—she ishard of hearing as well), she will givethem a vial of drow venom, good for asingle sword or for 5 arrows, for onecombat. She will request that it be usedon “that robber-baron Dracandros.”

3. Salamanders' Home. This area isvery warm, and it is clear upon enteringthat the fires of the ancient volcano ofHaptooth Hill are no longer fully banked.A collection of hot mud springs (paintpots) are in the northwest corner of thischamber, surrounded by 6 salamanderswho are working at making containersfor Arcanali’s venom. They are overseenby a powerful efreeti.

Salamanders (6): AC 5/3; MV 9”; HD7+7; hp 42 each; #AT 2; Dmg 1-6(spear)/2-12; SA heat; SD only hit by +1or better weapons; AL CE; THAC0 12.

Efreeti: AC 2; MV 9”/24”; HD 10; hp70; #AT 1; Dmg 3-24; SA become invisi-

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ble, assume gaseous form, enlarge,polymorph self, create illusions, createwall of fire; AL LE; THAC0 10.

The salamanders and the drow havean agreement—each stays out of theother’s way. A battle in the caverns willnot concern the occupants of this area,and the sound of fighting from here willjust be written off as “those elementals”by the dark elves.

The salamanders will attack any whoenter. The efreeti will view the battleand, if there are more invaders than sal-amanders, will become invisible and goto report to his master. Otherwise theefreeti will join in the melee.

The hot springs inflict 1-6 points ofheat damage to normal humans who areimmersed in them. Their vapors, how-ever, are mildly curative, and will restore1-6 hit points damage per turn to theheroes, up to their maximum, for eachturn they are in the cave.

The only treasure in this area is ascroll spell tucked in a hole 12’ above

the ground. It reveals a specialized gatespell designed to open into the elemen-tal plane of fire. Written at the bottom ina spidery hand are the words “Makecopy of this for Lord T” and the mark ofthe symbol of Dracandros (whichmatches those on the PCs’ arms).

4. Crimdrac’s Lair. Crimdrac isdescribed in detail in Appendix I. He is alying, thieving sort, but wants to appeargreat and powerful before his minions.

He joined up with Dracandros inhopes of learning some magical abili-ties; so far, The Red Wizard has usedCrimdrac’s minions and manpower tolocate the Helm of Dragons and providepower for his New Alliance, but hasgiven nothing in return. Still (so far),Crimdrac remains a faithful ally.

If the heroes are being escorted to thetower, they will see Crimdrac at theentrance to this cavern. Crimdrac willnot give the heroes a second thought,because his lordship has a number ofvisitors. Crimdrac will be helping the

Red Wizard when the heroes try toescape.

If the heroes are sneaking through thecomplex, unless they are equipped withsuch items as boots of dragonkind orrendered silent and invisible, Crimdracwill attack them outside his cave.

Crimdrac will attempt to frighten offthe interlopers first; then, if that doesn’twork, he will settle in for the battle. Crim-drac will fight to the death—he has notbeen filled in on Dracandros’s plans,and is confident that, in the event of hisdeath, he will be able to possess themind of one of the dragons floatingaround, and begin again.

If Crimdrac is slain (or his spiritchased out), his power over his minionswill be broken, and they will flee back totheir dark elf territories far beneath theearth.

In the southeast corner of this cavernis an entrance to the dark elf underci-ties. This tunnel hooks up with othersimilar tunnels that link an undergroundworld that crosses most of the North. If

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the DM so chooses, he may use this asan entrance into further adventure, or, ifhe does not wish to have player charac-ters roaming about down there, seal itup with a rockfall after about fifty yards.

The Tower ofDracandros

The Tower of Dracandros is four sto-

The Tower of Dracandros is located onthe ruins of earlier structures. A conspic-uous outpost such as Haptooth Hilltends to attract the attention of thosewho seek to build large, obvious keepsto dominate the area around it. Con-versely, since such keeps draw theattention of those who would fight suchdomination, fortresses have beenruined almost as often as they havebeen built. There have been a score ofthem on Haptooth Hill in recorded mem-ory. Dracandros’s is the most recent,and perhaps the most formidable.

ries high with a flat roof ringed by a cren-

ellated wall. There are five dragons upon the roof, either perched around itsedges or gliding just above it.

A Brief TourLevel 1

Exit from tunnelCourtyardWelcome HallKitchen and FesthallThe Red Wizard has set up a trap out-

side the entrance from the caverns. See“Adventure in the Tower” (below).

Level 2Hall of Triumphs. Herein is a detailed

description of every imporant act Dra-candros was ever involved in, includingtrophies, mounted creatures, plaques,ribbons, and certificates of recognition.

Meeting Room. This is dominated bya huge portrait of Dracandros done inblack velvet.

Level 3The Wizard’s Lab. Contains various

alchemical devices and beakers, chemi-cals, small living and preserved ani-mals. No magical items or protections.

Storage. Holds furniture that was nev-er unpacked, empty crates to be filledwith drow venom, dried foods, and othersupplies. No weapons.

Level 4Dracandros’s Bedroom. Impressively

large bed with thick feather pillow andmattress and ruffles. There is a largechest with the magic-user’s clothes, atthe bottom of which is a fully chargedwand of fireballs.

Treasure Room. This room has aglyph of warding on its door handle thatinflicts 20 points electrical damage toany who touch the knob. The room con-tains these items:

A manual of golems, marked “dam-aged” on the front, but actually inperfect condition.

* 3000 gold pieces* 400 platinum pieces* 35 pieces of jewelry*

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* All the scrolls the heroes had stolenfrom them before they awoke inTilverton.

Roof LevelThis is where the dragons are gath-

ered: two reds (previously involved inpicking flying creatures off the sides ofthe hill), a green, a blue, and a black.

Red dragons (2): AC -1; MV 9”/24”;HD 9; hp 36, 45; #AT 3; Dmg 1-8/1-8/3-30; SA breath weapon; SZ L; AL CE;THAC0 12.

Green dragon: AC 2; MV 9”/24”; HD7; hp 35; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/2-20; SAbreath weapon; SZ L; AL LE; THAC0 13.

Black dragon: AC 3; MV 12”/24”; HD6; hp 30; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4/1-4/3-18; SAbreath weapon; SZ L; AL CE; THAC013.

Blue dragon: AC 2; MV 9”/24”; HD 8;hp 40; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/3-24; SAbreath weapon; SZ L; AL LE; THAC0 12.

Adventure in the TowerDracandros of the Crimson is aware ofthe characters’ imminent arrival(through the airborne dragons, if noth-ing else), and has laid a trap for them.He has convinced the dragons that ahuman invading party is on its way toslay their representatives.

When the characters reach the top ofthe stairs, read the following passage tothe players:

The stairs you have just climbed endat an entrance to a broad courtyard atthe base of the tower. Standing infront of you, some distance away, is ashort, apparently panic-stricken manin a red robe, wearing a circlet on hisforehead with a green gem set in it.He shouts at you: “Beware! Evildragons have taken over the tower!They intend to kill you all!”

There is a sudden flash of light—and you suddenly find yourselves onthe top of the tower, surrounded byevil, drooling, angry dragons!

Dracandros had a teleport trap set upon the floor at the top of the stairs to takethose in the courtyard up to the top ofthe tower. The first three lines of charac-

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ters in their marching order will automat-ically be transferred. Anyone fartherback has a 50% chance of not beingtransferred. Akabar will insist on beingin the back of the group (not because heknows about the trap, but because he isa less accomplished fighter), and he willalways not be transferred.

The heroes atop the tower are sur-rounded by the dragons described in theabove text as residing on the tower roof.The dragons do not attack immediately,leaving the PCs with a choice.

If they attack the dragons, thedragons will respond in kind, now con-vinced of humanity’s evil intentions.Dragonish attacks will increase through-out the North over the next year, andthough it will not be a true Flight ofDragons, it will be almost as deadly.

If they do not attack at their first oppor-tunity, the Red Wizard will appear on theroof at the start of round 2 and shout,“Triallis Bal! I command you to attack!”

The heroes must make a saving throwagainst the effects of the bonds or beforced to attack the dragons. (They mayattack to subdue, but do not suggest thisto the players.) If the heroes all save, orif the ones who save try to stop theircompanions from attacking, or if thePCs attack to subdue (the dragonishequivalent of jousting or playing patty-cake), the dragons will be convincedthat Dracandros’s ranting is that of amadman after all. Several will fly off,including the two that stand between theheroes and the Red Wizard, and the oth-ers will back away.

If any heroes attack because of thecompulsion of the bonds, the dragonswill attack back, but only against PCswho attacked them. The others will bespared, and upon the deaths of theattacking characters, the dragons will flyoff. Nothing will be gained or lost fromthis in terms of the security of theRealms.

If the heroes attack Dracandrosinstead of the dragons, the dragons willsee through the Red Wizard’s plot andtake off. They cannot harm the Red Wiz-ard as long as he wears the Helm ofDragons — but if he loses the Helm, thedragons will attack him immediately.

If Dracandros is attacked, either byplayer characters, dragons, or otherheroes, he will flee down into his tower.

When he reaches the bottom of the firstdescending flight of stairs, he will sounda silent alarm. This alarm will summonthe dark elf patrols from below to helphim. His efreeti, if still alive, is in the labon the second floor. If both the efreetiand the dark elves are dead, he is on hisown.

The Red Wizard, once his plan hasbeen scrambled, will try to escape fromthe tower. He was assured the bondswere foolproof, and that has beenproved wrong. On the first round after heleaves the roof, he will sound the alarm.In the second and third rounds he willrun, picking up his wand of fireballs inthe process. He will leave his treasure.He will reach the lab on the fourth roundand pick up the efreeti (if it is still alive).He will reach the lowest floor of the tow-er on round five, the tunnels on roundseven, and after round seven he willhave reached the tunnels leading to thedrow undercity and will be gone.

If the heroes brought Akabar along,he will be found in the welcome hall onlevel 1 of the tower with the Helm ofDragons. Dracandros has escaped, butat least the heroes have the artifact,which Akabar will willingly turn over inexchange for the wonderful time he hashad.

If the heroes catch up with Dracan-dros, either in the tower or below, he willfight to the death, using his wand of fire-balls and his spells to the best of his abil-ities. With his death, his signs will fadefrom the characters’ arms. They will alsoget the Helm of Dragons, which givesthem (among other things) knowledge ofwhere to find Tyranthraxus.

AftermathIf Dracandros escaped, the DM maywish to set up a “revenge/ambush”encounter using Dracandros (alone)sometime later in the adventure. Thisbattle should be to the death, and thuswould result in the removal of the bondsrelated to the Red Wizard. Alternately,Dracandros could flee to Myth Drannor,where his body will be possessed byTyranthraxus to serve as his host whenthe heroes arrive at his temple.

Myth Drannor a millennium ago was thecapital of the Elven Nation in the North,the most splendid of all magical cities. Itwas the wonder of its age, filled withelven people and traders from otherlands and other dimensions. It was thehigh point of the civilization of the peo-ple of the Northern Forest.

Like most wonders of the world, how-ever, Myth Drannor eventually fell to rotand ruin. Extradimensional invaders,rogue magicians, and the incursions ofmannish tribes in the area broughtabout its fall. After an invasion of fellcreatures from the Lower Planes, thecity was abandoned, save as a place tobury the dead.

Still, the elves guarded it as theirhomeland, keeping the city safe fromprying eyes on the outside and, con-versely, keeping weaker humans safefrom the perils that had made MythDrannor a ruin.

Following his defeat in Phlan, Tyran-thraxus moved to the abandoned city.He laid claim to an ancient temple of

Labelas Enoreth, the elvish god of lon-gevity. The other powerful beings inMyth Drannor protested, but throughnegotiation, possession, and playingone faction against another, Tyran-thraxus’s will became law.

Tyranthraxus, using the knowledgefrom his new allies in Myth Drannor, har-nessed the power of the Pool of Radi-ance to cover the city in an ellipticaldome of force. This dome cannot bepassed either way, and is solid. Theexception to this is at the Burial Glen,which brackets the dome like a gatewayinto the dead city.

Only part of the Burial Glen and theOld Temple of Longevity are used in thisadventure. The wide expanse of ruinedand semi-ruined buildings are still avail-able for exploration.

The Burial GlenRandom EncountersThere is a 1 in 6 chance on each turn the

heroes spend in the burial glen that theywill have a random encounter. If thisoccurs, refer to the table below.

d10 roll Encounter1 2-12 ghouls2 1-6 ghasts3 1-3 wights4 2-12 grave robbers5 1-6 hell hounds6 1-6 giant spiders7 1 anhkheg8 2-12 boring beetles9 1-6 carrion crawlers

10 2-8 gargoyles

Ghouls: AC 6; MV 9”; HD 2; hp 9each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-3/1-3/1 -6; SA para-lyzation; SD immune to sleep andcharm; SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 16.

Ghasts: AC 4; MV 15”; HD 4; hp 18each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1 -8; SA para-lyzation, stench; SD immune to sleepand charm; SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 15.

Wights: AC 5; MV 12”; HD 4+3; hp 23each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; SA life drain; SD

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silver or magic to hit, immune to sleep,charm, hold and cold-based spells,immune to paralyzation and poison; SZM; AL LE; THAC0 15.

Grave robbers (4th level fighters): AC4; MV 6”; HD 4; hp 18 each; #AT 1; Dmg2-7 (picks); SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 18.

Hell hounds: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 4; hp16 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10; SA breathefire for 4 points; SD surprises on 1-4 ond6; SZ M; AL LE; THAC0 15.

Giant spiders: AC 4; MV 3” *12”; HD4+4; hp 20 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8; SAwebs, poison; SZ L; AL CE; THAC0 15.

Anhkheg: AC 2 (4); MV 12” (6”); HD 7;hp 28; #AT 1; Dmg 3-18 (+1-4); SAsquirt acid; SZ L; AL N; THAC0 13.

Boring beetles: AC 3; MV 6”; HD 5; hp20 each; #AT 1; Dmg 5-20; SZ L; AL N;THAC0 15.

Carrion crawlers: AC 3/7; MV 12”; HD3+1; hp 13 each; #AT 8; Dmg 0; SAparalysis; SZ L; AL N; THAC0 16.

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Gargoyles: AC 5; MV 9”/15”; HD4+4; hp 20 each; #AT 4; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-6/1-6; SD only hit by +1 or better weap-ons; SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 15.

Area Descriptions

1. Death’s Gateway. The only break inTyranthraxus’s dome of force is at theentrance of the Burial Glen, almost as ifsome inhumanly great power was hold-ing this gateway open for the heroes topass. (Funny thing, coincidence. . . .)

When the characters are making theirfinal approach to Myth Drannor, read thefollowing passage to the players:

You see the woods clearing ahead toreveal a sight chilling even in the fulllight of day—a large graveyard, partof the huge cemetery that Myth Dran-nor has become. At the entrancestands a tall, thin figure wrapped in agray cloak. His face is hidden in

the depths of his hood, and he carriesin one bony hand a huge scythe.

If the heroes attack, the figure will dis-appear like a phantom evaporating in awind. If the heroes approach, however,the figure will turn, and in an archaicvoice ask, “Who be ye?”

The heroes can ignore the figure andpass into the Burial Glen without furtherincident. If they reply to the figure, hewill ask, “Why doth thou disturb the spir-its of the late, great Myth Drannor?”

If Tyranthraxus is not given as a rea-son, the figure will say, “Ye may pass,”and stand aside. If Tyranthraxus isnamed, the figure will say, “Doth yehave the helm, the gauntlets, and theblade, so thee may find the beast, sealhis lair, and slay him dead?”

If the heroes do not have the items,the figure will send the PCs away to findthem, “For thee will surely fail withoutthem, and even with them your task is

not an easy one.” If the heroes do havethe items, it will say, “Good and goodand good. You may pass through theglen into the ruins, and from there to thetyrant’s temple. Or you may passthrough the Warrior’s Gate at the centerof this complex, and from there pass intoTyranthraxus’s lair unaware. Butbeware, for the way is perilous!” The fig-ure will then move off into the forest,leaving the heroes behind.

The lean, deathlike figure with thearchaic tongue is Elminster, hamming itup more than usual. He will walk into thewoods for about 100 yards, turn invisi-ble, then return. The heroes will see himnext in the Temple of Tyranthraxus.

2. The Crypt of Thanatos. The outsidewalls of this crypt are inscribed withscenes of elves at peace and at war;jousting and reveling, battling and dyingin battle against fell beasts. Its maindoors are flanked by statues of a beauti-ful female fighter with a spear. The carv-ings over the door read, in elvish:Thanatos—Let her rest.

The crypt is divided into two halves.The upper crypt (2A) is laid out like astandard elven home, with divans andlow tables along the walls and brightmosaics hanging overhead.

The door to the lower crypt (2B) hasbeen shattered, and the place is in ashambles. The mosaics in this room aremarked with dark stains. The funeralbier has been overturned, the body tornasunder, and the treasure scattered.The bodies of four later visitors arehere—grave robbers who dared to riskthe vengeance of the spirit within.

Thanatos died under evil circum-stances, apparently, and her spirit hasreturned as a banshee (also called agroaning spirit). The banshee is con-fined to the two rooms of the crypt, butwill slay anyone who comes down thestairs, and will further pursue them intoroom 2A.

Thanatos the banshee: AC 0; MV 15”;HD 7; hp 45; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; SA wail;SD only hit by +1 or better weapons;MR 50%; SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 13.

If her lair is entered during the day-light hours, Thanatos will not be able touse her wailing. At night, however, shewill use that attack in the first round.

Treasure is scattered about room 2B:1000 tricrowns (platinum pieces), aspear +3, and a shield +2.

3. Ain’t Mis-bee-havin. This tomb wasapparently that of a prosperous andlong-lived family.

The doors are locked but can bepicked as per normal thief chances. Thegates to the tomb creak on very rustyhinges, and the dust is thick once thecharacters enter.

Along the western wall of theentranceway (3A) are portraits done incopper of all the major members of thefamily (named Danewood, according tothe markers). They were a family ofhuman merchants, grown wealthy overthe course of generations.

Corridor 3B is similar to 3A, thoughthe floorwork is newer and in better con-dition. Characters who enter this areawill hear a loud buzzing coming from therooms to either side. The reason for thebuzzing becomes self-evident, as aloud, angry giant bee emerges from thedoor to the right.

There are a total of eight soldier beesand 30 workers, divided evenly between3C and 3D. If forced to retreat, eachgroup can escape the building through a(relatively) small hole in the back of eachtomb, about 30’ up near the roof.

Soldier bees (8): AC 5; MV 12”/30”;HD 4+2; hp 24 each; #AT 1 (sting); Dmg1-4; SA sting once for poison; SZ M; ALN; THAC0 15.

Worker bees (30): AC 6; MV 9’/30”;HD 3+1; hp 14 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-3;SA sting once for poison; SZ M; AL N;THAC0 16.

The bees will flit about near the highceiling of the tomb, darting down toattack any member of the group. Theworkers will not leave the nest if theheroes flee, but the soldiers will pursueuntil slain or until the heroes dodge intoanother building.

These tombs have no treasure, buteach bee nest does have a large quanti-ty of royal jelly, equivalent to 5 potions ofextra-healing with the side effect of cur-ing disease with each helping.

4. The Magic-Users’ Tomb. This longtomb is decorated on the outside with abas-relief of mages engaged in various

acts of derring-do—mages fighting evilclerics, mages fighting beholders,mages repelling orc hordes single-handed, etc. The name over each of thedoorways is “Kinsor.”

The Kinsor family of mages used thisas their family crypt and treasure vault.The locks on the doors show the telltalescratches of having been picked, butare currently locked.

These doors are a trap set by the Kin-sor clan. The doors will close and lockbehind anyone who goes through them,becoming momentarily intangible indoing so, so that anything used to blockthem open falls to the ground. When thedoors close, the second part of the spelltakes effect: An earth elemental is sum-moned and attacks the party. Thisoccurs with every door in the complex.In addition, the three doors leading tothe outside of this area are trapped inboth directions. Opening any of thesedoors to escape the tomb causes anearth elemental to appear outside thetomb and attack.

Area 4A of the shrine is covered withfurther bas-reliefs, these showing graverobbers being slammed, destroyed, andtorn apart by earth elementals.

Area 4B has two tombs. The tombsthemselves are unprotected (other thanby the elementals). There are threescrolls of protection from undead withinthe two tombs here.

Area 4C has three tombs. They con-tain, in addition to the mortal remains ofthe mages, a wand of fireballs (10charges left), a ring of protection +3,and a tome of clear thought.

Area 4D contains two tombs, and hasa set of Nolzur’s marvelous pigmentsand two potions of giant control.

5. Grave Robbers. This tomb is that ofsome heroic nobleman. The corner withthe exterior doors is carved with figuresof the man hunting, making war, andotherwise fighting. His sword is shownradiating waves of light or energy. Thedoors to this shrine have been removed,and the entrances are dark.

Area 5A is the upper level of the crypt,and has been desecrated by tomb rob-bers. The only significant item remain-ing here is a great marble statue of afighter in archaic armor that has beensmashed face-down against the ground.

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Area 5B is reached by stairs downfrom 5A, and is the lair of a colony of 12ghouls. They will set upon the new-comers, but one member will dart downthe stairs to the south.

Area 5C is where the ghouls keeptheir heavy artillery, protection, andtunnel-digger. The ghoul that de-scended to this level will return 2 roundslater, riding on the shoulders of anumber hulk and banging on its head witha staff to direct it one way or the other.The ghouls will part to let the umber hulktake the brunt of the attack. If none ofthe ghouls escape the room, the umberhulk will arrive by itself in 5 rounds, tun-neling up behind the heroes and block-ing the exit out.

Ghouls (12): AC 6; MV 9”; HD 2; hp 10each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-6; SA para-lyzation; SD immune to sleep andcharm; SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 16.

Umber hulk (“Clyde”): AC 2; MV 6”(1”-6”); HD 8+8; #AT 3; Dmg 3-12/3-12/2-10; SA confusion; SZ L; AL CE;THAC0 12.

The ghouls are aware of the umberhulk’s abilities, and will not look itstraight in the eyes.

In area 5C the heroes will find thedespoiled tomb of the fighter depictedby the statue above. The body is longgone, but the sword remains. It is asword +1, +3 versus extradimensionalcreatures. The staff the ghoul was di-recting the umber hulk with is a staff ofhealing with 20 charges left.

6. The Warrior’s Gate. This large,shrinelike tomb dominates the centralregion of this part of the burial glen. It ris-es to a pinnacle some 100 feet high, andwitch-fire dances about its peaks. It hastwo plain, simple entrances to the eastand west. Over each entrance is thesign of crossed swords and the words, incommon, “Only the Brave.” The doorsare well oiled, and open at a touch.

Areas 6A and 6B are anterooms forthe crypt. They are stacked with deadbodies, laid out like cordwood. Thesebodies are not undead, but extremelyunpleasant, as they have been recentlydisinterred. There are no monsters ortreasure here.

Areas 6C and 6D each contain agroup of zombies and skeletons, includ-

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ing monster zombies and a giant skele-ton. The group in 6C is dressed with redbanners around their heads, while thosein 6D are dressed with blue banners.They will attack the heroes as soon asthey enter the room. Attempts to turnthese low-level undead will fail, as theyare under the control of a higherundead. No treasure is in either room.Each room contains these creatures:

Skeletons (5): AC 7; MV 12”; HD 1; hp8 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SD half damagefrom edged weapons, immune to hold,sleep, charm, and cold-based spells; SZM; AL N; THAC0 19.

Zombies (5): AC 8; MV 6”; HD 2; hp 15each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; SD immune tosleep, hold, charm, and cold-basedspells; SZ M; AL N; THAC0 16.

Giant skeleton (1): AC 7; MV 12” HD11; hp 50; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SD half dam-age from edged weapons, immune tohold, sleep, charm, and cold-basedspells; SZ L; AL N; THAC0 10.

Bugbear zombies (3): AC 6; MV 9”;HD 6; #AT 1; Dmg 4-16; SD half damagefrom blunt weapons, immune to hold,sleep, charm, and cold-based spells; SZL; AL N; THAC0 13.

Area 6E is reached by steep stairwaysfrom either side. It opens into a thin,high room. In the northwest corner of theroom is a hole in the floor. In the south-east corner is a low dais, upon which is alarge table. Behind the table is anancient, undead figure. He is akin to azombie except that his skin is stretchedtight over his visible bones, as if all themoisture has been sucked from him.Instead of eyes, he has a pair of twin-kling pinpoints. The creature is dressedin archaic military regalia, and has adented helm on his head.

The creature is a lich, and a dotty oneat that. Insanity in many forms is a haz-ard among liches, who in life strove tobecome immortal, and now in theirundead state have nothing to use thatimmortality upon.

This lich, Remarkus, is doomed tospend his eternity running a sort of “warroom.” The large table before him is cov-ered by a map of Myth Drannor as it wasabout 600 years ago, and the map isperforated by pins that mark the loca-tions of the undead legions he controls.

The lich will look at the heroesunblinkingly, then say in a crackingvoice, “Did I send for you? Odd, I shouldhave brought the others as well.” Herings a small silver bell at the side of thetable, and the other undead from theopposite room ascend the stairs slowly.

If the heroes attack the lich, he willsnap back far enough into the real worldto attack in return.

If the heroes use the time while theother undead are arriving to cross theroom and jump into the hole, the lich willlet them go, muttering to himself aboutillusions.

If the heroes pause to fight theundead, run the battle normally. At theend of it, the lich Remarkus (if he wasn’tinvolved in the fight) will stand andinstruct the winners to sweep the losersinto the passage-hole and then to returnto their posts. (If the heroes win, they arefree to disregard both of these orders,and nothing will happen to them as aresult.) Then he will sit down again and,head in bony hand, ponder the map for awhile.

The passageway leads down into awide vault filled with the bodies of nolonger animated undead. The passageleads to the embalming room of Tyran-thraxus’s Temple.

Remarkus the lich: AC 0; MV 6”; HD11; hp 44; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10; SA spell useas 18th level magic-user, paralyzingtouch, fear; SD immune to enfeeble-ment, polymorph, cold, electricity, insani-ty, or death spells/symbols; SZ M; ALN(E); THAC0 10.

There is no treasure in Remarkus’sroom.

Random Encountersin the RuinsThe ruins of Myth Drannor are filled withodd beasts, as the place was once anextradimensional as well as magicalcrossroads. A number of hostile crea-tures have come to call this home. Forevery 2 turns the characters spend inthe city and its surroundings, there is a 1in 6 chance of a random encounter. Ifthis occurs, check the table below.

d20 roll Encounter1 2-12 thri-kreen2 1 xag-ya3 1 xeg-yi4 1-4 tunnel worms5 2-16 wemics6 1-2 chimerae7 2-8 moon dogs8 1-2 chaggrin grue9 2-8 margoyles

10 2-12 gargoyles11 1 behir

12 1 lamia13 2-20 orcs in ambush14 1-2 gorgons15 1-4 ettins16 1-6 carrion crawlers17 2-5 displacer beasts18 2-5 salamanders19 1-4 xorn20 1 beholder

The exact nature of the randomencounters and the reactions of the

monsters are left to the DM. When a sec-ond random encounter is called for, usethe encounter “Deal with the Devil”(below) instead.

Thri-kreen: AC 5; MV 18”; HD 6+3;hp 27 each; #AT 5 or 3; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-4/1-4/2-5 or by weapons; SA leaping; SDdodge missiles 60% of time; SZ M; ALCN; THAC0 13.

Xag-ya: AC 0; MV 6”; HD 5; hp 20;#AT 1; Dmg 7-12; SA energy blast; SD

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only hit by +1 or better weapons; MR15%; SZ M; AL N; THAC0 15.

Xeg-ya: AC 0; MV 6”; HD 5; hp 20;#AT 1; Dmg 7-12; SA energy drain; SDonly hit by +1 or better weapons; MR15%; SZ M; AL N; THAC0 15.

Tunnel worms: AC 4; MV 6”; HD 9+3;hp 39 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-16; SA lunge;SZ L; AL N; THAC0 12.

Wemics: AC 6; MV 12”; HD 5+8; hp28 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-6 (club);SD surprised only on a 1; SZ L; AL N;THAC0 13.

Chimerae: AC 6/5/2; MV 9”/18”; HD9; hp 36 each; #AT 6; Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-4/1-4/2-8/3-12; SA breath weapon; SZ L; ALCE; THAC0 12.

Moon dogs: AC 2 or 0 or -2; MV 30”;HD 8+16; hp 56 each; #AT 1; Dmg 3-12;SA baying; SD spell-like abilities; MR25%; SZ M; AL NG; THAC0 12.

Chaggrin grue: AC 4; MV 12” (3”); HD5+5; hp 35 each; #AT 2; Dmg 3-6/3-6;SA clinging, quills; SD only hit by +1 orbetter weapons, immune to earth-basedmagic; SZ S; AL NE; THAC0 13.

Margoyles: AC 2; MV 6”/12”; HD 6;hp 24 each; #AT 4; Dmg 1-6/1-6/2-8/2-8;SA camouflage; SD only hit by +1 orbetter weapons; SZ M; AL CE; THAC013.

Gargoyles: AC 5; MV 9”/15”; HD4+4; hp 20 each; #AT 4; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-6/1-6; SD only hit by +1 or better weap-ons; SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 15.

Behir: AC 4; MV 15”; HD 12; hp 48;#AT 1 and 1 or 1 and 6; Dmg 2-8/2-5 or 2-8/1-6(x6); SA lightning bolt, swallowing;SD immune to electricity and poison; SZL; AL NE; THAC0 9.

Lamia: AC 3; MV 24”; HD 9; hp 36;#AT 1; Dmg 1-4; SA spell use, wisdomdrain; SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 12.

Orcs (attacking from ambush): AC 6;MV 9”; HD 1; hp 4 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6(short bows) or 1-8; SZ M; AL LE;THAC0 19.

Gorgons: AC 2; MV 12”; HD 8; hp 32;#AT 1; Dmg 2-12; SA breath turns tostone; SZ L; AL N; THAC0 12.

Ettins: AC 3; MV 12”; HD 10; hp 40each; #AT 2; Dmg 2-12/3-18; SD surprisedonly on a 1; SZ L; AL CE; THAC0 10.

Carrion crawlers: AC 3/7; MV 12”; HD3+1; hp 13 each; #AT 8; Dmg 0; SAparalysis; SZ L; AL N; THAC0 16.

Displacer beasts: AC 4; MV 15”; HD6; hp 24 each; #AT 2; Dmg 2-8/2-8; SD-2 to be hit; MR saves as 12th levelfighter, +2 on die; SZ L; AL N; THAC013.

Salamanders: AC 5/3; MV 9”; HD7+7; hp 35 each; #AT 2; Dmg 1-6/2-12;SA heat; SD only hit by +1 or betterweapons; SZ M; AL CE; THAC0 12.

Xorn: AC -2; MV 9”; HD 7+7; hp 35each; #AT 4; Dmg 1-3(x3)/6-24; SA sur-prise on 1-5; SD immune to fire and cold,resistant to electricity; SZ M; AL N;THAC0 12.

Beholder: AC 0 (body), 2 (eyestalks), 7(eyes); MV 3”; HD 10; hp 36 (body), 15(central eye); #AT 1; Dmg 2-8; SA magic;SD anti-magic ray; SZ L; AL LE; THAC010.

Deal with the DevilWhen a second random encounter isindicated in the ruins of Myth Drannor,run the following encounter instead.

As you move through the ruins, youfeel that all eyes are upon you andyour party. There is a rustle of wingsas a flight of bats, startled by somesudden noise, erupts overhead. Inthe distance sounds the baying of awolf; then it is cut short, as if by aknife.

Up ahead, near a corner of aruined building, a gray-cloaked figuresteps out. His face and form are hid-den, but he points a clawed, three-fingered hand at you and beckonsyou to come forward.

The figure is a mind flayer, a repre-sentative of the opposition to Tyran-thraxus—those who would like torestore Myth Drannor to its earlier statewithout the possessing spirit. Three ofits comrades are waiting about 40’ far-ther around the corner as this monstermakes its initial approach.

Mind flayers (4): AC 5; HD 8+4; hp16, 20, 21, 24; #AT 4; Dmg 2 each; SAmind blast; MR 90%; SZ M; AL LE;THAC0 12.

The heroes may ignore, evade, or runaway from the mind flayer without inci-dent. If they attack, both the visible mindflayer and his three hidden companionswill return the attack.

If the heroes approach the mind flay-er, he will pull down his hood, revealingthe tentacled features of one of hisbreed, and the fact that he has smallhorns on his forehead. (This is a harm-less physical defect, and has no effectother than to make the characters thinktwice about accepting his aid.) If theheroes remain nonaggressive and stillinterested in conversation after seeingthe horns, read the following passage tothe players:

“You are fighting Tyranthraxus, theMindless One,” says the mind flayer,making the question a statement. “Ifyou approach by the surface routes,you will be found and slain easily—your own battles announce yourarrival. I and my collegues knowanother route, a secret route, into theTyrant’s Temple. We will show it toyou—for a price.”

The mind flayer’s price is one magicitem for each member of his group, pay-able in advance. The mind flayer is tell-ing the truth, and if the heroes give themthe items, they will take the player char-acters down to an entrance to thesewers beneath Myth Drannor.

“This way has been cleared for yourarrival—but move quickly, for theTyrant’s agents are everywhere, andthis place may not be secure forlong!” There is the rumbling of thun-der above your heads, and the mindflayers look at each other nervously.“Go now, enemies of our enemy. Thenext time we meet may I feast on yourminds, but for now may our Darknessbe with you.” With that, the mind flay-ers flee up the stairs and back intothe ruins.

The sewers, as the mind flayer prom-ised, are clear of monsters, and leadstraight, without branches, to a secretentrance in the floor of the kitchen of thetemple (room 1).

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The Temple of Tyranthraxus is located inthe northwestern corner of the sprawl-ing Myth Drannor complex of ruins, in anabandoned temple of the elvish god oflongevity. It is here, on the second floor,that the Pool of Radiance has been relo-cated.

Tyranthraxus has a pair of gargoylesacting as watchdogs over the frontentrance. These creatures will notattack, but will warn Tyranthraxus of thecharacters’ approach. He will prepareaccordingly (see area 6 for details).

Room Descriptions1. Kitchen. This large kitchen was onceused to cook for both the feast days andfor daily life of the novitiates. It has sincebeen abandoned and the wooden doorfrom the dining room locked. There isnothing of interest or use in this room,except for a collection of very rustyknives (will do normal damage but snapafter one hit) and a large floor drainwhich opens into the sewers. Theheroes may enter the temple throughthis drain from the sewers.

2. Dining Area. The long commontables in this area have been stackedagainst the far wall, and the symbols ofthe elvish gods and saints on the wallsmarred and disfigured. There is an archto the north and a locked door leading tothe kitchen. Any significant noise in thisroom will be heard in the altar room(room 6) and will warn Tyranthraxus ofthe characters’ arrival. He will not besurprised.

3. Cloak Room. This room was anoverlarge closet for wraps and the like.Now it is the lair of Tyranthraxus’s petcloaker, one of the original inhabitants ofthe building that Tyranthraxus hasdomesticated for personal use.

Cloaker: AC 3(1); MV 1”/15”; HD 6;hp 24; #AT 2 + special; Dmg 1-6/1-6 +special; SA moaning, enwrapping tar-gets; SD shadow use; SZ L; AL CN;THAC0 13.

The cloaker will be alerted by anyoneopening the temple doors, and willbegin its low-volume moaning. If anyonemoves into the cloak room, the cloakerwill attack. If the heroes leave thecloaker alone, it will continue its moan-

ing (Tyranthraxus and his kalmari areimmune), and will come to the aid of itsmaster if Tyranthraxus is attacked.

4. Anteroom. This area was the ante-room and dressing area for the priests ofLabelas Enoreth. It is now empty.

5. Priest’s Office. All the furnishings inthis room have been swept into a cornerin a disordered heap. There is no trea-sure here, but in the northeast corner aloose stone can be moved to reveal acavity containing a ring of animal friend-ship.

6. Altar and Shrine. This area is a widespace without benches or pews, domi-nated by an inlaid symbol of Labelas onthe floor. The west end of the room is dom-inated by a low platform, above which is astained-glass window. If it is daylight, theroom will be dancing with pinpoints of col-ored light from this window.

Tyranthraxus is in this area in a pos-sessed body, along with his assistant.The DM may choose any of the bad guyswhom the characters have met through-out this adventure—someone whowasn’t killed by the PCs—to serve asthe source of the possessed body.These may include:

Ginali, High Cleric of BaneOrox the beholderRadatha of the Fire KnivesA priest of MoanderThe mind flayer from the previous

encounterDracandros, Red Wizard of Thay

Using Fzoul Chembryl is not recom-mended, as the Zhentarim will comelooking for him. Cruel DMs may chooseto use one of the not-nasty individuals asthe possessed form, such as AlusairNacacia, Princess of Cormyr, or thesage Filani of Tilverton. Elminster, orindividuals who have received the spellElminster’s Blessing (see Appendix I),should not be chosen.

If none of the above seem suitable (orif all of the really bad guys were killed),then the form Tyranthraxus will take willbe of a 10th level cleric of Bhaal whowas exploring the ruins and got tooclose to this temple at the wrong time.

Possessed body, 10th level cleric ofBhaal: AC 2; MV 6”; HD 10; hp 50; #AT

1; Dmg 1-6; SA spell use; SZ M; AL NE;THAC0 14.

Spells:

1st level command (x2)fear (x2)

2nd level hold person (x2)silence 15’ radius (x2)

3rd level blindnessdispel magicparalysis

4th level giant insectprotection from good 10’

radiussticks to snakes

5th level cause critical woundsflame strike

Whatever the possessed body’s form,it will be wearing boots of striding andspringing in addition to any other magi-cal items it might possess.

The possessed form will have an evilgrin, and will be surrounded by the non-burning flames that are Tyranthraxus’shallmark.

Tyranthraxus’s companion is a burlycompanion in bearskin with a two-handed broad sword. While looking likea typical barbarian, this fellow is in reali-ty the shell holding a kalmari (seeAppendix I).

If Tyranthraxus is not surprised, anyand all defensive spells will be cast forhim already. He will be found on the plat-form, with his barbarian kalmari on hisright. On his left is a glowing red verticalportal. This is not the Pool of Radiance,but rather a gate into the elementalplane of fire.

If Tyranthraxus is unaware of the char-acters’ entrance into his lair, he will bepacing the length of the shrine, hisassistant following behind him, frettingabout when his puppets will arrive. Hisback will be to the characters (regard-less of which entrance they use), andthey will be able to surprise him.

Regardless of the situation, Tyran-thraxus’s first move is to give a com-mand to the bonded members of theparty to “Freeze!”, and then to handover the artifacts of power to him (thehelm, the gauntlets, and the blade). Ifthe portal to the elemental plane of fire isopen, he will instruct his kalmari todump them into the portal and close it. Ifnot, he will instruct the kalmari to takethe items to the pool (room 11).

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Tyranthraxus, if all the characters arefrozen, will take a few minutes to gloatand explain his plans in true villainousfashion. He compelled the heroes togather the devices that could slay him,and to bring them to him here in his lair.He manipulated them into slaying theother members of the New Alliance.Now they are totally under his control,and will serve as his own portable poolsof radiance, capable of traveling theRealms and doing his bidding. All thatremains is a single spell.

When Tyranthraxus casts that lastspell over the frozen and/or immobilizedplayer characters, they receive one lastsaving throw. Those who fail it are pos-sessed by Tyranthraxus and made into

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his servants (as if they were possessedby the spirit). Those who make this sav-ing throw will be never be able to haveTyranthraxus possess them again.

More likely, however, is that somecharacters will be frozen and others not.Tyranthraxus will have his barbariankalmari go after the individuals with theartifacts in the following order: blade,gauntlets, and helm.

The kalmari will fight as a 5th levelfighter with the two-handed sword until ittakes its first hit. That hit (magical orphysical) will cause the Kalmari no dam-age, but will force its body to split open,revealing the true form of the kalmaribeneath it.

If Tyranthraxus is outnumbered and

attacked by the survivors of his freeze,he will leap over the characters (usingthe boots) and try to escape up to thepool (room 11). The cloaker from room3, if still alive, will cover his retreat.

If Tyranthraxus is separated from thebody, either by killing the body or hittingit with the Blade of Lathander, his spiritwill flee to the Pool of Radiance in room11 for his alternate plan. The body willreturn to its original possessor, and maybe hostile to the player characters.

The kalmari and the cloaker will fightto the death to protect their lord.

7. Sleeping Room. A room with long-rotted cots and beds. A few rats scurrybefore the PCs’ light, but there is noth-ing else here.

8. Embalming Room. This room stillreeks of the fluids and spicy herbs usedin preparing the dead for their immortalvoyage into the future (one of the beliefsof worshipers of Labelas is that deathitself is an illusion and that the dyingshould be prepared to be later returnedto their bodies). There are three long-dried out elven bodies in this room, butno monsters or treasures. The door tothe main area is locked.

9. Lower Barracks. These were therooms of the novitiates, and are nowempty of tenants, treasures, and mon-sters.

If the heroes lost their artifacts toTyranthraxus, they will be returned inroom 9A, depending on how they lostthem.

If the artifacts were tossed throughthe portal into the elemental plane offire, the heroes will find the lean figure ofElminster, still dressed in the gray cloakhe wore at the Burial Glen. The cloak issmoking as if it has been exposed togreat heat. The sage was on the far sideof the portal, waiting for the artifacts tobe passed through. He returns the toolsto the heroes and asks if there is any-thing else they need. Elminster will notjoin the party, though he will tell themhe’ll be around if need be.

If the artifacts were given to thekalmari for safekeeping, the forms of thebeast and of its barbarian host will bedead on the floor, with Elminster stand-ing over them. He is apparently wound-ed, and will again return the lostartifacts.

If the heroes are in hot pursuit ofTyranthraxus, still in control of the arti-facts, Elminster will not appear, but hewill make sure that the door to the stairsleading up will be left open.

10. Priests’ Rooms. These areas wereonce the quarters of the higher priestsof the temple, with windows overlookingthe forest. The windows have beenboarded up and the furniture removed.There are no monsters or treasure here.

11. Pool of Radiance. This huge roomwas an upper shrine, which Tyran-thraxus has turned into the second loca-tion of his Pool of Radiance. The pool isa fountain of glowing liquid. A large,metallic statue is standing in the centerof the pool.

The statue is an activated iron golem,which represents Tyranthraxus’s alter-nate plan. If Tyranthraxus is removedfrom his bodily form, he will flee backhere, take possession of the iron golem,and await the arrival of the heroes. IfTyranthraxus fled here in his possessedform, he will use the golem as a sepa-rate entity to battle the heroes.

The Gauntlets of Moander will closethe Pool of Radiance 4 rounds afterbeing brought within 20’ of the liquid.The character with the gauntlets can donothing else during this time. Only thedeath of the individual with the gauntletswill stop the process.

If the pool is closed, anything in thepool will be destroyed (no saving throw).

This includes the golem and Tyran-thraxus. If Tyranthraxus is still in a body,he will be destroyed when that body diesor when his spirit is forced out of it by theBlade of Lathander. If Tyranthraxus hasbeen forced to retreat to the pool, he willbe destroyed.

With the destruction of Tyranthraxus,the last symbol will disappear from theheroes’ arms, freeing them from theNew Alliance completely. Any of themembers of the New Alliance mayreturn at a later date to vex the charac-ters (you can’t keep a good villaindown), but the bonds will never return.The player characters are free.

12. Tyranthraxus’s Bedroom. This isan opulent pleasure palace with rich lin-ens, fancy wall hangings, and a fountainof flames in the center of the room. Thefurnishings alone are worth 5000 gp,and represent the best that a lootingexpedition in Myth Drannor had to offer.

13. Treasure Room. The door from thePool of Radiance to this room appearsas a great golden door, with symbols offlames etched upon it, and a laughingface in the center.

Tyranthraxus has left a sinister trapon his treasure room as a parting shot toanyone who may foil him. The northerndoor from the pool room is trapped andfake—the true entrance is through thesecret door in the bedroom.

If the northern door is opened, multi-ple delayed blast fireballs will explode inthe room. All treasure in the room will bedestroyed. Anyone in the 10’ by 10’ areain front of the door will take 60 points ofdamage (save for half damage). Anyonein the rest of room 11 must make a sav-ing throw or take 30 points of damage.

The treasure of Tyranthraxus in-cludes these items:

* 50,000 gold pieces.* 20,000 platinum pieces.* 50 gems of 500 gp value each.* 80 pieces of jewelry and statuary.* A scroll of 6 cleric spells, none

lower than 4th level.* Two scrolls of 4 magic-user spells,

none of them lower than 5th level.* A ring of three wishes.* A djinn ring.* A figurine of wondrous power (ebo-

ny fly).

* A portable hole.* Two large bags of holding.* All rings and artifacts that may have

been taken from the player charac-ters before they awoke in Tilverton.

AftermathAfter the heroes have defeated Tyran-thraxus, gathered up their treasure, andleft the temple, they will encounter thefigure in the dark cloak with the scythe.This time his hood is pulled back, reveal-ing the smiling features of Elminster,sage of Shadowdale.

“You’ve done well,” says the sage,“and should be rewarded for youractions in saving this land from Tyran-thraxus. If I may offer my part of thanks, Iwould take you to wherever you wish togo in the Realms. Where do you wish totravel?”

The heroes may choose any location.If any party members are damaged ordead, the sage will first teleport the party(without error) to a friendly temple, send-ing word ahead that they are to be treat-ed in full, with the Harpers picking upthe tab. Then, when they exit the tem-ple, they will instantly be taken to theirchosen destination. The way is clear, theheroes are wealthy in experience andgold, and the Realms are open for theiradventure!

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Major NPCs, MagicItems, New MonstersAlias6th level female human fighter

Str 17, Int 17, Wis 17, Dex 17, Con 17,Cha 17

Height 5’10”, Weight 140 Ibs., Haircolor reddish blonde, Eye color green

AC 4 (chain & shield)Hit points 48Alignment neutral goodWeapon Proficiencies: All swords,

dagger (thrown or wielded), mace (bothtypes), axe (both types), club, dart, allpole arms, lance (all types), morningstar, staff, weaponless combat.

Known languages: common.THAC0 15

Magic items of noteMagical Tattoos. A set of twisting blue

runes were once set into Alias’s rightarm. At first glance they appeared to bepart of a tattoo, but closer inspectionrevealed they were a set of magicalsigils which affected Alias’s actions. Thesigils originally bound Alias to the mas-ters who created her, but with theirdemise these symbols have disap-peared. The pattern currently is a snak-ing swirl of thorns and waves, endingwith a rose at the wrist. The pattern can-not be removed magically. It will radiatea bright blue light if detect magic or anyother divination spell is cast upon it.

Elminster’s Blessing. For the pur-poses of this adventure, Alias hasreceived (unknown to her) the benefit ofa spell from the Sage of Shadowdale. Ifshe is about to be slain (reduced to -10hit points through wounds or bleeding),she will be cloaked in a blue glow andimmediately returned to full strength.

Alias’s story (from the notes of the SageElminster, as told to the master bardOlive Ruskettle):

Alias was created by a group of pow-erful individuals to act as a magical ser-vant, spy, and assassin. Alias wasintended to masquerade as a human,but to carry out particular actions over aparticular time.

The original conception for what

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became Alias was developed by an indi-vidual now known only as the NamelessBard. The bard was seeking a way tocarry on his songs and stories beyondhis death, without fear of their meaningbecoming lost or corrupted. To that end,he and his assistants created a human-oid “vessel” which was to contain thatknowledge. The spells to activate this“vessel” went afoul, killing an assistantand maiming another. The bard wasbrought before his fellow Harpers—anorganization of bards, druids, and rang-ers devoted to maintaining the balance.He was found guilty of letting his prideresult in the death of others, and for thiscrime was sentenced to exile in anotherplane, deprived of his name, and, worstof all, all his tales and stories were elimi-nated from the records. This was at atime when the North was less populatedthan today, so such actions were withinthe Harpers’ power.

The Harpers were not as effective asthey thought in removing all trace of thebard’s work from the Realms, for oncesomething is thought of, it is difficult tounthink. Eventually, a powerful southernsorceress, Cassana of Westgate, hap-pened upon the tale and discovered thebard’s place of extradimensional exile.He was held at the Citadel of WhiteExile, a rocky spur located at the junc-tion where the Plane of Gems and thePositive Material Plane meet. Cassanarescued the bard, getting from him apromise to aid her in creating anothervessel. The bard, lonely from long exile,feeling no loyalty to the Harpers, andstill vitally interested in preserving histales, agreed.

Cassana was an evil sorceress, andrecruited others of her ethical ilk to per-form the necessary magical operations.The Nameless Bard pushed his owndoubts about his new allies to the backof his mind, glad only to be given a sec-ond chance to create his perfect vessel.

Cassana’s allies included Zrie Prakisthe lich, Cassana’s former lover, whowas more powerful than Cassana, buttotally under her control. Using theirmagics, Cassana constructed Alias’sbody, and Zrie made it immortal. TheFire Knives, a group of thieves andassassins which had been chased out ofCormyr, provided most of the manpowerand “acquisitions” required for the

spells cast by Zrie and Cassana. A cultof a long-dead god, Moander, also calledthe Jawed One, donated the energyneeded to bring Alias to life.

Lastly, the creation needed a spirit anda soul. Cassana contacted a powerfuldaemon, through what she believed tobe the daemon’s agent, a nasty-lookinghalflingish creature named Phalse.Phalse was no more a halfling than theKing of Cormyr is a centaur, but was rath-er the daemon himself, maintaining aruse to spy on the others in the alliance.Phalse was charged with bringing a puresoul into the mix, an innocent who wouldbe sacrificed to bring the new vessel(which was to become Alias) to life.

Phalse found his innocent in the formof the saurial paladin known as Dragon-bait. The sacrifice was marked, as wasAlias, with the symbols of the alliance—Cassana’s insect-squiggle, Zrie’s inter-locked rings, the jawed palm ofMoander, the flaming dagger of the FireKnives, the blue-upon-blue circles ofPhalse, and the last, no marking at all, tosymbolize the Nameless Bard. The bardlearned of these symbols shortly afterhe completed his task, creating the his-tory and background of the vessel, andputting his songs within it. Upon discov-ering that Alias had come to life beforethe sacrifice of the saurial, and fearingfor his creation’s purity, he helped freeher and the saurial. When the otherslearned of his betrayal, they imprisonedhim beneath Cassana’s home inWestgate.

Needless to say, the members of theevil alliance began to squabble amongstthemselves after this setback, and theirpact began to disintegrate as theybegan plotting to betray one another.

Alias and Dragonbait fled across theInner Sea to Suzail, capital of Cormyr.Alias was semiconscious at this timeand remembers little of the voyage, andnothing of her creation. When sheawoke (at the “Hidden Lady” inn inSuzail, where Dragonbait had left her),she thought she had a gap in her mem-ory, taking up the space between wherethe Nameless Bard’s story stopped andher present situation began. Becausethe bard had not “programmed” herwith a memory about the sigils, whichwere to have been hidden before shewas let loose, it seemed to Alias that the

strange tattoos had suddenly appeared.Associating them with her memory loss,she set about trying to have themremoved.

Removal proved a problem, however,because the runes were an inherent partof Alias’s makeup, and actively resistedall spells that attempted to harm them.Magic could still affect Alias, but it couldnot affect the runes. In addition, therunes glowed a bright blue when a divi-nation spell was used on them.

Alias sought out magical and clericalaid and the counsel of sages to solve herproblem, and in the process wasbrought into contact with the noble half-ling Olive Ruskettle and the trader Aka-bar Bel Akash. Dragonbait also rejoinedher. Although Alias did not rememberfleeing from Westgate with him, heseemed familiar to her, so she allowedhim to come along as well.

Each member of the evil allianceresponsible for Alias’s creation had adifferent goal for her. Her motivation toachieve these goals ranged from a“strong desire” to do something to amindless compulsion. The goals werethese:

The Fire Knives desired revengeagainst the king of Cormyr, Azoun IV,because he had banished them from hiscountry many years before. They pro-grammed Alias with a pattern whichwould force her to attack at the sound ofthe king’s voice. It might have worked,had not an imitator of the king acciden-tally sprung the effect’s trip-wire insteadof Azoun.

Moander’s minions were trying to bringback the Realmsian incarnation of theirgod, who had long ago been imprisonedin the ruins beneath Yulash. From them,Alias received a strong desire to go north,and to work the necessary magics to freeMoander. They succeeded in freeingtheir god, but it was in such a weakenedstate that it was shortly thereafterdestroyed by Alias’s allies.

The Nameless Bard placed his songswithin Alias, and with them the desire(whether intentional or not) to sing inShadowdale, in the heart of Harperscountry, to show off to those who hadimprisoned him. This too drove Aliasnorth soon after her awakening.

Zrie Prakis’s motives remain unclear,but he was apparently unhappy with his

undead service as Cassana’s slave, andhoped to reverse the situation. Cassanawas the physical model used to createAlias, and Alias had all of the sor-ceress’s youthful beauty without her evilmadness.

Cassana herself opted for a more vari-able plan. She tied her symbol to thepower of her wand, which also main-tained her power over Zrie Prakis. Whenwithin range of the wand (100’), Aliaswould perform Cassana’s bidding. Cas-sana also saw Alias as a way of main-taining her own immortality, andintended to possess the woman’s body(after the other members of the alliancewere dead, of course).

Phalse was perhaps the most far-sighted of all. He saw Alias as the first“trial run” for an army of similar crea-tures, twelve of which Alias and herallies discovered, not yet brought to lifeas Alias was. Phalse intended to bendthem to his purposes alone. First andforemost among Phalse’s goals was thefull destruction of Moander, whomPhalse regarded as his bitterest rival.

All the plans of the evil alliance failed,however, largely owing to the fact thatAlias unexpectedly proved to have asoul and will of her own, linked to thesaurial’s, but independent nonetheless.Thus she had developed her own per-sonality, one which attracted goodfriends to help keep her out of troublewhen she attacked a Wyvernspur noblewhom the runes mistook for King Azounof Cormyr. These friends also accompa-nied her during her quest to discover themeanings of the runes and ultimatelydestroy them. When she freed Moan-der’s Realmsian form, these samefriends (the saurial Dragonbait, the mer-chant Akabar Bel Akash, and the nobleand highly underrated halfling bardOlive Ruskettle) recruited the reddragon Mistinarperadnacles and de-stroyed Moander within a day.

The evil alliance’s attempts to recap-ture Alias included attacking her withassassins of the Fire Knives Guild, acrystal elemental under Zrie Prakis’scontrol, and a kalmari created by Cas-sana. All these creatures were defeatedby Alias and her friends. Furthermore,these victories succeeded in furtherenhancing Alias’s will. Unfortunately,during the battle with Moander, Alias

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and her friends were all transported toWestgate, where they were finally cap-tured by Cassana and her alliance. Bythis time Alias had already learned andaccepted her origin, and this strength-ened her character and her will as well.

A second ceremony was set up to sac-rifice the saurial to bring Alias totallyunder the control of Cassana and herallies. The sacrifice, held on the Hill ofThorns outside Westgate, was disruptedby an attack of Alias’s friends, who hadfreed the Nameless Bard and come toher rescue. But it was Alias’s own senseof will that broke the spell. Zrie and Cas-sana were apparently slain in the battle,along with all remaining Fire Knives.Phalse fled through an extradimensionalportal to the Citadel of White Exile.

Alias, Dragonbait, the NamelessBard, Akabar, and Olive Ruskettle fol-lowed Phalse to the citadel, wherePhalse’s full plan, and the duplicate Ali-as, were revealed. The daemon, whichhad abandoned his halfling form, foughtAlias in his true form, as a beholder-headed man. Alias defeated him any-way, breaking the last visible hold theevil alliance had on her. After the disap-pearance of all the sigils of the evil mas-ters, Alias reasserted her belief in part ofthe purpose the Nameless Bard haddesigned her for—restoring his songs toposterity. At that moment, in the spaceCassana had left for the NamelessBard’s sign, a blue rose blossomed.

With the death of Phalse, the multipleAliases vanished, though whether theydissolved or were magically teleportedis unknown.

In the final summation, Alias hasproved herself to be not some automa-ton or golem, but truly a human, withhuman emotions and values. She singsthe Nameless Bard’s songs, butchanges them and creates her own aswell. While this defeats the bard’s origi-nal purpose, he has decided that theend result is better than what he hadhoped for.

The reason for Alias’s power, ability,and free thought is currently unknown.Nothing in the plans of Nameless or thealliance accounts for her free will. Itcould be the strength of Dragonbait’swill which is linked to her own, or someunaccounted-for variable in her crea-tion, or the actions or some unknown,

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outside force. The fact remains that Ali-as is as “human” as most of the nativesof the Realms (and perhaps morehuman than most).west as the Sword Coast.

Alias is an adventurer, not a merce-nary. She fights as often for the cause ofgood as for any monetary reward. Shedislikes organized law and rules, how-ever, and will bend or break them asneed be (and as much as Dragonbaitwill allow her to). She retains a dislike ofclerics, which was likely initially pat-terned into her as a way of dissuadingher from seeking clerical help. She stillregards them as book-banging foolswho know nothing of the real world.

One thing Alias despises is slavery inany form. Having been enslaved byarcane means herself, she has a prettywide interpretation of slavery, and acomplete enmity toward those whoengage in or tolerate it.

Alias is a very good songstress, wellversed and trained from the NamelessBard’s own experience. Most of thesongs she knows are ancient, those ofthe bard’s which were suppressed bythe Harpers as well as many others for-gotten over the long passage of theyears.

While Alias has the memories givenher by Nameless and the skills providedby the alliance, her body is still newbornand unhardened by experience. She willtire more easily than she “remembers”she did in her nonexistent past. None-theless, she has twice the endurance ofa normal man. Similarly, she “remem-bers” liking the taste of alcohol, but shehas a child’s palate and resistance, sobesides not really enjoying the taste ofmost alcoholic beverages, she is easilyinebriated by them.

Dragonbait7th level saurial “paladin”

Str 15, Int 14, Wis 16, Dex 13, Con 17,Cha 4 (18)

Height 4’10”, Weight 150 Ibs., Scalecolor green, Eye color yellow

AC 5Hit points 50Alignment lawful goodWeapon proficiencies: crossbow,

bastard sword, long sword, two-handed

sword, battle axe, weaponless combat,saurial broad sword (1-8/1-10 damage).

THAC0 14

Magic items of noteMagical Tattoos. As for Alias (see

above).

Sword +5, “Holy Avenger.” This oddlyshaped sword was Dragonbait’s chiefweapon during his adventures with Ali-as. It has a wide, topheavy blade withjagged teeth and a short handle. It func-tions in the same manner as the HolyAvenger sword, providing a magic resist-ance of 50% in a 5’ radius, dispellingmagic at the same level as the wielder,and inflicting +10 hit points of damageto chaotic evil opponents. To all others, itfunctions as a +2 sword. Humans inparticular will find this sword difficult towield, and as such are -2 with it,regardless of its magical bonus, untilproficiency with the weapon (technicallya “saurial broad sword”) is gained.

Elminster’s Blessing. As for Alias (seeabove).

Dragonbait’s story (from the notes ofElminster, translated without his permis-sion into the vernacular by Olive Rusket-tle; available at all toy and hobby shops):

Dragonbait is a saurial, a member of arace of sentient, lizardlike creatureswho are not native to the Realms, butrather come from an alternate materialplane. Dragonbait is the first and onlysaurial to appear in the Realms. (Theonly one known of, that is; the Realms isa huge place, and who knows whatmight turn up in the Jungles of Chult?)

Saurials are bipedal reptilian crea-tures, similar to the Realmsian dinosaur,but as intelligent as man (and in Dragon-bait’s case, more intelligent than most).

Dragonbait is short, with a bluntedmuzzle and powerful, peglike teeth. Asingle fin grows from the back of hishead. He wears clothes, though it is notknown whether he needs to wear themfor protection or does so out of modesty.

Saurial culture is apparently similar tothat of the Realms, such that Dragonbaithas made the transfer between the twoworlds with a minimum of personalshock. Then again, Dragonbait may justbe a quick learner and easily adaptableto new situations. He appears to have anintuitive grasp of human nature as well,

able to approach individuals in a non-threatening fashion, and get his pointacross without words.

Dragonbait is apparently mute, exceptfor the ability to utter some growls andguttural snorts. In actuality, his race has avery highly developed sense of smell,and communicates by scent in the samefashion that humanoid races of theRealms use voice. These scents are eas-ily picked up and translated by othersaurials, and by dragons as well, pointingout a possible connection between thetwo. To normal humans, a saurial must“shout” a scent to be understood, andthen only the very basics of emotion aretransmitted by smell.

Dragonbait’s known scents and theemotions associated with them arethese:

Brimstone: confusionRoses: sadnessLemon: pleasure/joyBaked bread: angerViolets: fearHoneysuckle: tenderness/concernWood smoke: devotion/pietyTar: victory/celebrationHam: nervousness/worryDragonbait has turned his inability to

communicate properly in the Realms tohis advantage by appearing to be lessthan he really is. He understands thecommon tongue, though he cannotspeak it. Many assume that his inabilityto communicate equals an inability tocomprehend. Dragonbait does not cor-rect them on this matter.

The name “Dragonbait” was given tohim by the warrior Alias soon after herawakening (see “Alias” above). Origi-nally meant as a threat (“One wrongmove and you’re dragon bait, under-stand?”), the saurial took this as hisname. The comical appellation adds fur-ther to the creature’s apparent harm-lessness. Dragonbait’s true name is acombination of scents and subsonic gut-tural clicks. The dragon Mist knew it, butdied without passing on that knowledge.

In his own world, Dragonbait is a holyfighter who crusades for good. In thatrespect, and in many of the abilities heshows, he is a “paladin.” The quotationmarks are noted only because Dragon-bait is obviously inhuman, and in theRealms (at least), only humans can betrue paladins. Dragonbait does exhibit

many paladin-type powers, includingthese:

* Saving throws at +2.* Immunity to all disease.* Laying on hands, as a paladin, for

1-4 points of healing per day.* Detect evil up to 60’ distance. In

Dragonbait’s case, this ability(called the shen-state) reveals morealong the lines of a know alignmentspell, showing colors for the vari-ous intentions, and intensity ofthose colors for strength of thosealignments.

* Wield his world’s equivalent of aholy sword.

Unlike paladins, Dragonbait does nothave the following abilities:

* Radiate protection from evil.* Turn undead as a cleric.* Use cleric spells.It is unknown if Dragonbait can sum-

mon the equivalent of a paladin’smount, and if so, in what form thatmount would appear.

Dragonbait’s home world and nativedimension are unknown to any in theRealms, and he will not divulge anysuch information. He was captured bythe daemon Phalse while on a missionin the Abyss, so that even Phalse andhis alliance do not know his origin. Hewas imprisoned by Phalse, the sorcer-ess Cassana, the lich Zrie Prakis, andmembers of the Fire Knives and the min-ions of Moander to be used as a sacri-fice. His death was to activate the formof a living slave, Alias.

Something, as yet unrevealed, wentwrong in their plans, and Alias revivedearly. Dragonbait helped the semicon-scious woman to escape, and the pairfled to Suzail, in Cormyr. Using his shenabilities, Dragonbait determined thatwhile Alias was the creation of an evilalliance, she was basically good, withthe potential for becoming either goodor evil.

When the evil alliance recaptured Ali-as and Dragonbait, it was the swords-woman’s and the saurial’s combined willthat finally broke the spell binding her toher makers. The alliance was defeated,but at a cost—in the final battle withPhalse, Alias lost Dragonbait’s holysword when both Phalse and the swordwere pitched into the Positive MaterialPlane and exploded.

Dragonbait now carries a nonmagicalversion of his saurial blade, and con-tinues to accompany Alias in her adven-tures through the Realms. Though Alias(and several others, including Elmin-ster) know of Dragonbait’s true nature,he continues to play the part of a humbleservant, leaping into action as a truewarrior only when necessary. In thecase of Dragonbait, it can be truly statedthat paladinhood is proven more byactions than by words.

Azoun IV, King of Cormyr20th level male human cavalier

Str 18/00, Int 15, Wis 14, Dex 18, Con18, Cha 16

AC 0/-7Hit points 105Alignment lawful goodWeapon proficiencies: lance, long

sword, broad sword, horseman’s flail.THAC0 4

Azoun’s story:Those who have seen the good king of

Cormyr report him to be a handsomeman, standing just under six feet tall. Hemaintains the regiments of exercise anddrill he adopted as a young cavalier andis in excellent shape for a middle-agedman. Azoun’s brown hair and beard areonly now beginning to show hints of sil-ver.

Azoun is happily married, and hiswife, Filfaeril Selzair, is as strong-willedand as cultured as her husband. Azounand Filfaeril have two daughters, Alusairand Tanalesta. Their only son, Foril,died when he was only two. The loss ofhis only male heir remains a source ofgreat anguish for Azoun.

Azoun’s nickname, “The PurpleDragon,” is derived from his battlestandard. The banner with the purpledragon on a black field has flown overCormyr for many relatively peacefulyears. This long period of prosperity,coupled with Azoun’s reputation ofbeing a just ruler, has made Azoun’ssubjects loyal and content.

However, Azoun himself has foundthe price of rulership difficult to pay.Because he is a devoted father and hus-band, he has often found the demandsof state far too taxing on his personaltime. Also, because Azoun is idealistic,

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he finds the idea of sometimes placingthe survival of the state over the needsof its individual citizens very disturbing.

Yet, despite any momentary doubtsAzoun may have about the conflicts ofindividual liberty versus duty to thestate, he will always make his decisionsbased upon loyalty and duty to the“higher” good of the state and the pro-motion of peace in the kingdom. In func-tional terms, this means he expects allable citizens of Cormyr to serve or sup-port the large standing army establishedin the kingdom. Any adventuring partiesof four or more members based in Cor-myr must be registered with the kingand will likely have a set term of servicethey must fulfill in the army each year.

Azoun recognizes the sacrifice his cit-izens must make to support the state.Because of this, he is determined tomake Cormyr the safest and mostpeaceful kingdom possible. Adventur-ers will encounter many facets ofAzoun’s “peace policy” every day theyspend in Cormyr.

Azoun does not permit mercenariesor adventurers free rein of the city whenthey are not under a binding contract toa local merchant or nobleman. Adven-turers wishing to make their permanentresidence in Cormyr must obtain a char-ter from Azoun. Public display of weap-ons is also limited, and adventurers whotravel armed in public must have theirweapons bound in “peace strings,”ornate cords which are knotted around aweapon to deter its quick use.

Though Azoun does maintain hisskills as a swordsman, he personallyfavors the finer things his position canoffer him. He is a patron of the arts, andhis court at Suzail is one of the mostrefined in all the Realms. He dabbles inboth poetry and music, and is especiallyfond of drama.

This may account for his penchant fordisguises. Often, when he ventures outof the court, he will try to pass himself offas a merchant. He is, in fact, quite adeptat this and can sometimes fool even themost astute observer.

The other possible motivation forAzoun’s use of disguises is his long-standing feud with the thieves’ andassassins’ guilds in and around Cormyr.Azoun detests thieves and assassins,and he has gone so far as to drive the

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Fire Knives, an organization of assas-sins, from Cormyr. There are many prac-titioners of the thieving arts who wouldbe happy to see Azoun dead, and he hasbeen the object of many assassinationattempts. One of these attemptsinvolved the Fire Knives in the creationof the hero Alias. For their very substan-tial financial backing of Cassana as sheprepared her experiment for life, theFire Knives were allowed to include theirsigil on Alias’s arm and program her forone task. The Fire Knives decided theirhighest priority was the assassination ofAzoun. As soon as she heard KingAzoun’s voice, Alias was instructed toattack and kill him immediately. The plotfailed when Giogi Wyvernspur, a Cor-myrian nobleman, imitated Azoun’svoice at a wedding. Alias attacked Giogi,and it was only luck, and the interfer-ence of Alias’s friends, that savedGiogi’s life.

Azoun has a very high regard for mag-ic and magic-users, and he recognizesthe great potential for good and evil inpractitioners of the magic arts. Mages of5th level or higher must register with thegovernment.

Azoun wears bracers of defense AC 3and a ring of protection +3 when not inbattle. He also wears a ring of free actionat all times. In battle, in true cavalierstyle, Azoun wears a magnificent suit ofarmor, full plate +5, and carries a shield+2 emblazoned with his standard. Heowns a large number of enchantedswords but prefers to fight with either hisvorpal sword or defender +4.

In playing Azoun, the DM shouldremember that the King is committed tothe safety and freedom of his people. Hewill deal harshly with troublemakers andwill tend toward overgenerosity withthose who want to help the kingdom.However, Vangerdahast will be at hisside or very close nearby at all times tomake sure things don’t get out of hand.

Akabar Bel Akash5th level male human magic-user

Str 11, Int 15, Wis 13, Dex 12, Con 13,Cha 14

AC 10Hit points 15Alignment lawful goodTHAC0 20

Commonly used spells:1st level enlarge, light, magic missile2nd level bind, continual light, deep-

pockets, magic mouth, pyro-technics

3rd level fly, haste

Magic items of noteElminster’s Blessing. As for Alias (see

above).

Akabar’s story:Akabar Bel Akash, from the rich and

prosperous land of Turmish, is a mer-chant and “mage of no small water,” asthey say in that part of the Realms. Aka-bar deals in fine weaves and spices andis known by all who deal with him as afair and honest trader.

Like many Turmish merchants, Aka-bar sports a moustache and a long,square beard. He is dark-skinned, blue-eyed, and has curly brown hair which heoften bands with gold cords. Though themerchant-mage is very thin, his true sizeis often hidden by the large, billowingrobes he favors. He will often be foundwearing robes of crimson highlightedwith thin white stripes and a white cloakwith red trim. His clothing cannot hidehis height of 6’2”, however.

Akabar has three blue dots tattooedhorizontally across his forehead. Thesedots mark him as a Turmish scholar ofreligion, reading, and magic. He alsowears a single sapphire embedded inhis left earlobe. The earring signifiesthat Akabar is married.

In fact, Akabar has two wives—Akashand Kassim—and they are currentlylooking for a third wife to join the family.This may sound a bit odd, but it isn’twhen you realize that Turmish busi-nesses are run by women and busi-nesses are generally family operations.Akabar, in fact, is little more than a frontman for his wives’ enterprises.

This does not mean that Akabar is notself-sufficient and strong-willed. Actu-ally, he must have had both of thosetraits in order for his first wife to take himinto her family when they married.

Akabar is generally very practical,and this fact is mirrored in the spells hecommonly uses. The Turmishman willstudy spells that have specific uses forhim in his travels as a merchant.

He will always know a number of use-ful cantrips, such as clean, dry, and

spice, and the higher-level spells hestudies, such as fly and haste, will begeared toward escape or sel f -preservation. Akabar commonly throwsa magic mouth spell on his earring toalert him to danger as he sleeps.

The most offense-oriented spell hestudies is magic missile, never fireball orlightning bolt — and that spell is used toskewer his dinner more often than it is tostrike an opponent. His recent adventur-es, however, have made him quite profi-cient in the use of his chosen spells. Inbattle he will often fly around his oppo-nents, using his other spells to keepthem off balance until he and his partyhave a chance to escape.

Akabar’s adventure started when hewas delivering fine weaves to an estatenorth of Suzail for a wedding. Dimswart,a local magic-user and sage, was finallymarrying off his last daughter. Akabarwas traveling in a large caravan headedfor Suzail.

The caravan was attacked by Mis-tinarperadnacles, a red dragon, and oneof the wagons was carried away with itsoccupants—including the intendedentertainment for the wedding, the“famous bard” Olive Ruskettle. Aka-bar’s spell book was also taken in theraid, though it is unclear how OliveRuskettle came to be carrying it whenshe was stolen away with the wagon.

Dimswart was intent on rescuing thelost entertainer and hired a mysteriousswordswoman, Alias, and her saurialcompanion, Dragonbait, to save her.Akabar knew of a secret way into thedragon’s lair and used that knowledgeto force Alias and Dragonbait to takehim along.

This was not his first meeting with Ali-as. Only a few days before Dimswartsent them to rescue Olive Ruskettle,Akabar had tried to discover the originsof the strange tattoo Alias had on herright arm. When Akabar cast a detectmagic spell on the tattoo, a frighteningblue light erupted from it. Alias wasunderstandably upset by this and wasnot pleased when Akabar—the Turmitegreengrocer, as she sarcastically calledhim—was included in her foray againstthe dragon.

As time went on and Akabar and Aliasshared more adventures, the two grewvery close. Akabar considered himself

Alias’s protector for a long time. As Aliasgrew self-confident, and Akabar learnedto trust her mute saurial companion,Dragonbait, he realized that he was notneeded in that capacity.

His time adventuring with Alias, asshe searched for the origin of her myste-rious “Azure Bonds,” matured Akabar,especially in his use of magic. Hebecame an invaluable ally to Alias andwas crucial in the eventual defeat ofCassana and Zrie Prakis.

For a time, Akabar was linked with thegod Moander, when the deity escapedfrom his prison in Yulash. In the form ofthe Abomination—a mound of decayingearth and greenery that had the ability togrow a myriad of eyes and mouths—Moander captured the merchant-mageand possessed his mind, dragging himalong like a puppet and using his voiceand form to communicate with Alias,who was also a prisoner at the time. Theeffects of this possession are stillunknown, though, as Akabar noted, hispart in the eventual defeat of the madgod will certainly gain him Moander’seternal enmity.

In a game scenario, Akabar will beencountered as a merchant. He has hadenough adventure and is now content tospend the rest of his days trading hiswares in the Realms.

However, Akabar Bel Akash now feelsa strong kindred spirit with adventurersand will be helpful in any way he can.His travels as a merchant have givenhim an outstanding knowledge of theareas surrounding the Inner Sea, inaddition to his vast knowledge of Turm-ish history and religion. He will be gladto talk, at length, on any one of thesesubjects, or just trade tales of adventur-ers with friendly parties he encounters.

Olive Ruskettle6th level female halfling thief

(pseudo-bard)

Str 11, Int 12, Wis 7, Dex 18, Con 15,Cha 13 (17 to other halflings)

AC 6Hit points 29Alignment chaotic neutralWeapon proficiency: dagger.Nonweapon proficiencies: reading/

writing, alertness, running.THAC0 19

Magic items of noteElminster’s Blessing. As for Alias (see

above).

Olive’s story:Adventurers familiar with bards and

the limitations that bardic colleges puton the induction of halflings will realizeinstantly upon meeting the famous OliveRuskettle that she cannot possibly be atrue bard.

In fact, Olive is not a true bard, as shehas never had formal bardic training,and the renown attached to her namehas been slightly misplaced, thoughOlive has done all she can to foster theconfusion.

The halfling who claims to be OliveRuskettle is really a thief who hasalways aspired to a life of entertainingpeople and the easy living that profes-sion can bring. Olive Ruskettle is noteven her true name; the halfling won thename and the reputation of Olav Rusket-tle, a true and famous bard, in a dicegame. Since that time “Olive” has doneher best to maintain her image as a bardof great talent.

Olive’s glib tongue, boisterous per-sonality, and fair talent for singing andplaying have carried her far. Though shehas been cornered many times by well-traveled folk who claim to have seen the“real” Olav Ruskettle perform, Olivealways manages to lie her way out of theconfrontation, often claiming that theperson who claimed to be Olav Rusket-tle was someone who was trying to stealher name and pass himself off as a bard.

Though she claims to be from Cormyr,no one has ever been able to pin downOlive’s true home. The hazel-eyed, red-haired halfling prefers it that way, too.Though she is charismatic and attrac-tive, she realizes that her past as a thiefcould cause her a number of problems ifit were discovered.

But this does not mean Olive has for-saken her thieving abilities or retired asa practitioner of the thieving arts. In fact,Olive has found the ability to pick pock-ets with finesse and open locks withease quite a benefit to her life as a per-former. Patrons who refuse to pay herwhat she feels she deserves for hersinging often end up missing theirpurses when Olive leaves.

Olive is only 3’ tall, which is short evenfor a halfling. Because of this, and the

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taller races’ general reaction to halflingsas a cute (though somewhat prone to pil-fering) race of beings, Olive tends toreact strongly against anyone whotreats her as less than an equal. Forexample, anyone who might pat Oliveon the head or pick her up would findthemselves barraged by caustic insultsand perhaps even fists and feet.

The halfling also hates those who rig-idly follow the tenets of a specific align-ment, and especially loathes paladins.Olive is insecure about her past as athief and really doesn’t consider herselfa common pickpocket. She believes sheis only taking what is her due, and oftenthat is the case.

In fact, Olive finds she is quite often mis-taken for a villain when she is simply tak-ing care of herself the best way she knowshow. Such was certainly the case whenshe was convinced by the evil pseudo-halfling Phalse to help him track theswordswoman Alias. Though Alias hadrescued Olive from the dragon Mist, whohad kidnapped her, Olive had seen Aliasattack someone for no particular reason,and had heard about her attack on a cler-ic. The swordswoman seemed, as Phalsepointed out, a very dangerous woman.While this was certainly a substantialincentive to aid in her capture, Phalse alsooffered Olive a great deal of money.

When Olive discovered she had alliedherself with the wrong party, that Aliaswas not a menace and her creators wereextremely evil and dangerous, Olivehelped rescue Akabar Bel Akash fromCassana’s dungeon, and then helpedfoil the sorceress’s plans to gain com-plete control of Alias.

Olive’s adventures with Alias gainedher a myriad of new songs to sing, andOlive is even planning on composing along work telling the adventures of Aliasand her companions. The piece, entitledThe Magic Arm Chronicles, may take theform of a book or a lay. Olive has yet tostart it.

In addition to a number of wonderfulsongs and a wealth of material for newtales, Olive gained another very specialgift on her adventures with Alias.Because the halfling helped to rescuethe Nameless Bard from Cassana’sdungeon, the true bard, a Harper, gaveOlive his small, silver harp and crescentmoon pin, the symbol of the Harpers.

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A Dungeon Master running Oliveshould emphasize her desire to becomea true bard and, at the same time, thechaotic side of her character that pre-vents her from doing so. Players will findOlive interested in any stories or songsthey can relate to her, though she willoften get bored if the telling is long or thetale too philosophical.

Olive loves strong drink and has avery strong constitution. For a person ofsuch small stature and slight build, Oliveeats and drinks quite heavily. Any playercharacters attempting to match her willlikely find themselves far outclassed.

When the tales are over and the foodand drink gone, Olive will depart, payingas little as possible of the bill.

Fzoul Chembryl of Bane13th level male human cleric

Str 12, Int 14, Wis 17, Dex 15, Con 16,Cha 13

Height 5’11”, Weight 160 Ibs., Haircolor red, Eye color green

AC 2 (bracers of defense) or 0 in battle(full plate armor)

Hit points 80Alignment lawful evilWeapon proficiencies: mace (both

types), flail (both types), morning star.THAC0 12

Magic items of noteMace +4.Morning star +1.Ring of free action.Ring of spell storing.Ring of teleportation. A magical

device which permits the bearer to tele-port (with standard chances of error) asper the spell, once per week. This isused by Fzoul as a safegaurd in situa-tions where he is overmatched andthreatened with death.

Rod of cancellation. Kept in a sleevein his left boot.

Three blocks of incense of meditation,kept in the Dark Shrine.

Staff of the serpent (adder), kept in theDark Shrine.

Fzoul’s story:Fzoul is the second in command of

the Zhentarim, a not-so-secret organiza-tion which is also known as the BlackNetwork. The leader of the Zhentarim is

a 16th level wizard, Lord Manshoon, butFzoul holds great power as well. As amajor figure in the Church of Bane, godof tyranny, he is capable of controllinggreat forces as a result.

Fzoul is power-hungry but cautious,always taking the long view. He seeks toeventually depose Manshoon, but toremain a trustworthy ally until that time,so that his lord would not seek to elimi-nate him first. His relationship within thechurch is strong among his followers,but chilly with other Church of Baneleaders, including the High lmperceptorof Bane, a 19th level cleric whose baseis in Mulmaster and who is Fzoul’s titularsuperior in the Moonsea area.

Fzoul plays off one force against theother, usually supporting Manshoonagainst the High Imperceptor. Recentlyhe has opened negotiations with a thirdpowerful force, the creature known asTyranthraxus. If Fzoul can discover amethod to subvert the wills of men, goodand evil, he will bring a powerful tool toboth the Zhentarim and to the Church ofTyranny. If successful, of course, Fzoulintends to keep the method’s secrets tohimself.

If Fzoul is slain before he can teleportaway, an automatic contingency spellwill activate his word of recall, sendinghis body to a safe location in Thay, andnotifying his servants that he is in needof a raise dead. Thus, killing Fzoul him-self will neither end the threat of theBlack Network, nor will it necessarilymean that Fzoul will not return in thefuture.

Vangerdahast15th level male human magic-user

Str 12, Int 18, Wis 16, Dex 14, Con 16,Cha 12

Height 5’7”, Weight 220 Ibs., Hair col-or white, Eye color blue

AC -1 (bracers of defense AC 2 plusring of protection +3)

Hit points 60Alignment lawful neutralWeapon proficiencies; dagger, knife,

staff.THAC0 16

Commonly used spells:1st level charm person, detect magic,

friends

2nd level detect invisibility, ESP, mirrorimage

3rd level detect illusion, hold person4th level charm monster; dispel illu-

sion, remove curse5th level Bigby’s interposing hand,

passwall, wall of iron6th level geas, globe of invulnerability7th level reverse gravity

(In dangerous situations—such as themission to Tilverton—the mage will alsofill out his complement of spells withmagic missiles, fireballs, lightning bolts,and other such less subtle, but moredramatic, spells.)

Magic items of noteWand of force.Wand of armory. When touched to a

target individual, this wand provides thetarget with an invisible field of force, pro-viding AC 0 for 6 rounds. The fieldabsorbs all magic missile attacks, and allelectrical-based attacks (including magi-cal ones). Other spells will affect the tar-get normally. A d ispe l mag ic ,disintegrate, or limited wish will bringdown the field, not affecting the personbehind it.

Ring of many wishes (unknown num-ber of charges left). This ring is onlyused in the most dire emergencies,such as the possible death of his LordKing Azoun IV.

Vangerdahast’s story:Vangerdahast is the Royal Magician

of Cormyr, Court Wizard of the PurpleDragon, and Chief Sorcerer of Suzail’sCouncil of Mages. Stern but kindly, thewhite-haired Vangerdahast is the advi-sor, former tutor, and longtime friend ofKing Azoun IV, ruler of Cormyr.

Vangerdahast is of an indeterminateage. Very few, if any, people rememberhim when he was young. For his last 30years in Cormyr he has appeared as hedoes today: white-haired, a tad over-weight, with a careworn face and con-cerned blue eyes.

Vangerdahast tutored Azoun as ayouth, and the old mage and young hot-blooded prince soon became fastfriends. When Azoun ascended to thethrone, “Vangy” became his chief advi-sor in affairs of state.

Vangerdahast is no sage or visionary,and as such often chooses the easiercourse or best short-term solution for a

problem as opposed to the long view.His loyalty and fierce devotion to kingand country is unquestioned, and whereyou find Azoun, his “pet wizard” will notbe far behind.

Elminster the Sage26th level male human magic-user

Str 13, Int 18, Wis, 18, Dex 18, Con14, Cha 17

Height 6’4”, Weight 200 Ibs., Hair col-or gray-white, Eye color steel gray

AC 7 (ring of protection +3)Hit points 96 (Scholars may point out

that no mage, even one of 26th level,should have 96 hit points. Elminster isno ordinary mage.)

Alignment chaotic goodWeapon proficiencies: all weapons

available to magic-users.THAC0 11

Spells:In his long life, Elminster has gained

access to every common spell availableto magic-users, and in addition hasdeveloped, researched, and on occa-sion discovered further spells of greatpower. In daily use, he will have anyspell suitable or necessary for virtuallyany foreseeable encounter.

Magic items of noteRing of regeneration.Necklace of missiles.Ioun stones (carried on person).Staff of striking (optional).

Elminster’s story:Elminster is perhaps the most trav-

eled and most knowledgeable sage inthe Realms, referred to as the “sage ofrecord” in texts from the Sword Coast toThay and from the lcewind Dales to theJungles of Chult. Tall, imposing, with amerry twinkle in his eye and a love forfine humor and strong drink, he none-theless puts on a gruff, dotty expressionwith those he meets for the first time. Heappears to be less than he truly is.

Elminster is ancient, older than somenations in the Realms, and steeped inthe power of those long years. He statespublicly that he does not involve himselfwith the daily affairs of men, but in realityhe seems to be involved in most majorproblems in the Realms, either directlyor through a network of allies and

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friends. He meddles, but always at hisleisure and on his own terms.

Elminster is “in retirement,” after along career that spanned the Realms, inthe sleepy rural town of Shadowdale.There, in his book-filled tower, he con-tinues his ruminations and experiments,leaving usually only to fetch this spellcomponent or that snippet of information.Or, more often than he cares to admit, tohelp destroy the plans of one dark poweror another to enslave the Realms.

Those journeying to Elminster’s towerin Shadowdale should be prepared fordisappointment, as the sage rarely seesvisitors. Instead, those seeking out thesage run instead into Lhaeo, his scribe,who is a master of bureaucracy from theold courts of Tethyr (when Tethyr still hadcourts). Lhaeo will be glad to providetons of paperwork until the individualgets the idea and goes away.

Elminster takes the long view as to“his” caretakership of the Realms. Thepetty nobles and minor squabbles mat-ter little in the cosmic play of things. Hehas said he has walked on half a hun-dred worlds, and this tends to give a cer-tain perpective to a man, leaving himless concerned by a rampaging dragonor the plans of the Black Network. WhenElminster does focus his attention onsomething, it is usually through othersthat he works his plans, and there is littlehe cannot do once he sets his mind to it.

Crimdrac the DracolichUndead dragon

Frequency: UniqueNo. Appearing: 1Armor Class: -2Move: 9”/24”Hit Dice: 11% in Lair: 20%Treasure Type: B, H, S, TNo. of Attacks: 3Damage/Attacks: 1-8/1-8/3-30 plus

chilling damage (see below)Special Attacks: Breath weaponSpecial Defenses: See belowMagic Resistance: See belowintelligence: ExceptionalAlignment: Chaotic evilSize: LTHAC0: 10

Crimdrac is a dracolich, or nightdragon, an undead creature who in life

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was a powerful and dangerous reddragon.

Dracoliches are the reported creationof the Cult of the Dragon, a mysteriousevil organization that believes theRealms are fated to fall under the con-trol of such creatures, with the Cult con-trolling the night dragons.

Like a human lich, a dracolich isimmune to charm, sleep, enfeeblement,polymorph, cold, electricity, deathspells, and symbols of death and insani-ty. It is also immune to potions or itemsthat would normally control dragons.Further, it is immune to poison, paraly-sis, hold spells, and fear. It may not beharmed by normal weapons, but is fullyvulnerable to magical weapons, spellsother than those mentioned, and mon-sters with magical properties or six ormore hit dice. A dracolich cannot beturned by a cleric.

In addition to having the attack abili-ties of a red dragon, a dracolich caninflicts 2-16 points of additional damageby chilling on any successful hit. Individ-uals who are immune to cold are unaf-fected by this, but all others must makea saving throw versus paralyzation or beparalyzed for 2-12 rounds.

The gaze of a dracolich also para-lyzes. The range of this gaze is 4”, andindividuals of 6 or more levels or hit diceadd +3 to their saving throws. If an indi-vidual saves against this paralysis, he isimmune to the paralyzing gaze of thatparticular dracolich from then on.

A dracolich has whatever magic wasavailable to the dragon. Crimdrac hadno magical abilities in life, but has beentold by Dracandros, the Mad Red Wiz-ard, that he can be trained in magicalabilities, cementing their relationship.

Crimdrac does retain the fire-breathing ability he had in life.

If Crimdrac is slain, his spirit will seekout another dragonish body within aone-mile range. Failure to find one willcause Crimdrac’s spirit to be trappedwithin the bounds of its inanimate bodyuntil a proper host shows up. If it takes anew dragonish host, then the dracolichloses one hit die. Fully destroying thebody before he escapes will result indestruction of the dracolich’s spirit.

Crimdrac appears as a great gray-reddragon, his scales translucent andstretched tight over the dragon’s skele-

ton. Two fire-motes dance where thecreature’s eyes once were, and its voiceis a low, harsh croak.

Crimdrac was created by the Cult ofthe Dragon, and seeks to aid Dracan-dros in his pursuit of a new flight ofdragons. His eventual goal is to learn allhe can from the Mad Wizard (includingmagical abilities), and then slay him,directing the flight himself against thenorthlands. Other dragons, even evilones, do not trust dracoliches by nature,so he hopes that Dracandros’s abilitieswill bring them together for him to lead.

Crimdrac is also a liar, much more sothan most red dragons. He has in therecent past claimed to have led theattack on Zhentil Keep during the lastFlight of Dragons, to have slain the witchSylune in Shadowdale, and to havedestroyed the Abomination of Moanderover Westgate. Reports of the dragon’sdeath in each of the above cases were,in his words, “exaggerated.” Any actionperformed by any dragon in the DragonReach is claimed by the dracolich andadded to his own list of achievements.

Dracandros of the CrimsonRed Wizard of Thay

18th level male human magic-user

Str 10, Int 18, Wis 9, Dex 10, Con 15,Cha 5

Height 5’4”, Weight 110 Ibs., Hair col-or blond (with beard), Eye color onegreen, one blue

AC 2 (Helm of Dragons)Hit points 40Alignment chaotic evilWeapon proficiencies: staff, dagger,

knife.Known languages: Common, Thay-

ian, Amnite, Auld Wormish (dragon).THAC0 13

Magic items of noteHelm of Dragons (described sepa-

rately below).Brooch of shielding.Ring of fire resistance.Scarab of protection.

Commonly used spells:1st level affect normal fires, burning

hands, magic missile2nd level darkness 15’ radius, flaming

sphere, mirror image, pyro-technics

3rd level fireball (always), phantasmalforce, protection from normalmissiles

4th level fire charm, fire shield, firetrap, stoneskin, wall of fire

5th level conjure elemental, hold mon-ster, wall of force

6th level contingency, stone to flesh7th level delayed blast fireball

Dracandros’s story:Dracandros was one of the powerful

movers and shakers of Thay, and therewas talk (at least according to Dracan-dros) of him being in the running as rulerof that land following the inevitable dep-osition of the current tyrant. Whetherthis is true or just the ravings of anunsound mind, any chance that Dracan-dros had was destroyed when heattacked a guest at a state dinner party.(True, the guest was a mind flayer, butsuch details are not as important in Thayas they are elsewhere in the North.)

Dracandros had all his lands andmagical property confiscated, and wasbanished from the realm, barely escap-ing with his life. Still, his mind was notturned to revenge, but rather to perform-ing an act so outrageous in its powerand effect that his masters in Thay willwelcome him back with open arms, no,beg him to come back to rule his home-land.

Through rumor, trickery, and magicalpursuit, Dracandros found the Helm ofDragons, a gold circlet which apparentlygave the wearer great power, in particu-lar in dealing with dragons. Dracandrosthought that by contacting the bulk ofpowerful dragons in the North, he couldstart another Flight of Dragons.

A Flight of Dragons is a feared eventin the North, but fortunately very rare,occurring only once per generation orso. The most recent flight was a fewyears back, and resulted in the devasta-tion of Phlan and Yulash, and the deathsof powerful individuals in Cormyr, Sha-dowdale, and Zhentil Keep. Dracandrosthinks that if he brings about anotherFlight so soon, he will gain prestigeamong his former colleagues.

Dracandros met his first ally in Crim-drac the dracolich, and set up shop onHaptooth Hill for his plan of domination.Crimdrac held a large number of drow

and other magical creatures under hissway, guarding the entrance to theirunderground caverns. The drow wouldnot follow the Red Wizard on his own,but they respected and feared the dra-colich.

At this point Dracandros was himselfcontacted by Tyranthraxus (“Lord T,” ashe is called), offering him entry into theNew Alliance. Dracandros saw this asan opportunity to create an incidentwhich would turn the individual dragonsinto a flight that would cover the Realms.(The true reasons for the Flights are notrevenge-motivated, but rather in thenature of the dragons themselves; thisindicates the type of thinking Dracan-dros was engaging in.)

Dracandros is a short, twisted spiderof a man, given to long, raving tauntsand arm gestures that would be consid-ered excessive even by an actor in theLiving City. He thinks only of his goal tobe readmitted to the Red Wizards, andwill let nothing like facts stop him.

The Helm of DragonsThe Helm of Dragons was forged by

the elves of Myth Drannor, long agowhen that city was in full flower. It wasintended first as a weapon againstTyranthraxus, pointing out his secretbase, but has proved to have otherpowers as well.

Locates, within a range of 500miles, the site of the Pool of Radi-ance (currently in Tyranthraxus’stemple in Myth Drannor).Provides the wearer with +2 to allsaving throws involving Tyran-thraxus.

*

*

*

*

*

The Helm is in reality a gold circletwith a green gem on the brow. The gemcontains the image of a dragon rearingon its hind legs. Upon placing the helmon one’s forehead, the wearer knowsthe abilities of the device.

The Helm of Dragons provides the fol-lowing abilities:

Allows the wearer to communicatewith all dragons in their nativetongues.Makes the wearer immune to anyand all attacks by living dragons(but not dracoliches).Provides AC 2 to the wearer.

The device functions only whenTyranthraxus is in the Realms. If he is

slain or banished, the device goes dor-mant until the threat returns.

Mogion of Moander12th level female human cleric

Str 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Dex 9, Con 17,Cha 9

Height 6’0”, Weight 140 lbs., Hair col-or black, Eye color brown

AC 2 (Gauntlets of Moander)Hit points 72Alignment chaotic evilWeapon proficiencies: mace, club,

flail, hammer (thrown).THAC0 14

Magic items of noteRing of plant control. Same as ring of

mammal control, but affects plants andvegetable monsters, including algoids,shambling mounds, and treants. Allowsthe user to cast one entangle spell perday.

Gauntlets of Moander (described sep-arately below).

Mogion’s story:Mogion was the daughter of a Sem-

bian noble. She fell in with Cultists ofMoander and rose to become their lead-er. She thought of the dead god as abanished legend of the past, not grant-ing magical powers beyond the sim-plest, until four months ago. At that timea vision sent by the newly freed Moan-der informed her that she was to be hischosen high priestess, and that she wasto come to Yulash.

Moander was soon defeated thereaf-ter, but the tie with Mogion remained.The cleric grew in power, gaining levelsof spells unavailable to others of thecult. She soon became the cult leaderthroughout the North, and was known asthe Mouth of Moander.

Mogion entered the buried temple ofMoander and recovered the lost Gaunt-lets of Moander, which she now wears asa symbol of her office. When survivors ofMoander’s death in Westgate reachedher with the information about the con-trolling runes, she contacted Radatha ofthe Fire Knives in Tilverton about startinga New Alliance. The pair needed power,and so brought in Zhentit Keep, Tyran-thraxus, and Dracandros. Her intention isfor the others to choose the best sub-

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jects, which she would sacrifice to bringMoander back into the Realms.

Mogion is aware that she has the“weakest” position among the magicalpowers, but feels she can strengthen itby bringing Moander back. She hasbeen given a ceremony by the JawedGod to reinstate him, and feels that theGauntlets will allow her to control thecreature. This last is untrue, and Fzoulhas told her so, but she persists inbelieving it.

The Gauntlets of MoanderThe Gauntlets of Moander are a set of

bulky magical gloves forged by thePriests of Moander long ago, in theyears before their god was banishedand imprisoned. They were originallydesigned to destroy the Pool of Radi-ance, the home of Tyranthraxus. Themere threat of these gloves was suffi-cient to cause Tyranthraxus to fleeYulash.

The gauntlets have the image of anopen mouth in each palm. In the pres-ence of the Pool of Radiance, themouths will activate, and beams of lightwill arch out, linking with the pool itself.In 5 rounds it will have sucked theenergy dry from the pool, sealing it for-ever. The Gauntlets will then fall dor-mant, losing all magical abilities, until anew Pool of Radiance is opened.

The Gauntlets have a number of bene-ficial side effects:

* Give the wearer AC 2.* Function as gauntlets of ogre

power.* Provide +2 on saving throws ver-

sus spells.* Allow the wearer to communicate

with (but not command) all plantlife.

The wearer is also more susceptibleto the effects of Moander’s own magics,saving at -4. (This should not be aproblem for the heroes by the time theygain these devices.)

Blade of LathanderThe Blade of Lathander is a magical

broad sword of incredible power, forgedby a renowned dwarven smith in thefires of the morning sun itself, in theTemple of Lathander at Saerloon. It wascreated for one purpose—to slay the

spirit of Tyranthraxus, master of thePool of Radiance.

The sword is a broad sword +3 with ablade of smoked ruby quartz, unbreak-able in normal combat. On its goldenpommel are the symbols of Lathanderand Tyranthraxus, the latter crossed out.

In normal combat, the sword func-tions as a broad sword +3. In combatwith Tyranthraxus or those he has pos-sessed, the sword will glow a brightpink. When it glows it is +6 to hit, andinflicts 3-30 points of damage. Tyran-thraxus must make a saving throw ver-sus spells (at -6 for the body heinhabits) or be forced to retreat to thePool of Radiance.

Unlike the Gauntlets of Moander andthe Helm of Dragons, the sword has noother special powers. Since its forging,it has never been used against Tyran-thraxus, though its existence is said tohave kept him in the North during hispeak of power. It was stolen from Saer-loon and the Temple of Lathander a hun-dred years ago, and has bounced fromtreasure vault to treasure vault for thepast hundred years. Two years ago itwas stolen from the Zhentarim by a half-ling. The Black Network recovered thesword and sank the ship the thief wasescaping in. The Zhentarim have sinceput out the rumor that the sword was lostat sea, when in reality it is being kept byFzoul Chembryl in his tower.

Alusair NacaciaPrincess of Cormyr

6th level female human thief

Str 15, Int 14, Wis 12, Dex 18, Con 16,Cha 17

Height 5’6”, Weight 150 Ibs., Hair col-or blonde, Eye color blue

AC 6Hit points 36Alignment neutralWeapon proficiencies: short sword,

short bow, dagger, knife, broad sword.THAC0 19

Magic items of note: None.

Alusair’s story:Alusair Nacacia is the younger daugh-

ter of King Azoun IV of Comryr. Head-strong and rebellious, she has had astormy relationship with her parents,

which reached its high point more than ayear ago over the matter of a weddingarranged for her to one of the Wyvern-spurs of Immersea. Alusair took off forthe wild country to the north with her cur-rent flame, Gharri of Gond, the HighPriest of the Church of Gond in Tilverton.Gharri of Gond had just lost a battle ofwills with the King of Cormyr, and was onthe verge of losing his power base in thecity when he escaped with the princess.

Gharri’s magical abilities helped keepthe couple safe during the first fewmonths, when the search for them wasmost intense. Eventually, however, theromance cooled, and Alusair and Gharriparted after a fight. Gharri later fell inwith the Knights of Myth Drannor, whoset up a shop for him in the more ruralreaches of Shadowdale.

As for Alusair, she drifted, and found avocation she was very good at: recoveryand redistribution of wealth (thievery).Forced to become good at her skill orstarve, Alusair prospered, changingfrom a hothouse flower to a streetwiseindividual. She was on her way to Cor-myr to rejoin her family when she wascaptured by the Fire Knives.

Alusair is hot-tempered and strong-willed. She has found that on the streets,an argument is as well solved by thesword as by the sweetened diplomaticwords used by Vangerdahast. She wantsto rejoin her father and court life, for noother reason than that the Thieves Guildof Mulmaster has a price on her head.

TyranthraxusThe Possessing Spirit

Tyranthraxus has no “statistics” inthe common sense. He is a nonentitywhich takes command of living beings,shoving their consciousness into a typeof temporal stasis while he runs all thehigher functions. Tyranthraxus cannotaccess the memories of an individual hehas taken over, but can mimic the vic-tim’s voice and actions perfectly.

A being possessed by Tyranthraxushas these special abilities:

* Fiery aura: As a sign of possession,the physical form of the host body issurrounded by flame. The fire doesnot hurt the host, but inflicts 2-20points of damage to anyone hit byTyranthraxus.

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* ESP: Tyranthraxus can detect allthought processes within 150’ ofhimself. As such, he cannot be sur-prised. The power is blocked bywalls, so it does not have its maxi-mum range when Tyranthraxus isinside an enclosure, such as histemple. However, it is still effectiveenough that the player characterswill not get the drop on him.

* Magic resistance: Tyranthraxusgives his host a flat 20% resistanceto all spells.

* Transference: Tyranthraxus canabandon his host at any time andseek out a new host. The new hostmust make a saving throw versusdeath or come entirely underTyranthraxus’s control. If the sav-ing throw succeeds, Tyranthraxuswill be stuck in the former body.While linked to his host body,Tyranthraxus cannot be abjured,dismissed, or otherwise affected byspells which target extradimen-sional creatures, such as protec-tion from evil. He may be affectedby an exorcism spell. If his hostbody is slain, and he does not suc-cessfully transfer to a new body, hewill be forced back to the Pool ofRadiance, where he will remainuntil some other individual touchesthe Pool. If confined in the Pool, hemay only try to command the mindsof those who touch its liquid.

Tyranthraxus’s story:The name Tyranthraxus is found

among the ancient legends of the Beast-Men (ogres) of Thar, along with the talesof the Pool of Radiance, and the crea-ture seems as eternal as the Moonseaitself.

It is not known what nether pitspawned Tyranthraxus, for none of thelower planes will claim him. He seems tobe eternally bound to the power of thePool of Radiance, such that he moves itwith him as he relocates his base ofpower.

Tyranthraxus has but one basicambition—to level the Realms beneathhis iron rule. His most recent attempts toset up a power base in Phlan werethwarted by brave heroes. Now relocat-ed to Myth Drannor, Tyranthraxus hashit upon a new plan, using the magicalabilities of the Azure Bonds. He has

manipulated a number of allies to aidhim in this matter.

Tyranthraxus has a secret agendawith these allies, however. Three of thefour factions possess artifacts whichcould cause his downfall and banish himfrom the Realms. He has planted in hispart of the bonds the desire to takethese items and bring them to him inMyth Drannor, where he will destroythem, thus preventing him from beingharmed in the future. Further, he intendsto see that he is the only bond-holder atthe end, and that the Heroes of theBonds will be turned into his menialslaves, in effect creating portable Poolsof Radiance that will let him move at willthrough the Realms and control multiplepeople at once.

KalmariSummoned monster

Frequency: Very RareNumber Appearing: 1Armor Class: -6 (and see below)Move: 6”Hit Dice: 3% in Lair: 100%Treasure Type: NilNo. of Attacks: 2Damage/Attack: 1-10/1 -6Special Attacks: See belowSpecial Defenses: +2 or better weap-ons to hit; see belowMagic Resistance: 100%Intelligence: AverageAlignment: Neutral evilSize: MTHAC0: 16

The kalmari in its natural state is anamorphous being of a mistlike consist-ency with a three-foot-long, tapering tail.The most striking thing about thekalmari is its jaws, which seem to stretchalmost all the way around its body. Setbelow the kalmari’s two unblinking yel-low eyes, the mouth is filled with hugepointed teeth. However, adventurers arelikely to first encounter the kalmari whileit is possessing a host from this plane.

To be called to this plane, a kalmarimust possess a body made of materialsfrom this plane. It prefers to possess aliving host, which it then devours fromthe inside, but can also be containedwithin a nonliving shell created to give itfull use of its terrible jaws. The body be-

ing possessed retains its natural armorclass, but will only take 10 points of dam-age before it splits and falls apart. Afterthe host is destroyed, the kalmari willemerge, making a noise like a thousandhissing snakes. The kalmari can onlystay on this plane without a host or amagical shell for ten minutes. After thattime it is sent hurtling back to Acheron.

The kalmari’s jaws inflict 1-10 pointsof damage and its tail only 1-6. In addi-tion, the kalmari can entangle a victimwith its tail when it hits with a natural 20.Only when the tail is severed, by doing10 points of damage specifically to thetail, is the victim free. Otherwise theadventurer is helpless.

It is the mouth of the kalmari that ismost feared, however. Though thekalmari’s bite is not deadly, the monstercan swallow a creature whole on anyattack roll that is 4 (or more) greater thanthe minimum needed to hit, or on a natu-ral 20 in any case. The victim will bedigested in a number of rounds equal toits levels or number of hit dice. After thattime, the creature cannot be resur-rected. The kalmari will not attempt toswallow anything else until the previousvictim is dead.

The kalmari’s one weakness is that itcannot digest magic. It will vomit up anymagic item swallowed with a creatureimmediately upon the death of the crea-ture possessing it. The kalmari can beslain with any magical weapon which ithas swallowed and rejected. Theseweapons have an added +2 to hit themonster, and also gain +2 to the dam-age bonus they normally possess, butonly against that kalmari. Note, too, thata kalmari can only be slain with a weap-on it once swallowed, and weapons eat-en and rejected by other kalmari aretreated as normal magic weapons.

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Wilderness EncounterTables

The following tables correspond tothe map on page 93, and should be usedto generate random encounters whenthe player characters are moving over-land.

Table 1Clear terrain, east of Desertmouthd20 roll Encounter

1 1-6 lycanthropes, werewolves2 4-16 merchants3 1-6 ogres4 1-6 wild boars5 2-16 wolves6 3-30 herd animals, antelopes7 2-16 ghouls8 1-20 wild horses9 2-16 pseudo-undead, ghouls

10 1-4 poisonous snakes11 1-2 owls12 4-20 giant rats13 2-8 giant toads14 1-6 anhkhegs15 2-20 ordinary bats16 2-8 dire wolves17 4-16 goblins18 1-2 basilisks19 1-4 scarecrows20 2-12 bugbears

Table 2Clear terrain, Shadowdale regiond20 roll Encounter

1 4-16 merchants2 1 mule3 1-4 domestic cats4 1-20 bulls5 5-20 huge centipedes6 2-4 giant stag beetles7 1 leprechaun8 2-8 shadow mastiffs9 2-8 huge spiders

10 4-24 pilgrims (Tymora)11 4-24 jermlaine12 1-2 pseudo-undead, vampires13 1-2 trolls14 3-12 giant fire beetles15 1-4 huge pedipalps16 1 penanggalan17 1-4 halfling thieves18 1 grue, chaggrin19 1 tween20 1 ghost

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Table 3Clear terrain, Daggerdale regiond20 roll Encounter

1 3-18 bandits2 1 Zhentarim patrol3 4-12 ogres4 2-8 huge spiders5 4-16 wolves6 4-20 giant rats7 5-50 hobgoblins8 1-4 giant poisonous snakes9 2-16 ghouls

10 2-16 pseudo-undead, ghouls11 2-8 huge spiders12 1-4 trolls13 1-4 large pedipalps14 2-8 minotaurs15 2-8 vapor rats16 2-8 dire wolves17 1-6 ghasts18 2-8 griffons19 1 red dragon (young adult)20 1-4 rakshasas

Table 4Clear terrain, Zhentil Keep regiond20 roll Encounter

1 1 Zhentarim patrol2 1 mule3 3-24 bandits4 1-6 jackals5 4-20 giant rats6 1 Zhentarim patrol7 1-6 war dogs8 1-4 jackalweres9 1-2 basilisks

10 2-8 huge spiders11 1-2 draft horses12 1-4 cockatrices13 2-4 griffons14 2-8 shadows15 1 red dragon (old)16 4-16 blink dogs17 5-30 orcs18 1-4 wyverns19 2-8 wolves, worgs20 1-2 fog giants

Table 5Clear terrain, Hillsfar regiond20 roll Encounter

1 3-12 bandits2 1 Red Plumes patrol3 3-18 ordinary vultures4 2-8 giant toads5 1 Red Plumes patrol6 1-6 ordinary ravens7 1-4 manticores8 1-4 poisonous snakes9 2-20 ordinary bats

10 2-16 ghouls11 1 witherweed12 4-20 pilgrims (Chauntea)13 1-4 giant pedipalps14 2-8 lammasu15 1-2 hill giants16 1-3 wolfweres17 2-8 harpies18 1-2 bulettes19 2-5 displacer beasts20 1-3 medusae

Table 6Clear terrain, Phlan regiond20 roll Encounter

1 1-6 mastodons2 4-12 ogres3 1 Zhentarim patrol4 1-3 black bears5 5-30 orcs6 1-6 skunks7 3-12 bandits8 2-16 ghouls9 1-12 trolls

10 1 witherweed11 1-2 tigers12 2-12 blood hawks13 1 giant bumblebee14 1 moon dog15 1-2 whipweeds16 2-8 hippogriffs17 2-12 land lampreys18 1-2 earth dragons (adult)19 1-2 black dragons (young adult)20 10-80 goblins

Table 7Mountains and foothlllsd20 roll Encounter

1 2-20 ordinary bats2 5-20 bandits3 3-24 goats4 1-6 ordinary ravens5 2-20 large spiders6 5-20 orcs7 1-2 cave bears8 1-4 cockatrices9 1-3 stone giants

10 5-20 goblins11 1-6 large scorpions12 1-4 giant black squirrels13 2-8 giant worker bees14 4-20 quaggoth15 2-5 owlbears16 1-4 screaming devilkins17 1-4 leucrotta18 2-8 margoyles19 1-2 mountain giants20 2-8 wraiths

Table 8 Table 9Medium woods Heavy woodsd20 roll Encounter d20 roll Encounter

1 4-24 gnolls 1 1-6 brown bears2 1-20 bulls 2 4-16 wild dogs3 1-6 wild boars 3 4-48 orcs4 1-6 lycanthropes, wereboars 4 2-8 giant toads5 2-24 giant centipedes 5 2-20 large spiders6 2-20 large spiders 6 3-12 giant fire beetles7 1-4 basilisks 7 2-8 moon elves8 2-8 clubneks 8 4-40 kobolds9 4-24 stirges 9 5-30 stirges

10 1-4 giant poisonous snakes 10 1-4 wyverns11 2-8 trolls 11 1 giant hornet12 5-20 bandits 12 2-12 bugbears13 1-6 anhkhegs 13 1 choke creeper14 2-8 obliviax 14 5-40 goblins15 2-8 shadows 15 6-36 sprites16 3-12 giant ticks 16 1-20 treants17 2-8 vapor rats 17 1-6 skulks18 1 groaning spirit 18 1 bloodthorn19 1-2 green dragons (adult) 19 1 greenhag20 4-16 zombies 20 4-16 quicklings

Table 10The Moonsead20 roll Encounter

1 1-2 throat leeches2 1-4 giant crayfish3 1-4 otters4 1-6 giant water spiders5 1-2 giant snapping turtles6 1-4 giant lampreys7 1 giant catfish8 4-16 giant cranes9 20-50 buccaneers

10 2-16 aquatic ogres11 4-16 merchants12 1-2 dinosaurs, elasmosaurus13 1-4 carp dragons (young adult)14 1 mist dragon15 2-5 giant otters16 1 sirine17 1-6 marine trolls18 2-8 marine gargoyles19 1-3 water weirds20 1 dragon turtle

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