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Summary:
The PCs travel to the demi-plane of Y'tik-foligis to locate the fiend F'harrikk'il to recover the soul gem of Nemis the wizard. There they learn that the gem has passed into the hands of a glabezru, and thence to a nalfeshnee. The PCs must defeat the nalfeshnee and recover the soul gem, but not before learning some horrifying secrets.
Assumptions:
The PCs are in the employ of House Riverine.
Location:
Far Coast, Dwillingir
Historical Date:
N.S. 32, Summer or Fall
DM's Introduction:
The events of this scenario follow directly on the heels of the scenarios entitled "The Tower of the Mage", "Ruins of Evil", and "The Corrupted." In "The Tower of the Mage", the PCs sought an audience with the mysterious mage Hagistre in order to determine the location of a demon named F'harikk'il who was mentioned on a piece of parchment the PCs had recovered from Ragyfir's castle near Lake Cald. Having made their way through Hagistre's strange and deadly obstacle course of eight trials and finally meeting the mage firsthand, the PCs were assigned two tasks in exchange for the mage offering to locate F'harrik'il and transporting the PCs to his home plane. Having completed the two tasks, the PCs are now ready to journey to F'harrik'il's home plane.
The scenario assumes that the events in the scenario "Bank Shot", "The Tower of the Mage", "Ruins of Evil", and "The Corrupted" have taken place. Specifically, it assumes the PCs have managed to obtain the documents of Ragyfir from the scenario, including the strange piece of paper scribed as follows:
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If the PCs have not been involved in the events of "Bank Shot", "The Tower of the Mage", "Ruins of Evil", or "The Corrupted" then the DM can still use this scenario quite easily. The PCs can simply be hired by the strange and reclusive mage Hagistre to recover the soul gem in return from some favour that better fits the DM's campaign or simply in exchange for a reward. It is left to the DM to determine what would be a suitable reward.
DMs are also referred to the "Mercur Papers" document in the DM Only section of the Therra website. That provides essential background data that places information presented in this introduction into greater context. DMs
Note: This scenario is the third in the last sequence of events that is intended to finish the Riverine campaign. As such, DMs should be aware that, as befits the end of a campaign, encounters are more dangerous. In addition, important secrets of the Riverine campaign are revealed herein.
Background:
The Soul of Nemis:
The full details of Nemis and his current plight are related in the scenario "Bank Shot". Nemis was a ranking wizard in the Onlor mage guild called "Blood and Thought". Nemis had been given possession of an artifact, the Crystal of the Ebon Flame, by the great silver dragon loremaster Octonneor de Lurgente. The dragon had been a guardian of the artifact, deigning to keep it from mortal hands to avoid the mischief and misery that could be perpetrated by the crystal. But when he went to war to fight the final battles against the Deceiver, though he hid his lair and protected his hoard, he did not feel comfortable leaving the artifact behind unattended. So he gave the artifact over to Nemis, a mage whose guild the dragon had friendly relations. Nemis was charged with warding the crystal until the dragon should return from war.
Octonneor did return, but gravely wounded and suffering from exhaustion. Needing to rest and rejuvenate and fearing he was too weak to protect the artifact, he bade it remain with Nemis.
Somehow the drow matron N'araktheel learned of the location of the crystal. And wanting its power for her own ambitions, she used the services of various fiends to learn of the wards and protections surrounding the Blood and Thought guildhall, Nemis, and the artifact. The drow matron then made an arrangement with a particularly brutal human mercenary named Ragyfir and his band known as the Splintered Arrows. She had the demon F'harikk'il provide Ragyfir with a gem of great power. This gem, shaped like a small star, could be thrust into the spine of Nemis and, in doing so, trap the mage, body, mind, and soul within the gem. Once done, and with the crystal successfully in the hands of N'araktheel, the demon offered to split the prize of Nemis within the gem into three pieces. One piece, Nemis' intellect, would go to Ragyfir, giving him control over the mage's arcane powers. Such ability would turn Ragyfir from a potent fighter to a potent fighter/wizard. A second piece, containing Nemis' body, would be given to N'araktheel, as a trophy and plaything for her amusement. The third piece, Nemis' soul, would be given to F'harikk'il as payment for his services.
For fiends, souls are currency and food. The consumption of a soul is a thing of immense pleasure for a fiend, and the more powerful the soul, the more delectable the experience. But souls are also valuable as currency, for ownership of a soul implies status and power, like a nobleman flaunting his luxuries. In addition, this particular soul is valuable to the PCs, since Ragyfir cannot access or utilize Nemis' intellect without the bearer of Nemis' soul allowing it to happen. In fact, the PCs seek Nemis' soul gem not only to free Nemis, but to deny Ragyfir access to his wizardly powers.
F'harikk'il eventually turned the soul gem over to a glabezru named Razkurig'il, who was his overlord. This glabezru kept the gem for a time, for he had encountered the PCs years earlier (in the scenario entitled "The Tower of Tharikthiril") and has followed their career since. But eventually the glabezru needed to settle a debt with a nalfeshnee named Exteriryx. This nalfeshnee is the current holder of Nemis' soul, which he retains as a piece of his wealth and status. What Exteriryx does not know is that the PCs are close allies of Curinax, the Riverine House Mage. Curinax' long lost lover, Shannon, was captured by Exteriryx and she dwells in thrall with him still.
The Tower:
The Tower of the Mage has been just outside the walls of Dwilingir for over 175 years. It was built in the year 5371 AD by a young conjurer of some repute named Hagistre. Hagistre had made quite a name for himself in the Brotherhood of the Rose, a conjurer's guild headquartered in the Vosh-Gerr region. Even at the early age of 30, Hagistre was already considered a master conjurer, knowledgeable about the various planes of existence and able to summon and master an amazing variety of fiends and extraplanar entities. Indeed, the wizard was known for his insatiable appetite for knowledge and esoteric lore.
However, Hagistre became bored with study of the planes. In his explorations, he came across tantalizing hints of something that might exist beyond the planes, even beyond the seas of chaos that lap at the outer shores of existence. Obsessed with this knowledge, and thinking it worthy of his intellect, he began to explore what he came to call the Outre Realm or the Far Realm. It is a realm where chaos itself originates, a realm of twisted possibilities and outrageous notions rejected by the cosmos. Study of this strange realm proceeded slowly, and Hagistre was continually bothered by the demands of his guild, civilization in general, and worried that rival mages would try to seize upon his work and take the glory of its initial explorations for themselves.
And so the wizard determined to find a place where he could conduct his work in peace. A place near enough to some semblance of civilization, so that he could dwell in a place of law and order and not subject to the dangers of the wilderness, and also a place where he could procure materials both exotic and mundane when necessary, but still a place removed from the prying eyes of nobles and mages. Eventually, Hagistre determined that Dwillingir was the place that met his needs. The mage came to the Far Coast and by means both fair and not so fair managed to purchase a small hillock of land just outside of the town for his own. His tower was built quickly (some say too quickly) and the mage then began to conduct his exploration of the Far Realm.
At first Hagistre emerged from his tower from time to time, to do shopping, order supplies, or to simply parley with other local wizards. But eventually, his obsession with his task, and his growing, almost paranoid jealousy of his explorations coupled with the suspicions of the townsfolk prompted the wizard to step forth from his tower less and less often, until he finally simply stopped leaving altogether.
Since then, the tower has been the subject of many rumours and innuendos. From time to time strange shapes are seen landing on the top of the tower at night. At other times, strange lights are seen coming from the tower, despite the lack of windows. Even earth tremors and other possibly natural phenomenon are attributed to the owner of the tower. Indeed, the owner himself is subject to rumour. Normal humans do not live for over 200 years. Some townsfolk speculate that the wizard (few remember his name) died long ago. Others agree but believe an apprentice now dwells there, having carried on the will of his master, or perhaps several in a line of apprentices. Others think the wizard is not human. Perhaps a long lived elf or half elf or even an outsider of some sort.
Hagistre is certainly no longer human. He is an alienist of great power, perhaps the most accomplished alienist in all of Therra. Certainly others have tried to tap and explore the mad washings of the Far Realms, but but none of transcended time and his own body in his metaphysical journeys of exploration and discovery. To this time, he has managed to evade the fate destined eventually for such a high level alienist. The powers of the Far Realm have not come for him...yet. And so, he has managed to stay alive and living even after all of these years.
Hagistre does not like intrusion. He is already somewhat paranoid, though not irredeemably so, but certainly does not wish to have his actions or experiments observed. In addition, many of his procedures are very dangerous and very dependent upon circumstances, such as the stars being perfectly aligned. Interruptions can decimate his progress for years at a time, and can endanger both himself and his surroundings. As such, he has set an amazing variety of guardians and wards to keep out intruders. However, Hagistre is not entirely gone from the world yet. He recognizes that there might be those who have a real and urgent need of him. So he has set ways for the strong and clever and persistent to pass his wards and eventually make their way to meet him. Hagistre figures that anyone brave or stupid enough to test themselves against his guardians and succeed is certainly worthy of an audience. Casual intrusions are kept away and only urgent requests are allowed to bother him.
In addition, the time needed for intruders to navigate his wards allows Hagistre to hopefully interrupt his experiments at a non-dangerous time and to allow the wizard time to prepare defenses in case the intruders should prove hostile.
And so, the wizard set his tower as a test for those who come a-calling. Supplicants must use their prowess and intellect to pass the various extra-dimensional wards placed by the eccentric and possibly mad mage. The PCs proved equal to the task, and met the eccentric mage.
The First Task:
The PCs pled their need to Hagistre, who agreed to research the location of the fiend F'harrik'il and transport the PCs to the fiend's demi-plane if they would obtain two items for him, to aid him in his strange area of study...the Far Realms. The first item was a powerful scrying crystal owned by the maug Orcus. The Heroes of the Gem had encountered this crystal in the Final Tower of Flupnir just preceding the War of the Gem, and subsequently, Orcus' minions had transported the crystal back to his castle in Mordasht. There, Orcus was defeated and dragged into Slumber by the awakened gods, and the castle itself and Orcus' minions were then sundered by the assembled forces of good. The crystal, however, remained hidden in the extensive dungeons of Orcus, until it was found by a lich-priestess of Orcus who returned to his dungeons to rebuild the maug's power base on Therra.
Hagistre laid a geas upon the PCs and teleported them to a place he had scryed just outside of the ruins of Orcus' castle. He also gave them a silver rod by which they could teleport back to his tower...but only if they had the crystal.
The PCs managed to find their way into the dungeons below the castle ruins, and there they defeated the lich-priestess and her vampire minions. Gaining the crystal, they teleported back to Hagistre's Tower. The mage was delighted to have the crystal, and bade the PCs rest and recover, as their second and final task remained.
The Second Task:
The PCs were then sent to the heart of the Blanthil Forest still overcome by the evil minions of Demogorgon. There they were to obtain at least one vial of blood of a green dragon said to have been twisted in ancient times by the influence of the Far Realms. This dragon was an ally or pet of the evil fey'ri, elf/demon crossbreeds that were instrumental in the downfall of the Blanthil.
Hagistre laid a geas upon the PCs and teleported them to a place he had scryed just outside of the Bladesong Tower, where the fey'ri lived.. He also gave them a silver rod by which they could teleport back to his tower...but only if they had the vial of blood.
The PCs managed to defeat the fey'ri and learned the location of the dragon's lair. There they defeated the pseudonatural dragon and returned to Hagistre with its blood.
The Current Situation:
The PC have had time to rest. They are now summoned to Hagistre's audience chamber to receive their reward.
Part One - The Preparing to Leave:
Hagistre's Audience:
Hagistre's chamber is a space too big to be in his tower. In fact, it seems to go on forever, a 10 ft high pillared stone hall that proceeds out of sight in all directions except behind the PCs, where the doors have now closed.
Seated on a throne some 50 ft away from the PCs is Hagistre the mage, an elderly bearded man in rune-embroidered robes that are smudged with dirt. His eyes radiate a strange blue light (from his permanent arcane sight spell), and a translucent shroud of force ripples over his body (his epic shroud of protection spell). The hood of his cloak is pulled down over his brow, but a bottom lid of a third eye in the middle of his forehead can just be glimpsed. The man's beard and hair is unkempt, and his eyes wide and darting. His impression is instantly one of a sort of mad genius. Hagistre's form crackles with various defensive spells, and there are several wands tucked into his belt and a staff in his hand.
Jevris will snap his fingers and unseen servants will arrive carrying trays of victuals and drinks and set them before the PCs. Then the construct will bow and Hagistre and the PCs.
| JEVRIS CR 2 LN Medium construct Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Listen -2, Spot -2 Languages Common, High Imperial AC 14, touch 10, flat-footed 14; Combat Expertise hp 37 (3 HD) Fort +1, Ref +1, Will -1 Spd 30 ft (6 squares) Melee slam +5 (1D6+4) Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft Base Atk +2; Grp +5 Abilities Str 16, Dex 10, Con -, Int 13, Wis 6, Cha 12 SQ construct traits Feats Combat Expertise, Skill Focus (profession [butler]) Skills Diplomacy +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Profession (butler) +7 Possessions expensive kaftan robe, whisk broom, handkerchief |
Hagistre will inquire as to whether the PCs were comfortable and rested. Assuming all is well, he will proceed. Hagistre is prone to cackle madly when amused, as he will at several times during his speeches. He will also, when excited, froth at the mouth and spray spittle as he talks.
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Again bravo my friends! Bravo indeed. You have made me giddy with excitement! Think upon it. I shall be the first person ever to peer directly into the Far Realms! It is the culmination of a lifetime's ambition. You have no idea of the trials I have suffered, of body and mind, of patience and diligence, to come to this event. But yes, I sense you are impatient and do not wish to hear of my gloating. You have worked hard and braved much to obtain the two items for me, and it is now time for you to reap your reward. |
Hagistre will take a sip of wine that suddenly appears in a goblet in his hand and will continue.
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I have spent no small effort inquiring as to the nature of this F'harrik'il mentioned on the parchment you have given me. I have pored through tomes both mundane and rare, and have summoned and questioned, sometimes under duress, many fiends. And here is what I have determined. This F'harrik'il is an uridezu, a rat demon if you will. On their surface uridezu are low on the pecking order of fiends, having no great magical powers or prodigious strength. But they tend, like their mortal counterparts, to be clever, adaptable, and adept at surviving under dangerous conditions. So too F'harrik'il. For he is something of a respected broker of information amongst the fiends, if "respected" is a word that may be used in describing relations amongst the demons of the netherworld. But broker he is, selling information, advice, and sometimes actual trinkets. Now, that was the easy part. But the scripture "blue sapphire with argent flecks" was a bit more difficult to nail down. Of course, it was quite apparent that this was a description of an Astral colour pool, or gate within the Astral Plane that leads to another world or demi-plane. But which demi-plane and how to find it? That was the tricky part. But find it I did! After much research, I have determined that the colour pool described leads to the plane of Y'tik-foligis. You have heard of the place? |
Hagistre will await a reply, especially eyeing any wizards in amongst the PCs. Allow a DC 15 Knowledge (planes) check to have heard of the place, with a further basic fact known for each 5 points by which the check exceeded DC 15. In any event, Hagistre will proceed.
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Y'tik-foligis is a demi-plane of exceeding ancient-ness, accessible via the Astral Plane. No one knows when it was created, or why, or by whom, though various theories abound. What is known is that Y'tik-foligis is a sort of neutral ground for the evil fiends of the netherplanes. Even treacherous creatures such as baatezu, tanar'ri, and obyriths sometimes need a place to gather, barter, negotiate, and intercourse. Y'tik-foligis is such a place, primarily because of the inevitables, outsiders of an almost construct-like nature, that are present there and, according to legend, were there even before the fiends arrived. In any event, that is how the place now stands. And it makes perfect sense that a broker such as F'harrik'il would dwell there. I have located the colour pool and determined its frequency, so that I am able to send you there via planar travel should you desire. Now, I've told you that Y'tik-foligis is a neutral ground, but keep in mind that the term "neutral ground" for fiends is something akin to a lawless cesspool of scum and villainy to mortals. Murder, treachery, enslavement, and all sorts of debauchery and vileness abound there. But there are also rules, or so I am told, though I don't know that any are written down or codified and I am certainly not aware of what they might be. Well, there you have it. I can send you to Y'tik-foligis when you are ready. I don't know exactly where F'harrik'il dwells, and I am told the city, which is really the only place of interest on the demi-plane, is rather large. But I am sure you can manage. A word of advice though. The place is a neutral ground for fiends. Not for mortals. And especially not for mortals carrying around symbols of the gods. My advice to you is to either disguise yourselves as fiends, or to at least present yourselves as humans who are both strong and evil. |
Hagistre will answer some of the questions the PCs might have, the most common of which are summarized below, but he is eager to be done with the PCs and wants to begin constructing his Far Realms viewing device.
Q: Will humans be slain on sight in Y'tik-foligis?
A: Hard to say. I have accounts of humans travelling their to conduct business with the fiends, and the strong amongst them sometimes returned in one piece. But humans and other mortals are also likely to be viewed as food, slaves, souls, sexual playthings, or any other number of unpleasantries.
Q: How do we get back to Therra?
A: If you cannot manage planar travel of your own, I would be happy to provide you with a scroll of plane travel that has already be attuned to Therra. You would return to Therra, though likely some leagues from your intended destination. My own planar travel magic will get you very near your destination, and you don't want to get stuck in the badlands surrounding the city proper. Very dangerous place full of the outcasts of the city. And if you think about how bad the city is, you will imagine how bad one must be to be exiled from such a place!
Q: Can we return to your Tower?
A: No! We have done or are doing favours for each other, but I cannot be disturbed as I construct my viewing device and view the Far Realms. Any interruption could be disastrous for me. I think it will be far better for all of us should we never lay eyes on each other.
Q: Do we have to leave immediately?
A: No. You can stay for 2 days at most. Then you must go.
Q: Why can't we just plane travel there on our own?
A: You can. It's no skin off my nose. But unless you are a powerful wizard with access to greater plane travel, you are certain to wind up far from Y'tik-foligis, which would likely take you deep into the badlands, where those who are so vile they cannot be stood to dwell in the city are exiled. Similarly, you could try to enter the Astral Plane and find the colour pool on your own. There are supposedly many other pools leading there as well. But I researched the resonant tune of the pool, not its physical location on the Astral Plane and have no idea how long it would take you to find it.
Hagistre will let the PCs rest here for up to three days to prepare. If the PCs need something, they can pay Hagistre and he will summon a being to go purchase the item from Dwillingir. He will not procure anything that cannot be purchased in Dwillingir. He will also send messages to people in Dwillingir as long is such messages do not divulge the nature of his studies or the details of the PCs' quest.
If the PCs wish to include an additional person in this quest (e.g. a PC that did not take part in the previous scenario or a cohort that is not present), Hagistre will summon an outsider most appropriate to that person's alignment and request the outsider to invite the person to teleport to the tower to join with the PCs. Hagistre will give the outsider a small rod that serves to to the tower the person who concentrates on it.
Once everyone is present and ready to go, Hagistre will cast a greater plane shift on the PCs. If the PCs have requested it, he will first present them with an arcane scroll of plane shift (CL 13).
If there are more than 8 PCs present, then Hagistre will cast multiple greater plane shift spells on the PCs. He will not, however, give them extra plane shift scrolls unless they pay standard market price for them. He has at least half a dozen such scrolls and will part with two of them.
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HAGISTRE CR 21 Alien Transcendence (Su) Hagistre, because of long association with alien entities and intense study of insane secrets, transcends his mortal form and becomes an alien creature. His type changes to outsider. Additionally, he gains DR 10/magic and resistance to acid 10 and electricity 10. Upon achieving alien transcendence, Hagistre has undergone a minor physical change, a third eye in the middle of his forehead. Hagistre can hide this abnormality in a hood, but the eye is not under his control and sometimes moves, twitches, opens, or otherwise animates of its own accord. This applies a -4 penalty on Disguise checks Hagistre makes to conceal his true nature. Anyone who shares Hagistre's predilection for study of the Far Realms immediately recognizes his transcendent nature and Hagistre gains a +2 circumstance bonus on all Cha-based skill checks and ability checks when interacting with such beings. He gains a +2 circumstance bonus on Intimidate checks involving any other creatures to whom he reveals his abnormal nature. Insane Certainty (Ex) Hagistre's mad certainty has crystallized into a truly chilling mania. He gains an additional 3 hit points, but his mental facilities continue to degrade. His penalty on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Handle Animal checks made to influence nonpseudonatural creatures increases to -10. Mad Certainty (Ex) Hagistre's certainty in the power of entities beyond the reach of normal space and time lend him an unnatural fortitude, granting him an additional 3 hit points. However, constantly dwelling on such beings is mentally corrosive, and his mind had begun to fracture. Hagistre takes a -4 penalty on all Bluff, Diplomacy, and Handle Animal checks made to influence non pseudonatural creatures. Summon Alien Whenever Hagistre would use any summon monster spell to summon a celestial or fiendish creature, he instead summons a pseudonatural version of that creature. Hagistre has given up the ability to summon nonpseudonatural creatures with a summon monster spell. Timeless Body (Ex) Hagistre has learned the secret of perpetual youth. He no longer takes ability penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Ability score bonuses from aging still accrue, and any penalties he might have already taken remain in place. * indicates a spell that is already cast |
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REVBARGG, PSEUDONATURAL TOAD
FAMILIAR CR n/a True Strike (Su) Once per day, Revbargg can gain a +20 insight bonus on a single attack roll. In addition, he suffers no miss chance against a target that has concealment or total concealment when making this attack. |
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Mass Teleport, Greater This spell functions like mass teleport, except that there is no range limit and there is no chance you arrive off target. In addition, you need not have seen the destination, but in that case you must have at least a reliable description of the place to which you are teleporting. If you attempt to teleport with insufficient information (or with misleading information), you and the subjects of the spell disappear and simply reappear in your original location. Interplanar travel is not possible. |
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Extended Peripety Abjuration Ranged attacks targeted against the character rebound on the original attacker. Any time during the duration, five attacks are automatically reflected back on the original attacker; the character decides which attacks before damage is rolled. The reflected attack rebounds on the attacker using the same attack roll. Once five attacks are so reflected, the spell ends. |
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Hagistre's Refuge Conjuration (Teleportation) This spell is an epic version of the refuge spell. You create powerful magic in a small silver rod. This rod contains the power to instantly transport its attuned possessor any others attuned to it across any distance within the same plane to your abode. Once the rod is transmuted, you must give it willingly to a creature or creatures who must attune themselves to the rod by spilling a drop of blood upon it. To make use of the item, one of those attuned to the item speaks the command word at the same time that it rends or breaks the item (a standard action). When this is done, the individual and all objects it is wearing and carrying (to a maximum of the character’s heavy load) are instantly transported to your abode. Any other attuned creatures within 20 ft of the rod, and their possessions, are also transported. No other creatures are affected (aside from a familiar that is touching the subject). A maximum of 10 creatures may be attuned to the rod. The caster may, at the time of transmutation, also cast a geas/quest spell into the rod, thereby setting a condition only upon which the rod may be activated. Such condition can include completion of a task, possession of a certain item, etc. Material Component: A silver rod intricately carved with runes and studded with gems worth 3,000 gp. |
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Shroud of Protection Conjuration (Creation, Force) A translucent shroud of force surrounds the subject of shroud of protection, providing a +13 armor bonus to Armour Class. Unlike mundane armour, shroud of protection entails no armour check penalty, arcane spell failure chance, or speed reduction. Because shroud of protection is made of force, incorporeal creatures can't bypass it the way they do normal armour. |
Part Two - The Demi-Plane of Y'tik-foligis:
Arrival:
Refer to the Demi-Plane Environs Map below for a larger scale overview of the surrounding area, including the spot at which the PCs will arrive.
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You appear on solid ground, in a warm and dusty place outside. A biting wind brings the scent of dirt to you, and bits of grit brush against your faces. Just behind you, on a stone in the shadow of a hill, is a small plinth atop which is set a deep sapphire blue crystal with argent flecks. Looking around, you have arrived on a spur at the terminus of a range of jagged hills that march down from what you decide to call "north". To your "south" you overlook a 10 mile wide vale that seems to have cut through the ridgeline, for the hills then continue "south" past the vale. The vale itself is littered with an amazing debris field comprised of millions of boulders, some as small as a human and others larger than a small manor house. These boulders pass through the vale and seem to march along a small valley to the "northwest" and "southeast" into a slowly descending plain. Strangely shaped mesas and other neeedle-like spires of stone jut up from the landscape, most quite distant from you, and it is easy to notice that there seems to be no horizon here; objects just seem to grow indistinct or hazy as they grow more distant. To the "northwest", the march of boulders ends at a massive rift in the ground. This rent in the earth is at least 10 miles wide and must be close to 5 miles wide at its apex. Small wafts of steam or smoke seem to drift out of the crack. Turning to the "southeast", the vale opens into a downward sloping plain that widens into an expanse perhaps 60 miles in diamater before being broken by a distant and shadowy range of hills or low mountains far to the "southeast". This plain is also littered with millions of boulders, though the boulders seem to follow distinct lines and valleys, as if they are mimicing the path of some once great river or even a small inland sea. Around the perimeter of this wide plain are several lone peaks, reaching thousands of feet into the sky, and at least two of these peaks are active volcanoes, as ash plumes spew forth from their crowns and the ruddy glow of lava can be seen. In the center of the plain is a massive crater, its walls rising several hundred feet into the air. Emerging from the very center of the crater is an obviously artifically made spire, impossibly thin and impossibly tall. The spire, possibly made of metal, though it is difficult to tell at this distance, rises needle sharp up several hundred feet above the rim of the crater and ends in a slight bulb or bulge. A weird flickering glow seems to emanate from within the crater, and the bulge at the top of the spire also seems to occasionally emit short, sharp beams of light into the air. Perhaps 25 miles "south" of the crater is what can be best described as a massive dust cloud rising thousands of feet into the air. What is causing this dust cloud is not readily apparent, but even a short observation of the cloud reveals what must be massive boulders or chunks of earth swirling around in the cloud. Whether these are being swept up by the cloud, or whether they are falling from the sky and causing the cloud, is not evident. The sky of the place is light, as light as a day on Therra in late afternoon, but there is no sun evident. |
The edges of the demi-plane are comprised of a swirling cloud of dust that form a sphere 1000 miles in diameter. Anyone attempting to penetrate the cloud suffers 10D6 points of bludgeoning damage and is immedietaly expelled back into the demi-plane. Incorporeal creatures suffer no damage, but are still expelled.
Y'tik has no sun, but it does have 12 hours of daylight equivalent to an afternoon sun and 12 hours of moonless and starless night. Climate is warm, but not unbearably so...just uncomfortably so. Daytime temperature is approximately 85 degrees and dry. Nighttime temperature drops to 70 degrees and dry. There is never any precipitation.
The only major features of the demi-plane are shown on the Demi-Plane Environs Map. The rest of the demi-plane is known as the Badlands, and consists of mile after mile of dusty badlands with no water, only broken by an occasional large boulder and infrequent areas of rocky hills and jutting mesas. The major features (and the Bandlands) are breifly described below.
Ancient Ruins:
None of the normal inhabitants of Y'tik-foligis know who built this city, who dwelt within, and what caused its ruin. Speculation remains that the inevitables once dwelt there but had to leave for reasons they refuse to divulge. What is known is that the place is long since looted and now serves as a refuge for fiends exiled from the city. Occasionally, a powerful fiend rules the ruined city and its inhabitants for a time before eventually being deposed. Still, rumours are rife that undiscovered treasures of the previous inhabitants remain buried.
Plain of Devastation:
This roughly 15 mile diameter swath of plain is covered continuously in a massive, inexplicible dust storm. Winds are always at windstorm level at a minimum, and often reach hurricane strength. Occasionally, vortices arise that are tornado strength. Refer to the DMG for details regarding the effects of high winds. These winds kick up a choking cloud of dust and grit that produce a greater duststorm effect.
The duststorm reduces visibility ranges by three quarters, imposing a -8 penalty on Spot, Search, and Listen checks. Ranged weapon attacks are impossible, except for those using siege weapons, which have a -4 penalty on attack rolls. The duststorm automatically extinguishes candles, torches, and similar unprotected flames. They cause protected flames, such as those of lanterns, to dance wildly and have a 50% chance to extinguish these lights. The duststorm also deals 1D3 points of nonlethal damage each round to anyone caught out in the open without shelter and also pose a choking hazard (see Drowning - except that a character with a scarf or similar protection across his mouth and nose does not begin to choke until after a number of rounds equal to 10 × his Con score).
Even worse than the winds are the massive boulders that appear out of nowhere high in the sky and come pelting down like some gargantuan hailstorm. Anyone without sturdy total cover must make a DC 15 Ref save to avoid suffering 1D6x1D6 points of bludgeoning damage from the rocks. Such a check must be made 1D10 rounds after entering the area and every 1D10 rounds thereafter. Checks should be made for each individual or small group of individuals.
No one knows what has caused this strange phenomenon to occur, save perhaps the inevitables, who will not say. Some incorporeal creatures have travelled through the area, and report nothing of interest, though there is no way to tell what may be buried deep within the sand. What is known is that despite the continual rain of boulders, while the ground is strewn with boulders, there are not enough to account for millennia of such earthy deluge. What eventually happens to the fallen boulders is still a mystery.
Ruined Keep:
The angular architecture of this massive adamantine keep suggests that the inevitables built this structure. However, something capable of destroying that ultra-hard metal managed to raze the place, so that only shards of its walls and towers remain. What does remain is amazingly valuable, but also difficult to get at, since it is difficult to salvage refined adamantine and the place is crawling with dangerous creatures who prey on those attempting to take some of the metal. Nevertheless, there is an adamantine trade that goes on in Y'tik-foligis, as brave or foolish salvagers manage to extract bits and pieces of the keep.
The keep is haunted by all sorts of exiles, including bands of mezzoloths, canoloths, vrocks, and other dangerous fiends. At least one group of demodands is known to dwell inside the keep proper, led by an exiled shator known as "The Keeper". These demodands attempt to slay or drive off any who seek to salvage adamantine, though occasionally they have been known to sell some of the metal to those who come in sufficient strength and with sufficient treasure.
Y'tik-foligis:
The city sits in a massive crater, accessed by way of the Road of Razors. Refer to Part Three for further details.
Other Locations:
Badlands - The Badlands are basically every part of the demi-plane not shown on the map. They consist simply of vast stretches of plains (see below) punctuated by the occasional hill or mesa. The farther one moves into the Badlands from the city, the fewer denizens one encounters, but the more dangerous they become.
Boulders - While all of the area has rocks and boulders, certain areas of the demi-plane are strewn with millions of boulders. These are always set in small valleys, almost as if rivers or lakes were suddenly transformed from water into stone and then shattered apart in myriad pieces. These regions (called "boulder washes") have lots of cover and places for ambushes and the terrain is dense rubble.
Hills - These rugged ridges are devoid of plant life, instead being accumulations of massive rocks and scree.
Mesas - These structures are generally quite steep, and range from flat tops a mile or more in diameter to tops that are mere feet wide. They range in height from 150 ft to 2000 ft and their sides show various striations of minerals.
Plains - The general, featureless plains of the demi-plane are comparable to barren wastes of Therra, with the East Wastes being most comparable. Plant life is almost non-existant, though a very occasional thorny growth can be seen. It never rains, and there is not a scrap of water, so it is difficult to tell how such plants survive. The plains are not perfectly flat, rolling and undulating up and down small rills and ridges, occasionally cut by a crack or small gully. Boulders and rocks are plentiful.
The plains are roamed by various unintelligent outsiders considered vermin or animals, as well as by fiends exiled from the city. The latter live hardscrabble lives, and are greatly embittered by their fate. They tend to flee from the strong and viciously attack the weak.
Rifts - The demi-plane in the vicinity surrounding Y'tik-foligis shows signs of some immense conflict in ages past. One manifestation of these are great rifts or gashes in the earth. These rifts are miles in length and width, and deeper than any sight can see. Acrid smoke wafts up from the rifts, though not in enough quantity or concentration to cause harm. The rifts are between 5 and 10 miles deep, and are barren at the bottom, with cracks from which the vapours emanate. Bones and exoskeletons of fiends that have fallen or were tossed into the rifts can usually be found at the bottom, and sometimes flying creatures lair in these rifts.
Volcanoes - There two active and three dormant volcanoes in the vicinity of Y'tik-foligis. The active volcanoes spew poisonous ash clouds into the air, which are then swept away by errant breezes. Lava constantly flows down the active volcanoes, eventually piling up and cooling at the base of the mountains, forming strange blackened landscapes. Occasionally, fire loving fiends go to take their ease in the hot lava, and sometimes victims are tossed into the volcanoes as a form of punishment or murder. These peaks rise between 5000 and 8000 ft above the level of the surrounding plains.
Travel:
The PCs will need to travel to Y'tik-foligis. There is a chance that they may not even choose the proper direction to proceed. While most of the interesting features should direct the PCs towards the crater and the city, it is possible the PCs decide to head out in a different direction. If this happens, the DM is free to design encounters to reflect the dangers of the Badlands. However, eventually, the DM can introduce an encounter with Moglish (see below) who should be able to point the PCs in the proper direction.
Even travelling in the proper direction, the PCs potentially have a trek of about 30 miles, much of it through boulder washes. As such, the DM can subject the PCs to several encounters. There is no formal wandering encounter chart presented in this adventure, since the focus is meant to be the city proper. Nevertheless, an encounter or two can serve to illustrate to the PCs the dangers of the lands surrounding the city. The DM does not have to run all three encounters. The special encounter with Moglish can be run even if the PCs are not lost.
Encounter #1 - Rocky Ambush (EL 12):
This encounter will take place if the PCs are travelling through the boulder wash. A pack of canaloths haunts the area, seeking victims. They will attack from hiding, after drawing the PCs into the midst of their hiding packmates.
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ADVANCED CANOLOTHS (8) CR
6 Canoloths are susceptible to sound and scent based attacks, and are affected normally by loud noises and sound-based spells and by overpowering odours. Negating a canoloth's sense of smell or hearing reduces this ability to normal Blind Fight (as the feat). If both senses are negated, the canoloth is effectively blinded. Improved Grab (Ex) To use this ability, a canoloth must hit with its tongue attack. It can pull a grabbed opponent of Medium or smaller size into its mouth int he same round and make a bite attack. The canoloth can establish a hold with a successful attack even if the victim isn't paralyzed. Paralysis (Ex) Those hit by a canoloth's tongue attack must succeed on a DC 19 Fort save or be paralyzed for 1D6+2 minutes. Summon Yugoloth (Ex) Once per day, a canoloth can attempt to summon a mezzoloth or 1D3 canoloths with a 40% chance of success. |
Tactics: The pack will leap out of hiding and bound to the attack. They seek to capture food, and as such once a given canoloth has grabbed a victim with its tongue, it will concentrate on savaging the victim and, once the victim becomes unmoving, it will bound off with the meal to devour it at its leisure. These creatures still have a keen survival instinct and will not willingly throw away their lives just to get their next meal. Determined resistance can drive the pack away.
Encounter #2 - Death from Above (EL 12):
A mated pair of abyssal drakes hunts the region, coming from their lair in one of the ranges of hills.
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ADVANCVED ABYSSAL DRAKES (2)
CR 10 Much like a flame strike spell, half of the breath weapon damage is fire damage and the remainder is unholy damage. Frightful Presence (Ex) When an abyssal drake charges, attacks, or flies overhead, it inspires terror in all creatures within 120 ft that have fewer than 12 HD. Each potential victim must attempt a DC 17 Will save. On a failure, a creature with 4 or fewer HD becomes panicked for 4D6 rounds, and one with 5 or more HD becomes shaken for 4D6 rounds. A successful save leaves that opponent immune to that abyssal drake's frightful presence for 24 hours. Dragons ignore the frightful presence of an abyssal drake, as do other abyssal drakes. Poison (Ex) Sting, Fort DC 20, initial and secondary damage 2D6 Con. Rend (Ex) If an abyssal drake hits with both claw attacks, it latches onto the opponent's body and tears the flesh. This rending attack automatically deals an eaxtra 4D4+13 points of damage. |
Tactics: These fearsome beasts are canny hunters. They will fly out of the deep sky and time their approach to be able to breathe on their victims when 60 ft away. The next round they will use their Adroit Flyby attacks to savage any mages or other lightly armoured victims, possibly seeking to grapple and hold with their claws (at -20) and fly into the air. Given their confidence in their sting attacks, they will generally not seek to close into melee, relying on flyby attacks and breath weapons to wear down their opponents. Only if one of their number is brought to less than 8 hp will they consider fleeing far away.
Encounter #3 - Insane in the Membrane:
One of the better known exiles who manages to haunt the region right around the city is simply known as The Laugher. Not much is known about The Laugher before he became what he is today, which is a completely insane, hideously warped ex-celestial. It is not even known if The Laugher's current appearance reflects his state of mind or was caused by it. What is known is that The Laugher has a dual nature that wars within him. Sometimes his celestial nature asserts itself, and other times his fiendish nature.
Clearly The Laugher was not born in this state, but may have been the result of some hideous experiment to meld fiend onto a celestial (or vice versa, as others have surmised). This dual nature at first manifested infrequently. The Laugher would go for months or more with one nature dominant and then switch to the other. As such, he was able to function in Y'tik-foligis. In fact, he had two homes, one for each personality, and conducted two lives. But over time, the switching between natures accelerated, until now it occurs from round to round and in an unpredictable fashion. As such, The laugher became impossible to deal with and was branded an exile and expulsed from the city.
Against all odds, The Laugher has survived in the Badlands, and is now regarded as a somewhat permanent feature. Everyone in the city knows of him, and he has become sort of a mascot of the city. While he is mostly ignored, no one in the city would dare kill him, simply because that would ruin the fun. This is not to say bored denizens don't sometimes go searching for The Laugher to torment him, and sometimes a sporting event is formed called a Laugher Hunt. But even then The Laugher is caged, brought into the city, humiliated, and then released. Why The Laugher is able to be brought into the city when he has been branded is unknown, but the inevitables do not react to him when he is brought in against his will in a cage. When released, The Laugher immediately flees the city.
The being before you appears as a slender and exceedingly agile humanoid with mily white skin and silveryhair and eyes. His wings, which rise up behind his back, are leathery like a bat, but covered with patches of pure white feathers. Two vestigal horns rise from his forehead, and these grow together above the bridge of his nose and intertwine to resemble a unicorn's horn. The being's feet are cloven hooves, and a pale, rat-like tail sprouts from its back. In its hands, which end in long nails that might serve as claws, it holds a flaming greatsword. Upon his forehead is a glowing sigil, shaped like a square surrounding a circle surrounding a triangle.
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THE LAUGHER CR 13 The Laugher must be aware of an attack in order to have a chance to deflect it. Protective Aura (Su) As a free action, The Laugher can surround himself with a nimbus of light that has a radius of 20 ft. This aura acts as a double-strength magic circle against evil and as a mobile lesser globe of invulnerability, both as cast by a 10th level caster. The aura can be dispelled, but The Laugher can create it again as a free action on its next turn. Soothing Presence of Nature (Ex) The Laugher has a calm spirit that is pleasing to inhabitants of the natural world. Unless magically compelled to do so, no plant or animal will attack The Laugher while his celestial side is dominant. |
Tactics: The Laugher's tactics are difficult to describe, since every round there is a 50% chance his nature switches. When first encountered, the DM should determine randomly whether his fiendish nature or his celestial nature is dominant. This will determine The Laugher's initial reaction to the PCs. If fiendish, he is likely to attack, spouting out nonsense about how he is the paragon of evil and the PCs should bow before him and offer him tribute. If celestial, he will likely inquire as to what the PCs are doing in such an inhospitable place and warn them to flee and not enter the city, which is full of fiends.
In the course of the encounter, the celestial side, when dominant, will eagerly heal any PCs that are damaged. Either nature can utilize all of the abilities of The Laugher, except for the soothing presence of nature ability, which only functions when the celestial side is dominant.
Neither side of The Laugher's nature recognizes the other's existence. And no amount of convincing can change this. So while the celestial side seeks to heal the PCs' wounds, it will not acknowledge that he made those same wounds. Nor will he apologize for actions he is convinced he never took. Nor will he urge the PCs to flee, instead trying to engage them in conversation for as long as his good nature prevails.
In no event with The Laugher enter the city. He knows he was exiled, and the fiendish side claims it was because the residents feared his power, while the celestial side claims it was because of his overriding goodness.
Treasure: The Laugher has no lair. Its +1 flaming greatsword is of a distinctive make and design that marks it as the blade of a celestial, and any celestial, as well as anyone making a DC 25 Knowledge (planes) check can recognize it as such. Celestials encountering the PCs in possession of such a sword may be inclined to presume the worst.
Special Encounter - Moglish (EL 12):
Note: This encounter can help the PCs locate the city if they are lost. Even if the PCs are not lost, the DM can use this encounter if it suits the situation.
Moglish is a strange anomaly, a lemure that was given intelligence by its baatezu master. Its master constantly lamented the stupidity of its lemure slaves, as he had to give them constant and very precise orders, lest they foul up even the simplest of tasks. The master hoped to breed hordes of awakened lemures while retaining their devotion to baatezu mastery, and so spent a fortune in treasure and souls to devise a process to awaken a lemure. Unfortunately for the master, the process of awakening entirely destroyed the lemure's inherent obedience of baatezu. Moglish was the first and only such experiment, and when he one day disobeyed a command from the master, the master realized the futility of his venture and tried to dispose of Moglish. But the now intelligent lemure managed to escape, and fled into the wilds of the demi-plane. His master, a bone devil named Orythiluk who still dwells in Y'tik-foligis, has long since given up on Moglish, presuming the lemure has perished in the Badlands.
Moglish is now a miserable entity, bored and constantly picked on or preyed upon by the tougher denizens of the Badlands. Nevertheless, the lemure has picked up some useful skills during his time, and is probably the paragon of his species at this time.
When the PCs find him, Moglish will be under attack from a gargantuan fiendish scorpion. He will be yelling at the beast as he hides in a small crevice, while the creature tries to pound away and dig away the rocks that are keeping it from reaching the lemure. As such, the PCs are likely to simply hear that some intelligent creature is in distress, and it won't be until the scorpion is slain or driven off that a lemure will rise up out of the crevice in the rocks and introduce himself to the PCs.
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FIENDISH GARGANTUAN MONSTROUS
SCORPION CR 12 Improved Grab (Ex) To use this ability, a monstrous scorpion must hit with a claw attack. A monstrous scorpion can use either its Str modifier or Dex modifier for grapple checks, whichever is better. Poison (Ex) A monstrous scorpion has a poisonous sting. Fort DC 23, 1D8 Con initial and secondary damage. |
| MOGLISH CR 9 Awakened lemure Warrior 4/Rogue 4 N Medium outsider (evil, lawful) Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft, see in darkness; Listen +0, Spot +3 Languages Infernal, Draconic AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 15; trap sense +1 hp 50 (12 HD); DR 10/good or silver Immune fire, poison Resist acid 10, cold 10 Fort +9, Ref +10, Will +6; evasion, trap sense +1 Spd 20 ft (4 squares) Melee mwk baatorian green steel short sword +12/+7 (1D6+1) and claw +3 (1D4) or Melee 2 claws +8 (1D4) Ranged sling +11/+6 (1D3) Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft Base Atk +11; Grp +11 Atk Options sneak attack +2D6 Combat Gear masterwork baatorian green steel short sword, sling, stones (20), wand of magic missiles (CL 3, 8 charges), wand shield of faith (CL 1, 26 charges), wand of blur (CL 3, 12 charges) Abilities Str 10, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 8 SQ trapfinding Feats Combat Expertise, Magical Apptitude, Stealthy, Skill Focus (use magic device) Skills Climb +2, Hide +13, Move Silently +3, Sleight of Hand +4, Spellcraft +3, Spot +3, Tumble +11, Use Magic Device +19 Possessions combat gear |
Tactics: The scorpion is interested in a meal, plain and simple, and will likely turn on the PCs if they bother it too much. Moglish will not emerge from the crevice, which is some 20 ft deep and 5 ft in diameter, until the scorpion is dead or dirven away. He has used his wand of divine shield on himself 5 rounds ago, so his AC is raised by 2, and he has used his wand of blur 4 rounds ago, so there is a miss chance to hit him.
Developments: Assuming the PCs drive off the scorpion, Moglish will emerge. He is a strange sight, and those PCs with familiarity with lemures will instantly recognize him as one (DC 10 Knowledge [planes] check). But this lemure will be weilding a green shortsword in its left hand and a wand in its right hand (the wand of magic missiles). Several wands seem to be stuck into its body around the waist, as is a sling and some stones.
Moglish will parley with his rescuers, explaining his circumstance and providing what information he can to the PCs in gratitude. Moglish learned his magic device usage by puttering around his master's workshop for a time, and then practicing with items he stole from Badlands visitors.
Moglish will not enter the city, for fear of his master renewing his hunt or claiming him as a slave again. Although his existence in the Badlands is a hard-scrabble one, he much prefers it to the miserable lives most of his kind lead, though that doesn't stop him from bemoaning the fact that his sentience is wasted in the Badlands and that he wishes he could find a home where he could live in peace. He will certainly relish conversation with the PCs, and can sit and hear tales of Therra or other places for days on end. In fact, he might accompany the PCs to within about 5 miles of the city.
Moglish doesn't have a lair, per se, living wherever he can and leading a wandering, nomadic existence. However, if the PCs offer to take him to Therra to live, he would be happy to do so on a DC 15 Diplomacy check. Of course, it is up to the DM to decide how an awakened neutral lemure would be received!
Part Three - The City of Y'tik-foligis:
Refer to the City Map below.
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When the PCs near the outside
of the crater, read the following:
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As you near the crater, you can see that its jagged walls rise between 250 ft and 300 ft into the air. The slopes of the walls are gradual at first, but then quickly become steeper and steeper, until they are vertical as they end in jagged teeth of rock. Along the northwest side of the crater is a road or path, seemingly gouged into the rough rock of the plains, that begins about 2000 ft from the edge of the crater slopes and travels to the bottom of the slope. The path then begins to ascend the side of the crater in a series of switchbacks carved into the crater side. The road ascends some 200 ft until it crests the lip of the rim at a point in the crater wall that looks as if it has been cut or smoothed down. The road, which is about 30 ft wide, seems to be empty. Still rising from the center of the crater is the strange spire of metal. The metal is dark, as if it were iron, though it has a strange reddish cast to it that hints of oxidation, though the hue is far too regular and perfect to be rust. The spire is a mere 50 ft wide as it emerges into view over the top of the crater wall, and it continues at least another 250 to 300 ft into the air before widening into a metal bulb 200 ft wide and 100 ft tall. Spires of smoke and other strangely coloured vapours rise over the crater walls from within, wafting away in the hot breezes that roam the demi-plane. |
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The inside of the crater is filled from wall to wall with the city proper. The inner walls are vertical at their top, beginning to slope after about 50 ft from the top and then gradually inclining less and less until it reaches the center of the crater, which is 50 ft above the level of the plains outside. The crater's bowl measures from 8000 ft in daiameter, just over 1.5 miles wide. The roadway that crests the crater now descends along its inner wall, proceeding clockwise while descending 50 ft before ending at a set of massive stone towers that flank a huge iron gate. Beyond the gate is a steep set of stone stairs 50 ft wide that descends along the inner wall of the crater until it reaches the beginning of a steeply sloped road below. The center of the city is dominated by the Central Spire, which sprouts from the very center and bottom of the crater. At its base the spire is some 400 ft in diameter, and it slowly tapers to its narrowest diameter of 50 ft before widening into a bulge at the top. All told, the structure is around 500 ft tall from base to tip. There are no apparent windows, entrances, exits, or decorations or markings of any sort on the spire. A series of large streets, paved in stone, run through the city in a regular geometrical pattern reminiscent of a flat representation of a twenty-sided die. Eight such avenues radiate out from the central spire, which then meet four other avenues forming a square that surrounds the mostly flat portion of the bowl. Then four shorter boulevards extend from the square up the sides of the bowl, to meet two other streets that form a triangle. At the very end, these streets approach the vertical portion of the inner walls and are ledges overlooking the city. Structures of varying heights, space, and design crowd the entire inside of the crater and lap up the inner walls in a crowded mish-mash, reaching to within 50 ft of the top of the walls. The very topmost structures are little more than stone lean-tos and rude shelters perched precariously on the steep sides of the crater. A roiling haze of vapours sits about 25 ft below the rim of the crater. This haze is not thick enough to block vision, and seems to be composed of green, yellow, and brownish vapours that stream up from many of the structures to form a sort of smog. The top of this haze is occasionally picked up by a breeze and carried up over the walls of the crater and into the air above the plains. The city is full of life. Creatures of varying shapes and sizes mill about along the main streets as well as the winding alleys and haphazard lanes off the main boulevards that are formed solely by the spaces between the structures. More than a few of these beings flap through the air on a variety of types of wings, ranging from massive bat wings to tiny bird wings. A few seem to simply float through the air using magic. The beings come in an amazing array of sizes and forms, including hulking insectoid creatures, slithering snake-like creatures, spiked humanoids, four-legged beasts of burden, and small imps and quasits. |
Abashir Heights: Considered one of the two upper class areas of the city, Abashir is composed of large manor houses, complete with courtyards and a few with actual gardens tended by water magically created or transported from less arid environments. Only the more powerful fiends dwell here, and then for only as long as they can maintain their position against rivals. Abashir is home mostly to tanar'ri and their allies.
The Central Spire: The Central Spire is thought to be a construction of the inevitables who built and, in the view of some, rule the city. The spire is 500 ft tall, starting with a base 400 ft in diameter that tapers down to 50 ft in diameter as it rises high above the city. At its top, the structure widens into a bulb. The metal of the spire is an iron-like metal tinged ruddy red. The metal is heretofore unbreakable and have never sustained damage, despite many attempts (both intentional and aiccdental). There are no visible entrances or exits, but it is widely believed that the inevitables dwell within the spire, doing who-knows-what between their rare incursions into the city proper. The spire radiates overwhelming magic of all schools.
The Depraved: This area is home to many middling fiends, especially those that are particularly chaotic and sadistic. The abodes range from simple to somewhat lavish, but the district is, aside from the Sluice Slopes, the least lawful and most dangerous district in the city. Only the strong, murderous, or depraved dwell in this area, which is largely populated by tanar'ri.
The Fringe: This district, which includes the area bounded by Fiend's Run, Geryon's March, and the Way of Pain, is sort of the lower middle class living area of the city. A variety of middling powered fiends can be found here, ranging from vrocks and hezrous to barbed devils and nycaloths. Many of these earn their keep in the Merchant Quarter. Structures here are mostly abodes and dens, of small size but relatively sturdy and comfortable.
Great Gate: Actually the only gate in Y'tik-foligis, the Great Gate is comprised of a set of massive stone towers 200 ft in diameter and 50 ft tall that flank an iron gate reinforced with adamantine (and so may count its hardness against admantine weapons, treat as a normal iron gate with double hardness and double hit points) some 40 ft wide and 50 ft tall. The gate is topped with wicked looking spikes and often bears the heads of slain fiends upon it. The gate's face is carved with intricate geometric patterns, and the towers are each manned by a squad of a dozen barbed devils armed with heavy crossbows (with cold iron and silver bolts) commanded by a fearsome horned devil. These guards are tasked with keeping out exiles, and they take their job very seriously. They are also prone to bar from the city any celestials or agents of good, and they are apt to ask tough questions of anyone trying to enter the city by way of The Winder.
The tower guards are not assigned by the inevitables, but are instead posted by whatever pit fiend currently has the most power in the city and can have his own devils manning the watchtowers. Every so often another pit fiend attempts to usurp the duty, and a "tower war" occurs, as devilish factions of each pit fiend vie for the honour of guard duty. Traditionally, only devils have ever held the guard duty, and the tanar'ri and yugoloths don't seem to care much about that fact. The current ruler of the guard faction is the pit fiend Mallixxcorr, who also is head of the Baatezu Guild.
The guards can open and close the gate with a simple command by either of the horned devils. Strangely, neither horned devil actually knows how the gates operate or who opens and closes them. The tower commanders merely have to shout out for the gates to be opened or closed and it happens. Most are convinced the inevitables operate the gate. If the gate is closed, it is locked by some powerful version of arcane lock that no knock spell has been known to affect and no dispel magic has been known to undo. The fact that many fiends can simply fly or climb over the gate doesn't seem to be a cause for concern.
Long Stair: This stone stairway follows the steep incline of the upper portion of the inner crater walls down to meet the apex of The Way of Pain and Canoloth Run. Where it does there are almost always a horde of quasits and imps offering to guide newcomers through the city for a fee. This despite the fact that such newcomers are rare, since most fiends simply plane travel into the city or teleport there once arriving from a color pool outside the city. Some of these guides are honest, and others are prone to lose their customers in a crowd after having been paid. A few even work for more powerful fiends and will lure customers to their doom at the hands of their patrons. Typically, the imps are less prone to betray customers than are the quasits.
Maug Quarter: So named because this district houses temples to various Maugs, this district also holds the Grand Temple of the Deceiver, a massive edifice built in honour of the Deceiver and the mecca for his worhsippers. In addition to the temples, the homes of the more devout of the fiends are here, ranging from modest abodes to grand manor houses that can sometimes rival those on the two Heights to the east.
Merchant Quarter: This district is home to the various businesses of the city, including many taverns, pleasure houses, stores, slave markets, weaponries, and other providers of goods and services. The fiends that live here tend to be business owners, and as such are the smarter and more clever of the lesser fiends.
Pliminos Heights: Considered one of the two upper class areas of the city, Pliminos is composed of large manor houses, complete with courtyards and a few with actual gardens tended by water magically created or transported from less arid environments. Only the more powerful fiends dwell here, and then for only as long as they can maintain their position against rivals. Pliminos is home mostly to baatezu and their allies. A large building in the center of the district is the Baatezu Guild, of which all baatezus in the city are expected to be members. The guild is currently run by the pit fiend Mallixxcorr, who also runs the guard at the Great Gate.
The Rabble: This district is home to the bulk of the population of the city, lesser fiends who can manage to stay out of the Underbelly dwell here, usually as indentured servants of more powerful fiends living elsewhere. The place is crowded, with lairs stacked one atop the other in apartment-like complexes. Though not as vile or dangerous as The Depraved, it is still a place of desperation and murder.
Sluice Slopes: So named because this area is basically a massive garbage heap, the place is a sea of bones, dirt, excrement, rubble, detritus, and other noxious materials. Bodies are commonly dumped here, and in the parlance of the city, to get "sluiced" is to be murdered. Despite its nature, many beings dwell here, including vermin, fiendish otyughs, and other creatures that enjoy or can at least stomach the area. Anyone entering the area who is not accustomed to the stench must make a DC 20 Fort save or be nauseated for 1 minute (prompting a further save thereafter). Anyone making the save is merely sickened for as long as they remain in the area, though after perhaps a month or so a being can become accustomed to the smell. Evil outsiders are immune to this effect, as are creatures that are used to offal or rotting carrion.
The Underbelly: These are the slums of the city, though the truly desperate dwell along the Sluice Slopes. The abodes are crowded together, practically leaning on one another, and many are merely convenient rubble heaps where weaker fiends, together with disgraced and damaged beings try to eke out a living before eventually becoming preyed upon by a more powerful fiend.
The Winder: This is the name of the roadway that has been gouged into the plains outside the crater that winds its way up the side of the crater and then crests the lip, before descending to the Great Gate. The road is approximately 30 ft wide at all points, and ascends the crater in a series of switchbacks cut directly into the crater walls.
History of the City:
No one knows who formed the demi-plane of Y'tik. Earliest records mention the crater, and indicate that the Central Spire was present and that the inevitables seemed to be occasionally active on the demi-plane. The surrounding landscape and the crater suggest that some sort of calamity occurred on the demi-plane, but whether this calamity brought the inevitables or was caused by them is unknown. The first known fiend to come to Y'tik was a powerful pit fiend named Abashir-Pliminos who was escaping on the losing end of a factional conflict with a rival pit fiend on another demi-plane. The fleeing pit fiend discovered a colour pool on the Astral Plane by chance and he and his followers entered the pool and found themselves in Y'tik. No one knows how or even whether Abashir-Pliminos made contact with the inevitables, but shortly after his arrival, he set up his fortress on what is now the east end of the Baatezu Run, at the border of Abashir Heights and Pliminos Heights. There, the pit fiend and his minions sent out the word that his newfound fortress was a neutral ground and that his enemies should stay far away from his lair. Of course, this merely prompted the pit fiend's enemies to assault him, but after several major assaults were thrown back by massive numbers of inevitables streaming out of the closed walls of the Central Spire, it soon became clear that Abashir-Pliminos had found a safe haven. As word grew of this sanctuary for fiends, other fiends made their way to Y'tik to pledge fealty to Abashir-Pliminos. These were mostly outcasts and fiends on the losing side of conflicts who needed refuge. A city began to take shape around the pit fiend's fortress, spilling its way down the eastern slopes of the crater and washing past the Central Spire and towards the present-day Sluice Slopes.
All would have remained this way, with Abashir-Pliminos lording over his tiny domain, except that even a baatezu gets tired of peace and harmony after a while, and the pit fiend was eventually lured away on a raid that turned out to be an ambush and never returned. With the fall of Abashir-Pliminos, other fiends tried to take over the city, and while the inevitables seemed to back off of their absolute prohibition against violence once Abashir-Pliminos had gone (prompting many to think that the pit fiend had made a bargain with the inevitables that expired upon his demise), they still occasionally swooped down to stop the greatest excesses that threatened the entire city. It seemed that as long as the fiends of the city did nothing to threaten the continuing existence and functioning of the city as a whole, then anything was permissible.
And so Y'tik-foligis became about the most civilized place fiends could dwell. The city is a neutral ground for fiends that remains so almost organically, rather than by the enforcement of the inevitables, though their presence, not seen in force for several millenia, still overshadows the dealings of the fiends. But most fiends now find the city a useful tool to acquire slaves, souls, goods, and to strike deals or make negotiations. While a fiend can still find a knife planted into his back during a sit-down in the city, it is much less likely than elsewhere, which is to say it is only fairly likely as opposed to almost certain! In addition, conflicts in the city are self-limiting, as no one wants to ruin a good thing or bring down the inevitables. As such, these conflicts remain on the order of personal vendettas, household feuds, and occasionally the equivalent of a gang fight. But they do not erupt into full scale warfare as fiends are wont to do elsewhere.
Life in the City:
Life in the city is comparable to the most dangerous and evil portions of some of the larger human metropoli on Therra, only magnified sevenfold. Might makes right in the city, and anyone who is not strong or useful had better be able to escape notice, or he will be dead, enslaved, raped, or worse. A fiend in the city only keeps those possessions he can hide or can hold onto by force, and just as in mortal prisons, reputation is everything in the city, and the more powerful fiends are always concerned about their reputations and status and the image they present to others. A slip in reputation can be interpreted as a chink in the armour, and will invite a knife to exploit it.
That said, the fiends manage to run a city. Trade and transactions occur every day, especially in the Merchant Quarter, where slaves, poisons, magic, and exotic delights are sold or bartered. There is also a bustling trade in fiendish grafts in the city. The currency used in Y'tik-foligis is anything useful, and the city essentially runs on a barter economy, though this barter includes coins and gems, since these can be useful to those fiends who commonly deal with mortals. Souls are another currency in the city, and these are traded like coins, worn like jewelry to denote status, and consumed like fine wines to revel in opulence. Most souls are trapped within gems, and the more powerful fiends wear these souls on chains around their neck or on rings and other jewelry as a display of power. Such soul gems flicker with the light of soul essence within and a keen appraiser can evaluate the power of the soul by examining the strength of its glow and the pattern of its flickering. Of course, powerful souls also taste delicious to fiends, and the most powerful souls are regarded like fine wines....to be collected, stored, and occasionally imbibed.
Unlike most cities, Y'tik-foligis has no water supply and no real food supply. This because outsiders do not need to eat or drink. This does not mean they cannot consume or imbibe, and it often gives them great pleasure to do so, but it is not a necessity, and as such eating and drinking are regarded as luxuries. That said, restaurants serve all sorts of disgusting comestibles, including live mortals, infusions of rotting meat and dung, baby body parts, and a host of other vile and disgusting concoctions. Drinks are usually no better, often containing blood, other bodily fluids, and poisons (since many fiends are immune to poison). Food edible to mortals and fresh water are extremely rare. The former is almost non-existent, except perhaps in the most luxurious of manors where the reigning fiend may occasionally welcome important mortal visitors, and the latter is available only in those wealth estates where gardens are grown as a sign of opulence. In this case, water is magically imported (usually by way of a gate to the Elemental Plane of Water).
Mortals are rare in the city, though not unheard of. Occasionally, wizards and priests have business to conduct with fiends, and while there are no rules to protect mortals in the city, the fiends who tend to dwell here are somewhat more open to negotiation and discussion than are fiends found elsewhere. In addition, exotic components, magic items, and fiendish grafts can be had here, and this attracts the brave or foolish mortal from time to time. Many fiends, especially the more powerful ones, have the ability to use true seeing at will, and so that makes it difficult for mortals to penetrate the city in disguise, though the fact that humans are walking around in disguise doesn't necessarily mean they will be attacked by every fiend that notices them.
Other than the main streets, the city tends to be a ramshackle collection of houses and dwellings and shops of varying heights and styles and construction. Most are of stone, possibly quarried from the surrounding Badlands, and many of the wealthier abodes have metal decorations or accouterments. Wood is almost unheard of in the city. The buildings in the poorer areas are pressed close to each other, forming a tangle of alleyways and dead ends that can trap or confuse the unwary. Many of the fiends are able to negotiate this jumble fine due to having had centuries or even millenia to memorize the ways, though the layouts are prone to shifts as some buildings are demolished or modified. Most of the manor houses in the wealthier sections were snatched from vanquished rivals, and in many cases have been rebuilt atop the ruins of still earlier vanquished foes. For example, the original fortress of Abashir-Pliminos is long gone, turned to rubble and carted off to build new dwellings. However, no being is allowed to tunnel into the crater walls or floor beyond a foot or two to brace the foundation of a structure. This is a prohibition enforced by the inevitables, and those excavating even in the greatest secrecy have been attacked by the inevitables and slain or exiled from the city. No one knows why this is so, though rumours persist of a buried artifact or immense power or else a trapped being of cosmic significance trapped under the crater.
At night, the city is rather devoid of lights. This is not surprising, given the ubiquitousness of darkvision amongst its inhabitants. That said, strange magical glows and infernal fires still emanate from many an abode at night.
Slavery is a way of life in the city. Mortals are commonly sold as slaves, though these mortals are usually bred stock from ancient lines of slaves raised on Astral demi-planes rather than fresh mortals captured from the Material Plane. In addition, lesser fiends are also enslaved, though this is less common and usually the result of some crime committed against a greater fiend or some bargain between fiends. Slaves are branded, usually on the forehead, with a mark of slavery and another mark displaying the sigil of its owner. This brand is often a traditional brand from a hot iron for mortals, but for fiends resistant or immune to fire, sometimes acid is used and sometimes a magical glowing brand is used.
The streets of the city are usually crowded, at all times day or night, since fiends can see with darkvision and they do not need to sleep. A given main thoroughfare might find erinyes bumping shoulders with hezrous while manes and dretches scamper out of the way of a lordly pit fiend who comes marching down the street with his entourage of bone devils. Overhead, succubi may perch from stone ledges, plying their wares, while vrocks cavort and wrestle in midair above the street, raining feathers and ichor onto the crowd below. In a side alleyway, a glabezru might be seen copulating with a human slave, while in another, a pack of canoloths might be tearing apart the body of a hapless lemure.
As mentioned, the inevitables generally stay out of daily life in the city...with one exception. The inevitables willingly serve as oathtakers, and it is this function that has cemented Y'tik-foligis as the premiere negotiating and trading ground of the fiends. Why the inevitables perform this function is not known with any certainty, though a reasonable explanation is that such a service promotes the rule of law and order. In any event, anywhere within the crater, a person can call for an oathtaker. Instantly, an inevitable will appear. This inevitable will hear both sides of a bargain and will enforce the bargain to the best of its abilities. Obviously, the scope of the bargain, in terms of time and space, may limit the capabilities of the inevitable, but especially such oathtakers are useful for exchanges of immediate services or bartering of trade goods, since they can act as an escrow agent. For example, if a barbed devil wants to trade a magic item to a glabezru in exchange for the glabezru murdering a rival barbed devil, then an oathtaker can be summoned. The oathtaker will hear the terms of the bargain, accept the magic item into escrow, and then await the completion of the task. Once the task is completed, the oathtaker will turn over the magic item to the glabezru. All oathtakers are kolyaruts. The other inevitables only show themselves when arrayed for war.
The oathtakers are revered and respected in the city. Not for any altruistic reasons, but simply because without them the city would lose its purpose. In addition, it is a known fact that anyone who breaks an oath or deceives an oathtaker is exiled from the city. Anyone who attempts to harm an oathtaker is set upon by maruts and slain or driven from the city. As such, it is almost unheard of for anyone to mislead or attack an oathtaker.
Despite its vileness, some fiends can go too far, killing widely and indiscriminately and for no reason, to the point that they disrupt the very fabric of city life. If this happens, the inevitables can exile them. All exiles are branded with a magical mark in the shape of a square with a circle within and with a triangle within that. Such a brand appears on the being's forehead or its closest equivalent and cannot be removed by any known means (though it can be covered). Exile brands happen magically. No one knows how the decision to exile is made, nor by whom, but all of a sudden the brand will appear and the exiled one has 24 hours to leave the city. After that time, inevitables will pour from the Central Spire and destroy the exile or drive him from the city.
Another effect of the inevitables, more of a benefit than a rule, is that no being within the city confines can be summoned without its permission. This means such fiends are not subject to being placed in an astral slumber while its spirit is brought to Therra via the monster summoning spells. Similarly, such fiends do not have to respond to planar ally or planar binding spells or gate spells. This is not to say the cannot; they simply are not compelled to do so.
There is no common language spoken in the city. Abyssal and Infernal are the languages most often spoken, and Draconic often serves as a lingua franca. Signs are almost always written in Abyssal and Infernal, except for thos establishments that wish to cater only to one type of fiend, such as the Baatezu Guild.
Locations of Interest:
The following are locations of interest as denoted on the City Map. These are not, certainly, the only locations of interest in the city, but they provide a sample of the locations PCs might visit in the course of their adventure in Y'tik-foligis.
1. The Pits of Doom: The only hole in the city, the actual Pit of Doom is a 50 ft wide hole that descends at least 2000 ft into the ground and is possibly endless, perhaps connecting with another plane. Things tossed into the hole do not come out again unless they can fly, and even flying creatures who venture too far down the hole never return. While the hole would seem to make an excellent garbage dump, and is sometimes used for that, the laziness of many of the fiends and the worry that tossing too much garbage down the hole might offend someone or something or awaken someone or something keeps the Sluice Slopes as the main dump and middens of the city. Nevertheless, sacrifices are sometimes tossed into the hole, as are bound captives and the like whom the fiends never want to see again. Around the pit has grown a set of arenas used by the fiends for all sorts of depraved sports and gladiatorial contests. At first such contests were fought at the rim of the actual Pit of Doom, with the loser being tossed over the edge. But now several arenas, mainly pits with sand-covered floors surrounded by stone hewn bleachers, surround the main Pit and the whole area is known as the Pits of Doom. All sorts of spectacles are seen here, including orgies, fights between fiends with grudges (especially devils), slave matches, and often just plain slaughterings, as helpless slaves are fed to horrible monsters. Several grooved channels in the floor of the crater run from The Butchery to the Pit of Doom and a stream of blood constantly flows into the Pit.
2. F'harrik'il's Mound: This is the lair of the uridezu F'harrik'il. Refer to Part Four for more details.
3. Razkurig'il's Abode: This is the lair of the glabezru Razkurig'il. Refer to Part Five for more details.
4. Exteriryx' Manor: This is the lair of the nalfeshnee Exteriryx. Refer to Part Six for more details.
5. The Bleeding Babe: This is a well-known tavern right on Fiend's Run near Tanar'ri Way. The tavern boasts a metal sign that shows a human baby being bled by a scalpel from the heel of its foot, the blood dripping into a waiting fiendish tongue. Within the large tavern is a massisve common room usually full of fiends of all sorts. The place specializes in mortal babies of all sorts for food, drink, and other more vile pleasures, and the constant wailing and horrific screams of the babies seems to be a great attraction to the fiendish patrons. The place is also known as a great place to pick up information and rumours, and is run by its owner, an ultraloth named Ukerrith-kjelm who is rumoured to have lost an important battle for his master and fled here to escape his fate.
6. Grand Temple of the Deceiver: This imposing edifice is, aside from the Central Spire, the largest structure in Y'tik-foligis. It is comprised of a massive back dome surrounded by tall, thin spires. There are twenty four such spires, said to represent the twenty four Maugs that serve the Deceiver. Within the temple are powerful fiendish clerics of the Deceiver, along with fiendish adherents to various of the Maugs who tend the tower chapels. Many fiends come to make obesiance to the God and his Maugs, and sacrifices of all sorts, along with ghastly and vile rituals, take place within the confines. The temple is lorded by the Grand High Priestess of Deceit, a marilith cleric of exceptional cunning and great power. Her name is not known, and all refer to her as "Terrible Lady".
7. Slave Market: This open area is penned in by spiked stone walls. Within is the area where slaves are mustered, branded, and sold. Most of the slaves are mortals of various stocks, mostly humans, brought to the netherplanes ages ago and bred and rebred down the aeons. Auctions are almost continual here.
8. Orythiluk's Lair: This is the abode of the bone devil mage (sorcerer 10) who was the master of Moglish (see Part Two). The lair is a tower of bone and stone some 50 ft high that cants at an angle so that its base is flush against the sloping crater wall.
9. The Butchery: This area is an open abbatoir, where beings of all sorts are slaughtered, chopped up, and sold. Shallow stone channels carved into the floor of the crater run the copious amounts of blood generated here into the Pit of Doom. These channels are constantly being blocked and must be continually cleared by slaves.
10. Iniquity's Den: A representive of the many pleasure houses in the city, this caters to a variety of tastes, and includes beautiful succubi and incubi, as well as more grotesque prostitutes and all sorts of pleasure slaves, including mortals of both genders and all ages. The place is run by the madam, an erinyes named Hallagathsta, who is missing her left arm at the shoulder.
11. Safe Haven Inn: A complete misnomer, this inn is set up to appear homey and inviting to mortals. However, anyone staying in the inn is robbed, drugged, and either slaughtered or sold into slavery. The fiends feel if a mortal is so stupid as to fall for the ruse of this place, then they deserve their fate. The place is run by a handsome incubus named Herrok, and the waitresses are all good looking succubi changed into human and elf form. The food is platable to mortals and the wine and beer exceptionally good. However, it is all laced with drugs and the rooms are riddled with secret doors and passages to allow fiends access to the mortals. Herrok himself doesn't abduct the mortals. Rather he provides the inn as a service to any fiend that feels like attempting an abduction. Herrok simply demands a share of any treasure taken.
Various quasits at the Long Stair are in the pay of Herrok and try to invite mortal travellers to syat at "the only safe place for mortals in the city". If the PCs stay here, they should have to make a DC 25 Fort save several hours after they eat or drink or fall into a deep stupor for 24 hours. Almost certainly, PCs staying at the inn, whether drugged or not, will be attacked by various fiends. The DM should design such encounters
12. Berk's House: About the only relatively safe place for a mortal to stay in Y'tik-foligis, this humble abode is not easy to find, as it keeps a low profile and most fiends have no desire to help a mortal find a safe haven. Nevertheless, Berk, the owner, is a half elf warrior (LE, fighter 10) who manages to keep a living here catering to the few mortals who do arrive. He charges an arm and a leg for rooms, but that's better than actually losing an arm or a leg (or worse) elsewhere in the city. Rumour has it that Berk came here fleeing a powerful enemy on Therra.
City Encounters:
Below are presented four encounters that will help give a feel for the city. DMs are encouraged to use these as they like, when they like. One of the encounters is specifically set up only if the PCs are not travelling disguised as fiends. Beyond these encounters, the PCs will literally be surrounded by fiends at all times, and are bound to have lots of colourful interactions with them.
Encounter #1 - Philisophical Debate (EL varies):
In a small open space adjacent to a main street, a tanar'ri and a baatezu get into a fight. What the fight is about is unimportant, as the two will have already dispensed with threats and insults and be squaring off to fight. As the PCs approach the place, they will see a crowd gathered and hear lots of shouting and snarls and roars. As they watch, the hezrou will call forth a chaos hammer spell, which will hit the ground with a WHUMP! and blast several baatezu onlookers, who will be thrust across the street and into adjoining walls. The assembled tanar'ri will lauch, unharmed, while some yugoloths will nurse minor wounds. The barbed devil will counter with scorching rays, and from that point on the DM should run the fight accordingly. None of the watching fiends will intervene in the fight, at least not until one of the combatant falls, in which case it is likely that if the baatezu wins, the assembled tanar'ri will leap to tear it apart, thereby prompting the watching baatezu to join the fray and a general fight will ensue, to eventually be broken up by a troop of horned devils who fly down from the Baatezu Guild and start ordering the crowd to disperse.
The hezrou's name is Wastrik'ylife and the barbed devil, an underling in the Baatezu Guild, is called Hammerth. Their fight started as an argument over how the Deceiver could have prevailed against the Heroes of the Gem and the Free Folk, with each party accusing a favoured Maug of gross incompetence.
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HEZROU CR 11 Stench (Ex) A hezrou’s skin produces a foul-smelling, toxic liquid whenever it fights. Any living creature (except other demons) within 10 ft must succeed on a DC 24 Fort save or be nauseated for as long as it remains within the affected area and for 1D4 rounds afterward. Creatures that successfully save are sickened for as long as they remain in the area. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same hezrou’s stench for 24 hours. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell removes either condition from one creature. Creatures that have immunity to poison are unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison receive their normal bonus on their saving throws. Summon Demon (Sp) Once per day a hezrou can attempt to summon 4D10 dretches or another hezrou with a 35% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th level spell. |
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BARBED DEVIL CR 11 Fear (Su) A creature hit by a barbed devil must succeed on a DC 20 Will save or be affected as though by fear (caster level 9th). Whether or not the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected by that same barbed devil’s fear ability for 24 hours. Impale (Ex) A barbed devil deals 3d8+9 points of piercing damage to a grabbed opponent with a successful grapple check. Improved Grab (Ex) To use this ability, a barbed devil must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can impale the opponent on its barbed body. See in Darkness (Su) Barbed devils can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created by a deeper darkness spell. Summon Devil (Sp) Once per day a barbed devil can attempt to summon 1D6 bearded devils or another barbed devil with a 35% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th level spell. |
Developments: The PCs can intervene in the fight. If they do so disguised as fiends, then their intervention will prompt a general fracas as described above. In this case, the DM should reflect the general mayhem and confusion of such a scene, having various demons and devils fighting, and opposed fiends attacking the PCs as well as collateral damage from area affect spells. Eventually, probably after a few minutes, the cornugons should arrive, and then the PCs had better clear out or face their wrath.
On the other hand, should the PCs intervene as humans, then a general fracas will not occur immediately. The onlookers will be too stunned at the appearance of humans brave enough to get involved, and since the humans don't obviously belong to one set of fiends or another, their actions will not immediately be regarded as provocative to the onlookers. In this case, should the PCs help one of the two combatants, then they will be looked upon more favourably by fiends of that type (i.e. baatezu or tanar'ri) from then on within the confines of the city, and looked upon less favourably by the other type. Furthermore, if the PCs help the barbed devil, then several hours after the cornugons break up the fight, the PCs will be tracked down by an imp and invited to the Baatezu Guild, where the pit fiend Mallixxcorr will question them as to their business and purpose in the city. Mallixxcorr will not attack or harm the PCs assuming they are respectful to him and do not lie, and should they refuse his summons, or refuse to answer his questions once summoned, he will keep a watch on the PCs but will take no further actions as long as the PCs do not seem to pose a threat to him (and given that the PCs are, ultimately, going after tanar'ri), they shouldn't pose any threat to him.
Should the PCs reveal their purpose to the pit fiend, he will seem amused, and tell them exactly where f'harrik'il can be found (or whichever other tanar'ri they seek), but will state that the uridezu is a valuable broker of information in the city and has served the Baatezu Guild well in the past. He will want the PCs' promise that they will not slay the demon before he reveals his location. Should the PCs slay F'harrik'il after giving their word, they will have Mallixxcorr to deal with and had best leave the city in a hurry and never return! The pit fiend doesn't care about the glabezru or nalfeshnee and has no qualms about the PCs slaying them.
Encounter #2 - A Helping Hand (EL 10):
This encounter will serve as an interesting test of morality for the PCs. The erinyes Barastalyik is having trouble with one of her human slaves. The slave dropped and broke one of her favourite vases and the slave, knowing he would be punished and possibly tortured and killed for his mistake, has fled Barastalyik's home, trying to make for The Underbelly in the hopes of losing pursuers there. The erinyes, in her anger, has chosen to capture the slave herself.
Whether the PCs are simply walking down a street, or in a bar or shop or other establishment, all of a sudden there will be commotion, and a male human child in dirty rags and clothing, perhaps 8-10 years old, will burst through a pack of surprised fiends coming towards the PCs. Behind him flaps an erinyes, obviously enraged and obviously chasing the child. The erinyes wields her magical rope, and seems to be ready to attempt to lasso the boy.
Should the PCs be humans, the by will notice them amid the crowd and veer directly toward them, pleading for aid in Infernal and then in Abyssal. If the PCs are disguised, then the boy will simply cry out in Infernal for his mistress to forgive him and to not punish him.
Meanwhile, the nearby fiends will hoot and hollar in amusement, and the erinyes will warn everyone in Draconic that the slave is her property and none are to harm him....for she wants the pleasure of inflicting maximum pain on the child before his death.
The child (Commoner 1) is named Crinarx (which means "feeble one" in Infernal). The erinyes is named Arvaxxas, and she is not a member of the Baatezu Guild, but is merely a somewhat powerful erinyes who dwells in The Merchant Quarter weaving ropes and nets.
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ADVANCED ERINYES CR 10 Summon Devil (Sp) Once per day an erinyes can attempt to summon 2D10 lemures or 1D4 bearded devils with a 50% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd level spell. True Seeing (Su) Erinyes continuously use true seeing, as the spell (caster level 14). |
Developments: It is really up to the PCs how to respond to the situation. Of course, they could elect not to intervene at all. This would not be a problem for neutral or evil PCs, but good aligned PCs should have a problem doing nothing, and very good-natured PCs such as paladins would probably have to atone for their sins if they did nothing to help the child. If the PCs do not intervene, the erinyes will lasso the child and roughly haul him away, as the boy cries and sobs and kicks and screams.
The most obvious way to help the child is to simply attack the erinyes. However, the boy is a legally branded slave owned by the erinyes, and should the PCs drive her off but not slay her, then she will complain to a patron of hers who will send 3 bone devils and a hellcat after the PCs (along with the erinyes). Should the PCs defeat this force, no further action will be taken against them.
A better way to possibly help the child is to try to speak to the erinyes. This is not easy, since the erinyes, with her true seeing ability will see that the PCs are not fiends. Basically, the erinyes is very angry and will simply not listen to any "normal" pleas for mercy or kindness, as such concepts are completely alien to her kind. Instead, the PCs can adopt a variety of potentially successful tacts, including offering to buy the child from her. This she might agree to, provided the price is steep enough to cover the child and her vase (she will claim the vase was very sentimental and valuable to her and demand far more than the child and the vase are worth, perhaps 2500 gp as a starting point, but can be bargained down to 1000 gp) and provided that the buyer intends to mistreat and punish and brutalize the boy sufficiently.
Given that the erinyes likely knows the PCs are not fiends, she must be convinced that they intend to purchase the boy for reasons other than mercy. Creative examples might include intending to sacrifice the child to an evil Maug or to the Deceiver or slaying him and rasing him as an undead servant. Whatever explanation the PCs come up with, it needs to be evil and very convincing to overcome the erinyes' Sense Motive skill.
Should the erinyes agree to sell the boy, she will insist the buyers accompany her to the Slave Market, where she will have the boy's ownership sigil removed (painfully) and the buyer's sigil branded into his forehad (again painfully). A sale contract will be drawn up by a baatezu and noted in the slave records. The boy now, according to the laws of the city, belongs to the PC that purchased him.
It is then up to the PCs what to do with the boy. The child will serve them as a slave or servant if desired. If taken back to Therra, he will essentially be a "fish out of water" and it will take some intensive training and time before he learns to act like a normal human boy. As he came from breeding stock, he has no family and has never lived anywhere but the city. He did not leave his mistress' house much, and doesn't know his way around the city, other than knowing some very basic features and city quarters. He does not know where F'harrik'il or the other tanar'ri the PCs may seek dwell.
Encounter #3 - Stupid Mortals!:
This encounter will only occur if the PCs are not in disguise and are travelling openly in Y'tik-foligis as mortals. In this case, they attract the attention of some fiends that seek to capture the PCs and bind their souls. The encounter can occur anywhere, but is most likely to be used if the PCs attempt a Gather Information check to locate F'harrik'il or it becomes known they seek the demon. In this case, the PCs will meet Chazzin-fik, who will claim to know where F'harrik'il lives and will offer this information to the PCs after haggling over a price. The demon really doesn't want the money, but he wants the PCs to think he is offering good information for a good price. He will start at 500 gp and go as low as needed, emphasizing that mortals wandering the city randomly are likely to meet a bad ending, and so his information is worth the cost.
Assuming the PCs agree, he will direct the PCs to down Gelugon Run into The Rabble and about 400 ft before Tiamat's Flight, they are to look for an archway between two buildings that is decorated with a motif of red, leering beholders. The PCs should proceed down the alleyway and make the third right. F'harrik'il dwells in the building at the end of that lane, accessed by a secret door behind a pile of rubble.
Should the PCs not agree, then Chazzin-fik will simply try to follow the PCs in the air, hiding and trailing them and directing the others of his gang via telepathy.
If the PCs never really attempt a Gather Information check, then the DM can simply have Chazzin-fik opportunistically spot the PCs, alert his fellows via telepathy, and then set up an ambush directly on the street. However, in this case, the demons have to be careful not to hurt or anger powerful passers-by and will possibly have to contend with other fiends intervening or trying to grab their prey.
The map below shows the layout of the alleyway to which Chazzin-fik will direct the PCs should they use their Gather Information check.
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Buildings are generally apartments, and many doors, archways, and windows lead into the buildings, which are likely inhabited by various fiends. During a fight, various fiends might peek out of their windows to watch the fight, but none will intervene. Assume buildings are between two and three stories tall, with each story being 15 ft tall. The building Chazzin-fik starts on has a flat roof and is 30 ft tall.
Roster:
D1 = Bar-Igura
D2 = Rutterkin
D3 = Bar-Igura
D4 = Armanite
D5 = Vrock
D6 = Bulezau
D7 = Chasme (Chazzin-fik)
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BAR-IGURAS (2) CR 5 Pounce (Ex) If a bar-igura charges a foe, it can make a full attack. Summon Demon (Sp) Once per day, a bar-igura can attempt to summon another bar-igura with a 35% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 2nd level spell (CL 6). |
| ADVANCED RUTTERKIN
CR 5 Fiendish Codex: Hordes of the Abyss page 51 CE Medium outsider (chaotic, evil, tanar'ri) Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Listen +13, Spot +13 Languages Abyssal; telepathy 100 ft AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17 hp 76 (9 HD); DR 5/cold iron or good Immune electricity, poison Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 14 Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +7 Spd 20 ft (4 squares) Melee mwk snap-tong +13/+8 (1D10+3) or Melee 2 claws +11 (1D6+2) Ranged tri-blade +11/+6 (2D4+2) Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft Base Atk +9; Grp +11 Atk Options snap-tong grapple Special Actions summon demon Combat Gear masterwork snap-tong, tri-blades (5) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6): At will - darkness, cause fear (DC 11) 1/day - desecrate Abilities Str 14, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 10 Feats Exotic Weapon Proficiency (snap-tong), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (tri-blade), Improved Natural Armour, Weapon Focus (snap-tong) Skills Balance +4, Climb +12, Hide +8, Intimidate +8, Jump +12, Listen +13, Move Silently +12, Spot +13, Tumble +16 Possessions combat gear Summon Demon (Sp) Once per day, a rutterkin can attempt to summon 1 rutterkin or 1D6 dretches with a 35% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd level spell (CL 5). |
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ARMANITE CR 7 Cavalry Charge (Ex) An armanite is considered to be mounted for determining the effects of charge attacks with lances. An armanite gains a +4 bonus on attack rolls when charging with a lance and does not take a penalty to its AC as a result of its charge. Spark Bolt (Su) An armanite can charge arrows it shoots from any bow with electrical energy at will. Arrows fired by an armanite gain a +1 enhancement bonus and the shocking burst weapon quality. Summon Demon (Sp) Once per day, a rutterkin can attempt to summon 1D10 dretches or another armanite with a 30% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd level spell (CL 9). |
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VROCK CR 9 At the end of 3 rounds of dancing, a wave of crackling energy flashes outward in a 100 ft radius. All creatures except for demons within the radius take 20D6 points of damage (Ref DC 18 half). Stunning, paralyzing, or slaying one of the vrocks stops the dance. Spores (Ex) A vrock can release masses of spores from its body once every 3 rounds as a free action. The spores automatically deal 1D8 points of damage to all creatures adjacent to the vrock. They then penetrate the skin and grow, dealing an additional 1D4 points of damage each round for 10 rounds. At the end of this time, the victim is covered with a tangle of viny growths. The vines are harmless and wither away in 1D4 days. A delay poison spell stops the spores’ growth for its duration. Bless, neutralize poison, or remove disease kills the spores, as does sprinkling the victim with a vial of holy water. Stunning Screech (Su) Once per hour a vrock can emit a piercing screech. All creatures except for demons within a 30 ft radius must succeed on a DC 22 Fort save or be stunned for 1 round. Summon Demon (Sp) Once per day, a rutterkin can attempt to summon 1D10 dretches or another armanite with a 30% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd level spell (CL 9). |
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BULEZAU CR 9 Powerful Charge (Ex) A bulezau typically begins a battle by charging at an opponent. In addition to the normal benefits and hazards of a charge, this allows a bulezau to make a single gore attack with +2 attack bonus that deals 4D6+9 points of damage. Summon Demon (Sp) Once per day, a rutterkin can attempt to summon 1D6 dretches or 1D4 rutterkin with a 50% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd level spell (CL 10). Wield Oversized Weapons (Ex) A bulezau is skilled at wielding weapons one size category larger than itself and does not take any penalties when fighting with such weapons. |
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CHAZZIN-FIK CR 10 Fear Aura (Su) As a swift action, Chazzin-fik can create an aura of fear in a 5ft radius around it. This effect is otherwise identical to a fear spell (CL 12, Will DC 16 negates). If this save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by Chazzin-fik's fear aura for 24 hours. Summon Demon (Sp) Once per day, Chaazin-fik can attempt to summon 1D4 rutterkins or 1 chasme with a 40% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th level spell (CL 9). Wounding (Ex) A wound resulting from Chazzin-fik's attack bleeds for an addition 1 point of damage per round thereafter. Multiple wounds from such attacks result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 10 Heal check or the application of any form of magical healing. |
Tactics: The demons will wait at their indicated locations until the PCs come within 5 ft of the rubble pile. Then, the demon at D6 will burst forth from the pile and attack. This will be the signal for the other demons to attack. The bar-iguras will begin the ambush with invisbility and see invisibility active (assume they were cast 4 rounds and 3 rounds before the ambush). Should any PCs linger outside of the perimeter established by the ambush, then, assuming they see that a PC is missing from the site, one or more demons will scout back towards Gelugon Run to locate the cautious PC(s) and establish a position from which to ambush them when the attack begins.
Chazzin-fik will try to remain on top of the building at D7, creeping to the edge and attempting to use his spell-like abilities on the PCs. Meanwhile, the other demons will attempt to surround the PCs and turn the ambush site into a killing zone.
If met with stiff resistance, the demons will simply attempt to grab a victim or two, with the vrock flying off with its victims to the gang's hideout in The Fringe and the bar-iguras trying to use their abduction ability on foes to teleport them to the lair in The Fringe. If Chazzin-fik is slain, the demons will likely break and flee unless the PCs are close to death. Chazzin-fik does not wish to die in this ambush, even for souls, and so he is apt to flee if things go badly, especially if he is targetted.
Developments: Chazzin-fik has 4 soul gems secreted in his lair in The Fringe. These are gems used to house mortal souls. Chazzin-fik knows a ritual that allows him to, within 1D6 minutes of death, to entrap a mortal soul within a gem (the other demons of the gang do not know the ritual). He needs the body relatively intact (at least the head and heart available) and a gem to place upon the body. The ritual to trap the soul takes 2 rounds to complete, and the victim gains a DC 22 Will save to resist the attempt. Once a soul resists, it flees the body and cannot be trapped. If a soul is trapped, the body cannot be raised or resurrected by any means until the soul is released from the gem (usually accomplished by crushing the gem [hardness 12, 12 hp]). The soul can also be consumed by eating the gem, something accomplished only by fiends. Empty soul gems can be sold on the open market in the city for 500 gp each. The ritual required to activate these gems is only castable by an evil outsider.
If the demons defeat the PCs, they will drag them back to their lair. There they will perform the ritual on 4 PCs, who will be killed if necessary. Any remaining PCs will be sold into slavery. Likewise, any PCs dragged off to the lair will be slain and have their souls trapped if a soul gem remains unfilled. The demons intend to use the soul gems as a means of raising their status.
Encounter #4 - Drink Up!:
This encounter will occur if the PCs hang around a tavern in the city. A drinking contest will be announced, with the prize offered up as the corpse of a priestess of Vastalla recently corrupted, captured, and slain before being brought to the city.
The contest will attract at least a half dozen fiends of various sorts. Given that at least one of the fiends present has true seeing always active, the PCs will be called out to join the drinking contest, as the fiend that notices them will advertise that they have guest mortals amongst them and that it would be a grave insult should the mortals not take part in the contest.
Should the PCs refuse, the crowd will turn unfriendly. Unless they can talk their way into making the crowd friendly again, they will be attacked en masse by the racuous crowd. Talking their way out of the contest should involve much more than a simple Diplomacy check, even assuming the PC can speak the proper language. The PCs should display bluster and toughness to intimidate the fiends, as well as think of some good reason why they should refuse the contest. Claiming they might die from drinking the drinks is not a good reason...in fact, to the fiends it is a sign of weakness.
If the PCs agree to the contest, they do not have to win, they merely have to make a good show of it. The PCs must nominate one of their members to participate in the contest. Magic is not specifically forbidden before the contest starts, but if the fiends notice magic being cast they will attempt to dispel magic on the drinker (assume several fiends have dispel magic at will at CL 10). No magic will be allowed once the contest starts.
The contest involves fiends drinking more and more potent concoctions. These concoctions are intoxicating to fiends but are potentially lethal to mortals. Each is essentially treated as a poison, as detailed ont he chart below. Initial and secondary damage are always the same. The contest starts out with the light drinks and works to the heavy stuff.Remember that Con damage reduces the victim's Fort saves, so once a drinker starts to succumb, he may begin to succumb more easily to later drinks. Each drink takes a full minute to down. If a PC wants to rush a drink, they can attempt a Con check equal to the Fort save of the drink to down the drink in 1D3 rounds. However, doing this adds +1 to the Fort save DC of the drink.
For each drink imbibed by the PC, the attitude of the crowd improves by +5 on the Diplomacy chart. As the crowd starts at unfriendly, 3 drinks are required to make them indifferent and 5 to make them friendly. If the PCs try to leave the contest before 3 drinks have been imbibed, yet the PC drinker is still conscious, then the fiends will likely get rough and eventually attack.
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Mug o' Maug | A strange black tarry syrup infused with what feels like small, spiky nettles. |
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Baby Beer | Whole babies juiced into a mug and then sprinkled with a strange silver powder and unidentifiable herbs. |
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Virgin Fluid | Some sort of clear liquid mixed with a vial of a strange yellowish liquid. When mixed, the drink swirls and seems to form vague shapes of screaming faces in the liquid. |
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Vile Wine | Fine wine with weird star-shaped ink blots floating on top. A gangrenous finger is dipped and squeezed intot he drink and then floated as a garnish. |
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Molydeus Mixture | A red liquid too bright to be blood that glows slightly and seems to emit tiny flames across its surface. Dretch eyeballs and mane juice are added to smooth down the flames. |
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If the PCs want to imbibe beyond the 5th drink they may. Assume each additional drink has +2 Fort DC and moves up in damage dice just like weapons do.
It will take 1D8+5 drinks to win the contest. Should the PCs win, they will have gained an immense reputation amongst the fiends in the bar, and word will quickly spread throughout the city.
Should the fiends end up attacking the PCs, the DM should simply throw a few random fiends at the PCs. As with most bar fights, eventually a general melee will erupt and the PCs can eventually escape in the confusion before the cornugons arrive in a few minutes to break heads and restore order.
Part Four - F'harrik'il:
F'harrik'il dwells inside a mound of rubble in the heart of The Rabble. Refer to the map below for details of his lair.
F'harrik'il is a broker of information and at times exotic items, mostly to lesser and middling powered fiends, for he dislikes dealing with the more powerful entities, as he considers such transactions too risky for the rewards involved. Nevertheless, F'harrik'il has managed to ingratiate himself and perform occasionally valuable services to many of the powerful of the city such that he enjoys an uneasy sort of immunity to the worst depredations of his kin. That said, the uridezu is well aware of the precariousness of his status and is constantly worried that misfortune is right around the corner. As such, he is very careful and somewhat paranoid.
Finding F'harrik'il will not be too difficult for the PCs. A Gather Information check will turn up the following:
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| 10 | F'harrik'il is a rat demonling known as a seller of information, rumours, and exotic items. He dwells somewhere in The Rabble. |
| 15 | F'harrik'il dwells in a large mound of rubble that stinks of feces and garbage somewhere in The Rabble. |
| 20 | F'harrik'il's mound is located a third of the way down Mane Street, a few hundred feet off the way, across from the Sluics Slopes. |
| 30 | F'harrik'il's mound is easy to find, but the entrance isn't. He has a secret entrance hidden on the side facing Canaloth Run. The entrance is trapped usually. |
In addition, the PCs can simply spend time watching many of the public places in the city, and eventually, though it might take as long as a week or so, F'harrik'il will show up. Of course, other uridezu dwell in the city, but a DC 15 Gather Information check inquiring as to his appearance will learn of his strange black cloak with a high collar that seems to flap and move of its own accord. Using this information, it should be easy to spot the demon. Even without this information, close observation of his activities should make it plain eventually that the uridezu they observe is gathering and selling small items and information. It is up the DM to decide how F'harrik'il will react to PCs who approach him on the street. Such interaction depends on how the PCs are disguised (or not) and how they approach the rat demon. Suffice to say that F'harrik'il relatively intelligent, clever, and very very suspicious. In fact, if the PCs take too much time to inquire about him, word of those inquiries will eventually get back to F'harrik'il himself, who will then try to use his contacts to find out who is inquiring about him and why. Once he knows, the DM should craft an appropriate response. If the motivation of the PCs seems dangerous to the uridezu, he will take steps to protect himself, including holing up in a bolt hole he has in the Sluice Slopes, or even hiring a fiend to confront and intimidate or assassinate the PCs. If the motivation of the PCs does not seem dangerous, then the demonling may even arrange a meeting in a safe place like a tavern to parley with the PCs.
Should F'harrik'il learn the PCs come looking for Nemis' soul splinter, he will assume the PCs are looking for revenge upon him and will regard them as hostile. However, if the PCs take great pains to make it clear they want to inquire only or perhaps purchase the splinter, then F'harrik'il might be persuaded to parley with the PCs.
The remainder of this encounter assumes that the PCs come to visit F'harrik'il in his lair without the uridezu's knowledge that they seek him or the soul splinter.
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The Mound (EL 10)
| Before you is a mound of what appears to be stone rubble. It looks as if a stone building was collapsed in on itself at some point in time. The mound is generally 10 ft tall at its apex, descending to 6 ft tall at its edges before descending in a fairly steep slope to the ground. Small rodents scurry and scamper around the mound, emerging from it and burrowing into it from time to time. |
The mound also emanates a very musky odor, from the droppings of the many rats that dwell within.
There are two ways into the mound. Both involve large stones that are actually hollowed out so that they appear to be heavy stones but actually easily pivot in place, exposing a passageway beyond. These secret doors require a DC 25 Search check is discern. The main entrance is in the northwest of the mound, and leads to a 5 ft diameter passageway that wends through the rubble towards area 1. There is also a back door in the southeast that allows access to the outside from a 2.5 ft wide secret passageway that leads from a similar secret door in area 1.
The secret door to the northwest is trapped. If the stone pivot for the doorway is not shifted up slightly before opening, a poisoned arrow will shoot out from a hole above the door, to strike whatever stands before it.
| Wyvern Arrow Trap CR 6; mechanical; touch trigger; manual reset; Atk +14 ranged (1D8 plus poison, arrow); poison (wyvern poison, DC 17 Fort save resists, 2D6 Con/2D6 Con); Search DC 20; Disable Device DC 16. |
The door to the northwest is also constructed to make a stone-on-stone noise when opened, so that F'harrik'il will be alerted to its opening while inside his lair.
Unless otherwise stated, all places are roughly 6 ft tall and the walls are unworked stone. The floor is treated as dense rubble. There are no light sources present, and even in the daytime no light penetrates the interior of the mound. Rodents are visible scurrying around the rubble at all times, and their squeaking can be heard constantly.
The buildings surrounding the mound are typical stone apartments, with windows and doors facing the mound, but most of these are blocked with stone or bricked up, so that the mound is relatively private. Buildings are between 15 ft and 30 ft tall.
F'harrik'il spends about 50% of his time in his lair, the other time spent trolling the city on business.
1. Main Chamber (EL 4)
| The passageway widens into a large open space about 30 ft in diameter. In the east portion of the room, various large protruding stones have been covered with cloth and cushions to form a couch of sorts, though the cloth is quite dirty and soiled and ripped in places. A large stone in the center of the chamber has been flattened and serves as a table, upon which are set a variety of small trinkets and items of no apparent value, such as small bones, bits of fur, pieces of parchment, etc. Similar tokens and gew gaws are placed haphazardly upon protrusions of stone all over the walls of the place, giving the whole a rather cluttered, almost pack-rat ambience. |
Creatures: 4 fiendish dire rats lounge here, pets of F'harrik'il. They will attack all intruders not escorted by the uridezu, and they will also fight at his command.
| ADVANCED FIENDISH
DIRE RATS (4) CR 1 NE Small magical beast Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft, , low-light vision, scent; Listen +5, Spot +5 AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 12 hp 16 (3 HD) Resist cold 5, fire 5; SR 8 Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +4 Spd 40 ft (8 squares), climb 20 ft (4 squares) Melee bite +6 (1D6 plus disease) Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft Base Atk +2; Grp -2 Atk Options smite good 1/day (+3 damage) Abilities Str 10, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 4 Feats Alertness, Improved Natural Attack, Weapon Finesse Skills Climb +11, Hide +8, Listen +5, Move Silently +4, Spot +5, Swim +11 Disease (Ex) Filth fever - swarm attack, Fort DC 11, incubation period 1D3 days, damage 1D3 Dex and 1D3 Con.. |
2. Goods Storage
| This chamber is stuffed full of boxes, crates, and bags of all sorts. The boxes and crates seem to be made of stone as well as some sort of strange resin or chitinous substance, and the bags seem to be made of flayed skin of some sort. |
Also to be found here, but only if everything is thoroughly searched, are a few more valuable items, including: 6 vials of axiomatic water, 4 vials of anarchic water, a flask of atramen oil, 2 vials of antitrait grease, a mechanus eye, 16 sunrods, 12 smokesticks, a jar of liquid night, a chaos flask, and an elemental lodestone.
3. Larder and Spy Room
| This chamber is rather grizzly, as strips of unidentifiable meat hang from iron hooks set into the ceiling. The meat looks rotting, and maggots crawl through it, and there are tiny bites taken out of the hunks of muscle as well as gnaw marks on the exposed bones. Two large wheels of moldy cheese are also present, again with many tiny bites taken out of them. A barrel of stone is open to the air and holds a thick red liquid. |
Where the chamber almost touches the outside wall of the mound, in the northwest portion) is a small spy hole that allows someone inside to observe the entrance to the mound and the approach to that entrance.
4. Sleeping Chamber (EL 4)
| This chamber contains a round concave area in the center of the floor that seems to form a nest of some sort. The area is about 10 ft in diameter and is lined with lots of fur, strange looking strips of leather, and what must be tufts of hair. |
Creatures: 4 fiendish dire rats lounge here, pets of F'harrik'il. They will attack all intruders not escorted by the uridezu, and they will also fight at his command.
| ADVANCED FIENDISH
DIRE RATS (4) CR 1 NE Small magical beast Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft, , low-light vision, scent; Listen +5, Spot +5 AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 12 hp 16 (3 HD) Resist cold 5, fire 5; SR 8 Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +4 Spd 40 ft (8 squares), climb 20 ft (4 squares) Melee bite +6 (1D6 plus disease) Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft Base Atk +2; Grp -2 Atk Options smite good 1/day (+3 damage) Abilities Str 10, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 4 Feats Alertness, Improved Natural Attack, Weapon Finesse Skills Climb +11, Hide +8, Listen +5, Move Silently +4, Spot +5, Swim +11 Disease (Ex) Filth fever - swarm attack, Fort DC 11, incubation period 1D3 days, damage 1D3 Dex and 1D3 Con.. |
Treasure: Hidden beneath the nest and under some stones (Search DC 20) is a human-skin sack that holds 14 ingots of gold (worth 10 gp each) and assorted small gems (approximately 75 of them worth a total of 2000 gp).
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F'HARRIK'IL CR 9 Rat Empathy (Ex) Normal and dire rats instinctively recognize F'harrik'il as their lord and master. This gives F'harrik'il a +4 racial bonus on checks when influencing the animal's attitude and allows the communication of simple concepts and commands such as "friend", "foe", "flee", and "attack". Summon Demon (Sp) Once per day, F'harrik'il can attempt to summon an uridezu with a 40% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd level spell. Whip Tail (Ex) F'harrik'il can wield his tail like a whip, generally to trip or disarm opponents. Even if it fails a trip or disarm attempt, F'harrik'il cannot lose his tail. |
F'harrik'il can call upon the rats dwelling in his mound to help defend him. All of the rats are intensely loyal to him and will fight to the death should he command it.
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FIENDISH RAT SWARMS (4) CR
3 Distraction (Ex) Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 12 Fort save or be nauseated for 1 round. |
Dealing with F'harrik'il:
F'harrik'il is a coward at heart. He will initially defend his lair against intrusion simply to avoid losing his merchandise and treasure, but once it appears as if resistance is tough, he will use his rat swarms and dire rats to cover his retreat through his secret door to the southeast in area 1 and flee into the city.
That said, F'harrik'il can be reasoned with, especially once the PCs subdue him or make it clear that they are not intending to harm him or rob him. Thereafter, the uridezu will calm down and the parley is likely to turn to a bargaining session, with F'harrik'il attempting to get as much as he can from the PCs in exchange for the information he seeks. He will also claim that he is a very important resource for various powerful fiends in the city, fiends who would not take kindly to his demise. This is, sadly for F'harrik'il, a Bluff check on his part.
In any event, if the PCs inquire into Nemis' soul splinter, he will assure the PCs that while he did take the splinter from Ragyfir, he was not powerful enough to hold onto such a powerful soul for too long, and so he eventually bartered it to another fiend. If pressed, he will divulge that the fiend he sold it to is a glabezru named Razkurig'il, who dwells in The Depraved in a stone house. If pressed, he can give the exact location of the glabezru's dwelling, though he will beg the PCs not to divulge to the glabezru that he gave his name and location to the PCs.
If pressed further on the events surrounding the capture of Nemis, F'harrik'il will begin to understand that the PCs are possibly friends of Nemis, and he will become much more worried. Nevertheless, to save his hide he will divulge that he was the one who provided Ragyfir with some of the information that would allow him to bypass Nemis' wards and teleport into the Blood and Thought Guildhouse in Onlor. F'harrik'il got this information from various fiends who were summoned into the Guildhouse for various reasons, along with his own bribes and inquiries. He will also confess to having been instrumental in procuring the gem needed to capture Nemis, as well as the ritual for splitting the gem into three pieces. He can confirm that whomever attunes the soul splinter can control access to the mind splinter, effectively rendering Ragyfir unable to tap Nemis' magical abilities.
If asked who commissioned him to get the information for the raid on the Guild in the first place, he will clam up, claiming that death by the PCs' hands is preferrable to the torments Ragyfir's masters can bring. If asked who "MM" is, he will shrug, claiming he has no idea (this is true, as "MM" is Ragyfir's nickname for N'araktheel). If magic is used to read F'harrik'il's mind, success will depend on the type of magic being used. In any event, F'harrik'il does not know precisely the identity of the person who hired him. He was contacted by other fiends who asked him to serve the person whom he only knows as "The Mistress". He was warned, and he himself is convinced that "The Mistress" is extremely powerful, extremely dangerous, and very very evil. But he has never seen her, only heard her voice speaking Abyssal to him.
Once the PCs deal with F'harrik'il, he will wish to flee, as he fears Razkurig'il will come after him once he slays the PCs. As such, if allowed, he will pack up his valuables and flee to his bolt hole in The Sluice, waiting to see how things turn out.
Part Five - Razkurig'il:
Razkurig'il dwells in a stone house in The Depraved. He is a demon of no major significance here in Y'tik-foligis, though he has taken a fairly major interest in happenings on the Material Plane. Unless the PCs make a point of announcing their intentions, Razkurig'il should be entirely unaware that the PCs seek him at this exact point in time (though he does expect them to arrive at some point, see below).
His home is of stone, carved on the outside to show various human and elven heads screaming in terror. It is 1 story, and the roof is curved in several dome shapes. The structure is 20 ft tall at its edges and rises another 5 ft with the domes and has no windows. The building is of masonry, and the faces grant a +3 circumstance bonus to Climb checks when scaling the outside of the building. Exterior walls are 2 ft thick and interior wals are 1 ft thick. Doors are of iron, the larger ones being a full 15 ft wide and the smaller ones being 8 ft wide; all doors are 2 inches thick
Unless otherwise stated, there is no illumination in any of the rooms.
Surrounding buildings are of stone and between 20 ft and 30 ft tall. All have iron doors and no windows.
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1. Antechamber (EL 8)
The door to this chamber from
the outside is barred from the inside with a stout iron bar (break
DC 28).
| The room's floor is of bluish marble shot through with red veins, giving the whole an somewhat unsettling arterial appearance. However, the floor has seen better days, as the various chips and cracks attest. In addition to the large iron door to the north, there is a large door along the east wall and two smaller iron doors flanking the southern end of the room, the end of which bears another large iron door engraved with a crab claw symbol. |
Creatures: 4 dretches stand alert here as guards. While most fiends would laugh at the prospect of having dretches as guards, these have been well trained by Razkurig'il, and they are firecely loyal to their master. They are instructed to use their medallions of electricity only on the golem in area 4 should it be slowed by fire or cold attacks.
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ADVANCED DRETCHES (4) CR 4 Telepathy (Su) Dretches can communicate telepathically with creatures within 100 ft that speak Abyssal. |
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Medallion of Electricity This medallion, formed of amber set on a copper chain, allows its wearer to cast an electric jolt spell 3/day at caster level 1. Faint evocation; CL 3; Craft Wondrous Item, electric jolt; Price 600 gp |
2. Bedchamber
| This room is dominated by a large bed made of an iron frame whose posts depict succubi sliding up and down giant phalluses. The linens seem to be a combination of velvet, silk, and flayed skins. The bed seems sized to fit a Huge creature. |
3. Chapel
| This hall ends in an altar of black stone shot through with obsidian veins and flecks. The altar depicts a leering, many tusked demon with bat wings who holds a sceptre in his hands. The sceptre ends at the top in five bestial arms whose claws grip a single humanoid skull. |
4. Second Hall (EL 11)
| This hall bears various mummified heads spiked into curved iron hooks imbedded into the ceiling. The tongues loll out of the mouths and the desiccated eyes seem to leer down at those traversing the way. Large iron doors sit at the western and eastern ends of the hallway, while two smaller doors sit to the north and south. |
Creatures: A huge flesh golem stands guard in this hall, having been provided to Razkurig'il for services rendered to a powerful minion of the Deceiver centuries ago. The golem regards Razkurig'il as its master, and the glabezru may attempt to calm its berserk fury should such arise. The golem is instructed to attack intruders, and will otherwise obey the glabezru. It will respond to sounds of combat in area 1 and will not attack the dretches, even if they target it with their medallions. It will also not attack the slave in area 5.
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ADVANCED FLESH GOLEM CR 11 Immunity to Magic (Ex) A flesh golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below. A magical attack that deals cold or fire damage slows a flesh golem (as the slow spell) for 2D6 rounds, with no saving throw. A magical attack that deals electricity damage breaks any slow effect on the golem and heals 1 point of damage for every 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. For example, a flesh golem hit by a lightning bolt heals 3 points of damage if the attack would have dealt 11 points of damage. A flesh golem golem gets no saving throw against attacks that deal electricity damage. |
5. Kitchen
|
This room appears to be a kitchen and larder, as a long stone table to the west holds various knives, hooks, bowls, and cups, most of fairly plain design. Hanging from hooks on the ceiling are various dubious cuts of meat, some apparently braised in blood and other unsavory juices. In the northeast corner is a bundle of furs that appears to serve as bedding. |
6. Study
| This chamber's walls are studded with iron shelves upon which are set a moderate library of tomes, tablets, and scrolls. To the south is an iron desk and bench. |
The desk contains rolls of human vellum, fingerbone quills, and pots of blood ink.
One parchment is rolled and tied by a silver cord sealed with a red wax stamp of a crab claw. The document reads, in Abyssal:
|
Your most esteemed and gracious lord of darkness and flame, may your whip never falter: I write this missive to you to request your aid in the hiring of an orange one to dispose of a rival who has injured me. I know such matters are beneath your notice normally, but I would be willing to pay well for the service...the standard fee of course. I seek to remove from existence a certain nalfeshnee named Exteriryx, who dwells here in Y'tik-foligis in Abashir Heights. As you are familiar with the city, you know why I cannot perform this deed myself and why discretion is required. All of the victim's property would be forfeit to you or the orange one. The only item I require is a certain niggling little gem splinter that is the cause of my dispute with the nalfeshnee. It is a trifling thing, with a human sould contained within, but it has become a matter of pride for me to have it back, as Exteriryx made a show of boasting how he won it from me. I humbly and abjectly await your wise and correct response and, no matter what your decision, bow before you. Razkurig'il |
This document is a request to a powerful balor who dwells in a different demi-plane to provide the services of a kelvezu demon assassin to slay Exteriryx and regain the Nemis soul splinter. Razkurig'il has not sent the missive yet, as he is waiting for the eventual arrival of the PCs and hopes they can slay the nalfeshnee. In fact, Razkurig'il's letter serves two purposes. Should he be slain by the PCs, then it is his hope they find the letter and go after Exteriryx and slay the nalfeshnee, giving the glabezru a posthumus victory. On the other hand, should the PCs spare Razkurg'il, go after Exteriryx, but are vanquished by the nalfeshnee, then the glabezru can go ahead and send the assassination request to the balor. The request will require a large payment, and there is always the risk that the kelvezu or the balor will simply take the Nemis soul splinter for himself, so Razkurig'il prefers to have the PCs do his dirty work.
Also on the desk is a tome detailing the Quest of the Gem in Draconic. A bone bookmark is set in the book. On the page marked by the bookmark is an accounting of the Heroes travelling beneath the West Mountains at the point where theywere exploring the mines under the abandoned Ironaxe Clan holdings. There they met an imprisoned succubus named Galanaraxxusthimsul who tries to trick them into releasing her so that she can wreak her vengeance on the drow who have invaded the Ironaxe Clan. In blood ink scrawled in Abyssal next to the first mention of the succubus' name has been scrawled the words "Abrinda = House Mercur. But why?" with an arrow pointing to the name. This is a note made by the glabezru years ago after having first encountered the PCs (see the scenario entitled "The Tower of Tharikthiril") and noting them as marked by a demon. He began to investigate the Riverine situation and eventually learned that Abrinda was indeed the infamous succubus Galanaraxxusthimsul.
7. Dining Chamber
| This large room is dominated by a long, high, and wide wooden table, flanked by several long iron benches, including one to the east that is tall enough to comfortably seat a Huge creature. The table is covered in dents, gouges, and dried bloodstains. In the southeast corner are two large iron barrels, both covered. |
8. Audience Chamber
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This impressive chamber is floored with grey and white marble that rises in three steps to a raised portion to the south. Set upon the raised portion is a massive iron and velvet chair, almost a throne. Set next to the chair is an iron table. Both of these are sized for a Huge creature. Set on the table is a large scroll of vellum, rolled up with two iron scroll pins. In the northeast corner of the chamber stands a 17 ft tall marble statue of a demonic female with broken wings and four snake-like tentacles emerging from her waist. |
The statue is of a lilitu tanar'ri,which a Knowledge (planes) DC 25 check will reveal. The statue was given to him by a lilitu paramour whom he eventually did away with, though he keeps the statue in remembrance.
The large scroll weighs 15 pounds and is made of human and elf vellum. It details a great deal of information concerning the centuries of intrigues and deceptions performed by Razkurig'il. Almost a journal, if the Abyssal notes are reviewed thoroughly, it will become clear that, over the centuries, Razkurig'ils complex and interwoven plots were so voluminous that the demon himself needed extensive notes to keep it all straight. There are many items crossed out or amended, and it would take months to read the entire scroll. Taking a few hours to read the latest entries would be enough for the PCs to realize that Razkurig'il is the same demon who met the PCs in the Tower of Tharikthiril (and, in fact, taught Tharikthiril the secret of breeding groundlings and later helped the wizard rebirth as a fiend), that he has taken an interest in their career since then, and that he believes he knows the identity of the demon that has claimed the PCs as its own, but he wants to confirm some things by procuring a history of the Heroes of the Gem first. A later entry makes it clear he did purchase such a tome.
The throne sits atop a loose slab of marble (Search DC 30) that, when removed (it weighs 200 lbs) exposes a 5 ft square niche that holds Razkurig'il's treasure.
Treasure: 3000 gp, 500 pp, 4 large black pearls worth 1000 gp each, and a divine scroll of remove curse (CL 10).
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RAZKURIG'IL CR 13 Summon Demon (Sp) Once per day, Razkurig'il can attempt to summon 4D10 dretches or 1D2 vrocks with a 50% chance of success, or a glabrezu with a 20% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th level spell. True Seeing (Su) Razkurig'il continuously uses true seeing as the spell (caster level 14th). |
Dealing with Razkurig'il:
Razkurig'il is expecting the PCs. Or to be more precise, he is expecting them to eventually make their way to him, though he has no idea that now is that time. Like all glabezrus, despite his prodigious strength in combat, Razkurig'il prefers subtle plots and deceptions over brute force and blatant evils. One of his disciples was the mad wizard Tharikthiril whom the glabezru was helping to become a force for evil in the region around the dwarven city of Nirzumbil. When the PCs slew Tharikthiril, they happened to stumble into an arcane circle that allowed mystic contact with Razkurig'il. The demon was tempted to vow revenge on the PCs for slaying his wizard, but noted that their auras were marked by another demon, who claimed the PCs' bodies and souls as its own. Intrigued, and not wishing to defy an unknown demon of obvious puissance, Razkurig'il left the PCs unmenaced and instead began to watch them from afar and try to find out the identity of the demon who marked them.
Eventually, though means arcane and mundane, Razkurig'il learned the identity of the demon that marked the PCs. It was none other than the succubus Galanaraxxusthimsul, and she was posing as the wife of the Trade Lord Barnabus in House Riverine in the Far Coast. Now doubly intrigued as to why such a powerful succubus would have infiltrated a backwater trade outpost, he pressed very subtly and very cautiously, eventually determining that she worked for House Mercur.
The demon has since put enough puzzle pieces together to know the following:
1. Abrinda is the succubus named Galanaraxxusthimsul.
2. Abrinda gathered and nurtured the PCs to develop them into a strike force to eventually slay the doppelganger who had taken over Barnabus' position and to rescue and restore the real Barnabus.
3. Galanaraxxusthimsul is working for House Mercur.
4. Abrinda was instrumental in the capture of Aramith, the leader of the Green Arrows. While he believes that Mercur wanted the Green Arrows destroyed because they were hitting Mercur caravans and leaving Riverine ones alone for the most part, he also believes that Abrinda had Aramith captured and then got the PCs assigned to guard his caravan in order to set them on a course that would eventually lead them to uncover the connection between Riverine and the Thieves' Guild and eventually rescue Barnabus and expose the doppelganger.
5. He believes Abrinda slew Veribor, the previous Riverine House Enforcer. Likely because Veribor was beginning to suspect her. He also believes that the House Priest of Riverine prior to Kelliene did not travel to the far west, as reported, but was slain by Galanaraxxusthimsul or her agents. Again, it is likely that he may have begun to suspect her true nature.
6. He does not know why a powerful and capable succubus like Galanaraxxusthimsul would serve House Mercur in a far and unimportant outpost. He is certain there is something more to the situation than meets the eye.
While Razkurig'il was following the exploits of the PCs, he saw the arrival of Zemeal and learned of the fate of Zemeal's master Nemis. Given that he learned that Ragyfir often served House Mercur, he wondered if the presence of Galanaraxxusthimsul and the theft of Nemis' artifact were not linked somehow. In any event, now that Galanaraxxusthimsul had molded the PCs into a capable strike force, he sought to use them for his advantage as well. So he began to search for the Nemis soul splinter, knowing that one day the PCs would come for it. As it happened, fortune was with him, for he learned that the splinter was in this very city, in the hands of F'harrik'il. It was then a simple matter to coerce the rat demon to trade it to him. He then flaunted the splinter in the proper ways and places so that it would attract the attention of Exteriryx the nalfeshnee.
Exteriryx and Razkurig'il have a rivalry that goes back centuries. They hate each other, however, this hatred has not boiled into open combat, as Exteriryx disdains combat as beneath him and Razkurig'il fears to strike at such a well-connected and powerful tanar'ri. However, Exteririyx had maneuvered Razkurig'il into a position some years ago where the glabezru became indebted to the nalfeshnee. As Razkurig'il hoped, Exteriryx took the bait and claimed the Nemis soul splinter as payment for the debt. Now, Razkurg'il figured, it would only be a matter of time before the PCs, seeking to defeat Ragyfir and restore Nemis, would come to Y'tik-foligis searching for the soul splinter. They would no doubt come to F'harrik'il, and that cowardly rat would certainly betray Razkurig'il to the PCs. Then the PCs would come to seek the glabezru.
And so he awaits them. When the PCs enter the home, the glabezru will sit calmly on his throne and await them. He will, if he has time, grab the tome and rolled up parchment from his study desk and place them on the table next to his throne. He will make no move to help his guards in area 1 and 4, figuring that if the PCs cannot defeat his guards, they have no hope against Exteriryx.
When the PCs finally make it to his throne room, Razkurig'il will welcome them, say he's been expecting them, and inform them that they can either fight and bloody each other senseless, or they can speak like thinking beings and come to an understanding.
Should the PCs wish to fight, Razkurig'il will sigh and fight them, though he will not fight to the death. Should things go badly he will teleport away, hoping that the PCs will read his notes and documents and proceed after Exteririyx. Nevertheless, while fighting, he will continually inform the PCs that he no longer has what they seek, but he is willing to direct them to the one who has it. He can even assure them the one to whom he directs the PCs has the item even now.
Assuming the PCs agree to parley with Razkurig'il, he will tell them that he has been expecting them for some time, and that he knows what they seek and why. He will say that he is willing to tell the PCs who has the Nemis soul splinter now and how to find him and he asks one small thing in return...that the PCs slay the one who has it and brings his head back to the glabezru as proof. If asked about his motivations, Razkurig'il will say that he has a dispute with the current possessor of the splinter and wants to see this being dead much more than he wants the splinter back.
Should the PCs agree, Razkurig'il will be delighted. He will mention that he always enjoys seeing a plan come to fruition, and will inform the PCs that the current holder is a nalfeshnee named Exteriryx who dwells in a manor house in Abashir Heights. The glabezru would be happy to give precise direction to the manor house.
If his motives are questioned, Razkurig'il will enjoy revealing to the PCs the history and nature of his feud with Exteriryx and the fact that he personally obtained the splinter from F'harrik'il precisely to pass it onto Exteriryx knowing that the PCs would eventually come looking for it. If asked how he knew of the PCs at all, he will tell them that he has been following their career with interest for some time...ever since he met them after they defeated his protege Tharikthiril. Razkurg'il will not, however, divulge any of his knowledge of Abrinda or House Mercur at this time.
Once the PCs agree, Razkurig'il will tell them that, as an incentive to making sure they carry out their bargain and bring the nalfeshnee's head back to him (he wants to put it on display), he will offer to sell to them an amazingly important bit of knowledge once the head is given to him. He will assure the PCs that this secret that he possesses is of extraordinary value to the PCs, and because of this they should not even consider slaying him now that he has told them where to find Exteriryx.
Part Six - Exteriryx:
Exteriryx dwells in a modest manor house in Abashir Heights. He is a demon of some significance here in Y'tik-foligis, having built up a network of yugoloth mercenaries and various mercantile interests. Unless the PCs make a point of announcing their intentions, he should be entirely unaware that the PCs seek him.
His home is of stone, surrounded by an iron fence. It is 1 story, and even a casual glance shows that the house was once shorter but had more height added on later with different coloured stone, so that what was once a 15 ft tall manor house is now 25 ft tall. The structure's roof is flat, and there are windows with iron shutters at varying intervals 10 ft up the side of the building. The manor is of superior masonry. Exterior walls are 3 ft thick and interior wals are 1 ft thick. Doors are of iron, the larger ones being a full 15 ft wide and the smaller ones being 8 ft wide; all doors are 2 inches thick The windows are 2 ft wide and 4 ft tall, covered in thick glass (2 inches thick) and covered by iron shutters (1 inch thick) that are set inside the windows and are locked by an iron latch. All shutters on all windows are routinely closed.
Unless otherwise stated, there is no illumination in any of the rooms.
 |
1. Gateyard (EL 8)
| Surrounding the manor house is an iron fence some 15 ft tall comprised of 2 inch thick iron bards spaced 3 inches apart. Each bar ends in a sharp, barbed spike. Set in the north of the fence is an iron gate. The gate is as tall as the fence and made of solid iron, set with a viewport at a height of about 10 ft. The viewport is open and measures 1 ft square. Just opposite the gate, a large iron door sits closed on the face of the manhor house. |
The door is also locked, by a stout iron bar which is manned by the zombie in area 2. Refer to area 2 for details.
Creatures: Four quasits patrol the gateyard, all invisible at all times. One is always perched on the lintel of the door to area 2. The other three flit and cavort around the gateyard.
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ADVANCED QUASITS (4) CR 4 Poison (Ex) Injury, Fort DC 13, initial damage 1D4 Dex, secondary damage 2D4 Dex. |
Tactics: The quasits are smart enough to know when they are outmatched, but will attempt to harrass intruders while invisible after giving the alarm. The alarm simply involves banging loudly on the front door or any window. While the quasits are not very effective fighters, they will try to at least lob their thrown weapons at intruders before flying out of harm's way. They are well aware of spell capabilities and will not group up to expose themselves to area effect magic.
2. Foyer (EL 6)
The door leading to this room
from area 1 is barred by a stout iron bar.
|
This large room bears marble flooring shot through with golden inlays that depict hellish orgies and other group debaucheries between demons and mortals. To the southwest and south are two massive iron doors with ornate wrought iron handles, and between them along the south wall is a smaller iron door that is merely large. A single shuttered window is to the east. Along the east and west walls are what can only be described as a horror-show of humanity. What appears to be a collection of life-sized humanoid statues line these walls, one every 5 ft. These statues despict nude human males and females who have undergone horrific graftings of various sorts of fiendish body parts, so that although all are recognizable as humans, they are all vilely deformed. Some have fiendish snouts, others grotesque claws, and others less savory part replacements. In addition, it appears that these may be the actual corpses of such unfortunates, stuffed or otherwise taxidermied into their current poses. |
Creatures: A zombie bone devil is stationed here, to unbar and open the door upon Exteririyx's telepathic command (which includes certain passwords changed frequently). Although Exteririyx can simply teleport into his own manor, he still maintains a door guard out of habit and as an affront to the baatezu who dwell in his neighbourhood. The zombie will attack any intruders.
| ZOMBIE BONE
DEVIL CR 6 NE Large undead Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Listen +0, Spot +0 AC 27, touch 13, flat-footed 23 hp 133 (20 HD); DR 5/slashing Fort +6, Ref +10, Will +12 Spd 40 ft (8 squares) Melee bite +15 (1D8+6) or Melee claw +13 (1D4+3) or Melee sting +13 (3D4+3) Space 10 ft; Reach 10 ft Base Atk +10; Grp +20 Abilities Str 23, Dex 19, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1 SQ single actions only Feats Toughness Single Actions Only (Ex) Zombies have poor reflexes and can perform only a single move action or attack action each round. A zombie can move up to its speed and attack in the same round, but only if it attempts a charge. |
3. Side Hall
| This hallway bears two massive iron doors and four large ones at various points along its course. The lower half of the walls are decorated with faded frescoes depicting baatezu and tanar'ri fighting on a steep and rugged mountainside. |
4. Long Hallway
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This hallway bears four massive iron doors and two large ones at various points along its course. The lower half of the walls are decorated with faded frescoes depicting baatezu and tanar'ri tearing apart mortals in a chaotic tug-of-war. The massive iron door to the southwest bears an engraving of two furry arms ending in claws that each grasp a powerful looking rod emanating some sort of fiery aura. |
5. Shannon's Chamber
| This room contains furnishings for a being of Medium size. It includes a bed of ironwith silk canopies, a wardrobe of steel that is open and exposes a variety of colourful woman's garments, a metal nightstand complete with a washbasin and a mirror, and several stone divans with velvet cushions. A shuttered window sits in the north wall, and a brazier of dying coals sits in the room's center. |
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Under the bed is Shannon's spellbook (see her statistics block below), a ratty old tome bearing the seal of the College of Wizardry at Iligor (DC 30 Knowledge [arcana] check or DC 25 Knowledge [nobility and royalty] check to identify the seal). On the inside cover, in faded ink, it reads in Common:
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Love, Curinax |
6. Grafting Chamber
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This room is a horror. Chains and hooks hang from the walls and ceiling, and various devices of wicked looking metal hang from the walls attached to various hinges and metal joints and strange metal frames. The floor is stained with blood, as are spatters on the walls and even a few on the ceiling high overhead. Several metal and stone tables are present, all with metal restraints. Several metal drains have been built into the floor, and these are clogged with coagulated blood, gobbets of dried flesh, and other bits and chunks. Along the north wall is a long metal table that holds a variety of knives, picks, saws, probes, and other heinous-looking implements, all sized for a Huge creature, though some quite intricate and delicate in their application. Also in the table are various jars and decanters, bundles, and strips of leather or skins of various sorts. Metal boxes of varying sizes are also stacked at various points along the table, which reaches from wall to wall across the room. |
The boxes on the table contain various fiend parts, all suitable for grafting, including eyes, jaws, skin, ears, sinews, claws, etc.
Creatures: One jar on the table contains a soul tick swimming in a strange clear fluid. If the jar is unsealed, the tick will attempt to crawl out of the jar and attack any mortals it can get at.
|
SOUL TICK CR 1/8 Blood Drain (Ex) A soul tick drains blood, dealing 1 point of Con damage each day it remains attached. Ordinarily, the host regains 1 point of Con damage each night, just before the soul tick deals 1 new point of damage, keeping the host at an equilibrium of 1 point of Con damage. However, once per day as a full-round action the soul tick can overfeed, draining enough blood to deal 1D4 points of Con damage to its host, usually as punishment for displeasing it. Enhance Magic (Ex) Any spells with the death or evil descriptor, as well as spells that use negative energy in any way, are enhanced when cast by the soul tick's host. Such spells are automatically empowered without changing the spell slot required or casting time. Impede Magic (Ex) Any spells with the chaos or good descriptor, as well as spells that use positive energy in any way, are impeded when cast by the soul tick's host. The host must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level) when trying to cast such a spell. If this check fails, the spell does not function and is lost. If the check succeeds, the spell functions normally. Protective Aura (Su) A protection from good or protection from chaos effect constantly wards a soul tick and its host, as the appropriate spell as caster level 12. The soul tick can change the aura at will as a free action. The aura can be dispelled, but the soul tick can create it again during its next turn as a free action. Vunerable to Holy Power (Ex) A soul tick's host is affected by holy power (such as holy smite spells and weapons with the holy property) as if the creature were evil, regardless of its actual alignment. |
7. Guard Chamber (EL 11)
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This chamber contains six large pedestals of stone placed evenly around the chamber. Each pedestal is 3 ft tall and 5 ft square and its top is indented deeply in a strange, asymmetrical shape. In the center of the chamber is a large iron table, upon which are a mess of scraps of unsavory foodstuffs and dried blood. A single chain hangs from the ceiling above the center of the table, and hooked to the chain is a slab of muscle and flesh that has clearly been puctured in many places by piercing weapons of some sort. Along the east wall is a large metal weapon rack that holds six ornate tridents. Both windows, to the north and the west, are shuttered and closed. |
Creatures: 6 mezzoloths are stationed here, responding to any alarms raised by the quasits in area 1 or by Exteriryx himself. These yugoloths are not very bright, and will tend to engage in brute force tactics unless directed by the nalfeshnee.
| MEZZOLOTHS (6)
CR 6 Monster Manual III page 201 NE Medium outsider (evil, yugoloth) Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Listen +13, Spot +13 Languages Draconic, Abyssal, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft AC 21, touch 11, flat-footed 20 hp 95 (10 HD); DR 10/good Immune acid, poison Resist cold 10, fire 10, electricity 10; SR 22 Fort +12, Ref +8, Will +7 Spd 40 ft (8 squares) Melee 2 claws +13 (1D4+3) or Melee +1 trident +15/+10 (1D8+4/19) Ranged +1 trident +13 (1D8+4/19) Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft Base Atk +10; Grp +13 Atk Options Power Attack Special Actions summon yugoloth Combat Gear +1 trident Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10, melee touch +13, ranged touch +11): At will - cause fear (DC 13), darkness, desecrate, produce flame, see invisibility 2/day - cloudkill (DC 17), dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs of objects only) Abilities Str 16, Dex 12, Con 21, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 14 Feats Improved Critical (trident), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (trident) Skills Hide +14, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (planes) +11, Listen +13, Move Silently +14, Spot +13 Possessions combat gear, heavy metal shield Summon Yugoloth (Ex) Once per day, a mezzoloth can attempt to summon another mezzoloth with a 40% chance of success. |
Treasure: The tridents on the weapon rack are all masterwork tridents, spares in case they should lose their magical tridents.
8. Storage
| This room is filled with stone barrels, leathery sacks, chitinous crates, clay boxes and urns, and a variety of other containers. The whole has a very haphazard look to it, and some of the stacks balance precariously as they reach almost to the ceiling. |
Mundane items are here as well, including woven hair ropes, cups and dishes, scraps of iron, tools of various sorts and sizes, etc.
None of the stuff is extremely valuable, but most of it is unusual in make or design.
9. Kitchen
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This room is dominated by a large stone oven in the southwest corner that vents up a chimney to the outside. The oven is closed by an iron door. Stone and metal shelves and tables, along with iron bins and barrels, line the rest of the room, and various kitchen utensils are present, along with foodstuffs that are scattered along the tables or hanging from hooks set into the walls. Some of the foodstuffs are recognizable and not unsavory, a few even delicacies, but others are of a more sinister and dubious origin. A metal tub is also present to the north, and set into the wall above it is an iron rod stuck into the wall. Along the south wall is a metal rack holding various bottles and decanters. |
The bottle rack holds wines and spirits, some quite good and others refined for a fiend's taste (refer to Enounter #4 - Drink Up! for some examples).
A thorough search of the kitchen will turn up several recipe books written in Abyssal and Infernal that detail horrific meals designed for the discerning fiendish palate.
Treasure: The rod set into the wall over the tub is magical. When rubbed it casts a create water spell (CL 3) that deposits 6 gallons of water into the tub. The rod functions 3 times per day and may be removed from the wall.
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Rod of Water This 2 foot long iron rod is topped by a clear crystal. When the crystal is rubbed, a create water spell will be activated for up to 3 times per day. Faint conjuration; CL 3; Craft Rod, create water; Price 1800 gp |
10. Parlor
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This large chamber is bedecked in tapestries hanging from iron rods that depict various other-worldly landscapes, including scenes from the Elemental Planes. Several stone divans of various sizes, from Medium to Huge, are set throughout the chamber, with plush cushions set upon them. In the center of the chamber are a variety of furs and throw rugs of many colours and designs. Several metal braziers aer set against the walls of the room, and a stand near each holds blocks of what may be incense. Near these braziers are several iron candelaberas with reddish candles set in them. A pair of chains descends from the ceiling to the center of the room, ending in iron manacles. |
11. Dining Chamber
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This dining chamber is dominated by a massive iron table, ornately crafted with scenes of lemures and dretches along its sides and legs. The table is easily 40 ft long and 10 ft wide and high enough to accommodate a Huge being. A massive wooden chair sized for a Huge creature sits at the eastern hed of the table, while other chairs of metal and stone sized for Medium to Huge occupants flank the rest of the table, the smaller chairs set on blocks of stone to raise them to the level of the table. Upon the table are a variety of dishes, cups, and utensils, again varying in size and in style as well. |
12. Slave Quarters
| This room contains eight ratty fur pallets, a plain metal table and four metal chairs, and several stone chamber pots. Several iron sconces line the walls, set with torches, and an oil lamp rests on the table. |
Assume these slaves are Commoner 1 and speak Abyssal only.
13. Throneroom
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The floor of this large chamber is of blue marble shot through with red veins. At the western end of the place is a raised dais upon which sits a large stone throne sized for a Huge creature. Set into the seat are an array of precious gems of varying types and sizes. Flanking the chamber, along the north and south walls, are iron poles imbedded into the floor. These reach 10 ft into the air and each of the two dozen poles is topped with the head of an outsider, ranging from baatezus to tanar'ris and with a couple of obvious celestial heads thrown into the mix. Only the three poles nearest the throne are empty, revealing a sharpened end awaiting future trophies. Next to the throne sits a small, plain iron chair sized for a Medium creature. Two windows are set into the south wall, closed with iron shutters. |
When Shannon is present, she sits in the small chair at the side of Exteriryx's throne.
Treasure: The gems on the throne number about 120 stones, varying in value from amethysts worth 50 gp each to two large diamonds worth 7500 gp each. In total the gems would be worth approximately 20000 gp.
14. Crooked Hall (EL 13)
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This bent hallway contains two shuttered windows along its western face. Its walls are decorated with bas reliefs of a nalfeshnee engaged in a variety of activities, all to the glory of the nalfeshnee, including whipping human slaves, choking a devil, copulating with succubi and erinyes, lecturing to a small army of vrocks, pulling the feathers out of the wings of bound celestials, and other such activities. There are two massive iron doors in the hall, one to the north and the other along the southern end of the east wall. The latter door bears an engraving of a nalfeshnee bedecked in plate armour on its face. |
Creatures: An iron golem has been crafted into the massive iron door leading to area 15. If anyone but Exteriryx touches the door, or if Exteriryx issues a telepathic command to the door (within the 100 ft range of his telepathy), the figure engraved into the door will emerge from it, leaving a blank iron door face behind. The image is in all ways treated as an iron golem, and will obey only Exteriryx. Left to act on its own, it will pursue intruders anywhere within the manor house. Once it believes intruders have left, it will return to its position in the door.
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IRON GOLEM CR 13 Immunity to Magic (Ex) An iron golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below. A magical attack that deals electricity damage slows an iron golem (as the slow spell) for 3 rounds, with no saving throw. A magical attack that deals fire damage breaks any slow effect on the golem and heals 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. For example, an iron golem hit by a fireball gains back 6 hit points if the damage total is 18 points. An iron golem gets no saving throw against fire effects. An iron golem is affected normally by rust attacks, such as that of a rust monster or a rusting grasp spell. |
15. Master Bedroom
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This room is clearly a bedchamber for a Huge creature. A massive stone bed with ornate iron posts and flayed skin draperies dominates the place, with sheets of black silk and pale skin stitched together. To the south is a large, high metal table and chair, set near stone bookshelves that cover the entire south wall. In the shelves are a variety of tomes, scrolls, tablets, and grimoires. Upon the table are bone quills, blood ink, and human vellum sheets, along with wax and an iron stamp and seal. |
The writings in the shelves deal mostly with fiendish grafting, as well as histories of the planes and its more important denizens. A few are writings of Exteriryx himself with notes on long passed schemes and plots in Y'tik-foligis and elsewhere. A thorough and exhaustive search of the 500 pieces of writing (most in Abyssal, but some in Draconic and Infernal) would certainly allow the reader to learn about Exteririyx's abduction of Shannon and his subsequent graftings upon her. Some mention is made of "a rutting mage named Curinax who seems determined to reclaim the bitch from me". But such references are dismissive and fleeting.
The door to area 16 is locked and trapped (see below).
16. Treasury
The door to this room is locked (Open Locks DC 35) and trapped. Anyone who touches the door without using the key to unlock it (or making a successful Open Locks check), will activate the trap. The trap causes a blade barrier effect to appear before the door. Anyone within 5 ft of the door when the trap is sprung must make a DC 19 Ref save to jump back from the blades and take no damage. Thereafter, anyone attempting to touch the door in any way will suffer the normal effects of the spell. When the spell duration expires, the trap automatically resets.
| Blade Barrier Trap CR 7; magic device; touch trigger; automatic reset; spell effect (blade barrier, 11th level cleric, 11D6, DC 19 Reflex save half damage); Search DC 31; Disable Device DC 31. |
| This smallish chamber is covered in a strange, emerald glow. Within sits an untidy pile of coins interspersed with gems, jewelry, and what appears to be several weapons and other items. |
Treasure: The coins are of various mintings, including ancient mintings and extraplanar mintings, and total 12000 cp, 8000 sp, 6000 gp, and 400 pp.
Mixed in with the coins are a total of 24 gems and 8 pieces of jewelry of various sorts worth 3200 gp and 4000 gp respectively.
Finally, the following magic items are present in the pile (all sized for Medium creatures unless otherwise specified):
Dealing with Exteriryx:
Exteriryx is not to be trifled with. He is haughty and used to getting his way from all but the most powerful fiends. As such, he will be extremely unlikely to parley, and will not willingly turn over the Nemis soul splinter to the PCs under most conceivable circumstances. He will also be inclined perhaps to initially underestimate the PCs, and so is not inclined to flee from them until the last possible moment, as news of his flight from his own home would damage his reputation in the city irreperably. Similarly, he will be loathe to summon demons to aid him, though if he does, he is more likely to summon vrocks than the other types available to him.
Exteriryx has neglected his study of magic items and instead devoted his efforts to the study of fiendish grafting. As such, he has substituted his Use Magic Item as a class skill for the Heal skilll. He has also substituted his Improved Bull Rush feat for the Graft Flesh (fiendish graft) feat. As such, Exteriryx relies less heavily on magic items than others of his kind. Even to cast a lowly cure serious wounds spell from a scroll requires he make a DC 25 Use Magic Device check, which requires that he roll a 15.
Instead, he relies on Shannon to aid him in combat, effectively using her to replace his lost magic items.
Exteririyx will almost certainly be present in his house when the PCs arrive. He spends much of his time there plotting and scheming, and so is likely to be found either in his bedroom (area 15) or his throneroom (area 13). Of course, several times a day he is also present in his dining chamber (area 11).
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EXTERIRYX CR 14 Summon Demon (Sp) Twice per day, Exteriryx can attempt to summon 1D4 vrocks, 1D4 hezrou, or one glabezru with a 50% chance of success, or a nalfeshnee with a 20% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 5th level spell. True Seeing (Su) Exteriryx continuously uses true seeing as the spell (caster level 14th). |
Shannon will generally be found with Exteriryx. He favours her currently and likes having her around. Unless he is conducting extremely private or dangerous business or is dallying with someone in his bedroom, she will be at his side while awake. If she is not, or when she sleeps, she is in her bedroom (area 5).
Shannon is Exteriryx's current grafting masterpiece. He has successfully completed more grafts on her than on any other subject, and these grafts have, apparently, not driven her totally insane. He is quite protective of her and regards her as a favoured pet and slave. Of course, eventually he will tire of her and dispose of her.
The being before appears to be a mish-mash of human and fiendish parts. While you have undoubtedly seen planetouched beings and half-fiends before, this being seems less a melding of blood lines and more a slapdash blending of parts. Her head is of a young human female woman, perhaps in her early twenties, with deep blue eyes and long blond hair. She wears an expensive red and white gown that shows off her cleavage and neck and shoulders. However, the smooth, white skin on her neck and breasts is marred by patches of thich, craggy grey skin mottled with red veins and wriy hairs.
Her left arm is thin and wiry and about twice as long as it should be, and her right arm is shaped like a tentacles that ends with a crude, three-fingered claw at the end.
Her legs are mismatched, with the left leg being long and wiry and the right being thick and strong. Both legs are mottled by the same grey skin patches on her upper torso.
From her back sprouts two feathery wings with long black feathers that end in cruel looking barbs.
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SHANNON CR 8 Feathered Wings (Ex) Feathered wings resemble those of a vrock or erinyes: large and birdlike, though bearing cloaws at the top joint. Shannon can fly at a speed of 80 ft, with average maneuverability. When not flying, Shannon can use the wings to buffet and disorient her opponents. Each round, in addition to her normal attacks, she can make a Bluff check (at no penalty for nonevil targets) opposed by her opponent's Sense Motive check. If this check is successful, Shannon's attacks in that round gain a +2 circumstance bonus. Fiendish Skin (Ex) Fiendish skin improves Shannon's natural armour bonus by +1 and grants her a +2 inherent bonus to Dex. In addition, Shannon gains darkvision with a range of 60 ft. Once per day, Shannon can use poison as the spell (DC 18, CL 16). Flexible Arm (Ex) Shannon's flexible arm is long and flexible like a tentacle, with a crude, three-fingered claw at the end. If it is not holding anything or being used to perform another action, Shannon can direct the arm to make one natural attack per round, using her base attack bonus and Str modifier. This attack is in addition to Shannon's normal actions in a round. A successful attack deals 1D4 damage plus Str bonus. If Shannon uses the flexible arm to wield a weapon, all attacks with that weapon take a -2 penalty. Once per day, as a standard action, Shannon can direct the arm to cast magic missile (CL 5). Long Arm (Ex) Shannon's long arm is thin and wiry and unusually long for her size. Shannon's natural reach for attacks made with the arm or weapons held in the arm increases by 5 ft. Though it cannot take independent action, the arm can be used to make natural attacks, dealing 1D4 damage plus Str bonus. Strong Leg (Ex) Shannon's strong leg is thick and muscular. She gains a +2 inherent bonus to her Con score. |
Allow a DC 25 Knowledge (planes) check for an observer to determine that Shannon is a result of fiendish grafts upon a young, beautiful human female.
Shannon has been warped by her grafts, such that she is currently Neutral Evil and serves Exteriryx willingly. However, there is a chance that if the PCs call her by name and mention Curinax by name that she will pause (treat as being dazed) for 1D3 rounds as if trying to recall the name. During this time, the PCs can attempt a Diplomacy check to try to reach whatever scrap of uncorrupted goodness remains in Shannon. This will require a rushed check (with the usual -10 penalty to the check). If Exteriryx is alive and nearby, he may attempt to counter with his own rushed Diplomacy check (the PCs will have to beat his check in order to then be able to influence Shannon with the same roll). Shannon is hostile to the PCs, and will need to be made indifferent to cause her to stop attacking the PCs. If she is made friendly, she will actually turn on Exteriryx.
Whatever the outcome, should Exteriryx be defeated and Curinax mentioned, Shannon will momentarily come out of her corruption enough to remember Curinax. She will begin to weep, lament at what might have been, and then beg the PCs to slay her. She will refuse any offers to come back to Curinax, not wanting him to see her like this, and she will do her best to convince the PCs that the grafts are irreversible and that they have corrupted her soul and mind as well as her body. She will tell the PCs that she has willingly done horrible things, and that she will likely continue to do the same. She will end up begging and weeping to be put to death, and request that the PCs promise that they will either mention nothing of her to Curinax, or will say that they found her and she was slain quickly in the combat with the demon with Curinax's name on her lips.
If the PCs try to force Shannon to return with them, she will resist to the best of her ability. Should she be brought to Curinax anyways, it is up to the DM to decide the outcome. Curinax may speak with her for a time and agree to kill her himself.
Part Seven - The Beginning of the End:
The Soul Splinter:
Nemis' soul splinter is worn by the nalfeshnee Exteriryx.
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Nemis Soul Splinter This is a small sapphire chip glows and twinkles with a strange radiance. The chip is set upon a long silver chain. The soul splinter is one third of a large sapphire formerly inset into a rod that was specially prepared by demons in the service of the drow matron N'araktheel to capture the wizard Nemis. Once captured, the gem was splintered into three parts, each containing a facet of Nemis (mind, body, and soul). The soul splinter contains the soul of Nemis. Normally, the soul contained within is useful only as food or currency for fiends. However, this soul splinter was used as a conduit to bind Nemis' intellect (contained in the mind splinter) to Ragyfir, so that the thug could gain the use of Nemis' magical abilities. As such, the one attuned to this soul splinter has the power to sunder Ragyfir's conduit to Nemis' intellect. Attuning the soul splinter is simple. The attuner must keep the splinter touching his skin for 24 hours and, from time to time, concentrate on the connection with the soul. Ostensibly, this occupies the entire 24 hour period for the attuner, who can sip water and say a few brief phrases while doing so. Anyone putting on or touching the soul gem will initially feel like he has made fleeting and shallow contact with the soul within. The longer he touches the splinter, the more he can feel himself probing deeper into the depths of the soul and becoming attuned to it. While there is no way to know for sure that the process will take 24 hours, after an hour or so the attuner can have an idea that he is making decent progress and that full attunement might be a matter of hours or a few days. Anyone attuned to the soul splinter can immediately sense the conduit between Ragyfir and Nemis' intellect, which seems to flow through this splinter. The attuner will realize that, as a free action, he can cut off and restore Ragyfir's access to Nemis' intellect, at any time and from any distance. Ragyfir will very likely not be aware of the sundering until he tries to cast a spell or communicate with Nemis. The gem radiates strong conjuration magic. |
Back to Razkurig'il:
Assuming the PCs return to Razkurig'il with the head of Exteriryx, the glabezru will be overjoyed. He will take the head and place it upon his knee, patting it from time to time with one of his smaller arms like a pet.
Razkurig'il will congratulate the PCs and offer to now sell them a secret that he knows. This secret, he will say, is of absolute and vital importance to the PCs, and he is sure they would be willing to pay just about any price to learn it. He will ask the PCs if they wish to buy this secret from him.
If the PCs say no, then Razkurig'il will shrug and say that it is no skin off of his hide. He will enjoy watching the PCs proceed in ignorance until it is too late and then perish knowing they were the cause of their own demises.
If the PCs show some interest, but ask to know more about the secret, Razkurig'il will balk. However, if the PCs ask him specifically if the secret concerns the fiend that claimed the PCs as its own all those years ago (see the scenario entitled "The Tower of Tharikthiril"), he will say yes...that it directly concerns such issue.
If the PCs are interested, but concerned how the transaction would take place, Razkurig'il will put their minds at ease by informing the PCs that he would invoke an Oathtaker. He will explain that the inevitables that oversee the city provide a valuable service for a city comprised of treacherous fiends. They can be called upon to seal a bargain, witness an oath, and even to adjudicate a trade. They require no fee for this service, as it seems to be their pleasure to bring a bit of law and order to an otherwise unruly place. Razkurig'il will assure the PCs that no one, however evil and untrustworthy, would willingly break the bond of an Oathtaker, for he would be exiled from the city forever, or even worse.
If the PCs ask what price he would ask, Razkurig'il will ponder for a while. He will then choose one of the PCs' most valuable magic items. It appears that he knows all of the PCs' major magic items (at least any they have had and used for a while now). For the historical campaign, Razkurig'il will demand Witch Cutter, the +1 evil outsider bane shortsword owned by Vaden Crowfeeder. If the PCs seem agitated by this price, the fiend will assure them that the secret is worth the item, and he will balk at anything else given to him unless it is worth double what the shortsword is worth. If asked why he wants the item, he will smile and ask the PCs if they had come into possession of a human bane weapon would they have found a use for it during their careers. Assuming the PCs answer yes, he will then nod and smile and point out that he dwells in a city full of evil outsiders, many of whom wish to attack him and kill him and all of whom present a danger to him. To Vaden he will say that while he can understand the barbarian's reluctance to give up his blade, he should take comfort that in Razkurig'il's hands, such a blade will likely kill far more fiends than it ever would in Vaden's hands.
Finally, Razkurig'il will point out that it will be the Oathtaker's judgement as to whether the secret is worth the blade. If the Oathtaker agrees that the secret is worth the blade, then he will hand the blade to Razkurig'il. If not, he will return it to the PCs.
The Oathtaking:
Should the PCs agree to the Oathtaking, then Razkurig'il will simply stand up and whisper in Abyssal "I call upon the inevitables of the central spire to witness and take a solemn oath." In a moment, a kolyarut will appear, a Medium sized black metal humanoid construct in golden banded armour with a glowing longsword sheathed in a belt and a red tabard on its shoulders. The inevitable speaks in the native tongue of anyone whom it addresses. It will ask for a representative of both parties to step forth and then ask that both parties frame the terms of the bargain to it.
Razkurig'il will state the bargain as:
I will impart a very valuable secret to these mortals. This secret is extremely important to them and may mean the difference between life and death for they and theirs. I am confident they would gladly pay almost any price to learn this secret. I ask in return for the [item] currently in the possession of [person].
The inevitable will then state to all present that a sacred Oathtaking it about to occur. Any deception or trickery will be met with the harshest penalties, and the might of the inevitables of the spire will come down on those who perpetrate such foulness. Even across the planes will the maruts hunt those who deceive an Oathtaking, and the kolyarut will warn that he can peer into the minds of those who partake of the oath and demand that all mind-shielding magic be dropped.
The PCs can state the bargain as they understand it. Should both bargains be similar, then the inevitable will demand that the PCs hand over the item to it for holding. Once the PCs have done so, the inevitable will ask Razkurig'il to tell the secret to him in private. Once done, the inevitable will pronounce that he deems the bargain as a just one. He will then ask for Razkurig'il to reveal his secret.
Razkurig'il's Secret:
Razkurig'il will then reveal his secret to the PCs.
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You will remember, all those years ago when we met in the ruined tower of Tharikthiril? How I came to wreak vengeance upon you for slaying my favoured wizard, but stayed my hand because I saw you had been marked by another fiend? Well this intrigued me, for the mark was a powerful one...one that I dare not violate lightly. But long did I watch and bide my time, learning and following your careers. And I have learned much, and put many pieces of the puzzle of your lives together. Do you think it a coincidence that most of you were come together to House Riverine and thrown together as a band? Haha! Think not so. You were recruited by the one who marked you. Recruited I say, to be trained and molded into a capable strike force. For what purpose? Why to find and slay the doppelganger that had replaced poor old Barnabus the Trade Lord. And who wanted the doppelganger removed and Barnabus returned to his rightful place? Why his loving wife Abrinda. And was this act the selfless one of a loving wife trying to return her husband to her side? Nay. It was the act of a succubus who worried that the doppelganger would eventually uncover her secret and expose her, or who would be so inept at trade that he would bring House Riverine to ruin and foil her plans! Yes, the Lady Abrinda is none other than a succubus. But not just an ordinary temptress of the netherworld...no. A powerful and infamous succubus...the very one the Heroes of the Gem met beneath the Ironaxe Clan mines just before the War of the Gem. She is Galanaraxxusthimsul, and one who has turned infiltration into an art form. It was she who recruited you when she learned of the presence of the doppelganger. It was she who seduced poor Aramith, the leader of the Green Arrows, and then betrayed him so that he would be captured. It was she who convinced the general to place members of House Riverine as guards on the caravan, a step that inevitably led you to the Dwillingir Thieves' Guild and eventually to rescue Barnabus and slay the doppelganger. It was she who slew poor Veribor, the hard working and loyal House Enforcer, for he was growing suspicious of her. And is was she who slew the House Priest Renderuth, the predecessor to Kelliene whom she had everyone believe was sent to another temple far to the west. Alas! I think should you enquire at that temple you will find they neither sent for him nor received him. And whom does this succubus serve? Why none other than your arch enemies House Mercur. How do I know this? She has been linked to Ragyfir, and Ragyfir serves Mercur. You do the math. And what better way to eventually bring low or absorb your greatest rival than to infiltrate so? Ah it was a lovely scheme to watch unfold! And now it shall be just as lovely to watch you mortal unravel it all in violence and bloodshed! Such mayhem! Absolutely delicious. |
As Razkurig'il relaxes with a smug, self-important look on his face, the inevitable will ask the PCs if they have any dispute as to the fact that the bargain has been reached. If the PCs do not object, the inevitable will hand the bargained item to Razkurig'il, state that the Oath has been fulfilled, and teleport away. If the PCs object, the inevitable will listen to their pleas and then make its final judgement. Unless the PCs have some really good exonerating circumstances, the inevitable will consummate the deal and teleport away.
After the Oath:
Once the inevitable leaves, all bets are technically off. But Razkurig'il will be ready. He will immediately turn to the PCs and advise them that they had better strike at Abrinda soon, for she is crafty and may eventually come to suspect the PCs. He will also warn the PCs that when they do strike her, they should not attempt any duplicity. The succubus is a paragon of her species and will see through almost any diversion or duplicity. Better to simply come upon her and strike suddenly and fiercely and explain to poor old Barnabus the details afterwards.
Razkurig'il will also advise the PCs to leave and not think of trying to double cross him or reclaim their item. He will acknowledge that the PCs might be able to overcome him, but he vows that his first act will be to teleport away and warn Abrinda, thereby ruining the PCs' best chance of striking her and possibly condemning Barnabus to death as well. He would then ally himself with Abrinda and House Mercur. He will suggest to the PCs that it would not be worth the risk to try to domensionally anchor him or slay him before he can teleport away. Instead, they should be happy with a bargain that was adjudged fair and leave to take their vengeance on Abrinda. Should the PCs worry that Razkurig'il might warn Abrinda anyways, he will laugh and say that there would be much less fun in that, and why would he go through the trouble and risk of revealing his secret just to betray the PCs and have Abrinda angry at him when he simply could have left the PCs ignorant and watched Abrinda eventually do away with them at her leisure?
Should the PCs betray the glabezru, he will attempt to do exactly as he warned.
Getting Abrinda:
The PCs can now go after Abrinda. As of now she suspects nothing. However, she is very worried about the fact that the PCs have gone to Hagistre with the F'harrik'il parchment and she knows that the jig is almost up and that she must slay the PCs very soon. Therefore, it is inevitable that the PCs will conflict with Abrinda now or very shortly after they return. The real difference is whether the PCs are able to take the fight to her while she is surprised and off balance, or whether she attacks the PCs while they are unsuspecting and vulnerable. That is the difference between the PCs paying Razkurig'il's price for his secret or slaying the demon and noting his jottings in his book.
If the PCs do not become aware that Abrinda is a succubus, then they will return to Riverine and report to Barnabus. Abrinda will learn what they know, warn Ragyfir that he cannot use Nemis' powers anymore, and will arrange a very powerful assassination attempt against the PCs. Abrinda and Ragyfir themselves will attempt it, along with the rest of the surviving Splintered Arrows and a few other powerful hired hands. Such an attempt is left to the DM, but it should be a very powerful strike, as Abrinda would not expose her hand in a weak attempt and the PCs should have to pay the price for not bargaining with Razkurig'il or slaying him and discovering Abrinda's secret for themselves.
As an aside, there were other means to expose Abrinda presented in the campaign. The Stonewych from the scenario "Against the Orcs" presented various cryptic clues to the PCs that had the potential to lead them to discover a secret note left in the walls of the House Riverine priest quarters by Renderuth outlining his suspicions of Abrinda. Furthermore, the PCs could have followed up with the events in the scenario "A Trick in Time" and used the Eye of Erammu they recovered from the Hellspike Prison to view Renderuth's codebook in its undestroyed state and thereby learn of his suspicions.
In any event, assuming the PCs know Abrinda's secret, they can return to Therra by means of a plane shift spell. They can then travel to Dwillingir and confront Abrinda. As warned, once they reach House Riverine, unless they march in force directly to Abrinda and assail her, she will know the jig is up and teleport to House Mercur (taking a round to teleport to her wardrobe in Room C of level 4 of House Riverine to recover her weapons).
DMs should refer to the Riverine Guildhouse maps and room descriptions presented in the Therran website to run the assault on Abrinda. Remember that no one in the house will know what's going on. Most trust Abrinda more than the PCs, and the fact that the PCs entered the Tower of the Mage and now suddenly return and attack Abrinda argues that the PCs are fiends or villains in diguise or are enchanted and enslaved by the mage of the tower. As such, Barnabus and the house soldiery are likely to intervene to protect Abrinda. That said, when Abrinda teleports away, that in and of itself will be a sign to Barnabus that Abrinda was not whom she seemed to be. It will then take some Diplomacy on the part of the PCs and probably some clerical magic to discern lies from the Indolle Temple to convince Barnabus that Abrinda was a succubus working for House Mercur. His reaction to this news is dealt with in the next scenario entitled "Mercurian Vengeance".
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GALANARAXXUSTHIMSUL (ABRINDA)
CR 16 Energy Drain (Su) Galanaraxxusthimsul drains energy from a mortal it lures into some act of passion or by simply kissing the victim. If the target is not willing to be kissed, Galanaraxxusthimsul must start a grapple, which provokes an attack of opportunity. The kiss or embrace bestows a negative level. The kiss also has the effect of a suggestion spell asking the victim to accept another kiss from the succubus. The DCs to resist the suggestion and to remove the negative level are both DC 25. Fiend's Favour (Su) Once per day Galanaraxxusthimsul may grant a touched creature a +3 bonus to one of the creature's ability scores. This bonus lasts for one day and stacks with other bonuses. When the effect expires, the creature suffers a -3 penalty for the next day unless this ability to used on them again. Mind Shielding (Su) Galanaraxxusthimsul gains complete immunity to detect thoughts, discern lies, and any attempt to magically determine its alignment or to determine or force it to tell the truth. Summon Demon (Sp) Once per day Galanaraxxusthimsul can attempt to summon 1 vrock with a 30% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd level spell. Tongues (Su) Galanaraxxusthimsul has a permanent tongues ability (as the spell, caster level 12th). Galanaraxxusthimsul usually uses verbal communication with mortals. * +10 circumstance bonus when used with change shape ability. |
The above statistics assume that Galanaraxxusthimsul does not have her two weapons from her wardrobe in House Riverine. She does carry the ring of protection which was given to her by Barnabus. Her other magic items, including her rod of dreams are hidden in various caches in the Dwillingir sewers, such caches accessible only by teleport or by those capable of burrowing or travelling through stone. A fully armed and ready Galanaraxxusthimsul is presented in the scenario "Mercurian Vengeance."
Experience Points:
In addition to normal experience (which in Therra is half of that recommended in the DMG), each party member should be rewarded as follows: