r av en ’ s pu rge

LEAD WRITER
Erik Granström

EDITORS
Tomas Härenstam, Nils Karlén

ILLUSTRATORS
Niklas Brandt, Nils Gulliksson

GRAPHIC DESIGN
Christian Granath, Johan Nohr

COVER ART
Alvaro Tapia

PROOFREADING
John M. Kahane

© 2018 Fria Ligan AB.

 CONTENTS
MERCY IN VOND 4 Locations 52
Monsters and NPCs 58
Events 62
INTRODUCTION 12
Overview 13
Legends 14 RAVENHOLE 64
The Start of the Campaign 14 Background 64
The Course of the Campaign 15 Legend 65
Player Incentives 16 Getting Here 65
The History of Stanengist 17 Locations 65
The Four Artifacts 23 Monsters and NPCs 70
The Maligarn Sword 23 Events 74
The Nekhaka Scepter 24
The Blood Star Cloak Clasp 26
The Stanengist Crown 27 AMBER’S PEAK 76
Background 76
Getting Here 77
KEY PLAYERS 29 Legend 78
Zytera 29 Locations 78
Merigall 35 Monsters and NPCs 86
Krasylla 37 Events 91
Virelda Bloodbeak 40
Zertorme 42
Arvia of Crombe 44 EYE OF THE ROSE 93
The Empress Soria of Hroka 45 Background 93
Kalman Rodenfell 47 Getting Here 94
Rust Prince Kartorda 48 Legend 95
Locations 95
Monsters and NPCs 102
GRINDBONE 50 Events 106
Background 50 Background 108
Getting Here 51
Legend 51

contents
PELAGIA 108 VOND 174
Getting Here 109 Legend 175
Legend 110 Getting Here 175
Locations 110 City Ruins 175
Monsters and NPCs 116 Getting Inside 177
Events 121 The Battle of Vond 177

THE FORTRESS
STONEGARDEN 124 OF VOND 182
Background 124 Background 182
Getting Here 125 Moving About 182
Legend 126 Locations 184
Locations 126 Monsters and NPCs 190
Monsters and NPCs 136 Events 194
Events 140
MERIGALL’S LAIR 197
THE STONE- Background 197
LOOM MINES 144 Locations 197
Background 144 Monsters and NPCs 200
Getting Here 145 Events 202
Legend 145
Locations 145 ZYTER A’S MOGARIUM 203
Monsters and NPCs 154 Background 203
Events 157 Locations 205
Monsters and NPCs 208
Events 210
HAGGLER’S HOUSE 159 The Final Showdown 211
Background 159
Getting Here 160
Legend 160 AFTERMATH 212
Locations 161 Consequences 212
Monsters and NPCs 167 The Key Players 213
Events 170

contents
 MERCY IN VOND

Merigall stretched an arm into the darkness, but the other half
of the bed lay empty. The Rust Brothers must have taken the
bedfellow away at least a couple of hours ago, as the sheets that
met the fingers were damp and cooly dead.

T
he youngling must not have resisted mountainside, for its own use after the human
nor tried to wake Merigall, in all like- king, Algavard, had conquered Vond three
lihood due to the priests whispering of hundred and fifty years ago before leaving the
how every action of disobedience would bring region to march to new wars. The clan sign of
harm to his village. The Rust Brothers feared the Crombe dwarves was still carved into each
Merigall, but they feared ravenous Krasylla door, but it had long lost its meaning.
even more, to whom the boy had now been tak-
en for a final tryst.
The demon rose to correct its face in a
small, silver mirror. The features had slid as The Nightwere’s fog still embedded the rising
they were wont to do during deep slumber, sun. Even so, the day promised clarity in cold
but Merigall willfully stretched them to con- as well as in view, and beautiful vistas of the
ventional beauty, choosing a strict, dark and scorched valleys of Harga opened up to the eye
androgynous face above colorless clothes that where the demon passed. The passage down
was in keeping with the day’s mood. The eyes the mountain ran along the balustrade above
remained yellow as a cat’s, as always. one of the goddess Hemes’s places of anguish.
Outside the stuffiness of the bed cham- A couple of priests garbed in rusty masks over
ber, the cold stone corridors of the holdfast capes draped in ochre bowed in silence when
of Vond lay deserted. None dared stand guard Merigall passed, but the demon neither rec-
outside Merigall’s chambers and no guard was ognized them behind the iron or responded
needed anyway. The demon had taken the for- to their greetings. A glance down towards the
mer quarters of the dwarven lord, high on the courtyard revealed that the church’s supply

chapter 1
of sacrificial prisoners was running low, for a noses, mouths and eyes were supposed to be
lonely old man stood fettered to the poles, thin placed to achieve a passable human likeness.
as a barren goat. Maybe he was already dead, as “How was I to know?” Krasylla’s voice an-
there was no reaction as white-painted shadows swered, cracked dull. ”I can scarcely tell one
of death clawed out stripes of blood over his from the other. I was hungry.”
wretched body in their dance. The twisted tree “You are always hungry.”
trunk representing the goddess Heme looked “The body still lives,” said the demon and
quite jaded as well. smacked the boy’s sweaty, vaulted back, caus-
The only doors to Krasylla’s chamber were ing it to convulse beneath his touch. “You can
set into rotating drums tied to a mechani- make use of it as I eat.”
cal delaying device. The one who was pushed Merigall had a vision of the praying man-
or chose to enter of their own volition was tis’ habit of eating its spouse while mating,
trapped for several minutes, moments that but the offer held no appeal. A dark mood had
belonged to Krasylla, and let him deal with gripped its thoughts, as if the night itself lin-
his guests however he pleased. Merigall didn’t gered beneath the skin.
hesitate, however, but forced the door for- “You feel repulsion,” the fiend noted. “Do
ward until from within the walls the sound of you then, as the Rust Brothers, believe mighty
dripping mercury started counting down the Krasylla to have become an aimlessly glutting
time for the audience. The hall was warm and swine, wallowing in its own lard?”
reeked like a slaughterhouse in comparison to “You have previously told me that you are
the cool, clean air outside. The room was spa- eating yourself towards sarmog. Nothing else
cious, but Krasylla’s semi-liquid form still oc- has ever occurred to me. The only accusation
cupied half of it. Merigall immediately saw its I have against you is that you ate someone I
premonitions confirmed, for the body that had still desired.”
experienced fingers that caressed it only hours Krasylla found no retort that hadn’t al-
earlier was half embedded in Krasylla, whose ready been spoken. As he snorted, a torrent
large, clawed hand squeezed the torso, neither of bodily noises thundered from within the
lovingly nor to keep it trapped, but like the mountain of flesh.
milk maiden squeezing the cow’s teat to empty “Do you plan to return home when you’ve
it of its contents. reached sarmog?” Merigall continued. “Do
“You’ve stolen my playmate,” said Meri- you mean to slaughter the soulless in the pass
gall. “I wasn’t done with him.” of Mistra to reach nexus and maybe challenge
Krasylla’s grotesque face turned towards Goder himself in Churmog?”
his guest in the twilight. It already bore the “Not at all,” Krasylla grunted in his clos-
features of the devoured youngling, albeit est approximation of laughter. “I enjoy this
twisted, enlarged and deformed. The larger de- world. It is full of colors and delicious flesh.
mon usually borrowed the face of his food, sav- Let Goder keep Churmog, while I make mog
ing him the trouble of keeping track of where of the Forbidden Lands!”

mercy in vond
 He squeezed the youngling’s body until it fast of Vond and steered its steps to the dun-
turned blue and writhed in his grip. geons on a whim. Some wardens from the Iron
“You don’t have to be alarmed, Merigall,” Guard moved to intercept, but the demon gave
he added. “I prefer you as the other, even if them the eye and pressed onwards. All members
your contribution would strengthen my sar- of the Church of Rust in Vond appeared equal-
mog. You have traveled far and gotten to know ly nervous and when Merigall reached the cells
the world. I appreciate our talks.” the reason as to why became abundantly clear.
“Very generous of you, Krasylla,” Merigall The dungeons lay empty, doors gaping like
answered without signaling either fear, grati- the maws of nestlings. The demon sauntered
tude or irony. along the rows of spaces where only ingrained
Peripheral throats, stretched like nets of anguish wailed from the walls. At long last, in
veins across Krasylla’s surface, transported the the furthest reaches of the darkest and dankest
dissolved tissue from the body to the melted vault, Merigall found a lone woman fettered to
mass of the demon through peristaltic mo- a wall by rusty chains. The cuffs were grossly
tions. Merigall waited patiently while the body oversized, probably to cause discomfort and
of the youngling convulsed in powerful spasms at the same time hinder the prisoner’s move-
before returning to stillness, broken only by a ments. She was battered and bruised, neither
persistent tremor, before answering. young nor old, and her black clothes were torn
“Zytera stored my essence in a statue when to filthy rags. Burnt into her right cheek the
he remade me. I couldn’t leave the Forbidden mark of the god Rust glowed with such heat
Lands even if I wanted to. Besides, I too en- and pain that Merigall could sense it from the
joy this world – some days more than others. door. In addition, there was a tattoo of a raven
Aren’t you bound to obedience by a blood cove- above the brand. That the Rust Brothers had
nant with the wizard as well?” kept a Raven Sister as a sacrificial lamb instead
“Zytera is old. He would already be dead of immediately tearing her limb from limb
if the daughter fragment wasn’t keeping him showed more than anything how dangerous-
alive,” Krasylla answered with a disgusted look ly low their supply of prisoners was running.
on his face, constructed with no sense of pro- Rites had to be performed and Krasylla took
portion. “My time will come!” the sustenance he needed – if there were no
“We are mog!” Merigall said in parting, prisoners to be had, a Brother would have to
suddenly overcome with disgust and despair. be sacrificed, already a reality on several occa-
“We are mog!” Krasylla answered, lost in sions. That was why the Raven Sister had been
thought. saved, as an emergency cache for the gods. The
wall behind the woman was messy with fresh
blood. Maybe she had tried to pound the life
out of her skull against the stone, or maybe the
From the chamber of its kin, Merigall contin- Rust Brothers had mutilated her wings while
ued down through the lower levels of the hold- she was still in the guise of the raven.

chapter 1
 Merigall opened the barred door and stepped the Raven Sisters in the Old Age.”
into the cell. The woman had appeared to be Her tongue clung to the words, so Merigall
sleeping, but one of her eyes became visible at offered her diluted wine from the wineskin in
once where that coal black, lank hair parted. The its belt. The demon reached out its hand and
gaze was odd: defiant, filled with distaste and brushed the woman’s hair from her face while
empty all at once. she drank greedily. The Raven Sister stiffened
“You wear no iron mask. Who are you?” she but allowed it to happen. Past the wounds, the
said, her voice bright and unexpectedly steady. dirt and the festering brand on her cheek, Mer-
Merigall pushed a bowl of dirty water to the igall found her beautiful, but then again saw
side and squatted in front of her. beauty in almost everyone.
“Who do you want me to be?” “Now at life’s and torment’s end I under-
“Be the quick death, if I am allowed to stand my uncle,” the woman continued and
choose,” the woman answered immediately. dropped the empty wineskin in the dirt. “The
“Kill me! Kill as many as you can and then kill Reapenters are right! Everyone might as well die
yourself. Then the world will be better.” – especially me, who has believed in the folly of
The demon had not expected such a response. hope!”
“So, you don’t want to escape and continue “The Reapenters don’t kill everyone, only
the battle against Rust and Heme? They praise humans.”
the Raven God as a champion of life, yet you “Everyone!” the Raven Sister insisted and
speak to me of death and murder.” held Merigall’s gaze, unwavering. “Conscious-
The woman shook in what Merigall assumed ness always breeds evil and never deserves its exis-
to be a fit of coughing, but then her hoarse tence. Try to convince me otherwise.”
laughter broke through. Her words urged contemplation.
“Already, when I became a novice with the “I find your dejection unbecoming. I have
Raven Sisters, my uncle mocked me,” she said. seen dead worlds and they are all excruciatingly
“Last we met, he tried to strangle me. My cous- dull,” Merigall mumbled. “You are right that all
ins chased him off.” thinking beings show cruelty, but also compas-
“He was possessed?” Merigall asked, in- sion. Would you prize sweetness so highly if it
trigued by the woman’s incomprehensible mood. was never tempered by venom or brine?
“Maybe possessed by faith. My uncle wor- Then the demon had an idea.
shipped Corax – the scavenger aspect of the Ra- “Let us make a bet! If I can show you that
ven God. My sisters may love the farmers of the mercy exists in the Forbidden Lands, you will re-
forest, but the Blackwings claim that man defied nounce the teachings of the Reapenters and face
the god by journeying to Ravenland. They say death with defiance instead of listlessness.”
that Corax won’t lift his curse until the land has “What is my faith to you, Yellow Eye?”
been rid of humankind. Uncle didn’t hate me any “Nothing. But challenges are the essence of
more than anyone else, but he found it fitting to my life,” Merigall replied, smiling. “Come!”
kill me first, since man was led to Ravenland by “Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but I’m

mercy in vond
bound to the wall,” the woman said, laborious- “I have brought you here because the hal-
ly lifting her chains towards the demon. flings are the most good-natured kin in the
“Give me a kiss and we will stride beyond Forbidden Lands. See how they start the day
the iron!” in joviality in spite of their still growling bel-
“I have given a vow of chastity,” the Raven lies and let that bring you hope for the good
Sister answered, but she still contemplated Mer- things in life!”
igall’s softly inviting lips with tired curiosity. “Dear Medulda, don’t you want some
“I give no kiss of either love or even lust. stewed butter with that nut bread?” the hostess
Regard our touch as duty and faith, as a pas- offered, then traced her index finger through
sage towards fairer climes,” the demon an- the yellow fat to show how creamy the flowing
swered and let the hand slip under the woman’s mass was.
hair, at the neck where it lay stiff with blood. “Thank you for asking, fine Hulvia!” the
“My name is Rimenda. The village of in-law answered. She accepted the bowl, so
Karnevera witnessed my birth,” she mumbled greasy around the arch that it almost slipped
and closed her eyes to the world as Merigall’s from her grasp.
golden eyes gleamed like twin suns as they Before anything more could transpire, the
came near. women were interrupted by a circular door that
crashed open, revealing a path towards the in-
nards of the house. Out stormed a very small,
grey-black child, bare-assed and wildly squawk-
The two occupied space once more in a small, ing with glee over its freedom. In its wake
vaulted room where a boy woke with a start, lurched an elderly halfling thing, crashing on
sat up, and watched his unexpected guests with the doorstep with a bang, vomiting where he
eyes as yellow as Merigall’s. lay. Immediately behind him a younger, fair-
“Sleep unto the morning, my child!” the skinned halfling woman appeared with yet an-
demon said and gently pushed the small body other child pressed to her chest.
back against the bed. The boy let it happen “Grandpa is drunk again and dropped him.
without making a fuss and appeared to go back I’m terribly sorry, mother!”
to sleep in an instant. The runaway didn’t get very far, however.
After days on the cold prison floor, Rimen- The master of the dwelling unfolded a leg,
da was so weak and stiff that Merigall had to grabbing the child after it had fallen on its
support her as they proceeded into the great snout, and carried it, face white-hot with rage
hall of the dwelling. There, the hosts had al- and with a grip around the offspring’s neck as
ready woken to first breakfast with their visit- steady as it was relentless, back to the den’s se-
ing relatives. cret cubbyholes. The child’s nosebleed dripped
“No one can see or hear us.” Merigall in his tracks, but any continued screams were
calmed the Raven Sister who drew her black smothered with a steady hand. The wife of the
rags tighter around her body. house, for her part, hid her face in her hands

chapter 1
and wept in abundance. The wild child was the boundaries of kin.”
apparently not of halfling kin, but when Ri- As if summoned on cue, a human walked
menda questioningly looked at Merigall, the through the group of brutish warriors, a lanky
demon muttered that they must be going and man, dressed in an exorbitant number of trin-
kissed the Raven Sister’s lips again, before she kets on top of his filthy rags and with a supe-
found the presence of mind to defend herself. rior demeanor. The orcs grunted in greeting
without the slightest show of pride, even con-
tinuing to rummage around inside their nasal
cavities and scratch at their mange as he passed.
The world immediately stood colder and bleaker. Merigall led Rimenda in the man’s wake to an
Ragged clouds, lopsidedly lit by the sun rising to- inner courtyard, across which coarse fabric
wards a cold morning sky, replaced the vaulted had been hoisted as a canopy. Emperor Hroka
ceiling of the den as if in a dream. The walls of himself sat on a throne, dressed in clothes that
a castle ruin surrounded Rimenda and Merigall, most likely would have been worn by children
as well as a handful of armored orcs. None of or women among humans, although in this
them seemed to have noticed their guests, how- case tailored in grotesque sizes. The orc rul-
ever, but leaned against their spears, obviously er snapped a marrowbone with his teeth and
bored after a long night’s watch. Someone snored loudly slurped its contents for breakfast.
audibly where he stood, while a yellow-eyed giant “Your Majesty,” the visitor said and bowed
hummed a hunting tune and clicked the beat with large, exaggerated gestures. “The Canidi-
with his lips. The Raven Sister saw several orcs an messenger still awaits an audience.”
sleeping around the embers of a fire that must “You can see that I’m eating,” the orc mut-
have roared high during the hours of the night. tered. “The midget can wait.”
“We are located in the remains of the castle “The dwarf has been waiting all night,
Eye of the Rose, where Emperor Hroka, the Your Majesty.”
first and the greatest, holds court,” Merigall “Don’t you think I’ve been up all night as
announced formally. well?” the regent roared, menacingly waving a
“Eye of the Rose? Are you implying that thigh bone about before breaking it off against
these orcs appreciate the fragrance of flowers? the log table.
Every orc I’ve met so far has preferred its own “If I may make a suggestion, Your High-
bodily odors.” Rimenda’s words were calm, ness?” the man interjected with an unpleasant
even if her expression had the look of surprise smile.
on her face. “What?”
“The castle received its name a long time “The dwarf claims to be a blacksmith by
ago when the Meromannian Dwarves built it profession. He appears old and weak, but in all
as a gift of friendship for the elves,” the demon likelihood, he possesses valuable knowledge.
answered. “I have brought you here to witness Why not ask him to teach our own smiths for
how beautifully respect can be preserved across a time, as a show of good faith from his kin?”

mercy in vond
 “Sounds good! As long as I don’t have to Through the morning Merigall led the Raven
see him before I’ve gotten some sleep.” Sister across the Forbidden Lands in pursuit of
“A delegation from the human settlement the kindness that would grant the woman faith
of Karalend is rumored to also be heading this in life once more. They visited negotiations be-
way,” the man added. “If it amuses Your Maj- ing grunted between goblins and reptile folk on
esty, we could let the two ambassadors battle a barge in the fetid Gargan Marshes, walked
each other when they are both in attendance to among growth warpers in the alleyways of Al-
see who represents a kin worthy of Your Maj- derstone and saw ogres set fire to a deer just to
esty’s ear.” bet on how far it would get before succumbing
“Hrang Gala, you are as flimsy as catgut to the flames. By noon, it seemed to Merigall as
and ugly as a roughneck, but you have your mo- if even the winds howled in opposition no mat-
ments!” the emperor grinned, and threw the ter where they set their sights. The druids of the
empty bone shaft over his shoulder to a cou- elfin tribals nurtured the wildlife in the forests
ple of waiting dogs who instantly flew at each of the Shroud by attracting fox cubs through
other over the scraps. “So, pack yourself away magic and then snapping their necks to cull this
from here and put the midget to work! We’ll year’s rich litter. The wolfkin trapped live rabbits
speak again this evening.” and broke a single hind leg on each one to let the
“At once, Your Majesty,” the man answered young practice their hunting skills. Everywhere
with another bow, turned on his heel and left the blood ran in garish streams to the screams and
area in such a manner that he passed between Ri- wails of the ones being emptied. When the af-
menda and Merigall without seeing them. ternoon sun hung lethargic above the moun-
“It seems we won’t be seeing any respect tains beyond Vivend, the demon was in a very
across the boundaries of kin this day,” the Ra- foul mood. Rimenda, for her part, opined that
ven Sister noted. Merigall had lost the bet and that before dark-
“Let us journey on instead,” the demon ness fell it should bring her back to the holdfast
answered in a huff and pulled the woman to- in Vond or drop her off at Karnevera, the village
wards it. of her birth, where she intended to find her un-
“Is this incessant kissing really necessary?” cle among the Reapenters and gain entry to the
she queried coldly. “Your mouth is certainly murderous fellowship of the Blackwings.
beautiful, but it is already bitter as bile to the “Let us visit one last location. If we do not
palate.” find mercy there, I will do as you wish,” the
“Technically, they aren’t a necessity,” guide answered, and the yellow eyes glistened
Merigall confessed. “We need only touch one when it grabbed the Raven Sister’s hand so
another to travel, but I happen to like kisses.” firmly that her fingers faded instantaneously.
“Then you will receive my touch,” Rimen- After a short bout of vertigo, the grey haze in
da said and gave the demon a slap so loud that front of Rimenda’s eyes coalesced into stone.
the emperor raised an eyebrow as the visitors She found them to be standing in a ravine
faded from the Eye of the Rose castle. below a gigantic bulwark. With difficulty the

10

chapter 1
sunlight fell betwixt the mountain walls,
down a slope littered with bones. A vulture
with golden eyes screeched from its perch, fu-
rious at being disturbed in its feast.
“Where have you brought us now? Rimen-
da demanded. “Is there really room for mercy
in such a dismal place?”
“We are at the end of the world”, the de-
mon answered and glanced at the Raven Sister
with a gaze as tender as it was expectant.
“Haven’t the dwarves constructed the
world in the form of a sphere? How is it possi-
ble for a sphere to end?”
“This is just where the Forbidden Lands
end, but also where your world ends,” Merigall
explained.
“Are you saying that we stand before the
bulwark of the Iron Lock?” the woman whis-
pered, having heard of the place but still unable
to grasp it.
She raised her hand to shade the merlons
and the bright sky above at the same time as a
hissing sound gave birth to an arrow. It pierced
her palm and nailed the fingers against her
shoulder, where they twitched like the legs of
a dying spider. Surprise preceded the pain that “Only evil. You lose … our bet,” she sput-
didn’t have time to arrive before another arrow tered. Blood trickled from the corner of her
from the mute soldiers on the crenellation split mouth.
the right side of the Raven Sister’s chest with a “No,” Merigall answered, “here is my mer-
weight that threw her to the ground. Merigall cy: you escape being devoured by Krasylla as
caught the woman as she fell and held her gen- you were destined to. Now fight to your death
tly in its arms, as if shielding a child. as per our agreement!”
Additional arrows from the guardians Rimenda’s mouth moved a couple of in-
struck the demon’s back, but mog suffered no stants yet, but red foam forced its way out in-
injuries from arrowheads. stead of words.
Merigall let the shafts remain, focusing its Merigall couldn’t tell if the Raven Sister
amber gaze on the faltering light of the wom- wanted to thank or curse her guide.
an’s soul. The suspense was titillating.

11

mercy in vond
 INTRODUCTION

The Stillmist breathed and beckoned behind Kalman Rodenfell.

Yet other matters held him back.
“The Whisperer has opened a boil in Vond. The infection
spreads, but our ancestors can heal the land. Forget your conflicts
and your discord. Find those who seek life among all kin and
search for the ancients!”
The elf regarded the motley crowd before him with some
concern.

W
elcome to the Raven’s Purge cam- stone orb that the dwarves had built for the
paign for Forbidden Lands. god Huge. Even before the humans came to
The Raven has every reason to Ravenland, the elves deemed that the creation
purge the Forbidden Lands. The land that the was complete and withdrew so as not to dis-
Raven God allowed men to share with dwarves, turb it. They shed their flesh and had their six
elves and other kin for hundreds of years in an- rubies set into the crown Stanengist, which is
cient times has been ravaged by war and also said to have been worn by the first kings of the
invaded by otherworldly demons. Most of the land. During the wars, several elf stones were
inhabitants of the Forbidden Lands believes stolen from the crown, however, and later it
the humans and their sorcerous offspring with disappeared completely.
elves to be the cause of their current misery, a Now that the Forbidden Lands are acces-
belief that has sown distrust and hatred among sible once again, the legend of Stanengist has
the kin. Now, when the Blood Mist has lifted, begun to stir. The power, knowledge and value
the time has come to purge the land – or to of the elven crown is the key to the Forbidden
decisively claim it for their own. Lands, be it to save the land or to assume con-
The legend tells of how six elves in an- trol over it.
cient times oversaw and protected life on the

12

chapter 2
 Purge. If you haven’t already played these your
OVERVIEW campaign may benefit from adding them in to
Raven’s Purge is an extensive campaign and the mix.
lacks a linear plot, but is still not particularly
difficult to run. This campaign is a smorgasbord
of factions, locations and events that you can THE SHOWDOWN IN VOND
weave into your campaign in Forbidden Lands. The book concludes with a chapter on the grand
Below is a summary of the contents of the book: campaign finale – the showdown in Vond.
Vond is an expanded adventure site which also
describes different ways to resolve the struggle
THE ELVEN CROWN STANENGIST over Stanengist. There is no “right” ending to
The next chapter deals with the crown, the story – instead, the decisions of the players
Stanengist, and the three other powerful ar- will determine who falls and who stands vic-
tifacts set with elven rubies. Their history and torious among the contenders. The future of
their abilities are described in detail, as well as the Forbidden Lands lies in the hands of the
offering suggestions on where they can be found. adventurers.

KEY PLAYERS
Next is a description of all the key players who
in one way or another seek Stanengist or who LOCATIONS OF THE ARTIFACTS
through other mean to alter the balance of pow- Before you begin Raven’s Purge,
er in the Forbidden Lands. These contenders all it is wise to decide where the
have their own agendas and will act to reach Stanengist crown, the Maligarn
their goals during the course of the campaign. longsword, the Nekhaka scepter
and the Blood Star cloak clasp
are located in your own cam-
ADVENTURE SITES paign. There are suggestions
Following that are eight complete adventure in the descriptions of each
sites, described according to the same format artifact in the next chapter, but
as the three in the Gamemaster’s Guide. These there is nothing stopping you
adventure sites are in one way or another con- from choosing locations as you
nected to the legend of Stanengist or the con- please. You may have to change
tenders of the campaign, but they can be played these locations during the
in any order you choose. game, depending on where the
Note that two of the adventure sites in the adventurers actually go.
Gamemaster’s Guide – Weatherstone and Vale
of the Dead – also are connected to Raven’s

13

introduction
 You can run the final confrontation to end
the campaign whenever you please, but a num- THE START OF
ber of conditions need to be met: THE CAMPAIGN
✥✥ The adventurers are in possession of the
elven crown Stanengist, and one or more Raven’s Purge can begin in many different
of the other three artifacts with elven ways. You can introduce artifacts, contenders
rubies (see the next chapter). and adventure sites from this book long before
✥✥ The adventurers have encountered most of the adventurers even get to hear of Stanengist.
the contenders and become their allies or However, the simplest way to get the cam-
enemies (see Chapter 3). paign rolling is to let the adventurers hear the
✥✥ The adventurers have heard the legends legend of Stanengist (see adjacent box). This
about Zytera, Krasylla and Vond. can happen in different ways, and how it hap-
pens has no bearing on the campaign at large.
If you want to, you can use the starting
scene described in the boxed text on page xx as
inspiration. The scene can take place anywhere
LEGENDS during the adventurers’ journeys through the
The most important way for the players to get Forbidden Lands and can be used to lure adven-
information on the contenders and the four turers to any adventure site of your choosing.
artifacts during the course of the campaign is The scene will, of course, have to be adapted to
through legends (page xx in the Player’s Hand- your specific group.
book). As such, it is important that you let the
players hear or read these legends on a regular
basis. They are gathered as player materials at
the end of this book and are available for down- STARTING SCENE
load on the Free League’s website. “Blessed benefactor, you delivered us from the
As a rule of thumb, you should share at monster! Who has ever beheld such mag-
least one legend with the players each session ic?” the merchant exclaimed from inside the
You can place the legends wherever you please. wagon. Yet he dared not emerge until the last
If there is no suitable NPC at hand to tell of a vestiges of the red mist had dispersed in the
certain legend, you can let one of the adventur- evening breeze.
ers remember it by the campfire, with the help “That was not magic. I just pointed out a
of a PERFORMANCE roll (page xx in the Player’s truth in the native tongue of the Bloodlings,”
Handbook) and read it to the other players. the stranger muttered in response, bent over
the jewelry box that had fallen off the table
in the heat of battle. He eyed an amethyst
dripping with fresh blood with something akin
to disgust.

14

chapter 2
 “That is my best stone, but you have thoughts were drawn from their souls by it.
earned it as your reward! It holds a higher “Defiant, Merigall stole Stanengist more
value to me than my left nut,” laughed the than a thousand years ago and spread the
merchant, somewhat nervously, as he was stones across the land. No one knows where
simultaneously struck by the possibility that they are anymore. They say that the loss of
their savior was a highwayman. He shot a Stanengist caused the fall of Ravenland.”
glance at Trisnir. The warrior had sheathed “Who are you, really?”
her sword and appeared completely smitten, The stranger’s yellow eyes fixed on the
though it was nigh impossible to tell if the merchant.
beautiful stranger was man or woman. “I am Merigall.”
“You peddle nothing but trash. I’m search- Unabashedly, the creature met their
ing for the stone that once belonged to my stunned stares.
beloved Viridia, and that is why I intervened,” “I can’t be everywhere all the time but
the wanderer answered, and then to the mer- must journey on post haste, but there is a
chant’s dismay dropping the amethyst in the place where you could help me search for Gall-
dust of the road. “Viridia’s heart is an emerald Eye. If you find any of the six elven stones you
that goes by the name of Gall-Eye. You haven’t will be rewarded beyond comprehension...”
seen it, you who peddle in jewelry?”
The merchant’s disaffirming answers
seemed to distress the stranger. A heavy sigh
escaped its chest.
“Viridia and her five elven siblings once THE COURSE OF
ruled this land, but after the peace was THE CAMPAIGN
secured, their heart stones were set into the
crown Stanengist, which was long worn by the When the adventurers have heard the legend of
rulers of Ravenland. If you as a merchant find Stanengist, it is up to them to start the search
the crown or any of its six stones, they can for the crown and the missing rubies. Use leg-
be sold for whatever sum of gold you desire. ends to lead the adventurers on the right track
If you instead seek power, you will receive it and let them encounter the different contend-
with Stanengist on your brow. But if you want ers of the campaign at the adventure sites.
my friendship, you will return Viridia’s heart If the players won’t swallow the bait and
to me.” seem uninterested in the legend of Stanengist
“Have I understood correctly? Are these you can let them hear more of the elven crown
valuable stones really lost without an owner?” and its history (see the next chapter), as well as
asked the merchant, whose business acumen the legends of the other three artifacts set with
once again had crawled free of fear. elven rubies. Hopefully, the players will sooner
The beautiful stranger regarded the or later become interested in Stanengist.
party with a blank stare, and it was as if their The adventurers can encounter the con-

15

introduction
tenders and the four artifacts in any order
during the course of the campaign, depending PLAYER
on the players’ own choices and which encoun- INCENTIVES
ters and adventure sites that they visit or you
place in their path. Avoid trying to steer the If the players won’t take an interest in
players in a certain direction, instead allowing Stanengist of their own accord, you can entice
them to encounter the contenders and the arti- them with paying missions from one or more
facts wherever they choose to go. of the contenders of the campaign. The de-
It is entirely possible for the adventurers to mon Merigall is especially useful, since this
pursue other ventures between the encounters trickster wants to set events in motion and
and events that are connected to Stanengist. break Zytera’s hold on the Forbidden Lands
By weaving in side quests, you can expand the (see the next chapter). The adventurers may
campaign without limits. already have met Merigall if they have vis-
When you feel that it is time to bring the ited the adventure site of Weatherstone (see
campaign to an end, and the adventurers have page xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide).
met the required conditions (as noted above), If the adventurers don’t plan to use
you begin the showdown in Vond. Stanengist themselves, there are several par-
ties who’d offer them a handsome reward for
the assembled crown – a castle of their own,
a fortune, artifacts or knowledge are all pos-
sible rewards. It is most likely that the Rust
Brothers and other contenders
will try to hire several adventur-
ers for the hunt since they reckon
that most of them will perish and
that only a few hunters will find even a
single stone. Alternatively, the adven-
turers can receive threats of their fam-
ilies being executed or their villages
being burned down if they don’t find
the crown.
Many of the contenders of the
campaign want Stanengist for dif-
ferent reasons and may take ad-
vantage of the adventurers to
achieve their goals. Read more
about the motivations of the key
players in Chapter 4.

16

chapter 2
 STANENGIST

It is said that the first six elves of the Forbidden Lands – the ones
who planted the trees, drew the furrows of the rivers and gave
the animals their home - after completing their mission, had
their rubies gathered in the royal crown, Stanengist, the name
of which means The Hanging Stones.

T
he elven crown, Stanengist, and the el- available for download on the Free League’s
ven rubies it has housed are the core of website.
the campaign of Raven’s Purge. This The details of this history not made clear by
chapter first describes in detail the history of the legends are not something that the players
Stanengist. After that come descriptions of the need to know. However, curious players who
crown itself and its abilities, as well as the oth- wish to deepen their knowledge of the crown
er artifacts that carry three of the elven rubies can get more information from the key players
today: the Maligarn sword, the Nekhaka scep- of the of the campaign (see the next chapter).
ter, and the Blood Star cloak clasp.

THE RED WANDERER IN THE SKY

Legends tell of how the first elves fell as rubies
THE HISTORY OF from the Red Wanderer in the sky and assumed

STANENGIST flesh in the world. Greatest among these

stones was the Heart of the Sky which, upon
The elven crown has a long and dramatic his- impact, shattered into six pieces from which
tory that stretches over several centuries. This rose six siblings as wise as they were beautiful,
history can become known to the adventurers, five sisters and a brother. Their virgin senses
bit by bit, through the legends of Stanengist experienced the world and were mesmerized,
and the other artifacts. All legends are col- and their heart rubies blazed, eager to further
lected at the end of this book. They are also adorn their new home.

17

stanengist
 as Maidenholm. The moments that she didn’t
spend learning how to mold the earth with the
god Clay were spent sitting by the great water
THE ELVES OF THE LEGEND AND singing, to attract lovers to her presence. And
WHERE THEY ARE NOW so it came to pass that the Raven god heard
✥✥ Gemelda – ruby set in her song when the humans’ homeland east of
Stanengist the seas had withered to dust and they had all
✥✥ Neyd – ruby set in Stanengist embarked on their ships. The Shard Maiden’s
✥✥ Nebulos – ruby set in song led the Raven and his protégés across the
Stanengist seas to Ravenland.
✥✥ Iridne – ruby set in the cloak After the Shard Maiden had left, Algar-
clasp Hemella – the Blood ed asked the remaining four sisters if they
Star wanted to be his wives. The eldest sister, Ge-
✥✥ Viridia – the emerald Gall-Eye melda, who was the wisest since the largest
set in the sword Maligarn – ruby dwelled in her chest, explained that she
The Giant Slayer and her sisters looked favorably upon Algar-
✥✥ The Shard Maiden – shat- ed’s proposal, but that there was much work
tered into shards that sit in to be done first, since the Red Wanderer had
the foreheads of druids charged them all to fill the world with life and
✥✥ Algared – ruby set in the beauty. The sisters agreed to the betrothal,
royal scepter Nekhaka promising that they would eventually gather
their stones in joy and harmony. Till then,
she recommended that Algared still his long-
ing with work.

Close to them fell also Algared the Re-

sourceful, and even though he too saw the STANENGIST IS FORGED
beauty of the world, he found that it paled in BY DWARVES
the presence of the radiance of the five sisters. The sisters’ brother, the craftsman Nebulos,
He fell to his knees before them and begged had already become friends with the dwarves
them all to be his wives. that claimed to have created the world upon
The Shard Maiden, whose inner ruby which they had fallen. To confirm the be-
shone strongest, somberly took Algared’s trothal, as well as to please his sisters and his
hands in hers and explained that her love, future brother-in-law, he asked the dwarves
like his own, was like an ocean and far too to forge the golden crown Stanengist, “The
immense to be shared with only one. She Hanging Stones,” where they could all sit
struck out and wandered east to settle on the together when their world-task had been
island that, in her honor, came to be known completed. The sisters were delighted by the

18

chapter 3
 less lands ever since. Thankful for the idea,
Flow named the first river of the lands “The
Seyster.”

NEBULOS CREATES
THE STILLMIST
The brother, Nebulos, was pleased by his sis-
ter’s gathering of the waters. When he noticed
how the night fog now left tender dewdrops
in the greenery in the morning, he gathered
gift, but both they and Algared demanded them and wove them, mixed with starlight,
that a slot be prepared for Nebulos as well into a lofty sanctuary, the Stillmist, beyond
in Stanengist, so that they could all find fel- the world, so that he and his kin could find
lowship together in time. And so the golden rest from their work within it. Evil whispers
crown, Stanengist, was forged with room for claim that by then Nebulos had grown tired of
six stones. his former friends, the dwarves, finding them
too crude and clumsy, and that he created the
Stillmist just so that he could be free of them
Neyd GATHERS THE WATER from time to time.
The elven sister, Neyd, wanted to plant for-
ests, but found that the ground was either
too dry or too wet, killing her plants. She VIRIDIA’S BATTLE
then sought out the water goddess Flow and AGAINST SCROME
was told by her that the water flowed without At the beginning of this age, a giant named
direction since it lacked will. This worried Scrome raged across Ravenland. He had two
the goddess as well, who was having a hard eyes, placed one over the other, that took
time rallying her domain. Neyd suggested turns sleeping. The giant’s yellow eye was
that the waters should be given names and good and loving, while the green one only
the ability to love, thus giving it the will to harbored rage and a lust for destruction.
stick together. Flow felt that this was a good When the green eye was awake, the giant
idea and soon, the waters of Ravenland no ravaged the land and destroyed what he him-
longer flowed hither and thither, but in riv- self and others had built, and even if he wept
ers that gathered into lakes. Only the waters and tried to set right much of what he had
of the marshes remained unruly, but since wrought while under the influence of his yel-
Flow loved her element in all its capricious- low eye, he was feared by all.
ness, she allowed them to stay that way, even The elven sister, Viridia, was a shield-
though marshes have been considered god- maiden and tracked down Scrome to slay

19

stanengist
the monster with her sword, Maligarn, and lings slay him and search his insides, since the
bring peace to the land. She found him when elven ruby might have gotten stuck among
the yellow eye was awake and the giant re- his teeth, in his gullet, or in some intesti-
morseful. Viridia told him of the suffering nal pocket. Gemelda, however, pried open
he was causing under his evil eye’s influ- Scrome’s sleeping, evil eye, peered into it and
ence and Scrome willingly lay down on the saw that Viridia’s elfstone was lodged in there
ground, bared his throat and wept as he asked like a glimmer of lust.
the shieldmaiden to slay him. But Viridia They carved the eye out with Viridia’s
could not slay the innocent, so decided to sword, Maligarn, but it awoke at the same
wait until his evil eye had awoken. Scrome time and rolled away from the avengers, fum-
immediately came to love her for her mercy ing with rage. For several years, Scrome’s evil
and wisdom. But when the giant’s green eye eye haunted Ravenland and all it surveyed
eventually awoke, that love turned into rage. was fraught with sickness, discord and decay.
A violent battle ensued, in which Viridia was It eventually happened to roll down into a
unable to hold her ground against the titan dwarven mining hole and got stuck. There,
and was defeated. the Redrunners caught it and cut out Virid-
The stories don’t tell of how she died, but ia’s stone, but they found that the ruby had
one thing is certain: he devoured her before the been transformed into a green emerald by the
yellow eye next awoke and wondered where the evil eye’s rage. What was left of the eye became
elven woman had gone. When Scrome’s yellow the diamond chalice known as “The Well of
eye saw the elven blood, he was horrified and Tears,” which constantly and of its own power
hid among the mountains. replenishes itself with blood-mixed saltwater.
The siblings carried Viridia’s green stone
back to the Stillmist where they once again
VIRIDIA IS REAWAKENED dressed it in flesh, but Viridia was changed.
As soon as Gemelda heard what had happened No longer loving and dutiful, but angry and
to her sister, she armed herself, Nebulos and quarrelsome. The siblings suggested that she
Iridne to reclaim Viridia’s ruby heart and shed the flesh forever, and come to rest in the
grant her a new body in the Stillmist. She crown of Stanengist where they would even-
called other elves to her aid, and in so doing, tually join her. However, Viridia pushed her
created the warrior caste of the Redrunners siblings aside, grabbed her sword and stated
who have ever since hunted for lost elven that creation not only demanded nurture of
stones. The hunters found Scrome while his that which grows but also the culling of the
gentle, yellow eye was awake. The giant as- old and that henceforth that task would be
sured them that Viridia’s stone wasn’t inside her charge. She left her siblings, but a trail
him, but also that he had searched his own of truncated limbs and rotting corpses re-
offal since the murder without finding the vealed her path. The green stone in her heart
stone. He thus demanded that the elven sib- is called Gall-Eye.

20

chapter 3
 The giant Scrome was now left with one close to her, died she let her heart be shattered
eye, mild-mannered but in a melanchol- into a thousand pieces so that all of her descen-
ic mood and ashamed in front of all liv- dants could carry a shard with them, granting
ing things because of his actions. Gemelda power and wisdom. The Elvenspring who carry
brought him to an isolated vale beyond a a shard of the Shard Maiden fixed to their fron-
temple comprised of monks sworn to silence, tal bone are known as the Order of Maidens and
and charged him with keeping watch over the possess extraordinary magical powers.
restless dead. There, he felt at peace (see Vale
of the Dead in the Gamemaster’s Guide).
ALGARED IN ALDERLAND
After the Raven god shifted the land and
THE CROWN IN THE STILLMIST granted the humans Alderland south of the
The time came when Gemelda felt that Raven- Divide, the Shard Maiden summoned Algar-
land thrived of its own accord, that their task ed to meet her at Maidenholm. She viewed
was done, the water smooth-flowing and the for- the humans as her children, worried for how
ests planted, signifying that the time had come they would be able to make it on their own,
for the elven siblings to retreat to the crown and asked Algared to join them in exile to as-
Stanengist in the Stillmist. She believed that sist them with advice while they built their
they would otherwise stand in the way of their new land. Since Algared still loved the Shard
descendants. Iridne, Neyd and Nebulos, like Maiden as much as her sisters, he promised
Gemelda, shed their flesh and accompanied her, to oblige the elven woman’s wish. So he and
even if the brother often returned to the flesh to a number of other elves followed the humans
work with the Stillmist. Viridia was missing and to Alderland, ostensibly as hostages to guar-
Algared felt that he still had work to perform. antee the peace between the kin, but in reali-
ty as helpers and overseers.
Many of these elves were intrigued by
THE SHATTERING OF THE the humans and had children with them in
SHARDMAIDEN Alderland, even if Algared himself refrained.
The Shard Maiden, sister to the five, welcomed The offspring came to be known as Frailers
the humans when they came from across the by their human relatives because of their
seas, and cared for all those left in Ravenland frail bodies. The elves taught them their mu-
after the Raven god enacted the Shift. She had sic and their magic, but noticed how their
many children with them, taught the offspring students possessed traits like greed and a
magic. and so became the great ancestor of both lust for power where instead discretion and
Elvenspring and druids. With time, she became gratitude should have been found. In distaste
ever more mournful as her many human lovers and silence, the elves left Alderland. Algar-
without exception aged and passed away, and ed mourned his failure and returned to the
when Morander, who had become especially Shard Maiden to tell her of his defeat. Dis-

21

stanengist
tressed, he then retreated to the Stillmist, tales of abuse and scorn that reached her. She
shed his flesh, and joined with those of his believed that the elves had a responsibility to
wives who had already been set into the the orcs and wished to leave the Stillmist to
crown Stanengist. help them. The elven woman Klotinda had
However, whenever increasingly alarming fallen in love with Iridne’s gentle voice and
reports reached him from Alderland a couple helped her re-assume flesh. The two women
of hundred years later, Algared could no longer took to the forests together to set things right.
be at peace since he still considered the country However, Iridne soon found that Klotinda
to be his responsibility, a charge given to him wanted to own her and didn’t share the same
by the noble Shard Maiden who had shattered point of view. When the wars came, and the
and sacrificed herself for the humans. He left orcs were slaughtered in droves, Iridne was
Stanengist and once again assumed flesh, this horrified, shed her flesh once more, and let
time as a tall human, and returned to Alder- her ruby be set into the cloak clasp Hemel-
land along secret paths known only to him and la – the Blood Star – with the hope that the
the Shard Maiden, alone. There, he overthrew leaders of the orcs would wear it, and that
the king and put himself on the throne as a through it, she would be able to help them by
powerful and wise regent. He sired offspring advising them in their dreams. She deemed
to establish a just dynasty and raised his son, it pointless to explain her plan to Klotinda
Algadan, with a firm hand. Finally, when Al- who, blinded by love, would just try to stop
gadan had proven worthy of the throne did her. Thus, Klotinda still believes that the orcs
Algared allow his body to age. He faked his have slaughtered Iridne and stolen her ruby.
own death and had his ruby set into the royal She has taken the form of an Ent to find and
scepter, Nekhaka, which thereafter was passed reclaim Iridne through violence.
down in the Algarian dynasty, to serve as an
advisor. The kings Algamar, Algavard and
Algarod, who later invaded Ravenland, are VIRIDIA AND MERIGALL ARE DE-
all half-elven descendants of Algared. The CEIVED IN THE STILLMIST
last king of the dynasty, Algarod, brought the The bloodthirsty shieldmaiden Viridia con-
scepter Nekhaka to Ravenland, where he and tinued to ravage Ravenland, possessed by
his entire army were slain by Zygofer’s demonic Gall-Eye, the emerald in her chest. Gemelda,
hordes. The scepter’s current whereabouts are her elder sister, felt that the killing could nei-
unknown. ther be allowed to continue or excused any
longer, and sent an invitation asking her sister
to visit her in the Stillmist. Viridia became
IRIDNE AND THE ORCS suspicious and said that she’d only enter the
Through the Shift, the elves had been given Stillmist in the company of her lover, the
the orcs as servants or enslaved them by their bard Merigall, who wasn’t an elf and as such
own hand, and Iridne was distraught by the worthy of her trust. Gemelda approved her sis-

22

chapter 3
ter’s request, but when the two guests arrived, PERSONALITIES OF THE STONES
Viridia was imprisoned and the green emerald All of the four elder artifacts hold elfstones
heart was torn from her flesh by force. with a certain personality and mood that also
However, Merigall was a demon versed affects the bearer. The elves in the rubies often
in sorcery and while the elves were embroiled come to the bearer in dreams to give advice,
in their struggle, it grabbed both the crown but also to criticize thoughts and actions that
Stanengist and the emerald Gall-Eye, which they dislike.
had been ripped from Viridia, and fled to
Ravenland through magical means. The
Redrunners immediately took up the chase,
accompanied by the greatest elven magicians.
Merigall mourned Viridia, but was unable to THE MALIGARN
reawaken her in the flesh on its own. Instead,
SWORD
it had Gall-Eye set into Maligarn, the sword
that the shieldmaiden had left behind. When In days past, the bloodthirsty giant Scrame rav-
the Redrunners finally tracked down Merigall, aged the land. The stories tell of how the shield-
it defiantly spirited away both Maligarn and maiden Viridia slew him with the Giant Slayer
Stanengist to places unknown even to itself. – the sword Maligarn. She received help from
As punishment, the Redrunners dissolved the Scrome, the giant’s brother, whose reward was
demon’s body in acid and poured the acid into to be appointed guardian of the gate where the
Lake Harga, which turned red in color and was deceased enter the underworld. But Viridia
henceforth known as Blaudwater. When Zygo- sustained such grave wounds during the battle
fer much later made his seat in Alderstone, he against Scrame that she died soon after. The em-
sensed the demonic being in the lake and was erald that had made up her heart was set into the
able to reshape Merigall through sorcery. crown, Stanengist, but is later said to have been
moved to the sword Maligarn. The weapon has
been lost for a long time.

Scrome and Scrame are actually the same gi-

THE FOUR ant and has by no means been slain; he guards

ARTIFACTS the Vale of the Dead (see page xx in the Game-

master’s Guide).
Below, the four artifacts are described with a
legend about each, the abilities of the items in ✥✥ SUGGESTED LOCATION: Stoneloom
detail, as well as suggestions on where the adven- Mines
turers can find them. All four artifacts are found ✥✥ ELVEN GEMSTONE: Viridia
on the playing cards included in the special card ✥✥ PERSONALITY: Rage, cruelty, impatience,
deck sold separately for Forbidden Lands. greed

23

stanengist
 EFFECTS
Maligarn is a masterly forged longsword
with Weapon Bonus +3 and Weapon Damage
2. The emerald Gall-Eye gives a D8 Artifact
Die to all attacks in close combat (not PAR-

RIES). The Artifact Die increases to a D10

if the wielder has two enemies within ARM’S

LENGTH distance, and to a D12 if four or more

enemies are inside the same range. Further-
more, Gall-Eye detects enemies within NEAR

distance, and glows green in proportion to

proximity and hostility.

DRAWBACKS
Gall-Eye infuses the wielder with fervor and
bloodlust, causing them to have -2 at any at-
tempt to PARRY or DODGE. If the wielder Breaks
an enemy with the sword, she must roll for
INSIGHT. If the roll fails, she goes berserk ac-
cording to the rules on page xx in the Player’s
Handbook. Gall-Eye siphons power from the
vicinity – every time the wielder rolls a Re-
source Die (page xx in the Player’s Handbook),
she must roll it twice.

APPEARANCE
The longsword Maligarn is significantly more
agile in one’s hands than it appears – almost as THE NEKHAK A
if it swings itself and strives to exist in perpet- SCEPTER
ual motion, a fervor that one can sense like a
vibration through the copper-twined grip. The It is said that Algared, the first king of Alder-
cross-guard set with a single emerald is made land, was so wise and good that the gods turned
from gold, which from the ricasso melds seam- his heart into a ruby after his death. Algadan,
lessly into a silver-white blade of an unknown son of Algared, had his craftsmen carve the
alloy. The forging technique of the alloy is no scepter Nekhaka with three pendants from the
longer known. golden alder trees of the royal palace and set his

24

chapter 3
father’s ruby into the scepter. Nekhaka was car- APPEARANCE
ried by the Algarian dynasty for generations, but The scepter Nekhaka is a shepherd’s crook
was lost in Ravenland when the last regent, Al- carved from dark iron alderwood into the
garod, was slain with all his men by the demonic shape of the head and beak of a bird of prey,
hordes of the sorcerer Zygofer. The elven elders where the ruby Algared makes up the bird’s left
instead claim that Algared was an elf disguised eye. The shape symbolizes the king’s strength
as a human and that his ruby heart was one of and vigilance combined with the shepherd’s
the six stones in the crown, Stanengist. concern for his flock. The foot of the scepter
is made of iron twisted into a spiral so that the
In reality, the elf Algared created the scepter scepter can be placed standing on the ground,
himself and remained in it as a ruby to aid his from where it is said to spread the power of the
descendants. king across the land.

✥✥ SUGGESTED LOCATION: Weatherstone

✥✥ ELVEN GEMSTONE: Algared EFFECTS
✥✥ PERSONALITY: Sorrow, dejection, fear of The ruby Algared in Nekhaka gives a D12
failure Artifact Die to MANIPULATION and INSIGHT.

Once every Quarter Day, the scepter can

release a shock wave when thrust into the
ground. This counts like the EARTHQUAKE

spell (page xx in the Player’s Handbook) with

a Power Level of D6+2. No Willpower points
are required for this effect. Furthermore, Al-
gared’s Artifact Dice can be used for all rolls
for upkeep and the building of new functions
in your stronghold (see Chapter 8 in the
Player’s Handbook), provided that the wielder
of the ruby is located in the stronghold (she
doesn’t have to take part in the actual con-
struction though).

DRAWBACKS
Algared drains power from its wielder, who
thus suffers 1 point of damage to Agility and
Intelligence every Quarter Day she is awake.

25

stanengist
 APPEARANCE
THE BLOOD STAR The cloak clasp Blood Star is old but relatively

CLOAK CLASP simple, in which a golden tree gold has been

laid on a round copper base. In the middle of
The story goes that the elven princess Iridne fell the clasp, where the tree trunk starts to be-
in love with the orc chieftain Horena, but that come canopy, the ruby Iridne sits.
her father and his high council were appalled,
for the elves saw the orcs as an impure and in-
ferior kin. Iridne was forbidden all contact EFFECTS
with Horena, stripped from her flesh, and her Blood Star gives the wearer a D12 Artifact Die
burning heart was set into the crown Stanengist to SCOUTING, LORE and PERFORMANCE, thanks
to cool off. When the princess defied her father to the aid of Iridne. Furthermore, the wearer
in the name of love and re-assumed flesh, he can levitate through the air (at the same speed
equipped a ship to carry his daughter across the as when moving on the ground) if a cloak is
oceans to keep her away from Ravenland until attached to the clasp. The wearer must land af-
Horena had passed away. When Iridne heard ter one round. Finally, Blood Star grants De-
her father’s decision, she chose to take her own life fense Rating +1 to a stronghold if the wearer is
rather than be separated from her love. She had located inside it (see Chapter 8 in the Player’s
her ruby heart set into the cloak clasp Hemella – Handbook).
the Blood Star – which, in secret, was brought
to Horena by her faithful handmaiden. Iridne’s
father was furious and went to war against the
orcs to reclaim Iridne’s heart, but the power of
love within the Blood Star strengthened Horena
so that the war became long and bloody. It is said
that Iridne’s cruel father had the orc chieftain
whipped to death after defeating him, but the
cloak clasp Blood Star has been lost ever since.

The entire story about Horena is a fabrication.

Iridne felt that the elves’ treatment of the orcs
was shameful, and assumed the form of the
cloak clasp to help them.

✥✥ SUGGESTED LOCATION: Eye of the Rose

✥✥ ELVEN GEMSTONE: Iridne
✥✥ PERSONALITY: Soul-searching, caring,
self-sacrificing

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chapter 3
 DRAWBACKS
Iridne despises violence, and Blood Star there-
fore inflicts 1 point of damage to EMPATHY to
the wearer each time she Breaks an enemy in SETTING THE STONES
battle, regardless of whether it occurs in close Detaching a gem from anoth-
combat, at range or through magic. er artifact and setting it into
Stanengist demands a successful
roll for CRAFTING. Failure doesn’t
damage the stones, but the same
person can never try again. When
THE STANENGIST a stone has been detached from
CROWN an artifact, the artifact immedi-
ately loses all its magical effects.
It is said that the first six elves of the Forbid- Maligarn, for example, becomes a
den Lands – the ones who planted the trees, regular longsword.
drew the furrows of the rivers and gave
the animals their home – af ter completing
their mission, had their rubies gathered
in the royal crown, Stanengist, the name In reality, the missing jewels of the crown
of which means “T he Hanging Stones.” In chose not to sit in it. Merigall did steal the
the crown they rested deser vedly, but at the crown though.
same time, kept watch over their creation
and gave advice to their descendants. For a ✥✥ SUGGESTED LOCATION: Vale of the Dead
long time, the crown was worn by the kings ✥✥ ELVEN GEMSTONES: Gemelda, Neyd,
of the land and granted them the power to Nebulos as well as three empty sockets
keep the kingdom intact, but sometime right ✥✥ PERSONALITY: Reflection, tranquility,
before the humans arrived in R avenland, creativity, superiority
the thief Merigall stole three of the stones
from Stanengist, and the land has been sun-
dered ever since. W hoever re-assembles the APPEARANCE
stones in the crown and places it on her head The crown Stanengist is made of ancient,
shall according to legend gain the power to dwarf-forged gold with some kind of alloy-
rally all kin and rule over the Forbidden ing element which makes the metal as hard
Lands. T he stonesinger Brander of Bynd is as steel. The shape resembles that of winding
said to have received a vision from the god greenery with the rubies as fruits, five in a row
Huge in which he saw the lost stones set into and one above. Only a jeweler can safely fit the
the scepter of a king, the jewelry of a queen, stones into the sockets or remove them with-
and a sword that slays giants. out risking damaging them.

27

stanengist
 EFFECTS D6 equal to the number of stones in the
The crown Stanengist gives its wearer differ- crown beyond the first three – i.e. D6 if
ent effects depending on what stones are set there are four stones in the crown, 2D6
into the crown. Take note that some of the if there are five stones in the crown and
elfstones have conflicting effects – a result of 3D6 if all six stones are present.
their different personalities. If the victim’s Intelligence drops to
✥✥ GEMELDA, NEYD, NEBULOS: This trio zero, the creature becomes permanent-
of rubies neutralizes magic. Every time ly insane – it will lash out at everyone
a spell is cast within NEAR distance, around it for one round before storming
or against the wearer, it automatically off into the wilderness or throwing itself
triggers a DISPEL MAGIC (see page xx to its death in the Protonexus. If the
in the Player’s Handbook) with Power creature’s Intelligence doesn’t drop to
Level D6. This DISPEL MAGIC requires zero, it will recover all lost Intelligence
no Willpower. Note that this effect also after resting for a Quarter Day.
affects non-hostile sorcerers. If any of This effect is an exception to de-
these three stones are detached from mons’ normal immunity to attacks that
Stanengist, the crown lacks any magic affects Intelligence. The effect is known
effect at all. by Merigall, Kalman Rodenfell and the
✥✥ GALL-EYE: The wearer gains all effects elves of the crown – but not by Zytera,
and drawbacks described under the sword K rasylla or Kartorda.
Maligarn, except for the sword’s Weapon
Bonus and Weapon Damage.
✥✥ ALGARED: The wearer gains all effects
and drawbacks described under the
scepter Nekhaka, except for the ability to
release a shock wave. SEALING THE PROTONEXUS
✥✥ IRIDNE: The wearer gains all effects In addition to the effects
and drawbacks described under the cloak described next to this box,
clasp Blood Star, except for the ability to Stanengist can be used to close
levitate. Zytera’s Protonexus. If the
✥✥ DEMONIC INSANITY: In addition to crown is set with at least four
the individual effects above, Stanengist stones and thrown into the
has a powerful negative influence on portal (page xx), the Protonex-
the psyche of demons and demon-taint- us will be sealed permanently.
ed creatures. If such a creature dons The crown will be destroyed,
the crown, it will immediately suffer however.
damage to Intelligence. To determine
the amount of damage, roll a number of

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chapter 3
 KEY PLAYERS

“Teach me the magic of fire!” Zertorme whispered in Brinhel-

da’s ear as they lay panting from their lovemaking, bathing in
the being’s cold flames. “I’ll give you anything in return.”
The fire demon smiled, and stroked her lover’s chin with a
lustrous finger.
“I like your face,” she whispered. “Give it to me!”

T
his chapter describes the key players ous. The Rust Brothers in Alderstone propagate
of this campaign – individuals with a the belief that Zytera protects humanity from
strong interest in Stanengist and a de- invading demons as the prophet of the god
sire to use the crown to further their own goals. Rust, a feat that demands human sacrifices.
There is truth in their claims, but it was
Zygofer who opened the passage to the de-
monic worlds when he was about to lose the
ZYTERA war against King Algarod’s army. The force
Zytera is a creature composed of the old sor- had come from Alderland to end the sorcer-
cerer Zygofer and his daughter, Therania. They er’s reign. You can read more about this in the
are joined back-to-back through the demonic Gamemaster’s Guide
substance mog on the back of the body of a Zytera is essentially offended by the ingrat-
giant spider. This solution was put forward by itude of the people, but feels that “someone
the bard Merigall, with the purpose of keeping has to do the dirty work so that the rabble can
the aging Zygofer and his knowledge alive. rest easy.” At the same time its hatred of and
Merigall had promised Therania domi- contempt towards the Alderlanders beyond the
nance in the conjoined being, but things didn’t wall grows and Zytera plans to conquer adja-
turn out that way. The parts are equal, usually cent countries in the long term.
at odds with one another, irrational and proba- At times, when the father is asleep, Ther-
bly mentally ill, but very powerful and danger- ania’s ethereal body goes off to be on its own.

29

key players
 THE KEY NPCS
The table below sums up the most important factions and key NPCs of the cam-
paign, also providing their goals and specifying where the adventurers are most
likely to encounter them.

KEY PLAYER TYPE GOAL LOCATION

Zytera Demon- To conquer the crown, Stanengist, The Mogarium

Tainted and to gain the power to rule all in Vond.
Sorcerer of the Forbidden Lands.
Merigall Demon To be free from Zytera’s control Vond, or
and resurrect its beloved Viridia. anywhere in
the Forbidden
Lands.
Krasylla Demon To kill Zytera and use Stanengist His chamber in
to seal the Protonexus in Vond. Vond.
Virelda Raven Sister To use Teramalda to destroy the Traveling in
Bloodbeak Rust Church. To collect Stanengist the Forbidden
so as to prevent it from falling Lands.
into the wrong hands.
Zertorme Zygofer’s Son To take revenge on his father and Amber’s Peak.
take all of the Forbidden Lands for
himself.
Arvia of Dwarf of the To reclaim the dwarven holdfast Stonegarden
Crombe Crombe Clan of Vond from Zytera. To use the or during a
stones in Stanengist for experi- journey.
ments in stone magic.
Empress Orc of the To use Stanengist to close the Eye of the Rose.
Soria Hroka Clan Protonexus in Vond so that no
more demonic armies can threat-
en the Forbidden Lands.
Kalman Elven Lead- To collect Stanengist to return Traveling in
Rodenfell er of the the elfstones to the Stillmist. If the Forbidden
Redrunners necessary to sacrifice the crown Lands.
to close the Protonexus in Vond.
Rust Prince Leader of the Dreams of wearing the crown, Haggler’s House
Kartorda Rust Church Stanengist, and becoming emper- or Vond.
or of the Forbidden Lands.

30

chapter 4
The ethereal body, in the form of a barely
distinguishable female shape, can appear
at different locations in the Forbidden Lands.
It can’t act, but it can sense what is happening
and also talk.
a demonic horde that slaughtered King Algarod
and the Alderlander army. To consolidate the
LEGEND alliance, Zygofer and his daughter, Therania,
They say that the sorcerer Zygofer, during the fi- agreed to being merged with a demon prince to
nal battle of the Fourth Alder War, summoned form the man-spider Zytera, whom the Rust

31

key players
Brothers still venerate as the prophet of the god The arachnid body of Zytera can move
Rust. Allegedly, Zytera still rules the holdfast of slowly in any direction with precision or run
Vond, from which the monstrosity sends out the as fast as a horse, but lacking direct control. It
unnatural demonic creatures that haunt the For- can easily cross uneven terrain and is even able
bidden Lands. to climb sheer cliffs.
Zytera has a contract signed in Krasylla’s
blood hidden in Zygofer’s clothing. The con-
APPEARANCE tract prevents Krasylla from harming Zytera.
Zytera gives an impression as strange as it is
sickening of a large spider on the back of which
rides a shapeless, many-faced human. The crea- OVERT GOALS
ture is draped in rich clothing, tinted in shades Zytera is, at the moment, allied with the Rust
of rusty yellow, brown and red, adorned with Brothers, Krasylla and Merigall, but the al-
gold, brass and gems, none of which mitigates liances are fragile. Zytera mainly strives to
the appalling impression. At a closer look, the master the demonic substance mog so as to
body of the spider has ten, not eight, hairy become immortal and to create armies of de-
legs. It has a compact build, taller at the fore mon warriors. It wants to conquer all of the
where two human bodies tower from the hip Forbidden Lands, eradicate all other kin, and
and upwards: an old, bearded man and a mid- then conquer Alderland. Zytera has created a
dle-aged woman, Zygofer and Therania, joined primitive portal between worlds, the so called
back to back, neck to neck. They are turned fac- Protonexus, to eventually be able to summon
ing a side each, but the seam between them is more allies.
soft enough for both of them to face forward at Zytera wants to conquer the crown,
the same time. The woman is majestic, while Stanengist, since Zytera believes that the
the old man gives a grotesque and sickly im- crown will grant the wisdom and power needed
pression. An unpleasant smell, like that of rot- to rule the Forbidden Lands.
ting fungi, fouls the air around the creature,
unsuccessfully masked by heavy perfumes.
Hidden under the sheets of clothing at the SECRET GOALS
front of the spider is a maw with tiny tentacles. Zytera has two wills:
The body lacks intelligence, but reflexively de- Zygofer has tired of his daughter’s con-
vours anything that comes within reach of the tempt and wants to get rid of her once he’s
tentacles, and must be fed raw strips of meat mastered mog and the Protonexus and no
since it has a digestive system separate from its longer has any need for her life force. Zygofer
human parts. On Zygofer’s rear hip is the crying wants to wear Stanengist alone: “a crown only
face of an infant, embedded there to give the dy- holds one head”.
ing man a semblance of emotional life. It mostly If Zygofer suspects that everything is lost,
screams when it isn’t being bribed with sweets. he may choose to turn his Protonexus into an

32

chapter 4
 wife, Martea, and his second daughter, Mar-
ga, escape from him (page xx in the Gamemas-
ter’s Guide).
MEETING THE KEY PLAYERS Therania is utterly bored by her father and
During the course of the cam- only tolerates him because his know-how is
paign it is important that the still needed to control mog and the Proton-
adventurers get the chance to exus. She plans to sever him from the demon
meet most of the key players of body and to sacrifice a woman to take her lower
the campaign and learn of their body as her own to become whole again, free
intentions – true or false. The from the arachnid form. Therania also wants
adventurers will need the help to wear Stanengist, alone.
of one or more of the key play- If Zytera dies, there is a risk that the Pro-
ers for the showdown in Vond. tonexus will run amok and turn into an un-
The description of each key controlled portal for demonic invasion.
player specifies their overt and
more hidden goals – designs that
the key player may try to use MEETING ZYTERA
the adventurers to achieve. The Zytera mainly devotes its time to horrendous
description also describes where demonological and necromantic studies in its
and how the adventurers can so-called Mogarium at the top of Mount Ora
meet and interact with the key in Vond (see page xx), often accompanied by
player. The information is sum- Merigall. The adventurers can also encounter
marized in the table on page xx. Zytera in Haggler’s House (see page xx).

STRENGTH 24, AGILITY 4, INTELLIGENCE 5, EMPATHY 3

SKILLS: Lore 5, Insight 5, Manipulation 5

open and uncontrolled nexus, by using a ritual
TALENTS: Path of Death 3, Path of Blood 3
in which three beings of royal breed are sac-
ARMOR: 12 (demon skin)
rificed to the portal. It would mean that de-
GEAR: In thepartially decomposed cloak
mons could pass unchecked into the Forbidden
worn by the old man, Zygofer, is the parch-
Lands, just as it was during the Demon Flood ment that holds the contract that binds
in 874 AS, possibly heralding the doom of the Krasylla to Zytera.
land. No other key player wants this, but Zygo-
D6 MONSTER ATTACKS
fer can begin the ritual without revealing its
1. CHILLING SCREAM! Zytera stands on its
purpose. The nexus can only be sealed with the
four hind legs and utters an unnat-
crown, Stanengist. ural, chilling scream. All adventurers
Zygofer will attempt to crush Merigall if within NEAR distance suffer a fear
he becomes aware that the demon helped his attack with ten dice.

33

key players
2. BITE ATTACK! The demonic creature ✥✥ Zygofer and Therania can be severed
throws itself over an adventurer with- from Zytera’s body with the magi-
in NEAR distance and bites down with cal sword Asina (see page xx in the
its poisonous fangs. Perform an attack Gamemaster’s Guide). This demands
with eleven Base Dice and Weapon a single hit that inflicts 4 points of
Damage 1 (stab wound). The unfortu- damage or more. See below for stats
nate adventurer then suffers a lethal for the half-bodies, both of which will
poison attack with a Potency of 9. die in D6 hours unless reattached
3. HAND OF DOOM! Zytera casts the spell through magical means.
HAND OF DOOM on an adventurer ✥✥ The wife, Martea, in the Stoneloom
within SHORT distance with a Power Mines (see page xx) has a lock of Zy-
Level of D6+1. The spell damage to gofer’s hair (he has gone bald since).
the victim’s Strength is equal to the If the lock is thrown into the Proton-
Power Level. exus, demons will swarm through the
portal from the world of Churmog
4. IMMOLATE! The monster chooses an
to end the sorcerer for having the
adventurer within NEAR distance and
audacity to disturb them. Read more
casts the spell IMMOLATE with a Pow-
on page xx.
er Level of D6+2. The victim senses
✥✥ Zygofer will go insane if he dons the
how her blood begins to boil and how
crown Stanengist. Read more on
she is devoured from within by the
page xx.
magical attack.
5. TERROR! Zytera releases its horrible
magic and causes all adventurers
within SHORT distance to be afflicted ZYGOFER, SEVERED
by the spell TERROR with a Power FROM ZYTERA
Level of D6+2 (roll for every afflicted
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, INTELLIGENCE 4, EMPATHY 3
adventurer).
6. SKILLS: Lore 4, Insight 2, Manipulation 2
LIFE DRAIN! The
monster chooses an
adventurer within NEAR distance TALENTS: Path of Death 3, Path of Blood 3
and casts the spell WEIGHT OF AGES GEAR: In the partially decomposed cloak
on her with a Power Level of D6. The worn by the old man, Zygofer, is the
afflicted adventurer then drops to parchment that holds the contract that
the ground. binds Krasylla to Zytera.

SPELLS: Several of Zytera’s monster attacks

are spells. The GM’s pool of Willpower is THERANIA, SEVERED
not used to power these, and Zytera runs FROM ZYTERA
no risk of suffering a magical mishap.
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, INTELLIGENCE 3, EMPATHY 4
WEAKNESSES: Zytera is a powerful being, but
SKILLS: Lore 2, Insight 4, Manipulation 4
has several weaknesses that the adventur-
ers can exploit: TALENTS: Path of Blood 3, Path of Death 2

34

chapter 4
 MERIGALL
The bard Merigall is a sexless being whose
charm is as dangerous as it is attractive to both MERIGALLS AVKOMMOR
genders, especially for half-elves. Many claim Merigall har tolv avkommor
to have had relations of a more intimate nature på olika håll i Det glömda
with Merigall, yet none can even divulge the landet, och kan teleportera sig
gender of the creature since it is able to change direkt till dessa. Detta är en
its shape. Merigall appears to have the abili- form av besvärjelsen PORTAL,
ty to coax music from any instrument that’ll men kräver inga kraftpoäng
bring its audience to tears, though the lute is och medför ingen risk för
its favorite. magiskt missöde. Exakt var
Officially, Merigall is Zytera’s closest ally Merigalls avkommor finns är
and the driving force behind the merging of inte fastslaget – du kan avgöra
father and daughter. Together, they perform det under spelets gång för att
many horrific experiments in Zytera’s labora- låta Merigall dyka upp där det
tories. Merigall enjoys travelling among the passar. När en avkomma är
villages and has twelve offspring in the coun- placerad bör du dock notera
tryside to whose side the demon can teleport detta. Om en avkomma dödas
(see the boxed text on page xx). kan Merigall inte teleportera
Merigall is a demon that Zygofer sum- dit längre. Merigall älskar alla
moned from the world of Churmog during his sina avkomlingar och kommer
early experiments. The creature’s existence in att hata alla som dödar dem.
the Forbidden Lands is bound to Zygofer’s life,
which is one of the reasons that the old man
must be kept alive. Merigall feeds off of and can
sense the emotions of others, but is a connois- just as likely to aid someone who least expects
seur that seeks to bring forth feelings that are as it. Zytera is unaware of it, but Merigall aided
complex, strong and discordant as possible. Zygofer’s wife, Martea, in her escape.
The emotions and feelings of its surround-
ings are to the bard a delectable meal to en-
joy in order of convenience, with spices and LEGEND
accompanying wine. It is especially fond of The name Merigall soars like a vague shadow
stirring emotions in those who oppose it or with yellow eyes across the Forbidden Lands.
are of shifting emotional states by, for exam- No one know who the creature is or even if it is a
ple, gaining someone’s trust and love only to woman or a man. Maybe there are several Mer-
betray the person in question, completely out igalls, for the creature has been spotted in places
of the blue, in the harshest way possible. It is far and wide from one day to the next. The young

35

key players
 describe even by those who intimately know
the creature. Merigall’s eyes are always yellow,
however, as are the eyes of its offspring.
MERIGALL’S OFFSPRING
Merigall has twelve offspring
in different locations in the OVERT GOALS
Forbidden Lands, and can Officially, Merigall helps Zytera to research
teleport directly to them. This mog so that through the aid of Rust Brothers
is a version of the PORTAL spell, and demonic creatures they may conquer the
but requires no roll of the dice Forbidden Lands.
and carries no risk for a magical
mishap. The exact locations
of Merigall’s offspring are not SECRET GOALS
set – you can decide during the Merigall’s highest priority is to get hold of
course of the game to allow and drink its life essence, which resides in
Merigall to appear when it suits one of the statues in the guardian chamber
you. Once an offspring has of the Mogarium, thus freeing itself from
been placed you should make Zytera.
a note of it, however. If an off- Merigall is uninterested in ruling the
spring is killed, Merigall can no Forbidden Lands alone, but wants to support
longer teleport there. Merigall someone suitable to the task. Merigall can ally
loves all of its offspring and will with any one of the other key players, as well
hate anyone who kills them. as the adventurers themselves, if it serves the
demon’s designs.
Merigall loved the elven woman, Viridia,
and hopes to resurrect her from the emerald
are seduced in castles as well as cottages so that the Gall-Eye set into the sword, Maligarn. To that
yellow-eyed offspring of Merigall can be found in end, it may look for a suitable body of an elven
the most distant regions and among all kin. Some woman to raise its beloved in.
believe the creature to be a demon, others revere Merigall may tolerate an alliance with
it as a god, for the truth is that it is as likely to help Krasylla but dislikes and distrusts the demon.
those who encounter it as it is to destroy them.

MEETING MERIGALL
APPEARANCE Owing to its ability to teleport (see the box
Most of the time Merigall appears as a slen- on page xx), Merigall can appear anywhere
der, androgynous Elvenspring with ash blonde in the Forbidden Lands, for example, in
hair, but its appearance is hard to define and Weatherstone (page xx in the Gamemaster’s

36

chapter 4
Guide). You can allow the demon to act as a
travelling bard that offers to travel with the KRASYLLA
adventurers to document their deeds in po- Krasylla is one of the demon princes that
ems and songs. Merigall is very intelligent, Zytera summoned to Ravenland in the year
with great knowledge of the world, the de- 74 AS that ravaged Aslene. When the way
mons who dwell in it. home had been blocked, he signed a contract
When Merigall isn’t traveling the land, with Zytera and settled down in the holdfast of
the demon can be found in its pavilion on the Vond to guard Shadowgate Pass. Pursuant to
slope of Mount Ora (read more on page xx in the contract, the Rust Brothers regularly de-
the chapter on Vond). liver human sacrifices to the creature. Krasylla
was powerful during the wars, but after set-
STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 5, INTELLIGENCE 5, EMPATHY 6 tling in Vond he has melted down to a gigan-
SKILLS: Lore
5, Insight 5, Manipulation 5, tic, shapeless mass. The Rust Brothers loathe
Performance 5 and despise the demon but fear him. Krasylla
TALENTS: Path of Shifting Shapes 3, Path of is actually in a transitory phase to becoming
Signs 3, Path of Blood 3, Path of Death 3 sarmog – a more powerful kind of demon.
GEAR: Colorful clothes, flute, lute, drum
IMMORTAL: Merigall consists of mog and
LEGEND
can therefore not die in the normal sense
of the word. If the body is killed, Merigall At the end of the Alder Wars the demon prince
will regenerate at the side of one of its Krasylla stood bereft of a way home to his na-
offspring, as long as there are any of them
tive world of Churmog. They say that Zytera
left alive.
made a deal with the terrible creature then,
SHAPESHIFTING: Merigall has the ability to
giving it sanctuary in Vond in return for
assume any humanoid form it desires and
may even imitate specific individuals with guarding Shadowgate Pass against the Aslene
great precision. Shifting shapes is a long that Krasylla himself had ravaged. It is whis-
action for Merigall but demands no roll pered that the human sacrifices that the vil-
of the dice or expenditure of Willpower. lages are forced to provide to the Rust Brothers
No matter what form Merigall takes, the
become sustenance for Krasylla and that the
demon’s yellow eyes remain.
demon nowadays lies fat and immobile in the
WEAKNESS: Merigall’s life essence is kept in
interior of the castle.
a container in the last surviving statue in
the guardian chamber of Zytera’s Moga-
rium (page xx). The demon will die if the
essence is poured into the ocean or if it is APPEARANCE
dissolved with acid and then mixed with In his chamber in Vond (page xx), Krasylla is a
lye. Only Zygofer and Kalman Rodenfell
shapeless, veined, disgusting mass roughly the
know of this. If the essence is poured into
a lake the demon will live on, dissolved in size of an elephant taking a vaguely humanoid
water. shape resembling the last victim he devoured.

37

key players
He can fight with tentacles that pull victims
into his body and suffocate them to digest
them. Inside the chamber, hidden by Krasylla’s erupt, but the stones won’t fall to the ground,
mass, is the door to an adjoining tower. This instead forming the armor of the sarmog
tower is also filled with his tissue, and this is which is terrible, a ten-meter-tall humanoid
where the demon is building his sarmog form. with multiple limbs.
If the precursor phase is injured, it will ap-
pear to shrink, but is actually being drawn into
the tower. When Krasylla awakens as sarmog, OVERT GOALS
for example, if the precursor phase is badly Krasylla is officially Zytera’s ally and general.
injured, the tower beyond the chamber will The Rust Brothers worship and fear him.

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chapter 4
 SECRET GOALS 2 TENTACLE EMBRACE! The monster tries to

Krasylla wants to collect Stanengist to seal

squeeze the life out of an adventurer
within NEAR distance. Perform an at-
the Protonexus in Vond so that no competing
tack with nine Base Dice and Weapon
demon prince can enter the Forbidden Lands. Damage 1. If the attack succeeds, the
The demon also wants to get hold of the con- adventurer is GRAPPLED and will suffer
tract that binds him to Zytera’s service and the same attack in every subsequent
then kill Zytera, whom he despises and detests.
round until the adventurer breaks
free.
Krasylla suspects that Merigall was complicit
3 CHOKING ATTACK! The demon embraces
in trapping him in the Forbidden Lands.
an adventurer within NEAR distance
Krasylla wants to replace Zytera as ruler of
and attempts to choke her by press-
the Forbidden Lands, but will do so gladly in an ing her against his enormous bulk.
alliance with someone else. He can ally himself Perform an attack with ten Base
with the adventurers, if they help him get hold Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt
force). If the attack succeeds, the
of the contract with Zytera. Krasylla wants to
adventurer is GRAPPLED and suffers
kill powerful creatures that are not his allies. a choking attack that does 1 dam-
age each round until the adventurer
breaks free.
MEETING KRASYLLA 4 THROWING ATTACK! Krasylla grabs an
Krasylla never leaves his chamber in Vond (page adventurer within NEAR distance with
xx) – at least not until he transforms into sarmog. his tentacles and throws her against
a wall. Perform an attack with twelve
Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1
(blunt force). If the attack succeeds, the
KRASYLLA IN PRECURSOR PHASE adventurer will additionally become
STRENGTH 22, AGILITY 2, INTELLIGENCE 6, EMPATHY 3 prone and land at SHORT distance.
SKILLS: Lore 3, Insight 3, Manipulation 3 5 ADVENTURER MASH! The demon lifts up
two adventurers within NEAR dis-
ARMOR: 6 (demon skin)
tance with his tentacles and smashes
UNDER TRANSFORMATION: In this phase, Kra- them together with great force. Per-
sylla is transforming into a sarmog, a more form an attack with eleven Base Dice
powerful demon. If Krasylla is slain it will and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force).
only hasten the process and the sarmog If either one of the adventurers is
will be born prematurely (see the event wearing a metal helmet the damage
The Sarmog Awakens on page xx). to the other increases by 1.
D6 MONSTER ATTACK 6 SWEEPING ATTACK! The demon uses his

1.
long tentacles to perform a sweeping
TENTACLE WHIP! A powerful tentacle
attack that hits all adventurers within
swipes at an adventurer within NEAR
NEAR distance. Perform an attack
distance. Perform an attack with nine
with nine Base Dice and Weapon
Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1
Damage 1 (blunt force). Victims hit by
(blunt force). If the attack succeeds,
the attack become prone.
the victim becomes prone.

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key players
 KRASYLLA AS SARMOG 6 DEMONIC SKELETONS! Krasylla spews

STRENGTH 60, AGILITY 2, INTELLIGENCE 6, EMPATHY 3

forth from his body D6 grotesque
creatures made from the skeletons
ARMOR: 12 (stone armor) of his devoured victims. The skele-
D6 MONSTER ATTACK
tons have normal stats (page xx in
the Gamemaster’s Guide) and blindly
1. STOMP ATTACK! The sarmog attempts to follow Krasylla’s orders.
stomp two adventurers, like insects,
within NEAR distance to death. WEAKNESSES: Perhaps the only way to kill
Perform an attack against each Krasylla is to mark him with one of the
adventurer with twelve Base Dice and Arrows of the Fire Wyrm from Aslene
Weapon Damage 2 (blunt force). If the (see page xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide).
attack succeeds, the adventurers are Krasylla was one of the destroyers of
thrown to the ground. Aslene and the volcano god Horn seeks to
2. BOULDER THROW! Krasylla picks up a
exact vengeance upon him. If Krasylla is
giant boulder from the ground and marked by the arrow, the Fire Wyrm Erynia
throws it at an adventurer within will know where he is and chase him from
SHORT distance. Perform an attack
below the ground. When the wyrm finds
with twelve Base Dice and Weapon the demon, the ground will begin to glow
Damage 2 (blunt force). and dissolve into lava at which time the
gigantic wyrm will devour the demon with
3. DEMONIC ROAR! The demon opens one bite in a spectacular fashion.
his enormous jaws and lets out a If Krasylla is fed with one of Merigall’s
demonic roar that echoes across the offspring, he will obtain the features of his
land. All adventurers within SHORT victim. If Merigall sees this, it will want to
distance suffers a fear attack with kill Krasylla and may give one of the Ar-
eleven Base Dice. rows of the Fire Wyrm to the adventurers
4. SWEEPING BLOW! Krasylla lets his giant or to Zertorme.
fists sweep across the ground. All
adventurers within NEAR distance
suffer an attack with ten Base Dice
and Weapon Damage 2 (blunt force). If
the attack succeeds, the adventurers
are thrown to SHORT distance and falls
prone. VIRELDA
5 ADVENTURER THROW! The demon has BLOODBEAK
had enough of an adventurer within
NEAR distance, grabs her and at- As opposed to most Raven Sisters, Virelda
tempts to throw her away. Perform Bloodbeak is impatient and violent towards her
an attack with twelve Base Dice and
enemies, among which are counted Zytera’s
Weapon Damage 2 (blunt force). If
the attack succeeds, the victim is demons, the members of the Rust Church
thrown to SHORT distance and falls and the sect of the Blackwings. Virelda was, in
prone. her youth, one of the Sisters of Heme in the
Rust Church. Rebellious of mind, she broke

40

chapter 4
into the forbidden library of the temple and OVERT GOALS
found historical documents there pertaining Virelda Bloodbeak fights the Rust Church by
to the origin of the Rust Church, which she any means necessary.
thereafter viewed as heretical. She was brutal-
ly punished, fled, and sought out the Raven
Sisters, to whom she revealed what she knew SECRET GOALS
of the Rust Church: that it had sprung from Virelda hunts Teramalda’s burning armor (see
the Raven Sisters who stayed in Alderland and page xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide), since it is
made agonizing amends. a symbol of the power of the Rust Church. The
Raven Sister knows that Teramalda is kept alive
by a magical iron spike that has been driven
LEGEND through the Ferrale’s chest inside the armor.
The Ailander Raven Sisters are known as a peace- The plan is to lure the suit of armor to a mag-
ful sisterhood. They discreetly help the villagers netic rock and tear out the iron spike while the
with the art of healing and spells for the harvest, beast is stuck to the cliff, an act that would kill
but are hunted relentlessly by the servants of the Teramalda. Virelda knows that the sight of the
Rust Church. Sister Virelda Bloodbeak is not unscrewed head of the armor would sow doubt
like other Raven Sisters. With her bushy white among the Iron Guards and Rust Brothers in
hair she is supposed to have started out as one Vond, who view Teramalda as a holy champion
of the goddess Heme’s Sisters, but is said to have of the god Rust.
changed sides after an epiphany. She is said to Virelda knows of Stanengist, and wants to
have slain tens of the Iron Guard and their de- collect the crown to keep it from falling into
mons, and some even claim that she has faced the wrong hands, and instead use it to restore
Teramalda’s burning armor in battle. the land.

APPEARANCE MEETING VIRELDA

Virelda is characterized by her wild, white hair The adventurers can meet Virelda while jour-
which appears to have a life of its own, billow- neying through the Forbidden Lands. She is
ing like seaweed in the wind even though she hunting Teramalda and can ask the adventur-
tries to restrain it in braids. The cursed hair ers for help in finding the Ferrale. Virelda can
is a legacy from her time in the Rust Church tell them the legends of the Rust Prince Kar-
as are her tattoos, the origins of which she has torda and of Zytera.
tried to hide by adding to them. She can’t cut If the adventurers have already met
her hair since it bleeds and can feel. Virelda Teramalda as a random encounter, and tell
dresses in dark grey and red clothes and often Virelda of this, she will become very inter-
travels in the guise of a flock of magical ravens. ested. The Raven Sister knows that lightning
Virelda is depicted on the cover of this book. has struck an iron outcrop nearby and turned

41

key players
it into a powerful magnet for the coming day. ther’s forces to free Margelda, but when the
She wants the adventurers to help her lure the mission was completed, the demons invad-
beast there. ed Ravenland, the Alderlanders built their
The adventurers can also encounter Vire- wall and his sister and father merged into the
lda in Haggler’s House (see page xx) and during creature Zytera, and he became increasingly
the showdown in Vond (see page xx). heavy-hearted. He was tormented by how he
had abandoned his mother Martea and his sis-
STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 6, INTELLIGENCE 5, EMPATHY 4 ter Marga at the Stoneloom Mines and lost his
SKILLS: Melee 4, Stealth 4, Move 5, Scouting appetite for the company of others; during the
5, Lore 4, Survival 4, Insight 3, Manipula- Blood Mist, he retreated to Amber’s Peak (page
tion 3, Performance 3, Healing 4, Animal xx). It is rumored that Merigall sometimes vis-
Handling 5 its him and that the two of them have a secret
TALENTS: Pathof Healing 2, Path of Shifting love affair.
Shapes 3, Path of Sight 3, Fearless 2, Pain
Since the Blood Mist lifted, Zertorme has
Resistant 2
desperately started to experiment with a form
GEAR: Magical staff with a D10 Artifact Die
of fire magic to use against his father. Zer-
DEMONIC HAIR: Virelda’shated cursed hair torme has sacrificed his face to the fire demon
gives her power. If she loses it, she will also
Brinhelda for her aid. He has tried to cultivate
become significantly weaker (maximum
Strength and Agility is decreased to 3) a new one from demon flesh, but it looks gro-
until it grows back. tesque and terrifying, and therefore he always
wears a mask when he appears in public. Both
of the rider clans of Aslene look up to him as
their leader.

ZERTORME LEGEND
Zertorme is Zygofer and Martea’s son, a power- Zertorme is said to be the sorcerer Zygofer’s
ful magician and leader of the eastern regions, very own son. When the father caught Zer-
Margelda and Yendra, of the Forbidden Lands. torme snooping about in his demonic gri-
He fled towards Wailer’s Hold with his mother, moires he is supposed to have torn the face off
Martea, and his sister, Marga, but left the others his son, as beautiful as he was skilled in magic,
when he discovered that Marga was possessed by as punishment. Zertorme then fled east to ally
a demon. Zertorme sought out the Elvenspring with his father’s enemies. From the plains, he
in the east, allied with them and won the trust of is said to lead his armies with a masked vis-
the Aslenes in Margelda, since he proved to have age and to have gathered the horse clans from
the ability to talk to people and horses alike. Aslene, who believe him to be the prophet of
In the beginning, Zertorme was vengeful the volcano god Horn and the future savior of
and participated in the battles against his fa- Aslene, under his banner.

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chapter 4
 APPEARANCE MEETING ZERTORME
Zertorme has no face. He is several hundred The adventurers will most likely meet Zer-
years old, but has the appearance of being for- torme during a visit to Amber’s Peak (page xx).
ty, athletic and intense since he is a half-elf, as He may also appear in Vond during the final
were his parents. In place of his face, he wears battle.
a mask and a frivolous uniform inspired by
traditional Aslene folk costumes. Zertorme is STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, INTELLIGENCE 5, EMPATHY 3
depicted on the cover of the Forbidden Lands TALENTS: Psychic Power, Path of Blood 2, Fire
core game set. Magic
SKILLS: Melee 4, Move 2, Insight 3, Manipu-
lation 4
OVERT GOALS
GEAR: Longsword, chainmail, closed helmet,
Zertorme leads the force of Aslene refugees riding horse
and soldiers from Margelda against the Rust WEAKNESSES: If Zertorme dons the crown
Brothers and Zytera’s demonic hordes. He is Stanengist he will go insane, like his father.
allied with the Raven Sisters, and is on good Read more about this on page xx.
terms with the Elvenspring and the elves.

SECRET GOALS FIRE MAGIC

Zertorme is actually playing a double-cross Zertorme has, with the help of the
game to take power over the Forbidden Lands demon Brinhelda, delved into the
for himself. He is secretly allied with his sister, secrets of fire. His work consists in
Therania, whom he plans to betray as well, as part of various more or less painful
soon he achieves his goals. As a suggestion, we experiments on animals and other
recommend that you don’t reveal his duplicity living creatures, but also the explora-
until the final stage of the campaign. tion of magic bound to fire. Zertorme
Zertorme also wants to wear the complet- can cast the following spells:
ed crown, Stanengist, and can help the adven- ✥✥ PILLAR OF FIRE: A pillar of fire is
turers collect the rubies under the pretense of created within SHORT distance,
wanting to use the crown against Zytera. as if the air itself has caught on
Zertorme’s greatest personal dream is fire. The spell does damage to
to tame a dragon to ride in battle. To this Strength equal to the Power Lev-
end, he may try to free Scarne from under el. The victim is also set on fire.
Stonegarden. ✥✥ CONFLAGRATION: The entire area
Zertorme would love to have his face back, within NEAR distance of Zertorme
but this will enrage Brinhelda since she consid- (same zone) flares up into a con-
ers it to be hers. flagration. A number of people up

43

key players
 to the Power Level take 1 point of LEGEND
damage to Strength. All victims The dwarven princess Arvia stands outside the
are set on fire. kinship of the clan, for it is told that she was born
Victims that are set on fire after her childless mother fornicated with a stone
take 1 point of damage each statue and thereafter promised all of her offspring
round, until the victim succeeds to the god Huge. They say that Huge marked Ar-
in putting out the fire with a suc- via for feats of war and sacrifice for his own glo-
cessful roll for MOVE (long action). ry at her birth. Dwarves fear and are terrified
Armor does not protect of the woman, but respect her all the same as one
against these spells. You use your chosen by the gods.
regular pool of Willpower to cast
these spells.

ARVIA OF CROMBE
Princess Arvia of the Crombe dwarf clan is
very proud and ambitious, but stands outside
the royal lineage since her mother promised
the child to the god Huge if it survived, since
she had suffered hemorrhaging during the
pregnancy. Arvia has instead become obsessed
with the thought of a great feat: reclaiming
the lost holdfast of Vond for the clan, which
includes slaying Krasylla and Zytera. APPEARANCE
She leads a group of religiously fanatic Arvia is fair-skinned with jet black, braided
dwarves who have allied with an equally fanat- hair and dark eyes. The contrasts almost make
ic group of Aslene rider warriors from the Gal- it seem as if she shimmers when she gets fired
dane clan who wish to slay the demon prince up. She’s a muscular and able warrior with a
Krasylla as revenge for the ravaging of Aslene. scarred face, armor and axe.
The group includes the dwarf Peyraman and
the horse woman Viseria, both of them now
prisoners in Vond. Arvia can impart that the OVERT GOALS
two were part of a group equipped with an Ar- Arvia belongs to the Crombe clan who despise
row of the Fire Wyrm, said to be able to slay other dwarves and who in turn are despised by
Krasylla, but she doesn’t know what has hap- them as being arrogant. Her only wish is to
pened to them. conquer Vond and kill Zytera and Krasylla at

44

chapter 4
any cost – including the betrayal and the sacri- WEAKNESS: At best, Arvia has a tenuous

fice of her friends.

grasp of reality in her dreams, and could
lead her forces to ruin. Zytera can use
Arvia for his ritual to open the Proton-
exus.
SECRET GOALS
Arvia of Crombe also wants the stones of
Stanengist to secretly use them as raw mate-
rial for experiments in stone magic, but she
knows that the elves would go to war if they
found out. THE EMPRESS
Arvia is reluctantly, and secretly, in love SORIA OF HROK A
with Peyraman, and is jealous and wants to
see Viseria dead. Her jealousy has awakened an Soria is wife to the orc emperor Hroka the
aversion to humans in general and an unrea- First and the Greatest in the fortress of Eye of
sonable hatred of love across the borders of kin, the Rose. She is the leader of the Viraga – a co-
including contempt for all half-elves. alition of orc females who, behind the scenes,
are the real wielders of power among the orcs.

MEETING ARVIA
Arvia is constantly travelling. The adven- LEGEND
turers can encounter her during a visit to It is whispered among the Isir and the drifters
Stonegarden (see page xx), to Pelagia (see that the orc empress Soria is actually a learned
page xx) or as a random encounter while jour- human female who has nestled herself in with
neying through the Forbidden Lands. Ar- the Urhur clan in the fortress of Eye of the
via can tell the adventurers of Castle Vond, Rose to undermine their war-like manhood.
which the Alderlanders deceitfully stole from With fair words and elegant seduction she has
the Crombe clan when they invaded, and of ensnared Emperor Hroka completely, whose
Zytera, Merigall and Krasylla who now rule warriors have even been made to eat leavened
the fortress. bread! The emperor is said to have given his
spouse an invaluable cloak clasp in which is set a
STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 3, INTELLIGENCE 3, EMPATHY 3 living elven ruby.
SKILLS: Melee 5, Crafting 3, Scouting 3, Lore
2, Insight 1, Manipulation 2
APPEARANCE
TALENTS: TrueGrit, Path of The Blade 3, Path
of The Shield 2, Melee Charge 2 Soria radiates power and intelligence, and
GEAR: Battle axe, chainmail, covered helmet, could be mistaken for a human female of the
large shield, VALUABLE find sturdier kind with a hint of fangs. She is dark,
with olive skin and green eyes.

45

key players
 OVERT GOALS
To unite the orcs of the Forbidden Lands
alongside her husband and to create an orc
kingdom to restore the kin’s belief in itself. She
loves her husband until death.

SECRET GOALS
Soria strongly dislikes that the elven woman,
Iridne, in the cloak clasp Blood Star (see page
xx) speaks to her husband in his sleep and will
initially want to get rid of the ruby. However, at
some point during the game, Iridne will speak
to Soria and tell her of Zytera’s Protonexus, and
that the orcs must unite and march on Vond to
seal the threatening gate to the demon worlds
with the crown, Stanengist.
Soria will then urge her husband to unite
the orcs and to gather an army. Through the
Viraga she will also search for Stanengist,
without revealing why. When the adventur-
ers arrive at Eye of the Rose (see page xx) and
perhaps attempt to steal Iridne, Soria might
have just received Iridne’s message and is
mulling it over. She will then want the
stone returned.

MEETING SORIA
Soria spends most of her time in the
fortress of Eye of the Rose (see page xx),
and the adventurers are most likely to en-
counter her there.

STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 4, INTELLIGENCE 5, EMPATHY 5

SKILLS: Melee
3, Lore 4, Insight 3,
Manipulation 4
TALENTS: Poisoner

46

chapter 4
 GEAR: Dagger, colorful and richly embroi- from Stanengist, it will inform him of Zytera’s
dered clothes, three gold rings (worth Protonexus and that Stanengist must be gath-
4D6 silver coins each), the Blood Star
ered and brought to Vond to fight the threat
cloak clasp with the ruby Iridne (see
page xx) and seal the passage.
Kalman will then order the Redrunners
WEAKNESSES: After a number of betrayals,
Soria has poor faith in others and tends to search for Stanengist and the missing
to keep information to herself, even when stones, giving it their highest priority. An el-
it would be more beneficial to share it. ven adventurer can be a part of this mission.
Zytera can use Soria in his ritual to open If necessary, Kalman himself will journey
the Protonexus.
into the Forbidden Lands even if “his stone
is heavy with age” and would like nothing
more than to retreat to the Stillmist, where
he often goes to confer with older elven ru-
bies. He is very well-informed, thanks to his
K ALMAN scouts.

RODENFELL
The elf Kalman Rodenfell is one of the com- LEGEND
manders of the Redrunners, and the superior Almost all of the ancient and learned elves are
officer to Ulmaya and Alsurso, whom the ad- said to live deep in northern forests of the For-
venturers meet in the adventure site Eye of the bidden Lands or even to have retreated into the
Rose (see page xx). Kalman is old and tired of mysterious Stillmist as rubies, but Kalman “The
battles, but if he gets hold of one of the stones Aurochs” Rodenfell is supposed to have kept his in-
terest for the living world to this point. As one of
the commanders of the Redrunners, he is said to
lead the fight against demons, humans and other
intruders in the land. They say that his feet are
rooted like trees and that he sleeps standing in the
blood of his enemies so as to draw nourishment
and knowledge from them.

APPEARANCE
Kalman has assumed a minimalistic appear-
ance, with features just barely hinted at and
floating, light hair – a little bit like a beautiful
statue. The impression he makes may appear
frightening, since it looks so unreal.

47

key players
 OVERT GOALS SELF-DESTRUCT: In a critical situation, Kalman

Kalman is sworn to the elves’ overarching

can choose to detonate himself and his
ruby in a powerful explosion. Everyone
mission from the Red Wanderer: to protect
within NEAR distance then suffers an attack
life in the Forbidden Lands, mainly against with nine Base Dice (Weapon Damage 2). Of
unbridled magic, undead and demons. The course, this means that Kalman is annihi-
name Rodenfell means “He who fell from the lated.
red one”. WEAKNESS: If Kalman meets Merigall they
will fall head over heels in love with
one another, which may muddy other
SECRET GOALS goals, even if Kalman tries to resist the
passion.
Kalman Rodenfell wants to claim Stanengist
to save the old elfstones to the Stillmist. If
necessary, the crown must be sacrificed to pro-
tect the land and seal the Protonexus in Vond.
This latter goal is disliked by the Redrunners,
who’d rather see the crown worn by the com- RUST PRINCE
mander of the elves to reinstate their kin as a K ARTORDA
power-broker in the Forbidden Lands and to
drive away the humans. Kartorda is the religious leader of the Rust
Brothers. General Manderel, who leads the
Iron Guard (see page xx), is his confidante.
MEETING K ALMAN
Kalman Rodenfell, strategist that he is,
spends most of his time in Dankwood, but LEGEND
may partake in field missions if the need aris- The leader of the Rust Church is said to live in
es. Kalman can seek out the adventurers after Vond or Haggler’s House, and is feared across
their visit to the Eye of the Rose, and he may the Forbidden Lands. His two faces, which are
take part in the final battle in Vond. said to see all and know all, mirror the dual
nature of the prophet Zytera. Some whisper
STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 6, INTELLIGENCE 5, EMPATHY 4 that the Rust Prince is the old god Guard in-
SKILLS: Melee5, Crafting 5, Stealth 4, Marks- carnate – the all-seeing guardian of all change,
manship 5, Move 5, Scouting 5, Lore 4, of all that comes and goes, the guide for travel
Insight 4, Manipulation 2 between sleep and waking, between life and
TALENTS: Inner Peace, Path of Sight 3, Path death. It is through the agency of Kartorda that
of The Blade 3, Lightning Fast 3, Fast Foot- the dead are said to live on, and the Rust Broth-
work 2, Fast Shooter 3
ers have become something betwixt humans and
GEAR: Longsword
(Weapon Bonus +3), long- demons.
bow (Weapon Bonus +3), leather armor

48

chapter 4
 APPEARANCE SECRET GOALS
Kartorda is a somewhat obese man in his six- Kartorda and Manderel, together with a
ties, dressed in ochre clothes with draped, rust- couple of other trusted higher up officers,
ed chains when he isn’t walking around ritually began to doubt that Zytera and K rasylla
naked. His face is often painted in patterns of really are the chosen of the god Rust and
rust. He would actually be quite handsome if it would prefer to be rid of them. The Rust
wasn’t for an additional face on the back of his Prince harbors dreams of wearing the
head, put there to mimic his master, Zytera. crown, Stanengist, himself to become em-
Kartorda’s rather slack extra face has, however, peror of the Forbidden Lands.
suffered a blood clot and drools down the collar The Rust Brothers may scheme with the
of the Rust Prince, something that he strongly adventurers or Zertorme to get rid of Zytera
dislikes. and Krasylla, and to make the Forbidden
Lands into an all-human kingdom. Half-elves
may be tolerated.
OVERT GOALS
Kartorda wants to subjugate all of the Forbid-
den Lands under the rule of the Rust Brothers MEETING K ARTORDA
in the name of the gods Rust and Heme. All The Rust Prince Kartorda can be found most
other kin than humans must be exterminat- of the time in Haggler’s House (see page xx) or
ed, and humankind will be transformed into in Vond (see page xx).
a superior kin through demonic misgrowth.
Zytera is the prophet of Rust and Krasylla is STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, INTELLIGENCE 4, EMPATHY 4
his general. SKILLS: Melee 4, Lore 3, Insight 5, Manipula-
tion 4
TALENTS: Path of Blood 3, Path of Death 3,
Firm Grip 3, Cold Blooded 3, Pain Resistant
2, Steady Feet 2, Sixth Sense 2
GEAR: Longsword (Weapon Bonus +3),
chainmail

49

key players
 GR IN DBON E

TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Village

The forest suddenly opens up onto a lovely view, der changed hands. Through the years, the
and from the edge of the forest you see a village, Slaver’s Guild has – along with the Thieves’
beautifully built on a hill next to a river. Down- Guild – become the village’s stewards, bank-
stream from the village, a mill is ponderously ers and marshals, while the actual operation
paddling its wheels in the river, grating and is handled by freelancing slavers and robbers.
creaking unceasingly as if struggling to escape. But Approved merchants receive slave certificates
neither the mill nor the wretched cadavers nailed from the guild, agreeing to pay part of their
to its wooden walls or bound to the paddle wheels profits to the village.
are ever going to leave Grindbone. There is a din The tension between the slaver’s and the
from the village behind the palisade. Shouts. Songs thieves’ guilds has been intensifying as of late.
mingle with wails and moans. The site would Undar “The Duke” Alderman and the Thieves’
have been sweet but for the sounds. Guild have amassed increasing amounts pow-
er and are the leaders in the village in all but
name. Naturally, this has not been looked
upon favorably by Misela Ferrumar, leader
BACKGROUND of the Slaver’s Guild. The threat of violence
Grindbone has existed since the Alder Wars, grows ever stronger, and this in a place that
when scores of prisoners of war and plun- could hardly be called peaceful as it were. The

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chapter 6
only thing stopping the guilds from coming Ferrets and whisked away to Grindbone to be
to blows in the open is Captain Kratullos and sold on the slave market. To free their friend,
his comrades, the closest thing to a militia in the adventurers need to resort to cunning or
Grindbone, and so far, neutral in the power persuasion, as violence won’t get you far in a
struggle over the village. brutal place like Grindbone.
Grindbone is a cruel and dangerous place
where contacts, strength and bribes are needed
to survive. Unfamiliar faces are seldom wel- KRATULLOS’S COMRADES
come unless they are clients or merchandise. Captain K ratullos has a problem. He’s lost
Smugglers and other trustworthy vagrants use several men in bloody disputes lately, and
the village as a meeting point. Aside from the the conflict between the thieves’ and sla-
slave trade, there are several pastimes for the ver’s guilds is just getting worse. He fears
wealthy, among them a tavern, a fighting are- that Grindbone will go under if he can’t
na and a theater. Grindbone is one of few places strengthen his force. One way or another
where both orcs and humans are accepted. he hears of the adventurers and rides out
Slaves from the village are mostly sold as to meet them. Being capable warriors, he
labor, pleasure slaves, sacrificial slaves, food or extends an offer of employment: ser ve in
raw material for demonification. From time to his guard for X X silver coins per week, food
time, pleasure hunts are held in which a cou- and lodging included.
ple of slaves are set free with a head start, after
which the hunt begins and concludes with a
banquet and the punishment of the captured
slaves.
LEGEND
Hunters whisper of Grindbone, the village of sla-
vers and thieves that lies beyond the forest. Many
have heard the cry of the village’s mill from the
GETTING HERE river but few have dared to approach. It is said
There are many different ways in which the ad- that the millstones grind the souls of the enslaved
venturers can find Grindbone. They may have to dust since slaves have no use for spirituality.
found a map that leads here, heard the stories Some come to Grindbone through compulsion,
of the place, or encountered one of the events others in exultation. There, those captured by the
below. cruel arrive. From there, those sold by the greedy
leave.

WELCOME TO GRINDBONE
One of the adventurers, a companion, or even
the entire party are kidnapped by the Bone

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 LOCATIONS The commander of the garrison, Captain
Below are sites in and around Grindbone that Kratullos, an officer of supposed Alderlander
the adventurers can visit. descent, lives in the gatehouse which used to be
an old granary. His thirty odd guards are veter-
an soldiers, some of whom are clanless orcs. The
1. GATE soldiers are quartered in the adjoining barracks,
The road to Grindbone runs straight through a where one can buy a bench to sleep on as long as
tall old building – if you get that far: a handful space allows.
of guards with the countenance of villains but
the bodies of soldiers screen everyone passing in or ✥✥ CREATURES: Three soldiers.
out in a harsh manner. The stench and buzz of
flies from a number of severed hands nailed to the
timber of the old building floats like a living cloud 2. THE SCREAMING MILL
over the entrance. “A price and a place for every- The old mill screams its torment, day and night.
one” is carved into an adjacent high beam. Its voice comingles with those of the victims. The
hill around the mill that once shone white with
Grindbone is surrounded by a sturdy palisade spilled flour is now dark with dried blood.
equipped with sharpened stakes pointing both
inwards and outwards as the palisade is intend- The old grain mill is mostly used for torture,
ed to keep slaves from escaping as much as it punishments and executions. To “go millin’” is
is for protection against attacks and rescue at- not something displeasing slaves want to hear.
tempts from the outside. The lumber gate is The Slaver’s Guild excels in finding ways to
open when it is light out, otherwise it is closed. torment people with it. They tie victims to the
paddle wheels, leaving them to be crushed by the
millstones or torn to shreds by the machinery
upon which their parts are nailed to the wooden
From Grindbone rose a wail, a walls. The village slaves are often forced to attend
lamentation over home and since the deterrence is at least as important as the
square, as Rakla wept for her amusement of the slavers. The machinery of the
young that night. mill creaks and moans loudly around the clock,
and it is deliberately kept in this tortured state.
No one could that mother The farms surrounding the village sometimes
avail, nor relieve her of her grind their grains here, but the flour acquires an
despair, for the dark of the unmistakable tinge of blood. It is used for baking
grave allows no flight. blood bread – the village’s only culinary special-

AILANDER SLAVE SONG ty. The mill is inhabited by Hargan, the torture
master, and his two apprentices. The mill pond
is teeming with fish.

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✥✥ CREATURES: Master Hargan. crossbreeds. At night, two of them are let loose
between the fences. Kratullos has bought them
from the Rust Brothers for a hefty sum and
3. SLAVE SQUARE they are his darlings. For everyone else, except
The theater with seating built into the hillside the mute animal handler, they are veritable
could be a place for classical dramas if it wasn’t monsters used for guarding and herding slaves
for the three stakes on the stage, whose chains as well as tracking escapees. From time to time
mournfully jangle in the wind. they are allowed to tear some displeasing unfor-
tunate to shreds to “keep them alert” and they
The slave square is an open area where seating are regularly given human flesh.
has been built into the hillside like an amphi-
theatre. Common spectators have to stand on ✥✥ CREATURES: Swinehounds.
the flatlands at the south side. In the middle of
the square is a raised surface where slaves are
auctioned off. Fighting bouts for betting spec- 5. GUILD HALL
tators are also held here and on such occasions The house is relatively well kept, and the only one in
the stakes are taken down. the village to have been painted. The color scheme
consists of equal parts red lead, black tar and oiled
whitewash. Maybe the homeowner only managed
4. SLAVE STABLES to secure one keg of each shade or maybe he’s just os-
Misery drapes flesh behind double fences where tentatious. Two guards stand outside the door.
a score of dirty, half-naked prisoners linger in
apathy, each left to his or her own devices, unless The house is inhabited by Master Undar “The
they’ve been chained to stakes or confined behind Duke” Alderman of the Thieves’ Guild, who
bars in the caverns of the cliffside. A couple of fu- is to be regarded as the mayor of the village.
rious, dog-like beasts bay incessantly with unpleas- In an excavated cave underneath the house is
ant, sniveling barks. the substantial coffer of the Thieves’ Guild. A
swinehound guards the cellar at night.
The slaves are treated and lodged by their value. ✥✥ CREATURES: Undar “The Duke” Alder-
The precious ones are kept in filthy barracks, man, 2D6 thieves, a swinehound (night).
while the more expendable ones are confined ✥✥ TREASURES: In the chest locked in the
to cages or holes carved into the hillside. Two cellar are 5D6 gold coins, 10D6 silver
swinehounds patrol the area between the fences coins and two rolls on the table for pre-
at night. A watchtower at the top of the hill has cious items (see page xx in the Gamemas-
a clear view of the grounds. It’s not unusual to ter’s Guide). The chest is equipped with
capture travelers, and not just slaves, and sell a poison trap (lethal poison, Potency 8)
them back to their kin for ransom. and requires a difficult roll for SLEIGHT OF
The five swinehounds are demon-tainted HAND to be picked without triggering it.

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 11

10

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chapter 6
 GR IN DBON E

6
5 7

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grindbone
 6. ALDERHOME TAVERN to folksy theatre and the occasional duel are per-
The largest building in the village blares and formed. Mahinniver likes to view himself as a
blazes even at a distance. The repurposed barn great artist and performs poetry of high gravitas
is packed with drunk and disorderly soldiers and during interludes. The good-natured fool, car-
merchants. The air is heavy with smoke, sweat penter and village idiot, Mat Zeker, takes care of
and the smell of frying. Here, you can glut, booze maintenance here as well as at the tavern.
and laugh, throw knives at a terrified slave, ar-
gue, arm wrestle and fondle the staff. ✥✥ CREATURES: The bard Mahinniver, Mat
Zeker.
The tavern is owned by Undar but, like the
nearby theatre, is run by the bard Mahinniv-
er. The atmosphere is savage. The waiting is 8. HOPS SHED
partially performed by badly treated slaves. If A rich mist of malting and mashing surrounds
a fight ensues, tradition dictates that it is tak- the village brewery. Hop poles stand at attention
en to the Slave Square to be settled in front of outside. Next to the house are shimmering copper
an audience. You can rent sleeping accommo- pans as well as stacks of lumber and kegs.
dations in the adjacent building where a cou-
ple of prostitutes also perform their services. Water for the brewery uses a pulley system that
Behind Alderhome is the infirmary of the takes it from the river through a track that
three wise Somaya sisters. They take care of the runs along the hillside. The beer is brewed to
healthcare needs of the village with traditional middling quality, but in great quantity, and is
as well as more mystical methods. Everybody is consumed locally. Hops are cultivated around
a little bit afraid of them. The big orc, Charna, the brewery and grains for malting are taken
from the garrison, acts as their bodyguard. from the farms surrounding the village. The
brewer is commonly referred to as “The Boar.”
✥✥ CREATURES: Charna and the Somaya
sisters. ✥✥ CREATURES: “The Boar.”

7. PARAXA THEATER 9. FERRET HALL

Torches have been lit for the night around an out- A couple of scarred soldiers and rangers mill about
door theatre. It endeavors to be grander than the the well-timbered house. They grease chained shack-
farce being enacted on stage. The audience have les and weapons that are then packed into satchels.
brought food from the tavern and chuck it at the They act professionally severe, keeping an eye on you
actors if they displease them. with a look that is more appraising than welcoming.

Theatre Paraxa is an outdoor stage with bleachers This is the haunt of the company of slavers
built on three sides. Here, anything from farces known as the Bone Ferrets, a group of twenty

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chapter 6
or so hardened soldiers and hunters of which
half are usually away from the village on dif-
ferent missions. The company is run by Misela
Ferrumar from whom it got its name. She is
rumored to have contacts among the wolfkin
in the Fangwoods, who lend their tracking
skills to her soldiers. The Ferrets also keep
their own hounds, used for hunting humans.

✥✥ CREATURES: Misela Ferrumar, half a

dozen slave hunters and a dozen swine-
hounds. ness that flows
from the east side
has a crimson tinge while
10. CHAPEL OF THE the west side is paler, as if cov-
RUST BROTHERS ered with frost.
A simple temple, bearing the typical, cloven facade
of the Rust Church. Standing outside the temple The ruin of the keep of Stone-
are blood stained idols of the gods Rust and Heme. fang was the original struc-
ture on the hill, a fortifica-
The chapel of the Rust Brothers is the only tion in times of unrest. The
visible religious operation in the village. “The keep is now a ruin of ill repute.
Duke” Alderman regularly donates or gifts slaves Wagons loaded with beer are hauled from the
for human sacrifice at the fairly crudely shaped brewery to the ruin, where the beer is stored
idols outside the chapel. The Ferrale Hamedas under guard in the cool, lower vaults. The ruin
is gravely alcoholic and this has landed him the is haunted twofold, in part by the ghost of Ar-
not-so-glamorous post of village priest in Grind- bia Mundo, the last mistress of the castle, but
bone. He frequently sleeps it off inside the tem- also by a bloodling who has taken residence on
ple. The soldiers avoid the building. the east side and causes red mountain water to
flow down the hill. The frost of the west side
✥✥ CREATURES: Rust Brother Hamedas. is actually stone mold. The nearby ruin of a
watchtower is used by the soldiers as a lookout
in the daytime.
11. STONEFANG
A castle ruin as impressive as it is dilapidated and ✥✥ CREATURES: The ghost of Arbia Mundo,
ominous towers over Grindbone. Rumor has it that bloodling.
it is haunted and devours its visitors, so most people ✥✥ TREASURES: None, but a great deal of
avoid talking about or even looking at it. The wet- cool beer.

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grindbone
 GEAR: Warhammer, three throwing knives,
MONSTERS studded leather armor, D6 gold coins

AND NPCS
The most important monsters and non-player MISELA FERRUMAR
characters in Grindbone are described below. Misela Ferrumar is a down-to-earth slave
Monsters and creatures not described here trader whose house looks like a filthy workshop
have the same stats as in the Bestiary or the filled with traps, weapons, branding irons,
chapter on Kin in the Gamemaster’s Guide in slave fodder and the like. A steady stream of
the starter box. slavers, slaves, large hunting hounds and cus-
tomers move about and in the house. The
workers lack all refinement, but are skilled in
UNDAR “THE DUKE” ALDERMAN their trade and fastidious about their reputa-
Guildmaster of the Thieves’ Guild in Grind- tion. Besides hunting and capturing and de-
bone and self-appointed duke. A thug original- livering slaves, the Bone Ferrets take on other
ly, the years have made him haughty and lazy missions: finding missing persons, hauling
and he believes himself secure in his bustling and hunting criminals, acting as bodyguards
town. The Duke is mostly interested in devot- and even carrying out assassinations for mon-
ing himself to his indulgences and counting ey. You can meet their members all over The
coins with his treasurer. If pressured, he may Forbidden Lands.
become unexpectedly decisive and violent.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
SKILLS: Melee 3, Marksmanship 4, Move 3,
Scouting 4, Survival 2, Insight 2, Animal
Handling 2
GEAR: Flail, crossbow, chainmail, riding
horse, 2D6 silver coins

CAPTAIN KRATULLOS
Kratullos is the village bailiff and claims to
hail from an old Alderlander warrior family
despite his Aslene name. He gladly recounts
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3 anecdotes of his relatives’ heroic deeds
TALENTS: The path of the poison 2, Fast during the Alder Wars and attempts to keep
footwork 2 a semblance of military discipline among his
SKILLS: Melee 3, Sleight of Hand 2, Marks- men. They let him boss them around since
manship 3, Lore 2, Insight 3, Manipulation 2 his ambition usually runs out. Most of all,

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chapter 6
the captain dreams of war and leading his STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
soldiers into battle. His dearest treasure is SKILLS: Lore 2, Healing 4
the heirloom sword Limb-Plough, which GEAR: Knife
has been part of ever grander feats in his sto-
ries. K ratullos is respected by his soldiers and
appreciated by the guilds as a cohesive force MAHINNIVER
among the miscreants in the village. The bard who runs the village tavern is secretly
an acolyte of the Nightwalker, whom he asso-
ciates with decay, filth and mortality. He be-
lieves that art should never shy away from the
dirty, the crude and the violent, something
that all things considered would be an almost
impossible feat in Grindbone. The bard’s ambi-
tion is to offer the humans the most base and
filthy entertainment possible, the kind that
all humans deep down want and deserve. He
writes sickening poems that he performs in the
interludes between acts of a more burlesque na-
ture. In these moments, he feels transient and

STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2 truly alive.

TALENTS: The path of the enemy 2, Execu-

tioner 2 STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 3

SKILLS: Might 2, Melee 4, Marksmanship 2, SKILLS: Lore 1, Insight 2, Manipulation 2,

Survival 2, Insight 2 Performance 3
GEAR: Longsword, dagger, chainmail, cov- GEAR: Lute, quill and paper, dagger, D6
ered helmet, riding horse, D6 silver coins silver coins

MAT ZEKER
MASTER HARGAN The good-natured carpenter and village idi-
The torturer Hargan is an unscrupulous sci- ot, Mat Zeker is a rotund, constantly smiling
entist, interested in anatomy and the func- craftsman who handles repairs for Undar “The
tions of the human body. He also serves as Duke” Alderman. It is almost impossible to
dentist, surgeon and executioner in the vil- gain any sensible information from him unless
lage. His two assistants don’t share his fer- it’s connected to the purely practical. To help
vor for knowledge, but are more enthusiastic him with his work, he has two unevenly sized
about hurting others. sons but no wife. The sons appear to be almost
copies of their father.

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 STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
SKILLS: Melee 3, Move 2, Insight 3, Manipu-
lation 3, Healing 4
GEAR: Dagger, healing herbs (worth 2D6
silver coins)

THE FERRALE HAMEDAS

Hamedas is an alcoholic, elder Rust Brother
who’s been posted in Grindbone mostly because
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 1, EMPATHY 1 the church wants to be rid of him. He is insuf-
SKILLS: Might 3, Crafting 3 ferably lecturing, lecherous and wordy. Usually

GEAR: Tools some adept is forced to stay with him during

their internship. Hamedas accepts “gifts” from
the guild and, in return, he blesses the slave
trade. The guild still runs at a profit since they
THE SOMAYA SISTERS deliver sacrificial slaves to the church in other
The sisters Erla, Marla and Karla Somaya are places. Now and then Hamedas is given a slave
the healer witches of the village. There is some- to sacrifice to the gods Rust and Heme. On such
thing almost predatory and thrilling about occasions he will dress in the full regalia of the
them. They are actually viraga, female orcs church, with a mask of iron and rusty clothes
from the Urhur clan, posing as humans. They and demands that everyone attends. Some-
provide the clan with craftsmen and learned times he gets into a drunken stupor, speaking in
slaves whom they abduct from the village. Usu- tongues, and raves about an intimate connection
ally, the intended victim is told that it has a to the gods. He is then brought to one of the vil-
disease that they can cure. To make the med- lage’s outlying farms to dry out and calm down.
icine they need a herb from the nearby forest,
but the patient has to be the one to harvest it STRENGTH 1, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
for it to work, maybe under a full moon. The SKILLS: Lore 2
orc Charna is their bodyguard and accomplice.
GEAR: Dagger
He and one of the sisters accompany the victim
out into the forest as “bodyguards”, where they
drug and tie up the hapless victim and deliver
them to the waiting orc patrol. Undar “The THE GHOST OF ARBIA MUNDO
Duke” Alderman and Hamedas know about It is rumored that the last mistress of Stonefang,
the operation and are paid in bribes, wares and Arbia Mundo, turned down a suitor skilled in
other slaves from the orcs in exchange for their the ways of magic. In anger he cursed her, turn-
silence and support. ing her into a specter. She appears as a translu-

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cent, fashionably dressed middle-aged lady. Arbia
Mundo isn’t the bloodthirsty sort, but longs for STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
love and warmth which she siphons from visitors ARMOR: None. Ghosts are undead creatures,
who, at worst, might die from feebleness. Arbia but immaterial and can only be injured by fire
keeps to the western part of the castle ruin since or magic. Even if the ghost is defeated, it will
a bloodling has taken to hiding in the eastern only be banished for a quarter of a day before
it returns. The only way to permanently
part. The ghost strongly dislikes the intruder
banish the ghost is through the spell PURGE
and could reveal the cache of her hidden jewelry UNDEAD (see page xx in the Player’s Guide).
to anyone who gets rid of it. The mold covering
For monster attacks, see page xx in the
the eastern parts of the castle is an effect resem- Gamemaster’s Guide.
bling frost that the magician suitor added to em-
phasize the lady’s cold insensitivity.

OTHER NPCS
NAME PROFESSION BA SKILLS MISCELLANEOUS
The Duke’s Thieves Strength 2 Melee 2, Shortsword, dagger,
Thieves Agility 4 Move 3, leather armor
Wits 2 Sleight of Hand 3,
Empathy 2 Stealth 3
The Bone Slave hunt- Strength 3 Melee 3, Broadsword, shortbow,
Ferrets ers Agility 3 Marksmanship studded leather armor,
Wits 2 2 riding horse
Empathy 2
Kratullos’s Soldiers Strength 4 Melee 3 Long spear, broad-
Comrades Agility 3 sword, studded leather
Wits 2 armor, covered helmet
Empathy 2
“The Boar” Brewer Strength 4 Crafting 3 Wooden club, leather
Agility 2 apron
Wits 2
Empathy 3
Swine- Demonic Strength 5 Melee 4, DEMONIC BITE: Weapon
hound creature Agility 3 Scouting 3 Damage 2 (slash dam-
age), Virulence rating
5 (see page xx in the
Gamemaster’s Guide)

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 THE BLOODLING profits and a safe haven in Grindbone. The
A bloodling has taken residence in the eastern strangers may even be given the ruins on
part of the castle. It only assumes physical the Stonefang mountain to construct a fort
form at night and to attack living creatures so there, but they will have to chase away the
as to devour them. ghosts on their own.
If the adventurers have read the ledger You can choose to rat her out to “The
from the Council of Whispers at the “Hag- Duke” Alderman and receive an equivalent re-
gler’s House” adventure site, they can attempt ward from him.
to contact the bloodling.

STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 4
SHOWDOWN AT ALDERHOME

ETHEREAL: Physical weapons inflict no The slave hunter Vulm has, after a bout of
harm on bloodlings, they can only be heavy drinking at the tavern, slain the thief
harmed by magical weapons or magic. Sile in the center of the village. He has now
For monster attacks, see page xx in the returned to the tavern to carry on drinking
Gamemaster’s Guide. with his friends. To Captain Kratullos, this is
a step too far and he knows that if he doesn’t
act the Thieves’ Guild will retaliate in double
EVENTS measure, and the situation will spin out of
Below are suggestions for events that you can control. Thus, Kratullos gathers his men to go
subject the adventurers to in Grindbone. to Alderhome to confront and arrest the mur-
derer. Preferably, this happens when the adven-
turers are visiting the tavern to quench their
THE SLAVE TRADER’S QUANDARY thirst. Soon after, “The Duke” himself shows
The slave trader, Misela Ferrumar, wants a up with his thieves and demands his bloody re-
word with the adventurers. She orders her venge, and shortly after that, Misela Ferrumar
slave hunters to abduct one of them or de- arrives with additional slave hunters, prepared
livers a mysterious invitation for a secret to assist their brother. The entire situation is
meeting. She has begun to ponder why she extremely delicate.
should be playing second fiddle to Undar and
the Thieves’ Guild when the Bone Ferrets are
actually doing all the hard work. It would THE WHITE FEATHER
be great if Alderman could just disappear, The blood in Grindbone attracts many ravens
allowing her to take control of the village, and other carrion-eating birds, but only one of
perhaps with the help of some outsiders so them can speak. Sister Zagere is a shapeshift-
that she can remain blameless. Interested? ing Raven Sister who has undertaken the dan-
Misela can sweeten the deal with a part of gerous assignment of infiltrating the village.
Alderman’s fortune, a percentage of future You can take note of her because of her white

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 THE SECRET OF THE SISTERS
If anyone in the adventurers’ party openly
displays their intellectual prowess or skills as
a craftsman, the Soraya sisters may try to kid-
nap the individual as a resource for the Urhur
clan. If they succeed this person may appear as
a prisoner at the Eye of the Rose adventure site
(see page xx).

CLAN TROUBLE
The young orc, Eranda of the Isir clan, has
been beaten by a warrior from the Urhur
clan in the clan games, a defeat he won’t
concede, attributing it to cheating. Now he
shows up with eight armed Isir thugs out-
side Grindbone, loudly demanding that any
dealings in the village between orcs and the
“pale-guts” cease. They clamor and wave
feather, intelligent gaze and the fact that she their weapons about, even going so far as
doesn’t feast on the corpses. Zagere contacts beating up a merchant on his way to the vil-
the adventurers when they are alone, inside or lage, screaming that they want to meet the
outside the village. She may also write simple Urhur bitches. No one understands what
signs in the dirt with her beak to direct them they mean, but everyone starts wondering
to a more solitary location where they can talk. why Undar wont sick his soldiers on them
Zagere wants their help to free White Sun, a when the theatre is half-heartedly set on
druid from Vivend, who has fallen into the fire in the middle of the night.
hands of the slavers. She doesn’t know what In the morning, Alderman seeks out the
he looks like, but he is supposed to wear a tat- adventurers, asking if he could pay them
too of his name in the Maha language on the to take care of the rabble discreetly and in
nape of his neck. She is unable to approach the a suitable manner. Eranda is related to the
slaves herself since the swinehounds can rec- Isir chieftain Eldag the Ravager, a person
ognize her human scent. If they want to help the village would rather not risk offending.
Zagere, she will ask the adventurers to pull out Undar is actually more scared of the Somaya
her white feather. If dissolved in alcohol, it sisters being exposed as orc females and en-
will drape the village in a fog for two hours. visions how he earns the enmity of both the
A horse is waiting down the road to carry the Urhur and the Isir clans.
prisoner to safety.

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 R AV EN HOLE

TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Village

You brave the fear and the noise and carefully look doned marble quarry, where they throw wild
down into the quarry, where huge fires have roared and raucous parties every full moon. Seasoned
ever since dusk fell. The ogres seem small from the adventurers are welcome to join in and partic-
vantage of the rim, but you count more than five ipate, perhaps challenging one of the brutes
dozen, each one as tall as a man and a half, at the to determine who is the strongest in all of the
very least. Goblins race on the backs of wolves along Forbidden Lands or to win back something
the quarry’s carriageway, spurred on by the howls that has been stolen. The ogres don’t mind
and rocks hurled after them by their larger cous- the company and brazen orcs and goblins are
ins. On the cliff terraces musicians beat their ket- known to frequent the site by choice. However,
tle-drums warm and claw sheets of metal into song. these great louts are notorious cheaters, well-
Tipsy louts already bounce around on the stone floor, known for their savagery and their brutal sense
chests bumping each other with meaty thuds, though of humor, resulting in lesser creatures seldom
a rhythm has yet to be found. leaving the party with all of their limbs, or
even their lives, intact. Ogres are not attract-
ed to wealth and aren’t deterred by threats or
pain. All they want is to have fun, and every
BACKGROUND challenge posed wins the approval of the mob,
The ogres have taken over the dwarves’ aban- making it impossible for the one challenged

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to refuse. They view human flesh as any other
meat – filling, but not necessarily better. The
ogres of Ravenhole are not on their guard.
They have poor eyesight and are hard of hear- RECOMMENDED READING
ing, but they can pick up the scent of humans Before playing this adventure
and dwarves unless masked by filth. site, please read the section on
ogres and their connection to
the dwarves on page XX in the
Gamemaster’s Guide.

LEGEND
It is said that the dwarves mined all the blue
marble to be found in the Ravenhole quarry the tree in anger and resignation. It appears
and then left the site, at which time the ogres that the two were enroute to a local lord with
moved in. One thing is certain: every full a shipment of sword billets. They hired an
moon, a din rises from the immense stone ogre named Paltry to escort them, but he
cauldron, a noise that causes animals to stam- overpowered them and rolled the wagon with
pede for miles around. No one in their right the shipment towards his kin in Ravenhole.
mind approaches Ravenhole while the ogres Furthermore, their dwarven companion, the
hold their wild feasts. smith Elderyd, was captured and is now be-
ing held prisoner in the camp of the ogres.
Murble and Thulman prattle on about being
robbed of great treasures, about betrayal and
the terrible fact that the ogres can now arm
GETTING HERE themselves with dwarven steel. If the adven-
Of course, the adventurers can happen upon turers can reclaim the sword billets, they will
Ravenhole as a consequence of their travels be rewarded with ample amounts of gold and
across the Forbidden Lands, but they can also weapons. However, the dwarves seem to be in
be introduced to the site via the event below. some kind of disagreement and one can sur-
mise that they aren’t telling the whole story.

THE DECEITFUL OGRE

The adventurers can encounter the dwarves
Murble and Thulman (see page XX) in dire
circumstances a couple of miles from Raven- LOCATIONS
hole: one of them is trapped under an over- The most important sites in Ravenhole are
turned wagon, the other is bound to a tree described below. Ogres are milling about in
trunk. The latter is banging his head against Ravenhole both day and night.

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 5

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 6

R AV EN HOLE

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 1. THE DANCE FLOOR ✥✥ TREASURES: The dwarves’ cash box.
The marble floor of the quarry would probably Locked (the dwarves have the key, else a
twinkle like freshly fallen snow had it not been sul- Hard (-2) roll on SLEIGHT OF HAND must
lied by scraps of food, the remains of broken bench- be made to open the chest. It contains
es, sleeping revelers and miscellaneous filth. Ogres 2D6 gold coins, 4D6 silver coins and 5D6
leap about, dancing and fighting, but frequently copper coins as well as a dwarven signet
slip on the slick slab in their drunken state, shaking ring worth 2D6 silver coins.
the mountain as they tumble to the ground.

Anywhere there is room, there is dancing, 2. THE STAGE

drinking and grubbing. Three large fires light The lowest tier of the quarry serves as a stage
up the area of the festivities. Somewhat impro- where particularly possessed ogres produce what
vised tables have been banged together from supposedly is meant to be music by means of man-
sturdy logs. Here, the ogres hold their head handling various constructs. On the front edge of
cheese hangouts. They eat, arm wrestle, brag, the stage, someone has scrawled the words: “Livv
drink or just sleep with their faces buried in haad! Day ugli!” in blood.
the stew. The epic belching contests are popu-
lar – trying to drown out your neighbors with A crude staircase made of boulders lead up to
burps, belches and farts. Food scraps and vomit the stage. The instruments mainly consist of
are summarily swept to the floor, much to the primitive kettle-drums, hollow logs and metal
enjoyment of a pack of half feral dogs. Right objects to pound on, a couple of bellowers and
below the stage are large tubs of beer next to the new plonker that is being constructed. Lat-
piles of firewood. The ogres fetch their drink in er in the night, one can see both accomplished
tankards or drink directly from the tubs. Occa- singers and amateurs performing. They often
sionally someone will bathe in the beer or even get off the stage by throwing themselves into
bellyflop into it from the stage, a seldom popu- the tubs of beer or by “thumpin’,” i.e. throw-
lar move due to the spilling of the brew. ing oneself off the stage in an effort to land on
An upside-down wagon lies close to the ta- some puny creature in the audience.
bles, resting on a pile of sword billets. An equal
number has been carried up on stage. A mule is ✥✥ CREATURES: A handful of ogres on stage
currently being roasted on a spit. This carriage banging on drums, dulcimers and howling
originally came from the dwarven caravan and their lungs out.
has been dragged to the site by Paltry the ogre.
The dwarves’ cash box is still lying underneath
the wagon, but the goblins have stolen some of 3. FIGHTING RING AND LATRINE
the jewelry. The stench from the latrine is mixed with the
✥✥ CREATURES: A score of ogres in different spatters (and odor) of blood and the smells of
stages of intoxication. fear and anger around an elevated slab of stone

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where sweaty colossi clash. The audience enthu- 5. THE DWARVES’ WORKSHOP
siastically approves of every successful nose-hook You see two doorways and windows cut direct-
or ball tap. but reserve their greatest applause ly out of the rock, perfectly sized for dwarves. A
for the gigantic woman, Thumba (see page xx, drunk female ogre has fallen asleep with his head
below). in the entrance to the right door. Her snores make
the rock shake.
Wrestling and boxing are constantly in prog-
ress on the marble slab, but there also displays The rooms of the dwarves are too cramped
of odd prisoners and other kinds of entertain- for ogres. Inside the workshop, to the right,
ment. The revelers relieve themselves off the there are still some stone carving tools as well
sharp rock edge facing the lake, provided they as some lamp oil, acid to etch marble and pry-
make it there in time. One can compete at cury – a variant of mercury that is poured into
balancing on the two logs perched above the cracks and which expands substantially when a
excrement further out in the water. In the rap- certain kind of chromium salt is added to the
ids upstream of the lake, the water is clear and mix. The salt can be found in some jars inside
potable. the workshop.
A successful LORE roll reveals that the
✥✥ CREATURES: A dozen ogres engaged in chromium salt also works well as a soporific
fights or competitions. (Sleeping poison with Potency 7, see the Play-
er’s Handbook, page XX).

4. IRON CAGES ✥✥ CREATURES: A colony of bats has settled

Animals for slaughter and humanoid beings here. If frightened, they will leave this
share the same huge iron cages, all of them re- area on their leathery wings, an event that
signed to their fates. Occasionally, someone will will naturally draw some attention.
be chosen, summarily beaten over the head and ✥✥ TREASURES: Well-wrought tools worth
skewered on a spit for food, or thrown into some D6 silver coins. Acid and chromium salts
hopeless and degrading contest. in jars worth D6 copper coins each.

The cages are dwarven wrought and sized for

the trolls that the dwarves used in their min- 6. THE QUARRY LEDGES
ing operations. The locks are gone, and now the The quarry is like an amphitheater for giants,
doors are locked by heavy iron crossbars, that carved in tiers down towards the stone floor. Par-
require an ogre or three men to be dislodged (A tially broken ladders and stairs run between the
Hard (-2) MIGHT roll is required to succeed). landings.

✥✥ CREATURES: Elderyd the dwarf. It’s easy to walk along the stone ledges of the
landings, but they get slippery when it rains

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and can be very narrow in places. The wood- half, only the upper body will awaken and slowly
en climbing ladders set into the stone walls drag itself forwards, creaking loudly. The statue
are sized for dwarves, but have fallen into dis- will become inanimate once more after half an
repair, and are missing rungs here and there. hour and cannot be woken again after that.
They will collapse if an ogre tries to scale them
and are therefore an asset for smaller visitors ✥✥ CREATURES: The goblin riders Hulmar,
wanting to keep their distance. Cubical blocks Kradd and Grynne race along the road.
varying in size from the height of a human’s
knee to the top of a human’s head are littered
here and there on the ledges. Some are situated 8. THE CARRIAGEWAY
above the stage and could probably be toppled Rumbling, guttural sounds and scratchings nois-
through Stone Song or a concerted effort. es rise with an acrid stench of wild beast from
a barred cave close to the entrance to the quarry.
✥✥ CREATURES: A dozen ogres. The lattice appears to capable of being raised with
a wheel found on the ledge above, but the mecha-
nism is built for ogres.
7. THE CARRIAGEWAY
A well maintained, if somewhat cracked, road Inside the cave, the gray bear Chew-Chew is
runs from the quarry to the southwest, past a kept behind a wooden lattice. He is hungry and
half-finished, gigantic stone statue that lies dor- riled, and will strike blindly around him if set
mant, ignoring any and all intruders with a stern free. If given something to eat he usually set-
face. Every now and then, goblins riding wolves tles down, since he knows the drill.
will race down the road, cheered on by ogres.
✥✥ CREATURES: The gray bear, Chew-Chew.
The Wolf Wailers have been hired for the pur-
pose of racing and the accompanying betting.
They start on the dance floor, ride out from
the stone cauldron, round an obelisk by the en-
trance, and then return. MONSTERS
The partially complete statue depicts the AND NPCS
dwarven hero, Skarda. The statue fractured and
was never finished. Ogres usually come here to Described below are the monsters and
make out. The mouth of the statue is a drilled non-player characters that the adventurers can
hole. Writing an instruction, rolling it up and encounter in Ravenhole.
placing it in the statue’s mouth will cause the
statue to temporarily come to life and attempt to
execute the command. A dwarven Stone Singer MURBLE TRIBBLETWINE
may know of this. Since the statue is broken in Murble the dwarf is an elderly diplomat of the

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 Meromannian clan. He He’s neither particularly well-informed or
has fallen into disfavor intelligent, a fact that doesn’t stop him from
after a couple of less being dead certain about everything and he
than successful ne- snaps at any protest. For the past year, he’s
gotiations where he, been smuggling away the sword billets that
among other things, they are now on their way to sell. He is furi-
threw up in the soup bowl ous with Murble, whom he holds responsible
of a clan leader at a banquet. for this fiasco.
Murble’s beard is elaborately braided and he’s
dressed in fashionable, if worn, clothes. He is STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, CHARISMA 2
very eloquent, professionally sympathetic and SKILLS: Might 4, Melee 4, Survival 2
good at negotiating, but he has a weak spot for
GEAR: -
booze and his memory isn’t what it used to be.
To shore up his strained finances, Murble
came up with the idea to secretly sell a wagon-
load of sword billets to the self-appointed lord, THULMAN TRIBBLETWINE
Prince Brand, a human with whom he still has Thulman is Murble’s younger brother, a
ties. Since the sale is illegal, it must be handled stone merchant and councilor among the
discreetly by trustworthy people. Now the ogres Meromannians; he’s a posh and haughty
have stolen the wagon and that’s why he and the dwarf who is hardly used to dwelling in caves
other dwarves are sneaking about near Raven- or quarries. He is accustomed to a staff of
hole. servants and can’t understand why he him-
self would have to stoop to performing me-
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, CHARISMA 3 nial labor. Now, he bitterly regrets joining

SKILLS: Lore 3, Insight 3, Manipulation 2, his brother’s racket. Thulman is trying to

Performance 3 convince himself that he wanted to help his
GEAR: Shortsword, leather armor, D6 gold brother, but takes every opportunity he gets
coins, 4D6 silver coins to point out how succesful he is by compari-
son. As a former stone mason, Thulman has
mastered the simpler forms of Stone Singing
ELDERYD HAMMERFALL and knows Ravenhole well. Neither Thul-
The smith, Elderyd, is brawny, scarred by man nor Murble can fight in any capacity
white-hot sparks of metal, and quite pass- beyond self-defense.
able at swinging a great hammer in battle
even though he lacks finesse. Elderyd is a STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, CHARISMA 3
contrary misanthrope with a general dislike SKILLS: Melee 2, Crafting 4, Lore 2, Insight 2
for most everybody else, summarily labeling
GEAR: Axe, leather armor, 2D6 silver coins
everyone other than himself as “morons.”

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 PALTRY STRENGTH 9, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, CHARISMA 3
Paltry is an ogre youngling of the weaker kind, SKILLS: Melee 3, Insight 2, Manipulation 3,
pale and feeble in comparison to his kin, but still Performance 3
a head taller and considerably stronger than any GEAR: Two-handed sword, leather armor
man or dwarf. He has fine, gray-blonde hair that
he is ashamed of in addition to his slim nose.
Paltry is the grandson of the dwarf, Mur-
ble. He has been living among the dwarves
since he hasn’t been able to hold his own or find
his place among the ogres as is their custom at
reaching adulthood. This is his greatest shame.
To gain favor and rank among the ogres, he
betrayed his grandfather and his friends and
hauled the sword billets they were carrying
to the ogres’ wild feast at Ravenhole. Human
weapons are too flimsy for ogres, but the pure
metal can be used to construct a “plonker,” a
musical instrument upon which the blades are
attached and played on. Paltry hopes to win the
larger ogres’ approval through his gift.

STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, CHARISMA 1

SKILLS: Might 3, Melee 2
GEAR: Large wooden club, a dead rat
tucked in his belt

THUMBA
MURGE The strongest ogre in the circle is called Thum-
Murge is the highly ranked ogre who leads the ba. She is a head taller and twice as strong as
feasts in Ravenhole. He is large, well-spoken any of the rest and often appears in bouts where
and intelligent, with a flair for drama and devil- she takes on several wrestlers at a time. Thum-
ish “pranks,” that frequently costs their victims ba is downright stupid. She wraps a swath of
limbs or lives. Murge likes to dress in boldly cut raw skin around her torso like a sumo wrestler,
leathers, braids his hair and perms his hairdo stinks and is grimy and dirty and as such hard
with animal blood. Murge wants to appear as to grab. Her signature move is to wrap her arms
a leader, but is actually subordinate to a group around her opponent and suffocate him sense-
of taciturn elder ogres who have the real power. less against her voluptuous bust.

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 STRENGTH 11, AGILITY 2, WITS 1, CHARISMA 1 STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 2, WITS 2, CHARISMA 1
SKILLS: Might 3, Melee 3 SKILLS: Melee 2, Performance 1
GEAR: Stylish loincloth GEAR: Large wooden club

MOLENDER CHEW-CHEW
Molender is a howler, the ogre equivalent of a A gray bear called Chew-Chew is held in a cave
singer, with long, wispy black hair and dressed in the quarry. It is released during feasts in the
in black leather and silver chains – something of quarry to chase about after the attendees, an
an idol among the ogres, with many supporters. event similar to a bull run. Chew-Chew has
They want him to spit in their hair as a kind learned his part in the show well and seems
of autograph. He is tall and lithe, but not as pretty happy with it.
strong as the others. Since he is intelligent, his
advice is also held in high regard. Molender had STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 2
a tragic childhood in which his father beat his ARMOR: 4 (fur)
mother and a couple of his siblings to death in a
FERAL RAGE: When the Strength of a gray
drunken rage and then drowned himself in the bear is halved, it is overcome by a deadly
river. Because of this, Molender has sworn off rage and will attack anything surrounding
alcohol and keeps his wits about him when the it with sweeping paws, at the same time
others get drunk. He can sympathize with Pal- letting out a deafening roar. All targets
within ARM’S LENGTH each suffer an attack
try and his grandfather and tries to help them.
using seven Base Dice, with a Weapon
Damage of 1 (slash wound). This attack is
STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, CHARISMA 4 triggered immediately, outside the regular
turn order, and does not count toward the
SKILLS: Melee 1, Stealth 2, Performance 4
bear’s actions during the turn.
GEAR: Wooden club, leather armor
For monster attacks, see page XX in the
Player’s Handbook.

BALDERDASH
Molender’s main rival is called Balderdash, THE WOLF WAILERS
an aggressive troublemaker who screams and The three swift-riding goblins, Hulmar,
growls as he sings. Balderdash has a shaved Kradd and Grynne, call themselves the Wolf
head and sports bushy sideburns, metal scrap Wailers. They have a habit of racing for
embedded in his face and has carvings all over money at the feasts and other events. They
his body. His primary goal is to awaken blood- have a wholly professional attitude towards
lust and berserker rage with his art. Balderdash ogres and anyone else who wants to pay, and
hates Molender and would love the opportuni- try to keep their distance from any types of
ty to get at him on- as well as off-stage. disagreements. If attacked or dragged into

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a fight they will try to escape, but in an KING FOR A NIGHT
emergency, both they and their wolves will Paltry has arrived at Ravenhole with “his”
fight. One can bribe them to get them on wagon and Murge declares him Feast-King
one’s side, but it will be expensive since they for the night, naming him “Giant.” Every-
will have to keep away from the ogres after one cheers and laughs and Paltry is immensely
that. The Wolf Wailers are frequently hired proud and pretty scared, both at the same time.
as trackers or messengers. Hulmar carries a He doesn’t understand that they are all making
beautiful necklace around his neck. It comes fun of him. Murge explains that the king will
from the wagon of the dwarves: a gift to be given anything he wants during the night.
Prince Brand’s wife. After that, everyone will try to get him drunk,
challenge him to wrestling bouts in which they
STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 4, WITS 2, CHARISMA 2 pretend to lose, or drag him into savage capers.

SKILLS: Melee 2, Stealth 3, Sleight of hand Women strut shamelessly in front of him,
2, Move 3, Marksmanship 2, Scouting 2, which terrifies Paltry. At the same time, some
Animal handling 4 craftsmen start to construct a plonker on the
GEAR: Shortword, shortbow, leather armor stage from the dwarven sword billets.
Later in the night, Murgle proclaims that
Paltry the Giant and other guests will soon
have to prove their royal worthiness by facing
EVENTS Chew-Chew in mortal combat. By now, Paltry
Described below are several events that can oc- is so drunk that he doesn’t realize that the bear
cur in Ravenhole. is going to kill him, but Murble understands
this, and starts to cry.

FAMILY IS THE WORST

If the adventurers won’t help the dwarves re- WELCOME TO RAVENHOLE
claim the wagon, or if the dwarves start to If the adventurers brazenly step into the quar-
quarrel amongst themselves, these tidbits can ry, they will be merrily welcomed with fake
slip out: civility. They will then be treated similarly to
✥✥ Paltry is the grandson of Murble. Thul- Paltry (see above), and are not expected to sur-
man is furious over the shameful betrayal vive the night. The best way to buy some time
of the youngling, and blames Murble for and survive for at least a little while longer is
not raising him properly. Murble is cry- probably to go on the offensive and challenge
ing, and wants to save his grandchild. He an ogre.
doesn’t care about the sword billets. Ogres love amusing challenges and will
✥✥ The sale of the sword billets is illegal and gladly shove Paltry forward to join in. It is
can under no circumstances come to the risky, but possible, to challenge someone in
attention of the Meromannians. any of these events.

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✥✥ Creating the greatest splash in the lake. If IT STINKS!
one doesn’t want to participate, one will Someone shouts, claiming that it stinks of
still be thrown in. dwarf or human (or whatever kin the adven-
✥✥ Balancing on a log above the pit of excre- turers belong to) and demands that the Wolf
ment. Wailers track down the vermin.
✥✥ Headbutting each other to see who will sit
down first.
✥✥ Getting prisoners and animals to partici- LOAD OF BOOZE
pate in the loudest and most original way Two ogres are hauling a wagon loaded with bar-
in the musical events with their screams rels of booze to the festival close to the quarry. It
by yanking them, charring their feet over is well known that ogres don’t drink in modera-
fire, and so forth. To “Play small-song” tion. If one can seize the barrels and openly roll
means that the ogres try to perform a them into the throng of ogres in the quarry, it
piece of music solely using the sounds of is in all likelihood only a matter of time before
tormented prisoners. most of them have drunk themselves senseless.
✥✥ Letting two prisoners “race” after break-
ing a leg of each, and promising that the
victor will be allowed to live. THE GREAT BARBEQUE
Early in the evening, a number of animals, a
farmer and an elf are brought forward to be
DISGRUNTLED WOLF WAILERS slaughtered and grilled on spits. The poor vic-
The goblins who call themselves the Wolf Wail- tims scream and promise rewards to anyone
ers get into a violent argument with Murge over who will help them. While waiting for the em-
their payment, but dare not insist when threat- bers to reach the right temperature, they are
ened with being beaten or worse. This might be put in the iron cages (see above).
a good opportunity to approach them with a
counter-offer to double-cross the ogres.
THE LOST SWORDS
OF PRINCE BRAND
THE MEROMANNIANS ARRIVE Prince Brand wonders where the dwarven
A patrol of twenty Meromannian dwarven goods he has been bragging about have dis-
warriors approach Ravenhole. They have appeared to, and leads a mounted patrol of
tracked the thieves on the order of Tormund twenty men in searching for them. A horse
Halfhand and want the sword billets back. The has been injured and both horse and rider are
dwarves can’t take on the ogres in battle, but carried into the quarry as a buffet. The prince
can grudgingly agree to let justice wait and attempts a charge, but is forced to turn back
help the thieves reclaim the stolen goods (for when he comes under a hail of rocks. One can
stats see page XX in the Gamemaster’s Guide). find the patrol at the site they retreated to.

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 R’S PE A K
A MBE

TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Castle

The mist around the village on the plain is accen-

tuated by the smell of the horses in the large corrals BACKGROUND
nearby. Some of the animals neigh restlessly as the Zertorme is Zygofer’s sorcerous son. His goal
stench of charred meat reaches their nostrils. The in life is to gather an army strong enough to de-
mist lazily lifts as if the smell has aroused its cu- feat Zytera, the demonic being created from his
riosity. An incinerated man lies where the village father and sister, by any means necessary. This
street ends. Early birds out for a walk rush to his ambition has flared like a fever since the Blood
aid, and manage to catch the man’s last words Mist lifted from the land – soon, his armies
about how a fire-breathing boar has attacked his will be able to finally march. When a fire demon
farm. He is hastily removed so as not to disturb the named Brinhelda became Zertorme’s guest he
mood of the market. took up the abhorrent demonic arts of his father
The mist lifts further, and a river becomes to, with the help of the demon’s bodily fluids,
visible along with the long stone bridge. On the create fire-breathing beasts to be used in the war.
other side of the water, the honor camp of the Merigall is assisting him in this endeavor. Zer-
Galdanes, set up in front of the ruined fortress torme and the minstrel secretly release their ex-
known as Amber’s Peak, wakes up. Flickering periments on the plains to gauge their strength.
firelight and smoke already coat the cracked To them, a couple of dead farmers is a reasonable
stone walls. price to pay for a good cause.

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 Zertorme can have different secret agen-
das in the campaign, such as killing his fa-
ther and assuming control through an alli-
ance with Therania or Merigall. He may also RECOMMENDED READING
want to accompany the adventurers below Before playing Amber’s Peak we
Stonegarden in an attempt to tame the drag- recommend that you read the
on Scarne (see page xx for more information passage on Zertorme (see page xx)
on Zertorme; see page xx for more informa- and the text on Aslenes (see page
tion on Stonegarden). xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide).
To the Quards, one of the clans of rid-
ers from Aslene, Amber’s Peak has become
a place of pilgrimage since a prophet pro-
claimed that Zertorme is the chosen savior of THE BLOOD FEUD
the fire god, Horn, who will slay Zytera and The adventurers happen upon two Aslene
reclaim Aslene. The other clan of riders, the riders who silently and slowly ride in circles
Galdanes, does not relish the arrival of the around each other, their hands on their hilts.
Quards since their clans were sworn enemies As the adventurers approach, they will stop
in Aslene. Now fire-breathing beasts have and direct their attention to the party. It turns
begun to show up, and the Galdanes blame out that the two warriors, the Quard Gav and
the Quards for having attracted demons to the Aslene Serval, had quarreled over a horse
the area through their religious jabber. Since at the market at Amber’s Peak, and now see no
Zertorme depends on both the Quards and other recourse than a duel to the death. How-
Galdanes to fight in his war, he is anxious ever, they will consider solving the dispute by
that the clans get along and has forbidden selling the horse to the adventurers to save
any fighting. He doesn’t mind being regard- face. If the adventurers agree to this, and ac-
ed as the god Horn’s chosen by the Quards, company them to Amber’s Peak, they will be
however, even if it upsets the Galdanes. Ten- thankful and sell the horse for a cheap price.
sions in the area are rising.

THE DYING WANDERER

The adventurers find a severely burnt farmer
who is close to death. It turns out that Aug, as he
GETTING HERE is called, has been assaulted by one of Zertorme’s
There are many ways in which the adventur- beasts and is fatally wounded. He has asked his
ers can find Amber’s Peak. They may have brother to go the nearby Amber’s Peak to get
found a map that leads here, heard the leg- help, but the brother has not returned. With his
ends of this place, or encountered one of the last breath he asks the adventurers to go there
events below. and make sure that his brother survives.

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 THE FIRE DEMON has been wearing a mask that is said to hide a burn
As the adventurers have set up camp and dark- that he incurred during his studies of the fire.
ness has fallen, they notice something weird
around the campfire. The flames reach ever
higher towards the sky and eventually dance
out towards the sides, almost as if the fire was
trying to break free from the burning logs. In LOCATIONS
the next instant, the campfire transforms into Below are sites in and around Amber’s Peak
a burning creature that clumsily tumbles about that the adventurers can visit.
in the camp and sets fire to everything in its
path before scurrying away. It is, of course, one
of Zertorme’s demons that has manifested in 1. QUARD CAMP
the fire. The sooty black trail runs straight to- The scent of horses lies heavy where the riders
wards Amber’s Peak. have raised their round tents. The scene appears
very authentic until you notice beds and other
amenities that you don’t usually associate with a
nomadic life. The inhabitants’ clothes are tradi-
tionally motley, but appear newly sewn.
LEGEND
It is whispered that the half-elf Zertorme was one The settlement of the Aslene Quards has only
of the first generals of the monster Zygofer, but been in place since Palakus of Horn declared
that he was disgusted by the villain’s tyrannical Zertorme to be the chosen champion of the
rule and joined the Elvenspring of the eastern god Horn a couple of years ago. Most of them
Forbidden Lands to fight his former master. have been living on farms and are unaccus-
When the fleeing horse-people arrived during the tomed to a nomadic life, even if they are trying
wars, Zertorme allowed them to stay on the plains to be traditional.
in exchange for their submitting to his commands
during the wars, and because of this, the riders ✥✥ CREATURES: Viridia and about forty
hold him in the highest regard. Quard riders.
A melancholy has fallen over Zertorme ever
since the Blood Mist lifted. He is said to have re-
treated to the old ruined fortress of Amber’s Peak, 2. GALDANE CAMP
where magical flames burn ever stronger. People On the opposite side of the village, you find yet
say that the sorcerous Zertorme is trying to tame another camp of riders. Everything here appears
fire itself in order to turn it against Zytera, but more worn, but also more genuine.
many villagers are terrified as the number of fires
around Amber’s Peak have increased. On the few The Galdanes submitted to Zertorme’s lead-
occasions when Zertorme has appeared publicly, he ership as early as the Fourth Alder Wars, and

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have viewed themselves as his household cav- 5. FORGE
alry ever since. Some priests of Horn have re- The smell of coal fires harmonizes with the song
cently started to whisper that the sorcerer in of hammer blows on iron anvils. Judging by the
Amber’s Peak might not actually be the hero sounds, there are at least half a dozen blacksmiths
Zertorme, but an imposter. working in these buildings.

✥✥ CREATURES: Some one hundred Gal- Agur’s forge is one of the largest and greatest
danes, Skylia of Horn, Skunsa, Gutharm. in the eastern part of the Forbidden Lands,
especially when it comes to ferruling, wagons,
harnesses, bits, lances and the like. Indepen-
3. AGURVILLE dent weapon smiths often rent a spot in the
The aged farm constitutes the center of the village. forge during the markets.
It consists of several stone houses thatched with
rushes. The remains of a wall circles around a
courtyard where people mill about. 6. FISHING VILLAGE
Between the village and the fortress proper runs
The original farm at Amber’s Peak serves as an a wide river where you see fishes leaping from the
inn as well as a little bit of everything. Quards water. Small fishing boats and wooden platforms
are not allowed. lie anchored to a handful of bridges with sheds.

✥✥ CREATURES: Agur Seventh-Cousin. Aside from the fish, there are also freshwater
pearl mussels to harvest in the river. The plat-
forms are used as a base of operations for the
4. HORSE MARKET descent to the mussels on the riverbed.
Paddocks with horses line an arena, surrounded
by a gallery where animals are trained or dis-
played. As long as it’s light out, there is no lack of 7. RAUKWAYE BRIDGE
the curious and the knowledgeable. A very old and well-built stone bridge extends
its spans across the river. A couple of children are
Amber’s Peak is traditionally a nexus for trad- standing on its balustrades, angling.
ing and displaying horses where the riders run The bridge, which is built on sturdy stone
a market. At the arena, provided with a gallery, arches, was erected before the time of the
the horses are displayed for the speculators. Blood Mist. The wooden section in the middle
North of the arena stables and feed barns can can be removed in times of war. There is also
be found while horse paddocks line it in the a drawbridge on the eastern side, although its
other directions. Races, mock battles and oth- gears have rusted through. There was previous-
er stunts are mostly kept to the plains around ly a wall with a couple of watchtowers here, one
the village. of which still stands and is passably functional.

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 R’S PE A K
A MBE

3 6

5
4

11

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 12
10

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8. HONOR GUARD OF THE QUARDS stone ledge inside the gate with fire dancing
Additional nomadic tents have been erected on across their feet from the rocks, not fazed in
the fortress side of the river, as well as a couple the slightest.
of houses. You see guards by the bridge and on the The actual stronghold of Amber’s Peak is
walls farther up on land. They look more ceremo- built on three ledges with ravines in between,
nial than functional. across which stone bridges run. The bridg-
es and the stone walls in the stronghold are
Some ten Quards are camped as an honor guard lapped by flames of different colors, as if the
in traditional yurts. They won’t let anyone pass stone itself was slowly burning. Some flames
into the fortress without an invitation. Every burn cold while others inflict harm. The build-
day, Palakus conducts religious fire ceremonies ings are dilapidated and of a strange, slender ar-
in the area. The houses are inhabited by a few chitecture with high arches and narrow stone
trustworthy servants who are admitted into bridges between the rock ledges. Zertorme has
the fortress. Zertorme’s guests are also lodged placed illusions on the stone bridges, making
in the houses. them appear to run a couple of feet to the side
of where they actually are. Anyone who care-
✥✥ CREATURES: Quard guards, Palakus of lessly runs across them will plummet into the
Horn. ravine. To maintain the illusion, visitors are
provided with blindfolds before they are led to
any of the buildings on the plateaus.
9. FORTRESS COURTYARD
AND GATE ✥✥ CREATURES: Half a dozen Quard honor
Amber’s Peak was once protected by a moat and guards, two pyrotaurs.
two walls, but everything is now dilapidated and
no longer particularly functional. Past the walls,
however, the strangely constructed stronghold still 10. RUINS AND STABLES
looms, an imposing shape. Flames and smoke rises OF THE PYROTAURS
here and there from the walls. On the southern platform stands a greatly decayed
The drawbridge works and is raised every building that presumably was beautiful once. Na-
night. Six Quard honor guards patrol the strip ked arches now grasp for the sky like claws. The
of land between the two walls. They never en- beauty is marred further by the scattered piles
ter the stronghold, however, since they fear it of animal droppings outside. Odd ululations are
greatly. Three partially collapsed watchtowers heard from inside.
can be found in the area.
The inner wall lacks a gate, but two burly Six pyrotaurs live in the severely decayed south-
pyrotaurs (see below) guard the opening and ern building. Further into the ruins are cages
let no one in unless they are in the company with some of the fire-breathing animals that
of Zertorme or Merigall. They stand on the have ravaged the area, but Zertorme is careful to

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hide them. Through a cave passage with a stair- the hall’s south wall once, but it has tumbled into
case entering the cliff, you reach Zertorme’s the ravine along with the ledge it once rested upon.
study, where he experiments on the animals.
In the passage are a couple of hidden hornets’ What remains of the southwest corner of the
nests, whose demonic hornets burst into flames hall can be reached via the narrow ledge that
if they sting you. An intruder is thus likely to remains of the colonnade, but a distance of just
face a stinging and burning inferno. over two meters is missing completely. Inside
the door, towards the
✥✥ CREATURES: Pyrotaurs, demonic hornets. chasm, is a smashed
cupboard with sil-
ver cutlery of some
11. GRAVEYARD value. Through ad-
Close to the river are a couple of earth mounds. joining rooms, vis-
Thrust into the top of each mound is one or several itors can reach an
weapons. open area between

Here lie the heroes of the Galdanes from the

Fourth Alder Wars, each buried under a mound
of earth (a so-called kurgan). If you can manage
digging for a week or so, you can probably find
some equipment, weapons and coins. The weap-
ons that mark the graves are rusty and unusable.

12. THE BURNING PALACE

Against the mountain wall on the northern pla-
teau stands a very tumble-down palace made of
a strange architecture. Here and there, fire of
different colors inexplicably runs down the stone
walls. The tops of the two towers blaze more
brightly.

A – HALLWAY AND HALL, ENTRY LEVEL:

Through the porch you reach a larger, partially
collapsed banquet hall with the remains of long
tables and oak benches in it. Everything appears
desolate and burnt tapestries hang from the walls.
A colonnade seems to have run along the outside of

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the round tower and the main house. Here, across the fluids, as if they were alive. Some are
there are unnaturally twisting plants, the re- cold fires while others sear hotly, building steam
sult of a demonic experiment. Strangling vines in the rooms. The walls are singed but dripping
attack all living beings enter this area. Beyond with moisture.
the vines, narrow staircases lead up to the wall
that surveys the entrance, but there is nothing The two chambers used to be a kitchen and the
to be found here except for a couple of dead servant quarters. Zertorme is storing different
plants in stone pots. fractions of Brinhelda’s fluid in the vats, and
A large spiral staircase leads up to the sec- is attempting to condense and prepare them.
ond floor. On the patio below the round tower are larg-
er oaken vats fitted with taps. The fluid from
✥✥ CREATURES: Strangling vines (page xx).
✥✥ TREASURES: Ancient silver cutlery, worth
2D6 silver coins.

B – KITCHEN AREA, ENTRY LEVEL: Flu-

ids of different colors gathered in vats and
pots burn quietly here. The flames slith-
er unnaturally in patterns

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these spontaneously catches fire when tapped. posed of once they’ve been used up.
Empty tinplated buckets stand in stacks. At the The center chamber contains a single big
base of the round tower is an empty fish pond. iron bed on scorched rugs. Brinhelda may be
This is where the fluids are collected after be- found here, asleep or making love to Merigall or
ing washed from Brinhelda’s body at the top of Zertorme, producing other valuable fire fluids.
the tower. You can reach the top of the round Tinplated buckets with sponges and an oily sub-
tower by climbing the tower’s staircases. stance stand by the bed as well as bundles of fire-
proof cloth. If Brinhelda is alone, she will try to
C – BRINHELDA’S SUITE, SECOND FLOOR: tempt the visitors with the offer of an amorous
The stairs end in a hallway with three doors. tryst. Gender or kin matters little to her. Her
There is a burnt smell here, and you can hear passion will, however, burn the one who gives
plaintive sounds. Firelight of different shades in, eventually turning him or her to ash.
flickers through the cracks in the wood. In the leftmost, larger chamber are the
charred remains of furniture and a marble
In the smaller chamber to the right is a hu- statue wearing a mask. Upon closer inspection,
man, a goat and a pig, all chained to the wall in the mask turns out to be the living face of a
irons. They are all badly burnt, but still alive. man, strapped to the statue with hooks. This
Brinhelda has tortured them, a pleasure that is Zertorme’s face. Outside the chamber is a
causes her to secrete certain valuable fluids of balcony with a beautiful view of the western
a specific nature. Zertorme reluctantly allows countryside below the stronghold. A small-
this, since these components can’t be acquired er, spiral staircase runs up to the crest of the
by other means. The victims are discreetly dis- square tower.

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 D
E

✥✥ CREATURES: The demon Brinhelda. E – OBSERVATORY AND STAIRCASE: A nar-

✥✥ TREASURES: Zertorme’s face (invaluable row ledge leads out to a small, lonely, round tower
to Zertorme). on a cliff. You see a metal tube pointing skywards
through the roof.
D – CREST OF THE TOWER, THIRD FLOOR:
The crests of the palace’s two towers blaze in- The stargazer’s lenses are broken but are still of
tensely with fires of different colors. A narrow tolerable use. By way of a staircase you reach an
suspension bridge runs from the square tower to exit towards the plains in the east. From here,
the round one. On the mountainside above the Zertorme transports demon-grown animals
round tower is what looks to be a more recently across the plains, where he releases them to
built water cistern made of wood. gauge how dangerous they are.
The crest of the square tower is empty, save for
the flames. If it amuses her, Brinhelda may lie
sleeping among the flames, pretending to be
imprisoned. By examining the different fires
down in the kitchen, the visitors can figure MONSTERS
out which ones burn and which ones don’t, and AND NPCS
reach the woman “in need.”
The crenellations of the round tower have The most important monsters and non-player
been torn down in the east and an addition has characters in Amber’s Peak are described be-
been built there. This is where Brinhelda goes to low. Monsters and creatures not described here
rinse off her bodily fluids with the water from have the same stats as in the Bestiary or the
the cistern, which accumulates in the fish pond chapter on Kin in the Gamemaster’s Guide in
below and is collected by Zertorme’s pyrotaurs the starter box.
for the sorcerer’s continued experiments.

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 QUARD GUARDS
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
SKILLS: Melee 3
GEAR: Long spear, broadsword, leather armor

STRANGLING VINES
STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 1
For monster attacks, see page xx in the
Gamemaster’s Guide.

STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2

PALAKUS OF HORN
SKILLS: Might 3, Endurance 2, Melee 3, Ani-
Palakus is one of the higher Horn priests in the mal Handling 2
hierarchy of the Quard clan. He has started a cult GEAR: Warhammer, large shield, studded
at Amber’s Peak with the belief that Zertorme leather armor, closed helmet, riding horse
is the god Horn’s chosen, who will liberate the
Forbidden Lands and reclaim Aslene. As such,
he supports the build-up of the army and is Zer- SKYLIA OF HORN
torme’s confidant. Palakus has a horse-like coun- Skylia is local high priestess of the Galdanes.
tenance that even other riders may laugh at. She suspects that Zertorme is actually Zygofer,
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3 who pretends to be his son so as to stage horri-

SKILLS: Melee 1, Lore 3, Insight 2, ble plans and lay waste to the Forbidden Lands,
Manipulation 2, Performance 4, Animal just like he devastated her homeland, Aslene.
Handling 3
GEAR: Dagger, bronze medallion with the STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4
symbol of Horn (worth 2D6 silver coins),
SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 3, Insight 3, Manipula-
riding horse
tion 3, Performance 3, Healing 4
GEAR: Broadsword

VIRIDIA
The scarred Viridia is the commander of the
local Quards and a capable warrior. She isn’t SKUNSA
religious, but despises the Galdanes, and insists The warrior Skunsa, local leader of the Gal-
on her clan’s right to dwell at Amber’s Peak. Af- danes, is above all a patriot who dreams of
ter all, they came to the Forbidden Lands first the day when the clans can unite to reclaim
while the Galdanes are vermin and intruders. Aslene. He is old, tired and disillusioned and

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mainly tries to keep the clan hotheads in STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
check. Like Palakus, he is Zertorme’s confi- SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 2, Insight 2, Manipula-
dant, and deems that the build-up of the army tion 1, Animal Handling 2
warrants some sacrifices. Skunsa dislikes both GEAR: Knife, D6 silver coins
Palakus and Skylia.

STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3

ZERTORME
SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 1, Insight 2, Manipu-
lation 3 Zertorme is a long-lived half-elf, and the son of
GEAR: Broadsword, chainmail, riding horse Zygofer and Martea. Ever since his escape, he
has opposed his father with an almost fanati-
cal fervor and he may act ruthlessly if it serves
his cause. Zertorme has sacrificed his face to
GUTHARM the fire demon Brinhelda in exchange for her
The very battle worthy and loud, but not too aid. He has attempted to grow a new one made
intelligent, Galdane warrior Gutharm is ob- from demon flesh, but it looks grotesque and
sessed with freeing Brinhelda, who he has appalling and therefore he always wears a mask
heard singing and believes is a vulkyrie – one when he shows himself. Both Aslene rider
of the shieldmaidens of the god Horn. clans look up to him as a leader.
Zertorme is one of the key players in the
STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2 Raven’s Purge campaign, and you read more

SKILLS: Melee 4, Stealth 3, Move 3, Marks- about him on page xx.

manship 3, Scouting 3, Animal Handling 1
GEAR: Long spear, broadsword, short bow,
studded leather armor, open helmet, riding PYRAVIA
horse Zertorme’s mount is a demonized wyvern
whom the sorcerer is attempting to reshape
into a dragon. Progress is only so-so. Pyravia
AGUR SEVENTH-COUSIN can’t fly but is, however, able to quickly get
Agur is a descendant of the eighth generation around everywhere and can effortlessly climb
of Agur First-Cousin, who was the very first vertical mountainsides. The reptile isn’t able to
to settle Amber’s Peak when the Galdane clan breathe fire either, but can spit hot plasma and
came to the Forbidden Lands. Agur considers ignite its teeth so that its bite inflicts greater
that the site belongs to him, more or less. He damage. Pyravia is semi-intelligent and jeal-
tolerates the Quards since they are great cos- ous of anyone who receives its master’s favor.
tumers, but despises and denigrates them when Zertorme usually makes the carriage invisible
they are not around. Above all, Agur wants to when he is outside the stronghold.
maintain the peace and his business.

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STRENGTH 14, AGILITY 5
ARMOR: Scales (6)

D6 MONSTER ATTACKS:
1. SMOLDERING bite! The reptile takes
a forceful bite out of the strongest,
closest adventurer. Perform an at-
tack with nine Base dice and Weapon
Damage 2 (slash wound). Additional-
ly, the damage ignores all armor due
to the white-hot teeth.
2. FIRE-SPIT! A missile of burning saliva
hits an adventurer within NEAR dis-
tance. Perform an attack with seven
Base dice and Weapon Damage 1
(blunt force). Additionally, the dam-
age ignores all armor.
3. TERRIBLE SLASH ATTACK! The reptile
slashes an adventurer with razor
sharp claws. The adventurer is
attacked with nine Base dice and
Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound).
4. CHARGING ATTACK! Snorting, the beast
barrels towards an adventurer to MERIGALL
crush them with its full bodyweight. Merigall is a demon, but appears at Amber’s
Roll for the attack with ten Base dice
Peak as a wandering, androgynous human
and Weapon Damage 2 (blunt force).
minstrel. It is a close acquaintance of both Zer-
5. TAIL ATTACK! The reptile swings its tail
torme (whom it helped escape the father) and
in a sweeping attack and strikes two
adventurers with separate attacks Zytera (whom it took part in creating) without
with six Base dice and Weapon Dam- either of them being aware of it. At Amber’s
age 1 (slash wound). The victim be- Peak, Merigall supports Zertorme amassing
comes prone if the attack succeeds. an army since it looks forward to exciting bat-
6. REARING ATTACK! The beast rears up tles. Merigall also assists Zertorme in his ex-
in front of an adventurer and makes periments to create fire-breathing beasts with
a series of quick slashes intended
Brinhelda’s secretions. It is the lover of the fire
to tear the victim to shreds. Roll for
three attacks in direct succession demon, and many others, and a renowned sing-
with seven Base Dice for each and er among the Aslene.
Weapon Damage 2 (slash wound) Merigall is one of the key players in the
each. The attacks can be PARRIED Raven’s Purge campaign, and you read more
separately.
about the demon on page xx.

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 BRINHELDA, FIRE DEMON STRENGTH 9, AGILITY 4
Brinhelda is a female fire demon who has ARMOR: Hide (4)
agreed to help Zertorme create fire-creatures
For monster attacks, see page xx in the
by allowing him to collect the essences of Gamemaster’s Guide. Pyrotaurs are also
passion from her bodily fluids. The greater able to breathe fire. The attack is direct-
the passion, the stronger the fire-fluid, the ed, can reach up to NEAR distance, and is
character of which also varies with nature rolled with ten Base dice (Weapon Damage
1). The victim may DODGE, but not PARRY.
of the passion. The price she has demanded
is the face of the sorcerer, which is strapped
to a statue in her chambers and that she of-
ten talks to and cuddles with. Brinhelda is CALYDONES AND OTHER
quite content with her stay at Amber’s Peak. FIRE-BREATHING ANIMALS
Normally she appears as a young woman Ordinary animals that aggressively breathe fire
and sometimes pretends to be a prisoner or ravage the countryside around Amber’s Peak,
in love just to amuse herself. She has a fiery among them Calydones – fire-breathing boars.
temper, but her fire only inflicts damage if
she wants it to. She has no connection to the STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 4
god Horn, and is not a vulkyrie. The essences ARMOR: Hide (3)
of her passions are rinsed or scraped off her
BITE (Weapon Damage 2)
body. Some of the unrefined demonic fire es-
CLAWS (Weapon Damage 1)
sence is poured on the cliffs and walls for the
FIRE attack (roll for the attack with ten
sake of effect, making them burn.
Base dice, NEAR distance)

STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 5
ARMOR: Skin (5)
DRAGON
FOR monster attacks, see page xx in the
Gamemaster’s Guide. A younger she-dragon lives in the mountains
near Amber’s Peak. Zertorme has stolen one
of her eggs, and mommy may show up to re-
claim it.
PYROTAURS STRENGTH 20, AGILITY 4
Zertorme has created large humanoid crea- ARMOR: Scales (10)
tures with the heads of bulls during his stud-
FOR monster attacks, see page xx in the
ies. These are related to minotaurs (see page xx Gamemaster’s Guide.
in the Gamemaster’s Guide) but are also able
to breathe fire and cannot be hurt by it them-
selves. They wield axes. They are semi-intelli-
gent, and completely loyal to Zertorme.

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 their outhouse and killed one of the laborers
EVENTS at their farm. They have an old treasure map
Below are suggestions for events that you can which they offer as reward. The map may be
subject the adventurers to in Amber’s Peak. authentic or a fake. The GM can use it to lead
the adventurers to another adventure site.

THE BEAST
Desperate farmers arrive at Agurville, where THE MINSTREL
they announce a reward to anyone who can slay The adventurers meet Merigall at the inn in
a fire-breathing boar that has burned down Agurville. It introduces itself as a travelling
minstrel. Now that the Forbidden Lands are
free from the Blood Mist, the land thirsts
for new songs and legends. Merigall claims to
have heard of the adventurers and asks if it may
document their deeds and maybe even travel
with them? If allowed to come along, the de-
mon minstrel will discreetly aid them as well
as complicating their lives since it thrives
on rocking the boat and making life “in-
teresting.” If the adventurers have
met Merigall in the shape of Dalb in
Weatherstone (see page xx of the Gam-
emaster Guide), they won’t recognize it
since it has taken a new form and pres-
ents itself with its true name.

THE FALSE GOD

The Galdane priestess Skylia of Horn falsely
suspects that Zertorme is an imposter who
has taken the place of the true Zertorme. She
thinks it might even be Zygofer, Zertorme’s
father, having fled the demons during the
Fourth Alder Wars. The ravaging fire-breath-
ing creatures are the imposter’s first steps in
pillaging the land as he pillaged Aslene. Skylia
has an old coin with Zygofer’s likeness on it
and a hero portrait of Zytera and asks the ad-

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 the rider clans, Zertorme has decided that this
year’s thanksgiving ritual must be performed
by out-of-town strangers or not at all.
The rite consists of rolling a holy stone orb,
symbolizing a giant pearl, to the riverside and
then lighting fires around it. After being heat-
ed up, the orb must be laved with water from
the river three times, with a hymn being sung
between each laving. Palakus is very anxious
to keep the river gods happy. As as reward, the
adventurers will receive the friendship of the
Quards as well as coin and a good horse, but
only if they perform the ceremony discreetly,
without the Galdanes noticing.
The stone orb is a dragon egg that Zer-
torme has managed to acquire. After being
venturers to try to get a glimpse of his face to fired and then watered it will hatch. Zertorme
determine the sorcerer’s identity. Alternative- will be watching from a distance, and plans on
ly, find proof linking Zertorme to the beasts. placing a spell of invisibility on the hatchling
once it has hatched to imprint it on himself.
He has no greater desire than a tame dragon,
GUTHARM’S DILEMMA and has orchestrated the hatching attempt but
The impassioned Galdane warrior Gutharm dares not perform it himself.
is convinced that Zertorme has imprisoned The problem is that the dragon hatchling
a vulkyrie – a holy shieldmaiden of the god will let out an earsplitting scream as soon as
Horn – and that the sorcerer is using her a crack appears, calling its mother to the site.
blood to produce fire-breathing monsters. He She is on the hunt and in a foul mood since
asks the adventurers to aid him in freeing her. her egg went missing. Possible complications
Reward? I beg your pardon? Does honor not are that the dragon hatchling is imprinted on
demand that every hero heeds the call of a lady one of the adventurers, that the dragon moth-
in distress? er chases away Zertorme and then flies off with
the hatchling in her claws, or that Pyravia kills
it with a smoldering bite before someone man-
FAVOR OF THE RIVER GODS ages to stop her. It is possible that the dragon
The priest Palakus wants to assign the adven- mother will burn down part of the village in
turers a mission: the river is due its annual retaliation. If the adventurers ask others of
thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest of pearls, the ceremony beforehand, they will have never
but because of the delicate situation between heard of it.

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 EY E OF
THE ROSE

TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Castle

The old elven city looks alive from a distance. pressed by more traditionally violent groups of
Smoke rises from fires and creatures are moving orcs. Hroka has installed himself as emperor in
among the houses. As you get closer, you notice how
all of the once beautiful houses are dilapidated, the
gardens have been cut down or left to grow wild
and the populace isn’t elven but multitudes of orcs
instead. The fortress of the Eye of the Rose looks RECOMMENDED READING
down upon the city from the cliff above, from which Before running Eye of the Rose,
the self-appointed emperor of the orcish clans, Hro- it is suggested that you read
ka the First and the Greatest, is said to rule. the section on orcs and espe-
cially the Urhur clan (see page
XX in the Gamemaster’s Guide),
as well as the texts on elves
BACKGROUND and the Redrunners (see page
The ambition of Hroka, leader of the Urhur XX in Gamemaster’s Guide).
clan, is to build an orcish nation and he wants to
appear as a wise and strong ruler, but he is hard

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eye of the rose

the ruin of the elven fortress of the Eye of the keep anything they find in the fortress if they
Rose – one of several constructions given to the carry out this mission. Mergolene knows of the
elves as a gift of friendship by the dwarves. secret passage between the Chapel of the Gods
As a symbol of his greatness, the emperor and the library inside the Eye of the Rose for-
has given his spouse Soria the magical cloak tress. See the False Ruby event on page xx.
clasp called the Blood Star (see page xx), in
which the elven ruby Iridne is set. Iridne was an
elven woman, something the orcs are unaware THE LOST PEDDLER
of. The elven Redrunners have sent a group of The adventurers are sought out by the peddler
rangers to rescue her. Should they succeed, Hro- Jorg, who desperately tells them of his partner,
ka will most likely fall politically. The adventur- Valom, who has been kidnapped by orcs in the
ers can attempt to retrieve the stone peacefully vicinity of the Eye of the Rose. Jorg is prepared
during the night, maybe on their own behalf, to pay the adventurers to save his associate and
or take part in the attack at dawn. Iridne’s life promises five silver coins as soon as the deal is
partner, Klotinda, is part of the elven force, and struck and two whole gold coins if they return
has taken the shape of an Ent. Valom to their camp some distance away.

THE MAP
The adventurers find a map in their travels
GETTING HERE across the Forbidden Lands. It can, for exam-
There are many ways in which the adventurers
can find the Eye of the Rose. They may have
found a map that leads here, heard the legends
about this place or encountered one of the
events below. THE BLOOD STAR ELSEWHERE?
This adventure site assumes that
the Blood Star cloak clasp – with
MERGOLENE’S PLEA one of the missing elven rubies
The elven druid Mergolene (see page XX) is des- – is located here, carried by Em-
perately trying to find a peaceful solution to the press Soria. If you have chosen to
conflict between the Redrunners and the orcs of place the Blood Star elsewhere
the Eye of the Rose. The strange elf will appear in the Forbidden Lands, you can
when the adventurers have set up camp for the simply replace Iridne for another
night, asking them to help the elves by stealing elven ruby with no connection to
Emperor Hroka’s elven ruby and, in so doing, Stanengist.
avoiding further bloodshed. Mergolene has no
money to pay them with, but offers to let them

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ple, be found on the corpse of an orc, elf, or
another adventurer. The map shows the loca- LOCATIONS
tion of the Eye of the Rose as well as a rough The ruin of the fortress the Eye of the Rose is
sketch of the Chapel of the Gods, and contains situated on the top of a cliff with the ruined
a poem that shows the way through the secret city below. A couple of hundred orcs from the
passage from the chapel to the fortress (see Urhur clan live in the ruins from which the
Mergolene’s poem on page XX). smoke of fires rises. The steep eastern face of
the acropolis oversees the wild city park where
the group of Redrunners are hiding.

LEGEND 1. THE FORTRESS GATES

The orcs of the Forbidden Lands have sought their The gates of the Eye of the Rose gape towards you
place in the world ever since they were sent to war like a maw lined with iron teeth. A couple of stout
against the humans and were then abandoned by orcs stand guard. You spot an alarm bell just inside
the elves and dwarves. Many of them live bitter the raised portcullis. Outside are a couple of dozen
lives as miscreants and robbers in the forests, but orcs who have gathered to trade goods and services.
word is now spreading that an orc leader is holding
court in the abandoned elven fortress of the Eye of The guards will ring the alarm bell if anything
the Rose. He is said to call himself Emperor Hroka happens, whereupon more of them will come
the First and the Greatest. Merchants who’ve vis- running. Like most orcs performing their
ited the place whisper that the emperor has bought duty in the fortress, the guards are peculiarly
a priceless ruby that he intends to bestow upon his dressed in hats and details of clothing stolen
spouse so as to prove his worthiness as emperor. from humans. It is Hranga Gala who dictates

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 1

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 EY E OF
THE ROSE

5 3

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the fashion as it amuses him. The occasional 3. THE BANQUET HALL
merchants of other kin can be found in the city The smell of sweat, roast meat, beer and vomit
since Emperor Hroka seeks to promote trade. lies as thick as the din in a large stone hall with-
out a ceiling. A couple of muscled orc warriors
✥✥ CREATURES: Three orc guards. Half a blow off some steam between the last watch and
dozen orc servants. the next. The guests slice servings of pork from a
whole pig being roasted above a fire in one of the
corners.

2. LIBRARY The off-duty orcs of the Imperial Guard are

At the pupil of the eye-shaped fortress stands almost constantly partying in this location,
a withered, round tower. It appears to have when they aren’t arm wrestling or boasting.
burned, for the walls are blackened by soot. The entrance to the workshops and the com-
mandant’s tower are accessible from the hall.
In the time of the elves, the tower was fur-
nished with a well-stocked library, which is ✥✥ CREATURES: 2D6 orc guards.
now mainly burnt or decomposed. The re- ✥✥ TREASURES: A captured, frayed Alder-
mains of instruments of astronomy and a larg- lander tapestry (worth D6 silver coins).
er telescope can be found among the debris.
These used to stand on the roof that has long
since caved in. The confused master, Anselm, 4. WORKSHOPS AND PRISON
pokes about in the debris and deciphers knowl- The stone buildings beyond the banquet hall once
edge he considers himself to have interpreted had several stories but the floors have caved in,
for the emperor. He has a couple of orc helpers leaving very high-ceilinged stone rooms. The im-
and apprentices. provised workshops are filled with a clattering
The library could be a good location for the noise and the sound of fires roaring. Dwarves and
GM to place leads to other adventure sites. humans work with younger orcs, guarded and
In the southern wall of the library, there is heavy handedly monitored by larger warriors.
a hidden door to a secret passage leading to the
Chapel of the Gods outside the walls of the for- The craftsmen who have been kidnapped
tress (see location #9 on the map). The secret or lured to the city by the Viraga work here.
door can only be opened from the other side. About twenty younger orcs are supposed to be
training to increase the knowledge of the orc
✥✥ CREATURES: Master Anselm, D6 orcs. nation. The progress is so-so, enraging the
✥✥ TREASURES: Elven instruments of orcs and causing them to slap around their
astronomy (worth D6 gold coins in total), teachers. The tower in the back has a covered
a telescope of elven construction (worth roof and barred gate behind which the crafts-
3D6 gold coins). men are imprisoned when resting. This is a

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suitable location for the GM to place NPCs 5. THE TOWER OF
who can either lead the adventurers to other THE COMMANDANT
adventure sites or be rescued for a reward, or Next to the banquet hall stands a rather well-kept
because they are previous acquaintances. An tower, three floors high. The entrance from the
agile person can climb on the remains of the banquet hall is guarded by two seemingly sober
storeys above floor level. warriors.

✥✥ CREATURES: A dozen prisoners (dwarves The commander of the fortress, a powerful,

and humans, use stats from the chapter beast-like orc named Ullt, lives in the tower.
on Kin in the Gamemaster’s Guide, see He has the keys to cells in the workshop and
page XX). supervises the defense of the fortress.

✥✥ CREATURES: Two orc guards and Ullt,

the orc commander.
✥✥ TREASURES: Elven skull fashioned into
a drinking horn (worth 2D6 silver coins
to a necromancer, if a Redrunner catches
sight of it he will immediately attack the
owner).

6. GUARD STATION
In an open area of cobbled stone burns a large bon-
fire around which half a dozen heavily armed
orcs crouch or sit.

The guards watch the entrance to the court of

audience.

✥✥ CREATURES: Half a dozen orc guards.

7. COURT OF AUDIENCE
A large open courtyard with a roof over the far,
raised end. On a throne sits a huge orc draped in
knick-knacks and garish fabrics surrounded by
other older and more distinguished orcs as well
as a human. Many people mill about in the court-

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yard: high-ranked orcs being entertained by a cou- twice on the table for VALUABLE loot, and
ple of human jesters who don’t seem to be enjoying once on the table for RARE loot (pages xx
themselves. and xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide).

At night, Emperor Hroka holds court here

with his knights. The emperor himself sits on 9. CHAPEL OF THE GODS
a throne under the roof with the empress, his In the overgrown old city park below the Eye of the
commander-in-chief and his court chancellor. Rose fortress, you find the ruins of a small decayed
The courtyard closest to the gates has no roof. chapel dedicated to the gods of nature. Its inner
Here one eats and drinks and discusses matters chamber, an alcove hewn into the mountainside,
of state, judges in civil proceedings and is enter- is intact although vines have taken root in here.
tained by duels or human jesters who have been Four stone statues stand in the chamber, their
kidnapped and brought here. The empress’ two mouths gaping.
ladies-in-waiting may seem harmless, but they
are actually Viraga who have been trained as The gods depicted are Flow, Wail, Clay and
assassins and also serve as her bodyguards. the Nightwalker. If someone blows into their
half-open mouths, the tones of a diminished
✥✥ CREATURES: Emperor Hroka, Empress chord are heard, i.e., four tones separated by
Soria, two Viraga ladies-in-waiting, a score two semi-tones between each tone. The head
of orc guards, nobles and dignitaries and on the third stone has cracked, however, pro-
the two miserable jesters, Reft and Logas. ducing no sound. If someone sings the miss-
ing tone while the others blow into the three
remaining statues mouths, a hidden door will
8. CASTLE
A mainly intact castle towers over the court of au-
dience. Banners proudly flap in the wind from its
crenellations.
MERGOLENE’S POEM
In the castle, the private suites of the emperor Four divine kisses echo hazily
and the empress can be found, as well as accom- Flow, speak!
modations for bodyguards and servants. Hran- Quiet, Wail!
ga Gala lives here as well in his own room, with The god of Clay the vessel shapes
a couple of orc mistresses. The walker of Night the serpent
escapes
✥✥ CREATURES: Hranga Gala. The fortress is entered through
✥✥ TREASURES: In the basement is a trea- the yield of the tree
sure chest. Hranga Gala has the key. To
determine the contents of the chest, roll

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swing open. The adventurers can figure out
the cipher with the help of Mergolene’s poem
(see the boxed text). The elves created this cho-
ral lock since orcs and other beasts don’t under-
stand such music. F
The hidden door will reveal a secret passage
from the chapel all the way to the library inside
E
the Eye of the Rose castle (location #2 on the
main map). The adventurers will need to pass
several dangerous traps on the way, however.
See the detailed map om page xx. The traps are D
described below.

A – HALL OF STARES: On the walls next to a

C
closed door are bas reliefs of the faces of the
four gods. Inside the mouth of Flow is a pres-
sure plate that can be pushed aside causing a
few hundred liters of water to gush from her
mouth in a couple of minutes. If you empty B
the tank of water, it is possible to safely open
the door. If the tank isn’t drained, the water
will flow into the corridor beyond when the
door is opened. The water will cause a species
of rapid-growth barbed vines to sprout from
the wooden floor. The door will be complete-
ly blocked by vegetation within five minutes;
within fifteen minutes it will have spread into
the upper passage, sealing it off.

A
B - HALL OF STATUES: In the passage are the
statues of the four gods and beyond a portal,
multiple versions of their faces are set into the
wall. Before proceeding through, you have
to block the mouth of the statue of Wail, or
else spores will pour from all of her faces as 9
you step on the pressure plates in the middle
of the corridor. The spores are hallucinogenic
and count as a poison with Potency 7. Anyone

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affected by the spores will become confused
and may be subjected to visions of the statues MONSTERS
coming alive. This is only an illusion, however. AND NPCS
C – HALL OF URNS: The statues of the four The most important monsters and NPCs in
gods stand inside the room, and in front of Eye of the Rose are described below. Monsters
each of them is an urn. If you turn Clay’s urn, and creatures not described here have the same
a hidden passage opens. stats as in the Bestiary or the chapter on Kin in
the Gamemaster’s Guide.
D – HALL OF DARKNESS: A corridor with a
large number of the gaping faces of the gods
must be traversed in darkness, else serpents HROK A THE FIRST
will slither from the mouths and attack. AND THE GREATEST
The orc emperor of the Urhur clan is a very
✥✥ CREATURES: 4D6 poisonous snakes (see big and a strong warrior, but the good life
page xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide). Their has added a couple of inches to his waist. His
poison is lethal and has a Potency of 5. princely attire, with details and illustrations
mostly seen on children and women among
E – HALL OF THE TREE: Yet another room humans, may impart a humorous impression
with the statues of the four gods, as well as bas of the emperor. He does his best to be a just
reliefs of a landscape on all four walls. There and strong leader, but like all male orcs, he
is one single tree in the reliefs and if you press suffers from a violent temper. Hroka also has
on its only fruit, the last door will open up, a weakness for flattery and can’t stand being
leading to the library of the fortress of the Eye criticized in front of an audience. He implic-
of the Rose (location #2 on the map). itly trusts and relies on Soria and Hranga
Gala as his advisors. However, he gets most
F – THE CHAMBER OF KNOWLEDGE: A small of his ideas from his dreams and prefers to
side chamber to the room with statues of the sleep on all difficult decisions. He is unaware
gods contains the so-called Book of Knowl- of it, but it is Iridne who councils him in his
edge resting on a stone lectern, written in an sleep.
unknown language that still feels familiar
to everyone. The book gives Gear Bonus +2 STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
and a D8 Artifact Die to all LORE rolls. The SKILLS: Melee 4, Lore 2, Insight 2,
book cannot be repaired. If its Gear Bonus Manipulation 3
reaches zero, it falls apart and is permanently GEAR: Gold-plated scimitar, plate armor
destroyed.

✥✥ TREASURES: The Book of Knowledge

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 EMPRESS SORIA pursuers and ended up as advisor to the orc em-
Hroka’s spouse exudes power and intelli- peror through strange circumstances. Gala has
gence, and is a capable orc female with pow- assumed the role of imparting how a world ruler
erful contacts among the Viraga. Just like her should act and behave, knowledge he makes up
sisters, she could pass for human. Soria truly as the need arises. Therefore, the customs at the
loves Hroka and tries to support him in the court of the Eye of the Rose are quite odd. Gala
building of his orc nation. She is no stranger is very anxious about his unlimited access to
to less orthodox solutions, including unho- food, protection, wealth, servants and bedfel-
ly alliances with other kin, when it comes to lows, and will view every human as a threat to
achieving her goals. Soria and Hranga Gala his position. He was actually born with another
dislike each other. Soria has recently received name, but changed it so that the orcs would be
the Blood Star cloak clasp (see page xx) with able to pronounce it. During the course of the
the ruby Iridne from her husband and carries it adventure, he will try to reveal the potential
at all times, except for when she sleeps. tricks, lies and secrets of the adventurers.
Empress Soria is one of the key players
of the Raven’s Purge campaign. You can read STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
more about her in Chapter 2. There, you will SKILLS: Sleight of Hand 3, Lore 2, Insight 3,
also find her stats and an image of her. Manipulation 4, Performance 2
GEAR: Dagger, vial of poison (Lethal, Poten-
cy 7), key to the basement, rings and jewel-
BODYGUARDS OF THE EMPRESS ry (worth 2D6 silver coins in all).
The two Viraga orcs who guard Empress Soria
do so with their lives.
MASTER ANSELM
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 5, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3 Anselm is human, a learned old-timer from

SKILLS: Melee 4, Stealth 4, Move 3, Marks- near Vivend, who had been lured here by the
manship 3, Scouting 3
TALENTS: Path of the Killer 2
GEAR: Scimitar, short bow, studded leather
armor

HRANGA GALA
Hranga Gala, a human and a trickster, is tall,
dark and lanky, excessively draped in knick-
knacks, which in combination with a sinister
smile, reveals his true nature more than it pro-
vides the intended noble impression. He escaped

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Viraga. He claims to be able to read the re- ORC SERVANT
mains of the documents in the library to stay In the Eye of the Rose are some one hundred
alive, but makes things up as he goes along. orcs who belong to the court or perform other
Most of all, he wants to be rescued from the services for the clan. These orcs are servants
orcs. and take care of the daily chores.

STRENGTH 1, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 2 STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 2, EMPATHY 1

SKILLS: Lore 4

ULMAYA
The elven officer Ulmaya is very old, which
ULLT shows in her skin that resembles aged, polished
The commandant of the Eye of the Rose is a wood even if she shows no other signs of age.
towering orc with a scarred visage that bears She leads the group of the Redrunners with
witness to several bloody battles. Ullt believes the mission of rescuing Iridne’s ruby in Blood
that Emperor Hroka has become much too Star. She’s a dutiful and honorable soldier and
gentle over the years, and views himself as a will attempt to fulfill her duty according to
future replacement. plan. She is no warmonger, however.

STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2

SKILLS: Might 3, Melee 3, Insight 2
TALENTS: Path of the Enemy 2
GEAR: Two-handed sword, chainmail

ORC GUARD
The guards and soldiers of the Eye of the Rose
all belong to the Urhur clan and have pledged
their lives to Emperor Hroka.

STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 1

SKILLS: Melee 2
TALENTS: Threatening 1, Melee Charge 2
GEAR: Scimitar, large shield, studded leath-
er armor

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 STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 4, WITS 5, EMPATHY 3 elves. The druid has clothes made from liv-
SKILLS: Melee 4, Stealth 3, Move 3, Marks- ing plants and has the ability to make the
manship 3, Lore 3, Insight 2, Healing 3 plants in the park perform or form things
TALENTS: Path of the Blade 2, Lightning like ropes after their own fashion. Mergolene
Fast 1, Sword Fighter 1 is subservient to Ulmaya, but would prefer a
GEAR: Longsword, four throwing knives, diplomatic solution. Mergolene understands
studded leather armor that the rule of the orc emperor Hroka will
be compromised if the Blood Star cloak clasp
with the elven ruby is taken by force or sub-
ALSURSO terfuge, and would rather see the orc nation
The silver-haired, but gnarly and wiry Alsur- thrive. Alsurso deems such talk as treason,
so makes an openly unpleasant impression but Ulmaya has agreed to stay her blade until
with his very sharply cut features and a gaze dawn.
of overt contempt. The elf is second-in-com-
mand in the Redrunner force, and Ulmaya’s STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 6, EMPATHY 3
partner and lover for several hundred years – SKILLS: Lore 4, Insight 3, Manipulation 3,
they are old partners in crime in their occupa- Performance 3, Healing 3
tion. Unlike Ulmaya, Alsurso loves war and is TALENTS: Path of Shifting Shapes 3, Path of
a deep-seated racist with aristocratic manners. Healing 2
He despises all other kin and wouldn’t mind a GEAR: Staff
full-out war against the orcs, whom he believes
to be deceitful and uneducated trash. When it
comes to other elves he is friendly and proper. KLOTINDA
Alsurso has a magical bow and is a feared ar- Klotinda is an elven ruby in the wooden
cher and a specialized rapid shooter. shape of an Ent. Her trunk body, ten meters
tall, is tilted with a head at the top, entan-
STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2 gled in the plaited canopy that serves as hair.

SKILLS: Melee 3, Stealth 3, Move 4, Marks- Supported beneath the trunk by a dozen stur-
manship 5, Manipulation 2 dy branches, the creature mostly resembles a
TALENTS: Fast Shooter 3, Path of the Arrow many-legged and many-armed giant gorilla
2, Executioner 2, Cold Blooded 1 walking on its knuckles. The back and the
GEAR: Longbow, broadsword, studded branches are draped in foliage of the barbed
leather armor fashion of iron oak. With the help of her
many arms, Klotinda can scale the cliff face
to the fortress of the Eye of the Rose like a
MERGOLENE giant spider, carrying about ten humanoids
Sexless and hairless, Mergolene is an elven among her branches.
druid who appears older than is usual among

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 STRENGTH 14, AGILITY 3 THE FALSE RUBY
ARMOR: Bark (6) Mergolene contacts the adventurers in one
For monster attacks, see page xx in the fashion or another, and if they accept offers
Gamemaster’s Guide. them a task. The druid explains to them the
dilemma of Emperor Hrokas’s position. A
dummy of the ruby Iridne has been brought,
IRIDNE a dead but valuable stone that can be switched
Iridne is an old, large and precious elven with the original “as if nothing had happened,”
ruby that is currently set into Empress So- that will allow everyone to remain satisfied.
ria’s cloak clasp Blood Star. She willingly left Mergolene gives the stone to the adventurers if
Klotinda, who seemed to her too dominant they declare themselves willing to perform the
and returned to her ruby shape, but she can switch. If they steal both the dummy and the
appear as the talking shadow of an elf woman original ruby, they’ll have a great treasure but
or speak through dreams. Iridne feels sorry enraged elves on their track for all time.
for the orcs, the once faithful servants of Mergolene knows of the hidden passage
the elves, and wants to atone for the betray- from the Chapel of the Gods in the old city
al of the elves by helping Hroka build an orc park (location #9 on the map) to the fortress
civilization. She also enjoys being admired, and gives the adventurers the poem that can
set into the cloak clasp. Iridne’s view on the help them open the hidden door (see page xx).
matter is preferably clarified at the end of the They’ll have to decipher it themselves howev-
adventure and comes as a surprise to all of er, and since no elf can enter the chapel with-
the elves. Mergolene will immediately sup- out ritually cleansing themselves for several
port Iridne’s stance. months, they’ll have to go alone. No such
Iridne can tell the adventurers most of the restrictions exist for non-elves.
legend of the crown Stanengist (Chapter 2). Mergolene has three magical talismans in
the shape of small copper humans that hang
WITS 5, EMPATHY 5 from a chain around her neck. The head on each

SKILLS: Lore 5, Insight 4, Manipulation 5 talisman can be unscrewed. If you pour some
blood from an orc, dwarf, elf, or human into
the talisman the wearer will take the shape of
the blood’s owner for a Quarter Day. The owner
has to be alive for the process to work. The wearer
doesn’t gain any additional knowledge or proper-
EVENTS ties, except for the purely physical. If you’re able
Below are suggestions for events that you can to discreetly kidnap a couple of orcs, the adven-
subject the adventurers to in Eye of the Rose. turers can enter the fortress unnoticed in their
shapes. You can pour blood from the same orc
into several talismans to make copies.

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 THE CONDESCENDING ELF PLEA OF THE LADY-IN-WAITING
Alsurso blatantly insults one of the adventur- One of Empress Soria’s ladies-in-waiting
ers of a different kin, and will go as far as contacts the adventurers (if they are in-
challenging them to a duel if the adventurer side the fortress) for a secret meeting with
objects to this. At worst, Alsurso can brand the empress. Soria has tired of her husband
the adventurers as inimical to the elven peo- talking to another woman in his sleep and
ple and will view them as outright enemies. suspects a connection to the ruby Iridne. She
is open to suggestions, including switching
the original gem for the copy. At the same
DIPLOMATIC time, she is very anxious not to compromise
MISUNDERSTANDING the emperor. To make matters more diffi-
The adventurers are mistaken for ambassadors cult, one of Hranga Gala’s spies may be privy
from another ruler by orcish guards and dig- to this conversation. The adventurers can
nitaries. If they assume the roles, they need to simply tell the empress of the elves and their
quickly figure out where they hail from and plans, becoming the heroes of the Urhur
for what purpose they are visiting the great clan as well as their friends. They will then
emperor. They will soon become aware that receive Iridne, which the empress has dis-
Emperor Hroka expects to be flattered exces- creetly switched out for the copy. The elves
sively (i.e., every sentence) and as long as they will most likely be slaughtered and the ad-
keep it up, the emperor and the court will be venturers won’t be popular among those who
satisfied with them. Hranga Gala will, how- eventually survive.
ever, be suspicious and try to expose and com-
promise them. It appears that an “ambassa-
dor” from another kin is already imprisoned ATTACK OF THE ELVES
in the fortress. The emperor wants to decide The elves and the Ent Klotilda will attack at
which kin is worthy of his favor by pitting the dawn to take back the ruby Iridne if the adven-
ambassadors against each other in trial by turers haven’t retrieved it already. Mergolene
combat. will then conjure up a mist that hides the Ent
as it scales the cliff as well as the Redrunners’
movements. The elves depend on the element
THE PEDDLER’S TALE of surprise – if the orcs are able to mobilize,
The peddler, Valom, who is imprisoned in the the elves will be outnumbered.
fortress, knows that Hranga Gala has hidden
riches in his room in the castle, since he has
been discreetly asked to appraise them. The
find would compromise the advisor before the
emperor.

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 PEL AGI A

TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Village

As the sun rises from the waves, four tall, mono- creation, closely allied to the elves who raised
lithic cliffs are silhouetted against the great ocean them. Kritre the Caller, holy singer of the dru-
in the east. The wind is brisk. It carries with it ids, converses daily with the sea and sky, and is
the scent of seaweed and a peculiar, wordless tune believed to awaken the winds that are to rule
from the top of the tallest pillar. The cliffs are cir- the land for the day.
cled by razorbills, gulls and the stormriders, who Legend has it that the sea has left gifts at the
are said to be missing legs since they are born, live temple four times in the past. Now it has hap-
and die in the sky. At the bottom of the cliffs the pened again. The gift is the legendary hammer
temple of the druids awakes to a new day along Scarnesbane, that has been re-discovered and
with the villagers: fishermen load their boats bought in secret to the temple by the druids (if
with nets, shepherds herd their flocks to the hills the adventurers have already found the hammer
and the temple novices collect clay from the beach.. at another location, you can replace it with anoth-
er artefact from Chapter XX in the Gamemas-
ter’s Guide). Now they want to legitimize their
ownership by exploiting the legend of the gifts of
BACKGROUND the sea, otherwise the dwarves will demand they
The druids of the Storm Temple are all El- return the weapon since it’s a relic to them. How-
venspring – half-elves responsible for all of ever, the plan has run into complications. The

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gift is in a locked chest in the Chamber of the
Winds, and can only be opened by someone who
succeeds at interpreting the instructions and can
use the Maha language of Clay. Kritre has, how- RECOMMENDED READING
ever, declared that the druids themselves cannot Before you start playing, it is
lay claim to the gift, nor assist the so inclined to recommended that you read
decipher the code or even teach them the Maha the texts on Clay and the Maha
language. According to the faith of the druids, language on page xx in the
the cipher must be decoded in person so as not Gamemaster’s Guide as well as
to lose its power. If the adventurers fail to solve the passage on Elvenspring on
the cipher, the GM may let Healing Knife or the page xx in the same book. Also
dwarves interpret a moderate amount of the lan- read the text about the ham-
guage or its structure. mer, Scarnesbane, on page xx.
The adventurers can thus claim the gift of
the sea by solving the cipher in the Chamber of
the Winds. Officially, the druids are helpful in
this, but some attempt to secretly sabotage their will guide them to the barracks where Byrnel
endeavor. In total, there are 26 druids at the is waiting (see the event “The Family Heir-
temple, but only the named ones carry Maha loom,” on page xx).
signs embroidered on their clothes.

THE DEAD DRUID

One night, when the adventurers have made
camp, several of them are afflicted by a strange
GETTING HERE dream. A figure appears and begs them to help
There are many ways in which the adventurers its brothers and sisters in Pelagia. The figure
can find Pelagia. They may have found a map has been slain by a man with a dark mind whose
that leads here, heard the legends of this place, countenance and voice he then stole through
or encountered one of the events below. magic most foul, seeking to steal the Gift of
the Sea. The next day, a short distance from
their camp, the adventurers find a druid, slain
BYRNEL’S PLEA by a knife between the shoulder blades and then
The adventurers are approached by Master Sni- burned so as to be impossible to recognize. It is
dra, a dwarf who serves Byrnel of the Crombe the blood magician Ravil who, through an an-
clan. He has heard of the adventurers’ deeds cient ritual, has enchanted himself and taken the
and says that Byrnel has a prosperous propos- identity of one of the druids (after having mur-
al for them and awaits them in nearby Pelagia. dered them). It is up to you, as GM, to decide
If the adventurers follow Snidra to Pelagia, he which one of the druids is actually the magician.

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 LEGEND
The humans are said to have first tread the soil of
Ravenland at Pelagia. According to the druids, THE GIFT AND THE CIPHER
here the winds of the land are born between the A recurring theme in this adven-
four holy monoliths to be loaded with rain so that ture site is the hunt for what the
the clouds can carry water to the fields and forests. druids call the Gift of the Sea. The
In these days, expectations are high at the temple powerful artefact has triggered
of Pelagia. The temple is supposed to have been greed in both druids and visitors
granted another gift, an occurrence that, accord- to the temple area. To be able to
ing to legend, has only happened four times before, open the stone chest containing
a gift that only the worthy can claim. What it con- the gift, the adventurers must
tains or how it is claimed is difficult to say. first solve the cipher protecting
it. The cipher is constructed with
Maha signs (see page XX in the
Gamemaster’s Guide) and can
be solved using the signs found
LOCATIONS around Pelagia. Read more about
Below are sites in and around Pelagia that the this in the event called “The
adventurers can visit. Cipher” on page xx. It is up to you
as GM how important you want
the cipher to be in your adven-
1. THE CLAY BEACH ture, as some players enjoy a
As you approach the pillars, you see a couple of linguistic challenge while others
younger druids in earthen frocks working on the do not.
beach with pushcarts and shovels.

Novices gather shellfish, but their main task is

to collect sand and clay for the pottery in their
pushcarts. They are usually sociable and wel- The horses belong to the druids, while the
coming. oxen and sheep belong to the villagers. They
are usually tended by a couple of children.
✥✥ SIGNS: The Maha signs on the piece of
2. GRAZING PASTURES wood mean, “Close the gate.”
In grazing pastures beneath the widest, southern
pillar, some sheep, horses and oxen graze. You no-
tice a piece of wood with some peculiar, painted
signs on one of the gateposts.

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 3. WATCHERS’ REST the gate are four Maha signs, and on a sign next
In the base of the southern monolith are two gigan- to the rope are additional signs.
tic, chiseled alcoves. They are tall as temple tow-
ers with a smooth surface of opaque, glassy rock. There is normally no one here, as the temple
Next to each alcove is a blank slate of rock made of is open to everyone and has no guards to keep
the same material, mounted on the cliffside. strangers away.
✥✥ SIGNS: By the rope: “Open door!” Above
The alcoves are thirty-meter-high portals the gate are the Maha signs for the four
that have been sealed with stone resembling winds: Eurus, Notus, Zephyrus, Boreas
obsidian. The material can be neither moved, (you always start with Eurus, which
scratched nor cracked. The druids may share brought the humans to Ravenland).
that the alcoves are portals from which giants
one day will appear to save the land.
The obsidian stone can only be cracked by the
hammer Scarnesbane found in the Chamber of
the Winds or alternately be scratched by the knife
Scarnesclaw, which is carried by Kritre. Both 5. VISITOR BARRACKS
are said to originate from Scarne, the mother Inside the gate to the left is a barracks, where peo-
of dragons, who according to legend was felled ple who obviously aren’t monks dwell. At the door
by the dwarven king Oramund. If an alcove is is a signboard with signs.
cracked, a stone titan made of black obsidian will
emerge. It will perform whatever task has been Strangers in the village are housed in the bar-
written on the stone tablet in the Maha lan- racks for a small donation. The alternatives are
guage. If no task has been specified, it will wan- to pay for lodging with one of the families in
der in a random direction, destroying everything the village or pitching ones own tents.
in its path and stopping when it reaches the ✥✥ CREATURES: Byrdel, along with Master
mountainous barriers of the Forbidden Lands or Snidra, and a couple of other dwarves. The
at most after 60 days. Having fulfilled its task, it GM may add additional characters here
will remain standing like a normal statue. as well.

✥✥ CREATURES: Two slumbering stone titans.

6. INFIRMARY
A longhouse is beautifully situated against the
4. THE TEMPLE GATE grove beyond. Outside sits a fisherman who has
A low stone wall demarcates the temple area on hurt his hand on a fishing spear and an old wom-
the landward side, but does not appear to serve an who is short of breath, cared for by a friend. On
as fortifications. A rope with a bell on the end the door is a plate with Maha signs.
hangs on the right side of the closed gate. Above

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PEL AGI A

12

15

1 5

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 14

13

11
8

10

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The druids are renowned healers who help the ✥✥ CREATURES: Heaven’s White Fire.
sick and wounded through magic as well as tra- ✥✥ SIGNS: Above the door: “Pottery.” Inside
ditional herbal medicine. An open area by the the pottery are a wide assortment of Maha
grove is used for healing. Elves usually camp sign tablets.
among the trees on their visits to Pelagia.
✥✥ CREATURES: Rain and Soil along with a
couple of druids.
✥✥ SIGNS: “House of Healing.”

7. THE DWELLINGS OF THE 9. “THREE SMALL BLACK

DRUIDS SNAKES” INN
Below the tall northern monolith is a small col- Beautifully nestled in the greenery above the fish-
lection of simple, stone houses surrounded by a low ing village lies the “Three Small Black Snakes”
wall. Novices poke about in the herbal gardens. A inn. The sign with Maha signs swings in the
larger building appears to house an auditorium. ocean breeze.

In the auditorium are two paintings which the This simple inn for strangers is run by the
druids can reveal depict “The Great Hunt” and dropout novice Healing Knife. You can pay for
“Halgan is wounded and Merivin is slain,” re- lodging in a couple of the rooms available here.
spectively. ✥✥ CREATURES: Healing Knife.
✥✥ CREATURES: Keldra the Deserving, ✥✥ SIGNS: The sign of the inn: “Three Small
Hunting Wolf, White Clouds Flight. Black Snakes.”
✥✥ SIGNS: The names of the druids on their
clothes as well as the titles of the paintings.

10. FISHING HARBOR

Closest to the water lie a couple of sheds with the
shops of the fishermen and cutters moored to a
8. POTTERY pier. The scent of the ocean assaults you as well as
Below the eastern monolith is a pottery built at the less pleasant odor of fish guts.
an angle with ovens from which the smoke pours.
Muddy novices place newly manufactured clay A couple of the boats belong to the druids. The
objects on wooden racks to dry. Above the door are villagers that you meet are generally friendly.
pinned two Maha signs in the shape of clay tablets. The pier has a simple stone beacon whose fire
is only lit when it’s foggy.

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 11. SOUTHERN CLIFF 13. EASTERN CLIFF AND
The path up to the lower, but wider, Southern ­CHAMBER OF THE WINDS
cliff runs along the grazing pastures outside the Terns, razorbills and other marine birds per-
temple proper. At the top is a small building, a petually swarm around the Eastern monolith
beacon and a banner that flaps in the wind. towards the sea, shrieking fiercely if anyone comes
too close. Cave openings are seen at a semi-plateau
The fire is never lit when Kritre sings on the a small distance from the top. From there, you
cliff since it would disturb his communion can continue your ascent via ladders. A crank
with the winds. suspension bridge to the Northern cliff swings in
At the top of the Southern cliff, you’ll find a the wind.
sundial – a stone pillar as tall as a man with in-
dentations in the cliff along an arc for the hours On the cliff ’s highest plateau is a small chapel
of the day. Two flat clay tablets, engraved with and cleats for fastening ropes, to allow the col-
the Maha signs for the sun as well as the half- lection of the seabirds’ eggs from the exterior
moon respectively, mark where the sun and the edges of the cliff. The banner shows the sign
moon rise. The tablets are moved every day. The of Estus.
druid who moves the tablets will explain if asked, From the semi-plateau, ten meters below
but is not allowed to say what the signs represent. the top, caves open up in the directions of the
✥✥ SIGNS: Sun, Moon by the sundial, the moon four winds. The caves lead to a circular cham-
is turned in different directions depending ber, the Chamber of the Winds, in the center
on whether the moon is waxing or waning. of the cliff. The winds appear to be amplified
The banner shows the sign of Notus. in the caves, and the occasional visitor has
been known to be blown from the caves to fall
to their death, but the wind comes in gusts,
much like someone breathing, and you can
take shelter in alcoves along the wall. Inside
the Chamber of the Winds the winds cancel
12. WESTERN CLIFF each other out, creating stillness.
The Western cliff drops off sharply. The top, which Inside the Chamber of the Winds is the
is missing a plateau, is reached via steep stairs and stone chest containing the Gift of the Sea.
ladders. There are also racks on the walls with five
blunted simple swords and five blunted knives.
The cliff is rarely used, since the wind only There are also racks containing all the Maha
blows from the west on rare occasions. There signs that can be found at the temple. The
is a small chapel nestled at the top of the cliff. signs are mounted on long, differently shaped
✥✥ SIGNS: The banner shows the sign of Zephyrus. rods. They function as keys when you place
them in the right combination in the holes in
the chest. See the event called “The Cipher.”

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✥✥ SIGNS: At both ends of the suspension 15. MAP OF THE LAND
bridge are signboards with Maha signs: What you first assumed to be a farming plot
“The bridge may swing when it’s windy.”. among various others, appears on closer exam-
ination to be a map made from clay tablets, stones
and plants.

The plot on the hill is a rather inaccurate map

of the Forbidden Lands made up of stones,
ponds and plants. The biggest locations and
areas are featured, each with its own individual
14. NORTHERN CLIFF Maha sign. The druids daily place about twen-
The Northern cliff is the tallest and most visit- ty signs on the map with the winds, rain, fire,
ed. The druids hold daily devotions on the lower clouds and so on that control the local weather.
shelf, where the elderly are hoisted with the help The signs of the locations can be used to
of a winched basket next to the bridgehead. Here, direct the titans from Watcher’s Rest to the
too, are many birds. location (location sign, Walk, and House De-
stroy would, for example, cause a titan to walk
Kritre the Caller lives in the caves with his to the location and raze the entire settlement).
novices and is found here most of the time, un- If the signs are placed in reverse order, the ti-
less he is visiting one of the other cliffs to wel- tan will instead raze Pelagia and then go to the
come the prevailing wind. The chapel is larger specified location.
than on the other cliffs. On the cliff are cleats ✥✥ SIGNS: See above.
for fastening ropes, to allow the collection of
seabird eggs from the outside edge of the cliff.
Every morning, Kritre places a clay tablet
with the sign of the wind chosen to rule in a
circle of Maha signs on the plateau. The ad- MONSTERS AND
venturers can alter the wind by switching the NPCS
sign and cause a storm by adding the sign for
“huge” above the wind, but such antics won’t The most important monsters and non-player
be popular. characters in Pelagia are described below. Mon-
✥✥ CREATURES: Kritre the Caller. sters and creatures not described here have the
✥✥ SIGNS: The banner at the top shows the same stats as those found in the Bestiary or the
sign of Boreas. chapter on Kin in the Gamemaster’s Guide in
the starter box.

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 KRITRE THE CALLER dwarves and orcs can be tolerated as their ser-
The current Caller of the temple, Kritre is a vants. She openly implies that Kritre has gone
middle-aged Elvenspring with a shaved head mad and should be replaced as Caller. Keldra
and trimmed beard. It is almost impossible has a fierce temper. She can’t do much on her
to communicate with him since he seems to own, but some listen to her. At times she raves
dwell in the world of the winds and usually is in prophetic tirades.
maniacally busy singing or carving incompre-
hensible nothings in the cliff walls. For this STRENGTH 1, AGILITY 1, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
purpose, he uses the curved knife Scarnesclaw, TALENTS: Path of Healing 3, Path of Shifting
which is said to be a claw from the ancient Shapes 2
dragon Scarne. In battle it cuts through all ar- SKILLS: Lore 2, Insight 2, Healing 4
mor without hindrance. Kritre may suddenly
GEAR: Staff, amulet with Maha signs (worth
rush up the stairs towards another cliff and his D6 silver coins)
helpers have their work cut out for them just
trying to keep up. When the Gift of the Sea
was delivered to the temple, it was Kritre who HUNTING WOLF
declared that neither elves nor Elvenspring Hunting Wolf is a quiet and introvert but very
may lay claim to it, a deed that has ruffled competent and dutiful druid. He practical-
many feathers. ly makes most of the decisions in the temple
✥✥ SIGNS: Scarnesclaw has the sign for where no formal leader exists. Hunting Wolf
“knife” carved into its handle. truly believes that the sea has left a gift and is
determined to let the process run its course. He
STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3 often conducts magical rituals, and is consid-

TALENTS: Path of Sight 3 ered to hold the highest degree of knowledge.

Hunting Wolf is a skilled druid magician who,
SKILLS: Lore 3, Healing 2
among other things, can occupy wild animals
GEAR: The knife Scarnesclaw (ignores all
to make use of their eyes and call living crea-
armor)
tures to come to his aid. A group of wolves in
the nearby forest will come to his aid if there
is a fight, and in case of emergency even the
KELDRA THE DESERVING Pegasus Velakia will show up.
Keldra is a blind druid woman several hundred
years old who loudly touts how STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
much better everything used TALENTS: Path of Shifting Shapes 2
to be and that the invading
SKILLS: Melee 3, Move 2, Stealth 3
humans are like lice in the
GEAR: Short spear, knife
lush forests of Ravenland.
Only elves and Elvenspring
are Clay’s creations, while

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 other places, is a silver-haired and impressive
figure, knowledgeable about ceramics. He is
diplomatic, but secretly despises humans and
looks down on anyone lacking the blood of the
elves. By chance, he managed to secure the lost
godhammer of the Crombe dwarves, Scarnes-
bane, in a village during one of his travels.
Heaven’s White Fire realized that the dwarves
would demand its return, and had the idea to
place it in the stone chest as a Gift of the Sea
and in so doing legitimizing the Elvenspring
WHITE CLOUDS FLIGHT to keep it. In the end, he suspects that the ham-
White Clouds Flight is a very sociable and mer can open Watcher’s Rest and dreams of
pleasant Elvenspring, and the grandchild of ridding the Forbidden Lands of humans once
Keldra, whom she also cares for. She often tries and for all through the help of the watchers. To
to jokingly take the edge off her grandmother’s his disappointment, Kritre decreed that neither
harsh words. As part of her daily routine, she elves nor Elvenspring could lay claim to the
takes care of the gardens filled with spices and Gift of the Sea this time. Heaven’s White Fire
magical herbs. now strives to delay the opening of the chest
White Clouds Flight secretlyshares her and conspires against Kritre’s life, in the hopes
grandmother’s opinions and refuses to accept that a new Caller could change the decree. He
that the sea’s gift should escape the grasp of the doesn’t dare to act openly.
Elvenspring. She is allied with Heaven’s White
Fire, but strives to get to know all strangers STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
in an attempt to explore their intentions and SKILLS: Melee 2, Crafting 3, Insight 3, Mani-
hinder them. pulation 3
GEAR: Shortsword, 2D6 silver coins
STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 4
TALENTS: Path of Healing 2
SKILLS: Melee 2, Crafting 2, Insight 2, Mani-
RAIN AND SOIL
pulation 2, Healing 2
The rotund healer of the temple is called Rain
GEAR: Knife
and Soil. She is a master of both traditional
healing and its magical counterpart in concert
with Hunting Wolf, who is openly also her lov-
HEAVEN’S WHITE FIRE er. Rain and Soil has a slightly superior atti-
The far-travelled pottery merchant of the tem- tude and she loves to show off her arts, but is
ple, who often visits the elven settlements and on the whole sympathetic to all things living.

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 STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2 BYRNEL OF THE WATCHER CLAN
TALENTS: Path of Healing 3 Old Byrnel is a noble, elder magistrate and
SKILLS: Crafting 2, Healing 3 diplomat of the dwarven Crombe clan. He is
GEAR: - officially at the temple to pay his respects and
perhaps try to claim the Gift of the Sea. In re-
ality, he has become aware that the druids have
found Scarnesbane, and is tasked to return the
SNAKE’S JOY hammer to Scarneshall by any means neces-
The younger druid Snake’s Joy is a jovial fel- sary. This entire business is politically delicate
low who is bolder and more limber than most. and Byrnel would prefer to maintain good re-
He loves to fish during storms or climb the lations with the Elvenspring. He has brought
ropes out on the cliffs to collect bird eggs. In a servant and a dwarven bodyguard with him
his day-to-day role, he is a skilled singer who is who tend to keep to themselves.
apprenticed to Kritre and also acts as his aide. Byrnel’s bodyguard is the Crombe princess
Heaven’s White Fire seeks to convince Snake’s Arvia Hugeheld, who uses the alias Hugefury.
Joy to get rid of Kritre and replace him. Byrnel is aware of the princess’ true identity
but is not aware of the fact that she wants the
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 2, EMPATHY 3 hammer Scarnesbane for her own.

SKILLS: Melee 3, Move 2, Sleight of Hand 2,

Performance 2 STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
GEAR: Short spear, knife SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 3, Insight 3, Manipula-
tion 3
GEAR: Warhammer

HEALING KNIFE
The dropout novice Healing Knife runs the
“Three Little Black Snakes” inn. He has mas- HUGEFURY
tered the Maha language, and isn’t as fastidi- Byrnel’s bodyguard Hugefury is in fact the
ous with the rules as the druids. The GM can Crombe princess Arvia Hugeheld. Read more
thus use Healing Knife to help the players with about Arvia on page xx in the Key Players
the cipher, but he is well aware of how much chapter.
his aid is worth and charges accordingly.

STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3

MASTER SNIDRA

SKILLS: Melee 1, Crafting 2, Insight 2, Mani- The dwarf Snidra works for Byrnel, but is from
pulation 2 the Canide clan. He is short of stature and
GEAR: Knife, 2D6 copper coins alert, and you get the feeling that he observes
and appraises you when dealing with him. Of-

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ficially he is a scholar, interested in the rock will take her revenge on anyone who harms or
formations at the temple, but in reality, he is kills Kritre, and can be sent out to hunt if the
a skilled thief and assassin whom the Crombes Caller directs her to do so in his confused state.
have hired as a fail-safe.
STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 6
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2 SYLPH: Immune to physical harm. Can only
TALENTS: Path of the Killer 2 be harmed by magical weapons.
SKILLS: Melee 3, Marksmanship 3, Move 2 Has the same MONSTER ATTACKS as the XX
on page XX in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
GEAR: Battleaxe, crossbow, studded leather
armor

THE PEGASUS VELAKIA

The white flying horse Velakia lives wild in the
RAVIL area, and can sometimes be seen near the tem-
A wandering Blood Mage who seeks revenge ple. She is familiar with Hunting Wolf and can
on the Rust Brothers who slew his brother and sometimes be found conversing with him. The
torched his farm. Ravil has heard of the druid has a couple of favors to claim from her,
treasure at Pelagia, and realizes that it but is loathe to do so.
could be the key to granting him the
power he needs to exact vengeance. STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 5
He will stop at nothing to achieve KICK (Weapon Damage 2)
his goals, and can murder dru-
BITE (Weapon Damage 1)
ids as well as assuming their
form through the BIND
SOUL spell.
THE TITANS
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3 The two stone titans are twelve meters tall and

TALENTS: Path of Blood 3 carved from massive slabs of black obsidian.

They lack the ability of higher thought and can’t
SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 2, Insight 3, Manipula-
tion 4 be manipulated or reasoned with in any way.

GEAR: Dagger, vial of lethal poison (Potency 8)

STRENGTH 40, AGILITY 3
For MONSTER ATTACKS, se page XX in the
Gamemaster’s Guide.
SOLEMMA THE SYLPH
Solemma the Sylph is a normally invisible
sprite who loves Kritre’s song and with whom
the Caller converses on a daily basis. Solemma

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 fanatically religious princess Arvia Hugeheld
EVENTS of Crombe. She wants to use the hammer Scar-
Below are suggestions for events that you can nesbane in her oath-sworn struggle to reclaim
subject the adventurers to in Pelagia. Vond, the lost stronghold of the Crombes. In
public, Arvia acts as Byrnel’s loyal bodyguard,
but the adventurers may observe a quarrel
THE FAMILY HEIRLOOM between her and Byrnel, ending with Byrnel
The dwarf Byrnel asks to speak to the adventur- bowing to her, saying that he can’t agree to her
ers. He explains in no uncertain terms that he in demands since the Crombes have given him
no way believes that the ocean has placed a mys- explicit orders.
terious gift in a stone chest high up in a cliff. In- If the hammer is found, Arvia will demand
stead, he is convinced that the Elvenspring have it given to her as her rightful heirloom, at the
found an heirloom of the Crombe clan that has same time revealing who she is. She won’t
been lost for a long time. Now they are trying deign to steal it, but if someone else does, she
to make it theirs through religious rituals and will hunt the thief relentlessly. If the adventur-
nonsense. The druids will then claim the heir- ers aid her in the hunt, or give her the ham-
loom as theirs, since it has been given to them mer, she will swear them “friendship in blood
by the goddess of the sea. The entire business is and stone” and offer them a position in her
politically delicate since the Crombes would pre- holy mission regardless of their kin.
fer to maintain good relations with both elves
and Elvenspring. Byrnel offers the adventurers
a hefty sum if they can claim the Gift of the Sea SABOTAGE
and deliver it to him. If you ask which heirloom The adventurers’ attempt to solve the cipher
it concerns, he replies that he’d rather not say. is anonymously sabotaged by White Cloud’s
Byrnel is old and stiff and won’t ascend Flight, Heaven’s White Fire or one of their
the cliffs. The dwarf Snidra is considerably adepts. They may, for example, leave mislead-
more limber, and often climbs the stone walls ing information or sabotage ladders. If they
under the pretense of performing geological become desperate, they may resort to outright
surveys. If the adventurers turn Byrnel down, magical or physical attempts to harm or kill
Snidra will sabotage both their and any other the adventurers. They may, for example, set
attempts at claiming the Gift of the Sea. He is traps with Maha signs.
more determined than the Elvenspring in this
regard. Byrnel will try to steal Scarnesbane if
anyone else claims the hammer. THE THIEF
Snidra will aid the adventurers if they are
working for Byrnel. The thief plans to cheat
THE HAMMER OF VENGEANCE both the adventurers and Byrnel after retriev-
Byrnel’s bodyguard Hugefury is actually the ing the hammer, however, since he has a buyer

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among the Meromannians – Tormund Half- THE CIPHER
hand himself, who wants to make use of the Sooner or later, the adventures will probably
hammer in the wars to come. become interested in the so-called Gift of the
Sea that has affected so many in Pelagia. If
they ask around, they will be directed to vis-
THE FALSE DRUID it Kritre the Caller and state their intentions.
One of the druids is actually the Blood Mage The druid will stare at them in a moment of
Ravil, who through a magical ritual has taken lucidity and proclaim: “The answer you seek is:
his or her body. It is nothing immediately no- the sword kills a white cat” – before returning
ticeable, but the GM can point out that some- to his holy deed.
one is acting a bit odd or seems somewhat unfa- The stone chest in the Chamber of the
miliar with the rituals that the druids perform Winds has several hidden stone mechanisms,
at the temple. If Ravil realizes that someone and must be opened in three steps. It is up to
is on to him, he will either try to poison that the adventurers (or a kind GM) to figure out
someone or steal another druid’s soul so as to that the riddle is the key to open the first lock
change identities yet again. This may develop of the stone chest.
into a paranoid hunt for an intruder and mur- ✥✥ FIRST STEP: The lid of the chest has five
derer that no one can identify. Ravil’s goal is to slots, into which Maha sign tablets can be
steal the Gift of the Sea and then escape to plot inserted. All the signs that the adventurers
his revenge on the Rust Brothers. have seen in the temple as well as some
additional ones are found in the chamber.
If the Maha signs for LARGE KNIFE
ATTEMPTED MURDER KILLS WHITE CAT are inserted into
Snake’s Joy or someone else tries to murder the slots, a hatch will open, revealing the
Kritre the Caller, most likely by pushing him second step.
off a cliff. If the attempt is successful, the sylph ✥✥ SECOND STEP: Underneath the hatch,
Solemma will exact vengeance, unconcerned if there are twelve stone circles painted in
a couple of innocents become collateral dam- four colors (blue, red, green, yellow), with
age. She may also happen to be in the vicinity three circles in each color. In each circle,
and catch Kritre in the air, upon which she and there is a slit in which a knife or a sword
the Caller will become more active in the con- can be inserted. The entire circle can be
spiracies surrounding the Gift of the Sea. If it turned like a lock, using a knife or sword
is the adventurers who save Kritre instead, he as a key. Next to the circles, the follow-
and the sylph will be thankful towards them ing Maha signs are engraved: THREE
and the Caller will give them the knife Scar- KNIVES TURN WOUND.
nesclaw as a reward. If three knives (not swords) are inserted
into the three red circles, and all turned 90
degrees, another hatch open to the third step.

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 THE EMPTY CHEST
When the adventurers succeed in opening the
chest, it turns out to be empty. At the sight of
the empty chest, the paranoia among the var-
ious groups will spread like wildfire. Someone
has stolen its contents, but who? Emotions
will soon run high and it is entirely possible
that it all escalates into open conflict. It will
soon be revealed, however, that a fisherman
has been struck down and robbed of his cut-
ter over at the harbor. It is Heaven’s White
Fire who has absconded with the hammer,
rather than let it escape the grasp of the El-
venspring. The merchant has fled northward
with his prize in a cutter.
Hunting Wolf is both ashamed
and furious, and wants to see the
hammer returned. He can’t
leave the temple area himself,
but he can equip the adven-
turers with the magical aid
of the druids, perhaps a boat
or even letting the Pegasus Velakia carry one
of them to the thief ’s vessel. The adventurers
can also conjure up a storm with the assistance
of Kritre’s magical circle on top of the North
Cliff, that blows the thief back.
✥✥ THIRD STEP: Again, there are five slots
for Maha sign tablets. A text is engraved
next to them: “Large sun chases little new THE TITANS AWAKEN
moon.” The adventurers or someone else can release
If the Maha signs for HUGE SUN one or both of the stone titans by shattering
CHASES LITTLE MOON are placed in the alcoves in Watcher’s Rest with the ham-
the slots, a hatch with a handle will open, mer, Scarnesbane. Unless instructions have
allowing the stone chest to be opened. been written on the obsidian tablets with the
Note that the moon crescent tile must be knife Scarnesclaw, the titans will walk in a ran-
placed with the points to the left to repre- dom direction, destroying everything in their
sent a “new moon.” path.

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 T ON EG A R DEN
S

TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Dungeon

The path up to Stonegarden winds along an al- immemorial. From here, King Karonax and
most vertical mountainside. Here and there, Queen Sulma rule over the proud dwarven clan
you see parapets and mobile masonry from which and guard the descent to the deeps under the
appraising eyes observe your arduous ascent. As mountain, from whence the dwarves are said
soon as you pass through the massive stone gates of to have risen at the command of the god Huge.
Stonegarden, in the attendance of stern dwarven On some occasions, the noble dwarves cel-
warriors, you are dazzled by the splendor of the ebrate Veneration of the Earth in the Stone Gar-
Stone Gardens. Still you are told that these are just dens of Stonegarden, since the grottoes under-
the guest quarters, for only dwarves are allowed neath the fortress are said to lead down to the
to enter the inner halls of the Canides and even dwarves’ place of origin in the older layers of
amongst dwarves it’s a rare honor. the world – the deep structures – where the clans
are no longer allowed to thread.
The celebration is particularly remarkable
this year, for all the children of King Turik of
BACKGROUND Belderan have congregated here to discreetly
The mountain of Stonegarden with its nigh im- discuss the succession after their aging father
pregnable fortress has been the home of the Ca- dies. In addition, the princess Tademelda of
nides, the clan of the Iron Hounds, since time Crombe, under a holy oath to reclaim the hold-

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fast of Vond, has come to the location with her
death-sworn warriors. As the feast is being pre-
pared, two dwelvers – the pale and peculiar an- RECOMMENDED READING
cestors of the dwarves – have surfaced from the Before the adventurers arrive at
underground to ask for assistance. They can’t Stonegarden, it is recommend-
speak, but sign that the fetters of “the Beast” ed that you read the section
are about to shatter and that the elder struc- on dwarves on page xx of the
tures where they live have already been evac- Gamemaster’s Guide.
uated. All of the world is at risk, for the Beast
will strike towards the surface if it is freed.
What manner of beast it concerns is unclear,
but the messengers require swift aid to carry feared warrior of the clan of Belderan, seeks
materials for reparation from the surface – the their services. Rigalda may have heard of the ad-
amount of material needed is of such a quantity venturers’ exploits or she may simply have been
that they have need of helpers, even though no so desperate that she asked Drur to pick the first
one has ever been allowed to accompany them group he finds without clan affiliation, and as
before. King Karonax declares that an expedi- such may consider descending into the depths
tion will be equipped to be sent into the depths. (see the event called “The Lost Prince”).
Since dwarves are not allowed to enter the un-
derground without becoming clanless, the ad-
venturers are asked to assist. Tademelda shows THE DECEASED
great interest and wants to accompany them. The adventurers find the corpse of a dwarven
merchant, recently slain by brigands. With
the exception of the precious clothes, all of
his valuables have been stolen, save for a let-
ter tucked inside the tunic. The letter is an
GETTING HERE invitation to celebrate Veneration of the Earth
There are many ways for the adventurers to at Stonegarden and is written by the “petron”
find their way to Stonegarden. They may have Berwyld – one of the foremost Stone Singers
found a map, heard the legends about the place, and high priests in Belderand – and is addressed
or maybe they came across and had to deal with to the deceased, master Mertyld. Attached is a
one of the events below. simple map, showing the way to Stonegarden.
If the adventurers bring the remains of Merty-
ld to Stonegarden they will be rewarded with a
THE MESSENGER gold coin by Berwyld who will look favorably
The dwarf Drur of Belderan finds the adven- on them from now on.
turers at their camp. He explains that Rigalda
Raven of Belderan, daughter of King Turik and

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 discuss the succession after their father and their
LEGEND mute ancestors have risen from the depths, for be-
It is said that the moon, stunned by the beauty of low Stonegarden lie the forbidden grottoes leading
Stonegarden, will stay a while in its course above to the elder layers of the world.
Stonegarden. At some time in their lives, most
dwarves go on a pilgrimage there as the site is
considered by all except the Crombe dwarves to
be the dwarves’ place of origin in the world. This LOCATIONS
year’s Veneration of the Earth in the impregnable Below are locations inside and underneath
fortress of the Iron Hounds looks to be the most Stonegarden.
extraordinary event in years. It is said that the
royal children of Belderan have come to privately
1. THE STONE GARDENS
The vaults of the Stone Gardens are covered by
sparkling gems set into the patterns of the starry
sky so that the flames of the braziers are reflect-
THE DESCENT ed a thousandfold. The promenades are lined by
The adventurers will travel a thou- mineral beds where crystals cut like flowers stand
sand meters below Stonegarden. on tourmaline stems in greenery hewn from dark
The GM should try to convey green malachite. Here and there clearings with
the impression of how they get benches open up among the brilliance, intended
further and further from the for private encounters.
world that they know. The climate
underground changes, as does The fortress of the Iron Hounds, Stonegarden
the architecture between the lies on a mountain with a hundred-meter high,
layers they pass. A single passage almost vertical, walls. One gets there along a
is drawn on the map, but the GM winding path on the mountainside or by being
can add passages and dead ends hoisted up in cars. No stranger is allowed in
as (s)he pleases. The dwelvers the fortress itself, so the adventurers and oth-
have filled most of the layers to er guests are confined to the beautiful Stone
maintain ground stability, but left Gardens, the marketplace and the catacombs.
these passages to the overworld. The caves of the gardens look like a cathedral
Distances and directions on the with large halls in the middle and smaller,
map are not important and the GM very comfortable rooms with stuffed chairs
can lengthen or shorten areas to fit for meetings and prayers along the sides. Many
the adventure. dwarves and several other guests are here for
the celebration of Veneration of the Earth,
celebrated through prayer, feasts and songs, as

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well as competitions among clan combatants Way in the back, a passage leads down into
below the mountain. water. This is the passage into Stonegarden,
where three stone hatches are closed as long as
✥✥ CREATURES: Half a dozen dwarven the gates are open. The first hatch is in a wa-
guardians, as well as a score of dwarven terlogged depression that can be emptied and
dignitaries, merchants and miscellaneous flooded from the inside. Smaller stairs lead
guests from the Forbidden Lands, among down into the mountain, and there is also an
them someone from the royal family of elevator shaft with a winch-operated car.
Belder as well as Tademelda of Crombe.
✥✥ CREATURES: Several scores of dwarves,
humans and halflings trade at the market-
2. MARKETPLACE place.
Broad stairs lead down to large cavernous spaces
in the mountain where the smells of spices, beasts
of burden, food and embers tickle the senses among 3. THE CATACOMBS AND
other, more odd scents. There are many people THE ­GATES TO THE DEEP
milling about. Most deals seem to involve large The spacious catacombs are covered in white
quantities of goods, as bins, barrels and bales of marble and beautifully lit. Sarcophagi and other
cloth are moved to and fro while valuables change graves en masse fill the spaces as well as sculptures
hands. A wide passage leads out to large gates that depicting dead nobles. Armored honor guards
open to the outside world. stand in attendance.

In an alcove in the furthest reaches of the

catacombs lies the ancient gate to the depths,
guarded by four dwarven warriors. King Karo-
nax alone has the key to the complex and very
old lock. Above the door is inscribed the fol-
lowing text:
“Ye who pass through here, pass away from
the world”

No one is admitted who does not belong to the

world below. When dwelvers wish to visit the
world above, they rap on the door from the in-
side, after which the king welcomes them with
great honor.
Right before the catacombs is a discreet
staircase that leads down to a secret passage out

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1

6 7
7

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 EG A R DEN
S TON

10

11

13
12

14

15

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 ENCOUNTERS IN THE DEEP
Roll a D6 for every quarter of an hour. If you roll a l , a chance encounter occurs.
Roll on the table below.

D6 WHAT INFORMATION
1 Orcs Alarag Elding and his companions.
2 Cave Creatures D6+2 cave creatures hunting for food.
3 Preying Bats A flock of preying bats are drawn towards the sound
of the adventurers.
4 Clanless Dwarf Blind Brenghar, a very old and very eccentric clanless
dwarf, encounters the adventurers.
5 Giant Spider Thick spider webs are blocking the passage ahead.
Soon, a giant spider descends from the ceiling to get
a long-awaited meal.
6 Troll A stone troll is awoken from its slumber by the
­approaching adventurers and is in a very foul mood.

from the mountain. The staircase is behind a it into your moistly alive throats. Dust-covered
locked, barred gate. stone steps continue down into the mountain.
The adventurers are not allowed to roam
deeper, unless they accept the mission from Below the stairs you find an ancient, bronze
the depths. Dwarves who pass the gates to the lift operated by a wheel inside the lift. On the
depths must set aside their clan bonds forever, shelf next to it is a stone tub with boulders
as serious a business to a dwarf as cutting off the size of a head. If you push a boulder into a
their beards. hole in the mountain, something the dwelvers
✥✥ CREATURES: A couple of dwarven guard- might do just for the fun of it, it will roll with
ians. a rumbling noise in a spiral track all the way
down to a corresponding tub at the bottom of
the shaft. The purpose of the boulders is to
4. THE HAND-LIFT balance the weight of the two connected lifts.
OF THE ­A NCESTORS The air thickens significantly as the lift
When the stone gates close behind you, the silence is descends. From the bottom of the shaft and
complete. It is as if the mountain itself is observing further down into the caves, the air is so thick
your intrusion. The air that has lain undisturbed that the dwelvers can now speak and hear un-
for millennia only unwillingly allows you to draw impeded, something they are delighted to do..

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 5. THE BEAM LAYER craft that shows how their descendants have
Beyond further flights of stairs down a vast cave degenerated. In the cave are half a dozen wild
opens up, supported by immense pillars of a dull wandering trolls who welcome fresh meat but
metallic material. The pillars don’t run perpen- don’t see too well.
dicular but branch out, are slanted and laid like ✥✥ CREATURES: Trolls.
beams across the ceiling. Their glowing blue veins
give off a guiding light. Large faces are molded
into the metal. 6. THE PASSAGE
Beyond a gate in the mountain and several flights
The dwelvers can reveal that the mountain at of stairs, you suddenly come upon an expansive
this shallow level was so frail that it had to be subterranean lake. The ceiling is supported by
reinforced, but they are horrified by the crude pillars that have glowing veins here as well, and

FINDS IN THE DEPTHS

Adventurers who spend a quarter of an hour searching for treasures may roll once
on the table below.

D6 FIND INFORMATION
1 Cup Some kind of cup made of gray rock (“It bestows wondrous
power,” says Arvi). It is actually a dwarven piss-cup, a fact that
jolly dwelvers can point out to any adventurer who uses the
cup for drinking. Worth 1 copper coin.
2 A keg of Very, very old. Anyone who drinks it must roll on the Eating
beer the Mushroom table, below. The effect is similar. Can be sold to
a shifty barkeep for D6 copper coins.
3 Corpse An almost mummified corpse of a human adventurer who per-
ished in the depths. Around the corpse’s neck is a bronze medal-
lion with the simple inscription “Agne.” Worth D6 copper coins.
4 Warhammer A well-forged warhammer. Worth 18 silver coins.
5 Copper A scarred and beaten but very beautifully engraved small cop-
shield per shield. Worth 10 silver coins.
6 Helmet An ornamented great helm of the finest quality. Once belonged
to Kerg of Belderan, a long-lost ancestor of the current royal
family. To the right dwarf in Stonegarden, the helmet is worth
5 gold coins or more. To King Turik, the helmet is invaluable,
and the adventurers will earn the gratitude of the clan if it is
returned.

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rests only three meters above the black, still surface The dry ditch is approximately 80 meters
of the water. It smells musty and the sound of lazy across. One can cross it by using the hook-gloves
drops falling echoes in the silence. Bronze rings to swing along the rings in the ceiling. About
hang from the ceiling everywhere. On the docks halfway across, you will disturb a colony of ag-
are a few wooden rafts. gressive bats from the crack in the mountain,
whom you must then fight while hanging on at
The rafts are made from a light type of wood least one arm from the ceiling (roll for MOVE
and float quite nicely. To traverse the lake, the so as not to get an insane difficulty modifier for
adventurers should use the rings in the ceiling to melee). One can also climb down and trudge
pull their way forward. Paddling is not advisable, across the ditch or push down one of the rafts
as beasts live in the water and these are attracted and paddle, but in both cases you will have to
to the splashing. The dwelvers ask everyone to deal with a giant squid that lives in the sludge.
be quiet and to make as careful movements as ✥✥ CREATURES: Bats and giant squid.
possible. This might be the first occasion where
they take a shortcut through the cracks of the
mountain, saying that they’ll meet the adven- 8. THE CITY OF STONE
turers below the lake. If so, make sure that they After descending even more stairs and wading
leave water bombs that may come in handy. through waterlogged caverns, you arrive at a
In the water lives a giant squid that raven- fairly steeply sloping cave filled with ruins made
ously attacks if it notices the intruders. This up of primitive stone houses. About a dozen of
happens automatically if the adventurers pad- humanoid lizard creatures with pale scales and
dle or otherwise splash in the water. If they tra- large eyes hiss and move among the ruins. They
verse the water using the rings in the ceiling, are little bit larger than halflings.
they can avoid being detected by a successful
STEALTH roll. The ancestors of the dwelvers once lived here
✥✥ CREATURES: Giant squid. but as time passed, they abandoned the city and
it stood forlorn before the lizard-people settled
the site.
7. THE DRY DITCH ✥✥ CREATURES: The cave creatures are preda-
Beyond a ledge with other rafts and gloves was tors and might attack, but they scare easily.
presumably another lake, but you can see how the
mountain wall has ruptured a little further on,
causing the water to drain away. The glowing 9. THE SUN CAVE
pillars continue down into a foggy trench, but are Already on the spiral staircases under the city of
covered with algae and lack their luster down stone, you unexpectedly pick up the scent of flow-
there, revealing nothing. There are steps dug into ers, fresh and warm, rising towards you and
the wall so you can climb down, but something when the stairs suddenly open up, you stand before
large moves at the bottom of the abyss. a surreal, subterranean valley filled with green-

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ery. You emerge at the top of a 150-meter high The greatest obstacle is to cross the furrow.
pyramidal pillar, one of many that supports the The dwelvers usually avoid this path, and don’t
rock ceiling. Spiral stairs around the gorgeously know how to traverse the valley. If you push
ornamented pillar continue downwards to the down one of the sleds, it will go all the way up
floor of the valley. Along the right lip of the val- to the opposite edge at which point you can hop
ley lava burbles in a volcanic gulch. A 30-meter off, preferably with a rope in hand. However,
wide scorched furrow runs across the valley from the furrow is only sufficiently cold for passage
the volcanic gulch to a steaming precipice. A large one hour before a rolling sun passes anew – at
fireball slowly rolls along the furrow – like a min- other times, the runners of the sled will melt
iature sun. Behind the ball, the furrow smolders. and barrels of oil will catch on fire. If the sleds
get stuck in the furrow they will glide towards
Every eighth hour a new, 60-meter wide fire- the precipice but may melt and get stuck if it’s
ball wells up from the volcanic gulch, and then too hot farther down. Closest to the cliff, the
slowly and thunderously rolls along the slightly furrow’s edge is so uneven that it is possible to
inclined furrow for four hours to fall over the climb up or down from the near side. Anyone
cliff into the water far below, causing billowing climbing down can use the soft tin ladder of
clouds of steam to rise up. And so the valley al- the dwelvers to ascend the other side without
ternates between four hours of night and day. It being bothered by the cave creatures, since they
is tropically warm and humid. In the jungle, on never come close to the precipice.
both sides of the furrow, live tribes of the cave ✥✥ CREATURES: Several hundred cave
creatures the adventurers encountered in the creatures, divided into two tribes, one on
city of stone above. The tribes of the different either side of the furrow.
sides hate each other and throw rocks and fe-
ces across the furrow, but can’t cross it and are
only out at night since they fear the sun. The 10. THE LOVING STATUE
cave creatures are also afraid of heights. Con- At the farthest edge of the sun valley is a closed stone
sequently, they never go near the precipice or gate with a hole in what looks like a metal heart.
up the spiral staircases of the towers. You can, Next to the gate, a statue of a dwarf kindly stretches
however, hear them hiss during the daytime if its hands towards you. Above the gate is inscribed:
you pass them in the bushes. If the cave crea- “Let hands unite
tures on the far side of the furrow see the ad- May warmth of love
venturers fight and defeat their enemies on the open the heart’s door.”
near side they will treat the strangers like demi-
gods, throwing themselves to the ground, car- One of the statue’s hands can be turned and
rying forth food and so on. The only one who removed. It’s forged from a memory metal
isn’t pleased is the large cave creature who calls that resumes its original shape when heated. If
itself “The Lizard-King” and wants all the you warm the hand of the statue in your own
worship for himself. or over an open flame, the fingers will twist

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so that the hand fits like a key in the heart- hours. A few red ones are poisonous, and a
lock. Since the lizard-people of the cave are couple of black ones explode into spore clouds
cold-blooded and afraid of fire, they couldn’t if you touch them, clouds that cause fits of
use the key, which is the reason why the coughing. Blind giant spiders live amongst the
dwelvers once put it there. mushrooms, feeding from them, but they’d
enjoy some meat for a change. They have ex-
cellent hearing, smell and touch, but no sight.
11. THE MUSHROOM CAVE They have trouble locating creatures smeared
A rich, but not unpleasant, smell greets you in an in lamp oil or other strong scents.
oblong cave that stretches as far as the eye can see. ✥✥ CREATURES: D6 Giant spiders
Large mushrooms grow like a forest on the floor.

The mushrooms that were once cultivated here 12. THE METAL PLAINS
have mutated and grown as large as sunshades. After yet another stretch of stairs you reach a stone
You can eat them, but some of them are nar- plateau. Here are even more spiders, large as ele-
cotic and cause hallucinations for a couple of phants, but to your relief you notice that they appear
to be sculpted. Beyond the plateau a very irregular,
sloping valley begins that is filled with natural rock
obelisks and metal formations. The entire valley
EATING THE MUSHROOM seems to be moving as if filled with overgrown bar-
D6 RESULT nacles and coelenterates. Crystals of different colors

1 It’s a bitter taste… Poison with light up the half light here and there.
Potency 5 (lethal poison).
2 Your tongue goes numb… Poi- The peculiar sculptures are spider striders, large,
son with Potency 6 (sleeping semi-magically maintained, but mobile, stone
poison). skeletons in the shape of spiders. On the back of
3 It feels like fairies are dancing each is a gondola that seats four people. A spider
in my mouth! Poison with Po- strider moves on its own down the sloping valley
tency 7 (hallucinogenic poison). once it has been set into motion. Its long, articu-
4 It tastes nothing at all. lated legs are able to navigate almost any kind of
5 Refreshing! Today’s need for terrain. From the gondola, the spider strider can
WATER is covered, and 1 point be steered sideways or brought to a complete halt
of Agility is restored.
through the use of a steering lever. The magical
6 Not bad at all… Today’s need for vehicle appears heavy but is remarkably light,
FOOD is covered, and 1 point of
allowing two people to lug it forward on level
Strength is restored.
ground using a towing harness. Before disem-
barking, the dwelvers fill the tanks on the spider
legs with the glue and tar that you’ve brought

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along. The sticky liquids are funneled into the 14. THE DRAGON’S LAIR
feet of the spider strider and provide traction. You arrive at a larger cave where rumbling
In the mineral-laden valley live ore-wellers, sounds and acrid odors indicate that something
a kind of shapeless mineral being about the huge and living is nearby. In the middle of the
shape and size of a seal that devours raw ma- cave are a couple of abandoned stone structures
terials to enrich themselves and converts them built around a circular stone grill, 30 meters in
into new forms. The dwarves use them to pro- diameter. In the middle of the grill is a stone plat-
duce the rare metals they need for their alloys. form with some elevation where a burst of glisten-
Unfortunately, ore-wellers are dangerous as they ing metal threads sprout as if from a fountain.
are drawn to the metals in the tissues and blood-
streams of humanoids, which they can dissolve The people in the village have been evacuat-
with their acids. That is the reason why spider ed to deeper layers in the mountain since the
striders are being used to move around the area, shackles of the dragon have begun to weaken.
but the legs of the vehicle should be greased with If anyone steps out onto the stone grill, the big
a slimy mixture of mashed slugs to be left alone. eye of the Scarne the dragon will appear under
✥✥ CREATURES: 2D6 Ore-Wellers. the grill to inspect the newcomer.
✥✥ CREATURES: The dragon Scarne.

13. THE LANDSLIDE

The stone dust is still clogging the air around a
shaft that recently collapsed due to the movements
of the settling mountain. You can see the remains
of broken staircases along the edges, but the rest of
the descent is choked with large slabs of rock.

The adventurers must climb down as well as

they are able with ropes and other aids (they
must succeed with a roll of MOVE to make it
down without incident). Luckily enough, the
landslide consists mostly of large slabs with
spaces in between, but they are not always com-
pletely stable and at times one must squeeze
through or even dig. With a successful roll of
CR AFTING, one can detach the sticky feet
of the spider striders and tie them under one’s
shoes for excellent purchase during the climb
(you automatically succeed with the descent).

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 the same force, stopping 80 meters below the
surface. When the top hatch is opened hot
mercury rushes in, having leaked up past the
sides, and the entire lift is very hot. Shifts in
the shaft have caused the lift to get stuck and
stop. One has to climb to the surface on rungs
set into the wall of the shaft, all the while
the mountain starts quaking. One surfaces a
couple of kilometers or more from the cliff of
Stonegarden.

MONSTERS
AND NPCS
15. THE SILVER SPEAR Below are described the most important mon-
Past a cave with a circular, 50-meter wide met- sters and NPCs in Stonegarden. Monsters and
al plate for a floor is a small chamber encased in creatures not described here have the same
a cylinder that continues up into the rock ceiling. stats as in the Bestiary or the chapter on Kin
From the roof over the metal plate hangs a gigan- in the Gamemaster’s Guide in the starter box
tic, sculpted metal fist.

This is the Silver Spear, an experimental emer- DWARVEN GUARDIANS

gency lift that the dwelvers have constructed Heavily armored guardians, loyal to death
and are dying to try, though preferably not from the clan of the Iron Hounds, who serve
on themselves. The travelers take their place King Karonax and Queen Sulma.
in the chamber that is sealed from within STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 2, WITS 2, CHARISMA 2
and then buckle down. When the mechanism SKILLS: Might 3, Melee 4
is triggered, the fist drops with tremendous
GEAR: Heavy warhammer, large shield,
force and pressurizes a tank full of mercury plate armor, bascinet
underneath the metal plate. Through reverse
hydraulics, the mercury shoots up into the
thinner tube, pushing the lift upwards, accel-
erating with incredible speed for five seconds. RANGMAR AND ARVI
A couple of seconds later a deafening, jarring Rangmar and Arvi are two ancient dwarves –
noise is heard, and the lift decelerates with dwelvers – from the underground who have jour-

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 DWARF NOBLES IN STONEGARDEN
NAME INFORMATION
King Karonax The royal couple of the dwarven clan of the Canides are dark of
Queen Sulma hair and skin, proud, markedly beautiful and actually quite similar
of the Canide to one another, a fact that has birthed malicious rumors about
Clan Karonax’s father, Kurme “The Hornbearer’s,” escapades among
the the Canidian noble-women. None can, however, question the
royal couple’s proficiency in battle, where they swing two-handed
battleaxes clad in gilded armor of black steel. Karonax and Sulma
endeavor to be exemplary in all things: wisdom, integrity and
physique. Their goody two-shoe ways can be tiresome in the long
run, much like their vanity.

Turik of Belde- The Belderan King Turik, with the moniker “The Shield Louse”, has
ran, King been a careful ruler ever since he ascended the throne, keeping
of the Belder- the gates to the kingdom closed and never unnecessarily sticking
an Clan his nose into the dangerous surroundings. Many are highly critical
of his caution, since it has given the Rust Brothers, orcs, demon
beasts and other villains free reign. Now the king is dying and so
overweight that it requires four strong dwarves to lift him. Several
of his children are eyeing the throne. 

Rigalda Raven Rigalda is King Turik’s eldest daughter, an intelligent professional

of Belderan soldier who’s seen active duty against the invading humans. She
of the Belder- advocates for the dwarves to unite in massive counter-attacks to
an Clan reclaims what has been lost. Rigalda Raven is supported by more
radical, aggressive forces and the Meromannians. She has been
given the nickname the Raven for her sharp tongue and axe.
Berwyld, Turik’s eldest son, Berwyld, is a petron, i.e., one of the foremost
petron Stone Singers in Belderand. He considers the human invasion
of the Belder- and the wars to be a distraction staged by the gods to test the
an Clan dwarves’ focus on their god-given task, and wants to continue his
father’s more moderate policies. He is supported by more conser-
vative forces and the Crombe clan in Vivend.
Trondeval of Missing (see Events). Dreamy dwarven prince far down the line
Belderan of succession, who dreams of recapturing the Forbidden Lands
of the Belder- through an alliance with the Aesir orc clan. Trondeval has a soft
an Clan spot for the elven culture and often travels to Dankwood to visit
the allied people of the woods. He dreams of a renewed and equal
unity among elves, dwarves and orcs.

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neyed to the surface to ask for help, the former STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 5, WITS 4, CHARISMA 3
clad in a white robe and the latter clad in furs. SKILLS: Endurance 3, Crafting 3, Stealth 3,
They mostly resemble chalky, white halflings Sleight of Hand 2, Move 3, Lore 2, Survival
3, Manipulation 2
of considerable but indefinable age. The taboos
of the dwelvers dictate that they can neither see GEAR: Battleaxe

the sun nor touch the land above and their cold,
clammy skin does not agree with sunlight or
wind. They can’t speak at surface level and their LUPENDUS FIRM
hearing isn’t very good in the world above due to Lupendus is a Meromannian dwarven officer
the thin air. As soon as they reach 200 meters who volunteers to accompany the expedition
or more below ground, they start talking inces- to the depths. The undertaking honors him,
santly and without hindrance, to everyone’s sur- but he is stripped of his bonds to his clan and
prise. They are both skilled Stone is no longer welcome amongst clan dwarves if
Singers, metallurgists and engi- he manages to return to the surface. Among
neers who look at their descen- other things, he is branded across his cheeks
dants above with disdain, and so that he is streaked with blood for the du-
they seldom miss a chance ration of the adventure. Adventurers who are
to mock the world above dwarves are threatened with the same treat-
and all the troubles that ment.
its denizens have wrought. Lupendus Firm is a serious and formidable
They are very eccentric and warrior whose family died in a tragic accident
bizarre with a sense of humor for which he blames himself. He is haunted by
that is difficult to understand. Dwelvers are able nightmares and is uncapable of letting anyone
to partially or completely soften their skeletons down ever again. He’s probably not count-
at will, allowing them to press through inch ing on surviving the mission, but if he does
wide cracks in the mountain where no one can he may accompany the adventurers as a loyal
follow them. They can teach this skill to Stone warrior in their future endeavors. Lupendus
Singers who gain their trust. considers Tademelda of Crombe to be an over-
They are troubled by the way the world zealous, religious maniac without ties to any
above is developing, and in secret they are con- dwarven traditions.
templating whether it wouldn’t be a good idea
to release the fettered dragon, Scarne, to stir STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, CHARISMA 2
the pot and usher in a new beginning among SKILLS: Might 3, Endurance 2, Melee 3, Sur-
the incompetent fools. While travelling vival 2, Healing 2
through the depths, they will interrogate the GEAR: Warhammer, large shield, chain mail,
adventurers about life up there and make their closed helmet
decision on the dragon issue dependent on how
their companions answer and act..

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 TROLL ALARAG ELDING
The depths below Stonegarden are home to a Alarag Elding is the son of the leader of the
small colony of mountain trolls. These big, Aesir orc clan, Eldag the Ravager. He desper-
stinking creatures subsist on a diet of prey- ately wants to make a name for himself among
ing bats and the occasional cave creature, but the orcs, has a terrible temper and is good at
would really love to stuff their gullets with fighting, but he’s not very bright. Alarag and
something fatter and tastier, like adventurers. his crew have snuck close to Stonegarden in the
STRENGTH 14, AGILITY 2 hopes of killing some dwarves and then brag-

REGENERATE: The troll regains one point of ging about the deed.
Strength each turn.
STENCH: All enemies within ARM’S LENGTH STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 4, WITS 1, CHARISMA 2
distance suffer one point of exhaustion each SKILLS: Might 2, Melee 4, Stealth 2, Move 2,
turn due to the terrible stench of the troll. Scouting 2
For the troll’s MONSTER ATTACK, see page GEAR: Two-handed sword, studded leather
XX in the Gamemaster’s Guide. armor, open helmet, D6 copper coins

GIANT SQUID
Where the giant squids in the underground ac- SCARNE THE DRAGON
tually come from is a mystery. Maybe they were The gigantic female dragon Scarne has been
brought here by a whimsical dwarven lord for trapped beyond a stone grill a thousand meters
protection from the threats of the world above. beneath Stonegarden for fifteen hundred years.
Her prison does not consist of the stone grill
STRENGTH 15, AGILITY 3 alone, but more importantly, of an elastic, me-

For the giant squid’s monster attacks, see tallic net that covers the entirety of the drag-
page XX in the Gamemaster’s Guide. on’s body. The net is about to break and that is
what the dwelvers claim to want to repair.
Scarne speaks all of the languages of the
PREYING BATS Forbidden Lands and is highly intelligent.
The preying bats attacks in swarms, thus their She’s completely devoid of humor, however,
value for Strength is for the entire swarm. If interprets all jokes and attempts at irony liter-
the value drops to half. the remaining preying ally and remembers every perceived slight. The
bats will retreat. dragon is furious with the dwarves, especially
the Crombe clan, but is wise enough to tem-
STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 2 per her rage until she is set free. If she wins

SKILLS: Melee 2 her freedom, she intends to demolish Dragon’s

Tooth – the main stronghold of the Crombes
BITE (Weapon Damage 1)
– and find the hammer Scarnesbane to drop

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it in the ocean, far from land. After that, she
wants to settle in the mountains north of the EVENTS
Forbidden Lands to be a matron dragon to her Below are suggested events that you can expose
younger kin. the adventurers to in Stonegarden.
If the adventurers tread on the stone grill
in the dragon’s lair, Scarne will implore them
to free her. She tells them of the falsehoods of THE EXPEDITION
the dwarven myths and how she was impris- The dwelvers Rangmar and Arvi requests help
oned by their villainous god. (See the section with an expedition deep underground. A beast
on Scarnesbane, page of the Gamemaster’s that they have kept imprisoned since the dawn
Guide.) If they help her, she promises to spare of time is about to break free, and they need to
the friends and lands of her liberators as well as transport materials from the surface to repair
granting them a favor of their own choosing in the prison. The matter is cumbersomely ex-
the world above. plained through sign language since dwelvers
are unable to speak in the surface world. King
STRENGTH 48, AGILITY 4, WITS 6, CHARISMA 2 Karonax makes a big deal about him under-

For the dragon’s monster attacks, see standing the ancestors and being their friend.
page xx of the Gamemaster’s Guide. Since dwarves who’d follow them to the depths
would lose their clan bonds forever, strangers
are sought to escort them. The death-seeking
Lupendus Firm, however, demands to lead the
ORE-WELLERS journey.
Ore-wellers aren’t living beings but fusiforms, The dwelvers will be unaware of certain
mobile clumps of mineral mass that assault parts of the journey or how certain obstacles
metals, engulf them, break them down and may be bypassed, since they regularly take
reshapes them. They have no organs and can shortcuts through cracks in the mountain
only be killed by being completely dispersed, to avoid said obstacles. The GM can allow
for example, through an explosion. They will them to accompany the adventurers or take
cause weapons to rust if one attacks them. The shortcuts here and there to meet them fur-
best means of luring them away is by distract- ther down. The tendency to tag along in-
ing them with a handful of gold coins, their creases if they have become friends with the
all-time favourite snack. adventurers.
The equipment of the expedition, aside
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2 from the belongings of the adventurers, con-

INVULNERABLE: An ore-weller can’t be sists of:

harmed by common weaponry. Every at- ✥✥ Two sleds whose runners are coated with
tack with a metallic weapon will decrease a metal that glides completely without
the bonus of the weapon by one. friction. They must be braked in downhill

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 slopes so as to not run off and are fitted TO HONOR THE FOREBEARS
with brake levers that lower spikes for that Tademelda of Crombe is very eager to accompa-
purpose. ny the dwelvers to the underground when the
✥✥ Two kegs each of glue, tar, lamp oil, fat, matter of the expedition is brought up; she tries
drinking water and a lubricant made from to persuade Karonax to let her do so. Officially,
mashed slugs. she sees it as her duty to help the ancestors and
✥✥ Provisions (the adventurers are supplied since she has already broken her bonds to her
with the highest value of provision dice). clan anyway, that particular detail won’t be a
✥✥ Any trade goods they require and can problem. Karonax agrees to her request, but in-
carry from the table on page xx in the sists that Lupendus Firm joins the expedition
Player’s Handbook, but no items costing and that no more Crombes may come along.
more than 1 gold. The players cannot Tademelda truly believes that it is her duty
add to the list of gear after entering the to aid the dwelvers, but she also has secret rea-
underground. sons to join the expedition, reasons that Karo-
✥✥ No mounts can be brought along. nax wouldn’t approve of:
✥✥ She knows that the Crombes once buried
The dwelvers carry some additional special the remains of the dragon Scarne un-
equipment: derneath Stonegarden, and suspects that
✥✥ A case of rare mineral samples that King the beast in the depths is either Scarne’s
Karonax has entrusted to them them undead corpse or one of the giant dragon’s
with great hesitation, as it is incredibly offspring that she wishes to slay to win
valuable. The dwelvers intend to use the fame.
minerals as diffundants, i.e., substances ✥✥ She hopes that the hammer Scarnesbane
that immediately alter the attributes of a was buried with the dragon, and covets the
large, cohesive metal body. legendary weapon to win fame and fortune
✥✥ A coffer of gold coins that Karonax has in the coming struggle for Vond.
given just as unwillingly. The coins are
meant as food for the ore-wellers in the During the journey into the underground, Ta-
metal plains. demelda can tell the adventurers the legends of
✥✥ Twenty-meter-long rope ladders and ropes her clan:
made from soft tin. These are as flexible The dragon mother Scarne was defeated by her
as fabric, but if they are treated with the ancestor, Oramund, who wielded Scarnesbane at
proper diffundant, they immediately the dawn of time. This legend (described further
solidify and become as hard as steel along on page xx of the Gamemaster’s Guide) is false –
their entire length. The effect lasts for more on that below.
half an hour, at which time the metal Back then, the Canides were vassals to the
once again softens. The process can be Crombes. Many Crombes still believe that Canides
repeated. should show their betters due respect.

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 The Alderlander humans deceitfully seized seize Stonegarden by himself or secondarily
the mighty dwarven castle of Vond from the kill as many dwarves as possible to win glory,
Crombes when they invaded Ravenland. Vond while Trondeval wants to establish an alliance
is now occupied by the vile sorcerer Zytera (page between the dwarves and orcs. Alarag has
xx) and its demonic servants, Merigall and Kra- tricked Trondeval into believing that they are
sylla. (This can be a good time to mark Vond on friends. When the adventurers pass from the
your map of the Forbidden Lands, if you haven’t Stone Gardens to the catacombs, they hear
already done so.) voices from a side passage. Trondeval and a
Tademelda’s holy mission is to reclaim Vond dozen angry orcs stand outside the barred gate
and chase away demons and humans in the name of the secret passage, which can only be opened
of the god Huge, all to the crunching sound of her by a mechanism on the inside. Trondeval asks
hammer. them to open the gate so that dwarves and orcs
When Tademelda realizes that it is the drag- can parley. If they refuse, Alarag becomes fu-
on mother Scarne herself that dwells in the depths rious, takes the dwarven prince as hostage and
and that the entire story of how Oramund slew threatens to kill him. If the orcs reach the
her is a fabrication, she will suffer a crisis of faith marketplace, they will randomly attack the vis-
and gain a great deal of contempt for her own itors and then run away unless they are killed
clan. The dwarven princess may reappear at the or captured first.
showdown in Vond.

THE SECRET
THE MISSING PRINCE If the adventurers decide to accompany the
Rigalda Raven of Belderan pulls aside one of expedition to the underground, Rigalda Raven
the adventurers in Stonegarden. She wants the as well as the petron Berwyld will take them
person in question to discreetly find her lit- aside and demand that, for a discreet fee, they
tle brother, Trondeval, who has gone missing report back to them and them alone when they
during the succession talks. She pays one gold return. Berwyld also gives them a posion to use
coin, as well as promising three more if the in an emergency, “if anything in the depths
prince is returned. Rigalda is afraid that he has seems to threaten the surface world” (lethal
done something stupid and that he might even poison with Potency 8).
have gone as far as heading into the under-
ground on his own since he wants to be a hero.
THE CHOICE
The ancient dwarves need to take the path
THE UPSTARTS’ DILEMMA across the metal plains to find the red metal
The dwarf Trondeval of Belderan and the orc that they call rose silver. They need the metal as
Alarag Elding both want to assert themselves a component to affect Scarne’s shackles in the
among their respective kin. Alarag wants to depths. The dwelvers will debate if they want to

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fetter Scarne more firmly or instead loosen her THE DRAGON’S RETURN
bonds as they journey downwards – they can As a finale, if the adventurers freed Scarne,
reach an impasse where the choice falls to the they will see the gigantic beast break free from
adventurers on whom they are relying for sup- its earthen confines, creating a huge crater.
port. Both actions are performed by smearing The Forbidden Lands will now have a new
the ends of the threads of the dragon’s metal force to reckon with. Place the sticker with the
prison with the proper substance, which can be crater on the map.
produced in a couple of hours at the site.
The dwelvers have grown tired of the
dragon, who wasn’t their problem
to begin with, who shakes the
underground apart, and has be-
gun to be regarded as a god by some
of their kin.

THE SILVER SPEAR

Once the dragon’s prison has been treated
one way or the other, the mountain will be-
gin to quake and debris will start to rain
down. The dwelvers explain that they
will head for safety in the lower lay-
ers through cracks through which
the adventurers are unable to follow.
With a certain amount of enthusi-
asm, they offer to send the stranded
souls up with the Silver Spear before
leaving. If that is not agreeable to the ad-
venturers, they may try to head back the
way they came as best they can.
For effect, the dwelvers will say
that the Silver Spear is unable to car-
ry everyone to the surface. Lupendus
Firm offers to stay behind. Maybe he
will be able to make it back on his own. If
they insist on squeezing everyone into the
lift, it will grind to a halt further down, re-
sulting in a longer climb.

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 THE S TON E-
LOOM MIN ES

TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Dungeon

Warm fumes, reeking of blood and rot like the site. Marga will believe the adventurers are her
breath of a predator, rise from the broken gates of brother. Zertorme can even have given the group
Stoneloom Mines in the mountainside. You know the mission to find out what happened to his
that many have died only twenty paces closer to the mother Martea and perhaps retrieve an artefact
cavern mouth. Every fiber of your being twitches, to use against Zytera, such as Martea’s lock of his
urging you to run. father’s hair. Another option is that the adven-
turers are going into the mines to search for the
dwarf, Milva, and her party, to simply seek to
plunder the mines, or see if it is possible to open
BACKGROUND the mines again.
Zygofer’s and Martea’s demonic daughter, Mar- Apart from Marga and her mother Mar-
ga, haunts Stoneloom Mines. She feeds on any- tea, the mines are home to several minor de-
thing warm-blooded that comes near her and the mons who draw nourishment from Marga, as
adventurers should be equipped with some form well as several more or less demonified reptil-
of magical protection, preferably something like ian creatures and insects that Marga has left
the emerald Gall-Eye or the face of the sorcer- alone since she does not feed on cold-blooded
er Zertorme from the Amber’s Peak adventure creatures.

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 GETTING HERE
There are many different ways in which the ad-
venturers can find their way to the Stoneloom RECOMMENDED READING
mines. They may have found a map that leads Before playing the Stoneloom
here, heard the legends about this place, or en- Mines, we recommend that you
countered one of the events below. read about Zygofer, Martea, and
Marga (see page xx), and the
section about demos on page
THE DWARVEN SCOUT xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
The adventurer’s encounter Ulm, a dwarven
scout from the Meromannian clan desperately
looking for his lost brethren. He knows that the
warrior, Milva, and her fellow dwarves traveled the adventurers, but does not believe that the girl
to Stoneloom to investigate if the mine was still her daughter saw is the Marga of the tale.
usable after all these years. They never returned.
It has fallen on Ulm to scout the area around the
mines and report back any findings. He knows
the legend of the mine, and can offer to join the LEGEND
adventurers to explore the place. Some say the Meromannian dwarves abandoned
the Stoneloom Mines after the Third Alder
Wars, but the truth is that they were eaten by
THE LITTLE PLAYMATE something that moved into their home. Rumors
Darja the Aslene and her daughter, Lumi, are whisper that the mad wizard Zygofer cursed his
traveling the land on horseback. They will meet family as they fled his ever more frightening pres-
the adventurers and ask them to join them for ence. Tainted by a demonic infection, his daugh-
supper around their campfire. During the night, ter, Marga, sought shelter among the dwarves
Darja will tell tales of the plains of Aslene, home in the Stoneloom Mines, where she turned into
to her proud ancestors, and of the demons that a monster and consumed her hosts. None have
eventually ravaged the lands. Before bedtime, dared enter the caves since.
the daughter, Lumi, wants to tell the adventur-
ers about her new playmate but is immediately
hushed by the protective mother. It turns out
that the pair camped outside of the Stoneloom
Mines recently, and Lumi was awakened in the LOCATIONS
middle of the night by a strange girl claiming The most important locations in the
to be called Marga and wanting to play. Darja Stoneloom Mines are described below. If the
knows the legend of Stoneloom and will tell it to adventurers get their hands on a map of the

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 1. MINE ENTRANCE
The Mines’ entrance gapes like a toothless mouth.
One half of the gate is missing, while the other,
THE ENVIRONS OF THE MINES made of sturdy oak, hangs askew on a massive
The Stoneloom Mines are charac- hinge. The smell of corpses and less identifiable
terized by the following: things flows up from the depths.
✥✥ It is consistently damp and
humid.
✥✥ The temperature is only a few 2. STAIRWELL
degrees above freezing, except Below a ramp of steps, an eight-meter-wide circu-
where creatures dwell and where lar shaft opens, plunging down into the darkness.
Marga has passed through during Spiral stairs worm their way down the sides. Odd
the last few hours, since her mas- whimpering and munching sounds rise from the
sive and steaming form quickly deep. Thick rusty chains hang from a huge winch,
heats the tunnels. all of which are rusted together.
✥✥ There is a stench of mostly un-
pleasant and somewhat noxious The ravine once had a wooden structure cover-
fumes from the different crea- ing it, but only shattered remains are left. The
tures inhabiting the mines. spiral stairs continue down some 50 meters
✥✥ Darkness reigns, except where into the darkness.
fluorescent algae grow on the
walls.
✥✥ Brass bells hang in marked 3. ANTECHAMBER
places throughout the mines, The shaft plunges deeper into the mountain, but
once used as a signaling system. the stairs end at a sloped tunnel with slotted tracks
Ringing them now only attracts in the floor. You can see a faint light at the top of
monsters. the slope.
✥✥ Marga can appear anywhere. See
Events below. The mine shaft leads to the oldest cave in the
mines. All the shafts in the mine have slot-
ted tracks in the floor. The mining carts were
hoisted up using a winch mechanism in the
mines (the one Milva is carrying, for example), tracks. The weak light is coming from a venti-
you can give the players the player version of lation shaft that leads up to the surface. There
the map. It can be found at the end of this book are broken wooden crates spread throughout
and for download on the Free League website. the cave, plundered a long time ago.

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 4. CHAPEL to the cart depot (see area number 6 on the map) can
Crystals glimmer in the ceiling of this beautiful be found behind a small side door by the shaft.
cave, reflected from fluorescent algae. There are ✥✥ CREATURES: Demonic mass (see page
parts of stone benches and sculptures on the walls, XX).
but everything is collapsed and decayed. Bone
fragments and large shells are strewn across the
floor. 5. THE LAIR OF THE SAURIANS
An almost overpowering stench of filth and decay
A cave with glimmering salt crystals in the ceiling drift from a side tunnel. Two Saurians armed
has been decorated as a chapel to the god Huge. with spears hiss and cluck when
The walls were beautifully carved, but have been they notice the light you are
broken down and fallen apart. A demonic mass carrying.
clings to the ceiling here, half-heartedly sending
down the occasional tentacle towards anything
living. It can be easily avoided if discovered. Bro-
ken bones and chitinous shells from large insects
are scattered beneath it.
The sloping passage from the cave has two al-
coves housing dilapidated wheelbarrows, carts,
tools and barrels of grease. A staircase leading down

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS IN THE MINES

Roll D6 every Quarter Hour. If you roll l, a random encounter
occurs. Roll on the table below. Stats for these creatures can be
found in the Bestiary in the Gamemaster’s Guide.

D6 ENCOUNTER INFORMATION
1 Rats The tunnel ahead echoes with the skittering of tiny paws.
Soon, the floor is covered in a swarm of large black rats.
2 Saurians D6 Saurians move through the cave.
3 Insectoid D6 human-sized Insectoids.
4 Ghouls D6 gargling and white-eyed dwarf ghouls.
5 Lesser Demons D6 minor demons, sniffing hungrily.
6 Abyss Worm The floor shakes and the stone tiling bulges from the floor.
They shatter, and soon the floor is transformed into a giant
maw!

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the stoneloom mines

 5 1
2

6 3

12 8
11
7

14

15 16

13

17

18 19

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 THE S TON E-
LOOM MIN ES

9
10
23

21

22

20

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the stoneloom mines

 ✥✥ CREATURES: Two Saurians (for stats,
see page xx of the Gamemaster’s Guide).
Another D6 Saurians are close by.

6. CART DEPOT
A row of empty carts, some of which have fallen
apart and some of which are whole, stand in a
row. Their wheels are slotted into shallow fur-
rows in the floor, leading towards a gate opening
into a narrow tunnel that slopes downwards into
the mountain.

Grease can be found nearby in sealed jugs. If

a cart is greased and pushed into the sloping
tunnel, it races down the tunnel at a dizzying
speed and does not stop until it reaches the wa-
ter-filled loading area (see area number 20 on
the map). Any passenger might drown there
unless they quickly swim to the surface in the
shaft, up the ladder to the maintenance cham-
ber (number 18), or possibly along the shaft
to the cave (number 16). It is possible to crawl
back up the cart shaft even if some parts are al-
Three connected caves have been claimed by most vertical, and if someone sends a new cart
a small tribe of Saurians, sixteen creatures in down the tunnel, you will be in serious trouble.
total. Since they are cold-blooded, Marga does
not attack them. They can also be encountered
as they are moving up through the mine, since 7. THE LOG DRIFT
they hunt in the area around it. They have no A straight and wide tunnel, lined with timber
valuables and carry very primitive weapons. pillars, disappears into the darkness as far as the
The Saurians worship Marga as the Goddess eye can see.
of the Mines. She sees them as her pets, and
sometimes gives them animals or people she The mountain is unstable in the northernmost
has caught, so that they may feed on them. part of the tunnel, and several small cave-ins
The Saurians usually let their prey ferment in have occurred there.
a pool once used for tanning before they eat
them, which explains the horrible smell.

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 8. TOMB 10. CAVES
Blue flickering light shines out of a side chamber. You find two large caves, their floors covered with
Something appears to be moving in there. the scattered bones of dwarves. The silence is so
oppressive that it almost feels alive.
Miners who have died over the years have been
placed in ten sarcophagi in a beautifully carved The caves are so large it takes two Quarter
out cave. Three fresh dwarven corpses have Hours to explore them.
been invaded by demonic flesh and awakened ✥✥ TREASURES: One D6 silver piece, a
as ghouls. There are a few valuables in the sar- whistle made from bone and a rusty closed
cophagi, but also high quality dwarven weap- helmet (Armor Rating 3) can be found
ons and tools. An alcove contains oil lamps among the bones.
and small barrels of lamp oil. Fluorescent blue
moon rocks are embedded in the walls.
✥✥ CREATURES: Three dwarven ghouls (for 11. THE ESCARPMENT
stats, see page xx of the Gamemaster’s Guide). You find a steeply sloped cave. Wooden ladders
✥✥ TREASURE: An old keg filled with that are partly rotted through follow trickles of
full-bodied, dark dwarven ale. One gold water down the withered rockface.
piece. D6 copper pieces.
If you slide down you risk triggering a rock slide
(if the adventurers want to risk it, roll MOVE,
9. THE INSECT SHAFT a failure triggers a slide making it impossible
A soft draft emanates from a rising mining shaft. to go back the same way). This is a great op-
It carries a vague scent reminiscent of a grain silo. portunity for the GM to cut off the way back
You hear distant scraping noises. behind the adventurers and force them to find
another way out. There are two small breaches
Several plain, empty living quarters can be in the slope.
found along a slope. The tunnel ends in a ven-
tilation shaft with plain, smooth walls with no
steps or any kind of winch. Large insectile crea- 12. MINING SHAFT AND MUSH-
tures flutter noisily down the shaft if they are ROOM PATCHES
disturbed. If you throw a stone down the shaft, The smell of mushrooms emanates from below
a splash can be heard after almost five seconds. the escarpment, not moldy but fresh. You see what
Human- sized insectoids have colonized the appears to be large caves through passages to the
closest living quarters beyond the chasm. They north and to the south. The southern tunnel opens
fly up and out during the night to hunt, but up into another shaft. You see the remains of a
never venture further into the mines. wooden bridge leading to a massive wooden door
✥✥ CREATURES: D6 + 3 insectoids (for stats, on the other side. There are strange scratches on
see page xx of the Gamemaster’s Guide). the door.

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The mine’s mushroom patches are behind 14. CAVERN
the door, where Milva and her dwarves have Half-rotted stairs lead almost forty meters down
barricaded themselves. An underground into a perpendicular rock shaft.
stream with potable water that tastes of met-
al runs through the room. The mushrooms
are edible. If the adventurers spend a Quar- 15. PUMPING STATION
ter Hour on collecting them, they receive You arrive at a chamber containing a large,
2D6 units of FOOD. The scratches on the but dormant, mechanism. A large, diagonally
door are from small demons that live in the aligned screw continues up into the ceiling of the
breached vugs (see below). They regularly try room and down through the floor. Two large cog-
to breach the door and reach the dwarves, so wheels appear to power it. A thick axle runs out
they can eat them. into and straight across a round shaft. You hear
✥✥ CREATURES: None right now, but roll water slosh some ten meters below the axle.
once for random encounters.
The lower parts of the mine are submerged,
but the so-called Archimedean screw pumps
13. BREACHED VUGS it away when active. If the pump is activated
Strange sounds and creeping life fill several small on the other side of the shaft, the cogwheels
hollows where a few violet crystals sparkle on the will start to spin, causing the screw to turn
walls. and lift the water out to the mountainside.
The machinery is surprisingly quiet, and the
The hollows are so called vugs, natural crystal water drains away below the level of the map
cavities into which the dwarves have carved in eight hours. The mechanism, which is very
their way in so as to harvest amethysts. Four powerful, is probably powered by steam pres-
lesser demons have settled in the area. They are sure from deeper in the mountain, but no one
always hungry. The adventurers can squeeze knows any longer for sure. All of the mecha-
themselves down to the vugs from the shaft nisms here are made from an unknown metal
through cracks (this takes an additional quar- that appears to neither rust nor oxidize.
ter of an hour) or get there through room 17
(see the map). A couple of amethysts remain.
✥✥ CREATURES: Four lesser demons have 16. MAINTENANCE CHAMBER
their lair here. They are either on site or Below a vertical passage with ladders is a small,
moving about close by, often harassing cramped chamber with machinery. The ladders
the dwarves by the mushroom patches. continue down, but end in water. A lever is set
✥✥ TREASURES: D6 amethysts (worth D6 into the wall. Troughs with grease sit on the floor.
silver coins each). A thick axle leads into the shaft beyond.

If the lever is pulled down, the machinery will

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start working and the axle will slowly begin to re- Worms, creatures that were used to drill and
volve. Since the pumping station is steam-pow- pull carts through smaller shafts. When the
ered, curtains of steam will impair vision in the water rose in the cavern, the worms broke free
proximity of the machinery and rise through the and they have drilled passages in the area large
shaft. The machinery will break down sixteen enough for the adventurers to crawl through.
hours after being activated unless the axle and A few remain, and they are hungry.
the cogwheels have been greased. If the adven- ✥✥ CREATURES: Two Abyss Worms (see page
turers are farther down into the mine by then, XX).
it will slowly begin to fill with water again, so
that they have to slosh onwards and eventually
may find themselves in a real bind. In addition, a 20. GROWTH OF
steam explosion occurs an hour after the break- PHOSPHORUS ALGAE
down, possibly causing cave-ins. As you pass beneath a shaft, you can discern day-
light as a tiny roundel some 150 meters higher up.
Some distance into the next passage, a blue light
17. LOADING AREA (AFTER THE appears around a bend to the right. The voices of
WATER HAS BEEN PUMPED AWAY) children can be heard from the same direction.
A heavy chain that ends in an iron-shod basket
lies in a large heap beneath the shaft. Wreckage of In these caverns the dwarves grew fluorescent
carts is nearby, partially filled with slime. algae that they carried into the mine to light
it. In the shimmering halls, twenty dwarven
From here rocks and ore were lifted to the sur- children can be found who call for help when
face with the winch. The empty carts were sent they sense visitors. Upon a closer look, they are
down to the cart depot (see number 6 on the revealed to be identical and they all shout with
map) along the tracks. the same voice. A demon has entered into sym-
biosis with the algae and attempts to attract
prey. “The children” here are rooted to the
18. ABANDONED CAVERNS rock with the algae, and the demon depends on
being able to lure its prey closer.
✥✥ CREATURES: Demon. Use stats for Marga
19. SEALED CAVERN WITH WORM and the demonic mass on page XX.
HOLES
A stout log gate with iron chains has rotted and
rusted here. At floor level, it is pierced by a hole a 21. IRON GATE
meter wide. You glimpse a large cavern with rust- A sturdy iron gate blocks the passage. The wheel
ed, empty, iron cages through the gate remains. that levers it up appears to be jammed by rust.

The cavern once held the dwarves’ Abyss A gate reinforced with iron may have been low-

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ered into the passage, if it pleases the GM. The over a wheel at surface level. There, stairs lead
door won’t budge, as the mechanism is jammed up to one of the emergency exits of the mine,
with rust. Unless the adventurers can remove it which can only be opened from within and is
through magical means, the only way forward not even visible from the outside when closed.
is through the tunnel worm passages that lead
from the growths (see number 22 on the map)
to Marga’s burrow (see number 24).

MONSTERS
22. MARGA’S BURROW
AND NPCS
It is hot and stifling and smells strange in a moun-
tain riddled with narrow labyrinths. Flickering The most important monsters and non-play-
bluish shadows tempt the eye with visions, but er characters in the Stoneloom Mines are
seem to radiate from phosphorus algae activated described below. Monsters and creatures not
by your presence. A song askew sounds with no ap- described here have the same stats as in the
parent source, as well as laughter, as if from a girl. Bestiary or the chapter on Kin in the Game-
master’s Guide in core game box.
The area is riddled with tunnels created by
Abyss Worms, roughly one meter in diameter
each. Here, there are tendrils from Marga’s de- MILVA AND THE DWARVES
monic body, with the large mass gathered in Milva is a robust dwarven warrior from the
the innermost chamber. clan of the Meromannians. An apothecary in
In the innermost cavern, the adventurers Stonegarden believed himself to have found an
see an eleven-year-old girl standing on a pulsat- ointment that made dwarves invisible to the
ing and living mass that fills the larger part of monster in the mine. Milva offered to try it
the chamber. The mass also belongs to Marga, out to gauge the state of the mines. The oint-
and she has formed her original body from it. ment was effective at first, but proved to be
The body of the girl contains her heart, and if unstable. After an incident where one of Mil-
it is impaled, the Marga creature dies. va’s comrades was killed, the dwarves fled and
shut themselves inside the mushroom patches,
where they have barricaded themselves for the
23. LIFT APPARATUS past two months and lived off of mushrooms
You come to an apparatus that is attached to a rack and water from the stream. Milva has gath-
that runs upwards along a shaft. ered knowledge about the mine and has created
a not entirely accurate map of the place. She
The visitors can slowly raise the cart to the sur- knows of the emergency lift apparatus in the
face by turning a wheel. It takes at least a couple the mine. One of Milva’s men has a serious leg
of hours. The chain with its counterweight runs injury and must be carried. He implores the

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party to leave him behind and save themselves. them, Marga will believe them to be her broth-
er, Zertorme, who has come to visit her and
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2 play. If the party attacks her, she will become

SKILLS: Crafting 2, Scouting 2, Melee 3, angry and act overall like a spoiled, willful and
Survival 2 violent child. The parts of the creature can be
GEAR: Battleaxe, chainmail, D6 silver coins attacked, but it can only be killed by piercing
the girl’s original heart in the innermost cav-
ern. Marga can appear anywhere in the mines,
since her mass wells forth through cracks in
LESSER DEMONS the mountain.
A group of lesser demons
have settled close to the STRENGTH 24, AGILITY 1, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
breach. They live by feeding TOUGH: The demonic mass is very difficult
off the strange minerals to damage, and will suffer a maximum of
but due to their nature, 1 point of Damage from a physical attack,
they are always looking for regardless of the result.
blood to vary their diet. THE AVATAR: The avatar that wears the
The little cherub-like de- appearance of Marga as a girl (see area
24 above) has STRENGTH 3. If the adven-
mons have black, hungry
turers defeat it and give it a COUP DE
eyes and sharp, cold teeth. GRACE, the creature will die. The demonic
mass will, however, do anything to stop
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4 the adventurers from attacking the avatar.
SKILLS: Melee 2 IMMUNITY: It is possible to use MANIPU-
LATION on Marga, but she is immune to
WEAPONS: Bite, Weapon Damage 2 (slash Confusion and Doubt.
wound)
D6 MONSTER ATTACKS
1. MARGA’S LULLABY. An unpleasant and
unnatural song wells forth from the
MARGA – THE DEMONIC MASS demonic mass. Perform an attack
Marga is Zygofer’s and Martea’s demonified on all the adventurers within SHORT
distance. This is a fear attack rolled
daughter. She is an immense, gray-green-
with seven Base Dice.
brown, shapeless mass that can form tenta-
2. TENTACLE ATTACK! A number of tenta-
cles, distorted parts of the girl, or grotesque
cles (equal to half the number of ad-
copies of the adventurers, as she pleases. The venturers, round up) swoop down from
creature’s personality still has traits of an elev- the mass in the ceiling and attempt to
en-year-old, disturbed girl. Marga attacks any- squeeze the life out of one adventurer
thing warm-blooded so as to assimilate it. If
each. Perform an attack against each
of them with seven Base Dice and
the adventurers carry something that protects
Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force).

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3. DEMONIC SHRIEK! The little girl in
the middle of the demonic mass
shrieks, and the next second it is
as if the scream is amplified by the
very mountain walls. All adventurers
within NEAR distance suffer a fear
attack with eight Base Dice.
4. SLIME ATTACK! One of the adventurers
within NEAR distance is covered by
slime from the demonic mass. This
counts as a fear attack with six Base
Dice, and the adventurer gets a -2
penalty to MOVE for the remainder of
the battle.
5. NIGHTMARE ATTACK! A part of the
demonic mass assumes the shape of
one the adventurers’ worst night-
mares (make something up from
previous adventures or ask the player
to describe what the adventurer’s
greatest fear is). The demonic
creature attacks the adventurer with
twelve Base Dice (Weapon Damage 1).
On a hit, the adventurer is thrown to
NEAR distance and falls PRONE.

6. DEVOURING ATTACK! An unfortunate

adventurer is assaulted by several
MARTEA
tentacles that attempt to lift her up
to the demonic mass in the ceiling, Martea was Zygofer’s wife and Marga’s moth-
where a hole is forming. The victim er. Both creatures still see each other that
suffers an attack with ten Base Dice way. Through demonic influence, Martea has
and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force).
fused with a large Abyss Worm. At the front
On a hit, the adventurer is GRAPPLED
and drawn into the demonic mass. of the worm is a slit from which it can pass
The victim must roll for ENDURANCE Martea’s disfigured face when she wishes to
every round, with failure meaning 1 speak. Along the body are similar slits with
point of damage to Agility. If the vic- faces from creatures whom she has “saved”
tim becomes broken, he will die from
throughout the years. These are all terrified
suffocation after D6 rounds. The only
way to save the victim is to deal 10 and scream for help if revealed. Close to Mar-
points of damage to the cocoon that tea’s face on the worm is a lock of human hair
surrounds her. from Zygofer and she speaks to it as if it were
her husband. If it is taken, it can be magically
used against Zytera.

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 Martea sees herself as a good mother,
who looks after her daughter. She tries to EVENTS
save her daughter’s victims by tearing their Below are suggestions for events that you can
bodies apart, chewing off their faces and pre- subject the adventurers to in the Stoneloom
serving them on her body, where they pos- Mines.
sess a kind of life. The adventurers can talk
to her but won’t be able to make much sense
of her ravings. According to Martea, Marga MARGA’S SONG
is “a child that none can judge”. If she senses A girl’s voice is heard singing strange lullabies
anyone bleeding, the nature of the worm will from the cracks in the mountain’s structure or
overpower her and she will attempt to eat the a tentacle that hangs from the rock ceiling, for
wounded person. Martea remembers nothing example:
of this afterwards. If anyone kills or threatens “Sister, brother, how we wax. Mother; father
either mother or daughter, the other will be- sharpens the axe.”
come openly hostile.
Martea may have acquired the sword This can be repeated when it suits the atmo-
Maligarn from someone who previously ven- sphere.
tured into the mines. She views it as a threat
to her family, and may either use it or just
store it. The adventurers can obtain Ma- THE PLAYFUL DEMON
ligarn either by killing Martea or by gaining Marga wants to play. A tentacle attempts to
her trust. She may also have one of the other steal something or brusquely throws someone
artifacts presented in Chapter xx the Game- from the party to the ground as the voice of a
master’s Guide. girl calls, “You’re it!” and giggles. Overall, the
GM should let the adventurers interact with
STRENGTH 18, AGILITY 1, WITS 4, EMPATHY 2 Marga without it necessarily leading to an out-

Martea can perform momster attacks right battle.

like an Abyss Worm (see page XX in the
Gamemaster’s Guide).
THE DEMONIC MASS
Marga’s tissue fills a passage completely. She
won’t retract until the adventurers have an-
swered a riddle or given her a kiss.

THE FRIGHTENED DWARF

The adventurers run into a lost and terrified
dwarf from Milva’s group. The dwarf doesn’t

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know where the others are, but a friend who GAS LEAK
was with him has been captured by monsters Someone picks up the scent of methane. If the
nearby and is probably still alive (which isn’t party doesn’t immediately put out all fires,
necessarily true). It is a possibility that the there will be an explosion within a minute or
dwarf acts and talks funny due to being pos- two. If so, roll for an attack with eight Base
sessed by a demon who only wants to accompa- Dice (Weapon Damage 1) against each adven-
ny the party to the surface and live. turer. It is not possible to DODGE or PARRY
the attack.

THE BELL TOLLS

The nearest signal bell tolls. When the adven- MARGA’S FURY
turers get to where the bell is located, they just Eventually the demonic creature that has as-
see a shadow disappearing in the gloom. Only similated Marga will run out of patience with
the swinging bell remains. Monsters close by the adventurers. If they don’t quickly appease
may also have become intrigued. it, the demonic mass will furiously attack the
party to assimilate them. What Marga wants
most of all is playmates, and preferably her
WHITE MUSHROOMS own age. If the adventurers can trick her into
While the adventurers are resting, they sud- believing that they are children who have come
denly notice how a wide-meshed web of white, to entertain her, her anger will subside.
mushroom-like strands have grown from
cracks in the mountain, and quickly cover one
or more members of the party. They seem A MOTHER’S LAMENT
to emit a low, soft tune like a lullaby. What The demonic creature that was once Martea
the threads are or what their purpose is, the becomes intrigued by the adventurers, and sur-
adventurers will never know. They are easily prises them when they least expect it. It can,
torn off. for example, happen by her emerging from
the floor or through a wall with her immense
worm-body. She will ask them where they
CAVE-IN come from, if Zygofer or Zertorme has sent
A sudden cave-in occurs, or a cavity ruptures, them, and say that their lives are in grave dan-
causing large amounts of mud to flood the ger. She claims that there is only one way to
area and could be hazardous to the adven- escape Marga’s wrath: to be saved by Martea
turers. Roll for an attack with six Base Dice herself. In a way she is right. Anyone whose
(Weapon Damage 1) against each of the adven- face is assimilated into Martea’s body will live
turers. It is possible to DODGE the attack, but for a long, long time. But maybe not in the way
it can’t be PARRIED. they had imagined.

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 H AGGLER’S
HOUSE

TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Castle

BACKGROUND
The stench of fear and blood drifts toward you on The annual harvest feast draws near at Haggler’s
the wind as you approach the temple of Haggler’s House. Rust Prince Kartorda will travel there
House. Crowds of humans camp outside the walls, for the feast, as will the herald of the gods, the
inexplicably silent, like a flock afraid to attract the terrible Zytera. In the fields around the temple,
attention of predators. The screams of those who large numbers of villagers have come to gather
have abandoned hope can be heard all the clearer, in tents: the faithful, the coerced, the curious
mixing with song and music the like of which you and the commandeered. Because of rumors of
have never heard. It’s easy to want to turn around wicked deeds in the making, scores of seasoned
even at this distance, but the scouts of the Iron Iron Guards search the camps for heretics.
Guard are watching you and would test your faith Many of the temple’s priests dream of new
at the slightest sign of hesitation. All that remains days of glory. The Whispering Council, how-
is to walk on, into the domain of the blood-drinking ever, long attempting to summon the Blood
gods Rust and Heme. Mist back to the land, has fallen strangely si-
lent without its task fulfilled. The demon bard,
Merigall, has silenced them, as he does not
wish the mist to return.

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 An attack on Zytera is in the air. Accord-
ing to rumors, the demon prince Krasylla is
behind these plans himself, as he wants to
assume control over the western part of the RECOMMENDED READING
Forgotten Lands. Before you play, it’s a good idea
to read the texts about the gods
Rust and Heme (page xx in the
Gamemaster’s Guide), about the
GETTING HERE creature Zytera (page xx), and about
There are several different ways in which the the Rust Prince Kartorda (page xx).
adventurers may find Haggler’s House. They .
may have come across a map at some time,
heard a story or the legend about the place, or
encountered one of the events below. some more action. After a while, the raven will
circle around the group several times and then
head toward Haggler’s House in the distance.
THE SACRIFICE
The adventurers are sought out by a local
farmer with a grave problem. The Rust Broth-
ers have chosen his eldest son, Robund, as a
sacrifice in honor of the gods Rust and Heme. LEGEND
Normally, this would be a great honor for the One does not like to mention Haggler’s House, the god-
family; in this case, Robund is betrothed and dess Heme’s greatest temple in the Forgotten Lands,
about to become a father. The farmer simply for many have lost their loved ones in its domain. Yet
wants to change places with his son, and asks people go on pilgrimage at the yearly harvest feast to
for the adventurers’ help to make the exchange. honor the bloody mother, for those whose idols have not
As thanks, he offers them a family ring worth been blessed by the priests can expect failed crops, dis-
2D6 silver coins. ease and famine in the coming year. Survival in the
harsh west is paid with sacrifice: crops, silver, young
blood and the bodies of dead kin. This particular
THE RAVEN year, the 300th anniversary of the birth of Zytera and
A cawing raven follows the adventurers on the Rust Brothers, is celebrated with an even more
their journey across the land. It becomes more lavish sacrifice. It is rumored that the messenger of
and more forward, even landing on one of the the gods will visit the temple in person and speak to
adventurers’ shoulder for a moment. The yel- the people about the country’s future.
low-eyed raven is, in fact, the demon bard Mer-
igall in disguise, attempting to lure the adven-
turers to Haggler’s House in order to stir up

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 3. WASHING STAIRS
LOCATIONS On an elevated platform by the entrance to the
Below are locations in and around Haggler’s temple area, visitors wash their feet and have
House that the adventurers can visit. signs painted on their faces before entering bare-
foot into the gods’ domain.

1. CAMP Blood signs on the visitors’ foreheads prove

Outside the circular temple area, a few scores of that they have been cleansed for their visit. All
tents have been set up. They stand unnecessarily guests walk barefoot on the fairly sharp gravel
close, as if seeking protection from each other. The in the yard; this symbolizes the thorns of exis-
atmosphere among the farmers is oppressive. You tence. Priests and Iron Guards all wear shoes.
sense anger as well as watchfulness in the move-
ments of people checking the laden carts they’ve
brought from their home villages. 4. BARRACK TOWERS
Tough soldiers in iron masks move between a pair of
More than a hundred people, mostly groups buildings. Each structure has a tower. Almost-na-
arriving from villages near and far, are camped ked treetops protrude from the tops of the tower;
at the foot of the temple mound. Many are these are not common trees, for the branches slowly
weeping over family members given away as move as if grasping for something, prey perhaps?
sacrifices. Groups of Iron Guards move among
the tents, scrutinizing the guests. These buildings belong to the order of the
✥✥ CREATURES: Iron Guards. Iron Guard, which is responsible for the Rust
Brothers’ safety. The Guard also hunts heretics
and conducts punitive expeditions. The four
2. THE IRON HOUSES round towers of the temple are each construct-
Humans gather with their bowls by a couple of ed around a demon-tainted tree; this explains
barracks that have been fortified with metal, the moving branches. The trees are not aggres-
where great pots of barley gruel and meat stew sive or dangerous. They will scream and bleed
simmer. Off to the side, rust priests chant and if one cuts into them. Chopped off branches
swing their censers among a group of listeners. can be laid on the ground as an alarm system
around a night camp, for example.
Guests who have fulfilled their commitments ✥✥ CREATURES: Iron Guards.
are served with food here, that they themselves
have delivered to the temple. The sick can find
aid from healing herbs other villagers have 5. TEMPLE-COURT
gathered, or through demonological methods The circular temple-court teems with villagers
that often have terrifying side effects. and strange characters. Masked priests swing rusty
censers of incense; soldiers parade in lavish iron ar-

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H AGGLER’S
HOUSE

1 3
4

6
2
1
7

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 8

10

11

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haggler’s house
mor; misgrown humans sprout weird protrusions. The appointed sacrifices are kept in chains for
There are ardent worshipers praying to the idols a day and a night before they are killed. The
and flagellating themselves; there are white-paint- spectators are supplicants and next of kin.
ed dancers, restless dead, demon-tainted animals. The dancers are the so-called Death-Shad-
Sunk into the middle of the yard is an arena where ows of the temple: shaven, painted white and
humans have been strapped to posts. claw-tipped, their movements are grotesque.
They stalk the sacrifices, caressing them one
The court is guarded by the Iron Guard and Rec- moment, scratching them bloody in the next.
tifiers. The latter are dressed in odd costumes By the north stairs, the musician Ferelde plays
adorned with strings and plates made of various his plectron. The floor of the Blood Caul-
metals. Their fingers bristle with feelers, with dron is edged with six earth-beasts: cow heads
which they can deal shocks to guide demonic wrought from rusty iron, lowing against the
beasts and walking dead; they can also use them sky, mouths open like fledgling birds. Now and
to punish and warn negligent visitors. Skilled then priests pour blood from the sacrifices into
Rectifiers can use their feelers to cause a human their open maws.
to suffer excruciating cramps or even kill them. Each delegation of farmers carries their vil-
Armor parts are stacked next to the low lage’s effigy to the blessing tables near the Blood
wall to display the brotherhood’s smithing Cauldron. These are heavy, grotesque sculp-
skills and military power. Next to them hang tures of Rust and Heme that stand three feet
torture cages with dead or dying criminals. high. If a village has fulfilled its obligations,
One can buy suitable impure objects from tem- their effigy is painted with sacrificial blood,
ple servants to throw at the criminals, which anointed with holy balm and ceremonially
pleases the gods. blessed by the Rust Brothers. Their blessing will
✥✥ CREATURES: Iron Guards, Rectifiers. secure the crops for the coming year. Particu-
✥✥ TREASURES: Finely wrought armor parts larly fine tributes, as well as humans chosen for
(worth: 2D6 silver coins per piece). sacrifice, are brought to the tables. The restless
dead, too, are brought here to be “given the
honor of serving the gods beyond this life”.
6. THE BLOOD CAULDRON AND The balm is, in fact, an ointment that
THE BLESSING TABLES keeps the effigies’ demonic inhabitants calm
Twelve poles rise out of the mosaic that covers the during the coming year. Without the oint-
sunken place of sacrifice located in the middle of ment, the demon will seek out crops and liv-
the temple-court. Bleeding humans are fettered ing creatures, which it will cause to rot. The
to the poles with rusty chains. Dancers painted in earth-beasts’ mouths end in pipes that lead to
white move among them to a strange tune. Around the catacombs. The lowing noises are made by
the arena, the spectators are either apathetic, weep- Bloodlings, calling out for blood.
ing, or praying fervently. At stone tables near the ✥✥ CREATURES: Death-Shadows, Rust
arena, priests ritually paint idols with blood. Brothers (see the table on page xx).

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✥✥ TREASURES: Four effigies, very heavy Zytera resisted humans, elves, orcs, dwarves
(worth 3D6 silver coins each), D6 offerings and demons, and turned the latter’s power
(make a roll on the table for valuable items against them. They urge the people to go to
on page xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide). war, and testify to the faithful’s glorious fu-
ture, when despicable kin and heretics will have
been driven out of the Forgotten Lands. As the
7. PREPARATION PAVILION Rust Witnesses on the platform exhaust their
Priests lead unhappy humans into a pavilion, power, they are replaced by new, fresh ones. On
which is crowned by the grotesque wooden idol of the balcony above the Rust Witnesses, Zytera,
a dancing woman covered in blood. The unfortu- the Rust Prince and other dignitaries appear
nates emerge again shaven and covered in oil. when present to hold speeches or supervise rit-
uals, sacrifices and displays.
In the house of the sacrificial priests, human At the top of the temple, the Tower of the
sacrifices are prepared for Heme. They are Fettered Sky is adorned with rusty chains that
shaved and anointed, then fettered to the posts symbolize the god Rust’s grasp on the world. It
in the Blood Cauldron. The house stores pots flies a banner painted with the symbol of the
with the balm used to anoint the effigies at church.
the sacrificial tables. On the roof, sits a wood- ✥✥ CREATURES: A dozen Rust Witnesses
en idol of Heme which is anointed with fresh (game stats like Rust Brothers).
blood every day.
✥✥ CREATURES: Half a dozen Rust Brothers.
9. THE HOUSE OF CHAINS
An incessant metallic rustling can be heard from
8. MAIN BUILDING the left pavilion. A rough cast iron image sits on
The temple building’s deceptively beautiful façade the roof.
is terraced with colonnades. On the landing im-
mediately in front of the entrance, priests move, This pavilion contains an auditorium. The
their skin gleaming with rusty oil. They chant in- statue of Rust on the roof is its ceiling. Many
cessantly to the people in the yard. The building is chains hang from the ceiling to the floor.
crowned by a tower with thick iron chains. Priests move among the hanging chains in a
ceremonial dance, clattering them in rhythm,
The priests on the landing are the so-called entwining with them, hanging objects from
Rust Witnesses. These priests, anointed with them and anointing them with blood and
rusty brown oil, speak with powerful voices. balm. The very devout spend a moment sus-
They speak to the people in an unending lit- pended from the chains in hooks threaded
any, quoting religious scripture and preaching through their own flesh.
obedience and sacrifice. They praise the gods ✥✥ CREATURES: A score of dancing Rust
and their messenger, Zytera, speaking of how Brothers (see page xx).

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haggler’s house
 10. CATACOMBS 11. THE TRIBUTE HOUSES
On the slope north of the temple stands a simple Villagers deliver tributes near a couple of houses,
gate, from which wafts the unpleasant smell of where two priests and their subordinates receive
carrion. The gate isn’t exactly watched, but some them. Everything is handled with business-like
Iron Guards and priests move through the area. pedantry. Down the slope from the houses, four
A group of metal laden temple servants use their humans work on a man-sized statue of iron and
metal feelers to herd some restless dead through wood. It is both strange and terrifying: it looks like a
the opening. man, but its lower body is shaped like a great crab.

The temple’s catacombs below the main build- The bulkier tributes from the villages such
ing consist of an upper and lower level. Crypts as grain, iron, bundles of cloth and barrels of
that house the dead from the temple and the dried fruits are recorded, catalogued and stored
immediate area occupy the upper level. There in the barracks. The houses are supervised by
are also a couple of chambers that store the rest- “The Singing Merchants,” members of the
less dead that have been taken or stolen from Rust Guild that alone could ply their trade
the villages, but aren’t immediately needed. The when the Blood Mist covered the land. The
bodies hang from the ceiling, tightly packed like wrecks of a couple of their gigantic iron carts
meat in a slaughterhouse, with hooks threaded stand next to the houses.
through their Achilles’ tendons. The restless In the group by the statue are the smith,
dead probably can’t feel pain, but the sight of a Dimir, and the carpenter, Estaga. They are
room packed with dead, writhing and flailing village craftsmen, performing their task with
human bodies hanging from their heels is very great gravity, as this means that their village
unpleasant for those not used to it. won’t have to send human sacrifices to the
On the lower level, a central chamber is temple this year. The work is supervised by the
surrounded by empty passages and caverns. In sculptor and slave called “The Hare,” who is
the middle of the chamber stands a stone tub kept on an iron leash by the slave trader Punzo.
that collects the blood from the earth-beasts Punzo’s plan is to sell the artist when the stat-
in the Blood Cauldron. Six niches each hide a ue is finished. Punzo is a cheerful brute who
Bloodling – creatures that once ruled the For- can tell the adventurers that the priests await
gotten Lands in the form of Blood Mist, but a visit from the prophet Zytera. The statue,
are now rare. They feed on the blood from the which is an image of this distinguished guest,
tub. The Whispering Council tried to under- will be presented when he arrives. No-one re-
stand why the Bloodlings were weakened, but ally knows, however, when Zytera will come.
the council members have now died or disap- ✥✥ CREATURES: Dimir, Estaga, “The Hare,”
peared, and their ledger is gone. Punzo.
There is a hidden passage between the tem- ✥✥ TREASURES: Mostly baubles; make three
ple and the lower level. rolls on the table for simple finds (see page
✥✥ CREATURES: Six Bloodlings. xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide).

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 MONSTERS
AND NPCS
Below are descriptions of the most important
monsters and individuals in Haggler’s House.
Monsters and creatures not described here
have the same game data as in the Besti-
ary, or in the Kin chapter in the Game-
master’s Guide in the base game box.

RUST BROTHERS
Rust Brothers in metal-clad robes are every-
where in Haggler’s House.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
SKILLS: Melee 2, Move 1, Marksmanship 2,
Lore 3, Insight 2, Manipulation 1, Healing 2
TALENTS: Path of Healing, Path of Shifting
Shapes or Path of Sight (rank 2)

MISGROWN ABILITIES
D8 ABILITY EFFECT
1 Four Arms Can perform one additional slow or fast action every round
with the extra pair of arms.
2 Multiple Gets a +2 bonus to all attempts to spot a sneak attack or an
Eyes ambush.
3 Fangs Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound) and lethal poison (Potency 6).
4 Claws Weapon Damage 2 (slash wound).
5 Tentacles Bonus +2 to all GRAPPLE attempts.
6 Sores Touch is contagious, Virulence 6.
7 Wings Can fly. Movement Rate 2.
8 Roll Twice –

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 GEAR: Staff, dagger, D6 copper GEAR: Shock feelers (Weapon Bonus +1,
Weapon Damage 2, damages Agility ins-
MISGROWN: Many Rust Brothers are
tead of Strength)
misgrown. In most cases the effects are
cosmetic, but you can give some of the
Rust Brothers unique abilities. Roll on the
RESTLESS DEAD
table on the previous page.
The corpses of local farmers that haven’t found
peace, brought as sacrifice by their kin. They
IRON GUARD are demented, feel no pain and are exceedingly
Haggler’s House is defended by the armed di- confused.
vision of the Rust Brothers, The Iron Guard.
Their warriors are heavily armed and armored, STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 2, WITS 1, EMPATHY 1
with full iron masks, and are loyal unto death.. SKILLS: Melee 2

STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2

SKILLS: Might 2, Endurance 2, Melee 4, Move
2, Marksmanship 3, Scouting 2 REMBREDO

TALENTS: Path of the Blade or Path of the The prior of the temple, Rembredo is an ambi-
Enemy (rank 2), Threatening, Cold Blooded tious priest who sees himself as the next obvious
GEAR: Longsword or flail, heavy crossbow, Rust Prince. He is a stickler for laws and formal-
chainmail or plate armor, great helm, large ities, but wouldn’t grieve about his predecessor’s
shield, combat trained horse, one VALU- immediate demise. Rembredo is a wiry human,
ABLE find
but his eyes and antlered pate come from a deer.
He is secretly communicating with the demon
prince Krasylla, but fears Zytera at the same
RECTIFIERS time. In secret, he dislikes the fact that the crea-
These are Rust Brothers with a very specif- ture is half-woman. How could a woman ever be
ic task. Dressed in strange garb adorned with the goddess Heme’s lover?
strings and plates made of various metals. Their
fingers are tipped with feelers, with which they STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4
can deliver shocks designed to direct demonic SKILLS: Close Combat 3, Lore 4, Insight 3,
animals and walking dead, but also to punish Manipulation 2, Healing 3
and warn negligent visitors. A skilled Rectifi- GEAR: Flail, chainmail.
er can use their feelers to cause excruciating
cramps in a human or even kill them.

TRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2

RUST PRINCE K ARTORDA

SKILLS: Melee 2 The Rust Prince himself is here at the Hag-

ARMOR: Full armor (6)

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gler’s House to celebrate the yearly harvest
feast and the 300th anniversary of the Rust STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 2
Brothers. Kartorda dislikes Rembredo and SKILLS: Melee 2, Lore 3, Insight 3, Manipula-
would love to degrade the upstart during his tion 4
visit. The Rust Prince is constantly accompa- TALENTS: Path of Blood 3, Path of Dead 3,
nied by at least six heavily armed Iron Guards. Cold blooded 3, Sixth sense 2
Kartorda is one of the key players of the GEAR: Broadsword, full armor
Raven’s Purge campaign, and is described in
detail on page xx.

OTHER NPCS:
NAME PROFESSION ATTRIBUTES SKILLS TALENTS OTHER
Dimir Smith Strength 4 Melee 2, Crafts- - Hammer
Agility 2 manship 3
Wits 2
Empathy 2
Estaga Carpenter Strength 3 Craftsmanship 2 xx x
Agility 2
Wits 3
Empathy 2
“The Hare” Sculptor Strength 2 Craftsmanship 3, -
Agility 3 Sneak 3
Wits 2
Empathy 3
Punzo Slave trader Strength 3 Insight 2, Manipu- - x
Agility 2 late 2
Wits 3
Empathy 2
Centaurs Prisoners Strength 4 Melee 3 - Acquired
Agility 4 spears
Wits 3
Empathy 2
Death- Dancers Strength 2 Melee 2, Agility 4 - Dagger
Shadows Agility 4
Wits 2
Empathy 2

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 FERELDE THE BLOODLINGS
Ferelde is a beautiful musician playing their Six Bloodlings haunt the catacombs. These
plectron next to the Blood Cauldron. Ferelde red, misty creatures are all that remains of the
is of ambiguous gender, smeared with rust-col- magnificent Blood Mist that once held the
ored oil and painted with symbols; their face and entire country in its grasp. They are voracious
upper body are covered in sacrificial scratches. but timid, and will not attack.
Ferelde often speaks in unintelligible tongues,
and is considered a sacred creature in commu- STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 4
nion with the gods Rust and Heme. The plec- ETHEREAL: Physical weapons cannot harm
tron is a complex musical instrument with met- the Bloodlings. They can only be harmed
al tongues, built-in drums and mouthpieces. by enchanted weapons or magic.
Ferelde is, in fact, the demon Merigall,
who enjoys being at the temple where it can re-
ceive sex and admiration, play music and take
part in interesting spectacles. The demon is
immortal and can assume any shape. EVENTS
Here follow some suggestions for events that
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 5, WITS 6, EMPATHY 6 you can expose the adventurers to in Haggler’s

SKILLS: Performance 6 House.

GEAR: Plectron

ZERTORME’S GIFT
During the ceremonies, a large crock of wine
VILERIA THE RAVEN SISTER bursts among the sacrificial gifts. Swarms of
Vileria is at Haggler’s House in the guise of a burning bees stream out. The raging insects
peasant woman, here to witness the atrocities sting and explode among running and scream-
and, if possible, put a stop to some of them. ing spectators and priests, killing at least a doz-
She is a plain, rotund woman posing as a weav- en. A clay tablet can be found in the crock, with
er. She is weaving a beautiful tapestry of Zytera the inscription, “Enjoy your last birthday, fa-
in front of the temple, a piece of craftsmanship ther dear!”, signed “Zertorme.”
admired by villagers and priests alike. Vileria
can possess animals and see through their eyes.
THE PATROL
STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4 A tough Iron Guard patrol demands to inter-

SKILLS: Melee 2, Sneak 3, Sleight of Hand 3, rogate the adventurers, by order of Rust Prince
Lore 3, Insight 4, Manipulation 3, Healing 4 Kartorda. They subject the adventures to a
GEAR: Dagger, magical nut (see Events) rough inspection and go through their belong-
ings.

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 A HAPPY REUNION would dare venture into the world and disperse
Demon-tainted Rust Brothers put on a dis- once again. If Karuptus obtains the ledger, he
play of their naked bodies in the temple yard. will in time make the Blood Mist grow around
They compare their new body modifications: the temple again. Merigall will not approve of
protruding tentacles, living animal faces for this venture.
shoulders, extra eyes and other grotesqueries.
Someone recognizes the tattoo on an extra
arm and screams, “My son! What have you ZYTERA’S VISIT
done to him?” and throws themselves at the Booming drums reverberate from the road to
wearer. The priests and the Iron Guard at- Haggler’s House, and a strange procession ap-
tempt to quiet the whole thing down. proaches the temple: Iron Guards, Rust Broth-
ers and misgrown horses. In their midst, on a
platform carried by a score of Rust Brothers,
THE WHISPERER AND THE MIST can be seen the spider-creature Zytera. What
A novice discreetly calls upon the adventurers is possibly the mightiest creature in the For-
to arrange a meeting with his brother. Karup- gotten Lands has come to bless the temple
tus. a member of the Council of Whisperers. and partake in the ceremonies. Zytera is con-
Karuptus is afraid to trust anyone at the tem- stantly monitored by a dozen Iron Guards and
ple and has hidden himself because his fellow will make itself at home in the main building.
councilors have all disappeared or suffered a This will not stop the adventurers from hav-
mysterious death. He explains that the Coun- ing a closer look at this nearly mythic entity.
cil strove to reawaken the Blood Mist in the With Zytera’s visit, the scheming at Haggler’s
land. Of the once-mighty mist, only a few House will come to a head.
wisps linger in the catacombs under the tem-
ple. Some advances were recently made and re-
corded in the ledger supposedly hidden at the THE SACRIFICE
temple. Could the adventurers retrieve it for a The peasant’s son, Robund, is fettered in the
reward? The only clue to the ledger’s location is Blood Cauldron in order to be sacrificed to the
that “it supports the many”. gods. If the adventurers previously encoun-
Merigall is the one who removed the coun- tered his father (see The Road Here, above),
cil members, as it does not wish to see the the father will ask for help in changing places
Blood Mist cover the land again. The ledger with his son. This exchange isn’t exactly easy
is hidden on top of the hook filled scaffolding to perform, as Iron Guards and Rust Brothers
that suspends the restless dead in the cata- move around in the vicinity. In the worst case,
combs. In the ledger, one can read about how one or more of the adventurers may be chosen
the Council of Whisperers succeeded: they as sacrifices, which will naturally make the sit-
spoke to the terrified remaining Bloodlings in uation even more precarious.
order to bolster their confidence, so that they

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 THE RAVEN THE CENTAURS
A woman fettered to a sacrificial pole in the Three centaurs have been created by melding
Blood Cauldron suddenly changes into a raven Aslene Galdanes together with their hors-
and takes flight. The guards raise their bows to es. Kartorda’s men display them in the tem-
shoot her down. The adventurers may choose ple-court to show how their army pro-
to shoot her down or distract the guards so gresses. Suddenly, the centaurs
that she can escape. run amok and attack those
surrounding them with their
spears, shouting things like,
“Remember Aslene! Death
to the demon fornicators!
Death to the tyrants!”

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 It is Rembredo’s doing: in order to degrade VILERIA’S NUT
Kartorda in front of Zytera, Rembredo has giv- Vileria (if the adventurers have gained her
en the centaurs a potion to clear their heads. trust) or an anonymous avenger will give the
adventurers a nut plugged with a cork. The giv-
er explains that the nut has been blessed by the
THE POT water goddess, Vanna. If one removes the plug,
Vileria discreetly asks the adventurers if they a great stream of sweet water will inexplicably
can steal something for her: a pot containing rush forth. The giver wants the adventurers to
the balm used to anoint the villagers’ effigies. covertly climb up to the Rust statue above the
She has suspicions about what might be caus- House of Chains, pull the plug from the nut
ing the failed crops, and wants to analyze the and put it in the statue’s mouth. The statue
contents back in the Raven Sisters’ village to will then fill with water and become so heavy
uncover the Rust Brothers’ fraud. The adven- that it crashes down into the house, hopefully
turers may choose to help her, decline her re- when important Rust Brothers are below. In
quest or even expose her. any case, the event will be interpreted as a bad
omen at the temple.
One of Katorda’s spies may give the ad-
THE DAGGER venturers the nut, with the plan to embarrass
A quietly furious and very old man offers the Rembredo or even crush him as he performs a
adventurers an enchanted dagger with which ritual dance in the House of Chains. If so, they
one could kill Zytera. He wants to avenge sev- will be blamed after the fact. The adventurers
eral sacrificed family members, but doesn’t may choose to betray Vileria, and will then
have the strength for the deed himself. All he win the Rust Brothers’ trust.
asks in return is the sweet taste of revenge. The
dagger is said to date back to the fourth Alder
Wars, and belonged to Zertorme, Zytera’s son.
The man is a retired Rust Priest, and his
offer a provocation to see who will bite – in
which case, the false visitors will be arrested.
The GM may choose to insert more provo-
cations of the same type, designed to test the
visitors’ loyalty. Everyone who has previously
visited the temple knows about these subtle
loyalty tests and are suspicious in general.
Someone the adventurers have previously aided
may warn them as they are about to step into
the trap.

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 VOND

TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Castle

The old fallen dwarven fortress of Vond at the base The fortress of Vond should be placed in a
of Mount Ora is the scene at which the finale of square on the map with the terrain type RUINS.
the Raven’s Purge campaign plays out. The head- The obvious choice for the location of Vond is
quarters of the Iron Guard, with its large force of Alderstone, in the southeastern corner of the
troops and the demon Krasylla – the Butcher of Forbidden Lands, the ruins of the greatest
Aslene – is in Vond. Merigall lives higher up on the city in Ravenland (read more on page xx in the
mountain, and at the top is where the mogarium Gamemaster’s Guide), but if it doesn’t suit your
of demonic creature, Zytera, dwells. campaign, it is okay to place Vond almost any-
The Raven’s Purge campaign is preferably con- where you want.
cluded with the adventurers attacking or infiltrat- The actual adventure site of Vond is split
ing Vond. The final battle doesn’t necessarily have into four parts:
to be a wild slaughter, however, until you reach ✥✥ The City Ruins outside the fortress. This
Zytera at the top of Mount Ora. Many key players area isn’t mapped in detail. Instead, it
have their own agendas and the campaign can end serves as a battlefield where the adventur-
in quite a few different ways. The key players and ers must have gathered enough troops and
their plans are described in detail in Chapter 4, and powerful allies to even reach the fortress.
a large number of possible events are described later Read more below.
in this chapter. ✥✥ The Fortress of Vond. See the map on

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 page xx. The adventurers have to find their
way through the fortress of Vond so as to GETTING HERE
be able to travel further up the mountain. Rust Brothers and worshippers of demons are
They may encounter the demon Krasylla, the only ones who’d want to visit Vond volun-
to fight him or to ally with him. tarily. In all probability the adventurers will
✥✥ Merigall’s Lair. See the map on page xx. travel to the area to kill the tyrant Zytera or
Here the adventurers may encounter Mer- Krasylla (of their own volition, or on a mission
igall for a final showdown or an alliance. for someone else), to free prisoners, or to seal
✥✥ Zytera’s Mogarium. See the map on page the protonexus – the new demon portal that
xx. The adventurers will have the final Zytera is creating.
showdown against Zytera here, where You can let the adventurers visit Vond
many different outcomes are possible. whenever you like, but as mentioned in the in-
troduction of this book (page xx), there are a
couple of conditions that need to be met:
✥✥ The adventurers have acquired the elven
LEGEND crown Stanengist, and one or several of
The fortress of Vond was once the Crombe the other three artifacts set with elven
dwarves’ strongest fortress in Ravenland. The rubies (see Chapter 3).
largest part of the fortifications is supposed to ✥✥ The adventurers have met most of the key
have been situated below ground, but was razed players of the campaign and have become
by the dwarves when they were driven away. It their allies or enemies (see Chapter 4).
is rumored that it is the Butcher of Aslene – the ✥✥ The adventurers have heard the legends
demon prince, Krasylla – that now rules over the about Zytera, Krasylla and Vond.
fortress that guards the pass beneath the shim-
mering metal slopes of Mount Ora. The ruins of Vond is too well fortified for the adventurers
the city of Vond surround the area. The ruins, as to have any likelihood of attacking the fortress
well as the fortress, are most likely crawling with on their own. Their best chance to get in is to
Zytera’s troops, along with the fanatical wor- coordinate a larger offense together with their
shippers of Rust and demonic creatures, but few allies. Read more below.
who have been brought here have ever returned
to testify. The peak of Mount Ora is crowned by
Zytera’s living palace, where even demons dare
not venture. Lightning strikes incessantly between
the tower steeples and the dark clouds that circle CITY RUINS
the area. The fortress of Vond is surrounded by a dilapi-
dated ruin of a city. The area, which covers the
entire hexagon on the map in which Vond is
situated, is heavily guarded by Rust Brothers,

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vond
Iron Guards and demon-tainted creatures and encounter from the table on page xx. The ad-
monsters. It is very dangerous for the adventur- venturer KEEPING WATCH should make rolls
ers to move about the area on their own. If they for SCOUTING as usual to detect threats in
are traveling with a larger force sent by one of the time (see page xx in the Player’s Handbook). It
key players, they are significantly safer. takes about a Quarter Day (six hours) to reach
Every hour, or whenever you want to build the fortress of Vond.
suspense, you can roll on or choose a random

HÄNDELSER I RUINSTADEN
D10 EVENTS
1–2 NOTHING HAPPENS. A dead calm reigns among the ruins, wreathed in an
ominous fog. An oppressive feeling afflicts the adventurers, but everything
seems quiet – for now.
3 HARPIES. A large murder of shrieking harpies (Strength 14) lives among the
ruins. If they discover the adventurers they will immediately attack, in addi-
tion to shrieking so loudly that a patrol of Iron Guards (equal in number to
the adventurers) comes running to investigate in D6 minutes.
4–5 SLAVES. Twenty or so wretched prisoners bound together by chains are
dragging themselves through the ruins, driven on by four Rust Brothers
and two Iron Guards. If the prisoners catch sight of the adventurers, they
will call out to them for help. The prisoners are slaves that were bought in
Grindbone. They are now being taken to the fortress of Vond to be worked
to death or to be subjected to demonological experiments.
6 MANTICORE. The adventurers unwittingly wander into the territory of a
ravenous manticore. It immediately attacks if it discovers the adventurers.
For stats, see page xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
7–8 IRON GUARDS. A group of grim Iron Guards patrol the ruins, hunting for in-
truders. There are twice as many guards as there are adventurers, and they
are very watchful. If they catch sight of the adventurers, they will immedia-
tely attack and attempt to capture the intruders.
9 HYDRA. An ill-humored hydra, which has escaped from a demonological
experiment inside Vond, is hunting for food among the ruins. The adven-
turers might become the feast of the week. For stats, see page xx in the
Gamemaster’s Guide.
10 GRYPHON RIDERS. A special commando unit of Iron Guards, riding on gryp-
hons (see page xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide), sweep over the ruins. There
are half as many riders as there are adventurers. In battle, the gryphons and
their riders act separately, but they share the same initiative.

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 GETTING INSIDE
The fortress of Vond is heavily guarded and
very difficult for the adventurers to enter. DIVERTING ATTENTION
Still, there are many ways to get past the walls: As long as the battle of Vond lasts,
✥✥ SIEGE. If the adventurers have gained the attention of the defenders is
allies among the key players of the cam- diverted. This makes it easier for
paign, they can be recruited for a large- the adventurers to sneak around
scale assault on Vond. If all goes well, this inside the fortress without being
may even lead to the walls of the fortress discovered. More information on
coming down. Read more below. this is found below.
✥✥ SECRET PASSAGE. A secret passage runs
from a cave on the western side of Mount
Ora (location 1 on the map), leading to
an opening below a floor tile inside the ✥✥ MERIGALL. If the adventurers have
fortress’s old bronze gates (location #5 formed a pact with Merigall, it can
on the map). The secret passage is known teleport them to its offspring, Hirena (see
to Arvia of Crombe (page xx) and other page xx).
Crombe dwarves, as well as to Peyraman, ✥✥ THE DRAGON SCARNE. If the adventur-
who is imprisoned in the dungeons (loca- ers have released the dragon Scarne (page
tion #12 on the map). xx), she can carry them to Vond and drop
✥✥ SCALING THE WALLS. Very difficult and them off inside the walls.
very dangerous, but not impossible. See
page xx.
✥✥ MAGIC. There are several spells that would
allow the adventurers to infiltrate the THE BATTLE
fortress, for example, PORTAL, WITHER, OF VOND
EARTHQUAKE and ANIMAL FORM (if
they were to transform into an animal Getting through the city ruins and inside the
that can fly or climb). fortress of Vond is very difficult and dangerous.
The adventurers’ chances increase substantially
if they form an alliance with one or more of the
key players in the campaign, and together with
their allies, perform a large scale assault on Vond.
Even if such an assault fails to tear down
the walls of the fortress it creates a diversion
that makes it easier for the adventurers to
sneak into the fortress and track down Zytera.

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vond
 THE ASSAULT Technically the battle is handled like an as-
The assault on Vond is way too extensive to be sault on a Stronghold (see page xx in the Play-
played out in detail. Rather, it sets a background er’s Handbook), but the players roll for the at-
for the players’ infiltration of the fortress. tackers and you, as GM, roll for the defenders.

DEFENSE RATING
Basic defense +12
Rust Prince Kartorda participates in the defense +1
Ungrounder Brenziga participates in the defense +1
General Manderel participates in the defense +1
Krasylla participates in the defense as sarmog* +2
*Krasylla’s effect is omitted in case of a thunderstorm

ATTACK RATING
Army of horse-people under Zertorme participates in the assault +4
Army of dwarves participates in the assault +3
Army of elven Redrunners participates in the assault +2 (+3 with ents)
Army of orcs participates in the assault +3
King Algarod and his undead participate in the assault +2
A titan from Pelagia is ordered to destroy Vond* +3 per titan
The dragon Scarne is ordered to assault the fortress* +6
The giant Scrome participates in the assault in its evil form +4
The adventurers themselves participate in the assault +1
The adventurers can control the weather during the assault +1
through WEATHERMASTER
The adventurers use the sword Maligarn during the assault +1
The adventurers lead the assault with the scepter Nekhaka +1
The adventurers wear the crown Stanengist with all of its sto- +2
nes during the assault
The adventurers releases Blood Mist in Vond +2
Krasylla as sarmog joins the adventurers’ forces** +2
*The dragon Scarne and the titans from Pelagia only participate in the first turn of the battle.
**Krasylla’s effect is omitted in the case of a thunderstorm.

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 DEFENSE
RATING
REACHES EFFECT
9 Small groups of attackers crest the walls, where desperate battles are
fought against the defenders. The adventurers can accompany these
attackers, but will have to scale the walls themselves.
6 Attackers have infiltrated the fortress in several places. The adventurers can
climb the walls with the help of ladders or grappling hooks (Gear Bonus +2).
3 The Rust Gate or a part of the wall falls to the ground with an enor-
mous bang. The attackers storm through the breach and go head to
head with the defenders. The adventurers can now rush inside Vond,
but risk being discovered and attacked.
0 The attackers storm the fortress of Vond. The defending forces flee or
are struck down to the last man. The adventurers can move through
Vond without risk.

The Attack and Defense Ratings, however, are tack and Defense Rating decreases one step re-
calculated in a different way. spectively for every x that the opponent rolls.
Vond’s Defense Rating starts at 12, mod-
ified by the adjacent table. The initial Attack ATTACKERS: For the attackers, you are free to
Rating of the attackers depends on what forces describe losses as you please, depending on who
they have been able to amass for the assault. participates in the battle. Assume that the at-
Consult the tables to the xx and total the mod- tackers will give up and flee when the total Attack
ifiers for Defense and Attack. Rating has been halved, unless the walls of Vond
crumble during the same turn. When the attack-
ers have fled, the attention of the defenders is no
LOSSES longer diverted, which makes it harder for the
The battle is played out in turns, just like bat- adventurers to move about in Vond (see below).
tles at a Stronghold. However, you don’t have
to roll precisely every Quarter-hour – instead, DEFENDERS: Losses for the defense of Vond
roll for the battle when it is dramatically ap- have specific effects, as per the table below.
propriate to increase pressure on the adventur- Note that the description may need to be ad-
ers. Both attackers and defenders take losses as justed depending on who participates in the
per the rules for battles at a Stronghold – At- assault.

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 9

1 3
4

6
2
1
7

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 VON D

10

11

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 THE FORTRESS OF VOND
Beyond the ruins of the city of Vond lies the main inside the walls without being discovered. Iron
fortress at the base of Mount Ora. Despite the Guards patrol the area day and night.
impressive masonry, it is said that the Crombe Every time the adventurers move to a
dwarves demolished all of the underground pas- new location on the map, or every Quarter
sages that made up the heart of the fortifications Hour that they remain still, they have to roll
before they fled. Just like the city ruins, the fortress for STEALTH. Roll this as an opposed check
is crawling with Iron Guards, demonic creatures against the Iron Guards. On a failure, the ad-
and Rust Brothers. Whatever your intentions venturers are discovered and are immediately
may be, your goals won’t be easy to achieve. attacked. Iron Guards usually patrol in groups
of two and two. If combat ensues, this will be
discovered by other Iron Guards in D6 min-
utes. At that point, the alarm will sound and
BACKGROUND the adventurers will be chased by dozens of
The Crombe dwarves once guarded the Shadow- Iron Guards.
gate Pass against Aslene from the fortress of Vond The adventurers must also make a
on Mount Ora, but during the Alder Wars the STEALTH roll against the Rust Brothers if they
surrounding city was razed and the fortress was enter buildings where any are present. Discov-
captured by the Alderlanders. Since the Alder- ery has the same effect as above.
lander army, in turn, was crushed, the Butcher There are two ways for the adventurers to
of Aslene, the demon Krasylla, has settled in the make it easier on themselves to avoid being dis-
fortress along with demon-tainted Rust Brothers covered: they can disguise themselves or they
and the Iron Guard – the Rust Church’s order can divert the attention of the Iron Guard with
of warrior monks. Vond is the hub of cultivation an attack on the walls. They can also do both.
of demon-tainted creatures. In the mogarium
at the peak of Mount Ora, Zytera and Merigall
conduct their research. DISGUISE
If the adventurers get their hands on the garb
of the Rust Brothers, they can easily disguise
themselves, which is made simpler by the fact
that Rust Brothers often wear masks. If the ad-
MOVING ABOUT IN venturers are disguised, they only need to make

THE FORTRESS STEALTH rolls if they do something out of the

ordinary (like going somewhere Rust Brothers
The fortress of Vond is very well guarded, and don’t normally go) or when they run into Rust
it isn’t easy for the adventurers to move about Brothers within NEAR distance.

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 EVENTS IN VOND
To spice up the adventurers’ visit to Vond you can, when you want to, roll on or
choose events from the table below.
D6 EVENT
1 THE BELL TOLLS. An alarm bell tolls in the fortress and patrols of soldiers run
criss-cross patterns in search of intruders that have made their way inside.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that the adventurers have triggered the alarm or
that there actually are any intruders.
2 THE PRISONERS. Ten miserable prisoners, bound by chains in a line, are led
from the fortress up towards Zytera’s mogarium to become parts in demonic
creations.
3 EXECUTION. The deep sound of drums reverberates across the area. At a stone
altar, a few of Rust Brothers stand, next to Iron Guards lined up behind some
ten prisoners in dirty clothes. The knights raise their swords and let them fall
as one across the necks of the prisoners. The drums fall silent.
4 EXPLOSION. A massive boom is heard, and then the ground shakes as if from a
powerful explosion. A pillar of smoke rises from one of the towers and a large,
gaping hole is visible in the stone wall behind it. It is a Rust Brother sorcerer
who has failed with an experiment, after which a violent explosion has de-
stroyed two floors of a tower and killed a dozen Rust Brothers and servants.
5 LESSER DEMONS. A few lesser demons (roughly the size of squirrels) make life
miserable for the adventurers. They crawl inside their clothes, climb into their
hair and poke them in uncomfortable places, all the while laughing coarsely
with their squeaky voices. One of the demons can become friends with an
adventurer that doesn’t mistreat it, the rest mainly live to cause trouble.
6 THE MADMAN. A man with bloodshot eyes and a bushy beard grabs hold of one
of the adventurers and croaks warnings about the end of the world and “the
spider in the tower.” The man is the former commander of a unit of imprisoned
Alderlander spies who has gone mad from torture and torment. Maybe he can
regain his sanity for an instant?

DIVERTING MANEUVERS
If the walls of Vond are attacked by a large-scale in number) will move about the fortress, and
assault (see above), the Iron Guard will be sum- the adventurers must make STEALTH rolls as
moned to the walls instead of patrolling the above against them instead. The Rust Brothers
area. This means that adventurers inside the lack the skill SCOUTING and are significantly
fortress don’t risk being discovered by them. easier opponents in battle.
However, groups of anxious Rust Brothers (D3

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 open fire with their crossbows, upon which
LOCATIONS the Iron Guards riding on the winged beasts
Listed below are the most important locations descend. In addition, reinforcements are sum-
in the fortress of Vond. moned to the gates.

✥✥ THE CATAPULT. There is also a catapult

THE SECRET PASSAGE at the top of the wall that can hurl stones
Halfway up the barren mountain you see a rocky at attackers. It takes three people to fire
crevice that leads to a cramped and dark cave. the catapult, and it requires a slow action
If you hadn’t known what to look for, you would to reload. The range is of the catapult is
never have noticed it. LONG. On a successful attack an area as
large as a zone in battle is hit, meaning
In a hidden crevice on the west face of Mount Ora that a group of people within NEAR dis-
is a secret tunnel, several hundred meters long, that tance from each other are struck. Roll for
ends under a floor tile inside the old bronze gates in each target with ten Base Dice (Weapon
the fortress (location #5 on the map). Read more Damage 2, blunt trauma).
about the secret passage on page xx. ✥✥ CLIMBING. Climbing the walls is IN-
SANELY difficult (-3) and in addition
to that, the climber will be discovered
1. THE RUST GATE immediately and fired upon by the knights
You stand in front of a rusty, but hideously im- on the wall. It is not possible for the
mense, iron gate that appears to be the only way adventurers to use STEALTH at the same
inside the fortress of Vond. On the top of the wall time as they are climbing (unless they’ve
by the gate are several Iron Guards keeping watch. transformed into a small animal by using
Two are riding on demonic creatures. The walls the ANIMAL FORM spell).
of the fortress are as tall as ten men and well ✥✥ BOILING OIL. As if that weren’t enough,
maintained. The battlements and towers are the Iron Guards on the battlements can
manned by crossbowmen and war machines. release boiling oil over attackers at the
Judging by the smell, you realize that they are base of the wall. It takes two people to
ready with boiling oil to counter their enemies, but perform the attack. The oil covers an area
what army would dare to attack Vond? as large as a zone in battle, meaning that
adventurers within NEAR distance from
The gate has an Armor Rating of 20 and can each other will be hit. Roll for each target
withstand 100 points of damage before shatter- with twelve Base Dice (Weapon Damage 2,
ing. To even approach the gate, the adventurers non-typical damage). There is enough oil
must succeed with a STEALTH roll, however. for three attacks.
Failure means that they are discovered by the ✥✥ CREATURES: Seneschal Mordarga and
Iron Guards on the wall. They immediately twelve Iron Guards keep vigil on the

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battlements. Additionally, an Iron Guard 2. ASSEMBLY HALL
riding on a gryphon and another riding on Inside the inner gates stands a large, square struc-
a wyvern (see the Bestiary in the Game- ture with rusty iron pillars and marble walls.
master’s Guide for stats) guard the gate.
More Iron Guards will be summoned if The house was once a workshop for dwarven
the gate comes under attack. stonemasons, but now serves as the canteen
and assembly hall for the Iron Guards in the
fortress.
A large blood willow that weeps blood-like
sap grows north of the assembly hall. The
roots are exposed around the tree where dead
or living prisoners are imprisoned by the tough
outgrowths. Singular corvids caw among the
branches, sometimes taking a bite out of the
victims. Seneschal Mordarga is the only one
who can command the tree’s roots.
✥✥ CREATURES: The Raven Sister, Virnia,
lies beneath the blood willow, and there
are 4D6 Iron Guards inside the building
(unless the alarm has been triggered, in
which case the building is empty).

3. KYBOS
Flush to the mountain stands a massive, twen-
ty-meter tall stone cube of red granite. Its single
entrance is flanked by torches on both sides.

Kybos was a dwarven temple honoring the god

Huge, especially dedicated to the world-build-
ing of the dwarves. Since it is shaped out of
solid, hard rock it was impossible to tear down,
so the Iron Guard use the amphitheater-like
interior of the stone as an arena for particu-
larly spectacular fights. A challenge to fight in
Kybos can’t be refused, according to the Iron
Guards’ Code of Honor.

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 5. BARRACKS
A number of more recently constructed log
barracks have been raised in the open space.
Between them runs a stream of fresh water.
Many Iron Guards mill about among the bar-
racks. Beyond them is a passage to higher ground.

The members of the Iron Guard are housed in

the barracks. The officers live in the houses by
the training grounds. Drinking water is drawn
from the stream that gushes down the mountain
and runs through the barracks area. It escapes
through a grating beneath the wall to the south.
✥✥ CREATURES: D66 Iron Guards (unless the
alarm has been triggered, then this area is
empty).

6. DEMONARIUM
From the northern end of the barracks area, one can
hear peculiar snarls, howls and clicks. The scents are
strange and for the most part unpleasant. Here are
cages with all sorts of demon-tainted creatures.

4. THE GATES OF THE Demon-tainted animals are either used in battle

DWARVEN FORTRESS on their own or as mounts for the Iron Guard.
Two large bronze gates are set into the moun- A couple of Corpse Herders are here to pacify
tainside, the leftmost of which is twisted so that a ornery creatures with their jolts.
crack as wide as a man gapes open. ✥✥ CREATURES: Four Corpse Herders, 2D6
demon-tainted animals. If need be, you
Inside the gates, a stone hallway continues can randomize stats for the demon-tainted
some twenty meters into the mountain, be- animals with the help of the tables on page
yond which the hallway is completely caved in. xx and beyond in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
On the walls are drawn large numbers of doo- However, all the animals have four legs or
dles that mostly mock dwarves. more in their basic form (for example, goat,
Beneath a floor tile inside the bronze gates lizard, wolf or spider) and all of them lack
is a secret passage that leads to a rocky crevice Intelligence and Empathy.
on the west face of Mount Ora (see above).

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 7. TRAINING GROUNDS venturers are chasing someone, he can release
In an open, levelled area human-shaped wood all the controls at the same time, turning the
and straw figures have been raised for combat room into a deathtrap. Every person in the
training. There are also different targets for room then suffers an attack with eight Base
archery and a riding arena. A couple of fancier Dice (Weapon Damage 2, roll D3 to determine
housing barracks, an armory and a larger stone if the attack inflicts slash wounds, stab wounds
building border the area. Stairs lead up towards or blunt force) every round. The attack can be
a balustrade. In the south, there are gates into DODGED or PARRIED.
the mountain. An additional mechanism at the top of the
The officers of the Iron Guard live in the stairs causes chains with sharpened weights to
barracks here. Grandmaster Manderel and his spin around the center of the staircase all the
closest officers live on the top floor of the guard- way up. Traditionally, officers must climb the
house, however. The gates to the south lead to stairs as proof of their abilities once appoint-
Krasylla’s lair. A couple of knights stand at the ed. If the mechanism is triggered, everyone on
gates, but only Rust Brothers and those who are the stairs suffers an attack with ten Base Dice
to be sacrificed to Krasylla ever go inside. (Weapon Damage 2, slash wounds) every round.
✥✥ CREATURES: Two Iron Guards keeping The attack can be DODGED but not PARRIED.
watch. Unless the alarm has been triggered
there are 2D6 Iron Guards practicing on
the grounds.

THE DEMON PRINCE’S WISH

8. THE GUARDHOUSE Krasylla is allied to Zytera and
An old and sturdy stone house with slanting walls worshipped by the order of the Rust
stands flush to the mountain. Two knights in ceremo- Brothers as a demon god. But the
nial garb with rusted plate armor stand outside the demon isn’t satisfied with the cur-
gates. The entire ground floor appears to be a large rent state of affairs – he wants to be
gymnasium filled from floor to ceiling with benches, free and rule the Forbidden Lands
dolls and primitive mechanisms on wooden axles. in solo majesty. Krasylla views the
Water from the stream gushes along the west wall. adventurers as enterprising insects
Stone steps lead down there. Large spiral staircases that can be used to create problems
lead up to the top floor at the far end of the room. for Zytera, and would gladly make a
bargain with them. His ulterior goal is
Controls in the wall over by the spiral staircase to find the contract that binds him to
trigger the training mechanisms in the room, Zytera and then once and for all slay
causing them to flail about with blades and the magical beast. Read more about
cudgels, shoot spears and so forth. All of it is this on page xx.
powered by hydraulics in the stream. If the ad-

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 At the top of the stairs are the rooms of the entrance to Krasylla’s chamber is a prison cell
higher officers, the command center and the for those who are soon to be delivered as food
drawing room. Grandmaster Manderel is usually for the demon.
here, unless the alarm has been triggered. From The entrance to the chamber is a rotating
the drawing room, a staircase leads up the moun- drum with a hidden time-lock set to between
tain to the wardroom and continues on to the three and five minutes, that is driven by quick-
shrine. A path also leads to the raised walkway silver. The one being rotated into the chamber is
above the Cauldron of Torment (see below). The at the mercy of Krasylla, who occupies approxi-
knights usually gather at the training grounds mately half of the space in the form of a shape-
each morning, at which time Grandmaster less mass that wears the features of the last per-
Manderel addresses them from the balcony. son the demon devoured. Beyond the chamber is
✥✥ CREATURES: Two Iron Guards keep watch a stone tower in which Krasylla builds himself
outside. Grandmaster Manderel and D6 up to sarmog – a higher form of demon.
other officers from the Iron Guard are on ✥✥ CREATURES: The demon prince Krasylla.
the top floor if the alarm hasn’t been trig- D6 prisoners in the prison cell. Two Rust
gered. Merigall’s daughter, Hirena, serves Brothers are usually stationed in the side
as steward in the wardroom. room outside.

9. KRASYLLA’S TOWER 10. ARMORY

The wide corridors in the mountain have par- Several weaponsmiths work in a generously sized
tially caved in, but the dwarven craftsmanship armory with two chimneys under the command
is plain to see. Peculiar smells and other, some of a blind dwarf. Outside the building are stacked
visible some not so much, substances drift along raw materials. The building appears to not only be
stagnant passages as if fear itself has manifested a workshop but also to be of religious significance –
in want of other presences. The tower that has you see soldiers and priests praying outside.
been built directly against the mountain has nei-
ther doors nor windows and doesn’t appear to be Master Tyrser of Vond is a dwarf of the Crombe
otherwise connected to the fortress, either. Some clan. He is a very skilled weaponsmith whose
sticky, organic fluid of indeterminable scent leaks mind has been clouded by imprisonment with
out between the cracks at ground level. the Urhur orcs, who blinded him and sold him
to Vond. He is now completely obsessed with
Krasylla is rumored to be Zytera’s demon his work, and harasses his smith apprentices
prince confidant and a terror from the Alder relentlessly. He doesn’t understand that he is
Wars who is supposed to have single-handedly working for the enemy, but lives in a world of
devastated Aslene. None but the selected and his own. Iron Guards and Rust Brothers revere
prepared priests enter the mountain. They keep the armory as holy since iron is worked in the
to the side room closest to the gate. Near the most exquisite way in the building.

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 In the caves inside the armory, large The dungeons are used for three things: to keep
amounts of weapons of all kinds are stored. the creatures that are going to be sacrificed to
Behind a locked door are special weapons. Only the gods Rust and Heme; for those that are to
Master Tyrser and Grandmaster Manderel be delivered as food for Krasylla; and to keep
have the keys to this room. As an example, Pey- prisoners of war for interrogation. The farthest
raman’s Arrow of the Fire Wyrm is here (see back in the dungeons sits the Crombe dwarf
Prisoner Cells and Merigall’s Lair). Peyraman, who has come to Vond to slay Kra-
✥✥ CREATURES: The dwarven smith Tyrser sylla. If the adventurers talk to Peyraman, he
of Vond. D3 Iron Guards and D6 Rust will insist that they free his partner, the Aslene
Brothers on a temporary visit. woman Viseria. Peyraman can reveal the func-
✥✥ TREASURES: Outside the armory are D66 tion of the Arrow of the Fire Wyrm.
units of IRON ORE, D66 units of IRON, In addition to the narrow cells are two cav-
2D6 units of WOOD and 2D6 units of erns. They serve as rooms for preparation and
LEATHER. In the caves behind the armory interrogation with gear for ablution and instru-
are D6 of all COMMON weapons, shields ments of torture.
and suits of armor found in the gear table ✥✥ CREATURES: The dwarf Peyraman, D6
in the Player’s Handbook (see page xx), Rust Brothers, D6 Corpse Herders.
D6–3 of all UNCOMMON such items and
D3–2 of all RARE ones.
Locked in the chamber behind the ar- 12. HOUSE OF CHAINS
mory (the door has Armor Rating 12 and A larger stone house seems to make a peculiar jan-
can withstand 40 points of damage) are a gling noise and when you peek through the gates,
number of well-forged weapons. Roll D6–4 you see chains hanging from the ceiling all over.
each for broadsword, longsword, two-hand- Naked people, covered in rust, move among the
ed sword, morningstar, warhammer, bat- chains in various forms of dance and prayer.
tleaxe and two-handed axe. The Gear Bo-
nus of the weapons is one step higher than The House of Chains is the headquarters of
normal, and each weapon is worth twice as the Rust Brothers in Vond. The entire ground
much. In addition, there is an artifact here floor is used for initiation and purification
in the form of an Arrow of the Fire Wyrm before misgrowth. Various batteries of chains
(see page xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide). can be lowered with control wheels set in the
walls – most are just rusty iron chains, while
others have sharp barbs, are coated in poison
11. THE DUNGEONS or charged with crackling energy from Zytera’s
Rust Brothers and Corpse Herders move in and mogarium at the peak of the mountain. Adepts
out of a heavily guarded gate in the mountainside. are expected to endure or avoid the more un-
Wretched cries and more desperate screams can be pleasant chains to prove themselves worthy of
heard from the depths within. greater misgrowth.

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 At times, singing groups of adepts in robes sacrifices over the holy metal to appease the gods.
move from the House of Chains up to the ✥✥ TREASURES: 2D6 VALUABLE finds can
mogarium to gain Zytera’s favor and be fitted be uncovered.
with demonic limbs. ✥✥ CREATURES: 2D6 Rust Brothers.
The higher priests dwell on the upper floor of
the house. The prayer rooms and dormitories can
be found here. Rust Prince Kartorda has a suite
of his own for the occasions when he visits Vond.
✥✥ CREATURES: D66 Rust Brothers. Rust
Prince Kartorda, unless the alarm has been
triggered.

13. CAULDRON OF TORMENT

Stakes with cuffs have been raised from the bot-
tom of a natural stone cauldron in the upper end
of the fortress. Balustrades line the cauldron, from
where priests look upon the people chained to the
stakes to be lashed. Above the cauldron is a temple
building flanked by statues of Rust and Heme. MONSTERS
AND NPCS
The Aslene woman Viseria has been brought
here from the dungeons. Just like her partner, Creatures and non-player characters that can
Peyraman, she refuses to cooperate with adven- be encountered in the fortress of Vond are de-
turers unless they promise to free Peyraman. scribed below.
✥✥ CREATURES: 3D6 Rust Brothers and the
Aslene woman Viseria.
GRANDMASTER MANDEREL
The commander of the Iron Guard is Grand-
14. CHAPEL OF THE GODS master Manderel, a scarred war veteran as well
A malodorous, smaller stone building with a sin- as an ordained Rust Brother. Manderel is just
gle room appears to be mostly filled with blood, as proficient at fighting with his two extra
sawdust and iron filings sprinkled across various misgrown arms as he is with the ones he was
tools and weapons. The building is flanked by idols born with. Additionally, he has an extra eye in
depicting Rust and Heme. the back of the neck and is capable of wielding
magic. The silver veins that are inlaid in Man-
The building is a chapel dedicated to Rust and derel’s face absorb magic and serve as a shield
Heme. The Rust Brothers often perform blood against it.

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STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3 SENESCHAL MORDARGA
SKILLS: Melee 5, Scouting 3, Lore 2, Insight Mordarga was a priestess of the goddess Heme
3, Manipulation 3 when she was touched by a vision, and instead
TALENTS: Path of the Blade 3, Firm Grip 2, picked up the sword to defend the fortress and
Cold Blooded 2, Steady Feet 2, Sixth Sense 2 became one of the highest officers of the Iron
GEAR: Two-handed sword, plate armor, Guard. Mordarga cares for the blood willow
PRECIOUS find that grows next to the assembly hall, since
MISGROWN: Manderel has four arms and an she claims that it is Heme sprung into wood.
extra eye at the back of the neck. Because Mordarga ritually scratches her arms and face,
of this, he always gets to draw three
keeps her head shaved clean of hair and eye-
initiative cards at the start of combat,
choose the best two, and perform actions brows, but is free from demonic misgrowths.
on both. Aside from her skill in battle, she is able to call

MAGICAL SHIELD: The silver veins in the roots of the blood willow from the soil to
Manderel’s face act as the spell DISPEL snare and attack enemies while within the vi-
MAGIC with Power Level D6. No Willpower cinity of the tree.
Points are needed. The effect only affects
magic directed at Manderel’s person

ABILITIES OF THE MISGROWN

D8 ABILITY EFFECT
1 Four arms May perform one additional slow or fast action each
round with the extra pair of arms.
2 Eyes in the back Bonus +2 to all attempts at detecting a sneak attack or an
of the neck ambush.
3 Fangs Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound) as well as Lethal poison
with Potency 6.
4 Claws Weapon Damage 2 (slash wounds).
5 Tentacles Bonus +2 to all attempts to GRAPPLE.
6 Ulcerous Contact is contagious, with a Virulence rating of 6.
7 Wings Can fly, Movement Rate 2
8 Roll two times –

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 STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 5, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3 IRON GUARDS
SKILLS: Melee 5, Lore 2, Insight 3, Manipu-
The order of the Iron Guard is the military
lation 3
branch of the Rust Church and answers direct-
TALENTS: Path of Death 2, Path of the Blade
ly to Rust Prince Kartorda. The knights gener-
2, Firm Grip 2, Fast Footwork 2
ally do battle on foot. Some ride on demonified
GEAR: Longsword, plate armor, closed
animals. Normally there are a total of about
helmet
one hundred Iron Guards in Vond. More are
BLOOD WILLOW ROOTS: If Mordarga is
patrolling the city ruins or out on punitive ex-
within SHORT distance of the blood willow,
she can perform an additional slow action peditions in the Forbidden Lands.
every round. With the extra action Mordar- STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2
ga can cause the roots of the blood willow SKILLS: Might 2, Endurance 2, Melee 4, Move
to attack an adventurer within SHORT 2, Marksmanship 3, Scouting 2
distance of the blood willow with ten Base
Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). TALENTS: Path of the Blade or Path of the
If the attack succeeds, the adventurer is Enemy (rank 2), Threatening, Cold Blooded
GRAPPLED. GEAR: Longsword or flail, heavy crossbow,
chainmail or plate armor, great helm, large
shield, combat trained horse, one VALU-
RUST BROTHERS ABLE find

Vond is the headquarters of the Rust Brothers,

and it shows. Rust Brothers in robes draped
with metal move about all over the area. Gen- CORPSE HERDERS
erally they don’t expect an outsider to even be Anywhere there are demons and undead in
able to enter the area and can therefore be sur- Vond there are also the Corpse Herders. They
prised quite easily. are dressed in their strange, metallic uni-
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3 forms, marred by scars and wounds, and with

SKILLS: Melee 2, Move 1, Marksmanship 2, their Rods of Ungrounding ready to strike any-
Lore 3, Survival 1, Insight 2, Manipulation 1, one who shows the slightest hint of curiosity
Healing 2 or independent will.
TALENTS: Path of Healing, Path of Shifting STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
Shapes or Path of Sight (rank 2)
SKILLS: Might 3, Melee 2, Lore 2, Manipula-
GEAR: Staff, dagger, D6 copper tion 2, Animal Handling 2
MISGROWN: Many Rust Brothers are mis- GEAR: Rod of Ungrounding (stats like a
grown. In most cases the effects are cos- staff but with Weapon Damage 2), dagger,
metic, but you can give some of the Rust studded leather armor
Brothers unique abilities. Roll on the table
on page xx in the chapter about Haggler’s
House.
KRASYLLA
Entering Krasylla’s chamber, one is greeted

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by various smells that rise from a gigantic, who she is, having only vague memories and
pulsating and veined mass, the upper section being burdened with an inner existential dark-
of which vaguely resembles a humanoid form ness, and lacks friends, but she is treated with a
with shifting features. Among the scents are respect that she doesn’t understand. Raised as a
also inciting and inviting components which soldier she is able to fight, but does so without
makes the impression even more disturbing. conviction; most of all she hungers for a mean-
Organic, chomping sounds mingle with the ingful existence. Merigall can teleport to her
creature’s dark and warped voice. The arms that and truly loves her as its daughter.
hang beside the too large head are mostly for STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
decoration, since Krasylla can summon tenta- SKILLS: Melee 3, Move 2
cles at will to ensnare his visitors.
TALENTS: Knife Fighter 2
You can find stats for Krasylla on page xx.
GEAR: Dagger, leather armor

RAVEN SISTER VIRNIA

Sister Virnia lies naked, fatally mangled and im-
prisoned by the roots of the blood willow out-
side the assembly hall. The woman, who appears
to be in her thirties, bears wounds from being
whipped, lacks limbs, and her hair is partially
ripped away. She asks only to be given the feath-
er of a raven (see the Events, below). If Virelda
Bloodbeak (see page xx) is accompanying the ad-
venturers, she will demand that they aid Virnia.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4
SKILLS: Melee 2, Move 2, Lore 3, Survival 2,
Healing 3
PEYRAMAN
TALENTS: Path of Shifting Shapes 2
A group of dwarven Crombe warriors have sworn
GEAR: None
to reclaim Vond and slay the demon Krasylla,
whom they see as the sworn enemy of their clan.
The mission didn’t go very well and the group
HIRENA has been all but wiped out and the leader, Peyra-
The demon Merigall has a daughter in Vond, man, has been captured. He is in the dungeons.
normally serving as steward in the wardroom If you want, you can let the adventurers meet
or the guardhouse. Hirena resembles Merigall, some other Crombe warriors in the vicinity of
with short, blonde hair and yellow eyes, and is Vond. They may know more about the fortress
tall and very beautiful. She doesn’t understand and the secret passage to the old caves.

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 STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
VIRDUR STONEBROW

SKILLS: Might 2, Melee 4, Lore 2, Insight 3, Virdur is second-in-command in Peyraman’s

Manipulation 1 group, and may attempt a desperate rescue of his
TALENTS: Path of the Shield 2, Melee Charge leader via the old dwarven gates. Virdur got his
2, Axe Fighter 2 nickname after an injury to the head, in which
GEAR: – his forehead was replaced with metal plates.
STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 3
SKILLS: Might 4, Melee 3
VISERIA
TALENTS: Firm Grip 2, Unarmed Warrior 2
The Galdanes of Aslene hate the demon Kra-
GEAR: Warhammer, large shield, plate ar-
sylla and call him the Butcher of Aslene. The
mor, closed helmet
horse-woman Viseria and her comrades were
allied with Peyraman’s Crombe warriors, but
shared their fate. She is in the Cauldron of Tor-
ment. The two are in love, and their main goal
is to free the other. Viseria brought a holy Arrow
of the Fire Wyrm from the volcano Horn, but EVENTS
didn’t have time to fire it at Krasylla before be- Below is a selection of events that may occur
ing captured. She knows that the arrow is stored while the adventures are inside the fortress
in the weapon storage behind the armory. of Vond.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 5, WITS 3, EMPATHY 4
SKILLS: Melee 3, Marksmanship 4, Move 3,
Insight 2, Healing 2, Animal Handling 4 THE RAVEN SISTER

TALENTS: Path of the Plains 2, Horseback The Raven Sister Virnia, who lies fatally
Archer 2, Fast Shooter 2 wounded and imprisoned by the blood willow,
GEAR: – gets hold of the feather of a raven – either be-

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cause the adventurers answered her plea, or their colleagues on a successful birth. Yet an-
because a feather floats down from the birds other guest from Churmog has been born into
in the tree. She utters a prayer to the Raven this world.
god upon which the feather dissolves into Randomize the demon’s abilities and stats
black mist which disperses in the wind. Short- with the help of the tables on page xx and be-
ly thereafter, hundreds of ravens come flying. yond in the Gamemaster’s Guide.
They fall upon Virnia and devour her piece by
piece in a matter of minutes before taking off.
The event catches the attention of the BOLTS OF LIGHTNING
Iron Guards or the Rust Brothers (if the Iron The weather suddenly shifts with remarkable
Guards are occupied at the wall), and may lead speed. The sky above Vond is filled with dark
to the presence of the adventurers being re- clouds and thundering flashes strike the peaks
vealed. above the fortress. The energy of the thunder-
If the adventurers gave Virnia the feather, storm can be seen dancing down the tower at
the three largest ravens will proclaim “Lead the top of the mountain. Rust Brothers and
us in our vengeance” in unison, and obey the knights don’t seem to pay any attention to the
adventurers. If Virnia got hold of the feather extreme weather.
on her own, the unkindness of ravens will at-
tack anyone they come across in the fortress,
including the adventurers, and mainly aim for THE COMMANDO UNIT
the eyes. A suicide commando unit of twenty Crombe
The unkindness counts as a swarm and has dwarves and Galdane warriors suddenly charge
the same stats as bats (see page xx in the Game- from the secret passage by the dwarven gates (lo-
master’s Guide) but have a Strength of 10. cation 5 on the map). Their main mission is to
find and free Peyraman and Viseria, but as a sec-
ondary goal they want to kill as many officers
DEMONIC BIRTH of the Iron Guard as they can. The group is led
A giant vat, roughly 15 meters in diameter by Virdur Stonebrow. If the adventurers were
and filled with a viscous, green fluid stands unaware of the secret passage, they may now
surrounded by scaffolds and ramps filled with discern its existence. The attack also serves as a
Rust Brothers and Iron Guards. It appears as if distraction, which might help the adventurers
they are waiting for something, and their atten- if there isn’t a battle being fought at the walls
tion is fixed on the fluid in the vat. Suddenly, (see above).
something rises above the surface, a huge and
strange body. An unnatural cry echoes across
the landscape after which a demonic creature MANDEREL’S SPEECH
slowly rises from the sludge. The surrounding Grandmaster Manderel gathers a larger force
Rust Brothers hug each other and congratulate on the training grounds to raise their morale

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with a rousing speech. This may mean that the stone fall to the ground and land with heavy
area is difficult to pass through, but may also thuds. In that moment, something incredible
be a distraction in which the guards are tempo- happens – the tower transforms into what ap-
rarily removed from their posts. pears to be an immense living creature. It is
Krasylla in sarmog form, who has trans-
ferred his life-force to the demonic
THE SARMOG AWAKENS mass in the tower. The stones of
If the adventurers defeat or severely the tower become the demon’s
wound Krasylla, the transforma- armor and Krasylla is now
tion to the demon’s next stage more powerful than
will be accelerated. A nearby ever. Read more about
tower will begin to shudder, Krasylla and sarmog
after which large blocks of on page xx.

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 MERIGALL’S LAIR
Above the fortress of Vond, you reach a passage
made of stone that continues up the southern slope LOCATIONS
of Mount Ora. It ends at a marble staircase that Listed below are the most important places in
leads up to a partially ruined pavilion higher up and around Merigall’s lair..
on the mountainside. The building curves around
the upper crest of the stairs, which are surrounded
by the remains of gardens and fountains. 1. MARBLE STAIRCASE
A worn and cracked, almost one hundred meters
long marble staircase leads up to the pavilion on
the mountainside above the fortress of Vond. You
BACKGROUND notice how the steps are scored and notched by
The exotic mountain pavilion was constructed countless ironshod boots.
in the elven style for the dwarven king Tande-
lon of Crombe about 650 A S, and oversees the The staircase ends in a passage under the cen-
fortress of Vond and its city from the south- tral structure of the pavilion. There was once a
ern slope of Mount Ora. King Algavard of Al- gate of which only the hinges remain. You pass
derland lived in the building for a short while directly on to the passage up towards Zytera’s
during the war against the humans, at which mogarium. There are doors to the guardroom
time it was left deserted. The last couple of and the studio, as well as a spiral staircase that
hundred years, the demon Merigall has used leads up to Merigall’s chambers.
the remaining parts as its residence. On the staircase, twenty meters from the
pavilion, a perceptive adventurer can divine a
secret door in the wall to the left of the stair-
case. It is actually a forgotten defense mech-
anism. If the adventurers pry away the right
MOVING ABOUT IN MERIGALL’S LAIR stone, the whole wall will crumble and stone
Merigall’s lair is a secluded part of blocks will roll down the stairs.
Vond. There are only a few guards If Merigall is in the pavilion, the demon is
up here, and no Iron Guards or Rust probably waiting for the guests on the balcony
Brothers move about in the area. If outside its chamber. Merigall will tell them
the adventurers have come this far, that it has waited for them, and invites them
they no longer risk being discovered to come inside for a simple meal.
by the Iron Guard.
✥✥ CREATURES: Merigall, if the demon isn’t
in its chambers.

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 2. THE ROAD TO ZYTERA’S A couple of Rust Brothers live in this room,
MOGARIUM mainly serving as errand boys to Merigall,
Beyond the pavilion you see how the paved road since the demon doesn’t need any protection.
sharply twists up the mountainside to an ominous ✥✥ CREATURES: D6–3 Rust Brothers.
castle, the contours of which are outlined against
the thunderclouds beyond when the walls are lit
by lightning. 4. STUDIO
The room is full of painting tools and partially fin-
ished paintings. Some depict strange landscapes
that you have never seen, and many of the motifs
3. GUARDROOM have disturbing details like a blue and white baby
The stone chamber was once beautiful, but the thrown behind a chair or a man chopping off his
frescoes on the walls are flaky and bleached. A own hand.
crack in the outer wall has been sealed with tar
oakum and moss. There are a couple of bunks, ta- A covered portrait depicts a beautiful, dark
bles and simple chairs in the room. elven woman with a snare for a necklace. The

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picture depicts Viridia, whom Merigall loved This is Merigall’s chambers, the closest thing
a long time ago, and who still dwells in the the demon has to a home. The humans are
emerald Gall-Eye in the sword Maligarn. Mer- stuffed, beautiful specimens that Merigall
igall can tell them the legend, if the adventur- felt it was a shame to let go to rot. The demon
ers ask. Another painting shows twelve beings speaks fondly of them as former lovers. The
of various kin and ages, each of whom bears mass in the ditch consists of rare dancing mog
a resemblance to the others. These are Meri- from Churmog. By touching it in specific plac-
gall’s offspring in the Forbidden Lands. es in a specific rhythm, the ripples can be made
to assume exciting shapes and colors.
The scrolls of parchment deal exclusive-
5. MUSIC ROOM ly with history and legends. A larger piece of
In the room are several musical instruments, of parchment is a decently accurate map of the
which one is a larger piece with sheets of metal Forbidden Lands. Candelabras with wax can-
that chime when thrummed. There are also two dles are lit in the evening. Merigall often sits
beds here, as well as wardrobes with childrens’ and sleeps on the padded bench, then placing
clothes and toys. the snare around its neck so that the body
doesn’t wander off. To the south is a balcony.
The instrument is a so-called plectron, The paintings depict red scenes from Chur-
identical to the one in the temple yard at Hag- mog or beings of different kin who all resemble
gler’s House (see page xx). Merigall – these are the demon’s offspring,
✥✥ CREATURES: Merigall’s children, Morel- and the adventurers may have encountered
de and Migalda. some of them.
Merigall may be in the room, on the bal-
cony or in the guestroom with company. The
6. MERIGALL’S CHAMBERS demon will not fight, but wants to make some
From a spiral staircase, you reach a large and kind of deal. Merigall will defend itself if at-
warm octagonal hall. The air is heavily scent- tacked, but will teleport away if the battle goes
ed and the walls are dressed in red hued velvet badly.
that has been draped around paintings. An open ✥✥ CREATURES: Merigall
fire burns in the fireplace and a couple of naked ✥✥ TREASURES: Three magical artifacts with
people, a man and a woman, stand by a wall. A a serpentine theme are mounted on the
narrow ditch carved from the floor runs roughly walls. All of the artifacts are described in
a meter from the wall, filled with a purple-green detail in the Gamemaster’s Guide and on
mass that appears to be alive. In the center of the cards in the deck of cards for Forbidden
room is a padded bench, with a snare hanging Lands. Merigall can give one or more
above. There is also a desk and shelves with scrolls artifacts to the adventurers, depending
of parchment in the chamber. Mounted on the on what the demon wants them to do.
walls are ornamented serpentine weapons. Note that the adventurers don’t have to

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 come to this location. Merigall can give ✥✥ TREASURES: A coffer is hidden under a
them a weapon in another location if it is stone tile in the floor. The coffer contains
motivated. If you have already introduced a PRECIOUS find with the oddity “Dwarven
these artifacts in your campaign in a heirloom” (see page xx in the Gamemas-
different way, you can scratch them from ter’s Guide).
this location.

AN ARROW OF THE FIRE W YRM: Marks 8. GUESTROOM

those who participated in the devastation of Another perfumed room with a large bed, ward-
Aslen to the god Horn. Leads the Fire Wyrm robes, fires in two fireplaces and benches with
Erinya to the guilty. The arrow is specifically various equipment that appears to be have taken
aimed at Krasylla. from a brothel.

THE SPEAR IVELDE: The spear that sows dis- Merigall may be found in this bed with a
cord can be used to make the statues in Zytera’s couple of naked humans, some of which are
mogarium (see page xx) destroy one another demon-tainted.
until only the one containing Merigall’s life ✥✥ CREATURES: Erosia
essence remains. Merigall does not realize this
itself.
9. CAVED IN ROOMS
THE BROADSWORD ASINA: The sword does There is only clutter here.
additional damage against all demons and can
cleave Zytera into its two parts, Zygofer and
Therania.

MONSTERS
7. CHAPEL
AND NPCS
Half the room lacks a ceiling and under the ceil-
ing that remains are stored stacks of roofing tiles. Creatures and non-player characters that
Presumably, the room was going to be repaired can be encountered in Merigall’s lair are de-
but that never came to pass. The room appears to scribed below.
have been a chapel to the dwarven god Huge, for a
broken statue of the god lies on the floor.
THE DEMON MERIGALL
It is completely true that the room orig- The demon Merigall is one of the key players
inally served as a chapel to the dwarven god in the campaign and is described in detail on
Huge, but it has gone to ruin over the centu- page xx. You can find a picture of the demon
ries. on page xx.

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 MORELDE AND MIGALDA
Morelde is a blonde ten-year-old boy and Mi-
galda is a dark-haired twelve-year-old girl, both
of whom are children of Merigall. They are MERIGALL’S GIFT
both noticably beautiful, with yellow eyes, and Merigall is the eternal schemer and
resemble one another, but there is something will try to use the adventurers in
incomplete about them, as if they haven’t been the way that benefits the demon
completely “finished” and an observer can’t most. Merigall is very interested
really be sure if they are humans, dwarves or in what Krasylla has told them,
half-elves. They are very open towards strang- and makes no attempt at hiding
ers, happy, and appear to be oblivious to the the disgust it feels for the demon
world outside the pavilion. prince. Merigall’s goal is to be free
The children are being cultivated to be de- of Zytera’s control, and needs to
ployed somewhere in the Forbidden Lands, but drink its life essence from one of
Merigall hasn’t decided where yet and neither the stone guardians in Zytera’s mo-
has it imprinted them for a location, which is garium. Merigall will gladly give the
why they appear somewhat incomplete. Meri- adventurers gifts in the form of the
gall will become the mortal enemy of anyone magical weapons that the demon
who hurts them or any other of the demon’s has collected over the years (see
offspring. Either one of the children can, like the event Merigall’s Supper, below).
Hirena, be brought forth as food for Krasylla
to kindle Merigall’s hatred against the larger
demon.

STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 3

SKILLS: Move 2
mostly human, cobbled together with demon-
TALENTS: –
ic mog. Erosia may appear grotesque, painted
GEAR: Elegant clothes
and attired with a number of limbs and organs,
but if one can look past the big picture it is pos-
sible to find a certain beauty and grace in the
EROSIA individual parts. The creature is always friend-
Erosia is a demonic creature that Merigall ly and inviting and won’t defend itself even if
has constructed for the sole purpose of am- attacked, in which case it will cite poetry about
orous endeavours at home in the pavilion, the beautiful mortality of life. It has mastered
when more exciting company is unavailable. It several musical instruments and other arts.
mostly looks like a flesh-colored, shapeless toad The personality of the creature changes to suit
the size of a horse and is comprised of parts, the visitor.

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 heart ruby in front of Zytera to wound or
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 5 preferably kill the creature. Hizgele is lean

SKILLS: Lore 4, Performance 4 and wiry with long, fair hair and tatoos that
depict winding plants. He wears only a piece
TALENTS: –
of cloth around his torso, is bloody, but un-
GEAR: –
moved by pain or cold.

STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 4, EMPATHY 2

CAPTAIN K ARDUNE
SKILLS: Melee 3, Marksmanship 4, Survival 2
Kardune is an Iron Guard, a hardy warrior
TALENTS: Pain Resistant 2
with an austere beard. In secret, he wanted to
GEAR: –
become an artist and comes from one of the
villages close to Groveland Woods. He there-
fore enjoys being with Merigall, and is also the
demon’s lover. As a teenager, Kardune was for-
ced to join the army when his village couldn’t
pay its annual tithe. The captain has declined EVENTS
misgrown extra limbs and the other officers Below are a number of events that can occur in
look down on him because of this. Kardune su- Merigall’s lair.
spects that the times are changing, and he can
turn on the Rust Brothers if he sympathizes
with the adventurers. See the event “The Iron THE PRETEND ADVENTURERS
Guard,” below. Morelde and Migalda suddenly surprise the
adventurers, threateningly but playfully, the
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3 boy with a wooden sword and a shield and

SKILLS: Melee 3, Crafting 2, Marksmanship the girl dressed up as a fairy with a wand and
2, Scouting 2, Lore 1 dress strewn with stars. They live in their
TALENTS: Path of the Blade 2 own world, and Merigall has played games
with them where they pretend to be “adven-
GEAR: Longsword, dagger, chainmail, VALU-
ABLE find turers”. Neither of them possess any skill in
combat or magic.

THE REDRUNNER HIZGELE

Hizgele loved the elf Megonda Mard (see THE IRON GUARD
page xx), who has been kidnapped by Zytera’s Iron Guard Captain Kardune arrives at the pa-
underlings. Hizgele suspects that it is already vilion with urgent information for Merigall
too late to save her and has also allowed him- on the state of matters. He is under pressure,
self to be captured. He plans to detonate his and is not amused to find strangers in the area.

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 THE DAUGHTER’S RETURN MERIGALL’S SUPPER
The steward Hirena (see page xx) comes to Merigall invites the adventurers to supper
the pavilion with a message for Merigall from with it in its chambers. Here they are offered,
Grandmaster Manderel, requesting the de- more or less bizarre delicacies from both this
mon’s presence at a counsel in the guardhouse and other worlds. To accompany the food, they
of the fortress. The children Morelde and Mi- are treated with nectar wine which tastes sweet
galda see her as their older sister, and one can and lovely and makes the adventurer discover
immediately spot the similarities they share. an intense love both for life and Merigall (the
demon gets +2 to MANIPULATION against
those who drink the wine).
THE REDRUNNER During the meal, Merigall explains its role
A couple of Rust Brothers are bringing a in Zytera’s plans, and laments that everything
screaming elven Redrunner through the pas- has gone wrong. The demon offers an alliance
sage under the pavilion up towards Zytera’s to anyone ready to kill Zytera and offers the ad-
mogarium. The elf calls himself Hizgele, and venturers the magical weapons at its disposal
has been looking for the missing Megonda (see page xx) to achieve that goal. The nego-
Mard (see page xx). tiations can sour – if the adventurers choose
to decline Merigall’s proposal, the demon will
be wroth and BEFOUL the food in an instant.
Merigall will then cast PARALYZE and TER-
ROR before fleeing towards Zytera’s mogarium.

ZYTERA’S MOGARIUM
From the bridge beyond the palace of the dwarven
prince you see the peak of Mount Ora, but the scene BACKGROUND
could just as well originate in an alien and terrify- Zytera spends most of his time in the mogar-
ing demonic world. From the black cliff giving off ium to experiment with mog – the living de-
a metallic gleam rises a spiral tower whose silver monic substance from the world of Churmog.
battlements exchange bolts of lightning with the It is raw mog in different forms that coat the
dark thundercloud overhead. The upper levels of upper levels of the tower. Zytera has managed
the tower pulsate and swell, as if they were formed to open a protonexus – a primitive opening to
from living flesh instead of rock. Churmog – at the top of the tower. With the
help of the Corpse Herder Brenziga, he keeps

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a thundercloud locked above the area to supply 2. GUARDIAN CHAMBER
power for the experiments. Zytera’s spider body A large hall filled with statues holding stone
climbs up and down the mountain from the weapons opens up inside the gate. They are all
balcony when the creature wants to leave the facing towards you. A couple of skeletons lie on the
mogarium. floor.

In the guardian chamber are a dozen stone stat-

ues that wake up and attack anyone who enters
while not wearing a silver hauberk. However, if
LOCATIONS the spear Ivelde (see page xx) is thrown among
Listed below are the most important locations them, they will start destroying one another
in Zytera’s mogarium. until only one remains – the one who carries
the brass receptacle containing Merigall’s life
essence as its heart (see page xx).
1. TRANSFORMARIUM The guardian room can be bypassed if one
The path beyond the bridge writhes up towards a scales the balcony from the transformarium.
building at the base of the tower. Statues of both ✥✥ CREATURES: Twelve stone guardians.
Rust and Heme stand to either of the portal,
surrounded by braziers in which red fires burn.
Misgrown Rust Brothers are gathered in clamor- 3. VIVISECTION ROOMS
ous worship and self-flagellation beneath a balco- A narrow building bridges a chasm. Windows
ny. Their bodies are bloodied. A number of other are open along its sides. The smell of decay is
priests of Rust walk among them. heavy. You can hear someone crying.

In the transformarium, dedicated Rust Broth- These rooms hold dissection tables with fetters
ers receive their extra limbs and deformities. and the remains of dissected bodies. A couple
Zytera comes to look upon them from the bal- of youths are imprisoned in a cell. They can
cony and passes down limbs prepared in mog tell of how other prisoners have been butchered
to the priests who attach them to the worship- alive by Brenziga, Zytera and their living silver
pers. The six cells in the building hold devo- skeletons.
tees recovering after the process and frequently
some prisoner intended for the donation of
fresh materials. 4. THE LIMB PATCH
✥✥ CREATURES: 2D6 demonified Rust The stench of decay is almost unbearable beyond
Brothers, D3 other Rust Brothers, D3–1 the staircase. You hear strange scrapings and
prisoners from the Forbidden Lands squelches coming from the rooms.
(maybe someone the adventurers have met
before?). In these various rooms are roughly sorted

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limbs from both animals and humans. Organ- non-typical damage). The room is inhabited
ic masses of mog hang down from cracks in by the Corpse Herder Brenziga and a couple
the ceiling and in through the windows. Many of Corpse Herders of lower rank. They operate
of the limbs appear to be alive, and twitch or the lightning set-up of the tower, direct the
slither when someone enters. The hand room silver skeletons and help Zytera conduct the
contains some thirty severed, living arms that anatomical experiments.
have reached some kind of consensus and col- In a wooden rack on the table three glass
lectively attack those who enter, strangling orbs containing shimmering fluids can be
and scratching. The arms technically act as a seen. If they break, gaseous mog gushes out
swarm (see page xx in the Gamemaster’s Guide) and afflicts everyone within NEAR distance.
with Strength 8. The swarm’s attacks have See the adjacent box.
Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). ✥✥ CREATURES: The Corpse Herder Brenzi-
In the northernmost room are decapitated ga, two Corpse Herders of lower rank (see
heads, some of which can talk. They are more page xx for stats).
or less insane. One head, belonging to a sor-
cerer, casts the spell PUPPETEER (Power Level
5) on the first being who enters the room and
tries to compel the victim to attack her friends. GASEOUS MOG
The southernmost rooms hold wooden The gaseous mog found in Brenziga’s
bunks with fetters for dissection, candelabras suite acts as a poison with Potency 6.
for candles and a silver anvil with a silver ham- Everyone within NEAR distance is
mer for shattering elven rubies on. afflicted.
✥✥ CREATURES: The freak Mard is also in ✥✥ FULL EFFECT: The victim suffers
the room, and may try to contact the 1 point of damage to Empathy
adventurers (see the event “Mard”, below). each round until she’s broken.
Additionally, she immediately
develops a misgrowth and must
5. BRENZIGA’S SUITE roll on the table for abilities of
Above the stairs is a locked, silver-plated gate. In- the demon-tainted (see page xx).
side is a beautiful suite where someone obviously The effect is permanent.
lives – a fire is burning in the fireplace and a de- ✥✥ LIMITED EFFECT: The victim suffers
canter of wine has been prepared. The contrast to 1 point of damage to Empathy
the disgusting rooms encountered before is almost and develops a temporary mis-
terrifying. growth. Roll on the table as for
the full effect, but the effect goes
The silver pattern of the gate is electrically away after a Quarter Day.
charged and yields a powerful jolt if the adven-
turers touch it (deals 1 damage to Strength,

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 6. SUITE OF THE SILVER 8. BALCONY
­SKELETONS You reach a square corner room where the west
Above the stairs the air tastes like metal and stings wall has been completely removed. The wind
the nose. Crackling sounds can be heard from the howls past you. Outside, the mountain drops
rooms where fleshy masses hang in through win- straight down and is coated in clinging mog. Along
dows and through holes in the walls and ceiling. the walls are a number of buzzing silver beams,
Here and there, the mass exhibits tentacles or fas- and a silver skeleton lies against one of them.
tened human limbs. There are a number of large,
shimmering silver skeletons in these rooms. The room is kept free of mog since this is
where Zytera leaves and enters the tower. The
Five silver skeletons are used as aides in the beast can climb up and down the mountainside
tower, and they mostly dwell in this room. with ease. The silver beams along the walls are
Some ten charged rods sit in the rack, where laden with power from the thundercloud to
they absorb power from the thundercloud via keep the area free of mog. The silver skeleton
silver cables. The skeletons can heal themselves has become addicted to the power of the light-
with the rods and will gain power if they are ning and is usually found lying entwined with
used against them. the beam and doesn’t care about anything else.
The spiral staircase leads up to the bases of ✥✥ CREATURES: Zertorme or Redwing can
the two northern silver spires of the building appear here. See Events.
where thunder roars and it is easy to suffer a
fatal jolt.
✥✥ CREATURES: Five silver skeletons. 9. THE PILEUM OF THE TOWER
The upper plateau of the tower appears to be more
or less covered by flesh-colored tissue that has as-
7. THE WALL OF FLESH sumed a more varied and lively form. It slithers,
Above the staircase the passage is narrow, since a pulsates, moves and thrashes intrusively every-
fleshy substance wells forth from the rooms to the where. Many tentacles are aggressively curious.
right. Various body parts thrash and move on the Large parts of the ceiling have caved in so that you
surface. It smells horrible, and every so often you can see the sky overhead. Four thirty-meter-high
can hear thundering sounds after which the en- silver steeples rise from the four corners of the
tire mass shudders as if in terror. tower. Every so often, a deafening crack is heard
when lightning strikes one of them from the thun-
The mass can be pushed aside with jolts from dercloud above, and a shimmering light creeps
the silver rods in the suite of the silver skele- along the surface.
tons, but is not aggressive. Both these rooms
are completely filled with fleshy mog and limbs Mog becomes so intrusive that the adventurers
in preparatory training. must either chop it to pieces with a weapon or
keep it at a distance with the silver rods from

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the suite of the silver skeletons (they can be UNGROUNDER BRENZIGA
recharged in the room). The narrow space due Brenziga is the most distinguished Corpse Herd-
north has a number of hands mounted on it er in the Rust Church. She is completely loyal
that will attack anyone who tries to push past to Zytera, whom she believes to be the greatest
them. The hands act as a swarm (see page xx in genius the world has ever seen. She is ruthlessly
the Gamemaster’s Guide) with Strength 7. dedicated to her research, seeking to animate the
dead and attach the organs and abilities of the
living to creatures with the demonic substance
10. PROTONEXUS mog under the guidance of her master. Her
The center of the tower’s pileum holds an enor- specialty as a Corpse Herder is to dissect living
mous silver bowl in which can be seen a mass that creatures and to bring life to organs and new cre-
rapidly changes color and has a slithering form to ations with the electricity that is channeled from
it. Through holes that appear among the billow- the perpetual thundercloud above the mogari-
ing folds you can sometimes glimpse a red, alien um. She also oversees the practical matters when
light and occasionally even views of alien land- Rust Brothers are equipped with misgrown ap-
scapes. The mythical creature called Zytera stalks pendages in the transformarium. Brenziga has
around the bowl. severe burns from a multitude of accidents, but
she wears these scars with pride. She is constant-
This is most likely where the final showdown ly accompanied by two Corpse Herders that serve
against Zytera will take place. This can happen as her assistants, and she also frequently makes
in many ways, but read more on that in “The use of silver skeletons for manual labor.
Final Showdown”, below. STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 5, EMPATHY 3
SKILLS: Lore 4, Healing 5, Insight 3, Manipu-
lation 2
TALENTS: Path of Death 3, Path of Blood 2

MONSTERS
AND NPCS STONE GUARDIANS
Creatures and non-player characters that can These large statues of stone represent legend-
be encountered in Zytera’s mogarium are de- ary dwarven warriors. They lack Wits and
scribed below. Empathy and are immune to all attacks that
damage these attributes.
STRENGTH 12, AGILITY 2
ZYTERA
SKILLS: Melee 4
Zytera is one of the key players in the campaign
ARMOR: 10 (stoneskin)
and is described in detail on page xx. There you
GEAR: Battleaxe
can also find a picture of the creature.

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 SILVER SKELETONS Mard looks like an abortive human fetus,
These undead monstrosities are large skeletons, hairless with a big head, incomplete limbs and
perhaps those of ogres, whose bones have been her features in disarray – it is easy to mistake
lined with silver wreaths. The fingers taper off her for a demonified monster.
to sharp silver claws and the living eyes of beast Mard is the size of a monkey and just as ag-
or man have been mounted in the eye sockets. ile, so she can climb around between the floors
The eyes are wetted by rolling back on a regular on the outside of the tower. Mog instinctly re-
basis, instead of blinking. The skeletons carry tracts from her. Her mind and speech are both
silver rods in their hands that flash with elec- rudimentary. Mard is skittish, but can sense
tricity. These are used to direct mog tissue. good intentions. She doesn’t know what she is
or what she is supposed to do, but mostly waits
STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 2 for someone who can love her. Hizgela and

SKILLS: Melee 3, Scouting 2 Redwing have come to rescue her and if she
sees them, her memory will partially return.
GEAR: Claws (Weapon Damage 2, slash
wound), silver rod (Weapon Bonus +2,
Weapon Damage 2, damages Agility in- STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 5, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
stead of Strength).
SKILLS: Melee 4, Move 3, Insight 4
BONY: Arrows and POINTED weapons can
HEALING: Mard automatically recoves 1
never cause more than 1 point of damage
point of lost Strength each round.
in a single attack.
BENRANGEL: Pilar och vapen med SPETS
kan aldrig göra mer än 1 poäng skada i en
enskild attack. MALINA REDWING
The keen-eyed Redrunner Malina Redwing
has a terrible temper and hates and despises
MARD THE FREAK everyone who isn’t a full-blooded elf. Hizgele,
The elven healer Megonda Mard, whom she harbors an unrequit-
a peaceful Melder, was brought ed love for, has tried to con-
as a prisoner to Zytera’s mog- vince her to try to rescue
arium about a year ago. Megonda Mard, who
Her ruby was torn from possesses unique knowl-
her chest and shattered so edge of healing, from
that the sorcerer could use Zytera’s grasp and she
the shards as the spark of has reluctantly agreed.
life in his miscreations. A She had already had thin
flake of the ruby fell into a wings grown between her
crack, however, and from this feet and arms so that she
the freak Mard has been reformed. appears to be a crossbreed be-

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tween a bat and a flying squirrel, and can glide REDWING
on the winds. Redwing tries to alight on the balcony (see
The wings have thin veins filled with location xx on the map), but lands badly and
blood all over and appear to blaze red at a dis- damages one of her wings. She asks the adven-
tance. Redwing wears leather armor and is a turers to find Megonda Mard, whom she has
good marksman even on the move, but she is been sent to rescue from the tower, and also
almost useless in melee. She isn’t aware that to keep an eye out for Hizgele. According to
Hizgele intends to sacrifice himself to exact Redwing, Mard is supposed to possess powers
revenge on Zytera, and would object fiercely of healing. The adventurers may have caught
if she found out. The two signal each other sight of a human-sized bat with blood-red
through the bays of howler rats. wings near Vond previously, before she lands
on the balcony. If Redwing is healed, she can
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 5, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3 glide to safety from the mogarium with Mard

SKILLS: Melee 1, Move 4, Marksmanship 4 and one other person.

TALENTS: Fast Shooter 2

GEAR: Longbow, dagger, leather armor MARD
WINGS: Malina can fly SHORT distance with
The freak Mard catiously approaches the ad-
a Movement Rate of 3. She must land after
venturers if their intentions are good. For add-
each round of movement.
ed enjoyment, you can let them glimpse the
grotesque features of the creature before the
encounter.

EVENTS THE DEMONIC CREATURE

Below are a number of events that can occur in A half-finished demonified creature with lots of
Zytera’s mogarium. limbs, as angry as it is terrified, has escaped and
crawling, attacks everything in its path with
improvised weaponry. Two silver skeletons and
ZERTORME’S ARRIVAL a Corpse Herder are chasing it. The creature
Zertorme arrives at the tower via the balcony shouts confused and disjointed phrases like,
for the showdown with his father and sister. “Don’t go near the geezer with the gurdy!”,
Note that Zertorme can be overtly or secretly “Blunder with the blind otter!”, and “Eight and
allied with the adventurers, Zygofer, Therania, seven make me fifteen… Catch the wig!”.
Merigall or someone else, regardless of how he
has acted previously in the game. See page xx
for more details.

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 TENTACLES ✥✥ Zytera knowingly transforms the proto-
Tentacles of mog shoot out from cracks in the nexus into an uncontrolled nexus.
walls when the adventurers pass by and attack ✥✥ Zygofer and Therania are cut from
them with nine Base Dice. The adventurer who Zytera’s body with the sword Asina.
gets struck by a successful attack is additional- ✥✥ Zygofer’s lock of hair (from Martea in
ly GR APPLED and suffers 1 point of damage the Stoneloom Mines) is thrown into the
every subsequent round until she breaks free. A protonexus, causing Zygofer to be slain by
tentacle has Strength 3. demons.
✥✥ A severed Zygofer crawls into the proto-
nexus and disappears – for now.
✥✥ Stanengist is thrown into the protonexus
or nexus, at which time the portal closes.
THE FINAL ✥✥ Merigall steals the emerald Gall-Eye and

SHOWDOWN escapes to resurrect its beloved Viridia.

✥✥ Zytera finds out that Merigall helped his
The encounter with Zytera at the Protonexus is wife, Martea, escape and wants to exact
the climax of the campaign. It can happen in revenge on the demon.
many different ways and may include Merigall, ✥✥ Merigall’s life essence is poured into the
Zertorme, Zygofer and Therania or others. ocean or killed with acid and lye.
What happens depends in large part on what ✥✥ Krasylla’s contract is stolen from Zygofer
has happened previously in the campaign, and by Merigall, Therania or the adventurers.
what alliances the adventurers have formed. ✥✥ Krasylla becomes sarmog.
Stanengist probably plays a crucial part in ✥✥ Merigall steals Krasylla’s contract from
the finale – Zytera wants Stanengist and by Zytera and gives it to the adventurers to
now, the adventurers hopefully know that the win Krasylla’s support.
crown will drive Zytera insane if he puts the ✥✥ Krasylla eats one of Merigall’s offspring
crown on either of his heads. and Merigall finds out. This causes Meri-
If the players haven’t already figured out gall to want to kill Krasylla with an Arrow
what they want to do, you should encourage of the Fire Wyrm.
them to do so now. Their decisions here and ✥✥ Krasylla is marked with an Arrow of the
now will have lasting consequences for the For- Fire Wyrm and the Fire Wyrm Erinya
bidden Lands. If they destroy Zytera, the role devours the demon.
of the demonic ruler of the Forbidden Lands ✥✥ Arvia Hugedottir has the Galdane rider
will be taken over by Krasylla.Exactly what Viseria killed out of jealousy.
happens in the final showdown with Zytera is ✥✥ The Galdane riders become aware of the
up to you. Here are a just a few possibilities: murder of Viseria and turns on Arvia and
✥✥ Zytera dies, upon which the protonexus the dwarves.
runs amok and becomes an uncontrolled ✥✥ Empress Soria gathers an orcish horde
portal for demonic invasion. that marches on Vond.
✥✥ Kalman Rodenfell falls in love with Merigall.

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 AFTERMATH

T his night also passed. Hiriam Harsta leaned heavily

on her sword, her weapon as bloody as her armor. She
saw the sun rise beyond Shadowgate Pass in the east, and
the mist after all seemed less dense than the day before.
From Aslene, a low rumble from the fire mountain
Horn hailed her.

A
fter the showdown with Zytera, the the dragon will emerge from the ground – mark
Raven’s Purge is over – but that the location with a crater on the map. She will
doesn’t mean that the adventurers attack the homeland of the Crombe dwarves
have reached the end of their journey! Far and may obliterate the clan’s dwellings, after
from it! Their actions have big consequences which she’ll settle down in the mountains
for all of the Forbidden Lands, which can lead north of the Forbidden Lands to breed a new
to plenty of exciting new adventures. tribe of dragons worthy of the name.

RETURN OF THE BLOOD MIST

CONSEQUENCES If the adventurers manage to give the Blood-
Summarized below are the possible conse- lings their self-confidence back at the adven-
quences of the actions of the adventurers ture site Haggler’s House, the mists may
during Raven’s Purge. have been re-established in some hexagons
of the map. The adventurers may have placed
it as a line of defense around their Strong-
RETURN OF THE hold. The GM can decide how large areas of
DRAGON SCARNE the map that are covered with Blood Mist at
If the adventurers freed the dragon mother night might be.
Scarne from the adventure site Stonegarden,

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 THE EVIL SCROME aged to outmaneuver all the key players, it is
If the evil eye of the giant Scrome finds its instead they that set the tone.
way back to him in the adventure site Vale
of the Dead (page xx in the Gamemaster’s
Guide), from that point forward he will ZYTERA
terrorize the land by trampling village and Zygofer and Therania loathe one another and
crushing caravans. If the adventurers re- only one of them, if either, will survive Ra-
stored the eye, he will leave them and their ven’s Purge. The survivor will revert to human
properties alone. shape through rituals. If Zygofer has survived,
his head may be fused to his daughter’s body.
If Therania has survived, she’ll steal the lower
THE PROTONEXUS RUNS AMOK body of some suitable woman.
If Zygofer has died without the protonexus in The survivor will command the Rust
Vond being sealed, it will transform into an un- Brothers, continue their research on demons,
controlled portal to demonic worlds. Demons the substance mog and the undead and, in the
of all kinds will then swarm around Vond and long term, want to exterminate all other kin
escape into the Forbidden Lands while all the in the Forbidden Lands as well as conquer Al-
surrounding nature destabilizes as it did before derland.
in Shadowgate Pass.

ZERTORME
KRASYLLA AS SARMOG If Zertorme comes to power, possibly together
If Krasylla has assumed the more powerful de- with Merigall, he will seek to create a human
monic form of sarmog, he leads his own army kingdom in the Forbidden Lands dominated
of demons. Krasylla claims to want to domi- by Ailanders and Aslenes. He will persecute
nate the Forbidden Lands, not to rule it but to and seek to obliterate the Rust Church and kill
be its mightiest creature and to enjoy his domi- all demons. The Raven Sisters will become the
nance. He wants to ravage and hunt humans as central religion, and fire shrines to the Aslene
delicacies, preferrably allied to someone who’ll god Horn will also be erected. In time, Zer-
deal with more tedious chores. torme will want to invade Alderland.
If Zertorme comes to power together with
his sister Therania, they will create a human
kingdom of mixed religions, but Therania will
eventually dominate her brother and twist the
THE KEY PLAYERS development according to her plans in which
The key players that dominate the Forbidden Rust Brothers and demons remain since “they
Lands after the campaign will make their are needed to fight enemies and traitors who
mark on the land. If the adventurers have man- intend to destroy the country”.

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aftermath
 ARVIA HUGEDOTTIR help of the Viraga. The orcs will experience a
If the Crombe dwarves in an alliance with the golden age, but the nation is fragile and will
adventurers succeed in slaying Krasylla and re- most likely fall apart as soon as the emperor
claiming Vond, they will form an alliance with couple die.
the Aslenes and Ailanders and create a militant
nation of humans and dwarves. Zertorme can
lead the humans, but if he is allied with his sis- K ALMAN RODENFELL
ter Therania, the dwarves will have her mur- If the adventurers manage to defeat Zytera,
dered since they won’t tolerate either demons the Rust Brothers and the demons in Vond
or Rust Brothers in the Forbidden Lands. through an alliance with the elven Redrun-
ners, they will try to restore the old kingdom
from before the Alder Wars. They will secretly
EMPRESS SORIA OF HROK A try to decrease the number of humans in the
If the adventurers have allied with the orcs, Forbidden Lands by using their nature magic
and with their help managed to defeat Zytera to decrease the kin’s fertility and let them die
and the Rust Brothers, Empress Soria will off. The elves are in no rush and see no moral
rally the orc clans under her husband with the issues with this solution.

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