Month 10, Year 4:

I’m not randomly rolling this time. There is a result on the Castle Guide’s area, referred to as the Call to Arms, and its 92 or 93 on the chart. A call to arms arrives from King Ericall. Alzar decides to send gold, not arms, for the call. Its 5% of the cost of the projects combined, and he sends the money in. There are 16 weeks and 32 weeks left on the two projects.

Growth on Bergholm Island has stagnated at 250 families. It likely won’t grow again until a new city or space is made, the island is too mountainous.

Month 10 - Harvest Festival - 15% of income that month. Yay harvesting!

In week 3, the 7500 troops of Oceansend arrive to fight the 10000 troops of the King, and a variety of Barons of his, and have a combined force of 16000+ troops. Norwold wins, and slowly, they begin to push things around. In a few weeks, Oceansend will be officially annexed, and yet Jarvik will keep his nation, but be demoted to a Duke.

Alzar decides to quaff another pot of Longevity. Here’s how it works. He loses 1d10 years of physical age. Then he has a cumulative 1% chance per potion consumed of all of the years reversing. Here we go.

He loses 4 years ofhis physical age. And he now has consumed 9 potions. He rolls….a 03. Blast! Okay, here’s what happened. He reverts to his actual age (61). However, the Longevity potions are basically reset, so the next ones he drinks start things over. That’s annoying. He quaffs two more potions he has and loses 8 total years to drop to 53 physcial years. And he doesn’t roll a 1 or 2. (24 and 52).


Alzar announces that month 2 will be a Tax Free month for all citizens, and that will continue in perpetuity. The tax income for the population won’t be included for that month.

Confidence is up again.

AC10 Bestiary of Dragons and Giants



I just picked up this module/accessory thing and I’m really excited to run some of the adventures in it, since they are very appropriate to the area. This work has a bunch of adventures of scaling difficulty with giants or dragons. Take, as one example, dragons. In the Wyrmsteeth Range, adjacent to one of Alzar’s hexes in the southern part of his area, are more than 1000 dragons. Most people nearby don’t realize just how many there are, because a few of the oldest and most powerful of the dragons have sort of forced most of the dragons to raid and feed far away from home, and thus most locals would put the numbers in the hundreds, not the thousands. Meanwhile, the Island of Frosthaven alone has thousands of frost giants living there, and there are numerous giants in the Ljallenvals, right next door to Alzar.

Including this makes a lot of sense. I can’t tell you how excited I am…

Meanwhile, the AC series is an accessory one for the D&D line. They are very inconsistent with their concepts. Some of the accessories are just a book that gives you more of a certain group of awesome – the Creature Catalog is just more creatures, the Book of Marvelous Magic is a bunch of magical items, and so forth. Another common theme is an accessory with a quick 7 or 8 page adventure as well. The DM Master Screen, AC7, Comes with the Spindle of Heaven adventure (which I think we’ll play later on) and others (such as adventures in tile sets and such.). The Shady Dragon Inn simply gives you vignettes of more than 100 NPCs you can slip into your campaign and so forth. This one has some rules, but is almost all mini-adventures.

One set of rules is about the nature of flying and the use of weapons and spells. I had always just assumed that the Carpet of Flying would allow someone to cast spells and fire missiles without issue, but something like a Broom of Flying wouldn’t. And I’m right! There’s a while page for which steeds and which magical items and which spells provide what is referred to as a “steady platform.” And then it also gives which things enable a “swoop” melee attack, which I had also assumed a Carpet could do. And again, I’m right! Some can do a swoop, but not steady – Broom of Flying, Wyvern. Some can be steady, but can’t swoop – Air Elemental, Levitate spell. Some do both – Flying Carpet, Fly spell, Roc. Some do neither – Vampire, Cockatrice, etc. So you can’t ride a vampire and fire weapons, sorry! It’s an awesome section for rules.

One of which is set right here, and I personally picked up to run….

Krasniy the Red

There are two major trails that lead through the Ljallenvals from Alzar’s County to places and peoples on the far side. The southern of the two passes near Hammerhelm and the dwarves located there in that dwarf-hold. Meanwhile, the northern of the two passes by a town called Saffir, which is in a valley in the mountain chain. There still aren’t a lot of settlements on the far side of the mountains. The growth in the Kingdom’s baronies still hasn’t come north, so the trade isn’t super hot or anything.

Anyway, Saffir is nestled in a small valley, with a variety of farmers there, coming to town to trade crops and animals for other goods at the local town square.

Saffir is increasingly coming onto Alzar’s radar because a local warlord named Krasniy the Red, another red-headed leader, has taken over the town around 10 months ago. Since that time, he’d hired a lot of muscle, begun building a castle to protect the trail and city, and even hired some assistance away from Alzar’s county to do it.

Meanwhile, the people there have increasingly become uncomfortable under his rule.

In the last week of the month, Alzar looks up from his day in court and there is a delegation from Saffir, a nervous looking baker named Pandrum and a pair of farmers that have arrived. They tell him about the changes in Saffir. Magic is outlawed, and any magical items are confiscated. Taxes have been raised so high that people have had to sell their things just to make it. Most of the citizens have had it, and already around 50 have fled. But there are a few who have used this as an opportunity to enrich themselves as others suffer.

Alzar has already heard about Krasniy, but he asks for some info about their new ruler. He came in and declared himself their lord. They had none prior. He is a tall, ruddy man, clean-shaven, bright red shoulder length hair, wears no armor, but carries a huge two-handed sword in a jeweled scabbard from his back. He has hired a group of soldiers, more like enforcers, that police the whole area. Meanwhile, the castle is about 2/3rds done.

The three agree to allow Alzar to open their minds to his magic, and the Bright Barrier’s detect lie ability quickly confirms they believe they are telling the truth. It’s about 2.5 to 3 days ride from Evenarrow to Saffir, so Alzar agrees to Mass Teleport them over to the outskirts. He uses his Crystal ball to scry a nice place, out of the line of sight behind stones and trees, and then casts the spell, and they are back in Saffir.

Alzar asks that the three people return to town, claiming that they weren’t able to make it to his place, and that’s why they are back early. Meanwhile, he sets out to scry the town with his crystal ball, about a mile away.

Saffir is around 1400 people strong, down from the 1500 it was a year ago pre-Krasniy. Their valley is a few miles across, and there are farms here that eke out a living with various crops like potatoes and carrots. The trail comes from Alzar’s demesne up the mountains, through a pass, and then down into this valley via a river that flows through Saffir, and then north and west back up the valley, and then over another ridge of mountains in a wide and easy but high pass to the north and west and from thence to the other side of the Ljallenvals.

Alzar verifies the location of the castle, currently, being built. There is a building recently burned down, and it looks like it was the only temple in the town.

Because of it’s valuable position by the river, the town proper has defenses and a pair of gates on either side. Up here in the Ljallenvals it’s important to have a good defense. Remembering what was stated about the disrespect that magic received here, Alzar decides to change up his normal set of items. He’ll don the Bracers of Protection against Normal Missiles, and then fly above the walls with his Carpet. He considered going in as a local ruler and demanding immunity to the local laws or using an invisibility potion, but he wants to go in hot. He’ll ignore the people on the walls firing on him, and arrive at the town hall, where the pennant of the warlord is flown right now, pending the completion of the castle.

Alzar moves out, and heads towards the wall. The folks there hail him frantically, and then sling stones and quarrels at him, but to no avail. Alzar ignores them and flies into the town and passes a few homes and a shop or two and arrives at the town hall as an alert erupts. 20 soldiers move out of the hall to protest him, and Alzar casts Mass Charm and suddenly, he has a lot of friends that push open the doors and he flies into the town hall through double doors.

A pair of griffons and their riders launch from a stables in the far corner of Saffir to protest Alzar’s arrival, but he’s already in the hall. Krasniy secretly tries to cast ESP on Alzar before arriving. As we’ve seen before, that triggers his protective spell. Alzar rolls an 8 and makes his save, so he turns it off, and sees Krasniy as the one who cast it. Krasniy rolls a 13 and won’t take any damage from the breaking.

A moment later, he comes down from the eating room and greets Alzar with a booming voice. He welcomes Alzar and offers the mage a seat at the table with a plate of food to be brought out by a servant.

Alzar sits down, his charmed friends all giving him an honor escort. Alzar sits at the table, in the seat offered, and Krasniy the Red also sits. After a few exchanges of pleasantries, Alzar just comes out and asks why Krasniy’s own people are fleeing his town and petitioning Alzar to come in and remove Krasniy from power.

Krasniy’s features darken as he is accused by Alzar. Who is Alzar to question? Who is Alzar to push? Alzar offers Krasniy a one-time offer. Pack up, and leave, right now, and nothing more will happen. And Alzar won’t kill Krasniy. Otherwise, Krasniy will die, today, right now, in front of everyone.

Krasniy opens a wide, toothy grin. “You don’t begin to know the power I have under my control, human!”

Krasniy and Alzar move into the clearing, Alzar still on his Carpet, just a few inches off the ground, and in front of the town hall by unspoken mutual consent, Alzar instructed his “friends” to keep everyone away from their battle. Alzar grabs his Axe and the warlord smiles another grin, and this time, the grin seems to be toothier and wider than before, and soon, his enemy has polymorphed back into his natural form of an old red dragon!



Krasniy – AC -1, HP 86, Breath – Cone of Fire, THAC0 5, etc.

The dragon lifts off and Alzar heads in the opposite direction, trying to put some distance between them. He hasn’t prepared for a battle with a red dragon like he often would, this took him by surprise – settling down, ruling a town, and building a castle is hardly normal red dragon behavior. Alzar casts Major Globe of Invulnerability to protect him from the spells the dragon will undoubtedly have. The dragon breathes on him and Alzar takes 47 damage or save vs half. He rolls a 10, save to 24 damage.

Alzar uses his Ring of Quick Action and wins initiative and then casts teleport and flings himself about a mile from the conflict and away from the village. The Dragon can see him still, hovering in the air, and moves towards him. Alzar begins to concentrate and in a moment has moved into his OtherSpace. He grabs the Ring of Fire Resistance and swaps it for the Quick Action ring and grabs Wyrmcleaver from the wall, and then heads back out.

An angry dragon is flying all about, trying to find out where Alzar went.

Initiative

5 vs 2. The dragon breathes again, and this time, the Ring and a save keep the damage to 9 more. Alzar’s sword is out and he swoops into the dragon and rolls a 15 and hits for some damage (a natural 18 or higher decapitates the dragon) but misses with the shield bash.

5 vs 7. Alzar gets two attacks with the sword this time. He rolls a 6 and an 18. Dead dragon. Wymcleaver carves the dragon’s neck in half in mid flight, and the dragon dies instantly, and drops to the ground in a thundering shudder from hundreds of feet. No one is hurt in the fall, but a farm is destroyed.

Alzar flies down and within a few moments the entire town of Saffir has turned out to applaud Alzar. They had no idea that their new overlord has been a polymorphed dragon. They throw a big feast for him that night and Alzar carves up the dragon’s body. He searches town hall and finds it’s treasure, it has spent most of it developing the castle or paying for the soldier-esque enforcers. It’s 3000 pp, 30k gp, and 7k in gems and jewels.

At dinner that night, Alzar is greeted by an offer from the locals to take over Saffir and the surrounding area and to add it to his County. Alzar agrees. Alzar uses the gold and platinum to finish the castle, and then gives the remaining to the town.

The castle has 17 weeks left to be finished. It’s smaller than some of Alzar, but very well built. Alzar meets some of the local businesses like the Blue Feather Tavern and Mendel’s Alchemist Shop.

The loyalists of Krasily have fled and Alzar checks out the garrison. They have 12 full grown griffons that have been trained to be used in battle, plus another 15 soldiers that can use them. There are a few horses and such as well, and Alzar checks in on the barracks and such. He uses his County’s treasury to help build a new temple as well, and then find the old priest of the local one, named Yancey, in the jails beneath the city hall.

Alzar annexes Saffir and the surrounding hex, as well as the small coastal strip, about one to two miles wide, to the east for about 25 miles of here. Alzar sends notice to King Ericall, but does not ask permission, he merely explains what happens, and that the people officially asked to join his county. This is an enfeoffment.

Dominion Info:

Saffir -


Saffir - in Ljallenvals - This mountainous region has a central valley and the major northern route through the Ljallenvals. It is north of Rostock and northwest of Storn.

Village – Saffir – 291 families, they farm vegatables here and sell them on the trade route. 1 resource GP

Details - 332 families, 1 good – Farming


Monthly Income – Standard Income - 3320 gp/month
Tax Income – 332 gp/month
Resource Income – 332/month
Total – 3984/month (x12 multiplier)


Castle built in 17 more man weeks, but shut down for the season right now.

Alzar hires some new staff to help run the new place.

Alzar uses his Detect Lie and ESP to ensure that everyone who continues to hold a job in Saffir proper and the hold are the right people for the job to reduce any chance of disloyalty.

Month 11, Year 4:


Snow is down, only two weeks of building occurs. 14 and 30 weeks left

Moderate growth in the dominion.

No other major news, other than the foundry has made their first body for a siver golem, with mercury as a “blood” for it. He can enchant it anytime.

Alzar gets an invitation for a wedding over in Hammerhelm, the adjacent dwarf hold in the Ljallenvals. It will occur in two months, and end a fued between the new invitees of the now-captured dwarf-hold to the west and the ones that welcomed them.

There is a small cave in at the quarry in Rostock and 6 families died.


Month 12, Year 4:

Some more moderate growth. No other major news.

End of Year 4 County Update:

The County of the Mighty

Ruler – Count Alzar

Hex #1(Evenarrow) – Villages – Evenarrow - 331 families – On the southern coast of the little jutting peninsula, this village fishes south in the Great Sea and the entrance there brings in some nice saltwater fish. With a small set of docks, Alzar will be expanding Evenarrow into the capital of his County. It’s in the perfect place. The rest of the Hex is really small villages here and there or individual shepherds and there is large area, near the mountains on the western part of the hex that has Cassiterite deposits that can be opened to mine.

Details – 522 families
7 resource gp

Monthly Income – Standard Income - 720 gp/month
Tax Income – 72 gp/month
Resource Income – 504/month
Total – 9,396/month (x18 multiplier)

Hex #2 (Storn) – North of Evenarrow is this highly populated hex, southeast of the mountains, and with some amount on the Alphatian Sea. Forest and some hills.

Villages – Storn – 409 families, inland, center of the hex, they grow grapes on the hills here.
Riverton – 204 families, On a small river from the mountains to the sea, shepherds

Details – 721 families

Monthly Income - Standard Income - 890 gp/month
Tax Income – 89 gp/month
Resource Income – 267/month
Total – 10,094/month (x14 multiplier)

Alzar will be building up Storn here as well, later on.

Hex #3 (Augustia)– East of Evenarrow and Storn, and flanked by the coast, this hex is the last full hex in the area in the waters. Lead has been mined before just south of Farhome and there’s open mines there ready to be used, if they are cleaned out and reinforced.

Villages - Augustia – 191 families, on the northern coast, fish the Alphatian Sea
Farhome – 70 families, grapes, on hills by western edge of hex
Asantia – 104 families, farmers in southern coast of hex.

Details – 472 families


Monthly Income - Standard Income - 540 gp/month
Tax Income – 54 gp/month
Resource Income – 378/month
Total – 8,496/month (x18 multiplier)



Hex #4 (Rostock) –, this heavy forested hex is next to the Ljallenvals and has an elf-hold of 122 elves living here too.

Village – Rostock – 139 families, they have a small quarry here they use to harvest stone and rocks of quality and send them elsewhere. 3 resource GP

Details - 202 families, 1 good – Stone


Monthly Income – Standard Income - 560 gp/month
Tax Income – 56 gp/month
Resource Income – 168/month
Total – 2828/month (x14 multiplier)


Saffir - in Ljallenvals - This mountainous region has a central valley and the major northern route through the Ljallenvals. It is north of Rostock and northwest of Storn.

Village – Saffir – 291 families, they farm vegatables here and sell them on the trade route. 1 resource GP

Details - 332 families, 1 good – Farming


Monthly Income – Standard Income - 3320 gp/month
Tax Income – 332 gp/month
Resource Income – 332/month
Total – 3984/month (x12 multiplier)


Raider’s Point -

This hex is the far point on the peninsula that is across the channel from Evenarrow and Bergholm Isle. It’s just four hexes from the Barony of Moonhold, where Sandralane is. It has two resources – fish and salt.

Raider’s Point – This hex is the far point on the peninsula that is across the channel from Evenarrow and Bergholm Isle. It’s just four hexes from the Barony of Moonhold, where Sandralane is.


Villages – Raider’s Point - 101 families – This coastal village is on the bay to the east of the province, and brings in a lot of salt.
Havendrop – 39 families – this northern village is near the tip of the hex. It fishes north.

Details – 278 families
3 resource gp – Fish and salt

Monthly Income – Standard Income - 690 gp/month
Tax Income – 69 gp/month
Resource Income – 207/month
Total – 3892/month (x14 multiplier)

Hex #5 - (Spearhold) – This hex is southwest of Raider’s Point and northeast of the mountains in Eagles’ Barrier. With just two resources, it has only grain and potatoes here.

Villages – Spearhold - 60 families – Virtually everyone lives in this farming village, growing either potatoes or grains.


Details – 119 families
2 resource gp – Grain and Potatoes

Monthly Income – Standard Income - 680 gp/month
Tax Income – 68 gp/month
Resource Income – 136/month
Total – 1547/month (x13 multiplier)



Bergholm Island –

Although it spreads across via two hexes, it’s really the size of one full hex, and we’ll treat it as such. Heavily mountainous and with very few places to do stuff.

250 Families; 2 resources, 1 mineral, 1 vegetable – Copper mines and berries.

Just one village: Bergholm Villa – 176 families, they are on a river where it meets the Great Sea, and the place is elevated too. Form here they can reach both some copper mine and harvest the numerous berry bushes that grow all over.

Monthly Income - Standard Income - 290 gp/month
Tax Income – 29 gp/month
Resource Income – 116/month
Total –3750/month (x15 multiplier)



EXPENSES – 28,230 + Tithe, Taxes

Military – 14,460
County Staff - 3160
Specialist Staff – 4050
Stronghold Staff - 6560
Taxes to Ericall – 20% (8800)
Tithe to Matter Temple – 10% (4400)

Treasury - 249,592


Holidays:

Month 8 - Mid-Summer Convocation – 10% of income that month
Month 10 - Harvest Festival - 15% of income that month
Month 1 - Year’s End Divine Liturgy – 5% of income that month
Month 2 – Tax-Free Month

County Staff –

Chaplain – 500 gp
2 Magistrate – 400 gp
7 Sheriff – 700 gp
20 Provost – 400 gp
12 Warden – 240 gp
Reeve – 500 gp

Specialist Staff:

Steward – 1000 gp
Engineer – 750 gp
Herald – 300 gp
Chief Magistrate – 2000 gp

Stronghold Staff:

Marshall - 80 gp
4 Bailiffs – 80 gp
Chamberlain – 200 gp
Senechal – 200 gp
Castellan (Lvl 8), 2000 gp
Guard Captain (Level 10) – 4000 gp

County Military –

Light Foot Soldiers – 750 troops, 20 leaders – 1500 gp – AC6, longsword + dagger
Heavy Foot Soldiers – 400 troops, 10 leaders – 1200 gp, AC4, longsword, spear, dagger
Light Horse Soldiers – 200 troops, 5 leader – 2000 gp, AC6, longsword, lance
Heavy Horse Soldiers – 250 troops, 6 leader – 4000 gp, AC 2, longsword lance
Crossbow Troops – 400, 10 leaders – 1600 gp, AC 5, heavy crossbow, shortsword
51 Officers – 510 gp, AC 2 better than troop they lead
25 Armorer – 2500 gp
10 Smiths – 200 gp
4 Equerry – 200 gp
Artillerist – 750 gp

He gets income and expenses each month, and then rolls for population changes, and events. It will take 2 months before they will start getting taxes in. He also gets XP on an even level with his taxes, so he makes 2902 XP the first month, and then it heads up from there.

End of Year Four


Here’s a map!





The yellow dot in the mountains is Saffir, which Alzar annexed from Krasily the Red’s domain. Other two expansions include Rostock, the blue dotted hex, and that’s the one with the small elf-hold that does not acknowledge Alzar as its ruler. Meanwhile the red dot to the south is where Spearhold is.

Axe of the Dwarvish Lords





There are a few artifacts that were introduced one of the first supplements for D&D called Eldritch Wizardry. It was published in 1976, and was just the third supplement printed for the game. In my pdf of the supplement, you can see that it introduced to the game psionics, introduces the sub-class of druid, adds creatures like demon princes and some demons, and then they add in artifacts. Artifacts are at a level of power above your normal stuff, and they have some random abilities, so that players can never be certain exactly how your artifact will impact theirs. The first artifacts are listed here, in the order that they appear in the supplement:

The Invulnerable Coat of Arn
The Mace of Cuthbert
The Sword of Kas
The Axe of the Dwarvish Lords
The Wand of Orcus
The Rod of Seven Parts
The Codex of the Infinite Planes
The Hand of Vecna
The Eye of Vecna
Baba Yaga’s Hut
Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless
Queen Ehlissa’s Marvelous Nightingale
The Machine of Lum the Mad
The Mighty Servant of Leuk-o
The Jacinth of Inestimable Beauty
The Crystal of the Ebon Flame
Reward’s Mystical Organ
Horn of Change
The Ring of Gax
The Crowns, Orbs and Sceptres
The Throne of the Gods
The Orbs of Dragonkind

This supplement is very inconsistent when it comes to artifacts. For example, the Sword of Kas will, “of course, attempt to dominate its owner.” And, “if possible, it will control any fighter who picks it up and turn him evil.” Okay, fine, it has an INT and EGO scores as well, like intelligent weapons. Got it. But, the Mace of Cuthbert has no disadvantages at all. It’s +5 to hit and damage and comes with 4 powers and one weakness – that weakness is that it doesn’t work until you’ve killed a certain type of monster (like a vampire or an elemental) and then after you have to kill one of those with the Mace each time you see one. Now, only good clerics need apply, but that’s it. That weakness is nothing, and the artifacts power is considerable. Evil things like the Eye and Hand of Vecna turn someone inalterably to an evil or chaotic alignment and have disadvantages on top of that. But neutral, random or good items like the Nightingale or Horn have few to no problems.

Now, these items have a huge cachet in the D&D game. They are among the mightiest and most mysterious of items ever, and numerous modules, stories, novels, video games and supplements will use them. Characters like Vecna have become major players in D&D and Dragonlance was heavily inspired by the Orbs an even Baldur’s Gate series has multiple appearances of these artifacts. You can find homages in other places as well. For example, in Magic: the Gathering, there is a card called Ring of Gix. You can find different histories that conflict with other, or require that there be more than one item.

There have been a variety of updates for these guys ever since. You might find them in the Book of Artifacts or moved to Ravenloft (Sword of Kas) and such. They got a power upgrade in major ways, and became very hot to handle. And entire modules revolved around them. The first Dungeon’s Masters Guide for AD&D, which had not even been released yet, would be the first upgrade and additional attention for a lot of these artifacts.

The Axe of the Dwarvish Lords module was written in 1999. It’s basically a three part adventure over 188 pages of a giant thick tome that includes info on the NPCs, new monsters, new items, and more. The history has been fleshed out even more.

I’m planning on this module ending the first chapter of the Norwold campaign. You’ll see!

In order to welcome in the new year, the two dwarf groups in Hammerhelm have decide to marry the scions of two major houses of nobility. More than a year ago, the dwarves of Radruundar were driven back from their fortress and mines by a horde of goblins that showed an unusual understanding of tactics. Around 700 fled, and 650 made it months later to Hammerhelm, where they were welcomed.

But as always happens, rivals began to commence, and space in Hammerhelm was very tight. The dwarves began carving a new rooms and homes from inside the mountain, but there was also a lot of pressure and rivalry around mining operations, food and water supplies and more.

There were even a few fistfights that broke out, so the ruling family of Hammerhelm chose to marry its princess to the prince of the former ruling family of Radruundar.

Alzar has been invited to the wedding, as the nearby ruler of the County, and a friend to Hammerhelm.

The first day of the dwarvish new year is actually the 17th day of the month, so Alzar arrives on the 14th, a few days early, to the typical dwarven greeting, a quick official ceremony that lasts 10 minutes, and then a feast and drinking. Lots of drinking.

Alzar is provided a nice chamber, and they hope that his attendance will bring joy and luck to the couple and the two groups.

The night before the wedding, Alzar is walking down a cave after dinner when he passes by a tavern. A pair of gnomish illusionists are here casting a variety of illusions that awe the local dwarves. Alzar decides to stop in for a half hour. As the performance gathers up steam, one dwarf absent mindedly critiques the wedding party from the other side, and when he is overheard, refuses to apologize or back down. In a moment a shouting match has begun and Alzar quietly gathers a few spell components. Soon someone throws a mug and a brawl breaks out. Alzar casts spells like Sleep and Hypnotism and in a few rounds has subdued the brawl. In a moment, 5 dwarves break in, and tell Alzar that he is under arrest, draw steel and move to attack him. Alzar makes a spellcraft proficiency roll and a sage knowledge roll. These dwarves are a bit off, and a little jerk-ish. They aren’t undead, or being controlled, or…wait. Those are probably simulacra. Alzar tells Azzil to us detect magic, and they glow.

Alzar casts Power Word Kill and drops one and it turns to snow and melts. That’s a common 7th level spell – you make a duplicate of another creature from snow or ice. Afterwards it melts. The simulacra move in and stab at Alzar with weapons, and they all miss (cloak)

Alzar uses his Quick Action ring and casts Mass Domination and controls them, and then they come with him. The real guards arrive a few rounds later and Alzar tells them he needs to see their leaders.

He talks to them, shows them a simulacra, kills one and then the rest to see what happens, explains the tricks to identifying one and that they detect as magical or can be seen as an simulacrum with true seeing or a gem of seeing. Alzar suggests that they prepare tomorrow, because a high level mage has chosen to send 5 simulacra of dwarves to push this brawl, and that means they have penetrated the defenses of the caves.

Alzar suggests that they delay the wedding. Someone is clearly here to move against the wedding tomorrow, that’s the only thing that would make sense. But instead, they will strengthen their guards around the wedding party, and Alzar requests, and refuses to be denied, the opportunity to secret escort the two wedding parties tomorrow.

That night Alzar teleports back home to grab a few items, teleports back, memorizes a different set of spells to prepare for the next day, and grabs a different set of items from his OtherSpace.

Dawn breaks. The ceremony will be a little different than normal. It will begin more militantly, and people are asked to wear armor and bring bound weapons, but then will move very quickly to a peaceful and hospitable environment.

Alzar doesn’t need spells that might kill local dwarves, like Wail of the Banshee, which he swaps for Mordenkainen’s Disjunction and similar anti-mage spells. He grabbed items like the Ring of Spell Turning and he has his Bronze Golem in the Warp Marble and Aegis, the Stone Golem in his Iron flask, and both are on his belt, ready to be used. He has other anti-spell caster and anti-people stuff, like the Wand of Salt form Hamedh, instant capture items like Bead of Force, and he’ll be using Dust of Disappearance to disappear. That won’t lost as long as Invisibility, but it’s not lost by attacking or casting spells.

In the morning, Alzar summons an Invisible Stalker, gets his invisible raven-y Imp out and they head out. They near the groom’s party, and Alzar uses the dust. He is wearing his Slippers of Spider Climbing and moves to the top of the tunnel and will guard from above, while the Stalker and Imp flank and keep an eye out.

An hour later the groom’s party has made it and was unattacked, and Alzar heads to the bridal party. Again, they begin to move out…

On the way to the temple, they spy a damaged, overturned cart, a dead bulette, and a dwarven lady dazed, with three escorts fumbling about. Alzar jumps down invisibly, and drops a rock as a signal to have the group stop while he investigates. He uses the Gem/Star and reveals several hidden people. There is a mage, who also used dust of disappearance and is confident in his invisibility (it can’t be located with Detect Invisible spells), a group of 10 goblins riding wargs, and a female goblin to the side. The three dwarf escorts are simulacra. There is also something extremely powerful there as well with the female dwarf.

It’s clearly an ambush. Alzar creeps up until he is in range of the wizard for a Power Word Kill, about 180 feet away, Alzar makes sure its 170 just in case he miscounts. Now, it doesn’t look like the mage has any magical defenses up, and a Power Word Kill is a fast spell. Alzar literally says one word and the spell is cast. There’s no saving throw either. Alzar uses the Zoster to get ready for battle, and then…

He spits the spell. Now, I need to check the defenses of our good mage.

In the text it says he only used Dust and cast non-detection as well. But in his characterization, he uses a lot of spells for protection, including the spell Spell Turning. So in the interest of having an actual adventure I will rule that the mage had cast Spell Turning, and now I roll to see how many levels of turning he has – 1d4+6. 3 – 9 levels exactly. Alzar is also wearing his Ring of Spell Turning, so, here is what happens. The Spell is cast. It rebounds off the Turning spell that our good foe had prepared. The spell ricochets off and bounces back to Alzar, who then it bounces back off his Ring. So now what happens is that I roll to see the result, and here’s the chart:

01-70 – Spell ends, drained
71-80 – Spell effects both casters fully
81 – 97 – Defenses are down, and Alzar’s Ring will be inert for 1d4 rounds.
98-00 – Rift to Positive Material Plane is Opened and both head through it.


So there is still a 10% chance that Alzar wins. If he gets both effects, he is immune to PWK – too many hit points. Also, if he gets the rift result he wins, because he can’t leave this plane. I roll a 62 and the spell is gone.

The wizard, seeing a spell cast and his Turning drops, is going to try and flee. He’s a bit of a coward, and having been targeted through his defenses, he’s looking to get out.

Initiative!

Alzar does not have his Ring of Quick Action. Just Free and the Spell Turning one. 2 for Alzar and 4 for the foes. Most of their enemies are moving out, trying to attack, and the goblins and wargs have left the Invisibility 10’ radius spell that was dropped. Alzar ignores them, and casts Power Word Stun on the mage. Does the mage have an immunity to paralysis? Nope. He is stunned for…2 rounds. The goblins break and fire, and keep running in formation. The simulacra and the dwarf are charging, and…the Bulette is up too and attacking, and another is burrowing up from the ground.



The Stalker is up and Alzar uses his Slippers to climb the walls to get him out of melee range so he can focus on more spells for hitting Tairdo, the conjurer. Init. 6 vs 8. Alzar casts Time Stop. Then he casts Mass Domination to deal with the goblins as he moves closer, and then Finger of Death and charges in to melee range…and that’s all he gets. The Mass Domination works on many and a bunch of goblins now force their worgs off, and the Finger of Death…15 rolled, save made. Alzar’s imp attacks the stunned Tairdo and….hits for…1 damage and….the mage rolled an 8 – and…a magic item helps him to win the save vs poison or die. Tairdo will be stunned for one more round. The dwarf and her simulacra attack Alzar and miss. The Bulette are in and attacking as well.

5 vs 7. Alzar takes 21 from the dwarf and one of the Bulette. A great axe carved him. Alzar tries to kill the mage the old fashioned way, with three attacks. Tairdo has an AC of -7. That’s right. That’s Bracers of Defense AC4, plus -3 for dex of 17 (AC1), Ring and Cloak of Protection each +3 (in my campaigns you can’t stack those, that’s too illegal, so I’m giving him a +3 ot hit bonus for a stunned character to make up for it). and a item that gives -2 to AC so he has an AC of -7. Now, Alzar needs:

13 ThACo
+7 for AC 17
17 with attack against a stunned creature
14 with Zoster
10 with Magical Axe
7 with strength


So he needs a 7 twice with the axe. 18 and 15 are rolled. That’s…6 and 3 damage rolled on d8s plus 6 and 4 and 3 times two for two hits – 35 damage. Then Alzar tries to hit with the Bright Barrier. Now he needs a 11 to hit with it. He rolls a 2. Unfortunately, he could not kill the mage this turn with melee attacks but…we still have an Azzil attack. The Imp rolls a 18 and hits. That’s 2 more damage. (3 from imp, 35 from axe – 38 damage – he has just 7 hp left, although Alzar doesn’t know that). Now, what about that poison save? He rolls a 5 and….I need to look that one up hold on….His poison save is a 10, so he gets +3 from the ring, and I’m ruling he doesn’t get two +3 saves from two protection items. (I just looked it up and the DM’s guide says this in the Ring of Protection section:

“2. Multiple Rings of protection operation on the same person, or in the same area, do not combine protection.”

Now just because you take the same magic, and put it on a cloak, a boot, a belt, or a condom doesn’t mean that the magic is different. There’s no line that specifically says that it will or won’t work in the Cloak or Ring descriptions, so hold on, let me check the later printings of those two items in the Encyclopedia.

Ring in Encyclopedia Magica says….the same description. What about the Cloak? Nope, nothing else there either. Hmmm…. What about the D&D magical items list? I searched for ten minutes and nothing. So I ate a Twinkie. And then I ate the other one in the pack. And no mystical guidance followed. I just think it’s cheesy and cheating to run that many +s to saves in order to cheat and win your saving throws.

So what do I do? Ignore my ruling from the past? Then the Imp’s poison doesn’t work and we go to the next turn. Or do I keep it and once again, Alzar has killed a big bad and changed the story early on.

Sigh.

Let’s just ignore the ruling because this character is built around those items. The Imp’s poison fails to work. Alzar takes 15 from some melee. Alzar’s dominated goblins have fired bows at the dwarf and tinged her a few times.

Next round. Watch, Alzar will win initiative, kill the wizard, and that will have been moot anyway. Alzar’s team rolls a 7, not looking good, and then…2.

The mage casts teleport, touches the female dwarf next to him, and then they leave.

In a short manner of time, Alzar will have cleaned out the simulacra, bulette, and the worg/goblins will reveal that they came from the dwarf fortress they conquered a while ago, Radruundar.

Alzar is getting close to leveling up.

They finish escorting the bride to the chapel, and the wedding goes off without a hitch (normally in the plotline, there would have been an ambush at the wedding, but Alzar prevented it and the bride was not killed, so the plotline is different here. Normally, there would be an investigation to find out who killed the bride and suspicions would have been on both sides, yadda yadda. Now it’s all clear.)

After the wedding, and relating events of the day and the previous night to various people, a creature suddenly springs up from the ground and moves to attack one of the local priests of Morena. It’s some sort of lower plane creature, but Alzar’s Netherworld Knowledge and Sage Knowledge are useless at identifying it. It’s not like anything Alzar has seen before.




It has 3 mouth attacks, each do 1d3 damage and then stay linked doing 1d3 and causing a level loss to energy drain each time. Then it has three claws, each does 2d4 when it hits, and if two hit the same target an additional 4d4 is done.

Magic Resist – 30%, AC -3, THACo – 1, 140 hit points. Regenerates 3 hp per round, even if MR fails, it acts as if a Ring of Spell Turning were worn, immune to heat, cold, acid, poison, and electricity. +3 or better to hit.

Initiative!

3 vs 4. Alzar’s pushes himself between the creature and the cleric, and then the axe leads the way and he tries to hit it twice, and then once with the shield. 13, 9, 9. That’s…2 hits. 34 damage. The creature is attacking. It snaps at Alzar and misses (Cloak). The cleric casts a spell but it rebounds off the creature’s magic resistance. Other dwarves begin readying missile weapons at Alzar’s commands, he’ll do the melee.

109/140

4 vs 1. The Creature needs just a 6 to hit Alzar. He hits four times, two mouths and two claws, for 31 damage. Alzar carves it with his axe for….28 damage. The cleric heals Alzar of some damage and the missiles all miss.

84/140

5 vs 8. Alzar tries again and…3 hits for 47 damage. Blarg! The missiles miss, and Alzar is fully healed, then he loses two levels, takes 4 damage automatically, and then is hit with the other mouth and two claws for 27 more damage.

40/140

5 vs 8. Alzar rolls a 5, 11, and 11. For 26 damage. Missiles miss. Alzar is healed. Then he takes 3 more levels lost and 19 damage from claws.

2 vs 4. Alzar carves and finishes it. The creature dissipates into mist. It won’t have been killed, just sent back.

Alzar splits 23k with the priest (nothing else was done by anyone)

Alzar asks the priest for a Restoration Spell, and the priest agrees to cast it. Another couple of priests are brought it and he is fully restored by them. The levels he lost are restored.

The high priest of Morena sighs, and then begins to tell the tale of the Abomination of Karazan. Created specifically to hunt and destroy dwarves by an Immortal here on Pandius, only one is known to exist. It was against the Abomination that the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords was used and lost, centuries and centuries ago, one of the great artifacts of dwarven power here on Pandius. It seems that both have been turned up.

The high priest was from Radruundar, where the high temple to Morena for the plane was. That temple’s power, along with others in the fortress and mining complex helped to contain the Abomination. But the Axe was lost, long ago. No idea where it is now.

Radruundar was the largest dwarf hold in the Norwold borders, and had around 5000 dwarves. It’s to the far west, where the Jotunheimr Hills meet the Jagged Teeth of the mountains, northwest of Leeha. The second largest is Stormhaven, in the Wyrmsteeth range, and Hammerhelm was the 5th largest, now 2nd largest with the remnants of Radruundar bolstering their numbers. Despite the well managed defenses of the dwarfish citadel, there were almost 30,000 goblins that attacked, they were aided by magic and monsters, and they used a lot of formations and such. Ultimately, fewer than 750 dwarves survived to flee, and around 650 made it to Hammerhelm after fighting off various threats and the goblins that attacked them twice.

With the assault on the wedding by the goblins and the human mage and female dwarf sort of confusing, but clear that Radruundar is where the action is, Alzar spends the next day (the 18th) getting all of the information that he can about the fortress and their enemies. How did they fight? What else was with them? Are there any secret passages or anything the goblins may not have found that Alzar can use? They provide him with a map of the fortress.

He begins to scry it to see what Radruundar looks like. It’s hundreds of miles away. There are several major sections of the fortress:

West Entrance connects just to West Defenses
West Defenses connect just to Citadel and West Entrance
Citadel – connects to Main Level, Mines, Caverns, West Defenders and East Entrance
East Entrance connects to Citadel and Main Level
Main Level, connects to East Entrance, Lower Level, Citadel
Mines, just connect to Citadel
Power House just connects with Lower Level and Main Level.
Lower Level connects with Power House and Main Level
Caverns just connect with Citadel

Alzar discusses a variety of places to enter the fortress. The western entrance was the main one the dwarves used, and it was built up defensively, while the east was the back entrance. Alzar would rather hit the east, but he can also go into the mines in the top of the complex and work down through the defenses if he wants, or he can try to find a way up the caverns from the bottom.

After studying, what he’d like to do is teleport inside the fortress, and then move from there, behind their lines. That’s the smart, tactically strong play. The least likely place to get noticed would be the Power House, all the way in the bottom of the complex. There are a few waterwheels there that turn and provides mechanical power and hot water to the stronghold.

There is a large grotto here. Alzar will scry it out and then teleport over to check out the power house. It’s not likely to be heavily guarded. There are parts of the fortress that have been created to keep scrying, teleporting, and pass-walling out, such as the citadel. But the powerhouse is not anywhere near that level of protection. Alzar arrives in the underground grotto, where a river used to flow through the chamber to the west, vanishing down a sinkhole. However, the dwarven structures, built centuries ago, have dammed off the grotto to create the water and mechanical power for the stronghold.

There is a carved corridor off the room. Alzar uses the black Ioun Stone and has some slightly different magical items as his default. He is wearing the Necklace of Adaptation, the Gauntlets of Dexterity (which give him +3 DEX to 16, and an additional -2 to AC as a result, plus he gets 95% to pick pockets, 37% to open locks. There are apparently a lot of doors in this complex that are locked, according to the dwarves. He’ll be using the Girdle to bump his Strength up. ) Early on, he’ll have the Ring of Free Action and the Ring of Invisibility, with the Spell Turning one on his belt, ready to be pulled off and swapped. He has the Eyes of Humanoid and Monster Charming on instead of his Helm or Hats, and has the Pickaxe of Piercing on his leg instead of a different backup weapon, and has memorized a different set of spells that are anti-magic resistance and anti-mage, as well as large group stuff too.

For example, his 9th level spells are Lauthdryn’s Cleaving (Magister), Mass Domination *,
Power Word, Kill *, Strip Resistance (College).

The Eyes of Humanoid and Monster Charming are really powerful. He can’t wear the Eyes something else on his head though.

Alzar can, at will, use either Charm Monster or Charm Person with a -2 to the save. Alzar also gives a -1 to the save with his class ability. He skips memorizing the charm spells and takes other useful things instead, Unseen Servant and Dig.


Here in the grotto are some charmed creatures, there are around 15 goblin females and children, and 5 goblin males and a handful of apelike yeti-esque creatures called Alaghi. All use this area as their home, and all are charmed (spellcraft proficiency).

Alzar ignores them and heads down the tunnel. Back here is a set of pipes that take water up, and a geyser that has a huge amount of moisture in a large room. The stairs up to one of the floors should be down the hallway to his left and there are more parts to the level to the right. (Alzar secretly rolls a d20 and fails, getting an 8).

Alzar heads right to explore the rest of the level. There is a large gear room on the left and a control room passes on the right. There are doors in the area that have been weakened by the moisture of the area and easily opened and closed, many hanging loosely. There is another gear room and then he arrives at the large waterwheels. Two huge waterwheels are turning and creating motive energy that is used to move things like elevators and to keep doors closed. There are some glowgems, that are in the walls of the area, and give off light. There is a large pond of water past the wheels, and an island beyond that. Alzar unfurls his Carpet and flies over the pond to the island, with Azzil invisibly above by the ceiling.

As he nears the island, he notices an uncomfortable feeling in his head. Once again, a Mind Flayer is using a Mind Blast to attack him psychically. He is immune to the stun effect (Free Action Ring) and grabs his axe – flying and melee are the best way to face off against a Mind Flayer. A second illithid floats down and firs a Mind Blast. A group of 5 marine trolls emerge from the pool and were charmed to help the illithids.

6 vs 1. Alzar is hit by a Suggestion spell by one as the other moves to melee him, hoping to suck out his head. Alzar rolls a 5 and instead of the Suggestion working (he failed the save) the protective amulet is destroyed. The illithids gets above him and forces him down to the ground and its tentacles lash out and Alzar is hit once for 6 damage. His axe and barrier bite into the creature for 28 damage. The scrags have moved their full movement and based Alzar.

6 vs 2. Alzar is hit automatically by the mind flayer for one tentacle and two more hit him. Scrags miss. Alzar takes 8 damage from a psionic attack from the other flayer. Alzar carves and finishes the one on him, and then cuts into a scrag twice more with the extra attacks and kills it. It’ll regenerate though.

1 vs 5. Alzar’s axe and barrier kill a second troll. He takes 9 from trolls and 6 from the Mind Flayer.

3 vs 9. Alzar orders Azzil down to stab the Mind Flayer and he stops attacking and casts Polymorph Other. The Illitihid makes its save, then the imp rolls and gest a 14 – with the +4 ambush, that’s enough to hit for 3 damage and….The illithid rolls a 5 and fails the poison save and dies.

The charm on the scrags breaks, but they haven’t seen anything to fear yet. Alzar takes 8 from a few attacks.

2 vs 5. Alzar carves a third, and bashes one that just regenerated back to life back to death. With two left, they attack for 5 and then begin to flee. Alzar lets them go, carves up the pieces of the three he kills even more, heads to OtherSpace to grab a flask of acid, and then destroys them.

Dead – 2 Mind Flayers, and 3 scrags

20k.

Alzar only needs 30k more to level up.

He takes some glaregoggles from the two mind flayers.

A quick search turns up nothing here on the island. Alzar heads back, flying over the pool.

He checks out the elevator and stairs. The stairs should head up to the Lower Level and the elevator to the main level. Alzar’s not sure which one is more likely to have the target. So he starts with the Lower level.

The twisting stairs will head up more than 200’. As he heads up, Alzar casts Invisible Stalker, and uses the Ring to turn invisible, and then uses the Slippers to walk up the walls of the stairs, avoiding any potential traps. As the dwarves mentioned, a lot of traps here in the complex are floor based, so he’ll normally walk on the ceiling or walls.

The lower level was used for housing dwarven families and troops, had the main temple to Morena in the center, including a brewery and some other similar industries, a prison, training areas, and buried their dead. Alzar knows where each of the sections are. He arrives at the top, unguarded, and moves to a large hallway, running east to west. To the east should be the temple and quarters and such for the priests. Barracks are to the south, and there is a door about 30 feet down the chamber that is a back entrance to it. West is a hospital and some apartments. Off the temple is a concealed door to a back complex that is quite large but has no other entrances or exits. Back there is the mortuary complex, and many spells won’t work there, like passwall or teleport. You can planar shift into or out of the area either, so no conjuring of elemental aid can occur back there. They wanted to keep their people safe.

Alzar heads east first to make sure that they take care of any problems. A few goblins move from the barracks down the corridor, but Alzar’s invisible folks (Imp, Himself, and Stalker) easily get past in this wide corridor.

Beyond the door is a rectangular chamber with vaulted ceiling and dim light filtering down from a far away jewel, There is a cistern of holy water in the center of the room, untainted. That’s probably good evidence that the goblins haven’t come down this section. Of course Alzar will be using the Star of Mo-Pilar to search all of the rooms they encounter. They head left from the anti-chamber into the priest quarters area of the floor. Back here is a statuary hall with a lot of scars and pockmarks and broken statues. Towards the back are two statues perfectly framed and shaped like dwarves. The hall ends with a door at the back end. This was used as a room to celebrate the immortals of the dwarves, and various leaders.

Alzar uses the Star and discovers that the two statues are golems. They look like a stone golem that’s in the shape of a dwarf, but golems can be tricky, and could have different stats or abilities. The dwarves didn’t mention them. That’s dangerous. They must have been put here by the new owner.

Golems aren’t going to be confused by an invisibility spell. They aren’t moving, they are just guarding the back. That’s a little suspicious, although having guards for something that has nothing of value beyond it is a known tactic. Still, Alzar can certainly advance on the golems. He pulls back into OtherSpace to grab the Whistle of Golem Control, and pulls out his Bronze and Stone golems. He’ll lead with the bronze one.

With golems in front, and Stalker to the rear, Alzar moves to the golems, who animate and move to attack back.

3 vs 8. The bronze golem punches and connects for 16 damage but no extra heat damage, and Aegis misses, rolling a 4. Alzar blows the Whistle on the one they are not targeting and….it rolls a 3 and fails its save. Alzar now controls it. It moves to punch it’s ally and smashes it hard for 15 damage. The damaged golem punish the bronze for 11 damage but does not take heat damage, nor does the Bronze take the Heat Metal effect from the golem (it’s called a Dwarf Crusher golem).

1 vs 2. The combined damage of the various folks have badly damaged the dwarf crusher, and the bronze took another 10 damage. Then they finish it off next turn.

Bronze Golem – 69/90

Alzar uses the controlled golem (for a about another half hour) to lead. Behind their hall is a vestry, a number of dormitories, a few vestibules, and finally a bedchamber. Alzar’s Star and Azzils Detect magic finds a few items with Nystul’s Magic Aura cast on them to appear magical but there are also four full kegs of 100 charges of smoke powder each, and the golems move them into his OtherSpace.

They head back and move to the temple proper.

Beyond the shimmered portals is a passage that is 20 feet across at least. The temple opens up in the heart of the mountain and it’s at least 100 feet down, and across. There are large statutes of dwarves, and a titanic figure of a female dwarf at the end, dressed as a smith. Some of the bas-reliefs and decorations have been broken, but there is still an aura of good here that survives. Several wards and traps have fired, and there are goblin corpses on the ground, now since damaged.

There are some wards on the ground that are still active, and Alzar simply walks on the ceiling. The altar here is a great anvil, and Alzar lands by it, and strikes it with his axe. The clear ringing tone causes the various wards to disappear and a secret door to open to the left. There is a huge forge to the left in the temple that was used to make holy items that were blessed by the clergy. The forge is still magical.

The temple has space for private worship areas, and such. But Alzar heads to the catacombs past the temple. This is a wide vaulted hall extending north and the air is cool and infused with the odor of mold. There is a line of glowgems in the ceiling.

There are a lone of statues with glyphs and glowgems, all in good condition. It’s clear that the condition that back here has not been tainted by the goblins, they haven’t found this place.

There are side corridors that break off the main one, and with memorial tablets, urns with ashes and a few crypts and sarcophagi. The Star doesn’t see anything so he skips them. He feels the presence of some guardian mummies in some of these, but they are not antagonistic, the dwarves have created a variant that’s just lawful neutral, and not evil.

There is antechamber up to the right that has a block of white stone with a blue flame burning steadily at the top, and sparking jewels scattered about. Alzar heads into the room and inspects it with his various items. One of the gems is magical:

Amulet of Inescapable Location

He pulls out and continues on. There are some false tombs here he skips past, not wanting to drive things to an unusual level. There’s nothing unusual in them. The corridor has turned around a few times and now opens into a large, gently sloping staircase to the east, and at the bottom is a hugely vaulted passage which bears more and increasingly impressive bas-reliefs. This is where kings were buried. The Gem of Seeing reveals that some of these are actually dwarven made golems called Tomb Wardens.

Alzar skips the crypts here and avoids the tomb wardens. He passes into an antechamber with a bright shining blue anvil made of valorite. This is the Anvil of Songs, an artifact that was used to create many of the ancient dwarven items. Alzar rings the Anvil and waits, as per instructions from the dwarves. In a moment, guardian mummy leader arrives, and Alzar tells him why he’s here, he’s trying to end the continued assault on the dwarves above, find and destroy the Abomination of Karazan, and to take out the mage and his allies here and remove them as a major threat.

The mummy asks him to verify these statements, and he removes magic protection and voluntarily opens his mind. After being verified, the mummy summons 5 guardian deacons to escort Alzar. Alzar is escorted back to the back of the crypt area, down an elevator into caverns that once mined the most valuable ore on Pandius – valorite, and then to a huge chamber behind everything else. In this room is the burial chamber of the ancient king who began Radruundar, and more importantly, who had the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords. When he died, he was placed with the Axe in the hand of the great statue of Morena here to guard him. About a year ago, that mage and his goblin female ally broke into this chamber, dispelled the various wards, fought against the mummies, broke into the sarcophagus and robbed him, and the goblin took the axe on her way out. They mummies regenerated and reformed, but they were too late, and the king was raided.

They ask Alzar to find the Axe, and bring it back to this crypt. Alzar agrees to try and find the axe, but has some questions. If the female goblin had the Axe, she would have been turned into a dwarf by now, right? Correct, the curse of the Axe is well known. Anyone who uses it for long turns into a dwarf. Alzar then asks about the Axe. The mummy tells him of the prophecy of it being brought back to return the dwarves for a golden age. Alzar learns more from the axe, but then he asks the mummy if it shouldn’t be given to the dwarves. After they were sent away from the home the Axe helped to forge, wouldn’t it make sense to let the current dwarves have it, so they could either regain Radruundar or carve a new destiny? The mummy ponders for a moment, and agrees that would be acceptable as well.

The white is about to run out, so Alzar asks the Mummy and his allies for help. In one great attack they attack with fists of mummies and Alzar’s axe and punches from his golems and destroy the dwarf crusher. The mummy tells him that the dwarf crusher golem has a anti-dwarf enhancement on it of some sort and confirms it was not dwarven in manufacture.

Alzar leaves the area, and heads out to the rest of the lower level. He pulls his golems back into the Flask and Marble, and then heads out.

Using the Ring again, Alzar moves on the top of the ceiling and has his allies with him. They get past a a patrol of goblins and enter the infirmary area. There are numerous goblins in here, as well as a variety of herbage and items. Alzar uses the Star and finds some magical potions, unused. He moves to them, and then as it coast is clear, drops down and snags three potions of Healing, and climbs back up. He places them in a Bag of Holding.

They pass a kitchen, dining area, and a shrine, now corrupted to a goblin immortal. The brewery is working again as goblins make their own brew. It smells awful. As do the goblins. In fact, they are nasty, smelly, they defecate and urinate where they sleep, and the entire area is full of vermin from lice and worms to rats. Alzar’s Necklace keeps him from smelling it in.

The glassblowers shop, cobbler, sculptor and tailor are all minor places., and Alzar investigates the apartments and finds little.

There is an elevator back here that heads up to the main level.

The goblins here have a few goblins that have unusual shaped weapons, and many have magical items, particularly potions and rings. Alzar decides to try and isolate one in order to investigate. His Stalker grabs one and pulls it into a vacant room and breaks its neck before it can cry out. The Ring is something Alzar has never seen before, and the goblin has a potion of polymorph. The pot is a Thunderpot, it’s a incendiary device that’s basically like a one-shot necklace of missiles, and it has to be ignited with a spark, and then tossed and it explodes for 4d10 damage on everyone in a 15’ radius, and save for half damage. It’s a fragile thing, made of glass, and Alzar slips it into the Bag of Holding

Ring – Spellcache (Stoneskin)

Alzar will find out later regarding the Ring what it is.

Meanwhile, Alzar heads south to check out the jails. He presses through a small guard of a pair of goblins – clearly a token guard. Alzar checks the cells - there are more than 30 dwarves back here in jail, being used as slave labor, plus a gnome and a human female. She is an old cleric, captured by a goblin raiding party, who secreted her holy symbol and has been making sure the prisoners are well fed and healed. They are in much better straits that prisoners would normally be, with her Create Food and Water spells and curings. The gnome is a bit battened by his experience, but he’s an illusionist/thief.

This is basically an instant army. Some of the dwarves are civilians, and one, a young dwarf female, has just given birth. Alzar uses Mass Teleport to send the non-fighters and the woman and child back to Hammerhelm. Alzar slips into OtherSpace to grab some weapons, all magical, for the dwarves, but he doesn’t have army that’ll fit anyone. There are 20 dwarves, a gnome, and a cleric, and Alzar wants to keep them here, ready to fight for now, and then search the rest of this floor first. He only has about one fourth of the level left to scout out.

Alzar uses the Eyes on the two guards and they fall to his friends, and they will guard here, happily, and keep Alzar’s coming a secret.

Alzar heads east into some more barracks, and this has the officer’s quarters. Alzar can’t get in too far; the place is dense with goblins.

He passes by a large training area that’s in use, and the goblins are running through a variety of formations and practicing tactics. A goblin leader is leading them.

They also pass a tavern, kitchen, and more. Some vermin pop out, scavengers like centipedes and stuff snake out, but ignore the people they can’t see. Alzar enters a huge grotto and cavern to the south, and 8 guards flank it, but he passes over them. Inside here is an old silver mine. The goblins checked it out, and then were disappointed with the amount of metal ore and abandoned it.

Alzar heads deeper and deeper into the area, and suddenly a giant xorn breaks through the ground, and demands 300 gp for payment.



Alzar doesn’t want to weaken himself when he knows that he could have some major battles later, so he agrees, and pulls out 300 gp for it, and it allows him to continue. Nothing else is back here. Alzar is still invisible, the xorn just saw through it.

Alzar finishes exploring the floor and returns. He checks up on the now-freed prisoners and gives them the lay of the land. He is going to take the stairs to the west up to the main floor, to try and find, and hopefully surprise or assassinate the wizard and his goblin/dwarf ally, consort, minion, whatever. Then he’ll free the complex of its leaders, and more importantly, That’s his goal. Right now, the fact that no one knows Alzar is here is his best ally. Alzar is going to turn the amulet into a Fremlin who will invisibly watch over, and leave the Invisible Stalker here as a guard for them to help them out and gives it some instructions. Then he’s going to head back out and up with the imp and go up to the main level, where he suspects the two main bad guys are likely to be found.

The main level was the main living quarters and home of the old dwarven kingdom, with a throne room, the palace, storage, and more. There are two choke points on the floor that guard entrances to it from other places. Alzar skipped both by coming up from the lower level.

The door from the stairs to the hallway is stronger than others. Alzar fails to pick the lock and acid won’t work on this one – the door’s lock is made of stone. Alzar has to waste his knock spell to open it up. It swings free. After casting his final spell, the Ring is done for the day and Alzar swaps to using Dust of Disappearance and he gives himself the Spell Turning ring in its place.

If Alzar has captured the fortress, he would have taken a space in the lower level, but the foes didn’t, so they are almost assuredly in the palatial section of this level, in the southeast corner of the area.

Alzar heads out and is astounded by the sheer number of goblins here. He passes by rooms that would have held 50 dwarves poring with 200 goblins easily. There are three sections of barracks, storage, and various apartments.

In fact, it seems like there are three different clans of goblins all living here. After30 minutes of scouting it seems that there are at least 2500 goblins that call this place home, and that includes shaman, leaders, lieutenants and such. The patrols here are in strong numbers, and very well disciplined in the heart of the mountain.

The largest room in the level is the foundry. Here dwarves turned ore into ingots, hewed weapons, armor and implements, and worked metal for their whole lives. There are some goblins in here, led by a fire giant ordering them around, but the numbers of ingots, unworked ores, and more is huge.

In the back of the foundry the goblins have set up a huge circle of stones, about 20 feet tall, along the back side of the wall. It detects as magical, and appears to be a portal of some sort, currently not in use.

Alzar heads back and moves to the palace complex. Like some other places, the palace is immune to teleporting, scrying, and such. Alzar arrives on the north end of the area, and this is the palace atrium, a pleasant chamber stretching away to the south with a still pool that reflects the dim light of the glowstones and a few blotches of multicolored lichen dot the area. The air is much fresher than the rest of the place, and there is a row of slim pillars and wide steps beyond them with stone fragments of broken statues.

After seeing what he suspects are more Dwarf Crushers, there are two more golems back here, guarding this entrance to the palace. Alzar was hoping to head in via the wide atrium, but instead circles to the other barracks side and comes in the west entrance. There are a variety of traps in this floor, and Azzil is perched on Alzar’s shoulder in order to walk slowly, and invisibly over the goblins below.

They are adjacent to the royal guard barracks. They appear to include 20 elite goblin warriors, leaders, females, switch doctor, and more.

Alzar slips past the barracks by following the corridor east. Because goblins are so small, there’s little chance of them bumping heads, but he’s cautious when people come by.

He arrives at a large foyer, just south of the atrium. Further and to the east is the rest of the complex, and to the right and south of where he stands is the throne room, with a pair of double doors. There are are goblins on guard here. Alzar’s Stone reveals glyphs of warding in a few places. Alzar can’t get the doors open without revealing something is here, so he heads east.

There is a message that the Fremlin just sent telepathically. Some goblins downstairs came into the cells and discovered the prisoners were freed, and the Stalker is engaging them .

Alzar pushes on with some haste. It’ll probably be at least 10 minutes before an alarm would reach up to here, but he wants to ensure that it happens.

Three is a kitchen to the left, open, and Alzar senses something…necrotic beyond it. There is a woman there and Alzar uses his necrology proficiency and…succeeds. She is a vampire. Well that’s interesting. Alzar skips that area for now.

There is a corridor of traps next, with pits, punji stakes, and spear traps, all on the floor. Alzar walks over them. There are a group of bed chambers and a bath chamber next that flank on corridors off the main one. No guards are here. Alzar grabs his Ear Ring to hear on a door to the left, and hears the sound of a human male speaking and intoning something. Alzar rolls a spellcraft and…. He’s currently trying to snare an extraplanar creature to help him. Alzar unstoppers the Iron Flask and the Bronze Golem is next to him. The Warp Marble makes noise when it’s used, so he stays here.

The door is locked, so he tries to pick it quietly. It is picked. He made some noise and…he was not noticed.

The door opens to reveal an apartment that has been converted to a work room. There are a pair of doors here. The one to the south has the speaking from it. Alzar heads over gently, and pulls the golem in and gently closes the door, all quietly.

Again, this time Alzar considers his options. The Ear Ring doesn’t detect anything else here. He can have the golem kick the door down and Alzar, behind it, casts Power Word Kill and tries to one hit kill his target again. Alzar grabs a vial of acid and spends a few seconds weakening the hinges. He doubts that Tairdo has cast the Spell Turning spell, because it only lasts around 10 minutes or so, and there’s no reason to cast it here. But he probably has a protection from evil spell or something else while working on that ritual. Alzar decides that the chance at the one hit kill is too good to pass up, and will lead with the same spell as before.

The door is bashed open by the Bronze Golem and Alzar spits a word at whoever is beyond this door. As expected, it’s the wizard, and the wizard doesn’t have Spell Turning up, so he dies in one spell.

Alzar casts Conjure Elemental to give him another ally while the bronze golem guards him. He unfurls Aegis and then the group head out to the corridor. Out from the bedchambers in the back is the female dwarf, and she is bellowing in rage at Alzar. There’s no one else though. As she moves down, with a glowing Axe in her hand, the Abomination appears in the hallway, and grabs the axe. Then it dissipates with it in its grip.

Um….okay?

Alzar casts Finger of Death are the now weaponless dwarf and…she rolls a 7 and dies.

A moment passes and the guards back here in the palace arrive – a dozen wereboars, lycanthropes charging to attack. Alzar’s summoned creatures and golems are in front. He has Azzil fly around an scout to make sure he can’t be flanked and he casts Mass Domination and 7 of the 12 wereboars are now his and he controls them and forces them to attack the others. Surprised by the attack by their allies, and with the pressing of an elemental and a pair of golems, the now 4 survivors begin to flee. Alzar lets them go, he doesn’t care about them that much

Azzil reports a back entrance to the south that hits the apartments, and Alzar summons shadows, and gets 9 shadows, and sends them down to the lower level to relieve the attack on the prisoners, and the Stalker and his gingwatsim/fremlin ally down there. The shadows can slip past everyone else. Then he grabs his stones and conjures two more Earth Elementals and has them guard the south flank, just in case, and leaves these here and does a quick inspection.

There were two royal chambers. One has been turned into the wizard’s major wizard area, with a lab, library, workroom, and summoning chamber. The other is where the bed, bath, and such are. Alzar uses the Star of Mo-Pilar on them and checks to see if there are any traps, or anything else.

As Alzar begins to inspect, checking the corpses and such, the area begins to fade. In a moment, a statute that looks suspiciously like Morena is in front of Alzar, and the mouth opens. Alzar is in a dark chamber, with no light. The statue tells him that the Abomination of Karazan, a rival immortal who hates dwarves, has taken the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords back to its sub-plane. Without the amulet that summons it, it can’t come back to Pandius. The Axe will be lost unless Alzar can go to the sub-plane, and then destroy the Abomination on its own plane, which kills it permanently, and then returns with the Axe.

Alzar inquires further and Morena tells him that it would be inappropriate for an immortal to go and arrive at the sub-plane of another Immortal and destroy one of their creatures directly. She helped the dwarves create the Axe, an it’s an artifact of the Sphere of matter. So she needs someone to go and get it, and defeat the powerful Abomination.

The problem of course is that Alzar can’t go to that plane. So Morena, an Immortal of Matter and a patron of the dwarfs, offers to free Alzar of his burden, and Alzar must pledge to return the Axe, and then agree to do one other task for her dwarves at a later point in time. Alzar accepts but points out that they demon princes can just come to Pandius and reestablish the block later. Morena’s statue agrees to ensure that he can’t be so ensorcelled again.

And suddenly, the demon prince’s magic on him is gone, and he is no longer tethered to Pandius, or any other plane.

In a moment, the fog clears, and Alzar has moved to the sub-plane of the Abomination.

As long as this pocket plane exists, and it was created by Karazan himself, the Abomination will always come back after death, unless killed here. The pocket is a cavern, small but breathable. Alzar’s Dust of Disappearance is still on him, but its not working – he can be seen. Every plane has its own rules, it looks like either illusion or concealment (or both) won’t work here. Azzil did not follow.

Alzar needs some friends to help. He was able to destroy the Abomination only because he was getting healed at a prolific rate. Alzar stoops, concentrates, and heads to his OtherSpace to plan a route of attack. He drops off items that he used, such as the stones. He grabs the Face and returns and uses it to conjure a 16 HD earth and air elemental. Often summoning spells on these sub planes don’t work, but they are fine here.

With that knowledge, out come the Horn of Valhalla’s fighters and Alzar switches from the Spell Turning to Quick Action ring.

With 4 berserkers, and the two elementals, Alzar moves out, the Face still on so he can use it if needed.

They arrive in a large chamber with a giant giant called an athach, Alzar uses the Zoster as it flings a boulder at him, behind his people, and misses. The others move it to melee it, and Alzar casts a spell.

Init. 8 vs 2. A boulder smashes Alzar for 17 damage. Alzar tries to kill it by casting Stone to Flesh. It rolls an 18 and is fine. A variety of creatures tear into it (AC0 ) for 24 damage. 2 vs 9. Alzar throws his Trombash of Returning for… 11 damage. Elementals hit twice foe 42 damage and it dies.

The Star shows nothing in the chamber, it was just empty.

As they move into the final room, the Abomination appears beneath him and comes out to attack and misses (Cloak)

Alzar 62/77

Initiative. 5 vs 7. Alzar’s axe and Bright Barrier give him three attacks against the creature. Here we go…Alzar rolls 7, 2 and 11. Alzar needs a 6 to hit with the Axe and a 11 to hit with the shield. That’s two hits for 29 damage. The elementals attack they each need an 8 to hit. 15 and 14, for 3d8x2, 19 damage total. That sucked. The berserkers can’t hit. The Abomination attacks Alzar six times. Alzar normally has an AC of -5, but he gained –2 with the Gauntlets of Dexterity, but is not wearing the Helm of Selnor he is wearing right now. (Bracers AC2, Cloak of Displacement, -3 for Bright Barrier, -2 for Dexterity, -1 for Ioun Stone) so the Abomination needs a 7 for its various attacks. For the mouths, it rolls…1, 3, and 2. (Not kidding. Dang Alzar!). For the claws, it rolls 10, 6, and 13 for 2d4, 2d4 and then 4d4 for the extra hit. 22 damage.

Alzar - 41/77
Abomination – 95/140

Alzar drops the Bright Barrier and moves to his stance, so he can have -2 AC from the fighting style, but loses an attack. Init. 7 vs 6. The creature attacks Alzar, this time needing a 6. For…5, 15, and 15 – 4 damage from the mouths, and they are locked on. Then 6, 13, and 18 for 21 damage from the claws. Alzar’s axe slashes into the creature with rolls of 6 and 12 for 34 damage and then he grabs a potion of super healing and chugs it, and heals 40 damage. The elementals roll a 3 and 2 and both miss. Dang!

Alzar – 57/77
Abom - 64/140

Init.. 2 vs 5. Alzar attacks with his axe and…10 and 6 and hits for…5 and 7 for 38 damage. Alzar quaffs a potion of Gaseous Form to break the hold the mouths have on him, so he won’t lose any levels. The Elementals punch and….16 and 9 are rolled, two hits. The first is for 6, 3, and 6 – 15 and the second is 8, 2, and 3 for 13 - 28 more The Abom is still alive (un fortunately) and changes targets to an elemental. He attacks and does 35 damage total to an earth elemental.

Init – 7 vs 2. The Abom hits for 36 more damage and kills the Earth Elemental. Alzar turns back into a person but can’t do anything else this round. The Air misses when it rolls a 4.

The next turn Alzar uses his Ring of Quick Action to go first and attacks. 1 and 12 for one hit for 6 +13 – 19 damage. The Abom gained 6 from regen but that’s still enough to kill it.

The pieces fly off and it dies. Alzar carves off pieces after pieces, but it’s still regenerating. He needs to figure out how to kill it permanently. He tries fire and acid but they won’t work. It takes a while, but eventually he figures out that its holy water. The creature’s body parts dissipate.

Beyond the creature is a portal, and a glistening axe lays before it. Alzar gains 23k and then grabs the Ring of Tk he had around his belt for this. He uses it to pick up the Axe without touching it, and places it in a small chest from his OtherSpace. He checks around and there’s nothing left and he flings through the portal and arrives back in Pandius.

Alzar arrives and no time has passed at all. Azzil didn’t even notice him leave. Alzar orders that the corpse f the two leaders be brought out, after stripping them of their items, and the message sent to the goblins gathering in the barracks for an assault on them.

Alzar has the two dead bodies in front of him, and casts Mass Charm. He has his friends tell the others that the leaders have died. The goblins pass the message back and forth, and with the bodies of their two leaders cast down, it’s easy to see the truth, and soon enough, they break, not wanting to further go against one so strong.

Meanwhile, the shadows arrive downstairs and helped to bolster the defenses down there, and nothing more happened. Alzar leads a group of Elementals down, leaving his golems, and Imp here to guard to place, and they kill a few goblins that try to sneak in. A short while later, Alzar has rescued the group and brings them back up. They return to the area that he secured in the palace and sleep in the bedchambers. Alzar teleports over a few with a normal teleport and then hands the box with the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords to the locals here, and then uses Vanish to head back and spends the night there looting, sleeping, studying, and then Mass Teleports over the rest of the group to Hammerhelm, with himself one of the targets, and gives them another 30 dwarves.

A ceremony is held at lunch and Alzar is greeted as dwarf-friend and given a massive amount of titles, both for killing the leaders and the Abomination, as well as finding and returning the Axe. In fact, several leaders have suggested that Alzar is the reincarnation of the Lord of Wood and Fire, who gave the dwarves their first Forge of Power, millennia ago. The fortress still has too many goblins and they are too weakened for them to retake it, but someday, they’ll do it. so instead they’ll help to rebuild Hammerhelm for now. They have agreed to become a part of Alzar’s County officially, and unlike other holds, have sworn fealty to Alzar and will help to strengthen his burgeoning nation-state. (We’ll look at the particularly of that soon)

Afterwards, Alzar teleports back to Evenarrow for a few hours, informing them of what had happened, and what the changes will be going forward, and then decides a few cases and takes care of outstanding business for a few hours. Then he teleports back to Radruundar and continues to explore the area in the palace he cordoned off. He used Dig and such to destroy the entrance to the back chambers from the throne room, so there is no other way back here, while he spends a few days scouring everything, looting, and more.

Here are the various things he has uncovered, found, and procured


Detailed Notebook on making a Dwarf Crusher Golem
4 Books that relate, in detail, how to make Spellcache Rings of various sorts
How to Make a Thunderpot in Four Easy Steps
Notes on Summoning Hordlings, and 4 Truenames given to Summon
6 Books on making various potions, Climbing, Giant Strength, Healing, Heroism, and Gaseous Form
467 Arcane Texts
33 Books on Dwarven Lore
Book on Axe of the Dwarvish Lords

Manual of Puissant Skill at Arms

Thunderpot Making Equipment
Alchemical Equipment – Makes Climbing, Giant Strength, Healing, Heroism, and Gaseous Form Potions.

Spell Component Collection – 12500 gp value

22 Rings Ready for Spellcache
38 empty Thunderpot Flasks
8 Thunderpots
Several Glowgems

Cursed – Ring of Spell Snatching

Goblin sized +3 chainmail
Bracers of Defense AC2
Cloak of the Bat
Ring of Protection +2, +3, 5’ Radius
Cloak of Protection +3
Shortbow +1
Gauntlets of Ogre Power
Warhammer +2
Boots of Striding and Springing
Rope of Climbing
Rod of Rulership (31 charges)
Hat of Disguise
Spellcache Ring – Stoneskinx3, Phantasmal Killer
Dust of Disappearance – 11 pinches
Dagger of Venom
Ring of Wizardry (Double 1st and 2nd)
Bag of Tricks (C)
Obsidian Steed
Ioun Stone – Clear Spindle (No eating or drinking needed); Pearly White Spindle (Regen 1 hp/turn), Pale Lavender Ellipsoid (Absorbs spells up to 4th level, 20 charges left)
Girdle of Many Pouches
Horn of Collapsing
Pearl of Power 3rd Level; Pearl of Power 4th level


Arabian Rug – 3000 gp
Jade Table – 8000 gp
20 5 lb gold bars, 250 gp each
Gold Crown set with rubies and diamonds - 12000 gp
10 Pearls, 100 gp each

2 sets of traveling Spellbooks
3 other spellbooks

Lamp of Creation – See Below

Wizard Scrolls – Color Spray, Dispel Magicx3; Invisible Stalkerx5

Potions – Climbingx4; Heroismx5, Gaseous Formx5; Extra-healingx2; Super-Heroism; Giant Strength;

Ten Already Made Spellcache Rings (Anti-Magic Shell, Dispel Magic, Flame Arrow, Phantasmal Killer, Reduce, Stoneskin, Non-Detection, Haste, Mirror Image, Grease)

Amulet of the Abomination – The Amulet used to summon the Abomination of Karazan, it no longer works.

Alzar is very impressed with the work that Tairdo did. A spellcache ring was created by him. It’s basically a one-shot Ring of Spell Storing that can’t be refilled. It has the command word on the Ring so the person that gets it won’t be confused. Will hold any wizard spell up to level 6. Ring functions as 12th level spell They are cheap to make and take very little time.


Lamp of Creation was made by Tairdo as well, and it’s amazingly awesome. Place it in your wizard’s workshop and lab. Then when you are making an magical item, drawing a scroll or brewing a potion, you may also work on a second subject. It can’t be the same thing, so you can’t make two Wands of Magic Missile at the same time, but you could make a Potion of Heroism and a Magic Sword or a Gem of Seeing and a Ring of Human Control. Golems count, and you can build a golem while doing something else as well. The Lamp requires expensive refueling, of a rare material that costs 1000 gp a week while it is being used.


Alzar also levels up. He can cast another 9th level spell.

One set of traveling spellbooks is the ones for the gnome that Alzar freed and returns, and the other was a damaged set from Tairdo, that only had a few spells from early in his career.

Then there are three others, Tairdo’s and two other unidentified ones.

Alzar have added:

Hammerhelm - in Ljallenvals - This mountainous region has a part of the southern route through the Ljallenvals. It is south of Rostock and southwest of Evenarrow. No humans live up here, just dwarves. Unlike other hexes, this one will not grow via immigration.

Dwarfhold- Hammerhelm – 346 families live in this dwarfhold, now the second largest in Norwold. They mine verite, several other ores, and harvest fungus. +9 resource GP.

Details - 346 families, 1 good – Farming


Monthly Income – Standard Income - 3460 gp/month
Tax Income – 0 gp/month Dwarves don’t pay taxes
Resource Income – 3114/month
Total – 6,574/month (x19 multiplier)


They pick up some more people for the County as well.

Alzar will keep the powerful Hammerhelm army separate from the main one.


End of Axe of the Dwarvish Lords

So as you can see, on the 20th, Alzar can now go anywhere to any plane.


Month 1, Year 5:

Month 1 - Year’s End Divine Liturgy – 5% of income that month

A large-ish raiding party of 400 frost giants slips down the ice from Frosthaven. In a week, a large army of barbarians, much larger than ever before in living memory carves into them and kills them and only a handful escape to tell their fellow giants about the new barbarian horde that assembled on the snows to defeat them.

By the end of the month, Alzar has finished with the exploring of the dwarf citadel, and animates a bunch of the dead and teleports them to a certain ex-beholder city. That includes animated Mind Flayers, and others that were killed, such as worgs and stuff.

Meanwhile, Alzar moves to Hamedh and checks out a place he had noted 8 years ago. In the basement of the Bone Hill, there was a room guarded by a family of Spectators, who were guarding a book, and there were three of them there. They had 6 years left. Alzar finds the book unguarded, quietly tucked away, and teleports onward to Khaibar. (Teleport without Error can cross planes to a place you’ve known.)

Libram of Gainful Conjuration

The Tower was left in his name, after he had done so much for the city. He heads back in and the College grabbed his books and such, but there are a few other things he wants to grab. He can’t access his OtherSpace or Bags of Holding here. Instead he loads up the two weightless chests he had left here. He’ll also bring over:

Kamencheh of Calming

A few magical items. Eventually he’ll bring over all of his spare magical weapons and armor

A variety of spellbooks

Some cursed items

And some undead he’ll teleport over to his city.

9 Coffer Corpses
6 Ghoulstirges
Undead Head (AC7 in the bottle), HD 3+3, HP 30, DMG 1d6 from screech or 1d4 bite. Alerts everyone.

He swings by the College to put in an appearance and meet up with folks. Then he spends the night and Teleports back the next day and resumes leading and such.

Magical armor will follow soon enough.

Gilded Ears, his familiar, is gone, unknown where. The link was severed.

Next he heads back to Thorasia and checks out some of the hidden caches he left behind. The link with Dryshik was severed and he long since went back to his plane. He checks out a few of his caches. These had a spare set of spellbooks, items to help him get back, such as potions, scrolls, Wands, extra defensive items, gems and jewelry and some coins for emergencies and more. They were rooms he carved out of rock with spells, and had no doors, no ways in, just a room to teleport too. Almost 10 years later, 2 of them are still unfound.

Now Valia has gained all of the items in his compound. But the most valuable stuff he had elsewhere.

He keeps both of them as useful spare areas, and in fact will add some spare potions and such.

He does take some of the controlled creatures here that he made, that are still here:

His Homunculus connection still works! Megala was in a storage area. It senses him and flies to him.

1 Iron Cobra
1 Necrophidus
1 Homunculus

Alicorn

He leaves behind things like the Ring of Three Wishes with one Wish left and stuff like that.

He teleports over some undead from them as well, including 4 Swordwraiths and a few Topi.


Megala, Homunculus

Lawful Evil

HP: 10
THAC0: 19
AC: 6
Damage: 1d3+ sleep


Megala is Alzar’s Homunculus from before Vorthala died, and he had given Alzar much of the ingredients. Megala has no personality, and is merely an extension of Alzar. When he fights, his fangs force a save vs poison or put a person to sleep for 5d6 rounds. If he dies, Alzar will take 2d10 damage


He has leveled far past when Megala would be a big help, but he can use assistance in the lab and such in the Barony.

Alzar sends a message to Valia and she agrees to meet him at his old compound. She gives him a tour and he greets Coram as well as sees the compound. She’s expanded it in a variety of ways, and added some charmed monsters to it.

Alzar wants to negotiate for some of his old items that he left behind. They spend some time swapping spells, items, and talk shop.


Alzar gains these spells:


7th Conjure Greater Earth Elemental, Spectral Guard


8th Summon Fiend

9th Programmed Amnesia, Virus Charm

Spectral Guard will create an invisible guard at a specific location, and then waits until certain conditions are reached or dispelled. When those conditions occur, it arrives and attacks. The creature is pretty powerful too.

Virus Charm charms one creature. Then when that creature touches another, there is a chance that creature will be charmed too (all of these at -2) until 3xAlzar’s spell level (75) creatures are fully charmed. (Not HD, but just creatures).



He also gets his own Chime of Opening back, since Valia doesn’t do adventuring anymore, and was never really into it.

Alzar let’s her copy the notes on how to make the Lamp of Creation, which is a major item for both of them. He trades her some spells and so forth. Valia has made a ring she calls a Greater Ring of Sustenance. It doesn’t require the 7 days of being worn before it works, and it doesn’t require 2 hours of sleep, it negates it all. Alzar gives Valia some Ring of Pro - +3, 5’ Radius and three empty Spellcache Rings as well as the notes on how to make them in detail and copies those.

With the Ring of Wizardry he acquired, Alzar can now learn double the normal spells for 1st and 2nd level when he wears the ring. This gives him essentially 12/12/6/6/6/6/6/6/5 as long as he dedicates a Ring slot all day long. He’ll sub off the Ring of Quick Action, and just wear the Free Action one normally. Because the restriction on Pandius is that he can’t memorize more than one of the same spell at each level, he has to memorize 12 different 1st and2nd level spells. That’s a lot of spells. Alzar needs to find some more spells at those levels that are feasible.

This is what he has currently:

First Level:

Alarm
Alzar’s Undead Porter
Armor
Animate Dead Animals *
Cantrip
Charm Person *
Chill Touch *
Comprehend Languages
Conjure Spell Component
Create Divining Rod (D229)
Detect Magic
Detect Undead
Emrikol’s Question
Enlarge *
Friends
Identify
Hypnotism *
Locate Remains
Mount
Protection from Good/Evil
Protective Amulet
Read Magic
Sleep *
Spoil Holy Water
Talon’s Waterproof
Unseen Servant
Wizard Mark


Second Level:

Alzar’s Axethrow
Alzar’s Bookcopy
Alzar’s Bookmend
Alzar’s Familiar
Attract Ghoul
Baltar’s Lightening
Blastbones *
Choke
Continual Light *
Continual Wind
Death Armor
Embalm
Empathic Control
ESP
Forget
Ghoul Touch *
Hold Person (Hamedhi) *
Knock
Leomund’s Trap
Locate Object
Ray of Enfeeblement
Ray of Ondovir *
Skeletal Hands
Spectral Hand
Speak with Dead
Tasha’s Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter *
Tenser’s Hunting Hawk
Undead Mount
Unpickable Lock
Vocalize
Wall of Gloom
Wizard Lock


Now, at 2nd level, he could add in Choke, Empathic Control, Knock, Ray of Enfeeblement, Forget and ESP pretty easily. But some of those (Forget, Choke) aren’t exactly going to win a lot of hands at the local card night. At 1st level, he really doesn’t have a lot of useful options.

He begins by reviewing the spellbooks he captured to see if there are some spells he could use. Did you know:

Casting the 1st level conjuration spell, Mount at level 18 or above gives you a Griffon, with a saddle and full barding, for 27 hours at his level. That’s pretty good. So that’ll be a spell.

He learns:

Chromatic Orb
Dance Macabre
Light
Wandbane

At this level Chromatic Orb is a necromantic spell that must make a save vs death or die, with 2d4 rounds of slowed if save is made. Now you have to roll to hit the target and then roll the save (with +3 to hit close, and +2 medium and +1 long range). But it scaled nicely too.

Any 2nd level spells that appeal?

Scare
Summon Swarm

Month 2, Year 5:

With no taxes paid this month, as announced, the dominion confidence grows a bit.

Minor last-winter growth in a few hexes.

Alzar teleports over to Alpha to give a year-final review, and discuss the parameters of him in Norwold. King Ericall doesn’t want to distance himself from Alzar, or vice versa. Alzar has the largest dominion by land size, and is after all of the other dukes. If Alzar were made a duke, then his land mass would make him first in the land. Alzar asks to be made duke, and lists his accomplishments. The King agrees to appoint him to a new title, and uses the one of Marquis instead (one which is between Count and Duke, but no one else in the kingdom had yet been given it).

Heading home, Alzar’s lands will now be referred to as the March of the Mighty, reflecting his new title.

Because he often head out and does other things, Alzar hires a new Magist for his March. Usually a dominion hires an official wizard for the court, and Alzar has been performing those duties. But he also adventures and works and studies and so forth, so having a full time Magist, in addition, will help.

Magist(15th level) – 4000 gp

Alzar’s Magist is going to be a mage he found via contacts from Sandralane. Farensa the half-elven mage, she is a lawful neutral mage, fully vetted by Alzar with spells like Detect Lie, ESP, and Know Alignment, and she’ll be given many of Alzar’s tasks to work on, such as working on golems, inscribing scrolls, stuff like that. She’ll be under the influence of the Lamp of Creation as well. The first thing Alzar wants her to do is to finish the Silver Golem whose body was built by the expert artisans in the foundry. Then he’ll show her how to make some other constructs, like the Iron Cobra and Necrophidus, that she can make at her level, as well as some scrolls, potions, those sorts of things.

For example, she can make one Necrophidus every three weeks for 8k a construct, while making other things. Soon enough they can have tons of the little constructs guarding important things around the Keep. Alzar also likes the Spellcache Rings as a way to give a few people here and there a nice, one shot spell. Those cost 250 gp/spell level to make, and you can make one, from scratch, every three days. They have the equipment to make them teleported over from the fallen dwarf fortress, so she can make 7 Spellcache Rings and one Necrophidus in three weeks, for a cost of (approximately) 13000 gp each iteration, with those Rings given out to leaders and such. You’d be surprised at how useful a single spell like Sleep or even something big like Evard’s Black Tentacles can be as a one-shot from a fighter.

The Alchemist in Saffir makes and sells potions, some of which are magical. That includes (according to AC10) things like Invulnerability and Invisibility. Alzar ties him into their infrastructure, and begins to purchase the occasional potion from him.

In celebration of his new title, Alzar will hold a tournament on the mid-spring night in Month 4 and invites a lot of local nobility and such. Three days. He’ll be offering magic items as the prize for each of the tournaments.

Month 3, Year 5:

Some more growth. A disease breaks out in Augustia and 14 families die before the clergy can contain and heal people from it.


Meanwhile, at the end of the month, building can begin, and…38, 48, 55 – all three projects advance one full week. Saffir Castle – 16 man weeks; Evenarrow Walls – 13 weeks; Havendrop - Full defenses, castle, etc – 29 weeks.

Back to AC10 Bestiary of Dragons and Giants

The Deluded Dragon

In the second week of Month 3, a woman comes in to petition Marquis Alzar’s aid. Althea and her father, an old sage named Kevran, live in a Keep out in the Ljallenvals beyond Alzar’s borders. Her father acquired a fair bit of treasure when he was younger, and a thief must have heard about it. He came to plunder their wealth and stole an item called a Gem of Delusion, and when Kevran moved to stop him, the thief used it on her father and escaped. Kevran has since become very paranoid and defensive, at times violently so.

She has been able to trace the location of the Gem of Delusion, and needs someone to track it down, return it, and use it on her father to free him from the item. Alzar has her come with him to a nearby meeting chamber to continue their conversation.

Alzar tells her that he has recently encountered multiple dragons polymorphed into human form that have tried to deceive people in major ways, including Saffir’s Krasniy. So he had some detection magic installed in the court room to tell if someone was polymorphed or what their true form was.

She smiles and relents that she is, of course, a gold dragon. Gold dragons can sense, to the item, where the items of their horde are at all times, so she knows that the Gem is being moved at sea towards Landfall, the city of the rogues and pirates and such. They must have found out that her and her father were gold dragons, because they came a long way to abscond with their stuff. In fact her father has often flown over the countryside and attacked random creatures and people. She offers him some of their treasure, and to come with him if needed.

Alzar agrees, but declines the assistance. He uses her information to track down the boat at sea and she confirms that the ship he sees in the Crystal Ball is the target. He casts Mount and mounts the griffon that is summoned, and then teleports away, about a quarter of a mile above the boat.

The griffon lazily catches the gentle breeze and Alzar orders it to sail around (Alzar has flying, air, as reminder). A griffon flies faster than a Flying Carpet. The Carpet is 100’ and the Griffon 120’ Only rocs and pegasus are common creatures that fly faster. It’s the same speed as a Fly spell, an Air Elemental or a dragon. But griffons are not a stable platform, so no spell casting, and -4 to missile attacks, but yes to the swoop attack for hitting with his axe.

Alzar flies down towards the ship, checking his spells. He doesn’t have his water spells handy, like Conjure Water Elemental. He pauses and heads into OtherSpace and pulls out a Censer and the Face and uses both to conjure two Air Elementals, one 8 HD one and the other a 16 HD one. He unfurls the Flying Carpet and steps off the Griffon. He’ll be using the Griffon and the two elementals to strike at the ship aerially, with himself behind on the flying carpet, casting spells as needed.

Before he launches his attack, he spends some more time with a crystal ball scrying. The boat is a 3-masted vessel, and there are around 50 people on board. Alzar is going to head down with his creatures, and demand their temporary surrender, so that he can get on board and search for the Gem of Delusion.

The quartet flies down, with line of sight for arrows and bolts and the ballista on the front blocked by his summoned trio. Not sure what to expect, a bunch of soldiers have come to the top deck and are grabbing weapons and Alzar announces himself and his rank, the suspicion of theft and piracy he is chasing, and shouts out his proclamation. They start firing instead. Okay.

Alzar casts Mass Domination, and 13 of the soldiers stop and Alzar orders them to attack their companions. Confusion breaks their ranks, and then he follows with Mass Charm, and has his friends drop their weapons and move to the bow, removed from the battle. The Captain of the vessel, unharmed by the spells, signals his surrender, and his men stop attacking, and Alzar pulls back his dominated crew. Alzar’s Elementals begin to scouring the area, and he flies down and takes all of the various weapons and such from these folks, and ties up those that are not charmed/dominated. In the ship are a trio of merchants, and after Alzar uses the Bright Barrier’s Detect Lie ability, he finds out that one of them purchased the Gem, and some other stolen items, from a thief. Alzar grabs the merchant’s Bag of Holding and empties it. He takes the Gem of Delusion, and one of her items that intrigues him, and then has her tied up as well. The charmed and dominated crew agree to sail the ship to Evenarrow, two days away, and then turn the ship over to the March. Alzar has been looking to have a real navy, and he just procured his first vessel. He finishes inspecting the ship, and then Mass Teleports the prisoners, his Griffon, the elementals and himself over to the Evenarrow jail, and then tells the locals what happened and they are arrested and will be tried for various crimes (piracy, theft, smuggling, resisting Alzar, etc).

The item Alzar took was a +3 Shield of Haste (Once/day can cast a self-haste which does not age the user).

Alzar heads to the castle and meets with Althea. He has the Gem of Delusion. They fly back to the keep she has, she in her natural form, and him on the Griffon, escorted by his elementals until their time here wears out. A few hours later as they arrive at her and her father’s keep, she polymorphs back to human form and they fly down on the Carpet. Kevran, her father, is on the countryside and flying about to the east, so they move to encounter him here, in the sky. In order to protect himself against a gold dragon, Alzar heads to OtherSpace for a moment to grab the Ring of Fire Resistance, and then he turns back into a dragon to face her father, and Alzar mounts her. As they get nearer, he casts Major Globe of Invulnerability, just in case some spells come a calling. They leave the Griffon back, and he lands on the ground by the keep.

They get to range and the dragon breathes poison gas at them. Alzar and the dragon are immune. They speed in in order to try and get off the Gem. Another breath, this time fire hits, and Alzar takes 14 and she is immune again. The dragon casts a Lightning Bolt at Alzar but it fails (Globe) . Now Alzar is close enough and he uses the Gem of Delusion and the dragon is freed from his insanity and stops, puzzled. The daughter and him communicate in their own language, and then land a mile away from the keep, polymorph back to people, and begin to thank Alzar.

They agree to help him, or his March, should he need it in the future, and additionally, to give him any one item from their horde. Alzar smiles, and just asks for the Gem. It’s just a cursed item, is Alzar sure? Yes, he’s sure. He flies off on the Griffon and they head back to their keep.

Gem of Delusion – Command word forces everyone other than user in 20’ radius to save vs spells as Gem flashes. If they make it, they are stunned for 1d4 rounds and then Feebleminded for 1d6 after. If they fail, then deluded.

Chances of being paranoid and defensive or thinking you are someone else or becoming a kleptomaniac or growing depressed and removed from action, etc. Effect is permanent. It can be used as often as Alzar wants, and it is considered cursed, but it’s an auto-hit for stun+feeblemind. That’s pretty saucy. We’ll go ahead and place a restriction on the item that it can be used just once/day. Because otherwise he’ll lead with it literally every single combat (since undead, summoned, and constructed would be immune to all three effects).


End of AC10. Bestiary of Dragons and Giants

Alzar had been considering building a navy, and this showed him how. Landfall, in the southern part of Norwold, has long been known as the haven for smugglers, pirates, and others living on the outskirts of law. King Ericall believes that coming down hard on the Duchy of Landfall, and coming down on his family that runs it, hurts the nation in the long run, because those people are just going to scurry out somewhere else. Might as well have them all in one place, away from the other cities.

But that’s a flawed view. After all, Alzar took down a thieves guild in a town of 2000 in his own area. People will be people, and giving them a free pass down south also encourages them to attack other areas in Norwold, and now Alzar has proof.

He teleports with the merchant and a few sailors to Alpha, and after an hour, meets with Ericall and some of his advisors. Here is a thief who raided a keep far away from Landfall, sold the goods he robbed from that crime, as well as others to this merchant, who is well known in Landfall, and then that merchant set sail with the stolen goods ready for sale back home. This is not going to be the only place where black market and stolen goods are being harnessed. This is the proof that Marquis Alzar needs to show that something more needs to be done with Landfall.

Ericall takes it under advisement, but again, does not take any action. He continues to feel that it’s not worth the effort, and the Crown won’t get involved.

Ericall continues to be an idiot. He’s not comfortable making the big decisions. Very well then. Alzar heads back. He will send a message of his own.

Alzar had been thinking about building an actual navy of his own to help patrol the entrance to the Great Bay and the trade routes that go right by his holdings. Now he has one vessel, taken at sea. That gives him an idea.

That night Alzar rests, and memorizes a slightly different set of spells. Over the next three days, Alzar scrys and locates 7 pirate vessels at sea, and captures them and brings them back to his March. Using Mass spells, Confusion, Chaos, Evard’s Black Tentacles, Water Elementals, Skulltrap, Wail of the Banshee, the Gem of Delusion and a lot more, Alzar has begun to wreak havoc on the pirate trade in the south, and simultaneously added 7 more vessels. One vessel he captured the first day by teleporting to the harbor, and meeting with a nasty pirate about to board the ship, and he cast Virus Charm on him. A day later he had charmed 80% of the crew.

In some cases, his friends are staying on board. Alzar orders a nice Drydocks to be built in Evenarrow (for 35000 gp) that will cost a few months to construct.

Soon, the pirate ships here are coming with a local wizard that has been hired out to cancel Alzar’s tactics of using Mass Charm or Domination, and they found out about the Virus Charm from one of the other people that got through.

As pirate ship after ship arrive, turn themselves over, and Alzar’s jails are crammed full or riff-raff of various sorts, Alzar’s popularity soars even more. As his herald points out, Alzar has done more to end piracy in the area in four days than the King did in four years. Clerics of the local temple are using their base detection spells to ensure that people who are tried are responsible, and folks who didn’t know, or were in the wrong circumstances or somesuch are freed and help to work the boats. For example, some people were captured by the pirates and forced to work the ship or be killed. Those aren’t in trouble, it’s the people that were willing accomplices and people who enjoyed it, people who pushed the laws.

More than a hundred guilty pirates from Landfall are executed that week. The Duke of Landfall has issued a formal complaint with Ericall over Alzar taking Landfall people and finding them responsible and executing them. But just as the King did nothing to stop the Duke’s people from raiding others, he’s not likely to do anything with Alzar either. He’s the Do-Nothing King.

(You think this is just Alzar’s impression of King Ericall? Here it is from a DM’s sourcebook:

“Ericall believes this string of events to be the result of bad luck, and doesn’t realize that he’s just not a very good king.”

The events are referring to Landfall, Oceansend, Leeha, people breaking off in the War, etc.

Here is the assessment of Ericall, a page later:

“His ambition is to be a great king. But he’s naïve, even after a decade of kingly rule. He doesn’t like paperwork and managerial duties and relegates them to subordinates of varying levels of ability; he doesn’t listen to criticism or advice, or admit to mistakes; and he still smarts because he feels he was his mother’s least favorite child (he may be right) and was the object of her ridicule and her magic-using children. He tries to be too perfect, and is doubly harsh on himself whenever he fails.”

There you are.

Month 4, Year 5:

Some more growth as Spring arrives.

How does building go? 56, 46, 38. Saffir Castle – 12 man weeks; Evenarrow Walls – 9 weeks; Havendrop - Full defenses, castle, etc – 25 weeks.

Alzar hosts his first major tournament!


For prizes we have:

+1 Shield
+1 Longsword
Ring of Protection +1
Arrow of Thief Slaying

Alzar gets a lot of visitors, including fellow nobles and their various knights and such. At the end of the event, including feasts, lodging, entertainment and more, Alzar spends 12,660 gp from the Treasury, but his Confidence raises 15 and 7 fellow lords attended, including Sandralane, Count Essex, Baron Douglass, Claransa the Seer, Maltus Fharo from Twolakes Vale and more. Alzar has quite a reputation, and giving out magical items for every prize is a bit unusual.

Alzar gains a bunch of XP too.

CM8. The Endless Stair






Yes, this is a module, hidden in the back of the CM line and penned by no less a luminary that Ed Greenwood. Is this a hidden gem? I think so! It’s my second favorite of the CM modules. (I don’t have CM9). One of them is a dopey solo module, and the CM2-4 line is not exactly scintillating. One is a sylvan adventure that doesn’t really suit the CM style of epic play and the final one we’ll do later on, after I’ve established some of the things in the campaign world that it’ll use.

Now, it’s a quick little sidenote, an almost-vignette style adventure in 32 pages that has a lot of backstory. And Greenwood does his classic shtick of ”adding spells, creature and magical items” to give the adventure his own spin, and that in turn fills up a lot more space in the module.

In fact, let’s see how many of these 32 pages is really the adventure. Hold on:

2 pages are the PCs that one could play (each adventure comes with sample PCs that can be played).
1 page table of contents
4 pages of maps
1 page of new spells
1 page of new items
3 pages of new monsters

And then in the text itself, it goes over the artifact and spellbooks in detail, so it doesn’t touch on them later. That takes one full page.

So – total of pages that aren’t the adventure, 12 out of 32. Now many modules don’t have maps in the middle, they are in the cover or have some foldouts, or might have a few smaller ones in the text, but nope. Not this one.

Now, of the remaining 20 pages, how much is background info and NPCs info? 4 pages. So there are just 16 pages, or half of the module, is the actual adventure.

The module is published in 1987,long after the Master rules were published, so it assumes the DM and players have it. It uses spells, items, rules (such as artifact rules) and creatures as part of the module.

While at the tournament, after the joust is completed, Baron Fharo approaches Alzar – it seems that at an inn a few miles outside of his barony, a wizard was brought in, dead, a few days ago. He failed to be raised back from the dead. The investigation hasn’t turned up anything, and they have struck out on who or how this mage wound up where he did. But the Barony doesn’t have a high level wizard, just some clerics and a druid who were unable to suss things out. He gives Alzar information on the area if he wants to check it out.

The next day, after the tournament ends, Alzar has memorized a more divinatory set of spells, and he teleports to the Inn and then speaks with locals. 6 days before a mage was found dead about three hundred feet away beside some rocks. The Star reveals nothing. Priests were unable to raise him (he failed the roll) and is permanently dead.

They have nothing on him other that his robes and clothes, none of which detected as magical, good or evil, or anything else. They buried him in an above ground crypt, and Alzar is welcomed in, and the Star shows nothing. Speak with Dead magic by the clerics revealed he was a mage, and his named was Ulthun and that he didn’t see how he died. That’s it though.

He heads up with his Flying Carpet over the site, and uses Greater Rhabdomancy, and has his divining rod out. He uses it to locate and find the place where the wizard died. This magic doesn’t exist on Pandius, and Alzar is using his best rhabdomere skills to suss things out.

After a few moments, Alzar finds the space and descends. It’s about a fifth of a mile up the hills, and there are a pair of griffons that have nested here. Alzar chases them off and grabs five griffon eggs from them. He places them into his OtherSpace and will give them to Saffir to add to their guard later on. (One is infertile, the other four are fine).

Up here in the hills is a small lake, Lost Axe Lake, and a rock spur that sticks up against the water is where the mage supposedly died, just outside of it on the ground.

To the left of the large rock formation by about 400 yards alongside the Lake, is a bard who has set up camp for the night and cooking some fish he just found. He welcomes Alzar as he swings down. Alzar surreptitiously uses his ESP spell and the man is exactly who he claims to be.

He introduces himself as Thassil, a wandering minstrel who can play a variety of instruments. He has a tent and inside are some of his instruments. Thassil finished a performance in Twolakes Vale about a week ago, and then came up here to see the famous Leaning Stone, the rock to the right. But it’s just a rock, and after a few days, he wasn’t able to find out anything from it.

Alzar introduces himself, and Thassil’s eyes get large. This’ll make a better song than anything he could have done with the Leaning Stone! Thassil invites Alzar to share the night and Alzar relates why he is here. Thassil arrived after the mage would have been killed and was found, and didn’t notice anything.

Grabbing the Star of Mo-Pilar, Alzar heads over to check things out. The entirety of the Leaning Stone is gently glowing magical. But nothing else can be gleaned. Alzar heads back and spends some time with Thassil.

After eating some fish, Alzar is taking first watch when midnight hits, and suddenly, he can make out a very gentle sound coming from the Stone. Alzar heads over and sees that a large archway has opened in the Leaning Stone. Thassil heard Alzar head over and woke up, and grabs a weapon and his armor and moves in behind Alzar. This is his lucky night! After all, it’s free land, there’s nothing stopping Thassil from coming in.

Alzar hands Thassil a continually lit stone from his Bag of Holding and he’ll use it as light source if needed. Visible through the arch is a small dark silent chamber beyond. The Star reveals an illusion and the floor is not really there, and there is a gently descending shaft instead. Forewarned he tells Thassil.

They head down and Alzar pauses a moment to conjure an earth, greater earth, and invisible stalker as company, in case they are needed. They lead the way, Alzar and Thassil behind. Azzil perched on Alzar’s shoulders.

Soon the shaft bends into a very vertical shaft, and there is a Levitate spell her that gently moves everything down. A cluster of magical eyes see them and move to follow them, and Alzar gets several sets following him and Thassil one. Alzar doesn’t recognize them (he failed his Sage Knowledge roll, they are a new monster introduced in this module).

They land gently in a hemispherical unnaturally-smooth chamber with solid walls and a smooth floor, and a corridor that exists on the far side. As they arrive, a specialized undead phantom called a Vision begins to play through the final moments of its life. This is the place that the mage Ulthun was wounded, and then he crawls outside and dies. This room saw seven robed, hooded men bearing daggers stab out and wound him.

A check of the room shows nothing more.

The corridor heads left and right and forward after a few yards. Left is a small chamber with the skeleton of a human who died a very long time ago. A search turns up a few items that were not touched. Amid the scraps of her rotten backpack is a large, thick book with a stained cover of hide, a spell book, and the words “I Belong to Naera” on the cover in Pandius Prime runes. It was a very small traveling spellbook.

A silver dagger
Bone Tube with Wizard Scroll – Tenser’s Floating Disc; Hold Portal
Steel Vial, Potion of Invisibility

Naera’s Spellbook: Magic Missile, Read Magic, Detect Magic, Mirror Image, Web, Haste


They return and take the right bend instead, and the passageway ends in a rough stone face, with the marks of picks and prybars still on the wall. There is nothing else so they head back and go forward.

The passageway hits an arched entrance (without a door) in a chamber that is empty save for a solid stone block (7’ by 4’ by 4’). There are doors out to the left and right.

Alzar’s Stalker touches the stone slab after it detects as magical and a Magic Mouth spell says: “The Cheiromar rests not here, but has been laid to rest where in life he strove, and where in death he is safe from those who would rob and destroy. If you seek the power that was his, and have knowledge enough to take and leave what it right, seek the Endless Stair.”

As the voice speaks, dozens of the eyes come over and swirl around the speaker, and then all of them fly back off and head away after it is done. The door to the left opens and behind her is a wall that was walled up in rubble. It’s completely caved in. Alzar skips it for now.

To the right is a another walled up doorway as well, and in here, a jagged opening was broken through. Alzar has the elementals widen it to a larger hole so they can pass through. The unearth a old human skeleton with a few minor items such as a old worn scrap of parchment that dissolved long ago.

As they head down the hallway, the Elementals break open the floor, and fall a few feet. They were just too heavy to keep on moving, but checking to make sure everything is okay before moving across, Thassil and Alzar are able to scurry over it easily enough.

The corridor Ts with a relief carved on the stone of a shield bearing the arms of an unknown person (Alzar gets no Heraldry check to see if he knows anywhere but on Thorasia). However, Thassil knows it. It’s the former Baron Elktazar, whose family ruled this area long ago. There are steps to the left and right down. They head left.

Here the passage ends in stairs, six steps each dropping a feet. The last three are under dark cold moving water. The chamber beyond has been flooded through the natural rock by a stream running from Lost Axe Lake. Three massive stone caskets can be seen in the room poking their heads above the water. A handful of bats are here in the ceiling, just coming back from feeding down the shaft. The Earth Elementals opens the three, unlocked, stone caskets, and there’re three skeletons, with the same seal, and nice items., but nothing worth a lot of money, and a magical Staff of Curing in the woman’s casket. These appear to have been the Baron, his wife and their child.

They head back and down the stairs on the other side. Again, there are 6 broad one foot steps but this room is dry. There are three iron-bound wooden chests within a chalked circle on the floor. They have been magically preserved and appear new. Alzar has the Stalker enter the circle and open the chests, There appear to be 400 gp,m 400 g , and a glowing golden sword. The Star of Mo-Pilar shows the gold’s real but the sword is a trapped, polymorphed monster they skip and leave.

They open a secret door in the back of the room after Alzar uses a vial of acid on the lock. There is a small stone chamber beyond with a irregular edges and another door on the far side of this room. Between the two doors in an otherwise empty-looking room is a twisted human skeleton missing its head. A quick Star check shows a trap here that falls from the ceiling, and crushes the whole room. The greater elemental heads in and triggers it, and it falls and hits the Elementals shoulders, and does nothing to it, and they have plenty of space under to move through.

The next door opens into a much larger chamber that held 7 oaken chests that were open nd empty, two large casks in a corner that are nasty smelling, the skeleton of a horse, and now everything seems moldy, and the place was raided. There is a small door on the other side that they open. A trap triggers from the other side as they do and an Axe flies out and hits (no damage) to the elemental that opened it.

On the far side of the room is another axe and its glowing in the center of the room. It suddenly fires off a Web spell on everyone at the door. Alzar, with his Ring of Free Action, moves through the Web and another is fired, but he grabs the axe and it stops. It’s just a +2 battle axe.

The Star reveals a secret door and then open it up. In the wall is a carved bas-relief of armored men on horseback hacking and slashing at each other in battle. In front is the Baron Elktazar with a battle axe in triumph, over the falling enemies.

There is a stone plinth in the center of the room. On it is a head cast of platinum and resembles a human. Suddenly it’s eyes open up and it speaks!

“I am Artonn; I speak to the glory of Elktazar the Magnificant. I bear witness to Elktazar the Great! I record the doings of the realms that are his. What would you?”

Alzar talks with it. It’s a magical construct of great power and intricacy. It was alive centuries ago, and can answer questions from then with great detail. It will answer any question asked, whether or not it was addressed to Artonn. He then asks a question back that must be answered, before he will answer another. As far as Artonn knows, it’s the 13th year of the reign of Elktazar, who rules from Moonkeep.

Alzar and Artonn exchange some questions back and forth. Moonkeep? Like Moonhold, the castle that Sandralane runs the Barony of Moonland from? Apparently, her area near her used to be Elktazar’s old stomping ground.

The construct is not shocked to find out about Elktazar’s passing, but is greedy to find out more. A feeling Alzar is all-too familiar with.

Alzar asks about the Endless Stair, and is told about the Stair to Nowhere, on the edge of the Baron’s old lands and gives a location. It’s actually just inside Alzar’s own territory today in the foothills of the Wyrmsteeth Range near-ish, Spearhold.

Artonn is unable to be moved, it’s magic its tied to its location here on the plinth, underground. There’s another secret door in here, and they open it and there is a crystal sphere on a carved granite plinth. The sphere appears to contain a miniature scene of an iridescent dragon. The dragon moves around and opens its eyes, stretches like a cat, and then returns its head to its claws, watching Alzar. There is nothing else in the chamber. The dragon scratches its name, Phelzaron, on the ground of the globe when asked, but otherwise cannot speak and doesn’t answer any others questions. Artonn tells Alzar that Phelzaron was the court Magist for Baron Elktazar.

Alzar and the group leave, Alzar has the Elementals collect the three stone caskets and move them to the back room, and then has the Earth Elementals collapse the tunnels into this area of the dungeon. He wants to leave this area unseen. The chest room is destroyed. Alzar can teleport back to Artonn or Phelzaron if he wants to.

Alzar teleports with Thassil and his group back to Evenarrow and has his Magist begin to search to see if she can find anything about Phelzaron. Thassil stays behind, and Alzar teleports to Spearhold and then flies south and west.


About 13 miles away is a odd looking construct. Alzar lands. In front of him is a large, grassy clearing, out of which rises a spiral flight of white steps – steps without railings that glow faintly, and spiral up, up, to…..nothing. Just empty air. On the turf round are several old and weathered skeletons.

Alzar flies up and around it. There are 300 steps, and they are in good condition, totally dry. There is nothing at the top, nothing hiding invisibly or anything else. There is nothing between the stair and the area around it. Alzar tosses a coin onto a stair without any issues from his flying carpet. Alzar casts Mount and gets a Griffon. The Griffon will shadow him, in case he falls or something, and will catch up. He still has his Stalker, Too. The star of mo-pilar won’t work at all, it sees nothing no stairs, nothing else.

Alzar steps onto the first stair and nothing happens. Then #2 and #3. He walks up the Endless Stair.

When he reaches the 8th step, there is a shimmering curtain of force that’s between himself and step #9. He steps through and takes 4 damage and is affected with a faerie fire. The Stalker took 2 but is not fire’d.

More steps pass, the Fire fades after 9 rounds. The 23rd step occurs and a another pair of those eyes appear from the steps and move to follow Alzar and his Stalker. More steps follow. When the 40th step is reached, the step itself begins to glow. A puff of white vapor rises from it. Out from it steps a creature, a malfera, that moves to attack!

The Malfera is a creature from the Nightmare Dimension that is only encountered on the Prime as the result of a powerful summoner.



Alzar’s Axe is out and…9 vs 5. The Malfera’s poisonous breath misses Alzar (immune due to Necklace of Adaptation). It attacks and misses with claws. Then Alzar uses his axe and…16, 18, and 7 – two hits for 34 damage. 3 vs 7. Alzar kills it with a 3rd Axe hit and it dies. Alzar gains 6k XP

He continues up. The 44th step has a Ivory Tube which is non magical. Inside is:

Unidentified Wand (Wand of Wonder – 63 charges)

Alzar will check it out later.

More stairs pass by. On the 64th, a sudden magical gale wind strikes! Alzar must save vs Breath or be swept off and into the sky. Alzar drops a 17 and it fine, but the axe in his hand blows away and lands on the ground. The gale wind has ended and the Griffon fetches it and ferries it back to him in its beak. The Stalker, as a creature of air, is immune.

At 112 there is a sudden appearance of a beautiful older human female clad in robes of purple. She speaks:

“You are come to the Seat of Power, where the Cheiromar sits in vigil. You have not the key, you are not welcome here. Please leave, and you will suffer no harm.”

She then fades.

Alzar arrives at the 200th stair and sees an odd hand in the middle of the 204th stair, as though it belonged to someone buried under the stair, with just the hand showing. It’s not undead, he can’t control it. A trap? Construct? Magical creature?

When he hits 202, the hand levitates quickly, and then makes a sign as if to say “stop.” It has an eye in the palm of the hand. It appears to have been made of Marble, and it’s just hanging there. Alzar steps back to 201, and then fades to OtherSpace, grabs the whistle and returns.

He blows the Whistle of Golem Control and…it is a construct, but it rolls a 14 and it cannot be controlled. Sensing the hostile action, it flies towards Alzar. Alzar’s axe tries to hit the thing and it fires four rays from its fingers. Init!

4 vs 6. Alzar’s axe….14 and 17, hits for 31 damage. The shield? 4 misses. The Hand uses an Energy Drain, Paralysis, Fiery Beam and Whirlwind at Alzar. The Energy Drain pulls a charge off the Scarab he has, the Paralysis misses (Free Action) the fire does )(no save – 4d6 – 15 damage) and the whirlwind tries to push him off the stair (same as before but no gust blowing items – it’s not that strong an effect) Alzar rolls 15. 2 vs 8. Alzar finishes the hand and it’s destroyed and pieces fall everywhere. Alzar grabs a few for later study.

On step 229 a Symbol of Spell-Loss, a hitherto unknown variant of the Symbol spell triggers and Alzar loses….(I roll randomly) Banishment.

Alzar continues up. As Alzar nears 300, suddenly a pair of wizards cast spells from outside the staircase. They are both invisible, and using Fly spells!

Level 24 Mage, Lathkoon – Currently has Fly, Protection from Normal missiles, used Invisibility 10’ radius to get 10 gargoyles up here that are now flying out to attack Alzar. Casting a spell at Alzar.

Level 22 Mage, Zelazel – Currently has Fly, Spell Immunity – Evocation, 10 bats flying in to attack, currently casting a spell.

Both have magical items on of various sorts.

They get their spells off before Alzar can respond. They agreed, before this, to see if they can just kill Alzar quickly and they are launching two sets of Magic Missile Spells. That’s 10d4+10.

Random.org the rolls and Alzar takes 39 damage.

39/78

Initiative . Man, Alzar wishes he had his Ring of Quick Action right now, but he doesn’t…8 vs 8. Whew, roll again. 4 vs 6. Better.

Alzar casts Time Stop. He casts Cleaving and then Maze on the one with the Gargoyles, since he looks like the more deadly one and…Alzar gets anther free turn so he casts Mordenkainen’s Disjunction on the one with the Bats. Time resumes.

The one with the bats, Zelazel, loses his magical spells and begins to fall. Lathkoon loses his protection spells and disappears for…2 rounds. Alzar orders the Griffon flies away to where the Mazed guy was.
The gargoyles have neared Alzar and can melee him next turn. Falling guy, Zelazel, casts Dimension Door and moves to the stairs, around 12 or so below Alzar.

1 vs 4. Alzar casts Wail of the Banshee and…7 gargoyles die, and all of the bats are dead save for one. His stalker moves to intercept the wizard and the remaining gargoyles miss. The wizard casts Dismiss and the Stalker is sent back home.

7 vs 6. Alzar takes 7 from gargoyles and the wizard casts Power Word Stun but it doesn’t work (Ring). He carves with his axe and drops two gargoyles and quaffs a potion of extra healing and gains 25 HP.

6 vs 2. The Mazed guy pops back in, right next to Alzar’s griffin. He casts Meteor Swarm and hits Alzar, the Griffin, the gargoyles, the one bat left, and the other mage for…everything is dead except the mage who took 19 and Alzar who took 23 after he made the save. Alzar grabs the Gem of Delusion from his belt and intones the command word. Both of his foes make their save. Lathkoon is immune to paralysis, so he’s just feebleminded for 2 rounds and Zelazar is stunned for…just 1 round and then feebled for 5,

7 vs 6. Lathkoon can’t do much, he’s feebled. Alzar casts Dispel Magic and…drops the Fly spell. He begins to fall.

2 vs 7. Alzar casts Finger of Death at the feebled Zelazel . He rolls a 4 and dies. Mr. Falling Mage cannot cast a spell. Now, if he had a potion to pop or something…He has one of healing one of speed, those aren’t working. He falls dead.

But, as the dies, Alzar sees the body disappear, teleported away. Alzar heads over to check the bodies and items:

Zelazel – Potion of freedom, 2 Potion of Healing, Button of Blasting, Helm of Telepathy, +3 dagger, Ring of Pro +2

Lathkoon – Wand of Cold (12 charges), Dagger +3, Rung of Pro +3, Ring of Fire Resistance.


Lathkoon’s remains are gone, Alzar grabs a few pieces of his flesh and such for spell components. Tomorrow he’ll memorize and use his Backtrace Teleport.

He heads back up.

When Alzar reaches the 300th step, then, and only then, do a spectral door of faintly glowing white light appear. He has to step on all 300 stars o trigger their. Alzar grabs the door and pulls, and it swings wide open. Azzil and Alzar head in.

They arrive at an extradimensional space beyond, sort of like Alzar’s OtherSpace or the inside of a Bag of Holding. This area has the appearance of a subterranean complex of rooms with stone walls. All of the chambers are softly lit by a gentle Continual Light from the ceiling. Everything here radiates magic. (The Star still works though)

At the far end of the corridor in front is a floating skull, with flames glowing in the eye sockets. Alzar reaches out, but it’s not undead. He grabs the Whistle and tries it and it doesn’t work, but again, can tell that it’s a construct.

As Alzar walks in, it intones that this is the chamber of the Cheiromar and gives other sorts of information as they move around. Sort of like a living memento or gravestone. There is one large room, with three doors to the left, one to the rear, and one to the right-ish.

There in an illusion of the Cheiromar on the crypt in the center of the room. In the right corner is a stone plinth with a glass sphere on top with a huge glass sphere in a hollow on the floor, filled with a swirling lime-green gas. The skull warns that this is a threat to all magic everywhere inside the big sphere, and the small sphere controls it.

The first door on the left is full of dark wooden shelves, climbing from floor to ceiling and crammed with jars, and bottles of experimental ingredients, and various implements. They include a ton of spell components, as well as other stuff.

The next door is a bed chamber. In here us a magic item, a Table of Plenty, that can be used to make 12 meals a day, with items listed. It can be shrunk down and regrown, and all five command words are written on it. Alzar shrinks it and takes it. A magical Gem is secured and a magical cabinet. Nothing else in here leaps out when scanned via Star.

Gem of Magic Missile Reflection
Cabinet of Ministering

The final door opens into a library. With bookshelves lining three of four walls and its a scene of neglect as something that likes paper for dinner have eaten steadily on the shelves, leaving behind a lot of pieces of books and such. Five magical volumes, untouched by the rest, are on the table here. They are all spellbooks, and Alzar places them in his bag. On the table are a jar of 6 cream colored bone buttons and a dark crystal hexagon.

Crystal of Death Scrying
6x Button of Blasting

The back room opens to a 60’ chamber, oddly open and empty. A featureless golden metallic globe hands down from the ceiling. The skull announces that this is a spellcasting arena, and there is an anti-magic sphere around it, so you can head in, try out and cast spells without any chance of hurting others.

Alzar opens the final door and the skull tells him that this is the Seat of Power. A place of great usefulness and great danger to those who wrok magic. Use no magic here and strike it not or perish.


This circular chamber has one thing in it – a stone seat set atop seven concentric rings. Alzar scouts it out, and then sits down.

He goes into a trance, and an anti-magic shell surrounds the chamber. He cannot see save through the Rune-Eye. The Seat of Power, a lesser artifact, gives Alzar its full powers immediately –

It can cast these spells – Dispel Magic, Meteor Swarm, Create Any Monster, Curse, Teleport, Reverse Gravity, Heal, Remove Curse, Prismatic Wall. They can target the user of the Seat, or they can target the location of the Rune-Eye. Using them will damage Alzar permanently, but he doesn’t know exactly what that means. He can also cast any spell in his memory at or through the Rune-Eye. This object moves at the speed up to 2 miles every ten seconds. It’s an eye about the size of a head, and it flies or floats or swims as needed.

Alzar is confused for 1d3 rounds – 2 rounds the first time he enters it. But now he is fine . Casting a touch spell through the Rune-Eye requires contact with the Rune-Eye (that includes the curse/remove curse abilities) Alzar sees through the Rune-Eye like a Gem of Seeing or truesight, but without any chance of failure. The eye goes blind after Alzar uses a spell through it, and he’s blinded for a round.

The Seat’s powers are at the 40th level of ability.

The Seat’s use is mentally exhausting, and cannot be used that many rounds in a row (no more than 21, Alzar’s INT score) without ill effects.

Alzar creates the Rune-Eye and sends it out, seeing if he can find the dead remains of a certain mage, but no luck. He leaves the Seat of Power and it shuts down.

Alzar needs some time with this area. He can use his Bookmend to restore some of the damaged books in the library, he can now teleport to the 300th stair and head in now that he’s used the place (and in fact he can Teleport without Error in and out, like any plane).

The next day Alzar has memorized his spell suite and uses the Backtrace. He arrives in a hot and muggy swamp thousands of miles to the south. There is a high level cleric here with the corpse of the dead wizard, preparing it for a Resurrection spell. Alzar’s arrival ends everything. The priest sees Alzar, and knows who he is (Speak with Dead spell) and backs away from the body. Alzar takes the body and places on it the Death Mask of Ptah. In a day the soul will have been carried away and there will be no chance of restoring it.

Meanwhile, he gained these five spellbooks:

Splecters’s Conjurations, Masteries, and Summonings:

Protection from Evil, Detect Invisible, Web, Infravision, Water Breathing, Charm Monster, Control Bats, Plant Growth, Polymorph Other, Conjure Air Elemental, Control Gargoyles, Hold Monster, Invisible Stalker, Monster Summoning IV.

Alzar learns Control Bats, Control Gargoyle and Conjure Air Elemental.

Najirit’s Tome of Wonders:

Warning Trumpet, Wizard Eye, Teleport, Detect Magic, Ventriloquism, Hold Portal, Charm Portal, Detect Magic, Detect Invisible, ESP, Clairvoyance, Phantasmal Force, Improved Phantasmal Force, Haste, Dispel Magic

Alzar learns Warning Trumpet


Phenalon’s Phantasmagorica

Symbol of Spell Loss, Entrap; Legend Lore, Phantasmal Force, Improved Phantasmal Force, Phantasmal Killer, Shadow Creatures, Hallucinatory Terrain, Projected Image, Change Self, Invisibility, Audible Glamour, Dancing Lights, Unseen Servant

Alzar learns the Symbols.

Asztellor’s Book of Deadly Spells


Animate Dead, Animate Dead Animals, Undead Mount, Summon Shadows, Ghoul Touch, Lich Touch, Vampiric Touch, Mummy Touch, Energy Drain, Spectral Hand


The Book of Dolzhabban “The Dread”

Magic Missile, Fire Ball, Stone Bolt, Lightning Bolt, Burning Hands, Cone of Cold, Melf’s Minute Meteor’s, Flaming Sphere, Flame Arrow, Melf’s Acid Arrow

Stone Bolt is new, but Alzar skips it.

Scrolls of Spell – Lower Water, Dissolve, Power Word, Stun, Legend Lore, Phase Door, Wall of Force, Prismatic Spray, Lightning Ring


There is a Dart of Death that he unearths – it’s a bronze disc that turns into a Dart that can be controlled and flies about, hitting targets for 2d4 without needing rolls to hit or anything, just by concentration, and anyone can use it.

The Crystal of Death Scrying is a cursed item that only reveals the violent death of a creatures, three times daily like a Crystal Ball, rather than what Alzar wants to see. But Alzar can use it to scry an area where something dies, and then teleport is to animate it and then teleport back out.

The Gem of Magic Missile Protection has 66 uses. It just has to be held on the person. Magic Missiles strike the stone, not Alzar. The energy can be used to reflect back to the user their missiles, redirect to another target Alzar chooses, or to heal Alzar of the damage that it would have otherwise done.


And we are done, ish.

Done with CM8. The Endless Stair

This is a very typical Ed Greenwood adventure. For example, he can’t help but create five more spellbooks that are detailed and talk about the user and such, exactly like his feature column in Dragon Magazine for years called Pages from the Mages. This is exactly his style. He loves that way of writing.

Alzar can use the Seat of Power, and he can teleport back to the folks at the bottom of the Stone as well by the Lost Axe Lake. Meanwhile he has more stuff, which is always a good thing.

Thassil the bard hangs out in Evenarrow for a while and will perform in a few places there, and elsewhere in Alzar’s dominion, and then eventually move on to see new things – always the quest for the new.

Alzar will spend the next two months finishing off the Silver Golem to animate it. He’s also taking the Amber Golem the foundry prepared, and using his Manual of Amber Golems to make that one.

Near the end of Month 4, there is an Earthquake in the Ljallenvals. It’s not a major one, it’s on the northern edge of the mountains. It’s barely noticeable in Alzar’s March.

Month 5, Year 5:

Dominion Growth.

How does building go? 51, 13, 73. Saffir Castle – 8 man weeks; Evenarrow Walls – 5 weeks; Havendrop - Full defenses, castle, etc – 25 weeks after bad weather hits the area. Spring storms keep any building from occurring for the month in Havendrop.


No other events occurs.

Alzar decodes his spell books that he got from a previous adventure:

Tairdo’s Spellbook:

1st Level – Magic Missile, Cantrip, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Identify, Burning Hands, Find Familiar, Feather Fall, Grease, Taunt, Nystul’s Magic Aura
2nd Level – Invisibility, Detect Invisible, Summon Swarm, Mirror Image, Melf’s Acid Arrow, Glitterdust, Knock,
3rd – Fly, Fireball, Flame Arrow, Dispel Magic, Non-Detection, Monster Summoning I
4th – Charm Monster, Fire Trap, Massmorph, Polymorph Other, Polymorph Self, Stoneskin, Monster Summoning II
5th –Hold Monster, Demi-Shadow Monsters, Mordenkainen’s Faithful Hound, Leomund’s Lamentable Belaborment, Teleport, Monster Summoning III
6th – Anti-Magic Shell, Ensnarement, Enchant an Item, Stone to Flesh, Invisible Stalker, Project Image, Monster Summoning IV
7th – Phase Door, Simulacrum, Teleport Without Error, Spell Turning, Drawmij’s Instant Summons, Limited Wish,
8th – Power Word Blind, Permanency, Monster Summoning VI
9th – Astral Spell, Monster Summoning VII, Power Word, Kill, Mordenkainen’s Disjunction.

Alzar learns Simulacrum

Eyes, Vision, and Arcane Sight: Infravision, Wizard Eye, Clairvoyance, Blindness, Deafness, Vision, Blur, Eyebite

Yuck

Glandar’s Grimoire: Flesh to Stone, Finger of Death, Disintegrate, Fellblade, Melisander’s Harp, Disruption, Immunity to Undeath

Hmmmm…. Disruption will destroy an undead or created creature. Rnge 10 feet per level, no material component needed, 40 foot radius sphere, every 6 HD or fewer creature is dead instantly. Any 6 HD or more save or dies. Even if it makes its saves, stunned for 1d2 rounds, and that works on undead and constructs. That’s not a bad spell at all. It’s also Necromancy.

Fellblade is odd. Maybe later. The Immunity renders all beings in the 40 foot radius globe immune to energy-draining attacks, strength draining, mental control and all undead powers that cause fear, Paralysis, aging or death. Alzar learns it.

Month 6, Year 5:

Minor Growth

How does building go? 18, 91, 24. Saffir Castle – 4 man weeks; Evenarrow Walls – 3 weeks; Havendrop - Full defenses, castle, etc – 21 weeks.

In Evenarrow, a sea-based punitive raid in punishment for the push against pirates a few months ago occurs. More than 50 workers die and Alzar puts in a person appearance to speed up the project with his extra spells and allies and such.

Alzar teleports over to Landfall and destroys three more smugglers after the raid is over.


This month, Alzar has completed both the Silver Golem and Amber Golem projects:

“Kitty”, Amber Golem –

AC 6, HD – 10, HP – 50, THACO – 11, 3 attacks for 2d6, 2d6 and 2d10. Movement 18.

Looks like great amber lion, Detects Invisible, +2 weapon to hit, can follow a trail 12 hours cold, for every 12 hours more its -5% at tracking. Half damage from fire magic.

“Lance”, Silver Golem –

AC 0, HD – 12, HP – 65, THACO -9, 4 attacks for 1d8, 1d8, 1d8, 1d8. Movement 30.

Fastest known golem, has mercury in it. Always wins initiative, even against magic that would take it. +2 weapon to hit. Magic fire heals it, and causes it grow for a time (full damage from magical cold and it will shrink temporarily). Not affected by spells.

Alzar wishes he had more Warp Marbles for carrying Lance and Kitty around. He can store them in OtherSpace if he wants, neither are that big.

He also summons a Spectator and binds it to help guard the castle’s treasury

Month 7, Year 5:

Minor Growth

How does building go? 11, 35, 38 Havendrop - Full defenses, castle, etc – 17 weeks.

Saffir Castle and the Evenarrow defenses are now fully operational!

Alzar hires some new folks for running those.

S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks





I want to begin a four module series:

S3
CM6
DA2 – 3

I didn’t run this module because it’s out of flavor, and doesn’t fit in Dungeons and Dragons or the various campaign worlds we did. But it does fit Pandius. So we’ll run it.

Let’s talk about Science Fantasy and such.

Adding science fiction elements to your fantasy wasn’t exactly new ground. In fact, it was extremely common during this era. Having just finished reading the novel Hiero’s Journey, by Sterling Lanier, an early 70s novel that was in the list of works that heavily influenced D&D and Gygax, I can vouch for that. We have psionics and post-apocalyptic fun with radiation and computers and such, but all in the venue of fantasy. Take a look at late 60s Dragonrider of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, a hugely influential novel that combines science fiction and fantasy. Early video games like Ultima and Might and Magic have no compunction about adding in science fiction elements to something that seems like normal fantasy. Early campaigns like Blackmoor and Greyhawk make no bones about including various science fiction elements. We have Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World printed very early, and are adding things like psionics to D&D in ‘76.

And we’ll even add in stuff like Spelljammer later. So I get the affectation to all things science fantasy from that era. But that’s not the game. That’s not D&D, no matter how much that veneer might look appealing to some, it’s false window dressing that obscures the point. D&D is something else. It can be pulp-ish, it can be epic, it can be dark, and so forth. But at the end of the day, it’s not Star Wars.

And this module? Ranked very highly by like everyone? Ranked 5th best in that Top 30 ranking they did to mark the 30th anniversary of D&D? It wasn’t even written for D&D. Nope – it was for Metamorphosis Alpha, a different RPG. Gygax mentioned that he turned to his notes from the Greyhawk campaign where he had a crashed starship as the location for an adventure, and used that concept.

About halfway through the month, Alzar begins to hear about some areas on the north side getting hit by local creatures. At first, Alzar thinks it might be a nearby tribe of around 250 Mountain Giants that live in the northern part of the mountains, but after flying by, it doesn’t seem likely. Probably monster that came out in the recent earthquake.

With those thoughts, he heads down to the area near where the foothills and mountains meet, checking out potential landslides, exposed caverns or caves that appear recent and that sort of thing.

And then he notices an odd-looking entrance to a place.

He flies over a rise and gained the first view, closer in, of the metal doored “Cave.” There is a hillside where the recent earthquake has exposed two doors, a small upper door and a much large lower door, on the north side of the cave. As Alzar flies over and approaches, the door is open and there is a metal room, about 18 by 20 with a curving rear wall.

As he slides in, the door gently and quietly glides closed behind him. An inner door opens and a 60x60 entry area with a drop tube is in front of him.

Drop Tube –



The tube is dark, and there are no lights here.

The area is dark and Alzar turns the Ioun Stone. There are doors that flank the area with purple bands on them. The Star of Mo-Pilar doesn’t find anything unusual here, but when he looks up, he spies a creature, a Lurker above in the ceiling about 20 feet down the room on the left.

The walls are oddly marked with words he can’t read, so head heads to OtherSpace and grabs his Helm of Reading Things and tries it. But it doesn’t work either and he sends it to the Bag of Holding for later in case. The room had exist to the left past the Lurker, to the right and forward. There are numerous doors in the corridors to the three directions that appear to have jet black bands on them. None of the doors seem to want to open. Alzar heads forward, there appears to be two doors to the right and left without any colors on them. The Ear Ring is used to spy into them.


The left door opens into a30x30 room with mechanical devices that appear to test someone’s accuracy and speed. They might be for educational purposes, or perhaps for entertainment, like games. In the back is one such that has a stick that is aimed and used to fire at glowing targets. The stick is used in a way similar to a gun or a crossbow, but is not held in a normal way. Alzar uses some time to acclimate to using the weapon on the targets.

There is nothing else here so Alzar heads back to the hallway and checks the other door. These 30x30 area was once very posh and comfortable, but now is quite messy and there are torn easy chairs, small broken tables and upturned furniture of other sorts. There have been fire and more in the room. Alzar checks to see if he can find anything, and…

He finds a Jet Black card. It’s about 2 inches by 3 inches with a thin metal. Alzar heads back and there, in the corridor, moving is….



It looks like an odd metal golem of some sort. Alzar grabs his Whistle of Golem Control and tries, but no dice, it’s not working. It’s moving to attack him it’s just moving down the corridor, so Alzar lets it.

Alzar uses the jet black card in a jet black door next to the lounge and it opens and reveals an empty, room, which was thoroughly looted by others long ago. Another jet black door opens for a room that has some odd creatures in it. As they see Alzar, they move to attack!




Alzar is not familiar with them. There are a subchief with 5 HD, 2 thornies, and 2 sprouts at 3 HD. The thorny is that small plant-like dog creature in the picture. They are clearly plant-like foes. Which is something Alzar doesn’t have a lot of ways to handle. Alzar uses his axe and moves in. These mold men have spears. They have a 4 AC, low intelligence, attacking simply, and battle begins!

3 vs 4. Alzar’s axe bites into the firs Mold Man that nears him and hits twice and it dies, and then he shield-smashes a second for 12 damage, They miss (Cloak). They win init, and one hits with a spear for 2 damage. Then Alzar kills them and will regenerate back the minor hits very quickly. A quick search turns up a Brown Card. The Star shows no magic or interesting here (The cards aren’t detecting as anything)

One more Jet door is here in the corridor before it hits a long corridor. Alzar opens it and finds…

More of these Subchief of 5 HD, 4 3HD sprouts and 4 thornies. Alzar again wades in, will take 9 damage, heals that quickly enough with the Imp’s regeneration powers, and finds a Violet Card in this room with the sub-chief.

There is a hugely long corridor next that is 100 feet down to the right (west) and 230 to the left (east). It also continues forward. There are a doors with black stripes. Alzar heads left and opens up a bunch, and slays several more groups of vegepygmies, all level one dorks and he carves them down. After more and more are defeated, they begin to gather into bigger groups an then floor. Finally, Alzar enters a room with a Sub-Chief at 5 HD, 3 3HD bodyguards, 3 thornies, and about 12 smaller ones that fled before him. Alzar conjures an Earth Elemental, and then steps back and lets it kill them all in the room (no exit) without taking any damage. There is a yellow card on the sub-chief

Alzar hits the end of the corridor and heads left, and then opens up some empty rooms, Alzar heads back, and the tunnel turned and is back to the front, and the Lurker Above is, well, above him. Alzar has the Earth Elemental attack it when it falls and kills it. To the left is a large chamber with the Vegepygmy chief. And then a few minutes later, all dead. There is a red card on the chief, and then Alzar also finds:

Poison Gas Grenade
Sleep Gas Grenade
Broken Communicator


These things are unusual looking, so he secures them in the Bag of Holding. Then he uses the purple card to open the doors that flanked the entrance - they each hold one suit of armor, similar to leather, but fully covered.

2 Suits of Armor? (Space Suits)

This time he heads right from the entrance and opens some jet doors, revealing more empty rooms denuded of anything interesting by the Vegepygmies or perhaps others. As he walks down the corridor, he spies…




Just sitting there in the hallway. It has been battered and its main guts have been scattered about. Alzar brings the whole thing (it’s small for one of these automatons) and moves it to his OtherSpace and adds some of the small tools and such there as well.

Broken Repair Robot
Variety of Handtools


As Alzar finishes securing the thing, from behind him, down the corridor, comes a small group of vegepygmies and a dog-thing and they see him and his elemental and flee. Alzar lets them leave, and has begun to play with the various colored cards and has found out that thus far, any card works in a Black door, and some cards, like his red card, work in everything he’s seen thus far. He has Black, Yellow, Purple, Brown, and Red.

The tunnel bends and winds its way around some rooms, and as Alzar checks them, he hears some activity behind a door to his right. There’re no colors on it. It opens and inside is a



There are a variety of automatons that approach Alzar, but they see he has a Red Card and back off and ignore him. Alzar waits, and then slowly moves around. In this room re some 3 robots on patrol and duty Alzar heads to the back room off this one and this is a storage facility for the automatons. Alzar searches and finds:

12 Power Discs

There is a door off this one, coded in Red. He hasn’t seen one of those before, but he inserts the red card into the slot to the left of the door and it slides vertically open. In here is a repair facility for the style of automaton in the first room. There are 11 of these in various stages of repair, and a mechanical one is repairing one at the moment. The worker is not bothering Alzar. Alzar decides to take four of these automatons that appear to be in better shape and see if he can repair them later. Another red door is off this one, and is opens into an armory or arsenal. Most of the items here were taken long ago, But there are still some cases of grenades and power discs. As Alzar looks, an automaton moves in on patrol, and then back into the main room. Alzar waits and it repeats this pattern every three minutes. He waits until it leaves, then grabs the items and moves them to his OtherSpace and that way they aren’t on him or visible. The robot doesn’t notice the next time it returns, so he finishes with that.

4 broken police robots
24 Power Discs
24 Each of Explosive, Incendiary, Poison Gas and Sleep Gas Grenades

Alzar grabs one of the grenades and tries to figure it out, in the major area. He grabs one of the two styles that he has 25 of. (it’s the Sleep Gas one, determined randomly). He rolls on a flowchart that comes with the module.

He gets -1 to the rolls for his INT. He rolls a 6 – which he spends a round doing. Then he rolls a 7 and spends another round trying to figure it out. Then a 2 and he’s back to start. Then a 1, and then a 3 and he’s figured it out and used it and it explodes in a puff of gas. He would be given a save to prevent himself from falling asleep for an hour or so, and the gas persists in eh area for about a minute. But his Necklace keeps him from breathing that air, and he’s fine.

These devices are around the size of a large apple, and they have a small dial on the front that can be set to how long the device will take before exploding. Then another dial is pushed, turned, and then pushed again and that sets the device, and then it explodes after that time – 3, 4 or 5, seconds.

He next runs into two dining areas, quite large. They have mess tables and large benches. They are now in ruins. There is a ruined kitchen here as well. The hallway hits the long grand done in the back, and Alzar crosses to another room that opens into a another lounge, much like the one he initially found, and a search turns up:


2 Pieces of Jewelry worth 2400 Gp

In the hallway to the right is a seemingly unconscious Human woman. As the Elemental nears it, she/it rises and fires at the elemental 2 and then sues a bar to smash it. The weapon actually hits the Elemental once for minor damage – just 3 points. But it’s immune to the bar, and it kills the humanoid looking automaton that is new broken. Alzar inspects it and takes:

Paralysis Pistol, 4 charges,
1 Power Disc

The Pistol has a place where there is a slot on the side that takes these power discs and they can be pulled out and placed back in it. Having seen it in use, and having used a weapon in the game room to try things out, Alzar tries to use the Pistol…

He rolls a 7 – turns into a 4. Then finishes it. He doesn’t even use a charge or a shot, he’s figured it out.




Take 1d4 damage, and then save to be stunned for 3d4 rounds, and if made, then slowed for the same amount instead.

Alzar heads to doors at the end of this cooridor and double doors are here. Inside are a bunch of damaged tables and such, and a large 30’ by 60’ room and more double doors follow, with a similar shape on the far side.

Alzar heads back the corridor that bends to the right round. A large pile of trash is here, and inside is a:

Blaster Pistol, 6 Charges

They enter a section of the dungeon that has doors with yellow bands on them. Alzar’s yellow (and red) cards work on them. A few doors pass by, and then the hallway opens and there is another of the drop tubes in here, this one appears to be working, a group of phase spiders teleport here from elsewhere and move to attack Alzar!

(Random.org) a few minutes later, Alzar and his minions have finished them off, and he took 18 damage which will regenerate soon enough. To the right are two doors that have yellow cards and Alzar opens then. In here are a automaton of a different room which blares out something in an unknown language and then. Alzar heads to the room, and the first




Looks like this male automaton who appears to want to heal folks, and it immediately moves to secure Alzar who orders the Elemental to get in the way and the Elemental and Alzar kill it easily enough.

Alzar takes it to look at later. Then he moves into the next room.




In this room, the woman automaton moves to heal Alzar, but with the dangerous attack he just sustained, he forces her away and she does not heal him. After checking, there is nothing else in here and they leave.

Broken Medical Android


As they emerge back into the large room, and group of 5 displacer beasts have moved down the hallway and move to attack. Alzar moves up to them and casts Wail of the Banshee. 3 drop dead, and battle is reached. Init. Alzar can see their real location (21 Intelligence) and hits one twice (Axe and Shield) for 30 damage and his elemental finishes the creature up, and then it hits Alzar for 9 damage with one of its tentacle s(immune to his Cloak). It wins init, misses, and Alzar finishes the creatures off.

He skins them, takes some tentacles and blood for magical items, and then leaves the rest.

Alzar heads south (Forward) and a few empty rooms greet him and then they arrive at a large50 x 60 recreational room, laid off for doing exercises or games or training. There is nothing else here and the corridor bends. Another empty room on the left and then a complex that requires a grey card, which he doesn’t have, passes by (none of the other cards work on the grey either), awith a few black rooms that open into empty rooms across from it. Next is a complex of five rooms that require red cards, and Alzar opens them up.


This place is basically intact, and there were an personal office and study with three chairs and some books and a desk. The desk opens to reveal

3 orange cards
Broken Pistol

And Alzar takes these for later perusement –

11 Books on Security and 24 Fiction Novels

Back here is also a bedroom, a dressing room and a pair of skeletons. There is a small metal box with a dials, a grille, and a few buttons. Alzar takes it for later.

Police Robot Control Box

He heads back out and finds the drop tube here in the back of this level. He is entering a section that requires the purple card he has. Alzar opens one door to a normal room and out pop a pair of displacer beasts! Alzar quickly kills them and takes little damage. He carves them and adds them to his pile of Displacer Bits

There is nothing else here, and then Alzar opens a few more and finds a room with a tube of some gems, and it’s a plastic tubular instrument of some sort. Unlike the other devices Alzar has found, this one looked powered and ready to go. He tries to use it.

He goes all around the device once for a few moments before figuring it out, again without wasting any charges.


Language Translator, 6 charges

A few rooms later, Alzar finds and kills a grey ooze and then a Alzar finds the fourth and final drop tube. He turns back to the center of the area, having scanned the outskirts, and there is a room that opens and some Shrieker mushrooms give off a loud cry. Out come some Vegepygmies with a different coloration that the first group Alzar encountered.



Alzar’s Earth Elemental blocks the exit, and soon enough the Vegepygmies flee back from this side of the complex.

About 30 or so, including the leader and around 5 of the little thorny dogs have created a defensive formation in a lounge. The Elemental crashes kills, kills a bunch, and more escape to Alzar at the door, who kills them as well. They are carved down viciously and quickly.

In this lounge is….3 Ampoules of Serum that will cure diseases when used..

Alzar finds in some of these rooms:

Purple, Orange cards
2 Sleep Gas, 1 Explosive Grenades
1 Laser Pistol, 4 charges
1 Blaster Rifle, 2 charges

There is another empty kitchen and dining area. Alzar moves to the central area of the complex. Here in the hallway is an area patrolled by more automatons. There are a few here, and they shout out some random stuff to Alzar. He speaks back and they spend a few minutes translating his speech, and then the policing constructs scan Alzar, see the Red Card, and then allow him to continue.

They announce themselves as security “robots” and that everything is fine on certain levels. Two leave, and there is a jail here the orange card opens. There are six small cells, all empty, and a chest, locked, which opens to the orange card, and inside:

2 Gas Masks
12 Sleep Gas Grenades
2 Needle Pistols, 1 full clip of ammo each

Next to this room is a security door guarded by a red card requirement



There is a nice console on the desk, and it shows every room in the area. Many are destroyed. But it seems like there are six levels, and Alzar is just on the first.




Meanwhile, there are some lockers here at hat are opened with a red card as well:

Rags of Full Dress Uniform – 3 Gem Encrusted Medals worth 3, 4, and 6k each
Blaster Pistol, 6 charges
Suit of Powered Armor, Malfunctioning

Outside of this area is a central storage facility that Alzar opens next. Inside here are large numbers of boxes of food, still good, and


Repair Robot Remote Control

Next to this is a library and a small arms lockers. The locker:



Has been stripped but there are tons of items still inside:

10 Needler Pistols
8 Paralysis Pistols
4 Laser Pistols
2 Laser Rifles
1 Blaster Rifle

20 of Sleep, Incendiary, Explosive Grenades

Fully Operational suit of Powered Armor

20 Power Discs
20 Needler Clips

And then the library has not been damaged much – the Vegepygmy host didn’t care about it that much. There are 24 viewers that appear like giant magnifying glasses. Many still work and there are items that are rotated by the machine that can be seen. Many are creatures or concepts that Alzar is not familiar with, and he even gets to see schematics of the dungeon, which is apparently a craft that traveled through the stars like the seas. A star boat.

There is a skeleton in here that has a lot of medals and such, decayed and broken. But there is a gray card on it.

The next three rooms are three different forms of laboratories, with small cages of animals, long since dead and such. The first has a worker robot still working, and it turns to question Alzar, but after scanning the gray card, it pulls back. Alzar moves forward and begins to search:

2 Ampoules of Poison Antidote, 3 of cure disease
Canister of Healing Spray – (2d12 hp healed/spray, 12 sprays)

The next lab is more of a culture and plant lab. The room looks like it was just taken over by Russet Mold, which sprays spores out. Alzar won’t breathe them in (Necklace of Adaptation). He skips the rest and the 3rd lab is a chemical one. There are many old and dissipated chemicals here. None detect as magical, so he heads on.

The central room on this floor has been found:



There is an altar-looking platform in the center, and supported by a metal column and arms bent toward the door. The wall opposite the door is made of glass, but is dark and can’t be seen through.

Alzar closes to the item in the room:



He looks over the various dials and levers, but decides to skip this, at least for now, and heads to the gray area he could not enter before. This opens into a five room suite that includes decorations, skeletons of the deceased, and other various items. The first room has a small desk, bedroom furniture, a sell set of all cards on a twine, and there is a safe that Alzar cannot open, not with acid, or the Gauntlets of Dexterity or even the Chime of Opening he just used.

Next is a private lounge and dining area. There are some old liquor bottles in here, still with the gas in them. A master bedroom is unremarkable, save for a platinum model of the boat ship that they are on, worth 1000 gp. The wife’s chamber has some jewelry worth 8760 gp.

He heads out and moves to the nearby drop tube. He floats down from the machinery and arrived in a very different sort of floor. The first one was packed with a variety of rooms.




That’s not this floor. It has almost no doors, just a bunch of pillars and machinery. The wiring and piping here is protected by metal, and there are a large number of machines that power the place. Alzar checks things out, but other than the occasional robot. This one is recharging at a power station:



There isn’t a lot here.

No creatures jump out or anything. There is a dead skeleton right beside one of the four drop tubes, and it has a laser pistol with 4 charges. There are also these fun looking sleds that could be used if the directions were worked out. They would move things around quite nicely.



But for now, Alzar takes the drop tube down to the next level.

After stepping out, Alzar arrives at a huge walkway:




Basically this level is a narrow walkway around the next level, and there are a variety of rooms off the walkway. It’s 80 down the floor. Meanwhile, this appears to be a recreational level, and the rooms here are larger ones like lounges and bars.

As Alzar leaves the drop tube, He approaches the walkway and begins to look over, and suddenly a number of birds, 17, fly over and begin to harass him.



Each one is roughly the size of a hawk or raven, and they are beakless, and have a three appendage from their chest. Suddenly they begin to spray webbing at Alzar and his group from it. He is immune to it (Ring). He grabs the Flying Carpet and heads up to face them in the open. Some start to fly at him, trying to bite him with their toothy mouths. Alzar casts and uses Blastbones to clear out the area. The birds all die and Alzar takes 8 damage himself.

Alzar lands and continues on. There are violet doors to his left that open to reveal some cargo holds, and one has a lift that heads down. They are otherwise empty. A violet door here reveals a room that has a station of four robots ready to help out, one police and three workers. In this room, all four are shut down. Alzar secures them.

Alzar moves on and finds another pair of cargo holds, but without any lifts. Then a kitchen opens up past them and there is a robot here, that tells Alzar to sit down and eat. All of the robots here now speak Pandius Prime, as it was analyzed upstairs. Alzar sits down and some nasty, molded food is brought down and placed in a bowl. The robot won’t take now for an answer and tries to force feed Alzar, so he stands and uses his axe on the thing and breaks it. He takes the pieces. In the back are a black and purple card, and an empty needler pistol and some jewelry worth 3400 gp

Shortly after the battle, Alzar’s elemental leaves it’s duration done.

A lounge is next, and there’s nothing here. All around the walkway are these



Machines that can be bent and used to look at the lower level, magnified like a spyglass.

Alzar passes one set. On the walkway itself here is some green slime that Alzar kills in a few places. There’s also some plants that have grown up from the bottom level, and some are in front of him now –



It looks like dangerous conditions in front. The tendrils are moving. Alzar grabs a bit of furniture, a chair, from the lounge and throws it. The vines lash at it nastily and pull it down. Hmm…Alzar grabs a Wand and uses Cone of Cold to destroy it. It freezes up and ices over, and Alzar destroys it with his axe.

Alzar passes some more cargo holds and another servo room with all four robots here working. There are Brown cards required back here, and another lift down in one of the holds, plus he passes by a drop tube. In front of him is a large lounge, and the area is in much better condition than upstairs, but there’s nothing left here. Then another kitchen and cargo hold pass by and…


Here’s another place that some plants have come to lurk from below



This plant looks a little different. But again, a quick toss of a nearby object shows that this is a deadly plant as well, blocking the corridor right in front of this drop tube. Another Cone of Cold takes it out.

There is another servo room off here, with one not working worker and three that are. Alzar grabs the not-working one. Another cargo hold opens up, and again with the brown cards required. There’s nothing revealed though. Alzar kills another green slime on the walkway. The next cargo hold has a triad of ropers in it. Now this is more like it. Alzar’s axe and shield are out and he moves in to attack them

Init. 9 vs 8. They miss. He needs a 6 to hit with his axe and…7, 14, and 14 rolled for 49 damage and one Roper dies. 5 vs 6. Alzar carves and kills a second, and then other bites him for 16 damage. It wins init and hits him automatically for another 12, and then he kills it.

Normally, Ropers can be dissected for gems or other items they have eaten, so Alzar does the same, and finds:

Fire Extinguisher
3 canisters of propellant
Anti-Grav belt
Spool of Platinum wire worth 1600 gp

Alzar kills two more vine creatures that have come up here with Cones of Cold. A lounge and bar pass by, and nothing else, and that’s this floor.

He heads down.

This floor was clearly designed to be a garden or zoo or something for the ship once. Maybe it was used for food. There much be a sonic nullification device of some sort, because this area is downright popping in danger and noise. From the multiple plants, birds, and slime that he encountered above, this will likely be a very toxic level.

Underneath the walkway above, the flanks of this level are one big circular inner area. Alzar is going to head around the circle, checking out the various rooms and things in here, and then head out to the plant/animal/fungus/whatever area.

The areas back here appear to have once been storage, viewing, and access in ring around the garden. The builders built large hill like structures to increase the size of the floor by adding vertical places for homes and plants. There are access points beneath these small lifts and hills for feeding, serving the area, and so forth. There’s another bar, like the ones above, and the lifts heading back up to the cargo holds above. He passes by the tubes up/down as well.

There are some crew quarters that he passes with some skeletons, and he finds a few items mixed in with the dead stuff. Beyond the quarters are a crew room. With various tools, implements, and such.

2 Brown Cards
Paralyzer Pistol, 3 charges
Portable Spotlight, 5 charges left
Defoliant Sprayer, 20 containers

100’ unbreakable rope


There is a Robobar behind them different from the others, because there is a



Robot here that answers some of Alzar’s questions about the area. It only knows what it’s programmed too, but the creature shows Alzar how to mix the defoliant with the container and use that, but that’s all it can do. Alzar thanks it and heads back to the main garden chamber afterwards.

Alzar wants some additional protection beyond the Wand and Defoliant. But for now he’ll see.

Alzar heads in from the south side. To the right is a large plant with purple blossoms and and branh-less but fern-like foliage over it, a bit like an evil palm-tree:



Alzar’s isn’t that good on his plant knowledge, but there are a few animals that have been poisoned and killed by the tree’s sap here. Alzar wants to kill it. Meanwhile, to the left are a large patch of whgat appears to be open grass.




The blades of this grass have become corkscrewed, and they are boring into a human skeleton that is here. The grass is a large patch, and it’s looking really lethal across the board. Alzar reaches down and plucks a few blades to examine them, and then places them in a Jar of Preserving for later use or research. Then he uses the defoliant and kills a 10x10 patch of the stuff dead. He steps into and through it, to the left of the tree, and moves north.

In front of him are a group of deep green stalks of orange and yellow tipped plants that shock red here and there.




With the enzymes dripping evilly from it, Alzar tosses a small object, and the different colored flowers each have a different way of attacking the object, and it‘s physically destroyed in a moment. The defoliant needs two charges to clear them out, but does.

Alzar steps north again. Another of the tall purple trees is on his right. In front is an animal burrow. To the left is a broad, ribbed leafed plant with leaves that radiate out deeply, and white berries that spell really appealing. The leaves appear to be sharp.




Alzar again uses defoliant to clear it out. Two more charges used (The area was thick with them).

In front is a is a small marsh, and it empties into a medium sized pond. Alzar can make out an island in the pond, and a bridge to it on the west side. In the swamp Alzar can make out these large leechoid type creatures.




There are 15 or 16 of them moving around. He grabs a skull from his belt and casts Skulltrap and throws it 40 feet into the swap and kills them all, cleaning them out. He also killed a black pudding in the swamp he hadn’t gotten to as well.

On the edge of the pond and the swamp, outside of the range of his Skulltrap, is a leprous, sickly looking plant, that’s yellow-grey and ugly scarlet, with a nasty smell.




As he moves in closer to get a better feel for it, it communicates with him telepathically, tells him that it’s not a bad plant, and warns Alzar about the other evil and nasty plants here. Alzar uses Detect Lie on it, and the plant is not lying. Not even telepathically. It won’t hurt him. There is another plant here, beyond the grass, the evil palm, the saw-blade plant, and the vampire thorns and creeper vines he already encountered – globe palms that hurl giant globes they grew at potential prey. There’s one about 55 feet to the southeast. Alzar looks and sees it. The other tall palm-ish plants dip their purple flowers and turn over a poisonous resin that will kill and paralyze victim, and the roots absorb their nutrients as they die.

Alzar thanks the plant for its assistance, and then approaches the palms to his east and south.

He uses Cone of Cold to kill a bunch of these at range and then chops them up with his axe. As he is finishing them off, a group of 6 baboonoid like creatures move out and protest his presence in their section of the area, especially now that he’s destroyed some of their food.



Alzar casts Death Spell as they approach and half of their number drop dead and the others scurry away for their lives.

Alzar destroys some more nasty plants as he moves up the east flank of the area, but just evil grass, nothing more is here to be a stumbling block. A few webbirds fly away from him, and he kills a pair of green slimes. Alzar nears a section with a pair of shambling mounds stand up from the rest of the foliage and move to attack him.

Now these are a creature he has fought before and is familiar with. They are hard to wound – slashing and bashing do half damage, piercing nothing, and stuff like fire, cold, acid, lightning, doesn’t hurt them, or helps them grow. His best tool here will be magic. He drops a Maze on the larger of the two and it disappears as the other reaches melee range.

Init. 4 v 7. Alzar tries to hack it for 3, 18, 7. He hits once for 8 damage. It misses him. 7 vs 4. It hits him once for 8 damage. He hacks it for 14 damage. 4 vs 9. Alzar hacks for another 11. It misses him. (Ac of -7 is hard to hit sometimes). 7 vs 6. Alzar takes 7. He hits for 10. 3 vs 4. Alzar finishes it. Three rounds later, its friend comes back, and Alzar has taken 12 damage still. Init. 3 vs 9. Alzar carves it twice for 16. It misses (cloak.) 7 vs 1. It smashes Alzar once for 12. Alzar hits just once, with the shield, for 5. 2 vs 1. It misses, Alzar takes off 14. 8 vs 3. It hits for 7. Alzar hits twice more and slasy it.

Alzar is at 35.

There is nothing on the dead guys. Nor in their home. Ah well.

He continues, and on the far side of the pond, he sees a pretty little bunny.




Alzar conjures an Invisible Stalker, who approaches the pretty little bunny on the stump. As it gets near 8 feet, the creature attacks the Stalker, sensing it.




It will try to drive the Stalker into its maw for food with the root-tentacles.

Alzar heads in to him his Stalker, and tentacles that resemble roots try to grab him too. Init! 5 vs 1. Alzar is missed (Cloak) and the Stalker takes 8. Because it’s bound, the Stalker can’t attack. Alzar rolls a 7, 2, and 14 and hits the stump three times for…1, 5, and 5 for 11 + 13 +13 + 8. Dead creature. (It had 50 hp).

The Stalker is freed. Nothing else here. Alzar kills the occasional deadly grass or vampire thorns over here. He arrives at the bridge on the west side of the pond, and has the Stalker head on over. There is a door that heads down to an underwater viewing area:



As he nears it, a creature moves to strike from the water at Alzar suddenly out of nowhere!




This creature lands on the bridge and cuts Alzar off from heading that way. It can attack with the four tentacles and the giant tongue as well. It’s huge, around 20 feet tall! Battle begins!

5 vs 6. Alzar casts Time Stop. Then he casts Finger of Death and and Flesh to Stone and….that’s it. Do they work? 13 for FtS and…11 for FOD. Nope, it’s still here.

1 vs 5. Alzar does this the melee way as his Invisible Stalker arrive. AC4 for its body. 17, 2, and 10, it hits three times for 41 damage. The Stalker misses. It’s immune to the cloak and nails Alzar three times for 23 damage.

Alzar – 34/78

6 vs 2. The creature nails him for another 19. Alzar casts Vampiric Touch and drains 21 from it.

Alzar - 37/78
Unknown – 62

5 vs 4. The creature hits him for another 17 damage. Alzar uses his Pearl of Power to recall that spell and casts it again, Vampiric Touch on it for….bad rolls - 11 damage. The Stalker finally hits for 8.

Alzar 32/78
Unknown – 81

4 vs 7. Alzar carves into it with his axe twice and drops the shield. He hits twice for 33 damage. Then he grabs an extra healing metal vial from his belt and heals 25. He lashes out and hits him for 20.

Alzar 38/78
Unknown 114

5 vs 2. Alzar is carved twice more for 15 damage, and then his axes lights into it once for 17 and then again for 20 damage and it dies. Whew!

24/78