TEXT: ®
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  INTRODUCTION
  RECENT EVENTS
  Escape the Mind Slavers is set early in the spring month of 
  Odul in the year 617 AR, five years after the grim events of 
  the Claiming. The following timeline outlines notable recent 
  events leading up to the opening chapter of the adventure.
  • 617 AR, Dovern (1st month) 20: Vetta Wroughthammer, 
  itinerant gun-for-hire, arrives in Farhollow.
  • Dovern 9: The cephalyx exulon Anaks orders the digging 
  of new tunnels to expand the hive.
  • Dovern 13: Cephalyx excavators break through to Drinaal’s 
  Delve, long infested with shaft wights.
  • Dovern 20: Sartok, a cephalyx pariah known as 
  “Smallbrain,” offends Exulon Anaks and is imprisoned.
  • Uldern (2nd month) 12: Exulon Anaks is found dead.
  • Uldern 16: Cephalyx workers collapse the infested 
  passageways, halting the shaft wight incursion.
  • Dolern (3rd month) 8: Local ranger Murgun Ayer is 
  found unconscious in the wilds outside of Farhollow, 
  covered in blood and with no memory of what transpired.
  • Dolern 18: Sinjun Chumley, an acolyte of an order of 
  physicians, is abducted by the cephalyx.
  • Dolern 26: Epinac Mij, a farrier at one of Farhollow’s 
  stables, is abducted by the cephalyx.
  • Ormul (4th month) 6: Mavli Woldbraid, guild master 
  of Shield Moot Zero, is abducted by the cephalyx. Raenna 
  Coldwell, a well-known street artist who makes her living 
  in Farhollow, witnesses the abduction.
  • Ormul 9: Girtha Hardwick, a dwarven thug from 
  Groddenguard, is abducted by the cephalyx.
  • Ormul 16: Kelen Ironbid, an ogrun scout in service to 
  Adept Thasin Jaigridar of the Sept of Kharg Drogun, is 
  abducted by the cephalyx.
  • Ormul 20: Cullyn d’Gilbert, a representative of the human 
  delegation from Highcastle, is abducted by the cephalyx.
  • Ormul 21: Clan Lord Daggot Gelhurn discreetly orders an 
  investigation into the vanishings.
  • Odul (5th Month) 1: The gobber Lokmegazomog, an 
  informant for Shield Moot Zero, is abducted by the 
  cephalyx.
  • Odul 7: The adventure begins.
  • Odul 8–14: The annual Halfaxe Festival is scheduled to take 
  place in Farhollow.
  Escape the Mind Slavers is set in the remote dwarven demesne 
  of Rhul, one of the most ancient and insular of the Iron 
  Kingdoms. The adventure begins in the outskirts of the 
  frontier enclave of Farhollow, whose civic ministers have 
  opened the city gates to outlanders for the first time in 
  centuries. Although the Stone Lords’ new edict to open the 
  borders of Rhul in the wake of the Claiming is genuine, the 
  characters soon learn that not all Rhulfolk are onboard with 
  outsiders openly trading and settling in their backyard.
  Against this backdrop of apprehension and mistrust, 
  the characters find themselves embroiled at the center of 
  an alarming series of disappearances fueled by a hive of 
  malevolent cephalyx who have taken root underground. It’s 
  a race against the clock for the characters—first as they join 
  the investigation in an attempt to uncover information about 
  the victims, and then as they become victims themselves 
  and must escape the hive. The characters’ true mettle will 
  be tested within the dark confines of these abandoned and 
  long-forgotten tunnels. Will the heroes have what it takes to 
  escape the mind slavers?
  ADVENTURE 
  BACKGROUND
  Many thousands of years before the dwarven enclave of 
  Farhollow was settled, the ancient site was home to the 
  fabled City of Ash and Bronze. Unfortunately, its founder, 
  Stone Lord Drinaal Halfaxe, had made many enemies during 
  the Hundred House Rebellion, and one of her foes was keen 
  on seeing Drinaal’s Delve crumple into obscurity. Using 
  forbidden rites, Drinaal’s nemesis tainted the ore the city was 
  famous for, transforming the city’s miners into murderous 
  shaft wights. Fearing the infection would spread beyond 
  the city, Drinaal used powerful magic to collapse her own 
  enclave, forever sealing the unhallowed mine beneath a 
  mountain of dirt and rock.
  The Stone Lord’s gambit might have prevailed if not for 
  the ill-fated directive of a cephalyx exulon to expand the 
  domain of its subterranean hive. Weeks ago, the cephalyx 
  inadvertently broke through into a lost district of Drinaal’s 
  Delve, releasing a shaft wight infestation into the hive. 
  Although the undead threat has since been largely contained, 
  the cephalyx have stepped up abductions in nearby Farhollow 
  to replenish their diminished workforce.
  1
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  RUNNING THE ADVENTURE
  Escape the Mind Slavers is designed for a party of four to six 
  1st-level characters. By the end of the adventure, the party 
  should advance to 4th level. The adventure is divided into 
  four chapters, and it is recommended that the characters gain 
  a level at the end of each after the first.
  ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS
  The adventure begins outside the walls of the dwarven 
  enclave of Farhollow, whose soaring ramparts were chiseled 
  from the bedrock of the Glass Peaks in antiquity by Stone 
  Lord Drinaal Halfaxe herself.
  Chapter 1, “Of Horns and Frost,” begins as the characters 
  approach the Rhulic enclave of Farhollow. Bedlam quickly 
  ensues as the settlement is besieged by a throng of trolls 
  seeking their next meal. Caught up in the tumult, the 
  characters aid in the city’s defense, thereby earning the 
  respect of local factions. In the aftermath of the assault, the 
  characters are conscripted to round up refugees and guide 
  them safely inside the city walls.
  Chapter 2, “Of Ash and Bronze,” unfolds as the characters 
  take in the sights and sounds of Farhollow. After an eve or 
  three enjoying the raucous comforts of Rhulic hospitality, 
  the characters receive an invitation to dine with the local 
  clan lord. This meeting prompts the characters to investigate 
  a series of mysterious disappearances that have plagued 
  Farhollow in recent weeks. No sooner have the adventurers 
  gathered their first clues than they are abducted and spirited 
  way into the darkened tunnels beneath the ancient city.
  Chapter 3, “Of Steel and Chains,” takes place in the 
  darkened depths of a cephalyx hive. Awakening in bondage, 
  the characters must rally their fellow captives and lead a 
  desperate escape from the hive of cephalyx mind slavers.
  Chapter 4, “Of Fear and Freedom,” concludes as the 
  characters make a mad dash for the surface. Along the way, 
  necessity will drive them to rummage through the scrap of a 
  grotesque workshop filled with freakish technology, exploit a 
  power vacuum among the leadership of the hive, and escape 
  from their captors.
  FIRST-TIME GAME MASTER?
  Escape the Mind Slavers was designed to be easy to run for 
  first-time GMs. Perhaps you’ve played WARMACHINE or 
  HORDES and are running a roleplaying game for the first 
  time. If so, don’t worry: we’ll guide you through the process 
  step by step!
  “Read Aloud text” that appears like this is meant to be read 
  aloud or paraphrased to the players, typically at the start of 
  an encounter or when the characters arrive at a location for 
  the first time.
  This adventure is set in the Iron Kingdoms setting. 
  Additional material for this full-metal fantasy setting can be 
  found in Iron Kingdoms: Requiem.
  Each creature in this adventure is detailed in the core 
  monster book, the Iron Kingdoms: Monsternomicon sourcebook, 
  the Iron Kingdoms: Requiem, or appendix B. (Stat blocks for 
  various NPCs are noted in parentheses as being in appendix 
  C.) When a creature’s name appears in bold type, that’s 
  a visual cue pointing you to its stat block in one of these 
  resources. The Creatures table tells you where you can find 
  creatures that do not appear in the core monster book.
  Creatures
  Creature 
  Source
  Argus, common 
  Monsternomicon
  Cephalyx agitator 
  Appendix B
  Cephalyx cognifex 
  Monsternomicon
  Cephalyx drudge 
  Monsternomicon
  Cephalyx mindbender 
  Appendix B
  Cephalyx slaver 
  Monsternomicon
  Cephalyx subduer 
  Monsternomicon
  Cephalyx warden 
  Monsternomicon
  Cephalyx worker 
  Appendix B
  Cephalyx wrecker 
  Monsternomicon
  Draeven cultist 
  Appendix B
  Dregg 
  Monsternomicon
  Duskwolf 
  Monsternomicon
  Farrow 
  Monsternomicon
  Gang underboss 
  Requiem
  Mercenary veteran 
  Requiem
  Murder crow 
  Monsternomicon
  Ogrun mercenary 
  Appendix B
  Putrid devil rat 
  Monsternomicon
  Rhulic hollowman 
  Appendix B
  Shaft wight 
  Appendix B
  Skigg 
  Monsternomicon
  Swarm of buzzard beetles 
  Monsternomicon
   Winter troll whelp 
  Appendix B
  The Rhulic Calendar
  The modern calendar widely adopted by kingdoms across 
  western Immoren was modeled on a calendar that originated in 
  Rhul. The calendar consists of thirteen months, each of which 
  is divided into four weeks of seven days each. The Rhulfolk 
  name their months for the thirteen Great Fathers, creators of 
  the dwarves.
  2
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  In chapter 1, the characters arrive at the walls of Farhollow 
  after an arduous overland trek and are immediately thrown 
  into the action. Their ill-timed arrival at the dwarven enclave 
  happens to coincide with a bloody assault by a throng of 
  winter trolls. Thrust into a chaotic assault, the adventurers 
  must help guide terrified revelers to safety while dodging 
  cannon fire and gnashing teeth. When the troll threat is at 
  last abated, the characters are beseeched by representatives 
  of disparate factions to safely locate and return their missing 
  colleagues. Tradition demands that the gates of Farhollow be 
  sealed at midnight for the start of the annual Halfaxe Festival, 
  CHAPTER 1:  
  OF HORNS AND FROST
  which means that the clock is ticking. Can the adventurers 
  save the wayward associates in time?
  When you are ready to begin the adventure, proceed to 
  “The Gates of Farhollow” below.
  MODIFYING, EXPANDING,  
  AND ADDING ENCOUNTERS
  The encounters in this chapter are designed for four to six 
  1st-level characters. Note that this chapter largely takes place 
  in the wilderness outside of Farhollow. If you want to add a 
  combat encounter or two, consider rolling on the Random 
  Encounters Outside Farhollow table.
  3
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  SETTING THE STAGE
  This adventure assumes that the characters have already 
  formed a party and arrived together at the city of Farhollow. 
  All outlanders (as non-Rhulfolk are called by locals) must  
  present themselves at the Dawn Gate before being permitted  
  entry into the enclave. If the players haven’t done so, now  
  would be a good time to have them introduce their characters.
  THE GATES OF 
  FARHOLLOW
  When your players are ready to begin, read the following  
  text aloud:
  After days of trekking through the remote hinterlands of 
  northern Rhul, your destination at last comes into view. As you 
  crest a low rise along an old trappers’ trail, the evergreens fall 
  away to reveal a great verdant dale stretching a mile or two 
  before you. To your right, rugged foothills fill the whole of the 
  northern vista, coalescing around a great pinnacle that reaches 
  upward to pierce the clouds. In the valley at the base of the 
  snow-covered peak, whiffs of hearth smoke rise from a walled 
  settlement carved vertically into the mountain’s base. Streaming 
  in from a cascade just out of sight to your left, a great river flows 
  through to the distant settlement before disappearing into a great 
  forest filling the western skyline. Judging by the sun’s position 
  in the sky, you should be able to make the enclave by nightfall if 
  you set off immediately.
  Once the characters continue toward the settlement, read 
  the following boxed text aloud:
  With the sun threatening to disappear below the horizon behind 
  you, you mount one last hillock and behold the dwarven enclave 
  at twilight.
  As the characters approach the field outside Farhollow, 
  they spot a queue of travelers waiting their turn to pass into 
  the enclave. A dwarven gate sentinel named Admon Darrow 
  approaches the characters and inquires about their business. 
  Read the following text aloud:
  Holding a stout axe in one hand and resting the other on the 
  butt of a repeating pistol, a sturdy male dwarf greets you in the 
  Cygnaran tongue. “Welcome to Farhollow, outlanders. You’re 
  addressing Admon Darrow, sentinel of the Dawn Gate. State 
  your names.”
  GATE SENTINEL ADMON DARROW
  Admon informs the characters that they must wait in line 
  with the others seeking entrance to the enclave. The gate 
  sentinel is polite and even-tempered and will gladly answer 
  questions about Farhollow and its environs while the 
  characters wait their turn to enter the city.
  If the characters challenge Admon or attempt to bully their 
  way to the front of the queue, the dwarf blows a belt horn 
  at his side, alerting five gate sentinels (treat as mercenary 
  veterans) to rally at his side. Each sentinel is armed with a 
  battle axe and a repeating pistol.
  ENCOUNTER 1: ASSAULT AT 
  THE DAWN GATE
  Winter trolls lead an unlikely assault on the gate at dusk. 
  Still queued outside the town walls waiting for their turn to 
  pass through the Dawn Gate, Rhulfolk and refugees alike are 
  taken by surprise.
  HORNS OF HOLGEN HAMMERFALL
  Although it hasn’t happened in at least a dozen years, 
  Farhollow occasionally comes under attack from bands 
  of mountain bogrin, human barbarians, and even trolls. 
  The enclave’s well-trained civil defense militia musters 
  immediately to their assigned duty stations whenever 
  the Hammerfall Horns are sounded three times in quick 
  succession. A repeat of the same horn blast within a minute 
  of the first will spur all civilians to seek refuge within the 
  well-fortified Foundry district until the all-clear is sounded.
  DEFENDING FORCES
  With the trolls now within sight of the southern wall, a final 
  long blast of the Hammerfall Horns signals the civil defense 
  militia to brace and repel the assault. Each unit consists of 
  five troopers. Two units form a squad, which is led by a 
  commander. Because of the use of established signals and 
  horn blasts to communicate orders, the defending forces are 
  well coordinated.
  FARHOLLOW GATE SENTINELS
  Infantry Unit
  Twelve gate sentinel units are deployed at the Dawn Gate. 
  Each trooper wields a battle axe.
  FARHOLLOW CANNONEERS
  Ranged Unit
  Four cannoneer units stand at the ready. Two are deployed 
  atop the city walls flanking the Dawn Gate, and one unit sits 
  in each of the two watchtowers overlooking the bridge south 
  of the enclave. Each unit crews two mounted cannons, and 
  each trooper carries a carbine.
  RANDOM ENCOUNTERS OUTSIDE FARHOLLOW
   d100  
  Encounter
   01–20  
  6 farrow
   21–30  
  6 bandits
   31–50  
  3 wolves
   51–60  
  2 swarms of buzzard beetles
   61–80  
  1 black bear
   81–90  
  1 murder crow
   91–95  
  1 duskwolf
   96–00  
  1 argus, common
  4
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  FARHOLLOW BEASTMASTERS
  Cavalry Unit
  Two elite cavalry units ride two-headed winter argus into 
  combat, although the beasts’ frost breath will have little effect 
  against the winter trolls. The beastmaster troopers employ 
  scatterguns with devastating accuracy at close range, finishing 
  off whatever their mounts’ fangs have savaged.
  FARHOLLOW STEAMJACKS
  Siege Unit
  One steamjack unit is using Wroughthammer Rockrams 
  at a quarry outside the walls, but it will redeploy to join 
  the defense.
  ATTACKING FORCES
  Driven to assault the walls of Farhollow, nine winter trolls 
  and a mutilated dire troll lumber onto the frozen field outside 
  the Dawn Gate.
  WINTER TROLLS
  Infantry Unit
  Three winter trolls throw themselves at the city walls with 
  wild abandon, pummeling the granite ramparts with meaty, 
  bloodstained blows of their mighty fists between bellows of 
  freezing breath cold enough to root a dwarf in chains of ice.
  Six winter trolls stalk the field, snatching at terrified 
  outlanders thrown into a panic at the sight of the nine-
  foot-tall giants.
  One dire winter troll missing both its arms hangs back 
  beyond cannon range to guide the assault with its booming, 
  gravelly commands.
  SEQUENCE OF BATTLE
  The troll assault is not intended to play out in a series of 
  rounds like a standard tactical encounter. For one thing, 
  the winter trolls are significantly more powerful than the 
  characters. The intent of this sequence is to thrill the players 
  with a heart-pounding, mass-combat warzone, not to enact a 
  total party kill moments into the adventure.
  Recount the sequence of the battle to the players, pausing 
  after each stage to gauge the characters’ reactions and ask 
  what their next actions are. The troll assault is simply a 
  shared storytelling exercise until the start of stage 6, when the 
  characters are directly confronted by winter troll whelps and 
  asked to roll initiative.
  STAGE 1: CACOPHONY OF HORNS
  The bleating of twin Hammerfall Horns from distant 
  watchtowers are the first indication that something is amiss. 
  Gate sentinels assigned to patrol the long queue call out to 
  the confused outlanders (characters included!) and direct 
  them to make haste for the city gate.
  STAGE 2: CLAWS AND RENDED FLESH
  A more urgent thrum from a Hammerfall Horn mounted 
  near the Dawn Gate signals that the enemy has been spotted 
  from the walls. A throng of winter trolls, spurred into a 
  frenzy by a dire winter troll, stampedes from the wilderness 
  and begins tearing into the mob of panicked outlanders in a 
  flurry of slashing claws and wicked fangs.
  STAGE 3: RAIN OF FIRE
  Gate sentinels in the field desperately attempt to extricate 
  outlanders from the melee as cannon fire rains down 
  upon the trolls.
  STAGE 4: UNLEASH THE WAR 
  MACHINES
  A unit of Wroughthammer Rockram steamjacks, fresh from 
  working a quarry outside the walls of Farhollow, arrives at 
  full steam to join the defense.
  STAGE 5: BIG, NASTY, POINTY TEETH
  As the defending infantry retreat to either side, a cavalry unit 
  of beastmasters mounted on twin-headed argus rip into the 
  invaders, severing limbs with wild abandon.
  STAGE 6: DEGENERATE OFFSPRING
  As severed troll limbs begin to regenerate, Vetta 
  Wroughthammer joins the characters in fighting five winter 
  troll whelps. Roll initiative and play out stage 6 as a standard 
  tactical encounter (see below).
  STAGE 7: CLEANUP
  As the defenders slay the remaining trolls, Rhulic tactical 
  arcanists enter the field and use fiery magic to put down the 
  last remaining troll whelps.
  TACTICAL ENCOUNTER:  
  DEGENERATE OFFSPRING
  A winter troll whelp rushes the characters, pulling them into 
  the melee. Read the following text aloud:
  The cacophony of the troll assault rages all around you. In the 
  middle of the bloody carnage, a troll’s severed arm flops onto 
  the ground nearby, hurled by the blast of a cannon. The hand 
  clenches into a fist before your eyes, and the ragged stump 
  begins to rapidly regenerate, sprouting a small, misshapen body 
  attached to the oversized limb.
  At the start of the second round, an additional four winter 
  troll whelps sneak up on the characters. Each whelp has 
  a full-grown body part—a massive jaw, an oversized leg, 
  and so forth—which is the severed body part the whelp 
  has grown from.
  As the whelps slink into the conflict, Vetta 
  Wroughthammer (see appendix C) leaps into battle to aid the 
  characters. Read the following text aloud:
  “Behind you!” shouts a commanding voice, cutting through the 
  din of battle. Thanks to the warning, you spot four more troll 
  abominations threatening your flank, each undergoing various 
  stages of regeneration. A fierce dwarven gunfighter steps into 
  view and unloads her twin pistols point-blank into the face of an 
  encroaching whelp. “To arms, outlanders!” she cries.
  5
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  6
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  VETTA WROUGHTHAMMER
  The party’s benefactor during the troll assault is Vetta 
  Wroughthammer, a dual-wielding dwarven gunfighter with 
  a thirst for adventure.
  ROLEPLAYING VETTA WROUGHTAMMER
  Vetta is a skilled gunfighter whose keen marksmanship is 
  more than a match for most foes. She is reluctant to speak 
  about her past but will happily discuss current events with 
  the characters. Vetta has grown restless with her lot as a 
  local gun-for-hire and is not shy about her desire to join the 
  characters on their adventures.
  VETTA WROUGHTHAMMER IN COMBAT
  Outfitted with an ammo bandolier and a leather gun brace 
  carrying three well-maintained hammerlock pistols, Vetta is 
  the quintessential Rhulic pistoleer. At the start of combat, she 
  uses Quick Draw to pull two pistols on her foes. She does not 
  hesitate to engage in close-quarters combat with her firearms 
  and prefers to focus fire on a single target, ensuring that each 
  foe is incapacitated before she moves on to the next.
  VETTA’S BACKSTORY
  Vetta hails from the Rhulic enclave of Ulgur, where her clan 
  runs the Wroughthammer Silver and Iron Conglomerate. 
  Never having had a knack for the family business, Vetta 
  struck out on her own at a young age to explore western 
  Immoren and enjoy the freedom of a life on the road.
  AFTERMATH
  As the din of battle subsides, the characters have a few 
  moments to take stock of their surroundings. The desperate 
  wails of the wounded ring out across the blood-soaked field, 
  interrupted only by commanders barking orders as they 
  search for fallen comrades.
  TREASURE
  The characters can try to surreptitiously loot the corpses after 
  the assault by making a group DC 15 Charisma (Deception) 
  check. If the check succeeds, the characters come away with 
  a bounty of 50 sp. If it fails, gate sentinels forcibly escort 
  the characters to the Dawn Gate and relieve them of their 
  ill-gotten gains, resulting in a loss of 5 notoriety points. (For 
  more information about notoriety points, see the “Notoriety” 
  section in chapter 2.)
  CURIOUS WOUNDS
  Inspection of the largest winter troll reveals that the icy brute 
  had its forearms surgically dismembered using a technique 
  unknown to the Rhulfolk. Despite the lack of necrotic 
  scarring at the site of the mutilation, the troll’s regenerative 
  healing could not restore the beast’s severed appendages.
  CEPHALYX SURGERY
  In truth, this dire troll was the unwitting victim of a cephalyx 
  cognifex, who employed its prosthetic blades with surgical 
  precision. The cognifex then used its considerable psionic 
  talents to command the troll chieftain to lead a doomed 
  assault against the walls of Farhollow in order to distract the 
  enclave from further cephalyx encroachments from below.
  CHOICE AND CONSEQUENCE
  In the aftermath of the troll assault, the characters are 
  approached on the field by representatives of three factions 
  seeking their aid in investigating the status of their associates. 
  Time is of the essence, and only one group of waylaid 
  associates can be rescued. Which faction will the characters 
  aid in their time of need? This choice will have ripple effects 
  throughout the rest of the party’s stay in Farhollow.
  In turns, each representative approaches the characters and 
  offers a proposition to them. If the characters mention the 
  other representatives, each group gives a critical description 
  of its rivals. For example, the representative from the Iron 
  Tribunal might describe the Sept of Kharg Drogun as a “pack 
  of heretical cultists and arsonists to boot,” while the Sept’s 
  representative might call Shield Moot Zero “crass thieves 
  masquerading as shadow brokers.”
  ADVENTURING COMPANIES
  Adventuring companies represent groups of characters 
  bound together in a common purpose. A company provides 
  a theme, unique benefits, and a loose framework for a group 
  7
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  of characters. For more information about adventuring 
  companies, including the benefits of joining one and the 
  quirks associated with them, see Iron Kingdoms: Requiem.
  IRON TRIBUNAL
  Cloaked lawmakers and freedom fighters who want to keep 
  Rhul open to outlanders
  Company Type: Law Dogs
  Prestige/Tier: 11/1
  Headquarters: Hall of the Tribunal (Farhollow)
  Rivals: Clan Gherke
  Faction Quest: Edict of Unity
  With the tacit backing of Clan Lord Daggot Gelhurn, the 
  Iron Tribunal has risen from a grassroots political movement 
  to a well-outfitted mercenary company. Its coalition of 
  ministers has long advocated for opening Rhul’s borders to 
  outlanders, and recent successes with the Freehold Initiative 
  have emboldened the organization.
  It’s an open secret that Daggot aspires to restore his clan 
  to the Moot of the Hundred Houses. He views the Iron 
  Tribunal as a critical component of that endeavor and counts 
  several high-ranking members among his closest advisors. 
  The identity of these tribunes remains shrouded behind the 
  facemasks and cloaks they wear during public engagements.
  SEPT OF KHARG DROGUN
  A society of scholars and archeologists who seek to unearth 
  the ancient secrets of “the Land Beneath”
  Company Type: Intrepid Investigators
  Prestige/Tier: 11/1
  Headquarters: Cenotaph of the Great Mothers 
  (outside Farhollow)
  Rivals: Church of the Great Fathers, Cult of Draeven
  Faction Quest: Edict of Authority
  Deemed a heretical sect by the Church of the Great Fathers, 
  the Sept of Kharg Drogun encourages its followers to “search 
  farther and dig deeper” in pursuit of the hallowed halls of the 
  Land Beneath.
  Originally founded in Ghord, the unorthodox faith has had 
  to shift its headquarters numerous times over the centuries 
  after overstaying its welcome in a particular location. Most 
  recently, the sept was driven from Drotuhn in 601 AR 
  following a disastrous conflagration that immolated a quarter 
  of the city.
  Today, the Sept of Kharg Drogun operates out of a 
  hidden oubliette beneath the seldom-visited Cenotaph of 
  the Great Mothers, which is located in the foothills outside 
  Farhollow. The Sept is surreptitiously led by Mother Blanca, 
  a gregarious apostate justiciar who runs the titular festhall 
  that bears her name.
  SHIELD MOOT ZERO
  An underworld confederation of clan exiles and outcasts who 
  trade in espionage, blackmail, and information
  Company Type: Spy Ring
  Prestige/Tier: 11/1
  Headquarters: Bosley’s Curio Shoppe (Farhollow)
  Rivals: The Glaives (Farhollow city watch)
  Faction Quest: Edict of Oaths
  A secretive rogues’ guild masquerading as a merchant 
  company, Shield Moot Zero is centrally managed from its 
  base of operations in Farhollow but has small cells in many 
  enclaves across Rhul.
  The guild’s leader of a dozen years, a feisty ginger-haired 
  dwarf named Mavli Woldbraid, vanished three weeks ago. In 
  the intervening weeks, Mavli’s lieutenants have struggled to 
  keep the underworld network operational.
  In Farhollow, the guild operates out of a hidden vault 
  beneath Bosley’s Curio Shoppe. In addition to his public 
  persona as a curator of antiquities, Bosley serves as the guild’s 
  primary fence in the region.
  ENCOUNTER 2A:  
  EDICT OF UNITY
  When the Iron Tribunal representative approaches the 
  characters, read the following text aloud:
  A hooded figure in a mask approaches you and raises a hand 
  in greeting.
  “Ho there! We of the Iron Tribunal witnessed your heroics 
  during the troll assault and were quite impressed. Though 
  you must be exhausted from recent travails, we beseech you to 
  find the emissaries from Highcastle and escort them back to 
  Farhollow. They last encamped up the river at Duskforge Keep, 
  but we were expecting their arrival days ago and now fear the 
  worst. Were you to aid us in this endeavor, we would be deeply 
  indebted to you.”
  GM’s Note: The rest of this encounter occurs only if the 
  characters align with the Iron Tribunal.
  BACKSTORY
  Recently, the Iron Tribunal has been in negotiations with 
  Highcastle, a freehold established by human settlers in 
  the wake of the Claiming. Historically, the occupants of 
  Highcastle were barbarians: bogrin and humans who fled 
  into Rhul ages past and lived by raiding Farhollow seasonally. 
  Human refugees who were displaced during the Khadoran 
  occupation of Merywyn emigrated to Rhul in search of a 
  new beginning. These refugees entreated the inhabitants 
  of Highcastle to grant them succor. The two peoples were 
  fully integrated within a few years, and they reached out to 
  Farhollow together to make amends.
  In recent weeks, the Iron Tribunal sent word to Highcastle 
  and invited the freehold to participate in Farhollow’s annual 
  Halfaxe Festival. The humans accepted, and their delegation 
  was asked to quarter at Duskforge Keep until Clan Lord 
  Daggot gave them his final blessing to enter the enclave.
  GM’s Note: Cullyn d’Gilbert, a representative of the human 
  delegation from Highcastle, was abducted a fortnight past 
  and now awaits his fate in the cephalyx hive below Farhollow 
  (see chapter 3).
  8
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  DUSKFORGE KEEP
  Carved high into the cliff walls of the great Dawn Gorge east 
  of Farhollow, Duskforge Keep is accessible only by means 
  of a rope elevator anchored to the precipice. The main keep 
  consists of several buildings set into the rock face. Buttressed 
  stone arches link these buildings with the structures above 
  and below them.
  AREA INFORMATION
  Duskforge Keep has the following important features:
  Dimensions and Terrain. Rooms and corridors are carved 
  from the cliff face and reinforced with iron beams. Having 
  been designed for Rhulic occupants, most chambers are only 
  6 feet tall from floor to ceiling.
  Light. Deep cracks in the stone ceiling shed rays of diffuse 
  moonlight into the chambers below.
  Sounds and Smells. A strong breeze rushes from one 
  chamber to the next, filling the keep with an ominous, 
  thrumming whistle. Any magical effect or equipment that 
  creates a cloud or gas has only half its normal duration.
  Doors. Most of the keep’s wooden doors rotted away 
  centuries ago. What few hinges remain are reinforced with 
  steel filigree.
  Floors. The sandstone blocks are weathered and rough but 
  remain solid and sturdy enough to walk on.
  Walls. Structurally sound and still standing, the thick stone 
  walls are made from closely fitted blocks of green marble.
  LORE
  Any character who succeeds on a DC 25 Intelligence 
  (History) check recalls that the Edict of Unity binds all 
  Rhulfolk to unite against external threats and that Duskforge 
  Keep was constructed as a bastion to prevent enemy forces 
  from penetrating eastern Rhul via the Ayeres River. Dwarf 
  and Rhulic ogrun characters have a +10 bonus on this check.
  TACTICAL ENCOUNTER
  Entering the lower chambers of the keep reveals that the 
  Highcastle delegation was waylaid by bandits. Two of the 
  thugs were incapacitated during the struggle, leaving two 
  ogrun mercenaries to challenge the party.
  9
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  TREASURE
  Thoroughly searching the abandoned keep reveals hidden 
  caches containing a total of 15 gp.
  DEVELOPMENT
  If the characters spare the life of the ogrun mercenaries 
  and their injured companions, the mercenaries escort the 
  characters to a buried cache containing an arcantrik scope 
  (see Iron Kingdoms: Requiem) with 12 charges.
  Once freed, the Highcastle delegates reveal that one of 
  their number, Cullyn d’Gilbert, went missing days before 
  the bandits ambushed them. The delegates are eager to 
  complete their mission and insist the characters escort them 
  to Farhollow immediately. The Iron Tribunal gladly pays a 
  reward of 50 gp for the delegation’s safe return.
  ENCOUNTER 2B:  
  EDICT OF AUTHORITY
  When the sept’s representative approaches the characters, 
  read the following text aloud:
  A female dwarf dressed in clerical robes approaches you. Looking 
  you up and down, she breaks into a wide and earnest smile.
  “Thank the Blessed Mothers for your valiant efforts, outlanders. 
  Though you must be weary, we humbly request that you answer 
  our prayer. We, the faithful of the Sept of Kharg Drogun, were 
  expecting the return of our expedition days ago and now fear 
  for their well-being. If you would travel to a monument not far 
  from here and return our brothers and sisters to us, we would be 
  eternally grateful.”
  GM’s Note: The rest of this encounter occurs only if the 
  characters align with the Sept of Kharg Drogun.
  BACKSTORY
  In their centuries-long quest to rediscover “the Lost Road of 
  the Great Fathers,” a fabled road leading from the world of 
  Caen to the spirit realm of Urcaen, the Sept of Kharg Drogun 
  has been discreetly excavating sites with links to the Feud 
  of Ages. Even though historical accounts date the founding 
  of Farhollow to a little more than four centuries ago, the 
  nearby cenotaph delved in honor of the immortal Claywives 
  is far, far older.
  A fortnight ago, the sept sent an expedition to the sacred 
  site with designs to excavate a newly unearthed chamber 
  known only to the sept’s faithful. The expedition was 
  expected back the day before last, and the sept’s elders now 
  fear the worst.
  GM’s Note: Kelen Ironbid, an ogrun scout in service to an 
  adept named Thasin Jaigridar, was separated from her korune 
  and abducted a fortnight past. The ogrun now awaits her fate 
  in the cephalyx hive below Farhollow (see chapter 3).
  CENOTAPH OF THE GREAT MOTHERS
  The Cenotaph of the Great Mothers is a stout, fortified 
  monument that sits atop a rocky tor overlooking a 
  whitewater bend in the Ayeres River west of Farhollow. 
  Constructed millennia past in honor of the immortal 
  Claywives, the site is now crumbling, overgrown, neglected, 
  and largely forgotten. Among the stone effigies still venerated 
  at the hallowed place is that of Hyphatia Halfaxe, beloved 
  wife of Stone Lord Drinaal Halfaxe. Few outside the Sept of 
  Kharg Drogun know that the cenotaph was constructed over 
  a labyrinthine oubliette purported to predate the civilization 
  of Rhul itself.
  10
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  AREA INFORMATION
  The oubliette beneath the Cenotaph of the Great Mothers 
  has the following important features:
  Dimensions and Terrain. The meandering earthen 
  tunnels are 5 feet wide and 6 feet tall.
  Light. The tunnels are unlit and dark.
  Sounds and Smells. The passageways are filled with the 
  clanging of pickaxes crashing against hard rock. The air is 
  stale and tinged with the musty odor of iron ocher.
  TACTICAL ENCOUNTER
  Five Draeven cultists have seized the dig site, murdered the 
  expedition leaders, and forced the remaining workers to 
  complete the excavation. The cultists immediately attack 
  any intruders. Once the characters defeat the cultists, 
  they can easily find their way into the oubliette beneath 
  the monument.
  THE CULT OF DRAEVEN
  The Sept of Kharg Drogun has undoubtedly ruffled a few 
  feathers among the more traditional adherents of the Church 
  of the Great Fathers, but none more so than the Cult of 
  Draeven. The exact aims of this secretive group of Rhulfolk 
  remain inscrutable, but the cult is suspected of harboring 
  infernalists. The cultists have no love for the sept, a stance 
  they have made abundantly clear through repeated acts of 
  violence against the sept’s adepts.
  LORE
  Any character who succeeds on a DC 25 Intelligence 
  (History) check recalls that the Edict of Authority establishes 
  the mandate of “clan before country” and grants authority to 
  the Stone Lords above all others. In addition, the character 
  recalls that the Cenotaph of the Great Mothers was 
  constructed to highlight the revered Claywives and repudiate 
  this patriarchal, backward-thinking edict. Dwarf and Rhulic 
  ogrun characters have a +10 bonus on this check.
  TREASURE
  Discarded at the bottom of a 30-foot pit is a well-preserved 
  dwarven skull wearing a pair of farsight goggles (see Iron 
  Kingdoms: Requiem). The item’s capacitor still holds 10 
  charges. Thoroughly searching the oubliette reveals hidden 
  caches containing a total of 15 gp.
  DEVELOPMENT
  Once liberated, the remaining members of the expedition 
  immediately march for Farhollow. The Sept of Kharg 
  Drogun gladly offers the characters recompense of 50 gp 
  upon their return to the enclave.
  ENCOUNTER 2C:  
  EDICT OF OATHS
  When Shield Moot Zero’s representative approaches the 
  characters, read the following text aloud:
  You spy a male dwarf with a surly demeanor leaning against the 
  city wall. He gestures in your direction before checking to see if 
  anyone else has noticed.
  “Psst! Hey, you outlanders! Over here. I represent a group of 
  individuals that were mighty impressed with your showing out 
  there. I called you over because one of our associates, Lok, has 
  not checked in yet. He’s a thickheaded gobber, but he’s never late. 
  You’d be doing us a big favor if you would venture out into the 
  Grymkin Desolation and return our friend unharmed. Do this, 
  and Shield Moot Zero owes you one. Interested?”
  GM’s Note: The rest of this encounter occurs only if the 
  characters align with Shield Moot Zero.
  BACKSTORY
  Although Shield Moot Zero primarily traffics in information, 
  it has branched out in recent years and begun acquiring 
  rare antiquities and technology that might prove useful 
  to its discerning clientele. To that aim, the organization’s 
  guild master recruited a middle-aged gobber named 
  Lokmegazomog—“Lok” for short—to head the new operation. 
  Innocuously playing the role of an itinerant junk peddler, Lok 
  roams far and wide across the county of Hathorung in search 
  of unique treasures. Recently, underworld chatter alerted 
  Shield Moot Zero to a graveyard of old war machines left to 
  rot in the Grymkin Desolation. Lok set out to investigate but 
  never returned.
  GM’s Note: Lok was recently abducted by the cephalyx 
  while salvaging a “misplaced” warjack left to rust in the 
  Grymkin Desolation. The cantankerous gobber now awaits 
  his fate in the cephalyx hive below Farhollow (see chapter 3).
  THE GRYMKIN DESOLATION
  Not five years past, before the devastation exacted by the 
  Claiming, the vale known today as the Grymkin Desolation 
  was a verdant place flush with countless flora and fauna. In 
  the final weeks of the conflict, when a call to arms roused 
  the warrior clans of Rhul to assemble and march on Henge 
  Hold, all but one clan rallied to the Stone Lords’ summons. 
  Betraying the Edict of Oaths, Clan Kragguard did not rally at 
  Ghord as requested. Instead, the deserters fled east, intent on 
  seizing Farhollow while the remote enclave’s finest warriors 
  were away at the Rhulic capital. The traitors never made it. 
  One by one, they were lured to their deaths by the Wicked 
  Harvest, their soulless husks forced to wander the twilight 
  vale now desecrated by their cowardice.
  AREA INFORMATION
  The Grymkin Desolation has the following 
  important features:
  Terrain. Few landmarks dot this forlorn moorland. For 
  each hour the characters remain in the Grymkin Desolation, 
  they must succeed on a group DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) 
  check. On a failed save, the characters become lost for 1d6 
  hours, after which they can attempt the check again.
  11
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  Weather and Light. Fog shrouds the vale, obscuring all 
  sight—including darkvision—beyond 5 feet.
  Sounds and Smells. The air rarely stirs here but occasionally 
  reeks of rusted metal.
  TACTICAL ENCOUNTER
  Mere minutes after the characters step foot within the 
  Grymkin Desolation, two Rhulic hollowmen emerge from 
  the fog to threaten them.
  TREASURE
  Each of the hollowmen has a coin purse containing 2d10 sp. 
  The military rifles they wield dissolve into dust upon their 
  passing, but Lok’s signature chronometer can be found by 
  any character who searches the creatures’ remains. Vigorous 
  inspection of the steamjack graveyard reveals rusted armor 
  and weaponry bearing the crest of Clan Kragguard, which 
  famously failed to join the coalition at Ghord. It also reveals 
  a functional arcantrik convergence engine on the body of a 
  fallen captain. The device is engraved with the runic formula 
  for the bulwark spell.
  LORE
  Any character who succeeds on a DC 25 Intelligence 
  (History) check recalls that the Edict of Oaths defines 
  the importance of sworn promises and offers suggested 
  punishments for oath breakers. In addition, the character 
  recalls that Clan Kragguard renounced their sworn oaths 
  during the Claiming and paid for their betrayal with a 
  reckoning by the Wicked Harvest. Dwarf and Rhulic ogrun 
  characters have a +10 bonus on this check.
  DEVELOPMENT
  If the characters return Lok’s chronometer to Shield Moot 
  Zero, they earn the guild’s favor and a bounty of 50 gp.
  CONCLUDING THE CHAPTER
  Chapter 1 concludes when the adventurers successfully 
  complete one of the faction encounters (2A, 2B, or 2C).
  AFTERMATH
  When the characters return to Farhollow, read the 
  following text aloud:
  As Farhollow once again comes into view, a grinning Vetta claps 
  her hands in anticipation.
  “Well done! Let’s find someplace to settle down tonight before 
  this place gets sealed up for the Halfaxe Festival. It’s an annual 
  tradition in these parts, you know. As soon as the bells of the old 
  Northern Bastion Church signal midnight, the gates are locked 
  tight for the better part of a fortnight.” The dwarf’s grin becomes 
  a wide smile as she begins to break into a trot. “Hurry, mates! My 
  thirst is great, and the festival beckons!”
  A WELCOME COMPANION
  Vetta is happy to remain with the characters and guide them 
  as they explore Farhollow. The astute mercenary is shrewd 
  enough to know a meal ticket when she sees one. Sticking 
  with the characters all but guarantees that Vetta will end up 
  pocketing some serious coin in the coming days.
  CONSEQUENCES
  Since only one of three faction quests can be undertaken 
  before the gates to Farhollow are sealed, the characters’ 
  decision will have consequences. No matter which group they 
  choose, they will have earned the respect of a strong faction 
  within the dwarven community, but this esteem will come at 
  the cost of gaining the enmity of the other two.
  Iron Tribunal Enmity. If the characters do not 
  complete encounter 2A, they are not welcome in the Ayeres 
  Whitewater Priakos.
  Sept of Kharg Drogun Enmity. If the characters do not 
  complete encounter 2B, they are not welcome in Mother 
  Blanca’s festhall.
  Shield Moot Zero Enmity. If the characters do not 
  complete encounter 2C, they are not welcome in Bosley’s 
  Curio Shoppe.
  12
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  CHAPTER 2:  
  OF ASH AND BRONZE
  In chapter 2, the characters are whisked into an annual 
  celebration that sees Farhollow locked down for two straight 
  weeks. With their enthusiastic new companion leading the 
  way, the characters are encouraged to enter contests of skill 
  in hopes of boosting their public profile.
  Their scheme bears fruit in no time. The adventurers 
  are soon invited to dine with the ruling clan lord, who 
  enlists their aid in investigating a series of disturbing 
  disappearances. While the characters are hot on the trail of 
  the vanished, their newfound companion joins the ranks of 
  the missing. After uncovering a number of clues in the case, 
  the characters are invited to join the clan lord overnight as 
  his guest in Wendylmar Hall. Can they solve the mystery and 
  locate their missing associate?
  When you are ready to proceed, proceed to encounter 3, 
  “Fortnight of Revelry.”
  MODIFYING, EXPANDING, 
  AND ADDING ENCOUNTERS
  The encounters in this chapter are designed for four to 
  six 1st-level characters. Note that this chapter focuses on 
  urban adventure with a heavy emphasis on skill challenges 
  and roleplaying encounters. If you want to add a combat 
  encounter or two, consider rolling on the Random 
  Encounters in Farhollow table.
  TOURING FARHOLLOW
  Smaller and far more isolated than most cities in Rhul, 
  Farhollow stands apart from its more cosmopolitan sister 
  cities. When describing the sights and sounds of Farhollow, 
  emphasize the dizzying verticality of the city, which is built 
  upon a sheer rock face at the base of a dormant volcano.
  For details on the dwarven enclave, see appendix A.
  GETTING SETTLED
  Farhollow’s liege, Clan Lord Daggot Gelhurn, is not holding 
  court when the characters arrive in the enclave and remains 
  unavailable to the characters until he invites them to dine 
  with him later in the chapter.
  RANDOM ENCOUNTERS IN FARHOLLOW
   d100 
  Encounter
   01–20 
  5 giant rats
   21–30 
  5 mastiffs
   31–50 
  3 swarms of rats
   51–60 
  3 putrid devil rats
   61–80 
  1 thug
   81–90 
  2 skiggs
   91–95 
  1 dregg
   96–00 
  1 gang underboss
  13
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  TRAVEL WITHIN THE CITY
  Outlanders are typically restricted to the High Meridian 
  district until they can prove themselves trustworthy. Because 
  the characters helped defend the city during the troll assault, 
  they are awarded credentials permitting them to move about 
  Farhollow freely upon their entry. These credentials are spot-
  checked whenever the characters pass between city districts. 
  Should these credentials ever be misplaced, the characters 
  will need to report to a sentinel gatehouse in order to verify 
  their identities.
  LODGING
  Vetta is happy to suggest lodgings amenable to her 
  companions. If the characters are short on funds, she suggests 
  Gramble’s Lodge; if they can afford to pay a bit more for 
  lodgings, she suggests Bluegill Dormitory instead.
  ENCOUNTER 3:  
  FORTNIGHT OF REVELRY
  This encounter begins with the characters congregating in 
  their chosen lodging’s common room for their morning meal. 
  A smiling Vetta waves them over to a nearby table. Read the 
  following text aloud:
  “Good morning, friends! Come, come. Grab something to eat 
  while I tell you about the coming festivities. It’s important to 
  partake in the Halfaxe Festival with moderation. Pace yourself, 
  make new friends, win a few contests of skill, and you’ll have the 
  whole city eating out of the palm of your hand. Listen closely, 
  and I’ll tell you how it’s done.”
  Between bites of her meal and generous swigs of 
  hollowbite liquor, Vetta lays out information about the 
  Halfaxe Festival and the various tests of skill that are part of 
  it. She encourages the characters to try their hand at these 
  contests, as doing so is sure to raise their esteem in the eyes 
  of the locals. As Vetta notes, better standing means better 
  jobs, better jobs mean better pay, and better pay means a 
  happy Vetta.
  THE HALFAXE FESTIVAL
  Local tradition claims that the ancient site upon which 
  Farhollow was later founded was built by an exiled clan of 
  rabble-rousers banished from Ghord during the Hundred 
  House Rebellion. It is said that the lost City of Ash and 
  Bronze was established as an egalitarian utopia free from 
  the heavy-handed edicts passed down by the Great Fathers. 
  These legends served as the inspiration for the Halfaxe 
  Festival. One fortnight every summer, the citizens of 
  Farhollow strip away their inhibitions and gather to celebrate 
  the legacy of Drinaal Halfaxe, exiled Stone Lord.
  GM’s Note: In accordance with longstanding tradition, the 
  city gates are barred for the entirety of the festival, effectively 
  forbidding anyone from entering or leaving the enclave 
  for two weeks.
  CONTESTS OF METTLE
  Each year, the Halfaxe Festival hosts contests that 
  test the mettle of Farhollow’s citizens. Each contest is 
  conducted in three rounds and requires three characters to 
  participate as a team.
  Different locations around the city host these contests, 
  giving the characters the opportunity to visit different parts 
  of Farhollow. Vetta is eager to act as a tour guide for the 
  characters and insists on ending each night with a bawdy 
  evening of drinking back at the characters’ lodgings.
  In addition to using the contests as a way to have the 
  characters explore Farhollow, you can use this portion of the 
  adventure to seed clues of events to come. For example, the 
  characters might spot posters of missing persons plastered on 
  walls throughout the city. Even though people disappear in 
  every city, the high number of disappearances in and around 
  Farhollow might raise a few eyebrows.
  Scoring. Each round, the GM rolls 3d20 for the characters’ 
  opponents, adding +1 to each die in the first round, +2 in 
  the second round, and so on. Each of the three participating 
  characters rolls a single d20, adding the appropriate ability 
  modifier to each die. The high, middle, and low scores 
  on each side are matched up and compared, with 1 point 
  awarded to the side with the highest score in each match. 
  If the characters win a round, they move on to the next; 
  otherwise, they are eliminated from the contest.
  Each contest uses a different ability. If a character’s skills or 
  background would be appropriate for a contest, the GM can 
  allow the player to add the character’s proficiency bonus to 
  the die roll.
  TRIALS OF VIGOR
  Conducted at the Field of Skalds on the morning of the first 
  day of the festival, the Trials of Vigor test a team’s strength.
  Bending Bars. The first round requires a team to bend 
  three bars of iron in tandem.
  Barrel Toss. The second round requires a team to lob 
  barrels of hollowbite the farthest distance.
  GAUNTLET OF AGILITY
  Held on the evening of the festival’s first day, the Gauntlet of 
  Agility tests a team’s manual dexterity.
  Clever Cutpurse. The first round requires a team to 
  pickpocket three volunteers in a large crowd.
  Rune Shot Arcade. The second round requires a team 
  to shoot down the most targets in a complex mechanikal 
  shooting gallery.
  STOMACH OF IRON
  Those who believe they have the constitution of an ox can 
  go to the riverfront to compete in the Stomach of Iron 
  competition on the morning of the festival’s second day.
  Get Pissed. The first round of the contest requires a team 
  to down massive mugs of beer before their opponents.
  Fish Head Banquet. The second round of the contest 
  requires a team to finish plates stacked high with brined fish 
  heads taken from the Ayeres River.
  14
  
  FEATS OF INGENUITY
  If the characters have more brains than brawn, they can 
  demonstrate their team’s intelligence by taking part in Feats 
  of Ingenuity on the evening of the second day of the festival.
  Stubborn Laborjack. The first round requires a team to 
  marshal the notoriously stubborn laborjack “Mule’s Arse” to 
  deliver three barrels to their side, while the opposing team 
  does the same. Whoever can out-shout their opponents and 
  keep the ’jack moving the right way wins.
  Box of Scraps. The second round of the contest requires 
  a team to assemble a functioning piece of mechanika 
  out of a random assortment of components before their 
  opponents do.
  GAMES OF CHANCE
  Those who believe that wisdom and luck go hand in hand can 
  prove it by taking part in this morning spectacle on the third 
  day of the festival.
  Knucklebones. The first round of the contest requires a 
  team to win at a game similar to liar’s dice.
  Argus Two-Headed Ante. The second round of the 
  contest requires the team to win at a game of cards.
  GIFT OF GAB
  Those who have the gift of gab and the charisma to prove 
  it can participate in the final contest of the third day, which 
  takes place at the city’s amphitheater and is attended by a 
  massive crowd of spectators.
  Flyting. The first round of the contest is a battle of insults 
  in verse, with each team member taking a turn to call out 
  one opponent.
  Rhulic Dirge. The second round of the contest is a test of 
  musical or oratory skill.
  DEVELOPMENT
  The characters earn 1 point of notoriety for each contest 
  round they win. Encounter 4, “Dinner with the Clan 
  Lord,” begins only when the characters earn at least 20 
  notoriety points.
  SCUTTLEBUTT
  Because the Halfaxe Festival is a veritable breeding ground of 
  gossip and rumors, the characters might pick up a few pieces 
  of interesting information while they engage in the festivities.
  The first four rumors in the list below may be shared 
  freely, but the remaining scuttlebutt should be awarded 
  only to deliberately inquisitive characters who succeed 
  on a DC 15 ability check appropriate for the activity. For 
  example, a character interrogating a drunken ruffian can 
  make a Charisma (Intimidation) check to obtain information, 
  a character looking for clues can make an Intelligence 
  (Investigation) check to overhear something of interest, 
  a character chatting up the locals can make a Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check to gather useful gossip, and so on.
  Take the ability check with the highest score, look up the 
  score on the Rumors in Farhollow table, and then consult 
  the list of rumors below. If at least half the party succeeds on 
  their checks, add 5 to the score.
  15
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  RUMORS IN FARHOLLOW
   Check Result
   15–19 Roll 1d4 + 4 and consult the list of rumors below.
   20–24 Roll 3d4 + 2 and consult the list of rumors below.
   25–29 Roll 3d4 + 6 and consult the list of rumors below.
   30+ 
  Roll 3d4 + 8 and consult the list of rumors below.
  1. 
  The Halfaxe Festival was started centuries ago as a ritual to purge the enclave’s inhabitants of their wickedness. (False.)
  2. 
  Because there are no roads connecting Farhollow to the rest of Rhul, Rhulfolk typically travel to and from the enclave via 
  boat. (True.)
  3. 
  Farhollow’s major trade exports include freshwater fish, liquor, furs, and watercraft. (All true.)
  4. 
  Clan Lord Daggot Gelhurn took over the clan when his father died seventeen years ago. (True.)
  5. 
  Farhollow was settled by clanless outcasts during the Hundred House Rebellion. (True.)
  6. 
  Shield Moot Zero’s hideout is under the basement of Mother Blanca’s. (False. Shield Moot Zero operates out of a hidden 
  vault beneath Bosley’s Curio Shoppe.)
  7. 
  The humans of Highcastle are peaceable today but used to conduct seasonal raids on Farhollow prior to the Claiming. 
  (True.)
  8. 
  Famed local ranger Murgun Ayer was recently found unconscious in the wilds covered in blood and without any memory 
  of the preceding day’s events. (True.)
  9. 
  Tegrin Puldor, proprietor of the Flaming Beard tavern, lost his legs in an ill-fated hunting accident about ten years ago. 
  (True.)
  10. The Iron Tribunal has cleared Duskforge Keep of bandits and is using the site to enact dark rituals. (The first part is true, 
  but the second is false.)
  11. An oubliette of labyrinthine tunnels and secret passages lies below the Cenotaph of the Great Mothers. (True.)
  12. During the Claiming, Clan Kragguard was waylaid by the Wicked Harvest, giving rise to the Grymkin Desolation. 
  (True.)
  13. The Lohrun Sisters of the Northern Bastion have plans to drive the Sept of Kharg Drogun from Farhollow. (True.)
  14. Residents of the Foundry have reported that a series of tremors have shaken the district over the last month. (True. 
  These tremors were caused by the expansion of the cephalyx hive.)
  15. Farhollow was built upon the ruins of an even older enclave: Drinaal’s Delve, the fabled City of Ash and Bronze. (True.)
  16. Street artist and known rabble-rouser Raenna Coldwell was spotted fleeing from the site of a vanishing. (True. Raenna 
  witnessed the abduction of Mavli Woldbraid and fled the scene in terror.)
  17. Legendary Claywife Drinaal Halfaxe is the only female dwarf known to hold the title of Stone Lord. (True.)
  18. Bosley’s Curio Shoppe is a front for Shield Moot Zero’s underworld activities. (True.)
  19. A cephalyx cognifex was spotted battling a frost drake in the foothills northeast of Farhollow. (True.)
  20. Those who vanished were captured by cephalyx mind slavers and are being subjected to unnatural experimentation. 
  (True, except for those who have already died in captivity.)
  NOTORIETY
  Before Clan Lord Daggot Gelhurn will trust the characters 
  with details of the vanishings, the characters must earn 
  favorable standing among Farhollow’s citizenry. In game 
  terms, the characters’ standing is tracked by notoriety points. 
  As the characters’ notoriety points increase, the distrust of 
  the Rhulfolk diminishes. Unfortunately for the characters, 
  the more notoriety points they have, the higher their risk of 
  being abducted by the cephalyx mind slavers.
  By the start of chapter 2, the characters have already 
  acquired 8 notoriety points due to their actions in defense 
  of the city during the troll assault and completing a faction 
  quest. The Achieving Notoriety table lists several actions 
  that can increase the characters’ notoriety. (The characters 
  can earn points multiple times for any action marked with an 
  asterisk.) In addition, if the characters defeat any creatures in 
  a random encounter, they gain notoriety points equal to the 
  creatures’ total CR. As the GM, you should feel free to add or 
  remove actions as you see fit.
  ACHIEVING NOTORIETY
   Action 
  Points
   Aid the sick at hospice. 
  2
   Calm skittish argus in a kennel. 
  2
   Catch a pickpocket in the act. 
  2
   Learn of Drinaal’s Delve. 
  2
   Perform at the Field of Skalds. 
  2
   Stop a drunken brawl. 
  2
   Uncover a clue in the investigations into  
  2 
   the vanished.* 
   Win a round in a Halfaxe Festival contest.* 
  1
  16
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  ENCOUNTER 4:  
  DINNER WITH THE CLAN 
  LORD
  Up to this point in the adventure, the characters have been 
  unable to gain an audience with Farhollow’s clan lord even 
  if they sought it, but that is about to change. Due to the 
  characters’ growing notoriety, Daggot’s chief attendant has 
  learned about their exploits and has advised his liege to break 
  bread with the party over supper.
  WENDYLMAR HALL
  If the characters accept the dinner invitation, a well-dressed 
  attendant escorts the party to Wendylmar Hall. Read the 
  following text aloud:
  The ancient citadel of Wendylmar Hall stands alone on a 
  windswept prominence overlooking the enclave of Farhollow. 
  Built atop a fifteen-foot-high granite berm, the entrance to the 
  main keep is accessed by means of a granite ramp flanked by 
  gas-fueled lamps. The towering main doors of the citadel stand 
  closed against the chill. The well-preserved head of a dire troll 
  looms above the entryway’s facade.
  AREA INFORMATION
  Wendylmar Hall has the following important features:
  Dimensions and Terrain. Rooms are immaculately 
  appointed and well maintained. Each hallway is 10 feet wide 
  and decorated with fine art from across western Immoren.
  Light. The citadel is well lit, with brass lamps and 
  sconces throughout.
  Sounds and Smells. Sounds carry easily throughout the 
  citadel and echo down its many corridors.
  FOYER
  The characters are asked to leave their implements of war 
  in the attendant’s care. If the characters refuse to disarm, 
  grim-faced glaives object until Daggot arrives to diffuse 
  the situation.
  DINING HALL
  The attendant escorts the honored guests through the 
  citadel, finally arriving at the grand dining hall. Read the 
  following text aloud:
  This grand dining hall is as impressive as it is spacious, its 
  thirty-foot-high vault supported by stone arches adorned with 
  carvings of winged beasts. The northern end of the hall is slightly 
  elevated, with six sconces illuminating the recessed space. An 
  imposing granite statue fills the alcove. It is expertly hewn in the 
  likeness of an armored dwarven warrior holding aloft a Rhulic 
  high shield clenched in both hands.
  GUEST QUARTERS
  The citadel houses guest quarters for important dignitaries 
  and trading partners. The guest wing is patrolled by loyal, 
  well-drilled glaives at all hours.
  CLAN LORD DAGGOT GELHURN
  Lawful good male Rhulic dwarf fighter
  Clan Lord Daggot Gelhurn is an opportunist who has had 
  difficulties living up to the expectations of his kinsmen. He 
  assumed control of the clan when his father died seventeen 
  years ago but has had difficulty making his own mark. 
  Daggot’s only heir—his daughter, Agami—is a competent 
  warrior in her own right. The clan lord fears that rival clans 
  will challenge his daughter’s succession when the time comes, 
  but he’s confident that she has the grit and charisma to 
  cement her claim.
  SOCIAL ENCOUNTERS
  Social interactions between player characters and nonplayer 
  characters are a critical component in making a fantasy world 
  feel alive. A well-roleplayed social encounter can dramatically 
  shift the trajectory or tone of an entire campaign. As one of 
  the three main pillars of the game, social encounters should 
  be just as evocative and memorable as combat or exploration.
  To help GMs run encounter 4, “Dinner with the Clan 
  Lord,” we’ve provided something akin to a social encounter 
  stat block. Instead of listing the NPC’s attacks and defenses, 
  we provide social maneuvers and reactions. Much like a 
  combat encounter, a social encounter plays out in a series 
  of rounds. Instead of attacking with swords and spells, the 
  characters are armed with insightful ploys and clever gambits. 
  Winning such an encounter may result in political advantage, 
  monetary reward, or a clue to the next encounter.
  SOCIAL ENCOUNTER
  Clan Lord Daggot Gelhurn has summoned the characters to 
  dine with him in hopes of persuading the adventurers to aid 
  the investigation into the recent disappearances, which he 
  calls “the vanishings.”
  17
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  Encounter Type. This encounter is a negotiation.
  Starting Attitude. Daggot’s starting attitude is friendly.
  Base DC. The base Difficulty Class for this encounter is 12.
  RUNNING THE ENCOUNTER
  The encounter is played out over a series of rounds and 
  continues until the characters collectively fail six ability 
  checks or succeed at twelve. The initiative order for each 
  round always begins with Daggot followed by the characters. 
  The characters can choose the order in which they speak, or 
  you can set the order by starting with the highest Charisma 
  ability score and proceeding in descending order.
  CHARACTERISTICS
  Daggot has strengths and weaknesses that may either aid or 
  hinder his negotiation with the characters.
  Egotistical. Characters who compliment Daggot’s 
  leadership gain a +5 bonus to Charisma (Deception) and 
  Charisma (Persuasion) for the rest of the encounter.
  Inadequacy. Daggot has had difficulty living up to the 
  heroic reputation of his late father, Clan Lord Mattick 
  Gelhurn. Characters who mention the exploits of the clan 
  lord’s late father gain a +5 bonus to Charisma (Intimidation) 
  checks for the rest of the encounter.
  Opportunist. If the characters fail an Intimidation check 
  against Daggot, the next two checks made against him have 
  disadvantage.
  DISCLOSURES
  Daggot reveals the following information if the characters 
  succeed on a Charisma (Intimidation) or Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check.
  Lords of Farhollow (DC 12). “The strongest martial clan in 
  town has always led Farhollow, and a Gelhurn has ruled in 
  Wendylmar Hall for the last seventy-five years.”
  Moot of the Hundred Houses (DC 18). “It’s hardly a secret that 
  I aspire to restore Clan Gelhurn to the Moot of the Hundred 
  Houses, a feat no clan of Farhollow has achieved since the 
  enclave’s founding.”
  Iron Tribunal (DC 25). “Yes, I have dealings with the 
  Iron Tribunal. Our interests are aligned, and I rely on their 
  council. Even I don’t know who leads the tribunes, but I’m 
  fairly certain Thutmuk the Bricklayer is counted among 
  their number.”
  NPC MANEUVERS
  Daggot may employ the following conversational tactics once 
  each during the encounter.
  Clan Lord’s Decree. “As sovereign of this enclave, I could 
  demand your participation in this investigation.” Daggot 
  gains a +5 bonus to Intimidation checks for two rounds.
  Heroic Sacrifice. “Gate Sentinel Admon Darrow gave his 
  life so you could aid us in our time of need.” Daggot gains a 
  +5 bonus to defend against all Charisma-based ability checks 
  for one round.
  Money Talks. “Am I dealing with heroes or mercenaries?” 
  Daggot tosses a platinum coin to each character, immediately 
  winning his next ability check.
  CHARACTER REACTIONS
  Each round, have the characters make a group DC 12 
  Wisdom (Insight) check. If they succeed, reveal to the 
  players one of the following tactics for provoking a beneficial 
  reaction during the negotiation.
  Bureaucracy. The characters question why the clan lord 
  delayed so long before formally opening an investigation. 
  They gain a +5 bonus to Wisdom checks for two rounds.
  Kayazy Gambit. The characters claim to be agents from 
  Korsk sent to Rhul to open trade negotiations. They gain a 
  +5 bonus to Charisma (Deception) checks for two rounds.
  TREASURE
  If the characters agree to investigate the disappearances, 
  Daggot will direct his attendant to cover their expenses at 
  any inn in the city and to pay them a daily stipend for their 
  trouble. The amount of the stipend is determined by the 
  number of ability check successes the characters accumulated 
  during their negotiations, as noted in the Stipends table.
  STIPENDS
  Successes 
  Daily Stipend
   0–6 
  2 gp
   7–10 
  5 gp
   11–14 
  10 gp
   
  15+ 
  25 gp
  DEVELOPMENT
  If the characters agree to aid in the investigation, proceed to 
  encounter 5, “The Vanishings.”
  Request Denied. If the characters refuse to aid the 
  investigation, Daggot informs nearby glaives to kindly escort 
  the adventurers to the High Meridian district and confiscate 
  their credentials, effectively restricting them to the outlander 
  district for the remainder of their stay. The characters 
  are abducted the next time they sleep in Farhollow, and 
  chapter 3 begins.
  ENCOUNTER 5: THE 
  VANISHINGS
  As the evening’s negotiations conclude, Daggot takes the 
  characters aside. Read the following text aloud:
  “These vanishings are quite worrisome. The festival has been a 
  welcome distraction for Farhollow, but I demand answers. The 
  sentinels and glaives have been investigating for weeks, but 
  all for naught. Bungling fools, the lot of them! Uncover what’s 
  behind these disappearances, and I will pay you handsomely.”
  THE INVESTIGATION
  With the characters signed on to the investigation, they 
  are given even greater freedom of movement throughout 
  the enclave. Daggot even offers the characters an escort 
  of two glaives if they so desire. Despite the clan lord’s 
  impatience, however, this isn’t a case that can be solved in a 
  matter of hours.
  18
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  MISSING PERSONS
  To aid in the investigation, Daggot has provided the 
  characters with a dossier of missing persons compiled by 
  the glaives. If the characters ask for information around 
  town, they can uncover interesting facts about each victim 
  by succeeding on a Charisma (Intimidation) or Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check against the indicated DC.
  Sinjun Chumley. Male human. Acolyte of the Brotherhood 
  of the Bloody Shroud, an order of physicians. Missing for 46 
  days. Last seen having his robes hemmed at Abasha’s Fine 
  Clothiers. Gossip (DC 20): Sinjun’s robes are always caked in 
  mud that smells of iron ocher.
  Epinac Mij. Male dwarf. Farrier at Redfire Stables. Missing 
  for 38 days. Last seen at the argus kennel. Gossip (DC 15): 
  Epinac has an uncanny ability to control the argus. Some 
  people suggest he possesses the gift of a warlock, like the 
  notorious dwarf Brun Cragback.
  Mavli Woldbraid. Female dwarf. Jeweler at Bosley’s Curio 
  Shoppe. Missing for 30 days. Last seen strolling the Vastmark 
  Marina at dusk. Gossip (DC 25): Mavli is one of the masked 
  tribunes of the Iron Tribunal.
  Girtha Hardwick. Female dwarf. Mercenary from 
  Groddenguard. Missing for 27 days. Last seen boarding a 
  ferry upriver. Gossip (DC 25): Girtha is an ex-convict on the 
  run from her former gang.
  Kelen Ironbid. Female ogrun. Scout in service to the Sept 
  of Kharg Drogun. Missing for 20 days. Last seen at the 
  Cenotaph of the Great Mothers. Gossip (DC 15): Kelen is 
  bound to her korune, the adept Thasin Jaigridar.
  Cullyn d’Gilbert. Male human. Representative of the 
  delegation from the Highcastle freehold. Missing for 16 days. 
  Last seen quartering at Duskforge Keep. Gossip (DC 18): 
  Cullyn is a nobleman from a prominent house in Merywyn.
  Lokmegazomog. Male gobber. Traveling junk dealer. 
  Missing for 8 days. Last seen exiting the Dusk Gate and 
  heading west. Gossip (DC 25): Lok is secretly an informant 
  for Shield Moot Zero.
  WHERE’S VETTA?
  Three days after the characters begin investigating the 
  disappearances, they wake up to discover that Vetta has 
  joined the ranks of the missing. The spirited gunfighter was 
  last seen chatting up some visiting Iosans at the Flaming 
  Beard tavern.
  CLUES
  With a grim roll call of everyone who’s gone missing, it’s 
  now time for the party to search every nook and cranny of 
  the enclave for clues. If the characters succeed at a difficult 
  group Intelligence (Investigation) check, they discover an 
  important clue. The characters can uncover the clues in the 
  order presented below and can discover one clue for each 24 
  hours of investigation.
  ITEMS OF INTEREST
  As with most investigations, a lot of time will be spent 
  tracking down leads that don’t pan out. The following items, 
  however, can be tied directly to the vanishings.
  Cracked Respirator (DC 20). A couple of months back, 
  Murgun Ayer was found unconscious outside of Farhollow 
  covered in another creature’s blood and with no memory of 
  what had transpired. Curiously, he was clutching a damaged 
  respirator of unknown artifice.
  Sawed-Off Hammerlock (DC 22). One of Vetta’s signature 
  hammerlock pistols was found in the privy at the Flaming 
  Beard tavern following her disappearance. The steel barrel of 
  the pistol pistol’s steel barrel was sawed clean through, as if 
  cut by a circular saw.
  Wrecking Ball (DC 25). An angler trawling the Ayeres 
  for bluegill crawfish hauled up one of her nets to find and 
  found a dense iron sphere and heavy chain welded to a 
  prosthetic gauntlet.
  GRAFFITI
  Curious drawings can be found on walls and other surfaces 
  throughout Farhollow. Embedded within the street art are 
  warnings written in Rhulic runes. Unknown to most, the 
  graffiti is the work of Raenna Coldwell.
  Heroes Fall (DC 18). In the courtyard in front of the 
  Hollowbite Distillery in Five Gates stands a monument 
  to one of Farhollow’s favorite daughters. Carved from 
  emerald-veined marble, the looming statue depicts Garline 
  Gherke, one of the vaunted heroes of the Battle of Henge 
  Hold. A recent addition to the warcaster’s chiseled armor 
  is graffito depicting a pickaxe lodged in the skull of a 
  shaft wight, accompanied with runes that translate to “As 
  above, so below.”
  PERSONS OF INTEREST
  Eyewitness accounts of the vanishings are hard to come 
  by. Three persons of interest will reveal their story to the 
  characters, but only after being offered a significant bribe of 
  at least 25 gp.
  MURGUN AYER
  Lawful neutral male Rhulic dwarf ranger
  A taciturn soul who never uses two words when one will 
  do, Murgun is never without his belt flask of hollowbite. 
  Muscular and fit for a venerable dwarf of his advanced years, 
  the ranger is at home both on the river and out among the 
  nearby mountains and tundra.
  If the characters question Murgun, read the following  
  text aloud:
  “I was tracking a Raevhan buffalo in the lowlands east of Harrow 
  Lake when I heard what sounded like a circular saw spinning 
  up behind me. I turned around to confront my assailant, but 
  before I could pull my durned axe, that slack-jawed buffalo 
  jumped us both. Next thing I know, Epinac Mij is drowning me 
  with swill, trying to rouse me. Where is that crazy-eyed argus 
  whisperer, anyhow?”
  RAENNA COLDWELL
  Chaotic good female Rhulic dwarf bard
  A free-spirited artist and skald, Raenna Coldwell is 
  something of an oddity among Rhulfolk. She alternates 
  between bouts of melancholy and mania, although she doesn’t 
  know why. The bard seldom travels without her paints and 
  brushes and is ready to apply her art to literally any canvas 
  19
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  when inspiration strikes her.
  If the characters question Raenna, read the following  
  text aloud:
  “I was tagging that new monument in Five Gates when Madam 
  Mavli caught me in the act. I didn’t want no trouble from Shield 
  Moot Zero, so I began fumbling with my coin purse. Before 
  I could pull a single coin, the sewer cover near the distillery 
  slid open, and three lurking horrors emerged. They dragged 
  old Woldbraid screaming into the darkness from whence they 
  came. Honest!”
  TEGRIN PULDOR
  Lawful neutral male Rhulic dwarf fighter
  Tegrin Puldor is the proprietor of the Flaming Beard, a 
  well-regarded pub known for serving hollowbite and a wide 
  variety of imported ales. An amiable fellow who lost his legs 
  in an ill-fated hunting accident a decade past, he moves about 
  Farhollow in a wheeled contraption of his own invention, 
  which he calls “the Iron Chariot.”
  If the characters question Tegrin, read the following  
  text aloud:
  “Aye, I served Ms. Wroughthammer on the night in question. 
  Entertaining some outlanders with tall tales and trick shots, 
  she was. Didn’t know anything was amiss until patrons started 
  complaining about the privy. Something had buried up into the 
  jakes from below. I found one of Vetta’s pistols discarded in the 
  filth, its barrel cut clean through. Great Fathers below! I hope the 
  lass is okay.”
  CONCLUDING THE CHAPTER
  Chapter 2 concludes shortly after the adventurers discover at 
  least three clues in the investigation and achieve at least 30 
  notoriety points.
  AFTERMATH
  Noting their burgeoning influence in the enclave, Daggot 
  invites the characters to relax overnight at Wendylmar Hall 
  and take in the fine amenities. If they are lodging elsewhere 
  in the city, he offers the guest chambers to them for the 
  remainder of their stay.
  When the characters report their findings to the clan lord, 
  read the following text aloud:
  “You’ve turned up some promising leads. As the festival draws to 
  a close, I am optimistic that we can draw this investigation to a 
  close as well and finally put these vanishings behind us. Please, 
  everyone: eat, drink, and rest your brains. Tomorrow you set out 
  anew, and with the Great Fathers’ blessings, I hope you can bring 
  this unpleasantness to an end.”
  Unfortunately for the characters, their rising notoriety in 
  Farhollow has also attracted the attention of the cephalyx 
  mind slavers. After the characters have enjoyed a good night’s 
  rest at Wendylmar Hall and leveled up, read the following 
  text aloud:
  You awake with a pounding migraine, your hair and clothes 
  thick with caked-on blood and bile. Everything aches, and it 
  takes a moment to clear your eyes. A faint glow from above 
  reveals your companions are nearby, each unconscious and in 
  rough shape. As darkness descends upon you once more, you 
  imagine the sound of distant voices, all crying out for help. One 
  voice in particular stands out among them: that of your missing 
  companion, Vetta Wroughthammer.
  LEVEL ADVANCEMENT
  If you’re using the milestone system instead of experience 
  points to track advancement, the characters advance from 1st 
  to 2nd level when they complete the chapter.
  20
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  CHAPTER 3:  
  OF STEEL AND CHAINS
  In chapter 3, the party finds themselves captives of the 
  unknowable cephalyx, a nearly alien offshoot of the human 
  race who place no value whatsoever on the lives of other 
  beings. These psychic humanoids live in subterranean hives 
  throughout Immoren, and their lairs are complex colonies 
  built by means of strange technologies and psionic powers. 
  Few have witnessed these mind slavers and lived to tell the 
  tale, and fewer still believe them to be more than mere myth.
  THE HIVE
  The cephalyx hive outside Farhollow is a multilayered 
  underground compound that reflects their society’s caste 
  structure. The colony is separated into zones. The leadership 
  caste dwells in the uppermost zone, known as the hive brain.
  Other zones include the Mechanifex’s workshop, where 
  cephalomek is designed and engineered; the cerebral 
  athenaeum, a library of brains maintained by the lower-
  caste preservers; the breeding complex and crèche, where 
  reproduction and raising of the young occurs under 
  clinical conditions; the low cephalomek chambers, where 
  experiments are conducted on the unfortunate prisoners of 
  the cephalyx; the captive cells, where prisoners are kept until 
  needed; and the corpse larder and sludge processing area, 
  where the cephalyx use unspeakable methods to generate 
  their “food.”
  The characters begin this chapter in the captive cells, a 
  temporary holding center for prisoners who are intended 
  to be studied or converted into drudges. The zone’s smooth 
  walls consist of a grey-blue stone-like material, and the floors 
  in many areas are reinforced with steel gratings.
  Each room that is not a cell contains one or more hidden 
  levers that can be used to sound an alarm that can be heard 
  throughout the zone, alerting the guards to dangers posed by 
  the captives.
  GENERAL FEATURES
  The cephalyx hive has the following important features:
  Ceilings. Passages and chambers are 20 feet high unless 
  otherwise indicated.
  Doors. All doors are made of steel with concealed hinges 
  and built-in locks. They are unlocked unless otherwise 
  indicated. The cephalyx use telekinesis to operate the locks 
  and therefore do not carry keys. A character using thieves’ 
  tools can unlock a locked door with a successful DC 20 
  Dexterity check unless otherwise stated. Alternatively, a 
  character can break open a locked door with a successful 
  DC 20 Strength check, although doing so produces a great 
  deal of noise that might draw unwanted attention.
  Light. Most areas are brightly lit by concealed alchemical 
  lighting structures.
  MODIFYING, EXPANDING, 
  AND ADDING ENCOUNTERS
  The encounters in this chapter are designed for four to six 
  2nd-level characters. If the party seems to be making their 
  way through the hive too easily, feel free to either increase 
  the number of guards or roll on the Random Encounters in 
  the Lower Levels of the Hive table.
  SLUDGE PIPES
  Certain areas throughout the hive contain waste ports—metal 
  drains that stick out of the floor and are used to eliminate 
  waste. Most of these are only about a foot in diameter, but a 
  few are large enough for a Small or Medium creature to fit 
  through. Waste ports are unlocked unless otherwise noted. 
  A character using thieves’ tools can unlock a locked waste 
  port with a successful DC 12 Dexterity check. Alternatively, 
  a character can break open a locked waste port with a 
  successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check, although 
  doing so produces a great deal of noise that might draw 
  unwanted attention.
  The pipes smell terrible, and any character that enters one 
  must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be 
  poisoned for 1 hour after exiting the pipe. Characters who 
  attempt to climb down the pipe will find themselves in a 
  complex maze of tubes. Roll on the Wandering the Sludge 
  Pipes table to find out what happens to them.
  HIVE LAYOUT
  The hive is structured vertically, and the characters will start 
  in the center of it. Because the characters can choose to go up 
  or down once they get to the lift, the scenarios may play out 
  in a different order than the one provided below.
  RANDOM ENCOUNTERS  
  IN THE LOWER LEVELS OF THE HIVE
  d100 
  Encounter
  01–30 
  10 giant rats
  31–50 
  5 swarms of rats
  51–70 
  2 cephalyx workers
  71–90 
  2 cephalyx drudges
  91–00 
  2 shaft wights
  21
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  22
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  CAPTIVES OF THE CEPHALYX
  The party awakens in a dismal cell (area 12 on the map). Read 
  the following text aloud:
  Dim blue light from an unseen source illuminates this six-sided 
  chamber. The walls are made of cold, smooth stone. The grated 
  metal floor reeks of dried blood and bodily waste. Every surface 
  of the cell is covered in a sticky film of excrement mixed with 
  other unknown substances. You hear a faint thrum beyond the 
  walls, as if some industrious machines are continuously working 
  at some unknowable purpose. Occasional screams and cries for 
  help echo in the distance before they are suddenly silenced. This 
  feels less like a prison and more like an abattoir.
  1A. GUARD TOWER
  This area comprises three conjoining hexagonal shapes. 
  In the center stands an enclosed platform 10 feet above 
  the floor. The platform has glass windows through which 
  cephalyx guards can monitor all cells and cell entrances using 
  a cephalomek device that acts as the scrying spell but can 
  only scry the contents of the containment cells. A successful 
  DC 20 Wisdom saving throw prevents a creature from 
  being observed.
  There will always be at least one cephalyx worker 
  and one cephalyx drudge here at any time. At any sign 
  of trouble, the cephalyx can call one more drudge from 
  area 1B as well.
  1B. INACTIVITY CHAMBER
  This area contains a vertical cylinder of cephalomek design 
  known as an inactivity chamber. The chamber’s padded 
  interior is large enough to comfortably house one Medium 
  or smaller creature. A humanoid creature that spends 1 hour 
  inside the chamber while it is activated gains the benefits of a 
  long rest. Each creature can benefit from this effect only once 
  in a 24-hour period. Activating the chamber for the first time 
  requires a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) check.
  A cephalyx drudge stands beside the chamber, awaiting 
  orders. The drudge does not attack unless it is attacked or is 
  directed by a cephalyx.
  WANDERING THE SLUDGE PIPES
   2d6 Results of Wandering
   
  2–3 
  The characters get stuck in a dead end filled 
  with sludge and must succeed on a DC 15 
  Strength saving throw to get unstuck. Any 
  character who can’t find a way to breathe can 
  survive for up to 1 minute, after which the 
  character begins to suffocate.
   
  4–6 
  The characters get turned around and end up 
  where they started.
   
  7–8 
  The characters find a lateral tunnel that 
  carries them to area 6 of the low cephalomek 
  chambers.
   9–12 The characters find their way to the sludge 
  pit in the sludge processing facility (see the 
  “Sludge Processing” section).
  23
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  1C. STORAGE AREA
  Cabinets and work tables line the southern portion of this 
  area. A quick search of them reveals enough items to create a 
  set of tinker’s tools and a healer’s kit.
  2. HALL OF HORROR
  Both doors to this area are locked. The area is guarded by 
  a cephalyx worker and a cephalyx drudge. The NPCs 
  sound the alarm if they spot any prisoners outside of their 
  cells and will fight to prevent any prisoners from escaping. 
  The worker allows the drudge to do the actual fighting 
  if possible and will flee to get reinforcements at the first 
  opportunity.
  3. CONCOURSE OF CRUELTY
  A locked door at the west end of this area opens to a hallway 
  leading to the lift and the low cephalomek chambers (proceed 
  to “The Low Cephalomek Chambers”).
  The southern chamber contains a locked waste port wide 
  enough for a Small creature to fit through. Moans can be 
  heard from the cell in area 15.
  4. PROCESSING
  The door leading to this area is locked. A cephalyx worker 
  waits here at all times to manage comings and goings into and 
  out of the cells. Scattered throughout the room are records 
  of all acquisitions and documentation regarding which 
  slaves are to be converted into drudges or monstrosities and 
  which are to be eliminated and dropped into the sludge pipes 
  for refining.
  Thought Cage. A roughly egg-shaped metallic object, 
  approximately two feet long, sits on a steel table. It has the 
  distinct look of cephalomek technology. One side features 
  markings and latches but no discernible lock. A cephalyx 
  can open the cage psionically; physically opening the cage 
  requires a successful DC 20 Strength check to pry it open or a 
  successful DC 15 Intelligence check using tinker’s tools.
  The cage contains the preserved remains of a humanoid 
  brain. This strange item keeps the brain alive and is used 
  to project records directly into the still-living brain; when 
  the organ can no longer any more information, it is sent to 
  the preservers for archiving. This particular brain contains 
  records of every being to enter the cells.
  5. STAIRWELL
  Stairs here lead up to the entrance of the breeding lab and 
  crèche (see “The Breeding Lab and Crèche”).
  6. DECONTAMINATION
  Prisoners are brought to this room to be stripped of their 
  possessions, hosed down with alchemical decontaminants, 
  and searched. This process is conducted once when new 
  prisoners arrive but is not conducted again after the prisoners 
  are locked in their cells. This area also contains a locked waste 
  port wide enough for a Small creature to fit through.
  7. CORRIDOR OF CONSTERNATION
  The cell attached to this room (area 14) is the source of at 
  least some of the screaming the characters heard from their 
  cell. The cell door is battered and covered with slash marks 
  but seems to be holding strong. Occasional animalistic howls 
  come from within the cell.
  8. ANTECHAMBER OF ANXIETY
  The door to this room is locked. Another cell lies to the south.
  9. GIRTHA HARDWICK
  Like all the prisoner cells in this area, this hexagonal room is 
  20 feet wide at its narrowest point and 30 feet at its widest. 
  This cell holds a young female Rhulic dwarf named Girtha 
  Hardwick. She is a thug from Groddenguard whose notoriety 
  was just starting to get her some big scores when a member 
  of her gang snitched on her. She took a ferry along the 
  river to Farhollow with plans to lay low for a while but was 
  snagged by cephalyx slavers while camping in the mountains. 
  She awoke a few days ago to find herself a prisoner here.
  Girtha is a liar and a cheat, but she knows she’s in a place 
  worse than the Dungeon Tower of Lakeforge and will side 
  with anyone who can get her out of this jam.
  10. LOKMEGAZOMOG
  This cell contains Lokmegazomog, or Lok, a middle-aged 
  gobber commoner. He made his living as a traveling junker 
  before finding himself in his current situation. Lok is honest 
  but sometimes forgets that other beings don’t take kindly to 
  “sharing” their belongings. He has somehow managed to find 
  a small piece of metal and sharpen it into an effective blade 
  that he keeps hidden in his cell. (Treat the blade as a dagger.)
  11. VETTA WROUGHTHAMMER
  This cell holds the party’s former benefactor, Vetta 
  Wroughthammer. She has been beaten and bruised by the 
  slavers but is still strong and willing to fight.
  12. THE CHARACTERS’ CELL
  There is a locked door on the northwest wall of this cell. 
  Picking the lock draws the attention of the guards in area 1A 
  unless the character who picked the lock makes a successful 
  Dexterity (Stealth) check against the guards’ passive Wisdom 
  (Perception) score.
  24
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  The steel gratings on the floor can be lifted or damaged 
  with a successful DC 25 Strength check. Lifting or damaging 
  the gratings reveals a floor beneath them. This exposed floor 
  is slightly concave, and a smaller grating at its center funnels 
  liquid waste away through the sludge pipe system to the 
  lowest level of the hive for processing into sludge. The pipe is 
  about a foot in diameter.
  13. SARTOK (“SMALLBRAIN”)
  This cell contains a small humanoid in cephalyx clothing. 
  This is Sartok, derided by other cephalyx as “Smallbrain.” 
  Their face is masked like a cephalyx, but they lack the telltale 
  prosthetic blades. If approached, the cephalyx cowers away 
  from the characters and takes great care not to make any 
  threatening gestures.
  If the characters attempt to communicate with Sartok, 
  the cephalyx introduces themselves in a hoarse and cautious 
  voice produced by a grating prosthetic voice box. Sartok is 
  an outcast among the cephalyx for their lack of telepathic 
  ability. Treat Sartok as a cephalyx worker with none of 
  the special traits or attack options except for the ability to 
  cast mage hand.
  If pressed, Sartok explains that they were the lowest-level 
  worker in the hive and were given the task of unclogging the 
  sludge pipes and processing corpses into “food.” They were 
  imprisoned for a minor offense that offended Exulon Anaks, 
  who had them thrown in a cell.
  Sartok is not unintelligent but suffers from very low 
  self-esteem because of their “disability.” Sartok is very much 
  aware of what fate awaits them and the characters if they do 
  not escape but finds their situation to be utterly hopeless.
  If the characters convince Sartok to join them in their 
  escape, the cephalyx is able to lead them to the lift but has 
  very little knowledge of the hive’s higher levels.
  14. DREGG
  This cell contains a wounded dregg. Its forearm blade has 
  been removed, leaving only a bloody stump. It has been 
  trapped for several days and is currently clawing at its 
  own flesh and screaming in ecstasy. If the dregg notices 
  the characters, it will immediately attack them with its 
  claws and bite.
  25
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  15. SHAFT WIGHTS
  Two shaft wights are being held captive here with the 
  intent to study them and determine the most effective way 
  to kill their kind, as they lack the thinking minds of living 
  creatures and are thus invulnerable to mental attacks. The 
  shaft wights invaded the hive when Exulon Anaks ordered 
  new tunnels be dug to expand the hive brain.
  The shaft wights attack the characters on sight.
  17. CORPSE
  A bloated human corpse has been rotting in this cell for a few 
  days, and the stench of death is stronger in this cell than in 
  any of the others. The age and gender of the deceased are not 
  readily apparent, but a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) 
  or Wisdom (Medicine) check reveals that the corpse is that of 
  a middle-aged male.
  18. KELEN IRONBID
  A female ogrun named Kelen Ironbid (see appendix C) sits 
  here. A native of the Glass Peaks, Kelen was captured while 
  exploring a cavern with her korune, a dwarf named Thasin 
  Jaigridar. Thasin fell down a crevasse during the struggle 
  with the cephalyx, and Kelen was subdued. She blames herself 
  for allowing her korune to be harmed but is holding out hope 
  that she may be reunited with him.
  Kelen is ashamed to admit that she is frightened of the 
  cephalyx but is willing to join the characters in their escape. 
  Although currently unarmed, she will take up weapons at 
  the first opportunity and is proficient with simple weapons 
  and martial weapons. She will trust any dwarven characters 
  almost immediately.
  EXODUS
  The characters are held captive in their cell for an 
  indeterminate amount of time, during which they may 
  try to make their escape. For the first forty-eight hours 
  of their containment, the guards do not interact with 
  them whatsoever. The cephalyx are not in the habit of 
  treating their prisoners with any degree of humanity, so 
  the characters will be without any equipment, food, or 
  spell components during this time. If the characters do not 
  obtain nourishment and proper rest, they gain one level of 
  exhaustion for every 24 hours spent in captivity.
  Once the cephalyx believe the characters have been 
  sufficiently weakened, they attempt to transport the party out 
  of the cells and into the low cephalomek chambers, where 
  the cephalyx intend to run experiments on the characters and 
  convert them into drudges if they are found worthy.
  Before transporting the characters, the cephalyx flood the 
  cell with a debilitating gaseous substance. Any character 
  subjected to this toxin must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution 
  saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. If the saving 
  throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is also restrained while 
  poisoned in this way as the gas dulls its senses and causes 
  its body to become numb. Once the gas has taken effect, 
  a cephalyx worker and a drudge extract the characters’ 
  unconscious bodies and strap them onto gurney-like devices. 
  Because most of their captives are incapable of withstanding 
  the gas, the cephalyx do not expect any resistance.
  If the characters resist and defeat their captors, they 
  can explore the prison area. If the characters resist but 
  fail to escape, the cephalyx attempt to stabilize any fallen 
  characters before strapping them down for transport, as 
  described above.
  If the characters are subdued and rendered unconscious, 
  they will be brought to the preparation room in the low 
  cephalomek chambers (see below).
  16. CULLYN D’GILBERT
  A thin, fair-skinned human male named Cullyn d’Gilbert is 
  here. A noble from an old and once-wealthy family from 
  Merywyn, Cullyn has travelled throughout Rhul in search 
  of investors in his father’s business. His funds had already 
  run low by the time he arrived in Farhollow. Feeling like 
  a failure, he spent the last of his coin in a dwarven tavern 
  trying to drown his sorrows. The next thing he remembered 
  was waking up here.
  26
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  THE LIFT SHAFT
  The cephalyx and their minions travel between levels of the 
  hive by means of an enormous lift shaft that runs through 
  the middle of the colony. When the characters arrive at this 
  structure for the first time, read the following text aloud:
  The hallway leading away from the captives’ chambers runs 
  for several hundred feet before it opens out into a massive shaft. 
  The vertical tunnel is about four hundred feet in diameter. In 
  the center is a stone tower that stretches from the inky blackness 
  below. The tower is less than thirty feet in diameter yet stands 
  impossibly tall. You can see neither top nor bottom; both ends 
  disappear out of sight as they blend into the darkness of the shaft.
  A metal gangway about ten feet wide provides a path to the 
  tower. It is supported by hundreds of cables that stretch to 
  the walls of this colossal cylinder. The passage leads directly 
  to a door on the side of the tower.
  The lift can be used to travel vertically between zones. A 
  trip from one level to another takes about fifteen minutes. 
  Beside the door on the outside of the tower is a series of 
  levers and buttons that control the lift. A successful DC 15 
  Intelligence (Investigation) check will make the operation of 
  the lift apparent.
  Opening the door to the lift reveals a cubicle 15 feet long 
  and 15 feet wide. On the opposite side of the cubicle is 
  another door, as well as a set of controls identical to those 
  on the outside of the tower. An identical gangway on the 
  opposite wall leads to the low cephalomek chambers.
  THE LOW CEPHALOMEK 
  CHAMBERS
  Low cephalomek involves the production of drudges and the 
  conducting of anatomical experiments, and the chambers 
  in this area of the hive contain all the facilities required to 
  produce and maintain the hive’s drudge population. The 
  cephalyx who perform this work are typically of lower station 
  in the hive than those who concern themselves with more 
  cerebral matters, but the cephalyx who leads this area—the 
  Mechanifex—holds a more esteemed role in the hive.
  THE TUNNEL
  The hall that leads to the low cephalomek chambers measures 
  15 feet wide and 15 feet tall and is made of the same stone 
  found throughout the hive. It progresses for 400 feet before 
  ending in a locked metal door that leads to the preparation 
  room. A character using thieves’ tools can unlock the door 
  with a successful DC 14 Dexterity check.
  1. PREPARATION ROOM
  A cephalyx worker examines all captives brought through 
  this room and determines their fitness for transformation. 
  The bound prisoners are poked, prodded, measured, and 
  weighed before their fates are determined. The great majority 
  become drudges, but exceptional specimens are marked for 
  conversion into monstrosities.
  2. STAGING ROOM
  After being examined, bound captives are moved to this 
  area until they are required by the Chirurgeon in area 5. 
  The room contains several gurneys and is guarded by one 
  cephalyx worker and two cephalyx drudges.
  3. RESEARCH ROOM
  When the characters enter this room, read the following  
  text aloud:
  The eerie blue light that permeates this subterranean compound 
  seems brighter here. Several tables and cabinets cluttered with 
  ominous devices fill the room. In the center stands a small tripod 
  supporting a claw-like contraption that holds a humanoid heart. 
  Despite being removed from its body, the heart is still beating.
  This room contains magnifying devices, scales, petri dishes, 
  and other tools for investigating the wonders of biology. The 
  tripod instrument is part of an experiment to see whether a 
  heart can be kept alive as long as a pulse of arcane energy is 
  passing through it.
  Countless scalpels, beakers, vials, and other scientific 
  objects are scattered across the nearby tables and stored 
  within the many cabinets in this room. The inside of one 
  particular cabinet is as cold as if it were filled with ice, but the 
  temperature seems to be regulated by cephalomek principles. 
  The cabinet contains several vials of blood, a jar of dwarf 
  eyeballs, and a tray filled with spores, molds, and fungus.
  4. STORAGE ROOM
  This room is filled with crates containing surgical equipment, 
  antibacterial liquids, and prosthetic parts ready to be grafted 
  onto test subjects. A quick search of the room reveals enough 
  components to make ten healer’s kits, and the mechanical 
  prosthetic pieces can be scavenged to form ten effective 
  facsimiles of any simple melee weapon.
  5. LABORATORY
  When the characters enter this room, read the following  
  text aloud:
  A Y-shaped room stretches out before you. At roughly forty feet 
  across at its widest points and forty feet long, it is the largest 
  area you have encountered so far.
  Seven slab-like structures covered in arcane surgical apparatuses 
  are staged here. One particularly large slab houses the body of 
  a massively muscular ogrun who is either dead or unconscious. 
  A freakishly lanky being clad from head to toe in black leather 
  is hunched over the ogrun’s body. Several prosthetic implements 
  protruding from the creature’s back dart to and from the slab, 
  although whether to dissect the ogrun or operate on it, you can’t 
  be sure. The creature seems completely immersed in its work and 
  unaware of your presence.
  This individual is the Chirurgeon, a cephalyx slaver who 
  is in the process of converting the ogrun into a cephalyx 
  warden. The job is only half done. The ogrun’s limbs have 
  been replaced with mecha fists, but the Chirurgeon has 
  yet to complete the placement of the head plate. Until this 
  task is done, the ogrun is only mostly a monstrosity and 
  cannot be controlled by the cephalyx any more than any 
  other being can.
  If the characters successfully interrupt the process and 
  defeat the Chirurgeon, they can revive the ogrun with a 
  successful DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. The ogrun has 
  no memory of his life before waking up on the slab but can be 
  27
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  persuaded not to attack the party if they are kind to him. The 
  ogrun uses the stats of a cephalyx warden but doesn’t have the 
  Respirator special trait or the Head Plate attack.
  The other six slabs are empty.
  This room also contains an inactivity chamber similar to 
  the one in area 1B of the captive cells, as well as a waste port 
  wide enough for a Small creature to fit through.
  6. CLEANSING
  The Chirurgeon and their assistants use this room to clean 
  their clothing and equipment before and after surgery. 
  Devices in the room produce steaming-hot running water 
  at the flick of a lever. The room includes a waste port wide 
  enough for a Medium creature to fit through.
  7. FAILED EXPERIMENT WARD
  When the characters enter this area, read the following  
  text aloud:
  You enter what seems to be a museum of aberrant freaks. The 
  chamber is eerily quiet save for the occasional hiss and gurgle 
  of liquid life. The walls are lined with several rows of shelves, 
  each of which is lined with jars containing blood, strange fluids, 
  organs, and things you can’t identify.
  28
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  This is where failed cephalomek experiments are kept. It 
  is filled with cabinets and display cases containing various 
  horrors, including:
  1. 
  A head sitting beneath a large bell jar on a black marble 
  plinth. The head continuously stares at all who enter 
  the room. It moves its mouth as if to speak, but no 
  words come out. If removed from the jar, the head goes 
  motionless and remains an inert body part until placed 
  back under the glass.
  2. 
  A troll arm being kept “alive” with arcane infusions. The 
  arm’s regenerative properties have been amplified, and 
  the arm has sprouted multiple new fingers that split off 
  from each other like the branches of a tree.
  3. 
  A six-foot-tall glass cylinder on a stand containing 
  a mass of quivering, oozing flesh that drips a steady 
  stream of green goo. The creature within is a gibbering 
  mouther. It is dormant but will reveal countless eyes 
  and teeth if disturbed. If the glass is broken, the creature 
  attacks immediately.
  4. 
  The half-dissected corpse of a male dwarf strapped down 
  on a slab. The corpse’s left arm has been replaced by a 
  saw-toothed blade, and its open chest cavity is missing a 
  heart. If the heart from area 3 is placed inside the chest 
  cavity, the opening will seal itself, and the corpse will 
  behave as a zombie with an Intelligence of 9 and the 
  neutral alignment. The zombie will not attack the party 
  unless threatened but will attack cephalyx or drudges on 
  sight.
  8. GUARD ROOM
  When the characters enter this room, read the following  
  text aloud:
  This chamber is empty. Two doors lead out of it. One resembles 
  the cell doors from the prison zone. Large dents protrude out of it 
  and into the room, as if something on the other side—something 
  very strong—has been trying to force its way out. Three of your 
  captors’ mindless slaves are standing at attention with their 
  weapons extended toward you.
  Three cephalyx drudges stand guard here. Their 
  commands are to not let anyone pass other than 
  the Chirurgeon.
  9. CELL
  This cell is structurally identical to the cells where the 
  characters first wake up in the hive. Its current inhabitant 
  is a half-transformed human named Darek. Darek does not 
  recall his life before waking up here. He is very hungry but 
  will attack only if provoked. Darek can no longer eat ordinary 
  food but will instinctively know how to insert the sludge 
  ampoules into his feeding tube.
  Due to the lockdown that was initiated immediately after 
  the shaft wight incursion, the Chirurgeon didn’t have time to 
  finish Darek, who was placed in this cell a couple of days ago 
  and temporarily forgotten. Even though his memories have 
  been erased, Darek still has his free will, more or less.
  Treat Darek as a cephalyx drudge with an Intelligence 
  of 9 and a Wisdom of 12 and without the Respirator 
  special trait.
  10. SLUDGE STOCKPILE
  Refined sludge from the lowest level of the hive is kept 
  here in large glass ampoules stacked on carts. Each 
  ampoule weighs 2 pounds and is equal to one day’s worth 
  of nourishment for a drudge and half a day’s worth for a 
  monstrosity. There are two dozen ampoules in total.
  Any creature other than a cephalyx, drudge, or monstrosity 
  that attempts to consume the sludge must succeed on a DC 12 
  Constitution saving throw or begin retching and be poisoned 
  for 1d4 hours.
  11. CELL
  This cell is structurally identical to cell 9. It contains a dregg 
  that was fully converted into a drudge, but the cephalyx 
  found that their mind control commands did not work on 
  dregg even after the creatures had been fully converted. Treat 
  the creature as a dregg with the drudge’s Inhuman Fortitude 
  and Respirator special traits.
  THE CORPSE LARDER
  If the characters take the lift down to the lowest levels, read 
  the following text aloud:
  The lift ends here in a dark basement. A vast corridor nearly 
  forty feet wide extends to the east and west. The biting cold of 
  the stone floor is particularly sharp here. This area is as silent 
  as a tomb, and the immense hall extends into utter blackness in 
  both directions.
  A narrow metal rail-line runs the course of the passage.
  The rails are used to carry carts from the larder to the 
  sludge processing center to the east.
  The hall to the west travels for several hundred feet before 
  ending in a wide wall with one set of 10-foot-wide double 
  doors at its center. The doors are protected by a standard lock 
  and chain. The lock can be picked with a successful DC 15 
  Dexterity check using thieves’ tools.
  If the characters open the door, read the following  
  text aloud:
  The door opens to a truly horrific sight. A monstrous chamber 
  stretches as far as the eye can see. You are struck by an 
  overwhelming odor of iron and copper, and your cold breath 
  dangles in the air before you as you gaze at row upon row of 
  carcasses hanging from tenterhooks. Countless human and 
  humanoid bodies—each one headless, limp, split down the center, 
  and drained of vital fluid—are stored here like so much meat.
  Dozens of cephalyx workers hover about this slaughterhouse 
  tending to their duties. Each is accompanied by a drudge servant 
  that seems to be responsible for performing any physical labor.
  The cephalyx use this area to store the leftover cadavers 
  of their victims, as well as their own dead. Some of those 
  who were deemed unfit for drudge conversion or whose 
  bodies were too damaged during their capture are used in 
  experiments, but most are carted off to the sludge processing 
  center to be converted into “food.”
  The larder contains three dozen cephalyx workers and 
  an equal number of cephalyx drudges. If the characters are 
  not silent, the workers will spot them and set off an alarm, 
  but only a fraction of the room’s occupants will give chase 
  29
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  if the characters flee. If it becomes apparent that the hive 
  is being infiltrated, Silexus Hexamon will send a cephalyx 
  slaver and a cephalyx subduer down the lift to capture the 
  party and return them to the cells under higher security.
  SLUDGE PROCESSING
  The railway ends here at another 10-foot-wide double door. 
  Two empty carts sit outside the doors. Banging, clanking, 
  whirring, and thrumming can be heard beyond the doors—
  the sound of some tremendous machinery working at some 
  dark and unknown purpose.
  The doors are unlocked. If the characters open the doors, 
  read the following text aloud:
  Your face is assaulted by a wave of heat as you open the 
  door. A huge factory floor stretches out before you. Numerous 
  pipes connect from the ceiling to a multitude of machines. 
  Boilers, filtration systems, and other strange mechanisms 
  are transforming the liquid goo from the sludge pipes into 
  something else.
  Workers and their servants scurry about their tasks, engrossed 
  in some purpose you don’t understand and prefer not to think 
  about for too long.
  SLUDGE PIT
  Waste pipes from throughout the hive funnel into this 
  area. The lowest-ranking cephalyx sort organic waste from 
  inorganic waste (using drudge labor, of course). Organic 
  matter is pureed into a sludge that is pumped into glass 
  ampoules to be distributed throughout the hive and used as 
  sustenance by cephalyx and drudges.
  A few dozen cephalyx drudges and cephalyx workers 
  are here, but not all of them will engage the characters. 
  Use your best judgement to determine how many workers 
  confront the party directly. If the characters are spotted, the 
  workers sound the alarm, prompting the overlords from the 
  higher levels to send appropriate reinforcements (see “The 
  Corpse Larder”).
  There are enough tools in this compound to create six sets 
  of smith’s tools and six sets of tinker’s tools.
  At the rear of the facility is a fungus farm, the produce 
  of which is used to supplement the sludge production. It 
  contains enough mushrooms and other edible fungus to make 
  up to twenty days’ worth of rations for one individual.
  THE CEREBRAL ATHENAEUM
  The western tunnel from the lift ends in a set of unlocked 
  double doors leading directly to the cerebral athenaeum. 
  This massive complex is structured like an ordinary library, 
  but instead of books, this hall of knowledge contains brains 
  preserved in jars, each containing a lifetime of memories. 
  Here the preservers organize and store the history of the hive, 
  as well as their collective knowledge of science and magic.
  Several low-level cephalyx work here as preservers under 
  the command of the Minder, a cephalyx named Gnossik.
  1. FOYER
  If the characters enter this area, read the following text aloud:
  The angular, minimalistic style of this hall is somehow more 
  decorative than the rest of the complex. The marble columns that 
  flank the entryway are carved with a strange relief pattern that 
  resembles the texture of coral . . . or perhaps a human brain.
  2. VISITORS’ HALL
  Cephalyx from around the hive come here to inquire about 
  information stored by the preservers. Visitors from the 
  crèche occasionally come here looking for new information 
  with which to program the offspring, as do various low-level 
  cephalyx delivering archives in the form of thought cages, 
  like the one found in the processing area of the captive cells. 
  The area is almost always empty except for a lone cephalyx 
  worker who serves as a clerk.
  3. ANTECHAMBER
  Two cephalyx drudges stand guard here to prevent 
  unauthorized individuals from entering the major archive. 
  Their commands cannot be overridden by anyone ranking 
  lower than an overlord other than the Minder.
  4. MINOR ARCHIVE
  This is where the cephalyx psychically and physically dissect 
  individuals who have information they require. Useful brains 
  are extracted and placed in jars in order to maintain their 
  utility as storage devices for information.
  Two cephalyx workers are currently attending to the 
  brain of a cephalyx slaver who was killed during the shaft 
  wight incursion. Their orders are to extract evidence that 
  Silexus Hexamon orchestrated Exulon Anaks’ untimely death.
  5. THE MINDER’S PRIVATE STUDY
  The door to this chamber is protected with a mechanical lock. 
  The lock can be picked with a successful DC 20 Dexterity 
  check using thieves’ tools. Gnossik the Minder, a cephalyx 
  slaver, conducts their own private research here. Gnossik 
  is convinced that Silexus Hexamon is behind the death of 
  Exulon Anaks. The Minder seeks to improve their own 
  standing in the hive by revealing this transgression. Gnossik 
  believes it is high time that the preservers have a more direct 
  influence on the control of the hive and has been promised by 
  Akulon Kardax that their investigation will be rewarded.
  Gnossik’s study contains several jarred brains that are 
  allowed to be read only by the Minder or a higher-ranking 
  cephalyx. It also contains a single inactivity chamber.
  6. NECESSITIES
  This room contains two inactivity chambers for low-ranking 
  preservers to use, as well as a waste port wide enough for a 
  Small creature to fit through.
  7. MAJOR ARCHIVE
  The door to this room is protected with a mechanical lock. 
  The lock can be picked with a successful DC 20 Dexterity 
  check with thieves’ tools.
  This 90-foot-by-60-foot chamber is where the minds 
  of cephalyx and outsiders are stored. Most of the brains 
  kept here are those of dwarves and humans whose stored 
  memories have been altered to maintain the hive’s gathered 
  knowledge. A few are kept with their original memories 
  intact, either because they were considered of interest or 
  because the preservers have not gotten around to wiping and 
  rewriting their memories.
  30
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  If the characters enter this chamber, read the following  
  text aloud:
  This monumental rotunda contains a labyrinth of shelves over 
  twelve feet high. A dim light coming from somewhere overhead 
  allows you to just make out the contents of this twisted library. 
  Each shelf is lined with bell jars containing humanoid brains 
  suspended in some sort of greenish gel. At a glance, there 
  must be thousands of brains kept here. The room is devoid of 
  any occupants.
  If the characters touch one of the jars, read the following  
  text aloud:
  You touch the glass jar and immediately feel a tingling sensation 
  run the length of your arm. From what you can tell, the human 
  brain tissue is still alive.
  The brains are in a permanent state of suspended 
  animation and are not cognizant of anything (including 
  the passage of time) unless another being communicates 
  with them using telepathy, the detect thoughts spell, or 
  similar magic.
  Most of the minds collected here contain reference 
  knowledge, but many store histories of the hive and its 
  beginnings. This hive was formed centuries ago after a much 
  larger hive suffered a calamity and was broken into several 
  smaller ones.
  The majority of unaltered brains belong to cephalyx who 
  have passed on but whose contributions were considered 
  worthy of preservation. These brains are resistant to spells 
  such as detect thoughts and will not communicate with lesser 
  beings. Non-cephalyx brains are used primarily for storage.
  Characters who search for unaltered (or mostly unaltered) 
  brains can find the preserved minds of the following NPCs:
  • Tash Lamaron, a human paladin of Menoth from Sul who 
  was captured by the cephalyx years ago. His mind has been 
  kept whole to be studied and used as a control specimen 
  for experiments. The preservers are investigating whether 
  brain structure is connected to the ability to cast divine 
  magic. If they discover that such a connection exists, they 
  will attempt to implement divine magic through cerebral 
  augmentations. If the players communicate with Tash, he 
  will be gracious but cautious. He doesn’t realize his fate and 
  only remembers falling during a fight. 
  • Emwyl Cloud, a human mechanik from Corvis who ran 
  off with an adventuring company when she was young and 
  then met her end at the hands of a cephalyx raiding party. 
  Her brain is being kept intact solely because her caustic 
  wit has amused her assigned preserver every time the 
  preserver has attempted to dissect her mind. It is unheard 
  of for a cephalyx to develop fondness for a lesser creature, 
  so the preserver hid their shame by stashing Emwyl’s brain 
  behind a series of brains filled with knowledge of sludge 
  pipe maintenance.
  • An insane male dwarf whose tattered gray matter sits in 
  a very dusty jar tucked away in a corner. The dwarf was 
  captured and dissected by the cephalyx long ago and no 
  longer recalls his own name. If communicated with, he 
  babbles about how the city is sinking and how no one 
  will listen to him. If the matter is pressed, he screams and 
  laughs for several moments before becoming silent, after 
  which he will not respond to further attempts at contact.
  THE BREEDING COMPLEX 
  AND CRÈCHE
  The eastern tunnel from the lift leads here, as does a 
  stairway in area 5 of the captive cells. Cephalyx breeding 
  technicians use this area both to reproduce their species and 
  to manipulate their own genetics in order to enhance their 
  already prodigious psychic ability. (All cephalyx are created 
  through artificial reproduction with no concept of gender.)
  The offspring containment center and crèche are also 
  located in this zone. The crèche is where young cephalyx are 
  developed and educated in specialized inactivity chambers 
  that implant knowledge directly into their minds.
  1. ENTRYWAY
  Two cephalyx drudges guard the entryway with orders to 
  attack anyone who enters.
  2. GUARD POST
  The door to this room is made of steel and protected with 
  a mechanical lock. The lock can be picked with a successful 
  DC 20 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools.
  A cephalyx worker is stationed here. At the sound of any 
  trouble from the entryway, the worker sounds an alarm.
  3. BREEDING LAB
  If the characters enter this area, read the following text aloud:
  This area houses a series of enormous glass tubes filled with a 
  greenish gel similar to the stuff found in the brain jars from the 
  library. Floating in each jar is a pale, bald, and weak humanoid 
  youth, seemingly alive but unconscious. Each tank is connected 
  to a system of tubes, filters, and unknowable apparatuses. After 
  a moment, you recognize the tanks’ eerie, limp inhabitants: row 
  after row of young cephalyx, all identical in every way.
  A cephalyx worker and two cephalyx drudges are 
  monitoring the immature cephalyx. The worker orders the 
  drudges to attack all outsiders.
  All the cephalyx youth within the cloning tubes are 
  physically similar to humans, albeit sickly and weak 
  specimens. Physically, they appear to be somewhere between 
  ten and fifteen years old.
  If a tank is broken, the gel spills out of it, and the cephalyx 
  inside will start to suffocate. An immature cephalyx can be 
  stabilized with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. 
  Any awakened cephalyx are disoriented but not immediately 
  prone to violence. They can’t speak but can communicate 
  telepathically. Although intelligent, the immature cephalyx 
  are all but catatonic and have not yet been imparted any 
  knowledge by their caretakers. Like infants, they can 
  communicate basic needs only. The cephalyx are hungry 
  but can’t feed themselves. A successful DC 10 Wisdom 
  (Medicine) check determines that they use sludge ampoules 
  as food, just as the drudges do. Any character who provides 
  one of these cephalyx with sludge has advantage on any 
  Charisma rolls with that particular cephalyx.
  31
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  Treat the immature cephalyx as cephalyx workers with 6 
  hp, AC 10, a Strength of 4, and a Dexterity of 10 and without 
  the Mind Blast and Prosthetic Blade actions.
  4. STORAGE AND CLEANING
  This chamber is split in two. One half contains several hoses 
  with running water for cleaning, as well as a small waste port 
  that is only about a foot wide. The second half is filled with 
  cleaning, medical, and scientific research supplies. There is 
  enough equipment here to create four healer’s kits and two 
  sets of alchemist’s supplies.
  5. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
  This chamber is filled with several objects and materials 
  used for research and development of cephalyx technology. 
  A large table in the middle of the room is covered with test 
  tubes containing different liquids and chemicals. A successful 
  DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that the 
  cephalyx are capable not only of reproducing their species 
  in a lab, but also of using their scientific devices to pick and 
  choose which traits are most desired in their offspring.
  6. GUARD POST
  The passageway between the breeding lab and the crèche 
  is long and narrow. A door at the end of it is guarded by a 
  cephalyx warden being controlled by a cephalyx worker.
  7. CRÈCHE
  The crèche is laid out in a grid pattern with dozens of tubes 
  similar to those in the inactivity chambers. Each contains an 
  adolescent cephalyx covered from head to toe in the leather 
  suits typical of their kind. Cephalomek devices within the 
  chambers flood the young cephalyx with the knowledge they 
  will need to perform their functions. A cephalyx worker 
  referred to as the Instructor is here maintaining the machines 
  and determining the curriculum.
  Several crates are stacked against one wall. Each is filled 
  with sludge ampoules, machine parts, and prosthetics that 
  have not yet been assigned to the young cephalyx.
  8. TRAINING
  This enclosure is outfitted with obstacles and objects for 
  manipulating and maneuvering around. A cephalyx 
  worker known as the Trainer uses this room to instruct 
  young cephalyx in the coordination of their bodies and 
  prosthetics.
  The room is currently occupied by the Trainer, six young 
  cephalyx, and two cephalyx drudges. Treat the young 
  cephalyx as cephalyx workers without the Mind Blast action.
  CONCLUDING THE CHAPTER
  Chapter 3 concludes when the adventurers have 
  completed exploring the lower zones and advance to the 
  Mechanifex’s workshop.
  LEVEL ADVANCEMENT
  If you’re using the milestone system instead of experience 
  points to track advancement, the characters advance from 
  2nd to 3rd level when they complete the chapter.
  The Tunnel Rat
  A female gobber who refers to herself as Ak-ak (see appendix 
  C) has taken up residence in a series of tunnels she has dug 
  behind the stack of crates in the crèche. The young cephalyx 
  have seen Ak-ak come and go when the Instructor and the 
  Trainer are not around and have told them about her. Unable 
  to detect the reported intruder, the Instructor is concerned 
  that some sort of defect in the learning devices has caused 
  this batch of juveniles to become tainted and delusional and is 
  deciding whether to euthanize them all.
  In truth, Ak-ak was a captive who suffered a brain injury 
  while captured and escaped the Chirurgeon in the chaos that 
  occurred during the shaft wight incursion. For some reason, 
  her injury has made her incapable of being detected by the 
  psychic powers of the cephalyx.
  Ak-ak is becoming unhinged and starting to behave erratically 
  as a result of her untreated brain trauma and the stress of 
  surviving in the tunnels with little food or drink. She has 
  managed to evade capture so far due to her immunity to 
  psychic probing but is low on resources and getting desperate.
  32
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  CHAPTER 4:  
  OF FEAR AND FREEDOM
  Random Encounters in  
  the Upper Levels of the Hive
  d100 
  Encounter
  01–30 
  2 cephalyx workers
  31–70 
  2 cephalyx drudges
  71–80 
  2 shaft wights
  81–90 
  1 cephalyx slaver
  91–00 
  1 cephalyx subduer
  In this chapter, the characters make their way into the heart 
  of the cephalyx hive, where its highest-ranking members 
  see to the most advanced research and fabrication, attended 
  by throngs of drudges and powerful monstrosities. In order 
  to escape their captors, the characters must make their 
  way through these well-guarded chambers and through an 
  infestation of undead. Along the way, they might uncover a 
  plot that has upset the delicate balance of the hive.
  MODIFYING, EXPANDING, 
  AND ADDING ENCOUNTERS
  The encounters in this chapter are designed for four to six 
  3rd-level characters. If the characters seem to be making their 
  way through the chapter too easily, feel free to increase the 
  number of guards or roll on the Random Encounters in the 
  Upper Levels of the Hive table.
  33
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  THE MECHANIFEX’S 
  WORKSHOP
  The Mechanifex is the hive’s master of cephalomek, the 
  science of surgical and mechanikal hybridization that allows 
  for the many enhancements that help make the cephalyx so 
  fearsome. Within the Mechanifex’s domain, select captives 
  are exposed to growth-inducing hormones and converted 
  into the towering, murderous monstrosities that make up the 
  heaviest weapons in the hive’s arsenal.
  1. THE GRAND FACTORY
  When the characters enter this area, read the following  
  text aloud:
  The lift ends here in the center of a gargantuan workshop 
  filled with esoteric machines made of polished black metal. 
  Half a dozen cephalyx workers and their ever-present drudges 
  operate the machinery, which mostly seems designed to generate 
  implements of destruction.
  Tubes and wires running across the floor and dangling 
  from the ceiling connect the machines to power sources and 
  to one another. Caches of tools and weapons line countless 
  racks throughout the workshop.
  Six cephalyx workers and six cephalyx drudges toil 
  at various machines here. Several workers are attempting 
  to repair a cephalyx wrecker that is lying unconscious 
  on an enormous slab. If the characters attack, one of the 
  workers will use an action to wake the wrecker and then flee 
  as the monstrosity lashes out at all creatures in its sight. The 
  wrecker is injured and has half its total hit points.
  Several other workers are churning out blades, saws, 
  gauntlets, and other weapons used by drudges and 
  monstrosities. The rest are hovering over various machines 
  and tending to their esoteric duties.
  2. THE MECHANIFEX’S STUDIO
  The Mechanifex is a cephalyx slaver tasked with designing 
  weapons, armor, and other devices, as well as with 
  investigating any new technology that the cephalyx come 
  across. They are currently locked in their study examining 
  a steamjack recently acquired during a raid. (If one of 
  the characters had a ’jack, this one is theirs. Otherwise, 
  use the stats for a light laborjack of your choosing.) The 
  steamjack is partially disassembled with its cortex exposed. 
  The Mechanifex has been trying to communicate with the 
  steamjack’s cortex in an effort to learn the weaknesses of 
  steamjacks and devise a method of controlling them and 
  possibly even overtaking them on the battlefield. Thus far, 
  their efforts have been fruitless.
  The Mechanifex has also been working on a helmet that 
  protects the wearer against the psychic powers of others. 
  Four finished helmets are scattered throughout the studio. 
  Each one grants the wearer resistance to psychic damage.
  3. DRUDGE PENS
  When the characters enter this area, read the following  
  text aloud:
  Countless cubicles made of steel bars arranged in a grid pattern 
  fill this area. A cephalyx drudge stands waiting in each cubicle, 
  like an implement stored in a drawer until it is needed.
  A mechanism by the door to this area allows a character 
  to lift some or all of the bars so that the drudges may exit the 
  pens. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check 
  reveals how to work the mechanism. If a character flips 
  random levers in an attempt to work the controls, roll on the 
  table below to see what happens.
   2d10 Result
   
  2–6 
  1d4 creatures are released from the pens.
   7–12 Nothing happens.
   13–18 One creature is released from the pens.
   19–20 All the creatures are released from the pens at 
  once.
  The drudge’s minds have been lulled into a stupor, and the 
  drudges do not act unless ordered by a cephalyx. There are 
  120 drudges currently housed here.
  4. MONSTROSITY PENS
  These pens are similar to the drudge pens, but the individual 
  pens are much larger and the bars are much thicker. Six 
  cephalyx subduers and six cephalyx wreckers are 
  housed here. The monstrosities are far more murderous than 
  their drudge counterparts and will attack anyone who sets 
  them free. Only a cephalyx ranked as an overlord or higher 
  can calm them.
  The mechanism for releasing the monstrosities is nearly 
  identical to the one in area 3. Any character who succeeded 
  on the Intelligence check to operate the mechanism in the 
  drudge pens can operate this one as well. If the characters 
  decide to pull random levers, roll on the previous table to 
  determine what happens.
  5. ARMORY
  When the characters enter this area, read the following  
  text aloud:
  Aisle after aisle of weapons are stored here. Wrecking balls, 
  spiked metal clubs, gigantic bladed flails, and prosthetics of 
  all shapes, sizes, and variety of construction are stacked here 
  alongside cephalomek armored shells and other devices of 
  indiscernible purpose.
  The party can use the materials in this armory to create 
  improvised versions of any simple weapon or any melee 
  martial weapon. If the party had any special weapons or 
  equipment you would like them to recover, this would be a 
  logical place for those items to turn up.
  34
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  THE HIVE BRAIN
  The hive’s upper echelon spend their time here. Compared 
  to the workers, these cephalyx are largely idle. Most of 
  their time is spent arguing with one another over how best 
  to advance the goals of the hive or plotting against their 
  superiors for a chance to command.
  This section of the adventure describes the personal 
  chambers of some cephalyx NPCs. When the characters 
  enter one of these chambers, roll a d6. On a roll of 5 or 6, 
  the room’s owner is present unless the narrative prevents it 
  (for example, if the NPC is dead or is known to be in another 
  location at that time).
  CEPHALYX HIERARCHY
  Each cephalyx hive is governed by a rigid hierarchy of ruling 
  cephalyx. Those who occupy the lowest leadership positions 
  are known as overlords and are usually organized into 
  trios. The akulons direct multiple teams of overlords in the 
  day-to-day running of the hive. Those who have achieved 
  the rank of silexus govern the hive’s resources directly and 
  serve as a link to the hive’s supreme leader, known as an 
  exulon. Ambitious cephalyx rise in rank by demonstrating 
  their surgical and psychic prowess and completing vital 
  assignments for their superiors.
  WHAT THE PLAYERS DON’T KNOW
  Some time ago, Exulon Anaks ordered the expansion of this 
  area of the hive. Unbeknownst to the cephalyx, they were 
  tunneling into a lost district of Drinaal’s Delve that was 
  infested with shaft wights. The undead swarmed the hive for 
  three days. Akulon Kardax and their counterpart and rival, 
  Akulon Poleximus, spearheaded the counterattack that drove 
  the undead back to the mine shafts, which the cephalyx then 
  collapsed in order to prevent more of the creatures from 
  entering. This misstep cost Anaks much of their credibility, 
  and Silexus Hexamon called an assembly in the amphitheater 
  to challenge the exulon’s leadership. Rumors had been 
  spreading that some shaft wights were still loose in the hive 
  after the shafts were collapsed, but Anaks and Kardax both 
  denied the possibility.
  The leadership challenge did not succeed, and Anaks 
  maintained authority. As the exulon was exiting the assembly, 
  they encountered Sartok, a low-level worker known as 
  “Smallbrain,” who had become lost while on an errand to an 
  area of the hive they had never visited before. Sartok failed to 
  avert their gaze from the exulon and was imprisoned for this 
  minor offense.
  Many days later, Exulon Anaks was found dead in 
  their chamber, covered in the gravel of a shaft wight’s 
  vomit. Akulon Kardax suspects that Silexus Hexamon was 
  instrumental in the exulon’s death. Kardax maintains that 
  the only shaft wights left inside the hive were those captured 
  to be studied, and only a high-ranking member of the hive 
  would have the authority to not only remove a shaft wight 
  from the laboratory but also cover it up.
  When the characters enter the hive brain, read the 
  following text aloud:
  You are deep in the home of your captors. The honeycombed 
  chambers of this level snake and turn in a labyrinthine manner. 
  Cephalyx overlords hover in the air as they go about their 
  inscrutable business while their drudge and monstrosity servants 
  walk in tow.
  1. AMPHITHEATER
  When the characters enter this area, read the following  
  text aloud:
  You enter a wide hall shaped like a hexagonal bowl with a flat 
  area at the bottom. Unlike a standard amphitheater, it has no 
  stairs and no seats. Although this area is currently empty, it 
  appears to be a gathering place for the cephalyx.
  This is where the cephalyx gather for important 
  announcements and assemblies. Because the cephalyx can 
  hover naturally, they have no need for stairs or seats here. A 
  character who falls or willingly descends to the bottom of the 
  meeting chamber will need to succeed on a DC 15 Strength 
  (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to climb out.
  2. PERSONAL CHAMBERS
  The hive brain is home to many personal chambers 
  belonging to upper-level cephalyx overlords, but most are 
  virtually identical. When the characters first enter such a 
  chamber, read the following text aloud:
  This room seems to be the personal chamber of a member of 
  the cephalyx leadership caste. A niche in one wall contains a 
  selection of identical leather body suits, a desk-like table covered 
  with various personal effects, and a larger and somewhat more 
  comfortable-looking model of the many strange cylinders you 
  have seen throughout the hive.
  Whenever the characters enter one of these chambers, roll 
  a d6. On a roll of 4 or 5, the chamber’s owner, a cephalyx 
  slaver, is present. On a roll of 6, the owner is accompanied 
  by 1d4 cephalyx drudges.
  3. COMMUNAL SANITATION
  This room contains a series of pipes and tubes that produce 
  hot running water on command, as well as several waste 
  ports wide enough for a Medium creature to fit through.
  4. STORAGE CHAMBER
  This area contains spare prosthetics, clean leather suits, 
  medical supplies, and stockpiles of sludge ampoules. 
  It is guarded by 1d4 cephalyx workers and 1d6 
  cephalyx drudges.
  5. POLEXIMUS’ CHAMBER
  This chamber belongs to Akulon Poleximus, a cephalyx 
  agitator loyal to Silexus Hexamon. Poleximus suspects that 
  Kardax is plotting against Hexamon and is trying to gather 
  evidence to support this suspicion in the hopes of currying 
  the silexus’ favor.
  35
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  6. VAULT OF ANAKS
  Two cephalyx subduers guard the door to this chamber. 
  The door is protected with a mechanical lock and is trapped. 
  The lock can be picked with a successful DC 20 Dexterity 
  check using thieves’ tools.
  A heavy guillotine blade is hidden in the ceiling in front of 
  the door. A character can discover the trap with a successful 
  DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. A character using 
  thieves’ tools or tinker’s tools can disarm the trap with a 
  successful DC 20 Dexterity check. When the door is opened, 
  the blade springs downward. Any creature within 5 feet of 
  the door must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or 
  take 4d10 slashing damage.
  The door opens into the former study of Anaks, now a 
  makeshift tomb. The cadaver of the former exulon lies atop 
  a slab. A successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check reveals 
  that the exulon’s brain has been removed. A successful DC 14 
  Wisdom (Survival) check reveals that the exulon could not 
  have been killed by a shaft wight, as they have not risen as 
  one after death.
  7. KARDAX’S CHAMBER
  When the characters enter this area, read the following  
  text aloud:
  This chamber is somehow sparser than any of the others you 
  have encountered. It lacks even the strange cylinders common 
  among the private spaces of these beings. The only indication that 
  it is a personal chamber at all is a recessed alcove containing a 
  wardrobe of identical leather body suits, a simple workbench, 
  and some spare prosthetic parts.
  Akulon Kardax is a cephalyx mindbender who suspects 
  that Silexus Hexamon murdered Exulon Anaks to gain 
  control of the hive. The hive is currently without an official 
  leader, and the overlords and other akulons are getting 
  restless. Most of the ranking cephalyx support Hexamon 
  because the silexus’ intellect and disposition are similar to that 
  of Anaks, but Kardax would prefer to take on the mantle of 
  leadership instead. To expose Hexamon, Kardax has enlisted 
  Gnossik the Minder to find proof of the wrongdoing.
  36
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  8. HEXAMON’S PRIVATE STUDY
  When the characters enter this area, read the following  
  text aloud:
  This personal chamber is more finely appointed than most. 
  It maintains the spare style of the cephalyx, but the walls, 
  doors, and furnishings have a slightly decorative, if brutalist, 
  look to them.
  Silexus Hexamon is a cephalyx cognifex. They do not 
  normally wear their armored shell within the hive and 
  therefore have an AC of 13. Hexamon is guarded at all times 
  by two cephalyx wardens.
  A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check 
  reveals a hidden compartment in the bottom of Hexamon’s 
  inactivity chamber. Inside the compartment is a thought cage 
  containing the missing brain of Exulon Anaks.
  9. ABANDONED CONSTRUCTION SITE
  This long tunnel leads away from the main living quarters of 
  the hive and ends in destruction, as the entire passage appears 
  to have been collapsed and abandoned. This is where Exulon 
  Anaks ordered the expansion of the hive and encountered the 
  shaft wights that invaded the cephalyx domain.
  Rubble and debris cover the last 200 feet of the tunnel 
  before the blockage, making this area difficult terrain. 
  Thirty feet before the blocked tunnel is a locked waste port 
  wide enough for a Medium creature to fit through. This 
  particular section of pipe was supposed to be attached to the 
  main system once the expansion was ready, but since the 
  expansion was abandoned, the pipe was never attached and 
  is completely dry. Creatures may pass single-file through this 
  pipe to reach area 1 of the breach (see below).
  If the party decides to enter the pipe, roll a d6. On a 
  roll of 6, 1d4 shaft wights are crawling through the pipe 
  toward the port.
  RESOLUTION
  The tunnels to the outside world are hidden behind a stone 
  monolith on the edge of the complex. The slab weighs over 
  three hundred pounds and is challenging to move without 
  the aid of a cephalyx using telekinesis. The tunnels beyond 
  the monolith are a puzzling and complex labyrinth designed 
  to prevent both infiltration and escape.
  Characters who manage to subdue or placate one of the 
  cephalyx leaders long enough to negotiate may be able to 
  persuade their captors into making a deal to help them 
  escape. Such a transgression against the hive would be 
  punishable by torture and death, so the characters must 
  offer something quite valuable to entice any cephalyx to 
  take the risk.
  ANAKS
  Anaks’ brain is still technically alive while encased in 
  the thought cage. Despite being in a state of suspended 
  animation, Anaks is fully aware of their surroundings. Unlike 
  the cephalyx brains from the library, Anaks will communicate 
  with the players if they initiate contact through magic or 
  telepathy. Anaks knows that Hexamon killed them and is 
  quite offended that anyone would think that the mighty mind 
  slaver could have been done in by a lowly undead. Anaks 
  will provide the characters with information about how to 
  escape in exchange for the characters revealing to the rest 
  of the hive that Hexamon was their killer. Anaks prefers 
  that the characters kill Hexamon and destroy the silexus’ 
  brain entirely.
  Anaks cannot physically help the characters escape but can 
  describe the layout of the tunnels leading to the surface.
  Because the exulon exists in a state between life and 
  death while their brain is in suspended animation, magic 
  such as the speak with dead spell will not work on Anaks’ 
  corpse. Destroying the brain will allow such magic to 
  work as normal.
  HEXAMON
  Hexamon considers themselves the de facto leader of the hive 
  and feels no sense of obligation or loyalty to any other being. 
  If bested in battle, they will act to spare their own life and 
  will make promises to get what they want with absolutely 
  no intention of keeping said promises. They are aware that 
  Kardax suspects them in Anaks’ death and will offer to free 
  the characters in exchange for eliminating the rival akulon.
  Hexamon has intimate knowledge of the labyrinth and the 
  ability to move the monolith out of the way but will do so 
  only as a last resort to spare their own life.
  KARDAX
  Kardax is desperate to prove that Hexamon betrayed Anaks 
  and that the silexus should be cast out of the hive. Kardax 
  has enlisted Gnossik the Minder to assist the effort but has 
  not had favorable results so far. If the party can locate Anaks’ 
  brain or find any other way to reveal the truth, Kardax will 
  provide them with safe passage through the monolith. The 
  akulon is not overly concerned that the party will actually 
  make it alive through the labyrinth, which is filled with 
  cephalyx drudges and monstrosities.
  POLEXIMUS
  Poleximus is loyal to Hexamon and will not betray the 
  silexus but will do anything to damage their rival, Kardax. 
  Poleximus knows that Kardax is working to besmirch their 
  leader’s reputation but doesn’t know that Hexamon actually 
  killed Anaks.
  If Poleximus discovers the truth, they will attempt to cover 
  it up to protect Hexamon and will confront Kardax if need 
  be. Poleximus knows the way to the labyrinth and knows it 
  well enough to navigate through it.
  THE LABYRINTH
  A tremendous monolith stands against the hive wall on the 
  outskirts of the hive. Weighing just over three hundred 
  pounds, it blocks the passage to the labyrinth of tunnels that 
  lead to the surface world.
  Any cephalyx of overlord rank or above has in-depth 
  knowledge of the labyrinth and can navigate their way to 
  the surface in 1 hour. All other creatures must find their way 
  through by wandering the maze.
  37
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  38
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  The characters begin by needing 180 minutes to escape 
  the tunnels. The party nominates one character to guide 
  them through the labyrinth and make an Intelligence 
  (Investigation) roll every 10 minutes to determine their 
  progress through the tunnels. The result of the roll 
  determines the outcome of those 10 minutes of travel. Look 
  up the result in the Navigating the Labyrinth table, and 
  add or subtract time as directed. When the time drops to 0 
  minutes, the characters have found the exit and can return to 
  the surface world.
  For every 30 minutes that the party spends in the labyrinth, 
  roll on the Random Encounters in the Upper Levels of the 
  Hive table at the start of this chapter.
  CHANGING GUIDES
  The characters can nominate another guide to lead them 
  every 10 minutes they spend in the labyrinth, should they 
  desire. In the event they are accompanied by an NPC, such as 
  one of the named cephalyx, that is familiar with the labyrinth, 
  then no roll is necessary: the characters spend 1 hour in the 
  labyrinth, experiencing one random encounter.
  THE BREACH
  The breach is responsible for much of the recent chaos in 
  the cephalyx hive and indirectly responsible for the increase 
  in abductions from Farhollow. When the cephalyx sought 
  to expand their underground network, they unwittingly 
  opened a subterranean chamber filled with a large population 
  of shaft wights. The ensuing battle between drudges and the 
  undead threatened the hive’s existence, severely depleted its 
  contingent of drudges, and forced the slavers to capture more 
  specimens to replenish their losses.
  WHAT THE PLAYER’S DON’T KNOW
  Nearly eight thousand years ago, this mine was an open-air 
  pit used to extract copper from the land. Drinaal Halfaxe 
  herself commissioned the mine and used the resources it 
  provided to fuel the production of metal that gave the fabled 
  City of Ash and Bronze its name.
  Exiled from Ghord during the Hundred House Rebellion, 
  Drinaal had many enemies who wished to see her city fail. 
  One of these rivals used profane magic—and, some whisper, 
  infernal influence—to curse the minerals within the mine, 
  causing the workers to transform into dreaded shaft wights, 
  which immediately turned on one another in a fit of violence. 
  Unable to undo the curse and with no way of knowing who 
  had been infected, Drinaal used powerful magic to cover 
  the mine forever, protecting the city from being infected 
  with the curse of the undead but also trapping hundreds 
  of miners within. This decision plagued the Stone Lord to 
  her final days.
  1. THE CONCOURSE
  When the characters enter this area, read the following  
  text aloud:
  The pipe runs for about sixty feet before giving way to a raw 
  cavern tunnel about five feet in diameter. After another forty 
  feet, the tunnel ends at the edge of a vast, open space: a cavern 
  roughly two hundred feet across and fifty feet high. The cavern’s 
  limestone floor is fifteen feet below the tunnel opening and 
  decorated with inlaid patterns of ancient Rhulic design.
  A double door with bronze decorations stands wide open at 
  the far end of the cavern. Standing before the open portal is a 
  twenty-foot-tall bronze sculpture of two dwarven women, each 
  with one hand wrapped around the handle of a battleaxe the 
  two are holding aloft together. Beyond the doors, you can barely 
  make out what appears to be a grand and dark hall.
  Milling about on the concourse are half a dozen shaft wights, 
  presumably the long-dead remains of the dwarven miners who 
  built this hall.
  The sculpture represents Drinaal and Hyphatia Halfaxe. At 
  its base is an inscription in Rhulic:
  Dedicated to my wife, Drinaal: Claywife, Stone Lord, Smelter 
  of Bronze, and Founder of Cities. Forgiven in my heart and 
  remembered for all eternity.
  An extremely thick layer of dust covers the floor of the 
  concourse. The giant doors were obviously sealed shut for a 
  very long time and opened only recently.
  NAVIGATING THE LABYRINTH
  Investigation 
   
  Roll 
  Result
   
  1–4 
  The party loses its way. Add 20 
  minutes to the time needed to find the 
  exit.
   
  5–8 
  The party is temporarily bewildered. 
  Add 10 minutes to the time needed to 
  find the exit.
   
  9–12 
  Nothing special occurs. The time 
  needed to find the exit remains 
  unchanged.
   
  13–15 
  The party discovers a shortcut. 
  Subtract 10 minutes from the time 
  needed to find the exit.
   
  16–19 
  The party discovers an excellent 
  shortcut. Subtract 20 minutes from 
  the time needed to find the exit.
   
  20+ 
  The party gets an unexpected insight 
  into the design of the maze. Subtract 
  30 minutes from the time needed to 
  find the exit. Additionally, treat results 
  of 1-8 as 9 for the remainder of the 
  time spent in the labyrinth.
  39
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  2. ANCIENT COPPER MINE
  When the characters enter this area, read the following  
  text aloud:
  This colossal cave is about six hundred feet in diameter and 
  roughly circular in shape. The dome of the ceiling rises about 
  fifty feet above your head. The walls and ceiling are speckled 
  with blue-green mineral clusters. The floor of the cave is a 
  hollowed-out pit consisting of forty or so ten-foot tiers arranged 
  like steps in a circular stairwell. The lowest level is dotted with 
  tunnels that resemble mine shafts. Skeletons of ancient miners 
  are scattered throughout the area, clutching their pickaxes. Many 
  look as if they died violent, sudden deaths. Nearly all have a thin 
  patina of copper dust covering their bones.
  At the bottom of the pit, you spy at least a dozen shaft wights 
  seemingly continuing their life’s work of digging tunnels beneath 
  the ground in search of ore. Beyond them, on the far wall of the 
  chamber, a glimmer of light shines down from fresh tunnels 
  bored into the rock.
  A dwarf or any character familiar with mining notices that 
  this mine is quite unusual. Copper mines were often dug this 
  way in ancient times, but those were always open to the sky. 
  Any character who succeeds on a DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) 
  check determines that the cave’s ceiling is not natural and that 
  it was created by magical means, almost as if someone were 
  trying to cover something up.
  The tunnels bored into the far wall are a recent 
  modification. After the cephalyx dealt with the shaft wights 
  in their hive, they sent a team of five drudges to give the 
  shaft wights a way out in the hopes that the undead would 
  wander out of the mine of their own accord. The drudges 
  succeeded in breaching the stone but were killed by the shaft 
  wights, and their undead bodies are now milling about in 
  the area below.
  If the characters make their presence known, twelve 
  shaft wights climb the pit as swiftly as possible in a furious 
  attempt to slaughter the living. A half dozen tunnels line the 
  bottom of the pit. Each contains several dozen more shaft 
  wights, which emerge throughout the battle to reinforce 
  those who fall in combat against the party.
  Each round after the characters engage with the shaft 
  wights, an additional 1d6 shaft wights exit these tunnels and 
  join the fray. There is an effectively inexhaustible supply 
  of undead within the mine shafts, so the characters will 
  have to make their way to the tunnels on the far wall in 
  order to escape.
  BLIGHTED MALACHITE
  The air in this mine is filled with dust from copper ore that 
  has been tainted with an ancient curse. For every hour a 
  creature spends here, it must make a DC 15 Constitution 
  saving throw. On a failed save, the creature gains one 
  level of exhaustion. Any humanoid creature that dies from 
  exhaustion caused by blighted malachite rises 1 minute later 
  as a shaft wight.
  ESCAPE!
  Once the characters reach the tunnels on the far wall, they 
  can smell fresh air and see the way out of the mine. When 
  they exit the mine, read the following text aloud:
  Your eyes are blinded by the midday sun as you step out of the 
  cavity in the bedrock and into a dense mountainside forest. You 
  take a deep breath and fill your lungs with fresh, clean air. To 
  the south, you hear the rushing of the mighty Ayeres River.
  A crisp wind blows through the pines, bringing with it a hint of 
  hearth smoke. Following the smell, you come to an outcropping 
  of stone that ends at a steep cliff. Looking down, you spy the 
  familiar walls and rooftops of Farhollow in the distance.
  CONCLUDING  
  THE ADVENTURE
  If the characters return to Farhollow and report on the 
  existence of the cephalyx hive, Clan Lord Daggot Gelhurn 
  musters a large force of soldiers and steamjacks to destroy 
  the hive. The characters are invited to join this task and are 
  provided with weapons and armor to replace any that they 
  might have lost in the hive.
  By revealing the presence of the cephalyx, the characters 
  have done a great service to the people of Farhollow and 
  made a powerful friend of the city’s clan lord. Once the 
  cephalyx hive is destroyed, the characters will be offered 
  the opportunity to join—and perhaps lead—the adventuring 
  company they chose to ally with in chapter 1.
  LEVEL ADVANCEMENT
  If you’re using the milestone system instead of experience 
  points to track advancement, the characters advance from 3rd 
  to 4th level when they complete the chapter.
  40
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  APPENDIX A: FARHOLLOW
  THE SENTINELS AND THE 
  GLAIVES
  Farhollow is defended by two martial forces: the sentinels, 
  who are tasked with guarding the town walls and patrolling 
  the surrounding moors, and the glaives, who are sworn to 
  police the enclave and protect its citizens. Both forces are 
  comprised of mixed dwarven and ogrun troops.
  TRADE AND COMMERCE
  Because Farhollow is a remote enclave far from the 
  commercial center of Rhul, trade plays a vital role in its 
  economy. Without any roads linking it to the rest of Rhul, 
  the settlement owes its very existence to shipping trade 
  along the Ayeres River. Outlander merchants are free to do 
  business in the city but must first declare their goods and 
  intentions at the Dawn Gate.
  CRIME
  Despite being an enclave founded by outcasts and criminals, 
  Farhollow is subject to extraordinarily little crime. The 
  glaives deal harshly with any criminal organizations that 
  spring up, especially if they impair commerce in any 
  way. Shield Moot Zero has wisely avoided notice thus 
  far and stands alone as the city’s preeminent purveyor of 
  illicit activities.
  DISTRICTS AND LANDMARKS
  Farhollow is divided into six districts: High Meridian, Five 
  Gates, the Scrivening, Silverfall, Cannoneer’s Green, and 
  the Foundry.
  HIGH MERIDIAN
  Outlander District
  Millennia ago, the fabled City of Ash and Bronze collapsed, 
  literally swallowed whole by a ravenous sinkhole. When 
  Farhollow was founded centuries later, the dwarves avoided 
  the few surface structures that escaped the great collapse. 
  Ever since the establishment of freeholds in Rhul, however, 
  refugees have taken to setting these ruins, and the Rhulfolk 
  of Farhollow are largely content to let the outlanders have a 
  district of their own.
  Gramble’s Lodge (Inn). This ramshackle, well-worn 
  flophouse—erected precariously close to the cliff’s edge—is 
  favored for the discreetness of its host, a dour old dwarf 
  who lost his beard to a fire decades ago. Among the few inns 
  amenable to boarding outlanders, Gramble’s Lodge offers 
  freeholders welcome succor during their stay in Farhollow. 
  Rooms at the inn cost 2 gp per night and include a hot bath 
  and stabling. Hot meals are available for 5 sp. Although 
  the food is nothing to write home about, the portions 
  are generous.
  Having been founded less than four centuries ago, the 
  frontier enclave of Farhollow is relatively new by Rhulic 
  standards. Few who live there today know that the settlement 
  was built upon the bones of an even older enclave: Drinaal’s 
  Delve, the fabled City of Ash and Bronze. Today, Farhollow 
  is known throughout Rhul as an angler’s paradise and an 
  exporter of fine liquors.
  FARHOLLOW
  Population: 10,000 dwarves (doubling to 20,000 in the warm 
  months), 2,500 ogrun, 500 outlanders
  Ruler: Clan Lord Daggot Gelhurn
  Military: Small garrison of mixed dwarven and 
  ogrun troops
  Imports: Cereals, meat, beer, tools, weapons, metal, lumber
  Exports: Salmon, furs, pike, liquor, boats
  Farhollow has many qualities that make it an ideal choice 
  for a starter campaign:
  • A frontier town in desperate need of outside aid (cue the 
  adventuring company!)
  • Rival factions vying for power through murder and back-
  alley intrigue
  • Ancient ruins that hold the allure of lost treasure
  • A monster-infested lair ready to unleash horrors on an 
  unsuspecting populace
  GOVERNMENT AND LAW
  The strongest warrior clan has always led Farhollow, and for 
  the last seventy-five years, that clan has been Clan Gelhurn, 
  renowned for their skill with both axe and carbine. Today, 
  Clan Lord Daggot Gelhurn rules the enclave from the Hall of 
  Lords at Wendylmar Hall.
  GOODS AND SERVICES IN FARHOLLOW
  Despite being a frontier settlement, Farhollow offers an 
  extensive list of services popular with adventurers. Each 
  location is appended with its area number in parentheses. 
  Refer to the map of Farhollow later in this appendix.
  Amphitheater/Arena: Field of Skalds (10)
  Armor: Felzoun’s Fine Armor (12)
  Bakery: Salmon Head (15)
  Blacksmith: Bothor’s Smithy (11)
  Carpentry: Old Troll Woodworking (13)
  Clothing/Textiles: Abasha’s Fine Clothiers (14)
  Distillery: Hollowbite Distillery (2)
  Festhall: Mother Blanca’s (7)
  Fishery: Bagram Fishery (3)
  Grocery: Ebrum the Greengrocer (16)
  Hospice: House of the Bloody Shroud (20)
  Inn/Hostel: Gramble’s Lodge (1), Bluegill Dormitory (9)
  Magic/Mechanika: Bosley’s Curio Shoppe (17)
  Merchant: Ayeres Whitewater Priakos (18)
  Stabler/Farrier: Redfire Stables (21)
  Tavern: Flaming Beard (4)
  Temple/Shrine: Northern Bastion Church (6)
  Weapons/Firearms: Doogan’s Arsenal (19)
  41
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  FIVE GATES
  Trade and Warehouse District
  Rhulfolk who make their living from the Ayeres River are 
  the primary inhabitants of Five Gates. After the annual 
  spring thaw, Five Gates swells with transients arriving on 
  river barges from across Rhul. The district takes its name 
  from the five cyclopean dolmens that have stood sentinel 
  over this stretch of the Ayeres since time immemorial.
  Hollowbite Distillery. Built by Clan Puldor five 
  generations ago and currently overseen by grand matriarch 
  Lokti Puldor, this distillery harvests and processes a single 
  cactus-like local succulent into a distilled spirit called 
  hollowbite. Unlike that of many succulents, the fleshy, 
  engorged stem of the hollowbite plant is not covered in 
  spines. Instead, the plant, which grows only in the arctic 
  tundra northeast of Farhollow, is reinforced with serrated 
  ridges sharp enough to slice flesh, cloth, and even uncured 
  leather with merely a touch. Any creature that touches 
  hollowbite without proper precautions takes 3 (1d6) 
  slashing damage.
  Bagram Fishery. Blessed with a commanding view of 
  the harbor, Bagram Fishery harvests fish and other aquatic 
  foodstuffs from the brisk Ayeres River before packing 
  them for export to other locations throughout Rhul. This 
  very lucrative commercial enterprise is run by a sweating 
  and swearing old salt named Garton Whitewater. The 
  fishmongers of Five Gate must pay Garton a tithe of 10% 
  of their daily earnings or risk a visit from his hired goons. 
  An oval ironclad watercraft built for two paddlers, called a 
  coracle by locals, may be rented from the fishery for 7 gp per 
  day. The rental fee includes fishing gear and nets.
  The Flaming Beard. This dockside tavern is Farhollow’s 
  42
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  most boisterous pub. Its signpost—a brightly polished visage 
  of a smiling dwarf whose well-groomed beard is alight with 
  prismatic fire—is visible from a considerable distance. Patrons 
  can procure tankards of dark ale and shots of fine spirits, but 
  this rowdy dive does not offer any food. The proprietor of 
  the Flaming Beard, a heartily cheerful fellow named Tegrin 
  Puldor (see the “Persons of Interest” section in chapter 1), 
  tends the bar and fills his patron’s drinks with a generous 
  pour. Ale, stout, and mead are available for 3 cp per tankard 
  or 1 sp per hand keg. Spirits, including the establishment’s 
  signature hollowbite liquor, cost 5 cp per shot or 1 sp 
  per tall glass.
  THE SCRIVENING
  Temple and University District
  Notable for its unique structures of freeform architecture, 
  the Scrivening is home to Farhollow’s elite thinkers and 
  theologians. Situated above Five Gates and below High 
  Meridian, this open-air district consists of a series of 
  terraces carved vertically into the cliff wall at the base of 
  Mount Grend.
  Northern Bastion. Despite serving as a house of worship, 
  the Northern Bastion better resembles a stronghold, complete 
  with a dry moat and a spiked iron enclosure. Assessor 
  Heldine Lohrun and her sister, Juror Peldine Lohrun, preside 
  over the devout dwarven congregation. The bastion, one 
  of the oldest and largest structures in Farhollow, has an 
  extensive cellar whose hidden passages connect the church to 
  Drinaal’s Delve. Any petitioners who are willing to add to the 
  church’s coffers can secure up to three potions of healing for 
  a reasonable donation of 40 gp each.
  Mother Blanca’s. Inlaid with bronze, this ornate manse 
  of gleaming black polished marble stands at the end of a 
  nondescript alley carved deep into Mount Grend. For those 
  in the know—and in possession of the correct code word—
  Mother Blanca’s operates as both a gambling hall and a house 
  of pleasure. A single platinum coin will satisfy the entry fee; 
  additional services cost extra.
  SILVERFALL
  Civic and Highborn District
  The wealthiest clans of Farhollow live in Silverfall, a 
  semicircular promenade recessed behind the district’s 
  namesake waterfall. The Silverfall cascade was formed when 
  the Ayeres River was diverted following the collapse of the 
  City of Ash and Bronze.
  Hall of the Tribunal. This striking edifice, with its 
  large, conical-roofed, and many-windowed turrets, was 
  clearly inspired by the human architecture of Caspia, 
  the City of Walls. The great hall was once an embassy 
  housing representatives from Cygnar but now serves as 
  the base of operations for the Iron Tribunal (see the “Iron 
  Tribunal” section).
  CANNONEER’S GREEN
  Garden and Cultural District
  At ground level east of Five Gates sprawls the largest of 
  Farhollow’s six districts. A district of common folk and quiet 
  neighborhoods, Cannoneer’s Green is named for the massive 
  cannon that guards the city’s southern flank.
  Bluegill Dormitory. This large, twin-towered tenement 
  stands just inside the western gate to Cannoneer’s Green. 
  Its arched double doors are painted blue and adorned with 
  a brass nameplate that reads “Welcome Home” in Rhulic. 
  Halidar Myrt, daughter of famed local ranger Murgun Ayer, 
  serves as the proprietress of this hostel. Rooms at the Bluegill 
  vary from 2 gp to 5 gp per night, depending on guest count 
  and amenities. A morning meal is included in the cost. By 
  special arrangement, Myrt can provide restorative salves and 
  herbal remedies for 25 gp each. Applying one of these natural 
  remedies restores 1d4 + 1 hit points. Myrt can produce ten 
  doses of remedy each day.
  Field of Skalds. This open-air amphitheater and arena 
  showcases performances by skalds, poets, strong-armed 
  ogrun, and acrobats alike. Rising tiers of stone-cut seating 
  form a semicircle that gives spectators a great view of the 
  spectacles taking place in the oval field below. Admission 
  varies from 4 cp to 6 gp per head, depending on the act. 
  Between scheduled events, the young sons and daughters 
  of Farhollow’s more affluent citizens use the private 
  amphitheater as a hangout.
  THE FOUNDRY
  Industrial District
  Given over almost entirely to industry and manufacturing, 
  the Foundry is largely populated by hardworking laborers, 
  tinkers, and mechaniks, as well as their salt-of-the-earth 
  families. The entirety of the Foundry lies under Mount 
  Grend and is illuminated by gas lamps.
  Bothor’s Smithy. A burly giant of an ogrun, Bothor 
  is a master blacksmith and farrier with no equal in all of 
  Hathorung. A dozen apprentices keep the smithy busy day 
  and night and they dutifully carry out their korune’s orders. 
  Only Bothor’s most discerning clientele know that the ogrun 
  is a purveyor of illicit ironmongery useful to thieves and 
  adventurers alike.
  RHULIC METALLURGY
  The dwarves of Rhul were one of the first peoples to master 
  the art of metallurgy. Over the course of many centuries, 
  the dwarves experimented with different ways to mine 
  metal, melt it, and shape it into useful tools and weapons 
  of war. Clan Halfaxe of Drinaal’s Delve was the first to 
  develop bronze alloy—a melding of nine parts copper with 
  one part tin that resulted in a metal alloy stronger than any 
  known before. The great number of smelters that soon 
  arose in Drinaal’s Delve gave the ancient enclave its famed 
  appellation, “the City of Ash and Bronze.”
  SURROUNDING ENVIRONS
  Beyond the stout walls of Farhollow lies an eldritch 
  hinterland alive with verdant forests and majestic highlands. 
  Some whitebeards deep in their drink grumble that this 
  corner of Rhul is forsaken by the Great Fathers, but most 
  who settle here welcome the peaceful respite and solitude 
  afforded by the region’s isolation.
  43
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  HATHORUNG
  The largest and least populated county in Rhul, Hathorung 
  encompasses a vast swath of ice-swept highlands along the 
  nation’s eastern frontier, stretching from the Glass Peaks 
  in the north to the Skybridge Mountains in the south. 
  Farhollow is Hathorung’s only Rhulic settlement of note, but 
  recent years have seen a spattering of freeholds take root in 
  this unforgiving frontier.
  GLASS PEAKS
  Cracked from centuries of exposure to extreme weather and 
  littered with jagged scree, the Glass Peaks are notoriously 
  treacherous to traverse. Steep and barren of any flora able 
  to survive at such elevations, these frost-scarred reaches are 
  stalked only by hardy predators on the hunt for a warm-
  blooded meal and herds of shaggy mountain goats that graze 
  on the sparse vegetation.
  SKYBRIDGE MOUNTAINS
  Once the proud demesne of a forgotten clan of dwarves, the 
  halls beneath the Skybridge Mountains have been abandoned 
  ever since the stout folk who once lived there were driven 
  from these lands centuries ago by a deathless interloper and 
  its undead armies. The mountain range gets its name from a 
  series of peaks, each taller than the last, that rise like a great 
  staircase reaching up toward the heavens.
  AYERES RIVER
  The mightiest and longest of Rhul’s rivers, the Ayeres snakes 
  for hundreds of miles and serves as a natural barrier between 
  the Glass Peaks and the Skybridge Mountains. Those daring 
  or foolish enough to swim in its deep frigid waters risk 
  being unable to escape its nearly vertical bank, which is piled 
  high with slush.
  FLEETSFILL RIVER
  Every spring, melting runoff from the Skybridge Mountains 
  swells the Fleetsfill and transforms it from a babbling brook 
  to a raging torrent. Folks who attempt to reach the source 
  of the Upper Fleetsfill, which lies just inside the borders of 
  Ios, always find themselves inexplicably turned around at the 
  frontier of the foreboding elven realm with no recollection of 
  having doubled back.
  FREEHOLDS
  In the aftermath of the Claiming, the Moot of the Hundred 
  Houses opened Rhul’s borders to outlanders for the first 
  time in centuries. In exchange for a simple oath to abide 
  by the tenets of the Codex—the body of law that governs 
  life in Rhul—refugees are free to establish freeholds along 
  the Rhulic frontier and may live in peace as full citizens of 
  the realm. The freeholds listed below are just three of the 
  half dozen or so settlements that now dot Hathorung in 
  eastern Rhul.
  HIGHCASTLE
  Decades prior to the Claiming, human barbarians of a 
  bloodthirsty lineage launched seasonal raids on Farhollow 
  from their encampment along the northern banks of the 
  Ayeres River. Today, Highcastle and its more even-tempered 
  inhabitants trade peaceably with Farhollow.
  KALAMITY
  Roughly twelve miles south of Harrow Lake, deep in the 
  heart of the Skybridge Mountains, rests the secluded gobber 
  and bogrin commune of Kalamity. Founded by a tribe of 
  tinkerers fleeing persecution in Cygnar, Kalamity was 
  constructed from the technological detritus of a ruin that 
  predates the Orgoth Occupation.
  BAVARDAGE
  The somber freehold of Bavardage stands at the foot of 
  Mount Skycatcher near the headwaters of a tributary of 
  the Fleetsfill. Settled by mute, black-eyed Iosans derided 
  as “the soulless,” Bavardage can be unnerving to outsiders 
  unaccustomed to the emotionless mannerisms of its populace.
  GREATER RHUL
  Translated as “hearth” in the elder tongue of the dwarves, 
  Rhul is a resilient land of snowcapped peaks, rugged hills, 
  sheltered valleys, and deep gorges. The dwarven clans that 
  rule here have governed since before humanity learned to rub 
  two sticks together to spark a fire.
  The Rhulfolk enforce the borders of their domain with 
  massive stone watchtowers positioned every mile along the 
  frontier. These stout bastions, accessible only by subterranean 
  tunnels, house all manner of armaments, including artillery 
  and heavy steamjacks.
  In the aftermath of the Claiming and the rise of outlander 
  freeholds in Hathorung, there is renewed interest in 
  creating a new branch off of the Ulgar-Brunder rail line 
  and connecting Farhollow to Rhul’s great iron railway 
  at long last.
  COINS OF THE REALM
  Although Rhul’s coinage is rarely seen outside the dwarven 
  nation’s borders, it is trusted throughout western Immoren 
  due to the dwarves’ exacting standards for weight and metal 
  purity. The Rhulic Currency table shows the coins commonly 
  used throughout Rhul, as well as their composition and value.
  RHULIC CURRENCY
  Coin 
  Metal 
  Value
  Scepter 
  Platinum 
  10 gp
  Anvil 
  Gold 
  2 gp
  Horn 
  Silver 
  2 sp
  Flint 
  Bronze 
  1 sp
  RUNESTONES
  Rhulfolk prefer to record their musings on stone in lieu of 
  perishable materials. Many a stone wall, menhir, and obelisk 
  throughout Rhul bear the Drogunic glyphs devised by the 
  dwarves. (These glyphs are named after the Land Beneath, 
  known as “Kharg Drogun” in the Rhulic tongue.) Skalds 
  among the Rhulfolk prefer to record their epics by inscribing 
  such glyphs along the circumference of flat, circular rocks 
  known as runestones. Completed writings are collected 
  by stringing several runestones together with iron or 
  steel filigree.
  44
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  Cephalyx agitator
  Medium humanoid, lawful evil
  Armor Class 13
  Hit Points 82 (15d8 + 15)
  Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   10 (+0) 17 (+3) 12 (+1) 18 (+4)  14 (+2) 17 (+3)
  Saving Throws Int +7, Wis +5
  Skills Arcana +7, Insight +5, Medicine +7, Perception +5, Stealth 
  +6
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
  Languages understands all languages but chooses not to speak, 
  telepathy 200 ft.
  Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
  Command Drudge. Cephalyx drudges obey the agitator’s 
  telepathic commands, no matter how suicidal.
  Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The agitator’s innate 
  spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15). It can 
  innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
  At will: detect thoughts, mage hand
  3/day: mage armor
  1/day each: dominate monster, hold person, telekinesis
  APPENDIX B: BESTIARY
  This appendix provides encounter stat blocks for enemies that appear in this adventure. Entries are presented in 
  alphabetical order.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The agitator makes four attacks with its 
  prosthetic blades.
  Prosthetic Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage. If the target is a 
  humanoid creature and is hit by all four of the agitator’s melee 
  attacks in a single turn, the target is surgically mutilated in 
  some capacity and must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving 
  throw or have one of its ability scores (the agitator’s choice) 
  permanently reduced by 1. The reduction lasts until the removed 
  by the greater restoration spell or similar magic. Other curative 
  magic simply forms scar tissue.
  Mind Blast (Recharge 5–6). The agitator magically emits 
  psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area 
  must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or take 
  22 (4d8 + 4) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A 
  creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its 
  turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
  Influence. The agitator targets one creature it can see within 
  60 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving 
  throw or use its reaction on its next turn to attack the nearest 
  friendly creature.
  45
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  Cephalyx Worker
  Medium humanoid, lawful evil
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 13 (3d8)
  Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   10 (+0) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 13 (+1)
  Saving Throws Int +5, Wis +3
  Skills Insight +3, Perception +3, Stealth+4
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
  Languages understands all languages but chooses not to speak, 
  telepathy 200 ft.
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
  Command Drudge. Cephalyx drudges obey the worker’s 
  telepathic commands, no matter how suicidal.
  Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The worker’s innate 
  spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 13). It can 
  innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
  At will: detect thoughts, mage hand
  1/day each: command, hold person
  Actions
  Multiattack. The worker makes two attacks with its 
  prosthetic blades.
  Prosthetic Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
  Mind Blast (Recharge 5–6). The worker magically emits 
  psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area 
  must succeed on a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw or take 
  8 (2d4 + 3) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A 
  creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its 
  turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
  Cephalyx Mindbender
  Medium humanoid, lawful evil
  Armor Class 14
  Hit Points 88 (16d8 + 16)
  Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   10 (+0) 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 18 (+4)  14 (+2) 16 (+3)
  Saving Throws Int +7, Wis +5
  Skills Arcana +7, Insight +5, Medicine +7, Perception +5, Stealth 
  +7
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
  Languages understands all languages but chooses not to speak, 
  telepathy 200 ft.
  Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
  Command Drudge. Cephalyx drudges obey the mindbender’s 
  telepathic commands, no matter how suicidal.
  Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The mindbender’s innate 
  spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15). It can 
  innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
  At will: detect thoughts, mage hand
  3/day: mage armor
  1/day each: dominate person, hold person, telekinesis
  Actions
  Multiattack. The mindbender makes four attacks with its 
  prosthetic blades.
  Prosthetic Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage. If the target is 
  a humanoid creature and is hit by all four of the mindbender’s 
  melee attacks in a single turn, the creature is surgically mutilated 
  in some capacity and must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution 
  saving throw or have one of its ability scores (the mindbender’s 
  choice) permanently reduced by 1. The reduction lasts until the 
  removed by the greater restoration spell or similar magic. Other 
  curative magic simply forms scar tissue.
  Mind Blast (Recharge 5–6). The mindbender magically emits 
  psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area 
  must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or take 
  22 (4d8 + 4) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A 
  creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its 
  turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
  Adrenal Flood. The mindbender psychically enhances the 
  strength and endurance of up to four drudges it can see within 
  30 feet of it. Until the start of the mindbender’s next turn, each 
  affected drudge gains a +2 bonus to all Strength-based melee 
  damage rolls and gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and 
  slashing damage. Each drudge can receive this benefit from only 
  one mindbender at a time.
  Burst Drudge (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). The 
  mindbender can cause one drudge it can see within 90 feet of 
  it to explode. Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered 
  on the drudge must make a Dexterity saving throw. The creature 
  takes 8d6 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much 
  damage on a successful one. The drudge is killed in the process.
  46
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  ogrun MerCenary
  Large humanoid (ogrun), neutral
  Armor Class 16 (infantry armor)
  Hit Points 32 (5d8 + 10)
  Speed 30 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   15 (+2) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 13 (+1) 11 (+0)
  Skills Athletics +4, Survival +3
  Senses passive Perception 11
  Languages Rhulic
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Charge. If the mercenary moves at least 20 feet straight toward 
  a target and then hits it with a melee weapon attack on the 
  same turn, the target takes an extra 3 (1d6) damage of the 
  weapon’s type.
  Tempered by War. The mercenary has advantage on saving 
  throws against being frightened.
  Actions
  Halberd. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) slashing damage.
  draeven Cultist
  Medium humanoid (dwarf), chaotic evil
  Armor Class 14 (scale mail)
  Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   
  13 (+1) 
  13 (+1) 
  13 (+1) 
  9 (−1) 
  12 (+1) 
  10 (+0)
  Skills Stealth +3
  Senses passive Perception 11
  Languages Rhulic
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Marked Soul. The cultist has a marked soul. An infernalist can 
  use the marked soul to summon horrors into the physical world.
  Reckless. At the start of its turn, the cultist can gain advantage 
  on all melee weapon attack rolls it makes during that turn, 
  but attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of its 
  next turn.
  Spellcasting. The cultist is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting 
  ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). 
  The cultist has the following cleric spells prepared:
  Cantrips (at will): guidance, resistance
  1st level (2 slots): bane, inflict wounds
  Actions
  Ritual Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) 
  necrotic damage.
  47
  
  rhuliC holloWMan
  Medium fey (grymkin), unaligned
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 39 (6d8 + 12)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   
  11 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
  14 (+2) 10 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
  10 (+0)
  Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, frightened
  Senses blindsight 120 ft., passive Perception 10
  Languages —
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Apparition. As a bonus action, the hollowman can teleport up 
  to 10 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The hollowman makes two bayonet attacks.
  Bayonet. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 10 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage, or 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing 
  damage if used with two hands.
  Military Rifle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 60/180 
  ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) piercing damage.
  48
  
  Winter troll Whelp
  Small giant, neutral
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 25 (3d6 + 15)
  Speed 15 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   16 (+3) 
  8 (−1) 
  20 (+5) 
  5 (−3) 
  12 (+1) 
  8 (−1)
  Saving Throws Str +5, Con +4
  Skills Perception +3, Survival +3
  Damage Immunities cold
  Senses passive Perception 12
  Languages —
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Regeneration. The whelp regains 1 hit point at the start 
  of its turn. If the whelp takes necrotic damage, this trait 
  doesn’t function at the start of the whelp’s next turn. The 
  whelp dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and 
  doesn’t regenerate.
  Rime. A creature that touches the whelp or hits it with a 
  melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 1 cold damage.
  Actions
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage plus 1 cold damage.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 1 cold damage.
  shaft Wight
  Medium undead, neutral evil
  Armor Class 15 (chain shirt)
  Hit Points 34 (4d8 + 16)
  Speed 30 ft., burrow 5 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   16 (+3) 15 (+2) 18 (+4) 
  4 (−3) 
  6 (−2) 
  5 (−3)
  Damage Immunities poison
  Condition Immunities poisoned
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8
  Languages understands all languages it knew in life but can’t 
  speak
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the shaft wight to 0 hit 
  points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + 
  the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical 
  hit. On a success, the shaft wight drops to 1 hit point instead.
  Spawn Shaft Wight. A humanoid slain by the shaft wight’s 
  Constitution Drain attack or Gravel Vomit attack rises 24 hours 
  later as a shaft wight unless the humanoid is restored to life or 
  its body is destroyed.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The shaft wight makes two pickaxe attacks. It can 
  use its Constitution Drain in place of one pickaxe attack.
  Pickaxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage
  Constitution Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) necrotic damage. The target must 
  succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or its Constitution 
  score is reduced by 2. This reduction lasts until the target 
  finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its 
  Constitution to 0.
  Gravel Vomit (Recharge 5–6). The shaft wight spews a 
  wretched mix of gravel, sand, and brackish liquid from its mouth 
  onto one target within 5 feet of it. The target must make a DC 14 
  Dexterity saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) necrotic damage on a 
  failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
  49
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  APPENDIX C:  
  NONPLAYER 
  CHARACTERS
  ak-ak
  Small humanoid (gobber), chaotic neutral
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 21 (6d6)
  Speed 25 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   10 (+0) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 
  9 (−1)
  Skills Insight +4, Investigation +3, Perception +4, Sleight of Hand 
  +6, Stealth +6
  Damage Resistances psychic
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12
  Languages Cygnaran, Gobberish
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Telepathic Invisibility. Ak-ak cannot be detected by psionic 
  means but can be seen by ordinary vision. She cannot be 
  communicated with telepathically, and spells such as detect 
  thoughts do not work on her.
  Cunning Action. On each of her turns, Ak-ak can use a bonus 
  action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
  Sneak Attack (1/Turn). Ak-ak deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage 
  when she hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage 
  on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an 
  ally of Ak-ak that isn’t incapacitated and Ak-ak doesn’t have 
  disadvantage on the attack roll.
  Actions
  Multiattack. Ak-ak makes two melee attacks.
  Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 
  Hit: (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
  50
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  vetta WroughthaMMer
  Medium humanoid (dwarf), chaotic good
  Armor Class 15 (infantry armor)
  Hit Points 67 (9d8 + 27)
  Speed 25 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   12 (+1) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 14 (+2)
  Skills Perception +2, Persuasion +4
  Damage Resistances poison
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
  Languages Rhulic
  Challenge 2 (450 XP)
  Dwarven Resilience. Vetta has advantage on saving throws 
  against poison and has resistance against poison damage.
  Fast Reload. If a firearm Vetta wields is not loaded, she can 
  reload it as part of an attack.
  Gunslinger. Vetta’s pistol attacks don’t have disadvantage on 
  attack rolls made against targets within 5 feet of her.
  Actions
  Multiattack. Vetta makes two melee attacks or two 
  ranged attacks.
  Pistol Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.
  Repeating Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 
  40/120 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage.
  kelen ironbid
  Medium humanoid (ogrun), lawful neutral
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 32 (5d8 + 10)
  Speed 30 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   16 (+3) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 11 (+0)
  Skills Nature +4, Perception +4, Persuasion +2, Survival +4
  Senses passive Perception 14
  Languages Cygnaran, Molgur-Og, Rhulic
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Huge Stature. Kelen’s large size allows her to wield two-
  handed weapons in one hand. When she uses a weapon 
  with the versatile property, she always uses the damage 
  associated with that property.
  Powerful Build. Kelen counts as one size larger when 
  determining her carrying capacity and the weight she can 
  push, drag, or lift.
  Actions
  Multiattack. Kelen makes two melee attacks or two 
  ranged attacks.
  Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 4 bludgeoning damage.
  ABOUT THE AUTHORS
  Brian R. James is an industry veteran, which explains all the gray whiskers in his lengthy beard. His career in game design 
  spans two decades in both tabletop and electronic gaming, with contributions to several notable franchises, including Dungeons 
  & Dragons®, Pathfinder®, EverQuest®, and PlanetSide®. Follow Brian online at @brianrjames on Twitter.
  Michael J. Patrick is a writer, cartoonist, and occasional fantasy cartographer. He made the Top 32 in Paizo’s 2014 RPG 
  Superstar event. When he’s not at the tabletop, Michael works on his webcomic, Rook in Sketchy Magic. Follow Michael online at 
  @emjaypatrick on Twitter.
  51
  
  THE IRON KINGDOMS—ESCAPE THE MIND SLAVERS
  OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a 
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  8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content. 
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  12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or 
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  13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All 
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  14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 
  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC. 
  System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, 
  Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  Iron Kingdoms: Requiem, Iron Kingdoms: Monsternomicon, and Iron Kingdoms: Legend of the Witchfire are © 2022 Privateer Press, Inc. The following terms are © 2001–2022 Privateer 
  Press, Inc.: archon, argus, athanc, blackclads, bog trog, boneswarm, bratya, burrow-mawg, cephalyx, The Claiming, cortex, deathjack, deathless, devil’s gasp, doom reaver, dracodile, 
  excruciator, farrow, fell caller, grymkin, gun mage, hollowman, Iron Kingdoms, ’jack, junker hulk, mage hunter, mechanika, mechanikal, mechanithrall, ogrun, pistol wraith, proper 
  names (including those used in the names of spells or items), raevhan buffalo, razorbat, riven, saqu, scylla flock, skigg, slaughterhouse, steamjack, tatyzlwurm, thrall, thrullg, totem 
  hunter, vektiss, warcaster, warjack, warpwolf, witchwood, wold guardian, wold watch, wold wight, wold wyrd
  Writers: Brian R. James, Michael J. Patrick • Editor: Michael G. Ryan • Graphic Designer: Andrew Hess 
  Illustrators: Carlos Cabrera, Alberto Dal Lago, Bartek Fedyczak, Hardy Fowler, Mariusz Gandzel, Yun Huai Huang, Alex Konstad,  
  Aleksey Kovalenko, Ben Lo, Raphael Lübke, Néstor Ossandón, Andrea Uderzo, Chris Walton, Alexander Yakovlev
  All contents © 2001–2022 Privateer Press, Inc. All right reserved. All trademarks contained herein and their logos are property of Privateer Press, Inc. 21220 87th Ave. S.E., 
  Woodinville, WA 98072
  www.privateerpress.com
  Published under Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC. 
  52
  
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