TEXT: module
  a 3.5/ogl adventure for level 9
  By Colin McComb
  ®
  J5
  ™
  
  Taste of Anguish
  Taste of Anguish
    
    
     
   River
   S
  tyx
  H
  C
  E
  G
  G
  G
  F
  I
  A
  B
  D
  0
  100 ft.
  100 ft.
    
    
     
   River
   S
  tyx
  H
  C
  E
  G
  G
  G
  F
  I
  A
  B
  D
  0
  The Cauldron
  The Cauldron
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  2 
  6 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  11 
  12 
  8 
  9 
  3 
  10 
  7 
  13 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  15 
  16 
  14 
  One Square = 10 Feet
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  2 
  6 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  11 
  12 
  8 
  9 
  3 
  10 
  7 
  13 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  15 
  16 
  14 
  One Square = 10 Feet
  Upper Level
  Upper Level
  Main Level
  Main Level
  Lower Level
  Lower Level
  
  beyond the vault of Souls
  Pathfinder Module J5
  a Planar adventure
  Author: Colin Moulder-McComb
  Cover Artist: Ralph Horsley
  Cartography: Rob Lazzaretti
  Interior Artists: Andrew Hou, Concept Art House
  Editor-in-Chief: James Jacobs
  Editing and Development: Christopher Carey, Sean K Reynolds, and James L. Sutter
  Editorial Assistance: Jason Bulmahn and F. Wesley Schneider
  Editorial Interns: David Eitelbach and Hank Woon
  Graphic Design Assistance: Sarah Robinson
  Managing Art Director: James Davis
  Publisher: Erik Mona
  Paizo CEO: Lisa Stevens
  Vice President of Operations: Jeffrey Alvarez
  Corporate Accountant: Dave Erickson
  Director of Sales: Pierce Watters
  Sales Manager: Christopher Self
  Technical Director: Vic Wertz
  Events Manager: Joshua J. Frost
  Special Thanks: The Paizo Customer Service and Warehouse Teams
  J5: Beyond the Vault of Souls is a Pathfinder Module designed for four 9th-level characters. This module is designed for play in the Pathfinder 
  Chronicles campaign setting, but can easily be adapted for use with any world. This module is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) 
  and is suitable for use with the 3.5 edition of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game.
  The OGL can be found on the inside back cover of this product.
  Paizo Publishing, LLC
  2700 Richards Road, Suite 201
  Bellevue, WA 98005
  paizo.com
  Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 
  1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, 
  characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content are not included in this declaration.)
  Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Paizo Publishing game product 
  are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material 
  designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
  J5 Beyond the Vault of Souls is published by Paizo Publishing, LLC under the Open Game License version 1.0a Copyright 2000 Wizards of the 
  Coast, Inc. Paizo Publishing, LLC, the Paizo golem logo, Pathfinder, and GameMastery are registered trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC; 
  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Chronicles, Pathfinder Modules, and Pathfinder Companion are trademarks of 
  Paizo Publishing, LLC. © 2009 Paizo Publishing, LLC.
  Printed in China.
  
  2
  m o d u l e  J 5
  he moon-like god Groetus hovers ceaselessly above the great Spire of the 
  Boneyard, his threatening face a constant reminder of the inevitable eschaton, 
  the end of all life in the spheres. Its presence waxes and wanes upon some 
  incomprehensible schedule due to fluctuations in the tides of the Maelstrom 
  and the presence of the deities that keep it at bay. But the moon is dipping 
  lower and lower, and has begun attracting souls to itself through a fearful 
  spiritual gravity. Each soul it draws in turn brings the moon closer to the Spire, and 
  it’s said that when the moon of Groetus crashes into the Spire, the End Times begin, 
  opening the Outer Sphere to the Maelstrom and ensuring the destruction of existence 
  as we know it. Some believe that once life and order are swept away, the natural state 
  of chaos resumes, as it was before the birth of the Positive Energy Plane cast life across 
  the unending flux.
  Beyond the vault of souls
  t
  
  3
  beyond the vault of souls
  What has changed that allows Groetus to descend? 
  Only this: within the Vault of Souls—the tombs and 
  mausoleums of Pharasma—sit the souls of atheists, 
  hardened and crystalline and beyond consciousness, 
  awaiting the ultimate oblivion. The strength of their 
  disbelief acts as a repellent to the hungry god, keeping him 
  from the Spire and, ironically, protecting the post-mortal 
  existence the atheists so devoutly refused. But now many 
  of those gems have gone missing, stolen from the Vault 
  of Souls. Word has it that some troublemakers spread the 
  secret of drawing forth these gems from the Vault to various 
  wizards across the Material Plane, employing loopholes in 
  the cosmic laws protecting the Boneyard. The Keepers of 
  the Vault are frantic. They need the gems back, and they 
  need them as quickly as possible. As such, the Keepers have 
  enlisted a huge number of adventurers, mercenaries, and 
  other agents to recover the gems that have spread across 
  the planes.
  In the Chelish city of Westcrown, the wizard Khandescus 
  has summoned five of these gems for study and possible 
  use as a safeguard against demonic interference in his 
  work. He has no idea of the repercussions of his act—he 
  just knows that he has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity 
  to study the aftereffects of soul transmutation across the 
  Astral Plane, and he is not about to lose his chance. The 
  funny thing is that he means well. The sad part is that he’s 
  now a target.
  The Children of the Reborn Glory is an Aroden-
  resurrectionist group, a disparate band of mortals and 
  outsiders who believe that Pharasma has been hiding 
  the fragments of Aroden’s soul in her Vaults, and the 
  Children covet these gems (although different factions 
  within the group seek them for different reasons). Their 
  sources in the Church of Pharasma have told them of 
  the theft, and their allies in Westcrown have discovered 
  Khandescus’s acquisition. The Children’s agents are 
  converging on Khandescus to retrieve what they believe 
  are fragments of Aroden’s soul. They may be deceived, 
  but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous.
  Adventure Summary
  The GM should be sure that the Church of Pharasma is 
  friendly toward the PCs, or at least that the PCs are known 
  to be discreet and reliable. Once this basic condition is 
  in place, give the PCs a reason to visit Westcrown or its 
  immediate vicinity. As soon as these conditions have been 
  established, the adventure can begin.
  Taibhill, a Pharasmic mystic living outside the city, 
  directs the PCs to the tower of the wizard Khandescus, 
  who is experimenting with magical gems taken from 
  Pharasma’s Vault of Souls. While he considers returning 
  them, unknown agents attack his tower and try to sieze 
  the gems, causing a terrible explosion and scattering them 
  across the planes. The wounded wizard sends the PCs to 
  Axis, where the church of Pharasma recruits the PCs to 
  retrieve the stolen gems from their planar destinations. 
  Meanwhile, others locate the gems and form their own 
  plans for the crystals’ power.
  PArt One: GemS On GOlAriOn
  Beyond the Vault of Souls begins in the city of Westcrown 
  in Cheliax. Luring the players to Cheliax in the first place 
  may not be easy; not everyone is willing to travel to lands 
  under the sway of the Lords of Hell. Still, there are a 
  the soul Gems
  these gems contain the souls of powerful mortals whose 
  non-belief in ultimate reward or punishment in the 
  afterlife was so strong that they could not be assigned to 
  any god or plane. instead, they calcified and condensed 
  into brilliant gem-like stones and were buried deep within 
  the vault of Souls. in the outer Sphere, each of them 
  generates a strong field that warps reality around itself 
  and the memories and personalities of nearby creatures. 
  on the Material Plane, the soul gems resemble large and 
  nearly flawless sapphires, each with a tiny imperfection at 
  its center. When touched, they give off a palpable sense 
  of thrumming, uncontrollable power
  anyone handling one of these gems must do so 
  carefully. dropping one shatters it (hardness 0, 1 hit 
  point), releasing a wave of powerful spiritual energy. this 
  energy weakens anyone standing within 100 feet, dealing 
  1d8 Strength, Constitution, and dexterity damage for 1d4 
  hours (fortitude dC 20 negates), and prevents magical 
  healing during that time. each wave also animates 1d20 
  humanoid corpses. dead bodies within 30 feet become 
  wights, those within 100 feet become ghouls, and those 
  within 300 feet become zombies if they still have flesh; 
  otherwise, they become skeletons. even when treated 
  gently, the gems must be stabilized magically or else 
  decay rapidly, bursting after a mere 12 hours. 
  in the outer Sphere, the gems are more resistant to 
  damage, more stable, and stronger in their effects on the 
  local reality. they can take 20 points of damage before 
  bursting (hardness 1), releasing a wave of destruction that 
  deals 8d6 force damage.
  Because of the gems’ instability, the party cannot keep 
  any of them unless they are willing to remain on the 
  plane where they found it; these souls, once removed 
  from the vault, make their way to the plane where they 
  are most comfortable. if they are removed from that 
  environment and not sealed within the vault, they return 
  to their destination planes after 1d3 days, opening portals 
  to reach their desired homes. it is only in the vault or other 
  areas designed to hold them that they are quiescent.
  
  4
  m o d u l e  J 5
  number of ways you can place the PCs in Cheliax without 
  too much bother. Note that such hooks should be wrapped 
  up before the adventure begins; you don’t want the players 
  distracted by other concerns. Some of these hooks might 
  include visiting a friend or relative in town, guarding a 
  shipment of valuables for an ally or mentor, spying on 
  Cheliax for a rival faction or government, or researching 
  something that requires a Chelaxian sage.
  Outside the once mighty city of Westcrown, the party 
  is hailed by Taibhill the Mystic (LN male human cleric of 
  Pharasma 8), a small, shaven-headed man in ragged black 
  robes, with blue eyes that somehow manage to be both 
  piercing and faraway, as if he’s seeing 
  something 
  beyond 
  what 
  he’s 
  looking at. Taibhill is a hermit 
  dedicated to the studies 
  of Fate. He explains that 
  he received a vision 
  from Pharasma herself, 
  a 
  sending 
  he 
  took 
  seriously enough that 
  he abandoned his shack 
  and came down to the 
  road to the meet the PCs. 
  To prove the accuracy of 
  his source, he names each of 
  the PCs individually, and describes 
  one of their notable adventures.
  He tells the party that he has been authorized 
  to enlist them to retrieve gems for the Keepers of the Vault 
  in the Boneyard—soul gems, acquired by a wizard. He 
  calls this theft an abomination, a perversion, a cheating 
  of these souls out of their rightful rewards. And, he says, 
  if the party can retrieve these gems from the wizard and 
  bring them back to this place, he’ll provide them with 
  a token that will allow them to call upon the Church of 
  Pharasma for a great favor—even resurrection.
  If asked why they were the people he saw, he believes 
  it was because they were the closest people and the ones 
  best suited for this task—Pharasma wouldn’t send him a 
  vision of people who couldn’t accomplish the task or were 
  a thousand miles away. Taibhill does not know the true use 
  of the soul gems (to repel Groetus). He knows only that the 
  Keepers want them back, and want them desperately.
  The thieving wizard, Khandescus, lives in the 
  southeastern part of the city in one of the great old 
  noble towers. Taibhill would retrieve these gems 
  himself, except that the members of his own noble 
  family, the Hendarthanes, are in the midst of a feud with 
  the wizard’s family, the Leroungs, and no negotiation 
  between the two is possible. Taibhill does not want the 
  party to kill the man if they can avoid it, but he does 
  stress the importance to the Church of Pharasma of 
  retrieving these gems.
  The remainder of the adventure is dependent on the 
  party accepting this mission. You should feel free to 
  improvise rewards.
  Westcrown and the tower of Khandescus
  This city, once the center of the empire of Cheliax, saw 
  its influence vanish with the ascension of the House 
  of Thrune. With its power fled north to Egorian, the 
  city’s infrastructure has crumbled. Enclaves of wealth 
  sit in gated communities, guarded by weapon-bristling 
  pikemen and diabolical magics. Outside these enclaves 
  city guards march in squads through the poverty-stricken 
  districts, but the city is mainly a playground for 
  decadent nobles fighting old feuds 
  and maintaining a bristly peace. 
  The common folk barricade 
  themselves inside their 
  homes at night to avoid 
  the shadowbeasts that 
  prowl the streets in 
  search 
  of 
  criminals 
  and 
  revolutionaries. 
  Mercantile activity and 
  basic lifestyles have not 
  entirely disappeared, but 
  life is generally a harsher 
  struggle in Westcrown than in 
  other cities.
  The wizard Khandescus Leroung has 
  established his research tower in one of the largely 
  abandoned quarters. It is a 60-foot-tall, 40-foot-diameter, 
  5-story red brick tower. The grounds are surrounded by 
  a jagged metal fence, with lightning occasionally racing 
  around the spikes.  Inside its walls, a stair winds around the 
  inner core of the tower, where Khandescus keeps his rooms.
  When the players arrive, they may try to talk Khandescus 
  into returning the gems, sneak in to steal them from 
  him, or take them by force. If the PCs choose diplomacy, 
  the valet asks them their business, ushers them into the 
  entry hall, makes them at home, and bids them wait while 
  he sees if the master is available. About 5 minutes later, 
  Khandescus descends. He is about 50 years old, of medium 
  height and build with a dark complexion, and sports a 
  black goatee and graying hair. His eyes are serious and 
  thoughtful, and he never smiles. He asks the PCs their 
  business, and listens carefully. If they lie (Sense Motive 
  +10), he demands to know their real business. 
  The speaking PC may make a Diplomacy check to 
  influence his attitude (initially indifferent). Mentioning 
  Taibhill’s name increases the difficulty DC by +2. If the 
  PCs manage to switch Khandescus’s attitude to friendly, 
  he agrees to show them the soul gems, warning them to 
  be cautious in their movements so as not to disturb the 
  wards he has around them. If the PCs mention Taibhill 
  
  5
  beyond the vault of souls
  once Khandescus’s attitude is friendly, the wizard’s 
  respect for Taibhill’s knowledge (if not his family) gives 
  the PCs a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks to shifting 
  his attitude toward helpful. If the PCs can switch his 
  attitude to Helpful, he agrees to dismantle the apparatus 
  immediately, and asks them to wait at the Hobbled Goat 
  (a tavern across the street) to keep them from interfering 
  with the operation. “The tavern’s not the finest the city 
  has to offer,” he says, “but it’s close enough that I will be 
  able to reach you quickly.”
  If they cannot switch his attitude to Helpful, he tells the 
  party that he needs a few hours to research their claims 
  and asks them to await his decision at the Hobbled Goat.
  If the PCs opt for stealth or combat, Khandescus’s 
  servants flee when they discover intruders, and the wizard 
  makes use of his spells to defeat or contain them.
  The gems are on the fifth floor of Khandescus’s tower, 
  placed haphazardly within a 10-foot-diameter magical circle 
  that pulses with power. If the PCs disturb the magical field 
  containing the gems, the field detonates, dealing 5d8 points 
  of force damage (Reflex half DC 20) and hurling the gems 
  into the Outer Sphere. The proper way to disable the field 
  is to cast dispel magic, then protection from energy, followed by 
  break enchantment (Khandescus has several scrolls of these 
  spells prepared for this purpose). If the PCs cause the gems 
  to scatter across the planess, Taibhill or Khandescus pushes 
  them to go to Axis, contact Pharasma’s minions there, and 
  see what they can do to fix the problem they caused.
  Khandescus Leroung 
  CR 9
  n human male wizard 9
  as olvan (page 29), except as follows:
  hp 30 (9d4+9)
  Spells Prepared (Cl 10th)
  5th—baleful polymorph, feeblemind
  4th—charm monster, dimension door
  3rd—dispel magic, displacement, hold person, tongues
  TACTICS
  During Combat Khandescus would rather neutralize 
  opponents and turn them over to the local authorities.
  Morale Khandescus uses dimension door to escape if he 
  thinks the PCs may kill him, then calls the city guards.
  The Hobbled Goat is unremarkable, with its scarred 
  wooden walls, dirty floors, and filthy windows that look 
  out onto the street. The tavern keeper is a squat and 
  powerful man named Lenguel (LE human male war 4), 
  who used to work as a city guard; he doesn’t take kindly to 
  brawls in his establishment. Khandescus’s tower is visible 
  from one of the taproom’s windows.
  Once the PCs are settled in the Hobbled Goat, an hour 
  or so passes. If any of them are paying attention to the 
  windows, read the following. Otherwise, allow them a Spot 
  check (DC 15) to receive this information:
  A group of eight people in hooded cloaks gather at the gate to 
  Khandescus’s tower. One of them gestures, and the gate flies open, 
  with the electricity dissipating immediately. As one, the group races 
  for the tower door and, with a bright flash and a clap of thunder, 
  blasts the door from its hinges.
  Even if the PCs rush from the tavern to protect the 
  wizard, they are unable to reach him in time. As they 
  reach the street, the top floor of the tower detonates and 
  bricks shower down across the pavement. A series of 
  lesser explosions—three in all—sounds next. The PCs see 
  the roof and walls of the tower’s fifth floor vanish, leaving 
  that level open to the sky. On that floor stand seven of the 
  eight hooded figures, and around them are three rents in 
  the air, rapidly closing. The seven confer quickly among 
  themselves and then step into these rents, which seal shut 
  behind them. Khandescus then drags himself into view 
  and waves for help.
  Once the PCs reach the top of the tower, the badly 
  wounded Khandescus tells them what just happened: 
  the group burst in and saw the gems, and one of them 
  immediately grabbed for one. That disrupted the wards, 
  detonating them and disintegrating the grabby thief. 
  The explosion interacted with the magic of the gems and 
  punched holes between the dimensions, pulling the gems 
  into them. The surviving thieves jumped through the 
  holes before they closed. Based on the characteristics of 
  the gems and the holes, Khandescus is sure they are in 
  various locations in the Outer Sphere. If the PCs try to 
  heal him, the spells fail, which he admits is the side effect 
  of his wards—something he can overcome, but which 
  requires some work, and he stresses that there are more 
  immediate concerns.
  “While you were waiting, I spoke to a comrade who lives on Axis 
  about the gems. She confirms what you said—she told me they 
  are dangerous and need to be returned as quickly as possible, and 
  I was slowly taking down my wards when those thieves arrived.
  “I’m hurt, but I’m still strong enough to help you somewhat.” 
  He props himself on an elbow, pulls a crystal device from a pocket, 
  and uses it to create a portal, showing a blurry cityscape beyond. 
  “You wanted those gems returned, but now they’re gone and I’m 
  not sure where. If you want to help Taibhill, step through this 
  portal and speak to Torleinn in Axis. If she says this is important, 
  it is. Hurry... the trail gets fainter the longer you wait.”
  The sage is unable to answer many more questions at 
  this time—he is injured and exhausted, and impatient if 
  the PCs don’t immediately follow his directions.
  Arrival in Axis
  Stepping through Khandescus’s portal, the PCs’ senses 
  are assaulted by the sights, sounds, and smells of a 
  bustling city, its “sky” a rough-hewn cavern—the city 
  
  6
  m o d u l e  J 5
  is underground. Wagons trundle along the cobblestone 
  streets; merchants stand guard at their stalls. On closer 
  examination, it appears that everyone’s on guard, on 
  edge, and ready for violence—an unusual state for Axis, 
  City of Law.
  The portal closes, leaving only a cramped alleyway in its 
  wake. Coming up the alley is a hooded woman, her hands 
  out in front of her in a gesture of goodwill. “I believe you 
  are here on behalf of Khandescus?” she asks the group.
  This woman is Torleinn (LE female human wizard 8), 
  an exiled Chelish noble. She informs the party that they 
  have landed in Norgorber’s domain, the ugly underbelly 
  of Axis. She has been Khandescus’s contact in the city 
  for years, ever since she fled the infernal destruction of 
  her family, whose history has since been erased from 
  all official records. She has built herself a new home 
  here in Axis, where she hopes to gain understanding 
  of the ways of Hell so she can restore her family 
  and overthrow the ruling house of Thrune. She’s 
  cagey 
  about 
  whether 
  Khandescus is aiding her 
  in this, and whether 
  this is indicative of 
  broader support from 
  House Leroung.
  Torleinn says she’ll let 
  the PCs use her house as 
  a base of operations 
  while they meet up 
  with the Keepers of 
  the Vault, servitors of 
  Pharasma. The Keepers, 
  she says, are frantic to recover the lost soul 
  gems, and if the PCs want to use this as leverage 
  to glean a favor or two for Torleinn as payment for the 
  use of her home, she wouldn’t mind that at all. She shows 
  them her house, gives them directions on how to return 
  to it from other parts of the city, and then points them at 
  one of the myriad twisting tunnels that lead to the upper 
  side of Axis, where the party can ask for the Keepers of the 
  Vault—when in doubt, the PCs can head for the gigantic 
  spire near the edge of the city.
  The party can shop for exotic items here in Norgorber’s 
  Domain, engage an otherworldly assassin for enemies back 
  in the material world, or discover additional adventure 
  hooks at your discretion. Keep in mind that this is the 
  domain of the god of thieves and murderers, and that the 
  PCs might find their purses lifted or their throats slit if 
  they aren’t careful.
  Axis Planar traits
  Axis is strongly lawfully aligned. Non-lawful creatures 
  on this plane take a –2 circumstance penalty on all 
  Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based checks.
  the Keeper of the Vault
  When the PCs head to the surface to contact the church of 
  Pharasma, read or paraphrase the following.
  Emerging from the dark tunnel into the light, the omnipresent 
  golden shimmer and white marble are momentarily blinding. 
  High above looms the Great Spire of Pharasma, and beyond that 
  is the ominous moon Groetus. The crowded boulevard is straighter 
  than an arrow, and its buildings exude an aura of whitewashed 
  perfection.
  Marring this perfection is a polluted and oily river coiling 
  around the base of the Spire, in which disturbing shapes twist 
  and form before being sucked back under by strange eddies. A 
  hovering, intricately carved bridge of gold and lead wire 
  spans the river, and at the base of it stands a female 
  figure in ebony-black robes chased with 
  blood-red trim, her 
  face marked with 
  the symbol of 
  Pharasma. The 
  woman’s eyes 
  are intense 
  and ageless. 
  With a gesture, 
  the woman beckons the 
  PCs to her. “Taibhill sent you,” 
  she says. It is not a question. Her hand 
  glows, and she reaches into a space behind 
  the air and removes a scroll, which she extends 
  outward. She then proceeds to introduce herself 
  as one of the Keepers—she has no personal name, as is 
  their custom. The scroll is a magical map of the three soul 
  gems, with two locations crisply marked and one blurred 
  and shifting. The Keeper explains that if a PC touches one 
  of the markings indicating a gem and concentrates (DC 25), 
  the map opens a portal to its approximate location, allowing 
  them to travel there and retrieve it. After using the portal, 
  anyone can concentrate on the map as a standard action to 
  determine the direction of the gem (similar to locate object). 
  Once the PCs acquire the gem, they simply touch it to its 
  corresponding place on the map to open a portal back to 
  the base of the Great Spire. She notes that there may be a 
  slight delay between the activation and the appearance of 
  the portal, as the map seeks a path through the planes to 
  Axis, and that they should not expect immediate results. She 
  explains that the more time they spend outside the Vault, the 
  more powerful and dangerous each gem becomes. Finally, 
  she says that the third glyph is blurry because someone is 
  using advanced magic to obscure its location, but as the 
  gem’s power increases the map should be able to discern its 
  location and create a portal to it.
  The Keeper says that the Church of Pharasma will 
  honor the deals the party made with Taibhill and 
  
  7
  beyond the vault of souls
  Khandescus. If a PC succeeds at a DC 25 Diplomacy check, 
  the Keeper agrees to do a favor for Torleinn. At no time 
  does she explain the true nature of the gems or their role 
  in repelling Groetus from the Spire (though the PCs can 
  use other magic to discover this).
  Pursuing the Soul Gems
  The PCs are free to go after the first two gems in whatever 
  order they choose. The third gem (blurred on the magic 
  map and the focus of the fourth part of this adventure) 
  is hidden within Aroden’s old realm in Axis, and it does 
  not clearly appear on the party’s map until they have 
  retrieved or destroyed the other two.
  This adventure includes quests for three missing gems, 
  with the retrieval of the third being the climax of the 
  adventure. These are not the only missing gems. You can 
  expand these quests into a longer campaign by adding 
  more gems and more planar sites, perhaps drawing on 
  encounters in other books as suitable strange locations 
  altered by the gem’s powers. Khandescus had more than 
  three gems, and may not be the only spellcaster who 
  has stolen gems from the Vault. For a long-term, plane-
  hopping campaign, the PCs might have to hunt down a 
  dozen gems (all marked on the Keeper’s map) in strange 
  and remote parts of the multiverse. To elevate the threat 
  of the lost gems, perhaps 20 or more gems were stolen, 
  and the PCs are just one of many teams (each with their 
  own unique map) working for the Keepers to retrieve 
  them before Groetus’s descent is irreversible.
  The Children of the Reborn Glory: The members of 
  this group are also pursuing these gems, and seek to 
  thwart the players’ progress. Their opposition intensifies 
  as the end draws near; they are desperate to retrieve what 
  they believe are pieces of Aroden’s soul, preaching that 
  Aroden’s soul was splintered in the accident that killed 
  him, and that his shattered spirit took residence in these 
  gems. When the PCs return to Axis with their first soul 
  gem, before they can reach the Keeper at the base of the 
  Great Spire, several members of the Children approach 
  them. The speaker of this group greets the PCs and asks 
  them if they venerate Aroden, gauging their reactions to 
  the god’s name. If the party seems sympathetic to the 
  dead god, the speaker introduces himself as Olvan (see 
  the Appendix for statistics), and his comrades Allston, 
  Hestrix, Keira, Manawell, Omnis, and Trisan, all members 
  of the Children of the Reborn Glory. Olvan tells the PCs 
  that they can take part in the resurrection of Aroden. All 
  they need to do, he says, is hand over the gem—or, failing 
  that, bring it to the Children’s headquarters, where they 
  are assembling Aroden’s soul one piece at a time.
  If the PCs seem indifferent to Aroden’s name, Olvan 
  may instead threaten them. He’s intent on retrieving the 
  gem from the PCs, and he’ll do what he must to get them. 
  Olvan may fight for the gems; if the PCs prefer fighting 
  over talking, this may indeed be the only course of action. 
  If the PCs prefer a mixture of diplomacy and action, 
  Olvan settles for strong words, trying to emphasize the 
  importance of returning Aroden to his rightful place and 
  restoring the balance that has gone awry since the god’s 
  apparent death. Olvan appears again in the Cathedral 
  (see page 22) if he is not killed here. If the PCs refuse 
  to hand over the gem or to follow him to their base, he 
  asks the party to reconsider his offer, and says that he’ll 
  continue to speak to them about this. Olvan is not evil, 
  and does not intend to harm the PCs; he just wants to 
  fulfill his mission to resurrect Aroden.
  If the party insists on fighting Olvan and he’s in 
  danger of being killed, he flees and returns with more 
  allies from his group when the PCs recover the second 
  gem. If the Keeper is present, she comes to the party’s 
  aid, casting aid and cure light wounds spells but never 
  directly injuring opponents. The Children do not attack 
  the Keeper, for she is one of the guardians of Pharasma, 
  and they do not wish to suffer the goddess’s wrath for 
  harming one of her own so close to the Great Spire. See 
  the Appendix for more information on Olvan and his 
  team. Keep track of how many of these NPCs are killed; 
  they do not appear in the last part of the adventure.
  If you include additional gems beyond the three 
  described in this adventure, the third time the PCs come 
  back with a soul gem, Olvan has six fighters and two rogues 
  with him. As before, keep track of how many the PCs kill. 
  Instead of attacking the party in Axis, they can also make 
  an appearance in the plane in which the party seeks the 
  next gem. They may attack the players immediately, hold 
  back until the PCs are engaged in battle with an enemy 
  before striking, or even attempt to circumvent the party 
  altogether and seek the gem themselves.
  If the PCs wish to help the Children regain the gems, 
  they can use the magic map for this purpose and get 
  two Children soldiers (see Appendix) to accompany 
  them on each of their successive planar missions. Once 
  they’ve retrieved all the gems, the PCs can then return 
  to the final encounter area in Aroden’s Quarter, where 
  the various factions of the Children begin a misguided 
  battle against each other for their god’s soul.
  Magic on the Planes
  remember that as the PCs travel the planes, they are 
  the extraplanar visitors and their opponents are natives. 
  this affects how certain planar spells work. for example, 
  banishment forces extraplanar creatures out of the caster’s 
  home plane; if the PCs cast banishment on any of the 
  demons or daemons in this adventure, it has no effect 
  because the abyss or abaddon is not the PCs’ home plane.
  
  8
  m o d u l e  J 5
  emotions other than rage, hate, pride, and fear; anything 
  else is a mask. It may pretend to negotiate with the PCs, 
  but only so it can catch them off guard. It will never let 
  the gem—the key to its presumed success—slip through 
  its grasp. The demon is quite adept at analyzing and 
  utilizing the gem’s power, and it does not relinquish its 
  hold on the gem without a terrible struggle.
  The Upstart has remained in the tree since its discovery, 
  standing over the gem and caressing it, coaxing more and 
  greater power from its heart, and sacrificing the souls of 
  unwary travelers to the tree’s bloodied roots, which feeds 
  the gem. The vrock will only leave the tree in the event of 
  a true emergency in its domain, such as a demonic attack 
  from a greater power.
  The leadership of the town has always changed every few 
  weeks as rival demon lords send their minions to kill the 
  current leader and take over; the Upstart’s power from the 
  gem might be enough to cement its ownership of the town 
  for much longer than that. Any combat draws the other 
  demons’ attention, though they are more likely to place 
  bets on the outcome than to aid one side or the other.
  the aByss
  Deep in the cracks of the Abyss, where the Maelstrom pours 
  in to be tainted by unremitting evil, the first soul gem has 
  found a fertile ground for its powerful magics. Caught in 
  its fleeting passage by the twisted trunk of an abyssal tree 
  at the heart of a demonic town called Taste of Anguish, 
  the gem was discovered and identified by a vrock named 
  Tarigwydin. Now called “the Upstart,” the demon has taken 
  over this demonic town and is intent on turning it into the 
  foundation of a kingdom.
  The Upstart was but a common vrock, one of the 
  vulture-headed shock troopers of the Abyss, when it came 
  across the gem. Its stunted ambition flared, however, 
  when it realized it held a weapon of unknown potential. 
  It is a creature of elemental rage and hate, most defined 
  by its desire to be great, and anything that stands in its 
  way is its enemy. It believes it has an inexorable fate, 
  and it gathers power to itself in any way it can. It has no 
  
  9
  beyond the vault of souls
  When the PCs use the Keeper’s map to create a portal to 
  the Abyss, read or paraphrase the following.
  The teleportation from the Keeper’s map is momentarily disorienting. 
  Reality twists itself back to normal, revealing a whirling, crazy sky, 
  a shifting kaleidoscope of nauseating, viscous colors that exude 
  malice. The scene is a dusty, barren plain dotted here and there 
  with thorny trees shaped from the groaning souls of petitioners. A 
  light breeze moans by, kicking up some of the dust, revealing for a 
  moment a buried head, eyes still open, before the dirt covers it over 
  again. Across the plain this repeats—small puffs of dust and the 
  barest glint of skin, revealing suffering souls bound into the very 
  earth. An oily black bend of a river passes nearby.
  Up ahead is a palisaded town on a hill, its outer wall made 
  of thorn-covered logs. The buildings within are covered in thorns 
  and spikes, built from the same wood and covered with a thick 
  layer of dried mud. At the center of town, cresting the hill, is a 
  small stone keep with a huge, gnarled tree. Demons fly to and 
  fro over the town, sometimes alighting on the walls or the tree’s 
  outer branches.
  The town is Taste of Anguish. Concentrating on the 
  Keeper’s map indicates the soul gem is in the direction of 
  the great tree at the center of town.
  Abyss Planar traits
  The influence of the soul gem on this area of the plane 
  prevents demons from using their native summon demon 
  ability. It also has the effect of nullifying any other 
  summoning spells. Calling spells that require checks do 
  so with a –5 penalty. The Abyss is mildly chaos- and evil-
  aligned. This means that lawful or good creatures take a –2 
  penalty on all Charisma-based checks. For creatures both 
  lawful and good, these penalties stack.
  A. the Palisade Wall
  The palisade wall is 20 feet high, and is built from the wood 
  of nearby thorn trees. Anyone attempting to climb it takes 
  1d10 points of piercing damage (Reflex half DC 15). Babau 
  guards pass singly along the walls every 5 minutes, with 
  individual quasits flying intermittent patrols to ensure 
  that the babaus provide adequate protection. Alternatively, 
  the party may attempt to gain entry through the guarded 
  gate, where a vrock stands as supervisor. If they can claim 
  no business inside the town, the guards either drive the 
  party away or bring them before the Upstart as unwilling 
  sacrifices. Dramatic effects like burning or disintegrating 
  the palisade immediately attract the attention of the 
  guard and all nearby demons.
  At peak occupation, the town holds the Upstart, 1 hezrou, 
  5 vrocks, 12 babaus, several dozen dretches and quasits, 
  approximately 100 humanoids (mostly slaves, some mortal 
  merchants or demonologists), and a few fiendish or half-
  fiend humans or orcs with varying agendas. 
  Once inside the wooden walls, the party must wend 
  through the muddy streets and hovels and a few half-human 
  or outsider merchants to reach the stone keep at the center 
  of town. The denizens of Taste of Anguish are bullying and 
  cruel, but they have learned to suffer visitors in order to 
  increase traffic to the town. A few taverns cater to travelers, 
  and truly unsavory entertainments are offered in pits dug 
  into the graveyard soil of the plain outside the palisade wall.
  Taste of Anguish Encounters
  Roll (d20) 
  Encounter 
  EL
  1–3 
  Babaus (1–3) 
  6, 8, or 9
  4–6 
  Bebilith (outskirts only) 
  10
  7–12 
  dretches (8 or 16) 
  8 or 10
  13 
  Glabrezu 
  13
  14 
  hezrou 
  11
  15–18 
  Quasits (4 or 8) 
  6 or 8
  19–20 
  vrock (1–3) 
  9, 11, or 12
  Consider adding additional encounters within the city 
  to make it more memorable to the PCs—this is an excellent 
  place for the appearance of old antagonists and mysterious 
  traders, and to generally show that the Abyss is not deadly 
  combat all the time. It is also a place where friends of the 
  PCs could be held in captivity—whether as mortals or 
  souls stolen away after their deaths—and thus ready for 
  rescue. This city is emblematic of the worst of mortal vices: 
  prostitution, gambling with souls as currency, bargains 
  with fiendish powers, rampant drug abuse with addictive 
  qualities and evil side effects, and horrific crimes to which 
  residents and visitors alike turn blind eyes. Encounters in 
  the town are only hostile if the PCs appear weak or easily 
  bullied; otherwise the indicated groups ignore them, or 
  perhaps try to extort small bribes.
  Note that the bebilith encounter occurs only outside 
  the walls of Taste of Anguish. The creatures are attracted 
  to the steady stream of traffic into and out of the city, but 
  the city’s guards (bands of 6 babaus led by vrocks) keep 
  the hunters at bay as much as possible. If the guards 
  see visitors attacked by the bebilith, they come watch 
  the battle, but do not get involved unless it appears the 
  visitors are merchants; instead, they wait for the party to 
  weaken the bebilith, and only join in to finish it off when 
  they’re sure the PCs are going to defeat it.
  B. the mercantile exchange (el 7)
  Situated near the front entrance to the city, this is the 
  place where the merchants, slavers, and other visitors to 
  the city come to trade their wares. The place is a crowded 
  mass of tents, temporary shelters, and occasional tall 
  wooden towers that creak and scream in the wind which 
  howls over the walls. Any manner of service or craft may 
  be found here, as long as it can be used to further the 
  cause of chaos or evil.
  
  10
  m o d u l e  J 5
  The party may also find information about the city here, 
  and hear rumors about its founder. More specifically, 
  if they begin asking questions among the denizens, a 
  succubus with an aura of authority comes to speak to 
  them. She says that she was attracted here by the power 
  of the tree, and she believes that others may have come 
  here as well. She asks the PCs to keep an eye open for 
  creatures that are not as they seem or that demonstrate 
  ancient wisdom, and she’ll reward them handsomely.
  The succubus is actually on a mission to retrieve the soul 
  gem for her balor master. However, she felt the influence of  
  the elder demon Aahtsil, and she has diverted all her  
  energy to finding it—it would be a handsome prisoner 
  and a source of great power and information.
  Succubus                     CR 7
  hp 33; MM 47
  TACTICS
  During Combat: the 
  succubus prefers to 
  have others do her 
  fighting, but she does 
  the dirty work herself 
  when necessary. She tries 
  to place herself between 
  two buildings so that 
  she cannot be flanked. 
  She attempts to charm 
  martial enemies and use 
  them as guards against 
  hostile spellcasters, 
  using energy drain 
  against casters.
  Morale: if reduced to 20 hp, 
  she teleports away.
  C. the Arsenal and 
  training Field
  The great siege weapons 
  of the town are kept here, 
  commandeered by the Upstart to defend against 
  any lords and princes come to take the soul gem. Should 
  greater powers attempt to attack the city, the arcane 
  engines here await their coming. These great devices 
  cannot be moved or used by the PCs (like an opposite-
  aligned weapon, they give negative levels to any non-
  demon that touches them). This area is also a large and 
  dusty parade ground, and it is here that babaus practice 
  driving flocks of dretches back and forth, teaching them 
  discipline, hatred, and the best use of raw strength.
  D. the Pens
  This area is a great pen of dretches, prisoners, slaves, and 
  the like. The slaves are divided according to their spiritual 
  status (petitioner, mortal, demon, and so on), by race, and 
  then by some intangible quality that the demons seem to 
  have no trouble discerning. The stink is tremendous, and 
  the streets here are covered with filth.
  e. the Visitors
  This is an area of brothels, inns, taverns, and other 
  entertainments for visitors to the town. Gladiatorial pits, 
  gambling houses, and other less-speakable delights are 
  the norm, and it is not uncommon to see the bodyguards 
  of merchants locked in mortal struggles for the 
  entertainment of their masters.
  Parts of this section of 
  town have been torched 
  and destroyed. Squatters 
  and 
  indigents 
  pick 
  through the rubble, 
  fleeing at the slightest 
  sign of motion. An 
  elder (CR 30)  vrock-
  like demon named 
  Aahtsil, a guest 
  of Tarigwydin, 
  meditates here 
  in 
  a 
  burned-
  down building, 
  its eyes gray with 
  age, its voice a 
  dull rasp. 
  As 
  Aahtsil 
  greets the party, 
  its 
  very 
  being 
  exudes a menace 
  unlike any they have 
  felt before. Aahtsil 
  does not attack; 
  the demon is not 
  a fighter, and if the 
  party attacks it, it vanishes 
  using 
  quickened 
  teleport. 
  A historian of the demonic race, 
  it desires to learn and write about notable demons. 
  It is here to study the effects of the gem on the local 
  landscape, and to advise the Upstart.
  If the PCs tell the ancient demon of the succubus from 
  area E, it is amused to hear she is seeking it, calling her 
  “the little spy.” It invites the PCs to bring her to it, for 
  the succubus is no match for its power, and it wishes to 
  practice cruelty on her. However, if the party complies, 
  the succubus attempts to charm the ancient demon. The 
  resulting battle draws the guards from the keep and may 
  even lure Tarigwydin from the safety of the tree for a few 
  precious minutes; this is the party’s best chance to enter 
  the keep unmolested.
  
  11
  beyond the vault of souls
  F. Uptown
  Merchants and traders have made permanent homes in 
  this portion of the city. Each home is a small building 
  fortified with powerful magics and patrolled by imported 
  guards. Some of them are mortals, some of the residents are 
  outsiders; all know how to defend themselves. The lambent 
  wards on these houses flicker under the ever-dusk of the 
  plain, warning all viewers to not enter without permission.
  G. the Open Field
  The area around the keep is kept clear of buildings, tents, 
  and other structures that might block a clear sightline 
  from the fortress walls. Like his predecessors, Tarigwydin 
  wants to ensure that no greater demon can sneak up on the 
  walls without it knowing (though it can’t yet prevent enemy 
  teleportation), and it wants to be able to withstand a siege.
  H. the Keep
  The keep is a thick stone wall with several observation towers 
  built into it. It is the fallback position for the local demons 
  should their town ever be beseiged. Most demons serving 
  here don’t take an interest in intruders, assuming that any 
  mortal foolish enough to enter this place must be invited.
  The real danger for the party is convincing the quasits 
  who flit to and fro that they have a reason to be inside the 
  outer wall of the keep. All quasits start with an unfriendly 
  attitude toward visiting mortals they don’t recognize; the PCs 
  must at least shift their attitude to indifferent to keep any of 
  them from raising the alarm (be sure to take into account the 
  plane’s penalty to Charisma-based checks for good or lawful 
  creatures). Bribes and mind control may help this situation 
  if the PCs aren’t good at talking their way out of problems.
  i: the tree (el 11)
  The tree is over 100 feet high, and its thorns and brambles 
  thrust out in a wicked tangle. The gem is embedded near 
  the top of the trunk at the base of its uppermost branches. 
  Those who wish to remove the gem now must hack it free 
  from the spreading branches of the tree, which deals 2d10 
  points of piercing damage to the attacker each round 
  (Reflex half DC 25). The tree has hardness 10, 75 hp, and 
  cold, electricity, and fire resistance 30. The Upstart lurks 
  among the branches and only rarely comes out to issue 
  orders or deal with a rebellious underling.
  Visitors normally wait at the base of the tree, either calling 
  up to request an audience or coercing a quasit to do so on 
  their behalf. If an unknown creature approaches the Upstart 
  unannounced, the vrock considers it a threat and prepares 
  for battle. The Upstart does not give up the gem willingly; it is 
  the demon’s means to power and greatness, and without the 
  gem it is just another expendable warrior. Even if charmed, 
  it refuses to cooperate. At best, the PCs may be able to lure it 
  away from the tree in order to gain time to steal the gem, but 
  if they try to touch or destroy the gem, it attacks.
  Tarigwydin the Upstart 
  CR 11
  enhanced vrock
  Ce large outsider (chaotic, demon, evil)
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; listen +24, Spot +24, true seeing
  DEfEnSE
  AC 22, touch 11, flat-footed 20
  (+2 dex, +11 natural, –1 size)
  hp 118 (10d8+73); fast healing 1
  fort +14, Ref +9, Will +10
  DR 10/good; resistance to acid, cold, and fire 10; Immune 
  electricity, poison; SR 17
  OffEnSE
  Spd 30 ft., fly 50 ft.
  Melee claw +15 (2d6+6) and
  bite +13 (1d8+3) and
  2 talons +13 (1d6+3)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. 
  Special Attacks dance of ruin, spores, stunning screech
  Spell-Like Abilities (Cl 12th)
  at will—dispel magic, mirror image, telekinesis (dC 18), 
  greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs.)
  3/day—gaseous form, chaos hammer (DC 17)
  2/day—fire storm (dC 22), power word stun
  1/day—blade barrier (dC 19), heroism
  TACTICS
  Before Combat the demon uses heroism if it expects a battle.
  During Combat tarigwydin uses its stunning screech, then 
  mirror image and chaos hammer or fire storm. it teleports 
  around the battlefield in order to take full advantage of its 
  enemies’ weaknesses, and uses power word stun against a 
  winged target to make it plummet to the ground.
  Morale the upstart flees combat only if it appears the gem 
  is being threatened. in this case, it takes gaseous form to 
  remove itself from combat, and returns to the gem as 
  quickly as possible. it would rather perish than lose the 
  gem, and fights to the death to defend it.
  STATISTICS
  Str 23, Dex 15, Con 25, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 16
  Base Atk +10; Grp +20
  feats Blind-fightB, Cleave, Combat reflexes, Multiattack, 
  Power attack, toughnessB
  Skills Concentration +20, diplomacy +5, hide +11, intimidate 
  +16, Knowledge (arcana) +15, listen +24, Move Silently +15, 
  Search +15, Sense Motive +16, Spellcraft +15, Spot +24, 
  Survival +3 (+5 following tracks)
  Languages abyssal, Celestial, Common, draconic, telepathy
  Aftermath
  Without the gem, Tarigwydin’s main source of power 
  is removed, and another demon eventually ousts it and 
  takes over. If Tarigwydin survives this coup, it plans 
  revenge on those who ruined its scheme—perhaps by 
  entering a pact with a mortal spellcaster, or finding a 
  way to Golarion, such as through the Worldwound.
  
  12
  m o d u l e  J 5
  aBaddon
  Once the PCs use the magical map to return to Axis, 
  they find the Keeper waiting for them. If they have not 
  aligned with the Children of the Reborn Glory and plan 
  to travel to Abaddon next, the Keeper holds a finger aloft 
  to indicate they should pause.
  “You are going to enter the realm of Abaddon, where the daemons 
  hold sway. They are foul creatures, full of hate and power, and 
  you will need assistance. Take these, and use them all—they will 
  not survive the trip back to Axis.” With a gesture, she creates an 
  extradimensional space near her, then pulls from it a large sack. 
  Glass bottles clink within as she holds it forward, and the loose 
  folds of canvas outline bulky objects.
  In the bag is a sheaf of 10 +1 daemon-bane arrows (or 
  crossbow bolts, if the archers in the party use crossbows 
  rather than bows), a +3 daemon-bane melee weapon of the 
  same type preferred by the party’s primary melee character, 
  five flasks of oil of bless weapon, and 5 potions of cure serious 
  wounds. These items disintegrate into powder moments 
  after the PCs leave Abaddon.
  FinDinG tHe CAUlDrOn
  In the depths of Abaddon, the River Styx winds in an oxbow 
  around a spit of land. On this spit stands an ugly, squat, 
  pipe-covered lump of porous rock and bone called the 
  Cauldron. A mobile island bound in place by a submerged 
  chain, the Cauldron is a place of vile experimentation, a 
  tower plumbed with the polluted waters of the Styx, and the 
  final torment of countless mortal souls. Charonadaemons 
  pay for this research, funding the Cauldron and channeling 
  souls to its master so that they can learn the deeper secrets 
  of the Styx.
  In certain parts of Abaddon near the River Styx, the great 
  miasma of lost memory and the despair of oblivion plays 
  tricks on intelligent minds. The daemons in these areas live 
  in the interstices between moments, in the places between 
  the blinks of an eye and the drawing of a breath. This leads 
  
  13
  beyond the vault of souls
  The STygian MiaSMa
  the soul gem’s influence in abaddon amplifies the 
  localized memory-shifting effect of the Styx, actually 
  allowing minor alterations to time. the PCs can take 
  advantage of the Stygian miasma to flash backward and 
  forward in the island’s timeline, avoiding the worst of the 
  monstrosities lurking in the Cauldron. unfortunately, the 
  daemons have vast experience navigating the memory 
  tricks of the Styx; the PCs do not. the practical result of 
  this is that each time the party uses the miasma to reduce 
  the difficulty of an encounter, Couthwaile becomes aware 
  of the shifts in time and memory, and readjusts his 
  strategies to confound the party in the final encounter, 
  gaining additional abilities based on his awareness 
  of the PCs and his link to the soul gem. it is only the 
  PCs’ previous interaction with soul gems that prevents 
  Couthwaile from seeing their actions clearly and moving 
  immediately to stop them.
  at the beginning of each encounter in the Cauldron, 
  the PCs may make a Will save (dC 20). if they succeed, 
  they feel the fabric of time warping around them and 
  understand that the Styx’s foul air allows them to flicker 
  through memory and locally alter time. if at least one 
  PC chooses to exert his will on the timeline (a swift 
  action), the PCs’ opponents in that encounter suffer a –2 
  on attacks, saves, and checks, and the PCs may treat the 
  first round of the encounter as a surprise round (where 
  their opponents are surprised and they are not). this 
  effect lasts for 1 minute. its effects do not stack (more 
  than one PC using the miasma does not give opponents 
  multiple penalties). PCs cannot time-shift the encounter 
  with Couthwaile.
  Keep track of the number of times the PCs draw on the 
  time-shift; the effect on Couthwaile’s power is described 
  in the encounter with him (area 15).
  to a strange and disjointed life as their memories pass 
  back and forth, their experience a flicker of moments and 
  minutes, a mélange of precognition and ignorance. The 
  Cauldron is one such place; the soul gem landed near here 
  and was brought to the island for study. It is now in the 
  possession of a daemonic vivisectionist named Couthwaile, 
  the Crying Jackal. Like Tarigwydin in the Abyss, Couthwaile 
  immediately recognized the tremendous power in this 
  gem and seeks to tap it for his advancement and the glory 
  of his race—in that order. To that end, the Crying Jackal 
  has set aside the entire operation of the Cauldron to 
  experiment with the power of the gem upon on the souls 
  in his keeping. As time progresses, he expects to twist the 
  gem to create ever-stronger monstrosities, and in the final 
  iteration, he will detonate the gem and harness its power 
  to generate an enormous army of soul-slaved creatures to 
  shake the foundations of the Outer Sphere. The longer the 
  party waits to retrieve this gem, the more time the Crying 
  Jackal has to understand and tether its energies.
  The soul gem’s arrival destroyed the hidden chain that 
  keeps the Cauldron slowly circling Charon’s palace, leaving 
  it to drift idly downstream toward Szuriel’s realm. When 
  the PCs use the Keeper’s map to teleport to Abaddon, read 
  or paraphrase the following.
  The sensory distortion from the map’s gate ends. Here the Styx 
  flows through a shattered obsidian canyon. Steam rises from 
  the river, and the stench is unbelievable, like guts freshly spilled 
  under a hot desert sun, or an alleyway between a tavern and a 
  morgue. The steam twists and roils, faces and forms taking shape 
  and whispering indistinct words before being snatched back into 
  the rancid stew; the steam seems to tug at memories, pulling 
  some to the forefront and discarding others. Frog-faced creatures 
  break the surface, sometimes clutching humanoid victims, only to 
  submerge again. Overhead, the sky is a sickly gray, offset by the 
  strange twilight of a perpetual eclipse.
  Above the lip of the canyon, soul-splintering winds howl, and 
  streamers of dust and smoke whistle madly through the sky, but it 
  is calm at the bottom. A massive lump of bone and rock has lodged 
  in the shallows at a bend in the river, canted slightly to one side, 
  its door opening onto a platform adjacent to the shore. Behind 
  it and just beyond the canyon rises a massive dead volcano with 
  fortresses and battlements carved into its sides.
  The party arrives shortly after the Cauldron becomes 
  mired on the shore of the Styx in Szuriel’s volcanic 
  realm. The archdaemon’s forces have not yet noticed the 
  Cauldron’s arrival, giving the PCs some time to retrieve 
  the gem from Couthwaile.
  Abaddon Planar traits
  Abaddon is strongly evil-aligned. Non-evil creatures 
  on this plane take a –2 circumstance penalty on all 
  Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based checks.
  Styx Water
  Any creature splashed by water from the Styx must make a 
  DC 15 Will save or forget 1d3 random skills, feats, or (if the 
  character is a spellcaster) spell slots for the next 1d4 days. 
  Characters who forget skills or feats do not lose access to 
  prestige classes, class abilities, or other abilities that rely 
  on the forgotten skills or feats. Casters who prepare spells 
  forget they have those spells prepared but the slots are not 
  actually expended, and casters who do not prepare spells 
  forget they have access to those spell slots. A heal or restora-
  tion spell recovers the lost memories immediately.
  Immersion in the Styx is like being splashed, but the 
  Will save DC is 20, a save must be made every round, and 
  
  14
  m o d u l e  J 5
  failure means 2d4 random memories (skills, feats, or spell 
  slots) are lost for the next 1d4 days. Any PC that forgets all 
  his skills, feats, and spell slots loses all memories, personal 
  identity, and sense of survival.
  tHe CAUlDrOn
  The Cauldron looks more like a dead creature than 
  something built, though much of it is solid rock. Fortunately 
  for the heroes, this is not a fortress but a laboratory, and 
  it was designed for functionality and ease of access rather 
  than defense. Most of its interior has no light, as the 
  daemons all have darkvision.
  The sole official entrance to the tower is the main 
  doorway that opens onto the platform resting on the 
  shoreline (though creatures can also enter the drainage 
  pipes using gaseous form and emerge in one of the 
  machinery rooms on the lower level). The Styx flows 
  quietly around the island, forming slow-moving pools on 
  either side and a narrow causeway (100 feet long and 5 
  feet wide) connecting the shore to the door platform. The 
  island is far too heavy for the PCs to move; it would take 
  hundreds of slaves and miles of rope to inch it off of the 
  riverbed so it could move freely again.
  The Cauldron’s door is a great metal affair, rune-carved, 
  and the faces of tortured souls swim under its polished 
  surface as if they were trapped under ice.
  Two hydrodaemons guard the entrance. The door is 
  bent in some places and hangs open.
  Hydrodaemon Door Guards (2) 
  EL 9
  hp 59; Tome of Horrors Revised 81
  TACTICS
  During Combat the daemons croak a warning as soon as they 
  sight intruders (though there are no allies close enough 
  to hear them over the noise of the canyon and the island’s 
  machinery). on the first round, one attacks while the other 
  tries to use its summon daemon ability to conjure another 
  hydrodaemon. on the second round, they reverse these 
  roles. on all subsequent rounds, they both attack.
  the Hallways (el varies)
  The interior of the Cauldron is gray and grim, constantly 
  oozing water and other, less savory fluids from the sticky-
  slimed stones of the wall. The halls show signs of having 
  been hewn, though portions resemble tunnels chopped 
  through meat rather than lifeless rock. In some places, 
  parts of the wall have been cut too close to nearby rooms, 
  and swaths of animate tissue have been affixed across these 
  thin areas like bandages or patches in a piece of leather 
  clothing. Rusted pipes and tubes crawl crazily across the 
  ceilings, walls, and floors, with little apparent regard for 
  planning or foresight, ranging from 3 feet in diameter 
  to just 1 inch; all of them are wet with condensation or 
  active leaks.
  Hazard: The water in these pipes is drawn from the 
  Styx, and while it has been refined enough that it no 
  longer steals memories, it is still harmful to mortals. 
  Between the polluted water, the rust, and chemicals 
  running through the pipes, any creature touching or 
  drinking a significant amount of this water must make a 
  DC 15 Fortitude save or contract the disease called slimy 
  doom (DMG 292).
  There is a 25% chance of a random encounter every 30 
  minutes the PCs spend in the Cauldron.
  Random Hallway Encounters 
  d12 
  Encounter 
  EL
  1–2 
  derghodaemon* 
  10
  3–6 
  hydrodaemons (2) 
  9
  7–8 
  Soul-fed golem** 
  7
  9–12 
  Wraiths (4) 
  9
  * only encountered once. if killed, no encounter occurs.
  ** See sidebar on the next page.
  Derghodaemon 
  CR 10
  hp 105; Tome of Horrors Revised 80
  TACTICS
  During Combat the derghodaemon is one of the few of its 
  kind allowed here; there are only a few in the building. 
  it starts the combat with feeblemind, then casts deeper 
  darkness followed by cause fear. 
  Morale if reduced to 20 hit points, it tries to escape with 
  greater teleport until it has recovered, at which point it tries 
  to ambush the party later.
  Hydrodaemons (3) 
  CR 7
  hp 59; Tome of Horrors Revised 81
  TACTICS
  Before Combat: unless alerted to the presence of the PCs, 
  these daemons are conversing and take a –2 penalty to 
  initiative checks.
  During Combat the daemons use their sleep spittle, then 
  make melee attacks.
  Morale the hydrodaemons fight until two are dead, at which 
  point the third flees, hoping to raise the alarm.
  Soul-fed Golem 
  CR  7
  Modified flesh golem (see sidebar)
  hp 79; MM 135
  TACTICS
  During Combat the golem targets the weakest-looking 
  PC until that PC is dead, then feeds upon that PC’s soul, 
  repeating this tactic until all the PCs are dead. it follows 
  the PCs if they try to flee.
  Morale the golem fights until destroyed.
  Wraiths (4) 
  EL 5
  hp 32; MM 258
  
  15
  beyond the vault of souls
  soul-fed Golem
  the Jackal has figured out how to use the soul gem’s 
  energy to animate corpses as soul-fed golems. these 
  golems look like scarred and mutilated corpses with 
  glowing eyes the same color as the soul gems. they 
  have all the powers and abilities of flesh golems, plus the 
  following ability.
  feed (Su) When a soul-fed golem kills a mortal, it 
  can extract and consume his soul as a full-round action 
  that provokes attacks of opportunity, pulling it out of 
  the target’s face in the form of protoplasmic goo. this 
  destroys the target’s soul. there is a 50% chance that 
  a wish, miracle, or true resurrection spell can return the 
  destroyed soul to life; if the check fails, the creature 
  cannot be brought back to life by mortal magic. for 
  every soul the golem consumes, it gains 10 temporary 
  hit points, and its slam damage, natural armor bonus, 
  fortitude save, and reflex save increase by +1 for 24 
  hours. these effects stack. the golem only gains these 
  benefits if the target has at least 9 hit dice.
  TACTICS
  During Combat these wraiths are remnants of the soul-
  devouring experiments of Couthwaile, and they try to 
  create more spawn if possible.
  Morale the wraiths fight until destroyed.
  1. torture Chamber (el varies)
  This cruel chamber is marked by constant low moans of pain, 
  punctuated by bouts of soul-wrenching screams. Inside are iron 
  maidens, thumbscrews, racks, cats o’ nine tails, scourges, wheels, 
  cages, saws, nailed chairs, and other tools that defy description but 
  show signs of frequent use. Tube-like apparatuses hang from the 
  ceiling, some with handles and clamps attached.
  The daemons use the torture chambers to learn about 
  the nature of life and death, and how to extract life energy 
  from creatures and corpses. The ceiling tubes are used to 
  conduct Styx water to this location and to siphon away the 
  energy of torture victims.
  Stunted hydrodaemon torturers are present, either here 
  or at the adjacent observation post (area 2, if one is adjacent 
  to this room). Weaker than others of their kind, they are still 
  useful here because of their resistance to the Styx water.
  The Cauldron tortures its victims by place of origin—that is, 
  outsiders are tortured in one chamber, elementals in another, 
  and mortals in yet another, unless the daemons believe that 
  torturing an angel near a mortal would inflict more pain than 
  being tortured alone. None of the victims brought to these 
  chambers has any chance of survival; even if the PCs attempt 
  to save them, they have suffered irreparable physical and 
  psychic wounds, and mercifully expire shortly after the PCs 
  dispatch their tormentors.
  Hydrodaemons (1–3) 
  CR 7
  hp 43; Tome of Horrors Revised 81
  TACTICS
  During Combat  the hydrodaemons are intent on their work 
  and take a –4 penalty to initiative. they use their sleep 
  spittle and follow up with melee attacks.
  Morale the daemons fight until dead.
  2. Observation Posts
  Peepholes at eye level look out into an adjacent room. Under the 
  peepholes are levers and knobs with no clear purpose.
  The peepholes look onto the adjacent torture chamber. 
  The levers activate or deactivate the pipes in that room, 
  starting or stopping the flow of refined Styx water from the 
  ceiling pipes onto potential victims. The knobs adjust the 
  direction of the pipes. If the adjacent torture chamber has 
  hydrodaemons present, they may wander to this area and 
  back as their duties require.
  3. Oubliettes
  This deep chamber is little more than a pit with a narrow stone 
  walkway around the edge. Cages hang over the blackness, a drop 
  with no end in sight. Remnants of prisoners hang from chains on the 
  walls or drip from the cages; none of the prisoners are alive.
   The pit is technically bottomless, for 20 feet below the 
  walkway it becomes a one-way portal to an Abyssal plane 
  of boundless night—this room is where the daemons 
  throw all refuse and other unwanted materials. Light 
  functions normally in the area but stops abruptly at the 
  portal, which may convince the PCs it is actually a sphere 
  of annihilation.
  Creatures and objects that cross partway through the 
  portal can return, but anything that fully crosses into the 
  dark plane cannot use the portal to return. If a PC goes 
  through the portal, he is lost in the night dimension 
  unless he has some kind of plane-traveling magic (such 
  as the Keeper’s map, which he can use to transport 
  himself to outside the Cauldron).
  4. library
  The walls of this room contain at least a hundred small niches, each 
  holding a book, tablet, group of scrolls, or other forms of writing.
  The experiments conducted in the Cauldron generate 
  an enormous amount of information, and whatever gets 
  
  16
  m o d u l e  J 5
  hawkins
  recorded is stored here, though most of it is too abstruse to 
  be of use to the party and the notes are written in a strange 
  mixture of Abyssal, Draconic, and Infernal. The materials are 
  organized in no particular order, but for every hour the PCs 
  spend searching they can make a DC 30 Search check; success 
  means they discover a fragment of a spellbook containing 
  eight non-good arcane spells (GM’s choice) from levels 3 to 7.
  5. Psychochemical tortures
  These rooms contain scarred steel tables, with 
  many chains and manacles attached. Mounted to 
  the wall is a small rack of multicolored flasks, and 
  nearby is a dull black orb that shines with an 
  evil purple light. 
  The daemons use these chambers 
  to test the long-term effects of 
  fear on minds, as well as to break 
  the spirits of especially resistant 
  torture subjects. The tables are 
  suitable for immobilizing human-
  shaped creatures from 3 to 15 feet 
  tall; the manacles are made of steel, 
  cold iron, or silver, suitable for restraining 
  most outsiders. The rack holds vials 
  containing horrid drugs that inflict waking 
  nightmares on anyone exposed to them. Any 
  creature touching the orb must make a DC 16 
  Will save; failure means it suffers the effects 
  of a fear spell. Success means it can direct the 
  fear to any creature on the table. If a drugged 
  creature is subjected to this fear, the effects combine into 
  an ongoing state of panic that lasts for 10 minutes. Each 
  room contains 200 gp worth of these drugs; all of them are 
  addictive and most are illegal in civilized places.
  6. Barghest Pens (el 9)
  Five demonic wolves growl at each other, fighting over the gristle-
  coated remnants of a man-sized skeleton.
  On occasion, the daemons use living creatures to 
  torment their guests, and lately they have been using these 
  barghests to savage the prisoners. These beasts are hungry 
  and anxious to please their masters, having seen too many 
  of their littermates destroyed at the hands of the daemons.
  Barghests (5) 
  CR 4
  hp 36; MM 23
  TACTICS
  During Combat the barghests start a battle using crushing 
  despair and charm monster, targeting the primary 
  spellcasters, then use melee attacks.
  Morale if three of them are killed, the remaining two use 
  dimension door to escape and find help.
  7. the Drowning Pools (el 9)
  This room is filled with thirty pools of varying sizes and colors. Near 
  each pool is one or more shallow grooves with straps bolted to the 
  floor, positioned so any creature held therein must touch the contents 
  of the pool.
  The pools range from narrow and deep 
  to wide and shallow. Each pool contains a 
  different liquid—water (Styx, pure, holy, 
  unholy), milk (fresh, curdled, cow, human, 
  other mammals), and acids of varying 
  strengths. The daemons tie the victims 
  here, then force their heads, limbs, or 
  other body parts into the liquid to see 
  how the creatures react to the contact.
  Creatures: 
  Four 
  wraiths 
  hover 
  here, the souls of fresh victims of the 
  pools. Hating what they have become 
  but not yet hating all life, 
  these wraiths do not 
  immediately attack. 
  The PCs may be 
  able to convince or force them 
  to help fight the daemons if the PCs 
  have recruited no other allies from the 
  prisoners here. Their initial attitude is 
  unfriendly, but they help if the PCs shift 
  their attitude to friendly.
  Wraiths (4) 
  CR  5
  hp 32; MM 258
  TACTICS
  Morale the wraiths fight until destroyed.
  8. mortal Slave Pit
  Resting in a hole in the ground are twenty humanoid prisoners—
  humans, elves, dwarves, and others. All of them look like they have 
  been starved and tortured for a long time.
  Most of these prisoners are in no shape to walk, let 
  alone fight, and many are beyond sanity, curled into 
  fetal positions and crying or shaking silently. Only two 
  have the strength to assist the party—Hawkins (LG male 
  human paladin of Iomedae 7, hp 20 out of 70) and Mithini 
  (NE female human rogue 7, hp 10 out of 40). If the PC heal 
  them and give them equipment, they’ll help in the battle 
  against Couthwaile; otherwise if freed they plan to lead 
  the other mortal captives out of the Cauldron and try to 
  find a way back to Golarion.
  
  17
  beyond the vault of souls
  9. Fiend Slave Circles 
  Imprisoned within six magical circles are six fiends, all of them 
  bloodied and bound with silver or cold iron shackles.
  The daemons do not restrict their victims to mortals. 
  Their researches have led them to capture both demons and 
  devils, and they have thrown their fiendish prisoners together 
  into a single chamber, their restraints keeping them from 
  slaughtering each other or their captors. They 
  are all emaciated and near death, their essence 
  having been drawn away and erased by the 
  waters of the Styx.
  The devil captives call themselves 
  Vemurus 
  (osyluth, 
  20 
  hp), 
  Kithona 
  (erinyes, 15 hp), and Vous (barbazu, 10 
  hp). The devils offer to aid the party in 
  exchange for their release, but use any 
  loophole as an excuse to slip from their 
  word. If the PCs make a DC 25 Bluff or 
  Diplomacy check, they can convince the 
  devils to aid them in the assault against 
  the daemons.
  The demon captives call themselves 
  Splinterbone (babau, 21 hp), Biting 
  Kiss (succubus, 18 hp), and 
  Bloodpinion (vrock, 33 hp). They 
  promise to aid the party in return 
  for their freedom, but have no compunctions 
  against breaking their word. If they are freed 
  and the devils are still chained, they slaughter 
  their hated foes and then leave the Cauldron, warning the 
  PCs not to follow or interfere.
  If Hawkins (from area 8) is with the party, he protests freeing 
  or teaming up with the fiends (insisting they be put to the sword 
  instead). He leaves if the PCs employ them in any fashion.
  10. Axiomite Slave Crystal
  A thin layer of transparent crystal seals off this chamber and coats 
  its interior walls. Trapped within it is a dwarven man, though he is 
  no normal dwarf, for as he moves he leaves behind trailing motes 
  of light and strange magical symbols that fade into nothingness, 
  and every few seconds he completely dissolves into these lights, 
  reforming again into his humanoid shape.
  This creature is Arobaini, an axiomite—an outsider 
  native to Axis and an epitome of pure law (the PCs saw 
  many such beings during their brief stay in Axis). The 
  crystal is warped by fiendish energy, dripping with water 
  from the Styx, and Arobaini cannot find an orderly pattern 
  in its shape, which is slowly driving him insane.
  To free Arobaini, the PCs must break the crystal 
  (hardness 8, 35 hit points, break DC 25). The axiomite has 15 
  hp out of his maximum 68, but he fights to his last breath 
  to help those who freed him. For more information on 
  axiomites, refer to Pathfinder Chronicles supplement The 
  Great Beyond, A Guide to the Multiverse.
  11. elemental Slave room (el 9)
  This room contains a 20-foot sphere of lead, dented outward in several 
  places, and a sphere of fire, inside of which is a creature resembling an 
  air elemental, recoiling from the heat of its prison.
  The lead sphere contains a greater water 
  elemental named Wurr that has been 
  hopelessly polluted by the water of the 
  Styx and now wants only death. Its efforts 
  to break free have dented the sides of 
  the sphere, and if the PCs linger in 
  this room for more than 2 rounds, it 
  heaves itself one last time against the 
  sphere, cracking it open and allowing 
  it to escape. It attacks anything it sees; 
  if the party is not between it and the 
  door, it moves into the hallway and 
  slaughters all it can before it is killed. If 
  the PCs leave the room before the water 
  elemental frees itself, they hear 
  it crash free and can choose to 
  avoid it as it leaves the room.
  The huge air elemental, Saaahroon, 
  is confused and hurt (22 hp), but does not 
  attack the PCs if they free it, and if asked 
  it agrees to help them until the PCs have slain 
  five enemies. The fiery sphere is a permanent wall 
  of fire (caster level 10).
  Wurr, Greater Water Elemental 
  CR  9
  hp 37 (out of 176); MM 100
  TACTICS
  During Combat Wurr first attacks the bubble of fire 
  containing the air elemental with its quench ability, then 
  leaves the air elemental to fend for itself as it roams the 
  Cauldron looking for other things it can kill.
  Morale Wurr fights anything in its path, but does not pursue 
  fleeing foes. it fights to the death.
  12. Celestial Slaves
  Two unconscious prisoners are bound to the wall with cold iron 
  shackles. One is a stocky male elf, the other a bird-like humanoid.
  Celestial captives rarely last long in the Cauldron; their 
  blood and agony is prized in this place, and their holiness 
  sends their tormentors into a frenzy. The manacles are etched 
  with blood and malice and prevent Valothan (bralani, MM 93, 
  Mithini
  
  18
  m o d u l e  J 5
  let the Players help
  the PCs have the opportunity to free several prisoners 
  who can help them battle the daemons of the Cauldron. 
  they’ve used all of their special abilities (such as spell-like 
  abilities) that have daily use limits. rather than adding to 
  your burden as GM in controlling all of these characters 
  in a battle, have the players run these allies as if they were 
  cohorts. Mortal allies may turn up again once the heroes 
  return to Golarion, while the outsider allies may run into 
  the PCs during planar adventures or be willing to help if 
  summoned (with spells like planar ally).
  13 hp) and Kurreha (avoral, MM 141, 21 hp) from using any of 
  their magical abilities. They awaken if given any healing. If 
  freed, they volunteer to help the PCs defeat the daemons of 
  the Cauldron, to the death if need be. They will not join the 
  PCs if the demons or devils from area 9 are with the party.
  13. treasury
  Though most of what lies in this room looks like useless trash, the 
  glint of coins, gems, and other valuables scattered about indicates 
  this is some sort of treasury.
  The Cauldron’s captives have provided a vast amount of 
  treasure to the island. Most of it has been tossed aside or 
  traded away, but some of these items have been left here in 
  case they have need of them later. If the PCs reach this room, 
  they find 500 gp haphazardly scattered across the floor, 2–5 
  gems worth 100–300 gp each, several low-level magic items 
  (three +1 daggers, five potions of cure light wounds), various 
  spoiled and useless potions, shattered or burnt-out rings, a 
  major circlet of blasting, a +2 flaming long sword, and a +2 heavy 
  mace. Searching the entire room to collect these treasures 
  takes one person 20 minutes.
  14. machinery (el 6)
  This room is filled with a convoluted arrangement of pipes, gears, 
  containers, cranks, levers, and more incomprehensible things, 
  all apparently controlling the movement of water. The sound of 
  rushing water and clanking metal is loud enough to make normal 
  conversation difficult.
  Here in the bowels of the Cauldron, vast pumps suck 
  water from the Styx. Repairs to these and other mechanical 
  parts are handled by a diseased old hydrodaemon who 
  wanders between these rooms, its carapace battered and 
  broken, its summoning abilities gone. The first time the 
  PCs come to this floor, roll 1d10 and count clockwise from 
  the southernmost room on this level to see where the 
  daemon is; afterward, it wanders up and down the long 
  hallway, changing rooms approximately every 10 minutes. 
  Because of the noise of the pumps, add +10 to all Listen 
  DCs in the machinery rooms or their connecting hallways.
  Each room contains 2–3 vulnerable machine parts 
  (hardness 4, 10 hit points). Damaging or destroying 
  machinery at melee range requires a PC to make a DC 20 
  Reflex save or suffer one of three effects: 1d6 hit points of 
  damage from flying shrapnel, 1d6 electricity damage, or 
  a splash of Styx water (see page 13). If the PCs destroy at 
  least six of these vulnerable parts, it slows the machine in 
  area 15 where Couthwaile performs his experiments. 
  Hydrodaemon 
  CR 6
  hp 59; Tome of Horrors Revised 81
  15. ritual Chamber (el 11+)
  The snaking pipes do not extend into this hallway; the ceiling and 
  walls are smooth and lack mechanical clutter. Nailed in various places 
  on the wall are “tapestries” of stretched humanoid skin, some of them 
  bearing tatoos or other body features such as scars, nipples, hair, and 
  broken feathers. At least one of the skins shudders as if still in pain. 
  The floor is bare except for a jagged carpet of long fingernails. Ahead 
  is a curtain of crackling electricity that completely blocks the hallway. 
  Visible through momentary gaps in the curtain is a room containing 
  some large object.
  The curtain is the equivalent of a permanent wall of fire 
  (caster level 9) except it deals electricity damage instead of 
  fire damage (directed outward, away from the room). Another 
  wall of electricity blocks the room’s other exit. The daemons 
  all have electricity resistance 10, so they can stand near the 
  wall unharmed, and even passing through it is merely an 
  annoyance rather than lethal—most can merely teleport past 
  it anyway. Once the PCs dispel or pass the energy wall, they can 
  see the interior of the room.
  This domed area is about 100 feet across, with buttresses 
  holding up the roof. Strange pulleys hang around the 
  perimeter, 
  with 
  chains 
  and 
  corpse-laden 
  platforms 
  connecting to various points on the wall. In the center of 
  the chamber is a machine of dizzying complexity, smothered 
  in tubes, gears, pulleys, wheels, and levers, suspended from 
  the ceiling and shaped like an inverted pyramid. Beneath it 
  is a metal slab with four humanoid corpses. The machine 
  spits and flares, with a beam of energy connecting it to one 
  of the bodies. Barely visible in the center of the machine is 
  the missing soul gem.
  The daemon Couthwaile monitors the machine, making 
  adjustments to the energy it pumps into the dead body. If 
  the PCs were noisy or careless passing through the energy 
  barrier, or used the localized time-shifting ability in earlier 
  battles in the Cauldron, the Crying Jackal is aware of them. If 
  the PCs did not use time-shifting at all and somehow reached 
  
  19
  beyond the vault of souls
  this area quietly (such as by teleporting past the lightning 
  barrier), it may be surprised by their arrival.
  Standing next to the machine is a mangy, jackal-headed daemon, 
  about nine feet tall and wearing tattered robes. Rank ichor oozes 
  from pustules that litter its body and face, and even its eyes 
  weep sickness. Its posture is stooped and bent, its movements 
  strangely fluid, as if it were liquid held together by an act of will. 
  Next to it is a scarred humanoid whose eyes glow with the power 
  of a soul gem.
  The scarred humanoid is a soul-fed golem (see page 14). 
  The daemon is Couthwaile, master of the Cauldron. If it is 
  aware of the PCs, it looks up from its work and speaks.
   “I am Couthwaile, master of this place. You are interfering 
  with my experiments. I will have your souls unless you explain 
  yourselves immediately.”
  The daemon does not give up the soul gem without a 
  fight; its powers have allowed it to make several remarkable 
  breakthroughs in its research about light and death, and it 
  expects similar advancements in the very near future. Once 
  combat starts, the machine animates a corpse as a soul-fed 
  golem on round 2 and another every 5 rounds thereafter 
  (unless the PCs damaged the machinery on the lower level, 
  in which case a new golem animates every 7 rounds). Once 
  all four corpses are animated as golems, the machine does 
  nothing. A newly-animated golem takes no actions unless 
  it or the Jackal is attacked.
  To reach the soul gem, a PC must climb the machine. 
  The machine oozes polluted Styx water; every round 
  a character touches it requires a saving throw to avoid 
  contracting slimy doom. The gem rests in a newly-added 
  socket inside the machine, guarded by a deathblade wall 
  scythe trap (DMG 73). Removing the gem causes the 
  machine to shut down immediately and keeps it from 
  creating any more soul-fed golems. The PCs can destroy 
  the machine (hardness 4, 100 hit points), which stops 
  it from creating any more golems and allows them to 
  retrieve the soul gem safely.
  Couthwaile gains extra abilities depending on how 
  many times the PCs used the time shift ability. These 
  abilities are cumulative. Remember that the PCs cannot 
  use the time shift in this battle. 
  Couthwaile’s Soul Gem Powers
  Time Shifts 
  Additional Abilities
  0 
   
  —
  1 
   
  initiative boost*
  2–3 
   
  quickened daemonic explosion 1/day
  4–5 
   
  quickened wall of fire 1/day
  6+ 
   
  quickened power word stun 1/day
  * described under Couthwaile’s special abilities.
  Couthwaile, the Crying Jackal 
  CR 11
  Soul-gem-enhanced meladaemon (see page 30)
  Init +9 (see initiative boost)
  TACTICS
  Before Combat Couthwaile uses the golem as a living shield.
  During Combat the daemon separates enemies with 
  wall of fire and targets any enemy outsiders with its 
  daemonic explosion ability, and preferentially attacks 
  anyone attempting to reach the soul gem or harm the 
  machine. it uses quickened power word stun to disable a 
  flanking character, and uses melee attacks and quickened 
  magic missile to shred weak-looking enemies. if combat 
  lasts 15 or more rounds, the machine begins to vibrate, 
  and on round 16 the soul gem detonates, its power 
  surging through the machine and blasting outward in 
  all directions. Couthwaile shouts in triumph as its power 
  enters his body, and five more soul-fed golems arise 
  from the corpses along the edges of the room as the soul 
  gem’s energy activates them simultaneously.
  Morale Couthwaile tries to teleport away at 25 hp.
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Initiative Boost (Su) unless it is surprised, Couthwaile’s 
  initiative roll is always treated as a natural 20.
  16. Balcony
  This balcony is protected by a hardy-looking dome of transparent 
  crystal overlooking the front part of the mobile island, including 
  the rune-carved front door. Countless tiny figures are visible on 
  and around the many fortresses on the nearby volcano, and it 
  appears that some kind of army housed there is heading toward 
  the beach.
  The dome allows Couthwaile to look out without fear 
  of anyone else coming in. It is as hard as magically treated 
  iron (DMG 60). The massing armies are those of Szuriel, 
  lord of this part of Abaddon, investigating why Charon’s 
  minion’s laboratory is here.
  Abaddon Aftermath
  If the PCs fight Couthwaile and the battle lasts long enough 
  for the machine to overload the gem and animate multiple 
  golems at once, the daemon gains the supernatural ability 
  to create soul-fed golems without needing the machine, 
  which it uses to bargain with Charon and Szuriel for more 
  influence in Abaddon. It is very angry at the PCs for risking 
  an early end to his great experiment, and hounds them 
  with packs of soul-fed golems.
  If the PCs destroy the machine or steal or destroy the 
  soul gem, it is a major setback for Couthwaile and it loses 
  much status among the other daemons. The jackal swears 
  revenge on the mortals who took its prize from it, sending 
  planar assassins after them, exposing them to strange 
  diseases, and so on.
  
  20
  m o d u l e  J 5
  axis aGain
  Once the PCs have returned the Abyss and Abaddon soul 
  gems to the Keeper (or report that they are destroyed), 
  she takes back her magical map, concentrates on it for a 
  moment, then returns it to the PCs, explaining that the 
  interference around the third gem is gone. Looking at 
  the map, the PCs can see its gem-icon indicates the last 
  stone is in Axis. The gem is outside the border of the city, 
  but within the plane itself—hidden somewhere in the 
  decaying realm of Aroden.
  The PCs can travel overland to Aroden’s domain by 
  conventional means, but the Keeper explains that there 
  are several powerful creatures warring over control of 
  the dead god’s realm, and they are very suspicious of 
  visitors—some of them may see the PCs as threats or 
  potential rivals. She suggests the PCs use the map to 
  transport themselves immediately to the vicinity of the 
  soul gem. If the PCs take the harder route, they encounter 
  erinyes, formians, dragons and dragon-blooded hybrids, 
  rogue angels, and other strange people, some of which 
  may actually be coolly courteous toward the PCs. Any 
  battles should be vicious and difficult, for the stakes are 
  high and the PCs’ opponents want no upstart adventurers 
  taking over Aroden’s fallow realm. If a battle starts to turn 
  against the PCs, remind them that they can still use the 
  Keeper’s map to escape.
  Remember that the lawful nature of the plane affects all 
  checks by non-lawful characters (see page 6).
  tHe CAtHeDrAl OF tHe reBOrn
  There is a pit within Aroden’s old realm in Axis. It opened 
  only recently, as the planes measure such things, having 
  formed upon the god’s death, but it seems as if it has 
  always been there. Moss-covered walls extend deep into 
  the earth, and stairways—some carved into the granite, 
  some rickety wooden affairs crawling across it—line its 
  face. A few desperate or half-mad residents of Axis have 
  relocated here, carving out simple caves or building 
  crude lean-tos, creating a vertical village in the ancient 
  stone. At the bottom of the pit lie the abandoned hulks of 
  ancient machines of war, useless and powerless, resting 
  haphazardly upon each other as if thrown down by an 
  angry giant. Some totter precariously on a stairway, used 
  as temporary shelters or salvaged for wood before they 
  eventually grow unstable and crash to lower levels.
  
  21
  beyond the vault of souls
  Under the earth, in a bubble that rises some hundred feet, 
  a cathedral is growing, its floor plan a mirror of Aroden’s 
  winged eye symbol. The discovery of this cathedral that was 
  the true catalyst for the Children of the Reborn Glory, the 
  seed at the heart of their belief that they could reconstitute 
  Aroden’s soul. They have been collecting soul gems and 
  bringing them here to use in a ritual that they believe will 
  bring Aroden back to life. The presence of soul gems has 
  hastened the growth of the cathedral, providing a strange 
  life to the building and twisting it into new forms. The 
  Children husband this growth as they can, using subtle 
  magic and sheer force of will.
  Though they present a unified front to those outside 
  their organization, individual members of the Children 
  have their own ideas about the use of the soul gems, and 
  here in their stronghold the differences between the 
  Resurrectionist, Purifier, and Absorber factions become 
  more evident, especially as their quest for the gems draws 
  close to completion (see the next section for information 
  on these factions). Keep in mind that the Children do not 
  even hint that their group has any schisms unless they 
  completely trust the PCs.
  The Keeper’s map can transport the PCs to the great 
  pit. If Olvan and his followers weren’t killed by the PCs, 
  they appear again in this portion of the adventure. They 
  have been out finding other gems for their ritual, and 
  have acquired almost enough to begin it. During this part 
  of the adventure, the Children acquire the last of the 20 
  soul gems they believe they need to reconstitute Aroden, 
  with or without the party’s help. 
  The PCs may use diplomacy or other tactics to convince 
  one of the factions that the Children will fail in their goal. 
  However, if they are successful in convincing one of the 
  factions to give up their dream, the other two factions 
  become more intractable—the end of this adventure will 
  see the splintered Children fighting during the Great Ritual, 
  seeking to control its outcome and channel its power, or 
  (depending on which factions remain) trying to end the 
  ritual, remove the gems, and return them to the Keeper at 
  Pharasma’s Spire. Under no circumstances will any faction 
  members allow the PCs to take any of the soul gems.
  The PCs have many opportunities to talk their way 
  through this part of the adventure, but they can just as 
  easily fight their way to its conclusion. Once they choose 
  the way of battle, the rest of the adventure must be solved 
  that way—until the final battle when the factions turn 
  against each other, the Children will not stand for violence 
  against their own by outsiders.
  Unless the Children know the PCs have battled Olvan’s 
  team, they welcome the PCs to the temple, inviting them 
  in and attempting to convert them to the cause. Each of 
  the faction leaders finds an excuse to get the PCs alone, 
  inviting them to a quiet place to talk about their interest in 
  the cathedral of the reborn Aroden. Each leader attempts 
  to gauge the party’s interest in the gems, the likelihood the 
  party can be paid off or convinced to help, and the possibility 
  of using the PCs as spies against the other factions. 
  If the party chooses to talk through this part of the 
  adventure, the Children treat them as honored guests—
  they have, after all, been blessed enough to handle or 
  at least see the soul gems, fragments of the essence of 
  Aroden. Galen (founder of the Children) welcomes them 
  to his office and speaks to them, urging them to join the 
  Children. He listens to what they have to tell him, but 
  he does not make any commitment to a course of action 
  without thinking it through first.
  tHe FACtiOnS
  The Children are not a large cult, but they have great 
  hopes of rapid expansion once they have achieved 
  their goal. However, they are already factionalized, with 
  members coming to the group for different reasons. 
  Generally, the people who recruited the newest members 
  found like-minded folk who agreed with their goals 
  for the cult and warned the recruits to keep their views 
  hidden if they differed from Galen’s stated purpose. The 
  Resurrectionists are the main branch of the group. The 
  Purifiers and Absorbers know of each other’s existence, 
  but do not know the specifics of their rivals’ goal; neither 
  does any group know with certainty who and how many 
  belong to each faction, but they have their suspicions, 
  and as the time of the Great Ritual draws closer, the lines 
  are being drawn. The following descriptions note each 
  faction’s goal, leader, and members. Game stats for the 
  members of the cult are in the Appendix.
  the resurrectionists
  These people are the core of the Children of the Reborn 
  Glory, the ones who first gathered together in the hopes of 
  resurrecting Aroden. They believe they will receive a share 
  of the grace of their reborn god. 
  Leader: Galen was trained as an acolyte in Aroden’s 
  church, but the god died before Galen ever progressed to 
  being able to cast spells, and he finished his training as 
  a priest of Iomedae. His old faith in Aroden was reborn 
  when he received a vision that his god’s essence was freed 
  of Pharasma’s clutches. He is the founder and spiritual 
  heart of the Children of the Reborn Glory, the one whose 
  vision and faith in the rebirth is the most pure. He does 
  not see that others might be in the Children for their own 
  benefit; he is not a fanatic, but neither is he a cynic. Now 
  he prays to Aroden using the gems as a conduit for his 
  powers. He does not know that his original vision was a 
  creation of a protean (see area 7), nor that the protean’s 
  manipulation is what allows him to draw spell power 
  from the atheist soul gems.
  Other members: Olvan the Gem Hunter, Caermyn (LN 
  male human fighter 6), Harrt (LN male human fighter 6), 
  
  god Aroden and keep his essence imprisoned, rather than 
  trying to resurrect him so he could continue to promote 
  order? The PCs can convince individual members of this 
  group with Bluff (DC 25), Diplomacy (DC 20), or Intimidate 
  (DC 25) checks.
  the Absorbers
  Of the three factions, the Absorbers are the worst of the 
  lot. They are evil or greedy men and women who don’t 
  want to bend Aroden’s power or to share in his glory, 
  but rather seek to steal the god’s power altogether. They 
  intend to do this by starting the ritual and 
  then beginning a slaughter among 
  their fellow cultists. They believe 
  the blood of their former allies 
  will smother and redirect the 
  power, eliminating the god’s 
  consciousness 
  altogether 
  and allowing them to do 
  with it as they please.
  Leader: The leader of 
  this faction is Nataru, 
  a Garundi wizard, an 
  agent of the mummy god 
  Walkena (see page 105 of 
  the Pathfinder Chronicles 
  Campaign Setting). He claims 
  to have come from the river-
  city of Nantambu, and to have 
  traveled to Axis to learn greater 
  magics to protect his city against 
  the depredations of the reavers of 
  Angazhan. He is actually here because 
  Walkena heard of the soul gems, and wanted their 
  power for himself; Nataru’s goal is to steal the power of the 
  gems and bring it back to his god.
  Other members: Abu-Kasm (NE human male rogue 7), 
  Hestrix (NE human female rogue 7), Minwacht (LE human 
  fighter 6), Prizis (NE female half-elf fighter 6), Salan (N 
  male human fighter 6), Tanador (LN male half-elf fighter 
  6), Tristan (NE male human fighter 6).
  Dissuasion: The Absorbers will not turn from their 
  mission to destroy the Children and harness the power 
  of the soul gems for themselves, and they pursue this 
  goal single-mindedly.
  APPrOACHinG tHe CAtHeDrAl
  If the PCs teleport using the Keeper’s map, they appear in 
  the great pit, at the outer edge of the cave that holds the 
  newly grown cathedral where the Children of the Reborn 
  Glory hope to resurrect Aroden.
  A narrow walkway spirals around the cylindrical chasm’s interior, 
  sometimes nearly obstructed by broken siege engines or small huts 
  22
  m o d u l e  J 5
  Keira (LN female human fighter 6), Kester (N male human 
  rogue 7), Manawell (LN male half-elf fighter 6), Nilayt (LN 
  human female fighter 6), Ravan (N male human fighter 6), 
  Viskan (LG male human fighter 6).
  Dissuasion: To convince this group to abandon their 
  plan, the PCs must prove that the gems are not fragments 
  of Aroden’s soul, and they must learn of the duplicity of 
  the other two factions. Showing Galen that his clerical 
  powers diminish the farther he travels from the cathedral 
  is one way; if they were truly pieces of the divine, they 
  would not falter with distance, for faith does not diminish 
  across space. If the party discovers the protean hidden 
  in area 7, this provides ample evidence that 
  trickery is afoot in the very nature of the 
  cathedral, and Galen would sacrifice 
  his dream rather than give birth 
  to a nightmare. The PCs can 
  convince individual members 
  of this group with Bluff (DC 
  25), Diplomacy (DC 20), or 
  Intimidate (DC 25) checks.
  the Purifiers
  This group wants to use 
  the power of the gems to 
  revive Aroden, but only 
  after removing parts of his 
  personality (particularly his 
  lawfulness) and energy so they 
  can rebuild him to their liking. 
  They believe in the goal of restoring 
  the dead god, but they do not fully trust 
  the idea that Aroden will return, and they 
  believe it better to have control over the final result 
  than rest secure in the gratitude of a partial god.
  Leader: Thangrim is a demon-hunter from Nidal whose 
  family migrated to Mendev, and who made his name 
  against the demons of the Worldwound before he came to 
  Axis. He wants to bring the power of Aroden against the 
  Umbral Court of Nidal, but he doesn’t believe the god will 
  support his cause, so he wants to alter the resurrected god 
  into someone more tractable.
  Other members: Allston (N male human rogue 7), 
  Dunstan (N male human fighter 6), Inaya (NG female half-
  elf fighter 6), Lachlan (NG male half-elf fighter 6), Omnis 
  (NE male human fighter 6), Ostenrov (NG male human 
  fighter 6), Santiaro (NE male half-elf rogue 7), Theitreysu 
  (N female half-elf fighter 6), Theovora (NG female human 
  fighter 6).
  Dissuasion: To stop the Purifiers, the PCs must show 
  them that the soul gems are not the pieces of a god, or 
  they must be shown the Absorbers’ plan to betray them. 
  For example, the PCs could ask them why, if Pharasma 
  is a proponent of order, would she undermine the lawful 
  
  built out of crude salvaged material. Far above, the impossible 
  height of the Spire of Pharasma is visible, with the dread visage of 
  Groetus the god-moon lingering near. Ahead is a cave cut into the 
  wall of the chasm, providing a subtle golden light from farther in, 
  beyond a slight bend in the tunnel.
  The Keeper’s map indicates the soul gem is in the 
  direction of the glowing cave. If the PCs proceed forward, 
  after a narrow, stooped space it opens into a wide 
  cavern that eventually opens up into an even wider area 
  containing a crystalline cathedral.
  At its widest point, this great cavern is more than two hundred feet 
  across. The center part of the cavern’s far wall is a cathedral of 
  crystal and gold, seemingly growing from the rock itself. Its doors 
  are open wide, and an air of peace and power radiates from it. Atop 
  its spire is a winged eye. The light within the great cavern comes 
  from the cathedral itself, a subtle but pervasive illumination that 
  bathes the entire area in a welcoming brightness.
  For the most part, the people here do not confine 
  themselves to single rooms. The leaders stay in their 
  offices most of the time, working on various plans, but 
  other members walk around, fetch food, stop off to visit 
  their friends in other rooms, and in general treat this as 
  their home.
  The walls are opaque crystalline stone in soft gold 
  and green shades; the ceilings are translucent crystal, 
  lit from the farther side, giving the appearance of being 
  in an above-ground building rather than one buried in 
  the earth. The entire temple is considered brightly lit 
  (equivalent to a daylight spell); it is possible to extinguish 
  the lights with dispel magic or other effects, affecting a 50-
  foot square for 1d10 minutes, but the glow from nearby 
  areas makes it difficult to make the temple completely 
  dark in anything but a small enclosed space.
  Though planetary directions such as “north” are irrelevant 
  on this plane, the map contains a compass rose to make it 
  easier to describe directions within the cathedral.
  1. the entry
  The outer walls meet at an angle here, forming a triangular space 
  with one of the interior walls. The crystalline ceiling glows with the 
  same warm, golden light as the great cavern.
  If the party has not dispatched Olvan and his crew yet, 
  they are here within the entryway, having just returned 
  from another gem-hunting expedition. They are battered 
  and dirty, but grimly triumphant—they have lost another 
  member, but they recovered another soul gem and are 
  confident that Aroden will restore their lost friend to 
  life. (See The Great Ritual section for an alternate way of 
  handling the PCs’ approach to the cathedral.)
  If he fought with the PCs previously, Olvan sends one 
  of his team to bring reinforcements and then turns to 
  face the party, his staff at the ready. “What do you want 
  here?” he growls. If you want this adventure to focus on 
  fighting, rather than speaking, Olvan rushes his group 
  farther into the temple and raises the alarm, preparing 
  his team for battle.
  If the PCs answer honestly—that they’re here for the 
  soul gem—he says, “Come in and speak with our leader, 
  Galen. Maybe he can change your mind.” Olvan is too 
  tired to bluster and threaten the PCs right now, and would 
  rather have a peaceful resolution to this conflict, but he’ll 
  fight if he needs to. If the PCs agree, Olvan takes them 
  into the Cathedral and introduce them to Galen.
  2. the Atrium
  The walls here are steel, granite, and crystal, with gold and green 
  trim around the walls. The room looks like it has been converted 
  into a mess hall, with long tables shoved against the walls and 
  an improvised kitchen in the far right corner near some iron stairs.
  Graceful iron stairs to the balcony (area 8) rise to the 
  northwest and northeast. The stairs in the north part of 
  the room lead under the balcony to the Great Eye (area 
  6). The servants working and cleaning here surrender 
  or flee if attacked; the servants are all level 1 human, 
  half-elf, or halfling commoners of neutral, lawful good, 
  or lawful neutral alignment. They have no information 
  about the soul gems, only knowing that their employers 
  are faithful, wise folk who want to restore the dead god 
  Aroden to life.
  3. rectory
  This is some sort of barracks with several bunk beds. Curtains 
  divide the room into several areas for privacy.
  The Resurrectionists sleep here. Each person has a 
  locked footlocker filled with basic adventuring gear (100–
  300 gp worth of rope, alchemical supplies, and so on). 
  If nobody has raised an alarm that the temple is being 
  attacked, there are usually 1d6+3 Resurrectionists here, 
  recovering and resting from their last endeavor.
  4. Coatrooms
  This small room has many hooks to hang up cloaks and coats, 
  though they’re currently being used to hang weapons, with other 
  arms stacked against the wall.
  These rooms serve as the armory for the cathedral. Inside 
  are two morningstars, three quarterstaves, five longspears, 
  five maces, 15 longswords, 20 short swords, 30 daggers,.
  23
  beyond the vault of souls
  
  5. Galen’s Office
  This neat room looks like an office and a bedroom—a large desk, 
  leather chair, bed, and footlocker are pushed against the walls, with 
  two smaller chairs stacked nearby.
  This is the place where Galen conducts everyday 
  business not related to the rebirth of his god, and it 
  doubles as his bedroom. A loose stone behind the desk 
  hides a lever that opens a secret passage to the treasury 
  (area 5a) and the presbytery (area 7). 
  The chest at the foot of the bed is not locked, and 
  Galen keeps his +3 heavy mace there unless he expects 
  battle. Should combat start, he immediately retrieves 
  his weapon. The chest also contains 300 gp, 400 sp, and 
  a map similar to the Keeper’s map, except that this one 
  shows more than 30 other gem locations, some of which 
  are black or colors other than the familiar blue of the 
  Keeper’s map. Exactly what these gem notations mean 
  is up to you—perhaps they are other magical gems the 
  Children seek, soul gems that have been recovered, or 
  something else entirely.
  5a. treasury
  This large room contains only three chests. The first is unremarkable, 
  the second is bound in silver, and the third is iron and mithral.
  The wooden chest contains 1,200 gp and 10 diamonds 
  worth 300 gp each. The silver-bound chest is trapped 
  with a glyph of warding (DC 17, blindness) and contains a 
  pearl of power (3rd level) that Galen planned to give Olvan 
  as a reward for all of his hard work retrieving the soul 
  gems. The mithral chest is also trapped with a glyph of 
  warding identical to the other. Its interior is padded like a 
  jeweler’s case and contains 19 other soul gems, kept here 
  for transport to the presbytery and brought out at the 
  beginning of the Great Ritual (depending what the Keeper 
  said to the PCs, it is possible this is the first time they 
  realize there are more missing gems than just the three 
  the Keeper sent them to retrieve).
  The magic of the cathedral keeps the soul gems stable; 
  removing them from the cathedral and not taking them 
  immediately to the Keeper for storage in Pharasma’s Vault is 
  dangerous (as described in the first part of this adventure).
  6. the Great eye
  This is clearly the central worship chamber of the cathedral—a great 
  vaulted room, domed with crystal and admitting a green-golden 
  light, with balconies overlooking the main floor. The symbol of 
  Aroden is painted on the dome above, mirroring a mosaic laid out 
  on the floor below. Rows of pews are pushed back to the rear of the 
  room. An altar on a dais is at the far end of the room, with a large, 
  old tapestry showing Aroden covering the wall. Suspended from the 
  ceiling is an orrery tracking the Outer Sphere, Inner Sphere, various 
  godly icons, and other unrecognizable things.
  On a closer look, the mosaic on the floor contains 
  20 sockets, each the size of a soul gem. Behind the old 
  tapestry is a small door leading to the presbytery (area 7).
  If the PCs have been invited into the cathedral by Olvan 
  or Galen, their host explains their belief that the orrery’s 
  movements are approaching an important conjunction, 
  and that they can resurrect Aroden using his power and 
  personality that has been fragmented and stored within 
  the gems. Now that the Children have 20 soul gems, they 
  are ready to begin the Great Ritual, which will proceed 
  in a few hours once the final preparations are made; if 
  the PCs are friendly, the Children invite them to witness 
  the ceremony.
  7. the Presbytery
  This room is a private chapel, a small place for priests to reflect, 
  study, and dress themselves for religious ceremonies before stepping 
  out into the main room to conduct services. Accoutrements hang 
  on pegs on the wall, and religious objects—books, a chalice, and a 
  scepter—sit in gilded cases near the door.
  There are two secret doors here. One leads to a hallway 
  connecting to the office (area 5), with a secret entry to the 
  treasury (area 5a); Galen is aware of this secret passage and 
  uses it almost every day. The other secret door is unknown 
  to any humanoid resident of the cathedral, and holds the 
  greater secret of this place—the mossy, pillar-strewn 
  chamber (area 7a) of the protean named Song of Poison.
  7a. mastermind’s Chamber
  Unlike the rest of the cathedral, this place has a more primal look 
  to it, with rough-looking stone walls, lush green moss covering 
  most surfaces, and a flickering light that alternates between amber 
  and violet. 
  A strange, serpentine creature with clawed arms and a 
  crown of magical symbols floating above its head spins lazily 
  in the air here, flying as easily as an eel moves through water. 
  The creature is a protean, a native of the Maelstrom and the 
  antithesis of all order, seeking to dissolve the other planes 
  back into the unformed chaos of their home, which they 
  believe is the natural state of the multiverse. Specifically, this 
  is a keketar, a subrace of priest-scholar-noble proteans that 
  hear the voice of the Maelstrom, which the proteans worship 
  as a god. The protean’s name is Song of Poison, and it is the 
  being responsible for the entire mess: the one who spread 
  the idea of using the soul gems as a source of power, and who 
  whispered sweet lies of resurrection to Galen.
  24
  m o d u l e  J 5
  
  25
  beyond the vault of souls
  If the PCs find this room, the protean does not flee, 
  nor does it begin to fight. Instead, it welcomes them to its 
  sanctuary and offers them refreshment (using its ability to 
  reshape reality, it can create quasi-real material out of pure 
  chaos, including luxuries such as a banquet table). If PCs ask 
  what it is doing here, it tells them honestly of its scheme and 
  how it hoped to engineer the descent of Groetus, and to help 
  generate more chaos among the followers of Aroden. It freely 
  admits to having husbanded the growth of the Cathedral, 
  and to channeling the power of the gems into Galen as 
  “divine energy.” It also warns the party that 
  although they have uncovered 
  its involvement, this does not 
  mean that its plans have come to 
  an end. Rather, it says, they 
  have simply entered a new 
  phase; the Maelstrom will 
  overcome the disease of 
  order, and the misguided 
  faith of the living will be 
  replaced with the certainty 
  of pure chaos.
  If the PCs choose to 
  fight, Song easily escapes 
  using greater teleport (it 
  is a CR 17 creature and 
  the PCs have no chance to 
  defeat it). It has no wish to die, 
  and understands that the PCs 
  may attack it out of ignorance, 
  fear, or confusion; it may find 
  the PCs at some point further in 
  their careers, perhaps to offer them 
  friendship, or perhaps to oppose them. 
  It constantly schemes to bring more 
  chaos to creation.
  8. Balcony
  This balcony overlooks the main room of the temple, allowing 
  spectators to watch ceremonies below.
  The balcony is 15 feet above area 6. During the Great 
  Ritual, three members of the Absorbers faction watch from 
  the northeast part of the balcony, with bows hidden nearby. 
  Once open conflict begins, they fire down at rival faction 
  members, targeting foes that attempt to flee for the doors.
  9. the West Wing
  Judging by the many empty bookshelves, this is supposed to be a 
  library. It has been converted to a barracks, with curtains dividing 
  the room into smaller sections.
  The west wing is home to the Purifier faction. Nine 
  people live here; as with the Rectory, each bunk has a 
  footlocker containing personal items and a small amount of 
  adventuring gear (approximately 100 gp worth of goods).
  If the PCs are guests of the Children (rather than hostile 
  invaders), there are usually 1d4+2 Purifiers here playing 
  cards. If one or more PCs want to play, the Children are 
  happy to deal them in; the total pot for the game can go as 
  high as 10 gp per participant.
  9a. thangrim’s Office
  This cramped office contains a chest, a bed, a 
  desk, a chair, and a bookshelf with scrolls, books, 
  and loose parchment.
  Much of Thangrim’s time is spent 
  corresponding with friends and 
  allies in Mendev, asking about 
  their progress against the 
  Worldwound and assuring 
  them that soon they will 
  have a great power on 
  their side. The desk 
  also contains a few 
  papers about some 
  of the more public 
  members of the Umbral Court of 
  Nidal (Thangrim’s old homeland).
  10. the east Wing
  Bookshelves line the walls 
  here, though they are mostly 
  empty. Curtains divide the 
  room into smaller areas for sleeping.
  This wing is home to the Absorber faction. Nine 
  members live here, and they are much less friendly than 
  their counterparts in the west wing (area 9), though not 
  obviously hostile or suspicious. A few books on theology, 
  magical theory, and Golarion’s history (worth 500 gp 
  total) sit on the bookshelves here; all are old and well-
  thumbed.
  10a. nataru’s Office
  This austere room contains a chest, bed, desk, chair, and bookshelf.
  If the PCs somehow manage to search Nataru’s desk 
  before the Great Ritual, they find a dagger of venom, a wand 
  of magic missile (10 charges), and a necklace of fireballs (type 
  II), all intended as rewards or bribes to his underlings or 
  contacts in Axis. He brings these items with him to the 
  song of Poison
  
  ceremony, and if the PCs somehow steal them before the 
  ritual, he will be very suspicious of the PCs (as they are the 
  only strangers present in the cathedral).
  tHe GreAt ritUAl
  If the PCs are invited to the ceremony, they witness these 
  events from the beginning. If the PCs are attacking the 
  cathedral, they arrive just as things become extremely chaotic 
  (proceed to Open War, below).
  Warning: This encounter takes a lot of preparation and 
  has many sides working against each other.
  By Galen’s decree, no one is to bring any weapons to the 
  Great Eye (Galen offers a footlocker for the PCs’ weapons 
  if they wish to attend). A few hours after the PCs arrive, a 
  horn sounds—the signal for the Great Ritual to begin. The 
  senior members of the cult are invited to come and stand 
  within the mosaic in the Great Eye to pray and direct their 
  thoughts toward restoring the soul of Aroden to wholeness, 
  while the rest (including the PCs, if invited) gather in 
  the south part of the room or on the balcony. From the 
  presbytery, Galen emerges, dressed in full, classic Arodenite 
  regalia. His assistants are Olvan, Harrt, Inaya, Prizis, and 
  Nataru, with the last four carrying the iron chest from the 
  treasury (area 5a) that contains the soul gems.
  The Ceremony: The five assistants move to various points 
  around the mosaic, and Galen begins a call-and-response 
  ceremony. At each response, his assistants retrieve a gem 
  from the chest and place it in a socket on the floor. Once 
  eighteen gems are placed, the assistants move to the altar 
  with the chest, taking their places in order from west to 
  east along its front end. Galen then takes the last two gems 
  from the chest and places them within the mosaic. Bands 
  of green and gold power spring from the gems, quickly 
  creating a lattice of interconnected energy. Galen raises his 
  hands to begin an invocation to Aroden.
  Open War: As Galen begins speaking, one of the 
  Absorbers on the northeast balcony fires a crossbow bolt 
  into his chest, dealing 1d4 points of damage plus wyvern 
  poison (DMG 297). Nataru has made his move.
  Despite Galen’s proclamation against arms at the 
  ceremony, the Absorbers and Purifiers opted to bring 
  smaller, concealable weapons like daggers and blackjacks. 
  When the violence breaks out, the Absorber try to drive their 
  rivals away from the gems. The Purifiers move in for some 
  up-close knife work. In the meantime, the Resurrectionists—
  who respected the ritual and didn’t bring weapons—retreat 
  to the armory (area 4) or their barracks (area 3) to fetch 
  weapons and deal with this betrayal. If Galen is debilitated 
  by the poisoned crossbow bolt, the other Resurrectionists 
  may insist he remain out of the rest of the battle.
  Smashing the Gems: Nataru moves to the eastern side 
  of the mosaic. The Absorbers want to bend the lattice of 
  magical energy toward him, and they try to accomplish this 
  by smashing the four gems on the west side of the mosaic. 
  The energy from the smashed gems enters the lattice and 
  it shifts as a unit to hover over the remaining soul gems, 
  bringing it closer to Nataru. Because the Purifiers believe 
  that the western side of the mosaic-symbol represents 
  Aroden’s lawfulness, the destruction of these gems still 
  meets their goals, as the lattice will not draw upon those 
  aspects as strongly without the gems there. However, 
  when the Absorbers begin destroying the northwest and 
  northern gems, the Purifiers believe that the Absorbers 
  have gone too far, and turn against them.
  If destroyed, a gem releases a burst of force damage (see 
  page 3). Other gems in the burst take half damage from this 
  explosion (no save).
  Saving the Gems: The Resurrectionists believe that the 
  loss of any gem is unacceptable, and attempt to shield the 
  gems and kill those who would destroy them. Some try to 
  remove the gems from their sockets and place them into 
  the iron chest at the altar for safekeeping. The PCs may 
  snatch some of the gems and make a break for the Keeper, 
  or they can stay and try to save as many gems as possible. 
  Nataru’s Goal: If the Absorbers are successful in 
  destroying 10 gems, a crack in the floor appears, revealing 
  the churning blue void of the Maelstrom. The destruction 
  of 15 gems sees the crack widen to a 5-foot-wide rift, and the 
  destruction of all 20 gems creates a chasm encompassing 
  the entire mosaic. However, Nataru’s plan is doomed 
  to fail; destroying 15 or more gems means the energy 
  lattice disintegrates him, and it is then absorbed into the 
  Maelstrom aperture in the floor. A few minutes after the 
  creation of this connection to the Maelstrom (regardless of 
  its size), a team of axiomite soldiers and inevitable shock 
  troopers arrives to seal the breach and arrest anyone still at 
  the cathedral (including the PCs, though their connection 
  to the Keeper eventually absolves them of all suspicion).
  Aftermath: Even if the PCs defeat the Purifiers and 
  Absorbers, the Resurrectionists want to try again. The 
  only way the PCs can prevent this is to kill them all, 
  steal their remaining soul gems, or convince them that 
  the gems do not contain the essence of Aroden. If the 
  Resurrectionists can repeat their ceremony (which may 
  require the present planar conjunction or one of similar 
  magnitude) with at least 10 gems, it sparks the creation 
  of a new godling in Aroden’s realm. The presence of this 
  atheist-born paradoxical demigod keeps Groetus at bay 
  for now; this gives Pharasma time to restock her Vault 
  with more repelling souls. However, the personality and 
  power of the new god is stunted because it was created 
  from so many different psyches; depending on the 
  composition of the gems that created it (particularly in 
  regard to alignment) it may end up very different from the 
  Aroden-like personality the Resurrectionists expect. The 
  godling also senses that the PCs are somehow responsible 
  for the missing pieces, and either makes enemies of them 
  or charges them to help make it whole.
  26
  m o d u l e  J 5
  
  aPPendix
  CHilDren OF tHe reBOrn GlOry
  This section contains all the game statistics for the 
  members of the cult, starting with the leaders and 
  following with the rank-and-file of the group.
  Galen, Cult Leader 
  CR 10
  Male half-elf cleric of aroden/iomedae 10
  ln Medium humanoid
  Init +2; Senses listen +4, Spot +4
  DEfEnSE
  AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 22
  (armor +11, dex +2)
  hp 55 (10d8+10)
  fort +13, Ref +8, Will +15
  OffEnSE
  Spd 20 ft.
  Melee +3 heavy mace +12 (1d8+5)
  Special Attacks turn undead
  Spells Prepared (Cl 10th)
  5th—flame strike (dC 20), greater command (dC 20), wall 
  of stone
  4th—divine power, freedom of movement, neutralize poison, 
  spell immunity
  3rd—dispel magic (3), searing light (dC 18)
  2nd—bear’s endurance, hold person (2, dC 17), silence, 
  spiritual weapon
  1st—bane (dC 16), bless, command, divine favor, entropic 
  shield, remove fear
  0—guidance, light (3), purify food and drink, resistance
  Domains none. Galen has no domain spells because his 
  power comes from the soul gems rather than a deity.
  TACTICS
  Before Combat if expecting battle, Galen casts divine power 
  on himself.
  During Combat Galen casts wall of stone to separate nataru 
  from the soul gems. he throws a bead of force at any 
  leaders he sees forming amid his enemies. he heals allies 
  and casts offensive spells at those who attempt to move 
  around the wall of stone. if there is a lull in the battle, he 
  casts neutralize poison on himself to prevent taking any 
  secondary poison damage.
  Morale Galen does not flee from combat.
  STATISTICS
  Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 18, Cha 15
  Base Atk +7; Grp +9
  feats Combat Casting, endurance, Great fortitude, negotiator
  Skills Concentration +7, diplomacy +11, heal +12, Knowledge 
  (the planes) +8, Knowledge (religion) +8, listen +4, Search 
  +1, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +5, Spot +4
  Languages Celestial, Common, elven
  SQ spontaneous casting (cure)
  Combat Gear +3 heavy mace, bead of force, boots of speed; Other 
  Gear +1 half-plate, +2 light steel shield, +3 cloak of resistance
  nataru, Absorber Leader 
  CR 10
  Male human wizard 10
  ne Medium humanoid
  Init +6; Senses listen +7, Spot +8
  DEfEnSE
  AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 15
  (+4 armor, +1 deflection, +2 dex)
  hp 65 (10d4+40) plus 15 temporary hp 
  fort +8, Ref +6, Will +10
  OffEnSE
  Spd 30 ft.
  Melee dagger of venom +4 (1d4)
  Spells Prepared (Cl 10th; +4 melee touch, +7 ranged touch)
  5th—baleful polymorph (dC 20), feeblemind (dC 20), hold 
  monster (dC 20)
  4th—animate dead, bestow curse (dC 19), enervation (2)
  3th—blink, dispel magic, vampiric touch (2)
  2nd—eagle’s splendor, invisibility, see invisibility, web (dC 17)
  1st—chill touch (dC 16), color spray (2, dC 16), jump
  0—acid splash, detect magic, light, mage hand
  TACTICS
  Before Combat nataru casts false life and mage armor every day.
  During Combat the wizard’s focus is staying close to the soul 
  gem energy lattice so he can absorb and redirect it toward 
  his master, the Mwangi god Walkena. he uses his spells to 
  disable opponents (he can always kill them later), using his 
  wand of scorching ray to destroy soul gems at a distance, 
  and saving vampiric touch for when he needs healing.
  Morale nataru sees the battle for the soul gems as his 
  moment of victory, and only tries to flee if his allies quickly 
  suffer heavy losses. otherwise, he fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 8, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 20, Wis 14, Cha 16
  Base Atk +5; Grp +4
  feats alertness, Combat Casting, Craft Wand, Craft 
  Wondrous item, improved initiative, negotiator, 
  Persuasive, Scribe Scroll
  Skills Bluff +11, Concentration +9, Craft (alchemy) +10, 
  decipher Script +10, diplomacy +8, Gather information 
  +6, intimidate +8, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge 
  (dungeoneering) +10, Knowledge (history) +10, Knowledge 
  (the planes) +10, Knowledge (religion) +12, listen +7, Sense 
  Motive +7, Spellcraft +10, Spot +8
  Languages abyssal, Common, draconic, infernal
  SQ familiar (Shavi, snake)
  Combat Gear dagger of venom, wand of ghoul touch (10 
  charges), wand of scorching ray (10 charges), necklace of 
  fireballs (type ii), potion of cure moderate wounds (2), scroll 
  of teleport (2, Cl 9); Other Gear +2 amulet of health, +1 
  cloak of resistance, +1 ring of protection; spellbook with all 
  prepared spells and 20 levels of wizard spells levels 1–5.
  27
  beyond the vault of souls
  
  Sir Thangrim of White’s Steading,  
  Purifier Leader 
  CR 10
  Male human fighter 6/ranger 4
  le Medium humanoid
  Init +4; Senses listen +8, Spot +8
  DEfEnSE
  AC 19, touch 10, flat-footed 19
   (+9 armor)
  hp 91 (6d10+24, 4d8+16) 
  fort +13, Ref +6, Will +5
  OffEnSE
  Spd 20 ft.
  Melee +2 bastard sword +16/+11 (1d10+6/17–20/×2) or
  mwk dagger +14/+9 (1d4+3/19–20/×2)
  Ranged composite longbow (+3 Str) +10/+5 (1d8+3)
  Special Attacks favored enemy (demons, +2)
  Spells Known (Cl 2nd)
  1st—longstrider
  TACTICS
  Before Combat if at the Great ritual, thangrim carries a 
  hidden dagger rather than his bastard sword. 
  During Combat thangrim attacks any cultist who tries to 
  destroy gems other than the “lawful” gems on the west side 
  of the room. after 1 round of battle, he realizes things have 
  gotten out of hand and retreats to his room to retrieve his 
  bastard sword, then returns to the fight. though he is evil, 
  he is not openly hostile to the resurrectionists, and only 
  attacks them if they attack him first; he spends most of his 
  effort on the absorbers who get in his way.
  Morale thangrim does not flee from combat.
  STATISTICS
  Str 16, Dex 11, Con 18, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 18
  Base Atk +10; Grp +13
  feats alertness, demon hunter (Pathfinder Chronicles 
  Campaign Setting), endurance, improved Critical (bastard 
  sword), improved initiative, negotiator, Power attack, 
  Quick draw, Weapon focus (bastard sword), Weapon 
  Specialization (bastard sword)
  Skills diplomacy +8, Gather information +4, heal +6, hide 
  +4, intimidate +9, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +2, 
  Knowledge (religion) +2, listen +8, ride +6, Sense Motive 
  +8, Spot +8, Survival +6
  Languages Common
  SQ animal companion (flax, eagle), archery combat style 
  (rapid Shot, does not apply in medium or heavy armor), 
  track, wild empathy +8
  Combat Gear potion of fly; Other Gear +1 full plate, +2 amulet of 
  health, 365 gp
  Scouts of the Children 
  CR 7
  Male or female human or half-elf rogue 7
  Medium humanoid
  Init +6; Senses low-light vision (half-elves only); listen +5, 
  Spot +5
  DEfEnSE
  AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 15
  (+3 armor, +2 dex)
  hp 38 (7d6+14)
  fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2
  Defensive Abilities evasion, trap sense +1, uncanny dodge
  OffEnSE
  Spd 30 ft.
  Melee mwk short sword +7 (1d6+1)
  Ranged hand crossbow +7 (1d4)
  Special Attacks sneak attack +4d6
  TACTICS
  Before Combat the rogues try to place themselves in 
  flanking positions before combat begins. if they can, they 
  use sneak attack with ranged attacks before joining melee.
  During Combat the rogues shift position to maintain flanking 
  against their opponents, and prefer flanking spellcasters.
  Morale resurrectionist rogues do not flee combat. Purifiers 
  and absorbers flee at 25 hit points.
  STATISTICS
  Str 13, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 12
  Base Atk +5; Grp +6
  feats acrobatic, improved initiative, Stealthy; humans also 
  have Quick draw
  Skills Balance +7, Climb +5, disable device +5, escape artist 
  +7, hide +12, intimidate +6, Jump +7, Knowledge (local) 
  +5, listen +5, Move Silently +12, open lock +7, Search +5, 
  Sense Motive +2, Spot +5, tumble +9; humans also have 
  Knowledge (religion) +5
  Languages Common
  SQ trapfinding
  Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, masterwork 
  short sword, hand crossbow, 10 bolts; Other Gear 
  masterwork studded leather, 50 gp
  Soldiers of the Children 
  CR 6
  Male or female human or half-elf fighter 6
  Medium humanoid
  Init +5; Senses listen +4, Spot +4
  DEfEnSE
  AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18
  (+6 armor, +1 dex, +2 shield)
  hp 45 (6d10+12)
  fort +7, Ref +3, Will +3
  OffEnSE
  Spd 20 ft.
  Melee mwk longsword +10 (1d8+4)
  Ranged mwk short bow +7 (1d6)
  TACTICS
  During Combat resurrectionist fighters work as a cohesive 
  unit, staying close to their allies.
  Purifiers are more loosely banded, preferring flanking with 
  rogue allies and surronding lone targets.
  absorbers strike at targets of opportunity, lone individuals, 
  28
  m o d u l e  J 5
  
  and those who offer the most threat.
  Morale resurrectionists and Purifiers are fanatics, and do 
  not flee from combat. the absorbers are more mercenary, 
  and individuals flee if reduced to 20 hit points.
  STATISTICS
  Str 15, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 11
  Base Atk +6; Grp +8
  feats Cleave, improved initiative, Power attack, Quick 
  draw, Weapon focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization 
  (longsword); humans also have Combat reflexes
  Skills intimidate +6, listen +4, Spot +4; humans also have 
  Knowledge (religion) +3
  Languages Common
  Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, masterwork 
  melee weapon, masterwork short bow, 20 arrows; Other 
  Gear breastplate, heavy steel shield, 50 gp
  Olvan, Soul Gem Hunter 
  CR 9
  Male half-elf wizard (enchanter) 9
  ln Medium humanoid
  Init +6; Senses low-light vision; listen +4, Spot +4
  DEfEnSE
  AC 17, touch 15, flat-footed 15
  (+2 armor, +3 deflection, +2 dex)
  hp 22 (9d4)
  fort +3, Ref +5, Will +8
  OffEnSE
  Spd 30 ft.
  Melee mwk quarterstaff +7 (1d6+1) 
  Spells Prepared (Cl 9th)
  5th—dominate person (dC 18), silent wall of ice (dC 17)
  4th—charm monster (dC 17), fire shield
  3rd—deep slumber (2, dC 16), fireball (2, dC 16), lightning 
  bolt (dC 16),
  2nd—darkness, flaming sphere (2, dC 15), hideous 
  laughter (2, dC 15), shatter (dC 15)
  1st—burning hands (dC 14), charm person (2, dC 14), 
  shocking grasp (2), sleep
  0—daze (dC 13), dancing lights, flare (dC 13), ray of frost
  Prohibited Schools abjuration, conjuration
  TACTICS
  Before Combat olvan casts fire shield, selecting hot or cold 
  depending on whether he thinks his opponents use cold 
  or fire.
  During Combat olvan begins with fireball to eliminate 
  weak opponents, then uses dominate person and charm 
  monster to gain bodyguards and pacify enemies. if 
  silenced, he casts wall of ice to buy time or escape.
  Morale if olvan’s companions are losing quickly, he sounds 
  a retreat, using his spells and wand to give his allies cover 
  and a chance to escape. otherwise, he fights until reduced 
  to 10 hp, at which point he surrenders.
  STATISTICS
  Str 13, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 11
  Base Atk +4; Grp +5
  feats alertness, improved initiative, investigator, negotiator, 
  Scribe Scroll, Silent Spell
  Skills Bluff +4, Concentration +4, Craft +7, decipher Script 
  +5, diplomacy +5, Gather information +5, Knowledge 
  (arcana) +8, Knowledge (history) +7, Knowledge 
  (the planes) +7, Knowledge (religion) +7, listen +4, 
  Profession (investigator) +7, Search +7, Sense Motive +4, 
  Spellcraft +15, Spot +4
  Languages Celestial, Common, draconic, elven, infernal
  Combat Gear masterwork quarterstaff, wand of magic missile 
  (15 charges, Cl 9); Other Gear +3 ring of protection, ring 
  of force shield, robe of useful items, spellbook (all cantrips 
  and prepared spells plus floating disk, magic missile, wall of 
  force, and wind wall)
  olvan
  29
  beyond the vault of souls
  
  melADAemOn
  This jackal-headed fiend is as tall as an ogre but slightly stooped. 
  It wears tattered robes and other acoutrements of alchemy and 
  study. Oozing pustules cover its exposed flesh, and its eyes weep 
  a crusted mess of yellowish goo. 
  Meladaemon 
  CR 11
  ne large outsider (daemon, evil, extraplanar)
  Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., telepathy 100 ft.; listen +20; 
  Spot +20
  Aura corruption (50 ft.)
  DEfEnSE
  AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 18
  (+5 dex, +9 natural, –1 size)
  hp 112 (10d8+50)
  fort +15, Ref +12, Will +13
  Defensive Abilities amorphous body; DR 10/good; Immune 
  acid, death effects, disease, poison; Resist cold 10, 
  electricity 10, fire 10; SR 19
  OffEnSE
  Spd 40 ft.
  Melee 2 claws +13 (1d6+4 plus slimy doom) and
  bite +8 (1d8+2 plus slimy doom)
  Special Attacks daemonic explosion, slimy doom (dMG 292)
  Spell-Like Abilities (Cl 11th)
  at will—cause fear (DC 13), deeper darkness, 
  desecrate, detect magic, dimension door (self 
  plus 50 lbs. of objects only)
  3/day—blight, quickened magic missile, 
  wall of fire
  1/day—greater teleport (self plus 50 
  lbs. of objects only), power word 
  stun, waves of fatigue
  TACTICS
  Before Combat Meladaemons prepare for 
  combat by planning the best place to use 
  wall of fire to separate opponents.
  During Combat a meladaemon usually leads with wall 
  of fire, then targets an enemy outsider using daemonic 
  explosion, then disables a non-outsider with power word 
  stun, then finishes off opponents with claws. it uses 
  quickened magic missile as often as possible to deal 
  extra damage to a dangerous melee foe or blast a 
  ranged spellcaster.
  Morale Meladaemons prefer to teleport out of danger 
  when outnumbered or very injured, but one heavily 
  invested in productive research might fight to the 
  death to protect its plans.
  STATISTICS
  Str 18, Dex 20, Con 23, Int 24, Wis 19, Cha 15
  Base Atk +10; Grp +18
  feats Great fortitude, improved initiative, iron Will, 
  Quicken Spell-like ability (magic missile 3/day)
  Skills heal +18, Knowledge (the planes) +16, 
  Knowledge (religion) +16, Knowledge (two others) +16, 
  listen +20, Move Silently +20, Search +16, Spot +20, 
  Survival +18
  Languages abyssal, draconic, infernal; telepathy 100 ft. 
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Amorphous Body (Ex) a meladaemon’s body has few 
  distinct vital spots, and those it has shift about as 
  the dripping mess of its flesh reshapes itself. a 
  meladaemon has a 25% chance to treat critical hits and 
  sneak attacks against it as normal attacks (as if it had 
  the light fortification armor quality). a meladaemon 
  fighting defensively or using total defense automatically 
  manipulates its vital spots to avoid attacks, increasing 
  this chance to 75%. this ability does not apply if the 
  daemon is denied its dexterity bonus against the 
  attacker or is unable to take physical actions.
  30
  m o d u l e  J 5
  
  Daemonic Explosion (Sp) Meladaemons can transport 
  themselves into the flesh of any living or dead outsider 
  they can see or are in mental contact with. this 
  functions like teleport combined with slay living; the 
  meladaemon targets an outsider or outsider’s corpse, 
  then teleports into the target’s body. the target must 
  make a fortitude save (dC 17) or die instantly, exploding 
  outward in a burst of bone and disease-ridden gore that 
  deals 3d6+10 points of slashing damage to all within 
  10 feet (reflex half dC 17). the save dC is Charisma-
  based. Creatures who take damage from the burst must 
  save again (fortitude dC 14) or contract slimy doom. 
  the daemon reforms instantly in the square formerly 
  occupied by the target. if the targeted outsider makes its 
  save, it takes 3d6+10 points of damage as it vomits forth 
  the liquefied daemon from all of its orifices; the daemon 
  reforms into any square adjacent to the target, and the 
  target must make another save or contract slimy doom. 
  Creatures immune to death effects are immune to this 
  ability. a meladaemon can use this ability at will.
  Corruption (Su) Saves against diseases made within 50 
  feet of the daemon have a –5 penalty. this includes 
  saves against the daemon’s own slimy doom disease. 
  this aura also ruins nonmagical food after 1d4 minutes 
  of exposure, dulling most of its flavor and negating its 
  nutritional content.
  Living manifestations of famine and wasting (both 
  physical and spiritual), meladaemons toil constantly to 
  spread their subtle afflictions across the planes. Like a 
  cancer’s progressive consumption, meladaemons take 
  obsessive pleasure in causing prolonged agony, combining 
  an artist’s grace with a researcher’s methodical rigor. Each 
  mortal soul consumed is not enough—there must be an 
  exploration of every nuanced scream and pain-wracked 
  seizure, a savoring of each panicked death.
  Meladaemons range from 7 to 9 feet tall, but their bodies 
  are thin and scrawny like a humanoid on the brink of 
  starvation, their wasted frames mirroring the afflictions 
  they herald. Appearing like emaciated, upright jackals, the 
  fiends move with unnatural, disturbing fluidity; their flesh 
  is more like a slurry of mucus, blood, and bile wrapped 
  around a hard skeleton than solid muscle and skin.
  ecology
  As the deacon servitors to Trelmarixian the Black, 
  Archdaemon of Wasting, meladaemons act toward a slow, 
  deliberate genocide of all mortal life. Just as death by 
  famine can be slow and excruciating, so are their methods. 
  More so than any of their daemon kindred, they care as 
  much about the process by which mortals die as they do 
  the actual death. They endlessly experiment upon mortals 
  and mortal souls, tormenting them simply to watch the 
  progression of their misery, using them as the building 
  blocks of soul-fueled alchemy, and ritually consuming 
  them to complete their knowledge of the process.
  Most meladaemons believe that their current existence 
  is a curse, placed upon them by the state of mortality 
  itself, and as such their innate hatred of mortals finds 
  perverse focus. The destruction of mortals brings them 
  closer to lifting that curse and achieving oblivion or 
  perhaps some promised apotheosis denied them by a 
  jealous multiverse. The key to unlocking that status lies 
  in the very mortals they loathe so much.
  Despite that roiling hatred, they realize they began 
  as mortals themselves, for Trelmarixian creates the 
  meladaemons by combining mortal souls with lesser 
  daemons, infecting and torturing them with planar diseases 
  and unspeakable agonies until they fully transform into 
  their jackal-humanoid shape. Other daemons whisper 
  that the meladaemons harbor a drop of their patron’s own 
  essence within themselves like a spiritual cyst, never truly 
  whole, never truly alone, acting as unwilling, ignorant 
  eyes and ears for the Lord of Wasting.
  Habitat & Society
  While possessed of a frighteningly manic obsession with 
  experimentation and ritualized consumption of mortal 
  souls and even other outsiders, meladaemons react very 
  differently to other daemons and even their own caste. 
  They unite in common servitude to their archdaemon 
  patron, but sometimes this tolerance of other daemons 
  (and even other meladaemons) seems forced upon them. 
  Though their loyalty to Trelmarixian never wavers, a 
  small fraction of their kind retreat into seclusion for 
  months or years at a time. During these periods, they 
  often dwell on the borders of their lord’s domain, or 
  (at his bidding) forge temporary agreements with other 
  archdaemons or Abaddon’s lesser nobility, acting to 
  further Trelmarixian’s aims before their return to their 
  kindred.
  When dealing with lesser daemons, they act with 
  an icy, clinical detachment, cold and pragmatic like 
  a physician working in a quarantined area of a deadly 
  plague outbreak, willing to use the creatures around 
  them as chattel or subjects to analyze rather than treating 
  them as thinking creatures. Meladaemons do not waste 
  resources recklessly, but they have no compunctions 
  against breaking down an obstacle with the weight of dead 
  minions if they gain something in the process. Toward 
  the other ranking daemons they display a false courtesy, 
  a thin veneer over a callous sense of condescension, 
  and that sense of smug superiority balloons when they 
  interact with other fiends, turning into a rancid, acerbic 
  arrogance. Meladaemons do not work well with demons 
  or devils, and even less so with any other outsiders. Even 
  if they manage to conceal their frothing hatred, they 
  always secretly believe they’re better than their partners.
  31
  new Monster
  
  32
  str
  Defense
  HP 69
  AC 21 (+4 against giants)
  touch 14, flat-footed 17
  fort +9, Ref +10, Will +4
  +2 vs. poison and spells
  Animal Companion
  Biter (dire badger, MM 268)
  Offense
  Melee +2 greataxe +13/+8
     (1d12+5/×3)
  Ranged +2 light  crossbow +13
     (1d8+2/19–20) or 
  Ranged +2 light  crossbow +9/+9
     (1d8+2/19–20) (using Manyshot)
  Base Atk +9; Grp +11
  Special Attacks favored enemy 
  (giants +4, undead +2), +1 on attack 
  rolls vs. orcs and goblinoids
  Spells Prepared (Cl 4th):
   1st—entangle (dC 12), resist energy
  Skills
  heal  
  +11
  hide  
  +16
  listen  
  +13
  Move Silently  
  +16
  Spot  
  +13
  Survival  
  +13
  Wild empathy  
  +7
  Feats
  endurance, Point Blank Shot, Manyshot, 
  Precise Shot, rapid reload (l. crossbow), 
  rapid Shot, track, W. focus (l. crossbow)
  Special Qualities
  darkvision 60 ft., evasion, stability, 
  stonecunning, swift tracker, 
  woodland stride
  Combat Gear screaming bolt (3), +1 demon-bane bolt (6), +1 human-bane bolt (6), antitoxin, potion of cure moderate wounds (2), smokestick, 
  tanglefoot bag, 30 bolts; Other Gear +3 studded leather armor, mwk silver dagger, +1 amulet of natural armor, bird feather token, +2 gloves 
  of Dexterity, backpack, rations (4), signal whistle, teapot, 30 pp, 12 gp
  Harsk
  Male Dwarf ranger 9 of Torag
  align ln 
  Init +4 
  speed 20 ft.
  dex
  con
  int
  wis
  cha
  14
  18
  16
  10
  12
  6
  abilities
  str
  Defense
  HP 34
  AC 14
  touch 11, flat-footed 13
  fort +8, Ref +7, Will +10;
  Special Qualities 250 XP set 
  aside for item creation
  familiar Sneak (weasel, 
  MM 282)
  Spells
  Spells Prepared (Cl 9th, +4 ranged touch 
      with ray):
  5th—cone of cold (dC 20)
  4th—ice storm (2), stoneskin
  3rd—dispel magic, fireball (2, dC 18), fly
  2nd—bull’s strength, scorching ray (2),
      web (dC 17)
  1st—alarm, burning hands, magic
      missile (2), shield (2)
  0—daze (dC 15), detect magic (2), light
  Offense
  Melee cane +4 (1d6)
  Ranged cane +4 (1d6)
      light crossbow +4 (1d8/19–20)
  Base Atk +4; Grp +4
  Skills
  appraise  
  +9
  Concentration  
  +13
  Knowledge (arcana)  
  +16
  Knowledge (geography)  
  +16
  Knowledge (history)  
  +16
  Knowledge (the planes)  
  +10
  Spellcraft  
  +16
  Feats
  Combat Casting, empower Spell, 
  Great fortitude, Greater Spell 
  Penetration, improved initiative, 
  Scribe Scroll, Spell Penetration
  Combat Gear alchemist’s fire, potion of cure moderate wounds, pearl of power (2nd-level spell), scroll of rope trick, wand of magic missiles (Cl 5th, 46 charges), 3rd-
  level wizard scrolls (3); Other Gear cane (as club), dagger, 20 bolts, +2 gloves of Dexterity, +3 bracers of armor, +2 cloak of resistance, +2 headband of intellect, +1 ring 
  of protection, bag of holding (type i), rations (6), scroll case, spellbook, spell component pouch, diamond dust (250 gp), 100 gp pearls (2), 220 gp
  ezren
  Male HuMan wizarD 9
  align ng 
  Init +4 
  speed 30 ft.
  dex
  con
  int
  wis
  cha
  11
  11
  12
  20
  15
  9
  abilities
  str
  Defense
  HP 79
  AC 25
  touch 11, flat-footed 25
  fort +11, Ref +5, Will +7
  SQ aura of courage, detect evil, 
  divine health, remove 
  disease 2/week, special mount
  Offense
  Melee +2 longsword +15/+10
      (1d8+5/17–20)
  Ranged mwk composite longbow
      (+3 Str) +10/+5 (1d8+3/×3)
  Base Atk +9; Grp +12
  Special Attacks lay on hands (18 hp/day), 
      smite evil 2/day, turn undead 4/day
      (+1, 2d6+7, 6th)
  Spells Prepared (Cl 4th)
  2nd —shield other
  1st—divine favor
  Skills
  Knowledge (religion) 
  +9
  ride 
  +4
  Sense Motive 
  +11
  Feats
  Cleave, improved Critical 
  (longsword), Mounted Combat, 
  Power attack, Weapon focus 
  (longsword)
  Mount
  aristide (heavy warhorse, MM 273)
  Combat Gear holy water (4), arrows (20), brooch of shielding (34 points), potion of haste (2), wand of cure light wounds (50 charg-
  es), potion of cure serious wounds, potion of lesser restoration; Other Gear backpack, dagger, +2 full plate, +2 heavy steel shield, +2 
  amulet of health, +1 ring of protection, +1 cloak of resistance, rations (4), silver holy symbol, 233 gp
  Seelah
  feMale HuMan PalaDin 9 of ioMeDae
  align lg 
  Init +0 
  speed 20 ft.
  dex
  con
  int
  wis
  cha
  16
  10
  16
  8
  14
  12
  abilities
  str
  defense
  HP 62
  AC 23
  touch 11, flat-footed 23 
  fort +11, Ref +4, Will +13
  Special Attacks
  turn undead 4/day (+1, 
  2d6+10), +1 Cl for healing 
  spells, greater turning 1/day
  Spells
  Spells Prepared (Cl 9th, +6 ranged 
  touch)
  5th—flame striked (dC 19), slay living (dC 19)
  4th—divine power (2), fire shieldd, 
  restoration
  3rd—blindness/deafness (dC 17), dispel 
  magic (2), remove disease, searing lightd
  2nd—aid (2), heat metald (dC 16), resist 
  energy (2), spiritual weapon
  1st—bless (2), cure light woundsd, divine 
  favor, shield of faith
  0—detect magic (2), light, mending (2)
  D domain spell; Domains healing, Sun
  Offense
  Combat Gear 20 bolts, holy water (3), wand of cure moderate wounds (40 charges), wand of bull’s strength (11 charges), pearl of power 
  (2nd-level spell); Other Gear +3 chainmail, +2 heavy steel shield, +1 cloak of resistance, +2 periapt of Wisdom, +1 ring of protection, +2 
  gloves of Dexterity, backpack, gold holy symbol (with continual flame), rations (4), 34 pp
  Kyra
  feMale HuMan CleriC 9 of Sarenrae
  align ng 
  Init +0 
  speed 20 ft.
  dex
  con
  int
  wis
  cha
  14
  10
  14
  10
  18
  12
  abilities
  Melee +1 scimitar +9/+4 
      (1d6+3/18–20)
  Melee mwk light crossbow +6 
      (1d8/19–20)
  Base Atk +6; Grp +8
  Skills
  Concentration 
  +15
  heal 
  +23
  Knowledge (religion) 
  +12
  Feats
  Great fortitude, iron Will, Spell 
  Penetration, Weapon Proficiency 
  (scimitar), Weapon focus (scimitar)
  
  The New Cathedral 
  N
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  4
  6 
  8 
  10 
  10a
  10a
  9 
  5a 
  7a 
  7 
  S 
  S 
  S 
  S 
  One square = 5 feet
  9a
  9a
  The New Cathedral 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  8 
  10 
  9 
  5a 
  7a 
  7 
  S 
  S 
  S 
  S 
  One square = 5 feet
  SUBSCRIBE TO PaThfIndER MOdUlES
  As a subscriber, you’ll receive a 32-page, full-color 
  adventure module written by a world-class adventure 
  designer every two months, delivered right to your 
  mailbox! As a bonus, you’ll receive a free electronic PDF 
  version of each module, downloadable from your account 
  on paizo.com. Never run out of ready-to-play adventures 
  for your campaign—subscribe today!
  Visit paizo.com/pathfinder for details.
  OPEn GaME lICEnSE Version 1.0a
  The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.
  1. Definitions: (a) “Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b) “Derivative Material” 
  means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, 
  addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) 
  “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d) “Open Game Content” means the 
  game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an 
  enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this 
  License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and 
  product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts, creatures, characters, stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, 
  incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio 
  representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, 
  environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered 
  trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” 
  means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to 
  the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create 
  Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
  2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under 
  and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License 
  except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.
  3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
  4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-
  exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
  5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are 
  Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
  6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
  of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the 
  COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.
  7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, 
  independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark 
  or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the 
  owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of 
  that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
  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.
  9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License 
  to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.
  10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You distribute.
  11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written 
  permission from the Contributor to do so.
  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 governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
  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 sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
  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, Inc.
  System Reference Document. Copyright 2000. Wizards of the Coast, Inc; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. 
  Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  Pathfinder Module J5: Beyond the Vault of Souls, Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC. Author: Colin McComb.
  Charonadaemon from the Tome of Horrors Revised, Copyright 2005, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Author Scott Greene, based on original material by Gary Gygax.
  Derghodaemon from the Tome of Horrors Revised, Copyright 2005, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Author Scott Greene, based on original material by Gary Gygax.
  Hydrodaemon from the Tome of Horrors Revised, Copyright 2005, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Author Scott Greene, based on original material by Gary Gygax.
  
  InterdImensIonal BandItry!
  Printed in China
  PZO9519
  Pathfinder Module  
  J5: Beyond the Vault of Souls
  Magical soul gems have been stolen from the secret 
  vault of the goddess of death and scattered across the 
  planes. Some want these gems to unlock the secrets of 
  the multiverse. Others want them for personal power. Still 
  others want them to resurrect a fallen deity. As the god of 
  oblivion looms near, can the PCs retrieve the gems 
  from their new owners in time to save their world?
   Beyond the Vault of Souls is a planar adventure 
  for 9th-level characters, compatible with the 3.5 
  edition of the world’s oldest roleplaying game. 
  Within you’ll visit the Eternal City of Axis, 
  brave the dangers of the Abyss, and match 
  wits with the torturer daemons of Abaddon. 
   This adventure is set in the Outer Sphere 
  of the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting, 
  but can easily be placed in the strange planes and 
  dimensions of any game world. It can be used on its own 
  or enhanced with information from The Great Beyond,  
  A Guide to the Multiverse.
  paizo.com/pathfinder
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pathfinder/1st Edition/GameMastery/J5 - Beyond the Vault of Souls.pdf