TEXT: One Night Adventures ™
  Hellebarde Games
  www.hellebardegames.com
  Dead Arising
  Don MacVittie
  An Adventure for first to third level characters.
  Dead Arising can be played solo in your setting, or be combined with other One Night Adventures
  modules to make a campaign. The entirety of this series includes One Night Adventures 13-16 plus 
  Adventure Tome four.
  ONA-13
  1901
  Yellin Bislama has committed horrifying crimes. He has admitted to leaving children in the desert, staked 
  down. He has confessed to impaling people… And much more. The Mayor has asked you to escort him to 
  Sand Guard, where the army will take him for trial.
  
  ONE NIGHT ADVENTURES™ MODULE #ONA13 
  Copyright© 2019, Hellebarde Games. 
   
  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, place names, new deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, 
  story elements, locations, characters, artwork, graphics, maps, sidebars, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as 
  Open Game Content are not included in this declaration.) 
  Open Game Content: The Open content in this book includes the magic item names, magic item descriptions, monster names, monster 
  descriptions, monster statistics, and monster abilities. No other portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without permission. 
   
  Dead Arising 
  By Donald MacVittie 
  AN ADVENTURE FOR CHARACTER LEVELS 1-3
   
  Editor: Joe Damiani 
  Concept Review: Bill Silvey 
  Artist: LAM 
  Playtesters: The Outcasts 
  Yellin Bismala has confessed to horrific crimes, and has been placed under arrest. But the guard here cannot give 
  him a trial. He must be transported to Sand Guard, where a magistrate can oversee justice. The guard is stretched 
  thin, and the captain needs someone safely escort the prisoner for trial. An easy job, there and back in a few days, 
  and payment in gold. That is many times what you could make a day as caravan guards. 
   
  
  The Road to Sand Guard 
  2 | T h e  N o r t h  R o a d  
   
  Player Introduction 
  Escorting a dangerous prisoner from town to a military fort 
  for trial? Doesn’t seem a particularly difficult task. So why 
  are you being offered a bunch of money to take the job? 
  What are the problems that could make you safer than a 
  group of guardsmen to escort him? Why is the prisoner 
  smiling at you, waiting patiently for you to accept the job? 
  If you intend to play this module. Stop reading here. 
  Only information for the Game Master is beyond this 
  point. 
  Game Master Introduction 
  Yellin Bislama has been arrested for heinous crimes. It is 
  said he skinned people alive, that he left people staked out 
  to die in the desert, that he even poured out water in the 
  desert to make those he was leaving suffer more. 
  He needs to be transported to Sand Guard, the nearest large 
  garrison with authority to lock him up and hold a trial. The 
  problem is that he seems smug, like he doesn’t much care 
  that the party is transporting him to Sand Guard. 
  What’s going on 
  Yellin Bislama is not guilty of any of the crimes he has 
  confessed to. He is guilty of a conspiracy to destroy the 
  border fort of Sand Guard. He doesn’t care if the party 
  escorts him or guards do… Because he knows the tower at 
  Sand Guard should, by now, be destroyed. Not just 
  destroyed, but emptied out. The prisoners, the guards, the 
  treasures hidden under the keep should all be gone.  
  He is not certain, but if plans ran their course the destruction 
  should be total. 
  Yellin belongs to the Halriadah, a small sect that believes 
  all lands that were once desert belong to the desert people. 
  The work of elves and druids to push the lush forests of the 
  elven kingdom back out over the sands has changed the 
  land, but should not change ownership.  
  The Halriadah all wear robes of dark black, and most have 
  two scimitars, carried in sheaths across their back when not 
  in use. Under their robes, standard armor is leather, though 
  some wear studded leather or even ring mail (adjust AC if 
  one of these latter two). 
  Yellin’s job was to come here as a distraction making 
  certain that the guard did not learn about the attack on Sand 
  Guard before it was over. The Halriadah committed dozens 
  of people to the assault, and Yellin took the simple 
  expedient of walking up to the first guard he found and 
  confessing loudly to the horrible things he is accused of. As 
  the guard listened, he became more and more horrified. He 
  took Yellin to the Captain, who placed him into custody. 
  There is no evidence that any of the horrible things Yellin 
  claims to have done actually happened, only his confession. 
  But the guard wasted time sending patrols into the desert 
  searching for his victims. There aren’t even people missing 
  that meet Yellin’s descriptions. The Captain and his team 
  are not here for policing, they’re here to guard the border. 
  The few town guards at the mayor’s disposal are not deemed 
  enough to guard such a dangerous criminal. That leaves a 
  need to find someone to handle the transport. The more 
  talented they are, the better. 
  The first part of this module covers travel to Sand Guard, 
  passing through the greenery of the savannah while the 
  desert stretches off on the party’s left, and on to Sand Guard. 
  Copses of trees are small in this part of the elven kingdom, 
  and the terrain is mostly flat open grassland. This part is as 
  much investigation as travel. Yellin will be smug and aloof, 
  and there will be signs there is something not right, the 
  closer the party gets the clearer the signs. The second part 
  of the module will be a dungeon delve to find out what 
  happened and deal with survivors.  
  (Yellin Bislama AC 12, HD 2d8+2, HP 12, Move 30/15 
  hobbled, Saves P, Attacks Scimitar 1d6, Great Scimitar 2d6, 
  Special Attack and Damage rolls +1, Alignment LN, XP 
  15+2/39)  
  When the attempt to rescue Yellin occurs, he will hobble up 
  behind PCs and bump into them as they are attacking. The 
  targeted PC must make a Dexterity Save or be knocked off 
  balance, be -2 to hit on their next attack, and -2 to AC until 
  their next attack. Spell casters will have to make a DC 2 
  Concentration check. 
  Play Yellin as antagonistic. He will insult characters, 
  particularly elves, pretty much non-stop. But as the trail to 
  Sand Guard is traveled, he will be more and more disturbed 
  by the things he sees. He will eventually confess to what is 
  actually happening and that he is not guilty of anything he 
  claimed he did. He actually finds these things abhorrent. 
  
  The Road to Sand Guard 
  3 | T h e  N o r t h  R o a d  
   
  The Road to Sand Guard 
  The trip to Sand Guard is roughly 50 miles, making it but a 
  day by horse, and two on foot. While in normal times the 
  trip is relatively peaceful, proximity to the desert and the 
  wildness of the edge of the elven Kingdom means there are 
  always threats. Today, the road is downright unsafe.  The 
  following is a short discussion of the dangers PCs will find 
  along the road. 
  Wandering Monster Table 
  The road to Sand Guard is at the edge of two kingdoms and 
  the edge of two types of terrain. It is not terribly safe in the 
  best of times, and these are not the best of times. Roll three 
  times per day (morning, dinner, depths of night) on the 
  following table if you wish to use random encounters on the 
  road. 
  Roll d10 
  Creature(s) 
  1 
  1d4 Kobolds 
  2 
  1 Giant Toad 
  3 
  1d8 Guards  
  4-5 
  1d8 Cultists  
  6-7 
  1d4 Cursed Dead Servants  
  8 
  1 Giant Lizard (Desert Monitor) 
  9 
  1d4 Wolves. 
  10 
  1d8 Thugs 
  (Kobolds AC 15, HD 1d4, HP 3 each, Saves P, MV 30, 
  Attacks short sword – 1d6, dark vision 60ft, light sensitivity, 
  Alignment LE, XP 5+1/8 each, each kobold has 10 gold 
  pieces in mixed coin) 
  (Giant Toad AC 16, HD 4, HP 23, Saves P, MV 20 or 40 
  jump, Attacks bite 1d4, MV 20ft/jump 40ft, twilight vision, 
  swallow, Alignment N, XP 90+4/182) 
  (Guards AC 15, HD 1d6, HP 4 each, Saves P, MV 30, 
  Attacks short sword or spear – 1d6, Alignment LN, XP 
  5+1/9 each, each guard has 20 gold pieces in mixed coin) 
  (Derivesh Cultists AC 12, HD 1d8, HP 5 each, Saves P, 
  MV 30, Attacks Scimitar 1d6, Fanaticism, +1 on attack 
  and damage, Alignment LN, XP 7+1/12 each, Each cultist 
  has 20 gold pieces in mixed coin) See New Monsters for 
  detail. 
  (Cursed Dead Servants AC 13, HD 1d6, HP 4 each, Saves 
  P, MV 25, Attacks slam 1d6, Slow, Eternal Unrest, Unholy 
  Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 7+1/11 each, One wears an 
  ancient brass signet ring worth 100 gold) See New 
  Monsters for detail. 
  (Giant Lizard AC 16, HD 4d8, HP 20, Saves P, MV 30, 
  Attacks bite 2d6, Alignment N, XP 40+4/120) 
  (Wolves AC 13, HD 2d8, HP 10 each, Saves P, MV 50, 
  Attacks bite 1d8, Alignment N, XP 25+2/45 each) 
  (Thugs - Humans AC 12, HD 1d8, HP 5 each, Saves P, MV 
  30, Attacks short sword or scimitar 1d6, Alignment N, XP 
  5+1/10 each, each thug has 8 gold in mixed coin) 
  Streach Wood 
  About ten miles east of Dakhalla is Streach Wood. The 
  wood was damaged in ancient times, and like most woods 
  this close to the desert is dark and gloomy. As the characters 
  enter the wood, even Yellin will grow silent and withdrawn. 
  The forest is just gloomy, but the mood might put the 
  players enough on edge to be aware. A small band of five 
  Kobolds, scouting the edges of the elven kingdom, are in 
  the woods. The depth of the woods provides them shelter 
  from sunlight during the day, and they explore at night. It 
  will likely be daylight when the party passes through the 
  wood, meaning the kobolds will be here. Roll surprise 
  normally, if the Kobold guard has surprise, he will sneak off 
  to wake up the rest of his patrol and they will attack the party 
  en-masse. 
  (5 Kobolds AC 15, HD 1d4, HP 3 each, Saves P, MV 30, 
  Attacks short sword – 1d6, dark vision 60ft, light sensitivity, 
  Alignment LE, XP 5+1/8 each, each Kobold has 10 gold 
  pieces in mixed coin) 
  Scaling – It is easy to adjust for larger and smaller parties 
  by changing from five Kobolds to one per character. For 
  characters of higher levels, two per character or changing 
  them to something more difficult like Orcs will scale this 
  encounter. 
  Interlude – Rescue 
  The attempt on Sand Guard has failed, and one runner was 
  sent to warn the Halriadah. As soon as they received word 
  that the tower didn’t fall and the attacking force was in a bad 
  way, plans were made to free Yellin. Midway between 
  Streach Wood and Doorne’s Craters, a team of five 
  Derivesh Cultists will come running out of the desert to the 
  east and attack the party in an attempt to free Yellin. They 
  are not subtle, and there will be no surprise roll, but the party 
  
  The Road to Sand Guard 
  4 | T h e  N o r t h  R o a d  
   
  will have two rounds of missile/spell fire before the cultists 
  close with them. After combat is joined, Yellin will help his 
  friends – shoving into characters at a critical moment, etc. 
  Characters Yellin bumps into suffer the effects listed under 
  Yellin’s stat block on  page 2. 
  After the Cultists are defeated, Yellin will grudgingly give 
  the party respect, even complimenting any who fought well. 
  Should the party lose, Yellin has a choice to make. If the 
  party has treated him humanely, Yellin will see to it that any 
  unconscious characters survive. If they have been harsh – 
  hurting him, for example – he will leave them to bleed out. 
  (Derivesh Cultists AC 12, HD 1d8, HP 5 each, Saves P, 
  MV 30, Attacks Scimitar 1d6, Fanaticism, +1 on attack 
  and damage, Alignment LN, XP 7+1/12 each. Each cultist 
  has 10 gold pieces in mixed coin) See New Monsters for 
  detail. 
  Scaling – For larger or smaller parties, simply adjust the 
  number of Cultists. For higher level or more powerful 
  parties, exchange the cultists for Derivesh Fanatics. 
  Doorne’s Craters 
  Ten miles beyond Streach Wood lies the pockmarked area 
  known as Doorne’s Craters. When The Great Destruction 
  turned the empire to desert sands, this area was struck by 
  something that forever changed the local environment. 
  Grass does not grow in the craters, the craters are all ten to 
  fifteen feet across, and the craters collect water. This close 
  to the desert, natural cisterns would be a blessing, except the 
  waters make people and mammals who drink from them ill.  
  The waters are not totally inhospitable though, as a species 
  of giant toad has adapted to them and come here to bathe 
  and grab a bite to eat. Occasionally, a bite to eat includes 
  passing travelers. There are currently two Giant Toads here 
  that will attack the party. 
  (Giant Toads AC 16, HD 4, HP 23 each, Saves P, MV 20 or 
  jump 40, Attacks bite 1d4, twilight vision, swallow, 
  Alignment N, XP 90+4/182, in one of the toad’s guts are a 
  pearl worth 100 gold and ten gold pieces) 
  Scaling – Two Giant Toads can be a tough challenge for a 
  five-person fist level party. If the CK wants to lighten the 
  challenge, dropping to one Giant Toad will do nicely, as 
  will changing to Giant Frogs. If the party is higher level or 
  has more members than eight, the easy answer is to add 
  toads. The more exotic option is to give the toads kobold or 
  goblin riders. 
  The Fairwood 
  Just five miles beyond Doorne’s Craters is evidence of the 
  return of life at the edge of the desert… The Fairwood is 
  less than 100 years old, and is cared for by druids.  Or at 
  least it was tended by druids.  A group of skeletons from 
  Sand Guard came here and just finished off the druids. 
  There is a single druid alive, but unconscious when the party 
  arrives in the heart of this small wood. The first indication 
  of trouble the party will see is a dozen smashed skeletons 
  lying in the road, the bodies of a woman and a man laying 
  alongside them. Occasional shattered skeletons and more 
  fresh bodies mark a path to the north.  Only 50 feet north of 
  the road, the party will find a clearing with four Cursed 
  Dead Servants in it. One is reaching out toward an 
  unconscious figure wearing grey and brown robes, the 
  others are tearing apart other bodies on the ground. When 
  the party enters the clearing, the Cursed Dead will turn and 
  attack them. Once the party has defeated the Cursed Dead, 
  the unconscious figure can be revived with a Cure Wounds 
  spell. He is Ilineallan, a Druidic Acolyte. All he can tell the 
  party is that there were five druids in the grove when the 
  skeletal figures stormed in from the east, and there were just 
  too many of them. He is a junior member of his sect, and 
  will want to return to their main forest to report what 
  happened here. If the party lets him leave, he will remove a 
  wooden pendant from a woman’s body, and give it to them, 
  telling them that it can be presented to any druid for help 
  like healing. One of the druidic bodies in the clearing has a 
  potion of healing in a pouch on its belt. These are all the 
  thanks he can offer for saving him. Yellin will become 
  agitated when he hears of the skeletal figures coming from 
  the east. 
  (Cursed Dead Servant AC 13, HD 1d6, HP 4 each, Saves P, 
  MV 25, Attacks Slam 1d6, Slow, Eternal Unrest, Unholy 
  Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 7+1/11 each) 
  (Druidic Acolyte AC 12, HD 2d8, HP 12, Saves M, MV 30, 
  Attacks staff 1d6, light crossbow 1d4, Nature Lore, Resist 
  Elements, Spells – Endure Elements, 2xFirst Aid, Light, 
  Animal Friendship, Shillelagh, Alignment N, XP 15+2/39) 
  The Obelisks 
  Ten miles beyond the Fairwood, two massive obelisks 
  stand, their white marble shining in the sun. Eight feet 
  across at the base and forty feet tall, they are like a beacon 
  to desert and grasslands both. Before the great destruction 
  turned the empire into a desert, the emperors erected great 
  stelae and obelisks to show travelers how far they were from 
  
  The Road to Sand Guard 
  5 | T h e  N o r t h  R o a d  
   
  the capital city of Khozan. The writings on these devices 
  heap praise upon the ruler that built them, and offered 
  travelers information beyond mere distance to the capital. 
  While many of these monoliths were destroyed, some – like 
  these outside the area of destruction – still stand. The 
  writing is a mix of hieroglyphs and old Doornian script. 
  Yellin is more than capable of telling the party all about 
  them. His tribe believes these mark the border of his 
  kingdom, and they journey here to learn of the empire’s 
  great past. The obelisk on the right depicts Doorne the 
  Beneficent blessing fields of wheat while the elven goddess 
  Talimaara looks on. The obelisk on the left depicts 
  scrubland with horses running upon it, Doorne the 
  Destroyer offering blessings as the Dwarven god Kunard 
  Hammersmith looks on. The inscriptions on the right-side 
  obelisk say that in the year 3702, his highness Emperor 
  Antomeneck blessed the crops of Talifa, and Doorne heard 
  Antomeneck’s words. The Warlord of Talifa was blessed 
  with 50,000 bushels of wheat, the largest harvest ever.  The 
  inscriptions on the left-hand obelisk say that King Tariq 
  Talifa had increased the annual contribution of horses for 
  the imperial army to five thousand. 
  Sandal Wood 
  Five miles past the Obelisks stands the Sandal Wood. 
  Strangely untouched by the desert, even at the time of the 
  destruction, Sandal Wood is a pilgrimage site for elves and 
  Doornians alike. It is a place of truce, where harming 
  another will bring both peoples down upon you. Elves 
  believe this wood was protected by Talimaara as a beacon 
  of hope for the Empire when their world was being 
  destroyed. Doornians believe Doorne saved this wood along 
  the border to honor Talifa, known for its sandalwood 
  exports before the Great Destruction. By tradition and 
  mutual agreement, there are no permanent settlements here, 
  and the trees are never harmed. There is a small pool in the 
  center of the wood that characters can use to fill waterskins. 
  Around the pool are worn out sandals, boots, and shoes. 
  These are from deceased relatives, left here by pilgrims, the 
  belief of desert peoples being that these sandals will help 
  their dead walk the sands of heaven.  The rule is that they 
  may not block access to the pool of water, and must rest 
  upon the ground… But it is creepy to walk into the clearing 
  and see hundreds of sets of empty footwear in various states 
  of decay. 
  Guardton 
  As the party leaves Sandal Wood, they will see smoke 
  billowing into the sky in the distance. The smaller town of 
  Guardton grew simply to support the soldiers at Sand 
  Guard. It has been utterly destroyed. It is six miles from 
  Sandal Wood to Guardton, and the closer the party gets, the 
  more clear it will be that there is nothing here that is 
  salvageable. A few bodies lie outside the burnt town, all 
  seemingly cut down from behind. The town is a smoldering 
  ruin by the time the party arrives, only stone foundations 
  and piles of ash remaining. Over two hundred people lived 
  here, and now there is nothing. Yellin will be over-awed at 
  the level of destruction here. His people do not normally kill 
  innocents, and some of the citizens were his countrymen. 
  Adding to the other things he has seen on the trip from 
  Dakhalla, he will be confused and concerned. 
   
   
  Sand Guard 
  Sand Guard was built about a century ago when raids from 
  Talifa were particularly intense. It is a square grey stone 
  tower built in a blocky style that is not typical of elven or 
  Doornian fortifications. Dwarven Master Masons built the 
  tower for the Provinces of Amorice in exchange for some 
  forts on the Provinces’ eastern border in the foothills. What 
  most did not know is that the basement contains the Tomb 
  of Amar-Pentra, high priest of Doorne from shortly after the 
  Great Destruction. He had a vision that required his tomb be 
  placed here, at the time in Doornian lands, where the Sheel-
  Tel (Elves) would build a fort. He would not explain why, 
  only that much depended upon it in the future. 
  The Current Situation 
  While Yellin and a few others occupied nearby guard 
  stations, the main force secreted themselves into The Sandal 
  Wood, and from there launched their attack on Sand Guard 
  in the mid of night.  
  Their attack was successful at first, the element of surprise 
  giving them the main gate and part of the first floor. But the 
  guards defending the tower retreated into the second floor 
  as soon as they overcame their initial shock. Holding the 
  door to Area #12, the defenders were able to keep the attack 
  from becoming a massacre. 
  While some attackers tried to take area #12, thus granting 
  them access to the upstairs, the rest ran rampant on the 
  
  Sand Guard 
  6 | T h e  N o r t h  R o a d  
   
  ground floor. They killed everyone they found, and then 
  took the stairs down at area #22 – to a burial chamber they 
  viewed as holy. At the foot of the stairs is a door placed into 
  an ancient archway covered in hieroglyphics. The attacker’s 
  mystic informed them that the body or bodies within the 
  tomb must be returned to Talifa and reburied there. The 
  attackers swarmed into the tomb, and awakened the Cursed 
  Dead sealed within. The guardians from the Elven Kingdom 
  learned long ago to leave the dead resting, and last night the 
  Talifans found out why. Their attack force was decimated, 
  most of them killed within the tombs.  
  Now there is a stable but untenable situation inside the 
  tower. The elven kingdom defenders have the top two 
  floors, and are holding the stairs in room #12. The attackers 
  from the desert kingdom are on the ground floor, making 
  half-hearted attacks on area #12, just to keep the defenders 
  from realizing how weak they have become. Most of the 
  Cursed Dead are in their basement tomb. The Talifans will 
  not leave the bodies of the revered dead, but are afraid to 
  collect them. Even if they were willing to leave the bodies, 
  they are too weak to survive retreating if the elven guardians 
  realized how few they are. 
  And here comes the party. There are several viable solutions 
  to this problem. A slug-fest cleaning out whole chunks of 
  the tower is the obvious answer. Negotiating to get the 
  Talifans to leave peacefully and the elven guards not to 
  attack them is another. That will still leave the Cursed Dead 
  in the tomb, but that’s what adventurers do – clear out tombs 
  of walking dead. If the party approaches the Talifans about 
  retreating, the Talifans will insist that the party take care of 
  the Cursed Dead first and bring them the remains. 
  Sand Guard Area Key 
  1. Entry 
  The attack came as a total surprise, and the attackers were 
  able to use their sandstone battering ram to smash the doors 
  and get inside before the guard could respond.  
  2. Foyer 
  There was a short fight when the night guards from area 15 
  arrived, but they were quickly overpowered. The bodies are 
  of half-elves, their weapons were scrounged by the Talifan 
  attackers. The breastplates are perfectly serviceable.  
  3. West Entrance Guardpost 
  When the Talifans entered this hall, the guard came out to 
  intercept them. They were quickly overpowered, but not 
  before killing one of the invaders. The loose Animal Cursed 
  Dead are responsible for the chewed-up face. 
  4. Leather Repair 
  This is where leatherwork is restored, and smaller leather 
  items are created. If a party searches the room, a CL 3 
  Wisdom check will turn up three sets of Leatherworker’s 
  Tools. The knives used for leatherwork are sharp and well 
  made, and two of the ones present could be used as normal 
  Daggers. 
  5. Smithy 
  A double set of steps engraved with sigils of weapons 
  and armor leads up to a smashed set of oaken doors. A 
  long, sandstone block lies broken into several pieces on 
  the stairs, and bodies lie inside the shattered doorway. 
  Two bodies lie in this room, each dressed in a 
  breastplate over the blue and tan tunic of the elven 
  kingdom. Open double doors stand across from the 
  smashed front entry, looking onto a long ten-foot-wide 
  hallway. 
  Three bodies lie in the hall here, two wearing shining 
  breastplates and one wearing leather with plates of steel 
  sewn to it. The last has a saber lying by his hand, and 
  something has ripped his face apart. 
  Workbenches covered with tools and pieces of leather 
  line both the east and west walls of this room, while two 
  large cabinets cover the south wall. Unlit torches line 
  the walls. Someone has opened the cabinets and pulled 
  rolls of leather, tools, and thongs out, dumping them on 
  the floor. 
  Oppressive heat pushes out as the door to this room 
  opens. Two banked fireplaces with coal grates at the 
  bottom sit on the south wall and a fire pit with glowing 
  coals sits in the northwest corner. Two turnstiles stand 
  in the southwest and southeast corners. Five partially 
  finished swords and a cracked breastplate line the east 
  wall. 
  
  Sand Guard 
  7 | T h e  N o r t h  R o a d  
   
  This is the smithy for the garrison, and is worked by a 
  dedicated smith and three apprentices that are also guards. 
  At night it was empty, the fires banked, and there being 
  nothing of obvious interest to the attackers, they left it 
  untouched. In the mantle of the easternmost fireplace is a 
  hidden compartment that can be found with a CL 5 Wisdom 
  check by anyone searching 
  the room. Inside the 
  compartment is a Minor Ring of Energy Resistance (Fire) 
  that the smith uses when things go wrong or require more 
  intimate contact with heated metal. Because it is needed in 
  emergencies, detecting the compartment automatically 
  shows how to open it – just push a 4 by 4 inch section of the 
  mantle and a drawer springs out with the ring resting inside. 
  6. Privy 
  The graffiti of Doorne’s pyramid under an outhouse seat 
  enraged the invaders, but otherwise there is nothing here.  
  7. Night Guard Quarters 
  The two men walking around and several of the wounded in 
  beds will reach for weapons if the party is not dressed in 
  desert warrior garb. There will be a total of five Derivesh 
  Cultists able to fight, the others too wounded to contribute. 
  There are a total of 12 individuals here, counting the 
  severely wounded. 
  (Derivesh Cultists AC 12, HD 1d8, HP 5 each, Saves P, MV 
  30, Attacks Scimitar 1d6, Fanaticism, +1 on attack and 
  damage, Alignment LN, XP 7+1/12 each, four of them have 
  gems from the tombs –5 GP Amber, 5 GP Amber, 10 GP 
  malachite, 250 GP Peridot) 
  Scaling – It is easy to scale this room, more or less Cultists 
  can be healthy enough to help the two unharmed warriors. 
   
  8. Watch Sergeant Duty Office 
  The desiccated cats are actually Cursed Dead Animals, 
  some of the animal companions of Amar-Pentra that were 
  to go with him to Doorne’s Blessed Oasis. They will attack 
  living people on sight. 
  The watch sergeant did not go down without a fight, but the 
  invaders quickly overpowered him. He took three of them 
  with him. When they tried to enter area #9 and discovered 
  the trap on the door the hard way, a fourth attacker was lost. 
  They left the door after that, not having spare warriors to 
  attempt to force the door. Which is too bad, as the glyph of 
  warding was expended on the body here, and the door can 
  simply be opened. 
  (Cursed Dead Animals AC 12, HD 1d6, HP 4 each, Saves 
  P, Move 20, Attacks bite (1d4), 2 claws (1d2), Slow, Eternal 
  Unrest, Unholy Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 5+1/9 each) 
  Scaling – We do not recommend this encounter be scaled. 
  9. Premiere Weapon Store  
  This is where the garrison keeps its best armor and weapons 
  stored. The sergeant normally controls access to them, and 
  they are only brought out in times of dire need. 
  Unfortunately, the surprise night attack left them no time to 
  retrieve the equipment. The weapons are all of superior 
  manufacture, and beautiful (worth 2x PH values), but only 
  the mace and the breastplate are special in any way. They 
  are an Expert Large Mace and a Breastplate +1. 
  The smell of an outhouse wafts out of this room as the 
  door is opened. Inside, the south wall is covered by a 
  row of seats with holes cut into them. Inside the room, 
  the smell is stronger. Someone has scratched a pyramid 
  under a seat much like those in the room into the wall 
  next to one of the seats. 
  This room has rows of beds on the east and west walls. 
  Two warriors in the dark clothing of desert raiders walk 
  among the beds, tending to men laying on the beds with 
  a variety of horrifying wounds. 
  A desk and chair sit on the west side of this room. The 
  bodies of three men in the dark garb of desert warriors 
  and one in the breastplate of the elven kingdom lay in 
  the room with mortal wounds. Another figure in the 
  desert people garb lies by a door in the north wall, his 
  clothing and flesh charred. Two desiccated cats stand 
  ripping at one of the unburnt desert warrior bodies. 
  Across from the door to this room are two armor stands, 
  one with a suit of chain mail armor on it, the other 
  holding a breastplate. On the east wall stands a table with 
  a silken cloth draped over it, an ornate elven bow and 
  quiver of arrows resting upon it. Along the west wall 
  stands a table with a mace, a scimitar, and a Greatsword 
  on it. 
  
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  10. Day Guard Quarters 
  This is where most of the surviving invaders have decided 
  to hole up. It allows them access to the stairs up, so they can 
  block the defenders upstairs, but the beds allow them to rest 
  in shifts. They will assume that the party is allied to the 
  elven defenders, and will attack unless the party talks 
  quickly. There are a total of seven Derivesh Cultists here. 
  (Derivesh Cultists AC 12, HD 1d8, HP 5 each, Saves P, MV 
  30, Attacks Scimitar 1d6, Fanaticism, +1 on attack and 
  damage, Alignment LN, XP 10 each, six of these men each 
  have 10 gold in mixed coin, the seventh has a green nephrite 
  gem worth 200 gold) 
  Scaling – Increasing or decreasing the number of Cultists 
  present is easiest. Adjusting hit points to reflect stronger or 
  wounded opponents is a viable option also. 
  11. Guard Post 
  One of the six northern guard posts. The guards here turned 
  out to be useless, as the attack came from the southwest and 
  there was no chance these three could see it coming. They 
  fought when they became aware of the attack, but there were 
  simply too many attackers for three men to hold off. The 
  room is currently being used by Ormostia Al-Herril, a 
  Derivesh Cult Fanatic and the leader of this group of 
  Halriadah. If it comes to fighting, she will not hesitate to 
  fight to the death. She has a Potion of Healing on her person 
  that she will use during combat if the opportunity presents 
  itself. 
  (Derivesh Fanatic AC 15, HD 2d10, HP 14, Saves P, MV 
  30, Attacks Scimitar+1 1d6, Special: +1 on attack and 
  damage, Alignment LN, XP 21 each, she has a potion of 
  healing and a scimitar +1) 
  Scaling – Giving Ostia guards is easiest for scaling up. 
  12. Stairs Up 
  This door is locked and barred from the other side. The 
  door is stout, being AC 14 with 22 (4D10) Hit points. 
  When it was clear the downstairs was lost, the surviving 
  members of the garrison settled on this room and the stairs 
  as the place they would hold the invaders back. It is a good 
  location, the door and the stairs both limiting the number of 
  attackers that can fight at once. There are four Guards here. 
  If the door is beat in, the defenders will assume that the party 
  is hostile. Talking to them through the door will allow the 
  talking character to make a DC 5 Charisma check to 
  convince the guards to open the door. The bodies are 
  actually severely wounded individuals that the elven guard 
  has patched up. Not being a threat in their current state, the 
  guard could not bring themselves to finish these warriors. If 
  a fight breaks out here, the Talifan invaders will take the 
  opportunity to rush into the room, get their wounded and 
  run. In this scenario, the guards will assume the party is 
  allied with the attackers, and hold them responsible for the 
  carnage that occurred here. 
  (Guard AC 15, HD 1d10, HP 6 each, Saves P, MV 30, 
  Attack longsword 1d8, Alignment LN, XP 5+1/11 each, One 
  has a piece of jadeite worth 5 gold pieces that he took off an 
  invader) 
  Scaling – There are ten more guards at the top of the stairs, 
  making this tough if fighting breaks out. The stairs will limit 
  the rate at which fighters from area 25 can enter the fight, 
  and reducing hit points to reflect wounds would help a 
  particularly weak party. 
  13. Guard Post 
  Another of the rooms watching out over the desert. The 
  guards here were surprised, but made a decent accounting 
  Rows of beds line the north and south walls of this 
  room. People in the dark clothing of the desert warriors 
  sitting upon seven of them. They leap to their feet when 
  you open the door, reaching for weapons. 
  Three bodies in breastplates lie outside the door to this 
  room, while blood smears down the hall show where 
  other bodies were pulled away. The room beyond holds 
  a woman dressed in the dark clothes of the desert 
  invaders, sitting upon a chair at the table. There are also 
  a privy area and a bed in the room. 
  Four elven guards in polished breastplates stand in this 
  room, three at the foot of the steps, blocking the 
  stairwell, and one midway up the steps. The bodies of 
  three black-robed attackers lay between the door and the 
  guards, their wounds bandaged. 
  Blood is spattered all about this room, bodies of two 
  garrison soldiers and two invaders lie intertwined near 
  the center of the room. A bed, a table, and a spot for a 
  privy make up all of the furnishings in the room, and the 
  bodies appear as if someone has looted them. 
  
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  of themselves. The third guard was captured, but escaped 
  upstairs as soon as the stairwell was within reach. The 
  guards on the stairs rushed forward to protect the poor 
  unfortunate as he scrambled up the stairs. 
  14. Guard Post 
  Like the others, this guard post fell quickly. The desert 
  warriors are using this room to store their dead until they 
  can arrange to burn them, as is their way. A thorough search 
  of the room will cover the party in gore, but yield 42 silver 
  pieces and a gold arm band worth 50 gold pieces. 
  15. East Entrance Guard post 
  If a PC takes the time to collect the playing cards, they will 
  find two silver and a copper piece that the attackers did not 
  notice in their quick search of the room. The playing cards 
  are thin lacquered wood, and the blood splatter will clean 
  off easily if a PC takes them. 
  16. Day Sergeant Quarters 
  These were the day sergeants, caught in their beds. They 
  awoke in time to defend themselves, but without armor 
  protection did not last long against the invaders. Their armor 
  is normal, but nicely filigreed to show their rank. Like much 
  of the equipment in this building, wearing such armor would 
  evoke a negative reaction from people in the elven kingdom. 
  17. Night Sergeant Quarters 
  This is the night sergeants’ bedroom. The night guard were 
  on duty when the attack came, and this room was empty. 
  The invaders did a quick search and moved along. Their 
  quick search did not find a false bottom in the chest on the 
  east wall. If the party specifically looks inside that chest, a 
  CL 5 Wisdom check will find the false bottom. Inside are 
  55 gold pieces, 112 silver pieces, and an Expert Dagger. 
  18. Kitchen Stores 
  This is the pantry, stocked to feed the entire garrison. The 
  invaders looked in, saw that it was supplies, and moved on 
  to secure the building. A party can scrounge five weeks of 
  preserved food here.  
  19. Dining Hall 
  The dining hall was not in use at the time of the attack, and 
  the attackers simply looked in and moved along. The 
  dinnerware is simple, for soldiers, and not worth much.  
  20. Kitchens 
  The night cooks keep the day’s cooking warm and prepare 
  breakfast. They were doing just that when the attack came. 
  The invaders did not even slow, hacking them up and 
  moving along in their rush to secure the building before the 
  guards could mount a defense. 
   
  This room is stacked with bodies – twelve of invaders 
  and three of defenders. A faint whiff of rotten flesh 
  swirls in the air, and the bodies all seem to be stripped 
  of armor and weapons. The furniture – a bed, a table, 
  four chairs and a privy – are all present, but have been 
  used to hold bodies. One body is propped up fully 
  clothed upon the privy, a large hole in her head showing 
  brain matter, for example. 
  Three bodies lay in this room, one decapitated, the other 
  two killed in a similarly gruesome manner. A table and 
  four chairs sit in the room, a deck of blood-spattered 
  cards lies scattered across the tabletop.  
  This room has two beds, two open chests, and two 
  empty armor stands inside. The beds have been tossed 
  about, their bedding lying on the floor, and the chests 
  have been opened, their contents strewn around them. 
  This room appears undisturbed. Food, kegs, chests, 
  crates, and sacks stacked neatly around the room. 
  This room has four long tables spanning it, each place 
  set with plate, pewter utensils, and wooden mug. There 
  is no one in the room. 
  Banked fireplaces line the north wall of this large room, 
  a fire pit with a hacked-up boar on a spit over it sits in 
  the center of the room, and tables, cupboards, and bins 
  are spread about the room. Two men in shirt and 
  breeches lie dead near the door, one has a kitchen knife 
  near his hand, the other a fireplace poker. 
  A half-elven man in his small clothes lies in the hallway, 
  half in and half out of the door to this room. The room 
  holds two unmade beds, two armor stands with ornate 
  breastplates on them, and two open armoires. The body 
  of another half elf in his small clothes lies against one of 
  the beds, his intestines strewn out of his stomach.  
  
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  21. Guard Post 
  The hallway between this room and the door to area #22 is 
  coated in blood. The door to this room is closed and barred 
  from the inside. The door is stout, being AC 14 with 22 
  (4D10) Hit points. 
  If the party tries to talk to the Doornians through the door, 
  these will be more open to discussion than others in the 
  fortress – they are guarding against horrors that do not talk, 
  so anyone talking is considered a potential ally. A character 
  who makes a CL 5 (CL 0 if speaking Doornian) Charisma 
  check will get them to open the door. They will not let their 
  guard down completely – they know that the elves will kill 
  them as surely as the walking dead they are guarding 
  against. 
  (Derivesh Fanatic AC 15, HD 2d10, HP 14, Saves P, MV 
  30, Attacks Scimitar 1d6, Special: +1 on attack and 
  damage, Alignment LN, XP 15+2/243 each) 
  Scaling – Adjust hit points first, changing the number of 
  fanatics is a more extreme adjustment. 
  22. Stairs Down 
  Doorne the Beneficent is depicted upon these walls giving 
  people the things that are needed for survival. A close look 
  will show that the background is fields full of grain, trees, 
  and water. The paint is faded nearly to non-existence, so a 
  character needs to actually study the engravings to notice 
  this detail. The blood is from the invaders running from the 
  Cursed Dead, some being ripped down on the stairs. The 
  blood and gore makes even sandstone slippery in spots, and 
  any character that passes the midway point on the steps must 
  make a CL 1 Dexterity save or slip and tumble down the 
  stairs for 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage.  
  23. Guard Post 
  The Cursed Dead killed these men after chasing two desert 
  warriors up the stairs from the tomb. The warriors pounded 
  on the door to the guard room, the two surviving guards 
  decided to go down fighting, and a three-way melee broke 
  out. The Desert warriors, caught in the middle, went down 
  quickly attacked from both sides. The desert warriors 
  weakened the elven guard, but lost the fight with the Cursed 
  Dead. The Cursed Dead carried their casualties back down 
  to the tomb to be restored the next day. 
  There are two sabers, two longswords, two usable 
  breastplates, and a finely crafted pair of soft leather boots 
  here (value 20 gold pieces). All of this gear is blood-soaked. 
  24. Guard Post 
  The door to this room is barred from the inside. There are 
  three desert warriors inside that will not unbar the door 
  unless they are certain they will be safe. The fighting with 
  the elven guards was not bad until the stairs, where the 
  fighting became more equal. Then the recovery of the tomb 
  went all wrong, and they saw their entire squad cut down by 
  the very bodies they had come to put to rest. A CL 7 
  Charisma check is required to convince them to open the 
  door, or a simple CL 2 check if someone speaking Doornian 
  is persuading them that it is safe. The door is stout, being 
  AC 14 with 22 (4D10) Hit points. 
  If someone speaking Doornian talked the guard into 
  opening the door, and any party member is elven, a CL 5 
  Charisma check must be passed by someone in the party, or 
  the three Derivish Cultists in the room will attack. If the 
  door was broken down, they will automatically attack. Each 
  cultist has 6 silver pieces on them, and one of them has a 
  wooden pyramid necklace covered in gold foil. This 
  necklace is worth 25 gold pieces in a bazar, including in 
  Dakhalla, but if a character who is not a follower of Doorne 
  is caught by Doornian Cultists with it in their possession, 
  the offending character will be executed. 
  This room has a bed, a table, and a privy. Three figures 
  in the dark clothing of the desert warriors attack you as 
  soon as you bust in the door. 
  These blood-soaked sandstone steps are far older than 
  the fort. Engravings along the walls show a giant god 
  wearing a pyramid for a hat blessing people and gifting 
  them with wheat, coins, and camels. The doors at the 
  bottom are also sandstone, hung on iron pinions that 
  allow the doors to spin away from the stairs. When 
  closed as they are now, the doors show a sun setting 
  behind a pyramid that still holds flecks of gold paint. 
  This door has been smashed in, and four bodies lie 
  tattered on the floor. The bodies have been so mutilated 
  that the only way you can tell there were two of each 
  invaders and defenders here is by the armor they wear 
  underneath all the gore. 
  This room holds a table with four chairs, a bed, and a 
  privy. Unlike almost everywhere you have been, there is 
  no blood here. 
  
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  (Derivesh Cultist AC 12, HD 1d8, HP 5 each, Saves P, Move 
  30, Attacks Scimitar 1d6, Fanaticism, +1 on attack and 
  damage, Alignment LN, XP 7+1/12 each, each cultist has 5 
  silver pieces and one has a wooden pyramid necklace 
  covered in gold leaf worth 25 gold pieces) 
  Scaling – Adjusting hit points is easiest, changing to 
  Derivesh Fanatics will increase the challenge for a 
  larger/higher level party. 
  25. North Guard Room 
  As detailed in area #12, there are 10 Guards here. If the 
  party has successfully negotiated with them to get the door 
  open, or the Talifan invaders are gone before the doors are 
  opened, they will be wary of the party but nothing more. If 
  the door was bashed in, or the Talifans attack for some 
  reason after it is open, the guards here will be hostile. They 
  will attempt to take the party captive. They will rush to area 
  #12 as those guarding the stairs fall, making a stream of 
  enemies for the party to fight. 
  There are tables spread about the room, and an area cut out 
  of the center of the room with a door on the north side of the 
  cut-out. 
  (Guard Captain AC 16, HD 5d10, HP 30, Saves P, MV 30, 
  Attack longsword+1 1d8+1, Alignment LN, XP 120+5/270 
  He has a Breastplate + 1 and a Longsword +1, along with 
  50 gold pieces) 
  (Guards AC 15, HD 1d10, HP 6 each (10 each for 
  sergeants), Saves P, MV 30, Attack longsword 1d8, 
  Alignment LN, XP 5+1/11 each – 15 for sergeants. Each 
  guard has 5 silver pieces and each sergeant as 20 gold 
  pieces) 
  Scaling – The most likely approach is through area #12, and 
  scaling information is with that entry. 
  26. Privy 
  These privies run through pipes to dump out the north wall. 
  There is nothing of value here, but the dumping pipes are 
  large enough for someone to escape through, if they could 
  survive the twenty-foot fall to the ground below. They are 
  grated to keep large birds and Talifans out, but it is easier to 
  kick them open from inside than pry them open from 
  outside. A CL 1 Strength check will kick out any given 
  grate, but the pipes are very slippery, so a successful check 
  requires a CL 10 Dexterity save to keep from shooting out 
  and falling the 20 feet. Those who fall will take the normal 
  2d6 bludgeoning damage. 
  27. Outer Guard Room 
  Normally two patrols of two guards each walk the east and 
  west walls, and a single guard walks window to window on 
  the south wall. Since the attack, there is no one here. There 
  is a clean deck of playing cards on one of the tables. A CL 
  7 Wisdom check will determine that someone has used a 
  fingernail to mark the corner of aces with a single line and 
  kings with a double line. 
  28. Day Guard Quarters 
  Normally the day guard for this floor sleeps here. They were 
  awakened when the attack was realized, and have not been 
  back. If the party takes the time to search the entire room, 
  they will find 21 gold pieces and 13 silver pieces among the 
  chests. 
  29. Day Guard Quarters 
  Normally the day guard for the top floor sleeps here. They 
  were awakened when the attack was realized, and have not 
  been back. If the party takes the time to search the entire 
  room, they will find 9 gold pieces, 17 silver pieces, and a 
  short sword +1 among the chests. The sword is crafted of 
  fine shining steel, and has a hilt made of leather with a 
  pyramid embossed into it. The hilt guard is bronze. 
  30. Night Guard Quarters 
  This long room covers the entire north end of the tower, 
  with a section blocked off in the center. Stairs down are 
  in the northwest corner, and stairs up in the northeast. 
  Windows line the outside wall. 
  This room holds two seats of a privy. The walls are 
  decorated as farmland, with elves treating the fields. 
  Someone has scratched a crude dwarf head under one of 
  This massive U-shaped room goes around the outside 
  wall on the west, south, and east sides of the tower. 
  Windows provide a view in each direction. Tables are 
  There are eight mussed beds here, a small chest at the 
  foot of each one.  
  There are eight mussed beds here, a small chest at the 
  foot of each one.  
  Seven neatly made bunks fill this room, with a small 
  chest at the foot of each one. 
  
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  These are the quarters for the night guard on this floor. They 
  were on duty when the attack hit, and their room is ready 
  for them to return to it. Searching the entire room will find 
  22 copper pieces and 3 silver pieces spread across the 
  chests. 
   
  31. Night Guard Quarters 
  This room houses the night guard for the top floor. They 
  were on duty when the attack struck, and all is neat and 
  orderly here. A thorough search of the room will yield 14 
  gold pieces, 23 silver pieces, and four copper pieces.  
  32. Outer Guard Room 
  The stairs down are access from the floor below, the stairs 
  up lead to the roof, where four ballistae sit under tarps. This 
  room is the key to Sand Watch, allowing guards to look in 
  every direction from their elevated location. 
  33. Heavy Weapons  
  This room houses the extra ammunition for the siege 
  engines on the roof. There is nothing else here of interest. 
  34. Commanders’ Quarters 
  This is the commander’s bedchamber. He was awakened 
  when the attack started, and has been in area #25 since. The 
  drawers hold fine silken clothes and a scroll of Cure Light 
  Wounds. The commander’s log book is here also, filled with 
  information about Talifan attacks over the years, soldiers 
  rotating in and out, and discipline he has had to administer.  
  35. Privy 
  This is the privy for the guard stationed on this floor and the 
  commander alike. As with area #26, the drains are large 
  enough for a character to escape through if necessary, but 
  this set opens 40 feet above ground. Those falling will suffer 
  4d6 bludgeoning damage. 
   
  36. Melee Weapons Room 
  Standard equipment for this guard post is longsword, 
  dagger, and short bow. Several scimitars and maces taken 
  from previous desert raids are also kept here for training 
  against the invader’s weapons of choice. Most of the 
  weapons are in the hands of defenders, but there are 12 
  longswords, 3 scimitars, two maces, and four short bows 
  with four quivers and a barrel of 120 arrows. One of the 
  longswords has an otter skin hilt wrapped in brass with a 
  pommel stone made of a strange off-white stone, also bound 
  in brass. It is a longsword +1. 
  Seven neatly made bunks fill this room, with a small chest 
  at the foot of each one. 
  This room circles the entire tower, tables set at regular 
  intervals. There are stairs going down in the northwest 
  corner and stairs going up in the northeast corner. 
  Windows grace every wall of the tower. 
  Ballista bolts and iron balls are carefully stored in this 
  room, arranged for easy retrieval. 
  Aside from the large, unmade bed in the center of the 
  south wall, this room is spartan. Drawers under the bed 
  provide the only storage space in the room, and there are 
  no chairs or other furnishings. Hanging on the wall behind 
  the bed is the banner of the elven kingdom. 
  This room is a privy chamber with three seats in it. The 
  walls show elves bottling wine. 
  Weapons racks line the walls of this room, longswords, 
  scimitars, and maces prevalent with a few bows. Many 
  of the weapons slots are currently empty. 
  
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  37. Armory 
  The listed items are indeed all that remains, the rest being 
  on defenders. They are quality made, but prominently bear 
  the symbol of the elven kingdom – engraved into the front 
  of the breastplates, and on a chest piece attached to the suit 
  of chain. Wearing them around the elven kingdom will 
  either make people think the wearer is a guard (most 
  commoners) or arouse suspicion (most military members or 
  nobility). 
   
   
  Armor stands fill this room in tidy rows, most of them 
  empty. From the door a full suit of chainmail and four 
  breastplates appear to be all that is left here. 
  
  Tomb of Amar-Pentra 
  14 | T h e  N o r t h  R o a d  
   
  The Tomb of Amar-Pentra 
  Amar-Pentra was a high priest of mighty Doorne, centuries 
  ago when the empire still ruled these lands. He claimed that 
  Doorne had given him a vision of the future, and his tomb 
  must be placed here, in an out of the way location that few 
  in the empire ever visited. His followers honored his wishes 
  without knowing why. But Amar-Pentra was cursed of 
  Doorne. As one of Doorne’s most powerful followers, he 
  had given homage to the elven nature goddess, calling her 
  Doorne’s mighty sister in some of his writings. Doorne 
  demands monotheistic worship, and was offended at Amar-
  Pentra’s mention of his sister. As a result, neither Amar-
  Pentra nor any of his followers are allowed to go to 
  Doorne’s Blessed Oasis until penance has been paid by the 
  former high priest. They live on in undeath, the Cursed 
  Dead, in Amar-Pentra’s tomb, awaiting their final rest. 
  The Talifan attackers wanted to take Amar-Pentra and bury 
  him within the borders of their kingdom. But when they 
  opened the doors that the elves had sealed shut, they were 
  surprised to find that one of the most famous Doornian 
  Priests ever was accursed. Many of them paid the ultimate 
  price for disturbing the dead. 
  1. Hall of the Living 
  This is the entry to the tomb. It depicts the life of Amar-
  Pentra. In Doornian belief, Amar-Pentra can be summoned 
  here by those still living that remember him. At least he 
  could be, had he passed on to Doorne’s Blessed Oasis. Since 
  he did not, none can summon him here. His minions, the 
  Cursed Dead, can – and obviously did – follow the living 
  here. As soon as the party enters the room, they will hear 
  barking begin from the hall at the far end of the room. One 
  round later, two Death Dogs will charge into the room and 
  attack.  
  (Death Dogs AC 13, HD 2d8, HP 10 each, Saves P, MV 40, 
  Attacks 2 bites 1d10 each, Darkvision 60, Trip, Alignment 
  N(E), XP 15+2/35 each) 
  Scaling – For a particularly weak party, these can be 
  Cursed Dead Animals. For a strong party, adding Death 
  Dogs is easy, replacing with one or two 4 HD hellhounds is 
  a more extreme scaling measure, if needed. 
  2. Antechamber 
  This is the antechamber of realms. From here the land above 
  can be accessed in area #1, and the Passage to Below can be 
  accessed via area #4. The shuffling figures are two of the 
  Cursed Dead Warriors from the inner tomb that chased 
  Talifan invaders up the steps and ramps. They would 
  eventually shuffle back down to their tombs, but have not 
  yet. 
  (Cursed Dead Warriors AC 15, HD 2d8, HP 10 each, Saves 
  P, MV 25, Attacks slam 1d8, Slow, Eternal Unrest, Unholy 
  Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 15+2/35 each) 
  Scaling – It is easiest to raise or lower these Cursed Dead’s 
  Hit points. For an easier challenge, one or both Warriors 
  could be Cursed Dead Servants. For a tougher challenge, 
  one or both warriors could be Cursed Dead Acolytes. 
  3. Servants Tomb 
  The four Cursed Dead Servants housed here are the 
  lowliest of the servants honored to share Amar-Pentra’s 
  afterlife. They are not pleased with their situation, and will 
  viciously attack any who open the doors. The Talifan 
  invaders were here for the bodies of Amar-Pentra and his 
  priests, so bypassed the door to this room after seeing it 
  marked with people herding cows. 
  The engraved stone doors at the foot of the steps have 
  been opened, revealing a long fifteen-foot-wide hall. 
  The stairs, the doorway, and the hall have fresh blood 
  spattered all about them. You count ten bodies in desert 
  garb strewn along this walkway, most face down, heads 
  toward you as you enter. Aside from the gore, the floor 
  is painted a faded green with a brown walkway wending 
  from the door at the foot of the steps to an opening in 
  the far wall, 35 feet away. Along the walls there are 
  paintings of a priest doing good works, preaching in 
  front of a pyramid, eating, and sleeping. 
  This square chamber has doorways on the north, west, 
  and south walls. The door in the west wall has been 
  opened, the door in the north wall remains closed. The 
  ceiling is painted dark blue and covered in yellow 
  hieroglyphs that resemble a star field. The walls are 
  alternating 
  painted 
  panels 
  and hieroglyphs. 
  The 
  paintings depict people digging out a tomb, among them 
  is the priest depicted in the last room. Two desiccated 
  bodies shuffle toward you. 
  The walls of this room are painted with images of people 
  gathering crops, cleaning stables, and tending to herds. 
  
  Tomb of Amar-Pentra 
  15 | T h e  N o r t h  R o a d  
   
  (Cursed Dead Servants AC 13, HD 1d6, HP 4 each, Saves 
  P, MV 25, Attacks Slam 1d6, Slow, Eternal Unrest, Unholy 
  Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 7+1/11 each) 
  Scaling – Hit points are the best scaling tool here, but for a 
  small party (less then four PCs), reducing the number of 
  Servants to one per PC is an option. 
   4. Upper Passage 
  These are some of the higher functionaries from the deeper 
  area of the tomb, but are still Cursed Dead Servants. They 
  will attack immediately. 
  (Cursed Dead Servants AC 13, HD 1d6, HP 4 each, Saves 
  P, MV 25, Attacks slam 1d6, Slow, Eternal Unrest, Unholy 
  Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 7+1/11 each) 
  Scaling – We don’t recommend you scale this encounter  
  5. Hall of the Sun 
  This passage is Amar-Pentra’s last view of the sun before 
  entering the land of his afterlife. Here the sun awaits his 
  reincarnation in Doorne’s Blessed Oasis. The golden sun is 
  a trigger for a trap aimed at keeping thieves from the burial 
  chamber. A CL 7 Wisdom check will show that the sun is 
  on a pressure plate. Any attempt to pick the gold out of the 
  plate will drop the five-foot floor tile in front of the sun, 
  dropping whomever was picking at the golden sun into a 20-
  foot-deep pit. The character can make a CL 10 Dexterity 
  check to keep from falling. The bottom of the pit has been 
  lined with broken and jagged rock and ceramic. The falling 
  character will take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage from the 
  fall and an additional 3 (1d6) piercing damage from 
  impacting the jagged pieces. Even the walls of this pit have 
  been decorated. They show demons torturing people while 
  mighty Doorne looks on approvingly. 
  The gold in the inlay is real, and if 15 minutes are spent 
  scraping it out it is worth 75 gold pieces. 
  6. Middle Passage 
  The desiccated warriors are Cursed Dead Warriors. They 
  will start to move forward as soon as the party enters this 
  passage. They are part of Amar-Pentra’s honor guard, 
  formerly devout warriors who chose to go with him to 
  Doorne’s Blessed Oasis. 
  (Cursed Dead Warriors AC 15, HD 2d8, HP 10 each, Saves 
  P, MV 25, Attacks slam 1d8, Slow, Eternal Unrest, Unholy 
  Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 15+2/35 each) 
  Scaling – For an easier challenge, one or both Warriors 
  could be Cursed Dead Servants. For a tougher challenge, 
  one or both warriors could be Cursed Dead Acolytes. 
  7. Guardians Tomb 
  The doors slide to the side to show a room with four 
  desiccated warriors standing stiffly. They surge into motion 
  as the party opens the doors. These are Amar-Pentra’s 
  guard, now transformed into Cursed Dead Warriors. 
  The walls of this room depict kings bringing gifts to the 
  same priest pictured in the first chamber, mighty 
  Doorne looking on with approval. Hieroglyphs appear 
  to label each scene, and the gifts include sheep, puma, 
  giraffe, gold, and even slaves. Two people in ancient 
  styled clothing stand staring at the painted walls, but 
  turn as you enter. 
  This room is split into two levels, with a set of steps 
  going between them. The ceiling is painted a faded sky 
  blue, with a huge yellow and orange orb in the center of 
  the east wall, near the floor. The floor and stairs are 
  polished white marble, covered in dust. Many tracks run 
  through the dust between the stone doors on east and 
  west walls. The north wall is inlaid with a foot-wide 
  golden sun. 
  This long hall angles down from east to west except a 
  flat 10-foot-wide section between two large stone doors. 
  The ceiling is painted a deep blue that has faded. A 
  luminescent moon hanging in the northwest corner, a 
  faint light 
  emanating 
  from it. The walls show 
  shopkeepers, trade caravans, and a group of dancers, all 
  seemingly enjoying the night’s sky around painted fires. 
  Paintings of Mighty Doorne and the priest who has been 
  depicted throughout the tomb look on with smiles from 
  the south wall. Two desiccated warriors stand by the 
  door in the western wall.  
  The ten-foot-wide hallway leading to this room is 
  decorated with armies on the move. Soldiers march 
  under a glowing sun, cavalry ride behind them. Riders 
  in the dress of the desert sit astride hippogriff in the sky. 
  All appear to march at the command of one man – the 
  same man in the entry area – pointing toward the doors. 
  The doors are painted with shields and banners.  
  
  Tomb of Amar-Pentra 
  16 | T h e  N o r t h  R o a d  
   
  (Cursed Dead Warrior AC 15, HD 2d8, HP 10 each, Saves 
  P, MV 25, Attacks slam 1d8, Slow, Eternal Unrest, Unholy 
  Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 7+2/35 each) 
  Scaling – This being the barracks, the easiest scaling option 
  is to reduce or increase the number of Warriors. 
  Alternatively, having them hurt from the fight with the 
  invaders (not at full HP) is another way to make this easier. 
  8. Priests Tomb 
  The symbols on the doors represent various sects in the 
  worship of the desert god. Once the stone doors are pushed 
  aside, the PCs can view a room whose walls are painted with 
  a pyramid topped by a skull. The skull’s eyes massive six-
  inch diameter black holes rise over a room with two ornate 
  beds, a settee’, and tables covered in jars and parchments. 
  These are the acolytes that chose to follow Amar-Pentra to 
  the afterlife, and like everyone else in the tomb, became 
  Cursed Dead. These have become Cursed Dead Acolytes, 
  and they will immediately attack unless the party has a 
  Doornian priest with them. 
  (Cursed Dead Acolyte AC 14, HD 2d8, HP 10 each, Saves 
  P, MV 25, Attacks slam 1d8, Slow, Eternal Unrest, Unholy 
  Alliance, Spells: Cause Light Wounds x3 Consecrate, 
  Alignment LE, XP 40+3/70 each) 
  Scaling - We do not recommend scaling this encounter, but 
  customizing spells available to be more or less effective is 
  encouraged. 
  9. Lower Passage 
  This is the final passage to Amar-Pentra’s tomb. His image 
  was painted on both panels, and the one that matches his 
  fate remained while the one that promised eternal bliss has 
  faded. He is trapped here until killed, and tormented by his 
  aloneness… Even though his servants, pets, and guard are 
  with him. 
  Should the party kill the Cursed Dead version of Amar-
  Pentra, his penance will be complete, and these paintings 
  will change, Amar-Pentra appearing on the north wall and 
  disappearing from the torture scene on the south wall. 
  10. Amar-Pentra’s Tomb 
  The being on the chair is the remains of Amar-Pentra. He 
  has been transformed into a Cursed Dead Functionary, 
  and will defend his tomb with a fierce single-mindedness. If 
  the fight is going against him, Amar-Pentra will use Unholy 
  Alliance to call all of his protectors to him. All surviving 
  Cursed Dead will move toward this room at their fastest 
  movement rate. His pets in the Beasts Tomb (Area #11) will 
  burst through the door in one round, while those coming 
  The ten-foot-wide hallway to this chamber is decorated 
  with priests seeing to the needs of their people, pyramids 
  behind them in every scene. The same priest that appears 
  in many paintings is depicted directing the other priests. 
  The doors to this room are closed and bear symbols of a 
  pyramid being hit by lightning, a pyramid with an eye 
  above it. Between these two sits a pyramid with the sun 
  behind it. Two desiccated forms wearing the gold and 
  black robes of Doornian priests turn toward the doors as 
  they are opened. 
  This long hallway angles down, with steps in the center. 
  The south wall is decorated with people in torment, 
  monstrosities doing horrible things to them in a place 
  where there is no sun. Piles of burning bodies provide 
  the illumination. The north wall shows people in 
  rapturous activity, all happy with bright smiles upon 
  their faces. There is a blank spot on the north wall, about 
  the size of a man, that looks as if the artist never finished 
  this painting. In the same location on the south wall, a 
  man is being tortured by a three headed monster. The 
  monster is depicted sawing through the man’s stomach 
  with a long-bladed spear. The man looks like the priest 
  depicted in the earlier chambers. 
  This massive room is decorated with a wealth of goods, 
  coin, and what was once foodstuffs. A raised catafalque 
  sits in the center of the room, the ornate sarcophagus 
  upon it sitting open. There is a stylistic throne-like chair 
  in front of the sarcophagus, a skeletal figure sitting 
  leisurely upon it, the empty eye-sockets staring at you. 
  A door on the south wall is decorated with cats in repose 
  and at play. The west door is decorated with an elaborate 
  sunburst painted a brilliant yellow, the north door is 
  painted with servants taking care of someone dressed 
  like the figure on the chair. 
  
  Tomb of Amar-Pentra 
  17 | T h e  N o r t h  R o a d  
   
  from other areas will take longer. His unlife feeds all of his 
  functionaries, making him the key to clearing the tomb. 
  Destroying Amar-Pentra will destroy all of the undead in 
  this tomb, causing them to turn to dust and ending their 
  unlife when he drops below zero. This sends them on to 
  Doorne’s Blessed Oasis, their penance complete. 
  Amar-Pentra (Cursed Dead Functionary AC 16, HD 4d8, 
  HP 20, Saves P, MV 25, Attacks Slam 2d6, Spells, Undead 
  Fortitude, Eternal Unrest, Unholy Alliance, Alignment LE, 
  XP 80+4/160) 
  Scaling – Amar-Pentra is meant to be a tough fight. A CK 
  that knows the party will quickly take him down should 
  expand his spell options, or increase his hit dice while 
  having him use unholy alliance as soon as he sees the party. 
  Conversely, by this point, a party might be stretched very 
  thin, in which case Amar-Pentra might not use his spells or 
  Unholy Alliance. 
  11. Beasts Tomb 
  These were Amar-Pentra’s beloved pets turned into Cursed 
  Dead Animals. Two of them got free and are upstairs, but 
  the other four are here, and will attack anyone not dressed 
  as a priest of Doorne.  
  (Cursed Dead Animal AC 12, HD 1d6, HP 4 each, Saves P, 
  MV 20, Attacks Bite (1d4), 2 claws (1d2), Slow, Eternal 
  Unrest, Unholy Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 5+1/9 each) 
  12. All that Glitters 
  This is the fake treasure room. Thievery was common in the 
  ancient empire, and even tomb robbing a famous priest was 
  not out of the question, so this room is designed specifically 
  to remove thieves before they find the actual treasure room. 
  The chest is an Immature Mimic. It will attack as soon as 
  someone is close enough. 
  (Immature Mimic AC 14, HD 3d8, HP 15, Saves P, MV 10, 
  Attack slam 2d4, Adhesive, Crush (1d4+1), Darkvision 60, 
  Immunity to Acid(full), Mimic Shape, Alignment N, XP 
  75+3/120) 
  Scaling – this could easily be a more mature mimic, 
  depending upon party strength, or it is simply a trapped 
  chest. 
  13. Treasure Room 
  The floor five feet into this room is trapped. If more than 
  100 pounds of weight is placed upon it, the floor will give 
  way, triggering a block of the ceiling to fall. The trap can be 
  detected with a CL 5 Wisdom check, and once detected, a 
  one-foot safe area along each wall will be obvious. A 
  character on the trap when it is triggered can make a CL 7 
  Dexterity check to dive to safe flooring (before or after the 
  pit). If this Dexterity check is failed, the character takes 3 
  (1d6) bludgeoning damage from falling into a ten-foot-deep 
  pit, and another 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage from a block 
  of the ceiling that falls straight down. The ceiling block is 
  released by the doors of the trap opening, so if the trap is 
  not triggered, the ceiling remains intact. If the ceiling falls, 
  the room will start to shake and rumble, dust falling from 
  the open space in the ceiling. The party has one minute to 
  get what they want from the room and leave, as the released 
  block was part of the ceiling support. The rest of the ceiling 
  will come down, filling the room with rubble after one 
  minute has passed. Anyone in the room when the ceiling 
  collapses will take 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage from the 
  collapse, and another 3 (d6) from the crushing weight per 
  round they remain in the room. A character caught in rubble 
  can move 5’ per round toward the exit. A character that fell 
  into the pit and had the block fall upon them is likely to 
  outright die unless the party has a very quick way to lift the 
  8,000 pound block and let them out (in our world, using 
  standard granite, this 8x8x8 foot block would be more than 
  87,000 pounds. We have assumed the block is not solid, or 
  the trap would be instant death.).   
  This room has six ornate baskets filled with pillows 
  arranged around it. Four of the baskets have desiccated 
  cats resting upon them. The cats hiss and jump to attack.  
  Both walls of this room are painted with a row of 
  servants carrying bags of gold and pouring them into an 
  ornate bronze chest. The pictured chest is the only item 
  in the room, sitting on a raised pedestal with a brass 
  padlock on it. 
  The walls show the man depicted in paintings 
  throughout the tomb rising on wings toward a smiling 
  Doorne. Along the north wall, two amphorae, an open 
  chest showing silver and a sprinkling of gold, a cherry 
  staff with an iron cap resting on a pillow, and a scimitar 
  in a black leather scabbard can be seen,  
  
  Tomb of Amar-Pentra 
  18 | T h e  N o r t h  R o a d  
   
  The contents of this room were to be Amar-Pentra’s worldly 
  goods in the afterlife. The chest holds a layer of coins – 100 
  silver pieces and 127 gold pieces – over a fine silken tent 
  worth 300 gold pieces. The staff is a Staff of Fire (5 charges 
  remaining). The Scimitar is a Spinning Scimitar +1. The 
  keg held date wine, that has since spoiled and evaporated, 
  leaving a thick, near solid sludge. If the party chops the 
  sludge apart, they will find a Ring of Free Action hidden in 
  the center of it.  
   
   
   
   
   
  New Magic Item 
  Spinning Scimitar 
  Master Smith Terin An-Salimaani made roughly a dozen of these famous weapons for the guard of one of the ancient 
  emperors of the Empire of Doorne. Ancient before the fall of the empire, most of them have been lost to time. 
  These weapons are typically +1, though writings of later historians claim there were two more powerful weapons made for 
  the sergeants of the Emperors’ guard. Their real power though, is the ability to be used as a missile weapon. On one round, 
  the wielder can throw the weapon as a missile weapon with no negatives. The weapon bonus applies as normal, and range 
  is 20 feet. The person who threw the weapon can take their action in a future round to call the weapon back to their hand. If 
  someone grasps the hilt of the scimitar between when it is thrown and when they attempt to return it, the weapon does not 
  return. 
  
  New Monsters 
  19 | T h e  C u r s e d  D e a d  
   
  The Cursed Dead 
  Throughout history, when the peoples of the desert have buried 
  important functionaries, from mayors to emperors, they are given 
  servants, priests, and honor guards for their trip to the afterlife. 
  These beings are mummified and laid to rest in the tomb of their 
  master, all honor planned to send the functionary to the afterlife. 
  When the functionary has been honorable and dies in the favor of 
  their god, these servants, priests, and warriors make their way to 
  the afterlife in company of their functionary. But when the 
  functionary was dishonorable, or otherwise angered their god(s), 
  then the servants are condemned to eternal undeath. Their 
  mummification failing, these beings are less than they were 
  intended to be. These dead must continue in this unlife until the 
  body of their functionary is destroyed.  
  All of those buried with a functionary are affected, from their 
  beloved pets to their priests. These beings will not tolerate the 
  tomb of their functionary to be violated, and will forcefully attack 
  any who dare. The process of mummifying the Cursed Dead 
  makes them low intelligence. They are unaware of the fact that their eternal undeath is tied to their functionary. If they were, 
  perhaps they might not be so vigilant in their defense of him whom they served in life. 
  A typical tomb will hold servants near the entrance, guards spread throughout the tomb, priests near the functionary’s burial 
  chamber, and animals within the burial chamber. The functionary is either not animated because the deity chooses to punish 
  them by denying them their followers until someone cleanses their tomb, or a powerful Cursed Dead. The distribution varies 
  for each burial, but the theme remains, the more important the functionary, the more elaborate the tomb and the larger the 
  number of Cursed Dead present. 
  Undead Fortitude 
  If damage reduces the Cursed Dead to 0 or fewer hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a CL of 5 + the 
  damage taken, unless the damage is from a critical hit or holy damage such as that caused by any of the cure wounds spells. 
  On a success, the Cursed Dead drops to 1 hit point instead. Note: Due to their small size, Cursed Undead Animals do not 
  have this ability. 
  Eternal Unrest 
  It is the nature of the curse that Cursed Dead suffer under that when defeated in combat, they will fall as if destroyed, yet 
  will return to their undead state at full health 24 hours later. This effect does not occur if the body is completely destroyed 
  or a priest casts Remove Curse on each such Cursed Dead. This also does not occur if the body is outside the tomb when 24 
  hours have elapsed. 
  Dehydrating Environment 
  The Cursed Dead have been buried for a long time in a desert environment, making them particularly susceptible to fire 
  (count ones on fire-based damage dice as twos). Those buried in an area with moisture in the soil do not suffer from this 
  weakness, but most do. 
  Unholy Alliance 
  The Cursed Dead Functionary can call all of those buried with them by starting a low keening noise. All Cursed Dead buried 
  with the Functionary that are able will respond by moving at their fastest movement rate to put themselves between the 
  Functionary and whatever is threatening it. Should the Functionary be destroyed, all Cursed Dead buried with him also fall, 
  forever lifeless.  
  
  New Monsters 
  20 | T h e  C u r s e d  D e a d  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  (Cursed Dead Animal AC 12, HD 1d6, HP 4 each, Saves P, MV 20, Attacks Bite (1d4), 2 claws (1d2), Slow, Eternal 
  Unrest, Unholy Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 5+1/9 each) 
  (Cursed Dead Servant AC 13, HD 1d6, HP 4 each, Saves P, MV 25, Attacks slam 1d6, Slow, Eternal Unrest, Unholy 
  Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 7+1/11 each) 
  (Cursed Dead Warrior AC 15, HD 2d8, HP 10 each, Attacks slam 1d8, Saves P, MV 25, Slow, Eternal Unrest, Unholy 
  Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 15+2/35 each) 
  (Cursed Dead Acolyte AC 14, HD 2d8, HP 10 each, Attacks slam 1d8, Saves P, MV 25, Slow, Eternal Unrest, Unholy 
  Alliance, Spells: Cause Light Wounds x3 Consecrate, Alignment LE, XP 40+3/70 each) 
  (Cursed Dead Functionary AC 16, HD 4d8, HP 20, Saves P, MV 25, Attacks Slam 2d6, Spells, Undead Fortitude, Eternal 
  Unrest, Unholy Alliance, Alignment LE, XP 80+4/160) 
   
  CURSED DEAD WARRIOR 
  Number: 1-8 
  Size:  Medium 
  Armor Class 15 (desiccated flesh)  
  Hit Dice: 2 (d8) 
  Hit Points: 10  
  Move: 20 ft. 
  Attacks: Slam (1d8)  
  Special: Slow 
  Treasure: Nil 
  XP: 15+2 per HP 
  Abilities/Traits: Undead Fortitude, Eternal Unrest, 
  Unholy Alliance 
   
  CURSED DEAD ACOLYTE 
  Number: 1-4 
  Size:  Medium 
  Armor Class 14 (desiccated flesh)  
  Hit Dice: 2 (d8) 
  Hit Points: 10  
  Move: 20 ft. 
  Attacks: Slam (1d8) 
  Special: Slow 
  Treasure: Nil 
  XP: 40+3 per HP 
  Innate Spells: Cause Light Wounds x3, Consecrate 
  Abilities/Traits: Undead Fortitude, Eternal Unrest, 
  Unholy Alliance 
  CURSED DEAD SERVANT 
  Number: 5-20 
  Size:  Medium 
  Armor Class 13 (desiccated flesh)  
  Hit Dice: 1 (d10) 
  Hit Points: 6  
  Move: 20 ft. 
  Attacks: Slam (1d6)  
  Special: Slow 
  Treasure: Nil 
  XP: 7+1 per HP 
  Abilities/Traits: Undead Fortitude, Eternal Unrest, 
  Unholy Alliance 
   
  CURSED DEAD ANIMAL 
  Number: 1-10+ 
  Size:  Small 
  Armor Class 12 (desiccated flesh)  
  Hit Dice: 1 (d6) 
  Hit Points: 4  
  Move: 20 ft. 
  Attacks: Bite (1d4), 2 claws (1d2)  
  Special: Slow 
  Treasure: Nil 
  XP: 5+1 per HP 
  Abilities/Traits: Eternal Unrest, Unholy Alliance 
   
  CURSED DEAD FUNCTIONARY 
  Number: 1 
  Size:  Medium 
  Armor Class 16 (desiccated Flesh, wrappings) 
  Hit Dice: 4 (d8) 
  Hit Points: 20  
  Move: 20 ft. 
  Attacks: Slam (2d6) 
  Special: Slow 
  Treasure: Nil 
  XP: 80+4 per HP 
  Innate Spells: Cause Light Wounds x3, Consecrate 
  Abilities/Traits: Undead Fortitude, Eternal Unrest, 
  Unholy Alliance 
  
  New Monsters 
  21 | T h e  C u r s e d  D e a d  
   
  Cultists  
  A man dressed in all white slips through the window and looks 
  about the room. Spotting his target, he slips a half-written letter 
  from the desk into his robes. He glances about the room, and steps 
  quietly to the door. Cracking the door and quietly peering through 
  the crack, he spies the author of the note. Bursting the door open 
  and calling upon his brotherhood, the white-robed man attacks… 
  The historical myths and reality of cults and secret organizations 
  are numerous. The organizations vary in purpose and intent, but 
  motivation is cult following – of a leader or a splinter of a religion. 
  These groups aim for a specific goal… Protection of a sacred relic, 
  changing the world, serving their deity, changing rulers… The 
  number of possible goals is innumerable. What is constant between 
  them is that they are secretive, constantly working in small groups, 
  and when they commit, they commit in large numbers. 
  We do not delve into all possible cultists here, but only those 
  important to this module – The Derivesh. As noted at the end of 
  the Derivesh description, this module has one sub-set of Derivesh, 
  the Halriadah. 
  Desert Cultists – The Derivesh 
  In the heart of the desert reside those who believe the world has gone wrong, and that they are the ones to right it. Some 
  believe they must keep information and power out of the hands of those who would abuse it. Some believe they should 
  withdraw from contact with all men. Some believe they must right the wrongs with action. The Derivesh are this last kind. 
  They believe they must strike out firmly against those not of the desert to correct all of the wrong in the world.  
  Strictly ordered to reflect the needs of living in the desert and the martial life they have chosen, the Derivesh are always 
  Lawful in alignment, but their ranks include men who are both good and evil. They are united in a single purpose, and while 
  cultists vary in this purpose, the Derivesh focus on returning the destroyed desert empire to its former glory. Though 
  centuries have passed, their faith has not. It is their belief that Mighty Doorne will return his people to greatness when the 
  time comes. Until that time, the Derivesh must persevere, and fight for the desert, against those without who would weaken 
  their people, and those within that would harm those same people. 
  The Derivesh have a hierarchy, with Cultists at the bottom, Fanatics above them, and Priests above that. The Derivesh are 
  devoted to Mighty Doorne the Destroyer, and thus have no single Cult Leader, but each group in the Derivesh is controlled 
  by a Minor Leader. No group of Derivesh is the same, but generally for each ten cultists there will be four fanatics and a 
  priest. If a group is more than six cultists there will be a Minor Leader coordinating their efforts. 
  Fanaticism 
  The Derivesh are fanatical. There is nothing that will turn them from their purpose. They do not make morale checks, the 
  only time one runs from a fight is if he is ordered to go pass a warning to others. 
  Intense Focus 
  The Derivesh train constantly. This grants them a bonus of +1 on all attack and damage rolls. Some few specialize in thievery 
  instead. These individuals instead get a +1 bonus on sneaking and thieving rolls. Other focuses are possible. 
  
  New Monsters 
  22 | T h e  C u r s e d  D e a d  
   
  Module Usage: The Halriadah that Yellin belongs to are a sect of Derivesh cultists who believe the elves are stealing land 
  by making grass and trees grow there and then claiming it as their own. The Halriadah wear all white, and are set on 
  reclaiming the lands “stolen” from them. In this module they are rescuing the remains of an ancient holy man from elven 
  lands, but their long-term goals are unchanged. Eventually they want to return with the bones and re-inter him. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  (Derivesh Cultist AC 12, HD 1d8, HP 5 each, Saves P, MV 30, Attacks Scimitar 1d6, Fanaticism, +1 on attack and 
  damage, Alignment LN, XP 7+1/12 each) 
  (Derivesh Fanatic AC 15, HD 2d10, HP 11, Saves P, MV 30, Attacks Scimitar 1d6, Special: +1 on attack and damage, 
  Alignment LN, XP 15+2/37 each) 
  (Derivesh Priest AC 15, HD 2d10, HP 11, Saves P, MV 30, Attacks Heavy Mace 1d8, Spells, Special +1 attack and 
  damage, Alignment LN, XP 72 each) Suggested spells: Detect Alignment, Detect Magic, First Aid, Light, 2xCLW, 
  Sanctuary, Shield of Faith, Delay Poison, Detect Traps, Alignment LN, XP 20+2/42) 
  (Derivesh Subleader AC 15, HD 5d8, HP 25, Saves P, MV 30, Attacks Scimitar 1d6, Special +1 attack and damage, 
  Fanaticism, Spells, Invoke Derivesh, Alignment Any Lawful, XP 180+5/305) Suggested spells: Detect Alignment, Detect 
  Magic, First Aid, Light, 2xCLW, Sanctuary, Shield of Faith, Delay Poison, Detect Traps
  DERIVESH SUBLEADER 
  Number: 1 (0) 
  Size:  Medium 
  Armor Class: 15  
  Hit Dice: 5 (d8) 
  Hit Points: 25  
  Move: 30 ft. 
  Attacks: Scimitar (1d6) 
  Special: +1 on attack and damage rolls 
  Treasure: 2 
  XP: 180+5 per HP 
  Fanaticism: Derivesh Priests never check morale. 
  Spells: (4/4/2) Detect Alignment, Detect Magic, First 
  Aid, Light, 2xCLW, Sanctuary, Shield of Faith, Delay 
  Poison, Detect Traps 
  Invoke Derivesh: The Derivesh Subleader can rally the 
  faithful by shouting out to them. All Derivesh who can 
  hear him speak out are +1 to hit and +1 AC. This effect 
  lasts for 1d6 rounds. 
  DERIVESH PRIEST 
  Number: 2-12 (1) 
  Size:  Medium 
  Armor Class: 15  
  Hit Dice: 2 (d10) 
  Hit Points: 11  
  Move: 30 ft. 
  Attacks: Heavy Mace (1d10) 
  Special: +1 on attack and damage rolls 
  Treasure: 1 
  XP: 20+2 per HP 
  Fanaticism: Derivesh Priests never check morale. 
  Spells: (4/4/2) Detect Alignment, Detect Magic, First 
  Aid, Light, 2xCLW, Sanctuary, Shield of Faith, Delay 
  Poison, Detect Traps 
  DERIVESH FANATIC 
  Number: 2-12 (1) 
  Size:  Medium 
  Armor Class: 15  
  Hit Dice: 2 (d10) 
  Hit Points: 11  
  Move: 30 ft. 
  Attacks: Scimitar (1d6) 
  Special: +1 on attack and damage rolls 
  Treasure: 1 
  XP: 15+2 per HP 
  Fanaticism: Derivesh Fanatics never check morale. 
  DERIVESH CULTIST 
  Number: 5-50 (1d6) 
  Size:  Medium 
  Armor Class: 12  
  Hit Dice: 1 (d8) 
  Hit Points: 5  
  Move: 30 ft. 
  Attacks: Scimitar (1d6)  
  Special: +1 on attack and damage rolls 
  Treasure: 1 
  XP: 7+1 per HP 
  Fanaticism: Derivesh Cultists never check morale. 
   
  
  Conversion Notes 
  23 | T h e  C u r s e d  D e a d  
   
  Overview of Adventure Tomes 
  Dead Arising is a standalone One Night Adventure, but it is also the first tale in a series of One Night 
  Adventures that can be connected together with the Port of Dakhalla Adventure Tome. If played as a series, 
  all four tales (ONA13, ONA14, ONA15, ONA16) plus The Port of Dakhalla (AT4) combine to make the 
  Port of Dakhalla Adventure Tome. 
  Placement in your game world 
  This module can be played at any location where stark desert gives way to lush forest. It is best played if 
  the forest holds an elven nation, and the desert peoples are organized into small nomadic kingdoms, but this 
  is truly not a requirement. 
  Scaling Encounters 
  This module is designed to challenge a party of first to third level characters. There are scaling notes 
  throughout the module, but general guidelines are to adjust damage output if possible – cultists bearing 
  heavy scimitars do twice as much damage… If they hit, for example. For significant differences, adding 
  and subtracting foes is easy. Changing Hit Points is a good option also, but BTH should be kept in mind if 
  changing Hit Dice.   
  Using Dead Arising with Other Game Systems 
  Dead Arising was designed for use with the Castles and Crusades ® role playing game, and playtesting 
  was performed with that system. 
  The hard part of any translation will be Derivesh and Cursed Dead. These can be handled for most 
  systems by starting with Humans for Derivesh, Skeletons for Cursed Dead Servants, Zombies for Cursed 
  Dead Warriors, and weak (eg: Low Hit Point) skeletons for Cursed Dead Animals.
  Encounter Key  
  Number 
  Type of Creature 
  Wandering 
  1d4 
  Kobold 
  Wandering 
  1 
  Giant Toad 
  Wandering 
  1d8 
  Elven Guard 
  Wandering 
  1d8 
  Derivesh Cultist 
  Wandering 
  1d4 
  Cursed Dead Servant 
  Wandering 
  1 
  Giant Lizard 
  Wandering 
  1d4 
  Wolves 
  Wandering 
  1d8 
  Human Thugs 
  Streach Wood 
  5 
  Kobolds 
  Rescue 
  5 
  Derivesh Cultist 
  Doorne's Craters 
  2 
  Giant Toad 
  The Fairwood 
  4 
  Cursed Dead Servant 
  The Fairwood 
  1 
  Druidic Acolyte 
  7 
  5 
  Derivesh Cultist 
  8 
  2 
  Cursed Dead Animal 
  10 
  7 
  Derivesh Cultist 
  11 
  1 
  Derivesh Fanatic 
  12 
  4 
  Elven Guard 
  Encounter Key 
  Number 
  Type of Creature 
  21 
  3 
  Derivesh Fanatic 
  24 
  3 
  Derivesh Cultist 
  25 
  14 
  Elven Guard 
  Tomb 1 
  2 
  Death Dog 
  Tomb 3 
  4 
  Cursed Dead Servant 
  Tomb 4 
  2 
  Cursed Dead Servant 
  Tomb 6 
  2 
  Cursed Dead Warrior 
  Tomb 7 
  4 
  Cursed Dead Warrior 
  Tomb 8 
  2 
  Cursed Dead Acolyte 
  Tomb 10 
  1 
  Cursed Dead 
  Functionary 
  Tomb 11 
  4 
  Cursed Dead Animal 
  Tomb 12 
  1 
  Immature Mimic 
   
   
   
  
  Open Gaming License 
  24 | O p e n  G a m e  L i c e n s e
  OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a: The following text 
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0 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 
  original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  Castles & Crusades: Players Handbook, 6th Printing, Copyright 
  2014, Troll Lord Games; Authors Davis Chenault and Mac Golden. 
  Castles & Crusades Castle Keepers Guide, Copyright 2010, Troll 
  Lord Games; Author Davis Chenault. & Stephen Chenault. 
  Castles & Crusades Monsters and Treasure, 5th Printing, Copyright 
  2019, Troll Lord Games; Author Davis Chenault. & Mac Golden. 
  The Port of Dakhalla Copyright 2019, Hellebarde Publishing, LLC, 
  DBA Hellebarde Games. 
  Dead Arising Copyright 2018, Hellebarde Publishing, LLC, DBA 
  Hellebarde Games.
  
  Dakhalla to Sand guard
  
  Sand Guard - CK Map
  
  Sand Guard - Play Map
  
  = 5 feet
  Sand guard Basement - CK Map
  
  Sand guard Basement - Play Map
  
  Hellebarde Games
  Where  Heroes are Forged
  Yellin Bislama may be a horrific murderer that has left a trail of innocent elves 
  and humans in his wake, but he is trussed. His arms will not move, and his legs 
  are tied loose enough to walk, but not to run. So taking him to trial at Sand 
  Guard should be an easy way to make some coin…
  Dead Arising was written and play-tested using the Castles and Crusades RPG 
  system, but conversion notes are provided for any OGL based system.
  Each One Night Adventure is a tale. ONA 13 through ONA 16 can be played 
  consecutively with AT-4 to build the Port of Dakhalla Adventure Tome.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Castles & Crusades Siege Engine/Castles & Crusades Adventures & Settings/ONA13 Dead Arising (C&C).pdf